#so in love with the pieces they've revealed so far!

[ichigoera]

水辺に浮かぶ花

光を浴びたシャボン玉...

それはまるで妖精の楽園の入口

Fairy Shabon Eden ( Mellfy Memory Summer 2023 Collection )

[drchucktingle]

Hi Dr. Tingle,

I just wanted to say, as someone who has been in the Homestuck fandom for a long time, that I'm so sorry people connected to the game and the comic have been so unnecessarily unkind to you, and that they've carried on this bit so far past the point of decency. Homestuck as a piece of media is deeply saturated with a very particular brand of early 2010s online irony, and there are some folks in the fandom who just refuse to let it go.

I think there are a lot of people out there who choose to take your sincerity as mockery, because to do otherwise would force them to confront their own cynicism and irony-poisoning and commit to self reflection in a way that they're not willing to do at this point in their lives. I'm not saying they're inherently bad people, because I don't believe that and (based only on the limited snapshot of yourself that you give to the world) I don't think you would either, only that they're making unkind decisions out of a fear of difference. Your work is both delightfully fun and incredibly meaningful, for me and a lot of others, and I just wanted to say that.

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, so I'll just say that I hope your day is going well if/when you're reading this.

Respectfully,

Ray/cultivating-saplings

P.S. I would classify Hussie as a light scoundrel, in a 'season 1 villain who you can tell is eventually going to move into the heroes' apartment later in the show and hang out eating all of their chips' sort of way.

P.P.S. I like your lab coat :]

i do not have a lot to respond with other than I LIKE THIS MESSAGE and i think you are correct not just with this way of a specific fandom but with a HUGE PORTION OF THE INTERNET and a certain age range who trotted up in online forums and various websites.

there is a deep deep deep irony poisoning going on with some of these buckaroos and i think my trot kind of short circuits that and it is difficult for these folks to grapple with it. i think when you are used to every single thing on the internet being drenched in irony and every big reveal of an online presence being some keyboard goofball 'trotting for the lulz' it can be very difficult to see chuck and just accept that i am sincere. i have empathy for this.

i should also add that, of course, not all irony is bad. too much can be very destructive though.

all i can do is keep creating my art and being sincere about it, and i think the longer that continues to more irony poisoning will drain from some of these veins. that is one way i can prove love is real i think.

[faeruy]

Tarot Time - Agatha All Along, Episode 7 - "Death's Hand in Mine" Part 1

HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS EPISODE. There's so much to talk about with regards to the Tarot used in this episode. I had to take a couple of days and watch it a couple of times to catch everything. First off, all of the kudos to the writers - their use of tarot is inspired, the way they connected it throughout the show was BRILLIANT, and I honestly didn't see the reveal that Lilia was seeing her final reading coming. I am legitimately in awe of these writers.

So lets talk about it, as this is mostly going to be me trying to wrap my head around everything that happened. As always, I'm an amateur, so I may get things wrong. I'm also splitting this up into two parts because there's A LOT. First part is Lilia's Reading, the Second part is going to be all of the other cards drawn in the episode.

First up; Lilia's True Reading. I'm starting with this one because I've already talked about a number of the cards and what they mean, although even they take on some new aspects now that they are revealed to be part of the final draw. If you haven't read my earlier posts, there's links at the bottom of this one. This is also going to be tough for me, because while I have a decent familiarity with what each card symbolizes, I've never been particularly strong when it comes to layouts, and how to take in the cards as a whole reading instead of individual pieces. But also, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, "Safe Passage" is a layout that - while visually is based on the Celtic Cross - is made up for the show.

The Traveler is The Queen of Cups - Lilia. She described this card in the show - Full of intuition, but also calm, compassionate and nurturing. Warm hearted in tune with those around her - though in this case not consciously, since earlier callouts of the cards were done involuntarily and out of time. She has some aspects of a Reversed reading; her gaps and out-of-time phasings indicate a bit of emotional insecurity, and by her own admission she's bottled things up so she doesn't have to deal with the pain of seeing the future. But the Upright has been stronger with her by far. The fact that she put a sigil on Billy to give him time to come to terms with who he is speaks volumes about her compassion. It's a card that fits her to a T. I also love the modified card - for the most part, they're using a bog-standard Rider-Waite Deck, but most of the cards are in this drawing are modified. The Queen is usually depicted sitting in a throne, but this deck has her in front of a table - ready to divine and interpret and intuit. Less above her people than the normal card, and more of an equal.

What's Missing - Three of Pentacles - The Coven. I talked in depth about this one before. The only thing that changed is who the reading is for - in the first episode it showed up, the reading was for Agatha. But she wasn't the only one who lost her original coven, Lilia lost hers too. She needed them as much as Agatha did; after all, what is a witch without her coven? And as much as they bicker and lack trust in each other, they have become what they've been missing. This card is modified by making the figures standing in a group look like the Coven - Lilia, Agatha, Jen, Billy, Alice, and yes, even Rio. Oddly enough, not Sharon, suggesting either a) the art department didn't have enough room to fit her in, b)she was never a true witch, therefore not part of the Coven, or c) she was close enough to death even before the Road that Rio was essentially following her - metaphorically.

Path Behind - Knight of Wands - Alice. I talked a lot about this card in episode 5, and I don't know that there's a lot to add here. Lilia goes for the simple definition; a knight full of fire and energy. She leaves out the impulsiveness, but probably has to do with sentimentality and choosing to remembering her heroism. Path behind is obvious; her death was significant, and affected the Coven strongly. Since this is Lilia's reading, I think Alice's death is maybe the catalyst for her to start really confronting her own mortality, and her own Path. Again, the card is modified, depicting a knight holding a staff (interchangeable name for Wands) in the same stance Alice was using to save Agatha. Normally it's a knight on a reared-up horse, with the staff held upright. Both versions of the card indicate a very aggressive, action-oriented person, which Alice very much is.

Path Ahead - The High Priestess - Jen. This one is making me FERAL. So the card here is barely modified - the only difference is the High Priestess looks like Jen. And I've talked about what that means in the first post I made about tarot in this show. What it means HERE, however, is super interesting. First of all, Lilia uses the phrase "unwilling or unable to use it" which specifically refers to a Reversed reading, even though the card itself was drawn Upright. And we know that while Jen succeeded in her Trial, all it really did was help her feel confident in her knowledge of the craft; her origins as a root-worker. It didn't remove her bindings. So in some ways, she's not yet the High Priestess Upright, But given that this is the Path Ahead, I think it means she will be. But what does it mean that she is the Path Ahead? I have a guess, but stick with me here. First of all, The High Priestess is the master of the unconscious and spirituality. Secondly, the Path Ahead is for the Traveler, meaning it's specifically LILIA'S Path Ahead. Also, There's a line in the Ballad about "Spirits as our Guide." So my guess, is at some point, Jen is going to be unblocked, and when she is, she's gonna call on the spirits of those who died on the Road - including Lilia. There's a reason Lilia was okay making the sacrifice she did, and why she was so insistent on Jen specifically getting out of there. I could be wrong, but I think the signs are there, and I cannot wait to see if I'm right.

Obstacles - Three of Swords - Agatha. Interesting, this one probably has several implications. Three of Swords represents heartache and grief. For Lilia specifically, one of her biggest obstacles has been her grief over seeing everyone she knows and loves die well before they do, and being unable to stop it. It's stopped her from using her power to it's full potential and kept her from connecting with and caring about people. She's needed to let that go, accept that Death comes for everyone, and that her visions having meaning and purpose, even if she can't change them. The card is mostly the same, they've just put a figure in the foreground that doesn't normally exist, aka Agatha. So it also kind of implies that Agatha, specifically Agatha's own heartache, has also been a giant obstacle to Lilia, and probably the coven as a whole - continuing the theme that actually, Agatha is her own worst enemy, which tracks.

Windfall - Tower Reversed - William/Billy/Teen. I've already talked about how this relates to Billy, but this reading is for Lilia. So the personal transformation is HERS. Violent and disruptive, but she'll become something new. What will she become? A spirit, maybe? Something else, something more? Or is it that in her final moments, she becomes the strongest, most complete version of herself? I'm inclined towards something beyond - she looks almost ecstatic when she draws it, and tied together with her Path Ahead being The High Priestess, I think she realizes while she may die, she's not done, and she's gonna be GLORIOUS. The card here isn't significantly modified, I believe it might be, but it was so quick I couldn't catch exactly how.

Destination - Death - Rio. And we get the (highly telegraphed) reveal that Rio is Death. Normally the card is Black Knight on a White Horse, but here it's just Rio in Grim Reaper guise. Makes sense, given that in this universe she predates Tarot, so in this deck, the card is based on her. Reading superficially, it's just that all roads lead to Death. But the card is more complicated than that and Lilia knows it. Because the Death card isn't just about physical death. It's about embracing the endings and accepting fate so that something new can begin. The personal transformation promised as the Windfall cannot happen unless one is willing to let the old self end. And Rio is the original Green Witch. A flower cannot grow without nutrients, and soil is enriched by what dies in it. So Lilia knows at this point she has to die. But it's okay now, because it's not an end, it's a new beginning. And I'm crying as I'm writing this. And I think the writers were SO CLEVER that the last shot we see of Lilia is of her as young girl, with her mentor saying "Let's Begin".

I think overall the writers have been very good with their use of tarot, and their layout is very cool. I also think it's very smart that they've associated certain cards with certain witches, and that the words Lilia was using in association with the cards were their basic definitions only. It makes sense; we're talking about a visual medium, and the way she did it was punchier, and more dynamic than doing an in depth interpretation of the cards. But what it didn't do was give us the reading as a whole, and almost tricked the audience into forgetting or dismissing the idea that the reading was for Lilia alone instead of the coven, and that the cards are working together to paint a fuller picture. But this episode has also shown that somebody on the writing staff knows their tarot, or at the very least did a lot of research. And I think there's a deeper interpretation to be had; Lilia's died, but she is not done.

I'm so excited for the last two episodes. I don't know if we'll see more cards after this, but I'm not ruling it out as a possibility. I also have the rest of the cards that were drawn this episode, which I'll go into in Part 2 of this (maybe 3, who knows, there were a LOT of cards). It should be up soon, but I need a bit of a break after writing this one. hope you all enjoyed it!

Here's the Links to Past Episodes

Episode 1-3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Part 2

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2 hangs on - you guessed it - a double meaning (and art). *Part 3*

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End? This is major spoilers for season 3 territory. You have been warned. I'm also going to split this into parts because wow, I have so many ✨Clues✨! My peeps, before I show you the prestige, we need to discuss Maggie. Maggie is SO WEIRD.

Right up top we get her telling us this. Who loves something since they were a baby? Since you were a kid sure, but how can you remember loving something since you were a baby?

This one's fun. The double meaning here is 1) I was a huge uptight nerd so I never went to parties and/or 2) I wasn't a human teenager so I never got to go to your earth parties. But check out when Nina and Maggie *first* meet in her coffee shop. We spend a lot of time in this scene, because it's framed as a meet cute, but it's also full of weird dialogue.

So i'm not a writer, someone feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but Maggie is remembered by Nina AS A COFFEE. She IS a skinny latte. This works on two levels again. 1) You're not important enough to me to remember you as a person, just as an order. 2) You do not fit into my memory of people I know, but subconsciously I remember you as NOT a regular human.

And then again when she leaves the shop, Nina isn't paying attention and just sort of subconsciously replies:

Again, two meanings. Maggie is unimportant to her, Maggie is also a *coffee*.

Which is weird, because as far as I can tell Maggie never drinks a coffee, or anything for that matter. Sure she orders stuff in the shop, and is offered food and alcohol, but we never see her actually drink or eat any of it. She stirs the tea but never takes a sip.

So what IS Maggie then? Many people have pointed out that Maggie and Nina are a coffeeshop AU of our heroes. Their visual presentation seems to be screaming Nina = Crowley! and Maggie = Aziraphale! And they *work* on opposite sides of the street and everything! So is Maggie just a stand-in for Aziraphale then, to make the parable work? Cool, then what's the parable?

Uh oh. What possible AU fiction ends up with the main love interests breaking up with their toxic ex, dancing in a ball and fighting demons together and then... just not ending up together? An AU written by kind of a bad writer who wants to show the two lovebirds he's trying to separate that it will never work. Oh hey look The Metatron is here:

Now, I think the same guy that has been adding bits and pieces in the past would have no problem adding stuff and/or people in the present to make a point. Maggie also seems to be pretty sure about quite a lot of things that I wouldn't be sure about, given the context.

Maggie's knows it's not going to do any good, but she has to tell them anyway? Tell them what, that Nina and Maggie talked it out and never ended up together? Wow, what a great message. Thanks Maggie. Maggie isn't just a downer of an example though, remember she's also A COFFEE! Shoved in Aziraphael's and Crowley's faces, asking them to take it and help her since the beginning.

There's a concept in magic tricks called a force, where it seems like someone has free will ; to put a card anywhere in a deck, or pick a number, or volunteer, but actually the outcome has been chosen for them by the magician for the trick to work. The actual trick is about getting the person to think they've freely chosen to participate in the trick, not the act of revealing the card. The real trick was never making Maggie and Nina try to fall in love, it was getting Aziraphael to think he had freely chosen to help Maggie get this whole thing going. And if we know one thing about Aziraphael, it's that he's actually terrible at magic. Aziraphael has been primed to take the coffee in S2E6, because he's been taking the coffee the whole season. Ready for the prestige reveal after the force? We're going right to The Metatron in Part 4.

[ghouldtime]

That anon ask about what Konig would do if his neighbor/love interest was jeopardized was so sad omg and it got me thinking.

What if they just confronted him on his distance? At that point in that scenario they have no idea he was even involved in the slightest. To them they just went through something so put of pocket and traumatic and the sweet guy they've assumedly fallen in love with has started packing his things, not talking to them so they go to him and ask if they are okay, if he's okay.

Que the tearful (but not over dramatic for the love of god) trauma dump about what happened to them and how they miss him and crafting nights. Would he come clean, so to speak? Would König still leave or would he try to work through it? Would he coldly reject them and tell them to just forget about him?

Oh hell, what if they piece it together?? Like you mentioned they saw his eyes beneath the mask and thought he sounded ever so slightly familiar, would they say anything?

Though i agree that it would be a massive reach for the whole thing to be able to happen in the first place, like you said unless there's a rat in KorTac or he some how slipped up, which tbh doubt it highly. You'd have better luck shooting a straw up the ass end of a gopher from 100 yards away. Homeboy probably doesn't even keep his gear and mask at his personal home, keeps it as far away from his civilian life as possible, I'd wager.

I'm going to break your hearts more - you don't even GET the chance to talk to him there.

Basically, your stuff is being already packed, you're being told to zip your mouth and not say anything to anyone. Your old identity is being erased, you're given a new one. They're not going to have that jeopardized because you wanted to talk to someone. You're just going to have to "Disappear". Which means new phone number, no contacting people from your old life (minus family if that's even applicable and they're feeling generous), and you're going far, far away.

As far as the world is concerned, you've fallen off the edge of it and disappeared. Giving you contact to ANYONE in your old life can jeopardize that. Trying to talk to ANYONE from your old life to reveal or ask anything - jeopardizing that. Refusing witness protection after THAT would be a really, really terrible idea and quite frankly, not worth it.

Not to mention, König wouldn't give them that chance either. You're not getting back and lounging around and having the luxury of time or goodbyes. The reality is, they're getting you out of there and you can't talk to anyone - they're already far in motion packing your things and shipping you off. König isn't going to make his appearance known, he isn't going to try and approach - you won't even see him. Your number and email are blocked, he's not letting you take that risk and possibly get another chance to be hurt because of him.

That's just the reality of going through something like that. You have to leave everyone and everything behind. You're not getting a chance to say goodbye or to confront him. That's it, what's done is done. Not his fault because that's just witness protection 101. I mean, he's not helping but he won't interfere, he knows how important it is and he wants you to have the best chance at life.

If they even tried to approach him during the initial rescue while they're still flying back to base after having been saved, he's not coming clean. He's not saying anything. He'll just deny and tell 'em to go away. It hurts, yes. But it would be even worse to have that confrontation and to put things together and have them confirmed.

"But doesn't he want to say goodbye?" Of course he does. But that only makes things harder. Like I said, he'd rather stick in your memories as the person you loved and lost due to circumstance than the person who did this to you.

What good would that do? He'd still have to leave you. You're not allowed to contact anyone and going back to him would literally just be putting you back in the ring of fire. He's not going to let that happen. That would feel even worse.

It hurts beyond anything else, but he's doing the right thing in his mind. A goodbye isn't worth tearing you up apart even more. You know in movies when someone has to let an animal go and ends up having to throw things at it and yell to get them to leave? Yeah. That's what's happening here.

There's not going to be a happy ending or scenario for this. There's not going to be closure. There's not going to be a chance with him.

Which is WHY he specifically put so many safety measures in place to ensure that this wouldn't happen. He doesn't want his work life encroaching on his domestic and he never wants to bring it back or expose you to it. Like I said, literally everything would have to go wrong. He's a careful man, he knows what the world can do. He's preparing specifically so that will not happen to the best of his ability. If he even thinks there's a compromise, he's acting. Better safe than sorry Also I love that gopher saying 😭

And you're correct! He doesn't keep his gear at home. The 'just in case' box which has some spare gear is locked up with a chain and all, shoved away in a back corner in the basement, and covered. He has 0 reason to have that stuff with him in civilian life. What's he going to do with it there? That's not to say he doesn't have weapons and guns hidden, but he doesn't have anything personal that would give his identity away. Everything work related stays at work, he's very serious on keeping them separated. If they needed to call him in, he'd have to go there anyways, so it makes sense to just... keep it there where it can be secure.

And just saying, I'm never writing that for the neighbor! Au because it's not happening. It's extremely improbable and I want to give him a happy ending 💚

[pluralthey]

is there a good place to start if we want to learn about idletry? im very interested in the story and all the bits and pieces revealed so far but i dont know if youve like, stated the basics both about the characters-in-story and how you’re releasing the comic

hi there. unfortunately, idletry became a passion project very abruptly and many details were added very quickly without regard for how long the project would take. once i did realize how large the project was, i decided that i would not even kid myself on the idea of holding in spoilers for the next 5 years, and those two factors combined make the information available very chaotic and slapdash -- somewhat intentionally.

i don't even have the comics tagged separately for easier access among the idletry content -- although, i could go back and give them a separate tag.

i can summarize the story and say that it's about a funny little talking honey badger/tasmanian devil named jessie gaylord who has for the last 10 years of her life been on heavy psychiatric medication in an attempt to mitigate a pervasive delusion that the world is a fictional story. she also has a notorious aggressive streak. these medications work primarily by leaving her so tired that she sleeps most of the time.

the story begins when her medical team has run out of typical medications to try, and they must order an older, more aggressive type of drug which is not commonly used anymore, and has a lengthier process to manufacturing and approving the drug. during this time, she is not on any medication, and she becomes more urgently fixated on convincing people that the delusion is true.

she ends up attempting to contact the writer, who is referred to as God, and she receives a response. she immediately attempts to write the story herself, and she's granted the ability to do anything within the story so long as she can write it out. (the intricacies and limitations of this power have been elaborated upon in a bunch of fragmentary posts, so i won't try to condense it here)

at the end of the first act, she kills the first writer and becomes the new God of her world. the rest of the story is about what she does after acquiring omnipotence, and it heavily features a character named fate -- or shiloh, as jessie calls her -- with whom she enters an intimate relationship.

she has a happy loving family composed of a father named adam, a mother named evelyn, and an older sister named emily. there is a later minor subplot about a cult following who worships her after she becomes God, and this cult is initially organized by an ant called samanthuel -- or samwich, as jessie calls them. these are usually the other characters i mention and i am too lazy to link them right now

the comic itself is currently being written. the script stands at around 51,000 words at the time of writing this as i work on the second act. after it's written, i will let it simmer for a few months and then write a second draft to start to relieve the story of its bloat. depending on its length at that point, i will either need to write a third draft, or i will start drawing the comic.

chances are, during the second draft, i will start to thumbnail or sketch scenes which receive little to no editing, as i know they will likely remain relatively unchanged even through multiple drafts.

the sketch strips are to tide me and an eager audience over in the meantime, but they've sort of dried up as i focus all of my attention on finishing the first draft and taking care of a puppy that was kind of just forced onto me.

i've made a couple of full-length comics before and they have taken years. it is, unfortunately, just the nature of the process. for idletry, i plan to self-publish the comic. i've never published something in print before, so that is the most daunting part for me.

the plan at the moment is to crowdfund this, but, to be frank with you, i no longer pay rent, and i care very much about having this comic as a printed book. i have no issue with paying the cost of printing out of my own pocket by the time it's done and am even anticipating that outcome ahead of time, despite having a pretty reliable audience by now.

i'm on the fence about releasing a digital book version, as i very much want to retain digital color versions of the pages that are more vibrant, but due to the explicit adult content of the story, i don't want it to be free-access.

tl;dr: it's about a lesbian incel with anger issues who's given omnipotence.

i'm still working on the story because i want it to be good.

i'm planning on printing it as a physical comic book once it's done.

[radical-thots]

The way people are treating and infantalizing Neil Gaiman and excusing, justifying his actions and talking about how its ok to still love his books and separate the art from the artist, are a bunch of fucking hypocritical misogynist. Jk Rowling is casually harassed and posts wishing for her death have more than 10k notes, yet Neil , who's crime is far worse than Jk Rowling will ever be—a woman who refuses an ideology because it is inherently anti feminist vs a man accused of sexual assault by two very different women—is treated with grace and is allowed room for everything. He's not harassed or sent death threats, there are no posts made wishing his death, people aren't harassing his family and showing up the places he's eaten like they did with Jk Rolwing? Liberals are so fucking hateful misogynist pieces of shit who still care more about fear mongering about TERFS than about the poor women the man raped. Liberals reveal their corrupted morality everytime it comes to women, especially those that disagree with their deranged ideologies. American liberals are so fucking braindead, brainwashed and privileged that they've convinced themselves they're oppressed and even worse don't seem to realise that out in the real world, all women are terfs. All women, whether they believe in feminsm or not, are terfs because every women in the real world recognises (to some extent) that men are our oppressors and that sex based oppression exists.

[itsjustbyler]

If the byler actually happens, it will be rushed. The GA won't understand, they should have done this before. They've been building Mileven for so long that they couldn't change everything last season.

Sorry, but it's the truth.

Well hi there... (this is going to be a big one, sorry)

See, I'll never understand this argument that it's going to be rushed and that the last season doesn't have time to build Byler or whatever. You've never seen films or series with a single season in which a couple meets, falls in love and ends up together?

I can give you the example of Eyewitness. Several people in the fandom like to talk about this series and I have to thank the bylers for presenting it to me.

The show has 9 episodes, at the beginning we meet Lukas and Phillip. Lucas suffers from internalized homophobia. This series managed to introduce us to the characters, make us understand them, make us understand the reason for each one's actions with just 9 episodes and still in the middle of a murder plot, with several horrible things happening and other characters developing.

And the series is simply wonderful. I highly recommend it, so that people can learn about internalized homophobia (which we theorize Mike has) and how far it can go. Maybe you even recognize some parallels with Byler. Remembering that eyewitness was on the inspiration board for one of the seasons, i think it was season 4.

"They have been building up mlvn for 4 seasons", well... they also did that with byler. The advantage of Stranger Things over eyewitness is that we already know the characters, we already know the dynamics between them, we know the problems in each relationship, there will be no need to waste time on that. The building up for byler its at its peak by the end of season 4!

The season ended with:

Mike and El not talking to each other after the monologue that was supposed to save the relationship

The truth about Will's painting yet to be revealed

Will confirmed to be in love with Mike

Mike is still oblivious to Will's feelings

Eleven didn't say anything about the monologue and what she thought of it all

Will is already sure that Mike doesn't like him and he tried to help Mike and El's relationship, which didn't work.

Mike doesn't know that Eleven doesn't actually feel what Will said she feels and that those were his words

As I said, we already know these characters. We know Will lied, we know El doesn't feel that way. We know that Mike feels inferior in the relationship because El doesn't seem to like anything he likes and ignores his interests, which is why he thinks he's just a random nerd. Mike only knows how to praise El by associating her with her powers, something El doesn't feel comfortable with. We know about the ambiguous relationship between Mike and Will and that Mike seems to separate Will from all the other members of the party, including El. We know that Will is in love with Mike. Everything is waiting for it's conclusion.

Also, we still have some questions hanging in the air like: Why write Will in love with Mike if he already has a girlfriend? Why not give him a boyfriend in Lenora, which seems to be a freer place with mlm and wlw couples going on public dates in the middle of Rink o Mania? Why not have Mike reject Will in season 3 so Will can move on, like they did with Dustin and Max? Why the painting and the meaning behind it? Why constantly separate Mike and El throughout the seasons while strengthening Mike and Will's bond? Why, instead of having Mike the whole season saying that he needs to find El and telling her that he loves her and that she's amazing, they decided to have Mike complaining about his relationship and how bad he feels about it? Why did this love triangle reach season 5 still without a clear solution?

They just need to pick up the pieces. If you think they can't do that in a single season, remember that St*ncy ended the first season together but we clearly knew something was wrong and in the second season they perfectly managed to end St*ncy's relationship and start J*ncy's even with Jonathan dealing with everything that was happening with his brother and everything else.

And hey... give the GA some credit. I clocked byler without even knowing it was a thing and I had never been in a fandom before. They are not stupid. They just don't engage with fandom disclosure but that doesn't mean they are oblivious to everything that it's happening. They just don't care or have heterormativity blinding them.

Now could the writers just ignore everything they had been building up and send it to trash? Damn right they could. However, we will have to wait and see...

ty for the ask, sorry for the big one <3

[ddarker-dreams]

HngnGNhnngn thinking about. scarlet ribbons and how unused the members of bucciarati's gang are to being doted on. or just cared for in the slightest really. all of them have experienced being cast aside at some point or another. that's why your kindness shines through like blinding rays, engulfing them with warmth that makes them realize just how cold they've been all along.

for giorno, it's reminding him that he doesn't have to be the infallible don of passione around you. giorno giovanna wears so many masks that he sometimes forgets his true face — if such a fabled countenance exists any longer. he always needs to be three steps ahead of both his allies and his enemies. this habit would exhaust anyone else, yet he's so used to it by now, that the weariness is mistaken for normalcy. you maneuver past the cracks in his façade and remind him that a person still exists behind the innumerable walls he's built up. without your reminders, it's likely he would forget. it takes time and diligence on your part. however, piece by piece, he'll reveal to you a more vulnerable self than he's never shown anyone else. in the dead of night, he'll quietly admit his fears. you don't need to present him any solutions, you just need to listen, hearing him out and withholding judgment. the resulting lightness where heavy pressure once oppressed his chest amazes him. you amaze him. you become his lifeline as much as he's been yours.

for fugo, it's simply engaging in his interests. his enthusiasm for learning never disappeared. he's been shut down in the past, his ability to quickly grasp the most complex subjects at a young age earned no shortage of envy from his older peers. due to this, they never cared to engage him in conversation on academics. consequently, his mind is buzzing with things to say that he figured no one would ever care to hear. when you don't just inquire what book he's reading, but really dig in with some specific questions, he can barely contain his excitement. you might not understand astrophysics or quantum mechanics but the way he lights up at your genuine investment is beyond endearing. by the time he finishes his explanation, he'll flush, murmuring an apology for getting carried away on something you likely could care less about. you adamantly refute this claim. he's at a loss. especially now, as you scoot next to him, pointing to some term he briefly mentioned and asking if he wouldn't mind expanding on it further. he has to bite down on his lower lip to stop the toothy grin that threatens to overwhelm his features.

for bruno, it's asking if he's been remembering to take care of himself. whether or not he answers in truth is subject to chance, since he doesn't want to worry you. still, if he brushes off your concern, guilt travels through his system like a poison and is expelled only when he confesses that he can't remember the last time he slept for more than five hours. your worry transcends anything he expected. you don't just give him a sorrowful glance and murmur how unfortunate that is, no, you act. advocating for his well-being when he's always considered it a second-rate concern. you're beside yourself, flitting to and fro, making the necessary arrangements for him to properly relax. he offers the slightest resistance just to relish in the guilty pleasure of how indignant you get for his sake. it's adorable, you're adorable, and if his heart was anymore full with love, it might burst. he scoops you up once you've finished lecturing him for not attending to his health and insists you'll be his personal remedy.

(nara, mista and abba under the cut)

for narancia, it's enjoying a homecooked meal. the poor boy grew up food insecure. even now that he has a job and livable income, he still mostly sustains himself off restaurant leftovers and takeout. when you make a point of asking what he's had to eat so far that day and he responds with something like a bag of chips or a slice of cold pizza, he doesn't understand your aghast expression. from his perspective, that's a solid diet, considering he used to rummage through trashcans for scraps. when you're still in your roommate era with fugo, you go against his wishes and start inviting narancia over often. you've become acquainted with some folk willing to share the produce their gardening hobby yields. narancia is in pure awe at the sight of freshly squeezed orange juice and waffles made from scratch on the first morning you had him over for breakfast. gobbles it down despite fugo chastising his poor manners. narancia becomes a regular at your doorstep after that point, pitching in to help with groceries. you teach him how to make some staples and he eagerly soaks in the knowledge. he thinks you're an absolute beauty with your little apron, shining and radiant.

for mista, it's just being down to vibe. he's a chill dude with a curious mind. the other guys tend to groan when mista introduces his wild hypotheticals or strange questions, so when you reciprocate his enthusiasm, he knows he's found his soulmate. wants to propose to you right then and there. it goes both ways, too. you could chat for hours about the most inane things and he'd find it absolutely riveting. time flies by unnoticed when the two of you get together. the sun will be high in the sky when he asks you about aliens and it'll be night when you ask him which animal he thinks is the most catholic. it's no exaggeration to say you're his best friend. whenever he calls you, he does that thing where he twists the phone cord with his finger. he's smitten and he has no complaints. mista couldn't get tired of you if he tried, you both just gel together perfectly.

for abbacchio, it's showing up at his dingy apartment uninvited and breathing life into the desolate space. he doesn't even remember giving you a key. regardless, here you are, chastising him for his empty fridge and swearing that you'll shrivel up and die if he doesn't go grocery shopping with you. he rolls his eyes, calls you dramatic, yet concedes anyway. he always does if you're the one insisting. you're not exactly rolling in cash but you purchase little trinkets that make his home, well, a home. a framed picture of the two of you by the bay. a candle for the kitchen windowsill that has a scent you know he's partial to. matching frog mugs that he swears he finds unsightly (he doesn't). a welcome mat, an ornate mirror found at a thrift shop, this pink blanket that feels as soft as a cloud. abbacchio's particularly fond of that last one, since it smells like you. what used to be four walls with a roof is now this vibrant space that screams you at every corner. he might grumble about your unsolicited redecorating but he wouldn't have it any other way.

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Thoughts!

-First of all, ya'll need to leave those child actors alone, they are babies and they didn't write the show, nor was it their idea to do it. I have seen way too many people body shaming children; leave them alone they all did well!

-I think Gordon makes Aang just as cute and small and powerful as I always saw him as!! He manages to joke around and be fun even when the storyline is a lot darker and more serious.

-I really wish Sokka was able to be more of his goofy and silly self. I understand why he isn't, and his humor is more sarcasm and dark jokes, but I saw glimpses of him in there! His excitement when he was with the Mechanist, engineering and getting to do something other than be in charge. Also when he has any older brother convo with Katara or Aang. I'm hopeful with time he'll be able to loosen up!

-(Speaking of the Mechanist, my boy Danny Pudi was SO GOOD, I love him, him and his little son).

-I wish Aang would practice waterbending with Katara :( those scenes of them practicing together were always some of my favorites in the series. Just beautiful kataang moments. I'm glad they addressed it but I missed those moments.

-I don't understand how you guys can't be having fun watching this, I get so excited waiting for little moments of lore, or when Jet and Katara were fighting in the forest I was sitting in front of the TV like "WHERE'S SMELLERBEE AND LONGSHOT. OH MY GOD NO IT'S PIPSQUEAK!" It's just so much fun! The colors are beautiful, the effects are gorgeous, and the plot and characters are entertaining. Think about the piece as it's own thing and enjoy it!

-Adaptations are just that; adaptations, and things will be changed! I think so far I haven't minded their changes, I understand why they've been made. There are things to criticize, but I think this is pretty well done.

-Zuko is fantastic; I think all the child actors are fairly good but Dallas' pissy attitude and the faces he makes are so so fun! I feel for Zuko and I'm scared of him when he shows up, and he's just as annoying and bratty as ponytail Zuko should be. His physical motions are fantastic!

-TEO WAS SO LITTLE?? Oh my god, like as a kid I thought the cartoon version of him was kinda hot so when they wheeled that tiny baby in I was HORRIFIED.

-Idk why YOU ALL weren't scared of Lizzy Yu's Azula, but her little smile in her intro scene gave me a lil chill. Maybe it's because I was away when the show first came out so I saw post after post about how bad she was, but I just.... Thought she'd be worse?? She did really well! Ya'll better be careful though or Gaten Matarazzo will come for you, that's his girl.

-So far the mushing of plots has made sense to me. Yes, I miss the silly filler episodes and the traveling the Gaang did, but it allows us to sit in a scene longer, and to colorize the world better, when we're in one place and one plot for longer. I think that's important for this type of medium and this amount of episodes. They might be able to justify more next season if this show does well enough.

-I am OBSESSED with Zuko and the 41st division oh my god, what a fantastic and well thought out addition. The reveal, and they're bowing for him when he comes back was DEVASTATING.

-They we're GIVING us Sokka and Katara best sibling moments, I loved all of them. They are so cute, they just mean so much to me.

-I don't feel Appa or Momo as characters like I did in the cartoon. I'm hoping this can change, because rn they surprise me every time they get on screen. I'm like "WHAT- oh it's Momo, he's here." How are we going to feel Appa's loss as much as we did in the cartoon if they continue to like barely be in it.

-Ken Leung SLAYED as Admiral Zhao, I watched him go literally insane as the episodes went on.

-Aang's imposter syndrome and feeling of failure being focused on I will always enjoy, even if I hope he can be silly next season too. His entire character arc this season just made me want to cry.

-Bro the coloring during the the Siege of the North was A M A Z I N G. The way the color faded in and out with fireballs and the monster koi passing nearby, just so pretty. It looked awesome.

-Making Yue a waterbender? The best. Her freezing Sokka in place so he can't stop her? Heartbreaking.

-Iroh and Zuko paddling off looking for bestie Lt. Jee?? Okay.

-They really grew this show up for us adults that watched it in 2005 and focused in on the really painful moments, themes, and details.

[saiiboat]

behold. the poly fuga au relationship chart that i have spent way too long on. transcription under the cut because wow thats a lot of small text

cell and felps' background and dynamic inspired by @wsdanon's hcs!

from left to right,

Pac and Mike: soulmates. childhood friends. mike has to look after pac and pac trusts mike to look after him. pac takes cues from Mike in most situations; this was true in their childhoods and carries on into their dynamic in the prison and their relationship with cell. pac trusts mike 100% to stop either him or cell if they decide to like. stab each other or something. they've been through it all together and their experience in prison has only brought them closer. When they escape and find a place to call home, it doesn't take long (a week maybe) for the small kitchen counter to be made into a lab in the kitchen table to be made into a workbench. they work in tandem and are never far apart. while there is a lot of mutual guilt (mike getting pac into this mess and pac attempting to sell mike out), felps helps them work through it and they come out stronger on the other side with not only more faith in themselves as a duo, but also in themselves as individuals. they tend to blast music way too loud as they work often forgetting less pressing or time sensitive projects in favor of bad dancing and even worth singing. It's this that evolves into karaoke night.

Mike and Felps: at first, in alcatraz, mike only knows felps as the guard that cell keeps in his pocket and has blackmail on. after the escape any theyre settled down and felps finds them and sticks around, mike is mainly curious why felps came back after he was used by them and cell. it doesn't take much prodding for felps to reveal how he knows cell and why he became a guard in the first place. while mike doesn't totally understand felps and cell's relationship, he's at least glad to see it heal. they eventually become very comfortable in eachother's space, feeling completely at ease with one another. they're frequent confidants and enjoy casual displays of intimacy with eachother. one of mike's favourite things to do for felps is to stand behind him and guide felps' hands as he teaches him something mechanical. felps originally falls a little-bit a lot-a-bit in love with mike after getting to know him (though pac is what brings them together at first, their mutual enjoyment of eachothers company brings them closer), and while mike doesn't reciprocate romantically, theyre both perfectly happy with their situation. they dont make out or kiss on the lips, but they are both very happy to kiss eachothers faces, hands, or any other exposed skin. they fucking kick ass at karaoke and get very serious about the whole thing together.

Mike and Cell: Acts as a balance for pac and cell. pac will let cell do literally anything to him and they both know that mike will stop them before they do anything they'll actually regret. it takes a while but mike eventually ends up trusting cell implicitly, more so than anyone else does. Mike may think cell is creepy and gross but cell is their creepy and gross. cell on the other hand would kill for Mike like a cat would drop a dead bird on your bed. he's pac and mike's protector. their benefactor. he's the hound that gave Mike the controller to his shock collar. after Alcatraz and they're allowed to be actual people, they have the chance to grow extremely fond of one another, and are often found over an enigma or piece of tech, providing entirely unhelpful comments about whichever the other is trying to complete. worsties. besties. they watch bad movies together and laugh and throw popcorn at the screen

Pac and Felps: while felps and pac dont interact much in alcatraz due to being on opposing sides of cell's favour, felps does start to carry a small flame for pac that doesn't have time to bloom before the other 4 escape and felps is left behind to leave on his own. after felps finds cell again (saintly intuition), his world brightens up even more when he discovers that pac lives here too. while sharing a livingspace and with the other 4 already in an established relationship, it doesn't take much for pac and felps to come together, too. felps' introduction to the polycule is what balances everyone out, pac's infatuation with cell fading to affection and the entire group settling into a new normal around them. felps' willingness to simply share space or tangle their hands together is incredibly healing for pac who bases his worth so much on what he can do for others or what he can let them take. felps thinks that pac is incredible, and is enamored with everything pac says or does. theyre both stupidly in love for the world to see

Pac and Cell: ohhh my goddd they want to see each other covered in blood. in Alcatraz and for a period of time after their escape, their relationship is built on their mutual obsession with each other; cell's possessiveness over pac and pacs infatuation if given the chance, cell would do anything to pack impact would let him, and their ability to coexist rests on cell bearing his throat and allowing mike to be the one to pull him back. after alcatraz and felps gets added to the mix, their dynamic and relationship becomes much healthier and balanced as cell learns to function outside of highly traumatic situations and pac starts to see himself more as an individual. they're both still freaks who both fantasize so about that one time they killed jv together and they dream of doing something like that again. maybe to each other. But with distance from prison they are able to heal together, and eventually become rather domestic. pac makes coffee for cell and does his best to drag him away from late nights solving enigmas and when mike's work table in the kitchen out as many papers there in the kitchen so he and pac can share space as pac messes around in his makeshift lab.

Cell and Felps: though through the duration of their stay in alcatraz cell mostly just wants to make felps suffer a bit, perceiving him becoming a prison guard a personal betrayal (not knowing that felps became a guard to continue seeing him), things between them settle after felps finds him again (saintly intuition) and theyre mostly just elated to have eachother again. they were physically affectionate before prison, and while it takes them a bit to get back to that point, they're both much less awkward about it now as adults. they're extremely comfortable in each other's presence and this only strengthens as they both heal. cell learns to laugh when felps covers his face and kisses and felps relearns the joy of cell being the one to initiate shows of affection. their relationship has already hit rock bottom once, there's very little that could tear them apart. now. The best of friends, there's so much love here

Mike and Guaxinim: mike and guaxinim find common ground and bond over their mutual power over cell. while mike pulls the leash and lets cell know when to back off, guaxinim is the one to stand chest to chest with cell, unfazed as cell lets loose on him. they both handle cell very differently but. well. they still handle him. guaxinim and mike also really are just two blokes who share a hobby. they're in completely different areas of engineering but still talk about it together for hours on end and will sit in the garage or lab or boatyard and work and share ideas. while they originally became somewhat of a unit due to their dynamics with cell, they become people that genuinely enjoy spending time together and wouldn't give up the others company for the world. they have a Words With Friends game that does not break a daily streak for 3 years. the only time it happens is because pac catches the house on fire and they have to worry about not being found out by the authorities

Guaxinim and Felps: guaxinim and felps have a shared history through cell, knowing of eachother for years though never interacting in depth. when felps finds them after they escape, it's guaxinim who discovers him at the door and lets him in. he's seen how felps looks at cell enough times to know that felps isn't here for trouble. having nowhere else to go, felps is only a couch crasher for an hour or so before cell gets home and theyre able to reconnect, felps graduating within the same day to sleeping with them on the two large mattresses they had pressed together. guaxinim works at a local boatyard and as an olive branch, he invites felps to come with him and maybe even learn some things about boats and how to fix them. felps wouldn't call himself particularly good at it, but he enjoys the process of learning and watching guaxinim work. romantic attraction between the two of them is odd, somewhere between strong romantic attraction and none at all, often bouncing between the two poles. typically neither of them feel the particular need to initiate acts of affection or intimacy with eachother unless as part of a group, in which case they will engage happily, whether in public or in the privacy of their own home

Cell and Guaxinim: for cell, guaxinim has been his anchor in prison for years, and he continues to be one for him outside of it; a pillar of familiarity that he can rely on. guaxinim knows cell better than anyone and cell takes comfort in knowing hell never have to explain himself to guaxinim. guaxinim is endlessly fond of cell. he knows what and who cell is and doesnt need or expect him to change, loving him even (and sometimes especially) at his worst. while guaxinim is mildly upset about jv's death for minute, he does not hold this against cell, pac, or mike. happens! when given the chance to heal and exist as people outside of prison, they're very much an old married couple. they nag eachother constantly; after a stretch of time as cellmates they have pretty much shame around eachother and will generally be horrifically embarrassing to the others while having their own fun

Pac and Guaxinim: pac and guaxinim really are the same and that they both think that cell is the hottest thing to ever walk this earth and they wholly bond over this fact. their relationship definitely isn't hurt by guaxinim also having a "dangerous appeal" to pac with his inability to back down even against cell, as well as simply being a muscled guy that likes to wear tank tops while covered in sweat and grease. pac is only so strong. guaxinim doesn't understand much of what pac talks about in their makeshift lab (the kitchen), but he's an attentive listener and pac loves and appreciates his questions. guaxinim is pac's worst enabler and somehow they've only had to evacuate the apartment twice. their relationships to cell, while different in a few ways, allow them to strongly bond. after felps is added to the mix and pac's infatuation for cell settles to affection, pac and guaxinim fully settle into their own relationship and dynamic. they aren't overly showy with affection and are more likely to press their shoulders together slightly or lean against each other than to walk with hands held or to hang off each other throughout the day. they both love cuddling though and are perfectly happy to drape against the other on the couch either on their own or with the whole group

NOTE: transcriptions were done via voice to text because i made this entire thing in ms paint without saving the text. so if you spot any mistakes like bizarre misspellings of guaxinim please let me know LMAO

[empire-of-the-words]

I'm 10 and a half episodes into Young Justice (the TV show), and I feel like I should record my feelings for posterity's sake, so here we go (under the cut because it got too long 😅)

(Also I will be using superhero names for the most part since I don't want to look up how to spell Miss Martian or Aqualad's name)

Spoilers: I already know the Red Arrow thing. I'm also pretty confident I know Artemis's backstory. This doesn't bug me, because I love storytelling. A lot. So I keep looking at it from the writers' POV and it's honestly very fun. I also know a piece of Miss Martian's backstop, and the same as above applies

Investment in the characters: Honestly the show is doing a great job at this. So far it's had an episode focusing mainly on every character except Robin (who I'll talk about in a sec). The show is doing a lot of one episode character arcs (which is a great way to get you invested in the characters). Superboy and Superman both have obvious season character arcs going on, but the others have enough stuff that I'm confident they can do stuff with them

Robin: He is so competent in this, and I love it. Him being too competent to lead the team is both funny and adds another layer to both him and Aqualad. He actually hasn't had an episode really focused on him yet, just side plots. But this kind of works, since everyone knows Robin and there's less of a need to make sure people like him. (And this works. I didn't need to get as invested in Dick and Roy (and Bruce and Clark) since I'm already invested in their comic versions)

I also love that he hasn't revealed his identity yet. The little things about it (like in that episode the League of Shadows was trying to hack Wayne Enterprises). Especially with Artemis heading to Gotham Academy, I'm really hoping she has some fun interactions with Dick

Ships: Miss Martian/Superboy is pretty cute. I passively ship it. Just hoping they have real relationships with other members of the team. Kid Flash/Artemis (does she have a hero name?) is a bit more interesting. The amnesia episode did a good job selling it to me, as it shows they don’t necessarily hate each other at a basic level. Also I hate Kid Flash's crush on Miss Martian (or at least how he acts because of it), and rooting for another ship is the same as rooting for it to die. No real love triangle stuff for now, and hoping it stays that way. There's also the ship getting its own category:

JadeRoy: Starting very different from the comics (where they basically started as Enemy Lovers), but, uh, I Don't Care. I love this ship, both in comics and here. They're entirely enemies right now, but they've started to attach extra emotions to each other (not good ones, don't get me wrong, but they're singling each other out). And I know Lian will exist in this universe (thanks dc wiki), so I'm happily excited for Slow Burn (with the back of my mind preparing for disappointment, just in case). Not sure if this is going Enemies to Enemy Lovers or just straight up Enemies to Lovers (since it's a kids show they might give them a happy ending) but either way I'm down for it

(I'm actually horrible at watching shows in their entirety (instead of dropping them after a few episodes) , and the way I actually got myself to push forward and get invested was the knowledge that Cheshire appears in episode 6, and I really wanted to see her)

I'm super invested in the Superman/Superboy plotline. Also, Martian Manhunter giving Connor the last name Kent was just hilarious. The whole League is just like, "you will parent this kid, clark" and I love it. It's also got me thinking about how comic writers indirectly said Bruce wouldn't be great in this situation despite this version of him pushing for it, but that's an essay for another time (possibly never since it might involve reading Morrison!Talia which I desperately do not want to do 😭)

Speaking of Talia. I am dreading it. I know Damian’s just a cameo and it's a kids show, so it can't get as bad as the DCAU (knock on wood), but this is 2011. This is peak Morrison!Talia, and I do not want to see my favorite character's characterization get spit on

Moving on the nicer things, Batman is Peak Batman. He is a dad, and he’s trying his best, and they better not ruin him

The Light: I guess it makes sense that all these secret organizations are secretly all 1 secret organization, but I'm not quite invested yet. Also finding it hard to believe Ra's al Ghul would join an organization where he's not in charge

Also! I have figured out the usual formula. They start the episode with both a mission usually, and give one character a personal conflict. Things get to their worst at about the 16 minute mark, resolve at about 20/21 minutes, have a final scene with the team and a final final scene reveal the bad guys were actually part of the Light conspiracy thing. Honestly it's kind of comforting having a formula

Overall, pretty good. Can't say how quickly I'll watch it, or how often I'll post about it, but I'm going to keep watching it, which is pretty good, particularly for a kids show

Also if someone's reading this and really curious about what I think about something specific, feel free to send an ask, it'll be fun :)

[killsandthrills]

i know there's only like a dozen or so people watching monarch: legacy of monsters, but does anybody wanna hear my theories about wyatt's character (because i love him)?

theory one: i think lee has gone through some weird aging thing (something to do with radiation maybe?) that's made him look younger than he actually is. they've mentioned his age/looks 3 times so far for that not to be relevant, and those monarch people even mentioned lee being on ice for years. seems kinda sus, especially since he's supposed to be 91 freakin' years old and doesn't act or look it at all.

theory two: i feel the entire point of the 50's flashbacks is to reveal that lee was either in love with keiko but billy stole her away from him, and/or (and this is a long shot...) that lee is actually kentaro and cate's bio grandfather. because i'm sorry, but lee spends way too much time staring at keiko, semi flirting with her, and hating on billy (which old!billy even mentions in his goodbye video!) for him not to be in love with her. even old!lee still seems kinda in love with her... he looks longingly at her photo, seems taken aback that cate looks just like her grandmother, and even quotes her once (old!lee: "this is a secret, cate. not a lie" keiko: "a lie and a secret are two different things"). and he never got married! my biggest piece of evidence for this by the way is from the very first scene when old!billy is recording that goodbye video for lee. billy says he knows that lee may never forgive him, but he can't go back and fix the mistakes he's made. and i mean, just look at this:

lee was in love.

also this scene... am i the only one that thought this was an odd conversation for these two characters to be having?

like excuse me?! i almost want to think that lee and keiko had an affair or something, because my evidence for lee being kentaro and cate's bio grandfather gets stronger every episode tbh.

[pinkeoni]

What Exactly Do I Mean When I Say "Will is Jesus Christ?"

(or Why Will is the Chosen One)

Do I mean that Will is actually the second coming of Christ? Well, no, at least not in a literal sense. All I mean to say by this is that—

Will is the chosen one, and he is the hero of the story who is meant to save the world from the apocalypse.

Apocalypse imagery and references to Revelations is all over the place in season 4. The four victims representing the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Henry "One" effectively being a God-like figure, references to Revelations 1:8 regarding Henry, hell I'll go as far to say that Robin playing the trumpet at the beginning of the season is a nod to the sound of trumpets that is meant to signal the beginning of the apocalypse.

The important thing about Revelations being that at the end of the day, the second coming of Jesus Christ, the chosen one, saves the day.

This really robust old post that I made, which was also one of my first theory posts, goes into detail on how Will fits the criteria of a Christ-figure, or a figure in literature or media that is allegorical to Jesus Christ. Will's biggest piece of evidence being his full on burial and resurrection in the first season.

If I'm talking about Christ-figures in the show then I should probably talk about El, who admittedly has much more in your face Christ-coding than Will does. Walking on water, performance of miracles, the mother who got pregnant out of strange circumstances, along with her own resurrection and so-on.

So then, if El clearly has more Christ-coding than Will, why am I placing the title of Jesus onto Will? Is it just because I like him more than El? Is it because I see Will as a more important character than El?

Just as a general disclaimer, I will admit that I do have a major Will bias, anyone who follows me knows that. He's been my favorite character since I first watched the show. Although, my labeling of him as the chosen one has nothing to do a dislike of El or a belief that she is not an important character. I love El, and it's plain to everyone that watches the show how important she is. However, I just don't believe that the chosen one who saves the day is what her arc is building towards.

They've been building up El's chosen one status while also quietly breaking it down in the background, in the same way that they've quietly been leaving bread crumbs pointing toward Will's Christ status while also seemingly suggesting that he isn't that important of a character. Why have a character tell El that she's "the cure," then make a point that she loses against Henry at the end of the season? Why sideline Will for the past two seasons, but throw in lines of dialogue pointing toward his involvement with the Upside Down?

What I believe they are going for is a classic bait-and-switch to subvert expectations in the final season. Lead the audience to believe one thing, while still leaving clues to suggest the other so that when the twist is revealed it doesn't come out of nowhere.

So what is El's arc actually about? I won't deny El's role in the final battle of the show, it's not like she's going to be completely sidelined, but I don't think that her saving the world on her own while everyone else watches is what her arc is building towards. The real core of her arc is El discovering who she is as a girl, rather than becoming a superhero.

I actually made a post awhile ago talking about El’s monster/superhero dichotomy, and it’s actually incredibly important to my argument. The post itself is more in depth, but tl:dr: El believes that she can either be a superhero or a monster, and bases her worth on her ability to save the world and others, an unfair expectation to place onto one girl.

If at the end of the season, El single-handedly saves the entire world, wouldn’t it feel counterintuitive to her arc? She needs to learn that her self worth doesn’t rely on her ability to save the world, and if she ends the show this way, it wouldn’t create a solution for her cyclical train of thought.

Furthermore, wouldn’t this ending be a bit expected, and even boring? This is what El has been doing for the past four seasons of the show. Continuing that pattern would only feel anticlimactic. From a writer’s pov, if you wanted the ending of you show to be dynamic and interesting, you would want to do something new.

So why do I think that Will is the chosen one?

It’s not like I’m pulling the chosen-one-Jesus-Christ label out of my ass just because I like Will. I actually do have many reasons to believe this.

The first one is the confirmation that Will is going to be a big part and focus for next season. It’s been theorized that this means Will is going to become a villian, and while I do love a good Will villian AU, there are many reasons I could list off as to why he wouldn’t become a villian. Without going into it all right now, let’s just say that it would not only go against what Will stands for, but also what the show itself stands for.

Even in show, we have signs pointing toward Will’s chosen status. Let’s start with the fact that Will is the one who kicks the entire show off in the first place, when he is taken by who we later learn to be Henry. Now, this could have just been wrong-place-wrong-time kind of thing, but given how much has been revealed has actually been part of a larger plan constructed by Henry, I highly doubt that mere coincidence is the case.

Let’s look at some more evidence within the fourth season. Let’s talk about the fact that, despite not even being present in Hawkins and gone for much of the supernatural action, Will is still being brought up by name and even implicated in the strangeness of the Upside Down.

Do I think Will is gonna solo-kill Vecna in the climax of the show? Chosen one doesn’t mean only one. No, despite all my rambling about El not being the hero, I’m not gonna deny her importance to the supernatural plot. I think something else the show keeps building upon is the importance of support from friends and family— saving the world is likely gonna be a group effort. I do think, however, that Will possesses some kind of unique ability that is going to be crucial to winning.

What would being the hero mean for Will’s arc? Well, it would give him a sense of control that he hasn’t had before. Will has had a lot of agency and autonomy ripped from him in past seasons, and this would be his way of reclaiming that. It would be the perfect subversion of expectations as well. The character that everyone expects to be just the helpless victim, or hell even the villian, is the one who rises to become the hero who saves the day in his own way.

[assiraphales]

HELLO HI let me start this off by saying i love your posts so so much they are so silly

Anyways since opla season 2 has been confirmed, what are some things you REALLY want to see? Im genuinely curious

so i'm assuming they will start off with loguetown and end with alabasta. i'm hoping that since the first season was so successful netflix will order a FEW more episodes (ideally ten or more) but I have to stay realistic so I know every detail won't translate to screen

a lot of the anime loguetown arc was filler (zoro mopping the marine's floors, luffy running around lost and drinking milk at a bar, sanji entering a random cooking competition) and I know there's a few things they're unlikely to skip (zoro aquiring kitetsu & hopefully throwing the sword in the air to see if it'll chop his arm off, luffy on the executioner's platform, smoker) but i really they have time for

-nami n usopp bonding. especially the moment where usopp faced off against daddy the parent bc not only was nami there supporting him/willing to fight for him, but it also was a glimpse into his complicated relationship with his father. daddy the parent quit his job so he could spend more time with his daughter, while yasopp completely abandoned usopp. it was also so cute when they were fangirling over sanji together -i'm so excited to see inaki laughing with his head in the stocks seconds away from death I just know he's going to devour that scene -there probably won't be time but it would be funny if we see luffy n zoro on their lunch date with a combined zero dollars in their pocket and buggy ends up covering their bill without knowing who they were -i'm can't wait to see who they cast as smoker!!!! their casting has been honestly great so far so i'm looking forward to the reveal

laboon the giant whale. LABOON THE GIANT WHALE !!! I know in the grand scheme (at least from a standalone season perspective) he's not that important to the plot. but by god !!!! give us the depressed whale that luffy gives the will to live back to!!!! practical effects are very important to the one piece team I think they can figure it out

whiskey peak is going to be controversial but I hope luffy n zoro's fight goes EXACTLY like it does in the anime & manga (aka they're so in sync that they're punches are meeting in the middle and they're yelling in unison & five minutes later they're laughing about the prospect of meeting a warlord). this arc also requires the writers to let zoro have his funny guy routine because him hecking the agents is so good

while I don't know if we'll see zoro fighting a triceratops and saying "oh so u do three sword style too" we NEED to see him do his stupid pose in the wax. season ruined if not. (jk but its very high on my list)

chopper my wittle cutie. I know we'll see him no matter what but I'm banking on a puppet. i'm pretty sure its already confirmed that they're using practical effects for him, but I heard maybe prosthetics which could be a hit or a miss

nami and vivi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! karu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm truly on the edge of my seat to see how they'll handle zoro n sanji's rivalry considering they've made the decision to base it around their relationship with luffy. the girls WILL be fighting

similarly excited to see live action sanji fawning over not only nami but also his little meow meow luffy (fantastic change from the anime imo)

crocodile better be the greasiest motherfucker I hope he's absolutely vile. i can't wait to see him wearing a FUR lined coat in a desert

I also know they're going to go off with pell's character design

ACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[little-annie]

Another WIP Weekend is ahead of us!

Have I worked on different WIPs every weekend 😝 yes, yes I have. Am I going to start working on the same ones from now on? TBD

🏔 Eddie Bang- I can't reveal anything about this WIP until art claims have been completed, but still, I need to desperately work on it. MAKE ME WORK ON IT.

💼 Businessman Steve- This guy has been sitting in my drafts for too long. It's a 5 & 1 of times concierge Eddie has encountered Steve Harrington, the son of business mogul Richard Harrington. At first Eddie isn't sure of the young businessman who seems to have a sex and drug problem, but as he gets to know Steve through these few encounters, Eddie comes to find Steve is living a life he truly despises. Through these few encounters they become friends and eventually by the end fall in love.

🤘🏻 Role Reversal Steddie AU- @tinytalkingtina and I have been expanding our world of Trackstar!Eddie and Metalhead!Steve and can't wait to share with you all that we've created.

⛺️ Steddie Set Up- Steve and Eddie meet on a camping trip organised by the kids. Clueless to the fact that they've been set up they become fast friends and soon a couple.

You know the drill. In an ask send me the emojis of the fic(s) you'd like me to work on and post updates.

What exists of 💼 as of now, below the cut.

There's a commotion at the double doors of the hotel lobby, multiple men spilling in all at once. Tailored suits, expensive watches, and the numbers of their mistresses hardly hidden in their phones.

Every one of them looks like an asshole.

From where Eddie sits behind the reception desk doodling in his notebook, he inwardly sighs before standing and tugging at his stiff uniform to at least appear professional. Black slacks and a white button down that he's had to treat for Ketchup stains more times then he cares to count. It's the least personalised thing he owns and with the added fact of not being allowed to wear jewellery or have his hair down, he just feels like another cog in the machine.

God he hates his job.

"Good morning, Sir," Eddie says with feigned composure as one of the suit and tied assholes of this month's conference approaches the front desk. The guys sporting a full head of salt and peppered hair, thick and perfectly coiffed on the top of his head. Eyes haunting, smile sinister in a way that's much too menacing for Eddie's taste. Shark like in the way it makes Eddie feel pinned down like a hopeless piece of prey.

"Harrington, Richard Harrington," the man says with a thundering voice instead of a greeting, slapping his credit card and ID onto the marble countertop between them and turning his back to say something snappy to the man at his rear.

Harrington, Eddie thinks with distaste, remembering the name from his first day on shift. Richard, the pompous prick, was yelling at the poor woman training Eddie because she forgot to make sure his room came stocked with higher end liquor than their Luxury Suites usually did. Really, it was something so small it could have been handled with just a phone call down to the front desk. It's a rather vivid memory and Eddie's sure that at the time if that would have been suggested the man would've dropped dead of a heart attack.

Though really, would that have been so awful?

He's seen the man far too many times since. Monthly business conferences and meetings at the hotel keep the entirety of Harrington and Associates forever coming through the lobby doors.

Much to Eddie's dismay.

He sighs at the thought of the many more encounters to come, watching as the vein bulges from the side of Richard's head and he turns a rather grotesque shade of red. Eddie feels bad for the man Richard's snapping at. It's obvious not much has changed other than the jerk sporting a few more wrinkles and grey hairs.

With a hardly contained eye roll, Eddie types 'Harrington' into the system, the keyboard clicking under his fingertips before two separate bookings pop up on the screen. One for Richard and another for a Stephen.

Eddie hums in thought, as familiar as this gaggle of assholes are, he doesn't remember a Stephen from the past bookings.

Must be new. And related. Poor bastard, Eddie thinks absent-mindedly. He can't imagine working for this guy, let alone being his son, though, maybe this Stephen's no different.

He grimaces at the thought and hopes he doesn't have to meet the man if he is.

Quietly, as not to disrupt the hissing match happening in front of him, Eddie finishes checking Mr. Dick Harrington into the hotel. Sliding the room key, credit card and ID in the man's direction, Eddie watches as Richard does nothing but continue to berate the man before him. Something about scheduling or mergers or what the fuck ever that Eddie really doesn't have the time or energy to give even a single shit about.

From the edge of the crowd of assholes a young man steps in to grab the cards and quite frankly Eddie couldn't give two shits if this guy's helping or stealing from the rich bastard. Though by the near matching formal attire and the way no one bats an eye, he supposes he at least works for the guy.

Or…

“Steve Harrington,” the young, startlingly beautiful man says as he picks up his apparent father's ID and replaces it with his own on the marble countertop.

There's a cute twist to his lip when he talks and Eddie already hates himself for staring, but how can he not?

This is Richard's son?

No

No

Mr. Tall Tan and Beautiful cannot have come from that.

But the matching square of their jaws, tilt to their cheeks and hazel of their eyes begs to differ.

Fucking hell.

He's probably just as much of a prick.

The pretty ones always are.

The straight ones too.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, willing his apparent blush to go down Eddie nods once and selects the only obvious choice of name in the booking system.

Stephen Harrington.

He can feel the man's eyes boring into him as he's typing, searing almost in their stare, so much so Eddie wonders if he has something on his face or if the guy just has zero social skills.

Chancing a glance up his suspicions are proven right and Steve doesn't so much as move, his eyes not meeting Eddie's but staring a little lower.

Eddie swallows, the judgement feeling heavy as he pulls the collar of his shirt higher, making sure there's no evidence of ink or any other bad decisions peeking out from the white buttoned around his neck.

It wouldn't be the first time some business asshole had something to say about his tattoos or the occasional hickey concealer failed to hide.

“605,” Eddie says almost mechanically after placing Steve's room key between them, his voice finally drawing the man's eye away from his throat.

Steve coughs into his fist, nods and grabs his and his fathers remaining cards and room keys but he doesn't leave. Navy blue suit and eyes Eddie thinks will take him weeks to forget, Steve remains standing before him, chewing on his bottom lip until he… he does a quick once over of Eddie. Top to bottom. Head to tail. Hazel eyes scanning, judging, making Eddie's skin feel like it's on fire for completely other reasons.

Then without a second's notice he looks from side to side rather hastily and leans into Eddie's space across the marble countertop, the sound of his elbow meeting the surface between them, a dull thud.

He smells like the pine of a forest floor and the musk of a man who's been nothing but busy and exhausted for weeks.

But God it's doing something to Eddie and he hates it.

Steve works his jaw in an odd way, rubbing at the muscle before he asks in a hushed tone, “There uh, there any clubs around here, for the, you know,” he lifts his hand to drop his wrist limply, fluttering his lashes as he continues, “variety?”

He's asking Eddie if there's any gay clubs around.

He's asking Eddie if there's any gay clubs around?

What the fuck?

Eddie bristles, already feeling his brows pull into a glare. He's making fun of him. These businessmen always do.

It's not like he's wearing a pride flag anywhere or skipping through the fucking halls, but somehow these pricks always seem to pick up on his preferences.

It's been years and only once has anyone been genuine in their inquiry.

So genuine in fact that Eddie found himself with his dick in the guy's mouth not more than thirty minutes later when he went out for his smoke break.

But a Harrington? Richard's son?

He thinks Hell will sooner freeze over.

Really if anything Eddie wants to tell the guy to fuck off, but he can't because professionalism.

So he does the next best thing.

If the guy's gonna be a judgy dick, well…

In a matter of seconds Eddie prints off a map of the city that has each and every gay bar starred and hands it to Steve with a very fake and falsely enthusiastic, “Enjoy you stay in the city Mr. Harrington, I hope you find what you're looking for.”

And then before he even has a chance to catch the guy's reaction, he's waving towards the crowd, calling out “next please” and moving to the other computer to check in the next asshole.