#mostly bc i want to see other people’s reactions but also that whole scene is *chef’s kiss*

[getougender]

i know we’re not going to get it for a while but i cannot wait for yuuta’s re-entrance

[eleasis20]

Who knew about Astarion's Vampirism?

so something that's come up a lot on fics is whether or not the companions knew that Astarion was a vampire before he reveals it.

I wanted to see if there was a more concrete answer in the game itself, so I've gone perusing some videos to find the answer.

there's multiple ways to reveal Astarion's vampirism,

Tav/non-Astarion-origin bite scene

origin!Astarion bite scene

origin!Astarion biting someone in combat

origin!Astarion reveals himself willingly

Gandrel outs Astarion unwittingly

as well as probably a few others I haven't seen.

several of these share lines of dialogue, and if anyone's curious or wants to cross check, here are some videos for

astarion bites in combat | post-biting tav | origin!astarion reveals himself | origin!astarion bites companions | gandrel outs astarion

for my own peace of mind, i made a chart to show who knew and who didn't in each scenario:

clearly, there isn't a straight forward answer to most of these, as responses vary depending on the situation. I'll go into more detail under the cut

Quick run down of the simple ones:

Post-biting Tav scene

No one has any particularly revealing dialogue, more focussed on how they feel about a Vampire joining them. Since your Tav (or an origin character) is the leader, and was Astarion's target, they all follow their lead on Astarion.

origin!Astarion bite scene

Again, no revealing dialogue here, more focussed on the whole "how dare you" aspect of being assaulted in the middle of the night.

Gandrel outs Astarion

They all seem to suggest they either knew or suspected something already. This doesn't exactly match some of the other scenes, but it's likely that they're either refferring to having overheard Gandrel, or are trying to look confident/all knowing.

Onto individuals:

Gale and Karlach are very consistent in that they both suspected Astarion but weren't 100% sure Vampirism was the curse he was hiding.

They're also probably the nicest about Astarion being a Vampire:

Karlach will act annoyed at first but if Astarion is honest she switches to reassuring him that she'll protect him.

Gale will be upset that Astarion wasn't honest with him earlier, but is pretty quick to let it go and has no other issues.

Shadowheart is fairly consistent. She doesn't know and is surprised, but quickly lists off all the clues that she thinks she should've noticed.

The only instance where she says she was aware is when Gandrel revealed Astarion - but everyone says that for Gandrel & I think she's just revealing that she overheard that.

She's not all that nice about it, at least at first. She's mostly upset that she didn't notice, and that she's stuck with a bunch of weirdos instead of normal people. She is sympathetic to Astarion having to hide his Vampirism, and likens it to her faith (or implies it bc she can say this prior to her Shar reveal).

Lae'zel and Wyll are inconsistent. If Astarion tells them himself that he's a vampire, they will be a bit smug and say they've known all along. But if they see Astarion bite something in combat, they will be surprised, Wyll even sounds scared for a second.

They both also say they knew if Gandrel outs Astarion, but everyone says they knew for that scenario, so it's likely they were referring to overhearing that conversation. For that reason, I'm not tallying the yea's and nay's since it's highly circumstantial.

I think there's two likely (in-world) reasonings:

Origin!Astarion is meant to reveal himself much later in time, so Wyll and Lae'zel have more time to see the signs.

Wyll and Lae'zel are embaressed that they didn't notice earlier (as a monster-hunter, and a citizen of an undead lich, they should have noticed), and so when confronted calmly they're quick to cover for themselves and pretend they've always known.

Either way, they're the two with the worst reactions to Astarion:

Lae'zel threatens to kill Astarion if he ever tries to bite her.

Wyll forms a "pact" with Astarion to not bite any of the companions, lest he stake him.

as for the other companions..

Minsc has an in-game reaction to discovering Astarion is a vampire. Which basically has him say he generally doesn't trust vampires (he has every right tbh, since in bg2 one of the antagonists loosely involved with Dynaheir's (his wychlaren) death is a vampire (Bodhi).

But he, like the rest of the group on a Tav run, goes along with Tav's trust of Astarion.

to my knowledge, Jaheira doesn't have a reaction to Astarion's vampirism. Though there are several idle banters she will have with him about it in act 3, so she's definitely aware of it.

It's possible she knew on sight what he was, especially since one of her banters with him describes her killing a vampire spawn and leaving it's body in the street to burn. Beyond that, she also has history with the vampire Bodhi in bg2, who was in league with the man responsible for killing her husband Khalid.

She doesn't seem hostile towards him. She teases him, but she has trouble expressing affection in any way other than teasing, so I'd say the teasing is affection.

Halsin also has no reaction to Astarion's vampirism, and no banter about it with Astarion (outside of being concerned that Ascended Astarion is bad for his partner).

Given that he's generally positive towards Astarion, and is totally fine being in a poly ship with Astarion or as a partner to origin!Astarion, you kinda have to assume there's no issue.

Basically the only canon info we have for this so far is that Halsin knows (mechanically speaking, I guess he knows from the moment he becomes a part of the party). And that he's chill about it since he has no issue with pursuing Astarion.

TL;DR

Gale & Karlach 100% suspected Astarion of being a Vamp

Shadowheart didn't suspect anything

Lae'zel & Wyll may or may not have

Minsc has to be told by Boo

Jaheira probably figured it out early on

Halsin probably figured it out or was told early on

[k4pp4-8]

Is there anything you wished the Show Ok. Ko Lets Be Heroes focused more on? Whether it be a character, relationship, arc, villain ect?

OH BOY THERE'S SO MUCH I WANTED TO SEE

1. FIRST OF ALL I REALLY wish they had more time to focus on the big reveal because I waited since season for them to talk about the whole POINT situation and when they finally DO reveal laserblast's identity it's completely rushed. This is such an emotional plot line for MULTIPLE characters yet we only see a fraction of it! LIKE PLEEAAAAASE I WANT TO SEE MORE OF HOW THIS AFFECTED CAROL!!! What she went through is so tragic, she lost her love, her dream, her friends, AND she had to raise the child of her dead lover alone. And yet she stayed strong through all of it and became the best mom ever. (Carol I love you plz marry me)

ALSO I WILL NEVER GET OVER THE FACT THAT WE DON'T SEE GAR'S REACTION TO THE REVEAL!! He literally blamed himself for laserblast's death, who was his teammate, his best friend's lover AND K.O's father. Just imagine how he felt like knowing K.O looked up to him as a father figure while thinking it's his fault K.O doesn't have a dad???

And also every other POINT member's lives were immensly affected by laserblast's death, like Rippy roo who dedicated years of her life trying to find a way to bring him back or Greyman trying to make a hero people could look up to or Foxtail still holding a grudge against Gar for what happened. I reaaally wanna know how they would react to knowing not only their friend is alive but he is also a successful villain.

2. Another thing I REALLY wanted to see was Rad and Dendy's relationship actually being explored! I used to think her "obsession" with Rad was nothing more than a gag but I saw that there was supposed to be an episode explaining that "she looked up to Rad because he's unashamed of who he is even though he comes from he considered as unusual family background." AND IT JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!! I think that would've been an amazing way to explore both of their characters.

Also it's pretty ironic because Rad IS ashamed of who he is! Since day one he's been hiding things he loves and acting like a jerk to cover up his insecurities. I think Dendy telling him she looks up to him would've encouraged him to change the way he acts just like in the "Radical rescue" episode, when he tells K.O he doesn't want him to imitate his bad behavior.

3. Now we're getting to the REAL interesting part. BOXBOTS!!!! LISTEN I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THEM BUT I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT SHORT AND UNDERSTABLE.

I REALLYYY wish we had more moments of vulnerabilty with them. Pretty much every single one of their scene is comedic and, while I do ADORE the comedy, I still wish they were taken more seriously. Like their whole situation is really tragic in many ways yet it's completely ignored. I know it's a mostly light hearted show but the boxbots are never given a genuine moment that felt like their feelings were taken seriously. It's probably just me who's wayyyy too attached to them but my favorite moments are when we get to see the more "human" side of them. Like when they act like an actual family, playing board games, having dinner together, hanging out, or bickering like siblings

I wish they explored how being robots affects them and the way everyone treats them. It's like robots are not considered like "real people" to some degree. We already know that in the okko universe being a certain species will change the way people perceive you and treat you (ie aliens and kappas) and it's shown to be a bad thing when it happens to Rad and Dendy, but when the bots are treated badly it's always seen as a joke and brushed bc you know , they're robots so who cares. There's like an implication that all robots are inherently bad because they're robots, K.O even said Mr.logic was "one of the good ones" implying he's just an exception (also it's crazy that he actually said that sentence and no one batted an eye)

And finally the ONE thing I really REEAALLYYY wanted to see more of is *drum rolls* LORD COWBOY DARRELL (who could've seen that coming)

LISTEN THERE WAS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH POTENTIAL THERE IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME CRAZY JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I WISH I WAS EXAGGERATING!!! Like for the first time we actually see boxman suffer the consequences of his actions, his kids FINALLY stand up to him after being treated like crap 24/7 and then he's forgiven in episode two??? And we don't even see how this affects the other bots!! Like Raymond and Shannon also loved boxman but they seemingly didn't hesitate to side with Darrell over him. I wish they explored how they chose their brother over their father who they were absolutely devoted to since birth.

I was actually disappointed to see Darrell forgive him SO easily and all the character development he could've had was thrown out the window in two seconds!!!! We actually get a glimpse of Darrell's potential but it's all forgotten as soon as Boxman becomes the boss again

I loved seeing Darrell actually fight back for once because he is one of the characters who gets mistreated the MOST by the whole cast. Half of his scenes are just him getting beat up and insulted, he's always treated like an idiot or a joke character so it was incredibly satisfying to see him actually stand up for himself and take charge. Like yeah he is goofy as hell and very immature and I love that about him! But when he became Lord Cowboy Darrell we actually got to see a whole new side of him. He was cunning and smart and resourceful and it KILLS me that we never got see that side of him again. I wish people aknowledged how competent and mature he can be instead of treating him like an actual child. I actually hate how infantilized he is sometimes

Anyway I could go on and on and on forever about the boxbots but that's just a few things i wish the show focused more on, there's probably more but I can't remember them rn

[cryptidofthekeys]

i

im

im about to say somethin

that will get my burned at the stake

but hey- hey spookies- spooky month fandom

...BOTH Father Gregor AND Lila are in the wrong but also somewhat in the right

and heres why

SM 6 SPOILERS UNDERNEATH- if ya haven't seen it go watch it!

Father Gregor did have a point in saying what he did about Lila being an irresponsible mother ..NOW WAIT- BEFORE Y'ALL THROW YOUR STONES- hear me out, Father Gregor was right to some degree, bc she doooess kinda let Skid just fuckin run around unattended a LOT- i mean I grew up with technically a helicopter parent so I can't speak much on the issue

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

but Lila has legit let his ass summon a demon and play with em, let them watch horror movies at a young age, and legit lets Skid like,, go outside by himself ESPECIALLY late at night like,, that's pretty irresponsible that she isn't watching over him just a bit more

now do I think Father Gregor had a right to say well some of what he did- like the whole 'you don't even know why he's here and all you can do is drink' alladat nonsense- no,, he doesn't?? KNOW? Lila personally?

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

like fucking hell, she LEGIT just got attacked by a fucking cannibal (IF Spooky Month takes place right after Tender Treats exactly, the calendar does say November) and also can I just say that Bob was legit her last straw, girl got an actual alarm system but anyways- not to mention Bob was well technically someone Lila knew or she wouldn't have had a reaction like that

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

Also Father Gregor not practicing what his ass preaches if he be preaching the b*ble- there are SEVERAL and I mean SEVERAL instances and phrases revolving around Judgment and to not judge unto others, like yeah he was just looking at what he seen but he doesn't know what she's been through

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

now that doesn't EXCUSE her being irresponsible but like lmao I've seen a few people throw down about it (i think it was mostly playful not like ACTUALLY serious gkfldfksd don't worry) but Lila DID leave Skid over at his friend's house, which was the safe thing to do- so she could go out and drink for a while, there's nothing wrong with going out to drink even if ya gotta kid, just so long as your responsible

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

So, in conclusion, BOTH of them are in the right and wrong, Father Gregor just called the situation as he saw it which is NOT a good thing to do most of the time but also, he is right to some degree that Lila is a LITTLE BIT of an irresponsible mother letting her son just, be unattended while going out (more specifically at night- letting him watch horror movies at his age, etc but also Lila ISN'T a bad mother by no means

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

she does love Skid, she does care for him obviously- hell if she didn't she wouldn't have been out there all night looking for him to protect him from Bob and NONE of it if she didn't give a shit bout her kid- but whether the Lila Lovers like it or not- Father Gregor does have a point to a certain degree

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

also tho legit- the scene where Skid talks about not wanting to be a problem and that he doesn't want Lila to be sad and then Lila has a breakdown and hugs him close eviscerated me- and even seeing Susie being concerned when Pump seems to upset

and apparently uh it's only gonna be worse from here (someone said, which Idk if this bit is true) but someone said Pelo had said in a stream (he streams on twitch I know that much sorry) but someone said that Pelo said the next episode is gonna be even worse

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

.... but anyways lol thats just how I see the thing between Father Gregor and Lila- I'm not even that like,, attached to those characters- I'm attached to Bob, Dexter, and Frank so lmao

[decepti-thots]

do you wanna talk about your opinions re: Drift in fanfiction, maybe?

I think fanfic Drift is something of a game of fandom telephone tbh. There's a core that has been steadily whittled away by fanon repeating itself enough it seems shallow. The thing is that a lot of IDW1 canon has been subject to this directly, because it wasn't of much interest to folks writing fic while the MTMTE stuff was ongoing, tbh. When Dratchet became a focus in the LL run, stuff got reevaluated about Drift in shipping terms, rather than as character analysis, I think. And it became more abstract through that, and it encouraged Fanon Drift TM.

A lot of fanfic-Drift does not incorporate pre-MTMTE canon for him. This is understandable, because in its own right, that stuff is not very good tbh. But much of what we see now in fandom is... a clear reaction to fanon that sprung up independently, and so is trying to pose a counterpoint to things that only exist in fanon, and the whole thing becomes a mess of self-referential shit if you take it only on its own terms. Drift often only exists as a discussion of those issues in fandom, and where the writer falls on them right now, or when the fic was being written. (Much early Dratchet fic treats Drift as something of an afterthought and Ratchet as the obviously identifiable protagonist, lbr.) Fanfic-Drift is more a litmus test for fanon than a character in his own right, even when he's being written more strongly in canon, I think. He's a cipher. What fandom decided to make that cipher mean is interesting.

I have a whole post I could make about how people's ostensibly anti-regressive takes on 'was Drift a [metaphorical] sex worker, and if so what are our ideas about that' are still fundamentally bound up in anti-SWer ideas and fandom conversations more than canon, because it's all just a reaction to fanon fundamentally based in terrible ideas about what sex work is. (By which I mean I have one post idea I have repeatedly junked bc uh. Don't want to listen to people get shitty about sex work.) But at base level, a lot of fandom's idea of Drift is basically rooted in this idea of the 'theoretically sympathetic addict who has extenuating circumstances we need to articulate for him to be sympathetic, but who is still Abject bc of all that' which I think go so against what we see of him in pre-MTMTE media. Here are some things I think fanfic is bad at engaging with: Drift is an addict, and not the kind of addict a lot of fanfic wants to talk about. Drift is isolated in a way that is not easily explained by people being unfair to him. Drift has strong political opinions that inform both him joining and defecting from the Decepticons. If Drift was a sex worker, metaphorical or otherwise, that is clearly the least important thing in any shame he has.

But more important than those nuances, I think, is that Drift just isn't... allowed to be based on his canon stuff period? It feels honestly slightly irrelevant in the face of just. How much fanon Drift stops being based on extrapolating from his canon actions and starts being a character who exists purely to serve other characters. I think a really interesting take on him needs to do something with that sense he is someone who has deliberately buried what he wants to get what he wants. If you don't go a little meta with it, you get nowhere; and if you do you get something far more interesting than the 'ummmm sad SWer ig, ratchet kindly saves him' idea. See also: his most interesting canon relationship, and I say this as a dratchet shipper, is STILL Drift and Rodimus, because it dictates way more of WHAT THEY DO that Dratchet doesn't manage. Dratchet is great but canonically mostly exists as a culmination to a plot we are filling in behind the scenes; Rodimus and Drift exists as an ongoing discussion outside that. tbh.

tl;dr: sex worker drift would be great if anyone writing fic understood it has Zero to do with canon and approached it as such. it's not canon and people only think it's canon bc of bad opinions about what sex work is. either way i love drift. none of this is coherent sorry. we have discussed some of this before, and i have sharpened my opinions ig?

[mikesigninspection]

I wanted to tell yall my opinion on "who would Mike first come out to".

Okay so I suspect that it might be El, Nancy or Karen. The reason why I choose these 3 is bc I feel like anyone else would make that coming out scene feel "too warm" (for exp. if he came out to Joyce).

Now ofc I believe that Mike will come out to Will during the confession but I feel like we need more, colder one? I am not saying that I need Mike to be unaccepted by anyone (thought that would be interesting to watch cause then they would show both sides of coming out) I am saying that I feel like if he comes out to these characters specifically, the whole scene is gonna feel more sad ( the vibe of it). Like when they do that blue/dark sort of coloring to express that this scene is supposed to make audience more sad than happy. It's hard to explain.

Alright.

El

If MIke comes out to El, it would be on accident. It would probably happen in the middle of a fight where he would spill it out and El would be shocked. Tho, she wouldn't be very confused and surprised (at least from my point of view.) She probably caught up with Mike and Will's problems and she could see the reason for it but she is still not so sure or she is in denial. I just feel like she wouldn't be all that happy, she would prob. ask him to leave her to think abt this but would be very understanding at the end.

Nancy

Now this is a different story. This is where he would come out when he prepared himself. Why do I feel like Nancy is one of those people? Not just bc she is his sister so it would make sense but smt else. Something about how they see each other.

Now, we all know that siblings fight constantly. Well most of siblings. And it isn't because they hate each other or something, it's mostly just siblings thing.

Ofc, Mike and Nancy also fight like other siblings do. However, their relationship is not the best. They often don't talk with each other. Hell, they would rather get hit by a car than talk about their feelings with each other like Jonathan and Will do.

So why do I believe that Nancy would be a good option?

It is simple. I believe that Mike thinks that Nancy is pretty neutral abt stuff. Maybe he thinks that she won't even care? He probably believes that her reaction to this wouldn't impact him that much since they don't talk. But there is also a part of him that hopes that she will understand and so is probably scared.

I feel like they might try to act like Will and Jonathan which is why they will try to talk to each other. Who knows?

Karen

So we know how Karen wishes that her kids talk with her( like deep talks)? She has been waiting for that for a long time now. Mike coming out to her would be a thing that would fulfill her wish. And her reassurance would mean the world to him. It would make him braver and more emotionally stronger which will make Vecna's plan harder to proceed.

One thing that makes me believe in this theory is her talk with him in s1. If you are a straight viewer you may catch this message harder but if you are a queer person, you would notice.

Karen talking about how Mike doesn't have to hide anything from her, how he can tell her anything doesn't apply to Mike being upset abt Will going missing. It also doesn't apply to El bc she didn't know abt her yet.

Others know that Mike and Will's relationship is different from the others. However, not all of them think it has to do with romance. But Karen does. She can see the difference between how Mike acts with Will versus how he is with Lucas and Dustin.

Her speech in that episode means so much to queer community bc it represents a parent who is reassuring their closeted kid that no matter who they love, they are gonna stay and love their kid the same. And if they also have a hard time accepting it themselves, their parent is there to help them.

That is that.

[meowstix]

i finally wrote a Long Post on takao kinomiya

OHHHH BOY :3 so i have been thinking about him occasionally recently. and i've like, had a bit of a realization? this post will Mostly be abt g-rev but that's mainly bc that's kind of where his whole... Issues are gone into the most. it is also where we see a certain someone who makes me go "wow! no wonder takao is like that"

so, i think i've already talked to some extent about how a big part of takao's shift in character was because of him being thrown into fame at such a young age. and well that's still definitely true but another aspect i don't believe i've gone into is that this actually builds onto another aspect of his character and paints like.. a very particular and kind of unexpected image. this other aspect, to be specific, is his abandonment issues.

the fact that his grandfather is the closest thing he has to immediate family around is one of the first things we find out about him, and this fact will end up explaining... a LOT, though it's not noticeable for a good while. i think it's a bit present in v-force, or at the very least there's Something to be made of just how quickly he latched onto kane, but the beginning of g-rev is where it really becomes obvious.

firstly, there's his reaction to the team splitting up. i should note the dub kind of screwed up the scene where max and rei leave, the end in particular has the dub basically resolve tyson's doubts with max actually confirming that, yeah, they're still friends, meanwhile in the original version, takao's question of "we're still friends, right?" goes unanswered. that aside, another notable aspect to this can be seen later with takao lashing out at rei after their battle in the world tournament. not only does he feel like rei abandoned him, but rei has friends, he has people supporting him. (obviously takao... still has hiromi and kyojyu but that's a whole other can of worms that i don't really feel like getting into)

hitoshi's treatment of takao is.. also noteworthy, to say the least. this is the first time takao has seen him in so long, and hitoshi never really seems to give a shit about him. i mean, i think he's supposed to, in that unhelpfully vague mentor way, but he sure as hell never shows it. and it's like... as i mentioned, hitoshi in particular really makes you realize that yeah, no wonder takao is like this.

i look at all this and i realize, it's like... takao is actively falling back on his fame in g-rev to make up for this feeling of loneliness eating away at him. he just wants to be seen so, so badly. he just wants to feel loved.

[barbatos-sama]

thoughts after one watch:

i was actually nervous for this episode bc you could tell from the season preview it was a court episode but we didn't know who was being put on trial. me and some other ppl in the fandom were afraid that we'd get an episode where royals were punished for mingling with the lower class (like stollas and oz) but it was actually specifically about bliitz's use of the grimoire.

we got to see all seven sins IN THE SAME ROOM (except for luci since the shows aren't allowed to cross over, he was referenced though).

we actually also got a huge lore drop that satan actually ruled hell before luci even fell from heaven??? i would love to know what happened that made the rulership pass over like that, although considering how absent luci is, satan might as well still be the ruler anyway because he acts like it. luci couldn't even attend the trial, and i highly doubt that's Just because of the whole shows not being able to cross over thing, luci in general even in his own show is very absent and doesn't do his job. satan is confirmed to have created imp kind himself, which confirms my theory that he created them in his image hehe. also he's HUGE. MASSIVE.

these two were serving cunt together and i'm happy to know that they're friends like people assumed they would be. they were trying to defend bliitz for his actions, which is really sweet since bee had only met bliitz once at a party before but she could tell he was a good person.

mammmon's "you're going to regret saying that" comment doesn't seem to have meant shit because it doesn't look like oz can get in trouble with the other sins for being with fiizz, apparently everyone there knows he and bee "like mingling with the lower class" and it's not like, illegal or anything. good for them. mammmon bee and oz were all flying insults at each other left and right lol

we got to see leviatthan and belphaggor! i was right about leviathan being a woman! or, women i guess? the two heads seem to have distinct personalities. we didn't hear them speak though.

bel is the one we got to see the least of unfortunately, not many clear shots of her. she didn't have any lines and was sleeping through most of the trial

for the gist of the episode, basically they were going to have bliitz executed at first and everyone was super afraid. but stollas intervened and his punishment wasn't death, because he's a royal and as satan put it "your life actually has value" so instead he will be stripped of his powers for 100 years. which honestly turned out way better than i thought it would. the worst thing right now is that his brother in law, anddrealphus, will be taking over his everything. and it leaves his daughter in the custody of his ex wife, who already seems to be in the process of manipulating her to be against her dad, which is kinda heartbreaking because his daughter is really all he has, the only thing he truly cares about, and she's gonna be turned against him.

anddrealphus is probably my least favorite character in the show right now he is.... weird. he keeps calling his sister hot and attractive and the first time it was like "okay he's just being supportive in a weird way" but he's called her hot like three or four times now, but it's also weird bc he's gay so i don't think it's supposed to be an incest thing (he just in general acts gay and then a pride month post confirmed it) so i don't know if it's supposed to be a "gay man is overly comfortable amongst women" joke or if the joke is supposed to be incest or what. definitely weird and i don't like it, want it to stop lol. he did grant me this great screenshot though

also look at these twos reactions when they saw death sentence read out on tv ;A;

the way it ended is kinda bittersweet bc hooray nobody died but also stollas lost everything and he's too numb to speak mostly. there was a wholesome scene where bliitz helped him take a bath which you know i love that kinda stuff lol

basically uhhhhh i feel like if this show is ever gonna make me actually invested in the main ship i suppose it would be now that mr princey is at a commoners level. i feel like that ship has sailed though like i feel like if i haven't rly cared about them this whole time nothing is gonna make me suddenly have brainrot for them lol. more thoughts upon subsequent rewatches probably

[wander-wren]

lets get controversial! For the character bingo flamey beard man, Endeavor himself!

whoops

so i don’t like him. i think his redemption arc could’ve worked in another world, and i haven’t caught up on s6 yet so i don’t know exactly what he’s like at the moment, but…yeah no.

i don’t think i have to rehash all the todoroki kids’ childhoods and why that’s baaaad. we all know. i absolutely hate him for what he did to rei—talking about the mental hospital, specifically. the stuff that led to it, sure, but mostly the fact that he put her there not because she needed help (she did), but because she hurt his Precious Creation. and just leaves her there. for over a decade. no.

also, he says he wants to be a better dad and then never really does it. and look, if he was trying, he would be allowed to make mistakes. i would love to see that kind of messy complicated relationship. but i don’t, really? it feels very tell-y. everyone Says he’s trying and Says they’re starting to forgive him, but all i see is him texting shouto repeatedly and getting no response and being very angry about it (after he had to get his number from fuyumi, btw. nice boundary crossing and harassment, dude, very making amends of you. i wonder WHY your fifteen year old kid went no-contact).

i also don’t like how he acts with other people just like, in general. i’m not sure if i actually think he has a god complex but he definitely does not give off “listens to others” vibes. but he is a Good Hero, which is a very interesting. thing. to me. is duality the word?

so yeah tldr i’m not a fan but i do think dabi traumatizing his dad back is VERY funny. one time in a fic i had shouto murder him bc i thought it would be fun. i know there’s probably fics out there that give him an actually good redemption arc and that’s awesome but i do not want to read them.

god i do love shouto’s reaction to his making amends, though, even though i feel like it’s unearned. the scene where he fights the nomu and after it’s done shouto just…crouches down on the floor? idk what emotion he’s portraying but i Feel It. and the whole mess of “i hate him but he is the best person to teach me what i need to know.” and the growth of “you can train me but it’s on MY terms now.” hell yeah. while i’m on the subject i actually love all the todoroki kids’ reactions bc they’re all so different and they all make sense. i’m p sure i’m interpreting the “holds their family together” square wrong but i am. i am hugging all of the siblings + rei. and kicking endeavor into the street.

OH ONE MORE THING: i do think he’s a very interesting parallel to bakugou especially since he’s a top hero. he’s a much better hero than bakugou is, at least in the beginning, but he’s a far worse person with a worse redemption arc. i think he serves as a good warning for him. very cool

[seethesunny]

7, 19 + 45!

Get to know your fic writer

Hello Liz and thanks for these 🫶🏼

How do you choose which POV to write from?

I usually tend to have a vague idea, then I proceed to plan the rest of how the story goes, and according to how I want it to go, I'll pick the POV that suits it best! I've had to rewrite a whole section of fanfic because the POV that I went with first wasn't hitting as I wanted.

Or sometimes, if I want readers to see how the other character reacted to a certain scene, that's also when I'll check who should go first.

With most one-shots, though, I start with a character's POV and then fit the rest of the story within their perspective! Which you shouldn’t do if you want a neat and polished and coherent structure, but that's how I work lol

What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Had to go check real quick (usually I don't bother to tag my stuff as much,) but excluding character and fandom tags, my most used tag is Alternative Universe - Canon Divergence 🧍🏽‍♀️

Which you know what!!! I should've seen it coming. I enjoy canon as much as anyone else, and I do stick with it, but being delusional and feeding into those aus (or even canon but with a slight tweak) is fun. So what.

That also bc I'm a Tess lives truther in this house <3

Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

Both? Both are good?

I always do both! I've been told I make people have these reactions, sometimes at the same time, which is fine since my mission is readers having feels™️ over my writing.

Personally, I have more confidence in my angsty skills, so I relay on them mostly. Thus, I'm more prone to break hearts ❤️ sorry. I'm a softie with not so good comedy abilities 😅

[cherryblossomshadow]

#red said #also there are posts and tweets like THIS IS JUST FOR MCU FANS #like please go on demonstrating how you've adopted 'mcu fan' as a shorthand for 'person who likes films i don't' #or 'person who likes films that are popular' #because the defining features of mcu films are that they're high budget irony poisoned derivative works #targeted at a broad audience so aiming to be accessible and inoffensive #and it really seems. like 'accessible' is the part of that you object to #bc EEAAO is a highly original A24 indie film with a 14.5m budget which is NOTHING #it's made mostly with practical effects and sets #and most importantly it's beautifully painfully earnest. it's never trying to shy away or go Hey Look How Silly This Is 😏 #everything is driven by its earnest desire to talk about specific themes #i think the people comparing it negatively to mcu films are stuck on the fact that it's about a multiverse and it's got jokes #and colourful action scenes #but they miss that the referential jokes (like racacoonie) and setpieces aren't the point of the film (tags courtesy of OP)

#red said #ARGH!!!!! MEDIA LITERACY!!!!!!!! #so irony poisoned i watch a film very explicitly about the importance of absurdity in a painful and exhausting world #and point at it and say haha look how silly that is isn't that pathetic #YEAH IT'S TALKING ABOUT YOU MAN. YOU'RE EATING THE BAGEL. EMBRACE JOY. (more tags courtesy of OP)

.

Despite this world that is constantly moving faster and rarely makes any sense one clear feeling cuts through all noise and it is that I want my loved ones to be okay (comment courtesy of @meams4u)

.

And anyway: WHAT THE FUCK IS IMMATURE ABOUT THE MESSAGE “BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER”??? Kindness isn’t immature! It’s incredibly difficult! Kindness means having to look beyond your own comfort and needs (while not disregarding them) and seeing the humanity in others, and trying to understand what that person needs. If kindness was easy to understand and do, do you think the world would look the way it does?

Kindness if absolutely necessary for vulnerability to exist, and without vulnerability — as EEAAO tells us — we slip into destruction of either the self or the people around us, or both. (comment courtesy of @stele3) .

how is "find joy" as a message that fundamentally different from "be kind" also a character literally gives a "be kind" speech at the emotional climax of the movie like forgive me for thinking what the movie is saying is what the movie is saying (comment courtesy of @2rat2touille)

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I mean yes be kind is PART of the message of the movie but it's part of a message that also includes allowing yourself to be authentically open and vulnerable and stop trying to be Sensible. Like that's why Waymond's admirable behaviour is framed in terms of stuff like googly eyes and dancing and play, and why Evelyn's act of reaching out is both 'have an emotional breakdown' and 'put on the googly eyes'

Like Waymond's strength of character is that he's kind and thoughtful, and that is part of him being comfortable with his own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others, which is also part of his relationship to joy which he explains in the SAME speech - "it's not naive" etc

and yeah tbh I'm oversimplifying by saying the message isn't "be kind" cause you're right that that is part of what the film is saying. but the film is also saying a lot of other things and this post is a frustrated reaction to people acting like because one part of one speech sounds like a message that's often simple and moralistic, the only thing the film has to offer is a shallow "be nice to each other" (literally multiple people are using the word 'shallow')

and that IS a fundamental misreading. especially because the other "written for children" claim is that it's silly. which as a choice makes perfect sense if you look at the whole of the film as conveying a coherent idea, rather than, as these people are doing, look at part of one speech at the climax of the film and say "well that's the extent of what this film is saying" (comment courtesy of OP)

Quotes:

The message of the film isn't even "be kind" as much as it's "be silly. fuck around. laugh it off. find joy in being ridiculous. fuck cynicism."

The message isn't "be kind" it's "find joy." literally it's so on the nose the character Evelyn is reaching for is Literally Called Joy.

I do not understand how multiple people seem to have decided the theme of the film was "be kind to one another" and not "engage authentically with the absurdity and joy of the world because nothing matters except what you make matter!!!!" Simone de Beauvoir did not die for this!!!!!!! kill both the sensible man and the nihilist and revel in the absurd!!!!!!!!!!

people seriously pretending EEAAO is overrated suddenly bc it swept awards? it swept awards largely because it is very very very good. I cried like someone who’s just had a religious revelation BOTH times I watched it bc it touched something raw and real and beautiful but it was also just very, very funny. everyone’s performance kills and the concept is creative and interesting and doesn’t distract from the emotional core. you guys are just contrarian.

[showyoumyfavoriteobsession]

WELL.

I just finished my first playthrough and like. holy shit. I'm still kind of reeling bc even though I think I got a "good ending" main story-wise (destroyed the elder brain and all the tadpoles), the companions' epilogues were not as positive!

I fucked up Gale's story at some point - I was trying to romance him, but I also didn't want him to take the crown for himself, and I think I must have picked an option that backed him up at some point thinking I could convince him later. When we got to the epilogue, we just got in an argument and he stormed off to go claim godhood for himself. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My (vague) understanding is that each companion has at least two endings? And I did quicksave during that conversation so I may go back and see what happens if I back him up - probably not the ending I was aiming for, but something different at least. I also never got his act 3 romance scene, but I'm not sure if that's because of this or because I started romancing him too late (I didn't get his act 1 scene at the party either).

*Quick edit since I just went back and loaded up that last save: there wasn't anything I could do in that conversation to change the outcome of Gale leaving. I think I must have started his stuff too late, so I couldn't get all the scenes, plus probably a few bad dialogue choices on the way. It's a shame, I really do like Gale and he has an interesting story, and that’s not the way I was hoping to end it (even if I wasn't romancing him).

I didn't actively do very much of Karlach's story (got her stabilized in act 2 and that was about it), but GOD her epilogue scene made me cry like a baby. Saying goodbye to the sun and the ocean... telling herself she did her best... 😭 I'm still feeling unwell about it.

I don't think I would have done anything different on this playthrough for Astarion (helped him kill Cazador and disrupt the ritual) but I did feel bad when he had to go scrambling away from the sunlight. I'm planning to romance him for an evil playthrough so I might just go full evil and let him complete the ritual then - we'll see.

But overall I really really loved this game! Absolutely one of the biggest, most captivating experiences I've had in a game. I understand why people are upset about the abruptness of the epilogue, but (at least for now) it really didn't bother me. I think if it were much longer, it would have felt like it was dragging, especially when you have a lot of emotional scenes one after the other - I think they erred on the correct side. The story felt so detailed and interwoven and compelling and still managed to be... manageable. Understandable and relatively easy to keep track of, despite being both sprawling and deep. The script and the acting elicited a huge amount of emotional reactions from me all the way through the game - this has taken me about a month, mostly playing a couple hours each evening, and I was still laughing at the dialogue and cringing at my bad rolls and invested in battles almost every time I booted up the game. That was a pretty cool feeling.

It's wild to me that every time I watch other people play this game, they're always finding things that I never found - there's just so. much. game. I expect any subsequent playthroughs will go a good bit faster; eventually I'll probably just watch parts that I'm curious about instead of playing through it over and over with slight changes, but I am curious to do at least one more playthrough with a very different approach to see how different the game becomes. I'm going to be thinking (and posting lol) about this for a while.

Oh! Randomly, I feel like I should mention that I played the whole game on the easiest mode and it was great. This is the first CRPG I've ever played, I have very little experience with turn-based combat or DnD, and I wanted to keep having fun! It was still plenty challenging - there were still a couple times that my whole team died, it's certainly not a story-only mode - but it ended up being perfect for my play style.

[psychelis-new]

Hey how are you?

Have you been to a paranormal place? I was just watching a medium (Kelsi Davies) on YT (her latest video). Man, I feel a pain in my right rib cage and also feel nauseated. I used to watch her back in 2021-2022 and I did not feel this way. It was calmer before. I think around 2022 was when I drop her because I started to feel nauseated and light headed whenever I watch her video. Is it normal to feel that way? Do you ever feel that way and why is it happening?

I also remember back when I was 15 y/o (2009) I have visited a historic building for my History assignment. We were in a huge group of people accompany by our History teacher and one of the relatives that used to sleep in that building (to protect historic building from vandalism). That building is a family house and was used by Japanese army for their base camp (they drive away the family out from that house by force). It is said that there was a battle between the japanese army and australian/british army. Until now you can see bullet holes on the walls of that house. These are what the relatives told us when we arrive at the scene. I remember I was nauseated and have this light headed feeling (like vertigo) but I think it was maybe because I was too excited to explore.

After the whole historical talk, my teacher ask if there were paranormal activities ever happen. And there was lot. This relative that guide us through the house stops at one room and told us, "this was where our ancestor hang the head of the beheaded and let the blood drop onto big vases. So the vases all haunted." She even saw a red eyes peeking through the bullet holes on a kitchen door. She even got chased by a walking stick at a middle of the night while residing in the house.

If you may, please share your paranormal experience and how you feel physically while at that place?

~🌻

Hi there :)

So for the way you feel in relation to the medium's videos, it could be that she triggers some "unconscious fear" inside of you. It's okay if you didn't feel this way before, we change, our minds change too, we grow aware of ouselves and so the way we perceive or think about things changes as well. You may also have experienced some kind of religious or spiritual unrelated event and therefore you unconsciously developed this kinda anxious reaction to her videos; or maybe... you grew more aware of other energies and hers/the ones she channels may feel a bit too heavy for you or uncomfortable. It's worth building up boundaries, if you want to keep watching her... do not let the things you watch "suck you up" so much (ofc, if the thing goes on, please do have a medical check anyway).

I used to watch paranormal videos too years ago, but I grew tired of them the moment I realized it was mostly for "the clicks". Online world, YT in particular, lives on how many clicks one gets (and how much they get payed bc of that) and the more you are able to make a sensational title/video, the more views you get... So I simply gave up and got on different roads to understand. I am in fact sure there's some truth, but probably YT videos aren't always the right way to find that out (ofc, this is not true for each youtuber, but yk... it's not easy to spot good ones). Also I realized I couldn't really watch horror movies anymore as they only made my anxiety worse (which they basically never did in the past)... I think the more you grow aware of the existance of something else but you cannot explain it to yourself clearly and properly (or even rationally, if you're used to think more than to feel), the more it triggers your unsafety (probably already traumatized in your past years by other situations/traumas). This is something that may be worth working on in order to heal (maybe also your other insecurities: feeling unsafe doesn't make you feel secure within yourself either and vice versa).

Similarly goes for (at least most of the) paranormal places. Okay, some of the things people tell tourists/kids may be true, but... beware of the fact that they live thanks to those tourists. Keep that into consideration as well. The fact that you felt overwhelmed could have been either your mind being wired by what the guide was telling y'all, the fact that you were actually visiting a paranormal place (and our minds may get biased on that thought alone) or... yes, maybe you felt something, some type of energy there. Your guts know better, but you need to try and stay grounded, come to a place with no expectation, as you would go to your usual supermarket, to really know. And that's hard sometimes, especially with such places.

I think paranormal is all around us, when we think about it. Some things happen without us being able to actually explain them reasonably. When you feel energies around you, or see something within the corner of your eye... that happens (at least it has happened to me, irl and also in some dreams). And at times it feels okay, other times it feels a bit uneasy. It depends on the type of energy around you, but also on yourself and how you feel (if you're already anxious for any other reason you may get an altered feeling: that's why it's important to try and stay grounded as much as we can -ofc, that's not always possible cause we're humans, but on paper, that's what we should try and do).

Ofc some places may be considered as home by some energies or entities (or something big may have happened there and therefore they cannot fully leave? I am guessing, I don't know for sure honestly), and therefore their energies can be felt more deeply there, I am not saying it's impossible or not true. I have never visited any place that could be considered a paranormal place so I am not sure of what I could feel there, but I have visited a WWII Polizeihaftlager that now serves as a museum, and honestly.... the energy there was crazy. Everything was so dang heavy, it felt like time didn't pass at all. Ofc, as said, I probably was biased by it all but... getting inside those rooms, I was gasping for air. One of my classmates started crying and almost threw up, I was holding her up but I felt like I was going to faint any other minute. In the open air inside the camp, things were a bit better despite still heavy. But being nauseated and feeling lightheaded are common reactions though, at least for what I know/experienced. The amount of energy you may feel and/or just the emotional reaction you unconsciously get by thinking what may have happened there, can totally cause that imo. TBH Medicine's students get similar feelings during the first autopsy or so (at least I was told so by some friends).

Hope this can help you btw :)

[ikilledamanforthisurl]

Minami Anonx7 If it helps Literally everyone I have known ever has brought up that I sound like a literal cartoon mobster henchman every time I call people boss so i've just embraced it now fully. Everyone is Boss To Me as I sling my guns goofily to Get Da Coppers. But I SEE…. i've been playing through the yakuza games chronologically I’m currently watching through y4 right now but id like to watch dead souls afterwards. It is extremely funny though the idea of watching them completely ramshackled out of order. Anyways. 1) I personally would love to play the minami centric side game also + I literally cannot imagine it’s anymore embarrassing a thing to want then me daydreamng abt the side game id like to make for my yakuza OC and 2) SOOOOOOO true I love it when Nishida and Minami are like sort of a awful duo together also I admire your like notes about M construction. I haven’t given it much thought yet on how it actually works but that’s mostly bc I have family who work in construction so I make myself laugh thinking Majima has no idea what the hell he’s doing LOL but anyways real…… Idk if you've ever read it but there’s an awesome fic on ao3 where it’s basically about how Nishida was also a prisoner of the hole and this like sort of implied idea or like at least smth I saw someone bring up before in conjunction idea that “Whilst Minami tries to emulate Majima Nishida actually IS like Majima in a way and the result of that has made him jaded/heavily desensitised” which i think adds a really interesting layer to the Relationship to think abt ep if it were canon. So this is why Desperately desperately I need a M construction side game I need something to focus on the majima family outside of him and honestly especially on Nishida…… tangent but there is so much interesting potential w him I want to see it explored !!!!!! Last note here but have u seen Minami's scene in RGG online before? I just found an English translation of it today and it had me very biting and chewing over A) Minami getting legitimately upset when his fake accent was mocked, not bc it was a slight against HIM but against MAJIMA and B) the sort of self deprecating mention he makes of what good is he if he’s not strong enough / good at smth before it immediately gets pushed aside by him and C) the implication that Minami is genuinely attached to Kamurocho/wants to protect it. If u havent i can try and find the post I saw abt it but. Much to think about

I HAVE SEEN THE RGGO STORY IT KILLS ME KILLS ME KILLS ME EVERY TIME. biting and chewing is a good way to describe it. have YOU seen the Nishida one? Minami shows up very briefly and i can practically already sense your reaction to his couple of lines (i grab and SHAKE him i shake him so much)

its so funny how hes so close to having any kind of depth and then he brushes it off immediately like "yeah this whole clan fuckup bothers me n has got me feelin insecure .lol lmao anyways". like as much as its kind of annoying as a fan of the character its also unfortunately realistic? EYE do that. you wouldnt catch me dead elaborating and having a nice rock-talk if my life was in the midst of being tableflipped. lol + lmao + anyways is the best you're gonna get

also, as a bonus tidbit before i go figure out how to format this idea for a tumblin post, this is half the setup for the Saejima teacher idea i was playing with ☝ because i already know RGG is NEVER going to put any meaningful spotlight on the Family members who've been essentially left to pick up their bootstraps with the big whoopsie of y7. sorry that i keep talking about it in code i dont wanna spoil nobody, in spite of not caring abt them myself i know others do 🙇‍♂️ i'm taking matters into my own hands and i am going to explore the IMPLICATIONS of the BIGGEST FAMILY POSSIBLY EVER going thru what it does. and i'm going to grab Minami by his non-existent shirt collar and i'm going to shake him around until he talks about how this affects him at least a little bit. i'll stop coding this in the Saejima Teacher plot post so you can decide if it matters 2 you or not and read up when i get to it btws

also your point about Nishida is spot on. you don't keep the kind of man who trembles at every conversation he has for that many years without breaking him down and making him (comparatively) jaded in such a stressful line of work. on top of that, Majima literally tests this man like its some sort of divine Greek-mythos punishment put unto him by the gods..... he's absolutely jaded underneath that shaky deadpan stare. Nishida may never outwardly resemble Majima, persona or the genuine self, but he absolutely rubs off on him and influences him heavily. this is the kinda relationship most Gokudo in the series seem to have with their bosses when they're worth a damn, Saejima was ready to walk to the ends of the earth for his patriarch due to the positive impact he had on him, and Majima likewise for his boss, though moreso in the opposite direction. not wholly..... Majima's priority of strength begets some kind of twisted respect towards Shimano. I wonder if he lacks that respect for Sagawa, who as far as I remember never physically overpowers or threatens Majima except for when he's already down and weakened in some form.......? getting off track. point is Oyajis are very very influential to their precious boys, their Family will reflect them (personality, how he runs the joint, etc) regardless if they want it to or not. Majimemegoro has some baller fics exploring all this and it's a large part of what influences me today.....

Speaking of, i would love the title of that fic you've mentioned... i'm a little picky of which fanfic i'll give the time of day but Nishida also having experience with Anagura is tantalising. like that's so tragic.... that's so evil...... i'm sitting here wondering to myself if he was a survivor or.. yknow........ because no one else, in canon, "made it out" of Anagura alive. or, more specifically, no victims make it out of Anagura. Majima was always the exception. either option makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it...... cause if he is another victim then the way Majima treats him is just.... and if he's not then is his constant dedication to him like a form of atonement....... oouuhhhrggg......... im going to hit the wall...........

also! i'd love to hear if you have any unique takes regarding M.Con considering your family...... when i say im pulling ideas out of my ass i mean it. you've got access to a unique perspective methinks. closest i got is other people's accounts and (shudders) ausgov roadworkers i see occasionally............

also also! when you get to dead souls please bitch to me the moment something goes awry i HATE-love dead souls.... the characterisation makes me stub my toe repeatedly in frustration. its not bad and i dont want to be the NO FUN ALLOWED twat but ugghghhghghrghrhgrhg the zombie setting is not handled in a way that engages me. thats all i'll say bc otherwise ill be here forever venting all my nitpicks that i SHOULD throw on twitter but wont bc i got hardcore DS dickrider mutuals who'll get sad in my mentions at best and maybe take it personally at worst

[mybrainproblems]

#idk this is all conjecture. but it’s interesting to think about#don’t take my word as gospel truth 🤷🏻#also. full disclosure. I have not yet watched the finale#I’m still in s14 on my first layer seasons watch!!

okay, so i've watched 15x20 nine ten times now and this is really a good summary for exactly why these rumors persist about the "extra" ad break and the episode being "short" (hell, i was even ready to throw in on the extra ad break rumor)

people have either never watched it bc they heard it was bad, or they haven't watched it in three years bc yes, the episode is just not up to par with other spn episodes, nvm finales. and since it's more fun repeat a fun conspiracy than fact check, it keeps going around. (which i also parroted! until i decided to get out a stopwatch and check for myself in dec 2022!) it was also a rumor that got a lot of play by a couple of popular blogs in late 2020/early 2021 and it gained a lot of traction then.

so yeah. it's worth investigating! which i did and have been digging into for a year now. i had hit the dead end of not being able to find a version of 15x20 where the ad breaks were intact. which brings me to...

an extremely lovely person reached out to me last night to let me know that they had 15x20 on their DVR with ad breaks intact and pulled the rough timing marks for me without me even asking bc they are an absolute angel!!!

transcription of the timing marks in the second image:

1. mins 10-13 after boys catch vamp mime (yep 10 whole minutes!) 2. mins 17-22 (incl cw promo) after kids run out/vamp lineup enters 3. mins 32-35 after dean's death 4. mins 40-45 (incl jared walker promo) after sam walks out of bunker 5. mins 57-60 after bridge waving :\

which means i was extremely wrong in my first reblog guessing where most of the ad breaks were as someone who hadn't watched live and... there are no extra ad breaks from what I can tell? (as someone who actually works on this, please chime in if these look off! i would love to hear from someone who actually knows!) at least to me, it looks like they're at about the time slots i would expect for a normal TV episode? breaks 1&2 feel like they're close but idk. my knowledge is mostly in TV market research, not ad sales/buying (side bar: i adore being proven wrong with Facts, if i am wrong pls tell me!!)

what i think makes it feel like the episode is under 42min or that there might have been extra ad breaks (which i would totally have believed) is that not even midway through the 60min time block it runs into narrative concrete with dean's impalement. and then you have an entire second half of the ep where nothing happens and it is So. Slow. it's basically a single scene (dean's death) and then dean and bobby's short convo, followed by a couple of aimless montages with OG carry on and a cover of carry on back-to-back.

it is a WEIRD fucking episode. especially from a writer who is, at worst, competent. (i say this as a dabbfan & with love in my heart)

i have a post i just made with a list of major timing marks if anyone wants to take a look. (once i knew where to look they were SO obvious)

also bc it might contextualize my pov: i'm in the camp of "no major changes that weren't related to covid regulations were made between shutdown and starting filming again." i genuinely believe that the finale was screwed long before the reaction to 15x18. walker was the CW's follow-on show and they were looking for general audiences for that show, not destiel shippers. it's a really boring explanation, but i think it's the most likely. at a guess, last minute cuts were smaller adjustments and (my unprovable theory) waiting to see if they could get another song licensed for the montage.

ok so like. thinking about the fact that there was an extra commercial break in the finale

In 2021 I used to work for [major US cable company] on a team that manually scheduled all of the ads that aired on their network every single day. While the exact shit that airs gets put in there the day before by a team of approx 10 human beings (insane), the tv show schedule & the breaks themselves are SET IN STONE. It takes a really specific, heavy-hitting request from a network and a LOT of people & moving parts to make an extra commercial break happen. That shit is built into the system way in advance!!!!!

I wish I had thought to ask my coworkers if they remembered anything happening then. Things were ofc moving around a lot because of the election coverage, BUT that was in the news networks, not on the fucking CW. Do we think that request was made last minute??? how long did they plan to have that extra break in there?????? were they cutting that episode up until the last minute after the networks saw the reaction to 15x18??????? we will probably never know but it is gonna bug me forever

[samsspambox]

I love the hc that Artem is ace. I'm ace as well and that puts a lot of his understandable behavior into perspective. Like, saying stuff that could be sugged to mean otherwise and immediately apologizing for it because you didn't mean for it to be taken that way. But also the book! Artem trying to learn his way into someone's heart by watching dramas and a book on "love and attraction"? Yep. Not to mention, the whole thing with intimacy, where he tends to freeze when things get more intimate - not because he doesn't want it, but because he just doesn't know what to do. I've also seen people claim Artem as being dense, which is fair. I would argue tho that it's because he legitimately does not know better. When he does stuff, especially in like Focus Fire or In Sickness and In Health or Two Hearts as One, he tends to think of the "romantic" implications a little bit later - He likes Rosa, sure, but I'm pretty sure his first thought when trying to use his hands as earmuffs isn't "oh gosh, I'm right next to her", but rather "oh, I need to protect her ears." Two Hearts as One is another one - Artem and Rosa are working on the choking scene and Artem is on top of her, Artem doesn't immediately get uncomfortable with the position, he just figures that it's what he has to do for the play (which, fair), it's only after things get a little more intimate that he starts to get flustered. Artem's other autumn cars is another one. Which makes things kinda interesting because it seems like he's judging his own reactions to things between them based on how MC is reacting, when they get flustered, Artem is more than likely to mirror that too. He knows his social cues, hence the apologies for what happens as a result of his innocent intent. Some food for thought.

yEAH YEAH UR SO RIGHT NONNIE, THERES SO MUCH SHIT TO BE EXPLAINED IF ARTEM IS ACE SPEC!

like, his first instinct isn't to think about situations as 'oh this is romantic/this has sexual tension' but more like 'what's right to do in the moment' or 'what's right to do because of the environment'.

like the basketball card! he bought the milk tea bc what else was he supposed to do in that situation, but was only aware it was for couples when the person selling clarified that it was for couples, you know?

i think it's a combination of factors that lead to artem being 'dense' in the act of wooing someone. one has to be inexperience bc he just,, never had a partner at all. but i also think it was a bit of the ugly duck syndrome. a bit of spoilers here but artem's mom mentions that bc artem shot up in height during high school, a lot of people started seeing him as attractive. that makes me think that artem,,, probably had it rough in terms of being a pre-teen. and now with all the sudden attention? he'd freak out. he'd grow distrustful of those around him, shutting down any possibilities of him dating around in his early teens. also bc his parents have connections, similarly to marius, and could have been used as a step to reach his parents' attention.

and of course there's also just the innate innocence of his actions. i think that's why a lot of people like artem— hes a bit of a subversion of the 'cold hearted mf' trope. artem genuinely doesn't hide that he worries for people and wants them to succeed but because of his position of power over them it comes off as cold indifference.

i guess as someone on the ace spec, i wanna dig i to why artem chose mc as the person who'd he'd have feelings towards. how did him and mc get close? how gradual was it? i know we get some answers to their past in future cards but they mostly focus too far back to when they were just colleagues. what was that moment? cuz the game just establishes them as 'really good work colleagues' in the beginning. how did that happen? let me sEE

but you're so right nonnie artem being ace partially solves so many mysteries about artem himself. thank you for dropping by nonnie!!!