#i know its not but it looks like his og setup so much

[calamity-unlocked]

Sigh. I accidentally posted my half-finished answer to a really kind ask and then in a panic deleted all of it.

So! Rewriting it all. (Hope you'll see this, anon <3) I unfortunately don't have a copy of the ask, but what anon basically asked for were my reasons why I stopped listening to dndads.

There are a couple, mostly boiling down to that I felt increasingly frustrated with Anthony and the waste of potential in season 2. I'll elaborate on this - really happy someone asked me about this actually, I've been looking for an excuse to write out my thoughts on the matter.

Dndads negativity under the cut (aka hater hours)

First of all prefacing this with saying that the most important factor was probably my personal mental health. But we're not here to talk about that, we're here to rant!! So, here is my little wordspew which I've been wanting to write for literal months:

Rejecting the Storytelling Medium You Use and Ignoring the Consequences

Let's start on a positive note; I love the comedy of this show and the cast's chemistry. Every time I listened to an episode, I laughed so hard my jaw hurt. They are incredibly funny people.

However, every time as the credits rolled after "On My Way," a sense of nervous disappointment lingered. The problem sat in season 2's story. Every episode is funny, but the narrative steps that were taken were just frustrating, going in a direction that lead either to meaningless conflict or another fetch quest with minimal results.

Dungeons and Daddies should not be a Dungeons and Dragons podcast.

People struggling with the rules and deciding to do their own thing with it can have its charm - it never annoyed me in the first season of the Adventure Zone. But with dndads it actively hinders the show and the storytelling.

It's just... Anthony isn't that good of a DM.

He knows the rules of d&d 5e. He just doesn't want to use them. He gets frustrated when his players take creative actions that undermine the story he planned out. An example is the confrontation between the teens and Willy. Lots of really creative actions and high-level spells were used, but Anthony consistently shut those down and in the end it all went according to how he wanted it to go.

They frequently rerecord scenes when they feel it didn't work out. That's not exactly letting the dice decide, which is what the whole genre is based on!

My sister and I used to speculate on where the story could go, and we often jokes 'this is good stuff, Anthony Buch take notes', and those jokes turned from (affectionate) to (derogatory) once it became clear to us that the direction Anthony was taking really didn't sit right with us.

Season 2 truly had so much potential. We have a set of really interesting PCs who have a strong relationship with a set of equally (if not more) interesting NPCs. The setup of the Doodler as a bbeg was great - and so was the reveal of the Doodler's true feelings.

But the story dragged out, didn't grow, the jokes detracted and distracted from the narrative, emotional beats were unearned, etc. I was bored with the characterization of the kiddads and their actions. The return of the og dads was messy and took away from the story. The three month time skips during a period in which there were supposed to be stakes made me want to rip my hair out.

There's a whole other essay I can make about how d&dads undermines it own stakes, but this is already getting too long so that's for another time.

Also, and I'm so sorry to use Anthony as a punching bag this much, but the man verbally undermines himself so much. He constantly says he doesn't like the second season, negatively compares both PCs and storybeats with the first season, and disses his own capabilities. I understand anxiety well, believe me I do, but continuously saying that you don't think this thing you've created is any good to your fans on your own podcast gets frustrating. This seems to me something you share your personal circle or your therapist, not to your thousands of fans who probably listen to the podcast because it brings them joy!

I have so much more to say, talking about this truly sparks joy in me. But all that matters I suppose is that I've happily divorced. Sadly writing about Lark Oak genuinely helps me cope with all the stuff that's going on, so I'll be tied to this podcast for a while longer.

[elfdragon12]

You know... I think my personal top 5 Transformers stories in no particular order are:

Beast Wars

IDW2

Bumblebee 2018/ROTB

G1 Sunbow cartoon

Earthspark

BW just overall has really good and consistent character writing and development with a nice balance of silly kids show to serious thought-provoking story. The graphics and rendering are indeed dated but the actual animation looks better than a lot of later shows (TFP, CV, and ES are some of the only computer animated TF shows that hold up against it). Say what you will of Blackarachnia/Silverbolt, Blackarachnia never once takes a back seat to SB (he's her malewife) after they get together and her story is always hers (unfortunately rare for m/f ships). Everyone wants the Dinobot arc even if they can't figure out why it was so good (I'd say WFC was the closest to replicating the true spirit of it). It's also what I grew up with.

IDW2 has so many female characters, well-known and obscure, and I love them all (no Furman nonsense here!). Plus, good queer ships right off the bat with none I dislike. I also find the setup for Cybertronian society really interesting and I enjoyed the exploration of a society that has so heavily defined itself by its war trauma. I appreciated the handling of Geomotus. Also, I very much appreciated how fair it was to organic races (pity it was canceled before Ruckley could include humans). I also felt like this series had a better handling on how to make safety vs freedom a more balanced argument (for example, I did sympathize with the struggle of the Constructicons, but WHEW! That's a good show as to why leaders held the people back even if it was a bit self-fulfilling prophecy).

BBB/ROTB are what we wanted for live action films. They're not high art, but they have good characters, fun action, decent pacing, nice character designs, and touching moments. The human drama doesn't overshadow the Transformers story the fans are here for.

G1 is the OG, what can I say? It's an 80s show meant to sell toys to kids, but it's still good (as long as you remember what it is). While there certainly are some episodes that are very... Episode, there are also some legitimately good stories. Also, I personally loved season 2 just being a long string of character vignettes (the two Tracks episodes are top tier as well as the Blaster. There are a lot of good organic characters, including some really good female characters. It's a fun time, overall.

The second youngest Transformers series has had a pretty strong showing for a first season (the season finale was rushed and wonky, but that reeked of the showrunners getting yanked around without a clear answer on whether they got a season 2 or not and, unfortunately, not unusual for the franchise). The animation is top notch, blending 2D and 3D really well. The fight choreography is exciting. The family dynamic is heartwarming. I extra love Swindle here with his brother, Hardtop. The hints of the past have been enticing and I'm curious as to what further reveals are in store.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend, still here though its been a very long work week, and still stewing in my bitterness about the OG finale 😠. And by finale I mean season 6 in general. Like, there are parts of the LS season that sucked and absolutely could and should been done better (dropping the marriage plot and 50% of the police investigations to make room for the 3 tragic storylines in the finale to breathe over the season and let it end with a happy wedding pretty much fixes 99% of the problems) but it could at least have been done better. I think if you asked me how to save S6 I would say something like "with a time machine to S4" or "don't try, just burn it to the ground".

And if I really think about it, it didn't start out this way? Remember 1000 years ago when we got 6x01?? I remember being excited because the things being setup looked legitimately interesting for all the characters. Buck starting his leadership arc, Chim and Maddie repairing their relationship, Hen struggling with to balance her job and medical school, Eddie having to deal with Chris growing up (remember that?), Bobby and Athena going to see her family and giving her a chance for closure, everyone had something that made sense for where they were when S5 ended. Even 6x02 didn't look too bad, I though Buck's happiness arc would end up tying into his leadership one, and basically turn into a finding peace with yourself plot. And maybe its just me but suddenly there was this abrupt, weird shift in 6x04?? Like all these wonderful potential season-long plotlines suddenly needed to get wrapped up ASAP? Maybe those scripts were already written before the cancellation news came in because when I look back it feels like a different show. I remember being excited that the firefam was a focus again, we got them back!! And then the slow disappointment as the season went along to find that those moments didn't ever hold any weight. Am I imagining all this??

I don't know if any of this makes sense. When things disappointment me I tend to shift into analysis mode and try and make sense of it, and after thinking back to those first few episodes, i feel like this isn't the season we were supposed to have. Like all that promise in the first couple of episodes suddenly got replaced with half thought out nonsense. Again, I don't know if I'm trying to make a coherent statement here, or maybe checking in to see if I remember things right.

Anywho, hope you are doing well on your end cause we have a long, fraught hiatus up ahead. I've started to watch The Night Agent for a distraction and so far (I'm mostly through episode 2) am enjoying it. Rose hasn't done too much but I see the potential with her character and Peter looks like a highly whumpable partner for her. Can't wait to see where it goes. Got any good recs for further watching during hiatus (to distract me from keeping an eye out for KR hopefully making a career change)?

Hello my friend! It has indeed been A Week and that's even without all the 911 nonsense. You're not imagining things though! There was a lot of potential set up at the beginning of the season, though much like the blimp emergency, it turned out to be a lot of hype for an anticlimactic dud of a season. (I'm also wondering if the shift came about after the cancelation notice went out since it was before October, but also we all saw season 5 so KR just being Bad At Showrunning could also be a lot of the problem. If they were getting canceled you would think they would make an effort to...IDK make it better? Not waste any time? Have all the mains all the time doing all the things? What an idea 🙄)

A time machine back to season 4 would have been nice! LS definitely had pacing issues but you're right that just spacing some of it out could have solved a lot of problems. Also cutting Owen's billion plots outside of the firehouse and giving that time to emergency calls where we see more of the 126 interacting would have helped. But OG feels very much like a "throw the whole thing out and start over" kind of deal. Even the ideas that WERE good were executed so poorly that really just starting from scratch is the only fix. *sigh*

Anyway, I hope you enjoy The Night Agent, it was a lot of fun! Rose is very much "wet feral cat" energy and down to commit crimes at all times, while Peter is so "golden retriever that got left on the porch in the rain" energy it hurts. They're wonderful and I love them so much! Enjoy!

I'm not really watching much else? I started White Collar with my mom since I lost track of that show at some point and never finished it, and I'm about to watch the last episode or two of So Help Me Todd which I found to be some silly, laid back fun. I also really enjoyed Animal Control. It was absolutely RIDICULOUS but also sweet and fun. Shred and Emily are TOO CUTE. I'm working on finding something else to watch, but I'm also working on my Countdowns fic FINALLY even if it's just a lot of bullet points right now. I have some fun ideas I'm excited to work on so hopefully I will be able to get that done before the show comes back to suck the life out of me again. Or, if we're lucky, turn my brain to static in a GOOD way! Also, if you want to dissolve into a puddle of feelings, the new Ed Sheeran album WRECKED me this week so there's that too. I'm just full of emotions!

Hopefully next week will see both of us feeling a little better, or at least on the motivated side of salty and spiteful instead of the mournfully sad side! If season 7 and ABC don't give us episodes we can make song posts about I'm going to pull a Jason Mendoza and start throwing Molotov cocktails.

[bchemiqn]

bucket watches scream 5

i have a bad case of anxiety and cannot really handle horror movies but i will do anything for my hyperfixations and its currently Jenna Ortega and Wednesday so i’m watching scream 5 rn and will be live tweeting (live blogging???) here lol. exposure therapy ig…

SPOILERS FOR SCREAM 5 AHEAD!!

okay so i already saw some spoilers so ik who the killer is LMAO.

“Looking fetching” LMAO WHAT IS THAT KIND OF PHRASE ???

Jenna has impeccable acting just saying

girlie got stabbed and just PUNCHES THE DUDE LMAO LOVE THAT FOR HER

my god that jump-scare scared the shit out of me. OH MY GOD THROUGH HER HAND????

Jenna should play a final girl sometime, she’d be perfect (ik she survived in the babysitter killer queen but okay)

ah good, Jenna is still alive whoop whoop

everyone is suspicious but ik that that’s the point lol.

Jenna looks like a corpse lmaoo

AMBER SHES THE KILLER RIGHT???

Sam, we love Sam. We don’t love Amber.

ah yes i kinda hoped he would die.

Sam’s bf watching Stabs while sitting in the hospital next to his gf’s sister who just got stabbed has got to be the weirdest thing ever…

OH SHE HALLUCINATING, OH SHE NOT HALLUCINATING.

i know the secret too i think (this is a guess), Sam is the child of one of the previous killers (I’m guessing billy loomis?)

I FUCKING KNEW IT AAAHH.

Jenna’s acting… so good!

eyo thats Sidney!

mindy went on a whole monologue i love her call me crazy but sounds like a hyperfixation rant

damn those hallucinations really be hallucinating good.

i feel a jump-scare coming, i was right.

oooo mr wallows is gonna die isnt he

oh should’ve seen the mom coming tbh. gosh so much blood… so many stabs

this whole scene of mr wallows walking around his kitchen but nothing happening is giving me the heebie jeebies :(

AH GHOSTFACE IS IN THE HOUSE… that seems like such a horrible way to die tbh… also omg how graphic :(

EYO COURTENEY COX AAHH

Gale x Dewey redemption pls 🙏

stupid police

girlie why u getting out of bed ur barely alive. i feel so sorry for Tara omg. but again… impeccable acting wow.

uhoh there goes Richie…

impeccable timing whoop whoop.

NO NOT DEWEY, YESSS YOU GO DEWEY, NO DEWEY WHY R U GOING BACK??? NO DEWEY WHYYYY MY GOD HOW GRUESOME :(((

ig we’re not getting that Gale x Dewey redemption :(

SIDNEY CAME BACK??? GIRL LITERALLY THE LAST THING SHE SHOULDVE DONE.

Tara and Sam have such a sweet relationship bye :(

Gale and Sidney is a comedic due lol

Naw poor Tara with her astma

DID HE GET STABBED IN THE BALLS ??? Okay it was his leg great. why is the killer so aGRESSIVE WITH THE STABS???

also can i just say, no one besides Jenna even looks remotely like a teenager oh my god

“Hi GenZ” LMAO THIS DUDE

if I didn’t already know who it was, pink haired girlie would look reaaaallyy suspicious rn.

OH MY GOD THEYRE AT THE OG HOUSE??? THATS SO GOOD???

nooo not Mindy we love her

OH MY GOODDD THAT REVEAL WAS SO FUN???

“I’m not the fucking killer” “yeah i know” *shoots* AAAHH I LOVE IT

uhoh there goes Gale.

aw poor Tara, SAM WHY ARENT U CUTTING TARA LOOSE??

AH SIDNEY NO

OH MY GOD IT WAS RICHIE TOO FINWIDNWI WHAAATT WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HIM AND AMBER??? Oh subreddit wow…

UHOH SIDNEY

GO TARA GO TARA!!!

oh Amber has to be set on fire because of the hand sanitizer setup… I KNEW ITTT

i wanna be covered in blood and pretend stab someone too… someone cast me in a horror movie rn pls

Tara and Sam hugging :,) i love them

AHH MINDY AND CHAD SURVIVED FUCK YEAAAH

we love the og final girl x new final girl

Hearing the wallows at the end is such a wake-up call after a slasher horror movie LMAOO??

okay this was great for my reintroduction into horror (believe it or not i was very into horror when i was younger)! overall a 8/10 tbh

I’ll definitely be watching Scream 6 in theaters!

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Vergil's campaign in pinnacle/peak of combat

Okay, since this game is #1 a mobile game (though it is coming to pc eventually too!) #2 doesn't have a global release, and #3 convoluted if this game is canon or not it doesn't surprise me that fandom doesn't talk about this game that much. However, there is some things I do want to talk about with this game and I want to talk about Vergil (act shocked the Vergil simp wants to talk about Vergil)

I've heard it that's this game is supposed to be a "retelling" of dmc 3, from everything I've seen of this games story I belive (in my opinion since I think there's going to be more chapters added once the global release happens) this is false. I think most people think this because of the cgi trailer showing Dante and Vergil's first encounter once the tower in 3 "with a twist" - I'm sorry to break it to you but that cgi trailer is misleading on what the story actually is but it definitely was cool though. It makes much more sense that think game takes place in between dmc 3 and dmc 1 given Dante's started his business and already knows Lady.

However I can hear some of you saying: "But Vergil's mentioned in the story wanted to meet up with Dante!" I might make a more detailed post about this but the tldr is given some context shown in the story I don't think who sent the "note" was actually Vergil and if we do see/fight Vergil in game it's actually going to be like the retconned version of the Gilver situation all over again with this "Vergil" being a clone, except he's a more "accurate" clone given Mundus has his hands on the real deal in hell at this time.

Though if poC is non canon or a "retelling" of dmc 3 (which is ehhhh doesn't make sense given what the games story itself gives us) I'll treat this and the following more like headcanon because I rather like this approach.

Okay anyway, Vergil's campaign:

"Vergil has a campaign in this game?" Yes, yes he does and it's actually not an SE version of a campaign where basically you replay the games main missions with Vergil and it not being canon (but I think you still can do that with Vergil in this game, Vergil mains eating well as always) its a unique though straightforward campaign, think of dmC's Vergil's downfall dlc (but not too hard or you might hurt yourself with the poor quality of said dlc) it doesn't though have much story to it so what I'm about to say is extremely headcanony about what I'm about to add to it and includes context given from visions of V but I think given context/setup of the campaign could make sense.

So where does Vergil's poC campaign start?

Doesn't this scenery seem familiar to you?

That's right awfully familiar to the spot of hell we see in dmc 3 where Vergil falls and sights Mundus. Now, this is dmc 3 Vergil obviously, in hell. Are you putting the dots together? This campaign is Vergil's traversing hell.

"But Moosh in the cutscene we see Vergil running straight to go fight Mundus, he wouldn't have time to fight a campaign!!"

You might be right, but think about it this way: he might appear close here and not that far away but this is the form he takes when he's watching/observing things - ex: the form he watches then kills OG Griffon with, the form over Trish's shoulder when he tells her she's failed him - yes he might be able to communicate and attack in this form but this isn't his true form, and here in this scene in one of Sparda's children fallen right in his domain - you know, son of his biggest rival he's going to want to see him while in true form.

Now this is also Mundus we're talking about, the Demon emporer, without a doubt I imagine just by just looking at Vergil he can tell how weak and exhausted he is after just getting his shit wrecked by Dante on top of all of the other battles he's had in just one day on that tower. Vergil in this moment I see being on 15% strength, extremely weak but strong enough to pull a Vergil and not back down from a fight when he sees one - especially against his mother's killer. Mundus is of course going to taken advantage of this situation, not because he's worries Sparda's son might defeat him (if Vergil was on 100% honestly that might be another story) but because this is Sparda's son. He wants him to go through as much pain and torture as possible BECAUSE he's Sparda's son for his own sick amusement and way as revenge.

And Vergil? Vergil throws away Yamato's scabbard fully ready ride or die in this fight before charging at him - charging at his own demise.

So imagine this; Vergil's campaign doesn't really have a "story" to it - its just basically fighting hoard after hoard of demons. Imagine this is exactly Vergil's charging towards, running towards Mundus but is ambushed hoard. After hoard. After hoard. After hoard of demons coming to Mundus' service just to further and further wind Vergil down, that 15% strength percentage goes down with each encounter but he toughs himself through it just to get closer and closer to Mundus - unknowingly this is the demon emporer's plan to weaken him down further and further, yet, he is Sparda's spawn afterall so Mundus knows he will make it to him in time: each hoard leads the son of Sparda further and further towards Mundus' court where the emporer waits patiently for him.

Of course Vergil's has his trademark three weapons in game of course strictly for gameplay purposes but in this hypothetical canon he only has Yamato on him, no need of a scabbard because there is never a still moment as he goes through the hoard, but unknowingly the blade actually grows weaker and weaker the closer he draws towards Mundus but he holds onto it tight with every attack he makes, it was his savior during the attack when he was a child as evidence by vov and deep in his heart Vergil tells - no promises himself it will be what cuts out and destroys the one responsible for the destruction of his family.

Eventually, the last hoard falls and there Vergil stands in Mundus' "court" staring down the demon emporer's true blasphemous angelic form. He didn't get his father's power as planned, he failed... but that was okay now he faced his true enemy.

His father did it. He can too.

Bloodied, beaten, and barely on his feet the son of Sparda points out his blade - his back stand tall. Right now he's at 3% but he doesn't care, he refuses to show this repugnant filth any weakness. He's waited elven years for this exact moment. Imagine the wicked smile across his face, no matter how bloodied and bruised and on the verge of collapse he might be. He will have this. He will have this victory.

Mundus one shots him.

You know those red eye lasers that he shot at Dante and Trish in dmc 1? It only takes one.

Yamato shatters.

Only left at the hilt as Vergil watches in actual terror - his sword, his protector, for eleven years. But he doesn't let go of it. It never leaves his hands once, in fact he only grabs onto it tighter from his place on the ground. It looks pathetic in its current form - blade as small as a kitchen knife - but he refuses to let go. Even as his body, numb yet highly aware, limp yet stiff, and nearly lifeless as it currently is, is suddenly impaled and sprawled up from off the ground.

The demon emporer's words ring:

He refuses. He refuses. He refuses. He refuses. He refuses...

It's all helpless. Vergil feels like a child again. The fear. He can't move. He can't do anything. What came and saved him as a child; the Yamato - broken and only a fraction of it's previous self only minutes prior - no matter how much he tries to use the mere thread of demonic power flowing through him to summon it back to him, he can't. His hand reaches outspread towards where the sword stabs the wet ground below, begging for it to come save him once again.

It doesn't.

As everything grows dark.

[vampkomori]

anyone else think neo’s reports are weird about composers i think theyre weird about composers. lets make sense of joshuas status as composer and hazuki as comparison

this is gonna be a bit long. so anyway the og reports are p straightforward about what Composers (specifically, joshua) can and cannot do:

- Joshua can only pick up Hanekoma’s vibe, because Angel vibes are too high frequency for him to pick up

- Inter-planar contact (so, communication between the UG and the Higher Plane in this case) is difficult, which is brought up because

- The Composer, Joshua, only resides in the UG.

- But the Producer, who is an Angel, mainly resides in the Higher Plane, and only occasionally lingers in the UG.

The whole matter of jumping between worlds highlights the difference between their abilities even more:

- As Composer, Joshua is one of the beings who can jump between worlds, but isn’t meant to do so often. His vibe dipped too low, so Hanekoma had to come retrieve him, because as an Angel this sort of travel is simple for him.

the OG reports make it pretty clear Joshua isnt an Angel

*But. unfortunately its not that easy. because by clearing the final time trial joshua gives you an item called Angel Feather (天使のハネ in JP), of which the description says “Our buyer used divine means to acquire this mysterious feather that was once in the possession of Shibuya's Composer.“ (which some have interpreted as, “in the possession of” meaning “it was given to him” potentially by hanekoma, who actually IS an Angel)

and if things are vague, we turn to the JP to clear us up! but its. still vague there bc it says “バイヤーが特別な力で入手した渋谷エリアのコンポーザーが持っていた謎の羽根“ (The mysterious feather that was held/carried by the Composer of the Shibuya area that the buyer obtained with a special power)

so. we are none the wiser about whose feather this is. i imagine its up to interpretation whether its joshuas feather or hanekomas, who then gave it to joshua. but given how clearly the reports differentiate between the Composer and Angels in regards to their abilities, suffice to say theres two interpretations that are most likely

- Composers arent Angels, their power disparity is just too much

- Composers are Angels, but theyre so much weaker compared to the Angels who reside in the Higher Plane that they’re never referred to as Angels, just as Composers

which takes us to neo, and hazukis little lightshow

i think its notable that the reports dont comment on kubos so-called “exorcism”, and only on haz erasing his noise.

haz himself refers to his little stunt as “exorcising” kubo, while in JP he actually says haiki 廃棄, get rid of, revoke, invalidate.

i think its important that he clarified “i didnt erase him, i exorcised him”. because with kubo, the executor, being an Angel from the Higher Plane, a Composer shouldnt be able to erase someone of higher ranking than them. i think as the person who called upon kubo in the first place, haz could specifically revoke his services and send him back to the Higher Plane.

which means kubo wasnt erased, he was just sent back. hes still kickin

we could leave things right here as they are. Canonically, Composers are so far beneath Angels to a point where even if they were Angels themselves, they are so much weaker than them that they could hardly be referred to as such

this is where the facts end. but im gonna keep going and have fun speculating about things and include some i dont have physical proof of (yet)

its notable that in JP, hazuki says that kubo tried to purify shibuya probably because he wanted to be praised by Hazuki. which is weird if kubos supposed to be higher ranking than haz. (in EN, haz just says hes always been an overachiever) but lets put a pin in that for later 📌

which takes us to the matter of Shinjuku’s Producer. or their lack thereof

throughout all of neo’s reports, there is not a single mention of Shinjuku having a Producer. before neo, we kind of assumed every UG’s setup follows largely the same structure. a Composer, a Conductor, a Producer, and then some Reapers. but Shinjuku does not seem to have a Producer. and i think its because it doesnt need one.

its important to remember Who is writing these reports and Who theyre for. the reports are written by shibuyas Producer, and theyre written for the Higher Plane. and shibuyas Composer cant pick up the vibes of any Angel except hanekoma, so he cant be the one writing the reports for beings he cant even pick up the vibes from, especially since he only resides in the UG.

and yet, hanekoma comments that Hazuki should have filed a report, and that haz is disinterested in the lower planes.

in English its a little vague about who hes talking about, but the JP specifies Shinjukus Composer as the subject of this sentence.

throughout both reports, the UG and RG are considered part of the lower planes. its strange for a Composer to have no interest in the very planes they govern, plus for a Composer to file a report to the Higher Plane when its been established that Joshua, as a Composer, cant even perceive anyone from there.

so i think Hazuki may actually be a proper Angel from the Higher Plane, who was potentially demoted to become Shinjukus Composer.

though you can very much interpret haz “exorcising” kubo as simply “sending him back whence he came”, its of course pretty anticlimactic to see this massive laser beam essentially disintegrate kubo on a molecular level, only for it to have been a quick ride back to the higher plane with kubo being perfectly in tact after. if haz were actually much more powerful than an ordinary Composer, itd make sense why he would have been able to erase an Angel like kubo so. thoroughly.

this would also explain why kubo may have wanted to be praised by hazuki in the JP dialogue. with hazuki potentially being an outlier for Composers and being far Higher ranking than kubo, our executor may have wanted to sucker up a bit. maybe get promoted and away from his “basically a janitor” job if haz puts in a good word for him upstairs

theres also hazukis entire demeanor, and how Bad he is at acting like a normal person

we know of four paths that Players can take

they can choose erasure

they can choose resurrection to return to the RG

they can become Reapers

they can become Angels

and Reapers can eventually become Angels, though its yet unclear if the only way for that to happen is

for them to become Composer (potentially the Lowest Angel-rank there is) and thats it.

or if Composers can ascend and become Actual Angels and eventually reside in the Higher Plane, though how a successor for the seat of Composer is chosen in that scenario is yet entirely unknown since Usually the seat only becomes vacant when the previous Composer is defeated

or if they, as a Reaper, need to Ask the Composer who then asks the Producer to send a guy for evaluation or something

or if the Higher Plane has like, a talent scout guy somewhere.

potentially more than one may apply but at least the last point is the most likely, because

Conductors are invited to the Higher Plane (probably to become Angels) upon purification

(interesting to note that Composers are not mentioned as being invited, which would point to “theyre Angels, but like, weak-ass Angels”)

anyway, the point is that so far weve been told that Angels were Players or Reapers at one point. we know Joshua was a Player for sure, given the morsels of backstory we get from him and Hanekoma. but we dont know if All Angels came from the RG at one point, or if Angels that have always been Angels exist.

either way, the point is that for Hazuki to act so non-human like and to be disinterested in the UG and RG, he either must have been an Angel for a very long time, or he was never human to begin with.

this is relevant to how he interacts with joshua in the Secret Ending, though its a lot less obvious in English, in JP their dynamic is clear: Joshua is his senior, and as his junior, Hazuki looks to him as an example.

for one, thats hilarious. secondly, that recontextualizes like everything

‘course, you could keep the interpretation that theyre just Both weak-ass angels and hazuki just made kubo use a flashy dramatic elevator to the HP and nothing groundbreakingly powerful happened, but thats kinda anticlimactic

so. staying w the idea that hazuki may be a demoted Angel from the Higher Plane, then itd make sense for Joshua to have been Composer for longer than him, and for haz to act Like...That, since he couldve been not-human for a Very long time, or Never was one in the first place, but is still a younger Composer bc he got demoted like. 4 years back or something.

it also explains why Shinjuku may not need a Producer, and why Hazuki is the one writing his reports. its because hes still an Angel from the Higher Plane, so he does not need an intermediary to contact other Angels.

so to summarize what im tryna say here

Hazuki may have initially been a regular Angel from the Higher Plane, before he eventually got demoted to become Shinjukus Composer, despite how disinterested he is in the UG and RG. (he is considered to be “infamously unsympathetic”, a trait which is reinforced in the JP version to be something he is known for amongst the Higher Plane, which could potentially be the reason for his demotion)

Since hes Joshuas junior, that means he hasnt been Composer for as long as Joshua has, so Hazuki looks to him to know what youre even supposed to do/how to act/etcetera as Composer. With his Special circumstances, he does not need a Producer as an intermediary to interact with the Higher Plane, because hes already an Angel so he can do it himself.

whatever Angel Hierarchy there may be, Hazuki is at the very least a higher rank than an Executor, considering how kubo wanted to impress him, and how haz effortlessly got rid of him. with kubo being from the Higher Plane, joshua is decidedly lower ranking than kubo, and cant even pick up his vibe. which clearly positions haz into a unique circumstance as a Composer bc of this discrepancy in ranking and power. amen

<><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><> <><><>

theres other things that back this up but i unfortunately do not have a source for them, so This section, take with a grain of salt.

Supposedly, in neo’s data files:

Joshua is referred to as an Advanced Angel

Kubo as a Junior Angel, and

Hazuki as a Senior Angel

i only heard this secondhand and have no way of corroborating this myself, but if this is true then that lines up with the super long super sexy little essay i just wrote up there

this “ranking” solidifes Kubos position as Hazukis underling. which, if he were an ordinary Composer, wouldnt even be possible.

Joshua is notably a different rank from Haz, though its difficult to figure out if “Advanced” is supposed to be Lower than junior, or Higher than senior. thats up to interpretation until its possibly ever acknowledged,

but my interpretation is that an Advanced Angel is lower than a Junior Angel. i think “advanced” in this case is meant to refer to the traditional evolution of players to reapers to the composer, advancing from one status to the next.

--

**Little post-edit, @/inkerii gave me the actual designation in the files! (so this ones backed-up!)

so in the files, theyre designated ranks are as follows

Joshua: 男、天使上級 ※前作  (Male, Senior/Advanced Grade Angel ※from the Previous work)

Hazuki: 男、天使上級 (Male, Senior/Advanced Grade Angel)

Kubo:   男、天使下級 (Male, Junior/Lower Grade Angel)

so haz and joshua are the same rank bc theyre both Composers! since thats an internal data text kinda thing it might not have any bearing on like, potential Technical exceptions since they Are both the same “job”, but mightve gotten it under different circumstances.

as for kubo potentially being lower ranking than even a Composer, i think unless we find out what a Producers ranking is, we cant say much abt whether an Executors lower or higher. i kinda mean it in the sense of,  Producers are a Composers subordinate bc they follow their orders and have to create the things theyre tasked to make by the Composer (pins, etc), but may still be “higher” in ranking because they reside in the Higher Plane/jump between parallel worlds, while a Composer cannot. an Executor may be in a similar position where theyre a Composers underling, tasked by Composers to purify things, but may actually be “higher” in ranking because they reside in the higher plane, etc!

i think regardless of whether kubo turns out to be lower ranking than joshua or not, hazuki could still be Even More Higher in a way where he actually has like, sway over whether he could get a promotion! if that was his intent. he could also just be a huge suck up. a real kiss ass. teachers pet for angels

---

theres also the ntwewy Official Guidebook, which has a small comment beneath hazuki that says

and i additionally remember an interview, though i dont have a source for this claim and i could very much be misremembering, but i recall seeing the reason for hazuki not being the final boss is because they did not think players could suspend their disbelief far enough to accept that the twisters would be able to defeat a being from the Higher Plane.

which is perfectly reasonable, but

Composers are meant to be able to be defeated by Players or Reapers. if hazuki really was so powerful that itd be impossible for them to defeat him, then hed be far too strong to be an ordinary Composer, since thats. how you take over in the first place. thats kinda the whole plot of og twewy.

anyway that concludes my case

[meili-sheep]

Hi! I am curious about your honest opinion of My Hero Academia. Because I started the show and was hyped about it, but then when I started creating my own worlds and began looking more into My Hero I stopped liking it. Do not get me wrong, the creator was a genius in his own right, but I hate how they define the word hero as a job anyone can take. And Izuku in my opinion seems a bit to much like a stalker for my liking, he only cleaned a beach and got the OFA, that is comunity service

So my main issue with MHA is partly because people treat it like a masterpiece of anime. When its like the baseline stereotype of Shounen anime. Like people tried calling it part of the new big three but has done nothing for anime like the Real big three have. Like OGs managed to keep Shounen anime going during some rough times.

Also, can I talk about Bakugo?

And how he's like a massive piece of shit?

Like I haven't seen enough to see his growth but there is the thing. I don't want. He's incredibly unlikeable and his growth is too slow. So it's to the point I don't care to see him grow better. He doesn't deserve it. It's just a pos. I don't care about "Oh he has to stay anger" Or whatever it is. You could take the comectp and not make a total ass fucking hole.

Also, Izuku is a little Bitch. And I feel the amount he pushes himself to is kind of toxic.

Also also Momo's design is like makes me uncomfy cause she's like 16 at the oldest? And I just don't trust people.

Also also also some quirks are busted and the writer doesn't seem to understand how to balance that out. Cause though I don't keep up it seems that's what happened with The American Hero.

But like I said. My Hero isn't Popular for its actual work and characters. It's popular because of what the idea allows its audience to do with the basic world setup. It's like James Bond; it's just a power fantasy, at least in my opinion. And at least Steven U had decent music and was trying to give a good massage. And Lars might have been the worst character to provide a Harlock homage. But ya know, at least there was a Space pirate captain Harlock homage.

Oh well here is the joy though. I don't have to watch my hero. I don't have to interact with fans. And I feel that's the most important thing here. You never have to watch something cause it's popular. And you don't need to try and rain on other people's parade for liking something popular. I like older anime. I like space westerns, I like spy and magic worlds. Slice of life, it's school but different, isn't really isn't my speed. So I knew my hero wouldn't be my thing. So ya know. that's cool.

[bandersnatch-cucumberpatch]

cbs ghosts opinions

i hadnt intended on posting about cbs ghosts because i hadnt intended on watching it (it just didnt seem like my cup of tea) but the curiosity got to me and now i have thoughts, please stick around for below the cut to hear them (pls note that i have nothing against the show, but i also dont think i owe it any favours just because the story comes from our six idiots):

it was,,, alright. it wasnt a struggle to watch, i laughed a couple of times, but it didnt do all that much to draw me in (that being said perhaps if i hadnt seen the bbc one first i would have been more interested). but there are a couple things i want to talk about

visuals - we all already knew what it was going to look like, very set like, basic lighting setups, cheap costumes, its not ideal. the look of the show doesnt strictly take anything away from it, but i feel like if more effort had been put into costuming and cinematography it really could have elevated the show. also i had some issues with editing; theres one scene in episode one that i found super confusing because they kept breaking the 180 rule and i couldnt get a sense of the locations, there were also some very obvious edits in this scene which really took me out of it. the greenscreen/sfx werent fantastic either but im willing to look past that because its not something i care about personally

dialogue - there are definitely some good jokes, tho it felt odd to me just how much they lifted from the original scripts. i appreciate that the cast have clearly seen the og series but it meant some of the line delivery was exactly the same and that did feel like a bit of a cop out. i did enjoy how they played the sams dead ‘tough loss’ joke, because im sure for first time viewers there really would have been a moment of worry. 

writing - a little bit separate to dialogue a guess; there was too much exposition. they revealed so much information so quickly and it makes me worry how theyre going to stretch out a story. im not a fan of plot twists that simply contradict what we’ve been told and i feel thats all they can do from here. I cant see it having more than one decent season, because they havent left much space for the story to develop. i also didnt like how much they overexplained the jokes, i think it undermines the audiences intelligence. 

characters - the characters were a little cartoonish for my personal taste. in the bbc show the characters are the heart of the story and i dont feel theyre all that grounded in this version. i know the characters we know and love are flawed but theyre still likeable, and im finding it hard to like the cbs counterparts. im torn on isaac, i dont think hes bad as a character, im perfectly happy for him to be more camp than cap. but i do think theyre overdoing the gay jokes, and a lot of them are at his expense (ie the musical theatre jokes), i think itll be hard to create a layered, empathetic arc for him if the writers are too busy making us try to laugh at him.

relationships - i didnt enjoy the argument between sam and jay, i think thats not a good way to frame a caring couple (at least not from the outset) tho im pleased at how jay came around at the end. they dont feel on the same wavelength but im happy to give that time. i did NOT like petes comments about carol, why did they have to make him dislike her? i feel like its a very cheap and overplayed joke

pace - i feel like they jumped into the story too quickly, we didnt get as much context establishment prior to the start of the plot. its supposed to exist separately to the bbc version but it didnt take the time to set it up for a newcomer audience which feels a little odd. it sort of presumes you know the deal already

alright those are my major points, ive got a couple of tiny complaints:

- a couple of times it felt like they were going to address important aspects of history and colonisation but then they backed out, i think they should either commit or not, because edging a conversation does nothing productive

- the trevor nudity joke just felt a little crude and out of place, i dont think it was necessary 

- i like thorfinn but it sounds like hes doing a bad impression of chris hemsworths thor, which is already a bad impression (sorry chris hemsworth), idk why hes doing a weird english accent instead of a Scandinavian one

- sam was just a little too quick to adapt to the ghosts, its a major life event and she accepted it very suddenly

overall its fairly decent. i think the cast and crew enjoyed making it but it doesnt have the love put into that our beloved bbc ghosts possesses; tho that might develop over time as the cast gets to know eachother.  its not really my preferred sense of humour, but i enjoyed it enough to keep watching. and at the end of the day this version isnt a show for me and thats ok, other people should get to enjoy it.

i dont think anyone owes it to the idiots to watch and/or enjoy it, they really have no creative input. just because they approved the use of the idea doesnt mean theyre an active part of this version, so if  you dont wanna watch it isnt a slight against them. tho i presume they get royalties or something so if you wanna watch to help them get more then go for it. 

please feel free to discuss in the comments im open to all opinions so long as youre respectful

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hi JWB! How are you?I really hope you are getting better:)*Sending loads of positivity* I had a smol question, the show uses duplicates for Sobti and Irani a lot of times, in some scenes which involve many family members,its still not noticed but its so clearly visible when only the two of em share the frame with one being the dupe. I dont have much knowledge about direction but if og actors are able to give a front shot then why are they replaced for the back shots?Get well soon! ~short hooman

Hello Short Hooman <3

I am doing fine, thank you. Hope you're well! *grabbing the positivity with widespread arms*

Ok so this is how Indian television shoots go:

1) They shoot daily for 12 - 16 hours.

And they usually shoot 2-3 days in advance of the episode going live on air.

2) Most of the time goes in fixing sets, lighting set up, framing and of course - takes (where actors often give multiple takes for one shot).

So to shoot the red saree 'Rabba Ve' it probably took a few hours to set up the fairy lights, mirrors, props, adjust lights, camera focus, fans and then have the shot.

And while the set is getting ready - actors use that time to rehearse, bond, chat, makeup, costume and if they get a chance to grab a little nap if possible (cause it's exhausting).

3) Actors aren't always available.

- Since ITV works daily instead of a fixed calendar, actors don't always know when they're required in a scene because at times the script comes in on the day of the shooting! So they might just have a few hours to rehearse and perform.

- So when personal commitments come up (if an actor is sick, any family emergency) then usually the production will go over what's in the schedule for shooting and quickly film all the scenes where the character is required so as to the actor can leave quickly.

- For example on Khushi resignation scene (this scene does not have dupes) if Barun had to leave quickly because of a reason, then the setup would be to quickly have his reaction shots, his dialogues and his stares. Then he'd be able to quickly leave the set and Sanaya can film her monologue with someone else in Arnav's outfit just to give an illusion of Arnav standing.

- Also let's say Sanaya has a very taxing scene to perform right after a scene where all Khushi has to do is stand and look at events - then the crew will quickly film Khushi's reaction shots and let Sanaya go quickly to prep for the intense scene.

- And sometimes actor's schedules don't match up. Perhaps Akshay is available at one time and Dalljiet at another - they'll get the important closeups to complete the scene and then dupes for character shoulder/silhouette.

- So actors aren't 'replaced', rather the production moves like a factory and sees what is the most efficient way to shoot all the scenes and keep actors for important scenes.

Basically, efficiency and time management.

4) Usually one must not be able to spot a dupe.

- So things like Khushi and her dupe having completely different nail polish, different hair, mehendi (one real, the other a glittery sticker), or Arnav and his dupe having absolutely different hairstyles, awkward movements by Barun and Sanaya to fit in the dupe, or them being in COMPLETELY different cars when trying to show they're in the same car was... not well done. I think these were little mistakes that could've been better compensated.

- Also Barun and Sanaya have very prominent hands. I don't know what it is but their hands are very unique - especially Sanaya's, her nails are pretty unique and usually covered well enough if the dupe has shorter nails (I never got why they had someone with long pink/red ones).

- I'd say their script supervisor should've paid a bit more attention to point out the inconsistencies. (The script supervisor is usually responsible to make sure that things are consistent. For example in a scene where Arnav/Khushi are in the same car, it's strange that Arnav is in a car where the seats are cream/beige and Khushi is in one where the seats are black - it's a big goof up). If they had used the same car no one would've even understood that they were shot differently!

5) TV is not shot chronologically.

Which means that they might've shot the family's reaction to Teri Meri first, then Khushi accepting the award, then Arnav removing Khushi's hair clip and then the Teri Meri dance!!! So it's about nailing all the scenes with as much as efficiency possible :)

So I hope my length explanation answered your questions and gave you a small insight into the workings of the magical world of Indian Television!

Lots of love,

- JWB

[twdsunshine]

Previous anon again!

What made TWD so intriguining and attention catching was the focus on the OG group - all the way from S1E1 in the Quarry - and how each character in that group progressed, how they dealt with this new world around them, how they coped with their losses, etc. It was interesting to see how they had to adapt and learn how to behave in a new terrain where nothing was in their control and there was no system to control anything happening. The audience grew attached to these characters because we got to know them in detail, like you said, and that made us feel connected to the people and story. With the introduction of new communities, rushed intros of new characters only for them to disappear or be killed off for shock value without adding anything to the storyline, and characters who didn't even need to be introduced in the first place, erased the years worth of storyline existing. This show in its core premises is about survival and man vs. nature, it's about showing how regular individuals are forced to deal with something so alien and foreign. The earlier seasons really delved into those topics, in addition to showing how these people were affected mentally and emotionally, like Rick after Lori died. From what little I have seen in teasers, the show has become this spectactle of people in body armor (I don't even know how the materials for them could be supplied in the countryside of post-apocalyptic Virginia or wherever they are now) just fighting each other in these theatrical battles. Like...wasn't this show about the survival of human kind in a zombie-infested world all the while trying to keep their sanities, protecting their families and themselves, and the mental/emotional/psychological/physical toll it takes on an average human to live through the fear of death on a second-to-second basis?

For me, the show pretty much concluded with the Negan era wrapping up. Whatever happened after that, I do not accept as canon and blame it on lazy writing and not staying true to the show and what the fans loved the show for.

Yeah, I totally agree. It was about humanity, and what it means to try to retain that when everything around you has fallen apart, and how you form your own family to survive. That's what made it so refreshing and different from other stereotypical zombie movies and stuff. The threat didn't really matter, be it walkers, humans, nature, whatever... It was about their struggles to stay true to who they are and to look after the people they loved and do the right thing, and how they were forced to adapt and fight to find a place in the new world.

I think one of the best things about the Commonwealth (where, yeah, the stormtrooper uniforms are kinda ridiculous, and, also, I think they're in Ohio now??) is that I can at least understand the motivation behind the leaders and the people that live there - they want to get back to some sort of normal, restart civilisation, etc. And who wouldn't want that, given a choice, right? It is human nature to crave that kinda setup and protection because it's what most of the survivors would have known before, so I can see why they might turn a blind eye to some of the shady goings-on.

What I've struggled with before is that... we don't always really understand the motivation behind our villains. Like, Alpha was obviously just completely insane, but what sort of people would follow someone like that? Who would choose to wear the skin of a dead human being and wander with the corpses all day? And the Wolves and the Reapers - pretty much just killing for killing's sake with no thought or logic...

With Negan, I think it's kinda true that, if we'd followed his story from the start, we might have been on his side. He was trying to protect his community, he viewed people as a resource, and he used shock and violence to keep them in line... It wasn't pretty, but it at least made a twisted kind of sense.  He was finding his way, just like our group.  It still kept to the key themes that we fell in love with, to some extent.

There's really no denying that the show lost its way. I'm not sure even the most die-hard fans could argue with that. I guess what kept me watching, and still does, are the characters and relationships that I've grown attached to in spite of everything. I want to see how things end up for those people. Even if I hate it, I've come too far now to leave it unresolved.

Plus, it's all good fic inspiration, right? Much as I want to, I can't set everything I write at the prison...

[storyshark2005]

Hi, do you have any recs for high school era fics :)?

Abso-fucking-lutley I do. Here's the first ten that I can think of, in no particular order:

Teen!LawRusso Rec List: A Smattering of Ten Terrific Teenaged Fic Pics:

Give Me What You Don't Know by Highsmith @rhubarbdreams Technically this is collage AU but it's freshman year. A one-shot with gorgeous, resonant prose, crazy fun voice, and it's so much fun. A bit of a sleeper, this should have more kudos than it does.

Seven Minutes in Heaven by lostmagician @crocodoom lostmagician holds 4 out of the top 5 most kudos'd lawrusso stories in the fandom, she has a near cult following originating on twitter, she's one of my besties in the fandom, and ALL for good reason. Her stories care unfailingly funny, well-written, heartwrenching, and always super hot. She mostly writes adult Johnny/Daniel, this is one of her few high school lawrusso pieces.

Nothing but a Rebound by narcissablaxk @klovenhooves Narcissa kills it every time. This is the FIRST and ONLY "fake dating" LawRusso story I know of published as of today. Super sweet, well-written, and Ali is super fun and very human in this one.

for the small weird loves. by poetdameron @queencobra YES, it's one of my favorite LawRusso works OF ALL TIME, and YES, its adult LawRusso, but it has enough achingly gorgeous backstory of the boys as teenager to qualify. The most beautiful, poetic, heartwrenching story on the list. Probably because of the scale of it, the years spent pining, the adult romance helps amplify the bittersweetness of the teenage years in this one.

shades of healing (series) by StoriesofmyLife GOD so okay, I haven't read this one YET, I really have been meaning to. But I've heard nothing but great things. This is a series, with the third installment in progress. But just reading the summary and the first few paragraphs, I can tell it's great writing and an interesting setup. Plus, have you seen the kudos? Impressive for a series started only a month ago.

I'm Only Heading Down by A_LazyPanda "Kreese abusing teen Johnny" has become a bit of a mini-trope, but it all started here. A_LazyPanda is a reliably original, intelligent, insightful writer who isn't afraid to take risks. This was one of them, and I was so glad I gave it a try. (Unrelated plug-- Her Miguel-centric dark fantasy WIP "Who Is Like God?" is the most original, unique work in the fandom and it's my favorite WIP.)

Stockholm by A_LazyPanda Another by A_LazyPanda, this one-shot is part of a 2nd Person POV collection called "the You Series". This one in partiular is incredibly tight writing, and features a very cool vampire!Daniel. Also check out the Robby/Tory work in the same series, "Good for You." She's one of my favorite authors in the fandom, do not miss out on her writing.

"Deleted Scenes" #TeenLawRusso by TheEmpressAR @theempressar This series is one of the FIRST LAWRUSSO works in the fandom!! If you're an OG fan or writer, you know Empi. She hasn't been as active latley, so these are a bit hidden on the back pages of ao3. This teen series was structured as a set of "deleted scenes" that we didn't get to see in "The Karate Kid." Fun, sun-soaked, and full of teen drama, this full-cast epic series is a must-read for teen Lawrusso fans. You'll never look at a surfboard keychain the same way.

Danielle by TheEmpressAR This is the only WIP on the list, but I have to include it because it's way for fun than it has a right to be. A gender-swap setup featuring Ali as Daniel's bestie, Johnny can't stop looking at the "new girl". Plus there's this super compelling underurrent of Ali/Bobby that I love. Leave her a comment to continue!!

Strike First by horusporus @horusporus THE SLEEPER OF SLEEPERS!! This work!! Nobody reads it, because its from 2018 but it's SO GOOD. The Daniel in this is one of my favorites, super chatty (whether other people are involved or just himself), neurotic, strange, and super kind. Johnny's home life with Laura is fleshed out nicely, and it's one of the best Miyagi portrayals I've read. The fact that the sequel, "Strike Hard" is unfinished is a tragedy. But this one should be enjoyed by all teen LawRusso fans.

Enjoy, reblog with what I missed, there are more great ones out there!!

[icecreamkink]

so i watched cobra kai all in two days and i have so many -

this show has so many cool and smart angles to it, but the same time.... its so stupid oh my god everyone is so dumb literally mr miyagi held all of the braincells in this whole universe 

like i am but at the same time i am not surprised it was made like this, bc in hindsight of course there were hordes of ppl simping over johnny lawrence ....  but it still amuses me that this is like... an Actual Official Thing

ok this will get long so cut it is

how much fun this cast has is super visible and i love it

i rly enjoy how the world was expanded ! i did grow up watching the karate kid movies, so watching how they progressed the world of the movies so organically was pretty cool. it rly feels like its the same universe

i fucking LOVE stories that are largely about a Thing. dancing ,skating, sports its just so thrilling to experience this all consuming relationship people can have with this type of activity? and martial arts are just that much more intense, so yeah, grown ass men kicking each other around at the lightest provocation and a war veteran caring so much abt teen karate is Ridiculous.... but i love it all because thats the intensity i find so thrilling

was kinda surprised with how much im missing mr. miyagi. first because, like everyone is so unhinged jesus christo, it just really throws into relief how much his character grounded the narrative of the movies. but also hes just a really great character

and on that note it rly Gets Me that the show itself aknowledges that and plays that into daniels angst and all the little ways they sorta weave myiagisms into the whole show........ im not getting emotional over this dumb karate dads show OK

related - i really miss hearing ‘daniel-san’ 🥺🥺

ACE DEGENERATE oh god oh no

they really went down the down and out johnny lawrence route huh. like i was always kinda bummed we see kreese choking him and then we never see him again in the movies, and while i love dumpster fire problematic trash himbo ck johnny, its like......................... actually really sad that his life turned out like this fjngn

everytime i hear ‘babes’ and ‘pussy’ i die a little inside. i know thats the point but i am a v cringe easy person, have mercy (ehe)

loved the way they are constantly drawing parallels between johnny and mr. myiagi of all people. hes the handy man of his building that has a bullied kid asking for help and eventually steps up to teach them karate, beats up a bunch of bullies for him, creates a friendship with said kid, estranged from family, drinks his sorrows away, surprisingly one of the least quick to anger characters (which says more about everyone else really but.... Well.), no schemes or ulterior motives hes just tryna vibe here.... oh and ofc magically heals miguel of is asthma apparently. the true disciple.. meanwhile daniel is his usual messy petty self even tho he wants to be mr myiagi so bad 

also interesting about that is how miguels character is a parallel of both johnny and daniel at the same time

overall the parallels in ck are done really well, drawing comparisons and also subverting them constantly. theyre well thought out

THE PARALELOGRAMS

fr tho, the angle being explicitly the cycle of trauma and its effects and how trumatized adults in turn traumatize kids, maliciously or not, is so interesting

but! on the flip side of that, it feels like the writers are getting in their own way @ letting the characters grow. especially this last season. theres only so many times you can do "johnny and daniel are getting along but 5mins later they are (literally) fighting over some dumbass random issue" or "johnny puts in 20% of effort with robby and then gives up" before it gets on your nerves yknow?

i see daniel no longer talks like macchio ingested 15 shots of espresso before every take and idk how to feel about that tbh

interesting tension in daniel, as in, in tkk mr miyagi was there and daniel was frankly, kind of a lil shit, this messy petty spitfire hot tempered sassy kid,(johnny lawrence voice: just... stop being so annoying) but now hes the adult, and he wants to be mr. miyagi... but hes just not, and never will be to his very core and it shakes him and in a way hes trying to find who he is now that he sees himself in a position to be a not! cobra kai figure. i kinda really like that 

plus how that relates to his cobra kai trauma. idk if the writers thought abt it Like That, i think so, but in any case, its interesting bc it seems like daniel has told everyone whod listen about johnny lawrence his Pretty Boy Karate Rival and high school and 84 cobra kai... But. no one seems to know what went on in 85 (or 86? idk) which was just so much worse

like ye og cobras were shitheads, but tkk iii is just two hours of daniel being emotionally and physically tortured. 

like, the third movie is.............chaotic, to put it nicely, and many people ignore it, but the writers clearly didnt. daniels actions are, in a way, responding so much more to the events of tkk iii than to the first movie ie. johnny himself, AND. daniel doesnt rly seem to have dealt with that trauma? he never told sam? doesnt feel like hes ever told amanda? he doesnt even say terrys name out loud? freaks Out over kreese ? the way he reacts to robbys deceit? his FACE when he walks past the new "fear does not exist in this dojo" paint or kreeses photo? hmMm i sense Pain

his fashion tho........... disappointing. where are the flower shirts daniel huh we had one (1) shirt what a tragedy STOP WEARING SUITS ALL THE TIME . also the band ts/grunge bi are a look for johnny but part of me longs for the preppy lovable 80s bully chic johnny lawrence getups

weird that they never used that last moment of karate kid where johnny kinda... snaps out of his anger and hands daniel the trophy almost in tears. like “youre alright larusso, good match” “thanks a lot”  that being their last direct interection seems like itd be perfect fruit for cobra kai but... they just dont. weird. 

especially when, the FIRST SCENE they see each other, suposedly in 30+ years, the first thing to come out of daniels mouth is QUOTE "u still got those golden locks huh?" WHO SAYS SHIT LIKE THAT DANIEL FUCKING SAN 

also amandas immediate reaction "your pretty boy rival?" like. can we talk about the fact that daniel had to have imparted to his wife the very important information that his high school bully/karate rival was like Really Cute and Fucking Hot Actually

 the writers Knew exactly what they were doing and honestly.............. power to them

tkk director voice: and billy was just so cute  

also I was thinking that daniel sounded strangely fond in that first scene, and i wonder if he developed a weird affection for johnny on the grounds that of all of his Karate Rivals johnny was actually the only one who didn’t actively tried to literally kill him

i was actually delightedly surprised with how great the chemistry between them is, like from the get go i am Invested. their rl friendship totally bleeds through and its fantastic

. granted, idiots enemies to lovers friends is my Thing so i am biased  

johnny lawrence: i am down in the dumps, i fucked up my whole life and my sons probably, largely in light of the trauma that the father figure sensei and the philosophy of my karate inflicted on me and all my friends. u know what i should do, as a traumatized, unreliable mess of an adult? teach that same philosophy to some other kids! what could go wrong! 

but really i enjoy the setup of it. i kinda like that i watched it late because, season 1 was johnny setting himself up for failure in a way and it was exciting to watch it all go to shit sjfn

Like. his heart might be in the right place, but theres just.... not a way to teach something like ‘strike hard, no mercy’ and not have it fuck up a kid 

case and point: aisha, miguel and hawk become annoying as all hell over that bullshit in the end of s1, even before shit gets truly fucked up

billys subtle panicked eyes when he sees hawk and miguel fighting dirty in the all valley was SO GOOD especially in parallel with the panic that is so visible in his face in the movie when kreese tells bobby to injure daniel and in the sweep the leg scene 

seen people question wether kreese should have returned and i absolutely think he needed to. johnny needed to realize that cobra kais fundamentals are flawed, at the root, beyond kreese himself being a toxic piece of shit 

also who are we kidding? we are here to see the tkk characters play on new playgrounds!

i get what they're doing abt kreeses backstory, ( also. cobra kai. pq eles caem nas cobras djjs sorry) but did it need to take up that much time? feels like they couldve  done it in half the run time and developed some other stories better 

martin kove has such an evil eye. i love it

love that we get a good follow up to kreese breaks johnnys trophy and tries to CHOKE HIM in the parking lot, which happened in the movie and then....................... was never mentioned again

“the gang is all back together again” aaaa u piece of SHIT 

also. terry silver is definetely appearing ha ha ha PAIN i cant wait

seen ppl say kreese was too much of a cartoon villain like..........................oh......... sweetie........... u dont even Know

interested how johnny will fit into that bc kreese was simping rly hard for johnny here. like i did not expect him to be so adamant to have him with cobra kai ... under his control, sure, but he really wants johnny by his side despite already having control of the dojo and how will terry silver self appointed jon kreeses forever simp going to feel abt that? 

like bitchs dropping by every episode like ‘joooooohnny ..... come bacc to me joooonny......... this ur last warning! for real this time johnny! i wont say it again! watch me ! im leaving johnny! im rly leaving ! im dragging a chair” and johnny is just like. dont let the door hit ya bitch it was so funny pls

and on that subject oof, johnny! doesnt! Know! he doesnt get that side of daniels cobra kai trauma. and i kind of.............. cannot wait for ck 2021 johnny lawrence to meet terry silver like. what a shit show i need a front row seat and popcorn (imagine terry tries some greasy charm and johnny just roundhouse kicks him in the teeth bc he just doest Not Have the Patience for This. glorious)

feels like we, as a society, should acknowledge that cobra kai will never die................ bc their sense of design is just chefs kiss. their name is COBRA KAI. they have sexie sleeveless black gis. theyve sneks. colorful leather jackets with embroided naja insignia, the get ppl thru the aesthetics. evil geniuses

the flashback cuts : masterpiece behavior

the other takes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the differente angles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! of the FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CLOSE UP ON JOHNNYS FACE AT THE KICK 

that scene of daniel and johnny vibing to 80s music in the car. just. oh my god. the fan wish fullfilment. no thoughts head empty.

the new characters! theyre .... good. but. idk. i really like miguel (save for the annoying phase mid s1 - end s2) and amanda, who is a damn riot and has some functioning braincells, but everyone else is       

like dont get me wrong, i dont hate anyone,its not a jane and rafael from jtv situation,  and i am interested and invested in their arcs, but i wouldnt say i like   Like them, as in, personality wise 

like, sams grappling with ptsd was rly gutting and i enjoyed that plus her slight rage issues, 

which nicely parallel torys rage issues. torys background is all over the place tho so im pretty on the fence abt her so far

robby deserves better in every way, and i like how smart and cunning and surprisingly sweet he is

hawk............... is there i guess,

 demetri is annoying in the best way possible,

 carmen is sweet but. i just feel like her character is blunted to make the johnny relationship easier. like when shes furious with him after miguels injury but then forgives him like an episode later? and then convinces him to fight for the tournament bc she had a karate epiphany off screen even tho she was always against it? meh. feels like with the plot thiccening she was swallowed and now shes like a crutch for johnny mora than anything, which is disappointing.

aisha was cool and im kinda mad she wasnt in s3, especially bc a storyline with her tory and sam was like RIGHT THERE , but also... cant say i was super super fond of her... doesnt feel like we ever spent enough time on her

moon the bi icon, 

overall its a good cast but the main draw for me remains the og cast 

the tory/sam miguel/robby Thing. enjoy how theyre Narrative Foils and i like how their stories were so dramatically entangled but oh god give me a break with the teenage love square for the love of god. if u gonna put us through that at least have the decency to not make it so straight

and honestly some sam/tory        miguel/robby romantic tension would even make more sense. just saying! 

also im not sure how i feel abt the cobra kai: red miyagi do: blue theyre going with since some of daniels most iconic looks in tkk are also red. like it was a color they (johnny and him) sorta shared. i get it, opposite but complementary but idk... a little too fire nation and water tribe for me .

 and like the cobra kai kids are so funny abt it bc their outifts grow progressively more ridiculously coordinated. its like do they group chat every morning before leaving their houses? 

robby still sticks out like that tho. he went thru an athleisure/daniel san tsleeves phase and now hes back in the bandts grunge, but his color scheme doesnt fully blend with the other cobra kais. hmmmm.

LOVED LOVED LOVED both the okinawa episode and the cobra kais easy rider episode just such good good heart aching fun

bobby is an icon. he was in tkk and he is now ck hope appears more and more

 tommy is like the most iconic background character. all his lines, freaking gold then and now. sigh :( 

the framing in the okinawa trip was so good everything was so good

i stand by the fact that kumiko was the love interest daniel had the most chemistry with and shes is overall such a joy to watch, loved to see her again, idola, fashion icon

also tkk ii is good u guys are just mean

also really enjoyed chozens role in the episode, his evolution; i love that they introduced the pressure points (ty lee the blueprint) and! the honk + karate! cousins! absolutely iconic

when kumiko reads mr miyagis letters........ oh my god, my eyes FILLED with tears, it was so heart wrenching :(( tamlyns delivery was so emotional and lovely and its so obvious everyone involved in ck has so much love and respect for pat morita and mr miyagi as character, and i adore that it exists like this electric current through the show

when we were watching i told my sister i thought that ali would be miguels big shot surgeon and ngl i am so disappointed that didnt happen. hire me cobra kai writers

also the johnny ali daniel amanda chemistry? off the charts

AND the sassy retconning of daniel and alis breakup! LMAO ‘I HOPE U DIDNT TELL MR MIYAGI IT WAS MY FAULT’ HFDJJGNKFKSD

i am preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure back injuries dont work like that    but oke

daniel and johnny are so good together whenever, like they never actually help the kids or get shit done and end up fighting anyway but its just so much fun when theyre hanging

JOHNNY LAWRENCE AND DANIEL LARUSSO FIGHTING TOGETHER

daniels “plan” on how to get robby to juvie was so stupid. literally were u TRYING to make him hate you. dumbass

parents at those hearing rly brave for ppl that did not do ANYTHING as their kids got involved in a karate gang war until now

“bullshit i heard u were the real bully!” i mightve screeched

this s3 ending was SO DRAMATIC omg

everyone is such a MESS go to THERAPY u unhinged motherfckers

also im sorry but uh. a richass neighborhood in california doesnt have some type of neighborhood watch? the larussos rly dont have any security at all? neighbors wont hear the sound of a damn karate brawl happening next door??? also wasnt tory all like ooo i cant go to juvie, my mom yada yada yet shes always running around town getting into fights even at the rich girls house she was kicked out of school for fighting??   ?  ??    ??        ?                ?    ?          ??                  ?    ? girl??

stop destroying the larussos house, its so pretty :((((

sam finding her center looking at mr miyagis picture...  uwu maybe

robby yelling ‘U ARE WEAAK’@  johnny \as he is easily blocking him is like.... so funny and so sad to me. sweetheart. 

also i know it was meant as ‘oh johnny pushes him and HURTS HIM’ but it just looks like robby runs himself into the lockers and IM SO SORRY I FEEL SO BAD BUT IT WAS SO FUNNY 

i like that he and tory are the cobra kai kids now. we need ppl we care abt there to not revert to a good vs evil schtick, and this is the most engaging it could be... tho it hurts that these kids cant catch a break

ah yes "lets bet some real shit on the result of this teen karate tournament bc that is always a great idea" is BACK

so daniel saves johnny from kreese..... maybe johnny will save him from terry 🧐

and dojos unite ohohoho. lets SEE how that’ll work out 

miguels face of Despair when the ck defectors and the md kids are bickering like 'this is never gonna work' : gold

also. Johnny Lawrence is gonna learn some myiagi-do karate AHAAHSJAKDFH

 ive been waiting for this moment all my lifeeee oh lawrd 

final thoughts! there are def things i hope the writers will improve on the next season, but i am very excited for it either way AND i feel like it has made me enjoy the movies even more and that is a win for a reboot/sequel to me!!

[hjbender]

Hi it's that Donald Blake au anon, and I agree I don't like Donald in general it's weird and sometimes in the comics he has a stick that he's always holding onto then he bangs it and somehow becomes Thor, idk. But the au is something that really interested me cuz it has so much potential, like is Thor an Avenger in this au, does he have to wait til Loki is not looking to go and save the world? Or is he not worthy yet and somehow choosing to reveal himself to Loki the real way to be worthy?

OH HAI AGAIN, ANON. THANK YOU FOR RETURNING

Yeah, I’m kind of glad the writers and directors decided to leave out the whole “mild-mannered human alias” from the Thor franchise. Really, so many superheroes already have alter egos—Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool, literally every single one of the OG Avengers except Thor has another name—that for once it’s nice to just have Thor be Thor.

But as far as that brilliant idea you pitched, in the first couple drafts of my answer, I actually started to rewrite Thor (2011) to make your idea fit with canon. However, after getting stuck a couple times, I started thinking it might work better away from canon (specifically Earth 616), more like a true alternate universe, no Avengers or Thanos or anything. Or, to make things simpler, it could just be a Porn With Feelings deal where the story is driven by characters and drama (and, of course, porn).

For the PWP approach, Thor masquerades as an MD on Earth because he genuinely likes to help people and having a human form helps him escape detection, or possibly keep his powerful electromagnetic radiation field from harming humans. In any case, Loki is unaware of his brothers super-secret human identity.

Somehow Loki bites off more than he can chew or pisses off the wrong supervillain—it’s practically his hobby, isn’t it?—and ends up getting his ass beaten and thrown to Earth. Miraculously, Thor (as Don Blake) is there to help him, and Thor can’t risk getting his cover blown, so he just plays along while Loki regains use of his limbs and/or powers (a perfect opportunity for some hurt/comfort whump sickfic type tags). Thor brings Loki to his apartment until he can fully recover, and in that time, Loki finds himself bonding with this disabled and good-natured human man who reminds him so much of his brother… and thus begins the forbidden romance and angst-ridden relationship drama.

...okay, so the PWP setup actually has a lot more plot than your average smutfic. (But just think of all the opportunities for medical kink in this one. Like Loki pretending he feels hot and achy and insisting that Blake give him a thorough, private exam… on the kitchen table… with stethoscopes and tongue depressors and lots of poking and prodding and pelvic exams. Anyone? No? Just me?)

The actual canon setup is the one I tried (unsuccessfully) to write out, but here’s a bullet list of the basic plot (get comfortable, this gets kind of long):

After defeating the frost giants in Norway in 900-something, Odin secretly makes a deal with Laufey to raise Loki as his own son, then marry him off to Thor so they can establish everlasting peace with Jötunheim (just like Odin and Frigga did to stop the Æsir-Vanir war). Thor and Loki’s children will be heirs to both royal houses. Upon Thor’s ascension to the throne, Odin will then return the Casket of Ancient Winters to its rightful place, and Jötunheim will flourish again with Asgard as its protector/ally

Loki is a lot more autonomous and independent than his original cinematic depiction, traveling the realms to learn seiðr and be an ambassador (and cause mischief, naturally, but nothing that can’t be fixed or used to his advantage). He’s always held a secret torch for his brother but knows there’s little/no hope of it ever being reciprocated, thus he stays away from Asgard as much as possible

Thor loves and misses his brother (perhaps too much). Their parents would surely disapprove of their relationship, gods or not, and besides, Loki is too much of a free spirit, a wanderer, content with his own company. Asking anything more of him (like a grounded, committed relationship) is something Thor could never do

Loki returns to Asgard on the eve of Thor’s coronation with gifts and smiles, and Thor embraces him with deep affection. They almost confess their feelings to one another, but shy away at the last moment (damn!)

Meanwhile, Malekith the Accursed (comics version Malekith, who is a lot sexier and generally more interesting/diabolical than his MCU counterpart) doesn’t like that Laufey is planning to make peace with Asgard and sever his alliance with Svartalfheim, and somehow breaks into the Vault on Thor’s coronation day just so he can frame Laufey and sour the arrangement with Odin

Odin decides not to act, sure that something else must be going on. Loki decides to take the intellectual route and do some investigating while Thor and his warrior companions sneak into Jötunheim to kick some ass

Thor accuses Laufey of wrongdoing, just as Malekith wanted, and almost incites a war with the frost giants. Odin banishes him to earth to live as a disabled human man until he can learn some humility

After much screaming at the sky and manly weeping, Thor finally accepts his fate and his new human identity

Enough time passes (months? A year?) that Thor eventually learns to be humble and considerate, helping other humans physically and emotionally in the medical field (I imagine him becoming an orderly at a local hospital since being a doctor requires years of education and money. Also, being thrown to Earth without a penny to his name will help Thor work through some of his entitlement and privilege issues. I headcanon he was aided by some good-hearted humans who were able to find employment for him and a place to stay, help him get on his feet, basically)

With Thor out of the way and the royal family torn apart, Malekith begins preparing for his attack on Asgard

Loki doesn’t know that Thor is trapped in a human form, only that he was banished and all contact forbidden. Loki is suspicious of the frost giants and goes to Jötunheim alone, where Laufey reveals everything to him—including Loki’s betrothal to Thor

Loki is stunned at first, unable to believe that the thing he’s wanted most was always meant to be his, and he hurriedly leaves Jötunheim

He tries to sneak to Midgard without using the Bifrost, but Malekith catches him en route and they fight. He throws a binding spell on Loki to render him powerless and then beats the living daylights out of him

Loki crash lands on Earth not far from where his brother was banished (he had been following the last known path from Asgard to Midgard), and is rendered temporarily powerless and amnesiac, not remembering anything about his fight with Malekith, Thor’s banishment, or why he was on his way to Midgard

Loki wakes up in a hospital bed with a kind human man looking after him. After an unsuccessful escape attempt, he settles in and finds himself comforted by Donald Blake’s presence. It’s… soothing, somehow familiar…(maybe it’s the drugs talking)

Thor instantly recognizes his brother but he cannot reveal himself, either because he’ll look insane/lose his job or maybe Odin made it so he’s unable to even speak the name “Thor” until he’s worthy again. In any case, Thor decides it won’t hurt to beat Loki at his own game just this once (Loki has played this prank on him more times than Thor can count). He ends up taking Loki back home with him once he’s discharged from the hospital

As his memories and powers slowly return, Loki is surprised that Blake listens to and believes everything he claims to be, and soon grows to trust and even like the man. He’s never really had a true friend before… except for his brother, Thor, of course. Blake reminds him so much of Thor…

While things gradually heat up between Loki and Blake-Thor, Malekith disguises himself as Loki (just as he did in the War of the Realms comic arc) and returns to Asgard. Odin and Frigga learn that Loki had indeed traveled to Jötunheim and confront their “son” about what he might have learned there

Not knowing it’s actually Malekith they are speaking to, they reveal the truth about Loki’s parentage and upbringing, and the reasons for his betrothal. Malekith is shocked, then amused at his good fortune. He decides to use this information to his own advantage

Malekith plots to bring Thor back to Asgard and insist that they be married at once. Thor will be crowned king, and when Thor finishes swearing his oaths, Malekith will steal Gungnir and kill Thor with it (and the entire royal family of Asgard). He will then steal the Casket of Ancient Winters, return to Jötunheim, kill Laufey and all the rest of his clan, and then head to Midgard to finish off the last of that bloodline: Loki. Then, with the power of Gungnir, Mjölnir, and the Casket of Ancient Winters, nothing will be able to stop him from bringing war and chaos to the Nine Realms

My brain is smoking and on its last cylinder right now, and I know this post is already decades long, so I’m gonna cheat and skip the whole part where Thor and Loki somehow learn about Malekith’s plot (maybe the Warriors Four come to Earth to warn them), and Thor becomes worthy again, revealing himself to a stunned Loki, and they all go flying back to Asgard, beat Malekith in an epic battle, and save the day

Once the dust has cleared, Thor is crowned king to an audience of Æsir and Jötnar, followed immediately by his and Loki’s wedding. Everyone cheers, Volstagg weeps and uses Fandral as a handkerchief, and Malekith gets a tiny slice of the wedding cake down in the dungeons

The end 🍰

[norgestan]

I'm going back for seconds! Viri/Hugo, Nora/Miquel, Lucasim, Emma/You. Lol tbh I just want an Emma ship and I feel like we haven't properly settled for one. 😔 Who should end up with Emma, Mia excluded since you haven't watched Druck yet?

ardi round 2, i loooove this :)

VIRIHUGO:

i think at the end of the day i’m just resigned to virihugo’s existence. do i hate that they just Start pining for each other with no setup at all? yes. do i hate that their relationship was a noorhelm+vilde esque get-together where dylan is the one who ends up alone? yes (imagine if noora had told william something like “oh lol vilde is just some slut that goes for every boy around her, she’ll get over it soon and she doesn’t really care about us being together ;)”. bc that’s essentially what virihugo did LOL). do i hate that half of their clips are they just standing still and monologuing about each other? oh yes. do i care? not really. i would resent them a lot more if viri had been the protag of s3, but eskam had really compelling couples with noriquel and norandro so i just spend my time focusing on them and not the lesser part of the season.

viri is an endearing character, and although i didn’t like most of her subplot in s3, i do think eskam made her an interesting character with what they had and i’m happy she got a nice boyfriend that she has lots of fun with. moreover, norandro was lacking the enemies-to-lovers snarky interactions (too busy being a really compelling couple!) and the trope was picked up by hugo and viri. which i kinda dig, because those interactions were the only things that i enjoyed about various noorhelms in the skamverse - if most of them were like that and less bad abusive boy feminist girl jerk-fest, i wouldn’t loathe noorhelm as much as i do. although this also makes me wish viri and hugo had been that kind of dynamic from the start, and just gotten a lot of will-they-won’t-they glances from their friends throughout the show until they finally got into each other on s3. but i guess that would’ve made it impossible for eskam to use dylan just to *checks notes* make every person in the love triangle insanely infuriating, oh well.

tl;dr: they are allowed to exist.

NORIQUEL:

ardi, you just want to see the world burn LMAO

to me it’s hard to dislike any pairing with nora on it because she’s a very good character and that just means she’ll always have great dynamics with other good characters. and oh is miquel a good character. in a lot of ways, eskam gave us two great williams in one season: my boy alejandro, who is the perfect candidate for a nora love interest, who earned his place and then helped nora earn her place as the best candidate to be his love interest as well, and then miquel, that has just enough characterization to be exactly what the narrative of the season needs him to be - not only a mustache-twirling antagonist who will punch out then smirk his way out of situations, but a real person.

see, they could’ve made miquel into a one-dimensional asshole that nora is stupidly into because he’s hot (does that sound familiar to you? LOL) but oh no, miquel is way more than that. he earns nora’s trust because he’s not an asshole, he resents olga for cheating on him and you can see how nora waits until the moment where he’ll call her a slut but it NEVER comes, he defends nora in front of his friends... he gives her what she needs, and he fits right where she expects him to. and that’s so important in a season where every other character is challenging nora in one way or another: alejandro doesn’t fit in her box of “incorrigible fuckboy”, viri doesn’t fit in her box of “helpless friend who needs my pity”, emma doesn’t fit in her box of “s/a victim”. being with miquel is easy, when he just humors her and spits out thoughts that nora agrees with all the time. it’s just REALLY great to watch. not only is her season a display of how emotional abuse looks like, but also her entire relationship with miquel showcases her shame, her flaws, the things she needs to work with to better her relationships with the people who ask more of her because it’s only fair.

i honestly never was in the miquel hate train. once you get the point of the character, it’s easy to love him for what he is. as i said before, miquel was also a call of attention because the conversations that he had with nora reminded me of talks with male friends i’ve had in my uni years, and it really put it in perspective and made me realize that i have been humoring numerous miquels by sitting through their “i’m actually a feminist, ya know” think-pieces and agreeing with the general feeling of it. and i don’t think a character like niko could EVER make anyone feel like that.

i’ve checked the middle square because that was my reaction every time eskam made a point to parallel noriquel to noorhelm. like YES. YOU DO GET ME. TRULY A SEASON FROM NOORHELM ANTIS TO NOORHELM ANTIS. what a skamverse treat. this relationship is good for the SOUL. that’s why i never got infuriated watching the couple, despite knowing what the point of their existence was: at the end of the day, i knew that the signs of abuse weren’t pointless and just fillers for an end-of-season sex scene, but they were actually going to do something interesting with them. and that’s exactly what they did. noriquel is actually a perfectly crafted relationship for what its message is and it deserves to be remembered as that.

LUKASIM:

oh BOY.

i just.... kasim is in this relationship. that already makes this REALLY difficult to tackle it. the thing about kasim is... if you only watched the season as the movistar+ channel shows it, kasim is simply a plot device. he’s not a character. he’s only there to introduce conflict and stir some shit and then fuck off to the sunset. he doesn’t have an og counterpart which meant that eskam didn’t have to actually try with him, and kasim is just what they need him to be: a way to introduce the main conflict, a reason for dounia to hate amira, boy on boy action for that sweet fanservice, misogynist microaggressions towards amira, a loose way to wrap things up at the end of the season and absolve her from any guilt or shame, etc. he just shows up when the plot needs him and then walks away very swaggily. and that’s why kasim is an essay kind of topic because to talk about him, you have to tackle the racism in s4 and all the ways they could’ve made a conflict-inducing gay muslim guy actually likable. which i won’t do here.

but then if you look at the lucas extra clips... he’s actually LIKABLE. he’s a character: he has personality, he’s funny, he doesn’t take lucas’ shit, he will only be with him if lucas apologizes and changes first. and as someone who desperately wants to protect kasim from the shit characterization and treatment he got in the show, i treasure those clips immensely - which i don’t think a lot of people do, and i can see why. it’s just sad that the moments where kasim was a likable, real character were hidden behind a paywall, and drown in a convoluted plotline of outing people when they behave badly as a good punishment. the thing about their get-together is that their impact relies only on amira, and is meant to make her life a living hell. other than that, there’s not really a narrative or character reason why they’re both into each other. is it only because they’re conventionally attractive guys and the only recurrent mlm in the show? wow, that shit’s BORING.

sigh, anyway. in a slightly better world, kasim being gay wasn’t actually a nuance as it was presented in the show. rather, kasim was out and confident about it, close to his sister, probably a regular in las labass where he could also work with organizations of other queer muslims in madrid. this also means that lucas and kasim’s relationship wasn’t the typical hidden gay love story that they were in the actual show, but they’re just, ya know. typical gay kids who made out in the club and then became just friends. or lucas’ activism on s2 warranted some instagram dms and then they upgraded to acquaintances. it’s upsetting that lucas is the only eskild who doesn’t really get to hangout or be in queer circles like other eskilds are implied to, so it would be great for him to actually have gay friends that he enjoys just as much as his primarily friend group. like, their version of lucas’ queer lifestyle being going to bars and hooking up with older guys it’s so....................... why. they didn’t have the time to say anything interesting about it and so obviously they didn’t do it lol. at this rate lucas’ only platonic queer companion is cris, which is lackluster to say the least.

the decision of making kasim lucas’ endgame is just another one on the list of things s4 got so, so wrong. what for? why does lucas need (another) boyfriend, again? why does every queer person in this show have to be dating someone and also come out to their parents? again, their relationship is just another rushed hidden gay love story that i found interesting at 13 years old and then never again. they could’ve taken it into ANY other direction, please. i’m begging.

anyways, you had really nice headcanons of lucas being the only eskild willing to revert to date a muslim guy, so that’s the only reason why i’m open to the idea of them being a couple. in a better universe, eskam actually made a case for these two being a good couple, and i agreed with it. as it is for now, it’s just really pointless, and rooted on the fact that kasim is not a real character to begin with. so i’m OBVIOUSLY sending them to superhell <3

EMMA/ME:

standard wlw relationship that would probably get sooooo much backlash about how neither of the characters Really feel like wlw and the emma love interest being boring as fuck, tbh.

alright, now that we’ve covered all that.... should dear emma grace even end up with someone in the skamverse? maybe one of the skamau girlies, given the proximity? maybe she’ll hook up with the female eskild that i know so many people dislike? idk. emma deserves a nice love story, in the same wavelength as nora. she deserves someone who is patient, who communicates well, who establishes boundaries and asks for respect, who understands she’s not only the act of crazy party girl and there are really interesting, carefully placed layers around her. maybe someone who went through a similar situation or at the very least sits down with her and tries their hardest to understand all the things going on with her life. like... there’s something about emma dropping the accusations and then dipping to another country, away from her parents and even her hometown in the states, just to throw herself in a city as busy as nyc is, that is desperately asking to be explained and explored. in a lot of ways, emma’s story is the other side of the noora story that couldn’t be told through nora’s perspective. in a perfect universe, there’s a spinoff that takes place right between s3 and s4, where emma gets the news of how much of a shithead miquel actually is and she has to question all of that yet again, and break the sense of normalcy and comfort she had built during all those years. it would be great if that story featured her closest friendships, and a newfound love. yes i was serious when i talked about the emma grace spinoff @ movistar+

[iaintyourbro]

What’s your take on Cloud’s depression during AC? People on twitter are suddenly talking about this, again. This matter was brought up by those antis saying that we Clotis should accept the fact that Tifa wasn’t the one who “healed” Cloud and that she was also being mean and not considerate whatsoever. The funny thing is that, they also accused us of denying his depression and not understanding it. TF. Let’s be real, Tifa played a major part, in fact she gave him morale thx to her “scolding” lol

Hey anon.. 

Yeah, Twitter has me depressed today. I think it started last night. I was enjoying it for a bit, but the last week or two have been so bad over there with bullshit that I’m about to just take a break from the entire fandom. 

My Take on AC Cloud:

I watched AC when it first came out, and I barely remember it. I remember I didn’t like what they did. Why was Cloud so depressed and brooding? Oh Aerith is in this? Interesting. I felt like it was disjointed and removed a lot of the great progress Cloud made in OG. They kept this depressed, brooding guy in KH as well... It just didn’t seem right to me. I was young, too. 

At this point we also didn’t have On the Way to a Smile, Crisis Core, or anything else, really.. None of the Ultimanias were in English at this point. I also was not interested enough in going online. It was a weird time when I was playing other things and was meh on FF7 for a while. I was always a FF8 fangirl, so was jealous of FF7 at times hahaha. It got so much more attention and love. 

It took me a long time to watch it again. I remember my husband watching it before Remake came out and I felt mad or sad. It was like an emotion from memory, and I didn’t know why. I can’t describe it. I saw it on the TV and was like why is this on here... 

After playing Remake, I bit the bullet and ordered AC Complete, which had things tweaked and added. I also am now in my 30′s and have a lot more life experience.

Antis like to say Cloud is depressed solely because Aerith is dead and he wants to be with her. This may be one of the reasons I didn’t like AC, because when I did happen to come across some FF7 thing online, I’d see this shit and be like whatever, that makes no sense. 

I enjoyed ACC. My heart was actually pounding and I was nervous/intrigued by what was going on even though I knew the story. I haven’t read all of CoT yet, but I’ve seen the excerpts online, so I know the general gist of things.

Based strictly on ACC:

Cloud is really upset that Denzel is sick. He’s obsessively looking up medical stuff to figure out how to cure it - this is shown with everything all over his desk. He’s closed in on himself to do this. I did the same shit when my dad had cancer. I did it for three fucking years while he was alive - from the time he got diagnosed to the day he was dying. Every damn day I looked up articles, research, and theories. It’s not healthy. It’s depressing and I closed myself off from the world half the time and didn’t realize it. Thank God my husband is a patient saint. 

Cloud does care a lot about Tifa. His reaction alone at seeing her knocked out in the church is heart wrenching. When they’re brought back to Seventh Heaven, Cloud pops right up when he sees Tifa there. He then stays with her until she wakes up. This is a pretty good amount of time. The sun is up when he’s looking over her, and when she wakes up, it’s dark outside. He could have slipped out again without her noticing if he really wanted to. I’m sure he may have contemplated it. 

She calls his ass out on how he’s acting. She knows he’s sick at this point. This was huge for Tifa who’s not confrontational. He clearly doesn’t want to completely disconnect, or he would have gotten rid of his cell phone voluntarily. He doesn’t. They actually show him checking his messages. 

Ultimately Cloud leaves because he ends up with Geostigma. That’s the last straw. He can’t face the fact that he’s going to die and what it’ll do to his family, so he leaves. Listen, I think the only reason my dad didn’t try to leave when he was diagnosed was because he had nowhere to go and by time he started verbalizing wanting to leave, he was physically unable to. Yes, I remember him being angry because he was hospitalized again and he told my mom he was going to get an apartment by himself so she didn’t know when he was getting bad. It’s very hurtful to even think it, and even worse when you know they don’t actually mean it... They do it because they don’t want to see their family hurt. 

The setup he has at the church as his “living” area is super depressing. It looks like something a homeless person sets up. He legit was going to wait to die. He had a lot of knowledge about this, so he figured there was nothing he could do. 

Marlene calls Cloud out on his bullshit too. Cloud admits to her he doesn’t think he can take care of anybody. Marlene Barrret quotes him and it’s cute. I think Cloud appreciated it and I think it made him think.

In ACC, Cloud has a short conversation with Aerith. Aerith seems almost annoyed with him like “wtf is your deal, dude” kind of attitude. Zack shows up when he’s bloody and half dead fighting Sephiroth to encourage him. There are scenes with him talking at Zack’s grave and saying he couldn’t keep his promise to him. He flat out tells Aerith he wants to be forgiven. He doesn’t say I miss you, I want to be with you, none of that happens. In fact, it’s mainly her telling him HE needs to start doing some forgiving - ultimately to himself. 

When Cloud is in limbo - between living and dying - Cloud says “Mom.” Very romantic, I know. Then Zack and Aerith have a conversation very similar to a couple that’s going to adopt a child and they tell Cloud he’s too big for them. This is the “I see the light” and the person on the other side is like “nah bro go back, not your time yet.”

He wakes up, Tifa and crew is there, he smiles at Tifa... and it’s a happy ending. He sees both Zack AND Aerith at the end, and they walk off in to the light together all cute and shit.

Adding in Things from the Novels/Interviews/Thoughts:

The devs have said Cloud was happy with his family and that scared him. The happier he got, the more scared he got. We know he cherishes everything. He especially cherishes the family he has.

Cloud’s depression spiral started from the high anxiety of having a happy life and Elmyra asking him to deliver flowers to Aerith’s grave. Now, I have my feelings about this, but when I look at it logically, I don’t think Elmyra ultimately does this out of spite. I actually don’t think Elmyra thinks Cloud and Aerith were a thing - so it wasn’t that either. I think she knew Cloud was friends with her and maybe he’d want to deliver some flowers - to give him some business. 

This flower delivery reminds Cloud of what he thinks is his failure to protect somebody else. At this point he has his memories of what happened to Nibelheim, his mother, Tifa, and Zack. The Sector 7 plate drop and Aerith are the most recent “failures”. So this brings up Aerith.

Then Denzel comes along and he’s an orphan because his parents were... yeah... killed during the Sector 7 plate collapse. Double ouch. But Cloud and Tifa are going to take care of him.

Tifa herself has a lot of guilt because of the same reasons, she just deals with it very differently. Tifa tells Cloud to bring Denzel right home. She can make amends by adopting him in to her family and caring for him. Cloud thinks Aerith brought Denzel to him (Tifa corrects him). This is a Cloud thing, it’s not romantic. Cloud doesn’t know the guilt Tifa feels. He legit thinks all of this is his fault. Tifa’s guilt stems from the fact that Shinra drops the plate because Avalanche was in Sector 7 - she was in Avalanche. She feels guilty about Aerith because she thinks its her fault Aerith followed them to Don Corneo’s mansion. The thing is, Aerith doesn’t blame EITHER of them - I just wish they’d cover a Tifa/Aerith conversation about this as well... 

Cloud and Tifa do have fights in the novels from what I understand, but it’s because he’s acting weird. He feels bad hiding the fact that he’s been going to the church a lot, and I think that does turn in to a whole LTD debate. So you can take this as Tifa is jealous that he’s going to the church all the time or she’s upset that he is hiding from her. 

In the novels, Tifa has a breakdown when they go see the church after they defeat Sephiroth. This is where you get to see how badly Aerith’s death impacted her. So my thought is... Cloud thinks bringing her to the church hurts her because of her feelings, not because she’s jealous. I think Cloud is oblivious to the jealousy thing, honestly. Don’t think it’s a thought in his mind. 

I honestly don’t know the real reason why he goes to the church to hide. I think this is another point of fight with both sides. My personal take is there was nowhere else he could go and be alone. Most of the stuff had been destroyed. It was still close by, so he could still do his work and keep an eye on things/be nearby.

There is a quote that is taken to be literal, but I think it’s just a way to say it wouldn’t have mattered who Cloud was “with.” Yes, Tifa and Cloud have issues, and I believe the quote goes “Perhaps it would have gone better with Aerith, but I think her responsibility is too great. Maybe the children will help them with their issues.” This isn’t exact, but it’s the jist of what they said. The children do help them - that’s the point of the scenes with Marlene, to slap him silly with reality. 

“Oh but he sees Aerith when the building is falling.” Yes, you know why? Because he thinks that’s going to happen to Tifa. This is a “NO I’M NOT LETTING THIS HAPPEN.” moment. On top of it, I don’t think anybody would be right again if they saw this happen. If my neighbor was impaled by a large sword in their back, I’d be messed up from it. I don’t really know my neighbors. He’s not replaying this death scene in his head cuz he misses Aerith, he’s playing it in his head because it’s traumatic and he doesn't want to see this happen to Tifa. Especially Tifa. 

It’s been put in Ultimanias time and time again that Cloud’s feelings are for Tifa. I went through my Ultimania - which only covers OG - and it doesn’t say anything about Cloud’s side of the CA argument. It does say how he feels about Tifa in the Lifestream, though. 

The “He wants to die for her, see, that’s why he’s going to the church and waiting.” No, he doesn’t want to die or else he wouldn’t be so depressed. Just thinking this is fucked up on so many levels. If he really wanted to die and be with her, he’d be happy he got an incurable illness, I’d think... Cloud leaves Tifa and them because he doesn’t want to hurt him with him dying and not being able to stop it. 

The other thing that would be... weird... Zack is in the Lifestream with Aerith. They walk off together for a reason. I don’t think she’s going to just drop Zack for Cloud since the whole reason she was initially interested in Cloud was because of the similarities to Zack. He had the same sword, the same clothes, and in OG had some of the same mannerisms. I noticed the dropped the squatting in Remake - the random squatting.

The ending of ACC implies that now that Geostigma is cured and Sephiroth is (hopefully) gone for good, Cloud can be happy. I’m not saying that his smile fixes everything. I’m sure that him and Tifa had to work on things, but you can see in DoC that things seem to be much better - he’s more upbeat and happy. He’s more dorky, like he should be. 

Sorry this is long. I have a lot of feelings about all this stuff today. I’ve been seeing the fights over on Twitter about it and.. yeah. Cloud is depressed because of the fact he’s dying, his kid is dying, and he can’t seem to do anything right in his mind.

Thanks for the ask. 

[nostalgic-pancakes]

Watching the starlings as autumn draws in

Summary: Tommy and his friends try on some skirts, and he reflects a bit on how they all got here. (It's a happy story) Title from September by Sparky Deathcap

Pairings: None! Platonic everyone (esp in irl fics_)

Read on AO3 (preferred place to read)

Word count: 2570

Warnings: None, except for surface-level references to the exile/prison arcs, but not much.

Other notes: I wrote this in a fit of madness last night in like three hours at 2 am, so i’ll probably edit it honestly but for now, enjoy! (If the CC’s ever display discomfort with this type of fic I will take it down)

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"WELCOME BACK TO THE STREAM, BOYS!" Tommy exclaims, rubbing his hands together as he starts rapid-fire answering questions about the stream, and the stream title from chat. It's funny, how over time, Tommy's come to see Chat as this one entity- an old friend. The nervousness of answering questions as a fifteen year old with nothing but a big personality, a twitch account and a copy of Minecraft is all but gone now, nineteen years old and happier than he's ever been.

Dreadfulzombie19: what are u doin this stream

"THANK YOU FOR ASKING, Dreadfulzombie19, today is gonna be a bit different, innit Tubbo?" Tommy raises his voice a bit at the end of his sentence, just loud enough for one of his flatmates to hear him. When Tubbo yells back an affirmative, Tommy turns back to his setup. Chat's gone a bit wild again, even though he, Tubbo and Ranboo have been living together for over a year now.

"Okay, okay, calm down chat- so recently I was at university, as usual right? And I had an eight AM class again, and… yeah I can see you all can relate."

"BUT! BUT! On my way back to the flat, I saw something really cool." Tommy hesitates in his speech to take a sip of coke again- his blood pressure's been acting up lately and watches Chat to wild again, asking him what he saw.

"Okay, so there was a shop- new place, which doesn't happen often this is fucking Brighton- and they sold skirts and dresses and stuff with adjustments for AMAB sizes!" Chat goes a bit bonkers, but Tommy's mod team- a little smaller than it used to be, now that he isn't the centre of YouTube or Twitch attention anymore, none of them are- are handling it, and pretty well.

"So I had to go, right? As many of you probably know, last year, I made the astounding discovery that gender-based stereotypes and expectations are, in fact, fake and I should not give a SHIT. And so I go in and look through the stuff- it's a really poggers shop by the way, and I find the perfect thing- it was the most poggers skirts and shit, okay? So, today's stream is going to have me wearing this pogchamp shit and wearing it right, with the help of…" Tommy ends his monologue by picking up the joke shaker-things that Phil had gotten him as a housewarming gift last year and indicates for his first two helpers to enter the office.

In walks his mother, face obscured from view as always, waving to the camera, and Wilbur, also wearing one of his only skirts for this occasion. Eret had taught him, on a phonecall in the skirt shop that week about the different types of skirts with a handy diagram. Wilbur's was a pleated circle skirt, brown to offset the bright yellow of his sweater and beanie, the same colour as his hair. It's very swoosh-y, so he's wearing black leggings with his regular shoes too. Motherinnit's also wearing her favourite skirt, a baby blue prairie skirt, Tommy thinks, and it's one he's seen fairly often.

Wilbur ducks down in order to show his face to Chat, and ruffles Tommy's hair while he's at it. Tommy's taller, but not by much, so Wilbur still fucking makes short jokes, That fucker.

Chat is now going so fast that he simply cannot read anything but some of the all caps messages and can barely make out some of the emotes.

"Okay, OKAY, CALM DOWN CHAT! WE HAVE TO GET TO FUCKING BUSINESS!" Tommy yells into the mix, like he did when he was sixteen and used the 'many people find me annoying at first' intro. Nowadays he just lets the content speak for itself. Anyone who wants to be here already is, by now.

Wilbur laughs a bit, and that hasn't changed at all. "Tommy, how is chat supposed to calm down if you're not calm?"

"I am their god!! They will obey via sheer digital willpower!" Tommy replies back, pretty zealously (What? An English Literature class is mandatory for his film degree, and The Great Gatsby by Zelda Fitzgerald is a good book, as are most of the other assigned ones. He's had entire conversations with Techno with just lit quotes and it drives everyone insane. Tommy loves it.) Chat seemingly has listened to his godlike abilities, with a few OG's spotting his half-quotation of one of Dream's last lines in the Dream SMP. The rest are spamming 'MOTHERINNIT'.

"If having a shitty magic trick book from a washed-up politician makes you a god, then what does that make me?" Wilbur replies, with one of Foolish's lines and swatting his hand at Tommy. Tommy swats back.

"Bitch" "Arsehole" "Shithead" "Fuckface" Wilbur finishes cheerily, as if this happens all the time. It does. Chat's used their antics now, four years of consistently making content together will do that for you.

Eventually Motherinnit reminds them both to get back on Topic, and Tommy goes back to facing the camera, addressing Chat directly.

"Today, my beloved mother, and my idiot brother-" "hey!" "And maybe my flatmates will be joining me to show off some cool as SHIT skirts! And a dress or two. We all have our selections, right?" Everyone nods in affirmative, even Tubbo and Ranboo. Though the camera can't see them. Ranboo's just come home from his final class, then. He should probably take the first hour back off, and judging by how Tubbo is forcefully judging Ranboo to the shower, he probably gets it. Tommy signs an affirmative to both of them, and gets back to the camera, where Wilbur's showing off all of his (very poggers) very stupid brown or yellow skirts. Tommy's are in cool colours, for fuck's sake.

"Oh yeah, Puffy just confirmed she'll be on stream! She'll be here in about twenty minutes, accounting for fucking traffic, and Niki' going to get onto VC after her own stream, what game is it this time?"

"GRIS." Wilbur answers.

"Poggers- she is the SHIT and will join us soon! So expect some QUALITY QUALITY content this stream!! Remember to not spam her chat to finish faster." Exclaims Tommy, even if it ends up as a light warning, as he picks up his own very poggers skirts from the extra armchair in his office to show the camera.

One is the classic red and white, mostly white but with bright red on the waist (elastic) and the bottom, and it reached to about Tommy's knee, if worn at the hip. It had no pleats, but the red bits were a very nice velvet texture, and while the skirt was heavy, it still had very much swoosh value, and pockets!! Big ones!! He slips the skirt on top of his jeans before entering camera view, the skirt visible in all its classic Tommyinnit glory, as he takes his place right next to Wilbur, who just took. a quick spin at the behest of several dono's., Skirt spying out from his lower shins all the way to his knee, making visible one of his (many) petticoats. ("What? It's cold all the fucking time here, Toms.") Tommy also makes a quick little spin, skirt flying outward, not upward, so it looks like he's hula hooping for a moment there. Lastly, Motherinnit spins around too, and while her skirts do not swoosh, she looks opulent, like she was about to go to waltz with the enemy, for whom she has a dagger in the back of her dress for. (He finished Anna Karenina and the Six of Crows duology within the same week and has not yet recovered. Jack Edwards is laughing at him as he thinks in his English Lit Graduate glory.)

It's fun, trying on different skirts- he and Wilbur accidentally bought the same dress at one point, which they paired up to wear, darting off into their respective changing rooms while giggling like idiots with their checkered blouses and the grindl skirts that Niki had sent over when she heard of this stream idea, laughing the whole time. Tubbo enters as dramatically as possible with Puffy, and while Tubbo looks really fucking good in his handkerchief skirt with embroidered bees and plain white shirt, it's Puffy who steals the show with an exact, real life version of her red banquet dress.

Fans from way back in the SMP, before Tommy had started branching out start going insane and are bringing back emotes Tommy wasn't sure were still available, but she is fucking stunning- deep shades of red and crimson, with slits on either side of her waist and all the detailing. She'd gotten the contact for her dressmaker through Bernadette Banner, Tommy recalls- she was so fucking cool when she streamed with him once, and gotten him to swear less and supplant those world's with bigger ones to intimidate instead. While he still curses like a sailor as part of his persona, it's less so and he does way less in real life these days, unless the situation calls for it. It's also just rude, especially in uni libraries, where he spends too much time these days wondering why he didn't read more as a kid.

Puffy's stolen his audience for a WHILE, and Niki coming on hasn't helped any, so Tommy exits camera view for a while to hug Ranboo really quickly- he's had midterms and has basically been dying all month.

Everyone on this stream- Tommy, Wilbur, Motherinnit, Tubbo, Puffy, Niki and Ranboo enter the camera frame after entering their dressing rooms for the last time on this particular stream, Puffy with full in-character wigs and makeup, Tommy in an Edwardian-Gothic reminiscent black and red dress, Ranboo in something he bought when he gap-yeared in Japan, punk lolita or something, Niki flaunting her pink in a Marie Antoinette style show of finery, Tubbo dressing in all green this time, something like a very deranged biology teacher who hasn't slept in days (Tubbo hasn't-Tommy has to get into that), Wilbur like a forest-nymph, all earthy tones and swishy fabrics and nature highlights, and finally Motherinnit, who hasn't changed but is here to take pictures as they all lean in together to fit into frame, as drastic as their height difference is. Niki is going to be edited in later, and everyone on the 'Dream SMP but nobody does Dream SMP and we're all fucking nerds' discord server is going to get a copy.

The stream wraps up there, after about two hours, and it's only about six in the evening- a far cry from the late nights and long hours from the beginning of Tommy's career, so everyone runs to their changing areas for the last time, into pajamas now, and packs away all of the clothes they wore, properly, as to not incense Karolina Zebrowska, and Jemma, Dan's wife, who would look at them disappointedly and nobody wants a sad Jemma because that means no cooing at their son. Also it just feels shitty.

Everyone huddles in Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo's living room, and they out on UP for like, the millionth fucking time (they still cry when Ellie dies), and Tommy is leaning into Wilbur's side and feeling his mum play with the hair in his very small, stubby ponytail he's developed by being in Uni as he and Tubbo intertwine their legs together and Ranboo rests his head in the tangle of limbs, playing with his fidget cube. Puffy stays on Wilbur's side, intently texting someone and smiling the whole while, and Tommy takes a moment to reflect (something he's been getting better at doing) on how the actual hell they all got here.

The Dream SMP was always going to end- everyone knew it, if course, they were the fucking writers. But by the time they did, not only were their respective brands too closely intertwined to just… sever that quickly, but they'd become too close to even want to. So the SMP discord never shut, even though Dream and George had planned it months ago, and they continued supporting each other with their interests. Wilbur made a lot more music solo, with his band and even just random ass streams where he practiced guitar for an hour. He kept playing Minecraft, but it wasn't his main focus. A bunch of people left. More stayed. YouTube left him alone.

Dream, George and Sapnap are still Minecraft streamers, but their YouTube channels are mostly blogs of them being poor excuses of adults with other former SMP members joining in sometimes. Tommy and the Dream Team were closer than ever, even though the seeds of their friendship had been sowed when they used to linger after heavy streams together, reassuring each other that none of that was true and that nothing like… that would happen in real life, because Dream had used real abuse tactics, and those still hurt unless immediately taken care of. So they were. It was a running joke that Dream was stuck at 99 million subscribers since nobody really wanted the face reveal anymore. The other Dream team members were doing peachy.

Phil and Techno were also still primarily Minecraft streamers, but they also released things like advice videos and mental health stuff, especially for relationships. They had a new scripted series where Tommy was a minor character. The dadza jokes were still as real, and yes, outside of streaming, both of them were lovely people and responsible adults (mostly). They collaborated with DanTDM and co a lot more now.

Puffy and Niki kept doing games, but did lots of different ones, testing point and clickers to triple A titles, and making it all fucking hilarious while they were at it.

So where had that left Tommy?

After the Dream SMP, he'd kind of had no idea what to do, and he was going to University for the first time, so he just… did whatever he thought would be fun. He learned about vintage fashion from the queens themselves- Mina Le, Bernadette Banner and Karolina Zebrowska and had fun learning how to sew for the first time, fixing and making his own clothes for the first time, clunky as they were, Wilbur had cried, genuinely, when he saw the Lovejoy shirts that Tommy had made for the band. He'd found a genuine love for literature in university, so Tommy started talking to booktubers and studytubers like Jack Edwards and Noelle Stevenson. Tubbo and Ranboo had joined him, fucking around in any YouTube niche they found even remotely interesting. Eventually, they all found a happy medium- a bit of everything.

Some people obviously weren't happy with that but Tommy was happy as he was, making what he liked with his best friend's, living together close enough to most of their friends (family) to have fun and drop in on one another at ass-o-clock in the morning to comfort, to laugh. His sub count hasn't gone up in a while- most of his audience is static, with about 80-90k online on a stream at any time.p

It was a nice feeling, to have carved out a space for himself and the people he loves, and be is so, so glad that he got this chance.

Looking at his mostly asleep family, Tommy thinks 'yeah. Life is good.' as the last thought before he sleeps.