#like he's my emotional support capital do you guys get it.....

[larsnicklas]

TJ OSHIE ✧ 240110 It's nice to be on the mend, nice to be back with the fellas.

[isildheir]

Honestly, my abuser saying Louis was just as bad as Lestat or basically implying they hate how people write Lestat off as more abusive than he is or that Louis was just as abusive was a red flag I should've put a lot more stock into.

[itgirlgyu]

would this txt guy punch me if i ask him to?

context: toothache. warning: gaslighting. violence.

✷ yeonjun!

no!

honestly i think he's too much pussy to punch.

he'd be there like, with sweat running down his forehead.

his fist shaking, and his voice trembling.

if we pay even more attention to his cowardice, we could hear his teeth chattering and his chin wobbling.

his wussy behavior would put me off

instead we just visit the dentist on his debit card

he can't be more thankful for that even though now he's in debt because of it.

✷ soobin!

he's been waiting for a chance honestly.

"soobin could you punch me bro i hav—"

"aight square up."

he's taken the right position to land the perfect punch.

he's hunched back and has been pulling his wrist back while supporting it with his other hand.

and in that moment he looks like he's actually taking his vengeance instead of helping you

there's a literal twinkle in his eyes.

that's not the soobin we know.

i fear for my life so i will be fleeing that scene

and ending my friendship.

✷ beomgyu!

he might.

some gaslighting and emotional blackmailing needed tho.

he's like, "no how could i?"

while removing his rings and freeing the tension in his wrist, getting ready to hit the mark.

might shed tears as he measures the distance and the amount of force he might need to excert.

enlightenment hits like this man would actually end up caving my jaw in

so i refuse with a flower in my hands as peace treaty 🌹

he agrees and we both hapilly live together while planning an extensive plan to get shit done on someone else's bill.

✷ taehyun!

straight up refuses without even listening to the reasoning.

refuses even more vehemently after listening to the reasoning.

like he too is a hater of capitalism but apparently refusing to going to the dentist is something only an imbecile would do

sure taehyun that doesn't sound like hypocrisy at all 🙄

might start lecturing on dental hygiene and then gives an array of things to help the ache

okay but i would literally bite my own tongue to stop myself from making even a bit of sound in front of him

bc you make one sound and he's looks like he'd grab your hair and drag you to the dentist.

✷huening kai.

yeah lmao he wouldn't.

although he'd empathise

but that's all he would do.

does a lil "oh poor you" everytime he comes in and then back to going whatever he had been doing.

might ask after a day or two like oh how's your toothache?

probably uses this chance and make a gift list with whole mouth wash, and pain killer and all that basket for christmas.

doesn't eat anything sweet in front of you bc he thinks it's rude.

oh my poor hyuka ily

but a true blue idgaf king.

i do not apologise for shit posting. ⋆

COPYRIGHTS RESERVED TO ITGIRLGYU 23'. FEEDBACKS AND REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED! PERM' TAGLIST: @impureperhaps @full-sunnies @ox1-lovesick @jisungsdaydreamer @wonioml @1921choi @forever-in-the-sky @beoms-sugar @gyuletters

[therobotmonster]

So many kid's toys these days just. Arn't fun. They're designed to be COLLECTED rather than PLAYED with. Everything is a fucking blindbag. Materials are flimsy and cheap and designs don't hold up to an actual child throwing them around. And it's all so EXPENSIVE, even accounting for inflation.

To expand on my thoughts here, I'm unrolling a Twitter thread I made about this trend. (with some additions)

The Big H's handling of mainline figs is... distressing, of late. Very little push for show mains, oversupport of already saturated legacy characters, and some frankly unsettling engineering and materials choices (esp in Cyberverse).

Increase in overall fragility, thinner parts, styrene-on-styrene joints that will go floppy in a few months of light play, very little "clicks" or locks solidly... the passion is clearly in the collector's end, and that's just bass ackwards.

This repugnus would have been amazing triumph from Mego in 1970s. But for a mainline big H TF line in the 2020s? This is a backslide. And before anyone brings up that it's from the kids' line, that's the point. They're KIDS, they should get MORE care and effort in their merch.

Every toy you make might be a kid's only birthday gift or holiday present. Toys are /given/ to children, and if the work is subpar, you make a chump out of grandma. You won't be there to blame if it breaks or disappoints.

It seriously drives me nuts seeing how far the stuff-for-kids industries have fallen. There's no brands without the work, but as the poet DMX said: "these cats done forgot what work is."

All your blockbuster superhero empires start in the pulp gutters. Compared to the movies toys, games and comics will never be profitable ENOUGH to be worth it on a billion-dollar scale ledger.

"Give me mighty oaks! There's no profit in acorns!"

If you want the stuff that makes the Michael Bay blockbuster, you have to start with the stupid goofy cartoon no one had seen before where anxiety over the oil crisis was acted out by robotic Punch and Judy puppets. How many studios would greenlight TMNT or TF sight unseen today?

If you make toys and cartoons and video games, your job is to make kids happy. How is that not sacred? If anything is sacred it should be that.

Art is the act of evoking emotion, and fun is an emotion (what else could it be described as?) and it is SO IMPORTANT.

I fear that gets lost in the "what to do over next?" rush. Every artist at those companies has a dozen amazing ideas in their back pocket that won't get a chance to become the next Transformers because a studio is terrified they'll make Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors instead.

Since the world is run by Captain Planet villains, I wouldn't bat an eye if we found out venture capital was a ploy by some disgruntled warlock who just hates the goddamn Care Bears.

Just some dick at Bear Sterns singing "There's no room for joy on a spreadsheet" to a weaselly sidekick.

Cuz guys, we've got companies that make GAMES for CHILDREN hiring the Pinkertons. I repeat. Games. For. Children. That's not normal. That's not a normal thing. That is a very disturbing thing.

And its hard to even discuss without sounding like a frickin' Care Bear myself. Because how do you sum up the creeping dread that the support beams are being mined thin, and everything fun for kids will go the way of Toys-R-Us, dragged down like Artax.

I'm not advocating pure altruism here. There's plenty of money to be made giving kids an awesome experience. It's investing in future fandom. Real Brand loyalty. If you want the blockbuster 15 years from now, get them hooked on the fun cartoon now. The value-add always pays off.

For every Transformers or He-Man there's going to be several Robotix-es or Power Lords. That's a risk. A risk worth taking. New ideas should be easier and cheaper to bring to fruition now than ever. But the system won't let it happen.

[imperatorrrrr]

New Jersey Devils - October 2024 - Month in Review

The New Jersey Devils are 7-4-2 with sixteen points, first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Out of a total of twenty six points, we came out of the month with sixteen points, which isn't bad at all, but maybe isn't the exact start we were looking to have.

Roster Information: Curtis Lazar is "out indefinitely" and Santeri Hatakka is on the injured reserve.

T's Five Stars of the Month:

Nico Hischier

Stefan Noesen

Jonas Siegenthaler

Johnathan Kovacevic

Timo Meier

T's Thoughts, in no particular order:

Global Series was a helluva of a start to the season.

Seamus Casey, we can't wait for you to be a permanent fixture on our roster.

Siegs is motherfucking back. Put some respect on his name.

Nico Hischier is going for the Selke, the Hart, and the Rocket Richard.

Paul Cotter is an instant fan favorite.

The loss of Curtis Lazar is absolutely devastating, wishing him a speedy recovery, but take all the time you need in the world, king.

The Brett Pesce - Luke Hughes defensive pair is shaping up to be absolutely amazing. I'm so excited to see what they can do when they're playing the minutes we want them to play.

I am all about Chief Keefe. The decisions he makes on when to send out who, the way he deals with media, the way he talks to and about the players, the way he handles ref fuckery. I'm all on board the Chief Keefe Train.

Never take Timo Meier off of Nico Hischier's wing. A healthy Timo is going to take this league by storm.

Noesy on the first power play unit is a revelation.

Speaking of, our special teams are fucking killing it this first month. The power play is steadily getting better and closer and closer to elite status and our penalty kill is sexy as fuck.

Jack Hughes will always be Jack Hughes. The doubters are simply wrong.

Jesper Bratt remains Mister October.

I am concerned with a capital C about our goaltending. It seems to be costing us games when it should absolutely not be. I'm hoping for better goalie stats as the season moves along, but our goaltending is one of my biggest complaints.

Ondrej Palat, please, I want to root for you. Give me a reason to root for you.

Dougie Hamilton has been so sorely missed. I want to see more Dougie Bombs, please.

Our new guys have been fucking lights out amazing for us, especially Cotts and Kovy.

I love how Kovy is always willing to step up and defend his fellow teammate no matter what.

I go from being real high on Brenden Dillon to being like whatever on Brenden Dillon to being like curses! Brenden Dillon, so lets see how I feel as the season continues.

Keep Dawson Mercer on Nico Hischier's wing. The mini me is mini me-ing.

We gotta find consistency and we gotta find sixty minute efforts or as close to a sixty minute effort as possible.

We also gotta fix our defensive zone play over all. We don't exit the zone cleanly most of the time and our breakouts are real sloppy.

The vibes are fucking immaculate tho. It feels good, looks good, feels right, looks right.

Two shutouts already! Two loser points already! Two slutfests already!

Seeing some insane efforts by this team to claw back into games they have no business getting any points out of.

The less I see Kurtis MacDermid in the line up the better.

I am getting heavily concerned about whats happening with Nemo. If he's not going to get a real shot at a roster spot then he absolutely cannot be languishing in a press box. The kid deserves to play and he should be sent down to Utica.

Keeping a close eye on our fourth line. We have a top nine that I love, but we need to solidify that fourth line. Dowling's first outing with Tatar and Nate proved to be a great one for everyone involved, but let's see how they perform moving forward, seeing as BFF Curtis is out long term.

We absolutely need another top six winger as that is our missing piece, and I'm hoping my emotional support prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk will be the answer, but I don't know if we can wait that long.

Our lack of center depth and forward depth as a whole is also something that has caught my eye. Yeah, we have a long line of potential blue line replacements in case the worse happens, but it looks like our forward reserves are lacking.

I think we should have expected a bumpy start to begin with. A short pre-season, injuries on our blue line, new coach, new players, new system. It was going to take some time. Plus our schedule in October was fucking brutal. We had like what three practices the entire month? Given all of that, we're looking better as time goes on and we've seen some really strong games in a row starting from the Detroit game through the game against Vancouver last night.

see you at the end of November!

[t0ast-ghost]

S3 EP10 (Plato’s Stepchildren) Imagine having that guy as your stepdad.

Let’s get it started:

- Yeah! The boyfriends are beaming down! I love when episodes start like this

- Spock’s eyeshadow looks marvellous today

- The title gets explained :) helpful

- The costumes are amazing

- Damn poor Alexander, don’t make him do that! Also who tf are these guys?

- “We haven’t had any pressing need for the medical arts.” Interesting she says arts

- “How old would you say I am? Oh, don’t be afraid I’m not vain.” Spock with no amount of hesitation, “Thirty five.”

- Stuff being thrown

- I love Alexander

- “Alexander, where I come from, size, shape, or colour makes no difference.”

- “Doctor McCoy you may yet cure the common cold.” Spock loves him so much

- Alexander is like, ‘do not fucking anger him, that is a Bad idea. Capital B.’

- These guys are like the worst version of rich kids

- Why’re you hitting yourself (if you have siblings… you get it)

- “Kirk to enterprise, acknowledge. Acknowledge. Enterprise, come in. Enterpr- I can’t raise them.” He tries so hard

- I really like McCoy’s stumble, it’s well done, as in it looks the most realistic

- They want to keep McCoy.. I’d say I couldn’t blame them, but I can (let him leave with his boyfriends)

- “My dear Mr Spock” Back the fuck up Parmen. Your name sounds like cheese.

- “Captain, leave while you still can.” He ain’t going to do that without McCoy

- I like how we’ve just been getting these live Alexander reactions

- What the fuck is happening

- the little dance around each other !?!

- Some episodes are full of love and meaning and resistance. And some also have this.

- Parmen made Kirk frown and Spock smile and frown like the 🎭

- McCoy watching them in pain :(

- Kirk is so desperate for McCoy to not be left with them

- Spock has reached his breaking point. Why is he laughing (Leonard Nimoy has a beautiful smile tho)

- Oh my god is this the whole episode? McCoy watching his boyfriends get humiliated/tortured?

- hi guys. This is my moment to breathe. I am writing this with one hand over my mouth and trying not to laugh.. I laughed anyway. Kirk’s neighing was a little too much for my brain to handle

- He neighed again omg

- Live McCoy reaction

- McCoy don’t give in. Just don’t give in. You can’t stay there.

- EVERY TIME. Every time Spock talks about emotions it’s to relate to them or to dislike them. “The humiliation must have been most difficult for you to bear. I can understand.” “The release of emotions, Mr. Spock, is what keeps us healthy, emotionally healthy, that is.” “That may be, Doctor. However, I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently very unhealthy for those closest to you.” Anyone care to dissect this?

- “Then you must release it [hatred & anger], gentleman, as I must master mine. I might have seriously injured you, captain… even killed you. They have evoked such great… Hatred in me. I cannot allow it to go further. I must… master it. I must… control.” *breaks vase* amazing speech. Very vulnerable on Spock’s side. He’s unable to control his emotions here and it could endanger Kirk (possibly McCoy)

- Bones.. nooo babygirl don’t sacrifice yourself

- “It’s not me. It’s not my size. It’s them!” GOOD FOR YOU ALEXANDER!

- “I’m gonna cut them.” Oh okay uhm no I don’t think that’ll go down well for you

- That’s the first time I’ve ever seen the screen of one of these things

- That good for Alexander, he knows he needs to get away from them, I support his decision

- UHURA AND CHAPEL TO THE RESCUE

- nope nevermind. Immediately controlled.

- Damn why don’t the others get new outfits :/ OMG THEY DO!

- SPOCKS SINGING (I have so many thoughts in my head. This is probably the first time they’ve heard him sing. I think this makes McCoy and Kirk even angrier)

- Um. WHAT is happening?

- “I haven’t the power.” Reverse he-man

- I have been watching with my fingers partially covering my eyes, I did not think Star Trek could put me this on edge.

- YEAH CUT THEM ALEXANDER! Oh he’s immediately stopped

- NONO NO NO NO. Not Alexander!

- Okay so now they’re both using Alexander.

- “Don’t stop me! Let me finish him off.” “Do you want to be like him?” Such a good and simple question

- “Parmen listen to me. I could have had your power but I didn’t want it. I could have had your place right now, but the sight of you and your Academicians sickens me! Despite your brains, you’re the most contemptible things that ever lived in this universe.” Pop off Alexander

- Annnd Kirk just leaves them.. okay well at least they’re all off the planet now

That was… certainly an episode.

Masterpost

Episode written by Meyer Dolinsky

[xenon-demon]

I fucking love pretty much every version of the “celebrity x Just Some Guy™” trope that there is for Steddie, but in honor of having a totally reasonable amount of wine I’m going to tell you about the version I’m currently thinking about all the time, one of my dumbest yet also funniest AU concepts: modern!AU with streamers Steve & Robin and Hardcore Fan™ Eddie who writes reader-insert fic about Steve.

Steve and Robin, aka EvenStevens and BirdBox_ on Twitch (“My name is spelled with a P-H, Robin, that’s such a stupid name.” “No, it’s actually even better this way! You don’t want to just use your real government name for something like this, and you would just make your username ‘SteveHarrington01′ or something equally uninspired-”) frequently stream together and have a shared YouTube channel. They got popular doing reaction videos that quickly devolve into the pair of them bickering on camera, and since the internet just loves the ‘snarky woman and her emotional support himbo’ dynamic, they got very big, very quick. Plus, it certainly doesn’t hurt that they had the combined might of Dustin and Erica to help them bend the algorithm to their whims.

While most people recognize their platonic-with-a-capital-P soulmatism, there are still some that are convinced they’re secretly dating - they can’t decide if it’s hilarious or absolutely maddening that every time they try to disprove the rumors, they somehow get stronger. Robin doesn’t feel comfortable coming out to the internet yet, and without that trump card some people just can’t understand why they’re not dating.

...there are other sections of their fandom, however, that absolutely do believe they’re not dating. Mainly because they’d rather be dating Steve or Robin (or both!) themselves, and write all the reader-insert fanfiction you could ever possibly need about it. Robin is largely ambivalent to the concept of fanfiction being written about herself as long as they’re not writing smut, since at least that way they’re not insisting she’s dating Steve.

Steve on the other hand finds it absolutely hilarious how despite how much he’s changed, he’s back to being the heartthrob he used to be in high school - and, he’ll be honest, he thrives on the attention. He’s given everyone the green light to write whatever they want - dared them to make it raunchier, even - to the point where it’s a running joke that Steve will read your reader-insert fanfiction about him unless you tag it with some form of ‘Steve don’t look’. He even used the prevalence of fic about himself to come out on stream.

(Steve’s in the middle of re-organizing his flower field in Animal Crossing when he’s interrupted by a donation. “Hey Steve, really sorry to tell you this but people are writing porn about you... and they’re making it gay. Like writing about you getting fucked by a dude. Just wanted you to know so you can say something about it.”

Steve stops dead, his screen freezing on his open inventory. “Hey, uh, why the fuck would I have a problem about a fictional version of me bottoming? Or- wait, do I seriously give off homophobic vibes? I’m literally bisexual. Hey Dustin, can you ban that guy please? Christ, the nerve of some people. If that’s how you feel about people being gay, or about people writing things that I’ve already said I have no problem with, you can leave this stream right now because I don’t want you here.“)

Many people lost their minds after that stream, one of them being popular tumblr blog whorefireclub.

Eddie didn’t plan on starting a tumblr blog for self-insert fanfiction about a twitch streamer. Really he didn’t, and every time he thinks about it in terms that plain he kind of dies a little on the inside. It’s really all Gareth’s fault, for getting fed up with Eddie’s dumb parasocial crush on a streamer and daring him to just “get it out of his system already”. So, using a bare-bones anonymous tumblr and many, many beers as his cover story, Eddie posted some of the most quickly written and unedited pieces of writing he’s ever produced in his life.

Except he wrote it with an AMAB reader character - and for those of you unfamiliar with the reader-insert sphere, that’s like fucking hen’s teeth. People are pretty good at making things gender neutral at least in their descriptions, and sometimes the anatomy is vague enough that it’s ambiguous, but the majority is written with AFAB genitalia for the reader character.

Eddie’s little drunken post blows up, and at first, he’s never regretted a life choice more.

After thinking about it, and seeing just how many people left comments with their reblogs or came into his askbox directly to thank him for giving them the representation they wanted, he starts to feel a bit better about the whole thing. In fact, it kind of tickles his “protector of the outcasts” instincts; there are people who can’t enjoy the content they want to because it doesn’t gel with their anatomy or gender identity. Eddie could, hypothetically, if he wanted to be absolutely insane about this one hot streamer guy, help fix that problem somewhat.

A couple of months later and he’s become “the guy who writes inclusive reader-insert fic”. While a fair amount of his work is gender-ambiguous, both in anatomy and in avoiding gendered language, more than half is written for anyone who finds themselves underrepresented in the usual reader-insert scene; anyone AMAB, AFAB people who can’t do female language, he’s even written a few oneshots with intersex reader characters. He did research for it and everything. It’s certainly not how he planned for this to work out, but it’s actually kind of... nice. He’d written a lot of fanfiction in his youth, mainly about Lord of the Rings and Star Trek, and while this isn’t how he’d imagined returning to the hobby it’s actually really fun. (It’s making his celebrity crush on Steve a million times worse, of course, but he’s in denial about that so it’s totally fine.)

He’s a little shit, so his blog header has - underneath his personal details - a PSA that reads “Steve, don’t look at this unless you have the balls to shout me out on stream ;)”. Eddie thinks he’s absolutely hilarious.

Right up until he wakes up to find his following has exploded overnight, and upon checking his DMs from his mutuals realizes that - oh shit - that bastard actually did it and talked about his blog on stream.

And Steve said he liked it. Steve likes the porn that Eddie wrote about him. Jesus H. Christ, Eddie is so unfathomably fucked.

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

if this were to exist as a fic it would be told through social media posts/DMs. one of those fics that uses unconventional (i.e. non-prose) formatting, you know the ones. the concept actually came from the fact I fucking LOVE fics like that, I’m a slut for any of that House of Leaves-type shit. one time I read a fic that consisted of 8 short stories and each one had a HTML puzzle you had to solve to be able to read it, e.g. one you had to highlight because the text was in white, another you needed to hover your mouse over to make it scroll through the text - I can’t remember the rest but it was SO COOL.

(or, to put this another way, I read homestuck at a formative age and it forever changed how I feel about formatting stories.)

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 9: Caspar/Petra)

Catherine: When I told you I would cut down children with no hesitation, you looked disgusted. I take it that's the part you're struggling to accept? Caspar: Pretty much. I don't think I'd be able to do it, even if that meant disobeying orders.

Caspar and Ferdinand are the two most difficult students to recruit outside of their home routes because they can only get C-Support with Byleth before the time-skip. And this corresponds to how difficult it is for them to leave the Empire from an emotional standpoint. They can't even be recruited in Hopes. Caspar wasn't sure when to obey orders or act on his own morality. He got reprimanded for doing so in his C-Support with Byleth, and that single incident had a huge impact on his development.

Shez: You're taking this awfully well. Weren't you and Caspar childhood friends? Linhardt: Yes, but that is of little consequence now. He is not fighting for honor or any greater purpose. War is just his way of life, and he doesn't have the slightest intention of dying or losing.

Caspar has never known any other way of life but fighting and making a name for himself on the battlefield.

Caspar: Something is kinda bothering me. I was talking to someone the other day about how I want to distinguish myself in battle, and they said that meant I wanted the war to go on forever. Of course, I told them they were nuts… Then I actually started thinking about it. About what I'll be doing when the war ends, I mean. About what I'll even…be. Ferdinand: I do not think you have cause to worry. We may not know what the future holds, but you are delivering great results as a leader. Surely you will be held in esteem for such? Caspar: Sure, but doesn't that just mean my life is about nothing but fighting? I'm not a guy like you who's good at pretty much everything, so… Ha! Listen to me. I can't remember the last time I got in my own head like this.

He was more introspective about his circumstances in Hopes. But that only reinforced how unhappy he was with his way of life. It wasn't fulfilling for him to live only for war, but he had no real sense of identity other than as a warrior.

Caspar: Oh. Hey, Professor. I was just reading this letter from my father. Do you know him? He's a pretty big deal in the Empire. He only writes to ask how my training's going, or how many monsters I've killed. Stuff like that.

Caspar had a strong desire to punish evil in the world, but he possessed a very black-and-white sense of morality. That simplistic view of good and evil probably came from his father, the famous warlord Count Bergliez.

Caspar: My father was responsible for a lot of what happened to the Dagdans! Shamir: Are you responsible for your father's actions? Caspar: Well, no…but kinda? I know I wasn't there, but I gotta—

It is much easier to invade and conquer when you convince yourself that the enemy is evil.

Caspar: After we cross the Great Bridge of Myrddin, we'll be in my father's territory. We actually crossed it five years ago for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Remember? Ugh! This is terrifying! What am I gonna do? I gotta get a grip… Byleth: Don't worry, I'll arrange for your funeral. Caspar: You think we'll meet him on the battlefield and he'll kill me? The front lines cover a long stretch of land, you know! We might not even run into him!

Caspar was also terrified of his father. He didn't like the sound of thunder because it reminded him of his father yelling at him when he screwed up.

Caspar: All right! Off to the Kingdom's capital we go! What's the matter? Should I not be excited? I can't help it. Everyone's gotta have something to look forward to!

I was really struck by Caspar's demeanor in CF. He only ever focused on taking out whatever enemies he was ordered to and barely had anything else to say.

Caspar: It's so awful to see the Kingdom capital go up in flames, but at least we made it this far!

He fought alongside the Death Knight and invaded other nations without question. It was as though Count Bergliez was hovering over his shoulder the entire time.

Catherine: You have a strong sense of justice. You have clearly defined ideals. But that's not an asset on the battlefield. Ideals slow you down. They cause inner conflict.

It was truly sad because that wasn't who he was. He had his own ideals and criticized Catherine for submitting her sense of justice to another person. It made me realize that CF!Caspar couldn't do anything else but focus on fighting because otherwise the inner conflict would have destroyed him.

Caspar: I think… I can't deny who I am. I know you were right five years ago when you told me not to chase after that suspicious guy… But I still can't get over the possibility that he might have hurt those kids. I would have regretted not stopping him for the rest of my life. There's no way I could forgive myself. It sounds awful to say, but the safety of those kids is more important to me than the knights we lost.

His character arc was about realizing that it's okay not to follow orders and that he should live according to his own sense of justice.

Caspar: I've been wandering on my own for five years. I won't go back to that house or my father, that's for sure!

And leaving his father was necessary for him to do so.

Caspar: We weren't related by blood, but Randolph was still my uncle… Seeing him end up that way was… Never mind. It's nothing. Byleth: That's how it goes with war. Caspar: This wasn't just about war. It was a grudge. Or are you gonna tell me you're on Dimitri's side? I'm sure he never trusted me, being born in the Empire and all.

Like Ferdinand, Caspar can only access his Paralogue—where he can confront the "evil" Death Knight—if he defects from the Empire. The game incentivizes you to recruit him in AM, too. Not only does he share his Paralogue with Mercedes, but doing so in AM unlocks an additional scene for her to say goodbye to Emile. I'd argue that he has the best arc in AM due to his connection to Randolph. It was important for him to see the war from the side from the Empire's victims, so that he could have his worldview challenged.

Petra: It feels like…a knife against my throat. That I am making my grandfather obey the Empire. Because I am a hostage, it is not an option to be giving up. I must be fighting and winning and staying alive. I must do anything to be making life better for Brigid. To be making Brigid and the Empire stand as equals. That is what my people are wanting from me…and what my grandfather, the king of Brigid, is wanting! Byleth: And what do you want? Petra: My want? I…I am not knowing of that. The wants of my people are something I have power to achieve. Their wants are my own.

As a political hostage to the Empire, Petra fought extremely hard to survive, not for herself, but so that Brigid could live independently and stand as equals with the Empire. But when Byleth asked her what she wanted, she didn't even know. She needed to figure out what she wanted for herself, not just what other people wanted.

Ferdinand: Do you not want to go back to your homeland? Petra: I do have the hope of returning one day, but Fódlan is also like a homeland to me now. I came to Fódlan nine years ago. I have been living half of my life here. My family is living in Brigid, but in Fódlan, I have new family and new friends.

So, what did Petra want? Well, she wanted to return home, but she also wanted to stay connected to her new family, and to use their political connections to improve relations with Brigid and Fódlan.

Petra: When this war is finished, I am wishing for you to be seeing my homeland. Dorothea: You…you are? Oh my. I'd love to, Petra. As soon as the fighting is done, I'd like nothing more than to see Brigid with you.

She wanted to bring her friends back home with her to visit. Whether you go for their romantic paired ending or are content to leave them as friends, her Support with Dorothea showed how important it was for her to maintain permanent connections with her classmates.

Petra: I am not having an obligation. I will only be marrying if I find a good person.

And she also wanted a husband from Fódlan.

Petra: My father was killed. By the Empire. By your father. And so I will be impaling you on this blade to be satisfying a deep wish of mine. Caspar: A deep wish… What are you talking about?! Petra: I am talking about my wish. Of course…I am also having another wish. An even deeper wish. I wish for you and I to keep being friends. To keep fighting and surviving together.

Petra had one other deeply held wish. She wanted to kill Count Bergliez. She always bottled up her true feelings and never expressed what she really thought. She was always gung-ho about fighting and said war fed her body and mind. She may have acted like she was fine with her situation, but she was really not. She didn't want to kill people in the name of the Empire that invaded Brigid and killed her father, and she had a lot of rage underneath her calm surface.

Caspar: Well, I guess even a queen can't push her feeling down forever. I can't imagine what it must've been like to go through what you did. But I think I can still relate. Petra: Umm… Caspar: Hey, here's an idea. From now on, take it out on me. Petra: No. This is silliness. There is no point in killing you. Caspar: I'm not talking about killing, Petra. What I want you to do is unload on me! Tell me off! Just talk to me about whatever it is you're feeling. If all your hate becomes too much, dump it on me. If you wanna hit something, I'm your guy. I just want us to keep being friends, alright?

Caspar was the only character she ever showed that side of herself to. In Hopes, she wanted to kill him, but he offered for her to take her pain out on him. He was the one person she could talk to and be open and honest with because he was the same. And Petra was more raw and emotionally vulnerable with him than anyone else.

Petra & Caspar Petra returned to her homeland of Brigid, and inherited the throne from her grandfather. As ruler, she declared independence from Fódlan, and renegotiated Brigid's diplomatic ties to Fódlan and Dagda on more equal terms. At every step along the way, she was accompanied and supported by her husband, Caspar, who had left Fódlan behind to be with her. It is said that the people of Brigid were initially suspicious of the union, due to Caspar's relation to a nemesis of their homeland, but that his tireless efforts on Brigid's behalf endeared them to him over time. It certainly helped that he made the queen very happy.

Petra didn't have an obligation to get married. She just wanted someone to share all of her heart with. Caspar was never particularly envious of his brother, and he always liked hard work. So, working tirelessly for Brigid is a better way to live than inheriting his father's position and becoming the new Minister of Military Affairs.

I don't think the writers necessarily pushed for either Caspar or Petra to be paired with anyone in particular. Many of their paired endings work just as fine. Still, the Caspar/Petra ending is one where Petra can have everything she wants, including someone who she can be truly open and honest with. And it is the only one where Caspar can directly address the damage caused by his imperialist father. So, I consider it the best one for them.

[sabrinasfeather]

(Alright babes chill, you sent me this same ask twice. How would the marriage proposal be obviously staged?? They did that specifically to look real and so Snow would leave them alone. Kinda funny how you also couldn’t counteract the most important detail, which was Gale still willingly showed up, let Katniss explain what actually happened, and supported the idea until he found out about the revolution.)

okay last I checked katniss and Gale were not in a relationship she owed him nothing in that regard and had no right to be mad at her regardless if it was a real engagement or not . and to me him getting mad at her engagement feels very much like a "nice guy" thing to do.

(Which also, Gale DID apologize for not running (“I was wrong. We should have gone when you said […] It’s not to late”] Not only does Gale regret his choice, he admits he was wrong, which is very honorable imo, and he is clearly devastated Katniss is going back to the games, as he also pulls her in for a big hug in this scene.)

not all the time like when he called katniss a product of a capital and I know Gale wants to fight and help the revolution and help everyone but to say that everything she's been through shows how little compassion he has for a trauma and what she's been through because if he did he wouldn't throw that s*** in her face and he would have listened to her the first time she said she can't deal with a romantic relationships at this

(For your argument of the 1st kiss in Mockingjay, that legit makes zero sense. Gale was in physical pain in CF to the point he was unconscious and could’ve died, wow Gale was really forcing her to kiss him there.) actually Gail was conscious when katniss kiss him he says so himself and I think that's how he got the idea that when he's in pain whether it's physical or emotional katniss will show him affection. he did however he did however kissed her without consent the first time because and it wasn't pleasant to read.

(In Mockingjay, he was devastated throughout the whole chapter, which you would know if you actually read the books. How dare Gale cry about the trauma of reliving the bombing of District 12. Also again, please actually read these books, Gale has NEVER cried in front of Katniss. There’s no way he knew she would kiss him until afterwards, which he literally tells her not to worry about him.) here's the passage before they kiss

(Remember?" he asks. "This is where you kissed me."

So the heavy dose of morphling administered after the whipping wasn't enough to erase that from his consciousness. "I didn't think you'd remember that," I say.

"Have to be dead to forget. Maybe even not then," he tells me. "Maybe I'll be like that man in 'The Hanging Tree.' Still waiting for an answer." Gale, who I have never seen cry, has tears in his eyes.)

as you can see in this lovely scene he is not crying about his home being destroyed because I would actually have sympathy for that he's crying about that is not wanting him and katniss not showing him affection and then because Katniss feels guilty she kisses him wish in my opinion is gross and so unromantic not to mention manipulative as hell

(Look, I’ll give you the Finnick scene, that’s about your only accurate point. It’s important to know Finnick legit asked Katniss if she found him distracting, which while Finnick was joking, Gale obviously would not know that). actually Gail wasn't there for that so there's not really an excuse for him to be jealous

(But I know you did not say Gale “took advantage” of Katniss when he literally stopped her from kissing him because he knew she wasn’t mentally there. That is so insanely inaccurate and weird asf. Stop taking good Gale moments and shifting them because you don’t like him, it’s not a good look.)

well in my personal opinion he didn't stop because it was the right thing to do and because she wasn't in the right mental day to be kissing somebody he stopped because it didn't count as her choosing him. because it didn't feel like the beach scene. because it was clear he wasn't peeta. because like if he had any care for her emotional well being he wouldn't be making moves on her after literally fighting out about Peeta hijacking

Me rn: Hun, I tried explaining in a respectful matter why you’re Gale takes are weird interpretations but even agreed with you at times. You’ve basically just said the same shit for 3 separate posts, all of which I counteracted. Lmao Gale is the entitled nice guy? I don’t think he was the one who ghosted Katniss and threw statues at her when she kissed someone else (But wait, remember who DID that 🤗) And I really don’t get why you’ve brought up the beach kiss? That doesn’t make any sense. You’re really skewing the narrative and hold Gale to far different standards to Peeta.

And as for your other ask, you brought up what Liam Hemsworth said? I love Liam but Idgaf what his take is on Katniss and Gale bc he and I can have different interpretations! I don’t agree or really care what he thinks of it lol. You clearly just want the last word, have at it. It’s weird as hell that Peeta manipulating Katniss into a relationship, stalking her, ghosting her, and making her extremely uncomfortable at times is sweet and romantic, yet Gale stopping Katniss from kissing him makes him the devil. Goodbye

[dartducks]

You have to spend the night in a haunted house. Which players are you taking with you (up to 4) and why? ❤

This is a great question Sab omg

Okay one thing you do need to know about me is that I get jumpscared so easily so I need to bring like. at least one emotional support guy and also someone else who I think will scream louder than me.

For the emotional support I'm gonna bring Known Washington Capital Pierre Luc Dubois. This is because he is very large, hot and also I like his vibe. If I get scared I can simply hide behind him. No other reason I would do this of course. Only if I was scared. Which I get very easily.

Okay second I'm bringing Hendrix Lapierre because I feel he could get more scared than me. He is also French which makes his fear slightly funnier so does his little mustache.

Third Mats Zuccarello and his crazy eyes. I think this might end badly for the rest of us tbh but every so often I think of the slightly physchotic way he said nice during the Dewey car prank video and I want to see what he would do in this situation.

Fourth Jake Oettinger. He's a goalie. He's also a goalie who tries so hard to be normal and chill and this would test him. Once again I would Like To See that. I think he would have a horrible time <3

This completes my dream haunted house squad thank you for asking and listening lmao

[kiss2012]

ok rwrb thoughts under the cut <3

tbh i had to watch most of this movie with one hand over my eye and i was not. even going to reread the book because i don’t actually care about it much anymore but about twenty or so minutes into the movie? i literally stopped it and skimmed half the book finished the movie and then finished the book. so it’s possible that this influenced my whole experience of the movie but i remembered the book super well anyway and either way i think the thing i would have been most mad about is HOW COULD THEY LEAVE OUT JUNE and who tf is miguel omg. imagine deciding to combine two women into one character just because they “play the same role in alex’s life” and then not even doing it that well. nora isn’t even IN this movie she doesn’t even have a CHARACTER they just shoehorn her and pez together and give them five min of screentime. bea doesnt even have much of a character either i also thought maybe she and nora were going to be friends but no that disappeared after the first 15min. and because june doesn’t exist and because rafael luna doesn’t exist and because nora barely exists (all of whom are the main poc characters in the book btw) alex’s character is not half as nuanced as it could be. his arc about realising he’s bi is totally missing which is great…also his actor’s enunciation was very puzzling at times but i forgive him because of all the times i got distracted staring at his eyelashes and he was good at times tho henry’s actor is probably the best actor in the movie (not a tall bar btw but he’s way better than uma thurman GIRL WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH THAT ACCENT) and it’s not that they don’t have chemistry or fun sweet romcom moments it’s just that i’m missing so much. romance. im tired of modern romance novels and movies having their leads get together super fast without spending much time on characterization and without even having much capital R-romance in the first place. where is the e-mo-tion in the immortal words of miss carly rae jepsen…like why did they leave out so much of the emails i cannot believe i watched so many random voice-overs and they couldn’t include the emails. also the small random change that bothered me the most is that they changed their first meeting being rio at the olympics to the climate melbourne conference (?????) and made their whole relationship pre-movie a lot less interesting. umm they did good with the interview and their interactions pre and post the cake but then they abandoned all of that half an hour in. do think the physical comedy is always way more fun to watch in a visual medium like that cake scene was hilarious they were just worse at the emotional beats. guys they used bad reputation 😭😭😭😭 i had to pause at that point…i had to pause and recover for ages. the get low scene contained a lot of Choices. the Choices were all very interesting and im not sure what more can be said about them. the beginning was fairly solid then everything sort of went downhill felt like i was watching a train wreck. mildly entertaining and occasionally moving train wreck but regardless a train wreck. btw let no one claim the political commentary in the novel is good but at least it slightly exists. the politics in the movie are completely spineless and extremely confused. yes it’s an amazon prime royalty romcom so what can u expect but they just hovered on the threshold of criticism. when they didn’t actually show a crowd of people supporting them or w/e but just showed the reflection of them in the window i almost started laughing. alex’s speech at the end lacked any subtlety at all and made no sense (why tf would he make a speech coming out + explaining his relationship with henry Before he talked to henry or the royal family???) the script is like constantly having characters say really obvious things. shoutout to stephen fry’s line delivery at least. there was a perfume genius cover of can’t help falling in love (it was supposed to be your song that played there anyway???). what more can be said.

[quietbooklion]

Thoughts on: Kuya

Now that I'm done with Koga, it's time to move on to quite possibly my favorite story of the whole Dawn faction.

*This review will contain spoilers, you have been warned*

It's honestly difficult for me to talk about why I liked Kuya so much without going into spoiler territory but I think that's probably the best way I can convey my overall thoughts and feelings. And there's a lot of them.

For starters, in the beginning of his story, Futaba basically was in a dark place mentally after what happened to her father, going as far as to say that she should've died instead of him. After hearing this, Kuya then flies her into the air and lets go of her before catching her at the last minute. He then tells her to not say, "I wish I was dead" so lightly. And he tells her not to give up so easily when things get difficult. To not think of what they did to protect the Capital as meaningless.

Back when I had played his route, I was honestly surprised by this scene. It caught me off guard because this is Kuya we're talking about. Kuya, who is the equivalent of a Koala. And I LOVED it! The main reason why he's a favorite of mine is because how he handles himself and those around him with not only his actions but his words as well. And let me tell you, they speak volumes on how he really feels.

Kuya as a character has always intrigued me because this guy is so lazy and almost apathetic to most things, its actually comical how lazy he is. I have no doubt he can sleep through an earthquake at the highest magnitude. But there's more to him than just that. There's this part of him that can be blunt yet supportive, especially to Futaba. He knows the right words to comfort her and also knock some sense into her. It shows that he cares but in his own way.

One thing that made his route feel so special to me is the mention of survivor's guilt. I'd like to think the message of the story is: No matter how much you wanted things to end differently, you can't do anything that's already been done. As cruel as the world can be sometimes, you have to look at things realistically but still be hopeful about things to come. Not only that but also giving yourself the time to go through your emotions. And above all else, to know you're not alone, that there are others who can help you through difficult times. The last part resonates so well for Futaba and Kuya. Both are in pain but with the help of each other, they know that even in the darkest of times, they aren't alone.

This story goes far beyond the crew fighting the Wraiths and stopping Akiyasu. This story is about grief and coping with the feelings of guilt. And the way Kuya and Futaba tackle through these feelings was written so beautifully, it captured both the hurt and hope they each feel.

I know it's a bit early to say this even though I haven't finished the other routes yet but I can say this with absolute confidence: Kuya's story is by far the best one.

5 out of 5.

[majorgammage]

My husband wondering why I’m on my phone at 3am typing away: …What if she’s talking to other guys?

Me in my iPhone notes:

—-

How lgbt+ friendly are Stardew Valley folks anyway? A breakdown of suspected character philosophies:

—

Objectively homophobic, repeats shitty takes on “woke culture” they heard on a podcast: Pam, Alex

Tries to debate biological sex but only cites sources 20+ years out of date: Gunther

Straight until further notice, gets your pronouns right but still calls you ugly to your face: Haley

Accidentally homophobic, but gets too defensive to learn from it: Clint

Trans and living her best life: Sandy

Also trans, has some serious work to do on himself: Shane

Educates you on ten different cultures’ worth of ideas on gender and sexuality from his travels but never talks about himself: Linus

Has enjoyed many whirlwind romances in his life and claims it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re enjoying the adventure: Professor Snail

Doesn’t have a problem with gay people but still insists they just didn’t “have those” in his day: George

Doesn’t understand what the big deal is, claims everyone knows women are just more attractive. Thinks it would be neat to live with your bff 24/7. Keeps a framed picture of her best friend on her nightstand: Evelyn

Desperately wants to be bisexual for the aesthetic, but she’s just an awkward ally—still wears a lot of rainbows and a she/her pronoun pin at work: Emily

Pansexual, but only likes you if you own a sword (WILL critique how you hold it): Abigail

Queer bffs club, everyone’s tried to date at some point but they’re not really compatible with each other or anyone else in town, so they just meet up and talk shit at the saloon: Elliot, Leah, Penny

Undecided, too busy working and being edgy to care much anyway: Sebastian

Straight, genuinely invested in getting your pronouns right—honestly one of the safest bets in town if he can get out of his parents’ house: Sam

Starts the local Gay-Straight Alliance chapter the minute Sam starts wearing nail polish. Still learning but means well: Jodi

Trying to be supportive of whatever, secretly scared Sebastian is making his son gay: Kent

Devout Yoba follower who claims to welcome everyone but definitely has Opinions despite needing a literal she-shed to escape the mundanities of her own hetero marriage: Caroline

Flies rainbow flags everywhere in June, but only to capitalize on profits: Pierre

Gay but still a shitty person, votes conservative: Morris

Kissed a guy in college but pretty sure it isn’t for him, reminds you to get tested regularly and always use protection no matter who you’re with: Harvey

Gray ace, exclusively reads queer monsterfucker fanfic and scientific journals, might consider a relationship with the right person/machine: Maru

Bisexual, needs marriage counseling in a bad way: Robin

Asexual/aromantic, self-therapized into that realization late in life but hasn’t ever discussed how that might affect, you know, his wife: Demetrius

Emotional support straight/designated mom friend: Marnie

Not gay but supportive, does a lot of extracurricular reading to support Marnie and Shane: Mayor Lewis

Husbands of 20+ years: Gil and Marlon

Former leather club gods, occasional hookups with Gil and Marlon: Willy, Grandpa

Owned the leather club, may or may not have participated: Gus

Reproduces asexually so can’t comprehend the conversation: Dwarf

Non-binary king: Krobus

Love is love, and that’s all she has to say about that: Birdie

Doesn’t really do labels, only requirement is that you’re into smooth jazz: The Bouncer

Somehow transcended gender and achieved true peace, but is gatekeeping the secret: Mr. Qi

Just here for the soup: The Governor

[kharmii]

Someone posted more garbage blaming male isolation on 'white guy culture' and 'capitalism', and then, like a coward, they made it so a person couldn't reblog. I still wrote something in reply:

No, it's not the usual bullshit sheltered left-wing college kids want to blame it on. No, everything isn't the fault of 'capitalism' or 'eeebul white guys'. Again, secular progressivism has caused more death and misery worldwide than all religious wars combined. If anything, leftwing culture has made everything more effed up for men with screw around culture creating an environment where we now have the greatest percentage of unmarried men in recorded history. For sure, it's not healthy for men to treat their SO as their only source of emotional support, but now they don't even have that.

Everything started going wrong during the Carter and then Reagan administrations in the 70/80's. Before then, men could get good paying jobs in a factory near where they lived and make enough money to support a wife being a stay-at-home mother and a couple of kids. Pushing women to enter the workforce 'for independence' is a huge scam foisted on us, because now we have a culture where both parents often have to work to barely afford a couple of kids and a mortgage. Women find it more noble to be cogs in the machine. Some people can't even manage the kids, (or they are lazy and selfish) so they end up with a butt-licking poop-eating stanky dog-child to get extra weird about.

Next thing you know; they're leaving rude comments about Kristi Noem shooting a damn dog (it's a fucking dog, calm down weirdos) while gushing, "I love my dog so much! Look at my shit-breath baby that just got done eating its own ass and is now licking off my ice-cream cone! Isn't that cuuuuute!"

Anyway, another problem we have (that goes along with the point about men in social clubs) is that we don't have close knit communities anymore. We don't have neighborhoods where everybody knows each other. How many people live in isolation on social media and don't even know their neighbors? How often do you see block parties or guys inviting the other guys on the street over for a cookout? Less people have children, so you don't meet new people having other peoples' kids knocking on your door asking if your child can play. (I suppose theoretically you could meet new people letting your stank-beast 'child' run around a dog-park).

-So then you have isolated men who have to meet other male friends through work. How would that work out for me if I was a male? It sure didn't work out for me being a female. I married and had children with a man from the other side of the goddamn planet while the losers I worked with labeled me as no fun because I wasn't into the Dem voting blue state party culture.

If you are a man in my place of employment, you have to be into the casino boats, betting pools, smoking pot jokes, telling the same stupid stories about getting drunk at bars and ballgames during your long-ago youth....and it's no wonder half of them ended up childless, unmarried weirdos in their forties and fifties. There was the one lowlife into fuck-and-dump culture, (and even he lived with his mom until age 40) but most of them are incels who are getting fatter and balder. None of them have grown into mature role-models with great character. None of them are the elders at the church or the guy you'd go to if you needed advice.

Side note: The guy they've talked into stalking me doesn't fit in with the culture. Under better circumstances, (like if he wasn't a misogynistic patronizing asshole who isn't even attracted to me, and I'm not really sure what the deal is.....) I might be into him, because for an older man, he's physically fit. He's into one of those Sierra Club type groups full of people doing outdoorsy shit, such as camping, hiking, canoeing..etc. He belongs to a lot of co-ed social clubs where they play cards on Thursdays or whathaveya...

Meanwhile, the flabby lowlife goobers complain that 'there's nothing to do in a small town! This is why so many men are dying of fentanyl!'

I've taken the piss about this so much. The Kharmii be like.......you mean there's not enough lowlife shit for low lives to do in a small town? Low lives have to OD on fentanyl out of boredom because there's not enough for dirty rotten low life scumbags to do? You have to drive all the way up to the suburbs for strip clubs and casino boats, and the Biden economy has made gas over $4/gallon?

[episodicnostalgia]

Spider-man: The Animated Series, 101 (Nov. 19, 1994) - “Night of the Lizard”

Written by: Gerry Conway, Stan Berkowitz, & John Semper Jr. Directed by: Bob Richardson

The Breakdown

After sightings of a mysterious lizard-creature in the sewers make the news, J Jonah Jameson offers a $1,000 reward to whoever can provide a photographic proof.  Peter Parker is hurting for cash, so he grabs his camera and thwips into action.  First up, he begins his search with a visit to his professor (Dr. Curt Connors) because that guy knows, like, a LOT about Lizards you guys. In fact, Connors even has a fancy ray gun at his campus facility called a “Neogenic Recombinator” which is capable of giving small mammals the ability to regrow missing limbs just by zapping some Reptile DNA into them. Pretty neat, right? Maybe one day this device will help Connors regrow his own arm, but surely not today. Of course, that expository information is purely to set the tone of the story, and I’m sure it won’t relate directly to the primary narrative or events of this episode.

In the twist that utterly may shock you, it turns out that Doc Connors and the Lizard are-one-and-the-same on account of engaging in a reckless attempt to regrow his own arm, which has gone horribly wrong! (Who could have foreseen this?) With a new set of reptilian priorities, Croc Connors decides to turn everyone into Anthropomorphic Reptiles, because he’s decided being a dinosaur-man actually kinda slaps. (Important follow up question: does he maybe have a point? That does sound awesome.)  Regardless, it’s poor form to assume that’s what everyone wants without checking first, so Pete gets into Spidey mode and shuts the whole thing down, using the gene-ray-gun to turn Connors back into his normal human self.  And to top it off Peter gets the pictures so he can keep the noose of capitalism at bay for a little while longer!  Yay!

The Verdict

One thing these old 90’s cartoons excelled at was in getting to the point. ‘Night of the Lizard’ picks up when Spider-man is already well established, and Peter is in university. Even Peter’s supporting cast are all introduced as if the audience could already know them, and it works. At no point are we ever left to wonder what’s going on, or who anyone is. The writing and animation on this show never reached the maturity of Batman: TAS or other WB fare of the era, but this episode still holds up pretty well for a 90’s kids show. Visually the animators do a decent job of capturing Spider-man’s acrobatics (the webbing looks great), although the CGI backgrounds have not aged gracefully. Meanwhile, what the writing lacks in emotional depth, it makes up for it in whiz-bang adventure that’s simultaneously a faithful update to the source material. 

When all is said and done, this is remains a solid intro to an iconic show from my childhood.

3 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

I like that they introduced Eddie Brock as a rival photographer right away. Gives us some time to establish his dynamic with Peter before he becomes Veno- I mean, I’m sure they’ll sort out their differences amicably.

The Lizard’s design is spot on. As a kid watching this show felt like like a comic book come to life. Coincidentally the Lizard was one of the first Spidey rogues I was introduced to back when I first started reading comics.

I love how a university has access to a device capable of creating literal super-monsters almost instantly, and there seems to be no resources devoted to guarding it. And this is only the first of many times that specific one-of-a-kind device will be misused to a similar effect. Maybe the line between this universe with super-people, and ours, is a better security budget.

[permanately-confuzzled]

Okay so. This gonna be long. But dean headcanon.

This is a bit of a stretch and not one that I think a lot of people lean towards (either that or I'm just not in a circle that talks about it) but. Dean has autism? Maybe not super obvious signs, and I'm much more familiar with the signs in afab than amab, but it feels REALLY similar to myself.

I realize that cptsd has really similar symptoms as low-support-needs (high functioning??? Someone please tell me what term to use I cant figure out if it's problematic or not) late diagnosed autism, as well as several other neurotypes. But a lot of it feels really familiar, and in some of the distinguishments between cptsd and autism, dean leans toward the autism side.

Anyway, a list in no particular order:

Knows a lot about random topics -- that one case where he knew the guy used the wrong country for a proverb to come from, mentioning vonnegut, possible hyperfocus on weapons and fighting

Seems to have a fairly good musical understanding despite having little to no experience -- you're telling me John taught him how to sing? And he picked up on guitar as quickly as was implied? I think the fuck not

Hyperfocus on a TV show/genre -- Scooby-Doo, dr. Sexy, westerns

Perfectly happy driving for hours on end listening to the same tracks on repeat -- apparently this isn't normal???

Seems to dissociate really easy -- he could be desensitized to violence, and probably is at least a little. But when he's already emotional, or caught by surprise, he's immediately horrified, almost like he's not as careless towards it as normal.

Described as having too many emotions. Very much cannot communicate them. Seems overwhelmed.

Very much likes blankets, hot showers, massage bed -- sensory issues. Also, that could be why he wears flannel and jeans all the time. Yeah, it's practical, but the clothes don't bother his sensory issues.

Also, sensory stuff could be why he's constantly chasing sex. If your constantly feeling everything, why not make the everything be mostly good? People with asd also typically are either on the grey scale of sexuality or hypersexual.

He clearly understands communication, but masking. Also, he's fairly social. The puzzle of human communication may be a hyperfixation of his. Not to mention that a few of the times people say things he isn't expecting he gets flustered and confused.

He seems to see grey points in a very black and white way, and black and white as grey. I don't know how else to describe that.

The thing with asd people typically struggling more than nts to understand things like capitalism bc why WOULDNT you give up some fancies if other people can eat enough -- that's literally why he can't get himself to leave hunting.

Not willing to change the impala or his music.

Had the whole dean cave put together without Sam knowing (I think? Correct me if I imagined this)

Routine. He's impulsive when it's his decision, but if someone else decides, he wants nothing to do with it -- getting up in the morning, I swear there's more but my brain is getting tired

Struggles to make close connections. Very few actual friends (especially compared to sam) and very few actual relationships.

The close friends he has are not nt. Charlie most likely has adhd or asd, cas acts very similar to someone with asd, Sam's at least really traumatized. This is common with nds.

He has different personalities depending on who he's with (masking) -- cas vs Charlie vs Sam vs Donna vs Claire vs Benny... etc

Prone to addiction -- the need for routine and chronic stress from masking makes this true for asd people as well.

I think it was called existential suicidal ideation or something like that? Doesn't want to die necessarily, but doesn't really want to be around but does, but doesn't really care. It doesn't seem like a big deal so he's sorta apathetic to it.

I think there was more, but I cant remember right now. Am I crazy???

Sorry is asd autocorected to sad. And yes I did hyperfocus on this for a week and a half.