#still haven't seen season 2 because season 1 is so important for me and I want to preserve that

[scarefox]

Just saw with my own two eyes that someone suggested that the plot of Color Rush got ruined by them trying to make it a gay romance story, the kiss wasn't strong enough and they should rather have it be a bromance instead...

IT IS LITERALLY A GAY ROMANCE STORY ABOUT SOULMATES??? (based on a novel)

What is left of it when you take out the gay romance??? I don't think a story about soulmates that, by the nature of their condition, can get addicted and obsessed with each other (up till cannibalism) would work as bromance.....

That is like the opposite end of the spectrum of the people who do call Color Rush a bromance for not being graphic enough.

(My siblings in hell, these guys are teens who just fell in love, survived a suicide attempt and kind of kidnaped each other to run away + one of them is afraid of getting closer... let them have a tame shy first kiss)

[mentally-ill-for-bes]

An analysis of Jayvik during season 2 bc what the hell was that

Or rambling about their parallels, character development and what I think is going next.

First, I haven't seen the three last episodes but I saw the spoiler of Viktor and Jayce scene. I'm going to watch the episodes with my friend next Wednesday, so I don't want any of you spoiling me ANYTHING else.

Spoilers below the cut.

That being said, this analysis will be mostly about first eps of season 2 and the scene of arc 2, why does it have sense and why it doesn't mean the ending of their friendship and why in this season they aren't just narrative foils but the force that move each other motivations.

First, 2nd season opening:

It's good to point out that their scenes in the intro are related; in the same way Jinx and Ekko are related, Vi and Cait (and Jinx) and Mel with Ambessa. They all are easily differentiable among them, Mel and Ambessa appear in yellowish tones, Jinx, Cait, Vi and Ekko appear under color lights but the theme bounding Viktor and Jayce is bright light.

When Jayce appears, he's immediately blinded by the light, he turns his face and squints his eyes but does not remove from his place. In contrast, when Viktor appears he's not being blinded by the light, he's not uncomfortable about it, instead, he faces it directly. When the mask is being put in his face, he accepts it, and even it looks like he's emitting the light. If the mask were emitting it, the fabric on Viktor's head would be lighted too; instead, the light is exclusively under the fabric. Viktor is literally shining. He's the light.

And Jayce during his cuts tries to reach the light but finds himself blinded by it; anyway, this doesn't stop him from extending his hand and trying to reach it.

And, at the same time, it's Jayce's hand putting the mask on, we already know why Jayce creates the Herald. But most importantly, putting on the mask means hiding Viktor's face and with it, covering the light.

At the end of the intro, Jayce does touch the light and he no longer sees blinded by it.

Important to notice the intro already makes clear that their stories are tightly intertwined; which isn't surprising since in season 1 it is evident Viktor is a huge motivation and conflict in Jayce's actions.

However, why is it important to notice that the intro makes a correlation between Viktor and being enlightened; first, light has an association with knowledge and wisdom. Second, already knowing the strong associations Viktor has with religious figures this season it is good to point out that Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And as I pointed out before, Jayce is following the light.

When I saw the first act, I was pretty confused about the correlation between the intro and the episodes. Once Viktor is resurrected by Jayce, he isn't associated with light but darkness.

When he wakes up, there is light, but it's clearly different from the one in the intro. Viktor is surrounded by a strange light but his face isn't being illuminated.

Instead, he walks to the light where Jayce is.

It's in front of you, Jayce is at the side of the light while Viktor is at the side of the darkness. But why is he in the darkness when the into associates him with light? Because Viktor isn't the darkness, the Hexcore is. And in this scene what does represent it? The cocoon behind Viktor.

Another good thing to notice is the change in Viktor's eyes, he wears the (probably) same blanket he does in the trailer, but while the trailer emphasizes his yellow eyes. It's clear what's happening here, he's changed and isn't completely Viktor, when he wakes up his eyes are mostly yellow, but there's also this small white part? Blue? I can only describe it as the Hexcore color.

When he cures the little dude, you can even see how the Hexcore color expands on his pupils. He still has a yellow part in them, but they're slowly changing color. But I don't think Viktor is the one changing, I think is the Hexcore the one taking power over him.

But what happens just before he cures him?

THIS

Viktor is bathed in light while the rest of the place is dark.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Common guys, it was obvious this would end as a cult.

But why is this current change on Viktor and light? Why??? Just two seconds ago he split with Jayce and he was all in the dark, right?

My theory is that while Hexcore takes control and more dominion over him, Viktor finds light because he's helping people and it's like "hey, maybe this isn't that bad," but we already know that ANYTHING related to Hexcore is meant to be a catastrophe. Viktor may excuses its use for helping people while Jayce excuses its use for saving Viktor.

However, compared to how Viktor is showed through the intro I wasn't still convinced his light was about that.

And I mean, the light shown in the trailer for both Viktor and Jayce is white, different from the purple/pink that appears when he cures someone, his eyes are still clearly different. This scene does not represent Viktor but the arcane speaking through him, the purple and pink tones represent the arcane; and most importantly, the pattern its magic has.

Still, everything with that Viktor being the light didn't convinced me.

BECAUSE THAT VIKTOR ISN'T THE LIGHT, THE ONE ABOVE IS.

It's pretty clear, (sorry bad image quality, I got it from an edit and I'M NOT TOUCHING LAST 3 EPISODES IN NETFLIX, I WON'T GET MORE SPOILERS IF I CAN AVOID IT). The Viktor that is bent with the Arcane isn't the lightened Viktor, the one above is. He has yellow eyes (just as in the intro), and he's emitting a soft and pretty divine light. Compared to this:

His eyes aren't as yellow, and his hair is long and has lost color as a result of the arcane. They're evidently different. And I think that at some extent the show wants you to know they are different characters. Yes, his eyes are slightly yellow but let's remember he isn't entirely Viktor, it's also the Arcane.

And when he sees Jayce about to kill him, I think he looks surprised.

However.

The terror in his eyes, those aren't Viktor eyes, those are the Arcane's. All the freaky colors and the distortion. You can see how when he opens his eyes, it's Viktor who looks at him. But when he's facing his death, it's the Arcane being terrified.

How much does Arcane understand of emotions? I don't know, dude. But it and Viktor being mixed in a body surely gives it the ability to express something.

You may be thinking I am a little crazy about the eyes. But this is Arcane and the eyes are just important, animators put a lot of effort into emotion and facial expression and this means something.

When he dies, his eyes are both yellow and Arcane's color. They are both dying, yes.

But wtf happened with Jayce.

Well, I'll be back to this moment.

Jayce drinking tea with Heimerdinger and Ekko. His cup of "Man of the Progress" is there, but he did not drink from it.

The cup "Man of Progress" means a lot for Jayce's storytelling, it has his face on it goddammit. But it is also the cup that symbolizes his preference for the council and popularity over Viktor (because Viktor has always been a constant piece of conflict and motivation to act for Jayce). Instead, his drinking from a simple cup, not printed, he's turning back to his roots, being a scientist and stopping seeking greatness.

It also means a lot considering what he said to Viktor: "My place was here in the lab, with you." He gives up politics to be again an inventor and scientist. This scenes are pretty interesting when you consider during season one Jayce's biggest conflict is to be constantly swiping sides because he cannot stick to his true nature and has the need to be approved by everyone, which is by he doesn't use the cup anymore is important. He's rejecting the title to stick to his true self.

I also have to say that I wonder how this decision will affect his relationship with Mel, since she's pretty much the symbol of his political career while Viktor is the symbol of his academic one. Pursuing politics instead of the investigation is shown through their scene having sex while Viktor is heavily sick. Just to clarify: I HAVE NO HATE AGAINST HER, she and Jayce both worry about each other. But their relationship is planted pretty much as a political matter or as a tool for JayVik development. Literally season 2 biggest conflict in Jayce is Viktor and his only conversation with Mel is about he being worried about Viktor.

And well, Mel is her most boring (she still beautiful and interesting af but it's the least interesting part about her) when she's with Jayce. Just by seeing the trailer you can know her biggest conflict is about her mother and the black rose. Her narrative arc is pretty far away from Jayce's and I wonder how they will manage it.

And the wildest scene of the entire season: the Ashes and Blood one.

His hand tries to reach the Hexcore just as his hand tries to reach the light on the trailer. Or even more obvious, a clear parallel to Viktor, who reached his hand in the same way to reach the Hexcore and in consequence, he was consumed by it. Is this foreshadowing that Jayce will be consumed by the Arcane in the same way Viktor was? I'm 100% it is.

In fact, the whole scene is a parallel with Viktor dying and Jayce/Mel scene in season 1. Back then Viktor saw something in the Arcane, a possibility; in this scene, Jayce is seeing something, but we aren't sure what.

No matter what he sees, because he is also being corrupted by the arcane.

Look at the pattern on his wrist. Yes, the crystal is now on his skin but look how it has been disfigured by the arcane. Besides Jayce being corrupted it also means the corruption of his dream. And in consequence, I think that means the lost of an important part of his character: Hope.

The crystal symbolized his dream, yes, but it also symbolized his hope to make the world a better place. In season 1 when he tries jumping off after he has lost the research of his life is meant to be the loss of hope; which Viktor gives back (literally and metaphorically).

Here, he still has the crystal, but it has been corrupted by the arcane, and in consequence: the part that made Jayce a character who truly wanted to make the world a better place is corrupted too.

Focus on the eyes, people. When he looks at Viktor his face is completely changed but his eyes remain the same, brilliantly yellow unlike Viktor's.

And before he prepares his shot, the crystal shines. My first guest is that 100% there's something bigger influencing him. Probably the Arcane.

His weapon is evidently being corrupted by the arcane too.

And he's evidently actively fighting against something, the Arcane probably, since his face acquires its patron. Before I said I considered it was the Arcane who was scared of Jayce, since Viktor's eyes were emptied of any yellow color. But why the Arcane would be surprised if he's also corrupting Jayce.

My best guess is that Jayce is actively fighting against the Arcane and its influence to join it. What do I think? Jayce saw something in the Arcane tempting enough to want to join it but; at the same time, he saw something terrifying enough to decide it was not worth the risk. What do I think? Jayce did want to kill the Arcane, even if it meant killing Viktor too; and what he was fighting it's the Arcane itself trying to stop him.

I said it before, I haven't seen the last 3 episodes so if I'm terribly wrong I'll come back to apologize for my stupidity. But I have seen people confused about Jayce's motivation here and I think I might have a point.

And guys just look how his face changes from range to absolutely mysery-

You cannot say this man happily killed Viktor, he's about to cry.

And then Viktor lets go of that little thing I don't know what is called, but it symbolizes their shared dream.

There's a lot of angst about Viktor letting go of his dream. But I'm here to propose a more interesting question, why was he still clinging to it? In season 1 he makes clear Hexcore must be destroyed and he literally leaves Jayce when he realizes what he has done to keep him alive.

So why his change of mentality? Easy; because as I said before, he can justify the use of Arcane as long as he feels it's helping people.

I think he understands Arcane more than before, he's integrated into it and sees beauty in it. However Jayce also understands the Arcane better than him, but I think instead of finding beauty in it Jayce knows the horrific parts.

Look that the little thing I do not know what is called has a side completely corrupted while the other is briefly corrupted, my bet is that the corrupted side represents Viktor and the slightly corrupted represents Jayce.

So, why letting go of the dream is the right thing to do for Viktor's part and you shouldn't be sad about it? Because it has transformed into something unrecognizable, just as Viktor and Jayce. Letting go of the dream doesn't mean letting go of each other, since the series is clear they are part of each other. Letting go of the dream is letting go of the Arcane so they can keep themselves.

Why are they part of each other?

Easy, Viktor keeps the blanket Jayce gave him (even when he isn't able to feel coldness or warmth).

(BTW, in this scene Viktor stays in the light, and now is Jayce the one in darkness, I'm just saying).

And Jayce's whole outfit is about Viktor.

(Sorry shitty quality, I got it from a clip in Youtube because I'M NOT RISKING MYSELF TO SPOILERS)

His hammer is butterfly-shaped (so interesting both Jayce and Viktor have a scene as kids with the same butterfly and then the Arcane acquired a butterfly shape for a brief moment...); just look at his left leg, his hammer also resembles Viktor's crane and I might be crazy but I see some V's over there.

And also, even if I am crazy and I'm seeing stuff here it's always good to remember THIS:

I'm sorry but what was the need to parallel it so much? Idk why they do it but besides paralleling they also have to make characters close to Jayce to share moles in the same places as Viktor, Ambessa's twink resembles him a lot and has a mole on the cheekbone too, Mel it's harder to see because she has multiple but just as Viktor she has the one on the cheekbone and over the mouth. And, if I remember correctly, Jayce's mom has a mole on the cheekbone too. Every time I think I'm a little crazy about them I remember that and I'm like "nah, I'm totally right about everything." If they parallel this again in season 2 I'm not going to be surprised.

What do I expect from Arc 3? Viktor and Jayce's fight, against the Arcane. I think narratively it would be the ultimate conflict they have to face. They both were irresponsible with stuff they couldn't completely understand and it would be a nice conclusion to their arcs. Jayce has already decided to abandon politics which is a nice development, but he still hasn't faced the consequences of playing with the Arcane and Viktor either. If there's a fight against each other I'd understand where it comes from but their story would feel unconcluded, none of them have faced the consequences of playing with the arcane, not really. They have both faced shitty things but no consequences for fooling with magic and I think the most satisfying conclusion for their story would be to face to face and stop their creation together.

Maybe I'll change my opinion once I see the last episodes, but until that moment I think a fight between Viktor and Jayce would make lost what has been said all the series: The Arcane shouldn't be played with. Maybe they will enemies but their common enemy is the Arcane.

Before that I expect Viktor and Jayce to save each other again; as in season 1 but this time they're mutually saving from the Arcane's influence. At least Viktor to Jayce; since Jayce looks to be the most fucked up mentally, following again all the symbolism of Jayce reaching the light and Viktor being the light.

I wanted to analyze the religious iconography surrounding Viktor too and why even if he's supposed to represent Jesus and Jayce is supposed to represent Iscariot (though I don't think Viktor is always meant to represent Jesus only) neither means a bad thing. Jesus already knew Judas was going to betray him and he did not hate him for that, he loved him till the end (as he did with the rest of humanity). There are some texts (too tired to cite) that imply Jesus asked Judas to betray him and Judas, as a last act of total devotion, obeyed him.

Idk, just tell me if you'd like a religious analysis (probably after I have ended with the last three episodes, till then I do not want a word about what happened in the show).

[warpcoreweirdness]

just finished season 2 of Lower Decks and i'm SO glad i tried this show again

i actually started the show a while ago, but the constant easter eggs put me off.

(i still don't know how non-Trekkie viewers are meant to get the jokes where the punchline is "reference!! 😂", but lots of people enjoy it so ymmv).

i stopped a few minutes into episode 2 after Rutherford agrees to quit his job as an engineer so he can watch the Trivoli pulsar with Tendi.

i honestly thought it was going to be a storyline about a guy giving up a job he loves and making his boss angry so that he can spend time with a female friend he has a crush on, because that's the plotline i've been conditioned to expect from tv. i wasn't feeling excited about the show, so i put it on pause.

but if i'd watched for about two more seconds before noping out for a few months, i would've seen this:

when i started watching again, i realised that the episodes never bog themselves down in drawn-out, uncomfortable storyline or character staples - they're actually incredibly well-written, tightly paced, and tell their stories in just the right amount of time. Rutherford wants to be Tendi's friend (at least for now), his boss Billups is really supportive, and Tendi brings a PADD into the Jefferies tube so they can both do what they enjoy, separately but together.

another great part about that scene with Rutherford and his boss is something that Lower Decks does a lot, which is make jokes that actually rely on subverting audience expectations. a big example - and a way of referencing other parts of the Star Trek franchise that does work for me - is when the creators gently poke fun at or subvert common story beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic moments from other parts of Trek.

like when Rutherford loses his memory and Tendi is excited to get to know him again, rather than devastated that he doesn't remember her.

or when they save themselves from being smooshed by Dooplers by dramatically ejecting the warp core of their tiny model starship.

or when Tendi goes on an arc of significant personal development over the course of one (1) whole episode.

they're general enough that even people who haven't seen other Star Trek shows (or movies) can still recognise and appreciate them.

beyond this, the show also has great moments where they (lovingly) cast a light on some of the flaws and foibles in the franchise, often in subtle or comedic ways.

like showing people in beep chairs living their best lives (in contrast to TOS and SNW's view of the beep chair as a tragic, doomsday fate for Pike).

or using Tendi to comment on Trek's depiction of Orions specifically as all pirates and slavers, and alien cultures more generally as monocultures.

or even just acknowledging that Trek shows mostly focus on the bridge crew doing heroic first contact-esque adventures, when that can't be all there is to Starfleet.

heck, they even have Rutherford go on a journey of acceptance and self-discovery after a permanent memory wipe (in contrast to Uhura in TOS, where it's never mentioned again).

another reason i really appreciate the show is that the creators have taken the time to think through what a more inclusive future could look like, in ways that are noticeably lacking or absent in many other Trek shows:

beyond exploring diversity through explicit identity representation (which is still very important), it does this through its world building as well.

i love this communal sonic shower scene for what it says about gender and body politics in Trek. in the future, why would we still separate bathrooms and changing rooms by gender? and why would we have the same views and expectations around bodies that we (by "we" i mean Western countries) do now?

this short scene dismantles the idea that nudity is inherently sexual, that gender is binary and biological, that some genders can't be trusted around other genders while naked, and that heterosexuality is the default (and when you bring dozens of alien species into the mix, why wouldn't we have more and newer ways of thinking about gender?). it even has a little mention that Boimler prefers not to shower with others, leaving space for people to act however feels most comfortable for them.

it's such a little thing, but after years spent (lovingly) yelling at the screen during TNG, TOS, DS9, etc saying, "why are they assuming everyone is straight? WHY would people be this sexist?", i noticed it immediately and appreciated it immensely.

(this isn't related to the storytelling, but i also have to say - the animation in Lower Decks is so pretty???):

this isn't a perfect show, but it's funny, has fantastic storytelling, and it loves the source material without worshipping it. (which is not something i expected to say, given how it started).

plus i love these characters SO MUCH.

so far, so very good 🤞.

(image descriptions in alt text)

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2 hangs on - you guessed it - a double meaning (and art). *Part 4*

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✨! Friends, we have arrived at the prestige! Metatron come at me bro, catch these hands. Oh wait you can't, you always have your hands in your pockets...

People smarter than me have talked all about Aziraphale's magician outfits on this show, so I won't steal their thunder. Suffice it to say, The Metatron is wearing a weirdly dark coat and tie over his whole outfit. Which gives him a very only a white floating head look, but also keeps in the theme of ✨I am a magician✨. He's here to perform a trick!

I also won't talk a lot about him in the coffee shop because that's been done already. If we have learned anything from part 3, analyzing the coffee to death is what we are supposed to be doing, because He is distracting everyone with a benign object that we can inspect. So while he's waving this coffee around in the shop going "SEE I KNOW HOW EARTH WORKS" he's also doing something fascinating: Checking to see who recognizes him.

Weirdly, even though Aziraphael saw him in season one, and the angels all work with him, no one does right away. EXCEPT for Saraquiel and Crowley, who just saw his face not in person, but in a video tape of sorts up in heaven at Gabriel's trial by farce. And then something funny happens. Saraquiel is scared shitless and pretends to have 'forgotten' like Michael, but Crowley admits loud and proud that he does. Then Uriel gives THE BIGGEST SIDEYE I have ever seen on screen to Michael, as in "You don't recognize our boss? I am very afraid for what that means."

As far as I can understand, this is the reason the Metatron is here : "Are we in the version of events where I lose?" And the answer The Metatron gets after the question is : We are in the version of events where I have severely fucked with Michael, sort of fucked with the other angels, I have fucked with Aziraphale, and Crowley has seen me already in heaven. Now we're missing a lot of information as to WHY this specific answer is good for The Metatron, and how much Saraquiel knows, but it seems like he interprets this as an "I haven't lost yet, and I can still do my trick".

So now here we are, at the most important part of the episode, in my (and Aziraphale's) opinion. THE double meaning.

This line is insane. On the surface we have meaning 1) The Metatron is scolding over-zealous angels for meddling in this affair, and over reaching with their power, especially threatening to use the book of life on people. He's the good guy! But under the surface we have meaning 2) I HAVE THE BOOK OF LIFE and I have been using it on everybody in this room. If I don't get my way this time around, I will edit you guys again, and you will have done the right thing. And with that admission, Aziraphale severely twigs and becomes very afraid. From then on his voice shakes and he babbles, and he has trouble looking the Metatron in the eye. I'm willing to bet that this is the moment Aziraphale realizes what The Metatron just admitted: I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley (and everyone else) so that you lose to me. A terrified Aziraphael goes off with The Metatron to have a chin wag. Now here's the trick.

We've already established that Maggie and Nina are here as stage assistants to The Metatron, so they need time to work on Crowley alone. If they talk to A/C together, like they would have without The Metatron's appearing in the scene before, better communication might have happened between them. He made Aziraphale disappear from the scene!

This does NOT look like the face of someone getting good news. We never heard what the details were besides inviting Crowley to the job promotion, so who knows what he threatened him with, but

This looks like the face of someone caught in a trap. So we are now seeing the prestige! We don't need that coffee anymore, that cup is GONE BABY. Aziraphale has been removed from the Nina/Maggie confession like a dove, and placed in The Metatron's dark coat pocket. Now he just needs to make our angel reappear in the scene the assistants have prepared for him and let him fail, thus completing the trick (uhg I hate it. So cruel).

I'm going to turn the final 15 into it's own post because this is already very long. Let's skip it for now, but we know our lovebirds get separated by heaven, and Aziraphale leaves. The Metatron breathes a huge sigh of relief in the elevator as he thinks his trick has worked, and he has won.

So it's finished now, and there's seemingly no way out. Aziraphale now knows what The Metatron meant when he communicated "I am creating a version of reality as we speak where I change you and Crowley and everything else so that you lose to me."

BUT! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS SHIT? BECAUSE IT HIT ME LIKE LIQUID JET FUEL. And I think it hits Aziraphale right here, (when he makes the creepy face after being hit with a beam of light i.e. realization)

That means that in the original version of events before all the edits, Crowley & Aziraphale won.

------

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading. I'd love to hear what you thought, or even reblog it with your ✨Clues✨! Want to read more about the timey wimey business that we're gonna see in season 3, and why all this changes the final 15? Well I have *part 5* coming in just a bit. Parts 5 and The End are here! Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The End?

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About the Bakugou Problem

I've been enjoying the Bakugou slander here on Tumblr, but I haven't come across anyone that gets to the root of the problem with Bakugou's character yet. I think it goes further than him having anger issues, being annoying, or even how violent and abusive he is. Why I think Bakugou is a bad character is due to the effect he has on the plot, world-building, and the rest of the characters. There's a lot of layers here, so I'd like to take the time to talk as in-detail as I can while typing on mobile.

*Note: I'll be following the anime as it's easier for me to follow and pick specific examples. Manga readers if you have anything to add I'd love to hear it, even if it's against what I've listed here*

*Note: Bakugou fans you're more than welcome to read, though I warn you might not like what you see. I tried to keep this as constructive as I could without letting my own biases seep in (whether I succeeded is up for debate) so that everyone could read it whether you like Bakugou or not. I'm fine with criticism towards my points, I only ask that you remain respectful. I won't engage with anyone who disrespects me or other users*

1. Consequences

This is a big one among Bakugou critics, so I think it's a pretty good place to start. Bakugou has almost never faced actual consequences to his actions (there's a difference between something bad that happens to happen to him and the world around him not accepting his behavior). There are two instances that I can think of that there was a direct ramification to something Bakugou has done. The first was during the Deku vs Kacchan fight where Bakugou does get suspended for four days while Izuku gets suspended for three days. The other is when he and Todoroki fail the provisional licensing exam. However, there's a problem with these two instances I mentioned.

With the D vs K fight, Bakugou was the one who goaded Izuku out of the dorms and instigated a fight. Izuku was trying to get him to go back to the dorms so they could settle their "issue" under adult supervision. He was trying to do the responsible thing. For Izuku to only receive a day less of punishment seems unfair. Though, you could make the case that he should have ignored Bakugou, it's still very clear that one was way more at fault than the other and there was barely a difference in their punishment.

The provisional licensing exam actually did well with failing Bakugou. It was almost a great lesson; that he can't say and do whatever he wants and expect the world to roll over for him. Unfortunately, it's undermined by Todoroki failing as well. Yes, Todoroki failed because of Inasa. But a) Inasa attacked him first which should have resulted in disqualification (what was Todoroki supposed to do, not fight back when he was being assaulted?) and b) Inasa's entire character seems shoehorned into the story. He doesn't really add anything to Todoroki's character as most of his problems with Todoroki were already resolved back in season 2. He also contributes nothing to the overall story. Shindou, for example, has a hand in testing 1A and forces them to work together congruently. Inasa seems like he was put in the story simply to make Todoroki fail. Why does Todoroki have to fail? Because Bakugou does.

It seems like Horikoshi always softens the blow for Bakugou in a way, if he's dealt any blow at all. By not allowing Bakugou to face consequences on his own, he might as well not be facing them at all.

Why are consequences so important? Because Bakugou's privilege is a problem.

I don't think I've seen anyone address this. The root of Bakugou's behavior comes from the fact that he was allowed to do all those terrible things because the world around him was tolerant of it. Teachers turned a blind eyes when he bullied Izuku because he had a great quirk and Izuku was quirkless. He's allowed to do and say whatever he wants because he has a great quirk. While people seem to be harder on Izuku because of either having no quirk or not being able to fully control his quirk. This is a huge part of the story that was set up in the beginning, but was almost never addressed despite being persistent throughout. And it's the most present with Aizawa.

Bakugou attempts to attack a fellow student the first day of class? Simply restrained, no repercussions. Bakugou uses excessive force against a classmate despite his teacher telling him to stop? Nothing more than a few not-so-nice words. Bakugou assaults his partner and refuses to cooperate? No words at all.

Now look at Izuku. Doesn't have full control of his quirk? His teacher attempts to humiliate and expel him in front of his classmates on the first day of class. Saves a classmate in an admittedly risky rescue mission? Said teacher proclaims he lost his trust and labels him a problem child (despite the orchestrator of said mission- Kirishima- being in the same room and not getting spoken to at all).

(I don't know if Aizawa's projecting, but pandering to the kid with the strong quirk while simultaneously disliking All Might isn't a great look.)

Even before UA, Bakugou is praised by the heroes for his strong quirk against the sludge villain despite the fact that his quirk made everything worse while Izuku is scolded even though they were the ones who did nothing while he did what he could to save someone.

"All men aren't created equal." That's one of Izuku's very first lines and a central point of the story. It's something you expect it to address multiple times, especially in regards to Izuku and Bakugou. But Bakugou being spared from consequences every single time he does something terrible means that the statement is validated, but the problem still persists and is never rectified or solved. Even if you think Bakugou "changed," that doesn't make his privilege go away.

2. Plot Compensation

The story goes out of its way to make Bakugou seem like a better person than he is.

My first example is the Sports Festival, specifically his fight with Uraraka. In this fight, Bakugou is met with booing from the audience for not going easy on her. And right off the bat, this is weird. Because not only have we never seen this attitude toward women heroes before or after this, the show is trying to tell us something when Aizawa tears the crowd down. Almost as if saying, "The crowd is dumb and wrong and if you think like the crowd, you're dumb and wrong." Aizawa claims that Bakugou is treating Uraraka like a real opponent by not going easy on her.

...is he though?

Because we never see Bakugou stand still in a fight like he does with her. Bakugou's fighting style relies a lot on mobility. During his fight with Tokoyami, who he knew he had an advantage over because of the light from his quirk, he isn't standing still. During his fight with Todoroki he isn't standing still. He only does this with Uraraka. Because this isn't Bakugou showing respect, it's him still looking down on her. He doesn't see her as a serious opponent, just an obstacle in his way.

And I know this sounds like a bold claim. But if you recall, Bakugou immediately confronts Izuku after the fight and accuses him of giving Uraraka the idea she used during their match. He assumes it was a ploy from Izuku, implying that he didn't think Uraraka capable of coming up with a plan with the potential to work against him. This isn't respect for an opponent.

(Note: the only thing in Bakugou's favor is it's probably not because she's a girl. He just naturally looks down on everyone who doesn't immediately stand out to him with a show of power like Todoroki)

Then we have the revered scene with the League or Villains.

This scene is praised because it "subverts expectations." That the violent, angry kid doesn't want to be a villain. He wants to be a noble hero. Aizawa- again- silences claims against Bakugou, citing that he wants to win and he knows he can't do that if he's a villain.

My thing is, however, the League targeting him in the first place. Why would they do this? Bakugou clearly has a heroic quirk. He scored first on the entrance exam. If they did any research at all beforehand, they would know that Bakugou was at the top of his class before UA and is in the top five currently. And they'd know he has wealthy parents.

(You would think Dabi especially would draw parallels to Endeavor and would be aware that Bakugou's ambition and heroic quirk don't make him similar to the League who have been discriminated against, shunned, and abused for most of their lives. Even with his behavior at the Sports Festival, Endeavor isn't the noble and kind type like All Might and most other heroes. So I'm not sure why Bakugou's behavior immediately screamed villain potential)

Nothing about him suggests he's had a hard life like most of the League. Nothing about him suggests he'd want to leave his comfortable life and secured future to become a villain.

This scene sets up Bakugou's redemption, right? It leads us to the Deku vs Kacchan fight and All Might's advice is what makes him take on his "save to win" mentality.

But not only does this seem like a convenient plot device, it decidedly ignores the uglier part of Bakugou's decision.

Bakugou rejected the LOV because he saw them as losers. But what if they hadn't been losers? What if they had been doing as well as they were at the end of season 5? Merging and becoming the MLA front, organized teams, wealthy, successfully recruiting members right under the heroes' noses.

Maybe Bakugou wouldn't have outright joined them. But at this point before shifting his perspective, his answer might have been very different.

But the story goes out of its way to hammer in Bakugou's scarce good traits to take your focus away from his overwhelming bad ones.

3. Bakugou's Character Shift "Development"

The way Horikoshi wrote Bakugou in the beginning is very different to how he is portrayed later in the show. No, I don't mean his development. I mean the major shift in his character between seasons 1/2 and season 3/4.

Bakugou in the beginning of the show is cruel, meanspirited, and violent. And he's still all of those things throughout the show. The one difference is that it's played for laughs in later seasons.

Bakugou's actions and words in seasons 1 and 2 are portrayed a lot more serious than in later seasons. He's an antagonistic force, one that Izuku has to strive to overcome not just to be a good hero, but for himself as Bakugou has been one of the most prominent obstacles in his strive to become a hero.

Look at his behavior during the battle trials. It's something serious, something that has even All Might worried. Bakugou knew he could have very well killed Midoriya and didn't care. It's brutal and almost hard to watch because at this point in the show Midoriya is weak and tiny (visually, we know he's never really been weak) compared to Bakugou and can really only outsmart him to win.

We never see Bakugou display anything close to this level of violence in later seasons. Not in the Sports Festival or 1A vs 1B or D vs K or the licensing exam or even against literal villains. Season 1 went out of its way to show Bakugou's cruel behavior even using it as something Izuku has to learn how to overcome even if he has to risk everything.

By season 3, the perspective has changed. Bakugou name calling people, belittling people, yelling, and his acts of violence are now exaggerated for comedy. None of his actions are taken as seriously as they were before, despite some being almost or just as bad.

(It's worth mentioning that this was also around the time Bakugou began to get popular among fans)

A great example of this is in season 5 when he throws his headpiece at Izuku and makes him bleed. His casual act of his aggression towards his lifelong victim is present to make the audience laugh, despite the fact that Izuku was bleeding and the 1A boys are (rightfully) horrified.

(I'd like to add that there was no real reason to do this. Nothing he was saying would have exposed OFA and even if it had, he was done talking by the time Bakugou threw it)

If Bakugou had really changed at this point, this would have never happened in the first place. I can't call this changing or development, I call this his actions shifting into comedic relief and away from the serious connotations they previously held. By taking that away, it allows Bakugou to continue to do the same things he has all his life while under the guise of development. It undermines what's supposed to be his redemption arc.

4. Other Characters

Bakugou isn't the only one who gets a character shift. It's approximately the moment that Bakugou begins to get more attention that the other characters lose the substance they had at the beginning of the show.

The ones hit most notably by this are obviously Uraraka and Iida. They were Izuku's first friends, his original trio. More than that, they are set up as interesting characters with their own arcs and paths for becoming great heroes.

Even though I did have my complaints about her fight with Bakugou in the Sports Festival, it does turn Uraraka onto improving past her goal of becoming a rescue hero. She wants to become better in other aspects of being a hero so that she can succeed and keep up with her stronger classmates. She proved herself capable of this during her fight with Bakugou and it was the catalyst of her character development.

Iida was not only resolving himself with caring for Midoriya as a friend as well as being his rival and wanting to surpass him. There's also this darker side to him that no one expects from goody two shoes, straight-laced Iida that had so much potential for exploration.

Both of them are tossed to the side in favor of Bakugou. I would even go as far as to say that after season 2, they're almost irrelevant until season 6 and even then they're limited (before season 6 Uraraka's only character trait is that she ignores he feelings for Midoriya to become a better hero, which came out of nowhere and does nothing for her character). And they barley ever get moments with Izuku during time despite being his first friends.

Todoroki is a similar yet very different case. At the beginning of the show, he was intense and has strong feelings. (An interesting parallel is that if Iida was his friend becoming his rival, Todoroki was his rival becoming his friend and both relationships speak to Izuku as a character) Even if he didn't express them, we as the audience knew they were there. But as times passes he becomes flat and dull. Even though he's supposed to be part of the new trio, he's barley present (the dynamic between the three of them is uninteresting all around as it's basically Bakugou yelling at Izuku with Todoroki in the background. They never have any deep or heartfelt moments nor do they have good chemistry) and barely gets any one-on-one interaction with Izuku despite them being very good friends.

(I can't blame this all on Bakugou as the show also shifts from focusing to Todoroki to focusing on his own abuser which is part of the issue with his lack of character, but Bakugou's character does contribute to this problem of making the abusers more sympathetic than the victims)

Most if not the rest of 1A fade into the background after this, save for a few who have notable moments sprinkled in throughout the show. You can take this as a Bakugou prevalence problem, or it can be seen as Horikoshi just not knowing how to balance characters.

However, the character that suffers the most because of this is Izuku himself.

I don't think it's a bad thing that Izuku admires or looks up to Bakugou. I don't think it's a problem that he doesn't see anything wrong with Bakugou's behavior against him. Izuku grew up in an environment where that was normalized. That he's worthless because of his lack of quirk and Bakugou deserves to be on top because of his great quirk. Of course he internalized that, even though he knows that a quirk doesn't determine someone's worth. He was never given the tools or the means to beat that mindset.

What I despise is the fact that everyone around him enables it.

As I stated above, Aizawa is definitely the worst when it comes to this. Not only shoving Bakugou and Izuku together and making it Izuku's job to get Bakugou to cooperate, but hardly if ever condemning Bakugou when he lashes out against Izuku. Even without their history, what Bakugou does is wrong and should be treated as such.

Unfortunately and even though I love All Might, he's also guilty of this. It's true that he might not know the full extent of their toxic relationship, but All Might sees Bakugou instigate a fight with Izuku and decides it's okay to tell Bakugou about One For All. Bakugou did nothing to earn this honor: he hasn't shown Izuku support and hasn't been a reliable ally he could depend on. But even disregarding that, Bakugou had just been captured by villains who work for All For One. He was the last person on Earth who should have been entrusted with this secret.

The adults in Izuku's life enable and reward Bakugou's bad behavior and urge them into forming a relationship and partnership that frankly shouldn't exist (and only does to make Bakugou a better person and hero, it does nothing for Izuku). It's to the point where almost Izuku's entire character revolves around his relationship with Bakugou and how he improves because of it and how he helps Bakugou improve. And he further projects this when he "subtly" implies that Todoroki should forgive Endeavor, which feels like a justification towards the audience of his own feelings towards Bakugou.

5. Accountability

I mentioned consequences as my first point. But what many who want this miss, it goes hand-in-hand with accountability.

Unlike consequences, Bakugou more or less does take accountability in the form of his apology. But the apology was lackluster for a couple of reasons. The main thing is that it feels like a list of excuses rather than simply owning up to the fact that he was shitty and there's really no good reason for it. But simply explaining why you hurt the person you hurt isn't giving them the apology they deserve. It's making it about you.

Another thing, though, is that the apology is very scarce. It skips over the worst of Bakugou's actions. Nothing he said was anything 1A didn't already know. They don't know about the s*icide baiting which is one of the worst things he's done to Izuku (and that's only what we saw, who knows what Bakugou's been saying for years?). It also ignores everything he did in UA, which was a very big part of the problem. He treated Izuku poorly months prior to the apology and that shouldn't be ignored.

As far as accountability goes this apology isn't that great. But it's something. No, what's worse is that the other characters don't hold Bakugou accountable.

The other characters more often than not turn a blind eye to Bakugou's behavior. We've already covered Aizawa, but the rest of 1A is guilty of this too. No one says anything about the Battle Trials. Hardly anyone condemns Bakugou when he attacks or insults Izuku. Sometimes they'll chime in like Uraraka or Kirishima, but other than that no one outright tells him off. This is out of character for Iida in particular because he's such a stickler about rules and courtesy for others (he literally told off a six year old when he punched Izuku and tried to stop Mineta from perving on the girls, why wouldn't he do the same when it comes to Bakugou?). It's almost like the characters are blind to Bakugou's behavior.

What's weirder is that Mina and Kirishima- who were both stated to hate bullying- are friends with him. Why would the show go out of its way to tell us this only to saddle them into the "BakuSquad?" It doesn't make sense.

It's hypocritical that everyone in 1A is so tolerant of Bakugou but get annoyed with others; like Monoma for example. Or even Mineta because as much as I dislike him he's constantly being called out by 1A. It means that they know certain behavior is wrong and/or shouldn't be entertained, so we know they aren't completely unaware. But the fact that they largely ignore Bakugou's behavior and condemn Monoma's is so weird. You can't excuse one and not the other.

Conclusion

There's certainly more than this to my dislike of Bakugou. But I think I've mostly covered his negative impact on the story. Doing a deep dive into his awful personality is something I wouldn't wish on anyway. Many others have done that anyway, so I'm content to leave it out. But I hope you liked my little breakdown!

[bluelancelion]

So, I've been re-watching Stranger Things S1 - S4 and I got things to say just to let them out of my system.

First of all, kudos to the Duffer Brothers for one of the best found family ever created. I love the gang, I love the later addition of Max, Robin and Eddie. The characters are clean.

But here's the thing, let's talk about characters and, more specifically, Steve and Nancy.

So, we pretty much got a weird vibe between Nance and Steve in S4, kinda heavy hinting that Steve is totally not over Nance and they might get back together.

Now here's why this is a bad move.

First of all, I heard somewhere that Stranger Things is supposed to end like a circle, so many things that we've seen in S1 might return by the end of S5 (aka last season).

IF that's true, quoting some fans theories, then:

- Robin is gonna become Nancy's bestie (taking Barb's place)

- Steve and Nancy are gonna get back together (?)

Look.

I know what you're cooking here.

Steve and Nancy started their relationship when they both weren't fully evolved as characters, right? We're gonna pull a "right person, wrong moment" move in S1 that's gonna come back in s5 because after their MASSIVE character development, Steve and Nancy are basically two complete new people.

THAT could've worked IF Johnathan didn't exist.

Cause let's be real here, if Johnathan didn't exist, this trope would've been perfectly fit. BUT-

You guys gave us the whole "Nancy likes Steve but she's not in love with him" and then you pull out Johnny boy and pretend like we don't pick up the fact that Nancy loves him?

Plus, if Murray says so, then it's law.

I don't make the rules here! He's basically jesus, everything he says is right and if that man says Nancy and Johnathan love each other, then they love each other. If he says Hopper and Joyce love each other, then that's true, no questions asked.

"But people change, and Murray could always say that as things are now, Nancy and Steve are perfect for each other."

Yeah, maybe, but then what was the point of giving us such good chemistry between Johnathan and Nancy? They've hit it off since season 1, carrying it all on season 2, had a difficulty overcome TOGETHER in season 3, making their relationship even stronger if you ask me-

Only for it to... to what? In season 4? (I haven't rewatched season 4 yet so I don't remember the details except they wanna go to different colleges, but I'm dead sure they don't break up yet)

But noooo, the Duffer Brothers want to give us a lesson. Every person in our life is important to us and they shape the person we are today. Nancy needed a Johnathan in her life, in that specific moment of her life, not a Steve. But as we get closer to the future, or the present in s5, we might find out that the character that is Nancy Wheeler in that season, in that period of her life, doesn't need a Johnathan anymore, but a Steve.

And I don't say "need" as if boys can be swapped like socks, I mean that maybe Nancy is building her future somewhere where Johnathan doesn't want to be, or maybe Johnathan is growing into a man who's goals are far away from Nancy's.

And this is heartbreaking, cause you know these causes might lead to a break up and it had NOTHING to do with their feelings for each other. Nancy and Johnathan love each other, no matter if they break up or not because what they want in life is different.

Which brings us back to Steve getting back with Nancy.

Look, I'm all in for people finding happiness, but it feels a bit odd to give us such a good couple, make them break up (and thus breaking our hearts, but no matter what, we'll still love them both because life led them to break up, not their feelings)... Only for Nancy to be RANDOMLY back with Steve? Like???

I don't know, it gives me a bittersweet taste.

Now. Let's not forget this is Stranger Things, and stuff might go fucking south like:

- Johnathan dies and Nancy is left grieving. We have a timeskip into the future where Nance and Steve are together again, fighting the grief in the company of each other. Maybe in the past, Steve and Johnathan fought side by side in the Upside Down and it was Steve who failed to save Johnatan. In the meanwhile Steve and Nancy got closer as well, so it's easier to digest their reunion if it's under this perspective.

But seriously? Are we gonna pull that, Duffers?

OR Steve dies (please no) and Nancy's right there to hear his last wish and maybe she kisses him? Like a goodbye forever kiss, they might've worked out if it weren't for Jonathan and how things went in the end, yadda yadda

Honestly, I can think of a bunch of theories about how this could go, but no matter HOW it goes, I still think that making Steve not over Nancy is a tiny bit of an insult to his character development.

After Robin, his character was peak. He was supposed to get with her (which let's admit it, we all low-key rooted for it) but when Robin's actress proposed her idea of making Robin a lesbian, literally everything went from perfect to THE EPITOME OF PERFECTION. King (hair) Steve Harrington, popular once douchebag, now single mom besties with a lesbian? Peak writing. PEAK. WRITING.

You know what could've been even more peak? Making Steve come out as bi and have a little thing with Eddie but y'all were cowards

BACK TO MY POINT. Steve wishes for and deserves a soulmate, never ending love and a family. And, in a way, he has that already through the kids, through Robin, his friends-

I just... I don't think, and I neither see Nancy being that person for Steve. And it sucks cause they could've made a character specifically for Steve to fall in love with (I know, that was supposed to be Robin but since she's not anymore, either give Steve someone new cough Eddie would've been a good match cough OR give us a new female character so he can have his dream love story and we'd all be happy) instead of recycling old characters who had an awesome journey just to end where it all began.

And I get it, this is supposed to be Stranger Things ending, right? To finish where it all started.

And again, the Steve and Nancy of S5 might be exactly who they need in their lives at that moment.

But after EVERYTHING we've seen so far in these 4 season? Nah man. Just... It doesn't work.

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts :)

[redacteddoesstuff]

II S2 Ep 17 Spoilers

I'll be talking about what I got right from my previous theory post and some newer ones too.

Theory 1: The contestants aren't gone forever

This didn't happen. However I do think it will. I am one of the people who think there will be an act 3. Mostly because there are a lot of loose ends and plot points that they brought up (even just in this episode).

I am now more sure then ever that this is how their going to bring the contestants back. Or at least it will be an important part.

The fact that they continue to focus on soaps phone kinda proves that to me. Why bring so much attention to something meaningless.

Theory 2 (well not really a theory, more of a question): What about bow and dough?

Bow and dough are indeed created by Mephone. Which also means that Mephone can create soul-like-substitutes. Which is wild.

Theory 3: Mephone didn't know he created the contestants.

I was right with this one! Yippee! Kinda. While he didn't remember creating them, he did assign them personalities and quirks. What Cobs really did here was make Mephone put 2 and 2 together.

What I believe happened was after Mephone escaped he was like "Time to start a reality show! Wait... I need people for that" and his subconscious was like "haha, wait a minute, we already did that" and spawned in the contestants. Seeing as he had an interview with suitcase, a season 2 contestant, we can assume that the rest of season 2 and 3 contestants were all subconsciously spawned in, then held an interview with Mephone.

The picture below is just to highlight that even the season 3 contestants where characterized by Mephone.

Also I haven't seen enough people talk about how genuinely awful and disgusting what Cobs did here. It actually makes me kinda ill.

Theory 3: Mephone is part Prime Shimmer

I was also right with this one! I am on a roll! Mephone being a Shimmer just makes sense narrative wise.

Now, onto the theories/observations I have after this episode.

I don't think Mephone knew he could freeze everyone. Besides the fact that he didn't know he created them an therefore wouldn't think that was something that he was capable of, just look at him.

He has no idea what's happening around him. He's far more focused on the season 3 folder then his surroundings.

I also don't think Mephone created the island. He may have terraformed it but I don't believe he can straight up created an entire island.

And like I said earlier, I really don't think that this is the end.

Reason 1: the loose ends/plot points

It feels weird to me if they brought up important information just for it not to be used. Like Bow's tail story/coming back from the dead, Soap's phone, and the Prime Shimmers. Not to mention all the people who would still be there, like Mepad, Bow, Dough, Bot, Baxter, and the Prime Shimmers (and maybe toilet too? But that is a huge maybe in my books). Or even The Unvitational Committee. What do they feel about everything that's happened. What are they gonna do now everyone's gone.

Reason 2: common act structures.

While this is admittedly one of the weaker points, as they're allowed to do whatever they want, I think it's important to bring up. "Act" is a very specific word choice, and most stories follow a three act structure.

Reason 3: The themes.

II has a really prominent theme through the entire show, you don't have to be what others think of you. It can be seen within most character arcs. This episode is kinda the antithesis to that theme. Even the title "Through No Choice of Your Own" highlights that.

Reason 5: Brian said that there will be 2 special guest voice actors and we haven't gotten that yet.

Reason 6: He also specifically said "multi-part." People don't tend to say multi-part for 2 episodes, optioning to say two-parter instead.

Reason 7: Adam deleted his account shortly after he made(?) it. He also died from Mephone X. However this could just be nothing more then a fun way to leave and I'm looking to far into things. I thought it was important to bring up anyway.

Reason 8: General vibes.

While II has had lots of sad moments before, they usually have some kind of happy/bittersweet/hopeful ending. This is just depressing, with little to no upside.

Look man. I'm gonna be honest. This is mostly me sipping copium. I genuinely can't fathom there being no act 3. Like, that's not even an option. This ending is so genuinely horrible (emotionally) it's unreal. I might make another post just about how awful this all is for Mephone specifically. Like, it's the worst possible outcome from him. Anyways, post is ending here. I had some more ideas but I forgot them.

[gffa]

Hi :)

I'm a pretty new SW fan, not because I didn't like the movies/hadn't seen them but because I grew up thinking it was extremely nerdy and would often feel awkward trying to bring up anything related to SW.

Fortunately I've finally reached and met awesome people who love SW just like I did but I feel like I lost A LOT of important stuff and there's so much content to the saga that it's extremely overwhelming for me to even think about diving into the whole SW universe and catch up.

I've been following you for a bit and your posts are just extremely interesting to me but again, sometimes I'm a little confused about certain things and so I wanted to ask you if you had any recommendations about where to start catching up (besides the movies which I will be binge watching soon hehe)

Hi! Welcome to Star Wars fandom, I hope you're having a good time! And around here we embrace being as nerdy as possible--I mean, fandom is such a mainstream thing these days, but I still like to embrace being a nerd about things because it leads to a lot more happiness, to just be silly and having a good time with the thing that tickles our brains.

But, yes, it is pretty overwhelming when you're first arriving, I still remember when I first came back to SW several years ago, having really only watched the movies as a kid, and there was All This Stuff and it seemed impossible to ever reach the deep end of the pool, and that was before the last seven years of books, games, movies, comics, etc. came out! I will hopefully set your mind at ease with this, though: The vast, vast majority of content that Star Wars puts out isn't anything I would consider "essential". It's wonderful, fantastic stuff! But a lot of us have just been around so long that we're combing through the finer details of supplementary material, rather than those being absolute Must-Read/Watch To Get A Feel For Star Wars.

My recommendations for How To Get A Feel For Star Wars is basically, start with the animated series and the live action series, they're the second layer of foundation in the Star Wars building, all the comics and novels and such will be built on them, and in this order: - The movies, this is the foundation on which everything else will be built. - The Clone Wars, season 1-6 are part of George Lucas' story and they're pretty essential (at least in this corner of SW fandom) to understanding wtf anyone is talking about or even watching many of the live action series. (Season 7 is fine and should be watched! It's just not part of Lucas' Star Wars.) - Star Wars: Rebels, starts off light-hearted but really is one of the best developed shows and does a lot of connective work between the prequels and the original trilogy. - The Mandalorian, set 9 years after Return of the Jedi, this show just massively blew up and while each season is slightly less well-done than the previous one (imo), it's well worth watching for wtf fandom is talking about half of the time. (The Book of Boba Fett is somewhat optional in this corner of fandom, but imo worth the watch. Generally, it should go Mando s1-2 --> TBOBF --> Mando s3.) - Obi-Wan Kenobi, because this corner of fandom lost our goddamned minds about it and still haven't gotten them back. - Andor, which is a really great show and, as long as you've watched Rogue One first, you'll follow along just fine. Does some solid connecting the dots between the prequels and the originals, but not as much as Rebels did. - Jedi: Fallen Order, you can look up a "movie" version on YouTube for the story of this game, which is a really good plot, has some great new characters, has some genuinely effective cameos, and will be referenced fairly often in other materials/in fandom.

If you're not feeling overwhelmed by All The Star Wars You've Consumed, I would personally suggest going for the comics next, over any of the novels. The novels are great! But the vast majority of them are self-contained and meant to be supplementary material even more than the comics, which get to tell bigger, more connected stories. I always suggest starting with: - Star Wars 2015 by Jason Aaron + Darth Vader 2015 by Kieron Gillen, both of which are really, solidly fantastic stories about the timeframe just after A New Hope, like there are so many absolutely banger lines that came out of these comics. I won't spoil them, just know that I think these were legitimately good comics, not just legitimately good Star Wars comics. (The first six issues of each series are meant to be read concurrently, but after that, you can just pick one and read in that specific title.) - Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 2017 by Charles Soule, which is set in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith. If Gillen's Vader keeps the mystique of the originals Unknowable Darth Vader, then Soule's Vader is more about the absolute BATSHIT DRAMA that is blending Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. This series is BANANAPANTS in the absolute best way. - Obi-Wan & Anakin 2015 by Charles Soule, which is a five-issue mini-series set between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and is both stunningly beautiful art and a solidly good plot that survives fairly serious analysis of. It's got some great worldbuilding details, but even more I like it for the look at why a young Anakin chooses to stay with the Jedi Order.

The one book I will recommend--for a list aimed at getting you caught up on what fandom is referencing--is the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, that book is quoted constantly, and I'm not sure any other SW book has ever been as good as it is.

I feel like this is the best set of reading to get you familiarized with the source material that tends to come up the most! There's lots more that's really good, but once you get through the above, you can let me know what era or characters you're most interested in or if you have a specific question about something and want to see where it comes from!

But there's one thing to address and you're kinda going to have to figure out how to approach it on your own. 😂 There is a ton of stuff in SW fandom that's ostensibly from a book or a comic, but the version in fandom often comes from those who never actually read the books/haven't read them in a long time or are just picking them up from other fic and meta.

For example, the AgriCorps or Melida/Daan get referenced in fic and in posts all the time, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading the Jedi Apprentice series (I mean, I'm not your mom, feel free if you want to!) and often times how they're used in fic is not how they were used in the source material. Or the clones speaking Mando'a comes from the Legends books by Karen Traviss and she is a whole big can of ugly worms (both what she wrote and her IRL politics), as well as much of what she wrote was overwritten/discarded when The Clone Wars came out, but fandom likes the idea and so they put that into their fics (as they should, if they like it!). The idea of Mace using the lightsaber form of Vaapad is from Legends sources (the best source probably being the Shatterpoint novel by Matthew Stover, I'd guess?), same for his ability to see "shatterpoints" in the Force, which aren't part of Lucas' continuity or Disney's continuity, but fandom enjoys using them to flesh out Mace's character. This will get you started and, if you're looking for something more specific, feel free to ask, I enjoy these kinds of question--and don't feel you have to stick with any of the above if they're not fun for you. This is meant to be enjoyable, it's meant to have a good time, there's no wrong way to consume Star Wars media! <3

[pensbridge]

No spoilers, seriously, but

if I see one more person still throw a fit about "rake" Colin & cry about Polin's first time possibly being ruined (rly I haven't seen a ton, because I'm not following all of the discourse but I KNOW it's there & coming)...

because Colin and Pen are of different experience levels. Please, tell me you're joking. I'll be honest, when it's come to the debate of virginColin vs expColin, my stance on it has always been......I don't care. I really kind of hoped they left it open ended, because people felt so strongly about it, but before I watched the season I had a feeling he's had sex from something in the interviews, and I was expecting it and I thought, I think I know how this is gonna play out when Pen and Colin do sleep together. Because Colin is not a rake. A rabbit can purr, but that doesn't make it a cat. like I'm pretty sure Colin didn't sleep with anyone until this last travel tour, and that made my mind wander before part 1 dropped: Colin is fresh on the scene. Most likely, it wasn't that long ago that Colin, so to speak, felt like Pen (like it's different because of the different gender expectations and because of the times, but the possible insecurity, the importance of the romantic aspect and intimacy (both of those lead into past and present feelings) - he understands and it will only make him more careful/thoughtful with her. And I bet for him, it's almost like bummer, if we found our way to each other before my last voyage, all of that wouldn't have happened (maybe not, lol, I'm sure he's insecure af nervous about their first time). But Anthony or Simon couldn't have this perspective. And one thing about Colin is that he's sensitive. Like if you thought he was brooding in part 1, prepare now for the hidden contemplation of this fixation. He sneakily went out and bought a home and the proposal is probably barely 2 days old. He's already treating her like a princess as he can't stop twirling her every second they get. I'm positive he's THOUGHT of the details of this moment - planning it out in his head for how to make her feel special. He's very aware that she's a virgin. If anything the fact that he is more experienced is going to make Colin take more care with her than if he was unsure and extra concerned about not having a clue (because a molded to society toxic masculine man is still a toxic masculine man, especially because he's insecure). And the details for their individual backstories makes it more intricately deep than if they left it open-ended and didn't tell us anything at all.

[fandomestuff]

I've seen many people shit on the live action atla ((as we should this is such a bad adaptation and honestly a mid show in itself)) but I haven't really seen people talk stuff about Sokka and Suki

And I want to point out a couple of things that I absolutely hated about what they did to them in live action.

1. The kiss

I hate that they made them kiss at the end of the episode. I hate it so much. Like yes, in the original they both clearly had feelings for each other (especially that later Suki talks about losing sb very important to her, who we know was Sokka), but they weren't rushed like that.

In the original they both grow so much between their meetings. Sokka finally gets together with a girl (not the first girl he meets that's his age, like Suki), kisses sb for the first time, travels the world, meets new people and in general matures.

We don't know much about what Suki is doing during that time, but we know she finally does sth that helps people during war, sth that she said was important to her. She can finally put her skills in leadership to greater use and she feels great about it. She also matures during that time and we know that she still thinks about Sokka and misses him.

Them kissing immediately makes their relationship so much more bland and just... flat.

2. If they make all three seasons, we will probably not get the most iconic line of the show...

Because now Sokka's first girlfriend is technically Suki...

3. The whole scene with Suki teaching Sokka

I cannot empathise enough how important Sokka's sexism is in their relationship. It's something that Suki fixes in him, something she manages to show him... by absolutely kicking his ass. In live action... the fight scene next to those melons was a joke not a fight scene if I can be honest. Idk if it's the writing or the choreography or the actors but it looks so fake and just so bad 💀 And she attacked him while he was still "stretching"??? Suki would never.

What is this 💀💀

But the most important scene, and the one I hate the most in live action, is the one where Suki teaches him a very sacred and traditional and important to Suki and to her culture way of fighting.

In the original, Suki highlights that no man should learn their art and only after Sokka begs Suki to teach him does she agree.

But not without a very important piece that was fully missing from live action which baffles me so much.

The entire armor, the dress and make up.

Not only is it incredibly important to upholding the traditions and keeping the cultural aspect important, but the beautiful, might I add, outfit gives us the depth of Kyoshi Warriors that is just missing from the live action.

"The silk thread symbolizes the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart."

It's beautiful. It's meaningful for both of them. It's important. And it's also a way for Suki to mess with Sokka which we love and stan.

I ALSO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SUKI TOOK OFF HER MAKE UP FOR THE ALMOST KISS AND THE KISS. It's not like being a Kyoshi Warrior is sth that's bothering her. NO. She's incredibly proud of it!! So. why. take. an. important. part. of. it. away. for. some. stupid. kiss.

WHY NOT GO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?? Instead of her taking off her make up for the romantic scene why not just... put make up on Sokka... honestly what's more romantic than putting make up on your crush.

They could have made such a beautiful and intimate scene between these two.

Them sitting in front of each other. Suki putting on Sokka's make up, while either talking about herself or about how important this whole set up is for her and her culture. I wouldn't mind it then because it would give their relationship some depth instead of "omg he's so pretty" "omg she's so pretty." *kiss*

But no. Instead they kissed right next to a group of people (including Suki's mother which just makes is so much more weird) after Suki said sth about Sokka showing her a bit of the world.

And I hate it so much.

It takes away the part where Suki teaches Sokka something very important, something that changes his personality, helps with his arc to Sokka "showing her a bit of the world". How?? With what?? It's not like he took her away from the Island itself or introduced her to his culture. No. He just... showed up and kissed her.

Great writing.

And don't get me starter on the "I'm not just a warrior. I'm a Kyoshi Warrior" line. It's a good line. It really is. But it would be better if the producers actually focused on Suki being a Kyoshi Warrior and not just a girl that has a crush on Sokka.

And while it's compared to "I'm a warrior. But I'm a girl too"... gods I... ughhhhhhh

So yeah. I hated it. I hated the show. All I have to say is:

They ruined my favourite couple. They ruined many great characters. They completely missed the point of the original story.

[fa-by]

Laucy 2.O

Hiiii babies and dear Anons 👋🏼🤗. I'm back with a new post. And I know, I know, I apologize again for my disappearance but I haven't been well for 3 months and also have been in the hospital again for a week 😭. I don't want to bore you with my health, but I just ask you to be patient again for future posts 😅🙏🏼.

I was answering the asks in my mail when I realized that 2 of them in particular were asking the same thing. I started writing and the more I did, the more I realized how long it was getting and I therefore decided to split it off from the Q&A post I started and which you guys will have, and make it a separate one on today's topic which you can see from the title.

Without further ado, let's go straight to the answers of those 2 asks. Enjoy 🙃.

HIII to you too, my dear 👋🏼😄. You're the purple heart Anon 🙃. That's how I always mentioned you to my gf, and the fact that you always remembered to say hi to me because you know it's important to me, always distinguished you from others especially because you do it in caps every time and you always make me smile/laugh because I know it's a dig for all those Anons who don't 🤣. Of course I remember you, as you can see 🤗!

1) I'm getting better. Very slowly, but I'm getting better. I still have a lot of medical checks to do but then I hope to finish once and for all because I'm honestly tired of hospital, doctors, and being sick in general 😩. Thank you for your concern and I really hope you're well and healthy 🥰.

2) Of course I can expose them 😉. This post is dedicated to that 😜.

And yeah, I hope they don't steal again because for real then I'd stop doing big analysis like I did in the past for Laucy, for the AMA's 2018, etc. I just want people to respect my decision to not want my stuff off Tumblr and ask me first if they really wanna post anything of mine outside of here, so that we can arrange what’s good for me for them to post and what’s not. That's all.

P.S. you made me laugh with the caps part which I guess was shouted 🤣🤣.

3) Thank you for always being so kind to me, my dear 💜 Anon. I really mean it 🤗. Have a beautiful day too 🙃. My gf says hi too 😄. I love you too and take care 😘.

Hello to you too, dear Anon 👋🏼😄. Greetings from my gf too 🙃.

It is a pain, and not because you asked, but because of the PR. And not even for the PR per se, but just because it's always the same shit we've seen (and will continue to see) over and over again but with different people. But anyway, let's get into it.

Oh and, small disclaimer. Sasha's pronouns are ze/her/they and I used she/her when I wrote this. I'm explaining this to you guys just to clarify that I didn't misgender her, okay? Good 😇.

Let's start with the new and improved version of Laucy. Welcome to Laucy 2.O, my dear Anon and my dear 💜 Anon, and any other of you babies who are reading.

Sasha Mallory, born on August 6, 1988 (age 35), professional dancer, and runner-up on season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2011 when she was 23. She's worked in many dance companies, music videos, tours of singers such as Madonna, Adam Lambert, and Katy Perry, and done much more. Along with her family, she owns and operates the Mallory Academy of Dance (in Bakersfield California) in which she obviously also teaches.

In my opinion, chosen precisely because of her sexuality (as Laur herself said when talking about the Valentine's Day post in the People article: “Queer representation is important”) and her profession because, unlike Laur's other queer friends who were already her friends anyway and someone new was needed in her life, Sasha's in the industry and travels a lot precisely for the same reason. She ‘understands’ that life. And she certainly benefits from the money made from the contract and, more importantly, the visibility in the industry for her work.

Having explained the basics, let's get down to the facts and the not-so-subtle stages:

The beginning

-  Prelude. For those who don't know, Prelude premiered with a special global livestream via Moment House on October 14 and 15, 2021, but was officially released on November 5, 2021. It took them 6 days to make/film it. On September 11, 2021, Laur received the videos that she included by turning them almost into a documentary (with the help of Matthew Siskin of course, the co-director and co-editor along with Lo), and they started promoting the project on September 14, 2021. Before all this, however, there were the organization and the rehearsals to bring the project to life.

Lauren and Sasha met in mid-August 2021 (roughly the 13th) thanks to Coral Dolphin, the choreographer who took care of Prelude (and the tour).

To confirm the timeline, these are Laur's very first likes on their profiles (Coral Dolphin, José Gabriel Baez, Sasha, and Triana Steward), except for Aahkilah Cornelius, who didn't even have IG at the time, and Jesse Johnson who didn't post anything in general (not even anything personal) from the time they met (not even Prelude) until 2022 (personal stuff).

- From November 20 to December 1, 2021, Tour: An Evening with Lauren Jauregui. With Laur, Coral direction and choreography, and Sasha and José dancers.

The hang out no longer just professional

- First speculations created on March 12, 2022, after the insta-stories and that post (posted two days later) with the alpacas, with contribution of the tweet to pretend to mislead, but actually start inserting the seed 🧫 into people's heads 🧠:

A couple of appearances together with other friends: 1) at Banks' concert on Apr 6, 2022, along with *cough* coincidentally and not to publicize two things at the same time *cough*  the announcement of Laur's participation in The Serpentina Tour, 2) at Coachella on Apr 17, 2022, *cough* she didn't go there with Lo and her friends, she was there only because she had to perform/dance with Channel Tres with whom she was booked from Mar 18, 2022, to Dec 31, 2022 *cough*.

- Sasha danced with her and José again (for the last time so far) at the Al Sol Blume Festival on April 30, 2022 (the 3 of them rehearsed from the 27th to the 29th).

Another appearance together on a boat with all of Laur's friends on May 14, 2022.

- Rumors reinforced by the trip to Cuba for Laur's birthday in which I'll underline, there were other people, friends, with them and her brother. *let's water the seed 💧*

We're just friends, people, isn't it obvious? *Please don't let it be obvious*

+ denial/fake protection

- Sasha went on the New York (July 27, 2022) and Denver (Aug 2, 2022) tour dates before continuing with her gig for the Channel Tres tour, and on Aug 1st, Laur posted that tweet just to add fuel to the fire. *let's keep watering 💧*

Lo wished her a happy birthday with a post on Aug 6, 2022.

- On November 29, 2022, Sasha posted a TikTok with the “Reasons Why I'm SINGLE” filter and on December 3, 2022, she replied to someone by saying that she and Lauren were just friends. Both then deleted. Did you have any doubts about it? 😑

In the meantime tho, other appearances together: on Sept 17, 2022, (Aliyah Niambi's insta-story) to celebrate an Aja Monet working achievement, on Oct 30, 2022, for Halloween, on Oct 31, 2022, for the Paramore concert, and on Dec 8, 2022, for Channel Tres tour date in L.A. where Ty was too. *👏🏼🙌🏼 a reunion with 2 PRs, yeeeey 🥳🤣🤣🤣*

“She like who she like”/The confirmation

- Snow Tha Product EVERYNIGHTNIGHTS PODCAST live streamed on January 12, 2023, in which Laur publicly said for the first time that she was into a woman, specifying “a femme, a non-binary” and choking and freaking out more and more in explaining because she didn't know whether she was defining her the correct way or not. Sasha changed her bio to the one she still has now immediately after: * we're almost there 💧*

- On January 18, 2023, there was the video on Lauren's Patreon Zoom as they played Uno to confirm even more who she was talking to Snow about, plus the fans' backlash and Laur's obvious reaction to 100% confirm: *has germinated 🌱*

- The UnitedMasters GRAMMY party (Feb 3, 2023) before the final push, let's call it the oh-so-unpredictable boom of the definitive confirmation of the Valentine's Day post (Feb 14, 2023).

The explanation

- In the Zach Sang Show interview released on March 31, 2023, she said that they'd been together for a year, that there had been attraction from the first moment they danced Don't Wanna Say, and that however, neither of them told the other anything for a while; Sasha because Lauren was her boss and she wanted to be respectful and Laur because she didn’t think it was mutual. She explained that she was the one who made the first move by inviting her over to her house to hang out. They cooked together and only after Sasha left very early, Lo confessed everything to her via text to which Sasha replied that she felt the same way. Laur specified that it happened the night before she left to go back to Miami because she still lived there and still had 3 months of lease for the house.

End of the important stuff (for now)

Now let's talk logic, dates, and bullshit.

Let's break down piece by piece the already checked and verified facts I've listed to you, with what she said on the Zach Sang Show, and let's see what's true and what's not.

1) Taking into consideration the date I believe to be correct, Lauren and Sasha met on August 13, 2021. Attraction from the first moment they danced Don’t Wanna Say: “The chemistry was just crazy. I was like, what the fuck is this? I feel so attracted to you”.

In addition to the promo for Prelude, there was no interaction or public appearance together until the tour.

2) They went on tour from November 20 until December 1, 2021. “And then it was like super low-key. We both had like a crush on each other but didn't say anything about it for a minute”, Sasha because Lauren was her boss and she wanted to be respectful, and Laur because she didn't think it was mutual.

After the tour, again no public appearances together until March 12, 2022 (alpacas). This, this one right here, is the timespan that interests us the most.

3) The first move and the confession: “I invited her to come over to hang out with me and we made dinner together and stuff. And it was a date in my head, but she didn't know it was a date. She thought we were hanging out just casually” - small pause to look at Chantal (her manager Chantal Felice) as she did other times during bullshit - “So she ended up leaving hella early” blah, blah, blah, blah, blah “I sent her this like, really long cute ass message and she was like: what?”

4) The explanation of when it happened: “Actually, that happened right before I left back to Miami. So we were here in L.A. and it was right before I left back to Miami because I was living in Miami at the time. So I had like 3 months still of my lease in Miami. So it was like the day before I left, was when I texted her and was like ‘this is how I feel’. And she was like ‘what the fuck? I feel the same way’ and I was like ‘what?’. So yeah, we had like 3 months in between. - Now we see each other when we can”.

Okay, that day? That dinner ‘they had’ the night before going back to Miami? It never happened. And those 3 months that she wanted to make believe were in Miami? They're not correct.

No surprise there since we know it's all made-up narrative for the PR, but do you wanna know how I know? I know because unfortunately for both Camren, fans save every little thing posted on the internet that concerns them and their lives. I checked. Laur's last night in L.A. was December 18, 2021, and who did she spend it with? WITH CORAL! They had dinner IN A RESTAURANT before going to The Peppermint Club (West Hollywood). The next day (the 19th), Lo was in Miami and returned to Los Angeles on February 5, 2022.

Here you can see the screenshots I took of Laur's insta-stories. One from her last day in Miami on February 4, 2022, with Mateo, the son of her friend Alexa Ferrer, and another one from when she returned to Los Angeles on February 5, 2022, which can be compared with the post Lo published on February 25, 2022, in which she was with her friend Britt (Brittany Martinez-Hewitt):

Here, however, Coral's insta-story (Dec 18) and the screenshot I took from one of Laur's insta-stories (Dec 19), specifically from the one where she was playing with Cleo:

You can also compare Coral's insta-story with the post Laur published on December 21, 2021. From slides 6, 7, and 10, you can very well see both how Lo's outfit matches and how it was the same night.

You can also see from Coral's insta-story how it was night outside. It's clearly visible from the glass window behind Laur. And now tell me, is there anything about this picture that makes you think it was Lauren's house or otherwise a house in general? And does it look like Sasha was there? Maybe hidden under the small table that was clearly only for two people and that makes you understand that no one else was with them? 🤣🤣🤣 Sasha wasn't even there that night! They didn't see each other at all! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣🤣 So what dinner had and cooked at your house the night before you went to Miami are we talking about, Laur? What in the PR and the alternative universe are you talking about? 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣🤣

Debunked the dinner, let's move on to the 3 months.

The timespan between December 18, 2021 (last day in L.A.) and February 5, 2022 (return to L.A.) is 1 month and 18 days to be exact. I'm gonna abound by saying they were almost 2 months if I have to, but it's certainly not 3. They don't match the idea that by “I was living in Miami at the time. So I had like 3 months still of my lease in Miami - So yeah, we had like 3 months in between”, she meant to imply that they didn't see each other because she stayed in Miami for 3 months. Yeah, she still had 3 months of lease for the house, but that doesn't mean she stayed there for real as I've shown you. And it can't even be that she was talking about another time period because she's never stayed in Miami for 3 months since she met Sasha in August of 2021.

On the other hand, the timespan between December 18, 2021 (last day in L.A.) and March 12, 2022 (alpacas) is 2 months and 22 days. I can again abound by saying that they were almost 3 months, but only to let Lo get away with it. This does match the “we had like 3 months in between”, but it also proves another lie at the same time.

Remember how I also wrote in the initial list that Sasha was booked to perform with Channel Tres from March 18, 2022, to December 31, 2022? Well, she hadn't left yet for the first date, which was Lollapalooza in Chile (March 18, 2022). So, if Laur was back in town on February 5, 2022, what exactly was the reason they didn't see each other for precisely 1 month and seven days (February 5 to March 12) before that PUBLIC hang-out with Lauren's friends (alpacas)?

If December 18, 2021 (last day in L.A.) and March 12, 2022 (alpacas) match the almost 3 months said on the Zach Sang Show, what exactly was the reason for not seeing each other before the 12th (alpacas)? After not seeing each other since that oh-so-real dinner before Laur returned to Miami, and especially after they confessed to liking each other via texts, do they really want me to believe they waited another month since Lauren was back in town to see each other? And in the company of other people on top of that? Come on now 🤣🤣🤣. After all that waiting, they would've seen each other the moment Laur set foot back in town if it had been a real relationship.

Debunked even the 3 months, let's move on to the part of the interview in which she said they'd been together for a year.

As I said before, the Zach Sang Show interview was released on March 31, 2023. It was filmed definitely a few days prior or in any case in the same month since it was primarily done for the promo of Trust Issues (which was released on the same day as the interview) and In Between. From that, since to Zach's question “How long have you been together?” she answered “We've been together for like a year” and it was March 2023, we can establish that by March 2022 they were already together officially as a couple. Or rather, already since before February 2022 given what Laur said about the Valentine's Day post in the interview with People (May 26, 2023): “We'd been together for a year by that point”.

Neither of them has yet specified what the official date is, but still based on the date of Lo's last day in L.A. because of the so-real ‘dinner and text’ story, we can assume that December 18, 2021, is the specific date on which they officially got together. Unless we'll have anniversary posts in the future.

So, if they've already been together since December 18, 2021, then why instigate/tease Snow during her podcast about the fact that she missed the opportunity to kiss her in the Piña video? Why push her so hard and on several occasions for other things as well?

***I'd like to clarify anyway that I've taken Mila completely out of the equation also because this acting as single people of theirs is something that has been going on for them basically since the X-Factor days (they did, they do, and they have to keep doing it for appearances, or simply when they're mad at each other 😅). All this is just me proving and exposing Laucy 2.O. Okay, let's move on.***

And speaking of Piña, on September 19, 2022, Lauren and Snow did the TikTok live to promote the song by also saying that they would've made the video as soon as they were both in town (L.A.). Which happened in October. On October 5, 2022, @jakehenrythgc posted a picture together with Lo on the set of the video (in the La Cita Bar: bar/live music venue/nightclub in Downtown L.A.). Laur posted an insta-story while watching the full video for the first time on October 26, 2022, and on December 19, 2022, the video was released.

So if the video was shot on October 5 when Snow missed the opportunity to kiss her, shouldn't that date be calculated in that year with Sasha? Was it crossed off in the calendar and no one told me? If Laur had actually been in a relationship for a year, she wouldn't have insisted so much on the missed opportunity to be kissed by another person even if only professionally. Although we could see in that very podcast how important 'professionally' is to Lauren. So important, she didn't even remember doing it with a guy in the Always Love video 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣.

But back to being serious. If she'd actually been in a relationship for a year, she never would've pressed and pushed Snow's buttons in that way on different things. But no, she instigated/teased her a lot of times by even saying other things outside of Snow specifically, like the fact that she likes to provoke in general even straight girls: “I love making straight girls question who they are” – “I'm just trying to see if you're really as straight as you think you are”.

And with those 2 sentences, I want to remind you all of something she said in Becky G's podcast (the very first reason why I'm here and you guys know me https://fa-by.tumblr.com/post/648191757219250176/there-is-a-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel) and how these 2 sentences are yet another proof of how much bullshit she had to say that day to hide her truth:

Wasn't she the one who had an ‘issue flirting with girls’ and who felt ‘disgustingly uncomfortable’ because she felt ‘like a predator’, ‘the aggressor’, ‘the one who was like the masculine energy in the scenario’, because she was ‘always the one turning her’? Wasn't she the one who didn't want to be able to ‘potentially put off that kind of vibe onto someone or invade or like anything like that’? So, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? And even with straight girls no less 🤦🏻‍♀️. Please, Lauren, explain yourself? Explain to the audience 🤣. Justify the bullshit you had to say about Camila by succeeding in making a lot of CS leave. Justify the bullshit you had to say in comparison with the truth and reality you said NOW.

All the chickens come home to roost, my friends. Always 🙌🏼. It doesn't matter if years go by, but the truth always comes out 🔥.

Anyway, back to Laucy 2.O. If Lauren had actually been in a relationship for a year, she wouldn't have behaved that way with another person. She wouldn't have done any of that. She wouldn't have behaved the way an available person would. This even proves by itself that the relationship is fake. The fact that she did it during a live podcast and didn't give a damn about all the fans present, proves it even more. Tsk-tsk. In a relationship for a year, HA! Don't make me laugh 😏.

Not to mention the fact that Sasha was (and maybe still is) with Baylie Olsen. Now the engagement you mentioned in the ask, there's no trace of anything like that at all as far as I know, dear Anon. It'll be part of the various bullshit that CS and other ‘fans’ made up 🤷🏻‍♀️ as usual 🙄. What I do know and can prove is the fact that Sasha and Baylie met in early May 2019 during rehearsals for the Eurovision performance which then took place on May 18, 2019, with Madonna.

They were both backup dancers throughout Madonna's Madame X era including the Madame X Tour which lasted from September 12, 2019, to March 4, 2020. And as you can see here:

They started dating loooong before August 2021, which is when Lauren and Sasha met, and that they continued to do so at least publicly until April 2022, which is even after the hang-out with the alpacas (March 14, 2022).

And these are not even all the pictures they commented on and liked on each other 🤣. There are many more that you can very well go see for yourselves on both of their profiles. So “My first Valentine” my ass, Sasha 🤣. Oh and by the way, Laur was obviously aware and supportive of their relationship:

Going back to talking about the Valentine's Day post instead: “I kinda did it very whimsically. I didn't even tell her I was gonna post it” (Zach Sang Show) – “On Valentine's Day, I did it very impulsively. I didn't even talk with them about it first” (People). Oh yeah sure, because it's totally normal to not talk to your partner about something as unimportant as making it official to the world BEFORE actually doing it, right?

Miss I prefer to live my life off of social media and keep my private life private, Miss confidentiality, Miss privacy in all respects suddenly didn't care. Miss I keep having to pretend that I was outed in 2016 and not that it was all arranged, suddenly just didn't care about doing something like that? Seriously? Suuuure. Sure, sure, sure, Jan, right. No, for real, who believes that? Who can believe that that behavior could have been normal and not something planned/arranged?

Even this alone, does nothing but prove 2 things (again, back to my very first post and Becky G's podcast and all that fake situation they created that I talked about on several occasions): 1) It reconfirms for the umpteenth time the story of the fake coming out arm-in-arm with the PR with Lucrezia um sorry, Lucy. 2) This PR with Sasha.

Why? Because someone who claims to have been haunted by being outed when she wasn't ready, DOESN'T BEHAVE THAT WAY! Someone who claims to have been traumatized by that whole experience, someone who's not an ordinary person but a public figure and therefore double haunt and trauma, DOESN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! Tell me who, after all that, wouldn't talk to their girlfriend before officially posting something romantic-wise for the first time? Who wouldn't make sure she was okay with it first? Especially since, again, we're not talking about an ordinary person. We're talking about someone famous with 12 million followers on IG.

A person who's actually gone through that kind of trauma, would never dare to do that. It wouldn't even cross their mind because they'd have respect for the person they're with. They’d also take their partner's feelings into consideration. They’d make sure that it would be okay for them even if their partner's out and proud, because they would never want to make someone else experience the trauma they themselves experienced firsthand. And honestly, tell me, does this seem to be the case for Lauren?

What I'm seeing now, from the podcast with KITTENS actually, is that they're using the strategy of showing Lauren's change. Showing more and more how she's healed and how she's more comfortable and open with her sexuality. I'm very happy about it, don't get me wrong. It's about time she could show what she in reality is since she was 17/18 years old. And I'm not even saying it's not true that for years she'd struggled with her internalized homophobia and all the other problems. Hell, we know fully well that's true. And I also understand that she had to suppress herself and follow the narratives mostly to hide Camren, let alone if I don't understand that. I'm just saying that, what I don't like is the way they made her act. Just as it doesn't sit well with me the usual incoherent love propaganda that they've already used in the past. I'll explain myself better.

Oh and, speaking of incoherent love propaganda used before. Is it only me who noticed that since that Valentine's Day post, Lauren's started talking about Sasha in interviews in the exact same way she used to talk about Ty when she was in a PR relationship with him? I mean, no differences? No imagination for something new? No? Just copy and paste? Um, okay… I- um 🤔🤨 I'll shut up 🤐.

Back to this incoherent love propaganda.

If “We're so solid, and we have such a beautiful foundation and so much trust and love between us” (People), and if “the core-” of their relationship “-is love and respect” as she said in Shannon Boodram's podcast along with other things, then where was this trust and respect when she thought (?):

Zach Sang Show: “Damn is Valentine’s Day. I’m seeing all these people post their babes, I was like, this is my baby. Like I’m in love and I don’t care. I don’t care!” --- “But like I said, Valentine’s Day came, I saw all these cute pictures and I was like, you know what? Me and baby are cute. So I’m gonna post it”.

People: “I'm in love. We'd been together for a year by that point, and I was like, ‘You know what? Fuck it’.” --- “On Valentine's Day, I did it very impulsively. I didn't even talk with them about it first. I was just seeing people post their significant others, and I was just like, ‘Dude, I'm in love. These pictures are so cute. We're so cute. People deserve to see this shit’. Queer representation is important, I think”.

So 🤔 what I grasped from both interviews is that, she did it because she didn't care and because people deserved to see that shit because queer representation is important (although I agree with that last part), but at the same time (?):

Zach Sang Show: “The layer of fame is like a whole thing. But it’s so beyond that. I think the reason I keep my private life private for the most part, is because people are so invasive and projective”. --- “Especially people who say they’re fans”. --- “There’s those other people who just are so attached to you that they feel they have ownership over you and then they just like, trash someone you love and just try to make their lives miserable or make up things about them”. --- “That part is so weird to me, so I try to keep what makes me happy away from people who want to project unhappiness onto it”.

Oh yeah, we all saw that 🤦🏻‍♀️.

I mean, I'm being sarcastic here because she was talking about Sasha's situation, which is not true. But it is the truth in reality. It's the truth that applies in her life and above all with whom? *whispered echo: 🗣️ Cameeeela*

People: “Most of my relationships, I keep under wraps, just because it's really odd to have so many strangers have an opinion about who you're choosing to love or what goes on between the two of you. But I just want to be able to love them out loud and be able to share that with people”. --- “So, people's opinions don't really don't matter. Honestly, for me, it's more so about protecting them and making sure that they don't feel attacked because fans are fans”.

Protect them/her? PROTECT HER? 🤣🤣🤣 How? By exposing her and you guys ‘relationship’ to the world without even telling her? Ahh, okay 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Exposing her for sure keeps people from attacking her precisely because she's your girlfriend, sure, undoubtedly 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣. Mh-hmm, yeah, this way of thinking would've made sooo much sense if the relationship was true 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣.

“There's other fans who call themselves fans that I don't really consider fans. People who feel very possessive over you and feel like they have a right to tell you who you should or should not be with, which is really fascinating to me because you're literally a stranger who's never met me in real life. So it's really interesting that you think about who I should or shouldn't be with. And people have prejudices. Racism is a very real thing, and I don't like when she gets attacked or people send her really crazy-ass messages or send weird messages to her family. I really wanted to avoid that, but it was kind of happening anyways because people assumed we were in a relationship. So I was just like, ‘I guess it doesn't really fully matter at this point’. We just have to ignore those kinds of people as much as we can, because sometimes they're really violent and need to be handled. But for the most part, it's really just harmless, online shit”.

Putting aside the part where I super agree that people need to stop harassing them (Camren) and the people in their lives, let's talk about “I really wanted to avoid that, but it was kind of happening anyways because people assumed we were in a relationship” and “I guess it doesn't really fully matter at this point”.

She really wanted to avoid that, but she did it anyway, because she guessed it didn't really fully matter at that point because people assumed they were in a relationship?? Really??? What kind of protection would this be????

So, wait, wait, wait. From the top.

She wanted to avoid letting people know because she wanted to protect her and make sure she and her family weren't attacked, then Valentine's Day came along and she thought fuck it. Fuck her own privacy, fuck the protection of Sasha and her family, and fuck their trust and respect because, given that she saw people posting their significant other, she whimsically and impulsively decided to do the same. She revealed their relationship to the whole world without TELLING HER ANYTHING FIRST because she didn't care, because people deserved to see that shit because queer representation is important, and because she guessed it didn't really fully matter at that point because people already assumed they were in a relationship.

I mean… WHAT?????

What in the world? What in the inconsistency? What kind of contradiction is all this? No really. Was all of that more important than her own girlfriend? Seriously?? No, I'm sorry. This is yet another proof of how fake and organized all this is.

From a logical point of view, it's impossible for me to think that Lauren just didn't care. It's impossible to think that she did it by putting all of that above her girlfriend's respect and trust. It's impossible to think they didn't talk about it before posting. It's impossible period.

This is Lauren we’re talking about here! Empathetic, caring, selfless, sensitive, and with a great emotional connection Lauren! The real Lauren would never do something like this. She would never put her own needs before those of someone she cares about. To quote Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: ‘End of story. Goodbye. The end.’ Sorry but I had to 😅🤣. The conversation required a final quote 🙃.

But anyway. The bottom line of this charade: supposedly met on August 13, 2021, months without saying they had crushes on each other, non-existent dinner the night before going to Miami after which Laur texted her that she liked her and Sasha reciprocated, and therefore they got together supposedly the same night on December 18, 2021. Throughout all this, Sasha and Baylie were still together even still publicly, and Laur continued to act ‘single’ until Valentine's Day of the following year (2023).

Make it make sense! Make it make sense, seriously! But no hey, we know that a PR relationship MUST create doubts in people's heads and MUST NOT look perfect at all otherwise people would get bored and not speculate about it. Right, my bad I almost forgot 🤦🏻‍♀️.

So, this is the timeline, dear Anon. As for your question “Why would Lauren get into a relationship with someone else who is in a relationship?”, in my opinion, the better question would be ‘why did Sasha agree to do this since she was/maybe still is in a relationship?’. She was/is the one in a normal public relationship contrary to Laur who has a hidden one.

For Lauren it's business and it's convenient for many things. It's a cover for Camren and the songs, and it helps her queer image. Again “Queer representation is important”. But Sasha? Who knows. As I also said at the beginning, she benefits from both the money made from the contract and, more importantly, the visibility in the industry for her work. For the rest, I don't know how it went.

Lauren was looking for a girl for PR. Maybe Lauren was talking about it in general as friends do, and Sasha volunteered. Maybe Sasha talked about it with Baylie who, being an artist and a dancer as well and who therefore understands that lifestyle, agreed with it. Or maybe it was Lo's old management's idea after seeing them dance at the August rehearsal since we know very well how gays think, and they anticipated the reaction that inevitably happened later with the Prelude live. Or maybe it was Lauren's own idea since she has more freedom in her choices and she proposed it to her. I don't know. I don't know this. There's no proof around yet. I can only speculate.

Fact is that I don't see Lauren in a bad light here. It's not the first time she's been portrayed as a homewrecker and a traitor. They tried it before with the Lauren, Lucy, Ty, and Alycia Bella (ex of Ty) square story, and they tried again now with Sasha and Baylie. I didn't fall for it then and I don't fall for it now. You know why? Because it's all fake. I said it before and I also explained it in my PR stunt relationships - ɟ post: a PR relationship MUST create doubts in people's heads and MUST NOT look perfect at all otherwise people would get bored and not speculate about it.

So, dear Anon, the best thing to do in these cases is not to ask yourself questions like “Why would Lauren get into a relationship with someone else who is in a relationship?” since it's all fake and organized to entertain an audience, but it's to not ask yourself these kinds of questions at all precisely because it's all fake and organized to entertain an audience. But if you really have to, ask yourself questions that go arm-in-arm with reality and not Hollywood fiction 😉.

I hope I helped you understand as you hoped 🙃.

‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍

Aaand I'm done 👅. I hope you're both happy with this analysis 🤗.

Thanks to all the others for the other asks which, as I said at the beginning of the post, you'll get answered in the usual Q&A post I started 🙃. As usual, I'm always available for those who have questions, so ask away 😄.

Remember to be nice. Always. Both with others and with yourselves. Be a good example. Be patient. Be safe and take care of yourselves. Don't let our ship sink. Keep shipping them, but please respectfully 🙏🏼. Sending you virtual love and hugs 🤗🤗🤗. I love you, babies. Always with love, F ❤️.

[archivedjuice]

Thanks for the rec list! If I have the brainspace while doing college work, I'll have a look :)

Unsure if you're interested in any sort of chatter about the show (critical perspetive obv) as I know it'd just be tiring to get bogged down in complaints? If that's so, instead of starting that conversation, is there anything about any of the comics you'd want to spotlight? I've seen a couple characters I'm unfamiliar with that I'm curious about.

i'm going to be so for real i do not remember much about the show anymore; i recently got into supernatural which has fifteen seasons, 20+ books, an anime, and a lot of behind the scenes and crew content so the show's been almost entirely pushed out of my head minus how it directly affects the comics, to make room for the new interest as well as what i'm still interested in re: comics. if i talk about daredevil it's entirely from the perspective of the comics, a limited perspective at that because ive been fixated on a character with like fifty issues for almost two years.

but YES okay. i'm mainly spotlighting characters here since i mentioned mike murdock in my last post, but i'm named after sam chung aka blindspot, who is soule's original character who first appeared in his v5 run (2017). my mutual @faacethefacts is quite literally sam chung central and my favourite interpretation of his character exists in their psyche.

jumping all the way back to v1, something i remember really enjoying were the reoccurring background characters in ann nocenti's run; @murdockmeta and i were talking about it the other day and he said, "nocenti's characterization feels so authentic [...] nocenti reminds the reader that karen and foggy and the people of hell's kitchen are just as important to matt as his internal struggles. it makes him feel much more human rather than just a dichotomy [relating to miller]."

all of david mack's runs changed my perspective of comics as an art form which was a pretty low bar to reach as a first-time comic reader (who had only read post-mcu stuff) but that made his stuff all the more important to me. his character maya lopez aka echo recently got a live action adaption and while i thought it was promising that disney finally reached their own lowest fucking bar and starred a deaf actress in a show about a deaf character, i've found that disney's interpretation of echo's abilities horribly and purposely misunderstands her character and her identity as keetoowah. they tied her abilities to her native american identity, which is something mack explicitly did not do when writing her character; her abilities are her aid as a deaf person !! they're part of her conflict as a weapon !! her cherokee identity should be a fact about her, explored but not tied to the mysticism of that fictional world !! either way, do not watch the show, read the comics <3

god okay. bendis introduces a lot of his own ocs because that's kind of his thing but my favourites were milla donovan and agent del toro. they fell into the wrong hands after he stopped writing for daredevil—milla was fridged (if you know how to look at it, it can be a really good tragedy) and they whitewashed del toro in their racist the hand plotline—but their existence was super important to me and i'm just terribly fond of them :') matt's relationship with ben urich throughout v2 is also something i hold close to my heart because 1) bendis specifically does really well with writing relationships and people, and the nuance of it intrigues me; i could write meta about it if i got back into writing comic meta again, and 2) that's the last we see of them until the most recent run (word-of-mouth, btw. i haven't read v8 yet).

KIRSTEN IS MY GIRL!! she's like so important to me. i'm imprinted on her. if i was on tumblr in 2012, and she as a character existed, i'd fight tooth and nail to have her on my kin list and make sure no one else did. she unfortunately succumbed to the whitewashing demon of daredevil past but that's okay because to me, she is living her best life after [v5 spoilers tbh].

my relationship with elektra can simply be described as that of something akin to a strike. i refuse to read anything of modern daredevil if she's in the title. she has her own fucking title !! we're regressing and it makes me feel a little bit more insane every time i remember that zdarsky stuffed her into the daredevil suit and gave her ableist and infantilising lines for matt. either way i implore you to read nothing about her in the daredevil title past 2018 and to make sure you check out her actual title. amen.

also, simply, matt and foggy's relationship. and not so simply, i miss you karen you deserved better.

[leffee]

question for you. What episodes do you think hold the angstiest potential for each pet?

For example: what episode do you think has the most angst potential for Russell etc. It could be an episode that centers around the pet you're talking about, or it doesn't have to be :D

(Am I making sense rn?)

Ok, so per your request I'm only including season 1 and 2 episodes since you haven't seen anything after that for now

Vinnie - "Sunil's Sick Day" - so many choices but I decided to go with this episode. Imagine after all that happened in the episode Vinnie thinks about it all and realizes that technically Sunil got mad at him for nothing. Because in the episode they argued about him breaking Sunil's wand but... the wand was never broken in the first place and Sunil knew that. So once Vinnie realizes that he is so distraught. Did Sunil, his beloved best friend whom he can't live without make up a reason to be mad at him? Why...? Does Sunil secretely not like him and wanted an excuse to be away from him? Lots of doubts appear here. And don't even get me started if he found out Sunil said about him and I quote "Between you and me he's not that good of a dancer." Oof, big big angst potential here.

Pepper - "Sweet Pepper" - pretty much everything you said in this one long post about this episode. The rest of the girls just tried to change her so much and even when Captain liked the way she acted normally they told her not to act like herself. What? Why? Listen, I believe Zoe could act like that but Penny and especially Minka? Nuh-uh. And don't even get me started on the whole "You handed me the picture of a pretty skunk," which implies she doesn't exactly think of herself as pretty. Her angst possibility in this episode basically boils down to it all making her feel worthless and like she needs to change to be loved, drastically change.

Zoe - "Eve of Destruction" - honestly she was really hard, not because it was hard to pick an episode out of many, just because I couldn't think of any episode that has angst potential for her. In the end we have this. Imagine her and Madame Pom went through with this whole modeling content and Madame would somehow be declred a winner. She already lost to her years ago and now again? It's Zoe, and it's something she cares about - modeling, of course she's not gonna be happy. Not to mention how other pets idolized Madame Pom, I mean Vinnie and Penny saw her opinions on their dancing as the most important, and the rest of them admired her pictures and such, yeah, Zoe wouldn't be too happy if that stuck for longer. ...Why do they never act this way with her? Is she not special?

Minka - "Bad Hair Day" - might be kinda obvious but yeah, definitely holds a lot of angst, just canonically. Her friends straight up used her for money, yikes! Aside from the whole thing with her wanting to paint for herself and not for money or fame she could definitely start thinking her friends are only around her for possible monetary value. Not because they like her, but because she can give them money.

Russell - "Russell Up Some Fun" - first scenes of this episode is everyone else criticizing how he is naturally to the point he decided to change himself completely, of course it's huge angst mine. It's basically the same thing as "Sweet Pepper", just Russell feeling the need to change himself drastically so others like him. Not to mention at the end when they begged him to return to being his normal self it could definitely make him feel like others only want him to act his usual way because it benefits them, not because they like it. Do they even like him...?

Sunil - "Lights, Camera, Mongoose!" - bruh, they were so rude to him at the beggining ("Good job, David Copperfied" okay, Vinnie). At least they had a reason. Not a very good one but it's something. Still, if I were him I wouldn't be this happy about returning to them at the end of the episode especially after getting a taste of how appreciated he could be. I bitch about them doing nothing when Vinnie went missing but now that I think about it they didn't do anything about Sunil going missing in this episode either! They barely even acknowledged it before Blythe returned. Also why does Sunil go missing so much in this show smh.

Penny - "So Interesting" - I genuinely feel so bad for her whenever I rewatch this episode, I mean the beginning. Thinking there's nothing interesting about her, oof. The fact that they kept being like "There's gotta be something interesting about you!" like that's just rude, they're basically calling her boring in such a rude way not to mention the pressure. Imagine she never made up that story because she wasn't a good story teller or maybe because of that pressure that would be stressing her out. She would have to live thinking others think she's boring and being so insistent everyone has something super exciting about them. With her sensitivity especially she definitely would be super hurt and I don't blame her. Can't she just have no interesting story involving her but still be liked by them? Doesn't she have any good qualities that make others want to be her friends...?

[metatronhateblog]

The Opening Sequence Pt 2 The Cemetery

Welcome back to the opening sequence breakdown. It only took me forever to get back to this thanks to con crunching (curse you Crowley's leather vest), split attention, and work. Today I will be, you guessed it cause you probably read the title, talking about the cemetery sequence.

Now there isn't too terribly much here, and I'm sure a lot of this has already been talked about. I've no doubt people were smart enough to already find all this.

But as I have no self control and am in fact procrastinating finishing my Crowley cosplay, here we are. I promise we'll get into some more....weird? Less noticeable??? I don't even know? Stuff as time goes on. We're just starting off with the basics cause it's easier on my brain.

So in the cemetery, we already know that Jim is hiding out behind some headstones next to the mausoleum they enter. Nothing too weird there, aside from the fact he's hiding. BUT WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT JIM.

Instead I'm here to talk about all the weird little things on the headstones. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all already been found, I just personally haven't seen anyone talk about it?

We start off seeing this little mausoleum that says 'ARCHER' on it

Which we also see make an appearance in episode 3, when our beloveds are in Edinburgh.

(Did I start this draft then immediately drop everything to lighten/color correct all of season 2 episode three so I could see if there was anything in the background? Maybe...)

Then we have our lovely statue of the one and only beloved yet self absorbed Gabriel. Again, nothing too fancy.

And this little cross with an very interesting symbol on it right next to Gabriel. The symbol from a glance looks to be a money sign but when you take a closer look, I think it's actually three crosses? Or maybe one cross with two little lines on either side and a big 'S' slapped over top.

Then we have our 'Everyday' headstone which is of no surprise due to reoccurring song appearances in the season.

But then something else caught my eye while I was making this post that I didn't notice previously... See that little guy up in the corner of the everyday headstone?

Him?

yeah well idk who he's supposed to be but he's not the only one...

And then a third that is hidden behind a cross

Perhaps important characters? Or maybe a little hint about something that I don't know yet. Or maybe even just put there to fill in the background with no meaning....who knows.

Either way these gentlemen (or ladies) appear in the actual episode behind the Gabriel statue.

Then here we have two...stone caskets? Above ground graves? Where they both look the same, but one appears to be crossed out, maybe worn away with time, and you can't see the other because it's hidden by a headstone that says 'Peter Paintball.'

I have no clue who Peter paintball is. Maybe it's a reference to Season 1, or maybe it's someone on the crew or something. But I have no Earthly clue.

Moving on. As our boys continue their cemetery date with a trail of people and creatures and...objects? Behind them. We see the mastermind behind our Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery. Miss Austen herself.

I'm just as unphased at her name being in this cemetery as I am 'everyday.'

From here, I've had to do a lot of tweaking and playing with the lighting, and I won't lie, some things are still kind of...not quite able to be made out imo. So now we have...

A two for one that kind of leaves my brain churning questions like butter. I'll start with the more legible one.

"Here lies the former shell of Beelzebub."

I mean 'they're just such a little ray of sunshine' so of course this headstone makes sense. But also...why? What exactly does this mean. Like what's it referring to? I get that demons are dead inside which...mood. But could this possibly be referring to whoever Beelzebub was before falling? Or maybe the fact that Beelzebub feels some sort of happiness after meeting Gabriel and therefore the shell has been buried? I don't know. I just sit here and mull this over sometimes and maybe it's not a detail I should agonize over, but still.

Then we have 'here lies...Adam...' with the words underneath that I can only barely make out some of. I have tried fixing this so many different ways, and maybe it's just my lacking photo editing skills but still. I believe Neil has said this headstone is referring to Adam as in Adam and Eve? (Correct me if I'm wrong.) And if I squint I can make out....(from my best attempt at cleaning this up enough to see it)

"I do not understand, surely your very existence requires....of the world..."

Some of the words I can't make out, and the whole bottom line is a mystery to me because it's blocked entirely by the shadow that I can't fix.

Buuuuuut using my skills of deduction I'm going to assume this is a quote from Adam in the show? Gonna assume show and not book all things considered. (Upon further investigation it's Death who says this to Adam.) I can't remember. But the quote is something like

"I do not understand, surely your very existence requires the ending of the world. It is written."

Which...well hell that's a very interesting thing to put on a headstone (once again questioning which Adam Neil said that headstone belongs to...)

(Maybe it's a reference to Adam Young but Neil is saying he's not dead? Because he never actually confirms which Adam this is a reference to but I suppose it could be either considering it begins and 'ends' with an Adam.

But the thing I find really interesting is actually the headstone right next to it, also a take on something Death says in season 1.

'Left early to beat the rush.'

Which. Hell this one took me by surprise the first time I read it. Death says it to the mail man in Season 1 'Think of it as leaving early to beat the rush.' And if I recall correctly (I don't know where the source is) Neil has said something similar about Terry? So for all I know this headstone could be a nod to Terry Pratchett....or it could be two very interesting Death quotes on back to back headstones.

Could the Adam one possibly be referring to the fact that Adam, by the end of season 1, technically reversed the end of the world? Or something along those lines? I just find it weird that amongst a bunch of (i'm using this word lightly) joke headstones we have two very intriguing Death quotes....

Finally, we have this little interesting bit on the side right here.

We have that symbol from before but a little clearer now...and? A head? There's a bust here in the corner in front of Gabriel.

At first glance it reminds me of the Gabriel angel statue...and maybe this is supposed to be Gabriel...But if you look a little closer...you can see a button up.

Now this is the best shot I can manage of it.

This looks specifically like Jim. Not Gabriel, but Jim. It's dressed similarly and I think that's his hairstyle. The face looks similar. I momentarily thought it might be Aziraphale or even Crowley but that wouldn't make sense...right?

So for now, I'm thinking that this is a bust of Jim. Very interesting considering Jimbriel is hiding right in front of it and there's a different statue of the Archangel Gabriel earlier in the cemetery....So what the heck is this all about...

Now if I missed any, or if any of the headstones in the background have writing that is hard to make out, let me know and I'll update this post.

But as I said before, I'm sure someone has already done this. Consider this a reference post, maybe let your gears turn a bit about some of the epitaphs because they're certainly some head scratchers if you ask me.

Thank you for reading this, and keep a look out for more of the opening sequence breakdown series in which I slowly lose more and more of my mind staring at this thing and picking out little tiny details.

[thegratefulsouth]

SDCC and trailers and processing and likes

So since I don't really fit in anywhere (not saying that's a bad thing, I've never been the best 'joiner'), I figured I'll just make some space for myself right here.

I am really excited about TBOC, I think it's going to be so amazing. But I also totally understand why you might be concerned and don't love everything you are seeing.

First, Mel looked radiant, happy, stunning, glorious at SDCC, and I agree that it the most important thing, it gives us hope to trust that Carol is going to be well looked after.

Not only that, there was a lot of positive things to take away from many of the interviews, the said and unsaid things. It does seem very much that Mel and Norman are aware of what the fans (particularly Carylers) want/are concerned about. This was more true at NYCC. I also agree that it's important to trust their care of their characters in the future of the franchise. But I understand and respect any concerns about that future given history.

So I'm not concerned about Caryl, Daryl's feelings towards Carol, or their future in the actual content of episodes.

But I don't love all of the marketing I've seen (I love MOST of it with my entire soul) and to know it upsets some of you bothers me (I totally understand why it does), and I think your feelings are very valid, given history (some of which I understand, and I'm sure some of which I do not).

So when I first watched the latest trailer, I felt quite unsettled because of the deceptive editing positioning Izzy and Laurent with Daryl as a family unit (particularly given her manipulative behaviour towards Daryl, which is abandoned in theory). I know this is nothing to be concerned about. But I have to ignore it. And it is jarring, and I understand if you feel upset and concerned about it. I've seen a lot of people having to interpret and explain it.

It feels pretty clear that Carylers are not the intended audience for that trailer. Carylers can still enjoy it and love it all they want. But I understand some Carylers feeling left out, and not loving the misrepresentation of Caryl's story (the entire point of the show), which I gather from -

1. Close watch of DDS1 (in which I believe Daryl's missage of Carol is clear as a bell and rings through the whole season. I also think Norman downplayed any hint of ship baiting in his performance).

2. Reading into interviews, interpretation, careful examination of scenes, etc, the ambiguity of which, I agree after so much time, gets old.

By the way, I totally missed the tagline first time around. Some bonds have no borders. Love that.

Melissa looked amazing, goes without saying. But she did.

I agree with the equal billing issue as well (though not necessarily all the conjecture behind it). It would be nice! I'm willing to give Zabel a chance, but I understand that you might have seen things I haven't, and that affects your opinion.

I also agree that the pressure from fans has had sway with some of what we are already seeing and will see. So I appreciate those who do air their grievances, even though I know it's not popular to do so. You have paved the way.

Thus, I cement myself in no man's land and invite any of you who are also hestitant to so much as 'like' a post that makes some great points, even if you don't necessarily agree with all of it completely, to shoot me a message, anytime.

I hope you understand my sentiment. Please take care of yourselves. There are wonderful things ahead and it's okay to process things differently, lord knows that's all I do 🙏💖

[foxhopfics]

Hey! I'm Nathaniel/Spiral/Fox and i write things sometimes!

You can find me @/spiralsystem on Ao3!

This blog will mainly be posting requests, as my main fics that I'm working on will be posted directly to archive, however I'll still post finished fics here!

For x reader requests I will likely use the pronoun "you" over "they" (I just think it's fun)

HOW TO SEND A REQUEST: please send the pairing you want, any tropes or whatever (not obligatory), and pick from one of 3:

- Headcanons: a quick page of headcanon points

- Drabble: quick blurb between 200-500 words

- Short fic: 1000-3000 words

Please don't be shy with requests!

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU DON'T SPECIFY WHAT TYPE OF FIC U WANT, I CANNOT WRITE IT FOR YOU.

Request types I will take:

X GN!Reader

X Male!reader

X Trans!reader

Character x character

Main fandoms I'll currently write for:

Baldur's Gate 3

911/911 Lone Star

Dishonored

Ace Attorney

Vocaloid/Project Sekai Colourful Stage

Critical role seasons 1 & 2

Dc

Jujutsu Kaisen

Genshin Impact

All For The Game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Merlin

& Many more!

More about my writing under the cut so this doesn't get super long :)

Views on shit for writing: I reaaallly don't subscribe to the whole concept of proship/antiship. I take requests on what I'm comfortable writing.

I DO accept nsfw requests, but only within appropriate age ranges. I am comfortable writing age gaps but please dm me and i'll write something on a different site, same with any other typically "taboo" requests. I will not release a "will not/will write" list because that's just inviting problems.

If you'd like nsfw x a minor!character, please specify in the ask if you are also a minor. If there is no age, I will deny the request. I won't write underage smut for adults. I also probably won't push it past an M rating.

Minors I write for:

ProSeka: Honestly realistically most of these characters are minors, but like we don't all know teenagers aren't celibate. Vocaloids don't canonically have ages but since they're all kinda minor-coded, I'll just stick to M max for proseka.

Genshin - Qiqi and Klee, Sayu, and Yaoyao. Diona is NOT a minor, she runs a bar 🙄. Bennett/razor/fischl/anybody who uses the "teen model" I consider 18 at least.

Ace attorney - pearl, trucy. If you want ema I'll write her as her older self unless specified, sorry.

9-1-1: I'll write any of the kids as a side accessory to their parents, unless you want a Gen piece about the kids. I love writing Chris & Denny :)

Dc: Ages are played with a lot in DC, so any characters that are generally accepted as minors/adults will be treated as such. I.e: Damian Wayne, Jon kent will be treated as kids unless you specify a universe where they're older (like when Older!Jon came to that one Earth)

BALDUR'S GATE 3:

The ONLY characters I won't write for this are LAE'ZEL and MINTHARA:

Minthara: killed her and saved the tieflings. No real interest in having her as a companion so I haven't seen any content with her.

Lae'zel: get back to me when she doesn't excuse slaughtering and colonizing entire towns lol. I'm native and the gith creche slaughtering the entire temple of lathander (as. As a cleric of lathander also) and she was like 🤷‍♂️ we live here now. I was not cool with that. I also really don't know how to write a romance for someone who is constantly combative towards the player.

BSD: I can only write for the ADA characters + aktugawa because. I have only seen season 1 :,) sorry

Muses & character's I'm great at writing for:

Bg3: Tav, Wyll

911: Eddie, TK

Dishonored: Corvo, Outsider (and Garett from Thief 2014)

Ace Attorney: Edgeworth, Klavier, Apollo, Clay, Simon, Diego

Vocaloid/Proseka: Len, VFlower, GUMI, Shiho, Toya, Mafuyu, Mizuki

Critrole: Percy, Vax, Caleb, Jester

DC: batfam, superfam, flashs & rogues gallery, teen titans, young justice

JJK: Gojo, Nanami, Itadori, Inumaki, Fushiguro

Genshin: Diluc, Zhongli, Alhaitham & Kaveh (and 4ggravate), Traveler twins, Pantalone, Wriothesley

AFTG: Neil, Aaron, Jean