#expect the worst but hope for the best

[wicked-jade]

Christ, there's still a week until the new season starts, and I am already so, so tired. I think I am officially too old for discourse.

Like, I love this fandom. I really do. But I think we need to collectively step back and take a deep breath.

In every single interview I've watched, Ralph has seemed genuinely excited about his storyline this season. Do you really think he would be okay with them trampling all over Mr. Miyagi's legacy? He has always been insanely protective over the original movie as a whole, and that character in particular. Billy, too. They've always emphasized how important it was for them to honor both Mr. Miyagi and Pat Morita.

Look, I'm not saying there's no reason to worry. It's Cobra Kai, of course there is. They've made plenty of bad decisions that I strongly dislike. (Baby plot, anyone? Drunk uber-ing?) As a general rule of thumb, I keep my expectations low. Like, buried under the basement low. But I do have faith that both Ralph and Billy would draw the line if they really believed this storyline was disrespectful to Miyagi's character.

And Ralph certainly wouldn't be talking about how rewarding it was for him to play.

Also, not for nothing, but the title of that yahoo uk article that's going around was click bait. Not to defend Jon, Josh, and Hayden - god knows I have my own problems with them - but they never actually say it's 'important to tarnish Mr. Miyagi's legacy' in the interview.

What they do say is that Daniel has always put Mr. Miyagi on a pedestal, and that any tarnish whatsoever on his mentor/father-figure is going to shake his confidence and maybe change his perspective going forward.

They also say that while the things he learns don't necessarily sound good at first, he doesn't have the full story. Maybe I'll be proven wrong but I really don't get the feeling that they're going for "Mr. Miyagi was secretly EVIL all along" or anything like that. More like Miyagi was a good man who had flaws like anyone else. And what made him great is that he didn't let those flaws or his anger or whatever mistakes he might've made in the past define him. Which, if well done (Yes, I know it's a big if) could be a really touching character arc for Daniel to have.

Because no one is perfect, and he's holding both himself and everyone else (along with Mr. Miyagi's memory) to an impossible standard.

And honestly, that would be a good lesson for a deeply flawed character like Johnny to learn, as well.

[v88sy]

There are some blogs optimistic about Tommy back at some point, what are your thoughts about it?

I don't want to get too optimistic, because that's how we got ourselves here in the first place. Let's be honest. This was always a possibility and was even laid out as a possibility in the articles/interviews, we just chose to get too high on the hope. We were treating it as a sure thing and that was never the case. We duped ourselves a little on this one, and yes, I'm absolutely including myself.

Now, as many have pointed out (which I absolutely agree with) if you were to be completely oblivious about the articles and/or what they said, the breakup very much looks like it's open ended. It looks like something that's unresolved or meant to be resolved at a later date. They made it something that could be resolved. Something like moving away or wanting completely different things in life is a lot harder to work through and more definative. They clearly both want to be with each other. Tommy said he wanted to be Buck's last. He said he wouldn't be able to deal with the (what he thought was inevitable) heartbreak. You only get hurt that deep when you lose something you wanted that bad.

This is honestly the first time we ever heard Buck even utter the words "engaged" or "married" to any of his SOs. I do think it's something he wanted down the road, I just don't think he was there yet, and that's absolutely fine. The relationship was still very new. There was clearly a lot they didn't know about each other yet.

It was far too soon to make the commitment of moving in, and Tommy was just trying to stop things from getting any further before he got too deep (too late, me thinks.)

If you remove the clear bias of the journalists writing these "exit interviews" (is that even a thing in television?) they start to sound much like your run of the mill interview they do with every main after they have a major storyline play out on screen. Look at the direct quotes, not what the journalists are inferring for themselves.

All that being said, I'm not getting my hopes up, and I'm not planning on watching live again until I have a definite as to where the storyline is going, and if that takes until the final episode ever, so be it. I will get back to it eventually. Until then, I'll be keeping tabs on what's going on through Tumblr.

Now, this is just a little thought in my brain that has absolutely nothing to back it up whatsoever. I think maybe either Lou needed this break to get away from the bs and finish his role on SWAT, or they gave it to him and he's taking it.

We know he was surprised, but what he was surprised about was how soon it happened. Tells me that at least a temporary break was planned, just not until further down. Or maybe he only meant the disagreement.

We very much know Tim likes to plan out his story about 5 seconds in advance, there could be a tentative plan to maybe bring Tommy back down the road, say, after the midseason hiatus. Could even be the "project that may or may not be happening" that Lou had mentioned.

Buck is my favorite character, but I'm not interested in seeing him regress or go through the same storyline for the millionth time. If he doesn't at least try and fight for Tommy or talk things out with him, it's just more of the same season 5 Buck. I love 99% of the other characters too, but they also suffer from the Groundhog's Day writing and I'm just old and tired.

[chaoticneutraltor]

I know 1 person that definitely won’t survive onyx storm and that person is me

No matter what I know with 100% certainty rebecca will destroy me into a million pieces just like she did before

Can’t wait to set myself and onyx storm on fire once I’m done reading it

[sunnysideaeggs]

I saw speculation that Aegon will claim Cannibal in the next season, and as much as I love Sunfyre, I don’t hate the idea.

Otto said this : "Aegon Targaryen sits the Iron Throne. He wears the Conqueror's crown, wields the Conqueror's sword, and bears the Conqueror's name. He was anointed by a Septon of the Faith before the eyes of thousands. Every symbol of legitimacy belongs to him."

However, since his 'sausage' burst into flames and his only male heir is dead, Aegon's claim has been weakened in the eyes of the Westerosi lords and smallfolk. Because of that, he may need another symbol of legitimacy—Cannibal, an 'untameable beast' and a black dragon (similar to Aegon the conqueror), could serve that purpose...

i love the foils of sunfyre/the cannibal, one being a literal golden symbol of loyalty and bravery for the targaryens and the other being an abhorrent creature that eats its own young. my personal hc is that the cannibal, as a westerosi dragon, can only be claimed by a westerosi rider. like a half hightower, it would fit perfectly.

but i have to ask, how would the cannibal improve aegon’s reputation in a way sunfyre couldn’t? the dragon is an outsider, considered undesirable and a kinslayer (if dragons can be so). it would highlight the slander aegon’s enemies use against him.

when it comes to aegon vs baela, how will it be justified that the cannibal loses against a baby dragon when that’s just his regular diet? it made sense for sunny because he was injured, but i doubt the cannibal will be so damaged by the fight. if the cannibal lives on, then it would be expected that aegon gets his wounds patched and flies to burn the tullys and starks.

sunfyre is *the* symbol for aegon because he’s the best boy, and he is good for aegonoptics because of his resilience in fighting and his loyalty to his rider, crossing hundreds of miles to reunite with him. he also allows aegon to show a softer side by grieving him and refusing to ride another non-sunny dragon. if he just dies and is replaced then we lose a good part of the og story.

let’s make another story then: a golden dragon being burned and melted and twisted into a terrible vengeful thing. the gold is gone and only the bitterness remains. he raises again from the shadows, ready to spill the blood of everyone that went against him. he has nothing else to hold dear, all his softness burned out long ago. he knows his end is close, yet he holds to his crown with all his might, terrorizing the hatchlings that are trapped in his den.

aegon switching the sun, the golden legacy of his house for the cannibal, the black dragon feasting in the rot of his house. he’s the stranger on a dark horse with burning eyes, ready to cleanse king’s landing of sin and demons. prayers and tears can’t stay his wroth, only blood can quench his fire.

[lukolabrainrot]

The DM↔️A connection prob means, with another rehash of papgate, A will probably post uninteresting pics of Italy. She needs a lead up to make her feel more important (and try to snag some eyeballs) since no one else cares. Maybe there'll also be word on L career wise and she wants to capitalize on his focus. 🙄

I hope that's all she posts 😅😅

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[muncedes]

last first quali in a mercedes tractor in sir lewis hamilton’s name we pray let it be a decent one amen

[sihtryggr]

Anyways I’m very pleased to see Phoebe and Bethany in the defend your council promo.

I hope this means we’ll get to see more of them in the actual show beyond saying one word each and standing around in the background like extras.

Also very pleased to see Harry in the promo as well as he should be.

[dracocheesecake]

Oh I just wanted to ask if you have any platonic! Kai x reader headcanons with dynamic like big guy protects smol creature and maybe being a father figure to them?

Actually yes! Warning, though: Kai isn't exactly a great person.

Father-Figure!Kai x Reader Headcanons:

Why are you so smol and weak? It's not worth taking your chi, really. It would be like eating celery: you burn more than you get out of it.

Someway, somehow, though, for whatever reason, Kai can't seem to get rid of you. At first it seems that you keep on running into each other, and then Kai starts cracking a slight joke or two, full of self-satisfaction. "Alright, I refuse to believe it's destiny at this point: you just have to be stalking me. What, are you a fan or something?"

Then this eventually progresses until you somehow bump into him again, and Kai gets so fed up that he just decides to take you along for the ride with him- supposedly, until he decides just what to do with you.

Kai, of course, in the midst of this rash decision, forgot that you are very mortal and still require things like rest stops, food, warmth, sleep, etc.- Transporting you around isn't exactly like carting around luggage. Kai gets annoyed when you point this out to him, but does (reluctantly) provide for you- while claiming that he's just getting you stronger so he can take your chi later.

He's actually a decent cook, but don't ever critique him. "What? I haven't done this in 500 years, I'm a little rusty. Besides, if you were really hungry, you'd eat anything put in front of you without complaint. Eat or starve."

However, as time wears on, you notice Kai starts being a little less harsh on you. His occasional sardonic remarks become somewhat more playful, and sometimes are punctuated by him rubbing his knuckles against the top of your head in a manner one could almost call...dare I say...affectionate?

You find Kai making you little gifts: a cloak to keep you warm ("It won't be on my head if you freeze to death, at least.") A blade of your very own ("You're weak and small. You need some sort of protection. What? Did you think I was going to follow you around to play bodyguard forever?"), etc.

Kai will also start training you a little as well. It seems harsh and unforgiving to you at first, almost to the point of being cruel- but when you complain to Kai he laughs in your face. "Harsh? You call this harsh? You have no idea how easy I'm being on you. You should have seen how I trained my soldiers!"

*Sarcastic gasp* "You moved me at least half a centimeter! What an improvement!...Nah, fifty push-ups. Now."

When you actually start improving, he actually praises you- though at first it's more as if he's praising his own abilities as a mentor- but you can tell he's actually proud of you, how much you've managed to accomplish in such a short time.

However, if you do somehow manage to run into trouble, Kai is there in an instant- he's not letting anything happen to you, even if you can supposedly handle yourself. If you ask him about it, he just shrugs and says that if anyone's going to take your life, it's going to be him.

Kai also yells at you whenever there's the slightest chance you'll get hurt; the louder he yells, though, the more it shows he cares- he might accidently let a few words slip, such as "Do you have any idea how worried I was?! Do that again, and I'll throw you off a cliff myself! Maybe I should turn you into an amulet after all, and keep you out of trouble!"

Kai grumbles under his breath, calling you an idiot, all while he patches you up with more gentleness than you thought him capable of.

Also expect him to carry you around alot. You have tiny legs and it's faster and easier. Sometimes, though, Kai will scare you by running as fast as he can on all fours, laughing while you scream at him to stop, clinging to his fur for dear life.

Seriously Kai loves messing with you. He calls it his prime source of entertainment. At first his teasing and jokes at you are cruel and dark in nature, and often at your expense; but steadily they start turning more light-hearted, and even get a laugh or two out of you (which makes him smile- but you didn't see it).

Basically Kai doesn't want to outwardly admit that you've grown on whatever little shred of heart he thought had long withered away in his chest. Over time, he's almost come to see you as the child he'd never had the time to have.

When he finally does take your chi, he wears your amulet around his neck, close to his heart. It was hard- harder than he would admit, even to himself- but in his mind, it had to be done: at least this way, he tells himself, he won't lose you.

[lunabug2004]

You said that according to you there is a way to make Mileven stay together and have all the characters have a good arc at the end of the show. Could you develop that? cause in my opinion if Mike's arc is about falling in love , changing his personality after meeting a girl and at the end being the protective paladin to "fix" his bad behaviour then it's really bad writing (coming from a straight person)

I'm going to be completely honest here, which I hope is what you want lol, I do think I say this (sans the "good arcs" part bc I don't think I've ever said that there's a way to make Mileven happen where all the characters have good arcs) to more-or-less make myself feel better bc I have so much Byler doubt (& Mike love) so yeah, take this as you will, this is just what my brain has come up with as an arc(?) I could mostly cope with. I mean, there's a reason I put "(mostly) happy" but yes, I'll try to expand.

I love Mike and I have a feeling I will continue to love Mike whether Mileven or Byler is endgame. This is purely because I do not believe Mike is a bad person or bad character just bc he's made some bad decisions/said some things he (canonically) regrets. I don't think Mike would be a protective paladin to simply "fix" his "bad behavior". While I do agree that this wouldn't be the best writing choice, I think, in-context, he would be trying his best to keep everyone he loves alive. He is an extremely traumatized teenage boy whose biggest fear is losing those he loves. He has been smack-dab in the middle of the action until s4. Finn Wolfhard himself has said Mike is depressed and pushing everyone away bc of it.

Anyways, all of this to say that I don't think it'd be too farfetched to say all of his "bad behavior" is simply untreated trauma symptoms. And yes, you could say something about other characters being traumatized and them not acting like Mike, but trauma, and this is a fact, effects everyone differently. One person may lean into their life before going through said trauma, like Will in s3, while another may block it out, like it's shown with El in s4, and another may completely change themselves while being stuck in a loop of wanting those he loves close to him but also wanting to keep them at a distance bc he is so terrified of losing them. Dr. Owens even says in s2 that a sign of PTSD is change in personality and lashing out, which we see both in Mike. Plus all the parallels bt him and Max in s4, it's safe to say this boy is struggling mentally.

I do think it would make sense, when we finally get Mike's POV in s5, for a lot of his controversial moments to be fueled by his mental health struggle. Now, do I think this is an excuse? Not necessarily, but it does make sense, and as far as I know, anytime Mike's actively made anyone upset he's apologetic (like I said earlier, lashing out). I believe that if the show solely focuses on Mike's mental health issues, then Mileven wouldn't be out of the question.

I do want to add that this is not how I want the story to go, I would much rather his story go the Byler route, but I've said before that his character is not solely dependent on either Byler or Mileven, and I still stand by that. He should not simply be seen as a 'romantic interest' character bc he is more than that and he has his own problems (that we aren't necessarily shown) that have nothing to do with who he's in a romantic relationship with.

Now, again, this is probably mostly just something I've convinced myself I'd be alright with, but I am aware that this in and of itself would be boring and not very good writing. I also do not know, in this case, what would happen on the Byler side of things, this why I say "(mostly)". I am fully a Byler shipper and would prefer Byler endgame to anything really, but I'm a Mike-stan first and foremost.

Sorry if this wasn't too clear, I feel like I just rambled and repeated myself a lot. Thanks for the ask, though! And pls if you or anyone else has questions about anything I said, pls ask me! Trust me, I know this isn't foolproof and I'm probably just dumb 😂

TLDR: I think it's possible they could go more towards untreated PTSD and trauma/mental health related route for Mike in a way that would make Mileven possible. Doesn't mean I'd think it's necessarily good writing, but I could see it going that way.

[portinastorm]

I'm so glad I don't even have the option of watching live. I can just catch up with the abridged notes and vibes on tumblr

[sailforvalinor]

Idk if this is controversial, but studying for a English/writing degree at university shouldn’t make you NOT want to engage with writing or literature. Just a thought.

[aeolianblues]

it is literally not about legality, if you’re in your late 30s literally what are you hitting up 21 y/os for. Don’t you have investments to make.

[ofrandomthought]

the universal experience of knowing that a new chapter of akatsuki no yona has dropped and being super excited to read it but purposely delaying reading it for as long as you possibly can bc you know with absolute certainty that kusanagi is going to ruin your day in the cruelest way imaginable (again) and you're not really ready for that yet

[russilton]

Okay this is probably a sensitive topic but I find your blog to be really fair and balanced despite the drivers' fans from both sides may not think so. Anyway my question is that why do you think George should dislike Max (even Alonso) or refrain from hanging out with them? They're not great people sure but he's their co-worker. Not everyone can spend their careers isolating himself like Lewis has done, his reasons for doing so are justified so I am not blaming him at all, but George doesn't HAVE to do it. He can and should enjoy a relatively peaceful co-existence with his colleagues. He, Max, Lando, Alex have things in common too, they're in stable relationships, they are close in age, it makes sense for them to be casually friendly. He and Max will not be besties but I don't think it hurts to have a cordial relationship with your colleagues especially when you aren't personally affected by whatever they've done. Lewis is great but his burden is uniquely his, George or anyone else can't be expected to share it. I think it's a bit absurd to expect George to dislike his colleagues on Lewis' behalf especially when he will spend longer with them than Lewis. Lewis and George aren't even close enough to demand that sort of loyalty. I am sure Lewis knows and understands this too. I usually agree with a lot of what you say but I believe we shouldn't police who George can or cannot be friends with.

Because, I tend to not be friends with people who are dicks to my friends, particularly if those people are racist.

“Lewis is great but his burden is uniquely his” not to be rude anon, but no the fuck it ain’t. The burden is on everyone else to be anti racist, not on him to stand up to dehumanising treatment. That’s the bare minimum.

That’s all I really need to say- further rant under the cut because I was writing at 5am and it’s basically a given.

It’s a bit of an unfair twist to say Lewis has “isolated himself” when the treatment he’s isolating himself from is heavily laden in micro aggressions and on track behaviour that could have killed him.

Also, not to be that George fan, but if you really need a point not about Lewis - the vitriol aimed at Lewis and subsequently Mercedes ABSOLUTELY effects George. He has been subject to mocking and harassment from Red Bull fans from the SECOND he he was rumoured to have signed for Merc. He has spoken more than once about how horrible it feels to be Boo’d at tracks, because he is in Mercedes.

None of those fans gave half a fuck about him when he was in Williams, but when he became Lewis’ teammate suddenly his every interview was being called PR trained because it didn’t shit on Lewis or was actively praising. Some of you might not have been around for “PR63” but I sure was, and Merc comments would be full of homophobic tweets from Red bull fans, when they weren’t calling him a cry baby. Max may not be directly responsible for his fans- but he’s frankly never stopped them, if anything he ENCOURAGES them.

Max himself has also called George names, made thinly veiled homophobic insults, had people imply max wanted to attack him. Max said that George was being dramatic and attention seeking for being heartbroken after Sakhir, publicly undermined his efforts as GPDA director to increase safety, to the point George himself called him out for it, said that George should get out of his way when George wouldn’t just let him overtake in Baku, and more. On and off the track Max has insulted and belittled George, the people George loves (Alex, Lewis, Mercedes), and made his job both more dangerous and more boring.

Being cold to Max isnt out of the blue either- George was the first person to speak up about AD21 (literally while the race was ongoing, look up the infamous unacceptable tweet) and was one of the first to condemn piquet sr’s (Max’s defacto father in law) comments at the beginning of last year, to the point man other drivers copied his statement. My point is George has been frequently and outspokenly against stuff max does to the limit he is allowed to say. Shit I have friends who aren’t George fans who say they only thing they like about him is he will not fail to throw a dig at Red Bull and Max if he can- yes it’s for him but he is also using his privilege. Lewis doesn’t get to say those things or he’s labelled a bad sport, attacked by the press, sometimes even F1 itself and FURTHER ostracised. But George can say it, and often he does. It’s probably not “loyalty” that makes him do that, but just… basic friendship?

Let’s be real, I have to look the other way often about things both George AND Lewis do, they travel in circles I’ll never touch, and speak to people I don’t care for, and say shit I dislike. We live profoundly different lives and our bubbles are so different they might as well be on different continents. I don’t expect George calling him mv0 or telling everyone he hates him, the same way lewis doesn’t, because they work with him. But working with someone doesn’t grant them an automatic right to friendship. And frankly f1 drivers have this weird relationship with friendship vs teammates vs on track fights as it is

Just because someone is your coworker doesn’t mean they have to be your friend, especially if they’re a bigoted fuckin asshole.

[cosmicwhoreo]

I have an art question. How do you draw your cookie character? I want to try and learn how to make my own, yet I'm not skilled in the cookie arts

Uuuuuhhhhhhhhh References? believing in myself? sold my teeth to the first demon to offer me the knowledge?

I DUNNO I WING IT