#how was this episode even better than the last

[pharawee]

"I'm really happy, too."

—CAGED AGAIN · Episode 07

[insecuregodcomplex]

we see #letbuckfuck, he’s getting back out there, there’s always someone he’s talking to or going out with. it’s not quite Buck 1.0; he’s learned a bit since then about his needs and how to approach his relationships. here and there, a few people stay longer than the others. eventually, Buck is happier, lighter, and busier than usual. he’s cagey when asked about the new person in his life — someone even makes a joke about whether he’s back in therapy, as this is how he acted the last time — but that’s fine, he’ll share about his relationship (and his new therapist) when he’s ready. after an episode or two of dancing around this new relationship, we see Buck waking up, body curled against another. he blinks awake, and a small smile makes his way onto his face. he sighs contentedly.

“Good morning,” we hear from whoever else is in the bed.

Buck’s smile widens, and he offers his own good morning. “How’d you sleep?”

“I always sleep better next to you,” a flirty tone coats the voice that is now recognizable, and we see that Tommy is the one waking up in Buck’s arms.

[themattress]

The Dragon Prince's Biggest Flaw

Now that I've finished Season 7 (the end of the Mystery of Aaravos arc and quite possibly the series if they don't get a three season renewal), I once again must reaffirm the biggest albatross around The Dragon Prince's neck. It's not the lore and worldbuilding so reliant on side material, or the never-ending Avatar: The Last Airbender references, or the inconsistent animation quality, or the tonal whiplashes, or the sketchy pacing that results from all seasons being only 9 episodes long. It's the fact that while most of the heroes are likable enough, their conflicts aren't as interesting or satisfying as the villains' at best, and their goals and beliefs are downright not preferable to the villains' at worst. And this season highlighted that again!

Callum doesn't end up going dark or dying despite all the build-up, Rayla gets closure with her biological parents and then gets to have her adoptive parents back and status back and doesn't end up needing to kill Callum, Ezran is pulled back from his tyrannical path by Aanya and forgives those he was angry at, Runaan is among those forgiven and gets to find out he didn't kill King Harrow after all, Soren doesn't have to find out troubling truths of his past or confront the mother who abandoned him or have to kill his sister, Terry keeps his innocence and doesn't have to be burdened by Claudia dying, Lujanne doesn't die, and Janai doesn't end up needing to make the hard choice of executing her brother. The only sacrifice made by a hero is by Zubela, who at least gets to be with her husband in death and tell her son she loves him before dying, with said son appearing to be just fine afterward. Ezran practically boasts about how nobody had to sacrifice anything in the end despite having prepared to!

Meanwhile, Claudia loses her innocence, her brother, much of her mental health, her leg, her biological father, her boyfriend, her adoptive father, and if I'm reading it right even her humanity. Viren gave up everything to atone for his sins and died a painful and lonely death as he reiterated that he's "a servant", as if his problem was that he didn't "know his place" and dared to want more rather than his actual heinous actions in the pursuit of what he thought was justified. Aaravos lost his biological daughter, spent countless years crying over it, spent countless more years imprisoned, and now he has been temporarily killed and separated from his adoptive daughter in the process. (Oh, and Karim was squished to death, but fuck that guy). The villains actually lose things, they actually have to make sacrifices to achieve what they want! This makes them more compelling than the heroes, even if their aims aren't always on the morally up and up...but this season screws up that caveat as well!

Not only is Aaravos' plan at worst something that will create hardships that are perfectly endurable, but at best it's something morally justified because it strips power from a cosmic order that we have been shown is corrupt, composed of self-righteous bigots who will execute a child for daring to share magic with a race they deem inferior and unworthy of it. While the heroes want to create a better world, their solution doesn't address the root causes for the problems in any meaningful way. It's supposed to be framed as them acknowledging the hurt but moving on from in rather than let it bind them to the past, but that only works with the Karim plotline. Aaravos not moving beyond his hurt isn't binding him to the past, it's making him fight for a future where such cosmic atrocities can't be inflicted again...and more to the point, it's making him fight for a reality where his child's unjust execution isn't rendered meaningless. He refuses to accept "bad shit happens and we all just have to move on" when the ones making the bad shit happen move on without paying a damn consequence for their actions. And he isn't even a hypocrite about it: he knows he's also doing bad shit, and that's why he plans to die at the end! He can be with his daughter and his victims can have justice.

Meanwhile, this season is full of heroes also doing bad shit that they justify as for the best, with the difference being they have no self-awareness about it and, as said before, pay no sacrifices for it. From Callum trying to use dark magic and commit the very kind of vile act Viren was demonized for, to Rayla betraying her allies by breaking a rightfully convicted criminal out of prison, to Ezran going full Oppenheimer with the creation of a dangerous new weapon....and, perhaps worst of all, Soren, Terry and co. magically disguising Lujanne as Claudia's long-lost mother in an attempt to trick her into standing down from helping Aaravos. Yes, to get her away from Aaravos they resorted to something far more underhanded and manipulative than anything Aaravos ever tried with her. Why should I root for these guys!?

Honestly, I think if there is one scene that perfectly encapsulates the problem, it's Terry's big Heel Face Turn moment. Aaravos tells Terry the whole dark truth with the explicit purpose of helping him grow and helping him and Claudia be a better couple by putting them on equal ground with one another. And the words he says to Terry in this scene are absolutely correct:

"The true heart is a gift of childhood. For a few wonder-filled years, we each have innocent eyes to experience the world's beauty, in a simple way. Terrestrius, you were lucky. You held that innocent want for longer than most. I have seen generations of humans and elves accept the darkness that lurks in all of us beside the light. There is no black and white, only shades of gray. We must all carry complexity. But please, believe me: that there is beauty in this burden. Your heart will be a little heavier, but now there will be no more half-truths, Terrestrius. We will do what must be done."

All of this is right! Note that Aaravos isn't saying you have to discard your inner child or the good qualities it grants you completely. He is simply saying the truth that you cannot stay in a childlike state of being forever, you must also be willing to acknowledge and accept the darker parts of the world, of human nature, of yourself. If not, you can't do what you must.

But rather than do that and work through things with Claudia, Terry totally backtracks on his pledge last season that he'll never leave her and will always stand with her, all because he is scared of having to grow up and lose his innocence, to take the black with the white and see things in shades of gray, to work toward something bigger than himself that requires him to step outside his comfort zone. And it all feels so phony and unjustified, for three reasons:

- 1. First of all, he killed a man. Does anybody else remember that? He killed Ibis from behind in his third appearance in order to protect Claudia. After that he helped take and hold Soren as a hostage, steal a map from a dragon's tooth, and actively assist in releasing Aaravos despite even his own apprehensions about it. Claudia killing Sir Sparklepuff didn't seem to phase him all that much either. So the notion that he still has his innocence in tact and hasn't lost it already feels like narrative gaslighting. The breaking point being Claudia lying to him and using him (even though just talking to her deeply about it would reveal that Aaravos told her to, since again his plan was to break his innocence once it served its purpose so that he and Claudia could be equals in a better relationship) makes him feel selfish, especially given that he knows about Claudia's abandonment issues and how it will feel if another loved one walks out on her, this time after having sworn not to do so and even staying with her after she left him specifically to avoid this scenario! I'm having trouble feeling sympathy for him here.

- 2. Secondly, even if we accept his decision to leave, why couldn't he just stay on his own and take care of the birds? I mean, he could have stayed with Aaravos and Claudia and just taken the birds with him, but if he really felt he needed to split, why join their enemies? Why go out of his way to side with the people working against Claudia just as Soren had done, once again making her feel betrayed in the process? The justification that he's doing it with the assurance that Claudia won't be harmed doesn't hold water, since one of his new buddies almost kills her later and then shortly after that Soren starts talking about how she's too far gone and may need to die. Did I mention that both of those happen after they try to deceive Claudia with a fake version of her long-lost mother? Which leads to the third and final point...

- 3. Yeah, instead of just going and finding his and Claudia's mother even if it made him uncomfortable, Soren, along with Terry, Corvus, Lujanne and Allen, decided to use a magic spell to disguise Lujanne as her and have her play out an emotional reunion with a vulnerable Claudia in order to manipulate her into leaving Aaravos. When leaving her, Terry said to Claudia "You didn't trust me to make my own choice! You used me! It's not how you treat someone you love...it's not how you treat any person! And if I let you treat me that way, I'm not sure I can really be me anymore!" Yet here he is, not trusting Claudia to make her own choice and using her despite loving her. Is THAT you, Terry? Or have you changed into someone you don't even like, which was your reasoning for not staying with Claudia? Either way, you've blown up your entire rationale. You're just as morally gray as Aaravos and Claudia, except unlike them you lack the maturity to own it, preferring to stay a man-child.

And that's the show's fatal flaw in a nutshell. It wants to be morally complex, except it also doesn't want the heroes to actually embrace their own moral complexity and suffer the consequences that comes with it, which ends up turning them into pious hypocrites who can't acknowledge their hypocrisy or that the villains might have a point with what they're seeking to achieve, who breeze through the show unscathed while the villains actually have to suffer for fighting for what they believe in. It wants to be Avatar: The Last Airbender, but instead it's as if Monk Gyatso was revealed to still be alive and reunited with Aang, if Katara got closure with her mother's spirit, if Yue attempted to sacrifice herself but then the problem is solved differently so she gets to live happily ever after with Sokka, or if Zuko got his scar healed....by Azula no less, who then still goes on to suffer a mental breakdown anyway. Actually, let me rephrase it: she suffers a mental breakdown after she gets scarred herself!

If a third arc happens, I'll watch it if I hear good things about it. But until then....

[imagionationstation]

12 Donnie 🎲

🎲 -> The most unlucky day

Leo's surprised when Donnie joins him.

He looks dead on his feet when he trudges into the kitchen. That's not surprising. It's almost four in the evening. He's up earlier than he normally is. He slumps onto a chair, laying his head in his arms and looking off at the wall, and Leo tries to recall when he last slept.

His sleep schedule had actually been doing better over the past few weeks. Leo watched him go to bed the day before. He'd been smiling as he did, helping Raph tease Mikey about the horror film that they'd watched. The eye bags were not this massive.

He contemplates saying something, but he's too tired to interrogate him over whether or not he actually slept. He'll save it for when Donnie makes it a weekly endeavor.

But, he might as well- 

"There was no nightmare." Donnie announces, sudden enough that Leo almost spills the tea. Dull gaze lingers on the neon sign. "Yes, my eye bags are heavy. Yes, I should head back to bed. No, I'm not going to. And no, I don't want to talk about it."

The building conversation sputters out.

Leo pours his drink. Donnie doesn't move.

Since his brother is clearly feeling moody, Leo decides to excuse himself to focus on more pressing matters. Namely-

"Can I join you?"

Leo looks at his younger brother. He doesn't look back.

Donnie admits, "I know you're going to watch Space Heroes and I know you got up this early so you didn't have to deal with us, but can you please make an exception?"

"Um." Leo's tempted to deny him, but he sounds so... Defeated. Wait. How did he know that? Leo never told them. He was always meditating by the time that they came out. He was careful. 

Double wait. Is he misinterpreting Leo's mornings of peace as avoidance? Sure, maybe they were a little avoidy, but not like that.

"Sure." He agree awkwardly. "But-"

"No negative commentary. No fun facts. No interruptions of any kind." Donnie hauls himself to his feet. His looks at Leo and the leader notices his reddened eyes before he turns away. "I know."

Leo's concern mounts. He follows him out of the kitchen. The tea is left forgotten on the counter.

He expects him to find a place on the couch to collapse, so he goes to claim his own area. He does not expect him to go to his room, come back with a blanket, and drop himself against Leo's shoulder in a suspiciously cuddly fashion.

His knees are tucked close to his body, arms closed in a self-hug. Up close, his younger brother looks pale. For more pale than he'd been the night before, worn down by an unexplained enemy. It makes the bags under his eyes bigger than he originally thought.

Leo watches at him. Donnie looks numbly at the tv.

Captain Ryan heroically proclaims the adventure of the episode as Leo sets the back of his hand on his younger brother's forehead. It's not warm. Donnie leans into the touch. Leo slowly removes it, and Donnie follows it momentarily.

He blinks, the haze gone, and pulls back.

Okay, that's it.

"Donnie," He says, cool. "What's going on?"

"I should have chosen Raph." His younger brother tells the tv. "At least he'd have given me a few hours."

"Too bad." Leo tries to meet his eyes, "You're stuck with me and if you don't tell me what's going on-"

"It's a time loop."

Leo pauses, "Excuse me?"

"I stopped counting a while ago." Donnie's tone is even, recited. "It resets every night at midnight. Renet won't tell me how. She can't tell me why. I lost track of days. I used to tell you guys. You never believe me. None of you eher bulieve me."

His voice stutters, wet with quiet sob. He inhales, shakily, repressing the weakness. “Y-You keep going out. You keep dying. I’d tell you not to go and you’ll go anyway. Someone has to die out there. Someone always has to die.” 

Alarm has Leo swallowing, heart pounding as his hand instinctively comes up to brace his brother. Donnie won’t look at him. “I thought it would be easier if it’s me. I thought maybe once it was me it would end. It didn’t end. I woke up!” 

His voice shatters. Leo furrows his brows, feeling less than half awake. The tv is too fuzzy to watch so he looks back at his brother, “I don’t understand.”

“You can’t.” Donnie admits. “No matter how many times I tell you… You can’t.”

Leo stares at him. Donnie pleads, “I can’t watch you die again.” 

Something deep in his being softens, recollecting old moments where a much smaller Donnie would invade his bed when his brain got a bit to much for him to handle on his own. He watches his eyes as they’re cloaked with tears and brushes his thumb against his arm. “It was just a nightmare.”

“It’s not.” His voice drops into a whisper. “It’s not. It’s not.” 

“I can prove it.” Leo prompts gently. He’s seen how bad his brother’s stress dreams can get. Not to mention the repetitive ones. Leo personally knows that those are always the worst.  “We’ll go out tonight. A quick patrol.”

“I want it to end. I want it all to end.”

“They won’t last forever.” He presses as images flit by on the screen. He’s missing the episode. “You’ll get through it.”

“I thought it would end if I was the one to die.” Donnie's voice goes flat, contemplative. “Maybe I also need to be the one doing the killing.”

“Hey,” Leo cuts in, startled. “Hey, hey, don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine. You’ll get through this. That’s never the answer.” 

“I’m so tired of being mad at you.” Donnie presses further against Leo’s shoulder. He blinks, hazily, trying to remember why Donnie might be mad. What did he do this time? “I can’t keep hating you and then watching you die.”

Oh. Nightmare Leo. Right. 

“Gee.” He roll his eyes, fondly. “Good to know you’re consistent, at least.”

He turns up the volume, relaxing onto the cushions, leaning into his brother’s heat.

“I love you.” Donnie breathes, abruptly. “I don’t think I told you that yet. You’re a good big brother. A really good one. Even when you drive me nuts. You’re really great. A-and you try so hard for us. I know you do. There’s so much I need to thank you for-”

“As much as I’d love a long list of reasons that I’m great,” Leo murmurs, taking note of the wild burst of tremors. “You’re freaking yourself out. And that’s admittedly freaking me out. We can talk about this later, okay? When you’re less frazzled.” He wraps his free arm around him, rubbing the blanket. “I should have respected you when you asked me not to the first time.”

Donnie wipes at his eyes, “Okay. Yeah. That’s- that’s what I wanted.”

He sniffs. Leo suggests, “How about you get some more sleep? You look tired.”

“I’m dead tired.” Donnie agrees, sounding the part. He closes his eyes, beginning to nod off instantly, only to violently gasp back in consciousness. He doesn't even give Leo a chance to ask.

“Once I fell asleep and you left without waking me up. You have to promise that you won't do that again. You have to. Please?” Donnie tilts his head, scanning his expression desperately. “Please?” 

“I won’t leave you behind.” Leo sighs because it’s so not fair that his brothers are able to pull on his heart strings like this. “You don’t gotta worry about me.” 

He laughs, short and brief, but it doesn’t sound happy.

Leo tries to grasp the joke.

Donnie lets his eyes close, curling into Leo as he does. His older brother tucks the blanket further up his shoulders, leaning his cheek against his forehead. Absently, he wonders how someone so tall could make himself so small. 

“I love you,” Donnie whimpers, barely audible.

Leo smiles, grateful that he made an exception, just this once.

“Love you too, little brother.” 

Awe how completely and utterly fluff. Just two bros sharing some nice bonding time 💙💜 Nothing else happening here.

[transingthoseformers]

Cylas arc drives me wiiiiild bc what do you MEAN he came back wrong and isn't even trying to hide it. Came back and is actually just a different guy. Worse guy with your husbands face. An evil guy turducken, if you will.

Knock Out better than me I would've crashed out worse than inadvisable experimentation

EXACTLY EXACTLY EXACTLY AND IT'S INTERESTING

CYLAS is an interesting situation and I'll admit I don't blame Knockout for how he reacted— that last little scene in the episode was fascinating

[anxietycheesecake]

There's something so "performative" about the finale, not sure how to articulate it. I mean, it's been like that for a while, but there were still sincere moments every now and then (probably from the cast putting all their actussy into it). It wanted to make a statement so bad, regardless of whether you think they were mocking us or not. "I'm not a normal sitcom, I'm a cool sitcom, like Seinfield. I don't fit in and I don't want to fit in. Have you ever seen my characters evolve? Oh... Oh... No, you haven't! I artificially took that back every single time! That's cool."

They wanted to remove the sense of a plot and a purpose that season 3 and partially season 4 gave it so hard it's like they couldn't think of anything else. It's funny because it's pointless and unsatisfying, even though we have managed to balance raunchy comedy and emotional scenes just fine before. It's easier this way and it get us Reddit praise. But here's the thing, it wasn't even that funny. Season 1 was just sitcom shenanigans and dark comedy and it was hilarious. Like, when was the last time you physically bent over in laughter while watching this show and are you sure it wasn't because the actors were making a funny voice or a funny face that absolutely wasn't scripted?

But I mean, all that aside, I think it's just cringe. It's giving "how you doing, fellow kids?" It's overdone and so eager to be disruptive it ends up being anticlimatic. "That's the point! We were trying to be anticlimatic!" Ok, bro, you're either a shit writer because you couldn't come up with an actual conclusion or because you genuinely thought that'd make good tv.

Comparing wwdits to Seinfield is like when wannabe great American novelist says he's writing the next Great Gatsby. No you're not. And I don't mean this as "wwdits isn't worth shit compared to actual high art sitcoms such as Seinfield" (I actually liked it better when it wasn't trying to become Seinfield); it's just... There's already a Seinfield. And there was already a wwdits that had found its footing and its voice and was doing a near perfect balancing act between comedy and drama, while keeping it humor-focused at all times. Your story is yours but when my book was starting to sound a lot like The Girls by Emma Cline minus the ABSOLUTE LITERATURE of it (arguably the best thing about The Girls), my mom was like "this not you, girl, what are you doing?" And that was MY MOM, not some random people on the Internet who are a small portion of the people who put food on my table (hopefully, heh -pay writers better, bitches >:(-). Like, dude, you're in your 40s, how can you be this petty?

At the end of the day, it was just petty. It read like fanfiction a troll would write. And they can try to gaslight us into buying it was actually such a smart move and amazing writing, but we know the truth. "We've thought about six possible endings for Guillermo's arc and haven't decided on one", "We kind of just come up with things that might be funny and work them into an episode"; things being said about a show one its fourth and fifth season. Absolutely valid, of course, but you can just admit you bit more than you could chew and wanted an easy way out. We get it, it's your job, do whatever you need to get that (far too small) paycheck, but don't put a "subversive" label on it and call it a perfect ending.

And if you're so willing to disrespect your fanbase or convince them they were watching a completely different show mere three years ago, for fuck's sake, commit to the bit and at least make it entertaining. Characters just spelling out things that are going to annoy the fans or prove to them it was silly to care about the shit and fart show for half and hour? THREE TIMES? Dude, you can be more subtle, media litecary's been dead for a while now. It's not unfunny in the sense that it's offensive; rather it was offensive how deeply unfunny it was. How can you manage to be this dishonest while doing everything in your power to make yourself seem even more dishonest??? smh

[igglemouse]

The symptoms are hitting hard this morning as you can see and it is very difficult to make it to the restroom when you have to walk as slowly as possible. I worry for a moment that I might not make it but don't worry I get there just in time.

But my morning is the usual, changing diapers and keeping her squeaky clean. Which isn't easy since it sometimes feels like she does whatever she can to avoid being clean. At least this morning she waited until six a.m. to cry for attention!

Pascal's morning is also the usual, for him at least. Beating up that poor treadmill again. This man is really dedicated to his fitness and it's so admirable that I'm happy to let him be in the mornings.

So I feel like the sooner I bring it up, the better. It makes little sense holding it back from him since he'll figure it out eventually. I expect he'll be happy just based on the last time we talked about children, so there isn't any pressure about it this time. I think I'll just bring it up over breakfast actually. Yeah, that is the plan!

So that's exactly what happens. We finish an apple salad and before Pascal can get up and likely go train or work out again I keep him at the table with a simple sentence. "Looks like Flora will be having a little brother or sister."

It takes him a few seconds to either parse what I mean OR come to grips with it. "You're pregnant?" I give my head a little nod and watch as a smile spreads across his face. "Wow!"

"Would it be biased if I hope it is a boy?" He says and I quickly shake my head.

"Nope! I'd be happy with a boy too, keep things even, I guess," and maybe would get him more involved? Although, I will say, he has stepped up a little. Not a lot but...a little is better than nothing.

While I'll soon be a mother of two I am also still very much a Simtube content creator and I must make sure that to keep the momentum going for my channel and so it's time to record a new video.

This one will teach anyone how to make quick and chewy blueberry bagels. A nice desert to go along with a main dish to be sure and I think easy enough for anyone to bake! I will admit that my baking skills are not the best buuuuuuuuuut I think I am proud of the end result!

Thankfully Flora slept right through the recording of my video but you know right after it I had to go and check on her and play with her and give her a little tummy time. I think she does pretty well although she definitely throws a tantrum in the middle of it.

But if you recall I had planned on inviting both Sara and Marjorie over to meet Flora and well...because of previous events I'd like to move past it is only Sara who comes.

She does arrive with a bit of a frown on her face and I'm sure I'll find out why she's in such a sour mood but first to invite her inside and more importantly, introduce her to Flora!

And so I have to go and pull Flora from her crib and bring her to Sara who lights up at the sight of her. Whatever frown she had on her face instantly melts away and she can't wait to hold her.

"Florencia is her full name," I say to Sara as she coos and snuggles Flora who is being very well behaved right now! "She seems to only be fussy with me!"

"Well of course because she knows you'll listen to every little demand she has!"

"Having the strong urge to have your own yet?" I joke but I can tell saying that hit the wrong nerve. "Sara, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's fine, I want to but...can we talk about it a little later?"

"Of course!"

It was then that Flora decided she had enough of introductions and started to cry.

"Ok ok Flora, we get it, we get it!," I say taking her back and letting Sara know she's free to hang around but I have to get her to sleep.

Sara was exploring the house a bit since its actually her first time here and in the end I find her seated right before my tempting blueberry bagels. I'm guessing she would have taken one but she looks like she has a lot on her mind right now. "This place is...really nice," she says, at least in a much better mood than when she arrived.

"Isn't it? Still very empty but we'll fill it day by day, I hope."

"It's a lot of space to fill but it's also not too much, if that makes sense?" She is right. It's not exactly a mansion but it's big enough to be impressive.

"So..." I start, curious about what has Sara all sour right now. "Is everything okay?"

"It's the guy, you know the one I'm dating?" she reveals but all I can do is nod my head because I actually do not know the guy she's dating. She has kept his identity as vague as possible, not on purpose, I think, but he remains a mystery to me all the same. "He's umm, well, let's just say his occupation isn't clean."

"Clean?" I urge, needing a bit more.

"He works for the cartel...I think."

"Oh," well, that's no good. You all know i have an extensive relationship with the cartel but Sara does not know that. All she knows is that I'm an immigrant. "Sara, who exactly are you-"

"Well, that's not the problem," she says, as if there could be something bigger than that. "He apparently has a bit of a promotion on the table and thinks he should take it."

"A promotion in that world usually means more simoleons and more of a chance of also getting killed," I tell her honestly. "Sara, who is this guy?"

"My boyfriend?" she says, which is obvious. I know that but how do I get more information out of her about him?

"Sara, I've known a few cartel guys from...well, they basically ran the town I came from. Maybe I know about him and can better prepare you for-?"

"Simón," she says and at that moment my heart drops.

There is only one Simón that I know and I do not think there could be another especially tied to the cartel. Maybe there is, it's not that uncommon of a name after all, but before I can ask for his last name she's moved on, perhaps sensing that I wasn't into the conversation so somehow she's talking about Flora again.

"She really is adorable isn't she? You know it was dangerous coming over here I might get the fever myself!"

"O-oh uh yeah, yeah," I say, regaining my balance. She's very possibly dating Simón, my Simón. "Oh umm, by the way, I'm pregnant again," I announce for whatever reason. Perhaps because I was not sure what else to say or do in the moment.

Well, that will certainly be awkward if she introduces me to him. I would tell her that I know him but I'm only 90% sure that she's talking about the same guy...maybe, hopefully, she is not.

Frida Varela - Next Episode 10.4

[dotthings]

The Sam v Dean drama in Torn and Frayed -- Dean apologies for the fake text, Sam has yet to apologize for how he's behaved about Benny, and while I understand Sam and his insecurities and why he's being a controlling little brother with a 'tude...Dean is much more able to admit when he's wrong. And Sam has yet to give a solid reason why it's so impossible for him to give Benny any benefit of the doubt at all, while Dean is telling the whole truth about Benny and his innocence, as Sam just keeps brick walling Dean about it.

When Sam is being honest and communicating effectively is when he tells Dean exactly why the fake text from Amelia was so upsetting to him and it's because of the fear of losing people they love and something that Sam knows Dean has a fear of as well, so for Dean to do that to Sam, Sam felt that was too much. Which is fair. Note that this is the reason--the fear of losing loved ones, which is very real for both brothers.

Amelia insists Sam give up his other life entirely--without her knowing anything about it. And I think that's what doomed it. Note by contrast, Lisa offered Dean an inbetween, she dismissed the absolute, the either/or. They can make their own rules. Dean and Lisa did make that work for a time and had a better chance therefore than Sam and Amelia because there was no in between or compromise offered.

Sam on his part could also have told Amelia the truth about his life and given her a chance to respond and decide if she wanted to give it a try. But I think how Amelia spoke about Sam having to be all in or all out signaled to Sam that Amelia wouldn't have handled the truth well. I don't think he was guessing wrong on that, because Amelia seems like she wouldn't be able to handle bringing that into her life. Lisa seemed more willing to make adjustments and try to roll with it so long as there were some boundaries. Remember that the reason Lisa kicked Dean out wasn't because they couldn't make that balance work, it's because she didn't know Dean had been turned into a vampire and was protecting Ben from himself when Dean shoved Ben away. If Dean had told Lisa the truth, they would have had more of a chance. But Amelia...she doesn't seem in any way ready for all that. Even though she does love Sam.

So Sam and Amelia needed each other when they found each other but it isn't something that was sustainable.

With Benny, I cannot a single reason why Dean had to cut Benny off fully except there had to be drama for plot reasons. It's straining credulity a little, tbh. Benny fits in Dean's weird hunting life, he doesn't ask for much, he's not demanding Dean give up anything, he just wants a friend to talk to once in a while.

So I don't think Dean made the right call there and Sam was in fact pressuring Dean so hard about it and being so controlling and rigid about the Benny issue, so Dean felt like he had to give up Benny as a concession to Sam, while Sam dropped Amelia. It doesn't feel right. Sam going with Amelia would have fully upended their lives. Dean keeping Benny as a friend would not. It's not an even trade.

Torn and Frayed is the most depressing episode of S8. Cas in the wind back to Heaven, Benny cut off, Amelia ditched.

I don't think canon intends this to be the bestest thing ever. The last moments of the ep are depressing--even the music is conveying misery, and Sam and Dean look deflated and grim. I don't even feel like they chose each other for each other, they chose each other for the sake of the mission. Duty. Because of the high stakes of what they're up against and so they have to sacrifice everything for the team. And Dean gets pressured and boxed in to an absolute when it wasn't even necessary, to prove...what. That he loves Sam? He's loyal to Sam? How much more chunks of flesh does Dean have to rip off to prove that?

Nothing about this is saying they're happy, nothing about it says they don't care about Cas or Benny or Amelia. I'm not going at canon here, the canon intent is to explore these issues and is being self-critical and showing the costs. It's not that it's wrong for Sam and Dean to remain a team, but the canon is absolutely not showing this as their only happiness or that the only thing Sam and Dean care about is each other. It's sad because it's supposed to be sad. It's complicated.

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Hey so. I'm not up to date, still watching. Didn't see any fandom reactions so far. What do we think about Callum choosing Rayla over Ezran?

Right now, I'm torn. Part of me is super happy that Callum and Rayla pledged themselves to one another, for it to then immediately be tried, tested, and won. (I'm happy that their relationship won.) I love that the situation has them suddenly face a loyalty conflict that they didn't think they'd have to solve. I'm happy that it comes unexpected, catches them off guard, and that they have to decide on the spot. It's messy, puts them on edge, and I love it.

Callum also seems to initially give a really smart answer by differentiating between his role as High Mage and his role as a brother. However, depriving Katolis of its High Mage in a time of great need such as the one they're in?? really is a special kind of treason, and the King's brother abandoning the King NEVER looks good either, especially in that time of need! The show treats it like a private conflict, but Callum has a function in the royal court. He just signaled to all of Katolis that the King's family quit supporting Ezran. So although Ezran isn't in a good personal place in that episode, if he chose to interpret Callum's actions as high treason, I'd be with him.

I think the scene lacked certain tensions of unspoken things though. It still happened all too quickly. Ezran didn't know that Rayllum swore to never get separated again. Callum should have forced a different kind of magical time-out than the ice thingy (which directly attacked Ezran and his personal bodyguards), he should have played for time to explain. I'd have made him send Rayla and Runaan away, stay behind to explain to Ezran, then catch back up with the elves.

Then, if there was still some hurt between the brothers, at least Ezran would know the full story and would know where to place his priorities. The brothers could work to at least stay out of each other's way, instead of clashing again like when Callum sent the letter to suggest imprisoning Aaravos again. That wasn't Callum's place, he was out of touch with Ezran's warfare strategy by this point, and he was endangering his little bro's kingship by messing with his authority.

I wouldn't say it was out of character, but it certainly was more messy than necessary and lacked one of Callum's better ideas to resolve it.

I'm at the third-to-last episode rn, Ezran and Callum haven't yet met again, but Ezran did receive Callum's letter. No spoilers pls, but I'd love to hear your genuine reaction!

Hey so I personally think this situation was a lot more complicated than Callum just choosing Rayla over Ezran for loves sake. The way I saw it, Callum was torn between two people he loves. On one hand he was trying to tell Rayla to be patient and kept trying to tell her Ezran will eventually come around, to which Rayla after clashing with Ezran at the council meeting, she no longer felt she can wait. On the other hand, he did try to talk to Ezran esp about how he shouldn’t keep blaming Runaan for the kingdom being destroyed and how he’s playing into the cycle of violence he pledges to stop. While Ezran’s hurt and anger towards Runaan were completely justified, I felt like his actions came more from a place of vengeance rather than being right. Callum even called out Ezran for forgiving Zubeia who was the one who sent the assassins in the first place.

Callum only fully took Rayla’s side once Ezran showed up with an entire army to confront Rayla and Runaan which then resulted in Callum taking action against them to prevent Rayla and Runaan from being harmed. He did end up leaving with them not only because he ended up committing treason but also because he felt like Ezran was too vengeful and angry to listen even after trying to talk to him earlier.

As for the letter, unlike Ezran, Callum knew that Aaravos couldn’t be permanently killed which was why he was proposing the prison plan, which could’ve been a more permanent solution if no one were to find the prison again. The problem with Ezran was that he was falling into Aaravos’s trap not knowing that using the novablade to kill him would bring him back the next time the stars align and even potentially kill everyone around them.

While I do think that arc 2 shows some complications between the two brothers esp because both Callum is the older brother but Ezran is the king, which does cause a power imbalance between them, at the end of the day they’re still brothers first and foremost. I won’t spoil the last few eps, but I will tell you I loved and was very satisfied by how things went, including with Callum and Ezran. 😍😊

Hope this answered your question 🙌🏽

[starryluminary]

Ridonculous Race but Noah is friends with Owen part 9: Teamwork makes the dream work!

Don't you LOVE IT when Noah gets to play the stupid game? Don't you LOVE IT when Noah and Owen work together and Owen isn't left to do everything himself? Don't you LOVE IT when they mutually support each other and care enough about each other to give it their all??? Personally I love it when that happens

No transcript cause there's no dialogue. Instead have scrapped doodles for this part that I refuse to leave in the jail of the IbisPaint canvas

[nebuladreamz]

The voices are loud and I am WEAK

[many-gay-magpies]

god what really gets me about dead boy detectives and what i think i love so much about the show and the relationships in it is that like. the romantic and sexual relationships aren't portrayed as being more unique or important than the platonic relationships. they're all just RELATIONSHIPS.

charles and crystal's attraction to each other and eventual hookup isn't this big end-all be-all relationship that shatter charles and edwin's friendship and draws charles' attention away from edwin; it's just a THING that happens. they're just two people that care about each other and happen to also be attracted to each other, and a hook-up happens, then they decide that neither of them are in the right place for it and it's nothing awful. crystal kisses charles, but it isn't some big spectacle of her declaring her love for him; it's just her saying goodbye and that she cares about him, like her hugs with niko and jenny and her handshake with edwin.

edwin realizes he loves charles romantically and tells him, and charles says he doesn't really love edwin romantically BACK, but it's okay, because they still love each other so much in so many other ways that this one tiny difference could never change them—and it doesn't!! they're still just as close, still care for each other just as much, still SHOW that care for each other just as much. their relationship didn't completely end because edwin loved charles in a way charles couldn't reciprocate, but at the same time it isn't "solved" by edwin getting over it, because there's nothing TO solve. it's just another type of love, added to everything that already exists between them. and they have LITERALLY FOREVER to figure out what it means.

the relationships between edwin & niko, crystal & niko, and crystal & edwin aren't given any less weight for being solely platonic, just as charles & crystal's relationship and edwin's feelings for charles aren't given (that much) MORE weight for being romantic. crystal and charles' conflict in the closet is about EDWIN, about how they're BOTH his friend and BOTH want to get him back; it has very little to do with the feelings between THEM, romantic or otherwise. similarly, the weight of charles' and edwin's relationship isn't diminished in the LEAST by charles not reciprocating the romantic side of his feelings (or SAYING he doesn't reciprocate, at least—we can all argue about the legitimacy of that in the notes).

i'm sure there are more examples than this, as well as probably some examples that CONTRADICT this, but like... by and large, it feels like dead boy detectives is a show where all the relationships are given equal weight regardless of platonic, sexual, romantic, or familial status, and as someone on both the asexual and aromantic spectrums who has struggled time and time again with shows casting out the importance of all other relationships in favor of prioritizing romance, that is INCREDIBLY refreshing to see.

[mortysmith]

In theory i like the idea that rick is growing and developing as a person. In practice it ends up falling short though, because no one balances him out. rick is getting better while no one else is getting worse, and it causes the whole thing to end up feeling a bit stale. The biggest draw, at least for me, has always been rick and morty's shitty dynamic, but it barely exists anymore because rick has been so watered down.

The ideal solution is literally just to make morty into a bigger asshole. Essentially flipping the main characters' personalities would offer a wide variety of conflict into the show, and would also help keep it "fresh".

Instead it feels the writers are pretending that they can't possibly do anything with morty's character, that they have to keep him the same anxious idiot he was in season one. I've said this before, but it's incredibly frustrating to watch the show have no problem with expanding rick's character while struggling with keeping morty's heavily stagnated characterization consistent. Where rick has space to develop between multiple seasons, morty is constantly forced into one of two boxes (smart/stupid) depending on the episode.

[aerithisms]

overall a very weird dw season to me. i really like the middle 4 episodes, and thought the first 2 and last 2 were okay-to-bad. for only 8 episodes 50/50 isn't a bad track record but i think the season arc and character drama doesn't land so the season is less than the sum of its parts. much better than chibnall era, still not on the level of s1-10 dw and probably my least favourite rtd series. and yet i have hope!! bring on season 2 i want to see varada sethu

[seaweedstarshine]

Thinking about the convolution of Eleventh Doctor's expressions of love for River Song in Season 7B. He does not trust Clara. He is utterly (wrongly) convinced that he and Clara are playing a grand manipulative game together. “What are you, eh?! A trick? A trap?!!”

So naturally, the last thing he should do in this game is to clue his opponent in on something that could be used to hurt him. Something like River, so painfully near the end of their time together, whose data ghost he can always see, who “it would hurt too much” to acknowledge. He can't let Clara know of the loss which constantly floods his senses; (“You are always here to me. And I always listen, and I can always see you,” he professes, once Clara has vanished into his timestream).

And yet. River fills his every moment (irregardless of any sneaking out for dates with increasingly-young Rivers while Clara is asleep like he did while the Ponds slept, which would explain his absence when the TARDIS is hiding Clara's bedroom). Even though it's not strategic, he can’t help but tell Clara about her. The best defense he can manage is to phrase it as if River isn’t as important to him as she is. Not only is avoiding her first name in his grief; he's also completely avoiding pronouns; which seems extreme given that he's still mentioning her as often as: “Oh yeah, of course he has! Professor Song! Sorry, it's just I never realized you were a woman.”

Leave out the emotion — leave out the details — don't show the cracks in the armor — play the part — win the game.

“Well, there's no point now. We're about to die. JUST TELL ME WHO YOU ARE.”

[puppyeared]

Atla live action 😐