#also i think something that’s less discussed is in the same episode Jack is also chastised for his shortcomings

[vastly-fixated-devotee-667]

if you don’t mind me sharing my thoughts on these tags…

i don’t think it’s fair to suggest Lukas and Radar are at all comparable, let alone that Radar was Lukas’ replacement. Radar replaced Lukas as much as Lukas replaced Olivia or Axel — that is to say he didn’t; he was just another character included in/added to the cast in favor of others. and Lukas’ exclusion from the majority of season 2 was completely circumstantial. i’m certain that if Scott Porter hadn’t just become a father, Lukas would have gotten more screentime, but also that it wouldn’t have affected Radar’s at all.

thus, i also don’t believe Petra’s relationship with Radar equates to her relationship with Lukas. her and Lukas’ friendship has never felt all that… substantial to me. honestly, it never appeared that their relationship ran any deeper than Petra and Olivia’s or Petra and Axel’s. but more to the point, Lukas’ relation to Petra is a LOT different from Radar’s. whereas Lukas and Petra began the story with casual friendship/acquaintance, Radar was always — for lack of a nicer-sounding word — inferior to her. he was a superfan who looked up to the New Order, sort of as Axel was to Magnus or Olivia to Ellegaard. for Petra’s relationship arc with Radar to settle in a place similarly to how she might have ended up with Lukas just wouldn’t make sense. especially because her relationship with Lukas was well pre-established, and she already cared about him a lot. i think the way she cares about Radar by episode 4 is reminiscent of her relationships with other characters (Lukas, yes, but also her other friends), but what makes it really special is how her attitude toward Radar changed from the beginning of the season.

i don’t think you were necessarily implying that their arcs would be comparable(?), but i think that the arc is important to the end result itself in this case. if anything, if Lukas had been in more of season 2, i think we would have seen a friendship between them similar to the one we saw in season 1.5. because while she did lump both Radar and Lukas into the “too weak to be useful” category, she didn’t quite have that contempt for Lukas that she seemed to have for Radar. in fact, she even expresses she wished Lukas had joined them to help in the Admin’s little spidery logic puzzle, and that maybe if would’ve “if Radar hadn’t been so—”…

on that note — and i think i touched a lot more on this, at least in relation to Petra, in another reblog of this original post — Lukas being one of the “weak” ones was not just for plot, and it wasn’t necessarily a downgrade on his character, either. it also wasn’t exactly a misjudgment; as far as we know, he never went on any adventures between the Witherstorm and the portal arc or the portal arc and the Admin arc. he was never on Petra’s level of adventurer, anyway (which is why i say it wasn’t necessarily a downgrade to his character), so by the time the Admin’s challenges rolled around, he certainly didn’t really… “fit in” with Petra and Jack. thus why Petra was keen on keeping him away; he wasn’t strong and athletic like the “real” adventurers were. but this — and i have to emphasize this — was not a flaw. in fact, the whole POINT was that it was not a flaw. that’s EXACTLY what the Admin wanted you to think, wanted them to think. there was absolutely nothing wrong with Lukas and Radar being less athletic than Petra and Jack. you don’t need to be incredibly strong and good at fighting or whatever to be worthy of greatness. that was the point: Romeo wanted you to believe that losers are supposed to lose, and you spend pretty much that entire episode trying to prove him wrong. it’s okay to have shortcomings. don’t let Romeo convince you otherwise!!

can we discuss Petra and Radar’s arc in season 2 because i really really need to. Petra went from doing her best to push Radar out of the picture because he was dead weight and too weak to be a help (even lashing out to Jesse about him being, presumably, annoying, though she didn’t get the chance to actually say it) to being afraid Radar didn’t trust her, worrying about him being left in the Underneath with the giant enderman, and (almost) outright saying she loved him. her impression of him seeing the Order’s Temple makes me sob. i just don’t think i’ve seen anyone mention their dynamic before and i want to change that. 💔💔 Admin be damned but he sure did bring folks together didn’t he

[fatalism-and-villainy]

While talking to @menciemeer, something came up re: Jack’s motivations for being in Italy in season 3 that I haven’t seen discussed much - and that is that he’s explicitly there not to catch Hannibal, but to save Will. Here’s his dialogue with Pazzi in Secondo:

Jack: If he hasn’t already, Il Mostro will return to Florence. Pazzi: Come back with me. We have a chance to regain our reputations and enjoy the honours of our trade by capturing the monster. Jack: I’m not here for the monster. Not my house, not my fire. I’m here for Will Graham.

This is even more striking in light of the context for his character that the very next episode gives us - his conversation with Chilton in Aperitivo establishes that he’s been forced into retirement with the FBI, but he’s not interested in regaining his standing or reputation. (Very odd in light of the fact that come the Red Dragon plot, he seems to still have his old job in Behavioral Science). Chilton tries to get him to use Will as bait to find Hannibal:

Chilton: Will is going to lead you right to him. Jack: Oh, no, he’s not. Not to me. I’ve let them both go. I’ve let it all go. Chilton: You dangle Will Graham and now you cut bait? You’re letting Hannibal have him hook, line, and sinker. Jack: You’ll excuse me, Dr. Chilton. I like to be home in the evenings when my wife wakes.

What stands out about this exchange is Chilton’s “letting Hannibal have him” phrasing. It foregrounds not subduing Hannibal, but preventing Will from succumbing to his worst impulses, as a central motivation for Jack in 3A. It’s also significant that it’s his need to care for Bella that leads him to defer pursuing anything relating to Hannibal or Will, because her death is framed within the episode as the impetus for his investment in following Will to Europe - as he tells Will in the funeral scene, “you don’t have to die on me, too.”

So much of Jack’s character arc in the first two seasons is juggling his repeated sacrifice of others for the greater good. His guilt over what befalls both Will and Miriam features prominently in season 2, and during Will’s trial, he’s already prepared to put his career and reputation on the line to stand up for Will and atone for what he feels is his role in Will’s downfall. Both the traumatic events of Mizumono and Bella’s death bring about more of a full turnaround in that direction - Jack becomes less invested in apprehending killers in service of public safety, and more invested in saving the specific person who’s been harmed by that project.

I think this motivation doesn’t always stick in people’s minds because these exchanges get eclipsed by Jack beating Hannibal to a bloody pulp a couple episodes later, as well as his inexplicable return to working for the FBI in 3B. But even in the former altercation, his fight with Hannibal feels personal, more about venting anger and grief than actually apprehending Hannibal. In Dolce, when Will asks why Jack didn’t kill Hannibal, Jack responds “maybe I need you to” (in the same exchange, of course, as “you need to cut that part out”). That scene also establishes clearly that Will and Jack are, like Pazzi, “outside the law and alone.” As in Mizumono, they’re effectively vigilantes - and Jack’s mission is not serving justice for the FBI, but in saving Will from Hannibal’s influence.

This is why, despite the fact that Jack is once again embroiled in FBI business in season 3B, I always envision his role post-canon as being a continuation of what haunts him in the first half of the season - less about catching or killing Hannibal than about rescuing Will. It’s a lot more compelling to me, at least, than him simply continuing to be the face of law enforcement.

[sequinsmile-x]

Adhesive

Emily contemplates how it feels to have her kids growing up when her pre-teen daughter calls her for help.

-x-

Hi friends,

This is a gift for my bestie @ssa-sparks, because she deserves all the good things. But also because I made her start watching Bones with me a few months ago on Disney + GroupWatch and I know that the episode we are watching tonight will upset her. (5 x 16 for those who've seen it. IYKYK)

I hope you all enjoy this - it's largely fluff.

-x-

Warnings: Discussion of periods

Words: 2.4k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily groans as she buries her head in her hands, the thought of doing more paperwork enough to cause a migraine. She rubs her forehead for a second before she shakes her head and reopens her eyes, blowing out a breath as she looks at the pile of papers she still had to sign off. 

It had been a few years since she’d been promoted to Section Chief and whilst she was grateful for the extra time it gave her with her kids, she could do without the paperwork and the politics. She smiles as she looks at a framed picture she took at Jack’s recent high school graduation at the start of summer. The boy she’d met when he was a tiny little thing standing tall in between his brother and sister, Oliver and Hazel, their matching grins all shining brightly at the camera. She was so proud of all of her children, of the people they were becoming, but it was hard watching them get older and feeling them need her less and less.

Hazel was 12 now, slowly becoming more embarrassed by her parents as time went on and grappling for her independence. The little girl who had once wanted to be with her everywhere she went, her little shadow, now fading away from her. Oliver was 9, and still at the stage where he loved to spend time with Emily and Aaron, and Emily knew she wasn’t alone in embracing every moment he wanted to spend with them, well aware that Aaron felt the same way, both of them all too familiar with the fact he’d outgrow them soon too.

She knew it meant she’d done a good job at parenting, something she’d once been convinced she wouldn’t be capable of. Her children were kind and empathetic. Independent and stubborn. And they made her proud every day. 

But part of her desperately missed when they were tiny little things that made her lose sleep because they were crying for her, not because she was worried about where they were like she had been about Jack all summer before he left for college. 

She shakes her head at herself and blows out a breath as she goes to pick up the next stack of papers, but she’s interrupted by her phone ringing. For a moment she thinks it’s going to be Jack again. He’d called her a lot since he’d moved away to college, either for homework advice or just to chat, and it made her smile every time, but she freezes as she reaches for her phone, and panic rises in her chest as she sees her daughter’s name and picture flash up on the screen. Hazel was only supposed to use her cell phone at school in emergencies only and Emily feels her cheeks go warm as she is overwhelmed by worst-case scenarios. She answers the phone quickly, taking a calming breath before she speaks.

“Haze, is everything okay?” 

She hears a sniff down the line, followed by her daughter’s voice. A tight, controlled edge to it that wasn’t normal for her, “Mom? Can you come pick me up from school?”

“What’s wrong honey?” She asks, biting her thumbnail as she waits for an answer. 

“I feel sick,” she replies, sniffing again, her voice shaking slightly, “Can you please come pick me up?” 

Emily sighs sympathetically. Hazel loved school usually so she knew she wasn’t faking anything, that if said she was feeling sick she really was. She thinks of her husband, who had retired from the BAU years ago, who would be at home grading papers from one of the classes he taught at the academy. 

“Honey, your Dad’s at home if you want to call-”

“No,” she says, clearing her throat before she lowers her voice, “I…I’d rather it was you. I started my period and…can you come get me?”

It all clicks into place. The fact Hazel was calling her in the middle of the day, her insistence Emily would go pick her up. The slight edge of desperation in her voice. It was a moment Emily had been trying to prepare Hazel for since she’d started middle school. They had products in the bathroom at home waiting for her, she’d talked through what it all meant, but the reality was different. 

Her little girl really was growing up.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says, already standing up and hastily packing her things into her briefcase, “I’ll leave the office now, okay? Do you need a change of clothes or anything?”

“No it’s okay it…it started in gym class,” Hazel says, sounding embarrassed, “I was in my gym shorts. The nurse gave me some things and I got changed back into my clothes.” 

Emily shakes her head to herself, well aware of how cruel kids could be, that part of her daughter’s embarrassment would be down to the fact her classmates had likely realised what was happening.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Emily assures her as she leaves her office, her phone pressed between her ear and her shoulder as she quickly writes a note for her assistant, letting him know where she’d gone.

“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”

She smiles as she walks towards the elevator, “Love you too, honey.”

The journey to the school has never felt longer, and Emily swears her heart breaks as soon as she sees Hazel. 

She knows better than to pull her into a hug the way she wants to, well aware that if she showed any kind of affection on school property Hazel would likely never speak to her again, so she simply smiles softly, and exchanges a few words with the nurse whilst Hazel gathers her things. 

Emily decides to let her daughter take the lead and maintains the silence she has set as they walk back to the car. It’s only when they are driving away, Hazel’s arms crossed tightly over her chest as she looks out the window, that she starts to speak.

“Thanks for picking me up.”

“No problem at all sweetheart,” Emily says, reaching over the centre console to squeeze Hazel’s knee, “You’re more important than anything,” she sees a hint of a smile, the dimples the pre-teen had inherited from both her and Aaron, carved deep into her cheeks, “I sent your dad out for ice cream, chocolate and snacks.”

Hazel turns to look at her so quickly Emily is sure it must have hurt, the young girl’s eyes wide, “You told Dad?” 

She’d called him as soon as she left the office, trying to prepare him for what was probably going to be a long night of heavy emotions in their home, and he’d been the one to suggest that he went out to get all of Hazel’s food. It blew Emily away that he was still able to come up with ways to make her love him even more than she already did after all this time.

“I had to tell him why you were coming home, Haze,” Emily explains softly, “Plus, Dad does know what a period is, he’s lived with me for well over a decade, and Haley before that.” 

Hazel sinks slightly further into her seat, her shoulders so tight Emily can see the tension in them when she briefly turns to look at her, “I guess.” 

Emily has to stop herself from smirking, “I promise you he’ll be fine, the snacks were his idea.” 

Hazel hums, “What are the snacks for anyway?” 

She smiles as she stops the car at a traffic light and she reaches out for her daughter, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, “Trust me, baby, the snacks are the most important part of the whole thing.”

___

Emily sighs as she looks at herself in the mirror, her hands against the bathroom countertop as she gives herself a moment.

It had been a long evening. Hazel was insistent she wasn’t going to school the following day and that she’d go back on Monday, clearly hoping something else would have happened by then so that her period starting in the middle of gym class would be old news. Neither Emily nor Aaron could convince her otherwise, and had eventually relented, not wanting to upset her by forcing her to go. Oliver had overhead everything and, in a misguided but sweet attempt to cheer his sister up, had declared he’d started his period too - something that had led to Hazel yelling at him and him crying and immediately seeking out Emily for some comfort 

She blows out a breath as she pinches the bridge of her nose, only looking back up when she hears the bathroom door opening, a small smile spreading over her face when her eyes meet her husband’s in the mirror. 

“You okay?” He asks, walking over and wrapping his arms around her. She grunts in response and leans back against him, her hands linking with his over her abdomen. He chuckles and kisses the side of her head, “Is Hazel okay?”

Emily nods, “She’s tucked up in bed with a heating pad and some candy she thinks I didn’t see her sneaking out of the pantry.” 

He smiles and kisses her head again before placing his hands on her hips and turning her to face him, “So we’re forgetting the ‘no food in the bedrooms rule’ tonight?”

She raises an eyebrow at him, “Do you want to go tell her to put it back?” She asks, smirking when he visibly swallows thickly, “That’s what I thought.” 

Aaron wraps his arms around her tightly as she leans against him, her forehead against his chest as she breathes him in, her fists tight in the back of his t-shirt in a way that lets him know she’s upset about something. He gives her a moment, lets her take what she needs as he runs his hand up and down her back, and then he pulls away just enough so he can look at her. 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” He asks, repeating the question she hadn’t answered when he walked into the bathroom.

Emily blows out a breath, her shoulders heavy as if he’d just asked her the meaning of life, and she shrugs before she moves her hands to rest on his shoulders, idly plucking at a stray thread at the neckline of his t-shirt. 

“She’s growing up.” 

He stops himself from smiling, well aware that moments like this were absolutely not the time to make fun of her, no matter how lovingly, and he cups her cheek, forcing her to look at him.

“Baby, she’s 12.” 

She groans, scrunching her nose up in distaste at her own mood, something she hadn’t been able to shift since the moment Hazel had called her that morning, “I know, I do know that,” she replies, sounding so sad his heart clenches in his chest, “But…they don’t need me as much anymore,” she says, pressing her lips together in a firm line, “I love them all so much, and I’m so proud of them, but I kind of miss when they were small and needed us to tuck them in or read them a story.” 

He wraps his hand around hers and leads her to the bedroom, guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed as he joins her. 

“Em, sweetheart,” he starts reassuringly, “They’ll always need you,” he says, and she scoffs, shaking her head as she wipes away a tear she feels ridiculous for shedding, “It’s true,” he says, smiling when she looks up at him, “Who is it that Jack calls every other day even though he’s in college?”

“Me,” she replies, clearing her throat in a vain attempt to push her emotions back down.

“And who is it Ollie wants every time he’s sad? And who did Hazel call earlier when she needed someone?”

“Me,” she says again, fighting a smile and failing as he smiles right back at her. 

“And who do I need every day, not to mention when things go wrong?”

She blushes, unsure how she could still be so affected by him, “Me.”

He furrows his brows together, “No, Dave,” he deadpans, breaking into laughter, the sound that always warmed her from the inside out when her mouth drops open and she playfully tries to slap his shoulder, stopped when he catches her hand, “Of course it’s you,” he says, leaning in to kiss her, his lips stamped against hers, “You’re the glue, sweetheart. The thing that keeps us all together.” 

She wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a hug that eases the last bit of tension in her chest. “How is it you always know what to say?”

He kisses her temple and smiles against her skin before he pulls back, “Well I am your husband, it would be pretty sad if I didn’t.”

There’s a gentle knock on the door and it’s pushed open, and Oliver pokes his head around the door, a concerned look in his eyes that Aaron always said was all her. 

“Ollie,” Aaron starts, turning to look at his youngest, “You’re supposed to be in bed.” 

“I know,” he says, his hands clasped in front of him as he nervously picks at his nails, “But I got up to go to the bathroom and…”

He drifts off and his parents exchange a look, and Emily turns back to their son and smiles encouragingly, “And…”

“I wondered if you’d tuck me in, Mom?” He asks, looking down at his hands as he shrugs, “And maybe read me a story?”

It had been so long since he’d asked for it she knows that he’d overheard their conversation, and it takes everything in her to not burst into tears. He was so sweet, so perfect, she often wondered how she’d made him. She swallows thickly, and feels her husband briefly hold her a little tighter.

“I’d love that sweet boy,” she says, grateful that her voice is even as she stands up and walks over to him. She ruffles his hair and he leans into her side, his smile wide as he looks up at her, clearly pleased that he’d cheered her up. She turns to look at Aaron, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

He nods and smiles at them, their matching expressions full of joy enough to make his heart swell in his chest.

“Take all the time you need.” 

-x-

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[dilatorywriting]

hello ~ hello ~

Hope you're feeling better! I, personally, have been a bit dead to the world since late April. This past May was kinda odd, honestly. I think everyone I know and know of just. died for the month. Collectively. At once.

I actually wanted to slide in here and pick your brain about your ongoing Monster Mayhem stuff, if you're up for it? Just like a general status overview question, since I feel kinda out of the loop 😭 And also because I know that I tend to like talking about my feelings on my current wips, so I figured maybe you might too? If not, dw!

I'll put these in bullet points since it's kinda easier for me to organize my thoughts that way

Jack: I remember you saying awhile back that you expect Part 2 to be the final part. Is that still holding up, or does it feel like it'll be longer?

Rook: From the pacing, I'm getting the vibe that this one might be another 4 part story? mayhaps? Or maybe Rook isn't like the other girls TM and gets something different.

Vil: I haven't read this one yet, but I'm excited to sit down with it soon! What's the overall length/number of parts you're planning for at the moment?

I'm pretty sure this was asked at some point before, but what's your stance on epilogues? There has been... discussion. about a Leona epilogue before, I recall, but are you considering epilogues for all of them, or only specific characters?

What's like. your vibe, rn? With each of the stories? Like in terms of "I'm really feeling this, so I'm working on it and it might be posted in the nearish future, assuming no disasters" to like "I plan to continue this, but not rn. I've got a different worm chewing on the brain lettuce atm". Ik you literally just answered an ask similar to this, and said Leona part 4 & Vil part 2 are the one's you're focused on, so I guess this is more so geared towards the Jack and Rook ones? Or other stuff you're secretly planning. I have a vague memory of a "forgot your birthday" scenario that was on a poll a few months back

I'm honestly just curious, really. Back from the dead and wanted to catch up

Also I. have a third Monster Mayhem Azul brainrot. It's not a fluffy one. If I can wrangle it into something more coherent, I may send it your way. Not dissimilar to the fashion of throwing a pebble at someone's window to get their attention, but accidentally putting a hole through the glass, and taking off running.

-Reaper

I'm gonna put this all under a little cut thing just because I feel like there's quite a lot! So here we go~

Jack -- It would still only be two parts I think! I only had short plans for that going forward, and it's currently at the bottom of my bucket list so to speak, not for any big reason just because Jack isn't one of my favorites so he falls behind on what I actually want to write.

Rook -- Was a bit more up in the air in terms of what I wanted to do. Had started writing a third part for it, but Rook's in particular felt very like, episodic? If that makes sense? Rather than an overarching cohesive arc. So I could write so much more little random side stories! But aside from a bit I had sort of planned regarding Riddle, there wasn't too much specific I had in mind.

Vil -- Probably one or two more parts to wrap up what I wanted with him; most likely one of the same length as the first. But that one of all of them may get a separate little piece because I am such a sucker for mermaids/sirens soooo that may get some special love

Epilogues -- bit of a mish mash. Really depends how I'm feeling tbh. If I want to write something, I'll word vomit like no one's business, but if I'm not overly invested then I probably won't bother writing one. But again

Vibe Check -- I’m absolutely wiped. Not with these stories, because I do genuinely love them. But like, back to back tough placements on top of illness is a trip. So I’m a bit more tired and less motivated than I normally am, just because most of my brain is chewing on actual school work and case reports and trying to not make myself look like an idiot every time I’m asked for a diagnosis list and go “uuuuhhhhhhhh.” But! I have some brain worms. Right now — big thing I’m working on is the second half of a very long commission. Which is loads of fun but also there’s so much to chew over there, so that takes a lot of my brain. On the side, I was really also writing my Vil Siren Part 2. Because that’s also a lot on the brain and it’s very different Vibe to the commission, so like it’s a good one to go back and forth between depending on what mood I’m in. Jamil is also very On My Brain right now oddly enough. I think because I read a short little Naga piece a while ago and it reminded me how much I love them. So that's on my brain a lot. As for the others, Jack has sorta fallen to the wayside admittedly. Mostly because I adore him as a Bro, but he’d just not usually a character my brain swoons over, so he’s sort of just… existing. I also wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted to go with that other than just “oh wow we fixed it together!” And that’s a factor too. As for other things, the birthday one comes back and forth depending on my mood, but idk if that’ll ever go up. I have lots of it written, but not enough to post or really toss together straight away. If that makes sense

[placetnemagistra]

Thoughts on Exeunt

- Morse and promises: he gives Jakes his word he’ll continue the dig, but shuts it down to protect the Thursday family

- Roger Allam and Shakespeare: the episode has 2 nods to Allam’s most famous Shakespeare roles — in Bright’s Prospero speech and Endeavour’s “I know thee not, old man” (what Hal says to reject Falstaff)

- Dickens: the undertakers, Claypole’s, have the same surname as Noah Claypole, the bullying and incompetent apprentice in Oliver Twist

- Holy Social Relevance: the Brexit/Nazi Murderer airing the weekend of Linekergate

- I’d forgotten how much Jack Laskey ups the tempo of the show (and I think his new maturity on camera was really striking)

- A nice tie-in to the otherwise slightly narratologically shaky but horribly moving end of the book version of The Remorseful Day, where Lewis discovers that Morse acted [to avoid spoilers — in a way which disappointed Lewis] as he did to protect Strange’s marriage. In retrospect, this piece of canon makes MUCH LESS SENSE without the Thursdays.

- Lovely parting scene where Thursday’s boy has disappeared behind the mask forever

- Thursday’s Funny Turn in Exeter front quad!!! Cries of Oh No from me

- Morse having a little lie down on the floor of Joanie’s wedding: relatable content even without the stabbing

- I was surprised how much I’d still somehow been hoping for an escape for Morse… when we know though…

- And also, of course, for Max, who similarly dies alone — with Morse as sole mourner

- The determined erasure of LFox from the ensuing documentary is the absolute fucking funniest thing I have ever seen in my life

- I do hate seeing Thaw!Morse look so ill and I thought it was pretty crap of the documentary not to mention how sad Thaw’s early death was

- Please not the hardcore filming fans oh god, the shame of them, they’re terrifying

- Anton Lesser’s lovely hair and discussion of learning his words!!

- Love how essentially we replaced Tigers with Bikers

- Strange not wearing a wedding ring BLEAH, run, Joanie

- Had something happened or is it the changing tech which meant Thaw Eyes looked much grainier in 2022 than they had in 2012?

- NOT MY SON, kill me

- the captain I would have followed into hell!!! you did follow him into hell Morse although lbr it was often the other way round

[nagichi-boop]

My thoughts on the Knuckles series

I want to preface this by saying that if you haven't watched the series yourself and have the means to do so, I suggest watching it yourself and forming your own opinions on the series. The episodes are about 25-30 mins long, so it should take about 3 hours. But if you'd rather give the show a pass, I understand, especially given that so many people have given rather mixed reviews on the series. I don't think I have much to say that hasn't already been said, but I thought I'd share my personal thoughts on the series.

I will be discussing spoilers in this post, though I won't be breaking apart the plot per se. I just want to discuss some thoughts on the series, good and bad, since I know some people have been very harsh on this series. And as a disclaimer, these are personal opinions rather than outright critiques.

For a tldr rating though, I'd give the series like...6.5/10?

Things I Liked

I really enjoyed the plot of the first episode or so. The scenes with the Wachoski family was probably some of my favourites for the series, even if only brief. I wasn't sure that they would include the other characters, so it was nice to see most of them. I wasn't super keen on the GUN agents necessarily, but I thought their story parts were the most enjoyable. I enjoyed watching Wade scheme to save him and immediately fumble the bag, but ultimately sort of recreate his plan? I also appreciated him using the siracha to free himself from the GUN agent since it was starting to wear a little that he seemed utterly incompetent - more on that later.

I once again appreciate the references to the Sonic universe. I only really noticed the Knuckles hat (which if I'm not mistaken is a reference to the OVA cartoon?), but I also saw someone mention Sonic 06 before watching it, which helped me recognise the reference to the game (both Knuckles' power and the creature that I assumed to be Iblis). I also saw a Reddit post pointing out that the alien attack mentioned by the bowling tournament announcers took place 50 years ago, which could be a reference towards Shadow, but it's not outright stated to be that.

The animation was surprisingly good. Part of me thought the animation quality would be off, but it was more or less on par with the movies from what I could see. Some scenes were a little off, but I can't really fault it since they're trying to incorporate an entirely CGI creature interacting with everything, but for the most part it was awesome.

Things I Didn't Like

I think one of my bigger issues with this series was the humour. That's not to say I didn't find it funny, but the constant surreal/cringe humour eventually wears on you. It worked at the beginning because Knuckles and Wade alternated being the 'straight-man', but for the most part, the characters fell into the same 'I'm dumb' type of humour. I don't quite know how to explain what I mean by this, so I guess I'll give a few examples to illustrate what I mean.

There's Knuckles himself, whose 'stupidity' mostly comes from him not fully grasping human culture. There's also Wade Whipple, who is portrayed as an idiot or loser, something he's called by the other characters. There's Jack Sinclair who acts intimidating while still being dumb behind his seriousness, and was the kind of character that seems threatening until they're dethroned, by which time they start wailing like a baby. We see this mostly when Wade is captured and 'duels' with him, only for him to lose and plead with Wade not to take his clothes this sounds really sus out of context. I didn't particularly care for him, which made some scenes drag as Wade's story with him was being addressed, but he's more of a stepping stone character for Wade's development.

I thought Knuckles and Wade themselves were funny for the most part, but it does begin to grate a little when their goofy humour is pretty much all you get. I get that Wade is the underdog guy, but it didn't feel much like he actually grew as a person. I thought perhaps he would learn to be more self-reliant and competent, but even at the end of the series, he mostly just stalled for Knuckles. This sort of ties into the complaint a lot of people have that the series focused less on Knuckles and more on Wade, which I agree with. It was set up at the start that Knuckles was looking to find his home and purpose, but it didn't feel like that was fully explored. It was sort of implied at the end that the Whipple's were his home, but it felt like a lose end more than a solid conclusion. I also wouldn't have minded if Knuckles actually spent time training Wade, but that didn't really happen either. Most of Wade's 'development' happened away from Knuckles, which made Knuckles feel more like a bit character a lot of the time.

And then there's Wanda Whipple. I'll be honest, I really disliked her character. For the first few minutes it was fine, but the entire scene with the Whipple family dinner just felt awkward and annoying to me. It felt like I was watching two children argue, which I suppose was the point, but watching a grown woman act like a child was just uncomfortable and felt like it was dragged out for ages. I think the only scene I found her funny in was towards the end when she dislocated her thumb, but that was about it. Every other scene she was in felt unenjoyable for me, and frankly I hope she's not in the third movie at all (or if she is, please make it short).

I suppose I could sum this complain up as there being too many comedic relief characters without there being straight-man characters to balance out the chaos. The beginning worked well because Sonic, Tails and Maddie worked as straight-men for Knuckles, so it was funny to watch him be a menace since we could see everyone else's reactions. But for the rest of the series, it was mostly just silly humour. Even the 'adult' jokes weren't particularly funny to me (thinking specifically about the metal detector scene), but maybe I'm just not the right demographic for this kind of series? Who knows.

I watched the series with my dad, and I agree with his thoughts on the series. He felt it could have been done in a movie instead of having a tv series that seemed to drag on a lot. I do agree that some scenes felt like they were going on for too long, which at times felt like I wasn't even watching a Sonic series at all. I guess they want to flesh out the characters unique to the movie universe, but it felt a bit weird to have Knuckles barely involved in the plot given the series was named after him.

It's unfortunate because I think that they initially set up something interesting. I thought they'd focus on the GUN agents pursuing Knuckles, with Knuckles training Wade along the way. But the GUN story got shelved almost immediately to focus more on the bowling stuff - Wade and Jack had an awkward sword dual, and Wade had a bowling match with his dad? I honestly thought The Buyer (that ex GUN weapons guy) would be Wade's dad, but instead we randomly got introduced to Pistol Pete...I dunno, it felt weird to me. It felt like they mashed three unfinished stories together into one weird amalgamation.

I feel like they could have focused more on the GUN agents plot. Perhaps they could have clashed a few times with Knuckles and Wade, but ultimately fail over and over. Wade would have learned indirectly from his warrior training to be strong enough to defeat Jack at bowling and show his progression. The GUN agents would be replaced by The Buyer after he grows tired of waiting for them to fulfil their deal, and who would be more of a threat. While that's happening in the background, we could watch the bowling tournament with Jack losing instead, then have The Buyer crash the party like he did in the actual series. But this is all just me brainstorming what I would have done.

Anyways, those are my thoughts. It's a shame since I love the Sonic movies a lot, but I'm not too worried about Sonic 3 based on this series. Jeff Fowler (the writer for the movies) only wrote the first episode of the series, which was arguably the best episode, so I am confident that Sonic 3 will be good. Admittedly it has me a little worried, but I'm trusting them to do Shadow justice with his debut.

Sorry this is such a long rambly post, but hopefully it's cohesive enough to follow for anyone actually reading it.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Sherlock Holmes Series

Happy New Year, Everyone! Hopefully it will be better than the last…several. ‘XD An interesting thing about this year is the number of well-known properties and characters that are officially entering the public domain starting now. Among these is the World’s Greatest Detective, Sherlock Holmes. Now, my love for Sherlock Holmes is quite well-known, but while I’ve talked about some of my favorite takes on the characters of his universe, I’ve never actually gone into great detail about my favorite versions of Sherlock Holmes OVERALL: which versions of his universe and cast as a whole I love the most. So, I decided this New Year’s Day to remedy that, at least slightly, by discussing my favorite Sherlock Holmes series portrayals ever made.

Now, keep in mind, I’m talking about versions that are a SERIES; this means there has to be more than one singular installment for me to discuss them. So standalone films - such as “The Great Mouse Detective” or “A Study in Terror” - or singular episodes from TV shows, or oneshot video games or radio production, will not be included. Maybe sometime I’ll go over something cover all of those, but for now, we’re focusing on series versions of the Holmes universe. I had to struggle a fair bit with picking the cream of the crop for this, and I based my decisions on a few factors: how good is Holmes himself in each version? How do the supporting cast of his world stand up? How often do I visit and revisit installments from this rendition? And, perhaps most importantly, how often do I think of them when I think of the simple name “Sherlock Holmes”? Some of my choices and rankings may surprise you, and I should add there were several versions that didn’t quite make the cut (you’ll find at least a couple of them listed in the Honorable Mentions), but I think the final results I came up with are satisfactory. With that in mind, allow me to present My Top 10 Sherlock Holmes Series!

10. The Frogwares Video Game Series.

While Holmes and Holmesian characters have appeared in multiple video games over the years, there’s really only one proper Sherlock Holmes video game series worth its salt. That is the Frogwares game series. I must confess I’ve only played ONE of these games myself (that’s part of the reason they take the bottom slot), but I’ve looked into other games of the series via walkthroughs and such. That’s obviously not the same experience, but it does give me an understanding of the stories and characters presented. These games are essentially cult classics: no one would call them great masterpieces, but they have a certain charm to them that’s all their own. As the series has gone on, it’s pitted Holmes against increasingly dreadful odds. He’s faced Professor Moriarty, of course, but he’s also gone against Jack the Ripper, and even crossed swords with Arsene Lupin. He’s steeled himself against the madness of Lovecraftian abominations, and struggled to defeat terrorist organizations. The series has been going strong for two decades now; its first game was released in 2002. In 2023, a remake of one of its most popular early releases, “Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened,” is scheduled to debut. What further adventures await the Master Detective? Only time will tell…

9. The 1950s BBC Radio Series.

There have been numerous radio and audio productions of Sherlock Holmes over the years. My personal favorite is this one. Entitled simply “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” these radio dramas starred two of the greatest actors in English history, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson, as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. It was directed by Sir John’s brother, Val Gielgud (who also played Mycroft in the radio program), and guest-starred Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty in “The Final Problem.” The series was short-lived, with less than 30 episodes to its name and a run of only six or seven months between 1954 and 1955. Despite its miniscule lifespan, it’s still a pretty stellar interpretation of the Conan Doyle classics, largely due to the pedigree of its leading performers. For those who aren’t into radio and audio productions, this will be something of an acquired taste, but if you’re open to the idea, this is a great place to start.

8. Elementary.

“Elementary” was an attempt to reinterpret the Conan Doyle characters and stories in a style reminiscent of many modern crime drama shows. This is essentially what you would get if you crossed something like “NCIS” or “CSI” with…well…Sherlock Holmes. The series lasted for quite a long time, running for seven years (and seven seasons) between 2012 and 2019. I feel like this show was something of a hit-or-miss affair; sometimes the ways it reinterpreted the Holmesian characters and story ideas were absolutely brilliant, but other times it felt like the show was having trouble balancing its tone and style with its source material. I have always, however, defended its two main characters: Jonny Lee Miller as a modern age Holmes and Lucy Liu as a female Dr. Watson. In my opinion, nearly every take on this universe lives or dies based on the strength of these two characters, for perhaps obvious reasons. No matter what the show did wrong or right, both of them were amazing in their respective roles, and the overall interpretation was solidly constructed. Admittedly, I revisit this version less often than some other takes on Holmes, which is the primary reason it gets a lower ranking, but it’s definitely worthy of praise.

7. The 1960s BBC TV Series.

This series ran for two seasons in the mid-to-late 60s, and if you look at both seasons, you almost feel like you’re watching two different shows. The first season was produced and released in black-and-white; it starred Douglas Wilmer as the Great Detective, and had an ever so slightly darker tone than the second season. This second season was in color, and starred the immortal Peter Cushing (pictured here) as Holmes. Other casting elements were changed between the two seasons as well (both Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade were replaced by new actors, most notably); really, the only thing that seemed to stay the same was the resident Watson, played by Nigel Stock. Much of this series has been lost to time, sadly, but the episodes of each season that have been recovered have been released to the public online and via home media. Personally, I think that Season 2 is overall the better season, but Season 1 has its fair share of great moments, too. Check both out if you get a chance.

6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson.

Who ever expected Russia to give us one of the greatest takes on Sherlock Holmes ever made? Well, it happened: in the 1980s, a series of television movies collectively entitled “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson” were released in Russia, starring Vasily Livanov as the super sleuth, with Vitaly Solomin as Watson. The TV productions were surprisingly faithful and atmospheric, as well as brilliantly acted, creating what many consider to be one of the most critically acclaimed and surprisingly grand interpretations of the Conan Doyle stories and characters ever made. I, personally, especially recommend the adaptations of “The Final Problem” (entitled “The Deadly Fight”), “The Empty House” (entitled “The Tiger Hunt”), and “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” The series is not only considered a great adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, but also one of the greatest TV programs in Russian history; it’s definitely worthy of a peek.

5. The Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Films.

Produced first by 20th Century FOX, and then later by Universal, these 14 monochrome movies are considered arguably the first truly “classic” Sherlock Holmes movies ever created, and for good reason. The first two films, in my opinion, are truly cinematic gems; any Holmes fan worth their salt should at least watch those first two movies. The later 12 films - made on a lower budget and with more of a time crunch between each one - are more varied in quality, ranging from genuinely great crime/mystery movies (such as “The Pearl of Death”) to “so bad it’s good” schlock (such as “Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror”). No matter the quality of the film overall, the series stands high for the simple and iconic presence of its two lead actors: Basil Rathbone, arguably the most iconic Sherlock Holmes of all time, and his Watson, Nigel Bruce. Bruce often gets a lot of flak for his more comical interpretation of Watson, but I actually think he’s grossly underappreciated: while he is a more comedic take on the character, the comedy is balanced, and you fully believe in his friendship and partnership with Sherlock. Rathbone, meanwhile, is perhaps the first truly brilliant Sherlock Holmes, presenting the character with a sense of authority that contrasts greatly with his eccentricities. While it would be a lie to say they saved every movie, they certainly were the reason the overall run of these films remains beloved and talked about to this day, and I’ve rewatched some of these old classics more often than even versions found higher on the list. Proof of the phrase “oldies but goldies,” give at least a few of these a watch whenever you can.

4. Moriarty the Patriot.

Yeah, I bet a lot of you expected this to be in my Top 3, didn’t you? To be perfectly honest, choosing between third and fourth place for this list was EXTREMELY difficult, because I liked both series for both similar and very different reasons. I’ll get into why one defeated the other later, but for now, let’s focus on this specific version. “Moriarty the Patriot” has become my favorite anime and manga series; the premise of the show places the focus not on Holmes himself, but instead his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. In this version, Moriarty is depicted as a much younger man than most other incarnations, and is revealed to be less of a straightforward villain and more of a violent anti-hero, organizing crimes in an elaborate scheme to try and change the system of the English government. When Holmes himself arrives in the series, it is the relationship between himself and Moriarty that becomes the focal point of the story. The series is a highly unique and fascinating reimagining of the Conan Doyle characters and stories; this is not your granny’s Sherlock Holmes, to say the least. For many people, I imagine this rendition will be something of an acquired taste; I, thankfully, have developed said taste, and will adore and praise this rendition for all of time. If it catches your interest, give it a try.

3. Sherlock.

Like I said, choosing between MTP and this popular reimagining from the BBC - starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson - was extremely difficult. In some ways, I actually think Moriarty the Patriot is better (shocking to admit, I know, without any sarcasm). It’s more inventive, more unexpected, and I can’t actually think of any truly bad stories in it, off the top of my head. (At least not so far; the manga is still ongoing.) There are some better than others, but none that are outright bad. In contrast, Sherlock - while certainly home to many creative reinterpretations of the stories and characters - follows the Sherlock Holmes formula more typically, and while I think the first two seasons are spectacular, the third season is still okay, and “The Abominable Bride” movie is quite interesting…the fourth season sort of implodes on itself, in my opinion. At the end of the day, what made me decide between the two was simply this: when I compared the bulk of the major shared characters between each version, I simply discovered I liked Sherlock’s versions of those characters a little more than the ones in MTP. I love Moriarty’s take on Holmes, but it’s hard to top Benedict Cumberbatch; Moriarty’s Watson is an adorable and earnest fellow, but it’s hard to top Martin Freeman. The same goes for Inspector Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, and Irene Adler, among some others: as much as I love MTP’s takes on the characters, Sherlock is just what I think of more immediately when I think of most of these classic stories, at least in comparison between the two. I think the fact this series follows the formula might be part of the reason why: it still makes changes that are interesting and unique, to keep the stories fresh and to manage them with a more modern lens, but it doesn’t change things SO drastically that it becomes more of a niche interpretation. Sherlock is a mainstream mammoth, while Moriarty the Patriot is more the home of a small but highly devoted fanbase, and while neither is a good or bad thing by their own design, I think it’s telling for the way each handles the source material. Both are brilliant reimaginings of the Conan Doyle classics, and I love them both a great deal…but after some serious internal debate, I do think that Sherlock, overall, is the one I prefer, if only slightly.

2. The Guy Ritchie Films.

While there are only two of these movies (at least at present; I keep hearing rumors they might make a third one, but I’m not holding my breath), I still think these films are absolutely great. I doubt anybody expected them to be as good as they are, in fact: when you first hear the idea of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law busting crimes in a steampunk-infused Victorian mad-scape, it sounds kind of out there. But remarkably, these films clicked with many audiences and fans, including myself. In just two films, a lot of the more prominent Holmes characters do appear with ample time to shine, yet neither film feels claustrophobically packed. They focus more heavily on the action/adventure elements of the Holmes universe, but you still get a lot of great deductions and cluefinding sequences throughout both stories. The villains are great, the characters are very well-interpreted, acting both surprisingly faithful to the original books while also having unique quirks and ideals all their own…and I have to be honest, I’m a sucker for the steampunk-inspired aesthetic of these films and the way they showcase the Holmes universe. In fact, if you had asked me a few years ago, I might have named these movies as my number one. There are two reasons why I don’t now. What are those reasons? Well…let’s address them in my number one pick…

1. The Granada TV Series.

Reason number one for why the Guy Ritchie films aren’t here: there are only two of them. In contrast, the Granada TV program of Sherlock Holmes - which ran for multiple seasons under multiple titles for a whole ten years, between 1984 and 1994 - obviously had a lot more content to sift through and more time allowed to get to know the characters and their world. However, the bigger reason is number two: this series has the single greatest Sherlock Holmes of all time, Jeremy Brett. And as much as I love other Holmeses on this countdown - Downey Jr., Cumberbatch, Rathbone, Cushing, and of course the one from Moriarty the Patriot - I’m sorry, having the best Sherlock Holmes ever made almost automatically grants the Granada series top billing. In contrast to the 1960s BBC series, this show had one consistent Holmes throughout (and most of the other major cast members were consistently cast, as well), but DID have two different Watsons. David Burke played the good doctor in the first (and, in my opinion, best) season of the show, while Edward Hardwicke took over for the remainder of the series. Each of them are magnificent, easily among my Top 5 Favorite Watsons of all time. Essentially by that sheer default, of having two of the greatest Watsons of all time and the single best Holmes ever created, the series wins top billing. The show also stands high for its faithfulness to the Conan Doyle stories: every episode is an adaptation of a classic book or short story, and while there are some changes sprinkled throughout, for the majority of the time, they stay EXTREMELY true to the source. In fact, most changes made only serve to make the stories better than before, only adding to the power of this rendition. While not all of the supporting cast are my absolute favorites, the two most important characters (along with a few others) are, and that is what ultimately matters most. If you haven’t already seen anything from this masterwork, you can easily find episodes of it online or on DVD and Blu-ray. Check out a few and find out what you are missing this New Year! There’s no doubt in my mind the Granada series with Jeremy Brett is My Favorite Sherlock Holmes Series. Case closed.

Honorable Mentions Include…

The 1954 American TV Series. (Starring Ronald Howard as Sherlock Holmes.)

Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century. (An animated series starring Jason Gray Stanford as Holmes.)

The Hallmark TV Movies. (Starring Matt Frewer as Holmes.)

Big Finish Audio Productions. (Starring Nicholas Briggs as Holmes.)

[humandisorderincarnatedean]

https://www.tumblr.com/yellowmonday/653375917421461504/sam-sees-dean-as-an-equal-literally-the-whole

there are some things I agree with here and some things I disagree with but that’s not what I want to comment on. I'd like to point out that the way this post tries to back up its thesis is flawed and relies on representing events on the show in a manner different from how they happened.

for example, in the third paragraph it’s said that after it came out that dean consented to angel possession /for/ sam, his reaction was “put an angel in me? sure, dean, i guess if we never talked about it that’d be ok.” this is, emphatically, not his response: what he does is get rightfully angry for several episodes, emotionally disown dean, repeat every time it comes up that what dean did was wrong- just to name a few. (to be fair, they don’t really end up discussing it in any valuable way, like the original poster said, but you can say that about most of the fights and disagreements they’ve had.)

or “kill my friend because you’re having some hypocritical monstrosity crisis? sure, dean, i guess you were right after all”. this is, again, a strange way to present what happened. when sam found out about dean murdering amy, he, again, got angry at dean, and then took his bags and left. when by the end of the next episode he comes around to understanding dean’s point of view, it’s not because (at least in the way I interpret it) he’s tired of fighting dean’s oppressive presence and just rolls over, but because he heard dean’s reasoning and did some reflecting. (he even, and this is less relevant to my point but it bears mentioning because sam himself likens the situation to what happened with amy, kills dean’s daughter later on and chides dean for not doing it himself- not the actions of someone who doesn't stand up for his own point of view).

or “stick our kid in a box for having satanic powers? sure, dean, whatever you say.” which is, admittedly, one way to interpret the events of 14.19, but not the sole one. dean does not force sam to do anything in this episode: sam does indeed seem uncomfortable with the plan, but that could also be attributed to, for instance, a fear of what jack could do, or a discomfort with his own ability to go along with this morally grey plan (multiple possible options). I think it’s important to allow sam ownership over his own choices, even the more questionable ones. it isn’t like he’s afraid of going against dean when dean plans to put someone into a ma’lak box for the sake of the safety of the world, as we see when he does just exactly that earlier in the season.

I think something to remember is that we could do this the other way around as well if we wanted to: take a couple of events and present them in a way to make it seem like dean just rolls over and goes along with whatever sam wants at any time. “sure sam, I'll cut contact with my monster friend who has no one else in the world right now because you’re jealous. sure sam, plan to take on the mark of cain and eventually be locked away besides you not being able to do that exact same thing to me being what got us into this mess in the first place. don’t worry sam, I’ll put up with you guilting me until I give in and promise to put off my plan that would shield the world from michael because it would upset you.” do I think dean is a poor victim pushover who just can’t say no to sam? no. but I'm saying that it’s possible to frame the characters that way and just because that is possible doesn’t make that framing true.

fandom places a lot of emphasis on dean’s control issues, especially with regards to sam, and that makes sense because it’s a part of his character and some of the plot points in the show. but, in my personal opinion, sometimes talk about his control issues goes a little too far, to the point where people can assign responsibility for other people’s choices to dean (a continuation of the parentification installed in him by john- not even saying that’s what this post is doing just saying that it happens) or mischaracterize sam as an at best easygoing and at worst weak-minded pushover. sometimes dean or sam has an idea and they will explain and reason their plan until the other agrees to go along with it. sometimes they do no such thing and go behind each other’s backs instead. it happens throughout the series, but by pretending it only happens in one direction you’re not doing either of their characters or their relationship a favour.

[vinxwatches]

2.1 "puss in boots will eat a raw eggplant" they had to know, right? oh, everything appears rendered with the animation, no more pre rendered backdrops? or at least less so? again with the good character design: that is a baby dragon, not the mother you're going to have trouble with. ...why do these kids want lard?

random ass song. "like a baby with a moustache, or a princess also with a moustache" i have honestly no idea what the fuck this means. called it, that's good character design when from it you can predict future events.

2.2 direct reference to the last episode? that's new, and a good sign for things to come. i love a continuing story line. i swear that cabage looks earily similar to the skyrim cabbage. i get it: both 3d renderings of cabbage, but this is eerily similar. i get not wanting to set up a different cave, but i notice that this is the exact same cave they just fell out of. cloud hiccups, obscure joke to bring back but absolutely hilarious. and also the donkey eared bandit? and Dulcineas hatred of Jack stays fun.

2.3 big fan of the songs, even if i truly don't get them. new area unlocked with the new season? oh, mermaid. really interested in that design as there are so many direction to take it. and they took it in an interesting way... but the initial thing they do with it is... less so. entirely dark scaly, with a fish mouth with those thin little teeth, bulled in nose, and very large eyes. not conventually beautiful (nothing a monster fucker would say no to), but a unique take while still within the standard design. however puss tries to run away in a way of "she ugly" which is... very dull. what definitely makes this... worrisome is that she appears black coded (her fun take of hair tends to look kind of like dreadlocks, she has dark scales) and then making that character act ugly is... well lets just say i hope they have a good idea with this. oh, and she's evil. oh, and she has a mood disorder (she said it not me). fucking hell she is so toxic. and it's not discussed enough. yea, this is the first truly bad episode. like show would be better without this one in it.

2.4 episode of facing your fears. right in line with the last with. or maybe less so as this one seems to focus on facing that you have fears (i can tell you from experience that that's something good to talk about, even if it is to no one). puss is afraid of bees (why? they don't want to sting you. hell even wasps are fine) but has to get it out of the orphanage. but it's set up like a horror scene, just to add to the vibe puss is in, nice. oh, Pajuna has not come here to settle down, she's still in dark business. ok, i love this character design. kind of witch like, the hair that's basically an extension of the almost witch hat. the dress but way shorter with pants under them (undoubtedly also because cloth physics are something they try to avoid), marking on the face, it's all kind of... what if a witch was born in the year 2000(i have no concept of age, you know what i mean)? quickly looking it up and it appears she's the youngest of a group of witches. which is absolutely no surprise with her design. have i mentioned the designs in the show are great yet? brilliant way to further the message. to avoid being stung he had to be calm, so he has to beat his fear to be safe. though i think the episode would have been better without the last little conflict, though i guess the purpose of it was puss running into the same house now with a tone of been with no fear.

2.5 ah, the episode of "don't teach them to be like you, teach them to be them better". or maybe not. more an episode of "don't forget the substance among the prettiness". though the first message is literally said.

2.6 building directly of the last episode again? nice. enemies only come from outside, not within? i really hope that's a message that's shown to be false, because that shit prevents you from seeing the rise of things like nazies within the in group. nice version of the "we have a problem in the cockpit" "what is it?" "it's a small room in the front of the plane but that's not important right now". wait... omg this is a literal owl house. "there's something you think is weird?" yea with Artephius that's a scary concept. you made me feel for a building. that's impressive. well done. and ending with a prophecy of doom? nice.

2.7 somehow i never noticed that building was painted like a van gogh. oh. Dulcinea gets to wield the other, evil, sword... will this end with an epic Puss vs Dulcinea fight? or is she truly incorruptible, but perhaps pretend to be corrupted to satisfy the sword? will it fall in the hands of the big bandit, being an upgrade for him?.

lets also take a moment to appriciate the practicality of the evil sword. it's largely a scimitar, but has spikes like fire going up on the bladed side. aesthetically cool, but incredibly impractical. except that for most of the blade those are filled in with metal, making it a not serrated edge. only at the very bottom are those spikes actually spikes. while this does mean slightly less cutting potential the isn't a part that usually sees any actions. it's also structurally weaker, but it's a magic sword to that's unlikely to be a problem either. and instead it provides 2 spots an opponents sword could be caught in. so long as the blending of material and thinness in the lower blade don't produce problems it's a perfectly practical sword despite looking extremely fancy, magical, and evil.

omg, 6:40 in. Dulcinea holds the sword aloft, then lowers it, obscuring her face for a split second. in that split second her eyes go from regular blue to glowing red. AAAH it's so cool (yes i'm and edgy bitch). "you know this forest isn't the only think that's dense" sick burn from the sword. ... you ATE a person that was turned into a mouse before. no the fuck this mosquito is not the first thing you killed. but oh no, she's not incorruptible (also neat little faun design... why is he german?). while it may not make sense i love (cat) eyes becoming more slit like when they are evil/hunting (big round eyes are actually taking in more light so see more so are the eyes they have before attacking). also love that she cut the feather of his hat. it's in part it's probably a cost saving measure (less cloth physics, which is probably why he doesn't have a cloak either), but it's also him receiving a cut. damage. sure he gets banged up, but this is physical, see able damage. the drip of blood from the last wish that death deals him.

2.8 the prophesy of doom comes with an eclipse? somehow OSP is always perfectly relevant (ignoring all the times it isn't)

wait... how many people left? every adult goes out to adventure so they can have their boring lives back?... this may backfire. also not subtle foreshadowing is not subtle.... well hello heracless/zeus looking fucker. Tyrannus, god of thunder... so apparently gods are a thing? el mocho gets an eclectic guitar riff? epic. also love that the characters in the story by the kids talk with their own voice actors, but speaking like the kids. so when one kid talks they constantly say "did you know". damn, pickleboy has some good burns. he's scared of the all father? so i guess less zeus and more thor. also the not subtle foreshadowing is used interestingly. now i thought he point of this episode was "don't worry, these kids got the homefront while the adults are away", but they return at the end of the episode. so will future episodes go back to those adventures? or is that over and done with?

2.9 nope just over and done with... damn. colour me surprised. shows like this love their treasure hunts. the mole king was dumped... first question that should be asked, but wasn't for the sake of the plot: why? first through: oh neat new area. second thoughts overwhelmed by furry lesbian thoughts. Puss correcting pronouns... not what i expected, but surprisingly not cringe. also there's some assuming that all cultures are the same, but for a kids show that's... generally fine. it's odd that pretty and handsome are gendered. don't get me wrong, i want to be called pretty and not handsome in line with the arbitrary gender assignment they have, but it is odd.

2.10 speed reading... such a fake thing. on the one side it's nuts that the piece of treasure puss stole disappeared. on the other it's so thematic for it to be the final missing piece. damn, Dulcinea is moving beyond her book? character growth. so in a dnd game i'm playing a dragonborn armourer artificer who punches people a lot. i'm saying that because this villain is stealing my stick and it's weird. damn, desperation in Puss, punching the ground, being stopped by his friends. effective powerful moment. OMG the wizard Sino has returned. no that's not the omg thing, the omg thing is that OMG Artephius is Sino. at least i think. also this Sino that returned is probably fake. this Sino is not correct. is it his fault? partially (who makes a spell that's this easy to break?), but did he do it knowingly? no. he didn't chose to do anything wrong, and when he learned he did something wrong he vowed to correct for it. what moral judgement can be made against him? DAMN that cliff hanger.

2.11 do not question... well that's how you know he's evil. ah, the german satyr tells a proper german folktale: one that ends incredibly dark for no good reason. I KNEW IT ARTEPHIUS IS SINO! (all he said was "i used to have a robe just like it" but i'm 100% convinced now) "i would leave me if i could" damn that's a mood. OMG IT'S THE MOUSE! also nice to see the sphynx in action finally. you have only beaten one of us... ominous. also honest to god twist villain. What is a Blood Wolf?! omg how big is that thing!?! just OMG look at this. the city that's the central location for this show is ON IT'S BACK!!! AND THAT'S THE END OF THE SEASON!!!

the adventure's of puss in boots

1.1 9 years old, tv show, but not bad in animation quality (at least from the . definitely themes that the last wish touch on as well (of course that'll be the strongest point of comparison). love that the fight in episode 1 ends with a massive bluff "i can't defeat all of you, but i can defeat one. so which one of you will die?"

1.2 travel through different horrific lands. "yes, my friend, this is going to suck". the kingdom of darkness: just a dark screen a noises of people stumbling, and then doing it multiple times. the humour is spot on. that's a damn cool sphinx design, and telling us something about the character while not being overly obvious while in 3d show based on a movie? now that's surprising. sad that she's not in the next one, probably never to return, which makes the quality of design even more surprising.

1.3 you know, it takes some skill to make a funny "i hate my wife" joke, but they pulled it of. "i can never say no to a woman" "please pay your bar tab" "no" have i pointed out that this show nails the humour yet? puss vs ninja's? funny. but apparently not enough. puss vs teenage overly buff ninja pigs? now we're talking. also this show loves being dark in it's humour. how how the mean lady is apparently often crying. i wonder if that'll ever get depth, or is ever mentioned again instead of just being one dark joke.

1.4 "what's it like inside your head?" "wet and bloody".... i mean you're not wrong. at this point i'm just trying to convince people to watch the show because the humour is great. "it's not scary, it's just a bag stuffed with old dolls' heads" so many blink and you'll miss it jokes. why does dismemberment follow me everywhere? seriously what the fuck is up with that? why is it suddenly everywhere? at least it's clean and well cared for. this old guy be horny, in a kidshow. how is this a 2015 show? "you are crazy. but this is not new information" "nope". also recurring villain maybe?

1.5 standard episode: life here is too boring and an interesting old friend comes to steal the hero, but turns out to be a villain. will they play it straight (probably, he's designed as a villain), or will they do something more interesting. way too deep a thought for a short scene: so the orphanage is putting on a fake adventure, the costunes are brought out, and the buys very shortly argue over who gets to be a princess, until it's revealed that everyone who wants to can be a princess. here's what makes it so interesting: there is no joke outside of "the intrinsic funniness of buys wanting to be princesses". now while this could of course be setup for transphobic jokes later this honestly feels like it's just scene setting, just quaint town life, and the opposite of transphobic. i'm sure we won't see a trans character in this show (probably the closest being a queer coded villain) but this is nice. a simple message that everyone gets to be a princess if they want. again very cool monster design. like i want to steal this for my dnd game good. kind of a giant geko with a huge mouth and a lure like some fish have but with a fake pretty lady looking thing instead. my point of comparison is the kong-fu panda tv show which has the issue that it was extremely limited to always using the same assets. this show keeps bringing out amazing new designs every episode so far. also the message is damn strong. also neat that the standard plot was only really plot setup, it's never actually part of the plot, it never really comes into play. and for a boring plot now following up can be the best thing. the joke is that everyone wanted to be a princes. nothing about gender, just everyone wanted to be the same thing, nice. seriously, how come i never heard anything of this show? 2015. i'm pretty sure i watched some cartoons in 2015. did it never make it's way on dutch tv? i mean i've also never seen anyone talk about it online, something i think i'll have to correct at some point.

1.6 softpaws? nope, just a black cat. also the return of the sphinx which makes me happy. interesting that we get the more visually interesting sphinx sister first. so i've been watching a lot of TBSkyen and now want to kind of do a visual interpretation video like he often does on these two sisters. how the firsts inks and piercings make her read kind of Egyptian, alongside the naked cat stylings, while also indicating individuality and complexity, and how the lack of those in her sister suggests that she's simpler, which is true. one tells riddles, the other just tries to kill you. fuck why is this show so full of great dnd ideas. many magical fountains, each with different effects, like reverse gravity, talking backwards, and needing to say a word to undo it, which is hard with talking backwards, or induces fall damage after falling upwards for a while. fuck it, list time: fountain of invisible spiders, fountain of nausea, fountain of fire, fountain of itchy feet, just a regular fountain.

1.7 this serious continues to confuse me in a positive way in not making transphobic jokes. girly scream from the cowardly mayor? ok, that's prime setup right? sure, but they don't make the joke, it's just a scream that doesn't match the character design, but that's part of the general joke of the character: he's a coward who often hides in a barrel, but he's a huge buff dude who wouldn't even fit in the barrel. you get what i mean? puss doesn't burst in saying "i'll save you my lady" and then haha is a dude. he just bursts in to save someone. another standard plot: convince someone they are brave by pretending they defeat something, they they get overconfident and find real trouble and learn to reign it in or fully return to the status quo, wonder how they'll do it. damn, they did the getting too confident straight, but put enough good jokes in the scene to not make it awkward (hard to avoid), not to see if they can do the rest well. making Dulcinea (the female polite cat) do it because puss is too tired helps. "it's ok buddy, i'll read it to you" "you're a cute friend" subversion of expectation and cute as fuck, these are the joke i love. oh no, the man travels with a shadow over his face in spite of physics, he's definitely evil. surprisingly polite to those he thinks unwell though. and the standard plot continues. going with the "hopes and dreams dashed, but then shows bravery for reals". yep that's basically exactly what they did, with one funny in concept but sadly meh in execution fightscene. this isn't an episode you watch for the end, you watch for the jokes which are amazing.

1.8 human shrek is on the cover of the romance novel. blink and you'll miss it and i love it. oh no, puss ate xanathar's fish, and is now hunted by a Sinnamon smelling golem. this is so stupid in the best way. classic way for things to gain a soul too, it's neat. and damn does it make for a neat episode.

1.9 "let me gaze upon your golden booty" "i am uncomfortable" yes i'm still trying to get you to watch the show. oh a dust devil, neat. and that it's a demon is accurate to how people used to think about them (to my knowledge the origin of djinn). i think that was the first reuse of an asset i noticed (if you ignore the bandits): a sceptre that was broken in a previous episode. this is not a negative, just impressive that it took this long to use the same asset for a similar thing. also love that Dulcinea's arc so far is getting angry, but not like in a bad way.

1.10 excalibur? ok, this is an interesting take. generally not the angle of a reluctant hero (fun dnd PC backstory?). and the classic puss being pretty lost when he can't be the hero... starts to feel a bit overdone, but how many things can you do with him? also the animation touches are very nice. is this a story about cheating? because it sounds like a story about cheating, and with someone not getting over their ex. also this episode has some crazy good action. also this sword has a problem with asparagus.

1.11 uhm, that's not what sphynx looks like. where are her inks and piercings? did they accidentally use the wrong model? "well, technically medicine is the best medicine, but laughter is cheaper". wait what!? the cow barlady used to be an assassin?! also is this an episode about racism? like this could turn sour quickly. also what i think is clever but also semi noticeable is a cost cutting measure (honestly i've been noticing it for a while): if things don't move they aren't actually rendered in 3d, instead a single render is made of them and then it's a flat image that animation is rendered on top of. now this makes total sense to do: it's a lot less rendering so everything will be faster, which is a necessity if it's a tv show with tv show budget with 15 episodes. it allows for backgrounds that are relatively detailed unlike other 3d shows which are very often very plain. but if things look slightly off to you this may be why. damn, mature talk about wanting to do things but not doing it. this show is crazy. also damn that's one evil mouse. at least the sphynx petrified is the correct model.

1.12 that's just a god damn goblin. like literally called a goblin. and visually think dnd goblin... wild. also this is just about racism. mostly a pretty standard episode, but pusses unwavering belief is nice. and if a new person joins the cast that would make it even better.

1.13 earlier today episode? can always be fun. oh, Dulcinea gets to have puss' standard problem: feeling like he's no longer needed, and thus no longer him, thus problem. "i'll even write all of the stories myself. i will use all of the words. so many words!" and suddenly puss is talking like fucking trump. when puss thinks Dulcinea may be in legal troubles he'll immediately start helping her out, because pull aint no snitch lol. well now this episode conflicts with the last wish. Puss being against wishing stars here but going after it then? well, there is of course desperation

1.14 mother Mary the cat? so it'll be a puss' pride episode. the episode didn't have any big fightscenes, so instead the focus was put on the final dance. odd, but really fun.

1.15 a curse of bad luck turning puss into a black cat, that's just neat. wild that i had nothing more to say about it despite it being the last episode of season 1. oh well, on to season 2 i guess.

[forestlingincorporated]

I wanna talk about Janet Drake

I’m not against exaggeratedly evil versions of Tim’s parents, tbh. It’s fanfiction, if we can depict an Exaggeratedly Good version of Bruce (which we can, and I do, and I love) then we can depict the Drakes as Exaggeratedly Bad. As someone who personally identifies with Tim, and his brand of complicated parental abuse in particular, I find it cathartic to uncomplicate that abuse and rescue him from the Obviously Evil Bad People. 

That said, since much of comics lore is passed down word of mouth, the oral tradition surrounding Tim has developed this idea of Janet as The Worse Parent between her and Jack that was never really present in the comics. We see much LESS of Janet, and we have 20 years worth of comics depicting Jack as a neglectful hotheaded idiot who ultimate does love his son. More importantly, Jack isn’t very much LIKE Tim, so there is a habit to attribute Tim’s traits to his mother... and, as someone who really really identifies with Tim, Tim has... some negative traits. Tim can be a bitch sometimes. He’s fiercely intelligent and sweet and kind, with a strong sense of justice, but he can be cold and judgmental and unthinking - he fights those traits, but he does have them. 

And it is perfectly fine to depict Janet that way. I’ve enjoyed depictions of Cold Calculating Janet Drake, but it’s not the ONLY option, and I want to challenge fans to consider different avenues. Tim could pick up these traits from anywhere: a nanny, Mrs. Mc Ilvaine (”Mrs. Mac”), a teacher, tv, Sherlock Holmes novels, Bruce Wayne himself. Tim is capable of not being like EITHER parent. 

So, what do we KNOW about Janet? (I’ll also touch on Jack, but only in scenes he appears with Janet.) 

When Janet was first introduced she was depicted as a gentle but “modern” woman. This was written in 1989, told by a 13 year old Tim, so this theoretically was meant to take place in 1979. I’m not here to give a lecture on the history of sex discrimination in the united states, but much of the legislation protecting women in the workforce or surrounding women’s bodily autonomy would have been very very new in this initial depiction. 

Here, Janet is shown to be encouraging, emotional, maternal, and projects her own feelings onto Tim. Jack is shown to be slightly sexist, possibly discouraging, but not overbearing. And the artist is shown not to know how to draw children. 

To insert some speculation, I think it’s important to note all the Drakes witnessed a terrible murder/accident that day. I point this out, because this is the last time Jack and Janet are depicted this way. It’s possible they changed as a result of this event specifically. 

However, this is also a story being told by Tim. It’s also possible these events aren’t really “real” at all, and Tim is misremembering what his parents were like as a three-year-old, possibly projecting a more palatable version of his parents into the narrative. This is entirely up to personal interpretation. 

In fact, the Drakes are shown in Legend of the Dark Knight attending Haly’s Circus, and the artist knows what a toddler looks like and they’re depicted as already having a slightly strained relationship. Jack is clearly on the defensive, and Janet seems to be passive-aggressive, though she could just be attempting to explain the situation to her toddler honestly. The intended tone isn’t especially clear. 

I do want to point out, in this depiction, Tim isn’t being carried like he was in the previous one. He’s walking ahead of his parents, which isn’t a terrible horrible crime, but could be dangerous in a crowded place like the circus. Might be a subtle hint to his parents overall neglect. 

Back to A Lonely Place of Dying, in Tim’s memories of the night he discovered Robin and Dick Grayson were the same person at nine-years-old, his parents are home, and watching TV together while Tim played... trucks, idk, in the living room with them. (This is semi-interesting, because you could say “oh, Tim liked vehicle toys as a kid” or you could extrapolate that this is another subtle indication of Jack’s sexism, providing Tim with appropriately “boy toys.” Either interpretation is valid. If Tim was assigned female at birth, would they have been given “girl toys,” or allowed to play with whatever they wanted?) 

This is, to my knowledge, the only panel of the Drakes when Tim is between ages 3 and 13. They’re all together, which might indicate that the Drakes were home more often when Tim was 9, only later going on business trips when Tim was “old enough” but... 

This is Tim’s boarding school when he’s 13. While most boarding schools in the US are for grades 9-12, Tim is clearly not a freshman at age 13; look how much younger the other kids in this panel are. In the US, the youngest you can attend most boarding schools is 7. 

That means Tim could have begun going to boarding school anytime between 7 and 13. He most likely spent all of middle school in boarding school, at least. There are an almost infinite number of possible ways the Drakes handled having a business that required lots of international travel, an archeology hobby, AND a very young child. Janet staying home until Tim was 7, 11, 13, is equally possible as the Drakes having a nanny until 7, 11, 13. Tim just doesn’t talk about that period of his life very much.

(”What about Mrs. Mac?” - it is unclear when Mrs. Mac begins working for the Drakes. We only see her when Jack comes out of his coma. She could either be a long standing staff member, or a recent hire.) 

Note: I’ve seen it said that it’s canon that “According to Tim, when his parents were home, they made a point to try and include him in their activities, bringing him along to events that were normally adults only.” I have never seen this panel, or I don’t remember it, so I cannot confirm, but I also cannot debunk this because... comics. 

By the time Tim is 13, Jack and Janet are away on business trips a lot, with limited communication, and no firm return date. If I’m feeling generous, I’d say it was harder to communicate internationally in 1990 than it is today. If I’m not feeling generous, I’d say the Drakes are extremely wealthy, and international communication was easier than ever before in the 80s and 90s. They’re not even going home to see Tim in a week or two, they’re going home and calling Tim at boarding school in a week or two. 

Even Bruce thinks its weird, though he doesn���t say so to Tim’s face. It’s written almost as if Tim’s parents’ neglect was meant to be a plot point that just got forgotten about. 

Tim’s parents are fighting at this point (their poor assistant), but Janet still goes with Jack on these business trips. And she’s clearly involved in the business, somehow, but the comics never SAY what Janet’s JOB is. We’re told Jack is the exec, but Janet is ONLY ever referred to as Jack’s wife, though they’re later described as the “heads” of the company, plural. 

Just to be clear, this is Jack’s business. There’s a perception that Jack is a bad business man because he and Janet fight over company decisions, and Jack looses the business after Janet dies, but Jack looses the company YEARS after Janet dies, and maintains it for about a year after No Man’s Land at that. We’re not told how Jack looses the business, but he’s got to be doing something right. Janet isn’t necessarily the “real brains” of Drake Industries. 

And I’m not... gonna... touch the... exploitation and racism because... I’m not qualified to do that. But, here’s the panel. The Drakes sure seem exploitative and racist in their business decisions. Someone else can... analyze that with more nuance. 

Regardless how how long they’ve been fighting, when their lives are in danger, the Drakes fall back into a loving husband and wife. Their marriage may be falling apart, but they do care about each other. 

I want to show these panels because it shows that Tim and Jack do have things in common. They’re both level headed in a crisis and can be somewhat cold in their practicality. Janet meanwhile and silent. Jack is later willing rant and rave at their captors, but Janet remains silent. 

That is, until they’re alone, and she finally lets herself fall apart. 

God, Jack can be obnoxious. Janet just looks miserable and resigned. I actually think Tim takes after his parents in this respect in equal measure. Tim can have a temper, but he can also be fairly melancholy and defeatist. 

Jack keeps reminding Janet to be strong and in control, which could be period typical sexism? But Jack seems so practiced and ready with the words of encouragement, and with Tim’s history with depression, I wonder if Janet has an inclination towards it as well. 

As the end approaches, when Jack brings up Tim, Janet seems to have a lot of regret. She talks about “wasting” the good things, and I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to assume she’s talking about time spent with her only child. 

From this point on, Janet is at times spoken of, but not seen. Like here, when Jack says Janet wouldn’t approve of him and Tim being so “far apart.” He says this after he tells him he takes back his threat to send him back to boarding school, which might imply Janet was against the idea of boarding school? Though she obviously lost that argument when she was alive. 

Jack will of course renege on this later, but that’s Jack Drake for you. 

Or here in Tim’s illness induced dream, where he gets everything he wants. Though, since this is a fantasy of Tim’s, where his father and girlfriend are both more accepting and understanding than they are in real life, I would take this depiction of Janet with a grain of salt. 

After loosing Drake Industries, Jack thinks about Janet (though, they call her Catherine/Cathy for some fucking reason) during his depressive episode. And... uh... 

Hallucinates a Valkyrie???? Is this symbolic of suicidal thoughts, or is she... real? Or is he seriously hallucinating? 

Anyway, we’re not here to discuss Jack’s mental state, the fact that he forgot Tim’s birthday, or that concerning “I was going to knock some sense into you but you’re still bigger than me” statement from Tim, we’re here to talk about Janet. And even though this entire arc is about Jack mourning his first wife, they don’t SAY anything about Janet herself at all. I mean, they don’t even get her name right, so I guess what was I expecting. 

Then there’s Origins and Omens, which also doesn’t say anything about Janet, except that Tim’s memory of her is faulty - Janet was poisoned, her assistant Jeremy’s throat was slit on television, but Tim seems to have conflated the death he did see with the death he didn’t. 

The only piece of canon to suggest that Janet might be cold, is Tim compares her to Thalia. And even then, he’s really just saying Janet was protective of him. It’s kind of a scary look to make at your kid, but Bruce does the same thing, so. 

I do want to say... it’s not 100% clear if Tim is even talking about Janet. He could be talking about Dana. Dana was observably protective of Tim, though I don’t think he’s ever called her mom. He PROBABLY means Janet. 

And finally we have Tim visiting his mother’s grave (in a duel Christian/Jewish cemetery, make of that what you will), where Tim says she was “a little religious.”

And that’s it! That is all we know about Janet Drake in New Earth. Hardly the Mom From Hell, but she isn’t perfect. I’d be interested in seeing some alternate depictions of her within the fandom. 

I’m still gonna eat up Terrible Parents From Hell like a starving puppy dog, though. Just some food for creative thought. 

[earthstellar]

The Cybertronian Class System in Transformers Prime

We know very well about the class system in IDW Transformers and how that contributed to the societal tensions that led to the rise of the Decepticon movement, but what about the Aligned Continuity? 

Novel: Exodus 

We know there is a dual caste and guild system in place. 

The caste system referenced in Exodus is directly stated to be determined through a process in which a new spark is encouraged to take its most natural alt-mode form as soon as it is able. The alt-mode is then used to rank them in society. 

Guilds are less well defined, but appear to be structured around further classification of bots by their relative position within their caste. 

The scientific/academic guilds are stated to be of a very high rank, whereas labourers and manual workers are towards the lowest rank. 

There isn’t much more detail than that, so that is almost all of the information we have to work off of in terms of the TFP Cybertronian social structure.

However, it is worth noting that Functionism in the IDW Transformers comics was developed prior to TFP’s writing, and TFP borrowed the concept of alt-mode determination from the comics. So we can assume that many elements of Functionism are shared one to one between these continuities, although the Functionist Council does not exist in the Aligned Continuity. 

Interestingly, Megatron and the beginning of his social revolutionary efforts are based around the same similar initial core beliefs in both IDW and TFP:

I talk more about how class differences between Orion Pax and Megatronus are largely what caused the war in TFP in this post. 

TFP: Deus Ex Machina 

The episode opens with Miko in trouble at school, when she is picked up by Bulkhead after detention is over. He takes her back to base, and they have a discussion about Miko’s future.

Here’s the relevant dialogue: 

Bulkhead: “Look, Miko. Before I became a warrior, I was a labourer. Construction. I can build stuff, I can break stuff. And that’s it!”

Miko: “I love breaking stuff! I wanna be just like you, Bulk.”

Bulkhead: “Ugh... Why would you wanna be like me, when you could be a... A medic, like Ratchet!”

Two things here stick out to me, the first being that Bulkhead thinks very little of himself, and has class related trauma that likely resulted in his generally low self-esteem. He always claims he isn’t smart, isn’t clever, and so on. But building and construction takes significant skill and knowledge on a material and conceptual level. 

The second thing is that he immediately jumps to using Ratchet as an example of what Miko should aspire to be. Ratchet, of course, is a medic-- Remember the guild system in TFP, where scientific class bots were deemed amongst the highest in social capital and relative value. 

The Wreckers and the Class System

I get the feeling this is why Wheeljack doesn’t like Ratchet very much (at least at first), and why Wheeljack resists Ultra Magnus outright. They are both higher class/upper guild bots who would have been a part of the system that likely kept Wheeljack down. 

We don’t know what Wheeljack’s background is in TFP, other than the fact that he’s a Wrecker, but I get the feeling that the reason why he’s not first and foremost a scientist/engineer in this continuity is because he was likely prevented from joining the scientific guild because he was ranked into a lower class due to his natural alt-mode. 

There’s nothing that supports that in canon, but it makes a lot of sense. 

We also know that Bulkhead and Breakdown know each other, and we don’t have all the details there, but it seems likely their relationship to each other may pre-date the factional divide and they may have been from the same class/caste or guild. 

TFP: One Shall Fall 

The episode opens with the kids erasing photos of Bumblebee from the internet; Infamously, this leads to Jack asking Optimus if he wants to see the cat gif that made Ratchet laugh, to which Optimus replies with a flat no. 

This leads Ratchet to mention that Optimus wasn’t always like this, and he was very different before becoming a Prime, leading to the following dialogue: 

Raf: “Optimus wasn’t always a Prime?”

Ratchet: “On Cybertron, one isn’t born into greatness; Rather, one must earn it.”

I think it’s interesting that as he says this, he takes the posture above: Looking up, even though the kids are all far below his line of sight and off to the opposite side of his gaze here. Like he’s repeating it from memory. And that’s possibly exactly what this is; He’s repeating what he was always told. 

Of course, that statement contradicts nearly everything we know to be factual about Cybertronian culture, but it makes sense from Ratchet’s point of view.

We know Ratchet is old, walked across the Cybertronian continent to reach Iacon to study and train as a medic under Remedy, who was the CMO in Iacon at that time. 

Ratchet, while his spark originated in an undeveloped village, had to travel and work hard to become a medic. 

What he doesn’t seem to grasp, is that he’s quite possibly old enough to pre-date the caste and guild system on Cybertron. 

While we don’t have any definite dates, we do have eras for Cybertronian civilisation which I explore further in this post, and it is entirely possible Ratchet simply became a medic before he would have been defined by his alt-mode. Or perhaps his alt-mode was always some kind of Cybertronian ambulance, and it didn’t make any difference in his case because he wanted to become a medic anyway. 

It’s easy to see why his attitude might grate on bots like Wheeljack or Bulkhead; He’s either very old or very lucky or both, and while from his own POV he did have to earn his place to study in Iacon by way of having to get there first and prove his potential, that is a very far cry from experiencing systemic oppression. 

In Pre-War Cybertron, Ratchet had social privilege above every other Autobot we see in TFP.

I think in light of that, it’s very interesting that he yearns for Cybertron so severely. We know Ratchet cares about others and would not have supported the Functionist society if only because he feels all bots should have equal access to healthcare and a right to be well. 

But we also know he wants Cybertron restored, so much so that the destruction of the Omega Lock nearly causes him to collapse. (I might talk about that scene in a future post, too.) 

What we don’t know, is what Ratchet’s vision for an idealised, restored Post-War Cybertron actually is. 

Do I think Ratchet is a Functionist? No. He cares about his people, and believes in the Autobot key tenant that all bots are autonomous and should have the right to individual choice. (Something Megatron also believes, or believed in the beginning-- He is the one who first put the thought into Orion Pax’s mind.) 

But do I think that Ratchet has been heavily indoctrinated by Functionist beliefs due to his long-standing high ranking position in an intensely classist society? Yes. And I think he’s repeating something that used to be said in his pre-war social circle in the scene above, because surely, he knows better. 

[charliethomascoxuniverse]

Charlie Cox on ‘Boardwalk Empire’

NY TIMES / SEPTEMBER 30 .2011

By JEREMY EGNER (X)

Joining an acclaimed series already in progress can be a fraught proposition. But the British actor Charlie Cox faced an additional obstacle when he signed on to HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” for its second season: He’d never seen the show.

“I didn’t start watching it until I’d already filmed four or five episodes,” he said. “The fact that I was playing someone from an entirely different world, who had no experience of this place at all, probably helped because it was similar to what I felt as Charlie on set in New York.”

The 28-year-old actor has starred in movies like the fantastical “Stardust” and the period drama “There Be Dragons,” and on the London stage in the Harold Pinter play “The Collection.” But he had never worked regularly on a television series before taking the role of Owen Slater, a rakish visitor from Ireland. The character insinuates himself into the business and household of Nucky Thompson, the series protagonist played by Steve Buscemi, claiming to prefer Prohibition-era Atlantic City to the chaos and war of 1920s Ireland.

“But as time passes,” Mr. Cox said, “you start to get that something else is going on with me.”

Mr. Cox, who lives in London, makes his debut in the second episode of the season, showing on HBO on Sunday. He called this week from his parents’ home in Southern France to discuss intimidating co-stars and the perils of playing a fictional character — as opposed to one of the many historical figures — on “Boardwalk Empire.” This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q. So you had never seen “Boardwalk Empire” before you joined the production?

When I got to New York it had finished airing and it hadn’t yet started in London. I didn’t manage to see the show until they very kindly gave me some DVDs so I could watch it, because it hadn’t been released on DVD yet either.

Q. How did you prepare for the role?

I knew that they were focusing on the 1920s, the start of Prohibition, so I managed to do a little bit of reading. At the same time, my character turns up from Ireland. So really most of the stuff that I was reading and the research I was doing was around what was going on in at Ireland at this time, which was of course very, very different, with the War of Independence and the Easter Rising. It was interesting for me because, of course, the knowledge that I had of this period was all from England’s perspective. So then to read up from the Irish point of view, it was a very interesting feeling. You suddenly feel less patriotic.

Q. Was it intimidating to join a cast with so many acclaimed actors?

Absolutely. Lots of those people were Brits, as well, so I’ve known about them for a long time. Stephen Graham, who plays Al Capone on the show, delivered one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in “This Is England.” I’ve known about Kelly Macdonald [who plays Nucky Thompson’s girlfriend] ever since I started acting. And then Steve Buscemi is one of my idols. In some ways it’s nerve-wracking but it’s also a compliment.

Q. Was it hard to break in?

Not really. I was thrown in the deep end — I had a lot of material on the first day, and I think it was a good thing. I had to get in there and be really focused and just bang out almost my entire episode. Everyone has been just delightful and lovely, and I think part of that comes from being on a good show. People who are on a good show tend to be pretty nice, you know?

Q. They have more to be happy about, perhaps.

And maybe less to prove, I don’t know.

Q. Did you know anyone on the show before you signed on?

I was friends with Jack Huston, who plays Richard Harrow.

Q. He’s the assassin with only half of a face. Is that mask as unsettling up close as it is on TV?

Yeah, it’s really creepy isn’t it?

Q. What can you tell me about your character?

He comes over with another Irish chap, who’s his boss. We’re over there trying to get money for the Irish for the War of Independence. And when this other chap goes back, he says to Nucky, “If you can help him get a job, he’s going to stay out here.”

Q. Does your character have any broader role in the narrative?

One of the themes this season is this sense of family and one’s feelings toward family, the relationships between husbands and wives. I’m an aggravator, in that sense, toward some of the characters.

Q. Is he based on an actual person, like many others on the show?

He’s entirely fictional, which is kind of frustrating because half of the characters are nonfictional, so it’s the actors who have fictional characters who are perpetually in fear of being killed off [laughs]. I’ve been trying to find someone with a similar name who lived into the ’80s who I could claim as my character so they can’t do that. But so far, no luck.

Q. But he is supposed to be tied to the Irish Republican Army, right?

Yeah he’s been working with Michael Collins [the Irish revolutionary leader] — part of this is from my conversations with Howard Korder [a writer and producer on the show] and part is me filling in the blanks. Michael Collins set up this group of young I.R.A. guys and he called them the Squad or the Apostles, and they were there to take out people who were being difficult. Now my character, Owen Slater, turns up in Atlantic City in January of 1921. In November of 1920 there was a mass assassination of a group called the Cairo Gang — the Squad assassinated 14 of these guys in a day [part of what is known in Irish history as Bloody Sunday]. So I decided that my character had been part of that and had been advised to lay low in America.

Q. Did any of those Squad guys live into the 1980s? Maybe you can hitch your character to one of them.

You know, there’s not much information about any of them — none of them has a large enough Wikipedia page and none of them has a name that is even remotely similar [laughs]. So I’ve had no luck with that.

~*~

[dannyphantom-justiceleauge]

This may be a minor gripe but something that has kind of bothered me about discussions and depictions of Dan is how often people seem to forget that Dan isn't just an older evil Danny, he's a combination of Danny and Vlad's ghost sides. Like people always talk about him like Danny threw away his humanity and turned evil but that's not even true. Sure, we can say that Dan is the result of Danny's action but that's a little unfair. (1/2)

(2/2) Him cheating on a test, coincidentally putting his loved one's in a position where they could be killed, is absolutely not his fault. Letting Vlad take away his ghost powers with a strange contraption might not have been the smartest move, but we are talking about a grieving CHILD here, of course he isn't going to make the best decisions. If anything Vlad's the one to blame here, and even then, it's not like he could predict what happened

---

you aren't wrong, my friend. it really isn't entirely danny's fault and the whole 'if you cheat on a test, you'll loose everything you love' moral is confused at best. i think as fandom we find it more interesting to look at danny's potential evil and moral struggle with himself. so simplifying it to be dan is a worse case scenario of danny makes the conflict less abstract.

particularly because when it comes to self blame danny isn't going to go easy on himself just because it was excusable mistakes.

i think another talking point should be how danny is the target of the time assassination more than vlad is, even though vlad is part of the evil whole. you could argue that danny is the catalyst of his friends death and vlad inventing the claw things. but vlad invented the claw things. maybe because his human side survived and acted relatively harmless from then on? or maybe it's because the observants based on the available evidence recognized danny as more of a threat. i think that fits actually, for all vlad tried to be an evil mastermind, his achievements outside of terrorizing a teenager and theft isn't particularly impressive. danny was the one who got shit done. all his fights he finished one way or another and i could see how that would bleed into dan defeating everyone.

the real question is how to we fix this. ideally we could shape this idea so it's less confused, though i do honestly find the dynamic of half danny, half vlad interesting. if for not other reason. than two half ghosts make a whole. actually that's something else to be said about dan. his self-loathing is what led him to killing his human half, another negative aspect coming from danny.

i wonder if we could frame it like fusion, from su. obviously dan isn't stable or healthy, or based on love. he's most comparable to malichite. but with less internal debate. dan took the best and worst of both of them. danny's determination, danny's fighting ability, danny's anger, danny's sarcasm, vlad's anger, vlads lack of morals, vlads schemes, vlad's control. heck, vlads desire to rule the world. i don't think we ever got that from danny.

maybe if vlad was more involved in the fight with dan it could have been used as an opportunity to compare and contrast their characters. to go we're not so different you and i. danny gets to recognize that he has that dark potential. vlad gets to be humbled by the fact that what he wants isn't good for anyone, especially himself. and to be fair, we do see some of that humbling with future vlad, but none of that character growth is given to present vlad, so, really it's just another vehicle for danny angst. it also depends on what you want to do with vlad though. he's a fascinating character and could be given redemption under the right circumstances or be a character who has the opportunity for redemption but chooses not to be redeemed every time.

that fits him and makes him both a more pathetic and despicable villain. it's hard to pity someone who ignores the opportunities to heal and grow.

as for danny, he becomes far more aware of the consequences his actions, especially his selfish and cruel ones can have. because that potential was always there. he has a history of abusing his powers. perhaps for this specific incident him abusing his powers can be something less understandable than almost cheating on a test that he couldn't study for through no fault of his own. (maybe i just have flexible morals?). maybe it could be something more character relevant, like he did something particularly vlad like, maybe he set up a prank at the nasty burger to get dash but it set off the explosion that killed his family. or maybe he did something particularly cruel and manipulative. there are better catalysts than a test. either way he recognized that he should never go that far again and strive to avoid being actively cruel.

he also has the opportunity to recognize that vlad does have a human half, even the one he's fighting everyday. he can face some conflict in it's not entirely clear what trait belongs to vlad and what trait belongs to him. he can empathize with vlad and he can recognize that situations aren't always in black in white. those who fly the highest, fall the hardest, after all.

it can be a growing experience. and while making it solely a danny goes bad and learns not to do evil kind of story. maybe we could cut vlad from the equation and just have danny face himself, full evil refection. i think exploring both vlad and danny through this fusion is far more interesting. especially because we can build on what's revealed about vlad in these episodes, in later ones. danny sees a future where vlad chills and that maybe his vlad could get their. later he see vlads past and what he lost to become who he is.

and then there's vlads turning point episodes. i don't know when motherly instinct took place but maddie fully recognizing he's a bastard and rejection him, was a turning point for his sanity, and danny helped it along. then we have danny rejecting him repeatedly, then we the clone episode, which we can all agree was a desperate move on his part, that danny once again thwarted. and we can all agree that this was the cannon turning point for his character where he stopped fighting for a family and started trying to be danny's villain. in that episode, i think danny could potentially pity vlad enough to try and reach out. he's not going to justify what vlad did and he's not going to apologize for stopping him. he went too far. he hurt danny and dani, he crossed a moral line that can't be justified even with his desperation. but if he changes...

he lost this time but if he changes, maybe they'll reach the point where they're ready to accept him.

i think the same thing could be said about his relationship with jack and maddie. if he changes, if he reaches out. if acts like less of a crazy fruitloop, his friends would be there for him. jack is still trying to be there for him, even if he's being oblivious about vlad's faults. vlads the one driving wedges into his relationships and pushing everyone away.

and that's so freaking human and understandable.it would be such a cool thing to explore with his character.

i could also see a potential arc where after valerie finds out vlad and masters are the same person she tries to get close to him, both to sus out how evil he is and to understand him as a halfa. afterall danny got her to acknowledge dani as human enough, the same would apply to vlad/plasmius, right? only he's a bad person and the more she uncovers about vlad masters the man, the more she realizes it's not the ghost half that's evil. but this is a double edged sword because, vlad is getting attached to her and encouraging her to be more evil. he's encouraging her to go darker and darker in her fight against ghosts and her fight specifically against phantom. to the point where she finally draws the line and says, i'm not doing that! boom exploring the moral ambiguity of her character and getting her to take a hard stance on her morals, because there's a line too far for her.

and boom a further breakdown of vlads character because he finally had someone outside the fentons to redeem him. she could have helped pull him out of the hole he'd been digging himself into. she wanted to help him. he got attached to her, but he and his bad decisions decided to dig himself deeper instead. so once again he's 'abandoned and betrayed'.

from that point, i think it'd be time for him to finally face jack head on. not through manipulative schemes. not through veiled threats and insults. but the full confrontation of 'i always hated you. you ruined my life. you're the reason i lost everything'. which is really just his own self loathing speaking. and jack... empathetic jack can see that vlad desperately wants help. and jack would offer it to him. jack would try to hug it out and apologize and give vlad the love and friendship vlad's been fighting to steal this whole time.

and vlad would reject it.

he'd probably lash out a jack and go into a full breakdown/world destroying attack. could finally put the stolen crown to use and try declaring himself king and embracing his megalomaniac thing and actually be a threat this time. and THAT would be our series finally. everyone teaming up to fight 'king vlad'. danny probably finding out that he's technically king because he beat pariah dark but the matter being a bit confused because he had help. val and danny trying to find the ring of rage or at least find someone who can make one. secrets are out. i imagine vlad, upon revealing himself to jack would out danny to make danny as sad and alone as him. except nope, his family still loves him and val has had the character development to come around to him. (she's still gonna punch danny for lying for so long.) the ghosts will come and help because no one wants another tyrannical kind and vlads obviously off his rocker.

ah, the could have beens

anyway, i didn't mean for this to become a full vlad character analysis and rewrite when we were supposed to be talking about dan, but hey, i'm a simple creature. i like good writing, and i have to rewrite things myself, so be it. - Hestia

[lokiondisneyplus]

Yes, Loki series director Kate Herron knows about your fan theory about the show, the analysis you posted to social media. No, she won’t tell you what she thinks about it, or whether you were right.

“I follow all the conversations on Twitter,” Herron told Polygon in an interview shortly after Loki’s season 1 finale. “I don’t always weigh in on them, because I made the show, so they don’t want me weighing in like, ‘Actually, guys…’ I think that’s the whole point of art — it should be up for debate and discussion.”

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for season 1 of Loki.]

Loki has been a hit for streaming service Disney Plus — episode 6 of the show, the final installment for this season, was reportedly watched by more households than any of the platform’s MCU finales to date. The series has been a popular source of fan conjecture and argument, with one particularly big rolling conversation focusing on whether the budding romantic relationship between trickster Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his alternate-universe counterpart Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) is a form of incest.

Herron is willing to speak up about that one. “My interpretation of it is that they’re both Lokis, but they aren’t the same person,” she says. “I don’t see them as being like brother and sister. They have completely different backgrounds […] and I think that’s really important to her character. They sort of have the same role in terms of the universe and destiny, but they won’t make the same decisions.”

Herron says thematically, Loki falling for Sylvie is an exploration of “self-love,” but only in the sense that it’s Loki learning to understand his own motives and integrity. “[The show is] looking at the self and asking ‘What makes us us?’” Herron says. “I mean, look at all the Lokis across the show, they’re all completely different. I think there’s something beautiful about his romantic relationship with Sylvie, but they’re not interchangeable.”

Directing the final kiss between the two characters was a complicated process because it had to communicate something about each of them over the course of just a few seconds. Herron says the primary goal was creating a safe, comfortable environment for Hiddleston and Di Martino, and after that, she had to think about how to bring across Loki and Sylvie’s conflicting goals in that moment.

“It’s an interesting one, right?” she says. “Emotionally, from Sylvie’s perspective, I think it’s a goodbye. But it’s still a buildup of all these feelings. They’ve both grown through each other over the last few episodes. It was important to me that it didn’t feel like a trick, like she was deceiving him. She is obviously doing that, on one hand, but I don’t feel the kiss is any less genuine. I think she’s in a bad place, but her feelings are true.”

Herron says directing Hiddleston in the scene mostly came down to discussing the speech Loki gives Sylvie before the kiss. “That was really important, showing this new place for Loki,” Herron says. “In the first episode, he’s like, ‘I want the throne, I want to rule,’ and by episode 6, he isn’t focused on that selfish want. He just wants her to be okay.”

Loki writer and producer Eric Martin recently tweeted that he wished the show had been able to focus more time on two of its secondary characters, Owen Wilson’s Time Variance Authority agent Mobius M. Mobius, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna Renslayer. “I wanted to explore her more deeply and really see their relationship,” he says, “But covid got in the way and we just didn’t have time.”

Asked if Loki and Sylvie’s relationship suffered from similar necessary edits, Herron says it’s true that the show’s creators and audience still don’t know everything Sylvie went through to make her so different from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s original version of Loki. “We’ve seen her as a child, but she’s lived for thousands and thousands of years, in apocalypses on the run,” she says. “I think there’s so much more to delve into with Sylvie […] You’re filling in the blanks. You see [her on the planet] Lamentis, and it’s horrific. And you’re like, “Well, what kind of person would she be, growing up in apocalypses? What kind of personality would that give her?”

Herron says Sylvie’s backstory actually reminds her of the 1995 movie Jumanji, where a young boy is sucked into a magical board game in 1969, and emerges 26 years later as a full-grown man, played by with typical manic energy by Robin Williams. “It’s such a weird reference, but…” she says. “He’s a little boy when he ends up captive in that game, and when he comes out, it’s obviously been a life experience. With Sylvie, it’s similar. She was a child when she had to go on the run, so she’s had a very difficult life. I would love to see more of it. As Eric said, she’s a rich character, there’s so much to be explored.”

Herron says, though, that during her time on the show, material about Sylvie was added rather than cut — specifically, those scenes of her as a child, being kidnapped by the TVA. “This was before my time, but I know in the writers’ room, there were lots of avenues exploring Sylvie on the run and what her life was like,” Herron says. “I wouldn’t want to speak more to those, because I wasn’t there when they were being discussed. But something wasn’t in there that was important to me — I felt we should see her [history] in the TVA. Me and the team were talking about how it made complete sense, because episode 4 is all about twisting the idea that the TVA might be good on its head. And so that’s something that came in later, once I joined, was seeing her as a child. I think we needed to see that, not to understand her completely, but to get an idea of her motivations, why she’s so angry at this place.”

Talking more broadly about the series finale, Herron says the last few episodes weren’t as heavily referential as the first episodes, which she intended as “a love letter to sci-fi.” While early images like the TVA’s interrogation rooms had specific visual references from past science fiction, episode 6’s locations were drawn more from collaborations with the crew.

“The idea of the physical timeline being circular, our storyboard artists came up with that,” Herron says. “I had in the scripts, ‘We move through space to the end of time,” and then me and [storyboard artist Darrin Denlinger] discussed how we could play with the idea of time, while also adding MCU nods. He was like, ‘What if the timeline is circular?’ I think that’s such a striking image, like the Citadel at the End of Time is the needle on a record player. I just thought that was such a cool image, but it wasn’t necessarily taken from anything.”

Episode 6 focuses heavily on the mysterious figure He Who Remains and his citadel, a space she says was largely conceived by production designer Kasra Farahani. “I remember he brought in the art of the Citadel, and I thought it was beautiful,” Herron says. “He said, ‘The Citadel has been carved from an actual meteorite,’ which I thought was such an inspired idea. And He Who Remains’ office is the only finished portion of it.”

She says there are only a few direct homages in episode 6, including the zoom shot through space, which directly referenced a similar sequence in Robert Zemeckis’ 1997 film Contact.

“And then I have my Teletubbies reference for episode 5,” Herron says. “I wanted the Void to feel like an overgrown garden, like a kind of forgotten place. And I realized I’d pitched it as the British countryside. I remember trying to explain it to ILM, who did the visual effects, and saying, ‘Oh, you know, it’s like the Teletubbies. It’s just rolling hills, but they go on forever.’ That actually was quite a helpful reference in the end, which is funny.”

Asked for her favorite set memory from shooting the season, Herron says it comes down to Tom Hiddleston starting a mania for physical exertion before takes. “Sometimes he runs around set to get himself in the right mindset before he performs,” she says. “He does pushups. You know, you’re going into an action scene, you want to look like you’ve just been running. And it became infectious across all the cast. We’ve got so much footage of — I think Jack [Veal] ended up doing it, who plays Kid Loki. I’ve got [shots of] him and Sophia doing pushups and squats, just to get ready. It was so funny watching that echo across all the cast. I think all of them ended up doing those exercises with him at some point. It was so funny.”

“That might be my favorite set story, but it’s honestly, not a sweet one,” she adds. “I would say my favorite thing is his enthusiasm. He’s a very kind empathetic person. We were filming this in quite tough circumstances, a lot of people were far from home and isolating, and he brought this warmth and energy and joy to the set every day. And I think that made everyone feel very safe and very bonded. I’m forever grateful to him for doing that.”

[candlelight27]

Reiner - NSFW Alphabet

Reiner x F!reader

A/N: I really wanted to write something for Reiner and this happened! I hope you enjoy it. I might have added way too much drama for a simple nsfw alphabet but I have so many strong feelings for Reiner that I CAN'T. I'm just a simp... Okay, so keep in mind I made this thinking of post-timeskip Reiner.

Warnings: NSFW, obviously. Smut, fluff, angst. Some kinks discussed.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

First things first, he’ll help you get cleaned up. He will either get a clean rug or you’ll share a shower. He won’t leave you alone, asking if you’re okay, if you need help, leaving several kisses on your shoulders and lips.

He’s rather emotional afterwards too. When you are lying on your bed in the dead of the night, he doesn’t understand how you are able to love him after all he’s done. He embraces your body and buries his face right in the crook of your neck. Reiner inhales your scent as you trace random patterns in the broad expanse of his back. He trembles in the slightest of manners, and you hear a faint sob, but you don’t say anything. You let him stay like that for as long as he likes. Sometimes it takes five minutes for him to calm down, while other times, it takes hours. But you don’t mind, and let his warmth surround you. He’s ever grateful of your love and carefulness. It’s not easy to forget all he’s done, and it’s even more difficult to accept he must live with the weight of his sins, so these moments of some kind of normality crush him. But you’re there, ready to help him.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He might be biased because of his training as the Armoured Titan, but he loves his arms and back. Reiner is strong and he uses it to his advantage. It makes him feel powerful and in control, more so when he has an opportunity in bed to show off his strength. He’s always elated when you absentmindedly caress his shoulders, arms and back.

Risking being vulgar, Reiner adores your ass. He takes a handful whenever he can – yes, even in public. If you wear something that accentuates your rear, the blond completely loses it, and it takes all his willpower not to kiss you and take you right there and then. During sex, it turns him on to see it, so he’s all into fucking in front of a mirror, or any position that lets him stare at your bum.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Reiner’s favourite place to cum is inside of you. He’s always a little scared, even with all the preventive measures, because the last thing he wants is getting you pregnant. Still, as a forbidden fruit, Reiner will enjoy every moment he’s releasing his seed inside of you, filling you to the brim. Unless you’ve gone a few rounds, Reiner’s cum is usually thick and abundant, always leaving a mess behind.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Reiner legit steals your underwear. He will regret it afterwards. But he does it anyways and more than once, he’s masturbated to your smell. To be fair, he would also steal other items that smell like you for those times you’re not around. Your scent helps him fall asleep and comforts him a lot.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He wasn’t that experience, although he had done the deed before. You live in a world where you could die in any moment, so he hasn’t held his urges that much. However, until he met you, he hadn’t let any of his previous partners see his most vulnerable side. Reiner always had that façade of confidence and assurance, that he always knew what he was doing, when in reality he was just faking it and hoping no one would notice. With you, that came to an end and he finally admitted he wasn’t as sure as he was supposed to be. Of course, it led you to a journey of exploration and you’d confidently say he’s now an expert. Reiner knows your body like the back of his hands, and he know exactly what to do to make you moan the way he likes. And of course, he’s an expert in making you cum whenever he wants, and for him, that’s enough experience.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

His favourite position is the one where you ride him with your ass facing him. He loves the view of your rear, that you can use him as you like for your own pleasure and that he can touch wherever he wants. He just sees advantages this way. Reiner would start eating you out while you were on all fours, getting you wet and ready for his cock. He’ll take his time as he savours your essence. Then, with his strong arms, he’d help you slide into his dick and grope your waist and your butt.

Since you often complain of him getting the best views, he’s committed to try as many positions as humanly possible. So, every other day, it’s an adventure.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

It really depends on Reiner’s humour. Sometimes, when sadness hits him, he just wants the solace of your body. During those times, he barely talks, and you answer to his silent pleas with actions rather than words. On the other hand, when he’s in a good mood, he loves teasing you. He’ll banter until you get slightly offended, all heated and cute, and then kiss you everywhere.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Reiner doesn’t have that much time to shave, so he just does labours of maintenance from time to time. And yes, the carpet matches the drapes. He’s got a dirty blond mop of hair down there.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

The blond gets too into it. He looks at you in the eye and smiles adoringly. He whispers sweet nothings in your ear when he’s embracing you, your skin on his. He repeats all the time how much he loves you, how amazing you are. Reiner’s the whole romantic package. It may backfire, though, because if it becomes too emotional, he might cry. He doesn’t believe he deserve any happiness, much less with you involved, so an uncontrollable, deep horror takes his heart until he can’t take it anymore. Thankfully, your reassuring words help him forget all those intrusive thoughts. You’re quite used to Reiner’s ups and downs, so it won’t ruin the mood that much, and you will continue your activities at some point during the night – or right away if Reiner insists.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

When he steals your underwear, it’s inside his coat’s pocket. Reiner takes them with one big hand, while the other goes to his girthy cock. He’s working on paperwork, most likely, and alone in his room or an office. He starts slowly pumping his dick up and down, turned on by your smell. Then, he thinks of the last time you were with him and his pace increases until he can’t take it anymore.

His favourite place to masturbate is the shower, though. His muscles relax under the hot water and he can let go all the tension that’s been accumulating there all day. Reiner can spend hours there. And he’s so kicked back, that his hands slowly roam his body and find his dick. He will lean against the wall, supporting himself with this free arm. His quiet moans get drowned by the noise of the shower, and he can take as long as he wants. So he strokes himself slowly, lazily into completion. One of the best parts is that he doesn’t have to clean all the mess he leaves, since he’s already under the running water. One of the worst parts is that he’s alone and, even though he enjoys it, but it’s not the same as being with a partner.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Is dry humping a kink? Because he adores it. Reiner loved watching your body rub against his with clothes on. This way, he can see how your face becomes more and more desperate for him to take you, and he loved the feel of being needed. So, yeah, he’s all into you both wherever you are – the chair, the sofa, the bed – making out, his tongue exploring your mouth, while you are riding his thigh, or your crotches rub together.

Reiner is into spanking, too. Not as a punishment. He’s just so turned on that he forgets all his manners and morals and spanks you sporadically. However, when the skin he’s hit turns red, he regrets it deeply. He feels bad, because it reminds him of all the harm he’s done, and you are always so loving… You like it anyways, so when you see the shadow of doubt grace his face, you reassure him that you enjoy it just as much as him. He still feels like a brute, but a happy one.

Finally, edging. Reiner has never had the reins of his own fate. Never. He became a warrior to please his mom and basically, his life has been determined by the decisions of other people. Most of the time, he feels helpless. Therefore, his love for edging roots in the control it grants him. He can decide when you are going to cum, when he’s going to give you your reward, and he loves that. It’s weird, because he’s not usually attracted by the idea of dominance over you, but this does it for him.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Truth be told, he’d make love to you anywhere. He likes the risk of both of you being caught, so I’d say an unfrequented yet public place. And he’ll never lock the doors, because there’s something appealing at someone seeing with their own two eyes that you love him, that he’s a great lover and that you chose him. He might be into exhibitionism a bit, but at the same time, he’s too shy to be open about it. In the end, he’ll try; Reiner kisses you deeply in the secluded but risky space, like the cleaning supplies closet, but just when things get heavy and sexy and you slide your hands to grab his dick, the blond proposes moving to somewhere more private. You’ll tease him a lot, and you’ll convince him to have sex in a place where you’ll get caught. On those rare occasions, you notice Reiner is hornier than usual. Actually, whenever you are in bed, just the fleeting mention of those episodes makes him lose his mind.

Other locations he enjoys, or rather pieces of furniture, are armchairs and sofas. The close contact it gives you, because you can’t lie down, makes him be able to reach any part of your body and cage you, so he’s all into it. Besides, it’s quite refreshing from always doing it on the bed. And it’s a plus if it’s not his or yours, for tainting an space that’s not yours adds to the spice and the fantasy.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Your whole self gets him going. You ass, mainly, but also your cute and gorgeous face, your voice, your body… When you dress up for him, it’s a treat. There’s no better gift. He can’t believe how lucky he is that someone like you loved him. Apart from those things, what gets him going is dirty talking. Mention his kinks and he’ll be up and ready to fulfil his duty. He’s filled with energy, love and anxiousness, so Reiner is nearly always up for sex.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Reiner is a bit possessive, so I think a threesome would be kind of a turn off, even though he might enjoy it if he tries it with someone he trusts. He’ll be reluctant to try toys, simply because the idea makes him all shy and uneasy.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Our favourite blond gives oral like a starved man. Your taste enticed him, and he can never get enough of you. He laps and laps all over your clit time after time, then lets his tongue roam inside your hole. At some point, he uses his fingers as well, because he doesn’t have the heart to tease you and wants to make you come. He’s going to give you more orgasms afterwards, so he won’t skimp on the pleasure he gives you.

There are few times in which you give him a blowjob and he’s not eating you out. During those rare occasions, he treats you as if you were made out of glass. His fingers caress your face and your hair delicately, and he tries staying as still as he can. Even when you scratch his thighs lightly, or play with his balls, he’ll behave, as disciplined as the soldier he is.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Reiner always starts slow and sensual, but it doesn’t last long. Not in the least. He gets impatient and once his mind is set and he sees you like it, his rhythm becomes relentless. It’s quite the experience, to be ravished in that way, but he can’t help it. Yet, in the rounds following the first one of the day, he’ll relax and control himself better. That’s when your most tender moments during sex are shared. He’s no longer chasing your high, but enjoying the moment, and you share loving words. This can last a lot, until you are oversensitive and cum because you’ve been at it for so long, you can’t take it anymore. Reiner, on the other hand, just comes at the same time because he can’t contain himself when you’re contracting around his cock.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He doesn’t like quickies. If there’s no other option, he’ll take it. Sometimes you can’t see each other as frequently, and you’ll have a mere hour together, so those are the occasions where he might accept a quickie, but it’s not his style. He needs his time to properly adore you. Otherwise, it leaves him cold a confused. Reiner considers quickies a bit soulless and he gets a bit paranoid that you’re distant or angry. Because of this, he prefers avoiding quickies altogether, because even though he knows those thoughts aren’t real, they make his heart ache even more in your absence.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Reiner likes to experiment different positions. He will try every position at least once – or almost any position. And he takes mental notes of the ones you enjoy the most, for real. Yet the only real risk he takes is having sex in semi public places, and it happens really far in between and at your constant begging. Reiner loves the idea of exhibitionism but can’t handle his shyness.

When it’s late at night, and you are in an office where anyone can enter, you kiss his lips with passion. He knows where this is going, and he’s torn. But your lips are so soft, and your hands roam across the muscles of his shoulders and arms… and he’s forgotten almost everything already. He’s sat on an armchair, so you climb onto his lap, straddling him with your legs. Your fingers begin to undo the buttons of his shirt, and his dick is already hard and pressed against your sex.

“What are you doing?”, he murmurs.

“Nothing”, you answer. You slowly sway your hips back and forth and Reinter lets out a moan. You let your tongue roam his mouth as you pull on the blond locks of his hair, then his hands find your waist. He’s squeezing you, and he answers to your movements with his own.

There are voices outside, but you don’t care. You undo his pants, and his dick breaks free. You discard your underwear, grunting at the lost of contact, but quickly come back to him.

“So?”, you tease.

“Let me have you already”, he sighs. You’ve caught him unarmed, and he’s ready to surrender. During the hour you are there, nobody interrupts you, but the noise outside is constant. You know he notices because his cock twitches every time. But you can see, at the same time, that he’s having way too much fun.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Reiner’s first round is usually the shortest, because he’s dying to have sex with you. Still, compared to other guys, it’s a long period of time. But once he’s come and breathe a bit, he wants more rounds. And this time, he’ll last much longer because he will be focused on enjoying all you have to offer instead of being overwhelmed with your presence. Reiner, all in all, is a guy with a lot of stamina, and being a warrior only enhances that aspect.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t own toys and he’s reluctant to use them. You might be able to convince him little by little. First, you could introduce him with toys he can use with you… but it will take long and a lot of patience.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

You tease him way more that he does tease you. Instead, he loves to spoil you, and even when he’s edging you, if you plead way too much, he’ll let you come. He’s got a heart of gold deep inside, and he can’t avoid not giving you something you want. Reiner’s just like that, attentive and helpful.

He enjoys teasing you with words, though. And he’ll tease you about every little thing you can think of. Until he finds a certain aspect that particularly irritates you, which he will use to his own benefit. He loves when you seem angry, but can’t resist his advances.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He’s usually silent, releasing a moan here or there. But he will dirty talk a lot, so be ready. He starts with obscene sentences, but he softens and ends up being a flustered mess saying loving words. But the things he says, corny or not, do turn you on.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Modern AU! Reiner is not the kind of guy to send dick pics. However, the first time you were sexting, he sent a video without a warning. You hadn’t even sent each other a picture, so it caught you by surprise. It was incredibly sexy, as he was caressing his dick through his underwear, then taking it out and pumping it up and down. However, it took a few minutes to reach, which were enough to make Reiner paranoid. He started apologizing, until you phoned him and told him to come to your place right away.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Reiner is not the longest, but he’s thick. And when I mean thick, I mean that he has to make an effort to make you wet and ready for him. You love it, because it fills you completely and you can feel every little movement, so the stimulation washes over your whole body. He’s very confident in the way he makes you feel, so he likes his size. It’s also slightly curved upwards and a bit to the right, and his head is bright pink. He has foreskin and there’s a big vein gracing the left side. He’s never really thought about his dick at any level – he hasn’t done that thing of comparing his prick to his friends’ – but he can feel his heart swell with pride when you compliment him and praise him, and when you worship him with your mouth.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

This man always wants sex. Unless he’s really, really sad, in which case he needs a good hug… and it sometimes leads to sex because your body pressed against his own and he can’t control his urges. Fortunately, you’re almost always as needy as him.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Reiner has a lot of troubles falling asleep. You’re more likely to drift off first. He’s always dwelling on something, but he won’t be anxious. Instead, when your asleep right next to him, even if he’s awake, he feels calm and a sense of peace.

[astermacguffin]

I think the recent discussions on how OG Bobby being resurrected in S15 could potentially fix (or at the very least ease) the shitty family dynamics of TFW 2.0 highlights something interesting about the last two seasons.

Remember how AU Bobby encouraged the boys with the "Jack is a monster" mindset? OG Bobby would literally NEVER. AU Bobby you absolute scum you are DUST compared to OG Bobby. (Sidenote: Although one can argue that OG Bobby might think in similar terms given his mentality towards Sam ("He has a darkness within him"???) during the demon blood arc, I would argue that he's less deep into this mindset as Dean. Also, having less history and baggage with Jack would help him see this situation waaaayyyy clearer.)

This of course just reinforces the fact that the Apocalypse World characters are NOT the same as their original counterparts. This then brings me to my next point: Sam and Dean keeps fucking forgetting this fact. This is especially evident in the AU Charlie episodes where she had to repeatedly insist that "I'm not her." I genuinely think that AU Bobby's approval of the "Jack is a monster" mentality was crucial in the conception and execution of the Box plan and, more importantly, Sam's reluctant contribution to the plan.

We can theorize that AU Bobby is part of Chuck's machinations to bring them closer and closer to his vision. And honestly, I kinda prefer this interpretation over the "It was Chuck who controlled them into doing the Box plan" interpretation because the moral blame isn't purely on Chuck alone, which I find very boring. Chuck didn't mind control them into betraying Jack, but instead Chuck placed all the right pieces on the board (Mary's death, AU Bobby's hostility towards Jack, etc.) in order to bring them over the edge.

Anyways. OG Bobby please take Jack and Cas away from that underground cult compound