#because this is what opens them back up to interacting with gabriel

[noxemma]

First comes love a kid(napping), then comes a marriage ... Yeah, they're definitely doing things in the wrong order, but maybe, if they're lucky, they can figure out how to reverse their way into something real.

Parts 1&2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 |

———

Okay, not sure how much I actually like this part or not but I’m kind of over fighting it (bc I have ideas for the next part) so hopefully it’s good for y’all

——— Even with Dean insisting they stick as close to the messy truth as possible, it's almost too easy to fabricate their fictional relationship. They decide that Dean had been waiting at the corner for Sam when he'd seen Jack looking very confused and offered to give him directions. Cas had stumbled upon them as Jack was leaning into the open door to see the map Dean has pulled up, but mistook Dean for a would-be kidnapper. After yanking Jack away, Cas had given Dean a scathing tongue-lashing only to be corrected by Jack and Sam, who'd been asking Cas a question after class. At the defense of both his son and trusted student, Cas had realized his mistake and apologized to Dean. Then, feeling bad for assuming the worst of Dean, Cas had offered to buy him dinner and Dean has accepted. Given the chance to start over, Dean and Cas hit things off. They'd been dating for over a year before Dean had proposed to both Jack and Cas over his famous homemade burgers and pie just a few days before coming to the wedding.

It's a good story. So good that Dean half wants to believe it himself. And the craziest part is that it just might work. Cas doesn't have social media at all, and Dean only uses his to post pictures of the cars he's restored or currently working on. No one would question why Jack hadn't mentioned Dean because no one, aside from Cas' brother Gabriel, had ever met or interacted with Jack. And they'd agreed to tell Gabriel that they'd been keeping the relationship on the down low because Sam was Cas' student. Gabriel apparently lived for juicy gossip so that tidbit plus the knowledge that their engagement was a ruse to make Cas’ parents lay off the custody concerns would probably keep him off their backs, at least according to Cas.

"Okay, I think we've got the backstory down pat," Dean says, pasting on a mask of a smile as he faces the last elephant in the room. "Now, the only thing we have to go over is, um, believable details." "What do you mean?" Cas asks, head tilting adorably again.

"Well, uh. Like ..." Dean tries to think of something that won't be nearly as embarrassing or suggestive as what he's thinking, "Oh, okay. Well, I saw you have some tattoos. I do too. I have an anti-possession sigil here on my chest, I have Baby's grill on the back of my shoulder, a whole mess of less meaningful stuff on my arm, except for the baseball cap. That one is for Bobby. Oh, and the Superman and Batman one's in there are for me and Sam. Long story that involves pretending we were superheroes, broken arms, and taking Sam to the ER on the handlebars of my bike. And I want to get more." Cas' eyes trail across his clothed chest like he can see the ink underneath and heat suffuses Dean's cheeks.

Fuck! I really need my body to stop doing this every time he looks at me for more than five consecutive seconds. Although maybe people will actually believe we're in love if he keeps making me blush so easily, Dean thinks.

"Hmmm, I think I understand what you mean," Cas hums, not helping Dean's blush go away at all, "There are certain things that people who have been intimate with each other would know, such as the placement and meaning of tattoos."

"Yeah," Dean manages to choke out, because, Jesus, Cas was really staring at him, and he was about one minute from squirming in his seat like a horny teenager under the attention. "Something like that."

"I have some lines of Enochian across my ribs. It's an ancient, dead language that some scholars have hypothesized was the language of angels," Dean shoots Cas a grateful look for explaining right away so he doesn't feel stupid for having to ask. "The only other tattoos I have are a pair of wings that start at between my shoulder blades and spread down the back of each arm. I admit that I have been considering getting another one or two, but finding the time is challenging. I'd love to see yours at some point, if you don't mind of course."

"Fuck no, I don't mind!" Dean blurts a little too eagerly and he forces himself to take a breath before continuing, "And, if you're willing, I'd love to see yours too. Those wings sound amazing." "Of course. I'm very proud of them," Cas replies with a little nod, fingers fiddling with holes in the cuffs of his hoodie.

Silence settles between them for a few seconds as the sounds of Ramblin' Man fade, replaced briefly by a hum marking the end of the cassette. Dean hits the eject button but doesn't replace it. "I probably should have asked this sooner, and I know you agreed to this, but I would never want to assume-" "Just spit it out, Cas. Contrary to what my brother might think, I'm actually pretty damn hard to offend," Dean teases, trying to ease the obvious anxious cloud beginning to coalesce in the passenger seat. "You are interested in men, right? And single? I mean I was just thinking that, well, we'll have to act like we're in love, like we're engaged, which will probably require at the very least hand holding and- What exactly about that is so funny?" Dean can't help it. It's nearing one in the morning and he's too tired from driving almost six hours straight with only piss breaks to keep from cracking up at the hilarity that is Cas asking his relationship status and sexual orientation this far in. "You are, man," Dean wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes as he manages to regain control of himself. "We've already thought up a whole backstory and driven several hundred miles and now you're asking me if I even like dick? You have to admit it pretty damn funny." Cas’ face is serious and unmoving when Dean sneaks a peek at him, but then he hears the softest snort and he cracks up all over again, laughing so hard his stomach aches when Cas finally does join in. "So? Are you? 'Into dick'?" Cas asks after they're both mostly recovered, though his use of air quotes almost sets Dean off again.

"Yeah. Though I’m not strictly into sick. I'm bi. Although, I've never been in a serious relationship with a guy before so this will all still be kind of new to me."

"If it makes you feel better, neither have I," Cas admits. Instinct has Dean opening his mouth to make some joke about how someone as gorgeous as Cas had to have people lining up around the block to date him but the streetlights whizzing by illuminate a faraway look in Cas' eyes, a type of longing Dean could never put a name to but knows intimately. "We'll figure it out together," he offers instead, daring to reach his hand out to give Cas' a squeeze. "I'm sure we will," Cas murmurs and Dean can hear the slight smile as he flips his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing back. "Hmm. I suppose we should talk about PDA. I'm just along for the ride here, so whatever you want to do, I'm down for," Dean offers, probably a touch to enthusiastically but he bats the worry away, focusing instead on the heat of Cas' palm against his. Cas seems to ponder his statement, absently starting to rub his thumb across Dean's wrist and up the side of his thumb as he thinks. Dean damn near melts at the touch. It's so gentle and sweet and weirdly intimate and those are things he hasn't had in a long while.

He hadn't had much time to date on the road, plus John would probably have killed him if he'd found him fooling around with another guy, and then he'd been busy trying to raise Sam. He'd been content with one-night stands and a little fun every now and again, but now he wanted more. He just didn't know how to find it or worse, how to ask for it.

Maybe that's why I want to do this so bad, why I suggested being fiancés in the first place. Maybe this is as close as I'll get to the real thing.

"Hmm. I didn't really think about public displays of affection. My family has never been big on them; Gabriel of course is the exception as he is for many things. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, they are extremely religious and, no matter how much I disagree with them, I don't really want to antagonize them by throwing my queerness in their faces." "Noted. Do not make out sloppily in front of the parents no matter how funny it would be."

"Dean!" Cas lets out an exasperated sigh and Dean just knows he's rolling his eyes. "Sorry. Jokes aside, you want minimal PDA. Is like, hugging and holding hands, okay?" Dean asks because he has to know. He prays that Cas says yes, that he will have an excuse to touch and be touched like this again. "Yes, that's fine. And I'm sure that we'll have to kiss at some point to really sell the fake relationship to Gabriel ..." Cas trails off. His free hand comes up to his face and his fingertips ghost over his lips.

Is he thinking about kissing me? Dean wonders, his heart picking up pace as he definitely thinks about Cas and how his full lips might feel. "I'm sure I would survive having to kiss you," Dean whispers. He means for it to come out as a joke, something to jolt them both out of the weird tension that has begun building and winding between them, skittering back and forth across their connected hands.

But it doesn't come out sounding like a joke at all. At least not to Dean's ears. No, to Dean it sounds exactly like what it is: a lie.

Dean is saved from however Cas was going to respond to that by the thwak thwak thwak of Baby's wheels hitting the rumble strip and he jerks his gaze and the wheel away from Cas' profil back towards the center of the road. "Are you okay, Dean?" Cas blurts, concern clear and genuine. "Yeah, yeah. Uh, sorry about that. I gotta put in another tape so I don't fall asleep or start hallucinating sheep on the road or something,” Dean spews.

The rest of the drive is relatively silent, though, to Dean’s utter shock, it's not uncomfortable. Probably because Cas keeps his hand in Dean's but he's not going to question it, not when he's fighting to keep his eyes open.

It's near three in the morning when Cas finally gives the last direction and they pull up to the fanciest hotel Dean has ever seen.

He drops Cas off to get checked in while he hunts down a parking spot in the hotel garage.

It isn’t until opens the back to get their luggage that he realizes his mistake.

He’s so used to traveling light with Sam that he forgot just how much luggage there could be.

He pulls out Cas' rolling bag, determined that it should come in. He also grabs Cas' wedding gift, just because the large wrapped box would probably draw the wrong kind of attention and he didn't want to risk it no matter how much security the swanky hotel had.

Tucking the box under one arm and gripping Cas' bag with his hand left him with one free hand to choose between Cas' briefcase, his duffle, the suits, or the boxes of their fancy shoes that Cas had also purchased at Kendricks. Dean sighs, knowing there is really only one choice, and fumbles with his free hand to wrestle out the small bag that has his toiletries. He shoves it in his pants pocket before gently sliding out the suits, folding them gently over his arm so they wrinkle as little as possible and then reaching in to clutch Cas' briefcase in his fingers. He's pretty sure he looks like some kind of urban scarecrow as he makes his way out of the parking garage and into the hotel, but he tries not to let it bother him.

The hotel is so big and confusing that he gets lost a few times before being pointed in the right direction by a tattoo shop that's just closing down for the night.

"Gotta love Vegas. This is the real city that never sleeps," he mutters blearily before perking up when he finally spots Cas standing by a counter. Cas is fuming when Dean comes to a stop next to him, whisper-shouting into his phone before slamming it on the counter and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wha's wrong, Cas?" "My idiot brother, is what's wrong," Cas groans. Dean must look super pathetic as he blinks stupidly at Cas because he takes pity on him and elaborates. "He didn't think I was actually bringing a plus one, so he only booked me for a single room."

"O-" Dean yawns so wide that he thinks he hears his jaw pop, "Kay. So, what's the problem?"

"There's only one bed, Dean," Cas splutters

“Cas, babe. That's not a bad thing." "It's not?" Cas asks and Dean doesn't see the pink that begins to emerge the other man’s face as he fails to stifle another yawn. "No, if anything it'll, it'll just solidify our story." "Oh, right. Our story."

Dean frowns at the way Cas' shoulders droop but he doesn't have enough brain cells to process the conundrum of Cas being upset at having to share a bed, then upset that they're only sharing the bed to further the plot of their fake relationship. Dean blinks again and when he opens his eyes Cas is standing in front of a door, wedding present now under one of his arms as the other swipes the plastic card to admit them into the suite.

The room is huge compared to the dinky motels he and Sam grew up in. Dean hangs the suits up in the closet before really taking the time to admire the space.

"Damn. This place is nice," Dean says to no one in particular.

"It should be for what Gabriel is paying for it," Cas mutters, hefting his bag onto a chair and digging through it for something.

Dean leaves him to it, turning to snag the remote off a desk and turn on the giant TV positioned perfectly in front of the bed. He flips through channels until he hits on Forensic Files. It was stupid that the grainy show gave him comfort in an area he felt so out of place in. Every dingy hotel or moral that has a TV got Forensic Files and too many sleepless nights with it being the only thing to keep him company as he watched over Sam and waited for their Dad to wander back from the bar had made it feel like home. Dean allows himself to flop stomach first onto the mattress, not even trying to hold back the moan that escapes at its plushness. Cas says something too him and he grunts in affirmation, but he has no clue what Cas said, too busy enjoying the deep cushion of the mattress and being lulled to sleep by the rerun on the screen.

He almost thinks it's a dream when a new noise causes him to turn his head and he sees Cas exit the bathroom, dark hair spilling droplets of water down his bare chest, flannel pants slung low on his hips giving Dean a perfect view. His eyes glide greedily over the lines of inked writing placed just across the lower left side of his ribs, which naturally draws Dean's attention to sharp hip bones and the hint of a happy trail.

All his blood rushes south and Dean drops his face into the mattress, thankful that it can hide his hard on

"Dean?" Cas whispers. "'m awake, just restin' m'eyes," Dean mumbles through the comforter. "Oh, well, I'm done in the bathroom if you need to use it." Dean makes an ambiguous noise, strategically waiting until he hears Cas move toward the head of the bed before he rolls off and makes as fast a beeline for the bathroom as he can without being suspicious.

Once he's safe inside with the door locked, Dean contemplates his options. Which is to say, he can walk back out with a boner, or he can take a cold shower because he sure as hell isn't jacking off with Cas on the bed just beyond the door.

He sighs and turns the shower on to cold. He shucks his clothes quickly and forces himself under the frigid spray before he can chicken out, cussing and shivering the whole time.

He turns the spray to warm once he's flaccid again and he is finally able to appreciate the luxury of the rain shower head.

Dean's so relaxed by the time he finally turns off the water that it isn't until he's stepping onto the tiled bathroom floor and wrapping a towel around his waist that he realizes his predicament.

"Son of a bitch!" "Dean? Is everything okay?" Cas calls with sleepy concern, the sound getting loud enough that Dean knows he must be waiting just on the other side of the door for Deans reply. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm- Well ... no. I uh. Well, we had so many bags and things and I figured your stuff and the suits were more important and-" Dean cuts his babbling off and forces himself to get to the point. "I left my bag in the car, and I don't have anything to change into."

There is silence for a moment and Dean's stomach clenches. Then Dean hears Cas going deeper into the room before returning again. The door opens and his hand appears holding a bundle of fabric.

"Cas, what-?"

"I'm a bit of an anxious packer so I always have a spare set of everything. These should do for tonight and we can get your bag in the morning. And before you argue, we're already sharing a bed so what's sharing clothes. Just think of it as getting into character for being fake fiancés."

Dean can't really argue against that so he accepts the clothing and gently shuts the door.

It turns out that Cas had handed him some grey sweats and a pair of neon orange boxer briefs. He tries not to think about Cas wearing them as he pulls them on but fails miserably and he's half hard by the time he yanks on the sweats. They're a little short and a little snug but way better than having to pull on his dirty clothes or sleep in the towel, no matter how plush it is. He fishes the toiletry bag out of his discarded jeans and brushes his teeth longer and more forcefully than normal as he tries to will his dick to stand down metaphorically and literally. Finally, he's as ready as he can be and he slips out of the bathroom into dimly lit room. Turns out Dean didn't need to worry at all because Cas is passed out on the left side of the bed. He must have nodded off waiting for Dean because he's sitting against the headboard with his head flopped onto his shoulder, a small trickle of drool crusting as it dried on his chin. He looks so adorable and it reminds Dean of when Sam would fall asleep studying. Only Dean's heart didn't do an entire acrobatics routine at the sight of a drooling Sam.

"Cas, sweetheart," Dean breathes, "Can we get you under the blankets?" Cas groans and mutters something unintelligible without opening his eyes or moving an inch. Dean chuckles and starts pulling the blanket out, managing to get him tucked under the sheets and comforter in a few minutes. Once he's under the blanket Cas shimmies himself down to snuggle into the pillows. Dean takes one more moment to admire him before he turns out the side light and slides in on his own side.

His eyes feel like they’re holding the world but he manages a brief, mostly coherent text to Sam.

Dean: Made it to hotel ok. How as Jack?

Sam likes his message and it's all Dean can do to keep his eyes open until the blinking dots turn into text.

Sam: Jack and I are great. He really is a good kid, super smart and kind. Dean: Course he is. Well call and chek in in the AM

Dean doesn't wait for Sam's reply, just slips the phone back onto the nightstand and waits for his usual struggle to fall asleep, bracing himself for it to be worse because he's in a new place on top of sleeping in the same bed as someone.

He wouldn't necessarily label himself as an insomniac, he just happens to usually only get between four and six hours of sleep. Probably shoulda warned Cas about that. Should ask him if he's a morning or night person. And if he's a heavy sleeper or if the TV will wake him up. Should ask him if he likes coffee or... Dean falls asleep making a list of all the things he wants to know about Cas.

---

Something wakes Dean, but he can't pinpoint exactly what it is and then he forgets to look for it because the pillow in his arms is warm, and soft and smells like heaven.

Dean keeps his eyes closed as he wiggles closer to the pillow, breathing in deeply in hopes of drowning in the clean yet somehow spicy smell.

Then the pillow moves, pressing back closer into his chest and Dean realizes that somehow in the night he'd ended up spooning Cas.

And now he was stuck. Frozen with one of his arms bent beneath his head while the other was draped across Cas' torso, fingers brushing just above his belly button, his nose ghosting the inked ridge of Cas' shoulder, and his hips and cock flush against the curve of Cas' ass. Dean slams his eyes shut again as if not seeing will somehow magically take his erection away or keep Cas from waking up to find that Dean had turned into a handsy creep during the night.

Fuck. Okay, don't panic, let’s start by just slowly scooch-

"Holy shit balls, he’s real!"

Dean cracks his eyes a sliver and searches for the source of the voice. He sees a man shorter than Cas with shoulder length dirty blonde hair, holding a phone above him and, presumably, snapping pictures of him doing his best impression of an octopus.

"Honest to god, I was eighty seven percent sure that Cas had made you up,” the voice appears to mutter to itself. “Okay, one for evidence, one for the baby book, and one for blackmail.” Dean is about to open his mouth and tell this weirdo to get lost or get wrecked when he feels Cas move, rearranging the tiniest bit so he can maneuver his head up to pin the man with what Dean assumes is a death glare by how the guy freezes in place. "Gabriel, I swear, if you wake him,” Cas growls. The sound is so deep and vicious and protective that Dean can feel the reverberations of it in his own chest.

“Castiel, is that any way to talk to your favorite brother?” Gabriel replies, though his voice is softer. “I was coming to pre game brunch but it looks like you actually slept for once. Should I be worried you’re dying?”

“No,” Cas hisses, irritated voice barely above a whisper. “I just sleep better with Dean. Now, get out before I make you!”

“And how do you plan on doing that my dear, baby brother? You going to sic your beefcake here on me?”

“Worse. I will revoke all fun uncle privileges and I will move into a shitty apartment where Jack will be miserable and you’ll have to sleep on the couch when you visit.”

Gabriel gasps like he’s really been scandalized, and Dean can hear his footsteps retreating.

“The photos Gabriel, I want them-”

Dean is sure that Cas meant to say he wanted them deleted or gone but Gabriel interrupts before Cas can finish the command.

“No problemo, boss. Done! Cute pics of a tatted hunk wrapped around you signed, sealed, and delivered to your phone. Don’t be late for brunch! If you leave me alone too long unsupervised I may just lose my senses and murder a few of our relatives and then you’ll have to bail me out of jail.”

“Get. Out,” Cas snarls and Dean hears something soft hit the wall in Gabriel’s general direction before the door clicks open then shut.

“Dude, your brother is weird,” Dean whispers before he does something selfish like pretend he’s still asleep and continue to subject Cas to his morning wood. He pulls away from Cas but stops when Cas’ hand clamps around the one Dean had slung around his waist.

“Wait, please don’t- You don’t have to-,” Cas starts before giving up and releasing Dean’s hand. “I’m sorry Gabriel woke you. I get the feeling that, like me, you don’t sleep much.”

“Borderline-insomniacs of a feather?” Dean quips to cover the way he immediately halts the retreat he never wanted to initiate.

Dean can’t breathe when he feels Cas laugh, still close enough that the sound echoes across his body as well, warm and tingly and so alive.

“Is- Are you- Do you mind this?” Cas asks, voice quiet and unsure and nothing like the confident growl it had been earlier.

“Do I mind? Cas, I should probably be asking you that since it wasn’t your dick jabbing into my backside this morning. I’m sorry for that by the way, but that should have been a pretty clear indication that I didn’t mind at all and maybe even enjoyed cuddling a little too much.”

“There’s really nothing to apologize for, Dean; it’s a natural response. But responding naturally to stimuli is not the same thing as wanting or enjoying it, so I just wanted to make sure.”

Dean didn’t know how to respond to that and the implication he could clearly read in between Cas’ words. Rage boiled in his veins at the idea that someone might have touched Cas, or worse, without his consent and he nearly drew blood with how tightly he was biting down on his lip.

“I didn’t mind, by the way, so please don’t think that you, that you somehow took advantage of me or something. I wasn’t lying when I told Gabriel I slept better with you here. This is probably the first time in over a month I’ve gotten over five consecutive hours of sleep,” Cas confesses.

“Five? What time is it?”

“It’s around …” Cas checks his phone on the nightstand, “Nine-thirty.”

“Damn. That’s almost unheard of for me. Sam would probably ask if I’m dying too,” Dean admits.

They go silent, content to let each other steal a few more selfish moments in bed. Finally though, Cas let’s out a groan and rolls away from Dean, huffing something about stupid brunches under his breath.

Dean doesn’t have time to be devastated by the loss because Cas immediately sits up and stretched his arms, unintentionally giving Dean a glorious and unobstructed view of the magnificent wings decorating his shoulders and arms.

He can’t help himself, reaching out and lightly stroking one of the photorealistic feathers, awe and wonder possessing him to caress and admire.

Cas back muscle ripples beneath the touch and he turns his head slowly to look over his shoulder. His eyes latch onto Dean’s fingers, still just brushing his skin as if Cas is some holy figure he shouldn’t be daring to touch, tracing the trail of his arm all the way up to his face.

Blue eyes ensnare Dean and he wouldn’t be able to look away even if he wanted to. Something taut and coiled begins to warm between them, getting so hot it scorches the air from Dean’s lungs and strips him of all rational thought.

He’s just about to lean forward and do something reckless like place a kiss on one of those magnificent feathers while maintaining direct eye contact when Cas’ phone starts ringing, startling them both away to their respective edges of the bed.

———

@colorlessjay @destielfangirl24

[halemerry]

Okay so I wanna take a moment to talk about gravity. Now I know what this sounds like, but bare with me here I promise I'm not looking to do a physics lecture. But I've been rotating this around in my head for a couple days now and I think there's something really critical in the way the show presents it to us.

For example: it's one of the few things actually listed in our introduction to this show individually while our protagonists build the universe, right between matter and everything else.

The show draws our attention to it here fairly bluntly by naming it but there are other incidents that, while I would not call them subtle, are not quite as on the nose.

There are at least three times Crowley chucks something he's holding in his hands across the room. They're played for comedic bits but they all feel very weird and pointed to me - especially both times he does this to books that he seems to have no purpose for holding other than to chuck them later. It caught my attention mostly because everything in me recoiled at the idea of him doing that, but the more I thought about the way they're so visible and pointed was important. They almost feel like weird hiccups in the scene they're in.

We also get gravity as an implied threat with Gabriel climbing out the window and, of course, with every mention of a Fall. But there's also more mundane uses of gravity in the season that while not odd in isolation, the fact we get it popping up so notably is interesting to me. There's also the scene with Nina and Maggie under the awning where rainwater's weight gets pulled down by gravity, the scene in 1941 where Aziraphale drops the picture of them onto the floor before they have their gray area talk, Gabriel dropping the matchbox, and I'm sure there's more. The point is the show is littered with reminders that gravity exists.

Now I know what this sounds like. I know it seems like yeah. Duh. They're on earth. Which has gravity. Of course gravity is a factor in nearly every physical action they do. Why are you even talking about this at all?

Well, it's because of a scene that is one of my absolute favorites in the whole season: the Gravity Lesson.

The scene opens with Jim throwing a book (My Best Games of Chess, an interesting title that feels pointed) repetitively at a desk. He's testing gravity himself, looking confused.

Crowley then descends from the upper level, carrying a stack of books. He pauses his descent on the spiral staircase and notes what Jim is doing.

Then we get this shot. Notice the light here. Jim is in the light from the windows but relatively in the middle of the shot. He's an angel still, though not nearly as in the Light as he was as Gabriel. And he's notably at ground level, on earth. Meanwhile Crowley blends into the shadows of the shop itself. He continues down the staircase, sauntering vaguely downward, until he finally hits earth level to be even with Jim. There's symbolism here, in the lighting, in the way they move through these frames, in the way the staircase spirals like an orbit.

Crowley continues this same sweeping circular pattern to come around the bookshop and place him in front of Jim. Unable to resist a question, even one that wasn't asked out loud, Crowley tells him about gravity. He moves center toward Jim here. A meeting in the middle. This is the first scene we see Crowley interact with Jim in a way anything near amicable. He explains how gravity works. "It's, um... A thing that happens when objects are pulled together. In this case, they're all pulled downwards because Earth is the largest thing around."

As he speaks, Crowley moves away from Jim, toward the back of the bookshop. But he stops very rapidly because Jim goes and asks him why. Crowley frowns to himself. He says he can't remember. He says it seemed like a good idea when they were all talking about it.

He walks back to Jim, giving this question some real thought, and settles on, "So things would stay where you put them, not just drift off." And Jim, backlit by the windows still, kind of frowns and drops the book again and points out. "But it doesn't stay where I put them. It goes down."

When the book hits the table it also visibly does not land precisely over where Jim dropped it either. It settles out of place, bouncing slightly from the force of it. This is what drew my attention to this scene more than anything else.

Because it's interesting isn't it? They're both right in their assessment here. And so much of this story is about people not fitting quite where they're dropped. Aziraphale and Crowley are both caught in Earth's gravity, jostled out of their respective places. The very first shot in the intro sequence emphasizes this idea. Crowley and Aziraphale meet in the middle on earth (where Crowley then says let there be light and lights a flame to guide them going forward).

Gabriel and Beez too fall out of line as soon as they get caught in Earth's gravity. Memories are deleted, but can't entirely escape the gravity of their old home. Memories are added, but you can't predict exactly the way they'll form. Miracles backfire and don't land quite as they're expected. We obey Heaven or Hell as far as we can, but not necessarily exactly as they'd like. These shifts eventually become predictable and eventually we learn we can calculate the odds of how gravity can impact something, but as Jim shows us here a little bit of the drift still happens. In the end it's all just firing bullets at ears and pretend to catch them in our teeth.

And there's viewing this line of thinking from the perspective of God. God who functionally dropped the universe into the gravity of Fate and Choice just to see where it would land.

And then there's the Fly.

As Jim points out here, some things actively resist gravity, at least temporarily. Flies go up. This is very fun, given Beelzebub's arc this season, but I think it's getting at more than just that. Crowley and Jim both pause to watch the fly rise upward, drifting away from Jim and toward the dark half of the shop. Crowley says Jim makes a good point and then shifts into "Right, the plan, Operation: Lovebird."

Given the plot of season 1, I find the use of the word plan here pretty interesting. Especially given that the event that follows this is Crowley trying and failing to get Nina and Maggie to recreate his own meet cute. Like the idea of these two being drawn together will fix everything.

And that got me thinking about Crowley's line at the end of season 1. About what if God planned it that way. What if they're God's own Operation Lovebird. We know that together they can do very powerful things. This whole season starts with them, while trying to keep their power under control and contained, do a miracle so big it could've brought someone back from the dead nearly 25 times. Last season ends with Heaven and Hell thinking they've become something impossible. The Metatron here goes out of his way to separate the two of them like he's afraid of what they're capable of together. And he seems to have successfully managed to do this.

But a Fly can't stay in the air forever. The Fly is always drawn back to Jim. Because not all gravity is about Earth itself. The same way Gabriel's memories are drawn back to him. The same way Beelzebub and Gabriel are drawn to each other in the first place. The same way Aziraphale and Crowley have been described time and time again as drawn in by each other. They're Alpha Centauri. Twin stars orbiting each other. They're constantly going in circles around each other. It's a dance. With the hands touching in the middle. Because that is a gravity too. They complete each other the same way the Fly completes Jim.

So what about choice? Think about the Ball episode. Think about how everyone in the shop is being influenced by some sort of miracle. Their clothes and behavior shift and change and Nina in particular shows us that this is Noticeable. Forcing something in a gravity it doesn't like or want makes it have a hard time settling. It doesn't go quite where you drop it.

And then there's the chat Nina and Maggie have with Crowley. "We're not a game. We're real people," says Maggie. And Crowley tries to argue this saying that they both needed help and they both push back that it is still not his right to meddle with. A game. Like the title My Best Games of Chess. Like the thing we know God has been using as a framing device since season 1. A thing the narrative always has pushed as a bad thing.

Maggie and Nina are choosing to not let beings above them influence their choices. They actively resist being compelled by Aziraphale in the bookshop together because they know what's right. His gravity is not enough to overwhelm their choices. And at the end maybe they're not together but they're working on it. And, maybe, if they do come back together (when they do, according to Maggie) it will be when they are ready and when they are choosing each their free of the constraints of the game or higher power. And that gives me hope that's where we're headed for the Ineffables as well.

[valentinafoxr]

Illustrhater was good

I had some time to let my thoughts marinate and watched the episode again, and I would say we're off to a good start! Some things I liked or noticed:

What it is with Lila's notebooks in the opening scene. Is she writing a novel. Is all of this just a ploy to get clout on ao3

Love love LOVE Marinette's room and all the little details - her room has always been so cool, but I feel like it's elevated by the redesign. She has a Molly Ringwald-Teen Movie Bedroom-Windowsill now ❤

RE: The intro - I DO like that they kept the song! Would've been very jarring to have a new tune, but I feel like keeping the music wraps it up really nicely. Love the Adrinette cuteness and OUGH OUGH OUGH the shot with Gabriel in the background. Sinister, I love it. I won't lie, I WILL miss the shot that's now the LadyNoir fist bump and Adrinette kiss when it used to be Chat Noir going in for a kiss and then the two of them tumbling over each other, mostly because it used to be the essence of the Lovesquare and thus the show. I totally get though why they had to change it up -different premise with Adrinette in a relationship and all- and the way the still kept the switcheroo was nicely done.

on, and they kept the black cat in the intro. points for that.

Marinette being a disaster is so, so comforting to me. Yes, give us the statistics about Hawkmoth, order shrimp macarons, hide your face in your tiny purse girl, I love you!!!! And her cat ear slippers <3

I need a moment to gush about the new animation, because, DAMN. It's both the small details (the pattern and texture of Alya's glasses) and and the scenery (Paris actually looking like a populated city with a beautiful variety of both people and unique buildings????). Idk it's just really, really nice. The character models are mostly an upgrade and look a tad older while still keeping the original vibe. The expressions are also better, especially for the supporting cast. The lighting is gorgeous! AND THE AKUMATIZATIONS!!!! HELLO!!! THEY LOOK SO COOL

Adrien is a sad exception to my praise but I think the less we talk about it the faster we will all collectively get used to it lol

I also think the direction and camera work has gotten a lot better - the fighting scenes looked cool and we got interesting camera angles.

The integration of 2D animation is neat! The chibis are very cute and serve a purpose. I do hope they keep adding 2D elements and not just as illustrations as they used to do in former seasons. I mean, this is such a fun shot:

Storywise it was a decent episode! not much to say here tbh, I liked the DJ Wifi sideplot (and THEM overall, bestest couple).

Loooooved the trash collecting scene, reminded me of Gang of Secrets Ladynoir after their break-ups. I need them to talk/gossip to each other about their relationship(s) in every episode hehe. I do miss flirty Ladynoir but seeing them again is auauauuaghhh. Adrien seeing Ladybug out and about and he's smiling!!!!!!!!!! I love Ladynoir so much

We didn't get much about Adrien's situation from this (apart from the fact that he's allowed to leave the house lol) but the sadness in his eyes…. and him taking the blame for Adrinette's communication issues…. my sweet, sweet boy 🙁

Referring back to this post - yeah, that's Lila/Cerise/Iris in the café, drinking a diabolo menthe (Diabolo -> diabolos in Greek: slanderous, libellous -> Girliepop is ready to stir up things). She's gonna be wherever Marinette goes, causing trouble, I assume.

things I'm curious about:

the timeline: is it still summer vacation? I would assume so, since Marinette and Alya have yet another sleepover and they're meeting the boys in the morning (?). School probably hasn't started yet this season.

Kagami and Marinette: Their (very, very brief) interaction seemed normal. I expected Kagami to be conflicted due to their conversation in the London Special, tbh, but then again, it was a very brief interaction. We'll see.

Carapace using shelter twice in one battle: Did all heroes "grow up"? Did it happen on-screen in episode 1 or should we just assume they all have unlimited powers?

the Kwagatama: I mean, we don't need to talk about the obvious implication (memory loss, Tales-of-LB-and-CN-theory), but I'm kinda wondering about other possible scenarios this may lead to.

And oh. The saved cat got an animation upgrade. Can’t wait to see Baby August in the new animation style lol

[ladykatibeth]

I disagree with the Beelzebub and Gabriel happened fast because they’ve never had to be afraid take I’ve seen floating around. They both have people working above them who could hurt them.

For Gabriel, it’s Metatron directly above who is also the voice of God, literal creator of the Universe and then, um, God, Creator of the Universe.

God who was willing to cast a bunch of angels, including an archangel, into hell….and it seems to have been a pretty traumatic experience, even for what seems to have been…literally just…having doubts? In Crowley’s case?

Plus Gabriel may be the lead archangel but he’s also at the check of the other archangels….who seem to have been completely secure in their ability to take him down, and Gabriel seemed to have been pretty sure they could too because he ran away.

And they did. As soon as he disagreed. And they could have at any point if they felt they should in the past 6000 years.

And Beelz seems to have less peer based supervision imo, but they also are working for Satan. Whose so frightening that Crowley was literally about to fall down to the ground in terror when he heard him coming.

Here’s where I think the nuance lies, Gabriel and Beelz have power, at the expense of visibility. Every single person in Heaven and Hell is looking at them. They have to interact with the most powerful beings in the universe to see what they need done regularly, they’re called upon to make decisions, if something planned fails everyone will look to them.

They are also powerful, they aren’t as likely to be questioned. They’ve got more magic, they probably don’t have to explain things like what they’re using it for as much as lower demons and angels either.

Aziraphale and Crowley are less powerful but also less visible. If they get their work done, according to Crowley, Hell doesn’t care that much /how/ things get done. Aziraphale and Crowley sometimes do each other’s work for each other.

They also managed to plan to stop the apocalypse behind H&H’s back….they do (or almost) get caught a couple times but they also manage 6000 years of fraternizing without being executed as traitors. Less visibility at the expense of less power, they have more people to be scared of.

What’s actually the difference here is a combination of attachments, recent institutional confusion, and incomparable relationship stages.

I’d argue Crowley and Aziraphale stoping the Apocalypse caused enough confusion to open up space for Beelz and Gabriel to grow closer, that wouldn’t have been available pre-apocalypse, pre-apocalypse Gabriel and Beelzebub would have struggled a lot more with doing regular meetings.

And attachments, both Crowley and Aziraphale are having a kind of moral/idea disagreement here that’s keeping them from being together. Beelz and Gabriel just do not care about things outside each other in the same way Crowley and Aziraphale do. (Not an insult to either of them, btw, C+A have been living on the earth for 6000 years, of course they’ve got more attachments.)

And C+A have had a longer time to establish unhealthy patterns partially caused by a constantly unsafe environment, over 6000 years of relationship development.

Whereas Beelz and Gabriel have been so entrenched in an unsafe environment this is the first time they’ve had a chance to form a non-professional relationship ever, period, let alone establish any patterns, they haven’t interacted with human ideas about romance, like C+A are aware of, which are often silly and insecure and structured, and impact how C+A approach things.

G+B are dealing with love completely instinctively and right now they’re honeymooning.

And this happened after 6000 years of having absolutely no one. And C+A have just made it much easier to interact without retribution……so they’re going hard and heavy and fast.

[theravenmuse]

Theorizing time! Crowley was Lucifer!

I’m going to preface this by saying I’m 50/50 on this theory, but it’s fun so we’re gonna talk about it. 

Now Lucifer and Satan are not necessarily the same person in the Bible. We also know for a fact that Satan and Lucifer aren’t the same entity in Good Omens. (Neil has said this but I’m too lazy to track down the ask.) BUT  in Paradise Lost, which I see as a big influence on Good Omens, Satan is the fallen angel Lucifer. Now Crowley is not Satan. We know this for certain as we get interactions between them via the Bentley in S1E1 and at the airbase in S1E6. But in this theory, the lines have been muddled and Crowely is the fallen Lucifer while Satan is someone else. No idea who. That’s not important.

Evidence Part 1: Biblical stories attributed to Lucifer/Satan that Crowley is now known to be responsible for. 

Now all of these are technically attributed to Satan, not to Lucifer. See opening note about muddled lines.

The original sin 

Job’s trials

The temptation of Christ

Evidence Part 2: Crowley’s former status in Heaven

Crowley can access a file that is only available to “Throne, Dominion, or above.” Now, the angelic hierarchy in GO is twisted up so much I hardly know what to make of that, but it definitely means high up. 

Then, shortly after this revelation, we get the Metatron saying this: “For one prince of Heaven to be cast out into the outer darkness makes a good story. For it to happen twice, makes it look like there is an institutional problem.” 

Are the two connected? Not necessarily, but the proximity of them indicates to me that they might be.

Evidence Part 3: Crowley’s power

When Shax mentions (in episode 2) the accidentally super powerful miracle that Crowley and Aziraphale co-created, she calls it one that “only the mightiest of Archangel’s could have performed.” Crowley responds to her query with, “how do you know I didn’t do it?” Now, is he talking out of his ass? Who knows. He does tend to do that a lot.

What we do know is that Crowley can stop time and create pocket dimensions. Something we don’t know of anyone else being capable of. He does this most notably by creating a pocket dimension in the climax of S1 to give him and Aziraphale time to talk to Adam, but he also freezes the executioner in 1793 and Mr. Dalrymple in 1827. The latter is especially notable because Aziraphale requests that he do it instead of simply doing it himself. Now this could just be Aziraphale goading Crowley into doing things for him again, but I’m inclined to believe this is something Crowley can do that Aziraphale can’t. Aziraphale is pretty high up by angel standards.

And then obviously there’s the star making in the opening of season 2. Or, more accurately, the star factory making, which is even better in my opinion.

Evidence Part 4: “Let there be light”

Ah, that gorgeous opening scene where Crolwey creates M16, the Eagle Nebula, which contains the gorgeous Pillars of Creation. He uses that classic line, “let there be light,” to set it all off. Lucifer is known as “the light bringer.”

Then we get a call back to that opening scene in episode 5 with Gabriel and the lamp. Being mentioned a second time means to me that there’s something intentional there. 

Evidence Part 5: Gabriel’s triggered memory may be a bit more specific than Crowley would like to admit.

“I remember when the morning stars sang together, and all the angels of God shouted for joy.”

Lucifer is also known as “the morning star”

Crowley deflects and says it’s what God told Job. He’s absolutely right, but I don’t think Gabriel picking it out was random. I think it’s because he’s looking right at the morning star (or perhaps one of several, since God says morning stars, plural?)

Now this is probably the weakest bit of evidence out of the bunch, BUT, it’s what tipped me off to this theory in the first place.

Now the cons. 

The most obvious is that Satan is typically fallen Lucifer and Crowley is most certainly not Satan.

Crowley also mentions Lucifer by name once in season 1, in the drunk scene after the bookshop fire. Granted, he’s starting on his third bottle of Talisker, so that may be enough for him to start talking in the third person, but it’s still odd.

Like I said, I’m not sold on this theory, but we’ve got at least three years of clowning to do so why not have fun with it?

[no-goodbyes-no-regrets]

Endings week Season 5 countdown tag game

Doing this right away because I'm pretty sure I forgot last week's @lonestar-s5countdown

1) Which 911 Lone Star season finale is your favorite? Gotta be season 4 - the tarlos wedding. Though season 3 with the 3:18 proposal in 3x18 was good too!

(2) What was your favorite moment from the season 4 finale? The tarlos wedding obviously. Tommy singing for them and both of them getting a little teary eyed, TK holding onto his husband's (!!!) arm, Carlos telling his mum it was the best night of his life, their vows (!!!), both of them being romantic idiots, "You are the key that unlocked me" "You are the dream I would not allow myself to have", "You saw me for the man I hadn't yet become" "I vow to take care and nurture your heart as if it was my very own", Paul officiating (!!!), the two of them in their own little bubble dancing in the background, the cake smash scene!!! (I don't care that it was deleted - it counts).

(3) Are there any storylines that you would like to see brought back for a more satisfying conclusion? Not so much a conclusion but I'd like to see Carlos' sisters again - just to see their dynamic with him some more. We barely saw them at the rehearsal dinner and then the next time was Gabriel's funeral. I want to see them tease their little brother, I want TK to join in and just interact with his in laws other than Andrea.

Or if we're going full delusion - Gabriel. He had to fake his death and now Carlos is solving his 'murder' and when the bad guy is locked up, he comes home to be with his family and see his son happily married to the love of his life.

(4) Pick one character and tell us where you hope to see them at the end of season 5. I think most of all I want *everybody* to have a happy ending. though i don't know how likely that's going to be if they really do what I think they'll do with Judd's storyline.

And maybe for Owen to have a FRIEND. No more random girlfriends young enough to be his daughter.

(5) What is one thing you really want to see before the show ends? An announcement abc (or any other network) has picked up the show? Nancy and Marjan kiss and fall in love and live happily ever after? (shush let me live in denial) On a more realistic note... I think I'd like Andrea and Owen to bond over losing their partner/the other parent of their child/children and Judd will probably be joining that club too this season I want tarlos to be a united front with whatever drama comes their way this season. No fighting between them please. I'm curious about Carlos' new work partner (RIP Lexi Mitchell, you'll always be famous) and even though I think it'll be like the Cooper of it all, I really hope it won't be. Carlos would absolutely never cheat, and TK knows it, but I don't particularly want him to be "jealous" of how much time Carlos is spending with New Guy for work. And I want at least one Catan crew hang at the tarloft. I want tarlos to be That Couple that's constantly making heart eyes at each other, telling the other they missed them when they've been apart for more than 5 minutes, just being all loved up and obnoxiously happy. Carlos went to the store to get more snacks, was gone for maybe 20 minutes, slides the door open, and TK all but jumps up from his seat to greet him with a kiss.

"Hi baby, I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Nancy *rolling her eyes* "He was gone for FIFTEEN MINUTES!"

open tag + tags under the cut

@bonheur-cafe @carlos-in-glasses @pimento-playing-hopscotch @lemonlyman-dotcom @theredandwhitequeen

@chicgeekgirl89 @bringingclawstoagunfight @nancys-braids @captain-gillian @literateowl

[generalluxun]

Miraculous: The Movie Reaction/Review

A little more ordering of my thoughts now, and I can go through in a little more detail why I loved this movie so much. This will be a solid look at things, and so... yeah, SPOILERS! And just for the record this will be looking both at the movie itself as a movie AND in comparison to the series. I know that there are different pressures on both, but I do feel there are narrative through lines tackled better or worse.

Putting a cut here for the Spoiler free folks.

This will be somewhat chronological, with some asides.

Okay, so the opening, a great setup. It's a Lore dump, but it's clean and neat and we are already introduced to the vibrant colors we will see throughout the movie, and Mr. Overdramatic Fu who I find priceless.

Marinette:

Oh Marinette, I love this Marinette. She feels downtrodden to start. The type of person for whom one too many hiccups have become a self-fullfiling way of life. The movie spends a lot more time with her on this. Which is to the benefit because her choice and ascension are much bigger payoffs. She's still a dreamer, and energetic, She's our Marinette, but vitalized.

Okay I'll put this here: The Songs. They're fine. They're not great, but they're find. they have a stage-style vibe to them which fits in with the change to Emilie's career. They are also pushing the narrative through most of the time, so even if the song isn't to your liking, you've got a lot going on.

School&Chloé: Marinette seems a lot more jumpy/unpopular in general, it's not JUST Chloé which is a good shift. Don't get me wrong, the blonde is still clearly a nightmare, but it's not she alone among the student body that thinks something's off about Mari at the beginning.

Alya&Nino: What is there to say? She's Alya, she's great. Nino and Adrien friendship! yay! And Alya&Nino are a cute secondary couple-in-the-making. The movie loved it's secondary characters.

Adrien: Sad Adrien, but gentle. Marinette's first interaction with him was great. She's Marinetting, but she actually gets up the will to talk to him. I liked this balance. Yes some of it comes from a shorter runtime, but it comes across as just... healthier?

Gabemoth: Gabriel outside! GASP! He's a human being! Clearly still flawed, but this Gabe is one I buy the ending for, and I quite enjoy it. Both Gabe and Adrien being over the top theaterical fits having Emilie in their lives. and.. OMG we got to see and hear Emilie as a person! I loved this. I'll add in Nathalie here. She didn't have a lot but we get her care for Adrien and the family right away.

Rescue Fu Alleyway and Tikki: Saving Fu felt much more earned in this one, give a bonus to whoever storyboarded this. Marinette pulling him from in front of a bus then bodily putting herself between him and the danger of another oncoming car? This girl! Go Marinette, you've earned these earirngs(want them or not) also: Her reaction to this crazed little man screaming about death and end of the world was awesome, I LOVE them lamp shading this trope.

Little aside about Sabrina She's adorable in the whole movie, but we get a hint of her own independence when she covers for Marinette in the Alleyway, and I loved that. Tiny Character building moments are a sign of great writing.

Tikki: They amped up Tikki's energy and I can see why. Marinette's more reluctant heroine role needed someone with a bit more push to keep her going. This is honestly the most I've ever enjoyed Tikki (not that TV Tikki was awful)

Cathedral: So, We meet Cat Noir here, and he's a cocky goofball, and it works. They balance it well. He gets instant karma a few times, he tries hard, and he does quickly acknowledge Ladybug later on when *she* acknowledges herself. This is an important lesson, people do treat you better when you believe in yourself, it shows. Much like I said with Gabe, Adrien being an overdramatic theater kid fits perfectly in this story.

The back and forth between these two is great. And here's something else: It's instructive for Marinette. If Cat Noir was just a fawning lovesick boy from square one, she wouldn't learn to stand up for herself, which she later uses vs Chloé. People fuss at chat for the watermelon, but Ladybug's throwing her own zingers in there too.

I do like that we bring Fu back here, and then again at the end. He's a little more sane, a little more mentor, so his use as comic relief isn't one note. That's another sign of good writing.

Marinette's refusal: I liked this a lot. It felt right for Marinette. This was dangerous, scary, and she was barely managing for a lot of the fight at the cathedral. I love how the scene evolved from loud and frustrated, to comedy, then finally settled on sincerity. Marinette curling up in her chair was more earned emotion and heartbreak than S5 wrung from me in 13 eps.

Plagg and Adrien: Okay so yeah, Fart jokes. The show had it's share of 'stinky cheese' jokes so we shouldn't point too many fingers. I love dad-Plagg in the TV show, so I was slightly bummed it wasn't as prevelent here, but with Tiki needing a more energetic role, Adrien not being a shut in, and Gabriel not being a complete and total heel, Plagg's role is going to be different. It's worth noting that after Chat's failed confession Plagg does Dad-Plagg him, so all is not lost for that dynamic.

Fairground: Just a showcase of fun. Marinette&Adrien, Alya&Nino, the Akumas, Marinette making the *decision* to be a hero and triggering her first voluntary transformation. The two of them working together. This was a great celebratory event, and it kicks off:

Montage!

You knew they'd need this in a movie covering this much ground. We got to see a few fun akuma designs, a few Adrienette dates, and how the changes wrought on the fairground played out. We had enough time with sad, isolated, Marinette that this does feel like a triumph.

Third Act low point: This is where everyone fails. Chat's confession to Ladybug burns out. Marinette's confession to Adrien burns out. Even Gabriel has burned out. All three of our main players are at their low (which is a brilliant way to hint they're framing Gabe as not just a villain, he's treated to the narrative beats of a hero) All three felt solid and hit hard. It's the Lovesquare cliff notes, but it hits all the right elements. You still come away thinking 'If only they knew!' because the movie has really built up both Adrienette and Ladynoir in equal parts.

Final fight: Damn son, what is there to say? Akumatized Hawkmoth is not playing. Plagg telling Adrien to get his stuff together. This battle is just plain brutal. Mari unmasked! Chat punching his dad. Marinette being a hero without the suit, saving Chat in the same selfless way she saved Fu back at the beginning of the movie. Chat unmasked. and Gabriel's breakdown. *Adrien hugging his dad!* CLOSURE. Ladybug getting her Miraculous Ladybugs and it being a BIG DEAL, like it should be!

The Dance: Cute character moments. Chloe is big enough to give Marinette a 'truce' it seems, but mean enough to let her know it's not over yet. Sabrina's shrug is great :) Oh wait MARINETTE'S DRESS. It's Ladybug, it's beautiful. This girl is a designer. A reveal in snow. The two of them together, yes!

Post-script: Mayura next Villain? I'm hype.

End Notes: I feel this movie hit all the notes it needed to. We got the characters, they were compressed clearly because it's a movie, but still felt themselves, but fresh. Everything about this word feels a little more 'real' which is funny considering how ethereal all the lighting was.

I'm notoriously prone to critique and dissecting media, even media I enjoy. Yet my nitpick sensors were surprisingly mute while watching this. They told a huge amount of story, accessible both to long time fans and newcomers.

I probably have more thoughts, but that's already a lot for a Tumblr post. Feel free to engage my Asks or replies if you have questions or would like opinions on anything specific.

[dotchi18]

Other Directions

This is what the other choices would have garnered for you, for each part:

Part 1-

Picking the Sword- Would have limited your knowledge of the world that you garnered, but you would have been able to take less breaks and would be much more competent against threats (You would have been able to kill the mermaid on your own, and probably would have something that set off your senses to the dish that Leader gave you. You also would have had an option to Threaten Leader back from what they were starting to do.)

Part 2-

Choosing not to say goodbye- Still would have had you meet with Sonny, only you would have ran into the second eldest, Gabriel, and the third eldest Rosen, which would have caused you to be threatened to say goodbye to him.

It probably would have put your relationship with him on the wrong foot as the family is upset you wouldn't say goodbye to them, especially their youngest who is over the moon for you.

Part 3-

This Choice was symbolic in a way, as you were choosing your relationship setting with Sonny.

A short-stemmed red rose would have portrayed that you were already harboring feelings for him, while the long-stemmed yellow one showed that you preferred how things were with him.

The Yellow Rose showed that you were a friend to humans/humanoids.

While the pure Red One would have showed that you were a mate to a specific type of monster, and no monster would have approached you.

The encounter with the mermaid would not have existed, as it would have been much more powerful than a friendship charm simply changed to a protection one.

Part 4-

The Candied Petals- Would have forced you to take a break from all the walking when you reached the forest treeline in Part 6.

It would have been much more filling than anything else in your bag, so you wouldn't have referenced your food being low when you were reaching the river, as you would have filled up on the petals.

Part 5-

Not Waving Back to the Rosen Family- Would have been a softlock into discomfort in a sense.

Family matters the most to Sonny, and your disregard to them, especially if it was paired with you trying to leave town without talking to anyone, would have caused the Rosens to feel you discarded them in hopes for a different life.

And while they would have been happy in the end if Sonny had got you, you would have gotten some very unhappy yandere inlaws you would have to win the trust of.

Part 6-

Sitting and Taking a Break- Would have unlocked an interaction of you interacting with some of the flora of the forest.

Specifically, Psilocybin Mushrooms, also known as magic Mushrooms.

You would have had the option to either eat them, boop the tops of their hats, or- with your books- check out what they were.

It would have let you recognize what Psy was.

Part 7-

Going Alone- You would have continued on your trek avoiding Leader and the Followers entirely.

You would have never met them.

But you still would have met Psy!

Just, only them.

They just would have been unable to speak to you, considering you wouldn't have had the option to ingest the dish that gets you to hear them.

The leatherbound journal you see with them later is their way to communicate with Customers whom had not eaten Magic Mushrooms.

Part 8-

Eating One of Your Sandwiches- Would have been another option that would have left you unable to hear Psy, only this this option would have had Leader and the Followers there.

This would have left open the option for you to either talk with him directly through his journal, or have Leader and the Followers translate Psy's 'Words' to you, as only they can hear them.

Part 9-

Simply asking about the Trinket- Would have cut off the ability to acquire anything from the Crates.

Psy let you have something from it because you would have showed an interest in it with your first choice.

If you show no interest, then obviously they are not going to waste your time by getting you to try and take something.

Sticking around with them- Would have unlocked a scene where you walked with Psy around the ring and to the river, and they would have asked you what your favorite color was and what kind of person you would be attracted to, blatantly displaying their interest.

Any answer you gave them would have been what you would see from them at your shared ending.

They want to be what you want them to be.

Part 10-

Any forfeit of Sonny's Rose would have led to Psy taking the rose and letting it rot in their hands.

There wasn't any need for something with the blood of an Alarune to protect what belonged to the Collective.

The Pixie's Parasol- Would have been a one time use camouflage that would have tricked whatever enemy came for you that you were one of their kind, and not to be harmed.

The Purple Pinwheel- Fragile things have to get out of any dangerous situation they're in, a twist of that and the pinwheel would have picked you up and deposited you closer to the village, avoiding any confrontations.

The Bitter Oyster- Similar to the Rose, it's a protection charm with it's entrancing green glow. It just would have branded you as Psy's, rather than a Rosen.

Part 11-

This one was a tie between multiple crates, the deciding factor of what you got, funnily enough, was me asking a family member what crate she would draw out of.

In the First Crate- Was the Invisibility Cloak that Briar had given to a friend of his, only for them to be killed by the Forest, having Psy acquire it.

It would have given Briar a much more defensive side to him when he met you, because it had been for his friend who perished, but ultimately it wouldn't have harmed your first interaction too much.

Briar stole it back while Psy was 'distracted' by you.

In the Second Crate- It would have given you an option to pick what kind of jewelry you wore, but ultimately it would have been a flashbang in a sense, stunning whichever enemy you encountered, either giving you a chance to get away or have time for others to help.

In the Third Crate- You would have acquired a bladed weapon so sharp the flesh of anything it touched would be cut.

Even the Nandi Bear's hide and bones would be pierced quite easily with it.

In the Fourth Crate- You would have acquired a weapon that would never miss.

Whether or not it would kill your opponent depended on whether or not you picked the Sword at the beginning, but you would have been able to at least incapacitate them even if you had no knowledge at all.

In the Fifth Crate- You would have acquired a small Spellbook considering how little space in your bag you did have, which would have had a few basic spells equipped in it for entry level magic users; So stuff like 'Ice Beam' or 'Tend Wounds', 'Speak with Animals'

Part 12-

Crossing the River- Would have had you skip the Mermaid encounter, but you would have encountered the Nandi Bear and discovered a real need for that Potion you had acquired.

Not kidding when you guys found yourself to be incredibly lucky throughout all of this when it comes to encounters with danger.

Part 13-

Not investigating the Sound- Would have still caused the mermaid to attack you, but they would not have given you hints about your flower as a little treat, and the wounds on your legs would have been much worse considering they would be pulling you back from running.

Part 14-

Either One of these options would have simply set the tone in how Briar would treat you.

Being thankful and attempting to Help- Briar would act in an even friendlier manner than he does, though he would think you were a bit naive to be in a place like this, and would have not given you the option to stay at the River.

Crying- Would have immediately set him to be protective of you.

There would have been no discussion to you staying at the River, he would have simply taken your hand, and after hanging the body would immediately would have left with you instead of letting you see the disposal of the corpse.

Being Gruff- Would have made him somewhat amused, but much cooler about you and how you handle yourself.

Your options would have been either for you to go and see the corpse being disposed, or simply start to walk away, instead of waiting for him or following him and avoiding the gore.

Part 15-

Going with him but not wanting to watch- Leads you to follow him and see the hanging, but any possible enemies you could have encountered would have been sheltered from you as Briar immediately moves to take you to the In Between, giving you a better feel of the atmosphere in the Daylight.

Waiting at the River- Would have skipped anymore gore or horror and he would have disappeared and come back to walk with you along the bank until you both reached the bridge at the In Between, which would have given you a first glimpse at The Glen with it's wide open spaces and distant enemies.

Part 16-

Any choice shows how good your affinity to Briar is.

He's interested in the way the world works, and while either way he would like you, your response still would show him how he should treat you.

Being Nervous- Makes him comfort you and think of ways to cheer you up, taking you on a detour to see the Kouken Berries and try a piece.

Becoming sick- Would have him conclude that this kind of thing was too much for you and make a decision to keep you away from such gory things in the future as he hurries you to town.

And Part 17 is the lead-up to the endings, which we'll be seeing in the future for sure!

@abrokecupoftea

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episodes 3-25 and 3-26: Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen

So, this is it. Goodbye, Chloe.

You ever think about how weird it is that Miraculous season 3 still uses the season 2 opening despite all the new heroes and kwamis introduced? We got to see 6 more Miraculouses here out of the 12 of the Chinese Zodiac.

So that's where pizzaboy Luka came from! Seems to be a delivery boy more than anything.

Yes! Luka! And hopefully Lukanette!

pfffft Gabriel really busted out the "Our get along shirt"

Yes! Kagami and Adrien having friendly interactions with Marinette!

Andre needs to divorce his garbage heap of a wife. Does he know about the affair?

Yes! Kagami and Adrien spending happy time with eachother!

Yes! Silly Kagami and the three having mischevious antics!

Ooh, the ballpit pool as well! The three of them are so cute and fun together. Now all we need is Luka and we'll have the superior love square! One that's actually a square as well!

Kagami might have feelings for Marinette too?! Whoopee!

Marinette with her hair down is peak.

The Evil Egg that Eats Everyone

So the ice cream guy isn't really polyamorous, but just concerned about having too many flavors? I mean, peppermint and orange kinda sounds like toothpaste and orange juice, but searching it up there are people who think otherwise,

Marinette letting Adrien and Kagami be happy together. Yippee!

Master Fu's monologue really went back to normal halfway through, huh?

Steals your girlfriend

And there it is. Honestly it's less of a jape and more of a downward spiral. Chloe wants to help in deakumatizing her parents, Ladybug broke her own rules by bringing back Ryuko when Hawkmoth knows her identity as much as Queen Bee's, and paralysis being a better fit for this fight than Logias. Girl felt abandoned by her crush, and Hawkmoth only manipulated her in person because he couldn't do it with an akuma, as well as it giving her the special treatment she craved.

And the superior ships fall into place.

The bees actually stinging people wasn't in the budget?

Now that's what I call a hive mind!

Oooh, and the moth's back as well!

I'm glad the water voices aren't back. Oh yeah. A lot of stuff's coming back. This really is a season finale!

Love me a good boss rush!

Again with the baldness.

And yet, Ladybug tries to get Chloe back on her side. What an angel.

Pfft she's really putting on everything

And there's Chloe's villain meltdown. Ladybug didn't even tell her she couldn't be Queen Bee anymore. Chloe broke ties with Ladybug on her own.

Why and how are they in love again? One's a karen and the other's a pushover.

mmmm, crumbs of Julerose.

And so we get Lukanette and Adrigami. They should've stuck with these ships and abandoned the love square, but no. Not even for one measly episode.

It's been said a bajillion times before, but it's weird how Miraculous says a grown adult terrorist with too much beef with two 14-year-olds can be redeemed but a 14-year-old with blatant issues is irredeemable and the scum of the earth. Admittedly this wasn't as bad as expected. I know the first two episodes of season 4 are going to make this look like paradise. So much disrespect. I'm probably going to watch the two specials in this season, and move on to rereading that fic I decided I still love and take a long hiatus to review a different Franime series. One I've known for much longer, and feel much fonder about as well.

[buriedyou]

𝐆𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐃𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐎́𝐍.

previously found at: silvresaint.

Gabriel is from the Empire of the Vampire books, but fuck J.ay K.ristoff. Consider this portrayal inspired by multiple sources of vampire media. The primary world Gabriel exists within assumes the existence of many supernatural elements. Gabe is not generally kind or likeable, nor is he even distinctly approachable; please keep this in mind if interacting and plotting, which is highly encouraged because of his nature. PLEASE NOTE: Gabriel is an addict. As a half-vampire, he is always hungry for blood; however, as a Silversaint, he does not partake in this thirst the traditional way, relying heavily on a powdered blood-compound stimulant called sanguine. Not only does it quell his hunger, it also enhances his vampire abilities and strength. If he can get his hands on it, he will smoke it. I will do my best to treat the topic of addiction with respect and do my due diligence in researching the topic, but if ever I slip up, please do not hesitate to reach out to me about it. I do not ever want to treat this topic without care and I am wholly open to being called in about any insensitivity on my part.

FULL NAME: Gabriel de León EPITHET(S): Silversaint, The Black Lion GENDER: Cis-male SPECIES: Vampire ORIGIN: Blood Esani HEIGHT: 6'4” AGE: 36 years old

HAIR: Long, several inches past his shoulders. Glossy black and straight. EYES: Eerily grey in color. Silver, even, in some light. SKIN TONE: Pale as the moon where it isn't covered in silver ink. BODY TYPE: Mesomorph. VOICE: Low and rough from years of sanguine smoke inhalation. Almost always dry in its humor, given his propensity for sarcasm and disdain. WEAPON: His sword, Ashdrinker. NOTABLE FEATURE(S): His dozens upon dozens of tattoos which cover him from neck to ankle.

VULNERABILITIES: As a half-vampire, he is sensitive to the sun, though it is not lethal. Silver-made weapons do him more harm than any normal ones. Long exposure to hunger, as well as withdrawal symptoms, are detrimental to his health, both mentally and physically. ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral

CURRENTLY.

the last silversaint. SETTING FLEXIBLE. tbd.

BIOGRAPHY

the world pretends it doesn't know what lies in wait around every dark corner. humans are stupid like that. but no amount of ignorance can keep away the dark and all the things hiding within it. daysdeath happens that way; one moment, everything is as it always was. in the next, there's only the blood. there's only the fear.

daysdeath happens to us all. it's an inevitability, an unpleasant one that shatters any hopes and dreams except the only one that matters: survival. because it's either that or you become one of them. and if you become one of them, it's only a matter of time before you have to turn someone else. and maybe that someone else is your mother or your husband or your friend. hunger doesn't care who they are to you. hunger only cares what they are to you. a fresh meal, a veritable feast, the only thing that matters in the end. if you're lucky, you're too far gone to understand what you're doing. but what does death care for luck?

gabriel was still a boy when daysdeath came for him. when you live in a world where those around you had their daysdeath already, you don't understand their fear. fear, to gabriel, was in the switch to his back when papa is angrier than he usually is. fear, to gabriel, was papa with a bottle of liquor and only his head the target of that breakable glass. fear, to gabriel, was split skin and bleeding lips and doing something wrong. until one day it's impossible that papa was ever the only thing worth fearing.

he watches his sister die on his daysdeath. her cries had dragged him from work even at the risk of papa's fury. the thing attacking her should have reminded him of fear, but all he knew was that same rage that stirred the same in him then as it always had in his papa. it is not simple strength alone that frightens that thing away; his hands are all fire when they rip its face from his sister's throat, leaching it of the black in its veins faster than he can realize what happens. it crumbles in his hands. but it's too late for little celene already dead at his feet.

little lion, his mother called him, knowing exactly what he was from the moment he was born. the hunger only woke in him when that daysdeath finally fell. there was a girl with soft lips and softer thighs, and hunger was the taste of both. it isn't until she's screaming and there's blood pooling in the bed beneath her, pooling in his mouth, that he wakes to the world gone black. her father chases him across town and the town joins him. his mother weeps and weeps and weeps. what is wrong with me? he cries amongst the throng of those who want him killed. and because mother is god, it's mother who both saves and damns him.

she'd sent for the man on the horse all those weeks ago when celene had fallen. little lion, she'd said as that man frightens the crowd enough that they relent their demand for gabriel's head. be brave for me now. it's the only goodbye he's afforded before the man on the horse takes him away. papa doesn't even look at him.

thus, gabriel begins his life in the wake of his daysdeath. he was not just a boy. he was born with that hunger, cursed with it, and was tasked now to use it. far from home, he learned how to destroy those things which destroyed his sister and he learned how to destroy himself piece by piece. trials by blood and trials by death earn him his slaying sword, ashdrinker, and the role of silversaint. soaked in the holy ink of angels and the blood of devils, gabriel was crowned the black lion and kingslayer. and when those monsters triumphed over the brotherhood, he was deemed the last silversaint and retreated into obscurity, leaving humanity to their fate.

NOTES

The Silversaint is a dying breed. Once a flourishing and holy brotherhood called The Silver Order tasked with relieving the world of those bloodlusted creatures of the night, only Gabriel remains in the wake of a cleansing which has destroyed a centuries-old faith that even he can barely hold space for within his chest.

Gabriel may or may not be known to your muse. He has many epithets and his legacy precedes him; if your muse runs in the right circles, they very well could recognize him by his name, his face, or even by the various markers of his reputation such as his tattoos or his sword. I welcome however your muse might react to his presence whether with fear, awe, or disinterest. It's always fun when he's respected; it's even more fun when he's underestimated.

Gabriel is a widower and is still very much in love with his late wife. On top of that, he has also lost his only daughter with her. Astrid and Patience were his everything. Gabriel is vulgar and he will flirt; he might even be open to a tumble in the sheets, but romantic and exclusive sexual relationships are hard to come by. Other dynamics are more than welcome, including but not limited to antagonistic, familial, convenience and work related, and platonic. Gabriel claims a preference for solitude, but he is lonely and family and loyalty are at the core of his ideals and beliefs.

ALT VERSES TBD...

[edgyandoverzealous]

Why Gabriel From Supernatural being alive would've been sick as fuck and you can pry it from my burning corpse

I'd like to start by saying I 100% understand why they killed off Gabriel from supernatural because if that mother fucker lived and the Winchester's somehow made Gabriel's side theirs instead of his own (or at least had them overlap substantially), and they would've because the Winchesters have this weird charm/luck that keeps making these ultra powerful beings fight for them/on their side, half of the show wouldn't have happened because they had a mf archangel in their corner. But also do you ever think about if he did? Because I do, all the time, I have almost the entire show rewritten, where nobody I love dies and also I'm there because ya boy's delulu and escapism is his favorite past time.

Castiel about to devour all of purgatory? Not on Gabriel's watch are you insane? He'd show up with the "Okay seriously though, playtimes over little brother." Right Before Castiel started his ritual at his other undisclosed location because "Big Brothers know everything" and there's no way his baby brother can hide from him. Because it's Supernatural there would've been an epic fucking battle, and because older = stronger, the underdogs (more specifically the Winchesters) win, and big plans being foiled by unlikely forces in Supernatural lore and because this time Gabriel's fighting for the Winchester's he'd win and make a quip with his stupid shit eating grin that I love and carry Cas over his shoulder like a bag of fucking potatoes marching both their asses back to the Winchesters.

Knocking out Crowley and scaring off Raphael as he does so because holy shit that's one raging archangel and his blade is already being thrown between his eyes because Castiel explained everything during their fight and after what Raphael was doing he was ready to kill him. He also actively tried to kill his free will favorite baby brother and also Castiel is knocked the fuck out over their brothers shoulder and the Winchesters are here too? No. He wouldn't win. Best case he can't leave another epic battle and the three of them kill Raphael while Crowley barely gains enough consciousness to dip out therefore giving Cass no more reason to crack open purgatory. Though Crowley probably will or it could still be cracked open from Cas' unfinished ritual if you want to see Gabriel interact with Dick because I do I so do.

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART FOUR (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E4)

- Lesi?

- Shax really does have creepy down pat.

- Aziraphale not sensing her, though. They really do play Calvinball with the rules of that, it seems.

- “You don’t seem his type at all” mirroring “I am so not your type” between Nina and Maggie last episode ;A; “you have no idea,” Maggie said. Aziraphale thinks. I weep.

- Sometime in the last 18, 19 years…would that have put them square in the “raising the Antichrist” years? Hang on. 4 years past the failed apocalypse…makes it 14…they were working on it for 11 years…no, that would put them before that, wouldn’t it? Wtf is that timing, Shax?

- “This Angel Gabriel, who I’ve never heard of” = “who’s Morales?”

- Shax really is the kind of infernally clever that’s perfect for tripping Aziraphale up when he’s already flustered and panicked. Love to see them interact.

- Opening theme detail today: one of the headstones reads Jane Austen. Wonder if the headstones change every episode too?

- “Here lies the former shell of Beelzebub” reads another, and “here lies Adam” with some text I can’t make out. Went back to the beginning of the graveyard bit now and “Peter Paintball”, and of course, “Every day.” If anyone gets good eyes on the Adam headstone, y’all gotta let me know.

- This episode’s theater feature: Nazi Zombie Flesheaters, with a still of the Nazis from s1 still alive. Nice.

- Seems odd to call the episode “The Hitchhiker” when it seems the literal hitchhiking is done by the time the opening credits roll. Time to refresh myself on why this episode might be called that.

- Did they reuse footage? Or reenact it?

- Yknow…none of the demons are wearing obvious animals this season. I think only Beelzebub, Hastur, and Ligur might have done it tbh.

- I love the details of Hell tbh. The fire cooler. The sheer number of Nazis. The way Shax moves so mechanically but so cool and collected.

- Does Shax actually have any higher demon ears? Or is she baiting Furfur? Hard to tell for her.

- Yknow the teeth aren’t helping in figuring out if Shax has an animal aspect.

- The besotted Aziraphale bit here. I cannot BELIEVE this all happens immediately post church bomb.

- Okay but the Nazis not disputing the fact that they belong in hell, just that they’re dead based on trickery. Nice.

- The tongue bit. Yuck.

- OKAY. Crowley has present day hair color for this adventure. That feels significant. Is this minisode a flashback?

- Okay the signage of Hell. Always a favorite. But the “heaven looks down on you” sign. Hmm. Bit odd.

- Ah. Because I couldn’t see the bottom half of it. “Because you’re…” something. Move it, Furfur XD

- Pathetic. “Heaven looks down on you because you’re pathetic.” …hmm. Still an interesting take, tbh.

- Happy to be in the probable minority that likes the zombies bit XD which is interesting bc I normally hate zombie fiction. They do it the way I like, though. They’re conscious and sentient in their zombieness.

- Also the brain repeating on him XD what a gloriously stupid and delightful detail

- And okay yeah the dead rising from the grave thing from Jimbriel’s prophecy and the Nazi zombies here feels like a big ole clue for s3. I’m Mormon so my upbringing around the Second Coming is probably weirder than other Christians but a big part of it for us is the emphasis on the resurrection of the dead, ALL the dead. Putting a properly macabre spin on it feels like a very Good Omens thing to do tbh.

- There’s the dirty donkey again! It DIDNT move, Crowley LITERALLY planned his heist ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE BOOKSHOP. I WORK IN SOHO I HEAR THINGS INDEED.

- David Tennant what is that voice XD

- Lots of emphasis on sleight of hand this…entire show :P it does make one suspicious of The Final Fifteen Minutes. But also I don’t want to rob them of their power? Because damn. DAMN.

- (The lip reading. It. I. I will wait for the end but GUH)

- He’s so pleased with himself for getting it right XD

- They are SO. IN. LOVE. KILL ME.

- Natural dexterity. Like the magic words, I’m waiting for that one to come true.

- The way Pat tries to have some integrity XD

- THE WAY AZIRAPHALE CASUALLY DROPS THAT HE HAS BOTH A FIREARMS LICENSE AND A DERRINGER. AZIRAPHALE ZIRAPHALE FELL, ARE YOU POSITIVE CROWLEY IS THE JAMES BOND ENTHUSIAST?

- More importantly, does he still have that???

- …does that mean Aziraphale’s fired a gun when Crowley hasn’t? What does this mean for the paintball gun bit? Does your derringer lend weight to a moral argument, Aziraphale??

- Hang on have to squeal for the way Aziraphale just grabs Crowley’s hand in both of his. So excited. So cute.

- HA, the wrong ring XD

- Sad to see Pat get eaten. But the framing of it is really cool actually.

- Fell the Marvelous. That poster. How in the heck.

- Aziraphale having stage fright tho.

- Jiggery pokery indeed XD

- EXPERIENCE USING FIREARMS. AZIRAPHALE THESE ARE SOLDIERS.

- Omg the miracle blocker is a punch card. The worldbuilding implications.

- I wonder at how hell would have taken Aziraphale handing Crowley a rifle tbh.

- “Aim for my mouth, shoot past my ear” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

- the way they’re both shaking and nervous. The camera itself shaking. CROWLEY shaking

- The feather boa. I WEEP. He’s so happy.

- I know the implication is that Crowley, like Jim, is missing his memories, but. Also. The idea that maybe Crowley is just terrible at remembering people who aren’t Aziraphale. Poor Furfur.

- The sleight of hand is very subtle. Which is the point. But also. Idk man people have said it better and apparently written 16k essays about it, I’m just proud of him for pulling it off.

- Okay but. But they’re zombies. Neil they’re zombies. Aziraphale and Crowley just let three Nazi zombies wander off Neil. NEIL. WHAT IS THE PLAN WITH THEM??

- Dagon is in top form this season tbh

- I CANNOT BELIEVE. THAT THE ONE NAZI REALLY CAN READ LIPS. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. Peak comedy always.

- I got it right the time that mattered ;A;

- I knew you would come through for me. You always do.

- You said trust me.

- And you did.

- MURDER ME.

- ITS CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE AGAIN ARE YOU KIDDING ME I AM ALREADY TRYING SO HARD NOT TO QUOTE THIS SCENE WORD FOR HECKING WORD

- “If you were truly as evil as you like to paint yourself” the levels of deep seated misunderstanding and flawed foundational concepts I’m CRY

- Though it’s AZIRAPHALE who brings up shades of grey. A glimmer of hope.

- Can someone who knows accents tell me what is going on with Shax’s

- Beelzebub’s thanks and “good work” as a discordant note, but also their command for Shax to take an army to attack the bookshop knowing full well she isn’t going to get that kind of support…wut.

- THE BENTLEY FOLLOWING AZIRAPHALE AFTER HE PATS IT. CROWLEY FEELS WHAT IT FEELS.

- Peter Anderson’s screen effects are my favorite thing.

- Hate to see the way Nina is so broken down by Lindsey tbh.

- Yeeeah…Crowley seems to be purposely living in his car tbh. Retreating directly to it. I can’t tell if Aziraphale never thought to offer cohabitation or if Crowley turned him down but my money is on they’ve never discussed it despite both of them thinking about it very loudly.

- A night to remember! Never bodes well.

Okay. That’s it for tonight. An episode that seems out of place but has many good tasty morsels and I think more than a smidge of s3 foreshadowing. Why is the episode called The Hitchhiker? Maybe for Furfur trying to climb the greasy pole of bureaucracy? For the Nazis hanging onto life? Literally just for the one part at the beginning that sets the whole climax into motion? Who knows???

[wildwinterlunas]

I love your interpretation of Reyes son and I was wondering what his relationships would be with characters like you mentioned Illari and Reyes maybe even some overwatch and talon agents. Also what is your vision for his kit you always have such fresh takes with your designs and headcanons so I would love to hear about this🖤

I've honestly played with R.J's personality a lot, initially he was going to be a calmer more sarcastic character like Kiriko and Illari. However that has changed the more I've designed and written him. He's now basically optimism personified. Honestly my best comparison for him personality wise is Telemachus in Epic the Musical. I honestly want to take the "there's too much negativity in the world already, we need more positivity".

How this effects his relationships with other characters though is interesting. With Reaper he doesn't necessarily believe or hope he'll change, however if he does R.J would be the first to accept him back with open arms. However what his present dynamic with Reaper is basically "I mourn the man you were, not the monster you've become".

With Illari it's very much opposites being friends vibes, they are pretty much foils, including in the way they view death and guilt. They both lost a lot at a young age but the big difference was that R.J had a support system. Honestly I think a few interactions would be R.J asking Illari to hang out or come over for dinner.

I think the other Overwatch agents he would be close to are Cassidy and Pharah (basically his older siblings), Ana and Jack. I have a few headcannons regarding these guys, like Cassidy visiting and contacting the Reyes family whenever he could so he and R.J still gave a close relationship, Pharah being the opposite and being so busy with work that she lost contact with him and Martina, Ana having a fairly negative relationship with Martina because of how she treated Pharah and how that affected her dynamic with R.J, Jack honestly feeling nothing but guilt when talking to R.J because of the life R.J lost with Gabriel's "death".

When it comes to Talon agents it's a bit more complicated. I think the only two he wouldn't get along with would be Doomfist and Moira, both on principle and due to how they affected his life. With Sombra I think he'd draw a comparison between her and Cassidy, that or bring up her past with Los Muertos (another HC of mine is that Martina and RJ are living in Dorado). I think he'd also be very curious about Widow and Sigma, likely hearing about them growing up.

These are honestly things I'm going to explore in an interaction post once I plan on making after I finish with his design.

As for his kit, I haven't finalised anything yet but the main thing I want to do is give him kit based on close-mid ranged combat. I also want to give him a kit that fairly high mobility acrobatic kit style along with a stun ability, either as his ultimate or just as an ability.

[gatorinator]

SO I just watched the miraculous movie and I would like to say two things:

1) I really enjoyed the movie

2) it’s a very bad movie

Spoilers

The movie, as a miraculous fan, was fun to watch. But it’s not because it was a good movie. In fact, I think fundamentally this movie failed both as a movie, and as a movie musical.

Bad movie

The animation was absolutely gorgeous. But the writing was bad, and even looking past that (I haaaate how the beginning of the movie was like the beginning of every single kids/tween movie ever) the pacing of the movie was abhorrent. Lots of the jokes didn’t land, the moments they tried to set up cut away scenes didn’t have enough set up or flow (the back and forth of adrien telling plagg how much ladybug prolly liked him vs Marinett saying how dumb chat was, the back and forth of Alaya and Nino talking to marinett and Adrian) and felt weird and disjointed, and any time it felt like a scene was finally starting to flow, the movie would cut away to something else.

I’m just trying to imagine being a new viewer of the movie who hasn’t seen the show, and it feels like a nightmare. Gabriel is set up but somehow both too much and not enough. The final battle doesn’t last long enough. There’s a lot to complain about (don’t get me started on the fart jokes I can’t. I was in HELL).

Bad musical

The most egregious of crimes was the fact that this was a movie musical. I am sad that my friend told me it was a musical right before we started watching it because that would have been hilarious, but still. When marinett started singing I got jumpscared because I completely forgot.

Sarah Z has talked about how in musicals, when characters emotions are too overwhelming to say, they sing. When their emotions are too overwhelming to sing, they dance. Fundamentally, if you are going to have characters burst into song, that song should be led my emotions. Most of these songs felt led by a “ah this is a musical we need to have them sing a song.” That’s why the music always surprised me. The emotional buildup wasn’t there.

Yes, marinetts voice (am I spelling her name right? Oh well) sounded wildly different, but I’d be able to forgive that if the songs felt driven and not just inserted.

The other problem is: most of the songs are bad musical songs.

The greatest showman has the same problem. The songs are so bland and generic, all these “I want” songs where the character never clearly defines what they want, or sad songs about loss that don’t have any substance to them. The movie tells marinett over and over again to chase her dreams—but what are her dreams?? The opening number shows her sketchbook come to life—but she doesn’t sing about wanting to be a designer, or help others, or be able to fit in with her classmates and not endanger her life every time she leaves the house bc of how clumsy she is.

The songs sound like generic songs that would play nicely over the radio, and that means they fundamentally fail as a musical song because musical songs should drive the plot forward or deepen our understanding of the character, and most of these songs do neither.

Don’t get me wrong

I had so much fun watching this movie. I squealed at adrien and marinetts (I am so spelling her name wrong this is embarrassing but I cannot be bothered to change it I’m so tired) interactions, i wheezed over whatever the heck Gabriel was doing, I awwed over the lovesquare moments. I also LOST MY MIND at some absolutely wild moments (looking at you, careless whisper. Also at long-haired Gabriel). But the movie was so . . . vague about having any sort of message aside from “be yourself, be true, don’t be afraid, follow your heart, be a hero, saving lives is good, also love is awesome.” All true things, but how does this apply specifically to marinett? Love is powerful, but it isn’t going to save me from getting crushed by a runaway Ferris wheel, ladybug. Also, why are you singing this has nothing to do with the moment.

TLDR

It was beautiful, fun, cheesy, and bad. 10/10.

[stargazer-writing]

OK ALSO I want to keep rambling about Good Omens so I have thoughts about the Crowley archangel/lost memories theories going around right now.

I think it's pretty much all but confirmed Crowley was an archangel or some other high-up angel. He didn't hesitate to open Gabriel's file after Muriel said he would have had to be throne or dominion or higher to look, saying Heaven doesn't "change their passwords." So clearly he was expecting to get in.

I've also seen people pointing out the camera shift to Crowley after Gabriel said he was the only supreme archangel in the room, and I think this is good proof too. I don't think the show would make that cut to him at random.

And then of course all the other things from last season and this one: him creating the stars, he and the Metatron's interaction, etc. I won't get into the Lucifer vs Raphael theories cause I could see it going either way.

One thing I've seen is people debating whether Crowley remembers being an archangel, and I think he 100% does. Again, the scene with Gabriel's file means he would know he could open the file because he knows who he used to be. I think the Bentley's window handle looking almost exactly like the lever he used to start the universe isn't a coincidence, either.

Now do I think Crowley had his memories erased and then gained them back later? I don't actually think so. For starters, I think Heaven wouldn't want him to forget how he fell from Grace; they'd want him to suffer with the knowledge of what he used to have. I think the only reason they erased Gabriel's memory was because they were demoting him and they wanted him impressionable and mailable and he didn't seem to be expecting it when he was trying to get cast into Hell: the fly and the box seemed like a quick Plan B.

Crowley knowing so much about Gabriel having his memories taken away might be a sign that he had gone through something similar. But I also think as an archangel he could have just known a bit about how it works anyway, like how he knew about the Book of Life to an extent.

And then with him not recognizing the other angels/demons who were supposed to have worked with him- I really think that's just Crowley being a little shit. It seems like the type of thing he'd do to just pretend he doesn't know or remember Furfur or Saraqael just to avoid giving them the satisfaction of bringing up something painful for him.

And then the fact that he introduces himself to Aziraphale in the garden after they had already met while he was creating the stars. Honestly, I do think he didn't remember Aziraphale, but I interpreted more that when they met, he was very much in his element and so excited and awestruck by his creations that he just wasn't paying Aziraphale much mind. Like when you're so in the zone working on something that someone can come up and talk to you and afterwards you don't remember what they said.

(Also, Aziraphale introducing himself to Crowley felt so much like introducing yourself to a celebrity you admire or that cool person you always see but never talk to, like he was so excited)

Anyway, that's my Ted Talk, I think if we get a season 3, there's going to be a lot more story points about Crowley's time as an angel based on a lot of the subtle set-up they seemed to be doing this season.

[yowlthinks]

Good Omens s2 thoughts and impressions

Below is sort of a dumping ground of my thoughts and impressions of S2 after the first watch. Hiding under more in case tags didn't work

SPOILERS FOR GOS2 BELOW!

OK, so I'll try to go by theme...

I really liked Gabriel's story arch and the probing into how past actions and experiences form who we are and what we do next. Removing his memories and making him this big, naive child, slightly irritating but also sort of noble at heart was a nice exploration of this theme. Him very readily offering himself to the demons shows that there was some good in him, it just got lost through years of bureaucracy. And his chat with Crowley was absolutely genius because then we can see Crowley really forgive him, make peace with this new version of Gabriel, give him a second chance, and I think that is very valuable. Also, on Gabriel, we see Aziraphale do that too: tell him that he previously was not a good person, and when Gabriel asks about now, Aziraphale honestly replies that he doesn't know. That is a very honest way to treat it.

Job and other historic excursions: I also really liked these, even though some parts felt very chaotic.

Crowley's love of kids (goat and human) is so heartwarming, and his performance of the "birth" was on par with that cut bookshop opening scene (in terms of comedic effect and how earnest he takes to saving what is believes to be good).

The overall Job storyline also leading to the scene on the rock, with Aziraphale having a good cry and being ready to go into hell over lying, and Crowley comforting him... that was really touching.

The pre-fall interaction and Crowley being the first one to shield Aziraphale with his wing... well, I am already in love with Crowley, now I love him even more.

"Our side" - there are lots of things I am sure I missed and will notice on re-watch and also want to think through, but so far I of course loved them both highlighting "our side", that whole "our car, our bookshop " interaction was lovely.

I am a but upset Aziraphale does nothing to acknowledge that Crowley lives in his car, doesn't offer him to officially move into the bookshop. That felt like he would only be generous and kind to Crowley when pressed, while Crowley is there for Aziraphale unconditionally. You can also see that when Crowley says "you only call me when you're bored, when you've done something you're proud of or when you're in trouble". And we again only see Crowley rescuing Aziraphale, not the other way round. And wtf was that after the graveyard scene, when he perfectly understands that Crowley was punished by hell, but offers no reflection, acknowledgement or commiseration. I hope in S3 we are going to see him come to the realisation that he needs to step up and win Crowley back!

Overall, this season was very much about Aziraphale having fun, while Crowley is going through an existential crisis.

Also this whole message of high stakes with erasure from the book of life and them protecting each other got kinda lost. Perhaps it serves to illustrate that they do indeed not talk about how each one would die for the other, so again, high hopes for S3!

Also, what was cool is that moment when Crowley wants to watch Aziraphale get people to come to the ball: he is basically delighted because he gets to watch Aziraphale TEMPT people. He is really having fun with that, until, of course, Nina starts asking questions and triggers yet another crisis.

So speaking about their relationship, I think while this season they are both all about "our side", Nina's questions for the first time ever make Crowley realise that they are de facto a couple. And perhaps gets him thinking of how they can take this forward. And then Nina and Maggie's little chat with him afterwards seals that thought that he wants their togetherness be recognised, in the open, official, as it were.

I wish, I really wish Nina and Maggie caught them both, and had that talk with both of them. Things would have probably gone very differently...

I also think Metatron is playing his own game and he certainly is manipulative. Who is thwarting all Heaven's plans? It's these two, so dividing and conquering is the way to go. If Aziraphale is directly involved in bringing the big plan about, he won't have the chance to sabotage, and they can press his knowledge of the Earth. Also, notice how Aziraphale does not give an answer to Metatron straightaway. He says no first, gives excuses and then noncommittally goes to discuss it with Crowley. Only Crowley gets all emotional, asks if Aziraphale has told them to bugger off and Aziraphale who under Metatron's influence imagined them two working together to reform Heaven gets defensive... It still does not excuse his behaviour, and I am still angry at how ge treated Crowley, but I hope (seriously hope!!!) There will be a huge reconing for him in S3. A little apology dance would not do it, it'll have to be a full-on apology musical, tears and genuinely saying how stupid he was and how sorry he is and that he wants nothing more but just be with Crowley.

Also, it is curious that we see Aziraphale say no to authority a little more.. not that it helped at the end, but some growth, I guess. I will probably think more about that, with notes. And note the years that Aziraphale did the apology dance (we need to see it next season we must!