#in conclusion: i have no damn clue what this show was. actually i have one clue and thats ''it Was A Goddam Mess''

[cubedmango]

I’m crying yeah it was me😭 how did you find it did you think it was as insane as I did? mamoru running away from her own wedding fitting has to be one of my favourite things ever and I still wish she ended up with imayoshi but you can’t have everything sigh also I genuinely have no idea like your guess is as good as mine😭😭 all I know is one minute she had the e-book company then that man sold all the money, they had to start from square one, I still don’t get the romance or the kind of beef they had with mega but I mean at least miyamura ended up happy I guess):£:?

honestly all the time skips and betrayal plot twists had me going ???????? the entire i literally couldnt keep up w what was happening shdbdhhwf,, and the love triangle (square?? if we include imayoshi) was also just. making me roll my eyes the entire time lmao but i guess the fact they at least had Some sapphic representation is a kind of a win?? i cant believe the guys were rivals bc of this tho like i was expecting smth totally different but alas (also i could not stop seeing them as krdc so that didnt help sjjsjdnd)

i couldnt buy the romance much either tbh it felt way too. 📈📉📈📉 if that makes sense???? mamoru not telling him abt her medical stuff made 0 sense to me like girl what.... but some of their domestic moments were cute i guess i might plagarize those for krdc content and then wipe this show from my brain

[vidavalor]

Thank you so much for all your wonderful metas - I enjoy them a great deal. I hope I am not going over old ground here, but I have just finished your defence of Aziraphale's choice (which I agree with 100%) and it has prompted me to ask your opinion of the following:

Having witnessed the Metatron impose upon Aziraphale's good will and impeccable manners and endless sense of obligation with a sodding coffee, WHY did Crowley allow the angel to leave with this wily, manipulative being?

Now, admittedly, Crowley did get to his feet and follow them briefly (after being on the receiving end of that terrifyingly pointed glare from the Metatron) but is immediately distracted by Muriel and thoughts of breakfast with Aziraphale.

This is the same demon who is never still. Always wary, always on guard, always patrolling. Yet, after that ridiculous coffee conversation, after Aziraphale looks to him for direction ("Ummm.."), after that glare, he just waves the angel off on his way for a chinwag.

I actually wrote the scene out so that I could "see" it differently, but it did not help me come to any conclusions.

I would LOVE to know what you think.

Sorry. I wittered on a bit there. 😊

Hi @vernajarrett 💕 Thanks for reading & asking! I'm happy to chat about what I think is going on in the moment Crowley acts like a pod person and Derek Jacobi's character gets all that Big Damn Villain Music in the score. I've got the coffee brewing. Oat milk and a dash hefty jigger of almond syrup? 😜

To answer why Crowley is acting so massively weird during the part of 2.06 that you mentioned, we have to start a little before it with the arrival of the last visitor to the bookshop in S2:

a character played by Derek Jacobi:

When the last new character to arrive at the bookshop door in S2 first arrives, we are down to six other characters in the shop. Five of them-- Aziraphale, Muriel, Michael, Uriel and Saraqael-- are angels and the sixth character-- Crowley-- is a demon. Upon the arrival of Derek Jacobi's character, all five of the angels fail to recognize this person. This is a true shock to us because we think we know who this is, right? That's The Metatron.

We know what The Metatron looks like; we've seen his head quite dramatically huge and in our face on several occasions. We feel qualified to say that if Sir Derek Jacobi shows up it must mean that we're looking at The Metatron. What we tend to ignore is... well, everything else that happens here lol... all of which says we are incorrect about this.

First off? All of this is just (entertainingly) weird: The Metatron is a floating head who thinks himself above humanity but he's here now in a body on Whickber Street. He abhors food but he's stopped to get a coffee at the shop and have a chat with Nina. We first spotted him outside by Mrs. Sandwich in line-- is there a more incongruous place you would expect to see The Metatron than that? lol. It makes it very engaging to watch but these are also the first clues to suggest that something really odd is afoot here and when this character goes inside the bookshop, we really get that sense hammered home by the fact that this being we thought we had correctly identified really easily is unrecognizable-- to not one, not two, but five characters on our show, all of whom should instantly know exactly who this person is.

It's at this point that I'll mention that we technically still do not know who plays Satan on Good Omens. The first time he appears, he possesses Crowley by speaking to him using the voice of Freddie Mercury-- so, Satan is being played by a voice actor doing Satan-as-Freddie-Mercury. The second time he appears-- in 1.06-- he there for Adam, who is eleven years old at the time. Satan appears as a gigantic, cartoonish, cliched-red-with-horns-and-hoofs monster, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. It is completely at odds with how GO usually does its more horrific and frightening elements. You could argue that Satan appears this way in 1.06 because it's how he would appear to Adam-- to an eleven year old boy. Everyone sees Satan as Adam sees Satan when Satan comes for Adam. A parallel to that would then be the arrival of the character played by Derek Jacobi in 2.06.

Why can't these five angels identify the person who just arrived?

It has to be because they're angels. It's the only thing Aziraphale, Michael, Uriel, Muriel and Saraqael all have in common.

They can't recognize the being at the door because they're angels; meaning: they're not familiars of The Devil.

This is not The Metatron. This is Satan:

You might notice that one of the angels-- Saraqael-- eventually catches on. What they do is another huge clue to who this is. If Saraqael's realization was that this must be The Metatron, they would have spoken up and said that they recognized him, if only to suck up to the boss. But they do not so that is not their realization...

Instead, they don't say a word. They look afraid, look Up, fold their hands together and start to pray. Since this being is obviously one of them and not human-- based on what he said to Michael upon his arrival-- Saraqael has figured out that if they, Michael, Uriel, Muriel and Aziraphale all cannot recognize him, it has to be because this is Satan.

Saraqael doesn't tell anyone else what they've figured out. They just start praying in case it's their number that's up today. The irony of all of this, of course, is that three of these angels who can't recognize the face of evil-- Michael, Uriel and Saraqael-- are honestly pretty garbage people themselves and also that there's not much of a difference in level of evil between The Metatron and Satan. But, technically, Michael, Uriel and Saraqael are angels, just as Muriel and Aziraphale are angels. All it really means in this case, though, is that they've never been thrown to Hell and, because of that fact, they cannot recognize Satan. (It also helps to illustrate how being cast to Hell is political and doesn't really have much to do with whether or not you're a terrible person. It's just who has gotten caught while getting in The Metatron's way.)

Demons can recognize Satan, though. The problem is that they also can be possessed by Satan and influenced into not even knowing he's there... which is what starts happening to Crowley upon the arrival of Satan in the bookshop.

Satan can make Crowley's words sound natural and of Crowley's own volition-- and then make it so that Crowley doesn't even remember saying them. This is why Crowley is acting weird when "The Metatron" is in the same room with him in 2.06.

We've seen something like this a bit when Crowley put Sister Mary in a trance so he and Aziraphale could ask her questions back in S1. Sister Mary really looked like she was in a trance and that's because it wasn't really necessary for either Aziraphale or Crowley to instruct her to act any differently. They were the only other ones around and they weren't manipulating Sister Mary's behavior in an attempt to use her to influence other people-- they were only seeking information from her. How she acted when giving them that information wasn't something they were terribly concerned with because it didn't really matter.

When they had all the information they thought she possessed, Aziraphale brought her out of the trance by telling her that she was now awake and had just had a dream of whatever she liked best. As he and Crowley are walking away, we see Sister Mary seem like she just woke up a bit from actual sleep and she looks calm and refreshed-- like she really did just have a dream of whatever she likes best.

In that moment, Sister Mary is unconcerned with the fact that such a thought is completely incongruous with the fact that she is standing, dressed in work clothes, in the hallway of her workplace. She does not remember the two people who were just there asking her questions or what they asked her. She believes she was dreaming because that is what Aziraphale told her to believe had happened.

The point is that while Sister Mary didn't know she had been influenced like this and could not remember what had happened while she was being influenced, the effects of it remained a little afterwards, as she continued to believe what it was she was told while under the influence. Aziraphale's instructions to her were comparatively pretty innocent-- he told her she had a great dream so she continued to believe that to be true. Satan in 2.06, on the other hand, is not telling Crowley that he just had a dream of whatever he likes best.

Satan possesses Crowley from the start of the scene, accounting for Crowley's quiet and stillness in the early moments of it. He not only tells Crowley to identify him as The Metatron to Aziraphale and the other angels but he makes Crowley believe that he is The Metatron for real. He tells him to make it sound natural when he tells the angels who he is so that they will believe it. That's why Crowley doesn't sound like he's in a trance, the way that Sister Mary did in S1.

I want to throw in here something else, too, that's kind of a foreshadowing/paralleling scene to this as well that comes a couple of episodes prior to this one we're talking about and that is... whatever the fuck exactly was happening to Gabriel in the "tempest" scene.

For the record, I do not believe that it was Satan possessing Gabriel in that scene. I actually think it's some witch-related stuff--I swear the voice speaking with him is Anathema-- but I bring it up even though we don't know what this is totally all about yet because it has some paralleling things that we can already see are relevant.

First off? Where Gabriel is when this happens:

He's sitting in Aziraphale's desk chair. I'm not trying to say the chair itself is spooky (though it is as a result of all of this? lol) so much as I'm saying that both Gabriel and Crowley acting weird and taken over while sitting in Aziraphale's desk chair (which is very much symbolizing Aziraphale) is one of the many things reinforcing that Aziraphale is falling because here are these two characters who parallel him the most-- the two, other most important characters in the show, arguably, and the two also living in the bookshop in S2-- and they're both falling victim to darkness while sitting in his chair.

But what I really want to point out here is what happens to Jim after his possession. Watch Gabriel's eyes at the end here:

There are a few seconds more as well in the show when his eyes resettle on Crowley. Gabriel disappears entirely while he's being possessed. He is speaking words that Crowley can hear and that Crowley recognizes as coming from Gabriel's voice... but when Gabriel blinks back into the room and looks at Crowley, he has no idea what just happened.

He doesn't remember what he just said. He isn't aware of the fact that someone was just possessing him. He feels a little disoriented and anxious-- which is also sort of Jim's default state in S2-- but what we and Crowley witnessed him saying? He has no idea about that. Shax shows up outside the bookshop and causes a distraction that keeps us and Crowley and Gabriel from sorting all of this out until S3 but Gabriel's expressions on the other side of his possession indicate that he has no idea where he just was mentally, what he just said or did, or that someone was in his mind. This is another scene emphasizing this aspect of possession on Good Omens-- no matter who is doing the possessing. The exact same effects of possession is what is happening to Crowley in 2.06.

So, Satan uses Crowley to identify him to the others as The Metatron and makes him believe that he is The Metatron to cover up the fact that he's been in his mind. Crowley has no idea that Satan has been in the bookshop. The moment this becomes clear, though, is the first one you mentioned in your ask, which is when Crowley really confirms for us exactly who Derek Jacobi is playing by doing something so wildly out of character that it's almost impossible to justify without considering the idea that he's being possessed:

encouraging Aziraphale to go somewhere alone with who he believes to be The Metatron.

Next time you're watching this scene-- and GO, in general-- look for where the music stops altogether. There are moments in GO when the score just ceases to exist entirely for a period of time so that we can hear the words that are being said without any distractions. I've found that scenes where this is happening are usually pretty pivotal, either from a wordplay perspective or a plot perspective or, often, both. There is basically no music in the whole scene in which "The Metatron" appears to have arrived at the bookshop.

The score disappears upon "The Metatron's" arrival and it only returns with that big bit of organ-y "DUN DUN DUNNN" villain music right at a pivotal point in the scene you're talking about:

The music comes back at exactly the moment that the camera holds on "The Metatron" as he is staring at Crowley. Why here?

They really, really want you to notice this glare that this person played by Derek Jacobi is leveling at Crowley. We already don't trust this character if he is The Metatron and he's been nothing but a dick since he arrived, really-- he used "demon" to refer to Crowley, he called Muriel "dim" (he can rot for that alone), and he was a total prick to Michael and Uriel. As awful as they are, no one should be spoken to like that. No one-- including most of the audience-- sees this as being extra-villain-y because this is just how The Metatron is so it's expected behavior from who we might think this character is.

So, to show us who this really is, they can't just rely on us noticing that he's in a dark coat and tie (why is he in Hell colors?!) or that he brought along a temptation coffee or that he uses language from Mary Poppins ("spit spot") when speaking to the angels. All those are clues, for sure, but the moment the music comes back is when the show is trying to give us the biggest of the clues to who this really is-- when the scene is structured to show us that he is attacking Crowley.

Because this isn't actually The Metatron glaring at Crowley; it is Satan giving Crowley instructions to stay put.

It's why Crowley doesn't follow them afterwards and continues to believe that The Metatron was who was in the bookshop-- even as Aziraphale has figured out who it really is. Look at Aziraphale's response here and you'll see that this is one of the scenes that suggests he is pretty damn sure this is not The Metatron:

Aziraphale's head whips over to "The Metatron" in response to what Crowley said because he knows what the only explanation for that response out of Crowley is. If you are looking at "The Metatron" while Aziraphale is still turning his head, you can see that he's still staring at Crowley because he was instructing him to tell Aziraphale to go and to not come with them. Satan pastes on a fake as fuck smile when Aziraphale looks at him but it's actually too late-- Aziraphale already knows what's going on. He just doesn't want Satan to know he knows.

Aziraphale knows that there's no way in the universe that Crowley-- who was so worried about danger yesterday that he escorted him to, like, Arnold's Music Shop and Mrs. Cheng's restaurant lol-- would ever just chill in the desk chair while Aziraphale went somewhere alone with The Metatron.

Ever.

The Big Damn Villain Music shows up after "The Metatron"'s fake smile to Aziraphale. It is in the exact moment that he looks at Crowley again and finishes the instructions he was giving before Aziraphale turned his head. It's because this is one of the biggest clues to this character's identity-- who can do this to Crowley? Satan.

Based on the scenes that follow, Satan here is telling Crowley something like:

You will not follow us. He will be back soon. Everything is fine. I was never here; I am The Metatron. Aziraphale is not in any danger. Stay where you are.

This scene-- the one highlighted by the music-- where Satan is silently giving Crowley directions is the one most like the time we see Satan possess Crowley in 1.01. It has a similar effect for a moment, which is probably why the music kicks in here as it's the best way to remind the audience of who can do this to Crowley and how.

In that 1.01 moment, there was no one else around and Satan was not possessing Crowley for the purposes of having him speak to influence someone else's behavior. Since he did not need Crowley to speak in the scene, Crowley does not. He is silent and still while Satan speaks in his mind and gives him instructions. We see that Satan can take such full control over Crowley that Crowley is trapped within himself. He can't speak, he can't scream, he can't move-- so, he can't drive the car and his connection to the car is shattered to a point that The Bentley is almost in a head-on collision with a truck. This is our introduction to the level of possession that Satan has over him-- all contrasted with the fact that Crowley is supposed to be on a date with Aziraphale in the sushi restaurant. This is all coming back around in 2.06.

Its return is also foreshadowed by this Shax bit during the bookshop attack... Crowley missing when he's supposed to be safe with Aziraphale and Aziraphale worried that Satan has Crowley because the demons are circling and Shax... who exists to get inside people's heads a bit... as if echoing Aziraphale's thoughts, says:

Shall we send up the sushi?

After all... do we really think that a season that spent all that time on whether or not actual demons (representing a person's inner demons) were going to be able to get into the bookshop (symbolically, Aziraphale, and Crowley & Aziraphale) is going to let those demons into the bookshop and then just... decide Satan is on vacation for the week? Or do we think that it's not coincidental that the offer Aziraphale is presented with also happens to be the one thing in the entire Universe that could ever tempt him to Hell?

Hmm... 😉

Anyway, back for a moment to the scene in 2.06 when Satan influences Crowley into staying behind and telling Aziraphale to go with "The Metatron"... The undersung thing in this scene, imho, is Aziraphale's reaction.

If Aziraphale really believed this to be The Metatron with 100% certainty, he could have responded to what Satan just made Crowley say by pressing this idea of them going for "The Metatron's" proposed stroll. He could have said aloud to Crowley: "why don't you come with us?" or he could have told The Metatron that he didn't want to go for a walk and why didn't they just sit here in the bookshop instead and anything The Metatron wanted to say to him, he could say to him and Crowley together? If Aziraphale really completely believed that this was The Metatron, he could have-- and would have-- tried either of those things or something like them in response to what Satan made Crowley say.

Instead, what does Aziraphale do?

He *immediately* starts for the bookshop door. Why?

Because he knows that Crowley is not speaking of his own free will and that the person he identified as The Metatron is, in all likelihood, actually Satan. Aziraphale immediately starts for the door because Satan will have to follow him out, since he was the one who proposed this stroll. Aziraphale abandons the idea of Crowley coming with them when he sees that Crowley is being harmed. Instead, he goes alone with Satan, immediately luring him out of the shop so as to get him away from Crowley.

He leaves the bookshop with Satan to protect Crowley. It also foreshadows the fact that he's going to fall over a temptation that is related to Crowley's safety.

Look at how Aziraphale looks back to make sure that Satan is following him and quickly... how nervous and shaky he looks. He would be nervous if this were The Metatron, sure, yes, absolutely. In this moment, though, he's just living one of his worst nightmares-- the bookshop that he built that protects Crowley has been overrun and Crowley has been harmed right there in front of him.

This is their house. It's their living room, where Crowley's lounged for thousands of nights. Crowley is in Aziraphale's own desk chair. This is supposed to be the place where they both feel safe but now there is no safe space so Aziraphale is doing the best he can in the moment by just responding intuitively and protectively by saying with his actions: Get away from him. Follow me. You can have me. Leave him alone.

So, they go out, right? What happens next but the other scene you mentioned in your ask: Crowley and Muriel.

Crowley gets up out of the chair basically the second Satan and Aziraphale are no longer in the shop because Satan's hold on him in that moment is gone and he probably unconsciously needs to move, since Satan was literally not letting him get out of the chair. This is where the weird behavior gets even more weird-- Crowley doesn't follow them. He literally watches from within the shop through the window for a second as Aziraphale leads "The Metatron" over to Marguerite's. Why doesn't he go after them? Because Satan told him to stay in the shop. Just like with Sister Mary believing she had been dreaming, what Crowley has been influenced by Satan into doing lingers with him gone, since he was instructed by Satan to stay in the shop until Aziraphale gets back.

Crowley paces a little circle like a caged tiger, going back further *into* the bookshop-- a totally normal response to his partner going for coffee alone with a murderous psychopath. He mutters to himself:

"They'll be back soon."

WHAT. THE...? How is there anybody who thinks this behavior is normal at this point?

Crowley turns around and Muriel is there. He jumps a bit, having forgotten they were still in the shop. So did the audience, honestly. This may or may not be significant in S3. Muriel being there in the background, blending into the walls during this scene also means that Muriel is now maybe the only character who could actually tell Crowley what happened during the scenes we have been talking about here because he doesn't remember anything involving what he said.

If you were to ask Crowley at any point from the time "The Metatron" and Aziraphale leave the shop on in S2 who identified "The Metatron", he couldn't tell you. If you were to tell him he told Aziraphale to go with "The Metatron", he would not remember doing that. He has as much memory of the words he spoke in the scene with "The Metatron" as Gabriel does of his "there will come a tempest" moment-- which is to say, none.

Crowley knows that Aziraphale has gone with The Metatron and that they will be back soon. He doesn't know how that came to pass and he has been rendered by Satan incapable of leaving the shop or considering the idea that he should follow them.

If the being at the door is Satan and if Aziraphale's fall is where we left the end of 2.06, Aziraphale could lose his memory, at least for a time, which means that the only character who was a reliable witness to Satan influencing Crowley in this scene is Muriel. One purpose of having them in the shop during these moments from a writing standpoint-- as opposed to sending them over to Nina's coffee shop earlier-- might be to set up a character in S3 who can tell Crowley what it was that actually happened here. (Lucky Muriel lol.)

As you pointed out, Crowley starts speaking to Muriel casually, as if nothing is going wrong. He tells Muriel that they should leave the shop, too, and Muriel says:

The Metatron-- really: Satan-- did tell Muriel to wait in the shop but he did so just by pretending to be The Metatron. While there's no possession there with Muriel, Muriel's line to Crowley is also emphasizing what actually just happened to Crowley himself to the audience. "The Metatron" has told them both to wait in the shop-- so, they are waiting in the shop. They're both following directions they've been influenced in different ways to follow. By Muriel saying that they've been told to wait-- even if they were told in a different way than Crowley was-- it suggests that following a directive is also the reason why Crowley himself is still in the shop.

Crowley's response to Muriel, though, makes him sound like he's back to himself-- and, in several ways, he is. He is remaining in the shop because of the influence but he is not currently under an active influence so he can say what it is that he chooses to say. When he's a little sarcastic with Muriel, it sounds like his normal speech because it is. What he doesn't understand is that he's been influenced to do the same thing Muriel has been-- to wait there in the shop-- just against his will, as opposed to Muriel's conscious decision to follow the directive.

Here's where we have to consider Crowley's audience when we talk about what he says next. Crowley likes Muriel; of all the angels not named Aziraphale that he's met, Muriel's definitely top of the list. That said... Muriel is still an angel who is desperate to please The Metatron, as they just proved to him again in this scene by being excited to have been singled out to assist who they believe to be The Metatron. Muriel whole thing is that they're an Inspector Constable; they are literally the (supernatural) police and Crowley wisely doesn't trust the police.

Crowley has no doubt that, after Muriel does leave the shop, that they'd tell The Metatron anything he said. Crowley actually does believe that Aziraphale is in big trouble because he doesn't trust The Metatron-- he's just been rendered incapable of realizing that he's staying in the bookshop because he's been instructed to do so by Satan, who is really the person with Aziraphale in that moment. As a result, Crowley's mind has jumped to a plan for when Aziraphale comes back from coffee with whom Crowley believes is The Metatron.

Crowley has no doubt that Aziraphale will come back because he's been influenced to believe this to be true, which is why he keeps saying "they will be back soon" and "when Aziraphale does come back", instead of being terrified that Aziraphale will not come back at all, which is what he normally would have been if Aziraphale were alone with The Metatron. It is, in this case, going to be true that Aziraphale returns because that is part of Satan's plan and one of the reasons why he influenced Crowley into believing so.

So, anyway, Crowley thinks the big threat is The Metatron potentially erasing Aziraphale into non-existence by deleting him from The Book of Life. This isn't actually a thing, as Crowley told Beez back early on in the season, but Beez, being horrified to realize that they might have been manipulated by something they themselves and Crowley made up ages ago, doubled down out of embarrassment on it being real and led Crowley to believe in its existence as a result. Crowley has spent the season terrified that Aziraphale is going to be made to have never existed. The plan he's cooking up to save Aziraphale from that fate-- which is what he thinks is going on-- is not one he wants to share with the police. It's not one he's going to say aloud in front of Muriel because that might as well be saying it to The Metatron, as far as Crowley is concerned. We won't actually hear Crowley's plan until he delivers it to Aziraphale in coded speech in The Disaster Kiss Scene and by that point, everything is going, um, really, really badly.

(It's the reason why there's no music in that moment so you can literally hear the words echo around the room when Crowley starts in on it and basically shouts the "THIS PLANET" part at Aziraphale but that's straying from the scenes you asked about so *focuses* 😊)

So, Crowley instead says what he'd really, truly, honestly love to be doing for the rest of the morning and he does so in the way that he and Aziraphale do when someone who doesn't speak their language is around and annoying them-- he says it in Ineffable Husbands Speak to amuse himself and, probably, to amuse Aziraphale, whom he plans on telling later. (He'll do this again a few minutes later, when Maggie is ticking him off by saying he and Aziraphale don't talk.)

Crowley says:

Does Crowley want a little Us Time with Aziraphale when he comes back? Does he want to go with him to have an extremely alcoholic breakfast at The Ritz? (Ineffable Husbands Speak for boozy brunch and sex after too long without it?) Yes. Eventually. But he knows there's very dangerous trouble to be dealt with first.

Crowley says that because he wants Muriel to think that he is just preoccupied with thoughts of Aziraphale and breakfast-- because that's what he wants The Metatron to think and he knows Muriel will tell The Metatron what it is that he said.

Crowley wants The Metatron to think he doesn't have a plan.

But, really, when we have known Crowley to not have a plan? 😊

The problem is that it's a plan for the wrong scenario.

It's not The Book of Life that's happening; it's Aziraphale's fall.

It's not The Metatron at the door; it's Satan.

This is almost the entire communication mess of That Disaster Kiss Scene. They're being watched and whatever the fuck happened to Crowley, he can't see that freezing time to speak openly is an option so he and Aziraphale are boxed into trying to each convey what they think is happening and their plans to stop it using their cant vocabulary.

The ironic thing is that while they-- like the audience lol-- have two different ideas of who the being watching them is and what the threat is as a result, they actually both have almost exactly the same plan... with one, key, very romantic difference.

But that's another meta. 😜

In the meantime, I'll just leave you with a reminder of what "The Metatron" said in a moment when Crowley was still in the room:

[veenotes]

i have to rant about this or i might cease to exist. 

lokius...

for one, i love queer ships (canon or not) but i also like to stay true to the show i’m watching, and i personally don’t have a big problem with sylki (just a little underwhelmed with it if i’m being honest). but the more i look at loki and mobius’ relationship, the clues and that damn song, the more it feels actually plausible that this could turn into something real.

i’m going to somewhat rank these from 1 downward, 1 being its probably coincidental, down to this is too spot on to be nothing. all while i sip leisurely at my tea.

1. “i’ve studied almost every moment of your life..”

it kind of speaks for itself. its a pretty simple bit of dialogue, and most likely doesn’t mean all that much, but what is mobius’ fascination with loki variants? this is higher on the list mainly because mobius has been assigned this case, he's a detective and its his job to dig deep, he's consumed by his work, therefore it isn't strange for him to know so much about loki's life on the sacred timeline.

2. the tie adjustment scene

trust me, i'd love to put this lower on the list, but theres one thing that makes me believe this is-- albeit disappointingly-- a coincidence. it was improv. maybe that, for some people, is more of an indicator of canon lokius, that tom hiddleston felt that that scene was being led in such a flirtatious direction, however, this scene was more his following along owen's playful presence on set, which just makes it kind of sweet. but this is one of my favourites scenes, regardless of the intention behind it. loki will always be a flirt, after all.

3. loki's bisexuality

as much as i would have loved to see more on loki's sexuality-- perhaps slightly more explicitly given his status as the god of mischief-- i'm not going to hate on sylvie and loki, because that would simply erase the existence of bisexuality, hetero-presenting relationships exist and to deny so would again, erase the meaning of bisexuality. however, the ending of season 1 does raise some questions. loki and sylvie's separation sets up the future of marvel, it needed to happen, so this might not mean much at all and we now know that season 2 will focus on loki searching for sylvie through timelines. but how purely queer would it be for loki to realise some stronger feelings toward one agent mobius, and perhaps loki and sylvie's relationship was something that was meant to stay platonic, who knows? this is considerably more fanon than my other theories, but i had to include it, given that to me, its a reasonable arguement. lgbtq+ characters need to be introduced and this was kate herron's goal from the beginning. she also said that she hoped marvel went further with this new information and explored more thoroughly. forgive me for this more outlandish inclusion, but it has been on mind for awhile now.

4. the presence of the dagger / "love is a dagger..."

we all know this one, we've all screamed over it and we all hope it means something more than just a coincidence. with marvel's history of in-depth attention to detail (comic references, foreshadowing years prior to a movie's release), it feels a little too purposeful, doesn't it? again, i'm trying to keep rank these into something somewhat believable with viable evidence, so something i will mention is that loki has lacked any close friendships his whole life. gaining a relationship like this would hold deep value to him, and parting ways would likely pull forth some deep bittersweet emotions. platonic love is arguably more important than romantic, the need to be understood without judgement and that is what both mobius and loki have given each other. the tears in loki's eyes during this scene is a clear indicator of their care for each other, but whether that goes deeper is unclear.

my thoughts fluctuate on this one. for one, its simply so beautiful and meaningful to loki's development (and mobius') that whether its meant platonic or with an underlying romance, feels like it hardly matters, because it holds as much meaning either way. "love is a dagger", it appears in so many forms throughout the series: mobius giving loki his daggers, only for them to be taken away by B-15 a second later, this hug scene and loki and sylvie's fight in the citadel. its so prominent in this scene, its hard to dismiss, yet marvel fluctuates so much with their details that its hard to tell if this was intended the way i'm seeing. regardless, its beautiful and definitely a worthy inclusion.

5. the lokius song / mobius' apparent jealousy

lets get one thing straight, natalie holt is an amazing composer and i will back that to no end with my spotify wrapped this year, trust me on this. so when i first started listening through the second album, like a true neurodivergent kid, i was memorising every song name and i have to say, i lost it a little when i saw the name of this song. natalie confirmed that sif and loki had a 'thing' during the point that the time loop scene was set, so one cannot dismiss the possibility that she could know a little more about the prior scenes than we realise. i was skeptical when i first saw people's impressions of these scenes, after all, they had all reunited after loki technically betrayed mobius, so it was understandable that mobius wouldn't exactly be pleased with the circumstances that they're meeting again. but something about the way he looks at loki and sylvie when he's leading them down the hall, he just looks kind of heartbroken and disappointed. again, this could have been the result of loki's betrayal, if the way he calls him a bad friend is anything to go by, but the substance of this scene holds so much in it. and his little rant about loki and sylvie's "twisted romantic relationship" breaking his reality, hits a little hard. maybe this wouldn't have meant much if it hadn't been with that bloody song, because tell how just an angry, hurt mobius = lokius? it can be jealousy regardless of romantic feelings, friendships feel it too, but this feel a little more substantial.

worthy inclusions:

sylvie's "he cares about you" comment in the void, and loki's near dismissal of it.

loki falling asleep in the archives, he trusts mobius.

am i the only one that finds it cute how loki hangs out at mobius' desk while mobius is off doing other work?

conclusion:

look, i'm going to be honest here, i grow sceptical of my own arguments at times. these are very minor things, and i didn't even realise they were pushing loki and sylvie in the direction they were until they kiss (in other words, i'm a little oblivious), so i want you all to take this with a grain of salt. i like to stay true to the actual characters and their makers, i don't have unrealistic expectations and i am no director, actor or screenwriter. i am not saying how i think the next season should go, i just wish it could go to in this direction to some degree. i have my doubts, but my hopes too. regardless, i'm just happy to see these characters at all!

this is what so many seem to forget. there may be restrictions (cough cough disney), but everyone working on these shows and movies have put their hearts into it and i want to appreciate that for what it is! this doesn't mean you aren't entitled to your own opinion, of course you are! but just remember the show/characters you've fallen in love with and if you didn't have them at all. i'm overjoyed to see loki with a close friendship after so many years of watching him being proverbially kicked while he was down. ultimately, loki and mobius' friendship (and possible romance) is what technically saved loki and that's something beautiful in and of itself.

I don't think its impossible! but i keep an open mind for both directions their stories could take.

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Deleted Scenes: The Extend Paris Café Scene

The current café scene works in the movie, and damn it’s cute (I can never listen to “He is” without laughing) but as a scene, it has significantly less of a feeling of conclusion compared to other scenes. It works as it is, but it can also easily continue

Again we have no idea about this scene and we wouldn’t even know that there’s more if it weren’t for Matthew posting this photo

Observation and comparison: in the scene in the movie, they just have two cups of coffee on their table; in the photo, they have glasses of I think red wine (which, by the way, is in the book) and they each have a meal. Henry/Nick’s shaking hands with an older lady who looks like the cook, but in the photo they’re clearly discussing the scene and not in character: Nick’s looking at Matthew. So this is strictly a behind the scene photo unlike a “shooting” photo, such as the kissing tree photo Matthew posted, where the boys were kissing so they were clearly shooting already

This was apparently their first day of shooting and I want to scream at how amazing their chemistry is

Then there’s this photo that I presume they took just after shooting outside of the café

According to Matthew, the red mark on the corner of Henry/Nick’s forehead is not a bruise but a lipstick mark

Taylor/Alex is probably not wearing lipstick or at least not this shade of red, and given the point in their relationship it also doesn’t make sense for Alex to leave a mark somewhere so visible and for Henry to allow it

I read this speculation/theory on Weibo (yes I check the fandom over there out occasionally, no I don’t have the link, the Weibo system is complicated and I can’t be bothered to learn it) where they suspected that the old lady recognized Henry and kissed him on the forehead as a sign of respect or adoration or something, which might echo Henry talking about everyone recognizing him in the next scene

I didn’t really agree because, what the hell, straight-up kissing the prince like that has got to be against either etiquette or protocols, but then a few days later I saw a video of the actual Prince William visiting a café during one of his projects, and an ex-football star who was there and greeted him and kissed him on the cheek, so… eh I guess that question’s out of the way

I also questioned why would a cook in Paris show such affection to Henry, the prince of the UK, but then I think this could be explained by Henry’s popularity in universe. He is after all, “the Prince of England’s Hearts”, which isn’t something explored in the book: in the movie, Henry isn’t only a prince, he’s also a popular public figure in general. This point was not established in the book. So maybe it’s that.

But also, it’s possible that Henry knows this café and the owner, and they’re familiar, hence the affection? That would go against the point of “strangers knowing his name” but social logic wise seems to make more sense

Where is Alex in all of this? Obviously, he’s still there, sitting opposite Henry, but in the photo Taylor’s facing away from the camera and just looking at his dish so there’s nothing we can get from that. Is he just watching all of this unfold?  

Where does this scene end? I’m guessing, and this is just me guessing with barely any evidence to support myself: their dishes are served -> whatever happens with the cook -> maybe Alex and Henry talk about what just happened –> they start eating -> cut to walk in the garden

This is all speculation, we literally have no context for the scene and everything I’ve just written is quite possible over-analysing tiny clues, but we won’t know anything until PRIME RELEASES THE DAMN FULL PARIS SCENE

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Ikemen Sengoku (JP)

Kicho's Main Story Chapter 2 Premium

Mai: "Actually, there's something I've been hiding from you."

Mai: "I don't know if you'll believe me, but can you hear me out?"

Kicho: "Yeah. What is it?"

Mai: "I came from five hundred years in the future."

Kicho: "............"

Kicho looked surprised for a moment after hearing my words but quickly returned to his usual unreadable expression.

Kicho: "Future?"

Mai: "I was on vacation when a wormhole suddenly appeared and sent me back here in the Sengoku period."

Mai: "That was about three months ago. Someone took me in after that."

Kicho: "That's why you said you came from a village in the countryside?"

Mai: "Yes. But with no way to get home, I couldn't just let them take care of me all the time, so I looked for a place to work and found out about this place."

Kicho: "It makes sense. But I don't trust you."

Kicho: "What you’re saying is nothing but just a bunch of nonsense."

Kicho: "If you really are from the future, show me some evidence to convince me."

(I have a handkerchief as proof, but it would just look like any other hand towel.)

(Damn it, I should've brought my bag.)

(I have my camera and pen case in there.)

Mai: "Oh."

------------Flashback------------

Mai: "If only there was a brush that never ran out of ink, it would be useful in this situation."

Kicho: "You're right. If I had a ballpoint pen right now, I'd lend it to you."

---------Flashback Ends---------

(I thought I was imagining it, but maybe一)

Kicho: "What's wrong? Got nothing?"

Mai: "Yeah. I wish I had something from the future to give you, but I almost brought nothing."

Mai: "Though, I know about it too. The ballpoint pen."

Kicho: "That's一"

Mai: "You mentioned it before. That thing allows you to write without having to put anything on it and doesn't exist at this period."

Mai: "You know about the future, don’t you?"

(He used to be in the Oda army, and Mitsuhide had known him since he was a kid, so he's not originally from the future.)

Mai: "I got curious, so I snuck into this room to see if I could find any clues about you."

Mai: "I'm really sorry for doing that."

I bowed my head, my heart pounding as I waited for his response.

Kicho: "To answer your question, yes, I know the future."

Mai: "I knew it!"

I looked up and saw him giving me a pitiful look.

(Huh? That's not the reaction I was expecting.)

Kicho: "I see. You were born and raised in that miserable world."

Mai: "M-Miserable?"

Kicho: "I'm not from the future, but I traveled through a wormhole once."

Mai: "But you came back."

Kicho: "Yes. For a purpose."

Kicho lazily crossed his legs and sighed deeply.

Kicho: "I will use any means to achieve my goal."

Mai: "So, weapons?"

Kicho: "Yes. You know that Japan in the future is free of conflict."

Kicho: "Creating that hellish world is not the way to save everyone. That's why I'm going to continue this turbulent world."

Mai: "But..."

(How did he come to that conclusion after seeing a future without war?)

(From what I've seen, he really values life, yet his purpose contradicts it.)

Every time I talk to this inconsistent man, I feel like I'm wandering through a deep, foggy forest.

(This guy is an enemy of the Oda army and mine.)

(But I'd like to know a little bit more.)

Not only about the number of guns and his schemes but also about himself.

If I could do that, maybe I could put the missing pieces together.

Mai: "Um, can I still stay here?"

Kicho: "Well, you have nowhere else to go."

Mai: "Yes."

Kicho: "Then you can stay. But believing that you're from the future is different from trusting you."

Kicho: "I only have one condition."

Kicho cut off his words there, stood up, and walked to his desk.

He then took something out of the top drawer and showed it to me.

(Key?)

Kicho: "To keep an eye on you, starting tomorrow, you'll be working with me."

Kicho: "In other words, you will be my secretary."

Kicho: "That's the condition of staying here."

Mai: "What?"

Kicho: "Unsatisfied? Then you have no choice but to leave."

Kicho: "I'm determined to eliminate anyone who stands in my way or may stand in my way."

(I guess there's nothing I can do. I'm already lucky that he let me off the hook after he found out that I snuck in here.)

(I'll just try to be as normal as possible if he's going to monitor me.)

Mai: "Okay. I'll be happy to help!"

Kicho: "Then this conversation is over."

After confirming that I agreed, he opened the bottom drawer, took out a wooden box, and approached me.

Mai: "What's that?"

Kicho: "Some things I’ll use to patch you up."

Kicho: "Put your hand over here. You burn your fingers earlier with the tea."

(I completely forgot about it.)

I held out my hand as I was told, and his long, slender fingers took it, surprising me with his gentle touch.

Kicho: "It's a little reddish. I'll put some ointment on it just in case."

Mai: "I’m fine. It's not that painful, and it'll heal eventually."

Kicho: "I'm going to apply it now."

Kicho took my hand and applied a bit of it to the affected area.

Even though I knew he was only treating me, I couldn't help but blush as he gently stroked my hand.

(This is kind of embarrassing.)

Kicho: "That should do it. The redness should go away in a few days."

Mai: "T-Thank you, that helped."

Kicho: "If you get hurt again, let me know."

Kicho: "Don't be insensitive to pain. That's the same as neglecting yourself."

(Kicho...)

His tone of voice was as gentle as his hands, and I nodded my head, a little surprised.

Previous Chapter╏Masterlist╏Next Chapter

[comicgeekery]

Sherlock & Co. : The Three Students

I really like the framing device on this one, Sherlock needing to make a speech and faking out like it's going to suck. Very clever. I want to take a moment to theorize about Mariana. Like I said in my last post, she obviously has some secrets going on. And now we know she's got at least a minor history of rule-breaking that she feels intensely self-conscious about. Maybe a clue that she broke some laws at some point and feels really ashamed? I also feel like we're just getting to know her better lately as more tidbits have been adding up. She cares a lot about looking respectable, but actually is an intense fan of a lot of things (Taylor Swift, problematic boy wizard, and the singer from The Dancing Men). Sometimes her self-conscious nature makes her a little mean about anyone being "weird". I think it comes up with John more than Sherlock, since John is the one who cares so much about being liked by everyone. If Mariana pokes him he'll actually understand and engage with her on debating what's acceptable. As for the Mrs. Hudson bit, I suspect that either Sherlock calls her that because it's some sort of sly hint that he knows something about her hidden past, or Mrs. Hudson was an important caregiver to Sherlock at some point and he often slips into calling kind women who take care of him Mrs. Hudson as a result. I hope at some point we get to see a significant one-on-one between Sherlock and Mariana. I wonder what their vibe is like at this point. Back to the episode! 1. It is very cute that John is calling Archie "their" dog now. 2. It was actually really nice to have a relatively low-stakes case for once. 3. John. Baby. You edit these episodes. Why did you make yourself into SUCH an idiot for this one? There was no reason to include you waking up Mariana and vomiting in her bathroom. Do you see your value as being the show's humor? Is this another thing you seriously need therapy about? 4. For some reason my Spotify has been switching to part 2 of The Red-Headed League whenever I let it go from one episode to the next and I got the brief impression that the conclusion of Three Students was going to be a mega-intense, pulling-from-all-the-past-episodes, season finale thing. I was very relieved that no, it's really just a student cheating on a test. 5. Kayleigh. Kayleigh. This is why students lie about their grandparents dying. There were much better options! 6. That's not a criticism of the episode though. It actually fits very nicely with Sherlock's points about crime. It's often spontaneous, emotional, irrational, and petty. Yes, there were better options for how to deceive the school, but the best option was to not lie at all and do the responsible, if disappointing thing. 7. Hot damn would I love to see a "speech" like this. But was that class list a stealth set of listener shout-outs? It's gotta be, right? 8. Excellent mystery and acting. A decent amount of racial diversity. Still needs more queer!

[brightlotusmoon]

I don't understand the concept of pro shippers and antis. Like I have some ships that are really problematic and some that aren't. Like I get people hating certain things like, I have certain things that I don't like. Am I weird though? For it? Cause I have some weird ships. Age gap doesn't really bother me. Especially if they fictional. Or like cartoon characters. In live action things I get if if the characters were actually kid actors. That I get. But most of the time I'm just shipping the adult actors with who their characters are playing am I making sense? Most of the time for cartoons and shows they usually have adults playing the characters. So why is it a big deal to write smut or other stuff? I don't know. Am I making sense or is their something wrong with me? Just all this pro and anti stuff just makes me paranoid and my ocd bad. Like am I bad? I don't see myself as either cause I feel lik it's broad a term.

I'm with you. These concepts didn't exist when I entered fandom. I'm still trying to figure things out.

All I know is that the phrase "these turtles are underage and brothers" is something I never expected to see with my own eyes from when the antishippers infested the Ninja Turtles fandom. I got accused of being complicit in pedophilia and threatened with a purging or whatever they thought would scare me. This is a fandom based on a parody, with animal humanoids that barely have human type biologies, let alone ones that can be compared to humans. Do you understand how ridiculous this sounds? I just typed it and I'm completely baffled.

From what I gather, the anti side is desperate for control over something, anything, and flailing for the flimsiest straws they can grasp. The pro side appears to be chilling, playing with fictional representations of the human (ish) condition, occasionally declaring little wars over which ship is better. Really fun analytical threads. Sometimes I feel squicked by a ship or a theme, so I stop reading.

And the neutrals - I guess that's me - are standing off to the side passing around popcorn.

*hands you popcorn*

In conclusion, I have no goddamn clue, but I'm here for the ride.

(But I will say this: I will write that poly smut fic one day and damned if a whiny threat from a miserable teenager halfway across the country will give me pause.)

[doodlemunster]

You can't just leave me hanging with "great stories"! Would you kindly share your some stories from your Escape Room days that were the:

1. Craziest

2. Silliest

3. Wtf-iest (moment that made you go wtf/question humanity)

LMAO oh I am more than happy to tell them!! Strap in, cuz I def have a few!

Some of these stories kind of fall into all three categories and mixtures of both, but I'm gonna do my best!

Craziest

would have to be a story that I tell almost every time someone asks me about my time as a game guide cuz it THREW me for a loop.

Okay so, my workplace would offer group deals for companies looking to do 'team building exercises'. We have four themed rooms, so all four would be blocked off for their entire company to split up into. This was absolute chaos cuz our place was s m a l l and every time these events happened, it was damn near elbow to elbow.

Anyways, we had an insurance company come in to do the rooms and I was tasked with guiding them through our basketball themed room. This room had two hidden rooms separated by doors you had to solve and unlock. Each one even had its own TV too.

My team comprised of all women and they were pretty quiet, so I had to give them some extra nudges, but otherwise they did well and at the end, really got into the spirit of things! Sadly tho, they didn't break out so I went in to show them how and boy howdy, this is when things get interesting.

One puzzle you have to complete is this brochure with a cross word puzzle. Many people think you have to use this brochure for the entire game, but that's not true. It's a one and done thing. However, these ladies were CONVINCED it was crucial. Anyways, they handed it off to me and this piece of paper is SOAKED. Like, real soggy and its ripping apart. I'm confused because this is the worst state I've ever seen one of our brochures in. Didn't question it, continued to show them everything and ask if they had a good time.

As I'm ushering them up to the front, one lady approaches me and tells me that she panicked in one of the rooms. See, this room is about the 'rules of basketball' and that someone is running in to steal it and you have to find them before this mysterious thief gets it, so the TVs will periodically do emergency broadcasting beeps and have a panicked basketball player telling you you are their only hope. It DOES indeed get people panicked and makes kids cry at times.

So, she continues to tell me she believed the brochure was the actual Rules of Basketball and needed to hide it where no one could find it. At first, the way she worded it, I didn't quite get it till the whole group was done and gone. MY DUDES, SHE STUFFED THE BROCHURE IN HER PANTS.

She was sweating and this brochure had been stuffed next to her cheeks. As with all rooms, we game guides sit in the back watching and hearing the group to give them clues. I watched these people like a hawk, but she sneaked that brochure down her pants with EASE. So, in conclusion, I had a sweaty ripped brochure covered in booty sweat.

Silliest

I got two stories for this category as they are simply silly and light hearted.

The first one is a big family that also did the basketball room. One of these family members is this little girl, who couldn't be much older then like, 5. The adults were in a tizzy trying to figure out the answer to this puzzle, which was a number combo. It's loud and a lot of members are talking over each other, until I hear this little girl just spit out the answer but NO ONE heard her.

In these rooms, there is a small TV up above where I send clues and when I send one, it'll be beep. So I immediately sent them a message 'the little girl just said it! she said the answer!'. The family reads the clue and immediately, ALL the attention is on this little girl. All the adults are like 'What is it? What did you say??' and the girl is NOT prepared for this attention. She's giggling, smiling shyly and saying 'I don't know! I can't remember!' and the adults are scrambling to figure it out.

So, because the whole family was already SO close to breaking out and technically a member of their party DID say the right answer, I repeated what the little girl said to the group and they got the puzzle. It was really funny and a great time.

What running these rooms have taught me is that kids are VERY good at these escape rooms. They can by pass the bullshit and get to the actual puzzles/answers. They just need an adult to keep them focused, that's their only downside. I had SO many kids blurt out what they think the puzzle is and have adults straight up ignore them. So, I'd take the extra step and tell the adults to listen to their kids.

The second silly story is about a group of four who came to do our Y2K inspired room. This room theme was about how you are stuck at a New Years Eve party and its just about to be the year 2000, but its up to YOU to stop the computers from crashing and the world ending. I liked this one cuz you could listen to early 2000's music while the room ran. I always knew I had 3 minutes remaining in the room once Mambo Number 5 played.

Long story short, this group was struggling with a puzzle and one of them suggested to google the answer. Not sure how they would do that, but regardless, I was about to send them a message to NOT do that.

My worry was totally unwarranted, as another from their team blurted out 'You can't do that!! It's the year 2000, phones don't EXIST YET'. Which had both me and the rest of the group cracking up.

WTF Moments

as much as I loved being a game guide, I did experience a lot of fuckery in the rooms.

There is a reason most of the stuff in escape rooms are bolted down. People WILL try to destroy the room. Usually not intentionally, but some shit heads will try to on purpose, even AFTER you tell them to stop. So, sadly I do have quite a few stories.

I had a group of women come in to do our Civil War themed escape room. This room was all dark except for the lanterns you would use to pick them up and see around the room.

I had one lady yank on the portraits on the walls which I told her they do NOT come off. I told her once, she ignored it and continued. I had told her a second time and she STILL didn't heed it and RIPPED the fucker off the wall. This thing was ANCHORED INTO CONCRETE. I don't know how she did it.

Our cameras weren't the best so through the dark, the talking and everything else, I don't think I knew she did this till I came into the room to find the picture on the ground.

In the hidden room there was a pipe that is attached to the wall but is pretty fragile. This same lady kept grabbing it and pulling it at it, in which I had to tell her multiple times to STOP. She finally did after goading from both me and her team mates (her team mates especially because they were catching on that I was only sending them messages about her messing up the room). I was about to kick them out, but thank god she finally stopped.

Another group, two women, got mad at me for penalizing them for being super tardy (this isn't some unspoken rule, its a common rule at most escape rooms and is both posted on our website AND in the lobby). So, they picked every lock open in the Y2K room, messed up the flow of the puzzles, and in turn, didn't break out (womp womp).

Another group of two, a wife and a husband, did our Y2K room as an anniversary activity. The wife was nothing but smiles and was super excited to play. Her demeanor and attitude did a total 180 once the room started.

The husband got to looking at the walls, the decor, the drawers, etc. and was speaking out loud "hey, i think this might be a clue" "hey, I think this might be a puzzle", so on and so forth. She never really replied to these questions, instead ignored him and looked elsewhere. He then began solving these puzzles on his own and opening things up, which sent her into a TIZZY.

All of a sudden, she is getting pissed. "You've done this before haven't you?" "well how did you get that so fast? you done this before!" just over and over. He continued to deny it and would calmly say 'no, I haven't. I just found this and figured it was a puzzle'.

He gets to the secret room all on his own and now she is SUPER mad. Convinced he did this on his own, she sits herself down on a chair and exclaims 'Well, since you've clearly done this room before, I'll just sit here till your done' and crosses her arms.

Well, this is real fuckin awkward and I have....no idea what to say. I had tried to send freebies, but it didn't seem to help ease the tension nor make her any less pissed.

Toward the end, she did sort of try to help, but it was more like angrily stomping from place to place. At one point, she retorts 'I didn't think you would get it. You usually aren't this smart'.

which gob smacked the hell out of me. Holy jesus. This woman was terrible. I was reeeaaally not looking forward to coming into that room to ask them how things went, but ya know, its part of the job.

That's when her demeanor changed AGAIN. I opened up the door and said 'Oooh I'm sorry you guys didn't make it! Did you have fun tho?' and this woman turned to me, beaming and cheerfully saying 'omg yes it was so much fun! Were we close?' and while I was thankful it wasn't horribly awkward, it had me so incredibly confused. The poor guy was quiet but still very kind with me, but I just felt awful for him. If she was like this in an escape room, how was she like behind closed doors at home??

We also had some racist asshats come into our rooms and we had to kick them out and ban them from ever playing again. I wasn't there when this happened, so I don't have the full deets, but like damn dude.

Honorable Mentions and Other Tidbits

I had a group from Australia come in and give me a little nudge nudge, wink wink to tell me their 'coffee' was definitely not coffee. They were awesome.

I had a group forget my name, so they just called me God to ask for clues

On one of my first couple days of work, I looked away from my group for only a few minutes before discovering they had unscrewed and taken the vent cover off in my room. I never typed so fast in my life to tell them THERE ARE NO CLUES THERE OMG PLEASE DON'T STICK YOUR HAND IN THERE

I wasn't there for this, but my co-worker told me a story of a couple who played the basketball room, only for them to break up half way in. They sat on opposite ends of a bench in silence till time ran out

I had several instances of people getting VERY mad at me for giving them freebies.

A lot of people weirdly just...straight refused to pay attention to the TV where I gave clues. This was a bigger problem then I thought it would be for some reason.

If I had to give any tips on going to an escape room, It'd be this:

Be nice to your game guide. This should be a given, but you'd be surprised the amount of times people would forget I can see and hear them and say nasty things about me. If you are kind, you can get yourself some freebies in crucial moments or, in some super rare cases, even get some time added to your room. They WANT you to break out and are just as excited as you when you make it!

When a game guide asks if you have questions, def ask some! There is NO such thing as a dumb question. Escape rooms in of themselves are weird and not many people even know what they really /are/ or what the goal is. I know I was more than happy to answer them if asked. You'll feel better and do better if you ask.

Definitely get there at least 10-15 minutes early. Most escape rooms require you to sign a waiver and the guide has to go over all the rules before it starts, so it just makes it easier on them to keep their rooms on time. Like I said, most places have time penalties if you are late and that's simply to make sure the schedule doesn't get messed up. If you are lucky and the escape room place is small, like ours, you could get away with it, but there were times where even /we/ had to put our foot down and enact the policy.

Thank you so much for asking Mysc!! ^o^ So so sorry its a HUGE WALL of text lmaooo I tell stories in text just like I do irl -- long winded and too much context. But I freaking LOVE telling my stories from my game guide days. It was such a hoot.

[ladyodaskonpeito]

Day 5: Alternate Universe

Fandom: Free!

Pairing: Yamazaki Sousuke x Tachibana Makoto

Wordcount: 853

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

It was a spectacular first birthday at TUH. Sousuke’s new colleagues were amazing people and he couldn’t imagine himself being surrounded by a more uplifting bunch. Or a more chaotic one.

The adrenaline surge in his blood was still going on when he parked his car at his designated spot that evening, all ready to manage an emergency. He frantically rounded the corner in search of Makoto, only to be caught off guard by confetti poppers going off and a loud cheer of Happy Birthday from his wonderful but mischievous teammates.

His heart rate didn’t calm down until he was called in for his shift at seven, and he couldn’t help but be bummed out by missing Makoto who he somehow thought would be showing up at some point. Sousuke was actually starting to get used to his heartbeat quickening at the thought of him, even anticipating the weird symptom at times which became a regular occurrence since the day he met Makoto again.

It was from this point on, though, that he realised it had become a true concern. He had looked forward to coming across Makoto at work the next day, even when he knew what it’d do to his chest. Makoto was in on the surprise the previous evening, after all, so the thrilling thought of seeing him on the job and maybe receiving a happy birthday from him was… starting to worry Sousuke.

So he resorted to his best friend for advice. Rin came in the next day at seven in the morning with zero signs of a hangover from the previous night. Sousuke could only hope the eight-hour rule of ceasing all alcohol before a shift would work just as well for him.

“Rin, have you ever experienced palpitations?”

Rin looked taken aback, cocking an eyebrow at Sousuke. “Yeah, sure. Why?”

“What was your diagnosis?”

“Huh?” Confusion was written all over his face.

Sousuke straightened up. “I’ve been having occasional episodes for a while now and I can’t for the life of me figure out what is it. Do you think I should head over to cardiology for a check-up?”

“Slow down, where’s the rest of your history?” Rin didn’t look too worried, flipping through his hepatology textbook to catch up on what he failed to study the previous night.

“The only concomitant symptom is clammy hands. The triggering factor appears to be—as silly as this sounds—a person.”

Now he had Rin’s full attention. “And do I know this person?”

“You do. It happens to be the nursing manager.”

“Mako-” he almost exclaimed before lowering his volume, quickly overcoming his initial shock, “Makoto?”

Sousuke nodded. “It really is puzzling, isn’t it.”

“It is not,” Rin gulped. “I should have seen it coming, honestly.”

“Do you have a diagnosis already?”

Rin gave him a side-eye, unamused. “Of course I do. I even know the gold standard treatment!”

“What is it? I can’t believe you got it so soon. I revisited all my cardiology lecture notes and still didn’t have a clue.”

“That’s a shame because it’s not cardio in nature.” Rin snapped his textbook shut, scrutinising Sousuke in a way that made him feel self-conscious about not knowing the answer. “Your condition is infatuation, Sousuke. You’re crushing hard!”

Sousuke was speechless for a moment, his mouth hanging open at the conclusion Rin arrived at.

“And I thought I knew you well enough to know your sexuality. Damn it, now it’s Haru’s turn to judge me for being a bad best friend,” said Rin. “Makoto is just the type you’d be into—gentle and caring and all that.”

“So… your idea of a treatment plan would be?”

“To talk to him, idiot. He actually texted me just yesterday to ask about you, I’d say you’ve got a good chance.”

The thought of Makoto asking about him made Sousuke’s mouth go dry. “W-what did you talk to him about?”

“Look at you getting all nervous about it,” Rin guffawed. “Relax, he was wondering if you enjoyed the party we threw, is all.”

“Is all?” Sousuke couldn’t hide the disappointment in his tone.

“Did you expect it to be a conversation where he revealed his secret crush on you?”

“Shut up.”

“I would but I have to apologise first. I told him you’re heterosexual.” Rin shrugged and made a gesture that said ‘You can’t blame me’. “It came up when he asked about Kisumi, who had been trying to bring the two of us together behind our backs. My boyfriend was not thrilled at all when he learned that, apparently. So I told him what I’ve always said to Haru: you’re straight.”

“I-” Sousuke would reprimand Rin for that, except that he had only dated girls in the past and never opened up to anyone about his bisexuality.

Sousuke, having the hots for Makoto? Was that what all these years of dwelling on the past had amounted to?

Sousuke couldn’t say. Not yet, at least.

Not until he came clean to Makoto about the fact that he remembered meeting him as a PT patient seven years ago. And that he was not heterosexual.

To be continued on Day 6

[akkpipitphattana]

thinking a little more about episode povs & how the multiple important raymew conversations that we don't get to witness the conclusions of fit into that framework.

in ep4 we don't see what happens in the flashback after mew first pushed ray off bc ray doesn't want to think about that! if something more than a chaste kiss happened between them in that video (& we never see the video bc ep3 is nick's pov & nick doesn't give a good goddamn about raymew), ray isn't telling us about it. we don't see the details of mew's rejection beyond the initial "i can't do this", we don't know what he said or how he framed it or how firm he was bc ray doesn't want to remember any of it, though there's also another level here bc within the episode that's actually mew's flashback, & the rest of the conversation they had then isn't really relevant to the conversation he's having now with top.

then in ep6 we don't see how mew initially reacts to ray giving him the recording bc top has no clue whatsoever how mew initially reacted! top didn't even realize that anything was wrong at all until the bedroom, which is also part of why we only find out mew even knew via flashback. the reaction that top understands is the one that mew planned & staged specifically for him. top doesn't give a damn about ray & he either can't or doesn't want to imagine mew's immediate reaction, beyond general shock, to finding out what top did or to hearing the audio -- he doesn't even show us mew actually listening to it, & the flashback cuts off before ray can tell him what the recording is -- & so we don't get the rest of that conversation, even though something definitely happened between them, bc ray loses it & also mew apologizes over it in the next episode. but top doesn't want to know about that, so we don't see it.

& then in ep7. ah, ep7. mew leads the conversation towards him finally giving ray a chance, so he can rebound with the one person he knows loves him more than he could ever love them, the person who he thinks can't hurt him & would always forgive him anything, the person he knows will bother top the most bc "i was jealous of ray" was the only explanation he had for cheating & also top still thinks they have a history mew isn't admitting to (JOJO SHOW US THE FUCKING VIDEO I'M LOSING MY MIND HERE) -- anyway, i'm not surprised mew didn't show us the end of that conversation. i honestly don't think there's any way it could have gone that paints mew in a good light, that maintains his conception of himself as the totally justified victim. plus, the way that him & ray are both taking advantage of each other? that's not the story mew wants to tell himself about them. of course he only gave us the bare bones from which we can draw the conclusion that they're together, more-or-less, & we don't need any details beyond that, but we are going to cut directly to top looking miserable & show his fantasy of dancing with mew morph into a scene of mew dancing with ray, don't read too much into that or anything.

& then their actual relationship is all from boston's perspective, who saw this train-wreck coming a mile off & has no interest in looking away from any of it or in giving anyone the benefit of the doubt. ray's pathetic, mew's just using him, they don't fit together & never have, they're not being honest with each other or themselves, this whole thing is going to crash & burn so hard. & maybe boston's too cynical! but maybe he just sees them more clearly than anyone else is.

THIS EXACTLY!! i’ve been saying since ep3 that we are missing Very Important raymew information, with the flashbacks and the confrontation and the getting together. and it’s purposeful!! storytelling wise yes but because all of these episodes are from different povs. and it’s why i’m SO happy we got them together from boston’s perspective because he is the only one that sees them clearly, aside from maybe nick but nick honestly doesn’t given enough of a fuck about them to be prominent figures. boston, for as much as he’s pissed at them, does care about them and they are important to his life — and he knew damn well this was gonna go up in flames. HE EVEN PREDICTED RAY TWO TIMING!!!!

[incarnateirony]

Hi.I will say right away that I do not understand the situation with Patrick very well, but for several years I was thrown information that he wrote with the words:"look at what Patrick writes, he has secret sources, he owns insider information," but I'm such a person that I don't take his word for it, so every time I started checking how reliable it was, and every time I came to the conclusion that this Patrick is just a stupid talker who doesn't own any secret sources. I will give a small example:last summer, Patrick wrote that Jared will have a new project not on the CW and that Jared has three projects: Walker, Windy and a new one not on the CW.And Jared's poor stans spent the whole summer wondering where their precious whiner would be filmed, in fact it turned out that Jared was just going on vacation, so he canceled the convention, and not because he was working.This is just a small example of how Patrick gives out wishful thinking for insider information .We all know that Jared's stans doesn't like Walker and they're jealous of Jensen, so they want other projects for Jared.So when they send me something with the words:"look what Patrick wrote," then I tell them to "fuck off with this stupid cunt"

Yeah, it's literally years ongoing of vaguing, stalking, denial, and wishful thinking.

The guy once in a while hears something vaguely convention relevant that actually happens but he tries to pass his convention socialite nonsense as real production connection or a viable method to maintain meritful intel. Or blurs the lines of those connections.

Like basically sometimes he'll vague at some guests that seem to come true. Fair enough. His whole life and that of his friends revolves around being consumers in the convention market, so I'm unsurprised they hear news about what will be consumable to consumers in the consumer market at that level of involvement.

It's the overall stretching of that awareness--and hell, it's ability to fail, like your example, or the fact he just got busted outright lying about M&G contents and is known for it on the lowkey to people that rotate in and out of those greets by the dozens and watch him lie and butcher what's said in them for years.

The guy has never had a meaningful piece of intel land much less about the shows, much less about THIS show. Like this one in particular, any canker sore that had given him viable info in mainbody SPN seems to have been yeeted. He literally hasn't had a single thing right about The Winchesters and has failed at every denial to date so far but still can not be compelled to shut the fuck up, because he wants the attention so damn bad. And the free gold tickets he grifted out of people with the shit.

Man has been a consistent leak failure for 6 years but people lost to their delusional psychic landscapes of self importance just like hearing what he says and imagine if they wish real real hard, THIS TIME he'll be right about something.

Also frankly his con sources aren't even that good, apparently mine outrank his, and that's all I can say, because he'd also be shutting up even from a con angle at this point if he had a real clue. If ANY of his CE connections were even worth a damn he'd have the context and information enough to know one of the several reasons I keep saying TW/CM is fine.

in hindsight it's genuinely funny that for all his work and posturing, the market i've made clear I give a shit about the absolute least and ignore until he and his friends fuck up on main, i still somehow have better ears on the wall at than him. without paying a dime. bless.

if the man stayed in his own lane and just admitted he was only a con coverer, I wouldn't mind. I'm sure he'd still butcher con coverage, but everyone butchers con coverage. But it's his desperate need to pretend it makes him Somebody That Knows Something, even when he's proven a hundred times to the opposite. Nobody would bother him if he just reported shit, it's him pretending he can talk in the production box by proxy that turns him into a living clown.

[svartalfhild]

Svar Watches BBC Robin Hood for the First Time - Season 3

Some of you may have seen my reactions to Season 1 and Season 2, well, here's the epic conclusion:

Well I can tell you right off the bat that the production, especially the costumes, have gotten a major glow-up, holy shit.

Damn we're starting off in a dark place. I mean, I guess I expected that, but even so.

It's been 5 minutes and I already miss Will and Djaq.

Guy is so unhinged now and it hurts my heart, but it's so interesting to watch. Also, the costuming glow-up and Armitage doing his thing means that Guy is now, in some respects, even hotter than before. For this to really get out of hand for me, though, he has to get a good redemption arc. That would just be top👌tier👌shit👌. I have no goddamn clue how that could happen at this point, though. Won't hold my breath.

So now that Marian is fucking dead and Djaq is off having her happily ever after with Will, I'm guessing Tuck is going to be the new voice of reason.

Ohoho Guy going Fuck Everything Actually But Especially The Sheriff And Also My Life with maximum emo is fucking zesty.

I like Kate. Her being a love interest for Much is a bit out of left field, but I could be into it if the narrative does the work to sell it.

Man, the real villain in this show is toxic masculinity.

I love how every time a recurring female character is grieving, Little John is like "hello, I'm your emotional support giant".

Lara Pulver???? Fuck yeah!

Holy shit she's Guy's sister????? And she's Robin's new love interest???? That's a spicy meatball.

Gotta say, Guy, being shitty to your sister is rapidly losing you attractiveness points.

OH MY GOD GUY ACTUALLY GOT TO STAB THE SHERIFF I AM LIVING YES BITCH KILL YOUR ABUSER!!!!

Aw dunk he's still alive. Boo. Well, either way, Guy has fallen out of the hands of one abuser into another, who has even more power.

Toby Stephens as Prince John is brilliant. He's so flighty and detestable. And pathetic in the way that only rich men are. This is reminding me of the tantrums of the bird app destroyer.

So I see from Isabella's behaviour with Robin that getting overly attached to the first person who's nice to them is a Gisborne family trait. Also going all super backstabby survival mode when they get put in a tight spot.

Meg is fucking great and I am so here for the women-supporting-women of her introduction. I want her to be besties with Isabella, even though Isabella is duplicitous af (albeit kinda understandably so).

So, uh, fuck Thornton. It was bad enough hearing from Isabella that he's awful, but now that we get to see him, I am absolutely revolted.

Oh, oh, I love watching Meg call Guy the fuck out for his, well, everything, and he just has to sit there and take it cause they're in prison. Get his ass, girl.

Wait...oh my god...oh my god IS GUY ACTUALLY GONNA HAVE A REDEMPTION ARC???? YOU'RE KIDDING HOLY SHIT POP ALL THE BOTTLES LADS

Aw...aw, Meg. I'm crying with you, Guy. T_T

The way Isabella started this season with "I'm nothing like my brother; there's nothing about him that I want to be" and then she proceeded to become exactly like her brother.

God, the cinematic parallels between Guy and Isabella are so strong and so tragic. Both abused, both prone to thinking in extremes, both trying so desperately to protect themselves and making all the wrong choices. But it's interesting how Isabella is descending into evil the same way Guy did the moment she's given a crumb of power by an evil man, while Guy is trying to be better after hitting rock bottom and getting told what's what by a mouthy peasant girl.

Kate turning out to actually be Robin's love interest is honestly a bit boring, but predictable, I suppose.

Damn, that Backstory™ episode was wild and soapy as fuck but it sure did some heavy lifting with the plot to get Robin and Guy united at last. A fucking half-brother between them named Archer. Jesus christ.

Guy's father being a leper kinda brings new context to the Sheriff derisively calling Marian a leper all of the time. Must have been a real twist in the gut every time Guy heard it.

Robin and Guy going to rescue Archer is giving Thor and Loki "get help" energy and I love it so much. More of this please.

So I see being a tricky little bastard and a romantic is something Archer shares with his siblings.

Oh my god the symbolism of Guy riding a white horse now.

Aw, Allan. T_T So it's a Boromir end for you, huh.

I'm scared to watch the finale because I just know it's going to hurt my heart somehow. Let Guy stab the Sheriff again, please?

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYY *INCOHERENT SCREAMING AND CRYING*

"I lived in shame, but because of you, I die proud and free." I WILL NEVER BE OKAY AGAIN!!!!!!!! T_T

Yes, blow everything the fuck up. Die, assholes.

And there goes Robin too. God, I'll just be sobbing for the next several minutes, thanks.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed my screaming and crying. I hope you went "ohohoho just you wait girl" every time I saw or didn't see a twist coming.

[skayafair]

Ok S3 let's go *ooph*

Live impressions below (yes it's another wall of text)

Ok I still have like 1\4 of the episode to go but I just need to vent out a bit because HOLY HELL.

What the actual fuck.

I mean I do find myself being correct most the time lately since I've started to trust my gut instinct more instead of doubting every thought and idea, like I've been surprisingly in tune with The Sheridan Tapes, it still blows my mind, - or hearing nearly exact words I've typed in the latest Malevolent ep - from and about John, that was surprising, too, but I just concluded we're pretty much alike in personality so that partially explains it, I think, and HG is pretty good at depicting the characters, so I just must have caught a few hints.

But to be THIS spot on??? I mean I've just typed that long-ass post yesterday, and I WAS going to listen to the show from season 1 again first before proceeding to S3, buuut then I had to wash the dishes, and it's unbearably boring, and I didn't manage to make myself do it in more than 3 hours, my ADHD be damned. I needed something interesting to drive me, so there wasn't much choice since I've caught up with TST earlier this evening and mirror house host story wasn't very interesting to me, alas. So here I was, turning S3 on before refreshing my memory on everything that happened before.

And. I'm baffled. Positively.

The emotions are a bit too much so they don't want to get out through the bottle neck of thoughts, sorry

First of all, I laughed out loud when Beckett said Cass is no longer the team leader. Because - what??? I mean. This is rational, that's what I've typed a whole post about, it's logical and actually very reasonable and I believe is going to be beneficial for Cass as well, they need this weight off their shoulders at least formally, it's not like they are going to stop looking out for everyone.

But at the same time - WHAT???

I expected something like... toning down this whole thing a little? or something like that?.. but CERTAINLY not removing them from the post and the team altogether! My reaction was pretty much the same as team Alpha's, save for the disbelieveing laughing.

Oh, this is SUCH a great twist! I'm having the time of my life.

Firstly, I love being right. And if even a part - not the best but still sorta rational - of the show itself agrees I've read the character and their position correctly, it's a real boost. I'm very much used to not getting clues and, well, generally everything, especially about people (which includes characters as well), hence my interest in psychology, so following the writers idea by simply making conclusions that are natural for my way of thinking is. It's so validating you have no idea. don't mind me I'm trying to catch my breath here among the racing thoughts and a chaos of emoitions

Secondly, this twist was completely unexpected. While, yes, I've seen it done before - like with Shiro in VLD (although we don't talk about VLD writing in this house), it was different and not so out of blue. In the show, it's kind of a pretty obvious idea, but I didn't expect them to actually go THIS far??? That's bold! Logical, natural, but bold! Wow. So great. I positively love the team working on this podcast.

Thirdly, my mind was blown when Cass actually agreed to this in the first place (were they the one who proposed it? With their guilt and all that?). In retrospect, in a few seconds after the revelation when I had time to think it over, this made perfect sense, too, but I still didn't expect that. I guess I never noticed how much I missed the unexpected twists which weren't just because, but completely natural and logical, just another option out of several possible. This decision goes veeeerry well with Cass' character but there was always a chance the sense of duty will outweight. And, well, they are back on their feet in no time after Silas' pep talk, already talking about what's best for the team. So this expectation wasn't unreasonable, either, and got confirmed, just a bit later and in another way. I'm just giddy at this point.

And then we've got LIZZIE. Oh my goodness. It was just one twist after another, how didn't I get a mental whiplash? Who says I didn't, what a great rollercoaster. She was probably the last person I would have expected to be appointed as the team leader, although it's actually not a bad choice in a lot of ways but one. I don't think she's a natural leader, like... she can if she has to but wouldn't if she doesn't? She's not a people person. This again reminds me of VLD with Keith as the Black paladin and Shiro as the backseat driver, but, again, the writing in VLD left much to be desired and didn't explore... practically anything. So, I'm really counting on THIS show to show how it's done. So far it's been mind-blowingly great.

Considering team Alpha consists of indiviluals who generally won't take any shit from others and prefer to think for themselves first and foremost - Lizzie should do fine. She's pretty cautios and careful, more rational, but at the same time has infinite curiosity for these new worlds. Still not the most obvious choice but I believe they'll work out the dynamic between everyone somehow.

And this leadership situation is actually very interesting in a way that it's never been very conventional.

Like in my last post, when I struggled at first to understand what was Cass' role as the leader at all. Then I pinpointed it and it made sense. But they never told others what to do on the general scale - they're the heart, the emotions, the driving force, the enthusiasm, the dare.

However, Greg had a lot of authority from the get-go, too. And this is natural - he's the most experienced in dangerous situations (although not in the wild life setting) and he was actually the one responsible for everyne's safety. So we already have two people for that. Sure, Greg wasn't always taken seriously enough, but he DID have a say in their decisions.

Next, there's Silas. Not the most obvious candidate but he started supporting Cass and then, gradually, everyone, and he was the one making rounds to check on the teammates every time there was the need. The carer of the group? Sort of? And he influenced Cass' decisions more and more as the time passed. I love how it's executed! *giggles and jumps in place*

So there are three figures at the heart of everything already, and the group is small, just 6 people. 2,5 heads with well-distributed responsibilities is actually pretty good for such a number. Plus J has an indisputable authority in everything that considers physical health. This leaves only Alyx, the team's little sis everyone wants to protect and a hacker, and Lizzie.

Honestly it's the most difficult to say what her part was because with time she sort of drifted more and more away from everyone? Sure she cares for Alyx quite noticeably, discusses some decisions with Cass from time to time, but that's it. And she's the only one who's been hostile towards other team members - first it was Cassius (which was very understandable, I'd have been furious, too), then Silas, and this last beef is a total mystery to me. What's her problem with him? I'm not particularly fond of him either but uh... he's okay? And has a lot of good sides, too? Why such an open animosity? So, Lizzie became team's outcast or someone like that. Hi again Keith!

Which illustrates perfectly why I didn't expect her to be appointed as the leader. It does make sense from Yanus' perspective - she collaborated with Vincula the most before, she's calm-er than Cassius (yeah the anxiety and sensitivity aside, uh-huh, and there's impulsiveness, too, when she sees a particularly inspirational new species - is Lizzie ND or am I making things up?..), seems responsible but not that hard to knock down a peg if necessary. Meaning, easier to push to where Yanus needs team Alpha to be. Orrr that's what they probably expect.

But the decision to remove Cass from the team altogether was just... the team has already lost one of their heads - Greg. Lost tragically, this hit everyone about as hard as I imagined. Thanks for not disappointing in this department. To remove another one meant this is just a bunch of people with no center, so to put someone more easy to manipulate as one was a brilliant and soul-crashing decision. Wow, the show keeps inventing new ways to hate the higher-ups with each passing episode!

I mean, that's approxiately how Beckett should have seen this. I bet no one outside the team expected Silas to rebel :DDD The guy grew some teeth and they didn't notice, nice! Or rather Silas reminds me of the kind of people who stay silent and compliant as long as it doesn't go against their core values and beliefs personally. THEN shit hits the fan and good luck trying to psych your way out of the conflict. I think Michella in Kekkai Sensen put it the best way possible, calling her brother "a tortoise knight": he may not go forward, he can be scared to death but if something strikes the right cord, he won't back down an inch. And this is what happened. Silas provided the first angry spark because boooy was he furious (and I LIKED that a lot! Let him vent out more!), which immediately yanked everyone else out of their bewilderment after hearing the news and made them start opposing the decision as well. Yaaaay, this was SO satisfying <3

And when Lizzie chimed in. Girl I may have my doubts about what's going on with you but in that moment I clouldn't care less. THE QUEEN <3

And I'm tired of typing so I probably won't go on for much longer because the whole episode is just like that. What a banger of a season opening! I'm sort of always cautious about these because there are quite a lot of cases when after the break things change, and I don't always like the way they they go further. NOT the case here. I was listening to the most of S1 & 2 smiling all the time just because of how enjoyable and in line with what I usually like they were. To get so much more in S3 is just. Wow. I'm so happy.

Buuut I can't help mentioning the pep talk. It was beautiful. I like their interactions so much. Please let the dynamic go on like this, it's rare for me as aroace spec not to miss any links in relationship which are supposed to be romantic? Are they?.. I'm so not sure but this one feels natural to me and I'd always be glad to have this.

[waitingforwinterwinds]

Hopping from foot to the other, he sang, "Fool's blood, king's blood, blood on the maiden's thigh, but chains for the guests and chains for the bridegroom, aye aye aye."

Hmmm, prophecy or nonsense? Clearly ("bridegroom") about a wedding, but which?

Sansa and Tyrion's? Fool's blood, king's blood could mean Tyrion, he is of Joffrey's blood, thus king's blood, but he's treated like he's not a true member of the bloodline by his father, like fool's gold...

blood on the maiden's thigh could mean Sansa's newly 'blossomed' status.

And it is an act made to chain the couple to Tywin and Cersei's will.

Or I might be reaching and it could be about one of the other fun (sarcasm) weddings lined up.

@dreamingdruka is making fun of me, that's so mean. How could you? ಥ_ಥ (I'm joking 🤭)

Urgh, no but seriously, sometimes I imagine y'all sitting there bursting with barely contained spoilers. There will come a day when I catch up, and look back and we can all go "damn you said some stupid stuff, Reader." because I have no doubt that I have.

But I could say more.

Cause here's the thing about prophecy nonsense: it has to apply widely but be specific at the same time. There's got to be this line between "at some point, some things will happen, and then things will be not the same as right not" levels of vague and "the seer is legally required to preface all prophecy with 'Spoiler Warning' before they begin" levels of specific.

...omg I would legit read a series where that was a thing.

👀 "And, Spoiler Warning, [future events that are way too specific to be randomly generated on the spot.]" 🌿 "What the hell, how could you know that?" 👀 "I read the script~" 🌿 "The, the what?" 💫 "Look, don't think about it too hard, just accept this is how the seer processes the infinite cosmic wisdom beyond all mortal ken swirling through their brain, and go with it." 👀 "Mhm, the director doesn't like when we lean on the fourth wall."

Anyway, the thing with Patchface's little song? It could apply to so much, like:

If we assume that "bridegroom" is literal, it could apply to any of the three/four weddings that matter in the series.

Red Wedding: Fool/King: could easily both be Robb, a king who behaved foolishly and opened the way for the betrayal and bloodshed Blood on the maiden's thigh: a little looser on this one, but Robbs wife could count, despite not being a virginal maiden, she's not yet a mother by birth, therefore could still be counted Bridegroom in chains: Edmure, he became a hostage directly after his marriage, very literally in chains Chains on the guests: though Robb's party didn't know it, they were already prisoners in the hall

Sansa/Tyrion: See yesterday's rambling thoughts above

Purple wedding: the Fool: Ser Dontos, both a literal court Fool, and killed on his way out with Sansa the King: Joffery, also the Bridegroom, who was killed with a substance called the strangler, so it's a little metaphorical, but I've done wibblier Blood on the maidens thigh: I'm coming back to Sansa again, because she was tangentially related to the murder, Chains on the guests: Sansa starts as a literal hostage, and Tyrion ends up in prison

Margaery/Tommen: ... actually this one went pretty well, love you kids but, 'twas not very memorable. Let's ignore it.

And these options are all assuming two things:

1: "Bridegroom" is literal, and not some metaphor for someone making vow or oath, promising their life to a cause or service in a way that can be considered akin to marriage.

2: The event was not chopped from the show like Patchface, singer of prophecy nonsense, and therefore beyond my realm of knowledge.

I honestly don't know which would be funnier, if I got it right at any of these points, if i got it right but for the wrong reasons, right reasoning wrong conclusion, or I somehow managed to miss absolutely every obvious clue and whizzed past at warp speed and am no longer in the same galaxy as the answer.

And then all y'all be sitting there, knowing, and letting me get there in my own time.

Thank you for that. And I am so sorry. 😅

[levok]

i cannot take all this arguing and drama and think they know how the release of a show works anymore holy hell i knew this fandom was dramatic but these past few days have been a disaster and so unnecessary for so many reasons. it’s other people who are tainting s2 for me before it’s even out honestly bc i was just fine and knew the possibilities for s2 but the reactions and constant tweets and posts are ruining the lead up i hoped for.

i’m glad for promo ofc and i want s2 to take off even more than s1 and i’m so excited to get these interviews and everything especially once the season is out but god people are so quick to judge and freak out, come to conclusions and over analyze every little thing said about s2 so far and i am over it 😔 even thru everything we still don’t really have a damn clue what’s actually going to happen, what characters we’ll be yelling at or rooting for, which aspects of their s1 personalities we’ll see more or less of, etc. etc. & all i wanted to do was rewatch my silly little gay show in preparation for s2 & even tho the heartbreak is gonna be strong just revel in the fact of how well written and well done it is and think about the love story they’re really trying to tell and how it’s gonna get there and uGh sorry i’m simultaneously so frustrated while also just ??? and tuned out to all the fans and posts and shit bc god it’s supposed to be safe happy space and instead it’s constant chaos. there’s a reason we all fell in love with the show & even with new & different storylines, or a different dynamic of wilmon, it’s not going to be unrecognizable or not as captivating. sorry i’m ranting and don’t even know what i’m saying at this point. i’m genuinely still so excited and trust the cast especially in how excited E & O have been even with their own shock and surprises at how S2 goes down. if i see one more person “this simon is never coming back to us” i’m gonna skdkkwkslwlslwlwlwlw

okay i’m gonna stop now. thank you for your blog and posts and being reassuring while also not putting up with bullshit.

To quote the fans you feel like punching “the season 1 baby fandom is never coming back to us”💀

No, but I totally get you. This fandom is super annoying on so many levels, but I guess there’s not much to do at this point unless you just completely shut down social media. Best advise: find your people and stick to them. Let all your frustrations out in the privacy of closed chat, and remember that in the end the only thing that matters is how you like the show. When you are finally able to binge, the fandom will not have a saying in your experience.

… until you jump back on social media 👽 and trust, it won’t get less messy after the premiere. That is when the real fights will begin!

[vinxwatches]

good omens season 2

ep 1

damn, getting to see crowly as a not fallen angel? this can't be good. blasphemy to the highest order, especially to creationists, i LOVE IT! he's so enthusiastic about the universe it's infectious and the theology is just so saddening. i mean that how i think about this type of theology in general, but it does a really good job of presenting it. "how much trouble could i get into for just asking a few questions?"... yea... this type of theology does not appreciate simple questions.

azeeaaa... that guy just forgiving is both nice characterization, as well as a slap in the face of the theology. he can just forgive, unlike his god.

"who told you i was naked?" such a great inversion of a biblical line. this show is way too fucking clever... Also What The Fuck Is Going On? why does Gabriel suddenly know nothing with mysterious prophesies? "his royal smuggness" fuck that's a quote to steal.

on the one side they seem to be setting up a saphic romance, on the other it was shot down hard. so now i'm curious, was the shotdown a lie, will something happen, or something more intersting?

the sound effect for dusting, fucking hell this season will be glorious.

that... oh that's no not a healthy relationship. and this doesn't read like worried, this seems controlling. now that can be rooted in worried, but isn't good. but since we've not seen the character i doubt we'll see the relationship mended but broken for a better one, which for some reason, at least at this stage, may not feel great. the problematic person will still be problematic in the next relationship.

ep 2 the clue

"i command thee, begone!" "no" "no?" "no, thank you? you see, i have a permit." "a permit? from whom?"{disgruntled, as if someone didn't tell them they had to bring some money for lunch so now they'll be slightly hungry for a couple hours} still the best writing.

oh, tackling job? yea, that story certainly doesn't paint god in a good light. absolutely amazing story to show when you want to make heaving one of two bad guys (which does theologically make perfect sense)

oh, the small miracle worked... now lets hope the scene won't be awkward and/or long.

oh fuck, they really make you empathise with job and his wife. of all the people talking about job, be it christian or atheist that's an angle i've never seen. love that crowley is so consistent. a bastard, but one with some hart.

"i think the message was... if you have questions... come back when you can make a whale"... i mean honestly... about as logical a conclusion to draw from job as anything else. damn this edition of job is amazing.

assertive azeaa... that guy, is weird. it's not out of character, not fully, just weird.

the use of job is SO amazing. 1. i points to all the fucked up parts of job. 2. it actually focuses on the fucked up part of job. not the atheist talking points for "look at how fucked god is in job", there is that, but it actually makes it a point. it's not just a cinema sins ding against god (first time i'm fully internalizing how bad cinema sins dings are) but actually focuses on it. 3. perfectly integrated into the story. it's a fucked up story that makes total sense to be the course of azeaa-that guy's first sin. we saw him bend the rules in season 1 by for instance giving adam his flaming sword at the garden of eden, but that wasn't a sin, it was stretching, but not breaking the rules. this was just breaking the rules, and it made perfect sense and explains how the deal was made. and holy shit the reuse of the line "but you said it wasn't [lonely]" "i'm a demon. i lied."

ep 3

it's impressive how good these actors are at playing not knowing how to human. seriously just try to pick up something having never held it in your life, it's hard. just try to hold something mundane in a way that shows you're confused by the concept of holding it.

people have been bothering her about her love life a lot already, and it itself is already draining. and now an angel with NO knowledge on how to human is going to be blunt about it? oh yea, they got some time to arrange things.

ah, heaven trying to justify the poor having to do desperate things they (well, the rich that made them up) disapprove of to make ends meet. it fails spectacularly.

... what is going on in hell? are they going to make hell... better? i'd be up for it, but it's a wild concept with the theology they're going with.

oh, breaking down the body snatcher thing that was going down. poor people Need the money, doctors in training Need bodies, and the legal supply is simply too low. not delivering bodies was just worse for everyone.

he wants to threaten, but as always he has no power. a traitor demon the demons just don't want to really deal with, still able to do miracles, but unable to stand up to the forces of heaven or hell. all he has is deception and knowledge on how humans work. just barely enough to keep his friend safe.

ep 4

90% of the episode is a flashback to a fun story, yet seems totally unrelated. then in the last 10% big setups for future episodes, not least of which a DEMON INVASION ON the book shop... love the contrast.

ep 5

oh, that matchbox is suddenly a LOT more important... maybe? it's also such a great description of the amnesia. and i love the grow? change? niceness of crowley.

"they stand on their own two feed, like the government said". this feels like a dig at something. looking it up: yup. it's sarcastically using lines of the British equivalent of people who tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.

look azeaa... that guy, i know you mean well, but this is not... well. this is weird and bonkers and unsettling.

ep 6

crowley has a very interesting plan, while we see how the ladies are similar.

oh shit. crowley was pretty high up. also "i wasn't always a demon and they never change their passwords" is such a fun line, while also making perfect sense. why would you need to change your password in heaven?

the fly?! THE FLY JIM WAS SWATTING AT AT EPISODE 1 OR 2!?!

are they doing this? are they really doing This?! i mean it makes sense, hell love was a theme this season, i just didn't expect it.

the ending was turning extremely bad (it'll still end extremely bad) and then they bring up that in the next part they want to tackle the second coming. THE FUCK AMAZING YES IT"S IN THE WORKS BUT WILL STILL TAKE A LONG TIME FUCK

also realized that it points to the big conflict between crowley and azeaa... that guy: one still fundamentally believes in the system while the other doesn't. sure both have problems with how things are done and go around the system plenty of times, but one still believes that the core of their side, of the system, is good while the other calls both of them wankers and wants nothing to do with either. and it's probably which side i agree with more.