#if we had gotten a few more episodes of them (or even a third season tbh) i'm certain people would feel differently about her

[balsee]

the relationship between jinx and isha is so interesting that it's really a shame it wasn't explored more in the second season. obviously arcane is fantastic overall, but one major criticism is how rushed the final season felt, and i wish their relationship didn't have to suffer for it as a result.

[loveluvrs]

third time's the charm l oscar piastri x reader

request/summary – Hellooo!! Would you be able to write an oscar piastri blurb with little examples of the reader showing him off and him getting all flustered? For example, drunk in a club with her friends / to make him feel more confident / ect..? 🫶

author's notes – idk if this was what anon was thinking of but this is what i imagined 😭

I walked into the paddock, hand in hand with Oscar. I was talking about the newest episode of the series I had been binge watching. Oscar, as usual, had settled into listening to me attentively, as I yapped on relentlessly without an end in sight. 

I stopped when I bump into Max’s mum and sister. His family was like a second family to me, and I hadn’t gotten a chance to see them yet since Oscar and I started dating. 

“Oh, hi! I’ve missed you guys so much. This is Oscar, you guys already know he’s my boyfriend,” I say excitedly as he reaches his hand out to greet them. “He loves the curry I make just like you guys do. Sometimes I think he may like it even more. I mean, he always begs me to make it whenever he’s visiting home,” I ramble on excitedly. 

“Ooookay, we should get going now. Nice to meet you,” Oscar says before dragging me along with him to Mclaren garage. “What happened? I was talking,” I ask with a pout. 

He laughs as he rolls his eyes playfully. “Yeah, I know, babe. You never stop talking, do you?” he says playfully, “you should remember to breathe every once in a while.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. I wasn’t even talking that much! I was just introducing them to you and telling them how much I love you!” I say defensively with a confused look in my eyes. 

“Love, you were telling them I beg for your cooking, that’s embarrassing!” Oscar says with a slight laugh. It’s only now I stop and notice that he’s turned slightly red, making me giggle. Oscar gives me an unamused look before saying, “don’t laugh at me like that, you do this every time!” 

“I’m sorry,” I say with a giggle, “you know I only do it because I love you. I just want people to know how great you are, promise!” Oscar opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted when some of his team members approach him to talk to him about the upcoming race weekend. “We’re going to talk about this later,” Oscar says softly as he points a finger at me playfully. 

——

I screamed as Oscar won the sprint race in Qatar, and I immediately rushed over to him after the race, peppering him with kisses all over his face. “I’m so so proud of you, oh my god!” I say excitedly. Oscar’s face was already red from the heat, and it somehow turned even redder when he saw the cameras approach us. He whined slightly as he burrowed his face into my neck. “Baby, don’t embarrass me,” he mumbles quietly in a shy voice. 

“My boyfriend just won a sprint race in his rookie season in F1, of course I’m gonna show you off and embarrass you. Don’t expect anything less from me,” I tease as I give him one last kiss before sending him off. 

When Oscar returns to our hotel room that night, I’m already half asleep. He spends a bit of time on his phone while in my arms, trying to keep up with everyone’s messages. He stops when he sees an Instagram post from me, his embarrassed and red face that was caught on the cameras now plastered all over this post. “Did you really have to post that?” He asks me playfully.

“I absolutely did. You’re amazing, and you’re mine. Two things every person should know,” I say playfully, earning a playful eye roll from him. “But I look awful, babe!” He protests, zooming in on himself in the photo. I stifle a laugh. “Thousands of people would disagree, actually. Plus, you don’t look awful, you look happy!” I say softly. 

He gives me an unamused look. “What if I don’t want to look happy?”

I giggle. “Then you are one sick weirdo, Oscar Piastri,” I tease with a soft kiss to his lips. 

——

It’s Oscar’s birthday today, and I have been meticulously planning out every single detail for the past few weeks, including a party with some of his closest friends after qualifying session that day. Despite my protests, Zak also insisted inviting some sponsors to the event and key investors of Mclaren, to act as an opportunity for networking. I reluctantly agreed, although I knew Oscar wouldn’t like it. 

As I thought, Oscar seemed a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people there. He was whisked away to a new person every two minutes, and it was all too much for him to handle. He eventually sat down next to me outside with a loud sigh, leaning his head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to invite this many people, but Zak said this and that. And you know how he is, he wouldn’t have stopped until I said yes,” I say with a frown as I clearly notice how he isn’t having the best of times at this party. Instead, he just smiles, leaning in to give me a soft kiss. He stands up again, holding his hand out towards me. “I don’t care. Just be by my side while I’m being interrogated?” He asks playfully. I giggle, and with a nod I take his hand, our fingers intertwining. 

We soon see one of my old friends that I knew from RedBull, and I introduce Oscar formally to her. As always, I begin to praise Oscar as a driver and as a person. And as always, he gets incredibly red. This time, however, I catch myself before it gets too bad, cutting myself off. When my friend walks away, Oscar has a frown on his face. 

“Why’d you stop? You usually go on for longer,” he asks softly. I shrug. “You always get embarrassed by it, so I just realized and quit while I was ahead,” I say quietly in a kind of embarrassed tone that he even noticed I cut myself off. 

Oscar shakes his head. “Oh come on, babe. Yes, I do get extremely embarrassed by it. But rambling on about me is so you, and I never want you to stop, you hear me? If I can’t praise myself then I need someone who will,” he says with a playful smile. 

“Promise? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything,” I say softly.

“No no no, absolutely not. You could never make me uncomfortable, ever. And you rambling on and showing me off is embarrassing, yes, but I love you for it. I promise,” he says softly. 

“Well, if you insist… then I guess I could squeeze in a few rambles here and there..” I say playfully with a giggle. 

[royonninjago]

The Ninja's Roles Within the Team

Something I think the various Ninjago shows do really well is the characterizations of each Ninja. If it was bad, then kids wouldn't wanna watch the show or buy the Lego sets to reenact their favorite moment and create new scenarios for the Ninja to go through.

However, for the past few years a problem I've had with the TV show is that some characters feel more... useful than others. Then there are moments when one character is missing, but the team seems to operate just fine without them, and I think that does a real disservice to the characters.

In contrast, take the ATLA episode "Sokka's Master". It's one of my favorites because it separates Sokka, the only non-bender in Team Avatar, from the rest of the team. The episode demonstrates to both us and the rest of Team Avatar why Sokka is essential to their team. Without him, they're bored, can't figure out where they are or where they're headed on a map, and are overall completely directionless. Its like the precursor to those dime a dozen fantasy mangas where the weak member of a dungeon divers gets fired and the rest of the party ends up deeply regretting it.

I want the Ninjago TV show to demonstrate to us why each member is essential to the Ninja Team, and why without one of them the Ninja Team is worse off or have to work twice as hard to compensate.

Dragons Rising had such a good opportunity to explore this, but unfortunately it seems like the biggest problem the Team faces from being separated across the merged realms is lack of manpower and not much else. In lieu of this, here are some of my ideas as to how each character could prove to be essential to the Ninja.

Lloyd - The Leader. This one is definitely the most obvious. He's had a very clear leadership role since he became the Green Ninja, and ever since Wu left this distinction has only gotten more pronounced. However, I do find myself wishing to see a bit more of a dark streak with him. He was originally introduced as an antagonist, and I don't know about y'all but I still find myself enjoying Three Days Grace ever since I played the Halo 3 campaign at a friend's house while listening to AMVs of their songs.

Kai - The Weapon Master. Although there was never anything to support this, I always thought that Kai made the weapons that the Ninja used in the pilots. He is a blacksmith, after all. I think it would be cool if this aspect was more leaned into and not only make him the guy that creates all the swords and throwing stars and whatever other simple weapons the Ninja use, but to also be the best one at using those weapons. A sword is obviously his go to, but put any kind of simple weapon in his hands and I think he'd be able to use it very well. Imagine how much cooler it would have been in season 11 if Kai managed to defeat Aspheera's sheer power with his incredible swordsmanship skills. It'd certainly tie into his arc that season much better than what we actually got.

Jay - The Scout. Remember that scene in the pilots where the Skulkin cars were trying to reach 88 mph or whatever and Jay was gaining on them just by running? The writers sure don't! Though in all seriousness, whenever the Ninja need to learn a new technique to do something, Jay always picks up on it really quickly. First to perform Spinjitzu and summon his Golden Weapon Vehicle, second to unlock his true potential, third to summon his Elemental Dragon, he managed to surprise Ronin when practicing Airjitzu, not to mention his laundry list of hobbies. If they really leaned into his speed, combining that with his skills as a Ninja would make him perfect for running ahead and reporting back on the enemy forces. In my own little world, I like to imagine him as a PG version of the Scout from TF2 (Jay even had a slight Boston accent in the pilots!).

Cole - The Muscle. This one is also fairly obvious due to Cole's signature Earth Punch, but I feel as though it should be noticed more when he's not around, especially in Master of the Mountain. If I'm remembering correctly, they don't fully acknowledge his absence until they're locked up in the Vengestone cage about to be executed. If I regularly hung out with a dude that could lift a car over his head, I'd be lamenting about his absence whenever I needed to lift a heavy box.

Zane - The Information Officer. Another obvious one, but in this case I feel as though they lean a bit too heavily into it. Yes, he's a robot and yes, it's his job to know things, but I want to see his more dorky and silly side from time to time. Give us more Zane following a bird because it danced and him just chilling (literally) in the fridge at midnight for no reason type of stuff. After all, his greatest fear is losing his humanity.

Nya - The Strategist. I feel as though on a 'don't judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree' level, Nya is just as smart as Zane. Due to his physiology, Zane can hold much more raw information many times over Nya, but I feel as though Nya is much better at putting that information to use. Going back to Master of the Mountain (I realize I'm referencing it a lot, its still fresh in my mind), when Kai and Zane were lost, they relied entirely on the raw data from Zane's internal compass, and because of that they got lost and had to rely on Geckles capturing them to reach their settlement. On the other hand, when Lloyd, Jay, and Nya were lost, Nya was able to determine the location of the Munce settlement by searching for signs of life and finding footprints. Also, I think this characterization fits the Master of Water really well considering water adapts to whatever environment it resides in.

The new Ninja from Dragons Rising are still very inexperienced and still haven't really found their grooves within the team, but I'm still gonna try and analyze them here.

Arin - ???. Right now, Arin's main skills are his unique Spinjitzu skills and his talent with a grappling hook. Its still so early in his Ninja training that he hasn't really carved out a distinct role for himself, though I hope this changes as time goes on. Not too long ago I proposed a cool idea for his future if any of y'all wanna take a look at that here.

Sora - The Technical Specialist. While I don't enjoy the idea of PIXAL being replaced as the Ninja's primary vehicle builder, with Sora being the Elemental Master of Tech it seems very possible that this is where things are headed. Instead of that, I think it better for her to either focus on using her skills in the field or to specialize in Mechs. Both of these ideas come from the Elemental Mech mini-series. I thought the idea of switching up parts on a mech in the middle of a battle to be a fun concept and one giving credence to her being a Field Tech, and whenever she uses her Elemental Powers its for the purpose of creating or altering or fixing a mech about half of the time.

Wyldfyre - The Dragon Expert. Even before the Merge, the Ninja encountered Dragons a lot. Now that there are dragons seemingly everywhere, Wyldfyre seems like the perfect liaison for communicating with these dragons, assuming she can learn to cool off when its needed. She also seems to know a good amount about dragons, considering that she was easily able to identify the Wasting Sickness and make a soup to help ease the pain it caused. There's still a lot she needs to learn before anyone can consider her an expert, but with her love of dragons and the belief that she is one, I think she'd be more than willing to learn.

And there you have it. If you have any ideas or head cannons or questions surrounding this topic, I'd love to hear them!

[grimaussiewitch]

Life series alliances and enemies I want to see!

(BIG DISCLAIMER: All of the people in the life series are friends and will choose what happens in an improvised series, me wanting two people to be rivals like Renchanting vs The sand hippies doesn’t mean I want them to hate each other in real life, this is a for fun post as season 6 is coming very soon)

Alliances:

Grian and BigB: They have gotten close a few times but never a long series alliance. I really love their friendship and I want to see them team together more than one episode.

Mumbo and Scar: I loved how they were in early episodes of secret life, a long series alliance would be so cool, especially if Mumbo last longer.

Scott and Tango: We’ve only seen bits and pieces of these two but I think it would be interesting. Some people have been rude about these two teaming so there’s a bit of spite in there too. I just think it would be cool to see.

Cleo and Jimmy: Even less interactions. Why these two? I don’t know, I think they would make a great alliance. Probably best work with a third person so I shall suggest Pearl or Bdubs here.

Ren and Scott: I am not over third and last life with these two. I don’t want them as enemies or fighting to the death, I want to see Ren and Scott be allies. Be bros. I want to see theatre kid Ren with Scott okay?

Lizzie and Etho: Sorry Joel, your wife is teaming with your ex-soulmate.

Joel and Pearl: Please please please please please- I just think they would be neat :3

Scott and Joel: While I really want Joel to take Scott’s final life, I would 100% down with these two teaming. What a great alliance it would be to be with the guy you tried to kill multiple times! In other words, I think it would be funny for me. That’s the most important thing.

Any combination of Skizz, Mumbo and Lizzie: Our guys that weren’t in double life, I need these three to interact more okay?

Martyn and Grian: I know someone asked Martyn to make a one side homoerotic relationship with Grian next season but I would be so down for a team up. Yeah yeah they were in Southlands together but I want just them as a duo.

Ren and Martyn: “hey didn’t they already team?” Yes and? I have been waiting for so long for these two to talk again and Ren might not be in this season again. I don’t have any evidence to say he won’t but I’m not getting my hopes up again.

Lizzie and Pearl: We got a taste of these two in secret life and I think they would have a solid alliance. Plus red life with these two? Two wet cats with a taste for blood? Sign me the fuck up.

Enemies:

Pearl and Gem: “uwu wouldn’t it be so cool if they were together and pearl helped gem win?” Fuck no. I want blood. I want them at each other’s throat. I want Pearl to actively take Gem’s final life. You had murder camel, let me see these two fight to the death okay? Fuck an alliance I want murder and death.

Martyn and Tango: Watchful eyes would see that over the seasons Martyn and Tango have a sort of rivalry or at the very least Tango is bullied/teased by Martyn. Rarely have they been on the same page. Therefore, I want them to be official enemies.

Tango and Skizz: I don’t want them to be actual rivals, it just would be nice for Skizz and Tango to branch out from each other as they have teamed in every season besides third and double life. Being rivals is a treat.

Impulse and Skizz: Same as above but more because they are best friends, I would love to see them tease each other lol.

Pearl and BigB: I don’t think this would happen but it would be something new. Especially how Pearl wanted BigB to win limited life when they were the nosey neighbours.

Scott and Joel: Pretty please take Scott’s final life I love the guy but I need Joel to do it please please please-

Ren and Martyn: Yes I want them to be alliances again but enemies? Oh? Oh ho? We had a taste of this with last life’s final four battle royal and Martyn confirming that he was always going to betray Ren. I need to see that.

Bdubs and Etho: Purely for the angst <3

Mumbo and Grian: I love these two so much but proper rivals would go so hard. Bonus if Scar is teamed with one of them lmao.

Impulse and Bdubs: It won’t be brought up but I think the clock grudge lasting all the way to season 6 would be funny as hell.

Bdubs and Joel: Short.

Cleo and literally anyone: She is very scary as an enemy not in a “Cleo would beat your ass” she couldn’t, but in a “they will hurt you with words”

Anyway who do you want as allies or enemies in season 6?

[icyrambles]

hi friendly reminder that everything said in this post is my personal opinion. i actually really enjoyed earthspark season 1 and i was really really excited for season 2. i do not expect a piece of children’s media to be a perfectly written masterpiece but good lord was the bar low. anyways extreme spoilers below the cut. proceed with caution :3

i do not think it an untrue statement to say that the writing quality went down significantly between seasons. the plot, while not perfect in season 1, was far more fleshed out and actually took a whole season's worth to complete. meanwhile we had a plotline with much higher stakes get finished within the span of about a third of what the first season got. additionally while many of the episodes had some sort of connection to the wider goal of this batch of episodes, that being reclaiming the emberstone shards, many of the episodes did not focus specifically on the emberstone itself, instead sidelining it to a background plot or merely having characters randomly finding bits and pieces of it just lying about.

i would not think this a bad thing had the episodes not felt so rushed. starscream's plotline of obtaining all the emberstone shards should've taken the whole season, not just 9 episodes. the rushed writing reeks of corporate interference and slashed budgets and i have nothing but praise for the writers who scrambled to try and salvage a story that should've gotten 1, if not 2 seasons for a well rounded plot. however this does not stop me from wishing that they had tried to focus on creating a plotline that felt at least marginally more connected and tonally sound

it's an issue that i noticed throughout the first season where the dialogue and general morals of the show seem to be marketed towards a much younger audience and then the actual content of the show is not at all suited for children. obviously rampant child endangerment is a common theme in a lot of children's media (steven universe, she-ra, literally every tf show to ever feature a child character, etc...) but it's very strange to me that so few of the adult characters seem to care or understand how much danger mo and robby are in whenever they are part of an active combat scene.

neither dot nor alex seem all that concerned that their literal children are fighting alien robots who are more than twice their size and could easily maim or kill them without much trouble. obviously they have plot armour because they are the main characters but even then that's not a very good excuse when it's been established within the show that the characters are in highly dangerous situations that could get them killed and yet mo and robby's parents simply stand by and let their very young, elementary/middle school aged kids throw themselves into the line of danger.

and it's specifically the tone issue when it comes to the violence. if the combat in earthspark was treated as though no one could get hurt seriously and everyone would be okay, like it is in many prior transformers shows (like G1, TFA, and cyberverse) then i wouldn't have any issues with this. but it's not. fighting the decepticons is treated like it's a majour risk and that mo and robby could die every single time they leave the house to go on patrol. but their parents, beyond a few verbal warnings, do not do anything to keep their kids out of the way. they do not question why their children must be the ones to fight the decepticons, instead of leaving it up to the much more capable autobots.

it was bad in the last season but at the very least most of the fights then were simply due to the maltos being caught up in combat they weren't actively seeking out. but now, they are actively hunting down and searching for pieces of the emberstone that frequently lead them into situations that could risk their lives.

another issue i have with the tones of the show is how it treats injuries. hashtag seemingly gets very badly injured in the first episode because of aftermath and we, as the audience, are supposed to be very worried for her. however this lasts for all of about 10 minutes before she's back on her pedes and rolling around just fine, which once again leads to the confusing question of whether we're supposed to care if characters get injured. 

in transformers animated as an example, i was never particularly worried when characters got injured because of the allspark key. it was functionally a fix all tool used to repair any cybertronian character who got injured. therefore, whenever there was a majour battle, i never was in disbelief when a character would get seriously injured because it was previously established that the characters have a tool that can fix them should they require such drastic medical care. and it even tied into ratchet’s character arc and him learning to trust newer forms of technology.

wheeljack is another example of tonal dissonance when it comes to injuries. he gets stabbed in the face by a weapon called the cyberslayer. he then passes out and his optics turn completely black. we see dot grabbing him and looking very worried and then we don't get to see him again until the very last episode (which takes place two episodes after when he first gets injured) where he only appears for a split second fighting nova storm. no one mentions the fact that he got grievously injured, not even characters who saw him get hurt, like twitch, who has a strong emotional attachment to him and should likely care about him getting injured. 

mind you beyond a cybertronian’s frame going completely grey, their optics are how their physical and emotional state are often portrayed to most animated audiences. it’s not like in the comics where they can be covered in gore and lose limbs without consequence of scaring a young child. so seeing wheeljack’s optics go completely black and having people be worried about him and then never mentioning him again for two fucking episodes is really poor writing. 

and speaking of characters getting grievously injured. let me talk about spitfire and aftermath.

i do not enjoy the fact that they were killed. in fact i am appalled that they took two characters who were maybe less than a month old and then had them killed in what is to be implied to be an extremely painful manner. i’m unsure as to why the terrans are treated as though they are fully grown cybertronians when they are clearly not. they may have fully developed frames but they have the minds and personalities of children. additionally the way the chaos terrans are treated makes me deeply uncomfortable considering their age and the way they were brought into the world.

it is implied that the emberstone brings terrans into existence depending on the situation and in both cases of a chaos terran being created, that situation is combat. aftermath was created when breakdown fumbled an emberstone shard and it landed in a puddle of water. he was then immediately hit by a truck and began attacking the rest of the terrans. spitfire is much the same, being created when a shard of the emberstone was tossed into a thunderstorm while twitch was being chased by laserbeak. 

the way that the maltos talk about the chaos terrans, addressing them as evil and corrupted versions of the other terrans is deeply unsettling to me considering season 1’s themes of acceptance and understanding for those around you. it’s very weird to have jawbreaker go from being buddy-buddy with aftermath in one episode and then upon meeting spitfire in the next episode, distrusting her. obviously aftermath did betray jawbreaker’s trust by stealing the supply of cave water, but it feels incredibly out of character to see jawbreaker, who is friendly, kind, and unrelentingly positive, suddenly stick his nose up at spitfire, an individual he has never met before in his life. 

i’m aware that the terrans are proven right about aftermath and spitfire but it’s so gross to see characters who are less than a year old get thrown under the same bus as the decepticons who have committed literal war crimes. 

and then there’s the fact that they were killed by starscream. now to be clear, i did not expect starscream to be a good person in this season. i was tentatively hopeful that he would get a redemption arc of some kind considering megatron’s whole deal, but i was fully expecting him to be the main antagonist of season 2. however… it feels bizarrely out of place to see starscream quite literally murder two newborn babies and then not have said babies get revived at the end of the season. 

aftermath and spitfire are dead. just straight up gone. and it’s a waste of potential in my opinion. 

these are two characters who could have gone from side antagonists to genuine fan favourites given enough time and proper development. that’s what i though their plotline would be to be honest; i assumed that we were going to see them grow and develop over the course of the season (not just the first nine episodes) with the two of them eventually leaving the decepticons to join the autobot side. 

instead they are murdered in front of four main characters and banished the realm of never having had existed once again. there is the possibility of them being revived but i am highly unsure of that being the case considering how their existence sort of depends on the emberstone being shattered into several pieces. 

additionally, going back to starscream, i honestly do not want him to get a redemption arc now. there is no way in my mind that the writers can make him a good guy after he murdered two children. like, zero chance. unless they just bumped it under the rug, it’s fucking impossible to go “yeah starscream, the guy who killed two babies and then tried to destroy an entire town full of people, yeah he’s a good guy now!” 

that just would be tone deaf.

okay i’m moving on to the various plotholes and open ended questions that have been left on the floor now because if i keep thinking about how the chaos terrans were treated it’ll make me sadder

so first big question. why are the cons bad now? no genuinely, i would like to know why exactly the decepticons suddenly turned evil. the excuse of “oh that’s just how cons are” is not an excuse, it’s a fucking shame explanation that goes entirely against the themes of the first season. like even a fucking line of just “oh we tried peace but like many of our past ceasefires our ideologies just clashed too much” or something along those lines. 

and it’s been a whole year since season 1. something must have happened for the decepticons to have suddenly flipped sides on a dime. it’s so weird to me seeing a character like breakdown finally have the opportunity for something tangentially related to peace and then become a con once again despite having zero reason to actually stay with them. 

like ghost is gone (which is another thing i’ll bring up later) so why wouldn’t he chill with the autobots where he’s not in active combat and being starved for resources. like i can understand soundwave, shockwave, and starscream leaving considering their ties to megatron, and novastorm and skywarp leaving because of starscream seems about right. 

but swindle? hardtop? the insecticons? why the fuck do they care about the decepticons? surely those individuals don’t have the same loyalty to the cons as the others? and it doesn’t help that the insecticons get no lines this season and swindle and hardtop get like 6 collectively. we don’t learn anything about them or their motives. we can’t deduce anything because the narrative doesn’t care enough about them to actually explain or show why they’d choose to stick with the decepticons over the autobots. 

and starscream’s motives are another really weird thing. we’re told it’s because he wants to build a new cybertron but that feels so wildly out of character when he’s shown to generally just dislike megatron and his rule. why would he want anything to do with earth? 

“oh well shockwave hasn’t found anything that says cybertron is still around” 

well he hasn’t found anything that says cybertron is gone either. like one blown up spacebridge would not fucking explode an entire planet. and it would make far more sense for starscream to be building a new spacebridge powered by the emberstone instead. and the decepticons being the antagonists instead because of them wanting to go home quicker and not wanting to be patient and resorting to violence. 

like you’re telling me that shockwave couldn’t build a fucking space bridge when agent croft and mandroid could. pathetic. he would probably do it faster and with better materials because he knows what he’s doing. 

additionally if we got a space bridge up and working that would mean getting to see cybertron which would provide a lot of really good character building for the terrans! like it would be very fun to see them getting to explore and grapple with their cybertronian side!

ignoring the whole mess that is decepticons are the bad guys again because of “reasons”, i wanna talk about the carnival episode

now overall i actually enjoyed this episode. like beyond the whole crush plot not really being my thing (which is more a result of me not enjoying romantic subplots within kids media to begin with which is in it of itself just a result of me being aroace and disliking unnecessary romance in media) i actually really liked this episode! i enjoyed seeing the terrans interacting in an environment that isn’t a fight scene. and the use of their bond in regards to robby’s crush is actually a really cute concept that i felt was well executed. 

absolutely zero thoughts on robby’s crush. other than they both deserve jail for that food crime abomination of a funnel cake. but to each their own i suppose. 

but now comes the questions… what the fuck was up with cosmos man?!

from his dialogue about not knowing that megatron was an autobot we can assume that he’s been trapped there for minimum of like… 40 years give or take. and that’s a fucking horrifying thing to think about. he’s trapped in his altmode for decades without any way to communicate with his allies all while this random human uses him as a method of making money. 

i don’t particularly know how those altmode devices work, but surely his spark signature would still be recognisable correct? did the other autobots just assume that he was dead? did they not care? were ghost preventing the autobots from rescuing him? 

so many questions that will probably not get answered because having weird al voice him probably increased his budget several times over. 

oh and also are we going to learn where fairemestro got his tech from? did he just get it all from swindle over the years, that would seem the most logical, but also maybe he was working with ghost, that could be an interesting plot threat if the writers decide to bring him back. 

the quintessons are another group that leaves me with a lot of questions. like clearly they’re being set up as the main villains of the rest of the season but it’s so weird to me that they’re not set up earlier than that. 

why on earth make starscream the villain if you’re going to just get rid of him nine episodes in. surely it would’ve been easier to simply dedicate the time and energy into building up the quintessons in the first batch of episodes, with the decepticons as minour supporting characters along with the autobots and then have the rest of the season be about fighting the quints. 

it feels so oddly structured and rushed. 

i understand that time constraints and budget cuts most likely caused them to cram everything into season 2 because season 3 might not be a guarantee but considering how big of a threat the quintessons are likely going to be, having them get their own season to fully realise their goals and/or plans is a better writing decision than a singular episode of setup that immediately got forgotten for the rest of the episode batch. 

and okay, personal bias here. the quintesson executioner model was ugly. it was weird and it was gross and it’s fucking limbs made of jelly energon was just not it man. like give that thing some tentacles with blades on the end. not whatever the fuck that creature was. 

and also small tangent, i don’t like quintus prime. i do not like the fact that he enlisted two literal children to do his bidding and then having the writing team puppet said children around saying “yes quintus prime is our friend :)” while he has done nothing to earn their respect or trust. he’s a fucking dick who is leaving his mess for two kids to clean up. 

mo saying to the executioner “but quintus is my friend” pisses me off so much because he’s really not. he appeared in one vision for about 3 minutes and in that time he got angry at mo for being scared about her brother being in mortal danger. that’s not friend behaviour. 

additionally alex’s nonchalance about the quintesson executioner is so strange to me. he literally saw his probably 9-10 year old daughter getting hunted down and just doesn’t do anything afterwards to ensure that it won’t happen again. no sitting down with dot and saying “honey maybe we shouldn’t let our children do this anymore. it’s clearly dangerous.” nothing of that sort??? really??? do neither of these parents care about their children now???

season one dorothy malto would never do this. she would be furious that her children are regularly throwing themselves into life or death situations. 

not to mention the fact that these kids are still in school, actively!!! mo finding the quintus temple is literally only because she has to do a history project on witwicky, meaning she’s actively in school during the season. so that means that not only are these kids in school during the day, but they’re also training, going on patrol, and fighting beings roughly 2-3x their size on the daily????

how are they not exhausted physically and mentally? how have their teachers not noticed something is off? do they just not have any connections with their classmates? do they merely just go to school, go home, work, and then repeat?

this problem could be easily fixed by just saying they’re homeschooled or that it’s the summer. but nope, they’re in public school. 

okay end tangent. moving onto characters. 

i’ve already talked about the assassination of characters like dot, who is suddenly a background mom who seemingly doesn’t give a shit about her seven kids throwing themselves into life and death situations and the same goes for alex, but there was a noticeable lack of character time from pretty much every majour character from season 1. 

like bumblebee, someone who lives with the malto family and was their teacher and mentor in season 1. he’s just fucking gone for 90% of the season. he has like three total scenes and most of those are dedicated to him being comic relief. it baffles me that he’s just missing. everything from season one, his silly moments with alex, his awkward dynamic with optimus and megatron, his love and dedication with the kids is just gone. 

it breaks my heart because bumblebee was one of the highlights of season 1. he was silly, kind, caring, strong, and the perfect mix between the bumblebee’s of tfa, g1, and cyberverse. 

megatron, arcee, and grimlock also got almost no screentime. arcee and grimlock i can sort of understand because even in season 1 they were relatively minour background characters who featured in only one or two episodes… but megatron, fucking megatron, mr. i’m an autobot now. mr. i’ve changed for the better???? why is he not more prominently featured as a potential mentor for the chaos terrans. 

he of all bots would understand what they’re going through? why does he just brush off spitfire? why is he not more concerned when the chaos terrans are merely left to the side and dehumanised like the rest of the decepticons?

it’s so strange to see him become this random guy who says almost nothing and is mostly in the background when he played such a prominent role in season 1. and it’s especially weird that he’s also just okay with the terrans and malto kids collecting the emberstones by themselves. like he was very clearly protective and caring towards them in season 1 so why the sudden shift in character in season 2?

starscream is also such 180 from season 1. like did i expect him to be a perfect little angel who can do no wrong? fuck no. i was fully expecting him to be mean, ornery, and snippish when he interacted with megatron and the autobots. but to have him go from “look out for yourself” to hashtag and then straight up murder two children for a plot point that barely makes any sense is just so fucking out of line. 

i’m a firm hater of most starscream’s that are just evil guy for the sake of evil. i fucking hate what skybound did to him good lord. so to see him suddenly flip from being relatively sympathetic (i say relatively because he’s not like a good person. i fully understand that he was actively part of the group that invaded earth and probably killed a lot of humans) but having him just straight up kill two children… no man. i will not accept a redemption arc after that. 

he had so much potential to be a good character, who actively struggled with becoming a good person and dealing with his trauma in a healthy way and to see that potential get tossing into the trash just makes my blood boil. 

zero thoughts on soundwave and his team. he got like three lines and was mostly just a cardboard cutout of his season 1 self. weird that we never got to see frenzy considering laserbeak and ravage got scenes. is she just dead now? 

shockwave betraying (or at least not listening to starscream’s orders) was pretty interesting. i’m ready to see what he’s going to do in the rest of the season. then again there’s a good chance that he’ll just be cardboard cutout later on. 

skywarp and novastorm. nothing much. they’re fine. i like the few interactions they got. i enjoy the fact that skywarp is allowed to be a little stupid like her g1 counterpart and her fight scene with elita-1 was pretty nice. i’ve seen people complain that they didn’t change enough about her to justify the pronouns change but i subscribe to the notion that cybertronians do not use pronouns in the same way that humans do, so like, i don’t really give a fuck about the she/her usage. it’s a silly thing to get hung up over in my opinion. 

insecticons are nothing burger characters. swindle and hardtop are boring as hell. also someone get hardtop a new arm for fucks sake. it’s been a year. surely they could manage that. 

another dropped plot was the combining concept. like it gets put into an episode and then it gets dropped only one episode later. i honestly did not like how jawbreaker was portrayed in the episode that he features more prominently in. he’s upbeat and happy sure, but even he isn’t that emotionally dense. you’re telling me that while combined with aftermath he really couldn’t figure out why aftermath was so pissy. or that he was going to end up stealing all the cave water? really man?

additionally i’m not a massive fan of combination as a concept in tf to begin with. it feels very much like a toy marketing scheme and after idw1 i just cannot bring myself to give enough of a fuck about such things considering how massive combination was in the comics. it especially feels out of place in earthspark. i did like the scene where mo and robby devour like three plates of food after combining, that was really cute!

quite literally zero thoughts on hashtag picking out a new altmode. it was cute but it felt highly unnecessary to be perfectly honest. also i genuinely hope that her ai doesn’t turn evil like i’ve seen some people saying that it will. i prefer the interpretation that hashtag is now plural and the ai is simply her headmate. hashtag’s new model is just fine. i don’t like her helm though, it feels too naked for me. but the colours and everything else. fine. no notes. 

in terms of animation i honestly don’t have too much to say. most of the models felt oddly stiff. like the people in charge of animation didn’t get paid enough to properly emote them during scenes beyond moving their mouths and maybe stretching their eyes. (this is a gross exaggeration. there is a lot of time and effort that goes into rigging and creating 3d models and i understand that on a tight budget it’s probably very hard to try and make every character as expressive as possible.)

the fight scenes felt so weirdly rushed and/or oddly choreographed. like it might just be a me thing but most of the scenes felt either too slow or too fast with the rare exception (i like spitfire and twitch’s scenes. they were good)

aftermath’s model is overall pretty good. besides his helm. it feels a bit too small. 

already stated my opinions on the quintesson executioner model above. it’s shit. i don’t like it. 

terratronus is honestly pretty good. the detailing is nice. don’t like her glorification of quintus prime though. like it’s in character but that doesn’t mean i have to like it. she wasn’t around long enough to make a big enough impression on me. she feels like a lore exposition dump and that’s about it. 

alright this thing is getting too long. like 4k words long. before i go, let me say something. 

i did actually enjoy watching season 2. despite my paragraphs and paragraphs of criticism and questions and annoyances with so much of the season, i think it’s perfectly fine by itself. but in comparison to season 1, it’s a poor fucking sequel. it fails on almost every level and i think more people should be more comfortable with admitting that it’s just very bad. that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, that doesn’t mean you can’t like what it did. i just think that people shouldn’t sweep the massive issues these episodes have with pacing, dialogue, and animation simply because some parts of it were decent. 

i’m probably going to watch the rest of the season when the episodes drop (purely because prowl is there tbh. if he’s there at all.)

[pinenutposts]

I am old enough to have watched Twin Peaks on tv in its original run (I was a child, mind you, but I did catch a few episodes of season 2 while my mom and stepdad were watching it.) I didn't see the entire series until it was re-aired on Bravo when I was in high school. I also read the Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch (very eye opening for a relatively sheltered girl like me, and also crucial to understanding the show from Laura's perspective, before FWWM existed). I subscribed to the legendary fanzine Wrapped in Plastic by Craig Miller and John Thorne, through my local comic book store. I read alt.tv.twinpeaks. I read theories and news on websites like Glastonberry Grove and Mike Dunn's Lynchnet. I asked my dad to buy me the book of essays "Critical Approaches to Twin Peaks" from Wayne State University Press, and was introduced to things like Foucault, Critical Theory, and Feminist Theory, while my little teenage brain was just entering college and starting to work out what "critical thinking" even was. I obsessed over David Lynch and his art.

Why I mention all this, is that I think having been this type of fan for my entire adult life, and my formative teenage years, I'm able to hold several different and sometimes contradictory opinions about Twin Peaks and its creators, and more importantly, I'm able to enjoy wildly varied aspects of the show and fandom, all at the same time!

When I first saw The Return in 2017, it absolutely repulsed me. I hated it. Then last year I picked up "Ominous Woosh - A Wandering Mind Returns to Twin Peaks," by John Thorne, the only currently living editor of Wrapped in Plastic, and it opened my mind to understanding The Return in a way that I wasn't able to before. I'm not saying it's the definitive explanation (and he certainly does not claim that), but it helped me see it in a way that I just couldn't before, and even begin to enjoy it. There are still parts of it I deeply dislike, but that's okay. Twin Peaks is not a one size fits all. It can be approached from many different viewpoints and readings, and as David Lynch has said about all of his work, everyone will have a different experience of it based on their own experience and perspective. My views of Twin Peaks, including who I ship and don't ship, have certainly changed over the course of three decades!

I would like to encourage people who become frustrated and disappointed at the turns the show takes, and how the third season feels vastly different from what came before, to consider the history of the show. What happened with the network, the actors, Lynch's movie career, when it was made, why it ended when it did. And of course The Return doesn't look or feel like a show made in 1990! It's 25 years later! Lynch and Frost are old men now! Half the cast is dead! It would be absurd if it seamlessly picked up where season 2 (which was a jumbled, but still lovable mess, itself) left off. There's no way it could.

If season 3 had been allowed to be made as originally planned in the '90s, it would look vastly different than The Return. I will forever mourn what could have been, but that's the stuff of fanfiction now. Also, we may not have gotten the masterpiece that is Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which I consider to be the creative and emotional pinnacle of the series, and absolutely critical to having a full picture of what Twin Peaks is about, if the show had continued. Just food for thought.

I'm also an advocate of simply ignoring things if you really don't like them. There's no reason one has to accept The Return as part of your own personal headcanon. As the creators will say, there really is no definitive "canon" in the Twin Peaks universe!

I don't really know what the purpose of this ramble was, but I felt like going on about it because Twin Peaks has been my "favorite song" for years, and I'm always thinking about it in one way or another ^_^

- Pine Nut

[seancekitsch]

Wow, I can get sexual too: An Adrian Chase x reader fic- Chapter 2

series masterlist here

warnings: eventual smut, masturbation, twitter nude culture, the very slightest dub con but not really just saying this to be safe, mutual pining, idiots in love, perv!reader but also perv!adrian

Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into? 

You pick at your nails, looking at the chips in the clear coat as they shine under the street lamps you pass. Adrian chats excitedly, which you should have expected. 

“I mean, did you expect them to go that way?” he exclaims, taking his eyes off the road to eagerly await your answer. 

“I’m sorry, I spaced out,” you excuse yourself, “What didn't you expect?”

“The gang war angle for season four, duh! And the fact that we see a few generations of it. What do you think?” 

He pauses and you open your mouth to answer, only to have him interrupt your thoughts and keep talking. 

“Are you okay? You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Look, if you’re going to be distracted like this in the field I think maybe my favorite coworker should take a break. I mean, I could end up having to save your ass like a damsel in distress and then you might develop a silly crush on me or something. How crazy would that be? Think about that!” 

Yeah, crazy, you think, like I don't already think about that.

“I’m fine… just haven't been sleeping well lately,” you offer weakly, “I like that this is set in the fifties, it gives us another slice of history to dissect.”

“History?” he laughs heartily, “You nerd.”

But under the lamp lights you see him smile with nothing but genuine mirth as he turns into the parking lot of his apartment complex.

You let yourself laugh with him and you relax as much as you can until he pulls the car in park, his parkjob extremely hasty and sloppy but still within the lines. 

“How long do we have until the episode starts?” you ask.

“About seven minutes and forty five seconds, but I’m not actively counting.”

Sure, you think, clicking the seatbelt and pulling yourself upwards.

Its exactly now that you realize you should have changed into sweatpants instead of the shorts you were planning on wearing to bed. 

The second you try to stand and exit the Sebring you feel the shorts ride up, giving Adrian a full view of the backs of your thighs and maybe even a little bit of your ass. At least, maybe you should have put on some underwear.. Well shit, this really isn’t how you expected tonight to go. Well shit, this really isn’t how you expected tonight to go. The much too cool wind hits your bare legs when you fully get out onto the sidewalk in front of his building.

“After you,” he gestures to the staircase up to his door as you watch him cram his mask into his backpack. God, it’s really a wonder he hasn’t been caught. It didn’t take him long to crack and tell you his identity and you can’t imagine what his neighbors see.   Hell, he’s barely hiding it now and it's not even late at night.

You begin to ascend the stairs, knowing exactly the vantage point Adrian is getting as he starts up the steps behind you. You know exactly the up shorts image he's getting, exactly how much of an eyeful he can see of your thighs and ass, honestly maybe even more because your shorts are an extra comfy size bigger than your usual. Fuck, you could let the nerves take over. Or…. or you could make the most of this.

You slow down, not in any crazy noticeable way, just enough to give your hips a little extra sway and to keep Adrian there for a little longer. Perhaps this can be a little payback for how wound-up Adrian had you before this, how you were practically desperate over his tweet of thinking about a certain coworker. If it was truly about you and not that new hostess at Fennel Fields, you could tease him a little. You take your time up the stairs, flimsy and wooden to the third and top floor of the building, really focusing and feeling each step with your legs and making a point. If Adrian is getting impatient with your pace, he doesn't make any motion to correct it. He stays at his same pace behind you, a few steps behind patiently walking up behind you.

You deflate, almost, as the top of the stairs finally comes into view and your gait levels out with his. 

“Showtime?” you ask, a coy smile on your lips. The look on his face is… hard to read. He looks a little flustered, but at the same time excited; a light blush on his cheeks as his chest heaves. It's probably just the new episode of Fargo. Adrian lives and dies for this shit. Fargo is your favorite show too, but not in the way Adrian loves it. 

“No, its on FX,” he deadpans, but the smile lets you know he's in on the joke. Adrian fumbles with the keys for a moment before finally getting the right key in the lock and turning. He opens the door for you, gesturing for you to step over the threshold of his one-bedroom before him.

Holy shit, you've died and gone to horny heaven. Or horny hell. You can't decide.

You know that you knew the layout of Adrian’s apartment, but you find yourself completely blindsided when you catch your own reflection next to Adrian’s in the floor length mirror as soon as he holds open the door. You didnt expect that fucking mirror to be staring you in the face. 

You catch Adrian’s eyes in the mirror a few seconds after you step further into the room, his wide smile faltering at your expression. For someone who says he doesn't understand others emotions, hes a perceptive motherfucker. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Adrian asks again.

“Y-yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“I mean, you're really pretty when you're zoned out like that but you look like you've seen a ghost, and not in a good way.”

You feel your face heat up at that comment and you're sure you look like a deer caught in the headlights. You shake off whatever that could possibly mean and move to the couch, grabbing a navy blue throw blanket from the arm rest and pulling it over yourself as you sit and wiggle out of your shoes before situating yourself on the cushion.. 

“I’m fine. Get over here and turn on the tv, I think we're running out of time.”

You reassure him for what you can only assume won't be your last time tonight, still feeling a bit too on edge and warm in his presence to be comfortable.

Adrian kicks his shoes off, boots barely unlaced as he lets them bounce against the wall next to the front door. His eyes trail from the floor where your foot peeks out from under 

“We have two minutes!” Adrian exclaims, plopping himself down on the cushion next to yours and clicking on the flatscreen. Sure enough, his television is already turned to the right channel, and you have to assume this is a routine for him. You can picture him coming home from patrols, watching Fargo, and then standing in front of that mirror and… shit. Tonight is going to be harder than you thought. 

Adrian shudders next to you as he settles in.

“You cold?” you ask, barely tearing your eyes away from the screen, afraid to lose your cool now that your mind if fully back to being fixated on the most recent video he posted. Hell, the ottoman right next to your foot is the one his leg was propped up on while he touched himself and you touched yourself in tandem to. Its even in the same spot it had to have been in that video, judging on the angle…

“My nipples are hard,” he admits, “Can I get some blanket? I can get my own from my room if thats not okay. Chris said I make women uncomfortable, but you’re my favorite teammate so I feel like-”

You interrupt him by throwing the extra length of the blanket over him and shifting over slightly so you can get equal shares of the fabric. 

“You don't make me uncomfortable, Adrian.”

At least, not more uncomfortable than you are right now, your shorts feeling dangerously short and your body feeling a little too hot despite wanting to hide under the blanket. He accepts your answer and settles in, hand accidentally brushing your bare thigh.

Fuck. 

You hope he doesn't pick up on the little gasp that escapes your lips, distracted by the episode finally starting. You settle into the noise, the Italian mob discussing the turf war as the nurse tries to hide her indiscretions.

“Are you looking for a vantage point? Is that why you keep looking at that mirror?” he asks during the first commercial break. You nod, making eye contact with him again through the mirror. You hadn't even realized your eyes had drifted over that way again.

“Yeah, been doing that a lot lately. I didn't bring anything,” you don't need to finish the sentence for Adrian to know you're not armed. 

Adrian just laughs.

“Don’t worry about it, Cowgirl,” he reassures you, “I’ve got you protected.”

You narrow your eyes at him in the light from the screen. 

“Cowgirl?” you echo. 

“Yeah, I figure that's the opposite of the mermaid emoji, and you and I are kind of opposites. Not that I am the mermaid, but it is my Emoji. But like, it totally works for us! That's my Emoji for you in my phone.”

That's a lot of information to take in. 

“So I’m the cowgirl?” You repeat again, for confirmation. 

“Well, maybe not the cowgirl, but definitely mine.”

Well shit, if you didn't already have a crush on him, that corny crap would have definitely sealed the deal for you. You settle back in, tearing your eyes away from him and forcing them away from the mirror to focus on the episode. With only two left in the season, things are getting really fucking good.

The rest of the episode goes by relatively easily, and you can settle in and focus, even leaning slightly against Adrian’s shoulder as you get tired by the end of it. It had been a long day, with your own patrols on Emilia’s orders having started at five in the morning. 

He offers to drive you home after your third yawn, which prompted his first one. You gladly accept, because honestly, you don't think you could handle crashing here on the couch. 

On the drive home, you recap the episode, talking about where you think the end of the season will go and your favorite parts.

“I don't know, I almost want the nurse to get away with it and run away with the Don,” you say wistfully, leaning on the center console towards him. Normally, you wouldn't be this bold, but you feel comfortable and too sleepy in this moment to care about how he might interpret these actions, now having been up for almost twenty hours straight. 

“But they're criminals!” Adrian argues, taking his eyes off the road to look at you incredulously. 

“Adrian, the show is about crime. Your favorite show is about crime.”

You roll your eyes at his outburst, so endeared to his strict code that most of the team found mental. Sure, maybe some of his methods were a bit extreme, but you get it to some degree. The laws that made sense had to be upheld, but the ones that were immoral could and should be broken. 

“Yeah, you're right,” he says, rolling his eyes. 

The rest of the ride goes all too quickly, and you feel cold as the car comes to a stop. 

“Text me when you're in your bed all safe okay?”

Goddammnit why did he have to phrase it like that?

“Yeah,” you nod, grabbing the door handle, “yeah, will do”

You wish him goodbye one more time, shooting a smile his way and then waving again when you've finally closed the car door, and make the walk up your sidewalk to the door of your condo. 

It takes you no time at all to get back inside and practically race up the stairs to collapse into your duvet. 

My Number: Doors locked. Thanks for tonight, episode was great. 

Adrian: Of course my little 🤠

My Number: Lol, Text when you’re home safe. Night 🧜‍♂️

If the little cowboy hat emoji was going to be yours, then you could assign the merman to him officially. Without thinking, you throw your phone on the pillow next to yours and drift off to sleep. 

You wake up to a text from Adrian around the time he got home,

Adrian: Home safe 🤠! Same time next week?

You feel slightly bad about falling asleep before you could get this text, but you shoot him a response that yes, definitely next week after his patrols would work. You see another notification after that, this one a twitter notification. Oh, holy shit.

@mattvtweets: Wanna be my little cowgirl? Ride me. 

You don't even bother looking at the close to fifteen replies, instead focusing on Adrian in the video.

From the vantage point of the camera, you can tell he’s sprawled out on the couch, one leg bent at the knee and propped up on the cushion, and the other hanging off the edge and on the ground. On closer look, his foot is actually dug into the blanket you were previously wrapped up in with him. 

Holy fuck, you think.

He’s furiously stroking his shaft, fist wrapped tightly around it as he works himself over. This video is so much different than the others, so much more desperate and hasty. Adrian doesn't care about framing or angles in this video. It looks so rushed. 

Even the very slight voice modulator Adrian uses feels sloppy in this video. You can hear his actual voice pushing through, hear his moans the way they were meant to be heard. God, it feels like this video is just for you. 

But how could it not be? Cowgirl? Did he not just call you his little cowgirl when you got in bed safe?

Fuck, maybe his other tweet was about you too. It had to be, no? Certain coworker, and now little cowgirl? Take that, new hostess at Fennel Fields, you bitch!

Okay, immediately you feel guilty for that thought, you're sure she's a nice girl, but it's not her that has his attention. 

You watch the video twice before even thinking about pulling down your shorts, wanting to be absolutely sure of what you were seeing and hearing. It's you he wants, it's you he's making this video about.

Working yourself up is easy, listening to him moan and groan as he fucks his fist in the same spot you were practically cuddling with him last night. Your fingers slide into yourself with ease, already worked up with all of the Adrian in your past 24 hours. He really doesn't understand how sexy he is, anonymous or not. Even without the twitter he has you worked up with his proximity and quirkiness. He knew exactly how to get you going, clothed or not. 

It's only moments of timing your fingers with his motions that you're on the edge, not quite finishing but not quite hanging on either. 

He swipes his thumb across the head of his cock in the video, and lets out a loud groan. Fuck, how is he so hot? You grind the heel of your palm into your clit and a shudder shoots up your spine, your back arching off of the bed.

Fuck this.

You close out the video, nevermind how hot it is, and start to compose a text one handed, your other hand drifting upwards until your wet fingers reach your clit and start moving.

Your number: Sounds good, mind if I pack an overnight bag so you don't have to drive late?

Risky, but a risk you're wiling to take. 

He texts back before you can even think about thrusting your fingers back into yourself. 

Adrian: Please do! Late driving could lead to a number of motor vehicle violations. Looking forward to our Fargo sleepover,  my little 🤠

You come almost instantly. Body tensing up as you ride your high and rumple your duvet even further than it already was.

And then the realization sets in that you have to see him in less than three hours.

Fuck.

[bekaterrier]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! I listened to a few things this week (gushing and spoilers ahead):

@woodenovercoats S4: You know it's going to be a good season when it's already got me tearing up in the third episode! Madeline and her family!! 😭 Madeline and Rudyard besties! 🥰 I absolutely loved seeing Antigone continue to grow this season. She just wanted to be seen, to know she was strong enough to be seen, and she was!! We also got to hear Rudyard give more time to his life outside the funeral home, particularly his special interest in history! We finally got Chapman's backstory! Heartbreaking though. 💔 Holy shit that sound design when Chapman and Rudyard go over the falls was *chef's kiss*. My first thought re: the Funns running Chapman's was "Oh lord, how is Rudyard going to F this up?" It was really nice to hear them actually properly put on a funeral like we knew they could. Throughout the season, we heard Eric and Antigone grow closer and some feelings start to develop there. Then hearing Eric calling out for Antigone in his dream was...whew. "Sorry about the chloroform." 😂 Georgie's cycle of grief is so real. It hits you at the most unexpected moments. They're a town!!!! And of course he came back, he's home!!!!! This ending is so perfect, so absolutely satisfying. This show was incredible ♥️

@midstpodcast S1: I've been seeing so much about this show in my feed lately as its third and final season released, so I just had to jump into it. And wow am I hooked! The way the narrators share the story and the character voices between them is fascinating. The world building is absolutely incredible - the visual they painted of the fold sweeping through is just chilling. Combine that with the actual visual elements created by the podcast, seen in the YouTube videos...so so cool. Side note - I hate the Trust; the way that its systems ensure that those at the bottom are kept down, rewarding those already at the top...kudos to another podcast where one of the villains is capitalism. In any case, I was so absorbed in the stories of each of the three protagonists, trying to see ahead to how their lives would intersect, I almost forgot about the very first scene! The moon falls out of the sky!! Absolutely wild!! I'm very much looking forward to learning more about the consequences of this and the impact on Midst.

@midnightburgr Welcome to the Horizon Part 3 - The Wayfaring Stranger: God I love this town and these people. I laughed out loud so many times this episode! Frank and June's reactions to Verge's background are hilarious. I'm so glad we have Verge in this mini-series. It's also so fun to hear them flirting with Deirdre, especially after hearing their VAs as not so friendly in Moonbase Theta, Out (love you Cat and Tina). The news that we get from Trinkett about the comet is verrry interesting and concerning, so looking forward to seeing where that goes.

@tellnotalespod S1 & S2 (to date) re-listen: TNT is currently on their mid season break, so I re-listened to everything that's been released so far. I said earlier this season that it was going to be tough listening to all the S2 episodes in a row since many of them made me cry individually...and I was right! 😭 I am so looking forward to the rest of S2, and I really hope Leo, Riley and Julia all get the hugs they need, preferably from each other.

@storiesfromylelmore Winter Solstice crowdfunding episode: I love hearing the kids out and up to their shenanigans! It was also really sweet to get a glimpse of the parents doing their thing, but also loving all the kids (even though Elas can sometimes be puce). I also loved hearing more about their world's Winter Solstice story! The worldbuilding is so fantastic.

@hinaypod Episode 41 - Danny Boy (Pride Episode 2024): I'm glad I listened to this one during the day because I definitely would have gotten creeped out by some of the curse's descriptions if I'd listened at 2AM, as I sometimes do. We got quite lore dump on our favourite horrible old man, but I still have so many questions!!

[rookieoneil]

Season Finale Spoilers

MINOR SPOILERS

Can we just talk about how hot the woman this season were?

FIRST: I don’t know if I just see gay, but you can’t tell me Monica and Charlie would be hot…

SECOND: Laura?!? Her hair cut🥵

THIRD: Lucy and Angela in the vest🥵 that whole laundry mat scene. When Lucy jumped! 😭 hot

FOURTH: Monica is so hot I just wanna say that again

FIFTH: Nyla is just so hot this week!

SIXTH: Can I just say Angela is hot even when she’s covered in dirt?

Okay I’m done

Major spoilers ahead

JOHN

John getting shot…I just didn’t care. Like I hardly reacted. But once again, can we just say how he’s been more of a hero than a cop. I feel like he keeps making choices that are more considered to be a hero choice than a cop choice and that’s why I don’t think that he should be a TO. Yes he’s doing the right thing but also he’s gonna end up getting, Selena killed because he’s showing her to take the risks that aren’t worth it.

I get that Blair’s life was practically up in the air, but he’s not only could’ve ruined his career but also Nyla’s career. And got himself killed. I just think that he likes to make choices without thinking and I think that’s my problem with him being a Tio comes from.

Glad he’s alive and all but I really wish they’d actually make him a good TO. I’d much rather of had Tim be her official TO because she thrives with him and Nyla. She needs strict.

EPISODE IN GENERAL

I think a lot of people are gonna have an issue with this season finale just because it’s focused more on the so-called villains of the show rather than the main cast. I quite liked it as an episode. I don’t know if I liked it as a season finale. I feel like they didn’t leave it open enough to. We’re not left in suspense like season finale do.

CHENFORD

Unpopular opinion, but I don’t think that should have gotten back together the season. I feel like it would’ve been rushed and they’re just not ready for that. I think that Lucy needs to figure out how to do things for herself and consider herself the choices that she makes and I think Tim needs to gravel. He needs to show her that she can trust him again. Trust him not to leave when things get tough. I’m so glad we didn’t see them kiss or anything. Come next season I want to see Tim continuing to work on himself. 

Besides if they had gotten back together, it wouldn’t have made sense. Because I don’t think they’ve had a chance to talk about what actually happened between them and it just would’ve been rushed and I’m glad that they didn’t and since we know that they’re coming back for season seven it’s all gonna be OK in the end so y’all just need to be patient and willing to wait it out.

FEDS

I loved seeing them. I hope they have a few appearances next season, I’d also love to see them close there stories up. Wrap up stories that they didn’t have the opportunity to. Also again- Laura’s hair😭🥵

BLAIR

I fucking hate that we might have to see her again. I hate her so much…. Ugh 😑 I’m glad Aaron stuck it to her. He deserves a hundred times better than this asshole. To find out she killed someone?!? Nothing I hate more than drunk drivers. Like if she was truly remorseful she wouldn’t have had someone get rid of the body. Like wtf ?! I hate her sm

WOPEZ

I just wanted a baby name reveal 😭

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

One thing I really don't get is the 'argument' ZKs use that there was apparently supposed to be a scene of Uncle Iroh saying "Zuko and Katara are made for each other." in one of the final episodes but it was cut out by Bryke.

Like let's just assume for a moment that is true and they cut out a scene like that. So? Why is it such a big deal? I mean, having a scene like that would just be plain stupid. Why is Iroh out of nowhere just saying that these kids are apparently 'made for each other' when the Sozin's comet is a day away. What good would it do????

Bruh, that's a CLASSIC cope of obviously fanon ships that were never seriously considered as a possible endgame by the writers. "There was totally a deleted scene in the finale confirming these two were going to get together, but it was all changed at the last second because of the showrunners/network/audience pressure!"

A non-canon ship I really like, Robin and Raven from Teen Titans 2003, had a TON of fans that pulled that crap and kept insisting that their hug after the world is saved in the season 4 finale (that was originally going to be the last episode of the show before the Network decided to give it an extra season) was actually orignally meant to be a kiss, confirming they had romantic feelings for each other and were going to be a couple from now on.

I saw that shit EVERYWHERE for a long while, and even though they were my OTP at the time, I just never believed it - and eventually, of course, the writers themselves said they never really had any other endgame couple planned other than Starfire and Robin (even though Beast Boy and Raven shippers love to pretend the writers said BOTH ships were supposed to be endgame, even though, other than the few flirty moments he had with Raven, Beast Boy's love interest was clearly Terra, and he didn't end up with either of them because, again, the writers explicitly said they only cared about making ONE pairing endgame).

Even though season four is basically THE RobRae season since their dynamic is explored and treated as very special and important, it is still VERY clear that any shippy vibes between them were either accidental or the writers toying with ideas, but without ever really considering straying from the original plan - the episode before the season finale even had Robin and Starfire almost become an item before the plot interrupts their moment. There's just no way the writers would do that, then make Robin and Raven kiss at the end. They even had Raven turn into a little girl and Robin protect and care for her, telling her the story of her own life almost like he was reading her a bedtime story, and Raven explicitly says she was raised by her friends and they are her real family. It's just very clear that we were meant to think of them as having a sort of sibling dynamic - I'd argue the writers exagerated a bit and accidentally created a great ship´, but their INTENTION is easily identifiable in the text.

It's the same thing with Avatar. The Kataang falling out was clearly just the classic "main couple can't actually get together until the finale for extra drama", and just a few episodes before that we had gotten confirmation that, even though he felt leaving the Fire Nation was the right thing, Zuko was still very much in love with Mai - and her saving him from getting captured pretty much screams "They'll get back together once this conflict is resolved." Kataang was set up from the very beginning of the story, and we got our first hints of Maiko in the third episode of the second season.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara had only truly started bonding in the second half of the last season. No minimally inteligent writer or network would EVER consider making THAT pairing become endgame instead of the much more developed ones, regardless of it's popularity, because it'd just break the show's narrative.

And why would IROH, who had not seen Zuko and Katara interact and bond at all since he wasn't there when it happened, say they're perfect for each other, like he knew anything about how their dynamic worked? Iroh had no way of being sure if they were the best of friends, close friends, or just two people that had friends in common but didn't really have any emotional connection with each other.

It's just very clearly trying to take advantage of Iroh's image of "THE wisest character in the whole show" (which is debatable even if he is obviously pretty wise, AND would still not mean "always correct" even if it was 1000% true) to try and go "See? Uncle Iroh agrees with me, so you have to do the same." As an Azula fan, I see that ALL the time.

Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if they're also stealing from the Zuko and Jin romance, as Iroh was very encouraging of that relationship being a thing. Once again, Zutarians claim their ship was TOTALLY in the plans for being endgame, and all their proof for it is just stuff their stole from other pairings and slapped their own ship's name to it.

[itsjustafia]

With the way I had to watch New Amsterdam do Helen Sharpe and Sharpwin dirty, I'm just really happy with what Dick and Kory got for 3+ seasons and will get in these last 6 episodes.

Sure they could've been developed more during season 2 and 3. But even then I still saw moments that showed just how much they love each other.

We got PRINCESS MAR'I GRAYSON in live action for the first, and likely the last, time ever. Not once but twice (maybe even a third time if we're lucky). And we couldn't have gotten a cuter little girl. The perfect mix of her parents.

Dick and Kory were confirmed as endgame before they even held hands!! Everything before and since then has been the journey to that endgame and I've enjoyed all of it. I can't wait to see these next few episodes. My babies are going on their first date 🥺😭. And I better hear the words "I love you" from both of them!!

And for Kory... Starfire has been my favorite character since I was like 8. To see her come to live action as a woman that looks like me has been so amazing. Anna was born to play Starfire!! From her voice, to her mannerisms, to her looks! Her performance has been the best every single season. I don't care what anyone thinks, the writing for Kory has been the most well-constructed of any character on the show. Her growth from season 1 to 4 has been so enjoyable. Her evolution from hot head to compassionate and motherly has not been her becoming "weaker" or "soft", but shown her becoming a true leader.

I'm gonna miss Kory, dickkory and the Core Four so much 😭😭😭😭😭 I'm not ready to say goodbye to that family. But I love what we got. Even the bad parts (aka s3).

Gonna go crazy with the edits after part 2 is done.

[r0semaryt3a]

Arcane season 2 opinions with the first few episodes: (spoilers under cut)

Episode one: fantastic start! Jaw dropping visuals, wonderful storytelling right off the bat, already had me crying, top tier voice acting as always and an AMAZING intro sequence! Immediately sets up conflict and throws us right back into the gut punch that is the Arcane storyline. And the score? Already fab. Already love it. Such a good start to the season we are so back baby! And also, like, what a way to introduce your themes and new cast members. I think the way they did that was fab and remains so throughout in this really nice blend of direct exposition and just letting a scene flow. Overall, there’s nothing particular I want to say about the first episode. I think it was fab and I have no real complaints. I like how it gets right into the nitty gritty that Arcane is known for whilst not shoving action straight down our throats: a subtle drip feeding.

Teeny weeny little bit of annoyance with the manner in which Vi ‘joins’ the enforcers but that’s a personal nit pick that really I myself am glossing over as it worked well with the story and wasn’t forced.

Episode 2: SOME OF MY FAVOURITE SCENES EVER OML. The parallels?? Mwah, love them. Love them to bits. “How could someone put all those holes in you?” CRYING, BAWLING MY EYES OUT GOOD GOD. Hate it, love it love it love it. Sucker? New favourite song, new favourite music video I adored the start of that (and the end but the Chem Barrons at the table? Good grief oml serve me some more I BEG) ISHA IS A LITTLE CUTIE, Sevika my woman, my wife I love you. I also really liked how the speech about Silco between her and Jinx really shows us their perception of him and just how warped it is.

It works well to set up a ton of tension and genuinely was so visually pleasing I just can’t. Like that whole scene with Sev’s new arm? Yes please 🙏. VIKTOR’S ARC IS COMING TOGETHER AND I AM EXCITED FOR IT! “It was affection that held us together” man that hurts and I’m here for it. We’ve gotten so much more Mel content I am loving it! Episode 2 is like everything to me already I enjoyed it so much all the different parallels and what not we’re deliciously executed!

Episode 3: THAT SCENE WITH THE GREY?? OH. MY. LORD. YES!!!

But…this is where I have problems (funnily enough also where I do in season 1). Not with the whole Cait-Vi-Jinx fight no. I think was that brilliant. But Ambessa. I did indeed roll my eyes at the reveal of her setting up conflict with Renni in order to secure what she wanted and the whole thing with the Guild merchant (nothing else with the though). Now, it’s not weak storytelling by any means it’s just a few personal “no no” tropes of mine. However, I am aware that this is only the third episode and a major stepping stone on setting up the rest of the season LIKE WITH WARRICK (omlomloml can’t wait) so I’m not going to elaborate too much on that bit. BACK ONTO POSITIVES: THE VISUALS? THE SMOKE-BOMB SCENE? FISHBONES BACK INTO PLAY? the absolute gut wrench of any and all Violyn scenes. WE GOT WAY MORE EKKO??? AND THAT WHOLE TRIP IN THE HEXGATES WAS JUST WOW! My poor gal Mel is suffering…

The animators have put their all into this season and it shows the visuals are FANTASTIC! Don’t even talk to me about the music it was so great I love it all.

I really like the way they’re setting up all these parallels! Almost makes me forget that most of my favs are dead (Cassandra, Silco, Renni, Greyson)

Overall I can’t wait for more Arcane

[wildgeese98]

I want to write down some of my thoughts about Magnus Protocol so far. I am definitely enjoying it. It's really fun listening as the episodes come out and screaming with everyone on here afterwards. I'm having a blast theorizing and analyzing. But my opinion of the show is still evolving. It's early days, but I am beginning to settle on the things I do and don't like about the show so far.

It's inevitable that Protocol will be constantly compared to Archives. It is of course a sequel and will suffer the heightened scrutiny that all sequals are subject to. The two biggest differences I've noticed so far have to do with pacing and characters.

Archives started slow, very slow, and I love that about it. Season one remains my favorite. In my mind nothing will ever compare up to the way the danger slowly creeps into the story, appearing in little drips and bursts until it suddenly explodes and everything gets turned upside down. Protocol has made no attempt to emulate this slow build up. We are almost immediately plunged into the thick of things. I think this was a good choice. As much as I yearn for that season one slow burn there's no way something like that could work now. Not when the majority of the audience is coming in champing at the bit for the story. I just hope they will be able to maintain this pace. After episode 7 things seem to be happening very quickly and I worry that too much might be revealed too soon in an effort to keep everyone engaged. I personally would love a bit of delayed gratification on some of these mysteries, even as I'm frothing at the mouth with curiosity.

As a consequence of this faster, more plot laden pace I have noticed something of a de-emphasis of the statements/cases in favor of plot progressing dialog. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Nor is it something that sets Protocol totally apart from Archives. Seasons three and four had almost as much dialog before and after statements. However I do hope that the cases get some room to breath as the early season excitement evens out. I would love a few episodes that end on a case with little to no dialog afterwards. In some of these early episodes I feel like the dialog has kind of stepped on the cases and lessened their impact. As much as I am here for the plot and the mystery, the statements are what made me fall in love with Archives. Some of my favorite episodes are not relevant to the plot at all. It seems like there is less room for that in Protocol, which I figured would be the case but I would still like to see them allowed a little more space.

Speaking of the cases, my opinions on the eight we've had so far have varied for "oh this is very cool" to "meh, ok". Nothing has really wowed me yet but none have fallen completely flat either. My favorite so far is either Making Adjustments or Putting Down Roots. I'll be honest I have been a little sad about the lack of Jonny written cases. I know Protocol is much more of a group effort, but Jonny's writing is a big part of why I'm here. Granted he has had some hand in all of the episodes. Still there really is nothing like a fully Jonny written episode. Though neither of my two favorites were written by him so maybe I should be keeping a more open mind. It was an interesting decision to front load so many of the guest writers into these early episodes. There are 24 guest writers slated and we've already had three back to back. I suppose with almost a third of the episodes featuring guest writers they will be fairly frequent and It has gotten the audience used to the concept early on.

Side note: I was looking at the list of guest writers and it includes both Muna Hussen and Jon Ware, creators of I am in Eskew and the Silt Verses. I am positively wriggling with excitement to see what they come up with for their episodes.

The other big difference I've noticed between Archives and Protocol is the characters and how they're interacting. We knew already that we would be jumping in with an ensemble already established. It took Archives quite a while to build up to this many regular characters and even then Jon was the Main Guy throughout. Now, despite Sam somewhat falling into the main character role, we have a much more even focus on all the characters. This I think is what is going to truly differentiate Protocol from Archives. Broadening the focus to a whole group rather than just the one guy (as much as we might love that guy) feels like it will open up so many more directions for the narrative to go. We have the potential for side plots and multiple narrative threads happening at once. We are already seeing this play out as Sam and Alice, Gwen and Lena, Colin, and now Celia all have their own separate yet connected things going on. I'm excited to get more of everyone's back story and to see how they all react as the plot puts more pressure on them.

I really am enjoying Protocol however if I am being honest most of my enjoyment is coming from the mysteries and overarching plot rather than the cases. This is a total reversal from my feelings about Archives, where I was mostly there for the individual statements and at first tolerated, then eventually enjoyed the overarching plot. This isn't to say that the Protocol cases have been bad. They just haven't grabbed me like Archives did. There is also still plenty of time for this to change. The problem right now with comparing the two is Archives is a full, completed story and Protocol currently consists of 7 episodes (8 if you're a fancy early access person). It is just too early to fully judge Protocol, either on its own or in relation to Archives.

Overall what really matters to me is I'm having fun and I've got something to look forward to every week. I think to key to fully enjoying Protocol is accepting that it is never going to scratch the exact same itch that Archives did. Still, it has the potential to be its own different but equally satisfying experience.

[katkat030]

I just saw something you reblogged about Pearl being drawn as a moth? My desire to draw has whacked me in the face because of that, but I don’t know much (I’m not even sure what her mc skin looks like XD)

Could you tell me some stuff about her?

(I’m mentally making the polite grabby hands people do when they’re excited and want to have (or in this case know more) about something)

I'm going to STRUGGLE to keep this short.

Pearl/Pearlescentmoon is a part of both Hermitcraft (joined in season 8) and the Life Series (joined in Last Life)! She's typically drawn as a moth hybrid, with moth wings and quite often little feathery antennae to match. Which type of moth seems to vary on like. Symbolism I suppose. No set design!

In the third Life Series season, Double Life, she's known for having a very distinct storyline.

The gimmick for this season was for every player to get a randomly assigned "soulmate"/life-linked partner. They share both a health bar and their 3 lives; if one partner takes damage, so does the other. If one partner dies while they're on a green life, they both move from that shared green life down to a yellow life.

Early on in the game, Pearl made the decision - in the first session! - to risk her life (and that of her later-to-be-discovered soulmate) and go to the nether and collect resources with a guy called Martyn [his in game name is InTheLittleWood].

(By the way, any time I ever mention Martyn imagine someone yelling lore in the background. it's. kind of insane /pos but not particularly relevant to her story.)

This decision, which could very easily have gotten them both killed, kickstarted a chain of events in which Pearl was cast out when she eventually discovered her soul bound partner, told she was cursed, a sign that death was near in just about any alliance she tried to make, and unwanted. Her one companion was her dog, Tilly. For a good lot of Double Life, her base was one lone tower.

As the only Australian there, she had to wake up at 5am to participate in the series (don't we love timezones), so her double life character was coined "5am Pearl" and associated with a "crazy" <- depending on who you ask. from an outside point of view she was definitely called that, incredibly lonely wet cat of a woman. She also has a very well known red life skin for it:

someone created this absolutely incredible one and a half-ish minute animatic which gets the vibes of the series across much better than I could.

In Hermitcraft, Pearl is a multitalented, wholesome chaos gremlin. Her buildings and organics are absolutely jaw dropping, and she even picked up redstone this season to make a version of Wordle in Minecraft! She's actually headcanoned as Grian's sibling pretty often, which has been dubbed skyblings by the fandom (they knew each other outside of HC for a while, and they definitely can get up to mischief together).

In season 10 (the current season), Pearl has a different skin from her default because she's running a postal system - she's been dubbed "postmaster Pearl".

In Season 9, she also had a different skin because she was "cleaning lady Pearl", and took care of recyling resources and all the chest monsters on the server.

In Season 8, she wore star pajamas briefly (boatem my beloved <333 will always be famous to me.)

S10 skin:

S9 skin:

S8 skin (only for a few episodes, I think):

that moon is totally normal sized don't worry about it <- lie

Default skin:

you're welcome to make grabby hands about any of em any time :D I'm currently obsessing over Scar and Pearl, but I'm also insane over Etho (AND Ethubs/Etho and Bdubs because oh my GOD. the way they act about each other), Pearl and another content creator who isn't involved in Hermitcraft save for the one time he voiced over one of her builds <- one minute clip :D recommend watching his voice is super soothing (gosh they are the loveliest together!)

Plus a bit of treebark (Ren/Rendog and aforementioned Martyn ITLW) and shinyduo (Gem/Geminitay and Pearl/Pearlescentmoon) on the side :)

[shychick-52]

Thanks for the tag, @justaboot!

how many fics do you have on ao3?

22!

what's your total ao3 word count?

171,863

what are your top five fics by kudos?

You're the Inspiration, The Heart of This Star-Crossed Voyager, Circumstances and Control, Wait, What? and A Definitely Real Man

what fandoms do you write for?

Mostly DuckTales (2017), and occasionally the Topolino duckverse comic.

do you respond to comments? why or why not?

Most times! It makes me really happy to engage with somebody who took the time to leave a comment!

what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hands down, There Was Never Grey In Black and White. It's one of the few Mad Ducktor stories I have. I really wanted to do a deep-dive character analysis on that one and explore the tragedy of his character.

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That's a hard one! I try to have all of them end on a happy note. When it comes to angsty stories tho, I really try to make sure the happy endings are good and earned... so, I'll have to go with Who Am I?

do you get hate on your fics?

No, thank goodness! I've gotten some harsh criticism on a chapter of one of my stories, but I wouldn't quite call it hate.

do you write smut?

No, not generally. Both reading and writing smut makes me very uncomfortable, especially for cartoon characters (I know not every other ace/sex-repulsed person feels that way, tho). I did, however, write a spicy fenro story once. But it wasn't straight smut for the sake of it, it was very tender and hurt/comfort.

do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've ever written?

No, for the most part I can't stand crossovers. Unless it was logical, like Count Duckula crossed with DuckTales.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thank goodness!

have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but it would be neat!

have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yup, the amazing @wacky-nameless-inventor-24 co-wrote a chapter in two of my stories, respectively.

what's your all time favorite ship?

FENRO. I will die with that ship.

what's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a couple of unfinished wips on FF.Net- a Darkwing Duck story that's over a decade old, and an Inside Out fic. I just lost inspiration for them and nobody reads them anymore, so XD

what are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and descriptive language (especially metaphors and similes).

what are your writing weaknesses?

Run-on sentences! I have a hard time making my sentences shorter; I may overuse dashes, brackets, and semi-colons.

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Sadly, English is my only language.

first fandom you wrote for?

Sonic the Hedgehog, specifically the 90s cartoon of the same name (commonly known by the fandom as SatAM). That was way back in high school!

favorite fic you've ever written?

Who Am I? holds a very special place in my heart. It was my first DT story, and my love letter to my favorite episode 'Astro B.O.Y.D.', a love letter to Gyro (and the father-son relationship we hardly saw anything of in the third season). It's very angsty, taking even more inspiration from the 'Astro Boy' anime and manga the episode lovingly parodied, and focusing on the darker points of the lore.

Tagging @tokuvivor

[theonethatyaks93]

Extended Thoughts on Season 3 PaTB Segments+ My Problem with Complaints About Reboot Brain

Hello! After much consideration, and after a few re-watches of Season 3 episodes, I decided to add some more thoughts to the Pinky and The Brain segments. I previously reviewed these episodes in another post so check those out for my initial thoughts. However, some of those opinions are a tad outdated so go look at my initial reviews and then come here for my updated thoughts. Just a heads up, these may become severely opinionated, especially with my thoughts on "All's Fair in Love and Door" as well as a brief little mini-rant on Brain from the reboot. Alright, let's begin.

"How to: Friendship": After looking back on this segment, I noticed a few things that I failed to see on my initial watch. First off, the macaroni hearts from the storyboard made an appearance at the end when Pinky learns that Brain kept that picture! How did I not see that? But that offers up a few questions. Pinky didn't put those hearts there. Did Brain do that? Was it a continuity error with the animation team? If Brain put them there then...? Honestly, my thoughts were racing after seeing this. I also found the ending very sweet and I still think that this segment is adorable. It's not the cutest segment from the reboot anymore (you'll see in a moment what took this title) but I still think it's really fun

"Royal Flush": Not really too much to add for this one. I found Pinky's lack of knowledge when it comes to British customs very funny and the song is still great (also, Pinky has a British accent! The irony of him not understanding British things while sounding British was something that made me laugh very hard!). That one line Pinky says after Brain mentions how the situation was "too romantic" made me scream in delight! Pinky is gay! I was kind of confused initially on why this episode was more focused on Pinky compared to the poker game and Brain, but I guess they just wanted to focus on something aside from Brain since Pinky hasn't gotten too many starring episodes.

"Talladega Mice": My initial episode ranking is now outdated. After re-watching this segment and it still making me laugh for 2+ minutes after watching, I can safely say that this is the best segment from the third season of the reboot. Everything in this segment is simply perfection from the writing to the animation and expressions to the dialogue and voice acting. It all works so incredibly well. We get to see a softer, more gentle side of Brain where he actually wants to help Pinky. Pinky's stress problems are portrayed with such realism, and as someone who also suffers from minor stress problems, I saw a lot of elements I could relate to. The things that struck me the most included the ways Pinky coped with his stress being strikingly similar to the ways I cope with my own stress, Brain being incredibly supportive and reassuring to Pinky (even listening to his wants and needs may I add), Pinky's stress attack being portrayed in a realistic manner (yelling, heavy breathing, shaking.), and the sheer number of adorable interaction between the mice. Even on my second re-watch, this segment still had me in tears because I was laughing so hard. This is the hardest I've laughed at a segment since the first "Pinky's How To". Every joke just lands and every moment manages to be either cute, hilarious, or a combination of both. The tickle fight in particular has to be one of the best moments from the season. This is the cutest episode from the reboot by a landslide and I love it to pieces. I plan on watching this over and over again.

"Mad Mouse: Furry Road": I don't have too much to add that I didn't already say in my initial review. I thought the animation was expressive and fun and some of the moments were funny. I found the premise very interesting and these were some of the more unique human characters. I loved the times when Brain defended Pinky. I just thought that Brain was very cool in this segment; thankfully, he strayed away from being unlikable or cruel.

"Groundmouse Day": After going back, I found this episode to be funnier since I paid more attention to the references. I loved how Brain got more and more insane as the episode continued on. I found the scene when Brain had finally taken over the world and Pinky was being supportive so cute. The satire and dialogue truly stole the show and I feel as though these segments managed among the best in terms of writing (also the kiss!!!).

"All's Fair in Love and Door": This is going to be a controversial opinion, but I think this episode was amazing. I know, everyone was mad that the deleted storyboards shown weren't in the segment and that they would've made everything better. You have a right to be frustrated, mad, or disappointed. However, I still think that this episode works on its own. And some of the storyboards were kept in the final cut. Do I think if they'd included those storyboards that it would add to the overall segment? Yes I do. Do I think that they would've changed my ranking and my opinion for the better? I don't think so. I actually think that the "Brain is in the closet" metaphor is still present; you just need to look a little closer past the surface to see it. Pinky is clearly jealous in the final cut, as hinted by the delivery of the lines. Brain's sexuality was also hinted at due to the ending (seriously, that look and that reaction!). I have my theories on why some of these storyboards were cut, but I don't let these affect my overall viewpoint. I'll defend this episode till the very end. I won't let deleted scenes change my opinion; I just look at the segment for what we got. If you are upset about the deleted scenes, that's okay. I'm not mad at you. But this is my opinion and the way that I look at this segment and all it has. Also, I think that Brain's reasoning for making this alternate world isn't entirely true. He might've felt guilty about Julia and he might've wanted to be with someone just like him, but I still have the feeling he's hiding something. Just the way he tells Pinky not to go in there and the way he reacts after Pinky does end up in the world shows he could be using this as a place to escape from his world. I have a theory that Brain uses this world as a way to escape from his problems: the struggles with Julia, his constant failures, his possible love for Pinky. This world serves as a place that fixes these. Julia is fine, he doesn't care about world domination, and Pinky isn't included here because Brain loves him and want to keep him just the way he is. Brain doesn't want to tell Pinky because he fears that his friend might be angered by what he sees or that Pinky might mess things up. The destruction of the fictional world not only serves as Brain "coming out of the closet" so to speak, it also shows that he has finally accepted that the world he didn't make is the one he wants to live in. This explains why there's always an uneasy feeling in this fictional reality and why Brain seems to almost look uncomfortable at times, like something is wrong (for example in the wedding photo and when Julia hugs him). The moment where Brain covers Pinky up to protect him shows that Brain has chosen Pinky over Julia, therefore proving that he loves Pinky more than he ever loved that fictional Julia. The ending also shows that Brain has essentially allowed Pinky to be the only thing he cares for, as hinted by his facial expressions and tone. Even when he starts talking about getting over his ex in a better way, he says never mind after seeing Pinky, showing that something must've happened inside his mind on that day. This only a theory and the interpretation might be completely off but nonetheless, I still love this episode quite a bit. (Ps: Sorry for the rambling!)

"How The Brain Thieved Christmas": I don't really have anything else to add here. I mentioned everything in my initial review and it hasn't changed since. The only thing I failed to mention was the ending in more depth. It definitely gave off "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas" vibes with Brain receiving a meaningful gift and Pinky getting something that tied into the episode (i.e. a spellchecker since the letter to Santa probably had poor grammar and the Pinky doll since that was something Pinky wanted and it was a plot point in the episode). I honestly think this should've been the final episode. Don't get me wrong, the James Bond parody was good, but it was only a cold-opening. This should've been the final episode since it has the feeling of one of the most popular episodes from the spin-off.

"International Mouse of Mystery": I've talked about this segment before in my initial reviews and in my episode 10 rant. I literally don't have anything else to add, so go check those out.

Closing Thoughts and Reboot Brain Rant: I've been seeing a lot of hate recently for Brain from the reboot. Many call him a villain, a poor character, and a worse counterpart to his original self. Some even debate the reboot's canonicity due to these factors. This truly breaks my heart to see because I personally love reboot Brain. I think he goes through an incredible character arc and improves so much after the first season. I believe that most of this controversy is geared towards the first season, which I agree with, but I've also seen others get mad at him for things in season 3 episode 7 (the previous section explains my theory/viewpoint on the whole situation). Calling Brain a villain is a slippery slope since I rooted for him in every episode except for one. Brain is one of the characters that you want to see succeed and I think that the reboot offered a new take on the classic formula. Brain becoming more insane is likely due to the fact that he's been trying to take over the world for nearly 30 years and has failed every time. The writers were trying to emphasize this important aspect. There were a few missteps when it came to Brain's character; season 1 being the pinnacle of this. For example, the infamous "Mousechurian Candidate" segment was the only time in the reboot where Brain was portrayed as exceedingly unlikable. He manipulates Julia, mind-controls her, says things that don't align with his character at all, and never apologizes or shows remorse for any of his actions until the third season. The scene where Brain causes Julia to lose her mind was one of the worst and most uncomfortable scenes from the franchise since it was very dark and was trying to be funny to which it failed. This was Brain's worst moment in the entire history of the show; thankfully it hasn't been repeated. He improved drastically in season 2, going through a character arc where he learns to appreciate Pinky more. The development he received in certain episodes such as "Narf Over Troubled Water" helped to move his character forward. In the third season, Brain's arc continues along, and somewhat reaches its conclusion in the Christmas episode. I think that if we got a fourth season, Brain's development would come full circle. I don't fully disagree with the statements people have been saying about Brain. Sometimes he can be out of character and mean, but he never stays that way. He's almost always redeemed by either a piece of character development, a funny moment, or a great episode after a weaker one. I'd also argue that the reboot's version of Brain is more expressive and sticks to his character development more than when he did in the 90's. For example, in certain episodes of the spin-off such as "A Pinky and The Brain Christmas" and "Megalomaniacs Anonymous", Brain learns to treat Pinky with kindness and to not neglect his feelings as well as realizing that the real reason why he wants to take over the world is to make it a better place. These aspects are contradicted in other episodes were Brain mistreats his friend and where his more malicious nature is shown. Brain was stuck in a sort of character circle, meaning that he would go through some development, and would undo that development in another episode, only to essentially redo that arc again at a later time. Brain in the reboot goes through a continuous arc over the course of three seasons, seemingly keeping his development after each segment. Sure, sometimes he takes a few steps back into the character circle, but he always pulls through.

Once again, I'm not saying that if you dislike reboot Brain that you're a bad person and that your opinion isn't true. My perspectives are only my personal thoughts and others can agree or disagree with me. It's just that when people criticize him so harshly that it just hurts to see. I don't want to hate Brain. I never want to. But sometimes, it can be so difficult, especially when he does things to Pinky (my personal favorite character). I personally really like the depth that Brain has in the reboot, as well as all the development he gets such as expanding on his control issues, his impulsiveness, and his possible lack of self-confidence. I understand why he's gotten all this hate, but I do think it is a little extreme in some cases. I'll always stand up for Brain; he's one of my comfort characters and I relate to him immensely.

Whew! That was a long post! I apologize if things were a bit rant-like at some parts; I just wanted to share my frustration at things. So, those are my extended thoughts! I hope you liked season 3 (or at least liked the "Talladega Mice" segment). My next post is going to be the biggest I've ever made so, stay tuned! (Sorry for the rambling!! Here's a pic of the mice for your troubles!!😊 )