#just doesnt have the same ring to it

[valtsv]

"lazarus" is such a great name for a guy who's famous for being raised from the dead. you can reference a name like that in your resurrection plot devices and it feels appropriate. that never would have been possible if he'd been called joseph or peter or craig or something.

[rosefires20]

My brainrot today is thinking about just how incredible for a character Eowyn is.

Genuinely. The series might not have many female characters but the ones we do get go so fucking hard.

To me, Eowyn is literally the definition of defining being a woman for oneself. She rejects the roles she is given despite acknlowdging the importance and its mostly because she knows part of the reason is that she is a woman.

The reason why she is obsessed with Aragorn isn't because she loves him but because she wants what he has. She wants the freedom and courage and bravery that Aragorn has at every turn. She literally has multiple conversations during the Two Towers about how what she fears most is a cage. All this girl wants is the freedom to be and not be forced into a role. The best thing is that she literally gets that.

The segment of Return of the King about Eowyn and Faramir is literally about her piecing together what she truly wants. She doesn't want Aragorn. She wants freedom and the ability to choose. Faramir does nothing but encourage that in her. Their love story is literally one of the healthiest love stories I've seen in a long time because at the heart of it, their love is a place to return home to for both parties. Both go off to lead and help their people for a considerable amount of time before returning to each other but that does not diminish their bond. Even Faramir, I believe, falls in love with her bravery and dedication to her loved ones. The reason she went to Pelenor Fields and Gondor with the troops of Rohan was because she had things she wanted to fight for. She wanted to fight for herself, her people, and her loved ones. She is the one who protects Theoden after he is killed so that his body gets the treatment it deserves. She encourages Merry and helps him go to the battle because she sees her struggle in Merry. They feel helpless standing around when there are things to be doing.

Let's also not forget the fact that she was around Grima Wormtounge just as much as the King was. She was exposed to the same poison and awful words that eroded the king. It's even implied that her care for him is part of the reason why Theoden was savable when Gandalf showed up. She had the same power and bravery as everyone else even if she didn't see it in herself.

Then at the end of the day, SHE decides where she wants to go and what path she wants to walk. She walked the path of a warrior. The path of a princess/ruler. The path of a caretaker. But in the end she decides which elements truly mean something to her outside of gender definitions. That is what makes her character so incredible to me. In this she literally kills one of the biggest enemies in that battle with such a badass line.

[s0fter-sin]

one of my favourite aspects of supernatural that you very rarely see in paranormal shows is that sam and dean are already versed in the world they live in. there’s no sudden discovery of ghosts and demons and now they have to learn about them along with the audience; they are born into it and already know all about it. it allows the audience to follow their personal story instead of also trying to figure out this new world and its rules

the first season is full of knowledge we never see them learn; “w*ndigoes are in the minnesota woods or- or northern michigan. i’ve never even heard of one this far west.” […] “great. well then this [his gun] is useless.” (1x02), “you don’t break a curse. you get the hell out of its way.” (1x08), d: “it’s a god. a pagan god, anyway.” […] “the annual cycle of its killings? and the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. like some kind of fertility right.” […] s: “the last meal. given to sacrificial victims. d: “yeah, i’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god.” (1x11)

almost every episode in the first season is a monster they’ve faced before that they then explain to the audience in a way that should feel patronising; like it’s the same speech given over and over again but instead, the audience almost feels included in the knowledge. it’s stated with such an innate confidence and comfort in said knowledge that it feels like we already knew it too; “spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. if they want inside, they just go through the walls.” […] “the claws, the speed that it moves; could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” (1x02), “it's biblical numerology. you know noah's ark, it rained for forty days. the number means death.” (1x04), “no no no, not the reaper, a reaper. there's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names.” […] “you said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? reapers stop time. and you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why i could see it and you couldn't.” (1x12)

they already know and, at least in the first season, already have what they need to kill whatever they’re hunting; already know to salt and burn bones for spirits, fire for a w*ndigo, exorcisms for demons, a silver bullet to the heart for shapeshifters. there’s only three times in the entire first season that they run into something new to them; 1x14 when sam gets his first vision that leads him to another psychic, 1x16 when dean calls caleb for help on the sigil he put together and he tells him about daevas, and 1x20 when they find out vampires are real- and they only don’t know that bc john thought they were hunted to extinction and not worth mentioning

(there’s also technically two half instances if you count one of them knowing something the other doesn’t - sam figuring out the tulpa in 1x17 and dean already knowing about the shtriga in 1x18 - but those still rely on sam and dean having prior knowledge)

even when they’re uncertain about facing something, it’s not bc they don’t know what it is; it’s precisely bc they know what it is and acknowledge that it’ll be a difficult hunt (“i don't know, man. this isn't our normal gig. i mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. this is big. and i wish dad was here.” 1x04)

so much of the tension in paranormal shows typically comes from the main character(s) not knowing what is happening to them/the people around them and having to find out how to resolve it. supernatural is unique in that it operates more like a police procedural. the tension comes from solving the clues and identifying patterns to figure out who (what) the killer is and intercepting before they can take another victim

it’s such a different tone to go for when compared to other shows that came both before, during, and after its run. it sets sam and dean on even footing with each other since they both have the same knowledge going in, and it puts them in a place of authority usually reserved for an outside character

the shows i compare spn to most is charmed, buffy and teen wolf; every main character in those shows are brought into the paranormal world knowing nothing, putting them on the same level as the audience, and they have their mc interact with others already knowledgeable about that world in order to overcome their problem/monster of the week. the audience organically learns about this new world as the characters learn about it. it’s a sound writing strategy that prevents “as we already know”-style exposition but something that complicates it is if your world building isn’t unique or intriguing enough, this slow introduction can become boring

we’ve seen shows like these before; sitting through the same tropes of characters learning to use their powers, struggling with no longer feeling normal/relating to the regular world around them, and not knowing how much they can trust the people already involved in this new world gets repetitive. all three shows eventually reach the same level of comfort with their new world that spn starts with but if the characters aren’t enough to draw you in, you can end up dropping it before they reach that point (and often, before the overarching plot can really kick in and evolve the show beyond the villain of the week format)

it’s the superhero origin movie in tv format; dragged out and overplayed. dropping the audience into an established world of course comes with its own problems but you also have the benefit of pre-existing established character dynamics that let the audience slot in like they’ve always been there instead of just getting to know all the characters while the characters also get to know each other

sam and dean already knowing about the supernatural lets the audience immediately get to the core of the story; the conflict between sam and dean, the search for their father, and the mystery of what killed their mother

[broareweabouttoviberightnow]

new thing I'm enamored with the concept of with is 'everyone in town is aware n treats Dallas like an adopted curtis siblin except for Dallas. who has dug his heels in so hard at this point is just slappin his palms over his ears n goin lalalala I dont know that I dont know them'

[blenderfullasarcasm]

"You haven't laughed in a long time, so I guess I was staring cause I forgot what that looked like."

They're gettin' lunch in Heiji's favorite okonomiyaki place (the one that must have been blessed by somethin' powerful because he's never once run into a case there, even when he's hangin' out with Kudou), because he and Kudou have spent the last few hours figurin' out who killed the jerkass manager at one of the fancy stores a few blocks away. It's already three in the afternoon and they're starvin'. Okonomiyaki is fast, cheap, close by, and, most importantly, murder free.

(Probably. Who knew, with Kudou's luck.)

Kudou's squintin' down at the menu, studyin' it carefully like there's more than ten options. He absentmindedly raises one hand to push up his glasses, but ends up pokin' himself in the nose because he doesn't hafta wear 'em anymore.

Kudou blinks rapidly, surprised, then glances at Heiji like he's hopin' he didn't notice.

Heiji snorts and grins back at him smugly. No such luck there.

Kudou scowls at him and sets his menu down pointedly.

A waitress appears instantly, takin' his movements as a cue to ask if he's ready to order.

Kudou obviously isn't, or maybe he's just in th' mood to annoy Heiji, because instead'a telling her what he wants he glances over at Heiji and says, "Why don't you order for me, hm?" like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

Heiji thinks Kudou should suck it up and get his eyes checked. He rolls his eyes and orders for him anyway. "Two'a my usual, thanks, Tanaka-san."

Kudou frowns and starts to open his mouth, but Heiji's already wavin' him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Extra green onions on mine, nunna them on yours."

Tanaka jots their orders down on her notepad and shoots 'em both a brief smile before leavin' to take the orders to the kitchen.

"That's not what I was going to say," Kudou says, even endin' his sentence with the stupid Tokyo 'sa' for emphasis, because he can never just let Heiji bask in the sweet, sweet satisfaction of finally bein' one step ahead'a him.

"You told Ran-san you were allergic to 'em to get outta eatin' 'em," Heiji reminds him.

Kudou scowls so hard it's almost a pout. "Maybe I like them now," he argues.

Heiji rolls his eyes. Yeah, right.

"Keep actin' like that and I'll call her back and tell her you're gettin' a kid's meal," Heiji grumbles, then thinks, oh shit.

He probably shouldn't joke about that yet.

Heiji looks up to apologize for puttin' his foot in his mouth, but before he can even open his lips, Kudou cackles.

Heiji can't help but stare, drinkin' in the bright sound of Kudou's voice as he laughs his ass off. He's actually wheezin', the elbow he's got braced on the table the only thing keepin' him from fallin' out of his chair, and his blue eyes sparkle with mirth when he glances up through his eyelashes at Heiji and starts laughin' even harder.

He hasn't seen Kudou laugh this hard in...ever, probably. Definitely not since he returned to his body and told Ran-san everything and she'd told him she needed time. (Kazuha woulda kicked his ass if he'd hidden from her in plain sight and lied to her face for years, so he's pretty sure Kudou's getting off easy.)

Heiji has to join in, even though the joke wasn't even that funny.

...He should probably stop starin' at the curve of Kudou's mouth, Heiji acknowledges to himself as Kudou's laughter starts to wind down.

(He doesn't, though.)

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Kudou asks, once he's finally stopped wheezin' long enough to take a couple deep breaths and suck in some desperately needed oxygen.

Heiji shrugs faux-casually. "Jus' haven't seen you laugh that hard in a minute, 's all. Kinda forgot what it looks like."

Somethin' a little bittersweet flashes behind Kudou's eyes, there an' gone again so quick that Heiji almost thinks he's imaginin' it.

Kudou clearly doesn't want to dwell on it, though, 'cuz all he says is, "Maybe so," before abruptly changin' the subject. "What did you order for me, anyway?"

Heiji smirks at him. "Why don't ya try deducing it, Heisei Holmes-san?"

Kudou's eyes flash again, but this time they're bright with the excited spark of challenge accepted.

---

written for this prompt game

[ceofcatgirls]

I think it speaks volumes that the only time we see Marika's face is in Ranni's ending. It's the only time she is able to be her own person again, given her own agency, and it's when she is able to rest properly.

[mossfeathers]

life series rarepairs 1: bigb and impulse!!! (talking about them under cut)

Ok this is actually a pairing I really like!! My friend and I were talking abt them the other day and we've come to the conclusion that their dynamic is perfect because they both suck and are liars forever. Impulse is chronically overdramatic in relationships and Bigb is ALSO overdramatic (ex: the entire 4/5 g's name disagreement) but Bigb takes it seriously while for Impulse, an entire team breakup is just Tuesday. Which results in their relationship status being unknown at best and downright confusing at worst. They're also very similar people in that they love to just say stuff for fun without a fear of consequences (especially in wild life which is their most standout season as a duo) and can completely neutralize one another's bullshit, as seen in the interaction I drew where Bigb completely guilts Impulse out of lying when he falsely accused Bigb of blowing Lizzie up. It's honestly perfect. They're also very good foils to one another since Impulse is super strategic and organized (guy who MUST build infrastructure otherwise he goes insane) and Bigb is content with absolutely no resources (ex: literally every single one of his bases apart from last or limited life, where someone ELSE built the base), and they would scare one another with how they act. Extrapolating a little bit more, and I think Impulse is a very caring and supportive teammate which I think Bigb would be both surprised and oddly comforted by which means 50 trillion soft moments between them. So I think they should kiss about it or whatever. (also the wild life moment is from session 6 around halfway into bigb's POV)

[faunandfloraas]

"Reawakens" baby, be honest these outfits couldnt wake up an insomniac with an amphetamine problem

[boimgfrog]

Friend's little boyfriend showed me the engagement ring he's planning 2 get her and I do feel bad but I immediately ripped the thing 2 shreds. Ur girl works a physical job and you wanna get her a ring with individual leaves poking out? With a TANZANITE center stone?? IN STERLING SILVER??????

[piratewithvigor]

When someone trains you/mentors you in drag, they're called a Drag Mother

When someone trains and mentors you in wrestling, they have no name and I am now accepting equally campy suggestions to signify the bond of parent and child that results

[wlwinry]

six hundred strike more like five hundred fifty seven strike

[rosefires20]

The one thing that gets me about the Lord of the Rings movies is how much they fail Faramir's character but manage to really show Boromir's specifically in the extended cuts.

Faramir gets so little time in the movies compared to how much he gets in the books. He is genuinely such a good character in the books and I adore him so much. He has one of the best lines in the series as well that really captures some of the larger themes of the peace.

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." - Faramir in The Two Towers

He is genuinely such a kind man, and in the books, you see that through his actions but also the actions and words of everyone around him. In the books, you get Beregond and Pippin's interactions and conversations where Beregond talks about how much he admires and loves Faramir as his captain and how much he trusts him. Beregond's love and dedication is part of the reason why Denethor's plan to burn him and Faramir alive gets delayed long enough for Pippin to go and get Gandalf and return with enough time to save Faramir at least.

The movie fails so hard because they have Faramir and his group take Frodo and Sam forcefully to Osgiliath and he has a moment with the ring. In the books, before even knowing for sure that Frodo had the ring, he said he would not take it. When it is revealed, he completely denies it and aids Frodo with food and shelter for a bit. The scene of him rejecting the ring especially with the knowledge that it got to his dearly beloved brother is so good and so core to Faramir's character which drives me nuts with how it went down in the movies.

In the books, you also get most of a chapter dedicated to Eowyn and Faramir and their healing journey. There, you also get to see how kind and loving Faramir is as a person with how he respects and interacts with Eowyn. Just god. He's such a good example of the series's gentle masculinity. He parallels Aragorn a lot in it especially since Aragorn is the one who is meant to be king while Faramir had the hearts of the people.

[waywardsalt]

after replaying botw i think my general issue with it is that it’s not really good at anything in particular. its kinda like its stretched thin trying to provide a ton of things for the player to do but none of it is really very deep or really engaging

[roseworth]

DCS MOVING RELEASES BACK TO WEDNESDAYS?????????? my comics.... :(

[xerith-42]

Blazein is so fun as a ship because I know for a FACT a lot of its early shippers [points to myself] got into it because of Angelsville. But part of the fun of Angelsville was that it was the voice actors, NOT the characters, but then Jess kept calling everyone by their character names on accident and people did some bits in character (see Jeffory is Dead).

And in Angelsville Chris and Jason L have a total reversal of what is the actual Blazein dynamic. Where Blaze is enthusiastic and full of energy while Ein doesn't want to be here, Jason L is barely putting up with so much nonsense while Chris is acting like a kid in a candy store.

I just think that's a fun dichotomy, because it means if you're willing to make Blaze and Ein friends [points to myself even more dramatically] then this dynamic can be passed back and forth depending on circumstances and never get old.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

COMMON SMUGBUG W !!!!!!!!!!