#The Attacking A Nun scene is part of it

[bonefall]

Heyyyy since there's talk of the Breezepelt Attacking Poppyfrost scene going around, I just wanna remind people that he explicitly does that because he was groomed by the Dark Forest. Jayfeather points it out on the page that Breezepelt's stated motivation doesn't make sense, because it's not actually a rational idea Breezy-P came up with. It's then shown that actual factual evil demons are exploiting the anger he has from being a victim of child abuse, to indoctrinate and manipulate him into radical violence

I wrote a little essay about this with citations and stuff. It wasn't "for no reason," and anyone who tries to use the scene as "evidence" of Breezepelt being Secretly Evil to justify the abuse he underwent as a kid either didn't read it, has bad reading comprehension skills, or is cherrypicking on purpose.

Crowfeather emotionally and physically abused his child, Breezepelt was socially alienated by WindClan as a result, which leads to this moment. That is what is on the page.

[youryurigoddess]

A nightingale sang in the London Blitz

When exactly was that certain night, the night Aziraphale and Crowley met — and spoke for the first time in 79 years in the midst of the London Blitz?

And what’s the deal with the nightingale’s song, really?

Grab something to drink and we’ll look for some Clues below.

The night they met

The Blitz, short for Blitzkrieg (literally: flash war) was a German aerial bombing campaign on British cities in the WW2, spanning between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941. The Luftwaffe attacks were carried out almost non stop, with great intensity meant to force a capitulation and similarly strong impact on British life and culture at the time.

Starting on 7 September 1940, London as the capital city was bombed for nearly 60 consecutive nights. More than one million London houses were destroyed or damaged, and more than 20,000 civilians were killed, half of the total victims of this campaign.

The night of 29 December 1940 saw the most ferocity, becoming what is now known as the Second Great Fire of London. The opening shot of the S2 1941 minisode is a direct reference to recordings of that event, with the miraculously saved St Paul’s Cathedral in the upper left corner.

The actual raid lasted between 06:15 and 09:45 PM, but its aftermath continued for days. The old and dense architecture of this particular part of the city turned into a flaming inferno larger than the Great Fire of 1666. Multiple buildings, including churches, were destroyed in just one night by over 100,000 bombs.

Incendiary bombs fell also on St Dunstan-in-the-East church that night, the real-life location of this scene as intended by Neil. It was gutted and again claimed by fire in one of the last air rides on 10 May, when the bomb destroyed the nave and roof and blew out the stained glass windows. The ruins survived to this day as a memorial park to the Blitz.

Such a delightfully Crowley thing to do: saving a bag of books with a demonic miracle adding to the biggest catastrophe for the publishing and book trade in years. 5 million volumes were lost, multiple bookshops and publishing houses destroyed in the December 29th raid alone.

Even without this context, judging by the seemingly unending night, overwhelming cold and darkness, broken heating at the theatre, and seasonal clothing (like Aziraphale and Crowley’s extremely nice winter coats), it’s rather clear that it was the very beginning of the year 1941.

Everything suggests that Aziraphale and Crowley’s Blitz reunion happened exactly 1900 years after their meeting in Rome — which, according to the script book, took place between 1 and 24 January 41 (Crowley was right: emperor Caligula was a mad tyrant and didn't need any additional tempting; there's a reason why he was murdered by his closest advisors, including members of his Praetorian Guard, on 24 January 41).

Interestingly, both events involved a role reversal in their otherwise stable dynamic, with Aziraphale spontaneously taking the lead instead of letting the demon be the one to do all the tempting and saving, and ended with a toast.

The S2 Easter Egg with the nuns of the Chattering Order of St Beryl playing table tennis at the theatre suggests that the Blitz meeting happened on a Tuesday afternoon, which doesn’t match any of the above mentioned days, but sets the in-universe date for 7 January 1941 or later.

The Chattering Order of Saint Beryl is under a vow to emulate Saint Beryl at all times, except on Tuesday afternoons, for half an hour, when the nuns are permitted to shut up, and, if they wish, to play table tennis.

The nightingale

January means one thing: absolutely no migratory birds in Europe yet. They’re blissfully wintering in the warm sun of Northern Africa at the time. But, ironically, when the real nightingales flew off, a certain song about them suddenly gained popularity in the West End of London.

It might be a shock, but A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square wasn’t a hit from the start — even though its creators, Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin, were certainly established in their work at this point. The song was written in the then-small French fishing village of Le Lavandou shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War with first performance in the summer of 1939 in a local bar, where the melody was played on piano by the composer Manning Sherwin with the help of the resident saxophonist. Maschwitz sang his lyrics while holding a glass of wine, but nobody seemed impressed. It took time and a small miracle to change that.

Next year, the 23-year-old actress Judy Campbell had planned to perform a monologue of Dorothy Parker’s in the upcoming Eric Maschwitz revue „New Faces”. But somehow the script had been mislaid and, much to her horror, replaced with the song A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. She had never professed to be a singer but even so, she gathered her courage and went out onto the moonlit set dressed in a white ball gown. Her heartfelt rendition of the now evocative ballad captured the audience’s imagination and catapulted her West End career to stardom.

It was precisely 11 April 1940 at the Comedy Theatre in Panton Street and the revue itself proved to be a great success — not only it kept playing two performances nightly through the Blitz, but also returned the next year. And the still operating Comedy Theatre is mere five minutes on foot from the Windmill Theatre, where Aziraphale performed in 1941, and not much longer from his bookshop.

Now, most Good Omens meta analyses focus on Vera Lynn’s version of the song from 5 June 1940, but it didn’t get much attention until autumn, specifically 15 November, when Glenn Miller and his orchestra published another recording. And Glenn Miller himself is a huge point of reference in Good Omens 2.

According to the official commentary the infamous credits scene is establishing Aziraphale and Crowley’s final resolve for the next season using the same narrative device The Glenn Miller Story (1954) does in its most crucial scene. It starts with the tune (and audio in general) totally flat, then adds a piano on one side, and gradually becomes fully multidimensional. The Good Omens credits not only emulate the same sound effect, but bring it to the visual side of the narrative by literally combining the individual perspectives of the two characters together. Even though they’re physically apart, their resolve — and love to each other — brings them even closer than before. Aziraphale smiles not because he’s being brainwashed, but because he knows exactly what to do next.

Some of you might have noticed that Tori Amos’s performance for Good Omens is actually a slightly shortened version of Miller’s recording — much less sorrowful than Vera Lynn’s full lyrics that include i.a. this bridge:

The dawn came stealing up

All gold and blue

To interrupt our rendez-vous

I still remember how you smiled and said

Was that a dream or was it true?

Which is a huge hint when it comes to what we can expect from the main romantic plot line in the Good Omens series. The original song introduces an element of the doubt — it seems like there was no nightingale at all, only the mirage woven by the singer clearly intoxicated with love, much like Aziraphale and Crowley for the length of the last six episodes. Crowley’s comment in the season finale might allude to that interpretation, stating that there are no nightingales — never have been. It was all a dream. But the version we’re working with here is short and sweet, and devoid of that doubt. In the Good Omens universe angels were actually dining at the Ritz, the streets were truly paved with stars (or will be shown as such in the next season), and a nightingale really sang in Berkeley Square, as the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent narrator, God Herself, had shown us.

All in all, it’s not an accident that the “modern” swing ballad activating Aziraphale’s memory and opening the 1941 minisode is the Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. It’s a track naturally associated with A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square when it comes to music style and the sentiment in the lyrics.

But why the sudden popularity? In the great uncertainty and hardship of the Blitz, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square provided solace and escapism for listeners, offering a glimpse of hope and love amidst the darkness of war. It became a universal anthem of resilience and a reminder of the power of love transcending difficulties. By January 1941 the whole city knew this tune by heart, including a certain West End aficionado with a cabinet full of theatre programs in his bookshop. Thanks to Maggie’s grandmother, he most probably had a record at hand to play during his spontaneous wine night with Crowley. We can only suspect the details, but it was was mutually established as their song exactly at that time or soon afterwards. Pretty sure we will see a third installment of that minisode for many, many reasons, but especially because of this “several days in 1941” answer by Neil:

The Man Hunt

In 1941 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square gained even more popularity as the romantic theme of the Fritz Lang’s newest film Man Hunt. The 1939 story by Geoffrey Household first appeared under the title “Rogue Male” as a serial in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine where it received widespread comment, soon becoming a world-wide phenomenon in novel form. Its premise criticizes Britain's pre-war policy of appeasement with Germany, ready to sacrifice its own innocent citizens to the tentative status quo. Sounds a bit like Heaven's politics, right?

Yes, I'm trying to make you watch old movies again — like all the other classics, Man Hunt (1941) is easily available on YouTube and other streaming websites.

The next part will include spoilers, so scroll down to the next picture if you prefer to avoid them.

The plot of the movie seems simple enough: the tall, dark, and handsome Alan Thorndike, who nearly assassinates Hitler, narrowly escapes Germany and back in London continues to evade the Nazi agents sent after him with the help of a young trench-clad “seamstress” named Jerry, bridging the class divide and becoming unlikely friends-partners-romantic interests. It doesn’t end well though.

Jerry's small London apartment serves as a hideout for Alan when he was being followed by Nazis, similarly to how Aziraphale's bookshop is a safe haven for both Crowley and Gabriel in S2. She helps the man navigate the streets and eventually out of London — by sacrificing herself and getting forcefully separated from him by a patrolling policeman. The last time they see each other, Alan watches Jerry look back at him yearningly and disappear in the fog, followed by the elderly officer.

Unfortunately in the next scene we learn that the latter is a Nazi collaborator and helps the agents apprehend Jerry in her own flat. Staying loyal to her love and uncooperative, she’s ultimately thrown out of a window to her death, but posthumously saves Alan once again — through the arrow-shaped hatpin he gifted her earlier that is presented to him as the evidence of her off-screen fate.

Long story short, thanks to Jerry’s sacrifice Alan not only survives, but is able to join the war that broke out in the meantime and go back to Germany, armed with a rifle and a final resolve to end what he started, no matter how long will it take. The justice will be served and the dictator will pay with his life for his sins.

I wouldn’t be myself without mentioning that the main villain has a Roman chariot statue similar to the one in Aziraphale’s bookshop, an antique sculpture of St Sebastian (well-known as the gayest Catholic Saint) foreshadowing his demise, and a chess set symbolizing the titular manhunt/game of tag with the protagonist.

Aziraphale’s song

Will Aziraphale sacrifice himself as well? Or has he already? If his coin magic trick can be any indicator, we should expect at least a shadow of a danger touching the angel’s wings soon.

Let’s sum up the 1941 events from Aziraphale’s perspective: the very first time they’ve interacted after almost a century, Crowley actively sabotaged his entire existence twice by stepping onto a holy ground and by being outed by agents of Hell, both on the very same night and both because of his undying dedication to the angel. That’s enough of a reason not only for performing an apology dance, but also maintaining a careful distance for Crowley’s sake for the next 26 years. Only when he heard that his idiot was planning to rob a church, he gave up since he “can't have him risking his life”.

That’s when Crowley, sitting in a car parked right under his bookshop, offered him a ride. It wasn’t even subtle anymore. It was supposed to be a date, this time both of them understood it. But Aziraphale wouldn’t risk Crowley’s safety for his own happiness, especially not when he can name his feelings towards him and knows that they are reciprocated — the biggest lesson he learnt back in 1941.

So he did what he’s best at, he cut Crowley off again, but this time with a promise of catching up to his speed at some point. Buddy Holly’s Everyday, which was originally planned to play afterwards instead of the Good Omens theme, adds additional context here:

No, thank you. Oh, don’t look so disappointed. Perhaps one day we could... I don't know… Go for a picnic. Dine at the Ritz.

Aziraphale, carefully looking around and feeling observed through the whole conversation in the Bentley, consciously used the “Dine at the Ritz” line from A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, from their song, as a code only the two of them understand. Not as a suggestion to go out for a meal, but a promise. A hope for the privilege of being openly in love and together — maybe someday, not now, when it’s too dangerous — even if it leads to a bad ending.

Fast forward to 2023 when for one dreadful moment Crowley’s “No nightingales” robbed Aziraphale even of that semblance of hope. He looked away, unable to stop his tears anymore. Only their kiss helped him pull himself together and make sure that a nightingale did sing the last time he turned — just like in their song — this time without a smile, as a goodbye.

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E06 - Coming Home

it's the first ep with an English title and the last of the season. overall, i wanna say i was actually surprised how much i did enjoy watching. the complete focus on Daryl without all the background noise/storylines/characters, the way he still means what he says, but he's actually using his words and lots of sass instead of the typical nodding and grunting. good job!

but i gotta confess that if i hadn't known beforehand that Carol was going to be a part of this show, i probably wouldn't have bothered 🤷‍♀️. the fact Carol's not only back on screen, but she is such a great part of the whole vibe of the show, was actually unexpected. this show is straight up showing us Carol is the driving force in Daryl's relentless journey to get back home.

whoever tries to convince you Daryl is conflicted about where he belongs and where he wants to be is lying to you (pointing at you, Z!!). he literally spends 6 whole episodes reminding everybody he's got a home, people who love him waiting, a promise to keep, and a need to get back asap.

it doesn't mean Daryl does not form connections while on that journey. because he does - the strongest with Laurent, obviously, however, none strong enough to hold him back from his ultimate goal, which is going home to keep his promise to CAROL!

anyways, let's get to the season 1 finale:

the super!walkers fighting scene in the arena is pretty epic: from Daryl's super cool kill with the French flag to that Daryl/Quinn team up! the cherry on top being Daryl throwing that walker head at Genet. Loved IT!

Quinn eventually does help Daryl escape, and later, unfortunately, almost kills Isa, who is once again totally helpless against any kind of threat (killer nun, my ass!). in a scene eerie similar to the one in Daryl's underwater premonition a couple of eps ago, Daryl prompts Laurent to kill walker!Quinn with a "God will forgive you."

Laurent says something that sounds like it will be the whole point of Caryl's French adventure. "Sometimes you have to do horrible things, and no matter how bad you feel, if there is no other choice, God will forgive you." this feels like the key to breaking out of the cycle Carol has been stuck to since she was banished by Rick. (i'll probably post my s2 spec and theories next week!)

next, we see Daryl watching lovebirds Sylvie and Emile saying goodbye, they have to separate (i see what you did there, Z!), and reassures Sylvie that Emile will be alright before she asks him if he's ever been in love. BOY, has he ever!! Daryl's non response is quite telling. he knows what it feels like to say goodbye to the one you love without knowing if you'll ever see them again. and he's not alright, he's all the way in a whole different continent, separated by the Atlantic ffs.

we get some new insight into Daryl's origins when he and Isa share stories about their fathers. Daryl believes that his grandpa never returning home from war ruined their family for future generations and worries the cycle might repeat itself. has Daryl been reading about generational trauma? sharing this with her will bite him in the ass, later!

Isa's confession of her lie about the drawing gets absolutely no reaction from Daryl because it had zero influence on what happened next. Daryl didn't stay cause he believed in a new Messiah, he stayed because the kid was about to get in trouble, when Codron attacked his home; he stayed because it was a way of finding help getting him closer to a radio or boat to actually get him home; he stayed so he could take the kid to a place where he would be safe, and Daryl could finally leave without feeling guilty.

the great Daryl and Isa exchange looks compilation is trying too hard to show us, yes, Daryl has made a connection to these people, and is fairly content at the Nest with Laurent and the most mundane activities like peeling potatoes. they are showing us Daryl could stay here, make this his new home. why not? HE MADE A PROMISE! no matter what he could never be happy here, this is not his HOME.

Losang gives him a way out, but also tries to convince him to stay. "Sometimes, when a person leaves home, he comes to find he belongs someplace else." and it's true, if Daryl didn't know where, with whom he belonged. and it's not with Laurent and Isa.

it's really embarrassing how Isa tries to manipulate and guilt trip Daryl into staying with them using Laurent and Daryl's history. it has been like 2 months tops, and they acting like Daryl himself gave birth to Laurent, and wants to abandon his kid. bitch please, he has kids he actually raised and a wife back home!!

Daryl resents his grandpa for abandoning the family to fight in someone else’s war, and that's exactly what he would be doing if he chose to stay in France. that's what Isa will never understand - he had a whole full life with people who looked up to him, relied on him, loved him, before he even met her and Laurent. he wasn't lost. the connection he found with the people there isn't new to him, he has Judith and RJ, he has Connie and Zeke. but most importantly, he has a HOME (Carol!!!).

there's this beautiful emotional moment of Daryl quietly saying goodbye to a sleeping Laurent, and it's clear this kid means a lot to him. however, not nearly enough to make him stay. he still chooses to LEAVE. so many people trying to convince him he belongs with them, and he is still 10000000% sure he has to go back. there truly is ZERO hesitation.

i lost count how many times Daryl actually tried to leave, but it was always the kid's safety that kept him around again and again. he is so close to getting on that boat, literally fiercely fighting walkers to get to the beach, to get closer to HOME, and the same happens AGAIN. biggest FML moment for Daryl. Laurent, who is surrounded by walkers, is calling his name! FUCK ME!

and finally, we get to the highlight of this finale, Carol's badass entry. the way she's so absolutely calm with a big dude pointing a gun at her, PLEASE. she knows he's fucked around and is about to find out. no one takes Daryl's belongings and gets away with it.

"if you're lying, i won't be back." and she rides off on Daryl's bike. ICONIC. LEGENDARY. EPIC.

21 days left until the premiere of THE BOOK OF CAROL!!!!!

[eddiediazangst]

Since some people think Demon Eddie was out of character in 8x05, here's a list of Eddie's hands being rated E for Everyone. Buck obviously has more since they're attached at the hip.

This will be updated as the show continues/I remember more of them.

Also it's not in order, maybe I'll fix it and add season and ep but maybe not

Telling Shannon to stay silent as she was actively dying

"You know when you meet someone and you just click" to Buck after Buck's comment about Natalia seeing him

Ana "maybe you should go home" Flores

Telling Buck the upside of being covered in boils is that he wouldn't need a Halloween mask

Asking Marisol to move in and a day later asking her to move out

"Buck you need to move on, I have" when Buck's rightfully concerned about Eddie in dispatch

The entire diva off with Josh, including him waiting months to use Josh's comment against him

Bobby not allowing him to return back to work resulting in "You're gonna stand there with a hundred-something bodies on you and tell me I'm not fit for duty? Go to hell, Bobby"

Calling out Taylor for not eating the food he made then slandering Buck for telling her to eat beforehand in case Eddie flops at cooking

Checking the Halloween decorations and purposely picking up the crow and showing it to Chim to bring up Chimney's past crow related trauma

Telling Buck that babysitting Chris should be easy because he's not very fast and that Chris is shit at building with Lego and it never looks like something

Buzzing at Buck the minute he wakes up from the coma that he was in due to being struck by lightning.

Having a panic attack over someone thinking Ana was his wife

Telling Buck to try something inland next time he and Chris go out somewhere, just after Chris and Buck get swept up in the Tsunami.

Taunting his kidnapper about his plan going wrong "I guess this wasn’t part of your 27 step breakout plan" to the guy pointing a gun at him.

"Do you know how much Christopher misses you? how could you, you're not around"

Telling that same kidnapper "I want you to shut up" like he was just annoyed at this minor inconvenience.

"Didn't know you could bring a date to a Bachelor Party" He's just evil and gay

Throwing the cursed bracelet at Chimney

"Because you're exhausting"

"You live in your invisible girlfriends house and you're telling me about weak excuses"

Him biting Ana's head off for moving her attention off Chris despite the fact she's looking after multiple kids

Jokingly saying "It won’t be easy, I’m pretty cold!" in reply to the responders going to find the heat signal of what they think would be his dead body underground

Purposely avoiding making eye contact with Buck because he's covered in boils

Having to walk away from a scene because he was willingly to let Abby's fiancé die purely because he was Abby's fiancé (He met Abby for the first time ever 5 minutes prior)

Making fun of Buck for reading a book, finding out the book was about woman and immediately saying that explains it.

Found out Marisol was a nun and immediately got the ick so bad that he couldn't get it up

"You sure thats a smile? it's the same face Buck makes when he's gassy" Eddie my love wtf

[m3r1m4r5u333]

I'm getting a bit tired of the fandom's overwhelming consensus that Eddie is surely gay even thought there are plenty reasons why his relationships with women would not have worked out.

Personally bisexuality makes more sense to me, and I feel like that's what the show is trying to show, too. And since the show already had "closeted gay man in a "straight" marriage, I think it would make more sense to go for Bi Eddie.

Because Eddie is different from Buck even if he's also bi. Religion. His family's expectations. Marriage. Parenthood. And I also think - earlier realization of sexuality even though he remains closeted. Fun fact: that's what bisexuals do! Even in supportive environments, we stay in the closet the most and the longest.

I'd really like for Eddie to be bi.

Eddie's the type of bi in disguise that the world is full of and nobody notices because the marriage with a woman would be a true one.

This matters because it seems like there's this odd idea that these bisexuals are doing fine in the closet. Why talk about them?

The reality is actually that according to just about every study, bisexuals are distinctly not fine.

The biphobia and erasure comes from all directions. People expect and understand the concept of heterosexuality and homosexuality well enough. Bisexuals...?

It's called the Double Closet. Expectation to either be straight, or gay, and if you're anything else you're just confused.

Also, bisexuals may not just have shitty parents. They also end up falling in love and marrying people who are biphobic. Fun times.

Anyway, I'm listing my reasons why Eddie being into women and men would make the most sense to me:

He agreed with Shannon that sex was never the issue for them.

His marriage to Shannon failing? He was young, the pregnancy was unplanned, he was pushed to marry a high-school sweetheart at young age and then facing the stress of trying to figure out how to raise a special needs child with her.

He went to a war, and returned traumatized. Trauma tends to make everything even harder.

Their mutual lack of trust and communication.

Meddling parents.

Perhaps... Being a closeted bisexual dating a woman who does not know.

Because that's one way to keep a partner at a distance - by hiding a part of yourself.

Losing a loved one, being afraid to love again.

Being pushed to date too soon after grief and trauma.

Falling for a male friend who he thinks is straight.

Being pushed to date someone else.

Oh and the panic attacks - Learning that his friends have died,

being shot by a sniper and thinking Buck was hurt,

ending up in a rapidly developing relationship with someone who is falling in love with him...

When he just likes her... but feels pressured to keep the relationship going anyway.

Because his son loves that person, and Eddie is programmed to go for marriage in every relationship he ends up in. Catholic guilt... They love marriage.

Family expecting him to be straight. Family pushing him to date despite him saying he isn't ready.

Being totally new in the dating world. No wonder he talks about performance anxiety and feeling like he needs to perform - his heart isn't in it.

Also he's probably never even been on dates. How to act on dates? He's not a teenager anymore, it's embarrassing and awkward to fumble and not know the dating culture.

Also when we first meet Eddie he's only been with one woman. Women aren't carbon copies. Sex can be intimate and awkward with someone new. Of course he'd be nervous.

Then finding out that his girlfriend was almost a nun... and being closeted bisexual!

And so on. Nothing actually says the man MUST be gay, and I feel weirded out by the insistence that he surely is gay.

I feel like... Maybe the show expected this, that people would dismiss his interest towards women, and wanted to make the queer community check their prejudice?

Because that episode which focuses on Eddie's fight club and has that super queer coded ice skating scene??

It's Hansel pushing Gretel away... How gay! Expect then we find out that Hansel was only scared that she would miss out an huge opportunity by staying with her. A role in the big leagues.

And that joke about Bobby being a hockey player and a figure skater??? And saying

"Who says you can't do both?" while a piece composed by Paganini - also famous for mastering both guitar and violin, plays.

The shot shows Buck AND Eddie, and Hen with Chimney looking and pointing at them in amazement.

Saying "We'll google for photos later!"

Maybe the implication of

"Who says you can't do both" being referred to isn't just

"Who says you can't do both women and men?"

.... but ALSO "Who says you can't write both of these characters to be bi?".

[matan4il]

911 ep 705 first watch reactions

Of course 911 would "punish" the "You are the boss of you!" guy with an alien hand that attacks him, and does what it wants. Pooor Buck and Eddie paying the price for that...

Okay, love the storyline with Hen and Karen possibly eventually adopting an older girl. Too many shows just find easy, unrealistic ways to give their same sex couples kids, and I am really glad that 911 shows the reality of it, and that it is a more complex struggle for many, that it's an act of continuously choosing to be parents. That's actually an amazing, difficult thing, and it should be faithfully depicted and respected, for all of its heartache, and the little moments of triumph.

Buck and Tommy on a date, and Eddie comes along with Marisol? Love how Buck's bisexual awakening and coming out continues to involve Eddie so much. Tell me they're end game, even if they're not gonna get together right now, without telling me they're...

I did not need to learn Marisol is moving in with Eddie like this, with any build up, or even any sort of insight into the relationship, and nope, that does not bode well for them. IDK how 911 managed to do it, but they have somehow managed to give Eddie a love interest the show is even less invested in than Ana.

And the funniest bit, is that Marisol and Eddie's big development is only there to further Buck's journey anyway.

"You can never have too much closet space" LMAO the way 911 both made me laugh, and feel sorry for poor, baby bi Buck. XD

Hmmm. Were parts of this scene cut out? We don't get to see Eddie on his own date with Marisol, but constantly looking over at Tommy and Buck? Boo. I'm glad we at least got the BTS photos, then. But seriously, why!? That was gonna be so delicious.

Oh, Tommy's breaking up with Buck. I mean, good for him, and he ain't wrong after Buck's "after this, we're gonna go out looking for chicks" reaction, but man do I feel sorry for Buck. Him and Tommy might not be my end game (Buddie forever will be), but I do think this relationship could be good for our baby bi. Tommy being in the same profession, knowing what it's like to have this gap between who you are and the image of guys in your line of work, plus he's got more experience than Buck, is sure of himself, can help our boy figure himself out, and also Buck obviously does like his vibe. He deserves to be with someone he actually likes, not just the first woman willing to be with him that the plot pushed in his way.

Oh, baby Buck. :( You didn't even tell Maddie about Tommy. You really aren't ready it. But also (and as a Buddie shipper, more importantly), Tommy broke things off with Buck, but what is eating him up, is that he lied to Eddie. XD Yeah, this gonna end with wedding bells, sooner or later. On screen, off screen after the show ends with canon Buddie, or only in my head if 911 never dares make Buddie canon, I don't care. That kind of emotional devotion is not something that my hopelessly romantic heart can ignore.

OMG, this is how Buck comes out to Maddie? XD Via random pronoun mention, and as a by product of trying to figure out how to tell Eddie the truth? This is hilarious. lol It really makes it clear that, after all, the issue for Buck really isn't people knowing he is also dating guys (or checking their asses), even when it's the other closest person in the world for him, it's Eddie. Specifically. Buck's ready, even if he doesn't have the exact clear words yet, he's just not ready to tell Eddie. Can't imagine why. XDDD

What was that awkward post-sex scene with Eddie and Marisol? And the issues with her moving in are popping up a second after she has. But yeah, we have no idea who this woman is as a person, she's been a cardboard cut out so far, and then one of the first things we do learn about her, is that she would call her stuff better than Eddie's? Once again, this is not the stuff great romance is made of. Or... even just the stuff any kind of romance is made of.

Wait, Marisol was a nun, and Eddie didn't even know!? This whole ep is telegraphing in the news of how weird and awkward and underdeveloped this r/s is, not just for us as viewers who know nothing about Marisol, but apparently for Eddie as well.

And of course his Catholic guilt is gonna kick in now. I'd care, except 911 has given me absolutely no reason to. Seriously, I care more about Buck and Tommy after just 2 eps, than Eddie and Marisol, even though this is technically her 2nd season on the show.

Of course Buck went to find Eddie, and spotted him at the gym. Forever 201 vibes, with Eddie being the focus of Buck's attention. ^u^

I couldn't care less about Eddie's Catholic guilt crisis, and how it's actually a projection of what his real issues are with Marisol, but it's nice to see that as always, Buck's the one who can tell when something's off, and offer Eddie exactly what he needs (even when that's to talk to someone else, but Buck figures out immediately who the right person to address is), and then they just very naturally switch, because Eddie can also tell when something's off with Buck, and he wants to tell him something. Soulmates. THAT is the stuff that great romance IS made of.

:/ The imagery of Catholic nuns has not been around for over 2,000 years, please stop being ignorant about your own religion, and the very different way it looked in its early days.

Bobby is forgiven, he does give good advice, and his "her ex, the Lord" bit, which prompted that reaction from Eddie, is hilarious. XD

So... when Eddie is having issues with Marisol, he already knows he has to figure out how he feels about her, but instead of doing so, he goes to his safe place... Buck's loft.

Man, Eddie being into Tommy's choice of avoidning relationships with women, and hanging out with boys, after in the past, Eddie had dealt with his Shannon issues by running away from her, and re-enlisting in the army, where he gets to hang out with boys, when we all (Buck included) know why Tommy's "hanging out with boys"... I do like that if they want to (and hopefully they do), this further lays the groundwork for Eddie's own queer realization.

Buck and Eddie helping each other with their respective romantic problems, without realizing they are each other's respective romantic solution is gonna make me chew on my own fists. Again. But I'm not even a little bit surprised that Eddie was totally fine and accepting of Buck being bi, or that the first thing he thought of is how this reflects on them. Because their friendship IS way deeper and closer than normal for platonic friends, and Eddie's little reassurance is also an admission of that.

Man, for a second I was worried they also cut out Eddie in the loft, once more putting his thumb on Buck's pulse point possessively, in a perfect parallel to 303. I would have sued for emotional damages. But yeah, it says so much that the peak of emotional meaningfulness for Buck when coming out is in relation to Eddie, and that the scene itself peaks with Eddie, instead of finishing rushing out to take care of his own romantic business, hurries back to Buck first, to hug him, place his hand on Buck and give him orders. "Sure, you're gonna be dating this guy, but I'm still your real husband."

Well, at least Eddie amitted to himself and Marisol that he doesn't actually know her. But... I have never seen two people being both being so happy about not moving in together, and I'm supposed to think this r/s has a chance? Okay. Suuuure.

The scene with Buck going to Tommy to set things straight ready for something was lovely, it was nice seeing him excited, and get to choose, and hear he's wanted. But since the note Tommy and Buck's storyline in this ep should have ended on, is Buck showing Tommy he's ready enough to let others know he's dating a guy by inviting Tommy to come with Buck to Madney's wedding, then why is the very next scene playing the romantic switch again, making us think Buck's car just arrived at the wedding with him and Tommy, only for Buck and Eddie to walk in together? I see what you did there, 911.

Thank you for reading! If you're looking for more, you can find my s7 reactions tag here, and more of my Buddie meta and content in my pinned post. xoxox

[rosstrytobe]

HOW I THINK THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EDDIE DIAZ GAY ARC PT. 1

You know that you love a character so much that you have all the explanations of why he's acting the way is doing now

Yes the cheating part sucks but if we see trough it

Eddie's not cheating Marisol with another woman

He's cheating with a woman he remembers his ex dead wife

And that's just realive how much he still proccessing Shanon death and he didn’t do it in the right way at first when he was supposed to talk about it with Frank in s3

However if we saw why he didn’t that's just a scene it comes in my mind and how it's important understand that maybe Eddie is just using a doppleganger of his wife as an exuse to something he faced at a special bachelor party 👀👀

Let's go first:

1)In s3 Bobby said to Eddie to talk about his feelings for grieving Shanon because Eddie was self distructing himself with the illegal fights -> Eddie talks about it with Frank but then he said to Buck that therapy wasn’t for him and then this scene happens:

And what Eddie said after?

Yeah. He didn’t need anymore the therapy because he was happy with the people he have now in that moment (his son and Buck)

2) In this season we saw Eddie talking with Bobby again about the Nun thing and Eddie is afraid and confused about why he can't commit to any of his past relantionships with women and why now he's having Chatolic Guilt regards Marisol -> Bobby said to him that Eddie doesn’t have a problem of commit to certain things (👀👀) and one of them is Shanon but Eddie always said that he married her just because of Christopher and he had some kind of duty towards her

He doesn’t regret being married to her but he never said that he actually was in love with her and that's a thing that even Michael felt when he married with Athena. Michael never regreted to marry her and have his children with Athena but we know from s1 that he's a gay man

But maybe just because Eddie now is scared that he will never commit to a woman. As with Marisol. He's just pretend that in this doppleganger he can find what he's missing as a female role for Christopher but as Bobby said to him he already commit in other things in his life like:

(😫😫😫😫)

3) All the dialogue with Marisol last episode i think he meant something. She asked him if Eddie was okay and even though Eddie said that he's fine. Marisol asked him again if it was a truth or a lie. And even though Eddie said it was truth we know he's not okay. He's again romanticed his marriage with Marisol out of blue because he just saw her in another woman and his false memories of her are just coming through his mind because he wants to get attached to that feeling. Because in his mind he was happy with Shanon and his marriage with her was perfect. Like the scene with Marisol that just show how him, Christopher and Marisol looked as the perfect ready made family. Like with someone else:

But we know he had panics attacks just of the thought of him, Ana and Christopher being a family and maybe this time is trying to not have them since he learned from therapy how to control them. But why he's trying to pretend to be in a perfect relantionship?

If we thinks about it Eddie seems more like he's living in his own telenovela for how the scenes went with Kim and Shanon but that's a way to not copy with something that it's happening in reality like the fact that he didn’t want Marisol to live with him anymore and he was having sexual problems with her after he figure it out she was a nun. Then he talked about it with Buck and he said to him that he wanted to break up with her but then what made him change his mind?

Yep. It’s just took Buck coming out to him to made him rethink about his relantionship with Marisol and made her moving out. Eddie of course supports him. Buck is his best friend. But support someone and see with your eyes that your bestfriend is indeed bisexual is something else. Because Eddie loves Buck as Ryan said he loves him to the core. But see Buck with Tommy just makes him a little pissed off

You can see it from how just an hug made him bite his lips with an angry mood and also what he said after just proves how much he's jealous of them. Then he spent all night making killing eye to Tommy as he did something wrong and we saw even Eddie watching Tommy yawing as if he's interest in what Tommy is doing. Later everyone leaves incluse Tommy, Buck and Eddie spent all night togheter being closer than ever. And we saw how much they were connecting their neurons togheter and in someway i think Eddie got that with no one he had ever have this much of connection. And that's why i think he's scared to analyze that emotion and he wants to hide it because he doesn’t get why he's jealous of Tommy and why he knows that nobody could ever be Buck

[ranbling]

So I've decided to rank the episodes from s7, and here are my list

1. Step Nine, best episodes of this season hands down! Bobby's backstory was already tragic and the writers just love to make him suffer

2. Abandon Ships, also an iconic episode, started the season with a bang, its a shame it went downhill later on. Showcased the team's dynamic in its finest, had great moments for everyone!

3. Rock the boat, Athena and Bobby were perfect in this episode, loved seeing them being badasses! The 118's storyline was good to, but I dislike how they played out the councilwoman storyline later

4. Capsized also iconic, all episodes of the cruiseship arc were great! The banter between Lola, Norman and Julian was soo funny and I wanted Julian to stay on the show. Bobby and Athena were great, I loved that Hen decided to rescue them, I need more of her and Maddie!! Still kinda mad that we didn't get Lucy

5. Ghost of a second chance, it was an okay episode, Maddie and Athena working together is always great, I loved the scenes between Maddie and Chimney. Bobby carrying the baby while Amir is watching them was also great! I loved the moment between Buck, Eddie and Chris, my only complaint about the episode is that it introduces Kim

6. There goes the groom, I wasn't totally happy with this episode, I wanted the Madney wedding to actually focus on them, but Doug had more screentime than Maddie :/ loved Chimney's parts (also the Buck and Eddie moments in the beginning). Maddie and Chimney deserved to have their dream wedding, not this

7. You don't know me, the only saving grace of this episode is Mara! I love her and the Wilson family! Also the moments between Maddie and Eddie and Buck were good, but the Marisol's nun storyline and the date ruined it for me

8. Buck, Bothered and Bewildered. Nope, i disliked this episode, it wasn't the 100th episode I wanted. Buck being confirmed as a bisexual is the only good think about it, but I hate the way how they did it. I wanted the episode to focus on the 118, maybe a BBQ at Bathena's place. They brought Harry back, but acted like he disappeared after this episode.

9. Ashes, Ashes... Only thing I liked was the converstation between Buck and Eddie which showed us how well they understand each other and Ravi being back for a minute. I hate the councilwoman and Mara being taken away storyline, how Bobby said goodbye to everyone because he wanted to kill himself, Kim showing up cosplaying as Shannon and Bobby getting a heart attack

10. All fall down. This episode was a mess and not in a positive way. I'm happy that Mara is with Madney, but thats it. The pacing was weird, the order of the scenes made no sense (looking at the date scene) and everything was super predictable.

[larry-is-my-anchor1]

Season 7 episode 5 of 911, You Don’t Know Me, all I can say is oh Evan. And also Eddie. The show certainly packed in a lot. I guess they always do.

I think it was the hot chicks part that maybe did him in.

The opening scene share a poor guy in having a stroke and his right appendage is hurting everything it can. When poor Eddie gets grabbed!!And when they all are walking out in various stages of pain. Even caps joke was painful. lol!

Now why’d Buck look like he got caught cheating? Instead of bringing afraid to be outed.

Seriously though Maddie was completely and totally expecting her brother to say Eddie. That’s why she looks very confused after she realizes Buck was out with Tommy. She was expecting a different conversation. Still accepting however.

The line she says to her brother “I think in your not sure of your feelings yet. If there is something you need to tell Eddie. You will. Just in your own time.”

Why was Evan only concerned about how he lied to Eddie and not as much that his date went kaput.

Eddie to Buck, “Once Tommy gets to know you he’ll love you like we all do”. Sigh.

Eddie is the best guy. Please let Buck and he be together. Please.

Please for the love of God get Marisol away from Eddie. The scene where he sees her as a nun. Bahahaha.

Oh gosh this had to be the episode where Buck is beginning to come to terms with he being bi. And also the same episode where Eddie obtains from sex because he feels bad so he’s feverishly working out. And looks like he’s riding. And we know Evan prefers that in partners. Ahem. Does Buck really say I wish I could help? Really dude.

Cap also questioned why Eddie quickly moved in with a woman he simply only likes. And how he had panic attacks with Chris’s teacher. I think Eddie’s having panic attacks because they’re women.

Great now Buck and Eddie both are in relationships. Is this when Fox made the show runner keep these two apart?

Also Eddie like Buck runs head first into things and thinks later about thinks. Saving folks and also love.

Oh my goodness, Buck and Eddie are dressed as Crockett and Tubbs. Looo!!

[vidavalor]

Hi long time reader!

Sooooo I have a query. Here’s a piece of chocolate pie with meringue to help get through the back story.

I was watching season 1 again as I do weekly, but this time on my phone. I was on episode one right when Crowley delivers Adam to Tadfield Manor. Usually at this point when Crowley exits the car I’m usually watch the charming snake walk, this time I couldn’t see him as my picture was poor on my phone, but I was able to listen to Background noises.

Have you noticed that Crowley was listening to Save Me by Queen as he pulled up to Tadfield Manor? I find it fascinating considering what he just went through, and what he’s about to do.

Hi there! Mmmchocolatepie. I never mind backstory. 😊 Thanks for the ask and the dessert. 💕 I pulled up that scene and relistened because it's hard to hear since the sound is mixed low because of The Voice of God speaking at the same time. I can see why you'd hear "Save Me" as it sounds a bit like this part of this song but it's actually "It's a Hard Life", which also repeats a few minutes later when we come back to Crowley driving away from Tadfield. Both songs are very appropriate for this night, though. "Save Me" could have easily been played during the rest of the ride back.

Some thoughts on the significance of the choice of "It's a Hard Life" and very Aziraphale-ish aria that inspired it.

TW: Satan's attacks on Crowley.

"It's a Hard Life" by Queen is nearly over when Crowley pulls up to Tadfield Manor to deliver Lovely Little Tosie-Wozies to the satanic nuns. If you really crank it, you can hear this bit of the song:

"Yes, it's a hard life In a world that's filled with sorrow There are people searching for love in every way"

Arthur then tells Crowley that he left his lights on and Crowley flicks the power off of the car, shutting off the music and the lights, right at what would have been the "it's a long, hard fight" lyrics.

The song is about 90% over at this point. When we come back to Crowley driving away from Tadfield on the other side of the whole baby swap sequence, though, the beginning of "It's a Hard Life" is now playing.

We hear the lyrics more clearly now around Crowley's dialogue, when he tells his phone to call Aziraphale and then realizes all the mobile lines are busy because he brought them down earlier in the evening. As others have pointed out, the "you win/you lose/it's a chance you have to take with love" bit is playing when we come into the scene and when the phone is calling Aziraphale, the lyrics "oh yeah/I fell in love" are heard. (The very appropriate "And now you say it's over/And I'm falling apart" is then what is playing when Crowley can't get through to talk to Aziraphale.)

The song starting over in the next scene implies that Crowley is playing "It's a Hard Life" on repeat in the car during the drive back from Tadfield. It's actually the second song in the evening to play this way-- the first being "Bohemian Rhapsody." When Crowley rolled up to the graveyard, the song was in one spot before Crowley cuts the engine but when Crowley is attacked by Satan later on, he's played the song again since on the drive, as we are now at the "I see a little silhouetto of a man" part. Like we looked at in another meta, "Bohemian Rhapsody" winds up scoring the assault. The same song that's a genuinely hilarious choice for when Crowley rolls up to Hastur and Ligur takes on a nightmarish tone the second time we hear it.

After that? You wouldn't blame Crowley for putting on literally any other band on the planet for the rest of the drive, right? But he doesn't. He changes the song but not the band and the song he switches it to is "It's a Hard Life." And that's a good thing to not let Queen be taken from him but the song he chooses is kind of brutal in its own right, especially with regards to its origins. It ties to what I believe you are alluding in your Ask in a similar way to "Save Me."

The intro to "It's a Hard Life" is inspired by "Vesti la giubba", the aria that closes the first act of the opera, 'Pagliacci'. During this aria, the main character-- who, like a certain angel we know, performs on stage as an entertainer-- has to go on stage just after discovering that his wife has been unfaithful to him. Just to be really clear here: rape is not infidelity and I'm not saying it is. I'm also not saying that Aziraphale would ever see it that way, either, but I think Crowley might.

People who have a partner and are assaulted by someone who isn't that partner sometimes have, in the understandable mess of their emotions over it, the feeling that they've betrayed their partner. Crowley has a whole mess of feelings over his fall still and Satan's harm of him is obviously related to his fall. These conflicts over his fall are in large part because he seems to believe in an interpretation of the "there and all the kingdoms thereof" idea of God that he references in the St. James' Park scene later in the same episode. That is a paraphrased quote from David in The Bible and refers to the idea that God is in everything.

The idea is that since God is God, She could intervene and right any injustice that She sees fit to right; so, if there is no intervention, then the interpretation must be that God must see what has happened as fitting. I think this is at the root of Crowley still believing that maybe he's not the most evil being who ever existed but that he did deserve to fall-- something that, ironically, Aziraphale often seems more inclined to disagree with. Aziraphale's conflict over viewing God in this way-- which he kind of does or at least thinks he ought to-- is that he genuinely doesn't believe that God is infallible. Aziraphale believes in Her less than Crowley does, even if Crowley's the one who fell. He's angry with her over what She's let happen to Crowley (and to countless others, in different ways) and he's confused and troubled by why She still sees him as an angel when he's arguably gone against her more than Crowley ever did.

In reality, God in GO in S1 is heavily suggesting that She views the universe as the dominion of Her creations-- it's their world. If She were to intervene, She'd be undermining their free will. God doesn't seek to oppress them and She doesn't demand their subservience-- She roots for their freedom and happiness. Falling is political. Crowley and Aziraphale get that on some level but they still think that God has a hand in it. She does not. She's not really behind The Metatron. If She were, it would go against Her own ideas of her creations being autonomous individuals who can make their own choices and seek their own happiness.

Crowley actually has it totally right here:

But he tends to think (and there likely is) a little element of determinism mixed in with that free will, as he's a romantic. We see at other times that he has believes God made he and Aziraphale for each other.

As a less-operatic-but-Good-Omens-related song puts it: "but somewhere in my wicked, miserable past/I must have done something good", right?

"Vesti la giubba", though, is a whole song about the pain living beneath a happy exterior-- the tears beneath the smile of the entertainer and the pain behind a "the show must go on" sort of attitude. It's very Aziraphale. The story makes it clear that Aziraphale is aware of what being a demon involves for Crowley and while Aziraphale has a steely strength to him that a lot of people don't see (but that Crowley does), he's also, as we know, tender-hearted. All of this has been crushing him for more years than either of them can count.

Aziraphale puts on a brave face and makes and acts as a safe haven but imagine how powerless all of this would make him feel...

I see evidence that Aziraphale didn't totally believe "The Metatron" in 2.06 (or was fully convinced that it actually was The Metatron) but part of him wants it to be true because he thinks it would solve problems he feels helpless to solve. I see a lot of people say it's because he needs Crowley to be an angel-- it's not. Aziraphale already thinks Crowley is an angel, more than he himself is. It's because they promised him the power to make sure that Crowley would be safe forever and even though it's not the life either of them want, it tempts Aziraphale because he feels like he has never been able to fully give Crowley that himself.

With "It's a Hard Life" on repeat, they have Crowley driving around in the middle of the night in 2008 listening to a song inspired by Aziraphale: The Aria that's about a loving relationship running out of time, all after having to meet Hell in a graveyard (worse after S2 when you factor in 1827) and after being hand-picked to start the end of the world by his rapist, who assaults him while he's driving, nearly causes him to kill a human in an oncoming truck-- and all while he was supposed to be having dinner and a night ironically inspired by Rome with Aziraphale.

"It's a Hard Life" is also so Crowley, too, though... the droll-in-the-face-of-misery "this is a tricky situation" at the start, the romantic and determined "I'll say I did it for love" at the end...

...but also the "and I've only myself to blame."

It all really adds weight, though, to how, eleven years later, it's only at Tadfield Manor and on the dark road around Tadfield at night in The Bentley-- this time with Aziraphale-- that Crowley's emotions spill over as he's thinking of 2008 and Aziraphale is hit by waves of love.

"It's a long hard fight/To learn to care for each other/To trust in one another right from the start/When you're in love..."

[nijisanji-brain-rot-fics]

luxiem x reader | halloween !! day two , part two

MYSTA RIAS

ever since that one halloween year, you always used earplugs when you watched movies together

the way he screams

its adorable but holy christ jesus, your ears are gonna be RINGING when its done

god help this jumpy man

i feel like he would cry during a scary movie idk

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!-" He shrieked, making you jump as well from his sudden yell. He squeezed you by the waist, closing his eyes as a scary face popped up on the big screen. You clutched your shirt as your heart rate sped up from his scream, breathing out deeply.

"Holy fuck, Mysta, please don't suddenly scream." You groaned, leaning your head on his shoulder while you were lying down on his chest between his legs. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of your head.

"Sorry, babe... I wasn't expecting it." He said apologetically, sighing as well. While lying down on his chest, you could hear his heart practically speed up within milliseconds. Maybe it was time to watch a tamer movie rather than watching The Nun..

"I think we should put on a different movie. Your heart just suddenly started pounding like crazy." You teased a little, pulling yourself higher on his body to kiss his temple softly. You didn't want to be condescending but hell, your boyfriend was probably going to get a heart attack at this rate.

"No way! I can definitely watch it. It was just one scene, it's probably not that bad!" He said with a huff, blushing a bit as you kissed him. He still always got flustered every time you gave him any sort of affection; it was honestly really endearing but still...

"Babe, the movie just started..." You said with a small chuckle. As the paused screen showed up, Mysta noticed that the movie was barely a third of the way in. He was definitely not gonna last the whole thing. He pursed his lips, not wanting look like a pussy in front of you.

"Eh... I can still handle it! I'll just be more prepared." Mysta insisted, hugging you close to him. You stifled a small giggle when he hugged you, knowing that there was no way he was going to last the whole thing. "It's fine if you can't handle it. It seems like a really scary movie anyway." You reassured him, reaching for the remote but he grabbed your wrist to stop you.

"No, I'm serious! I can do it!! It can't get even scarier than this, right?" He shrugged, playing the movie again.

After that night, he could not go anywhere in the dark without you for about two weeks. Unfortunately, you suffered then too, having your ears ring for about two hours after the movie. Both of you then promised that you'd never watch any movie that you deem is too scary.

[shadowsandsunset]

Spoilers for s7e5 9-1-1 under cut:

So I'm watching live and I am missing parts because of a tornado warning but:

Opening? Funny as hell. Poor Eddie. His poor balls.

Karen and Hen preparing for a baby with Chim and Maddie and then not getting a baby? But a little girl age 9? Interesting.

Buck being awkward and closeted with Tommy.

Eddie interrupting? Marisol moving in? Ooooof.

Tommy being like "I don't think you're ready" ow my heart. He's absolutely right to do so. Love Tommy!

Hen and Karen meeting the little girl.

Tornado warning. Ugh. Btw, I'm out of the path of the tornado warning, it's further south of me but I'm getting the warning anyway.

Buck going to Maddie for advice and then playing the pronoun game "this person".

Maddie catching on... "Now you're more than an ally"

Then.... "it's the same Tommy... Eddie's friend..." With a frankly judgy stare Lmfao

Maddie is giving good advice even if taken off guard but being supportive like we knew she would be. Maddie is awesome.

Then Eddie and Marisol in bed in the next scene...her boxes everywhere.

Also hello shirtless Eddie, welcome back, good to see ya.

Marisol was almost a fucking Nun??? Eddie making jokes about being spanked...

Back to the little traumatized girl with Hen and Karen. Karen and Hen are such good moms. This poor kid tho. I don't know what has happened to this kid but goddamn, my heart.

Ooh Buck what are you doing with Eddie... Eddie is being weird about the nun thing lol and talking about his reservoir of Catholic guilt

"like sea monkeys" "no"

Something something tornado warning

"I haven't been able to...you know...since I found out"

"which is why you're so pent up"

Buck backing out of telling Eddie about his recent sexual exploration...

Hen and Cap talking about the traumatized girl. This is heartbreaking. The whole situation is heartbreaking. Poor Denny, he's such a a good kid. But like...why isn't this girl in therapy of some sort? Shit. Like...shit. I hate the US healthcare system. But something is going on and like...idk.

Again, this tornado warning is annoying. I'm missing half the convos and my closed captions aren't working properly.

Hen and Karen are struggling, which I understand, and I think they're trying but with cases like this...

Now Eddie and Cap are talking about Marisol... And his commitment issues... I swear to God Cap was going to say "military, your job, ... Buck" lmfao

"I would probably go to confession, wouldn't want to get on her ex's bad side...the Lord"

Dog attack? Parallels to the little girl? Ooh, heavy handed metaphors...

Wait, does Hen just know dog CPR? Cool.

Oh yay, the dog doesn't die! Hen is now committed to helping the little girl.

Mara is the little girl's name, Athena is helping... The girl's parents were criminals, died to OD. The girl called 911. This poor kid.

Buck and Eddie... Ooof. I'm not spoiling this. I love you all. Ok.

I will say Eddie didn't seem super surprised about it but the fucking tornado warning drowned out half of the scene. I am pissed. I'm going to have to rewatch this later.

Buck is the cutest little bisexual and I love him. I really do.

Eddie...and Marisol. Nuns. Moving In. Not moving in. Blah blah don't care. Sorry not sorry.

More with this new kid and Karen. God, Hen is lucky AF. Karen is amazing and I want to marry her.

Buck and Tommy! Yes. Yessss. Awwww. I love them. Buck is growing up! Tommy is fucking amazing. He's so gentle and kind and and awwwww.

The boys showing up for the wedding like that... lmfao. Omg. We gotta wait two weeks for The Hangover: 9-1-1 edition.

This episode is not what we wanted for Buddie but uh... There is still time? Maybe? There's always fanfiction.

Also? Tommy? I like him. I hope we keep him.

Also? Friendship is never a consolation prize. If they ever end up together or not, the love is there and that matters. The love always matters.

[dododan]

Last part <- my previous thoughts

Here is the final part of Alastor's analysis~

It's time for the final episode! And in addition to the analysis there will be my little crazy theory at the end ;)

By the way, don't you think Alastor as a nun has a strange power to attract hazbin hotel fans? Lately where I don't look whether it's Instagram or Tumblr everyone is drawing Alastor as a nun XD

Is it time to open up the cult of Alastor The Nun?

And now for the serious part!

There are spoilers here!!!

To start with, something that only occurred to me a few days after watching the finale. What if Alastor had it all planned out? I mean Charlie will have to recruit the cannibals to fight the angels. During a gathering with the Overlords, Alastor managed to taste the angel's blood from its severed head and commented that it was tasty. Could it be that he was already preparing a plan for himself if Charlie's idea of convincing the angels to call off the extermination failed?

Alastor has given Charlie his microphone again!

I think he's doing it to show his support for her somehow, looking back after the 'Hello, Rosie' episode.

I think the conversation between Alastor and Niffty is very significant in this episode. As we know from Vivzie, Al is very fond of Niffty. You can see in this scene that Alastor is relaxed as he talks to her. No one is watching him now, so he doesn't have to hide his intentions.

Alastor himself admits that he finds the other residents of the hotel delightful and their company satisfying. This could be interpreted to mean that Alastor has grown to like them to some extent by helping them and staying with them (regardless of his contract). He has become accustomed to them and you can see that he is telling the truth by his smile as well as the fact that he is talking to Niffty.

As we also know, many some episodes give us hints of what might happen in the future - e.g. Vaggie and Carmillie's song 'Whatever it takes' foreshadowing their reunion; or Dazzle's sacrifice scene in the song 'Hell's greatest Dad' foreshadowing his death in the finale.

Could Alastor's scene with the crown of cockroaches be of any significance?

Certainly the fact that she gives it to him by Niffty could mean that she values Alastor very much by giving him such a gift. But I think it also shows his desire for power himself. We also see Alator laughing sincerely together with Niffty. Which confirms their intimate relationship.

I don't know how true this is, but I noticed that on the Hazbin Hotel Wiki in the description of Niffty that Alastor is a father figure to her. You can actually see this a bit in the series, as Alastor somehow looks after Niffty and she is very attached to him.

In my opinion, the fight between Alastor and Adam was very strange. I'm not saying it wasn't fantastic in terms of animation or how it looked in general. But didn't you get the feeling that something was missing?

Alastor seemed to enjoy the carnage that was to come, as well as his fight with Adam. The barrier he created was amazing and very powerful. This barrier managed to fend off the angels, meaning that Alastor's strength could match them when not taking demonic form. Alastor himself also managed to kill several angels using tentacles that emerged from the barrier. It can be seen that he was the main point of defence.

Only Adam destroyed Alastor's barrier.

Alastor also seemed to have the upper hand against Adam from the start, and took him seriously - as evidenced by the fact that Alastor cursed. Adam also annoyed him, probably because he was a powerful personality, and such annoy Alastor because they can be a potential threat to him (e.g. Lucifer).

Al exploited his weaknesses - Adam's overconfidence and the fact that Adam probably had no experience of fighting, having only killed fleeing sinners before. Adam knows how to fight weaker people who don't even put up that fight. And Alastor? He kept Adam at bay with his attacks, seeing that Adam's weapon is a guitar - presumably used for close combat. Alastor himself also mentions Adam's other flaws (his lack of discipline or consideration in fighting or how chaotic his movements were). Alastor exploited this.

Adam also, like other angels, did not defend himself after an attack and did not expect that someone might hit him - just as Carmila said when she showed Vaggie the angels' weaknesses. Still, Alastor kept a safe distance, always out of reach of Adam's guitar. This is not how someone who is powerful fights. Alastor was cautious from the start and assessed Adam and his chances. Alastor was convinced that he was capable of winning.

The destruction of his microphone took him by surprise. Presumably Alastor was convinced that he would be able to fend off Adam's attack. Someone who fights so carefully and plans his next move should not make such a mistake and get hurt so easily. I think Alastor's contract is affecting his powers somehow, weakening him and he may not have realised it until this point.

Alastor's radio voice disappears as soon as his microphone is damaged. I think Al deliberately uses such a filter on his voice so that emotions cannot be read from the intonation of his voice.

Alastor ran away because he was badly injured, yet the smile remained on his face. For a moment before Al gathered his staff and disappeared you can see him looking furiously at Adam. Alastor did not expect to lose. I doubt he would have judged his skill level so poorly against Adam. After all, Adam was human, so in theory some sinner could match him in power, but not in experience. I doubt that Alastor, got it so wrong, unless he didn't know that his arrangement limited his powers - his freedom.

We get a small glimpse of Alastor's photo being snatched. You can see Vox there, even though the photo is hijacked you can recognise him. Which shows that Al and Vox had a common past and were probably close colleagues/friends. You can also see pictures of other characters like Charlie and Lucifer. You can see that the Vee's may be planning to take over Hell since they have angelic weapons at their disposal. The massacre that Carmila sang about when she wanted to hide how she killed an angel may come true.

And we have our radio demon and his worship song. Alastor admits how close he came to death, that he is at the bottom - symbolised by his abandoned office, somewhere far away. The moment when he describes himself as an altruist, and that he looks like he'll die for his friends shows how terrified he was by this vision. The question is why?

It could have terrified him that the deal he made forced him to act in this way. But he could have escaped. If there had been something in his contract that he had to protect the hotel and Charlie at all costs, he probably wouldn't even have had the option to escape. It's just that he's worth more alive than dead.

Additionally, it might have terrified him that he would be capable of dying for them, since he had admitted earlier in his conversation with Niffty that he had become accustomed to the hotel's inhabitants. Alastor may have been horrified by the conflicting feelings within him.

On the one hand - since he admitted that he likes the hotel and its inhabitants - he may have wanted to fight for them and protect them, while on the other hand he desires power and authority at all costs. These are two contradictions that he may not be able to cope with internally.

Nevertheless, his desire for freedom ultimately wins out.

He doesn't want to be remembered that way - as an altruist. Alastor wants freedom, which may mean that he may have felt chained and controlled for most of it. We don't know exactly what he experienced during his lifetime, or his details of life in Hell. What we do know is that he appeared and killed several Overlords. It is possible that he seeks power because only it - in his mind - can give him freedom and security.

He also admits for the first time that he has made a deal with someone. You can see the desperation on his face at this point. Alastor does not consider the scenario in which this deal is impossible for him to break or get away with. It's puzzling that Alastor sings about spreading his wings - they could be a metaphor for freedom, compared to when he sang about escaping the deal early on. Seemingly it fits together, but I wrote to you earlier about how the episodes contain little foreshadowings of what's to come?

Then it's time for my crazy theory!

What if Alastor is an angel, but so not really. We know and have it confirmed that Alastor is human and lived on earth as a serial killer. What if Alastor is a nephilim - a being born of a human woman and an angel? For me, that would fit. Alastor was defined by an anomaly in terms of his powers. Sinners didn't normally have such power and didn't become as strong as Alastor so quickly. He was a phenomenon. If one began to treat him as a nephilim then his power makes sense. Additionally, nothing is known about his father. All that is known is that Alastor is a mummy's boy. Maybe Alastor never met his father because he wasn't human? Maybe it was during his stay in Hell that he discovered who he really was or even before that, which is why he had to constantly control himself and hide behind a smile so that no one would hurt him. Maybe the fact that he wants to discover how to unleash his wings is about his true wings and the potential he has in him because of his angelic blood? Alastor craves power. Why?

Maybe it's the only way he feels he has control over a situation and it gives him a sense of security?

It may sound strange, but Alastor was a murderer when he was alive. Maybe killing gave him a sense of power by deciding who could survive and who couldn't. Here in Hell you can't take someone's life so easily, the situation has changed and he had to adapt.

And here is the end of my crazy theory~

I am not going to go into here whether Eve took Lilith's place and at what point, but there is definitely something wrong with these two. I also don't know which one was actually on that beach. There's a little plot twist brewing with these two, that's for sure.

Who Alastor ultimately makes a pact with will determine his character development and role in the next season:

The pact with Lilith - if she's the one he made the pact with, it could be more about protecting Charlie. Lilith doesn't seem like a bad person after Charlie's introduction to her in the beginning. It was Lilith who made Inferno develop and grow in power. The family portraits seen in the background, also indicate that she was very close to her family and sincerely loved them. She must have been a support for Lucifer, because when she left he broke down and was unable to pull himself together until his daughter was in danger. In this case Alastor, may want to break the pact, mainly because of being on someone else's leash and the sense of danger this creates.

Pact with Eve - We know virtually nothing about her. The only time we get a chance to find out anything about Eve is in Charlie's song in the first episode and a brief mention in the finale. Eve was Adam's second wife, who was tempted by Lucifer with an apple. And we see her rather peculiar face with a very wide red smile when she accepted the gift from Lucifer. It looked quite sinister. Additionally, Lucifer declared during the fight with Adam that Eva had also given herself to him. Nevertheless, Eva was Adam's wife and he makes no mention of her. It is possible that since Adam was the first man in Heaven, Eva was the first sinner. Disrespected by Adam who wanted to subjugate her, possibly also abandoned by Lucifer who fell in love with Lilith, Eve was left alone. Possibly accused of bringing evil into the world and banished from Paradise. She may have wanted revenge on Lucifer - and not just on him, perhaps on the angels too? If Alastor made a deal with her, it might involve being close to Charlie and ultimately killing/hurting her so that Eva could get revenge on Lucifer. If this were the case then Alastor may crave the power to get out of this deal - because he has become attached to Charlie and knows that this deal could kill him (or rather Lucifer, if Alastor did indeed hurt Charlie).

The last thing is that Alastor would have to be in a really bad situation to make a deal with someone himself. Which is also hard to imagine, how much trouble did he get into to trade his own soul? It also kind of makes me wonder if Alastor isn't nephelian and the vision of the deal was to keep him safe, but something went wrong.

And such loose thoughts as came to mind:

My theory about Charlie's transformation came true! She had to be pinned down by the death of Sir Pentious and the spectre of Alastor's death in order to take action.

From the official first episode of Hazbin Hotel I had a bit of a problem. This series gave me a sort of familiar vibe, but I had a lot of trouble figuring it out. Seriously. It wasn't until the finale and seeing Charlie's outfit as well as her demonic form that made me realise what I associated this series with. Star vs. the Forces of Evil (by Daron Nefcy) and Gravity Falls (by Alex Hirsh) Simply put, Charlie reminded me of Star! That enthusiasm of theirs! Being positive and eternally happy, but as time goes on learning that the world is not so simple and colourful. It has its shades of grey. Hazbin Hotel is such a Star Butterfly for adults for me. In particular, I feel the atmosphere from the Star Butterfly season where Eclipsa appeared. Plus linked to Gravity Falls when it comes to looking for any clues as to future episodes!

Why was it Sir Pentious who got into Heaven? → Because he changed the most out of everyone, I think. From a person who craved power and approval, a person who didn't trust anyone, Sir Pentious won friends and sacrificed himself for them. He probably redeemed his sins in this way. Nor was he killed by an angelic weapon that destroys souls but by Adam's ray. Added to this is the symbolism of the appearance of the serpent in heaven. Sera may not necessarily have feared that Sir Pentious had rehabilitated himself, but she may have feared the defilement of Heaven. The serpent (Lucifer) had already destroyed Paradise once, and now another serpent appears before her….

Why doesn't Adam return as a demon? → He was killed by Niffty with a dagger of angelic steel. And this steel destroys the soul and is the only one that can hurt angels. Since the angels' weapon wiped out the souls of sinners, it rather wiped out Adam's soul too.

Why did Lucifer delay during the battle? → Probably so that no one would suspect him of being the one to break the pact between Heaven and Hell. Adam was the first to attack Charlie and almost killed her, which violated the terms of the agreement because Charlie was born in Hell, which gave Lucifer a free hand to kick Adam. It could also have been about Dazzle, but in his case it is difficult to say whether he was born in Hell. Besides, Lucifer openly admits that he came here to fight Adam because he hurt Charlie.

Did you notice that Charlie's blood is red? → Could this be relevant? Charlie is the daughter of a fallen angel, so in theory her blood should be gold, but it's not. Does it have to do with the fact that Lilith was human when Charlie was born and later became a demon? Because demons/sinners can't procreate, so going by this line of thinking Charlie couldn't have been born when Lilith became a demon.

[shy-forceghost]

This contains Warrior Nun S1 and S2 Spoilers:

Ok so I'm just on the first episode of my S1 rewatch and my hearth is already shattered by:

The whole Shannon's death scene, three minutes into the episode.

But, also, in that scene Beatrice watches not only one of her greatest friends die, and focuses on being useful (containing the attackers, giving the mission's report) because it is the only way she can distract herself from the pain.

In addition to that, I realised that in that scene she is watching the Warrior nun and her -potencial, idk? is it canon?- lover saying goodbye in a heartwrenching scene ... guess what she had to do some months later? TnT

"I know this doesn't make much sense right now, but it will some point in the future"

Ava just enjoying her new life, in such a pure, even childish way. Just saying yes to everything she found, wanting to experience everything at once. She "falling in love" with the first boy she saw because obviously she wanted it so badly.

Beatrice taking the time after the attack to go and reassure Camila, the newest OCS member, that even though that was a rough first assignment she did well.

Mary, Bea and Lilith holding onto each other while Camila sings, remembering Shannon on the verge of tears. After everything that happened I've forgotten that the four of them were actually very close, and now I think about how none of them is part of the OCS anymore. How that friendship group broke apart in ways none of them expected.

[exoticalmonde]

Sweet Pool....... But all my friends were watching the entire time

I am a great fan of Visual Novels and that's no secret to anybody who has chatted with me for more than an hour. But I haven't played it all. Very recently I made use of a summer deal to get all of Nitro Chiral's games (At least those available at JastUSA) and I have been itching.

Naturally, it starts with scuff. Because my laptop is new it needed a DirectX update downloaded from the official website for MSFT and I spent... a pretty long time trying to deal with it on my own until I submit to misery and just

Me: "Pinkie, you were good with computers right?" Pinkie: "No, but continue." Me: "I refuse" Pinkie: "Okay. So what seems to be the problem?" Me, after trying to not say anything for 10 seconds: "My visual novel is giving me problems." Pinkie: Ends up fixing it within 5 mins after I struggled for 20 Pinkie: "So remember how you asked if I was good with computers and I told you 'No'?"

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

That aside, IT PLAYS

And for some ungodly reason Pinkie volunteered to watch. Then Kryo started watching when Lundi joined in too. The whole crew is here to watch Eve's new fantasy horror gore love visual novel yaoi:

Sweet Pool

The moment I enter there are two things thrown at me. Religion. And a Choice.

Heart or Thought? Instinct or Logic?

Panko helped me and chose... I don't remember which one.

Which sparks the desire to talk about how unique the choice system is in this one. For a 2008 game it's really good. The music is very grating from time to time, the volume it started with almost blew out my ears.

I can tell that it's going to be very interesting because I found an old comment that I had made on a personal discord chat and it reads: "Cease, are you really going to start me off by asking which one to choose? How dare you offer a heartbeat in one corner and empty wind at the beach in the other? Which is reason, which is instinct? Stop playing with me, I came to watch two guys kiss."

"Hey baby, are you religious? Because I would fall on my knees for you like a nun for Jesus."

So I remember 20% of the beginning, because I did play it once somewhere. Somehow. I knew it up to the part where Zenya is having his way with the coconut water or whatever he was drinking. Everybody's first impression of him was... they want to avoid him.

Since we split up so everybody gets to make a choice when the option of a choice pops up, it was Kryo's turn to decide if we want to avoid him when he stopped us or not and he tried to ignore him. It didn't work, as we all know.

Like, look at him, he is a menace he is being everything and too much of it at the same time.

Meanwhile I assigned Tetsuo to Lundi because he looks like Executor and Mlynar and whatnot and that is her type of men it's stamped and mailed already and he is overall, I feel, the safe choice. Tired and emotionless too, he just manages to cover his eyebags by frowning hard enough the shadow of his eyebrows reaches them.

And he looks so cute and small???? He has the cutest ears ever.

...

Yeah it sure is escalating. Everybody took a turn and we're back to Kryo while my little sick woodland creature is having a panick attack inside the bathrub. He decides that he should go with instinct, using logic as a basis since... Yeah, what else are you supposed to do when you're supposedly bleeding out, right?

Wrong.

He.

That scene.

Good voice acting, but I had to start off with "Okay kids, look away now." so I can watch/read it in peace. I'm used to moaning and pathetic whimpering, however none of my friends have been struck witht he full blow of a yaoi scene.

The next day we talk about god at school, so naturally we all decide to share in on the trauma of religion.

---

Lundi: "I think the guy had forsaken god by jerking off in the bloody bathwater."

Kryo: "God said self-preservation and he chose self-masturbation."

---

I was so sure it was over... I didn't expect, call for or desire this scene and we were ALL surprised now. The last one was weird, but this one is just no-choice, no-doubt, just full-blown desire and lust. In the chemist's office. Touching chemicals and then himself, you know?

Here Kryo has provided the necessary censorship so I don't get annihilated for making the post.

Me: "That explaisn this entire game. He's just tired."

---

Our last moment before I have to hop off and Kryo needs to cook etc was during the scene in Zenya's room:

Me: "It feels like it wants us to think in that direction but I don't think there's anything between them."

Lundi: "It could be anything."

Me: "I'm sure they're going to make this go completely haywire from nowhere. I don't know what to expect."

The scene happens.

Kryo: "I need to go cook now and process what the f--ck I just witnessed."

They like it so far c:

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Would you mind elaborating on Don't Worry Darling 👀?

Hi!

I wish I could properly elaborate on that movie, because I have been thinking about it quite a bit, but I still get the sensation that there's some idea about it that is escaping me.

Tumblr mostly focused on the batshit stuff going behind the scenes, and honestly, who wouldn't, and clearly a huge part of the mess the end product is is tied to that.

The things I mentioned in my review of Glass Onion have to do with

DWD feels like a clumsy rehash of The Stepford Wives. Which is an extremely well known novel with two very well known adaptations. But you get this sense that DWD is pretending that TSW doesn't exist. Both Knives Out and Glass Onion treat the works they are referencing (mainly tropes from Agatha Christie) with... referentiality. More "Rich people ;) all shut up together on a trip of pleasure ;) and there's murder ;)" and less "Rich people??? all shut up together on a trip of pleasure???? and there's a murder??? in the mediterranean??? exciting and new!" Even the part that is supposedly new is, apparently, accidental: when Shia Lebouf was on the role of Jack, he was some sort of creepy janitor kidnapping a woman he didn't know. When Harry Styles took on the role, apparently for optics, they went for the route of his being her husband and his misogynistic behavior, benign-y in his concern for her being overworked. Which leads to

The villains in the story: Jake and the boss that is a thinly veiled attack on Jordan Peterson.

(rather 2.1, I really hate the new post editor) I honestly think that there is room for a TSW-adjacent story that addresses the specific subtype of "benign" control-objectification that this movie accidentally stumbles upon; the men in TSW love their wives as an extension of themselves; love them as something that is useful, and so they don't feel a loss at all in turning them into robots. But there's a brand of it that presents itself as being meant for the good of women; a stay at home mom is a woman liberated from the shackles of capitalism, protected from stress and harrassment, liberated from having to make hard decisions because she is subordinated to her husband, finally in her natural environment. It is a view I have seen more and more in Catholic circles, but that feels anthropologically Lutheran in a way. Catholicism has a long history of nuns and sisters making their own way in the world, organizing and ruling themselves, not having biological children, managing businesses (ultimately a monastery that makes food, candles, vestments, drinks, etc, requires being managed with an eye to its continued existence) and professions (as teachers and nurses and such). I digress. I think there's a general tendency to objectification in romantic relationships, that because it isn't sexual in nature, often goes under radar; I remember reading this article about how people, in dating, most often search for a person who can make them happy (that is, someone that fills a checklist of characteristics, like a phone or another product) rather than searching for a person they can be happy with (someone that shares the same basic ideals and life goals. And I think a whole lot of the time the "homestead 1950s nuclear family with a stay at home mom and a bunch of kids" mishmash fantasy is an exaggerated version of that. "I want a wife that will stay at home, I want 12 children, I want... I want... I want... specs for a product and a plan that spins around the self. That¡s interesting to explore! But that's not something DWD does anything with.

(2.2) Then there's the Jordan Peterson villain. I haven't ever really sat down to make my own firm opinion on him. My gut feeling is that he's overrated in both directions. Beyond the caricature portrayal of a guy that is EVIL just because HE HATES WOMEN and ALWAYS SPEAKS IN GIBBERISH... it's a wasted opportunity for talking about cults, why some people create cults and why others fall into cults. The movie attempts to make of Project Victory a cult, but has a terrible understanding of what cults are and how they work (as a side note, I have seen people say that the job Jack gets is inside Project Victory, which tells me some people have a hard time understanding how MLMs work). More often than not, cults are fascist-y, and I don't mean this in ideological terms, because fascism is fundamentally action and not ideology. A fascist movement is first a charismatic leader and a goal, and then an ideology is formed to theoretically support the former. Which usually means that most charismatic leaders of cults are not believers in the cause; the cult is an excuse to gain money, power over others, and/or satisfy the leader's appetites (that's why sexual abuse is so so common in cults). Cults prey on people that are isolated, emotionally starved, and idealistic, people that want to bring change or do good and are willingly to put a lot of volunteer work on it. The cult establishes heavier mechanisms of isolation, control, group aesthetics and a them-vs-us mentality that hinders questioning and raises a barrier for leaving to disillusioned members (public perception of people in cults as bad people that deserve bad things and no help does also greatly contribute to that goal). The big villain of DWD is not realistic that way, but if he were, the movie would have been radically better. Show that the man is in it for the money and the power trip and the sex, and that he is extremely cunning and charismatic and that's how he can get away with it. Have the heroine be able to look through his facade. Built in a redemption arc for Jake, if you want, based on the realization that he's being used. Or not, if you don't want to. You can have a failed attempt at making a resistance (resistances don't work in cults because the structure itself is designed to prevent them from succeeding). Show the difficulties the heroine faces in leaving the cult. Attempt to showcase what kind of people and why would fall for a cult like this one.

Man is an evil evildoer because he's evil and the men that follow him are evil because they are evil and bad can be satisfying if all you want is dehumanize and make a fantasy of dismissing the threat your ideological enemies pose, but it's bad storytelling, and a fundamentally lazy and unthinking storytelling.