#im on like. episode 6. i have NO idea what to think of this series yet

[linipikk]

I really hope your optimism about the finale rubs on me at some point.

If I could inject just a little positivity to the news...

Season 2 has a lot of filler and stretches out a pretty simple mystery to six episodes. That's the appeal to some, I get it. But tightness and focus was not its strong suit. I remember feeling like it wasted a ton of time on side characters and it's possible shaving the story down to 90 minutes will skim things down to its most essential beats and be stronger for it. Basically, S2 got a lot of time given to it, and this is obviously my personal opinion but I don't think it used all of it well. I think S2 itself could have been half the length simply by employing more efficient storytelling and we'd not mourn too much.

A lot of S2's weaker plotlines feel built around people that Neil wanted to work with again, with so many recurring actors (I'm thinking of the zombies specifically, when that minisode could have easily been tighter without them). A lot of s2 to me feels like Neil just making work for the people he likes and wants to work with and a movie has to be more accountable to things like that.

Lots of entire fandoms exist around single movies. 90 minutes is not nothing. It's enough for many, many films to tell a complete story with cute character interactions and satisfying emotional arcs, especially when A&C are the only real significant connecting threads between both seasons thus far.

I don't think there are as many loose threads that absolutely need resolving as people may be thinking. Would I like to know why Aziraphale did the '40s apology dance? Would I like to see his bookshop gun? Sure. Are either of those necessarily essential to closing out the story? I don't think so. Really, what needs resolving is the second coming and, directly connected to that, Aziraphale and Crowley's rift. To me, not knowing the story obviously, that seems super reasonable to do in 90 minutes?

I don't think anyone involved in the final season can possibly be blind to the appeal of the show being Aziraphale and Crowley over anything else. That's certainly the reason why their roles were expanded to begin with from the book and why the second season was, nominally, all about them. They also now have to pay MS and DT for appearing in a movie rather than an ensemble show, there's no way they won't be front and center. Amazon wants a show that will make money and market itself; there's a reason why all the promo material for S2 was of Crowley and Aziraphale, because people engage with that stuff, reblog it, make art that promotes the show, etc. It makes no artistic or financial sense to make a movie that sidelines them.

GO is at its best when it has Terry's voice most strongly in it. That's why to me, S2 was a weaker, more meandering season overall (that, and I think the minisodes, while fun, just make the season feel comprised of different voices not always working in tandem towards a common goal). If I was a writer hired to condense a season into a film, and one of the authors had been rightfully disgraced, I would go out of my way to ensure the clearly Terry stuff is most significantly emphasized. It's telling to me that the Pratchett estate is producing and it's possible that the end result will result in more Terry, less Neil.

Think of it this way: everything we've gotten after S1 has always been extra. Imagine telling a fan of the book in the 90s that not only will you get a six episode adaptation, you also get a totally new second season, AND a movie?

Basically: I know this is disappointing but I think a lot of the pleasure of the Good Omens fandom was ALWAYS people picking up on and expanding on details, and y'all managed to do that just fine when A&C were only ensemble members in S1. You can and will do that with a movie too. And this solution both a) ensures first and foremost that Neil won't be involved or the allegations swept under the rug, and b) gives an opportunity for the heart of the story to be emphasized with greater focus, clarity and less filler.

Will we lose good stuff? Probably. But it's also possible we will get a tighter, more condensed, focused version of the best bits, the Terry Pratchett-est bits. I can easily see a 90 minute movie that, knowing they HAVE to focus on the important stuff now, is more Crowley and Aziraphale centric than ever.

[drvscarlett]

Let Him Cook Pt 6

Charles Leclerc x Masterchef! Reader

Let Him Cook Series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

A/N: Thank you for that anon who gave me a message for the next part of the series. This one is dedicated for you!

taglist: @bookstore-of-dreams@barcelonaloverf1life@ririyulife@minseok-smaus@mehrmonga@sltwins@charlesgirl16@six-call@spideybv28@casperlikej@weekendlusting@janeholt3 @evie-119@leilanixx @randomgirlnumber-13@itsjustkhaos

Cookies and Grand Prix

Y/NCooks just posted a photo.

Y/NCooks Now that my masterchef duties are done. Its my first time going to a grand prix as Charles' girlfriend. I hope you like cookies

User1 OMG IM GOING TOMORROW!!! OMYGODDDDD

Y/NCooks I'll give you a cookie when I see you! User1 Ohmygod, this is the best. You are the best!

User3 I'm envious of everyone going to Monza this year, Y/N is giving out cookies

User4 The details are everything on those cookies

CarlosSainz55 Im technically a former ferrari driver so can I claim a cookie?

LoganSargeant can i have one too? Y/NCooks this is for everyone!! Make sure to drop by Carlos and Logan! Maxverstappen1 Expect me around! User5 Everybody is a ferrari fan!

"Okay mon amour, so there will be a big crowd when we arrive" Charles briefed you as you get closer to the venue "Make sure to stick close to me."

"Yes honey, I know. Hold your hand and don't let go"

Charles has been extremely stressed and he thinks it might not be a good idea to bring you to Monza for your first GP as a couple. However, you couldn't pass up the opportunity. You have seen how the people cheered for Charles when he won in Monza, the crowd was electrifying. You wonder what will happen if it happens again this weekend.

Besides, you have a basket full of cookies that you prepared to give for those fans of Charles that you will meet.

You were immediately greeted by a huge crowd calling out Charles name. It was no wonder that there was several security guards waiting at Charles' designated parking lot.

It was normal for Charles to stop to take photos and to sign some merch. What surprised the duo was that the fans were asking for Y/N and her cookies.

"We really waited for you guys so we can get some cookies" one of the avid Tifosi said

"I really hope the cookies give ferrari luck"you agreed.

There was a buzz in the paddock as you gave away several more cookies to the different fans you encountered. You managed to give Carlos and Logan since they were also waiting at the parking lot. You were so carried away talking to everyone that you didn't realize that you already ran out of cookies.

"Oh no, I didn't save cookies for your other friends" you concluded upon reaching the garage.

"That's okay mon amour, I'm sure they would understand that there is no more cookies" Charles assured.

And like a comical entrance, a man in full Red Bull gear enters the sea of red uniforms.

"What do you mean no more cookies?" Max asked "I did not just go through all the security details to not have cookies"

"Oops."

Grill the grid: eggs

It was a fairly easy challenge, the media team thought. They believe that there will be no harm to let the drivers cook since its just a simple hard-boiled egg.

There was a stove, a pot, 2 bottles of water, eggs, vinegar, salt, and pepper on the table. They also thought that it will be funny to put unnecessary spices and ingredients on the table so there is grated cheese, spring onions, cinnamon, carrots, and etc..

The drivers entered the room looking confused at the different set up of the Grill the Grid.

"We're giving people what they want, today were actually allowing the drivers to show off their cooking skills with this special episodes of grill the grid"

Charles is obviously happy. He was already raving about how there are different versions of eggs that he tried at home because of Y/N.

"I have already tried doing poached egg, soft-boiled eggs, french omelette, american ones" Charles enumerated "I think I'm the best at making scrambled eggs"

"Its just scrambled"

"There is a technique there" and Charles continued to ramble on the different techniques that he has used to achieve the perfect scrambled eggs.

On the other hand, Oscar is attempting to make a hard boiled egg. He admits to the camera that he did not have any experience of it but he definitely knows how it taste (obviously).

"So Oscar what is your game plan here?"

"Well, I'm planning to boil the water and I think I should add some vinegar and then maybe sugar and salt so the egg will be flavored" Oscar stopped as he heard the giggling on set "Wait am I wrong?"

"No, no, just continue"

"Okay so I think I'm gonna let the eggs cook once the water is rolling then I'm gonna wait for 15-18 minutes because I don't wanna serve raw eggs" Oscar continued.

The staffs are a bit shocked by the length of time. It was beyond overcooked but they wouldn't say anything to the Australian driver.

It cuts to Max who seems to be pretty confident with his skill. Its a simple egg, how hard can it be?

"Of course, we have to get the water boiling and then I'm going to put it in for 5 minutes and then get the egg out" Max explained.

If Oscar has a long waiting time, Max was immediately dropping the egg even before the water is boiling because Max believes that the water is hot to the touch.

"What happened, why is the egg still runny?" Max wondered

He cut off the egg and there was still slimy white and the yolks were uncooked. There was a frown on his face as he looked back at his pot, he thinks he is being sabotaged.

"I'm gonna do it again"

Yuki was excited to do the cooking challenge. He insisted that he will not just make a hard boiled egg but he will also showcase a soft-boiled egg. The staffs were ecstatic to see him running around to get iced water for his eggs.

"I make these weekly so I'm really confident that it will turn out well"Yuki has a permanent grin as he fishes out his soft-boiled egg.

"If you want a soft-boiled egg, boiling water with the bubbles and then 8 minutes on the clock. Then you put it in an ice bath and then peel it" Yuki narrates.

He opens his soft boiled egg and it showcases a jammy yolk and soft whites, the perfect kind of soft-boiled eggs. The studio applauds at Yuki's efforts.

Y/NCooks just posted a photo

Y/NCooks since the episode is out, here is the list of photos sent to me by the crew. Guess which is which.

User2 OHMYGOD, THIS IS SO FUNNY!!!

User3 LOOK AT OSCAR'S REALLY OVERCOOKED EGGS

User6 i was seriously laughing when he said 18 to 20 minutes User7 For real, man thinks he is tenderizing meat

maxverstappen1 i demand a part 2

Charles_Leclerc "its so easy" maxverstappen1 shut up. i have been cooking now kellypiquet p is getting tired of eggs every morning user9 max is really serious to train himself on how to make eggs

User14 I just know that yuki is the one with the best looking egg, so smooth!!!

Y/Ncooks yes!!! User17 charles is the one with the unsmooth peeling Y/NCooks the man can't have it all, i guess

LandoNorris thank God they didn't send you my photo

Y/NCooks lando, i dont think anyone grabbed a photo since the fire department was called CarlosSainz55 you did what???? Charles_Leclerc and they call me as someone who can't cook when we have Lando here being a fire hazard LandoNorris Y/N THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR SECRET User22 atleast team papaya are both needing lessons.

The cookie prank.

Max was still upset that he didn't get to have cookies in Monza. He was really looking forward to it so he wasn't the least suspicious when he allowed Charles inside his home since he brought him cookies.

It was wrong of Max to put down his defenses.

"I'm gonna get some water, you want anything?" Max asked

"No, I'm just gonna get comfortable here with your cats"

Charles stood in front of the cat litter box and he pulled the ziplock bag that he has. Inside the ziplock bag was another set of cookies that looks like cat poops. He laughed quietly as he sets up the scene.

"Max, do you know about that coffee made from poop?" he asked the Dutchman

"Of course, Kopi Luwak" Max replied "Why did you ask?"

Max walked out of the kitchen and he can see clearly how Charles picked up a poop from the litter box. He almost dropped the water that he is holding upon seeing that.

"What if we use cat poop instead" Charles wondered

"CHARLES WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

The pure mortification in Max's face when Charles started eating the poop. It seems like his friend lost his mind after driving in Ferrari for all these years.

"You should try some"

"Y/N, CHARLES IS GOING CRAZY" Max immediately placed you on a call "I THINK HE NEEDS THERAPY"

"Woah slow down Max" you were out on a grocery run and now Max is screaming at your ear

"Hello mon amour"Charles greeted on the other line.

"HE LOST HIS MIND, HE STARTED EATING MY CAT'S POOPS"

You made a mental face palm as you remembered how Charles insisted that you make very realistic cookies that looks like poop. Charles never opened it to you that he will be using it to prank Max. You started laughing at the shock in Max's face.

"Max, those are cookies" you defended

"THEY ARE CAT POOPS, CHARLES LECLERC IS EATING CAT POOPS"

Oh what would you do with these boys.

[beetleviolet]

My feelings about Tales of the TMNT!

Lmk ur thoughts, especially if you disagree! I would love to hear about it! I, personally, have A LOT of thoughts. Starting with:

I kinda hate the premise.

No, no LISTEN

I LOVE the idea of a series with these characters! I love them and their dynamic, plus with the animation style and cool writing from the movie I was really looking forward to the new series!

I was picturing what I feel like a lot of people were: a story about the tmnt balancing their hero stuff with school, something we haven't really seen before! This also will give them a chance to develop as individuals, something that was touched on in the movie. Awesome! Sounds great!

I hear you cry, 'Wait, so you don't like the series because school isn't a main plot point?' NO

I DONT LIKE THE SERIES BECAUSE NONE OF IT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!!!

I understand 1 DnD episode. I understand a filler episode that is discounted from cannon later. What I DONT understand is entire 6 EPISODE ARCS that CANNONICALLY DONT EXIST!!!!

Inventing characters that apparently don't exist in cannon?? And more important to me, spending entire episodes on a specific turtles development, before finding out that IT DIDNT HAPPEN!

And the worst part is.. im not sure? Its wildly unclear how much of these arcs are true, if anything is true, if these are just embellished stories or what. Its wildly confusing and discouraging when all this is happening but JK ITS NOT REAL LOL.

Like none of this is wildly outlandish either? I found the plot pretty realistic to tmnt (I have problems with bishops character, but that's a rant for another post) and super enjoyable! I loved it! Which makes me even more mad because IT APARENTLY NEVER HAPPENED??? I THINK???

The first was out of Leo's comic book, but it was unclear whether this happened and he was just writing it down, or if the whole thing was his writing (which like. It would make sense if Bishop was written by a 15 year old bc of the inconsistencies in her development- AH IM GETTING OFF TRACK AGAIN). For Raphs story (which i liked so much better) it was ABUNDENTLY clear he was pulling the tale out of his ass.

This kind of thing, for one random filler episode, would be fun! Raph telling a super action packed adventure, or Leo's comic book story would be cool!

But. Idk. I love these characters. Why do all of this cool stuff for them when none of it is real?

Anyway, if you disagree please let me know! I would LOVE to hear about it!!!

[red-velvet-0w0]

Erins list of media recomendations

Are you bored and looking for a new show to get into?

Did you follow me for one specific fandom and now have no idea what 90% of my posts are about?

Well look no further!

here is a list of a bunch of really cool media (of various genres/mediums) that I love and you might love too! (these are mostly going to be smaller fandoms/media that i dont think gets the attention they deserve):

Hello From the Hallowoods (podcast): My beloved! if you are a fan of Malevolent or TMA, and want other queer eye themed horror podcasts, this is my #1 recomendation. It is by far my favorite podcast of all time, and needs way more love then it gets. its currently still releasing episodes and is on its 4th season (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): a scattered group of survivors of an apocalypse known as "the black rains" fight to survive in a strange and magical forest, as an all seeing god watches from afar)

Witherburn After School News (podcast): Another great underappreciated queer podcast. its still releasing episodes and is currently still in its first season. Though there are supernatural elements, the story remains far more grounded and interested in the ordinary lives of the people. Gives a lot of the same vibes of season 1 TMA, but if instead of the statements being the focus, the characters were given the spotlight while the supernatural stories loomed in the background (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): a young reporter in a small town decides starts an afterschool radio show, where she discusses the goings on around town, and takes it upon herself to investigate the dissapearences of children that the police refuse to acknowledge)

Aurora Webcomic (webcomic): A webcomic made by OSP Red herself! the art and storytelling is phenomanal, and all of the characters are impecibaly written. it is currently in its second arc, and regularly releasing 3 pages a week. (also fun fact its where i got the name erin from) (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): a demigod must rescue his master from a god-stealing witch before she is able to use his soul to end all life on earth. along the way he meets up with a cast of colorful characters, each with their own quests, who decide to band together to save the world)

Nova Drift (video game): did you ever play that old Asteroids video game back in the day? did you ever wonder what it would be like if it was instead a fast paced bright neon roguelike where you massacred everybody who stood in your path with high tech machinery? well nova drift has you covered! its a ton of fun and increadibly addicting, with tons of complexity and endless replayability

Epithet Erased (indie cartoon): If wordplay was a series. it was created by the youtuber JelloApocalypse based off of a rpg campaign he played with friends. Though its artstyle is relatively simple due to its low budget, the limits put upon the animation allow it to find new and creative ways to tell its story. (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): In a universe where people have words tied to their souls that grant them powers, 6 people must battle it out in a museum for control over an ancient artifact)

The Wandering Inn (web fiction): another one of the reasons I go by Erin! though I honestly really need to catch up with it, I highly recomend the wandering inn if youre interested in more long-form stories. It is currently on volume 10 (i think im not sure) and each volume is longer then the last. If youre a fan of storys with hundreds of characters and shifting viewpoints youll love it. otherwise you should run in fear because you will not be able to remember half of the characters by volume 2. (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): A chess prodigy from earth named Erin Solstice suddenly finds herself transported into an RPG style fantasy world with magic, classes, and levels. to survive, she decides to become a bartender)

Bigtop Burger (indie cartoon): If youre a fan of absurdist comedies, this is the show for you. Its made by the youtuber Worthikids and just finished its second season. its incredibly short and can be binged in its entirety in just over half an hour. (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): a clown themed food truck attempt to sell burgers, while fighting with their rival food truck, and slowly realizing that their boss is not who they thought he was)

Kid Vampire (indie cartoon): much like Bigtop, KV is a simple and charming show with not much more going on. if your looking for some fun fluffy stories about some kids having fun, id recomend it, but if your looking for something more serious you might want to look elsewhere. Its made by the youtuber Mummy Joe, and is actively releasing episodes. (slightly spoilery pitch (if you dont like spoilers look away): a vampire child named Kid Vampire is sent to go to school with humans to kill them and steal their blood, but ends up making some new friends instead.)

Those are nowhere near all of my favorites, but id highly recomend you check at least 1 out! I adore all of these and if I can get even 1 more person to become a fan, ill consider that a win!

[mikasleaf]

YO CHALLENGE TO CELEBRATE THE TURTLES'S 40 YEARS! LETS HAVE A T-MAY-NT

Hi fellow shellheads! Since we have this special date coming upon us! This may 5th will be the 40th anniversary of the creation of our beloved turtles! So i wanted to make something special, an inktober but turtles themed! and I also don't think it needs to be only an art challenge,many of the prompts I shared could also be completed just sharing a picture or something! But the idea is to fill all kinds of platforms with our turtle boys! I already got a lot thought out but I know many of you may have great ideas that im missing, I'm gonna share the prompts on my art profile and stuff, but of course I'll credit you if with the username you choose if I include one of your prompts! Here's what I have so far, any suggestions on prompts or prompt orders will be welcomed of course!

Also like inktober I'm pointing to have a version of the challenge where you just draw 1 prompt a week and just answer the rest

Okay now, here they are:

1. Your Favorite turtle(-)

2.Favorite turtle merch/toy that you own

3.Favourite lesson

4.fav low ranking villain!

5.Favorite turtle curseword!

6. Favorite April!

7. Fav splinter

8. Favorite shredder

9.Favorite villain!

10. Favorite ally!

11. Favorite ship!

13. Baby turtles!

12. Favorite pizza toppings! And who'd like it the best?

13. Best leo (from all incarnations)

14. Best raph (from all incarnations)

15. Best Donnie (from all incarnations)

16. Best Mikey from all incarnations

17. FAV turtle Duo!(of 2)

19. Turtles in their 40's

18. Favorite episode (from any series)

19. Favorite movie

20. Favorite rivalry (Turtle+Villain Dynamic)

21. Favorite turtle + ally dynamic

22. Favorite opening or t

23.fav High ranking villain

24.Human turtles!(-)

25.favourite alternative outfit or design

26.Favorite turtle curse!

27. If you were a mutant! What would you be?

28. best gadget/vehicle

29. fave turtle video game

30. best Casey jones

31. best karai!

32.your turtle Sona!

33.Favorite opening or theme song

34.Human turtles!(-)

35.If you were another kind of mutant(not turtle) What would you be?

36.best gadget/vehicle

37.fave game

38.One of the three oldest versions of the turtles (1984, 1987 or 1991)

Which ones do you vote out? All feedback you can give will be welcome!

[lorelaiislatte]

Do you think there's a chance a streaming service will pick ncis:h? I've signed the petition but do we dare to hope? I'm tired of this happening all the time. I just dont understand. It was doing fine in ratings and it's a part of a franchise that keeps getting more spin offs? How that makes sense? Do you know the ratings compared with the others ncis shows? Sorry im asking you but im not from usa and i have no idea how american netwoks work. So sad rn.

okay SO i am also not from the us but have done this dance before sooooo:

1) from what i’ve heard, they were planning to move either another ncis show (i think sydney?) or another cbs show to paramount plus - which they now are no longer doing. in theory yes, this opens up the possibility for ncishi to move over there; in practice, i’m not holding my breath, as typically that negotiation would happen before a cancellation announcement

2) how does it make sense? the honest answer is that it doesn’t. like, it really doesn’t. it’s been holding steady at sixth of 14 cbs shows in the ratings (which is a brilliant number, ensures it’s profitable, and is also impressive for a procedural that’s still relatively new). it’s been beating a LOT of other crime procedurals in viewership and viewer retention, and reviewers have been singing its praises. i think this is why it feels so much as if it’s because they just view this show as less valuable (socially and economically) than their usual white guy cop shows; it’s very difficult to argue that your profitable, successful show is too expensive when you’re flying cast and crews across - or, potentially, internationally to - australia, to continue a less-highly-rated show with no issue.

3) as far as ratings go - ncis hawai’i episodes were pulling in as many as 10 million viewers last year (s2 e10 came in with 10.5 mil, as per variety telecast viewership reports) which has it going toe to toe with the core ncis (seems to pull approx. 8-10mil per episode, via hollywood reporter). for the 18-49 demographic across us series, ncis hawaii is ranking at #13 of #21 as per tvseriesfinale.com - this is significantly above ncis sydney (renewed, #15), and elsbeth (#19, renewed), two other cbs shows, one of which in particular is incredibly expensive. crucially, ncishi has actually increased its viewership, which is VERY difficult to do on a year to year basis. its up by 4.18% among 18 to 49 year olds - for comparison the core NCIS is down 0.83% and fbi international - a competing show - is down by 3.73%. bear in mind that even a single percentage point represents hundreds of thousands of viewers.

i also want to point out that ranking at #13 isn’t strictly representative of viewer numbers, it’s about percentage of viewers that are within that core age bracket. the neighbourhood is ranking at #6, but only pulling in 4.8 million viewers - ncishi is at #13, and pulling in 5.2 million. ncishi pulls in over half a million more viewers than four shows ranked above it in that chart.

so essentially - it doesn’t make sense. from any perspective. it doesn’t make sense from a business perspective (ncis sydney is more expensive to produce and brings in approx. 200k less viewers than ncishi, and ncishi crew had already agreed to a shortened, budget-restrained final season), it doesn’t make sense for a ratings perspective (it continues to outperform many of cbs’ own shows, including ones that have been renewed), it doesn’t make sense from a social perspective (people are loving it, even outside of our fandom spaces).

objectively, it’s a really, really bad move by cbs. i also thought being part of a franchise would be a kind of safety net - fool me once, i guess. all the evidence suggests that they just don’t care enough about ncishi, especially when they’ve got their bullshit white guy ncis origins show, a young sheldon spinoff (?? who asked?) and a plethora of other cookie-cutter shows they can just keep going with. and we can make a pretty educated guess as to why, when the main things that set ncishi apart from the other ncis shows are its diversity and character dynamics

(edit: it was pointed out that people aren’t being flown to sydney from the us, which is true, and bad phrasing on my part - but many are flown across australia at seemingly similar costs to mainland us/hawai’i flights, and i believe not all of the leads are based in australia either, so i’ve updated that bit for clarity. apologies!)

[what-thisiscrazzzy]

Okay I just wrote and essay on soap operas and while doing this is read Glen Creeber’s ‘serial television’ where he discussed the hybridisation of the soap opera and its characteristic of the ‘flexi- narrative’ and I want to talk about how this applies to 911 on ABC especially with the season 6 ending and the season 8 renewal 3 episodes into its new season.

Disclaimer: I don’t want to write a whole essay on this and i dont fully have an idea where im going with this. this is just me rambling.

Firstly Creeber defines the soap opera as: A continuous, never-ending drama series usually set around the domestic and intimate lives of a small community that explicitly resists narrative closure.

The 'flexi-narrative' is the characteristic of soap operas where there are multiple narratives running separately and with different tones. not all of these narratives will reach a complete conclusion, some trailing off and some left open for further exploration. This creates a sense of realism as real life continues on and doesnt have a conclusion.

Additionally, Christine Geraghty explains that realism in soaps is also built by the way that the narrative continues without the viewer creating the sense that they live a day to day life beyon what the viewer can observe.

A quick explanation of hybridisation is that elements such as the flexinarrative and the focus on close interpersonal relationships rather than larger overarching plotlines and politics. Within the text that I'm referring to there is a discussion of how shows based on work places become less about the jobs and more about these relationships.

John Wilsher (who is quoted in this book) states that essentially all drama is becoming a soap opera with these more personal stories, this is stated like a negative by him but I personally find these narrative more interesting as they become more psychological and allow for a discussion of more personal topics and political implications.

But basically what is being said is the drama now is a sort of hybrid with soap operas and has adapted to include the flexi-narrative and a focus on more personal narrastives.

This is where my thoughts come to 911 and its move to ABC. The previous season of 911's ending was created with the knowledge that the show would most likely be cancelled (i don't know at what point the writers where aware of this but i think it can be assumed that the season didn't start with this confirmed and/or known) this meant that everything had to be wrapped up, every story line must come to a form of conclusion. I think it can be easily said that most viewers and fans found the conclusion as unsatisfying due to the choices made by writers. However, I think to an extent no conclusion would be satisfying as 911 is a show that benefits and thrives on the flexi-narrative. In a sense it is a hybrid of the soap opera similar to most modern procedurals and within this is the expectation that it will feature continuous plot lines and refer back to its past stories. This can be seen in the various 'Buck' iterations, the acknowledgement of Buck's character progression. A large part of 911 is the personal development of characters like Buck but also Bobby and his alcoholism, Hen's family and its occasional issues and celebrations, Chim and his journey with relationships and Maddie with overcoming abuse and developing a healthy family. Any final conclusion to 911 will feel unsatisfying as the show has built on the sense of realism, these characters have been shown to experience life beyond the plot and to write it to a close feels unnatural.

I also believe the way they chose to conclude specifically Bucks story did feel rush, if anything if they didn't have time to give him a fully developed love interest then they should have returned to a previous iteration of the couch metaphor and had him happy single or continue looking for love with a healthier mind set. To give him a concrete close without the time to set up a fulfilling future feels odd even if you have no investment in Buddie or if you did have investment in his relationship with Natalia. The narrative structure of 911 creates the pattern that there is no happy ending, they just continued development. The ending of season 6 didn't create a sense that Buck will develop more, his new relationship felt almost closed. I think a comparison to this is Eddie's ending which did feel like a closing but instead like a slightly new beginning (I don't personally like Marisol but this isnt about opinions of the love interest but instead how she is introduced) as it was an opening to Eddie developing past... well his past.

Anyway this is all to say that the renewal of 911 after 3 episodes of season 7 does sit well with this comparison to soap operas in terms of its benefits. 911 works better when the writers can write these flexi-narratives that are continuous and could last not just for a season but beyond that. I think that's sort of where 911 has suffered as it sometimes tries to close narratives that don't require closure or are ended too early. Such as the Buckley parents, that's a narrative that could have been taken through multiple seasons and even with forgiveness it could be something that could be further discussed. But season 8 being renewed allows the writers the safety to write continuous stories that don't need to be concluded by the end of the season. I think in general 911 thrives when it doesn't try to close things and instead continues on. A wedding isn't the ending of the dating era but a new beginning, a death isn't the end but a way to explore its ramifications, etc.

This was all just me rambling bc i had to read a bunch of stuff for uni and 911 was on my brain but ultimately what i want to get at is procedural shows such as 911 benefit more from being treated as soap operas or at least using the characteristics they have inherited to its advantage and if they are given the freedom to create long running and never ending personal narratives they can develop a more satisfying story.

This all made more sense in my head sorry

[ebisul]

TCW Rewatch: Season 3 Episodes 5-8

More Satine episodes. I don’t even disagree with her like goals and motivations I just personally dont like her personality and methodology.

Tbf i also really dont like the portrayal of Mandalore in general in this series. These notes i think explain my issues with this portrayal fairly well tho.

Episode 5: Corruption

* More Satine episodes oh boy…

* Satine wins neutrality for Mandalore but this brands her an outsider from the Republic and makes it difficult to aid the mandalorians

* Padme goes to Mandalore for a diplomatic visit hoping to alleviate tension as Mandalore is consumed with greed

* In the masses of the Mandalorian people is spotted one (1) person of color in the swathes of blonde or red haired, white people

* Arguing about trade routes and smuggling supplies

* Discussions of war, neutrality, and corruption between padme and satine, padme says she sometimes wishes she could follow mandalore in becoming a neutral planet, she also says she works to overcome the corruption of the republic and that she believes it is possible to do so

* Children are getting poisoned

* She says the terrorist attacks have only been targeted at her and her administration as if they didnt plant a bomb in a populated area and harm innocents if im remembering correctly

* The sterility of Mandalore irks me, I know it’s probably meant to be this like “ooh look how clean and peaceful” but it just looks offputting this is supposed to be a school for children and it looks like a stereotypical mental institution. Theres no color, the children where drab grey uniforms, its so strange

* And again there are only blonde white children in that entire cafeteria

* It took children getting poisoned to admit to corruption? Not the multiple traitors youve had to deal with?

* Greed kills

* Padmes such a badass i love her

* Ah… That Scene… this is another example of what i dislike about Satine bc shes being totally unreasonable her, she wants to destroy evidence for her own investigation, and when someone says “but you’re destroying evidence thats not a good idea” she threatens to arrest him for something he didnt do, effectively framing him for what? Having the audacity to point out the flawed logic?

* Also coming back to the “we sent all of our warriors to the moon” thing, what about your literal police force?

* She understands that her government is corrupt but what is she really doing to root out the corruption?

* Almec says he will investigate

* It is a good idea to take this to the Jedi directly as opposed to taking it to the Republic bc they would just send the Jedi anyway and the Republic will just turn them away for their neutrality

Episode 6: The Academy

* Love that it recognizes that Mandalore is deeply corrupt, instead of doubling down on the whole idyllic peace bullshit facade they have

* Also did they ever actually come to a conclusion on the trade issues? I dont think so but like thats hella important

* Im saying this now but i do not subscribe to the Korkie is a Kenobi theory and actively dislike it for so many reasons

* Ahsoka explains corruption very well, i especially like the “its every citizens duty to challenge their leaders” although Satine probably would disagree all things considered

* Shes accidentally radicalizing the students its great

* Who are these goat guys? They keep showing up

* Ofc the police are corrupt, theyre police

* He totally couldve lost his leg there

* What a surprise… the prime minister is the traitor…

* So was Satine aware of Almec? I assume she was already investigating

* Ok that’s torture

* And coercion but i dont think thats a war crime

Episode 7: Assassin

* Aurra Sing is DEAD??? Since when???

* Do you think someone should explain to her that learning more on the field than at the temple is not a jedi thing? This is another example of Ahsoka being trained as a soldier and commander rather than a jedi padawan

* Is she worried about Anakin? If so thats sweet

* Oh shes traumatized

* “Troubled” Yoda its called trauma

* Or its just a nightmare

* Baby you are a Padawan, a Student, you are meant to study and learn. You arent a soldier

* So Aurra Sing is alive supposedly and targeting Padme

* Bail and Padme are meant to lead a conference on Alderaan concerning refugees from the war. It is nice to see some of the senators genuinely care for the people.

* Padme and Ahsoka have a cute relationship very older sister, or rather older sister in law

* They really dont seem to be teaching visions very well at Jedi school even though it doesn’t seem to be liek that uncommon

* All these bitches got visions why are you not teaching them about said visions? The children are glimpsing the horrors, Yoda!!

* An almost successful assassination attempt

* I do love when padmes allowed to be badass, i totally get why Anakin would be in love with her even if theyre both so toxic

* Oh wait its ziro?? I wasn’t expecting that i swear i watched this show before

* Whats the deal with ziro??

* Wait is it bc of the hostage situation at the end of season 1? I dont remember how that ended

Episode 8: Evil Plans

* Is this the cad bane torturing droids episode?

* I just love to see Todo and Bane

* R2 is such a diva i love it

* I know coruscant is meant to be like epitome of corruption in the GFFA but goddamn is it ugly hidden behind the pretty lights

* Does that make sense or is it just the ADHD brain talking

* Bane knows R2 by name? Ok ig

* I actually still havent picked up on what Bane is looking for

* In my defense my brain fog makes my ADHD worse and i dont wanna rewatch the episode

* Why does Jabba need the Senate floor plans?

* Does this episode take place pre- season 1 episode 22? I still have no idea if Ziro was recaptured or not

* Wait why does R2 even have the senate floor plans?

War Crime Counter:

Separatists: 13

Republic: 7

No new war crimes this time only because idk if i should count them considering the guilty parties arent on the board

[misarem]

Umineko Episode 6 Thoughts or Where I Actually Lock In

Okay so im cursing myself at how long its been since the last one. After making it thru ep 6 i got to the end not feeling that.. elucidated on the whole thing even tho everyone says ep 6 is like the final stop biggest hint youre going to get on this mystery. Which genuinely left me feeling kinda sad and a bit stupid lmao. I could not tell what I wasn’t getting and the phrase “without love, it cannot be seen” being waved in front of my face did not help like I was being TAUNTED. To the point where I found groups that were into the game and actually talked through my ideas, refined my thoughts, looked back on many MANY parts of the story and slowly I’ve come to a conclusion I’m actually sorta confident in. So! After so long i think its time for me to take my sherlock hat off and just keep going with this game. But not before my little journal on this absolutely ridiculous but amazing episode. Spoilers below for the episode itself and what i think the answer to the central mystery of the entire game is which I will be immediately going into before talking abt some other points as well as Erika again because I'm contractually obligated to. this will be a longer one

So after everything. After butting my head against the wall every time Zepar and Furfur told me without love it can’t be seen. After pouring over text LPs and reading this episode twice and having people help refine my thoughts. What I think happened was. 1967. November 29th. A baby is born on Rokkenjima and taken in by Kinzo Ushiromiya, still deep in his mourning of the Golden Witch Beatrice. As this baby grows up, Kinzo shapes their identity under his upbringing and they grow up with a very stunted sense of self. EIther as some sort of disguise or to give themselves more fulfillment, they assume the identity of a young maid named Shannon and a younger servant named Kanon. This helps them navigate their life on Rokkenjima fine until the larger Ushiromiya family enters the picture, specifically Battler, Jessica and George, whose love for them begins to pull their identity apart. After a conversation with a 12 year old Battler about the kind of woman he likes, and getting even closer with George and Jessica in the years after, this person is at a crossroads on whos wishes get to be fulfilled: Shannon’s, Kanon’s, or Beatrice’s, and this all comes to a head on October 4th, 1986, where they facilitate a series of murders as an internal competition and as a demonstration to the person who affected them the most: Battler Ushiromiya.

….I THINK. I didn’t have the epiphany I thought I would have, more like a slow slow realization when I began to piece together the early-suggested possibility that Shannon was behind the appearances of Beatrice that Maria sees, the weird status of Kanon’s body at the end of almost every twilight, how Kanon had to bail Battler out in the first place, and the Love Duel itself, Shannon, Kanon and Beatrice all being on equal footing within it, and why Shannon and Kanon’s (and Beatrice’s) love had to be mutually exclusive in the first place. Plus more little details like the 19 paces coinciding with the perceived 19 people on the island (family + Beato) and the 19 years since the master of the game had been born, the narration and several characters like Featherine saying that the solution to the previous question or to the logic error could be the key to the whole mystery and is a part of Beato’s heart (her identity). George’s reminiscence of Battler and Shannon as a 12 year old with Beato’s own reminiscence of it coinciding with it. The fact that Battler has literally never seen Kanon and Shannon in the same room and the mystery of how Battler saw Beatrice after the murders of the fourth game. But I think that Shannon, Kanon, and Beatrice are all identities of one person, the 16th person after subtracting Kinzo, Kanon and Shannon from the initial 18, and that their disguises and faked deaths are the key to solving not just the logic error room, but the entire game and magic as a whole. Granted I don’t have *everything* figured out with this yet but I feel like I have my foot in the door finally.

Just starting with the logic error room, we know that Erika and Kanon entered and Batler left, the chain was reset when Erika entered, yet by the end of Erika’s search, Kanon was nowhere in the guestroom. Airtight locked room murder, practically no way to get out of this one, at least through the door. And for good measure, Hideyoshi, George, Nanjo, Kumasawa and Shanon are in the next room over while *everyone else* is in the cousins’ room, and during the escape, the seals to the doors of these rooms are intact. Genuinely the only in that I had on this one at first was the “everyone else” wording with Kanon’s status as furniture as my teeny little screwdriver I was trying to pry this thing open with. Of course the furniture thing is mostly a metaphor for the crested servants’ character arcs, and Genji is considered a person who would be included as “everyone else” but it was a start. Incidentally, my attempts before this episode had me reassessing the idea that Shannon could have disguised herself as Beatrice for Maria from the earlier episodes, and it was like I needed something to bridge these two ideas. And the fact of Kanon coming to save Battler being confirmed in red makes it seem useless to try to figure out how he got out of the cousins' room, but figuring that out was an important first step to my reasoning, as it helped me begin forming the idea that, somehow, to have been out of the cousin’s room, he would have had to be somehow less than one, to not be his own person, to not be included in “everyone else”. And taking this to the guestroom, it eventually dawned on me that, if *he* wasn’t his own person, and his love for Jessica couldn’t exist if Shannon was going to be with George, then maybe these two got in the way of each other because they were the same person, and if this was true, Kanon could escape the guestroom by discarding the disguised and identity of ‘Kanon’, removing him from the guestroom, since it was never specified that nobody was in there, only that Kanon wasn’t. ‘Shannon’ in the next room over could have gotten out through the window, since the status of the seals on the window is a hole that is pointed out in the episode, but Dlanor forbids it from being used, I think because bringing it up without solving Kanon’s identity would be solving the mystery incorrectly or at least out of order.

From here, you can take this to many of the other murders in Question arcs. I think I pointed out that Shannon’s body was hidden from George by Hideyoshi in episode 1, but rereading made me realize that not only had Battler not properly seen it either, but if Kanon was at the scene too, following my theory, the body could not have been Shannon’s. Whose it was I’m not sure. If Kumasawa got into her closet for this that would be funny. If they had a body prepared then sure. But this in conjunction with Kanon’s death not being seen by Battler later leaves this person without the identity of Shannon OR Kanon, free to run around the mansion murdering as they please. Even better if they are prepared to disguise as Beatrice as well, as this would have allowed them to have Maria turn around so they could kill Genji, Nanjo, and Kumasawa without harming her, and when the 4 others would come in and investigate, this person would slip out and kill Natsuhi. For Eva and Hideyoshi, since it was Kanon (and Genji who came upon the crime scene), I think it’s possible that the chain being locked was a lie on Genji and Kanon’s part.

As we know in Episode 2, Kanon’s corpse disappears after his death to the confusion of almost everyone, but this is because the body, as Shannon, is in Kinzo’s study “informing him of the murders” which after learning of Kinzo’s pre-game death means she can be doing whatever she wants. Since Kanon never shows up again, she operates as she needs to until she dies with George and Gohda. I think Shannon struggled with killing both of them. It seemed like there was a genuine struggle to even get the door open and overpower George and Gohda, so her and George could have killed each other, or she kills herself after killing George in mourning, because the final twilight is complete, or because she believes Genji or Rosa will take care of the rest. If Shannon was alive, Rosa stopping Battler from disturbing the body and then chasing everyone out would work for that, but Battler also witnesses like, the viscera of her head spilling out of the hole in it, which could constitute as a body check..? Maybe there’s some fuckery with how this Shannon looks to us and to the people inside the story, and that’s how she bypasses Battler’s body check? idk this one isn’t so solid but Kanon’s missing body is so damning to me. Battler does see Beato and Kinzo at the end and this could have been the culprit as Beato. Battler doesn’t get a good look at her and only sees Kinzo’s back as well. And the magic stuff at the end of every episode in my interpretation is Battler having died and the anti-magic, objective perspective being removed. So idk still working on that one lmao

The biggest thing for Episode 3 is the locked room chain, and having two of the servants being assumed identities really helps. Kanon’s body is ‘found’ in the chapel, a very remote part of the island, so his body is hard to confirm. On the other hand, Shannon is ‘found’ in the parlor, the easiest room to operate from and one that the adults were likely to break the locked room status of by shattering the window. Because Battler sees none of these bodies, the true nature of Shannon and Kanon's status is never confirmed, and it can be assumed that the culprit, having (momentarily) discarded Kanon and Shannon, once again has free reign over the mansion. This comes into play after Eva’s murders take the group into the mansion, starting with Rosa and Maria’s deaths as its unlikely the culprit would kill Maria this early. Kyrie kills Hideyoshi here, briefly surviving a shot to the stomach and either trying to hit Eva or retaliating against her where it would hurt (unwittingly damning her own daughter so yknow that’s not horrible at all). Back when I was a Kyrietrice truther (how I miss those days) I thought she survived much longer and killed George and Nanjo, but it turns out Battler checking her corpse in the metaworld means that Battler confirmed her death in the game too so bleh. But I think the culprit killed George and laid him in the parlor, possibly leading him in as Shannon. From here I think she writes the 8 digit code, plays dead as the survivors come in and while they’re distracted (Eva, Jessica and Nanjo are caught up in a fight while Battler overtly is checked out of the situation, not looking closely at the corpses at all), she sneaks out, only to be caught and shot at by Eva, which is what blinds Jessica. The shot isn’t immediately fatal but ‘Shannon’ is bleeding out fast and before she dies, she finds and kills Nanjo, “revives” Kanon, as Beatrice puts it, and leads Jessica out to where they will rest for the remainder of the game.

Chapter 4 is weird, it feels impossible to substantiate anything concrete when the whole island is a huge catbox to Battler, cooped up in the guest house, until after almost all of the murders are committed. WIth Shannon/Kanon in the dining hall with everyone, the best I can work out right now is the first six are shot down by them, the rest escape but are killed as well, at some point in between the 8th and 10th killings, ‘Kanon’ is discarded, making him the ‘9th death’, George and Jessica are killed, not before Jessica sees the dead bodies, is chased to her room and works out that if she gets caught, she’ll probably end up like the rest of them, which she tells Battler. At some point, Kyrie manages to get to a phone and call Battler before being killed. The most concrete thing I can deduce is that the hostage group was potentially never in the dungeon, the status of the dungeon’s existence in that space being up in the air, Kanon’s body is not at the bottom of the well that Battler cannot access, when Beatrice shows up to Battler at the end of the 4th and is spurned by Battler not remembering his sin, she finds a way to die as Shannon and be found.

Very hazy still obviously but idk how else Kanon escapes. Honestly "these clues and circumstances make one body unaccounted for so they can go do whatever" feels sorta cheap which makes me second guess all of this, obv theres some tricks to the locked rooms themselves still but I didn't anticipate that one possible theory would clear up so much. And I don't know why Jessica and George are killed either, sure their love is complicated for a reason but it makes me curious what conditions the culprit has to put themselves in to be able to kill them. This also relies on the cooperation of some adults and Nanjo. Even tho I believe he’s nice I think Nanjo isn’t difficult considering he lies about Kinzo’s death for so long, and I feel like it wouldn’t be.. too hard to get any of the adults in on it if related to the inheritance? They do all need a lot of money right now. I still think some of Eva and Hideyoshi’s ep 1 behaviors are suspicious and it would be really funny and interesting if Kyrie was fuckin shit up. To me. 

Overall if this is what the twist is, I think it's neat since Kanon and Shannon have been among my favorites from the beginning and the idea of them being so closely tied to the thematic core of the story is exciting. My idea of magic is so heavily informed by Ange’s story, it makes me wonder, since the Beato we saw in 67 seemed to live in a great deal of emotional neglect, neglect of her own self rather than of “Beatrice” (probably her mother lol), if this culprit is the same in that she was born from Kinzo and a Beato, likely the 67 one, and their personhood was ignored for the sake of Kinzo having Beato again, maybe “Shannon” and “Kanon” are similar to how Maria summons Sakutaro or Ange summons the sisters, and she summons the servants as a way of enriching her sense of self? Would be sort of interesting but it also feels like its crossing over into like DID territory and after playing like 2 danganronpa games worth of poorly handled stuff like that I dont know. I do kinda feel sad for Jessica not really getting to be with Kanon. They constantly get the short end of the stick, obviously because their love hasn’t developed like George and Shannon’s did over the past few years or even how Battler and Beatrice’s did over the past 5 games, but their love is so full of potential, and I love both of them so much. I’d love to just see them happy together but its not Jessica’s fate sadly lmao.

If we’re to believe that it was Battler’s sin that influenced all of this, I do find it to be really interesting how Battler tends to parallel Kinzo, as another extension of the idea that Kinzo keeps this very harrowing grip on all aspects of Beatrice’s/the culprit’s life. That Battler echos Kinzo’s yearning for the old Beatrice isn’t even solely tragic for Battler’s situation, it also has a lot of terrible implications for what we haven’t seen of Kinzo yet, if Battler’s projection of Beatrice as his former lover onto a girl who sees him as her father is any indication of what Kinzo was like. At the very least, I still love Battler and I think he differs from Kinzo by holding onto the love he had for his family. Even after six games, he’s still just as disgusted at the murders, especially so here, and the portrayal of the mothers of the Ushiromiya family in Battler’s game shows that Battler’s capable of a great deal of reflection and understanding, something that’s hard to believe Kinzo was ever willing to offer. For the sin itself it feels like it’s between Battler being like his grandfather, him neglecting the culprit in some way or him denying magic to her and by extension, her way of like and her worldview, like what we saw with young Ange and Maria.

My last thought on this theory is that it makes so much of the love game in ep6, specifically Zepar and Furfur’s commentary, incredibly funny with how on the nose it is, and shifting from the perspective of the elder Beato who doesn’t get it to that of Kanon and Shannon who are painfully aware, is very eye opening to how heavy handed their dialogue is. Yet another moment of the writers desperately trying to guide you to the heart of the mystery which is comforting as a staple of this whole story. 

Looking back at the last post, it is funny how little I had to say about Erika Furudo then. She’s like my second favorite character now, as horrible as she is, and everything she does is in line with how she acted in ep5 (with one caveat we’ll get to), but just way more severe and like mask off about her cold-hearted rejection of emotional truths and desire for complete domination and control of what is accepted as the objective truth which is. very entertaining! Obviously saying a ton about the more clinical, quote unquote “intellectual” camps of mystery readers and writers and about how objective truth really is, which is all incredibly important to understanding the overall mystery, almost like a what not to do when playing Umineko.

But just focusing on Erika herself, she just feels so steeped in every detective trope you’ve ever heard of, and in a story that takes the time to build such nuanced dynamics and relationships between characters, the way she operates can be so two-dimensional it’s actually delightful to watch. Even when she’s given a backstory, it almost feels pre-packaged and thrown in to hastily give her depth and personal relation to truth on a conceptual level, as she is a detective, altho I don’t know if it’s completely hollow. Her back and forth with Dlanor is neat and her final response to it is an early tell that her refusal to recognize the emotions behind people’s truths is a fatal flaw of hers, probably caused by her falling out with her boyfriend. And with the whole game trusting you to see the emotions in everything and to not be cold and clinical in your assessment of the story, I can’t wholly believe she’s completely flat as a character, altho the commentary is still very unsubtle so idk fully. It’s not like bullshit characters can’t be meaningful, and I think there is a level of tragedy in the way she was fashioned on the game board as Bernkastel’s piece, trapped in the position of servitude to Bern, constantly emulating her callousness and seeking her approval, as if she’s like an author insert begging not to be removed by the author herself. 

Like I said, she exhibits almost all the same behaviors she did in the last episode, just more brutally here. It’s almost like after failing to beat Battler at the end of episode 5, she’s trying to prove with everything she has that she really is a completely deplorable person, which she does when she fucking kills 5 people in what was supposed to be a non-tragic game, and she does this using the one thing that makes her different from last time: her lack of detective authority. Not only is is a cool trick that runs alongside her casting off the image of a noble seeker of the truth so she can debase herself in order to chase down a more twisted conclusion, it speaks a lot to her own capabilities that even without the privileges of a detective in a classic mystery story, she’s still able to bend the Ushiromiya family to her will and think miles ahead of Battler, making her all the more terrifying. Another thing that makes her different here is that she’s not just trying to solve the murders anymore, she is actively trying to catch Battler in a logic error, trapping him in the broken rules of his own game forever, and once she convinces him to give her seals to a few of the rooms, she does this incredibly easily, guiding Battler to his own damnation in what is, in my opinion, the best battle between the human side and witch side in the entire game thus far. It is absolutely fucking insane the lengths Erika goes to in order to completely destroy Battler. Her command of the game from the very start as if she had planned every mode both of them were going to make is just diabolical and after being a bit desensitized after the past 5 chapters of killings, her BEHEADING five people including a mom in front of her 9 year old daughter just to fuck up Battler’s game genuinely made me sick. And this is all heightened by how well written, translated, and voiced Erika is throughout the entire chapter. Before I got into Umineko, I’d seen videos of the <OH VERY GOOD> scene completely out of context, and slowly I was drawn into wanting to play the game by the voice acting, the incredible music and tantalizingly rich atmosphere that I would have readily indulged in a full game of. But knowing the context of the scene now, how it acts as the final nail in the coffin of Battler and as the peak of Erika’s twisted level of ecstasy as she gleefully destroys this family, not just for domination of the truth but for the joy of revenge against Battler for denying her that ecstasy in the last game. It is just such an incredibly gripping stretch of scenes so fucking good oh my god.

All of this leads to the wedding of Erika and Battler, which really is the most deplorable action of Erika’s in this whole episode. Just the most disgusting subtext going on here that if you’ve read the novel I don’t even have to spell out. Just the depths she plummets to so she can exercise complete control over Battler. In stark contrast to the way Beatrice let Battler into her game, granting him the tools to understand her and to shed light on the mystery of her existence, finally granting her fulfillment, Erika is an intruder into Battler’s game in every sense of the word, and it’s Bern that created this monster in the first place to further toy with the lives of the Ushiromiya family, not completely different from how it was Kinzo's upbringing that made the adults of the Ushiromiya family who they were, leading to how theyr raised their own kids. Luckily Beatrice is the one who steps in at the last moment to save Battler here, exposing the one thing Erika cannot control: the emotions that are inherent to the facts of the murders. She cannot fathom that the solution to the murder isn’t some one million iq 4D chess move of Beatrice's and after an epiphany about the nature of multiple truths that not only feels kinda fake but is something Battler had come to 3 whole episodes ago with Virgilia and the Braun tubes, Beatrice and Battler’s final red truth shoots her down. Troll officially slayed don't be like Erika Furudo kids. Also there’s only 16 people on the island now! Hopefully you paid attention to Zepar and Furfur earlier. It is actually a funny wink wink nudge nudge that Beatrice entering the chapel to save Battler from the marriage runs parallel to Kanon entering the guest room. As if Ryukishi isnt already on his hands and knees tears in his eyes screaming and begging and groveling for the reader to understand whats going on here.

But yea Erika is a fascinating case study on the nature of truth, its objectivity and how it should be pursued. “True” does not always equal “right”, and the pursuit of objectivity can do immeasurable and irrevocable harm to innocent people just trying to find happiness in their own lives. I didn’t even mention her beefing with a literal 9 year old over a beginner magic trick, but it's clear here that her values run opposite to the games and the writers have a very very fun time criticizing those values through her. I learned this from a YouTube comment but apparently in some WTC bonus material, Rika from Higurashi mentions deep sea fish as omens of misfortune, which absolutely evokes the image of Erika washing up on the shores of Rokkenjima, foreshadowing the ensuing disaster. But after everything, as astute as she is as a riddle solver, she really has not even gotten out of the shallow end in terms of what the heart of a mystery really is, how trauma makes people act and why people are even driven to do the things that they do, ultimately looking like a fish out of water against this very magical setting. Get it like solitary deep sea fish honk honk

Other thoughts. I’m so happy to see Ange again! If the meta aspects of this story weren’t obvious enough, her and Hachijo/Featherine have the most overt reader/author relationship, and it’s funny how Ange’s risen to Battler’s status of reader insert but in a different way. Battler and Beatrice have a combative, opposing relationship but the way she presents the murders to Battler and beckons him to figure them out very much reflects the writers’ desire for the reader to recognize their fiction. On the outside, it seems tricky but is actually very nurturing. Now, this late in the story, Ange and Featherine have a much more outwardly respectful relationship, likened to a miko and her guardian, although there is a little seedling of toughness that Featherine seems to hold for Ange, probably because of the latter’s stubbornness about some aspects of the story, with Ange also harboring contempt for Featherine sensationalizing her trauma with the message bottles. Funny inversion with Battler and I like the continued commentary on true crime. I also think Ange’s pursuit of the truth and trouble with emotions as Featherine’s reader slightly echoes Bern’s other piece, Erika, although to a much, and I cannot stress that Ange is not anywhere near as flawed as Erika, MUCH lesser extent, and Ange clearly has a higher chance of actually coming to an understanding at the end of the episode, plus its more understanding of Ange to want some power over the narrative as someone whose life was nearly ruined by it, rather than a piece who was just dropped in without any other relation to the Ushiromiya’s, despite being at the mercy of her master. Hate M Zakky guy plotting to kill her at the end altho I figured he sniped those Sumadera henchmen for her earlier and its not surprising but. le sigh

And because you know I have to always bring up Kyrie. That scene with her and Jessica was. Amazing. When Jessica's eyes glazed over and prison strip started playing I lost my mind. Genuinely such a compelling backstory for Kyrie and I love Jessica’s challenge to it, and her finishing line that, as much as Kyrie has been both empowered and terrorized by her jealousy, it does not make her a noble person, and this idea that trauma doesn’t automatically make you virtuous, I believe, will probably be very pertinent to the ultimate mysteries of the story. Besides that, one detail I caught is Kyrie talking about having worked up the nerve to kill Asumu over many many years, and she calls it a miracle that some other force took her the moment that she would have. Earlier this episode, and it’s been echoed in the previous ones, Featherine mentions that magic, as something limited by human ability, is the power to follow through with or get away with it. It really makes me think that. Kyrie could have just. Killed Asumu and is using magic to exonerate herself fdsfdsfds. I mean I’m always biased to my idea of murderer bastard Kyrie and the mountain of circumstantial evidence I thought I had with that and I do think its really funny!!! That she’s the only adult who seems to know how to handle the WInchesters well enough to do it one handed in her cg AND her portrait (og and pachinko not ps3). But hey idk. Every time she makes that closed eyes open mouth portrait it makes me think that she might not be any more savvy than the other adults about whats going on so

Overall probably my favorite episode so far! It's like 6 > 4 = 3 > 1 = 2= 5. Similar to 4, it's not consistently the strongest but it has some of the highest highs and that's really what makes a piece of writing for me sometimes. And now that I'm on the cusp of the answers of the """answer""" arcs, I'm very excited for my personal documentation of my experiences with the game to pay off

[im-out-of-it]

season 1, episode 13 discussion post “morning star” part 1 because who are we kidding, this will most likely have many parts

1. so I just want to start off by sharing some side note. I was rewatching the Malec episode (BECAUSE ITS THAT GOOD) and I noticed again that Tessa, ragnor, and Catarina are linked up being more powerful than Magnus. I can understand ragnor and maybe Catarina but Tessa?

2. I’m sorry but how is Tessa more powerful than Magnus? I get she can shape shift but in the show, so can shadowhunters so what power exactly is she holding? I’m not that much of a fan of Tessa (maybe if the writing was better) but in what universe is she more powerful than Magnus? she has a prince of hell as a father but isn’t asmodeus more powerful than belial????? Magnus has been around longer so I would assume that he’s had more time to prefect his magic and find out what other skills they have

3. I just can’t get behind the idea that Tessa is supposedly more powerful than Magnus like it’s not making any sense

4. also if ragnor is more powerful than Magnus- why is he easily defeated? he got hit by a Shax demon and from what we know (I cheated and checked the codex book I have) they can wound living people and lay eggs in them and shit. I’m sorry, I know I’m being extra critical but come on now. I’m still a bit bitter that ragnor was killed off

5. I think this is the issues that arise when doing adaptions of books. you need to figure out how much of that world you’re going to keep because some things will not add up if you don’t. the show stated in the beginning that they wouldn’t be doing the show exactly as the books. (and we all screamed YASSSSSS) if Tessa = powerful than why do shadowhunters have the ability she does? if ragnor is more powerful than Magnus, then how was he so easily killed? LET RAGNOR LIVE OK??????

6. IM SORRY BUT IT DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE. RAGNOR DID NOT NEED TO DIE. like they didn’t need to keep him in every episode but he could’ve popped up the way catarina did

7. and I do love the show for Malec content as well as Izzy, Simon, Maia, Raphael content but what I can’t stand is lazy storytelling or plot armor. (huge example- TVD) maybe it’s not that lazy because season one with the cgi is not as it’s greatest but they should’ve hired me as a writer. I HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS WITH THIS SERIES AND I WOULD HAVE HANDLED IT BETTER THAN CC I WILL DIE ON THAT HILL

8. well, let’s get to get to it 👏🏼

9. “one thing I know for sure jace is that you are not a bad person”- clary. yeah so I’m not going to put any faith in clary because let’s understand clary is the one who is saying that. one terrible person uplifting another one. how fun! who is clary to decide who is morally right and wrong???? girl check thyself

10. “calling off the wedding would’ve been one thing but kissing that warlock in front of the entire institute?” ok Maryse your prejudice is showing once again smh

11. Alec: because he’s a man?

12. Maryse: no I don’t give a fuck if you’re gay alec. I care that he’s a warlock. it’s like one step forward and one step back with Maryse. and if you’ve never seen the show, Maryse does get better and she’s a whole lot better than Robert in the books so it’s sort of an improvement. you just have to let show Maryse be bad for a sec

13. “that he’s a guy is the least of my concerns”- ok so cold hearted Maryse isn’t homophobic just racist apparently FUCKING HELL 💀

14. “even for a warlock, he’s a lothario”- Robert 👀 (YALL KNOW THE SCENE)

15. “so I suggest you deal with it.”- Alec has spoken and he’s leaving no dust and no crumbs and no smoke (I don’t think I did that slang right but A+ for effort)

16. and this is why I will always love show Alec. he really doesn’t care if he hurts your feelings. he’s not going to stand to the side and allow people to hurt himself or the people he loves (I’m talking Magnus and Izzy). I never got the feeling that book Alec was anything like show Alec. his whole purpose is to protect jace and he hardly stands up for himself. Matt said nah show Alec is going to be nothing like that. my boy will tell off all these fuckers!!!!!! I mean, he probably didn’t say that lmao but I can dream and hypothesize or whatever

17. so I couldn’t find the gif of Alec telling Maryse off but I uploaded the whole thing and don’t mind my mess

18. and I know I go on and on about show Alec being better and you’re probably like bitch could you shut up for once but literally HE IS BETTER. I cannot think if Alec actually stood his own in the books. he once told jace off but that’s in the sixth bloody book. like did it really need to take Alec six books to DEFEND HIMSELF AND MAGNUS??????? and eldest curses is an improvement but in no way shape or form will the books ever be better

19. Alec has had on multiple occasions went off and stood his ground in the first season. the gifs below is one of the times:

(and also the video after and telling clary about rules and how they exist for a reason (episode 4) and then once again how she couldn’t understand when follows Lydia’s orders a few episodes later, and also telling Magnus off in episode 12 😭)

that’s about five examples already in season one. season one is only 13 episodes and our boy Alexander has already stood his ground, defended himself, and basically said NO IM NOT TAKING OR HAVING ANY OF THIS.

CAN WE BE PROUD OF HIM??????? I THINK WE CAN

20. I think that was either episode 5 or 6 (I’m sorry my brain is unbrainable) but that’s a good example of alec being like the fuck?????? show Alec doesn’t stand around waiting for excuses. he’s going to tell you what’s on his mind and I love him for that

21. and I know I’m posting stuff that isn’t really about this episode but I also want to share this video that is in episode 11 when Alec goes off on jace because apparently jace always knows what’s best and Alec is not having it. it’s just really important for Alec to have a voice and not be pushed around like he was in the books. I think for a head of the institute to not only be heard, have a voice, plus be a gay man is everything we needed and more. Alec deserves to be heard and to be happy. he’s not a babysitter, he has feelings and emotions. there are rules in place for a reason. but it’s also the hypocrisy of jace. telling Alec off for whatever reason and Alec is all like ??????? bro my sister could have been deruned and you ran off with the cup PLUS almost handed it to Valentine like is this dude for real?????

(I’ll upload the video in the next part)

22. and it’s also why I can’t get behind jace. he doesn’t get better, doesn’t change, or adapt. I seriously don’t get why everyone is so adamant of saving his worthless ass. he never seems to be grateful about it either. Jace is supposed to be the best shadowhunter of his time and so is clary yet they always need saving?

23. so back to Alec going off on Maryse! leaving no smoke, telling it how it is. I love how Alec is saying: I really don’t care if you’re disappointed in me but I plan to get to know Magnus and if that’s a problem then get over it 💀 i fucking love him

24 24 24!!!!!!! moving to part 2 shortly while it’s in the editing stage

[lady-sci-fi]

Hi hey hi so

I just finished your Electric Organisms fic series on ao3 and i just wanted to express some sentiments towards your work "^^

1. The fics are so damn good aaa it infected my brain so much i would regularly tell my best friend all about it even though she doesnt watch star trek

2. The fact you dug up unused scenes and scripts and wrote them into fics is so damn cool!! Also may i ask where you found those?

3. Your character writing is so well done, i was so disappointed they didnt explore Geordis personality more in the show. I love that you went into his family background and mental health properly also I honestly love that he just gets to be happy a lot of the time, the show constantly made him suffer for some reason

4. The drawings are such a nice addition to the fics and theyre sooo well drawn <3

5. The way u handled the Fajo&Borg queen assualt implications was so well written. Im still angry the movies and show basically dropped the whole thing and never went into what it would do to datas mental state

6. The romance was so well written i cant- i dont usually read romance but maaan was i invested in this one <333

I swear you basically rewrote the entire series while fixing all the shitty parts and making the good parts *sparkly*

Also just the raw amount of stuff you wrote is crazy impressive!!!!

Unrelated your blog is really cool ive been following for a couple of months or so and it delights me whenever you show up on my dash.

Anyways you're a great writer and artist and i hope my ramble could express that your work is very very appreciated :)

Thanks so much for telling me all this! It does indeed make me feel warm and fuzzy. 🥰

The full series link if anyone else is interested.

While I have written the start and end points for the series, there are still more ideas I'm going to write for it, so stay tuned.

1- That's a huge compliment.

2- It's great to find those little nuggets that were cut out from final script to aired episode for whatever reason. You can read them at Star Trek Minutiae.

3- I like to think I've watched too much TNG to get them too wrong in character 😜. I would've definitely appreciated more Geordi episodes.

4- Thank you. In addition to a fic list, I also have an art list, and DaForge is taking up most of it 😅

5- I'm glad you think so. I don't really blame the show for that, since mostly "one-and-done" episode stuff was the overall structure of shows in that time. A few character things get mentioned or used later, but not everything.

6- The boys deserve a well-written romance 😊It's great to know you think I'm achieving that.

Believe me, I'm also surprised how much I've written for this series since I started it in June 2022. I didn't expect a one-shot fic that came from Brent Spiner saying he much rather would've found Geordi instead of Spot in the Enterprise-D wreck to have led to all this.

It's nice to know you think I'm cool enough to follow on here 😜

Thank you again for saying all this. I'm glad you really like this series.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

EPISODE 4 (starting here because there wasn't a whole lot of background info in 1-3 because they were still just getting used to playing their characters!! this is the end of harttawa arc):

- if dakota had succeeded the roll to stop vyncent from stabbing wavelength, he wouldve taken the damage from grabbing the blade and stopped it and they wouldnt have had to make the choice between who to save!

- charlie was NOT planning on revealing the wisp form that early but he was too emotionally invested in beano and wanted to protect him (which made choosing him to die later was REALLY hard)

- "william has a very complicated realtionship with death" << im just gonna leave you that quote. putting it on ur doorstep like a cat with a dead bird

- bizly had two separate plans for how the session would go based entirely on whether or not they befriended beano (which!!! they have another little oneshot series on the patreon called what if where they will go back and play non canon sessions of different like. alternate routes. and they did one where this happened :])

- charlie coming up with the idea for william and discussing him with bizly was supposedly the first time in his life he had ever pulled an all nighter (which? is insane). because they just kept throwing ideas back and forth and talking about scooby doo and danny phantom (!!!) and they ended up actually playing out a little bit of his backstory in character

- there was a little retconned bit about william where a few strands of his hair turn white every time he uses his wisp form. which. hello trimax vash. what if i went insane. this is supposedly "not canon anymore" but its something i hold in my heart so dearly

- wavelength was supposed to be so much tougher and scarier but bizly rolled so bad for him: "he was supposed to be COOL he was supposed to be SCARY. HE SUCKED HE DIDNT HIT YOU ONCE."

- tide showing up at the end was supposed to serve as a reference to show just how much more powerful Actual Superheros are than these kids. bizly specifically had tide use his powers a lot more obviously and frequently during that scene than would be normal for him *specifically* so that theyd be like "oh fuck" and it worked :]

- they levelled up bc its the end of an arc!! theyre now power level 6 (i think. i dont actually remember. they might only be at 5 at this point) !!!

IM GONNA ANSWER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE <3 awww charlie got attached to beano enough to reveal william's wisp form early. dude. honestly i would have done the same <3 beano i miss u

william has a very complicated relationship with death. 🧍 what could this mean. i mean i KNOW he's got a complicated relationship with death but I DON'T KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF IT I THINK.

i understand why wiwi is ur favourite guy. that is danny phantom in a different font. AND he's got a white streak in his hair (idc if they retconned it to be noncanon it's canon 2 ME!!!!!) like this is literally mac ghostiezone core. william wisp is ur kind of fucking character. fork found in kitchen

MARK CANONICALLY AN ABSOLUTE FUCKING LOSER BECAUSE BIZLY ROLELD SO BAD FOR HIM <3 CRINGEFAIL DAD <3 HE ABSOLUTELY SUCKS <3 and tide showing up at the end like an angry father i love him so much. the single mother of all time <3

[stargazinglesbian]

what is paper girl? and why do u like it so much?

OOH OK. so paper girls is like, two things- in like... 2022??? idk, amazon released a paper girls tv show that got cancelled after one season, which i have watched 5/8 episodes of, but before it was a tv show it was a comic series.

a really, really good comic series in my opinion.

the first issue was released in 2015, and the last was in 2019, with the entire series spanning 30 issues exactly. the way i initially read it was split into 6 volumes, and i now have a heavy ass complete collection of all the comics (my most prized possesion)

obviously, im a bigger fan of the comics than the show. i think the show generally has a bigger fandom, but the comics hold a special place in my heart, and by that i mean its the only thing left in my chest cavity.

plot wise its hard to explain without spoiling a bunch. a lot of people don't like paper girls bc its confusing or weird, or whatever. i remember when i first read through them all i did it in one night, at like 2 am, and by the end my brain felt like it was melting out of my ears, and it was the best feeling ever. i've been chasing the magic ever since.

the basic premise is that its a story about time travel initially set in 1988, following 4 girls, kj, mac, erin, and tiffany. all of them are 12 years old and work on delivering for their local newspaper, hence the name paper girls. on one morning (november 1st, dubbed 'hell morning' because its right after halloween and everyone is fucking crazy) they get caught up in some... really weird shit, and Plot happens.

i've read through the whole series like, 7 times now, so i am no longer confounded by the story, and it's prolly my favourite book/comic/piece of media, like, ever, because personally, i love weird and confusing sci-fi that i genuinely don't understand. it hits me in a certain part of my brain.

also, all of the characters are so likeable. their interactions and dynamics are hilarious to me, and i adore all of them so much. i think even for people who don't really like the main story, the characters can be a real high point of the comics.

also, art wise, it's fucking gorgeous. Matt Wilson and Cliff Chiang did such an incredible job with it, the colours and the linework are incredible. i recently took my physical copy of the comic to my art teacher just to gush about how pretty it is, and even a lot of the bad reviews for the series i've found say something along the lines of "i have no idea what happened, but it was really cool to look at,"

it can definitely be rough around the edges at times, with some homophobic, anti semitic and abelist slurs thrown in the mix (although these are always framed as being like, not good things to fucking say) but even with it's flaws, it will still forever have a hold on my brain.

ouaghhhh it makes me crazy. i am insane. paper girls made me crazy. i need to be sedated. fuck.

to round out my ramblings here's some of my favourite panels from the first few issues of the comics- enjoy

[rui-drawsbox]

Hi its me again (the one who had the nazuna idea) and I kinda wanted to build on it, I'd it's ok with you.

I think in the season finale when Knights and Shu have one last battle the Knights start losing really badly, maybe due to new models of the dolls? But in the end when it seems that it might be over for the Knights, Mika (who wasn't present for the first part of the battle) shows up to the fight and yells, very confidently something like "I BROUGHT HELP" and it's Nazuna, in his old Valkyrie outfit and whatever weapon he has, and he uses smth like healing magic on the Knights and starts helping them defeat Shu.

I think he would also be one of those side characters that show up every episode being really creepy and watching the Knights (they don't notice ofc) but he starts showing up more when Mika starts his redemption, like in the background comforting him or smth. I think he'd even drop little clues around for the Knights to realise who Shu and Mika were.

I also kind of wanted to talk about the Knights getting their powers, but if you already have an idea then that's great!

I think there was another posts detailing what would happen in the first and second episodes, but I think that much like other precure shows (my main reference is glitter force) for the first 5-6 episodes it's each of the main cast getting their powers. So Arashi gets hers from the cat first, right?

I think Arashi's cat should show up each episode to give one of the gang the brush, eventually giving one to Mika too maybe.

First Leo and Ritsu get theirs, for obvious reasons and being present for the first battle.

Then I think Tsukasa would be next, he's pretty skeptical about it at first but after witnessing them fighting he decides to confront them and join the gang properly.

Then it's Izumi, much like other magical girl shows the last character is hardest to get involved. I think he would have the situation explained to him but still refuse bc he's busy (maybe he didn't want to potentially endanger people like Makoto or thinks he's not "good" enough for the magical Knights. It takes a lot of convincing but they get there eventually.

Also consider: Shu calling in Double Face to take care of the Knights for like an episode or two after Mika leaves (but that may contradict some stuff, it's not like all the antagonists need to be magical, the may just detective their way through it)

Ty for listening to my ramble, you're genuinely a genius, 7 school subjects be damned

hiii! hellooo!! wb nazunanon (they're referring to this post where we discussed about Nazuna in the Au for the first time btw!)

also i belive an epic battle like that would be a perfect finale for the series, yet, i fail to see Nazuna actually fighting? like, mabye he can be the ultimate support or smth--

More like he and Mika were built (or trained, idk what they are at this point) to fight as a duo, Mika fighting always in the front and Nazuna supporting behind/making long distance attacks to overwhelm the enemy on every possible way

im thinking about hsr class system ngl, smtsmth Nazuna being harmony/nihility smthsmth Mika being the hunt smthsmth Arashi as destruction bc is very versatile... and Izumi/hunt, Leo/erudition, Tsukasa/preservation and Ritsu and Shu as nihility...

now forgive me but when you said "side characters that show up every episode being really creepy" i couldnt help but think about this creepy guy from spiderverse that is always looking right at the camera

is rlly funny but yeah i get your point, it would be like that one side character that suddenly gets the spotlight in the series and when you look back it is a "i was always there" situation (and watchers would go wow they had it prepared from the start!)

also i belive you got the order for each knight perfectly! Leo would be so excited to get his powers and be able to help his friends and Ritsu would probably be "sounds like a pain but i'll do it for Nacchan" (ooc here idk him a lot) + Tsukasa and Izumi being the last ones to get their powers sounds so canon for some reason, its TokyoMewMew speaking in the back of my mind i think

NOW are you telling me that there's a possibility of magical cowboy mama...?

jk(unless) if double face is involved in some way i would think about them being a "detective club" where Shu goes as a desperate move after losing Mika, instead of magical minions/boys. Still, mabye there's a chance of a spinoff for every unit in enstars and how they become magical girls lol (imagine magical Akatsuki lmao)

now yeah, thats all my ramblings for today! this really got me thinking about Nazuna's weapon lol, i really can't think of anything that fits exvalkyrie aesthetic while being functional and meaningful,,,,, do you think healing powers are too op? i feel like it would be a little unfair,,,,

[mmufanatic]

i don’t know a lot about dr who but your ideas for a mmu/who crossover sound fascinating!! please feel free to ramble more about your ideas im so curious…

Hello! It's really nice that someone is interested (also more doctor who and mmu fans, yay!). I've only watched up to Series 10, so all the crossover/ headcanons (idk what you would call it) will be from those episodes (none after series 9).

I love the idea of Alexander being Rose in Dalek in Series 1 because of how much empathy he has and I headcanon him to have hyperempathy (he would've hugged that dalek without a second thought) and I can imagine in New World (series 2) George being absolutely FURIOUS when Lady Cassandra takes Alexander's body and going super protective like 'I'm getting Alex back in one piece, thank you very much! Not so much as a cold!' Also, I headcanon Alexander to be scared of cats, so he would not get on well with the cat nuns.

Also, in The Empty Child( series 1) I think it would be really funny if it was George who was rescued by Jack Harkness because I think he would absolutely DIE (the rest of the episode would just be Daisy teasing him, Hazel like 'aw that's cute' and Alexander trying to get them together while George is mortified).

I also like to imagine maybe Zosia and Anna can communicate with the TARDIS in case of emergencies or possibly working for UNIT (maybe Bertie and Harold too. I can imagine Bertie and Harold working with them). Uncle Felix would be head of UNIT ofc, with Aunt Lucy unofficially in charge.

Also, I think that Daleks in Manhattan would've been greatly improved if a tiny Alexander had just appeared and Daisy had been like 'The daleks I can cope with- THAT however...' I think that Hazel and Beanie would've just melted at a baby Alex (well for the time in Daleks in Manhattan he would've been 9 or 10 I think but a 6 year old Alex defeating daleks would be so cute! Or George as Amy in The Eleventh Hour would be really funny because he would possibly be more furious than her when Daisy/ Alexander/Hazel /Lavinia turns up like 10 years later. The possibility of a baby Junior Pinkertons in one episode would be so cute! (And Daisy's reaction would be very funny).

I think that the thought of George being River Song would be interesting too (out of all the MMU characters he seems like the most likely to write on the most ancient cliffs in the universe because someone wasn't answering their phone). Or George or Daisy as missy/ master with Alexander or Hazel as the doctor would be very funny.

I can really imagine George as Clara (like in Asylum of the Daleks:

Daisy: How dare they! I'm much cleverer than him, why don't they want my brain?

Hazel: Do you want to be converted into a dalek?!

Daisy: that's not the point)

Also I can imagine Alexander trying to keep some random little alien creature they found on a planet as a pet and then it gets very big and possibly blood thirsty which becomes a whole other episode (think the red dwarf episode when it transpires that the evil, giant squid in the water tank was there because Cat brought it on board when it was a baby).

(Alexander: but it was so cute!

George looking at the engine which has a big bite out of it and just general carnage in the console room: For fucks sake Alex!)

George would be over the moon at a TARDIS wardrobe with all the different clothes from all the different times in it. Also, George would want to go back in time to try and solve unsolved mysteries (Hazel would not be that keen after a near escape from Jack the Ripper).

I also love the idea of the TARDIS just knowing that they are neurodivergent and putting weighted blankets and fidget toys where they'll find them (it would be interesting if some of them were from the 1930s and only found out that they were in a modern era).

I would also imagine that if they came across an alternative universe where there were different versions of themselves that would be funny (imagine 2 Alexanders and 2 Hazels desperately trying to keep 2 Georges and 2 Daisys in check).

Thanks for the ask :)

[patrickerville]

Not sure if you're still answering asks about s11, but I just finished the series and it is such a beautiful work of art thats going to stay with me for a long time, thank you. I wanted to ask, im a big trekkie and I adored the little references. Near the end of episode 4 Kirsten is watching an episode from the original series that i recognized immediately and it blew my mind a bit at how deeply the episodes felt connected. Not just the audio clip played that references a synthetic flu or a similar troop of traveling Shakespeare performers, but the idea of this young person that is desperately trying to free her father from the burden of his past by any means necessary. What was the thought process behind referencing star trek and that episode specifically? I loved it so much

We had the good fortune to be making the show for Paramount, and therefore we always had access to those rights, so I knew while writing that a few references were probably going to come in handy.

Initially, when we worked in the Episode 6 script, there was a storyline about Kidsten’s time alone, in the year between separating from Jeevan and finding the the troupe. In that storyline, I had Young Kirsten doing a “Captain’s log” type thing in her head, but counting time in terms of the number of days it had been since the flu.

Because of that, I thought it would be good to see Kirsten watching Star Trek SOMEWHERE before that moment. We had already shot 107 and there weren’t a ton of opportunities there, so one reason we got the tv operational in 109 is so we could glimpse Kirsten watching an episode of Trek at the cabin. The moment turned out to be in the days she was alone, and ultimately grafted into the end of 104.

Once I knew she’d be watching Trek while waiting for Jeevan to come back, just before running outside and finding only the book, it came down to picking the specific episode. And that part was easy, given all the themes happening in the show.

Then, as these things happen, some money choices forced us to drop the entire 106 “Young Kirsten Alone” story. I had come to understand (by then) that we’d be okay without this stuff— for some reason in S11, just seeing the end moment (Kirsten walking off alone) and the beginning moment (The Conductor finding Kirsten) was usually enough to imply the lacuna… in this case, the horrifying story of Kirsten’s feral years.

But shooting 105 and 108 had helped me see that people could make the story leap me on their own if they saw the Point of Origin (the airport) and the Endpoint (the Y20 airport).

I maintain, despite the loss of the cool 106 young Kirsten story, that it really helps ground the graphic novel as a legitimate Sci-fi story when you know Kirsten also liked Trek. I’m personally a huge trek fan, and its “optimistic future” felt very much like the spirit of the show.

The only vestige you see of Kirsten’s internal “Captain’s log” is in 102, when she tells The Conductor that Dr. Eleven can’t feel time, and refers to Frank as her brother. This is the end of a mad conflation, in Kirsten’s head, of the graphic novel and her experiences in the wild.

The real loss of that story, I think, was that it served to show that Kirsten basically WAS a member of The Undersea before Tyler had created the cult— she, like all those kids she meets in 106, was living in a space where she couldn’t distinguish between reality and story, and also believed that all adults were deceitful and insane— all were Lonegans.

I think one thing Adult Kirsten is dealing with in the show, which is only in the subtext, is that she’s grown up now and she’s an adult… and she doesn’t trust adults. I think it would have helped Tyler’s story and helped us to understand why Kirsten related to Tyler to see that whole thing play out, but 🤷‍♂️. Sometimes you can’t shoot everything.

Long answer! Hope that helps.