#on today's episode of: thinking too hard about side characters nobody cares about

[musical-chick-13]

No, you don’t understand, I’m actually so upset that Silvana was only in two episodes of Noir, her every line rattles around in my brain at all seconds of the day, why didn’t they expand her weird relationship with Mireille more, BEE TRAIN EXPLAIN.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Yeah. Like I watched seven episodes the first day (so six after I initially sent you the message) and finished it the next. Like I wanted to get to Lawless’ episodes because I just wanted to know what he sounded like and then the episode ended with a small bit of him and I just needed to watch a bit more but after episode 7 I knew I could take a break. I just couldn’t stop because of how much I loved it  and wanted to see what would happen next. I see. I might be wrong here since I still haven’t touched the manga and have only watched the movie today but from what I saw on the wiki and in the movie, it seems like the movie takes place after the events of the 12th episode but covers events that happened before the Greed pair appeared (like it literally says it covers those events on the wiki so I’ll see for myself at some point). So it’s a bit different. But either way it was a really good movie and I definitely enjoyed it and hope you do as well. And that’s totally cool. Like I also took days to respond last time because I wasn’t able to find the time before then. And I sent so many messages this time, with sure some images but it’s still *a lot*. And thank you for saying that 😊 It also takes me really long so don’t feel bad  about it or anything. Take all the time you need.

I love how you’re surprised by Lawless since for me loving him just made sense. Me too when it comes down to Mikuni. Like the movie revealed some stuff about his past and even though it answered some things, I’m still really intrigued about him and just want to see his full life and how he got Abel. No. For a change you’re absolutely wrong. It’s Lawless’s constantly caring and protective side even though I know he doesn’t always say the best things (and can be quite merciless at times). Also like, he’s the only one who disagreed with all of his siblings about that thing in the past after the vote had been then so it shows how good his heart is. Licht is just not my kind of guy and he’s just far too aggressive towards Lawless at times for my liking. Like even if Lawless wasn’t one of my faves, I’d still think that. But I do really like their song. And yeah. Like I loved his voice first and then him. Which was a bit unfair but it is what it is. I love that the opening is so inspirational to you.

I think the anime might’ve gotten ahead in some ways but yeah, I’ll see. And it’s nice to hear that the manga is just as enjoyable. I don’t know when I’ll get to it, maybe in a few weeks or so, but I’ll definitely let you know then.

Thank you so much for the last bit of your message as well.

Also, on an entirely different note I wanted to check your fandom list to see whether there were any other anime I might liked and went to look up ‘Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun’ since that’s one of the first ones on your list. Upon seeing the poster and images, I was like “Too colourful for me” but I still scrolled down to see which voice actors it has and Lawless’s voice actor voices a main character (Alice Asmodeus) so I’ll probably also try to check that out and some point. Not only that but Hugh’s voice actor (who does Hinata in Haikyuu!!) is the main main character so yeah, no chance of resisting that.

C

So, because I don't know if C is actively keeping track on the replies, and to kind of group everything into one post to make it easier for them to read it, I'm going to group the replies on the post, the ones that came via inbox, and this reply to them into one big post! I hope nobody minds and that it all makes sense to read!

So, to start replying to C! I'm so glad you enjoyed the anime enough to speed through it like that. I love also that wanting to hear a particular voice actor in their part made you so excited for the upcoming episodes and I really enjoy how much voice actors work means to you, how you have all these favourite voice actors and really recognize and respect their hard work in bringing these beloved characters to the screen or their work in making these characters so beloved. I know there are active fandoms out there for particular voice actors, but I still always feel like they're a little underloved and not as recognized as they should be within fandom as a whole, so your excitement and love for them is great to see. As more of a manga reader myself, like I've said, I honestly don't know a lot of the voice actors as well as you do, but even I have my favourites (just as I have my favourite podcasters, because their voices soothe me and make me feel comforted). And I will definitely look forward to watching the movie then and am glad you enjoyed it!

And thank you, as always, my dear, for being so chill and patient when it comes to me taking a bit to reply to our messages. It's very appreciated, and please don't worry about taking your time to reply last time too, I knew you were celebrating with family and busy with holidays and really was surprised with how quick you had replied, considering it was the holiday season and I knew you had family around (and while I'll talk about it in our messages, really hope the trip was super fantastic).

And I was surprised! I love the fact that you surprise me, even as well as we've gotten to know each other. And I will guarantee that the manga goes more into Mikuni and Abel and it's really lovely (and some beautiful manga panels just artistically speaking, just giving my opinion here). And see, I think that might be another way the anime really differed from the manga, in reagards to the vote, because there were multiple siblings in the manga for sure who had been against it. And that is interesting to read, your views and interpretations of both Licht and Lawless so thank you so much for sharing that! It was a great read!

Lastly, before we get into the other messages and really getting into what thoughts people had on Servamp anime versus Servamp manga, I'm going to answer C properly on her last paragraph. Again, I'm trash with recognizing different voices (and do watch Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun dubbed, sue me, it's easier to do as I often sit and do my embroidery with the episodes) so I hadn't realized they shared a voice! Or that Hugh was also Hinata! That was cool to learn. I will say I love Alice and definitely think you'll enjoy him if you do end up trying Iruma-kun, though I'm actually making a pretty solid bet that he won't end up being your absolute favourite, even with the voice being an actor you love! Just not enough in common with your normal favourites, and I do think at least one of the staff will be among your favourites lists. I do see your 'very colourful' comments on Iruma-kun, but honestly, it's one of the more recent anime/mangas that really remind me of the classic Big 3 (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece) that were huge throughout the time I was coming into fandom proper and even being new, it has this great nostalgic vibe to me probably because of that. I would really recommend it to anyone who loves any of those.

Now into the actual comments and views on the manga versus anime for Servamp! Like I said, I don't know if C saw these on the actual post, so just reposting them here to make sure they do!

And this one came through the ask box!

I think I'm realizing that I'm actually probably really lenient on what I consider a good adaptation, haha, but maybe that's because I've suffered through some really terrible adaptions (2016 Berserk, which remains one of the worst I've ever seen, Deadman Wonderland's anime adaption which turned a largely horror based manga to kind of straight shounen, Bleach where the anime was at least a good 40% filler and which really did water down a lot of the battles, the dub of Ghost Stories which like…it's so bad it's funny and I honestly do feel bad for anyone who wanted and still wants a good dub of that, the Junji Ito anime collection which was doomed from the beginning because I really don't think there's a good way to properly translate Ito from page to screen, the way Soul Eater ended makes it to me a horrible adaption because fuck that ending, Saiyuki in a way because even though I do love the anime I'll admit it severely watered down a lot of things and did censor a lot to make it suitable for broadcast, the reminder that the 4kids dub of One Piece exists, Eyeshield 21's anime). So maybe I have been too forgiving because the general consensus does really seem to be that the manga and anime diverged greatly and that the best bet is to read the manga from the beginning to really get the full story. And, since I admit to being mostly manga now on that, though I do enjoy watching the anime every now and then, I do get and appreciate everyone's views on that! Thank you so much for everyone who chimed in on that, and I'll ask C, if they start the manga and decide to read it through, to let me know through ask box so all those fans who took the time to weigh in can know how C likes it and if they agree on the manga versus anime!

[an-agender-disaster]

My Past, Present, And (Probably) Future Feelings on the Sanders Sides Series

Anybody active in the Sanders Sides tag likely will not know me. I was a little-known fanfiction writer and fan artist for the fandom from 2018-2020, reaching my peak before Remus ever even was introduced two years ago. My peak was not high, I think being an ~2000 note fanfic posted here. This never bothered me. I was writing for myself, at the end of the day. But this is not what I am here to discuss. 

I want to talk about how I fell in love with this show. I want to talk about my genuine hyperfixation on the series. I want to talk about my earliest concerns over the actions of Thomas and his team. I want to talk about my current feelings about the series. I want to talk about how this fandom is dying, and how that is nobody’s fault but those producing the content. 

A friend introduced me to Sanders Sides just as season one finished. I had plenty of content to binge and loved watching it. I was young but had been in fandom spaces before this (namely Undertale) and understood that I was falling and falling hard. At this point of me being in fandom, I knew what fanfiction sites I liked the most, the type of content I enjoyed reading, and the length that worked best for me. I was an avid reader. I tore through the tag quickly, my favorite character, of course, being Virgil. He was the character with the most development in season one. I like deeper characters. It was bound to be that way. 

I remained in the fandom. I grew to appreciate the fanart, something I hadn’t done for my previous fandoms. It was not the first time I drew fanart, but the first time I seriously looked at it. Appreciated it. I grew to pace myself with the writing, learning to love the deeper plots that people put into their stories rather than just the characterization. It was not the first time I wrote fanfiction, but the first time I analyzed it. Appreciated it. 

Had it not been for this fandom, this wonderful fandom that the series encouraged to flourish, I would not be the creator of art, stories, content, that I am today. This fandom made me want to grow, and encouraged a young, preteen me to do so. And for that I will forever be thankful. But this is not a goodbye letter, and I doubt I will say goodbye even after this, as this is something that can only be left to slowly drain, a friend from middle school that I pass on the street. I look at them, pray they do not see me, and keep walking, remembering the old days, good and bad.

In the years between this and what I am about to bring up my favorite character shifted only once, to Logan, who it is still stuck on today. I go to a school filled with gifted kids. Exclusively for gifted kids. This is not a good thing, obviously, and I do not say it to brag. I say it to explain this shift, and that is all.

I grew in my craft, writing and drawing for the fandom, not gaining too much popularity, but not caring enough to want it. I made friends. I got incest shippers mad (I hope they stay mad). I saw the fandom expand and mature. 

But things took a turn, even before I felt it.

Episode length expanded. Production value went up. Time between episodes stretched. I entered the fandom after season one ended. I never saw those days where a month was a long wait for a new episode, and I never cared to dig past mutuals joking about it offhandedly. I stayed happy with what I received. I was still in love, to the point that I can remember exactly what I was doing as Selfishness vs. Selflessness came out (I woke up and was getting ready for school. It was too long for me to finish before I got there. I was buzzing all day, wanting to turn off the world and watch.) and, for all intents and purposes, I would say I was satisfied with the fandom.

As I am writing this, I have Thomas Sander’s Youtube channel pulled up in a different tab. I want to know my timeline properly. Accuracy is something I have always had a fondness for in my writing. Continuity is important to me. The video I am about to talk about is not on that channel, something I feel silly for not realizing before now.

“You All Ruined A Bunch of Fairy Tales - Storytime Madlibs”

This, to me, is not the beginning of Icarus’s fall, but when Daedalus first took notice.

Many fan-artist, about half renowned in the fandom for their content outside of this video, took to the call of Thomas and his team. They needed animators. They needed animators willing to work, but they could not pay them much. Amateurs in their field, they accepted ludicrously low prices, mere cents, for seconds of smooth animation. They all finished in a timely manner. They all should have been paid.

They were not.

These people were all in contact with Quill, one of the members of Thomas’s team, which had been rapidly expanding over the past few years. A team expanding to streamline the creative process and get out content faster. We will discuss this later. For now, we will remind ourselves on how most of these artists never got paid in full or at all. These artists never got an apology. These artists, in droves, spoke out against Thomas and his team and how they were mistreated. 

I fear that the fandom, as a whole, did not listen to this, myself included. Sure, we can all scroll back on my dash. We can find me speaking about how I, too, was upset on their behalf. I did nothing to truly speak out for them, though, but I saw a curtain of stan culture, blocking so many eyes from what Thomas and his team had done.

I felt upset, looking over to the other side. The people that had some notoriety were upset too, far more then me.

(Writing, I feel like I come across as a false narrator. Maybe I was not, am still not, happy over my lack of attention in the fandom. Maybe I craved, still crave attention. Maybe that is why I am at my computer, writing this at 2:13 AM. I am open to this. I understand this, if I always wanted to have that attention. It’s selfish, but humanly so. As a note to myself, I will address this at a later time, at a later date, in a later post, perhaps.)

I do not think of falling out of hyperfixations as a quick thing. Sure, it sneaks up on you, but it is not swift. It is deliberate. I only first took notice to it when Selfishness vs. Selflessness Redux was released. I did not respond by buzzing through the day, waiting to watch it as I did for Selfishness vs. Selflessness. I did not stay up at night, watching and rewatching four times until 5:00 AM as I did for Embarrassing Phases. I saw the notification on my phone. I paused, and clicked onto a different video, before thinking to myself “That’s not how you should respond. You should be happy. It’s here, finally.” And so I watched it while doing dishes, not even watching the screen. I went back and rewatched it once to see it with visuals. I have not watched it again to this day.

I have now closed my tab to his Youtube channel. I do not need it. There is only one video left. But first, Thomas’s Patreon.

Before it, he had a Youtube membership, giving his fans monthly livestreams and scripts after each video. I think it was for five dollars, but I am not sure. He currently has a Patreon. The max donation is one hundred twenty-five dollars per month. With this, you receive access the “Writers Room.” Fans, now, could contribute to the scripts of these episodes. To streamline the process. To make the content come out faster. 

The Sanders Asides episode that came out seven months ago, “Working Through Intrusive Thoughts,” was written almost entirely by this group of Patrons. 

I can say nothing of this episode other then I was done. Sadly, most of my love was gone. I watched this episode. It had my favorite character interacting with the center on my first ever Sanders Sides fanfiction main character. These are characters I had been looking at the personalities of not from a fandom perspective, but from what the show had given us. 

And I saw how they had changed. 

Even Remus, which I though was strange. This was his third episode being involved at all. But he still felt wrong.

One thing I did not mention prior to now is how Thomas Sanders and his team do not interact with the fanfiction side of the fandom almost at all. They have said they do not want it to tamper with or influence their own writing. Then why, please, please, tell me, did they open the fandom to write the script, any part of the script?

Thomas, as a character of course, felt like nothing but the straight man in this episode, somebody who contributed nothing even when he is everyone and he needs to contribute the most, needs to be the uniter of the sides and the one who does the resolution in the end, drives them toward the solutions as we have seen before. Remus felt like nothing but a horny man. Nothing more to be said. Logan, a character who my heart knows, who is inseparable, still, from my own mind, felt like nothing. I watched this episode, waiting to see what we know of him, his unwillingness to participate in silly solutions, his knowledge that can only expand as far as Thomas’s, and his care that he hides behind stoicism, and I saw nothing there. Nothing.

Maybe I’m being cynical. Maybe I care too much because I like his character. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s too convoluted. I don’t know. I can’t know. It;s the past now.

Presently, I have seen a lot of people share my thoughts. I like knowing that I am not alone. It feels, again, like the few weeks, just over a year ago, when that Madlibs video released. This time, I want to stand with those creators, I need to. I need to talk about my own thoughts. And I have been. That is what I am doing now, too, obviously. 

But what of the future?

I learned a fun fact today. The season two finale, something that has been in the wings, waiting, for the five years that this season has stretched on, will be split into four parts. Grab a cup of tea, coffee, soda, water, anything, and sip it slowly. Reread that sentence. A five-year season ending in four parts. The last Sanders Sides episode, of course not counting the Asides, was two years ago. We have had no updates of their progress. 

We are on a raft in the sea.

This raft has the basics of survival, canned food, purified water, a few dry blankets. We are, for now safe. We have ways for sustaining ourselves for a limited time.

Above us, beside us now, I suppose, Icarus has crashed into the waves. Much of our food, water, and blankets have fallen with the churn of the sea, sinking out of reach. We have far, far less now. We can try to stay afloat or, like those from a year past, abandon this. We do not know their fates, what came after they entered the waves. That is for them. It could be for us. And hope is dwindling. This community is hungry. Is thirsty. Is cold.

Is so, so tired.

I am so tired.

[pluviophile-bookworm]

HSMTMTS 2x10: New and a bit alarming... ok, very alarming

I don't even know at this point if I'm more nervous or excited for this episode. I've done my waiting and, well, whatever lies ahead, good or bad, or a little bit of both, I just can't wait anymore, even though I haven't been so scared to press play since... well, since last week. Guess I should just go for it, then:

Ooh, shady Seb doing the recap! We love to see it. Like, seriously, I'm anxious about the Seblos fight, but shady Seb is kind of my new favourite Seb.

I just... Ashlyn's acting is top tier. Emotional connection to the material? Superb! Chemistry with her co-lead... well, he'd have to be co-leading for any chemistry to be possible. I love Ricky, and I feel for him with all he's been through, but he's just not lead material right now. And it shows. Especially next to Ashlyn, who is killing it!

Miss Jenn is on the verge of a bloody mental breakdown and I just... wish I could do something to make things better. She reminds me of my mum when a deadline approaches for her to submit an article, and I just feel for her right now. Gosh, I'm feeling for everybody today. My empathy seems to be at its peak and I might just burst from all these emotions this episode is making me feel even before the 5-minute mark.

Ok, but Miss Jenn being stressed means Carlos is stressed for two, which means... this is a really bad time for him and Seb to have personal problems. My heart just can't handle it.

Wow... I never thought I'd see the day! The two leads are actually talking to each other! This is a mid-July miracle!

Why does everyone keep pretending their HSM was good? It was a flaming hot mess! A child could see that.

Miss Jenn needs a lot of work on her 'gracious face'. I, like Carlos, have quite some notes. Only mine aren't exactly, how do you say... verbally formulated quite yet.

Did Carlos just refer to Miss Jenn as 'mother'? Because yes.

I've been in a couple of local theatre productions in my day, but none of them had actual physical sets — we relied on the audience's imagination quite a lot — so I wouldn't know what a good set is made of... but even I can tell that plywood and Elmer's glue = not good.

Kourtney is a multi-tasking icon and we love her. I feel like I don't say this enough, but she deserves all the love.

Ooh, shady Seb is... well, shady! 'Quit school and get a job at the pizza shop?' — I mean, you don't see Reddy or Kourtney (or Howie, for that matter) quitting school in order to work at the Slices! Those kids juggle it all and, as someone who's never had to balance school and a job all at once, they have my deepest admiration.

Still, I think they should have thought about 'inventing' something re: transformation earlier than this point. The personal drama has taken up too much of their time.

Why does everyone keep inviting people over to Ashlyn's? I mean, it's not like I've ever heard her complain, but the girl needs some rest! And her house is not a public space.

Oh, so they're making this into a contest? I mean, I have never been a fan of competition, but to each their own. And Redlyn are hosting! This is going to be so beautiful! (You know, unless the boys try to sleep — see my post from yesterday about Reddy's background noise machine)

'I'm not worried. But North High should be!' Ooh, I love this look on Ashlyn! See, there's a lead to take notes from! And Ricky should be the first to do so. Take notes about what a lead acts like, I mean.

Oooooh, Big Red claps back! We love to see it. Although, you know, it stems from the fact that he's nervous about coming up with a solution to the transformation problem. 'I get bossy around the power tools' — Yes, sweetie, and I love that look on you. Maybe you should be around power tools more often, if that helps.

Ughhh, look what the cat brought in! Lily (I wish I knew her last name so I could refer to her by it exclusively, but we'll have to make do). I hate that girl. She reminds me quite exactly of the girl who bullied me in seventh grade to the point where I wished I'd die before having to deal with her at school again. She and Lily both bring out my aggressive side, and I hate that about them.

Ricky — 'so good at being a leading man'? I don't know what Lily is playing at here, but Ricky has not shown himself to be a very good leading man this season. He has the potential to be, but he has not fulfilled it by this point. Sure, he supports his friends and they support him, but that's basic decency. Not yet good leadership. No hate on Ricky, just the truth.

'I vaguely remember him' — please tell me this is setup for Ricky leading Lily on and then slamming the door in her face with the truth. The way I see it, he's been given a chance here. A chance to be the supportive, protective best friend Big Red deserves. I just... have a lot of ideas about this and I don't want it to end badly instead.

'I'm just not well-liked here, and I don't know what to do' — well, of course you aren't well-liked, you little— (ok, ok, calm down, breathe, 10, 9, 8...) whatever. I mean, she hasn't even considered basic decency, as it seems. Must be a new concept to her.

'Don't start with me, Carlos!' Wow. As much as I hate it that my two faves' only interaction in so long is so hostile, I kind of like this side of Big Red. I wonder what other sides of himself he's been hiding.

Listen, I don't like Seb being patronised and babied, but... 'Chip, this is your mother speaking: go call your mother!' made me laugh so hard. They're leaning into the on-stage family dynamic and I live for it.

EJ's idea of using old skateboards for the spinning contraption is... a brilliant callback to the fact that Ricky and Big Red were first characterised as skateboarders... you know, before diving headfirst into the theatre thing. And it feels like it might actually work.

Miss Jenn's excitement at seeing Mr Mazzara ('Benjamin!!!') is perhaps only topped by the fact that he was halfway home, got a text from her and instantly went back to the school. I mean, these two have something that's really big.

Miss Jenn referring to the kids as 'my children', combined with Carlos calling her 'mother' earlier just warms my heart so much! Those guys really are family. I live for it.

Ok, but... as clear as it is that the Wildcats are very far behind NH in terms of budget, rehearsal time and who knows what else, I hate seeing Miss Jenn resigned to them losing. I want to see her have faith in them, talk about how they will win, and, in her own words, 'trust the process'. I mean, I guess it's good that, as a teacher, she wants to prepare her kids for a possible defeat (and I mean really possible if they don't step up their game immediately, especially some of them * cough* Ricky *cough *), but a team that goes out to the field expecting to lose has a very minimal chance of winning.

Despite everything I've been saying again and again about Nini lately, the fact that she just delivered a very different 'No, Seb' has just redeemed her. See, this one wasn't dismissive or patronising — this was like, 'no, Seb, don't put yourself down' and I love that spin on the catchphrase I'd grown to hate. See, many things can be redeemed. And some simply cannot. * cough* Devil's spawn Lily *cough *. Also, Seb being self-conscious about the fact that Carlos 'doesn't have many options' at East Hight is the perfect setup for In a Heartbeat — meaning they will either have a chance to talk about their issue, or they have a telepathic connection, in which case, what kind of soulmate stuff is that?

'You're my sister; he's my cousin' — yeah, Ash, putting it like that makes it sound a lot weirder than it should, but I do get what you're trying to say. This is not a drill! Ashlyn is a Portwell shipper (heck, maybe even the captain of that ship) — but I feel like we already knew that.

'Why'd I never hear about this?' — and there it goes. Within the same scene, Nini was redeemed and then made aggravating again. What does she care if Gina thought Ricky sent her chocolates? He didn't. Because he and Gina can't be anything but very good friends. And I feel like good friends is what Gina needs. Maybe that's why I wanted EJ to be that for her initially (or it was because I'm aroace and don't tend to notice romantic attraction between fictional characters — or real people for that matter — unless it's explicitly stated to be there). But I've been on board of the majestic S.S. Portwell for a few weeks now and it's finally about to set sail.

Yeah, Nini, get a root beer, calm the heck down and get over it!

'Your other clockwise!' — Why does this even need to be said? How many 'clockwise's are there? I absolutely understand why Big Red gets the way he gets around power tools. I'd be on edge too, if the people I was trying to work with didn't know what way clockwise is. Still, I feel like by the time I'm 30, nobody younger than me would have a reason to know what way clockwise is, and I don't know if I feel bad or neutral about it.

Oh, so there's no telepathy involved in Seblos' problem resolution — it's been Redlyn's good communication all along. I might have known.

Ooh, Portwell is being discussed on both sides! PORTWELL NATION HOW WE FEELING

Nini? Why is everything about Nini? There's no way everything is about Nini. In all seriousness, though, EJ's worries about letting the next girl go seem valid in regards to Gina, given that she explicitly stated (though not within earshot of EJ or anyone who could have tipped him off) that she needs someone who will show up and stay. But they'll figure it out. They'll find a way. I know it. They will, or I will riot, and I know I won't be alone in that.

Ooh, Howie is giving Kourtney the original blueprints! Looks like Reddy isn't the only one who has a spy on the inside.

Ahhh, Ricky! Not 'Let You Go' again. I haven't cried to it in three days and I was not ready to break that streak. But... wait, this is where Carlos approaches Ricky to ask him for help with writing a song for Seb, isn't it? I am definitely ready for this.

Oh, is it... is it Ricky who suggests Carlos write a song for Seb? Now that is what a good leading man looks like.

'I'm adjusting to being called bro' — me too, Carlito, me too. But... this scene must have been so emotional for Josh, given that he hadn't come out yet. I remember him crying during The Climb and... all I'm saying is I want Ricky to come out at some point, too.

Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh... they were just talking about love languages and that's when Carlos shows up? Cinematic. Wait, there's Portwell too? This is what dreams are made of.

My oh my oh my! Risotto! For real this time. I might have just teared up. (Full disclosure: I did.) I've only had Portwell for about three weeks, but if anything happens to them, I will... you know how the meme goes. [side note: Wait, when I said 'for real this time', I was not expecting EJ would say it, much less word for word. Am I... writing this show now? It's usually my dad who predicts people's lines in TV shows]

'Not that I know of'... excuse me while I hyperventilate! These two are literal soulmates. They might share a brain, too, for all that I know. Portwell nation you ok guys?

I love that Ricky helped Carlos out with this song and is supporting him through it, but... I just might have preferred for him not to be there. I kind of need Seblos to have this moment to themselves. But, you know, with the way they feel about each other it might as well be like they're alone in the universe, let alone the room.

Ok, but Frankie's voice... brings out feelings in me that I didn't know I was capable of. Make of that what you will. Also, I'm not sobbing my eyes out, you are.

Ahhh Reddy my sunshine my sweet boy I love you but why did you have to cut Seblos' moment short? They were going to kiss, I know it. Oh well, they probably will, later on. Off-screen probably, but who cares? Not everything is for us to see. At least Carlos and Ricky had a moment there... Carlos calling Ricky 'bro' made me more emotional than I expected. It's like Miss Jenn says in s1: 'They're best bros, and that's a sacred thing... for reasons I will never understand'.

Ricky's acting sounds like a cat about to spit up a hairball, and it's so funny... in a scene that is supposed to be arguably the most dramatic of the entire play, that is not a good thing.

Oh my, oh my... you did not! You did not just end the episode with Ricky taking a fall from who knows how high. I was not ready. This episode was entirely too much for me. I will need 10 to 15 business days to recover from this, and we all know there aren't that many. But in the meantime you'll find me obsessively listening to In a Heartbeat for hours on end. Seriously, this episode is too much.

[magicrowiswritingstuff]

Part 1: “Dead Trickster” - Gabriel x female!reader

Part 1 (you’re here!) | Part 2 | Part 3 | …

Summary: Takes place during Season 2 Episode 15. The Reader is sure that the trickster couldn’t have been defeated so easily. Even though nobody believes you, you decide to keep an eye out just in case.

Warning: violence/fighting, slight suggestive themes

Category: general rating

Words: about 4.000

Note: I wrote this because it always bugged me that Sam, Dean and Bobby just walked away after “killing” the trickster without a second thought. I instantly suspected that this couldn’t be the end of the trickster and what happened? I was right and he became my favorite character. So, this is more self-inserted than usually … I just wanted to tell Sam and Dean how stupid they were for just leaving that school instantly without checking. Also, I wanted to call out Gabe because come on … how could anyone believe he was really dead back then?

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Part 1 “Dead Trickster” – Gabriel x fem!reader

This hunt had to be one of the strangest you were ever on. Okay, a ghostly suicide wasn’t uncommon, you had solved plenty of similar cases. But a crocodile in the sewers and an alien abduction? Something strange was happening in this town and to the Winchesters. You were grateful for Bobby showing up and putting the boys back into their places. They had been acting up ever since you set foot into this city. Bobby had explained that it was because of the influence of a trickster, however you wondered why you weren’t really affected by it. Not that it mattered anymore. The three of you had your suspicions on who it might be and now you only needed to prove it before acting further. That was why you were walking to the school alone right now with three coffees balanced in your arms. Sam and Dean were already in the school, probably accompanied by the janitor who you suspected to be the trickster. You opened the door to the stairway with your foot and looked up, trying to find the boys. Sam had texted you that they were somewhere there. Then you heard Dean explaining something about which offices needed to be checked today. You turned away from the staircase leading up to be met with the janitors face only inches away from yours. Yelping you almost let go of the paper cup in your left hand but you managed to grasp it again. Thank God, for your hunter reflexes.

“Hey there, sugar. Been wondering where they left you” the golden-eyed man said with a grin on his lips. You let your eyes drift to Sam and Dean, standing on the last couple of stairs behind the supposed trickster. They reassured you with an almost unnoticeable nod and you directed your gaze back to the janitor immediately. You put on a small smile and tried to appear innocent. “I was just getting some coffee.” With a light laugh you turned to Dean and Sam, handing the first coffee to Dean who accepted it without question. When you reached out to Sam you said: “With sugar just like you want it.” But Sam shook his head. “Thank you, but I don’t feel like drinking something sweet right now.” You looked at Sam with a pout, focusing really hard on not grinning: “You couldn’t have said that before I went out to buy them?” “Sorry” Sam said abashed. Rolling your eyes, you turned your attention back to the janitor who eyed you expectantly. You rose one eyebrow at him in question before holding the excess coffee out for him to grab. “Want some? I don’t want to waste the money I spend for it” you asked with a shy smile. But when he didn’t react you added: “It’s not poisoned, just has a shit ton of sugar in it.” The janitor looked at the paper cup before directing his gaze back to you. “Yeah, thank you.” He grabbed it, though you noticed that he touched your hand a few seconds more than necessary. Forcing back your confused expression your focused on appearing friendly. When his touch left your skin you immediately pulled your hand back, maybe a little too fast and noticeable but you couldn’t help it. Something about this man was strange. He took one sip, his eyes still fixated on you with a mischievous glint, but the moment the dark liquid touched his lips his expression changed. With his eyebrows furrowed in a disgusted manner he looked down at the cup. “What is it?” you asked confused and took one sip of your own coffee. Then with playful shock you gasped. “Oh! Sorry, I must have gave you the wrong cup. Yikes, Sam you drink too much sugar” you said with an equally disgusted face, matching the one of the janitor. “I’m sorry, not much of a black coffee fan I suppose?” you apologized. The janitor shook his head. “Not really.” He handed you the cup back. “Again, I’m sorry” you repeated. “Don’t worry, at least there was no poison in it, was it” the man joked. You laughed and then turned around to face the door. “I’m going to get rid of these. Don’t wait for me, I’ll catch up.” And with these words you left the staircase just as you heard Sam say that he had forgotten something in the truck. You smiled to yourself as you let the coffee which the janitor had tried fall into the trash. Taking a sip from the sweet one you sighed as you looked at the cloudy sky. You had achieved what you needed.

 _______________

 Later that day you left the school for good with Sam and Dean following you. “Just because he reads Weekly World News doesn’t mean he’s our guy” Sam said as he passed you on the stairs. “You read it too” he added, looking at Dean who was walking on your right. The older brother rolled his eyes. “I’m telling you, it’s him.” You let out a sigh as you jumped down the last two stairs, trying to keep pace with the two larger guys. “Look” Sam continued. “I just think we need some hard proof. That’s all.” “Bobby mentioned the metabolism of tricksters” you pointed out while jogging beside them. “Right” Dean nodded as he came to a halt in front of Sam. “He said that these suckers have a metabolism like an insect. All right, a real sweet tooth.” You stopped as well, standing in the middle with your eyes facing the façade of the school. You tried really hard to not look at the reflecting windows, to not search for the brown-haired man. You shouldn’t stand out too much. “I didn’t find any candy bars or sugar. Not even equal” Sam pointed out. “Well, he didn’t like the black coffee I handed him” you threw in, shrugging your shoulders passively. Sam glanced at you from his side. “That’s not enough prove. There are many regular people who don’t like black coffee” Sam invalidated your argument. “Touché” you only said. “Yeah, then you must have missed something” Dean said, directed at Sam. The younger brother turned his attention back on Dean. “I don’t miss things” Sam snarled. “Oh, right” Dean uttered, leaning back slightly. “Because you’re Mr. Perfect.” Sam narrowed his eyes and scowled at his older brother. You took one step back, not wanting to end up in the middle of the argument. Letting your eyes wander around you found yourself inspecting the façade of the school again. You saw someone move in front of a window and as your eyes met honey colored orbs you turned away immediately. Luckily Sam had just spoken up again so your eyes drifted automatically back to him. “Are you still pissed at me because of what the trickster did?” he asked in an angry tone. Dean huffed, looking to the side before meeting his brothers heated gaze. “Oh, come on man. You been a tight ass long before the trickster showed up.” Sam seemed as if he was at a loss for words. “Too much, Dean” you hissed and narrowed your eyes at him. The older brother only huffed once. “Don’t stick your nose into others people business, (Y/N)” he snapped at you. You took one step back, pursing your lips. Now you were the one at a loss for words but Sam stepped in. “Look, just stay here. Keep an eye on the janitor. (Y/N) and I will go to his place, see if we can find any actual evidence before you go barging in and staking the man.” You nodded in agreement, however Dean only mimicked Sam with a sour face, not saying anything. “Just wait till we get back, okay?” Sam added, still on edge. “Dean” you said in a warning tone, crossing your arms before your chest. “Okay?” Sam followed up and was met with a sharp “Okay” back from his older brother. Sam took off, not waiting another second. “Take care” you whispered with your mouth facing away from the many school windows. Dean looked down on you with his expression set in stone but you could make out the tiniest glint in his eyes which signaled that he had understood. Nodding one last time you ran to catch up to Sam. You hoped the plan would work.

 _______________

 It was already dark when you watched Dean enter the school on his own. Biting your lip, you turned to look at Bobby and Sam, each of them armed with a stake. You looked down on your own weapon for a second before directing your gaze back to the entrance of the school. “When should we follow him?” you asked in a hushed tone. “I think we waited long enough, don’t want your brother alone with the trickster for too long” Bobby answered, the last part directed at Sam and stood up from behind the bushes. You and Sam followed as quickly as possible.

Inside of the building the three of you searched the staircase when you heard something from one floor above you. “Guys, this way” you whispered. You climbed the stairs and came to a halt in front of another door. Pressing your ear against it you listened for Dean’s or the janitor’s voice. Through the sound of music -was that Barry White?- you could make out the faint voices of two men. It had to be Dean and the trickster. You looked up at Sam and Bobby and nodded. “They’re in there.” You looked at the sign next to the door and noticed that it was the school theater room. “There has to be another entrance into the theater room” you said in a hushed tone. Bobby nodded: “I’m going to search for the other one so we can corner him in the room. You two stay here, I’ll text you, Sam, when I found it.” Bobby left you and Sam alone. And since you had to wait for a while you decided to eavesdrop a little. You couldn’t really understand much through the music though. “Come on!” you could make out. “Those people got what was coming to them.” That must be the trickster talking. You narrowed your eyes, focusing on understanding anything else. “But you and Sam and (Y/N), I like you. I do.” You backed away from the door a little to see Sam also pressing his ear against the door. Raising one eyebrow you mouthed “Weird” before turning back onto eavesdropping. You must have missed something because the next thing you heard was from Dean. “Yeah, I don’t think I can let you do that.” “I don’t wanna hurt you” the trickster responded. “And you know that I can.” Though it didn’t sound really that threatening you could feel a cold shiver run down your back. Shuddering you clung to the stake. You noticed Sam move beside you, looking at his phone. He turned it to you so you could read that Bobby had found the other entrance and asked when to strike. You grabbed Sam’s phone after asking for it silently. You typed in “Now” but didn’t press send just yet. Turning to the door once more you could hear both of men laugh. You must have missed something again. “One of my personal favorites” the trickster declared. “Yeah” Dean agreed. “But I can’t let you go.” “Too bad.” Still, the trickster’s voice hadn’t lost his cheerful pitch but you still felt uneasy after hearing those words. “Sam and (Y/N) were right.” You let your finger hover over the send button. “You shouldn’t have come alone.” You flinched a little. The trickster’s voice sounded uncharacteristically serious. You pressed send the moment you heard Dean say: “Well, I agree with you there.”

 You gave Sam his phone back and pressed the door to the theater room open to reveal something you hadn’t thought you would see in there. A huge red bed with two women on it only dressed in lingerie. Confused you blinked a few times before breaking away from the strange view. Your eyes wandered to Dean and then to the trickster who turned around to meet your gaze. You heard another door open and close and you knew that Bobby must have entered as well. But you didn’t look as your eyes were still glued to the golden ones of the trickster. Another shiver ran down your back. Something was up. Narrowing your eyes at him you tried to get at the bottom of your suspicion. The trickster, still dressed in his janitor clothes, returned your glance before turning around in his seat to face Dean once more. “That fight you three had outside, that was a trick?” He didn’t really sound surprised more fascinated by it than anything else. “Not bad.” You finally broke your gaze away from the trickster and realized that Sam had already stalked towards the man and his brother. You wanted to follow him when you heard the trickster speak up again: “But you wanna see a real trick?” He pointed to you and Sam without looking. You heard the chainsaw behind you before your mind could catch up what he meant by that.

Your eyes widen in shook as you turned around and saw a masked man with a chainsaw in his hands. You managed to take exactly one step back when you felt Sam push you into the rows of seats and away from the chainsaw which would have cut you in half otherwise. The focus of the masked man shifted onto Sam who threw himself on the floor, only barely dogging the man’s swing. Shaking your head, you stood up from the seat you had landed in even though your back hurt from the not so graceful landing. You saw Bobby run to help Sam while Dean struggled against the two women. The trickster only laughed at the sight of your friends getting hurt. Baring your teeth, you slowly made your way over the rows of seats, sneaking towards the trickster as he continued to laugh and giggle. Your heart hammered against your chest as you reached the last row, standing right behind the trickster. Holding up the stake above your head you were about to bring it down when you hesitated. Something wasn’t right here. You shook your head and gripped the stake tightly in your hands again just when he spun around with a grin. Your eyes widen in shock as you froze, giving the trickster just the time he needed to leap over his seat and pin you down on the one behind you. Taken by surprise you let out a yelp as your eyes darted around without orientation before focusing onto the trickster’s smirking face and twinkling golden eyes. “Ah-ah-ah” the trickster said, holding your arms above your head as your back was pressed painfully against the chair as he stood above you. “Don’t want you to get hurt, now do we?” He tore your arms forward again and snatched the stake from your grip before you could even move one finger. “Thanks, sugar” he said with a wink. You opened your mouth to say something with your eyes narrowed to small slits when you were suddenly standing in front of the theater doors again. Blinking confused you just stood there for a few seconds, holding yourself upright with the wall while wondering what the hell just happened. The trickster must have teleported you away. The only coherent thought you could form was “He can do that?” before the sounds of the fight tore you away from your confused daze and back into reality. Without wasting another second, even if you were defenseless now, you stormed back in. On top of the stairs you stopped and looked around. The trickster had sat down on his seat again, twirling your stake around while eating a candy bar. You began to run towards him, not thinking about sneaking up on him this time. Just as he turned his face to his right, theatrically cringing at Dean getting punched in the face by one of the women you jumped forward and tackled him to the ground. He let out a surprised “Uff” as he landed half on the ground and half on the seats with you on top of him. For a split second he seemed confused before his eyes met yours and a smirk spread over his lips. “(Y/N)” he said in a cheerful tone which caught you off guard. And before you knew it you were the one on the floor. Groaning you held the throbbing sides of your skull, trying to steady your spinning vision when you felt two hands pinning your arms on the ground beside your head. Opening your eyes, you saw the trickster above you, his body pinning yours to the ground. “I’m surprised you dared to come back here without a weapon, sweet little innocent (Y/N)” he said still grinning. You snarled at him, your eyes narrowing to small slits again. “Well, guess I’m not that shy and innocent after all.”

You brought your knee up as fast as possible, hitting the trickster in the groin. He immediately cringed in pain, his body contracting as a sharp yelp escaped his lips. You took advantage of that small window of opportunity and freed one of your arms, blindly searching for the stake that was lying somewhere on the ground with you. Just when you touched it with the tips of your fingers you were suddenly pulled up and pressed into one of the seats again, the stake still untouched on the floor. Clenching your teeth, you looked up to meet the trickster’s eyes again. “Was that your plan? Knocking me out with a kick to the dick? You have to do better than that to get the upper hand in bed, sugar” he said, now again smirking down at you. A shocked gasp left your lips as you pressed yourself further into the seat and away from the trickster. You were unable to from words as your eyes darted around, trying to find a way to win this battle. Your eyes landed on Dean who looked at you for a split second before he was grabbed by one of the women and flung through the room. He crashed into one of the seats before sliding to the ground. The trickster had followed your eyes, slightly letting go of you in the process of turning around. “Ha! Nice toss, ladies” he praised. Now only one of his arms was pinning you down by the shoulder as he laid his focus on Dean. “Dean” he began, letting go of you completely. “Dean, Dean, Dean.” You locked eyes with Sam who pointed to the stake on the ground to your feet. Biting your lip, you wiggled away from the trickster when he was distracted by Dean who was still on the ground in front of you. The older Winchester slowly rose up, looking you in the eyes while you grabbed the stake from the floor. You nodded. “I did not wanna have to do this” the trickster said, arms outstretched as he stared down at Dean. But before he could do anything you kicked him in the groin once more, taking him by surprise. He howled in pain before spinning around to face you.

“Good enough?” you asked with a sly grin and threw the stake to Dean who caught it with ease. The trickster turned around once more but was not fast enough to stop Dean from plunging the stake into his chest. You jumped over the last row of seats to stand beside the older brother as he said: “Me neither.” The sound of the chainsaw howled once more but when you looked, the masked man disappeared into thin air as well as the two women. You stood behind Dean when you turned to face the trickster again. His face seemed shocked and confused. Then Dean pulled the stake out of the trickster’s chest who fell backwards and slumped down into his seat. Grabbing onto Dean’s jacket you narrowed your eyes. Was that it? The trickster was dead? A little voice in your mind whispered that something still seemed suspicious. But before you could voice your thoughts you got interrupted by Dean asking if everyone was alright. You let go of the older Winchester and took one step back. Answering with a quiet “Yeah”. Sam did so too but added “I guess” not very convincing. Dean whipped away the blood from his lips as his eyes wandered to the dead trickster. “Well, I gotta say he had style” he said before groaning and walking pass you to the door. You however couldn’t keep your suspicion to yourself any longer as the adrenaline left your body. “You think he’s really dead?” you asked, still standing before the supposed dead trickster. Dean stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face you. “You don’t suppose he had another trick up his sleeve?” you asked further, locking eyes with the older Winchester. “Stop worrying. I killed him” Dean reassured you and pointed to the bloody stake as if to underline his argument. You cringed at that, turning your focus back onto the dead trickster. No, this couldn’t have been so easy. “Wasn’t he able to cast illusions that were touchable?” you pressed. You were sure that this couldn’t be the end. As if you four were able to trick a probably century old trickster so easily. He didn’t really put up much of a fight, letting illusions do his work, teleporting you away or only pinning you down but never really hurting or fighting you in the process. This was simply too easy. “He’s dead, (Y/N)” Dean said bluntly and turned away from you, walking to the door. Sam nodded in agreement before he and Bobby followed close after. “If you say so…” You weren’t as experienced on the field as your hunter companions but you had researched a lot and you knew when your gut was right. And it was screaming at you that this win was to easy. Either way, you decided to trust them. Or at least kind of. When they had left the theater room you stayed behind, eyeing the dead trickster.

“Maybe I’m making a fool out of myself right now and you really are dead” you started and crossed your arms before your chest. You felt that cold shiver on your back again. No, something really wasn’t right here. “But I suppose it wouldn’t really matter if that was true, right?” You looked around suspiciously, trying to make out anything unusual. “I know this can’t be it. I know you aren’t dead. Trickster’s are hard to kill and you can never be too sure about it” your eyes traveled back to the unmoving trickster. You twisted your mouth. You were sure you were right about this. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.” And with that you turned around and fled the scene, catching up to Sam, Dean and Bobby.

       To be continued: Part 2 is here!

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[hopeymchope]

Godzilla Singular Point

I came into Singular Point with some trepidation because Godzilla’s history in anime is both very recent and extremely bad. The three anime movies released between 2017 and 2019 are easily the worst work of famed writer Gen Urobuchi and honestly contain more bullshit than I can even get into here. Those movies and this series were both Godzilla anime properties commissioned by Netflix, which didn’t get my hopes up very much. Thankfully, Singular Point is a very different beast from the anime trilogy. One could argue it’s very different from most Godzilla media, actually — at least from my perspective. And I’m still a pretty entry-level fan of Toho’s Big G, all things considered.

Let me just warn you right up front: This smartphone-based virtual assistant is basically the breakout star of the series. 

When you think “Godzilla,” you probably don’t think “incredibly dense sci-fi concepts,” but with the big G’s first-ever anime series, the writers clearly set out to change that perception. Before the first kaiju even appears, the lead characters are plucked from obscurity and dropped into a mystery that involves fourth-dimensional time travel, physical objects that look different from all sides, theoretical math concepts, self-propagating A.I., and a whole lot more. And it’s NEVER made clear how all of it connects to the rampaging kaiju! Although we spend a lot of time investigating a red dust or sand that is very obviously tied to the monsters in SOME way, no one ever makes a connection that explains the relationship. Maybe we’re supposed to wait for a later season to connect the threads... but let’s get into the idea of “another season” later.

I like to think of myself as someone who typically enjoys hard sci-fi, but even with the characters spending loads of time trying to explain the high concepts driving the story, I was never able to fully wrap my head around what was going on in the mystery at the center of GSP. I rewound and rewatched a few explanations, but I still walked away feeling lost. I eventually settled on some vague, loose understandings of most of the ideas mentioned, but those understandings were subject to being ripped apart in subsequent scenes when I was shown or told something completely at odds with what I thought I knew. I can’t say I was ever bored with the thick, dense scientific concepts on offer — trying to find purchase with these far-out ideas kept me glued to the screen — but damn, I sure wish I was able to comprehend them.

What do we want?! DENSE SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION AND DEBATE! When do we want it?! AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH, TESTING, AND PEER REVIEW!

Another weird thing about this show is that the lead characters remain in separate locations and on separate tracks for the entire duration. We have Yun — a mechanical engineer and programmer who has an amazing grasp on physics and human behavior. And we have Mei — a grad student who is deeply invested in theoretical science, UMAs, cryptids and other far-flung concepts. Both of them are basically geniuses in their fields, and even though they take opposing views of just how flexible reality is, their shared ability to think “outside the box” becomes the crucial component in solving the mystery at the core of the series. Because they don’t even know one another (despite being separated by like, ONE degree), they only ever interact via text messages and behind screen names, which feels pretty damn weird. At least  I immediately liked both of them, with Yun being the standout to me because of how his lowkey reactions to crazy shit generates a lot of humor.

This soundtrack cover LIES; you will never see these characters in a room together like this. 

Alas, we don’t get to know the characters a whole lot beyond what we learned of them in the first two episodes. It’s not long before they’re trapped in a series of complicated exposition dumps, endlessly attempting to explain the high concepts of the show to other characters as well as my dumb ass in the audience. The fact that I liked them in the first couple of episodes carried me through more than half of the show, but I was always hoping to see them share more of themselves or just display more emotion. Anime as a medium excels at emotional storytelling. But despite the major, world-altering events the characters are constantly warning us about, none of them seem to have many emotions about said events. 

Further complicating matters is how, when major events finally occur in this show, they are often kept off-screen. One character shockingly dies, but the portrayal of that death is so piss-poor that I didn’t even realize it’d happened until someone mentioned their death in the next episode. After that vague death, I was particularly sensitive to anything that looked like it might possibly be lethal. Yet a later event that is played up as a tragic, fatal occurrence ends up... fine, somehow? It’s not clear how the character survives, because — even after one of our heroes is left screaming their name in despair as they seemingly die — nobody ever talks about or explains how he’s just fine a couple of scenes later. And near the end of the series, there’s a major transformation that occurs for one of the characters, and we never see it happen nor do we understand HOW it happened. It’s just that suddenly, this character is extremely different due to off-screen reasons that are only vaguely verbalized.

I guess these two really bonded at some point for some reason? And what you are seeing here is literally the height of emotion shown in the entire show.

Even though the overarching story of the series so far pretty clearly wraps up in episode 13, we then get a post-credits tease for a potential second season. So the question becomes: Would I watch that?

Well... Godzilla Singular Point is a series with a lot of issues that kept me at arms’ length from it — tons of extremely confusing dialogue, highly frustrating choices in direction that lead to baffling storytelling, characters who are mostly exposition-dumping — and yet there’s still some foundational work here that I appreciated a lot. When the action occurs, it’s pretty cool/fun. And when urban destruction occurs, it can be awe-inspiring. The human characters, though little-explored, have likable and interesting foundations to them that could be expanded upon. And I didn’t even mention the soundtrack, which features a variety of musical styles combined with the classic Ifukube theme music and an OP that is an absolute banger. (I have a weakness when it comes to music; a good soundtrack can carry me through even the blandest series sometimes.) Even the core idea of centering a Godzilla series around hard science and mathematical concepts is a compelling one, I think! I just hated the execution of it; they went waaaaay too far on poorly explaining incredibly complex, mind-bending concepts for my pea brain to handle it. They spend so much time trying to explain things, yet somehow they never succeeded for me. 

Ultimately, I’d probably give the show another chance. But if I do give another season a chance, it’ll be on probation. I wouldn’t watch the entire season unless I could see within four episodes that they’d definitely improved things.

Would I recommend that anyone watch the series as it currently stands? I mean... not really? I guess if you really dig complex math, hard theoretical science, and/or Toho’s stable of monsters, then maaaaaaaaaaybe give it a shot. But otherwise? Naaaahh. It’s not good enough at anything to make it stand out from the anime crowd. I didn’t hate it like I hated the Godzilla anime films, but Singular Point is still something that both casual viewers and most fans can comfortably ignore for the time being. It’s not a complete disaster, and it’s not without its highlights... but it’s definitely disappointing in my opinion.

OKAYOKAYOKAY, so let’s talk about the kaiju for a bit! 

Below will be SPOILERS revealing all of the kaiju that appear in Godzilla Singular Point and giving my feelings on them. 

Godzilla — It’s interesting to see a version of Godzilla that borrows some ideas from Shin Godzilla. Shin G has been incredibly unique until now, but this Godzilla manages to fold some of Shin’s distinctive aspects in with the more classic/typical versions to build a fun new depiction. Be forewarned that Godzilla doesn’t show up until the series is halfway over, and he doesn’t get a ton of screen time, either. He’s used quite sparingly and kept in hazy settings, often framed from the neck-up when they show him. It’s a little frustrating that they felt the need to shroud him so much, but I respect the fact that whenever Godzilla is shown, the destruction he causes is on a scale far beyond anything that the rest of the kaiju ever do. He is pure devastation. 

Rodan — He’s easily the biological kaiju with the most screen time in Singular Point. Rodan is first introduced as one gigantic pterosaur, but if you’ve seen ANY trailers for this show then you already know that his depiction transitions into an asston of smaller pterosaurs, all of whom are also called “Rodan.” (Apparently the word Rodan is both singular and plural, like the word “buffalo.”) Although he looks kind of cool at first, pretty soon Rodan showing up isn’t special or threatening anymore. Rodan appearances go from “a big goddamn deal” to “some bland background noise” before the series is even 1/3 finished. The design might be a little too far removed from the original for my own taste, but even if I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t be able to care for this Rodan simply because he’s rendered so unimportant and unimpressive.

If you go out in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise... 

Anguirus — Now check this guy out! Anguirus gets one of the coolest fights in the show and also demonstrates some powers that are well beyond anything we’ve seen him do before. Because he sticks to unpopulated areas, we never see him do much damage to Japan, but he is definitely holding all the attention when he’s on-screen. He’s a highlight for me — a total badass who is very unique in his abilities. And the stated origin for his name is goddamn adorable.

Manda — Yup, Manda is in this series... but I don’t have much to say for him. It seems like the creators of the anime didn’t have much to say about him either. His role amounts to little more than a repeated cameo, and in most of those cameos you only ever see his tail. When we finally see his full body, it’s done so briefly and kept at a distance, leaving me with no real impression. I had to look up his design online and... yup, that sure looks like Manda. Final score: MEEEEHH.

Kumonga — I definitely did not see this appearance coming! Kumonga is much smaller here than you may be used to, but she gets to star in the most suspenseful sequence in the series and easily earns the most exciting cliffhanger moment at the end of an episode. I was utterly glued to the show during her screen time, which comes with a lot of icky twists. Good ones! I honestly like Kumonga here more than I ever have previously.

NEW PHONE WHO DIS

Salunga — Uh, who? This is the one monster that isn’t based on a classic Toho kaiju but instead is a brand-new creation. I suppose that everybody who touches the Toho Kaiju franchise wants to make their own mark on it in some regard. But a big part of the fun of this series for me personally was the anticipation of seeing new interpretations and designs of classic Toho monsters. And so, given that he kind of resembles both Baragon and Gabara, I never stopped wishing they’d just used one of those guys as the basis and namesake. Taken on his own, however? He’s... pretty neat. Not unique or exciting, but solidly above par.  He resembles a cross between a lizard/dinosaur and an ape, plus his head has some nifty coloration. 

Our Jaguar!

Jet Jaguar — I guess Jet Jaguar isn’t exactly a kaiju in the traditional sense because he’s a Giant Robot. However, if you want to consider him one, then I wager he probably gets even more screen time than Rodan! We meet him almost immediately when the series begins. Initially an odd pilot-driven robot that was constructed at the whim of a quirky old factory-owner with too much disposable income, Jet Jaguar grows and changes over the course of the show, ultimately undergoing a transition in episode 7 that makes him pretty damn impossible to dislike. In fact, I utterly adored him by then. This is definitely the best Jet Jaguar I’ve ever seen. His design is recognizably similar to the original yet utterly distinct, too. Like many of the other kaiju here, he’s not nearly as big as he was when he was first introduced to the movies, but his size is ideal for battling the smaller-scale monsters that we spend most of the series on.

[lizacstuff]

Thoughts on the last episode of SCK? I thought it was a vast improvement over the last episodes but still seems like an Edser reunion is super far away.

Hello! I liked this episode, I really loved a lot of the Edser scenes and pretty much enjoyed everything that did not include Selin. (I hate her guts, ya’ll, lmao) 

Let’s see, I have a bunch of asks and I have some time today, so I’ll try and answer those in a big post later, but overall I thought it was a solid episode. As far as a reunion being super far away, I don’t know.  They are definitely doing what I’ve been saying all along, and that is proving that he would fall in love with her all over again. So that has to be complete before he gets back his memories. And I think they are going to give us a little more of that even after Selin and Deniz are gone. Hopefully we jettison them soon, and then we’ll get to enjoy a few episode of Edser shenanigans as they dance around one another. 

(more under the cut)

As for this episode, wow, the spoilers that said there was no Ayfer/Alex in this episode were WRONG, weren’t they? Starting with Ayfer, for the first time she didn’t annoy me with her trying to control Eda’s life. I actually applauded when she gave Eda the time limit for breaking the fake engagement. Good! Girlfriend is allowing Deniz to spin the situation out of control and I’m glad someone is helping her reign it in. Ayfer actually acting in Eda’s best interest for once, let’s hope Ayfer/Aydan plan that dinner with their wayward children soon and without any faux fiancés. 

As for the Aydan/Ayfer/Alex of it all, it wasn’t the worst B-plot we’ve ever seen on this show. At least there were some entertaining moments.  I liked Aydan/Ayfer getting together to discuss Eda and Serkan, and Alex as a two/three-timer is the least shocking development ever. Aydan is already ruined as a character so she might as well be okay with trying to move in on Alex while Ayfer is still in the picture. As for Alex... is he dead? Surely not...  Who knows, but it looks like we may get some more comedy out of the situation in the coming episodes. I did laugh at them moving the body and Ayfer trying to go incognito wearing the sunglasses at night. Neslihan is very good at certain comedic moments.

Even with Alex, Ayfer, Aydan, Selin, Deniz and Ceren running around my nominee for worst character of the week is... Piril. Seriously, fuck her.  She’s 100% enabling Selin’s delusions and has totally normalized her buttcrack crazy behavior and apparently cares not at all about Serkan or Eda. Is she high trying to convince Selin that Serkan went off to organize a surprise, can she not read the room at all? She should be staging an intervention with Serkan, not trying to further Selin’s deceitful agenda. 

I will say this for the writers, though they have done their best to destroy Aydan and Ceren recently, Piril is staying pretty true to character. She’s the actual emotionless robot of the show and has always been a pretty shrewish, not-great, not-likeable person. It makes me sad that a teddy bear like Engin is shackled to her and honestly I don’t think she has any business having children, she’s not gonna make a great mother. 

Melo and Ferit are honestly the only side characters (and Seyfi) that have rights at this point. Thank goodness Eda has Melo! Though I do think that the show purposely has weakened both Eda and Serkan’s support system in order to enable them both in this crazy storyline. If Serkan had real friends, he would have wizened up about Selin by now, and if Ceren hadn’t gone off the deepened, wanting to hurt Eda, she would have provided proof of Selin’s duplicity. 

As for Eda and Serkan, so glad their screen time is back on track! I will always, always take more of them, but this felt like a big improvement from the last two weeks.  I really loved their scenes together and their dynamic even (especially?) when they’re at odds and arguing, that was always a huge part of their relationship.  

Loved their office scenes, the sparing over the client and Eda coming out on top. It was priceless watching her bet with Melo and then counting down until Serkan came to find her in the coffee room. The red hot sexual tension with the “Nobody touches you but me” moments and the “accidental” kiss. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve worked in offices for many years and shockingly have never had my mouth accidentally come into contact with Gerard from Accounting’s mouth. “Accident” SURE.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re drawn to each other like magnets. 

I know there’s a lot of vitriol being spit at Serkan for how “cruel” he’s being, and he does need a slap upside the head at times, but mostly I saw this episode how soft he was. Did ya’ll see him sleeping in the office clutching Eda’s wedding invitation? That is SOFT. Or inviting her to sit with him at the coffee shop and saying he felt at peace there? SOFT. Or apologizing after he said harsh words in the office? He said “sorry” he never says that. Or leaving the hotel and heading back to the office because she was having trouble? Picking up coffee at “their” place on the way? Offering to help and calling her boss? Smiling proudly when she closed the deal? Letting her hug him? Soft, soft, soft, soft, soft. 

Insisting she go to the hotel? Letting her sleep on him? Smiling about it? Snowball fights? and then finally at the end, taking off to look for her, finding her necklace, finding her, carrying her to shelter, caring for her, being concerned about her injuries, putting her necklace back on her, asking about their past, covering her with a blanket, and falling asleep with her?

IT’S ALL SO SOFT.

This man is already back in love with her, he just doesn’t know how to identify those feelings, process them or what to do with them. They still scare the crap out of him on top of the fact that he thinks she has been able to easily move on from him and their great love, and is sincerely happy and in love with another man. That shit-stain Deniz basically told him he was glad his plane crashed so that Eda could finally be happy!  What an awful, heartbreaking thing to hear.

Yes, he said/did some things to hurt Eda, mostly by laying it on thick with Selin at times, but EVERY SINGLE time, it was done in reaction to him having Eda/Deniz thrown in his face and he was absolutely reacting to that.  Our Miss Eda is really having to thread the needle when using her fake engagement to push him, and sometimes she went a little too hard and missed the mark. There were times when Serkan needed some hope and she didn’t give it to him.  And then we have Deniz the shit-stain interfering.  I’ve pretty much given up hope on him playing Selin, he did too much damage this episode, I will never be over his conversation with Serkan. And that conversation is what Serkan was reacting to when he laid it on thick with Selin at the party. It’s not because he actually gave a damn about her, there was nothing sincere about it, it was an act because he had been crushed. Plus the guilt of forgetting her birthday and of knowing the feelings that he was having for Eda.  

Selin needs to go. I think the entire audience is feeling the fatigue of her presence in this storyline and she crossed quite a whole new professional line with putting Serkan’s entire company at risk in order to prevent Eda from going to the hotel.  This storyline would be so much easier to take without her. I could actually enjoy the slow burn, falling back into love, stops and starts, hurt and angst if she wasn’t always looming, but she casts a pall over everything. I really think the writers miscalculated with this. The amnesia story could have worked fine without her and actually been really enjoyable to watch. At this point I will take her exit however I can get it, even if it means she doesn’t get her comeuppance.

However, how much do we love it on this show when the villains’ machinations backfire!? Sorry Selin, you weren’t banking on Serkan leaving you without a word and running to help Eda, were you? The scene in the office when Serkan arrives to help has catapulted on to my list of favorite scenes of the entire series.  I loved every moment of it (and plan to gif pretty much every moment of it).  I loved how they finally got to just work together, collaborate, join their talent and get a win for the company. Serkan needed to experience that, needed to see what kind of partners they could be and I’m so glad we got a chance to see it again too. Then the hug. What a relief! The first time since he’s been back where she’s actually gotten to hold him and have a few minutes to just feel his heartbeat and his warmth and take a beat to celebrate the fact that he’s alive. And how cute was he afterwards? All awkward smiles and fidgeting. It felt just as good for him as it did for her. 

Another scene that deserves to be called out is the coffee shop. What a delightful surprise, I had no idea that was coming. And to find out Serkan permanently reserved that table for them? Because it was their table on their first real date? MY HEART. 

Of course the final scenes in the cabin were beautiful and fraught and made my heart twist.  I think this was a moment where Eda should have given up the game and come clean about the fake engagement with Deniz, but then the show couldn’t continue to milk this story. And they’re clearly not done with it yet. 

However, I'm hopeful that we’re on the tail end of the engagements and Selin and Deniz will exit soon. So we’ll end with a <prayer circle> for that to happen!

[kathyrealmstales]

NEW SMP THEORY! (I cracked the plot!)

Hello! I came up with a new theory, but this time I did some real work and I didn't just throw out random ideas. Crazy, right?

But seriously, I think I have a good theory for today.

Disclaimers: to begin with, spoilers for Dream SMP and Kingdom Heart. (Strange to see that game in a warning for the SMP, huh? Well, we will get to that soon.)

Also, just remember this is roleplay, all the actors are friends. If I see you trash-talking the actors you're being blocked. I don’t like hate.

I also wish to thank my sister for her assistance. I don't know much about the Kingdom Heart fandom except with what the Wiki tells me by watching my sister play it, so my sister had to suffer while I tried to find connections in a block game roleplay. Thank you so much, my loving sister.

Under this line is the theory! Hope you enjoy it!

------------------------------------THE START--------------------------

If you are familiar with the tales of the SMP, then you might already know a common theory.

The theory is that the TOTSMP area, "The In-between," is based on Castle Oblivion from Kingdom Heart. It looks exactly like the interior of the castle in the game, as well as the idea of losing memories. It's a cool easter egg.

However, my theory doesn't stop there, because I began to see more connections, making me believe that maybe the latest plot of the SMP is following a bit of Kingdom Heart plot.

Let me try to break it down into evidence and explanations.

In the latest episode of TOTSMP, Karl travels to this new world, escaping the "In-between" and going to this place called “The Other Side.” A strange name, but what is even stranger is that I felt I had already seen the castle before, so of course I did some research.

For starters, I noticed the In-between warned Karl that if he left, he would lose all of his memories, kind of like in Kingdom Heart when Sora went to that sleep state, he lost his memories. I thought there had to be a connection to the Kingdom Heart and this new world Karl was in now since it seemed to be following a pattern.

I tried to do more research by using Wiki and looking up other castles in the game that it could be. I came up with a few ideas, but none of them stuck. It just made no sense, so I went to the only person I know who knows Kingdom Heart more than me, my sister.

My sister and I love playing these games together, but while I'm just trying to figure how the game works (because of my love for coding), my sister listens to the plot and knows way more than I. Sure, we haven't finished all the games, but she knows enough to help me. So we got on the phone to figure out how this new world was connected, and when I left that call, I saw the Dream SMP in a whole new light.

- The Other Side evidence

We have an idea of what the Other Side looks like but that’s it. My sister believes it resembles the Hollow Bastion, which is intriguing. She claims it is linked to Castle Oblivion, but what makes it more interesting is that she said this place is also usually where the Kingdom Heart stories end. This got my attention since Dream hinted that the story’s end might be approaching soon. (I hope it's not-)

I then thought we had a good idea for the theory, a rather small one about the TOTSMP but a good one. So still wanting to talk to her, I told her why I was asking for her ideas, and then I explained the Dream SMP plot to her. The more we talked about the plot, though, the more my sister and I noticed parallels between the stories.

-

Eggpire evidence

To begin, we discussed the Egg People. I jokingly said, "Oh, does Kingdom Heart have mind-controlled people?" She replied, "if you count the heartless." Which shocked me because it makes the Egg People’s ability to pick who is controlled or not make so much sense!

You see, the Heartless are people without a heart (Hearts are similar to people's souls in the game, which is strange. But oh well). The heartless follow the rules of the Darkness. I'm not sure whom or what controls the Darkness, but I do know they are subjected to some sort of mind control or animal instinct. The most important aspect to consider is how they multiply. They seek out characters from whom they can steal hearts of so they can turn back into normal people. However, they need their own heart, not just a random one, so this method is ineffective and just makes more heartless.

Because of this information, I came up with a theory that may be the reason why the egg only works on certain people. I think it is the same reason why only some turn heartless. People with weak souls are usually turned, while people with more light in their souls are typically more difficult to turn to a heartless, implying that while Puffy and Sam had weak souls at the time, they are becoming stronger, making it more difficult for "darkness" or the egg to mind control them.

Also, this would explain why Tommy can't be mind-controlled at all; he is mostly made of light, and everyone sees him as the hero. It would just make sense; it’s really hard to control him.

-

Pandora’s box evidence

There seems to be a correlation with the prison. This one is probably my favorite because it makes the most sense to me.

Most theories believe the prison is similar to Pandora's Box, owing to the prison's name. However, Kingdom Heart had its own Pandora's Box, and no, I'm not referring to the one in Hercules' world. I'm talking about the box that was told to never be opened.

I don't know everything about Kingdom Heart, therefore, I can't go into great detail about this box like I did with the Heartless theory, but basically, the main dude who started the plot of Kingdom Heart had a bunch of apprentices, and he left them with a box that they were never supposed to open. Of course, the bad guys got the box and opened it, only to discover that it contained some time-traveling stuff, which caused some of the apprentices and The Keyblade of all Keybladeds to appear.

If we take that information and put it in place with Dream SMP characters, it looks like where the plot might be going. Dream is the main bad guy who opens the box with whatever he has. What emerges is Wilbur Soot, a man from the past, he takes the place of the apprentices and Tommy is the Keyblade of Keyblades.

What makes me believe Tommy is the Keyblade? I mean, It could be someone else, but the thing is, Dream keeps referring to Tommy as "the Key," and in Kingdom Heart, Sora is also referred to as "the Key." It's also possible that it could be Ranboo, since the key is made of both darkness and light, and Ranboo appears to look as if he is both, but this is all just speculation at this point.

Either way, I think we as a fandom were on the right track, thinking evil black boxes, just not Pandora’s box.

-

Organizations evidence

This is only tangentially related, but Kingdom Heart did have their group of evil bad guys whom, based on what I saw in the cut scenes, didn’t care if you show up to meetings or not. (basing this off of all those empty chairs. Then again, those chairs were really high up, I would miss meetings too if I had to sit in those things.)

Another thing to note about this organization is that they disliked higher authority, but this one opposed them because they were all about good and needed the princess's light, whereas the anarchist syndicate in the SMP were more anti-government. Nonetheless, both are going after government officials.

(The organization also had code names that were their real names, but with an X in them and scrambled around. They weren't as cool as the Anarchists Syndicate’s nicknames, but there was a connection.)

-

Now we'll look at the improbable evidence, as well as thoughts that might not make much sense.

-

Bad guys with correlations

The antagonist in Kingdom Heart had a bunch of copies of himself, procured with the help of time travel. I find this amusing, especially given that we know there are multiple Dreams in canon, including Dream, DreamXD, Mexican Dream, Girl Dream, and (possibly) Drista. It's almost as if he's the main antagonist, especially when considering the-- Norted thing, (that's what my sister called it. I'm not sure about the name, so we'll go with Norted Thing for now) The point is, he can control some people if they are willing, but they can rebel if they have strong hearts (again, I believe this is the case). This reminds me of Ranboo and his enderwalking state in which he hears Dream’s voice in his head. Again, just a hunch.

-

The plot is the same

This is the last piece of evidence I have, and it is the main fact from which I derived all of the connections. After my sister and I discussed the possibility of it being linked, I jokingly said during our call, "There are so many connections between the latest plot of the SMP and Kingdom Heart, The only difference I feel like they have is that the Dream SMP is all about how there is no bad or good, just greyscale, while Kingdom Heart is about dark vs light."

My sister responded, "It's the same thing. Most people believe it is dark vs. light, but the more you play the games, the more you realize it isn't. The majority of the characters begin as good or bad and gradually reveal their true selves. Nobody in the story is completely light or dark."

This shocked me because I always thought Kingdom Heart was about bad versus good. So now we've matched the main ideas as well!

Ohhh boy!

-

This is all I have for now. If you have anything to add, please send it to me as a comment or a submission, or simply make your own post and let me know so I can see it! (I know as I wrote this I found more connections, but I’m saving them for later.)

But, in any case, I believe you can see the idea--Dream SMP has some connections to the Kingdom Heart plot, assuming my theory is correct. It wouldn't be the first time. Dream SMP has loosely copied the Broadway show, Hamilton during the L'manburg war, and I know the writers like Disney at least for right now, so it makes sense.

I'm also going to leave you with this: Our Fandoms are the same, We get information that makes no sense and we have no idea where it fits in the puzzles, and we know (sometimes) the writers don't know either, so we just have to accept and enjoy it.

THAT IS ALL! GOOD DAY!

[angelkurenai]

Impossible - Dean Winchester x Reader (French Mistake AU)

Title: Impossible

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Imagine finding out that the two dogs you adopted were Dean and Sam from Supernatural, cursed by a witch and transported to your universe. You spend a long time with them, only for Dean to fall in love with you and to feel torn when he gets back to his human form between staying with you and leaving.

“Boys, I'm home!”

If someone had told you that this would be your life then... you would have totally believed them. Coming home from your part-time job to your own apartment, about to watch the newest episode of Supernatural and savor your favorite pie and burgers which you had just bought, and above all to your two most favorite boys in the world which also happened to be your dogs seemed like the life you actually wanted and got. Speaking of which-

“Sammy!” you grinned as the Australian Sheppard happily made his way from the kitchen towards you. You knelt and he rested his paws on your legs to push himself upwards and lick your cheek before continuing to lick your hands. You giggled, rubbing his head and back, happy to see him wagging his tail. Although he didn't get as excited as your other dog did – oh that one was the epitome of a happy dog, the past couple weeks he had not been feeling well and you were trying your best to make him happy, so it made you feel better to see him go back to his old self.

“How's my boy today? Feelin' any better?” you got a bark in return, and you wrapped your arms around the big dog in a warm hug “I hope that's a yes. Don't worry, big guy, I'm here for you. I've got your favorite treats and after the newest episode of Supernatural we're gonna watch your favorite movie too, ok?” another bark, certainly more cheerful and pulling away you grinned at him “That's my boy. It seems like you and Sam Winchester do really have more things in common than I thought.” you kissed the top of his head “Don't worry, everything will go alright, promise!” you grinned, getting back up on your feet.

You took off your shoes and jacket, looking all around the place with a frown “Hey Sam, where is Dean?”

Usually when you came back from work the second you'd open the door, the German Sheppard was the first thing you saw before your own house. He'd be jumping, practically pushing the door open, and while standing on his two feet he'd be licking the heaven out of you. On many occasions he had knocked you over because of his excitement. Well, at least you could say that Dean Winchester - at least a version of him? - was peppering you with kiss while eagerly awaiting your return every day from work. That was something.

However it didn't seem this would be the case this time. It struck you as off when you didn't hear his happy barking but you thought he had not heard you. However, you actually started to worry when you heard a loud sound come from your kitchen, of something breaking. Your eye widened and before you could realize it, you were making your way towards it in a heartbeat. Nobody could have certainly prepared you for what was to come, though, and just as surprisingly a giggle escaped your lips.

“And what do you think you're doing there mister?” you placed your hands on your hips, raising an eyebrow and trying to look as stern as you possibly could; but it was impossible with how adorable he looked while trying to hide the mess he'd made and attempted to look innocent but was clearly guilty.

A small whine came from him as you looked around, taking the scene in front of you. Both the pies you'd bought not a day ago were gone, some leftover burgers and fries gone as well, some noodles and milk spilled on the floor. There were two plastic bottles of water on the floor as well next to the glass you'd just heard break, no wonder having knocked it over the counter. The door of the fridge was still slightly ajar, no wonder him having tried to close it and cover up for the mess he'd made but not fully succeeding. Which would explain how he had not rushed to greet you.

“Dean?” you asked accusingly, voice stern “Did you do all this?” you wouldn't need a verbal answer even if he could give it to you, there was still some filling on his nose from how messily he'd eaten it, but him avoiding eye-contact was more proof too “Dean, look at me.” you said sternly and after a long pause he looked up and gave you a small, cute bark “Oh don't try to play innocent on me. Did you do that?”

His eyes were immediately cast down as he tried to push with his paw one of th empty pie contains under a chair and out of your view but it didn't work as you took a step forward, crossing your arms over your chest “Dean, look at me. Did you cause the mess? Did you eat the pies?” well, he did have more in common with the human Dean after all.

“This is why you didn't come to greet me huh? You were trying to cover up for the mess you'd made.” you said with a raised eyebrow and he let a small whine escape him, he slowly laid down to show his belly as a sign of obedience but you still remained stern, or at least did your damn best to keep a straight face “Oh now you're trying to pull that off huh? You did this hm? Even though I told you to stay away from the pies.”

You tapped your foot, face stern and firm despite how hard it was. He had lowered his ears, his eyes big and pleading – a special bright and beautiful shade of green that looked identical to the man he was named after – soft barks and whining leaving his lips as he wagged his tail. When he saw you weren't caving in, he got up on his feet and made his way to you, nudging on your hip with his head and on your leg with his paw.

“Oh you're apologizing now hm?” you raised an eyebrow “You think those pretty eyes will do it again this time?” you remained as stoic as you possibly could, already having gotten the message across. To say that Sam and Dean were the smartest dogs you'd met in your entire life would be a great understatement, they were so much more than that. Sometimes it felt like you were talking to yourself and you shouldn't expect a reaction, much less answer, from any of them; and yet they always did something to prove you wrong by giving you a sign they understood everything. Or it was probably your own wishful thinking.

“You know what? I don't even wanna know.” you sighed at those puppy eyes “How you managed to open the fridge in the first place is remarkable as it is.” the second the smile formed on your lips his ears perked up. A yelp left your lips when he jumped up and, as per usual, knocked you over. With most of his weight on top of you he started licking you like there was no tomorrow, his tail wagging so fast you could barely see it. Uncontrollable laughter left your lips as he wiggled and tried to nuzzle his nose in the crook of your neck, licking even your jaw and neck in the meanwhile.

“Alright, alright! Dean. Dean!” you squealed, laughing and rubbing his sides and belly “Dean, alright- enough kisses, please, I'm about to get an overdose!”

It took a full minute, and a small bark from Sam you were pretty sure you heard, for him to pull back. He made sure to give you a another lick over the lips, making you laugh as you tried to clean yourself, but certainly not complain.

“Ok ok I sure missed you too, buddy.” you giggled, kissing the top of his head, earning a grin from him - or what you could at least describe as that “Why don't you go and spend some time with Sammy while I clean up the mess you've made? I'll be back with food for you two soon.” you both knew you could never stay mad for too long at him and you were 100% sure he took advantage of it.

He gave you a happy bark and did as told.

~*~

“No, Dean, wait.” you said, ignoring the whining at the other side of the door or how he scratched on it; asking to be let in “Stay” you said patiently, hooking on your bra. But before you could take hold of your shorts, you heard more effort from the other side of the door before the handle shifted and, after a try or two, the door was pushed open, allowing the big German Sheppard to enter.

“Dean!” you nearly screamed, but you didn't know what you were more surprised at. The fact that he managed to open the door, he had done that before, or walked in on while you were getting dressed, got comfortable on your bed and grinned at you, he had again done that before “You perv.” you grabbed a pillow and threw at him, which he effectively caught in his mouth and played with it.

“Don't tear it to pieces.” you said with a chuckle, shaking your head but grabbing your shorts and a T-shirt and wearing them “Getting comfy, ain't ya?” you grinned, making your way to your side of the bed. It had long ago been established as this.

You had found Sam and Dean a little over a year ago, abandoned by the side of the road and in a terrible condition. You couldn't bring yourself to just walk by and, despite how hard you knew it would be (for a person that could barely make ends meet, was all the time busy with work and barely had enough space in the apartment for herself), you immediately gathered them and took them to the vet. Beaten, bruised and malnourished as they were on the road for a couple of days without any food or water, you just felt your heart break for them. They needed someone to give them their fullest of attention to heal and get them back on their feet and as hard as it was for you, it was hardest to let someone else take care of them, so you took up the opportunity.

And just like that, a little over a year later, you'd grown to love them so much you couldn't say goodbye to them. They had become your family, much like the fandom of the show the characters of which they were named after. And it was no coincidence because they were identical to Sam and Dean Winchester in any way possible.

“Wait- where's Sammy?” you looked around when you didn't spot the Australian Sheppard near you, only to peak through the door and find him in the living room sleeping next to his favorite book. You couldn't tell why you'd find him in this state so often lately, because there was no chance he could read a book (even if you'd once or twice caught him looking at pages), but you weren't going to complain if it calmed him down.

“Seems like it's just you and me tonight, buddy.” you yawned, making your way back to your bed, a sigh of content leaving your lips “But I'm telling you-” you got under the blankets, Dean wiggling his way in as well “No Supernatural tonight as much as I'd love it, I'm beat. We'll watch the new episode tomorrow as much as my heart breaks a little over that.” you layed your head on the pillow, your eyes closing for a second “Oh wouldn't I give everything to see Dean Winchester now.” you mumbled “Gosh, would I give everything to see him for real. Just for a hug, just for a sincere thank you for everything he's done for me without even knowing it. Just to let him know... how much worth it he is. I would be the luckiest girl on Earth if I got that chance.”

The show had a special place in your heart, Dean even more so than anyone else. And your dogs very well knew the fact.

You heard Dean bark but couldn't bring yourself to open your eyes as you hummed and snuggled to his side “Yeah, I love you too buddy. I know, you've got his spark, but Dean is Dean.” you whispered, wrapping and arm around him as he cuddled more with you with another lower bark “Mhm don't get jealous, big boy, or possessive, that's totally different. He's Dean Winchester... he's special.”

The last thing you remembered was his body rumbling softly with a bark that never came, before sleep finally enveloped you.

~*~

The first thing you realized when you were pulled slightly out of the darkness of your sleep was the warm body wrapped around you. And even more the lack of warm fur but presence of soft and smooth skin, human skin.

You heard a small although deep and rough groan from beside you. The surface that your head was laying on rumbled softly, earning a small hum from you, but you were too sleepy to realize it wasn't your pillow. You snuggled to the person's side even more, a pair of big and strong arms around your waist made you feel secure and cared for. You heard more sounds, shuffling of your bed sheets, followed by some murmuring and grumbling. It was all in a whispered voice so whoever the person was, they didn't want to wake you up. Your mind however was so fogged up and laced by sleep that it didn't even occur to you to think, in the first place, how someone had found their way into your bed.

And, in all honesty, whatever ability you had – during such a time – to think vanished into thin air when you slowly opened your eyes and saw who the person really was. You blinked slightly, your vision blurry as you struggled to keep your eyes open. It was hard, you could barely understand what was happening in the whole darkness of your room; but even the soft light of the moon outside was enough and you caught yourself smiling when your eyes met those breathtaking green orbs.

“Dean?” you whispered in a low and sleepy voice, the man freezing in his spot. His eyes were wide and it seemed as if he was holding his breath as if he was scared for some reason. “Dean... You're here.” you added in a whisper, your smile growing as you wrapped your arm around his middle as well.

“H-hey sweetheart.” he finally forced out, his voice deep, the nervousness crystal clear. His breathing was heavy and you could hear his heart was racing inside his chest, but you still cuddled more with him, the feeling of his soft skin against your cheek making you smile to yourself again.

“You're a little tense.” you murmured in a small voice “Why?” it was so innocent and simple, as you looked up at him with pouting lips, but it made his heart skip another bit.

“I-” he frowned, licking his lips as he kept opening and closing his mouth with an adorably perplexed look on his face.

“D?” you questioned.

He sucked in a breath, clearing his throat before he forced out a laugh that came out nervous “Well, I'm naked for starters.” he tried to give you a smile but it was awkward and it died out very soon.

“Hmh” you hummed, licking your lips before you nuzzled your face in the crook of his neck “But you're a good naked... as far as I've seen at least.” the giggle that left your lips made his pull into a boyish grin.

“Well, now I'm naked naked. But-” he took in a small breath “Glad you think so.” he whispered, licking his lips that felt so dry, his smile fluttering as a look of awe took place. It never seased to amaze him just how beautiful you were when you were peacefully sleeping next to him, even if he had to be walking on four and you didn't even realize he was more than just a dog that bloody witch had turned him into.

He slowly brought a hand to your cheek, feeling such relief and peace by being able to touch your cheek like any normal human, tucking away a few stray strands when your eyes fluttered close. But it only lasted a moment because as he rubbed his thumb on your cheek, they opened again and you watched him with a sleepy smile and hazy eyes.

“It's so good to see you smile.” you whispered, bringing your hand up to cup his cheek.

Dean tried his best to ignore the crazy leap his heart did and as hard as it was, he forced himself to keep his voice even and his face straight yet gentle “Go back to sleep, princess, you're gonna need it.”

“No” an adorable, to him at least, whine left your lips “No, I don't- I dont' want to, Dean. I just... I want to keep seeing you smile. I just want to keep seeing you calm and relaxed, just lemme please.”

“(Y/n)” the lump in his throat was hard to swallow and with you wrapped around him, the effort to breathe became a struggle.

“Gosh, you should smile more often, it looks amazing on you. You deserve to smile, D. You deserve to be happy, to becalm. You deserve so much... you deserve the world.” you tried to emphasize on each word as much as you could.

“Trust me...” he let out a shaky breath “I'd be the happiest man on the world if I could just have you.”

You smiled, the kind of smile that had made him fall for you. He had long ago come to terms with the fact that he didn't just see you as a friend, or the girl who took care of them when they couldn't fend for themselves or even the chick he'd hit on if he was human from the first moment he met. Sure, he would be drawn to you from the first second – and he had been, because he was fully conscious all this time of everything around him – but after a year he realized that you were much more important to him than any of that. He had feelings for you.

“You deserve so much more. You should have it, you... You're worth so much, Dean.” your arm sneaked around his neck “Gosh, I wish so bad you could know it. I wish so bad I could let you know it... I could show you how good you truly are, Dean. How much good you've really done. How much you mean to me.”

“I know.” he breathed out, the words sounding foreign in his lips for such a subject, but having gotten to know how you saw and thought of him over the past year had made him feel all sorts of things he had not had the chance to before “Believe me, princess, I really know.”

His chest felt as if it was on fire but despite every cell in his body screaming differently at him, as he leaned in, he kissed your forehead. His eyes fluttered shut and a sigh of content left his lips, the lips which lingered on your forehead for longer than appropriate. And then came the hardest of it all “Go to sleep, (Y/n). When you wake up... everything will be better.”

And it would be better because he'd be gone, leaving you to live a normal life away from the horror, pain and death that haunted him. Leaving you... behind. And that felt like a stab to the chest.

“No” came a soft protest and he looked down at you with a deep frown “No I- I don't want to go to sleep. I don't wanna close my eyes cause if I- if I do then you'll be gone and I'll be back to reality. And I don't want it.”

“Wh-what are you-”

“I just want...” you trailed off, your lips parted as you watched him for a full minute. His eyes moved back and forth, eyebrows softly furrowed together before he heard you take in a small breath and lean in to press your lips to his. His eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up in shock.

He took in a shaky breath as your lips moved against his, soft, sweet and timid yet still with a boldness and surge of courage that all in all knocked all air out of his lungs. His eyes fluttered shut and despite every ounce of logic in him, every fiber in his body told him to kiss back and he did. His lips moved slowly against yours, savoring the moment he knew and feared wouldn't last long. He felt your arms wrap around his shoulders, one hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck as you deepened the kiss. He instinctively tightened his hold on your waist, bringing you as close as possible to himself as he could. He needed it worse than he needed the air to breathe.

His fingers danced with the hem of your shirt, the second his thumb brushed over the skin of your hip his heart did a jump. His gasp was synchronised with you licking his lower lip. He didn't even realize it when you moved so that you were laying beneath him, his body too seemingly having a mind of its own. He felt you wrap your legs around his waist and the shivers of excitement rush down his spine.

But logic and even more the need to protect you and care for you was bigger so as much as it hurt he pulled away from you with a small groan. He heard you let out a sound of protest and despite how hard it was to watch the rise and fall of your chest along with your kiss-swollen lips, he said “(Y/n)... close your eyes, sweetheart. Go to sleep. Please.” it was a plea for you to stop this because he didn't have the strength to.

“But I don't want to.” you whispered, bring your hand to cup his cheek “If I close my eyes you'll... you'll leave.” his breath got caught in his throat, fearing you knew what he had to inevitably do “I'll close my eyes and when I wake up you'll be gone but I- I don't want you to leave, Dean. Please don't leave me, I need you.”

“It's-” his mouth felt dry and he already felt terrible, so instead he said “I'll never leave you, princess.” he whispered, leaning in to press his lips to yours in a sweet kiss. He felt your lips pull into a small smile.

You kissed back before he pulled away, only a couple inches mind you though “I know you won't... I just don't want to wake up. I rarely have dreams, much less of you. I want to make this last as long as possible.”

“Dreams?” he frowned until it dawned on him. You didn't think this was real, you thought you were still sleeping and that this was all just a dream, of course. That would at least make more sense than your favorite fictional character from your favorite TV show being real and on top of that being turned into a dog, thrown into your universe, which you took in to take care of and adopted.

“Don't worry, baby girl.” he breathed out, smiling although sadly “I'll be here, just close your eyes. You're tired.” he said softly,moving to lay on his side again and tucking you next to him, kissing the top of your head which you rested on his shoulder.

“I don't want to...” you mumbled sleepily.

“Ssshh just sleep.” he said softly, watching you without another sound as you fought but your eyes fluttered shut anyway.

“I don't...” you only trailed off, losing the fight against sleep only a couple seconds later. He heard your breathing slow down and become even. He smiled, although it was bittersweet, not moving an inch so as not to wake you up.

Sleep wasn't bound to overtake him, like you, though. Deep down he wished it would, maybe then he'd have an excuse to let you know of his existence and above all stay for as long as that was supposed to be. But his heart sank when he heard the footstep at the other side of the door, and there was only person that could be there.

“Dean?” Sam's voice whispered, pushing the door slightly open.

Dean tried his best to swallow over the lump in his throat and tear his eyes away from you to look at his brother, thankfully fully clothed, standing in the doorway and squinting at him “Dean are you awake? Are you- are you back to yourself again?”

A heavy sigh left his lips “Yes and be quiet, you're gonna wake her up. I'll be there in a minute. Just... give me a minute, that's all I need.” it was a lie, he needed a lifetime with you and it would still not be enough, but at the moment that was all he could get.

Sam frowned for a second but clearing his throat, he nodded his head in understand “I'll- I'll leave a couple clothes here, alright? Just... hurry.”

Dean could even hear it in his brother's voice, a bitterness and sympathy; understanding even for his struggle and pain. The door closed softly behind Sam and the older Winchester just focused on the soft rise of your chest instead of the seconds ticking by, until the time to finally came.

As much as it hurt him he took a deep breath and did what he had to do. Knowing that the longer he stayed the harder it was going to be on him, he decided he should just man up and pry himself off you. It was hard, not just because of his feelings, but because you insisted to snuggle even closer to him and your grip around him was firm. It was nearly impossible pulling away, freezing more times than he realized whenever you'd shift or let out a small whine, but in the end he managed to get off the bed.

Pulling the clothes Sam had left for him on the chair he paused for a moment. He looked at you, even though he knew he shouldn't, holding his breath. He struggled with everything in him, against ever instinct and want, to not lean in and kiss you at the moment or even touch your cheek one last time because he knew he risked waking you up and that was something he couldn't afford.

Shaking his head he took a deep breath and with fast steps exited the room before he could regret it.

“You ok?” Sam asked softly, their eyes meeting but Dean clenched his jaw.

“Just freaking peachy.” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face.

“Dean” the younger man sighed nonetheless, seeing more than his brother let out “You know we don't have another option.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. She doesn't deserve to be dragged in all this, I've heard it before... And I agree.” he said sharply, clenching his fists as Sam nodded his head sadly. Dean's frown only got deeper when he took notice of what he was really wearing.

“Did you seriously give me her ex's clothes?” or maybe he needed a change of subject.

“They are all her ex's clothes, Dean. Be thankful he had forgotten some and she kept them in the closet otherwise we'd have nothing to wear.” Sam shrugged, ignoring the glare Dean gave him “Besides, Dean, just because you didn't like that dude to the point you bit him-” he snickered, and at that Dean looked more proud than offended “Doesn't mean we have another choice.”

“Yeah, well-” Dean gave him a smug grin, defence mechanism “Guilty. But didn't you see the way he broke her heart? He did deserved it. He was a jerk and I was right!”

“Not you were jealous. That's different.” he pointed with a small smirk “It wouldn't matter if the guy was perfect, either. You'd still hate his guts.”

“Still, I ended up being right when he did hurt her the way I predicted.” he shrugged again “Good thing she had Dean to cheer her up though.”

“Yeah, on the screen of her TV.” Sam pointed out, making reality crash down on him again, and clearing his throat he added “You know... we need to get going, before she wakes. Find a way to contact Cas.”

“Yeah I understand.” the smile fell as he chewed on his lower lip, taking another step away from the door of your bedroom “It was good while it lasted, though huh?” he asked with a half smile that fell all-too-soon.

“Ye-yeah I... I guess.” Sam frowned but pursed his lips, understanding very well how bitter and sad it was. Sure, there was a hint of relief that they'd finally be back, they had at least many more chances as humans too, because being away and helpless from their lives had taken a toll on both of them; Sam above all.

“I mean I-” Dean licked his lips, sure not all of it had been good because they had to be away from the people they cared for and called family, they had almost lost their minds thinking that it could never be undone but in the end what he felt here, the small heaven he found in your apartment with you was something he had only dreamed of in his wildest dreams at that “I miss them all too, but I just- what we got here we could never have. And I ain't one for the perfect life but this-” his eyes roamed the place, lip drawn between his teeth “It was good here, real good. And she was-” a small breathe left his lips that stayed parted.

Sam was frowning until realization hit him with something he doubted even his own brother could see, and his eyebrows raised, back straightening “Dean”

The older Winchester blinked, gathering his thoughts before willing himself to be strong “I'm ok. It doesn't matter now.” he dragged a hand down his face “We uh-” he already started making towards the door of the apartment “We should get going huh?”

“Dean” Sam said softly, eyes filled with sadness. But Dean wouldn't dare meet them.

“She could wake up any moment now.”

“Dean”

“Come on, Sam. We need to find a way back too. People can't see us moping around like-”

“Dean” it was more firm, forcing Dean to look at him with a clenched jaw “Are you-” he huffed slightly “Are you sure about this?”

“I-” he hesitated, chest puffing out before he shook his head “Yes, can we leave now?”

“I don't- I don't mean if it's the right thing. I know it is. I- I mean-” he looked him straight in the eyes “I mean, are you sure this is what you want?”

His words ran deeper than he expected, his eyes finding the door of your bedroom again. He held his breath for a second before his shoulders just slumped and his eyes lowered. Sam didn't need a verbal answer after that.

[ranvwoop]

TALK ABOUT AMERICAN HEALTHCARE I HAVE AN IDEA OF WHY IT'S THERE BUT I WANNA HEAR THE EXPLANATION ALSO THE ONLY HOUSE THAT"S NOT ON FIRE (YET) FOR THE SAME REASON I JUST WANNA SEE THE ANALYSIS:TM: IF U WANT I WANNA SEE IF I GOT IT RIGHT :D

Hi :DDD. Thank u for asking,,,, I have many thoughts. I am sorry in advance. This is one of those things I will put under a readmore because I am into rambling. IT GOT A LOT LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED IM SORRY. Like. a lot. It was 4 pages in google docs because i dont trust tumblr to save my drafts

Okay a lot of my Ranboo thoughts are about the syndicate / boreal trio / peerpressure duo. But you’re probably aware I am a Them enthusiast first and both a dsmp enjoyer and person second. Because. I really like the syndicate. I also don’t have too too many thoughts on the more recent lore past the experiments. Once the in character monologues stopped, so did my brain. I communicate through monologue to monologue communication.

American Healthcare is actually gonna be the main reason why this is so long bc it works Very Much for like three different reasons. One sorta niche and abstracter reason is a stream that was basically never elaborated on back in March, either the day after or very close to the peerpressure Egg confrontation stream. The egg called him a coward (for some reason my brain can Only come up with the “stop saying i look like chicken little. he’s dumb, and a coward, and i am NOT a coward” vine), and he is not a coward, so he decided to make an action plan to bring the server together by acting as a mediator for all parties and try to make sure that everyone is happy, because he’s the only one that can see all sides, or something. This was where he said the big happy family™ line but other than Ranboo Become Dream?? analysis nothing else really happened and everything went along as normal.

(I also always held a little bit of suspicion on this stream actually and thought it might be the influence of the egg, because it says it can give one whatever they want, and ranboo wants to make everyone happy and this was a totally foolproof way of doing that. Sort of in a similar way that BBH is convinced that his plan will totally make Skeppy happy. But also Ranboo is just like that, but this felt a little more on the nose than usual and he did fall into the egg and made his decisions after being egged on by it, buT WE’LL NEVER KNOW, WILL WE?

… also I really wanted to see more egg conflict at the time. Peerpressure rlly got involved in the egg plot for cameos at the banquet and nothing else. I do not blame anyone and respect the ccs for all of their attempts to weave plots together but also. also…. we.. we coulda had so much…)

That was a little off topic from the point, but… he really just thinks he can save the sick… he can see that everyone on the server is unwell and is wrong but, y’know, look inwardly, the unwell is coming from inside the house. And an inherent problem of the way that the server runs. And if this is still lowkey in effect or not (idk man a) ranboo has monologued a lot I simply chose a one off from march to grow emotionally attached to and b) i think that my brain has shut off once ranboo stopped solo lore streams), it would probably go the way that most choosing to change the system from the inside goes. Which is the point of the song and stuff! He will inevitably decide what’s too far, whether he will either admit it’s a choice or just feel that it’s what he has to do. The, uh, dealing with the devil, to be polite.

in conclusion (but we are not close to done here i’m holding you for a bit longer), i think a lot about that stream and i think that shows what he wants to be, at the very least, and continuing down that path would definitely go into being far more trouble than just a noble goal of wanting to help people, from negotiating with corruption (The lobbyists, the Congressmen and lies bit) and that the server can’t really be brought together and saved like that (When things are more and more this way / Sometimes it's like they'd rather die)

THE LESS. vwoop why have you written an unnecessarily long post about one stream in your playlist character analysis reason is both more literal and piece by piece and also Syndicate, My Beloved, you know the drill. We are going line by line because I have a lot of feelings about American Healthcare, apparently.

This also comes back to that everyone on the server is doing Really Badly, all of the time, but mostly his time in L’Manburg. For one, he is pretty complacent in everything and doesn’t really accomplish much in terms of actual change, so like Well people die every day / I wouldn't have it any other way / I just think they should feel good while they are alive. An example of this is Exiled Tommy — who I’d also metaphorically put as the dead man just for funsies, since Tommy’s whole exile thing was one of the first things Ranboo experienced on the server—as he did try to be friends with Tommy and keep him company with his letters, but he still has no power over the actual issue at hand. Just trying to make it a bit more bearable. Similarly is Techno, while Ranboo still participated in the butcher army that was trying to kill him, he helped in the meantime until he “died”.

And then it’s the Realization that participating in the system doesn’t really help much, and the subsequent Everything. It could be getting mad at the whole government system and that he didn’t mean to contribute to the harm, or how he fought with Fundy using hs ideology but not in the way that Ranboo thought. It could also be standing up to his hallucination Dream, in that he doesn’t try this hard to be a good person just to be accused of helping with all of the things that he may or may not have helped with. (That is… a discussion for not right now, I don’t know.) And I think this sort of area is also where it’s like they’d rather die is also relevant, cause Doomsday. Nobody could just set aside their governments and just get along, though Ranboo had his own solution to fighting and things.

And then he joins the Syndicate! And the lyrics of the song are directly Government Bad, because government bad. Canon anarchist, has done things that he’s not proud of as a part of the government. The lines it was the government / … It got louder over the years / Until all that I could hear was flies and all.

But honestly I think in the Syndicate he’s still trying to “save the sick”! Because the Syndicate don’t All fit eye to eye either. He’s the token pacifist, and a vote against violence whenever it comes down to it. Not all anarchists are violent but Techno and Phil will probably react strongly when provoked, due to All the past events, and I live in a world where their trauma and issues get talked about as much as everyone else’s. Since everything is decided by vote it’d probably be split between them and Ranboo + Niki, who is in her healing/no longer resorting to murder arc. He’ll help them negotiate and then everything will Be Okay, ideally.

(Also I just like the idea of Ranboo believing that he is helping the people he’s living with because canonically cc!Ranboo has said he just really cares about his family and the syndicate are included in his family shut up but they also just believe they’re helping him and yes it’s self indulgent. I care them. Particularly Endduo, actually, or whatever they're called, I am not bold enough to think Ranboo looks at Techno and thinks I Can Fix Him, but. Philza Minecraft will one day talk about his feelings. One day.)

There’s also radioduo and beeduo as of recent— really I’m just saying I think that Ranboo constantly has a Need To Help People, believes he can do it, and it will come back to hurt him in the end (except for the Syndicate because I’m in denial. The Syndicate can’t fall out if they never stream together :) ).

THIS CONCLUDES THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE PORTION OF OUR SHOW.

The Only House That’s Not on Fire Yet !! I like this one. This is also blatantly there cause Syndicate. They are the only faction that is not actively falling apart, and this could absolutely be because they never stream together. But I do not care. However we are also going to go through this one piece by piece because we’re nearing 1500 words here and I might as well embarrass myself more. I am writing an incredibly informal essay about Ranboo My _Beloved (i assume his middle name is My, and he’s just one of those people who write his full full name) and this is the third page. If you’re still reading this, I’m sorry. Here we go.

There are lines that just seem like an unwell but recovering person, and I like to sort of think that way about Ranboo in the arctic during the down time. “I feel knotted up today / But in a most exquisite way” and “I feel strangely regular / But honestly I prefer it to / The usual bizarre” are just! He’s just hanging out. He’s doing good. There is the acknowledgement that he’s usually not doing well, and all of the episodes that he’s had in the past, and it’s probably strange to be doing well in the midst of everything, and there’s probably something impending, but now? He’s doing good!

The verses directly after both of those ones are about uncertainty and trust and such, and I feel like that’s not necessarily about just One relationship but all of them. Will cause problems as long as he has an accomplice. He is not confident but he trusts and loves people.

“This suit doesn’t fit me / I made it conterfeitly” I just like to think about Ranboo in his fancy suit, but it’s just a little wrong because he actually has no idea what he’s doing. I also like to think about Ranboo in a cape to fit in with boreal trio and later the syndicate, and emerald duo had matchy blue outfits from the Antarctic Empire… and trying to fit in with them…. or maybe They make him something.. You know. Much to think about.

“Killing me with déjà vu” I think is like. A little less fun, because despite how well things are going, the enderwalk is still not resolved and he had even less answers when I started thinking “this is a ranboo song”. Just as it relates to having a strange sense of reality and stuff, which goes into specifics of enderwalk headcanons, which would make this far longer. Even though I’ve framed it as a negative, there is also the more positive note of “Oh! I just thought of how to change all the hate / Into love with the old switcheroo / Dancing in my déjà vu / You'll be dancing too” which I’d rather explain broken up but I feel like as it’s a full verse it should be together. The first part is connected to my general thoughts of him explained earlier tbh, he’s trying Very Hard to make everyone happy and fix things. And adding the second part to it is just like! He is trying to make sense of everything, and it’s not so scary as time goes by. Since the experiments where he’s been (questionably) trying to be more comfortable and get more answers.

This was very long. I am sorry. I am ending it here and probably not going to do much formatting to make it readable because it is very late o’clock and also this is four pages and 2000 words I am so sorry. But if you read this far then. Uhhh thank. ^v^.

[sparkles-and-trash]

My fav 3 versions/interpretations of South Park characters thing!

I’m so sorry this took much longer than anticipated, I was gonna do it Friday but then I had a panic attack for the first time in forever because my CFS have been real bad lately and I was in such bad shape my BFF had to come and smack me back to life, and Sunday was suddenly full on breakdown day, a bad BPD episode and yeah, it was rough, but today I’m doing better and I realize nobody really cares about my personal issues lol but I just have a need to excuse myself here and I realize that’s kinda dumb but here we are ANYWAYS I hope these are okay, and that these are in no way the RIGHT interpretations, just my personal favorites! 

Kyle:

suggested by the wonderful  @otherluces <3

#1 

I’m not gonna lie, I love nerdy, preppy Kyle. Sweater-vests, collard shirts, doesn’t realize how attractive he is Kyle, oblivious to people having crushes on him Kyle, set on Harvard to become a lawyer and fight for justice and argue for a living, yanno? 

#2 

I also really like the more dorky and nerdy Kyle, where he has really niché interests that he gets totally invested in and talks about 24/7, loves reading and studying, but not just to get good results, but because he genuinly enjoys it.

#3

The last version I can think of with him, is the tall, lanky and kinda hard to read Kyle. He keeps a lot of his feelings to himself, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. He plays basketball, he’s good at it too, and while he does well in school and everyone expects him to go into law, he has some totally different dream he keeps to himself for now. He kinda perks up a bit when in smaller crowds, esp with his cloest friends, but he still carries a lot of secrets that some time needs to come out.

Tweek:

suggested by my new fren  @soft-craig-and-tweek ^^

I like Tweek in so many ways these were hard to pick, but I’mma try to narrow it down a bit and not go totally off haha

#1

I actually quite enjoy the jagged, tired Tweek, the one who with help from friends and family manage to get off the meth his parents feed him secretly, but who still struggle with withdrawal, dark bags under his eyes, kinda pale and with sharp features, but he’s still a sweet and kind boy, a boy who wants to make the right choices and change the world to a better place, but who still has a darkness he carries, and the fact that he never gives up that fight is what makes him so special 

#2

and okay I have to be honest, I do love myself some sunshine boy Tweek. This Tweek still has issues, he is maybe even more anxious than the last one, but he’s also just as vibrant and energetic as he is anxious! He is an artist, he paints with bright colors, he composes beautiful, hopeful melodies, he feels everything so much,  and he is a contagious and exciting person to be around. Cannot dress for the life of him. So much mis-match and odd outfits, but it kinda works? 

#3

The last one I’m gonna mention for this wonderful boy, is the more alternative Tweek. He writes obscure poetry, he watches too many conspiracy theory videos on youtube, he draws the monsters in his mind, and he writes the scariest, most hauntingly beautiful stories on the internet, and people online love him. He has no idea how to deal with being popular in that sense, because irl he is the type to not belong to a certain friend group, but he does go along well with most people on a surface level. Dark circles, shaky hands, crooked and cute smiles, baggy t-shirts and ripped jeans. When he first opens up to someone, he really, really does, and he will always support and be there for you. If you deserve it, that is. 

Nichole: 

also suggested by  @soft-craig-and-tweek <3 

#1

I love nerdy Nichole who isn’t afraid to show it! Maybe she’s a streamer or youtube gamer even, I can def see her writing fanfiction, and being hella good at it too! Makes quite a name for herself online, and hangs out with the boys a lot irl, has game nights with the boys from Board Girls (even Cartman sometimes), is funny in a sarcastic way, but never mean. 

#2

Popular girl Nichole is also a favorite for me, but not in the “classical” sense. I imagine her to be a sporty, maybe on both the basket and volleyball team, captain for the basket one, she’s a born leader, she’s kind and fair, but can also be strict, and people always trust her to be honest and true.  

#3

Artsy Nichole!! I imagine her in bright yellow dresses and with her hair flowing and free, with flowers in her hair, freckles on her face, a big, genuine smile, a loud laughter that is so contagious, she loves spending time with Jimmy because they have a very similar humor, and she’s a theater kid, she sings like an angel and can act, oh boy can she act, she can make anyone laugh or cry in just a blink of an eye, she’s just a human sun-ray and I love her a lot 

Butters: 

suggested by @kinguidamundo, thank you so much!! 

#1

I love edgy Butters soooo much??? Like, he’s still a kind and bright boy, but he can also stand up for himself a lot more, he likes fashion a lot, he gets tattoos and piercings, he explores tons of ways to express himself, he’s a yes-dude, he goes out on dates a lot, but isn’t ready for a “real” relationship yet, but he enjoys meeting people and testing out himself around different types of people! Also he is a bi icon change my mind jk u can’t 

#2

I have a weak spot for the kind of soft and timid looking Butters too, who wears pastel colors and have big, innocent eyes, he is genuine and kind, but he carries something darker inside, something he isn’t sure how to deal with, something that scares him, but in reality it’s just normal feelings, anger, resentment and fear, but he’s lived his life ignoring them so much they catch him off guard at times. He learns to live with them slowly, and he does so with lots of help and patience from friends and loved ones. 

#3

Okay, last one, totally self-indulging here, but yeah, happy sunflower boy is also a big favorite. He is more confident than the previous version, but in a gullible way if that makes any sense? He believes the best in people, and if he is proven wrong, he’s willing to try to help them become better people, if they want to or not! This is honestly the version I love most with Stan, Butters being the ray of sunshine in Stan’s life and Stan being the realism to keep Butters grounded and them both supporting each other so much? Fuck yeah that’s the good stuff. 

Clyde:

suggested by @horrorpumpkin, ty sm friend! <3 

#1

Himbo Clyde!!! Jock dude who genuinely loves sports, he’s a team player, and while he might not be super intellectual, he is very socially smart, he is kind and empathic, he is funny and likable, he always tries his best to make everyone feel included, and while he loves chicks a lot, and is a sexual dude, he does it with nothing but respect and admiration for the ladies! 

#2

Bisexual disaster Clydeeee <3 obv being bi isn’t a personality trait, but he is very open about it, he wants to be confident and good at flirting, but goddamn is he a MESS! He’s also a huge supporter of every single relationship his friends is in, he loves love, in all shapes and forms, he is emotional and kind and awkward in an endearing way. 

#3

Can’t leave out crybaby Clyde, can we now? He’s a bit of an awkward bean as well, but he owns it a bit more. He is kinda like a puppy, a cute, excitable and emotional puppy who loves his friends, video games and lazy movie nights, kinda chubby, he loves baking and does it a lot with Tweek, he is also a huge nerd for Harry Potter and totally geek out over it with Kyle and Nichole sdhlksgdhl

Kenny: 

suggested by anon! 

#1

First up I guess I should put my high school AU Kenny. I know it’s controversial, but I imagine this Kenny to be more on the quiet side, but not really in a shy way. He’s just a bit of an observer who doesn’t speak unless he really sees fit, and while he still has his crude humor and is kinda rumored to be sleeping around a lot, he actually struggle with intimacy issues. He never imagined them to include sexual stuff, but turns out they do, and balancing being sexually open and curious and having these issues ain’t easy on the boy, let me tell you that. 

#2

This one is kinda heavily inspired by Luces, but I love him as kind and loyal, but also a bit more chatty and charming, but not for his own gain. He wants others to feel good about themselves, in social settings, his friends, during sexy times, he is selfless and good, but he is also living for the moment, he is a likable and wonderful guy, but he does still only REALLY open up emotionally to people he really trusts. Not traditionally attractive, but interesting looking in a way. Lots of freckles, bit of buck teeth with a big gap between his front teeth, messy kinda curly hair, long straight nose. Always wears baggy hoodies and worn out jeans, shrugs and gives that lopsided smile when people ask him about anything personal.

#3

Mysterious Kennyyyy. You think you know him, everyone does, but in reality, very few have seen the real him. He likes people, and he likes to help them, he’s always down to listen to people’s problems and help them, he wants to inspire kids like himself to never give up and think there’s only one path for them, because he knows there is not. Volunteers at the animal shelter with Stan, works part time at Tweek Bro’s and is good buddies with Tweek. Had a early sexual debut, slept around a bit and got his heart broken unexpectedly when he was a Freshman, so there are some walls there now, but he ain’t usually one to turn down someone who’s up for it and whom with he has good chemistry either. 

[smartguyreviewed]

2x6 - Trial and Error

Original air date: Oct 15, 1997

Okay, so we begin this infuriating episode with Floyd coming home and calling out for his biological children. None of them are home. Except for Mo. Mo broke into the house. No, seriously. He broke into the house and started eating somebody’s leftovers. Now in any other case, this would warrant a passionate ass whooping and a call to the parents of this child because what the fuck are you doing so wrong to have your son breaking into houses and not stealing anything except for food? However, this is sitcom world and Floyd just seems more annoyed than anything since Mo is always there anyway.

Mo tells Floyd he needs to be more careful about locking the windows. So linebacker ass Mo really needed to eat and somehow oozed through a window just to get food? Ok, I take back what I said about him needing his ass kicked. Mo is clearly malnourished even though he’s huge. His parents must be poor and therefore can’t afford to feed him. Holy shit was that dark. Moving on. 

Food and TJ’s brain are the reasons for his crime. His parents are going to kill him if he brings home another D. This is really helping me build a theory that Mo’s parents are abusive, so let’s assume his parents are literal this time about the kill thing. Floyd then realizes that Mo’s punishment would equal him not being over again to eat up their food and casually break in so he tells Mo that TJ joined the Marines. Nice, Floyd.

Just then, the rest of Floyd’s flock comes in babbling about who got what part in a play. TJ is naturally upset because he wanted a bigger role, still not getting used to the idea that he’s a 10 year old and unless he’s playing the role of a character with dwarfism, it wouldn’t make sense for him to have a huge part. TJ storms off in a huff. Typical TJ things.

The next day, everyone is atwitter over a test from their more over it than Lisa Simpson teacher. This man wants all of his students to fail. He hates his students. He’s a teacher and yet he hates teaching. Maybe this is the wrong profession for you, bruh? And it’s evident his ‘over it’ level is on a million from the way he comes in and tells his class to “get ready to hate me.” The deadpan, dry delivery was funny though. 

His first task is to give his students an assignment so hard that even he doesn’t know all the answers. Um, why? If you don’t know the answers, how are you gonna grade the tests? Isn’t this just creating more work for you, someone who already hates his job? Why the fuck does Piedmont hire such bad teachers and faculty, dammit?

Even TJ is intimidated by this test! Mo asks Mr. Bringleman why stuff from another chapter he previously said wouldn’t be on the test is on the test. He simply says he lied. This man is evil. I hated teachers who did that bitch ass shit. Yes, I only studied for what you said was going to be on the test because I have other classes too, ya know. I’m a teenager, not a machine!

I’m just gonna call him Mr. B for the rest of this review because fuck this most likely racist white man. His ass was listening to the boys talking about how hard the test was and then Mo says he wishes he could do to Mr. B what he does to all of them. Mr. B asks if he’s threatening him and Mo stammers. Then Mr. B insults his intelligence by asking if he ever has a complete thought. Before he can even fix his mouth to call him the N word, not Linda Ellerbee shows up to see what’s going on. Oh yeah, and she’s the new principal. She’s the third one so far and this is only the first half of the second season.

Anyways, she needs someone to cover a class and outright forces him to do it. Ha-ha. When the boys laugh at him, Mr. B says he’s going to grade Mo’s test. Nice, I just love seeing teachers bully students.

At the play rehearsal, TJ is still campaigning for a lead role. Mackey has to be the one to humble him, asking for duct tape. Marcus’s play related arc in this episode is pursuing acting seriously in case music doesn’t work out. His part has no lines so he’s trying to act with his face. He can just feel the SAG membership card in his hands.

Just then, Yvette bursts in wearing a Prince-inspired outfit and lets everyone know there was a fire in the chem lab. Dun du--pause. Why the fuck is she telling everyone? Wouldn’t they have had a fire drill? Are there no fire alarms in this blasted school? How the fuck did nobody know about it or smell smoke and why is Yvette bursting in like the town crier in this Purple Rain ass outfit???

All the students are happy until Linda Ellerbee hands Mo his charred playbook and asks him to come into her office. Dun dun dun. Later we find out that Mo was expelled. Because he is an abused child who only feels safe at the Hendersons, Mo has once again broke into their house and begun working out in their garage. Floyd is over it.

TJ comes home and talks to Mo. He is sad to learn that nobody thinks he’s innocent but says that TJ has to believe him because he has the “wide-eyed innocence of a child.” He follows this up with shitty examples of kids trusting adults who end up being assholes. Once they finally get on a good example, TJ is able to see that Mo is innocent and decides to help Mo get back into school.

The next day, TJ is in the principal’s office waiting for Linda Ellerbee. She has mice in her office because Piedmont is the worst public school ever and is resorting to playing the Spice Girls to get them out. Is that supposed to be a diss to the Spice Girls? Fuck anyone who disses the Spice Girls.

Sis is not budging when it comes to letting Mo back in the school. Sounds like a job for TJ’s cuteness and persistence! He gets her to agree to a mock trial where Mo would have to come back to the school. I...whatever. Order in the courtroom!

TJ is Mo’s defense. The opposinjg side calls Marcus to the stand so we already know this will end in disaster. It takes less than a minute for Marcus to admit that Mo threatened Mr. B. Ugh! Stupid Marcus. But he doesn’t even do the worst on the stand. Mo actually manages to fuck it all up! Marcus and TJ are trying to paint Mo out to be, what the kids today would call it, a “punk ass bitch.” Rather than play along and accept it, dumb ass Mo puts his stupid, fragile masculinity ahead of his chance to get back into school and says that he follows through on all threats. Once he realizes his gaffe, he immediately sits his ass down. Yvette is annoyed.

Vice principal Millitch, who will later replace Linda Ellerbee in one of the only sensical things I’ve seen regarding Piedmont, qualifies that Mo’s playbook was found at the scene next to Mr. B’s burnt gradebook. It was nice knowing ya, Mo. We know how the legal system works.

So then the loser teacher gets on the stand and tries to make it seem like he doesn’t intentionally make his students suffer by giving them ridiculously hard tests and lying about what’s even going to be on the test. To him, Mo is just a stupid, violent nigger so of course he’d want to commit a crime instead of studying harder. And then he lays it on thicker by insulting his intelligence again, explaining what the word combust means in the most smug ass, irritating way. It’s fucked up upon re-watch but at least it’s super realistic how predominately black public schools get racist white teachers often. They’re usually there for the tuition reimbursement.

TJ is now realizing that he may not be able to help Mo out of this jam. While eating dinner, Yvette comes in and apologizes for her lateness, saying the trial is over and now the school can continue with the play rehearsals. She tells an adamant TJ that Mr. B, also assuming the trial’s conclusion, was chain smoking cigarettes and humming “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” Floyd is appalled at the latter. TJ’s gears begin shifting. Side note but doesn’t Mr. B just look like a miserable ass teacher who smokes in the classroom?

TJ and Mo break into the school. Geez, so much trespassing in this episode! Mo isn’t even worried about being caught because what are they gonna do, “expel him from college?” Slapstick ensues while TJ collects samples from the gradebook. Mo, on the other hand, is battling a mouse trap. I was super high when I watched this last night but this scene had me in stitches. Omar Gooding is really good with physical comedy. Look, even TJ gets stuck to him when they’re leaving! Priceless!

At court the next morning, TJ calls Mr. B to the stand. He brilliantly examines him and exposes him for smoking in the classroom, which was the actual cause for the fire. This man is fucking evil! He was actually about to get away with very possibly ruining a teenager’s life until a fucking 10 year old stepped in and dug deeper. He could have seriously gotten him disowned by his parents, making him homeless, forcing him to turn to the streets for survival. All because he’s an asshole and didn’t have the heart to own up to what he did. Hell, it’s fucking Piedmont! I’m sure they would have kept him!

Seeing as he just gets sent to Linda’s office, he’s most likely getting a slap on the wrist and paid vacation leave. Oh well. Also frustratingly realistic. At least Mo isn’t expelled anymore. Too bad Mo’s unwashed hands are still sticky when he shakes the principal’s hand and the joke continues.

At the end, Marcus gets bumped up to the illustrious Juror #2. Gotta love a true thespian! Case dismissed. Bring out the dancing lobsters.

Things I noticed:

- Stinky Steve is Mr. B’s defense.

- Piedmont has no respect for their students’ time. The mock trial began at 8am. Assuming that their school day begins at 9am, I bet the play participants probably hate TJ for forcing them to get up an hour earlier than normal, on top of having to do the play after school.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

Haikyuu Thoughts (Only Ten Episodes In And I Already Have Four Faves)

Hoo boy, I am asexual tactile garbage we all know this right? That I will cling to just about anything as long as the character is compelling, makes me laugh, or any of the above strictly in that order. With that being said, this is the fastest that I've garnered three husbandos and one platonic bestie in the span of ten episodes of knowing these characters. That being said, one of the husbandos I don't know a whole lot about and seems to be the antagonist of the main series for the moment so there won't be much about him. But with all that said let's get right to it! I'll continue to update this thread with more of it in the future letting you know if anybody slips from their spot or another gets added. So far, I have not ever had more than one husbando in a show so this is the first time that I remember being here in Haikyuu Hell as I have lovingly dubbed it.

I say that we start off with platonic and work our way up! I feel like my best friend in the canon of the show would hands down be Yu Nishinoya. I love him, so much. He just seems like to me the type that works the hardest due to all the bruises that we see him with when he comes back from his suspension. Watching him play volleyball is something that never fails to amaze me. He's constantly around the ground and making sure that the ball doesn't hit the ground, since that's the libero's job but I love his dedication. This is what we're working with, since I haven't known him for very long but just look at this smile-

(I had a better plan of him smiling with one of my other husbandos that we'll see later on down this list but Hulu was being a bitch and wouldn't let me take screenshots.) I think that Noya would be my best friend because it's a contrast in personality. I've been told on countless occasions that I work way too hard and that I would feel much less anxiety if I just relaxed and something tells me that Noya would be the perfect boi for that job.

The first emotional attachment that I made was to the first character that really helped Hinata. That would be the vice president of the volleyball club Koshi Sugawara or Suga as the club seems to call him more often than not. Suga is the sweetest person in the show in my personal opinion. He is always willing to help out anybody who is needing of it. I think that if anyone of the main group is the mom friend it's him. He's always just that one tired mom who loves her kids but they exhaust him like nobody's business (then again if I had to be on the same team as Noya and Tanaka I'd probably be in the same boat LMAO baby I'm sorry). He's also a badass setter too! When you actually see him in action when he works with Noya and Asahi in the episode that I just finished I was in awe of how good of a setter he was. I just think that he's the sweetest thing imaginable and I love how he isn't even mad that they have Kageyama on the team. Usually, this type of character would come off as petty since his position is kind of in jeopardy but he'll willingly go out of his way to help Hinata and Kageyama. Honestly, I just absolutely adore Suga. If any of these three husbandos were to be scrapped leaving only one it would be a really tricky decision but I would pick Suga.

(I love this baby's character design too his lil mole reminds me of my own that I have on my upper lip.)

Alright, we got the serious one out of the way that doesn't even remotely fit into my typical type. You probably knew that this was coming since I already briefly mentioned him when I talked about Suga, but if anybody makes me laugh until my sides are absolutely aching who's personality just is completely one hundred percent crackhead that I grew an immense emotional attachment to it's Ryunosuke Tanaka. This is probably going to get a lot of head scratches but HEAR ME OUT. Before you judge me hear me out. I feel like he's just a really funny character, but more than that he's an incredible senpai and friend to Noya, Hinata and Kageyama. I mean he gives off one hundred percent lazy boi vibes but he still got up at five in the morning so that the first years could practice in the actual gym. I love that for him and it told me a lot about his personality. He will fight anybody who insults his friends, there's a reason why a lot of the opposing teams hear that they have a delinquent on the team. If anybody dares to insult Hinata they will have a very angry Tanaka coming after them at full speed to defend his favorite first year. I thought that in general that it said a lot about his personality. That he might be a flirt but, much like Noya, he's an insanely hard worker, good player, and does whatever it takes to defend the first years on his team.

(Can I also say that their friendship is Bromance material 101. Like I love their friendship SO much it's so funny and just top tier all around would be best friends with both of them just for the laughs.)

This last one is going to be a lot shorter because to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about him other than he's pretty and he looks to be a goofball with his team 👉🏻👈🏻. I have not seen much from Aoba Johsai but umm I really, really caught the feels almost instantly for Toru Oikawa. I don't have much reasoning, because again I have only seen him in one episode but he already became instantly added to this list. I know that he isn't an entirely bad person and that he's a goofball around his team. I already think that he proves to be a formidable opponent and I can't wait to see more of their rivalry and hopefully see more of Toru in the process.

(He is SO pretty somebody send help. I can't help but halfheartedly blame my boyfriend at this point because this can't be solely my fault.)

Thank you for listening to today's episode of God Dot nobody cares about your husbandos or how pretty they all are. I can't say that we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming anytime soon because I'm planning on binging this show today, tomorrow, and Sunday.

[nyxabird]

The Arkana Magician is probably one of the saddest characters I’ve seen.

I am the weirdest person because I think too hard about tiny side characters that are basically there just to move the plot along, and today has highlighted that because I’m crying over one of the tiniest like... seriously depressed.

So talks with my friend turned to the Pandora Black Magician/Arkana Dark Magician today, because I’m playing Duel Links and getting summon animations and that’s one I was missing. And I basically made myself completely depressed over this.

Also Memory World spoiler(s?) because this is going deep into talks about a certain someone. Since the English translation is the best known, I’ll use the English names for the post. (I’m used to using Japanese so forgive me if I slip up.)

For anyone who doesn’t know or doesn’t remember, the “Arkana Dark Magician” is sort of the mouthful title for the fake Magician we see in one of the duels in Battle City. It’s also sometimes called “Dark Magician (Arkana)” or “Dark Magician (Arkana Version)”. Or just sometimes Arkana Magician.

It’s this one, in the red armor.

Now the episode just seems like a typical throwaway copy fight whatever, tense and meaningful but nothing really new. Arkana is beaten, the story moves on, nobody thinks about him again.

Except. I started thinking about him. And where my mind went was really, really, sad. Most of this is going to be headcanon since this is barely if at all touched on in-universe, just fyi.

We have no evidence where he's from, but the most likely option is that he's a fake card. We have evidence for it -- Marik is making fake Ras, which seem to function fine as cards, it’s just their side effects boil down to “God is angry because fuck you for making copies”. And, you know, the art of the Arkana Magician is distinctly less quality than the other cards we see, hinting it’s not drawn with the same professionalism, hinting further it’s done by someone else.

You can actually see if you look at it carefully. It just looks off somehow, especially with the positioning of his arms and how the staff isn’t actually being held in his hand, it’s sort of... glued to his wrist. There’s just something very weird and not-right about it.

On top of the evidence of fake cards being made, we never see this version of the card again. We see other versions, but the fact this is a one-off unique version likely means it’s not something produced by Industrial Illusions.

So, you have Marik make a fake Dark Magician. All’s fine and dandy, except not quite no, because the Dark Magician isn’t just any card. It’s a card that was made when the High Priest Mahad fused his human soul with his ka, the manifestation of it, and basically turned himself into a Duel Monster. So you’re already playing with fire just making a fake of that.

But.

BUT.

IT GETS WORSE.

BECAUSE ALL OF ARKANA’S CARDS ARE ALIVE.

Arkana says this outright because his constant refrain is that you have to make your monsters fear you. He literally owns them, they’re his slaves, and he abused and frightens them. You wouldn’t do that for things you think are pieces of paper -- normal duelists believe in their decks and monsters but it’s like believing in your Roomba. You don’t think it’s actually sapient.

But Arkana does, he treats them like they are, and thus it’s pretty clear that his deck and cards are alive. (This is even further established by Yami himself, who tells Arkana his monsters are crying.) And thus the copy of the Dark Magician he gets is brought to life. Except it’s a fake copy, it can’t draw on the real Mahad’s spirit, so you now have this weird hybrid-Duel-Spirit-that’s-not-really-an-individual-spirit hanging around.

WHOOPS.

So the Arkana Magician is this brand new baby spirit, wide-eyed and (probably) innocent, and then he gets handed to a complete psychopath who literally abuses him and treats him like an unfeeling tool. Of course he goes psychotic under that sort of treatment. He’s been “alive” for not even a year most likely, and the only other people besides himself that he knows are his owner (who is an abusive shitbag) and the other monsters (who are also slaves, but considered under him). So he’s in this weird limbo of being worthless except as a weapon for Arkana to wield and yet somehow above the other monsters, meaning he’s basically isolated from the very start.

And what happens after this isolation and abuse? He gets pitted against Yami. With the real Dark Magician -- with Mahad. And he gets thrown into a duel where it’s made blatantly clear, with no room for misinterpretation, that he’s not the real thing. He’s a fake, a phony, a copy, an imposter. He’s beaten down, derided, and destroyed (sacrificed by Arkana himself, because he’s a tool, he exists to die for him, again and again). He existed to be a sword, that’s his purpose for being alive, and his blade just got shattered off the shield that is the real him. The real him who is loved by Yami, treated respectfully. It’s made, very painfully and bluntly clear, that he’s nothing more than a knock-off here, a thing that isn’t considered real or worth affection or care.

A knock-off that nobody actually WANTS. Because when Arkana loses, he goes insane, so of course he wouldn’t keep him. But Yami doesn’t take him either. We don’t know for sure why, though honestly, with what evidence we have, it seems very much like the Arkana Magician just slipped their mind. Arkana gets fucked over by Marik so he can’t free himself, so Yugi takes over and frees him, Marik shows up to flip them the double-bird, Arkana basically goes completely insane, and then everyone finally shows up and Yugi is just so done with all this insanity right now that it’s slipped him and Yami’s minds.

Which... honestly, I get. Yugi is a teenager, Yami only has a group of teenagers to model his feelings/handling of things on. I don’t blame them for forgetting. But even if I don’t blame them, even if I think no one’s at fault here, it’s still pretty heartless and definitely heartbreaking.

“But Nyx!” you say. “He was hostile and an asshole, why would they take him with them?” To which I ask you to remember that Yugi nearly lost a foot of what very little height he had in order to save Arkana. And also, why is Kaiba hanging around? How did Yugi befriend Jounouchi again? At this point it’s pretty clear that Yugi’s bar for “this person is too evil to be my friend” is set high enough I’m fairly certain that a giraffe wouldn’t have to do more than slightly duck to get under it.

We have no idea what happens after that, but like... knowing the card is real, the Spirit World is real, and yet he’s a fake made off a real monster the options we can see aren’t really good. It’s actually pretty likely that he’s just... trapped in the card forever, since he isn’t real on his own -- at best he’s a tiny fragment of Mahad’s soul (which seems like a very likely option since he’s inherited Mahad’s skin color and makeup), at worst he’s a false imitation of a spirit that isn’t any more real than the “Mexican” food at Taco Bell. Either way, it’s likely he can’t pass on to the Spirit World. Which means he’s just... stuck, in the card. Forever. Completely alone because Pandora can’t use him, Yami didn’t take him, and nobody wants him.

He’s “lived” for such a short time and yet everyone he ever met hated him. To Pandora, he was a tool to be used at Arkana’s whims, hurt if he ever did something “wrong”, and as the episode shows he was fucking terrified of Arkana for it (and likely hated him in turn). To Yami, he was an opponent, a fake of Yami’s beloved Dark Magician (or at the very least took Yami’s feelings to be that, if nothing else). We don’t know what Mahad thinks of him, but quite frankly I doubt it’s anything good considering Mahad strictly serves the Pharaoh and his reincarnations and here is this knock-off street bazaar him serving an insane asshole that’s trying to kill said Pharaoh.

This poor fucker was doomed from the very beginning. And it breaks my heart that in the end, even though he was a victim and never asked for this, he probably got punished just as much as everyone else because he got left behind to rot, trapped in a card in likely complete solitude until he goes insane himself or the card’s destroyed and he can die. Honestly, for as much abuse as he got from Pandora, rotting in solitude is a far worse fate for someone who never deserved it.

[greatneedtotakeanap]

i binge read

episode 9 - the house of hades

i don’t care what anybody says, hazel levesque was the main character in this book.

of course, all of the seven are the main characters, and all of them underwent a life changing journey in this book - Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus of course, Frank in Venice with all of the katoblepones and again in the House of Hades summoning the dead, Jason with his whole Cupid-Nico escapade, Leo meeting Calypso, and Piper fighting Khione. But Hazel’s journey was the most central to the plot. She actively chose the crossroads that would lead to the events of the whole book - Leo falling, Percy and Annabeth unconscious in front of the Doors, Frank wounded. Those were all events that she chose and events that came to pass. She, personally, led to pretty much everything that happened. She’s the most powerful of the seven imo, with all of the Mist manipulation and gem summoning - she easily possesses the most raw power.

Anyways. I’d have to talk about all of the Seven individually for this post to work. We’ve already covered Hazel so let’s start with Jason, because nobody ever does. I really wish this guy had more character, even just in his own chapters. I understand that he’s hella blunt and how helpful that is, and most of the time I appreciate it. But his main conflict in this book was belonging, in the Greek versus the Roman camps (which is something that Nico was also struggling with in a different way). I wish he’d explored that, the blending of Greek and Roman, within himself more. I think it’s a very important plot point that I as a biracial kid can relate to specifically - the feeling of coming from two different places, loving two different cultures, wondering to which you truly belong.

Next, Piper. We really didn’t see as much as I’d like to see of her in this book. She kind of just popped up whenever anybody needed a charmspeaking side character. Her big climax moment was fighting Khione, which was a pretty cool scene I must admit. I admired not only her quick thinking but her ability to accept that she was unable to think like Annabeth and her willingness to embrace her own way of thinking. That’s something that I don’t see as much as I’d like. Also I loved the little detail of her swordfighting lessons with Hazel. The girl power and camaraderie was strong and I appreciated that. It almost seems to me like she’s learning that she is like other girls--the narrative in her chapters was very different from in TLT.

Leo. If nobody ever shut me up, I could talk for days about Leo Valdez. Admittedly he pissed me off a bit sometimes - sometimes his jokes took things too far, especially when he picked on Frank. But this fifteen year old child built a HELICOPTER in MIDAIR. He just makes it so hard not to love him. The high point for him this book was, obviously, when he crashlanded on Calypso’s island. It was one of my favorite parts of the book, too, partially because it was one of those scenes I could just see in my head, every second. It made a pretty beautiful picture too. You could see both of them slowly falling in love - Jason says later that he was only in exile for five days, but Leo, on Ogygia, clearly experienced at least two weeks - one of them building a looking glass, the other building a boat with Calypso. It was interesting to see, through the other people’s eyes, how it changed him. And how he refused to talk about it. I love how his instinct, whenever he sees Gaea, is to just chuck the nearest object at her. In TLT, he sees her in face in the porta-potty sludge, and he chucks a toilet seat at her. In Calypso’s island, when she reappears, he just throws a pair of pliers at her. It’s just so hilarious to imagine--see Gaea, throw object. I have never felt prouder of him than I did when he chucked that screwdriver from across the room to press the button to let Percy and Annabeth out of that elevator. It was just a cinematic move.

Frank!! If Hazel wasn’t the main character, it definitely would have been him. His journey in this book was also quite cinematic. It was amazing to see how he’d changed, growing into his identity as a child of Mars. There were so many times I loved him so much--destroying every katobleps in venice, leading the team through the House of Hades. All while the two different sides of his dad were yapping away in his head. Takes some serious steel. I just feel like everyone always underestimates Frank Zhang. This dude, despite being the biggest pacifist of the Seven (besides possibly Piper), is just so freaking metal. I’m so incredibly proud of him and of his journey.

I intentionally left Percy and Annabeth for last because it’s gonna be hard to explain. Because I’d have to group them together mostly. I loved the way they were always working for each other, always looking out for each other. They saved each other’s lives dozens of times over. I know I’ve said it a thousand times but that’s my favorite thing about Percabeth. They’re best friends above all. From the very beginning, with the river, to Arachne, to the aria curses and so much more - they always, always had each other’s backs. I loved Bob the titan immediately. I can’t say I remember him, like, at all--despite the binge reading I did, I literally cannot remember Iapetus. Which book was he in? I’m assuming The Last Olympian. I knew Small Bob would be important in the end, and I knew the giant would come back - though it was quite sad, the ending. Especially Percy at the end telling Zoe that bob says hello. A lot of the scenes in Tartarus were difficult to imagine, though some were easier - for example, the defeat of Misery. I cheered when Percy took her down, I immediately hated her. Other Tartarus escapades were sad and painful, but I’m glad they got out.

Fourteen days until Gaea awakens and two demigods’ blood will water her soil. Tower of Nero is released today. I was hoping to finish all three series, short of the final book, by Friday. Can our heroes battle Gaea, fix things with the Romans, and save the world? Can I read the Blood of Olympus and the entirety of the Trials of Apollo within three and a half days? Probably not. Stay tuned for more.

[hopevalley]

Finally!!

Today’s the big day! At 9/8C the new season will start airing. I hope all of you who are able to watch will do so! I’ll be excited to see your opinions.

I don’t expect too much from the first episode this season; it’d be silly to hope for something mindblowing. On the plus side, I imagine it will be a better/more cohesive bit of entertainment than the holiday films usually are. I’m kind of curious to see how they approach just jumping into a new season vs. having a film length “episode” to break the ice between seasons.

I took a pretty big step back this year and didn’t stay on top of all of the promos or sneak-peek scenes. I know the basics, but that’s it. I hope allowing some things to be a surprise will work for the better for me.

As to hopes and dreams for the season, well, more of the usual you’ve probably come to expect of me, I guess. Here’s a little list just for giggles.

I’m still holding out for AJ to make an appearance this season, though at this point I’d be happy if she even got a mention. Is this really silly of me? Probably. But Frank was mentioned last season, so it stands to reason that they are aiming for more cohesive storytelling. Even if all that was said was that they’d had a letter from her, it would be enough to tie up the storyline in a way that feels less bad than, you know, she just went to prison for the rest of her life and nobody cares about it.

I think we’re going to get a “washed up old man” character arc for Bill. Based on the short scene of him putting on a red serge jacket, though, it may be much more nuanced than that; after all, even when Bill was working for the mounties last, he was a forensic investigator wearing plainclothes. Maybe this is more about aging and missing youthful capabilities? Either way, Bill is one of my favorite characters, and those sorts of plotlines would suit him. I have some faith that this sort of narrative will be approached with respect not only to the character, but also to the audience members who might relate to the situation.

No matter how the triangle resolves, I hope it feels satisfying to everyone involved. I think my biggest concern is actually with regards to insensitivity in the narrative. For example, Elizabeth chooses Lucas and in two episodes Nathan’s on a date with someone else.

I think it could be argued that Lucas might be the type to try courting someone else as a means to forget about Elizabeth, but he and Nathan have been invested in her for a couple of literal years at this point... I hope the writers don’t forget that heartache like that won’t leave easily.

Also, regarding the triangle... Most of you know I haven’t been a big fan of it. I still feel the same: splitting the fanbase was a huge mistake. 

Their attempts at saving face (all those interview comments about how deeply they thought about the choice and everything) were... I don’t know. They had to say something about it, and I’d hope they’d actually consider the character and what would continue to make interesting storyline bits down the road, but...they probably shouldn’t have admitted to the “what will make a good story” bit, even though it’s true and as a writer I know exactly where they’re coming from.

To clarify, they are probably considering Elizabeth as a character and her most likely choice, and coming up with plot ideas for down the road well in advance to make sure they can continue the story seamlessly with that choice in mind. Like, “we made sure that with the choice we made, we could still continue the story for many seasons to come. The thing is, this is the default mode: the audience already believes in this. Calling attention to it just makes people question whether or not the writers bothered to think about who the character of Elizabeth would choose.

Nathan is my pick for Elizabeth, but I don’t love Elizabeth enough as a character to stop watching if she chooses Lucas.

Nathan seems like the better/easier choice because “interesting future plots” with Lucas will have to rely on being mostly internal issues (he failed to tell her some big information about himself that is important now, discussion about having more children, how to be a parent/if he has a right to discipline Jack/etc), whereas Nathan plots can be internal when the storyline fits the characters, but due to the nature of his career it’s very easy to make plots stem from an external source without it seeming goofy or forced.

One last point about the triangle: so far they’ve done a really good job of making Lucas and Nathan appeal to pretty much opposite types of people. Lucas is the type of guy you root for if you like bold men who are not only confident, but secure in understanding their own emotions as well as declaring them. If you’re taking him at face value, you know exactly where you stand with him without ever really having to ask. Nathan is the kind of guy you root for if you like the more shy/sensitive men who are capable of emotion but do so awkwardly. It can be hard to tell where you stand with him until you learn to read him, or better yet...learn how to put him at ease. 

I hope this trend continues but does what it was intended to do all along. I feel like both men got the short end of the stick at various points in the story just due to how the narrative portrayed things.

I’ll be honest, I used to really like Jesse and Clara, but I think their story isn’t interesting anymore, and I’m worried that they’ll try to force some marital discord just to give them more screentime, when it might actually be better to let them fade to the background, or add them to scenes with other characters who are around a lot. I’m not sure what would get me invested in these two again, but there has to be something the writers could do...

Like many others I’m hoping Rosemary and Lee decide to either live the childfree lifestyle or adopt an older child who needs a home if they’re set on being parents.

I hope more of the side characters get good quality scenes this season. I feel like they will, but I’ll say it anyway. We have some really great actors on board, and it’s a waste of talent not to use that talent.

By this I mean: I don’t want to see Molly, Hickam, Florence, and Ned used only as funny bit characters. The last season or two were particularly bad for that.

I feel like I’m forgetting a few things, but this is long and I’ve got other things to do. :) Hope to see y’all around later today!