#especially when we get to season 1b

[markantonys]

You saw the leak huh? Mat might go to Tanchico instead of the Waste in s3

i hadn't seen it until i got this ask! i looked it up and here's the source: WoTUp video. usual disclaimer that these are leaks so may not be 100% reliable, although i thiiiiink WoTUp has a pretty good track record for accurate leaks. UPDATE: they actually have a spotty track record with leaks and have reported false ones before (such as that faile would be in s2), so we should definitely be taking this one with a grain of salt!

to summarize the video, the only new piece of info is that mat, thom, and min were (allegedly) spotted filming scenes with elayne and nynaeve for the tanchico storyline. (he also says that elayne, nynaeve, liandrin, ispan, and moghedien were spotted filming for that storyline, which is of course not surprising!) HOWEVER, he says that he has no idea where in the season these scenes fall or whether it means mat is *exclusively* part of the tanchico storyline in s3, so at this point we can't say mat is 100% spending the entire season in tanchico instead of the waste - there's still a chance that he's in the waste for a portion and tanchico for another portion.

now, time to speculate! full book series spoilers below. this will be long because my mind is going a mile an hour!

fact #1: mat's hanging and missing eye were foreshadowed multiple times in season 2

fact #2: in this podcast interview, donal referred to mat's season 2 knifestick as a "makeshift ashandarei" (it could be he was just speaking with book knowledge about what a real ashandarei is, but to me it implies that show!mat will also be getting a real ashandarei. besides, the greatest general of the age inarguably needs a better permanent weapon than a knifestick!)

these facts make me still very confident that we will be getting at least 1 Mat Doorway Trip in the show. but that doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll go to the waste - it could happen anywhere. rhuidean is the book version, but falme has a "room of curiosities" per season 2, and tanchico has a museum thingy per the books, so there are several options for where mat could come across a doorway.

unless they're changing the doorway aspect of the moiraine vs. lanfear showdown (which i don't have any reason to believe they will, especially given mat's missing eye foreshadowing, which indicates moiraine will still get trapped in the finn realm and mat will rescue her), then there needs to be a doorway in whatever location the two of them find themselves in at the end of season 3 (or at least that's my best guess for when the showdown will take place). and i doubt moiraine would get over to tanchico, or that she would've carted a doorway from falme to the waste, so a rhuidean doorway for that plotline still feels the most plausible for me. however, there could be multiple doorways in the show, as there are in the books, so mat could go through a different one. so this entire point actually may be moot then, i guess haha but i will keep it in here nonetheless!

here are the overall options i can think of right now - note that i'm assuming only 1 Mat Doorway Trip for now to keep things simpler, but it's not impossible that he might still have 2 trips like he does in the books.

#1: mat goes through a doorway in falme at the beginning of the season (and gets cpr from rand, who went to the doorway to get his own answers)

-> #1A: mat is told by Falme Finn to go to the waste and does so, but partway through the season he heads over to tanchico (perhaps to fetch elayne at rand's behest because of rumors of trouble in caemlyn)

-> #1B: mat is told by Falme Finn to go to tanchico, and he never goes to the waste at all

#2: mat initially accompanies the tanchico crew of his own volition and goes through a doorway there (and gets cpr from someone who is not rand), and he never goes to the waste at all

#3: mat initially accompanies the tanchico crew of his own volition and goes through a doorway there, but he gets spit out of it in rhuidean (and gets cpr from rand, who has conveniently just emerged from his glass columns trip)

#4: mat initially accompanies the waste crew of his own volition and goes through a doorway in rhuidean, but he gets spit out of it in tanchico (and gets cpr from someone who is not rand)

i will be more crushed than you could ever comprehend if Cauthor CPR doesn't make it into the show in SOME way haha but i will start girding my loins now for the possibility (although i do still think it could happen). and no matter what happens, at least we'll always have Cauthor Homoerotic Stabbing Feat. Extended Cradling!

in all honesty, mat doesn't really Do that much in the waste plotline aside from his doorway trip. i would be incredibly sad to lose out on bonding time with rand and egwene (yet thrilled to get mat-elayne-nynaeve bonding - when god closes a door, he opens a window!), but in terms of mat's overall long-term story arc, there isn't anything for him in the waste arc that MUST take place in the waste, i don't think?

but on the other hand, if they're going to add him into the tanchico storyline, they have to have a good reason for it - it can't just be for the sake of having fun shenanigans and bonding with elayne and nynaeve. so of course, my immediate supposition is that this would be absorbing the ebou dar plotline and thus that the ultimate purpose of mat going to tanchico would be to meet tuon.

and honestly................that's a REALLY good idea! i've said a million times over that tuon and her relationship with mat need to be introduced much earlier in the show than they are in the books in order to have enough time for proper development, so combining the wondergirls' two different trips to seanchan-infiltrated west-coast cities into one trip and thereby having mat meet tuon by the end of season 3? that could be a very clever adaptational choice. we know so so little about season 3 so far that i really don't want to get myself stuck into any assumptions THIS soon haha so i'm going to try not to get to hung up on this idea, but i do feel pretty strongly that the best reason (and perhaps the ONLY good reason?) to add mat into the tanchico storyline is if they want to combine it with ebou dar and use it as tuon's introduction. and this would also work very well with mat's doorway trip, because he'd be getting his marriage prophecy in the same season as he meets tuon (though he and/or the audience may or may not not become aware of it until a future season).

but what would a season 3 mat-tuon meeting mean for future seasons? maybe they would just cross paths this season, then go their separate ways for some individual arcs and cross paths again later for the romance to begin. or maybe tuon would get caught up in mat's plotline for season 4 and potentially beyond.

(i do worry that making mat & tuon meet THIS soon could mean they believe they need to aim for the 5-season model instead of the full 8 because i'm not sure what tuon would do for 5 more seasons after this, but i'm already so far out on the limb of speculation here that i don't want to go any further until we know more! and they could certainly invent plenty of stuff for tuon to do seeing as she did not do SHIT in the books and desperately needs to lmao the seanchan heir being a channeler is something that is huuuuuuugely rife with story potential.)

going back to mat, let's think a little about HIS future storylines, in the scenario of him meeting tuon by the end of s3. i think the only other major pre-ebou-dar thing he needs to do is form the band of the red hand, which could be shuffled around to after meeting tuon instead of before. there's lots of possibilites for it - all mat needs to do is participate in a battle where a lot of other people are also fighting. maybe the seanchan try to invade tanchico, and he rallies the locals to protect the city. maybe in season 4 he carts tuon along with him back into rand's plotline, where he forms the band during one of the many City-Conquering Rand Battles the show has available to choose from (cairhien, tear, illian, caemlyn). i do feel hopeful that even IF tanchico stands in for ebou dar, it won't be the point of mat splitting off from rand & the main gang for the entire rest of the series never to return like ebou dar was in the books. especially because he barely does anything of story significance between ebou dar & moiraine rescue heist, so it wouldn't be hard to just move up the schedule of his & tuon's meeting and then return him to his TFOH/LOC storyline.

(............which again makes me worry they're aiming for 5 seasons total because what would MAT do for 4 more seasons if everything but the moiraine rescue heist is accomplished by the end of s4? but, again, don't want to go too far out on the limb of speculation. and 8 seasons has always been a very very lofty goal in today's era of television, so getting 5 would still be wonderful! and so much of books 7-13 is filler & sidequests that i think they could absolutely tell the most important parts of the story satisfyingly in only 5 seasons.)

@butterflydm and i have also speculated that elayne & nynaeve could potentially reunite with the waste crew by the end of s3 or early in s4, in order to give them some bonding time with those characters (particularly rand & aviendha and lan, respectively). so, if mat is in tanchico with them, maybe he could come along! maybe rather than getting split up in a seanchan attack, mat and the girls all kidnap tuon and flee the city together, and make their way back to the rest of the gang.

and finally, on a different note, min's presence in tanchico. intriguing! my first thought was that maybe liandrin kidnaps her from cairhien because she finds out min knows she's in cahoots with ishamael and doesn't want min to snitch, and that's how min ends up in tanchico. this would prooooobably mean she skips the tower coup plotline entirely, which i think is okay because siuan, elaida, gawyn, leane, and possibly logain would probably be enough to anchor that plotline for us. it would also give min the bonding time with elayne & nynaeve she didn't have time for in season 2, and if my tuon speculations are correct, then potentially min would enter her orbit this early as well, which would be interesting. rescuing siuan in the coup is The Only Thing min does in 14 books so it would be funny if the show cut it djkfjg but they can (and already have) invent new stuff for her to do instead, and honestly, min doesn't really fit in with the coup & salidar plotlines that well anyway since she isn't a stakeholder in anything relating to the white tower - none of that stuff truly MATTERS to her character, she just happens to be present for it. so IF she doesn't end up being in that plotline in the show, not a huge loss imo (though of course, she could still make her way to the tower later on, or maybe she starts in the tower but then siuan sends her to tanchico to investigate liandrin or something).

anyway, i think i've reached the end of my speculation for now, although i'm sure i'll think of more stuff later! in conclusion, this is my current mood:

[sepublic]

Congratulations on the Boscha validation. This episode was a treat in so many ways.

Pal lemme tell you. Back in Season 1B I was a BIG Boscha fan, in part because she had just enough to work with, but also enough empty space for me to speculate freely as I wanted. So I write what was originally my longest TOH fic at the time (and would be for two and a half years, until I finished Understanding Luz last week), and I’m really happy with it. Sure it was released like the day before Agony of a Witch, which I KNEW would probably distract. But honestly I just couldn’t think of a better time so I did it anyway.

That said, I wasn’t getting my hopes up. I had a feeling and wouldn’t have been surprised if the show would move on from Boscha, who’d serve her purpose. If it had more grandiose storylines to pursue than a Grudgby bully’s, so when Season 2 aired in its entirety and she faded into background obscurity, I accepted it! It is how it is, Hexside wasn’t even meant to be as prominent until executive meddling, and even then Boscha wasn’t THAT prominent there anyhow. When she didn’t even appear in Labyrinth Runners, I shrugged because that was that.

But literally the day For the Future aired, I was waiting in anticipation for the release that night and I skimmed through my old Boscha fic for the first time in forever. Reminisced thoughtfully, nostalgically, and ultimately was like Yeah I don’t expect her to show up at this point beyond a cameo, but it was fun imagining and hoping for this type of arc for her back in the days of Season 1B. I’d noticed Amelia and Cat’s presence as puppets in a previous official trailer, thought it was cool because of my Boscha fic and all, but didn’t think it’d GO anywhere, right?

And then I began watching For the Future. I see Boscha, Amelia, and Cat in Skara’s story. I’m already hyped for the cameo of seeing them trying to defend Hexside and failing of course, because we’d already seen Cat and Amelia as puppets earlier the episode. But then Boscha manages to avoid being turned into a puppet, is even saved with the sacrifice of her friends! And then she gets away when the adults charge in as backup! And I’m like okay, so she’s still at Hexside!

AND THEN THE REVELATION THAT BOSCHA IS IN CHARGE. And her whole subplot with Kikimora, her obvious apprehension over losing Cat and Amelia, especially after Amity and then Skara. AND THEN HER TALK WITH WILLOW, the parallels, the callout, because the writers are still interested in that history! And not just Boscha’s history with Willow but with AMITY, as Boscha becomes a bit of an antagonist...

And then she kneels. And suddenly my speculation/fanon of Boscha having this deeply unrequited crush on Amity, this unhealthy admiration and hero worship upon a pedestal. It was canon. The unhealthy co-dependency of it all, Boscha didn’t even want to be the one in charge in their friendship, as long as Amity was by her side! She was fine with being the lackey to Amity, just like Jasper and Lapis from Steven Universe, who I def pulled inspiration from in writing I thought we were Friends. 

The way Amity still has this obvious power and growth over Boscha, who isn’t exactly a threat to her, but definitely an obstacle. The gentle yet firm way she reminds Boscha that yeah, they do have a messed up history and she can see the issues that Boscha struggles with, she was a bully herself! But ultimately Boscha is her own person and Amity implores her to take responsibility and mature as she did... AND SHE DOES!!! She helps our kids hold back Kikimora, just enough for them to barely teleport to the skull in time!

Then the end credits, THAT image of Boscha, lonely, scared, isolated. Being ‘consoled’ by Kikimora, unable to participate in the antics of these losers around her because she’s still so insistent on being strong and without vulnerability. The implication that she gave into Kiki’s advice, because despite her general disdain for authority, deep down I read this as being due to authority’s failure to take care of her. 

But Boscha still wanted and needed a benevolent authority in the absence of actual parental love, which was why she latched onto Amity so hard. And then accepts Kikimora, because her hyper-aggression and independence is all just a coping mechanism over the sense of loneliness and parentification that Boscha’s suffered through. How her past forced Boscha to grow up fast to take care of herself, but she craves someone who can take care of her, guide her, because she’s so tired of doing that for others when she’s never been on the receiving end!

She’s just a deeply troubled kid. There was more to her than just mean high school bully, not that she wasn’t that either, but. Everything in For the Future, her storyline and resolution with Amity, the scenes with Willow. It felt like the PERFECT redemption and recovery ending that I thought we were Friends didn’t have, but could’ve, left open-ended due to the possibilities of canon. And canon delivered...!

Considering the writers put Boscha to the side for a whole season, with a very limited Season 3 to work with, I never imagined her getting a redemption arc of her own, an acknowledgement of her pain, a canonization of her codependency and twisted worship of Amity, and deep-down need for someone to rely on herself. Boscha’s not important enough, there’s not enough time, they wouldn’t prioritize her anyway. But they did and I’m ELATED for it, I wonder if part of the Doylist reasoning was gratitude towards Eden Riegel (Boscha’s VA) and her work in directing the entire voice cast of TOH. And/or if this was always planned...

Either way, with Eden being our only source of Boscha breadcrumbs throughout Season 2 during her appearances in Cissy’s Post-Hoots, and... This really is a dream come true for me, as was Edric’s storyline in Reaching Out. The minor characters I projected a lot of fanon and characterization and backstory onto, ultimately my fanfics for them DID pay off! The reading and speculation was confirmed! And it is SUCH a treat as someone who’s been engaging with and analyzing this show since it was first announced in 2018, you cannot believe how rewarding it feels. 

Season 3′s titles spell out Thanks For Watching, and it honestly does feel as if this Boscha arc was a bone thrown out to her fans and those long-time viewers who engaged with the show that deeply, as thanks for sticking it through the whole way and treating TOH with so much love. And I have to say, THANK YOU to the crew members who made the show to begin with...!

[adrianmata26]

For Immediate Release May 30, 2023

The Sachairi & Peaches Show Returns for Season 1B on June 6

Orlando, FL and Baltimore, MD - After a month-long break in May of 2023, The Sachairi & Peaches Show is ready to roll on with Season 1B, from June 6, 2023! The podcast, which launched on March 7 of this year, focuses primarily on the world of animation, with a brief look at the co-hosts' daily, neurodivergent lives, and whatever else they like to talk about, within and outside the animation industry. Co-Host, Producer and Creator, Adrian Mata, will return alongside Co-Host, Emma Settles—a recent Class of 2023 graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA—as they continue to deliver their analysis, reviews, reactions, and discussions about the latest, popular, and classic animated shows and movies.

"It's been quite a while, but I am excited to be back alongside my best friend, Emma, as we continue on with the podcast. We'll still be talking about what's going on in animation, as well as the shows and films we've watched—maybe it'll feel like we've never left at all! Nonetheless, I am ready to get this show off the ground once again, into the summer of 2023," said Adrian Mata, Co-Host, Producer and Creator of The Sachairi & Peaches Show.

"I was honestly excited before when the series started, but I am especially excited now. I genuinely feel that if season 1A was as good as it was, season 1B will be even better, especially considering all the planning we've done in advance," said Emma Settles, Co-Host of The Sachairi & Peaches Show.

With the podcast's return comes a few changes, which includes a new announcer in the form of Jared Harris, a broadcast engineer and voiceover artist currently based in Phoenix, AZ. A new look and sound for the podcast was previewed during the show's Highlights Edition, released earlier this May, and those changes will officially take effect at the start of the show's second half of the first season.

"I'm excited to step into my first professional voiceover role as announcer for The Sachairi & Peaches Show. Adrian and Emma have a fun discourse together, and as a fellow autistic and consumer of animation, I think it’ll be fun to lend my voice to their conversations," said Jared Harris, Announcer for The Sachairi & Peaches Show.

Season 1B will begin with "How to Make Something Great: Emma's Advice for Filmmaking" on June 6, as Emma, a UArts graduate, will give out their advice on crafting out films that can appeal to various audiences. For Something Completely Different, Adrian will pay tribute to a legendary television newsman in Emma's hometown of Baltimore, Al Sanders. Other episodes for the month of June will see Adrian and Emma discuss about Aggretsuko's final season; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in anticipation of Across the Spider-Verse's release in theaters; and Dragon Rider, also known as Firedrake the Silver Dragon. The month of July will be themed as Retrospect Month as the two of them talk about cartoons of the 80s and 90s, and then the season concludes in August with a celebration of the Laika Studios stop-motion film, Kubo and the Two Strings, ahead of its seventh anniversary on August 19.

Those interested in The Sachairi & Peaches Show can listen to the podcast through various supported services such as Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Goodpods, among others, and can also follow the show on Instagram @ SachairiAndPeaches for highlights and other digital content. Adrian and Emma can also be followed on DeviantArt @ AdrianMata26 and @ LocalPeaches, respectively; and elsewhere, Adrian can be followed on Instagram @ adrianmata26 and @ sachlandhub, and on Tumblr @ adrianmata26. An official website, as well as additional social media platforms for the show, are forthcoming.

[tvobsessed96]

2022 TV Recap

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but I wanted to bring back something I used to quite enjoy doing! Reviewing and ranking the best TV I watched in a given year, that is. I kept track of all the new TV I watched last year on Twitter with the intention of picking a top 10 or top 5 episodes at the end. But after giving it some thought, I want to try something a little different. Since the pool is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be and I don’t particularly have the motivation to rank all the episodes anyway, I’ve decided it might be better if I simply recap and review the shows I watched last year and list a few standout episodes at the end! With that explanation out of the way, let’s get into it. 

The Shows

This Is Us (Season 6)- One of the most talked about (and cried about) shows of the past decade came to an end in 2022, and I can honestly say it was pretty spectacular! The main focus of this season was how the Pearson family handled Rebecca’s declining health, and it was pretty effective. The performances all around were incredible, but I was especially stunned that Mandy Moore didn’t get her long overdue Emmy win or even a nomination! She’s long deserved it, and it’s a shame the show has ended without her getting that recognition. I know some fans said this season (particularly the finale) lacked some of the flashiness one might expect, especially considering how long they’d been planning this ending. But honestly, I can’t imagine a more perfect way to end this cozy, emotional family drama than what we got. Was it the best season of This Is Us overall? Maybe not. But it was certainly a very good one, and immensely satisfying in a number of different ways.

Ghosts (US) (Seasons 1B and 2A)- I decided to tune into Ghosts when it premiered in the fall of 2021 because it looked like a lot of fun and I’m a big fan of Rose McIver. Having never seen the British version, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’m so glad I tuned in! The beginning of season 1 is a little bit rough around the edges. But as the show has grown into itself and found its own voice, it’s become a true delight! Throughout the second half of season 1 and first half of season 2, the show just kept getting funnier and sweeter! I love all the ghosts, I love Sam and Jay, and I’m excited to see what fun stories the writers come up with now that the B&B has been fully operational for a bit. If you like charming, hilarious stories about a group of people who love each other having wacky adventures, this show might be for you!

Good Trouble (Season 4)- Good Trouble continues to be one of the best shows not enough people are talking about. I know a lot of fans were nervous going into this season when it was announced that Maia Mitchell would be leaving, but I think the writers handled it very well. The Coterie crew still feels like the Coterie crew! One thing that stood out to me the most was the character growth. Everyone feels so grown up and mature compared to when we first met them 4 years ago! Alice standing up for herself and regaining her confidence as a performer! Malika figuring herself out and making smart career moves while also not losing the passion for social justice that makes her who she is! Davia standing up to her mom, setting boundaries in her relationships, and finally having the courage to stop beating around the bush with Dennis! Gael becoming a father!! There’s a lot to look forward to in season 5, including the resolution of that insane cliffhanger, and I can’t wait!

Raven’s Home (Season 5)- I’m actually...not fully caught up on Raven’s Home. Oops! But I have watched enough of the season to be able to say that I’ve really enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel given the huge changes that were made and the absence of some beloved characters. I’m happy to say the show still brings a huge smile to my face! Ivy, Neil, and Alice are my children and they must be protected at all costs! And bringing Alana back as the principal was a brilliant choice!

So You Think You Can Dance (Season 17)- I enjoyed this season of SYTYCD. I did! I really liked the cast and there were some really great routines! Unfortunately, there were some things that disappointed me as well. For one, it was way too short. They’d been doing shorter seasons with smaller casts for a few years, but something about this season felt extra rushed and condensed. It felt like we barely had time to get to know the dancers before we were down to the final few. Additionally, as much as I tried to put a positive spin on it when it was first announced, limiting the voting to just the studio audience was not a great choice. If Fox can’t give SYTYCD the time and freedom it needs to truly live up to the potential of the format, maybe they shouldn’t have brought it back at all. That’s not to say I won’t be tuning in for season 18, which I assume is happening. Let’s hope the network hears the fans out!

Only Murders in the Building (Season 2)- I absolutely LOVED the first season of OMITB, and season 2 was also excellent! Funny, an acceptable amount of suspense, some great twists, and excellent character work! I’m not sure the mystery was quite as well crafted as the first season, but that didn’t make it any less engaging to watch. Really looking forward to season 3!

Reboot (Season 1)- As a TV nerd and a sitcom nerd specifically, there’s pretty much no way I wasn’t going to check this one out! It’s about the cast of a fictional sitcom from the 2000s coming back together to do a reboot. I expected it to be a silly good time, but it’s also surprisingly deep. It’s very funny, that’s for sure, but there’s also some great character work and satire going on, too. I recommend checking it out!

The Standout Episodes

“Kiss Me and Smile for Me” (Good Trouble 4x02)- How do you properly say goodbye to a character that’s been a huge part of your life for the better part of a decade? As a writer, as an actor, or as a fan? That was the task Good Trouble was presented with when Maia Mitchell decided she would be departing the role of Callie Adams Foster, and I think the writers did a very admirable job! The episode did a good job of closing this chapter of Callie’s life while making it clear that she has a very bright future ahead of her. From the goodbyes Callie got to have with each member of the Coterie crew, to the sometimes complicated but always heartwarming bond between the Adams Foster sisters, to the callback to Callie and Mariana’s first party at the Coterie, it was a truly lovely episode from start to finish! Callie Adams Foster will always be a very special character to me and watching her growth from the terrified teenager who didn’t believe she was worthy of love or a family to the confident woman who got on that plane to DC was incredible. I hope we get to see some more guest appearances before the show eventually ends!

“Miguel” and “The Train” (This Is Us 6x15 and 6x17)- Death and grief have always been themes that This Is Us has been pretty skilled at handling, but these two episodes took that to another level. First, we got “Miguel,” an immensely moving portrait of a character that never got the love he deserved from the fandom. I honestly believe Jack would be thrilled that his two best friends eventually ended up together. Miguel was there for Rebecca when she needed him the most and he was there was for her until his final days. And then there’s “The Train.” The fact that the show wasn’t nominated in multiple Emmy categories for this episode alone baffles me. Visually stunning, incredibly well written, and impeccably performed. Truly the sendoff Rebecca Pearson so richly deserved.

“Flipping the Pieces” (Only Murders in the Building 2x07)- It’s kind of hard to pick a favorite episode from OMITB season 2, but I think this one fits the bill. Mabel and Theo make a great duo, both comedically and dramatically! And I absolutely loved the metaphor of the puzzle pieces as it relates the repression of traumatic memories. The one thing I may have changed is the way Mabel kept talking at Theo even after he specifically told her he couldn’t pick up much of what she was saying just by reading her lips. But I get why the writers probably thought it was necessary and seeing her learn a little bit of ASL along the way was very sweet!

There you have it! Looking forward to another year of great TV!

[putonmyfavoriteshow]

I have less than 30 episodes left of s1 😮

Some current thoughts:

- I was nervous when I started my rewatch if I’d like s1 as much but it hit its stride in the 20s/30s and the 40s/50s have been on fire (oof poor choice of words 😬) and im absolutely loving it! Also, not having the clearest memory helps haha

- Lutteo is def better in 1B once Matteo starts realizing his feelings and starting to show Luna by being nice/helping her rather than his harrasment tactics in 1A. I don’t mind their scenes as much, some are kinda cute 🫥

- Lumon still does not do it for me (romantically). I adore their friendship and maybe Luna did feel some jealousy about Daniela? But I really think her attachment to Simón comes from their upbringing together. He’s a constant in her life she doesn’t want to lose. Which is still such a sweet dynamic and they mean the world to me <3

- Gastteo my beloved boys. The way they have such an affectionate and caring friendship is really so 🥹 Dang not me liking Matteo because of this!!

- Lunina my angel girls. They’re the purest friendship ever and I just think they deserve the world ok!? Plus they are such babies in s1. The littlest girls! Who support each other in everything they do!!! Nothing but loyalty and support <3 I want to wrap them up in blankets, I do!

- Ramiro is the wackiest rapper boy there ever was and I love him and his silly little lesbians Jim and Yam who are literally dating this entire season so far like Yamiro still barely is a thing and neither is Jico…

- Nico is so irrelevant I can’t

- Delfi’s arc is really exciting here! Seeing her start to break free of Ámbar, grow in love with Pedro, but still have her crazy shenanigans over Gastón/Felicity is nice

- Jazmín is the greatest. Every time she’s on screen I’m smiling. I love how blunt she is especially to Delfi and Ámbar. I want to give Katja all the awards bc she deserves it!

- Ámbar is so scary in s1 holy hell. Please someone save her.

- Sharon is even scarier HOLY HELL. Please someone stop her.

- Rey really has to deal with Cato/Tino, Ámbar, and Sharon - praise his patience

- Monica/Miguel are the greatest parents, couple, mystery solving team ever but we’ve been knew

- The other adult drama is meh but STAN MORA!!!

- Daniela needs to leave 😃

- Im a fan of the Gastina storyline but man are we really getting to the point where I need things to progress faster! THEY NEED TO MEET ALREADY HELPPP

- Also Ámbar’s mom showed up finally. Excited to see that play out again.

- Now that we shifted from duos to group for skating it’s gotten really fun to see everyone interact as a group!

- Now I wait for the Ámbar birthday episode 😍😍😍

[kitteningotham]

This kinda made me want to answer some of these, so here we go ig? Kinda like a get to know me? I am going to be leaving out certain questions for privacy reasons/bc I don’t want to answer them though :)

1a) Reading, especially classic novels like Little Women, Black Beauty and Ballet Shoes

1b) My Year Four English teacher, who was the first one to tell me that I was a good writer, and told me that she could imagine reading my (fictional) article in a real newspaper

1c) My family and friends, who have always supported who I am and celebrated my achievements

2) Oh God… get ready for this you guys…

Yeah… it looks like a ten year old’s writing, I know.

3) Ummm… pressure…. Frozen, You’ve Got Mail, and the LEGO Batman Movie

5) Does my Tumblr even count as a blog? If it does, I started it to be able to share my interests with others, read and see and watch other peoples’ creations, and appreciate artists who deserve acknowledgment.

6) So, I really haven’t been a creator here that long, but I would have to say the hate comments I see directed at others. On Tumblr, we’re fortunate to not really have that much hate, and when there is, it is usually managed effectively. Still, online in general, the things I have seen directed at other people can be horrible.

8) Unfortunately, I don’t usually dream at all, so no :(

9) I honestly can’t think of anything good to put here, if I think of something I’ll change it

10) Kind of, yeah! I don’t often show that side of myself to other people, but I tend to react to things I love/hate emotionally, even if you can’t see it visibly.

11) I think that my version of romance is like a warm familiarity, when you see someone you know and love anyway, all of their faults and flaws included, and you know that they are one of the people you care most about. You know that they are the right person for you.

12) Follow your passions and joys, try to do and embrace what you love best. Share you hopes, dreams and feelings with the people you love. Remember that they love you too.

13) Writing this, but also messaging my best friend to arrange meeting up and brushing my hair!

14) Probably windsurfing or skydiving! It always looks super fun, but I can never work up the courage to give it a go!

15) We move around quite often, so I think of my family and the warm feeling they bring me

16) Probably my athletic skills, I’m really awful at most sports and running and if I were better at them I think I would enjoy exercising more.

17) Reading a good book, chocolate, and my loved ones

18) I do think that there may be life on other planets, but I don’t believe in stereotypical aliens, no, nor ghosts.

19) Probably the sunlight and the way it looks and feels. The warmth on your skin, the spots in your eyes.

20) I’m very much a night owl, so it’s quite hard to choose, but I like the night sky, whether it’s cloudy and mysterious or clear and starry. The moon is very much included in that.

21) No, I’m pretty much atheist. I have no idea or beliefs about what happens after we die, but I don’t really believe in or pray to any higher powers. I’m really interested in Greek mythology and the study of other religions though, and fully respect anyone else’s beliefs.

22) She’s funny, smart and really kind and inclusive

24) The grades I’ve made on some of my exams over the years, which I was always really pleased with

25) Autumn. The lovely warm colours and wildlife, along with the transition from warm to cool temperatures, make it the most interesting season, in my opinion. Not to mention all the nice warm cinnamon cookies and drinks :)

26) Purple. I just love the contrast between how powerful the dark shades are, and how delicate the pale ones are. It’s just so beautiful to me. Delphiniums are one of my favourite flower’s because of their colours.

28) I have quite a large collection of Pokémon cards left over from when I was younger that I was really into at one point, but not currently. Oh, unless you count notebooks because I literally can’t stop buying those.

29) I read.

30) Also reading. There’s something about escaping reality that lifts all of the weights off of your shoulders and makes your sorrows less potent.

31) I’m almost right between the two. I’m not organised, but my house is always quite tidy. I probably err more on the side of messiness though.

32) I mostly use Google, so that has 37 tabs open, and I only use safari for opening links because I can’t be bothered to set the former as my default browser, so that has 77.

33) Mostly just reading, writing, gaming, cooking and baking.

34) When people don’t explain things and expect you to just know how to do them. Super annoying.

35) No, I don’t think so. Meeting new people is hard anyway, and it takes a fair amount of time for me to befriend and open up to someone.

36) Walls up.

38) I’ve been into a few things lately. Mostly ‘History Of Man’ by Maisie Peters, ‘Leave Before The Lights Come On’ by the Arctic Monkeys, and ‘Like That’ by JP Saxe :)

39) I love LDShadowlady’s stuff, her vibe is just so amazing! She’s so chaotic, and so nice and good at the game

40) I bite my nails :(

Thanks for reading! :) <333

questions I think would be fun to be asked

what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

show us a picture of your handwriting?

3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

what’s an inside joke you have with your family or friends?

what made you start your blog?

what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?

what scares you the most and why?

any reacquiring dreams?

tell a story about your childhood

would you say you’re an emotional person?

what do you consider to be romance?

what’s some good advice you want to share?

what are you doing right now?

what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?

what do you think of when you hear the word “home”?

if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

name 3 things that make you happy

do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?

favourite thing about the day?

favourite things about the night?

are you a spiritual person?

say 3 things about someone you love

say 3 things about someone you hate

what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

fave season and why?

fave colour and why?

any nicknames?

do you collect anything?

what do you do when you’re sad?

what’s one thing that never fails to make you happy/happier?

are you messy or organised?

how many tabs do you have open right now?

any hobbies?

any pet peeves?

do you trust easily?

are you an open book or do you have walls up?

share a secret

fave song at the moment?

youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?

any bad habits?

(this post was stolen from @teenage-mutant-ninja-freak, since it couldn't be reblogged anymore)

[workpermitz]

What Do The U.S. Visa Restrictions Mean For Companies Expanding To The U.S. ?

The U.S. has long been a desirable destination for businesses looking to expand their operations. But recent visa restrictions have made it more difficult for companies to get the talent they need to grow in the U.S. 

The work visa usasystem is a complex and ever-changing process. Hence, it can be difficult to navigate, especially for companies expanding to the U.S. 

Though, there are a variety of visa options available, and the restrictions can vary significantly.

These restrictions are having a particularly hard impact on small and medium-sized businesses that don't have the resources to navigate the complex US visa process. 

The U.S. visa restrictions are having a negative impact on the economy, and they are making it harder for companies to create jobs in the U.S. 

Despite the challenges, there are still ways for companies to expand to the U.S. despite the visa restrictions. 

In this blog, we will explore US work visa restrictions and what they mean for companies expanding to the U.S.

Immigration restrictions And Their Impact

In recent years, the US has seen a significant increase in the number of people seeking to enter the country. 

As a result, the government has put several restrictions on immigration.

These restrictions have been felt most acutely by those seeking to enter the US from certain Muslim-majority countries. Additionally, the Trump administration put in place a travel ban that restricted entry into the US from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Below is the list of visas that were added to the list of restrictions:

H-1B and H-2B - Tech companies use these us work visas for the purpose of hiring tech foreign talent with excellent knowledge

J-1 - This US immigration visa will only be issued for the basic program of cultural exchange for several roles like counsellors, interns, and trainees.

L-1 visas - Basically, this on-demand visa USA is used by international executives and managers to relocate

There are many other immigration restrictions in place that can impact people from all over the world. Some of the more common restrictions includes:

requiring a certain amount of money to be brought into the country

prohibiting certain types of employment

limiting the amount of time, someone can stay in the country

restrictions on family members who can accompany someone to the country

The tourism industry has been hit hard by the decline in the number of people seeking to enter the United States. 

In addition, businesses that rely on foreign workers have also been impacted.

Several Trump Suspensions Exemptions of Foreign Visas

This suspension will affect a wide range of visa categories, including the H-1B visa for highly skilled workers, the H-2B visa for seasonal workers, the J-1 visa for exchange visitors, and the L-1 visa for intercompany transferees. 

However, there are a few exceptions to this suspension. 

First, the suspension will not apply to individuals already in the United States on a valid visa. 

Second, the suspension will not apply to individuals seeking to enter the United States for humanitarian reasons or to provide critical infrastructure support. 

Finally, the suspension will not apply to certain categories of work visa USA holders, such as medical professionals and students. 

New Work U.S. Visa Restrictions For Companies Outside The U.S. 

The U.S. is still the world’s largest economy and offers a large and diverse customer base. Additionally, the U.S. has a well-developed infrastructure and a business-friendly environment. The restrictions, which were put in place by the Trump administration, have been widely criticized by business leaders and politicians alike. 

The new visa restrictions are just one of many obstacles that companies outside the U.S. face when trying to expand into the American market. 

Several challenges include:

The high cost of doing business in the U.S.

The complex and ever-changing work visa usa system.

The difficulty of finding qualified workers. 

Despite these challenges, many companies outside the U.S. are still interested in expanding into the American market. The new visa restrictions will undoubtedly make it more difficult for companies outside the U.S. to expand. However, it is still possible for companies to succeed in the U.S. if they are willing to navigate the challenges.

Do New Working Visa Restrictions Help International Companies To Expand?

The U.S. visa restrictions mean companies expanding to the U.S. must be aware of the potential difficulties they may face in hiring foreign workers. While the US visa process can be complex and time-consuming, it is possible to successfully navigate it and obtain the visas needed to expand your business to the U.S. 

With careful planning and a thorough understanding of the visa process, your company can successfully expand to the U.S. market.

The new working visa restrictions put in place by the Trump administration are having a major impact on international companies looking to expand their operations to the United States. These companies are now facing significant hurdles in terms of recruiting and retaining highly skilled workers from other countries.

In addition, they are also dealing with the increased costs associated with these visa restrictions. The good news is that there are still ways for international companies to expand their businesses, despite these new challenges. 

Several programs and strategies can be utilized to overcome these obstacles. The new working visa restrictions will also help reduce the number of US visaapplications rejected each year.

This will help to attract more highly skilled workers to the United States. The new working visa restrictions will also help to improve the quality of the workforce in the United States. 

With the right approach, international companies can still successfully establish a presence in the United States.

[katsuizu-stuff]

‘Light Fades to Rain’

This is just a random/weird rant so you can either ignore it or read it. Whatever floats your boat

Anyways, let me start ranting…

You know what I love about ch. 362? It’s the title and how perfectly it lines up with Bakugo

Ch. 362 is called ‘Light Fades to Rain’

That alone is what I love about it. Because it’s true and it fits almost perfectly with everything we see here.

Bakugo’s quirk even though it can cause harm it can also be seen as causing light. This is especially true when one is in the dark, explosions are and can be a different form for light. Taking that into account it fits the fight/situation at hand, the fight with ShigAFO is pretty dark, we have heroes badly injured, everyone’s emotions are all over the place, the words that fall from ShigAFO are pretty dark a clear example:

However Bakugo brings light into the situation by using his quirk, his quirk that brings light, he was the first one to get close to ShigAFO giving everyone else a chance to get a few blows in. To be able to cause some damage to ShigAFO face.

Another example of this ‘dark’ can be by comments. I’m not saying all comments are ‘dark’, no, what I’m saying is that some comments can be seen as ‘dark’ or at least harsh. You know those phrases after someone says and receives a harsh comments, “That’s pretty dark” / “That’s harsh” we get this when that one student made a comment on Bakugo’s move which in return Kaminari, one who’s quirk also brings light, stands up for Bakugo claiming that Bakugo is meticulous that alone is enough to bring some kind of brightness to a comment

Those are great examples about how Bakugo’s quirk comes into play within the situation/fight. Now let’s take into account the way Izuku sees Bakugo. And obviously it’s that Bakugo is Izuku’s imagine of victory. It’s crystal clear and it is shown time and time again. The clearest way is when Izuku looks at Bakugo with amazement when Bakugo and the rest of his classmates fight against class 1B’s team in season 5.

Not only that but Bakugo says ‘Keep your eyes on me’ it may sound like Bakugo is saying ‘Look at me see how much better I am’ but no he isn’t saying that what he is saying is ‘See me and see what I’m going to become’ … that’s my take at least

Bakugo wants Izuku to look at him because he knows that he is what Izuku has been saying to him all along, that he is amazing. One can take the word ‘amazing’ as it is defined: causing great surprise or wonder, but it’s not the case here. The word ‘amazing’ is used and it is expressed in how Bakugo has always shined. Bakugo has always shined in Izuku’s eyes thus making Bakugo his hero, his image of victory.

Which is why we are always shown the expression of Izuku when it comes to Bakugo and how it can change from one feeling into another. We have been shown may different expressions when it comes to Bakugo. We have seen it time and time again. When they were little Izuku saw him with wonder with amazement in his eyes, when Izuku saw Bakugo being taking away from the camp how he screamed and feel to his knees crying in pain, when Izuku is thinking to himself and he says that he couldn’t believe that he and Bakugo would ever be able to have a decent conversation with Bakugo, when Izuku finally gets saved by seeing Bakugo’s face, when Izuku goes feral because Bakugo got stabbed in the arm ect.

That not only shows us that Bakugo is Izuku’s image of victory/his hero, but how Bakugo shines so brightly it’s almost like he’s untouchable. Bakugo can’t be compared to anyone, Bakugo can’t be compared to Uraraka or Todoroki or to any of his friends, heck he can’t even be compared to All Might.

There are more things I can add but that should be enough for now and how Bakugo and his quirk bring light. Now with this said, let’s add the rain part within the title.

The rain part is referring that Bakugo is officially down. That the light they had to getting a few close blows to ShigAFO was Bakugo.

Because if we apply the rain part then as we all know when rain does come down the clouds cover the sun not letting any sunlight/light come through.

Thus signifies that Bakugo was the light and now that his heart stopped and is laying down ‘dead’ means that that’s the rain. Bakugo’s heart stopping are the clouds and Bakugo laying there ‘dead’ is the rain.

Which makes sense for ShigAFO to say how an ‘extra’ without OFA could make him feel anxious. That makes ShigAFO realize that he see the similarities or at least some similarities between the 2nd. user and Bakugo. That anxious feeling making ShigAFO react quickly and hit Bakugo in his chest/heart.

And the 2nd. user saying, “Because in our battle, victory meant life… and defeat meant death” is probably the equivalent to when Izuku said, “You’d rather lose…? That doesn’t sound like you!���

Bakugo always thrives for victory he will only accept defeat when he knows defeat is there. But as long as there’s a chance even the slightest Bakugo would take it.

But if we take Bakugo as both the symbol of light and rain then he will be back because for now at the moment he is in this space where he see All Might’s vestige. Sure his heart has stopped but that doesn’t mean he is completely dead.

That’s it for now.

[kyofsonder]

Find the Word

I was tagged twice by @on-noon to find two sets of words in my WIPs, so I’m combining both sets into a single post. Thank you for tagging me, and giving me a chance to play my favorite writeblr game after being away for a few days.

My Words: train, trying, stressed, intricate, translate, front, frame, freeze, free, friend

I’ll tag: @wynter-of-dusk, @houndsofcorduff, @junypr-camus, @aohendo, @365runesofwriting, @calicojackofficial, and as always anyone who wants to join in the game can use the following words and say I tagged them!

Your Words: skate, stall, brush, crave, veil

With so many words to find, this post is going to get long – so I’ll put the WIP exerpts themselves under a cut as usual. If I can’t find a word, I’ll share a fun fact related to the word instead.

I found train(ed) in my novel WIP “A Place to Return”:

Still... he takes a moment to read more recent entries instead of the script itself. Owen sounds so excited in them. He's been having so much fun figuring out how to hunt, how to refine his fishing techniques, how to use weapons so he can (shakily, according to his mentor) replicate the skills Leo had trained in before leaving home, how to use magic items. Every other sentence asks a new question, not only curious but also clearly eager to make it so that when they do swap back Leo returns to the best conditions possible.

I found trying in the same WIP, a little before the last excerpt:

"I can... ask her to transfer some money... if you need it?" Kelly is trying so hard to act like the responsible older brother. It's like he's standing there with a handful of sunset berries, dropping a few as he struggles to hand them over. Wait. Not that. On Earth it's an olive branch, isn't it? Like he's holding out an olive branch, whatever that looks like, and hoping his little brother will take the other end.

I found stressed in the script draft of my Sk8 the Infinity Matchablossom fic “Flipping a Switch”, in a scene where most of the Sk8 cast is having a meal at Joe’s restaurant:

Miya: (rolling his eyes): Give him a break, guys. He might be an idiot, but it's not like he controls how busy this place is.

Hiromi: He controls how many employees he has serving people!

Miya: Oh, so now you know what it takes to run a restaurant?

[Hiromi and Miya devolve into an argument about restaurants in general, completely ignoring their friends.]

Reki: Seriously, though, Joe, I was just messing with you. We came here to hang out, not to get you stressed.

Langa: I really am hungry, though.

Reki: Yeah. That's true. But Joe's got work to do, so...

Langa (only a little sad): Yeah.

Kojiro: Thanks, but I don't want to leave any customers hungry. Especially when they're my friends. Just let me get these last few people at the counter, and I'll take your order myself.

I didn’t find intricate in any particular WIP, but I did find it in some worldbuilding for a world in my story collection WIP “Love as Indicated”:

The year on Ait'kulith KIT 1B, in many countries, starts in May because that is the month when common Nightingales, known to have particularly complex/intricate mating songs, begin advertising for mates. Birds in general are seen as heralds of the Goddess of Fate, and nightingales in particular embody the importance of music in this world. Their mating season ends in late August, and so the first 4 months of the year are marked by their singing.

I didn’t find translate in any particular WIP, but I did find it in some worldbuilding about one of my magic systems, Soul Magic:

There are materials available for studying the basics of Soul Magic. These usually recount what other Soul Mages have found useful in the past, like materials that have worked well as vessels for spirits and techniques that have kept souls themselves from losing focus or misinterpreting a mage’s requests/orders. However, there are no materials to translate the language of the dead, which is at the core of Soul Magic itself. Souls speak in a way that simply cannot be translated unless you've learned directly, through sustained exposure to their language – especially from a young age. If you can't speak their language, then trial and error is your best chance to figure out how to communicate. Good luck.

I found front in my novel WIP “To Be Honest”, in a scene containing a brief mention of blood:

"You can't even see what's right in front of your face! This is what you want!" Micah opens his eyes and immediately regrets his decision. The shadow walking towards him glimmers with magic and the reflective shine of liquid, only the barest semblance of a human being beneath a coat of blood. There's no trace of David here. He probably hasn't been talking to his actual brother at any point. Just this. It stomps its formless feet across the dirt and reaches out its arms until there's a squish against his chest and a pressure that pushes him toward the ground.

I found frame in an unfinished, untitled short story from back when I was trying to write a complete story every day back in February – about a guy asking a dragon for an insomnia cure:

He catches himself looking around at the source of that blue-green glow, surprised by the sheer size of some of the holo-screens that fill up every open space on every wall in the room. They're not all the exact same size, but a few of them take up so much space that he wonders how they hadn't blinded him the second he'd arrived. The largest screen sits across from the couch, stretching to the corners of its wall. The display itself is either frozen or paused on what looks like a still frame from a movie. The scene shows two people offering wound up circles of flowers and clovers to a third person under a tree in a meadow. Everyone's smiling. The one being offered flowers even looks like they might be laughing. If he could stop holding his breath and make the scene un-pause, he knows he'd hear words and sounds that would... that would... he's not exactly sure what they would do or how long he's been holding his breath, but nothing happens when he starts breathing again and he can't help feeling disappointed.

I found freeze in the second draft of my Danny Phantom fic "Lingering Scars":

She's probably feeling some of the same things he'd felt in that bathroom, watching the marks of his own emotional turmoil disappear and reappear as he'd transformed. Shell-shocked and horrified, realizing that the things they'd thought were simple paths from infliction to recovery are actually more winding trails with forks that lead to unwanted places. He doesn't let his clone linger in that space, turned around at the road behind her and letting its twisting maze overwhelm her. The first time you see it can be a paralyzing and heavy moment. It can freeze you in the most literal way -- even without ice powers.

I found free in my short story WIP "Kiyo":

"Sure thing," I get my own words out as steadily as I can manage. I'm not really sure what else to do, so I place my free hand over the vines on my wrist and gently pat them. "Thank you, too," I realize I'm still talking before I know what I'm trying to say, "I probably didn't do a good job keeping you healthy, but you've done a really good job at... I guess I never said it to you before, actually. Thank you for keeping me alive. That's what you've been doing these past few months, but I didn't say it until now. So. Thank you, Kiyo. You've helped me with so many things, just by being there. I'm grateful for that. I'm glad I got to know you."

I found friend in my novel WIP "To Be Honest":

"You went all quiet. Oh. Oh, did you see a friend and not want to be seen talking to your cousins in front of people you actually like?" Finn gasps, drawing the sound out so Micah can imagine them holding their palms dramatically over their mouth -- vivid enough to make even Micah roll his eyes at the phone involuntarily, "Micah! You're making friends in college? That's amazing!"

This ended up being a really long post, as expected, but I found more of these words than I'd expected. This was a really fun challenge!

[cdroloisms]

drunz

i like them. i like them in a way that i feel is a little different from how a lot of people like them.

honestly im unfair to c!punz liek honestly HONESTLY im too mean to his ass when it comes to c!drunz In My Head (as opposed to c!drunz when im holding myself to a higher analysis standard. not too high obviously this blog is still c!drololand through and through) im umm pretty damn uncharitable to c!punz tbh im a little too much of a c!drolo it's a problem

i deeeefinitely like to focus on the toxicity more than anything with them and it's complicated bc you know what we see is limited, right, and there's a lot of assumptions to make abt two characters that both keep their cards close to their chest. and a lot of the assumptions i do make end up having to be based on c!dream who we do know better than c!punz in general but also c!dream during the time when he was most heavily associated with working with c!punz was literally like the most. volatile? that we ever see him EVER so it's not the easiest to make judgement calls i think. but yeah i mean i like them and all im just mean to c!punz and maybe flatten his character too much, but the problem w/ that is frankly that there's just not that much material to draw from especially later on in the lore yk

[wistfulwatcher]

I'm rewatching Redemption 1B, and I just gotta say:

I fucking adore Breanna Casey.

The first 8 eps were great for her, and I liked her from the absolute start, which is impressive to begin with. But I love her more every single episode, and I kind of can't get over what a good fit she is with the team in a different way than Harry (who is of course also a surprisingly great fit).

Because she's family to begin with but there is also a distance there, she's a criminal at the start but not as openly or officially as the crew (since Parker thinks of her as a "normal person", it sounds like she maybe hadn't been in any serious legal trouble/gotten caught until shortly before the series started), and she's much younger than everyone else in the crew (whereas the original crew had some big age gaps between the youngest and oldest, but all their gaps between next-youngest and next-oldest were fairly small).

There are so many ways her character could have struggled to fit in with the crew, and she does, a little! They acknowledge that she isn't just like the rest of them and she can't relate to some things the rest of the crew can. But it's not her entire role, and it's not this giant obstacle that gets all the focus. And I LOVE THAT. It's there, it's constant, but over the course of the season Breanna connects with the crew individually and as a team so fucking well around that.

And while I don't think she was exactly distanced in 1A, I think she was more wary. She came into the crew for Hardison and because she "was desperate." She wasn't hopeful and I don't think she really believed Leverage could do everything Parker and Hardison claimed they did.

But as the season progresses, we see her start to see her believe in the people around her. We see her start to relax and get comfortable around her teammates. We see the crew win with her help. We see her see justice, see victims no longer victimized. We see her start to hope.

And the more we see her hope, the more we see her open up.

And I feel like they did a phenomenal job setting up a situation where we might have two hackers, if we get a second season and have Aldis back. Because Breanna's brilliant and technical and they've made the space for a "maker" separate from a hacker, but more importantly she has become such a heart for this show. Similar to Sophie but—and my Sophie-stanning heart hates to phrase it this way—in a more natural and open way than her. And I think this really shows the more Breanna and Sophie interact (and holy hell am I LIVING for their scenes). I think Breanna played a role in Sophie having that more settled, more comfortable vibe in 1B. Because I think she's quietly becoming for Sophie what Sophie was for the crew; "We trust you to make sure we’re all okay."

Sophie can't be that in Redemption, at least not yet and not fully. She's not OK when Redemption starts. And as much as she loves her family, as she tells Harry, her family sees her a certain way. And similarly, she sees her family in a certain way. She knows how they comfort, she's too familiar, in a way. Even when they try to make her feel better, they're trying to make her feel better.

We don't see Breanna try to make Sophie feel better, but we do see her make her feel better. Most notably in the Jackal Job, when Sophie is so impressed with how Breanna is with Stella. I think she's a little in awe of Breanna, honestly, with how patient and supportive she is. And especially with something that scares the shit out of Sophie ("Especially for a grifter. Our wits are all we have.").

Because Sophie really doesn't have that from the rest of the crew; patient and emotionally supportive is her role to fill. I think it's a relief to Sophie, to realize that there is someone else on her team who could be that (either for her or instead of her).

And I think Breanna becomes a surprise in a lot of ways, both to Sophie and the audience. Because she's the young one, the newbie. We're supposed to expect her to be mentored, the same way Parker assumes she is supposed to mentor her.

And she is mentored by each of the crew, sure. But Redemption makes it clear that mentorship isn't a one-way street:

"Like you did with me?" "The way we all did with each other."

"What kind of mentor would I be if she's the one teaching me things?" "The best kind."

The Leverage crew is (and always has been) all about helping each other grow and change by working together. But the thing is—and I think this is why Leverage does found family so well—it's such a passive thing for these characters. These aren't characters who are trying to influence and teach each other.

These are just characters who work well together, who learn to listen to one another. More importantly, who care about one another. And part of caring about someone is sharing yourself, and learning about them. It's that give and take with people who matter that changes you.

And I think Breanna was written spectacularly to fit into this team (and thus into this show). Because Breanna starts out hopeless ("But not because I believe in hope, or something stupid like that."), but that hopelessness comes from caring. And that makes her a perfect fit to change and be changed.

[jeannereames]

Using Names and Pronouns (and Descriptors) in Fiction

1) Names become transparent with use and are to be preferred to "descriptors" (the tall girl, the young man). Descriptors aren’t “creative,” they’re confusing.

1a) Descriptors may be useful if you've already used the name twice in the same sentence, but it's better to see if you can just rephrase the whole thing. 1b) Descriptors are also useful when a name hasn't been given yet. Use the descriptor as if it were a name. Don't keep changing it. 1c) Absolutely Avoid like the Plague multiple descriptors for one person. If Helen is "the pretty girl" and "the redhead" and "the freshman"…that's, like, 3-4 people! The most distinctive of those is "the redhead." Use it, unless you REALLY want to emphasize she's a freshman (perhaps in a group of mostly seniors and juniors), or she the pretty one (in a group of mostly average or homely people). Never use a description instead of a name "just because," unless there's something about the descriptor that's super important in that very moment: "The king's affairs never last beyond a season." "True, fidelity isn't his strong suit." "Maybe it should be," said the king's son, stepping onto the path from behind an olive tree.

2) After the first use of the name, pronouns are to be preferred over names when clarity (who's speaking/thinking) is not an issue.

2a) Yes, this means an entire scene might employ only "she" or "he" or "they." 2b) But even in a one-person scene, if another person of the same gender is mentioned, it may be necessary to reuse the name to clarify point-of-view (POV). This isn't necessary with someone of another gender. 2c) In a scene with just two people of opposite genders, you can often get away with only pronouns: "he" and "she" or "she" and "they." We know who these people are, but as above, if a third person is mentioned, names may be required again. 2d) (Similar to this, in a conversation with just two people, dialogue tags may be virtually unnecessary, as long as paragraphs separate speakers.)

3) But avoid pronoun confusion. If you have two people of the same gender in a scene, you may need to use names more frequently to clarify which "she" you mean.

4) At the beginning of a story or novel, you may want to use the name a little more frequently, just to set the character in the reader's head.

4a) Don't overdo this, or it sounds ridiculous.

5) Similarly, at the beginning of a scene/section, use the name of the POV character relatively early (if using 3rd person). The reader will unconsciously tag the first named individual in a scene as the POV character unless it's made really clear it's not that person.

5a) POV confusion in a scene may owe to a failure of the author to clarify the POV character quickly via name usage. 5b) Ironically, "drifting" POV in a scene may owe to using the POV character's name too much after the initial usage. That's because we don't tend to think of ourselves by our names (in "third person"). So, the POV character should be "she," "he," or "they" unless the name is needed again to distinguish the POV from another same-gender character. Ergo, judicious pronoun usage can help to cement the POV in a scene, especially one with multiple characters. 5c (Drifting POV can also be caused by motivations and feelings attributed to non-POV characters that the POV character couldn't know. E.g.: Latisha watched Kya and Serina argue, then walked away, depressed.  That's fine...if Latisha is the POV character. If Kya is the POV character, however, how would she know what Latisha is feeling? If Kya is the POV, it should read: Latisha watched Kya and Serina argue, then walked away, perhaps depressed by their anger with each other. Kya can guess what's probably Latisha's motivation/feeling, but can't know for sure.)

[sslow-dancer]

“You Need Some Help?” (Josuke Higashikata x Reader)

Warnings: none!

tags: gender-neutral, gender-inclusive, josuke x reader, sfw, fluff, new school, new kid

Description: It’s your first day at Budogaoka High, Josuke notices your confusion and agrees to show you around the school. Along the way, he introduces you to his friends and decide to hang out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You walk down the streets of Morioh, doing your best not to get distracted by the numerous signs of shops you pass by. Your knees occasionally hitting the new school bag you have in your hands.

It was a new town, new school, new people to you and your family. However, despite having to create new (probably awkward) introductions in this town, your parents seemed extremely happy when you all arrived. Going from living in Osaka all the way to Morioh was a drastic change. Osaka was constantly loud and full of tourists, you almost felt like you saw more foreigners than Japanese citizens. Though, you still miss those loud noises and tourists in a way. Morioh is quiet, receives visitors in the warmer seasons and rather friendly for the most part, making your parents even more excited when you moved there.

You look at the time on your watch, it reads, 8:00AM. You sigh stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, meeting the entrance of the school. Your eyes dart at the multiple groups of boys and girls around your age laughing and communicating with their friends as they enter and hang out around the school. You bite your lip, scanning around to see if there’s anyone who can help you navigate the school. Gosh, I don’t want to be late! you think.

“You need some help?” A curious deep voice asks behind you. Your eyes widen, a little startled at this person’s sudden question. You turn around, you’re in aww when you perceive the person in front of you.

The person is a boy of around 6-foot height, his hair in a 1950s-like pompadour, a chiseled face, sapphire eyes and is wearing a uniquely decorated school uniform. You almost blush at his rather handsome appearance, but you manage to stop yourself from doing so. You stutter,

“y-yeah. I do. I’m uh- new here.” you laugh slightly, hoping he doesn’t point out your nervousness. Though to your surprise, he only replies politely with a kind smile on his face,

“Oh okay well, I can show you around-“

“Thank you so much-“

“but first, I’d like to know your name.”

You cringe at your rudeness of interrupting him, you clear your throat, ready to give him your name and your sincere apology,

“I apologize for interrupting your words but um, my name is L/N F/N. I go by my first name. It’s very nice to meet you.” you immediately bow after you’re done answering.

“Higashikata Josuke, nice to meet you.” he says with a bow back. Josuke smiles when he sees you nervously kicking at the pebbles on the ground. ‘They’re kind of cute’ he thinks. He breaks the silence,

“Now that that’s done, let me show you around. We got time for most of the school, I think.” He leads you to the entrance, you follow next to him as you both walk up the steps. He stops abruptly, his eyes scanning around the schoolyard,

“That’s weird...”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well my friends usually meet me around this time so we can go to class together, but they’re somehow not here yet. Huh, weird.” You bite your lip, he lets out a sigh,

“It’s whatever, I’ll just see them later. Let’s go. I don’t wanna be responsible for you being late on the first day. Come on.” He waves you over to show you around the first floor. You nod, placing your bag over your shoulder as you follow him in.

Though the school is large, Josuke managed to explain the different sections and hallways pretty well. You were impressed at how the map wasn’t very useful. He’s nice enough to lead you to your first home room class.

“So basically this is it, here’s your room and hopefully you remember your way around after.” You chuckle at his statement. You point,

“You aren’t part of 1A?”

“Oh no, I’m part of 1B but it’s not far from here. If ya want, I can wait outside for you once class is over.”

“Oh no! That’s alright, thank you though. I think I’ll be fine.” You chime, smiling at him. Josuke smiles, he waves at you,

“Well I’m off, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah!”

And with that, the bell rings and you’re off to first period.

~ Time Skip ~

You practically sprint out of your seat once dismissal arrives. You were rather hungry despite having lunch earlier, the bento your mother prepared you that morning didn’t fill you up. You rush out the class to avoid getting pushed by multiple students gathering outside the schoolyard to walk home, get picked up and wait for the bus. You’re surprised to hear your name get called out once you’re close to the gates,

“Hey! Hey! Wait up!”

You turn around to see Josuke, his body pressed against the front doors stairs’ railing with 2 other guys standing next to him. They both turn their heads to look at you, one of them slightly taller than the other. He waves again to get you to come closer,

You blink, walking back towards their direction. He smiles when you meet face to face, he holds his hand out to them,

“These are my friends, Okuyasu and Koichi. Okuyasu, Koichi, this is Y/N.”

You blush, you aren’t one to be introduced to people, you’re usually the one introducing yourself. The slightly shorter one, Koichi, smiles and nods at you,

“It’s very nice to meet you. Josuke was just telling us about you!”

You nod, blushing even more at the fact that you were even worth speaking about. Okuyasu furrows his eyebrows, putting his hands in his pockets as he looks you up and down,

“Huh, you are pretty cute-“ Koichi nudges his arm harshly, Okuyasu lets out an “ow” and frowns as he backs up from you.

You giggle, “it’s okay Koichi,” you turn to Okuyasu and nod, “I bet he meant no harm.”

Josuke rubs at his neck, waiting for the slightly awkward introduction to end. You look behind you and sigh,

“I gotta go. It was lovely meeting you all but I’m really hungry and need to get back home-“

“You’re hungry? Well actually, we were just about to get some lunch together at that new Italian place that just opened. You wanna come?” Josuke asks curiously.

You bite your lip, looking at your watch. You let out deep breath and nod. ‘Josuke did ask so nicely so.. why not?’ you think.

You all decide to walk down to the restaurant. You make quick conversation with Okuyasu and Koichi. Josuke walks next to you, keeping quiet. He takes a few quick glances at you, wanting to speak but getting too shy to do so.

You are met with the friendly welcome of the main and only chef, Tonio. You learn that he’s originally from Italy and opened his restaurant in hopes of bringing people health and happiness with the help of his dishes.

You all spend around an hour there, talking and laughing as Tonio prepares the courses for you all. You are surprised when you learn about the bizarre things that happens to one’s body when one eats his meals. You about threw up when you gobbled up the pasta that Tonio claimed would help your sudden stomach pains. You were almost scared that he was trying to hurt you and that Josuke and his friends played you but luckily, that was not the case and definitely not something you’d expect out of the boys you met.

Josuke slightly glares at Okuyasu as he tries to continuously flirt at you. He didn’t know why he felt a sense of frustration but he did know that he wanted to speak to you. Perhaps it was jealousy? Though Josuke didn’t want to take that into consideration.

You wave a goodbye to Tonio, smiling as you think about how much you’re going to tell your parents about this place. You let out an exaggerated sigh of satisfaction as the four of you exit the restaurant. You jump excitedly,

“That was so fun! Thanks for inviting me guys.” You say with a huge grin on your face. You didn’t know you’d open up this fast but in a way, you were glad that you did.

“Sure! We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Koichi says, waving at you. Okuyasu walks next to Koichi, waving too “you stay cute, alright?”

You giggle nodding, waving as you watch them walk down the sidewalk. You turn to Josuke,

“Hey, aren’t you going down with them? Oku told me your neighbors.”

“Yeah but um.. I was hoping I could walk you home..”

Your eyes widen, his suggestion making your heart flutter. Josuke laughs nervously,

“That’s unless you don’t want me to! I just thought ‘cause it can be a bit dangerous to walk around this late especially when you’re new in town and I-“

You cut him off, “I’d love if you did that. Thank you.”

It’s Josuke’s turn for his heart to flutter. He was beginning to think that he liked you, but not so much in a friend kind of way. But then again, he had just met you so he didn’t know why he was acting so shy.

You lead him to your house, which was luckily not to far from Tonio’s place. The walk was fairly quiet, but not awkward at all. You enjoyed the silence shared between you two. You stop in your tracks, facing him,

“Well, this is it. Thank you again, I wish for your walk to be safe too.” You say to him, he smiles. God his smile is so cute, you think. Wait, what? Why am I thinking that?

Josuke sighs “yeah, thank you.” You notice the quietness in his voice, you chime,

“Hey, you alright? You didn’t talk much when we were with Koichi and Okuyasu.”

“I’m fine...I’m just-“

You nod for him to continue, he sighs,

“I- I wanted to ask if you’d like to hang out with me alone sometime after school this week? I wanna get to know you better...”

You blush at this. You look down at your feet, biting your lip as you think about hanging out with him. Well he is pretty cute...

“Again, if you’re not comfortable with that, that’s okay too! I’m not gonna force you or anything-“

You giggle at his nervousness, you nudge at his shoulder,

“Quit trying to take everything back. Of course I’ll hang out with you. After school, right?”

Josuke is taken aback by your confidence, but he manages to nod. You smile,

“Imma go. I’ll see you tomorrow?” You say, walking up to the front door. He nods again.

Josuke blushes hard once you’re out of his sight. He mentally beats himself up for being awkward as he walks back to his house. Though after a while, he manages to crack a smile once he realizes he was still able to ask you out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Hi! So I’m back :P

[tuiyla]

Are there any s1 Santana or Brittany storyline/scenes you think would've been different or perhaps never happened in the first place had Santana and Brittany been main characters from the start? Personally I think Santana wouldn't have slept with finn. Or if she did they would have at least written that entire storyline a little differently.

Oh it would have been totally different. Them starting out as background characters initially is integral to Brittana, as a couple and as individuals. So honestly it would have to be a whole season 1/later seasons rewrite haha.

The way main cast works on Glee can be pretty inconsistent but with the kids at least and in the first three seasons, it's fairly straightforward. It's best illustrated with Mike imo. So Harry Shum was a regular in season 1 but with on an episode to episode basis and then a more "proper" cast member in season 2. Not dissimilar from the contract Naya had in the back half of season 1, I believe. This meant that he had more lines and more of a story, but he still wasn't a main character so Mike didn't really have his own plots and focus. And then in season 3 he does become a main cast member and gets a whole plot to himself with his career and family. Obviously I'm no one's agent or lawyer so I don't know what the contracts said, exactly, but from a story perspective we see through Mike how it affects what they get. How it should, anyway. Jenna was a main character for all of seasons 1-5 and Tina rarely got her own plot, but I digress into justice for Tina territory.

I'm a big supporter of taking a critical look at framing anyway, and always keeping in mind whose story is being told and who is the true focus of a given scene or storyline. Glee discussion would be less exhausting if more considered this, methinks. Now, to bring this back to Brittana, they weren't the focus for any of season 1 because they weren't main cast. Naya's season 1B contract gave her more of a role but that still meant getting to support the actual main characters. Case in point, her storyline with Finn like you mentioned. So if we were to have a season 1 where Santana and Brittany were main characters to begin with, lots would change, not the least of which is that they actually have stories focusing on them.

I'm tempted to say I'm glad they started out as bg characters because, putting aside that we'll never know what ifs, I don't think their sexualities and the Brittana storyline would have happened. Certainly not in the way it ended up being. I mean really all of what I'm saying is pure speculation but I think it's a net positive that they started out as small as they did. Okay so tumblr ate the rest of what I said here, nevermind imma persevere and rewrite but uuuuugh. Anyway.

So based on everything that did end up happening when they got larger roles, including the Quinntana rivalry to be the Alpha Bitch, I think Santana would have been a further foil to Quinn, the cheerleader the writers begrudgingly redeemed. Brittana were there in the first place to be dumber/meaner and more shallow than Quinn is I think that would have been amped up. Maybe Britt would have had friendly scenes with ND like Bad Reputation, maybe she’d have been more of a henchman. Main characters should have their own stories but even before it expanded its main cast, Glee could barely handle that in season 1. So yeah, that’s a pretty pessimistic look at things, them just being more of a cheerleading mean girl stereotype and Santana especially going down a “bigger bad than Quinn” road, but that’s what I see realistically happening if Naya was a main character to begin with.

A more optimistic view and what I’d actually like to see is a Quinntana rivalry not unlike (but perhaps more pronounced) the one in season 2, yes, but also actual UHT friendship scenes. Maybe even Brittana helping Quinn through the pregnancy, just a wild idea. Them being main characters would give a reason to really see their perspective throughout all of it, not to mention the whole spy thing. Other than the UHT friendship that’s the main thing I’d want to see in this alternate season 1, them being spies actually leading somewhere or just not having the shoddy writing it did.

That’s the thing, Brittana didn’t actually have storylines in season 1, not any that were their own. Questioning whose story it is and all that. I guess we could say them starting out as spies and genuinely growing to like being in Glee Club is their story but even that is secondary to the Will and Sue conflict and Quinn’s own journey. The UHT being in the crossfire of the Schuevester war is rarely even talked about and never actually explored so that’s something that could have been done with them. I have a meta planned on this topic, if I ever learn time management and don’t have to type answers out twice for tumblr.

Just to touch on the Finn thing, that depends on so much. I think they might still have slept together but instead of it being entirely about Finn, Santana hopefully would have had more focus. Here we again fall into the trap of what would become of her sexuality storyline. Would it still happen? Even if we assume yes, she’s still a lesbian, I’m not sure more focus on her here would have done her character much good. It just so happens that I think everything Santana had story-wise before becoming a major character, everything in this regard anyway, was an insanely lucky coincidence and retroactively made her sexuality storyline even better. Wish I could link to Santana Lopez in the early seasons: a case study in compulsory heterosexuality, Part I here but alas, time management. Someone please force me to write that.

Bottom line is, I think so, so much would have been different. Overall I don’t think it would have been better, not of the writers just looked at the two as generic cheerleaders like they very much did in season 1. Like I say their rise form background to having their own story is key to Brittana in a way that I think taking that journey away would alter them too much as characters. Even if the writers planned with them falling in love, with the main beats in later seasons we ended up getting, I wouldn’t trust the writers to know what to do with them in season 1. As much as the lack of these two in season 1 pulls it down on my Glee seasons ranking, it was probs better this way so they could bloom later.

This is very interesting to think about because Brittana’s story is very unique to the way it developed organically and pretty much accidentally, so I genuinely believe that the writers wouldn’t have planned anything better than we actually got. I do sometimes wish they were mains to begin with but it’s a ripple effect that I don’t think would have been worth it. Fun to think about though! I haven’t explained every thought here, maybe we could do a part two with an actual rewrite.

[ginasrickyfav]

THINK PIECE: RINA LOVE STORY OF HSMTMTS 🥰

Let’s start from the beginning, Rina has always been set up... it’s always been there in the script, the show, etc. Tim might have not thought it would be big but he definitely planned it. Gina being intrigued by Ricky, Ricky not being scared of Gina. They naturally get each other. Their connection is deep and organic doesn’t feel forced unlike some of the other pairings.

Now onto the beauty and the beast theory... I believe the story of Belle and the Beast are being played by Gina and Ricky.

It’s quite obvious why Ricky got the Beast, bc tbh his audition was rocky— he had to get the beast because theorically he is the Beast. He doesn’t like change and has attachment/abondment issue but we will get into that later.

Now Belle is Gina even though she doesn’t play Belle in the play she is still the Belle- the girl everyone wants to be, be with, the one who has one of the biggest storyline this season except for Nini/Nina. Gina is very important this season, she wants to leave Salt Lake City because she feels there is nothing there for her... she misses her mom, she doesn’t have Ricky in her corner, none of her friends are seeing that she is sad— no one is asking her how she feels and is doing. Belle misses her dad and wants to leave the castle. It hurts Gina to see Ricky and Nini happy together because she could have had that if she knew she wasn’t leaving. That’s the main reason she wants to leave. Gina’s input on a lot of things matters... mostly to Ricky that’s why he went to her multiple times this season about Nini. Belle is the one who helps the Beast through change, which Ricky needs to do. Gina does help him through that as we seen in Season 1.

Now Ej is playing Gaston, I personally don’t know much about Gaston except he is in love with Belle and wants her to love him back. The thing is Ej and Gina are getting closer in 2B... In multiple scenes it is shown that Ej is showing feelings for Gina (weird but anyways). It’s becoming very one-sided as of right now, we haven’t seen future episodes so I can’t really speak on Gina’s feelings because we haven’t seen her side. She only has stated they were friends and co-anchors which is normal- she wanted to get back to normal after the fake dating act... she wants the best for him, she wants someone to talk to and not feel lonely. Same as Ej, they are both lonely and seek the attention and “friendship” they both want. I feel like portwell is a stepping stone for Rina, they will realize they aren’t it for each other they don’t “get each other” the way Ricky and Gina do. Plus Ej is confusing this friendship for feelings because they are getting closer but he doesn’t realize that he needs to focus on himself and preparing for college instead of looking for a girlfriend in the last 2 months of high school. Like what does he even want to do? Does he want to go to college? He didn’t get into Duke but what does he now want? he said his life had been planned out for him— now it went left so now he should be figuring out what to do now.

As of now we have just seen Gina tell Ashlyn about her telling Ricky “I wouldn’t quit on us if I wasn’t leaving” and how they never talked about it since then. Which makes everything make sense (kinda) Gina ignoring Ricky, Ricky being like why isn’t she speaking to me, the awkwardness, the romantic subtext, the freaking flashback- which was filmed in 2019??! and was kept a secret helloooo?!! She asked Ricky to find someone else to confide in about Nini, now they are speaking. But the thing is they have to speak, especially about “opening night”. If they don’t that will be left unresolved and that whole thing is from 1B and 2A combined.

Now Nini/Nina who is now free from a relationship and has rebranded herself as Nina. She is thee Rose, the Rose that has been confined in a glass- the Beast’s Rose. Who literally plays the Beast’s Rose in the play. Nini’s whole arc is about finding herself outside of boys— finding who she is as a person without being defined by someone else. This has been happening since season 1 but her character along with Ricky had regressed backwards when they got back together at the end of season 1. She was done with boys then see Ricky move on with Gina and now she wants him back. But now she is realizing she won’t be confined to the Beast’s POV (Ricky’s POV).

The symbolism is crazy on this show I swear. The dog tag and guitar pick also show symbolism of the Rose being confined in glass. The dog tag coming off two seconds into the breakup is showing how Ricky is realizing he has to let her go and start accepting his change and his relationships changing. Nina still has hers on maybe because she has fully grasped that they are over and that she had to let go— even if she has already mentally did it. She emotionally hasn’t. Her head mind she wants to be her own person but she still loves Ricky deeply. Yes, she is doing great and moving on to bigger and better things... but we have to see her physically take off the guitar pick like we seen from Ricky.

Also the lighting this season has been very dark, compared to last season. The theme is darkness because the Beast was keeping himself in his castle in darkness— Ricky nothing wanting anything to change. The Rose still being confined. Gaston still wanting Belle. Belle being sad and wanting to go back to her dad. As soon as the character arcs start developing more - Ricky accepting change and his parents divorce (every relationship isn’t meant to last forever), Nina accepting that she can break out of her shell and do something that truly makes her happy (her songwriting and music), Ej accepting that his love(feelings) for Belle(Gina) are taken for kindness same with Gina most likely and that he will be fine without a girlfriend and should focus on the future that he has and that he should do something for him and not his dad (maybe NYU or community college), Gina accepting and understanding that she wants to stay at East High and that she has friends that truly care about her and want her there, and speaks her truth with Ricky (they finally have that conversation about opening night). The lightning will lightning back up around episode 11 or 12 when most of these story arc wrap up.

The main storyline is Rina when that second chance happens and they have the big conversation about opening night and last semester, the story will lighten back up, Ricky is now accepting change and Gina is now accepting that she is wanted and that staying will be the best choice because this will be a stable “home” for her. - how ashlyn sung home to gina hehe.