#generally a lot of my deciding what creators to watch comes from the question of is this person trying to sell an Ideal

[foxmulderautism]

doing the reset and the self care day where i sort things out and take care of my body actually pulling me out of the mental rut i've had for the last week. who could have foreseen this

[viviennevermillion]

Spending Valentine's Day with him

notes: i just noticed i haven't written anything for cater yet except for my dystopian au. also if you guys like my writing, comments in the tags or anon asks are appreciated! feedback motivates me to write more!

contains: character x gn!reader, established relationship in some but not all

characters included: cater diamond, leona kingscholar, jade leech, malleus draconia

warnings: mention of gruesome death in jade's part (this is about a mushroom he grew and talks about), accidental marriage proposal

dark content creators and consumers dni

Cater, of course, is more than familiar with Valentine's Day. He's always up to date with the latest trends and on this day, Valentine's Day is trending on Magicam. Every year, Cater participates in this holiday even though he didn't have a crush on anyone for the past few years. He at least always posts some themed photos and sends chocolates to his friends. Sometimes he also does little events on his Magicam page where he prompts people to ask him Valentine's Day related questions or post their own stories they've had with this day and he'll comment on it.

But this year was different.

Having fallen for you quite a few months ago, Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity to finally ask you out on a date. Cater knew so too but Trey was the one who had to convince him. "You're always so flirty with them, why don't you ask them out already?", Trey smiled and shook his head in confusion. "Well, that's different...", Cater replied awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "How exactly is that different?", Trey chuckled and proceeded making a Valentine's Day cake for the Heartslabyul dorm.

Indeed, Cater had flirted with you quite a few times but given his usual demeanor, there was no reason for you to suspect this wasn't just what he was like in general.

Cater eventually asks you out with a box of chocolate from Sam's store. He's happy when you say yes and the two of you agree to go to the cinema together.

Cater buys the two of you colorful drinks and a box of nachos. He takes a picture of the food and asks you if you'd like to take a photo with him as well, which he'd post on Magicam with the caption "Spending today with my valentine ❤️ #cinemadate #valentinesday #nightravencollege ❤️" if you let him. He'd tag you in the picture as well. Cater loves to take pictures but there's a couple of them that's just you two laughing together and having fun and he decides that even though they'd probably get a lot of likes, they're special to him and he just keeps them on his phone to remember this day with you fondly.

He originally intends to take you to a romance movie and bought tickets for it....but life had other plans for you.

"This uh....this doesn't look like the movie we asked to watch", Cater sunk back into the seat and had to be careful not to drop his 3D glasses when the horrifying forest creature from the screen seemed to charge directly at him. You fished the movie tickets out of your pockets. "Uh yeah I think the employee mixed something up...we have tickets for something called 'The Unspeakable Horrors'", you explained before looking back at the screen. "Oh god I don't like or subscribe to this", Cater lets out a slightly distressed sigh. He wondered whether it was too late to watch the other movie and get the actual tickets he wanted but you taking his hand in yours when he seemed scared changed his mind. Maybe watching the unspeakable horrors was indeed a way to get closer to you.

"I'm going to have vivid nightmares of this for days to come", Cater chuckled awkwardly as the two of you left the cinema, still holding hands. "Maybe I can help with that", you chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Cater asks you to be his significant other after your date. He explains how he had a crush on you for a while now and how all the attempts he had made at flirting with you were actually genuine. "Oh yeah I knew", you smirked and pulled him into a hug, "and yes... I'd love to be your valentine every day from now on."

"How about we finish this date with a kiss?", he suggests, nervousness now having left his voice. You nod and he cups your cheek and presses several soft kisses to your lips; the horrors from the movie already forgotten.

If Leona didn't have have a deep-rooted distaste for a lot of celebrations his older brother hosted in his homeland, Valentine's Day would be right up there on the list of Leona's least favorite holidays. He really doesn't like anything cheesy and seeing people being all lovey-dovey gets on his nerves. For Leona, it's pointless to dedicate an entire holiday to appreciating your lover when you could just be doing that whenever.

You enter Leona's room on Valentine's Day, finding your boyfriend sleeping in bed. You smile and sit down beside him, gently rubbing his ears and watching him instinctively snuggle close to your lap and his tail swishing back and forth. "Pspspspsps Leona", you whisper and poke his cheek.

His eyes open slowly and he looks at your face with a confused expression before stretching his limbs like a cat and sitting up. "Why'd you wake me up, herbivore?", he asks calmly and rests against your shoulder. To anyone else he would have said this with an annoyed tone and a frustrated facial expression but with you his tone was gentle and like he was actually interested in the answer.

"I got you something", you say and pull out a small yellow box from your bag, tied neatly with a black ribbon. "Did you get me one of those Valentine's chocolates Sam sells around this time of year?", he asks as he takes the box from you. "Well, not really. I know you don't really like Valentine's Day so I got you this instead", you explain and Leona lifted the cover of the box, instantly snorting and letting out a laugh. Instead of chocolate hearts there were pumpkin-shaped chicken nuggets in the box and the inside of the cover was decorated with a sparkling, cursive "Happy Halloween!" surrounded by stickers of ghosts and bats. The little greeting card that came with it had a distorted "Congratulation!" written on it that started in the middle of the card and the letters became more and more squeezed the closer the writing got to the edge, to make sure that the whole word still fit on it.

Leona was wheezing and patted your head. "Okay that's funny, you got me", he chuckled and plopped one of the nuggets into his mouth, pleased that you had given him meat instead and attempted to make him laugh rather than trying to feed into convention and giving him a red box of Valentine's chocolates.

He ate all of the nuggets in the box and then put it aside, pulling you into his arms and laying down in bed with you. He mumbled a "thank you" and buried his face in your shoulder. You started gently caressing his ears and kissed his forehead.

Leona would just hold you in his arms for a while and maybe spend the day in bed cuddling with you or playing chess with you.

If Valentine's Day is important to you, Leona would adapt and actually try to celebrate it with you. But in general, as your relationship grows, Leona learns of all the things you like and dislike and he takes you out on dates once in a while when he feels like you'd appreciate it. Whether that's Valentine's Day or just any other day. After all, who would he be if he didn't put in any effort after you were the one to put him first?

He definitely keeps your affectionate gestures in mind and who knows? He might take you out a couple days later to have a nice walk on the beach and have a picnic there as the sun sets.

Jade is relatively new to Valentine's Day as it's not a holiday that exists under the sea. They have a similar holiday that's dedicated to celebrating the union of the mermaid princess and her human lover but it's not quite the same as Valentine's Day on land.

"What a curious custom", Jade thought at first when he heard about it during his first year. Ever since the twins and Azul knew about it, they've been using the opportunity to sell overpriced Valentine's gifts and specials at Mostro Lounge.

Ever since he started dating you, Jade has wondered whether he'd be celebrating Valentine's Day with you this year. He gets you some rare flowers he grew himself (actually making sure none of them are poisonous) and if he feels like you'd like it, he'll make you a terrarium like the ones he has. He puts a bunch of plants and small sea animals in there that he collected himself while scavenging the ocean around Sage's Isle. He makes sure to include everything he thinks you might like. He promised you to take you to the Coral Sea and show you his home one day but for now the opportunity hasn't arisen yet so he wants to show that you're part of his world by giving you a part of his.

He puts psathyrella aquatica in your terrarium which is the first and only known underwater mushroom.

Jade shows you how to take care of the terrarium and sometimes the both of you take care of it together.

For Valentine's Day, Jade takes a free day from work and reserves a table at Mostro Lounge for you and himself. He gets the special Valentine's Day mocktails and dishes for half the price so you're in luck. "It took you this long to prepare it?", Jade teases his twin brother as Floyd brings you your meals. Floyd glares at his brother angrily and then turns to you. "Jade used to be scared shitless of the sun when he was a kid. He thought it was gonna fall out of the sky and kill him", Floyd snickered, now being the one to earn a glare from his brother. You laugh at the mental image of a small Jade being scared to swim to the surface of the ocean because the sun was there. "We'll sort this out later, Floyd", Jade replies with a bright smile on his face. The shady, threatening kind.

"For the record, Floyd was the one who told me that the sun was going to fall out of the sky and kill me", Jade explained and sighed, "he kept that prank up for 2 whole years." You chuckle. "Somehow that makes it even funnier", you took his hand on the table and held it in your own, "did you think you were safe underwater?" Jade nodded. "I thought it was just going to go out when it falls into the water", he chuckled, "looking back on it, it was quite curious what we'd come up with to explain what was above the surface and on land before we started going to school and learnt the real facts."

He makes sure to inquire whether you enjoyed your meal or not and gives Azul his feedback. He wraps an arm around your shoulder as he walks out of the restaurant with you.

He later takes you to the greenhouse after all classes have ended for the day and no one was in there anymore. "I have to show you something", he explains and leads you to the window where several plants were standing, "this is an entirely new mushroom species I've created. It's very fascinating. I named it after you." You look at the mushrooms that were moving slightly in a way that looked almost threatening. "Let me guess, they're poisonous?", you ask and lean against Jade. "Probably the most poisonous ones we have on this entire island. Actually they'd make your organs explode within a couple of hours of eating them." He said that with such a joyful smile on his face that it was almost unsettling. But don't worry, Jade naming the creepy mushrooms after you is a sign of his love for you.

You're like "is this even allowed?" and Jade is like "that depends on how you interpret the rules :) "

Valentine's Day with Jade ends with some comforting cuddles in his room and few sharing chocolates after stopping by at Sam's shop and buying some.

Malleus is completely unaware of Valentine's Day. Straight up didn't know what it is.

You've liked him for a while but you were quite unsure whether the two of you could even work out because he's the crown prince of a whole country and meant to be king one day and you're a commoner. Nevertheless, you hoped he would become aware of your feelings for him and give you the answers you needed. You considered just telling him and talking to him about this but you didn't know how appropriate it was to just confess your love to Briar Valley's heir apparent and you were also worried it might make your friendship awkward.

So you decide to take your chances on Valentine's Day. If he rejected the idea of being involved with you romantically, you could always say you gave him flowers and chocolate because he's a great friend.

You get him a personalized bouquet with flowers you associate with him and a box of Valentine's chocolates. He doesn't get why you're giving him gifts and he's just like "thank you, my dear friend :) "

He's really happy about it but he only learns about the intention behind the gifts when Lilia educates him later. "Valentine's Day is a celebration in human society that is dedicated to appreciating the one you love", he explains. "Oh...like a best friend?", Malleus smiles. Lilia sighs. "Uh...sometimes...but I think y/n wanted to express that they're in love with you", he puts Malleus out of his misery. Cue the surprised Malleus face™.

Malleus is so unfamiliar with romantic relationships that he doesn't notice he has a crush on someone until someone else makes him aware of it, in this case Lilia.

So Malleus, with his newfound clarity about his feelings for you, decides to make the best out of the rest of Valentine's Day and get you some gifts in return to attempt to court you. Lilia recommends that he stops by the Mystery Shop, since Sam is selling a lot of typical Valentine's gifts today. So Malleus heeds the older fae's advice and buys 3 bouquets of red roses, which Lilia told him are the ones most associated with romantic love, along with a box of chocolates for you too.

There's also a stand in Sam's shop with a bunch of silver rings in ring boxes. The picture above it shows a man going down on one knee and presenting the ring to his significant other. The caption on it says "Give your loved one the ultimate proof of your love". And Malleus finds one with a subtle dragon-themed design and he's like :)

So he goes to you after classes and presents you with the bouquets and the chocolate first. "Y/n....perhaps it took me some time to realize, but I love you. Would you allow me to court you?", Malleus asks. The three bouquets are a bit much but he's got the spirit. You accept and put the bouquets aside for a moment, pulling him into a hug.

Then he pulls out the ring and gets down on one knee in front of you, presenting it to you. You're shocked for a moment, not knowing how to even process what is happening. Three students walk by and stare at the two of you in bewilderment as you frantically try to gesture to them "this is not what it looks like".

You guide Malleus to stand up again and take his hand in yours, squeezing it gently. "I love you, Malleus. But we've only started dating a couple of minutes ago...I can't possibly agree to marry you yet...", you explain softly. Malleus is like "wait what?"

He explains to you how the rings were advertised in the shop and you laugh, putting one on your finger and the other one on his. "Well, an accidental proposal was not on my list of things I expected to happen today, but I will never forget about this", you snicker and Malleus laughs along with you, glad you're taking his awkward mistake with humor, "let's take these rings as a promise of our love for now. We'll worry about the future when we get there."

You gently cup his cheek. "May I kiss you?", you ask and Malleus nods, leaning close until his lips meet yours in a soft and loving kiss. He holds you gently in his arms and looks into your eyes with a happy smile. "I love you, my dearest. Next year you should show me all about celebrating Valentine's Day."

[smashorpass50plus]

FAQs

Simple instructions: 

Go to the ask and submit the name of someone you like. I highly recommend sending photos of the person over 50, but that's not required. 

If you submit a name with photos, those submissions get processed first over all other submissions. You do not have to include images, but you know the pictures of them that look good way better than Google does. The photo(s) must be that submission over 50. 

If anon is on, just make sure your submission follows the guidelines, and submit a name

What are the requirements to submit to this blog?

Submissions must be over 50 years old. That's the main point of the blog. Object or person, any gender, whatever. Just over 50. 

Please check to see if they're eligible to be submitted on the spreadsheet. Eligibility is 6 months from poll posted day. If they are not eligible, we'll delete anon submissions and respond privately to let you know when to resubmit.  

The spreadsheet has collected all of the polls (or almost all) the polls on the queue, thanks to our helper. This also has a list of people this blog will not accept. I am not going to entertain discussion on yes or no on these people. These decisions are final. 

Why was musk allowed? 

I was drunk when I posted it and when I woke up he was at less than .8% smash and i was in shock. Justice for Vivian

Why did you post X person that is horrible?

Found it funny. Or I am not aware of the issue; send in information about it, and I'll decide from there.

Why Amber heard on the not allowed? 

Same reason as depp. Go back to the tag with you. 

What if the character doesn't have a canon age?

If they're fictional, it'll have to be vibe. Go with the spirit of the blog: we're not looking for Chilchuck Tims (Sorry), we're looking for Saruman and Gandalf.

What if they're confirmed Old™ in Canon, just no age? 

Sure.

Can I submit my OC?

Submit with a photo of them and a short bio (3-5 sentences)

Will you delete my submission?

Yes, if it comes out that person is a bigot, or if you attach too many under 50 images, or they're not eligible.

Did you receive My submission of [XXXXXX]?

If you're asking on anon, you'll get deleted. If you're asking off anon, 90% of the time we'll reply privately.

Have you processed my submission?

Check if they're in the queue tab and check if I've gotten to the date you submitted them.

What if I send mutiple asks of the same person?

If it's all in the same hour, generally delete anons and reply I received the ask if not & only keep one copy.

You should use soundcloud/spotify/yt/etc only!

I start with soundcloud, then try spotify, then yt. This was established with a poll, and yt is often region locked.

Who runs this blog? 

The creator of this blog is peepaw V, @hardinghooten (Sideblog), 26, it/itself. Come watch my mental breakdowns over old men. To summarize some of the questions I've received: Fiddauthor and billford, for different reasonsI love swooning over stansStream Alt j, lonely machines 100 gecs and 3oh!3, still woozy, chet faker, and cloud fodder. Who's your old men? Jk simmons and all of his roles. Alfred Molina specifically Harding Hooten. Sean Bean, now more than ever, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ford Pines (yes jk simmons Shh) and Stan Pines, Ian Mcshane, now more than ever, insomniac doc ock, Im going to stop myself from continuing. Genuine Homer Pigeon is the besttwo other people are helping with this blog, but V is going to let them introduce themselves in their own time. 

Additional Helper(s)

Zemi, @overlookedfile, 35+, any pronouns. Yeah, that overlookedfile. Who are my old men? Geez, there are a lot, but I guess the short list is my husband (duh), Alfred Molina, Oliver Platt, Ron Perlman, Paul Giamatti, Saul Rubinek, and Eddie Marsan. I write when the writer's block allows and my most common genres seems to be m/m, A/B/O, and/or BDSM. My rule of thumb as concerns engaging with anything of mine is, "Go for it, but I ain't gonna pay for your therapy." 😂

jubi, @lizardperson, 35+, it/they, problematic age gap fan. too aspec for a consistent type - some of the hottest people just happen to be old 🤷 random list, in no particular order and probably incomplete: Gina Gershon, Lance Henriksen, Jason Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen, Shoreh Agashdaloo, Kurt Russell, Michelle Yeoh, Gillian Anderson, ...?

[marta-bee]

I've been fixating a bit on Good Omens, specifically on Neil Gaiman being accused of sexual assault and the petition to get Amazon to fire Neil as writer of Good Omens S3.

What I've read about Neil Gaiman assaulting those women seems credible to me. I mean, I try to believe women who say they're assaulted generally and give wide berth for the sometimes odd ways trauma can keep them from coming forward as soon as I'd like, or giving clean accounts of their assault. But I was busy, I hadn't read the reporting, and I also liked Gaiman's writing and felt like I knew him (of a sort) because of years of following his Tumblr feed. Now I've done the reading, and at least based on the evidence available... I believe them.

Which raises a very uncomfortable question. I like the Good Omens novel, and the show, and I do want to see what happens. I enjoy the fanworks even more, but the originals also has a special place in my heart.

A lot of discussion around the petition starts with the (strange to me) idea that no one owns art once it's shared publicly. I do think we all own our experience of the story, and if the creator meant us to experience it a certain way, it's their responsibility to lead us down that road. Probably it's impossible to create that experience in the same way for all readers or viewers, because humans are messy and we bring all sorts of glasses, rose-tinted or otherwise, to everything we read. (I'm thinking of that line from the Lord of the Rings introduction: "It is perhaps not possible in a long tale to please everybody at all points, nor to displease everybody at the same points; for I find from the letters that I have received that the passages or chapters that are to some a blemish are all by others specially approved.") So yes, people are going to experience fiction from their own vantage-point, and our own experience of a story is our own. I'm really not very interested in interviews or other secondary statements about what an author meant. I mean, if JKR wanted Dumbledore to be gay she should have written him that way, etc., etc.

Even so! The story as it is (not as it's experienced, which can be quite different) really is the work of the people doing the telling. We all have the right to our own perception, the story that lives rent-free in our head.

But to say the person who fashioned the story doesn't in some sense own it -- legally or ethically -- just feels odd to me. I suppose Amazon would be within their rights to fire Gaiman. Maybe they'd even legally be allowed to not film the third season. But to say he's just one writer among many, and that we're entitled to the show without the brain that (co-)birthed it? That doesn't feel accurate and I don't think I can get on board with it. It actually seems extremely presumptuous and entitled to me. I'm imagining if someone objected to something they found out about me and decided to just rewrite one of my fanfics. That would feel invasive af, and I can't imagine anything I could do that would give them that right.

What are the other options? Well, the obvious one is the JK Rowlings approach: she created the story, it's hers, and it's precisely because she's so hateful now we shouldn't engage with it. Applying this to Gaiman, maybe we say we can't watch or reread it, maybe we push Amazon not to release it or other companies not to develop his stories into shows. Morally that makes more sense, though it feels like a shame because Good Omens pokes fun at religion's foibles in a way I know a lot of people found very helpful. It also seems like good queer representation, and it's also just plain fun. I'd hate for us all to lose that.

Personally, I've gotten quite good over the years at enjoying good stories told by bad people. I still watch my DVD's of Oliver Twist and The Pianist, even knowing what Roman Polanski did. The Cosby Show still makes me laugh. Etc. It helps those are things I already own so I'm not giving those people I object to more money. Not sure what I'd do about Good Omens S3; probably I'd pirate it or wait for DVD's I could get through my library, because there's not another season we need to get greenlit and I'd rather avoid giving him more money if I can help it. But I don't feel some moral imperative to shun meaningful, enjoyable art because someone involved with it did something wrong. Certainly not the other art people have made around it, including fanworks.

I can respect people who come down on the other side and say, nope, Good Omens = Neil Gaiman so I'm no longer going to touch it. This idea that we can somehow cut Gaiman out of this story and somehow enjoy it without worry just doesn't sit right with me.

(I can 100% understand people who can't read the book or watch the show without thinking of him, to the point it's no longer enjoyable. I tend to get engrossed in what I watch to the point I'm not thinking of the RL people behind it, so that's less of a problem for me personally; but that's my personal quirk. And thank goodness for that- I studied philosophy, and there are lots of "interesting" biographies going on there...)

[5ivebyfive]

What advise could you give to someone who's just starting out in writing?

Hey anon, I hope you're still here to read this. I'm sorry it took so long, but this is a super hard question for me. I don't know if this is in regards to fanfic or a novel, but I will warn you I've never written a full novel. So I'm approaching this as if the advice is for fanfic.

So first I would say, enjoy doing it. If you don't enjoy writing then it's not going to flow and the readers will sense that.

Read. A lot. Get an idea of story structure, spelling, vocab, etc. The more you read the better the writer you will be. The more you read the more words you'll learn, and the better your punctuation/spelling/vocab will be.

You don't have to have it all mapped out when you start. It's cool if you want to! Every writer is different. You can just figure it out as you go, but have a clear general plot in mind. Think about where you're starting, where you want to go, and how you want to end, even if those things are vague.

Ignore writing advice that tells you what NOT to do. Aside from basic grammar and formatting, it's all a scam. Write cliches, use "said" freely, but do listen to minorities in their suggestions of how not to describe characters. You don't want to offend anyone. And this may change over time, so just pay attention.

Decide for yourself on your posting schedule. Do you want to write it all out and finish it first before you start posting? Do you want to post it all at once or in increments? Do you want to write each chapter and post as you go? It's up to you and you alone. Whatever feels best.

Don't let the readers get to you about your posting. If you choose to post once a week, once every other week, or whenever you feel like it, do it. There is no time frame for posting. It's up to you. Readers will say "I won't read a WIP" or they'll say "I won't read fics without a clear posting schedule". Ignore that noise. It's your fic.

Don't let readers get to you period. I know that's hard, but there's been such a shift in fanfic culture, for the worst. Readers are more demanding, and treating writers like we owe them. We don't. You set the rules.

Tag accordingly, or use "creator chose not to use archive warnings". If you don't want to spoil for things that are coming, I suggest the first and then in the chapter's author notes tell the trigger warnings.

But let's get back to actually writing-

Turn on some music and just think about your story, the plot and the characters. Write a character trait list, or freewrite about them, or you don't have to do either. It's up to you. But get a feel for your characters, their history, and their motivations. It will make telling the story and guiding it so much easier.

If you want to plot it out, figure out what works best for you. Maybe plot each chapter, maybe write a summary of the whole work and expand on it in each chapter.

Write what YOU want. Seriously. You DO NOT have to purify your writing to please readers. Either they read it or they don't.

Don't get disheartened if you have to take a break from it. We all do sometimes.

If you're writing fanfic, watch/play/read canon over and over. Get absorbed into it.

Just find ways to truly connect to the story you want to tell. Maybe make a playlist, draw, google character sheets and fill them out, make a power point about each character and/or the story as a whole.

But most of all, take a deep breath. You can do this. I believe in you.

I don't know if any of this is helpful or not, it's all from my experience so take it all with a grain of salt. If anyone wants to add to this post, please do! I'll reblog it.

[fall-for-tolkien]

Hi, I was recommended this event and it sounds very fun and I´m thinking about joining but even on your website you are not very clear about ai art after saying on your Tumblr post that that´s where you should go for answers about it

On your page this is what is standing:

I don´t want to join an event that supports Ai "art" so I want to be sure before I join

Hi there, it's Zhie -- I'm the one handling the AI art questions. I serve on an AI taskforce, and I have twenty years of AIML experience, which strangely enough means I get to field AI related questions for both work, and play here in the fandom spaces. Below is what we have written on our website regarding Generative AI and Accommodative AI. As an artist who deals with some super fun (sarcasm intended) neurological things that make my hands shake, I utilize a Cricut to cut out things I have designed, and then I put them together, and art happens. A Cricut is technically a robot; the interaction with Design Space to make it cut things can be interpreted as a Accommodative AI tool. I tell it what to cut, but it makes the cuts for me versus me with a scissors (which is literally dangerous for me sometimes -- on June 7th I cut myself with a pair of scissors because of the above mentioned hand tremor things, and it was not fun and also a little embarassing. Getting old sucks, but the alternative is worse, so, life goes on.)

Can you please let me know what portion is unclear, or what specific questions you have? On the flip side, if the scenario I have already described related to Accommodative AI is already something that makes you uneasy, no one is going to fault you for sitting out this event. Not every event is for everyone; everyone has to find where there happiness is.

The comment about 'whatever you say is art is art' relates to jerkfaces who will comment that a particular thing isn't art or shouldn't be considered art -- and has a lot to do with a presentation that occurred at Oxonmoot where pieces of fanart were displayed and the person running the panel made fun of the art for things such as, how an Ent looked and how they should be depicted, or particular styles or cultural representation found in art that made a lot of people feel bad about their interpretations. It also relates to things like, you painted a rock? That's art. You doodled on a napkin? That's art. You made a sandcastle version of Gondolin and took a photo? That's art. That statement was part of our rules before we added in the AI addendum (found below for reference).

PS -- Another option for this year for you might be to join the Discord, watch the event, and decide from the way it runs and what occurs whether or not you're comfortable to join in next year. We don't gatekeep our Discord; we welcome anyone who participates and anyone just interested in knowing more to join it and interact.

AI Content Information

Generative AI is not allowed for the complete creation of written works, end of story.

AI tools may be permitted for creation of elements that assist in the writing of the final product. Example: Using an AI generator to help come up with a title, or a AI tool to create a map of a neighborhood used in the worldbuilding for the story. If you are uncertain, please connect with Zhie. (Zhie checks the Discord frequently, but you can also send a message to the event email and ask to speak to Zhie about AI.)

Generative AI is not allowed for the direct creation of art in most of the galleries.  Generative AI used as the end result of a piece of art is permitted only for the In Memoriam gallery, but must be labeled as such. It still counts as a submission from whomever asked for it to be submitted, however, per copyright law, this type of art cannot be copyrighted and the person who submitted it is not the creator of the work, the tool is.  This means the tool used to generate the art must be included as the author, with a link to the tool which was used.

Use of generative AI as a starting point for art maybe permitted.  An artist must make significant contribution to the finished art for it to be permitted in galleries other than the In Memoriam gallery. Example: An artist uses AI to generate a particular pose, then uses this as reference to create a new piece of art so that someone's legs don't go flippity floppity the wrong way. If you are unsure, please connect with Zhie.

Use of accommodative AI tools is usually permitted.  These are instances when a tool is used to supplement the creative process.  Examples include, but are not limited to, an AI removal tool in a design program, or use of machine-aided technology to produce items which will be further manipulated to create the final piece. If unsure, please connect with Zhie.

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[penissirius]

Secret Secret pt2

Lee Know x male reader  

SUMMARY: Part 2 is ‘you’re a secret and you’re sick of it’ Part 1 was ‘you’re a secret’ and I’m sure you can guess what part 3 will be! If you can't, you’ll have to wait until that’s posted! (Uh I got lazy so this is part 2 and 3 lolll, part 3 is ‘you’re a secret no more') 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: M/n is a very famous and well-known gamer and content creator. Idol Stray Kids still. M/n has braces but if you don’t you can just skip that part and imagine the hair as something else as well. I tried to keep it generally plain tho so you could more imagine yourself. 

AUTHORS NOTE: This is part 2 (and 3 lol) of this 3-part series! part 2 already ommmggg time flies lol, I’m looking forward but not looking forward to writing this! This one is more angsty than the first part but not by that much cause writing angst hurts me and because I used to be forced to do it so much with a certain ex-friend of mine it’s become something I avoid. It is slightly sad though! There is arguing! I repeat there is arguing.  

WARNINGS: arguing, angstish ig, jealousy from the reader, insecure thoughts, idol AU, famous gamer reader. Slight ooc Lee Know? Idk I don’t write for him a lot or imagine for him a lot so I don’t think I capture his attitude and his demeanor correctly- 

FEMALE ALIGNED PLEASE DNI <3 

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

*2 Months after the conversation with Lee Know* 

M/n was chilling on stream yet again but this time he was just talking and chilling with fans while drawing new chapters for his webcomic. It was actually a pretty good stream, M/n was in a good mood, the comic was coming along nicely with no issues in the design and the questions people were asking weren't all that bad until they were. ‘So, M/n how’s you and the boyfie doing’ One of the comments was read aloud to him by the computer. “Hm? Oh! We’re doing great! I absolutely love being in this relationship and I’m much happier than the last one I was in. He is such a sweet and amazing guy. I can’t believe it’s getting to almost 2 years together” M/n smiled looking up for a second.  

‘That’s good, we’re glad you’re happy again M/n!’ ‘We finally have our happy boy back!’ ‘It’s been almost 2 years when are we going to know who’s the idol boyfriend’  

M/n looks up, “Now you guys know I can’t do that. He’s an idol and they have dating bans and stuff. It wouldn’t be okay to announce we’re dating let alone that he’s dating some twitch streamer like me.” 

‘It’s okay M/nnie! It’s enough to know he exists!’ ‘Or maybe he doesn’t and this whole thing has been a lie’ ‘well it can’t be a lie cause we’ve seen him pop in sometimes, wearing a hoodie and a mask but he comes in and gives M/n a kiss before leaving!’ ‘Yeah, and even so we believe and trust M/n!’  

M/n smiles giggling, happy that his fans believe and trust him. He ignores the few haters. “Honestly if it was up to me, I would've told you guys by now! But it’s not and I’m more than happy just me and a few friends knowing!” He goes back to drawing and the subject seems to change back to randomness. An hour and a half later he decided to end his live because his hand is getting pretty tired. “Alright guys, that's all from me. I promise that the normal gaming live will happen next week! There’s a poll up on what game I should play and I might pick a few of you to play with me! I haven’t done that in a while lol. But this is me and my hurting hand signing off! BYEEEEEE”  

After shutting everything off and reuploading it so people who missed it can rewatch, he goes to his living room to watch tv and FaceTime his best friend. He grabs his MacBook and after a few rings AJ finally answers and he sees him still in his training clothes which means he just got back to his dorm. “M/n! Hey dude!” M/ns energetic best friend said once he saw his face. “Hey AJ how was training?” M/n laughed seeing AJs face turn up at the thought of training. AJ puts his phone down to change into comfier clothes while talking.  

“Omg dude, training was literally the hardest today out of any other day. Dance wasn’t bad, and vocal practice wasn’t either. But rap class kind of kicked my ass and weird classes like selfie class and walking class because apparently there’s something wrong with my walk! ALSO, this stylist for one of the other groups said that I should consider cutting my hair because it’s ‘too long’ and ‘no one would know how to take care of your foreign hair’!” M/n was lowkey offended for his friend.  

Anyone who knows AJ knows that the curls in his hair that come from his mom's Hispanic side and not his dad's Korean side are his pride and one of the only things that keep him tied to home while he’s here in Korea. “What? Did she actually say that?” “Yeah, she did! And honestly, I don’t know if you’ve seen Bang Chan's curls before the stylist got a hold of them but I am NOT risking that happening to my hair. That’s a walking nightmare. Also, when my hair is straight it’s not that much longer than Hyunjin’s was before they recently cut it!” M/n just shook his head, “Honestly just continue to do your hair by yourself, you do great and if you have any complications then you can call your mom!” “You right you right!”  

They talked for a while and played some games together before they were just lying there doing separate things and talking after AJ had switched the call to his laptop. “Oh, dude did you see the new article?” AJ said looking up from his phone to his computer where the call was set up. “No? What’s it about.” M/n looked up suddenly interested. “It’s about Lee know. People are suspecting that he’s in a relationship. I’ll send it to you” “Alright” 

He got the link and the article said: 

Stray Kids' dancer Lee Know is in a relationship?! 

Recently it’s been suspected that the said dancer is in a relationship. He’s often not in the dorm when members have done vlives at night. In behind-the-scenes videos, you can see him smiling at his phone and texting someone. His and Han's friendship has seemed to get a little less touchy-feely but still the best of friends. Also, when he shows his Home Screen it’s a picture of him and a shorter/taller man hugging! It has been semi-confirmed that it can’t be one of the other members because the hair nor body type match…. 

It continues but M/n stops reading. “Why should I be worried about this? It’s not like they’re actually going to find out about me or he would even tell them.” He chuckles bitterly. “Yeah, but there is this really stuck-up trainee in the same class as me who is swearing that he’s the one dating Lee Know. I know that’s not true and so does Stray kids and Miyeon (female best friend) but others don’t. He doesn’t even look anything like you or the picture Minho has as his Lock Screen but everyone is starting to believe him.” M/n doesn’t know how to feel hearing this.  

“You and him need to do something about this. Talk about it. I think it’s time to let people know. I know he’s an idol and shit but his dating ban has been lifted, and JYP PDnim has started not caring if we are public with our relationships (at least in this universe 🤪), plus you guys have been dating for 2 years. I don’t think keeping you in the dark like this is fair. To have to deal with other people claiming to be dating him, and for you to have to deal with the constant hate you get for having an idol boyfriend but not saying the name. You’ve respected him and his feelings through all of this, but I think now it’s time for you to tell him how you feel.”  

M/n listens and thinks about what his best friend has told him. “But what if he doesn’t agree? What if he doesn’t want to be public? I mean he’s an idol and being with me publicly could ruin everything he’s working for.” AJ tsked, “Yeah but you have to consider your feelings. It’s been 2 years, I know you would like to be able to spend time and actually go on dates together. I can’t keep watching you put yourself and your own feelings on the back burner for him. At least just think about bringing it up dude, I've got to go now. I have early training in the morning” M/n nods. “Alright, night AJ. Tell Miyeon I said goodnight as well!” “I will, bye bro”  

After AJ hung up M/n really got to thinking and maybe he should bring it up. In the end M/n ended up not bringing it up to Minho. They haven’t been able to see each other in a while with all the stuff happening in Minho's schedule recently so they never gave a time to talk about it. Plus, M/n just didn’t want to start an argument about it when he knew it would just end with the same result and his feelings getting pushed back. But the topic always stayed in his mind.  

A week and a half later and the situation have blown up. The article continued, more came after. And soon the Trainee that was claiming to be Lee Knows boyfriend was pretty much everywhere. People were asking him questions, he was answering with fake texts between them, edited pictures, etc. Nothing was heard from Lee Know or JYP though and M/n was starting to get sick of it. It was like everywhere he turned was another fake post about this dude and Lee know. Honestly, he was pissed. Not being able to see his boyfriend, this dude claiming to be dating HIS boyfriend and JYP and Lee know himself weren't talking about it.  

This day in particular he had finally had enough. His ‘fans’ were making tweets saying how it was understandable that the trainee was dating Lee know but it’s kind of suspicious that M/n claims to be dating an idol but couldn’t talk about it like Dal (the trainee) could. There were a good 30% of his fans though that didn’t believe that Dal was dating Lee Know because to them it just didn’t make sense and would actually make more sense if M/n was the one dating him which made him feel slightly better. All in all, M/n was pretty much fed up with this. He texted AJ to go ahead and talk to JYP about the situation and article, to which the best friend was more than happy to. He even made a slide show for it, that fact made M/n laugh.  

AJ had brought the situation up to his CEO and was in the middle of talking to him about it when Lee Know texted M/n.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

Hey baby, how’s your day been?  

If M/n was pissed before he’s livid now. How’s his day been? They haven’t had an actual conversation in weeks and the first conversation that he started was ‘How’s your day been?’… M/n has thrown all previous feelings of not wanting to cause an argument out the window.  

My prince 👑💙 

It hasn’t been good, Minho  

They haven’t been good for the past few weeks.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

Minho? No baby?  

What’s wrong?  

My prince 👑💙 

Hm, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask that bitch Dal what’s wrong.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

Dal? Dal who?  

My prince 👑💙 

The fucking trainee that’s been claiming to be dating you for the past idk 2 weeks.  

Now a little part of M/n was starting to feel bad for coming off in such a harsh way instead of actually talking and having a conversation about this, and maybe he was being a little petty by changing his boyfriend's contact name last week. But there was the bigger part of him that was so tired of dealing with this bullshit. He’s bottled up these feelings for weeks and months and now they’re finally being set free.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

What are you talking about? I don’t even hang out with him.  

I’ve had like 2 conversations total with him.   

My prince 👑💙 

Well, those 2 conversations clearly seemed to be enough for him to say you’re dating.  

Clearly it was enough motivation to make fake texts and edited photos of you together. 

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

Where are these so-called texts and photos and why haven’t I seen them?  

I’m sure all of this will just blow over anyway it’s not like I���m actually dating him, I’m dating you!  

My prince 👑💙 

But nobody knows that. 

I’m tired of this secret stuff Minho.  

It’s been 2 years. This has been going on for weeks now. How can you say it’ll just blow over.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

I honestly haven’t seen anything or heard anything about it this whole time! Baby you have to believe me 

Send it to me.  

My prince 👑💙 

A part of me just can’t seem to believe you have seen it at all but I’ll send it to you.  

sends multiple links to articles and TikTok's on the situation 

It takes about 30 to 45 minutes for Lee Know to get through all the links and process the information. In that time M/n still hadn’t calmed down. The part of him that felt bad wanted to cry and apologize and just be held by his boyfriend, but he was too clouded by all the emotions that he had held back finally coming out. After those 45 minutes Lee Know was on a mission to put this all to rest and finally come clean, he texted Him back but M/n didn’t see it. He had put his phone on Do not disturb and was set on ignoring him because he took too long to respond.  

Lee doesn’t seem to know 🙄 

Give me a moment love, I’ll have everything explained I promise  

My prince 👑💙 has notifications silenced  

While M/n was locked in his room eating ice cream and watching his comfort show after he cried. Lee Know, AJ and JYP were setting up a last second thrown together live interview set up in one of the company's conference rooms. After getting one of the radio hosts under JYPE, Chase, who hosts Idol on Air and setting everything up, AJ’s job was to get M/n to watch it. AJ took off running to his car and speeding to M/n’s apartment, texting Minho when he got there. He unlocked the door with the spare key his best friend had given him a while ago. He quickly made a beeline straight to M/n's bedroom, shutting the door, sitting his best friend up and grabbing the remote and turning.  

“Hey, what the fuck! I was watching that!” M/n said confused and upset that his friend ruined his pity party. “There’s something way more important that you need to see” M/n pouted and watched as AJ quickly turned to where the interview was being broadcasted. He was quite confused when he saw his boyfriend on the live show that was clearly thrown together and not planned. ‘Maybe this is why he wasn’t responding- I feel so bad now. What is he even planning to talk about?’ M/n turned to AJ, “dude what is-?” “SHHHHH”, AJ cut him off, “it’s starting!” 

“And we are on! Hello and welcome to Idol on Air! I’m your host Chase and as always, it’s a pleasure to be here with you guys. Today we have Mr. Lee Know of Stray Kids with us!” Minho waves “hello”  

M/n looks at AJ unimpressed, “what does any of this have to do with me?” “You’ll see in a second just shut up and watch” AJ points back at the screen.  

“Today we will be talking about a topic that has been the biggest revolving said dancer and the JYPE trainee, Dal.” Chase said, looking back at the camera.  

Now that sparked M/n’s interest and made him pay attention.  

“As it seems, the trainee, Dal has been spreading and trending everywhere claiming that he is in fact dating Lee Know. This started when a big article speculated that the idol was in a relationship. These are the posts and quote on quote evidence given from Dal.” Multiple Instagram posts, tweets, and photos were shown on the screen and on one of the TVs behind the camera for JYP, Chase, Lee Know and the rest of the staff to see. “We are here today to debunk these rumors and fake posts” 

M/n stares wide eyed at the screen slowly processing what was happening and what it meant.  

Chase turns to Lee know, “Now I’ll let the man himself speak. Lee Know, are you dating the trainee Dal?” He sat up taller and looked dead at the camera before responding. “No, I am not. I have only had 2 conversations with him in total since he became a trainee here.” “Tell us more.” Lee Know smirked, “Gladly. The texts are fake for I don’t even have his number or social media nor do I have a personal Instagram at all let alone the one shown in the photos. All of the photos of us together are edited. I’ve only taken one photo with him and it is this one.”  

A picture of them in one of the practice rooms was shown. Lee Know and Dal are posing but to M/n it looks slightly off. He knows his boyfriend and that’s not the way he usually takes photos with someone who isn’t his members or friends.  

“Only this isn’t the actual photo. This is.” A different photo was shown, it was in the same room and they had the same clothes on but there were more people in the room and now M/n understood why it looked so off to him. The original picture was of Lee Know and Felix in a practice room with Dal and 3 other trainees clearly having just got done practicing. There were two trainees on the other side of Minho, then him with Felix being right beside him and Dal along with the other trainee on the other side of Felix. “This day me and Felix, along with Hyunjin who wasn’t there the whole time, had offered to help some trainees with their dancing and took a picture at the end.”  

“Everything that was said about me dating Dal was indeed false. We aren’t even friends let alone dating. I don’t know where he got the idea that we were or why he came up with this idea to fake like he was dating me. I knew nothing of this situation until today and I’m putting it to rest immediately” He nodded before turning back to Chase. “Well now we have that settled and put to rest. Lee Know and Dal are in fact not dating and everything the said trainee has said has been false. I do have one question though. Are you dating someone?”  

M/n held his breath awaiting his boyfriend's response. He knew this would be when he’d say no, he wasn’t and they’d go back to being a secret and no one knowing that the idol was indeed taken. He was upset knowing that he’d never get to be public about his relationship with Minho. But a very small part of him held hope that he would say he was, although it was unlikely, he subconsciously hoped for it. AJ just smirked and watched his brilliant plan unfold, ignoring the curious gaze from his friend beside him.  

“Actually, yeah I am dating someone, and he is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.” The look on the idol's face when he was saying this was one of pure love and happiness. You could tell that he was being genuinely serious about what he said. “Oooo? Who’s the lucky guy?” Chase said, looking at Lee Know waiting for him to spill the tea. “His name is M/n! He’s a popular twitch streamer. We’ve been dating for a while now; I love him so much.”  

M/n was about ready to start crying when he confirmed he saw taken but he definitely started crying when his boyfriend not only said to the world, they were dating but also mentioned him even if he didn't have to. The hate that he was getting would finally stop. He could finally be open and talk about his relationship. He didn't have any other thoughts in his head other than to immediately get to his boyfriend and kiss him silly.  

Some more things were said before they closed up the interview but M/n was no longer interested instead he was hurriedly putting his shoes on, dressed in some shorts and one of Lee Knows hoodies that he had left. He forced AJ up and ushered him to the front door ordering him to drive them to the company, not without complaints from the Hispanic about him being comfortable. By the time they got to the company, the interview was just finishing up. M/n sped into the building as soon as they were parked, with AJ rushing behind him. He had to eventually wait for his best friend because despite how many times he had been to the building he didn’t know where he was going. When he finally got to the room where Lee Know was, he throws all rational thinking to the side and the second Lee Know walked out he jumped on him wrapping his arms and legs around him like a koala making the dancer hurry and support him with his arms under M/n's butt.  

“Omg, I love you so much! I love you I love you I love you!” M/n says with his face hidden in his boyfriend's shoulder starting to tear up again. AJ and the staff members had gone about their business putting things away and doing whatever they had to do, to give the newly public couple some privacy. Lee Know walked into the room that was right beside them and sat in the chair with M/n still in his arms. “I love you too, I’m sorry it took all of this for me to finally do this love.” he kissed the top of the love of his life's head holding him tighter. M/n looked up at him with the biggest smile Minho had seen in weeks, “No it’s okay! The fact that you not only said we were in a relationship but said it was me and confessed your love for me on live where people everywhere can see made up for how long it took!” Before Minho could say anything unless M/n had grabbed his face and kissed him. After the initial kiss, he left a ton of kisses all around the dancer's face smiling brightly. Looking at the smile on his boyfriend's face, all the doubts Minho had in his mind about how his lover was feeling washed away and he knew they would be okay.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors Note: So I combined the last 2 parts into one because A) I really didnt want to write 2 more parts B) My friend who was Beta reading thought it would be better in just one part and C) if it had been three parts I don't think part 3 would have been too long- but anyways I hope you liked it and im sorry this took me so long to write I was struggling to think of new stuff plus writing my book and school and work all on top XD but its finally out now even if it is awhile after I said it would've been posted. (Lmaooo this has been ready since Sept 11 and I’m just now posting it- sorry)

[iamacolor]

Oh I wasn't saying that you said they had the same degree of care I was just in general saying that no one can tell me that I phrases it wrong and yeah fandom has become so backwards in a way it's a very feminist "girlboss" veneer but a 1700s witch trials interior it's not kdramas exclusively it's all Asian shows as well as American ones. You should've seen the discussion regarding the latest bridgerton season it's the exact same thing everything is he's so downbad he's such a looser in love and I've been watching shows from all over the place for a while and it wasn't like this. It's not only fandoms it's also creators and they feed into each other in a sort of snake eating its own tale way, the trend is people want to see relationships like this so writers write more and then fandom eats it up and it goes on and on. Sometimes it feels condescending because romance as a fantasy for women has been there for centuries but this thing where almost every romance is man willing to do anything for woman he loves woman who only reacts is an issue and you really have to be doing it on purpose because I think the natural way to write a couple is two people who navigate things together and take turns helping and supporting and loving eo.

oh okay i see what you mean (also i wasn't sure when i replied if it was all the same person or not so i felt a little defensive) "very feminist "girlboss" veneer but a 1700s witch trials interior" lmaooo that's definitely the vibes of some discourse i've seen happening on twitter lately or even on tumblr a few years ago

and yeah to everything else you've said, my answer to the previous ask was basically a lot of this lol i really do think a lot of it stems from people wanting to see/write something that shows what women should receive from a man and how men should behave but then the only thing left to do a lot of the time for women is to react and even that can end up being criticised if it so much as upsets the male lead lol feminism isn't just about how women should be treated by others it's also about how they should be able to act and take place in the world and the roles they can take with those around them

it's interesting that you mentioned bridgerton because although i haven't watched this season this is a dynamic i've observed a lot in romance novels as well - especially in historical ones where it's often tied up with the traditional gender roles in marriage which is almost always at the core of the story with men literally being the providers and the owners - changes are definitely happening in the romance novel world thanks to a lot of indie/self published authors who can be a little bit more free when it comes to catering to a wide audience because they can decide to target a more "niche" audience but when it comes to tv, production is often tied to more conventional formulas.

and it's also important to point out that to many people seeing a man happily devoted to a woman, to see a man's interests be put second, to see a man put a woman's happiness first, that's already progressive (and again it's so often not the case irl - we have rising numbers of feminicides and divorces and still a very unequal sharing of domestic chores in most householdes etc) which is why i think it's more a question of trying to bring more types of relationships to the screen (to also highlight the depth of women's feelings and passions) than it is a question of getting rid of these kind of stories because they do have a role to play if only in offering a little escape - i definitely enjoy some of that!

[weirdcat1213]

STEVEN UNIVERSE FANS: WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH TRIGUN STAMPEDE (SPOILER FREE)

Hi there, it's been a while, isn't it? The whole show ended 3 years ago and honestly, nothing has felt the same. Most shows get axed/are on streaming which makes you binge them and you don't get to emotionally bond with that show.

Well let me tell you I got something that you may like

Ok so this post will summarize Trigun Stampede, its similarities to SU/SUF, questions you may have as someone who doesn't like anime that much and why it needs a shit ton of support.

Trigun Stampede:

The story is set on this desert planet where humans need special machines to survive called plants because they produce all the resources humans need to survive. In a world where fighting is the only way to survive, the outlaw Vash the Stampede decides to help people with their plants/personal problems without using violence. If he is a pacifist then why is he an outlaw? Watch the show.

SU/SUF similarities and pros:

-Did you like the sci-fi element in SU? Stampede has so much of that and they actually get deep into it. It has an important role in the story. (I wish I could say more but spoilers)

-Did you like the message of love and peace? Our beloved main character lives by that motto and yes there is conflict.

-Did you like cool villains with good reasons and grey morals? OH, WE GOT YOU ALRIGHT. Vash's main antagonist has that covered (again, spoilers) BUT I PROMISE YOU HE IS EVERYTHING YOU WANTED IN SU FROM A VILLAIN.

-Did you like pretty art? Orange, although mainly known for its CGI has done beautiful backgrounds + art concepts for the show.

-Did you like the gorgeous and smooth animation: Orange is the best studio when it comes to CGI and that doesn't mean "ok this is decent" kind of CGI, this is "I'm gonna eat this scene" kind of CGI. SU only got smooth animation when they brought guest animators but Stampede has that level on every. single. episode.

-Did you like SUF specifically for the trauma, growth and mental health themes? You will love Vash and some of the other characters. But Vash...dear god.

-Did you like the angst? Stampede is for you but don't blame me for the therapy bills

-Did you love the music? Stampede isn't a musical sadly the ost fucking slaps and it's so cool. It's on Spotify if you want to support it legally.

-Did you love the likable secondary characters? Stampede has a few characters but they are likable characters and feel real instead of NPCs. None of them follows an archetype strictly except maybe for one who is still pretty cool.

-Did you like the representation? Nothing can be perfect and it would be misleading to not mention this considering it's a great part of what makes SU special to me and others. Although it's not explicitly queer, there are some themes/ characters to whom queer people (myself included) have connected a lot. There's a non-binary character, and Vash's struggle with (spoiler) is relatable to a lot of queer people. Also, the guy really gives gender. Cmon, look at him. There's a fanon gay ship but the original creator (Nightow) and the Orange team really made Stampede *gay*. Like Yuri on Ice but better IMO

You can literally send me a dm with a "what about X" and I will reply.

Questions you may have as someone who doesn't like anime:

-I don't like Japanese voices and how they scream: The english dub is really good (like, omg VAs I will give you my life) good. They all fit and care for their characters, and the direction was amazing. If you're a zach callison fan I reassure you, Vash's voice actor GAVE that kind of emotion.

-I don't like generic anime looks: Guess what! Stampede is pure CGI and it looks awesome! If you don't like the generic design anime characters get you're in for a treat.

-I don't want to read the manga/watch the 98 anime to understand whats happening: And you won't have to! A lot of people got into Trigun as a whole with Stampede and the people watching the 98 anime now are doing so cuz they miss the characters, not because its crucial to understand Stampede.

-I don't like CGI, non of it: watch the 1st episode then come back to me. Not even that, just watch the trailer.

Why it needs a shit ton of support

Apparently, anime is just starting to take outside-of-Japan fans into consideration for things like renewals, so at the Orange panel, the staff told people to support the studio and Stampede if we want more of it. It sucks that this is the only way a show can get renewed but we already know what's that like because of SU. Even if we didn't know it, people talking about it, going to cons cosplaying characters from the show, and buying merch was giving power to Rebecca to keep pushing for the show. Even if we got season 5 cut we managed to get Future and maybe the movie thanks to the fan support. Stampede is so new and although its popular it got cast away just for being CGI and for not being the exact same as the 98 anime. It's literally a passion project and the staff (including Nightow) are so in love with it. They want us to look for clues and give us more content because they love Trigun as a whole. Animation is suffering and I know there are 100000 shows that need support but please keep this show in mind. It's made of love, you could say.

Here's the ways you can support it!

-Where to watch (sub/dub): crunchyroll/ the DVD is coming out soon but I dont think that has the dub.

-OST: Spotify, Applemusic

-Merch: I recommend CD Japan but there are other websites

[jungwnies]

hello maeby baby! <3<3

last weekend I went to the movies with my sister and my best friend that i haven’t seen in 4 years and girl-

we watched three movies, THREE

-the little mermaid

-spider-man

-guardians of the galaxy

omg i was crying so much, like i already knew i was going to cry with the little mermaid cause it’s one of my fave Disney movies and also since the first trailer dropped i cried when halley sang so i knEW i was gonna be bawling and yup. movie started, literally the title appeared and i cried like im pretty sure the rare moments were the ones where i wasn’t crying (loved it 🫶🏻)

spiderman was sooooo cool, i already loved the first one but man this was soooo good and the soundtrack? slay

and to finish, guardians of the galaxy FUCKED ME UP like, i’ve seen clips of people just saying that you cry a lot and in general it’s one of the best marvel movies recently and i was very excited about this cause I’ve been a big big MCU/MARVEL fan since the beginning but after end game i only watched a couple of them and honestly only loved a few but this one seriously it’s amazing, a masterpiece and i refuse to watch it a second time cause it’s just going to mentally hurt me even more, but seriously it did not disappoint

i also made my friend watch both taylor swift movies and it was awesome, he also listened to folklore for the first time and his favorite was mirrorball (mines are august, illicit affairs and the lakes)

right now im actually home alone for the weekend, one of my sisters friend from high school graduated an she invited her to the ceremony and after party and even though it was okay for me to come i decided to stay home and just have “me time” which has been mostly watching films and YouTube videos lol

also there’s this asmr creator that i love, ediyasmr and this week she did two tarot reading and omg i never felt so “seen” or “heard” with a reading 🥹💓 it was very reassuring and a wholesome time for me haha

i feel like it’s a time for change in my life and path so a lot of craziness and also tranquility in my life going on ( i hope it’s not weirding you out lol) but the good one of craziness I guess ^^

now the questions for you hehe:

have you watched any movies recently? when was the last time you went to the movies? do you like taylor? (if yes what’s your favorite song/album) do you believe in tarot readings and all that stuff? very excited to hear all your answers and what you’ve been up to ^^

take lots of care and please receive all my hugs and kisses that im sending all the way from my room in my pijamas cozy in my bed 🤎🤎

also take care of that ankle!! until a couple of months ago i also still felt some pain so I tried to not put a lot of pressure on it (but also life sometimes doesn’t give me an option ://)

mwa mwa mwa 🤧❤️❤️

- 🧸 anon

omgomgomg anonnieeee!!!

to be honest... i have a really hard time getting into MCU movies, i think the only time i actually watch them is in my myth class because we rarely do anything and all we do is analyze MCU movies because they usually have that hero timeline that we study LMFAO. i have been meaning to watch the little mermaid though it was one of my favorite disney movies growing up (despite the fact that i didn't even know there was a 2nd one...) one thing i will give to MCU movies is though are the cinematic, they are so good, i applaud!!! - i haven't watched any taylor swift movies but i do love her music, it's so good & it always gets me in my feelings to be completely honest with you >.> - me time is super extremely important so i'm super glad that you get to catch up on it, i spend a lot of my time with my sister even when i'm at school but i do enjoy my free time a lot ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ⎯⎯ now to answer your questions!!! (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭

have you watched any movies recently? when was the last time you went to the movies? - i've honestly been meaning to go to the movies but i'm either 1. too lazy or 2. too busy 💔 however i'm planning to watch a few movies over the summer since i'm finally more free ugh but i just haven't found the right time. however, over the summer i do plan on watching some movies, honorable mentions being: the little mermaid, barbie, no hard feelings, and evil dead rise (i love horror omgomgomg)

do you like taylor? (if yes what’s your favorite song/album) - yes, i do like taylor. i think some of my favorite albums by her are speak now, fearless, and of course midnights is so good!! i also loved folklore. my favorite song by her is definitely enchanted or love story but also lavender haze is so good!!

do you believe in tarot readings and all that stuff? - i believe in all of it, there was a time where i spent a lot of time practicing tarot and learning astrology (i'm still big on astrology but not so much tarot, i still have the cards though!) i really enjoy watching readings and doing my own, i feel like it resonates with me extremely well, and i'm glad you were able to relate to one on youtube!

⎯⎯ thank you for always leaving me the sweetest messages & take care as well! i wish you nothing but the best and i'm sending all my love and affection to you 🩷 mwamwamwa!

[villanevehaus]

2, 11, 17, 45, and 100 (From your own AUs, which are your favorite characterizations of Eve and Villanelle? e.g. Ox vs TME’s Oksana/Vil)

!!! tysm !!! fic writer asks

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

hmmm, idk! i tend to get along w my narrators. i originally wrote ox getting more upset about eve's realization in ch5 (youre a decade younger than me and a woman and i leave soon etc) but decided it was ooc? thats really the only thing that comes to mind tbh. ive moved events and scenes and whatever but thats moreso overall structure rather than character/narrator.

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

i have learned SO many neat things while researching oh my god. watched a documentary about the history of telephones in america! LOTS about vipers and venomous snakes, how housefires happen/get out of control, SOOO much medical shit, a lot about billie jean king! print history, art history, geographical & archaeological history. i don't 'worry' about research per se but i do tend to do a lot of it bc i always feel more confident with what im writing if its more grounded in reality. also this is what the worlds deadliest snake looks like.

17. what is your favourite line that you've written?

Her scar tissue aches with the memory of genesis, finally able to name a creator. is one that i love but isn't published yet and wont be for a hot sec. obligatory mention of the one-sentence chapter in eve undone that's Her orbit becomes misaligned, casting her soul in shadow as she's pulled from the sun. I also really like this very long sentence of There's nothing keeping your soft, smooth, tiny little body from a force that will willingly feed you to jagged rocks, stinging nettle, starvation, dehydration, ruination, evisceration, or all those hungry things made of teeth and teeth and teeth and teeth. bc i am ofc not immune to sea allegories.

45. name three of your favourite fanfic writers.

@sharkodactyl /pigflight on ao3 || @eveandpsyche / herbeloveve on ao3 || telanu on ao3 - ive only read this of their fics but it genuinely changed how i view relationships so!

100. From your own AUs, which are your favourite characterizations of Eve and Villanelle? e.g. Ox vs TME’s Oksana/Vil

god what a cruel question, how could you do this to me. i reeeeally have a soft spot for my sweet girl's eve & nelle ngl, but i think i just have a soft spot for my sweet girl in general oops. its difficult for me to choose bc stuff like thin walls and my sweet girl's characterizations are SO shallow just by virtue of the works they belong to being so short in comparison to the others? they almost dont fall in the same question. like my sweet girl is 48k and TME (which is nowhere near being done and also isn't even my longest work) is 134k, so obvs theyre not only different but differently fleshed out- 3 whole my sweet girls fit in TME, and TME aint even over.

i really adore TME eve tho shes such a cunt, and TME oksana/vil is about to get bananas. but also ox is also so so so sweet. IDK theyre all too different !! aa !

first reaction best reaction my sweet girl ♡

[marjaystuff]

Matthew Quirk Interview by Elise Cooper

The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk was published in 2021.  It has been made into a Netflix TV series, http://www.netflix.com/thenightagent, and was released on March 23rd. Both the show and book are riveting thrillers that delve into corruption at the highest levels of government.  

The plot has FBI Agent Peter Sutherland tapped to work in the White House Situation Room. When Peter was a boy, his father was suspected of being a traitor, a breach that cost him his career, his reputation, and eventually his life. Now Peter’s job is monitoring an emergency telephone line from US diplomats or assets in trouble. The phone never rings until one night a terrified young woman named Rose tells Peter that her aunt and uncle are being threatened and the perpetrator is after her. Peter believes her and decides to help, thrusting him and Rose into danger as they try to find out if there is a traitor in the White House.

People can watch the Netflix episodes first and then read the book or vice versa.  In both cases there is a riveting story that has some different aspects between the book and the series.  Below is an interview with the stars of the show, Gabriel Basso (Peter Sutherland), Luciane Buchanan (Rose Larkin), the creator/showrunner/executive producer, Shawn Ryan, and the author, Matthew Quirk.

Elise Cooper: After watching the Netflix episodes people could still go back and read the book because of the differences. Do you agree?

Matthew Quirk: People are not watching a rendition of the book. The show and the book are on their own terms. It is wild to see a scene I have written on screen, but there were also things that happened I did not write.  I really loved the series.  My wife and I were able to watch all ten episodes. I forgot it was my book.  We were completely hooked.  I am grateful to everyone involved in the production. The fun of it was seeing some of my scenes filmed and bringing in new stuff to give it a second life. It was fascinating to see how they did it and bring all the pieces together. Yet, both the book and the series have a man/woman on the run. They have the same spirit.

Shawn Ryan: I encourage people to read the book and watch the series.  Matthew was great telling me to change what I wanted to change. For instance, the Metro bombing in the book is almost like a memory, whereas in the show I elevated it to a crucial event. There is a lot in the spine of the book that provides the spine of the show, a lot we filled in, and some things we felt we changed for the better. The book and the show are very much related, but they are also different artistic endeavors.  I think you can enjoy both independently. 

EC:  What was your idea for the story?

Matthew: The world of the Night Agent does come from real life although I did take some liberties.  It is something that is put on diplomatic cables to indicate the importance.  Someone like Peter must wake-up an important official including the President.  A relatively junior person on the Situation Room desk, if it happens in the middle of the night, that person could be briefing the President, the first point of contact of a global disaster.

Shawn:  The story of a young man who wishes he knew more about his deceased father. I had an experience where my father died suddenly.  As I cleaned up his house, I found some stuff that had me wanting to ask him questions about his past, but I knew I would not have that chance.  I think I worked out my personal stuff through this story.  

Matthew:  I also wanted to have the accusations against Peter’s father as a cloud over him. His loyalty is being questioned for the sins of his father.  I had friends whose stories are not dissimilar.  The evil states try to entrap Americans and their tactics are very brutal. I tried to show how the Cold War was played out between the generations of Peter and his father.

EC:  How did you come by the story?

Shawn: I read thrillers and have a couple of friends who are authors, Gregg Hurwitz, and Robert Crais. In this case I had a meeting with Jamie Vanderbilt, the writer and producer whose company optioned the book. He asked if I would be interested. After reading this book I fell in love with the characters and saw an opportunity for the Secret Service arc I had been working on.  I did not feel there was enough in the book for ten episodes.

Matthew: I had a friend who worked for the FBI in DC and would disappear every night around ten pm. People would whisper what was his job.  This idea stuck with me even though I did not know what his actual job was.  After speaking with my agent and friends, we all thought this is a good premise for a book. I came up with the story including the phone that never rings. The whole story is based on my imagination of what my friend did. I wanted to write something like classic 70s thrillers, written by Robert Ludlum.

EC:  What about the Secret Service arc that was not in the book?

Shawn: I had been working on a Secret Service story independently but did not have enough for one show. I did not want to do a Secret Service story about protecting the President considering we see that a lot. I thought what jobs would not be prestigious in the protection part of that organization. I always have been fascinated in children of Presidents going off to college. How would that work?  I did speak to someone on Chelsea Clinton’s detail.  I essentially said this is how I imagine it and he thought I was close to reality. 

Matthew: This made it fun because now I am watching as a viewer, with all the surprises. Shawn and I did talk a little bit on where the story was going.  But overall, my attitude was ‘go for it’ since ‘I love your stuff and trust you.’ I also was invited to the set to watch some of the filming. I did chat with the actors and actresses briefly on the set.

EC:  What about this quote in the show, “The Secret Service’s job is to protect the institution.” 

Shawn:  Those in the Secret Service must be different political types.  Someone is willing to give up their life for Barack Obama, then Donald Trump, and then Joe Biden.  I have always been interested in the mentality of this.  They believe they are standing up for the institution of the Presidency and Democracy.  The above quote by the Secret Service character Eric Monks is what he believes, standing up for a set of values. 

EC:  What were your favorite scenes in the series versus the book?

Matthew:  The Secret Service arcs. The actors, D. B. Woodside who played Erik Monks, and Fola Evans-Akingbola, who played Chelsea Arrington, absolutely did a great job with their portrayals.  This was all Shawn Ryan’s part of the story. 

EC:  Is it a David versus Goliath story?

Matthew:  I think the espionage stuff mingled with the mundane. They are spies where on the weekends they would go to their children’s soccer games.  They have suburban lives. The international intrigue intruded on the normal, boring, suburban life. It was a David versus Goliath story with a lowly analyst up against many powerful state actors. 

Shawn: Ultimately what I really liked that emulates from Matthew’s book is that it is an underdog story. Peter is the least important person in a very important place, until that phone rings. This is like an Alfred Hitchcock movie where a very ordinary person is put in a very extraordinary circumstance. He is not a Jason Bourne or John Wick who would take on ten people in a room and come out victorious. I liked that Peter gets bruised and battered and yet keeps going.  This could be a lesson for us: we might be overwhelmed at times with circumstances bigger than we can imagine yet we plow forward to do the right thing. 

Gabriel who plays Peter: A better analogy is Hercules versus the Hydra.  One head is cut off and more heads grow.  It never feels like it’s a singular enemy and you do not know who it is, always being betrayed. This is what I likened it too.

EC:  How would you describe Peter?

Shawn:  This is a case where the collaboration between Matthew and me is very important. There is something noble about Peter, not wanting a lot of attention. He must be super careful because of the backstory involving his father. I absolutely think he is a bit naïve, which he must overcome throughout these ten episodes.  I took pieces from my own marriage without realizing it. I tend to be like Peter in my life, immediately trust people until proven otherwise.   Where my wife tends to be like Rose, justifiably skeptical.  

Matthew: A rule follower, calm, bright, ambitious, curious, meticulous, confident, and honest to a fault. What I wanted to do with Peter, is force him to face the most difficult challenges.  He was on the Metro train that was bombed, which lit a fire under him.  He felt there was a conspiracy that drew him into the high stakes plot. Readers will question if he changed in the book, or did he have things bottled up most of his life?

Gabriel: Relentless, not caring about his own personal risk.  He goes for it. He has become a rule follower because it was told to him by his dad that it matters.  When you uphold the system, you uphold the principles behind the system. It does not make sense to him how those who took an oath are lying and manipulative.  He feels betrayed by the whole process. 

EC:  How would you describe Rose?

Matthew: A survivor, sharp, tough, fearless, determined, and adaptable. She is a foil to Peter, because she is resourceful and does what it takes to get things done.

Shawn:  I was having trouble with her characterization. I contacted Matthew and asked him what he was thinking with Rose. He told me something that really unlocked her for me, ‘I always thought of Peter as a rule follower and Rose is a rule breaker.  The two of them must become a little more like each other to survive together.’ She had to live by her wits from a young age with no father and an absentee mother. 

Luciane who played Rose: Very driven and ambitious. She is at a very, very low point in her life.  I think she is like Peter; both are loners. 

EC:  Why did you choose the role?

Gabriel:  I talked to Shawn, and he told me Peter will be real, grounded, and his hits will be grimy, with Peter out of his depth. Peter will not have to be Superman. I liked that a lot.  I think it is more layered and nuanced than ‘I am the protagonist, get out of my way.’ It is more fun and serious.  I was able to invest in the story. I think what helped is that I have been hit in real life, so I know what it is like. The tattoos are real; the scars are real. I am real.  I did all the fighting and most of the other stuff.  Except where insurance thought it too risky so the stunt coordinator would do it.

EC: Will there be a season two with the same actors?

Shawn: We would love to make a season two.  I hope there are enough people to watch season one and like it.  It is important to me that each season tells its own story with a new location. Peter will probably be one of those characters.

Luciane: We do not make the decisions, but Gabriel and I hope there will be a season two.

Matthew:  Right now, I have no plans to write a sequel to The Night Agent.

Thank you!!

[sci-fiworlds]

A Sci Fi Worlds Interview with Lex Gigeroff: Lexx Co-Writer/Actor

Most of our readers have probably never heard of this very strange Canadian-German and later UK co-production, which is a shame, because Lexx has to be easily the most unique sci-fi series to hit our screens since the original (and best) Star Trek made its debut back in 1966. Not content to do yet another Gene Rodenberry rip-off series and bored by the endless (and often archaic) moralising of The Next Generation and Voyager, the Lexx writers (known as the Supreme Beans) created something totally different and very, very weird.

With its characteristically dark sets and black humour, and operating from the perspective "humans are a flawed species," Lexx was a revolutionary series. Its characters weren't on any spiritual quest to "better themselves" or "save the day," rather, they were motivated by the mundane things that motivate 99.9% of the human race: boredom, lust and hunger. Throw in "the Lexx," a Manhattan sized bioengineered insect craft and "the most powerful destructive force in the two universes" and you had something just as fun as the original Trek but just about as different as you can get too. I guess that's why Lexxicons lovingly still call it "Star Trek's evil twin."

Richard Thomas: First things first, thank you so much for giving the BoA readers the time to answer these questions. I'm a huge fan of Lexx and I'm sure that, after reading this, many of our readers will want to check it out too.

Lex Gigeroff: I had known Paul Donovan for a few years before Lexx, and he approached me about writing for the series after seeing a play I had written/performed in. Paul decided to go with a couple of virtually unknown writers (Jeff Hirschfeld & myself), because there was something in our approach that appealed to Paul's odd sense of humour.

Richard Thomas: In the DVD extras on the TV movie releases I heard you and the other writers say that Ridley Scott's Alien and John Carpenter's Dark Star were big influences. The longer story arcs and extensive CGI (not to mention the chief villain's name "His Shadow" ) might suggest Babylon 5 was at least a little influential too. Also Red Dwarf stars Craig Charles and Hattie Hayridge appeared in season four so I don't know if that series was a influence or not.

What were some of your other influences and are there any sci-fi shows you just hated and wanted to get away from? If so, why and what were you trying to do different with Lexx?

Lex Gigeroff: Dark Star and Alien were somewhat influential -- Dark Star for its anarchy, Alien for its production design. But I can categorically state that Babylon 5 had no influence whatsoever as we never watched it, and to this day I've never seen an episode. I liked Red Dwarf, but can't really say it was an influence. Monty Python had as much of a background influence as anything. We wanted to get away from the heavy, preachy, moralizing sci-fi of shows like Star Trek: TNG, which in my view took all the joie de vivre out of the original series. I've always been a big sci-fi fan - but I think my influences tend to come more from writers like Phillip K. Dick and the dystopian novels of J.G. Ballard, rather than the Heinlein-Clarke axis.

Richard Thomas: Lexx is often called Star Trek's evil twin. I can see why some fans might consider Lexx anti-Trek but personally I think in some ways Lexx is actually a lot closer to the 1960s series than any of Trek spin-offs are. I've heard Lexx creator Paul Donovan talk about being a fan of the original Star Trek so what are your thoughts on this? Were you trying to be a little like the original Star Trek or were you trying to be something completely different?

Also, are you a fan of the original series yourself and, if so, what are some of your favourite episodes?

Lex Gigeroff: There was a sense of fun in the original series, and I think we wanted to try and create three characters as distinctive as Kirk-Spock-McCoy with Kai-Stan-Xev (plus a robot head). I watched the show quite a bit when I was younger, and enjoyed some of its campier moments, i.e. The Squire of Gothos. I also liked the one with the weird head in the sky that turned out to be Clint Howard.

Richard Thomas: Back to Lexx. Given that the show and the ship were both named after you, did you have much input on developing the early mythology of the series, i.e. the Insect Wars, the two universes, cyclic time, proto blood, the Divine Order and, of course, love slaves?

Lex Gigeroff: I had a lot of input conceptually from the ground up, as the three of us really developed the concept and bible following Paul's general brushtrokes. A lot of the 'backstory' went in as a result of our collaboration with Showtime in the beginning, who seemed to want a lot of stuff about 'prophecies', etc. We were a little reluctant about going this route, as we feared it would lead down the rabbit hole of pretentiousness that we were trying to get away from.

I think looking back on it now the thing I'm proudest of is that Lexx wasn't really like anything else on television. Most shows are just rip-offs of other shows, but I think there was something different about what we were doing that made it hard to come up with a good comparison with others shows -- not that it isn't comparable in some aspects to other shows, it's just that we weren't following anyone else's model. So it was, I think, a little unique in that respect.

Richard Thomas: One of the things I love most about Lexx is that all four seasons look very different and distinct from each other, each introducing their own new chief villains: His Divine Shadow, Mantrid, Prince, Vlad, oh and Lyekka and her sisters. Where did the ideas for these head villains come from and do you have a personal favourite?

Lex Gigeroff: Who knows where ideas come from? I liked all our villains, but if I had to pick one I'd go with Mantrid, because there was something just otherworldly strange about Dieter Laser's performance.

Richard Thomas: Mantrid has to be my personal favourite too, the fact that there's so little left of him when we first meet him reminded me a little of my favourite Doctor Who villain, the crippled mad scientist and Dalek creator Davros.

Lex Gigeroff: I think we thought about bringing Dieter Laser back, but it wouldn't have been Mantrid exactly. As we liked to say, "death is never final", which was our excuse for bringing back actors we liked.

Richard Thomas: Lets take a step back a bit. I think out of the four two-hour TV movies the first one I Worship His Shadow is probably my favourite, I loved the holographic show trials and ridiculously severe penalties. What was your favourite of the TV movies and why?

Lex Gigeroff: Hmmm... I guess Eating Pattern for me, because it wasn't quite as burdened with having to deliver back story and setup. Plus I got to hang around as Rutger Hauer's sidekick. But I liked all four.

Richard Thomas: You actually made an appearance in I Worship His Shadow, playing the part of His Shadow's new host body. You appeared in a lot of other episodes too, the crazy surgeon in Tunnels and the sleazy porn director in Fluff Daddy were two of my favourites. What character did you enjoy playing the most in the series?

Lex Gigeroff: I was very happy to play the parts I did. I had the most fun with Dr. Rainbow in Tunnels, but I think my best performance, such as it was, came as the Bound Man in I Worship His Shadow.

Richard Thomas: Probably the most unique episode of Lexx has to be Brigadoom. I have to say I was really sceptical about the idea of a musical episode but it's become easily one of my favourites. Come to think of it there's an awful lot of singing in Lexx, the first episode even starts with the Brunnen-G battle song.

Where did the idea to have so much singing in the series come from and what did you think of it? Also, do you have a personal favourite Lexx song?

Lex Gigeroff: We knew from very early on that we wanted to do a musical, but we had to come up with a good angle on it, which in the end I think we did. I don't really have a favourite song. I sometimes sing Bog is the king of Pattern in the shower.

Richard Thomas: Season three's Battle and season four's The Game are another two of my favourites, I really enjoyed the competition between Kai and Prince in those episodes.

I could go on all day about the different episodes but other than the ones we've already discussed what do you think were some of the best episodes of Lexx?

Lex Gigeroff: I also really liked The Game, 769, Prime Ridge, Stan Down to name a couple. Twilight and Apocalexx Now have their moments as well.

Richard Thomas: A Midsummer's Nightmare is probably my least favourite episode, though, it's pretty funny. Are there any episodes you just dislike or wish you'd done differently in hindsight?

Lex Gigeroff: Sure. Lots of things could have been better if we'd had more time. But I don't have any regrets. Some episodes didn't work all that well, like the one you mentioned and, say, Patches in the Sky.

Richard Thomas: I think I'm right in saying Lexx ended the way you and the other writers always intended, the Lexx blowing up the Earth after four seasons, but not long after the final episode Yo Way Yo went out I remember hearing a rumour that a spin off series about Prince, Priest and Bunny was being planned. Was there any truth to this rumour at all or is this the first you've heard of it?

Lex Gigeroff: There was never any serious talk of a spin-off.

Richard Thomas: If Lexx ever did return for a fifth season or maybe even just a new TV movie, what do you think the story would be about? Would it still be set in the Dark Zone or would the Lexx crew find its way into the mysterious Other Zone? Would Kai be alive or dead? Would 790 fall in love with Stan? Would the bad carrots be back?

Lex Gigeroff: We could have gone back into the Insect Wars, I suppose. But on the whole we were satisfied with the way it ended. I'll leave it to Fan Fics to think up alternate story lines.

Richard Thomas: It's been nearly eight years now since the series ended, personally, I think Lexx has been a little underrated.

Lex Gigeroff: I don't think we had much influence, if any. I'll leave it up to others to suss out if we were ahead of our time or not.

Richard Thomas: Thanks again Lex, are you working on anything now and/or do you have any websites or anything else you'd like to plug?

Lex Gigeroff: My pleasure, Richard. It's always great to hear that folks enjoyed our strange little show. I've always got a couple of projects on the hop, and I'm trying to promote my new play, Conrad & Barbara - about Lord Conrad Black and his consort. I've also had a sports-comedy blog for some years which can be found at: www.theobgcommunique.blog.ca Cheers!

READ RICHARD THOMAS'S SCI-FI WORLDS COLUMN FOR BINNALL OF AMERICA

[chimericchaos]

Ok, so I'm probably wrong here and this is likely some form of bias messing up my observations, but I've noticed something happen for a while:

Contrary to what you and us may think, we as a system seem to be the ones who LEAST change our opinions regarding various world issues. Normally it'd be the person who constantly switches personalities that has inconsistant world views, right? But it appears that the "normal" people around us change a lot more often than anyone else.

And what exactly does that mean? Well, it seems that, while you may catch people in moments where they are "them", you may also find them in moments where they seem to follow the popular opinions, they may agree that the police are looking submissive and defundable on wednesday, but come saturday they're adamant that the police is vital to everyone's safety and well-being. You may have already seen or heard other examples, such as someone deciding that vaccines are bad because the little man on the youtube said so, or that someone would suddenly start speaking in memes and "post language" (the common language structure used in a social media post) during a conversation. We've personally experienced all of this around us, and some of us in system have fallen victim to the post language, but the question here is *why*

It seems that these cases point to a type of "default state" in which most, if not all, share a similar mindset. We wouldn't call this anything near a hive mind mentality, but it seems to follow who ever speaks the loudest, or whoever reaches the most people. So, with everyone connected to social media, and the USA being the loudest voice, it seems that the "default state" exists as a mirror to the common american citizen.

This seems to be the case because we have examples of people in our country, on the other side of the world from the US, that displays very US-citizen-like behaviours and opinions, sometimes even disagreeing with statement they made themselves earlier, when they seemed to be in the more "lucid state" or "genuine state".

We're not quite sure what's going on here, but there's probably some sort of psychology thing coming into play somewhere. On the surface, it suggests that people will think like the narrative they most consume, but there are plenty of examples where individuals consume types of media that have a reputation for being "addictive" but show no signs of having taken on that worldview. We can't say that someone's loud opinion on the internet can affect how your brain works, because then that would mean that a straight person who watches a gay tictok then absorbs that mindset and becomes gay, which is complete nonsense.

We will say that we notice a far less amount of this "default state" on Tumblr, compared to other social media platforms. It largely exists in the places you'd expect: Twitter, Facebook, Reddit. But not Tumblr. Here, the small percentage you do get is mostly within the comments section of posts, and not within reblogs.

This immediately sparks an idea: it seems that this exists in comments and social media platforms that revolve around comments. So, what if there was another social media, without a comment section. You can only like, dislike, and share. The only way to directly communicate with someone was through dms. If this social media were to exist, what would happen regarding content creators? Callout posts? Drama in general? How would the app function without any way for people to stick their opinions onto things? Would forming a large enough group chat easily replace the comments section? Or would it further the problem by creating echo chambers?

Lastly, would you use this commentless social media? How does it stack up to the social media you're currently using? This is likely something that can only be solved with lots of data, and many different viewpoints, so be sure to leave your own opinions in the comments (if you must), reblogs or dms.

Or, again, this could be just us vastly misunderstanding how things work, idk.

[getosboobies]

reasons i think matchablossom is or has been canon!

once again, i have become overly obsessive and have throughly analysed each and every kaoru & kojiro scene that we currently have. i indulged and created my own list of “ are they besties or are they banging or both “ but i have decided to share it all with you :))

( keep in mind, i’m a reacher and these are just my interpretations. i will go to any extent to prove myself correct - no matter how unlikely )

so first of all, we have the fact cherry is the only one we have yet to see at joe’s restaurant after hours. this immediately shows that they are extremely comfortable with each other and spend a lot of time together even when they’re not skating. it also potentially suggests cherry is waiting for joe to go home, maybe a habit they’ve developed over time. before these scenes, the producers always show an image of the restaurants front door which states closed. by showing this frame, it obviously gives the impression it’s important for us to know that it is closed and therefore showings us that joe and cherry’s relationship is more than just some rivalry banta and that they have an established friendship built on trust and time. the creators could have just not shown that it was closed and had us assume that’s they were just good friends who spent time together but they went a whole step further and showed us these two men’s personal lives are somewhat intertwined with one another, showing us that they don’t have large boundaries for each other which would be considered strange in contrast to the “ arguing “ we had previously seen between them. if this isn’t enough for you, in these scenes we also see joes uniform unbuttoned so i take this as even more evidence of how comfortable they are around each other. also ! restaurants tend to close quite late ( avg. 8pm-12pm ) and on all the shots of the closed door, it has been dark outside. why wouldn’t cherry be home at this time settling down or something??? or maybe cherry has a lot of love for joe if he’s willing to wait that long for him to finish work... just sayin’. more on this, i analysed the restaurants design and noticed that the plug in the wall is really low down to the ground. maybe this is just one of joes odd design techniques or maybe it was specifically placed for cherry to charge carla, the concept of which, makes me very happy

keeping on the point of joe’s restaurant, whenever we have seen cherry inside he always sits right in front of the kitchen, this is pretty normal unless you think about 1) how much time he spends there 2) how busy restaurants get 3) he came there while he was with a colleague. we’ve already seen that cherry doesn’t mind coming after hours so why did he come during the day if he knew joe would be busy? this is similar to the fact he came in with his colleague in episode 2 - he obviously wasn’t expecting to be able to talk with joe while he was out for a work meal, so why on earth would he sit right in front of where joe would be, which is situated in a considerably inconvenient table for work meal? what i’ve interpreted from this is that cherry’s must enjoy being in joes presence. cherry canonically having anxiety would explain why he likes being close to someone who he knows well, and that cares for him. being able to see and hear joe so close is perhaps very relaxing for cherry.

now when i watched sk8 for the first time, i gather the impression that joe was a forgive and forget kinda guy when it came to someone who did him wrong. when we’re introduced to adam it’s evident there is some hostility within joe but this does not nearly compare to the anger cherry showed. when suggesting a beef their intentions seem to be completely different. cherry outrightly admitting to his grudge and anger for adam whereas joe seems to just want to prove a point to adam by winning against him ( i mean look at the image above, their facial expressions show it all ). but i noticed that as cherry would speak about adam, joe’s intentions slowly shifted and became far more serious and full of anger. “ there’s someone i’d like to punch “ is a sentence said by joe in episode 8. this is quite different to what we had seen in earlier episodes of him just wanting to make a point. i think this shift was predominantly when joe found cherry at the ocean view. joe knew how cherry was feeling towards adam BEFORE this scene because he knew where to find him, but the realisation that cherry was standing there, alone, and reliving some of his saddest memories probably hit joe that cherry couldn’t do this alone. therefore stepped up his game and met cherry’s loathing so they could do it together. as far as things go, this is one of the most important things they have done for each other because it shows clearly how devoted they are to each other.

this is one of the most confusing lines in this show thus far. i’m sure it’ll make sense in the oncoming episodes but i have come to two conclusions. so either adam has created this false reality of what happened and has told himself his evil ways stemmed from joe and cherry or, the more likely in my opinion, adam always felt like he was in need of a partner, a rival but also someone to love. this is displayed in the show in his predatory ways, aka, he wants his own ‘eve’. now there’s no ruling whatsoever that a skater needs any sort of dedicated rival, or skate partner, so i believe adam probably got this want from his peers, for example, joe and cherry. adam seems to believe you need to love your ‘eve’ and it gives me the idea that maybe he saw joe and cherry -in love- and decided that was what he wanted, but then as we know he went about it in an extremely toxic way. the “was it so“ was really hard to interpret, he’s clearly quite smug by the way he shrugs and smiles and shows that he’s very confident about what he’s saying but the question is short and leaves a lot unknown, which suggests why cherry and joe don’t respond. either they are as confused as i am, or they have a slight idea what adam could be suggesting and they feel guilty. we all know cherry and joe aren’t bad hearted people but as adam is insinuating ‘no, you guys parted ways from me first’ it could suggest that joe and cherry had perhaps become closer in high school and had developed a stronger bond than they had with adam and this left adam feeling lost and alone. this is more of a canon compliant headcanon that would make sense rather than a fact but it’s certainly something to think about.

one of the most obvious factors in their relationship is how they always know what the other is thinking or planning. we’ve seen in recent episodes that when cherry was racing, joe knew exactly what his motive was even without discussing it, thats enough information to show how well they truly know each other and how connected they really are. it’s also shown with cherry. when joe is racing, and is going extremely fast towards the corner, we see a frame of miya and shadow being worried for him, but then it shifts to cherry watching and there’s not a spec of worry on his face because he KNOWS what joe is planning and knows he will be fine. they know each other’s techniques better than anyone and it shows they don’t doubt each other’s choices one bit.

we learn right from the beginning that cherry and joe like to argue and fight, at first we think this is because they dislike each other but we learn that they are best friends. so when watching back you notice that none of the insults are ever actually insulting. let’s think about it, the most common insults they use are gorilla, dimwit and four-eyes. now to me, none of these actually seem insulting whatsoever and even if they do like to argue a lot it’s obvious they never ever mean any harm to one another.

from analysing the scenes one of the things i’ve noticed the most is how cherry and joe turn up and leave together. when the cops came during the langa x adam skate they both started to run off together leaving everyone else behind. as we know, they spend a lot of their personal lives together but leaving and turning up together every single time we’ve see them there seems like they’re a bit more attached than i originally thought. there’s a chance they meet before hand but why always that late at night? why aren’t they ever at home alone? unless...they live together. i mean it’s a perfectly valid suspicion right now as we’ve never seen either of their homes and we’ve never seen either of them turn up anywhere alone but either way it confirms they spend an awful lot of time together in general life. going back to my original point of them not only turning up and leaving together but they also never leave each other’s sides. there’s a heap of frames that you can see them standing together watching a beef or even just them talking. they’re literally attached at the hip and nothing makes me happier.

the creators of the show have made countless points to show that joe and cherry have a lot of history. from the school references to the fact they have TRAVELLED THE WORLD TOGETHER. they could have just shown one or two so we know that as a general fact they’ve known each other a long time but they bring it up an awful lot for it to be just a general fact. this being shown so much let’s us know that this is important information and that they’ve obviously wanting to lay down a foundation to bring something crucial up. so far they have mentioned their social studies trip, a school excursion, joes love for haunted houses, holiday to La and the Paris bar they went to. now you might be thinking, oh they were in the same school they probably just went on a trip together nothing confirms they were close, well i am here to prove that statement false. joe said he found cherry’s wallet, this not only shows that joe was close to cherry when he lost it but also that he knew where to find it, showing how well he knew cherry. another point is that legal age to drink in Paris is 18 so unless they had fake ID it’s safe to say this is a trip they’ve done since becoming adults and leaving school. it’s also canon that have gone together, so the fact they’ve been travelling as adults together is quite interesting. same with the restaurant in LA, sounds kinda like a date.

over the course of the episodes we’ve seen so far there has been a few comments they have made to each other that suggest a little bit of jealousy. for cherry, these comments are made in episode 6 in the hot spring. cherry brings up joes love for haunted houses and then joe agrees and says it’s because “chicks get scared and grab onto me” * with a smirk *. now what’s interesting about this is cherry’s response. “you really are a scumbag” this insult feels a lot more insulting than usual and the response itself surprised me. at this moment cherry looks away from joe which is an action people tend to do when they’re hurt or pissed off. either works in this scenario but neither make much sense as we know cherry’s already aware of joes status with girls. so why was he mad? well this was obviously a fond memory of cherry’s and joe replying with a statement about girls probably made him a bit angry because that was supposed to be their memory. but joes smirk with the comment makes me rethink, did he state that on purpose to make cherry jealous? obviously we can’t be sure but the entire encounter left me a bit confused. now onto joes jealousy, in episode 2 dub joe says “dude, you’re talking to a machine?” now in context this seems like joe is partially bewildered by the fact cherry is casually talking to his AI skateboard but he also seems slightly jealous that cherry is talking to carla instead of talking to him. this is one of the only scenes where joes facial expressions actually seem insulted rather than just having a bit of fun. he follows this up with “figured you’d give your board a girls name seeing as you can’t get a real one!” why can’t he get a real one? we hear tonnes of girls screaming compliments at cherry when he turns up so he definitely could get a girlfriend if he wanted, and joe no doubt knows this too, so why would he use it as an insult? i’m not sure what to make of this but it’s got to be a factor somewhere.

more on the haunted mansion chit chat, the line about chicks grabbing onto joe is quite funny when you look at the entire scene, because as soon as they get jumped they grabbed onto each other in fear. seems a little ironic if i do say so myself.

they both seem very secluded about their personal lives. cherry more specifically does not like the use of his skate name in his personal life or vice versa. joe is the only one we have seen to be aware or use cherry’s real name. the way joe slips up and calls cherry ‘kaoru’ at “S” shows how close they are and how much time they spend together to be able to accidentally mix up the two parts of their lives. this is just an extra point on how conjoined their lives must really be. in the photo above we see how cherry easily calms joe down when he starts to get annoyed. joe is the only one who knows fully about cherry’s life as emotions and cherry is the same for joe.

now one of the most heart wrenching matcha blossom scenes is when joe finds cherry at the ocean view. i have a lot to say about this so let’s start at the beginning. first of all, joe noticed cherry was missing. it’s not like cherry was there for a massive amount of time, so joe noticing that cherry was gone for even as much as an hour or two really says a lot about the placement they have in each other’s lives. there was really no reason for joe to worry about where cherry was considering they’re grown adults but he continued to go out and find him anyways. this is also set in the late afternoon judging by the sky, whereas the previous scene had been set at night at “s”, so this is suggesting the ocean view scene is on a completely different normal day for them (another factor showing how much time they spend together). next, the fact joe knew exactly where to find cherry. this truly shows how much they know and how connected they are to each other but also how well they understand the others coping mechanisms. cherry was dwelling on memories from 7 years ago and yet joe still knew exactly what he was doing and what he was thinking about. plus cherry didn’t even seem surprised when joe turns up. but one thing i noticed is that in this scene is the way they (in this case, didn’t) hold eye contact. while cherry is faced away, joe is staring at him but as soon as cherry meets joes eyes, joe turns away. either joe didn’t want to be caught staring or joe realised something crucial in that moment. i’ll let your mind decide what that is.

obviously, miyas comment about joe and cherry being his parents is a light hearted joke just to ruin joes chances of flirting with girls but it also implies that the group can tell that joe and cherry are respectively closer than anyone originally thought and they perhaps have caught on that the tension between them is a little bit too gay to be just a bit of banta. obviously in this scene we then see joe looking at cherry’s legs while a blush clearly intensifies on his face. yeah no, this is self explanatory.

one of the things i like about joe and cherry’s relationship is the fact that within that joe also has a somewhat dynamic with carla. although carla is non-living, there has been several interactions between them. for example the beginning of episode 6 on the boat joe recognises carlas voice immediately. i mean straight off i think it’s suspicious as hell that they all happened to be going there at the same time but the fact joe realised cherry must be there because of the sound of an AI skateboard? that’s impressive. also, at the beginning of the series carla is aware of who joe is when calling joe an imbecile, this shows that cherry has obviously had this modified to specifically refer to joe as joe rather than just refer to him as a general person.

there was a popular tiktok i saw the other day (if anyone has the username of the person please tell me so i can credit them!!) and it showed the two images above. in these photos it shows joes skateboard and his odd looking wheels. the creator of this video further analysed that these reflect the general outlook of a cherry blossom flower. though the actual wheels in real life don’t look as similar to a flower as they do in the show. but now if this is what they’re meant to look like, this is a really sentimental fact and shows how highly joe thinks of cherry in his skating career. but what about his personal life? well that’s where my analysing comes in. i noticed in the dessert joe makes in episode 5 he had a range of fruits displayed on the top as well as a single flower. this flower looks identical to a cherry blossom. once again the reflection of cherry within joes life makes an appearance. we’ve seen that flowers actually mean something in this show (toxic example but adam’s red roses for langa) so it would make sense for this to actually mean something about their relationship. i studied a range of Japanese desserts and, although every chef works differently, most of the dishes tend to only have a display of fruits and no flowers. so i have come to the conclusion that this dish certainly had some symbolism to cherry in joes life, some way or another.

so overall, their dynamic already shows that they have a very thin and mistakable line between very close best friends and potential lovers. although some of this was based off personal interpretation the majority is cinematic displays and general facts. so take this and use it however you like. let me know your opinions and other factors you have! for all i know i could be completely disproven with the next few episodes but surely if this many people see a bit more than just a friendship there’s got to be a reason for it.

if we can have one lgbt+ character... why not two more?

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Wishmaker

Goddamn it... 

It's bad enough Astruc tastelessly axed Lukanette, but now he just had to show up to give a sarcastic eulogy at the funeral.

Let's get into the fourteenth (chronologically the eighteenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Wishmaker

Right out of the gate, we get a “Chloe bad” joke with her insulting Marinette for being poor or whatever as she hands out flyers for an upcoming career fair. Chloe doesn't have much of a role in the episode, but she will be important towards the end, trust me. We also get a funny “Marinette stares lovingly at Adrien” joke while she sees him, so it's good the writers are at least trying to get their strange habits out of their systems now instead of later.

While reading over the flyer in his room, Adrien ponders a possible career as he doesn't want to keep being a model.

(The episode came out in English first, so I'm just going to be using quotes instead of screenshots of subbed scenes for this review)

Plagg: Don't you wanna continue to model?

Adrien: I don't think so, Plagg. I'm doing it now because my father asked me to. But now I realize I don't know what I'd want to do. I've never asked myself that question.

This is a really interesting dilemma for Adrien. Unlike other episodes that just have him feel sad for entirely superfluous reasons like Ladybug turning him down or generally moping about his mom, it feels like something you can really understand. He genuinely isn't sure what he wants to do with his life because he's had everything chosen for him before. I also like the use of the English dub saying Adrien modeled because his father asked him to, as if he couldn't actually say no. I also like how Adrien is still starting to lose faith in Ladybug for giving out Miraculous to everyone, which makes even more sense after his view of her was shaken in the previous episode chronologically, “Rocketear”. I also like how Plagg suggests ideas for a career for Adrien, like the two of them opening up a cheese shop together, which shows how Plagg cares for Adrien and wants what's best for him, ultimately highlighting how healthy their relationship is. He's almost like a big brother who gives advice to Adrien, even if it isn't the most sound advice at times.

On the other hand, Marinette already knows what she wants to do with her life, but the Kwamis start to argue over what she actually means by it by saying they know what she wants to do, a painfully accurate metaphor for the writers dictating Marinette's actions no matter how inconsistent they are.

Pollen: What's a career, dear Guardian?

Marinette: Oh. Well, it's... your job! Something really important that you do and gives meaning to your life!

Roaar: Oh! So, your job is being the Guardian of the Miraculous!

Mullo: Of course not! It's being a student!

Xuppu: Not at all! It's making presents for Adrien!

Marinette:Well...

Longg: She said “something important”, like when she crafted the big doll house to hide the Miracle Box!

Wayzz: Or when she designed the alarm for this room! What a masterpiece!

Marinette: Sure, I love crafting but—

Ziggy: You guys don't get it! What gives meaning to her life is to be in love with Adrien, or Luka, that's her job!

Fluff: Luka's the one with the guitar, right?

Kaalki: Her real career is being Ladybug and carve her name in history by her glorious deeds, of course!

Of course, their bickering somehow makes Marinette realize she isn't sure what she wants to do in the future after all.

We then cut to a reality show hosted by TV personality, Alec Cataldi. He's generally an asshole to the people on the shows he hosts and takes pleasure in humiliating or just being a dick to them, making you wonder how he still gets work with that attitude. Basically, he's the Alec Baldwin of the Miraculous Ladybug universe. The current show he's hosting is one where he roasts people for their jobs, making Andre a target by pointing how counterproductive his “business” is.

Alec: Here's a perfect example: Andre, the Ice Cream Maker, the ice cream man that is never around! Let me remind you how this goes: Andre doesn't have a shop, no one knows where he is, it takes forever to find him, and he gets to pick a flavor of your ice cream! You've gotta be kidding, Andre! Give me one reason why I should bother to chase after you when I could get my choice of ice cream in any corner supermarket!

Andre: Well, people don't just come for ice cream when they find me. They come to share their love and experience of magical moments! A supermarket cannot do what I do! I am a creator of magical moments!

Alec: “Creator of magical moments?” You've gotta be kidding!

I'm pretty sure that's what a lot of people thought of Andre when they first saw “Glaciator”. The idea behind Andre is that he chooses ice cream for you representing something about yourself, so he gives Alec a scoop of lime to represent his sour exterior and chocolate cinnamon to represent the dreams he still has within. Alec flinches a little at the ice cream, presumably because of how terrible of a combination that is, and decides to go to commercial to think.

Marinette talks to Andre about what he does, and he explains he used to be an office worker, with the only highlight of his days being making ice cream for himself after work. It eventually inspired him to quit his job and start making ice cream for everyone. It's a nice backstory, and I think a lot of people watching who are struggling to think about their future can relate to this like with the earlier scene with Adrien. It's also a nice touch for the flashbacks to reveal Andre has served ice cream to some of France's most famous couples.

(Jean Coutau and Jean Marais)

(Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin)

(Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet)

Granted, I'm wondering how old Andre is to have even met some of these people given Jean Cocteau died in 1963, but seeing how Master Fu is 186, I'm guessing the Miraculous Ladybug universe just has really good healthcare. Either that, or the people in this universe take Jay Kordich's diet very seriously.

Andre gives some ice cream to Marinette, who is soon joined by her ex-boyfriend who she never loved according to the writers. Actually, judging from her face when Luka talks about the very first guitar he made, the writers made another 180 regarding Marinette's feelings for Luka.

Of course, because the show wants to remind the audience Alec still exists, he makes fun of Luka for taking two years to perfect the delicate craftsmanship it takes to sculpt any instrument when you can just download an app on your phone. Your inner boomer is showing, writers, even if you were born after the time period for that generation. Luka retorts with some vague philosophical line he's known for that's one of the reasons why people are so mixed on him as a character

Luka: Musical instruments fill the space and space fills the instruments. No phone in the world will ever be able to do that.

Despite it being incredibly confusing, it gets to Alec, causing him to run off in tears. Luka and Marinette continue to talk, but it turns out that's Adrien decided to sit down nearby because of course he did. Though, like the last scene, it's a pretty interesting one as the three discuss what they want to do with their lives. There's also a really nice visual of a blimp with an ad Adrien was in passing by while Adrien talks about his father dictating his life, a really nice symbol. Of course, the scene is somewhat ruined by Luka suddenly deciding to be an Adrienette shipper.

Luka: You two will eventually find what's already in front of you, but you can't hear it clearly. Just let the melody flow.

He's referring to their uncertainty of their futures, but earlier on, Luka wanted to help Marinette be honest with her feelings about Adrien, and even before that, Andre was saying that Marinette and Luka didn't have to be in love to enjoy his magic ice cream. It's here when I realized this episode is subtly trying to end any chances of Lukanette still happening with so many little details. Right when the two spend time together, that's when they decided to help Adrien who showed up for no reason, preventing them from potentially coming to terms with their feelings for each other or at the very least discuss how hard it is to be friends with their history. And things only get more frustrating towards the end, where you'd swear someone decided to smother Lukanette with a pillow in its sleep.

Back to Alec, he's roasting a wig salesman (does he even have permission to film any of these people?) for his job, but as soon as the salesman puts a wig on him, Alec immediately gives us his life story.

Alec: When I was a kid, I used to have long hair, but everyone made fun of me. That's why I shaved it all off. I've been making the wrong choices my whole life. My TV shows are nothing personal. I make fun of people when they make fun of me when I was a kid. (Starts to tear up) I should've been the person I always wanted to be, trying to change the world instead of mocking it! (Falls on his knees) I've wasted my life!

I didn't paraphrase this at all. This is seriously what happened. He goes from mocking everyone he meets, to slightly doubting himself after seeing an ice cream vendor and a young musician, and then he starts having an existential crisis about his tragic backstory. It's not a bad idea, but if there was some more buildup in previous episodes, I'd understand. But this goes from confusing to straight out insulting towards the end. I'll get to that later on.

Shadowmoth notices Alec's emotions and akumatizes him into Wishmaker through his microphone.

Wishmaker has a pretty cool design. The grey skin color coupled with the mostly black outfit really highlights Alec's broken heart, and he looks pretty sinister. His powers... leave a lot to be desired.  Like the name states, Wishmaker has the power to make everyone's childhood dreams come true, like this one guy's dream is to be Santa Claus, so he transforms into Saint Nick without any hitch. Wouldn't it make more sense if Wishmaker twisted the dreams of his victims like a genie and made them miserable while they ironically lived out their fantasies by twisting around their words? Instead, all of his “victims” seem pretty happy, which doesn't really do much to make him a threat in my opinion.

So the aforementioned Santa starts dropping presents like bombs near Marinette, Adrien, and Luka, and they're separated by a giant robot. Marinette quickly transforms into Ladybug, and gets Luka to safety, though as soon as she leaves, Luka goes to check on where he told Marinette to stay for safety, and doesn't see her there. Instead, he sees his deadbeat father (transformed into a crocodile) drowning and goes to save him.

Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir (who transformed off-screen) and the two easily incapacitate the robot before engaging Wishmaker, avoiding his blasts. Apparently, they'll get their secret identities revealed if they get hit, so Ladybug goes to get Luka to help out as Viperion while Cat Noir holds off Wishmaker. Ladybug goes to get Luka, leading to the funniest joke in the episode.

She gives Luka the Snake Miraculous and he transforms into Viperion, immediately activating his Second Chance. For newcomers, Second Chance allows the user to set a point in time when activating it and if something goes wrong, they can go back to that checkpoint in up to five minutes. Ladybug also summons her Lucky Charm, a stuffed dinosaur toy.

Back with Cat Noir, as he engages Wishmaker, the Akuma starts to tempt him with the idea of living out his childhood dream, because he genuinely doesn't remember his. As Shadowmoth orders Wishmaker to use his powers on Cat Noir, Ladybug and Viperion show up, but in the chaos of the fight, Ladybug gets hit by Wishmaker, revealing her childhood dream as the “Knitting Fairy”, and exposes her identity to Viperion, who uses Second Chance to undo the timeline.

In the new timeline, Cat Noir's vulnerability gets to him, so he willingly lets himself get his by Wishmaker, not only exposing his identity as Adrien, but tragically reveals his childhood dream, to be whatever his parents wanted him to be. I feel like this works a lot better than some of the other moments where Cat Noir defied orders or screwed around on the battlefield because it's clearly framed as a moment of weakness on his part, and it was naturally built up over the course of the episode. The reveal of Adrien's childhood dream is a real gut punch too, as it shows just how much Adrien's life has been controlled by his family.

In the third timeline, Viperon deflects Wishmaker's blast meant for Cat Noir and redirects it toward a man whose childhood dream was to become a giant stuffed dinosaur. The stuffed dinosaur in question goes to give Wishmaker a hug, restraining him long enough for Ladybug to steal for Cat Noir to cataclysm (It's a microphone, how hard is it to break???) before she de-evilizes the Akuma. Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to force everyone to stop living out their childhood dreams, she gives Alec a Magical Charm, and Luka decides not to tell Ladybug he knows both her and Cat Noir's secret identities. Why did Ladybug expect Luka not to know her identity when the whole reason she recruited him was to make sure nobody else found out her identity?

Now, while it isn't outright said, it's hinted at that now that Luka knows Marinette is Ladybug and Adrien is Cat Noir, judging from his dejected look after finding out the latter, he may be giving up on all attempts at the idea of getting back together with Marinette, and may or may not start shipping the Love Square now, just like how Kagami decided to ship Adrienette in “Mr. Pigeon 72”. I'm not saying the idea of Luka knowing someone's identity is bad, but it feels like this only happened specifically to stop him from having feelings for Marinette because now he knows Adrien loves her alter ego, and vice versa. Maybe it'll be touched upon in a later episode, but this was just a dick move by the writers in terms of ending all chances of Lukanette like this in order to ensure the Love Square has absolutely no competition.

So the episode ends with Marinette and Adrien deciding to focus on their futures while Alec starts a new show where he helps people live out their childhood dreams, albeit dressed like Style Queen for some reason.

Eh, he still picked a pretty cool Akuma to dress up as in my opinion. A lot of people have viewed this ending as evidence Alec is a drag queen with how he dressed up, coupled with the fact that he said something that was very similar to famous drag queen RuPaul.

Alec: And now, we're gonna love one another, starting with everyone loving themselves! Because how are you gonna love other people if you don't love yourself?

Though Astruc, being Astruc, once again decided to be vague when asked about the subject on Twitter, though at least the subtext is better than when he said he didn't make Juleka and Rose girlfriends because of censors while making it seem like a noble act.

Overall, this was a really good episode, though there were some underlying issues that really kept me from actually liking it. For the most part, it had some good drama with the main character, a rare scene where Marinette didn't stammer around Adrien, a creative (albeit flawed) Akuma with some good action, and an interesting idea with Luka knowing everything about the Love Square now.

There are just two big problems that really got to me about this episode. Let's get the obvious one out of the way, Luka. Honestly, he really didn't need to be in the episode. Sure, he gave some sound advice to Marinette and Adrien about their careers, but it felt kind of strange to see someone their age talking to them about their future when Andre, someone who actually had experience struggling to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, was pushed to the side. And like I said earlier, I think the only reason Luka found out about Marinette and Adrien's identities was to discourage him from thinking about getting back together with Marinette. After all, now that he realizes how “made for each other” they are, he can't stand in the way of the Love Square.

The problem is that in the context of the episode, we don't really see what made him see things that way. At least in “Mr. Pigeon 72”, Kagami consistently viewed Marinette's attempts to get her and Adrien back together as a subconscious desire to be with Adrien. It was dumb with how she decided to go to Team Adrienette at the end of the episode, but it was something. I'm glad the episode didn't force in too many Love Square shenanigans, but I think more should have been done to contextualize Luka's feelings towards the reveal. I get the writers wanted to make sure Lukanette had no chance of coming back, but this just feels rushed.

And then there's Alec's redemption arc. While it's not a bad idea in concept, the problem is that it flies in the fact of a recurring theme this season, that being redemption. Because, here's the funny thing: Alec blatantly said he became an asshole TV personality because of his history of bullying, and decided to retaliate as a result, but he eventually saw the error of his ways and turned over a new leaf. For long time readers of this blog, I apologize for bringing this up yet again, but what exactly makes this different from everything Astruc said about Chloe? You know, when he said that you make your formative choices when you're fourteen? Just like how Alec decided to become a reality TV host making fun of people after a troubling experience from when he was a kid?

Let's say that I agree with Astruc's views about Chloe. How is Alec different from what Astruc's said about Chloe for almost two years at this point? What makes Chloe, someone who was the victim of a troubled childhood who never got help, an irredeemable monster while Alec, someone who also had a troubled childhood and had even more time to get help while never getting any, capable of change? I thought he Alec made a formative choice when he was young and stuck with it, just like how Chloe started to fully develop at the age of fourteen. I mean, Astruc, you yourself said that Chloe's troubled childhood “was no excuse to treat people like shit”, according to you.

I'm just saying, dude, if Chloe can't be redeemed because of the stuff you yourself said, then that shouldn't apply to Alec either. When you really think about it, it's almost like Astruc either made up a bunch of excuses to not redeem Chloe, or he's a massive hypocrite for going back on his word. You can't really justify this kind of hypocrisy relating to Alec's redemption when you remember just how much of a hardass Astruc was when explaining why redemption was impossible for Chloe.

This coupled with the treatment of Luka really drags this episode from really good to blatantly insulting to certain viewers. Then again, these two choices just got to me personally. I feel like if those two things weren't there, things could have made this episode a lot better for me personally. I can see why a lot of people in the fandom still like this episode, but I'm honestly not a fan of it.