#i hope this is okay !! idk if it makes sense or not tbh

[mimikyuno]

🫧🎀🎨 ENA5 WISHES AND PREDICTIONS🎀🎨🫧

ena meets yuuki. I genuinely always found it a bit strange how in the latest New Year’s event yuuki meets kanade and mafuyu and not ena. when ena has been the person closest to mizuki in niigo (as she’s the one who is waiting for mizuki to open up, while knmf have no idea mizuki is even hiding anything). so like. i genuinely think yuuki will be involved, to an extent. maybe she comes back bc mizuki’s parents are worried and call her back to japan and she meets ena, or maybe ena somehow manages to contact her and the two have a chat. idk. anyway i think yuuki will be involved in ena5, or at least in the resolution of mizuki’s struggles.

ena goes absolutely insane. i rly want to see ena lose her mind lol. like we know she’s obsesses with mizuki and loves her so so much. she saw her looking sad one (1) time and has been on her ass since. as established in the escape room, she knows her so well. when they were going up the roof, she kept making jokes trying to ease mizuki’s anxiety. she loves her so so so much. and she probably currently hates herself for not being able to stop her. so yeah, i cant wait to see her go on a one woman mission to get her mizuki back. i want to see her desperate. sorry not sorry

kanamafu struggle in the dark. this is connected to above, but i feel like ena would be too scared to ask anyone for help. mizuki was outed to her, she wouldnt do the same. and while ena has asked for help about mizuki in the past (for example, asked shizuairi and meiko), i feel like this time she’ll keep quiet, or ask just meiko. and kanamafu will know something is very, very wrong. and so they’ll try to reach out and understand what’s wrong and meet walls of silence. i want them to finally see that mizuena have had this secret hanging between them for so long, and i want them to also be there for mizuki after the main resolution. i want cozy niigo loving and accepting each other 🥺.

meiko is a key figure. i ena knows meiko suspects/knows about mizuki. so meiko is literally the only person (outside of yuuki) that ena can go to for advice. i want meiko and ena and kaito to talk and maybe even fight a bit and try to find a way to reach mizuki and fix the situation.

mizuki is acknowledged as a girl. this is more of a hope than a prediction but i hope that mizuki’s transness will keep being handled with care. i would be happy to see them avoiding cliches such as “i care about you no matter what gender you are” bc mizuki’s crux is the fear of change, change in niigo’s perception of her as just a girl, and not a “trans girl” or “not rly a girl”. so i want ena to acknowledge this directly. somehow. idk how but i need her to tell mizuki nothing’s changed in her perception of her. she’ll always be mizuki.

DATE. okay like. i know many think that SEGA is gonna drag this out for storytelling + financial reasons. for example, i saw ppl speculating that kanade5 might happen before ena5, so that kanade and mafuyu can learn what is happening. at first i lowkey agreed but tbh i dont think they’re gonna drag it out this much. like, not only is mizuki is a fan favourite and keeping her in this state for so long is… a bit questionable, but also there’s concerts coming up? and they cant keep her depressed much longer when that means they won’t be able to use her or ena AT ALL in any mixed event, which doesn’t make much sense imo. i genuinely think they might wrap this up before the movie drops tbh. it probably wont be wrapped up super neatly and there will still be stuff to discuss (maybe in kana5 or in the niigo 6th rotation) BUT things will be fixed enough that mizuki can go back to smile and appear in the real world and have a spark in her eyes BEFORE the movie (january 17th, 2025). i genuinely thought we would have ena5 BEFORE the 4th colorful live (bc like. how can mizuena be so depressed in game and sing on stage together? like yeah the lives are not rly canon but the VIBES. the VIBES!) which will be held december 13-15 and again january 24-26 (2025) but uhmm. i feel like we would have gotten an announcement by now if ena5 was rly coming in the first half of december idk. still possible since there’s an upcoming livestream in like 19 hours but. uhm. idk. sega PLEAS-

CARDS. I remember someone pointed out how mizuki has had zero 4* cards in any ena focus event, to show how she's keeping her distance. as such, i really think that ena5 will be The Event in which mizuki will finally feature as a 4* card. honestly im hoping for a very gay matching card (anhane style in an4... pls sega...) but that's just me coping lol. anyway my card prediction is ena 4*, mizuki 4*, meiko 4*, kanade 3* and mafuyu 2*. though tbh there was already a VS 4* in mizu5 (kaito), so maybe they'll make meiko a 3* and have a 4* of kanade or mafuyu. honestly, even luka might appear in the lineup. haven't seen anyone mention her but she and meiko have been the two VS closest to mizuki when it comes to her secret and her tendency to run away. so maybe a luka 3* or something.

COMM. okay i have no idea about this imma be honest but. i am hoping for a producer who can put forward heartfelf lyrics and melody. lowkey hoping for mafumafu (as he has already proven he understands mizuki and ena's relationship with cellphone lovestory). copium in immense quantities but niigo has covered quite a few pinocchiop's songs but have no comms by him... he's one of my favourite producers and his lyrics always kill me so i know his ena5 comm would be devastating. but honestly both mafumafu and pinocchiop feel quite unlikely, so maybe TOA (who already composed IDsmile and twilight light and has made tweets during mizu5) or wotaku (since gehenna is so intrinsically connected with the mizuena storyline). or imagine maretu... iyowa... eight... teniwoha... aaah... endless possibilities... but yeah it could be anyone lol, the names i mentioned are more hopes than predictions, i'll be fine with anyone as long as the song fully captures mizuena's relationship.

[wereh0gz]

Been thinking abt corrupted au again. I'm unwell

Anyways. I think corrupted!Sonic would struggle with dissociation. He has a lot of moments where he feels unreal, untethered from his body. Watching but not feeling

Some of Sonic's idle dialogue in Frontiers implies he may have been dissociating a bit while he was working to save his friends. "I know I'm moving... I can't feel it" and "I'm so cold now... numb" specifically come to mind, though you could also attribute these to physical exhaustion. I like to think it's a bit of both

But corrupted!Sonic continues to have these episodes even after everything that happened in the Starfall Islands has passed, mostly due to what remains of the cyber corruption in him

He's completely silent in that state (not like he talks much to begin with after getting amnesia, but he's noticeably quieter) and mostly unresponsive. Sometimes he'll stay right where he is, spaced out. Other times he'll run off, his body basically going on autopilot and wandering to places that were once familiar. It might even happen while he's doing something else, and he won't remember having done it when he comes to

Aside from the more severe dissociative episodes though, he also feels generally disconnected from his body. It feels unfamiliar now, and he often finds himself trying to make himself smaller because that's how he remembers being. But having grown and changed so much makes that hard. Not even curling up into a ball feels the same now. He has to get used to being a teenager all over again

[star--anon]

Gally hides a lot of his panic attacks and nightmares that he got after he went through the Changing in a desperate attempt to be liked again in the Glade

He was kind of universally hated in the books, apparently becoming extremely unlikeable after he got Stung

which is honestly so sad. What he saw drove him slightly insane and he couldn’t handle it and shut down.

[joethehoeee]

So....

The show 'The owl House' sadly comes to an end this year and i thought i could make my comfort character in the TOH style.

Of course it's our beloved avocado man Walter Strickler <3

A bit explanation for those who didn’t watch either one or both of the shows :

• I made Walter a student even tho he is actually a Teacher, mostly because it's easy to draw. He will be a Teacher in the future and he is gonna teach history of the boiling Ilse and ofc Illusion. And he is still a changeling wich would be normal there but idc.

• He is in the Illusion coven because i thought it fits him the most. Changelings are known to be pretty sly and deceptive and also really untrustworthy wich made me think that Illusion has to be the right coven. They hold the Illusion of their life, of the mask they hold towards other people. Idk if that makes sense...

• His palisman on his staff (it's an animal that helps you to use your powers more controlled and stronger) is a Stalking. Because i hc that he is half stalking/troll and his adoptive mother is a Stalking. I love the Idea that one is his palisman because he has a bond with them. And i couldn’t think of any other creature-

• He is still a wild witch. He loves to study all coven magic but Illusion is his favorite of them all. He still has wings but i was to lazy to draw them...sorry :(

(Maybe i will do Barbara if i have time and if i want to this week. Hope you like it :])

(Short edit, i made his blue uniform darker so it fits his original sweater buuut the Illusion coven actually wears bright blue. Just so you guys know)

[r0semultiverse]

I don’t know, me personally, I just think two adults playing pretend & pretending being gross together with full open communication & consent between them is harmless, but maybe that’s just me.

[titsthedamnseason]

i cannot wait to read the ben winona reconciliation in burn bright 😁

[that-was-anticlimactic]

fragments of the day

“You’ve got so many knots tonight, Kento,” Yu commented, and though Kento couldn’t see him, he was sure Yu was frowning. “You gotta tell me when it starts to get this bad, okay?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

I didn’t want to bother you.

“You’re my best friend, Kento. I’m always gonna worry about you,” Yu replied easily, pushing into his muscles even harder and damn, that felt amazing; Yu really was good at giving massages. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

Kento sucked in a breath, then coughed, trying to play it off as a tic. How was Yu able to be so open with him? How was he able to share what’s in his heart? Hell, Kento can’t even say I love you. He has to rely on don't be stupid and be careful to get the message across.

Sometimes, he wished he were more like Yu.

So, Kento passed him another orange.

[or, nanami has bad shoulder pain and haibara makes it a little better]

⛅️12,868 words | nanami & haibara, nanami & gojo🌥

chapter one

chapter two

[seraphseye]

ヽ ⠀⠀* ₍   𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐱,   accepting.   ╎   ♔.     ❛ don't look at me like that. ❜ ... @roseguided, rhaenyra to aegon.

it is not uncommon for him to get lost within his own thoughts , and the liquor usually does a good enough job to distract him from putting too much thought into them ; perhaps the servants have replaced the contents of his goblet with mere grape juice , for his mind is far too unsettling this evening. watching the way his half⸻sister's head tips back when she's laughing , and the way violets fill with nothing but adoration when speaking with her children , fills him with a strange feeling that makes his stomach churn , but perhaps that is only the wine. aegon's   best   friend   has   always   been   his   loneliness , and his second has been the envy he feels over things he will never have. there had been a time where he was once the brightest thing in the room at any given time . . his mother had not despised him yet , his father had cooed at him and cradled him , and his sister had held him in her lap as she tried and failed to teach him how to properly say her name. but then she had birthed children of her own , and helaena had come , aemond following soon after. he �� was   no   more   than   an   old   doll   that   had   been   thrown   into   the   bottom   of   the   toybox.

still , he sat back and watched as rhaenyra remained the golden child , the king's other children barely receiving a lick of acknowledgement. had watched as his mother's near obsession over her childhood best friend still managed to play a part in every strategic move she made , as if rhaenyra alone could save her from the life she'd been doomed to. in all aspects of his life , he   would   merely   be   a   shadow   in   the   heir's   glow ; he is nothing but a reminder of the girlhood his mother sacrificed , and a reminder of the wife and family viserys had lost.

he hadn't noticed that he'd been staring at her until her words cut through the deafening madness of his thoughts. eyelids narrow into slits as he straightens himself out , head tilting. words are slurred as they spill from his tongue , ❝ have you ever noticed the way people worship the ground you walk on , dear sister ? ❞

[torethecurtainsdun]

There’s nothing wrong with this!

(Inspired by Mulberry Street by TOP)

[29121996]

.

[fiepige]

Made some more changes to one of my Venom!Hobie concepts (yeah I have several at this point- it's the one with the cat-symbiote lol) and decided that I'm gonna make them a Hobie-variant instead since I've made too many changes to him (both due to his origins- which inevitably would change his behavior and world view + I've made a few changes to his looks as well) to still view him as the same Hobie as the one from atsv.

So now he's a different version of Hobie instead.

(Shout out to @the-cat-and-the-birdie for sharing their version of a Hobie variant to open my eyes to the concept!)

Idk if this version of Venom!Hobie counts as a spidersona or an oc since he's based on a character from the movie?? Or is this called something else? Please lemme know I'm new to this stuff ^^'

[atsu-i]

The one thing I regret the most in my life it's trusting people I shouldn't have. I used to easily go and open up about myself and sharing stuff and all when I didn't even know if they were worthy of that trust. I the end I just ended up feeling like shit and wishing going back in time to stop myself from sharing my secrets and personal stuff with them. They made me regret being Bi and even made me feel I was a monster or something. In the end no one is there for you but yourself. That's a sad reality.

:0

[prisonpodcast]

Okay but I do actually really want Tommy to do a stream where he talks about the finale/dsmp lore in general.

I just really hope that if he does it won’t be a repeat of what happened with tubbo :/

[mad-hunts]

paradise. he doesn't think the name of the place could get anymore ironic, in all honesty. barton had personally never set foot in there; but it wasn't because he wanted to and was rejected from doing so. it was because he simply didn't have much interest in it, until one of gotham's new up-and-coming crime lords contacted him and said he'd pay him very handsomely if he was willing to make a trade with him: something he'd harvested from someone for more money than he would know what to do with and a favor. barton always did like those, as the kind with no strings attached could mean the difference between him getting out of a situation unscathed, and ending up on the side of a jail cell no one wanted to be on.

the air was misty with rain now. and normally, this wouldn't bother barton, but he was caught out here without an umbrella; the one he once had having departed along with his beloved daughter. though it was better off with her, of course, barton told himself. father's always put their kids first... don't they? whatever it was that triggered it, he wasn't sure, but he soon found himself going somewhere else mentally. what if matilda had gone in there and found herself in a similar situation as he did? oh, but what happened to him was never going to happen again. ( it could happen again. it could, and it'd be all his fault, just like it was before. ) a frown tugged at barton's lips without him even realizing it.

he didn't know what he was doing here, standing in the rain, thinking about someone who had passed away a long time ago. the hand by his side suddenly curled into a fist as he dug one of his nails into his skin. stop thinking about it, she is fine, you're just worrying over nothing. these were thoughts that seemed to have passed through his mind all at once and caused him to press the tip of his nail into his palm even further. a sharp sting, like you'd get after being cut, was what brought him back to reality and he discovered that — yup, he was now bleeding. ❝ merde... mon dieu, ça fait mal, * ❞ barton uttered something in his native tongue beneath his breath with a barely audible hiss as he looked at the puncture.

in order to alleviate some of the tension in the air, barton looked up at arthur and made an effort to smile more genuinely at him this time. it was cheeky, though, so it was a bit easier for him to do, ❝ don't ever keep your nails long. it's a nuisance. ❞ with a tilt of his head, he then closed his eyes in an attempt to appear charming, though who knows if it actually worked. joker didn't seem like the type of person that took things at face value. maybe he would have to be more aggressive to get away from him. actually... yes, it seems he definitely would by how the other got even closer to him rather than backing off.

something in barton's gaze turned steely whenever joker posed him with questions about the club, as if whatever patience he had to tolerate this situation was slowly dissipating. and then arthur was blocking his way which set off imaginary warning bells in his mind about what exactly his intentions could be here. barton was already distrustful of other people after all, but now that he was actively trying to prevent from going there, something almost seemed wrong. ❝ wow. uhh, what a generous offer, but i really don't want to impose. and i'm not actually planning on heading in there for myself, but for... ❞ oh, thank. freaking. god. barton could barely see matilda's silhouette around arthur but he could see just enough to know that she was heading out of the doors.

matilda was always great at reading a situation and it seemed like she almost immediately knew barton was in trouble, because before he knew it, his daughter was tackling him into a hug. though barton honestly didn't think it was any sort of ploy at first and was nearly thrown off balance by her newfound exuberance. for the first time during their entire conversation, barton let out a genuine albeit startled laugh, lightly patting his daughter's back all the while. ❝ o - kay. well, it's nice to see you too, matilda. what's this about though? ❞ oh, wait. he felt something drop in his jacket pocket from a hidden angle. so, she hugged him to sneakily put it in there? barton directed a purposely sheepish looking shrug to arthur then as if to say ' sorry, this is actually who i was going to head in there for, so i can't talk right now. '

it seemed like barton really didn't have anything to worry about when it came to his daughter. she was even more clever than he gave her credit for, in all honesty.

[ * translation: shit... god, that hurt. ]

That ‘somewhere’ appears to be Paradise. Gotham’s alleged ‘inventive, chaotic, high production spectacle’ has an obscenely long line to get in. A stocky reincarnation of Salvador Dali guards the door. Cover’s probably no less than $150 for undercooked, over-salted food, watered-down cocktails, and a parade of burlesque dancers who may not all have agreed to perform. Hopefuls wait in the rain without rain gear or umbrellas to cramp their style. Some are lucky enough to tuck under scaffolding and Sabarett cart umbrellas. Others are subject to misting rain.

Werewolf upends a hand to watch a few droplets splash on his palm, then dissolve. The few will become a film in no time. Does Dr. Mathis really think he’s cutting that line? Joker squints once his makeup begins to run and tucks the cigarette back in his mouth. What sliver of sidewalk remains transforms into a racetrack. Those wearing jackets pull them over their heads, hoods flip up, and all but Joker try to cover their hair or keep their heads low. Green tresses collect raindrops at his crown. Those beads then sweep down his loose ringlets and splash onto his teal commas and polyester jacket’s shoulders. 

“Look at his hands again,” Bruce instructs his older brother.

Joker obliges, though he keeps his torso angled. Sokol edges further behind him for the black wolf-dog’s own protection. While Joker forces himself to keep his stinging eyes open, the outlines of Barton’s nails invite The Batman’s suspicion.

“Arthur…” though his big brother can’t respond without looking strange, Bruce asks him anyway, “How many surgeons have you seen with nails like that?” Joker bats his eyes like some kind of Morse code for ‘none.’ “No board would allow it.”

Given that he can’t answer his little brother, Joker takes a drag off his cigarette and braves staring into the night sky to look for that misshapen rodent plastered on the clouds. The Square might be too polluted to spot it.

“I’m not up there, I’m here," Bruce reminds him, "Pay attention.”

Even the smile Dr. Mathis seems to dismiss Joker with feels wrong. He braves the misting rain to glide forward. His foot leaves no sound behind even after it lands. Sokol’s hefty paws, however, splash and fall with the weight of a grown man. Pressure against his hip reminds Joker that the Chief’s Special is one draw away.

Before his older brother thinks about calling their new doctor friend’s bluff, Bruce is quick to remind him, “I love you,” followed by, “Don’t let him go.”

Joker postures his temporarily teal eyes as if to ask, ‘Are you out of your fucking mind?’ though Thomas Wayne’s second son can’t see it beyond how perfect the camera’s focus suddenly becomes.

Bruce justifying the command with, “I don’t like him,” doesn’t help. Joker would fish his own cherry red iPhone from his pocket to text his response, but Luther several feet away might win too much time. “Change of plans. I want to see what he’s up to. Pretend you’re interested.”

Wide-eyed, Joker mirrors that paper-thin simper of Dr. Mathis’ with his own gaudy grin. Thalia’s end of his mouth could hook over his ear while Melpomene’s could curve under it. His crooked teeth remain at the forefront. Joker swallows his pounding heartbeat, braces like he’s about to take a punch, then shades his periphery with Sokol as the pair strides closer. 

“By ‘places’ do you mean Paradise...with that line...” Joker gestures toward the crowd that hasn’t budged since last he looked, then toward the mustached bouncer who thinks he’s guarding Heaven’s gate, “And that fucking cover?! People with tickets are getting sent home.”

Joker’s gait is more of a glide. He swings around Dr. Mathis as if on water, yet keeps his shoulders angled so the pale-eyed wolf-dog at his side remains shielded behind him. Now he’s likely blocking traffic, but Gotham is still to him. There’s a few halal and fruit juice carts he could dive behind if need-be.

“Lucky for you…” Joker and the bouncer’s eyes lock, then he drifts around the doctor so his back is to the line and Paradise’s entrance is near him. “I know a guy. Unless…” he deigns to cringe, “Your heart’s set on someplace else…?” The gleam of Joker’s wedding band suggests he’s far from this Studio 54 knockoff’s target audience, yet already he’s getting looks from the bouncer to jump ahead of the line. “I don’t mind a plus one.” Sokol eyes the shoal passing them on the sidewalk. Rainfall almost makes his black fur appear grey. “I’m supposed to meet my wife in there anyway.”

[dunmeshistash]

Personally I agree with you that Mithrun knew his friends were all illusions, and tbh, I think he was very okay with it

About Mithrun vs Marcille on the demon's copies of real-life people: Mithrun's desires were all related to image and self-worth, never the actual people in his dungeon. He didn't necessarily want the real thing - arguably he doesn't even like Sultha since he thought of the real one as "sketchy" - he just wanted the image of her, he wanted the image of being better than his brother, he wanted the image of having friends, etc. I believe that's why he was so okay with the demon making fake copies of his friends. It contrasts Marcille being so against the lion's attempt to make a copy of her dad. She wanted her actual father, so she strongly rejected the copy. But Mithrun didn't necessarily want Sultha, he wanted the image of her and the pride that came with her choosing him over his brother, so he likely didn't care that the demon was just making illusions. I agree with you that he was aware, at least on a subconscious level, that he was just playing pretend.

There's also that quote where it said his desire was to be safe from anyone who could harm him. It's possible that he was a bit afraid/paranoid of the real-life counterparts, and thought the illusion people couldn't possibly hurt him, so he felt safer around the fake people and ended up preferring them. This way he could have his friends and his girlfriend without the constant fear of getting hurt. He could feel wanted and important and loved without being on edge about what they secretly thought of him, or if they secretly wanted to hurt him. That's exactly what he wanted - the illusions fulfilled his desires better than the real counterparts ever could.

I don't really think it's a matter of image, there was nobody there to put on a show for, the show of having friends was before her became a dungeon lord, to me it's more that If you really believe nobody could ever love the real you, fake friends created by the demon is ok

Marcille had a father that truly loved her and friends that she wanted to protect, so it makes sense she was averse to the version made up by the demon at first, from the hints we get Mithrun had nobody he had a real connection with (here exemplified by what he thought of his teamates and the impression Milsiril had of him contrasted with the dungeon)

I don't really understand if other than Sultha the others are real canaries that ended up being driven away just like people were driven away from Thistle, I don't really put it past them to fall for the demon with the promise of a safer life where they don't have to risk their lives only to realize the downwards spiral is inescapable for the dungeon lord.

I don't think it's as important if he "really liked" Sultha or not, I think it's more related to insecurity and fear of rejection, having his brother chosen over him even tho "he's better" (the "perfect youth" image)

Mithrun was thrown away for being a bastard so being faced with the life he could have had probably broke him, I think there's some pride involved too in a twisted way but I read more like something related to "the life I wish I had", envy/jealousy like Milsiril describes. Being able to love and be loved back was never an option especially after joining the canaries

The illusion of this wasn't perfect as we can see, and with the paranoia and everything I doubt he ever really "preferred" the fakes to real life but rather it was all he had?

Idk I'm not good with words hope this made some sense, but even Marcille who said the recreation of her dad was "unnecessary" (quite the underreaction) still kept him around until the others defeated him so I don't really know what it says about Mithrun, maybe if he wasn't imprisoned into the book he could have manipulated Thistle into accepting a fake Delgal too?

[sgtpeppers]

Okay so the quick version of this is: saw Two Of Us today, adored it even more than I adore the film, the choice to keep them in John's building worked really well to further highlight the mental health message the director talks about in his little note in the programme, the rooftop scene is somehow even more intimate and lovely in this version and the ending is even more painful! I'm gonna write down more under the cut about it all:

Playlist: The playlist before the show/during the interval is everything you would want it to be and it includes Monkberry Moon Delight which I feel like I never hear in public! 

The overall experience was also just super wholesome, one thing I always love about Beatles events is the range of people there it just makes you feel like your part of such a special thing, so shout out to all the old women talking about Paul near me, the middle aged men in their Beatles shirts, and the girl behind me who was sooo excited to be there and I hope she got to meet the cast after like she wanted to! ALSO the Beatles drinks are so funny, idk why Ringo’s is just earl grey tea 😭

Performances: OKAY let’s get into it. So one of my only real complaints about the film is that although I think overall Jared Harris and Aiden Quinn do an amazing job but I do find the quality a little inconsistent (especially the accents) but Jay Johnson and Barry Sloane are soooo so good, the accents, the little verbal quirks (which also, kudos to the writer as well) and the physicalities are jarringly good at points, especially Barry Sloane’s John. I also feel like a lot of Get Back was watched in preparation because there were so many little things, like the way John plays with his hair that just took me right back to that. Sometimes with fictional Beatles things I’m constantly thinking about how you’re watching two people try to portray these real people, but I definitely found that they were convincing enough that I wasn’t thinking about it too much. 

Outfits: I did find it kinda weird they went for the Get Back looks rather than how they looked in 76, I feel robbed of the New York City vest tbh but they did look great 

Changes from the film: basically they cut out them going for the walk to the park and to Luigi’s and instead John sets up the table for them like they’re in a restaurant in his kitchen. I think it works really well because they play into John not wanting to leave the building, which just adds into that whole mental health thing, and I think it actually makes the rooftop scene more poignant when they get there, because it feels more like Paul has broken through a bit and coaxed him outside, even if it’s baby steps. Anyway, they still have all the same conversations really the script is just chopped up a bit. 

One interesting thing is that the conversation that happens with the fan in Luigi’s still happens, but John sort of pesters Paul about whether he really thinks silly love songs should be number one, and it’s a nice extra layer to Paul’s insecurity which I enjoyed 

Mental health conversations: I think going into it knowing that the director wanted to make this because of the mental health themes, specifically men’s mental health and how having someone to reach out to is so important, is really interesting. They definitely amped up John’s anxiety from the film, his fidgeting and little moments to himself where he’s trying to get himself together were just so palpable, and Paul talking about his depression after the Beatles broke up was even more raw and upsetting seeing it in front of you. My absolute favourite line in the film is ‘I’m thirty-five years old and I still feel like I’ve done something wrong’ and god, my heart just broke seeing it on stage, I think that’s such a common feeling, just that sense that you’re in trouble for something but you’re not really sure what? Anyway, I just loved Sloane’s delivery of it. 

The Kiss: Okay, look I actually don’t care that much about the kiss in the film, I’m glad it’s in there as a little nod to John’s queerness but it really isn’t anything imo, but I liked it a lot more in this! For one thing rather than coming after a little play fight (which is still cute, don’t get me wrong) they do one of their silly dances where they’re spinning each other round etc, so the scene already feels more tender, and then John just kinda grabs him and it goes on a little longer than in the film. I still think it’s far from one of the most intimate moments in the show, but I do think they made it into something more here. 

Rooftop scene: It’s just. It’s everything. They sit right at the front of the stage, facing each other, cross legged and Paul gives him the whole ‘I see a beautiful baby boy speech’ and it’s PERFECT, this was the moment I was most worried about them screwing up and it was perfectly delivered and they have this lovely big hug after it and it made my heart ache in the best way. And idk, if seeing some guy dressed up as Paul McCartney saying that we should focus on fun and get out our own heads and how we don’t have to stay stuck as the kids who were just scared and trying to survive, doesn’t do something for you, then we’re just very different people. 

SNL scene: okay it’s pretty much the same but the way John is sleeping on Paul was everything, it wasn’t just a head on the shoulder he was fully laying back against Paul!! 

The ending: this is just so brutal because Paul doesn’t leave the flat to get his guitar, he borrows one of John’s and so when Yoko calls and John starts doing the whole ‘I wish you were here, you’re the only one who stops me disappearing’ it’s literally…. In Paul’s face. And it hurts. Then at the very end they cut between John on the phone to Yoko and Paul on the phone to Linda, and so Paul says ‘I love you’ to Linda, then John says ‘I love you too’ to Yoko but it sounds like they said it to each other, and then Here Today plays. The fact most people didn’t appear to be crying baffled me quite frankly. 

Yoko: They decided to have Yoko be the one who actually invited Paul, which felt like an odd choice and didn’t really add anything for me, but there we go 

Okay I’m gonna shut up there because this is way too long and I doubt anyone’s read it but ahhhhhhhhh it was so good and you’re just all lucky I can’t text you because my friends have had much more incoherent versions of all this