#montag: thread

[psqqa]

truly ted lasso gave us the best gift a show could ever give a fandom: complete lack of confirmation or denial either way

[strywoven]

♡’d for a starter ( ft. mari + spyro ) . // @rathalascendant

Perched on one of the many pedestals in the Elders’ library-chamber , Spyro sits in MEDITATIVE REPOSE .  Though this really isn’t his style ; no , not at all !  His tail twitches frustratedly , his maw pulling into a f r o w n .  The greater dragons had told him , earlier in the day , that the secrets to unlocking his other elemental capabilities ‘ lie within ’ , so to find his answers he must ‘ look inward ’ .

Inevitably , the young dragon slumps forward , deflating against the chilly marble , smoke twisting irritably out of his snout as he grumbles , ❝ Ughhh , it’s no USE !  I just can’t seem to find anything that’ll give me what I need ! ❞  Perhaps he is not looking in r i g h t places ?  Is it not courage ?  Is it not his heart he needs be consulting on the matter ?  He presses his paws over his eyes and GROANS DRAMATICALLY , ❝ I don’t know why they’ve gotta’ be so cryptic about it , anyways.  I’ve been meditating for h o u r s and I still don’t know how to channel anything other than my fire ! ❞  He peeks through his claws , glancing over at Mari nearby , sorting through various tomes.  A small , cheeky smile comes onto his face , ❝ I don’t suppose there’d be a book over there about how I can learn new breath techniques , huh ? ❞

[milehighmechanic]

@feralego moved from here

          It’s not really what he wants to hear, but he’s too old now, he thinks–and too involved in superhero matters; in the plays of life and death games on a cosmic scale–to be talked down to like a child. To be pacified with false hopes. With lies.

         He’s always respected Stark, but the feeling grows more personal now. Even if the honesty feels draining. Painful.

         His shoulders slump, and he lets his head droop forward before clasping his hands together at the back of his neck. Peter can barely remember the last time he felt this tired. Even as a small, sickly, often hospitalized kid, this level of fatigue had been a rarity.

         Stark rouses his attention when he slides it in his direction, and Peter gazes down at the iconic piece of armor, fixating on the eye slits as his breath catches in his throat. And he has to wonder if gazing into those cold, soulless eyes would make it any easier to record anything to have sent to May. If she’s even still alive.

         Part of him thinks it might be. Part of him thinks that distinctly mechanical visage might help him control the emotions in his delivery more, making it easier to say what he needs to say, and quickly.

         He lifts the helmet gingerly and moves to stand, tucking it under his arm.

         "Thanks…“ He tries to smile, or to look anything but glum, but he can’t manage. "I’ll– I’ll do that. I’ll be in the back for a bit if you need me.”

     Tony watches him---- the way Spidey droops, the look of defeat in his eyes. Probably a good reflection of Tony himself, ten minutes ago. It only steels his resolve. Tony knows he has a tendency to wallow in his own guilt---- his therapist has told him so. 

     He watches, silently, as the guy disappears through the doorway, and he’s just a KID, a teenager who shouldn’t have to be contemplating leaving a goodbye for his aunt. 

     Maybe losing to Thanos had been Tony’s fate, inescapable. The end of Iron Man. His last failure.But it shouldn't be Peter’s fate to die on this spaceship. To starve to death so far from home. Yinsen had lost EVERYTHING, but he’d never given up in that cave, he’d never let Tony give up. Maybe it’s Tony’s turn. ( Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? )

     It hurts when he stands, worn down muscles aching, pulling, weak. But pain is an old friend. It’s second nature to grit his teeth and ignore it, to control his breathing and keep on going. He’s not going far. The engine is one of their problems; the console at the front of the ship is the other. Nebula said that they couldn’t fix it----- but Tony will rebuild this whole damn ship from scratch if he has to. ( With a box of scraps. ) 

     Ideas spark across his mind, settling into one cohesive thought. He’ll have to discuss it with Nebula, with Peter even, because the kid is smarter than him, somedays---- but it’s a plan. 

     Maybe he’ll manage to not fuck this one up.

[lgcbk]

⌜ LET ME HEAR YOU SCREAM / @lgcyeonwoo ⌟

"You already know how to set everything up?" 

When Byeongkwan gave a nonchalant "yeah," it wasn't technically a lie. He'd seen the coaches set up studio equipment plenty of times. He even assisted with the recording of a demo recently ( i.e. handed the vocalist a water bottle ). So how hard could it be? Push a few buttons and toggle a few dials. Besides, the staff would only leave him alone with thousand-dollar equipment if they thought he knew what he was doing. Even if this particular studio was a bit outdated… 

The first hour consisted of frantic Naver searches, scouring music production forums, and figuring out which button kept triggering an endless loop of some random city pop sample. After mastering Garageband on steroids, the second hour was a bit more productive. Getting the hang of things, he flew through mixing an original instrumental and freestyling a few rough bars. His first professional ( ish ) demo. He revels in the sense of accomplishment, replaying it a few times. There was just one teeny, tiny, small detail he hadn't considered. How to export the track. After reading through conflicting answers online, he gives up and decides to wing it. He got this far, didn't he?

He clicks around for a moment, stumbling on a familiar term: Render. "Okay, okay," he nods, giving the dropdown a click. A loading bar pops up for a moment, glitches, then the screen goes black. "What. What?! No! No, no, no, no -!" Gone. It was gone. All of his hard work for the day. Gone.

"Ah…" Byeongkwan leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling, defeated. A few minutes pass before he rises from his seat and steps into the foam-lined booth on the other side of the soundboard. He tugs the door closed and inhales. "FU - " 

[brutalpath]

      "you don't gotta do anything like that, now." if he sounds wary, it's just because he is. not that he's subtle about it; apprehension lay just behind his neutral expression, vaguely curling the corners of his mouth. he's not even sure what's being offered— just that he doesn't trust a grin that toothsome.

      he pauses, shouldering the heavy bag. "and— i doubt they'd have anything my size."

@daemondaes // for The Baby.

[syrena-del-mar]

The Nine Circles of Hell: Dead Friend Forever, Episode 7

First, a trigger warning: I'll be discussing themes of revenge porn, grooming, statutory rape, sexual coercion.

I'm going to discuss this episode with as much upmost care as I can, due to the sheer amount of sensitive material that came out of this week's episode I will also not being using any explicit scene screen captures from this episode. If there's anything you'd like to me to take out or want a more in depth conversation, feel free to use either of my message boxes.

Last week I said DFF had more to offer than just being a campy 90s slasher remake. While I first thought we were already in the depths of hell, thematically, with Non getting beaten by the mafia, I didn't expect this week's episode to somehow double that pain. But here we are. I was lulled into false security with the 5 minute montage of getting to know what Phee and Non's relationship was like. I should have remembered that I'm definitely watching the wrong genre when I expected more of those moments.

Non and Phee

This episode really continues and expands the idea that humans are not these clear-cut, unambiguous, good-or-bad beings that idea has now been depicted through Non and his relationship with Phee. Non has so much love to give and so much want for being loved, it's what leads to Phee in the first place, but it's also what leads to his downfall. Because Non loves so much and so hard, it's also why he wasn't ecstatic that Phee had to lie to his father and say that he was involved, just to get him out of trouble with the police. What started like a sweet date turns a bit bitter, because Non is seeing the consequences of his actions not only affect himself but also the others that he loves. It's also why he couldn't tell Phee about the sheer amount he owed Tee's uncle, because he was now well aware that if Phee found out, he would get himself involved.

Non lies and manipulates Phee, he tells him time and time again that nothing happened between him and Mr. Kreng. Non swears to Phee that he isn't lying to him and that he won't keep any secrets from him anymore. It pains him to do so, he's barely holding himself together by the end of a thread thread once he's Phee's arms and his face is hidden from Phee's view. Yet, he does. He keeps it a secret how big of a hole he has found himself in, because he doesn't want to drag Phee down with him. Non says it himself to Jin, he doesn't want to be burden, he'll figure it out himself. It's a direct parallel to the bigger issues that Non is finding himself in beyond just within the 'movie set'. He has the 300 million baht hanging over his head, his parents (in his point of view) regret having him and find that he does is bring embarrassment to the family, and now he has another adult willing to give him the 300 million baht with a fake sense of care. So he found, what he believes to be, a solution that would get rid of the 300 million baht debt and all it requires is giving up a piece of himself, but at least it won't come at a cost of burdening his parents or Phee.

In trying to protect Phee, his lies ends up costing him the one he loves the most, Phee. Now from this point on, this is all speculation, but when Phee accused Non of 'always doing this', I'm not in the camp that believes that Phee is accusing Non about being a serial cheater. I see why people are in that camp, but I initially jumped to that conclusion as well. Now, I'm more in the line that Phee is accusing of Non always feeding him lies, even after explicitly promising him that he wouldn't. After putting his neck out for him, after letting Non do things his way as long as he promised to tell him the truth, Non goes back to telling lies. Phee lashes out, and at the end of the day he's still a teenager, so he hits Non's weakest point. Just get lost and die. The very words that likely haunt Phee in the present-day, now as an adult. And Non's holds the broken bracelet, punishing himself, because he knew that there was no coming back from losing his lifeline.

Non and Mr. Kreng (Please keep my trigger warnings in mind, they will be heavily discussed in this section.)

Statutory Rape. Grooming. Coerced Sexual Relations. Nonconsensual Sex. Molestation. Sexual Assault. Sexual Abuse. Those are all words to describe the relationship that occurred between Non and Mr. Keng. Let's call exactly what it is. I think I'll lose my mind if I have to see someone another person call Non a cheater. There is no cheating when there is statutory rape.

Non is literally at the end of his rope, Mr. Keng clocked that immediately. He knew that Non was isolated, that he was completely othered by his classmates, he believes that Non has nobody else to turn to, and he knows that Non is in deep in a scam that target teens. In his eyes, he found the perfect victim.

Non is taken advantage of by a person in power, a person that he should be able to trust. Non isn't naïve, he clocked that Mr. Keng wanted something from him since the moment they first met. But he is vulnerable. He's being extorted by the mafia and he sees someone offering him the money that he needs to put an end to that. In his eyes, it was a way out, a means to an end that just cost him a piece of his soul. I truly think Non rationalized it to himself as prostituting himself, because he knew that money was never coming without a price. No matter how much Mr. Keng tried to sell it as 'brotherly' love.

But at the end of the day, it does not matter what Non believed or rationalized, because Mr. Keng was the adult in the situation. He had a duty, as a teacher, to protect Non and provide a safe classroom environment. Instead he target, manipulates, and coerces Non into having sexual relations with him. He knows the power imbalance he holds, first as a teacher and then with the 300 million baht he 'gave' him. Mr. Keng, knowing that Non's not close to his 'friends', physically isolates him. He takes him to his office that's half-lit, located in a long hallway with, seemingly, very little foot traffic. He prods at Non, asking what's been bothering him and has him visibly become emotional, before offering his care. He's a complete and utter predator, in every sense of the term.

I hope he dies a long, painful death.

Non and Jin

First and foremost, whether or not Jin was ultimately the one that posted the video does not matter. Filming a classmate being sexually assaulted is still child porn at the very least and, possibly, revenge porn (if he disseminated the video) at the worst. I was on the same boat as @respectthepetty and their take that Jin had to be the worst of them all. Like they said in that post, Jin is a coward and he even admits to it. There's nothing more cowardly than hiding behind a door, filming you supposed 'friend' getting sexually abused by your teacher, and then even considering putting up on social media for revenge because your heart is broken.

Yes, Top framed Non. Yes, Por demanded (and bullied) money from Non. Yes, Tee brought Non to the mafia. Those are all very bad things, don't get me wrong. All the physical and mental abuse they put Non through was hell. Yet, Jin was the only one aware that Non had already been seeing someone, which seemingly had upset him already. Then he sees him with Mr. Keng and instead of reporting that his alleged friend was being assaulted, he gets angry and films Non at his most vulnerable point in life. Even Fluke didn't want any part of that.

Jin takes away Non's dignity. And at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether he uploaded it online or not, he was still the one to film, transfer that file onto his computer, and contemplate whether he was going to post it or not. At every point since he found that Non and Mr. Kreng were in that room, he rendered Non powerless. That video would have never been uploaded if it hadn't existed in the first place. With just a point of a camera and click of a button, he is revictimizing Non every. single. time. that video is opened and seen by another person.

There are no words to fully describe or explain that kind of trauma that he has subjected Non to.

Final Thoughts

This episode was nauseating. It honestly took me about two hours just to get to the end. Usually, I can watch through a show I enjoy really quickly, but this episode was so hard to digest. And that's simply due to how realistic they are approaching the subject of Non and Mr. Keng.

Barcode and Ta really are the stars of the show. I'm not saying that the other castmates aren't amazing in their roles, but man TaBarcode really know are hitting every single emotional beat. I was never a TaBarcode nor a MacauChay girlie, but man Be On Cloud has truly brought out their best this time around. Even though I fully know we are heading towards an incredibly heart wrenching ending for PheeNon, I can't help but want to hoard and scramble for moments of them together.

It's crazy how well, everyone was able to pull their weight this episode. There were so many moments that with less talented, less experienced actors, could have fallen flat, but they didn't. Ta and Barcode's PheeNon was so incredibly heart-beating, butterfly inducing before we were brought back into their reality outside of their relationship. 2J and Barcode's scenes were.... so disgustingly real, for lack of better words. I knew that storyline was never going to end well but it had been more than I ever expected Be On Cloud to release. They're tackling such real issues that weigh on teens with incredible tact, there's no romanticizing what happened. Even Phee's reaction was so understandable when you put yourself in the shoes of a teenager. I'll reiterate again and again, whatever you think about Be On Cloud as a management company, as a production company, they really are breaking boundaries and doing something right. Whatever happens in the second half, I think I'll be here, recovering, for a long time.

[zexapher]

A Fond Farewell

With Rooster Teeth beginning its draw down, an era has truly passed. The company has lasted more than two decades. 18 (soon 19) seasons, five mini-series, and cameos and references in Halo itself for Red vs Blue. 9 volumes alongside two movies, a chibi series, Ice Queendom, and its own games for RWBY. And so much more beyond that, RT Shorts, podcasts, Achievement Hunter, The Slow Mo Guys, and on and on. That’s a lot, especially for a little startup launching off a web series. I was listening to “This Isn’t Goodbye, It’s See You Later” by Richie Branson while I was making this little memorial post. It’s a song made for another Rooster Teeth show, Camp Camp, and I have to say it’s some very appropriate music for this moment.

The day the news dropped, I wrote up a little comment in response to Rooster Teeth beginning its closing down, and I thought I’d share some of it here. I grew up with Rooster Teeth, a bit of a cheesy line I know, but it’s true for a lot of us. I was just a little kid way back in the early 2000’s, a kid that liked Halo (a game I didn’t even own for a long time, but played at a friend’s house), and was just getting curious about what I could find about it on YouTube. And that brought me into the world of music videos and skits and montages made for that little game I liked.

From there, I discovered a small web series called Red vs. Blue. I’d sneak onto my folk’s computer to watch it since they didn’t appreciate the language, and in doing so I dipped my toes into the wide world of the internet for the first time. As I got older, I eventually hopped onto Reddit for its discussion threads of Rooster Teeth’s latest show, RWBY. I began my first in-depth fandom interactions, speculating about the show, enjoying the flood of fanart, even got into fanfics about RWBY (those fics have had their own amazing evolution alongside the show) and to this day it’s the fandom I’ve followed and bookmarked the most fics from. All the while I was making friends and bonding with people through the community this company and its shows have created.

Watching the shows and people grow over time was, looking back on it, just like watching myself grow. I was never really a social media/internet kind of guy, until it came to Rooster Teeth. The shows, shorts, podcasts, it all opened up a whole new world for me. It’s sad to see it coming to a close, and I hope it gets picked up in the future. But I’m happy, too, that it’s left so much behind, and had such an impact on me. It’s left me with so many good memories. Rooster Teeth, its shows, those that created and worked on it, and above all the community around it will always have a special place in my heart.

So, I bid a fond farewell to Rooster Teeth and its crew, and anyone who may drift away from the fandom in time. I wish you all the best.

[midnightmusings06]

Valentine’s Headcanons- SDV Bachelor Edition Pt. 2

summary: What the sdv bachelors would do for you on Valentine’s Day!

pairing: sdv bachelors x gender neutral farmer 

category: fluff

word count: 865

a/n: these are inspired by some of the heart events + personal headcanons <3 and a continuation of my previous post!

Alex:

Alex knocks on your door early Valentine‘s morning, a small hand picked bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand and a blush tinting his cheeks.

“Happy Valentine’s Day! I know it’s early but I thought maybe I could take you for a walk this morning?” He puts an arm behind his head, looking a little nervous.

The two of you enjoy a peaceful morning beach walk, his hand clutched in yours, as the cool ocean water washes over your feet.

As you walk, you find several beautiful shells, handing them to Alex to put in his pockets as you walk.

“Darling just what do you intend to do with all these shells?”

“They’re for keepsakes of course!” You grin, placing more shells in his pocket.

He rolls his eyes, but you know he’s only teasing you.

When you return back to your house, you decide to make ice cream together, despite it being quite cold outside.

The two of you make a huge mess of cream and sugar, but it’s all worth it when you spoon feed each other your homemade creation.

The weather clears for a bit, so Alex proposes playing football together, which results in the football hitting you in the head due to your lack of hand eye coordination. 

“Y/n! Are you alright? I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you!” He rushes to your side, and while it only hurts momentarily, he treats you as though you’ve suffered a grave injury.

He wraps you up in his hoodie, now devoid of your shells which now lay on your counter, as you holds you from behind on your couch, threading his fingers through your hair as the two of you eventually fall asleep.

Shane:

You hadn’t expected Shane to do anything special for Valentine’s Day, as he’d expressed discontent with the idea of the holiday before, claiming it was “just another Hallmark holiday”.

You also hadn’t expected Shane to invite you to his place for, in his words, “a special movie night”. 

When you arrive, you find his room clad with comfy blankets and pillows, where you sit next to him on his bed, making yourself cozy.

“Before I show you my surprise, I have a gift for you.” 

He pulls out two matching sets of pajamas, covered in blue chickens.

After you put your pajamas on, he leads you to sit on the bed as he connects his laptop to his mini tv.

A small film montage begins to play, as he nestles up next to you, laying his head in your lap.

Clips from dates and candid photos and shots he took when you weren’t looking, stitched together with your favorite song playing in the background.

You comb your fingers through his hair, tears beginning to brim in your eyes watching this film made of love.

The film ends, and Shane looks up at you, a small smile on his face, “Do you like it? I know it’s kinda cheesy but I thought-Mmph!” 

You cut him off, connecting your lips with his in a tender embrace, moving in tandem.

“I love it darling, it’s perfect.” You smile down at him.

“Thank you, for always staying by my side. I know I don’t deserve you, but thank you. I love you with all my being.” He whispers, a sweet utterance kept between the two of you.

Sam:

Sam made sure to give you an idea of his plans several days before Valentine’s Day, telling you brimming with excitement, 

“It’s gonna be the perfect day! We’re gonna go to Stardrop for an epic gaming sesh, you should wear your comfiest pajamas because why not! Oh and bring blankets, snacks and all the good vibes to my place! I can’t wait!”

You show up at Sam’s house that morning wearing your favorite pajamas, with your favorite candy and blanket in hand, where he greets you in his own pajamas.

You walk to Stardrop Saloon together, and compete in several rounds of Junimo Kart, Journey of the Prairie King, and pool.

“Ugh not again! You win y/n,” Sam sighs, having lost another round of pool against you.

Throwing your hands up in victory, you exclaim, “Victory is mine once again! Have you finally given up yet?” 

He pouts, until you wrap him in a big hug.

After heading back to his house after a few more rounds of arcade games, you walk into his room which is completely decked out in pillows, and a small pillow fort sits in the middle of the room, battery operated lights haphazardly strung about them.

“Tada! What do you think? I worked all night last night to make it, but then I fell asleep and it fell apart, so I had to rebuild it this morning!” He rambles, a small blush growing on his cheeks.

He grabs your hand, leading you into the small fort, where your snacks and blankets await for maximum comfort.

He moved his family’s tv to his room for the occasion, where he had a stack of the best 90s and 80s movies you two loved ready to watch. 

Eventually, the two of you fell asleep watching The Breakfast Club, wrapped in each other’s warm embrace. 

[lurkingshan]

A list of sins in the Wandee Goodday finale

Yak finally confessed that he is still having hallucinations when he steps into the ring—and Dee did NOT tell him to bow out of the fight.

Dee magically cured Yak’s years long trauma ringside and there were zero consequences for Yak lying and hiding his mental health struggles for the entire show.

Yak gave a big speech about Dee believing in him more than he believed in himself—which is not the actual story we got on our screens. Cool fanwank of your own show, though, I guess!

The show began with telling us that Yak could not be out with a man because of the effect of homophobia on his career, and now he’s doing love confessions in the ring and this is apparently fine. Add it to the list of GMMTV shows trying to have it both ways with the bubble.

They only gave us Kao’s love story via a retrospective exposition dump and an awkwardly shoehorned in asexuality PSA. They could have actually written him a plot and showed us these themes, but I guess that was too much to ask.

The money problems magically went away by Yak winning one fight, and there was no fallout for Yei hiding things from Cher.

Ter and Taem were paired up as expected—A POX ON YOUR HOUSES WRITING TEAM. Everyone who caught the signs that they intended to redeem Ter was correct; I have no idea why they chose to have him harass and assault Dee when this was their intention the entire time. Pairing him with a character who survived a different assault makes it so much worse. Just another sign of the poor judgment behind this show.

Yak’s graduation becomes a background detail handled with a two second appearance in a montage.

And instead we spend time on a very strange PSA telling us that old people have sex, too? How this is relevant to anything I could not tell you.

Continuing their bad dynamic from the entire story, Dee pretends he’s not going to thank Yak in his little beauty pageant speech (that he’s giving for receiving a professional scholarship, for some reason). Contra the writers of this show, I don’t actually think it’s funny that Yak feels so insecure and Dee is always fucking with him.

DEE SANG A GODDAMN SONG. WHY?!? This show has just gotten so embarrassing.

Dee finally asks Yak to be his “real” boyfriend, but it has no meaning because he already has been for weeks. And they already did the big public kiss moment in episode 11! It’s like they wanted the tension of not letting them get together until the end but were not willing to sacrifice the weekly ship moments so they tried to have it both ways. It just did not work. Tell a good story or make a branded pair content vehicle removed from story, you can’t do both.

They made Yei and Cher’s wedding kiss so weird by having Yak and Dee do it first whyyyyyyyyyyy

Welp! At least I got to see Oyei and Cher get married; I’ll be hanging onto that one.

This one goes down as the show that finally pushed me over the edge re: GMMTV and their tendency to start strong before completely losing the plot. I was primed to love this show and it thoroughly let me down. None of the threads they set up at the start were followed through and virtually nothing that happened in this story had real consequences or meaningfully mattered. What an absolute waste of a fantastic cast and a solid and fun premise. I will be skipping most GMMTV dramas going forward unless I hear they hold up all the way through.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the Loki season 2 finale, "Glorious Purpose."

Loki ends with its titular god claiming his throne — just not the one he expected.

The Marvel Disney+ show concluded its second season this week, seemingly saying goodbye to Tom Hiddleston's Loki. In an effort to stop the universe from collapsing in on itself, Loki learns to control his "time-slipping," using it to go back further and further in time. With help from Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), Mobius (Owen Wilson), and O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), he tries again and again to fix the TVA's temporal loom and prevent a meltdown. But every time he goes back, he fails, and he spends literal centuries reliving the same events over and over.

Eventually, Loki admits defeat and chooses to sacrifice himself to save every universe. Walking toward the temporal loom, he grabs the very fabric of space-time and uses it to build a throne of his own, weaving the threads together to create a tree. (It's a nod to the legendary world tree Yggdrasil from Norse mythology.) With that, Loki essentially crowns himself master of the multiverse, watching over every timeline as a lonely god. It's the ultimate selfless act from one of Marvel's most notorious villains — a villain who once sicced an alien invasion on New York to get his dad's attention.

Here, executive producer Kevin Wright breaks down the series' emotional finale — from the throwback line that Hiddleston improvised to whether this is really the end for Loki.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you decide this was how you wanted Loki's story to end?

KEVIN WRIGHT: I think we knew in season 1. Once we were going to do a season 2, we knew that Loki would end up on the throne. That was always the easy thing. The question was: How do you want that to feel for the audience? There's a version that's triumphant and super heroic. There's a version where it's an evil turn. But it was always about the emotional journey we wanted people to go on. It was about building that journey to be as cathartic as possible and to feel like a payoff for six movies and 12 episodes over 12 years with this guy. It was always about building that arc to be as fulfilling as possible.

Most of the episode is dedicated to this sort of time loop, where we see Loki trying over and over again to get things right and fix the loom, almost in a Groundhog Day kind of situation. What was fun about getting to do that endless loop?

Even in season 1, we always wanted to do a Run Lola Run thing, but there was never space for it. So once we started going into loops this season in the writing process, we thought, "Oh, let's finally do it." So much of that is total credit to Paul Zucker, the editor of the episode. That montage wasn't scripted per se. We knew Loki was going to be rerunning things, but it wasn't written exactly the way that it played.

A really fun thing, though, was that our cast — outside of Tom — had no idea what we were doing. They understood that he was rerunning time, but we shot a very different ending to episode 4 that was not the real ending. All the cast thought something very different would happen. We would send them away on lunch breaks, and Tom would take his lunch later, and he would just keep shooting with [directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead] with a skeleton crew. There were very few people that fully understood what we were building in that finale. So, for that core team, I think there was a lot of satisfaction when everybody was able to sit down and see how it came together. It just felt like this little secret.

What do you remember most about watching Tom film those final scenes?

Two moments really jump to mind. The first is a little bit of a longer story. There's the scene with He Who Remains, and that was scripted one way. We had this fear, like, "Is this going to feel like we're retreading the same ground as season 1?" Would it be fulfilling? We started shooting one day, and anybody in any creative field will understand this: There are days where the words are right, they way you're doing it is right, but it's just not adding up. Something was missing. We knew we weren't nailing it, and I had to make the call. That is really scary, when your first AD just wants to keep moving, and I said we were going to stop shooting.

Tom went and sat down with our script supervisor and basically did this insane crash course in 30 minutes of every line that had been said on the whole series. Then, he went for a run around the lot at Pinewood [Studios], and when he came back, he was like, "I know what this needs to be now." Then, he and Jonathan worked out what it was going to be, and they sat down with Justin and Aaron and me and Katie Blair, our production writer. They just quickly rewrote this new scene and shot it. It was just the pinnacle of what Tom does. He has such a finger on the pulse of this entire series and how that scene had to go. In a moment, he was able to reconfigure it with all of our collaborators.

The other thing is that final line before he steps out toward the loom, which is the Thor line, which was not scripted. Right before we were going to shoot that, Tom came and pitched it to me, like, "Should we do this?" We were like, "God, why did we not write that?" It was perfect, and it was 100 percent Tom.

I wanted to ask about that line, where Loki turns to Sylvie and Mobius and says he has to do this "for you, for all of us." It's a direct throwback to one of his lines in the original 2011 Thor. So that was a Tom Hiddleston improvisation?

It was 100 percent Tom. We had already done a few takes of the first part of that line, which was, "I know what kind of god I need to be." And on the final take, Tom said, "Hey, can I try this?" As soon as he said it, all of us were like, "This is going to be the take." It almost gave me Truman Show vibes, that final sign-off, looking straight down the camera. But that story gets to the heart of how Tom is always trying to make things better. We just had to build a series that could give him the framework to have those creative pivots. Everyone would just kind of throw their hands up and say, "Geez, this is why this guy is fantastic."

With Loki in charge of the multiverse, this could affect how (and if) we might see Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror in future Marvel projects. For you, where does this finale leave Kang and his future in the MCU?

I'm going to tread probably infuriatingly lightly, but for me — and I know all the filmmakers agree — we think everything is there on screen. I think all the details are there, and there is a lot that people haven't picked up on, or haven't fully understood what is being said. The key to the future is in that conversation with Sylvie, and this doesn't necessarily undo any of those threats. In my mind, it's what Sylvie said: "At least give us a chance. Let us fight that battle for ourselves and define our own destiny."

I also wanted to ask about that final shot of Mobius in Ohio, where he's standing there silently, watching time pass. Why was that the right ending for Mobius?

In the big picture of the show, we wanted this to feel like a real ending. We wanted to give closure on a number of things, and we didn't want to do anything that felt like it was just teeing up a new story. But you could plant new seeds that could become new stories. My feeling with that scene in Ohio is that it's Mobius overcoming a personal obstacle. He just had to go and look. The show is not telling you whether he's going to stay there, or whether he's going to go back to the TVA. I think both are possibilities. But the important thing was the character growth of him going to do the thing he has been avoiding. I think it took what Loki did to cause Mobius to go, "I have this opportunity. This opportunity was given to me by Loki. The least I can do is go."

So that being said, is this the end for Loki? Is this a season finale, or is it a series finale?

I'm thinking of it kind of like a comic run, and this is the end of that comic run. I know [head writer Eric Martin] has said this a lot: These two seasons were two chapters of the same book, and we wanted to close the book. That was a challenge from Owen in between seasons: He was like, "Nobody has the courage to close the book! Let's close the book!"

Again, I speak for myself and not Marvel, but I am certainly pitching ideas of where I could see certain stories going. I think there are a lot of stories you can tell at the TVA, and we are just scratching the surface on that. I would love to see more stories with Loki, and I think Tom would continue to play this character until he is Richard E. Grant's Classic Loki [laughs]. But I don't think that means you need to have this story every year or every two years. It's about doing it when we have a good story to tell. I would love to keep working with these filmmakers.

We built a really awesome team, and if Loki is Breaking Bad, maybe there's a way for this team to keep telling stories with our version of Better Call Saul — whether that's with Sylvie, with the TVA, or with a new Loki. But we only want to do that if we have the right story and it can be just as fulfilling as this one. After all, you can't be the God of Stories if you're not going to tell more stories.

[strywoven]

closed ( ft. knives + kaen ) . / @stellarhistoria

Not often is Kaen specifically called upon , summoned from their dutiful destruction to approach Knives himself.  It is a sign of FAVOR , this calamitous doe has heard , but still doubt lurks behind their thoughts as they stand and await his arrival , perched on the precarious edge of some nervous anticipation ; what could he possibly want with them after all the time ?  Nothing with Knives is ever so straightforward , and Kaen doubts he has asked them to come merely to again acknowledge their loyalty to both him and his ideals ( truths of which have steadily become their own , oddly enough ) .

It is this incorrigible unknowing that undoes them , raises a stricken match underneath their nerves which only light ABLAZE when they sense him enter and approach.  Almost too easily , Kaen culls their uncertainty , forcing it to silence and back into the recesses as they dip their head l o w to the greater once he rounds their shoulder and stands before them.  The important thing is that they are here per request , without question.

Without lifting their head ( after all , one must not look him in the eye out of respect ) , Kaen speaks up , their tone soft but resonate , flowing through the space with a quiet p o w e r , ❝ … Wha’s th’ occasion ? ❞  Only ever alone , just the two , does the doe think themself in any position to so brazenly talk casually with him , as if t e a s i n g ( & not once has he corrected them , either ) .

[mrs5sn0w]

Serenade of Shadows

I : A Dance of Shadows -> II : Whisper of Deceit -> III : A Symphony of Heartbreak -> IV : Fractured Reflections -> V : Shadows of Allegiance-> VI : Echoes of Decent

Series Masterlist

Young!Coriolanus Snow x Fem!reader

warnings: Arranged marriage, MILD ANGST, unrequited love, friends to enemies, enemies to lovers

Reader's surname : Flare

Time frame: Before, during and after tbosbas

Synopsis : In the events of Panem's political dynamics and the 10th annual Hunger Games, Coriolanus Snow and her find themselves entwined. Standing at the brink of an enforced union, 6 years later, their mutual trust unravels amidst a damaging misinterpretation, prompting Coriolanus to believe the wrong. As the glacial barriers guarding his emotions begin to melt, a revelation of profound feelings unfolds, initiating a sprint against time for redemption.

The Academy bore witness a friendship that would echo through the corridors of time. In the their youth, Coriolanus Snow and her forged bonds that transcended the boundaries of academic pursuits.

Their journey through the Academy was a dance of shared laughter, intellectual banter, and the unspoken friendship that defined their connection. She was a vibrant force of creativity, and Coriolanus Snow was no different.

"Coryo, have you ever wondered what lies beyond these walls? The world beyond our textbooks and exams?"

Snow, his eyes focused on the distant horizon, considered the question.

"The future is a realm of uncertainties, Flare. I prefer to focus on the present."

She persisted, her enthusiasm undiminished. "But what if we could shape our own destinies? Break free from the expectations of the Capitol?"

He regarded her, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. "Our paths are preordained but the Capitol is our life."

Their classes became a sanctuary of shared aspirations and mutual understanding.

As the sun dipped below the Capitol skyline, casting a warm glow across the Academy courtyard, she broached the unspoken realm of their connection.

"do you ever think about us? beyond the expectations placed upon us?"

Snow, caught off guard, allowed a rare smile to grace his stoic features.

"What do you mean ?"

"Forget what I said, the reaping day is coming, do you think they'll announce who's gonna get the Plinth Prize ?"

She knew it must be him who gets the prize. She knew he needed it more than she does.

In those fleeting moments, beneath the shadows of the Academy's pillars, a subtle dance of emotions unfolded.

His face sparked a smile, hoping that it would be himself who got the prize,after all, he wouldn't want his hard work to go into waste.

"I hope so..." he let out a long breath while looking at the smiling girl in her red uniform

Unbeknownst to him, she harbored a sentiment deeper than friendship, a quiet flame that flickered in the recesses of her heart.

Reaping day approached with a sense of urgency, the anticipation hung in the air, threading through the classrooms like an unspoken undercurrent.

One evening, in the dim glow of the Academy library, she dared to tread the delicate ground of vulnerability.

"I would really fail any exam just so you can get the prize, Coryo."

He met her gaze,

"Why would you do that ?"

She gently grabbed his hands

"you're the one who has every reason in this world to get it more than anyone, you're Coriolanus Snow, look at how far we've come, you're gonna be someone amazing in Panem."

His heart stopped beating, confused at how she was reacting. No one believes in him like she did. No one had faith in him like she did.

A gentle smile was plastered across his face,

"you're gonna be an amazing woman as well. Panem is going to look at you one day and be grateful that you are born into this world."

Their final days were a montage of shared dreams and sidelong glances, the unspoken understanding between them growing into something deeper.

Yet, in the delicate dance of emotions, Corio remained oblivious to the blossoming romance that she harbored.

The Reaping Day arrived, casting a pall over the top 24 students of the Academy. She wore a stunning nude colored corset dress, that embraced her curves, featuring sleeves that gracefully hug her arms. The dress emphasized her collarbones, adding an elegant touch. Her hairstyle complements the look with soft waves cascading down her shoulders, framing her face and enhancing the overall sophistication of the ensemble.

Coryo and her sat side by side, hearing the announcement from Dean Highbottom of the obligatory mentorship to the tributes. They sat as names intertwined in the cruel lottery of tributes.

A silent understanding passed between them, a shared acknowledgment of the dangerous journey that awaited. They did not know what they were getting into.

"District 8, boy, y/n Flare"

Her eyes looked over the screen of a boy named Bobbins, hope glimmered across her eyes, only wishing the best for her tribute.

"District 12, girl goes to Coriolanus Snow"

As Lucy Gray Baird is called forth as a tribute during the reaping day, her demeanor contrasts the somber atmosphere. She wore a dress that catches the light, its colors reminiscent of the wild.

Despite the gravity of the moment, the district 12 female tribute's gaze holds a spark of defiance, and her posture exudes a quiet strength. The curls of her hair cascade down, a vivid contrast against the muted tones of the crowd. In that pivotal moment, Flare knew that Lucy Gray stands as a symbol of resilience and individuality.

Snow and Flare locked eyes,

they were saying good luck internally to each other.

Snow and her were determined to make a winner out of their tributes.

She was impressed with how Bobbin managed to captivate the audience by explaining five different ways to kill someone with a sewing needle.

Then, when she was asleep during the night of Day one, unbeknownst to her, Snow had left the academy to the arena on a mission to get his friend Sejanus out.

Coriolanus Snow experiences a tumult of conflicting emotions when he killed Bobbin, Flare's tribute.

The act weighs heavily on him, and a sense of remorse and unease lingers.

Coryo grapples with the harsh reality of the Games and the choices it forces upon him, questioning the morality of his actions. The incident leaves an ineradicable mark on his conscience, he decides never to let this be known.

Especially her.

Her eyes widened, a sudden jolt coursing through her body as fact that her tribute died sank in. Her breath caught, a sharp inhale betraying the shock that gripped her. The world felt suspended, and disbelief etched itself across her face, a mask of astonishment and heart-wrenching realization.

There was no recording of her tribute dying, which is impossible. Bobbin could have not died suddenly.

Someone must've killed him.

Her brows furrowed, caught in the turbulent mixture of emotion. Confusion knit lines across her forehead as she struggled to make sense of the unfolding situation.

Then anger simmered beneath the surface, her eyes flashing with an intensity fueled by frustration and disbelief. It was a storm of conflicting feelings, each wave crashing into the next, leaving her torn between the chaos of confusion and the fiery surge of anger.

The air around her crackled with unresolved emotions, a volatile blend that painted her expression with a mix of perplexity and a smoldering indignation.

She eyed the boy who she had feelings for,

"It's not fair, there's no record of anyone killing him, the broadcast must've been frozen or someone must've sabotaged him" she insisted

With a remorseful gaze, he uttered, "I'm sorry, Flare," his apologetic words weaving through the air, a confession concealed as she remained oblivious to the intricacies of his furtive actions.

Her heavy steps lead her outside the room, a storm of anger in her eyes and a resolute determination fueling every step, driven by a resolute need to unravel the mysteries of what actually happened.

___

"I need to know the truth" She whispered in a hushed tones, slipping a bundle of cash to the shadowy figure.

As she gazed over the surveillance camera, a tidal wave of emotions crashed through her, leaving devastation in its wake.

Sejanus and Coryo running for their lives as Bobbin chased after them. She then witnessed the gruesome murder of her tribute and mentee. The betrayal cut deep, an unseen dagger thrust into the core of her trust. Shock mingled with disbelief, and a profound ache settled in her chest.

The echoes of their shared moments, the laughter, and camaraderie, now tainted by the stain of his actions, echoed through her mind.

Anguish painted her features, and the realization of his betrayal felt like the shattering of something precious. In that moment, innocence crumbled, replaced by a raw, searing pain that marked the end of the girl who once believed in him.

She whispered, "Coriolanus Snow, how could you?"

The elusive figure responded, "Truth has its own price, my dear."

Faced with an intricate choice, even in betrayal, she sought salvation for Coriolanus,

'Protect him, even if it means sacrificing Sejanus.' she said to herself.

The web of deceit tightened, capturing Coryo in the damning revelation despite her desperate gambit to shift the blame to Sejanus.

The clacking sounds of her heels sounded through the hallway as she made her way to Dean Casca Highbottom.

"I have something to report, Mr Highbottom."

As she began unraveling the narrative, detailing Sejanus's involvement, a chilling revelation interrupted her desperate plea.

"You do know that your dear Coriolanus has been involved in cheating." Shock seized her as the revelation unfolded – Coriolanus Snow, the very person she sought to protect, exposed for his deceit.

The weight of betrayal and the magnitude of his cunning unfolded before her eyes. In that moment, she stood frozen, grappling with the stark truth that shattered the illusions she held.

What more did he do ? Who is he becoming ? This isn't the Coryo she knew.

Dean disclosed Snow's cheating endeavors, providing Lucy Gray with a compact powder with rat poison and a handkerchief bearing his father's emblem.

Her efforts to shield Coriolanus crumbled in the face of Snow's deceit.

"You did this because you knew he killed your dear tribute ? Poor little girl, how stupid"

"How did you-"

"Oh I know dear, I know..."

Dean's stern words echoed the futility of her attempts to protect someone who had betrayed not only her trust but the very essence of the Games' integrity.

Then came the turning point, a twist of fate that would cast a long shadow over their friendship.

Dean's voice cut through the tense air like a blade.

___

"What about Lucy Gray ?" Snow worriedly asked

"I would be worried about your own future if I were you" Dean spoke

"Miss Flare, your dear friend, has been quite forthcoming about your involvement."

Snow, unaware of the orchestrated trap, felt the ground beneath him tremble.

"Flare?" he questioned, the word heavy with disbelief.

Dean nodded, his expression a mask of stern authority. His accusatory gaze bore into Snow as he spoke with calculated precision.

"Miss Flare has disclosed your attempt to cheat in the Hunger Games. She provided detailed accounts of your covert actions, betraying not only the trust of your fellow tributes but also the integrity of the Games."

Snow's eyes widened in disbelief, a storm of emotions churning within him. "Flare? She told you about this?"

Dean nodded, maintaining an air of authority. "Yes, Snow. She confessed, hoping to shield you, but the truth has an uncanny way of surfacing."

"Also, she was feeling rather....furious that you killed her tribute"

The revelation left Snow grappling with a profound sense of betrayal, as Flare's desperate gambit to protect him morphed into an unexpected accusation that threatened to shatter his carefully constructed world.

The revelation hung in the air, a sinister turn of events that spun a narrative of betrayal. The trap tightened, ensnaring Snow in a web of deceit orchestrated by the very person he trusted.

Accusations of betrayal surfaced, linking her to covert strategies that backfired in the arena. The Capitol, always hungry for drama, reveled in the narrative of treachery.

Betrayal, however, was a phantom that haunted the shadows of truth. Snow, consumed by the bitterness of perceived betrayal, severed ties with her.

The friendship that weathered the storms of academia crumbled, leaving behind the echoes of what could have been.

Emotions surged through Snow like a tumultuous tide, his initial disbelief morphing into an overwhelming sense of anger.

The disclosure of Flare's admission, initially perceived as a protective act, now felt like an unexpected betrayal.

Dean's words, delivered with meticulous precision, only added fuel to Snow's rising fury. The burden of betrayal pressed heavily on him, as the realization dawned that Flare, in her attempt to shield him, had unintentionally entangled him in her admission.

Snow's eyes glowed with resentment, and an intense anger gripped him, a blazing fire stoked by the unforeseen turn of events, jeopardizing not only his standing but the very core of everything.

---Present Day----

Stuck in the present, their eyes mirroring the weight of untold histories. The grandeur of their wedding day was now tainted by the lingering shadows of a friendship lost.

In the quiet of their shared existence, as the Capitol reveled in the celebration of their union, the dance through time echoed with the poignant melodies of what once was. Snow, bound by duty, and she, she trapped in a loveless union, were left to navigate the intricate steps of a dance that transcended the boundaries of past and present. The grand wedding, a tableau of splendor, concealed the intricate dance of hearts left in the shadows.

taglist : @randomgurl2326

[probablygoodrpgideas]

I had a dream about a resolution mechanic for offscreen/montage events. The players list some number (say 3 or 4) of goals they want to accomplish, eg: "no townspeople die", "we keep the fire crystal secret", and "we send the guild a firm message". Then they roll a pool of dice (d3s probably) and can allocate the results to the different goals. Multiple dice can go towards one goal. Each goal has a difficulty threshold set by the DM. Usually the PCs will succeed two goals and fail one. This is a fun way to resolve background events while adding interesting plot threads.

Love this, also can you teach me how to do game design in my dreams

[moirindeclermont]

Daily thread about BridgertonS3: can a 4 second scene be enough to write a whole thread about it? We shall find out.

Do I have to tell you to what scene I'm referring to? I'm sure you know the one! This is about why that scene is important, btw.

First thing first, yes it's a crime that's only 4 second. I want the whole montage as well, but... Even with how little we have, it's still possible to say a lot!

Of course, position is important. Now, having a woman on top doesn't necessarily mean that she is the one in power. But, in the context of cinema and tropes, having a woman on top means she is the one in control. And it's not done by chance. The intention is to show a shift in dynamic.

After the resolution of the LW drama, Colin has already accepted his woman is not passive. Not with her life and certainly not with her pleasure. I bet that Colin felt amazing in that moment, knowing that he could give power to Pen would add another layer of intimacy in their relationship.

And Pen now is confident enough (because of the support Colin gave her) to manifest that power. Not that before she was passive, but of course she didn't know what to do. Not this time. This time she takes what she wants, and in sharing this connection their relationship becomes even deeper.

The fact that she has the robe and he is naked is also not by chance. Someone said that the robe she has on it's very similar (if not the same) from whe she's writing LW's issue. Having her on top with that robe, means Colin accept his wife in all her identities. Pen and LW. of course we already know, but in showing us this glimpse, we are informed of how deeply Colin accepted his wife.

In the end, they become truly equal even in the last aspect of their relationship. And as for anything else, this shows a real partnership , with solid foundation and love in-between them. All in a 4 second scene... (But if Netflix wants to give us the full 4 minutes, I'm not going to complain 😂)

[leothil]

Okay I'm thinking some more thoughts about Christopher and the use of the red umbrella on Buck's balcony, because I think it''s more connected to parenthood rather than danger, as I first thought.

As many have noted, in S6 we first saw the umbrella in the background in 6x04 (Animal Instincts) when Connor comes over to apologize for blindsiding Buck with the request to be his and Kameron's sperm donor.

It's very conspicuous in the background of this shot, almost like a divider between Buck and Connor. The scene continues with Connor talking about feeling like a total failure for letting down the woman he loves, and how he'd assumed the fault was with her. Interestingly, the umbrella is never in sight during the last scene of the episode where Buck tells Connor and Kameron that he will be their sperm donor. At least to me that makes it seem like it points more to the concept of family and fatherhood that Buck and Connor are discussing; the tone of the conversation is very much about longing for a family and feeling desperate that your own faults is what's holding you back from having one.

The next time we see the umbrella is actually in 6x08 (What's Your Fantasy?) when Buck is watching Jee-Yun.

It's only kind of visible in the background during the first part of the babysitting montage, but it's still noticeable, because you don't see it at all while Maddie and Chimney are in the apartment, even though similar shots are used where it very well could've been seen. But it makes sense that it wouldn't be as prominent with Jee-Yun - while Buck loves her, he's very clear on his role as her uncle. So it's more about Buck flexing his parenting muscles rather than actually acting in the role of a parent.

The next time the red umbrella makes an appearance is in 6x09 (Red Flag) when Buck reveals that Kameron is pregnant.

For the duration of the group call you can see the umbrella flapping in the wind behind Buck. Chimney wonders if they should congratulate him, Eddie says that would feel weird, and Buck (a bit later) says he's happy for them and that he'd been worrying about setting them up for more disappointment in case it didn't work. Very much the same train of thought as Connor in 6x05!

In 6x11 (In Another Life) the umbrella flashes by again, both in the coma dream and in the real world. Here it's very much in the background, though, and I think it's just as part of the set rather than having any symbolic role; it's never in focus or prominently visible in the background like in these other cases.

Now, in 6x12 (Recovery) it's harder to argue that they're not playing with some kind of symbolism with the umbrella!

We spend quite a bit of the first half of the episode in Buck's apartment, but the only time the umbrella is visible is when Connor comes over - not with Maddie there, not with Hen there. And once again the conversation between Connor and Buck touches on parenthood. Connor seems to hint at being a little bit spooked about becoming a father (understandable): "You hope for something for so long and when it finally happens it doesn't quite feel real."

And finally, today (yesterday for you living in UTC-negative time zones) it was there again in 6x13 (Mixed Feelings).

In this precious I-have-read-about-this-in-1000-fanfics scene Buck and Chris are baking cookies for Chris' class. The umbrella is visible during the whole scene, hanging out behind Christopher's head. It's very hard to not see this as a parenting scene: Buck and Chris are hanging out without Eddie, at Buck's house, and doing something for school. Buck even kindly rebuffs Chris' question about having cookies for dinner.

Does this mean anything? Who knows! But it's fascinating to be able to find similar themes connecting the scenes where the red umbrella is featured! If I were to guess, I'd say parenthood is the connective thread between all these different scenes, and specifically parenthood in connection to Buck. We've already seen him trying to figure out his own life more during this season, and the sperm donor storyline definitely seems to nudge him towards thinking about his own role as dad and guardian. The very domestic scenes with Eddie and Christopher have only served to underline this, in my opinion!

I am still very suspicious about this shot of Chris at the end of 6x07 (Cursed) though. Very suspicious.

[mejomonster]

If you never saw qi hun (cdrama adaptation of hikaru no go made by iqiyi, free on youtube sometimes) then u did not yet witness the fact that. Shi guang and yu liang are in a slow burn enemy/friends to lovers, including the WALL in between trope, the cell phone call looking through the window with leaves blowing in the wind as they lock eyes for the first time in years, the WATCH gift and breakup, the Went Missing with his ghost bestie on the Mountain so was rescued, the playing pair go, the staying in the temple together and bonding as they do chores, the spying on each other and asking if the other mentioned him nonstop, the trying to get to each other again, and of course moving in together. (Along with, you know, the angst and heartwarming and very gneuinely lovely story about friends, growing up, and having passions for things you care about even if you arent the best, which hikaru no go always has).

I am never going to be over the watch scenes. I cant even express how much the Bad Buddy watch thing just reminds me of the Qi Hun scenes gifting the watch and giving it back during the break up. Just. I mean i dunno how shippy the original was. But qi hun shipped shi guang and yu liang and fully commited to their vision, and gave them a happy ending.

Also it is. The only competition hobby story ive been able to finish. Because it recognizes many people can love things (like go) and never be the best, will fail or trip on the way to dreams, may even need to give them up. But the simple act of doing what you loved, even badly, was worth it. The friends you enjoyed your time with, that threaded into your life, care about you regardless. Not everything is about winning or losing. In a way its like chu ying learning, like yu liang. Its about being with the people we care about, and doing things we like. Win or lose, its worth our time. The montage of yu liang and shi guang at the end playing many pairs is one of the send offs of that message, of the people in all kinds of places in life, who are all kinds of people, with their simple enjoyment and importance as people.