#literally wanted to introduce the whole trio

[simphic]

Otis 'Dizzy' Isley. Lead guitarist and vocalist of the pysche-funka-delic rock band "ATLiens" based out of Georgia

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 重啟之極海聽雷/Reunion: The Sound of the Providence/The Lost Tomb Reboot/this thing has too many names

Reunion (I'm just going to call it that) is a 2020 action drama about the most specialest little babygirl in the tomb-raiding world, his two husbands, and the cadre of assorted weirdos they pick up as they try to follow a set of directions left by a dead (?) man in the thunder.

Imagine if someone showed you the Mandalorian, and you were like, gee, that was a neat little sci-fi one-shot! because you'd never heard of Star Wars. That was basically my experience watching this show, having no idea that the Lost Tomb franchise (DMBJ) was even a thing. Turns out that not only is there a whole big continuity out there with these characters, but that Reunion takes place a few years after the main story's resolution. Don't worry, though -- Reunion doesn't spoil you for that resolution. It doesn't spoil you for much, period. Look, DMBJ has a weird relationship to endings, okay?

I have written a more thorough where-to-start guide for DMBJ as a whole, so if you want to consider other entry points, well, that information is there for your consideration. Yet it is my opinion that this is the best entry into the overall franchise, and a fun thing to watch just in general, and I'm here to make my case for both of those.

The rest of this rec will assume that you have no familiarity with the DMBJ series. That's okay; you don't need any. All you need is to trust my five reasons you should watch this.

1. Old Man Yaoi

As you begin this show, you are introduced to the Iron Triangle. That's them in the picture up there. Left to right, you have: Xiao Ge, magically tattooed immortal hottie who just got back from ten years in [scene missing]; Wu Xie, our protagonist, who's just a little guy and it's his birthday; and Wang Pangzi, the literal best.

(And yes, Wu Xie is in his 30s and Pangzi is in his 40s, which is not technically old man anything, but ... look, if you watch, you'll see why I think I'm justified in calling it that.)

They are extremely married. They are a disaster trio of disasters so disastrous that no one else should ever be subjected to their chaos. They're going to make sure lots of people are, though, don't you worry about it. Sometimes those people even deserve it.

However, because the show (tragically!!) decides that Xiao Ge has somewhere else to be like 95% of the runtime, most of the relationship you get to see is between Wu Xie and Pangzi.

I'm saying this now as an old gay nerd who just this year celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary: I have never, never felt so represented in media as I have watching Wu Xie and Pangzi interact. There's a little wake-up song they sing together near the end of the show, and it just ... it packs so much character development into thirty seconds. These boys have been living adjacent lives for so long that they've made up their own little shared songs about the mundanities of daily living. That is just what happens when you marry your best friend and then decide to get old and weird together. Ask me how I know.

Look, if you want to know whether this show is for you or not, watch to the end of the first episode, to the part where Pangzi flips over the table. If your heart is filled with joy (as it should be), keep going.

Love makes a tomb-raiding syndicate family.

2. A fun-filled action-packed romp of nonsense!

If you're familiar with Hellblazer canon, this will make sense to you: Reunion is Dangerous Habits. If you're not familiar with Hellblazer canon, try it like this: Reunion is a terrible place to start because it plays on your extant affection for a character who gains a terrible status effect almost immediately. It's a also great place to start because it throws you right in the action with measurably high stakes and gives you a reason to build that affection very quickly.

I'm also going to warn you right off the bat: The plot of this show got cut to ribbons by censors.

See, the DMBJ books, being books, are allowed to get away with supernatural shit! So you've got zombies and ghosts and curses and monsters and immortality and all your other standard ooky spooky semi-urban fantasy trappings. But the DMBJ adaptations, being live-action, are heavily regulated in their content. This is why, in the early Reunion episodes, our heroes are menaced by human-looking creatures that are actually ancient mannequins made of leather that are piloted, mecha-style, by evil clams. Because evil clams are more scientific than zombies. I guess.

So yeah, the plot of this book already had to get mangled into a more "science"-compliant shape even before it made it to filming. The real problem is that a whole lot more of it got cut after it was all filmed and put together. I have read an explanation of what the actual storyline was supposed to be, and yeah, if you know what you’re looking at, you can see (and hear) the scars where major elements got hacked out with a weed whacker.

Therefore: You cannot expect this plot to make sense.

But that's okay! You're not here for the plot to make sense! You're here to watch some characters you love run around through ridiculous and sometimes beautiful labyrinths, trying to solve puzzles you're never given enough information to understand, all in search of the resolution to a mystery that had half its guts torn out before you got to see it -- and you are here to love it. If you have ever laughed and cheered your way through a Mission: Impossible film without pausing to care too much about the plot holes it’s dodging left and right, you are in the correct frame of mind to appreciate this. Just believe that whatever engaging nonsense the show tells you is correct for the time being and go with it.

You cannot watch DMBJ and care about the laws of physics. You simply cannot.

Do not, however, let me give you the impression that the shoddy plotting is accompanied by equally shoddy performances. A major part of this show’s incredible watchability comes from how the cast is shockingly good. There are some serious heavy hitters among the actors. A major part of why this Wu Xie and Pangzi are my favorite together is the incredible chops both Zhu Yilong and Chen Minghao have, to say nothing of their real-life affection for one another. (See that scar on Wu Xie's neck? That scar is there because Zhu Yilong commits to the bit.) Effortlessly charming Mao Xiaotong turns potentially irritating wunderkind Bai Haotian into a perfect precious weirdo baby. Wu Erbai's entire second-season character arc could have been unintentionally comedic, but veteran of queer cinema Hu Jun sells even the undignified moments as relentlessly tragic. And of course Baron Chen absolutely kills it with...

3. This giant fucking loser

This is Hei Xiazi. That's not his name, but it's close enough. Allow me to do a dramatic reenactment of my watching his first scene:

[camera pans over to him]

me: Ugh, I recognize this kind of wannabe badass character design. I hate his type. He's self-important, hyper-masculine, and just a big jerk, and the show thinks he's soooo cool. Barf.

[thirty seconds later]

me: Oh no. I was so wrong. I love him forever now.

This is because he is (as indicated above) a giant fucking loser. Yes, he's a good fighter who knows lots of things. He's also a wet potato chip of a man. Sure, he can get you into a headlock, but he can also annoy you into submission, and that's honestly more fun for him. My wife has used the phrase “Vash the Stampede-coded” to describe him. My wife is not wrong.

And the kind of ridiculous thing is, being such a loser is what wraps back around to making him cool again. He's a loser because he just doesn't fucking care. His masculinity is the opposite of fragile. You tell him to wear a dress and makeup, he'll do it -- and sure, he'll complain, but only because he enjoys complaining. He has no dignity. He’s tits-out. He's gender. He's the worst and also the best.

Hei Xiazi is a major character in the other installations, to the point where he and his boyfriend (more on him later) even have their own movie. But of course, I did not know this on my first watch, so I kept expecting the show to explain his whole deal. It does not, but you don't really need it to. He sees better in the dark. He doesn't age. He's a thug for hire. There, that's all the bio you need.

One of the things that makes him great is that he is the least sexually threatening person ever. Across all the properties he's in, he spends a fair amount of time with women -- sometimes in very close quarters -- and they are perfectly safe around him. I actually wrote a whole post about it once upon a time (warning for tiny spoilers for a series that isn't this one) wherein I claim that not only Xiazi but Reunion in general is the television equivalent of the shirt that says I RESPECT WOMEN SO MUCH I DON'T HAVE SEX WITH THEM.

That said, this loser does get a sort-of romance plot here -- and honestly, I find it very cute! It's not even the only instance in this series of a bisexual guy in a long-term same-sex relationship getting a girlfriend, and I like that other one too! Look, the handle of my DMBJ sideblog is @katamaricule because I joked that Wu Xie treats polyamory like a katamari, and if you don't move fast enough, you're going to be rolled right up into his gay little cuddle puddle.

This is not a show for exclusive ships; this is a show for inclusive ships. The Jiumen Association is a polycule. You don't even have to know what the Jiumen Association is to know it's true.

4. The power of friendship

This show has a lot of characters.

I'd say the supporting cast is divided into three categories: characters who have been in previous installments, characters who have not been in previous installments, and characters who probably should have been in previous installments (or at least mentioned) but who were only created for Reunion so we have to pretend like we've known about them all along.

There is no way to tell which is which -- which is part of my argument that this series makes a good entry point to the franchise.

Take Huo Daofu. Huo Daofu is a brilliant doctor masquerading as a donut stand operator who treats Wu Xie with all the cold disdain of a man confronting the person who left him at the altar years ago. On the one hand, yes! We do know Huo Daofu from a previous series, and we've known he's both a doctor and a bitch. On the other hand, oh, we have no idea why he's like this about Wu Xie, and we probably never will. The show just treats it like it's for an excellent reason, and you know what, from what you know about Wu Xie, it probably is.

Consider also Jiang Zisuan. One of the show's principal antagonists, Jiang Zisuan turns out to be the brother of ... well, let's just say it's someone whose having a brother really should have come up before this. It has not come up. (And that's even before we get into the issue of his surname.) His stated identity as that person's brother is so bizarre that my favorite interpretation is that he isn't actually that person's brother -- all the flashbacks we see are just his delusions about a relationship he's completely invented. But there's no way you'd know how fucking weird this is on your first run.

Then there's our friendly little support himbo, Kanjian, who shows up to all occasions with two tickets to the gun show and not a thought in that beautiful head. (His name just means "vest," which is par for the course when it comes to the author's naming conventions.) He was a lot more menacing in the last series (where they kept putting sleeves on him, geez), where most of what we learned about him is that you can loan him out to other tomb-raiding families. Now he's a golden retriever with great aim and a slingshot. It's an upgrade.

The trick is, you cannot be surprised when someone shows up and the show treats them like you should know who they are, even when there's no possible way you could know who they are. I mean, for heaven's sake, Liu Sang arrives in the middle of an obvious beef with Pangzi, the origins of which are never satisfactorily explained, while also having a giant do-I-want-to-fuck-him-or-do-I-want-to-be-him crush on Xiao Ge, which is also never satisfactorily explained. Whatever, you just roll with it. He's got good hearing, a bad attitude, and questionable taste in idols. Now you're good to go.

(I should throw in a special note here that Liu Sang is many, many people's little meow meow, and not undeservedly. For a fuller explanation of why that is, please consult this other post I made.)

Part of the fun of this big cast is the adorable interactions you get. All the characters have appropriately big personalities, and the show loves letting people you wouldn’t expect bounce off one another. It’s not your typical action-hero show where nothing happens without the protagonist in the room. There are lots of exciting combinations and tons of charming dynamics! Unlikely friendships form all over the place! Enemies become allies! Allies become friends! Friends become friends with other friends! Some friends become enemies again! You'll need a scoreboard to keep up!

This is not to say the show treats all its characters perfectly or equally -- one of the precious few main female characters doesn't even get a real name, for heaven's sake, and the less said about the brownface racism, the better. It is, at its heart, a dude show for dudes made in China, with all the troubling decision-making that implies. Where it does deserve credit, though, is in understanding that its supporting characters are actual people with personalities apart from their function in Wu Xie's narrative. Sometimes the show just asks "what if [random character A] and [random character B] had to interact?" and has fun considering the answer! Which is almost always a delight to watch, and sometimes even breaks your heart.

5. Amazing rewatch value!

And by this I mean the experience of watching this show is remarkably different once you have any understanding of the rest of the DMBJ universe.

For instance, there's a point where two characters are scuba-diving past some submerged coffins, and one character tells the other whose coffins they are. Working only on information Reunion has given you, you're like, oh, that's where they buried the guy who built this creepy place, that's a little weird. Once you recognize that name from other series, though, your reaction is far more, excuse me, they did WHAT to WHOSE corpses?

Or another point where a character you've already met is on a train, and there's a handsome gentleman who just happens to be riding with her. He hands her his business card! Aw, that's sweet, he seems like a nice guy! Well, no, Xie Yuchen is not nice, but he is one of our allies, and he's Hei Xiazi's boyfriend, and a lot of what he's doing hits real different when you have a fuller grasp on why he's doing it and for whom. (Honestly, a major reason to watch Reunion first is so you're not fully and appropriately upset by how your black/pink gays merely have one teeny tiny scene together.)

From the way the series treats the persistent absence of Wu Sanxing, Wu Xie's third uncle, I absolutely, 100% assumed that he was a completely new character to this installment of the series, an extremely long-lost relative that we've somehow conveniently managed to never talk about before now. So imagine my gobsmacked surprise when I went to watch a different series, set much earlier in the timeline, where the opening scene prominently features Wu Sanxing as an actual character in the present-day narrative! ...Well, sorta. Look, there's a lot of fuckery with his identity in earlier parts of the story, and fortunately you need to know none of it to understand Reunion. But when you do, it suddenly makes a lot more sense why Wu Xie talks about someone who was a major part of Wu Xie's adult life like he died when Wu Xie was nine.

AND THE FLASHBACK SCENE WHERE A-NING GETS KILLED BY THE SNAKE, AND YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, AND THEN YOU WATCH ULTIMATE NOTE AND IT WASN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL look, I know there are kinda reasons for this, different production companies and all, but seriously, what the fuck

All of which to say is that the experience of watching Reunion the first time is, hey, this self-contained romp is a lot of fun! The experience of rewatching it after watching any of the other DMBJ installments is a transcendently wonderful head-clutching avalanche of one moment of recognition right after another.

And here's the thing: You will watch more. Reunion is a gateway drug. If you are interested enough to make it through all 62 episodes, you're going to be interested in watching more. Which is great. The English-speaking fandom needs more people. Come down into the tombs. It's great down here. We've got snakes and arguably unintentional homoeroticism. Join us. Join usssssssss

Are you ready for an aventure?

There are a couple different ways to watch the first half, but there's (weirdly) only one way to watch the second, so for both of them, I'm going to send you straight to iQiyi: Season 1 (32 episodes) and Season 2 (30 episodes).

And just so you’re ready when Reunion is done, here’s how you find the rest of the DMBJ series, in the absolutely non-chronological order in which I, personally, think you should watch them:

The Lost Tomb 2 (AsianCrush, YouTube)

Ultimate Note (iQiyi)

The Mystic Nine (iQiyi, Viki)

Sand Sea/Tomb of the Sea (Viki, WeTV, YouTube, also YouTube)

Also, there's a lot of movies and side series and other pieces that are worth seeing, and even a couple of full series I've left off the list, and you can just slot them in wherever. And maybe we'll get Tibetan Sea Flo-- IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! And someday maybe I'll actually have time to watch it! What a concept.

They're so perfect. Perfect triangle. Perfect boys.

[luffyvace]

HEYYYY!! how are you?? i hope you’re doing well ❤️❤️

i was wondering if you could do a headcanon/story where reader is like the daughter of Dracule Mihawk but like she(or gender neutral) never met her mom, so when she was growing up Boa Hancock was like their cool auntie that she learned how to be a woman (doing makeup,painting nails, finding her style ect.)

ONLY IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE THO, BTW I LOVEE YOUR WRITING 💕💕

HIII IM DOING GOOD ANON!! You dear? :)

i do female reader dw!! I’ll be using she/her as well, for reference

Awhh dadhawk <33

AUNTBOAAUNTBOAAUNTBOAAA!! She’d be the BEST most SPOILING wine aunt EVER🍷💄

Of course it’s alright honey! Alsooo TYSM!! I’m so glad you enjoy 😭💓💓

Being mihawk’s daughter has a lot of perks and literally no down slides. actually I half way take that back. The only down slide is that there’s a target on your head for those who are crazy enough to come for you. But that’s like a mere 00.1% and even then just because they come for you doesn’t mean they’ll get to you 🤡

especially since your the NUMBER ONE swordsman’s daughter.

Also this is really random but you probably meet zoro eventually, perona as well, they obviously stay with you for some time so perona and you likely get close. I imagine you would introduce her to boa and the three of you become a trio. You and Perona are her adorable nieces and boa is your doting, beautiful and totally awesome auntie :3

don’t get me wrong mihawk is a awesome father. He seems like a very responsible man and that he would not leave you out in the cold at the cost of his own life. He spoils you just as equally as boa does and although he’s not the most trusting man on earth, he wouldn’t dare break the bond you two have when he can’t replace it with your actual mother. At this point not that you wanted to.

Never meeting your mom may have taken a toll on your mental health at first, but not to worry! Awesome aunt boa to the rescue!!

The chances of you meeting boa we’re actually very slim, whether you know it or not. As I said Mihawk doesn’t easily trust plus you probably met at a warlord meeting where he has to take you along for one reason or another.

You saw boa and naturally, thought she was very pretty. Mihawk is rather reserved too so you probably don’t see people often in general (til you get older). Therefore, seeing such a ethereal woman made you instantly admire her. You immediately wanted to get to know her—and, luckily for you, she took an interest in the girl who’s mihawk’s daughter!

now idk what you did but she started the conversation, and whatever you replied made her think you weren’t so bad! You two chatted some more and after figuring out you had no mother figure she took it upon herself to raise a cute girl such as yourself to be a good woman. She didn’t exactly want to be viewed as your mother..that would relate her too closely to mihawk, a man, for her liking. So! She’ll be the cool and classy wine aunt instead! 🍷💋

you love your dad, he does his best to raise you as a single father and pirate/warlord/worlds best swordsman. And you truly do appreciate him! But when Boa bashes him for being a man her insults are low key so funny you can’t help but laugh 🗿 (hc that Boa would be good at roasting people on the spot :3)

boa being the coolest aunt she is, she takes you to lavish places (that she rented so she wouldn’t have to bear being in the presence of those indisputable critters society calls men), gets you the most high quality makeup (that her tribe handcrafts—yes they make they’re own it’s a hc of mine), does monthly over the phone (in person when you can) mental check ins (because you love your dad but again, he’s a man, and there’s some things about women men won’t get—vice versa too of course <3)

womanly hour!~ well more like hours, you spend the whole day with boa whenever you can, she’s makes a magnificent aunt and literally never says no to you. She’s like to you how she is to luffy but less delusional platonic <3 you two go shopping and pick out clothes together, her tribe of course also gifts you all the cute clothes you could ever want (again, handcrafted) because boa adores you and they adore boa!—which means they adore you! 💕 You and the Kuja 100% get along and see eye to eye on how spectacular Hancock-Sama is~ 🥰

when your older you probably go over to visit her more often and maybe even on your own! Mihawk trusts that by then he’s trained you enough, plus i think he would have his certain set of rules but not be too strict of a dad.

teaching you how to be a proper woman with Boa 101 ;} only if you want to tho! She’ll ensure your not out here acting like some monkey—surely your not! (unless you are 🤷‍♀️) Still, she teaches you basic lady manners. :) More than anything she knows women is NOT the problem, so instead of going “keep your legs closed ☝️🤓” she says “If a man looks at you lower than your stomach, kick him in that area 😉😘” - Boa Hancock (the woman we trust💪)

AND you already know she’s gonna teach you how to kick as hard a she can 😤😮‍💨👌 which ngl by the time your older your sure to be a master in many Haki’s. You may even have conquer’s 🤷‍♀️ I wouldn’t doubt it you got Mihawk blood in you :P

Growing up Boa has constantly been warning you of men and they’re vile ways. When you become of age she’ll tell you what happened to her (that’s how much she trusts you 💗💗) and you’ll know what she means right away. She will always look out for you but gives you tips on things just in case, and if you ever feel unsafe, don’t hesitate to call her or take a trip to the island of women! The entirety of the Kuja tribe will lay down they’re lives in an instant for Hancock-sama’s lovable little niece <33

I’ve been mentioning this throughout but her taking you to the island of women definitely happens. You love it there and everyone loves you. You have so many Aunts and sisters there it’s not even funny. 😃 You adore each and everyone of them though, just as they do you. You get only the finest of treatment from them and you might as well be one of the Boa sisters. You get all you can eat premium food, the most elegant clothes tailored to your exact size and tastes, you even have your very OWN room in the Palace! Sandersonia and Marigold dote on you just as much as Hancock does the four of you very much do spend a lot of time together. 😊

The Boa sisters/the Kuja tribe teaches you the kuja tribe/survival skills personally. They start with bow and arrow and eventually moving on to haki and hand to hand combat. Now, Mihawk might have already covered this but they’re going over it again 😄 why? He might’ve missed something! He’s a man! (Btw the Kuja girls 100% ask you questions about men no holding back) Anywho, I’m sure you’d do it again even if you know it already because 1) practice 😋 and 2) who wouldn’t want to spend more time with the Kuja pirates?!

💖💖

These girls are seriously awesome 💓 (this low key became a Mihawk diss track written by Hancock but he’ll live- LOL 😂😂🗿)

[swordoffrivolousthings]

Thoughts about Heroes of Olympus and how it could have been better.

Sometimes I think about what would have made HOO a better series. And I'm not talking about the obvious 'too much focus on romantic relationships' and the lack of usage of certain characters or the dumb ending.

I mean the little things that would change so much (mainly character dynamics but also worldbuilding i.e. Camp Jupiter and Gaia's reasoning)

Some of the points are inspired by @crisisreading and their posts. They are the first I saw raise some of my own points so! part 2

Make the ages vary more in the main cast, trust me

Let Percy, Annabeth and Grover get older by 4-5 years. Let them become adults and find themselves outside the godly war. Let them even finish college, I wouldn't get mad. Let them do anything beside being teenagers.

I promise this would make the dynamics more interesting. Percy and Annabeth will be more mentor figures, than fellow comrades. This would create some distance between some of the them, but ultimately create something fun. Piper would come to see some aspiring female figure in Annabeth (I think this would ether be positive or negative, depending how Annabeth changed as a character over the years, but I tend towards negative). Leo would potentially have someone older to exchange ideas with. Jason would possibly feel intimidated by Percy's vastly superior age, prowess and experience, instead of being able to clash heads with him.

Hazel would have not one, but two that people that would play parent to the others' reckless behavior. (go snort your harmful stereotypes up your ass, Riordan.) Frank, when telling Percy and Hazel about his stick, would possibly find in Percy a kind hand (not that he wasn't kind already, let me explain) and Percy would probably share with him this feeling of vulnerability - not dump it on Frank - about having your life tied to a specific thing. I mean his Achilles heel, with which he would have lived for far longer.

And a whole lot more.

2. Add Grover into the series as a perspective character

You have a new trio dynamic introduced in the first book of the series. Let the original trio interact as main characters and let us see how their relationship has changed.

Grover's opinion on the conflict between the gods and Gaia would be important. He is the Lord of the Wild, and Gaia is the literal personification of the Earth. Let us see his struggle between the loyalty he has to the gods and his friends and his powerful feelings towards protecting nature.

Also, he would act as a protector for the demigods. Because while I enjoy Hedge, he is not enough to keep them safe.

3. Throw the bullshit about Gaia getting revenge for Kronos' defeat out of the way

Gaia, as mentioned before, if the personification of the Earth. One of the first gods to emerge from Chaos.

Gaia can, of course, keep her resentment for the gods defeating the son that freed her from her pain (caused by Ouranos initially). But she is a mother goddess. She should want obliterate humanity because humans are slowly killing her. Painfully. She wants to survive and the only way she sees how if by killing all the humans. She wants to save her children, aka animals, insects, nature, and the only way she sees is bloodshed. Gods are not rational in their anger, no one is. So let her be angry and vengeful and out for human blood.

DO NOT MAKE HER A FUCKING VILLAIN, MAN! Make her an antagonist, but someone's whose ideals are worth taking in and adapting. Kinda like Luke about the demigod and minor god recognition. Where have the themes of the original series gone? Remember, an important theme in BOTL was protecting the environment. It was one of the most important moments when Pan faded. Do not let that go to fucking waste. Especially not now, in the world we live in.

4. Show the effects the war had on Camp Half-Blood. Hint it at Camp Jupiter, when Percy does not have the memories to corelate it with

We've had years since the end of the Second Titan War. How did the gods change the course of events ? (the victors write the histories) How much of Luke's reasoning for starting the war was erased. (hint, all of it.) Show us how much the perspectives were shifted and how much the people that fought in it were made into martyrs and villain, basically becoming caricatures.

Let us feel how much this hurts Percy, Grover and Annabeth. How it had impacted and impacts their trauma, grief and utter horror. The younger, newer campers see them as wonderful, all-just and loyal heroes of the gods. The way they hate it.

Good moment to implement the new cabins for the gods and let the new ones forget that it wasn't always this way. Let Percy's demand to the gods be forgotten, shoved under the rug. The tragedy unfolds, use it.

Since in Camp Jupiter none of the main characters have fought, let us see the subtility. Let the older legionnaires be ragged, scarred. Older and weary, with eyes glassy and suspicious. Have younger recruits have this heavy air around them. They know what happened, what killed most of the older people in the legion.

Have Jason, Hazel and Frank see these things in Annabeth, Grover and Percy too. They realise that oh. oh. these three have fought in the war, of course they would. Show them gain respect for the trio. The same kind of respect they have for the veterans back home.

5. Cut one of the Seven from the prophecy.

I know this seems radical, but it is a symbolism thing, which I think would be more interesting in a world based on Greek mythology.

It is established in PJO that three (3) is an important number: 3 Olympian sisters (Hera, Demeter, Hestia), 3 Olympian brothers (Hades, Poseidon, Zeus), 3 Fates, 3 quest members, 3 Furies, 3 godly realms (the Underworld, Olympus + the sky, the seas). Use this.

Give us six (6) prophesized heroes. It is, after all, the second most used number in the series and a multiple of 3.

I suggest Annabeth. Why? because she has her quest from Athena. Let that be her top priority, while hanging out on the Argo II to get to Rome. Let her bond with the younger demigods and have her possible death be always on her mind. Bring her hubris into play and she would think herself the chosen one, the one demigod child of Athena to survive. This would make her falling into Tartarus with Percy not letting her go more taxing on her psyche.

Show us how she hates herself because she took one of the principal quest members to certain death. She feels like she'd jeopardized the whole saving the world thing.

Cut the Seven to Six and let Annabeth die in Tartarus. Show us why a single-man quest is a death sentence. Why three (3) is such a valuable number.

6. CONSEQUENCES!!!

Jumping straight off the last point.

Change why Annabeth would end up in Tartarus. Make her ignore the string around her ankle because she thing that nothing bad can happen to her now. After all, Arachne is gone, right.

Let this be her undoing. I do not care how she dies, but make her choices, her hubris, be her undoing. Do not let her death up to a chance, a mistake or miscalculation. Show how toxic Tartarus is, because we do not see it enough, but make it Annabeth's idea, the plan by which she dies.

Do not make it Percy's fault. Let him try to do everything to keep her alive, but still failing. Attack his sense of loyalty, his self-esteem. Show how the experiences and her death affect him.

Bring the trauma from the last war back in those chapters, in a place where demigods leave something behind.

To less drastic things - let the others get hurt. Permanently. Show how this life affects and damages people physically, too.

Have one lose an eye, another get horrific scars. Lose a limb, a part of themselves. Do not make it seem like any other could have gotten the same wound.

Tailor them to their character, their pride and their skill. Hit them where it hurts most and let us see how it changes them.

Also, about Leo. Kill him too. The fact that he ended up alive is a deux ex machina. He should have suffered the consequences.

Also also, bring back the fatal flaws. They are missing from the series. Play with them, show why they are important parts of their characters. Bring back ancient Greek fatal flaws, and new ones that make sense in a modern world.

Hurt them because what hurts them is part of who they are. Show us why the Greeks invented tragedy.

7. Age up the target age. Go more young/new adult

I understand that PJO was made for middle schoolers. But the target audience had grown up alongside the characters, and as such they have matured.

This is why I said to age Percy, Grover and Annabeth up further. Leave some distance for the old and new readers to get up and personal with the new main characters. Have them find common ground with the new demigods but have their anchor in the old ones.

Make the readers work to understand and refamiliarize themselves wit the older demigods. Because they've changed.

Targeting a more mature audience allows exploring n. 6. The realistic consequences of living with the fear that something will come and eat you. How just a little mishap could change you for life. (or what has been left of it)

Please do not go grim dark. Show that despite this all, their purpose has not stopped existing. A life exists outside of your appearance or disability still exist, and while it would be hard, do not lose hope.

8. Hope, or lack of its importance in the Heroes of Olympus series

Alongside other callbacks and reinforcements of PJO's lore, where is Elpis (hope)? Why doesn't she appear as a larger theme in the books? I don't know.

Elpis is still in the jar, having been used as a threat of defeat. But now Kronos is gone. Have Gaia use it as s symbol for her own cause.

Make hope Gaia's argument. The most important part of why her cause stands. Gaia is waking now because there is no hope for the betterment of the planet while in human - and therefore godly - grasp. She wants to save the planet, but they, the destroyers, are opposing her.

Hope is what she wants to bring back. The hope that death will not be the end of life, but further evolvement and betterment of all species.

This argument is what the counterargument should unravel. All species? Why are humans considered irredeemable, unworthy of becoming something greater?

Why can't they not coexist and why can't humans learn how to care about the world surrounding them.

Make hope for humanity and for the environment not a question of if they are capable to coexist, but how we can manage that. Humanity and nature are not mutually exclusive, but two halves of the same whole that need each other to sustain their longevity. Yes, nature can exist without humans, but humans can't.

This does not mean that the best way forward is to kill all humans.

There is no need for hope in HOO because there are no greater questions being asked about topics that require hope, because otherwise we would descend into nihilism and fatalism.

9. Give the gods reason to act the way they act, or a look at a greater narrative problem in the series

I may be generalizing, but the gods act erratically and make choices convenient for the plot, as it is, to happen.

Hera: how, specifically, does she know that Gaia is rising and what her plans are. Why is she against Gaia, when the older goddess has a track record of helping the Olympians on different occasions in the myths. Why does she decide to act when she does, how she knows that the king of the giants (whatever his name may be) is coming after her right then.

We don't know.

Athena: we understand why she wants the Athena Parthenos back. Why not force the Romans to give it back. After all, she is a goddess, even if the Romans don't respect her as the Greeks did, she has power and sway over them. Why send her children, a supposedly important part of what brings her glory, to a near-certain death. Is it misguided vengeance, an obsession to get the statue back at all cost, or simple cruelty. These reasons could apply very well to sending the Romans, yet she doesn't.

Zeus: why lock down Olympus? Paranoia, which fair, but you are a King, why wouldn't you look after your subjects? (bc Riordan chose to ignore part of his characterization in the myths and part of his godly domain) (I know kings aren't perfect, but after the last war, one would think he would do everything in his power to stop another one before it begins) Why not seek justice for Octavian's lies, that affect their ability to win the war, and kill/imprison him? Justice is part of his domain, as Zeus Nomius.

I know that we wouldn't necessarily need these answers, but without some of them, some choices left hanging seem to be there only to add to the drama and danger of it all.

All in all, I have many problems with the 'Heroes of Olympus' series. Some of them are nitpicks and personal preference as a high fantasy reader in my free time. Some of them would really add to the story and continue the themes of PJO.

Please ask me if something wasn't clear to you. I'll happily explain further.

If you find something you don't agree with, let's discuss. I'm open to changing my opinions.

[wandixx]

I just realized that there is literally zero fanfics with Danny Fenton/M'gann M'orzz pairing and idk, am I the only one who see nearly endless potential in it?

I don't know how they met but they're probably pretty fast friends.

With Danny being space nerd, he would ask M'gann all the questions about Mars. At the same time, from what little I know about Miss Martian, she is "Earth nerd" and would ask him all the questions about Earth and what normal teenage life is like, because YL team is not the best study case. Like, only Wally and maybe Artemis (I don't know a thing about her other than 'snarky/blunt archer') had normal human life. He is happy to answer, introducing her to his semi normal life before accident.

They exchanged stories about stars from their respective homes.

Just imagine, Danny binge watching "Hello Megan" just to know what she is talking about and it's not his thing, really, but he learnt to enjoy it because he associated it with M'gann (we can have Jazz being fan too and feeling 'betrayed' because she tried to strongarm her brother to watch it for years and all it took was to cute alien girl to mention it and he is pulling all nighters).

Just imagine, M'gann asking one of her teammates (probably Robin) to teach her to play Doomed, so she can play with her halfa friend and his friends and not ask about every controller. They don't really mind her being newbie but sudden progress doesn't go unnoticed or unpraised.

Everlasting trio inviting her to Nasty Burger every once in a while to talk about random, not hero related things.

Rest of the YJ may not even know about Phantom. They just know about this Danny, M'gann's totally civilian friend, who likes milkshakes and video games.

They share their stories and tips about heroing and powers they have similar. Mostly M'gann shares things she learnt from her uncle or in Mountain because let's be honest, self taught is rarely better than someone with proper mentoring. She for sure helps with ghosts if they attack during her visit, even if Danny tries to shield her from it. "I'm supposed to be your civilian friend, am I not?"

She definitely does what she can to help with his hero PR. She may or may not accidentally convinced rest of the Team she has celebrity crush on underappreciated ghost hero from the middle of the nowhere. They help her, spamming all negative news reports with praises for Phantom from both hero and civilian accounts. It caused some mess, Justice League had questions but Danny was happy so it doesn't matter.

If we go with ghost being super emphatic we can have Danny overwhelmed by everyone's feelings (honest hate his parents have towards his hero persona, confliction of towns people, concern of his friends, excitement of Casper students idk, EVERYTHING) and M'gann helps him overcome it. Later both of them being there for eachother when everything was just too much. Y'know just this mutual understanding that nobody else can really give them.

Maybe some communication troubles because M'gann prefers telepathy and Danny does not like it in a slightest (Freakshow flashbacks or something) but tries to accommodate. Or M'gann doesn't even try because idk, one of telepathy rules is "don't read thoughts of dying person unless they project it to you" and she feels it goes for dead (even if only halfway) too.

They're just vibing with eachother.

Then there is ghost attack outside Amity and Team is send to deal with it. M'gann is surprisingly competent at dealing with everything ghost does while evacuating civilians while someone magic competent is called. Suddenly she stops, gets her phone and makes a call:

"Hey Danny, do you have a moment?" whole team is too shocked to react, because in the love of whatever they believe in, why is Megan calling her civilian friend in the middle of the battle with unknown entity. "It's [insert whatever ghost you want] wrecking havoc. Can you come by at take them to the zone? I don't have thermos on me right now. Thank you."

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

Que Danny flying top speed to wherever she is, fights a ghost and contains them. Que someone (maybe Wally) being like:

"When did you wanted to tell us that your civilian friend is a hero?"

M'gann honest to god forgot that Team thought Danny was a civilian.

"I worked quite hard to drag her into as little of my Phantom bullshit as I could. I am proud of being a civilian friend, thank you very much"

They all came in contact together after that.

Martian Manhunter tried to give Fenton a shovel talk but boy was too excited to meet his favourite hero and to focused on not making fool of himself to be actually scared or something. He deals with Skulker on a regular basis anyway, there are very few threats that could actually scare him.

Team members also tried to shovel talk him, just in case. They all failed for one reason or another

Or maybe Danny is already YJ member. Everything above can still happen just without ghost attack. Danny can have issues with Zeta Tubes though. That's a good stuff.

There can be a drama of "I'm your friend only because I'm alien/semi normal, am I not?"

Or we can go with space obsessed Danny going full Vlad on cute alien girl. Y'know, because "that's a halfa thing to do". M'gann is not into that. I'm not really excited about this take but that's a possibility too.

Use it as you will. Just please someone write it

[quitealotofsodapop]

I had an idea, but idk enough about the Camel Ridge Trio in the book to actually consider if it's a feasible idea or not. This ties into the various asks about Wukong revealing to the Pilgrims that Macaque is his mate and he was effectively abandoned by his friends and family without being aware he had done so.

So... like I said, I'm not sure when the Camel Ridge trio come into the book or even how their interaction with the Primgrims went... but I like the idea that perhaps it initially started out as seemingly friendly. Perhaps, despite them believing Wukong to be a traitor, they were initially willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and introduced themselves as Wukong's sworn brothers and 'real family.' Wukong, more aware after all this time, is seeing red flags but tries to wave them off because he's just so happy too see his brothers again after all this time, even if the way Azure seems oddly possessive with his interactions with Wukong and Wukong is visibly a hit nervous because alarm bells are going off but he's not sure why because that's Azure, his brother!

The first pilgrim to notice this and become sus, however, is Zu Baije. He is, by far, the most emotionally mature and experienced person when it comes to matters of romance, and he can recognize what's happening a mile away. Mainly because once upon a time, he'd been in Azure's shoes and had sworn to never let himself get that low again. He keeps quiet, silently watching the two interact, noticing how Azure likes to put his claws on Wukong's shoulder in a possessive manor or how his smile seems a little too false and strained when talking.

Things come to a head when it's time to leave, and Azure is not willing to let Wukong go, even going so far as to grab at his arm and make him flinch, yelling that he belongs with them, his brothers, and not as a Divine Pet! At that point, Zu Baije has had enough. If anything can make Wukong, of all beings, flinch in fear, it's got to go! He forcibly puts himself between Wukong and Azure, demanding Azure keep his paws off his brother and just what makes the giant lion think he has the right to force Wukong to do anything!

"He already told ya he needed to go on this journey for his freedom and redemption and why that's important. You've got no right to deny Brother Monkey his autonomy like that!"

"Cute words coming from a Marshall who is holding him prisoner on a divine leash!"

Afterwards, Wukong will probably have one of his rare breakdowns and confess that the whole "coup against the Emperor" thing Zu Baije had been holding over his head since the moment they had met had been Azure's idea and Wukong had been the figurehead to the rebellion, the person they rallied behind, while Azure pulled the strings from the shadows. And that means Zu Baije and Sha Wuking both have a sudden epiphany that Wukong, while not innocent, had not been at fault for the war!

It takes them a long while to convince Wukong that he'd been deceived and molded into a scapegoat by Azure before he was abandoned

I just want some protective Zu Baije stamding up to the Lion Man because Wukong is most definitely in turmoil

ohoohohohooh

Protective Zhu Bajie my beloved

The LMK Camel Ridge Trio deciding (mostly from Yellowtusk and Macaque's suggestion); "Hey this monk guy sounds cool, lets hear him out for a dinner" and letting the Pilgrims into their city with open arms.

Tripitaka is super on edge, cus in the book; Lion Camel Ridge is a literal city of man-eating demons decorated like the house from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This monk hyperventilating, using his hat like a paper bag to breathe into.

Dinner goes smooth enough, but convo quickly gets heated especially when the Trio start speaking as though Wukong is there to stay.

Wukong himself, although initially touched that his sworn bros seem to have forgiven him, politely explains that the reason he's on this Journey in the first place is so he can grow as a person. He can't see himself growing if he's in the shadow of his past.

Azure does not like this.

Azure: "But brother! You need to stay! With the heavenly host you will forever be seen as no more than a convict. Here in Camel Ridge you are so much more! A hero, a warrior, a revolutionary, a paragon for our kind!" Wukong, uneasy: "Gee, I'm really not sure I should-" Azure, gets on one knee and clasps his hands over Wukong's: "Not only that. You can be our King. Forever more." Wukong, oblivious to Azure's implications: "???" Zhu Bajie, sus from the start: "OKAY THAT'S IT! WE'RE LEAVING!" (*picks up Wukong like he weighs nothing*) Sha Wujing, trying to be polite: "Thank you for the meal Mr Lion sir! But we really have to continue on to-" Peng and Yellowtusk: (*move to block door*) The Pilgrims: (*share looks of "oh sh-t"*)

Azure: "I'm afraid I have no intention of you leaving with our brother leashed to your hands."

And ofc a huge verbal and physical altercation occurs over the matter.

Depending on the AU; this could be when Macaque gets involved with the Pilgrims and tries to mediate, only to agree with his brothers that Wukong's travel companions do have an unfair incentive on him (the circlet).

In Post Jttw Stone Egged Au; this is def the point where Macaque decides: "Man, screw y'all. I'm going with these guys. I ain't hanging around another half-millenia without my mate." And Macaque is sick of seeing Azure treat Wukong like he owns him! At least the monk gave him the option of leaving (even if the weenie almost immediately got eaten).

Macaque and Azure 100% have their own Kaiju battle over the matter.

[kamotecue]

the start of something new ❉ j. groenen

pairing: jackie groenen x reader

summary: a freshly graduated college student who majored in photography gets a job, that many football fans would want.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ���✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

you sat in one of the conference’s seats, it was a meeting about the publishing days for the team’s social media page, mainly instagram. you’re the team’s newest photographer, not just that but you freshly graduated from ucla with a minor in economics, a major in photography.

your camera gear was set on the table, different camera lenses were sorted in the bag, the camera itself, an extra storage card, two black camera straps and the other essentials.

you had anxiously tapped on your thigh, as you payed attention to the conversation. it didn’t take long for the meeting to end, and when it did—you gently carried your stuff.

it was international camp, as the uefa nation’s league was coming to a close. you grabbed the tripod already setting it up, as the schedule was coming to a close.

and as expected, the players had arrived. some were in a group of trios, duos or individual. you were behind the camera, as a few players took note of the newest staff.

you had a shy interior as you hid behind the camera while your co-staff had done the talking. occasionally, asking things how is it like at their club, or their weekend has been.

it was literally break when you were at the pitch, a co-worker was helping you set up the cameras as you were humming to yourself, not noticing a player looking at you with adoration.

she noticed your shy interior, how you would avoid conversations or eye contact with people. it was cute to her, she wanted to get to know you better. but she didn’t know how to.

little did she know, that she had caught your eye as well. your little brother is quite a fan of the team, and you would always get mixed up by the players.

but jackie really stood out to you, maybe it was her smile. the out-going vibe that she gave. you grabbed your camera, ready to take pictures after the players started piling out of the building.

quickly snapping a few pictures, you made sure the angle and lightning was okay. the pictures turned out perfectly, you looked through the camera, noticing a certain dutchie looking at you with a soft smile.

you had taken a picture, as you found the smile a bit charming. the whole training, you focused on the playing style, you had played high school football but never continued at college.

“come on, jackie.” daniëlle teased, trying to nudge the midfielder a bit closer to your direction. you were busy humming to yourself.

the day had came to an end and you were busy sorting through the camera gear, putting the things away not noticing the two players behind you.

“she’s busy-“ jackie didn’t finish her sentence as she was pushed by the other midfielder. she was just behind you, admiring the way you were focused.

she cleared her throat, but you didn’t hear it. jackie looked at danielle who shrugged.

“tap her shoulder!” danielle cheered, as jackie scoffed at how happy she was. she took a deep breath before gently tapping your shoulder.

you glanced back at her before placing the camera down, her eyes were looking into yours as you reached into your bag, getting a case.

as you opened it, a pair of hearing airs were revealed. yes—you needed hearing aids. did you use them? you do, but earlier your ears were hurting, hence you had removed them for a while.

you quickly put them on, giving her a timid smile—as her eyes widened in realization.

“yes?” you asked, as she cleared her throat for second time.

“hi, i’m jackie.” she introduced herself, her hand was held out as she had a toothy grin. you chuckled at her behavior, before returning the handshake.

“i’m y/n l/n. i’m sorry if you called me earlier, i had my hearing aids off.” you explained, as she hummed. it was a cute thing, despite this being the first time interacting with you, she loved how you rambled. or how you’d over-explain things.

“it’s fine, i didn’t really know. so, how’s your first day?” she asked, as she stepped beside you. analyzing the gear.

“it’s fine, my brother is a huge football fan.” you commented, as she asked for permission to grab on of your cameras. you gave her a soft nod, as she grabbed your nikon d780.

she turned the camera on before looking through the viewfinder of the camera.

“is he, then? who’s his favorite player?” jackie asked, as she snapped a few photos of the pitch, she turned the camera to danielle and a few of her teammates who dramatically posed.

“he really loves viv.” you chuckled remembering on how he’d ramble about the star striker, feeling a bit disbelief on how she would’ve retired at age 18.

“i’d see why.” she hummed, pointing the camera at you, quickly snapping a few pictures catching you off guard.

“hey!” you said, covering your face with your hand as she chuckled at how cute you looked like. you were shy, but you always preferred to be behind the camera and not in front of it.

little did you know, you had gotten out of your comfort zone in the future. jackie is and will always be your favorite photographer, she’d snap photos of you.

[aether-bun]

Hi there I was wondering if you could write some headcanons of the S/V Trio+carmin and kieran (and maybe the BB league if not then just the first two) meeting a gn or male reader who is poke-human hybrid(half incineroar) who was part of an experiment and was saved by their adopted mother

HEADCANON TIME

Anomaly (noun):

"Something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified; something anomalous."

"The legend of the hybrids is a story that has lived in Paldea longer than most. In an age long past, there was once a fearsome group of monstrous creatures; monsters that bore the forms of Incineroar, that spoke the dialect of humankind. They terrorised villages and destroyed homes, and were hunted down to what was thought to be their extinction. Some say they can still hear the horrifying screams of these abominations in caves and cliff edges to this day, but none who explore these rumours have ever come back..."

Characters (in order): Nemona, Arven, Kieran

The reader is referred to with he/him pronouns, but is otherwise kept ambiguous in terms of everything but the fact that he is VERY tall. This is purely platonic!!

[author's note at the end!]

NEMONA is the first to meet you.

I think she would meet you in the beach area we find Korai/Miraidon

It was by complete accident, she was walking around and exploring when she suddenly heard what sounded like human voices echoing from off the ledge, so she investigated, worried that someone was hurt.

What she didn't expect was to see a group of people, with arms that faded into red paws, legs that did the same, tails that swished around, a fiery belt around their waists and two red and black ears coming out of short, thick red hair!

You locked eyes, and both of you were very nervous immediately. She had so many questions! But by the time she could get her brain back together to formulate any sort of a sentence, you and your pride took off into the caves.

She doesn't see you again for a few months - she almost thinks she dreamt the whole day up - until she's exploring those exact caves in search of some houndour to catch.

She's overencumbered, of course, because suddenly their houndoom appears and they're all surrounding her and her pokemon, and she knows she's definitely screwed up

Suddenly, there's a loud, earth-shaking roar, as you emerge with your pack at the cave's only other exit. The pack of hounds flinch at your intimidating forms and flee, and you make sure they stay gone before cautiously helping this human off of the ground.

She's stunned. The rambler can't form a thought. You tower over her, and your form fills her head with so many questions that she's afraid her head will explode, but again, you're gone before she can even get them out.

So, she starts staying around the cave when she knows it's safe. She finally has the courage and the power to stop her brain from frying when she sees you, so she wants to get to know you. You see her, of course, from afar, but you don't go near her. The humans can't know.

Until she finds you anyway, and she tries to introduce herself.

You're cautious. This woman is half your height, you could literally crush her, but she's holding out her hand to you and telling you her name, as if that idea isn't looming above her like a vice. It is. She's very scared.

"....[Y/N]." You caution, shaking her hand as she beams. "So you can talk!?" She asks, making you cringe from her volume. "Yes?" You say.

From there, you grow to be unlikely friends. She swears she won't tell anyone who you are! She swears she won't let anyone know she's seen you - it'll be your little secret!

Yeah. Guess how long that lasted. Now take that guess and halve it. It took three days for her to crack and spill to Arven. Penny overheard by pure accident, too, and Nemona made them swear to not tell anyone.

"Didn't you also swear that?!" Arven had demanded. Nemona immediately changed the subject.

Finding two more humans in your den was irritating, but Nemona made you feel like you couldn't stay mad at her. This, in turn, made you even more frustrated.

Nemona likes to feel your fur and insists you're so soft that she feels like she can go to sleep on you. You deny her that leisure as soon as you can.

She likes learning about how you and your pack live, coexisting with other pokemon. You tell her it's an oddly isolating life; stuck between pokemon and human with no way of ever fitting into either category. It's why you live in this cave. It's safer here.

"Isn't it...lonely?"

"...yes. it is. but it's necessary for our survival as a pack."

Nemona feels very sorry for you, but makes up for it by always sneaking off to hang with you as much as she can.

You find you like the insight these new humans have, so you don't mind their stay.

ARVEN is very intimidated when he meets you.

For a researcher, you would've thought Nemona's story about Pokehumans would be completely blasphemous to him.

You would be wrong.

He believed her instantly, without so much as a photo of proof. It was Penny who managed to get him to realise how off that sounded.

The three of them took to researching anything about these supposed hybrids that they could. Arven was the one to find the old folkstory. It scared him.

"Nemona, you can't go back there. Look at this! These things are obviously just trying to kill you!"

Nemona is VERY quick to jump to your defense. "Arven! He saved me from those houndour and houndoom I was trying to fight! He saw that I could've been hurt and he stepped in and saved me!"

Penny remarked the unusual behaviour.

Arven wasn't buying your charity act.

"Until I see proof that these things exist, let alone are docile, I'm not believing a word." He crossed his arms.

"Great, come meet them then!"

"What?!"

And thus, Nemona and Arven set off while Penny did more research into the beings.

When your new human friend arrives to your spot in the cave, you see she's dragging along with her a blond haired man. This sets you on edge, and unfortunately, you and your pack immediately rising to defend your home gives off a bad first impression.

Arven tries to pull Nemona away, to escape, to fight back, to hide, to do anything but stand there and try to reason with them Nemona please for the love of Arceus let's GO

Nemona apologises to you for accidentally spilling your secret and it takes quite a while for you to tell your pack to stand down. You come to face them, and Arven stares at you with unhidden horror. You huff. He flinches with a whimper.

"[Y/N], this is Arven. Arven, this is [Y/N]. He leads the pack." Nemona's voice is steady but it's easy to see she's nervous. You can basically smell the fear on them.

It takes an even longer while for Arven to calm down enough to look at you properly. Multiple visits, where you aren't alone together, and then he eventually realises you don't pose a threat unless he does, which, to be fair, in your eyes he never did.

(you're pretty sure you could blink and he'd disintegrate. you don't say this, for fear that the idea will have the same effect.)

Eventually, you warm up to him and his Mabostiff companion, and he warms up to you enough to be alone with you and the pack.

He sews up some of your clothes, noticing the wear and tear of them. Like most of your interactions, it takes a while for you to let him, but once you do, he acknowledges the trust you have in him and is very careful.

Before long, he becomes your medic too. He teaches you about these wonderful things called sandwiches that you have in these events deemed picnics, and in turn he notes your behaviours and temperaments.

It's a mutually beneficial relationship. You trust him and he trusts you. He becomes your second "friend".

[For this next segment, I am going to say that the preface is that Carmine and Kieran are looking into urban legends around Paldea and they come across the one about your pack. This next section is assuming Nemona, Arven and Penny either never found you, or found you later. Consider this the other path in the road if you will! :)]

KIERAN meets you in the plateaued mountains of Paldea, on a mission to prove you're real.

In hindsight, the circumstances could've been better.

He'd been injured on the mountains by a rogue Zigzagoon, and he was currently trying to call for help.

No, as in, he was yelling 'Help'. He's a kid without a phone, man.

You hear his cries and, against your better judgement, you command the pack to hide and look for the voice yourself.

Lo and behold, you find a small boy, no older than a kit, and he's bleeding around his leg. A Dipplin and a Grigar are looking on in concern for their trainer, and, though weakened, they jump to defend when they see you approach.

Alerted by the sounds of his pokemon amping to attack, he looks and he sees you, the terrifying hybrid creature he'd read about in tales of old.

In those tales, this was the part where he became a fatality.

He was paralysed with fear, the pain of his leg long forgotten as he stared up at you.

Death never came. Instead, you kneeled and spoke to the offensive Pokemon. Just like the stories, you spoke perfectly human. Your voice was gravelly and rough, but completely comprehensible.

"He needs assistance."

The Pokemon spoke back to you. You seemed to dislike their answer.

"I do not wish to hurt him. If you want that wound to get worse, then I'll leave. But if you want that kit to keep that leg of his, I can help."

Kieran's Pokemon looked back at his trembling form, before resigning to a nod. You turned your gaze to focus on the boy, who seemed to be on the verge of a heart attack.

"I can help you, young one."

He shook his head.

"Your leg. It is bleeding."

Hating the way his words failed him, he slowly nodded.

"If you do not let me help you, that will hurt more and it will get worse. You cannot get to a Pokemon Centre from here by yourself. Allow me to help you."

Grigar and Dipplin had returned to his side and offered their concerned support once again. Soothed very slightly by his Pokemon, Kieran swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly, he nodded.

You were careful with the kit. You took him first to your pack and used some natural resources to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding. You crafted a stilt to keep his leg from moving with some wooden crutches, and then you left him near the edge of the woods, near a centre, where his Pokemon could then aid him in getting him the rest of the way.

In that time, he'd asked you some questions.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Centuries."

"And...you don't ever get seen?"

"We do. Most of your kind is violent first without thinking. That lack of trust almost made me not help you. But to go as low as those who cross that line would be to prove them right."

"So...you helped me to prove them wrong?"

"No, young one. I helped you because it's the right thing to do, and you are only small."

He was tended to quickly when he was seen by his own kind. Questions were thrown at him without even so much as the minute it took to sit him down. "Who bandaged this? Where did you learn to make these crutches? How did you get back down here without encountering any more trouble?"

He looked back at where he could faintly see your outline. You were watching him to make sure he was safe.

"...I just did." He said, refusing to elaborate.

With a nod, you disappeared into the woods, and the boy never saw you again. He didn't need to. He had all the proof he needed, and it'd stay with him for the rest of his life.

He could feel you watching him sometimes, when he was exploring the plateau with his sister. But he never really saw more than a flickering trail of embers or a rogue tail swishing as you undoubtedly left for your pack.

Your protection made him smile.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay so first and foremost, where are Penny and Carmine??

To be completely honest, I didn't know how to write either of them in this situation! I felt that Penny would be much like a diluted version of Arven, and that Carmine would be almost identical to Nemona, and maybe it's just my brain but I couldn't figure how to articulate that. So my sincerest apologies for that.

Otherwise, I hope that this was a nice little read! I liked the idea of trying to figure out how to hybrid an incineroar with a human, and I found a lot more trouble in it than I initially thought I would!

Thank you so much for this request, it was a real mind boggler to be honest, but incredibly fun nonetheless.

Send me your requests in my inbox! Otherwise, ciao for now ♡

[reggies-eyeliner]

THE CLASSIC MATCHUP - @br4inr0tx

THE "MAYBE I JUST WANNA BE YOURS" COUPLE

#now playing ... just like heaven by the cure!

pavitr prabhakar hadn't walked into your life, he tripped over his feet and apologized once, taught you a handshake, complimented your outfit, talked about his day, asked about yours, and then left the room with a small wave. you had seen him around the spider society for quite some time, but you'd never really gotten the chance to talk to him-- if anything, you only really knew him from hobie. over time, you, hobie, and pavitr became a trio that took down villains, jammed out to songs, went on late night walks and had impromptu sleepovers together.

truthfully, pavitr had wanted to talk to you for quite some time, but being friends with hobie made it pretty easy for him to find you. the two of you got off to an abrupt start, but eventually things became much simpler. he doesn't mind that your wardrobe consist of mostly black (because, hey, he has a ton of friends like that, it's the spider society) and doesn't mind your rash comments either.

it's also important to recognize that pavitr isn't a naive or simply innocent spiderman, he's still hardworking and cares deeply for the people around him. pavitr is willing to stay by your side even through the roughest patches, and when you're having a bad day, he'll gently ask you if you need a moment for yourself or if you're in more need of comfort.

he definitely doesn't mind your one-liner comments or behavior tha you think is rude, he makes his own sarcastic comments on the daily, so he's actually pretty relieved that he can say them out loud with someone else! pavitr also definitely is alright with you being quiet from time to time, or if you simply need a few hours for yourself. he won't pry or beg you to hang out with him, and he'll instead ask you when you're free to chat with him or just want to go out somewhere !! when it comes to cuddling and overall love languages, this man goes ALL out-- from handshakes to hugs or embraces that make you feel like you're six years old coming home from school again, he will make sure that you feel cherished in every circumstance.

in regards to your spidersona (which is. SO cool by the way!!), whenever the venom causes them to go into a rage, pavitr remains patient. he won't loudly try to coax them into calming down or push them to suppress their emotions, and will instead just guide them through it, adding in a joke or two to remind them that it's okay to feel that way. after one of those rages and things go back smoothly, he'll definitely treat them like royalty and bring them sketchbooks, colored pencils, new headphones, blankets, tea, the whole package.

RANDOMIZED TROPE:

" patching up wounds "

pavitr realizes that he truly loves you when you feel like you're at your most vulnerable: he loves you when you want to take on the world, and he loves you when you want to stay in bed all day, and he'll continue to love you even when you feel as though it's difficult to do so for yourself. he'll let you talk about your day and will patch up your wounds from battle while playing that mixtape you made. he'll literally buy you guys matching pajamas to motivate you to go to sleep if you happen to stay up later than usual. pavitr doesn't like seeing you hurt, but he loves that he's the one that gets to look after you and remind you of your strength.

a/n: thank you so so much for the request!! i'm so so sorry this took me so long!! also i really want to say that your music taste is IMPECCABLE because i got recently introduced to those bands by a really awesome friend so this is so great!! >:DD i really hope you're doing well + take care!

[moonlightdancer26]

"People only like Snape bc movies" I actually don't like the movies very much. They sanitize so much of the series.

I was that kid who took the books to point out how inaccurate the movies are. And while I've toned down things, I still don't care much for them. I watched them like, 20 times?

But the books-I was always reading the books. Since I was 8 or so. I brought them when I moved and they were the only thing to do besides TV. In the other time I moved I read the books. I was obsessed.

Snape's just interesting. And it's possible to like a character even though/because they did bad things. I like him because he shows trauma symptoms (please can I burn the trope of having characters go through traumatic things and then not reacting to it?). And I like him because his story is probably the only well done example of 'sometimes the good guys have bad traits and do bad and sometimes the bad guys have good traits'

And before anyone gets up on me-I love the Marauders too! Sirius is an interesting character. James (at least in fanfic) is funny. Remus is my favorite of them all.

And Snape was a lousy teacher. He had racist ideologies in the past. He's not a nice person. Don't make the accusation against me that I don't know my fave's flaws.

On a different note, it may be worth noting that Snape's Worst Memory was pretty much cut-just a few seconds, and no one's identity was shown. If it weren't for the books I doubt anyone would know that was the Marauders, and not just some random students.

I could make the same argument about Marauder fans. Wonder if people would've liked Sirius and Remus and James if SWM had been shown? I could make a whole list of things the Marauders did that wasn't shown in the movies. But it would be unfair to say that people only like the Marauders because of the movies. My Marauders-stan bestie certainly doesn't like the Marauders only because of the movies. And neither do you Moon.

Also: I don't get it. If you all want (mostly) unflawed blorbos the Golden Trio and the Silver Trio are right there. Babies, all of them. And Harry's other darling classmates too. Cho and the Patils.

Hundreds of languages out there and you decide to speak facts, anon.

Honestly that claim is so flawed for many reasons.

Literally every single character (except my beautiful bbygirl Ronald Bilius Weasley whose character was completely destroyed in the films and deserved sm better) in the movies was very simplified and at least a little bit whitewashed compared to their book counterpart. Even Umbridge was better in the movies than she was in the books, of course we can’t expect the filmmakers to shoehorn every single detail of Snape’s character in the films.

Be that as it may, a majority of Snape’s heroic actions were ALSO cut from the films. Did the films mention when Snape took the time to brew Wolfsbane potion perfectly each month for a man he didn’t even like? Did the films mention when Snape prepared the mandrake draught potion that cured three Petrified muggleborn students? Did the films mention when Snape revealed his dark mark in front of the Minister of Magic when he began questioning Dumbledore? Did the films mention when Snape went back to Voldemort in GoF and continued spying for Dumbledore? Did the films mention when Snape yelled at a portrait for referring to Hermione as a Mudblood? Did the films mention when Snape straight up saved Remus’s life in DH? Did the films mention when Snape rushed to the fifth floor in his pyjamas when he heard (the egg) screaming? Did the films mention when baby!Snape introduced Lily to the Wizarding World and told her everything she needed to know (including the Dementors; something Harry learned about when he was already a teenager)? Snape’s whole character in the movies (aka the one that stripped 80% of his personality) was done dirty. They didn’t manage to bring up some of his most heroic/genuine moments in the series, so antis better quit complaining about Snape “being whitewashed!!!!!!” in the movies, especially not when they’re Marauder stans as well (legit 89% of the bad things they did were barely even brushed upon).

Hearing people say “people who like Snape only watched the movies” is extremely amusing, especially when one remembers that… they’re talking about… one of the most best-selling book series in the entire world.

Book!Snape is far more diverse and complex than Movie!Snape can even dream to be. We see how his trauma affected him, how he grew as a person throughout the years, his relatively detailed backstory, his realistic bitterness regarding the son of the man he hated and the woman he loved, etc. Saying we can’t possibly appreciate his character is ludicrous, liking a fictional character doesn’t mean you believe they’re a flawless angel or even that you believe they’re a good person. People are able to enjoy problematic characters for what they are. Alan Rickman definitely did his best with what he was given, and movie!Snape was 100% iconic in his own dry way, but the filmmakers still did his character dirty.

My Marauders-stan bestie certainly doesn't like the Marauders only because of the movies. And neither do you Moon.

You’re right, anon. The reason I even like the Marauders (except Jimmy Jimmy coco puff) is because of how deep and complicated their characters are — as adults, we realise just how flawed and grey they are and that they aren’t as wonderful as how Harry views them.

Anyway, I decided to rant a little for you guys because I’ve been starving you for a while. Enjoy. <3

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 民国奇探/My Roommate is a Detective.

My Roommate is a Detective is a 2020 drama about the Jazz Age shenanigans of a terrible OT3: a useless noodle boy, a spoiled journalist girl, and a handsome thug-turned-cop, who together solve Agatha Christie mysteries in 1920s Shanghai.

I mean, seriously, have you ever wondered what Hercule Poirot would be like if he were a 6'2" Chinese rubber man? If he had a long-suffering sugar daddy from the wrong side of the tracks and a spunky sugar mommy who owned their shared apartment? The answer is, it would be a laugh-out-loud-funny series about a ridiculous and charming assortment of weirdos solving only slightly believable murder mysteries in charming period clothing.

This is another one of those shows where I'm kind of shocked at how not well-known it is, except I'm not, because I can see exactly the problems that keep fandom from descending on it like horny little vultures. Nonetheless, I think it's a good time that more people would enjoy if they gave it the chance. Here's five reasons why you should:

1. Equal parts smart as heck and dumb as butts

On the one hand, especially given its tone and tenor, this show has many surprisingly clever turns and thoughtful moments, carried along by some talented actors. On the other hand, [.gif of a guinea pig in a rollerskate being pushed merrily down a hallway]

This show is not a complicated intellectual exercise. It's an action comedy about a goofy sleuth, a rich-girl reporter, and the cop who should be the straight man in this trio, except he's as much of a goober as the other two are. If the promotional tableaus are giving you real "cover of a Clue box" vibes, you've understood the kind of pastiche it's pulling off.

The mysteries are preposterous. They're all the kind of thing that exemplify the Doyle line about how, when you've eliminated the impossible, whatever's left has got to be the answer, no matter how ding-dang improbable it may be. You know the type: tons of overly elaborate setups, unbelievably perfect timing, coincidental long-lost relatives, people hallucinating right and left. They're also very short -- most full cases take only 2-3 episodes to introduce, investigate, and resolve, even when interspersed with the larger goings-on in these weirdos' lives. The DramaWiki page for the show lists 23 separate arcs over 36 episodes, so you do the math.

And yet, it's way more thoughtful and clever than its doofy little setup would indicate. Its attention to detail surprised me on more than one occasion. Add to that a bunch of solid performances from an ensemble of real characters, and what you get is definitely more substantive than a junk-food waste of time. You can't turn your brain off while watching it, but you sure can turn it down, and that's great.

It also doesn't hurt that everyone is super attractive and wearing great outfits. The whole show's worth it for the wardrobes.

2. THE GIRL

Fuck the haters, fuck everyone, I am going to climb right up on my little soapbox and tell you all why Bai Youning is awesome.

She is insane. She's a troll. She's a clever little monster. Every other character's response to her is, oh my god, you are literally the worst. And she is! She has been spoiled beyond belief by her incredibly rich Crime Dad, and she has learned to leverage her uwu just a widdle girl status to get her whatever the hell she wants. She simply cannot hear it when someone says the word "no." She will look her future sister-in-law in the eye and point a loaded gun at her own head without blinking. Every ball she has is made of brass.

She's hardly perfect. During the course of the show, there are some times where her entitlement runs face-first into the brick wall of reality. She's not nearly as good at her chosen career path as she's been told (mostly by the people who get paid to tell her she's good). She's rarely prepared to deal with the consequences of her actions, especially when she can't just throw money at the problem.

So she learns, and grows, and changes. She's always going to be a stubborn bitch, but she can become a stubborn bitch with a more accurate conception of her relationship to the world around her.

She's actually a really good romantic foil for Lu Yao, who is equally stubborn and spoiled and obnoxious as hell. It is a pure brat4brat relationship, where each one thrives on comically enraging the other. What this means, though, is that when they actually start showing one another some vulnerability, it's really sweet.

Now: I'm pretty sure that you could not have made a female character in her position that everyone did not hate, no matter how cool you made her, because that is the fate of all girls who theoretically keep the two boys from kissing. (More on that next point.) If she were less outgoing and friendly, she would've been hated for being too cold. If she were less headstrong, she would've been hated for being a pushover. If she weren't as into the boy, she would've been hated for being frigid. I know the "god forbid a woman do anything" meme is a joke, but ... man, god forbid this girl do anything. She gets a level of hate entirely disproportionate to what she's actually like. As I said with Eom Dada, it's not always sexism, but sometimes, yeah, it's sexism.

(Real talk: Her character is also fighting both how she's definitely not written as well as the boys are and how the plot sometimes needs her to be artificially stupid and jealous for Straightness Drama Reasons, so that's a legit problem on a structural level. Also, she's dubbed by someone else and the boys aren't, which gives her voice an annoying not-quite-there quality that's hard to ignore. The deck is stacked against her real hard even before she steps onscreen.)

So here's my advice: Go into this show wanting to like her. Embrace her terribleness as a positive, intentional quality. Don't be mad at her for straightening up an endgame that was never going to be gay, even without her. Welcome her contributions to the chaos. Realize that she is exactly as entertainingly irritating as her boys are.

Truly, this is a story of three terrible people in love. They're all just awful, and you wouldn't want to be in a room with any of them for longer than you had to. Left to right up there, Bai Youning is spoiled and self-absorbed, Lu Yao is arrogant and lazy, and Qiao Chusheng is suuuuuch a fucking cop. If you're into the kind of dynamic that can only be described OT3: You All Deserve One Another, then this one's perfect for you.

3. Do you really miss '00s queerbaiting?

Like, really? Are you just super-nostalgic for being able to see the showrunners go, ha ha, girls, we know you're watching and we know you want these cute boys to kiss, which they never will -- but what if we pretended for just this one scene??? Do you just carnally ache for that with every fiber of your being?

Yep.

Now, why am I calling the occasional really gay moments between these two gentlemen "queerbaiting" and not "bromance"? Because these moments are a) obviously intentional, b) completely sporadic, and c) never spoken of again.

For example: There's a scene (which you can see a gifset of here) where the two of them are at a restaurant frequented by the cop, who brings a lot of ladies there on dates. When the waiter points this out, useless noodle boy says, I'm his date. The waiter looks mildly surprised by this, the cop says not to listen to his bullshit, and that's the end of it. The scene moves on. There is no further discussion of this comment. It does not affect their relationship.

That's the essence of queerbaiting: that little on-purpose nod to the homoerotic tension between the two, in a way that isn't a joke but also isn't not a joke, and either way is never going to happen. (In fact, the show is going to go out of its way to make sure that ship gets sunk, so, uh, get your fanfiction lifeboats ready for that.)

A true queerbaiting move is something that should make a difference in a relationship, but doesn't. It should make a difference that our cop is so comfortable in the noodle boy's personal space that he invades it at will. It doesn't. It should make a difference that noodle boy keeps getting real weird every time the cop has a date with a girl. It doesn't. Those are some real romantic moves the two of them keep pulling, and then nothing comes of them.

I had this show sold to me as being incredibly shippy, to the point of being even more so than its censored-BL contemporaries. And ... well, it is and it isn't. It has textually gayer individual moments, but it is much less pervasively gay. It's clear from the start that it's going to throw all its actual relationship points into its canon het romance. When it comes to these boys, the show is toying with you. It knows you want to see those boys smooch, just as much as it knows (and it knows you know) they're never gonna.

How you feel about this is entirely up to you -- and indeed, it may be a dealbreaker on the whole drama for you. If you are inclined to pitch a fit when your ship does not become canon, you'll be happier somewhere else. If, however, you see this as a delightful opportunity to do whatever the hell you want with the situation as it is presented, all the while enjoying little moments of startlingly blatant homoeroticism between two handsome dudes, well, here you are!

(I mean, if you want my take on it, what needs to happen is that the cop and the girl need to fuck while the useless noodle boy watches with asexual bisexual interest, and then they all need to snuggle with the noodle boy in the middle so they can both annoy him appropriately, but your mileage may vary.)

4. The multicultural extravaganza!

1920s Shanghai had a lot going on in terms of cultures and languages, and this show actually does a fair job of representing that.

By now, I've seen a number of shows set during this era, and they all at least acknowledge the international nature of the city -- usually by mentioning the French Concession and having a handful of evil Japanese characters. However, this is the first time I've seen a show go to such lengths to actually show so many non-Chinese characters onscreen, even to the point of making one a recurring character supporting the main squad.

Salim is the best. Whatever he is being paid, it's not enough. He's Qiao Chusheng's right-hand man, which means he is also the dude who most often has to put up the main trio's bullshit. (The actor himself is also a dude with a pretty cool backstory, which is another great layer.) He's sharp, he's loyal, he's patient, and he looks great with his shirt off. He's got it all!

Other non-Chinese characters include a white Jewish art collector (I'd issue a warning for period-typical antisemitism, except … honestly, it's mostly just confused), a sadistic priest who maybe is supposed to be Italian, a completely different priest who [last episode spoiler], and three whole sinister white dudes behind it all.

It's not just the world coming to China, though! A large number of the Chinese characters are said to have spent significant time outside of China, whether for business or for schooling. Near the end, when some characters are discussing moving away from Shanghai, they consider a number of foreign cities as potential destinations.

Here's a delightful detail: When Lu Yao and his sister speak English, they're dubbed by actors with posh British accents who sound like native (or near-native) English-speakers. This makes perfect sense, because both of the siblings did a lot of their schooling in the UK. When Bai Youning speaks English, she's dubbed by someone who speaks English very well but also has a noticeable Chinese accent, which makes perfect sense for her character's background. And Qiao Chusheng never speaks English at all, because he's a street tough who has no reason to know more than three words.

...This is also kind of weird to say about something literally made in China, but go with me on it: Everything's kind of got that Art Deco Orientalist vibe to it. It looks like China's idea of what Britain's idea of China during that period would have looked like. The result comes across less like what 1920s Shanghai would actually have looked like, and more what an ad for 1920s Shanghai would have looked like. It's a fascinating aesthetic, and more so for how it's mostly pretty subtle. The show isn't some visual extravaganza, but it's always very nice to look at, and I appreciate that in a show.

5. A wonderful horrible protagonist

A lot of mystery-themed prestige television involves an asshole genius detective who gets away with being a dick to everyone because he's sooooo smart, while all his long-suffering friends and colleagues spend a lot of time doing damage control for him because, sigh, he's an asshole but we need him, genius excuses all dickhead behavior, we'll always make exceptions for him because he's just ever so special. (Watch histrionic sage hbomberguy's video on Sherlock if you're unfamiliar with the trope.)

Lu Yao is an asshole genius detective, but one who winds up spending most of his time being an asshole to a) people who deserve it, or b) his horrible friends who will be assholes right back at him. When he is awful to the people who don't deserve it, the show smacks him pretty hard on the nose for it and makes him apologize.

This is a show where you'll figure out pretty quckly if you'll love it or hate it, because if you love Lu Yao, you'll love it, and vice versa. He carries most of the show himself, with his goofy charm and his incredibly bendy slenderman body and his ability to make the one competent person he knows both protect him and give him money.

Like so.

For my own part, I find him intensely charming, and I think a lot of this has to do with Hu Yitian's ability to play him as an affectionately bullyable weenie who needs to get shoved in a locker for his own good. He's the worst, and it's comically endearing instead of offputting because at the end of the day, he really does have a good heart. He's just also lazy as heck and disinclined to do anything that he does not want to be doing, and really, aren't we all?

As I alluded to in point 3, he comes across as real asexual. He's just not that interested in sex, and he is in fact pretty uncomfortable in situations where he finds himself the subject of someone else's sexual desires. He's perfectly capable of romantic feelings! I mean, not only does he get Bai Youning as a love interest, we actually meet one of his ex-girlfriends. He's just not partciularly horny about them -- which is even more noticeable as a sharp contrast to how extremely horny Qiao Chusheng is for just about everyone, but this exasperating little dork in particular.

(Like seriously, 90% of the time, Chusheng is about to explode with sexual frustration at Lu Yao's skinny oblivious ass.)

This isn't to say you couldn't get Lu Yao into bed, because you absolutely could, and he'd probably have a good time. You'd just have to remove all distractions from the room, lest his ADHD ass wind up running off to solve a crime mid-coitus.

Twiggy little nightmare man. Garbage-animal boy. Love him.

sidebar: A word about the ending

I'm going to be vague and talk about general vibes instead of specific events, but you should still skip this section if you want to remain completely unspoiled. Jump to the picture of Chusheng holding the sledgehammer.

Okay, so, a lot of people do not like the ending, and I'm including myself in that number. I honestly don't know if they got rushed and had to wrap everything pretty last-minute, or if they thought they might get a second season out of it and were leaving things open-ended accordingly. Either way, it's incredibly unsatisfying.

I think there's a clue that the show didn't actually want to end this way, and it's not actually in the text of the show itself. Every episode, between the last scene and the start of the credits, you get to see a couple still frames from the episode (usually some of the queerbaity ones). After the very final shot of the series, you get two images: the boys hugging goodbye, and Chusheng's upset face. That's not a resolution! That is at best a "to be continued..." ending!

But no, that's it. That's all, folks.

It's not quite an ending so bad it ruins the rest of the show, mostly because it doesn't feel finished, so it's less like you're watching a car being deliberately driven into a wall because someone thought that was the best route to take, and more like you're watching someone leave a car on the railroad tracks because they figured they'd have time to move it later.

As far as I know, there has been no noise made about a second season. These 36 episodes are the entirety of the narrative. It had the distinct misfortune to start airing in March 2020, which wasn't exactly prime time for planning sequels, and that seems to have been that. (There is a 2022 show called Checkmate that stars the two main guys in extremely similar roles, also adapting Agatha Christie stories, but it's apparently pretty meh? Somebody else who's actually seen it, go ahead and weigh in here.)

I'll say that if you turn off the episode right after Lu Yao gets out the handcuffs, you'll save yourself the worst of it the awkward and unsatisfying moments (though I'm impressed at your willpower to stop watching something five minutes from the end). That's not all of it, though. Structurally, there are several situations rushed to a resolution and loose threads left flapping untied in the breeze. I guess stopping before the last five minutes simply saves you the hope that it'll pull a good ending out of the fire, because it won't.

And let's be real: The more you hate Bai Youning and her romance with Lu Yao, the more you'll hate the ending. (Not that liking those elements will necessarily make you like the ending, of course, because I'm a fan of hers and I still think the ending is butts.) The ending is already like a pair of uncomfortable shoes; if the het romance especially makes you grind your teeth, the ending becomes a pair of uncomfortable shoes that also have a rock in them. A lot of the comments online indicate plenty of people dropped the show when they learned the het romance would be endgame. It's a pretty common dealbreaker.

Oh well. Bring on the fanfic, I say! Those of us who are used to taking a sledgehammer to canon are unafraid.

Smash it, baby.

Still want to see some of these mysteries?

Both iQiyi and Viki have the answer to your sleuthing!

It's not a perfect show -- as evidenced by my digression about the ending -- but it's a lot of fun. If you can handle the occasional foible and some eyebrow-raising moments, you're in for a good time with some attractive people that occasionally tastes very gay.

Every roommate crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

Cupid's Last Wish Final Thoughts

Watch It Or Drop It The Challenge

A fireworks show of a drama which suffered from a few awkward pauses and which, even though it ended with the dampest of squibs, was a joy to watch.

Strengths

I think part of the reason I held off on watching Cupid's Last Wish for so long was because I was a little leery on the whole "BL but with body swap" premise. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the concept of a good body swap plot, who doesn't, I just haven't seen it done well very often. Luckily, however, Cupid's Last Wish more than impresses on this part and what could have been a very messy plot indeed was instead an incredibly well executed exploration of the self, the body, and the complex relationship between them. Through it's central premise Cupid's Last Wish delved into themes of gender identity, gender dysphoria and, as @wen-kexing-apologist, @lurkingshan, and @so-much-yet-to-learn delve into in this post, maps out a truly trans experience and, for that, it shines.

Another strength of the show, linked directly to the body swap, was how well it handled the misunderstanding and miscommunication between the main pairing. Normally, when confronted with a romantic miscommunication situation in a drama, it makes me want to tear my hair out with how unnecessary it is and how easily it could be fixed but not here. I could literally see Korn sending the wrong message and Win completely misleading things and I could understand why. At no point (apart from perhaps the last 2 episodes which I'll get to in a bit) was I questioning why Win thought Korn was in love with Lin or how Korn was unable to see what his actions were communicating to Win.

A final two strengths (before I move on to the weaknesses) are the cast and the soundtrack. I won't go too into depth (after all I expected Earth and Mix to put on an excellent performance) but the dynamics between the central trio were fantastic and Jan and Mix sharing two dual roles was an impressive (and impressively convincing) sight to see. Likewise the soundtrack was pretty basic but effective, the use of Tillybird's "Just Being Friendly" was a highlight and I've had Mix and Earth's "Closer" on repeat for my own trip.

Weaknesses

For all that Cupid's Last Wish does right, I won't lie, it also does quite a bit wrong with the main issue being that as well thought out and as beautifully executed as the body swap plot line, everything else feels a little... half hearted, half baked, half done. The inheritance plotline felt silly within a second of it being introduced (I still don't get why Win was so angry or why he held the grudge for so long when everything we'd been shown up to the "big reveal" indicated he should have felt the opposite); the Aunt and Uncle were barely there and, brief attempted murder on the part of the Aunt aside, barely villains at all (and were actually quite reasonable once they got to have civil chat); and the whole plot twist with the mum being the homophobic mastermind behind Win and Korn's estrangement was so poorly done and so rushed I'm still angry about it (she did absolutely nothing to be forgiven and I can't believe her revelation was swept under the rug in seconds).

I wish I could say these were minor things but they were, technically, half the drama and really soured things when it was time to focus back on them. What really put the nail in the coffin though, is the fact that these weaker elements became the entire focus of the show in the final two episodes which meant it ended with a decidedly wet plop rather than with a bang.

Conclusion

There is much to love about this drama and perhaps even more to explore with regards to its central theme but unfortunately some of its weaker elements were just a little too loud to completely ignore. I would still rewatch it (in fact I plan to) and I would still recommend it to anyone thinking of giving it a go (and even foist on people who weren't thinking about it at all) but I would also say that I wouldn't judge anyone who decided to speed run the final 2 episodes.

Watch or Drop: WATCH (but with a minor warning)

Final Score: 7.5/10 (closer to an 8 than a 7)

Would I rewatch it: Yes, heck I even want to write meta about it if I can find the time.

Watch It Or Drop It Masterpost

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

Things in Zombies Re-Animated that I can't stop thinking about/just stuck out to me Idk part 2, Electric Boogaloo:

The moonies are just werewolf periods

Like. They're literally just werewolf periods Idk what to tell you-

That's not like, a BAD thing, I just think fucking werewolf periods is a wild thing to introduce to the lore of this series lmao

On a similar note, I made a whole separate post abt this but I'm very confused by werewolf family dynamics I want more lore for that

WYATT'S A RACCOON NOW DON'T GET CLOSE HE'LL BITE

Bucky's very slight redesign in the Halloween special is so funny to me- he looks. So so tired. And yet he's wearing hot pink wolf ears. That dichotomy is very funny to me-

I keep getting the song Ashley was singing along to in Teeny Witch stuck in my head smh

Probably bcuz I keep rewatching Teeny Witch for the Dae content...

Guys I love Dae she's so silly

She's one of the first characters I've ever seen who's actively described by the promotional team as "shy and quirky" who isn't the most annoying person on the face of planet

And her dynamic with Bucky is so fun- genuinely amazing choice to pair them up

Wyatt has so much more personality in the show than he does in the movies. I think he's one of the characters that's def benefited the most from the tv show format

The gag about Addison being obsessed with label makers is so funny omfg

I also liked it when Addison went insane in the woods in the Halloween special that was really funny

Basically I just like that Addison keeps randomly losing her mind in this show I think its a good recurring bit

BACK ON THE SUBJECT OF THE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL- I think the writers forgot why the wolves were mad in the movies

"Sick of living in the woods" GIRL YOUR LIFE SOURCE IS LITERALLY DRAINING AS WE SPEAK I THINK THERE ARE BIGGER PROBLEMS AT HAND HERE

I'm also kinda disappointed that they're retconning Bucky being from Missy's side of the family. I think the idea of Bucky having some alien in him has a lot of potential, and I wish Re-Animated would capitalize on that.

The whole Paint it Blech episode was a fuckin MOOD

Also you can tell Meg Donelly was having so much fun voicing the lil stick figure guy lmao

I absolutely LOVE that we got a whole episode dedicated to Bree, Addison and Bucky omfg- we never actually got to see them working as a trio in the movies, since Bucky was like. The main antagonist in the first 2 and fucked off to hang out with the wolves in the 3rd. So I'm glad we're getting some of that here!

And since we ALSO got an episode dedicated to just the wolves, I hope we get one for the zombie trio in the future, too. We've gotten more of the 3 of them hanging out than we have of the main 3 cheerleaders, but it'd still be cool to get an episode on them :)

Unfortunately I don't think there's gonna be an alien trio episode... unless they decide to bring A-li and A-lan in for one episode and then send them back to the void with the 'aceys?

Which SPEAKING OF- I'm disappointed they fully replaced the 'aceys with just one guy...

Like I think I know WHY they aren't coming back, probably some combo of the writers not wanting to juggle 3 more recurring characters & the person in charge of budgeting not wanting to pay 3 more VAs, but it's still dissappointing

BRING BACK THE POLYCULE PLS I BEG

Also not to go into conspiracy theory mode... but Singular Acey seems really down bad for Bucky, and given that he's meant to fill the role of the aceys...

BACEY'S IS CANON IT'S CANON THEY'RE ALL DATING WOOOOOOO FUCK YEAH I WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I am Delusional I am going Insane)

Bucky is unfortunately a mood-

I, too, am desperate for attention, annoying abt color theory to the point Ive gotten into fights about it, a lover of cool frogs, and won't stfu abt my pets

Wynter is also a mood but that's just cuz I have ADHD and she DEF has ADHD are you KIDDING ME-

Eliza making a version of the z-band to help Wynter focus actually really lends itself to the reading of z-bands as disability aids...

I think it's neat that Zed clearly still has strong oppinions abt the MLP rip off he watched as a kid. That is also a mood.

I'm starting to think that maybe everybody in this show is just a fuckin mood...

The depictions of siblings in this show, while not really a main focus, are really accurate lmfao

Also YES IM COUNTING ADDISON AND BUCKY FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

The interactions between Willa and Bucky in these episodes were all golden(even if they only interacted in like 2 of them-). I will never shut up abt how much I love them being friends.

It's funny how borderline photo realistic the Shrimpy model is

Okay that's it :)

[brighterdaysarebeforeus]

Part 3!! Now with the Spider Society. Apparently at this point, I’m just doing a recap of the WHOLE MOVIE for this… (>.<)

Also, you guys are great, much love to y’all for liking this! Someone asked about being tagged in this part, so hopefully this works!

Tag list:

@hobiesgender

Part 1 Part 2

When the rumbling started and the destroyed AlcheMax building started sinking into a dark hole, the four of them raced the the bridge railing to watch. Pavitr sounded so confused when he asked what was happening, and Miles found himself putting his hand on his shoulder in comfort. And, right before they left, when he asked if everything was going to be ok…

Miles didn’t like the fact that he didn’t have an answer for him. He’d come to try and help, not make things worse, and it felt sort of like he’d done that. Made things worse for Pavitr when he didn’t mean to. Without thinking, he brushed his wrist across the kid’s neck, trying to comfort him the way his mamí did when he was younger. It seemed like it worked, Pavitr relaxing before throwing him a look that read as slightly surprised.

And then when Jess (he recognized her as the woman from Gwen’s watch) and her crew showed up, already equipped to help with the spot in the world, Miles felt his inner hackles raise slightly. He pushed it down, smiling brightly at her and introducing himself in the hopes that she would let him go with them to this Spider Society. She brushed him off, her voice cool even as she kept walking and didn’t even look at him. Miles clenched his fists, gritting his teeth under his mask, but Hobie was close enough to make him relax all over again, especially when he threw his arm around Miles’s neck and leaned into him; he didn’t quite do the same thing Miles did to Pavitr, but somehow what he’d done was so much better at making Miles relax fully enough that he almost leaned back into the other Spider. He didn’t want to think about those implications, either, and so locked them all in a chest and buried them deep.

He used the (reluctant, he could tell) invite to the Spider headquarters as an excuse to push away from Hobie, who he could see out of the corner of his eye; he watched as Hobie went from a faded bright pink back to gray when he pushed him off, and though his heart kind of, maybe, sort of twinged at the obvious disappointment, Miles brushed that aside too in order to get on the ship Jess arrived in. Gwen and Hobie followed after him (and he used them sitting to lean over and ask Gwen “hey, is she…?” and Gwen just looked at him and muttered back “She’s an alpha, yea.” That hadn’t quite been his question but Miles had left it at that anyway because his mamí didn’t raise a rude alpha), and then they were off.

Nueva York looked…different. Miles wasn’t entirely sure he liked the look of this sleek, futuristic version of his home, but it was awe-inspiring regardless; not as many skyscrapers, it seemed, but there were hover cars and what looked like a train that went…what, straight up to the moon? That was wild. He felt like his eyes were super wide as they took in everything, including the way Hobie pulled his mask off for the first time. His heart racing in his throat, Miles could only stare and whisper something he didn’t quite remember saying at all (“how are you even cooler under the mask?” “I was this cool the whole time.” And wasn’t that the truth, Miles thought).

The elevator doors opened to the biggest exclusive club he’d ever seen in his life, with Spiders of all kinds literally all over the place. There were people literally sticking to the ceilings and walls, and groups of Spiders ranging from trios to genuinely large groups. It looked sort of like a block party, like the one he’d left to go after Gwen. Miles stared around in awe, something twinging in his chest as things started to sort of…not add up. Gwen looked really nervous when he mentioned her “super small elite team”, and though he didn’t want to believe it, he could tell she lied to him about the majority of the Spiders being part time; it was more obvious when she drew ahead to walk next to Hobie instead of him, head tilting slightly away from him to the right as they talked. Super-hearing happened to not be one of Miles’s specific powers, but he had the feeling that Hobie and Gwen’s conversation would likely have gone unheard regardless; in a building full of super-powered humans, there had to be some way of communicating without others overhearing.

And then he spasmed again, making him lose focus on that minuscule interaction. Jess handed (threw at) him his day pass so he wouldn’t glitch, and didn’t even take them all the way to see Miguel. She just gave Gwen the orders (and Miles noted that it was Gwen specifically she gave the orders to, not Hobie but Gwen; he wondered if it was becauseGwen was an alpha, or if there’s been another reason. He’d glanced at Hobie and had gotten a sharp smile in response, which had Miles flustered because he didn’t think Hobie would’ve noticed him watching an alpha delegate a task to another alpha) and then vanished to do whatever it was she needed to. Miles hoped she was going to help Pavitr.

Pavitr, unfortunately, happened to take a break from his mind because Hobie turned from Gwen after that to be all over Miles instead. The Spider didn’t try to make himself smaller (Miles had heard of some bigger omegas who did that, made themselves smaller or find some way to make the alphas around them feel bigger or better despite their much larger size in comparison; Miles had always found the practice annoying, even if it was rare in his universe, and he was relieved when Hobie didn’t even make an attempt to cater to him in some kind of way) for Miles; instead, he made himself bigger, made himself noticeable. Made himself an obstacle.

It was weird. It didn’t seem to be coming from a place of interest, at least as far as Miles could tell, but from a place of causing as much chaos as possible; he ripped something off the wall and waved it in Miles’s face enticingly (“Bet this don’t even do anythin’.” “It probably did before you ripped it off the wall!”) looking proud whenever Miles looked at or spoke to him. Miles forced himself to focus on meeting Miguel, which is why he wasn’t expecting it when Hobie suddenly appeared in front of him, chair rolling to a stop and legs stretched out in front of him to cross on the table. Miles paused for a moment, staring down at him with wide eyes; Hobie looked…enticing, somehow, leaned back in his seat and looking up at Miles from below. He grinned up at him again, something pleasing and aromatic wafting in the air around him making Miles’s heart race in his chest for an entirely different reason it had been before.

Miles pushed past him anyway, and the scent soured faintly. He hesitated, long enough to feel a warmth along his back. Then Hobie’s voice by his ear, low and sure and sending chills down his spine; the alpha part of Miles took interest in the fact that an omega was concerned, that an omega was concerned for him, and so when Miguel began lowering himself on the platform Miles found himself on guard. He hid it well, he thought, greeting him in Spanish and trying to offer food as a peace greeting, but Miguel didn’t take the bait. He threw the empanada, yelled at him and Gwen about the Spot, and threw something heavy at the both of them.

He was excited to see Peter B, though the baby was new (she was so freaking adorable, though, bright red hair and chubby cheeks and Miles was actually so excited she existed, so glad for the chance to get to know her now), but even as they were talking, things were sort of…adding up even less for Miles. Peter B was here, and Gwen, and even though he hadn’t seen anyone else, it didn’t mean they weren’t also there. There were tons of other Spiders here, after all, and Jess had given Gwen so much flack for even coming to see him when she was on her mission in his universe…

Miguel dropped the bomb that his dad had to die, and Miles’s stomach dropped with it.

[bellysoupset]

OKAY. Hi. Im finally free for long long enough to come chat.

I have so much stuff to say I literally went through your blog down to my ask where you said COME BACK HERE (lmaoo) and made a whole list in my notes app so that i don’t forget anything

(dw im gonna send a bunch of separate asks so that it doesn’t clog up your whole dash)

first of all, sounds like we have the same handwriting??? i was thinking oh mines closest to leo + bella and then i read the tags and we have the exact same traits?? wtf. so cool. also jon and luke having rich kid handwriting is so funny.

oohhh and bella??? 😳😳😳 like i KNOW (i think) she isn’t pregnant because you’ve said that’s not a plot you want to pursue rn. but alsoo what the hell. even if she isn’t, i can’t wait to read about her and luke talking about it.

(speaking of bell and luke talking, i’ve been LOVING the little snippets of them just hanging out and vibing) (bella crying for leo was so insanely sweet btw, she’s such a sweetheart) (also scary) (hot) (i’m getting off track)

loved the picking up the car fic so much!! jon and luke are soooo sibling coded it’s insane. also luke revving the car and zooming past them was so hot. and jonah’s “crush them”?? they’re BROTHERS!!!! i love reading stories of your characters just being idiots together <3

and bella going into that shop looking all sweet just to Destroy that old man was sooo funny. she’s so hot?? 🍄

okayy so 1. forgot to mention in the last ask : luke is so stupidly protective of bella lmfao. him being mad at leo for just Being There was so funny 2. jon being the baby of the group is one of my favourite things about him <3 he’s baby 🩷 3. the boxing class fic is soo cool. i love jonah and bella’s interactions!! need to see more of them together! they’re so perfectly bitchy with each other. also did i ask for something similar AGES ago or did i just think about it and forget to actually say anything? 4. jonah and leo’s reunion was soooo cute!!!i adore clingy jonah. (speaking of, i was re reading the fic where jonah gets sick at a medical convention with wendy and gets back home and is all bossy about cuddling leo, and it’s SO. CUTE.) and then finally leo getting sick was **chefs kiss** (ps. the supporting your partners forehead while they puke thing is so hot. who said that.) and jonah!! missing rubbing leo’s back as he throws up!! Sap. Peak simp behaviour fr. Didn’t realise there was competition to Luke for the Pathetic Simp title. 🍄

Hi there 🍄!!! How are you? Missing you loads, I hope life is treating you kindly, even if busy!

God, my handwriting is a mess, I was always the kid who showed up to class with one (1) singular black pen and no patience. Do you also do the Leo thing of saving up pages?

Bell definitely wasn't pregnant, but it was a fun time getting asks begging her not to be 😭😭 And yeah, she loves her little found family so much!! All of them, they're her home and she's a tough cookie, but she hates to see them hurting!

Luke is Golden Retriever coded in every sense of the word. Friendly and goofy and loud, but super protective.

I really do need to write more of the Bitchy Group, which in my head is Jon, Wen, Bell and now... Max. For clarification, Leo is hella bitchy but to me he's just the bitchy part of the trio that is Luke/Vin/Leo 🙈 Does this make any sense?

I'm looking forward to introducing Max to the group and what new units mind come up

Now. Men were made to do two things: simp and be queasy. As far as I was told 😎

[pistachions]

HI. HELLO. I said a while ago that I REALLY wanted to compare up my favourite shows cuz they're both SOOO undderated and here that is

A COMPARISON BETWEEN MILO MURPHY'S LAW AND STRANGE HILL HIGH

First.. I feel I need to introduce both shows

MML

If you didn't know.. it's made by the creators of and takes place in the same universe as phineas and ferb (it has a crossover too !!).. but as its own show, its SO unique. It follows a boy called milo who suffers from a family curse called Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong) and his adventures with his friends !! Most of the episodes are just like general shenanigans that follow milo but it does have a plot that is introduced later on :) Also, because its made by the creators of pnf, its got the same humour .. it's really funny

CHARACTERS

The main trio are milo murphy, zack underwood and Melissa chase (in that order on the picture below) and they have a ... pretty standard TV trio dynamic, BUT all of the characters are SO fun and likeable!! Like, for instance, zack was in a regionally famous boyband and other fun things like that :)

Remember how I said there's a plot introduced later.. yeah, well it's basically created by these geezers (dakota and Cavendish, in that order on the photo below) who are introduced as time travellers set out to save pistachios. They're really funny and also voiced by the shows creators (or the same vas as doofenshmirtz and major monogram). They also REALLY remind me of me and my best friend, which means like ... nothing if you aren't us, but if you have a similar dynamic, it's SO fun to see

I dont want to spoil the plot much at all but the first season is about time traveland the second is space travel. If I'm honest the 2nd season.. isn't great cuz they made doofenshmirtz a main character but plot wise its still fun (season 1 is amazing tho still nothing tops it to me) so here's a picture from missing milo (one of the main plot episodes in s1)

And now to..

SHH

I'm gonna be so fr.. I've watched this show since release but have like 0 fandom interactions with it (thats a lie actually i have like 10 but thats not the point) so idk how much introducing it needs (still any is too little to me. imo this show should be standard watching for everyone) so anyway... the show doesn't rlly have a PLOT like all the episodes are stand alone, buutt it does mostly follow Mitchell as he starts at strange hill high and all the insane things that happen there (idk how to explain it cuz of how different every epiosde is but its SO good pls trust me). Its also fully posted on YouTube cuz it's like.. old and cancelled or smth so that's always good (not the cancelled bit tho lol)

CHARACTERS

Just like mml, shh also follows a main trio and has a great side cast. It's trio is becky butters, Templeton and Mitchell tanner (in that order below) and again have a .. pretty standard trio dynamic BUT more like the kind of British TV drama dynamic (.. cuz its set in a british secondary school). I LOVE these geezers SO much and they're just that kind of cast that to this day, I still don't know which one I'm more like

Because its not got a plot to vaguely explain, I'm going to tell you about my favourite episode 99 things to do with a time machine. It's one of my FAVOURITE episodes from any show ever. I love it. (I think it was also the first shh episode i watched cuz i watched it live on tv first before like.. downloading the whole show in 4 different places). The premise of the episode is that the gang is late for school so Mitchell decides to change the school clock so it doesn't LOOK like they're late. This actually turns back time and they abuse the hell out of this. Here's an image.

NOW TO THE COMPARISON!!

Ahhh.. this is like the MAIN bit but for 2 shows that are like permanently engraved in my brain its actually challenging me sm to compare them up like this. Why? No clue. Getting people to watch both is literally what I set out to to lmao

Shenanigans

Like I said, most of mml and ALL of shh basically revolve around whatever shenanigans the trio are doing. In mml they're very much unintentional cuz of murphy's law and the episode normally involves doing whatever to overcome the damage. This is more like the opposite for shh. The trio normally end up discovering smth wild going on in their school and mess about with whatever it is. Two examples I chose for this is mmls athledecamathalon, where the pitch gets destroyed and milo helps his sport team win, and sshs first episode, king Mitchell, where the gang discover a Knight who serves mitchell

These aren't exactly the CLOSEST comparisons I could make .. but you get the idea. VIBE wise they are VERY similar

SETTING

I also want to talk about the setting. Mml takes place all round danville (at different time periods too) and then a planet called octalia by the end of s2. Shh takes place EXCLUSIVELY in the school .. cuz it's puppetry and yk theyd have to actually BUILD a set

CONCLUSION

Ngl tumblr ate the rest of my essay. Twice. (Probably served me right for not having a backup but oh well) and it's kinda annoyed me. I promise you they're so similar is vibe PLEASE watch them both they're great