#i will WAIT until the actual episodes drop and see where they take his character

[kittaykattz]

ok ok i get being upset about earthspark s2 having Big Bad Starscream again (i'll admit i was a little upset when i first read the leaks) but who the hell says we can't still get a proper starscream redemption AFTER this? this is the FIRST BATCH of episodes. shit can change!!! let the writers cook before trying to taste it and saying it's bad

[ireneaesthetic]

Pointing out little moments and details of my fav s3 scene.

choir practice scene • episode 2

this scene caught me so off guard, in the best way possible.

it only took simon's "you should do an activity you actually like" for wilhelm to drop everything and choose getting to spend more time with him!

simon's reaction at wille joining the choir was also mine: he can't believe his eyes and keeps looking back at him with the brightest smile on his face. and simon shifting wille's attention to where the song lyric is bc it's all new to him is adorable.

wilhelm's little proud smirk between the kisses while simon is so into it: he knew and imagined simon's surprised and happy reaction to all this, but i bet he was thriving to see it up until this very moment. so he might just be thinking that he made the best choice of his life.

having to practice and wait for everyone to leave was probably torture for simon, when all he really wanted to do since wille came in was this (simon's main love language is clearly acts of service btw *cough*). he felt important, cared for, loved - and couldn't wait to reciprocate it.

also, he's holding the key chain and happens to do the middle finger with the same hand. if you look at it as a way of saying 'mind your own business' to us is quite funny.

simon setting the rhythm and wilhelm fully going along with it. they don't even separate their lips before leaning in for another kiss - melting into it. they literally said 'no need to catch air bc we're already breathing each other in'.

simon not breaking physical contact even once. his hands are the third main character in this scene: they act like a glue for their bodies and carry so much passion. it is peak chemistry.

going on his tiptoes to push himself as close as possible and clinging to wille for dear life is the most simon thing he's ever done. love really brings out the cuddliest version of him.

smiling into the kisses and out of the kisses? insane of them if you ask me (i support it) (keep doing it lovers).

wille smiling and biting his lip bc he's the one overwhelmed by simon's presence now. physical touch is his love language and he's flooded with simon's - he must feel the luckiest boyfriend on earth.

one of their greatest proofs of love has always been to provide each other's comfort by being exactly what they lack receiving from other people or what they need most of the times - it's a constant learning of how to give and take.

they can't get enough of it: it's not even only about the kissing but more about their need to just keep pulling the other closer, leaning into each other, slowing their movements to not leg go yet but take time to touch and deeply feel instead - wille's face speaks for itself. this hug is so intimate ugh.

it's finally shown a glimpse of wille's hand on simon's back! it was always there obv but it's nice to see it more properly.

wilhelm obsessing over simon's neck and simon who tilts his head back to make it more accessible. wille could've done it all and trace the path with kisses - simon wished - but the boy knew what he was doing!

the way simon looks up at him and wille rubs their noses back and forth, keeping his eyes on him, gives me butterflies.

they're super affectionate and it's the easiest thing for them to do. the intimacy that comes with their whispering, their own personal space becoming one for both of them to share bc it's safer, warmer, a lot more comfortable. everything is such a manifesto of how much they genuinely adore each other - it's what makes this the it scene for me.

their bottom lips touching are sooo *internally screaming*.

wilhelm stands still to let simon's lips brush past his own and simon's cheek resting against wille's lips to enjoy the feeling a little longer. they look so peaceful.

it happens after wille's "i like listening to you sing": they went from "he likes it when i sing" / "i do too, don't i?" (locker room's fight in s2) to wilhelm actually telling him that listening to his voice is one of the main reasons he joined the choir. it has to be extremely special for simon to finally hear it.

idk if it's just my mind making this up but let's pretend simon is kissing wille's neck here!

wilhelm picking simon up by the waist to carry him elsewhere and keep the thing going more privately. that's my wille.

can you believe this is the face of someone who's saying that he needs to go? to not miss the bus? he just looks crazy in love to me.

wille's laugh is cute! and simon throwing his stuff on the floor bc the priority was to push his boyfriend against the lockers to make out will never not be funny.

also, @allthefakepeople once said the only thing that could've made this scene even more perfect is if simon paused when walking away and ran back to wille to steal a quick goodbye kiss - ahhh i'd have been so here for it!

[collectingsorrows444]

Of course :) Operation Ichor AU is absolutely so gorgeous! I can’t wait for the next chapter to drop this Saturday

Just had to make a version my OC in this because AUs are something that I adore and I freaking love the world building, different storylines, art/writing styles!

Operation Ichor AU @operation-ichor by @slumbrr-r

Yapping time:

Kiran is selectively mute (as previously said)

Selective Mutism is a form of an anxiety disorder where it causes someone to be incapable of speech. They are usually someone who can’t speak in social settings, speak really quietly or softly (think of Fluttershy in the first episode of My Little Pony), or as someone who hides behind an adult/higher authority figure during highly social interactions.

(Oh, how is anyone going to hear Kiran at all?)

Silly! That’s something I’m still figuring out… just kidding!

Moths— while assuming they are quiet— still make noise! Moths make these tiny squeaking noises and they are absolutely adorable. So Kiran can make little speaking noises or sounds on occasions, but not all of the time.

Speaking of moths.. Kiran sadly can’t fly. Her wings weren’t developed properly since they’re too small, so she will remain flightless (for now?).

(What are their abilities in Operation Ichor?)

Well, Dandy’s World, I wanted Kiran to have this ‘goodies basket’ which increases the luck of rarer items appearing on the floors.

However, we are speaking on a world where survival is something to fight for and tomorrow is something you need to live to.

We’ll say that she’s got some sort of.. vision.

(You mean blindness?)

No!

Kiran has a wide peripheral range and can basically see a whole room without having to glance around a lot.

She is quick on her feet and very nimble with her hands. Sort of like a spidey-sense, y’know? Something feels a little off, and Kiran sort of just.. knows.

Think of it like the Guiding Light from Doors. In Kiran’s vision, their abilities pin-point a bit of visual imagery of people, the situation, what might happen or will if something isn’t done to fix it— that thing. It’s like a string that tugs her a long and beckons her to use it as a way to fight through. (Literally— string as in guiding and weaponry)

(Oooh, spiritual stuff).

The Pros

- She knows what’s going on and a vague idea on what to do

- Is able to help others

The Cons

- she doesn’t know what’s going on until it happens or at the last second

- paranoia/anxiety increased

- migraines and headaches

- blood pressure increased

- nightmares/sleep paralysis (glimpses of what could’ve happened if Kiran did something differently, etc.)

- decreased morality

Okay, however, Kiran isn’t going to worry about that for now.

Kiran is content welding and making weapons for scouts or those who need them. (She loves looking at concepts, figuring out old tech— taking them apart and putting it back together— and accommodating different gears to the user etc.)

I am more interested on the different field in Operation Ichor just because I want to know:

- How does each and every field operate? (Uniform policy, dress codes, rules, etc).

- How does Boxten A1 (I think) function as a leader in his field? (That is so I am able to adjust my character and understand the lore. Hopefully by the next chapter!)

Thank you anyone who actually read all of this! I talk a lot :,)

[gaddaboutgriffon]

Omega Spider

Yep. It is actually about Peter Parker Spider-Man. He was mutated by a a spider bite one thing I noticed about every version of the spider I have seen is that it always depicted with really round abdomen and no pedipalps. In other words a female spider.

So imagine Peter from a world that is not omegaverse and the spider bite mutation turns him into an omega. He has no idea he is an omega until he is sent to another universe where the dynamics are commonplace.

So for the omegaverse instincts and things. I don’t like the ones where they loose all sense of self control in heat and it wouldn’t work for Peter anyway. I think it really shouldn’t be worse then a period with a bit of a low fever. Though with him being part spider he has a slight urge to eat a mate but is able to brush it off as an intrusive thought.

As for his age when thrown into this other universe he is Still a teen. My favorite version of him is from the 2003 cartoon series Spectacular Spider-Man. That series ended while he was still 15. Basically have him young enough to be adoption bait. The portal is a one way trip and just to be more dramatic he will be devastated that he finds out he can't return.

Teen teams don’t get enough attention. So we will have him end up with the team titans. I riled some dice and here is what dynamic each titan got. Robin is an alpha. Starfire is an alien whose species doesn’t have dynamics and will be as confused as Peter. Cyborgs was an alpha but sort of lost his dynamic when most of his body was turned mechanical. Raven is a beta, and I swear the dice were rigged cause somehow Beast Boy is an alpha too. (Funny thing to add in. Beast boy absolutely would know how female and in Peter’s case omega spiders eat their mates. We can have him make a point to never turn into a spider around Peter.) as for dynamic social aspects I think we have it so that omegas are a bit more coddled but not outright oppressed in society. That way we have an internal conflict for Peter to get frustration with cause he would arguably be the heaviest or second heaviest hitter on the team. Something the team takes a few episodes/chapters/parts to work out and move past. Then later they have all gotten used to Spidey being tough and independent but the public criticizes the team for when someone finds out and blabs on TV.

Now then for team relationships. I still am a Robin Starfire shipper, and Raven x Beast boy I don’t get but am ok with. Terra is a dumpster fire that can be addressed way later. Cyborg I think is fine just being the reliable friend but a tumblr friend liked him shipped with Jinx. Though I think he has science nerd out fun with Peter. Though cyborg is more computer and machines nerd and Peter is more chemistry and biology nerd.

What about Peter taking the role of team medic? Since biology and chemistry are his strengths. Every team needs a healer (and I get to use the exasperated medic trope I love.) goodness because of the way he was raised and close to his aunt May Peter may end up being the designated “mom” friend. Since I can see him not letting things get too messy and he would miss the home cooked meals so much he would probably teach himself to cook. And he had the most stable childhood hood and probably the most sensible advice. Also he made his suit so it is cannon he can sew very well.

Would Peter have a ship? Cause there are a couple other teen heroes or villains. …. Wait! You know the theory that Dick was Red X the first time but that suit was stolen and it isn’t said who but a lot of fans think it was Jason…. What if we make Red X more of a recurring character, but in this AU Jason didn’t get adopted by Bruce and is more of a neutral rogue as Red X.

Anyway now that the world building basics are out of the way, Let’s start the story. We shall drop Spidey in right at the start of the titans cartoon when they all kind of meet because of Starfire’s escape pod landing on earth. And I mean literally drop him in. The portal opened up like 300 feet in the air above the city.

[sickofthistoxicshit]

This was such a waste of episode,

Like seriously, all this hype for nothing.

Athena took the show again. After she took both seasons premiere, I hoped we would get more firefighters' storylines (maybe, I dont know, a fire???) than copaganda.

It was in really bad form.

There were some light points in this episode, not related to development, more like cute and funny, like Eddie, Hen and Chimney all trying to save Buck from backsliding.

And Jee!! Omg!! That was the cutest thing ever!!

I want more of that!!

Gotta say that with one episode left to the mid season finale it was a poor choice for an episode.

Did I laugh at crack Brad and crack Gerrard and Bobby's misfortune? absolutely.

Did I love the holy trinity of Eddie, Hen, and Chimney looking out for Buck? yes, I did.

Did Maddie and Chimney giving Eddie vibes by dropping Jee at Buck to get him out of his funk gave me feels? Hell yeah it did.

But the rest? Mostly just a waste of perfectly good minutes that could have been devoted to some actual firefighting and maybe God forbid some characters development, AND NOT THAT OF THE GUEST STAR'S!!

Athena is at the end of her story, signs for retirement could have waited until the middle of next season, and to be honest I don't see her retiring, looks like she's saddling to take on rookies as a TO.

Which is great, not what we need seconds before the fall finale.

And what's with all the callbacks being converted into a joke? Like will we get any emotional payout this season out of these horrible disasters, or is this TM's fucked up version of exposure therapy?

Because no one seems affected, at all, there is no meaning beyond the screen time.

Seriously? Get a grip and get the characters where they need to be 8 seasons in.

If these douchebags get canceled with nothing to show for it in the terms of development of the two lead males who are somehow still single and not together, it will be the most wasted show in history.

Tim put your big boy panties on and for fuck sake reach a point where we can all say, okay, now we're getting somewhere.

If only for Buck to know that being attracted to both genders means THERE IS NO POND TO CHOOSE FROM, IT'S JUST ONE BIG LAKE!

Damn this is exhausting.

[tobster-inabathtub]

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas for those who celebrate!

My gift for you, silly analysis over the final scene of Sinsmas!!

As you'd expect, major spoilers under the break!!

"Why didn't they kiss?" "I thought they were going to kiss." "I wish we had the cliché Christmas kiss."

I've been hearing this a lot since the episode dropped, and normally I am all for my silly clichés and fun moments, but genuinely, I think the scene is a million tiem better because they didn't kiss.

The first reason is that we already got our heartfelt, genuine kiss earlier in the episode. I loved that, I thought it was so nice, this is also my weaker point.

Before we talk about the scene, let's talk about Blitzø and intimacy.

We've known for pretty much the whole series that Blitzø struggles with emotional intimacy. We also see how he often has little to no emotional connection with those he's intimate with. (See early season One Stolas, The imps at Bee's party, The sheer amount of exes he has)

The whole series, a large part of Blitzø's character, is his inability to be vulnerable, to be open, especially with Stolas. Even when we see the two of them in more intimate settings, we see how, emotionally, Blitzø isn't there. He has sex with Stolas, and that's about it for him. At least, on the surface.

There have been multiple occasions where we see Blitzø and Stolas doing things that could be seen as emotionally intimate (holding eachother, kissing, flirting) but even in those times, we can see that that level of connection is not there.

Even if they're passionate and intense, they're not taking the time to be there, in the moment, and share that with each other.

This is why I think that Blitzø choosing to hug Stolas was so important.

They had this moment of connection, relating to eachother, it got interupted, and instead of dropping, pretending like it didn't happen (like how S1 Blitzø would have done), he tells them to wait. He keeps himself open.

He chooses to take another moment to dance with Stolas, something that he could take further, be more intense, but he doesn't. He shares the moment, the being there, with Stolas. They banter back and forth until they finally reach a pause.

And there's this moment where they look in each other's eyes, a pause sets in as you think, "Will they do it? Are they going to kiss?"

But it doesn't happen.

Blitzø takes in this moment, and instead of choosing an action that could turn to something more, he hugs Stolas.

He simply holds him in his arms, giving him a level of comfort that Blitzø knew he needed.

He didn't complain when Stolas didn't hug back. He didn't pull away after just a moment. He stood there, holding Stolas in his arms, letting him see that, even without the sex, without the lewd banter, without every other moment, he's here for him.

And, maybe I see things differently as an Asexual person; but the intimacy of just holding someone in your arms with no further expectations of what else there is to come, I think, is a feeling that should be explored more.

But, what do you think, people of tumblr? Am I spouting bs and sound like and idiot, or do I have a point? Do you agree, disagree, or are you somewhere in between?

(Bonus, I've had busy past couple days, so if there's any spelling/grammar errors, give me grace!)

(Also also!! Opinions on Millie??? Because AAAA!!! I don't normally like pregnancy storylines, but this is actually hype actually??)

[jackwhiteprophetic]

What's your ideal first episode of season 8?

Thank you for the ask!!!!! I've just been thinking about this...

We normally open on a bigger emergency, it's not as obvious this season as last season (the cruise)...

I think there's a possibility that they have the emergency be not call based (the emergency is Gerrard, for example) but I hope not!!

I think they'll likely open with a montage of how general life is over the summer, with Eddie alone in a messy house and Buck trying to help him, Henren constantly texting with Madney and dropping by in the mornings before work, and Bathena trying to figure out housing logistics and how to get Gerrard fired and take down Ortiz. We'll see how Gerrard runs the station, and how everyone responds to this, with no one trusting Gerrard's calls and Gerrard trying to split the team up during shifts, and by the episode will end with a larger scale emergency. I think maybe a really large pileup that the 118 is involved in? Potentially Bobby has to rescue the 118 in the end. I think it will be less of a natural disaster, more of a localised disaster like a fire or building collapse.

They normally mirror and parallel personal conflicts with calls, so I think we might get an earlier minor call where someone hates their boss, and I think they'll be fucking evil to Eddie more by having calls where kids are hurt. I think the theme of the first episode will likely be parental separation (with Henren missing Mara, Bobby without his "118 children" and Eddie without Chris. And I think it's likely we end the episode with some sort of emergency where people are trapped together to contrast this, like for example they show everyone being isolated, and then trap them all under a building or impale them on the same rebar or something.

So I think this would be a multi episode arc, and I think it would be most fluid with what we've ended S7 with, and then ideally I'd like it to be wrapped up with Gerrard being gone and Ortiz being exposed.

I don't think Chris will be back in these early episodes (despite my hopes, although tbh I want them to give the story the time it deserves BC if they're gonna destroy Eddie like that they should at least take the time to explore this and have some good scenes), I think they'll likely wait until Christmas for that, and that there's a potential for an Eddie begins again around that time as well.

Sorry ik you said ideal and ideally it would be fun to open with established buddie and just work backwards in flashbacks from there, but I really hope they take the time to actually let the characters be shown and honoured BC I think the way they just brushed over the impact Gerrard had on Hen and Chim, and the way they just hurriedly destroyed Eddie's life in such a fucking weird way is SO STRANGE and I hope they take the time to fix it well.

I hope this season has more calls and is less rushed, BC it felt like due to filming schedules and how rushed last season was, they kept the characters' plots very separate, for example we saw Hen and Chim's storylines intertwined and that was what they discussed on calls, and we saw this with Buck and Eddie, but BC they were shuffling around the order of scenes it didn't really flow together very well.

Thank you for the ask!!!!!

[coupangeats]

Dope, asks are open.

If you're still down for requests, can I request a Drabble of Soundwave and Thundercracker going to the zoo?

Thank you and have a wonderful day/night.

I completely misread this as Skywarp instead of Soundwave I am so sorry, but here's a few hundred words of Skywarp and Thundercracker going to the zoo.

It's been four years since the last time he got to see Skywarp.

“I know,” he tells Marissa, as she gives Buster a much-deserved scritching behind the ears, “Four years is nothing, but we spent pretty much every minute together for over a million years.”

“Four years sounds like a long time to me.” She replies, laughing. “Are you looking forward to seeing him again?”

“I… Yes?”

It's hard to explain, to someone who has never experienced a trine bond. He doesn't miss Skywarp, and even Starscream, so much as he feels their absence like a physical ache pulling at his spark. Even now, after all this time on Earth, he still wakes up expecting Starscream to be standing over him. He still recharges expecting Skywarp to crawl into his berth midway through the night. Sometimes he drops things because he tries to hand them off to a Skywarp who is no longer there. Thundercracker misses him like he would miss one of his wings, if he lost it.

Marissa's hand pauses, and she looks up at his faceplate. He isn't sure what his expression is doing, but whatever it is must satisfy her because she smiles in return. She was the one who set this up.

“Good.” She says, and Buster gives an enthusiastic woof in agreement.

“Thanks. Really, thank you for this.” He tells her, because she was the one who set this all up. Skywarp was still labelled as a high level threat against Earth, and while the full might of the US military may not actually stop him from visiting Thundercracker, it would at least make it far more annoying. He's vaguely aware that Marissa had had to pull in a lot of favours to get them to allow this visit.

“Just make sure you get me a souvenir, wherever you're going.”

—---------------

“What the frag is a ‘zoo’?” Skywarp asks, leaning down to peer closely at the entrance sign. Thundercracker pauses in the middle of trying to buy tickets from an absolutely terrified looking ticket clerk and the ticket clerk's identically terrified looking manager.

“It's where they lock up animals so they can look at them. It's kind of like the wild arena back on Kaon.” Skywarp looks momentarily intrigued, until Thundercracker adds “Except they don't make them fight.”

“Then what's even the point?” Skywarp asks, sneering down at the flock of humans who are standing by waiting for them to stop blocking the entrance. Thundercracker finally manages to connect to the card reader, and when it happily beeps that the transaction is completed he grabs Skywarp by the arm and delicately steps over the ticket barriers.

“It's a celebration of biodiversity.” Thundercracker hopes he sounds more confident than he feels. He's not actually entirely sure why humans enjoy looking at animals like this, but he needs more settings for episodes of his screenplay. Marissa told him that his character writing is definitely improving, but maybe it would be good if every second episode didn't take place inside an aircraft hanger.

“Urgh, biodiversity.” Skywarp says the word like it's a slur, and Thundercracker is glad that humans aren't sensitive to EM fields, because Skywarp is broadcasting his disgust like a flare. Thundercracker connects to the local network and downloads a map of the zoo before pinging it over to Skywarp, and they both take a few seconds to study it.

“So, what do you want to see first?” Thundercracker asks.

“The sky, as we fly away from here.”

They end up ignoring the map entirely, because all of the different animal names don't mean much to them and a lot of the exhibits are too small for them to properly appreciate. They press their wings together as they stand and watch the wolves, and Thundercracker can actually feel in his conscious processes as the snarl of tangled code that was his strained trine bond smooths out into something less jagged. He loves the Earth, never regrets that he decided to stay here, but having a real, living metal mech next to him is a balm for his spark.

They wander on from the wolves, and by the time they reach the tigers Skywarp has almost stopped complaining. Thundercracker relaxes, laughs when Skywarp bemoans the tigers’ lack of rocket launchers. Ravage would be insulted, he tells Thundercracker.

Things go well right up until they get to the bear enclosure.

Thundercracker vaguely remembers Skywarp once telling him and Starscream about how he'd fought a whole pack of bears, but he'd barely been listening at the time. Skywarp had been incredibly animated at the time, gesticulating wildly with arms painted in organic blood and scraps of flesh. Starscream had kept interrupting him to shriek that he needed go to the washracks to get rid of the mess, which he was spraying around the room every time he flung his arms out. It was a pretty normal evening, really, which is why he didn't really pay it much attention at the time.

Maybe, he thinks as he listens to the high whine of Skywarp onlining his weapons systems, a manic grin on his face as he smashes through the glass of the bear container, he should have paid a little more attention.

[fairvstairs]

HOTD SPOILERS!!!

I often think about the adult foxes life, especially the mundane things they do. Does Nicky watch Heartbreak High? Does Allison love Renee Rapp (and Renee Walker)? Does Kevin read sports romance?

I think about Aaron and Andrew, bonding over Game of Thrones (if you could call arguing about the characters that) and waiting every week for a new episode of House of the Dragon. I think about Neil shit talking the show (he thinks the directors are obsessed with r*pe scenes and can you really blame him?) only for him to stop in his tracks when Andrew is watching it in their living room because damn, they are riding freaking dragons.

("They look alike" "They're uncle and niece" "Oh, they are holding hands so I thought they were a couple" "They are." "What the fuck are you watching!?") (someone please get the reference)

I think about Aaron watching the season 1 finale, feeling sad because of Lucerys but also because he knows he's gonna hardly hear from his brother until season 2 drops. I think about him watching Helaena choose between her twins and knowing that his mother would have saved him. Him watching two twins at the opposite sides of a war fight each other, one killing the other and then himself. Aaron looking at his phone for hours because this time, Andrew didn't text him.

"Andrew would do it," he thinks "he would kill me if I wanted to hurt Neil but then he would punish himself."

And Aaron doesn't like Neil, he is annoying, he brings trouble everywhere he goes and he has a smart mouth. He doesn't like him, period. But he would never try to hurt him. Not when this is the happiest he has seen his brother. Not when he is the reason there was supposed to be a text waiting for him.

"What happened?"

Suddenly Andrew's voice is talking in his ear.

"What?"

"You don't like talking on the phone and yet you called me so, what happened?"

"I called you?"

A beat.

"Are you drunk? Where is Katelyn?"

"What!? No, no I'm not drunk. She is at work- why didn't you text me?"

The words come out before he even has a chance to think.

"The new episode came out, you always text me and now you didn't, why?"

"We are on our way to the airport, we had an away game. I haven't watched it yet. I'll text you when I do."

"Oh, alright then."

And Andrew is a bit confused by this interaction until he actually watches the episode. The dragons are cool, the actors amazing and he recognizes amazing fashion choices when he sees them, but truth is he doesn't really like how the show handles some topics. He is never gonna say it out loud though. He is Andrew, he does what he wants. He's watching the show because he wants to, no one is making him do it.

But, of course, Neil notices. He sees how the blonde doesn't look directly at an assault scene, how he mutes the TV during the little boy's murder because the noises are too real, how he shakes his head at Helaena's (if that's her name) reaction, how he reaches out his hand for Neil to hold, how he spends the rest of the day in silence. Most importantly he notices how, at the end of the day, when they are in bed, in each other's arms, Andrew takes a deep breath and picks up his phone to text his brother. Aaron immediately responds.

This is my first time posting something and English is not my first language so please be kind. I saw the new HOTD episode and I couldn't help but think about the Minyard twins, I had to get this idea out of my head. I think the show would be a little triggering for Andrew but that he would overall enjoy it, I don't think he would pass up an opportunity to "bond" with Aaron but I also don't think he would do anything he doesn't want to do. Anyway, these characters don't belong to me so these are not their canon personalities!

[genericpuff]

in reference to the have you read LO poll by god have I tried but god. God...

A vicious cycle. I go okay I really do need to plow through more of it if I'm gonna hang around the ULO reddit, and then I step on the comically placed rake. I can't do a complete skip thing bc I'll be too disorientated on where I'm at in the plot but my brain only tolerates it up until she declares she's missing her dick appointment and like, girl. Please. You committed mass murder (if not genocide) and this is a slap on the wrist considering, let alone that your moms got the worse end of the deal.

Why it's that specific moment idk but the bottom just drops out for me and it's soooo fucking stupid because like, she couldn't have just... bitched about being stuck with hard labor? That's the bitchy shit I'd sort of expect from a privileged nepo baby and even barring the twue wuv story going on it's her actual biggest issue going on right then. What she's presently living out. But yeah no, horny, we gotta establish that she's horny. Okay.

Sorry about the borderline vent over it there's just enough really interesting thoughts mixed up in the pile of flaming garbage to make one go rabid if they stew on it, and you clearly get that given the rewrite. Have a good day.

omg i've had that exact sort of thing happen with me before too tho, not in quite the exact same sense of like, "wanting to take part in a community but struggling to get through the source material it's based on", but there are like, so many webtoons and manga and stories I've tried to read - after being urged to by pals and people who read them - that I've dropped after multiple attempts of trying to read them. And they're not necessarily dumpster fires like LO (though some of them definitely aren't great) it's more like I'm sitting there wondering "when's this gonna get good? when's this gonna be worth all the hype?" Tower of God is the biggest one that comes to mind, I have tried to read that webtoon on SEVERAL occasions and I just can't justify trudging through all those early episodes for it to maybe "get good". And that's not even me saying it's bad, it's just not interesting to me in the slightest. No hate to anyone who likes ToG, I think I've also sorta drifted away from shonen over the years so that's definitely not helping, but I just can't be bothered to try and read that webtoon anymore, I've given it so many attempts and I'm doing lmao Kudos to the creator though because it's a LOT of work to make a webtoon of that length and they should be proud of that.

Back on the topic of LO though, yeah, I was following the comic when that episode was still brand new and it really made us all go 🤨 because of how out-of-pocket it was. And then like an episode (or two?) later she bullied a former classmate of hers from 10 years ago at his job. That was the precedent for Persephone's character that was set for the third season of LO and it's just gotten worse as it's gone on.

Either way, if I'm being honest, you're really not missing much by skipping over the majority of S3 (like, if you made it to the dick appointment episode before giving up then you're already pretty close to the current point in the story). Like I'm not gonna lie, you could easily skip up to the midseason cutoff point because everything leading up to that is just a bunch of nothing. Hades and Persephone get married and it's the most underwhelming scene ever despite it being the moment people had been waiting years for, also they 'adopt' Dionysus but he's barely in the comic except for when Rachel remembers he's a character so you could also get by on minimal details. Oh yeah, and it turns out Demeter had a kid during the 10 year time skip who we see in like two episodes and then proceeds to get fridged forever.

So yeah, as much as I'd recommend people read LO as a sort of "entry ticket" into the crit community surrounding it, S3 is a lot of nothing and you would frankly not miss out on a thing if you skimmed it or skipped the middle portion of it entirely lmao

[blametheeditor]

Day 26 | Teaching Moment

Pilot Episode | First | Previous | Next

Killing vampires. Keeping one as a ward. The life of a hunter.

Content Warnings: Cursing. Minor character deaths. On screen deaths. Blood and gore. Violence. Use of weapons, including guns and knives. Kidnapping. Dehumanization. Addressing someone as 'it' and 'thing'. Darker themes and tone.

__________________________________

David doesn’t say a word as the vampire grits its teeth against the pain from holding silver for so long. He simply watches as it aims at the target before firing the weapon it holds. 

He doesn’t immediately see if it’s finally hit the bullseye several yards away, instead focusing on the vampire who finally hisses from pain. Rather than dropping the gun to earn immediate relief, however, the weapon is gently wrapped up in a rag. Only then do both of them look at the target and register James excited yells. 

“You hit it!” 

“I, I did?” the vampire asks in slight disbelief. Once it fully processes what’s being said, a wide fanged smile stretches across its face. “I did!”

David narrows his eyes at the bullseye to see where exactly the bullet hit. And while it’s true the target hadn’t been missed, it couldn’t be any farther away from the center. Yet James is celebrating despite it being clear they have a long road ahead of them until the vampire can properly use a gun on a hunt. 

”It doesn’t count until you’ve hit the bullseye ten times in a row. Again.”

“I told you you could do it!” James cheers. 

David only raises an eyebrow as the vampire turns to him, its excited smile vanishing when it notices he isn’t impressed by the simple accomplishment of finally hitting the target after weeks of training. 

“I, um...d-did I do good?” it asks. 

“You’re still letting the pain effect your aim,” David begins. “Not to mention you flinch before the recoil even hits. Again.” 

“You’ve got this, Fritz!” James calls. 

David bites his tongue from yelling at the shorter for giving praise when it hasn’t done anything to properly earn it. But he doesn’t want to effect the vampire already taking aim. He takes note of needing to correct it on its stance, on how it grips the gun like it’ll suddenly disappear. Bad habits they need to end now or else it will always hit the target slightly to the left. Something they can’t afford when it comes to shooting a moving target who wants to rip your throat out. 

”You’re making stupid mistakes. Just do what I tell you to.” 

The vampire shoots another bullet, this time getting a little closer to the center. 

“Again,” David commands before it can lower the gun, watching as it tenses up from the pain as it obediently fires once more. “Again.” 

The third bullet ends up being a lot higher than the others. Scowling, David waits as the vampire painfully gasps as it quickly wraps a rag around the gun. 

“Nice job, Fritz!” 

“It was sloppy,” David growls lowly, taking the vampire’s attention away from James attempting to congratulate it on a mediocre performance at best. “I know it’s painful, but you can’t be tense while you’re shooting. Not to mention you failed to check your stance.” 

He almost misses it, the vampire suddenly slumping as the hopeful look disappears. Honestly, he shouldn’t care. He’s not its friend, and it hasn’t done anything to earn a single ‘good job’ from it. It take fire more than a few bullets at a time, has only just recently been able to even hit the target, and it hasn’t been able to uproot a single tree without damaging it meaning they can’t move onto hand-to-hand combat or else risk James getting crushed to death or his bones pulverized. 

“But,” James suddenly cuts in, appearing beside David after jogging over to interrupt their lesson. “He hit the target. I say he’s earned an early release and a burger as a reward.” 

The vampire looks up at them with puppy eyes. “Have I?” 

David wants to say no, it hasn’t. It took the vampire two weeks just to be able to fire a gun, and then another to actually hit the target. In David’s eyes, the vampire is nearly untrainable. It doesn’t matter if it never complains and immediately obeys every command he gives, it constantly fails to meet his expectations that, to be perfectly honest, are incredibly lower than most hunters, including James. 

One look at James expectant look, however, and he’s forced to give a long sigh. “Fine, go give it a reward. I’ll meet you back here.” 

The barely contained joy at his assent inexplicably turns into hurt, David admittedly fascinated as he watches the vampire act as though he spoke his thoughts of it being a disappointment out loud. 

It reacts on pure instinct as James suddenly tosses it the keys to the truck with a smile. “Mind going on ahead and starting it up for me?” 

With a solemn nod, the vampire walks away, managing to do a perfect impression of a kicked puppy getting sent away by its own. 

David doesn’t have time to worry about its feelings, though, not when James is giving him a look of ‘I’m not angry, just disappointed’. He swears, the shorter learned it from Scott. “What did I do this time?” 

“You didn’t think him hitting the target was impressive?” 

“Please,” the taller snarls. “I need it to at minimum hit the center of the bullseye. Hitting the outer ring is barely an accomplishment.” 

“Maybe to you,” James muses. “But to him, even holding the gun long enough to fire it is an accomplishment.” 

“Well it should hold itself to a higher standard.” 

“You mean an impossible one?” 

”Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

David glares down at James. “What exactly are you wanting from me?” 

“I want you to realize that even though he’s not excelling in his training,” James murmurs. “He’s trying. Working a lot harder than either of us have ever had to. Being able to shoot a vamp in the heart while it’s running and being able to cut its head off in one swipe isn’t easy, but at least our weapons don’t burn our hands and our strength doesn’t terrify us to the point we’re worried we’ll accidentally kill someone with one wrong move.” 

This is coming from someone who constantly berated David for not making sure he had a full bottle of holy water. For not checking over his shoulder constantly. For nearly letting himself get killed because he was more focused on the person he was leading out of the sewers then on any vampires chasing him down. 

“Why are you giving it such special treatment?” David asks, and although he wanted it to sound like an accusation, it comes out more like a plea than anything. 

He hates how James immediately softens. “Not special treatment, the treatment he deserves. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like a solider, none of us do.” 

David forces himself to scoff. “I think you’ve gone soft.” 

“I wish I did sooner,” James shrugs. “I was tougher on you then you deserved. You weren’t the partner I let get killed on a hunt.” 

That pulls David up short. He wasn’t exactly told why there was a sudden opening to have the James Stiller as his mentor, and James never brought it up. The most they ever spoke about were their grievances against the other. Nothing about what it’s like being raised as a hunter essentially from birth, and never about their previous hunting partners and why they both needed a new one. 

David shakes his head. “We’re talking about the vamp, James.” 

The shorter smiles. “You know he looks up to you.” 

“Looks up to me?” the taller demands. “I was trying to kill it for over a month.” 

“And yet you’re here now, teaching him how to properly use his strength, helping him be able to hold one of our weapons, and he doesn’t want to let you down.” 

“You’re a dumbass.” 

“And he genuinely cares about what you think,” James counters. “You saying a simple halfhearted ‘good job’ would mean the world to him. So would joining us in our celebration burgers.” 

David glares down at the person trying to encourage him to give a vampire a pat on the back for doing the bare minimum of what’s required of a hunter. Who just reminded him he’s training something they’re supposed to kill, not traveling cross country with while helping it become tolerant of silver, the only known material that can actually harm it. 

They shouldn’t be training it. It shouldn’t be alive period. Yet two nights ago, even if he had gone alone to help another hunter clear a nest, he would’ve have said a word about James protecting a vampire to let someone else do the dirty work. 

He’s not attached. He’s in too deep to be able to end it without severe consequences. The moment he kills the vampire is the moment James hunts him down to cut his own head off. 

“Fine,” David huffs. “Only because I haven’t had breakfast.” 

Not to see the vampire light up as he opens the driver’s door, demanding it move aside for him to drive. Not to hear it excitedly talk about how it thinks it might finally be getting the hang of its strength. Not to watch it squabble with James like they’re siblings instead of a deadly monster challenging a hunter that’s trained to kill it. 

No, he does it to silence the voice claiming he’ll never be a proper hunter. 

“You did well today,” David says, meeting wide eyes as the vampire’s mouth drops open slightly in surprise. “But I’ll be expecting you to hit the target every time from now on, understood?” 

He doesn’t flinch as it flashes its fangs from overwhelming joy. “Yes, sir!” 

”I’m proud of you, David.”

[ncisfranchise-source]

Lord, take us to church because it looks like NCIS: Origins’ golden boy, Randy, is about to drop the nice guy act. Everyone reacts to religion in their own way.  

Many viewers have been curious about other characters on the show, with Randy being a top contender. While we’d love to know what is going on with Lala, there’s always time for the sweetest guy at the NIS.  

At this point in the series, viewers can expect each episode to feature multiple heart-wrenching scenes from one character or another.   

So, stock up on the Kleenex because I doubt NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 8 will be any different.  

One thing that can definitely be said about NCIS: Origins is that it is an emotionally intelligent show that is not afraid to sincerely depict masculine men being vulnerable and allowing themselves to feel their feelings.  

NCIS: Origins Is Living On A Prayer  

The first thing we can take from the promo is that the case will have a relatively strong religious element. Luckily, this isn’t Franks and his team’s first rodeo with radicals.  

If you remember correctly, the killer had murdered multiple people and had buried each one according to their religion. It might’ve actually been thoughtful if not for all the homicide.  

Anyway, the team has already dipped their toes into murderous church folk, and it looks like they will be all the better for it.  

When you watch the promo for “Sick as Our Secrets,” you’ll immediately notice all the depictions of Catholicism within a church. The clip really pushes the religious angle.  

And where there are catholic churches, there will be a priest, which means a confession booth as well.  

Randy Is Coming Out Of The Shadows And Into The Crossfire  

While the currently unknown character is wearing average attire, through context, we can surmise that he is likely a priest. The term “confessed” is what drives that theory home.  

Next, we hear good old Randy telling possibly the same character, “You’re not going to be safe until we get this guy.” It sounds like Gibbs and Randy will be on protection detail in the next episode.  

I’m not mad about it either because, after Mary Jo and Franks, Randy is my third favorite character. With his positive attitude and sunny disposition, he’s just so darn cute.  

In NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 7, we learned that Randy has a wife and a kid. The guy has a whole family, and we’re just finding out. That was an odd choice for the writers, but there has been a lot of world-building.  

Seeing more layers and sides to the most likable guy at the precinct would be nice.  

NCIS: Origins Boasts A Band Of Butt-Kicking Characters That We Love To See Win

It doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait too long since the last few moments of the promo for NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 8 shows Randy in an undershirt in the middle of a fight.  

Listen, it’s expected that NIS agents can hold their own in a fight. Lord knows Lala, despite how aggravating the character is, kicked ass in NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 6. And she did it in a formal dress while wearing heels.  

This begs the question: When will we see Mary Jo kick off her very high heels and teach somebody a lesson? You know she would have something clever to say with every hit.  

Still, it will be nice to see Randy’s tough side. The guy got into law enforcement for a reason, and I have a feeling he has a very protective nature.  

Also, who knew Randy was hiding muscles under his big, bright smile? That man is just full of secrets. The episode’s title works in more ways than we might realize.  

Viewers Come For The Cases On NCIS: Origins But Stay For The Characters

The official synopsis for NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 8 reads: “Gibbs and the team investigate the case of a Navy priest who was killed in the confessional booth and may have been targeted by mistake.   

“Meanwhile, Randy shows Gibbs the ropes of working a protective detail while struggling with a personal situation.” Okay, there is a small amount of confusion here.  

In the promo, Gibbs is talking to a priest, and at one point, Caleb Foote’s (Magnum P.I.)Randy can be heard saying, “Father Bobby?” So, what exactly can we deduce from the synopsis coupled with the promo?  

We know there is at least one priest, but could there be more than one? Did the priest contact the NIS about something that was confessed to him?  

If that is the case, the protection detail clearly didn’t take. Or did the killer murder one priest and then confess the crime to another priest? Suffice it to say the teaser clip does its job.  

However, the part that mentions “struggling with a personal situation” concerning Randy caught my eye the most in the description.  

Granted, that could mean just about anything. It could be a genuinely serious situation or something a little campier like Randy wanting Gibbs’ advice on how to woo his wife.  

One of the great things about NCIS: Origins is that it keeps audiences on their toes. While many viewers differ on whether the series feels like an NCIS show, everyone agrees that it is incredibly well-written and acted.  

Regarding character development, NCIS: Origins has left a bit to be desired, but it’s headed in the right direction. If Randy gets an episode about his backstory, it’s only a matter of time before Mary Jo gets hers.

And for all that is good and pure, let’s hope the writers have something big planned for Lala because that is another character many viewers agree about, but not in a good way.

[universallydestinytaco]

💖 >:3

(For the askbox game)

@sometimes-sleeby-octopus

Now I would list off my favorite episode in this particular answer BUT I wanna wait until I have seen ever S2 episode before that because I have a hunch that either one of the last three episodes to go is gonna wind up being my favorite of the entire series because this already-impressive and addictive show has vastly improved since it came back....with that said, I can list off my favorite S1 episode, or at least three contenders for the title.

While the "Whodunnit" plot is a tale as old as time and has been in numerous animated works for decades, I can safely say that "Who Violently Murdered Simon S. Salty?" might be my favorite take on this trope because not only does it avoid playing this plot straight like others, there's a couple of fun twists so the payoff/punchline to the mystery is legitimately hilarious, also I love how the episode showcases Pim and Charlie's dynamic so well here with how they approach the situation and how well they bounce off of each other with Pim being the sensitive and caring one while Charlie is the trying to present himself as the more gruff and business-like of the two while also coming across as a bit of a goofball, also that cute bit at the end satisfied this obvious Charpim shipper. But what happens when you get an episode where it's one without the other and will it work as well as the boys bouncing off of each other? Well...

"A Silly Halloween Episode" is a spooky fun romp where Pim being the wholesome and lighthearted character stars by himself in the dark side of the forest on a dark and stormy night while being targeted by a mysterious force. Why this works so well is that even though Pim is not playing off of Charlie's cynical disposition, instead he is juxtaposed to this uncanny Silent Hill/Blair Witch aesthetic and is clearly terrified while trying to keep it upbeat. I like how it feels like a Courage the Cowardly Dog episode or that Mickey Mouse short with the Mad Scientist. The beginning setting up the episode's ending is also a clever punchline. Now that we covered a SF episode with Pim as the focus and Charlie out of the picture, the last episode of S1 I will cover is the opposite.

"Charlie Dies And Doesn't Come Back" is actually the first episode of this show I watched from beginning to end. Long story short: Believe it or not, there was a time before 2022 where I hated Smiling Friends, because I tried to watch the pilot and initially wasn't impressed for reasons I'll get into when I feel like expressing in another in-depth editorial, another reason for my bias was because at that period I was just more invested in serious adult cartoons like Final Space and Primal. But then I considered giving the show another chance once I saw thumbnails on YouTube of nothing but glowing reviews for this show so I figured I'd give it a second chance in the future...coincidentally I did give it a chance when I was lucky enough to catch the [AS] 2022 April Fools Day broadcast on YouTube and I was not only impressed I was grinning like a fool the entire time and I was still chuckling about it the next day, I just had to bingewatch the rest of the show. What makes this episode work is like the last ep I covered: instead of Pim having a solo episode with a dark tone, Charlie stars in an episode bouncing off a more comedic-toned episode instead of bouncing off of Pim and the episode is even better after seeing the rest of the show because after witnessing Charlie trying to look more stoic than he really is for most of this chaotic show his pokerface is dropped once he makes it clear how freaked out by his unhinged violent environment. The climax-leading-to-the-ending is also incredibly sweet not just for Pim and Charlie's reunion but in retrospect this is because it would turn out to be one of the last voice performances of comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried before his passing in mere days after I saw the episode it made the climax when the character he voices even more of a pleasant surprise, what a way to cap off a carrier...

I know, big shocker I used to hate this show before it came out when it ended up becoming my biggest non-Anime obsession at the moment, but it's not the only shocking opinion I have regarding this show as I have two yellow hearts to answer with a bombshell to reveal for each.

[autobot-ratchet]

earthspark season two episode one!

I'm gonna be so real with y'all. I've managed not to get too spoiled on plot happenings beyond like "omg this character shows up" so I have no idea what happens in terms of like. human/cybertronian relations and who our main bad guys are and why they're doing bad, but I HAVE seen a handful of posts about how a sizeable amount of people Do Not Like anything beyond season one of earthspark lmAO I've seen a lot of "season two and especially three ruins everything that was good about season one" takes and I will be so so so real with all of you right now in this moment. I don't believe you lmfAO if there is ANYTHING I have learned by being in the transformers fandom for fucking ten god damn years now it's that you people don't know shit about fuck and your opinions are trash so I'm willing to bet seasons two and three are perfectly fine and I'll enjoy them. I am absolutely willing to bet that what actually happened with seasons two and three is that between seasons, people wrote their own versions of the characters in their heads, built up expectations for the show based on what they made up, and then what happened in the actual show didn't match up with their headcanons and that's why they hate it so much lmfAO so I'm excited to see what made people so mad, let's see if I'm right

ooh we got a timeskip? granted not a super long one, just a year, but still

is Swindle still doing petty crime lmAO

ooh is that Mo? I recognize that holo-sword

YEAAAH IT IS MO AND ROBBY ooh and Mo's got a new hairstyle

oh my god we're pulling an Inuyasha and gathering all the pieces of the shikon jewel I mean ember stone

aww I'll admit it's a little bit of a bummer that all the Decepticons seem to have gone back on the truce. I can very easily see people being like "then what was the point of all the 'Decepticons aren't inherently evil' stuff in the first season" but I'll wait to see where they're going with this

so Starscream's our big bad for this season huh? interesting. Again, I'm gonna withhold my final judgement on that until the show goes into exactly why he's doing all this but I am grinning and steepling my fingers in the meantime

I am a little sad that Breakdown is being a villain though, like of all the decepticons I thought he'd be cool

whomst???? did the ember stone shard just make a whole new guy? so we got evil terrans now

okay, I think I have enough info on Starscream and his motivations to say what I wanna say about his portrayal in this show. and what I wanna say is I'm so fucking glad lmAO I didn't go into it in the liveblog for the episode with the dweller but there absolutely were a couple lines of dialogue from Starscream that made him out to be a victim of abuse at the hands of Megatron, in particular when Hashtag started sympathizing with him and he said something like "You actually believe me?" I definitely picked up on the vibe and I gotta admit, I was so scared they were gonna actually go down the route of making Starscream have a redemption arc and validating the "Megatron is literally robot hitler, he abuses Starscream, and you're not allowed to like him or make him sympathetic" crowd and I am so fucking relieved that they didn't lmfAO I don't even necessarily hate the idea of a transformers series genuinely portraying Megatron and Starscream as abuser and victim, but you have to understand how unbelievably funny it is to have a piece of transformers media drop crumbs that cater to this specific crowd of insufferable people and then do a full 180 after having experienced the height of Megatron (and by extension Starscream) discourse during mtmte's heyday. It's really fucking funny lmfAO Starscream being a main antagonist is one of the things I've seen people say they hate about this show and I could not be more happy lmfAO straight up I hope they have Starscream explicitly say that everything he said in the dweller episode was a lie to manipulate Hashtag into feeling sorry for him, I want it to be as clear and undeniable as possible, get baited

gdjsfhkals poor Jawbreaker having to run while everyone else drives, someone give him a ride

lol grats on your new son Breakdown, have fun babysitting

lmfAO I HEARD THAT BUTTERFLY WILHELM SCREAM

hgjsdfj Breakdown literally is being a dad at this new terran, that's so funny

ah so the decepticons are blood purists, understood

omg Nightshade can fold their little head fins away, that's so cute

hggfhdFGD THE WORM ON A STRING........

fdhsj what the fuck is this flashback montage dsGSHDFJ THE PHOTOS........ Breakdown wants to be a dad so bad, bro just join the autobots and you can be an uncle of five with your boyfriend Bee come on man

aw man Robby really doesn't want the bad guys to win, I feel that. good on him for letting go and not getting so tunnel-visioned that it screws over everyone, proud of u

[purplerose244]

Watched the sixth episode of LEGO DreamZzz: LOVED IT!

So... LEGO released some drawing tutorials with Mateo and I just... they're so pure I wanna hug him 😭😭😭 They're super adorable, I love especially Z-Blob's since he spends the entire time talking about how great his slime buddy is and MOOD MAT MOOD 💚💚💚

We're beyond halfway, I'm kinda sad but I'll wait until the end, maybe we got luck for a season 2?

Here we go!

THE ANOMALY

NOTHING BETTER HAPPEN TO Z-BLOB DO NOT HARM THE BLOB 😡

Pff, what was the chicken story? 🤣

Zoey is still a bit distant, I can't tell if she wants to join in or she likes these people enough to just hang around. I mean, she wasn't there last episode...

Did Logan drop the "Mattie" nick? It felt very derogatory so him switching to Teo feels like a step forward

IS THIS A COOPER EPISODE?? OH YES PLEASE GIVE ME THE DEPTH! ❤️

I knew it, he is stressed! Poor boy got stuff to do and can't even have breakfast, Coop please take care of yourself and have some proteins first thing in the morning 😢

You'll have all the time you want to have breakdowns once you reach high school

It seems like Cooper is the reliable one, Mateo and Logan are constantly over him asking for stuff. I wonder if they also affected his stress as well...

Okay Logan is still mean 😅 He's better, but still mean, and he changed teams permanently? I don't know if this is a "we're not an actual team, only in the Dream World" or a "we'll always be a dream, even if we're not in the real world"... mm

Finally we see the Night Bureau! We saw it only once before... while Teo was almost turning into a night terror... ah such good untraumatic memories 🙂

Ah, so Z is an anomaly? Come to think of it, did he come across because of Lunia's hourglass? Was there another reason?

These objects are histerical 😂😂

CHICKEN MATEO NOOO 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Okay, I'm liking this consistent trend of having Zoey being the most useful character despite being on her own, she just waltzed in solving that riddle lol

Agent... Strick? Oh-oh

DO NOT EVEN TRY TO TAKE AWAY MY SLIME BABY Z-BLOB 😡😡😡

Oooohhhh, so this is confirmed to be Brooklyn? Cool, I didn't know it was an actual place! Again I'm too used to imaginary places like Ninjago or Chima 😂

This gal is intense, dude you locked Oz in a room, isn't that a bit much? Should we call the policr?

Zoey is just there for the drama, girl are you with us or not? 😂😂

Did... did that detect thing turn red when it was on Mateo? Was it only because Z-Blob was behind? Huh... huh

SHE FLIPPING TURNED INTO A BABY/WOMAN WHAT IS HAPPENING

Z-Blob floating has to be the cutest thing even, like, look at that little guy go! To infinity and beyond 💚

NO WAIT NOT BEYOND THE WINDOW

I see how it's going 😅😅

I'm so sorry I understimated Cooper, look at him! He's just a kid and he really wants to be up to expectations, and now we got a brother that sets the example? Dude I'm eating this, I'm a sucker for angst, LOOK AT THIS BOY HE NEEDS A BREAK 😭😭😭

Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS 💚💚💚

You did not make a hotdog out of slime

YOU DID NOT MAKE A Z-BLOB BALOON WHAT IS THIS SLIME DOING???

Is he afraid of being captured? I've never seen him going this awol before, he's always besides Mateo no matter what! Is he only scared or is there a reason?

Dude Cooper was so stressed he forgot breakfast!!! EAT BABY EAT!!!

Okay baby Strick is kinda hilarious... and Oz is on the ceiling... and there is still junk everywhere... and where is Albert? WHAT IS HAPPENING PEOPLE?!

Cooper you left for half a day, and now everything is on fire 😅

LOOK AT HIM IGNORING HIS BROTHER TO CHECK ON HIS FRIEND 🥹🥹🥹

I👏LOVE👏TEO👏AS👏A👏NICK👏

Cooper skyrocketed on my appreciation list in this episode, his backstory got so much potential for analysis! He's such a good friend, he's just very stressed out but he's super capable!!! ❤️

MATEO IDEA TIME 💚💚💚

Was that the superman line? 🤣

Aaaand, we're back! Are we fixing everything now that Coop is here?

Oh wow we actually are! I adore mechanics, I was all over them in Ninjago (Jay and Nya and Zane and Pixal and Ronin and Cyrus... there are so many in Ninjago 🥰), so this is so cool to see!

Agent Strick approves Cooper! YAS!

Oohh, so Zoey was maybe interested in joining, but never could before? Is this why she was a bit snarky in this episode, maybe she wanted to join but could never physically? That's kinda adorable 😂😂

PARTY TIME EVERYONE💃💃💃

COOPER GOT A SMALL HAIRCUT CHANGE I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! ❤️

Alright this was another really REALLY good episode, but... now I'm stuck with the crazy theory that Mateo is the anomaly 🤣

I'm sure I'm wrong and I'm just blowing this out of proportion, but what if Strict examined that plant and found traces of Z AND Mateo? What if Lunia's hourglass was found by him for a reason?

She said that the anomaly appeared "the other night" so it was clearly Z Blob... but technically the other night was when the show started for me, so I might see this as Mateo appearing in this world for the first time. Could it be he fit in in one night, everyone's memories were changed to accept that, and no one questions this?

... I know this just me headcanoning left and right and it's clearly not gonna happen

... I'M STILL GONNA WRITE FICS ABOUT THIS OKAY 🤩🤩🤩 THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD I'M SO INSPIRED!!!!

[angelsdean]

home always feels like an episode they should have waited a season or two to do to me, when the mythology and characters were a little more lived it. I don't know if this makes sense, but i think in any other season, or even this season in the backhalf, this set up would have lent itself to a classic Dean Studies episode, and it feels weird that once we're actually in the house, we're actually seeing Mary, we totally pull back on Dean. Honestly, outside of the phone call to John, he's very sidelined despite this being an easy set up to explore backstory for him as the only character there who has a memory of the fire. And even Sam as the POV character falls flat not because there isn't interesting tension there, it could have worked! but because it's so heavy unfolding the psychic plot point and it's clear that that's more important to the episode than the family mythology. It just feels like you could take the bones of the episode, drop into season 3, and get something that looks completely different. (You said this much more eloquently re: the narrative, but I'm on s2 of my own rewatch and i keep thinking about this, haha).

hii sorry i didn't answer this sooner, but yea that's def how i felt rewatching it like, it just feels like it comes too soon for it to really *do* anything. we haven't yet really felt the haunting absence of mary. their main plot focuses rn are 1.) finding john (and in conjunction w/ that, finding and killing azazel) and 2.) literally just starting in this ep, sam's psychic visions. the whole concept of going back home and being confronted w/ their mother's literal ghost who recognizes and can talk to them is a HUGE thing that deserved to be the main focus, not a footnote in an ep trying to introduce a major plot element, sam's visions.

literally like you said, there's IS tension from sam's POV but they just don't go anywhere with it, since the focus is more on his psychic visions. like the scene w/ sam and mary could've been so much more. and if this came later in the season, or even a few seasons later, mary's "i'm sorry" to sam would've held more weight and packed a punch bc she feels responsible for what's happened to sam !!! for the deal w/ azazel and causing sam to be infected w/ demon blood. but sitting in the 9th episode of s1 where we still barely know anything it just falls flat and feels like she's just apologizing for what? dying? of course we have the gift of knowing everything to come later, but i'm trying to put myself in the shoes of the 2005 audience. what would they have thought she was apologizing for? like up until s4 that audience doesn't even know about mary being a hunter or her deal. so like, for those early years, it would just seem like she was apologizing for i guess not getting to sam fast enough to stop azazel and for dying ??

but yea anyways i feel like dean should've been the central character for an episode like this and we already know mary's death was traumatic for him. he tells lucas in 1x03 how he stopped talking after mary died. he tells lucas he's scared all the time but tries his best to be brave bc he thinks it's what his mom would've wanted. mary is such a central figure in dean's life and memories and is thee anchor to the myth of the "perfect family" that never was that dean is constantly yearning for and why family is so important to him. also comments like dean saying he always wanted to be a firefighter when he was a kid reveal a lot abt how much the fire affected him and fueled his desire to save people. and then in 1x09 Home itself, we see dean go in to save the blonde mom while he tells sam to save the kids which is interesting bc in 1x03 dean immediately goes for the kid and lets sam save the mom. so, it feels like subconsciously there's something there with dean and his desire to save mary. and this would've been a great episode to explore that trauma and guilt he has for not being able to save her (and god it's so irrational and he must know it, he was literally 4 yrs old what could he have done !!!) but still.

anyways this is getting long but yea i think at the very least, home should've come later in the season and not have to share the plot w/ introducing sam's psychic powers. there's just SO much they could've done with the whole concept of going back home and seeing mary's ghost. i wanted them to feel haunted !!!! haunted by home and the myth of mary !!!!!