#and why even tho it was the two of them as paul it was also something unfamiliar to nona. but again. total crack theory LOL

[chaikachi]

since you're caught up on the Locked Tomb, I thought I'd send some asks your way because I'm kind of curious:

1) I've gathered Cam and Pal are your favorite characters, but do you any particular favourite moments/quotes of them? Or just why you love them as characters in general?

2) any plot twists you didn't see coming but liked?

3) any dark horse characters that grew on you over the series or that you'd want to see more of?

EEEE I SURE DID!! Okay, warning for anyone that is not caught up with it or plans to read it, that there are going to be spoilers below. You have been warned!!

Yes, they are my favourites.😔 Friends specifically told me to read the books because they are "very much my flavour" and they were right. Which is very rude of them, tbqh :/// As for the why, it's a lot of things, I think. From a character design perspective, I've always been a sucker for scholarly types like Pal, and you can never go wrong with short hair and double swords like Cam. I like that they have a decent amount of contrast and are quite different from each other in some ways while also being soooo alike in others. From a thematic perspective, all the bits and parallels around devotion, identity, and responsibility. How just by knowing someone, we add 'indelibly to their weight'. How this is explored both as a positive and negative thing. How just by knowing someone else - dare I say, to tame or be tamed by another 👀- can change us irreversibly. How burdening those we care about is something we have to come to terms with, and that being burdened can in and of itself be an act of care. How these themes are exacerbated and mixed with plurality and merging. The ever important question of 'where do you end and i begin'? For moments and quotes, a lot of my favourite things about them are just how they interact with one another (or with other characters). The sort of relationship where words often aren't necessary. How so much of their connection is conveyed in actions. "Tell Cam... never mind, she knows what to do." and the "what to do" is her collecting the fragments of his skull off the floor?? that she glues back together with her own hands?? then travelled millions or billions of light years to meet with the one person that can pull his soul back into it??? Her carrying him, despite the risk and harm it poses to herself, because he doesn't have a vessel anymore??? Pal asking Nona to "give this to Cam" and it's a kiss to the back of her hand???? Sick!! Twisted!! I demand financial compensation for damages!!!! Cam had every right to go sit in the bathtub about that!!! What the hell man!!! But I would be remiss not to mention the conversations they have across the voice recorder when they can't speak face to face, the co-fronting/synergy thing that happens when the protect Nona at the beach, and of course: "Life is too short and love is too long."

I'll admit I was spoiled a bit to some things going in so that skews this answer a bit. There were certainly some things I predicted incorrectly but then was like "OF COURSE THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED, HOW COULD I HAVE ASSUMED DIFFERENTLY". I was not expecting that many people to die in the first book tbh. What happened to the Fourth and Fifth houses hit particularly hard. Was not expecting Gideon to find a decapitated head in Harrow's closet. I think the most surprises I had were in the second book though. Kept asking myself what the heck was going on. The narrator reveal was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Like, I kind of figured that was the case but I wasn't expecting that to be how we found out. Camilla showing up somehow out of nowhere?? The full extent of Harrow and Gideon's origins had me at a loss for words. Also the epilogue leading into Nona had me soooooo confused.

Yes. I absolutely adored Augustine. Big fan of his whole vibe; i miss him. Also really liked Magnus, Abigail, and Ortus in the second book. Especially them stepping up and being the Responsible Adults™ Harrow never really had, but always deserved. Also Polyamory Win with both whatever Pyrrha and Dulcie had respectively going on with Cam and Pal aha. Very big fan of Dulcinea in general. From her appearance in htn to popping up in The Unwanted Guest. I don't know how we could see more of her, but I would not be complaining if we did. Muir is really good at characterization tho, i don't know that there have really been any characters I've actively disliked. 🤔

Thank you for asking! I'd love to know some of your fave characters/plot twists too if you feel like sharing!! no pressure tho uwu

[specific-dreamer]

hey man got any silly headcanons to share?

(I love outsiders headcanons lol and want to know everyone’s)

absolutely i do (these are all pre canon or in a universe where johnny and dally and bob live)

johnny ? loathes curly shepard for no real reason BUT they like to tag team and get pony to say the n word

they always fail because pony’s either pouting up a storm or he runs and snitches to tim and darry

ace taught soda how to braid her hair for #reparation purposes (her words not mine) except it backfires because ace is tender headed and soda is so heavy handed it doesn’t make sense

like he’s brought even dally to tears when soda tried giving him cornrows

darry and steve like building bird houses. well darry likes building the houses, steve likes making them little cars “in case their little wings get tired”

soda likes dying his hair with koolaid. his dad tells him each time it won’t last for more than three days but everytime soda gets rly sad when it faded away

prior to the assignment ponyboy did not like writing 🙅🏾‍♀️ darry would “offer” to do his writing assignments if ponyboy did his chores for him

(they both got caught and grounded a lot)

two-bits favorite snack is kool aid pickles and do not ask him to share because he’ll go to war over those stupid pickles

johnny is cryptic as fuck and only ponyboy really knows what he’s saying. that’s why he doesn’t talk as much as the others he’s been banned from speaking

now for my socs

theater kid bob my beloved

also theater soda but bob hates soda because soda got the lead role just to drop out a few weeks later

paul was also a theater kid, that’s how bob got into it bc he’s a copycat, but he like the tech side of things more

marcia choreographs most of the shows so she and bob (and bc marcia’s parents won’t let a boy spend the night with her alone, cherry too) have a lot of sleepovers where she’s teaching him the choreo

(most times tho it turns into one big gossip sesh with cherry stealing the phone to call the other socs)

beverly dated brill for three months straight before brill worked up the courage to ask her out. you can imagine his surprise when she said they were already dating

chet bakes. that’s the whole headcanon. he doesn’t tell anyone but everyone gets a homemade cake for their birthday and are told it came from the store or his grandma made it

chet is also a chronic liar. he finds so much joy in just lying like in a modern au everyone sets his contact name as pinocchio and every time he texts he has to add this 🤥 emoji

not because he’s a good liar but because all his friends are super gullible

when his cousins found out he was going by trip, they started calling him treppidiah

[the-1sttaste]

do you guys ever think about paul getting married on julia's birthday

like ok maybe it was just a coincidence but it explains john's reaction to me bcuz yeah of course he'd be going insane trying to get married w yoko 2 days later in paris *of all places* (and failing) and then actually doing it in gibraltar a week after... just saying

March, 12th.

I really don’t remember whether or not I invited any of the band to the wedding. Why not? I’m a total bastard, I suppose – I don’t know, really. Maybe it was because the group was breaking up. We were all pissed off with each other. We certainly weren’t a gang any more. That was the thing. Once a group’s broken up like that, that’s it. - Paul McCartney, in Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, by Barry Miles, 1998

John, George and Ringo weren’t at the wedding, which might have been because of the tensions of the time, or because we decided to do it quickly. It seems like an important point now but it wasn’t at the time – it was just the two of us wanting to get married quietly. My dad wasn’t there either – I’m not sure he was pleased with me about that, but my best excuse was that it was the spirit of the times. We didn’t want a big fuss. - Paul McCartney, Wingspan, 2002

also i remember yoko saying john got inside the car, mad as hell and told her they were getting married and she (according to herself in that thing i saw) was like ... yea ok, like he didnt even ask so it wasnt a proposal at all, i cant find it tho but i've read it a lot of times, also prior to this there's the apple employee's version where john got in, saw like a zine or a newspaper or smt and got so mad he said he was gonna fire whoever did that lmao bc it was a pic of paul w linda announcing/congratulating them for their marriage and then he wrote things and I SWEAR it's real bcuz i did some deep research back when i found about it but i dont know how to look it up

[percyluvr]

hello!! you're fics r amazing and i wanted to request some hc or a drabble, you choose, about fem!reading being the head counselor of hermes cabin and totally being his fem version. thank u so much if u do 🫶🏻🫶🏻

percy jackson x hermes cabin counselor!reader summary: hcs abt percy with hermes counselor reader basically being him but as a girl

first, i think u two would be inseparable

like im talking sitting at each others tables during meals, training together all the time, sneaking off to go make out in his cabin when u really should be leading camp activities, sleeping in each other's cabins, etc etc

im just thinking of the iconic percabeth underwater kiss with u guys

with him using his powers to make sure u can breathe while u kiss, and teeth clashing together making u guys just giggle ur little hearts out

when u two go back to nyc for the school year u would live with him, sally, and paul and they would treat u like their own kid

they see how much percy likes you and how similar you two are and they cant help but think of u as one of their own

hanging out in nyc together, he teaches u how to skateboard bc he DEFINITELY knows how to

adding onto that, he would definitely teach u how to surf if u didnt know how

just thinking about if u also have the same music taste, u two dancing around the kitchen to ur favorite songs

making brownies together for estelle's school bake sales in the future!!! my heart omfg

back to camp, i think everyone would be worried if they ever saw u two not together

like im talking celebrity break up gossip page type all up in ur business

but then they see one of you sneaking out of the same place the other one just walked out of and they realize that u two were just trying to be sneaky???

but why

bc really u two have never been sneaky in ur entire lives

if either of u got picked to lead a quest, u would immediately pick the other as the first person to come with on ur quest bc u literally cannot live without each other

FINISHING EACH OTHERS JOKES

or just sentences in general

literally couple goals

like, if someone is talking to both of u, sometimes you'll make the same joke at the exact same time and laugh ur asses off and the other person will just like. stand there staring until they eventually just walk away bc u two wont stop laughing

like i just think u two are on the same wavelength all the time

if one of u forgets to do something, u dont even have to worry bc the other already did it for u

i saw somewhere that leo could probably tweak phones so the demigods can use them, and u two would both go to him to get phones so u could make each other ur lockscreen and background

i think the two of u would send each other the DUMBEST tiktoks or instagram reels

or like u would send it and then realize that the other already sent it or liked it

the two of u would definitely do tiktok trends

dancing together

u would DEFINITELY do the peeling the orange trend

and he would just peel the orange. no questions asked

like u wouldnt even have to ask him

he'd just see u with the orange be like "here baby give me that, i'll peel it for you"

SCREAMING HES SO BF

matching tiktok pfps for SURE

or matching bios !!!!!

u two definitely went to see the barbie movie together

i have no doubts

whenever he gets pranked by connor or travis, u immediately send them to laundry duty

but they still say its worth it because one time when u were sleeping in percy's room, they poured water on the two of u and both of u chased them around camp until u realized that percy had no shirt, and u had no pants

u werent THAT embarrassed bc like. everyone already knows anyway

but the stolls thought it was SO funny and they made it their mission to prank both of u again

when u two go on cabin inspections, even if u arent doing it together, u always give each other's cabin a 10 even tho u both know that neither of ur cabins deserve it ....

the two of u definitely sneak out of ur cabins at night when u arent together and sit down by the river, just to be met with the other sitting there with the exact same thought as u

and u end up going back to his cabin to sleep

u guys have definitely gotten yelled at by mr d and chiron

but u kept doing it

so they just gave up

but anyways, u guys r literally the it couple at camp

like, all the couples wanna be like u guys

ur just such a perfect fit & u love each other so much and u cant help but show it

a/n: this was my first time doing hcs and i think i kinda got a bit carried away... but anyways i hope u like it !! also, i love writing and im so happy that u like mine, it means so much to me <3

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Please, talk about the Gom Jobbar scene

Oh hell yes.

So this is one of those posts that really should be a short video essay of me talking over the scene but instead it is gonna be a loooooong wall of text and screenshots. Maybe it will assume its final form some day if I'm ever in possession of the free time and patience to make video essays. I also highly recommend watching Denis Villeneuve's own breakdown of this scene from 2021. I'll try not to duplicate things said there.

We have to start with the setup, which begins with this scene:

We see Jessica on her knees, in the rain, waiting for an arriving ship. These are the first shots in the movie where we see Jessica when no one else is watching her, and this woman who stood calm and composed before representatives of the Emperor of the Known Universe is terrified. Which creates an immediate sense of dread over whoever is coming in that ship.

Whomst in the fuck now?

We also get this shot where we're alone with Jessica. It's a little hard to see in a still frame but there's a moment where she, like, steels herself before she wakes Paul up.

Holy fuck tho, I just noticed the similarities between this shot and the one of the Bene Gesserit arriving, with the almost monochromatic color palette and the shafts of white light.

Once Paul wakes up we shift to his POV. He immediately knows something is off ("What's wrong?" is the first thing he says) but gets no information about what's happening.

Then we get this short scene, where Paul is told he is going to meet the Reverend Mother and but not much else about what's going on. The whole "She wants to know about your dreams." "How does she know about my dreams?" [no answer from Jessica] exchange, I think, implies that she knows because Jessica told her about Paul's dreams, which is this little tiny betrayal of confidence that gives Paul the first inclination that his mother may not be someone he can fully trust in this situation. Which is exactly what Dr. Yueh warns him about immediately after.

We also get two new languages used in this scene. Dr. Yueh speaks to Paul in Mandarin, which he understands and presumably Jessica does not. This gives us a piece of information about Paul's curiosity toward other cultures and his facility with languages. And Jessica uses the Atreides battle sign, which Paul also understands. Outside the library, Jessica pauses to give Paul one more silent warning, although she still hasn't told him what's about to happen.

This is just the setup. So before we've even entered the room, we've created this sense of unsettled foreboding dread (the Denis Signature Vibe) without a clear understanding of why things are happening--which is exactly how Paul feels.

I should also add that in the book, this scene takes place during the day, with the Reverend Mother sitting in front of a window. Shifting it to the middle of the night not only makes it way creepier but also tells us that (1) the Reverend Mother is the kind of person who can command Jessica's attention at any time of day or night and (2) this is all somewhat illicit and possibly is happening without Leto's knowledge.

Whomst in the fuuuuuuck?

We get this sort of weird POV shot of Paul crossing the room when it's not actually happening:

which I think is supposed to suggest some subtler form of control than the Voice, which Paul resists.

Before they've even properly entered the room, Mohiam manages to insult both Paul's parents ("defiance in the eyes, like his father" and dismissing Jessica with a curt "leave us"). And the first thing Paul says is to defend his mother's place in the social hierarchy ("You dismiss my mother in her own house?") with all the haughtiness you would expect.

The power dynamic gets rapidly clarified.

Momentary aside to say that I love the composition of this shot. Neither of them are quite on the third--they're just a bit too close to each other to make the shot look balanced. But neither of them are in center frame either--the box is in the center. They're not exactly aligned to the light gray columns between the bookshelves behind them, either, and the bookshelves are just slightly asymmetrical. It all makes things feel just a little claustrophobic and unsettling. Denis Villeneuve frequently uses this technique of creating unbalanced shots and intentionally leaving too much space in awkward parts of the frame to create a sense of unease.

Paul isn't kneeling in the book either--he's standing beside the chair in a setup that I don't think would actually work given the heights of the actors here, or would look awkward as hell. So they've solved a practical blocking problem and done some storytelling with it as well.

This is where we get our first look at the Voice at full power, and it's one of only two scenes where we get some subjective POV of what it feels like to be Voice-controlled (the other one being Feyd-Rautha and Lady Margot's interaction which deserves its own post). I really like that they didn't go for Voice Slow (zombie shuffling across the room) because Voice Fast is much more disturbing. The subjective experience of it seems closest to like, blacking out and waking up in a place or doing a thing and not knowing how you got there. The camera effect is just a really fast dolly and a slick edit, but Timothée really sells it with his split-second moment of confusion and shock before he realizes what happened and gets angry about it.

So now we're here, with the poison needle and the pain box.

"No need to call the guards. Your mother stands behind that door. No one would get past her."

This is a slick fucking piece of editing. Because just as Paul is learning that his mother has not only trapped him in this situation but is ensuring it continues uninterrupted, we cut to Jessica for the first time since she left the room and we see how absolutely terrified she is.

Also from this point, the sound in the film starts crossing the barrier of the door--we hear some of the dialogue between Paul and Mohiam when we're on shots of Jessica, and when the pain sound effect starts up, we hear it continuously on both sides of the door. So even though Jessica is not literally experiencing the pain, it feels like she is vicariously.

It would be really easy to tip the balance of sympathy in this scene one way or the other--toward Paul who's realizing his mother has handed him over to a painful and potentially lethal test, or toward Jessica who is listening to her child scream in pain and not only cannot stop it but is tasked with making sure it continues. But Denis Villeneuve is an absolute master at controlling and directing your POV in a way that allows you to feel sympathy for multiple characters at once and engage with complicated, contradictory emotional landscapes, and this is a little demonstration of what he's going to do on a much larger scale later in the story.

Timothée's pain acting...is excellent, that's all I'll say about that. Love that he's allowed to get all gross and drippy with it.

Now we get to the litany against fear.

Jessica starts it specifically in response to hearing Paul scream on the other side of the door. So, practically, she is using it to control her own fear. But the way the scene is intercut, it plays as if she is almost coaching or guiding Paul into controlling his own reactions. With every line that she says, we cut back to Paul as he is starting to master the situation.

"I must not fear." Paul is not in control here and seems about at his physical limit for keeping his hand in the box.

"Fear is the mind-killer." This is the one where it really seems like he could be reciting the same litany in his head or under his breath.

"Fear is the little death that brings obliteration." We don't really see Paul's face in the accompanying shot, but the pain sound effect really goes into overdrive, like she is pushing him harder.

"I will face my fear and I will permit it to pass over me and through me." Seems like Paul is getting to some kind of Zen place or whatever where he can withstand the pain.

This is when the first flash of vision pops up and the balance of power starts to shift in Paul's favor. We realize it at the same time both he and the Reverend Mother do.

Then we have this great moment where he looks up at her and we don't quite know what is happening but somehow Paul has started to win this interaction. And we go through a whole Face Journey with him that's intercut increasingly rapidly with Jessica's lines, flashes of the visions, and Mohiam's reaction as she starts to realize she's lost control of the situation.

"And when it has gone past--"

"I will turn the inner eye to see its path--"

"--and where the fear has gone, there will be nothing--"

"Only I will remain."

This part is great because like...nothing is happening. He just looks up at her. But we know that whatever battle is going on between them, Paul is winning now.

(Side note: this is a duel, right? This is his first of three duels, and like the duel with Feyd, he wins it on his knees.)

Then as soon as she says, "Enough," the facade cracks again a little.

And then he does the thing!! That is one of my favorite Paul physicalities!! Where he tilts his chin up so he can look down his nose at someone. Which is particularly audacious when you're on your knees.

It looks arrogant but there's also something a bit...childish? about it. It's something that he does specifically when he feels he does not have control of the situation and he's trying to regain it. He does it to the Emperor at the end of Part Two.

Anyway I LOVE the whole section of intercutting between Jessica and Paul because like. They are physically separated by a door but emotionally they feel connected. She put him in this situation, but then it's almost like she is reminding him that she also gave him the training to survive it. Which like, isn't that a microcosm of their whole fucked-up relationship?

"...You inherit too much power."

"What, because I'm a duke's son?"

"Because you are Jessica's son. You have more than one birthright, boy."

Almost all the dialogue from this scene is taken word for word from the book (although sometimes condensed). This is one of the few lines that got changed. In the book, Jessica is the one who reminds Paul that he is a duke's son--not her son. In general the movie dialogue is more faithful to what's in the book than you might expect. But every once in a while there is a line that feels like it's talking back to the original text like this.

There's another little emotional reversal right at the end of the scene, when Jessica comes in and her face just floods with relief at realizing Paul is still alive. But meanwhile you can see that Paul is really processing how betrayed by her he feels.

And then, after all that, they do talk about his dreams.

Denis has said in interviews that this was one of the very first scenes they filmed. Which is. Insane to me. This is an iconic scene from the book that every fan will come to with expectations and it's a really hard acting job! For everyone involved but especially for Timothée, because so much of the scene turns on him having an intense reaction to something that's not real and generally just...doing stuff with his face, and hoping that the sound design and the score and some scenes that haven't been shot yet will sell what's going on. Usually you would want to work up to an intense emotional scene like this, give the cast and crew a little time to get comfortable with each other. Nope! Anyway Denis has also said that he knew after this scene that he had cast correctly and yeah. I would say so.

[clemelntine]

Heart killers ep 4 uncohesive stray thought

With to many screenshots cuz I keep taking more

A better view of what is now confirmed to be a cross with a cross necklace on it. He hasn't shown to be religious in any way. It could just be storytelling purposes or he's into shit like that (sexually)

Why tf does he sleep on a mattress in what seems to be the middle of a living room

I don't want to be rude to Style or his dad but Style is on of the most obviously queer men I've seen in a while. But also nice to see an openly gay character with (realistically) supportive dad

What's with the matching emblem on their shirt? Like I get their friends but why this episode? Could have been foreshadowing for them ending up in the same situation in the end. But also Fadel destroying this shirt might indicate that Styles relationship with Fadel will get in the way of his friendship with Kant (or the other way around)

It's very difficult to make laying on your back not look akward. Dunk can't do it.

A little side plot for the boys, very fun

Omg its Paul!!

I really hope that Babe and Knot will have more stuff, I'm really curious what their acting is like and I think two innocent young characters wrapped up into the older fours world of lies could be a really interesting story, and motivated for the four to be/do better. Also maybe a lil father/brother figure time for the four. I'm a lil sappy, what about it

Yeah hes selfish but has okay morals we get it

Said the two decieving criminals to eachother. Hopping that ig is foreshadowing of some sorts for them saving each other near/in the end.

Okayy, our first official boyfriends

Interesting, in contrast with the scene of Fadel taking the pin of Style

Oh its his 10 things i hate about you poem. Although he only said i dont like 7 times (catherine said it 10, fadel did list 10 things, if you count the things he said after 'and' as separate). Also i guess "i dont like that i miss you" is his "i hate that i dont hate you"? Or maybe it is unfinished and well get a more fleshed out confession scene when they both like each other

I haven't felt this way since the bad buddy rooftop kiss.

Oh don't make me cry

Oh, Style with his hand in Fadels pants. An interesting development, might have to ad that on to my post about the other nc scenes weve seen from them.[god am i really gonna dedicafe my blog to joongdunk sex scenes]

Why does he have soap dispensers attached to his shower wall

Ah cmon , i was in my feelings dont drag me back to the reality of lies like this.

Look at how cute they are. Look at the potential. They better get this heartbreak over quickly so we can get to healing and being happy.

Khaola

Oh god, they were not even that young when their parents died.

No, I think it was lilly actually. This is going to negatively impact this shit so much.

Cmon Style, you were my only kinda earnest character left.

Both physically and morally (engaging woth Fadel, lying to him, is something he didn't want to do.Going further than he intended to)

Wait is this the person from Kants previous marraige? Thailand has legalized gay marriage for less then a year and were already doing divorces.

How tf does he know

Ok kinda cool tattoo. Blacking that out will actually low key look really ugly. Just a dark blob behind his ear

Wait he has a different gay (rainbow) necklace now. It's bigger

Bison is starring to doubt Kant more while Fadel is staring to trust Style more.

Favorite scene:

FadelStyle in the woods ofcourse

Big brother Kant was also very cute tho

Also if anyone is wondering I took 87 (successful) screenshots this episode

And idk if anybody actually follows my blog and updates about heartkiller. But I'm gonna have to take a break next week cuz I have exams :( . After that I will have more time to watch different bl tho.

[nam-namming]

siblings of all time

Ref is kinda outdated but . here you go. I think about them all the time.

Reggie is a pretty nice guy while paul is the meanest grape to exist, but rewatching the episodes where they interact, paul is....quite polite to him. Begrudgingly, but he's not as hissy as most fics make him out to be towards his brother.

As someone with older siblings, I doubt Reggie would have let him get away with sass anyways. If Paul was so particular about his pokemon were trained/influenced, then why could he trust his pokemon with his brother, whom he allegedly sees as weak, even tho the box PC exists? And why would his meanest pokemon listen to him? This is rhetorical btw my agenda is that reggie is a goddamn sleeper agent and the circumstances behind his retirement and paul's beef wit him goes way deeper

We all know paul is a fake dgaf-er [insert all clips of him watching ash n friends Menacingly and yoinking strategies] but for him to be affected so deeply by reggie's decision [that didnt even concern him btw] he would have looked up to him a lot in the past [granted, there was brandon's remark on 'inner strength' that also struck him, but his attitude in the anime was the complete opposite to reggie just to Stick It To Him].

Also can I just say that Reggie's true calling being pokemon breeding is . What . Listen, THIRTY-TWO badges is an Abnormal number of badges for anyone to have, I'm an entirely convinced that he just had a mental snap + irl responsibilities [like schooling and raising paul] and never picked it up seriously ever again + voluntarily sabotages himself whenever he has to [like him using a random ass swalot against ash instead of his drapion in the flashback, and his saying that it won't be a substitute for the veilstone gym- my brother in Christ you LIterally beat that gym and then some]

[ofeliaxoxo]

i bought sooo much paulos stock during the ausgp here were my favorite moments:

1) that video where paul sees like a stray thread on carlos' hoodie somewhere near carlos' shoulder/neck and literally goes to tear it away with his hands and basically the whole time he's doing that charles and carlos are making flustered eye contact

2) paul mouthing the correct answers to carlos during the quiz thing, taking carlos' side in being like "carlos said the correct answer before charles did" (even though the slow mo replay showed that charles clearly said it first lmao), and messing with the rules in a few other small ways to give carlos the advantage over charlie

3) carlos not really paying enough attention at the beginning of the quiz and charles getting like 3 in a row which made paul basically tell carlos to lock in. and you know what? after paul told carlos to focus he Literally Did. it was insane to see (i mean i'm sure carlos was also thinking like "ok these media duties are still part of my job paul is right i need to like be more engaged" but still). (this is also one of the moments that reinforced my firm belief that like… if carlos the control freak is comfortable enough with someone…… he would actually enjoy being told what to do………………)

4) the blindfolded challenge where after paul was blindfolded carlos touched his arms and went "this is your left hand and this is your right hand" like? girl he knows? they haven't changed just because he's blindfolded?? lamest excuse to touch a boy everrrrrrr come on carlos you could've come up with something better than that !

anyway good to see my investment is still paying off in 2025. i thought it was so funny how obvious it was (or perhaps how obvious paul decided to make it) that he liked carlos more than charles. i honestly believe that if carlos had realized that he would've legitimately invited paul to a race this season like as his personal guest. unfortunately i'm not convinced that he realized even after paul literally helped him cheat to beat charles at a silly quiz (i feel like generally speaking especially outside of the f1 bubble people are always doing things like that for carlos in part because… well. as paul himself said carlos is A Very Pretty Boy !!)

Well first of all I am of course romantically in love with you. This was the first thing I saw in the morning and frankly an ideal start to my day. Now let’s discuss PAULOS.

That moment is so funny to me because not only does Carlos not really know what to do, CHARLES is like hello??? Can he do that? Like neither of them are sure how to proceed but they don’t like it. Powerless to stop him tho. Two pretty Barbie wide-eyed car men unable to deal with Paul’s boisterous man swag. Why are these literal athletes getting out-masculined by this aspiring hipster/actor. Any threesome between them is just Paul playing with his dolls

(If anyone has this clip please send it to me!)

The challenges video is so funny because you can see how lowkey stupid Paul thinks it is. Like he dgaf he thinks it’s strange he does not care if he and Charles win the remote control car thing. Hes gonna play along but he is not going to buy into it. Hes not from the bubble of f1 and hes like. Ok. He DOES however want Carlos to win😭 he’s like Carlosssss cmon get the answers right I know you can do this. Charles CANNOT know more about the Roman Empire than you!!

Also yeah literally it’s so clear he prefers Carlos. Why girl what did Charles do is he just not your type lmao. All that for a couple minutes long game video. He was down horrendous. This video also endears Charles to me because he’s the only one who actually gaf. Like he’s YELLING the answers he NEEDS to win the Roman Empire quiz. And normally Carlos would be on that level with him but here he’s by himself and it’s kind of sweet lol. Paul is like Carlos I NEED to fuck you carlos is like when will we be done w ts I need a coffee and Charles is like THERE WERE FEMALE GLADIATORS I KNOW IT!!! In my mind palace we can do a situation with this dynamic where Charles is desperately trying to pretend everything is normal while Paul undresses Carlos with his eyes. Hes like I do not give a fuck at all btw. Do NOT write down that I give a fuck because I don’t!!

My ultimate suspicion is that paulos is tragically doomed because I don’t think Carlos cared back😔 I think Paul left him unmoved. Even Charles was like waow Paul slays such a cool guy and Carlos was like yeah #whatever I met him. Which leaves the floor open for a hilarious triangle where Paul likes Carlos, who likes Charles, who overcompensates and insists he and Paul get along sooo well.

Tldr: Paul needs Carlos so bad. But he’d have better luck with Charles in whom he is NOT interested lmao

[brokenlovesong]

All My Gay Soc Headcanons

Cherry and marcia always had a will they won’t they but ultimately decided they’re better off as friends.

Bev has always had a huge crush on Cherry. She’s been using Brill to bury it. But a part of her gets angrier everytime she sees Bob with Cherry.

Bev and Brill’s relationship was rocky for a while because they both went into it expecting it to be perfect until they realized neither of them actually wanted each other but needed the relationship.

Bev has hooked up with Ace a couple of times and that’s why she has so much hatred for two-bit. Even tho she knows they aren’t together, she still got jealous seeing them at the drive-in

Ace and marcia are together. They started kissed after the socs jumped two bit because she ran to them to get help. They have an actually healthy relationship and Ace is teaching marcia self defense! They’re probably the healthiest relationship out of all the socs because they actually know how to communicate

Marcia and trip were only together for a short period of time. She thought he was sweet but very quickly realized he was just another version of Bob. And also he had a weird obsession with dally that she’s pretty sure was a crush

Brill is in love with Paul, but knows Paul will never be over Darry.

Paul and Darry broke up before they’d left for collage because paul got scared they’d get caught. Sneaking around is fun when they’re young. But once they got older the consequences because real and scary and so they had to stop. But because they still loved each other, they both became bitter at everything and misplaced their anger towards each other.

Paul and Bob began hooking up because Paul was using Bob to try and get over Darry (it never worked). Bob just wanted some sort of connection because he knew his and cherry’s relationship was faulty

Chet and soda also hooked up a few times before the musical. But despite both of them wanting a more real and intimate connection with each other, since they were never friends they didn’t know how to ask for that sort of things. Soda ended things finally before the rumble when Chet tried to get him not to fight

Also literally every socs has hooked up with cecilia. Bev and her still see each other during the musical

[varsity-sportsbeing]

Okay, I have ventured into the podcast bro realm for a Pierre-Luc Dubois (link - Empty Netters EP 53) and returned alive to summarize. Someone’s got to do it. Here is a list of things that seemed interesting to me! I’m also working on transcribing a few longer bits.

Name lore: PL to friends and family, about five hockey bro variations of Dubie, and

Torts decided to call him Luc. Because “PL” was too complicated. No one else calls him that! Yike!

Off days in Winnipeg he hung out at an Italian grocery store and coffee shop. What a vibe.

Referenced “red boots that broke the internet” on a tangent. Apparently more fashion knowledgeable than me 🤷 I had to google that shit

DJ guy in the locker room a lot of the time, but not a huge fan of the responsibility. He cares a lot about music and likes French rap in particular.

Mentioned sewerball being dangerous for rookies and he did not participate his first year in Columbus. Context for the Sharks?

Oh they are so excited about the LA deal for him. And hindsight is 20/20 but he seems much more tempered about it. Subjectively it’s like he’s saying “they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse” and they are like “isn’t it so great when you just have that perfect clarity that something is the right choice?” He’s clearly in for serious tho - talked about renting while buying/building a house (which in LA is gonna take years for sure)

Ok this is the funniest one. He has an alter ego of sorts. If he does not want to interact with someone who’s maybe recognizing him he’ll say his name is Enzo. Enzo who works in cybersecurity.

Apparently Byfield is a great guy but a total liar

Selected short transcripts below the cut.

Disclaimer: this is my first time transcribing anything, so feedback is welcome. I started from the generated transcript. I had a difficult time telling the two hosts apart by voice, so I just went with referring to them collectively most of the time, and when I felt it was important, by either left [L] or right [R]. If you are a big fan of these guys, I am sorry. I also cut out a lot of "yeah yeah" interjections for clarity.

Podcast link

Nickname Discussion: 12:31

Hosts: Alright, we're officially welcoming Gretzky Cup gold medalist, World Junior silver medalist, the Paul Dumont Trophy winner, the Mike bossy Trophy winner, 2022 World Championship All-Star, and the third overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft Pierre-Luc Dubois. Welcome to the empty netters podcast.

PLD: Thanks for having me

Hosts: it's just a long time coming dude. Exciting exciting stuff. I'm very very happy about it dude. When we met - when you first got here for media day, or you know, the Kings media day and everything, I heard one of the reporters was like, "What should we call you?" and you're like, "PL is good," so I call you PL. But I'm curious, like dude, what is - I want the scope of what people call you. What do your boys at home call you, what are the guys in locker room calling you, what does your mother call you? Because we have a funny sphere of people who know you, and everyone refers to you as something different.

PLD: Yeah I have a lot of nicknames.

Host: Yeah you do.

PLD: I don't even know where to start. I got Dubie.

Hosts: Yeah which is sick. That is a sick nickname.

PLD: That was my dad's nickname when he played. Because my dad played um, in the AHL and IHL so, that was his nickname. So it kind of started because of that. Then I have Dubes because I don't know why. Honestly I don't remember that one. Duber is my Instagram. That doesn't really apply. Nobody really calls me Duber. I have PL which is like what my family and close friends call me. But then I got to Columbus, and Torts said PL was too complicated; too long. So he changed it to Luc. [Host: It's two letters!] So I also had Luc. Yeah that's what I said! I was like complicated? Long? It's two letters! He's like nah, it's - it's Luc. I was like alright. So he would call me Luc; nobody else calls me Luc. Ummm [counting on fingers]- Dooby, Dubes, Duber, Luc, PL and then uh here - like my - when I was younger - you ever watch Even Stevens?

Hosts: oh my God yeah okay

PLD: So yeah my cousins who are older than me and my sister when I was annoying they call me "Beans."

Hosts: no no dude

PLD: And I love, I love Beans. Yeah I think it's hilarious. So a few - that's like, that's come up in the past. But yeah, so I'd say those five or whatever. Pierre-Luc when I was in trouble. Yeah I never want to hear that one

Winnipeg Down time 42:37-43:28

Host[L]: What was your go-to off day in Winnipeg?

PLD: There's this place uh, actually- I love this place, Italian grocery store called Deluca's.

Hosts: okay fuck yeah, okay

PLD: Good pizza, great coffee, the people are phenomenal, great food. So I'd go there even if I didn't have to do groceries. I'd just go there and have a coffee.

Host[L]: Yeah, is it Italian family owned and run?

PLD: Yeah

Host[L]:Yeah those are the best man

PLD: Great people. So I'd like to say thank you, because I was there a lot. You know, I'd often stop by my parents, go say hi. There's this place called The Forks - another good coffee - I love coffee, so yeah, spent a decent amount there. And then at the end of the year, we found a golf simulator we spent a decent amount of time at. So yeah, I'd say those things. Then I played a decent amount of video games too

Host[L]: So what's the go to? Actually, before we even say it - I am assuming you're a FIFA guy?

PLD: Yeah

Host[L]: Are you also a formula one guy?

PLD: yeah

[Editor's note: I am not a formula one guy but I know there's enough overlap between hockey and formula one fandoms that I figured I ought to include it. They talk a bit more about the video game after this]

Red shoes thing 45:45-46:11

[On screen they have a giant ~3ft slide from a sponsor. They do an ad for the brand.] Hosts: For everyone watching I hope you can see this incredible slide sandal. We don't have to do this, but it's amazing. It's a sick slide. You're uh, you're getting a pair of these - really it's not that size. You should-

PLD: Yeah, it's like a dog bed.

Hosts: Yeah, dude, you see all these NBA guys showing up to games in crazy fits? If you showed up in two of these, you break the internet. It'd break the internet.

PLD: Yeah, it's like the red boots, that broke the internet, same thing, yeah

Locker room DJ & Sewerball 46:35-47:35

PLD: I was forced to be DJ in Columbus.

Hosts: oh wow young

PLD: Yeah, too young. I wasn't ready.

Hosts: That is aggressive. Huge responsibility. How much French hip-hop did you shove down their throats?

PLD: I got chirped too bad so I stopped. But - ah, me, I'd always sit in the dressing room because my first year, I didn't play sewerball. Because as a rookie playing sewerball is tough.

Hosts: yeah yeah, dangerous.

PLD: Yeah, it's also dangerous. So I just stay in the dressing room, tape my sticks, and so would Panarin. And I played a Russian song for him. He loved it, didn't say anything. So I played a French song to see how he'd feel about it - didn't say anything. So I was like okay we're onto something here. So I played my French rap when everybody'd be gone. And then when he left, Bjorkstrand would be that guy, so I'd play some Danish rap for him and then I'd play my French stuff. But yeah, when I got put in that position, I wasn't ready for it. It was stressful. A lot a lot of sleepless nights, shuffling through the playlists, being like, "I gotta get this one out. I didn't like the reaction from anybody."

Enzo 1:30:30

PLD: Enzo - okay funny story. That's like my name when I go somewhere and somebody recognized me and I don't want to talk.

Hosts: Oh you just go like this - I'm Enzo. I'm not Pierre.

PLD: I say, "People tell that - people say that to me all the time." But I'm Enzo.

Hosts: oh my God that's

PLD: So at like Starbucks -

Hosts: So you have like a secret personality. When someone asks for your name, you say Enzo.

PLD: Yeah like Starbucks - Enzo. Because like, also Pierre-Luc - like, nobody gets. In English-speaking places, nobody gets it. So I just say Enzo because everybody gets that. But yeah, so uh Enzo is that name.

Hosts[L]: Having a Alter Ego when you don't want to be recognized might be the greatest.

Host[R]: Like, "Oh everyone thinks, I'm everyone thinks I'm Pierre-Luc."

Host[L]: I'm so glad I asked about that

PLD: And when somebody says - hey are you Pierre-Luc?

Host: -I look just like him, I get that all the time. Like I know, I know doppelganger.

PLD: I have no idea who this guy is but like whatever.

Hosts: Have you ever come into a circumstance where you pull that move, and someone's like bullshit, dude I know it's you?

PLD: Yeah in uh, we were in Dallas, it's after a game. I went downstairs to get my food, because I ordered food at the hotel. Then um, I had to go get it at the bar, and it wasn't ready. So I was like, hey I'll have a beer here. And these four guys next to me, they're like, "We saw you play tonight." I was like, "No idea what you're talking about." Then like, "Yeah, we saw you play. Pierre-Luc Dubois, you're Pierre-Luc Dubois, yeah right." It's like, "No I'm Enzo." like, "Where do you work? it's like, "Uh, cyber security." Yeah like, "What company?" "Fieldman Pelts," and they're like, "oh oh okay." And I came back to my room, and I thought, I was like, that was perfect. Because they had no idea about cyber security. They had no idea what questions to ask.

[leadenn]

I know a lot of people don't think Scout would have a good relationship with his brothers, I haven't seen a lot of that, but I like to think he's very close to his family. He's getting a call on the phone or a letter in the mail from a brother, or a niece, or a nephew, or his Ma, or-

Like for a dude who lives super far away from his family in the 60s, he keeps in great contact with them. Anytime Miss Pauling drops their mail off (bc I doubt that they're allowed to get packages or letters directly or send those things out, they probably get screened first) there's always like eight letters for Scout.

Do I think it's perfect? No. Scout probably got picked on by his brothers growing up bc he's the youngest of eight, but they were there for him when he needed them and they love each other a lot. They all had an agreement to stay in line bc their Ma has enough on their plate having to take care of them all while working two jobs. There's an unspoken agreement to NOT pull their Ma into their shit, if you get arrested or in a fight you call the oldest brother first bc Ma has enough on her plate.

Which means there were probably so many fucking shenanigans growing up, and who doesn't bond over various sibling shenanigans? So even tho Scout probably gets pissed at his brothers or argues with them sometimes, he's never gonna turn his back on them bc they've all been through so much together. Like why would he let one fight with Mike ruin their relationship? They had to drive five hours to pick James up from some dive bar in Rhode island together. Who else can he sit in a car with for five hours with a busted radio, no a/c, and nothing to do and still have a good time?

ALSO HE'S TOTALLY THE FUN UNCLE.

I also picture that Scout and his brothers once they all got their shit together somewhat when it comes to having a job and a place to live, they all make sure their Mom has to never work again. Scout makes the most, and like he splits his check so 1/4 goes to savings (Tom Jones merch), 1/4 goes to his Ma, and then the rest is for him. He'll also send his brothers money if they need it bc again, he loves his family.

Besides Heavy and Sniper he's like the only merc that has family he's close with.

Oh and you know what? I feel like he'd probably get really fucking mad when he finds out Spy is his dad, bc why try to be in his life now? He doesn't fucking need him now, he needed him when he was a kid. He's not even that mad about that, he had older brothers. He's mad Spy left his Mom. His Ma, who in Scout's mind is the most wonderful woman in the world, had to work two jobs and skip meals to make sure Scout and his brothers are fed and clothed. That's what Scout is pissed about. Spy couldn't even send a check every month, let alone be Scout's dad. Now he's an adult and he doesn't want a Dad (lie, but he doesn't want his dad to be Spy if he has one), and it's like Spy wants to step in now that the hard part of being a parent is done.

Scout loves his family, and in his eyes I think family is just the people that you know have your back no matter what. If anything, Spy was closer to Scout's definition of family before Scout knew that Spy was his dad bc they're on the same team and they had to have each other's backs on the field for work. Now Scout wouldn't trust Spy to get him a can of soda.

[psychesalcove]

„ i think we're one of the same, i don't think we could help it (no i don't think we could help it) ”

𝜗𝜚 headcanons with percy with a child of amphitrite and their dynamic!!

requested: yes, by anon !!

⚠️: not proofread AT ALL, percy being sassy as usual, nothing else i believe!!

💬: thank you so much for the request anon!! I decided to do some headcanons with this, which I hope is okay with you—if not, feel free to send in another ask and I'll get to writing it!! ALSO i thought i had uploaded it but i just saved it to my drafts, so im so sorry for not seeing my mistake sooner!!

𖹭 some background info on this, amphitritea is the wife of poseidon—so this dynamic would be like step siblings in my mind, so that's what I'm going on!!

𖹭 when you first got to camp, percy emideantaly felt like he should get to know you–he didn't know why, but something about you seemed familiar in a way he couldn't place

𖹭 so ofc, like the social butterfly he is, he goes up to you and introduces himself to you,

𖹭 you already know of him bc of the whole savior of olympus and forbidden child thing going on, but you introduce yourself to him

𖹭 he invites you to sit with him so you don't have to be dangling off the hermes table bc of all his kids, and you happily agree

𖹭 the next few days, you are off doing your own things, but you and percy still say hi and stuff when you see eachother

𖹭 about a week has passed since you arrived, and still no sign from your godly parent

𖹭 and, literally no one could figure out who's kid you might be (even my girl annabeth was struggling with you)

𖹭 it was canoe race day, and you got paired up with percy (he def didn't beg Mr. D to have you in his group)

𖹭 you and percy were doing well in it (obv since he's a literal child of the sea), and you two ended up winning

𖹭 and, as percy moved to high-five you, a familiar blue glow appeared above you,

𖹭 you look up, and see a symbol of twin dolphins, the sign of Amphitrite, the wife of poseidon

𖹭 both you and percy were both shocked (probably him more than you)

𖹭 but, he quickly got over his shock and high fived you super hard

𖹭 "you're my sibling oh my gods oh my gods!!"

𖹭 he's like actually so happy when you got claimed

𖹭 but, he knows it can be hard getting used to being in a cabin alone after being with the hermes kids, so he helps you all he can

𖹭 this includes him helping you decorate your space, either with Polaroids of you and your mortal parents and friends, getting fairy lights hung up, and getting some stuffed animals on your bed, and a lot more things

𖹭 he wants you to know that you can always come to him for anything at all!! Even if it is a crush (even tho he knows you would go to piper for that)

𖹭 he would have so much fun introducing you to Tyson,

𖹭 like the three of you would be besties omg

𖹭 you and percy would also do that trend where you make bracelets with eachothers eye color (tyson would have one 2 don't worry 🙏)

𖹭 and both of you would religiously wear them and almost never take them off unless it's deemed unsafe to be wearing)

𖹭 percy would also make you practice with him, mainly bc he wants to be sure that you are prepared if any monster invasion happens or you get sent on a quest

𖹭 on the topic of a quest, he would be like a dad with a teenager going to their first dance or party

𖹭 he's actually so worried for you and what could happen; he's constantly asking if you have everything packed, if you brought enough ambrosia, etc.

𖹭 he'll def talk to chiron and Mr D abou the quest saying that he should also be able to go on it

𖹭 and then he gets all pissy when he can't come

𖹭 he's like: "wdym I can't go with them ☹️🙄😠"

𖹭 ALSO sally absolutely adores you

𖹭 he brought you over to his apartment for the first time and introduced Sally to you and BAM

𖹭 sally now has three kids, along with paul

𖹭 she's also worried whenever you have to go on quests, she makes you food and gets everything you need ready like omg I need sm like her

𖹭 you and percy have also definitely gone to some type of water park and just like,

𖹭 bullied all of the kids there with your water powers

𖹭 but then u guys get kicked out for being too loud and in the lifeguards words, "loitering"

𖹭 you both had to look that word up on Google afterwards

𖹭 percy and you also have sleepovers sooo often

𖹭 mr D at first tried to get you 2 to stop having them

𖹭 but you guys were like "we're siblings we share the same cabin wdym we have to be in different cabins 🤨🤨"

𖹭 percy and you also have beds set up in eachothers cabin that's just, yours or his bed

𖹭 and when you have the sleepovers, the two of you make the best pillow fort known to kind (you probably got the idea from annabeth)

𖹭 on the topic of annabeth, you two would emideantaly become besties

𖹭 percy will never tell either of you but he got a bit jealous of you guys when you first met

𖹭 you'll probably become friends with all of the 7 bc of your relationship with percy (I say that the 7 are all friends no one could make me think otherwise)

𖹭 percy and you have little hangouts where you chill at the bottom of the lake and just chat ab anything — even with the animals down there

𖹭 the two of you also have def went to an aquarium and made everyone think your psychos bc you talked to all of the animals there

𖹭 overall, percy thinks of you as his sibling, and loves knowing that you'll always have eachothers side <3

[aureli-us]

HI, I may be a bit late to this, but from the ask game:

1, 4, 11, 13, for Tharya? 😍

SORRY THIS TOOK ME 93728292 YEARS TO GET TO!! i promise i've had this in my drafts forever i just had to finish it... for anyone interested the original ask game is here and i'd love to hear more requests!!

1) Does your OC have a voice claim? If so, who?

UNFORTUNATELY not! i have looked around a couple times though. in my head she has a an american accent since that, to me, is natural - but lately i've been looking into scandi accents and such! i'm sort of leaning towards a finnish or norwegian accent, moreso finnish a bit, i just prefer the way it sounds. in relation to miraak's accent she would probably have a bit of trouble understanding him early on since i assume his accent would sound (and is) very thick and archaic to her ears, and he speaks the common tongue slowly (on purpose). in-game he overpronounces/pronunciates things quite...thickly? i imagine his accent would be much heavier than tharya's, though possibly also recognizable to the nords as related to their own. tharya's accent would also be noticeably different to her countrymen bc her father is from cyrodiil, but idk what real world accent cyrods would have. same goes for her siblings! but unfortunately everyone besides miraak has american accents in my head lol

4) What song describes your OC & their partner?

okay i'm really bad at making playlists BUT i do happen to have a tharyaak one....i will link it here hehehe but my favs for them are probably:

lay all your love on me - abba

wish i knew you - the revivalists

put your head on my shoulder - paul anka

just the two of us - grover washington ft. bill withers

11) What was your inspiration for your OC?

HONESTLY what a question. tharya was born of my very first skyrim OC fane - the character i first created when i got the game + finished the main quest for the first time ever with. i was never 100% happy with fane though, and somehow as i grew increasingly bored with not knowing what to do with her, i decided to change her name. at first it was just that, but then i wanted to change her appearance too; i wanted an LDB who looked like the most boring run of the mill LDB possible: a blonde nord. i wanted that so i could give her intense characterization and depth that would pull people in after sort of tricking them with her appearance of being just another white blonde nord LDB. that's also why i made her a mage. i wanted her to exist as this dichotomy. a lot of tharya's emotional depth comes from me since she is my oldest running OC and i needed a place for my problems, so they became hers: estranged from her brother, struggling with femininity, self-image, love, intimacy. some of it i also just dreamt up to create a more battered and wearied LDB: alcoholism, her constant wish to return to sovngarde, her reckless self-endagerment, her feeling slighted by the world not recognizing her after killing alduin. i want her to be a tired hero who is kind and warm, but has fought with all she could ever give to be kind and warm. and, if you spit in her face, her kindness and warmth are not feeble, nor endless. sometimes she skips being nice because she's sick of it all.

13) Does your OC have a rival? How did it start?

HMMM. well besides early miraak lemme think... if i had to pick, maybe........

MAN i don't think she really does??? maybe i'm just blanking. i can't even in good conscience say miraak because they weren't REALLY rivals to begin with, more like star-crossed enemies....tharya's biggest rival may sort of be herself, at least in earlier years. she kind of got way too into her own head after killing alduin and it let to a pretty substantial depressive/alcoholic episode. i can't say ulfric either because she really didn't consider ulfric a rival, he was a lesser opponent, and an unfortunate duty to carry out. so idk if she has a set rival really in the sense we could think of a hero vs rival way. cool to think abt tho!

[saiintvalentiine]

I listened to two moons by boywithuke again and it just hit me some of the lyrics kinda describe what you wrote for Parrot finding out Clonefies. like literally apparently the whole song is about "unmasking" someone and feeling betrayed (two moons dream symbolism or something) and also this part:

I don't feel serene (No) No, I don't feel too clean (Oh) And I don't want to be the one to make you cry I'll play inside, I'll start a fire I'll tell your friends that I lost my mind It'll take a while, but I'll start to smile

though the song does sound more like "betrayed and not forgiving" overall

I had never heard the song before now! Two Moons for the unfamiliar. I See The Vision. . . so much conflict and unmeaning pain !!! tho I wont even lie "And I don't want to be the one to make you cry" is calling my nameeeee

this made me generally think of songs relating to the vibes. . . I think I've mentioned this somewhere, but The Garden by The Cranewives is them to me whichever way you wanna paint it— the shame and secrets and desperation for someone to dig up the garden and stay rahhhh I think both of them want their honesty to be okay, to be without shame even if it is shameful, because between them it shouldn't hurt.

On Melancholy Hill is an old favorite, and the line "Where you can't get what you want, but you can get me" haunts my dreams. This is very Clonefies coded to me. 2D is so lost and despondent vocally, but trying so hard to lyrically pull himself together with pseudo romance, yet everything is tinged grey, and that is Clonefies to me in a way. It's not perfect but man. In a similar vein, Dark Red by Steve Lacy to me is that kinda circular thinking pattern Parrot develops after the fight of desperately not wanting to lose Wifies and spiraling into desperation, hoping to convince him they belong next to each other despite Parrot's fuck ups. Not exact. but I enjoy it.

A general Clonefies song I am So Not Normal About is Valley of the Dolls by Marina and the Diamonds. Electra Heart era Marina you will always be famous to me. And Touch by Daft Punk and Paul Williams is the non-human trying to be human song of all time ofc. "Sweet touch/You've almost convinced me I'm real" what if I threw up and died. This song is why I'm so abnormal abt Clonefies being touched gently I think. I think this song gave me plauygues.

[sondheim-girly]

alright chat, time to yap about Paul’s very comphet crush he developed on marcia!

warning: this is all based on things that the actors in the musical have said are canon about their characters, im just filling everything in with my headcanons. If anyone’s curious about what parts came from the actors just send me an ask!

-ok so first off, we’re just gonna ignore Darry’s canon age for the sake of these headcanons cuz it’s SO inconsistent in the musical and confuses me endlessly

-Paul, bob, trip and Darry are all in the same grade

-Marcia, Bev, cherry, brill, and Chet are in the grade after them

-and then two grades below them are Melvin and Sergei, but they’re irrelevant to all this (if u ever want me to talk about them tho I have so many thoughts dw)

-ok so it all starts when Paul’s in 8th grade

-even tho they’re all so young the guys are already starting that toxic masculinity thing in how they talk about girls

-and bob already had the biggest crush on cherry (he legit has liked her since forever)

-and b&b already know that they’re gonna get married and have planned out their entire future 🤦

-so there’s this whole expectation that Paul also likes a girl

-and he can’t figure out why he’s never felt that way before

-so one day they’re all in a pe class that mixes the grades

-and they’re all talking about girls and blah blah and someone asks Paul what girl he likes

-and Paul looks over and pretty much randomly picks Marcia

-and so it begins!

-they all make it this whole big thing about how he likes her, and when Bev finds out it’s basically over

-Bev thinks that Marcia is just too weird and needs someone like Paul to make her… more soc and make her mind her own business ya know?

-Marcia’s always been the kind of person to always speak up when she shouldn’t, and she’s too loud, and so she also feels this pressure to try and fit in

-so with some pressuring from Bev, she’s like ‘ok sure I like Paul and I’d go out with him’

-and also girly wants the validation of someone liking her cuz she’s insecure as hell

-so they start dating, and it is SO AWKWARD

-not only are they in middle school, which is always the recipe for awkward dating, but neither of them actually like each other as more than friends

-neither of them even like them very much as friends!

-they go to the movies once, and Paul decides to hold Marcia’s hand because he knows that’s what he’s supposed to do

-and Marcia spends the entire movie like🧍‍♀️I hate this

-after they date awkwardly for a while, Paul decides he should kiss her, cuz like… isn’t that what he’s supposed to want?

-anyways Marcia immediately cringes away from him and is like “sorry I can’t do this anymore! I’m breaking up with you!”

-poor girl was dating the gayest boy in town

-anyways he’s kinda relieved for a while

-but when he goes into freshman year he has this epiphany that he likes darry in the way he was supposed to like marcia

-and he doesn’t fully understand, but he freaks the fuck out and can’t look Darry in the eye for weeks

-so he completely gaslights himself into thinking that actually Marcia broke his heart and he still likes her

-and he keeps this up for a while, but it gets harder and harder to ignore what he’s feeling for darry

-so he kinda forgets about Marcia but keeps her as the default answer whenever the guys are talking about girls and being gross in the locker room

-but while doing that he’s totally messing around with Darry

-they both have so much crazy internalized homophobia but they’re also both so madly in love with each other

-they’ve definitely drunkenly made out on multiple occasions

-and sometimes when they were completely sober

-but they don’t talk about that!!

-anyways right around when Darry and Paul ‘break up’ is when Marcia and trip get together

-which is perfect timing for Paul because he just throws himself in to being ‘heartbroken’ over that instead of being heartbroken over his boyfriend dumping him

-and he’s just so freaked out about the way he felt about Darry that the he just forces himself into liking Marcia more and more

-and then we’re all caught up to canon!

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

My main problem with that episode was just that I feel like they hyped up the beatles aspect of it so much (you can even find doctor who magazines in shops in England that have posters inside them that parody "with the beatles" album cover with the Beatle actors and the doctor and ruby) and they did so little with it. The actors didn't really feel like John and Paul in most scenes, we saw and heard basically nothing of George and Ringo, and we didn't see them play off each other.

They put the beatles in an episode and neglected to have them interact with each other, the thing that's arguably the thing most distinct about them.

Like I know it's only a 40 minute episode but come on. It could've been done better. AND the secret chord could've been the Damn A Hard Day's Night Chord, or the final chord of A Day In The Life. To make the Beatles aspect of it more significant.

Also the way the only thing that was different in a London without music was smog? Really? Nothing more???

Jinx Monsoon was incredible tho what a stellar performance. (Sorry for the long rant I just had t h o u g h t s )

THE WAY I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT ABOUT THE CHORD???? I was yelling for the AHDN chord. Why was it just the most normal major chord ever? For an episode that started off saying interesting, accurate stuff about music theory, I just felt really let down as a music lover (as opposed to a Beatles fan particularly). Like I was like "genius????? that's not a genius chord what the FUCK" It could have not been the AHDN one too (though that was perfect and right there – also would be something where no copyright strike could possibly be justified, while being PERFECTLY iconic) just something that actually felt like interesting music.

Look, I understand Doctor Who is here to be Doctor Who, not biblically-accurate Beatles RPF. That being said, it didn't even try to create interesting – if perhaps inaccurate – characters for John and Paul that you could learn to root for as the episode progressed. The two DW episodes I'm thinking of the most here are the Shakespeare and Van Gogh one, which similarly centered the historical person's artistry as the thing that ultimately saves the day. The premise of this episode made that task harder, granted, but it's so easy to include the Doctor going on an extended rant about what makes them great or whatever. He did that a little, but he basically just named two songs and left it at that lol. And it was about the fucking piano not them as musicians/writers.

TO BE CLEAR: I'm not saying this because I think the show needs to pay them tribute or whatever, I'm saying that if the narrative treats them as geniuses that are the only ones capable of sending Maestro back, I think the episode should maybe in some sense try to demonstrate this genius (slowly build it up over time!!! what!!! a fucking character arc perhaps???). And you're right, they clearly made a lot of hype around this being a Beatles episode and then didn't really want to actually protray them. They were off-screen for most of the episode and completely unaware of the plot! Why? Like genuinely, why am I meant to care about this piano chord scene when the characters in it have been absent from the plot for the past twenty minutes of runtime and their only purpose before was essentially to provide exposition on the conflict of the episode? I DON'T GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did think Jinkx did a good job, but I also found Maestro was so… one-note (lol). It didn't to me feel justified to spend so much time with just the villain, when Maestro is just… kind of one-dimensionally evil. Like, it's entertaining, yes, but when you combine it with my above issue it just feels hollow, if that makes sense. Having Maestro actually interact with the musicians they're sort of running dry would have been fun, I think? Honestly would have been way better than zeroing in on Ruby, and given Jinkx her flowers without sidelining the Beatles aspect.

Side-note, but weirdest thing I'm noticing about this season is that RTD is doing the companion-mystery thing so many people hated about Moffat but like. he is NOT as good at it lmao.