#i'm running on the assumption it's true because it pleases me

[deathofacupid]

Don’t know if you take requests but something about gojo with an insecure, loser, socially anxious, nervous, pessimistic reader? Like in high school.. he is trying to get to know her, she thinks he is too good for her etc?? Plz

"stop following me," you mutter, a low scowl beneath your breath.

"what?" gojo scoffs, the sound exaggerated, a theatrical flourish. "i would never."

"quit that. i'm serious," you insist, your voice sharpening with a hint of exasperation.

"so am i!" he counters, his tone mirroring yours, but with an underlying playful lilt.

"go away."

"i happen to be heading the same direction," he replies, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"oh, so, you have chemistry next?" you ask, gesturing with a flick of your wrist towards the looming science hall, its sterile windows reflecting the midday sun.

"…no," he admits, a momentary pause, then a quick recovery. "but, hey, can't a student drop by to say hi? to teachers that love him?" he emphasizes the word, a smirk playing on his lips.

"what teachers?" you ask, the words barely audible, a murmur lost in the hum of passing students.

"hey!" he exclaims, clutching his chest dramatically, feigning offense. "you know, i still don't know why you insist on hating me."

"i don't hate you," you correct him, your gaze fixed on a distant point, anything but his face. "i just strongly dislike being in your presence."

"that's, like, the same thing," he says, shrugging off your protest. "i like you, and i know you like me."

"bold assumption," you retort, a flicker of annoyance in your eyes. "just 'cause a girl exchanges a few syllables with you, doesn't mean she wants you."

"maybe not," he concedes, a sly grin spreading across his face. "but i'm pretty sure you're the exception."

"go. away," you repeat, pinching the bridge of your nose, attempting to quell the rising tide of frustration.

"c'monnn. you still haven't answered me!" he whines, his voice drawn out into a playful plea.

"and, if i do, you'll leave me alone?" you ask, your tone laced with skepticism.

"maybe," he replies, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"i'm not answering you, then."

"please?" he begs, widening his eyes into comical puppy-dog eyes, a classic gojo maneuver.

you stop in your tracks, turning to face him, the movement abrupt. "we don't work together, alright? it'd be weird."

"what?" he asks, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "why?"

you sigh, the sound heavy with exasperation. "do i really have to spell it out for you? you're all… you. and, i'm all… not you."

"so? what do they say? opposites attract?" he counters, his voice laced with a confident charm.

"jesus. you're hopeless. why can't you take 'no' for an answer?"

"because i'm a catch. who doesn't want a catch?"

"me."

"but, why?" he asks, his voice laced with a touch of sincere curiosity.

"i already explained this to you. it's not my fault you can't get it through that thick skull of yours."

"okay, first of all, mean. my skull is average-sized," he protests, a mock-injured tone in his voice. "and, second, yeah. i don't get it."

"gojo, look. you're a lot different," you pause, wincing slightly, "social-wise. i couldn't keep up with you. i don't do parties. or, like, talking."

he cuts you off, a wave of his hand dismissing your concerns. "then don't do parties. or, talking. i run my mouth enough for the both of us," he offers, a playful grin spreading across his face.

"there are prettier girls out there. go yearn for one of them."

he makes an ulcer-inducing buzzer noise, a loud, obnoxious bzzzt! "nope, there's not. you're the prettiest of them all," gojo sing-songs, his voice laced with a playful melody. "pretty, and smart, and kind —well, we'll work on that part. but, you're perfect. don't start making up reasons to get me to leave. it won't work anyways."

"you're insufferable," you sigh, the sound a mixture of exasperation and reluctant amusement, though the flush creeping up your neck betrays your true feelings.

he takes your hand in his, his touch warm and surprisingly gentle, and you don't pull it away. "you don't have to change who you are, just to be with someone who's not the same as you. besides, you're throwing away what we could have, without even trying."

you chew your lip, the nervous habit betraying your inner turmoil. it feels like a horrible idea, a collision of personalities that could end disastrously.

but, you've never been good at resisting him, his charm a persistent, inescapable force. "i don't know," you say, finally, the words laced with uncertainty.

"i do, though. so, why don't you trust me?" he asks, his eyes locking with yours, a depth of emotion in their blue depths.

he pulls you closer, his hand gently tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. and, you do. you do trust him, in all his annoying, infuriating, and undeniably captivating glory.

banner credits to @/im4yeons <33

[somehow-a-human]

The angels don't have to ask to enter the bookshop.

DO NOT ASK NEIL ABOUT FAN THEORY.

We've been operating under the assumption that BOTH the angels and demons have to ask to enter the bookshop, but I don't think that's true. I'm pretty sure it's one of our red herrings for season 2.

Continued under the cut.

When Gabriel shows up to the bookshop nude and oblivious, the doors are closed and (I believe) locked. Gabriel doesn't even know who or where he is, so he does what the default is... he knocks, and asks "Can I come in?" Aziraphale is frightened at first and tells him he can't come in but eventually our angels empathy wins and he says "Alright! Just... just get in!"

>> It's never clear that Gabriel would have physically been unable to come in otherwise.

When the Archangels show up Aziraphale literally cuts them off before they reach the door of the bookshop. Saraqael suggests, "Shall we discuss this inside?", and Aziraphale continues, "By all means. Would you like to come in?"

>> If Aziraphale hadn't rushed out to meet the angels, why wouldn't they have just walked into the bookshop like they did numerous times in season 1? Additionally I am fairly certain Aziraphale's "By all means. Would you like to come in?" was added in post via ADR. That doesn't necessarily add credence to anything, just an observation.

When Muriel arrives to surveil Aziraphale they ask, "Great! Well, could I come in and do it inside please? Only cause it's really noisy out here and I can't hear anything." Aziraphale replies, "By all means."

>> Muriel is an endearing angel who doesn't know much about life on earth, but had the shop been open and unlocked at the time of their arrival, they might've just wandered in as well.

We're never told the angels *can't* enter the bookshop explicitly like we are for the demons. We've always just assumed the same rules apply to all of the ethereal and occult beings.

But then, might I ask, why does Aziraphale tell us "Technically, this bookshop still counts as an Embassy"?

If the bookshop is still an embassy, the angels wouldn't need permission to enter, they would still have jurisdiction, and would still be able to monitor what's going on there... yes?

Let's compare this to the demons attempts to enter the bookshop, because Shax states clearly that she can't enter without permission. We see this again when she tries to get into the Bentley after it's canonically 'our car', and therefore at least partially owned by an angel.

I'm pretty sure John and Neil make a point of having the angels all ask in some way to enter, and Aziraphale seem to grant them permission as a red herring. They don't need to, but they want us to assume a false sense of security, to think that the bookshop is a safe space for our duo, outside of the reaches of both Heaven and Hell.

Technicalities are big in season 2 and I definitely think they're a huge underlying string running through all of Good Omens. In season 1, Crowley and Aziraphale stop Heaven and Hell from trying to restart Armageddon on a technicality. Gabriel and Beelzebub don't technically know if the great plan *is* the ineffable plan! It's definitely a favorite trope of Terry and Neil's to mock unfair, broken, bureaucratic systems, and Heaven and Hell are a PERFECT example of this.

**Somebody has written a meta on technicalities, I know I've seen it but I cannot for the life of me find it so if anyone could tag me so I could link it that would be brills! (Yeah that's right I'm adopting that from Charles from Dead Boy Detectives, 80's british slang ftw, I'm obsessed; please watch it, please, I need a second season.)

Neil has mentioned that the plot for season 3 might've had to be changed from he and Terry's original vision a bit, based on the political climate of the current day, and I'm sure that means we'll see some technicalities being the downfall of Heaven and Hells systems in Season 3 as well. I don't think the metatron is a villain, nor any of the other angels or demons. They're just fulfilling their function, following a set of rules, very much to a fault. This is all just God's big experiment after all, freewill, choice, eating the apple, and the angels and demons aren't exempt.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of technicality about the angels and demons themselves in season 3. We've seen that they're of the same stock, and we know Crowley at least is technically still the same person he was when he was an angel... more or less. Could the book of life end up revealing something like that the demons still exist perpetually as their angelsonas? A technicality, if you will?

Given the bookshop is still technically an embassy, is everything that happens inside observable by Heaven? Can they access the bookshop in their Earth Observation Files? There is some questionable blocking surrounding the bust in Aziraphale's bookshop, coupled with a curious record cover from Maggie's bookshop pointed out by @noneorother

Anyway... Let me know your thoughts. I haven't been posting as much, I have been mega busy and I'm trying to be thankful for it. Love you all, hope you have something nice happen for you today! <3

[bcacstuff]

Please Anons!

Can you stop running to my inbox when this Neanderthal blogger crawls out of her cave to spew some 💩 into the world!

You just need 3 brain cells to know that

whenever the Neanderthal blurbs something you can be sure it comes out of a fairytale book;

the only times she carves something that is slightly true on her blog is when one of her minions saw something on my blog and runs to tell her;

that the one braincell of this Neanderthal can only think of one thing

What is it about you ask me, or rather who is it about? It's about that same one that was named a few weeks ago on DeuxMoi. That's right, a post I didn't even bother to post on here, since you could see how fake it was all the way from the Netherlands.

To the Anon, that's always in my inbox as well spreading all these nonsense, going on and on trying to create all kind of 💩 calling him names and accusing him from the most horrible things. Be brave, start your own blog, post it there and take the heat. Because everyone can see how fake your stupid assumptions are.

It's so stupid, for real, you really think he would mess around with a woman in London days before the marathon? Did you ever run a marathon Anon? Geesh, I wonder what the content of your head looks like. Probably like this

Now go away, play with your 3 yo toddler friends

BTW. On a positive note:

You know who is also in London? And running the marathon (Elite)?

And I'm rooting for Sifan tomorrow! 🧡🧡🧡

[jmdbjk]

Make assumptions and get the wrong idea. Please. That's what he said.

My brain listening to Who:

(on the beat of course)

Sorry for the brain porn but that's how my brain feels when I hear Jimin's vocals. The runs, the ad libs, the highs, lows, and in-betweens, the breathing, especially the breathing. Especially in the 4K version of the Tonight Show performance posted on BangtanTV.

For many years now I've been wanting to hear Jimin let 'er rip on a big song and FINALLY! FINALLY!

FINALLY!

I started to jot down my interpretations of Who but you know what? no one needs yet another analyzation of the song, the lyrics, the MV, the belt sharing, the ... but one thing I need to point out... Ryan's Vintage Clothes is definitely a nod to Ryan Gosling don't you think? (just kidding sorta)

A ton of people have given their dissertations on what they think it all means. All I know is Jimin has that MAGIC and he is FLEXING big time.

This is my favorite shot from the most recent promo image drop on Weverse. I have always dissented when Jimin would say his left side is his best side. No sir. It's your right side.

The entire Muse album is a complete mind-bender for me. He came up with the ideas and themes and what he couldn't do on his own, he explained to all the people helping him in order to create his vision...

PDogg said this in an interview: "I also believe the experience of collaborating with various producers and songwriters in LA and NY gave Jimin the opportunity to further explore his limitless potential."

Minseong Kim (Performance Director): "When we were working together, I saw Jimin putting a lot of thought into delivering the song's choreography as a visual art form. He uses his detailed expressions to convey various artistic elements in the performance beyond simply presenting stylish, energetic choreography. He is always devoted to emphasizing the artistic elements of the performance by forming a visceral connection to it. I believe that his commitment and passion has shaped Jimin's unique style and allows him to deliver one of the most exciting performances in pop music."

and:

"We had countless discussions about how to visually articulate the story and message of the song through the performance on a larger scale, in a manner that's true to the song's title Who. When the choreography was completed Jimin was utterly pleased with the performance having all the elements he had wished to incorporate."

You can read the entire VMAGAZINE article here.

Regarding the other songs on the album, in MiniMoniMusic Exchange, Jimin mentioned that Rebirth was his favorite track. I do love it too, Jimin. The heartbeat, the poignancy. Perfection.

And I have to compare Be Mine to Seven. In Jungkook's Seven, the explicit version was so very literal and so in your face it was funny, even the MV added to the unserious vibe of it all.

But in Jimin's, Be Mine, he has probably the most erotic lyric I've ever heard coming out of the mouth of a Tannie: "... a hot island, a party with just the two of us; I know what you want and baby I want the same; love ‘til the morning; we just keep fallin’... baby come, baby come; show me what, show me what love is, yeah yeah; melt me hot, hot, hot quickly"

I am streaming all the versions of all the songs and album. I absolutely love it.

Now that I got that out of my system...

It's been about a year (??!?!?) since Jungkook's Only Fans debut live stream. Time is flying.

We are anticipating gaining more context soon surrounding exactly what went down between them the prior two weeks to this live and what did Jimin mean when he said he "can handle it? (Are you sure you wanna know?)

There is a high possibility we might get some jikook carpool karaoke.

The main trailer drops Monday. Hold on to your ... whatever it is you hold on to when you get shook because I'm sure it'll be another earthquake on the timeline.

All lyrics translations credit: © 2024 by Learn Korean With Sel www.learnkoreanwithsel.com/

[neonross]

— I have a lot of theories about your "Welcome home - Roaytly au".

1. I remember in picture with Frank's mother, she was holding some kind of photo.

In the middle of the photo we see a familiar heart-shaped hairstyle like that of Wally's mother and the queen of hearts Ambrosia. And someone else is standing next to it, it can't be said by the outline that Frank's mother is here and most likely Julie's father is with a fluffy hairstyle, we see a tail, but we remember that Julie is a rainbow monster. Maybe some rainbow monsters have a tail, why not? 🫲🫱

But there is also another person in the photo. I don't have a lot of assumptions here. Could it be Wally's missing father or Frank's father?

2.1 We don't know who Wally's father is, but there are three theories about his father. His father could have died in a battle with the king/queen/ruler of spades and Wally wanted revenge for that.

2.2 Wally's father could also have just run away when Ambrosia got pregnant or when Wally was born. Could his Majesty have been afraid of responsibility?

2.3 Wally's father may have been the king of spades and had intercourse with young Ambrosia. And she accidentally got pregnant by him. He was the king of spades and so Ambrosia never told Wally who his father was, but Wally found out and wanted revenge for a lonely childhood without a father (but for that he has a wonderful mother :3)

The first theory sounds more realistic because I remember how you replied in a tick-tock to one user under the video that Ambrosia died "You don't know what's wrong with Wally's father yet". I think Wally became an Orphan in adulthood.

3. I remember that I found an old Howdy art where he was holding some kind of sword wrapped in some kind of paper.

He may be the one who smuggles weapons into the kingdom of clubs because this kingdom is the most hidden and it is inconvenient for them to receive weapons. probably...

4. We remember that Eddie is on the boat. But. Which kingdom is he from? We can rule out the kingdom of clubs right away, but at least I'm not sure if Eddie is related to magic, but it could be... maybe... Most likely it belongs to either the kingdom of hearts or the kingdom of diamonds. If he is from the kingdom of hearts, then he could go in search of Wally's father, by the way, there is also a theory that Wally's father could disappear into the ocean. If he is from kingdom of diamonds, then he could go on a trip to explore new technologies, because we know that kingdom of diamonds is the most technically advanced.

5. It's not really a theory, but we can see Franny and Sally in the picture. Sally look like a magical creature, maybe even like a sun goddess? We remember that magical creatures live in the kingdom of clubs, most likely Sally may be part of the kingdom of clubs and may even be part of the royal court in the palace of clubs. And Franny doesn't really like Sally for her indifference and excessive calmness. Or is Franny just freaking out with everything ☺️

I hope I haven't driven you crazy with my theories... Please tell me if any of these theories are true or are they close to the truth? 🫸🌸

Thank you for creating such an au ❤️

Oh wow, y'all are delulung from the shadows/aff/pos!!

Idk if I'm suppose to confirm any of ur theories or not here ahaha

But I will say tho, Sally is not from clubs! But in fact an outsider that chose to stick around ahah

Das why Franny ain't too nice to her ahah added by her demeanor she is untrustworthy by default in her eyes

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Relapse

hello! hope you're doing ok I have a request that's dealing with some sensitive topics, please don't feel pressured to write this! Warning for self harm I've been in a not the best mental space recently and was wondering if you could write smth where one of the sides has a sh relapse for an extended period of time and is hiding it, then gets discovered (and probably has a panic attack about it). my preference is Logan but I'd be happy with any of them!! – anon

Could you write a Roman angst + hurt/comfort sickfic. You can pick whatever sickness you want to give Roman. He tries to hide his illness from the others but they find out and help nurse him back to health. – monkeythefander

just saying.... if you wanted to write some not-romantic-not-platonic-what-are-you-a-cop? analogical h/c....... especially if they both- oh wait. I was trying to keep this vague but actually I just remembered from one of the earlier episodes Virgil said "I'm a problem identifier, not a problem solver" and Logan made a face like he wanted to disagree. maybe Logan is struggling and Virgil helps him and then later Virgil says something to that effect and Logan starts pointing out all the ways that isn't true? – anon

I was thinking about Logan angst and how maybe some of it isn’t about him thinking that he’s emotionless, but he’s just really reserved, and then the others make assumptions about what emotions he Must Be Feeling. And when he tries to explain himself, they don’t listen because they think he’s just denying that he has emotions, not that he’s denying having the specific emotions that they assume he has. – anon

Hi, I absolutely love your Sanders sides fics and I was wondering if you would write roman angst where the other sides realize that he is nearly always performing when he’s around them (kinda like your fic productivity). Like they thought Roman was kinda irresponsible/ careless and then they find out that when he’s not around them he’s working himself to the bone to prepare for the 0.5% and when he is with them he’s still not relaxing - even when they’re just like having dinner or something - because that’s when he has to perform. No pressure to write anything if you’re not up for it; you write Roman angst like no one else – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: self-harm

Pairings: none

Word Count: 3529

Relapse: deteriorate after a period of improvement. Relapse: return to a less active or worse state. *** There are good times, there are bad times.

Virgil gets summoned when the other Sides are afraid. Somehow, Logan had forgotten this crucial thing.

Stupid, stupid—

"Hey, no, none of that, bud," comes Virgil's voice, low and soothing as he crouches next to Logan on the cold bathroom floor, covered in water and blood and sodden toilet paper and— "Hey. Stay with me, Logan."

Logan blinks. He looks up. Virgil's face is blurred. He blinks again. Something warm touches his face, brushing tenderly along his cheek—hand, his brain supplies, that's Virgil's hand on his face. He blinks again. "V-Virgil?"

"Hey, there he is. You with me?"

"I think so."

"Okay, that's good. That's really good, Logan, okay? I want you to try and stay with me while we get you all cleaned up. Can we do that?"

Cleaned up. Right. That's why he'd come into the bathroom. That's the rule. He only ever does it in the bathroom because that's where it's the easiest to clean.

Oh, God—

"Logan." Virgil's voice is a little firmer now. "Stay with me, remember?"

"I'm here." He shakes his head slightly. "I'm here."

"Okay. I'm gonna stand up to get you some water. I'm not gonna leave, I'm gonna use the cup you keep in your medicine cabinet for this reason, okay?" Logan nods. "Okay. While I do that, I need you to count backwards from twenty. Ready?"

"Twenty, nineteen, eighteen…" As he counts, Virgil stands up. He hears the click of the cabinet opening and the sink running. "Five, four, three, two, one."

"Good job, bud. Here, drink that, okay? Try and drink all of it if you can."

"It's so much."

"One sip at a time, yeah?" There's a hand on his shoulder and another on the hand holding the cup. "C'mon, just try and get some of it down. For me?"

He can try. For Virgil, he can try. He lifts the cup with Virgil's help. The cool water soothes his throat—he was crying, he was hyperventilating, the rush and sting of it dulled everything to a background roar, why can't he just live there instead—and he swallows once, twice, three times. Soon he lifts the cup back to his lips and discovers it's empty.

"Good job, Logan, you did great. Do you want some more?"

He shakes his head. Virgil nods and takes the cup gently from his hands, settling it on top of the counter and taking Logan's hand in his. He rubs his thumb over Logan's trembling knuckles and gives his fingers a squeeze.

"I need to clean you up, buddy. Do you want to stay in here while I do that?"

"Bathrooms are easy to clean," he mumbles by rote, and Virgil only hesitates for a moment before there's another squeeze.

"Yeah, I know, but you're not a bathroom. You're Logan. And if Logan needs to be all comfy on his bed while I clean up, then that's what we'll do."

Bed…his bed sounds very nice right about now. His body tingles with the macabre satisfaction of being exhausted and lying down would help, wouldn't it? He tries to stand but a fresh sting of pain ripples up his legs and he collapses back to the wet tile.

"Hey, let me help you, c'mere, come put your arms around me…" Virgil hefts him off the floor like he weighs nothing, carrying him through to his bedroom and settling him on the edge of the bed. "There. I'm gonna go get the stuff from the bathroom, okay? You'll see me the whole time, you'll watch me go over there and you'll watch me come back."

"You won't leave?"

Virgil's gaze softens ever so slightly. "I'm not gonna leave, L. Do you want to count again? Would that help?"

"Twenty, nineteen, eighteen…"

By the time he gets to one, Virgil's got the first-aid kit laid out on the bed next to him, a towel folded up next to it, and another cup of water on his nightstand. He lets Logan wind nervous fingers into his hoodie, holding him close. He reaches up and lightly ruffles Logan's damp hair, smiling in the way where the corners of his eyes crinkle up.

"Hey, bud. You got me, see? I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna start cleaning up now, yeah? You wanna close your eyes for me?"

Logan's grip tightens. Virgil covers his hand with his.

"You got me, see? I'm right here. You can close your eyes, L, it's okay."

"If I close my e-eyes I'll just feel it. I can't—" his breath hitches— "I can't just feel it."

"Okay. Do you…do you want to see what I'm doing?" Logan shakes his head. "Okay. Do you want to talk while I'm doing this?"

"What would I talk about?"

"Well, I do wanna know what happened, but—but," he says softly when Logan barely stifles a whimper, "that doesn't have to be right now. Why don't you talk to me about something that isn't work related? Have you been watching something interesting?"

"There's—" he swallows— "there's this video game that Roman and I have been talking about."

"Oh, yeah? What's it called?"

"Superliminal."

"That sounds cool as hell. What's it about?"

"The premise is that you're going to this hospital for something called 'dream therapy,' meant to help you relieve—relieve stress," he mumbles, breath hitching again when Virgil tears open an antiseptic wipe, "and the game is you going through the stages of the therapy."

"Huh. That's a cool idea for a video game. What, uh, what's the story like when you're actually playing it?"

"The core mechanic is—" he hisses at the sting and Virgil blows a stream of cold air over it— "that you can change the world around you by picking up objects and that will alter their relative size based on your perception of them."

"Whoa. How the hell did they program that?"

"I have no—no idea."

"What sort of objects?"

Logan continues to describe it as Virgil works patiently to clean him up, pausing every once in a while to murmur words of comfort and encouragement when Logan's voice gets a bit too strained or his hand suddenly tenses. He keeps asking questions, prompting Logan to continue talking, until he finishes describing one of the more frustrating puzzles and realizes that Virgil's hands are on his shoulders, not his legs.

"You…you're done?"

"Yeah, bud, I'm all done. You did great. Here, drink some more water."

He accepts the cup and manages to lift it himself this time, Virgil's thumbs stroking gently over the seams of his shirt. The cool air of his room hits his still-damp skin and he shivers. "Are…are we to talk about what happened now?"

"I think that's a good idea, don't you?" He shrinks in on himself and Virgil's quick to lean forward, cupping the back of his head and carding a hand through his hair. "I'm not mad, L. I'm not gonna get mad. You don't have to be scared with me, I swear."

"You promise?"

He wants to flinch at how much a child he sounds, but Virgil just smiles. "I promise."

He closes his eyes, turning his face into the crook of Virgil's neck. Virgil's fingers keep working patiently against his scalp. He takes one deep breath, two, three.

"I was…talking with Patton."

"Okay."

"We were—I was—" he swallows— "I was trying to explain how I'm not—I don't—I don't feel things as strongly as he and Roman do all the time but that it's not the same thing as not feeling at all because it isn't, just because I don't yell or shout or proclaim my emotions for everyone to see doesn't make them less important or less valid just for—"

"Shh, easy." Virgil's hand rubs firmly up and down his back. "Hey, bud, you're okay."

He swallows. His chest starts to get tight again. "He wasn't listening to me."

"Can you say more?"

"He—he kept on trying to say that I did have feelings, even if they weren't the same as what I thought they should look like, but I do know what my feelings look like, I know better than him what they look like because they're my feelings, and I—" he chokes on a sob and Virgil shushes him again, whispering you're doing great— "I just got so mad."

Virgil rubs his back again, pulling away to push the cup of water into his hands again. "You got mad?"

He nods. "I…I yelled at him about how he didn't know what was best for me and he didn't—couldn't know what I was feeling because he's Thomas's emotions, not mine, and I didn't—I didn't mean to get so mad but it wasn't—I couldn't just explain it to him calmly because he wasn't listening but then he tried to tell me I was—I was—"

"Hey. Hey." Virgil takes his face in his hands, giving him the gentlest of shakes. "Look at me, L. Just look at me."

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Shh, shh, don't be sorry, you're not doing anything wrong. It's okay, you're okay, you're alright. It's just me, we're in your room, you're safe. Just take a second, calm down…shh, shh, that's it…that's it, L, you're doing great."

Logan takes a deep, shuddering breath. The lump in his throat grows. He truly didn't mean to shout at Patton. He didn't deserve it. He just got so frustrated and Patton wasn't listening and it—he—

"Is that why you came up here?" Virgil's question is gentle but stings no less. "Because you felt bad about it?"

"I don't like being angry," he croaks. "I don't like the person I become when I'm that angry."

"Oh, L…"

"I don't know how to be angry without being punished for it," he whispers, "and Patton—Patton just—he just—I—he couldn't—I can't—"

"What did he do? Or say?"

He sniffles. "He said that if I really did know about my feelings, then I wouldn't…then when I felt them, I wouldn't—I would know how to handle them."

Virgil's quiet for a long moment. Then he mutters something that sounds suspiciously like kick your ass that Logan's fairly certain is directed at Patton, not him, before he's being bundled up in another strong hug. "I'm really sorry, L, that was shitty of Patton to say."

"I didn't mean to—"

"Hey, uh-uh. We're not gonna do that now. We're gonna make sure you have enough water to drink, that you eat something, and that you rest, okay? Everything else can wait."

Logan nods. He takes another breath and holds onto Virgil. "What is it you say?"

"About what?"

"About later you?"

"Oh, right: that's a problem for Future Virgil. These are problems for Future Us to deal with, yeah? Trust me, I'm an expert problem identifier."

Virgil's shampoo smells like pine. Logan tucks his chin over his shoulder and hums. "You're wrong about just being that, by the way."

"Huh?"

"You always say that you don't solve problems, you just find them. But that's not true. You help. All the time."

"Aw, thanks, L. You're sweet."

"Does that count as an emotion?"

"'Sweet?' I dunno, let's ask Princey when we're up to it. For now, why don't you poof yourself into something more comfy and we'll watch an episode of that dumb game show you like making fun of."

"The one where the points system makes no sense?"

"Yep. That one. And, hey, Logan?" Virgil chucks him lightly under the chin with a smile. "I'm really proud of you."

"But I…relapsed."

"Yeah, but then you did all of this. You let me take care of you, we talked about it, we made sure you're okay for right now, and that shit's harder than people give it credit for. So yeah, bud, I'm super proud of you."

The smallest smile makes it to Logan's face.

***

The first thing Roman realizes when he wakes up is that he's somewhere soft and warm. Which is strange, because last time he checked, the bathroom floor where he thought he'd passed out is neither of those things.

Then he realizes there's a gloved hand adjusting the blankets tucked up under his chin and oh.

"Hi, sweetie," Janus says softly, patting his cheek, "good to have you back."

"How long…?"

"A few hours, at least. You were pretty exhausted." He raises his eyebrows. "Would you like to explain yourself, or should I?"

There's just enough gentle affection in his voice to keep the sting from overwhelming him, but he can't help but flinch away from it. Janus coos, leaning down to brush a kiss over his forehead, a cold un-gloved hand tucking itself against the side of his neck.

"You've been sick, sweetie, for days, and you've hidden it from all of us."

"Didn't—didn't mean to."

"Didn't mean to hide it, or didn't mean for it to get this bad?" Roman shuffles guiltily. Janus hums. "I found you on the floor of the bathroom, covered in sweat. I managed to get you into bed but you need to eat and drink something."

"Not hungry."

"You don't have much of a choice right now, Roman, you need something in you. Don't you dare," he threatens with a tap to Roman's nose when he opens his mouth, "I'll get Remus to help me bully you into taking care of yourself, don't think I won't."

"…okay."

"There we go. Come sit up, you've got more pillows than Sleeping Beauty's palace. Would you prefer juice or Gatorade?"

"…can I have blue?"

"Yes, you can have blue. Sit up, now…"

Roman carefully gets himself sitting upright, blankets still swaddling his lower half as Janus reaches for a small bottle on his nightstand. He manages about half of it before he gives it back. When Janus moves toward him with a snack, though, he closes his mouth and stubbornly turns away.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I have to get back to work."

"You don't have to do anything other than rest and get better."

"But we have movie night."

"Exactly. We don't have anything else to do other than relax, so you should try and rest up now so that if you feel up to it—if," he repeats sternly when Roman shrugs, "you feel up to it, you can join us."

"But that's not how it works."

"That's not how what works?"

"I don't get to relax during movie nights."

Janus pauses. There's a soft clunk as he sets the bowl back on the nightstand and then the cool hand is cupping Roman's cheek, thumb brushing over his flushed skin. He closes his eyes at the relief of it.

"What do you mean," comes Janus's soft voice, "that you don't get to relax during movie nights?"

"I don't get to."

"Say more, sweetie."

"That's not—that's not the point. That's not why we have them."

"That's precisely why we have them, Roman, so we can all de-stress and relax together."

"No, we have them so Thomas can relax."

"We—we're saying the same thing, Roman—"

"No, we aren't." Roman pulls away from the touch, burying his face in his hands and scrubbing harshly. Janus tuts, catching them and pulling them to his lips, kissing his knuckles. "Don't—what're you doing?"

Janus's eyebrows quirk. "Why am I treating you gently? Is that what you're asking?"

"…you're mad at me, so—"

"I'm not mad at you, sweetie." When Roman frowns, something flickers over his expression and settles on something way too close to devastation for Roman to be comfortable still holding eye contact, so he looks away as Janus lets out a quiet noise. "Oh, Roman…"

"What?"

"Can you look at me?" Roman drags his eyes back up and Janus squeezes his hands. "Why do you think I'm angry with you?"

"…you had to take care of me? I'm disagreeing with you? I'm not—you didn't—I haven't—"

"That's my fault," Janus interrupts with a sigh, "let me rephrase: I'm not angry with you, Roman. I'm not angry that I 'had' to take care of you, I'm upset because you needed taking care of and you didn't feel like you could let us know. I'm not angry that you're disagreeing with me, I'm concerned because you're telling me that something I thought was relaxing for you isn't actually relaxing at all. I'm not mad, you're not in trouble, I'm not going to—to punish you, I want to help."

Roman stares at him. That's more words than he's ever heard Janus say to him about feelings ever, and too many of them sound too perfect to be coming out of Janus's mouth at him. And as if he can hear those thoughts, Janus takes his un-gloved hand and brushes Roman's hair back from his damp forehead. An embarrassing noise leaves his mouth and he goes to pull away but then the other hand is cupping the back of his head and pulling him closer.

"Can you tell me why movie nights aren't relaxing for you?"

His jaw wobbles. "I have to—they're for Thomas."

"What does that mean? I'm not trying to make fun of you," he says quickly when Roman's mouth screws up, "I'm just trying to understand."

"It's for Thomas. That means I have to—I'm there for Thomas. I have to be watching the movie for Thomas. I'm not—that's not relaxing, nothing I do for Thomas is relaxing, it's work."

"But Thomas doesn't always come to our movie nights."

"So?"

Janus frowns. "So why would the ones where he's not there also be for him?"

"What does Thomas do to relax?"

"Let's see, he…well, he watches movies, he reads things, he watches shows, plays games with his friends…"

"He engages with stories."

Janus lets out a quiet oh. Roman closes his eyes. The pounding in his head is back.

"So it's…work. It's part of the 0.5%, or whatever it was."

"You know that Logan doesn't believe that anymore, don't you?" Roman's quiet for a little too long before Janus kisses his forehead again. "We'll talk to him when you feel better, okay?"

"Wait, 'we?'"

"You didn't think I'd leave you on your own to deal with things, did you?" At Roman's hopeful expression, he chuckles. "You're enough of a disaster already."

"Hey!" He smacks weakly at Janus's chest. "I'm sick, you have to be nice to me."

"And considering that's the first time you've admitted that you're sick, I'd say that proves my point."

"No fair."

"I know, I'm so mean to you," he murmurs, unable to keep all of the remorse from his voice as he kisses him again. "Shh, it's alright, sweetie, everything's going to be okay. Now go to sleep, you need it."

"Will you—can you stay?"

"Of course I can, sweetie. Rest, now. We can sort everything else out when you wake up."

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[dysfunctionalupsidedown]

An Analysis Of "STurn": My Turn

Hello, everyone! This is my first real post/analysis of anything Stranger Things related, so please keep that in mind while reading. I'm sure there are quite a few analyses about this playlist already (I'm definitely late to the party,) but I still wanted to add my two cents.

Feel free to let me know if any information I've provided is incorrect. My main source is Genius.com, which isn't at all the most reliable; even still, it'll help to give a clearer picture of each track's meaning and how the general public (which includes Finn) interprets them. I'm attempting to go by what I think Finn's intentions were.

Also, don't forget that this analysis was done under the assumption that the "STurn" playlist is a somewhat play-by-play outline of how specifically Mike Wheeler's S5 arcs might happen. The playlist could be entirely unrelated to ST5. It could be related to all the characters and arcs in ST5. It could be out of order, or based on vibes -- We really have no way of knowing until the full season comes out.

Finally, I tried my best to keep the analysis somewhat objective and reasonable, and I hope I've at least partly succeeded. This is all in good fun, in the end. Now that I've finished housekeeping, please enjoy my thoughts and feel free to chime in with your ideas in the comments! I'm always open to changing my perspective.

1. Ballad of the Texas King

Let's begin! This song starts with the lyrics, "No one saw / Nothing at all, no law was there to fight / All dressed down / Walkin' out in the California night". I believe this is a more surface-level vibe-setting song, considering where Mike ended in S4. It may also imply that the start of S5 begins where S4 left off. A lot of car imagery is also present throughout, which was a big part of Mike's S4 journey.

There are ideas of being separated as well, with lyrics like "My heart won't beat / 'Til we meet again together". This may allude to Mike's feelings towards the end of S4, having been separated from Hawkins/his family.

2. What You're Doing - Remastered 2009

Genius.com claims this song was written about Paul McCartney's then-rocky relationship at the time. The lyrics make this very clear, so there's really no alternate angle from which I can read. Let me know in the comments if you interpreted it differently.

In specific, the lyrics "You got me running / And there's no fun in it / Why should it be so much to ask of you / What you're doing to me?", "Please stop your lying / You got me crying, girl", and "I've been waiting here for you / Wondering what you're gonna do / And should you need a love that's true / It's me" really intrigue me. This could refer to Mike's relationship.

The song suggests that the partner may be withdrawing in multiple ways, with the singer grieving over it and attempting to prove their love. El may be starting to distance herself, and Mike could be struggling with it. At the end of S4, El was understandably focused on her failure, to the point where she hadn't really spoken to Mike in the days following it.

I don't think it would be surprising if everything was too much and she ends up pushing herself away from him. I wouldn't say it's implying a break-up, but maybe distancing issues.

3. After The Earthquake

Again, it's pretty surface-level in the beginning. There was a devastating earthquake in-universe, which supports the theory that "STurn" connects to ST5 in some way. The song tells a story, though, and I recommend looking up it's inspiration.

Despite the choice seeming surface-level at first, After The Earthquake may be implying more for Mike in ST5. Genius.com's contributors interpret the song's narrative as, "[Molly Rankin applying the] concept of post-catastrophe clarity to a couple that got into a major disagreement before one of them falls into a coma from a car crash... In a metaphorical sense, [the song] could describe a more mild situation in which Rankin must put their conflict on hold because something more important turns up." I don't think it's too far-fetched to say that Finn picked up on this. The idea of a disagreeing couple and coma is also prevalent in ST, but like I said in the beginning, I'm going to try to connect these songs to Mike Wheeler specifically.

Although this may be me reading too deeply into it, the metaphorical meaning of the track pairs pretty well with the implications of What You're Doing. It also fits in well narratively, considering that more important things are happening aside from the drama -- the earthquake being one of them. Mike could be putting all of his current issues (internal-conflict-related, relationship, or otherwise) on hold for the moment. He continues to struggle with suppressing his problems later on in the playlist, as well.

4. Promises I've Made

This song is about mourning a lost or ex-lover. The opening lyrics, "Ever since you have gone, the days don't seem so bright / And I wish I could forget you but I can't / Ever since you have gone, I haven't felt quite right / And I promised I'd forget all that you meant" address this quite directly.

At this point, it's possible that Mike has either been broken up with or the pair have gone their separate ways for some reason. It wouldn't be too crazy to say something like that will occur and he'll grieve it, keeping in mind that one of Mike's main fears is losing El. I just don't know why they'd continue to make it the subject of conflict in S5 (unless it hasn't been fully resolved yet.)

Physical distance between the two also makes sense when considering that Mike is, supposedly, teaming up with other characters next season. Personally, I'm leaning slightly more towards a break-up because of what the previous songs have set up, but, ultimately, it's up to interpretation. It's possible they've just been physically distanced while in a bad spot.

5. Angst In My Pants

This song is about a person attempting to be someone they're not, suppressing who they really are, and it ultimately leading to dissatisfaction. The lyrics, "You can dress nautical / Learn to tie knots / Take lots of Dramamine / Out on your yacht" describe a faux lifestyle one lives that only serves to hurt them in the end: The idea of putting on a self-harming persona. This could be what Mike is going through in S5, and his teased wardrobe change from S4 supports this.

The lyrics, "I hope it doesn't show / It'll go away / It's just a passing phase / It'll go away" and, "I hope it doesn't show / It'll go 'way / Give it a hundred years / It won't go 'way" are particularly fascinating and can have multiple interpretations.

For one, it could be Mike trying to hide his real personality following Eddie's death and the collective panic by acting out a more "normal" and "idealized" life -- painfully repressing his true self in the process. This is supported by the lyrics I first discussed. Hiding and embracing differences is a theme in Stranger Things, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is where they take Mike in S5.

Another interpretation involves the previous lyrics, as well as, "But when you think you made it disappear / It comes again, 'Hello, I'm here'". This sounds more like someone trying and failing to suppress a thought. Coupled with "It's just a passing phase", it appears to be a feeling or belief instead of someone's true personality, although I do believe that's a big part of it, too.

Whatever it may be, Mike is definitely struggling with something at this point. He's pushing it down, hiding it, and hoping "..it doesn't show" and that "It'll go away".

6. The Better Side - Audiotree Live Version

Half way through! This one gave me more of a challenge because there aren't any written lyrics to analyze. From what I can gather, the track is about a person yearning for someone who is a better fit(?) The lyrics that best support this interpretation are, "You're on the better side / You're always the better one for me" and "Don't make me do the falling when I'm drinking of you". Again, if you have any alternate interpretations, please let me know. I'd like to take all ideas into account.

The final lyrics are interesting, "And you're all that I need / I'm not gonna miss you anymore". This can be read as the narrator longing to accept a person into their life and bring them closer. I'm especially interested in the final line because it implies there was something to miss, as if an emotional rift or gap was there.

Mike has come to a realization about something, as shown in Angst In My Pants, and it might partly be about a new thought he's trying to push down, "It'll go away". It's possible the "thought" is about newly developing feelings he isn't ready to accept(?) I don't want to say for certain, though. Nonetheless, it seems like he recognizes this person's importance and "better fit" for him, despite trying to repress it. A fairly surface-level read, but it's the only conclusion I'm able to come to.

Alternatively, it might be about El. The distance apart could be what gets him to solidify how he feels about her. However, Angst In My Pants and multiple songs establishing a separation precede The Better Side. The track is about a better option, as well. Those facts alone make me think of this interpretation as unlikely, so it's not one I personally hold.

7. Don't Ask Me to Explain

Don't Ask Me to Explain is about two people who are afraid to confess their true feelings to one another, so instead they hide them; with one of the two seemingly more uncertain. It's also, from what I've researched, supposedly about two people of the same gender. There's a possibility that this is irrelevant to the track's purpose in the playlist, but I kept it in mind considering the other songs and my personal interpretation. It's also important to note that these "true feelings" could be about a multitude of things.

The lyrics, "How will I ever know you enough to love you / If you're hiding who you are?", "How am I supposed to let it show / When I don't even know?", and, "Besides, I don't want to be the one who's coming out first / I'd really like to but I'm just too shy" support this reading.

I interpreted the last line, "It's so easy to laugh to myself / And pretend that I could love you but I can't" in two different ways. Either it's the narrator doubting their feelings for someone else, or it's the narrator recognizing that they can't let themselves embrace their love for someone, for one reason or another.

As for Mike, his progression makes the most sense to me in the following interpretation. There are multiple and, again, please let me know your ideas in the comments. I narrowed it down to just the one so I don't start nit-picking.

Mike went from a realization, "It's just a passing phase / It'll go away" (Angst In My Pants) to a sort of acceptance, "You're always the better one for me" (The Better Side) to struggling to admit it out loud, "How am I supposed to let it show / When I don't even know?"

An LGBTQ+ or "new love interest" interpretation is what I'm able to gather from this. It could describe Mike falling for 'someone' and not knowing how to be open about it due to fear and doubt; with the other person feeling the same way. It may be a surface-level reading, and I'm sure there are several other ways to interpret the track, but that's what I've been able to conclude thus far.

8. What Do You Want Me To Do?

This one might be the most difficult for me to figure out, but I'm going to try.

The song and the lyrics, "You walked out, took your chance / You turned your back on our romance / You said you found somebody new / You said the change'd do you good" and "You never even gave me a thought / You figured that would be all right / I nevеr had a chance to persuade you / You nеver let me put up a fight" remind me a lot of What You're Doing.

One way to look at it is that it might have the same purpose as What You're Doing -- adding a sort of angsty frustration vibe. I don't know if it would be used to set up a "come crawling back" moment because I don't think that would make sense (especially in Stranger Things), but it's a random possibility I'm throwing out there.

Alternatively, the 'person' that Mike has feelings for could have rejected him for someone else(?) Again, I don't think this would make much narrative sense in Stranger Things, but we don't know what the next season's going to look like.

I'm personally reading it as the former because there are other songs in the playlist used to set the tone. Keeping What You're Doing and Promises I've Made in mind, an additional break-up song is on theme. There's still the possibility of another conflict, though. If anyone else has different thoughts on what the song could be implying, I'd appreciate the input.

9. Substitute - Live

This track is about an idealized version of someone being put in place of their true self. The narrator describes a scenario in which their partner sees a version of them, "I'm a substitute for another guy / I look pretty tall but my heels are high / The simple things you see are all complicated / I look bloody young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah", that is unrealistic and put on, as seen in the lyrics "Substitute your lies for fact / I see right through your plastic mac / I look all white, but my dad was black / My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack" The couple also seem to be having issues with this, or in general, that they're not addressing, "It's a genuine problem, you won't try / To work it out at all, just pass it by, pass it by"

The concept of a guise applies well to Mike, as referenced in Angst In My Pants. A recurring theme of hiding oneself really makes me think Mike is going to completely abandon his interests for a different lifestyle. I believe Finn has also mentioned that Mike wants to be as "normal" as possible, so I can't wait to see where they take that idea. It could also be him realizing how he's been acting, and admitting that this "romanticized" version isn't true to him. I have hope that Mike will eventually learn to embrace his differences and what he enjoys.

While this part is a bit nit-picky, I feel it's fun to mention that the song was inspired by a lyric in The Tracks of My Tears by Smokey Robinson; the lyric being, "Although she may be cute / She's just a substitute". The line following this (which is also referenced in Substitute's Genius.com entry) is, "Because you're the permanent one". Funnily enough, these lyrics also fit into the narrative the playlist is laying out. They remind me a lot of what The Better Side represents.

Out of context, the lines from The Tracks of My Tears may imply that someone is either using another person as a substitute for an ex, or that someone is realizing they've been using their previous partner as a substitute for someone better. Both routes have the potential to happen in ST5. Although, I don't know if the idea of a literal substitute fits with what The Who was going for. The Tracks of My Tears is also not on "STurn", so take this part as a fun fact with a grain of salt on the side.

At the end of the day, we don't know Finn's motivation for adding Substitute, so this is what we'll have to go off of for now. I feel as though the former interpretation, a less literal "substitute," holds the most merit considering the theme of personas.

10. The Rebel Kind

Like The Better Side, I couldn't find any lyrics, so I'm doing it by ear. Though, I'm happy to say that this song is about a desire to embrace differences and rebellion. "We'll be free to run with the rebel kind" and "It's not easy, but I don't mind / I just want to run with the rebel kind" establish that. The track appears to tie into Mike's insecurity struggles throughout the playlist.

The lyric "They call us the rebel kind" hints to the panic brewing at the end of S4. Mike might start to embrace and stand behind his true self at whatever point this is in the season. The line following, "But they don't understand / The things a man must do to prove that he's a man", can be taken in different ways depending on how the lyrics are read.

It could be the narrator's struggle to keep up with societal norms before finally giving in to their truth instead of trying to conform, read as "they call us rebels but don't get how hard it is to for us to keep up." On the other hand, it could be the narrator commenting on how society doesn't understand people like them, and, by embracing their true self, it proves more about who they are than conforming ever would; read as, "you think we're the rebellious ones, but you don't understand that we're more self-secure and strong than you'll ever be."

I can see both of these interpretations working for Mike and his connection to the Party. The progression of insecurity in Angst In My Pants and potential realization of this guise in Substitute is wrapped up by Mike's self-acceptance here. I really hope this is how it plays out in S5.

11. Block Rockin' Beats

There's not much to analyze because this track has one repeated line of lyrics, but it's definitely here to set a tone. The song may have a similar vibe-setting purpose as What Do You Want Me To Do? and Ballad of the Texas King. That's just my theory, though. (A ST5 theoryyy!)

Perhaps this is a climax of sorts where the cast fight the "big bad." The music's tone is intense and sort of aggressive. It's definitely a fun addition to the playlist, whatever the song's purpose in it may be.

12. Just What I Needed

Finally, we have Just What I Needed. I read this song in two different ways.

The first way I interpreted it was as a love song about the narrator not caring about who this person is, and realizing they need them in spite of it all. The lyrics, "It's not the perfume that you wear / It's not the ribbons in your hair / And I don't mind you comin' here / And wastin' all my time", "Cause when you're standin' oh so near / I kinda lose my mind, yeah", and "I needed someone to bleed / Yeah, yeah, so bleed me" support this.

The second possible reading is that the narrator realizes they were/are in a codependent relationship and they still love the person. The lyrics, "I guess you're just what I needed / I needed someone to feed / I guess you're just what I needed / I needed someone to bleed" and "I don't mind you hangin' out / And talkin' in your sleep / It doesn't matter where you've been / As long as it was deep, yeah", could be read as more of a "you're what I needed at the time, but I still love you and want you in my life." With this reading, it's unclear whether or not the love is romantic or platonic. Maybe I'm looking too far into it, but this is what some Genius.com contributors brought up, and it would feel wrong to not include this understanding of the song.

I'm just assuming, since The Rebel Kind seemed to tie up Mike's self-security problem, that this track is supposed to imply a resolution with his romantic issues. Under that impression, there are a few ways we can look at it.

It could be an acceptance for who he has feelings for. He went from mourning a loss in Promises I've Made, noticing something and hoping it goes away in Angst In My Pants, potentially coming to terms with the fact that this person is his "better" choice in The Better Side, wanting to admit a truth but feeling doubtful in Don't Ask Me to Explain, comprehending that he's able to embrace his authentic self in The Rebel Kind, to now admitting, possibly out loud, that this person was "just what [he] needed". That could be far-fetched, but it's just what I picked up on throughout the playlist.

However, it may also pertain to his self-identity struggle that's hinted at throughout (can you tell that I love this part of Mike?) while also tying into his romance issues. He went through a difficult separation with someone in What You're Doing and Promises I've Made, put on a persona and suppressed his true self in Angst In My Pants, realized he couldn't keep it going and needed to address it in Substitute, embraced himself in The Rebel Kind, and now recognizes that the relationship may have been codependent and holding him back from fully dropping the facade: "I guess you're just what I needed" -- in the moment. I don't know if that's too in-depth of a read, but it's a possibility.

While not relevant to the playlist in it's context, it's fun to bring up the fact that Just What I Needed was apparently also the final track listed on the 'official' "Will's Castle Byers Classics" playlist created by Spotify. It's not available anymore, so I can't really say it as a fact. Although, recreations of the playlist have been made long before "STurn" was a thing, and the song was added as the last track as far back as 2018. I suppose that's proof enough that it was at least on the playlist.

Finn listing it as the final track may be a reference to "Will's Castle Byers Classics", but it's also likely that there's no association. That's why I gave the song an equal amount of analysis instead of writing it off as a reference. As to how canon those playlists are, I don't think it particularly matters. It's true that Finn could've seen Just What I Needed in the Will playlist and put it on "STurn", thinking of it as a fun easter egg. There could or could not be implications for that and I'd be remiss to ignore it. I don't know if this rings true for any of the other songs on "STurn" as well -- if they're connected to any other character playlists. Feel free to let me know if they are!

TL;DR

This was really hefty post, and I apologize for that, so here's a summary/recap of what I think S5 may have in store for Mike Wheeler.

Summary:

The season likely starts off at the end of S4, with us seeing Mike react to everything that's happened in Hawkins and reuniting with his family. Tension or unresolved conflicts may be arising in his relationship(s) as well, but he puts it aside to focus on the more important tasks at hand. Either his relationship is put aside with this, or there's an eventual separation that occurs, and he mourns it. After, he tries to maintain normalcy and puts on a guise to appease others. During this time, he may start to have a realization about something that he attempts to repress. He eventually comes to terms with it, though, recognizing that there's someone (maybe something?) better for him. He wants to admit to these true feelings, but he'll struggle with hiding, doubting, and fearing them; thinking he can't allow himself to fully love this person or, at least, admit to whatever feelings or "truth" he possesses. Mike will most likely continue to struggle with mixed feelings and hiding his true personality after this, eventually admitting to not being fully authentic. He'll then accept his true self for what it is. This will lead into a climax, where the main conflict of the show will be resolved. Finally, he'll accept and admit his true feelings, realizing that all he needed to do in the end was be entirely honest with (and about) himself.

In Conclusion

I really want this to be where they take Mike in ST5. It would be such a satisfying thing to watch, especially with how he's acted the past two seasons. I think he deserves to have a self-love/acceptance arc because the show has made it clear he's insecure and inauthentic.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts and interpretations in the comments, as well as if there's anything you think I should add/fix. I'd love to hear what others have to say about "STurn" and it's connections to ST :)!

[papercranesandpride]

You know how we all agree that it's annoying and a problem just how much people throw around "aros can still date" and "aces can still have sex" because the implication is "don't worry, aro and ace people can still be normal and comply to societal norms about what is good?" You know how even though it is true and is a thing that individual aro and ace people should know, we also try not to say it too much because the allos take that, run wild with it, and use it as a chance to ignore our identities? You know how generally we're all pretty damn sick of those phrases?

Cool, so why is every other post I'm seeing right now about how you don't have to have sex, like sex, or be horny to be an alloaro? Like yeah. Obviously you don't. But as someone who does have unromantic sex a lot, for whom sexual attraction and desire and practice is a massive part of my life, it sure isn't great to know that my own community, the one group that out of everyone should be praising unromantic sex and standing up for it, is falling over themselves to make sure all the allos know that actually, being aroallo doesn't mean you have to be like me. I would think aroallos of all people would know better than to overemphasize that we don't all have sex. You know exactly how easily that gets turned into "oh good, being allosexual aromantic doesn't mean you're a sinning slut."

I sure am seeing a lot of emphasis put on how important it is that no one assume that aroallos are hypersexual or have high libido. And yes, don't make assumptions about any identity, but I don't like how much you all are willing to distance yourselves from people like me. I've seen it said much often that assuming alloaros are more sexual negative stereotype. It's a stereotype, yes, but it's only negative if you think having a lot of sex is a bad thing. Yeah, sure, being aroallo doesn't inherently make you more sexual than anyone else, but for me? I'm also aplatonic. Sexual attraction is all I have. Yes, I am more sexual than most people, and I don't appreciate being written off as a stereotype that people should ignore. That is some of our experiences as well.

Yes, you as an individual aromantic allosexual do not need to have sex. Please don't if you don't want to. But please also consider why it's so important that people don't think all alloaros are having casual sex. Please think about why it's such a big problem if allos assume you have a high sex drive. Why, exactly, is it such a problem if people do assume being alloaro means you're promiscuous? Let's look at those assumptions and unpack them.

[nyxiswrites1200]

61. “I love you. I’m completely and utterly in love with you. Please don’t get married.”

83. “It’s always been you.”

Could you write something with these 2 please?❤️ with Dean Winchester Please !!!!

~ 𝑼𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 ~

Dean Winchester x GN!Reader

Warnings: SFW, Cheating(?), Crashing a wedding, Kisses, Self doubt, Unspoken feelings, Feelings come out

Mentions: Reader is a hunter™, Reader is getting married, Reader has they/them pronouns, Mentions Sam

An: Hey babes! Taking some requests for inspo <3 this is for my Dean babes ;) I'll be bringing some NSFW soon, don't worry. Hope you enjoy this little drabble <3

----

You were gonna get married. You weren't as excited as you thought you'd be. All the white seems to feel like shades of gray and every smile seems to just barely meet the eyes.

You'd been a hunter for a long time. Finally, you decided to take a break. That break turned into a year and then another...and now you were getting ready for your wedding.

Your lover wasn't a bad choice. They were just...it all felt too mundane for you. It doesn't help that you have the Winchesters to compare to.

Dean Winchester...you'd fallen for him a long time ago.

When you were hunting with the Winchesters, you became a regular trustful partner.

You and Dean had something, you slept together, and feelings were there but...you didn't think Dean wanted the same thing you did. You wanted to be his, his only at that. But you couldn't blame him if he wasn't ready or he just didn't want that. A lot of hunters don't commit because of the job.

You kept in contact with the Winchesters but definitely don't see them as often as you'd like.

They were here...amongst all the gray shades, were the two of them. You were almost sure Dean was probably flirting with some woman at the event and Sam was nursing a glass of champagne, probably sitting off in the corner.

But your assumptions were wrong, little to your knowledge...

Dean was nursing a glass of strong liquor and Sam was giving him that look. "Don't look at me like that, Sammy.." he sighed and Sam didn't budge "Yeah? Then how about telling them how you feel before you lose the chance" Sam encourages, he knows Dean's true feelings. It was written all over him when they received that wedding invite.

"They found someone else, Sam...this is their life. It's what they want-" "And what if it's not? What if this is all they think they can get? Because they don't have you"

Sam was almost always too logical for Dean. He also knew Dean far too well...

Dean lets out a frustrated groan "Fine, but if this shit hits the fan, drinks are definitely on you. I'm gonna fucking need it..."

You sighed softly as you sat down in the chair in your dressing room. Then you hear the door open, you quickly turn and notice Dean standing there.

"Dean, what are you doing?" You ask curiously, more happy to see him than you wish to admit. "Did you pick the lock?" You held back a chuckle, Dean rubbed the back of his neck "Knocking seemed awkward..."

Silence fell for a moment before Dean sighed and spoke up. "Listen, you can take this however and hell, you can even punch me after if it makes you feel better but...Sammy's got me in here like some poet" he said with a small ironic laugh.

"Sweetheart, there's no easy way to tell you this and I don't wanna ruin your day-"

You interrupt him as you look at him with curiosity and maybe a bit of hope "You're rambling, Dee" you say softly.

Dean sighs, hearing you call him that again only furthered his resolve. "Right...sweetheart, I love you, I've always loved you, I mean- Hell, it's always been you...I may not be able to stop you from getting married if this is what you want." He wets his lips as he runs a hand through his hair "But if it isn't, then I promise, I will be what you want. I'll be your boyfriend, I'll be whatever you want from me but I just need to have you in my life. It hasn't been the same without you around...maybe Sammy misses you too because he's got me inspired and shit to come in here" he laughs but you can tell it's nervous and not cocky.

"I'm sorry- I'm rambling, I shouldn't be-" Dean was cut off again as you smash your lips against his. He stumbles and takes a second to process before kissing you back. One of his arms around your waist and the other tucked into the back of your hair as he holds you closer than ever.

When you finally needed a breath, you pulled away. "Damn you, Dee! Couldn't have said this like a year ago" you tease but there's some seriousness to your words. Dean can't help but chuckle and smirk "I'm sorry, sweetheart, the real crime here is you invited me and there's no pie at this wedding" he says softly as he cups your cheek and caresses it with his thumb. You can't help but laugh at how not serious he is at times.

You sigh as you lean into his touch "What am I supposed to do now?"

Dean looks at you as he smiles "Well...I've never crashed a wedding before. Could be fun-" you playfully hit his chest and he chuckles. "My poor fiance, I shouldn't have even done this" you said softly, some self doubt starting to creep in. Dean kisses your forehead "Hey, it's not your fault. Our lives are fucking insane, what's a little more to the pile?" He smirks.

"Why the hell did I have to fall for you" you tease with a small chuckle and Dean smirks "It's not your fault, babe. I have that effect-"

You cut him off with another kiss. He doesn't hesitate to respond to it.

You did feel bad for your lover but...it'd be a disservice to both of you if you were only comfortable with your marriage...never thought you'd be ruining your own wedding with Dean Winchester.

Yet, you've never been happier.

[janichroma]

🎉Q/A Answers!🎉🎉

There's a lot to parse here! Warning that there are some spoilers of current content in here! So please tread carefully!

Q1.) I'm very curious about Death Wings. Do all of them exist in a similar state to Robo-Ren, where their true bodies are asleep and they pilot a mechanical suit, or is there something that differentiates them?

Ren is an exception. He's the only one who pilots a separate body. The others are in their own!

Q2.) Which Rejuv characters would be most likely to start a podcast together?

Adam and Valarie probably have a lot of deep 3 am conversations so with a little help from Saki, those two would def make a podcast. Other highlights are Saki+Erick and maybe Texen by himself because he just talks about how women are objects or something i dunno.

Q3.) Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea? Are you being held hostage?

I deadass thought i was gonna get 10-20 questions at most..... So yeah its a good idea.

Q4.) So, half servants. They’ve been so confusing to me. Until 13.5 I was just under the assumption servants were just infertile lol. So, do half servants like…. Inherit any powers or anything from their servant parent? Like, the ability to teleport and things like that.

Servants cannot reproduce when they're first created/in their generic form, but when they transform into their own person they gain a soul and they are then able to reproduce because they're just like any other person. It's just that their origins are different. Servants can still use their magic, but their children cannot. Although, I bet their children -do- inherit some traits from their Servant parent. Probably like just having above average strength/speed etc. That's not universal, though.

Q5.) How come Tesla doesn't let Amber bring us to the villa after the gym battle now?

Well... When two people love each other very much...

Q6.) Do the executives of Team Xen and most importantly Ren have the green gem somewhere on their body that marks them as members of Team Xen?

I wonder...

Q7.) I know in the past, you said that you haven't seen any correct guesses as to the identity of Madame X. Has that changed since the release of 13.5?

Pretty close, but no cigar.

Q8.) would crescent like yuri/gl

I banish you to the hungry worm dimension.

Q9.) i know that some characters, namely tesla (and maybe jolene?) call themselves "honorary" members of the elite 8. is there any specific reason for that? also can roboren run doom this is important.

There's no specific reason other than it soundin' fancy. Roboren can run tetris so maybe!

Q10.) What are the perks/ benefits of joining Team Xen? ( asking for a friend )

Amazing health care, and amazing investments in your 401k.

Q11.) I wanted to ask, which character has, for you, the most chance to surprise us in future updates? Be it badly or greatly.

i can't answer this because it gives too much implicit information!!! Sorry!!

Q12.) what pokemon teams (or just ace pokemon) would characters you don’t ever battle have? for example, volta, eizen, martin, rune, eden, etc? will we ever fight any of them?

I don't want to answer this either because we will probably have an opportunity to fight -most- of these people here, but for Rune it's already established to be Rapidash (Ace), and Eden would probably have a Blissey somewhere.

Q13.) How close of friends are Amber and Crawli? I wanted to ask since they're both Gym Leaders of Terajuma and around the same age, especially when Tesla and Amber moved to Telia after the incident.

They're not too close. They know of each other, and have spoken, but it's mostly a "friendly landlord" kind of relationship. They only talk when it's necessary... Not that Crawli is a landlord, or has any bearing on Teila.

Q14.) Hihi, what are somethings that have changed from version v12 (and also v13) that you really like/are proud of? And are there things you miss from previous versions, but you had to get rid of for any reasons? (I'm personally absolutely in love with the redone Terajuma stuff and especially Crawli, and also the redone Ryland scenes but that's because I'm biased.)

Terajuma 100%. I LOVE Terajuma now. I used to really despise it, evidently. But I think it's so fun and has a lot of nice moments. Valor Mountain still sucks, though. I have a huge urge to simplify that place, but then i'd have to redo a certain scene later and i dont wanna bc it's already perfect. Suffering from success... As for things I miss from previous versions... I can't think of any right now because I love where we're at rn so I guess I don't miss anything? There are certain scenes like Melia with her long hair flowing, but outside of small instances like that, nah!

Q15.) If in the nightmare school "Jean" was able to manifest flora's explosives from the dreams of GDC's citizens... Where could he have manifested A Gun from??

Probably the police station, tbh.

Q16.) What's your personal favorite part of the game thus far?

Honestly Chapter 2 -> to the end of Terajuma is so much fun to me. Not that the other chapters aren't, but that part is comfy. I also love Renegade Route chapter 0.

Q17.) Now if I'm remembering correctly, you mentioned that Venam was supposed to be just a side character at first. What made you decide to change her role into such a major one? Also how did the Melia/Venam come about?

Yeah so, Beth was actually in Venam's spot if you can believe that. Yes, the same one that sells Moo-Moo Milk. We already had a prominent blonde character and Beth wasn't boring or anything, she just didn't add a fun dynamic with Melia. Although back then the formula was more rebornified. Meaning characters rarely traveled together and they kind of just showed up when they needed to. Now characters are constantly always traveling with you and stuff. Not that the old format is bad, it's just a different take. I brought Venam back because she's Melia's best friend and it felt real weird that she was not involved -at all- compared to her and Ren. Their relationship came about because.. Well, I kinda just knew. Venam was always a lesbian in my head, and Melia is def the character that would love anyone if they gave her the chance to love them. It just felt right?

Q18.) 1) When was Eizen conceptualized? 2) What is one funny story about developing v13.5 that you can share? 3) Were there any pieces of media you took inspiration from while writing Renegade(mainly Central Tower)? 4) Do you have any plans of making more games after Rejuv?

Yall are cheating with the multiple parts!! Anyway, Eizen was conceptualized sometime in v13's development, but he... she.. they... were just a concept at the point. (stick a pin in that) 2.) A funny story? Hm... I honestly can't remember anything rn. Probably just some bug that caused us pain and it was super simple to fix. 3.) To be honest, I didn't take any real inspiration for Renegade. I actually went into doing that route without knowing exactly what I wanted from it. But the pieces sorta fell into place and im in love with it lol. M2 was always going to be a character in the game, it's just that she was never named M2 and was more tragic than unhinged. M2's personality was altered slightly because I wanted Renegade to have SOME sort of a balance, and a partner in crime (sorta) felt appropo. 4.) Yes, I have original games in the works AND plans for at LEAST 1 more fangame after this. I'd like to start from scratch with all the knowledge I have now. Though, it wouldnt be nowhere near as long as Rejuv. I'm talking like 4-5 releases. lol.

Q19.) Wanted to ask how renegade!MC perceives Clear/Kieran, the 3 choices we have to respond to Clear asking us to go see Clear all seemed cold towards her. I guess they aren't a potential new friend group?

They are a means to an end. The MC is not close with Clear or Kieran at all. They barely even talk outside of the instances we've already seen. Maybe that'll change?

Q20.) This has been a matter of contention between some friends of mine and I. How old is Odessa? I'd assumed she was below 18 as she's not taken the throne so she might not be an adult and her dad's in charge until that happens, but they think she's an adult. For something less serious, who in Rejuv's most likely to start a ponzi scheme, and who's most likely to buy in.

Odessa is likely to be around 25-ish. She's a legal adult, and is in line to be Queen of Kristiline, but their family line already holds so little influence and power that Aquis just makes her a figurehead and manages things on his own. Kind of a Cinderella of situation? More similar but not 1:1. To be honest? I figure Aquis hopes Kailani to return one day and assume her duties because he likes her more (Even if he abused her the same way he did Odessa.) As for the ponzi scheme... I feel like Thomas Jr would make one and Texen would fall for it.

Q21.) Who is the hardest character to write consistently?

Honestly? Melia. She's given me the most trouble despite her being so prominent. Im good at it now I think, but before I never knew how to write her because anything I did came with criticism lol, and still does, but now I don't really give a shit. Amber's a close second.

Q22.) When Crescent fell down the cliff, did she get the interceptor contract then was asked to become a storm chaser? The events seemed to have happened close to each other. Curious since the hags serve Variya, so only 1 of the 2 parties could've asked her both, but that wasn't the case.

Yes it was shortly after she fell. To be clear, the sparkle the protags saw was the sparkling of water from the moonlight above. So they knew it was "safe" to push Crescent. She could have died but she had a chance to survive a situation where the alternative meant certain death.

Q23.) Will the Elite 8 even be able to be battled on Renegade? I imagine Karrina would replace Karen if Karen dies on Paragon, and Karrina doesn’t get pushed, but she eats the Deletos on Renegade if you don’t push her in Castle Zygara, and it made me wonder.

The members of the Elite 8 may be battleable, but not in an official league format. That's all I'll say on that.

Q24.) I'm still really curious about emma, things that come up in my mind a lot is the part where she looks to be used by variya to speak to melia during the part where amanda knocks her out, and during pearl route when we see the note signed by someone with the same name- emma. because of this, I've been pretty curious about this disguise thing the space hags gave melia. did they- or variya gave them orders to- pull the appearance from the deceased emma? does this mean ... they're the same person?

The name part is merely a coincidence and acts as foreshadowing. Melia reads the note and is like "Emma...?" and wonders if she would share the same fate as the ones written on the notes, and then lo and behold she has the same condition.

Q25.) This question is regarding Renegade route: Do the 6 years that M2 and our chosen host were lost in that alternate world match up with a version release that is outdated, or is an in-universe timer that we shouldn't overthink that much?

Honestly, that wasnt the reason for 6 years but now I wish it was that's rad as hell. But no the 6 years isn't even 6 years. It's an unspecified amount of time that passes that she perceives as 6. They both couldve been down there for a million years and they wouldnt know. The area they're in is similar to the chasm where it wears down your mind after long exposure. Maybe that's how Melia could take such a bad turn in life. The protags are always optimistic to escape though so they are able to hold onto their mind.

Q26.) #1 spector fan here asking questions about him since he probably won't get much spotlight outside of one quest... what was his life like before taking on the reserve leader role (other than what we already know, like where he lived,) and what are his interests outside of the paranormal, if any? thanks for the opportunity! love this game a lot :^)

Spector is a history buff and loves to do Goth Gf things like take strolls in graveyards at 3 am 🥰🥰. Probably spent most of his time in the District of Hope. He also likes exploring ruins and abandoned buildings. Not limited to Aevium tbh.

Q27.) I know Eizen seems to be a strictly side quest character, but have K/C or the hags ever tried contacting him for recruitment? His research seems too valuable to go unused for them.

Eizen has absolutely no interest in either of those groups. If they even tried to do anything he'd noclip out of the room and fall out of bounds and then die half life 1 style.

Q28.) :3c what are some characters that are trans if i may ask?

Ryland - FTM Party Girl - MTF Alain - NB Aero - NB V - Genderfluid Eden - Genderfluid

Q29.) would angie still possess alice in renegade? :0 super curious about it hihihi

Whatever happened passively in Paragon (Meaning Cera being abandoned, Alice getting possessed), STILL HAPPENS IN RENEGADE, we just don't see it because the trail of events that led to us seeing them in Paragon do not happen. So... in Renegade, that means Alice is still...

Q30.) How did the aftermath scene from defeating the hags on renegade come to be? I'm very curious

i assume you mean the Tera Raid parody? Well, it came up on my playlist on the train and I was feeling chaotic. what if in rejuv but deadly ?

Q31.) who's the shortest character (excluding the younger kids >>)

Probably either Cera, tbh. She's a short lil one. I don't have canon heights for characters outside like an estimation. But in my head Cera tiny.

Q32.) Hello! I would like to ask, Did the interceptor, before the SS Oceana be attacked, have fake memories of a life alongside Nancy? Since Crescent wanted the MC to have a normal life, I always wondered If she created new memories to make this easier And if I can ask another question. What is/was the criteria to someone see the MC appearance correctly? Huey and Lavender saw two different ones, while Aelita saw the correct one(in my case she saw Alain when asked)

Crescent did not create memories for the player. They just started acting weirdly and stopped talking to her. They then started to behave the same way you, the player, does. Believing that what is happening is real and has always been real (Because this is all the information you have right now), so Crescent takes this opportunity to try and let go by giving you a better (but fake!) life. It's why she sorta distances herself a bit (but not too much) so that you could integrate yourself into that delusion. We love being neuro <3.

The criteria is pretty ambiguous intentionally, but for me it has to do with personality and connection. Aelita always sees who you truly are because shes so close with the player + she has envoy shenanigans going on. If you would get along with Alain the most, the player would show themselves as alain etc.

Q33.) Any disclosable reasons why the rift dex now only has 2 remaining entries instead of 3 like in v13?

It's probably just a discrepancy that happened due to shifting over code bases. The number of slots left is not indicative of anything.

Q34.) hello jan!! hope you’re doing well :D is there any more information or random various facts about the androids (clear/kieran/eden) that can be said that ISN’T spoilers? it’s ok if not! i’ve just been curious about them all lately, especially in regards to how eden’s powers with emotional manipulation work.

Nothing too interesting about Clear or Kieran that isn't spoilers and isnt known already, but as for Eden... Eden was eccentric and had a personality thats real close to prince peasley from superstar saga LOL. I feel like Eden would have a catch phrase like "Mon Cherie", and flip their iridiscent hair in mockery. Eden's manipulation was very devastating. You would feel an immeasurable amount of joy when inflicted that you would give over any information because youre... happy to! But it was also very deadly. If exposed to it for too long you become way too happy to the point where you lose the ability to function normally. You'd fall into a happy-apathetic state and collapse and just lay where you fell until you starved or died in some other way. Because you're happy to! Everything in moderation, guys.

Q35.) Hi jan!!! quick question — why do you hate me why did the renegade route do that /real/ question though…. My buddy found some like… older stuff about Eizen in v13’s files. Something about a girl named Ærika?? (Idk if thats even connected but whatever) How did Eizen come to be? What was the process?

Hi remember the pin I stuck earlier? Ok we're unpinning that now. So, Eizen was originally a woman (So happy for his transition), And her name was Ærika. But we already had so many girls in the game and I wanted to create more male characters so then Eizen was born. I'm glad for it too because Eizen is way more interesting than Ærika. Eizen/Ærika came to be when [redacted]. I can't explain his origins quite yet, sorry! But one day you Will Realize.

Q36.) Hi Jan, thanks for the amazing game! In Alamissa, before we get yeeted into the past by Kieran, when Ren gives us sylveon and, um, Nancy’s remains, he mentions that he has stayed (even after breaking off with crescent) with xen for an important reason… but won’t specify. Later, he says the reason is because he wants to help nastasia. But the alamissa convo happened before ren met Anastasia (baby version). Did ren want to help nastasia before he met her past version and learned that she was…

Ren didn't know who she was at that point, but Ren has seen Nastasia in vulnerable points (that we havent seen... yet?). She has discussed with him that shes looking for someone prior to Alamissa, but she was very vague about it, and still is, but she's opened up a lot to Ren over time.

Q37.) This is probably a weirder question but will all of the main leaders, even the ones we battle outside of their gym duties have custom moves? If not, would it be safe to assume the main leaders use the moves of their reserves?

All leaders have custom moves. Reserves use the move the main leader does! They have TM's for these, but they aren't allowed to give them out to winners. At least, at the moment!

Q38.) what was your favorite part of 13.5's development?

Making Renegade Route lmfao. It was so much funnnnnnn. I cant wait for the rest.

Q39.) what’s the EoN experience like for someone going through it? If that’s too spoilery, what was the most surprising part of people’s reactions to .karma content?

You're getting scrubbed. It looks painful, but it's painless... and seamless! You literally cannot process what is going on. As for most surprising, I was surprised people loved M2 so much. I mean, I had a feeling people would like her, but she really took off and that makes me happy bc shes so fun to write.

Q40.) Hi Jan! My question is this: Will Melia and Venam get back together somewhat in the future? Or will they just stay friends? (Paragon route)

Who knows...

----------------------------------------------------------------

An extra question im throwing in here because ive seen a lot of talk around this character.

Q1X.) What inspired M2? M2 was conceptualized to be more of a tragic character, but I felt like Renegade needed some balancing out mood wise, or else it was too much of a drag. M2 was inspired by an insecurity of mine, actually, or I guess less so an insecurity and more of a question a lot of us ask ourselves. What if? What if I did this differently? What if I was born elsewhere? How different would I be? When Covid first started running about and I thought the fate of our lives was about to be cut short potentially, I started thinking about how I lived my life and how much I missed out on certain things. M2 is that. She gets a second chance at life and decides she wants to be everything but Melia because she's already lived that life and it turned out poorly. Hence the name M2. The second version of herself.

A song that inspired me is Immaterial by Sophie (Rest in peace)

2:03 is important

Now that I have a second chance at life, "I'll be anyone, anything, any shape." I mentioned before that your archetype powers manifests as your deep inner desire, and since M2 wants to be everything she couldn't be, it turns into her creating alternative selves through clones made of light. Another point of inspiration for her forms is actually Barbie of all things. Not the movie, although the movie takes advantage of the same principle, that Barbie can be anything. A doctor, a lawyer, life guard, a government official etc. M2 is everything always and forever, and she's also nothing at all. Which one is the real M2?

[mageofseven]

How Many Kids The Boys Would Want

This is just a cute post I thought of and decided to do.

All of this is with the Boys under the assumption that:

They believe the pregnancy would be easy or at least normal for their partner (nothing like my series were MC has their kid and there's a health risk in every pregnancy)

That they as a couple are in a stable place in life and are able to handle parenthood.

Based on the assumption that no outside force would try to harm them or go against them for having children.

Also, I wanna try adding Mephisto to my posts for now on just to get some practice with him. I still haven't seen him much in the games, but I've been reading posts and stories with him in them so I feel I have at least some basic understanding of his character and would like to practice writing him.

So yeah, I'm adding him to this post, but also please send me requests involving Mephisto (it can still be with other characters too) so I can practice with this man.

Anyway, onto the post!

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

Lucifer:

Honestly, this man has already raised 7 children and still has to deal with the upkeep on 6 of them.

He is going through the hardest parental exhaustion ever.

However, there was a lot of aspects of raising his siblings that he loved and he wants his partner to experience the same joy he did though would definitely be fine if they didn't want kids all.

His answer:

1-2 (but would have to be convinced into the second one)

Mammon:

This man has a real soft spot for kids, but also a lot of self worth issues and lacks true confidence in himself.

This will ease up a bit when he starts fatherhood and actually experiences being a dad, but it never truly goes a way.

He's still a man who would be genuinely disappointed if his partner didn't want kids, but would also try to pretend otherwise.

His answer:

At least 2. Anymore would take character growth for this man and a bit of convincing.

Leviathan:

Oh. Oh boy. This man is gonna take a lot of convincing to have even one.

That's not because he doesn't like kids or doesn't want to be a parent though.

He just has like 0 self esteem points and is addicted to his otaku lifestyle.

Still, this poor lonely man has daydreamed about having kids.

With the right partner, he can feel secure enough to go lighter on some parts of his lifestyle and be open to having a kid and maybe more.

His answer:

1-2. Anymore and this man would be too overwhelmed so there's no real room for negotiation.

Satan:

This man isn't big on kids, mostly just because of his difficult childhood.

Doesn't hate them, just doesn't see the point in having them.

Still, if he had a partner that was adamant about it, he would agree to have one.

Another man whose view changes a bit after experiencing fatherhood.

He still has to be asked for more kids though; this man doesn't have a strong enough urge for them to ask his partner for one.

So how many can he comfortably be persuaded to have?

His answer:

3. Asking after that number will only cause him to have a long talk with his Kitten about not stretching themselves too thin.

Asmodeus:

Okay, this man loves kids.

If his partner didn't want any, it could possibly be a deal breaker in the long run.

However, he's already long decided how many he wants and all the activities he wants to experience with his kids.

His answer:

2. Any less would make him very disappointed but anymore and he would likely be a bit stressed.

Beelzebub:

Oh lord, this man cannot become a daddy fast enough.

Kids are a necessity with him and even if he tries to be with someone who doesn't want kids, it won't work out in the long.

These kids can come in any way though. You can carry the baby or he'll make changes to his body so he can. Surrogacy is also fine. And adoption!

Adoption is actually a big want of this man too and even if he and his partner already have bio kids, he'll still specifically want to adopt some.

Demon, human, does matter to him. Just adopt some kids who need loving parents.

His answer:

5+, but emphasis on the '+'. This man came from a big family and wants his kids to enjoy having so many siblings too. His partner will have to be the one cut to him off though because this man has no self control 😅

Belphegor:

Oh devil, none

At least that's what he will tell you at first and in fairness, he'll mean it at that this point.

Someone who would love a partner who was in agreement about this, but if not, he will eventually give in and agree to have a child.

Will honestly grow to love his kid more than he ever thought possible.

Another who will never ask for another one, but convincing him for more is not necessarily out of the question.

His answer:

1-2. Those kids would have to be borderline angels for him to even consider a third one though...and since Belphie is their dad, they are more likely to be cute little menaces 🤭💕

Diavolo:

This man wants to be a daddy so badly!

This man can't exactly be with someone who doesn't like kids regardless of how he feels on them.

I mean, he is a literally prince and needs an heir.

Has a similar energy as Beel, but has at least enough grasp on reality to have a stopping point.

His answer:

3-4, but more towards 4. Anymore than this and the prince grows a bit apprehensive. He worries that if he has too many then he won't be able to give them the attention they need and deserve with his limited time from his demanding job.

Barbatos:

This man loves children, but works so much that he worries it would be impractical and even selfish for him to have them.

Would be comfortable with a partner who doesn't want kids because of this.

If his partner really, really wanted kids though he would eventually relent, but not until after a period of preparation to help make sure the pregnancy and the early childhood of their kid goes smoothly.

Yes, that's the kind of planning this future-seeing man sees as critical.

His answer:

1-2. His partner is really gonna have to beg for that second one if they want it though.

Solomon:

A true neutral when it comes to kids.

He has neither the urge to be a father nor a repulsion at the thought.

He'll be comfortable regardless of whether his partner wants kids or not.

If his partner does want children however, he will only agree after a through talk with them.

So much changes in life when people have kids after all and he believes not enough people truly sit down and think about it.

A lot of people treat having kids as something you just have to do in life, like it's nothing more than a milestone they have to hit.

Solomon wants to make sure that if he and his partner are going to be parents then its for the right reasons and with full awareness of the changes and sacrifices that come with it.

If after that talk and a few days of thinking on it (Soli insisted on it), if his partner still wants children then he will gladly take that next step with his little Minx.

His answer:

2. That is the amount he will agree to without question with his partner. Anymore and the sorcerer becomes concerned. Is very much "quality over quantity" when it comes to children and understands that the more kids you have, the less time you have for each individual kid and wants to give his best to any children he helps bring into the world.

Simeon:

This man simply loves children; most angels do and people just assume it's in their nature to.

However, angels don't really have or become parents; they have older siblings who raise the younger ones.

Still, Simeon imagines that it's more or less the same concept and therefore looks forward to it.

If he had a partner who didn't want kids...well they better at least like Luke or wtf are you with the angel that's already technically a single father.

Because of Lukey though, Simeon would be content with a partner who didn't want any kids other than the sweet angel child in the mix.

Simeon is a man I can see as agreeing to have a lot of kids, but wanting it to at least be a gradual process.

He isn't the type of man who would want or be comfortable with his partner popping a new one out each year.

To give some context, he would only be comfortable having another kid if their youngest was at least 4 or 5.

Really emphasizes focusing on their kids while they're toddlers in order to give them a strong foundation for life.

His answer:

Maybe 5? Again, as long as things go how it's listed above, he's okay with having however many his partner wants, whether it's a big or small number.

Mephistopheles:

This man comes an elite background where there is always a 'proper' way for everything.

When it comes to kids, that means he's been taught two paths: a single child to build up and put resources in to be the perfect heir

Or two kids, the 'heir and the spare' method.

Though he's tried to convince himself that these must be the right way to go about with having children, something about these methods has never sat well with him.

So when he and his partner start talking kids, he has a bit of an internal dilemma to face on the topic.

With Mephisto, the question isn't should he have kids, but how many.

Because of this, the man has a lot of thinking and eventual talking things out with his partner to do.

His answer:

2, but can be persuaded to go against his family's teachings and have a third if it's that important to his partner, but it will take time and some comfort from them.

[gayofthefae]

The pause after that first "I love you". The repetition of "Do you hear me, El? I love you."

He thought that would work. That's why it doesn't build. He thought that would be enough. He didn't have anything else prepared.

40 second compilation of silence during his speech

(elaboration and monologue rewrite under the cut)

That's why everything else is stuttered. It wasn't something he had to get off his chest. It was panicked improv. That's also way he says "I love you" so many times. He doesn't have content. He had one plan and now he's just reusing it when he runs out of things to say. He did what he thought he needed to then floundered when it didn't work and just talked until it seemed to be working some. Notice how he stopped as soon as it did. Funny how he had exactly the amount of thoughts on it as needed.

If "fight" hadn't worked, he would have kept going. Because this was for her. Only for her. He built all his courage for the "I love you," we saw it in his face. Then he waited for reaction. None. So he kept going. Went through the bullet list of the conversation he was rebutting.

That speech wasn't "I love you and I've loved you since the day we met, I can't live without you you're my meaning, my purpose, because you're amazing and anyone would love you, please, I need you alive, I've never loved someone as much as you don't die on me now,"

It was "I love you.....I said I LOVE you. Did you not hear me? Okay, um. (maybe she doesn't believe me?) Maybe you don't believe me because I don't say it a lot but it's still true. Uhh...You said that I didn't love you, but that's wrong...Oh! You also said that I'm scared of you. Also wrong. (Maybe you need an explanation why?) I'm scared of losing you thought, that's why I couldn't tell you before. (Okay, shit, maybe not romantic enough?). I fell in love with you from the first moment I saw you and have been madly in love with you ever since. (getting off track now, get back to the point) Please just be alive. Come back to me and stay alive. I know you can do it, you're the strongest person I know. Just come back to me, alright?"

It's a bulleted list. There aren't strong connections or flow between thoughts. He's just slapping together a bunch of different ways of convincing her he loves her, trying them once, then switching if they don't work. When he runs out of tactics, he goes to the truth. He wants her alive.

He literally gave himself notes and adjusting. You can hear the pauses where he's doing it - brainstorming new tactics since all he has for feedback is that the lights haven't started flashing harder yet, she still looks in pain, and she's still in her trance. He says it once, doesn't know why it's not working, then spends the rest of the speech trying different ways of convincing her that it's really actually true (something liars do, might I add, accommodate for the assumption that they're not believed. Something he has a history of doing as well)

People say this monologue is beautifully performed and Finn always looks a little awkward about it. It IS beautifully performed. But he and we know that it isn't if you're trying to execute genuine romance like those people want him to be.

[post-punk-revival]

I didn't want to run a tag essay on someone else's ask post just because it touched on my apparent Rant Button Topic and I kept going, but it's always so important to me to stress that deciding you can Tell who is part of the in-group and who isn't based on immediate first impressions is how you get outright accusatory gatekeeping, without even a middle step in between point A and point B. Not just with alter/nonhumanity‚ but with everything. When you do this, you implicitly think yourself immune because you know your own identity and it's obviously real‚ source: you—so you are the standard‚ it's obvious‚ and those who don't match up to it just wouldn't get it, just won't ever understand the complexity of your lived experience as part of an in-group they're not in-. If they insist, they might even be faking.

Can you tell I'm tired of other autistic people assuming I'm not autistic because we didn't relate to each other or me to their self-inspired understanding of how to define autism? How many other neurodivergent people have had a different experience of it throughout their life or to begin with, those whose autistic traits I couldn't relate to and therefore mine are just annoying or me being stupid, not autism? When someone decides they "know their fellows when they see them," they have already decided that their outspoken directness (for example) is the default autism, and someone else's inability to verbally explain complicated things disqualifies them.

You cannot smell the nonhuman on someone! If you think you can, you may be someone who has decided that your nature is the default and outside of that circle is everything orthohuman, facing someone quietly deciding the same thing about you, more than you'll ever know. In a community that's already by nature comprised of so many different species who are never going to instantly click and relate to each other because some of us are dogs and some of us are fish—what makes you confident you'll always know another alterhuman when you see one if you're a bluejay and you're interacting with fucking Count Orlock? See also: This guy claims to be autistic, but struggles to verbally explain complicated things and uses reticent or confusing language; clearly he's an obstinate neurotypical refusing to just speak in a clear manner about things, as everyone knows they're like. Don't consider he might be semiverbal or psychotic or traumatized or that that can even just be a trait of autism on its own.

Point of order 2: this mindset almost-always leads to a superiority complex. It's not about the misanthropic ideals, it's about feeling like you are the arbiter and when you sweep everyone else outside of your specials circle, they're whatever word your particular community uses for what Reddit has compassionately dubbed NPCs: every single other person on the planet who isn't you and your friends. Don't you just hate humans? Don't you hate looking at ugly humans being loud and obnoxious all over the place? I, too, love arbitrarily deciding which people are part of the out-group based on how aesthetically pleasing they are to my nonhuman eye. (How often, I wonder when I see these sentiments, are they being thought in the moment about a disabled or homeless person in public.)

This isn't just an alter/nonhuman thing, it has been a huge problem in the autistic community with people deciding "neurotypicals" are the root of all evil, transmascs especially deciding cis men can just never understand anything true and real, and since knowing I'm aro I have adamantly refused to engage with the "we're better because we're enlightened for being ace/aro" thing that is surprisingly common, but since that was the topic of the previous post, this goes out to the alterhuman community: I am once again asking you to stop making assumptions, let alone extrapolating from them the in-group's exceptionalism and the out-group's lack of an inner life.

Somewhere there is a bluejay being a stubborn human again for being oblivious to Count Orlock's intricate fictionkin experiences.

[thanatologie]

even if it doesn't like...shake my overall thoughts on the whole thing (like bruh do you realize how fucking unhinged it is to begin with), playing through the lich path has me reframing a lot with like...firsthand experience (amanda's crusade for playing/watching/reading a thing yourself because it is different continues), not least of which is the argument before tearstone island.

like, yeah, okay, this is bog standard for either version, right. in the mortal path he's working himself up to give rook an out, but in the lich path...

and you know a lot of the...actual gut punch here is strictly in his voice because he doesn't have a face, how it frames things - you can read it all day long and still not know that he's clearly meandering to a topic that's gonna go over like the hindenburg, because that's not a statement, that turns up at the end when he says stay back a ways, there's a lot of hesitance in it.

like rook's already squaring up for it.

buddy you're in the wrong genre to have that work and with the wrong kind of hero, and your logic is actually pretty shitty, but honestly it's not like emmrich runs on logic to begin with, he feels things real big, overthinks everything, makes assumptions.

also let's take a moment to appreciate the i'll be far more difficult to kill bit. oh, so you're saying lichdom wasn't the complete cure all for that whole dying thing. (i mean, we knew that in the beginning, right, we all knew that.) but i just think it's interesting that he upsold it as the fix-all when i'm pretty sure lichdom has some heavy limitations on it.

sidebar: the ethereal reverb his voice takes on gives me the shivers for some reason. like if nothing else you'd hope his voice would at least stay the same, and it doesn't. nothing does.

gee, idk, rook, maybe it's because emmrich's fear of death was never addressed in actuality and now you get to be the lucky winner of emmrich trying to wrap you in bubble wrap because he's terrified you'll die.

should have brought back manfred.

like, you know, maybe you should have entered that into your lichdom spreadsheet, i guess, but like. honestly what did he think would happen??? like of course he is, and as big as he feels things, of course he'd carry it forever, whether he went a wayward path or not, like. sincerely, what did he think was going to happen? they'd live happily ever after forever and ever?

i think it's interesting that this is the choice for:

like this is where i once again wonder wtf rook was even thinking because like again: when has this man ever not been Like That about anything. ever. in the entire time you've known him.

this in particular kills me, part of me thinks he'd expected some detachment on his part, on things like all those things he's feels so deeply to be dulled. well, he chose poorly if that's the case, because he has an absolute bear of a time even making eye contact during this whole conversation, he keeps looking at the floor.

i mean i don't know what else to say about this that i haven't already said, but it's true. emmrich would explode if he tried to hold things in, up to and including his well ackshuallys.

also, this guy's still not over his parents, he'll probably never get over manfred completely (i mean he and manfred spent twenty years together, you don't just get over that), so uh. i sincerely doubt he's going to be able to honor that one. just saying.

and see, we almost ended this on a good note. we almost did it. this is a fairly reasonable request, i think, on emmrich's part. it's a world away from maybe hang back because i'm invincible or some shit, it's a reasonable thing to ask someone you love to be careful.

aaaand rook ruins it.

i mean...he has a point? like, hey, we're gonna go try to kill literal gods tomorrow, could you please at least try to be careful a little? is not something you get your dander up over.

rook, buddy. pal. friendo. he was like this when you signed on to this two man rowing team, what makes you think he's going to change now? expecting him to, when - again - you're going up against literal gods is maybe being kind of...i don't know. insensitive? jerkish? when you knew he was like this?

should have resurrected manfred.

honestly in this version of the whole fight thing i'm actually glad to see emmrich get a little annoyed about it here tbh, because he's been showing his belly since rook walked in. like the first part, yeah, you can't ask someone to hang back like that in something like this, but tempering it to a reasonable request and still getting shit for it?

nah, mans is correct in his exasperation. i, too, am exasperated with rook right now because emmrich is not being the unreasonable one.

sure, rook's correct here. absolutely, emmrich has transferred that fear of death to them 100%. but you know what? is not helpful or productive? being like this. it's basically the equivalent of stomping your foot because you got told no. but i appreciate that you can tell rook immediately absolutely regrets saying it.

thiskillstheskeleton.jpg

if this man could still burst into tears he'd absolutely be bursting into tears at this point like!!!! that hurt him.

the ending, the we should get ready thing, is still bog standard i think for all versions of this fight except you know!!! at this point there's no manfred to ask him what's going on and for him to be tetchy with, johanna's keeping her mouth shut, and it's just emmrich. in an otherwise empty room, left to sit with it and stew.

it's funny because the mortal argument puts me mostly squarely on rook's side, he's being ridiculous. like he's literally trying to break up with them because he's scared they maybe don't see it as forever after the way he does instead of using his fucking words.

but this one...man, i feel sorry for him. like, yeah, he came out the gate wrong, knew it was gonna be the wrong thing to say but said it anyway, and then tempered it and got his head bitten off for it.

[crooked-wasteland]

As we're in the topic of AI, I remember my mom once insisting I learn how to use it as she believed all jobs are going to be replaced by machines in the future. When I tried giving my valid arguments to how AI should be implemented without totally replacing people, harming the environment, spreading misinfo (I'm lookin' at you, Google AI!) and stealing information, she just shut me down with "Oh, but you risk being left behind! Remember Kodak? They shut down when everyone started going digital!"

There was this wise man who said "I'd prefer to have AI help me do my chores and reduce the workload but not take over the job I love." As an artist, you know that anything that's made by a human becomes a novelty and more sought after. I remember passing by our local mall and all of the ads had these hollow, generic AI-lookin' CGI graphics. There is just something in them that makes me gag!

Heck, I'd rather look at those corporate Memphis illustrations more than those slop. Again, I wonder if she's even listening when I suggested how AI could be susceptible to privacy breaches. I hate how even Google and DuckDuckGo have AI features now whenever I search for something. Even one of the prestigious art schools such as Gobelins landed under fire for using AI!

For now, AI doesn't seem to be a very promising tool. It's not like digital art or cameras because at least it doesn't feed off data and just makes creating art or taking photographs much easier. At least you get to curate the results by toggling with settings and textures instead of just typing random prompts leading to some sickening random image.

In regards to AI, I know a lot of people have anxiety around the topic. But it's a great time to actually talk about what AI is and isn't.

And what we call AI is not actually artificial intelligence. What we are calling AI is still a highly regulated script of pseudo-reasoning that is impressive on first blush, but quickly shows its debilitating limitations.

For one, large language models are impressive as long as you don't think about it. The hive mind these companies have sought to create fails at the basics due to the fact that this is still just a software program we are talking about. It is utterly useless as a data collection and research tool as it has no idea what is and isn't true. The large language models look impressive. It looks like it's thinking as it goes step by step to “prove it's work” so to speak. But it is just sifting through data, it's not actually thinking. Thinking would be reasoning. It would be categorizing sources based on accuracy, while also taking into account implicit bias of such sources.

Asking GhatGPT to make a pasta recipe, but asking for substitutions to certain ingredients will not yield a surefire result as the computer is not going to understand the difference between a tomato and a lemon as both are acidic fruits. It does not understand the concept of texture or where it comes from. It doesn't grasp the experience of eating food because it is running on an assumption that the ability to taste yields a singular result. That everyone will find a lemon sour and a grapefruit bitter and a cherry tart. But what if you don't taste soap when you eat cilantro? What if lemons are sugary sweet while grapefruits are tart? The machine is never going to be able to account for the experience of sensing.

As such, AI will never be able to portray meaningful art either. The fact that AI has taken up so much of the artistic community's discourse goes to show the issues with art today. People are so afraid of a machine creating something that looks pretty because that's all we make any more. We have commodified and commercialized art to the point of it being soulless. Its only purpose is to appear aesthetically pleasing for an audience who will spend less than a minute on a piece of art we've spent hours to days to weeks working on. But the reason is because our art lacks meaning. Whenever someone praised art on Twitter and claimed an emotional reaction, they attribute their feelings to the context of the source material or the appearance to the art.

When I went to an art museum, the paintings were all very well done, but not all aesthetically pleasing. And the one that stuck with me the most was a painting of four elderly women staring back at me. The only aspect of the painting that is in sharp focus are these women’s blue-grey eyes. And that was intentional. Because I kept finding myself going back to that painting because I kept feeling a strange sense of guilt. These eyes were on me and I couldn’t tell if it was with tenderness or scorn, so I had to keep going back. I felt guilty, if it was with tenderness I was ashamed I couldn’t remember anything else about them. Their faces left my mind the second I looked away. If it was with scorn, I felt the need to figure out what I missed. What quality was in the painting that was leaving me confused about the way these women looked at me.

That’s when I noticed their faces were literally painted in such a way that gave them an almost dream-like effect. The artist played on my brain’s inherent desire to identify a face, and with the eyes painted in such fine detail, the hazy idea of a face was held together in my brain. But I couldn’t say anything else about them without looking directly at them.

And it made me feel, but feel in a way that was slow and contemplative. It made me consider what the artist was trying to say without just googling it. A guess based on our wordless conversation through his medium. Because the real beauty and power that makes art ART is the way you get to interact with it as an individual. It’s vaguely spiritual. You can have these conversations with people long passed, and come to know them through their works.

That isn’t how it is anymore.

When you’re chasing numbers, be it in the form of money or perceived admiration, you inherently lose sight of what got you started: a feeling, a thought, an idea. Computers will never be able to question an idea. Never be able to extrapolate meaning from information or technique. Computers only understand numbers.

The fear of AI is the fear of replacing capitalism and consumerism. All we are thinking about is numbers. Numbers in the price of rent and food. Numbers in the hours worked and days off. Numbers in how we justify our own existence through social media clout and how much we consume with literal numbers. We function like computers, so of course people are scared of being replaced by computers. That they need these computers to stay on the latest operating system.

Only machines are scared of machines.

[synchodai]

I agree with you completely. I also think the team helming this thing aren’t very mature and they put their tantrums into whatever part they write, ignoring everything else. Like you can always tell when Hess is running things, Daemon all of sudden does things to paint him negative that he never did, or couldn’t have done in the books. And when Ryan is in charge all we get is Allicent propaganda throwing in Rhaenyra wherever he can to push that ridiculous fixation on them he has.

But both of them got so angry how much everyone loved Daemon. And they didn’t want us to or think we should. There’s interviews you can almost hear them pouting 😆 These people are supposed to be professionals and they are making their job personal when it definitely should not be.

The result is a mess and a whole season that Ryan says is Daemon atoning for the sins of his past. It’s all ridiculous. And I don’t even know what they are doing with Rhaenyra. Omg Blood and Cheese, their ineptitude is broadcast so loud in the decisions made for that.

It truly is a shame HOTD was not written by true professionals that are good at their job, and understand the responsibilities of it. The amazing writers we could have, and should have had.

Firstly, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me, anon! Thank you.

Secondly, this is nothing on you, anon, but I'm not really onboard with the fans' tendency to assume things of individual writers or paint them as dumb hacks who are outright disrespecting the source material. Fire and Blood isn't a sacred text and poor adaptations aren't a crime, so I try not to speak poorly of them as individuals and focus my criticism on the work itself. (And while I think HotD could have been better adapted, I still think it's good overall, especially in the realm of 90s fantasy lit adaptations *cough*Wheel of Time*cough*)

I've received a couple of messages like this one that have been even more accusatory (for a lack of a better word) towards HotD writers like Condal and Hess, and I've left those unpublished because I didn't want to give space to that kind of vitriol. I published this ask because anon here is tame in comparison and still had criticism grounded in the actual show. I know a lot of ire directed at the showrunners comes from things they said in supplementary interviews or their social media — stuff that I don't really read or seek out, so I don't really engage with discussions on the show's paratext. (Although I do see some of that in passing on my dash sometimes, it's mostly contextless snippets that are hard to comment on.)

Condal, Hess, Patel and whoever else are just one person in a massive crew. Cinematography, acting, directing, and even marketing all play a huge role in the final product. Yes, Condal is the showrunner who is ostensibly in charge of keeping everyone executing the same vision and for that, he deserves to be criticized if not everyone is on the same page. But I also don't know what external forces he's beholden to. Season 2 of HotD was filmed during the 2023 WGA Writers Strike, so that could very well have contributed to the lack of continuity and character cohesion that could have been ironed out by on-set writers.

I understand the fans' frustrations because I am MEGA frustrated a lot and the whingiest of whingers when it comes to HotD. But whether we think their work is good or not, the writers who worked on this are still true professionals in that this is their living. And prior the Writers Strike, they weren't even making a very good living out of it and had to fight to be involved during production. Before that, most shows would just have writers churn scripts pre-production and never involve them again.

Please, do criticize the show! Analyze the writing and pull it apart to your heart's content! Criticize Condal's adaptation choices and ability to run a show (without making assumptions about their person ofc because we don't know them). But also keep in mind that HotD is a huge collabarative work and writers make for easy scapegoats.