#and because NOTHING is ever guaranteed a second season

[radiaking]

i think a lot of shows would suck a whole lot less if they stopped trying to squeeze every drop of money out of a concept/show, etc. when they've already finished the story

[hiraethwrote]

sidelines

cw: f!reader, hurt/no comfort, reader gets injured, semi proofread wc: 1.1k

meeting you was a coincidence. falling in love with you was an accident. distancing from you was a choice.

satoru still remembered the flash of heartbreak that washed over your face when he had served you a lie; i think we’re better off as friends.

it would always be carved into his mind — the sharp breath you took to settle yourself, blinking away the shy tears before you had nodded along weakly. “oh, okay.” it had barely been a whisper, but your tone would forever haunt him.

he knew it was for the best, keeping you at arms length no matter how much he hated it.

some part of him had always suspected he might have to sacrifice the experience of true love, and therefore he had never pursued it. the target on his back was just too big to be worth the risk.

nonetheless, you had come into his life like the season’s first fall of snow — unexpected.

and whatever you had done, he had fallen completely in the matter of mere moments, because when you looked at him you had seen satoru… just satoru.

when he was with you, he didn’t need to be the strongest. he wasn’t the heir to the gojo clan. he wasn’t the first sorcerer in centuries born with the six eyes.

no, when he was with you, he was satoru, the guy who hummed quietly when your fingers brushed through his hair. he was satoru, the guy who caused you frustration when he yet again forgot to bring your favourite drink that you had requested, turning in the door as quickly as he has arrived to go get it. he was satoru, the guy who was finally starting to enjoy the quiet normalcy of everyday life.

how naive you had made him.

because he had slowly started to believe that he could take a moment to breath when it came to his responsibilities, simply wallow in the warmth of your natural compassion and affection. he could lean into the soft touch of your hand and for a second forget what rested on his shoulders.

how wrong he had been, when you had accidentally found yourself witness, and also collateral damage, to one of his encounters with curses.

it happened so quickly, he hadn’t even noticed the action itself until he saw your unmoving body on the ground. never had satoru been as scared as he was the moment his eyes landed on you, certain his own heart stopped at the sight.

he quickly exorcised the troubling curses before rushing over to you, kneeling beside your unconscious body. with utmost care, he had swooped you into his arms, holding his breath as he checked for a pulse, not trusting any of his abilities to tell him, needing to physically feel the faint pumping at the side of your neck.

it felt like an entire lifetime passed before he found the soft signs of life, instantly letting out a shaky breath when he could finally confirm with his own flesh that you were still breathing.

with a bruised and bloody hand, he carefully brushed your hair out of your face to reveal a rather severe gash across your forehead.

he breathed your name, waiting to see the reactive, light raise of your eyebrows that happened subconsciously whenever he spoke the sweet tune. but your face stayed completely still, not even a single twitch in your eyelids to indicate you were waking up.

next thing he knew, he was stood in front of shoko with you in his arms, begging her to help you.

“it’s not severe,” shoko tried to reassure him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder while he sat at your bedside. “you can even take her home.”

he’d only nodded in confirmation, not daring to take his eyes off of you. he wanted to be the first thing you saw when your eyes eventually fluttered open — he was not going to miss that moment for anything.

and while he waited, he was deep in thought. churning and chewing on how best to prevent you from ever getting hurt again.

he had been lucky this time, but there was no guarantee it would end as well as it did next time, and he would stop at nothing to ensure your safety. but every idea he came up with ended with the same heartbreaking conclusion.

because the incident had him realise you were his one and only weakness — that meant you would always be in danger.

it was only a matter of time before you would not be his secret anymore. eventually it was bound to be a common fact in the jujutsu world, that there was one way to have the strongest sorcerer at their mercy.

satoru would not be able to live with himself if that was the case.

the safest thing for you was to break your heart — tell you that it wasn’t working. he had just been caught up in the intensity of the honeymoon phase, swept up in the comfort you had provided. which was all true, the lie was saying those feelings had passed.

but he was the strongest — who better to protect you than him? so the earnest preposition of friendship had been his way of being able to keep an eye on you without directly exposing you to the dangers of his world.

now his future was destined to be nothing but torture.

he would eventually see the sparkle in your eye return when you finally got over him. and when that happened, which he knew it would, he waited in despair for the day you would fall in love again.

you would trail your fingers through the hair of a person that wasn’t him. your eyes would stare hearts at a face that wasn’t his. at night, when you were sound asleep, your breathing would move in unison with someone who was not him — but you would be safe, shied away from the world he was forever trapped to serve.

satoru would torture himself for eternity, be a helpless audience in the theatre of your life, watch you indulge in all the happiness life had to offer, if it meant he wouldn’t put you in danger.

after meeting you, satoru had learned he wasn’t really a person meant to love from a distance. the love he had for you was all over him, supposed to be loaded onto the one person it belonged to; you. his devotion for you was so big and all consuming, filling any void he found himself in.

but if it was from the sidelines he would get to see you live — it was in the sidelines he would stay.

a/n sorry

©hiraethwrote 2024 . all rights reserved. reposting, translating and otherwise plagarisim is prohibited

[captn-trex]

a half-hearted escape

Hunter x F!Reader

word count: 3.4k

description: in the heat of the moment, you have a bad idea that would help you evade capture, but you never expected the accidental half-confession it draws from Hunter

warnings: kissing to escape capture trope, swearing, miscommunication kinda? steamy kissing but nothing crazy just some wandering hands, kinda cheesy perhaps

a/n: shamelessly inspired by that new girl season 2 episode (you'll see). this is just a short and sweet one :) because the Fives one I'm writing rn is taking the life out of me lmao. tbh I can't believe this is only my second Hunter fic, I am a Hunter girlie after all. the title makes sense in my heart okay

masterlist | join my taglist

You were running, except there was nowhere else to run to anymore. It was a dead end.

“Fuck” Hunter breathed the word out heavily as he rested his back against the wall in the thin alley, looking this way and that, “What do we do?”

“You give the orders around here, you tell me” you replied in an exasperated huff, earning an unimpressed look.

“Well I'm taking suggestions” he growled, his voice low and irritated as he peered around the corner.

You glanced around the alley. There was really nothing to hide you, only some rubbish scattered about the ground, but leaving would guarantee your capture at this point. A thought entered your head and you let out a short whine at having even let it find it's way in.

“What? You have something?” Hunter asked, turning to find the reason for your sudden vocalisation.

“I have a really bad idea” you said, giving him an almost pained look.

“Well anything is better than nothing” he argued, which only made you laugh humourlessly.

“You're going to take that back in a minute” you told him, and he turned to you fully so you could see his frown.

“What are you—?”

“No time” you said in a panic, noting the patrol of stormtroopers about to pass by, “pick me up”

“What?” he hissed, his expression contorting into one of utter confusion.

“Just do it, quickly” you rolled your eyes and stepped up to him, hoping he'd follow your instruction. He hesitated for a moment, but hooked his hands under your thighs and you jumped into his hold.

“Right, now push me against the wall” you instructed.

“You've got to be kid—”

“Hunter” you snapped at him, “they're coming”

He groaned out of frustration, but obliged, stepping forwards and trapping your body between his and the wall.

“You happy now?” Hunter asked with a scowl, his breath hot as it fanned across your face.

“Ecstatic” you bit back, looking over his shoulder at the incoming stormtroopers. They were looking into every side street that they passed, their blasters held up as they inspected.

You reached up and slipped off Hunter's bandana, ruffling his hair so that it hung over his face. He let out a short grunt and fluttered his eyes closed as you did so.

“Was that really necessary?” he grumbled.

“Shut up” you replied, then wrapped your arms around his neck, hiding your own face as well.

You could hear the chatter of the stormtroopers as they passed by. They seemed not to want to disturb you, and you breathed out a relieved sigh. You continued to listen out for them, but it was hard not to become distracted by the intensity of Hunter's gaze as he opened his eyes and stared directly into yours from only a few inches away.

It struck you that you felt surprisingly comfortable in his arms, as if it were entirely normal to be in this situation.

“I can't believe this” he mumbled out, with a small shake of his head and a little humour in his voice.

“I did say it was a really bad idea” you reminded him, one side if your mouth curling into a small smirk.

Hunter scoffed, “I'm never trusting any of your ideas ever again”

You chuckled breathily, your head dropping forwards so that your forehead gently rested against his. He adjusted his hold on you, his hands gripping the top of your thighs, and you wrapped your legs around his waist to ease the load.

“You—”

“If you say I'm heavy, I swear to the maker I will punch you” you interjected. It wasn't uncommon that Hunter would taunt you, so you were only trying to pre-empt his teasing.

Hunter chuckled, a deep rumble that you could feel with him pressed up against you. “I was actually going to say that you smell good” he corrected in a murmur.

Oh. That certainly wasn't what you were expecting.

“Uh, thanks. I guess” you spoke awkwardly, your eyes flicking away from his.

Despite your uneasy reaction, you actually felt a sense of pride in the comment. Hunter had attuned senses, you knew that, so for him to say such a thing felt more meaningful to you than if anyone else had said the same thing. A strange feeling tugged at you chest and you could feel your face flush at the observation that felt oddly personal.

“Do you think they've passed us?” Hunter asked, and it brought you back to why you were in this situation to begin with.

“Right, uh…” you lifted your head and peered outside of the alley, not seeing any stormtroopers passing by, “Seems like it”

Hunter was about to let you down when you saw a flash of white plastoid come into view.

“Wait” you gripped him tighter, “fuck, they're coming this way”

Hunter huffed, “Well what do we do now?”

Your mind scrambled for something, anything to let you escape capture, and you were surprised by how quickly it brought forth your next bad idea.

“Kiss me”

“Wh—?”

“Just do it. It'll make them uncomfortable”

“Yeah, they won't be the only ones”

You rolled your eyes, “Hunter please, just get on with it”

“No”

“No?”

“No. I'm not doing it”

You cast a glance over his shoulder again and the stormtroopers were practically entering the alley.

“Hunter they're right on top of us, they'll know we're pretending”

“No they won't” He replied firmly, pressing his forehead into yours to hide your faces.

“Hunter just do it, you don't have to make it convincing even”

Hunter chuckled harshly at that, “That's not the problem. I'm just not doing it”

“Hunter, just kiss—”

“No. Not like this”

That gave you pause. The situation at hand completely slipped your mind.

“What?” your voice was small, nowhere near the amount of power it usually had behind it.

It was obvious that Hunter had said something he shouldn't have. His eyes were wide and his mouth hanging open, stuttering, looking for the words to explain himself. He tilted his head to look towards the end of the alley and there were stormtroopers looking in at the two of you. He turned back to you and the look of shock was still present on your face, trying to process what his earlier words truly meant.

“Oh, fuck it”

He latched his lips with yours, gripping the flesh of your thighs even tighter. He kissed you with fervour, and you couldn't tell how much of it was to make the stormtroopers leave you be. He pressed you into the wall further as his mouth worked against yours, lips moulding together in a way that could be interpreted as passionate, if you could sort out in your mind what was real and what wasn't. If he was doing this just to put on a show, you wanted to know what he’d do behind closed doors.

Wait, what?

Since when did you think such things about Hunter?

Any rationality in your thoughts left you when his hand slid up your body and he tugged you even closer, gripping your hip tightly. The other hand wound its way up to your neck, and he traced his thumb across your jawline, drawing a shudder from you.

By now, you were past caring if the kiss was just for show, you were enjoying it too much to pretend anymore. You tugged at the hair at the base of Hunter's scalp, pulling a deep groan from him that allowed you to deepen the kiss, slipping your tongue between his lips. The experience of exploring each other's mouths was intoxicating, the heady feeling somewhat close to that of being under the influence of spice. You couldn't get enough.

By the time you both pulled away, you had to take a moment to come back to your body, your breath falling from you in short pants. You blinked a few times, the haze lifting slowly, and found his grey eyes searching yours, his own breath just as heavy. You were passing air between you, still close enough that you could tilt your head and kiss him again. You almost did, before you remembered exactly why he had even kissed you to begin with.

You tilted your head to the side, resting it against Hunter's as you surveyed the situation.

“I think—” your breath was still heavy, and you had to pause to gather enough to speak, “I think they're gone”

The look on Hunter's face when you turned back to him was positively hurt, his brows drawn together as his lips turned downwards. You wished you could take back your words instantly, though you didn't know exactly what was going on. You'd need more time to figure that out.

Hunter dropped you to the floor, somewhat unceremoniously, and you braced yourself on the wall to stop from falling over. He went to the edge of the alley, glancing around the street that you had escaped from.

“You're right” he coughed out, “they're gone”

The tone of his voice tugged harshly at your heart. He was clearly trying to keep himself together for the sake of the mission, but it was undeniable by the quiver in his voice that he wasn't feeling completely sure of himself.

“Hunter” you called in a soft voice.

“What” he snapped back, his eyes finding yours.

You didn't know why he was suddenly acting like this, though you didn't know how else he was supposed to act after what just transpired. You didn't know how to act yourself.

“Nothing” You replied, shame burning at your cheeks as you looked down, “lead the way”

The journey back to the Marauder was excruciating. Neither of you spoke up, no matter how hard you tried to whip something up in your brain. There was nothing you could find to say that would fix the rift that had so clearly been created between you.

Even after you both climbed the steps of the ship, greetings being thrown at you by the other squad members, Hunter wouldn't look at you.

“Everything went smoothly I take it?” Tech asked, noting how both of you seemed to be unharmed.

The picture in front of Echo was entirely different to what Tech was seeing, apparently. He raised a brow at you when Hunter didn't reply, storming into the cockpit.

“Mhm, more or less” you answered the spectacled clone, then ducked away from Echo's watchful gaze, striding towards the bunks at the back of the ship.

You sat down on your bunk, running your hands through your hair, and that's when you realised you were still gripping tightly onto Hunter’s bandana.

“Kriff” you swore under your breath, standing once more and crossing the short distance to the bunk that belonged to owner of the scrap of fabric. You weren't going to give it back to him yourself, definitely not now.

You placed the red material down onto his pillow, taking a moment to run your thumb across the skull insignia before pulling away.

“Why do you have that?”

You jumped at the voice just behind you, and scowled before you turned around, knowing exactly how this conversation was going to go. Echo was impossible to lie to. He just somehow knew when you were lying, and you hated it.

“Hunter dropped it” you lied poorly, turning your face from the scrutinising honey eyes of your squadmate.

“He… dropped it?” Echo spoke suspiciously, clearly not believing a single word.

“Yep” you replied, dropping down onto your bunk again.

“So it just… fell off his head?” he asked.

You looked up to see his disbelieving look, a scoff naturally passing your lips.

“I'm not in the mood for this right now” you grumbled, which only made Echo's lips curve into a smirk, “and wipe that look off of your face”

“What look?” Echo questioned, his smirk only widening.

You rolled your eyes and laid down on your bunk, turning away from the infuriating clone. You heard him chuckle before the scuff of his boots against the floor signified his leaving, and you let out a long breath.

Your thoughts all muddled together with uncertainty. You hoped to bridge the gap between you and Hunter, but what if you couldn't? What if your stupid idea had done something irreparable?

The next few days were tense.

Everyone knew something had occurred between you and the Sergeant, but neither one of you would speak about it to the others, much less to each other.

It was agony. You found yourself sitting at the bar in Cid's parlour, watching him sulk across the room. You wanted to reach out, extend the olive branch, but you had no idea what to even say.

Sorry for holding you against your will and making you kiss me? Or I'm sorry I made you believe I actually had feelings for you?

You didn't know which was the correct sentiment, and you had been driving yourself mad trying to decipher his slip up from before you kissed. The words bounced around your brain, taunting you. Not like this. What did it mean?

Even more distressingly, it wasn't even the case that you had pretended to have feeling for him, not anymore at least.

You had always found Hunter attractive, how could you not after all, but this was uncharted territory. You never expected to actually feel anything for him in this sort of way. A sense of closeness, yes. A deep respect, definitely. But this — this ache in your chest as you looked upon his displeased expression — was something entirely new. It made you feel sick.

“Hey hot shot! Bandana! Get in here” the grating call came from Cid’s office, and you ground your teeth at the irritating nickname.

You slipped from your seat at the bar, glancing over in Hunter's direction. He stayed seated, twirling his vibroblade between his fingers and watching you walk across the room. Your gaze fell to his fingers flipping the knife about, and you had to pull your eyes away when your mind brought forth how enticing you found it.

“What is it?” you spoke harshly as you entered the office, little patience for the Trandoshan sat behind the desk.

“That's no way to talk to your employer” Cid chided as she stood from her seat, making her way around the desk to stand in front of you. You had to look down to meet her eyes, and it gave you a small bit of satisfaction. At least you could say you looked down on her, even if she was a pain in your ass.

“What is this about?” a gruff voice spoke up, and you eyes followed Hunter as he walked into the room and stood beside you at the desk.

Cid rolled her eyes, “You two are a right pair” she muttered as she walked towards the door, “I don't know what your problem is, but you two need to figure it out, because your foul attitudes are bringing down the mood around here”

You glanced up at Hunter, noting his grinding jaw and narrowed eyes.

“I'd rather n—”

“It wasn't a request, bandana” Cid held her hand up to stop him and stepped out of her office, “Now, please, get over yourselves and figure this out. Just don't do anything on my desk and you'll still be employed after this is over”

“After wha—?”

You question was answered when Cid pressed a button on the control panel and closed the door. You heard the lock engage, and cringed at the implication. You were locked in here with Hunter. The one person you were both avoiding and actively seeking attention from.

Hunter grumbled and strode over to the door, repeatedly prodding at the open button on the panel, with nothing to show for it.

You sighed, “There's no point”

Hunter turned to look at you, leaning his back against the door and crossing his arms across his chest. He looked at you down his nose, as if in disgust, and you couldn't help but feel small.

“We should probably talk… right?” you offered, and he grunted in reply.

“I'm listening”

You had been banking on him having something to say, but that was foolish of you. Of course he wasn't going to make it easy. Unfortunately, you didn't have anything to say either, so you just stood watching each other for a moment.

“Um, I—” you gulped, “I'm sorry?”

Hunter laughed, an unamused sound that made your stomach turn.

“What exactly are you sorry for?” he raised his eyebrows at you expectantly.

“Well I, uh…” your shoulders sagged, your posture defeated, “I don't know”

“Hm” he tilted his head a little as he looked down at you, “then I suppose your apology isn't accepted”

You huffed, giving him a frown, “come on man, give me something to work with here”

“What's that supposed to mean?” he asked, his face adorning it's own frown.

“What does ‘not like this’ mean?” you rebutted, your tone holding an exasperation.

Hunter pressed his mouth into a hard line as he looked away from you, “that's none of your business”

“I think its exactly my business actually,” you moved forwards, stepping into his space, “and I want to know”

He gave you a dubious look, his voice low, “why?”

“Because,” you rolled your eyes, “believe it or not, it matters what you think of me”

Hunter went to speak, then paused, a deep breath escaping him, “I think you know what it means”

You pressed your lips together, irritated that he couldn't just come out and say it, “Then… why won't you talk to me?”

“Because there's nothing to say” he looked away, and you could see his cheeks tinge pink, “can we just forget that it happened and move on?”

His obvious embarrassment almost made you laugh.

“And what if I don't want to?”

That got his attention.

“What?” he asked, his voice careful, measured, making sure he understood you.

“I don't want to forget that it happened” you reiterated.

“Why?”

You shook your head slightly. When was this man going to get the memo. A smile pulled at your lips and you stepped right in front of him.

“Because, Hunter…” your smile turned to a smirk, “maybe I want it to happen again”

Hunter's eyebrows raised as he looked down at you, and he pushed off of the door, uncrossing his arms and finally taking down his physical and mental barriers.

“You do?”

“Mhm” you replied in a lilting hum.

He didn't need to be told twice.

Hunter grabbed you by the hips, pulling your body flush against his, and his lips found yours shortly thereafter. He kissed you with a passion to rival that of the first one, but this time you knew it was real, that he really meant it. You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, his change in attitude since your confession amusing you.

“Something funny?” he mumbled against you, not giving you a chance to answer before his lips were on yours again, pushing you backwards so your body hit the desk.

“Just you” you replied, a chuckle bubbling up and out of you as he huffed.

His lips trailed kisses along your jaw as he leaned down, his hands hooking underneath your thighs and lifting you easily to sit atop the desk. A small squeak left your lips at the unexpected action, and you could feel Hunter smirk against your neck as he parted your legs further and came to stand in between them. His nose brushed against a sensitive spot just behind your ear, and a shiver ran up your spine, a small gasp escaping your lips.

“Fuck, you smell so good” he mumbled between kisses to your collarbone, and the breathless tone and sentiment sent an unexpected thrill through you. You gently scraped your fingernails down the back of his neck, earning a groan in return, and he brought his lips back up to yours in a hurry.

You couldn’t get enough, and you would’ve taken more, had you not been so rudely interrupted.

“I said not to do anything on my desk!”

taglist: @darthnihila @cdblake1565

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Based on what you know about TV writing, how much of the show do you think they actually had planned when season 1 was airing?

It's really hard to say because season one sets up almost nothing and has a lot of elements that just disappear. That could mean that nothing was planned or it could mean that the writers failed at the challenge of sticking to their formula while also setting up the world they wanted to expand on later if they ever got the chance. The fact that season one had so many writers working solo (I think the official number was 19?) plus this interview make me feel like it may have been the later case, but it's hard to be sure:

So [the writing director] sold the Miraculous series to broadcasters as a formula show. A person gets angry, is akumatized, then Marinette transforms into Ladybug then frees the person from the akumatization and… The End. It's also for this reason that Marinette tries to confess her love for Adrien in every episode, but is unable to do so. But he tried to go against what he had planned with TF1, by slipping little extra stories into certain episodes. Audiences were receptive to these slightly hidden stories. The TV channel even asked [the writing director] if there really were hidden things in the series, but he denied everything. Thanks to the positive reception from the public, TF1 agreed to develop the characters of Marinette and Adrien and flesh out the universe a little more.

Miraculous is bad, but the reasons why it's bad are likely somewhat complex and don't belong to any single person. That's why it's so interesting to me.

We see in the above quote that season one had the writers trying to give the show a wider plot, but they had to straight up lie that they were doing that in order to sell the show. I have mixed feelings about this, but I can almost guarantee you that the writing director only admitted to this because it worked out to some extent and they kind of got their way. But they didn't totally get their way because Miraculous is still a formula show. That's why the writers will insist that everything can be watched in any order. If they said anything else, that would possibly have massive, negative reproductions since they sold the show as an episodic formula show.

Did that issue plague the series, keeping the writers from telling the story they wanted to tell in a coherent fashion? Maybe! That could 100% be why major story elements feel like last minute retcons. But those elements could also just be last minute retcons. It's hard to know for sure. The best I can do is tell you how it reads to me, which is 100% last minute retcon, but if the truth ends up being that the writers were just so desperate to tell this big story so they decided telling it badly was better than not telling it? I wouldn't be stunned. I'd just be even more judgmental because this is their job. I'm way more sympathetic to "they keep giving us more season so we have to keep making shit up because we don't have enough content for this many seasons" than I am to, "we knew we couldn't do this well, but we did it anyway instead of focusing on things that work well in the format we promised our investors."

The first is just so freaking common and is why I rarely get excited by series renewals for shows that already have several seasons. The second just seems arrogant, but I'm on the outside looking in. It's always possible that the full story would make me way more sympathetic. It's why I try to avoid being too focused on the writers and focus more on the "art" unto itself.

[erosia-rhodes]

Don't leave your best ideas for later

The “Good Omens” season three renewal mess is a great reminder of a simple rule: do not leave your best ideas for next season.

It’s been at least a year since I watched season two of “Good Omens” and here’s what I remember most clearly (spoilers, obviously):

Gabriel loses his memory and hooks up with Beelzebub.

Aziraphale accepts a job to rule heaven.

Crowley kisses Aziraphale and they basically break up.

That’s it. That’s what I remember.

I vaguely recall subplots about two shop owners falling in love, flashbacks to a Victorian cemetery, zombies in WWII, and Aziraphale holding a dance at his bookshop, but none of that stuck with me even if those bits were fairly amusing at the time. If I were given a choice between those dalliances or a couple more hours of season three, I would reallocate that time to season three, and I think most fans would too. I doubt it would be hard for a fan to edit season two down to 2-3 hours without cutting anything essential.

Of the three things I do remember well, the most interesting idea was Aziraphale taking over heaven. That’s what season two should have been about!!! Will Aziraphale be able to make a significant impact upstairs? Will the job corrupt him? Will the challenges make him realize his side isn’t as “good” as he thinks? Will he come into direct conflict with Crowley? Will he quit or get fired or stay or choose to fall to be with Crowley? And what’s up with the whole second coming? This sounds fascinating and we did not need six episodes to set it up!

Instead, most of season two was spent trying to figure out why Gabriel lost his memory, and even though John Hamm is delightful, Gabriel is a tool and I never cared if he got his memory back. That whole story arc could have been wrapped up in two episodes and led us into Aziraphale taking over heaven in episode three, leaving plenty of time for more interesting plot.

Season two did not feel like a complete story. It felt like the first third of a tale that stopped when it got most interesting. It was risky to assume they’d get a season three to complete the story because streamers cancel shows all the time and nothing is ever guaranteed. Even after a show is made, sometimes the networks decide not to air them like what happened with “The Spiderwick Chronicles” which had to hunt for a new home.

So please, do not wait to explore your most interesting concept! Do not assume there will be a next season! Tell a complete story during the season even if that story is also part of a larger series-long one. As much as I hate that we’re only getting a 90-minute movie that will rush to wrap things up, the show brought this upon itself. Aziraphale and Crowley deserved better and so did we!

[colekinnie-4life]

I’m upset so I’m gonna rant for a while

You guys need to know that Cole is my favorite character in Ninjago. He’s funny, can be relatable at some times, and is probably the nicest person on the show

My only problem with being a Cole fan is that we don’t really get much from him if that makes sense

Like in season one the only things that happen to him is he gets hypnotized by the serpentine and he comes out to his dad for being a ninja

Season 2 he does the exact same thing as everyone else. Sure he’s the first one (besides Nya) to turn evil but that’s for 3 seconds of screen time and it gets reversed

To be fair though it’s the same with Jay and Zane (I mean some people believe that Zane was just an animation error but I like to believe he turned evil tbh)

Season 3 had the stupid-ass love triangle that I will not be talking about because this already long-ass rant will become a fucking essay

Season 4 he was the first ninja to get kicked out of the tournament. Do you guys sense a pattern?

It feels like he’s always the last one picked for stuff. He’s the first one to turn evil, or to get kicked off the team. Or he’s shoved into an awkward love triangle where he doesn’t even like the girl in question.

What I’m trying to say is that he’s always the afterthought of the earlier seasons

In season 5 they kill him off

I guarantee this is because they didn’t know what else to do with him

Kai had the thing with Lloyd. Jay and Zane had that funny bit where Zane’s voice box broke and Jay couldn’t fix it right. Nya was training to be the water ninja. Lloyd was the villain of the season (technically not but who cares)

What does Cole get to do?

Oh yeah!

He fucking dies

Season 6 he does nothing except find out he can turn invisible and fly, only to end up only using the invisibility powers only once and then they’re never mentioned again

He gets stranded on the island with Nya and Lloyd and has that really awkward sexist line

“I dunno, because it takes a lot of paint to make em look good?” 💀

Then he gets kicked out of the plot while it focuses on Jay (not complaining, I love this season and the characterization of Jay),until he gets sucked into the soul sword. He gets out of the sword, then fucking dies again

He cries at Nya’s death and then time is reversed and he has one extra line that’s canon during this whole season

Day of the Departed

Lord have mercy

It’s supposed to be based around him. And the writers fucked that up.

The whole point of this special was to be centered around Cole, and they make it about the other ninja because he’s an afterthought

But whatever. He defeats the bad guy through the power of friendship after being chained up the whole 40 minutes and then turns back into a human with the coolest scar ever

Season 7, the only thing noteworthy is that this is the only season he has his scar be shown when he’s not using his powers. Besides that, he does absolutely nothing except for shout out Kai’s name when he gets sucked into the portal (fruity ass)

Season 8 is where he finally does something plot relevant instead of fucking dying or turning evil

He becomes a dad for baby Wu and that’s his role throughout most the season, besides being kidnapped after singing worse than my dad in the shower

Season 9. I don’t care that people call it a “Wu season”. This could be classified as a Cole season with how much stuff he gets to do. He’s still Wu’s adoptive dad, he’s the main guy who comes up with the plans, and he’s Rocky Dangerbuff, making this season 100% a Cole season/j

Season 10…

This is where my main argument comes back

Cole got too much stuff to do in seasons 8-9, so what do the writers do?

Why they yeet him off the destiny’s bounty of course!

This is my problem. The writers barely give him anything to do. He finally gets a few seasons where he’s able to be more than just a mannequin, and he gets kicked off the boat

Of course he survives this, because we can’t kill off a main character, we’ve got legos to sell!

(Even though they do this with Zane a million times but that’s a conversation for another day)

And even after that amazing scene where Cole falls off, there’s no reunion between the ninja. They’re just happy he’s alive, thrown his scythe, and after the tornado of friendship, Lloyd fucking dies and it’s focused on him again

Ughhhhhh

I love you Lloyd but the writers are so fucking obsessed with you

Give my boy Cole some more love dammit

Anyways I need to go to bed so I’ll leave it here for now, gonna pick it up tomorrow (I’m nowhere near done)

Just remember this until I return

Cole deserves better than being the guy who turns evil, dies, or is just thrown out of the plot entirely so it can focus on Lloyd

[violetswritingg]

Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters, slight age gap (5 years))

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

3

May, 2024

Oklahoma

There was something about Oklahoma during storm season, the smell in the air, like the promise death and destruction but wrapped up in the sweet scent of rain. A spring in Tornado Alley was never gonna be a peaceful one and no one knew that better that two groups of people, the people who lived there and the people who were stupid enough to chase the storms.

Riley St. James had unintentionally fallen into the second category. She blamed her genetics. Having someone like Jo Harding and her dad in her life all but guaranteed she would end up here. The rest stop they had decided to stop to gas up at apparently had been a popular choice. Other teams, all varying levels of profession, camped out just waiting for a storm. Some faces she recognized others she didn't. There were a lot more new faces than before, for a multitude of reasons she didn't want to think about.

She was one of them, she had to admit that, her celebrity in the community and among the middle of America was pretty strong. She hated it.

"Hey! Everything okay? What's it looking like out there?" Sarah Mitchell, Riley's research partner and best friend asked, sidling up next to the blonde. "I wish I could see what you see, it's kind of freaky."

"I wish I couldn't." Riley chuckled, "If you want I can give it to ya."

"Nah, it's what makes you, you. I could never take that from ya, love ya too much." Sarah joked as she threw her arm around Riley's shoulder, pulling the girl into her side and off balance. "Besides I don't think anyone would be able to handle just how awesome I would be if I had my brains and your instincts. I would be unstoppable."

"So humble."

"I try to be, it's not easy. I'll tell ya that."

"I bet."

"But really, what's it looking like out there right now?" Sarah sobered up a bit and they both went into work mode. Talking about the cells forming in the west and the lone wolf to the east.

"Look, the one to the east isn't going to produce anything. It's just not. The cap is way too strong. I've seen it happen a million times, you get close, it's about to touch down but there's not enough updraft for it to touch down and it just poofs out of existence. Trust me. Not worth our time."

"So, we go west then."

"You bet'cha." Riley grinned, passing off her tablet to a passing undergrad with a thanks and looking over just in time to see Javi roll up, a blonde woman in his front seat. "I really wish they weren't here. We're gonna be battling it out that's for sure. Why is nothing ever easy?"

"Because then life wouldn't be worth living." Sarah shrugged with a bright grin, looking down at Riley and laughed at the blonde as she groaned and flopped her head onto the slightly taller woman's shoulder.

"But why does it have to be so hard then? Shouldn't there be like an easy mode or somethin'?" Riley kept going and Sarah was more than happy to play along.

"I don't think it works like that unfortunately. Heads up." Sarah stood up straighter and made herself look busy with Dororthy.

"Is that-" A soft voice started, startled as Riley turned and locked eyes with another blonde woman. Her drown doe eyes wide as they locked onto Dorothy.

"Dorothy 6, had her since I was 18, a present from my aunt for my first official chase as an adult." Riley grinned a bit, "I haven't seen you around here, what's your name?"

"Kate. Your aunt?"

"Jo Harding. Riley St. James. Nice to meet you Kate," Riley looked to Javi with a strange look, at least to Kate, "You enjoying your time with Storm Par?"

Kate was taken aback and left reeling.

"I've read all of your papers." Kate blurted, eyes going wide, her cheeks heating up. Looking at Riely like she was some kind of unearthly being. Like Riley was better than her and while Riley had gotten used to the admiration and awe people would usually hold in their eyes this was different. She shifted a bit and rolled her shoulders back.

"Thanks. Did you like them?"

"Most of them were crazy, in a good way," Kate quickly corrected, holding out a hand in front of her palm up to clear the air of any miscommunication, "I mean you must have gotten a couple grants, at least, big ones."

"I did. Thankfully the money hasn't run out just yet, even though it looks worse for wear Dorothy here is a trooper. So is the Warlock."

"I believe it, aren't the doors alone like-"

"800 pounds each, we have to use the hydraulics system to get them open." Riley chuckled, "Thankfully that's never gone out, not yet anyway."

"Don't speak that into existence! Why would you say that?!" Sarah snapped, slapping Riley's shoulder, the blonde feigning injury and laughing when Sarah glared. "Seriously not funny! You think I wanna suffocate int there when the air runs out?"

"Sorry, sorry, I take it back."

"Thank you." Sarah huffed and crossed her arms, looking much younger than her real age at this moment.

"Sorry about her, she used to be a theatre major before meteorology corrupted her." Riley waved her hand and Sarah balked with an offended look and put a hand on her chest.

"I'll have you know, I was a theatre major with a creative writing minor... Get it right, and you call yourself my best friend, for shame." Sarah just shook her head, disappointment painted across every feature until it slips just a bit and she starts to laugh and Riley starts to laugh, but then they both went shock still and stood up straight. Clearing their throats and Kate looked to Javi, the man looking back to her with a winced smile.

"Look Riley, I just wanted to introduce you to Kate, she's the smartest person I know other than you. And I thought you two might hit it off, work well together." Javi explained with a hopeful smile, as if she wasn't here with the Warlock and a small army of underpaid and definitely overworked undergrads who couldn't be happier to be here.

"I already told you no Javi, and if you can't tell, I kind of already have my own team. Can't exactly leave them without their fearless leader. Sarah wouldn't be able to handle all the pressure on her own. They need me." Riley shrugged, as if to say, 'nothing I could do.'

"Yes, yes we do." Sarah agreed, moving shoulder to shoulder with Riley and nodding.

"And the only person I work for Javi, is me." Kate was very confused with the look shared between Javi and Riley that held a thousand words all while giving nothing away.

"What are you working on right now?" Kate blurted out, quickly raising a hand to her mouth and apologizing under her breath. Riley just looked at her with an unreadable look, and Kate started to shift awkwardly.

"Unfortunately I can't tell you that, but keep your eyes peeled." Riley winked and Kate's cheeks turned a shade pinker, knowing how silly she looked. Probably like every other fangirl. It was embarrassing. She had always wanted to meet the Riley St. James, pick her brain, ask her a million questions. She's seen more tornadoes in person than probably anyone else alive right now and lived through an F5. Like her. and kept chasing, kept fighting.

The conversation was interrupted by music blaring.

Ain't no love in Oklahoma....

The red truck made Riley freeze, Sarah shooting her a questioning glance before looking back to the truck, more specifically to the mad standing on the raised ledge of the driver's side door. Leading the group in a very familiar chant.

"What was that?! If ya feel it!"

"Chase it!" The crowd roared back and then cheered when her held up his fist in celebration. Shirts had begun to be sold, other merch items and Riley wanted to smile. But the feeling in her stomach, seeing Tyler be so Tyler. In the year she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him, he had not changed a bit. It was comforting in a way. A constant she didn't know she needed in her life until he wasn't there.

It felt like there was a bull standing on her chest. Watching him smile and autograph literally anything. She had pre-done that, and left two very trustworthy undergrad manning the table where all of that was held. Last she checked they were already sold out of the signed t-shirts she had done.

"Who are they?" Kate asked, leaning into her hip and crossing her arms over her chest. Watching the spectacle in fascination.

"Chasers out of Arkansas." Javi answered while Riley couldn't take her eyes off the blonde man going through the dog and pony show for his audience. He always had been a crowd pleaser. Knew how to work a crowd.

"Hillbillies with a YouTube channel." Sarah scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Takes one to know one." Riley smirked, doing her best to fight her demons privately.

"You know if you weren't my best friend and boss, I would so smack you right now." Sarah huffs and Riley's smirk grew into a small grin. One of the few that met her eyes. The dark cloud receding just a bit. "I'm just saying. That whole rig and he doesn't even use it to conduct research. What a waste." Sarah buckled down, tossing an arm in the tornado wrangler's direction. One of the undergrads she had working for her motioned Riley over to Dorothy and she frowned. Laying a hand on Sarah's wrist, looking to Kate and Javi, grin still in place, but it was a little dimmer.

"Okay, it was great to meet you Kate. Javi. If you'll excuse us, we're on the clock." She pulled Sarah with her as Javi called her name. She ignored him and took the tablet from the intern reading the information on the screen and sighing. Looking up at the sky while listening to him explain the readings Dorothy was giving were a little weird and they should probably look at the software.

"Sarah, that's you. Grab Isaac and John, work it out in the next fifteen minutes." Her eyes stayed transfixed where they were as she handed the tablet to Sarah, "We've gotta get moving. Daniel last check on the barrels, don't make it obvious, you know the drill. And tell Jenney she needs to do the final checks in the van before we head out."

"You got it boss." Daniel nodded and took off. Riley sighed and laid a hand on Dorothy.

"Don't give up on me yet girl. Just a couple more, and then we can retire you. I promise."

"I thought I told you just because you talk to it like it's real doesn't mean it is." Sarah looked up from the tablet slightly. Looking at Riley through her lashes before focusing on the numbers on the screen again.

Riley licked her lips before clicking her tongue, "And I thought I told you to go get Isaac and John to crunch the number and figure out what was wrong with our lovely Dorothy here. Don't worry Dorothy, Sarah is gonna go work with the very smart undergrads we have with us and make you all better, okay?" Riley baby talked the piece of technology before looking to Sarah with feign innocence. Batting her eyelashes behind her aviators, Sarah couldn't see it because of how dark the lenses were, but she knew, "We're running out of time, tick tock."

Sarah just chuckled and shook her head, doing as told but before fully leaving. She turned over her shoulder and whisper-shouted, "You know if I weren't mad at you right now, I would warn you about the hunky cowboy storm chaser coming over here right now like a man on a mission. But I am, so I won't." With that she turns on her heel and all but sprints to the van that held all their monitors and receivers. Being constantly monitored by three of the undergrads.

Riley doesn't need to look back to hear the click of his boots, the same ones he's worn since she got them for him on their six-month anniversary. The slight jingle of the spurs giving them away. She wasn't dealing with this right now. She looked around, purposefully not in Tyler's approaching position, looking for an escape. Seeing Kate standing off to the side, watching the woman crouch down to pick a dandelion.

Riley's head tilted to the side and a soft grin came across her lips as she took off.

"Rile-" Tyler's voice was taken by the wind as she was too far by the time he got to where she used to be.

"My dad taught me to do that. All the tech is nice but uh, sometimes the old ways are just better ya know?" Riley shrugged, the older woman still looking at her like she was a god among men. She would take the ego boost, but it was a little much. "Compare wind direction versus cloud movement. Get a feel for the sheer. Where are you from?"

"New York."

Riley took in her answer for a second, pulled down her aviators to the tip of her nose and looked at Kate up and down. The older woman shocked to see startingly blue eyes, brighter blue than what she thought was natural.

"New York, huh? Long way from home." Riley pulled her glasses back up and crossed her arms over her chest. Settling into her hip.

"Yep." Kate was internally screaming, telling herself to say anything, something intelligent maybe? Hopefully.

"What do you see?" Riley nodded to the sky. The darker blonde taking a couple steps forward, leaving Kate to watch her back. White, high collared tank top giving way to toned arms and shoulders hit heavy with sun. Stray hairs curling at the nape of her neck out of her ponytail, the tied-up strands getting shifted by the wind. Kate swallowed hard and took a breath before meeting Riley where she was at.

"Two cells in the west. One in the East which on radar has better numbers and has the sky all to herself and good shear. Plenty of instability." Kate held her breath, looking at Riley out of the corner of her eye, waiting.

"Nice. I saw that too, but..." Riley lolled her head to the side before turning to look to Kate, hands on her hips.

"Cap is way-"

"-Too strong. I agree." Riley finished and smirked when Kate smiled at her. A light shining way back there in the depth. "You're good." The veteran chaser whistled, laughing when Kate looked down at her feet, rocking back on her heels. "What made you stop?"

Kate's head snapped up and she froze.

"You avoiding me Riley? I'll admit, that kinda hurt my feelings." Riley, on instinct turned around. Big mistake. Tyler Owens was right there in front of her, seston hat her dad had gotten him for a birthday of his, anniversary boots, million-watt smile as he squinted in the sun down at her. 

~~*~~

A/N: Hello! I wanted to give you guys some chapters to read with this one, I know it's still in theaters and I have now seen it three times, will probably need to see it another three to finish what I have planned for this bad boy. SO, hold your caps, it's gonna be a wild ride. 

And I will get the chapters out as quickly as I can, I promise! (I wish I could put like a thumbs up emoji here - but I can't it lowkey makes me sad) 

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hello, I was wondering if you had any angst and fluff scisaac fanfics that are more then 5,000 words. Any with smut included is fine

@kevaaronday made this list for us!

Because I Trust You by sunmoontruth

(77/77 |  575,650 | Teen | MCD | Scisaac) It’s such a simple phrase, but it means everything. All Isaac has ever wanted is to be trusted, and he is. Scott trusts him. Though, looking at him now, Isaac knows there’s something Scott’s not telling him.

It isn’t just trust. It’s more than that.

“You trust me?” Isaac asks. His voice is soft, almost teasing. The pieces are coming together now. Isaac is starting to get it.

—

A retelling of the Teen Wolf series where Isaac doesn't leave. Spans from season 3A to season 6B.

Destiny Is A Tricky Thing by GeekLover (6/6 | 24,546 | Teen | Scisaac) When Scott and Isaac meet they form an instant connection, but the timing just isn't right. Years later they can't forget the night they spent together. Will destiny get out of their way and let them find their way back to each other? Sometimes you have to give destiny a little push.

And the Reason Is You by Mesita (3/3 | 20,884 | Teen | Scissac) 'In which Isaac is a teenage gravedigger with a shitty, unfair life and Scott is the ghost who decides to follow him home one day.'

Mi Único by Flukas (6/6 | 17,154 | Teen | Scisaac) Scott's family was cursed generations ago, and since then, they've each suffered from la llamada, a calling that reveals their único amor in a (quite literal) shocking burst of emotion. Almost everyone he'd ever heard of finding their único did so before they were 21 years old. Here Scott was, a 27 year old veterinarian, and he still had not heard la llamada or suffered from the rumored maldición. He was losing hope that there was someone out there that he could love the way his abuelita loved his abuelo—the way his mother tried to love his father.

A last minute appointment with a sad puppy and his equally sad owner changes things. Unfortunately for Scott, not all romances are guaranteed, and not even all únicos return the love they are given. He'd known that since the day his father left and never looked back.

He hoped desperately that his único Isaac was nothing like his father.

What’s Hidden From Me by Wolfheart (1/1 | 14,512 | Teen | Scisaac) There was a look here, a touch there. This had been going on for weeks. It really shouldn't have taken Scott this long to notice what was happening between him and Isaac. Unfortunately, it took Scott even longer to realize what it meant.

invisible string by empirestrikesback (1/1 | 8,924 | Mature | Scisaac) When your soulmate gets a tattoo, the same one appears on your skin. And Scott McCall fears that they don't have one.

Mochas, Coronas and Tequila by bewarethesmirk (1/1 | 6,797 | Explicit | Scisaac) Isaac is a loner, down-on-his-luck barista. Then Scott bustles in, with his puppy dog eyes and penchant for mochas, and he and Isaac become buddies. As these things go, Isaac wants more.

The Simple Things by Misstrickster (2/2 | 6,630 | Not Rated | MCD | Scisaac) Isaac gets into a car accident and ends up in the hospital. Where he ends up meeting Scott a fellow patient with crooked smile.

Blue Neighborhood by LovelyLuna (1/1 | 5,461 | Mature | Scisaac) Isaac lives with his abusive father and his life is in shambles. The only thing that ever makes it any better is Scott.

lost (in the thrill of it all) by orphan_account (1/1 | 5,029 | Gen | Scisaac) "Why are you being such a sourwolf, Scott?" Stiles shrieks, directly into Scott's ear. He winces. "What's wrong?"

Scott looked at his drink, his flat beer looking more and more unappealing by the second. "Nothing, Stiles. Nothing wrong at all."

"Liar." Malia flicks him. "Heartbeat." 

Stiles makes an affronted look- or attempts to, in all his drunken glory- and it's enough to make Scott chuckle lowly. "Scott! No lying! No secrets between best friends!" 

Scott's laugh dies away, and he bites his lip thoughtfully. 

"I think-" His throat closes up a bit, and he looks aat his toes. "I think I'm going to go to France." -

alternatively, tracking down isaac, like most things in scott's life, is extremely difficult.

[pocima]

My seasonal music highlights: spring 2024 🦋

Welcome back to my silly little songs of the season reviews, you can check out this winter’s installment here ⭐️ one fave song per artist, no particular order, there will be a mini review section and trust I loved these songs as well, just couldn’t yap as much about them, you know the drill. GIF source: Supernova by aespa.

*: Full album review guaranteed to be presented in my year-end favorite project list

☾ Adulter8 - Sega Bodega*

Father… you have raised the bar yet again. Sega Bodega’s new album Dennis was by far my most anticipated project of the year, which unquestionably delivered the excellence I was expecting and more. I was so captivated by Adulter8’s intricacies that I couldn’t help but play it at least 92 times within first week of the album’s release. What starts off with an 8-bit-like sequence escalates into one majestic pre-chorus and afterwards the best beat drop I’ve ever heard in my life. The lyrics are a result of a thesaurus browse, simply the distorted “dilute, adulterate, diminish, reduce me to nothing, seduce”, effortlessly accompanying the elaborate Arabic-influenced instrumentals. Those beat drops though… especially the first one… that build-up… calling that “top-notch” would be insulting. I felt like my soul left my body for a split second when I was first listening to it at 12AM. I cannot even attempt to comment on the greatness of that singular drop. The song is overall just incredible and addictive, and will most likely end up as my favorite song of the entire year. I don’t even feel the need to comment on more for now because come on, this is Sega Bodega, this is off of Dennis, this is Adulter8. If you get it, you get it.

☾ Mine - aespa

The looooooong anticipated release day of Armageddon the album was a national holiday for Synkcity. We’re seeing such bright times after all these hate trains, mismanagement from SM, the sabotage from rival companies coming to light and what-the-hell-not, honestly. After nearly three whole years and three EPs, aespa finally present their full-length debut. Needless to say, singles Supernova and Armageddon are top-notch, continuing aespa’s all-smash title track streak. However, there was an album delight that blew my damn mind, and it was Mine. Hearing the first chorus in the highlight medley was enough to keep in mind that the track would be one of the best b-sides of the album, but I regretfully have to admit I didn’t think it would be one of aespa’s biggest guns as a whole. My jaw fell harder with every. second. of this. song. Karina and Ningning’s breathy, sassy, forceful, majestic raps kickstart the track along with tambourines that feel like digital diamonds jingling up in front of you. Winter comes through with the earth-shattering second half of the prechorus, and Giselle kills it by spitting one of her most plate-shifting rap verses. A major reason why Mine is my personal favorite off of the album is because how much everyone shines in their own right. Winter and Ningning are back at being one of 4th gen’s iconic vocal duos (as well as their pleasing rap lines), Giselle retrieves her well-deserved main rapper position (SM you can still catch it), and Karina effortlessly wraps both the vocal and rap roles around her fingers as she always does. That bridge? That bridge is disgusting even for four of the bridge architects of K-pop. The girls absolutely outdid themselves on this. The instrumental track may be less maximalist than the title tracks’ or, say, Set The Tone’s, but oh boy are they vehement and so hypnotic. The drums, the synths, especially the ones in the last chorus… it all forms together to make the song nastier and nastier as it progresses. Everyone involved in this walked into the studio with a mission to change the trajectory of music. I’m afraid I’m in this MY lifestyle for long. aespa truly are unsteppable.

☾ Fácil - Empress Of*

For Your Consideration promoted Empress Of into my new favorite indie popstar, and Fácil is my chosen earworm off of it. Every song on the album is so sultry and charismatic, and Fácil has this distinguishing sharpness in its sound, courtesy of umru, to top it off. Empress Of’s ear for memorable melodies and catchy lyrics especially come in clutch here, with casual melodic beatboxing in the background and the looping “tócame aquí, tócame ya, ya, ya, ya”. The self-made hisses and snares go hand in hand with umru’s signature punchy splices. Multiple layers of vocals linger in the entire track, from panting and breathing to sensually delivered lines in the higher range. The bit I’m gonna point out next is more self-indulgent (and I’ve pointed it out on my page previously lol) but nevertheless, I felt like the casual bravado and the combined danceability and grit of the track was akin to candy bOmb by OnlyOneOf, and the more good music with similar vibes, the merrier. Can’t get enough of either.

☾ Hypertonic - TAN (+ my Soda origin story 😙)

TAN have proven themselves to be masters of old gen K-pop revivalism since they came out the gate with their 2022 debut Du Du Du. The group first came to my attention with Walking On The Moon and later in 2023 with the hit Fix You, which went multi-platinum on my personal devices. For some strange reason, I still didn’t fully open my eyes and get into them despite their almost unmatched title tracks. That is until they released the first-day diamond-certified Hypertonic. Hypertonic, as a song, is pretty much everything I could ask for from a new gen pop boyband: in-your-face electronic production, intriguing composition, high-powered vocals and raps, and a full song structure, despite the track duration falling slightly below 3 minutes. The gritty synth heavy instrumentals are robotic and over the top in the best way possible, giving you the feeling that they’re straight out of 2000-10s Japanese EDM archives. The verses, chorus, rap and bridge hit all the right spots, going with the instrumentals instead of being overshadowed by them or vice versa. The high notes in the bridge and outro couldn’t have topped off the track’s overflowing energy any better. Now, I wanna bring up how I was particularly taken over by the first half of the second verse. I mean it when I say “taken over” because I was so obsessed with that particular member’s flawless line delivery that I was scrambling to learn their names. The particular member turned out to be their main vocalist Jooan, and it all made sense because he was behind the perfect vibratos (earned by his musical theater education), a good amount of high notes and runs (along with brilliant lead vocalist Hyunyeop) and bits that blew me away in previous songs I’ve heard from the group. Honestly, I was starstruck by all of TAN at first Kprofiles browsing sesh. I mean, what’s there not to love about a band of superb singers (+ superb main rapper Jiseong who’s obviously included in the “singers”), dancers, songwriters, producers (the self-production makes the music even more impressive), choreographers and overall artists who are intensely passionate and excellent at everything they do? This type of multi-skill and well-roundedness is exactly what I seek and keep up with in both K-pop and outside of it. Jooan though… you will pay for being the cause of some of my most humiliating K-pop fangirl posts. Love me a mind-blowing vocalist (duh), dancer, rapper, songwriter, producer, sound engineer, overall a true all-rounder with an irresistible face card. Please give these dudes’ music a stream or two because they really have no business not getting their flowers from K-pop fans and tasteful people.

☾ Malena - Domiziana

Somebody took “after your biggest flop comes your biggest slay” a bit too literally, and I am more than satisfied with that. After the colossal washout that was Domiziana’s previous single Katholisch Erzogen, which was merely another one of the examples of cheap blasphemy for shock factor accompanied by a fake-creepy beat straight out of the Tiktok “musician” archives, Malena turned everything around. Not only was it a massive bounce back from whatever she had going on with that disaster, but also an upgrade in her whole career in every single way. The production is arguably her most minimal but most defined and well-executed to date, with the amapiano influences and siren-like background vocals doing wonders. The vocals and lyrics are her best by a landslide as well. The whispery, high head voice stays, but this time with more emotion and variety in delivery. We listen to a story about cheating, betrayal and a lack of commitment, enriched with references to the cult classic movie Malena, the namesake of the track. The music video is set in Domiziana’s mother’s hometown, Catania, with different sets, cameras and editing. Malena ends up being an incredible audiovisual experience and the current highlight of Domiziana’s work. Maybe it’s just her highs and lows, maybe it’s her taking her career more seriously than ever, hopefully the latter. May she beat the one-hit wonder allegations (mind you, Ohne Benzin doesn’t hold a candle to this masterpiece) and continue to serve like this.

☾ Lipgloss - Terror Jr

A portion of pop music fans constantly ask for the good old 00-10s to be brought back, meanwhile some others wish to move on and focus on more future-oriented, complex sounds instead. Lipgloss masterfully combines both, delivering nostalgia yet nonetheless sounding shiny and brand new. The simple repeated chorus, casual lyrics and the vibe of the production overall feel 2016, and fans have likened the song to Terror Jr’s Bop City era’s sound. Still, the natural execution of this song makes it solid and refreshing on its own rather than a pathetic attempt at reviving what pop used to do. It took me a bit too long to find out that the experimental pop duo’s producer David Singer-Vine was ½ of The Cataracs, a producer duo behind numerous 2010s pop hits such as Like a G6 by Far East Movement and In The Dark by DEV (along with the entire The Night The Sun Came Out album). As a solo artist he produced songs such as Gold by Kiiara and Stuck With Me by Tinashe. This made the Terror Jr experience make a lot more sense: listening to their music feels like taking a trip to the present in a fancy time machine, with hosts who have a nice grasp on the past and the future. Special shoutout to that music box all over the instrumentals by the way, that scratched my brain just right.

☾ Perfect - Cosha

I didn’t call the MurMurs EP the “free therapy album” when it first dropped for no reason, you know. Alternative R&B hidden treasure Cosha returns to heal us all after her 2021 re-debut album Mt. Pleasant, with more of her sublime melodies and vocals. In the EP, Cosha keeps switching from soulful, serene and down-tempo (Fire Me Up, MurMurs Interlude) to drum-heavy, danceable and inviting (Relish, Glow). Meanwhile, Perfect pinpoints that sweet middle ground. Firstly, the beat is absolutely hooking. The drums, bass and recurring plucks pull me in the most, and Cosha’s higher-range head voice is pure magic, especially in the chorus. The second verse has this slight beat switch that brings forward the bass that I’m obsessed with, and then we’re back to that divine chorus with even more adlibs, high notes and harmonies. It’s laced. I feel like the whole project, but especially this specific song, would suit many people’s tastes, so this is especially a deep cut recommendation of mine to everybody.

Mini reviews

❥ Nasty - Tinashe: I feel so bad that this is going into the mini reviews section because the song has been on rotation since it dropped, I don’t believe I need to elaborate on its earworm factor. Obviously, Tinashe has an ear for hits, and the production is relatively simple yet so effective. So glad that it’s going viral and Tinashe is getting the hype she deserves.

❥ You know what (Hey listen) - 4s4ki: I’m afraid as long as 4s4ki keeps making music, she will keep appearing on all my favorites lists. She just can’t miss no matter what genre or sound she tries out. This one’s for the people that get their head in their hands and slide down a wall at 1AM. Give us vocals, give us guitar breakdowns, give us a REAL love song, give us everything, queen.

❥ Hard dreams - Gesaffelstein feat. Yan Wagner: Real techno’s been so back since Gamma dropped. The visuals for this album still hold their title of being the best of the year, by the way.

❥ Botoxxx - Isabella Lovestory: She SLID on that bridge. Love to see the budget in the MV. We need the sophomore album.

❥ Caught Up - FLO: The guitars? The vocals? That key switch in the bridge? FLO’s discography is still flawless. We need the debut album.

Thank you for reading, feel free to give feedback on the song recommendations or review formatting ☻

[hildegardladyofbones]

Ooh ijust finished season 1 and here are all my thoguths. Do not expect coherency I went to sleep at 3am last night

Nothing good ever happened. I cannot remember a single good thing that happened that immediately didn't go to shit. I'm usually all for angst but at one point it will get tiring.

The writing itself was quite good, but something they sort of used as a crutch is pogo. Whenever a character came to a realization and was confused, pogo always came in like "I think I can explain". After one point it was just funny. Half of the plot wouldn't have happened if after reggie's death pogo had sat everyone down and caught everyone up to speed. The fucking apocalypse wouldn't have come.

Speaking of which- I knew from episode 6 onwards that they will fail. Not even for a second did I believe these fucktarts could be competent enough to stop the fucking apocalypse. I was right. I don't think this is a bad thing tho- I was kind of tired of guaranteed happy endings anyway. This wasn't a bad ending, because technically they all survived, but it wasn't certainly successful. It was just an ending.

Another thing I loved was Ben's character. I knew quite a lot about the show before watching it so I knew there was a brother who was dead already, but I didn’t expect to see him, which was nice. Its funny to think that there were times where all 7 siblings were together and didn't realize it. I also love the trope of a character speaking to voices/beings/ghosts that others can't see. It's always so fun

The acting was also a highlight. Obviously I love klaus and his actor's acting with all my heart, but I think the best performance was five's. First of all, his actor was really young, and young actors taking on a big role is always impressive. Secondly, his role was complicated. It wasn't a 13yo boy, it was a 13yo boy with 58 years of experience. And his portrayal of five really did that justice. Five is a hardened mean old man and I really appreciate the show not shying away from treating him like one. With shows like sherlock, where the protagonist is also a kind of a shitty person, I get the feeling we're supposed to look at that like a silly quirk, not an actual flaw. Did not get that feeling here at all. In fact, all of the characters are kind of bad people and I LOOVEEE that. Seriously. I fucking love it when people are people and do shitty things.

Oh yeah and another performance I loved was Grace's. Her role was unique as well, because it's difficult to portray someone who is not human (especially when the actor herself is human), but who is made to appear and act human. You're a human pretending to be a robot pretending to be a human.

Going back to the topic of this show not being scared of bad people and bad things- I really admire this show's audacity to casually send klaus to war. I love how it was shown. Like. We see klaus open the suitcase and disappear, and later in the episode he reappears shaking and clearly distraught. Okay. He saw something he shouldn't have. And then it turns out he spent 10 months in 1968 Vietnam. And they don't move on from it. I think other shows would've sent him to war for like a day at most and then moved on from it or turn it into a joke, especially considering how we we weren't shown that he went there, just that he got back from there. Ykwim? Like usually these things that are such major events in a character's life get shown, but here they didn't show it and I think that's genius because then you get the feeling of "lol where'd he go. Oh he went to war. Oh okay he's a bit traumatised. Oh shit. Oh SHIT-" you just sort of gradually start understanding the severity of what he experienced. And the others don't question it? Fucking love that. Like "Yeah, he's our brother. Yeah he went to war for 10 months in Vietnam :/ Yeah he's a traumatised war vet :/"

I also have to mention that everyone just accepted that five's girlfriend is a mannequin.

Uhh what else fuck I forgor

Oh yeah might be a controversial opinion, but I don't mind the "incest." First of all- it's fiction. But even then it's like the most ethical version of incest out there. They're both consenting adults with literally no age gap, they're not related in any way, and imho they were barely raised as siblings. Like yes they see eachother as siblings (like the 6 of them) but their mom was a robot and dad was barely a father. They didn't have a childhood. I don't necessarily ship any of the siblings together tho. I think they hate each other too much.

Another thing I noticed is that this show *loves* it's song montages. Ther wasn't a single episode where they randomly started playing a song where the lyrics didn't even fit the situation that much while they. Fight or something. I thought that was kinda funny. Unserious. Even.

Which brings me to my next point, which is how disconnected from reality this show is, superpowers set aside. The visuals are very illustration like and they make some really interesting choices. It's set in 2019 but no one has cell phones or modern cars. Reginald is apparently from the victorian era?? And the composition of some shots is also somewhat wes anderson-like. Which is to say I loved the visuals of this show. They understand that not everything had to make sense or be explained. More often than not audiences are willing to go along with most things as long as the show itself doesn't question it. People don't ask for explanation for things you haven't pointed out need an explanation. All their previous nannies looked very 1910s but I won't question it if the show won't mention it.

Coming back to the characters I think the ones I enjoyed the least were Luther and Diego because even though I get their motivations, I just personally don't like them all that much. As people not as characters. They're very believable as emotionally stuck manchildren. One of my favourites that I haven't already mentioned are Hazel and the handler btw. Hazel is just so loveable and sympathetic and the handler would punch me in the face so of course I love her. She's a woman with light hair and a smoking habit. That's all my type is tbh.

Anyway I think that's all for now. As a number rating I'd give this season a "misery is all that remains" out of ten because happiness only exists in fanfiction I guess. Feel free to send death threats over me justifying incest or whatever. Or just tell me your own opinions. Whatever the fuck. My head hurts.

👍

[dozing-composing]

Hi!! Would you be willing to write from headcannons about y/n being the sister of Dean and Hank? Keep up the amazing work!:D

Yes, Of Course! Thank You! To Be Honest, I Was Thinking Of Designing A Sister Character Just To Think About How Everyone Would Treat Her. But For Now, Let's See How They Treat The Reader.•ᴗ•

ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀ...

๋࣭ ⭑ ʜᴀɴᴋ

✦ He's more the overprotective type. Don't get me wrong, they both are, but Hank is more willing to throw down with someone if they mess with you. ⤷Side note: it hits him pretty hard if you tell him he's like a second Brock and you don't need anything else like that....ouch. ✦ While he's overprotective, he still knows he can have fun with you. Yep, he'll get a little rough sometimes, but he also knows when to stop. ✦ Being as reckless as he is though, he'll also be dragging you into the wildest experiences you could imagine. ✦ He goes to you for dating advice. Hell, they both do because "you're a girl and you know girl stuff." But Hank actively seeks out the best to impress other girls. ✦ Despite this, he will aggravate you by pretending to be disgusted by "girl stuff." ⤷"Hey, (Y/N).. What's that stuff on your face?" "...Are you talking about my makeup?" "You wear that stuff too?! EWWWW-" "I'm going to throw you down the stairs!"

๋࣭ ⭑ ᴅᴇᴀɴ

✦ A total sweetheart, the gentleman of the three. He'll hold doors for you, push your chair for you to sit in, give you his coat/vest if you're cold. ✦ If you're ever struggling with something like a project or something science-y, he'll be there to help. That glorious brain of his comes in clutch. If you're anything like him, he'll be there to double check after you in case if something were to go wrong. ✦ You both are each other's study buddies! You both take notes together and quiz each other on specific topics and subjects. ✦ Back when you were kids, he would share Mr. Reachy with you whenever you were scared. You never accepted it though, because you would always cling to Dean whenever he offered. ✦ Dean has a better understanding of emotions and how/what people feel. If you ever needed someone to vent to, it'd be him. He might not have all the answers, but who does? He's there to comfort you when you need it.

๋࣭ ⭑ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ

✦ All of y'all are closer than close. Dare I say thicker than thieves, ha! Three peas in a pod. So on and so forth. No one should dare to mess with you three. ✦ You sometimes serve as the voice of reason between the two. They do argue, sometimes a lot (especially as kids, they butt heads a lot more back then), so you're the one to step in and figure out a solution for them. ✦ They're your brothers, of course they're going to get on your last nerve time and time again. Thankfully, they understand to give you space when you need it. That won't stop them from checking in on you. ✦ Some of your belongings come from them. You have books from Dean, one of Hank's classic kerchiefs, and so much more. ✦ You all stick together, or try to. Nothing's guaranteed when it comes to kidnappings. (Or if you all just float apart like in seasons 6-7, but that's another story for a different day.) Nevertheless, nothing can ever truly separate you three.

[batsplat]

first of alla I wanted to say thank you for your job, it’s super useful, you’re doing the lord’s work fr. if you feel like answering I wanted to ask you who are the riders of the current grid that you like the most? and why?

cheers!!

eh I think I'm in quite a happy place in the sport actually where... I do broadly like most of the riders. this isn't really like me, actually, I'm very capable of being a hater trust me. in my main sport, I've gotten to a fun place where with one of the genders I just. hate everyone who ever wins anything. except one guy but that's really an awful fan experience, wouldn't recommend. I don't really know why I'm more kindly disposed towards the motogp grid. maybe it's something about how dangerous the sport is, maybe how they are generally quite interesting as people (far from guaranteed in athletes), maybe it's because they're generally flops or assholes or both (nothing worse in a sport than when the goats are dull as shit). also, so many online fan spaces have been dominated by valentino fans and marc fans ceaselessly bickering - and as someone who is pretty fond of them both, does just eventually make you quite bored of all that stuff

that being said! I obviously do have a few preferences. the first one is marc, who I've gone through several different stages of being a fan of. I never really got stressed about him during his prime because I'm just not really the type of person who can get that invested when someone's winning that much. like I'm invested in the narratives but I'm not gonna pretend I care that much if someone can secure their fiftieth victory of the season lol. now he's the only one who can fuck up my heart rate during races so go figure, really. (undeniably my fan experience with him has massively been affected by the injury... I realised it most strongly with indonesia 2022, which just made me feel sick of the sport for a while.) I like him because he's kind of awful... inconsiderate, ruthless, too committed to winning for his own good. shameless. he's very narratively engaging, got a lot going on in that department, and it's not just... easy winning, like idk I'm not really the type to enjoy nice and happy athletes winning a lot and then being nice and happy about it. marc would like to be liked, but he wants to win more, y'know? he's got enough weird stuff going on in his head that he allows me to take the next step from just 'normal sports fan' to 'ride or die'. whenever he does any mind games-y stuff it's good fun, plus he's got this valentino-esque perma-smile that gives you a fun contrast/companion to the ruthlessness. also one half of one of the true all time great rivalries, what a banger entry to the canon. AND most importantly the actual riding, I think him on the honda is only really second to some of casey's ducati riding as stuff that's got that... 'this doesn't look like it should be working but it is' vibe in quite a visceral way? I'm not super into quali laps, I think they can be fun but they're not really what *get* me about the sport, but some of those signature laps like cota 2015 and brno 2019 just are soooo good to watch. and the racing itself... idk it's also fun when you've got such a distinctive style because it automatically makes you so much fun to plug into match-ups with other riders where there'll be a lot of contrast, like you really got that with valentino + jorge and then later dovi, rinsy, fabio, pecco... just makes it really easy even as someone who can't ride a bike to SEE and feel the differences. plus, sue me, I like my racing with overtaking, he actually overtakes other riders. makes races better with his presence, like there's Certain Riders who can spend a whole race in p6 but you can USUALLY trust him to do something

so the next picks are gonna make me sound like. an insane glory hunter. genuinely awful levels of glory hunting here. but I just want to say for the record that this isn't representative of how I usually approach sports and it was completely accidental that it turned out the way it did. I got really fond of the 2019 crop of rookies (minus one of them) because it was like. oh they're actually quite promising. pecco had that super promising pre-season testing (obvs also right after the moto2 title) and every race I was like This Will Be The Time when he puts it all together and he just kept. not. so at a certain point I was kinda convinced he was a loser but stuck with it for the bit? pecco #believer but as a joke. (I was also an early investor in the 'wouldn't it be funny if marc had a rivalry with an academy rider' campaign so kept a close eye on both him and franky, but in all honesty I never thought any of these guys would be a serious threat to marc.) with fabio, I hadn't really followed him closely enough to know the reasons why his lower class results were so mid? so it was very much a surprise when he started fighting marc lol, and then misano 2019 weekend just made me crazy, the whole thing was *so* good. and then sepang I just went? yeah we can build something here. we can build something special. (narrator: we did not build something special.) with joan, you know how it's kinda fun to have a midfield-y team to root for where a lot of the times they're mid and then sometimes something special occasionally happens and you can feel proud of them for fighting with the big boys? well that was suzuki for me, fond of rinsy especially when he got snippy at marc, thought the 2019 rookie they'd picked up was sweet too and he had a great start to his rookie season. and his first podium was cool!! and when he should've won styria 2020 :// (I think? this was the red-flagged one where he didn't have tyres anymore afterwards) (admittedly 'race in austria during 2020 that was red-flagged' doesn't narrow it down as much as you'd think but) also I went all in for him when everyone was extremely mean about his 2020 title, like that's MY underdog world champ. I wanted him to win the title without winning a single race, actually!! (generally quite defensive of all the champs in marc's absence, like god forbid they haven't cleared the hurdles you people have made up in your heads)

anyway as to why I stuck with them... with pecco it's how fucking whiny he gets. the start of 2022 where he was just :( I may have crashed myself and another ducati rider out of this race but why is ducati making me test stuff :( what a twat!! but crucially getting ducati to apologise to him is still as far as I'm concerned one of the funniest things anyone has done recently. ducati!! apologised to him!! DUCATI! after he publicly bitched about them! bonkers. anyway he's introverted verging on shy and then also capable of such arrogance and hubris and sheer entitlement!! that early 2022 after being the title favourite was so??? he's such good fun, the dramatic failures followed by him doing something crazy and you just go. okay but why. why did you not do this earlier. you know indonesia last year where he'd fucked up his whole weekend until the race and jorge martin should have run away with it but then he crashed and pecco won from thirteenth and he went all hammy with the celebrations? SILENCED THE DOUBTERS why were you in pee thirteen in the first place you absolute weapon. he's stuck in his own head so much, which you can get really juicy stuff out of imo. plus I like smart racers.... even though he does have these howlers, he's just so obviously clever in his approach? as a competitor he's easy for me to get invested in, because whenever he goes into a year as the favourite and clicks the bit of my brain that hates dominance, he has SUCH a horrendously messy early season that I remember why I was so fond of him and can enjoy when he's winning. also he's got a fun skill set, I love what a good defensive rider he is, just quite watchable idk... I'm not super into being a good starter as a skill generally but I've really enjoyed how he's muscled himself to the front of the field, he's so ruthless and neat how he just knows exactly where he needs to put his bike to basically suffocate the competition right at the start? plus obviously he's such a different profile of champion than what we've gotten historically, which maybe makes me rate him even more highly than I otherwise would. also academy rider, inherently narratively fun. when valentino said this???

hilarious. he's not WRONG but also just incredibly funny. valentino rossi can we have an honest conversation about your proteges I need to get your thoughts on some things

(that being said, when he says pecco has nothing to prove during the impending marc teammate stint, that pecco's already earned his three titles, he's 100% correct. one of the most based things he's ever come out with, quite frankly)

fabio... idk something about that depressed frenchie... watching that child endure successive brutal last lap losses, that's what it's all about. I was hugely endeared by the 2020 campaign (even in the absence of the rivalry I'd been promised) and the self sabotage of it all, how he got himself a psychologist during the off-season and had to adjust his approach, cut out the tantrums... I'm a sucker for an athlete who figures out how to improve themselves, y'know? his actual title campaign is... well, I'm happy for him, but it's also kinda a weird season (without being as fully bonkers as 2020) - but 2022? his first half was very 'fabio quartararo domination may bore fans' (admittedly a style of domination very low on wins) but oh yeah what happened next was awful to watch, just kind of extremely elongated hell once you realised 'oh this might actually be happening'. incredibly cruel!! handled that situation with ridiculous amounts of dignity. then he got very stroppy at various parts last year which was also deeply endearing. he's not... he's kinda missing a mean streak, but he's still prone to misery and tearing himself apart, enough that he kinda does it for me? he's also just sweet, you kind of feel like yamaha insisting on building awful bikes is a bit like kicking a puppy? yamaha's also sort of my team and he's trying to make them not flop. so. am just long-term invested in that development work, how he was the only one who could really do something special with that 2021 bike and how he's now talking about adjusting his riding style to it idk as much as I desperately wish he were actually competitive, there is something cool and engaging about how it's His Project... plus that one time when he tried to hit the golf ball but failed, almost had a stroke I was laughing so much

joan is just. well first of all people are STILL dicks about that title. and good lord has he had a rough time of it. I was so impressed with his 2021 season even though he didn't have that much to show for it... plus when he kept having all these fights with jack miller?? low-key the best drama we got that year. best minor beef of 2020-22...? it's not like we have that much to work with. he has a pitch of voice that's very suited to complaining I feel, like when he's moaning about something going wrong you feel like that's what he's supposed to be doing. 2022-23 has just been a rough watch and not really in a fun way, can't say I'm particularly thrilled he's close to signing again with honda... but ugh idk I'm just so fond of him, he's just a type of guy that's good for the ecosystem. you know that motogp unlimited clip where he's terrified marc is going to eat him and marc just doesn't care?? (I'm gonna be honest, this is my favourite marc teammate relationship... can't even tell you why him interacting with dani leaves me completely cold, but then when I'm seeing how marc's actually occasionally chatting with mir after mostly blanking him when they were actually teammates? oh yeah that's the stuff.) joan has very tragicomic vibes as a guy... he gets sympathetic laughter from the audience. y'know how lucy always pulls away the football from charlie brown... that's his vibe. but he's also a mean girl. anyway I hope he does still get a bit more from his career, he's far better than his record reflects, minus the 2020 title. also I like it when riders race better than they qualify

anyway yeah I like all the current world champs on the grid. gross. on the plus side they're all in completely different bits of the grid now so. I do also like a bunch of other guys, like rinsy (also deserves better, awful time with late suzuki/honda, his late 2022 was really emotional, fun to have someone stand up to marc), aleix (perpetual underdog, temper issues, kinda a moron but in a fun way)... the other academy riders, mainly franky (made 2020 so much better, horrendously clumsy rider at times lol) and bez (loser mindset, weird as fuck about both valentino and marc, great watch as a rider when he's not *gestures*)... uh. quite like pedro, though I still need to see a bit more in the beef department to keep pace with how talented he is? like where's the balance y'know... great to watch as a rider though for sure. martin's title bid last year was nicely compelling, especially stuff like phillip island. he's been put into a lot of Situations I feel? instant rookie success followed by that horrid injury, the stand-off with bastianini for that factory seat, all of last year and this year... all this cockiness married with so much insecurity, the need to be seen and appreciated and not to be taken for granted. the pecco rivalry is fun for them both, plus obviously also a cool riding style. oh I thought diggia as an underdog story was great to follow latter half of last year, though now he's kinda safe I realise I'm less invested. bit all over the place with vinales but at some point you've just been exposed to these guys enough you have a kind of secondhand fondness. yamaha's still my team, tend to root for ktm's downfall which is working out fantastically for me. in moto2 my number one boy is alonso lopez, who may have never made an overtake without knocking into someone in his life and has zero understanding of how to preserve a tyre, but apart from that!! also do quite like a few of the other riders, would basically like to see everyone on a boscoscuro on the motogp grid at some point... the moto3 grid I don't really feel like I know a lot of those kids as well yet, though alonso's obviously quite a watchable racer and veijer is really growing on me, seems pretty clever, curious what he can do on bigger bikes

and that's that!! my current opinions on... actually most of the premier class grid. I really do like most of them! but then also I turned off mugello before the podium because I was so pissed bastianini had gotten back past marc lol so I'm hardly a neutral. but marc's different... he's the only one I've gotten a bit superstitious over the way you sometimes do with athletes. every time before he races, I write down somewhere, either in a note or as a message I send someone, just something along the lines of 'please don't crash' or 'stay safe'. I don't care that much about his results, I just don't want to see him hurt himself any more

[myimaginarywonderland]

Something that I think is quiet interesting is the future of RedBull. It has always seemed obvious that around 2026-ish Max was likely to leave F1 for a while, maybe eben forever to pursue other racing series. And I don't want to talk about that but rather what that means for the team itself (as a big RB hater simply because I dislike most people affiliated with the team.)

RedBull is very obviously not waiting for a talent like Seb or Max to come up through their own academy again otherwise they wouldn't have renewed Perez and would have already given Lawson a shot. Most of the RB juniors are in F2/F3 and have decent to good results but clearly nothing that fits this Golden Boy track both Max and Seb had to a degree.

So that begs the question who will be their lead driver? Again, RB just acts like a first and second driver team. Seb established himself. Then he left where we had a weird time that it sort of flopped around but the closest was probably Daniel who was always likely to be replaced as soon as Max came into his own form and the sport for that matter.

The structure of the team has pretty much since 2009 been that there is a lead driver and a second driver. You can argue this developed alongside RedBull becoming a top team with Seb for example just simply estaishing himself etc. But it's undeniable that it works for them and I don't see why they would stray from that concept.

Red Bull has always gunned for the younger promising drivers. Be it Seb for the time he was there or now Max. Not to mention the dozen of Torro Rosso drivers who were good but not quiet enough who are now flourishing in their own racing series.

So, considering they clearly are not aiming for someone within their own programm, who is their future plan when Max decides to leave? The most obvious answer of course and the most likely one is that they will look at the grid and clearly aim for one of the best, youngest drivers. There is a huge promise with RB if a driver of that position comes in because he is in some way essentially guaranteed the number 1 seat in that team.

The most interesting and intriguing question here is who would fit into their role. Now, granted I am only working with this year's and next years potential grid but I think it's guaranteed that before 2027 there will not be another major talent coming into F1 that hasn't already been talked about/hinted at this year.

That leaves a narrowed down list actually of vets few drivers most of who in my opinion can already be excluded.

Charles is clearly in the Ferrari long game. I would not be surprised if he retires with them and will never change teams.

George and Kimi are clearly the duo for Mercedes for the next say 5 years? George has always been Mercedes plan for after Lewis and regardless what happens, I think it's obvious that sooner or later Antonelli will end up at Mercedes partnering George.

Now before I come to the actual two people who I believe it will narrow down to, I will just quickly explain why I won't even bother talking about anybody else. Drivers like Sainz or Esteban sadly fall into that same category as Drivers like Hulkenberg or Ricciardo. They are good but they are stuck in between the past generational talents (Seb, Lewis and Britney) and the future (Charles, Max, George etc.) They fall in between and will therefore only ever really be back up Drivers since the big teams are focused on their talent that went through their academy, training etc.

Now, who I think the actual future battle for the lead in RedBull once Max decides to leave comes down to, is the McLaren drivers.

Sooner or later (most likely after next season, potentially already after this on) McLaren will have to decide who they are going with for their future. They will have to prioritize one driver. You can't just have two drivers like Lando and Oscar who both show so much promise, on equal grounds because sooner or later you will be confronted with having to prioritize one over the other or one will maybe establish himself more when it counts which then brings the question of "Does this mean we will now make him the leader?"

With Norris current behavior it is obvious he is gunning for a fight with Max while Oscar is still adapting to the car as well as driving in F1 (It is only his second season.) Once Oscar adapts and if this form of McLaren continues, next year will poss a big question which is "Should Oscar get the hang of the car and get up there with Lando, who is the main guy that will be fighting among Max?" I am sure that McLaren would first let them just drive, wait for their results etc.

But again, the point where they have to decide "Who is our main guy?" will come and the other driver who loses out in that will still so clearly be a contender for a top seat. Should Max leave within the next 5 years, I truly believe that RedBull would get whoever loses out in that battle and put them along Max for a season or 2 before they become the main driver.

I personally believe 100% that Norris is McLaren through and through (in the worst way possible because I am still a hater.) Since he arrived in 2019, McLaren has felt to me like his team, a team built around him especially with his close connection to Zak Brown.

Which to me means one thing and offers one of the most exciting possibilities to the future (I might just stop hating RB for him): Oscar taking over as the RB golden child. While RB have made their interest in Norris quiet clear for years now, I always assumed that McLaren would be Norris team. Not for a second have I ever thought that would change or is in question.

So the most likely scenario to me for the next 5 years is the Duo of Max and Oscar at RedBull and Oscar taking over as the lead driver there once Max decides to try endurance racing.

[andreal831]

I got a lot of edits on my fyp prior to watching any TVDU show so I knew a solid amount of the plot lines prior to watching either show, which also means I knew what characters were normalized to be hated/loved. I started these shows and expected to absolutely despise Matt, Elena, Tyler, and Cami. None of them are my favorite, but I never understood the hate for any of them whatsoever.

The Matt hate just makes no sense, I’m convinced people just want to “fit in” and hate the person that everyone else hates. You pretty much explained everything I would say for him so I’ll hold back a bit here. And yeah, I’m tired of people pretending he’s not attractive cause there is not a single actor on this show that doesn’t look good.

Everyone calls Elena a crybaby, but if they had lost the amount of people that she had before they’re even 20 years old, I guarantee you they’d be crying even more than she did. And calling her selfish? She very rarely ever put herself over anyone. There’s also the argument that she ‘played Stefan’ which in my opinion is just straight out wrong, it’s not like she was pretending to be in love with him while she was with him, but if you hate her for that, you’d have to hate like half the show. I swear everyone dated everyone within that friend group, why do people only hate on her for it? Also this has nothing to do with my point, but why does everyone hate on her NH era? I liked it, it gave her character something different.

Everyone hates on Tyler for one of two reasons. One being that he tried to SA Vicki in season 1, which you would think is a valid excuse, but then they go onto say Klaus, Damon, and/or Katherine is their favorite character (and I’m saying this as my Damon and Klaus are both in my top 5 TVDU characters). The second reason would be something along the lines of Tyler wanting to get revenge on Klaus. I do think he went too far with trying to kill Hayley/hope, but aside from that, he had every right to get revenge on Klaus. He killed his mom and practically ruined his life, including messing with his relationship with Caroline. I actually love Forewood, but I don’t think they could’ve been endgame after that. So I don’t get why people hate on him for leaving Caroline, because I feel like continuing to lead her on when his head is nowhere near the right space would’ve been worse.

Then there’s cami, which is honestly the most confusing one out of all to me. I completely understand her not being your favorite, especially if you’re into more of the anti heroes or villains (like me), but I do not understand why people just absolutely despise her. She plays a major part in the originals, especially early on, as she is the only person Klaus seems to care about listening to whatsoever. He isn’t paying Hayley any sort of attention, and he lied to/betrayed Elijah left and right in season 1. She’s also never betrayed anyone that she considers to be friends or family. The biggest reason she’s hated on is because she ‘stole Klaus from Caroline.” 1. I genuinely just do not get what people see in klaroline. I don’t absolutely despise them, but I do not like them either. Klaus hurt her multiple times (which, by the way, why do people act like Klaus is a hero for saving Caroline from a bite he caused…?) and Caroline was manipulating him every chance she got. I totally understand the whole ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, considering I like delena, but I just do not get it here. 2. How did anyone see that Klaus (and the originals) was getting his own show, and still expect klaroline to work out? 95% of interactions they had post TO being made was complete fan service. It would’ve been WAY too difficult to do a long distance thing with two different shows, especially when neither of them were (im so gonna get hated for this) never in love with each other, they weren’t even in a relationship. Oh and back to the forewood thing real quick, Tyler had every right to be pissed at Caroline for sleeping with Klaus.

Well that turned into a klaroline bashing towards the end. For the record my top 5 characters are Damon, Elijah, kol, hayley, and Klaus in that order and there really aren’t any ships (canonical ships anyway) that I absolutely hate so.

Side note, thank you for being able to hold characters accountable. I like characters as villains/anti heroes because they are a villain/anti hero, I will never understand why people try to defend their favorite character and make them seem like a hero. Like the character for their character, don’t make them into something completely different. If you wanna debate anything further (or something entirely different) let me know, I enjoy debating about shows, I just typically can’t find anyone in this fandom (or any fandom for that matter) that is able to have an actual debate without someone starting to scream over an opinion lmao.

There really isn’t a question here I just kinda felt like ranting after reading your post about Matt Donovan so here it is. Reply to this as you please!

I was fortunate enough to watch the shows before I got into the fandom so I didn't get spoilers (at least for TVD), but more importantly, I didn't have anyone to influence me on which characters to like or not. Which was why I was so surprised when I joined the fandom and saw so much hatred. But I do think some people just "bandwagon" hate characters. Especially Matt. Because anytime I ask people why, they can't even truly express why they *hate* him.

Elena was never my favorite character but I loved early seasons of Elena. I even enjoyed her NH era. I didn't like her sire bond era much. But she definitely gets too much hate. Even at times when I think she can be selfish, she's still miles better than the men the fandom loves.

I've actually posted about Tyler before, you can find that here. Sure, he's done questionable/problematic things, but who hasn't? The hate he gets is ridiculous, especially because it always comes from Damon or Klaus stans. I actually like Caroline and adored Forewood, but I hated how she handled the breakdown of their relationship. I blame the writers. They continuously tanked Caroline's character in order to get views with klaroline.

I love Cami and she is the one character that I truly believe has done no wrong. Cami was truly a turning point for Klaus. Cami was not only an important person for Klaus but for the entire Mikaelson family and the entirety of New Orleans. I also wrote about that recently. But yes, 100% of the hate she gets is because of Klaroline stans. I used to be indifferent to Klaroline. Like I don't like them because they are toxic and I would never ship them, and there are plenty of ships I feel this way about, but the fandom has made me actively dislike them. Klaroline had no possible way of working out and was just lust, but people build them up in their head and then attacked and harassed a real life person because of their delusions.

I'm glad you found my post and enjoyed it! I love finding people that want to engage and have actual discussions about the fandom. Too many people get so set in their views and can't discuss the characters without getting angry. I completely agree. We can all love the characters but 99% of the characters in this show are problematic to say the least. We can love them and still acknowledge this. I love to analyze the morality of the show because it is interesting as we can't use are real life standards to do so. I obviously love over analyzing everything about the show as I spend so much time doing so.

Feel free to ask anything or reach out!

[tlou-reid]

prologue - the view between villages

♡ DISCLAIMER: this story deals with heavy, dark, and triggering themes. warnings will be included on each chapter. this story is 18+, minors do not interact. (also i can not guaranteed my timeline is exactly right but i am doing my best)

♡ DISCLAIMER: i am incapable of writing songs so reader's music will all be from noah kahan's stick season. songs used in each chapter will be linked at the beginning, and the character is inspired by the story he creates throughout the album.

♡ WARNINGS: mentions of alcoholism, death of a sibling, death of a parent, allusions to domestic abuse, mentions of murder (nothing more than what is shown in tlou), break-up, mentions of terrorism/bombings (just briefly, nothing intense), mentions of infected

♡ fem!musician!reader x ellie williams (eventually)

❥ part one

Burlington QZ, Vermont, 2021

Standing over your own mothers body was not something you had planned on. Especially not on your way out of the QZ, running from the bombers who had shown up. You felt guilty more than you felt sad. Part of you was screaming, 'finally! I don’t have to parent my own parent anymore!', while the other part of you was six years old, sitting on the edge of a broken bed, being held by your mom as she read you a story. Her face was bruised, but you didn’t know what from. You just knew you heard the door slam when dad left. The bottle by her bed had not been touched in days. Even at six years old, you knew the liquid by her bed was bad for her, even if you didn’t know why.

You only stopped for a second to grieve your mother, before following the crowd out of the QZ, clutching your beat up journal to your chest with one hand, and pulling your little sister along with the other. It was all you had as you escaped, moving to the next place you could call home for a little bit, just as you had done when you arrived in the Burlington QZ. Except that time, it was your mother cradling in her arms your sister as you ran. Part of you was going to miss Vermont. Part of you was always going to be in Vermont.

Middle of nowhere, USA, Early 2023

You couldn’t help but smile as you shoved the clothes that were strewn about the floor into your bag. This mall had been loaded with things, almost never raided. There was clothes, accessories, shoes. Sure, you should probably be grabbing supplies, but there were plenty of supplies in the town. That was her job, she kept you safe. She kept you safe, and, in return, all she asked from you was for you to love her. To cherish her.

It was almost like you two were grown-ups. Living together, taking care of your little sister together. It was the closest thing to bliss a 16 year old could come to in an apocalypse. It was all you could ask for. Everything about her molded perfectly together with you, as if she was made for you. She was everything you’d ever wanted, wrapped into one 18 year old girl. Your life with her was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

You brought the bag home, throwing it on the table to start sorting through your haul. It was stupid to any outsider. You’d been ridiculed many times, told your focus wasn’t where it needed to be. But collecting these things brought you joy, and that was enough for you to keep collecting all of your things. Clothes, shoes, old makeup, accessories, nail polish. You loved it and refused to feel ashamed about it.

Middle of nowhere, USA, Late 2024

The snowed was piled around your feet, almost standing toe-to-toe with her. “You killed her?” Your voice was jaded, angry.

It was unfair. In all sense of the word, it was unfair. It was unfair to her, blaming her for making the correct decision in a life or death situation. It was unfair to you, hurting because your little sister was dead. And it was unfair to your little sister. Unfair that she never had a chance after the infected sunk its teeth into her collarbone. Unfair that she was forced to grow up in this shithole of a world.

She followed you, explaining the situation as you stormed through the house. You shoved as much as you could in a bag, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. As far away from this place as possible. You wished you could say that what she was saying was going in one ear and out the other, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t even reaching your ears. It was filling the room, evaporating with the memories you three had shared in your makeshift home.

A home you’d never see again.

Jackson QZ, Wyoming, 2026

“Thank you, for all of this.” You couldn’t help but express your gratitude as you sat down your bag and guitar case. They brushed you off, saying it nothing. Maria and Tommy had been nothing but good to you since they found you. “You’re sure it’s okay here?” She asked, smiling sadly at you. You nodded, “it’s wonderful. Thank you guys.”

When they left the house was oddly quiet. Even with being alone, wandering all this time, you hated the quiet. That’s the only reason you’d lugged around the guitar case. Since you’d found it, wherever you went, it went.

You picked it up, moving to sit on the couch that came with the place they were letting you stay in. You strummed the familiar chords of a song you couldn’t bring yourself to ever finish writing.

“Air in my lungs, ‘til the road begins,” you started singing to yourself, “as the last of the bugs, leave their homes again,” the tears started to fall, “and I’m splitting the road down the middle, for a minute, the world seemed so simple.”

Jackson QZ, Wyoming, 2027

“Just like all the other ones, I wrote this one about a life that doesn’t exist for me anymore. This is stick season.” You introduced the song, strumming on your guitar. You began singing, closing your eyes and getting lost on the music. You heard a few voices singing along, as this was a town favorite. You opened your eyes and smiled as almost everyone in the bar sang the line, “Doc told me to travel but there’s infected on the place.”

You continued into the chorus, eyes closing again. They didn’t open until you heard the door and a group of people cheer. Your eyes followed the crowd, landing on who you thought was Joel Miller. He was with Maria and Tommy. The rest of the group was strangers, but you'd heard plenty of people talk about Joel. His resemblance to his brother also grabbed your attention. Maria shot you a smile and wave. Your eyes fell on the pale teenage girl with him, taking note of how pretty her curious, wide eyes were.

Your eyes closed again after taking her in, “So I thought that if I piled something good on all my bad, that I could cancel out the darkness I inherited from dad…”

[mediumtires]

It's two days into the summer break and I'm already going through vroom vroom withdrawals, so I re-read Seven Years then decided to nitpick season 5 of DTS. Seven Years is so stuck in my head (especially with last weekend's ass grab) that I started to wonder how Christian and Toto's relationship would affect DTS. Would there be a full episode about their relationship? Would they be more included in each other's episodes? Would Netflix try to get footage of the two acting like a couple? The only guarantee is that Tumblr would be analysis every interaction between the two because we already do that.

Also, I use Microsoft Edge over google so I thought you might find this funny.

The first thing they list is that he is a racing driver, not a successful team principal, a racing driver. :p

ohhh this is such an interesting take!

personally i didn’t make dts a thing in seven years because i just didn’t want to deal with the mess of it. it adds a whole other layer of emotional clusterfucks of being exposed to the wider public (outside of the f1 bubble even), even more cameras following them around the paddock, mic-ed up 24/7. there is a snippet i started writing after the whole “change your fucking car” business that i couldn’t even finish because the whole thing was so messy and i could not come up with a proper way to solve this because i was so embarrassed for them lmao.

but let’s walk for a second. let’s say their involuntary outing happens and dts are around for it all, i do think netflix would be a perfect vessel to promote lgbtq+ visibility and rights in motorsports and both pr teams would jump at the chance. obviously an outing like this is a huge fuck up marketing wise, nothing was planned, no one was prepared for it so they’d need to act quick and with netflix around, they’d have the perfect opportunity to angle the narrative any way they want. plus for netflix it would obviously mean Millions. everyone and their mother would watch the new season.

not sure they’d have a full episode. don’t think christian or toto would agree to this during some of the worst moments of their lives lol and in seven years i tried my best to not glorify or romanticise a shitty situation like being outed by someone else against your will. but i do think they’d both still want to be on dts, they enjoy the spotlight and the attention too much. in my mind they’d both show up to their netflix interviews smirking, a little ala “look at you and your lil cameras, i had a secret you couldn’t even imagine being true, you only know the things i choose to tell you, i’m in charge here”. to me that’s kind of a power move. i also think certain questions would simply be blacklisted so all we’d get would be ambiguous layered eye-twinkling comments about the rival team principal while touching their wedding rings. “oh toto slammed that desk *eye roll* yeah he’s so emotional *smirk*” or “christian has a big mouth, don’t believe everything he says, i don’t” or “singapore last year? yeah i think…. i think we won. did we? can’t remember, i was a little busy” but they don’t ever talk about singapore directly.

post outing i don’t think we’d get much husband material on dts. i tried very hard to write them as being private about their relationship and i still think that rings true, even post outing. there were instances where i thought it’d be significant and meaningful to them as a couple to show their support for each other a little more publicly (or maybe just a little less secretively) but those moments were about them more so than an act for the public or the cameras. in my mind they wouldn’t walk hand in hand through the paddock just because they can, not mid season on a thursday morning anyway. they’re professionals and they’re at work. but it’s a different thing when a netflix camera zooms in on them through a window and they’re having a quiet lunch tucked away in some corner of rb hospitality, or a brush of hands or a discreet smile when they pass each other somewhere and a camera is around to pick up on it.

so that’s my take! the most interesting angle to me though is how the public perception suddenly changes from seeing them as individuals to seeing them as a unit. it rewires your brain from “oh these two are fun, they hate each other” to “oh these two….. don’t hate each other. in actuality they…. they seem to love each other enough to be…. husbands. huh”