#and he knows acknowledging his relationship and doing interviews means they might ask | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

morganski-19 · 3 days ago

Text

Alright, in-depth theory time because it's all I could think about at work today.

This will be about what I think will happen in the next two episodes purely on the promo for ep 7, what I know from certain interviews, and the episode titles. None of this is based on anything really, it's all for some fun.

Cool, here we go.

Hotshots is going to deal with a lot of "Hot Shot" related emergencies, including the one on the actual Hotshot set. So a lot of people doing dumb shit, thinking that it will make them look really cool, but they get injured during it. And then the actual Hotshot rescue will happen somewhere near the mid-point of the episode, like the well emergency did in 8x06, which was also second in the promo.

Non-emergency related plots that will be happening during this episode, Madney going to the doctor which is why they need Buck to watch Jee. Buck going through it and starting to deal with his breakup. Eddie continuing his journey of finding joy in his life, and starting to figure some stuff out. Bobby getting almost stalked by Brad, because that man has some insane tendencies. And then Athena dealing with that new rookie that they mentioned in the synopsis.

To bring in some of the stuff from the articles, Buck is going to be looking at the past while Eddie is going to be carefree and looking at the future, a complete role reversal. I think that is going to be mostly this episode, where we see Buck overthinking everything in his relationship, and Eddie just being a more carefree version of himself.

However, I will say, that I don't think the carefreeness is going to be for very long, because eventually, he will have to acknowledge the whole Chris situation and get dragged back into all of those feelings again.

That is a hell of a lot to put in one episode, but they've done it before, they will do it again.

Now, this is where it will get a bit crazy, because I have nothing to base any of this information on, it's pure fan theory.

8x08's name "Sob Stories", was changed to "Wannabes". I'm not sure if that means "Sob Stories" will be moved to the spring premiere of the season, like how "No Place Like Home" was moved from episode 3 to 4, it's too early to know that. I am going to go off of the assumption that it isn't.

A "Wannabe" is someone who tries to be like someone/something else to fit in with a particular group. Since the episodes tend to be named after the emergencies that occur in those episodes, I can assume that the emergencies are going to surround that.

However, it could also be plot-related as well. I can see three possibilities of what Wannabes could mean with the characters specifically.

Buck continues to unravel what Tommy said to him in the breakup, realizing that he was a "Wannabe" in the relationship. It could bring everything back to when they first got together, and Buck's jealousy of Tommy and Eddie's friendship, and he could realize that it was never Tommy's attention he was trying to get, but Eddie's. Do I think that means he will be smart enough to fully understand his feelings for Eddie, absolutely not. That will take a few more episodes. But I can hope.

Eddie gets a call from Chris/his parents (or maybe Abuela, since she lives in Texas now), and realizes that his parents are the "Wannabes" because they want Chris as their redo child. It would play into my hopes of the mid-season break cliffhanger being bringing Chris home. Or at least starting the process of bringing Chris home. (if we want to continue with Eddie, even though I think it's going to be a plot in 8b, he might realize he is a "Wannabe" because he isn't straight)

And now here's the big one.

Brad is the big "Wannabe", as he is stalking Bobby and possibly hijacking some of the emergencies throughout the episodes. Brad is a spark fuse, he has anger issues, and would not be happy about Bobby's move from Hotshots in general, and also his rejection of that invitation to his cabin. He might even ask Bobby to come back to the set of Hotshots, because I can't see him liking Gerrard very much. This could go south fast, as the actor commented something along the lines of "you're not going to like Brad for too much longer" back when the first three episodes were airing.

So, he's were it gets really insane. All week we've been talking about the allusions to Buddie NDE, and how we think there is going to be one in the mid-season finale. I really like this theory, and think that this show would absolutely do something like this, especially as it keeps viewer attention over the break.

This NDE can be completely inconsequential and just out of the blue, much like some of the other NDE's have been. However, since the shooting is the only NDE not accounted for right now, I'm going to be focusing on that one.

There are some BTS pictures with some SWAT cars, I think that's a red herring. Everyone is going to make it out of there alive.

Given that the shooter was targeting first responders, specifically firefighters, we can take that fact and apply it to the possible NDE.

That being, Brad only knows one other member of the 118, Buck. He wants revenge against Bobby for leaving him alone on Hotshots, so he does something to Buck. I think Brad will be a recurring figure in ep 8, and in the last few minutes, the accident will occur.

What I want that to be, is Brad following Buck around and hitting him with his car. It could then be a redo of the Shannon death, where Eddie is the only one who can save Buck, and thus give him a reason to work through all of that trauma that has not been mentioned in the show since.

Do I think Buck will be saved in that episode, I really have no clue. It could go one of two ways, the screen blacks out with a flatline, or Buck is saved and Eddie realizes something. I don't think he can realize anything in the last few minutes (or possibly seconds) of the show, but it could start it.

I have more thoughts about why I think a car accident NDE for Buddie would be the way they bring up the whole Shannon thing again, but that is a whole other theory. So send me an ask if you want me to explain that more.

As far as what Tim said about bringing it all back to the beginning of the season, I think it will either Chris calling Eddie and saying he wants to go home, or Buck getting hit by the car (since he almost got hit by one when he was on the highway in ep 3)

I also really want Hen to have a storyline in the next two episodes, but I'm not sure if there is 1. time or 2. a good idea that doesn't involve family problems, since the writers can't seem to think of anything else for them.

(the only think i can think of, though, does play into my forbidden theory. it's forbidden because I both don't want to speak it and don't want it to happen, but these writers like to play with my emotions too much, so I know it's a large possibility. it may involve a miscarriage and dealing with the loss of a wanted child, something that hen has experienced in her own way the the hell of an adoption process her and Karen have gone through, where she can be there for chim. but again, I really don't want that to happen.)

Anyway, here's my crackpot theory. Don't know if any of that is going to happen, but we'll see.

#911 abc #911 on abc #911 theories #911 thoughts #911 speculation #911 spoilers #911 season 8 #911 s8 #911 theory #911 s8 theory

12 notes · View notes

probatiostudies · 1 year ago

Text

Not necessarily a hot take but a highly improbable one!!

I personally can’t distinguish yet, with 100% confidence, who the “bad” guys are on Quesadilla Island. There’s so much at play, different relationships between residents, and the extent of knowledge that we have on each individual varies so much!

BUT what I am starting to wonder is, if in the very likely case that it really is The Federation vs. The Code Entities, could we experience an outcome where the egg children are left alone?

See, if the Code Entities are against the Federation, for whatever reason, then what if they’ve mistaken the egg children as part of he Federation? Rightfully so as well, considering, and correct me if I’m wrong, that announcements by Mr. Duck is what lead the residents to discover the egg children at the adoption center, and we can try and assume Mr. Duck is related to The Federation, thanks to q!Philza’s interview with one of the security guards.

Also for an undetermined reason, the Code Entities want the island residents on their side. We can assume that right? And I say that it’s for a undetermined reason because it could just be for the manpower, to have the majority of the island following them. Who knows! But the evidence of something like this lies in the Code Entities’ interactions with q!Etoiles, rewarding him with powerful weapons, albeit however reluctantly, and last asking him to let them know which of the island residents work for the Federation. (Code Entities, y’all go f*cking insane with that!!)

So now I want to tie this back to the egg children, considering recent developments with Codeflippa. Granted, I wasn’t able to watch whatever happened yesterday when Codeflippa was seen by the other island residents, but bless Tumblr for the updates and fellow theories/thoughts! Listen, Codeflippa is pretty against the Federation. They’re satisfied that q!Slime doesn’t care for the Federation, and I believe some of their interactions with the island residents yesterday revealed the same interest in having people against them.

The biggest problem for Codeflippa though, is the fact that they’re most definitely a Code Entity, and what did the Code Entities do previously, historically before their training arc with q!Etoiles?

They became the #1 danger for the egg children, successfully taking lives from Dapper & Bobby, and first failed to impersonate the egg children by enraging notorious observer q!Philza, who knew all of his egg children’s quirks and immediately clocked the difference.

I don’t know how else to say it, but I think the Code Entities, perhaps even young in their being, immediately targeted the egg children because they were the most accessible relations to the Federation (and we kind of have to acknowledge the possibility of that being true, what with Egg A1). Somewhere along the line, they realized direct attacks wasn’t the right approach, and switched to impersonating the egg children to get closer to the island residents, whether that was to gain access past the security measures protecting the actual egg children, or to sway island residents to their side like q!Etoiles.

With that, I’m thinking there’s a very small chance Code Entities like Codeflippa might let the egg children have a chance at life, if they can become aware of how the egg children love and align with their parents instead of whatever place they’ve come from. Them impersonating the egg children means they’re already aware of the weight of these relationships, to an extent, and I think that leaves a lot of possibilities! These Code Entities are learning, we’re seeing that with Codeflippa, we kind of saw that is the way the code impersonating Bobby was different from Tilin’s and Trumpet’s.

Just, let me think there’s a happy ending to all this, yk? 🫠

#too many brain juices were used as i wrote this #qsmp #qsmp theorizing #mentions of #qsmp philza #qsmp etoiles #qsmp slimecicle

37 notes · View notes

tonydaddingham · 1 year ago

Note

Longwinded anon again (thanks for the kind words!): You've brought out a few things in your last posts that crystalized some of my thoughts about the hole I complained about in one of my first posts here, left by the decision to never acknowledge that Crowley successfully tempts Aziraphale to try to kill the Antichrist. After S1 aired, Gaiman commented in an interview that Crowley does not have an actual character arc in S1. He is at the end what he was at the beginning. And my response at the time was, well, wait, he does have a transformative moment in the novel, this is strange. I think S2 in fact explores that lack of arc in an interesting way, and it /does/ think about the larger moral issues involved in the Antichrist temptation without referencing it directly.

Both S1 and S2 rely heavily on mirroring, included warped mirroring, to approach narrative structure and character development. In S1, after Aziraphale's discorporation, Crowley tries to reconstruct their normal dynamic--Crowley plays the white knight, Aziraphale the damsel in distress--on his arrival at the airfield, when he swaggers over from the burning Bentley and assures Aziraphale that he'll take care of the soldier ("Leave it to me"). Then the script /literally/ blows up the dynamic when the Bentley explodes, Crowley gets distracted, and Aziraphale has to take care of the soldier himself. And, of course, at the end the dynamic has been altered, because they save each other in the bodyswap. This looks like the relationship is now on a mutual egalitarian footing! Hooray!

...except S2 demonstrates that Crowley /liked/ the original dynamic, and he spends the season trying to manhandle (demonhandle?) Aziraphale back into it. Aziraphale asks for help with Gabriel, but Crowley interprets "help" as an excuse to play the strong protector again, through a combination of forced innocence (Crowley spends this season /not/ telling Aziraphale some important things about Gabriel and Heaven that Aziraphale needed and deserved to know) and, in the lead-up to the demon attack, outright dismissiveness of Aziraphale's ability to handle the situation. You referenced the dialogue there, which mirrors the "Leave it to me" of S1. But in S1, Aziraphale /was/ willing to leave it to Crowley, whereas here Aziraphale tries to assert his own capability and Crowley brushes it off. Nina, the character self-aware about being trapped in an abusive situation, temporarily stops the plot to call this out, and while Aziraphale cheerfully admits to being aware of what's going on (something left ambiguous in S1), unlike Nina he doesn't admit or doesn't see that what makes Crowley "happy" rests on perceiving Aziraphale as less capable and less powerful. Both physically (Aziraphale needs Crowley to fight for him) and psychologically (Aziraphale needs Crowley to protect him from full knowledge of his execution and from any knowledge that Heaven might murder him for helping Gabriel). I know that the fanfic community has quickly glommed onto "Aziraphale must apologize to the poor wronged demon" plots, but Crowley's inability to think himself out of this inegalitarian dynamic contributes directly to the break-up at the end of ep6, not least because we see him /help/ maintain Aziraphale's innocence about the extent of Heaven's malice.

good morning (well, it was morning when i started) LWA!!!✨ no problem at all, you're very welcome!!!

(further ask screenshots under the cut).

oh gosh yes i remember the ask you mean (everyone else, i believe it's this one). stating the obvious, if my previous posts criticising him are anything to go by, but the whole scene where crowley tempts aziraphale re: antichrist really does unnerve me, and was one of the key reasons why I think - although I do genuinely think crowley is a very empathetic character - i've always gravitated to aziraphale more. the parallel narrative of nina, with her story of surviving and escaping psychological and emotional abuse, really puts the spotlight on the level of aziraphale's naivety and indoctrination with anyone or anything that he believes confers any kind of worth onto him.

trauma from abuse does not stop when one escapes it, because it truly does alter your brain chemistry and emotional make-up into being more susceptible to finding any alternative that will give you a sense of value again. others have clearly remarked on it, but that is the most revelatory moment as concerns nina, for me; her knowledge of self and that she knows her own value, despite her recent abusive experience, is what diverts her parallel storyline with maggie into an adjacent position to aziraphale and crowley's.

and that's a really powerful point; i know that many people have remarked on the correlation between aziraphale and religious brainwashing (especially as concerns its relationship to queer identity, which is very, very valid), but i think what some may be refusing to also see is that aziraphale, in a very unique and particular way, is potentially experiencing some small, or large depending on your perspective, level of similar abusive behaviour (bracing myself for impact re: that statement).

i despair for aziraphale throughout most of the show, in that i interpret him as not only feeling that he's not enough ("that's okay, as long as i'm enough for crowley to see any worth in me") but also because he can't seem to see that anyone that wholly cares about him should be making him feel that he is more than enough, and accepting of every part of him - even his shortcomings. he shouldn't need to be manipulated into anything; he is by large an inherently good and loving person (as far as we've been shown), is shown to gravitate towards those that might need his help (*cough* crowley), and that the fact that he can't seem to see that if others do not trust or like him enough to be honest and vulnerable with him, when he hasn't really done anything to make them believe that they can't, that is entirely their issue/failing, not his.

such, to me, is why his decision to break away and follow his own path to heaven, following an opportunity to do something not only largely altruistic but also something that might help him develop a sense of value entirely on his own, is exactly the right decision for him to make when taking all of this emotional and psychological context into consideration.

as discussed in the last ask, crowley does appear to have a tendency for making aziraphale seem or feel lesser than him, by way of the dance (humiliation), disingenuous apologies (gaslighting), keeping secrets (imbalanced power dynamic) and constantly saving him and dismissing his ability to save himself (removing agency). crowley in contrast to aziraphale has his own brand of insecurity but that is in my opinion not rooted in a lack of self-worth. it is rooted in knowing that he had and has much to give, but it being rejected.

i hate to defer to psychological terminology that is innately human when referring to supernatural beings, but for lack of a better option; crowley's cognitive dissonance in ep6 of his belief ("helping to improve heaven is useless and they'll never change") and his action (manipulates aziraphale into trying to stay with him, ignoring aziraphale's own wants and aspirations) result in his choosing to believe that aziraphale doesn't love him for who he is - choosing the rejection narrative - rather than choosing to trust in aziraphale that they have the ability, together, to make a change that will benefit them as much as everyone else (which is what aziraphale is inviting him to).

the fact that this is rooted in rejection is key. i think it's fairly clear that crowley thinks himself to be of a higher status than aziraphale, harking back to his angel era (or at least purposefully tries to maintain the illusion that he is, rather than accept that they're - you know - equal). the overwhelming need, it seems, to plough on ahead and force aziraphale to keep pace with him whether he likes it or not, speaks to me of his committing to a 'failsafe' action that will protect him from being rejected, regardless of whatever good or clever thing he does, and this will naturally originate from the fall. as you say, aziraphale is similarly wrapped up in asserting his own superiority, especially where morality is concerned and thinking that he knows best for crowley in offering him restoration, but again - I feel like this stems from insecurity, especially in the face of a demon that is, to him, utterly brilliant and smart and sly, but also good and kind and brave.

neither are in the right - both are very much in the wrong - for even entertaining this mindset, but i do feel that once again crowley tips the scale on the morality front here. both were made to suffer from various trauma at the hands of heaven and hell, but the fact that crowley seems to perpetuate it with aziraphale (however much with original good intention, and perhaps without malicious intention) and so successfully to the point that aziraphale a) doesn't even really see it until ep6, and b) if aziraphale does see it, he possibly feels that it all that he deserves, is incredibly alarming.

in terms of a resolution, LWA✨, you've beaten me to the point i was going to make when your first ask came in! we are seeing two characters that were originally conceptualised as one, and now broken apart (both literally by way of the character design as well as in the narrative). i therefore find that the body swap in s1 was indeed the big hint to the audience (and should have been a big hint to aziraphale and crowley) that they are reflections of each other, and that is by extension the solution.

them simply forgiving each other and having meaningful communication is not going to be the Big Solution that makes them connect again. to me, there needs to be - after an actual, heartfelt apology and subsequent communication - a full, complete acceptance of each other, of their individual and conflicting minds, fears, wants, and ideologies, and understanding that they do not need, in fact, to be in conflict with each other, but instead are literally built as being complementary halves of the same coin✨

edit because i didn't address it: in my mind, my own personal, metaphorical jury is out on why the joint miracle had the result that it did, but the concept of it being literally because it's aziraphale and crowley working in harmony together is really intriguing!!!

#good omens

11 notes · View notes

dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram · 1 year ago

Note

What if Harry’s song lyrics aren’t always literal? Pregnancies and babies could be metaphors for other things, like projects or dreams. For instance, I’ve wondered if Kiwi might be about Harry’s relationship with the recording industry.

I think this anon really captures what I find frustrating about fandom discussion about lyrics (not really through any fault of its own - but just because the way it operates within discourse). The fact that 'what is Harry's song lyrics aren't always literal?' is put forward as an idea that might be pondered upon - as opposed to a baseline assumption that you'd need a lot of evidence before you acted as if it wasn't true - is infuriating to me.

I find fan discourse that treats lyrics as literally true and focuses on decoding them - one of the most tedious things about fandom, because of its lack of curiosity. Anyone who has listened to songwriters talk about their process knows that there's all sorts of different ways that songs relate to people lives, or not - and the starting point should always be allowing for these options.

When thinking about what the songwriter might mean a song to be about - or where the song might have come from for them (which can be interesting to speculate about - although they are slightly different) - I think it's important to start not from the lyrics themselves - but what we know about their process.

I think if you're going to speculate about lyrics - the important question to ask first is 'what do we know about how this songwriter writes and how they relate their writing to their life?' Otherwise it's like trying to guess what waterlilies look like after looking at a Monet, because you've seen both an actual Sunflower and the Van Gough picture of a sunflower.

And with Harry we don't have much to go on. He doesn't tell us much about what his lyrics mean to him or where they came from. To me there are two hints - both of which point the same way - and most of which mostly show how little we know.

The first is an interview with Mitch, where he mentions what he learned from Harry as a songwriter:

"It's a bit all over the place," he says. "The songs are all snapshots [of my life] but nothing's in order." The Grammy winner was keen to share his thoughts and emotions in a way that didn't alienate the listener, a trick he picked up from his good friend and frequent collaborator Styles. "Maybe this is something I picked up being a fly on the wall with Harry," Rowland says. "He's always asking, 'How can I make this relatable?' And I often don't know the answer to that, but I tried to make the songs open to interpretation."

This doesn't tell us anything much about how Harry relates songs to his life - but it suggests that relateability to the audience is more important than specificity in Harry's songs (which is reasonably obvious from the songs themselves) and one solution is leaving the songs open to interpretation.

With two of the Harry's House songs Harry has presented a meaning that was not obvious from the song itself after the song was released - once directly with LomL and once indirectly with MFASR. I think that's very interesting when taken in context with what Mitch said (even if I think it's important to acknowledge that the meaning of MFASR in the video may not have been Harry's intended meaning when he wrote the song). I think that at least some of Harry's songs has a personal meaning that he's obscured. He's taken a feeling or experience, written a song about it, and then made it open to interpretation in a way that means that nobody would guess the original meaning unless they were told (the same is true of Ever Since New York)

That doesn't mean that's the only way Harry writes lyrics - I think it's reasonably clear that he intentionally plays into the fantasies he knows his audience has - although how he accesses that is a really big question. There are moments that casually match his life, but don't tell us much about any other aspect of the song ('I heard Jenny saying "Go get the kids from school"'). And there are a couple of songs that are linked to specific people - Cherry and Carolina.

All that I'm asking is that discussions about what Harry's album means from Harry starts from here - starts from what we do know. Rather than people just deciding that because they're making connections or want things to mean a particular thing - that's what they mean for Harry.

#The author doesn't have to be alive #but I do think if people are making arguments about the author's intention then it's important to go beyond the text itself

4 notes · View notes

oblivious-aro · 1 year ago

Text

Brief overview of Carrie and Lowell and this project: Carrie and Lowell, released in 2015, is the seventh studio album by Sufjan Stevens. In 2012, Stevens' mother (Carrie) died from stomach cancer. He had a very complicated relationship with Carrie, who suffered from schizophrenia, depression, and alcoholism. She left her first husband when Stevens was a year old and was absent for the vast majority of his life, but from the interviews I've read she seemed to be a relatively pleasant person to be with when she was around.

This album calls upon a lot of symbols and imagery whose meaning seems to be very personal, so it can be difficult to say exactly what is meant by some lyrics, which makes it very interesting to try and interpret some of the nuances of what he's saying.

I've never had someone close to me die, but a lot of the ways Stevens talks about pain and sadness in this album have really resonated with me. Many of these songs are my go-to when I'm feeling down. It's also one of the few albums that I'll listen to front to back.

Since I feel so strongly about these songs, I thought it'd be fun to go through each one and write down what the lyrics mean and how they resonate with me. Starting, of course, with Death with Dignity:

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

Spirit of my silence I can hear you, but I'm afraid to be near you And I don't know where to begin And I don't know where to begin Somewhere in the desert there's a forest, and an acre before us But I don't know where to begin But I don't know where to begin

The singer starts off by talking about a presence he is aware of, but hesitant to face (obviously grief and complicated feeling about his relationship with his mother).

He doesn't talk about these heavy feelings with others, and likely doesn't acknowledge even in private (spirit of my silence), but their presence is still constantly felt, and he knows he probably should be doing something about them.

He knows he's neglecting some important things, but his issues feel too big and intimidating to face, so he tries to avoid dealing with them. Again I lost my strength completely, oh be near me tired old mare With the wind in your hair

Of course, just because you aren't dealing your problems doesn't mean they aren't affecting you. These feelings are heavy, and he's carrying them all the time. He may not be properly facing with his feelings, but they are still there and they still drain him.

The mare's been around a long time and the singer still thinks she's beautiful and her presence is a comfort, but she's probably not the same as she once was.

Amethyst and flowers on the table, is it real or a fable? Well I suppose a friend is a friend And we all know how this will end

He questioning a memory here. It's not likely that the flowers (that probably some family member had out on their table when he was a kid), were actually adorned with jewels. His brain is making this memory seem even better than it was, and he's aware of this. The flowers certainly might have felt that decadent at the time, or maybe he's inflating the positive feelings in the present because he wants something pleasant to give him a break from the pain he's in.

In the end he concludes it doesn't matter either way. He's here for comfort and escape, which the image is providing it. Does it matter if the memory is totally accurate? It's only a temporary distraction, he won't be thinking about it for long either way. No point in wasting time worrying about it.

Chimney swift that finds me be my keeper, silhouette of the cedar

He fantasizes about receiving relief from a stranger. He wants someone to stumble upon him and offer him help rather than reach out to someone he already knows. Asking for help can be daunting, and sometimes it's easier to talk to strangers than those that are close to us. Lower stakes.

Not really much to go off of on the cedar bit, but I assume the silhouette is another image whose beauty evokes strong feelings of comfort.

What is that song you sing for the dead What is that song you sing for the dead

At first I thought he was looking for another memory to take comfort in, to distract him. He remembers this one evoking some feelings in him, but he can't quite remember how it goes. Might be a suitable distraction if he remembers how it went and can see what he saw in it again.

Then I realized he's saying he doesn't know what to do to grieve properly. That would tie it back to the whole I don't know where to begin thing. That makes more sense. Both lines even repeat. He seeks reassurance and comfort from past memories a lot in this song, so it fits that he's looking to his past for guidance on grief too, rather than the present.

I see the signal searchlight strike me, in the window of my room Well I got nothing to prove Well I got nothing to prove

This ties in a bit to the chimney sweep and the spirit of my silence bit. He's hiding his feelings from the people around him, and himself (in his hesitancy to properly face them), but he can't run from his feelings forever. He's going to face the feelings he's been pushing away eventually.

Acknowledging them feels jarring, like he's being called out. He's been keeping his feelings hidden for a while, then suddenly they're not.

Maybe bringing things to light wasn't actually as big of a deal as he feared it would be, or maybe he's playing off like he doesn't care to try and minimize the distress.

I forgive you mother I can hear you, and I long to be near you But every road leads to an end Yes every road leads to an end Your apparition passes through me, in the willows and five red hens You'll never see us again You'll never see us again

(Fun Fact: I thought the lyric was But I'm afraid to be near you, sowing that he's drawn to thoughts and memories of his mother, but they can be as painful as they are pleasant. Guess not.) He's reaching for her, even though he knows she's out of reach.

I imagine the hens were on some kind of decoration that he doesn't have anymore (like one of those fancy plates in your grandma's kitchen), rather than actual chickens. His Mother's gone, just like the plate. He's never going to see either of them again. but the memory is so vivid that it almost feels like he can reach them. They feel almost in his grasp.

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

Some Final Words: When I listen to this song, an image of a sunny field shows up in my head. The amethyst and flowers are on a wooden table inside a simple wooden house with big windows that gets lots of sunlight. I usually picture the flowers as yellow or purple. The signal searchlight also takes place in a simple wooden house, shining through one of the upper floor bedroom windows at night. It makes sense that the part of the song where he talks about feeling exposed takes place in the most personal room in a house.

Death with Dignity is about Stevens' difficulty facing his grief. Carrie's death left an emptiness that's difficult to fill because of just how little she was actually in his life. Despite her long absences, her relationship with Stevens is still very significant to him, and her absence is very much felt. He grasps at pleasant memories, what little pieces of Carrie he does have, to fill in the hole she left when she died.

Like most of the songs in this album, Death with Dignity ends with a sustained visceral ethereal noise. This one is very choral. It's beautiful but tinged with sadness and longing. Still very gentle, especially compared to some of the later outros.

#carrie and lowell #death with dignity #sufjan stevens #cl project #this took me five days to write #thats how slow a writer i am #i dont mean that negatively #just thought it was an interesting note #thoughts and feedback welcome

3 notes · View notes

boricuacherry-blog · 11 months ago

Text

I was struck by the diametrically different approaches Mitch and Janis took to their daughter. Janis, who had been a pharmacist before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, took an almost fatalistic view that only Amy could help herself.

Janis said one of the hardest things she ever had to face was going to visit her daughter in hospital in November 2008, when she was suffering a serious lung infection, and finding Jane sitting on the other side of Amy's bed.

When Erbil, my partner, took Janis to visit Amy, staff didn't recognize her - Erbil had to tell them who she was.

Mitch admitted to the camera that Amy didn't even need to be in the hospital - so controlling was he that he'd ensured she was kept there to prevent Blake Fielder-Civil, her then husband, from coming home to her when he was released from jail.

In one interview with me, Mitch bragged that 'Janis left me to deal with it,' meaning Amy. 'She trusted me completely,' he added. He actually admitted to me that he had considered 'doing a Britney' on Amy. It was the end of 2008, months after Jamie Spears became his daughter's conservator, supposedly to protect her from predators who wanted to manipulate her out of her money. Mitch explained that he was worried Blake would burn Amy's fortune on drugs. Unfortunately for him, conservatorships don't exist under British law.

Amy knew what her father was trying to accomplish. She told me: 'He is always coming with papers for me to sign. I'm NOT signing. I know what's going on.' A couple of Mitch's proposed business partners were with us in St. Lucia, having been led to believe, by Mitch, that Amy would sign a deal. In fact, she insulted them in front of Erbil and me.

When I held a private screening for Mitch, Janis and their friends, he seemed to feel the footage of his grown-up daughter repeatedly kissing him on the lips was unremarkable. Perhaps he's right - and that such a level of intimacy is accepted in some families, but it had left me feeling uncomfortable.

There was one moment I shared with Amy which I think got closest to her true feelings. She was crying, and said to me: 'Daph, I did show them how good I am, five years ago.' She didn't think she could repeat the extraordinary success she'd had with her album Back to Black. That insecurity was something she didn't feel she could talk about with her family. It was heart breaking.

Later that night we ended up filming outside my villa. Mitch murmured, 'Maybe I am part of the problem.' Finally, he was acknowledging that his controlling nature might be contributing to Amy's troubles. 'I tend sometimes to make a situation worse,' he added. He tried to explain by imagining a situation where Amy met a stranger. He says: 'In my mind, Amy is not talking to a nice woman on the beach, she is talking to a potential drug dealer. She is not - but unfortunately that is how my mind has been working. So what I have got to do is try to retrain my mind so that when I see her talking to a perfectly normal person on the beach, that is fine, I don't need to intervene. Why shouldn't she be saying anything other than pleasantries? Sometimes I think I make the situation worse, unquestionably.'

It was clearly difficult for Mitch not to treat his daughter like the child he thought she was. Even now, he struggles to assert control over her memory.

In the decade since Amy's death, Mitch has developed a reputation for challenging anyone who has dared to question his relationship with his daughter.

It won't happen to me, because it's important that the footage I have is seen. It asks difficult questions, and considering the answers could help others who find themselves in a similar situation. Perhaps Mitch himself put it best back in 2008 when I asked him whether he thought Amy would continue with her recovery. 'We're all in recovery,' he answered. If only that had really been true, perhaps the story's ending could have been different.

#daphne barak #article #amy winehouse #mitch winehouse

0 notes

wibble-wobbegong · 2 years ago

Text

i have talked about it six hundred billion times but guess what. i’m gonna do it again! i’ve talked about it in timeline format, but i wanna dig deep into the 3 most pivotal points in mike’s relationship with will romance-wise

Point 1 - The Best Thing He’s Ever Done

this was the first time mike himself draws a line between everyone else in his life and will. sure, the line was there before, but he knows it’s there for the first time in this scene.

in S1, mike refers to lucas, dustin, and will as equals in his life; they’re all his best friends. in his mind, he thinks he’d be acting the same way if dustin or lucas had been the ones to go missing because “a friend is someone you’d do anything for.” there’s nothing different in his relationships with his other friends than will. there are moments that prove mike and will’s relationship is undoubtedly different from either of their relationships with lucas or dustin (“it was a seven”, their behavior at hopper’s interview, the hospital, mike being the main character while will is the main goal).

mike never acknowledges that difference. even as he starts to become aware of it in S2, it doesn’t really click for him. his obliviousness didn’t disappear, so he didn’t really register that only being able to open up to will, having those heart to hearts, and being more protective of will than he is of his other friends might mean that there’s a reason behind all that.

��the best thing i’ve ever done.” that’s mike drawing a line, separating will from everyone else. it’s not ‘being friends with you, lucas, and dustin has been the best thing i’ve ever done’. it’s ‘being friends with you is the best thing i’ve ever done’. will isn’t being put in the same category as his other friends anymore and he can see that. if will isn’t like his other friends who are his best friends, then what’s more than a best friend? and it hits him. it hits him as he’s telling this story to will.

the thing about the story he’s telling - the memory of meeting will - is that the things he’s saying aren’t really about the first day of kindergarten at all. they might’ve been true back then too, but what he’s talking about directly reflects their heart to heart on halloween.

“i was just so scared and so alone”

mike has been dealing with seeing el and not feeling like he could talk to anybody about how he was feeling. he was acting out while dealing with his grief and the guilt of surviving. he was seeing and hearing things, and that’s scary for anybody. it’s not like anyone else was close with el like he was, so they wouldn’t get it.

“you were alone too”

when they sit and talk, mike realizes he isn’t alone. will feels like he’s going crazy too.

“i asked if you wanted to be my friend”

well, if mike’s going crazy, then they could go crazy together, right?

“you said yes. you said yes”

“yeah, crazy together”

what mike’s monologue really addresses is more than just the moment itself. will has always made mike feel less scared, less alone in the world. nobody else is able to do that for him and that makes mike feel something that he doesn’t feel with anyone else. it’s something that makes him think that being friends with will is the best thing he’s ever done. something that makes will different than everybody else.

will is more than a friend. more than a best friend. he’s the best thing out of everything and everyone.

Point 2 - The Basement

when i talk about the moment mike realized he was in love with will, i’m counting lucas on the line as canonical to the main storyline.

it’s not really one decisive moment, but it happens over that period of time where mike isolated himself. if you don’t know what i’m talking about, here’s the excerpt from the book

please go read the book. there’s so much important information about lucas’ experience with racism and it’s super important for understanding his character in s4. also the lumax will make you bawl like a bitch

how does this show that mike has realized he’s in love with will? well, i’m sure everyone remembers the rain fight. there’s a line from mike that connects directly to this paragraph:

“what, did you think we would never get girlfriends? that we would sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?”

understanding the context of why he said that is important to understanding how that month of isolating himself is when he came to really understand the depth of his feelings for will. that line isn’t an accusation, it’s a projection. he says that because it’s the very thing he’s been trying to run away from as it wouldn’t fit with this idea of normalcy he’s built in his head. he needs to grow up, outgrow those feelings for will because they’re childish, and since will is directly associated with DND it must be childish too.

he isn’t expecting will to say he wants that life. once again, mike realizes he isn’t alone because will gets it even if that isn’t ever directly addressed.

here, there’s regret. there’s also a bit of an ‘oh’ moment happening here.

jumping back to after the byers move, mike is refusing to leave his house. he spends all day sitting in his basement play games. alone. after will left, mike hides away and does the exact thing he always wanted; that will always wanted. except now he’s doing them alone.

will has never not been in mike’s life. at least, not for long. as far back as he can probably remember, will has been there. his basement is covered in will’s drawings, their dnd sets, will’s costume is probably still there too. his favorite places like the arcade and the movies are drenched in memories with will. now that will is really absent for the first time in mike’s life right after he had learned that will wanted to spend forever with him too he’s realizing just how much of his life and the things that made him happy involved will.

for will to be suddenly removed from mike’s life like that, it becomes incredibly obvious just how important will was in almost everything. from the things that made him happiest (games) to every day life, there’s now a huge hole that cannot be ignored. based on how severe mike’s reaction was to the move, it seems as though he recognizes this too. he knows he thinks of will as more than a friend, knows that he’s started to feel attracted to him on a physical level too, but he can’t suppress how deep these feelings for will run. how necessary will is in his life. how will is almost always involved in the things that made him happy, the things that made him safe, the things that made him feel like he wasn’t alone.

mike wasn’t alone in the way he felt. but, now, he really is alone. will isn’t there to make that go away and no one else is able to pull him out of this depression he’s found himself in (not until eddie).

there’s also the piece about girlfriends. mike spends time in his room, writing to el. he even starts locking himself in his room and refusing to leave. he’s hiding, writing to his girlfriend, but there’s also a prominent change in mike’s room that we see in S4: he put will’s drawings on his walls, maybe even brought the binder up from the basement.

in order for mike to be able to hide away in his room like that, he had to bring up one of his most treasured pieces of will. also, lucas’ perspective is unreliable because he doesn’t actually know what mike was always doing in his room. he did write to el, but mike’s letters to el never even filled an entire page. he only wrote a total of 5-7 letters in total if i remember, so he definitely wasn’t spending all that time in his room writing to el.

he’s going through a severe amount of depression after the byers move. there’s only one person who’s able to pull him out of that depression - eddie munson. eddie munson, who hated conformity and normalcy with a passion, who loved playing games and being a freak. mike was able to start being himself again because of eddie. if his isolation were really due to anything other than the crushing realization that he’s in love with his best friend and how much he misses him, why would they make the man who helps mike entirely representative of nonconformity?

dating a girl is what’s normal, what he’s been told he’s supposed to do. el is normal for him. finding someone who wasn’t normal and was proud of it is what helped mike.

Point 2.5 - The End of Season 3

i wanna throw this in there too because of how widely accepted it is that this was the moment he realized he was in love with will. i’ll explain why i disagree with that and what i think this ending actually implies for mike

i don’t think i need to elaborate on this scene too much. he’s trying to reconnect with will. he’s asking will not to leave him behind, and will responds that saying it isn’t possible.

the importance of the way mike is acting here isn’t in the scene itself, but what has changed for him. he’s been broken up with el for 4-ish months, he’s realized he’s in love with will, and he’s had a person in his life who he admires and who tells him that being a freak is good for 3 months. for the first time, mike had space to think about his feelings and what they meant without any pressure to keep up his straight boy act. he had someone encouraging him to embrace his differences.

mike is reaching out to will again, having at least some level of acceptance, asking will not to leave him behind. he didn’t forget that will said he wanted to play games in mike’s basement for the rest of his life. he didn’t forget that those wants he had, which he now knows are tied to his love for will, were reciprocated.

he has hope.

this wasn’t mike realizing for the first time that he didn’t like el and that he liked will.

what happened in this scene was el coming back to mike after they’d been broken up for months and telling him she loves him as if they’d never broken up at all. mike is realizing he has to play the straight boy again, the perfect boyfriend. i won’t get into it here, but mike basically promised el a relationship in S1 and one of his big rules is that a promise is something you can never break so he can’t back out of this relationship. he can’t break that promise to her. there’s also a fear of losing her involved.

mike had hope. now, it’s been taken from him. we see the way that hurts him in the way he hugs will.

just look at his face. yeah.

Point 3 - The Van Scene

oh boy. this one hurts me so badly.

the big question around the van scene is about whether or not mike knew that will was talking about himself. the answer is yes. he did.

how am i so certain? well, there are two big things to consider here.

1. everything will is saying is in direct contradiction to what mike knows about how el feels about him.

“you think i’m a monster too” ≠ “you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all”

will also says that el needs mike. the script tells us that mike knows that isn’t true (the scripts are an official interpretation, so i’m taking them as canon even if they are heavily edited).

sorry about the quality

mike has no reason to believe what will is saying. especially considering

2. mike used el as a front too.

mike and will often talk through code, or use others to soften the impact of their emotions. in S3, it was the party. in S4, it’s el.

in rink-o-mania, mike tells will that he’s frustrated that will was being a douche to el. let’s be real, mike was not concerned about how will was acting in regards to el and will knew that. he saw right through mike.

their code this season is el. mike knows that.

so, when we actually look at mike’s reactions to what will is saying in his confession, it makes a lot more sense that he does know.

i’m running low on photo availability, so this set-up might be a little awkward. also, sorry about the quality again, idk why it does that when i put the photos together 💔

ANYWAY

1. “you’re scared of losing her”

bringing back the idea of will making mike feel understood and less alone. will just understands what mike is feeling through all his rambling, and that’s a throwback for mike

2. “el basically commissioned it”

here, he looks actually confused. he doesn’t understand how the painting connects to el because of how clearly it doesn’t. let’s please remember that mike isn’t stupid. even if he’s an emotional mess, it doesn’t take a genius to know that el wouldn’t commission a dnd painting if she wanted to express her feelings for mike.

3. “you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like she’s better for being different and that’s what gives her the courage to fight on”

this is where it starts to click. the confusion fades, his face relaxes and his eyes are much more open. what will is saying doesn’t match the el mike knows. he now knows that will is talking about himself and using el as a cover.

4. “and if she was going to lose you, i think she’d rather get it over with quick, like ripping off a band-aid”

now, the confusion is gone but there’s concern here. will’s talking about losing mike and ripping off a band-aid, ending it. of course he’s concerned about that, he just got will back. he’s worried will is trying to let go.

5. “she needs you, mike, and she always will”

relief and happiness are written all over his face. he’s not going to lose will. no, will needs him and he always will (sitting in his basement, playing games for the rest of their lives)

6. “yeah?” “yeah”

that boy looks head over heels. completely in love. he looks like a boy who now knows those feelings from way back before the byers moves are still reciprocated. that hope he had way back in october has returned, because he’s basically broken up with el and all he’d have to do is talk to her. maybe that promise would be worth breaking if it meant them being happier as friends and mike getting to be with will.

at the end of the van scene, mike knows his feelings are reciprocated. he’s not stupid, but by god is he in love.

Point 3.5 - You’re the Heart

i kinda have to talk about what happens to mike’s hope here.

we go into this scene with the knowledge that mike knows his feelings for will are reciprocated. or, he thought they were. he really thought will was talking about himself.

the moment that will makes the callback to his speech, mike realizes will actually was talking about el and it breaks his god damn heart.

he’s confused, but you can see the realization come across his face. he doesn’t have time to process that. he just starts spewing out a confession to el because he has to in order to save her life and he uses ‘her’ feelings as a blueprint.

i wanted to mention this so i could say that, going into S5, mike has lost hope in having his feelings returned. when that painting gets revealed, he has every reason to be confused and frustrated

i wrote way more than i planned on writing. oops? also i didn’t beta this so sorry about any mistakes. thanks for reading!!! :)

#got kinda carried away with this one #i tried to stay on topic as best as i could #byler #mike wheeler #mike analysis #<- I’m tagging these now

150 notes · View notes

byler-4-life · 2 years ago

Text

Okay, my take on the Noah's comments today.

So Noah said that the Mike and Will were going to have a conversation in Episode 8, and that it was "pretty sad". This tracks with what Noah said in an interview before Volume 1 came out that Will's "saddest moment" would be in this Season. This is likely the moment he's talking about.

I've seen others theorizing that this might be Vecna related, or somebody dying. But I don't really think so, because the comment today was a direct answer to a question asking if the show was going to explore Mike and Will's developing relationship more. That means the answer should be directly related to that topic.

Guys, we might have to brace ourselves for some sort of rejection. Now, I don't think it will be nasty or intentionally hurtful on Mike's part. He would never do that to Will. But you have to consider what we know about Mike's character. Characters in the show, and Finn himself in interviews, have both said multiple times that Mike is completely oblivious.

Mike has no idea that Will has romantic feelings for him. However I think at this point, Mike is conscious of his own romantic feelings for Will, and is actively trying to combat them, by putting on a front for himself and everyone else that he is super into his girlfriend, etc. Mike never dreamed Will would think about him in this way. Mike is planning on hiding his own feelings for Will forever.

So if he's suddenly put in a situation that triggers him or threatens to expose him, he might freak out a little. For example, if Will gives him the painting in Ep8, and it's of the first time they met, and Mike suddenly realizes that Will actually heard what Mike said to him in the shed in Season 2. Will actually heard Mike say that it was the best thing he's ever done. And Will is staring at him, waiting for an response...

Mike's first reaction might be "oh shit, Will knows about me" rather than "maybe Will feels the same way". He might be a bit abrupt and not give the painting the praise it deserves. Maybe a short thank you and then he tries to get out of there before he's exposed.

We know that Will poured his heart and soul into this painting for Mike. If it just gets a token acknowledgement, this could be the sadness that Noah is referring to. This could even lead to the coming out moment if Jonathan notices that the convo didn't go well.

So yes, brace yourself for a little hurt. But I'm even more excited that Noah said "In Ep9....you'll just have to wait and see." So I'm guessing after the awkwardness in Ep8 happens, Mike makes it right in Ep9. He might realize he hurt Will with his reaction, and as nervous as he is about being found out himself, he won't let that get in the way of comforting Will. Maybe not full on requited out loud, but enough that we viewers can see it clearly.

tl;dr - Misunderstanding/awkwardness/potentially sad Will in Ep8. Beautiful byler scene in Ep9.

#byler #sorry for rambling #i had so much to say about this lol

390 notes · View notes

hisredhysteria · 3 years ago

Text

"You pull me by my hair, so I don't go nowhere."

Note: I said I wanted to write something yandere... Just for fun again while I write a story for Cutthroat. Depending on how I'm feeling, requests might be written slower because I want to write two longer stories for Cutthroat (one hopefully involving Doctor) and then one for each Courier and Hacker.

TW: toxic relationships, possessive, yandere's...murder, manipulation?

Summary: hcs for a famous (?) reader with yandere Hacker, Courier, and Cutthroat ...I don't really specify what kind of famous the reader is so these are in a way general I suppose...the idea somewhat came from the meaning behind the song

Hacker

It's not that he isn't happy for your success because....well, he's not.

Every last moment with Hacker will bleed nothing but underlying hostility until his end goal is reached.

Hacker deals a great hand in not only his possessive feelings towards you, but also the jealousy he feels for you being the one to attract the most admiration of the two of you.

Nothing makes Hacker want to knock someone else down a level quite like when they needlessly fawn over you. He'll keep his tongue tied as long as possible, but the look on his face might just say the words he's wishing to speak.

He knows well that if he were to in some way damage your reputation, he'd be to blame though. Which in hindsight would burden the relationship and possibly cause you to leave him. His goal is to win. Not lose.

Hacker makes it very well known to you that he thinks you interacting with your fans is for the most part meaningless...

He doesn't like it when others acknowledge that your existence is in some way a shared experience. Your fans could never know you the same way he does, so what's the point in wasting time on an empty conversation followed by a picture together?

A picture that he's more often than not being left out of.....

He's not usually one to cause a commotion either, however the moment he sees a fan wrap their arm around your waist for a photo without so much as asking is when he's decided enough is enough. That's something only he can have the luxury of doing, and even he's more careful about doing it than them.

There's no longer any need to remind others that you're his when he inevitably begins to wipe out any competition.

Interviews? Delayed by the onset of technical difficulties. Fan meet ups? Same thing and they're lucky he didn't short circuit anything and cause a fire to erupt.

Comments on your social media...? You don't need validation from anyone other than him. Deleted. In fact, as the days pass you find every single one of your accounts has been "accidentally" deleted in one way or another.

He's good at making your team and manager look bad as well because of all the mishaps going on that they can never seem to find permanent solutions to. When you get into a falling out with them, Hacker enjoys every minute of it....knowing that the stress of it all is causing you to slowly break.

He's the one that suggests you take some sort of hiatus from your fame as well....you know, so that you think he cares most about your well-being and career...

But instead, he's just succeeded in finally isolating you from the rest of the world.

Courier

Cool, calm, and collected, Courier goes about his jealousy in a way that many can write off as him just being tired or weary of the constant barrage of attention you draw in. In which case, they wouldn't be wrong...

Courier can tolerate most things, watching you have small talk with your fans just barely being one. You'll always catch him giving them a following glance as they walk off from you though...a gentle, but negative comment under his breath to suit the situation couldn't hurt occasionally either...

If the conversation seems to go too into depth with a fan or it lasts longer than Courier expects, he wastes no time intervening with a simple, "I've had enough." ..Even an "I don't got all day" if he's hoping you'll wrap it up sooner rather than later. He knows it makes him look bad, but at some point he really can't stop the jealousy from seeping through.

He's also one to guide you in other directions if he sees someone eyeing you with the intention of getting a greeting, signature, or picture. He'll purposely shoot the person a fatal eye if it will ward them off too. Perhaps Courier even bluntly shuts them down by saying you don't have time. All before you even get to say so much as a single word.

He's definitely forced you to leave fans in the dust by riding off on his motorcycle, of course with you on the back. Then later he'll end up making an excuse about how they weren't necessarily worth your time anyways. In fact, who said it was someone that wanted to see you? It's not rare that strangers beckon others over for help with directions. Maybe that was the case instead.

Courier questions you more often than not about attending any business and events, big or small. As you're about to leave he'll ask you where you think you're going. When you tell him where....he gives you a look that says, you're really going to that..?

He's also taking you to said destination, whether he planned for it or not. He won't let anyone else do it. Even if it means he'll be on a time crunch later. He doesn't like it when you try to protest either.

Courier is also eerily waiting for you outside when anything ends. It doesn't matter if you already had a ride planned, he's the better option.

When he accompanies you on any business trips, he's very attentive to what people are approaching you and he's good at asking around to find something out if he feels he needs to. When you're not looking, he's most certainly gauging the motives of those around you. No one is allowed to get too close.

He's also not leaving your side on any trips. Even if he's in the background of a set and you don't necessarily notice him... he's watching. He always is..

He despises interviews. Why does anyone other than him need insight to your personal life?

Courier's end goal was never to take you from the lavish life you have under the attention of many, although as his attachment to you strengthens...he becomes more domineering in the ways he goes about things. The start was just him biting it all back and letting things slowly slip.

His suggestions to avoid certain situations or people start to sound more like requests and demands. If he doesn't want you talking to a specific person you work with, you won't.

Eventually you'll start to feel suffocated by Courier's looming presence one way or another, but by then.. who knows how far he'll take it?

Cutthroat

The fact that others fawn over you really doesn't seem to worry him all too much to begin with. It's when your attention starts to stray from him that things can get a little tricky.

Everything will seem fine at first....all except for the fact that he absolutely refuses to leave your side no matter what. You have to be on his arm at any and every event. If you mention going somewhere without him, you'll be given one or all of a few things—

Emotional outbursts, half-hearted and selfish argumentive points coming from only his perspective. Even going as far as to tie your wrist to the furniture if it means you're not leaving without him. Most times he'll cheerfully let you go as long as you agree to find a way that allows him to accompany you. It's just the initial hurt of being told he can't get what he wants from you that occasionally makes him lash out.

If you stick with your no, then he'll have no choice but to entertain you himself instead. He really doesn't want to keep you tied since it makes it harder to do fun things....but he'll find a way to make it work since he knows for sure now that you won't be leaving.

He might be the reason why you begin to miss out on so many business opportunities or chances to further in your career.

Cutthroat is however, your biggest supporter if you do go out together. The fans don't bother him~! The closer they get, the easier they are to kill—!

Well, some fans will be spared....those entertaining enough to distract him. If there was one in particular that he feels took up more of your attention or physical affection than he's willing to share, he'll give that fan a following glance when they finally walk off. Their time is up with you and he'll make it clear if he sees them come near again.

Cutthroat hates watching you hug fans specifically. Hugs are supposed to be for him only. He may whine about it first and you should take that as a warning. They'll be dead whether others are watching or not if something doesn't change about how close that other person is to you.

It's safe to probably say that you wouldn't really need body guards with Cutthroat around...but in the case you do have them, it's best to never acknowledge they're even there. They follow you around as much as he does, so one word to them will give him the wrong idea. Don't wonder if they all go missing.

Now that you think of it, people around you always seem to go missing sooner or later...

Quickly, Cutthroat tires from always having to share you with others and that's when his violent side becomes rather obvious.

He's likely to snap in a crowd of people following you. Once he's killed the first person that comes too close to you though...it's too good not to kill the others as they run and scream for their lives...this is what they deserve, isn't it..? For bothering his angel..?

If that doesn't happen first, there will come a day where he isn't able to pout enough for you to cancel an interview on your calendar. As such, he subsequently follows you to the interview, kicking his feet back and forth in a chair off camera. Soon enough he gets bored of hearing them ask you personal questions only he should know the answers to.

Cutthroat decides it'd be more fun to throw a knife in the interviews neck~ ....Don't look all sad....he was trying to show you a knife trick...did it work...are you impressed..?

Now, everyone on live television knows you're dating a murderer~! Not a problem though...as the security guards go to detain him....he kills them next.

Your only real option is to run away with Cutthroat and hide your identity. Breaking up with him is only an option if you don't mind being caged for the rest of your life. He's killing anyone that comes in attempts at taking you from him too..!

#OKAY I KEEP GETTING ENCOURAGED BY DANNY TO TAG THEM #akudama drive #akudama drive headcanons #akudama drive x reader #now you're all subjected to my self indulgent fantasies

87 notes · View notes

sueske · 2 years ago

Note

Im gonna ask for some grace in this question because im autistic and I can barely understand social stuff from my culture, none the less Japan's culture. So basically, all the not-het stuff Kishi did is not common in other Shounen? If so, has he ever commented on why he did what he did?

I guess the only two options are he really did this intentionally in the only way he could. I'm not sure how homophobic Japan is, but I assume being overt would've made Naruto a failure of a manga/anime. So he had to be subtle.

Or maybe he is genuinely not a socially aware guy?

Am I understanding the situation here?

Regardless, he must be aware of the loud conversation around SNS. Has he ever acknowledged it at all?

well I’m not Japanese so I can’t really speak on behalf of their culture/fandom, all I can do is give my two cents from an outsider’s perspective, but what I can say from my 20 years of watching/reading anime/manga is that no one does it like sns, especially not in shonen. If I were to list all the reasons this reply would be thousands of words long so I'll redirect you here.

No one’s ever explicitly asked Kishimoto as far as interviews are concerned whether sns are actually gay or not, but the topic of their bond has been discussed. Kishimoto said that he finds their relationship hard to put into words, that he’s not sure if he explained it properly, that sns might look insane to some people, and that people who grew up lonely wrote to him saying how much they identified with the characters (paraphrasing here). The fact that even Kishimoto finds it hard to define their bond using the usual labels is very telling. So we have to read in between the lines cuz the answer lies in the words left unsaid. The words he probably can’t say.

Japan is home to a homophobic society, as is most of the rest of the world, and the fact of the matter is naruto is a shonen manga. How can teenage boys self insert into the main protagonist if he’s overtly gay after all? Kishimoto still wrote a love story though and while it was never explicitly stated in the normal way, ‘I love you!’, it was explicit in all the other ways that truly matter.

Kishimoto 100% wrote sns gay intentionally - reasonings specifically in this ask here. As for whether he’s socially unaware... I’m not sure what you fully mean by this question. As in, he can only write a gay story if he’s socially unaware? That he's socially unaware, so that’s why he just wrote a gay story for the fun of it? Kishimoto is very socially aware, which is why he took such great care in crafting his work in the first place. Also take a look at some of the works that inspired him previously.

As for whether he acknowledged the speculation around sns, well. If you were a mangaka of one of the most popular series in the world wouldn’t you be curious as to what people were saying about it? So he had to know. He 100% knew what he was doing when writing his work, so I’m sure he also became curious if people actually picked up on it. Not to mention the editors/higher-ups would have brought to his attention certain things the fandom were saying. SJ’s mission is to make money, so giving the people what they want is a sure-fire way to do that, which means listening to what they want (and what they don’t want) and relaying that information to Kishimoto. And, well. That’s how Boruto happened.

#anon #ask #naruto #sasuke #sasunaru #narusasu #my stuff #anti boruto

36 notes · View notes

watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

Text

A STEP FURTHER

Sequel to SIT ON ME

a/n: as per requested, here is a part two to my recent sebastian fic! hope you guys will like it as much as you did the previous part! also, there’s not gonna be any more parts!

pairing: Sebastian Stan X Assistant!Reader

word count: 3k

masterlist

You were expecting it. You knew how the internet and most importantly, Sebastian’s fans work. Just hours after the event, dozens of videos got out of Sebastian saying that he wanted you to sit on him if he was a chair, an answer to a highly inappropriate question that shouldn’t have been asked in the first place, but your crazy ass boss thought otherwise.

It washed over the whole fandom and soon enough everyone was talking about the two of you. And because part of your job is to be up to date about Sebastian’s media presence, you had to face not just him but yourself all over the internet. Fans started to dig up every tiny interaction between the two of you caught on camera, they posted photo montages of you and him just out and about or going from one meeting to the other. They started to look for signs that you’re dating and half of the fandom became convinced that you’re in a secret relationship. Speculations and rumors spread faster than wildfire and there was no way to stop it, you just had to live with it.

In the meanwhile, Sebastian didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. It’s like he didn’t even acknowledge the fuss about the two of you, like it was all so natural and normal to be seen as a couple by the whole world when you were just his employee.

“What? It’s not like I ever addressed anything about my dating life,” he shrugged one day when you asked him why he is not caring about the situation at all. And that was pretty much it.

The fans wouldn’t have been that big of a deal to you either. They are strangers, they always get fixated on something and soon enough you knew something new would come up and make them forget about your existence. The people close to you on the other hand are a whole different side of the story.

Following the event, Mackie wouldn’t shut up about Sebastian being hopelessly in love with you and he would nag you to go on a date already, getting on your nerves even more than he usually does with his nosiness. You love the man, you really do, but he needs to learn how to stay in his own lane.

And then, slowly but surely every friend you and Sebastian shared caught up on the story and they started asking you about it again and again and you had to tell them the same thing every damn time: you and Sebastian were working together, no romance was involved between the two of you.

No one believed you.

Now it’s been weeks and people still go crazy whenever you and Seb step out together, which happens quite often since he’s been having a busy month work-wise. Paparazzi are always following you around, catching every moment you spend out in the public, putting you on the tabloids nonstop. It’s become your usual.

Another day, another event. The day starts early for you before you pick Sebastian up and heading out to have breakfast before you are supposed to show up at the concert hall that’s going to be the venue of today’s interview and Q&A.

“Mackie has been blowing my phone up all morning,” you grumble upon seeing another text from said man before you just turn your phone screen facing down so you can finish your toast in peace.

“What does he want?” Sebastian hums.

“He is asking if I’m coming today, as if I missed any events these past weeks,” you huff shaking your head.

“He has been acting weird,” Sebastian grimaces, reaching for his coffee. “Weirder than his usual,” he adds.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, he just asks weird stuff,” he shrugs, not paying much attention to it and you decide to do the same.

Not much later, you’re finished with your food, only sipping on your coffee when you spot a group of girls near your table, their phones pointing in your direction and you have to stop yourself from growling, turning a little so you’re not facing the phones entirely. Sebastian notices your discomfort and looking around he spots the girls as well before turning back to face you. He doesn’t say a word, just gets up from his seat and strides over to the group as you watch him with wide eyes.

“Hi girls, can I ask you to delete the pictures you took, please? I’m happy to take selfies with you, just please don’t post the ones of us eating, okay?” you hear him ask them, leaving you completely speechless. Luckily, the girls are happy to obligate and he quickly poses for pictures with all of them before joining you back at the table.

“Why did you do that?” you ask him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You clearly didn’t like that they took pictures of us and I know you don’t like how we are being talked about recently, so I thought I would… try to help about that a little,” he shrugs, finishing the rest of his coffee.

“I just don’t like that everyone is in our business,” you sigh, folding your arms on your chest as you lean back in your seat.

“So we have business? Together?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at you over the table.

“That’s not how I… We talked about this, Seb,” you breathe out, your shoulders falling forward.

“Ages ago. Things might have changed since then,” he suggests shrugging his shoulder.

“I still work for you,” you point it out. “Things are better this way.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” he mumbles, clearly hurt by your words, but there’s not much you can do against it. “Let’s go, I don’t want Mackie to be up in my ass for being late,” he sighs, leaving the money on the table that most likely covers both your meals and a fat tip as well.

The car ride to the venue is silent, but not in the comfortable way it sometimes is. It’s awkward and you keep glancing at him, trying to find the right words but you’re not even sure what you want to tell him.

I’m sorry we work together so we can’t date? I’m sorry I keep rejecting you? I’m sorry I’m afraid if we go any further than this it will ruin our friendship?

You have absolutely no idea how to deal with it, so you just stay silent, right until you arrive to the venue. Before Seb could get out of the car you speak up.

“Are you mad at me now?” you ask, biting into your bottom lip.

“I’m not mad, Y/N. I don’t think I could ever be mad at you,” he truthfully answers, his eyes only falling on you after he has spoken.

“But there’s something, I can tell.”

“I’m just a little frustrated, is all.”

“Because of what people say about us?” you make a guess.

“Because there’s this unsaid situation between us and you just don’t let me address it. You don’t want to talk about it and whenever it’s brought up, you just shut the door right at my face,” he explains and with each spoken word, you feel worse and worse.

“It’s a complicated situation,” you breathe out.

“It’s not,” he retorts. “Do you not like me?”

“Of course I like you!”

“Okay, I like you too so why can’t we be more than just friends?”

“Because we are not just friends. I’m working for you, it’s a different situation!”

“Y/N, this is not an office job, there’s no HR, no policies, we can do whatever we want!” he chuckles bitterly as you keep your eyes down. You don’t have the heart to tell him that it’s not just because of work, but because you’re terribly afraid of being a disappointment to him if you eventually give it a try.

Your silence doesn’t amuses Sebastian and you don’t have time to rave any longer about the situation.

“Forget it, sorry I brought it up again. Let’s just… get over with this thing,” he mumbles before getting out of the car.

You move around each other like strangers, he is clearly avoiding to even look at you and you’re feeling guilty even though you don’t think you have a reason to. Still, you hate seeing him this upset, especially when it’s because of you.

The change in your act is not that evident, but Mackie immediately notices it. When you walk past him he grabs your wrist and pulls you aside.

“What the hell is going on?” he asks with wide, curious eyes.

“What are you talking about?” you retort, acting innocent, but there’s a reason why you didn’t become an actress, you suck at even lying.

“You and Seb are acting like a divorcing couple!” he whisper-yells. Pursing your lip you start chewing on the inside of your cheek as you nervously tap your foot on the ground.

“We just… had a little disagreement.”

“About what?”

“Us,” you breathe out, your head hanging low.

“Wait, so there is an ‘us’?” he asks, air-quoting the last word and you roll your eyes at him.

“No, that’s what the disagreement was about. He wants and I…”

“Don’t tell me you don’t, because I know that’s bullshit. Y/N, I see the way you look at that man, why are you making it so hard for the both of you?”

“It’s just—It might ruin everything and I can’t afford that right now.”

“Ruin everything?!” he grimaces. “What would it ruin?”

“I said fucking everything!” you snap at him, losing your patience that you’re the only one who has issues with the situation. “Our friendship, my job, everything! And I don’t want that. I can’t have that.”

“Dating someone wouldn’t ruin the friendship, Y/N. This is not middle school. Friendship is part of being with someone and you two have that. Just let it take a step further.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’m good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have stuff to do,” you mumble under your breath before walking away from him before he could get another word out.

It’s not that you don’t want it, because you do, you really do. You’ve been in love with the man for a long time and knowing that he has feelings for you too makes you have a heart attack every time you think about it. But you are so afraid it might go south and then you’ll end up losing your job and one of your closest friends as well. Because above everything Sebastian grew to be your biggest confidant, the person you turn to whenever you are feeling down, when you need a shoulder to cry on, you can’t imagine your life without him anymore and it’s not just about the times when you’re working. Traveling around the world with him is a blessing, you love the little moments you share, the late night movie nights in hotel rooms or when you’re exploring a new city together. You love messing around in his trailer when he is filming, making silly videos on sets or playing around with props you shouldn’t even touch. You can share anything with him and vice versa. If you lose him for whatever reason, you would be left with a hole in your life that would just simply never disappear, because no one will ever be like him and that’s a fact. You’re terribly afraid to risk everything for something that might not even work. You might be a horrible item, romance can bring out things of people that haven’t shown before.

The guys finally get on stage and you watch them from the side as always. It goes as usual, they are joking around, making a show, entertaining the audience as they go over the interview before the question round starts. You don’t realize it at first, but you’re holding your breath as one question follows the other, you’re scared someone might ask Sebastian about you and the shit show would blow up again. You can only hope his answer wouldn’t be as stupid as it was before. But luckily, the audience keeps you out of their business, only focusing on what’s important, so you start to feel relieved. Right until the whole event is nearing its end and Mackie decides to take matters into his own hands.

“I think we have time for one more question,” the interviewer announces and dozens of hands shoot up into the air, desperate to get the chance to ask the men on stage, but before anyone could get the mic, Mackie speaks up.

“Actually, can I have that last question?” he chimes in holding up a finger.

“Uh, sure, go ahead!” the interviewer responds, clearly a little puzzled about his request. Mackie then turns to face Sebastian who is sitting on his right and just by the look on his face you already know what it’s gonna be about.

“Sebastian, my question is: What do you love most about Y/N?”

He can barely finish the question, the crowd erupts in cheers and whistles that he had the guts to ask him about you, but you’re feeling different about his ballsy move.

“Mackie! No!” you shout from the side, both men looking your way. Mackie tries to look innocent while Sebastian’s face is unreadable, his piercing blue eyes are just staring right back at you and you wish you could read his mind.

“Alright, I take back the ques—“ Mackie starts in a mumble, but Sebastian is quick to cut him off.

“Nah, I’ll answer,” he simply says, another round of cheering filling the place and you accept defeat.

Squatting down you hug your knees to your chest as you listen to the inevitable answer Sebastian is about to give.

“What I love the most about Y/N is that she is genuinely the best person anyone could ever have in their life. She is so selfless and caring towards others, always got her friends’ back no matter what. I love that we aren’t just simply working together but we are friends too, really good ones and that I know nothing can change that.”

Listening to his soothing voice through the speakers, you feel your throat closing up, especially at the last part he just said. Chewing on your bottom lip you tilt your head to the side as he continues.

“Literally anything can happen, we could have the worst fight ever and I still know that we would make up no matter what. She is… just an amazing and exceptional person.”

There’s a heavy moment of silence and you’re staring at him from afar with teary eyes as his eyes are glued to his hands in his lap.

“Damn,” Mackie breathes out, making everyone laugh and Sebastian’s gaze rises to him with a small smile on his lips.

There’s no time to dwell on his answer, the event needs to end. The interviewer thanks for their time and as the crowd cheers to them they head off the stage, waving at them until they disappear.

You’ve moved to the corner of the room, not wanting to be in the way, but you’re still not over the speech Sebastian just gave about you. As he appears from the stage his eyes are clearly scanning the room, searching for someone and when he finally spots you, his face hardens as he heads in your way. You’re standing with your hand covering your lips, eyes still slightly watered and seeing you like this he knots his eyebrows together in worry.

“Hey, what’s—“

“Did you mean that?” you breathe out, your voice trembling. “Did you mean it that nothing can change that?”

“Of course,” he nods, finally seeing what this is all about. “We’ve always found our way back to each other, haven’t we?”

“But dating is so much different than what we do now!” you breathe out, still not entirely sure it’s what you should do.

“Why would it be?” he chuckles softly. “We are already spending the majority of our time together, we know each other better than some couples, it wouldn’t be that big of a change, Y/N. And just like how it could ruin things between us, not taking the step could do the same, because sooner or later it’s gonna be unbearable, one of us might end up dating someone else and that wouldn’t do good to us for sure. I would rather accept the end of it knowing that we gave us a try than not even trying.”

“What if I turn out to be a completely shitty girlfriend?” you ask in a whisper as he steps closer, his hands finding your wrists as he pulls them away from your face, holding them gently. “W-What if I—“

“Shut up,” he cuts you off chuckling. “There’s no chance you are shitty at anything,” he replies teasingly, making you smile the slightest. “But even if you do end up being one, we’ll work on it together.”

His hands guide your hands around his waist, you hold onto his shirt as he cups your face in his hands, his face inching closer until his nose is brushing against yours.

“I really hope you’re right,” you breathe out, giving up to resist it any longer. There’s no use.

“Was I ever not right?” he asks smugly.

“Oh remember when—“

You don’t get to finish, because he silences you the best way possible, his lips smashing onto yours. It’s been long due and it doesn’t disappoint, his lips feel soft and perfect against yours, you can’t help but let out a pleased hum as your hands slide up his toned chest and your arms curl around his neck while his hands find your waist strong arms circling your waist as he pulls you tight against him.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Mackie’s voice breaks the moment and as you both pull back and turn in his direction, you see him pump his fist into the air with a victorious smirk on his face.

“Mind your own business, Mackie!” Seb calls out to him as you bury your face in the crook of his neck giggling like a little school girl.

“It’s my business! I made it happen!” Mackie retorts and a laugh rumbles through Seb’s chest.

“I’ll send you a thank you gift card later!” he shouts back before turning to you again, kissing the side of your head.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan oneshot #sebastian stan one shot #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan angst #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan au #bucky barnes #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader

759 notes · View notes

ilikekidsshows · 3 years ago

Note

Hi! I loved the Adrinette analysis you made...do you think you could make a similar one for Ladybug and Chat Noir over seasons 1 to 3?

I knew I was leaving myself open for this ask, and I kinda dreaded it, because 80% of Ladynoir screen time is dedicated to defeating an Akuma, meaning the characters have something else to focus on rather than progressing their relationship, and most the relationship stuff is just Marinette being really stubborn and refusing to properly look at her partner. In other words, there's significantly more screen time, but also proportionally less stuff going on in Ladynoir than in Adrinette because the characters are superheroes on the job and one party is actively resisting any development happening. It's also a very different kind of arc and relationship to Adrinette where the goal is just the two of them getting closer and more comfortable with each other. Ladynoir has that as well as all the trust issues and superhero team dynamics. Basically, this post is definitive proof that Miraculous has had plot development before season four, and it has had a lot of it. I got almost dizzy with it while compiling this.

Once again, I’m trying to go in a somewhat chronological order to properly track the relationship.

In 'Origins', we only get one-sided Ladynoir stuff. Marinette is new on the job and completely focused on solving the Akuma problem and nothing else. Meanwhile, Adrien actually takes note of his partner. He sees her flounder but ultimately put together a clever plan. He sees her lose faith but ultimately pick herself up and deliver a really badass speech at Hawk Moth. It's really no wonder he fell in love. The number one thing he learned about Ladybug is that she can fail and the second thing was that she could pick herself up again and grab the win anyway. I've brought up earlier in the Top Adrinette Scene discussion that Adrien is very scared of failing, because his father does not forgive failure, so Ladybug being someone who can turn a failure into a win understandably makes his heart go pitter-patter.

Meanwhile, Marinette barely noticed her partner. As I said, she was fully focused on solving the problem, but she was also getting distracted by her own insecurities. Marinette's first experience with Cat Noir was that he was kinda smooth and seemed to be much more confident than Marinette. Her second experience was that he tended to leap before he looked, but was perfectly willing to listen to her say-so. We have a very brief attempt at flirtation from Cat Noir, that Ladybug barely seems to even notice.

In 'Bubbler', Cat Noir actually gets to flirt with his Lady. He's clearly intent on getting her to notice what he's getting at, but Ladybug seems mostly exasperated with him. At this point their partnership is new and Marinette is most likely thinking back to their first case, when Cat Noir was so patient and supportive and not this...much. She still doesn't tell him to quit it, though, meaning she’s trying to accept him being a lot.

'Stormy Weather' has Cat Noir continuing in his attempts to get Ladybug to notice him and this time she responds playfully when they're not right in the middle of a tense situation. She's getting used to this being Cat's way of interacting with her and keeping the mood light.

'Lady Wifi' has the pair discussing the secrecy between them, with Adrien actively making the decision that honoring Ladybug's wishes concerning keeping their secret identities is more important than knowing the identity of the girl he's in love with, that doing so is the proper way to love her. 'Lady Wifi' is also the first time Marinette panics at the idea of something romantic being suggested about her and Cat Noir, when Alya says Adrien might be Cat Noir, that Cat Noir might be the boy she's repeatedly told Alya she's in love with.

'Copycat' shows us for a fact that Ladybug has no idea that Cat Noir's flirtations with her are genuine, and Cat Noir is growing tired of his feelings going entirely unnoticed.

Because of his growing frustration over not being able to communicate his feelings to Ladybug in a manner that she'd take seriously, Adrien goes the extra mile to write her a love poem in 'Dark Cupid'. When he receives a response that appeared with no sender, just a ladybug, he entertains the thought that Ladybug answered his poem and does in fact return his feelings (not realizing that Ladybug would need to know his identity to deliver such a note to him specifically, but Adrien does generally worry less about secret identities than Marinette). 'Dark Cupid' is also the first occasion of Marinette's by-now patented plan "Pretend to be in Love with Cat Noir" to solve problems, except that she was absolutely certain that a True Love's Kiss could occur between them, so there isn't even much room for pretending, but Marinette's denial is so powerful, she'll try.

In 'The Mime' we see Cat Noir actually testing Ladybug's receptiveness to a date, by suggesting that they could have gone to the play together if they didn't have to detransform. Ladybug replies that she has other plans before zipping away, and Cat Noir merely smiles after her. His feelings are growing, and he might still be remembering the love note he got. In fact, this is probably why he says "We are meant to be," in 'Gamer'.

In 'Animan' Ladybug actually does some of her own flirting with Cat Noir by giving him chin scritches. We also see a very straightforward gesture of affection from Cat Noir to Ladybug, when he hugs her in relief after the battle. Ladybug smiles softly at him, seeing that her partner cares about her well-being, while Cat Noir jumps back, embarrassed over his own reaction, or perhaps even afraid of censure. Adrien isn't the type of person to suddenly grab people in a hug, most likely because such "overly emotional" displays are discouraged in the Agreste household. This is the first occasion of Adrien projecting his father's supposed reaction to a thing he does on Ladybug, so he runs away from her.

In 'Simon Says', Cat Noir clings to Ladybug when faced with Gabriel looking at him weirdly (he's trying to figure out if he's Adrien, but Adrien himself never realizes his father was suspicious of his identity). At this point, Ladybug has started to become something of a security symbol to Adrien specifically against his father.

'Reflekta' is the episode where Cat Noir reminds Ladybug that he doesn't just deliver quips and he is actually a hero in his own right, even with diminished capabilities, in response to Marinette almost leaving him behind because he couldn't use his Cat Noir powers, because he'd "just slow (her) down", and then it turns out she couldn't have won without him. However, with the scene of Cat Noir taking the hit, Ladybug also starts on the process of realizing exactly how important her partner is to her success. Noticeably, it's while they're plotting together that Ladybug responds to his flirtation by flirting back, even if not very well (protip, Marinette, demeaning someone isn't funny to anyone but the person doing the demeaning, the other person is not suddenly lacking a sense of humor). Cat Noir is also a bit softer with his overtures in this episode, his cheeky flirtation gaining a bit more intimacy.

In 'Antibug', we can see the lessons Ladybug learned in 'Reflekta' sticking, with Ladybug listening to and valuing Cat Noir's input, unlike how the last time he tried to give her advice in a Chloé situation in 'Evillustrator', when she acknowledged he was right but couldn't bring herself to follow his advice. She also flirts with Cat Noir of her own volition, when she rings his bell. Cat Noir also keeps showing genuine warmth towards Ladybug instead of being just cheeky, when Ladybug compliments him. They affirm their bond after taking down Antibug.

The events of 'Reflekta' and 'Antibug' together influence what happens in 'Volpina', where Marinette is very suspicious of a new superhero showing up, without ever suspecting she could have been an Akuma in disguise. Cat Noir is her partner, and Cat Noir is her only partner. She’s not only learned his value, but has grown possessive over him. There's no need for any outsider. This jealousy over Cat Noir is actually something Marinette doesn't get over during the first three seasons the way she learns to deal with her jealousy over Adrien.

By the time 'The Collector' happens, Adrien has developed enough trust in his partner to ultimately believe her over her suspicions about Gabriel being Hawk Moth. This episode also has the first time Marinette voices concern over Cat Noir's emotional well-being instead of merely physical, who, of course, can't tell her what's wrong because it would break the secret identity clause.

'Prime Queen' has some very nice mutual Ladynoir flirting at the start of the interview. However, they're both mortified when Nadja comes out with the pictures. Cat Noir is confused, because he had no idea that their relationship could even give that impression, he must have been feeling like he hasn't been making much progress in getting closer to Ladybug. Meanwhile, Marinette goes defensive for the first time since 'Lady Wifi' only, this time, even more so. She even runs out on Cat Noir when he, very understandably, wants an explanation why he head to learn from a reporter that she'd planted one on him instead of from her. The episode confirms that Marinette will refuse to, in any way, discuss anything romance-related in relation to Cat Noir, even when there's an innocent explanation, like breaking an Akuma's spell. She's so defensive it's suspicious.

We also have another occasion of Marinette "pretending" to be in love with Cat Noir to solve a problem. While Cat Noir purrs either over the confession, having her close, or both. Marinette also jumped at the chance to "pretend" to confess her love so eagerly, that it left Prime Queen unimpressed. Still, Marinette refused to commit to the "ruse" enough to kiss Cat Noir while he's actually conscious and aware of it, because then she'd have to deal with the aftermath of kissing him.

'Dark Owl' has the first true test of faith between Ladybug and Cat Noir, when both of them have to trust the other not to look while they have to recharge. Although, considering 'The Collector', this is actually the first test only for Ladybug. At the end of the episode, Adrien also genuinely asks Ladybug out on a date for the very first time when they unexpectedly have free time from Owl-sitting, but Marinette preferred to skip off to spend time with Alya since she hadn’t gotten to see her while being so busy with The Owl's antics for so long.

'Glaciator' has Cat Noir planning an actual outing for Ladybug. The thing is, before 'Glaciator', Marinette's response to Cat Noir asking her out has always been that she has other plans, no can do. However, in 'Glaciator', she specifically says: "We'll see," and then she ends up ghosting him because she forgot to even send him a message that she didn't feel like going anywhere. At the same time, Gabriel purposefully stands him up for dinner, causing Adrien to project onto the Ladybug situation so hard that he doesn't think Ladybug even sees him as a real friend. Considering Adrien was under the same impression about Marinette in 'Puppeteer 2', it is typical for Marinette to send these kinds of mixed signals (which is fitting, considering how clear communication seems to be the biggest bullet point in her character development agenda).

On the upside, Cat Noir's compromised emotional state led to him being more frank about his feelings to first Marinette and later to Ladybug, finally making Marinette understand that Cat Noir is actually in love with her and how sensitive her partner can really be and that she can hurt his feelings. Notably, in this episode, Marinette particularly enjoys employing her "Pretend to be in love with Cat Noir" gambit, this time even going as far as kissing him, after finding out he's actually in love with her. Indeed, at the end of the episode, her rejection to Cat Noir is entirely focused on her having feelings for someone else (as well). She never once said she doesn't love him, and, in fact, never claims so in the English dub.

In 'Sapotis' we also see a brief glimpse of Marinette's jealousy over Cat Noir when he welcomes Alya onto the team so warmly but, because Rena Rouge was a teammate Marinette herself chose and trusts, she doesn't feel threatened enough to express it more than by merely keeping an eye on their interaction. 'Sapotis' also starts the arc of Cat Noir starting to lose faith in Ladybug having his best interest in mind when Rena Rouge appears out of nowhere and he's expected to just accept that no-questions-asked.

'Gorizilla' notably has Marinette repeatedly voicing her belief that Cat Noir will show up, something Adrien appreciates a great deal, going as far as blushing over something so simple. He's astounded by the fact that his Lady has faith in him, but it seems he still believes it despite the notion being strange to him.

'Frightningale' really drives home the arc going on in this season. 'Riposte' was the first time we saw Ladybug and Cat Noir seamlessly working together to neutralize an Akuma, but in this episode, they move in perfect synch while fighting Frightningale while handcuffed together. Cat Noir and Ladybug's teamwork has reached phenomenal levels.

I've repeatedly said that 'Syren' is less about Cat Noir and Ladybug's relationship and more about Fu's relationships with his two chosen. Still, this is the episode where Marinette gets put on the spot and comes through for her partner and Cat Noir learns that Ladybug keeping secrets from him wasn't of her own volition, but because of Fu, restoring his faith in her completely.

It's most likely because of the trust Ladybug showed towards him in 'Gorizilla' and their perfectly synchronized teamwork in 'Frightningale' that Cat Noir tries to confess to Ladybug again in 'Frozer'. These two episodes could give Cat Noir hope that he might be winning Ladybug over, especially since, as I said before, Ladybug has not said she doesn't have feelings for him. But she, of course, rejects him, although it's notably with more wistfulness than the last time, especially when she comments how she doesn't think it's possible for the "other boy" to not be a concern. 'Frozer' takes place during the arc in season two that covers Marinette's growing frustration at her inability to progress with Adrien the way she wants to and the discontent shows in her interaction with Cat Noir as well.

The change in how Marinette regards Cat Noir's input in fights between season one and two is especially noticeable in 'Style Queen' and 'Maledictator'. Both times Cat Noir is absent in a fight and this influences how Marinette approaches fighting the Akumas. In 'Style Queen' Marinette tries to play it sneaky but also needs to be saved by Plagg's intervention in his holder's absence. In 'Maledictator', Marinette's plan involved siccing the brainwashed Cat Noir on the Akuma's goons. Cat Noir has become necessary to Marinette, which is why he's able to galvanize her during 'Heroes' Day' by reminding her that the two of them against the world is what's always worked.

Season three as a whole revolves around Adrien losing faith that Ladybug could ever return his feelings the way he wishes and Marinette getting several warning signs about how she could lose Cat Noir. I might even go as far as saying that this season has negative Ladynoir development (in that their relationship grows more frayed and brittle instead of stronger).

A big reason for this new development direction is 'Reflekdoll', which, according to the production codes, happens early in the season. In this episode, Ladybug and Cat Noir learn the worst possible (false) lessons about themselves and each other and they carry those lessons for the rest of the season. In my 'Reflekdoll' conflict analysis, I wrote that Ladybug basically "learns" that Cat Noir is fae-like in that he isn't bothered by mortal things like stress or heartbreak. Cat Noir, meanwhile, "learns" that, while it doesn't matter if Ladybug makes a mistake because she can always fix it, him making a mistake makes him fundamentally less worthy as a hero and a person, so he could never be as valuable as Ladybug even as a person and not only strategically.

'Weredad', meanwhile, is the quintessential evidence episode for Marinette being both possessive and in denial about Cat Noir. She's literally pretending to be in love with him to him, while totally denying to herself that she feels anything for him, all the while she's feeling jealous over him seemingly moving on from her to be in love with her. The reason it's so important that no one but Marinette herself and Tikki know what went down in this episode is that Marinette's denial would never last if someone actually questioned this whole mess.

This is also an episode where we can clearly see the aftermath of what 'Reflekdoll' did to Cat Noir. He's once again projecting his situation with his father onto someone else (this time Tom), but he's also blatantly refusing to fight Tom at full strength, because he feels that it's his fault he got Akumatized, allowing himself to get hurt severely because he feels he's not that important, that he might even deserve it.

'Oblivio' has Ladybug once again do the whole: "How dare you say I'm in love with Cat Noir I am quitting this conversation right now!" routine. Cat Noir also got actual confirmation that something about him made his Lady want to kiss him when their memories had been wiped.

'Desperada' has the semi-infamous scene of Ladybug saying she doesn't need Cat Noir and, while she learns the valuable lesson that yes she flipping does, this is also the episode where Adrien repeatedly fails to use the Snake Miraculous correctly, having to give it up to someone else, feeling like an undeserving failure *turns to look at 'Weredad' and then at ‘Reflekdoll*.

'Kwamibuster' is an episode where everyone keeps telling Ladybug not to trust Cat Noir and she believes it to the degree that she sees him as a bigger threat than a Kwami-targeting Akuma. In other words, Cat Noir being treated like a part-time hero again in season four is because of 'Kwamibuster'.

'Gamer 2.0' is actually an important episode for the Ladynoir dynamic. This is the episode where Marinette takes on way too much responsibility (voluntarily) and is really stressed about it, while Cat Noir dismantles that stress with his good humor and positive outlook. This episode enforces the lesson that was stated outright in 'Reflekdoll': "Everyone has their role", and Cat Noir's role is to be the jokester who makes Ladybug feel better. Also, Cat Noir doesn’t even hesitate to make a sacrifice play for his Lady, because he’s less important.

'Timetagger' foreshadows that Marinette's words of affirmation are losing their effect. She repeatedly says things like "I trust Cat Noir", "You're irreplaceable", "You know you're the best", but she doesn't know how to express her regard to Cat Noir in actions. And it's important to note that Adrien was raised among liars and manipulators. Even if he doesn't doubt Ladybug's intentions, he might doubt the depth and truth of her feelings for him. Because Ladybug is so nice, she might lie about valuing him to make him feel better. Words aren't enough when words are the only thing between you and your insecurities. This is also an episode that feeds into Cat Noir's worthlessness arc, with Bunnyx repeatedly insisting that Ladybug in the future is just awesome, while Cat Noir broke her Miraculous. Even Ladybug shoots him down at the end of the episode when he tries to ask for extra affirmation, claiming he "already knows he's great".

In 'Puppeteer 2', Cat Noir's hope from 'Oblivio' that Ladybug might be starting to be won over by him comes back to bite him when the wax Ladybug gets close to him by pretending to be coming onto him. He only realized she was a fake because she smelled wrong, something that comes back to haunt him in 'Ladybug', when he's faced with a perfect copy, whose only difference to the original is that she's apparently in love with him. The villains clearly know he’s so in love with Ladybug it sometimes blinds him.

With the villains using this clear weakness as an in, it's no wonder that Cat Noir finally makes the decision to move on from Ladybug in 'Heart Hunter'. He tries one more time to test her interest to see if she'd be jealous of him dating and, when she's merely overjoyed, he decides to finally move on to Kagami. However, when faced with the actual reality of Cat Noir giving his attention to someone else instead of her (instead of in addition to her), Ladybug actually finds herself hurt and questions the lack of "My Lady" in Cat Noir addressing her, but she instantly denies it when Cat Noir notices. Denial denial denial...

Aaaaaand that's a wrap! Putting this together made me realize just how interconnected the show really is but no one notices because there aren’t any secret identities being revealed, people getting together or lore being revealed. Even something that seems like a breather episode like 'Gamer 2.0' has a larger role in the arc of developing the relationship between our main heroes.

#miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #lovesquare #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ml meta #long post #REALLY long

408 notes · View notes

matan4il · 3 years ago

Note

Lately there have been a lot of freak outs in this fandom and honestly I don't not validate people's anxiety so like I get it. No judgement. But I wanted to put this in the universe to remind the people with higher anxiety. Writers, producers and actors can only talk about where they are at in the moment of the story actually being told right then.

It's the perfect time to reflect that after wrapped in red Oliver's only talking point was .. he will have to deal with out his partner. We were left to ponder 500 situations. But 3 episodes in and we have some of the deepest cuts of Buddie we can get. Heck most straight couples don't get this deep of writing. But back in December would you have thought we had canon Eddie breaking down, Christopher calling Buck and Buck breaking a door down for him?

It's justa good reminder a writer or actor is never gonna be like well when Buddie finally kisses in S6 E4 you will see.

Again not invalidating people's triggers because I get it, just a reminder they dont spoil us and shipping really is a blind leap of faith that you just have to follow your gut on.

Hi Nonnie, thank you so much for this ask! I agree, I’d also add to this that even a second before 413 aired, we would have never been able to imagine the insanity of the good Buddie content we would get in that ep and in 414. Not to mention, sometimes these show runners’ actions directly contradict things they have said in interviews, like saying there’s no need for Buck Begins and then almost the next thing we learn is we’re getting a Buck Begins ep... Generally, their job in interviews is to say whatever they think will best serve their show at that specific moment in time. So it’s always interesting to hear what they have to say, but there’s also no need to accept every word as The Gospel Truth. It’s a fine balance to strike, but I hope we can do that together! :D xoxox

And that brings me to this ask as well...

Girly you really need to see oli’s interview bout todays episode

Awwww, Nonnie! Thank you for thinking of me and including me. I did see he gave interviews, I was not able to read them (my vertigo makes it difficult to read, so I reserve whatever small capacity I have to read for the asks I get). I am grateful whenever someone drops by in my DMs and lets me know the gist of what was said, but I take it from your tone that it’s good stuff? That makes me happy! Hope you have a great day! xoxox

Oh, this might be connected to this ask?

Okay so I know this wasn't in the episode but Oliver said that in a romantic relationship Buck needs a partner and then in the same interview calls Eddie his partner. What on Earth am I supposed to take from that!?

ksadjhfsd Thank you for sending me this, kind Nonnie! This is just a WHOLE thing, isn’t it? First, the clear indication that Oli, who knows Buck so well, sees that Buck does not currently have a partner in his romantic r/s, and secondly the fact that he acknowledges that what he’s missing with Taylor, he’s def getting with Eddie, and the fact that he said it about a romantic r/s specifically, not just in general? OH MY. I mean, Oli has always made it pretty obvious that he loves Buddie as a ship (the fact that he and Ryan were discussing what to name the ship still gets to me), but this is making it damn obvious even to the casual TV viewer who may stumble upon this interview, and I love that for us. Thank you again for sharing, Nonnie! xoxox

(I got an influx of asks, I WILL answer all of them, but it might take a sec. If anyone wants to check whether I've already answered theirs or to read my replies, here's my ask tag. Thank you! xoxox)

#buddie #911meta #buddie meta #911 meta #9-1-1 #evan buck buckley #evan buckley #eddie diaz #edmundo diaz #ask #anon ask #anti-bucktaylor #oliver stark #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

45 notes · View notes

tearsofgrace · 4 years ago

Text

endings are hard... but they aren’t impossible

tldr; the good place fucking nailed the finale, supernatural completely and utterly bombed it.

tags: wc--4.5k, gif heavy, spn meta, the good place, supernatural finale, spn wank, all gifs are mine, if you read til the end there’s a pretty gif

so i recently finished the good place (i was watching w my family and we finally had time to sit down and watch the last season) and god fucking dammit that ending is FLAWLESS. literally flawless.

and because i’m, well, me… i spent most of the time during that hour long finale thinking about how supernatural could have had even a fraction of that and avoided so much heartbreak.

anyways. i decided to compare them. to REALLY compare them. to get into the nitty gritty of why the fuck the good place ending left me feeling, as the finale is all about, sated and complete. and why the spn ending left me confused, lost, broken, betrayed, unable to even enjoy my comfort show at all until a dear friend finally just watched an episode (8.08) start to finish with me.

so without further ado (always wanted to say that) here’s the good place/supernatural finale meta that no one asked for

comedy

we’ll start small. both these shows have excellent comedy. in extremely different ways… but still

in the good place finale, the comedy was perfect. whether it was jason reappearing in the forest, michael trying to get through The Door, tahani reversing the “hot bod” bit on eleanor, every comedic moment was actually pretty emotional and added something to the show. they deepened characters’ meanings, added to their relationships, and made the audience think as much as they made the audience laugh.

in the spn finale… the comedy was the pie gag. the whole sam shoving pie into dean’s face. beyond this being… like meta as hell (the whole prank thing) it doesn’t have any depth to it.

and to add salt to the wound, this “hilarious” thing happens RIGHT AFTER salmondean have a conversation about missing jack and cas that is equal parts flat and infuriating. the brothers, in particular sam about jack and dean about cas, should care more. this is their family. and family is everything to them. but, no, by all means pie dean in the face.

last lines

this one IRKS me. okay.

the last line of the good place "I'll say this to you, my friend, with all the love in my heart and all the wisdom of the universe: Take it sleazy.” “All right.” is ICONIC. okay?

it’s a reference to season 1 that doesn’t feel fan-servicey. it’s kinda honestly emotional cuz it’s like a message to us, the audience. it perfectly completes michael’s arc. it captures the light-hearted vibe of the show while also somehow managing to be poignant. you can see it coming like the second before it happens but it’s also not the obvious choice. it’s just. goddamn it’s good.

the last line of supernatural…. is… “and cut.” not even said by one of j2. i mean i know it’s a meta show but COME ON ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??????????

now i hear you shouting wait but that’s just the end of the thank you message. okay fine whatever. in that case the last lines are “Hey, Sammy.” “Dean.” (i couldn’t bring myself to gif that moment)

i’m sorry but. that’s predictable. that’s obvious. that’s boring. that’s flat. sure, it celebrates the bond between the brothers. but like… that’s not what this show is about anymore. it’s not just about sam and dean winchester it’s about what they’ve created. it’s about the world they’ve saved, the family they’ve made, about how they always keep fighting but nope we get bland, boring, coulda seen ‘em coming from miles away lines for the very end. that’s fine.

montages

the spn finale is like 50% montages that don’t make sense and are poorly done and not emotional

the good place has a montage of michael being human that brought me to tears

timing

here’s another short section. the good place finale was 53 minutes long as opposed to the usual 20 minute long runtime of every episode. granted, the fandom of the good place is very different, but STILL there was no documentary telling the fans things they ALREADY knew (there was a short special after the ep, but the episode itself was still far longer than normal). it was 53 minutes of plot. of really fucking good not rushed plot.

the supernatural finale was… what 36 minutes long?? as opposed to the normal 40 minute runtime?? granted, we did get an hour long documentary of things we’ve all heard in cons and interviews a billion times so hey. take what you can get i guess.

character arcs

this is most of the meat of this meta. one thing we’ve all been harping on a TON is how they RUINED character arcs. soooo let’s go through and juxtapose some character arcs shall we

eleanor

eleanor shellstrop starts the show completely self-obsessed. she died getting hit by shopping carts while picking up margarita mix and let’s be real she’s a total icon. love her to death. she grows a ton, becomes one of the most selfless characters on the show, and starts to actually (jack forbid) CARE about things. it’s one of the most satisfying and relatable character arcs i’ve ever seen.

it’s not just her selfishness either, her character is super multi-faceted and complex, and i feel like even in the end we’re getting to know her better. she’s afraid of commitment, always worried about what others’ actions will do to her, loves the trivial side of life, is queer as fuck (as acknowledged by the show in a way that’s not harmful at all but also isn’t explicitly bi/pan/unlabeled/omni etc, allowing queer fans to see their own identity in her), and is all around a HUMAN BEING. her ending at the beginning of the show was her death. her stupid, trivial, meaningless death where she was, as she puts it, all alone. and her final ending ISNT that. yes, everyone goes before her. and i think that’s purposeful. to show that she’s grown enough that being alone in some sense is okay.

but she’s never TRULY alone. and in the end. the REAL end. janet is there. the whole time. because eleanor asked her to be!! she got over her crazy need for independence and simply asked for help. and eleanor dies an amazing person that has become selfless, has found joy in philosophy while still enjoying trashy content, has fixed her relationship with her mother, and has found a sense of completion. eleanor’s life ends on her terms, and it’s beautiful.

dean

alright. now just as you’re feeling all warm and fuzzy let’s look at dean winchester’s ending. you’ve heard it a million times, so i’ll be brief. dean was raised to be a hunter, a soldier, a killing machine with no feelings and no purpose. he was raised to die scared on a hunt, his life over because of some mistake he made because he will NEVER measure up. at least that’s what john and everyone else told him with the exceptions of some of his family (and family don’t end in blood). he started to accept that he didn’t have to have this. he started to realize that he could CHOOSE what his ending was.

the beautiful thing is, we never truly got to see what that was. i personally like to think it’s similar to the roadhouse michael locked him in while he was trapped in his own mind. a safe place for hunters, somewhere he (and cas in my opinion, but that’s not important) could settle down and still be in the life. it would be an amazing tribute to jo and ellen, and just all around a great ending. he wouldn’t have to be scared, but he wouldn’t have to conform to some apple pie facade of normalcy. and ya know what?? say that he died so he could have peace i dare you. because dean doesn’t find peace until sam is there anyway so i beg of you WHAT WAS THE FUCKING POINT.

dean winchester died scared. dean winchester died on a hunt. dean winchester died on one of john’s old hunts. dean winchester died not directly at the hands of a monster, but at the hands of a mistake. his mistake. dean winchester died without ever working through the trauma of his best friend in the entire world confessing his love in a final act of self-sacrifice. dean winchester died in a way that leaves a sour taste in my mouth and does not at all show the audience what he’s been through and how much he’s grown. dean winchester did not die on his terms, and he deserved better.

chidi

okay back to happy. chidi anagonye. by far my personal favorite good place character (don’t tell anyone i always say jason cuz he and i are very similar). chidi in the last few episodes is SO DRASTICALLY different than the chidi we meet at the beginning. he’s decisive, confident, self-assured, and it’s amazing to see. he’s not afraid of life anymore. he’s not afraid to make the wrong decision and forever alter his reality, because he’s okay with failure.

at the beginning, chidi was so petrified of life that… it killed him. and in the end, he’s completely at peace with every decision he makes, even the final one. yes, he considered staying for eleanor, but that just shows how his moral code and his compassion for others is still very much still intact. it shows the audience that you can be confident and decisive without being a selfish asshole.

chidi leaves the good place knowing that it’s the right thing to do. knowing without a doubt that his time has come. the old chidi never would have been able to fathom being that sure about something. it’s beautiful. it’s a development that can give the audience peace, can show them that this drastic of change is possible, and that chidi became a better person for all of it. chidi went on his own terms, and it was beautiful.

sam

… this one might be controversial… but sam winchester. god i hated sam’s ending. at first i was kinda okay with it. like, okay fine he got his normal life. but, really, in the end that’s not what sam wanted. he started to realize that he didn’t need that apple pie, white picket fence life. he didn’t need the wife and the kids and the backyard and the barbecues because that is NOT sam’s personality and i will throw hands on that.

that’s not to say he doesn’t want some sort of romance, maybe even kids, but not in that way. he lets himself see that he doesn’t need to be defined by his rebellion to john. doesn’t need to be defined by going to college or any of those “normal” smart kid things because it doesn’t fit him. and that’s okay! but how does sam’s story end? it ends with a wife (that isn’t even important enough to show her face). with kids. with a goddamn white picket fence. we think he’s still hunting to some extent… but it’s not the arc we were led to believe would happen. it’s not this amazing leader sam that we see in season 12-14, uniting hunters and organizing them.

he had SO MUCH potential and they throw it away on a vanilla ending that shows only surface level pain at losing his brother. he doesn’t even invite the rest of their family to the wake for fuck’s sake. jared did an incredible job. pls don’t think i’m saying he didn’t. but that script…. sam winchester’s arc was cut short. he didn’t go on his terms, and he deserved better.

jason

jason mandoza. the only character that has ever embodied my complete dumbass energy to the insane extent that it exists. he went to hell for his impulsivity. he never thought before a decision. i aspire to be as reckless as jason while on earth. but he LEARNED. he got better, just like they all did. and by the end of the show, jason doesn’t need to be impulsive anymore. much like eleanor being left “alone,” the show does a masterful job with making him be the first one to go, capturing his old impulsiveness. but he chooses to leave. he takes his time in deliberation, waiting until a feeling of peace, of completion, of well, ‘true happiness’ (sorry cas stans, i’m right there with you) has settled over him.

the ending of his story is one of growth, just like all these characters have been. and the best part? the show makes it comedic in the most poignant and beautiful way, because it’s jason, it had to be funny. we learn that jason has been in the woods for like, eons, just waiting to go through the door because he wants to give janet a necklace. he’s learned to simply wait. to be at peace with… nothing. his torture was being a monk, but in the end, jason embodies those ideals. his arc comes to fruition in an extremely satisfying way. jason goes on his own terms, and it’s beautiful.

castiel

this one is gonna hurt like a bitch. castiel is my comfort character. he’s my role model. he’s me in a lot of ways. i love him. so fucking much. so excuse me if this is slightly incoherent. i’m actually okay with cas’ ending… in a way. because his actual ending as an on-screen character? perfect. self-sacrifice while coming out and professing his love to dean winchester. a little bit bury the gays, but let’s be real, it’s supernatural. and “happiness is in just saying it” has to be the most powerful way to think of coming out. it takes away the fear, it takes away so much of the pain that can follow. because the joy is in just saying the words.

it’s how this was treated on the show that makes cas’ character arc terrible (and we haven’t even gotten to 15.20). YOU CANNOT JUST IGNORE A LOVE CONFESSION. that is god awful writing and i will never change my mind on that. cas deserved his family to care about him. to at least address and be sad about the fact he was gone. jesus fucking christ after everything castiel deserved at least that. and then we go to 15.20. cas is in heaven. cas is serving god. cas is right back where he started. now, i’m coming off a little strong.

if the show had decided to show us cas and jack in heaven makin’ the world a better place… i woulda come around to it. i woulda realized that that’s not REALLY erasing 12 years of character development and cas realizing that his whole identity isn’t just him serving heaven and isn’t just him being an angel and that he’s so much more than all of that and he could still be happy as a human… because really he’s with his son. but they didn’t show us that. they barely even mentioned him. and to me. that counts as a bad character arc. and i’m sorry if you disagree. castiel may have gone on his own terms, but they treated that beautiful sacrifice with disrespect and disdain, plus resolved his arc by putting him back where he started. he deserved better.

tahani

*deep breaths guys this is a long post i’m sorry* anywayyyy tahani!!! we love tahani obviously. let’s talk about her arc, because it always kinda bothered me. throughout the show, we see all the other character’s growing and expanding their knowledge of right and wrong. and, don’t get me wrong. we see tahani grow a lot. but she makes a lot of the same types of comments and shit like that. but it’s how she treats the reactions to those comments. by the end of the show, she laughs at the caricature of herself that the others see. she isn’t looking for vindication in name-dropping, she just does it. she is far less self-absorbed, and is genuinely interested in those around her. she fixes her relationships with her sister and her parents in a way that doesn’t feel forced and actually feels like a beautiful, healthy family reunion.

she has a list and she does everything on it. it’s worth noting, that the things on her list are not at all what they would have been at the beginning of the show. most of them are humble “labor” type tasks, and all of them are in self improvement. tahani’s end on the show is not the same as everyone else’s. she realizes that she doesn’t need to be done. that there doesn’t have to be an end to self-improvement. and she becomes an architect. the writers perfectly embody her transformation from a self-obsessed rich girl who has never done a thing for herself and laughs at the lower-class to a down-to-earth worker that simply doesn’t want the journey to end.

it’s incredible how perfectly the writers were able to close off these character arc’s without it feeling forced, and without ignoring their character development. imagine that. tahani chooses her own way, and it’s beautiful.

jack

jack’s ending may be the only one that i’ve actually somewhat come to terms with. it’s not terrible. it’s not great. but it’s not nearly as bad. because ignoring that awful monologue about every drop of rain and shit, jack really does end up helping people. he ends up doing something that he loves and that makes the world a better place. and he doesn’t lose his personality in it. but. i dunno, that’s still his destiny, right? to create paradise. and this is a show about ripping up the rule book, about choosing free will above all else… so to have every single character just fulfill their destiny is cheap.

still… i’ll try to be unbiased. because really at the beginning of jack’s time on the show, he’s unsure what he wants. and at least, in the end, he’s sure. he has a wisdom that he’s always had but he’s now using. and i’m good with that. but what’s NOT okay about jack’s ending is the lack of on-screen family. jack learns that family is important. sam, cas, dean those are the people he cares about. and you’re telling me he would just NEVER see them again? and be okay with that? i know he rebuilds heaven with cas, but we don’t even get a story about him rescuing cas from the empty. and he seems in 15.19 to not be that concerned about it (after the amazing emotional scene at the beginning). jack should have cared about his family. he did. but they ruined that for him. so jack kline deserved better.

michael

oh man where do i start. michael’s growth is the biggest on the show. i mean. he starts as a literal demon and ends a human. he gets better, he falls in love with humanity (*castiel fan in me sobbing again*) and he chooses over and over to be good instead of bad. his whole arc is a classic redemption arc, and every single beat just gets better. he chooses selfishly to side with humans but in the end it turns out to be the best decision he could have made. because he develops emotions, he develops compassion, he develops a moral compass.

and his end reflects that. because to complete this arc of a demon becoming more human… he literally becomes human!!!! it fits so well. and he’s allowed to make mistakes and be happy and gain all that humanity has to offer. this just shows that human!endgame for cosmic beings that become more human WORKS SO WELL (and it shoulda happened for cas and jack that’s all i’m saying). michael went on his own terms, and it was beautiful.

eileen

oh boy… this one stings. because they brought her back, used her up, and we never saw her again. eileen was one of the best side characters on the show, and they rarely addressed her arc. she comes onto the show as a hunter seeking revenge, and gets that revenge in the same episode. her s15 arc is focused on what’s real and what’s not, with her relationship to sam admittedly being a central part of her character because… it’s supernatural and women can’t exist without that. but still! eileen grows throughout the show and in the end… we don’t even know what happens to her. it’s as if her arc wasn’t important enough to even glance at.

it’s as if the connections the boys make outside of each other mean nothing when in reality they mean everything. they prove that the co-dependency is behind them and that family doesn’t end with blood and that real connections can be formed between people that last a lifetime. eileen was a disabled hunter that was shown to still be one of the best in the business, and they didn’t even give her the courtesy of a goodbye. eileen didn’t go on her own terms, and she deserved better.

janet

this is gonna unbalance my list but goddammit janet’s ending was perfect. she was a not-robot, not-girl that should have been incapable of feelings. but throughout the series we get to watch as she learns first-hand about human emotions and processes them. she cares about the humans in her charge and fights for them on multiple counts.

in the end, we see janet come to terms with both her cosmic being side, and her human side. she never stops being with the “cockroaches.” she sees them all leave, she’s there for them while they’re there, and she also continues to speak her mind and live autonomously. janet was a non-human character done right. she lived on her own terms, and it was beautiful.

some honorable mentions

spn ignored (in the finale) chuck, amara, stevie, charlie, jody, donna, garth, bess, the other angels, claire, kaia, patience, alex, and the list goes ON in favor of focusing on JUST sam and dean. did none of those characters at least deserve a quick goodbye??????

the good place wrapped up multiple arcs i had completely forgotten about in a totally natural and not forced way. mindy, doug forester, (the mushroom guy, i know, it took me a second), pillboy, donkey doug, kamilah, tahani’s parents, eleanor’s mother, eleanor’s friends, chidi’s best friend, vicki, shawn, glenn, simone and so many that i’m forgetting all got satisfying ends that they totally deserved.

they even fucking resolved FROG GUY’S arc and gave him a real frog. that’s right. frog guy (jeff) had a better character arc resolution than dean motherfucking winchester.

heaven and hell

obviously in very different vehicles, both shows explore in depth the realities of the afterlife. and lemme tell ya, at the end of the day, one sits a whole lot better than the other.

the good place finale ends this quest for the perfect afterlife by saying that everyone can improve and that an eternal paradise shouldn’t keep you from eternal rest. they pretty much make me wish that this is what our afterlife looked like. they handle everything with care so it’s balanced precariously in a way that doesn’t give you anxiety looking at it but instead fills you with peace and faith in humanity.

supernatural addresses this series long battle between heaven and hell by creating a heaven where you drive for forty years without seeing the people (cough cough cas and jack not his parents) that matter to you and drink beer that tastes like shit. a place you can’t be happy or find any sense of peace until your brother has died and he’s there too.

and hell… well they barely even address it. there’s a new queen of hell i guess? but so what. it’s still very much heaven and hell in a way that’s the worst and hey plus to them… makes me wanna stay alive thank you very much. oh and purgatory is in shambles and not functioning properly cuz all that eve bullshit.

loose ends

whenever something is ending, you gotta tie up the loose ends. not in a “oh, we must wrap everything up and leave no stone unturned” kinda way but in a “wow, we should probably try to make this unambiguous because this is the last time we will ever see these characters” kinda way.

the good place does that. so fucking masterfully. all these side plots with all these different characters were taken care of all while focusing on the main six characters. we get to see how their intervention has changed everyone else. for example, mindy’s arc is wrapped up perfectly, with eleanor going to save her.

plus different running jokes like “take it sleazy” are wrapped up, we revisit really old callbacks like the original neighborhood, and all of it feels natural and in the moment. it feels like full circle in a way that doesn’t erase growth.

supernatural, on the other hand, left a million loose ends open. what happened to the boys they saved? where the fuck are jody, donna, etc.? did eileen make it back? cuz sam was pretty upset about that. what happened to it “being loud” in the empty? hell, what happened to the empty? what happened to hell? what about chuck? it woulda been nice to see just for a second what became of him. did charlie and stevie make it (i’m very invested in that relationship)? if we’re taking the original ending… why the fuck is jimmy there? did kansas just all,,, die?

i’m not saying they needed to address everything… but god a few wrapped up storylines besides the brothers wouldn’t have hurt

coloring

can i just… real quick… as a giffer lodge a complaint

the good place has beautiful vibrant coloring in the finale

spn has like bland washed out whatever the fuck that is coloring. it’s not even the dark early aesthetic cuz they dropped that it’s just… ew. so. do with that what you will.

conclusion

first… while writing this i realized just HOW MUCH it’s not about destiel… like believe me. i knew i wasn’t just pissed about destiel. but holy shit it’s not destiel at all like did i even mention destiel that much???? this was never about a ship. this was just a trash finale.

in the end. the good place writers knew what they were doing. they knew their fans, they knew their characters, they knew their world, and they knew how to wrap it up in a way that was satisfying and sad and perfectly fit the tone of the whole show. it wasn’t out of character or rushed, basically every loose end was tied up without the audience even realizing that’s what they were doing, and i feel happy and complete having watched it.

the supernatural ending was a betrayal. flat out. to the audience that has stuck by it in a way bigger way than the good place fandom. to the characters that have helped so many people. to the actors that have given so much of their lives. to the other members of the crew, to certain writers… all of it was just a slap in the face.

we deserved better guys. there are better endings possible. so i’m sorry. i really am. but i guess… that’s what fanfic is for, right?

751 notes · View notes