#but i think getting to know the other characters would be interesting

[randomthefox]

You can tell someone's point is complete bullshit when all their sources of evidence they're citing are the comics and cartoons which are In Name Only adaptations, and not the actual video games. "Sonic and Tails are all wuvy and wholesome and would never bust each others balls, look at all these screenshots from the comics that prove that!"

Meanwhile in the video games, Sonic and Tails tease each other all the time.

Tails is not treated as "a child" if anything he's treated as the most sensible and mature member of the friend group who has to manage the extreme personality types of everyone else. Tails definitely has personality issues that Sonic is aware of and knows how to soothe, but generally speaking Tails is the reliable and responsible one.

They also NEVER refer to each other as brothers outside of LITERALLY TWO SPECIFIC INSTANCES in Sonic Frontiers where Sonic calling Tails "little bro" was being framed as A BAD THING he was doing because it was infantalizing and patronizing and a result of Sonic seeing Tails as weaker and in need of help and guidance, and the culmination of that chapter was Sonic no longer calling him that and instead referring to him as "partner" instead. The word choice being used for a particular narrative purpose for the sake of the storytelling, and not an accurate reflection of the way the characters view each other. People really need to get the fuck over this, Sonic and Tails have a bond that goes BEYOND family. Referring to them as brothers is a REDUCTION of their relationship.

>he has absolutely no problem indulging tails' interests and needs!!

Note again that NONE of your examples are from THE VIDEO GAMES -_- meanwhile in the video games i.e. THE SOURCE MATERIAL THAT THESE CHARACTERS ORIGINATE FROM

>and TAILS thinks his brother is the coolest thing in the world!! he wants to emulate and be more like him!

In Sonic 2 through Adventure.

Tails' entire character arc is learning that he has value in being himself. Him emulating and imitating Sonic is A BAD THING that he needs to GROW OUT OF. His FUCKING THEME SONG is ENTIRELY about this.

If I just follow you, I will never see the light Now is the time to find my way through this life Trying so hard to be strong

Many friends help me out, in return I help them Certain things I can do And there are things that only I can do No one's alone

Tails wanting to emulate Sonic is a sign of his insecurity, and when he self actualizes in the finale of the Hero story of Sonic Adventure 2 he completely moves on from that mentality. Tails has accepted that he is his own person with his own strength and values and interests, and he can stand on his own two feet instead of being in Sonic's shadow. Sonic was the catalyst for this, but it was development by and for Tails to move on from "needing" Sonic.

What you are saying has not been true of Tails for over twenty years now. If you think that the comics demonstrate that it is still true about him, then that's just one of the many many many reasons these comics are ASS and GARBAGE and DO NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENT THIS FRANCHISE.

>why would u want to make this relationship into a stereotype? they're not typical brothers, they formed this special unbreakable bond themselves!!

I agree with this statement, but your reasoning and conclusion are incredibly faulty and incorrect. Because your reasoning is based on reading these comics and watching the cartoons and NOT on the content that exists in the source material of the characters origin which is the video games.

Please play the video games. I am on my hands and knees begging you to stop reading these god awful comic books and please for the love of all that is holy, play the video games please.

whenever i see stuff abt "we need more tails and sonic dynamic where they're SIBLINGS!" and it's just them being rude to each other i get so sad. they do NOT talk to each other like that!!

sometimes they tease, yeah, BUT:

sonic knows better than anyone that tails is still a child, that he's been through a lot (and thus has some particularly sensitive spots,) and the usually brusque/brash sonic very clearly adopts a softer tone with his lil bro! he's also willing to slow down and (gasp) take care of himself a little better for tails' sake. we also see he gets pretty protective of him...

he has absolutely no problem indulging tails' interests and needs!! sonic thinks tails is adorable!! sonic thinks tails is incredible!!

and TAILS thinks his brother is the coolest thing in the world!! he wants to emulate and be more like him! so while he's inherited some of sonic's attitude (and he's earned the right to use it) he would NOTTT just. straight up insult sonic to his face, much less mean it. don't forget that tails canonically thinks this blue energy rat is incredibly cool

why would u want to make this relationship into a stereotype? they're not typical brothers, they formed this special unbreakable bond themselves!! its unique! its built off of understanding and perfect synchrony!! fundamentally it is sonic gently taking tails in and showing him kindness for the first time, and tails striving every day to emulate his hero! there's no want, no need, and no room for needless cruelty!

[kxsagi]

*Pokes my head through your window* Good morning, may I request: Blue Lock boys with a Reader who insists they drink the homemade herbal tea she made first thing in the morning.

Characters: Chigiri, Yukimiya, any other characters you want

Because seriously, why did Chigiri or Yukimiya never consider TCM as an option?

“𝐬𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫”

a/n: i think yuki, reo, rin, and sae would def be into tea

ft. chigiri hyoma, yukimiya kenyu, mikage reo, karasu tabito, kaiser michael, itoshi rin, itoshi sae

chigiri hyoma

he blinks at the mug like it insulted his entire bloodline. 

“what did you say this was made of again?” 

you cheerfully answer, “dandelions, licorice root, and love!” 

he only heard “dandelions” and “root.” the love part did not save it. 

drinks it like it���s poison and glares at you over the rim the whole time. 

“you know i already have good hair, right? i don’t need... lawn clippings in a cup.” 

he’s so dramatic. clutches his stomach every time like he’s waiting to collapse. 

but refuses to skip a day because you always beam at him like he just cured a disease after finishing the cup. 

he actually does feel a little more energized. but he will never admit that. 

yukimiya kenyu

totally on board at first. skincare king. tea enthusiast. 

“ah, herbal. nice. did you steep it at 80 degrees?” 

you: “i microwaved it.” 

the betrayal in his eyes. 

drinks it anyway and nods politely with the stoicism of a man pretending he likes your cat’s cooking. 

goes full monk about it – sits cross-legged on the couch, sipping in silence, whispering affirmations like “my gut microbiome thanks me.” 

you find out later he’s been sneaking in a drop of honey every morning to make it bearable. 

“you can’t get mad if it still has the benefits.” 

if you try to make a new blend, he gets suspicious. “... what’s in this one?” 

you: “vibes.” 

mikage reo

very chill about it. the first morning you offer it, he drinks it and goes “interesting.” 

you ask what he means and he just says “tastes like nature with a grudge.” 

he drinks it every day but adds a bougie little mint leaf or lemon slice like he’s in a spa. 

insists you sell it as a “detox elixir” and slaps a mikage corp sticker on your tea jars. 

drinks it with his pinky up. 

convinces nagi to try it once and nagi just immediately lies down on the floor and doesn’t move for thirty minutes. 

reo just shrugs and says “it’s an acquired taste. like kale or emotional vulnerability.” 

karasu tabito

makes fun of you. every single time. 

“you’re trying to assassinate me with twigs in hot water. just say you hate me.” 

gags dramatically. slides down walls. wipes imaginary tears. 

but still drinks it. because deep down he’s a little whipped. 

sneaks in a spoonful of sugar when you’re not looking. sometimes three. 

once asked if he could add protein powder to it and you almost kicked him out. 

starts calling it “witch potion” and “swamp smoothie.” 

“ah yes, nothing like drinking a cauldron shot first thing in the morning. love you, babe.” 

kaiser michael

sips it once. pauses. looks at the mug like it personally betrayed him. 

“this is what you give to your enemies, not your boyfriend.” 

you tell him it helps inflammation. he raises an eyebrow and goes, “it’s inflaming my taste buds.” 

complains every single day but shows up like clockwork for his morning mug. 

mutters under his breath in german. probably insulting the tea. probably insulting you too but in a sexy way. 

insists on a dramatic health report each morning: “vital signs stable. vision slightly blurry. taste buds... gone. but still hot.” 

tries to bribe ness to drink it for him one day. you catch him and double the dosage. 

after a week, he starts posting selfies with #herbalhealing like he’s a lifestyle influencer. 

says he hates it but starts sending you pinterest boards titled “tea aesthetic.” 

itoshi rin

stares at the mug like it personally offended his ancestors. 

you: “it’s good for your immune system.” 

rin: “i’m not drinking grass clippings.” 

refuses for three days straight. you finally wear him down by saying it’ll reduce cortisol/stress. 

he drinks it. expression doesn’t change. not one twitch. you ask him how it is. 

“… it’s wet.” 

dramatic sigh. takes another sip like he’s at war. 

“did you brew this in a pond?” 

glares at the mug the whole time he drinks it. like he thinks it'll grow legs and fight him. 

starts researching each ingredient. one day comes home with a list like, “you know licorice root can raise blood pressure, right?” 

he still drinks it daily. never tells you why. 

you catch him once making it himself when you’re not home. you say nothing. he pretends nothing happened. 

itoshi sae

you hand him the mug with a cheerful “good morning!” and he just stares. 

“why is it the color of swamp water.” 

drinks it anyway. immediately gags like you slipped him poison. 

“is this payback for something i did in a past life?” 

says he’s gonna die every time he drinks it. clutches his throat like a victorian ghost. 

“this is why i don’t eat vegetables. it always leads to this.” 

puts it down dramatically and whispers, “bury me with my cleats.” 

complains for 10 straight minutes, then asks, “… wait, what’s this good for again?” 

next morning: already seated at the table with an empty mug. 

“not saying i believe in your dirt tea, but i didn’t need a nap during my training break today. that’s progress.” 

texts you “bring the juice” every morning like you’re his shady herbal dealer. 

still makes fun of it. calls it “potion of pain.” but you catch him once calling his teammate "weak" for not drinking his girlfriend's tea. 

he’s a silent believer. with attitude. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[utilitycaster]

Sorry if you've answered this kind of question before, but yesterday's ask about the villains made me think about the opposite: what kind of story do you think Bells Hells could have worked well in, the way they are? With their complete disinterest about the world I struggle to imagine them working in anything but a monster of the week kind of format where things are just kind of thrown at you...

Hey anon,

This is a fantastic question because it gets to the crux of something I don't know if I've properly articulated and honestly might not have the right words for so if any of my mutuals who have a greater degree of expertise in narratology/storycraft than I do want to mark this up with red pen, go nuts.

The way I approach characters in stories is not just who they are initially; but who they become through the process of the narrative in which they find themselves. I'm not immune to a first impression! I repeatedly find myself initially drawn to more driven, serious, emotionally closed off, genuinely good but kind of a bitch about it characters; and dismissing the ones I see as chaos gremlins, and then having to recant myself if/when the chaos gremlins show more depth through their actions. I rarely find myself drawn to a character like Nott or Fiedra (to use a couple recent examples) from the start; both won me over utterly. This isn't always the case! Sometimes they don't win me over! But my point is that I think most people have archetypes they immediately latch onto and are comfortable with and even might ultimately prefer through the course of the story (and I am no exception), but character and story are inherently intertwined with each other. It's essentially nature vs. nurture but for narrative.

So: a big part of the problem is that Bells Hells were given a story that failed to challenge them in such a way that they would grow into it. They were told what to do and infodumped at and their own motivations often wrapped up remarkably early in the narrative with little effort on their part so that we could get to the Moon Plot, and then suddenly the bottom dropped out and they were suddenly supposed to do a bunch of vitally important quests with relatively little guidance or oversight, and like many a sheltered teen going 1000 miles away for college, they did not respond well. Unfortunately, instead of taking the "well fuck it I'm going to do jaegerbombs and see what happens" route they went the "I'm going to beg whoever I see as an authority for answers while also resenting them for not giving me the answers I wanted or worse, suggesting I try to come up with my own" route.

I think had Bells Hells had an introduction rather more like the Mighty Nein's or what we know of Vox Machina's, they'd have become people who could make those decisions! Because the thing is, both those parties kind of did have a Monster of the Week format early on because that's a really normal way to start a campaign! If they'd spent their lower levels having to reluctantly work together without any benefactors and take watch in a hostile environment and take on weird jobs for money, I can't guarantee that they would have become decisive and self-motivated and interested in the world around them, but I think it would have been much, much more likely! No one was particularly intelligent, but to give an example, Imogen did have a lot of interest in finding out about her powers! A narrative in which that was not a "we have to give her the answer in the first 50 episodes so we can get to the moon plot" but rather a slow burn that required seeking out knowledge and following threads throughout the campaign would have meant regular trips to libraries or archaeological dig sites or academic institution, and that could have served as an ongoing motivator and as a means for other characters to learn more about the world while Imogen was reading about her magic. But because those avenues were largely closed off after the beginning of the campaign and the answer given at like, the 40% mark, there was no opportunity for her to grow or change or develop other interests.

There's a reason why the classic D&D setup is "you meet in a tavern, you take weird jobs on the job board, and you eventually fight god" and not "you meet in a tavern, you have a series of benefactors, you resolve 90% of your backstories in the first 40 episodes, and then the BBEG happens" and it's because taking weird jobs on the job board is what turns you from "only fit for Monster of the Week plot" to "a group of people who can make complicated decisions and who have a deep interest in the world." The only reliable way I've seen to get around this is by explicitly telling your players "This is the basic premise of the story I want to tell, so I need you to play curious and decisive people from the jump." Disliking the odd jobs route of an early campaign but wanting a complex ending is like wanting to run a marathon but refusing to train for it.

I've been trying to focus my critique of Campaign 3 on the campaign itself and not its fans at this point but I think this is relevant: I find a lot of fans are not really that happy with much of what happened, but are big fans of Bells Hells as people (to the point of treating them with more personhood than their detractors). This has led to some statements I can only describe as wildly stupid and in bad faith in which they seem oddly incapable of processing the idea that one's opinion on a character can - and should! - change over the course of the story based on that character's actions; whenever I and others were like "hmm, I don't like the turn Ashton is taking" it was interpreted as some kind of Rapid Onset Bigotry That Exclusively Applies to Ashton And Not FCG (or Dairon, or Yudala, or FRIDA, or like, any other nb characters) or (hilariously given what I just said) inconsistency and not "if you used to like someone and then they said something really shitty, you might not like them any more". And the thing is, that is the problem of Campaign 3 in a nutshell, even without the fandom - Bells Hells seemed to be simultaneously terrified of seeming like bad people and also all too willing to be self-absorbed and inconsiderate, and most crucially never seemed to realize that stasis and indecision are themselves horrible qualities that many people dislike. Bells Hells as the characters who showed up in Campaign 3 episode 1 were not doomed to be the people they became; the narrative (and obviously the player choices) led them into that. I do not, after 121 episodes, give points for lost potential; but a different campaign from the start might have actually brought out that potential and made them into characters who could be the focus of a good story.

[magnoliaswriteatsunset]

I watched a reel showing what Zayne said after being gone for 30 days. I can’t help but wonder about something.

Imagine this:

We are the MC. We are because we customized her and the cafe can show time passing from morning to evening, then night based on the time of where we are/the server. Usually, we/MC always tells the guys/chosen love interest(s) if we are leaving. We can say good night and hello when we meet.

But something bugs me.

When we exit the game and leave for 30 days, sometimes less, sometimes more, they send messages. Try to get in touch. Search the spots we frequent. Check in on things we left behind to keep them in order and in good shape for when we return. They don’t know when we’ll come back. If we’ll ever come back. All they know how to do is wait. Wait for someone who seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet.

A thought occurred to me.

What if the reason no one can find us, and the reason no one else seems too concerned, is because in their world once we exit the game, MC, us, our avatar, the only way for us to show and give our love to the guys, ceases to exist, but are not completely erased.

The side characters are none the wiser, believing we were sent away on a classified mission or simple were too busy to socialize with their peers. However, the love interests are different. They are aware of the situation to some extent, at the least. They know us well by now. They know we wouldn’t disappear without good reason. And the threats surrounding us are ever present. But something’s off. If that were true, and we were taken by force, they know we wouldn’t go without a fight. They know we would have left traces of *something* behind. Anything. From a knocked over glass to cameras watching over Linkon. They would have found it. But no. It’s like once we step foot outside the game, out side of Destiny Cafe, we simply cease to exist.

The space itself is empty, save for the lone chair the love interests lounge in, only allowing one at a time. No staff to take your order, no customers chatting idly in the background as they sip on their drinks and eat whatever food they bought earlier, no people passing by the windows or coming in and out of the building. Just us, our love interest, and this empty space all to ourselves, playing music of our choice non-stop.

I think we forget, at times, that we have more power over this “world” than we realize. That our choices, feelings and thoughts have sway over how we perceive their world.

But what really gets me, is that it’s as though there is mutual comfort to be found.

Comforting us by easing our worries, waiting for us, the world refusing to turn unless we arrive. Comforting them by interacting with them, touching them, conversing with them, sometimes reacting to what is going on beyond the screen in eerily perfect timing, even though they don’t know what’s actually going on. They are just programmed to do so. Nothing more, nothing less.

Here’s what gets me, though.

We have all this interaction, all this time together, chatting, studying, working (while trying to act like or blatantly staring at each other), playing, or even sleeping together (literally just sleeping, like a nap with the phone on because your too exhausted to exit beforehand). Then suddenly, it’s like we’re a ghost. Gone. No one else has seen us. The only thing left is the echoes of where we once stood.

I wonder,

Do they wait in that chair, acting as though we exist beyond those cafe walls? As if they’ll find us on a walk in the park or fighting to protect Linkon? Do they sit and wait, switching out from time to time to try and see who will get to be in the cafe when you arrive?

So many questions.

Perhaps, in their world, you are the only thing that helps time move forward. Everything else feels flat and stagnant. As their whole world encompasses this small room.

Do you know?

Do you understand what they do while they wait?

Do you feel the same longing and yearning for them as they do for you?

Do you wait? For them? Or is the world around you able to keep you company? Unlike their own. At least, not the way yours does.

Will you ever get to be with them? No longer being stuck behind a screen and wall of code. Would you still love them, without that safety net? Or would it be too much for either of you to bear?

…..

I deviated a bit from where I originally planned to go but I’ll expand more on these later. What do you think? What ideas are bouncing around in that brain of yours? (I also put stuff down in the tags if your interested by it’s mostly just little note from me.

[ava-amelia]

I won't quote all of the Mary things, but we do know the other two AGRA members are dead, Ajay was captured and thought to be dead and Mary fled and took on a new identity. And I don't actually believe Mary was happy just being a nurse. Not necessarily because she missed killing, but because intelligence agent and international assassin are way more exciting than being a nurse.

She was also only a nurse part-time and one of the only times we see her do her job, she chastised her "patient" Wiggins for having moved. I think Mary wanted a spouse and a kid, and she only went back because of CAM and later Ajay. You can't have a spouse and a kid and be an internationally wanted assassin. So she was content with having a normal job like a nurse if that means she could have a normal life.

I do think we are supposed to believe Mary is at least a little bit like John at that front. Sherlock also implies it with his "the Doctor's wife must be bored by now." It's not like she got bored of extracting hostages and wanted a new type of work. Things went wrong.

When we see AGRA, they have already gone freelance. It would have been very easy for Mary to say she went rogue because she disagreed with MI6 and/or CIA methods and started engaging in vigilante justice in order to get rid of bad people. Instead, she said AGRA worked for the ones who paid most. I don't think we can say Mary was pushed or sucked into that type of work. if AGRA were the best of the best, surely they can choose their clients? If someone comissioned them to do something evil, surely they could refuse?

Mary also goes back to her way of life in T6T. She drugs the flight attendant (assuming she doesn't straight up kill her), she drugs Sherlock and she goes for a run for an unspecified amount of time to keep the target off her family. Which is nobler than shooting Sherlock so John doesn't find out.

Lastly, Mycroft, again by the nature of his job, orders people to their deaths. We watch him do it to Sherlock. That he cannot shoot someone himself -- that the one who speaks the sentence cannot swing the sword -- is actually an element of moral hypocrisy to Mycroft. Not moral rectitude. If you want to say "caring is not an advantage" and justify your actions with "greater good" rhetoric, your brother shouldn't be the only one of the two of you capable of saving the governor's wife (assuming Eurus would have kept her word, which is a big "if").

That was very astute of you to recognize that. A lot of people think that was inconsistent character writing but I always read it as hypocrisy. And it's very realistic hypocrisy. Ordering someone's death and actually pulling the trigger yourself are two different things.

Mycroft is a fish out of water when he leaves the cushy environment. He complains to Eurus about the inhumane conditions. He was content to sit at the table with other high-ranking officials in well tailored suits and sensible pantsuits, making decisions on people's lives. But when he is captured and scared, he can't do it. And he knew that about himself, he flat out refused! He didn't find out once he thought about it, he refused in horror. And he phrased it as having "blood on his hands", which was an interesting phrase to use as he suggested crashing the plane in the sea with the little girl and incapacitated passengers still inside. So he still sticks to his philosophy of ends and means and minority vs majority, which is how the fandom always perceived him.

I brought that one up to point out the difference between Mary and Mycroft. John wasn't able to do it, either. He was about to but he couldn't. Those things are hard. The governer was an innocent in the grand scheme of things and even if he gave the okay for the sake of his wife and proceeded to kill himself and even if he was responsible at least partially by having Eurus interviewed, he was still a guy terrified for his life.

And while Sherlock does work *with* The Met and Mycroft he doesn't actually work *for* them. He has a made up position as a consulting detective so he can be on his own and not follow the rules. And he rejects Mycroft's cases either out of fake rebellion or real rebellion and he isn't one of MI5/MI6 agents and he could be. That's how most read his statement to Sherlock about them being on the same side.

I think we are supposed to believe Sherlock is an idealist. He doesn't agree with the nature of Mycroft's work, he reluctantly goes along with it. He know Mycroft does both good and bad. As for Lestrade, in most shows featuring cops, cops are still "the good guys". And Sherlock is at least a little bit of a fantasy/ignore reality at the point s4 ends with the introduction of Eurus. We aren't supposed to wonder about the hard parts, like police brutality or instititional racism.

With Mycroft, Sherlock calls him "the most dangerous man" in ASIP and he uses his postion to kidnap John in episode 1. Then there was ASIB with Mycroft kidnapping people's dead loved ones and "The Americans" who might be as portrayed less...honourable mainly because as the show is British) almost shooting John and hurting Mrs Hudson. So I disagree with you on not showing the ugly parts of Intelligence work. They don't show the ugliest parts as the audience would then lose connection to both Mycroft and Sherlock. This isn't that kind of show where we are actually meant to ask those questions.

How Mary Morstan destroyed the moral centre of BBC Sherlock

So let me just start by saying that no one wants two-dimensional, black-and-white characters. Flawed people are normal, believable, more interesting, more relatable. That’s all fine. What the first two series of Sherlock gave us was:

1. Sherlock Holmes: A self-appointed detective, occasional (mostly past, seemingly) drug user who solves crimes as a puzzle to keep his overactive mind occupied. Rude to people, a trait born more out of impatience to get on with saving lives without being hampered by other people’s relative slowness, and possible also because he falls somewhere on the autism spectrum and struggles with social skills. Tries to believe that he is cold, emotionless, but the opposite is palpably true: his facial reaction when Moriarty destroys the old woman in The Great Game. This line: “This hospital’s full of people dying, Doctor. Why don’t you go and cry by their bedside and see what good it does them?” (Read: wasting time wringing our hands won’t save this person’s life.) This exchange:

John: Charming. Well done.  Sherlock: Just saving her time. Isn’t that kinder? (Read: He attempts to be kind, successful or otherwise.

Sherlock’s face when he sees John wearing the bomb jacket in The Great Game. Sherlock admitting his fear in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sherlock showing compassion by rescuing Irene in A Scandal in Belgravia. Sherlock’s tear as he was saying goodbye to John in The Reichenbach Fall. These two series are full of evidence that Sherlock absolutely does care about people, so much so that his brother reminds him to be wary of sentiment as though it’s an old refrain, routinely repeated. And the final touch: “I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them.” That’s it in a nutshell: Sherlock is no angel – but he is indubitably on their side. He solves crimes. He stops criminals from their actions. He saves lives. He is, despite his surface rudeness, a good person.

2. John Watson: An ex-army captain and doctor with an appetite for adrenaline, an inability to settle into civilian life, post-traumatic shock nightmares, and a dangerous violent streak. A man with a “strong moral centre” who waits until he believes it absolutely necessary to kill, then does it cleanly, quickly, humanely when he thinks he must. John is such an interesting mix. In one way of looking at it, there’s a lot more dark in him than there is in Sherlock. Something obviously went wrong in his family, too, as not one of his immediate family attended his wedding. There’s some resentment there, some thirst to prove his worth – and a corresponding hyper-willingness to assume that people doubt it, that people place blame on him, that they find him wanting in some way. Trust issues, indeed.

And yet he’s the one who’s mindful of when Sherlock is stepping on toes and hurting feelings, the first to pull him into line, to make sure he doesn’t go too far. They’re such a good team this way: John came back from the war with a hand tremor that made it impossible for him to practise medicine and a psychosomatic limp and blasted-up shoulder that made it impossible for him to be the “war hero” Sherlock describes him as during their first cab ride. They fit each other perfectly: Sherlock gives John a safe outlet to let out his demons and channel them into being a hero again, cures him of his impediments almost just by believing him unshakably, always, without one shred of doubt, no matter what his sharp-edged humour might suggest, even giving him back the ability to practise medicine again, and in turn John provides Sherlock with equanimity: someone to come home to, eat with, be normal with, someone who will save him from going too far either verbally or into the deeps to search out a criminal there, who will follow him down and shoot the criminals off his back. They save each other. They do good work: they’re good people.

And then series 3 gave us Mary. Mary the former secret agent gone rogue, Mary who kills for the highest bidder (confirmed in The Six Thatchers), Mary who scales a building pregnant to intimidate or kill a man who is blackmailing her. Mary who shoots a friend in the heart rather than accept his help and request his secrecy, or his help in breaking the truth to John. Mary the pathological liar, who layers lie upon lie upon lie, and feels that she should never have to apologise for anything, including all of these lies. Mary, who got snippy and resentful over John’s “months of silence” after she tried to murder his best friend, as though he had no right to his anger. Mary, who denied John the right to have a say in naming his own child after she put him through all of that. Mary, who would rather drug her friend and abandon her family rather than accept help. Mary, who abandoned her team without confirming that they were beyond rescue and started a new life with a marriage and a baby and not a second thought for the people she’d left behind. Mary, who never for a second left her profession, keeping her guns and her outfits and her secret info stashed in random walls in Norway, her vast collection of wigs and offensive accents.

This might have worked if the show had seen her arc through as the villain she clearly was. Mary was decidedly NOT on the “side of the angels”. Mary was not saving lives. Mary was taking them. Mary was a person whose life choices, past and present, clearly put her on the other side from Sherlock and John – two flawed, yet ultimately good men who do good work. Mary’s work was, in a word, bad. She was the opposite, really: an inherently bad person with a cute façade, who could giggle and make little jokes (that frequently had a sting buried within), who could roll up her pants instead of just getting them hemmed, who could tease and banter, but as soon as the pressure came back on, her real self came out again. The old habits came back: drug a friend, shoot them in the heart, run away without looking back, kill anyone who gets in your way. The fact is that the show did NOT see this arc through. The writers tried to spoon-feed us the façade, and it didn’t work, because the truth was so very visible: Mary was not a good person, and trying to pretend that she was is either completely unbelievable, or else destroys the entire point of who Sherlock and John are, in their essence. To have them take Mary on board without question, without her actual redemption by having felt or demonstrated remorse of any kind at any point for any of the very many terrible things she did, does not work! This is tantamount to Sherlock and John teaming up with Moriarty! Even if they’d needed information from Moriarty or something, it would have been a necessarily temporary arrangement, because they are not on the same team and never have been!

So, tl;dr version: we want characters who are nuanced, who have grey area, who are three-dimensional: but not characters who betray their own moral code by associating themselves willingly with someone they would normally oppose with all of their combined might. Writing their acceptance of Mary Morstan destroyed their moral centre. In a way, it made them no better than she was, and we know from the first two series that this just isn’t who Sherlock and John are. They’re good people. Mary wasn’t.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

An AU idea: What if David was an adult? Say, an employee at the school, as an excuse to have Marco run into him (somehow he's one of the few who's not already a controller). He still has the same basic personality traits, but he's had about a decade to mature (or not). The Animorphs are still their canon ages.

Alternatively, what if an entirely different adult character found the Escafil device? I think the most interesting result would be Peter. He'd probably bring it to the lab where he works and try to analyze it. Which I guess just means 45 happens 25 books earlier, since pretty much everyone else in that lab was a controller.

If one of Jake's parents found it, either Tom would seize it and make them all controllers, or Jake would have to immediately evacuate them. If Naomi or one of Cassie's parents found it, their daughter could easily steal it without them noticing or caring much that it was gone. I can't think of many other non-controller adult characters. Oh! What about Nora?

Once again I'm stuck on the idea of the seventh Animorph being an adult because I think it'd end with a total party kill.

The problem here is that adults assume they know more than kids (often correctly) and thus they know better than kids (often incorrectly). I don't see an adult respecting the Animorphs' experience. Not unless it's someone like Alloran or Eva who has already viscerally experienced how overcompetent these kids have become. Like, think about what a huge headache it is managing Rachel's and Cassie's parents in the endgame, and they're not even morphers. So I worry adding an adult to the team would result in that adult trying to take over, Jake being polite enough that he cedes leadership, and then everyone getting killed their first mission out.

Anyone else have a way out of that one?

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Steadfast 4

Warnings: non/dubcon, power imbalance, obsession, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: King!Bucky Barnes (Medieval AU)

A Knights, Kings, and Knaves Story

Summary: you serve Duke Rogers, but when his friend, the king, takes an interest, you find your work in turmoil.

Note: I’ve wanted to do medieval drabbles for years. I bit the bullet and now we’re all doomed. I was torn on whether to make this one Stucky however… I think Steve deserves a wifey in his own installment.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

The days turn gray as you ride for the river. The nights are short but dark. You sleep by a fire under the king's cloak as he keeps watch. He dozes astride, often lurching and snoring behind you. His heat, his proximity, grows familiar if not smothering.

For all your life, the divide between servant and master has been kept wide. That rift between you always steep and retractable. Now, it is nothing but a whisper.

The king's hand remain on the reins despite his fatigue. Yours are lower down on the leather. You wear the mittens of lamb's wool he found for you along with a plain but lined cloak. He is a masterful barterer.

The horse snorts as it descends the bump incline. The smell of water dampens in your nose and nips at your cheeks. You see a dock ahead along the coastline. There are boats and barges, voices hollering up into the sky, the grind of wood and billow of sail. You lean forward and squint to see it clearer.

"Gander's Crossing." The king startles you with the declaration as he straightens in the saddle. "It will lead us to sea. It is those deeper tides I worry for."

"Worry?" The word wisps from you before you can stop it.

"Yes, even I worry," he assures you. "Why shouldn't I when I have more than myself to trouble my soul?"

"A whole kingdom," you murmur, "your highness."

He hushes you. "Certainly, yes, a people alone."

You rock with the horse as he guides it down the stony pass. He waves as he comes closer to the dockers and calls 'ho'. He dismounts as you feel gazes in your direction. You stay with the horse as he speaks with a captain.

"Double gold, for your trouble..." the offer rises loud enough to hear. You can see the reticence in the grey-haired man.

"...not the horse that's the problem..."

Their voices lower again. When at last, they part, it is with the clink of coin between them. The king stalks back to the horse and works at unleashing the saddle bangs from its rump. He sighs.

"Stay close as ever," he warns.

You obey and trail him down with the horse. He passes over the steed to a boatman and he beckons you with him. There are more gazes and you wonder if they know who he is. Yet, there eyes barely seem to snag him.

"Men of the sea are wary of women," he affirms as he herds you up the ramp.

You shrink down. Oh. You come upon the barge as the king lingers like a shadow.

You're shown to a cabin. The tilt of the boat makes you dizzy. You teeter and back into the king. He catches you with his hands on your hips.

"You'll get your sea legs yet," he bids. "Best to sit."

The room is small. There is something hanging from the ceiling. You feel along the wall and slide down to sit on your feet. You feel better, less treacherous. He goes to the fabric strung from above.

He spreads the cloth and turns. He maneuvers himself into it, landing in the odd sheath that cradles him. It rocks with the boats idling sway. You shift and sit on your bottom, hugging your knees.

"A hammock. A sailor's bed," he explains.

You dip your chin down. You've only ever slept on straw and floor. You'll do just fine down here.

"I will find us some food when we set off. Let the boatsmen lift anchor first," he says. "I wouldn't mind a moment to close my eyes."

"Yes, your highness."

He hums. "There is enough room for you as well..."

"Your highness..."

"Pip," he opens an eye and looks at you.

"Poppet," you correct yourself. He grins.

"Very well. Keep mind to the bucket in the corner, lest your stomach join the river in churning," he wiggles and closes his eyes again. He yawns and drapes his arm over his face. Your eyes dart to the pail. It might not be unwise advice.

👑

You shiver as you hug the bucket. Your back racks and you ready for another violent heave. Your stomach twists but does not upend. Cold sweat drips down your forehead. You temples throb as the waves lash at the side of the boat in a startling cacophony.

"Dear pip," the king kneels beside you and mops your brow with a wet cloth. "It will pass."

Your teeth chatter and you gag. There's nothing left in you to expel. You groan and shield your face with your hand. You are humiliated.

"Is this... death?" You babble.

He laughs softly, "no, sweet pip. You are unused to the sea, that is all."

You moan again. He pulls your hand away from your face and presses his knuckles to your cheek. You lean into their comforting warmth.

"Rest will do you well," he draws you over to him as he stretches his arm over your shoulder. You shiver and slacken against him weakly. He rubs your arm as he holds you. You're too sick to care for propriety.

"My apologies, my king. I've never... never been about."

"Oh, do not apologise, sweet pip," he cooes and pets your hair. "When I was a boy. Oh, you could ask the duke yourself. We went upon a large galley. I was rather eager to be upon it but once we could not see the shore, I was but a puddle of sick."

You groan and cling to his cloak as your insides constrict. The bile sears your throat but gets no further. He hums and reaches below your cloak to rub your stomach.

"Be calm," he caresses you through your dress. "You will survive this, pip. You are ever strong."

His hand continues to move as you shake. The water hits the boat and the voices of men carry on the wind whistling above. He leans back with you against him and extends his legs out. He keeps you again him and his hand crawls along your hip. You quiver and it falls onto your thigh. He leans his head against yours as you start to hiccup.

"This night will pass," he assures, fingers tracing the wrinkles in your dress. "And we will be here still."

[banana-can-do-art]

Azul would probably have such a hard time walking in heels at least at first tho since he’s from the sea and he’s already constantly complaining about how hard it is for him to fly, and even in the stitches event my boi still can’t surf lol. Also yes Azul is such a boyfaure. I feel like the list of boyfailures in this series goes to Deuce, Idia, Azul, and like maaaaybeee Malleus and/or Sebek, and maaaaybeeer Kalim. Also though on the note of wearing heels I cannot judge at all. Like one time I had to wear not even heels but more of a wedge but they still feel like heels to me even though others (cough my mom who made me wear them) would beg to differ lol. And I had to wear them while standing for like an hour and when I tell u that starts to make your feet hurt like crazy. I can’t I can’t it’s painful. And that was just wedges I don’t understand how some of the characters in the game are wearing the highest heels known to man kind all day everyday like it’s nothing. Like Vil and Riddle pls calm tf down I beg you please wear slippers for once in your lives I beg you, you’re gonna break your toes! There is at the very least Riddle’s Halloween vignette where him and Vil talk about how back in Riddle’s first year he was in pain from the heels and Vil offered him a bandaid and then Riddle showed back up to replace it lol and Vil was like wow that boi is gonna crash and burn. And it’s like excuse me, sir? You’re right don’t get me wrong, but have you looked in the mirror recently?! I actually think it’s really interesting to think about how Riddle and Vil are actually really similar characters who had similar values enforced into them, but by different people. However, Vil is much better at masking his rage and appearing professional at all times and thus from the beginning most of his dorm has a deep respect for him. While on the other hand, Riddle’s emotional regulation skills are in the fiery pits of hell and he cannot manage his temper and looses it on the daily. So his dormates at the beginning have less respect for him and view him more so as an immature kid than a proper leader. But as he grows as a person and goes through his character arc throughout the story you can see his dormates, even Ace beginning to respect him, and I think that’s really great. Vil on the other hand completely shatters his pitch perfect image with his overblot and he has to accept that now the SDC participants know that he isn’t always as cool as he puts on, but that’s also good for him since while it would be bad to become the same way arc one Riddle was, Vil does seem to feel more comfortable with expressing his feeling around Rook and Epel as opposed to always maintaining his image as the cool campus celebrity who always looks perfect, although he certainly still does his fair share of that. It’s nice to see the gradual change in characters over the course of the game, no one does a complete personality shift post overblot. Although I still would love to see a bit more noticeable character development from some of these guys. Although it’s also fun to pick things apart by reading in between the lines.

Yeah as much as I love the goofy vingettes, like wouldn’t it be wild if they dropped a super serious one and it turned out to be like Jack’s or something.

Omg Ruggie needs to have an event that’s like where’s Waldo but it’s where’s Mr. Bucchi. The guy straight up pulled the left to get milk moves. At the very least tho I neeeeeed a canon Ruggie’s grandma design and I need to see what she’s like. Epel’s Meemaw was already such an icon, I need them to meet each other. Omg could you imagine Ruggie’s grandma and Epel’s Meemaw hitting it off and becoming besties. I could see that tbh. I mean while yes Ruggie’s financial situation in his town is much worse than Epel’s, they still do both come from small and lesser known areas and I feel like they could totally bond over that. They’d have cooky old lady chats. In a similar boat I know that Maleanor isn’t even alive but like I need her and Georgina to meet, and no it’s not just because I’m a simp, but daaaamn, but that’s not the only reason why okay. Like I just think they could have cool chats about being evil looking mothers and running very totally not whatsoever kingdoms/ the actual fish mafia

DJ RIDDLE DJ RIDDLE DJ RIDDLE

What I need to know tho is who Neigie’s number one fan is. Like Rook is the number two fan, which implies that there must be one person who is an even bigger fan. I asked my friend what he thought and he said maybe it was Vil out of spite to spy on him or something. Idk, it could also be Neige himself, self love lets go king, or it could be one of the dwarves, idk, but I’m so so so so curious. It would be rlly funny if we actually got some kind of plot twist reveal about it later lol.

You should watch inside job it’s pretty funny. Also Alex Hirsch creator of gravity falls and voice actor of Hooty and King from the owl house worked on it and you can very much tell through the style of comedy sooooo

Guys, I need to know who the housewarden before Riddle was. Like what freak of nature was so off the walls crazy, and so unbelievably lax with the rules that even though the students are upset with how strict Riddle is, they still don’t want that guy back or talk about how they wish he could be in charge again. Like who was this menace to society?

[lady-corrine]

Imagine Dick and Kory being the shared heart of the DCU. Whenever heroes need support they come to them and find plenty of love and comfort. They'd be so loved! 🥹

It would truly be a dream, isn't it? And so very fitting for them as characters out of everyone else in my opinion.

Dick and Kory, for all the efforts of certain frustrated writers to make them seem different, are extremely similar at their core. Different galaxies and species aside, they are both very loving and comforting people, kind and compassionate, who would do anything to see the people they care about safe and happy. They both have an extreme tendency to self-sacrifice for others, as well as being very protective, but they are both also very friendly, charming and warm, the type of people you can easily get close to and open up to about your problems.

I genuinely see their home as a couple as rarely empty. There would always be heroes dropping by, people coming for dinner, Kory and Dick going out with them. Because these two have always a good advice for everyone, words of comfort, loving hugs, guests bedrooms to spare and a hot cup of tea to enjoy. They feel like home in a way very few people do, and everyone is welcome and feels safe with them.

I do believe we would have had a chance at all of this if their wedding would have happened, especially if we keep in mind the idea with the crowd of heroes parting to watch them together, which would indicate their significant place in the DCU.

And it's very interesting to note that, for all its faults in other aspects, the animated universe did lean into that direction with them and gave us glimpses of Dick and Kory as the heart of the DCU and what it could have been in the comics.

You have Dick being the one that made Bruce snap out of his mind control in Batman Bad Blood:

Just like you have Kory being complimented by Clark for her decision making as a leader in Justice League vs. Teen Titans:

You have very obvious parallels of Dick and Kory trying to discuss with Bruce and Damian, respectively, and talk some sense into them on how to be more emotionally intelligent, more open and sensitive to others:

(The way they both look so done with Bruce and Damian always takes me out.)

You have the very clear dynamic of Damian approving of them together, and considering the relationship between his own father and mother, it's almost as if he starts to perceive Dick and Kory as his parental figures:

Not to mention their straight up mom and dad of the team energy they had towards the Titans:

Which is made even clearer in that planned marriage movie for them where all the Titans would have cheered for him to marry Kory. 😭

It's truly such a loss that DC would never do this in the comics, because it would be such a beautiful and authentic idea. I know Dick is considered the heart in general, but lately it was more about talking instead of actually showing that about him. Then again, DC has been like that for a long time now.

In any case, I don't think we'll ever get that with them, at least not with the current writers and editors, but to be honest, the general writing for all characters has been lacking heart for me in the past years. Because instead of creating storylines with actual emotional weight, that would impact and inspire the readers, DC would rather use nostalgia and recycled ideas. Hopefully that will change someday and both Dick and Kory will not be held back anymore. 🩷

[nionom-art]

Man every time I see your art as well as other Miraculous AU writers/artists it makes me really want to make my own au. I've got ideas, but i always worry it won't ever be as good as I'd want it to be or too ooc. How do you get past all those concerns? Do you have a support system for things like this?

Well, one thing that weirdly helps me is knowing that no matter how good I do, someone out there is going to dislike my au- and that’s perfectly okay. I mean, even the best books out there have one star reviews on Amazon, after all. We all have different tastes and interests, which is awesome, actually.

The thing is though, there is always someone out there who will LOVE your work- it’s exactly their thing. One thing I’ve learned is that if you like what you create, others will too (if you want to create a story, chances are there are people out there who want to see exactly the thing your writing about in a story as much as you do).

I am a people pleaser unfortunately, so I worry about people’s perception of me all the time. Keeping this in mind helps a lot with that.

The way I personally get past my own concerns about being ooc or not being good enough is by realizing that all I really need to do is try my best. There’s no way my renditions of specific characters will be completely in character all the time. I mean, look at all the most popular fanfics out there- I guarantee a good number of the characters in those fics are ooc. But that’s what’s cool about fanfiction- we all have our different takes on characters- and I think that’s really awesome. Personally, I think it’s fine for characters to be ooc, not only because it shows the author’s creativity and intent, but, well, also cuz it’s inevitable honestly. So, as long as you’re happy with how you wrote the character, don’t worry too much about them being ooc.

Now, if I ever feel like I’m not getting a character, or am unsatisfied with the way I wrote them, I often ask for another opinion (usually from my sister). She thinks very differently from me, which is helpful for writing characters I wouldn’t otherwise get very well (Lila and Adrien- looking at you). She thinks of all sorts of things I never would have thought of on my own (big thanks to her for being my pseudo editor, haha).

So I would say having a small group of irl or online friends to share your work with really helps- even if it’s just one person. They can give helpful feedback and can offer some support too.

Hope something in here helps!

[the-knife-consumer]

how about sam and max, but NOT as a unit, as different people - how they approach stuff differently, what they might try to hide from each other, etc. stuff about them as Individuals is always so interesting to me

Yeuuahh that's always nice .. What makes it a little daunting for me though is that Sam's characterization gets switched up a lot- not drastically but like noticable. Max stays pretty much exactly the same through comic/games/show but Sam gets a tiny change every time and it makes pinning down a character/mannerisms for him weirrddd... (Example: cartoon Sam is outwardly confident and unbothered by a lot of stuff but game Sam has issues™️ and is not confident in his image, also more likely to tell max to shut up/stop goofing off instead of playing along with him) so I won't be getting into little personality traits in this since there are so many that vary or contradict each other in the way he's portrayed. But ☝️ I try my best to pin down what seems to be constant.

Anyway Sam seems to overall be slightly less trigger happy but still unhinged. He also doesn't scream/shout as much and is therefore more approachable, so it makes sense to me that he handles a lot of conversation work and does most of the "evidence" (useless junk) gathering. But like that's only comparatively. He's still off-putting and vaguely if not outright rude during conversation (cartoon Sam excluded here, that's where he's the kindest so it's an outlier) (still has his moments tho). This guy can't mask for shit if he doesn't want to be talking to you/ doesn't respect you you're gonna know lol.

I also think one of the only things that keeps him civil is that he actually has a concept of guilt unlike max (source: htr guidebook. I think). But at the same time there are a lot of instances where he recognizes he's doing something bad/being a bit of an ass but doesn't care enough to stop. This is the same guy who kept somebody who cheated at a card game locked in his closet until he died. We gotta remember that.

So. I think Sam at least tries to approach things in a dignified and normal way, but gives up a good 80% of the time because doing things however the fuck he wants is easier and faster.

As for what they hide from each other. Sincerity. They are rarely if ever sincere they are so irony poisoned it would kill a normal person. They hate being genuine. And food. They hate sharing.

And max. Is max. Self explanatory like look at him (okay I could delve into stuff about max yeah. Specifically super ego and Max's. Not even implied outright stated suicidal thoughts mental health issues. But also that's Game Max only. Not a series constant, at least I can't remember if it is. But my brain is like fried rn.)

[panelshowsource]

That Robbie Williams post reminded me something I heard a few days ago: I was listening to a podcast, and they discussed who the most famous British people are who are not known to Americans, like the discourse about Robbie Williams when his film came out. I'm British, so I would be interested in your opinion as an American. Who do you think is the most famous British person that very few Americans know?

this is such a fun question!

i feel like my answer 10–15 years ago may be different to now! like, in 2005, it wouldn't have been crazy to say michael barrymore, you know? so i'm going to try and compromise by sticking to my pov as a mid 90s baby and young millennial

i thought long and hard......and......i'm gonna say......ant and dec. that's my final answer. they have been such a constant in the british television industry for 30+ years that every single person of every single age demographic has at some point encountered them, and they're still quite in demand and relevant. i get that these days people may prefer to see claudia winkleman, alison hammond, whatever, this isn't a convo about being beloved but about being FAMOUS—and does anyone in the uk not know ant and dec? because i cannot impress upon you how unknown they are in the states, like absolute and complete nobodies i'm sorry 😭 i genuinely think the only way an american would have come across them is from a viral BGT clip, and even then ant and dec are not the focus of those clips so they just don't register at all. isn't that wild?

my other top contendor was noel edmonds (+ mr blobby), but i felt like he was too much of a throwback since he's pretty irrelevant now. still, if i'm doing my top 5–10, he'd still be in it, and i'd also mention terry wogan, parky, des o'connor, phil and holly (many americans will know the "if my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike" clip but have no idea where it's from or who the people in it are, so imo it doesn't count as 'knowing' them cuz it's nothing more than a meme), peter kay, lee evans, and a fictional character like phil mitchell, pat butcher, or delboy. i am sorry to agree that take that members like robbie williams and gary barlow certainly qualify as well!

i do understand sports can be a major blindspot for americans — especially football (soccer), snooker, and darts — but there are enough americans who will follow these sports that i don't think the relevant figures win over some of the other people i listed. like, bobby charlton, wayne rooney, ronnie o'sullivan, dennis taylor, eric bristow, i could go on—very unknown in the united states overall, yes, but well known by the select few americans who care about these things. that said, the disparity in the fame a top footballer experiences in the uk vs here is probably the biggest disparity in this whole convo

i didn't really get into politicians (and by extension someone like david dimbleby or moira stuart?), feels like a cheat code to this game

i hope that was fun for any of my british followers to read! hahahaha i genuinely could name so many people because of course british news, entertainment, and sports are a unique culture that does not cross over nearly as much as we assume it does! but these are the people who seem to me to be the most widely recognised in the uk who i guarantee you no americans know

[all-for-the-game-confessions]

I don’t think Nora had Jeremy fleshed out fully when she wrote TSC and that’s why his narration is so avoidant. Also I don’t think she finds him as interesting because his trauma is less than her other main characters. And a lot of ppl are going to disagree with me because they love to call him an unreliable narrator but honestly his constant party trick is not telling the reader what he already knows. Which really shouldn’t be the case? He’s a pov character and his backstory isn’t really relevant to the plot yk? Like it would be one thing if we were in Jean’s pov the whole time and Jeremy didn’t tell him what happened at the banquet until the banquet, but Jeremy should’ve told the reader something . That’s how we ended up with the whole big bad savior fandom trope for the guy in book 1. And even now , 2 books in, it’s like. Come on. How much more information can he possibly withhold. (Especially when the ppl around him also know about his past?????) (and don’t even get me started on the explanation for Jean not knowing the scandal being that he couldn’t read English lmao. There had to be a better way)

.

[lemotmo]

I know a lot of us have said at this point we don’t care how we get buddie canon we just want it because we’ve been waiting for it for so long now. Which fair because it’s been years lol.

I’m not dooming or well I’m not trying to anyway so i apologize if it comes off as such but im curious on your thoughts and if after the last few episodes you’ve changed your mind and become a little more actually yeah i would rather them not do it this way and do it this way instead?

Because for me I was def at the point of I don’t even care how it’s done at this point as long as it’s done but I do believe we have hit a point of yeah actually scratch that I do care.

Because this? If this is how they are going for buddie canon? I can’t say I’m a fan of it. No one is happy. The vibes are completely off. The dynamic between them is off because the show has taken Eddie Diaz main character and turned him into

“This week With Guest Star Ryan Guzman, playing Eddie Diaz, Evan Buckleys Love Interest”

And I just. I don’t want that. I can’t imagine anyone wants that. We know for sure Ryan and Oliver don’t want that. They have said so many times they don’t want Buddie unless it’s with them keeping their dynamic and relationship in tact. And you can not do that when you suddenly sideline one of them and treat them like a guest star love interest. All their development happens off screen. They aren’t in the episode unless it’s to propel the others storyline and then they disappear for weeks at a time again. Moments between them happen off screen.

Idk. I guess congrats to Tim because he apparently did find a way to show me I’m not just a I don’t care beyond it happening after all.

#giveEddiehismaincharacterstatusback

First, I want you to know that I fully respect your views and your opinion here. I don't think you are dooming at all. You are just concerned and disappointed. I get that.

But my opinion is quite the opposite of yours. 🤷‍♀️ Let me explain:

Have they treated Eddie really badly these last episodes? YES! YES! YES! Did I hate the way they treated him? YES!

He should have been notified about Bobby's death. Hell, he should have been in the episode in the first place. They never should have done the Vertigo plot either. It was just one bad idea after another for Eddie.

Eddie Diaz' story has been sidelined for waaaay too long and I HATE it! I've been pretty vocal about it too.

I loved how he seemed to get some focus in the beginning of 8b. I was so relieved to see his storyline progress. I didn't even mind him not being in 8x11, because while he wasn't physically present, he was THERE in everything Buck said and did.

Eddie is my favourite character and I would gladly watch this show just for him and him alone, even if he did only have 2 minutes of screen time last episode. I'm there.

I think the idea behind having Eddie move to El Paso was two-fold:

A. They needed to find a way to get Chris back.

B. They wanted to show us how much Buck missed Eddie and how Buck and Eddie's lives are so intertwined that their friendship never faded into nothing. They were constantly in contact with each other.

They did a good job with that in the first half of 8b, but then 8x14 happened and he wasn't there at all. Now, logically I understand what they were trying to do here. They wanted the audience to wonder if Eddie would ever come back and if he might stay in Texas forever.

The problem is that it was pretty clear from the get go that Eddie was never going to stay in Texas in the first place. Ryan's name was still in the credits, as was Gavin's. There was no exit announcement and in interviews Ryan never said anything about Eddie leaving forever.

So Eddie was always going to come back. Everybody knew this. In that case, why couldn't they find a few seconds to add in someone calling Eddie to tell him about Bobby?

And when he finally did come back, he was only there to eyefuck with Buck, eat crumpets and look gorgeous while a tear was rolling down his cheek.

I do think this was all plotted and planned to make us wonder if we wouldn't only lose Bobby, but Eddie as well. But the execution of the storyline fell flat. No one liked Eddie's absence and everyone was very vocal about it as well. 😋

But I do think the Buddie dynamic and relationship is still very much intact Nonny. I don't see a problem there. I'm sorry. Eddie was only gone for 2 episodes and in the third one Buck picked him up and brought him home. I mean, they picked up right where they left of.

So I can't lie. I'm very happy with this progression. I do expect some more Eddie scenes and development in the next two episodes. I think we'll see more of him then. But as usual, only time will tell if my expectations will be met. 🤷‍♀️

And as for the vibes Nonny? The vibes are still very much there for me. Even in those brief minutes he was on screen in 16, he got to spend those minutes practically glued to Buck's side. They were presented to us as a unit, which I found very interesting.

Their connection and chemistry still has soooo much untapped potential. Their story still needs to be told.

I love Eddie so much and I want to see him achieve the kind of happiness he dreams of. And I do think that finally admitting that he is in love with Buck, a man and his best friend, will set him on the path of joy.

Same for Buck by the way. The man has been looking for love for his entire life. He has been left too many times. It's time for him to recognise what real love looks like, embrace it and just go for it.

These two idiots are perfect for each other.

So yes Nonny, no matter how Buddie begins, I will be sat and I will be there every single step of the way.

It's just how I roll.

¯\(ツ)/¯

[annabelle--cane]

hokay, just finished bingeing through the first season of murray mysteries, here are my #thoughts:

-> moving the narrative chunks around and starting with the equivalent of mina's journal without jonathan's castle segment does really interesting things to the mystery and the release of information. even though I obviously know what's going on it feels like I only have the same amount of information as mina so the events are a lot more unnerving, particularly the part where mina sees lucy being fed on by dracula. it feels intensely What The Fuck Is Happening Right Now.

-> this is pretty clearly a first-time passion project so the production values vary, I'm not going to hold that against it, and sometimes that marries extremely well with the frame of this being mina's low-key personal show. she and lucy have both the most convincing performances and the most convincing relationship, they feel like two friends just chatting about whatever in their own home, and that lack of polish makes me buy into the idea that these are real people which then makes it a lot more emotionally intense when they start to go through the horrors. nail-biting trembling sitting there with my headphones on thinking "noooo that's her actual friend who's dying someone call her noooooooo."

-> I'm good with most of the adaptational modernizing choices but I do think it was a misstep to remove the transfusions from the suitors and van helsing. I get that it would have been difficult to finagle that in a modern setting where doing an impromptu vein to vein transfusion of blood in someone's bedroom when 999 calls and ambulances exist is completely insane, but I think it would have been worth it to somehow work it in. this is a vampire story, exchanges of blood are kind of important.

-> the in-universe podcast format is doing unimaginable things to the energy of this narrative. at first I was like "even with redacting the name, mina and seward publicly sharing seward's patient notes for renfield online in an entertainment context is a bit much 😬" but I was a fool. I had not yet understood the insanity of these people when elevated to the status of podcast characters. lucy records and posts all her emergency doctor's appointments. lucy ends her testament with "please never let art listen to this, it would be too upsetting" and seward posts it. mina can't get in touch with lucy (because she's mcfreaking dead) so instead posts an open letter (voicemail) to her podcast feed without listening to any of the episodes her friends have uploaded while she's been away. they post the recording of lucy's literal actual death. mina listen's to jonathan's audio diary of his captivity and torment at castle dracula and without even consulting him her first thought it "I must post this for my followers."

-> of course van helsing's american. if van helsing needed to be from anywhere other than the netherlands it would have to be america. she's giving pure american nonsense.

[tumbling-through-deepspace]

Becoming aware (Lyssa)

Breaking the fourth wall series. Previous >>> next

From the moment the customization page popped up, she knew.

Feeling the shifts on her face, seeing the hair options, the flashing colors, and limited critiques from her counterpart, Lyssa was aware she was apart of a game.

It could be worse. At least being the main character wasn't so bad. Who was she kidding? The last thing she wanted to be was the love interest to four guys.

One was cloaked in secrets and sleeping in random places. One was a sass mouth who had brat behavior. As the main story progressed, there was one who had henchmen and seemed to be the leader of a mafia group. The doctor was the only normal one, but even he was a workaholic.

As she sat in her apartment, Lyssa evaluated the situation she was in. It was nice knowing that she wasn't some kind of damsel in distress, but the job choice could have been better and her evol type.

Then there was her counterpart, Bree. It struck her odd that the woman spoke to and about each of them like they were alive. However, she appreciated it in some way. It was hard sometimes pretending and not responding when Bree asked questions or made comments.

Lyssa gets excited when it is time to take photos. She gets to see Bree clearer, her voice isn't muffled, and gets glimpses of the outside world.

"It would be nice if the game developers could give more hair choices, especially with hair texture; you wearing braids or having more curls would be wonderful. Clothes too that offered more pants, maybe some sandals for your feet. A girl can't always be in heels or combat boots."

Lyssa agreed with the commentary.

As time passed, she learned things about Bree. It was nice learning about the woman. She was a nursery school teacher who taught a class of seventeen children (battling wanderers sounded better), was the eldest daughter and sister to thirteen siblings; she couldn't drive any form of vehicle, was a mom to an energetic baby and had an obsession with watching Korean dramas.

The woman also tends to catch a cold quite often and stares off into space from time to time.

Bree also prefers to say home more than anything else. It was just work, home, and the occasional outing to the park or visiting her siblings. It worried Lyssa a bit.

Sometimes, she wished to just say hello but knew that would freak Bree out. It would be nice not being the only self-aware character. Was it possible to find a way out of the game?

"You're thinking so hard, I can almost hear your thoughts."

Blinking, she remembered where she was currently... having lunch with Zayne. He sat across from her eating macaroons.

"Sorry. I'm thinking about a friend of mine."

He looked at her calmly. "Anything I can offer assistance with? You looked troubled for a moment."

"I don't think you can help. Unless you know how to travel to another dimension..."

Zayne raised a brow. "Dimension travel has something to do with your friend?"

She shook her head, letting out a small chuckle, "Forget I said anything."

Zayne's ears picked up on the last sentence she whispered, "Can't get to her anyways. Bree doesn't even know I exist."

Lyssa jumped in fright at the breaking of porcelain, and the table suddenly covered in ice. Her head snapped up, making eye contact with a shocked Zayne.

Before she could ask what was wrong, he firmly grabbed her wrists. "Zayne! What the hell!"

"How do you know that name? No, wrong question... how do you know who she is?"

They stared at each other. Lyssa searched his face, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then it clicked.

"You know who I'm talking about. Oh my goodness, you know who Bree is! Oh, fuck how long have you know? How long have you been self-aware!?"

He let go of her and quickly reached for his phone, placing it on speaker after dialing a number.

She nearly choked when Sylus's voice filled the space.

"SYLUS KNOWS ABOUT BREE TOO!?"

"Well, this is interesting. Hello, kitten."

"How fast can you get here?"

"A few minutes. I have your location already, so just stay put... relax kitten, the doctor and I have a lot to discuss with you."

Not waiting for a response, he hung up, leaving her speechless. Well shit. It seems she wasn't alone in this anymore.