#can we maybe try posting about other cast members who are also on the shows

[fastidious-and-a-mess]

hey guys. btw. cause it seems like some people (especially in the game changer tag) are maybe forgetting. um. brennan isn’t actually the main character of dropout. or game changer. there are other people on the shows too, actually.

[edit: this is the least complete version of this post, please look in the notes for actual discussion lmao]

[vxxcte]

Extremely long rant on 001 & 457:

3.4k+ words

—

Intro

Yesterday I finished season 2 of Squid Game. I have so much to say about In-ho’s and Gi-hun’s dynamics and writing.

Keep in mind this is my interpretation of these characters and their dynamics, and some of that is speculation. I’m just yapping because I have a lot to say. Maybe this takes on a much more optimistic view than is actually the case, but I fear it makes sense to me.

I have seen two takes about 457 around pretty often:

“They’re in love.” or:

“In-ho feeds off of Gi-hun’s pain because he’s just an evil guy.”

These can both be true in a way, but when no one talks about the little details of the character writing and the relationship between these two guys, it feels like the incredible potential and writing that this duo has is being overlooked.

Note, I will be referring to this Youtube video throughout this post:

Now let’s start with what we know already. It’s pretty evident that In-ho is not totally emotionless like many people are trying to imply or interpret him as.

Here’s why.

—

Hwang In-Ho and The Traitor Archetype

There are two ways in which a character like 001 can be portrayed.

TYPE 1 : The undercover ‘friend’ who is working against the main character can be shown to the audience as the ordinary cast member, and then it will be a plot twist when the protagonist learns with the audience the truth of this character. Usually the demeanor of this undercover ‘ally’ is not shown too obviously because it might take away from the impact of the plot twist later.

TYPE 2 : or You can go down the route that Squid Game did go. We knew Frontman’s face, so it was no use trying to convince us he was a good guy. His personality was not exaggerated like some Type 1 characters can be. Characters like this are not particularly hidden from the audience’s suspicion/accusation because we already know. And in these cases, the writers do not often need to give these characters disguise-personalities. In Squid Game, we as an audience know where to look for the cracks in In-ho’s character, where the ways in which his real identity shows through.

There was that time he killed someone in front of Jung-bae. It would have been out of nowhere for a story where they hadn’t shown his identity before, but we knew exactly what was going on. So let’s look at the instances before it was shown directly to other characters.

Here are the instances where we know for sure that his real self is slipping through.

In-ho more than once asks people questions and engages with them in a manner that might not come across as too strange to them. But to the audience, those who know he is an outsider, and thus know to pay attention to the possible intent behind his every word, it stands out.

In-ho engages with the people who are truly inside the game as specimens to observe. That’s partly why he’s there, after all. For example, take the instance during the Mingle game where he questioned Geum-ja about her son’s character. He doesn’t need to hide his sort of objective, detached curiosity (which extends slightly outside Gi-hun), about these people and how they work, because no one is keeping an eye out for it.

Because of this, I believe he did not need to make any extra efforts to mask his natural personality, beyond the bare necessary minimum.

—

In-ho’s Humor

Another reason I think that him not faking his personality a good amount of the time is his humor. The jokes and the ideas for jokes that one comes up with is very telling of their inner processes and their ability to make connections between things. These also provide an insight as to what they themselves find funny, or what they think others around them will find funny/react to.

First the joke he made about Gi-hun’s last name, and then about Jun-hee’s child as a sixth member in the Mingle game, both display a sort of consistent sense of dad joke type of humor. It is hard to fake humor that you are not well-versed in, and even harder if you put yourself in an unfamiliar environment with little preparation, purely to observe people.

Considering the fact that In-ho is evidently still in the process of observing these people up close as people rather than players, it would have been difficult to first think of a joke that they would enjoy and then deliver it successfully.

He could have gone without. He characterized himself in the others’ eyes well enough to go without making these jokes. It’s not like he was putting on any false performance for us, the audience (as noted above), and he was only omitting certain information from the other characters. There should be nothing ulterior that motivates him to go further and come up with a new/different sense of humor.

This leads me (personally) to read these interactions as genuine. These were jokes he thought of and spoke aloud, not to fool Gi-hun and the others, but because they naturally came to his mind and he decided to share them.

And villain-type character as he is now, he is still a person.

—

In-ho and his Family

There are other moments we saw from him that were genuine.

There was the information we got from his mother and Jun-ho, how he gave his brother his kidney and how his wife died.

Then In-ho lost his composure when Thanos told him to lecture his own kid. This was not an act—It would have been entirely unnecessary if he wanted everyone to believe he was a nice guy capable of little harm. This was genuine from him, he lost control and it was reasonable and it was real.

So when he told Gi-hun about his wife and unborn child that he is supposedly now in the games for, the things we have seen so far also point to that scene being a genuine interaction from him. His expressions did not hide it either.

And if all of that is not enough, he did not kill his brother. He sent Captain Park to find Jun-ho. In-ho put his brother, who knew exactly who Frontman is now, who now has something to work with, over his whole operation—It wouldn’t be too large a reach to say this.

Hwang In-ho is Not Without Emotion

Now we’ve subverted the whole idea of In-ho being some emotionless monster that some people online want to say he is. He may lack morals but he does not lack personality/emotion.

I didn’t even get into the way he cheered in the 5-minigame rounds or the way the first thing he did when he found Gi-hun in the Games was knowingly shit-talk him to his face, but I already have this much. This is all my evidence for In-ho being very and incredibly human, my case for him having a defined personality, fake player aside.

This is almost all sourced from lines in the show, rather than just visual acting which can be interpreted multiple ways. Thus every bit of the things I talked about is likely intentional.

Justice for my queen In-ho he is a great character and I enjoy him and his writing a LOT.

—

457 Introduction

I like to call 457 toxic yaoi as much as the next guy, but it’s so much more than just the visible tension/chemistry between them. It’s more than enmity, it’s more than friendship and it’s more than romance too. Why stick labels on it when it’s so much more complicated?

Although on that note, before I get into the deeper stuff I just want to point out that all this staring at each other’s lips and whatnot was probably not something the actors decided to throw in on their own, considering the ‘I don’t understand it but it’s not unpleasant’ comment about the ship from Lee Byung-hun. So was it scripted for them to be doing allat? Lord knows, we’ll find out in June (fitting).

I am not even getting into how In-ho spoke to Gi-hun without his mask on and let him hear his real voice when Gi-hun won his first set of Games. There is something that has the potential to be very intimate about that.

And then there’s the little storytelling bit of how Gi-hun’s stubbornness reminds In-ho of his dead wife, and then how that exact determination was what wavered in Gi-hun at the end.

—

Pre-Games 2024

Let’s start with the limo dialogues, when In-ho told Gi-hun he wished he would’ve led a happy life.

He has no reason to wish Gi-hun ill, especially after Gi-hun won the games and left. In-ho likely saw himself in Gi-hun even back when Gi-hun won, and genuinely did wish him the happy life that In-ho himself did not end up having.

And how many people like Gi-hun has In-ho seen? Ever?

What kind of person does Gi-hun have to be, how notable in In-ho’s eyes does he have to be, for the person that administrates the Games to show himself to the person who wants to end them?

Gi-hun survived the Games without directly causing anyone’s death. In this place that tries to bring out the worst in anyone, even when Gi-hun fucked up in the marble game, he regretted it and turned back. This already sets him apart from anyone else, and especially sets him apart from In-ho, who took the darker road and climbed up the system.

You could say, ‘But other people have regretted their actions in the Games.’ But how many people get 45.6 billion won over 455 people’s deaths, and then come back, not for money, but to prevent further death? And how many people come back and become the Front Man?

Gi-hun went back with all that money to find his mom dead, presumably in a similar way to how In-ho went back with all the money he won but his wife died anyway.

There is a system that crushes people under it, In-ho realizes somewhere down the line, and then there is a way to remove those people. Gi-hun sees it another way: change the system.

—

Friends

Both of these people came into the Games for the sake of their loved ones. One came out of the process corrupt, and one returned determined to root out the corruption.

This year, aside from In-ho, there are 454 other people in this year’s Games that he does not know or necessarily care about. And then there is Gi-hun.

He knows Gi-hun. In-ho is a previous winner, just like Gi-hun, he is returning to the game for Gi-hun just as Gi-hun returned for In-ho. In-ho sees Gi-hun as more worthy of his time than anyone else. And all of this comes dangerously close to seeing Gi-hun as an equal, someone he has attached his narrative to, more than anyone else around.

And I think this opens up the possibility that In-ho could have come to see Gi-hun as a friend in some moments. There were moments in the games where he was a little too enthusiastic about their own wins for someone who does not need to put on a fully fake persona (and there was the instance with the soju which I get into later).

So surely there could have been moments where In-ho genuinely considered Gi-hun a friend, however short-lived the moments were, however foreign the concept of a friend has become to him.

I don’t mean this in the sense that there are full-fledged periods of time where In-ho is seeing Gi-hun as a friend, or that In-ho was spending any amounts of time being genuinely immersed as his persona. That feels like a stretch.

But you know when you dislike someone that you’re talking to? And in the moment, the awareness of your dislike fades for a bit, and you’re about to laugh at something they said. And then that’s when you realize you’re not actually supposed to be finding anything they say funny? You’re not supposed to actually fw them? This is what I mean by ‘moments In-ho might have seen Gi-hun as a friend.’

The difference between the example scenario (closest I could get) and what I think might be the case with In-ho is that in In-ho’s case, it is not purely borne out of dislike. Rather, it likely just occurs to him who he actually is now, reminds him that it’s not 2015. It reminds him why he’s actually in the Games this round, and that automatically can serve to detach him.

It can be difficult for a genuine person to consistently have an enjoyable person around people they have to fake their personality around, for one. And for another, he is the one who’s killing almost everyone here.

This part is, of course, more speculation and yapping compared to the rest of the post, which I actually tried to support with some form of logic or evidence. But I need to yap about all my speculations (This post is not purely analysis, as I mentioned at the start), and I think this take helps make better sense of the other instances with In-ho’s character that I’ve mentioned.

And this could be what In-ho’s ‘conflicted feelings’ about Gi-hun (from the video linked up top) are all about.

—

How In-ho Sees Gi-Hun

Gi-hun refuses to remain powerless. He acts for change, refuses to give himself over to the system like In-ho has. He doesn’t shut up and take the money he’s given. He keeps fighting to end the Games, for other people who are caught in it.

And this does not make sense to In-ho. We don’t know enough about him. Maybe he tried this exact same thing that Gi-hun is trying. Or maybe he never did, and became who he is without putting up a proper fight.

This is someone who, so far, has remained unbending in his goal for change. This is someone who, in a facility designed to make people prioritize their own survival, gave a man he barely knew for 3 days a magazine, while he himself was getting shot at, while ammo was short.

In-ho lies to Gi-hun about his name, but he tells him about his wife. He bares an old part of his soul to him, the part of it that lingers from back when he was like Gi-hun. He has seen immeasurable death and has caused it, but there was a time he might have wanted to stop it too, and now there is someone like that again.

In-ho bared a part of himself to the person who came here to take him down because he saw his old self in him. And in turn that person did something In-ho never would’ve done at this point in time—Gi-hun extended this seemingly-pointless goodness to him too.

I like to think In-ho was so interested in Gi-hun because he wanted to see how he himself might've become, had he only taken a different view of life.

In-ho might deep down be expecting him to fail, yes, but he roots for him, roots for a version of himself that never made it. He’s curious. Lee Byung-hun has said In-ho is conflicted about his feelings towards Gi-hun, and secretly might even root for him (see the link at the bottom of this post).

In-ho stares at Gi-hun so intently to try and understand him as best he can. He wants to know what’s going on in Gi-hun’s head, the changes someone undergoes in short periods of time in enclosed death game facilities, a new experiment in the head of someone who is returning a second time. How will Gi-hun hold up? He wants to see his future.

—

The Breaking of Gi-hun’s Resolve (or the Changing)

Gi-hun loses the plot.

He couldn’t save everyone at first like he intended, he couldn’t get out fast because they got his tracker, and his resolve weakens, and he deems it necessary to sacrifice some people for the greater good.

When Gi-hun realizes he can’t save everyone, when he trades in an unnumbered amount of people for a shot to end the whole system, and he gives in.

Maybe In-ho sees himself in that weakening of Gi-hun’s resolve. It’s possible he doesn’t like it because he genuinely wanted Gi-hun to remain unwavering, as Lee Byung-hun said In-ho rooted for him. Or maybe In-ho does like it, because he’s satisfied for the confirmation that his view was right, that his path was inevitable all along.

This could be another point of conflict for In-ho’s feelings towards Gi-hun. Maybe that’s why he decided to fake the death of Young-il right then and put a stop to that operation: Of course, it’s partly because he’s Frontman and he can’t let the Games end. But on another hand, the coup was failing anyway, even without his betrayal and return as Frontman.

This then brings to light the possibility that he decided that, because Gi-hun gave in, In-ho decided he’s seen enough from by Gi-hun’s side. It confirmed something for him, confirmed that Gi-hun’s failure was inevitable because of human nature. And that was enough observing from up-close.

But then that confirmation, Gi-hun’s reluctant admission to the need of collateral, is thrown into question again, only a couple of hours later, when In-ho meets up with Gi-hun and Jung-bae. Gi-hun gives In-ho a magazine when ammo is short, and even when In-ho asks him, “Are you sure?” Gi-hun insists.

Sure, Gi-hun traded all those lives for this opportunity, but he is willing to risk lessening his own chance for survival for the sake of his friends, too.

—

“Are you sure?”

Then there is the question: Why did In-ho ask Gi-hun if he was sure about giving him the magazine?

Why would he provide the opportunity to think again on this? It wouldn’t benefit him at all if Gi-hun were to take the magazine back—Not that Gi-hun would. Gi-hun doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, especially not in situations like this, and this even In-ho should know.

It could be a final test of Gi-hun’s character. Or it could be that this is one of those moments where In-ho genuinely saw Gi-hun as a friend.

Lee Byung-hun has said (from the video) that In-ho’s character was a very nuanced and detailed one that he had to be very careful portraying. That look on In-ho’s face when Gi-hun gave him that magazine was not any error on the actor’s end. It did mean something to In-ho, whatever it may have meant.

—

Jung-bae, Gi-hun, In-ho, and soju

I’m gonna get into the technicalities of exactly what In-ho’s motivations were in taking this specific bit of Gi-hun’s and Jung-bae’s conversation and using it with Gi-hun later.

I don’t entirely disagree when others call it jealousy, but it feels unfitting to arrive at that conclusion with no further thought. So here’s how I see it.

When Gi-hun and Jung-bae were talking about going out for soju, In-ho was eavesdropping. Then later, In-ho tells Gi-hun later to go out for soju together someday.

If In-ho really intended the unfulfilment of the shared plan between Gi-hun and himself to devastate, this was not an ideal or necessary move, and I’m sure he knows that. And I’ve covered earlier, to my interpretation he does not bother to act like someone he is not unnecessarily.

It would’ve been smarter if he had his own conversation about future plans with Gi-hun, instead of leeching off the soju date idea that Gi-hun already planned with Jung-bae.

In-ho probably did plan on killing Jung-bae at that point, be it eventually or through the later Games, because he probably does not really care about anyone besides Gi-hun enough to spare them, or even just as much as he might care about Gi-hun (not necessarily platonically or romantically, maybe, but in terms of overall investment). And maybe he intended to use Jung-bae’s, and Young-il’s, death as another test of Gi-hun’s character.

But In-ho/Young-il’s ‘death,’ objectively and inevitably, means less to Gi-hun than the death of his best friend. This is not to say that Gi-hun subconsciously measures the weights or grief values of these deaths, obviously. It is just to say that he has known In-ho for only a couple days and it is bound to impact him less, just like how Ali’s death did not hit him quite as hard as Sang-woo’s did.

(Admittedly, season 1 did have a lot less focus on character relationships than season 2 does, but it wasn’t so little that a lot would’ve changed in Gi-hun’s reactions either way).

This, combined with the order and intensity of events in the last episode, most likely means that Jung-bae’s death overshadows In-ho’s ‘death’ in Gi-Hun’s mind.

And this would be obvious. So what purpose does ‘You can treat me with a glass of soju when we get out’ even serve? It’s not going to affect Gi-hun in the long run as much as Jung-bae would.

Gi-hun had a much-needed conversation with his good friend and their plan to get soju was borne of reminiscence of their shared past and desire to make it out. But when In-ho brought it up, it was done in an offhand manner in a two-sentence exchange. This is impossible to happen anyway and In-ho knows it.

If he wanted Gi-hun’s full investment in a plan to go out together, maybe for the purpose of hurting/testing him with it, surely he would’ve done something more than this. He knew it wouldn’t stick as well. So then why did he say it? What purpose would this actually serve?

If, even after all this, In-ho he thought that this soju appointment would affect Gi-hun as much as Jung-bae’s might have, then I might say jealousy nurses delusion.

Or maybe it was something genuine. Maybe that moment, when Gi-hun thanked him for saving his life and In-ho said ‘You can get me a glass of soju when we get out,’ maybe that was another one of those short-lived moments in which In-ho did see Gi-hun as something like a friend.

—

Conclusion

Because of the fact that he is more genuine than one might originally guess (according to my interpretation), I would like to say that he did consider Gi-hun a friend sometimes.

And their dynamic is just so fascinating to me. Likely the first I’ve ever seen of this kind.

They’re in love, they hate each other, they’re friends, they’re opposites.

They’re the first person the other looks for upon separation, they’re trying to put a stop to the other’s plans, they’re good friends.

They’re representations of the roads the other didn’t take, they’re mirrors, they lean into each other more than necessary even when cuffed together, In-ho finds the pieces of humanity he lost in Gi-hun, they’re foils, they were friends.

I won’t be recovering for a while.

[hiemaldesirae]

I completely understand a crippling fear of twitter, but if you ever DO decide to make it, I'd love to hear your most behated Hazbin takes bc people do keep getting Vox so wrong lmao

ur so real for this nonny

actually since u sent this ask in i may as well

a lot of the shitty characterizations i see are all revolving around mostly twitter staticmoth/radiosilence shippers (no surprise there i guess :/) and almost always portray vox as a macho dom daddy with a superiority complex and that 50s Misogyny Grindset babyyyy or just as a straight up rapist and s/aer. which. Sigh. i can tell you right now ive not only seen that take from rdsl shippers (which, while disappointing, isnt surprising because most of the ones with shit takes are actually just alastor whump fans) but also from a staticmoth shipper???????? ive since blocked and muted their ass but whatever the fuck they were on i do NOT want to go near .

and while im AWARE that yeah sure its all just hcs l and they can do whatever the fuck they want w them (and ill do what i want x1000 intensity just to spite them all) i get SO inordinately pissed at the notion that vox is some sort of violently abusive man perpetually stuck in 50s misogynistic mindsets with an obsession for alastor OR val. he's hell's media darling, for fucks sake. he's not preaching outdated shit to people, his WHOLE FUCKING THING is UPGRADES and MOVING ON into the future. does he BELIEVE IT? maybe not. but he's not going to ever show that if he isn't, because he needs the love and support of the media.

and on that, vox is one of the most fragile cast members: his head is a fucking tv screen, for gods sake. you know how hard it is to break a flatscreen? Not very hard. and he's upgraded before: out of necessity or out of want, we won't know, but he willingly upgraded to something more fragile when he could have kept a CRT. why would he do that if he was a violent and abusive character like some people like to posit? it'd be more advantageous for him to keep the old head, but he doesn't- and that's because between vox, al and val, he's the "brain" of the bunch: his power lies in his words and his mind, not his fists or his physical might- he's not just another val with hypnotic eyes, for fucks sake, he's got a different skillset and specialty because he's not as physically violent as the other cast members. if he's hurting people it's with his words and persuasion, not like al or val.

and on the obsessions: vox Is obsessed with alastor, yeah, i won't deny that, but alastor REVELS in his obsession, and frankly, he's just as obsessed back- there was this tumblr post about stayed gone and how al was listening to vox even before he started the broadcast, and Thats certainly not something someone not happy with the attention theyre getting would do. the thing most ppl use to say vox is obsessed w val is the cameras- and . Hey. have you ever paused to consider that Maybe he's monitoring val because he's a loose cannon who LITERALLY TRIED TO GO AND ATTACK THE PRINCESS OF HELL BECAUSE HIS EMPLOYEE WAS STAYING AT HER HOTEL??????

ignoring all the other facts such as that there are cameras around to monitor his employees and velvettes studio as well and just focusing on the cameras with val (and alastor i spose but luckily i havent seen much try to tout this argument) is reductionist as all hell and literally so dumb i wonder sometimes if twitter keyboard warriors failed their highschool english classes. they teach media literacy there, did you know? you should go and see if you can sign up for one of those.

sigh okay thanks for sending this in nonny ive quelled la creaturas need to kill people

[nobodysdaydreams]

Unpopular opinion, but while I’m not a fan of random or spontaneous musical episodes of media in general (there is usually no reason, they add nothing to the plot of show, they’re awkward, the members of the cast who can’t sing are mysteriously absent from the episode or shameless dubbed, it’s weird when they parody a specific musical and force it to tie into the plot), I would have been strangely fine with a Wolf359 musical episode and think it would have actually fit the show extremely well.

The Dear Listeners’ whole thing from the beginning was about music, so it fits the theme extremely well, it’s not like the musical vibes would “come out of nowhere” and if the Dear Listeners are the ones that cause it happen, it would actually make sense. It’s also plausible in the Wolf359 universe as the Dear Listeners can create time loops, clones, and do a ton of stuff that’s already way more impressive than forcing people to sing, and AI like Eris can trap them in a virtual reality so that’s also a possibility.

Not to mention the entire cast would have ATE UP a multi hour special musical episode. Just imagine:

Lovelace. We heard her sing already in Change of Mind, she would rock this. A song about her old crew perhaps?

Minkowski. The whole plot to her musical and her Broadway dreams. Her talent show performance. All of it. Maybe a song about Dominik or whether she regrets coming here. Her dreams of seeing the stars and how now all she wants is to see home again.

Kepler. He’d turn the Whisky speech into a villain song and what a villain song it would be. Casually and smoothly threatening their lives as he twirls the glass in his hand. He sings a reprise on the way out with old lyrics meaning something new or with entirely new lyrics and the final line of the song is cut off when he’s blasted out of the ship, leaving a haunting silence where his last words should be.

Speaking of villains, Rachel. Her rotating between the characters, condescending each of them as an aside, talking about everything she’s done and will do to get ahead, interrupting David Clarke when he tries to have a solo.

Hera. She’d have a nice heartfelt song about her inner feelings, anger, sadness, heartbreak, etc. that Pryce would do a villainous reprise of that has disturbingly similar emotions related to her own disability, but takes a dark and vengeful turn at the end as opposed to Hera’s more hopeful and resilient attitude about her situation. Also the way Pryce sings hers can lead the audience to thinking it’s Hera singing at first until they realize.

Jacobi and Maxwell. They sing a duet about how they doubt what Goddard is doing sometimes, but it’s allowing them to follow their dreams and discover who they’re meant to be (plus how they found family in each other). After Maxwell dies, or the musical hallucination of her disappears, Jacobi has to sing the reprise alone and the hopeful tempo is replaced by one of sadness, anger, and ultimately acceptance as he wishes Alana goodbye.

Hilbert. He would either resist for such a long time then sing a short sad song about Russia and his sister that he claims means nothing, or he’d refuse to sing and finally be forced to sing in a monotonous unenthusiastic off key bland voice with a heavy accent. Go girl, give us nothing. Another option is this is Blessie’s song sung through Hilbert.

Cutter. Do I even need to restate it, this man dragged a grand piano to space so he could dramatically play it before his evil plans. He would eat up a villain number and enjoy every single second of the performance too. Starts out falsely pleasant and sweet, the ominous vibes slowly come in until they’re in full swing.

Eiffel. He’d also insist this was stupid and try to refuse to sing or would awkwardly or sarcastically sing a weird song, but would eventually break down and sing something quiet and heartfelt about Anne and whether he can even be a hero now after all he’s done.

I hope this post finds the right people. Please someone understand my vision!

[eddiediazismyhusband]

Wait was edy confirmed to have been filming last night??? PLEASEE WHEN CAN SHE JUST BE GONE

I don’t think she was 100% confirmed to be filming last night or not in all honesty- I blocked her transphobic ass a while ago so the only information i get about her whereabouts on set are from what i’m told by other people, but i think the big theory going around right now is that she always posts after others post about being on set, and people think she may be piggybacking trying to make it look like she’s there when she actually isn’t… of course this is just a theory and like i said i blocked her. a while ago so i don’t see her posts to confirm nor deny the plausibility of this, but knowing her attention-seeking attitude i wouldn’t put it past her.

And i would not fear too much anon, actors are often contracted for a specific number of episodes, so her being there does not mean her days aren’t numbered. Obviously we don’t know anything for sure, but I have my own theories- we know the time that she posted herself crying on her story and then started talking about auditioning again was around the time the show was picked up for season 8, so obviously contracts would begin being discussed at that time. My personal opinion is that she was told then that she would not be returning for season 8, and that is what sparked this attempt to stay relevant in the fandom (following cast members she never followed before, constantly posting about being on set and how “thankful” she is to have a job, interacting with people bashing the show for being “too gay,” etc.) to me it all reads as someone who is desperately trying to cling to the quickly unraveling thread that is her place on that show and it’s only a matter of time before she’s gone.

i mean ryan himself called her a ‘filler’ relationship for eddie. even the plotlines she’s been involved in this season she’s barely been there. eddie was quite literally on the verge of breaking up with her in 7x5 before his advice to buck made him decide to simply start over their relationship. My theory now is that “ghost of a second chance” has a double meaning of us seeing the ghost of a past relationship that eddie is still grappling with (maybe shannon, maybe someone else…. an old “army buddy” perhaps who he had never really understood his feelings for?) while also pertaining to the “second chance” he gave their relationship being dead. I mean the man brought his grandmother who lives in texas to his coworker’s wedding, and he barely trusts her with his kid (christopher is always being watched by someone else, he says things like “she’s already babysat this week” as if watching your significant other’s children is a burden to her) and like i said he was on the verge of ending things in 7x5…. i think it’s safe to say that their relationship is bones, and there’s no other logical direction for them to take it in, considering the fact that marisol is barely a character anyway, the fans don’t like e*y (for good reason), and they know that if they try to keep her on they will receive backlash (which we know tim sees after the karaoke debacle)

i am fully preaching to the choir here, because i have massive anxiety and the constant stress of speculating about where eddie’s (and buck’s) story goes is something that always runs my nerves up a wall… for reasons i won’t get into, eddie is a character i relate to deeply and i want to see his storyline handled with care and attention, so while the idea of the show sticking him with something as lackluster as marisol (played by a problematic untalented actress) obviously makes me stress out too, i try my best to remind myself just how little sense narratively it would make sense to keep eddie with marisol, since she is a wash rinse repeat of every romantic interest he’s had before- something they keep bringing up in eddie’s story as a bad thing.

so stay strong, dear anon… the light at the end if the tunnel has not gone out— there are things happening that none of us know, and it will do us no good to focus on the possible negative outcome when the positive outcome seems so much more likely in this situation.

Sorry to completely hijack your ask into an explanation of eddie, but if you know me you know i’m obsessed w the man so 🤷

Thank you for the ask, anon! 💕💕

[drawbauchery]

I'm curious about the recovery timeline. Sakura and Aoi were there to help with Shuichi and Kaede. Does that mean there was quite a big gap between DR1 and DR3's killing games in this AU?

Are all of the DR1 cast recovered (as much as can be expected) by the time the DR2 cast's killing game occurred and ready to help or was there a crossover where the two classes were in the hospital together? Were there still DR1/DR2 cast members in the hospital as patients when the DR3 killing game happened or were they all out by then and ready to help with physiotherapy and whatever else?

I'm asking because I can't get over how sad it would be those who had recovered well were in one room helping another group of traumatised people with physiotherapy whilst thinking about how some of their friends are still in the hospital dealing with the same stuff.

uruhhmm...again we don't really have it mapped out yet, i'm no good at this and i'm taking a LOT of liberties so bear with me. but i think all of these are relatively close together. makoto's class is rescued by the future foundation and the ones who "died" are holed up in the hospital wing. i'm gonna say it's maybe just a few months before the remnants are captured and 2 happens.

so by the time the remnants wake up from their comas (and are also placed in the ff hospital wing because they're too messed up to take care of themselves on jabberwock) it's likely makoto's class is mostly (physically) recovered but now unable to function like they used to. leon, hifumi, & mondo especially spend the most time in and out of the hospital even when the others in their class have recovered.

v3 here is not part of a dumb meta show, it's run by a cult trying to replicate junko's "work" (dr1 was broadcast after all, and tsumugi became inspired). so i'm gonna say tsumugi started planning her masterpiece at the same time that the remnants were mucking around, during peak chaos times. right when the remnants wake from their comas in the hospital is when tsumugi streams v3.

SO. makoto's class is pretty much post-recovery while hajime & shuichi's classes share hospital time. they don't mingle much, but the survivors get to know each other and hajime takes care of the v3 class along with his own.

[spnfanficpond]

Weekly Pond Newsletter

Monday is President's Day in the US, which means if you work in parts of the government or banking system you might have the day off work. If you're in retail, you're probably working a sale. Sorry about that. In honor of the day, though, let us know about fics set in the White House! Reblog or reply with a link to your favorite Presidential fics!!

Old Business:

Fishing For Treasures - This weekend is FFT weekend here at the Pond, and this month's theme is SMUT!! Since we got almost 250 links sent to us, and we can only queue 50/day, this weekend will end sometime on Wednesday. Enjoy!! 🤣

#TweetFicTues prompts - Since we missed the last two weeks, we've got three sets of prompts for you!

New Business:

Weekend Giveaways in the Discord server - The past few weeks, Admin Michelle has been cleaning out her collections of random things in her office by giving them away! We have now added a new channel just for giveaways! This weekend, you could win a near-pristine copy of the EW Ultimate Guide to Supernatural edition! All you have to do is drop a link in the giveaways channel for a fic that features the bond between Dean and Sam. Can be Wincest or gen fic, just as long as the bond between them is central to the story!

Manta Rays in the Discord server - This week, Manta Rays Arthur and Spencer will be spending time in the Discord server chatting with you! Keep an eye out for announcement posts with exact dates and times, or take a look at our calendar. (You can also add our calendar to your Google calendar by clicking this link.)

Jason Manns and Paul Carella in the UK online - Jason Manns is across the pond touring with Paul Carella for the next week or so, and they're going to stream their VIP show online next weekend! Click here to learn more and get tickets!

SPN Rewatch: Fanfic Edition - Next weekend we are having another chat in our series rewatch, and we'll be discussing 1.19 Provenance and 1.20 Dead Man's Blood. Sam kisses a girl! John returns! Vampires exist! So much to talk about!!

Writing Sprints - Our sprint room is open all the time to anyone who wants to sprint, but next weekend you can win prizes for sprinting! Since a few have asked, writing sprints are where we set a timer, for usually 15-20 minutes but that is up to those sprinting, and you just write. You compete to see who can write the most words. They don't have to be polished words, just words on the page/screen. Some of our members use it kind of like ADHD body-doubling, even if there's no one else around to sprint with them! Competitive sprints mean you get to win prizes, too! If you have any questions about sprints, feel free to ask.

Angel Fish Awards - February is almost over, which means the monthly raffle deadline is approaching! Every fic rec you submit is one entry into the drawing, and there is no limit to how many you can submit! Spread some love and win prizes, too!! Here's a link to January's Awards, and more info about how it all works can be found at this link here.

(Divider by @glygriffe!)

That's all for this week! To see all Pond events, and also other SPN-related things like conventions and online concerts, check out our Google calendar! Click here for a static view in Eastern US/Canada time (desktop only, no mobile app access, sadly), and click here to add our calendar to your own Google calendar! We try to keep it as up-to-date as possible. If there's something you want to see on the calendar that's not there (maybe a convention we missed, cast birthdays, or something similar), send us an ASK and let us know!

Hope you have a great week! - From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @spencereliotwinchester and @heavenssexiestangel!

[personwithatophat]

Intresting concepts, I love where you're going with that idea. I needed some expansion on that ngl and you fully cooked there /pos (Also hi Tophat)

What thoughts do you have on the idea Austin can see everything/the fact he either has no filter or a broken filter? Why would he be given this ability by Showfall besides the idea of an entertainment asset?

Hello! o/ thank you and good followup because austin is my crutch so i appreciate making me take it head on. (feel free to challenge my theories it helps me build them! :] ) As for austins filter being broken, I think the theory is good but incomplete. Austin does have a filter and has involvement, but it clearly works differently. in fact most of the 'filter items' have their own rules that they go by, its not a uniform model.

and a bit of this has to do with just how the show works sneegs hat isn't wired into his skull because he takes it off a couple times during the show or moves it around charlie has some kind of base program where he can run multiple items at once since during episode 2 he was wearing the glasses and the headphones and there are theories that details like this such as placement, hardware, etc have an effect on the items' limitations. for example, sneeg doesn't have surgically implanted hardware so he can't run two items like Charlie can and when they try, it shorts out and we get the ep 2 hat scene. or that other cast members couldn't be 'The Hero' since ranboos mask is necessary and capable of more complex sequences. that being said I've seen people speculate that Austins item is his jacket, which is entirely possible but it makes it confusing when he actually takes it off in the dressing room. so I'm going to pivot to the theory that he doesn't have a formal item. "so he doesn't have a filter?" not what I said. During the beginning of ep 2 before sneeg gets soft rebooted he doesn't actually have a filter item either and is still very much in character, he doesn't even recognize ranboo, we have hard proof that this is possible. and we know Austin is filtered/playing a character just by how he's acting in general. Austin as a showfall media victim has no reason to lie about having a wife and several children. why wouldn't he have a formal item? maybe because he was originally written to get double-tapped in Nikki's place in scene 1. Its very up for interpretation still but I believe a lot of this stems from the way that Austin is compared. Specifically how he gets compared to ranboo and sneeg when Ethan dies. i would like to counterpoint this with the way that Austins character is built for the episode. desperate, afraid, ......straight. but at the same time, he stalls to catwalk in the closet, mouthes off to puzzler questioning him having children, and is also very gay. so I think there might be some difference in writing. So yes, Austin is the only one who has a normal and more aware response to Ethan's death. Austin is also the only one there that isn't 3 layers deep in meta.

during this moment Austin is the only one freaking out but consider the company. ranboo is an NPC at this point. he got factory reset and basically has a cap over free thought, right now the only thing in his brain is the objective to go through the show. Austin is still in his role of character trying to escape this actual saw trap he's stuck in, his panic is as warranted in character as it is out so he panics and when the others don't it freaks him out more. sneeg on the opposite side of the spectrum is knee-deep in lethargy. sneeg is actually the one seeing everything how it is and can't respond to any of it so he doesn't care about anything anymore. after his soft reboot sneeg can still see but he's confined to the roll, I want to make a separate sneeg post because he's actually the one I think people view Austin as. so yeah I think that Austin has something going on but I think it's a step to the left of the current theories. sneeg is where the real awareness is feel free to ask me for any clarification on this since I jumped around a lot or if you have other questions/theories because this is epic :D -Tophat

[themuse-if]

Another 20 (or so) Questions with Jo Nielsen

Interviewer: Welcome to another installment of our character interviews, where we dive deep into the lives and minds of our favorite cast members of The Muse. Today, we have Jo Nielsen with us, the drummer of The Rebel Rejects. Jo, thank you for joining us. Could you start by telling us what made you want to pursue music?

Jo: Hey, thanks for having me. Music has always been my refuge, especially after the tumultuous experiences of my upbringing. The drums, in particular, spoke to me – they're like my voice, expressing all the emotions I couldn't put into words.

Interviewer: How would you describe your music?

Jo: My drumming style is raw and energetic, I really feed off of Ro and De's energy. I tend to really let loose and leave it all on the kit. We have a blend of punk and post-punk, with slight influences from other genres thanks to De's eclectic taste.

Interviewer: How do you want to be seen by others?

Jo: I want to be seen as someone who's genuine and empathetic, who's been through struggles but still finds joy in life's simple pleasures.

Interviewer: How do you want your art to be seen by others?

Jo: I want my drumming to resonate with people, to be a source of comfort and empowerment. I want it to inspire others to find their own voice, just like music did for me.

Interviewer: What is your latest obsession?

Jo: I've been obsessed with hiking! I really love being outdoors, so I've been trying to hit all my favorite trails at home this summer before the move to university.

Interviewer: Describe your best friend(s).

Jo: De and Ro are literally the most amazing people I’ve ever met. When I first transitioned into normal life I wasn’t really sure what types of relationships I would form, but they showed up in my life and made me feel so seen and secure. They show me so many types of beauty in everything and truly keep me grounded when I’m feeling…lost. I know it’s cheesy but I would definitely say we’re soulmates.

Interviewer: Wow it sounds like you found true kindred spirits in De and Ro, that’s lovely. Could you describe your ideal partner?

Jo: Someone who's understanding and patient, who accepts me for who I am and supports my passions. Someone who's willing to go on adventures and explore the world with me. Also they have to get along with my friends, it’s an automatic deal breaker if they don’t.

Interviewer: What was your first kiss like?

Jo: I don’t really like to talk about it…it was a bit traumatic… I will tell you about what I like to think of as my first kiss. It was actually with Ro. *chuckles* I know, I know what you’re thinking, but it was actually really sweet. I had just finished opening up to them about my past and they asked me if I wanted a redo. It was nice…soft and gentle. Ro can actually be really sweet.   

Interviewer: Aw that's so cute! Ad I'm sorry but I have to ask, have you kissed since?

Jo: *starts to blush furiously* I uh…maybe once or twice…I mean did Ro say anything?

Interviewer: *stifles a laugh* Mmm I think I’ll let you ask them yourself. Moving on, have you ever been in love?

Jo: Not yet, but I believe in love and all its complexities. I think when it happens, it'll be a beautiful and transformative experience.

Interviewer: When was your last relationship, and why did it end?

Jo: I haven't been in a serious relationship yet. Honestly I had never even had real friends before Jo and De. I've been so focused on my music and my friends that I hadn’t really thought about dating. 

Interviewer: What’s your ideal Friday night?

Jo: I love just hanging out with the band, whether it’s practice, a gig, or just staying in. It’s alway super fun when we’re together.

Interviewer: What’s the last song you listened to?

Jo: "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. It's a classic that always hits me right in the feels.

Interviewer: How do you behave in a relationship?

Jo: I think I'd be a supportive partner, someone who's always there for their significant other no matter what. I believe in mutual respect and understanding in a relationship. I like to do little things for the people I love to show them I care.

Interviewer: Do you approach those you’re interested in or let them come to you?

Jo: I think it depends on the situation. I'm not afraid to make the first move if I feel a connection, but I also believe in letting things happen naturally.

Interviewer: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Jo: People who are closed-minded or judgmental. I believe in acceptance and understanding, so it frustrates me when others can't see things from different perspectives.

Interviewer: What do you notice first about a person?

Jo: Their energy. I believe in vibes, and I can usually tell right away if someone is genuine and authentic.

Interviewer: What did you dream about last night?

Jo: I think it was more of a nightmare…*gets comically serious* I dreamt I was on stage completely naked, with just me and my drum kit. And I was using bananas instead of drumsticks. AND even worse the audience was throwing bananas at me! *hides face in hands* That’ll teach me to eat a banana before bed.

Interviewer: *doubles over laughing* Alright Jo...not to suddenly get serious but... This is the final question, and I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but I have to ask. What's "the incident" that caused you and you mother to transition back into normal life?

Jo: *sighs so deeply* I... honestly... I still don't think that I'm ready to share that just yet. It's very personal and I only feel comfortable sharing that information with someone who has thoroughly earned my trust.

Interviewer: I understand, I'm sure it takes a lot for you to even open up this much. Thank you for today. It's been wonderful getting to learn more about you.

[adultswim2021]

Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule #6: “Friendship” | June 21, 2010 - 12:30AM | S01E06

Check It Out! Ends it’s first season with a real one-two-punch (meaning this episode and the last episode). In this installment, Brule asks a simple question: “Why don’t I have any friends”. We see him try to go where boys hang out, first by joining a troupe of male strippers. This segment is maybe most notable for me by the way that one dancer is homophobically dismissive of Brule’s intended-to-be-childish suggestion that they are a “no girls allowed” style of organization. He is crestfallen when they schmooze with the female audience members at the end of their performance, or as Brule calls them “ladies that look like my aunt”. 

A second segment shows Brule joining a motorcycle club, but it’s evident that it’s a bar for gay motorcyclists. It’s a mildly homophobic premise, but Brule never experiences gay panic, so it’s not too mean-spirited. He spends the night barfing and shitting and eventually falling asleep in the bathroom, which is very gross, especially when he wakes up licking his lips. Yuck!

Brule learns he’s depressed from a psychologist and goes on a moody walk. He isn’t cheered up by three ice creams, but instead a trumpet man who looks very familiar, INDEED! 

This one is also notable for housing my single favorite bit on the entire show: A movie review for Dumpster’s Children. This is one of those perfect comedy pieces that is short and incredibly sweet, made up of a weird old man delivering lines to the camera that seem like they were scientifically designed to make me laugh. Point of fact: the first time I watched this I laughed so hard at this scene that I had to pause the show to recover from laughing. It incapacitated me. And it’s all because they cast a man with briney spittle in the corners of his mouth. Holy fuck. This single sketch might be Abso Llutely’s finest work.

It might be my favorite segment from a comedy program ever. Like, if somebody challenged me to come up my favorite under-60-second comedy bits this would be a contender. It's so strong it merited a rare mid-roll video on this entry.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

MAIL BAG:

One thing I like about Bruel they will bend him but never break him. Other less responsible Adult Swim creators would torture the guy for being two pears short of a bushel and leave his horrifically maimed and scarred every episode but Tim and Eric hold enough reverence not to do that. It's a good thing about. I wish they would just relax with the self inserts to remind people "hey I made this". Very Ricky Gervais of you Tim. Why don't you make more Trump jokes so he can get a third term. Jerk.

Yes, this is very true. I keep writing and deleting a paragraph about how prevalent it was in the Bush W era to center comedy around retarded people and how amateurish productions were usually especially unfunny, having them play off a straight-man who just gets mad and is mean to the retarded character. I keep writing and deleting it because it keeps turning into the first paragraph of a lengthy digression I'm simply ill-equipped to handle right now. Also it implicates the high-school version of myself, and it's just not worth it. That guy's been dead for literally decades.

Would you rather eat a bagel with cream cheese or give John C. Reilly a slop kiss. You have to eat the whole bagel. You can pick the style of bagel as long as it's not dumb kid logic like "invisible bagel". You have no choice with the kiss. It's a full on french, and he's gonna be a little weird about it because he knows you are doing it on a dare.

I don't want to bother John C. Reilly, he does not seem comfortable with fans going up to him, and I don't think he'd be comfortable with a full-on-french. Also I like bagel with cream cheese, lol. Idiot!

When was the last time you "checked it out"... a book from your local library that is!

Jun 15, 2024

Please heed the SPOILER warning in this next post! I read it because (Brule voice) I don't care.

MAJOR spoilers for Check it Out (disregard this post if you don't want to be spoiled), but Dr. Brule's life is shockingly similar to Chris Chan's life, like prophetically so. I'm serious, it's spot on. 1. Both had extremely fucked up home lives 2. Both single children 3. Both have distant relatives that don’t want anything to do with them 4. both ruined relationships by doing something sexual with a friend 5. Both got intimate with a relative, chris moreso (continued in part 2)

(Part 2 - SPOILERS) 6. Both have strong, irrational fears of specific inanimate objects (puppets, pickles) 7. Both had sex with a woman while her husband was deceased (Wayne died mid-coitus) 8. Both were pushed into the spotlight in front of a large audience despite not really being fit or capable of handling it 9. Both fumble everyday conversations, often by injecting odd, out of place slang words into things, & 10. Both end up going to prison in the end. Dare I say CiO is Chris Chan fanfiction

LOL, I think I legit got spoiled here because I never saw the last season of Check It Out, but as a policy I've decided not to care about spoilers, because more often than not I find products the motion picture sciences to be more about the journey and not the destination.

This is some good on-the-ground reporting though. I was never a Chris Chan devotee until that guy started making those way-too-in-depth documentaries about her. When people in similar boats (knowing only vague details about Chris Chan and not well-versed on the various sagas) I usually suggest to them that they are better off not knowing, unless they fetishize human misery. I don't, usually, but I have enough morbid curiosity to keep clicking vids about her.

[danielfeketewrites]

Red Dwarf: Polymorph

It's Red Dwarf Day! Nice! Maybe I should finally get around to writing the post about the script I've read like a month ago...

Oh, Red Dwarf Day was yesterday? Oh well. Anyway - Polymorph.

About two years ago, during my third year of uni, I went to a charity shop and found some Red Dwarf treasures - namely, Red Dwarf Omnibus (which features the first two books, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Better Than Life, as well as the pilot script) for 1.99 and this, Primordial Soup, for 1.49... An absolute bargain!

Primordial Soup collects six Red Dwarf scripts, picked as favourite episodes of the two writers (Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, together forming the gestalt entity "Grant Naylor") at the time:

Season 3: Polymorph + Marooned

Season 4: Dimension Jump + Justice

Season 5: Back to Reality

Season 6: Psirens

I still haven't seen all of Red Dwarf, but Polymorph has to be one of my favourite episodes, if not the favourite episode. In these posts, I try to think of something I've maybe learned from reading the script and such. But here? I think the lesson is - if you already have a TV show (or a storytelling platform of any kind for that matter), just have fun with it! Don't get bogged down by what the series is or should be and do something stupid instead! Are you doing a silly character-based comedy? JUST ADD THE FUCKING THING FROM JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING. Yeah, of course, that tracks.

You've got to admit - sitcoms don't tend to have an actual sense of danger. And yes, by the time we get to the scene with Rimmer's mother, that danger isn't really there any more, but I really think there was some. And there certainly is some again in the ending. (Although, admittedly, I prefer the other ending, as it was the first version of Polymorph I've seen. But yeah, the script ends with a "Lister" - his head spins around while his body is static, then he grins into the camera and walks off... Properly sinister stuff. This episode really is John Carpenter's The Thing as a sitcom.)

Alright, there's one more thing to learn here. It all comes back to something my teacher at uni said about writing sitcom characters - base them around their flaws. And what might those flaws be? Start with seven deadly sins.

While not all of the negative emotions eaten by Polymorph are on this list - some of them definitely are. And you can see how Polymorph was created as a specifically sitcom threat, as by removing "negative emotions", we remove who those characters really are. Polymorph, with a surgical percision, is a mutant designed to eat sitcoms.

It's not just a sci-fi parody, it's genuinely clever. Also, it's a good way to approach an ensemble episode, ie one where the focus isn't on a single member of the cast, the focus is on the whole crew.

So yeah, Polymorph is great. What a surprise.

As I've already mentioned, I read this script from a published collection. Which means it wasn't formatted properly... But that's probably a good thing, as Red Dwarf was very likely written in the older format of a studio script, which is just a pain to read. So, on this occasion, I prefer it that way. We're probably gonna get around to me ranting against some of the formatting in published scripts in the future.

Anyway, I'm gonna end this post with the scene that made me burst out laughing. It's the afforementioned scene with Rimmer's mother. I did remember a lot of the jokes in Polymorph, but not this one and it really caught me off guard in the best possible way. Enjoy!

[markantonys]

previously i'd speculated all 4 polycule members will meet at falme at the end of s2, but the more i think about it, the more i suspect min won't go to falme in the show.

a) no sign of her in any of the images/shots from falme we have so far, or in the pic of the 3 wondergirls preparing for a trip. of course, i can't base an argument that she won't be in falme only on the fact that we don't have proof that she will be, but at the very least, we don't have proof that she will be.

b) unless they plan to significantly change her one non-rand-centric canon storyline, she needs to be at the white tower in season 3. no one else who will end s2 in falme will be headed for tar valon in s3 (no, for the love of god, egwene and elayne are NOT going to make a detour there in s3 just so they can take the accepted tests their stories don't actually need them to take), so it feels unlikely to me that min would travel halfway across the continent back to the white tower all by herself rather than joining one of the other roadtrips or being asked to join by someone who wants her viewings to help them out (for example, elayne and nynaeve would surely be eager for her help with black ajah hunting). not impossible, but just kinda clunky to have her go from tar valon to falme back to tar valon in quick succession rather than simply staying in tar valon the whole time.

c) the only things we know for certain about min in s2 are that her aunts have been cast and that at some point she is standing in front of a window that looks like the window in what appears to be rand's inn room in cairhien in the trailer (this is a quick post so i'm not digging up screenshots, but i did a window comparison the other day and confirmed that min's window defs is similar to/the same as the window in that shot of rand channeling fire alone at night). we also know for certain from s1 that her hometown is tar valon in the showverse, and we can predict with decent confidence that siuan makes a trip to cairhien in s2 while rand is there. now let's pull all this together into a prediction.

after losing her livelihood in fal dara, min heads home to her aunts in tar valon, and tar valon is where we first see her in season 2. maybe we start with a taste of her home life (so that she can actually have a backstory and relationships outside of rand), and then she winds up in the white tower (maybe because moiraine suspects she'd go to tar valon after leaving fal dara and has gotten word to siuan to keep an eye out for her). she spends an episode or two or three forming connections with siuan, the wondergirls, and possibly mat, and maybe having her powers studied by aes sedai or trying to research them herself. siuan gets wind (probably from moiraine) that rand is the dragon reborn and is currently in cairhien, so around mid/mid-late season, she travels there with logain (whom she hopes can teach rand to channel) and min (whom she hopes might have useful viewings about rand) in tow. the three of them spend one episode there and all return to tar valon at the end of it so they'll be in place for their s3 storyline. this is the last we see of min, siuan, and logain in s2.

i'll also add a very flimsy d) i read some random person on the internet claim that kae alexander isn't a regular in s2, so if true, that would likely mean she doesn't appear in all 8 episodes, which could in turn mean she'll be absent from the late season if my speculation that she'll be present in the early and middle season is correct.

so, what are the story implications of min not going to falme? honestly..........not much. the fact that she was kidnapped by the seanchan and witnessed their abuse of egwene firsthand had so little effect on her in subsequent books that i had genuinely completely forgotten it had happened by about book 4. i remember thinking later in the series "huh, i remember min was at falme, but how the hell did she even get there?" and drawing a total blank! her involvement in that storyline was literally never referenced again after TDR-ish. so i could imagine that rafe & co might have taken a look at her long-term book arc (lmao at the idea that min even has a long-term book arc to look at!) and decided to jettison her falme stuff because it never plays a role in her story again, especially if the restructuring of other characters' timelines means that min being in falme would make it difficult for her to make it to her much-more-important tower storyline in s3.

what does this mean for polycule development? again, not much. it would be a small bummer to lose the chance of min and aviendha meeting before either gets involved with rand, but that's not a big deal because i'm still confident the show will make much more of an effort to develop their relationship in later seasons than the books did. i do worry that we might lose out on some TGH min-elayne bonding (more because of min's potential cairhien trip than her potential falme absence), but as long as they have some hangout time in an early episode(s) of s2 and get to spend more time together later on than they do in the books, that's okay.

min would lose the TGH confrontation with lanfear over rand, but a) she would instead get more bonding time with an Actually Conscious rand during their cairhien episode, and that would be much more meaningful & believable relationship development than her telling lanfear she's got a claim on this rando she talked to one time, and b) i really am frothing at the mouth for that confrontation to go to egwene instead, with lanfear taunting her for choosing the tower over rand and that turning into a sort of "we may not be right for each other as romantic partners but i'll always love him in one way or another, so fuck off, lanfear" moment of closure for egwene like rand got in 1x08. and i for one would much prefer a natural, gradual relationship development for the polycule over the show broadcasting "Rand Is Fated To Have 3 Girlfriends, And Here's Who They Are" before anyone's remotely close to getting together, like the books did, and it would be all too easy for that broadcasting to happen if all 4 of them crossed paths at falme and if min had the confrontation with lanfear.

[devsmuses]

plotting call!!! hi friends! i've found myself wanting more in depth plotted roleplay threads, so i figured i'd post some dynamics, plots, and pairings i'm itching to play. feel free to shoot me a message if any of this sounds like something you'd want to write together!

• i have a gay nicholas galitzine oc, ezra, and i'm wanting to use him in some angsty mlm pairing. i always love a classic secret relationship plot, we could do something with one of the muses being closeted, maybe they are in a relationship, have a family, a wife, kids, and that's why they have to keep this thing with ezra a secret, but it's so complicated because they're beginning to fall for ezra. they want him, but they can't ruin the life they've built to be with him.

• i saw a post floating around where the female muse is a broken party girl who sleeps around and she works at a diner with the male muse who's just a nice guy, and she's always telling him he's too good for her, and maybe they've shared a few kisses, but she just won't let the male muse treat her right and take her out on a date. give me them working late in the diner together, give me the female muse complaining about her tragic love life to the male muse while he's thinking he could treat her better if she just let him, give me him bringing in a date to the diner or maybe a customer flirts with him in front of the female muse and now she's being short with him and acting jealous. ideally i'd like to use my devon lee carlson muse, kylie, but i'm open to using a different muse i already have.

• give me a pair of criminals who team up together and have to go on the run after their first big-hit doesn't go how they planned. give me them arguing about whose fault it was that their plans fell apart, give me them in a dingy motel together having to share a small bed, give me them finally bonding and maybe becoming just a lil flirty with each other. i can imagine them chatting and telling one another how they turned to a life of crime, and just detailing the old lives they left behind. give me them doing more jobs, give me them having to escape their motel when the cops show up randomly.

• something horror related or supernatural! give me something like scream, maybe one of our muses is the killer, or maybe they're both being stalked by ghostface and they're trying to survive! maybe they're each a child of someone from the og cast, like sidney's child, gale's child, etc. or it could also be fun to just each play one of the canon characters having to deal with ghostface being back again. this definitely needs further plotting!!!

• some kind of period roleplay! we could do like an arranged marriage royal plot, or maybe even some plot revolving around a band in the 70s/60s. for the royal period plot i would love for it to be wlw or mlm because that obviously raises the stakes. i imagine for the 60s/70s band plot to be a similar dynamic to daisy jones and the six. give me a romance between toxic band members. they shouldn't be together but they have to always be around one another, and their passion isn't the kind you can just ignore.

[castlebyersafterdark]

awww noah lmaoooo nooo the fan account thing! ok so some non-juice: one of my fam members is a creative and their product became viral famous for about 3 months a few summers ago cos a member of a huge K POP band bought one of their pieces and suddenly every fan of this band wanted a version of the item. they were snowed under and followers/engagement etc shot up. it was stressful and hilarious and great for business for a while lol. but i remember cracking up at seeing how this person i had always known became this semi-public figure and the way i was like I KNOW THE REAL UYOUUUUUU hhahahaha

i imagine that's what is happening here with noah, like it's oddly thrilling to view someone you know and love through the lens of strangers and fans who only know their fame. maybe noah is kind of laying down breadcrumbs for the future when they wont be able to film together anymore? or sort of celebrating finn's (and his!) fame by trying to view them through the lens of being a fan. this is such a reach but the psychology oddly works out for people with weird brains like me (im gonna reach and say noah is an Odd Brain too lol <3).

i remember timothee chalamet, when he got famous, saying he would stare at pictures of him and his mum for ages. just like trying to get your head around who you are and your relationships with people you love. its sort of like us staring at pics of finn and noah but its them doing it to themselves lmao. does that make sense? i bet loads of people have stared at selfies of themselves theyve taken where they think they look cute. i bet people have stared for hoursss lmao just revelling in how hot they looked that time

so yeah i see this as mildly freak behaviour (we all know noah is an actual stan lmao) but also a way of clutching the present before life changes forever

WILD that happened to a relative!!! The sudden fame must be such a mind fuck. I cannot imagine. Suddenly being perceived.

But that does drive a good point, the fact that despite being rich and famous, a lot of celebs do strive for a normal life. Maybe not the most tippy top of A listers, but Noah and most of the younger cast do seem able to at least somewhat navigate a famous life and a private life. He is so engaged with his online fandom and persona. That seems very apparent. Viewing the people you personally know and interact with through the lens of that fame must be very interesting to switch into. Like how they hang out and work together but can still be fans of each other's work and projects, the duality of knowing someone intricately and intimately but also the somewhat aloof distance of "but I'm also a fan of them." Like when you see major celebrities freaking out at awards show red carpets about seeing other celebs and I'll think - girl, that's your peer? You're also in movies? But they still feel that way. An oscar winner fangirling over another actress. Even if they might get lunch the next day. It's that duality line again.

So I can understand this fan account thing, two-fold interesting if there is a relationship afoot. That extra layer. For suuuuure, mild freak behavior, but he's lowkey a little weirdo. And we love that for him.

And only semi related but still kinda on topic. The whole perception of knowing someone and the image put online. Like, I don't even have a FB and I don't post on insta, but my fiance does (ohhh!!! that's the first time I've typed that word on this blog 🥲 oh wow...) and I have a private account to follow and occasionally look at stuff on there. And to see what he posts about me. I'm living my life. Living with the man. Experiencing the random things he photographs. But it's fascinating looking at what he decides to post and share. Because sometimes I think... why do that? I look and it makes me happy but I wonder, why these moments? Others like seeing them clearly by those who hit the little heart button. Why maintain an online presence? Before this digital world, people used to keep photo albums for themselves and family only, but now our photo albums are all shared with the world. Is that all it really is - the adjustment to a change in media tech? Who is it for?

But we can ask that of any person with social media. I guess for most people I'd think it's sharing a memory or showcasing happiness or some other emotion. It's just what most do now. The veneer of social media. You wonder the thought process behind what gets posted by these famous people we follow, what they think of knowing that the posts they add to their digital photo albums have millions of eyes looking. How a guy with a crush on a friend maybe just wanted to feel silly and watch some videos people online edited with his crush's image - or his partner, if a relationship is there. What is he looking for when he watches the edits? Pride, envy, humor?

Way too complex to even get into, I'm really rambling now.

[notmoreflippingelves]

"Would you ever write": 1) a narumitsu story (doesn't need to end well *smirk* Sorry I am mean XD ) 2) an Ace Attorney/Elena of Avalor crossover 3) a Krisnix fix-it ?

Yes and No

What I mean by that is that. No, I would never write a story where narumitsu is the exclusive and only focus. I'm not even sure that I could write a Phoenix & Edgeworth gen platonic story. I'm just not invested in their dynamic enough to want to center a fanwork about it.

However, I would be open to writing a story that incorporates narumitsu provided that it isn't the main/only focus. For instance, I might write a krisnix that has past narumitsu, unrequited narumitsu, or future narumitsu, but in those cases, krisnix would still be the "main" ship and the narumitsu would stay in the background. Even if the narumitsu is "endgame," I would absolutely imply that Phoenix will always be more than a little in love with Kristoph.

I would also be open to writing Phoenix and Edgeworth as part of a poly ship with someone else. I made a post a few days ago about how the introduction of nearly any third party into the Nick & Miles dynamic is somehow able to make me care about narumitsu. I think the most likely candidates for the 3rd member of the triad would naturally be Kristoph, followed closely by Lang. But I admit to also being curious about Lana or Blackquill. So who knows where it might go.

2. Maybe

I already have way too many works-in-progress/plot bunnies for both fandoms (plus a few other fandoms) to think seriously of adding to them. So I don't think it's particularly likely that I would write an AA + EoA crossover. However, I have actually put some considerable thought into how exactly a hypothetical crossover might work. (If I ever find a way to make my blorbos from each fandom interact in a way that makes sense, this could definitely change).

In the series finale of EoA's sister show Sofia the First, we are teased with the idea of multiple-dimensions/alternate universes existing within canon. The Ever Realm (where EoA and StF take place) is specifically identified as being in a distinct universe from NeverLand and the existence of NeverLand implies the existence of London. And given that London is the setting of the both the Ace Attorney/Layton crossover and the Ace Attorney prequel, we can assume that this universe would be compatible with the wider Ace Attorney franchise.

So due to ambiguous magical shenanigans (maybe involving Esteban's teleportation staff?) , the cast of Elena of Avalor could hypothetically dimension-hop into the same universe as the Ace Attorney characters. I think a crossover might work best if it was set primarily in Kingdom of Khur'ain from Spirit of Justice. It would still be quite an adjustment but definitely less of a culture shock than having the EoA crew land in modern-day Japanifornia.

I have thought a bit as well about some of the character interactions that I would love to see.

Esteban would not get along with Minister Inga, as he would remind Esteban of the worst aspects of himself (pompous, arrogant, ambitious). Nahyuta would also remind Esteban a lot of himself, in the sense of being , once-idealistic-but-grown-more-jaded as a result of being trapped from a young age under the thumb of a very powerful, cruel, and dangerous tyrant , being forced to do terrible things as a result but nevertheless clinging to their humanity through it all and trying to use what little influence they have to protect their family and country. I really think that they could really help each other heal. I also feel like Esteban might develop a crush on Dhurke Sahdmadhi, but he absolutely would not recognize it as a crush. He would just be all "he's so tall and mysterious and manly. like a hero from a storybook. I want him to think I am cool and smart and interesting too." (This is also how I head canon that Esteban hypothetically views Antonio Agama in universe--an actual crush that he mistakes for a very long time as being a man crush/hero-worship due to him being a very closeted, very repressed and even more oblivious distinguished disaster bi.)

Athena has the potential to develop some really powerful bonds with both Esteban and Elena. Elena's emotion dress magic and Athena's emotional-hearing + Widget provide an interesting point of commonality on discussing how they feel and process emotions in themselves and others--as well as how to cope when the strength and intensity of their feelings overwhelms them. Esteban, meanwhile, would not easily be able to hide his loneliness, guilt, and insecurity from Athena's super-hearing, nor from her compassion. Hear heart would go out to him and she would work on helping him see the good in himself/build himself back up as well as reminding the other characters to show him the affection, attention, and validation that he's always needed.

I feel like Mateo and Apollo would not get along. This is probably a combination of me projecting my Mateo apathy onto Apollo and the fact that Apollo is in general fairly prickly, hot-tempered, and judgy. They would squabble and I would live for it.

Klavier would absolutely flirt shamelessly with everyone. Gabe and Esteban just roll their eyes and Mateo and Elena would be oblivious. But Naomi...he would absolutely rub Naomi up the wrong way and she would bond with Ema over it. She eventually comes around to him, especially when he turns down the playboy persona and is a bit more genuine. I also feel pretty sure that Klavier and Prince Alonzo would start out as bitter rivals, abruptly become besties, and then maybe something more?

Ema and Isabel would absolutely talk each other's ears off about science, and thanks to Ema, Isa would probably enter her "forensics" era for awhile and spend a lot of time using science to play detective.

I feel like Trucy might exchange sleight-of-hand tricks with the Delgados. She would also be fascinated by Elena's scepter and Esteban's staff and would spend a lot of time trying to figure out how the "trick" worked.

Haven't really thought much about Phoenix, the Feys, Edgeworth, Larry, Blackquill, Ziska, Gumshoe, or any of the others. But I think there's potential there. Maybe particularly in having Maya or Pearl channel Alacazar as well as Elena's and/or Esteban's parents.

3. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I actually have a few plot bunnies/works-in-progress (albeit very much on the backburner) that have elements of "krisnix fix-it-fic."

One of them is a post-canon, angsty mess but that ultimately will have elements of getting back together and Kristoph receiving mental health care.

Another is a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend AU in which madcap screwball romantic dark comedy shenanigans ensure that Kristoph never actually kills anyone, undoes a lot of the damage he's already done/takes accountability for his actions, and ends up with a relatively happy ending (even if I'm not entirely sure whether he'd end up with Phoenix ,alone or with one of the alternate love interests.)

The third is a time-travel AU scenario. The DLC case of SOJ supposedly includes elements of time-travel but are later revealed to be faked/misinterpretations. This fic would presuppose that in the process of investigating the case, Phoenix discovered that time travel really does exist. In exchange for successfully convincing everyone else that it doesn't, the Time Travel Bureau will allow Phoenix to make a few changes to the past, provided that they don't disrupt the wider timeline too much. After his first choices of saving Mia and Gregory Edgeworth are rejected (as their deaths have too great an impact on events), Phoenix is permitted to "save" Kristoph by preventing him from committing the murders (as it's gauged that Zak and Drew Misham would've died of natural causes soon afterwards anyway). Phoenix has to be *very* careful in terms of not letting anyone know what he is doing and only making the slightest changes. He will still lose his badge and spend 7 years without it, Zak will still abandon Trucy, Kristoph's forgery will still be revealed and he'll be disbarred and sent to prison for it--though fortunately he doesn't have murder on his conscience/sentence. But Kristoph will eventually get out on parole, live a much happier life (I'm thinking he ends up working in the marketing department for Ariadoney), and possibly get back together with Phoenix.

Send me an ask that says “Would you ever write…” and continue the sentence. I’ll respond with yes or no and give an explanation as to why if I want to.

[reallyghostlypost]

So, there are multiple magic shrines in the game. This post will be about the shrine where you can make your spouse forget all about you, since the other two are smaller in scope, only really affecting you and your family. The memory shrine on the other hand will modify the memory of every person that knows about the farmer's marriage. The shrine doesn't seem to rewrite reality, since you still need to write and submit the paperwork for divorce, and it doesn't erase the memory completely, since the targeted character will mention the farmer looking familiar. It also seems to force everyone to think about something else whenever the topic comes to their minds, since they don't realize obvious issues like someone not knowing who the farmer is even after the farmer lived in Pelican Town for years or a family member suddenly moving back into their old home. But we know that the spell is very strong, since there's nothing anyone can do to reverse or break the curse.

I'll try the 'read more' thing again, maybe it'll work this time:

In vanilla this all makes sense, after all the townspeople being helpless against the magic of the shrines is normal. And them not noticing obvious changes, like someone not knowing who the farmer is even if the farmer moved in the Valley years ago, can also be explained by the fact that they have no ability to protect themselves from magic and no way to even recognize the effects of a spell cast on them. At best, some of them have some sort of magical affinity, but without any training or experience it won't help much. In vanilla, it also makes sense that Rasmodius doesn't realise, or cares, that someone in Pelican Town got cursed. He almost never interacts with the rest of the town and doesn't seem interested in what happens there at all, so it's possible he won't even notice that something is off or that someone is behaving differently. It's also possible he can sense that the magic comes from his ex-wife's shrine, and he does his best to avoid her, so he might not interfere even if he can tell that someone got cursed. So, in vanilla the farmer is free to do whatever they want.

But it's more complicated in SVE. Unlike in vanilla, Magnus is now directly responsible for the safety of the community and can't avoid his ex if she's harming someone in Pelican Town, and it's hard to believe that the villagers having permanent magical induced amnesia will go unnoticed for too long. There are now wards around Pelican Town so magic passing through them would probably disrupt them, and Magnus visits the town occasionally and probably interacts with the mayor often enough, given his new duties. Even if he still doesn't know the residents enough to notice someone suddenly acting differently, it still increases the chance that the curse will be discovered. And SVE makes it clear that magic is not exactly subtle and that mages have a keen sense when it comes to detecting magic and other types of energies - Magnus and the farmer can feel small changes happening deep in the forest, Magnus and Lance can feel when a snowstorm is approaching or when nature is awakening in spring, and Magnus can feel the void shard the farmer is carrying. Marlon can too for that matter, which shows that dark magic is easily recognisable by those who know what to look out for. Even if Magnus is mildly affected by the spell, since he'll know about the farmer's marriage, it's harder to accept that the shrine's magic can go unnoticed for too long.

But SVE complicates this further by letting you marry Magnus and Lance and then wipe off their memories. They are not only highly trained wizards but are also surrounded by other trained wizards. Can't anyone around them sense that something is wrong? The farmer getting accepted by the mage/adventurer community and having their talents recognized hinges on the fact that both Magnus, and later Lance, realized their potential and vouched for their talents. All the adventurer and mage community (thousands of people) know about the farmer comes from these two and Marlon, won't one of them suddenly not knowing who the farmer is be suspicious? The farmer could have been part of the guild for years at this point, how could Magnus not know them? Besides, there are probably reports and other bits of paperwork detailing the relation between the farmer and both Magnus and Lance, paperwork that the farmer doesn't have access to so they can't destroy it. It would only take one person to notice the history of their collaboration on different projects or the reports on the farmer's abilities and progress written by these two to realize that some magical shenanigan has happened. Sure, the shrines are powerful in vanilla, but how strong is their magic in SVE? And at least Magnus is a trusted member of the Ministry of Magic, which apparently write rules and take decisions that the rest of the mages have to obey, surely there must some security measures in place, right? Especially against mind manipulation. The farmer only uses the shrine to wipe their spouse's memory of their relation, but it's possible that it can be used to modify any memory, the farmer simply doesn't need it for anything else. How much damage can it do if used by somone politically motivated?

Of course, then the question is why isn't the witch using the shrine this way to get her revenge. Maybe the shrine isn't that dangerous, or maybe she's not capable. After all, dark magic seems to corrupt the mind, and it's possible that she's too far gone to be able to think up this type of long-term plans. Also, we see Magnus cast a protection spell on his ancient fruits against her, so maybe he expects something from her and protected himself in advance. But he never suspected the farmer, so remained vulnerable to the shrine's magic. But still, the fact that he's this vulnerable is the problem. It's also possible that either she or the shrine aren't that strong. Nobody seems worried that there's an angry witch bothering Magnus and looking for revenge - Magnus acts annoyed and guilty, and according to Lance everybody else finds it hilarious. It's possible that she never was very powerful in the first place, so no one considers her a danger. As for the shrine, maybe making someone forget their marriage is truly all it can do. But the fact that a small shrine hidden in a swamp by an outcasted and corrupted by hatred witch can affect him this badly is pretty worrisome. After all, there is always the risk that another similar shrine is out there, more powerful or simply more dangerous.

And actually, we know there are, since Qi created a very powerful shrine just for the farmer to mess around with the mines. I wanted to write about both shrines, but this post is long enough, so I left it out for the time being.