#dreams being a theme in s3

[number-onekidqueen]

ok so the thing u just posted about belly having a dream about cheating with conrad. in the book she has a dream about conrad the night she gets engaged to jeremiah so maybe they'll switch that one out for a more sexual one?

Ok, just to clarify: technically what they were doing in the dream was cheating if she was still dating Jeremiah, but that’s not the point of the dream itself. I don’t think in the dream she’s conscious of it cheating.

The point of the dream is to point out the fact that she still has strong, burning feelings for Conrad. Basically, she still loves him even though she’ll brush it off. And she still wants him.

However, yeah, that’s entirely possible and likely even. However, that dream is more symbolic and I think that that symbolism and hidden meaning is important to the story and Jenny will want to include that.

I’m pretty sure the dream is where her and Conrad are swimming in the ocean, and he sees a storm and tells her they have to go so she refuses and he stays with her until it’s literally upon them and they’re both running home and scared. And she begs Conrad to take her home and is crying but all he keeps saying is that he’s as scared as she is and he doesn’t know where to go because he’s lost too. This might not be entirely accurate, but I think that was the gist of it.

When Belly has this dream, she wakes up in bed and just starts crying, because i think she knows that within her this is a metaphor for her relationship with Conrad.

They were both happy and in love. The storm is probably Susannah’s death and Conrad’s grief and mental health which Belly brushes aside in the dream to keep playing. And when she realises that she has to get out, that this isn’t safe anymore, they’re both scared and crying and they don’t know how to fix it.

I don’t know if this is was some dreamt delusion or a hope I have, but I think after she called it off with Jere, she had another dream they found their way home and Susannah says something like “we love you, I’m so glad you guys made it home after you were lost,” To be fair, I think that is a delusion my brain made up, but I really would like some confirmation about that from Susannah in the third season in another dream Belly has.

I also feel like if this bad idea right dream were to actually happen, it would be at the beginning or middle of the season. Belly would sort of wake up with a gasp and feel really guilty because she’d feel like she’s cheating on Jere and she’d deny her feelings for Conrad, because she still is in that delusion.

And I think after the actual dream in the book, she wakes up and she just feels so sad because I think within her she knows she does love Conrad but in her head she has to marry Jeremiah.

And that’s an important plot point, so I’m hoping they keep that dream and have Out of the Woods playing over the top, and also have the bad idea right dream at the start. It’s a lot, but I can dream 😂

Thank you for the question, I hope I at least made my opinion make sense.

[sepublic]

The Owl House Pilot Leak!!!

            Oh my titan.

            The Owl House’s original pilot episode (basically a bunch of voiced-over storyboards) just got leaked and OMT. Watching it felt like experiencing the original magic of the show all over again… Reminding me what it was like to fall in love the first time!!! The hype and rush, the excitement to type down my thoughts after a new episode, analyzing and gushing over both big and small moments, the details!!! The pilot has reiterated all over to me again why I love these characters, from Luz's powerful earnestness, to Eda's chaotic demeanor! It’s like having the whole show open ahead of me, the possibilities endless when knowing this is just the beginning and we could go anywhere from here!

            What’s interesting is that Luz’s conflict with Camila doesn’t really exist here; In fact Camila isn’t present or mentioned at all! What brings Luz to the isles is Amity, who’s been learning in the human world, under the guise of being a human by disguising her ears! It’s alluded to that Odalia and Alador made her do it, though we don’t know why…

            But WOW that must’ve been so meta, doing S3 with Amity stuck in the human world with Luz, hiding her ears! It must’ve been a fun way to bring back the older concepts in new form! And indeed, we see a couple of stuff we’ve already gotten glimpses of, such as the storyboards of Luz offering her friendship art to Amity! I love that we get to see the actual scenario of how Amity accidentally defended Luz in the first place, since we heard that but didn’t get to see how it turned out.

            It’s interesting that Lumity is basically the inciting incident of the story, though I can see why the final version opted instead to emphasize Luz’s conflict with her mother. Especially with how she chooses to stay in the isles in the final draft, which leads to guilt over lying to her mom, having her ‘coming out’ moment that eventually occurs in Yesterday’s Lie, etc. So more agency when it comes to Luz losing her access to the human world. Plus in the pilot, there isn't the same emphasis on Luz trying to live out her dreams of being a witch, and her obsession with stories that ties back to Manny and forms the basis for a lot of other themes and arcs.

            That said, I also appreciate what this alternate take offers, and how Lumity helps tie everything together, it really is the queerness that is such a foundational part of the ‘weirdness’ theme that the show is about, and it’s intertwined with the pilot! God Luz being heartbroken when Amity dismisses the drawing… And then crying when Eda compliments it without realizing who it’s about! Or maybe she did, she could’ve recognized Luz there and figured out a way to stealthily make Luz feel better…!

            I love Luz routinely lock-picking her locker because she presumably forgot the combination! And it’s interesting that we have a setup of there being multiple dimensions that the Boiling Isles has access to, and not just the human world and Demon Realm. That plays a role in the climax, more on that later. Given we have what is basically an airport for different dimensions, I wonder if we would’ve seen Luz find her way back home much earlier on, under much less intense circumstances, in a S1A episode?

            The ‘Emperor’ is also alluded to in the pilot, which we didn’t get actual mention of until the fifth episode in the final show. He apparently dislikes humans and wants Luz brought over to him, is this still operating off of the ‘Pupa’ version of the character who claimed to speak on behalf of the true ruler, trapped in their metamorphosis by him? So maybe he wasn’t always human, or maybe this is Belos’ hypocritical way of ‘protecting’ humans by keeping them away and in blissful ignorance of the demon realm.

            We also establish Hexside much earlier! IIRC Hexside was always part of the show, but executives pushed for it to have more emphasis, which the crew continued to follow through on in S2 onwards because that had already been set up. Lilith is the principal, and I recognize the storyboards of her, including her bat transformation! We get a Tinella Nosa cameo, we see Amity, and there’s also a brief cameo of Willow too! Nice way to set her up before her proper debut.

            The ‘barrier’ containing King’s crown turns out to just be a regular human locker, which makes me wonder if the writers updated the final draft to make it a force field that only allows humans through, because of the whole Belos twist. Which makes me wonder if in this draft, Belos is Pupa, who never was human, or maybe they realized the opportunity to insert foreshadowing into a big twist regarding the main villain. Makes me wonder if the house we see Amity enter in the pilot, which is on sale, would've had any significance like in the final show. Love how Tinella Nosa is a student at Hexside, and also Dana having to occasionally insert lines for Wendie Malick and others was great.

            Lilith is a lot more openly adversarial, which is different compared to how her actual debut provides a softer side to her; I imagine this would’ve been apparent in a later episode of the ‘Pilot AU’, and her transformation has me curious; Was she originally the one with the curse, but then the writers changed it to Eda? Or did they both have a curse? Eda also has an owl form she can summon and control at Will, maybe all Clawthornes have a beast mode that’s less of a curse and more of a talent. Lilith ends up trapped in another dimension, which makes me wonder if she’d have a temporary replacement –possibly Pilot Bump- or if she’d return offscreen. We see the portal key get destroyed under much more casual circumstances, though it’s less as big of a deal for this and the established ‘dimension port’ we saw before.

            (Also, Amity recognizing Luz in the hallway… Everything to me!!!)

            Warden Wrath doesn’t exist and neither does the Conformatorium, it’s Lilith and Hexside. With her as principal and Amity as student, I wonder if we would’ve gotten more of their relationship in the pilot AU, if Covention was a way of carrying over that former connection since Amity would be a teacher’s pet in either version of the story. And speaking of ties to Covention, it’s interesting is that Eda’s chest gem seems to be linked to the Emperor’s Coven, as ‘Pilot Kikimora’ uses it to control her. Curiously, we have a scene at the end mirroring what we got with Lilith in the final draft of the show!

            I feel it implies that Eda DID join the Emperor’s Coven with Lilith, if only for a brief moment, but then defected; But the chest gem is basically the pilot version of the Emperor’s sigil, except with the explicit function of being a shock collar. I find it interesting that Eda still has the mirror to contact the EC with, instead of just getting rid of the thing. Is she a rogue agent who hasn’t totally cut ties, because she can’t? Won’t?

And the fact that Pilot Kikimora can just shock Eda at will makes me wonder if the Emperor is low-key just letting Eda roam around, which makes me wonder if he’s aware of the familial connection, is using Eda to find Luz, already knows about her doing that because of the time loop, etc. We’d of course have gotten an episode where Luz finds out about Eda’s connection and helps her deal with the gem… I realize now that Luz learning Eda also wanted to join the EC with Lilith is a carryover of this idea.

I can see the ups and downs between both versions; The final draft sets up Luz’s conflict with Camila and the reality camp, which is foundational to her character arc throughout the whole show. Her pain over being ‘sent away’ is just so vital that I appreciate its inclusion in the first episode. But I also like the inclusion of Lumity and the earnest desire to be friends with someone who showed her, unwittingly, any kindness at all! We get explicit bullying from Luz’s peers in the pilot, but in the final draft we also get her thoughtlessness that plays a big part in her S1 arc. And Luz’s arrival in the isles is more intertwined with Eda and King in the final version, which also feels right; The show is about these three in particular!

All in all, this was wonderful to watch! The magic was experienced all over again, not just in watching an episode, but also commentating on one that was just ‘released’ as well? I thought the last time I’d do anything like this was with the series finale Watching and Dreaming… But as Luz said, it really comes full circle with watching the first episode all over again! So maybe we have other stuff to still look forward to after all… At the very least, we have an eternal anticipation with an unexplored universe ahead of us, that will never reach completion; So it's like our ever-lasting final gift from TOH, and a good last one. So until next time: BBBBBYYYYYEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

[echobx]

Timing - JJ Maybank × fem!reader

summary: reader is dealing with losing JJ after he went missing with the rest of the Pogues (end of s2! to start of s3!), leaving her and her heart behind

warnings: angst, visions of drowning (not detailed), delusions and visions because of malnutrition and depression

word count: 1.3k

Your dream has destroyed your peace. Peace as much as anyone can call your state of being such. There is nothing peaceful about the depression you have fallen into, nothing quirky about the way your body trembles at every touch, always reminded of him.

author's note: I write angsty shit when I'm depressed. it's a theme.

You're curled up in your bed, eyes burning red, nose runny, mouth slightly agape. The alarm clock on your nightstand reads 2:48am and you watch the minutes run.

2:49am.

You know you should drink something to regain a tiny bit of strength and maybe fall back asleep, but when you drink you'll just be able to cry even more. So you don't. Maybe if you refuse to, it will end faster.

2:50am.

The branch outside your window keeps knocking against the glass. The same dull noise that his knuckles made almost every night. But you know it's not him. You know he's gone.

2:51am.

Maybe a shower would help. But you'd have to get up for that, so it's a no for the shower. No one there to jokingly say, “you're gonna shower without me, princess?”

2:52am.

If you'd look out of the window you'd see his bike, parked in the same spot where he'd left it that day. Quickly stopping by to tell you about a new lead. Telling you to not worry. Telling you to stay home because it probably meant nothing, and after all, it's too dangerous, he'd kill himself if something happened to you.

2:53am.

And your mind drifts back to sleep, exhausted from the pain and malnutrition.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you, my love,” JJ is standing in front of your house. He looks as pretty as ever. Cut off shirt, cargo shorts, boots, his favorite red cap on backwards and a sorry smile on his face. But when you jump forwards into his arms you fall and you fall and fall and fall. Drowning, really. Sinking to the bottom of the ocean. His lost treasure, truly.

Maybe that's what you had signed up for unknowingly. A life of pain because you fell in love with a boy who couldn't sit still for the life of him.

“Hey, shhh, it's okay. I'm right here,” JJ’s voice is like music to you and when you open your eyes he's holding you close in his arms.

“Is this real? Are you really here?” you ask, close to tears.

“Of course I'm here. Where else would I be but with my favorite girl,” he laughs softly and kisses your forehead, but you can't feel it.

“This is a dream,” you remind yourself and sit up.

“Does it matter? I'm here now. You have me. Isn't that enough?” JJ asks and you press your hands to your ears and cradle your body, swinging back and forth in your seat.

“Not real. Wake up. Wake up!” you tell yourself and after some time it finally works.

The alarm clock reads 4:21am.

The sun is coming up soon. You think about how real it had felt before he had kissed you. You think about how much more comfortable it had been to drown than to be alive.

4:22am.

Maybe it's the dumbest thing ever, love. It's just too painful. You could do good without love.

4:23am.

Your favorite shirt of his doesn't even smell like him anymore.

4:24am.

In ten minutes it'll be four weeks that your parents had woken you up in panic to make sure you hadn't vanished the same way your friends had.

4:25am.

Your feet carry you to your closet. Getting dressed is methodical.

4:26am.

He left his keys. “So I have no choice but to come back to you, princess.”

4:27am.

You know your parents will wake up when they hear the engine of the bike, so you decide to push it for a bit, down the road and then you can get on.

4:28am.

He didn't park in neutral. Stupid boy. Stupid stupid boy who stole your stupid stupid heart.

4:29am.

The engine is louder than you expected. You see the lights turn on inside your home, but you're already gone by the time your parents have realized what you are doing.

4:30am.

Cold air stings when it shoots right into your teary face.

4:31am.

The sun is coming up in the distance, it's beautiful. You remember doing this with JJ. Staying up all night and driving around to see the sunset and come up again.

4:32am.

You stop at a red light although no one is there. JJ had started touching your ankles on the pegs every time he had to stop.

4:33am.

The Shack is sitting lonely at the sound. The hammock’s empty, the porch lonely and the pick-up orphaned.

4:24am.

Breaking and Entering is illegal actually. Not that you care, you've done worse with JJ by your side. You need a new shirt, maybe the ones in the closet here still smell like him. You need it like a drug addict seeks the next kick.

4:25am.

One month and no life sign. You should stop hoping. Stop wishing. Stop. “JUST STOP” you scream and fall down on the bed.

4:26am.

“I'm not even doing anything,” JJ whispers from next to you.

“Leave me. I don't want to love you anymore. It hurts so much. Please,” you cry and curl up on the bed, holding onto the shirt.

“I can't. You know why,” he whispers, lying opposite of you.

“I don't want it,” you cry and screw your eyes shut.

“All you gotta do is let go,” JJ whispers.

“I don't know how to not love you,” you hush and reach out for him, but there's nothing there. You're alone.

6:34am.

Ghosts don't know how to make dishes clatter.

6:35am.

You pinch yourself before walking out of the bedroom, making sure it's not another dream.

6:36am.

It has to be a dream. Gotta be. No other explanation.

6:37am.

He hasn't turned around yet. It's a dream. It's a dream, has to be. 5.3% chance that he's real, maybe less.

6:38am.

You take the baseball bat that stands next to the bedroom door in your hand. Ghosts don't feel pain.

6:39am.

You don't know what hurts more, JJ's head or your heart.

6:40am.

“Jesus fucking Christ, who the fuck is trying to murder-” he spins around, one hand still holding onto the bat to stop it from hitting him again.

6:41am.

You can hear your head hitting the wooden floor as you go down.

11:57am.

Hospital beds are not comfortable. The lights are harsh. Your head is screaming.

11:58am.

Someone is holding your hand. Rings, familiar ones at that. You blink slowly. How is this real?

11:59am.

“My ghost keeps torturing me,” you whisper and he turns his blonde head around to you. Furrowed brows and blue eyes stare back at you.

12:00pm.

“You got ghosts? Can I get one too?” JJ smiles and you shake your head.

“You're my ghost, there's no ghost who needs ghosts.”

“Could a ghost do this?”

12:01pm.

His lips are pressed to yours and you can feel it. Hot and heavy and not a dream. Not a Dream. Not. A. Dream.

12:02pm.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave like that, and when we came back I wanted to clean up first. But you got to me quicker,” JJ whispers. “I wish I could turn back time and take you with me.”

12:03pm.

I love you's are underrated. You could hear him mumble it against your lips until you die. And when you say it back he smiles wider.

12:04pm.

Your parents yell at you for running out, but you don't care, you have your ghost. And this time, everyone else can see your ghost too. Everyone can see how much he loves you, and you him.

please don't copy and/or post my work onto other platforms! ~e©ho

taglist: @ijustwantttoread @spideysimpossiblegirl @redhead1180 @princessmaybank @kys4-20 @drwstarkeyy @immyowndefender @julczimozart

[onyichii]

My Reply to you Cocogum

This is a response to @cocogum post! Since it is SUPER LONG! Imma start doing this instead of reblogging if I have a lot to say.

OG Post by COCOGUM:

YES COCOGUM!! I am LOVING YOUR ENTIRE POST! I have a few thoughts to add...

A) I'm happy her hair is growing out too! I hope she eventually has hair as long as her mothers.

I want her to look like a forest goddess.

I think the growth is a symbol of just (as you said) being happy or at peace. In TV/movies people cut their hair as a symbol of change (freedom from the past) and grow it out again (sometimes) when they're at a new happy place. As we have seen, her hair and that green leaf she sports now are a symbol of her new found happiness.

B) I too was not expecting the "adult fun time" scene but i am hoping we get A TON more especially if this series is gonna be 100 chapters. I want more fluff, more hugs, more kisses, more f--ks! lol Put a baby (or three) in her Yugo! Give the Sadida kingdom an heir!

I can see where you are coming from that Yugo was having a wet dream. If that's the case, that is funny because he (presumably) had just pollinated his flower queen and he is dreaming of doing it again! 😀😀 And he called her tireless!? LMAO. Whether it was a dream or they were interrupted before the nut we can agree that they are BOTH hungry for each others touch/warmth (based on that scene alone).

I still think they were interrupted before they...made sap🌳and fell from the air.

I think the "adult fun time" positions you were suggesting are accurate and I can see Yugo switching too. I think it would depend on who initiates it. When she initiates she's top but when he initiates he'd top....sometimes (not all the time because as you said—he loves the view)! lol

C) For the open room. I think the construction of the floor (or level) gives them privacy. Like a long corridor before the room entrance. And at the entrance to the corridor there'd be a magical cotton bell (as seen in s3) that rings when pulled to let the royals know when servants want to enter. BUT if there is no magical door bell (OR ANYTHING) that is bold of them!! lol.

Rereading your post...if the doorway is open like that it makes me think of this quote (the last quote at 1:40) from the film Scary Movie (watch from 1:30 to 1:42 for context)

D) So I am GLAD people have been bringing up Draconiros. I am not deep into the WAKFU/KROZMOS/DOFUS universe and had NO IDEA who he was nor any of the other primordial dragons.

I got into Wakfu for Amalia. I thought she and Yugo would be cute from all the hugs she gave him. When they canonized a potential Yumalia (in the OVA) I STANNED for their star-crossed lover romance that could never be. I love the whole cast but Amalia's character design is so cute/fun (it drew me into Wakfu).

Anyway, I am curious if Draconiros is ALSO responsible for Nora's daydream in ep 4 of season 4. THIS SCENE ALWAYS THREW ME OFF!

I feel like this scene was added for two three purposes... 1) to introduce the audience to Efrim (in a foreshadowing way) 2) to add to what Oropo says in episode 1. Questioning Yugo's "good" intentions and actions which have caused (and WILL CAUSE) trouble for the World of Twelve. 3) To sneakily, introduce Draconiros (without the audience knowing).

The reason why I think this is Draconiros and NOT Efrim is because—how would Efrim know any of what was said in that scene? Efrim is in the Necroworld at this moment. He and Nora were in the Krozmos away from the World of Twelve for a long time. There is NO WAY Efrim would know about YUGO's effects on the World of Twelve. At none, that I can think of...

Which also brings to question, how did the Goddess Eliatrope know the Brotherhood of the Tofu and everyones names when they entered the temple? Did I miss something? I mean Quilby could have told them some things. From before his imprisonment...but I digress...

Anyway, I think Draconiros took on Efrims form/voice in s4. And now he is making an official appearance in the manga.

If they had shown Draconiros in season 4, it would be a loose end. And Tot wanted to wrap the animation up without any loose ends. So (to me) it'd make sense not to show Draconiros' true form at all in s4 and have him take on Efrims form/voice.

E) I think this dude is gonna be a problem. But I may be over thinking 🤷‍♀️. And shouldn't he be referring to her as QUEEN Amalia instead of LADY Amalia? Does he have some passive aggressive beef with her? Or is it okay to refer to a Queen as Lady instead. I feel like the Sadida's are more chill about titles (compared to other kingdoms) but...idk.

His character design (in this scene) is just giving...bad guy or pawn to me. If I am right, he could play a betrayal role (if the plot takes that turn). I do not see him being a fan of the Eliatropes either.

F) And I agree that the Sadida kingodm is tense with it's new residence. I'm glad you brought up the perspective from the Sadida but let's talk about it a little more with a Eliatrope in mind...

The Eliatrope have NEVER had to live with another race before. EVER. They had their OWN PLANET. No other race existed on there but them.

Thanks to Baltazar (in s2) they had been watching Yugo through the Eliacube, but have they been taking notes on the customs of the world around him?

Being on a new planet with so many races must be a SHOCK to them. ADDITIONALLY, they haven't interreacted with anyone but each other for goddess knows how long!!! So the communication, customs, cultures, and everything probably hit them like a TON OF BRICKS. I would assume that they don't (quite) understand what tolerance and acceptance of other cultures is thanks to their isolation too.

However, it is something they are gonna have to learn. Starting with the Sadida race.

Since they're teens I think (...well, I hope) it'll be easier for them to learn and integrate into the world of twelve via the Sadida Kingdom.

ALSO...It will take time for the Sadida's to be comfortable with the Eliatropes too. I mean...people have been trying to take their homeland (via possess the tree of life) for a long time. It's no surprise that they are weary/tense of some alien race residing on said homeland. They may know Yugo, but they don't know his people. They probably think they'll take over....IDK.

But I am here for the tea! 🫖🍵

FRIDAY NEEDS TO HURRY UP!!

[currymanganese]

The Bear Season 3 and The Mirror (1975)

The Bear S3 felt like C Storer watched Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror (1975)

(which can be watched for free and restored High Definition on Mosfilm's YouTube channel below:)

and got wrapped up in replicating a 10 episode season long psychological non linear experimental drama of that nature, especially with its visuals and themes - but the reason The Mirror is profound and meditative to me is the framing device of the narrative with the protagonist being a man on his death bed whose life is literally flashing before his eyes in disjointed and disconcerting / disoriented vignettes, even down to dreams and reminisces being dominated by memories of his mother and his ex-wife ( btw, two characters who, in a clear allusion to unresolved Oedipal trauma, are played by the same actress, Margarita Terekhova); if C Storer really drew inspiration from this film then hopefully S3 was about depicting Carmy as a metaphorical "dead man walking" who will be reborn psychologically and emotionally in S4. However the differences in the run times of The Mirror as a standalone film and The Bear S3 and its nature as a serial meant the season felt exhausting to get through for me - let's hope the emotional reprieve for Carmy that never came in S3 sticks the landing in S4.

@thoughtfulchaos773 I really do agree with your assessment that this season was a love letter to film as an artform, you may be interested in watching this movie if you've never seen it.

[sflow-er]

Fröken Julie?

Terrible screenshot but the play shown next to Wille here is Fröken Julie by August Strindberg.

Cut for a summary of the plot/themes which I guess might count as a spoiler for YR S3.

Disclaimer: I haven't actually read or seen Fröken Julie, I just looked into it a bit online. So if anyone reading this has more insight, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

So, Fröken Julie is a story about an affair between a highborn girl (Julie) and an ambitious valet at her father's manor house (Jean), set on Midsummer Night. There's a power imbalance between them; first she has all the power, but as the play progresses, he figures out her weaknesses and exploits them. The story ends with Julie taking her own life after their plan to run away together and steal her father's money as a nest egg for the hotel Jean wants to start falls through. Oh, and Jean also has an existing fiancée among the staff, a cook called Kristin.

Strindberg wrote the play in 1888 as a tragedy about class warfare. His idea was that Julie, who dreamed of not being upper class anymore, represented the death of the aristocracy. Jean on the other hand represented an upward-mobile working class (ETA: he aspires to open his own business, which would make him bourgeois). Strindberg meant for it to be a social Darwinist piece where Julie and Jean were in a "survival of the fittest" against each other. There was also a "battle of the sexes" type of theme (Julie's portrayal seems rather misogynist based on my quick sweep and has been suspected to reflect Strindberg's own opinion on women, but apparently there have been some feminist readings as well).

I'm not sure what to make of it as a thematic hint here, except that I'm very sure it wouldn't be so prominently displayed in a trailer released so early if it was there to foreshadow an unhappy ending! Julie, Jean and their seemingly toxic affair definitely aren't apt parallels for Wilmon, so no worries there.

My guess is they're using the play to hint at a more general theme of class conflict and Wilmon's compatibility being called into question. Perhaps even Simon being wrongfully cast as a gold digger or as someone who just wants to take Wille down...

Anyway, just my two cents!

[kradogsrats]

Thinking about this scene, because lbr it just kind of loops in my brain constantly so there's probably a 70% chance I'm thinking about it at any given moment.

It's easy to make the assumption that everything in Viren's dream is connected to him healing Soren, because it's a convenient place to point to and say "obviously that is where everything went wrong." It's definitely a pivotal moment in his life, and deservedly has a lot of screen time in this sequence. In some ways, it is lurking beneath all the other scenes.

But it doesn't seem to be what Kpp'Ar is talking about at any point here, like:

I always knew you'd go far. But I didn't know how far you'd go to get there.

Everything going on in Kpp'Ar's dialog—"eager student," "elegant finery," "overcome the disadvantages of your upbringing," "I always knew you'd go far"—is about ambition. Not morality or necessity, just a pure skewer of you've never done anything for anyone but yourself, and you know it.

Viren, as is the theme(tm), protests, "I had no choice. I did what I had to do," to which Kpp'Ar, again, absolutely drags him:

You made the choice you've always made. The one that gives you power.

Which, like... you could twist this to be about Soren, and start asking questions about exactly what power Viren stood to gain from healing him—my money would be on the Staff of Ziard—but I actually don't think that's at all what this is about.

This scene in Viren's dream also cuts almost directly into the Twin Peaks scene, in which Viren is king, and which itself culminates in the battered and bloody crown, i.e. his death.

So I think there's a couple things going on, here: 1) the Kpp'Ar scene (and the Twin Peaks scene, but I'll talk about that some other time) is actually referring to everything Viren did that culminated in the events of s1-s3, and 2) we as viewers are being primed by that to look at his other choices in the same critical way.

Now, you'd have to be pretty oblivious to have watched all of s1-s3 hearing Viren's constant refrain that he's doing everything he does for the sake of humanity's future, etc. etc., and been like "oh yeah, that seems totally legit." So we're basically being explicitly told here something that we already knew: everything that Viren has done, he did on some level to secure or consolidate power for himself. Some of those choices are a lot more obvious than others, but pretty much all of them circle back to power, control, and/or the "narrative of strength."

Having framed all of Viren's choices that way—particularly after he has denied that they were choices—we are being implicitly asked to consider his choice to do anything to save his son within the same framework. Was it something he had to do? Was it worth it?

For some viewers, this is the first time they are encountering the revelation that Viren saved Soren from a fatal illness during his childhood. It's a choice that is very easy to sympathize with, and one that we the deep fandom have discussed to death—seeing it for the first time, a viewer is likely to be sympathetic, or automatically believe it was justifiable. In starting with the scene with Kpp'Ar and reminding viewers of all Viren's other choices, their motivations, and their consequences, the sequence is asking us to consider this critical choice, sympathetic as it is, in that context. It's similar to the way we are asked to consider Harrow's choice regarding the Magma Titan, though much less explicit.

So, then... what's up with this?

Viren's immediate response to Kpp'Ar's statement that his choices have always been about power is the first callback to his little mantra:

I've always done what protects my family. However dangerous. However vile.

Why does he say this, when literally nothing in this scene has been about family? Well, first of all, it's another priming device for linking Viren's s1-s3 actions with his healing Soren. It's also a fun little callback for those of us whose reaction to it first being dropped in s4 was "HOLY SHIT it's the thing he said to Kpp'Ar!" in that here he is, saying it to Kpp'Ar again. But we also get told exactly why, a couple scenes later:

We have Harrow—specifically Harrow in the context of his death, the inciting event of Viren's s1-s3 spiral—linked to Viren's concept of family, and his willingness to do anything in that context, in what is a kind of hilarious contrast with, y'know, literally everything Viren did after Harrow's death.

So, as with the rest of the sequence, it's all about Viren framing himself as having no choice while he makes the absolute worst choice possible at every turn.

[raayllum]

Anyway I wanna talk about hands in Finnegrin’s Wake

This is not my last or even my deepest meta dive on the episode by any means but I’m a bitch who appreciates consistent symbolism and the Hand Motif is on fire this episode so like, let’s talk about it.

The first thing to establish is the (understandable) importance of hands in Callum’s mage arc, given that you draw runes with your hands and hold magical objects, etc. This is in line with primal magic yes

but also with dark magic, highlighted explicitly in S4. 

By being tied to primal / Sky magic, Callum’s hands (and ability to use them to help his friends, do magic, etc) is tied to freedom. This is also linked to chains/bondage with Rayla’s wrist binding and dark magic, metaphorically, for Callum. So it makes sense that 5x08, an episode that is very much about primal and dark magic and subsequent themes of freedom vs control is likewise obsessed with this hand motif.

However, I want to talk about Rayla, and Callum, and how the hand motif, dark magic use, and Callum’s connection to the Ocean arcanum are set up this season. Briefly on the last one (that can be a meta on its own I want to dive into, pun intended, in tandem with adding S4′s development to it) because post for another day, but I think it’s worthwhile to mention.

For starters, there’s Finnegrin having a direct callback to Callum’s line from 5x04 with Rayla (which is also being paralleled to Viren and Claudia’s “I’ll do anything” in 5x03 an episode prior). And with Callum’s hand clasped over his wrist, foreshadowing the ‘anything’ he’ll do will be to literally undo his chains (and to metaphorically take some on) in order to save Rayla by the end of the episode. 

But we see Callum repeat this “wrist rubbing” motion a few times this episode (pin in it for later) in addition to the repeated emphasis in S5 with Callum always being the one to reach for / take Rayla’s hand. Although she and Callum are undoubtedly in a much better place than they were in S4 in repairing their relationship, Rayla still initiates almost zero contact with him across the course of S4 and S5 (grabbing his elbow and wiping his drool away when he’s asleep in 4x03; placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder in 4x09; resting her head on his shoulder in 5x02; touching his face in 5x08 to provide comfort). 

This is a far cry from how touchy-feely she is with him in Arc 1, initiating much more contact than he does, but in S4 and S5 we see this switch around; almost anytime they’re being physically affectionate, Callum is the one initiating.

However, one thing hasn’t changed, and it’s that Callum is almost always the one, across seasons, to initiate handholds (3x01 and the back half of S3 once they’re a couple being the exceptions). And S4 (4x09) and S5 are no exception.

Okay, great, he holds her hand. So what? Well...

In 5x08, Callum does dark magic again outright and connects to the Ocean arcanum primarily out of love for her. As confirmed by the writers on twitter, Callum had to accept exactly what he says in 5x08 about the ocean - that it’s about unfathomable depths, embracing the unknown (even or especially when it scares you) and accepting that there are things you can’t control. And the lack of answers about Rayla’s whereabouts, “I don’t know how to feel about Rayla either,” and “I have to go after him” “I know” helped pave the way for Callum to reach those conclusions in 5x01 and 5x08 alike: “To love is to simply know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep.” And that realization included accepting that he’d done dark magic (and would do dark magic) to protect her.

So it’s not surprising, therefore, that while connecting to the Ocean arcanum, Callum looks at his hand, and rubs the same wrist as before, almost like he’s mimicking the crushing motion he would’ve done with the slug. 

Or indeed that it’s a gesture Viren does in his dark magic induced dreams, and during Callum’s arcanum speech, either, if inversed. 

Callum is accepting that the depths he can’t see, his “I would do anything for you” promises and inclinations, are a (dark) path he can’t entirely see and understand, but something he knows lives inside him, and has for a long time: “But not everything’s changed.” 

Darkness equals dark magic equals chains, and Callum has enough self awareness (that Viren did not) to know more so of what he’s walking into, and that’s precisely why it scares him. Why, by the end of 5x08, even as it’s revealed how he got his chains off, it’s clear they’re not gone. Not really. Not to him. Especially considering now he knows exactly where dark magic leads in ways he didn’t before in 2x07: Aaravos. (“As long as we protect each other, as long as we love each other, you can never control us” and now Callum knows that isn’t necessarily true, because he gave up the info to Finnegrin, and he willingly took another step down a dangerous path.)

Which is why I love that Rayla is the one to reach for him, to gently touch his shoulder and then his face and pull him into a hug. And I love the way Callum hesitates to place his hands - powerful, ‘tainted,’ chained - around her like another link in said chain, so different and yet so similar from their hug in 2x04 about a lack of magic, and now having arguably too much. And all of it - the dark magic use, the metaphorical and literal chains, the devotional key of the Ocean arcanum, the hands - synonymous with his love for Rayla.

[thecapricunt1616]

California Reaper (SydxCarmy one-shot)

♡ Chapter Inspo: Hot Peppers (Such as the California Reaper) are believed to protect the wearer from envy and harmful intent, prevent gossip, and attract good fortune. (California reapers are the hybrid between Carolina Reaper & Peach peppers, Peaches symbolize longevity & health) ♡ Summary: Carmy & Syd have a heated argument after work that turns into something more... ♡ W/C: 1,736 ♡ Posted Date: 06/21/2024 ♡ A/N: Here is my 'prediction' for S3 hahah! My hopeful one, IK it probs wont happen but a girl could totally dream, right?! ♡ Warnings for BTC: Swearing, Typical TB themes, Smut, Unprotected sex, Not edited!

♡ 𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 ♡ ➵ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 ♡ ➵ 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 / 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 ♡ ➵ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 ♡

Heated. Potent. Extreme. 

This conversation currently being had could easily be described as any of those synonyms. It wasn’t surprising, though. To either of them, really. This unbearable tension had been building all day between them. 

Really, it has been since Carmy got out of the freezer last night. But, of course when he did get out they acted like it was some - hiccup? Like it didn’t affect anything. Like, it was just another day at the office. Syd had rushed up to him, clutching his numb fingers and bringing them to her warm, plump lips - like that isn’t all he ever fucking wanted. 

That honestly pissed him off, that it took him nearly freezing to death for her to give the affection he had begged for by way of sad puppy eyes for months. Her warm breath puffing into his tingling fingers was nothing short of heavenly. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. “Fuck, Carmy” she mumbled in his skin, grateful he was okay. 

He wanted to shove her away, he wanted to scream at her like she was at him right now and ask her what the fuck was wrong with her. Ask her why she never touched him, held him like that until now. But he didn’t.

Instead, he brushed her off, snapped at her to ‘get back to fucking closing duties, what am I- a baby?’ as he stomped off to the office and slammed the door, ignoring Richie and Natalie pleading to let them in so they could check on him. He was in there for well over an hour, he nearly shouted at Natalie to shut the fuck up as he shook his firey hands rapidly. Throbbing. Itchy. Painful. 

That is all he could describe his skin as feeling. His face was flushed with embarrassment, he couldn’t stop shaking. He had never felt a panic attack like this before, he felt like his chest was caving in. He actually had to sit (more like collapse) into his office chair, and rest with his head in his hands for he wasn’t sure how long, all he knew was everyone had went home when he came out and he was grateful for that. 

“I should have taken my last check back at that shithole of a sandwich shop and fucking walked. I ask myself almost every day why I didn’t!” She shouted. Her throat was becoming dry, she never yelled like this. She actually felt like she had to cough but was doing everything in her power not to, she wasn’t sure how his throat sustained the constant yelling all day. 

If Carmen wasn’t so hyped up from lack of sleep and overloading on nicotine with next to no food, he probably would realize that Syd had never shouted like this. So loud that her voice cracked, that her eyes were wide with rage. “Then fucking do it. Leave- walk.” He hasn’t even taken into account they were now so close she could smell said cigarettes on his breath. 

“Oh I would- but you said you couldn’t handle it without me, proved that right yesterday when you couldn’t have even bothered to get the fucking walk in door fixed a day before hard open.” She seethed, going to shove him but he grabbed her wrists, stopping her where she stood. 

She felt the blood drain from her face, she felt hot but goosebumps covered her skin. “Y’know what maybe that’s because-“ 

“Because what, Carmen.” She cuts him off. Her stare was boring into his in the way that made him feel small, he hated feeling small. He knew she was right, that she had to handle things all on her own and she didn’t drown. That he held the awards, he held the titles, but she? She holds him together.

Before either of them could think to say anything else, his mouth was on hers. It was messy, it was rough- it was…nearly bruising. It was fucking everything she’d dreamed of. She didn’t pull away, she didn’t slap him, she didn’t squirm or gag like Carmy thought she may, she leaned into it. Her grip on his shirt got tighter, her nails pinched his skin through the fabric as she rough- no more like violently kissed him back. 

Thats what this kiss was, it wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t gentle nor loving - this kiss was 2 late twenty somethings releasing a pressure valve they hadn’t in so long, that had to release, or the both of them would explode into meaty chunks that had to be mopped off the walls of The Bear. 

His hands scaled down her ribs, tugging at her chefs coat and pulling her to his hips as he shuffled towards the office. Neither of them dared to break the kiss, dared to question what they were doing. They both needed this. When his back hit the door though, she ricocheted off his body hard enough to feel his third leg essentially hardening down the right side of his jeans, causing her to pull away. 

“We tell no one. This happens one fucking time. Do you understand me? Once. Never again.” She was dead serious, and He was tongue tied, he couldn’t even find a yes or no, his eyes were wide and knees felt weak like a baby fucking deer. 

The only thing he could manage was a hard gulp and a quick nod of yes and she backed up, twisting the knob to the office and he quickly righted himself as he almost tumbled backwards onto the floor, palming the wall and catching his breath quickly “fuckin shit” he muttered to himself as he almost fell ass first, causing Syd to laugh as she swung the door shut behind her. 

“You’re graceful have I ever told you?” She teased, shrugging off her chefs coat to reveal her tight black tshirt underneath that made Carmys mouth water. 

“You’re an ass sometimes” he mumbled, tugging off the tie of his apron and sliding it over his head “like y’r a fuckin student still, wearin’ your whites every day.” He hooked his arm around the back of her neck, pulling her lips back to his and kissing them hungrily. He wasn’t being shy, nor meek per his usual MO with her when they were alone. He was taking what he wanted.  

She hummed into his mouth, gently nipping at his chapped lips. She kind of loved how she could taste blood, she sucked and licked at his lust bitten lips like they were the fountain of youth, lapping up his blood like it was the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted. He gently urged her onto the desk after clearing it of the at this moment useless paperwork that covered it with a broad swipe of his arm. 

She comfortably sat back, tugging him to lean into her frame and carefully weaving her nimble fingers through his knitted curls from the long day in the hot, sticky kitchen. She felt sweat on the tips of her fingers, but she didn’t give a shit. She wanted more, she would lick it if she could. “Too slow” she said between kisses, tugging open the button of her chefs pants and tugging down the zipper with a loud ‘zrrrp’ 

“Y’fuckin needy” he breathed, tugging down his chefs pants just enough for his cock to spring free, kissing his naval as it beads out pre while he roughly tugs off her pants and panties in one bruising pull of the fabrics. He shuffled her hips to the end of the desk easily, looking into her eyes carefully. “Tell me you want this” he said gently, hand braced on the wall behind him. 

“I want you�� she said, voice laced with a careful kind of trust, a trust they only had with eachother. 

“You fuckin piss me off, know that?” He grabs her face with a firm gentleness that brought a moan to the base of her throat, clenching around him as he sheathed himself inside of her, thrusting to the hilt. She smiled, biting her plump lower lip to hold back a cry of pleasure. 

“I fucking hate working with you most the time” she pulled him into a sloppy kiss and he moans as he feels her squeezing around him in a way he could only describe as heavenly. He grunted, pushing himself harder and she gasped, her head falling back. 

He sucked dark spots into her bronzed flesh, pants puffing through his nose as he thrusted at a near punishing pace. “So fuckin pretty.” He muttered into her skin, biting down until there were teeth shaped marks bruised into the flesh causing her to whine and squirm in a way he felt was what angels sounded like. 

“Jesus fucking Christ” she rasps, her nails digging into his pale flesh, leaving bruising purple marks as she drags them down with no relent. He grunted, the pain urging him to move harder. His other hand moves to her throat and she looked up at him with those big brown eyes. 

“This is ok yea? I wouldn’t ever hurt you” he said the last part carefully, honestly. She swallowed thickly which he felt under his palm, before nodding gently and gasping a bit as she felt his fingers tighten around her throat. His thrusts slowed, becoming more careful and gentle as he gauged her reaction to the new pressure. 

Her mouth dropped clenching around him wildly as her orgasm overtook her and her wide brown eyes fluttered shut, head falling back with a thump to the wall and squeaks of pleasure leaving her throat. “Good. Good girl” Carmy praised as he rubbed her clit with his other hand causing her hips to jerk up and nails to dig into his shoulder. 

He hissed in pain, pushing in to her g-spot harder as he chased his own high. She scratched and slapped at his back at the overstimulation as he sucked at her collarbones, his back would likely be black and blue the following day - he loved the thought. When he finally came, it was with a grunt like whine she had never heard before, but she wanted to hear again and again forever. 

“Still just one time?” His voice was shaking, panting even. 

It was her that was now breathless and wordless, and could only find a quick nod of her head. 

Fin

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻

#GINGERPOVS THE BEAR °Masterlist°

🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻

So here you will be able to find all my musings, all my POVs, all my theories, metas (?), etc about this show that I love soooo much. Enjoy, follow the #tag & share, please!

🐻 General panel → #GINGERPOVS ̉

Follow the tag for updates ⬆️

🐻 Sydcarmy themed↓

Not being capable of saying "I'm sorry"

Leading with the ❤️

The Sydcarmy dynamic

It all comes down to this

The Syd factor

The Thom factor

Braciole

Come back

Backfire

3 of swords

Not there yet

The heart of the show

The Bear

Important vs Enough

To the Platonic crowd

Promo/Smiles

Can't wait

Side notes

Sugar

Guys' mindset

Sydcarmy numbers

My dream Sydcarmy ending?

Shooting for the Michelin 🌟🌟🌟

Sydney Adamu

Vibrant Collab

VC gone wrong

EC

Timelines

Menu S3

Menu S3 to S4

773

Ying Yang

TensionS

Golden

Flushed Carmy

Scorpio eyes

Terrified

Walls

Carmy

Reactiveness

Knives

Primavera

Blue - Rosé

The awful truth

Stuck under the table

The end of Carmen Berzatto

Perfect

Best ❤️ declaration ever

Short ribs beef

S1 Sydcarmy foreshadow

Syd's territory

His whole arc

Wrong crowd

Sydcarmy's song

Mercy

💋 💋 Blowing chef's kisses

Synchronicity

🐻 Claire Dunlap↓

The Claire factor

Plain sight

Strange currencies

We may never meet again

She drove the relationship

Full circle

Claire's dark side

Enjoyment and amusement

Logan

Claire's characterization

Claire's characterization according to MG + Storer

🐻 Miscellaneous ↓

His music

The Mikey factor

Unpopular opinion

Anger

The Bear The Movie

Double date

What dish will it be?

Ages

Names

Flavor profile symbology

S3 predictions

S3 predictions II

S3 predictions III

S3 predictions IV

S4 predictions

Storer is Storing

Luca - Carmy - X

Carmy & love

Fennel

How bears bear?

The jacket

Acid

Common dark side

Storer

Coach K's plot layout

Storer's language

Season 4 Predictions Vol.1

Remember to Reblog this thingy and thank you so much for loving The Bear! 💋

[generalluxun]

Ya know I think I finally keyed in on something that often nettles me with some stories where Chloe either confronts Ladybug but gets checked, gets chewed out by Ladybug for her behavior in general or finds out she's Marinette go.

IE, either Chloe is upset about how LB handles/handled her in one way or another and gets a talking to. Or she finds out the truth and is overwhelmed by gratitude.

The thing is though, while I can maybe see the characters having these kinds of feelings, it feels a bit off when the narrative seems to go along with it too much.

Mostly because it feels kind of like it draws too strong a parallels between "Is kind of a dick" and "deserves to be in danger & to be largely disregarded."

Like, it took until Season 2 for Marinette to have enough of a heroic game face to even say "No not even Chloe deserves to be fed to the zombie hordes."

As said, I get why the characters might be upsets, she does hurtful or frustrating things. Sometimes she can be detrimental to the plot, though other times she can be quite helpful too. But like, at the end of the day, if the narrative, yes in the show but also in fics, feels like it backs that frustration up it feels skewed to me.

Low key in this regard Derision would almost be helpful, but meh.

Like, say Chloe finds out Marinette's identity post S3 and goes to angrily confront her about the whole "A supervillain was targeting me. You knew this & not only used me anyway but took away my one means of self defense, ETC" thing.

A counter along the lines of "Well you can be kind of an asshole and I don't like you" makes Marinette feel super petty given the scale Chloe's problems are operating on compared to the local jerk being rude to you.

I'm not aiming to minimize Marinette or other characters legitimately hurt feelings. Especially because they are fourteen ETC as well, so expecting them to be perfect is unfair. As said this is more of a narrative issue I guess. It feels like authors lack self awareness if they feel the conflict between real danger and being jerk are the same.

Does this make sense? How would you square such a confrontation if you were writing it?

I mean *waves at Chasing a Dream* I kind of did that, didn't I? The confrontation I mean.

What lots of people forget is that Marinette is not *just* a 14 yr old girl. She's both a hero and a protagonist. The themes of ML should have her trying to achieve good outcomes for everyone. The show *literally* has a reset power to be sure that there is no collateral.

It is *possible* to let Marinette be petty in the moment, to let her get a catharsis, but if she doesn't feel bad about it later and try to fix things then you aren't writing Marinette, you are writing revenge fantasy. -Which if you want to write that, go shead it's your story. It's just best to call a pot a pot.-

How the confrontation would go down would depend on so many things. You would need to give me a setup for me to answer 'How would you write it' 😁

Heck I even have it somewhat hallen in my current fic, Barren Soil, (no ID reveal) but since neither are PoV characters it isn't as spelled out.

[cringengl]

When bylers say that byler makes more sense in terms of the narrative, although there's lots of little proofs throughout all the seasons, it's mainly due to byler's correlation with the themes of the show.

Stranger Things is all about outsiders, freaks, losers and nerds. From s1, the main characters have been the ones that are bullied and are called names and the show wants us to root for them, sympathise with them etc. This is why Nancy chooses Jonathan over Steve, why the Starcourt Mall is destroyed at the end of s3 and why Eddie is constantly affirmed as a good guy.

M*leven endgame wouldn't make sense in terms of the storyline because the relationship between Mike and El is seen as the 'normal' thing to do.

In Mike's eyes, he's supposed to be growing up and not playing DnD in the basement with his friends for the rest of his life. In order to grow up, he needs a girlfriend, which is why he is dating her instead of just being friends. Finn Wolfhard literally says that Mike wants to be "normal".

On the other hand, El clearly wants a normal life, shown not only by her letters to Mike and the dream world she creates within them (as it could be argued that she was just doing that to ease Mike's anxieties) but also by the effort she puts into waving to people at school even when they don't wave back, as well as imitating the movies she watches in Hopper's cabin in s2. This is also why she wants to be in a relationship with Mike instead of just friends, she feels like she needs to have a boyfriend to be normal and doesn't see any issue with dating Mike.

However, as Eddie says, "conformity is killing the kids". El is clearly having a miserable time with school in California, despite doing her best to fit in and Mike is just a "shitty knock off"- the stark contrast to his Hellfire outfit and airport outfit is insane in both colour and style.

The Wheeler family as a whole is learning that conforming to the nuclear family stereotype is not good for any of them, meaning that El will find more peace and power in being single (as well as being able to learn more about the world) and Mike will be able to defy heteronormativity by being with Will, meaning that it's not only Nancy who breaks that Wheeler family cycle (the one that Jonathan goes off about in his rant to Nancy in s1).

Therefore, byler endgame makes much more sense as the show is about the outsiders, and going against the mainstream.

(Which byler would be as it's a gay ship in a show set in the 80s that hasn't been spoon fed to the audience from the start to make it more palatable as well as the fact that making byler canon would also be breaking up a straight ship).

[incorrectringsofpower]

Season 2, Episode 7 liveblog reaction notes (spoilers behind cut)

Everyone else is like "did you just see Celebrimbor calmly drink tea in the middle of a siege?"

Nice of them to show more forge scenes before it's all very destroyed!

Silvergifters being fed lol.

Meanwhile, chaos outside and Sauron is walking around like a Bad Bitch.

Mirdania you are gonna dieee

Devastating Environmental Damage, brought to another kingdom near you by Adar!

Run, Arondir, run!

Don't hurt my faaaaaves (alas they do not have plot armor)

Durin III: My shareholders need the money for private yachts!

Ayyyy Narvi!

ELROND :D

MY HEART SINGS, TOO!

Elvish archers ilu doomed people

Ooh that's an orc costume from S1!

Celebrimbor is stuck in a time loop fanfic, RIP. (Heyyyy ficcers!)

Charlie Vickers angry face twitch time!

Yeah it's as bad as it looks, Brimby.

Sad Celebrimbor hours :(

BLOOD THEORY CONFIRMED???

HEY FAN WHO GUESSED THIS, YOU'RE A GENIUS

LMAO NOT THE "I HAVE MANY NAMES" LINE AGAIN

noooooo sad dog :'(

Well this sucks immensely ;_;

Fucking Annatar

Oh shiiiit poor Mirdania. I thought Annatar would kill her for sure.

Welp that was horrific.

RIDERS OF ROHAN

I mean, Lindon.

WHERE IS GALADRIEL?

ELROND IN ARMOR FUCK YES

Adar uses: Galadriel! It was super effective.

Sure would be nice to have our Druid Arondir and maybe also some Ents.

Don't call him a courtier. Rude!

Wow trying to use Melian on him. Bruh.

Orc revolt against Adar foreshadowing?

Maglor is Adar theory people ultimately devastated by a reunion scene that never could have happened due to licensing.

SORRY WHAT

HWAT

HER BAFFLED EXPRESSION IS MY EXPRESSION LMAO

I'M SORRY I'M NOT PAYING ATTENTION BC THAT WAS SO FUNNY

MORFYDD YOU FANDOM TROLL

HAHAHA WHAT A WAY TO FUCK WITH THE FANDOM AND GET GALADRIEL OUT I'M DYING

It's fiiine this was always a fanfic and haters wouldn't care that it was a ploy to pass her a get out of jail card anyway

Oh yeah cool Dwarf speech and my faves look so cool rn! I'm just highly distracted lol!

Durin's Bane next ep or S3 then?

Not the horsey :'(

Elrond girlies gonna love this ep

lol the trebuchet death was a bit looney tunes

Poor horse :(((

Elrond fighting but dreaming of building a nice Bed & Breakfast where no horses and friends die ever.

Glûg the union rep! Yeah I think he might kill Adar.

Adar: Clever Elrond.

Arondir where are youuuu

Orc medics? Fascinating.

Galadriel surprised by Orc funeral rights maybe?

ARONDIR

ELFIEST ELF TO EVER FUCKING ELF WITH ARONWYN THEME PLAYING AND BREAKING MY HEART

Galadriel and Arondir buddy time!

Something something forgiveness themes of this season.

Guess that means I have to forgive them for the Elrond and Galadriel kiss, doesn't it.

King Durin interrupting Elrond and Prince Durin's reunions as usual. Fucking Sauron!

Ra Ra Ra Ooh La La You and Me could have a Bad Romance, Celebrimbor

Ah this line again. Bruh it didn't work on his cousin.

God I hate his manipulative talk soooooo much. Charlie Vickers is doing such a good job.

Fire won't work, unfortunately. But hey, S2 soundtrack album cover moment!

This suuuucks so much. Charles Edwards is also doing an amazing job this season.

NOOOO NOT HIS HAND AUGH GORE WARNING

Getting knocked unconscious twice in an episode is probably bad for the head.

GALADRIEL HERE TO SAVE HER COUSIN (BUT TOO LATE)

So sad :(((

Sorry doomed OC elves. Nice knowing you tho.

Celebrimbor gets to deliver another Tolkien speech for this season. Thank you, doomed smith.

Run, Galadriel, ruuuun.

Rolling the Rs on Rían there lol. And yeah she's gonna die, as I predicted based on the trailers :/

That sucks. She was so cool for how brief her scenes were.

ARONDIR ELFIEST ELF TO EVER ELF

Dammit Damrod

Oooh creepy Sauron power moment. Terrifying.

RIP additional Eregion elf OC.

Sure glad Elrond has plot armor!

Not the horsesssss

It's fine, Elrond, Gil-galad can't die yet. The real concern I have is for Arondir.

Poor sad Elrond :(

The light is here!

RIP no dwarves :(

Poor bb Elrond :((((

So stressed about Arondir rn.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

STOP KILLING MY FAVES ;_;

FUCKSAKE

Dammit dammit dammit

[ripplestitchskein]

I know I’m harping on it a lot but I loved this show so much. It was a really bright spot for me and S3 wasn’t great but it wasn’t this bad.

I just can’t fathom that human writers finished up their S4 scripts all

“Yup, we sure wrote a thing that doesn’t ignore every crucial theme, characterization and motivation setup so far. Can’t wait to film this with Dhar Mann level acting and hastily cobbled together sets. The messaging we decided to go with is “The weird traumatized queer coded characters should kill themselves because they’re ruining the world. We’re gonna end it with an idyllic shot of everyone being super happy now that they are dead and like how utopian it is that they no longer exist. Also, lot of unnecessary fat phobia and literally nothing that the characters went though mattered at all! Fun right!?!”

Their budget was obviously slashed to shit so maybe that’s why it seems like they got like the Willy Wonka Experience guy to produce and went for a CW show in the early 2000’s cinematography style. The fake graveyard set and the barn gave me Once Upon a Time war flashbacks.

The lack of commitment from the actors was palpable. Elliot Page didn’t even look like he wanted to be in half his scenes. I don’t blame him. Either everyone was delivering lines like they were reading a pulp novel or ramping up the cheeseburger camp to Lazy Town levels of overacting.

Luther’s entire character motivation was whacky waving inflatable arm guy who is sad about kids. Diego and Lila keep repeating they have three of those but the budget couldn’t support more than one child actor that Diego DIDNT EVEN SAY BYE TO. Lila and Five were a chemistry void. A Lolly adjacent fever dream that made me cringe the entire time it was on my screen. AND IT DIDNT EVEN GET PAID OFF, it was wishy washy love triangle slop until the very bitter and pointless end.

[claudiablogger]

idk if they are gonna put lestat through the ringer but i would really like if they don’t make loustat endgame or whatever,like it doesn’t make sense,i really don’t want to see louis going back to him lmao i know im delusional but i hope the show will change the otps like anne rice really wanted,she was right hating on loustat lol it should be lesmand+that creep british hag david,and not louis ty

scream i sounded hopeless in my post didn't i. but this is horror and s3 is lestat (loustat) so i have faith. no one hates lestat more than a girl who is him so i do sympathize w yr dreams and wishes but i fear he's the one for louis.....especially now that claudia is dead. like i said louis isn't avoidant and after the second interview he wants to come to terms with his grief and keep paul and claudia in him and lestat is a big part of the latter (everything is abt loustat except loustat which is abt claudia, etc) especially now that louis knows he didn't kill claudia but still has a lot to atone for. like despite it all he still loves lestat and moreover he loves the family they were.....god. i do love and appreciate how this show is engaging w themes of forgiveness and redemption and how neither of these are necessary for louis to embrace her love for lestat, because most of all that love is a part of herself. it's not for his benefit. and as for lestat and his love.....when you've done the worst thing you can to another person--when you've said the unsayable and committed to the unforgivable-- what does it mean to build a love on that horror and that grief.....i have to say im a sucker for a narrative that explores personhood through and beyond monstrosity (<- queen's thief enjoyer) and lestat exemplifies that currently in 2022, mired in grief, wanting louis despite knowing he shouldn't. endgame loustat is less about louis going back to him (lestat has lived in his heart for over a hundred years. you carry him in here ! you slow us down) and more about lestat's growth and louis' acceptance of being seen; they have all of eternity to return to each other. and again what could induce two people to coexist with unimaginable horror and pain that one of them inflicted on the other....how they leave the damage so they never forget the damage.....honoring claudia and honoring louis' love for what they had. there is something to be said for lesmand and finding relief and recognition in the worst versions of each other but lestat could never betray claudia or louis by going back to armand at this point imo. plus well our louis is actually interesting + kind of a freak she needs someone who matches that and we know lestat has the game. sigh. who's david <3

[crusherthedoctor]

8 16 17 25

8. you hope more people will come to appreciate ___ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

The Pontaff era.

No, I'm not saying these games don't have their weakpoints. To claim I ever have would be disingenuous. But really, what makes them different from every other era in Sonic's history? If the Adventure-Black Knight games are free to be vindicated by history in spite of their own non-nitpick drawbacks, including the game that came the closest to actually killing off the franchise, then I don't see what makes these games so much more inexcusable by comparison.

The sensationalist side of the fandom's Pontaff hateboner has always felt performative, as if it's an open secret that it's the cool thing to do. '06 is declared out of bounds because too much time has passed and it's played out, yet they keep harping on a game that will soon be seven years old (Forces), a game that came out over a decade ago (Lost World), and a game that came out over 13 years ago (Colours). Even with Generations, the one that has probably fared the best reception-wise out of the lot, it's not rare to see fans unironically call it a worse anniversary game than '06.

If the Pontaff era of Sonic is not your cup of tea overall, that's fine. It's no different to my lack of enthusiasm for the current Flynn era (Superstars and Dream Team notwithstanding). But no matter how many YouTubers try to convince me with their clickbait thumbnails and their tendency to complain about dragged out jokes while making their own dragged out jokes, I will never buy into this insincere narrative that everything was consistent high times until Colours singlehandedly made the franchise drop off a cliff.

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

I can't say Eggman's actual characterization because that's not exactly a tiny affair, so... Omega's portrayal when not written by Flynn/Bioware?

17. the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love

S3&K

The franchise's history of excellent music

The franchise's history of exploring themes that, regardless of whether the overall execution is good or bad, tend to have more nuance and thoughtfulness put into them than a lot of other, supposedly more mature IPs' interpretations of said themes

The characters we know conceptually but don't necessarily have similar viewpoints on

ShtH being filed in the comedy genre

Sonic faceplanting

25. a piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces

Never let anyone assert control of your own experience. You should always be the one to referee your own corner of community interaction, and although polite disagreement and healthy discourse is well and expected, you shouldn't feel the need to continue diving into discourse by virtue of obligation if it makes you miserable after seeing so many terrible takes based on illegitimate reasoning. Block certain tags if you deem it necessary.

You should also not focus on popularity, and not just because it inevitably comes at the cost of being true to yourself and what makes you satisfied. If you remain honest, and respectful, you'll find your true friends in the community soon enough, which are worth far more than a million faceless acquaintances ever will.