#i know the pictures don't match the episodes

[knight-intraining]

Oh to be a prop master or set dresser or even costume designer on Doctor Who

[h3rmess]

SL*T ME OUT

Written by @h3rmess ✰ | KINKTOBER (late entry)

"eat the d*** like you was ugly" ☆

After the U-20 match, oliver and the others decide to go out and have some fun. They go to a karaoke booth to let loose and forget about their loss. Oliver wants you to help him blow off some steam in a different way...

notes : this was meant to be for kinktober but I forgot to upload... I love aiku so so much!! I literally started screaming when I saw him in episode 5

WARNINGS : oliver aiku x fem!reader, oral (m receiving), facefucking, masturbation (f), picture taking, semi-public oral sex???, pet names, praise, swearing, no relationship (that's how aiku is ☹️)

"Where is he?" You whispered, holding your phone in your hand as you walked away from the arcade, into the area where the karaoke booths were.

You kept checking your phone in case a text from him magically appeared, hoping that he would come to save you from this bewilderment.

"Wow, look at that!" A low, husky voice spoke from behind you, forcing you to turn around abruptly.

Hands in the pockets of his kit and leaning against the wall, he offered you an irresistible smirk that made your heart race.

"Really went all out for me, huh?" He commented, observing the short, body-con dress you wore. In this setting, you looked like you belonged in a club.

He took a step towards you, standing up properly once more as he towered over you, your chin lifted behind comfort to meet his gaze.

"Oliver!" You exclaimed with a smile. "How was the match? I didn't get time to check the end results."

He rubbed the back of his neck with a solemn sigh, "We lost..."

Your expression displayed remorse as you pulled him into a hug. "You played amazingly, though. I was so proud to see you on the screen. You were definitely remarkable." You spoke, recalling his outstanding plays.

"Hmm, yeah... I'm still super bummed though. I thought we were gonna win." He pouted as he looked away.

"You seem pretty upset..." You spoke softly.

"I am. That's why I wanted to see you." He looked back at you slowly.

"Huh?"

"Y'know, I've been so stressed lately. I've had way too much practice and not enough time to...unwind." He tried to mask his smirk with a sombre look, but you saw through it.

"And what exactly does that have to do with me?" You questioned, knowing exactly what he was implying.

"Well, you're here, all pretty and dolled up. Let's not let it go to waste." He looked at you, his eyes predatory.

"What are you suggesting we do?" You prompted, your heart rate increasing as you became more nervous. Your palms began to excrete sweat as he leaned in closer to you.

"How about we ruin that makeup of yours, huh?" He grinned, his hands suddenly groping your waist.

"And how exactly... do you plan on doing that?" You felt breathless as you huffed out a response.

"Acting dumb are we now, baby? Why don't I fuck that mouth of yours so we don't have any more stupid responses?" His straightforward suggestion left your stomach tumbling, a new pulse being formed in your womanhood.

You were lost for words as he took you by your arm and dragged you into the booth, shutting the door.

"I told the others to get here in 30 minutes. That should be enough time." He sat down, looking up at you with a stern glance.

"Whatcha waiting for? On your knees." He commanded as you complied immediately, his voice forcing you into submission.

"That's a good girl..." He smiled as he stroked your face. You nuzzled into his touch, his huge hands bringing you comfort. He brushed his thumb carefully over your lips, slightly smearing the pink, shimmery gloss on them. You sat patiently on your knees, waiting for his next move.

Looking up with lusful eyes, you let his thumb slip into your mouth. Your face heated up slightly with embarrassment as you tried your best to maintain eye contact.

He removed his thumb from your mouth and lifted your chin, forcing your eyes to meet his once more. He let go, his hands reaching for his waistband. He lowered his slacks slightly, allowing him to slip himself out of his confinement.

His dick hit his abdomen instantly as he hissed, clearly needy as the pre-cum dripped down his swollen tip.

His hand gripped his member carefully as he pumped his length for a while, his breath becoming heavier by the second.

Your cheek was hit with a slap from his dick as he smirked down at you, infatuated by the size difference. You both wondered how you were meant to fit all of him in your mouth.

"Open up, doll." He commanded, his tip nearing your mouth. You followed his order, immediately being met by the bitter yet intoxicating taste of his arousal.

Your jaw slackened to accommodate his size, which was proving quite difficult.

Gripping your hair gently, he pushed your head forward, your face nearing his base. Tears began to form in your eyes as you gagged and choked slightly, overwhelmed by his huge size.

He pushed himself fully into your mouth with a grunt, his inability to hold back becoming clear.

"Fuck..." He said with clenched teeth. "Taking me so well, aren't ya? Putting that... ah- pretty mouth to good use, huh?" His thrusts started to hit deeper, increasing in speed. His words and actions did nothing but add fuel to the fire, igniting a feeling in you that you couldn't resist giving into.

Saliva leaked from the corners of your mouth as you choked around him, his thrusts relentless. You noticed some of your lip gloss on his base, which somehow turned you on even more.

His grunts and moans became more frequent as his pumped into your warm mouth even harder, throwing his head back slightly.

"Fuck...'m so close, baby... Gonna be a doll and take it? Gonna swallow everything I give to you?" He questioned, maintaining eye contact the entire time. You hummed around his cock, your hand reaching into your panties to gain some relief as your clit throbbed.

Your mind became hazy as you stopped thinking, completely submitting to Oliver and your growing lust. Your pussy was leaking. You dragged some of your arousal from your empty hole to your clit, rubbing it at a pace that instantly caused you to start moaning.

Oliver chuckled and then threw his head back, your vibrations sending him closer and closer to the edge. His grip on your head became more firm, his thrusts hitting deeper than ever before.

"Mmm, baby, I'm gonna- fuckkk..." He could barely form a sentence which made you laugh when you thought back to this moment ; not that you would've done any better.

You never stopped stimulating your nerves. You felt a warmth building as your stomach felt knotted. You kept playing with yourself as he used your mouth.

"Keep touching your little pussy... just like that." He forced out, speaking to you proving difficult as he almost reached his high.

You looked up at him, your makeup smeared, your eyes teary and lidded. That was all it took. His thrusts became sloppy as he let loose, his head thrown all the way back, moans escaping him like never before.

His liquid poured into your mouth, sitting on your tongue, filling you up. He came a lot. His thrusts continued for a while as you felt your orgasm approaching.

"Don't swallow yet, princess."

You blindly obliged.

"Can I take a picture? You look so pretty like this."

And for some bizarre reason, those were the words that made you cum. You nodded, holding him and his juices in your mouth as you shook, your eyes rolling back slightly. You whined and whimpered as you saw a bright flash come from Oliver's phone. Your vision was blurry, obscured by tears as you stopped your relentless torture on your pussy.

You tried to calm your breathing as Oliver spoke.

"Open your mouth."

You did as he said, watching him posting his phone to take another picture. His dick was still in your mouth. After taking the picture, he removed his half-hard dick from your opening.

"I'm gonna take a video now, okay?" You hummed in response.

He pressed record, his hand reaching down to grip your cheeks, squishing them in a way that forced your mouth open. You whimpered slightly at his sudden movement.

"Look at how pretty she is." He spoke, the camera focusing on your eye makeup that was far beyond saving.

"Holding my cum in her mouth just like I asked her to." He grinned down at you.

"Swallow it." He commanded, the camera still rolling. You closed your mouth to swallow with a gulp, reopening it to prove you had done as he asked.

"Such a good girl..." He let go of your face, grabbing his dick once more.

"Lick it clean for me, doll."

You immediately started licking, as if you were hungry for it.

His phone remained in your face, but at this point, you didn't care.

Your tongue made its way along his length, being sure to capture any left over cum on it. You stuck your tongue out, moving it up to his tip as you looked straight into the camera.

"Fuck... don't do that. You're gonna make me hard again." His dick twitched slightly.

And yet, you continued until all of his mess was cleaned up, letting go of his dick that was now almost fully hard again.

He stopped recording.

"I'm gonna get you back for this... Just you wait." He remarked.

You smiled at him as he helped you up onto your feet again.

"You'd better go home. I mean, unless you want anyone seeing you in this state. " He suggested. Typical of him.

You reached into your handbag, pulling out some make-up wipes to clean the mess he had left your face in.

Meanwhile, Oliver unlocked his phone, a notification appearing, telling him that the boys were outside.

"Shit, they're here." He panicked slightly as you finished up, turning towards him.

He placed a short kiss on your lips. "See you soon, beautiful. I'll be messaging you, so don't you dare turn off your phone, got that?"

"Okay. Bye, Oliver." You waved, leaving before his teammates could make it into the booth.

Oliver Aiku was such a dog... and yet, you couldn't help but come back for more.

[firstkanaphans]

Ik nothing about inn I haven't watched any shows (I'm emfkjd mains) but I am fascinated by the lore in your inn posts who is this man what is his life I need to know more gimme a primer pls and shows to watch I'm mesmerized by the energy

Oh, Anon, I would love to! Full disclaimer: I only became a fan of Inn after he joined GMMTV so everything that happened before then, I've had to piece together through sketchy Twitter posts that may or may not be accurate and an obscene amount of Instagram stalking. But these are things as I understand them:

In 2022, Inn starred in a BL called "The Miracle of Teddy Bear" where he played a teddy bear that comes to life and falls in love with its owner. It's a fantastic BL and I do recommend it (more on that below), but it's long. 16 episodes, an hour and a half each, and surprisingly heavy subject matter for what sounds like it should be a light-hearted drama. Inn did a fantastic job—so much so that it's still hard for me to see him as anything other than an anthropomorphic teddy bear—but while the show was airing, rumors started to surface that Inn had a boyfriend (which he did).

I don't know the specifics, but the general fan perception seems to be that Channel 3 was not happy with these rumors and blamed Inn for them, which led to a rift with his management. Because of that, he left Channel 3 and moved over to GMMTV instead where he knew upon signing that he would be paired with Great, who he was friends with during university. You can listen to Great tell the whole story of how they came to be paired here (with some amusing asides from Inn).

And now for the juicy stuff...

This, my friends, is Inn's boyfriend/husband/business partner, Tie Kuhapremkit. If you couldn't tell, he's a model by trade.

Are you starting to see why I'm obsessed with them now?

I have no clue when Inn and Tie started dating—they were liking each others photos on Instagram all the way back in 2016—but what I do know is that they opened Holiday Pastry together in 2022 and started wearing matching $13k Cartier Love rings that same year. Here's some photos of them wearing the rings at their new bakery launch earlier this month.

I have not yet found a single picture of them alone together. Even in group photos, they are careful to have at least one person between them, and that lack of photos is, in itself, conspicuous. They own multiple businesses together. The fact that there are no photos of them is honestly impressive. (I did find a Twitter user who documents all their Lovestagrams if you want to do a deep dive.)

Inn obviously has ample motivation to keep his relationship private, but I think the reason I've become so obsessed with him and Tie is because it's such a great representation of what this industry could become if fans weren't so toxic. Not only does Inn get an IRL boyfriend, but he also gets an on-screen boyfriend who he gets paid to flirt with. And his two boyfriends get along!

Here's a picture of Great at Tie's birthday dinner (please also note how far away from Tie Inn moved to take this picture).

And here's a video of Tie accidentally walking out of the kitchen at their bakery just as Inn was hugging Great in front of their fans.

It’s all just so perfect. But unfortunately, fans are toxic and one of the most often cited reasons for GreatInn’s lack of popularity is that fact that since Inn has a boyfriend and people are aware of it, they can’t delude themselves into thinking he's with Great, which takes some of their fun away. To those people, I just say: Where is your imagination? Because GreatInn do more fanservice than every other GMMTV CP combined. Here is Inn telling everyone that he and Great practiced their NC scenes on his kitchen counter. And here is Great making sure you know that Inn has a big penis too.

As for the kids, you can watch this video of Inn explaining it himself. The kids are the biological children of his housekeeper but she was going to send them away, so Inn offered to take them in instead. Obviously, I don't know their exact arrangement, but Inn does refer to the kids as his. Like just look at these pictures. I’m melting. 

Sorry for the machine translation on the second one. It's mostly accurate except his son's names is Saifah, which means "thunder." So he's saying Saifah doesn't cry. (And also, yes. Poon has liked every single one of Inn's pictures as far back as I've scrolled—which is far. Do with that information what you will.)

Saifah and Fahsai's mom also recently had a third child that seems to be living at Inn's house as well.

In addition to all of that, Inn is also just a character in his own right. He’s sassy and spoiled and I watch every single variety show or interview he appears in because it’s always a great time. From pole dancing on Live House to being bitter it's "GreatInn" instead of "InnGreat" to complaining that Great gave him the wrong number of roses on Valentine's Day. He's just an amazing human and I am obsessed with him.

As for which shows you should watch, definitely check out WandeeGoodday. It's a GMMTV show and highlights his chemistry with Great really well. I would also recommend The Miracle of Teddy Bear—especially if you're a fan of The Eclipse because the original stories were written by the same author. However, Miracle of Teddy Bear deals with some heavy topics including child abuse so please make sure you're in the right headspace for that.

Inn and Great are currently halfway through filming their second show together, Memoir of Rati, and they're making quick time so I imagine it'll probably be on air within the next three months.

I hope this was helpful? And I hope it makes you want to watch more of his shows because he deserves all the love and support in the world.

[13thdoodle]

[ EctoberHaunt 2024 Banner ]

Hi hiii~ I get to draw the banner again for @ectoberhaunt this year~ It was a lot of fun :DD

I wasn't sure how to incorporate the gold and silver at first but I think it turn out pretty good

Also thank you to Enn for helping me with the flats I would've pewished ksjadnaksj Sketches and some ramblings under cut

Here's the initial sketch for the banner. I tried my best to keep it close to the sketch or at least have the same energy (hopefully qwq)

As you can see, I drew Sam and Tucker riding a scooter bike originally. But the banner, I try to get as close to canon design as possible. I could not for the live of me remember what episode has the scooter bike. And.. turns out I might've just misremembered the scooter as a motor bike? so I just draw the scooter lol

(This is from the Killer Garage Sale episode btw. I couldn't find the scooter's pict on the wiki so I gotta screenshot it from the episode)

Also speaking of couldn't find reference pictures in the fandom wiki,

I couldn't find pictures of the college trio full body screenshots there. Only the Vlad leaning into the portal while Maddie and Jack looked away. Very useful references, yes.

I used to think that Jack was the worst one here about lab safety (considering he was the main reason the portal exploded on Vlad's face), but Maddie is no better after watching the episode again. Girlie wear big round earrings and leg warmers in the lab. Pretty sure that's... not very safety. Vlad is not better since he does lean very close into the radiation portal so... lol

Anyway, I tried to incorporate their dynamics in the banner. Jack the very excited one and leading the ghost hunt, Maddie following along with more ghost gears, and Vlad... well, I was thinking Vlad could be the 'rational' of the trio and like brings stuffs the other two wouldn't have thought to bring out of excitement (i.e. flashlights in case they need to go through pitch black tunnel so they don't fall off etc etc)

But... you know, that's giving Vlad too many points than he deserves lol. So, I draw Vlad still bringing the bag of extra stuffs, but it's not fully closed so some stuffs fell off on their trails. They all should share braincells and Vlad does not get a turn lol

Also changed Maddie's clothes and give her the teal suit to match Jack and also looks better when she's running

There's not much I can say about the main trio process? I mostly just want Sam to be the one driving the scooter while Tucker handles the navigations or sth. They get to ride scooters to catch up with Danny~

Danny and Tucker's colors a bit ashy bc I color picked them from low res screenshots askjdnaksj I fixed em on the final tho so yea

O yeah, I don't know if it's visible on the final art, but I initially try to give the kids warm shadings and cold lighting (Silver), and the college trio cold shadows and warm lighting (Gold) to fit the themes.

Also the light source.. sorta? The adults has the light source from behind them bc they are in past/past the age in the drawings? And the kids has their light source from in front of them, going into the future and the many things ahead of them kajsdnaksd

[warblogs17282]

Now that helluva boss season 2 has hit it's finale, let's discuss everything we know about season 3 at this point in time!

aka, a comprehensive list of everything about season 3 that we've been told about so far. (Please tell me if I've missed anything, thanks!)

I do not think that any of this information necessitates a spoiler tag on this post, but if you want to go into season 3 completely blind, click off this post now.

Bluesky Stuff:

What we learned from this bluesky thread posted shortly before Sinsmas was released is as follows:

The wait until Season 3 starts will be quite long.

The team decided that helluva boss having closer releases of episodes was the best decision (heard this meant a month in-between episodes but I forgot where I saw that), so thee team wants to commit to a more traditional release going forward.

Confirmed once again that season 3 has a total of 15 episodes.

We will also be getting shorts in-between the wait until season 3 starts, and I assume this means monthly shorts as well, based on the fact we had monthly shorts last time as well.

Vivziepop has also described season 3 as a 'queer roller coaster.', so we gotta be prepared to get back on that ride again.

At some panel it was confirmed that in season 3 we will be getting an episode that contains some more Millie backstory.

Tweet link here:

In some other panel, alongside confirming Vassago's appearance in the Mastermind episode, they also confirmed that we will be seeing 'much more' of Vassago in season 3, the post in the picture above contains the clip of this moment in the panel as well.

In what appears to be a recording for the second half of season 3, they're doing recording work for a Stolas song titled 'Dirty Bird', and yes, it is going to be super horny. There is a video of this Instagram post on the post below, plus one extra screenshot.

In the Los Angeles Comic Con 2024, quite a few things were revealed to us, with those being as follows:

As said before, this traditional release schedule does mean that the episodes will hopefully be a month apart from each other, and that Vivziepop saw the show was moving towards a more narrative direction, with this also being where the heart of the show is, and as a result, the direction the team is going in.

Lastly, we probably won't see all 72 Goetias, but we will see a lot more of them in season 3.

Post referenced in above screenshot contains a youtube link to said Comic Con.

According to the reblogs under this post, it appears that Erica (Loona's VA), was asked what her favorite song/episode was, and she responded with 'the song that Loona has in season three', confirming that Loona does have a song during season 3.

Video can be found within this post:

At 1:06:19 of this video, Vivziepop does state that the show will eventually get to Stella's perspective, which I have to imagine the show will get to in season 3, and that Vivziepop hearkens Stella's character to the character of BoJack Horseman's mother (Beatrice Horseman) because they are very similar in that regard.

Finally, Vivziepop posted these screenshots of her doing some audio editing to her Instagram over a year ago, we don't know what episode this is from but based on the long name in line 7 that doesn't appear to match any character we know at the moment, this appears to likely be a picture of some season 3 audio.

The main things we can gather from these screenshots appear to be Millie talking with Stolas a bit, and the absolute explosion of voices following something that Blitz said.

Post where I found these screenshots from can be found here, some additional discussion regarding is also in the reblogs:

This YouTube video covers a few instagram videos covering recording footage that Vivziepop uploaded to her account, with them being from the first half of season 3.

What we learn from these instagram videos is that Wally Wackford returns in season 3 with some new lines, and there's also a courtroom scene as well involving Blitz and Stolas, with it also looking like Stolas will be acting as defense for Blitz regarding something we don't know at the moment.

According to Vivzie's instagram, we will be seeing Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox (You might have heard of them before from something called Smosh) be the VAs of some special future characters at some point during season 3.

In this helluva boss podcast that Brandon Rogers did, Brandon Rogers stated that season 3 has a packed cast of guest stars, and then mentioned that we'll be seeing people from Brandon Roger's universe, aka, his own YouTube channel, in the hellaverse at some point during season 3.

In a helluva boss QnA panel, it was confirmed that we will be seeing more of Blitz's circus past at some point, and of course, that also means that we're gonna get more flashbacks to traumatic moments in Blitz's life as well in regards to his circus past, trauma flashbacks if you want to call it that. (Credits to Lexipop398 for transcripting all of the QnA, can find the full transcript of the QnA here, do note that you have to be signed into bluesky to view the post, however.)

To wrap things off, I believe the next significant reveal or such regarding season 3 will be found in the 2025 LVL UP EXPO, as there are quite a lot of VAs involved with Helluva Boss there, plus Sam Haft and Vivziepop.

Especially considering that in the 2024 LVL UP EXPO, the first helluva boss short was shown, we got the song featured in s2 e8, 'When I See Him' and the season 2 trailer.

[peekofhistory]

I just want to say, before anything else, that I love your blog! It's so helpful to me when I write things. I'm also sorry for how long this ask is going to be. I normally ask anonymously but it won't let me put the photo in.

I really like this hanfu set but I don't know exactly what dynasty it's from, or even if it's actually historically accurate.

I also wanted to ask about the hanfu from Flourished Peony, and how accurate they are. Specifically that one pink round-collar hanfu Mudan wears when she's getting flowers from the mountain that I thought was a men's item, rather than a women's one.

Sorry about the long ask!

Going to answer both of these together since they're about the same show.

About the hanfu in the picture, this is a Ruqun (襦裙) set from the Weijin. The biggest giveaway is the stripe at the sleeves (it looks like 2 stripes but I have another pic of this outfit and you can see it's actually 1 decorative stripe with two bright borders). Also, if you look at this pic below with it untucked in the skirt, you can kind of see that there's a horizontal piece of fabric along the waist area.

If you take a look at my post about the Ruqun (here) you'll see an artefact that's very similar.

For Flourished peony, I'm only going to comment on the hanfu as I don't have enough knowledge about Tang dynasty hair or makeup right now to make any judgements. I'm also not looking at the patterns on the fabrics, I'm literally only looking at the styles of the clothing themselves.

Disclaimer, I haven't watched the show. These photos are from Google and Baidu promotional pics, and I did click through a few eps to take screencaps.

And if anyone has a screencap of, or can let me know which episode, the "pink round-collar hanfu Mudan wears" that's mentioned in the ask I'd really appreciate it (I tried looking for it but couldn't find it T__T)

Looking briefly through some of the posts regarding this show, it seems the production team put a lot of effort into recreating the Tang Dynasty aesthetic, from costumes to props (there are some people who have found props and matched them to museum pieces). For the most part, the clothing seems appropriate for the time period, the only nitpick I'll do is that it seems to mix together clothing styles from early Tang all the way to late Tang (but the show isn't set in a specific period of the Tang Dynasty, so they can kind of get away with that).

Most of the men seem to wear the round-collar robes that was most common during the Tang Dynasty (my post on it here).

This style of qixiong dress (over-bust dress) seems to be most common in this show, and definitely a staple for women's hanfu during the Tang Dynasty.

If you look at the width of her sleeve here, it doesn't appear very wide. Sleeve width became wider and wider during the Tang Dynasty, so looking at these sleeves it seems more early-going-into-Gold-era Tang (my post on Gold-era Tang hanfu here).

This style looks more early-Tang with the very form-fitted sleeve and the non-qixiong skirt. I can't see clearly the pattern of her dress here, but early Tang skirts often had alternating coloured blocks on their skirts (called jianqun/间裙子)(my post on early Tang here and here).

I can't tell clearly if this dress is a qixiong dress, or a hezi dress. Hezi dresses so far are not backed by any artefacts, there are rumours of its existence but nothing has been unearthed to verify it (someone asked me about this, I posted on it here).

Looking at the long outer robe with the wide sleeve, even if this was a qixiong dress, this would be late Tang, edging into the Five Dynasties post-Tang (my post on this here).

In the first pic, the two maids are wearing outfits that are very typical in early Tang. The collars, the little vest/half-sleeve of the shirt, etc.

I'll nitpick that historically, Chinese capes did not have hoods attached. They came separately.

You can see in this pic (from the 1987 Dream of the Red Chambers), the woman is wearing her cape, the man is holding the hood for her.

My personal theory is because of the various hair styles women have, and the various hats/guan (head pieces) men wear, a separate hood offered more flexibility. Like in this pic from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994), he's wearing a very tall guan so trying to fit it under a hood that's attached to the cape would be difficult. But this is all just my guesses, don't quote me xD

This maid is wearing a round-collared robe usually associated with men, but actually during the Tang Dynasty it wasn't uncommon for women to wear this style of robe as well.

This man has half the robe on, the other half off his shoulder, displaying the half-sleeve underneath. This was a common way men wore their robes in casual situations (it looks like he's hunting) (my post on this here).

I took this screenshot because you can see the difference in lengths between these two men's robes. One is calf-length, one is ankle-length. Men's robes also got longer as time went on during the Tang Dynasty. It's possible this servant is wearing a shorter robe to make walking easier, but going by the length of the man in red, this should be at least late-Tang Dynasty (post mentioning robe length here).

This outfit's sleeve is very wide, indicating later in the Tang Dynasty. I think people believe form-fitted sleeves were more for younger girls, servants, or women of lower class who had to work and large, wide sleeves were for higher-level women or older women who sat around all day. In actuality, sleeve width was an indication of time period during the Tang Dynasty (for both men and women).

This look is straight out of a Dunhuang Buddhist donor mural. They painted these to commemorate people who were devoted to Buddhism and/or gave a lot of offerings, you can find these murals at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang City today (my post on this here).

I know I said I wouldn't discuss hair but just this one, since it's such an iconic look for the Tang Dynasty. This hairstyle is a clear replica of the Ladies with Flower in their Hair painting (簪花仕女图), but they've changed the clothing. This painting was originally believed to be from the Golden-era or Mid-Tang, but in recent years historians believe it's more likely to be late-Tang or Five Dynasties (possibly even Song Dynasty) painted. Even in China a lot of people still associate it with the Tang Dynasty.

So overall, the show's production team clearly did research to replicate Tang Dynasty clothing. For the most part, they did a good job, no cross-dynasty clothing being tossed around. There's a bit of mish-mash for which period of the Tang Dynasty the clothing's from, but that's not a huge issue. Given some of the crazy costumes that's come out of period dramas in recent years, big applause to the production team to the costuming department.

【EDIT March 6, 2025】 @/time-is-a-communist-construct sent me a pic of the pink robe they mentioned in the original ask:

During the Tang Dynasty it actually wasn't uncommon for women to wear men's clothing, such as this round-collared robe. This trend initially started in the imperial palace, before spreading to others outside the court, only fading away at the end of the Tang Dynasty:

[follows-the-bees]

Stede's journey screams demisexuality to me. (And as someone who is demi, I love it.)

I've posted about a reading of Ed as demiromantic as well.

Stede doesn't leave to find (romantic) love. He set out to find himself, to find a community. And he finds that! His crew becomes his family (it's also part of why he starts crying and really starts to self-destruct in 2x7 when they start to leave.)

Along the way he finds not only a best friend, but the love of his life: in that same person. Stede's journey is a blatant queer allegory: a man who has never fit into society, who is treated poorly for not fitting into *pick your societal norm*, who finds himself through community, fixing some of his past relations, but also discovering his sexuality: gay and demisexual.

Stede and Ed's connection is based on friendship — their emotional journey. We see an instant connection in 1x4 where both of them are fascinated by each other.

Stede tries to be open with the crew beforehand, an open door policy to the cabins, various other rooms, and the library. He tries to form that connection with others (to varying degrees at first.)

But when Ed enters the picture, they immediately have that connection. They are interested in each other and their idiosyncrasies.

We see their friendship grow over the course of the next few episodes. They remain equal in all things, learning and teaching each other. We see the deepening of friendship of course in the big scene of the bathtub.

Ed shares his biggest secret (secrets technically), trusting Stede with it. And Stede responds in kind, using the term friend for the first time. Their emotional intimacy grows deeper here.

We also see their connection and friendshio in the small moments. From how well they match each other with playing/riffing off of each other, finding in one another a partner. Something they always wanted. Someone who gets them for who they are, but also meets them at that level, letting them unmask and have fun.

And in small gestures such as learning basic things about each other: Stede knowing exactly how Ed likes his tea. That Ed will be cranky that he has sand in his beard. That Ed would set the world on fire or die trying, etc.

So much of Stede's s journey is having an emotional connection to Ed, and from there a sexual one. But it takes him a while to figure it out. I don't read his season one trek as repressed but rather not ever having that connection with another human being before — particularly a man. He knows about same sex relationships (he presumably went to boarding school and is on the queerest pirate ship in the Caribbean🌈) but I don't think he ever attached it to himself.

Their friendship crosses the line at their first kiss. But the focus of the kiss isn't sexual, it's emotional. It's that sigh at finally finding the thing you always wanted but simultaneously didn't know you needed. That feeling of oh, there you are.

We don't see Stede show (romantic/sexual) interest in anyone else. (Same thing with Ed in a way, but Ed's journey is another topic.)

Even during their time apart, they are both pining for each other, no hints of feelings or acts with others.

Stede is having sex dreams about Ed at night and writing gorgeous love letters during the day. And when they finally connect again, Stede and Ed take it slow. Stede tells Ed exactly how he feels about him, and it isn't about how he wants to jump his bones. He tells him he just likes being near him. And respects Ed's boundaries, never crossing them and telling him he doesn't have to say anything back.

One of my favorite things about their relationship is their consent and bodily autonomy respect in each other. He knows Ed and respects Ed. Ed knows and respects Stede.

They are friends first and lovers second.

At the surface his dreams may be about becoming a pirate (not really being a pirate but rather using the stories of pirates he read in books to achieve his dream of getting community), but ultimately, his dream is just really getting to be himself, love himself, and in the process, he picks up a found family. It's mutual.

Stede no doubt knew about sexual attraction, particularly others having it, but not so much himself having it nor acting on it. Not until Ed at least. And when he does discover and puts into words those feelings, everything going on with his sexuality, Stede does not hesitate, he does not doubt. He goes after Ed, after love.

Watching Stede discover love for the first time, a deep emotional friendship that then evolves into a romantic and sexual one. His demisexual journey over the two seasons (so far) has been wonderful to watch and connect with.

That's my demisexual king! And queen! Everything!

I've written pieces of this before, but I wanted to combine all of it together into one post.

Happy Asexual Awareness week, loves! 🖤🩶🤍💜

[wintfleur]

₊˚ෆ Faceoff: inside the NHL 𝓯eaturing Stella Hughes

𝓹airing ∿ stella hughes (oc) x family

𝓢. Stella’s moments during Quinn’s episode 𝔀𝓬 : 1,117

𝓻oro's note. This pretty short since I couldn’t really think of many moments where she would be present or mentioned, I hope you guys enjoy it !! also the doc was soooo good <3 and tysm for @bedsyandco for letting me use the two pictures of Quinn, everyone should go show her some love 🫶🏻

“I don't think i could be the captain in the Canadian market at a young age if i didn't have a really good support system not only with my brothers, both my parents as well and of course my little sister” 

“Quinn, we've been out since 10 am” Ellen playfully scolded her eldest son as she watched him move to sit down on the couch next to his sister. Stella looked away from the tv that was playing the rangers and hurricanes game and smiled up at her big brother. He brought his hand up to playfully ruffle with her hair causing her to pout and push his hand away as he answered “I know, i woke up at 11” 

“Oh really?” Ellen exclaimed in slight shock as she sat down, watching her youngest and oldest give each other a quick hug. Quinn pulled away before leaning back against the couch “Yeah” 

“It's a hard league and to make the playoffs is a big feat, and so Ellen, Stella and I figured we'd come into Nashville and catch a couple of hockey games and support the team,” Jim answered the producers' question. 

“My siblings and my family, they're, you know, my best friends. And the way we were brought up and raised, we have a really good aspect on how to deal with different situations and the pressure of playing in the NHL and stella skating in the Olympics” Quinn's voiceover was played over the scene of the family laughing and talking as they watched the game, Quinn eating lunch while Stella smiled and ate her candy her dad got her, her head resting on Quinn's shoulder. 

“Quinn was following their team around last year” Jim spoke, Ellen agreeing with him. Jim continued to say “all pissed off, and now it’s their turn to reciprocate and watch the Canucks” Stella giggled quietly at her father's words, remembering clearly how pissed off Quinn was. 

“Does it fit you?” Quinn smiled as he rested his arm on the back of the coach behind his sister's shoulders. Stella giggled and fidgeted with the sleeves of her jean jacket as she watched her dad being silly. Ellen chuckled and shook her head “Dad wants to put my jacket on” 

Stella and quinn laugh as they watched what was going on in front of them, ellen smiled “It's a girls' jacket, honey that's my jacket” 

“Walk around with this bull’s-eye on?” Jim joked as he laughed and turned around so his wife could get a better look at how it fit him. Quinn smiled and paused on taking his sip to say “it doesn't look too small on you though” 

“I think you look fabulous dad” Stella teased with a grin as she stole her mom's coffee cup to take a small sip, scrunching her nose in distaste. Ellen smiled fondly and shook her head, patting her daughter's hand before looking back at her husband. Jim teased with his youngest “right sweetheart?” 

“Are you gonna wear this tomorrow night?” Jim asked his wife as he sat back down, a happy smile on his lips as he watched his two kids laugh. Out of all his kids he thought they looked the most alike and seeing them smiling together made his heart so happy. 

“Me and Stella have matching ones, we're gonna wear it loud and proud tomorrow for you, bud” Ellen smiled happily as she held her coffee cup out to cheers with her son. Quinn smiled and reached over his sister to cheer with his mom, he held his bottle out longer for Stella, but she was too enthralled with the game to notice. 

“Do you guys see this?” Quinn scoffed dramatically as he glanced back at the camera crew, Stella looked away from the tv with a confused hum at the sound that left Quinn, while their parents chuckled. Quinn shook his head dramatically “She’s too focused watching the rangers to even listen to me” 

Stella laughed and smiled innocently at her brother as she held her arm up and did the Trouba train sound. Quinn laughed loudly and pushed her shoulder as he smiled and shook his head in disbelief, only making her laugh harder “You traitor!” 

“How does it feel to be here for your brother?” the producer asked stella, they were a little aways from her family. Stella smiled softly as she thought of the question, her hands rested on her thighs where she rubbed her tights under the skirt she was wearing. 

“It feels great, I really am so proud of my brother and his team and I'm so happy to be here to support them” Stella smiled proudly as she answered, making the crew internally awe at her sweetness. 

“They have worked so hard, and it's just amazing to see the team get this far” Stella's voiceover was played as they showed Stella standing up and putting on her mom's jacket with a laugh. She spined around dramatically making Quinn laugh and playfully kick her leg, making her gasp and playfully raise her first up as if she was going to hit him. Ellen and Jim were laughing as they watched them. 

During the Canucks vs Edmonton game, Ellen and Stella were shown. Holding hands as they watched the game with an anxious look on their faces. And then after the loss, Stella, Quinn and Ellen are seen walking down the hallway, Ellen and Stella, both giving him a quick side hug, Quinn wrapping his arms around their shoulders. 

It was now summertime and the siblings, and a few friends were out at the lake for the day. Stella was seen sitting next to Quinn on the boat, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a red bikini top, wearing her green snoopy tennis washed dad hat. She let out a loud laugh with Jack once Luke totally wiped out, Quinn chuckling and signaling to the camera man to stop filming. 

“You want to drive jack? Get your reps in” Quinn asked his brother once he got back on the boat, Stella pouted and looked up from the book she was reading. She sat up straighter and smiled “Can I drive?” 

“Sorry stells but we all want to live to see tomorrow” Quinn joked making her roll her eyes playfully while her brothers and friends laughed, she quickly turned her head to narrow her eyes at Luke once she heard him laughing a little too loud. He continued to laugh and shake his head, flicking her hat. Quinn smiled and shook his head as he watched his youngest siblings before he got ready to get back on the water. It's gonna be a good summer . . . 

au masterlist - you can find everything under #👩🏻‍🎨 ͡ ꒱ Stella Hughes!

𝓻oro's note. I want to write more Stella and Quinn, I love them so much!! I need to do more of Stella with her family, they are the best!!

˖ ་ taglist : @cixrosie @toasttt11 @lovings4turn @bunbunbl0gs @petite-potato4 @winterbarnesblog @yoontwin @iceflwers @dancerbailey3

©️WINTFLEUR

[wordsandrobots]

Let's talk about Haman Karn and presentation.

(This post contains a lot of images, including some stitched frames that would have been a lot easier to put together if the animators hadn't gone wild with overlay effects.)

When first introduced in the back half of Zeta Gundam, Haman is presented as the wicked witch in the Neo Zeon court, a powerful, dangerous 'newtype' who plays the conscientious regent to girl-queen Mineva Zabi while in truth calling all the shots. What is most striking about Haman's initial design is how simple it is. A funereal black tunic and grey leggings is almost laughably at odds with the rich, golden-threaded uniforms of the Zeon military officers, as worn in miniature by Mineva herself. Haman displays no rank and you could almost think, in isolation, that she had no official position.

But she isn't presented in isolation. That she is the axis (pun intended) around which Neo Zeon revolves is shown by how her appearance actually interacts with the scenes she's in. For one thing, pink hair and a red inner lining to her cape combined with an otherwise excessively sombre colour scheme draw the eye when contrasted with the rest of her forces, making her appear far more significant. For another, the cape grants her the outline of other important Zeon characters like Char Aznable and Kycilia Zabi, something further emphasised when she takes to the battlefield.

As with Char before her, she opts against wearing a spacesuit, a show of utter confidence in her abilities that proves well-founded. She emerges triumphant in battle, overpowering her predecessor with greater psychic abilities. There is thus a strong element of performative humility to her costume. It places her outside the military hierarchy, in a fashion distantly akin to Mineva's other attendants, yet there is never any question as to where the power behind the resurgent Zeon lies.

Complicating this picture is a vision shared with Zeta's protagonist, Kamile Bidan. When their minds link during combat, he catches a glimpse of Haman's prior relationship with Char, implied to have been romantic in nature. I don't believe we ever get confirmation as to whether this is a recollection or a fantasy; Haman states the visions are both dreams and memories. Certainly Haman and Char know and despise one another in the present, so nothing that happened between them ended well.

In this moment we catch a glimpse of an 'innocent' version of Haman, dressed casually, her overall palette matched to her hair rather than counterpointing it. Aside from establishing more of the history gestured to by her interactions with Char, it demonstrates that there is purpose to her current mode of dress. Ostentatiously plain black is not the default for a happy, contented Haman Karn.

Haman's next chronological appearance, several episodes into sequel series Gundam ZZ, comes after several (literally rose-tinted) flashbacks that show her still in her 'witch's blacks'. However when she finally comes on screen in the flesh, it is in very different ensemble: a tightly-buttoned charcoal dress and white scarf that appear to be a form of 'back-stage' attire

It's the least made-up we ever see her, with rather bedraggled hair in place of her normal sweeping coiffure, as if co-villain Glemy Toto and later protagonist Judau Ashta have caught her right after stepping out of the shower - the one to give a report hinting at a later arc, the other to sneak in by mistake and trigger a series-long rivalry.

The roses in over-the-top imaginings of brainwashed minion Mashymre Cello are reduced to balcony decorations and Haman possesses none of the glow he ascribes to her. This is the truth behind the delusions, canny and hard-faced. It is a grounding moment for the character, removing the implicit theatre of her previous appearances. Mineva is nowhere to be seen and without her, there is no need for Haman to pretend.

These scenes also establishes Haman's newtype credentials, as Judau sees her starkly overlaid upon cosmic fog and then projecting a monstrous apparition that shows the danger lying under her presently unassuming surface. The theatrics may be absent; the threat she poses very much is not.

Having in this manner brought us up to speed on the character, the show proceeds to roll out a second performance from Haman. We watch as she is dressed ahead of taking charge of a battle-fleet. In tight close-up, an attendant helps her into a flamboyant outfit featuring projecting epaulettes and a much longer cape, then presents her with a spiked, crown-like headpiece.

There is only one word to adequately describe the result: regal.

Gone is any pretence of being subordinate to someone else. When Haman steps on to the bridge of her flagship, it is as the true queen of Neo Zeon, ready to crush all who oppose her. Projected as a hologram above the Earth, this new costume's purpose as a propaganda tool becomes crystal clear. Haman has taken the place of Zeon's previous rulers, the Zabi family, replicating their flare for dramatic rhetoric and dressing herself in their flag.

It is in this guise that Haman makes her attempt to 'seduce' Judau (canonically 14) and to get up on my soapbox again, this is very obviously an act. We can see the calculation in her facial expressions as she exerts psychic 'pressure' and generates a starry vision to entreat him to join her cause, even when the assault on his senses culminates in a near-kiss.

These are means of control comparable to the chivalric romance fantasy via which she manipulates Mashymre. She is lying and once snapped out of the trance, Judau sees that - much to Haman's annoyance. Another powerful newtype is a wildcard she can ill-afford to let run free and her easy solution to the problem has been foiled. This sets the tone for their interactions from here on out.

Haman next appears at a reception in the Federation capital of Dakar, which Neo Zeon have occupied, effectively signalling their triumph over Earth's official forces. This is an extremely key scene in terms of ZZ's overall themes, as it starkly illuminates the craven, greedy nature of the supposed authorities. As Leina Ashta, Judau's sister, observes via her empathic abilities, everybody in the ballroom is pretending, buttering up the Zeon leaders in anticipation of their victory. We see multiple Federation officials bowing politely to Mineva and to Haman, for entirely self-serving reasons. Cynicism, manners and social convention are turned into a source of horror, an ersatz world of fake smiles and hollow laughter.

Within this, Haman is dressed to the nines, putting a new twist on her original presentation. Once again, she is the sole member of Neo Zeon wearing civilian clothes, standing out from a wall of elaborate ceremonial uniforms. Moreover, her superficially restrained black and white dress is enhanced with a smattering of jewellery befitting the occasion, and she has donned visible make-up, something she otherwise does not use to any great degree. These mark out her social standing, emphasising that those present should pay attention to her and her alone.

One thing I do think this dress highlights is the way in which ZZ does not go out of its way to sexualise Haman. The show generally commits to bawdy comedy far more than its predecessors, featuring as it does Chara Soon, a woman who gets *ahem* excited by mobile suit combat and is dubbed 'Boobazilla' for her antics with respect to the male members of the cast. But although Haman is depicted as pretty and not above attempting seduction, her costuming never really leans into that. If anything, the reverse: she favours restrained, formal looks that rarely display her skin in suggestive ways. [Please see a correction/addition on this point here.]

Her Dakar attire is the most daring she gets and intentionally striking in comparison to the other attendees at the ball. She still remains an aloof, intimidating figure, defined by sharp angles and a wide-shouldered outline.

Proceedings are naturally interrupted by non-Federation resistance groups and Judau breaks into the mansion to rescue his sister (Leina's arc through the first half of the show has her kidnapped and subjected to Neo Zeon attempts to 'civilise' her). Sensing his presence, Haman moves to confront him, only to end up talking unexpectedly openly about her motivations for conquering Earth. After expressing rage at having returned from the depths of space to discover an Earth-bound elite continuing to wreak ecological ruin on the planet, she notes what an odd feeling honesty is.

Judau is unimpressed and rejects again the idea of joining forces against the Federation. Restating that she cannot therefore allow him to live, Haman attempts to shoot him, only for Leina to be injured in the struggle. This sends her brother into a rage, his newtype powers manifesting at full blast.

Now it is Haman who sees a monstrous vision overlaid upon her opponent and, putting a nasty twist on the idea of being able to speak her mind around Judau, her composure cracks entirely. All at once, Haman is reduced to abject terror, firing blindly then outright fleeing the anger directed at her.

Intriguingly, Haman's sense of Judau is as a bestial force yet Judau's friends pick up only a gigantic version of the boy they know. It is as if what they experience as a normal if exaggerated emotional reaction is, to Haman, utterly horrific, reducing her to hiding in her bedroom, appalled that anyone could exert such pressure upon her.

With the reception disrupted and her propaganda coup in tatters, Haman retreats both to her flagship and to her warrior queen attire. While it makes sense for her to change into something more suited to taking command, there is something compelling in the idea this represents an attempt to reinforce her authority after the shock of confronting Judau. Perhaps this is Haman taking comfort in her authority over Neo Zeon, as embodied by the crown she wears into battle.

Moreover, her next major action is to order a colony drop (literally displacing an orbital space colony so it crashes to Earth) on Dublin, a hideously destructive war crime designed specifically to "demonstrate [Zeon's] power through terror!" Coming hard on the heels of her brush with Judau's fury, it is tempting to draw a straight line from discovering something capable of scaring her to wanting to remind the whole world why it should be scared of her.

Between Dakar and Dublin are a couple of brief asides with Haman that underline again how conscientious she is about how she presents herself. During another meeting with Glemy - indicated over the course of ZZ to be a bastard son of the Zabi family - she reverts to her black tunic, as in Mashymre's visions, trying to exert control over this wayward heir. The ploy is a failure since Glemy shortly thereafter makes an angry break with her, unconvinced by her shows of deference to his heritage.

In the following episode, Haman resumes her battledress, only sans crown for the simple reason that she is back in the same room as Mineva. She makes a point of maintaining appearances, irrespective of how much she overshadows her supposed superior. At the tail end of this scene, her inner monologue reflects on her older sister's death in service to the Zabis and on Char's abandonment of the cause named for his father, Zeon Zum Deikun. Haman concludes that she has always been alone, a sentiment deserving sympathy but overshadowed by her upcoming decision to effectively nuke Ireland. Regardless, there is a telling novelty about seeing Haman dressed as the war-queen but without the masking structure of the crown. Thanks to the way her collar is cut, this renders her more visibly open than any of her other costumes, a visual blending nicely with the reveal of some context for this most singular villainess.

Now is a good time to reflect on that, on Haman being Gundam's first major female villain (Kycilia Zabi, though striking in her own right, cannot claim the status of arch foe for an entire series). That Haman Karn is a woman is important to how she works as a character. I hope I have covered sufficient ground to demonstrate how she is conceptualised in terms of appearance and the manipulation of social forces. Her attempt to seduce the hero alone marks her out from her male counterparts - Zeta's main antagonist, Paptimus Scirocco, displayed the power to entice women via the force of his personality, but this did not take the form of allure or leaning in for a kiss, and was never applied to Kamile.

Surprising I think no one, Gundam ZZ is as committed to a distinction between male and female signifiers as its predecessors. The very fact I am writing an essay about how Haman controls and changes her appearance depending on the situation should be ample demonstration of how specifically feminine villainy is portrayed. Glemy doesn't have nearly so vast a wardrobe.

Even so, something ZZ has over its predecessor is a shift in how masculinity and feminity are discussed. No longer is this part of the diegetic content: we are spared characters philosophising over the nature of womanhood in the context of war. More than that, Glemy's attempts to mould Leina into a (fascist) vision of a perfect lady are oppressive and quite literally an act of imprisonment. This casts Haman's own position in a somewhat more nuanced light. She is navigating a sexist society with intent, and her own flaws are not presented as anything so gauche as 'needing a good man in her life'. Char, the subject of that vision from Zeta, left Haman to shoulder the burden of leadership, rather than being merely guilty of jilting her. The thrust of her self-reflection is a combination of hating the Zabis for her sister's death, determination never to be that kind of victim, and the conclusion she alone must build her future. It's as worthy a motivation for Gundam villain as we might find anywhere else.

Nevertheless, we now have to turn our attention to Haman's next major arc, which sees her donning a disguise in order to sneak closer to Judau.

The Tigerbaum arc sees sexism and the objectification of women profoundly muddled between something the show is highlighting with a critical eye and something it is itself engaged in. Minor villain Stampa's lecherous abuse of his position as colony governor to prey on young women is presented as deplorable. At the same time, these episodes give us yet another entry on Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's long list of female characters killed to provide an air of tragedy and motivate male members of the cast, this iteration so badly animated, it isn't even clear *why* or *how* the poor woman is mortally injured.

Haman's choice to personally infiltrate the situation by donning a blonde wig and an unassuming red skirt and jacket combination marks renewed emphasis on her two-faced nature. Her obsession with Judau has developed such that this is mission is entirely in service of trying once more to recruit him to her side. Not incidentally, this results in her dropping the ball on the Glemy situation, providing him the room to start a full-blown coup.

It is established in the characters' minds over the course of this arc that Judau and Haman are on some level calling to one another. When they come face to face, Haman entreats her young foe to help build a world for newtypes and to stop being held back by his emotions and his attachment to others. Meanwhile, a convenient psychic priest clues us in to a sadness hidden behind this standard villainous pitch. Sarasa even explicitly tells Haman that, at their core, her feelings are no different from Judau's.

Haman rejects this assessment. Her spycraft is defined by an inability to play the part of anything other than the haughty aristocrat. The red disguise, while distinct enough to hide her at first, quickly proves to have a silhouette close to her original costume, broad sleeves tapering elegantly to thin wrists, and her briefly expressed interest in seeing "how the common people live" is an exercise in contempt. She has no time for those who don't serve her goals or share her vision.

From the first, Haman has been - seemingly by her own design - the singular figure at the heart of Neo Zeon. This is how she chose to cloak her loneliness, aiming to take total control of the world and punish those she deems to have been inexcusably careless towards Earth. She is bad at disguising what she truly is, even when it would be to her advantage. Judau senses who she is from a touch and only doesn't realise what it means until later because circumstances distract him. Glemy's disillusionment stems precisely from Haman's failure to convincingly appear to serve the Zabi bloodline. As I said at the start, she draws the eye.

Events race towards a head and as the Neo Zeon civil war heats up, we get a last outing for the black costume. Haman returns to Core 3, the old heart of Zabi power, where Mineva is being kept, and adopts the old theatre. Except, it is wearing very thin by now. Breaking into the huge palace, Judau encounters Mineva on her own and she states outright that while Haman claims to care for her, she doesn't believe it any more. We'll later learn this isn't the real Mineva Zabi but a double, a girl saved by the Haman and used to safely hold people's focus, lending these words an extra layer of pathos. This false Mineva is a prop: Haman has reduced the focus of Neo Zeon belief - the righteous of the Zabi's cause - to empty puppetry.

Where this sequence sings is in the continued interplay between Judau and Haman. Judau, partly at the 'Mineva's' insistence, attempts to steal the child away. Haman catches him and is delighted when he threatens Mineva to ensure safe passage, since it means he no longer holds the moral high ground over her (insofar as using others to get what she wants). A small victory, suggesting to her mind that he has started to see things her way.

Judau is not willing to actually harm a child and returns Mineva, over the double's protests since she can no longer stand being trapped as a tool for Haman's ambitions. Surprisingly, Haman keeps her word, allowing Judau and fellow pilot Roux to leave the palace grounds in exchange for surrendering their 'captive' and ordering her men not to 'disgrace her honour'. It's a hollow promise since she immediately tries to trap the escapees inside the colony and have them killed, but it's significant, since we've not been given any indication before that Haman has a sense of honour.

This said, we certainly have every reason to believe she has a sense of pride.

The civil war kicks into high gear, Glemy and Haman's forces tear each other apart, and eventually the would-be usurper meets his doom at Roux's hands. This leaves Haman the victor on paper but with she and Judau orbiting one another closer and closer, they both accept a final duel is inevitable. Over the protests of her remaining subordinates, she boards her Qubeley, the mobile suit she used to beat Char all the way back at the end of Zeta, claiming aloud that Judau is already subject to her will.

This is a last bit of acting. Safe in the privacy of the Qubeley's cockpit, she expresses frustration that Judau has driven her to don a normal suit, a beat recapitulating the end of the original Gundam series. Char, who habitually declineed to wear a spacesuit out of a belief it would make little difference were he to suffer defeat, agrees to do so in order to soothe another character's worries. Here, it is Haman's fear, of a "mere child", that drives her to take the same precaution.

For once, her mode of dress has nothing to do with furthering her goals. This choice is made out of concern for her life, which perhaps above all explains exactly why she should have become so obsessed with conquering Judau in particular.

He scares her. He will not be controlled and he sent her running, overwhelmed by his presence. How could she possibly let him live after that?

Haman is an extremely proud woman. She will not suffer to be seen publicly breaking her word and doesn't - cannot - hide her ambitions. Where another leader might have delegated spy-work at a crucial time, she goes herself. She does not trust others to act of their own free will, manipulating and brainwashing them into extensions of herself. She does not trust other people full stop. That's the irreconcilable difference between her and Judau, who loves those around him and retains faith in ordinary human beings.

So they fight, screaming their philosophies at one another, each stubborn and defiant and convinced they're right, Haman proving as emotionally driven as the boy she laughed at for still possessing mercy. There is nothing logical about fighting him fair and square but this is precisely what she does, refraining from using the full extent of the Qubeley's abilities so she might match Judau one on one, pilot to pilot.

If she couldn't beat him on her own, what would be the point?

But Judau doesn't fight alone. The souls of newtypes fallen in battles Haman shares the blame for starting come to his aid, driving her back and giving him the power to overcome her. When the final blows are struck, she is left the loser and though he reaches for her, true to his nature, trying to save her life, she defies his compassion, proud to the very end.

At the same time, she says she is glad to have met this "strong child" who has beaten her. She proceeded on the basis that everyone was alone and the hope of greater understanding promised by newtype abilities was, in essence, a lie. If there existed no possibility harmonious cooperation would overturn the Federation's indifference, then of course the only way to prosper was to seize control of everything and everyone. Yet Judau proves the chance of a different path remains.

As she choses death over living with defeat, Haman looks the most content we ever see her. Her spirit, blasted loose as the Qubeley is destroyed, smiles joyfully. Her helmet, opened moments prior, is gone, leaving her hair to billow wild. The embellishments to her normal suit are likewise loosened, lines softened by the implied force of the explosion.

Haman Karn dies undone, no longer the carefully composed centre of a lonely universe, not even the posed teenager seen in flashback, but instead freed from her own stage-management.

And at last she is happy.

[thefirstlioveyou]

Mike Possibly isn't Biologically Related to the Wheelers — [deep analysis]

(Part 2)

This ties in with my Alien Mike theory. But I wanted to write this to better explain why I think Mike may not even be related to them, just generally without touching on the supernatural aspect of it. (well, i do but only a little because of his superman parallels lol)

Appearance

This one is the quickest piece of evidence, although it isn’t strong enough to stand on its own. Mike’s hair is very dark brown, appearing almost black. He has dark brown eyes and freckles. Nancy and Holly both have lighter hair tones, matching Karen and Ted. The Wheelers being related to the Creels is a popular theory. While I think Nancy and Holly do look like they could be related to them, it still does not explain Mike’s features. The Creels all have blonde hair and blue eyes with no freckles in sight.

However, while Mike does look vastly different, the main physical feature Mike does have in common with Nancy and Karen is his cheekbones. I still don’t consider that enough though.

ST does a great job casting their families. I don't understand why a cast a family that all look similar except for one. Even if you consider the Creelers, there's still no one that strikes any resemblance to Mike specifically besides cheekbones.

Holly's new actress shares resemblance to Nancy. They have the same button nose and eye color.

There are No Baby Photos of Mike

I go over any sort of photos I spot at the Wheelers in this post. Mike is not spotted in any. It's primarily Holly and Nancy. This is probably my biggest and most explicitly there kind-of piece of evidence. You have several of photos of them in these big frames all set up and not one - just one - is of Mike? Something is very wrong here.

During S5 filming, they posted a picture of Mike's likely only picture sitting somewhere by itself, away from any other family photos. Underneath the photo is two vinyl records of children stories that were both released in January of 1971 - Mike's birth year. Could this be hinting at scenes of Mike as a baby next season? Why would seeing him that young be relevant?

Side thing: It's interesting that while Mike was the first main character introduced, we actually know so little about him when he was younger. We know things about Will and El, but the only thing we know about Mike is that he felt scared and alone on his first day of school. Perhaps this is intentional.

Mike is Treated Differently -- For Some Unknown Reason

Now before I get into this section, I wanna say this: I am NOT a Karen anti. I think it is important to understand the kind of situation she is in with her marriage, while also recognizing how she treats Mike in comparison to Nancy. I'm gonna be mentioning Karen far more, and that is because she at the very least is doing something, even if it isn't the best. Ted does nothing at all, period. So there isn't much to say about him. He needs to step up as both a father and husband.

In S1, we immediately learn how dismissive Karen is of Mike's interests and how dismissive Ted is of anything happening with the family in general. When he mentions how the campaign took 2 weeks to plan, Karen rolls her eyes dramatically. When he looks for an answer from Ted, he simply leaves it for his mom to answer, careless.

In the next episode, Karen approaches Mike to talk about Will's disappearance. This is a sweet scene. But later you catch onto how she approaches Nancy. There is a clear difference in how Karen communicates her support. "You can talk to me" vs "I want you to feel like you can talk to me." There is a subtle but huge difference between the two.

I'm not sure how to put it, but when Karen talks to Mike, it's almost like there's some sort of barrier that she isn't comfortable crossing. There's emotional connection missing. To me, their "talks" feel more like a counselor talking with a student rather than a mom talking with their child. "You can come to me if you'd like, I'm here for you. But I won't intervene myself. It's your job to come to me. I can't do that."

When Will's body is found, Ted and Karen are sat in their living room watching the news. Ted proposes they go down to Mike's basement and talk to him about this. Karen instead insists they give him time, believing he'll come to them instead eventually. This scene occurs exactly after Joyce hesitates to talk to Jonathan, who is sobbing in his room, and ultimately chooses not to, leaving it for him to handle alone.

The next day, Karen lets Mike stay home due to what had happened the previous night. She makes sure Mike will be alright on her own. She asks if he'd like to tag along and that she'd let him rent an R-rated movie, while she gives someone else the time and day to talk about everything going on. I ain't gonna lie, if I hadn't watched any of the show prior to this scene, I wouldn't even think his friend died because of how she's approaching this situation. As I said above, she weirdly sounds more like a counselor than a mom, like there's an invisible line she feels she can't cross.

Throughout S1, we see Nancy make consistent effort to get to Nancy, to understand her. She wants and seeks to make sure Nancy knows she's on her side. She fights with her for an answer and persists. She gets involved. Because of this persistence, Nancy does inevitably open up to her, she trusts her. Karen has told Mike once that she's there and that she doesn't have to hide anything... But we have yet to actually see him go to her to have a talk. Going for a hug at the end of the season after everything's already blown over isn't going to her to talk. We have yet to see the payoff of that scene in S1.

We go into S2. Mike is facing grief and showing signs of PTSD. Owens talks with Joyce about symptoms of PTSD and how it will get worse before it gets better, to just wait it out and pretend it's not there. However, Joyce refuses. She knows it's something more than this. She knows her son. She knows what happened last year. And guess what? The next scene is literally Ted and Karen shaming Mike for his misbehavior that matches up exactly with the symptoms Owens described right before. They then punish him and tell him to donate two boxes worth of his toys. When Mike refuses to do this due to his toys having way too much emotional value, they mock him for it. Mike eventually complies and goes down stairs in basement to do what they said and grieve over El again.

This is never resolved. Mike finally ends up releasing his pent up emotions but to Hopper in the end of the season, a character that is clearly meant to serve as a father figure to him. There is no hug with his mom like there is in S1 or S3 and S4. And still notice - Mike actually uses his words and expresses himself to Hopper, unlike he does with his parents. He cusses this police chief out and punches him, something his parents would've very well scolded him for. But Hopper saw through that and saw a hurt kid.

Nancy and Karen have a heart-to-heart in S3 that is very sweet and very genuine. Later in the scene, there is a joke that implies one of the Wheeler kids isn't biologically theirs.

In the end of S4 before the California group all finally reunite with the Hawkins group, Karen insists Nancy holds onto her stuffed animal because of its emotional value. Interesting. But when it's your twelve year old son, it's unacceptable. Nancy still decides to donate it. "No, he'll be more loved in another home." Moments later, the California group arrives and Karen runs to hug Mike. She tells him, "you are staying right here." Interesting choices of dialogue being made here hmmm.

Now all this treatment in of itself doesn't necessarily indicate he is adopted. What leads me to believe he is adopted is the lack of reasoning for this treatment. Why? What is it that makes Karen and Ted unable to cross that barrier that they set up? Why is it set up in the first place and only for him?

You understand why there's a gap between Joyce and Jonathan. Jonathan was put in the position as the father for the sake of their survival. He wasn't able to be son. There's a distinct reason why Jonathan is treated differently than Will by Joyce. Will was treated differently by his father because Will is visibly queer. Lonnie wanted to change that part of him. He wanted to make him a "real man." But when you look at the Wheelers and Mike, what reason is there? We see he gets different treatment when it comes to emotional support, but why? That's just not something that's ever been clear.

I think S5 is gonna share with us that reason "why." There is an issue with Mike and his family, his parents especially, that needs to be resolved next season. You cannot resolve conflict in a story if you don't provide the reason it begun in the first place!!

Mike is Isolated From Them

There's a weird separation the show depicts between Mike and his family. Visually, we're often shown him set apart from them. He seemingly doesn't fit in with them. He's the odd one out in dinner table scenes. His picture is now away from the others in S5.

When Mike explains what a friend is to El, he says they're someone you tell things to - Things parents don't know. He hides things from them and doesn't see a reason to tell them things.

Mike offers El his entire bedroom all to herself, telling her that he's always in his basement anyway. In words I cannot put together... That just feels so isolating. There's a sense of separation. El, Holly, Nancy, Ted and Karen would all be on the same floor... While Mike is in his basement away from everyone else.

Irl, why not, right? If a kid is happier sleeping in the basement, that's fine. But, this isn't irl. This is a story constructed a specific way to say something about a character. His basement is very crucial to him, a safe-space. We see him cope with the hardest of emotions here alone and by himself. We know no one's going down there to check on him. This is saying a lot about him and especially his place in the family.

As stated in the other previous section, they posted Mike's photo by itself away from the family photos, separating him from his family.

Mike and Loneliness

This section doesn't necessarily equal he must be adopted. However, if it is true he is adopted, it can give more reasoning for the deep sense of loneliness he experiences.

Despite having several friends, Mike is depicted as lonely and outcasted within society and his family.

In a ST comic, Mike tells us that before DND, he used to feel scared everywhere including school and his home. Finn also describes Mike as a "natural outsider."

For his monologue to Will in S2, they chose to tell us about Mike's first day of school ever. He tells us he felt so scared and so alone because he had no friends and knew nobody. This is alarming to me because for a child to feel so alone and scared barely on their first day tells me they've already been feeling this way prior. He's only five at this point.

There are a couple songs on his playlist that scream "I don't belong":

"You leave in the morning with everything you own in a little black case. Alone on the platform, the wind and the rain, on a sad and lonely face. Mother will never understand why you had to leave. For the love that you need will never be found at home." — Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat

"Here in my car, I feel safest of all. I can lock all my doors, it's the only way to live, in cars." — Cars by Gary Numan

"Made to feel the way that every child should, sit and listen, sit and listen. Went to school and I was very nervous. No one knew me, no one knew me. Hello, teacher, tell me what's my lesson. Look right through me, look right through me." — Mad World by Tears for Fears

Mike and Being Different

Here's the thing with Mike - He's invisible. He has privilege that Lucas, Will and Dustin don't have. Whatever makes him different, he can hide. Or rather, he doesn't even need to do anything to hide. He slips between the cracks. Besides being bullied for his interests and appearance, he is still seen as the "normal" one amongst his friends.

But within his family, he is different. Something about him makes him different. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be so isolated from them. He would be right next to Nancy and Holly in their baby pictures. He wouldn't stand out in dinner table scenes. He wouldn't be scared and alone even before beginning school. He would be approached with the same effort by Karen the way Nancy is approached. The show would be emphasizing his dynamic with Karen but they don't. They choose not to.

We get this one parallel in S4 that is so. it's so. god. We're so gonna find out next season what makes Mike so different.

El talks about being different and not belonging. Will talks about being different and feeling like a mistake for it. Both are framed the exact same way, with Mike blurred in the background. Will is a character seen different within society. El is seen different within society and family. For Mike, I think he would be seen different within his family.

Will doesn't feel like he belongs in society due to his sexuality identity and his trauma with the UD. El doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere due to unfortunately growing up and being abused in a lab, making it harder for her to adapt to the real world. Mike doesn't feel like he belongs in his family due to his identity as a whole (sexuality, interests, etc,.) and not being their biological child (I think if it is true he isn't blood related, it would have to be tied to something supernatural, which would explain other things)

His parents finally coming around and telling him how much they love him and actually go after him instead of waiting for him, inviting themselves into the little world they let him close himself into, is something that I think is much needed next season for all their development. His relationship with his family is something that will be very crucial to his arc next season, I don't doubt that in the slightest. The Swiss Family Robinson record, the increase in Wheeler Family focus for S5, Smalltown Boy, Family being a core theme within the story, etc., you get the idea.

The writers have to tackle where Mike's internal issues sprouted from and that would be his home.

Mike's Name and Superman

This was originally meant to be for the next section but it got wayyy too long. This one does cross more into Alien Mike territory but I think is still important to include regardless.

A while ago I realized: Mike introduces himself to El as Michael but Mike for short. He then gives her the name Eleven, El for short. I thought it was interesting that if you combined both their nicknames, you'd get Mike-El.. Michael. Then I remembered.. Superman's actual name is Kal-El. His biological father is named Jor-El.

The suffix "El" means God.

Kalel = Voice of God

Jorel = Father/"God will uplift"

Michael = "Who is like God?"/A Gift from God

Jane = "God is gracious."

Yeahhh. I'm sensing a very intentional pattern here lol.

Mike's character itself and his role in Will's painting matches closely with Michael from the Bible, an archangel.

[x / x]

Michael is also associated with the color blue, which reminds me of our Mike, the Upside Down and of course — Superman. Not just that, but the meaning behind Michael reminds me of exactly what Superman's character is all about. He represents justice. He's a moral compass. He's a protector and a guiding leader who inspires others. He is selfless and willing to sacrifice. He's exactly the person that people need in their life. (hey remember that one pic shawn levy posted w finn lolol).

"They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you - My only son." - Jor-El to Superman

Michael = Gift from God... "I have sent them you" ... Mike being the Heart... Superman being the light people need... "Everyone needs a Mike in their life"... Mike guiding the whole Party and inspiring them.. Mike being the Key... Bruh. Y'know.. I'm just saying. Clearly, if Mike's whole thing was realizing he doesn't need to be Superman, they wouldn't have designed him to literally represent who Superman is more than the character that *he* thinks should be Superman.

If that was truly the point of his character, what happened with Mike in S4 would've been something set up for the next and final season. Not the season where they all lose in the end. Just a thought.

Possible Foreshadowing/Hints

This section is primarily about smaller details within the show that could serve as foreshadowing for the reveal.

Hopper tells Enzo, not literally, that his son (Mikhail, the literal Russian name variation of Michael) is not his son.

Karen jokes with Nancy that she could've been swapped at the hospital because she has no clue where she gets her positive traits from. Nancy tells her she gets it from her. Karen looks uncertain of this and responds with "Well.. Wherever you get it from..." This could be hinting at a future reveal that one of the Wheeler kids isn't biologically related.

In S1, the kids lie about El being Mike's cousin. During the ending of the season, before Mike kisses El, Mike tells her with certainty that his mom will adopt her. Nancy and Holly would be her sisters, his mom and dad would be hers. El then asks if he'd be like her brother, to which he responds with "No.. It's different." I don't think Mike would be aware he is adopted yet, but there could very well still be a hidden double message in that line.

Almost every film/story Mike brings up or hangs up in his room contains a main character that is an orphan. Superman, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian and The Dark Crystal. This is 5/7 films associated with Mike.

There's a painting in the Wheelers house of a family of birds. There are only 4 birds - Three adults and one baby. The Wheeler Family is a family of five. Someone's missing.

Conclusion

I really wonder what would've happened if Mike told them about going crazy and seeing El in S2. It's certainly something how he just never resolves anything with them that same season.

I think the fact the Wheeler parents have yet to learn Mike's involvement with supernatural shit is due to something that they're going to reveal in S5. I don't think Mike keeping all this from them including his own personal struggles for the entire show is for no reason.

This all being said, I am starting to strongly believe Mike isn't their biological child. You have all these things he deals with and doesn't get from his parents.. You look at it side by side with Nancy and Holly.. Yet you're still missing the "why." You need the "why." Holding off the "why" for this long could be indicating something big.

[psychopomp-namine]

yingdu episode 2 thoughts:

for a show about time travel, it's surprising that link click went two seasons not focusing on the butterfly effect. S1 and S2 were very strict about making closed timeloops, because the overarching theme has always been: "past or future, let them be"

yingdu is the first time we actually have the butterfly effect as one of the main themes of the season

we now know from YE2 that whenever the screen shows up in black and white, there is a change in the timeline. events happened differently in a previous iteration

if we are to believe lu guang's time travel rules from S1 (which, imo, are still suspect, but whatever), then some nodes will alter the future irreversibly (like with xu shanshan) and some will not as long as the "critical event" still happens (like winning the basketball match in the earthquake arc — none of that mattered, since the earthquake will still happen)

so here's my best guess so far:

this frame shows up immediately before lu guang asks cheng xiaoshi what he's hiding. there is a distinct lack of red string

so I think cheng xiaoshi not asking about lu guang's abilities is still okay as a timeline change, because he's gonna ask them eventually, or lu guang will tell him eventually. it's a change, but a fixable one.

(edit: like when he tells him later in the vivian case)

when cheng xiaoshi doesn't ask lu guang to use his abilities on the photo, the red strings start appearing.

and of course, once they decide to actually go to bridon, it's just a whole mess

idk, I think this might be one of those "critical events" that cause a butterfly effect.

so my questions are:

did they NOT go to bridon in previous timelines? or maybe cheng xiaoshi went there before but like... in a dive... and not in the present? or it was under different circumstances? whatever the case, lu guang is clearly not happy with the change, nor was he expecting it

the timeline already changed as early as the afternoon of the anime con at least. since cheng xiaoshi didn't ask lu guang to explain his abilities -> he doesn't know what exactly lu guang can do with a photo -> he doesn't ask him to look 12h into the bridon picture. (edit: I forgot lu guang told him after the vivian case, nvm!) we've theorized that this could be because this is a future!cxs diving into the past, and there's also cheng xiaoshi with the gold eyes in the vivian case. I think this is still the case tbh, but I also want to explore another theory: there was a timeline change even earlier than this that is causing the butterfly effect. which is our actual theme for this season.

I am still not sure what exactly that change is, but it's most likely during their basketball meet-cute.

possible callback to S1E4:

then again, their conversation was interrupted because someone sent them a message about the fraud cases in bridon. so it could be liu xiao is messing with the past just as much? maybe? though I don't think a small interruption like that could make cheng xiaoshi forget to ask lu guang to use his abilities...

anyway, it's just a thought. as much as I love the idea of future!cxs messing with the past like lu guang, I also love thematic stories, and I think "(trying to fix the) butterfly effect" is an interesting contrast to "past or future, let them be" and reflects the contrasting arcs lu guang and cheng xiaoshi are going through.

but I really don't know with this show. we don't have full context, so anything could happen, really...

edit: oh I just found out that some people are interpreting the red strings as lu guang's attempts to control the timeline, which is the complete opposite of what I think lmao (to me, the strings symbolize the lack of control he actually has in the timeline — hence why he actually tries breaking them off at the end of the episode). guess we'll see in future episodes which one is correct...

[tello-fellow]

TRINJI NATION WHERE ARE YOU????

The lack of content for these two on tumblr is killing me, come on guys we have to step up our game.

It's been a while since I've had my brain chemistry altered like this, i miss Tristan so bad it's not even funny. I can't wait for the next episode I'm actually so hyped.

I love Benji and Tristan, their dynamic is so cute. THEY'RE JUST TWO GOOFBALLS, and Tristan was the first person to appreciate Benji for his goofiness. They genuinely enjoy his company and his authenticity, THEIR CRUSH ON HIM IS SO CUTE I'M NEVER GONNA GET OVER IT. I'm rooting for these two so hard if they don't get paired up for the comeback challenge I'm gonna lose it I swear.

Tristan is crushing on Benji but we don't know for sure if Benji is also crushing on Tristan so I think if he hasn't realized his feelings he probably will once he realizes how much he misses Tristan. Like their absence is extra present in his mind and he's in absolute agony for a little while trying to figure out why. Hannah might have to spell it out for him lmao.

They have matching shirts. Matching shirts with ridiculous text on them. Think those insane graphic shirts. The picture of garfield that says Neon Genesis Evangelion. Those shirts.

I wanna draw their date outfits so bad but I think I need a break from my art tablet for a bit cause I've been drawing non stop and I don't wanna burn out too quickly.

A lawyer and a fashion designer sounds like the ultimate power couple, but these two are a couple of dorks who have silly hobbies and hearts of gold.

[thecordelialetters]

The Bionic and the Ballerina Pt.3

wc:1,132

Chase Davenport x fem!reader

And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like, "I love you"

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4

Thankfully the week had passed and with the help of Chase, you were able to ace your history test.

Your friendship with Bree was going smoothly. When you had time the two of you would gossip about others, talk about boys, or the latest episode of Vampire Diaries. Your Saturday morning was bleak, your older brother who had become your guardian, was covering a coworker's shift, leaving you alone in the tiny apartment you shared. A heavy sigh left your lips as you sipped on a cup of jasmine tea. Buzz buzz...

Your phone screen lit up with a picture of Chase. His contact image was a photo of the two of you during lunch when you had accidentally matched colors. His smile matched yours as both of you faced the camera. Seeing his arm around you in the photo brought a familiar heat to your core. The message read, "Tasha and Davenport are heading out, want to come over?" Excitedly you changed out of your pajamas leaving the house in a pink skirt and white blouse. With no time to do your hair, you clipped it up leaving a few strands in your face.

Chase jolted at the sound of the doorbell and hurried to open it. The moment his eyes fell on you, a breath caught in his throat. You looked... different—your hair swept up, framing your face in a way that softened your features, lending you an air of delicate elegance.

As you stepped past him and into the room, his gaze dropped to your blouse. Resting just above your chest, a gold, heart-shaped locket gleamed, rising and falling with the subtle rhythm of your breath. The gentle rise and fall seemed to command his attention, while the sweet fragrance of your perfume wrapped around him, dizzying in its allure.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, the words escaping him in a hushed, almost reverent tone, as though the sight of you demanded nothing less.

You took a seat on the couch as Davenport and Tasha came in carrying their luggage. "This is so exciting! I've never been to Australia before!" You stood back up to greet them, "You're going to love it! The hiking and beaches are to die for." Another voice from the door spoke up, "Maybe you'll like it so much you won't come back!"

Tasha rolled her eyes at the AI before continuing, "Honey do you have the plane tickets?" "Plane tickets? We are taking my fully automated private jet." He grinned. You poked Chase's side, "Oh lala fancy."

"Leo this is your chance to prove you're responsible enough to stay home without us." Leo looked baffled and pointed to the siblings, "me what about them?"

Davenport looked at you cautiously, "They're responsible enough...you on the other hand were designed to break things." He eyed Leo down. Leo pushed the couple out the door, "Don't worry it'll be fine enjoy your trip!"

The minute they left Adam and Bree shouted "Woo party!" and left to do their own plans, leaving you and Chase...and Leo. Chase side-eyed Leo as if saying, "How about you beat it so I can hang out with the girl I like." It appeared Leo wasn't as receptive and stayed in place. The three of you sat on the couch in painful silence before Leo decided to get up and play with his toys/action figures, leaving you, Chase, and a large gap between the two. You turned to Chase, "I know you and your family are coming to see my show next week, but would you like to see what I've been practicing so far?" He nodded eagerly. You stood up and played the music for your solo on your phone. Deep breaths in. Deep breaths out. In. Out.

Ballet was more than movement; it was your escape, your body bending and stretching in ways that felt both impossible and freeing, guided not by thought but by the rhythm that pulsed through the music. The Rose Adagio—your long-awaited solo—was your moment to demonstrate the intimate conversation between body and melody.

Chase’s gaze never wavered. Every spin, every leap you made seemed to pull him deeper into your world, as if he, too, was part of the dance. His eyes followed you with an intensity that felt like a silent partner, mirroring your every step. Each graceful leap was weightless, landing so softly it was as if the air itself caught you. As the music swelled, you moved with a passionate fluidity, your skirt sweeping through the air like petals caught in a gentle breeze. The symphony crescendoed, and even from across the room, you could feel him sway with the rising tide of emotion in your dance as if the music had tethered him to you.

You stopped breathing slightly harder, "Well um...what did you think?" nervously shuffling your hands together. Chase snapped out of his reverie and took one step before playing his arms around your lefts and lifting you up, spinning you around. "That was the most amazing dance I've ever seen, the way you move was like a swan descending into the water, it was like... it was like the feeling of the first autumn breeze." He rambled on with many beautiful comparisons but you were too busy staring into his eyes. Overcome with happiness, you grabbed his face and softly planted your lips on his.

Chase paused before leaning in, one hand on your waist the other holding your jaw. This was no kiss of lust but one of appreciation for each other. His heart thumped against his chest, deeper and deeper.

The smell of his natural cologne invaded your senses, his lips pressed against yours, your noses brushing up occasionally. Your hand grabbed his hard muscle the other lightly resting on his stomach. You sunk in his embrace, letting his lips brush against yours before interlocking again. Your hand moved up and down his waist feeling the heat of his skin. Your thumb mindlessly toying with his waistband. The two of you broke apart immediately letting the forgotten air fill your lungs. The phantom feeling of the kiss lingered as you took sight of his flushed face.

"I love you." He blurted out.

Your eyes widened. He stammered, "I mean no I don't, I mean I like you but we also just met, and I love you?" You stepped back, "I'm sorry Chase look I really like you but..." You stopped not knowing what to say back. It wasn't that you DIDN'T love him, but rather you didn't know what love was. This wasn't your first rodeo with a boy, but your previous relationship was nothing like this one. The first boy you ever "went out" with was immature and only liked you for your body. Rather than waiting for you to finish, Chase turned around and ran. You stood there not knowing what to do. It would be weird to run after him in his own house. You packed up your stuff and left, you'd try to talk to him tomorrow.

Taglist: @mel-vaz

[genericpuff]

oh boy it's that time again

when rachel posts 'video progress' of her work and we proceed to dissect it like a frog in 9th grade science class

like ok first the caption of "is persephone the chicken and hades the egg" makes no fucking sense except to anyone who overthinks it and goes "wait is that a reference to the popularly-perpetuated version of the myth where persephone went down to the underworld willingly and hades didn't actually exist???" because if it is ima scream lmao

but MORE IMPORTANTLY-

Here's the transcript of what she's saying in the video:

"I think I've always wanted to write Hades' and Persephone's story because obviously I really like them. It's like very much a chicken and egg situation because I think in the beginning I thought that I was going to use a very abstract black and white style, and I realized it wasn't very enticing or fun for me, um... and I started drawing these very like vibrant characters and as I drew them I understood more about the story the more that I explored the art style, um and I guess an example of that is, y'know, Persephone is like a very bright color um, and the Underworld, is a very dark dark blue, and so when she says she really sticks out so it's just environmental uh processes like that that really helped inspire the direction of the story."

(despite her expanding on the "chicken and the egg" bit it still doesn't make sense imo lmao)

But what we're seeing isn't S1 LO, it's actually from S3 of LO:

But um... you notice anything interesting about the screenshot I just showed you?

That literally looks NOTHING like what we see in the final panel. At the VERY least I think this goes to show how overcooked it becomes in post-production, when they add the canvas layer and hypersaturate the shit out of the colors, but even the blending technique just isn't matching up?

A lot of what she's doing in this video also feels very... non-existent, like she's brushing her pen around but very little is happening so it feels more like her just putting down random brush strokes to try and make it seem put-together but really she's just kind of pushing colors around and/or doing nothing. Especially when, again, what she's painting here looks nothing like the final picture (so at best it's a lot of wasted work??)

And knowing what we know about the assistants drawing the characters separately so that Rachel can rearrange them in the final episode layout... I don't wanna call foul play here, but this feels like yet another attempt on Rachel's behalf to make her process seem more involved than it is by simply redrawing a scene for the performative aspect of it all. It's like the "sketches" in the books looking way too 'clean' for the final product and giving the impression that she just sketched over the final panels to make them look pretty enough for print.

I also wanna mention that for some reason she's drawing this on her iPad when she owns a Cintiq. It could be because she was drawing this while abroad in the US for her conventions last fall, but despite clearly being ahead of schedule, she still wound up drawing the final episode the night of-

Oh yeah and btw there are like a million clipping layers for what looks like just a simple drawing of Demeter. And this lines up with our previous theories about her using like 128549021809 layers for literally one character.

And aside from all that her commentary, as always, is very nothingburger, just a bunch of word salad. Like she's literally trying to explain LO's color theory as "well Persephone is bright pink and the Underworld is dark blue so she sticks out! That's all you need to know!"

IDK, I'm not coming to any sort of ironclad conclusion based off this one video, but it does feel like yet another desperate attempt to prove that she does work on LO and doesn't just leave it all to her assistants to do at the last minute. But like... she's kind of screwed in that argument either way, because even if she draws the majority of panels in LO, that just further proves the argument that she's stopped trying.

[kisses4tom]

PT 2 OF TOM AS A DAD PLSSS

ᡣ𐭩 DAD TOM part 2!

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HEYY OFCC 🤭 SO MANY PPL ARE REQUESTING THIS ACTUALLY!! 😭 here is part 1

To be quite honest with you guys, I don't really know what else to add 😭, but I'll figure it out and make something up along the way! 💕

I hope it lives up to your expectations because, I will not lie, I ran out of ideas for a few of them 😭 yet I hope you like it either way! 🫶🏻

I also mixed various topics and scenarios for a little more inclusivity! especially because I made a lot of these hcs for a teen daughter

Obviously Tom is gonna be a girl dad 'cause what else would he beeeee 🤭🥹

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he would keep almost every drawing she's made throughout the years

HE WOULD LEND HER HIS YELLOW DOG PLUSHIE‼️‼️

when she's older he would love to get matching tattoos if she wants, but he's definitely getting one dedicated to her (did y'all know Bill and Tom have a matching tattoo with Leni? 👀)

definitely making her a photo album

if anybody says that the baby looks more like him than her mother he would act so proud istg

"Yeah, Y/n's genes said BYE!"

he would become her personal Instagram photographer

whenever his daughter brings a boy home he would be so sus of him and maybe even tell them to keep the door open 💀

DAD REFLEXES 🤭🤭‼️ so hot istg

he would get dragged into tiktoks and learn some dances together 😭

when the baby was younger, her mama would surprise Tom with matching fits and he would be sooo gitty and happy

always keeping an eye out for her in public

if he's talking to some people and he hears the smallest noise coming from his daughter (at the park or whatever), he would immidiately put everything on hold and make sure she's okay (if that makes sense idk), or he would turn to look at her

he would try to attend as many school/dance recitals as possible, but with work it's a little hard for him to find time (at times)

is she plays a sport he would cheer the loudest for her

if she ever comes out as an lgbtq+ member, he would be very supportive and just act casual after her confession

when the baby was just born and he had skin-to-skin contact with her for the first time, he got emotional

he would wake up in the middle of the night and feed her himself so you could rest (currently in between tears)

the band is OBSESSED with that child and always play with her whenever they have a chance

Tom knows he can rely on them as babysitters

why do I feel like him and Bill would FIGHT to choose who holds her

"Tom you always have her come onnn let me hold her this timeee"

he's so protective of that child

when she first started walking he’d kneel down and open his arms towards her

he would also scoot back so she could walk more and then let her fall in his arms (imagine him picking her up and kissing her cheek after 😭)

istg he would bring that child everywhere (especially when she's older)

he would make sure to dedicate her an episode/scene on Kaulitz & Kaulitz where he talks about fatherhood and his story

he's veeery supportive of everything she does

whenever he's live on Instagram or TikTok with the band he would call his daughter over and prank her with filters or something like that

he loves dressing her up, but hates changing her diaper

he usually doesn't enjoy shopping, but he would bring her everywhere and spend time together

he's such a quality time dad

when texting, he would send real time pictures of his most honest reaction LMFAO😭

he would make sure his and Gustav's daughter are like little cousins (spoiler alert: they are!)

his daughter will grow up with "do you need a stepmom by any chance?" questions 😻

if Tom and the baby's mom broke up, co-parenting would be pretty hard on him, as he loves that child so much it hurts him to know he can't see her every day

he would probably bring her to some meet and greets with fans (both now and back in the day)

fans would give him so many gifts for her

sometimes he gets emotional knowing she won't stay a baby forever, but he's still very excited to know her character and mess with her more

when she was a baby, at the beach he would dip her feet in the water

when she's older he'd splash the hell out of her and push her in the water

he definitely picks her up on his shoulders (both as a baby and as a teen)

if you have more ideas leave them in the comments so I can add them! 🤭

[scoobydoodean]

🫣🫣 i always say cas (and sam too) would strongly dislike a lot of the casgirl (and samgirl) opinions, especially regarding dean. but i’m thinking now that jack would also hate to see jackgirls dismissing his autonomy and absolving him of accountability and insisting he should just hate dean completely. when, canonically, jack has never wanted any of that.

💯 Jack doesn't hate Dean at all. He idolizes him (and I think Dean knows this and I think he's thinking, "Don't" because he doesn't see himself as a role model, but that's one of those things you don't get to decide). Jack understands Dean and only three days after he's born, is trying to emulate Dean's mannerisms, which is especially interesting given how angry and riddled with grief Dean clearly is. You'd think that'd be a turnoff for Jack, but it's not. Some people think Jack was afraid of Dean, but I don't. I think Jack was able to sense that Dean was a good man going through a hard time. He gravitated more toward Dean even though Sam was being "nicer" because he sensed that Sam was being insincere about his motives in the first few episodes and Dean wasn't. Dean was also showing and feeling his grief. Jack was grieving his own mother (just like Dean was) and Cas (just like Dean was) while Sam was trying to emotionally detach. Sam explains to Jack how hunter funerals work while they burn Kelly and Cas's bodies, but Dean is standing there feeling—hollowed out and lost. Jack knows better than to mirror Dean's grief 1:1, but his example shows Jack that feeling it is acceptable, and that Dean cares about Jack's dad (Cas) and the loss of his own mother, whereas Sam is doing his best to numb himself and ends up not being relatable to Jack because of that.

Jack overhears Sam and Dean's shouting match over Sam minimizing Cas's death/pretending it didn't happen so he can invalidate Dean's grief and I think things make a lot of sense to Jack then. Jack doesn't remember what happened before he was born— when he (or something pretending to be him) was communicating with Cas and Kelly. He's able to piece together a lot from Sam and Dean's fight about why Dean can't trust him and gets an even bigger picture over how much people mean to Dean. Jack models his mannerisms after Dean because Dean so visibly cares and feels, and Jack identifies with caring about people deeply and feeling so much that it hurts because Jack is also like that!

And I think you're absolutely right. Jack hates having his accountability denied. Even if it's not fair to him, Jack's dangerously explosive power is a reality, and he is ultimately the one who has to deal with it! And I think Jack also (even if it comes out in a largely unhelpful way) appreciates that Dean is more likely to take that seriously and even puts part of the responsibility of Jack's volatility on himself. There's a fight about Jack's volatile powers and his culpability in handling them very early on, after the Dodge City case, when Jack trying to flex his power proudly to Cas ends in a man being dead. Jack is already upset in the car ride home with Sam and Cas, but starts talking again when Dean comes back and reveals that he covered up Jack killing someone, and Sam says, "good".

SAM: How'd it go? DEAN: Usual. Killed the bad guy, saved the girl. SAM: What about the, uh… DEAN: Took care of it. SAM: Good. JACK: Good? How is that good? I killed someone. What was his name? The guard? Did he have a family?

Jack cares so much, and Sam says covering it up is "good", and Cas tries to tell him to ignore it—to put what he did out of his mind, but Jack isn't having it:

CASTIEL: Jack, don't do this to yourself. JACK: No, did he?

Dean is the only one who answers him instead of encouraging him to just not care.

DEAN: Yes, he did.

Dean knows denying that the entire thing happened or that the loss of that man's life and that it likely had broader impacts on his family won't make Jack feel better. Jack needs to be allowed to wrestle with the actual weight of his mistake and can't just compartmentalize it. Dean knows this, because Dean is exactly the same way. THEY GET EACH OTHER.

I think it's appropriate that this is where Dean tells Jack he was wrong about him and that Jack isn't a monster. But that isn't the only thing Jack needs to hear from someone (he's hearing a lot of that, actually!). The thing is for all Sam, Dean, and Cas might give reassurances in this episode that Jack's intentions were never to harm anyone and he isn't a monster, Jack knows that ultimately, lack of control of his powers still presents a danger that ultimately starts and ends with him. While that may present him with a burden that is unfair to him (because other people don't have to deal with what he's dealing with in that sense), it is nonetheless a burden he is forced by reality to bear, and denying the weight of that reality and how it weighs him down doesn't leave him feeling supported. It leaves him feeling unheard and alone. He doesn't want to be treated like a child with no culpability. He wants someone to take the dangers of what he can do seriously.