#definitely the smartest episode for that reason

[robbinggoodfellows]

Midnight is such a good episode of Doctor Who because it’s starts out like “ooh silly road trip episode!! yeah the doctor got overstimulated on the bus and broke all of the tvs forcing everyone to have a powerpoint night!! what a silly little episode!!” And then it’s just. The horrors.

[merrybloomwrites]

A Podcast Love Story

Summary: The story of Shayne & Y/N, as told through a series of podcasts

AN: This story was inspired by a request from someone that tumblr isn't letting me tag, so that's dumb lol

Also, I tried to follow the actual timeline of when these podcasts were posted but I did take some creative liberty, so some things might not match up with when the were really posted irl

Wordcount: 3.4K

CW: very light mention of smut, talk about pregnancy

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SmoshCast #75 – How Shayne and Courtney Feel About Being Shipped Together

Dating someone who’s in the public eye was not entirely unexpected. You live in Los Angeles after all. When you and Shayne started dating in 2019 you decided to keep it a secret for a while. Neither of you were ready to share your relationship with the Smosh viewers yet.

This became more difficult when you decided to quarantine together in 2020 during the pandemic. Two weeks after he returned from Australia, when you were sure that neither of you had Covid, you packed your necessities and headed to Shayne’s. It was nice being together, but it did get complicated when he needed to film videos.

Sometimes you would go for a walk while he was filming. Other times you would hide in the other room. He’d triple check all his footage before submitting it to make sure you, and any of your belongings, weren’t in frame.

One day, a few months in, he and Courtney are recording an episode of the SmoshCast. He sets up at the small dining table in the corner of the living room. You’re on the couch, meaning you can’t be seen on the camera, but you are in Shayne’s view. It might not have been the smartest decision since you’re now stuck there for the entire time they record, but you have a book and a snack, so you get cozy.

You can only hear Shayne’s side of the conversation, so you’re not fully paying attention. That is, until you hear Shayne say, “If we so much as say hi to each other, Shartney fans poop themselves.” The mention of this ship between him and his castmate has you more focused on the conversation. Not because you’re jealous, because that would be ridiculous, but because all of you find it quite funny how hard the two of them are shipped.

He can’t stop looking over to you for the entire ten-minute segment. It’s subtle, but there’s definitely a connection between the two of you. It’s obvious that he’s reassuring you that there’s nothing to worry about. You especially like when he says, “You can ship me with anything. Ship me with bananas.” And you nearly lose it when he says, “I am begging you, please, make a ship edit of me and Kathy Bates.”

They continue to talk and the conversation steers towards how fans make assumptions based on what they see in videos. Shayne brings up how people were concerned about him for a few weeks at the beginning of quarantine. He starts to explain, “I was very quiet in those early podcasts, but the reason was, one, I was not getting enough sleep. I kept staying up late,” here he looks at you before quickly saying, “playing video games.” You again struggle to keep quiet, knowing that was not the truth. Unless “playing video games” has now become code for “having intimate moments with my girlfriend”.

He continues to talk about how his setup for recording was less than ideal and finishes by saying, “I wasn’t sad at all, I was actually having great days.” Again, you share a quick look, showing that you agree with him about how wonderful it’s been since you started living together.

They wrap up the podcast a little while later and Shayne is officially done with work for the day.

“Playing video games, huh?” you say teasingly.

“Oh yea, totally a pro gamer now,” he replies.

“You think so?” you say with a laugh.

“I mean, I could always use more practice,” he answers as he lifts you from the couch, carrying you to the bedroom.

SmoshCast #85 – American Horror Story: Adulting

A few months later and things are looking better in the world. This means a return to the office for everyone. You’d landed a job at Smosh, working in post-production, so now you and Shayne work together. You were nervous about being around each other all the time, but luckily there’s still a fair amount of the day when you’re apart. Shayne is often filming or in meetings or busy writing, and you spend most of the time at your desk working on the next video.

But sometimes, you get a break to see him. Shayne, Damien, and Coutney are filming a new SmoshCast episode, and you sneak in to watch from the back. The theme is “Adulting”, and they somehow start by talking about how they interact with the younger generation. You can’t help but smile as Shayne talks about his niece, endeared by the relationship he has with her. He also mentions grandchildren, which makes your imagination run away thinking about your future together.

You stay for a little while and just watch your boyfriend. He’s not saying anything crazy, or doing anything special, but you love listening to him give advice. You also love how attentive he is to his friends, how closely he listens to everything they say. When you do go back to your desk you take a moment to think about how lucky you are that this man, with a solid head on his shoulders and more emotional maturity than you’ve ever seen before, is your other half.

Smosh Mouth #5 – Shayne and Y/N Share Their Love Story

“Welcome back to Smosh Mouth, I’m Shayne.”

��And I’m Amanda.”

“And today we have a very special guest. We have my lovely wife, Y/N Topp,” Shayne says, smiling at you as he finished the introduction.

“Hello everyone,” you say into the microphone.

It’s weird being in front of the camera. It’s only happened a few times in the years that you’ve been with Shayne. Even though you also work at Smosh, you’re always behind the scenes. You’ve only really been in videos that highlight the crew, so the focus has rarely been on you.

But today you’re finally sitting down to do a podcast for the channel. They’d just revived the podcast after a nearly three-year hiatus.

So much has happened in your personal life since then. At the time that SmoshCast was airing, your relationship with Shayne was fairly new, and you weren’t ready to share it yet. Within a year of that last episode going live, you two had gotten engaged. This led to you guys getting married, and as of 22 weeks ago, you being pregnant with your first child.

“Well, I for one am very excited to have you here today,” Amanda says. “I cannot wait to grill you on every last detail of your relationship.” You all laugh at that, knowing that while you’re sharing more personal information than you ever have before, no one is going to push you or Shayne too much.

“So,” Amanda continues. “Tell me, how did you meet?”

You look to Shayne, encouraging him to start the story.

“We met in 2019,” he begins. “Someone had recommended a book to me, so I was at the library to pick it up. While I was looking through the shelf Y/N came over and started looking through the section as well. We kind of started at opposite ends and moved to meet in the middle. Turns out we were both looking for the same book.”

“No you were not!” Amanda interjects.

“We really were,” you say to confirm. “We basically have the most cliché meet-cute story.”

“Ya, no kidding! So, what happened next?” she asks.

“Well, I had picked up the book first and noticed Y/N glance at it. So we started talking and I told her she should take the book first and I’d read it when she’s done.”

“And then he very smoothly said he could give me his number so I could tell him when I was returning the book,” you add.

“Look at you,” Amanda says. “Making the bold moves.”

“I had to give it a try,” Shayne says with a laugh.

“And it worked. I texted him a couple weeks later, the day before I returned the book.”

“I didn’t have her number,” Shayne says. “And I was kicking myself for not getting it because waiting to hear from her was pretty torturous I’m not gonna lie. So as soon as she texted about the book I asked her on a date.”

“Which actually shocked me at first. I really though he only was interested in the book.”

“Did you know who he was?” Amanda asks. “Like, had you watched Smosh or seen him on TV before you met?”

“I did know who he was. I had just started watching Smosh, so I recognized him but really didn’t know much about him.”

“Did you start watching old videos and try to get to know more about him after you met? Or after he asked you out?”

“I tried not to. I wanted to get to know him naturally, not through videos online. But there was a video posted after he asked me out but before our date called ‘Why We’re Bad at Dating’ and I couldn’t resist. And I truly think it helped us hit it off on that first date.”

“How so?” Amanda inquires.

Shayne takes that question, saying, “In the episode I talked about what I do on dates that kind of lead to there not being a second date. And Y/N/N called me out on that.”

You chime in, adding, “He said he puts on a ‘CW’ version of himself. I told him not to do that. And I admitted to being just as anxious about the date as he was so we should just forget the pressure and hang out and get to know each other.”

“Well, that’s adorable,” Amanda says. “So obviously you started dating and kept dating. When did you take the next step?”

Shayne takes this question and says, “I asked her to be my girlfriend a couple months later. And then we moved in together shortly after the start of the pandemic. Which was slightly challenging when it came to filming at home for Smosh since we wanted to keep the relationship a secret for a while.”

“Yea, how in the world did you make that work?”

“We were very, very careful,” you say. “I definitely hid in the bathroom more than once to stay out of frame.” At this you all laugh, and you add, “Totally worth it, though.”

“Ok, next juicy question. Shayne, how did you propose?”

“So, I hired a sky writer,” he says before laughing and continuing, “No, just kidding. We’d been dating for a year and a half, living together for almost a year at the time. We rented a cabin in Colorado for a few days and on the second day we went on a hike. Packed a picnic, did the whole thing. And I uh, I proposed at the top of the mountain.”

“You guys are literally a romcom,” Amanda quips.

“Would a romcom do a hike proposal? I feel like they’re always at fancy restaurant or the beach. Or like, yelling ‘Will you marry me?’ As the girl walks away down a street in the pouring rain,” you say.

“Oh, a hike proposal is very Lifetime or Hallmark.”

“Good point, it’s totally been in at least one of those movies.”

“Did you like that it was on a hike?” Amanda asks.

“Yea, Y/N/N, did you like it?” Shayne says, pretending to be truly concerned and worried about your answer.

“Hated it,” you say jokingly. “No, honestly, I loved it. Shayne and I always bonded over how much we love nature, so it was perfect for us. I can’t imagine it being any other way. I know a lot of girls want to make sure their nails are done so they get that perfect ring picture, which totally fine, not judging at all. But it definitely felt right that I literally had dirt under my nails and scrapes on my palms from slipping up the hill. Much more authentic that way.”

“And the wedding, anything you want to share about it?” Amanda asks.

“We actually got married in New Mexico,” you say. “It was the central spot for both our families. It was last April, so, beautiful weather during the day. And we lucked out that the temperature didn’t drop too much at night.”

“Very nice,” Amanda replies. “Shayne, anything to add?”

“We kept it pretty small, just family, and close friends. I feel like it was a very typical wedding, but it was ours, you know? So, it was special.” Shayne blushes and you know that your wedding day means more to him than he’s letting on. And that’s fine with you. It was a private event, and even though you’re sharing your relationship now, neither of you want to give away too much about your wedding.

“Aw, he’s getting red,” Amanda jokes. “Did you go on a honeymoon?”

“We did. We went to Hawaii. Neither of us had been before so we knew it would be special for us. We wanted to experience something new together,” you answer.

“Cute!” she replies. “Now, dedicated fans know you guys are together, know you’re married and all that. But there is some news you two have to share that no one knows, is that correct?”

“That’s right,” Shayne says. He looks at you, silently asking if you want to say it. But you can tell he’s bursting to tell everyone, so you give him a nod to continue.

“Y/N and I are having a baby,” he says.

“Hell yea you are! Smosh baby!” Amanda cheers. “Congratulations to you both! Y/N, how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good right now. I’m in the second trimester so my morning sickness is mostly gone, thank god. We’re very excited, got some classes we’re planning to take and we’re reading all the books so I’m sure we will still be extremely unprepared,” you say with a laugh.

“If there’s anyone I trust to figure it out and be great parents, it’s the two of you,” Amanda replies earnestly.

“Thank you, Amanda,” Shayne says.

The podcast continues with Amanda continuing to ask questions and you and Shayne sharing more stories about your time together.

You wrap up recording by mid-afternoon. You have an appointment with your doctor scheduled and since it’s so close to the end of the day, Shayne was also given time off to join you. Everything goes well and as he drives you both home you can’t help but be grateful that the two of you were brought together.

Smosh Reads Reddit Stories: Office Nightmares

It’s been a month and a half since recording your episode of SmoshMouth, and three weeks since it aired. The news that you and Shayne are expecting a baby spread faster than anything you’d experienced before. You’d both received messages of congratulations from more people than you had ever expected: from Smosh fans to Disney fans, and even Goldbergs fans. You never imagined the amount of support you’d receive.

You had the morning off for yet another checkup with your doctor. You get back to the office early, but technically you’re still scheduled to be off, so you opt to sit in as they record the next Reddit Story video/podcast. It’s one of your favorite series currently, and you love listening to Shayne read all the stories.

He begins the third story, reading the title, “Am I the asshole for telling my wife that I’m not taking off of work to be present at our daughters’ birth?”

They joke around for a bit, and then he dives into the story, reading how the man explains that he couldn’t take off work cause there’s a project and they need him there. The wife finds out that’s a lie, and it mad that he didn’t take time off. He says he wants to work more so they’d have more money after the birth, and that the baby wouldn’t even remember him being there. He finishes by saying he doesn’t know why it’s such a big deal to be there at the birth, and even blames the wife’s hormones for her being upset about it.

Shayne, along with Spencer and Tommy begin to share their thoughts on the story. You smile and nod as Shayne makes the point of, “He keeps saying the baby’s not gonna remember, but you’re fucking wife will!”

They even give reasons why they’d understand him not being there, with Tommy saying, “If they were really desperate for cash then I’d get it,” and Spencer saying he’d understand if he were terrified of being around childbirth.

The boys then look over to you and Spencer says, “Y/N, you’re pregnant, how do you feel about this story?”

“Yea,” Tommy adds, “would you kill Shayne if he did this?”

“Oh, for sure!” you call out.

“C’mere,” Shayne says. “You’re probably the one most qualified to give an opinion here.”

You look to Kiana who’s directing the video and she gives you a nod, so you walk onto the set and stand behind Shayne, leaning down so your face is next to his and your voice will get picked up on his microphone.

“What are you’re thoughts on this?” Tommy asks.

“You guys definitely made a lot of great points. I mean, childbirth is terrifying, and I keep trying to ignore the fact that I do have to actually, you know, birth a human. But I know that Shayne will be there and is studying to be the best support person. I mean, he’s read enough books about it, I think he could deliver the baby himself if necessary,” you say with a laugh.

“I will add, if this was the father of my child, I’d wonder what he actually deems important. Because this is arguably one of the biggest days of everyone’s life. First of all, it should be important to him. It’s literally his child entering the world. It’s a privilege to be one of the first people that baby will ever meet. And then, what will be a big enough deal for him to take off work in the future? Baby’s not gonna remember her first birthday, is he gonna go to that? She has a dance recital at three years old, is he going to think that’s silly and not go?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that, but it makes sense,” Spencer replies. “He definitely seems to have his priorities and being there for his family isn’t one.”

“I truly cannot imagine not being there when our kid is born,” Shayne says. “My worst fear would be if something kept me from being there.”

“Because you’re a good person,” Tommy says bluntly, and everyone laughs.

You head back off camera as they continue on.

After a few more stories Shayne begins another entry, titled, “And I the asshole for eating the last doughnut before my pregnant coworker could have one?” He looks at you once he reads it and laughs before saying, “Y/N’s face says, yes absolutely you are.”

He reads the story which explains that the young employee ate his allotted two doughnuts, and when the pregnant coworker didn’t show up after half an hour, he ate her two as well. She gets there shortly after and explains she had car trouble and is upset to see everyone had a treat but didn’t save her any. Later, the boss pulls aside the employee to tell him he’d been rude to his coworker.

After he finishes the post the boys discuss the etiquette of eating communal snacks in the office before Shayne says, “Also, if there is one thing I know, it’s that you never mess with a pregnant woman’s food unless you want to die.” You laugh so loudly at this that you know for sure the mics picked it up from across the room.

“Y/N, anything to add?” Spencer says.

You walk over again and state, “Listen, all I’m say is that I’m mad you guys are just talking about doughnuts when we don’t have any. Cause cravings are a bitch and now I am literally not going to stop thinking about doughnuts until I get one.”

After moving offscreen you realize you need to pee, again, so you leave the studio to head to the bathroom. Once you’re out of the room Shayne says, “Hey Kiana, can I have my phone a second?”

“Why do you need your phone?” Spencer asks.

“I gotta doordash some doughnuts.”

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AN: Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any requests for Shayne stories!

Taglist: @american-girl001 @tatumrileyslover @queenofcaradelle @1nkm0nster

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok but here's a dynamic I forgot to consider! MK's canon encyclopedia snd self doubt. All the way form the very start of the series he's shown lack of confidence in his skills and even hints of being jealous or even envious of Sun Wukong's skill and abilities, saying on multiple occasions he doesn't think he's worthy to be Wukong's heir and successor.

Just imagine how he, someone who's dreamed of being like the Monkey King and being a hero for years, would feel learning his berdy older brother who wants nothing to do with the legend at all is actually Sun Wukong himself!? And even after they split the power, Peaches should naturally become stronger and better at controlling them at a faster rate than MK simply because of the fact that, well, those are HIS powers! He isn't learning to use them for the first time. It's already something familiar to him. He's more so remembering how to use them than actually doing the work to learn how to control them.

And MK would definitely notice.

MK has a personal conflict of envy and self-worth, especially since from his perspective; his big brother (who may not actually Be his brother anymore) has been protecting him his whole life.

MK worshipped his bro so much as a kid since he'd always been the strongest, smartest, and handsome-st big brother ever. When MK got old enough, he had the circumstances surrounding their adoption explained to him, only fueling this worship further - his big brother had saved them from a likely terrible situation and found Dadsy too!

But now...

Why would Peaches Monkey King ever hang out with boring, useless MK? His dumb not-brother who can barely use his "baby" powers without messing up big time!

Was MK only ever found/kept because the Monkey King couldn't remember anything?

Did MK *cause* the amnesia?!

Cus there must be a reason why MK can lift the Staff and take half of Sun Wukong's power. And MK isn't sure he likes any of them.

Him and Mei have a venting episode to tackle their issues with self-worth and being related to someone so renown.

In Peaches opinion; MK *is* his little brother. The circumstance don't matter. Sun Wukong or not, MK is the coolest little brother a monkey could have. If only he knew that.

[ecargmura]

Oshi No Ko Episode 22 Review - Blatant Loophole

You can’t fool my eyes and ears. The man with the sunglasses is obviously Aqua and Ruby’s biological father and he’s voiced by Mamoru Miyano! The man’s back to voice another potential psycho but this time, a psycho daddy. It’s obvious the mystery isn’t resolved as the true culprit is out and about.

While the Aqua and Kana sort-of date is a nice respite for both of them, it does show that Aqua potentially does have feelings for her as he’s treating her to nice things like paying for the coffee, holding her bag and even taking her back home via taxi. However, Aqua does feel like the type who is nice to girls, but doesn’t really know how to fall in love. Given his past life as Goro and how he grew up as Aqua, he never really had someone he genuinely loved. Sure, he had a crush on Ai, but a celebrity crush is a different kind of love from genuine, romantic love. He idolized the power Ai had as an idol and that love was transferred to Aqua who developed some kind of complicated feelings towards Ai. I won’t deny there was huge attachment to her.

I think his feelings of attachment lingers in Akane who is essentially mimicking Ai. However, remember that she’s not Ai. Akane doesn’t even know if she has romantic feelings for Aqua herself as she’s also clueless about love. I think that the affections Kana and Akane bring to Aqua are different. Kana brings the type of feelings he’s never felt for someone else before because she’s so different while Akane gives him affection but like in the way that makes him attached because he gets reminded of Ai emotionally.

To be honest, I dislike waifu wars because I find them asinine. I honestly don’t flipping care who Aqua ends up with because at the end of the day, people will always have something to complain about when it comes to the character they love or hate. Both Kana and Akane are good choices but I honestly don’t care who is end game. If I had to choose, I'd just go the BL route and have Aqua be with Melt.

Though, I won’t deny that Akane is essentially the smartest character in the show. Even she’s sharp enough to sense the obvious loophole concluding the case. If you’re curious about what that loophole is, it’s the fact that Himekawa’s mother could’ve had an affair with Aqua’s father, which could’ve been why they’re related, and the affair could’ve been the reason for the murder-suicide. Aqua’s been too obsessed with finding his father that he’s denying the possibility that he’s still alive and is just haphazardly concluding everything on him being related to Uehara. Akane is definitely in a dilemma because Aqua is finally at peace, but she also knows that he’s covering his eyes from the real truth because he just wants everything to end. I really like Akane’s intelligence because she does have a way with keeping the mystery going.

First off, I’m surprised that Ruby’s not questioning why a man dressed in sunglasses and a hat is at a cemetery. Second, I’m both surprised and not surprised that the baby daddy is voiced by Mamoru Miyano because Miyano’s essentially the psycho type-cast. Why is it that whenever there’s Koki Uchiyama in the cast, a wild Mamoru Miyano will pop up somewhere? I feel like that’s happened a lot in some animes I’ve watched and reviewed like The Marginal Service and Demon Slayer to name a few. I guess it’s the Himawari Theatre Group prestige or something… I know that while it’s cliche to have Mamoru voice yet another psycho, it’s been a while since I last heard his softer tone which definitely fits the eerie music box background music that played when he walked past Ruby. I won’t deny that Mamoru Miyano will give it his all because he always kills it. Also, is this the first time he’s voicing a dad? I feel like it is…

How many episodes are there left? Two more? Three more? If you know, please let me know. I know that since baby daddy is in the picture now, a season 3 is definitely going to be announced. I wonder what will happen in the last remaining episodes? What will transpire in Miyazaki? What are your thoughts on this episode?

[musclemanveryregular]

[ID: Eileen, an anthropomorphic mole girl, on the left. Starla, an anthropomorphic green lady(?) on the right. /end ID]

Eileen:

-cute and sweet

-entirely the smartest character in the whole show, hands down.

-able to create a signal booster with random scrap she found.

-has her college degree.

-had a long time crush on rigby before they started secretly dating.

-loves high art, nature, and costumes.

-near impossible to surprise, seriously rigby had to get her to think her life was in danger because she continuously guessed every surprise rigby had planned for her in past attempts.

-very supportive of rigby.

-she should have been in the show more towards the end.

My thoughts on getting high with eileen: i think she'd be pretty fun, she'd probably want to mostly just look at space or art museums which sounds like a lot of fun.

Her tolerance level is probably a 3/5 i feel like she gets high regularly on the weekends with Rigby.

Starla:

-also cute, but maybe not as sweet.

-muscle mans girlfriend.

-she was basically made to be with him.

-despite a hiccup early on with them breaking up, they get along perfectly.

-she is incredibly strong, able to lift buildings and trees and cars just like muscle man.

-once convinced both muscle man and her parents to act super fancy at a fancy restaurant for some reason? The whole thing burst into a brawl with her, her parents, and muscle man killing the classist waitstaff in self defense.

-definitely should have been more episodes with her in them.

Thoughts on getting high with starla: she seems like she'd be kinda fun but id be worried she might freak out.

Her tolerance level is probably around a 2/5. She gets high with muscle man every other weekend when she can but she has a neice(i think?) She has to watch a lot so it hinders her ability to.

[greatandquestionablecontent]

Terror Rewatch Thougghts: Episode 6

-“Leave it to you sir john.” So capt franklin was the one who packed all the party gear! That fits. He sucked in a lot of ways but he also definitely understood how to keep people’s spirits and loyalties up. Also he was a great sermon writer, frankly. Love that he packed such a huge variety of costumes and decor.

-Jopson and the captain 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

-Bridgens giving peglar time to process to get ready for the journey. I read some meta abt how in the book we learn Peglar is the smartest man Bridgens ever knew, but takes longer to read things and learn things. With that in mind, it adds extra meaning to Bridgens going to him with the Anabasis as soon as he hears about the journey. It’s warning your bro because he’s the first person you tell, but it’s also helping him prepare his mind in a way that works for him, because you know him, and you Get him.

-The fact that fitzjames never even tries on the dress. He thinks about it. He has a moment in the mirror with his imagination. And then chooses a roman soldier outfit instead, whoch is Manly and Warriorly. The first time I was confused bc ngl I’d seen the cross dressing memes and still could barely keep track of who was who so I was like wait hang on what? But I Get It now. This fits so much with what he says later about building a man to live inside of. It’s also heartbreaking that he didn’t let himself have that chance to dress up, and then never again could have a chance, for different reasons.

-(Also fitzjames’ hair bleeding from scurvy onto the femme mask. Does he know hair follicles bleeding is a scurvy symptom? Probably. I didn’t know that until I went down my research rabbithole after the first watch).

-I spent a huge chunk of the episode like “ok but at exactly what moment do u think the dr decided to set the carnival and himself on fire.” Have you been having dark thoughts? Do you feel like your mind is against you?

-PEGLAR AFTER THE FIRE SEARCHING DESPERATELY THROUGH THE PEOPLE SCANNING FACES AND THEN BRIDGENS GRABS HIM AND DRAGS HIM INTO A HUG.

[that-ari-blogger]

The Aftermath

The Beacon is a very... disjointed episode. It has the unfortunate placement of between two episodes that are, in my opinion, the two best that the show has to offer, and it doesn't matter how good this episode is, it suffers in the contrast.

The Beacon is trying to set up The Promise and still recovering from No Princess Left Behind, which means that it struggles to tie both together without feeling like a ton of disconnected events.

So, for the sake of analysis, let's look at those events on their own, and see what they do for the story as a whole. Because some of them are really well written.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Catra's moments in this episode are genuinely some of the best little moments for her in the series. We see her kind nature start to show, ever so slightly. She is not kind, I want to stress this, a few actions do not make a redemption (yet), but we start to plant the seeds of that here.

In Entrapta's interrogation scene, we see Catra being manipulative, that much is obvious. But it's interesting how she does it. Catra doesn't belittle, or lie, or even seem disingenuous with her compliments, she is just aware that compliments lead to allegiances, and she is trying desperately to befriend the single smartest person on Etheria.

"You're not mad? People usually get mad." "Are you kidding?"

There is an empathy here with Catra. I mentioned in the previous post that everyone's greatest strength is their greatest weakness. And the same is true for Catra. She is exceedingly emotionally attuned. She sees herself in Entrapta, as the person left behind. The side effect of this is that she falls on her sword a bit when Adora leaves, but also in a weird, other way.

"Don't worry about that thing with Hordack. I've got plenty of experience getting yelled at... you get used to it."

Catra is talking to Shadow Weaver here, of all people. Why? Because she sees a person feeling low, and offers some condolences. Without concern for who she is, or what she has done. Catra offers a hand of peace. I want to stress that empathy isn't a weakness, that's not how this works, but it makes her easy prey for Shadow Weaver, because Catra is a child, a teenager, who is naive, and Shadow Weaver is evil.

But how does Shadow Weaver return the openness that Catra has displayed?

"I will not get used to mediocrity like you"

She returns kindness with an insult, and through her touch. Shadow Weaver desires power above all else, so when she is at her weakest, she tries to grab it from the one person she thinks she can mentally overpower.

This is why Catra is the way she is, any attempt at kindness is met with animosity for reasons she has no command in. But that little influence of Adora, and now Scorpia and even Entrapta, has kept the instinct alive. The empathy is there, just buried deep under the surface.

"I just wanted to prepare you for the world"

I love that Shadow Weaver has worked out her tactics are failing on Catra, so she tries giving the Adora treatment to her, and even that fails. I think that's rather satisfying. I pity her, but it is definitely gratifying to see her this low.

Shadow Weaver fits the same bill as everyone else in the series (strengths and weaknesses being the same), but she forms a weird parallel with Bow of all people. Shadow Weaver thinks big picture, she is the strategist, and she gets undermined time and again by the tiny things, such as personal determination, and unconditional love. This parallel isn't dwelled upon, but it's a neat thing to point out that Shadow Weaver's opposite isn't Catra or Adora, but Bow.

Speaking of Bow. The man is supportive of everyone, similarly to Sea Hawk. Bow still thinks big picture, but the difference between him and Shadow Weaver is that when Bow meets a wall, instead of thinking of a way to break it down, he finds another route. Bow is a strategist of the heart, making sure everyone is at their best and ready to step in to keep people's moral up, should they need it.

I also really like Glimmer's line:

"Your sorry is wrong and mine is right."

I think this is extremely revelatory about Glimmer, but that won't come up for a while.

Finally, there is Adora.

Under stress, she reverts. This is what Shadow Weaver did to her, she gave her a few set behaviours in response to certain stimuli. Notably, when scared, punch what I tell you. Shadow Weaver isn't here to give a target, so Adora decks the first thing she can get her hands on. Namely, this light.

There are other sections in the episode when she is in the background of other shots. And instead of just standing there, and looking apathetic, she shadow boxes. Adora cannot focus when she's directionless.

So naturally, she jumps at the opportunity to heal Glimmer, including possibly stabbing her, just to feel useful. Again, preprogrammed responses. She needs to feel useful, so she will run towards whomever is offering her that purpose.

"You want me to be weak? Well (Throws Sword), I am"

This leads into the above line. Adora believes she needs to be weak, and the first thing she does to achieve that is return to her original form and throw away her sword. Adora has associated strength with ability to achieve a given task. In this case, heal.

But the fascinating thing is how she goes about the accountability of failing. She has a weird internalisation of good things being She-Ra's fault, and bad things being Adora's fault. It's awful.

I'm going to finish this on a mildly happy note, because Glimmer and Angella have a really sweet interaction in this episode. Its the reassurance that a parent figure can offer. She offers support, and affirmation that this may not have worked, but it wasn't because of Glimmer's ideals, but her methods, which can be worked on.

Compare the following two lines.

"I will not get used to mediocrity like you" "We'll figure it out, together."

I have boldened a few words, because they reveal character quite nicely. One tries to separate the speaker from its subject, complete with an insult and a comparison, the other is supportive and constructive, and strives to make the listener understand this fact. Angella is a great mum.

Final Thoughts

This episode isn't particularly memorable. Which isn't its own fault. It is sandwiched by The Promise and No Princess Left Behind, which both render it rather uninspiring.

But this episode is actually quite decent. Its moments string together cohesively enough, and Marcus Scribner (Bow's Voice Actor) kills every line.

However, that opening sequence steals the show for me, as everyone leaves on their own way. That was why Entrapta's fake out death doesn't feel cheap. It actually hurts these people, and they don't get over it. This is a death that has its cake and eats it too, and that's a difficult thing to pull off. I think the thing that sells it is this is the only scene so far in the show (I think) in which Sea Hawk stays quiet, the events of the previous episode have managed to make the bard stop singing.

Previous - Next

[rey-jake-therapist]

The Lying Detective, self hatred and acceptance of abuse

There's something I need to let out of my chest about Sherlock and this episode in particular, cause it's the one that really opened my eyes about something very important regarding Sherlock: he hates himself. He really does, and because he hates himself he believes he deserves all the abuse he gets from the persons he loves.

At some point he says he believed he thought he was an idiot, because Mycroft kept repeating he was the smartest one when they were younger. That was until he met "ordinary people" and realized he was actually, you know, very smart compared to others. And yet, he kept believing that Mycroft was way above him in terms of intelligence. He accepted it, and because he accepted it he trusted him to know what was better for him. And Mycroft, in return, felt entitled to let him believe that Redbeard was a dog and not his childhood friend, and to hide him that he had a sister, who was also a murderer, who had let said friend rot in a well. He felt he had to do it because he didn't trust Sherlock to handle the truth. He thought he was what? too stupid to understand? Too sensitive?

Now don't get me wrong, I love Mycroft as a character, and I know that he did all that "for Sherlock's good", but at the end of the day, lying, manipulate a child's memory and repeating him all the time that he's stupid was textbook abuse. And Sherlock wouldn't have accepted to be called stupid, and would have probably seen that Mycroft wasn't THAT intelligent if he wasn't so deep in self-loathing. But then how was he supposed to love himself if he was always treated like the "slow one" of the family by his own big brother?

When Molly slapped him not once, but THREE TIMES, because he was high, again he didn't flinch, didn't protest. It's not an attack against Molly, I understand why she was upset at the sight of the man she loved destroying himself, but my point is: he could have considered that it wasn't her business, he could have told her to stop. But again, if someone he respects like Molly believes he deserves to be slapped, then he does.

Now John. Sorry guys, that's the hard part I have to say out loud. John was an excellent friend up until a certain time, no argument. One could even argue, and be right, that Sherlock was the abusive one for a while: he treated him like an idiot -but then Sherlock thinks everyone's an idiot except for Mycroft, ruined his first date, unintentionnally (or not) ruined several of his relationships by being obnoxious around his girlfriends, played dead for two years instead of confiding in him like any good friend would do, made him believe they would both die only to hear him say good things about him, I mean... Sherlock's definitely not an angel and for quite a long time, he was rather a shitty friend too. I guess growing up without friends, not even your own sibling will do that to you, but it's an explanation, not an excuse for being an asshole to everyone.

And yet John accepted him as he was, and always forgave him, so of course Sherlock came to idealize him like he idealized Mycroft, for different reasons of course. For the record, I love Sherlock and John's relationship/friendship/bromance/romance/whatever it is. Up until TLD at least I found it... precious. Yes Sherlock was an ass, more than once, but he acknowledged it, and showed he wanted to be better: he not only apologized, but he also grew to become a better person, someone who would be worth of John's affection.

What happened in The Lying Detective, though... what the hell happened? So John was sad because he lost Mary. Understandable. Even if popular theories like to claim he never loved her, his despair and the fact that he keeps her ghost with him all the time said it loud and clear: John loved Mary, very much indeed. And he was mad at Sherlock who he considered responsible for Mary's death. It was also understandable, if Sherlock hadn't shut his big mouth, yada yada... Ah I love to see a a female character fridged so two male characters can suffer and grow thanks to her sacrifice . But then what we know... happened, Sherlock was high as a kite, to the point he was very close to losing it completely he lost it completely, he took a scalpel and John, well, stopped him. But then John lashed on him. He BEAT HIM UP LIKE A PULP, which was at this point completely unjustifiable because Sherlock was no longer a threat, and he would have maybe killed him in his effort if two male nurses hadn't stopped him. But this post isn't about John and his disturbing lust for violence, not really. It's about Sherlock.

What Sherlock did? Nothing. Not one time did he try to defend himself. He took all the hits, didn't ask John to stop, just once again... Accepted. He accepted that he deserved John's violence, even said John was entitled to do that because he had "killed his wife". And Joh doubled down, "yes you killed my wife". But HE knew it wasn't true. Sherlock didn't, though. He was sick because he felt as if he had killed Mary herself, and that's why he was so adamant to grant her her last wish. As someone who hated myself for a long time, I totally recognized the impulse to take the blame for everything bad that happens. That's what Sherlock does, all the damn time.

Violence between men is often glossed over because the old say "boys will be boys". After all it wasn't the first time that John beat Sherlock up, he had done it after Sherlock came back from the dead but it was just for laughs and giggles then, "haha so funny John assaulted him three times, look his noise's bleeding, lol", and also the audience thought that Sherlock deserved it after all, so... it was fine, sort of. Notice that there too, Sherlock didn't try to fight back and didn't ask John to stop. Like, I still don't undrstand why John punched him the last time: because he told him he missed the thrill of the chase? What was wrong in saying that? Except that it was probably true? I'm personally never comfortable with the normalization of violence between men on TV especially when only one is actually fighting the other, but that's just me I guess.

In TLD it was very different. It wasn't funny, and it was certainly not ok. And I was very upset when at the end, not only John didn't apologize to his best friend for physically abusing him, but Sherlock was the one comforting him at the end. The man had almost been murdered by a serial killer, before that his second role model beat him like a pulp for a crime he didn't commit, and he was still the one being strong for John.

I have a big problem with the way this matter was handled, because John's violence was just.... forgotten. And if it had been the only time that he had expressed his anger against Sherlock with his fists, I'd agree it was just a bad moment in their relationship even though he'd still need to apologize for making it ok. But here there's nothing that tells Sherlock that John won't do it again; nothing that guarantees that the next time Sherlock will upset him, John won't lash out on him again, and it will be acceptable because for some reason, violence against a man is somehow ok.

The idea is, I suppose, that there's no power imbalance like there is between a man a woman. If Sherlock wanted to fight John he probably could easily win, he's strong and has enough fighting skills for that. That's not the problem. There IS a power imbalance in that Sherlock will always believe that John is entitled to be mad at him, thus to beat him up if he wants. And since John apparently never apologized for assaulting Sherlock, I have no idea if he realized how wrong it was, and if he intends to change. I don't know about you, but personally I thought texting a woman in secret from his wife wasn't a big deal compared to what he did to Sherlock, and yet that was the only thing that, apparently, John felt guilty of.

Sherlock really broke my heart when he told John that by saving his life, Mary had given it a value. Which meant, basically that before Mary's sacrifice, his life had no value whatsoever, at least in his eyes. Let that sink in for a minute.

"The Lying Detective" is a very fitting name for this episode and for Sherlock in general, because Sherlock doesn't just lie about being almost killed by Culverton Smith, he constantly lies to himself.

He did it when he claimed he fell back into his drug habits "for a case" -if he wanted to attract the press/Magnussen's attention on him there was a lot of things he could have done, he did it all his life about being devoid of feelings and emotions, did it about the reason why he literally offered his life to Culverton; yeah he wanted to "save John Watson" and honor Mary, but it was also about ending his own suffering, a result he hoped to get at best by catching Culverton Smith, at worst by dying.

No wonder why when Eurus challenged him to choose between John and Mycroft, he chose to kill himself. That's actually strange that she didn't see it coming. Probably she didn't know him as much as she thought. He made that choice because he thought he was the one deserving to die. Not Mycroft, not John, not even Eurus... Of course it was also a calculated risk, as he had understood at this point that he was the only one Eurus wanted to keep alive because everything she did was about him for some reason. But I truly believe he would have rather pulled the trigger and shot himself rather than killing Mycroft or John. I saw once someone claim that Mycroft knew Sherlock would choose to save John anyway and that's why he wanted to make things easier, but I think nothing's further for the truth. Sherlock would have never chosen. It would have always been him.

[mildkleptomaniac]

oh baby part three— jj maybank x reader

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭:  “ reader finding out she’s pregnant (with jj) during season 1 events and he freaks out like in a bad way, kinda angsty with whatever ending you want! thanks in advance, love your work : ”

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: part one | part two | part three

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.7k

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: throwing up, guns, profanities, mentions of beer.

𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆: ....i didn’t know this many people missed this series. seriously. i still can’t believe this event still takes place during the first episode. i’m still trying to think about the logistics of how this will play out...given the events of the show lol. 

“Look, I’m callin’ it off. All right?” John B walked out of the Chateau. The sound of Kie’s bongo playing came to a halt. Pope had been watching her intently. Y/N laid out on a lawn chair, watching her boyfriend toss rocks into the yard. She felt tired from last night, the adrenaline causing her to have sleepy eyes for the rest of the night that carried onto the new day. Her body ached. 

 “Peterkin said, if I stay out of the marsh, she’ll help me with DCS.” John B sounded desperate. Everyone didn’t want John B to get taken away. The glue. John B was the glue to the friend group it seemed. Despite him not being the most level headed, or smartest, everyone looked to him on what to do next.

“And you believe her?” JJ retorted, perched on a surf board. 

“Yes, I believe her, JJ.” John B was quick to reply. 

“An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop.” JJ snapped. The Maybank’s held an unhealthy relationship against the cops. Always on their backs. Y/N winced at the two boys arguing about John B’s situation. 

“All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days, then she’ll help me out. It doesn’t help that your ass was the one shooting a gun.” 

Kie and Y/N shared a look, Pope looking down at his hands. Both the teenagers had valid points: JJ having a gun wasn’t the best choice of action, but no one wanted to let Topper drown their best friend. 

“Kook versus Pogues, they always, always win!” JJ exclaimed before punching a buoy, pacing around the backyard. 

“JJ, relax–”

“It’s okay,” Kie added on to Y/N’s comfort. 

“No, it’s not okay! That means there’s something valuable down there, and you know it.” Perhaps JJ felt more in need to discover something to help his own life. Something to get away from his father, comfortable clothing, food in the fridge, money for Y/N and the future–whatever that may be, with or without a baby, Y/N’s a part of it. “I know you do. And I understand why you don’t wanna go.” JJ began reasoning with the Pogues. 

He faced his direction to Pope, “You’re the golden boy. You got way too much to risk.” 

He faced Kiara, “And you–I mean, you’re already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother?” 

And then he faced Y/N, “You know what it’s like, we need to see what’s down there,” The words wanted to slip off his tongue, for the baby. For the future. The decision still unclear, with no purpose, direction or guidance. 

“Y/N, you and me, we got nothin’ to lose!” JJ continued his spiel. JJ did have something to lose in fact, same with Y/N. 

Each other.

“I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to talk about it.” John B shook his head, completely unenthused about their conversation. Well, until JJ spelled out the plan for him. 

Rich kids don’t go into Foster Care.

Y/N thought John B would be smarter to not listen to JJ’s plans. Logically, stealing from your rich boss seemed most definitely wrong. All the steps JJ meticulously thought out were all stupid. John B would get caught, inevitably–whether it be in the marsh, by Ward, and risking his one chance from Foster Care. 

Y/N deemed the risk wasn’t worth the reward. At least to say, Y/N failed to make the wisest choices as well. 

She found herself sitting on the HMS Pogue, setting up the SCUBA gear for him. Kie and Y/N shook her head as they read the tanks, practically empty. 

“Does anyone know how to dive?” Kie looked at her friends, exasperated. All eyes flickered to Y/N, who shook her head. Being on the swim team differed from SCUBA. 

“It’s a Kook sport, ain’t it?” JJ looked at Kiara, leaning against a metal pole. 

“I’ve read about it before…” Pope trailed off. Kie rolled her eyes and tossed her hands in the air. 

After much calculations and arguments, John B volunteered himself. Y/N watched as Kie stressed herself out over John B’s decision. Stealing a quick glance at her boyfriend, he raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Neither of the two knew what was going on between Kie and John B. The kiss on the cheek caused everyone else to share a look. That’s never happened before. 

At least it gave Y/N something to think about, other than the baby growing inside of her. 

After a month, buds for arms and legs developed, along with the umbilical cord. The heart had been formed, along with webbed fingers and twos. The life inside of Y/N soon formed ears, eyes, liver, and other facial features. 

Y/N studied more about babies than she ever did in biology class, thanks to the books from the store she stole. 

Y/N’s face turned pale at the sight of the police boat coming in their direction. “Oh my god,” She whispered. Heart palpitations increased. She felt sick. 

“Just act normal everyone,” Kie stated, going back into a conversation with Y/N–as if they were already deep in conversation. She could hear her pulse in her ears, especially as the officer came abroad and began spewing questions left and right. 

“I’m going to be sick,” Y/N whispered to JJ. He looked at her, questionably. Most of the time, Y/N was able to conceal their motives from the legal authorities. One of the many things JJ loved about Y/N. She could act and she acted well. A façade that she didn’t just steal beers from a gas station while flirting with the attendant, or letting her friends sneak into the junkyard to find some parts to fix the van. 

“Everything okay over there?” The officer asked, before peering over the front of the boat into the water. 

“Just–just peachy,” Y/N smiled weakly. Her acting quickly failing, she felt her stomach grumble and tightening. She gracefully found herself over the edge of the HMS Pogue, throwing up into the water. Everyone grimaced at the sight, JJ trying his best to hold her hair up. 

Poor John B, Y/N thought. Hopefully he wasn’t on that side of the boat. At least it prevented the officer from investigating the water.

“I just have bad sea sickness,” She announced to the officer, after wiping her face. The two officers shared a look, followed by disgust. 

“All right then, just let us know if you see anything out there.” He stated, walking over onto his boat. The engine started. 

“Will do,” Echoed from Pope and JJ. The waited as the officers cruised away before glancing over the side of the boat. John B must’ve ran out of air by that time. 

“How did it go down there?” JJ asked. 

“Well,” The Pogues assisted John B back onto the boat, unloading the gear off of him as he tossed a case onto the boat. 

“Y/N scared the cops off with some gnarly acting, being seasick.” Pope grimaced, yet sounding proud of her ‘skills’. Relief washed over Y/N, at least it was in character for her. Kie didn’t believe the acting though. 

In the distance, Y/N noticed another boat in the ‘closed off’ marsh. “Guys? Bogey, two o’clock.” 

Turning heads, a boat sped their way. None of the Pogues were able to recognize that boat. It wasn’t any of the Kooks–they’d have something fancier–for sure. JJ began pulling on the bowline and kept an eye on the boat speeding ahead. 

“I think we should start going, guys!” Y/N exclaimed. 

“Don’t wait on me!” JJ continued to pull on the line and the engine kicks on. 

“Just act natural, again!” Kie spoke, before holding onto the metal bar. Y/N glanced backwards at the strangers. 

“They’re speeding up to us, guys.” 

“What?” 

“How else do you want me to word it, John B? They’re revving the engine to get closer to us?” Y/N spoke of sarcasm. JJ chewed on his cheek, holding back a smile. 

“I’m going!” He argued back. 

“They’re following us!” Kie panicked. 

“Gun the fucking boat, JB!” Her nerves crept on her, shouting at John B. She watched the strange men follow from several feet behind, creating quite the wake in the Marsh. As the curve the corner, Y/N eyes widened. 

“Holy shit, they have a gun!” The words sputtered out of her mouth, not fast enough before the first bullet shot into the air. Y/N slipped down off the seat, covering her head from the action to protect herself. 

What the fuck. 

All the Pogues got down, while John B continued to speed off. JJ made sure to cover Y/N with his body to protect her. To protect them. Just in case. 

This shouldn’t be happening. 

“We’re going to die!” Pope shared his feelings before Kie got an idea. She grabbed a fishing net before tossing it in the water, avoiding shots in the process. The net caught onto the follower’s engine, stuttering and whirring. 

“That was insane!” Kie laughed, in disbelief. 

“Booooyeah!” JJ shouted, enjoying the rush of adrenaline pumping through him. Pope looked relieved and looked at Y/N, who sat there–complexion of a ghost. He watched his friend for several moments, taking note how she didn’t celebrated and how she cradled her abdomen. No blood. No injuries. Yet, she reeked of consternation. 

Out of character–Y/N would be cheering as well, throwing her arms in the air before letting JJ plant a big kiss on her. Or maybe she’d suggest celebrating with a pack of beer and music around the fire. Poking at Kie to get free food at the Wreck. Instead, she remained silent for the rest of the ride back to the dock. Last to leave the boat as they emptied the secret treasure, only to reveal a canister with a compass in it. Disappoint filled the atmosphere, killing everyone’s anticipation. 

Except John B’s. 

“It’s my father’s,”

[richonnesbitch]

I would argue that people not going out to look for the kids was actually just bad writing and doesn’t even completely fit with the Alexandrians are useless thing. I don’t think I’ve seen that ep since it aired so I could be misremembering this point but I think it is shown/implied that a bunch of them do go look for the kids but we only follow Michonne & Daryl. HOWEVER by the time they return, they are/seem to have been the only ones still looking and like.. I need the writers to be fr. You’re telling me none of the actual parents of the kidnapped kids were out there??? What? Did they say, hmmm we looked for 5min, couldn’t find our kid(s), I guess that’s that then 🤷🏽‍♀️ Bffr. And even if we take the more useless and non-fighters Alexandrians out of it, you’re telling me Aaron wasn’t out there? Rosita?? BFFR! It was just bad bad writing. All of that just to torture Michonne in unnecessary ways. And then for everybody to be mad at her for years for..reasons. Mind you, Alexandria was the only place thriving 😤😤 Everything about it still pisses me off (clearly 😂)

I also haven't seen the episode in years so it probably was implied more people went out 😭😭 but yeah it was definitely due to bad writing. The torture of Michonne was so BEYOND necessary. Like physical torture? SERIOUSLY???? By children??? REALLY??? It's so fucked up on its own but when you take into account that she was seven months pregnant and in the midst of traumatizing grief about losing her soulmate.... like why did she deserve that?

And the way she probably couldn't even properly grieve the whole situation because she had to be constantly reminded by her shit stain friends how she should worry less about security. Fuck all of them! Michonne is always right, she's THE smartest character in the show, and I will ALWAYS stand by that. Not to mention how bad off Alexandria was when Michonne left. They owe everything to that woman! I mean she's the one who got them there in the first place. Like 10 years later and they are STILL there.

[officialgleamstar]

would anyone wanna hear my thoughts on how well suited grant would be for every single ranger subclass? yes? okay awesome because i already spent 20 minutes writing it all out on discord then realized i could post that on tumblr for attention

general notes: i am, lightly, in the camp that grant shouldn't be a ranger. i think fighter or rogue would have been just fine for a shooting build and would have made more sense, i really would have liked to see him as an artificer because that would be so cool, and i think just doing the critrole gunslinger handbook would have been the smartest move, even if it isnt quite made for snipers afaik. grant would have been a terrible gunslinger stats wise, assuming from what we've seen (he's mentioned as being the strongest kiddad in this episode which isn't optimized for gunslinger), but it still would have made more sense to me. also lark should have been a ranger. regardless! grant is the ranger, and rangers are one of my favorite classes in base d&d, so i am going to infodump now

Beast Master - Severely unlikely considering Grant isn't shown to have any animal companion. Also Linc would be furiously jealous. 0/10

Drakewarden - Also severely unlikely for the same reasons as above, but I think it would be really cool. Give Grant a dragon pleeease. Linc would still be furiously jealous though. 2/10

Fey Wanderer - Unlikely since it's more Wis/magic-focused than a traditional fighting ranger build. Grant is not a wisdom/charisma guy, he is a 'shoot people' guy. 0/10

Gloom Stalker - Not one of my top three, but one that I REALLY LIKE for Grant. The emphasis on ambushing and the idea of disappearing into the background fits snipers well, and I think the... edginess LOL just suits him. It would definitely set off his "I'm evil and terrible forever and nothing can change this" intrusive thoughts if he had magical blend-into-the-darkness powers. This is what I like to headcanon Lark as having generally, but I think if Grant is the ranger of the group, then it works for him really well. 7/10

Horizon Walker - This one is, if Lark was also a ranger, what I think Lark would be canonically. Once again, this means it also works for Grant. It's more likely to me than Gloom Stalker since Horizon Walker has a lot of focus on swapping planes, and that seems to be something that the kiddads put a LOT of focus on. It also deals heavy damage, which is fitting for Grant. I can see Anthony flavoring Distant Strike as a sniper shot purely based on the name then realizing his mistake later and pretending he was right anyways. (Additional note: This is what Taylor is, which I forgot until I googled it after writing this whole long post! Good job Freddie, I did not have faith in you to make that good of a decision (joke)) 8/10

Hunter - What is most likely because it is the most generic ranger. Anthony will never think about this as much as I do. It's also good for taking lots of damage, which doesn't make sense for a sniper but I think fits Grant's general vibe of being the toughest of the kiddads. 10/10

Monster Slayer - Just Hunter but without the flexibility. So once again, makes sense, and since it's suited for archery builds, that makes it even more fitting since it can even replace the Sharpshooter feat in some ways. 10/10

Swarmkeeper - Extremely unlikely but it would be so funny and also MADE FOR ME because this is my favorite ranger subclass. Come ooon Anthony, give my silly little guy a swarm of bees or something. 0/10

[random-iz-stuff]

Invader Zim Deathmatch:

FINAL ROUND!

MS BITTERS VS GAZ MEMBRANE!

The rules are as follows:

1. We’re assuming that both participants actively want and are willing to kill each other unless actively specified otherwise (for example: Chammy Wamboo).

2. The fight must be one on one so no outside help is allowed, but prep time is allowed.

3. The rule for prep time is that if one contestant gets prep time, the other contestant gets an equal amount of prep time as well.

[Masterpost]

Information about both contestants (who they are, powers and abilities, etc) can be found under the cut.

Contestant Stats:

Ms Bitters:

“Not originally from Invader Zim”

Appearances:

Ms Bitters appears in many different episodes, to the point where I won’t list them all

Powers and abilities:

Shadowmancy (Ms Bitters has shown to be able to move through and materialize from shadows)

Shapeshifting/Extreme Flexibility (Ms Bitters has been shown to move and bend in unnatural ways, twisting around and moving almost like a snake. Whether this is due to shapeshifting or Ms Bitters simply being incredibly flexible is unknown)

Fear (Ms Bitters terrifies just about everyone she interacts with, so the physiological effects of this in combat should definitely be taken into consideration)

[Possible] Bug communication? (If skoolchildren theories are to be believed, Ms Bitters may be able to communicate with bugs, being one herself. However, this is only a theory, no matter how much evidence there may be to support it, so take this power with a grain of salt)

[Weakness] Sunlight (Ms Bitters needs to wear a hooded cloak whenever she’s outside, and it’s heavily implied that she’ll burn up and possibly even die if exposed to direct sunlight)

Fun Fact:

Before Invader Zim was made, Ms Bitters appeared in the Squee! Comics also made by Jhonen Vasquez.

Ms Bitters is also shown to play favourites with her students, seemingly treating Zita the best out of all her students and treating Dib the worst.

Gaz:

“Supreme Gamer”

Appearances:

Gaz appears in many, many episodes and comic issues, so I’m not going to list them

Powers and abilities:

Enhanced strength (like her brother, Gaz shows feats of incredible strength (most likely because she’s a genetically modified clone), including but not limited to being able to throw Dib clean through a wall)

Enhanced agility and stamina (also like her brother, Gaz has enhanced agility and stamina, with the most notable example of this being her climbing up the side of an over 50 story building in the rain without equipment)

Fear (similar to Ms Bitters’ fear ability, Gaz is able to scare most people with threats of extreme violence. Unlike Ms Bitters however, it’s been shown that this ability has limits, with people like Zim showing no fear towards any of her threats. Gaz’s ability to cause fear doesn’t appear to work on anyone that already believes themselves to be on par with or stronger than her and people that are simply too egotistical or arrogant to care, making it a weaker version of Ms Bitters’ fear causing, which works on seemingly everyone)

Intelligence (Gaz is one of the smartest humans in the show, being one of the only people able to see through Zim’s disguise. She also shows skill with engineering and invention, being able to make her own machines (like the robot toys that guard her room) and fix alien technology, not unlike her brother’s skills with tech)

[Mostly Unusable] Gaming (although this seems like it shouldn’t affect anything, Gaz’s gaming skills are an advantage. The reason for this is that a lot of alien technology (mostly vehicles) use controls that are very similar to video game controls, meaning that Gaz can use alien vehicles extremely effectively. Sadly, Gaz doesn’t have any alien technology to use)

Fun Fact:

Despite evidence in the show pointing towards the contrary, Jhonen Vasquez has confirmed that Gaz has no magic or supernatural abilities and that she is simply "someone you don't want to anger". This is why I don’t list any supernatural abilities in her Powers and Abilities section.

[vennyvenadito]

🦋💜Hawkmoth/Gabriel deserves better💜🦋

Ok

This is gonna be controversial but I can’t keep my mount shut anymore

This is an unpopular opinion but I have to say it

Gabriel aka Hawkmoth can be a good villain but the show don’t let him to be one and they are also the reason why his character is so over the place

First I would say our moth boy is smart and he really show it a lot

Now I know what you gonna say

“But his ideas are always bad and he is really dumb”

I know but hear me out

I don’t denied that he can be dumb and mess up a lot but I think this isn’t entirely his fault…it’s actually the writers

Why? Well

I would definitely say that Hawkmoth is not only a victim of bad writing, but he is also a victim of plot armor

There are episodes where he almost won but for some lame reason lose

And in fact not all of his ideas are but

You would say is because of Mayura and yeah, you guys are right on that but I’m talking about when he didn’t have her on his side

Episode like

-Puppeteer

-Animaestro

-Oblivion

-Sentibubbler

-Volpina

-Jubilation

-Illusion

-Stormy Whether

-Catalyst

-Ephemeral

-Risk

-Strike Back

-The Owl

-Malediktator

-Troublemaker

-Miraculer

-Antibug/Vanisher

-Derision (I still hate this episode)

-Collector

-Optigami

That’s proof to me that he can be smart and a treat but again, is the show who don’t let him be

And in fact, it’s also show that the show don’t know what direction go with him

In one episode is a broken man who lost his way and is trying to bring back the love of his life but no in the right way of course and he is also trying to hold it back for his son, but keeps himself away from him for his grief and still show humanity and maybe the change there’s still some hope of salvation for him

And then he is this horrible monster without feelings and he can go as far even to destroy humanity and can’t barely care about his own child and neglect him a lot

In one episode he can come out with the most smartest plan to archive his goal and almost got it, but then again, villain always loses

And then in another episode has the most dumbest plan ever

And then he is this goofy and cartoonist villain

Don’t saying that silliness can’t work with a villain

Look Bill from Gravity Falls and Discord from MLP

They are goofy and chaotic but they are still a treat and dangerous to everyone (with one already redeem)

If they want him to be a treat or an irredeemable villain than they could done something like Belos from The Owl House

Those two parallels each other a lot

-They lost an important person of their life with one of them killing them out of rage

-They have this little child on their care but neglected them (and also they didn’t born in the traditional way one being an sentimonster and the other an grimwalker)

-They are willing to destroy everything to archive their goals

-Both are also broken and lost their ways in their life and instead of trying to fix their mistakes and move on, is already to late for both of them, their path become dark

The difference here is at least in The Owl House the writers did know what to do with Belos unlike Miraculous, Belos did have moments of sympathy and moments of guilt about killing his older brother, of the little they show about his past we can have an idea how was his life before become this horrible monster, but the show let it clear there’s not salvation for him anymore and he is way far to be redeem

I insist his dead could be handled a little better, but even tho, they did an awesome job with him

But with Gabe, look, they did had good ideas but the execution wasn’t great

I mean, come on, a villain who can take advantage of the persons feelings and transform them in monsters, that’s a cool concept

He been the father of one of the main characters, also a good concept there

But the writers did a terrible and miserable job with those concept and don’t do anything interesting with them, if they do, then they go with time travel or memory erase because this show has something towards consequences and show progression

And the fact in the leaks is show that Adrien won’t be in the final battle with his father and is only Marinette it’s make me angry

And speaking of our bug girl, let’s go back with the plot armor problem

This girl doesn’t has the power of creation, instead she has the power of plot armor in her hands

And Intuition is the prove for that

Is basically

“Gabriel v.s Plot armor” the episode

In this episode is show that Gabriel in fact, did use the power of second chance a lot of times, all the episode we saw he did used it

But the problem was that the lucky charm of Ladybug always change, isn’t the same object, didn’t matter what he do or change something about his plan, the lucky charm always manage to change and give Ladybug the opportunity of win

So yeah, this is prove enough to me that no matter how smart his plan can be, the show is always against him

He is even more of a wasted potential than Chloe is

And I would say it, he is much of a punching bag as Chloe as well

But at least with her they kinda know what to do with her (I say kinda because they did a terrible job, and is mostly because Thomas’s hate boner for her), they want to keep her as a brat, I hate that, but you know what, ok, good for you guys, keep going

But come on, why you keep Gabriel like that??

You want him to be a good villain or not??

The poor man is goin on circles because you don’t know what to do with him

In fact, you know what, I’m happy he is leaving in the season five finale, not like he deserve this or I’m happy he got what he wanted, but more like “you know, good for him, he can finally rest from this mess that this show is, he can be free for now”

Good for you Gabe in that, good for you my dude, hope you enjoy your freedom

And look, I’m not saying this beacuse, who those who don’t know, he is my favorite character (yeah you can kill me for that), but mostly I’m saying this because I want his character to make sense, to be consistent and has deep, which he has but the show act like he doesn’t sometimes

It’s make me sad seeing my favorite character been treated like this, because I know in the right hands he can be a great character

I wouldn’t care is they wanted him to be redeem or not, at least, make him a great an iconic villain

Belos is one of the best villains a I have never seen in a while

And this is why I starting to work in AUs about Hawkmoth, because I know he has potential and there’s a lot of fun things you can do with him, if no anyone can sees it that way, than I can because I care about this character

Let me show some love for my moth boy please if no one wouldn’t do it

I wanted to vent a lot about this main problem I have with the show and why Hawky deserves a lot better like the other characters in this show

I would like to see your opinions about this

Deer out

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on some of the Mando negativity

I just wanna start this by saying that if you didn't enjoy the premiere, then that's fine. I'm not gonna start claiming that if you didn't like it, then you aren't a SW fan because that's stupid. If you disliked it, fair enough. I'm sorry that you didn't but I totally respect that it's your opinion.

Now let's just do a quick skim through some of the criticisms I've seen.

Should probably start off with the big one, which is the whole TBOBF issue! I can understand why they wanted Din and Grogu together again for this season because their dynamic is an integral part of the show (also, because of money). But when they were reunited in TBOBF, we all knew that this was gonna be a problem. They said that they're gonna try and write it in a way that covers the things people may have missed, but it's obviously not working too well so far. 😅 Personally, it hasn't ruined my enjoyment, so I'm kinda over it now. But I totally understand the frustration and do acknowledge that it wasn't the smartest decision.

Seen some people saying that they don't like the dialogue and that it feels AI generated. Personally, I don't have much of an issue with it but I do kinda see where people are coming from. I think the biggest thing is that it feels a little exposition-y and that's probably because they're trying to bring people up to speed if they haven't seen the TBOBF (we've already addressed how well that's going though). Obviously, it's definitely not like the amazing monologues we had in Andor, but this show is also more accessible for younger audiences, so they're gonna tone it down a little bit.

Which sort of brings me onto the next point: it feels too childish. Once again, I think this is a result of Andor. The Mandalorian has always been campy and fun. Sure, you get some serious moments, but they're not going to chuck them into the first episode of the season. They're just keeping it light and quirky to bring everyone back into the world of Mando. If you didn't enjoy it, fair enough, but I don't think it's too far off from the other funny moments in the show.

It felt rushed! I'm kind of with people on this one because I do think that everything could have done with being a couple minutes longer, especially with it hopping around so much. But I didn't find it to be a major issue, just that we were hitting a lot of story beats very quickly.

Nothing happened. I think this mainly comes from the fact that this is one of the only times when we haven't had a complete story within an episode (which makes me laugh when I think about how many people complained about it being too episodic) but I do think we need to remember that this is only episode 1. The entire point of this episode is to set up the story arcs that are going to be relevant this season. There was a lot to cover and I feel like trying to tie it all in to a complete story in episode one wouldn't have worked so well. It feels like this is one of those episodes that may be slightly more accepted when the rest of the season comes out, but who knows.

So yeah, that's just my two cents on some of the criticisms I've seen. Once again, if you didn't like the episode, then that's fair. I'm not here to call anyone a fake fan or anything. SW shows are never going to be for everyone and that's fine.

The whole TBOBF fiasco definitely didn't help it out much because they're struggling to keep everyone up to speed. But we'll see how it goes throughout the season.

I think the other issue is Andor. That show was such a success (for good reason) but now it means that everyone is expecting everything to be that show (I'm seeing this with TBB as well). The Mandalorian has always been more quirky because it's designed to be consumed by a younger audience (not to say that adults can't watch it). Objectively, I do think that Andor is better, but I also can't rewatch it as much as I do Mando because it's a more emotionally heavy show. Andor is not Mando and Mando is not Andor. It's perfectly fine to prefer one over the other, but I don't think that there should be an expectation for Mando to be something that it never was. If you've fallen out of love with it, then I'm sorry to hear that.

I think the main take away is to just wait it out and see how the rest of the show goes. This is only the first episode so we can't hinge the entire season on this.

[Hopefully this didn't sound ranty. I don't wanna sound like I'm having a go at people for their opinions. 😅 This is just my thoughts on some of the critiques that I've seen.]

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Halo, Episode 5

Flashback time! Halsey and Keyes both on Eridanus II. Were they colonists? Stationed there? Why are they at the school? They just saw John, so clearly it’s too early to be school-shopping for Miranda’s sake. God, are they shopping for kids? Was Keyes in on it from the beginning? This school is supposed to be some idyllic Waldorf-style nature school, and I love that, but it is not OSHA-compliant.

Here in the present, they’ve set up a whole temporary base around the second artifact, which seems like an utterly terrible idea to me. Do you need this much crap to dig out one monumental rock and load it up? (I realize real scientists would want to study it in situ for 6000 years before moving on to step 2 and archeologists wouldn’t want to move it at all, but you have unstoppable aliens to deal with in this universe!) Also, was bringing Miranda out here a good idea? It seems contrary to giving her free rein while her mom is gone? I’m glad her dad’s on her side at least. John, you need to snap out of it, buddy.

Kwan and Soren stuck in the desert, bickering, when he handcuffs her and leaves her alone in the middle of the desert? Wtf, Soren?

Poor Miranda making good points and still getting sidelined by her mom and Adun the Creep. Kai is still the smartest person here. What DOES the Covenant want? I appreciate the shot of the little drone. It’s funny to think that those have gone from scifi to a toy people fly in their backyards in my lifetime. John the Master Chief spots Kai’s hair and knows what’s up instantly and is immediately an asshole about it. I adore Kai—she took one look at John removing his and instantly trusted it was a good idea, and more, it’s clear from her less-flat affect in ep1 that she’s always been closest to breaking free (even without a mystical connection to ancient alien tech). And she’s 100% dead on here, too- why the hell is she unfit, but he’s not? And good on Cortana for speaking up for her, too. John: “I can’t hear myself think.” Cortana: “I can and you’re not missing much.” HA.

I haven’t gotten into Makee’s alien politicking much, but it’s definitely interesting how they both seem to need her and yet distrust her at the same time. You raised her! But “corrupted/ going native” is a trope for a reason, I suppose. Or are there two camps of aliens here? Is she really the only being who can activate these things? Were there aliens who could do it but they’ve passed away, or is it a unique human ability? (Well, humans and whatever race created this stuff.) Where did the Covenant get its info about the tech to begin with? How accurate is what they think they know?

Kwan, meanwhile, is demonstrating her best feature—sheer determination. I cheered when she finally got free. But when is she going to go, stranded in the middle of the desert, presumably without supplies? (I mean, I assume she’s about to find the mystics, but that’s the meta-brain talking.)

Craaaaap, John’s confiding in Keyes, who immediately gives him a brush off with his “I’ll look into it personally” bs. Of course he goes straight to Parangosky and Halsey and backstabbing and manipulation ensue. They at least try to protect Miranda from all their dirty laundry, of course in a way calculated to piss her off. “Finally a parenting issue we can agree on”—what did that little jibe mean? It’s getting increasingly hard to picture Halsey as any kind of mother. Exactly what did she want to do with Miranda?

Using a laser on the artifact makes ALL HELL BREAK LOOSE, and then John just stops with a look? Is that what happened? Wtf. And of course the Covenant hear that. Great.

Just as I wonder what Miranda saw in the data, her dad walks in and takes her off the project. She immediately pegs that it’s his own dirty past that’s at stake, though how dirty I doubt she knows. Master Chief, who is at least somewhat less credulous than I gave him credit for, is getting suspicious as well. Aaaand apparently he believes in direct action, because he immediately heads over and touches the artifact. And finds out HALSEY KIDNAPPED HIM? WTF. (Is the plague story a coverup? Did she murder a whole colony to hide this???) Master Chief tries to kill her ass and I was hoping he’d manage it, but no, Cortana steps in. Rats.

A brief break back on Madrigal where Soren finds Kwan gone… and then she EMERGES FROM THE SAND AND TAKES HIM OUT. Go Kwan, that was so much smarter than just wandering the desert, well done!

The rest of the episode is the biggest battle yet. My notes just say “Oh crap OH CRAP” at the top. Seeing the ship crash was fantastic and a definite “You Are Ultra Screwed” moment. I of course laughed at Cortana giving Master Chief advice and him snapping “I know how the game is played, Cortana!” Yes, writers, you’re very cute. I once again question how many Spartans there are and why we only have four here? In this super important not-hardened base that the Covenant is actively looking for? Like, worth 100 marines each, that’s great, but getting separated and pinned down is still a problem! Especially in this area which is wide open with lousy cover!

Which of course is exactly what happens to Kai, which I choose to believe is why she went down, instead of her being overwhelmed by trauma like the Master Chief predicted while he’s just fine, just Heroically Angry. (That bit of writing annoyed me.) (Yes I know he blew it too, he just got to blow it in a way that’s very differently coded than she did.) Halsey gets her one good moment saving Miranda when I 100% expected her to leave her daughter to die. (I did think Miranda would live to be extremely screwed up about it, mind you.)

So the Covenant got away with the new artifact, crap. And they pull the exact same gambit with Makee as last time, and I have the exact same complaint. Human makeup and nice clothes and not a scratch? She does NOT look like she just escaped that ship during the chaos of battle after surviving durance vile! Like, I want a poster of her on my wall but I do NOT trust her.

[tracing-lines-in-the-infinite]

re: blow up my inbox rb

who are your fave characters from person of interest, bones & leverage, and why? :) !!

Ooh!! Thank you for asking I'm so excited to talk about my guys.I'll talk about my fav main & side character for each (though I had to force myself not to just keep typing because I adore all of these shows and characters.)

Person Of Interest:

John Reese is probably my favourite character, with Root and Sameen Shaw as second and third. Honorable mention that Root's line about the universe being chaotic and cold and there not being a plan before the machine from / (Root Path) is what I put on my cap when I graduated. And Shaw's a fav because I love her loyalty and that its tough to earn- I wish we could have seen her and Cole more but her and Lionel's relationship is probably one of my favourite from the show. In the Crossing(i think?) she saved his kid because she thought about what he would prefer she do and the way that she's careful with him and he thanks her.

Reese is my favourite for several reasons. The first of which is summarized in one of my fav episodes of the show, SNAFU, where Finch says "John has the heaviest heart of us all but he's trying his hardest to be good". To be honest I feel like he's just such a sad guy and yet even when he's trying to be good he's constantly failing in certain respects (though the show doesn't often take that perspective.) He's definitely helping people but he's also hurting a lot as well. There's just something about a character that's supposed to be dead trying to do life better while on borrowed time. The episode where we see a world without the machine and John is dead really hit home how the entire show is his attempt to make up for the sins of his life and it ends with him feeling accomplished that he's done something good (save Finch.)

My fav side character is Peter Collier. I will forever be mad that he died via Greer/Jeremy. He's a character that I want to rewatch season 3 and give my full attention to analyzing. This is in large part due to Leslie Odom Jr's incredible acting, but the fact that I truly believe he was right makes him all the more interesting to me that he was both a pawn and an antagonist. The fact that he made it a priority to not hurt innocent people in so important to me and the fact that Vigilance got framed for the explosion at the end of S3 makes me so mad. I will never forgive Decima/Greer for it.

In general I'll also say that the antagonists in POI was always great. I absolutely hate Greer and Martine which I think speaks to how well they were written as 'villains'. Elias, Anthony, Mini, Simmons, Alonzo Quinn, and all the members of HR, Vigilance, and the Brotherhood were such full characters that I enjoyed watching them interact with and antagonize team machine and each other throughout the show.

Leverage:

My fav main characters are the OT3, and I truly cycle through them all as my favourite so I'll just talk about everyone.

Parker is Parker and the way that's everything is so incredibly important to me. I adore her purely because of how incredibly written and developed she is. Her "I want to do the right thing" speech from The Long Way Down Job makes me cry just thinking about it.

Alec Hardison. Age of the Geek baby! As a black person ins STEM he's an inspiration for me. I just love how he's such a complete person. He's kind. He's soft. He's the smartest man Eliot has EVER known. He got to go to space! He started doing crime to pay for his foster mom's healthcare. Thinking about him makes me cry.

Eliot Spencer. He reminds me of John Reese but I don't cry as often with Eliot because to me he's much more settled(I don't think that's the right word so I'll be thinking about it more and lyk if i figure out what I mean). That said I think the fact that we don't get a full backstory on him (the least info of anyone besides Sophie iirc) makes him such an interesting character because he could have truly done ANYTHING! He's a chef. He plays guitar and sings. He's a baseball star. When he knocks people out they tend to stay knocked out. He can identify anything of important through its most distinctive quality and is right every time. All of these things come together to make a man that has done terrible things and knows- not believes but knows- that he will never be clean of them and decides to wake up everyday and help others.

Fav side character is Sterling. I love him and I love to hate him. He's just such a good antagonist. I absolutely adore him especially the justice vs order debacle during the long goodbye job. The fact that he's the one of them that understands Nate the best at the start and I find the dynamic between him and Eliot really entertaining.

Bones:

Hodgins is my favourite guy of all time. I truly adore how invested he is in his bugs and plants and spores & how excited he gets every single time they're able to help him solve a mystery. He's my inspiration for wanting to do something that I have a passion in and I cannot put words to how much I adore all of his antics. The ease with which he gave up his money as if it wasn't a question was something that made me appreciate him so much more and the development that happened afterwards was really lovely.

Side character(s)-wise I love the squinterns. I could maybe do some kind of ranking but I do think my top two would be Daisy and Edison. Honestly the more I think about them, the more indecisive I feel because I adored Wendell and Nigel-Murray and Arastoo and Fisher (and Zack tho I don't consider him a squintern).

Edison I connect to because his first and last name are two towns near where I grew up and he's so focused & serious with his work that it ostracizes him- which I felt with dance when I was younger.

Daisy I connect to a lot because she's unapologetically herself and refuses to change who she is- especially when it comes to her work! Her deciding to prioritize her career over her romantic relationship/Sweets meant a lot to me because it was such an in-character decision for her that a lot of others shows wouldn't have allowed to happen.

Thanks for the ask! Always happy to ramble about these guys.