#also back when i was a buddie fan i wasn't that great of a person in the 911 fandom either

[rosetterer]

Why don't you ship buddie anymore?? 🥱

i don't want to

[madlori]

Ok my fam, I think we all need a lil Come to Jesus moment. So let's talk about it.

"I'm disappointed Tommy wasn't in 8x02 and 8x03." That's ok! We'd all like to see him, and see our boys together. Going by precedent, we can probably expect to see him in 6-8 episodes this season (it could be more - Taylor had 13 episodes in season 5 - but we shouldn't count on it) and we've already burned one. I'd prefer not to have half of them during the opening disaster when SO MUCH ELSE is going on. I'd rather him appear in episodes when he's got a storyline with Buck, or even on his own, and especially at the midseason break or the end of the season when Relationship Events are more likely to happen.

"But the 217 engine!" I know. But as we sometimes like to say to other fans - we kind of baited ourselves with that. It was suggestive, sure. But the fact that production has MADE a 217 engine is also suggestive that we may see it again later, and they just put it in the hangar scene because they already had it and they had to fill up that hangar with as many vehicles as possible.

"An airplane disaster without using the pilot??" As others have pointed out, Tommy's not a jet pilot. And don't let anybody make you think you were nuts for thinking it was possible. It was definitely a reasonable theory, with supporting evidence, that he might be involved, but in the end, the big opening disaster is always going to be about our mains. As it should be. And honestly? It was great.

"But the whole point of bringing him back was to integrate him with the 118 more!" I'm sure that's still a goal they have, but it's probably easier said than done. Not just from a writing standpoint, but a contractual one, in that there's a limit to how often they can use him, so they have to pick and choose where.

"It's like they don't care about this relationship as much as we do." You're right. NOBODY will care about it as much as we do. They care about the main characters, about the show's actual premise (i.e. first responders encountering wild situations, secondarily the characters' personal lives). There is no universe in which ANY relationship in the show will be prioritized as much as we, the fandom, would like it to be. That's just life in the big city. But they do care, oh boy, they do. Enough to use BT scenes in off-season promo. Enough to write Tommy into a scene in the opening episode where, frankly, he didn't NEED to be. Also, consider this - to shoot that scene, Lou was probably on set a grand total of one day, MAYBE two. And they made sure to include him in the jokey "bee pickup lines" reel. You know what other relationship we haven't seen much? Buddie. They have not appeared together outside of work (and honestly, barely AT work either) except in the birthday party scene, and hey, did you notice that they do not interact at ALL in that scene? Buck spends that entire scene interacting only with Tommy. And that's a friendship featuring two mains that we know they value. That's not indicative of anything except the sheer scarcity of screentime.

"They should be promoting the queer relationship!" Should they? They've never really done that before, with the several pre-existing queer relationships. I have always sort of appreciated that they have not hung a neon sign on Buck and Tommy saying LOOK AT OUR NEW QUEER PAIRING. It's never gotten the Very Special Episode treatment - Buck never had gay panic, or much coming-out drama - and I like that. I like treating it no differently than other romantic pairings on the show. And they did actually promote it quite a bit when it happened. Now it would just feel kinda performative to me.

"Will he be in [whatever episode]?" Imma gently suggest we not do this every week. He'll be there or he won't. There'll be some we know he's in (I think 8x06 is a lock), some we won't know and will be pleasantly surprised, or unpleasantly surprised. I'd say odds for 8x04 are...20%, rising to at least 50% with 8x05 and 100% for 8x06.

And if you ever feel sad about it - go look at a still of Buck from any episode so far this season, and say to yourself, "This man is having heaps of amazing sex with his hot pilot boyfriend on the regular. Canonically."

I know a lot of us have encountered some pretty irritating gloating from people who hate this relationship (in a frankly weirdly obsessive way) about him being not there. Just remember - that's all they have to gloat about. The only "victory" they can claim is the absence of a character? Lame. And it's not even a victory, it's just the cost of doing business when your ship involves a recurring character. Sit back and enjoy your canon relationship between two men who've actually kissed on screen and ignore it. We can be generous about it.

So let's not talk ourselves off the deep end, shall we? I'd like to keep being a reasonable fandom.

[callahanisms]

body talk

seeing challengers was a mistake guys because all i can think about is challengers and how much i love challengers and how cinema is back after people declared the death of cinema like three years ago and how much i wanna go see challengers again—

anyways uhhhh did challengers make me hop onto the mike faist train? yes. because i love a man that clearly worships his wife and kisses boys.

character: art donaldson

for vibes: "physical" by olivia newton-john

context: stanford university. 2007.

if you had a choice, you wouldn't be working as a receptionist in the gym. instead, you'd work in the infirmary. it was more in line with your desire to pursue sports medicine.

your father himself was an athlete who sustained a career ending injury and went into sports medicine. you wanted to follow in his footsteps.

but for now, you were working as a receptionist at the gym for your federal work study. college wasn't going to pay for itself unfortunately and your parents could only provide so much support.

art donaldson recognized you while you guys were at a party. "you're the person at the desk in the gym!" he sounded so excited. almost like a puppy.

"yeah..." you look down at your red solo cup. "you're like a regular. with tashi duncan."

"you know her?"

"well, i've talked to her a few times. she's great." who wouldn't like her honestly? you weren't the biggest fan of tennis but whenever tashi duncan played, she always managed to make it magical.

"you're also in my bio class, right?"

"you're in my bio class?"

"oh don't tell me you didn't notice."

you shrug. "i didn't. you're not very...noticeable, i guess."

art took personal offense to that statement.

okay not entirely. because to some extent, you were right. he wasn't as noticeable as some of the other people in class, like the lacrosse player on the guys team or the girl from the basketball team, both of whom you seem to be close with.

growing closer to art was just a matter of being in a lot of classes together, something you didn't realize during the first month of college.

to be fair, it was a lot.

but the good thing about having a lot of classes with him was that it meant you always had a go to person for group projects. and god were professors adamant about assigning group work.

at the very least, you had a workout buddy when you guys were free. sometimes, you were even joined by tashi duncan. so it was cool to be able to work out with a famous tennis player.

perhaps the gym is where you started to notice art's...physicality.

he wasn't entirely imposing, aside from being quite tall. but he had a surprising amount of muscle. perhaps the tank tops he wore didn't help much. it left little to the imagination.

because of your familiarity with the body and your desire to go into sports medicine, art called you when he was feeling a bit sore.

he opens the door with a smile, seeing you with your bag and clementines. "what's the fruit for?"

"just in case you get hungry." you step in and remove your shoes. "just lay down."

"bed or floor?"

"whichever you prefer. the bed might be more comfy. we'd have to move stuff around if you were on the floor. oh and take off your shirt."

"what?" he could feel his cheeks beginning to heat up.

"take off your shirt. a massage won't be that effective with your shirt on."

"alright. umm..." art just does what you ask of him, taking his shirt off and setting it aside on his desk chair. he gets on the bed and lays down, front side down.

you pull out a bottle of lotion and crawl onto the bed, straddling him at his waist. you are unaware of how red he is feeling you against him.

you feel around his back for bit, asking him where in particular is tight. once you got a good idea, you squirt some lotion onto your hands, rub it a bit, then begin to massage.

art would be embarrassed from the sounds that came out of him. but he was craving for the relief from his overworked and tired muscles. he could feel just how deep your hands went in, twisting and rubbing. your hands felt so good. they glided smoothly and your touch soothed him greatly.

"damn dude. when was the last time you massaged yourself?"

"don't know." he mutters, burying his lower face into his own pillow. he could feel himself growing warmer all over his body.

your palm pressing into him, dragging itself through his muscles, rubbing baby lotion into his skin so he's soft.

your hand reaches a part of his lower back, your palm rubbing through the muscle. and he moans.

you stop for a moment. "something wrong?"

"no...nothing's wrong..." he mutters.

"you sure?"

"yes. keep going."

he enjoys the way your hands move lower, and lower. he wants them to sneak to the front. massage him a different way.

your hands linger on a particular spot of his back though, feeling the defined muscle. there's something particularly...satisfying, about running your hands over his body. you were tempted to feel more. especially his arms.

art's arms were utterly gorgeous, as if sculpted out of marble by a renaissance artist themselves.

"i think you're all good."

"all done already?" he smelled like baby lotion. whatever that mean.

"unless you want me to massage elsewhere." you get off of him and he turns on his side to look at you.

the tank top you were wearing was a little bit tight.

art gently grabs your wrist. "magical hands you know."

"it's beneficial to learn how to massage. for your own betterment and health. though i will happily help you with the spots you can't reach."

he rubs circles into your wrists. "are they tired?"

"a little. it was because i took an exam yesterday. writing in those blue booklets is absolute torture."

"that's fair." his eyes flicker up to yours. the room was warm, the atmosphere right. "do you...like my body?"

"it's nice. you're very beautiful." you smile.

art pulls you forward, your legs hitting the wooden bedframe of the shitty college provided furniture.

"do you want to feel it?"

you bite your lip. "i think i do."

[yall-hate-kids-tourney]

Loser Round 4: Damian Wayne (DC) vs. Jason Todd (DC)

A rematch? It's so funny how the bracket turned out this way.

Propaganda under the cut.

Damian Wayne (9-14):

Damian is a kid who was raised as an assassin and because of that when he first appears he has some really messed up ideas of how to prove himself to his father by being aggressive with the criminals they capture and attacking his brother. Because of this people act like he is the most evil character ever and refuse to give him any grace. They make him out to be this awful irredeemable monster who just wants to kill his brother and hurt people. If the fandom isn’t making his out to be The Worst(tm) then they are ignoring his existence all-together. He is a really interesting character who has done some not so great things but he’s grown and learned a lot through various character arcs (as much of an arc as a comic book character can have) and he deserves to be acknowledged for himself and not just as a villain so that people can woobify his brother.

——

HES JUST A LITTLE BABY GUY!!!!! Little baby man raised as an assassin and learning how to be a real person <3. But because he was kind of a dick and also a little stabby early-on, especially to the fandom's main "so sad uwu depressed baby" blorbo (and also he's not white), people treat him like he's satan incarnate

Jason Todd (~12):

Most of the Tumblr fandom likes this guy but if you step outside this website then wham so many people say he got what he deserved as a kid and Batman can't be cool if he's a dad so it's important for Batman to trash-talk his dead child constantly so we can all agree what a bad idea it was. Also wanna highlight that a lot of the records we have from fans at the time were clear they disliked Robin for BEING a child. Like a lot of the little dude characters in this tournament are treated too harshly for making an ugly choice and the fans aren't being understanding or sympathetic that the choice is made by a child character who is immature and not developed and strong enough to make a good choice and stuff. But THIS little dude was specifically hated FOR being a child. People wanted tough loner guy Batman not Batdad and his little buddy. The first Robin would drive back from college and guest star sometimes and be advertised as the Teen Wonder and people were like yeah okay but then Batman actually starts being a single parent for a child with needs and people were like UGH not the BOY Wonder. Today pretty much everywhere you see Batman fans saying Batman is better solo, no kid, it's not realistic to have a kid, a kid shouldn't be in the movies blah. Even if the comics they always find a way to send away the new kid so that Batman never has to parent. So all the Robins are being excluded from the narrative but I think this one is THE symbol of Batman fans hating a child character just for being a child.

-

Robin, Jason Todd, THE hated child character. In the 1980s, Batman comics had become increasingly dark and gritty. According to editor O'Neil himself, the courted audience wasn't kids but 19-40 year old men with disposable income. Batman's child sidekick, Robin, was offensively campy and childish. Fans called him wimpy, annoying, dumb, bratty, etc. Also people complained that Batman acting like an affectionate dad was unmanly and gay. Robin acts violent and emotional and people are like "ew he's so childish and emotional"—and then Batman literally acts just as murderously and emotionally within literally the same exact story and people are like "wow he's so dark and tortured". So in 1988 (after brutalizing Batgirl to get rid of her for being too bright and nice and kid-friendly), DC held a paid poll for fans to vote for Robin to live or die. O'Neil claims he heard a fan (a grown man with a dayjob as a lawyer) programmed a phone to spam kill votes. One fanguy claimed that he sold his Mercedes to buy kill votes (probably an exaggeration but still). By less than 1% margin, the vote decided to kill Robin in a spectacularly violent way. Anyway the 1989 Batman movie brought in a huge wave of new child comicbook fans who liked the new Robin (a very cool teenage high school Robin with a driver's license and a girlfriend), and DC started a separate Robin-less Batman series called Legends of the Dark Knight to make the anti-Robin writers and fans happy. But to this day, many fans agree it was a good idea to kill off the other Robin so that his foolish death reminds other characters to never be childish and stupid again. Bonus: the current Robin (usually a traumatized 10-year-old) has also been facing some pretty loud hatred for over 15 years.

[lemotmo]

Heyya!!Let me start by saying i am pretty sure buddie's happening this season butt..

Eddie's obvious chrush on ana.It was on his face.

Eddie's intimate scene with marisol.like him kissing her hands showed he liked her.

What I'm trying to say that we can explain these scene's didn't hold that much depth with theories right but the GA doesn't pay that much attention to minute details of eddie's queer coding.

And I will not speak about eddie being in love with shannon or not because we don't know about that.Eddie's pov/memory of his and Shannon's relationship is messed up.What we were shown on screen when she was alive doesn't clarify anything about his feelings when they were together before chris.He loved her that's for sure but in what form is...unknown,if i may.

So coming back to main point,The GA definitely hasn't given that much thought to eddie's sexuality,probabaly assume he is straight.My question is how do you think the writers will make the GA aware of his queer coding and all the umm..inner function-lol-that we as hardcore fans have studied intrinsically.😅

PS: Sorry to anyone who headcanons eddie as bisexual but I don't think so.

Interesting question Nonny. Thanks!

The thing is...

The GA thought Buck was as straight as a ruler as well before he came out in season 7. He had had a long string of girlfriends. More than Eddie even. So, it wouldn't be the first time the GA would have to adapt to exploring a formerly unknown facet of a character.

Eddie has always been queer-coded, since day one. In my personal opinion even more than Buck ever was and most of the GA seemed to adapt just fine to him kissing a guy, so I'm quite certain it won't be as big an issue as some people seem to think it might be, if it is properly introduced.

I do have to disagree on Ana and Marisol. Eddie never really seemed completely comfortable with either of them. He got a panic attack because Ana was referred to as Chris' mother. He obviously didn't care too much about Marisol either if he didn't even give her a second thought when he met Kim.

He also admitted to Buck that he didn't want to go home because Marisol would want to have sex with him. I mean, she was a good-looking woman and he was avoiding having sex with her over something that happened in her past? That's a red flag right there. The whole moving in/moving out thing? Big red flag! The man didn't really want her in his space, but he felt that he had to take that step because that's what was expected of him. That's not a sign of a loving relationship.

And what about his comment about 'feeling like he has to perform on dates with women'? Or his date with that lovely lady where he sat with her all night long, making plans on how to lie to their families. She was great. That would have been a perfect time for Eddie to fall for someone, but once again he just didn't seem to be very interested.

He seems to be capable of building great friendships with women, but the moment it goes beyond that, things start short-circuiting his brain.

Remember his break up with Ana? He literally said that he thought he would start to fall for her over time, but it never happened for him.

When Carla told him to follow his own heart, he looked over at Ana and you could see he wasn't really in it. He never was.

As for Shannon... He met her at a very young age and befriended her. I'm sure he felt a lot of emotions for her and he definitely crushed on her. But when she got pregnant reality set in and they had to get married. So there was never a chance to explore his own emotions beyond what he and Shannon had. He had no way to compare if this was what he was supposed to feel for someone when you're in love.

So yeah, he did love Shannon deeply. I'm absolutely certain of that. But I'm not so sure if it was a true romantic love. He definitely convinced himself that it was. But was it really?

In conclusion: In my humble opinion Eddie has always had problems connecting to women. He has never really fallen in love with one. Not the way he was supposed to anyway.

I do think they'll gradually build up his story as to not drop the GA right into another coming-out without any other context to it. Two seasons in a row might be too much of a good thing.

They might reach back to all the above scenes I mentioned in flashbacks. And they might ad extra scenes as well. Scenes from when he was a child perhaps? Growing up in Texas and having to be 'the man' of the house at an early age? How did that affect him during his puberty?

Gradually the GA will get a new view on Eddie and his complicated history with women. Eventually, after a few extra episodes I think, they will also get a new view on his very complicated emotions for his best friend Buck.

[the-knight-of-destiny]

On Fantasy High, Redemption, and Agency (General Spoilers for Junior Year, sort of?) Also this post about FHJY is long as fuck, as all of mine are getting. In short it's my understanding of how Brennan Lee Mulligan sets up the teenage villains of Fantasy High.

Fair warning, this is LOOOONG below the cut.

Y'know when I said I wasn't going to talk about Ratgrinder discourse? I lied.

So Brennan as a DM has a very specific narrative language for how a villain is 'redeemable' and it primarily has to do with the level of agency a villain has in their actions. This isn't particularly hard to notice when you look at our very own (and fan favorite) reformed villain squad.

Starting with Ragh, while he was in his right mind for most of his villainy in Freshman Year, he really didn't do too much other than beat people up and be a bully? While he worked with Daybreak on some level, he wasn't anything more than muscle and not very in on most of the plans. There was also some implication of grooming and manipulation from Daybreak to Ragh.

Zayn as an example also helps build this thesis, while he also hasn't done a TON evil he's generally a bit more discerning than Ragh. However he builds the understanding of how Fantasy High looks at it's redeemed teenage villains, when Zayn is found as a ghost he explicitly calls out Daybreak as being the only reason he's still housed, were he not to go along with the Freshman Year scheme he'd have been sent back to his abusive parents, the foster system, or homeless as like, a fifteen year old boy.

But the actual silver bullet to understanding this is Aelwyn, to preface. Aelwyn fucking sucks in freshman year, way worse than Ragh or Zayn. She's also responsible for way worse than any other teenage villain in the series. She's arguably committed worse than Dayne Blayde or Penelope Everpetal, but there's an important component to her redemption in Sophmore Year, something Brennan has her stay conscious despite making death saves to explain.

In tears Aelwyn notes that Kalina was actively threatening to kill her had she not complied with the Kalvaxus plan.

So there's a running theme here, Ragh didn't seem to have much of an idea of what the wider plan even was and was just muscle, Zayn was under significant threat to his personal safety (and unbeknownst to him, also under threat of death, a threat that actually gets carried out), and Aelwyn was literally convinced she'd be murdered for not complying.

This tracks with the teen villains who DON'T get redeemed by the way, Dayne had no qualms about casually murdering his classmates with a great sword, Penelope didn't seem to mind the idea of throwing her best friend Kalvaxus for a power play. They both get killed because they don't seem to really care what happened, were fully complicit, and had no form of remorse at all.

This leaves us with our code to cracking if Brennan sees the Ratgrinders as possibly worthy of redemption (IMO, signs point to yes, but it's complicated.) We know the Ratgrinders are being manipulated heavily by Porter (I have so many more thoughts about Jace's place in this but that's for a whole other post,) however they don't have Ragh's excuse of being mostly in the dark.

Kipperlilly and Oisin for sure know exactly what's going on, and the rest (sans Buddy) probably do too. The actual question is how much does Ankarna rage affect one's reasoning, and the thing that's interesting about how the Ratgrinders have been set up is that question is sincerely ambiguous.

Signs point to the corruption needing some sort of genuine anger or frustration to latch onto, but this is my first hot take here. This isn't really that damning? Pre-Rage Kipperlilly said some concerning things, in private confidential counseling. She (at the time) understood her fixation on Riz was a problem and perhaps not fair. Oisin probably was mildly frustrated or saddened a girl he had a crush on didn't notice him, but to cast Pre-Rage Oisin as a full on Biz Glitterdew incel is, in my opinion, unlikely. Ruben was already seeking attention but wasn't anything worse than a mildly annoying teenage boy, etc.

These aren't exactly 'good' feelings but they are pretty normal for 14-15 year olds. Pre-Rage Ratgrinders really aren't that much worse than Pre-Character Development Bad Kids, let's not forget that they too definitely act out in really mean, unfair ways at around the same time as Pre-Rage Ratgrinders (Fig and Fabian, most notably.)

As for agency though, they clearly have a bit more of it than previous teenage villains, and are a bit more aware of their actions. They're not under direct threat of violence like Aelwyn or Zayn (though the way Porter and Jace act around them may make that threat implicit.) and they don't have Ragh's excuse of being seemingly largely in the dark.

The Ratgrinders I feel are an intentional test for the Bad Kids (and the Intrepid Heroes as players) because they're significantly more antagonistic than previous teenage villains. Heck, even ones that turned out totally evil. Dayne's kinda chill to the Bad Kids initially, Penelope is a bit backhanded but she isn't outright mean. If you count him, even Johnny Spells humors Riz and is relatively lax to him. Ragh's honestly way more harsh for most of the first half of Freshman Year, Zayn's initially more rude and confrontational to them too.

That said they're both being influenced by a much worse adult (Like everyone in the Reformed Villain Squad) and have a rage god clouding their judgement to an unknown degree. If we follow previously established patterns, they're salvageable by the story's own logic.

The test is for the party, it's easy to forgive Zayn when he openly cries and apologizes immediately when finally confronted about his place in the villain plot, it's easier to forgive Aelwyn when she openly puts herself in harm's way and almost dies to save Adaine.

It's going to be harder, emotionally, for both the player characters and the players themselves to forgive the Ratgrinders and recognize they're also victims in some sense when the Ratgrinders have been actively fucking with the Bad Kids for the whole season, and taking an obvious amount of satisfaction in it.

The challenge Brennan has set up for the party, I feel, is a test of their character. Fighting a possibly ascended god Porter is gonna be a lot easier without a whole other party of enemies in the fight (and even much easier if you can convince some to fight alongside you as a part of heroes.)

[maplerosekisses]

I was reading your tags on that post and WHAT THE HECK, YOU WERE AT DASHCON??

pls tell me everything

Lol, you're probably going to be disappointed, I'm afraid. I don't have the juicy stories for you.

Dashcon is one of my favorite memories and one of the best convention experiences of my life. Here's a post I made about it at the time.

I was around for the Friday night donation thing but I stayed outside the room with my friend Jenn, standing there in our dresses because that was supposed to be the formal dance, wondering what we should do, and eventually going to check that our hotel room was guaranteed regardless. I don't know what was said inside, because we both felt that going in wasn't a good idea.

I was also in the panel room waiting for Nightvale for over an hour while the cast was arguing with staff about payment, which was not properly explained to us when the staff member finally told us that the show was cancelled.

Those were disasters, but I've had more annoying-in-the-moment experiences at my own local con (not bigger actual administrative disasters, just things that were more frustrating to me as an attendee)

I don't know anything about the person who peed in the ball pit but I do know a lot of the rumors about panel topics and content were lies. I know some invited guests had bad experiences with travel compensation and some people only bought a badge (an expensive badge) for the Night Vale show and were left with nothing. I also remember on Sunday morning I was approached by a very sweet Cecil cosplayer who liked my wtnv shirt and wanted to let me know they were putting together a fan panel to replace what was supposed to be a cast q&a shortly. I didn't attend because there was another panel I wanted to go to, but I kind of wish I had.

I got to meet up with one of the best friends I had made on Tumblr and we had the cutest emotional airport meeting hug. I was first introduced to @my-graceless-heart during a panel hosted by the same friend and I would not have survived the fall of 2015 without them. I have one of their books on my shelf now, and on my purse at this moment I have a pin that a con buddy gifted me when I lost my favorite Sam Wilson pin on Sunday of the con. I bought more art at Dashcon than I had at any previous conventions combined.

The panels I remember most vividly happened later in the evening, and the lighting in the panel rooms wasn't great, so those memories are soft and almost cozy. There actually weren't that many people at dashcon, so the panel rooms weren't overfull and conversations were easy to participate in. Every panel I attended was fun — I've never had that experience at another con.

My local convention, which I do love, is technically an anime convention. And every year (I haven't attended since 2019) I encountered people I find extremely uncomfortable to interact with, who I might even feel unsafe with in a less public place. Every person I talked to at Dashcon was kind and fun and I felt at home around them.

Dashcon had some of the worst administration of any fan convention, probably ever, and a lot of people had terrible experiences that I don't want to invalidate. But it also had some of the best panels, best artists to buy from, and best attendee behavior of any convention I've ever been to. Those memories are precious to me and if I had a choice to go back and do it differently, I would not change into my prom dress on Friday night, I would stay out of the dashcon tag on my phone, and I would guard that Sam Wilson button with my life, but I would absolutely choose to do the rest all over again.

[lover-of-mine]

https://www.tumblr.com/lover-of-mine/757204711342473216/gg-here-so-this-is-going-to-be-long-you-and-the

Apologizes in advance if this is not the most well worded because this is the thing that probably annoys me the most of all the things BT Stan’s say. This coming from someone that is a diehard destiel fan and has been for over a decade. I hate that they try to make that comparison. And honestly I’m so embarrassed by fellow destiel shippers who abandoned Buddie for BT.

Here’s the thing. Yes Cas wasn’t meant to have a long arc and they decided to keep him because of fan response. However, he was brought in as a part of a HUGE plot-arc for the show (the introduction of Angels as a supernatural creature and all that comes with literal angels) so even if he wasn’t meant to be the angel that stayed long term, there was meant to be a long-term plot with angels. And as soon as they decided to keep him they delivered on actually developing him as a character.

Additionally, Misha and Jensen had great chemistry right away. Even platonic chemistry that general audience could see. Despite the small group that love them, most people can see that Oliver and Lou don’t have that much chemistry. Destiel as a ship started right away, yes, much like Buddie was a ship almost as soon as Eddie showed up (to the point where they were putting things in like the Elf scene as a nod to what the fans saw). But, like Buddie, Destiel became what it was because of SEASONS of development and build up and devotion to each other over and over again. Also they tried repeatedly to kill off Cas and the ratings plummeted every time so they had to bring him back - Tommy is not important or well liked enough for that, but you know which pairing is? Buddie - who Tim admitted the show suffered for when they were split up.

Also, yes Misha gained a cultlike following - but what did he use it for? To start charities like GISHWISHES for random acts of kindness. He talked about his character and headcanons but he did so mostly either for free online (Twitter) or at sanctioned conventions. And he did so after he was kept on as an established main character. He did not charge fans on cameo to make things up to try and boost his own career. Also a reminder that his first season aired in 2008 - there wasn’t the massive amounts of social media then to amass the cult the way they’ve done (there was no Instagram to spam with duplicate accounts, no showrunner open to DMs) Cas was kept on the show because the general audience and fandom loved him - outside of Dean.

Both are characters that were introduced to have a short arc, and there was fandom response to them - that is where the comparisons end. Comparing the two is an insult to Cas and Misha.

There are probably things I’m forgetting but I don’t have the energy to parse through them all.

This is a very detailed explanation, thank you. Personally, I was never that invested in Supernatural, so for me it was just another thing that was added, but I completely agree with you, Cas completely changed the game and he was brought in at a time that you couldn't fake that type of approval, because we were talking about a network show in 2008, like, there were no big things, they were forums where we were discussing fandom and stuff like that but there wasn't something like Twitter or the cameos or even Tumblr in the size that it is now. And it was because the general audience loved Cas, he was a great audition to the show especially considering the circumstances in which he was added, everything about season 4. So it's not really a fair comparison because Misha actually got a cult-like following naturally, he organically became what he is now, and it's not something you can fake, you can't fabricate what they did with Castiel and Misha. You can't replicate what happened because of a very specific set of circumstances aligning perfectly. A lot of it comes to the fact, like you said the chemistry between Misha and Jensen was insane and you didn't have something comparable in the show yet and they just kept building on top of it. You had the fact that everyone saw Dean as bisexual and you had the devotion that Cas showed towards Dean, you had no way to work around it you, it was what he was. And that in 911 it is buddie, Eddie was introduced after the show was already airing, the chemistry Oliver has with Ryan is palpable, and the show built the relationship. You can't do it again on the show, you can't shove him in the space that's already filled. Yes, Cas was brought in for an arc but he was always supposed to have consequences within the universe and obviously the reaction to him made him stay longer and it was something, yk, like people really like the character. Cas kind of gave a second life to the show. It allowed fandom to create something that didn't exist there yet and he ended up being really really well received. So they obviously played with that. It's not the same situation as trying to fabricate a connection that's not there when, you don't have the same level of chemistry, and you already have a ship that is filling that space, you can't really force that to happen because it has to happen organically to have lasting effects.

[kay9leo]

It's hard being the new kid...

Sort of "modern" HL AU

Meet Iñaki "MC" Martinez Cariaga! She's the new transfer student from the United States. She was late for the sorting ceremony so she's currently houseless right now, hence the gray tie. Unfortunately for MC, her ancient magic is a magnet for attracting trouble and getting her into situations she rather not be in, sort of like Percy Jackson.

Fun Facts:

Normally her eyes are brown, but ever since she ended up in the UK, if she's around the presence of high Ancient Magic activity, her own ancient magic activates, turning her eyes a magical blue. They also turn that color when she's using it. At the advice of Prof. Fig, she tries to keep a small flow of it running consciously if she's not at a nearby ancient magical source.

She's also big runes fan! Since her family comes from both Central and South America, she has a big love of studying Mayan glyphs and Incans quipus (they use that instead of runes to conducting their magic). She also knows some indigenous words in Kaqchikel and Quechua; some for fun and some for spell casting. Seeing Norse runes in person was the one thing she was definitely looking forward when going to Hogwarts.

While she doesn't originally goes by MC back in the States, it became her deferred nickname/shorten version of her double surname Martinez Cariaga to use at Hogwarts. She's gotten tired of both professors and peers taking too much time to say it or have them accidently butcher her surnames (or first name even). Her nickname of MC is used so often that it gets to the point that barely anyone remembers that her name is Iñaki 🤣

Ancient Magic & Hogwarts Castle

I headcanon that the Hogwarts Founders were ancient magic users who build Hogwarts and never told anyone about their abilities. Since the place is humming with Ancient Magic, MC's eyes are always a constant magical blue. It's when she leaves Hogwarts grounds that she has to focus on maintaining that magical flow.

The Big Move, Fourth Year & the Reserved New Girl

Unfortunately, Iñaki's dad lost his job during the first layoffs of the Great Recession in early 2008. Thankfully, he had a buddy who hooked him with a new temp job in London, causing the Martinez Cariaga family to move across the pond from New York to London during the end of summer. While she loved the idea of traveling and going to Europe (and maybe even learn more about the different ancient runes used there), she wasn't too pleased at the idea of moving abroad and leaving everything she knows and loves.

Instead of starting her freshman year with her close friend group at Excelsior (NYS magical school system, Ilvermorny is the New England private magical prep school - the most famous, oldest and only school most people know outside the US), Iñaki is starting 4th year at Hogwarts.

Note: The words between "< >" is spoken in Spanish. MC comes from a Spanish-speaking Latino household. If the words are not in between "< >" assume she's speaking English.

6: At the end of MC's first week:

MC:

<¡Hola Mami!>

< I'm fine. ¿And you? >

< Nothing interesting happened this week. >

< ¡NO! ¡It wasn't like I fought a dragon or a troll this week. >

< ¡Just because I faced the Jersey Devil in 6th grade or the Headless Horseman in 7th OR befriended Champ at Lake Champion in 8th doesn't mean weird things always happens to me! >

<¡I'm fine Mami! Nothing happened...>

<¡I had to Mami! ¡He told me he wanted to give me a "proper Hogwarts welcome" before we started! I told him "That's how we say 'Hello' in New York." Made it too easy for me by saying his spells out loud. The prof said I was a great example of how magical duels are different in the New World with our non-verbals...>

<He was cool with losing. ¡Sebastián even gave me a tour of the magical village nearby and introduced me to the "dueling club" the school has! >

< We dueled together…¡It was fun! I almost forgot how much I miss home… >

8:

MC:

< I still want to go home. >

< No Mami. I don't mean visiting you guys back in London. Home as in New York. >

< ¿Why should I make friends if we're only going to be here for a year?>

< ¿It's only a year...right? >

< ¿Right? >

< I gotta go...I promised my classmates I'll study with them for our exam next week. >

< I love you too. >

"Bye."

*Flips phone closed*

*Ends call*

......

MC's trying...but she is rather homesick.

She's now stuck in Hogwarts and isn't too keen on making friends since she has no clue whether she'll be there for a year or not - it all depends whether if they extend her father's work contract and she's isn't keen on making friends if she's only there for a few months in her mind. It gets to the point where Sebastian trying to friend her is like an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. (He ends up winning though when she accidently slips up and calls him her friend later on in the year).

For now though, MC is a very angsty teen right now and had her world flipped upside down.

At least she can take out her angst in dueling club 😅

I want to thank @myokk for listening to my ideas about my MC and to my sibling who needed to borrow my laptop for work (leading me to doodle and actually make a digital drawing on my tablet -that I use as a second monitor for work- since I couldn't edit some papers on those days). Without them this drawing wouldn't have happened.

I'm never doing this ever again because I a bit too perfectionist for art and I hated the number of layers I needed. It was supposed to just be a SIMPLE digital doodle!!!! Instead I made this 😭. Never again. I'm sticking to my pen doodles. I was bored out of my mind and I was either reading or doodling while my sis was testing out her new laptop and I was on stand by in case she needed me.

[eisforeidolon]

"I think the one that still boggles me the most is Lucifer stans mad at the Winchesters for being SO MEEN to him."

Please tell me this is not actually a thing? Good grief. Lucifer is a great villain in early seasons, and transforms into little more than a giant bag of dicks as the show keep bringing him back past his expiration date. If anything, the Winchesters should have been MEANER to him. Guh!

So, on a slightly related but different note, I love that Sam is never nice to Crowley, and I see a lot of people crap on him for it because Crowley's fun abd charismatic and occasionally an ally. But, Crowley is a very very bad person, and he has done both petty and hideous things. He manipulated Dean into getting the MOC, for cripe's sake. Sam is wise to not trust him. Also, Dean is mean to him, too in Season 10, manipulating and lying to him. And I say, GOOD!

This doesn’t mean I don’t like Crowley the character, but when people hate on either brother for not trusting or being nice enough to the constantly or occasionally evil supernaturals in their lives, all I can do is roll my eyes.

No one on this show is entirely trustworthy all the time, and that includes both brothers, so people shouldn’t get too uptight about others criticizing characters from time to time. It’s just the harping on one brother constantly (Sam or Dean), and painting them as the bad guy, out to ruin the ither's love, that is ridiculous.

I wish I could tell you it wasn't a thing, but I definitely came across it when I was still going into the general tags. Blocked and never looked back. I'm not telling anyone what they can and can't get out of a tv show or any other media so long as they aren't being dicks to other people about it, but sometimes I Don't Get It and I Really Don't Want To.

Things with villains in the latter seasons of SPN just get ... weird. It's like they kinda tried to redeem all of them and make them the Winchesters' buddies? But in a really half-ass way most of the time? Like, I genuinely like some of those characters, but they did some evil shit. Meg got Jo and Ellen killed, attacked them several times, and was part of Bobby ending up in a wheelchair. We met Rowena torturing random hotel workers on a ceiling. Gabriel killed Dean a whole host of times and was an even bigger coward than we knew. Crowley held Bobby's soul hostage, killed several people they saved including Sarah Blake, talked Dean into the MoC, prevented Lucifer from going back into the Cage, etc. And don't even get me started on Eugenie's Thing about Lucifer and how they wanted Sam to be joking around with him (which apparently some people would have been into that, SMH). It was like they couldn't stand to just let evil characters be evil, or at least let the Winchesters consistently treat them as if they were as untrustworthy as they actually were.

So yeah, getting all up in arms about Sam being mean to Crowley is just ... do you not remember all the shit Crowley has done? Like, even when he was technically sort of on their side he was constantly being a self-serving manipulative dick! C'mon! He's a great character but the furthest thing from a trustworthy ally.

Some fans really do seem to get to a point where they don't want to even try to sympathize with or understand the characters that aren't their faves while excusing the characters they like from pretty much anything and everything.

[vanmarkus]

I’m a new fan (yes a post Bi Buck binge watcher, just finished season 5 yesterday ((yes I have a lot of free time)).

And this is definitely opening up old discourse, so feel free to disregard.

But. I struggled so hard to like Taylor. I tried desperately not to do the “toxic slash shipper who hates the girlfriend” thing, but I just could not like her with Buck. I think as a character, she was great! Love a motivated girlboss who pushes buttons, but not so much when she’s being girlboss mean to her boyfriend. (Not that Buck didn’t deserve it once or twice for his late season 5 bs)

But I just don’t know what it was about Buck and Taylor specifically that I didn’t like. I liked Ana and Eddie. I even liked Ali and Buck.

What was the general fandom temperature regarding Taylor and Buck during Season 5?

hoooo okay.

so first of all, welcome to the fandom, hope you can find fun people to hang out with 💛

mind you, I wasn't around during season 5, I was lurking in the trending tags so I kinda knew what was going on with buddie in general lmao but I only actually watched the show in august (took me less than 2 weeks to binge it all the way through, so believe me I know how you feel) but Taylor Kelly is... well.

let me just start by saying that I love Taylor, but she feels like she's been written by two different writers room (which is actually kind of the cast because Tim wasn't around during season 5) and while I love her bossy, career driven characteristics, I felt mad about how dirty she was done.

and not even because Buck kissed some else, but because she straight up said (paraphrasing) "you cheated on me? i don't think you should've told me about it, that's not why i'm mad" and like. what?

for a strong, confident woman in a committed relationship to just say it's okay if you cheat on me, I don't care, just don't tell me? ngl that gutted me a little bit.

aside from that, Taylor and Buck was never going to work, partially because they are too similiar (work oriented, childhood trauma and abandonment issues that neither of them worked through, implied that they both had a bit of a slutty phase, etc) and partially because their moral codes are the thing that differs the most.

which we knew to begin with; Taylor was introduced as someone who would exploit Bobby's acid trip about his dead family to get ahead in her career. that is a good enough reason not to like her and I personally think that Eddie had his reservations about her for that exact reason.

they both live for their jobs, but Taylor is in it for the chase, the excitement, the recognition; Buck is in it because being a hero and helping people is his life. very stark difference.

Buck also jumped the gun with the moving, right after doing something that you don't normally do when you feel like taking the relationship to the next level. so he kinda put a strain on the relationship even though it seemed otherwise at the time.

then of course Taylor lied to him about working on the story, though she only broke it after they caught Jonah, so people saying that she endangered Hen and Chim are weird, unless they're implying that she followed them and didn't call 911? which would be a choice...

but back to fandom's reception of her and how you don't like her with Buck. you don't have to like her at all tbh, not every character or dynamic will be likable to everyone and that's fine, it's only an issue when people spend their time on hating a fictional character instead of focusing on the ones they like and when they send hate to the actors portraying them... which is something that as far as I'm aware happened to every single actress/actor who played a love interest to Buck or Eddie on the show.

this fandom hates women in general, just look at how most people talk about Shannon, Maddie, Abby, Ana, Taylor, Natalia, Marisol... like. characters are flawed that's why they're interesting, but hating them for having to make decisions in difficult situations? or for literally nothing but dating one of the guys as is the case of Ana and Marisol (though Marisol's actress is a vile human being and her character has a seemingly weird bond with her brother, so there is that).

I'd argue that Taylor is the most hated female character on the show and I regularly see posts that feature her with tags like "taylor kelly jumpscare" and such which I just find excessive...

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 10

wait, Gabby actually said "baddie"? i thought she said "buddy." Ellie is a bad bitch send tweet

given everything that happened in this episode, i honestly forgot this happened. i'm sure it'll come back to be important at some point, though. putting this here to try to help keep it in my mind.

Gabby and Ellie are literally the cutest, my goodness. i thought their ship was okay in S1 (i didn't really understand why Ellie would like Gabby, and to some extent i still don't), but DCAS has made me love them. they just care about and revere each other so much........

god, he's literally the worst (/hj /pos)

does Yul actually care about/need the money? i thought he was only on the show for the publicity. i want to know the Yul lore so bad...

what does Gabby think this alliance is meant to accomplish, exactly...? actually, i take back my confusion. Yul literally tried to poison Aiden in S2. there's a precedent for her believing that the alliance would commit actual crimes.

i cannot believe that Yul canonically knows what Tumblr is. hi Yul

this made me cackle. i'm glad every time that Aiden gets to be more sassy and hotheaded again, especially when it's behind someone's back like this. that rashness is what prevents him from being the super vanilla character that people like to make fun of him for being, and what causes him to do interesting things in the narrative.

honestly, this was way more understated than i expected. and, possibly than it should've been...? like, Jake. Tom literally lied to you just to avoid you. this is actually (in my opinion) something you could be justifiably pissed about.

HE'S SO PANICKED AT THE THOUGHT OF BEING EJECTED FROM THE GAME. HE CARES A LOT ABOUT PLAYING. I WANT TO KNOW THE YUL LORE SO BADDDDDDD

this can't actually be the end of Emily's character, right? right?

i'm glad this scene exists because it makes way more sense that there would still be some hostility between these two after the events of S1. they need time to cook before they can become besties for real :)

Gabby, respecter of girlfriends everywhere

honestly, i thought that she was going to straight up shoot Yul (with paint) after this. it would've been deserved.

...RIGHT???

...how? other than figure, those two look pretty much nothing alike. also, hilarious unforced error given the result of this episode. imagine if this slip up winds up essentially costing Tom the win.

is it just me, or was there more swearing than normal this episode? not super important, but it was noticeable.

this is a really valid argument. why did this count? whatever.

KING!!!!!!! see, i was right to bring up how Alec is great at challenges.

he's an Fi lead (MBTI reference)

KING PART 2!!!!!!!! i love Alec

again, i like seeing this side of Aiden. while i wouldn't say he's as petty as Jake, he's still petty enough to continue the feud instead of trying to be the bigger person. he's got depth!

ABSOLUTELY the best strategic move for the villains. i'm very happy with this elimination, although, i was never a huge Ashley fan. my heart goes out to those who are.

not only that, but the disventure is over too.

Jake is truly going to be 100% alone in this game, now, and entirely due to his own doings. very excited to see how he proceeds from here.

this is a winner's cut moment, ngl.

what did the writers mean by this

aaaaand, that's the episode! i enjoyed this one. it reminded me of the good ol' S1 days, where i got to watch Fiore and Alec absolutely trample all of the heroes with their superior strategy. (i stan the villains, if that wasn't obvious by this point.) i'm well aware that those days can't last forever, but that just makes me even more inclined to revel in them while they're still here.

i do still hope that one of Jake, Tom, and Aiden gets eliminated soon, though. this episode specifically i don't think was an instance of plot armor-- like i said, i think Ashley was by far the most sensible boot given the situation-- but the longer all three of them stay in, the more it does feel like the writers playing favorites than how the game would genuinely shake out.

i'm quite curious as to what the next trailer will show us. are we headed towards another hero boot, or will the villains start beefing already? will the inevitable trevek conversation happen next episode? and is Emily really gone???? i hope not :,( see you next week!

[inkbutterflyuniverse]

Some random thoughts about Grease Rise of the Pink Ladies, before Paramount+ removes it, because I liked the show so much:

First, Buddy. Honestly, I never really cared about him, so his character development about his dad doing everything for him, didn't hit me. Like yeah, good for you that you finally know it, but it was kinda obvious that it wasn't the first time he did something to help you.

Second, Jane. Ah Jane, nice Jane, sweet Jane... How can I say this nicely? Okay listen, it's not that I hate you, but I didn't like you either. She was so annoying, she had moments were she was a good character, but overall she was so annoying. "Oh Richie pushed me back and Buddy's here... Oops I kissed him". "What do you mean you're angry because I kissed Buddy? But it's you that I chose, Richie!". Yeah not a fan of her character. Maybe because the show was too much about Jane and her family...

Third, Hazel. I loved her. So happy she got her jacket! She deserves it! She also faces a love problem, between Wally and Buddy. Buddy may know her better, but I prefer Wally, just because of the song and the things he talked about, like finding a middle ground. But let's be realist, whoever she chooses, it won't last long. After graduation she will go to college, become a great scientist, win a lot of prizes for her work, and maybe then she will meet a great person who likes her for who she is and share some of her interest!

Fourth, Nancy. Her character development took some time, but it was worth it. I love her, she's so unhinged, so funny, and such a great character. I love how she was there for Cynthia, and how she stood up for Olivia by slapping the teacher. YES GIRL, you're right, she's a child! And her discovering that she has a crush on Potato was cute! I would have love seeing more of them...

Fifth, Cynthia. And Lydia. Or Lynthia. They were so good together, I really love how their relationship progressed! The way they were on edge with each other at the beginning, and how they slightly began to like the other, to the point of Cynthia confessing... It was one of the best relationship written in the show. I would have been so down for more of them in a second season, and to learn more about their life, especially about Cynthia's mysterious dad and her mom who apparently left?

Sixth, Susan. I like her. I really do. She's kinda mean, but I understand. And I loved the little development she had after the driving test! I was a little sad that after that she threw her development away, but I can't blame her after everything Olivia's said and done. It was a shock to learn that she aborted and that she never talked Buddy. And the way her mom talked about soooo casually in the hallway, when everyone could hear you... It's honestly shocking that no one heard that! It could be a very valuable information!

Last but not least, Miss McGee, aka the true queen. She was the star of this show. Forget about the girls and their teenagers problems, this woman deserves more respect. She is the principal, not the other dummy who plays golf in his office. She does ALL the paperwork BY HERSELF, she's the one who talks to the students and their parents if needed. She literally kept most of the kids into the school when it wasn't safe for them to go out, almost by herself. None of the other adults helped her, she had to rely on kids! This woman deserves more recognition.

[practically-an-x-man]

2, 4, 15, 23, 24, 28 for whom the ask tolls?

Thank you!

For Whom The Ask Tolls

2. Tell us a scary story?

Like from my own life? Nothing immediately comes to mind, honestly. I'm a big fan of the macabre but not a devout believer in the paranormal, and I enjoy creepy things (so what I see as "scary" might be a little skewed, I just think it's cool).

If I would've believed anywhere was haunted, it was my great-grandfather's house. He passed away when I was a kid, and we went to his house pretty often for a few years while my dad tried to get all the estate stuff sorted out with his (mostly estranged) sister and other extended family. That whole house felt a little off to me, but that might've just been that it was associated with my first real experiences with death, and it was an old house (old and creaky, a little rotted, some weird smells).

However, there was one room I remember vividly, above all the others. It was an extension off of a larger bedroom, and thinking back on it now it strikes me as a closet that was renovated into a baby's room (so the baby's crib would be near the parents but still in a separate space). It was a pretty long, thin room, painted pink with feminine wallpaper, and with a wall decoration next to the door that had Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep printed on it (I mainly remember this because I found the "if I die before I wake" especially creepy as a kid). There were also a lot of old-fashioned dolls in the room, including some laid out in an old wooden crib, and one of those spoon carousels from back when spoon collecting was a big souvenir thing.

I can't say anything particularly spooky happened there, it's not like I saw a ghost or one of the dolls jumped out of the crib or anything, but I can't describe how very off this room felt to me as a child. I was fine enough with the rest of the house, maybe a little creeped-out just from it being a new and very empty old place for me, but that room gave me the creeps like nothing else. And the biggest part is, this was when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old - I was never interested in dolls much, but I was too young to know about the creepy doll trope and other than that it just looked like a pretty normal if old-fashioned room for a baby girl. It just creeped me the fuck out for no discernible reason.

It's worth mentioning that my dad had two sisters - one is still alive and we don't talk to her much, but the other passed away from brain cancer as a young adult and it's kinda regarded as the tragedy of that side of the family. I don't know if that ever was her room and I don't believe strongly enough in the paranormal to really feel like her ghost is the reason I got such unexplainably bad vibes from that place, but it's the most distinct paranormal memory I can think of.

4. Talk about three characters you relate to and why?

Angel (Warren Worthington III) - grew up with a strict, emotionally neglectful parent who pushed extreme expectations of success and perfectionism on me; medical trauma that first emerged when I was 12 and went ignored for years, caused by a genetic mutation; being successful in a lot of venues but always feeling vaguely out-of-place and unbelonging; found family and a deep love for friends and community

Polka-Dot Man (Abner Krill) - see above about emotionally neglectful parent, medical trauma, found family, and feeling like an outsider; representation of chronic fatigue/illness and rare medical conditions

And since I wanted one that wasn't just another of my blorbos:

3. Katie Mitchell (Mitchells Vs. the Machines) - oldest child, queer, trying to get into the film industry, very passionate about weird art, struggle to connect with and be understood by my family, comes up with creative ideas that usually end up working even if they're odd

15. Talk about a cryptid?

Ohohoho buddy I'm in Appalachia, we've got cryptids up the WAZOO. Or at least... people claim so. Personally cryptids are one of those for me that fall under the "I love to hear the stories because they're fun to listen to, but I don't really believe they're unexplainable like that" bubble - there's a whole bunch of Bigfoot-like "hominids" like the Tennessee Wildman that are most likely either black bears with mange or just people spotted living out in the forest (like they DO in Appalachia), the Not-Deer that really just sounds like a whitetail with CWD or rabies to me, the Wampus Cat or other panther-like cryptids that are probably just cougar sightings.

Adrenaline is a hell of a drug, and so is the ingrained fear response to things like CWD or rabies - there's a reason things look so off with diseases like that, or just predators in general, and it's biological memory much more than it is anything paranormal.

There was one time when I was in college, my friend was taking a walk out in the forest and managed to record this freaky shrieking noise coming from the woods and sent the video to us because he was SURE he'd encountered a cryptid.... right up until I told him that's the sound of a female cougar in heat. It does sound like a woman screaming her lungs out, I'll grant him that much.

23. Spooky music?

Hell yeah!! I love Ice Nine Kills and Harley Poe and other music that plays off of horror like that, I think it's really fun.

24. Do you like horror or spooky video games?

I don't play a ton of video games myself, and most of the ones I enjoy playing are either goofy games like West of Loathing or survival/adventure games, but I do really love watching playthroughs of horror games

28. Recommend a read?

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix! It was the first book of his that I read, and since then I've become a huge fan of him as an author (I think I'm all caught up now on what he's written, or at least close to it). It follows the lead guitarist of a metal band 20 years after they broke up, when she discovers that the lead singer literally sold all of their souls to the devil in exchange for massive fame... and is planning another mass soul-sacrifice at his upcoming music festival.

[cutegirlmayra]

I think Sonamy in Sonic Frontiers is better than Sonic Prime. I feel like they kinda make Amy a villain. Seriously, I want my happy-cheerful Amy with Cindy Robinson voice 😭 (Amy's voice in Sonic Prime kinda a mean popular girl with sassy attitude's voice)

Em, although I see what you mean, I think they did a really interesting angle with Amy in Prime.

Frontiers Amy felt too much like Archie Amy, the Game version of Amy is usually very supportive of Sonic, a bit 'Quick on her Heels' to jump into things, true, but she's not so sassy. She does counter Sonic abruptly in a few games, but never to the point that it comes off as abrasively insensitive. (Personally, I think Amy is a bit spicy in her quick conflict starters in Frontiers 🙄 don't sue me lolol)

(Gosh, this moment makes me CRINGE. It was all GREAT, but then this moment happened. Amy should never be animated to this line, because it's completely not her, and the Japanese changed it, and thank goodness. It's so hurtful to say this, knowing that's not what Sonic is saying. Amy is insightful, it's one of the wonderful things about her, she's so attuned to the emotions of life. This scene made me squirm at how confrontational it was. Everything else was fine, but this. one. scene. Ruined Amy's chara for Frontiers for me. She's the SASSY one, not Prime!)

Amy has always been the 'heart' of the team. Sonic is the 'will' and 'soul', that 'Spirit of Freedom'. Knuckles 'Might/Strength and Honor/Duty working in tandem, and Tails the 'Humble Brain' that sometimes falls to thoughts of self-doubts due to idolizing their heroes.

In Prime, Amy is the emotional counterpoint for Sonic. Tails is the focal point of his comradery and bravery. Knuckles is Sonic's sense of heroism, positivity, and never giving up attitude.

Through his friends in Prime, we see more of Sonic's true character. He supports and uplifts his friends, is funny with his cocky attitude, struggles when things are in disarray, and seeks unity again--knowing he's stronger with it.

The disconnect in Boom--for the video game--was Sonic was a loner, not understanding that his pride looked like arrogance and got him into a lot of trouble. He learned that things were easier and better with his Friends.

In Prime, he teaches the audience once more that although he is STILL the infamous Sonic The Hedgehog, fastest thing alive, he's also vulnerable without his friends, and cares deeply for them.

Amy shows how all her lessons have distilled in Sonic a sense of compassion with his firece justice attitude. he's not--"I'm right, you're wrong." Anymore. He's "There's a better way." which is Amy's role to show the audience that side of him. (It doesn't matter, now what happens. I will never give up the fight~ Long as the voice inside, drives me to run and fight. It doesn't matter who is wrong or who is right~ - A Sonic Theme centered around Sonic's personality. Lyrics and Song: (x) )

Tails's role in Prime teaches honesty of character. Sonic has grown so attached to his 'man in the chair' but also sees Tails as so much more, he's his best friend, but he's never had to 'earn Tails's trust' before. In the backstory, Tails admired him as a hero. In this world, Sonic has to now earn and give that trust back tenfold--the fans often complained that Sonic wasn't always 'brotherly' to Tails like they wanted him to be, this is SEGA building a character arc to say, "Sonic also admires Tails" and appreciates and needs him. In the media of Sonic brand, we know that we've only ever seen Sonic inspiring Tails, now we see him fully immersing himself in uplifting his little buddy once more--showing how much Sonic has grown throughout the years as a character.

Even Shadow, Knuckles, and Rouge (Even Big ~Steadfast heart of gold!~) play a role in helping the audience see Sonic's 'True Character'. I felt it was written with a lot of care towards the true canon of Sonic and the casts character portrayals, although throwing them into an 'amnesia'-like clever trope to go through their 'characters' again in an entertaining way, that's just a personal preference of the script-writers in how they wanted to accuracy tell their view of the story and charas, but all the materials that make up their characters are still present and accounted for.

The writing is interesting, and there were times I actually FANGIRLED because I would have written THE SAME LINES if it were me in charge of dialogue. It was handled with more care than we've ever seen in the Sonic universe up to this point. (Referring to the string of some less-than-what-we-would-have-wanted stuff...)

I've lived through so many Sonic reboots, bad portrayals, and heartbreakingly bad moments as a Sonic fan... that seeing expert film script writers--I believe the same that worked on Marvel Spiderman or other comic-book titles who are HEAVY into lore--that Sonic's lore is finally being treated with respect and due research.

Is it made for kids? Sure. Was there a way to make the story for more our age audiences? Yeah. Did they do that? Not really, but that doesn't mean it's not a carefully considered love letter to the older fans as well.

Amy, in my humble opinion, had some interesting directions for Frontiers...

Amy in Prime, although they are ALL characterizations of 'spinoff versions' of their true selves, were--and maybe--are leading up to character arcs I feel I will probably approve of.

Why is this different? Why do I approve more of Prime--what should be considered a jump in fanfiction dimensions--verses a mainline game that supposedly should be more accurate of lore and character?

I never said that Frontiers didn't have lore! It had a great animated sequence showing off Knuckles, it had some great characterization moments with the cast and Sonic! Arguably a good few dramatic scenes of angst to boost too--though, that's not what's as important to me.

I want good story, good character, the works... what Frontier did was alright and good for being in a drought of long standing runs with no relief in a dry spell that Sonic has been trying to fight due to Sammy and other companies (watched a video on it, so much clarity!) not giving enough support to him--BUT!

Prime dives into the psyche of Sonic, and it has more emotional depth--in my humble opinion--of character-revealing moments of characters truly bonding and revealing their bond to the world, then Frontiers--which still had a nice blend--but not to the same extent.

How come?

One is a limited game with limited resources, the other was funded resources, given all the lore it could ever want and ask for, and braced itself for a narrative far longer than a few hours of skating on railings. (Not bashing gameplay, making a metaphorical 'tease' statement here.)

It's just differences.

Amy in Prime, seems more like Canon Amy's spirit, then Frontier's Amy... simply because Frontier's Amy didn't get enough screentime, presence, and greater bonding opportunities.

Prime Amys, though again, all separate and split 'pieces' are still 'pieces' nonetheless of the recognizable Amy Rose we've grown up with to love and know and love with assurity.

Yes, all of them. Because they are FOILS to Amy.

This one LITERALLY becomes Amy by the end of the episode! We just had to walk to get there, but we got there!

Does that mean Frontiers is worse or bad? No. Does that mean I hate Frontiers? No. Does that mean Prime is the supreme Sonic media in all the land? Again, no, stop that. You keep that kinda talk up, I'll lightly swat your hand and give you my best puffed-up, Amy pouty face you've ever seen! lol

Your argument, to me, is a discussion.

Is Amy portrayed as a villain? No. She's portrayed as a victim of circumstances where Sonic wasn't able to save her from becoming a damsel in distress. Is she a strong damsel in distress? Usefully, yes, because Amy's always been strong no matter what befalls or becomes her. Do they abuse that? Oh yeah! That's what makes this new idea of different versions of her so fun! She's one of the most versatile characters in Sonic media, simply because her personality, character role, and emotional motives are so much more vaster in starting plot points and meaningful, story and character driven narratives that she's one of the best dynamic writing tools to use in Sonic universes. All for Sonic's benefit? Well, yeah, that's one of her Character Roles, to reveal Sonic's 'merciful' side when it comes to fighting and destroying robots for his 'adventurous justice' streaks which I've discussed in earlier topics before.

"No. Mechanically enhanced. Survival required adaptation. As you will soon learn."

(This scene sets up Rusty Rose as "Survived on her own, used by the Eggmans, all because she was distraught because there was no such things as 'heroes' so she tried to 'save herself'." it's the tragic Damsel in Distress that tried to save herself and couldn't. In this dystopia, what a better character setup do you propose!? She's a victim who fought her own battles and--without friends--failed and so she gave in and succumbed to 'No Hope' a GREAT foil for her chara! She tried hope! It didn't work! Just made her this... able to be manipulated and controlled, losing her 'heart' in the process... quite literally...)

She does help the team reveal some of their hearts too, it's not all just for Sonic's benefit, but for the most part, that is her reason for existing in Sonic's world.

Is Amy happy-cheerful in Sonic Prime? Yeah! Until someone split a stupid Prism and made a world without Sonic's influence in it! Is Cindy the only good voice actress for Amy? I'd argue based on my own childhood experiences someone else, so it's really about preferences, and I would have to say that it's a human decision made by many factors, and doesn't define Amy's character. How can I say that? Because Amy's original voice is Japanese, and I could argue that if we want to be hyper-canon-specific, there are fans who don't even know Cindy Robinson because Amy's always had a Japanese voice actor, and doing an English one is the 'fake' one, so let's not get into semantics XDDD lolol

I agree that Frontiers has spice to her that doesn't really equal Amy to me. Amy sure has some spunk and pizzazz, but not in a confrontational way. She's too kindhearted to argue for no reason, she defends and inspires in different ways that help Sonic and the team, even bad guys go good... There are flaws in her, sure, but not to spark contrasting conflict just 'because'.

Some may argue this was done in Frontiers to give her more of a 'story arc with rising conflict' but if you're struggling that much... yikes.

Besides, Japanese dub does Amy some real cool justice in Frontiers, and I love the part in the flashback where she's trying to stop the lover from getting herself hurt as she runs into the fray for the man-chaos-looking-creature that she loves. (Which, that whole story is debunked by Sonic Adventure 1 sooooooo...)

(Sonic being a good hero bf T//^//T We stan a PROTEC scene where Sonic cares about Amy, but when she gets too emotional, can hold her through it!)

I loved that scene! It's Amy realizing how people see her actions, how she 'runs into the fray after Sonic' but begins to question whether that's really right or not. She loves love, but recklessly tossing aside life due to unspoken feelings that were too late to speak, to shy to articulate, not enough time..?

She has a 'come to the light' moment where she admits she wants to learn more, mature, and make herself someone that Sonic can respect (In Japanese, which is a really good rewriting in my humble opinion of the original English written script.)

And to agree with you, Sonic DOES support Amy in seeing that sometimes, her actions and views on love are a little exaggerated and skewed, leading him to reach out and show his consideration of her by not calling her 'foolish' or 'reckless' but instead stating that he's excited to hear all about her adventure when she gets back.

He also has some unspoken things, but until Amy learns the difference between real love and fictional exaggerations taught to people who 'dramatically' view love, she may never be able to understand how much he truly does care about her... because she wouldn't view his 'subtle realism' as how someone 'madly, deeply, oh, truly in love!' would act because of her current perceptions on how love--and subsequently people in love--are like or act.

She realized that maybe, both Sonic and her friend, show and express love in different ways. That's why she's going to discover those 'different types of love', to understand Sonic and love better. This is a Coming of Age.

Frontiers needed more time in the oven, personal opinion with the respects that I'm not an authority figure on anything, and Prime could have benefited older Sonic fans by having its rating not made explicitly for younger audience's parameters, but they did good with what they could work with--with what limitations certain ratings bring.

Now, as a conclusion:

Both are good, but I prefer Prime due to having more 'story-focused' time to bake in the oven and show us characterizations with just enough time for us to bond and see the meaning in it, but I also liked Frontiers and their character moments, but wished for longer moments and less 'confusing' story elements to add to those interactions.

My Cuties, I'm your girl, Mayra. And this rant was sponsored by Anon, who is so gracious enough to donate 1 million dollars to educating Japanese Sonic fans of who the heck is Cindy Robinson! :D Love you all and goodnight! <3

[qpjat076]

So I JUST finished TDP season 6. . .

spoilers under cut, unorganized long-ass essay because it do be 4am and i have many thoughts and no one awake to listen to them. brief content warning about abuse but no details, just mentioned:

ok season 5 was better but this wasn't terrible. I still have no idea how they pull the Y7 rating with all the blood. I'm both appalled and impressed. And also some of that other stuff too. . . with like the wash-down with Claudia and Terry. . . damn idk that seems a little over Y7 to me but go off I guess.

TERRY YOU DESERVE BETTER. That whole thing just gives me flashbacks to my buddy's abusive relationship (minus voodoo) and I just want to scream at him to GTFO before it's too late. is this gonna be some reverse joker thing? idk. bad vibes.

Why they brought Viren back just to kill him was dumb but damn it was fun to see Claudia go so unhinged in ep 1.

who tf wrote the Rayllum part of this season because HOLY FANFICTION BATMAN THERE WAS ONLY ONE BLANKET. ALSO WAS THAT ONE END CREDITS SKETCH AT THE END OF EP 9 AGED RAYLLUM WITH A KID?!?!??! WAS THAT REAL?!?!? DAMN. WOW. (Edit: while that shot in particular upon looking at it again is maybe Rayla and her parents because the dude has pointed ears. . . but then if that's the case. . . why doesn't he have horns? that shot is super weird i wonder if the art dept. made a mistake and if not I have a thousand questions.)

Regarding that, does that mean final season time skip? Uncertain. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I hope not. timeskip for JUST the final season when the problems are here and now makes no sense at all. (Edit: again, clearly no skip if that''s the parents but also WHERE ARE THE HORNS. HOW COULD YOU FORGET THE HORNS YOU HAD ONE JOB GUYS I'M PRETTY SURE THERE ARE NO HORNS ON THAT GUY).

regarding rayllum tho, this season, it felt too much like fan service honestly? especially that dumbass ship monologue it was so dumbbbbbbbbbbbbbb i hated that. I DID like that Callum finally confronted the whole dark magic thing with Rayla. Interesting to see where he goes from here. Aaravos doesn't need him as a vessel with claudia around but he might still try to mess with him now that he's free. I did like the resolution and where it eventually ended up but that part of the build up was just KILLER (derogatory)

Props to Rayla and her 3 dads I love it, I thought that resolution made sense. Her parents had each other but Runaan can't move on without Ethari and I respect being that down bad for a man. Regarding the rep. . . who else is seeing something with Soren and Corvis? I think they could be on to something there. or not. I wouldn't mind either way, we need more caring friendships shown between men in media. the show has plenty of rep without it, so to me I think it works either way. tho I will say that's my opinion as a straight person so maybe others feel differently?

Janaya wedding was lit, but I have thoughts on Amaya: namely, why have we stopped showing so much of her ASL? I think it's dope?!?! bring it back please I want to see the signs AND hear Gren, not just Gren. Amaya's face is very important to expressing her character, ESPECIALLY being a Deaf woman communicating in ASL!! I would like to see it when she is communicating, it's a part of the language!! So the rainbow rep was great, the Deaf rep needs a liiiiiiiittle more revising. Not that I'm Deaf. I've just worked in/with the community before. Maybe the Deaf have a different opinion.

Aaravos and the unicorn being his kid was a twist. they got me and I'm IMPRESSED. also the thing with the diamond, now THAT was a good fake-out. wow. impressed over here. i knew it wasn't gonna be so easy for Rayla but also I didn't anticipate it going in that direction. props to them for that, though they did NOT get me with the prison swap. that was so telegraphed it might as well have had a sign saying SUSPICIOUS plastered over it.

big star man. big. was not expecting so large. wow. that's it that's the thought.

some of the line delivery was kinda bad, specifically that aaravos laughing. bro. who approved that goofy-ass depression laugh bc it clearly wasn't the same person who green-lit Claudia being so deranged. also idk why the animation felt so bad but wow i hated it this time around most of the time. backgrounds and lighting were excellent though.

The whole Sol Regam thing kicked ass tho he whooped him GOOD. I cannot take it fully seriously tho bc Aaravos's vessel is named Pharos, which I conveniently forgot and had to PAUSE THE SHOW bc there's a print software I work with at my job also called Pharos and I was laughing my ass off. that's not the showrunners' fault tho.

Ezran is good. even his rebuff of viren was good and in character for who he is I think. he's not about to execute him, but he isn't about to give him mercy or forgive him. I think that makes sense for a man in support of peace and love. letting him live in prison IS mercy in a way, but viren was a piece of crap to Ezran. he didn't have to be kind about showing his mercy. I think that's the right thing for him to do. I respect it. Overall I'm impressed about how true he remains to his ideals. Ezran for president.

the family talk was awesome. I loved that in ep 5. its hard to deal with family members who have supposedly "changed" after they've abused you. I felt Soren's pain fr. I did like that Viren finally did become a servant to Katolis one last time. . . ok maybe if they didn't do the death fakeout last season I would have been fine with him this season.

so, things I liked. things I didn't. I am curious how it will all resolve next year. (none of my edits reflect my ranking but damn. i can't believe they forgot the horns. damn. wow. they're not there right?!?! am I blind?!?!)