#that’s an episode that does not need to be a Randy episode

[methinmycoffee]

Season 16 rankings!

From best to worst:

Cash for Gold (Ep. 2)

Butterballs (Ep. 5)

Going Native (Ep. 11)

Reverse Cowgirl (Ep. 1)

Jewpacabra (Ep. 4)

Cartman Finds Love (Ep. 7)

Sarcastaball (Ep. 8)

Raising the Bar (Ep. 9)

Insecurity (Ep. 10)

A Scause for Applause (Ep. 13)

I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining (Ep. 6)

A Nightmare on FaceTime (Ep. 12)

Faith Hilling (Ep. 3)

Obama Wins! (Ep. 14)

[fxckin-blackbeard]

Which Rage Language are you?

step back usually, you're able to bottle up your emotions and ignore the frustrations. but, after weeks of shoving everything down, your body needs a release, and i pity the poor person who managed to piss you off. it's screaming crying, shouting, kicking lockers, whatever you can do to get it out of your system. it's a whole jean grey moment, fire and fury blasting out of you.

tagged by: @avastyetwats tagging: @lighthousepyrate and anyone else who would like to!

[kennytheworkingclasshero]

Alongside Stan, we've also seen Kenny experience addiction issues. Most notably in the episode Major Boobage, where he spends the majority of the time favouring the escapism that cat pee offers him from his day to day life. Kenny is often spending his time taking care of his sister, dealing with his parents' own inebriation and their tendencies towards domestic abuse, as well as having to go through painful deaths over and over again. The relief and happiness he feels when he is able to go into another world, where he is experiencing the things that he loves (good looking women, obviously), is enough to make him do it again and again (despite how worried his friends are).

This is similar to Stan, as seen in Ass Burgers when he has to come to terms with his parents divorce, as well as developing depression and a sense of cynicism in the world. He takes to alcohol very easily in order to numb the pain and be able to make it through his day.

Kenny and Stan are both victims of addiction being passed down genetically; Kenny with his parents being addicts and Stan with his father and grandfather being addicts. However, I do think their reactions to addiction is very different, and it all comes down to the environment in which they were raised.

For Kenny, he grew up with two parents who were very clearly addicts. There was no hiding it, they were always drunk or high and their kids knew that. Kenny as Mysterion even asked them to stop getting high as frequently as they do, which is seen in the episode Mysterion Rises when Carol says they did what he asked and they "stopped gettin' high every night." Kenny has deep rooted trauma which stems from his parents addiction and what happens because of it, like neglect and domestic violence. That is why when Gerald is giving his speech at the end of Major Boobage and he says "Problem is, the more you go into that world, the more you need to go. Until you start blowing off all the real people who care about you." Kenny resonates with this, looking down guiltily and saying to himself "Yeah, I guess so."

Him and his siblings experience this everyday and that has real material effects on their lives. This is seen in The Poor Kid when the McCormick siblings are taken into foster care because of their parents neglect. Karen asks why her mom and dad went to jail and Kenny replies with sentiments that are similar to Geralds speech, of them "blowing off" the people that care for them in real life; "Sometimes, people do stupid things. Sometimes they don't realize what should have come first. Until it's too late."

He doesn't want to become like his parents, he wants to put his family (and more specifically, his little sister) first. Because she's all he's got, because he has taken on the role of her caregiver due to his parents struggle with addiction. If he gives into his own 'needs', who will be there for her? That is why he restrains himself and that is why the way he has been brought up, despite being surrounded by addicts from a young age, has made him want to distance himself from substances.

This is not to say that Stan's upbringing didn't have an effect on his addiction, but the Marshes are able to put on the front of a more put together family due to their economic status, in a way the McCormick's simply cannot. They are middle class, Randy has a good job, they live on the 'good' side of town. Randy is a terrible father and an idiot, who doesn't put much effort into his family members lives, but he is a functioning alcoholic. It is easier to hide and therefore, Stan's trauma is not as clearly linked to substances and addiction as Kenny's is. Stan also does not hold much responsibility for other family members in the way that Kenny does and because of this, it is easier for him to fall into his addiction in the way Kenny isn't. Stan isn't even particularly introduced to alcohol by his father, but rather a group of cynics.

However, this does not absolve Randy from his responsibility for his son's addiction or trauma. It still stems from Randy, but it also functions differently from Kenny's.

[simplyzeeka]

Episode 4. Season 1

Empty Promises

Does your mind play this game too?

Think 'bout me and you?

I guess I'll just pretend, until it all makes sense

Hmm-mm-hmm, hmm-hmm

Warnings: MDNI!! Profanity, adult themes.

Summary: Lost charms and empty promises bring Syrae and Terry to a conclusion that mends a very heavy problem, which leaves Syrae gripping on hope that does nothing to soothe her worries.

Previously on Something Seasonal

There's nothing Syrae hated more than losing things. She believed she was a careful and responsible person, wouldn't compromise her belongings to where they could get lost. And when she did lose something, it messed up the rest of her day, week he'll even months before it was found.

“Are you sure it ain't in your bag?” resonated Broisa's voice from the other end of the line.

Syrae balanced her phone between her head and shoulder as she filled her entire apartment upside down. “Didn't you just hear me say that it ain't?”

She snapped, dropping the pillow that rested in her clenched hands.

“Okay, calm down, Rae. We gon’ find it.” Broisa assured with a resigned sigh.

It had been days since Syrae lost the small and old charm she always kept with her. Broisa had yet to know the importance the charm held to Syrae, all she knew was that the woman always had it on her, and would flip everything upside down to find it, as she was at that moment.

Syrae could only exhale at the failed attempt of Broisa’s comfort. She plopped herself down on her sofa, resting her head in her hand. She let her fingers thread through her tangled coils, scratching against her scalp, flakes of dandruff collecting under her nails. She needed to wash her hair today.

“Let's talk bout somethin’ else. You coming to work today?” Syrae deflected.

Broisa hummed into the line, the sound of stirring against ceramic filling Syrae’s ears. Syrae concluded that she was making her afternoon tea. Broisa would drink tea in unbearable heat, and Syrae always judged her for that.

“Mhm, sure is. It's gon’ be busy tonight, might get more than a few bands tonight.”

Syrae nodded and hummed at that. It was a special event at the strip club. It was Randy's birthday, the owner of the club and Syrae’s boss.

“Girl yes, I might be able to get the place I been saving up for.”

His birthday bash was always something he threw every year. The club was usually packed because entrance fees were cheaper.

“Amen to that, hopefully I��ma get enough to move out of this shitty place.” Syrae hummed in agreement, her shoulder sagging in anticipation of that thought alone.

She’d been wanting to move out of her shitty apartment for some time now. Stripping only did so much to handle bills, especially with sixty percent of her earnings going to her boss. Getting a decent place was out of the picture.

While her apartment looked homey to the eyes, courtesy to Broisa’s love for decor, the place had many issues the landlord did not care about fixing.

“I been saying you could come stay with me, I got a spare bedroom.”

Syrae immediately shook her head and hummed a soft, yet polite, ‘no’. As much as Broisa’s place looked good, and the facilities were much better, Syrae always liked being in her own space. She had a routine for many things and living was someone completely foreign to her space would only compromise that. That, and the fact that she had more than a little sprinkle of pride that wouldn't allow for her to accept help from anyone, friend and foe alike.

“Don’t worry about me, girl. I almost got enough to cover three months. This night might just be the night.”

Broisa only sighed through the line, having heard that excuse many times from Syrae, the sentence damn near sounded like a chorus. All she could do was sip her tea vigorously to avoid letting her annoyance show from Syrae’s persistence at maintaining her prideful stance.

Despite them being friends for years, Broisa has failed time and time again from scratching beyond surface level with Syrae. And while she tries not to psychoanalyze the woman, it's extremely hard not to do so, given the dirt and bugs she’s given, barely anything fruitful.

The two women spent a little while longer on the phone before fell into their daily errands, and unfortunately for Syrae, that included fixing the leaking toilet in the bathroom

It had been roughly twenty minutes and some change that Terry had spent on the treadmill. The gym was a little emptier than usual, which he wasn't complaining about, he needed the quiet to settle into his thoughts.

These past few days had been hard for him, work was stressful. One of his workers was dealing with loss, and while Terry gladly gave them some time off, it threw the routine in the workshop off balance and frankly, everything was a mess.

The air of his home clogged his throat, the mere smell of lavender was enough to bring a sting to his eyes, a persistent reminder of his unfaithfulness.

But among the lingering scent of his wife, a small, purple charm that laid on his coffee table did a much better job at adding to his never wavering guilt.

The kiss lasted for damn near an eternity, but every time their lips separated for some air,Terry couldn’t help but miss the taste of cherry and liquor on her tongue.

Hands wandered and lips locked intensively. Their hips ground against each other intentionally, creating delicious friction that did nothing to soothe the ache in their stomachs.

It wasn't enough, Terry was so close yet so far away. Syrae just needed him a little… only a little close, just to relieve the tightening in her stomach and stop the ache that grew in her heart.

Syrae’s hand moved down the thickness of her thighs, her hand covered the large one that squeezed her flesh, directing it closer to where she leaked and pined the most.

Terry complied, his hand fitting perfectly underneath her dress, gripping at the thin material of her lace underwear. Just as he was about to pull the material off her thighs, the sound of a door banging closed and the drunken laughter of a group of women startled the pair apart.

Terry wiped at the sides of his mouth, ridding his lips of the sheer lip gloss that once decorated Syrae’s lips.

With her head leaned against the wall, Syrae exhaled heavily, listening attentively as stumbling steps and loud chatter got softer.

The two remained apart, even after the group of women pong disappeared from their sight. Syrae couldn't find herself to look at Terry, and before he knew it, she stood straight and gathered her heels in her hands.

“Syrae-.” Terry began, already knowing what she was trying to do. He wouldn't watch her leave after what they just did. He Couldn't.

Syrae held a hand up and began walking off, tears filling the brim of her eyes as the intensity of the situation fell on her like a collapsing home, most especially Terry's

“Syrae!” Terry called out yet again, watching as she ran out of the alley before making a sharp turn. She was already too far, and he’s guilt wouldn't allow himself to follow her.

Terry hadn't felt like more of a coward than in that moment.

It wasn't until his gaze fell on the floor, back where she stood against the wall, until he noticed a small object on the floor.

Reluctantly, Terry picked it up, scrutinized the charm and made a mental connection. This belonged to Syrae.

And Terry hated how those bloody butterflies twisted at the ides of having another reason to see her. He hated how his heart jumped, believing this was another ‘opportunity��� presented to him.

He hated how no once did he think about Amber and the words he vowed to her.

But what Terry hated the most, is how his lips tingled in withdrawal, already in need of another fix of galaxies.

Flashback over

“Aye, Terry!” The green-eyed Adonis is called out of his daydream, forcing him off the treadmill before he fell.

“Yo, you good bro?” Yosohn asked with a frown on his face He had been calling Terry’s name a number of times, but the man seemed out of it.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Terry responded.

He stepped off the treadmill, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel he had hanging over the machine. Truthfully, he had forgotten that Yosohn accompanied him to the gym, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to even hold proper conversation with his friend.

“It don't seem like it, called your name like ten times.” he said, “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” Terry insisted, his shoulder lifting and dropping before he took a sip of cold water. It did enough to cool his burning body from the intense workouts.

“Or should I say Who’s on your mind.” Yosohn raised a brow, What tone leading as assumption rolled off his tongue.

“What you tryna say?” Terry retorted, his brows dipping into his skin, creating ridges in the middle of his forehead as he stared at Yosohn, offended.

He turned his back to the other male, picking up a dumbbell in each hand, spreading his legs apart tobegin his bicep curls.

Yoshon smacked his lips, shaking his head at Terry’s incompetence and refusal to admit what was obvious to everyone. He moved to stand beside the taller male, leaning against the cold steel railing where blue yoga balls and dumbbells rested.

“Come on, T.” Yosohn began, “I’m not stupid.”

“Didn't say you were. I’m just a little confu-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit man, I’m talkin’ bout Syrae.” Yosohn interrupted, a deep mug on his face as his foot began tapping on the black, fitted carpet of the gym.

“What about her?” Terry grunted. While his focus seemed to be on the exercise, his mind ran at fifty per minute. Images of Syrae and what they shouldn't have done weighing heavy on his conscious. Sometimes if he thought hard enough, he could still taste her and a sprinkle of stars.

“What’s goin on between y’all? Me and Isla noticed how y’all were looking at each other the other night.”

“We just friends, Sohn.”

“You sure?” he asked, “I don't be looking at my ‘friends’ like I’m tryna dick em down.” Yosohn imitated inverted commas with his fingers at the word ‘friends’.

“That’s not how I look at-”

“Especially since I’ve got my own woman.”

Terry dropped the dumbbells onto the ground, the carpet drowning out the impact. His jaw clenched before he turned to Yosohn, shoulders rolling slightly to relieve the tension on his neck.

He looked around the gym, people weren't paying attention to the boiling argument, the sound of gym equipment being used did enough to drown out the sound of their conversation.

“I don't know what you saw, or what you think you saw.” Terry looked back at Yosohn, “But I'ma tell you this. I love my woman, and my eyes ain't wandering to anybody else. So get that base off your chest and come spot me.”

Terry pat Yosohn's shoulder before walking past him. His heart was beating out of his chest, his breathing slightly tagged which he could freely blame on the exercises. Terry couldn't help but wonder just how much Yosohn saw, was he really that obvious when near Syrae?

Yosohn followed Terry towards the weight training bench. He exhaled at the conversation, not feeling half as satisfied with the outcome as he would've hoped.

The two men moved past the tension and continued with their routines, helping one another get their workout in before they headed home. Both with thoughts weighing heavy in their mind.

It was a little past midnight, and Syrae had concluded that she's had enough of Gravity and dancing for its ‘esteemed’ inhabitants.

Or in better words… fuck Gravity and every cheapskate in there. You would think people would throw more cash at the stage since they paid less at entrance.

Technically, she was finally off the clock for the night. Despite the event, she would abide by her ‘contracted’ working hours. Randy could kiss her ass.

Standing outside the club, Syrae leaned against Broisa's car, waiting for her to finish her private dance so they could get out of here and go home. Despite the thick leather coat that passed her knees, cat calls from various passerbys didn't seem to cease.

All she could do was roll her eyes and impatiently wait for her tardy friend, which really, was most definitely in character for Broisa.

“I'm here girl, I'm here.” The shorter woman said, running, or at least attempting to, towards her pink Peugeot.

Syrae couldn't help the laugh that scratched her throat from passing her lips, Broisa had always been an entertaining woman, even when she didn't try. “I can see that, what took you so long.”

Broisa explained how she got stuck in the private room having to help a passed out, middle aged man. Clearly some had too much to drink.

“Yeah, now you gotta get me some to eat.” Syrae raised her brow at Broisa before seating herself on the hood of the car, her feet barely dangling over.

Broisa laughed and rolled her eyes, having expected nothing less from Syrae, still she agreed. She got some sneakers out of the car and traded them for the heels on her feet before calling home beside Syrae.

“Seem like you in better moods, damn near chewed my head off this mornin’.” Broisa commented, eliciting a signature eye roll from Syrae, one reserved for her only.

“Lets not, I'm tryna distract myself from that.” A dull deflection is all Broisa received in return.

She still could not understand why the small charm held such importance to Syrae that it could turn her world completely upside-down. That thought doesn't last long as her eyes catch something in the distance.

“Well, I see a pretty good distraction at 9.” Broisa raised a brow.

Syrae looks to her right, catching sight of a six foot three, green-eyed, handsome bastard that seemed to be running the track coiling in her mind.

Terry Richmond had no business looking as good as he does. Casual jeans and t-shirt, covered by the thick cotton of his long, black trench coat. He had no business being near Syrae, looking as good as he does.

“Shit.” Syrae groaned and clenched her eyes shut when he noticed her before he meticulously took his steps towards her, one's that moved to the rhythm of her beating her heart.

She slid off the car and met him halfway. She wished she didn't, maybe then she wouldn't have noticed the change in his regular scent. He smelled like an ocean breeze and soft citrus.

He changed his cologne, and the reality that she picked up on something so small tickled her faint heart the same way his scent tickled her nose.

“Hey.”

“What you doin’ here?”

They spoke at the same time. Terry's brows dip into a frown, his lips opening slightly before closing again. He hadn't expected the ambush.

Syrae sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her gaze fleets behind her to Broisa before they train back to Terry. He needed to leave, because flashbacks from nights ago started placing bricks in her head.

“Terry, what you doin’ here?” She asked again, gently this time. Her gaze involuntarily softened from gazing in his eyes one second too long.

“Wanted to talk.” He muttered, clenching his hands in the pockets of his coat to soothe the need to reach out and touch her. He probably should just give her the charm and drive himself back home, but being in front of her, he wanted nothing more than another taste of space.

“We… we can't do that.” Syrae mumbles under her breath, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Damn dragonflies.

Terry was stupid enough to ask why, as if the answer didn't lay in the way his breath hitched the more he looked at her, like oxygen ceased to exist when he was near Syrae.

“Terry, c’mon. We can't do thi-.”

“I have your charm.” He interrupted, not needing to hear her finish the sentence. For once he just didn't need… logic. “You dropped it… that night.”

He took one clenched fist out of his pocket, reaching the hand out to Syrae, revealing a plastic, purple charm. A heart with wings.

At first, when Terry found it on the floor, he deemed it unimportant. Until his fingers ran across the rough feel of something engraved on it. Initials that spelt out ‘K.B’.

Syrae's eyes darted from the object in his hand to his eyes. But the wave of relief that washed over her failed miserably at killing the damn fluttering in her stomach.

“But I just wanna talk, Rae. Can you give me that?” Terry whispered, taking one step closer before dropping the charm into her smaller hands, hands he's worked day and night to remove the imprints from his skin, and his memory.

She nodded her head, her throat too clogged up to say anything coherent. She hated the way rejection just seemed near impossible with Terry around. Since they've known each other, saying ‘no’ proved to be harder than what she would've liked.

Terry sighed in relief at her compliance. He nodded his head behind him, walked towards his car where they could talk privately.

Syrae looked back at Broisa, who already seemed to be looking at her with a brow raised. A look of scepticism painted her face, causing Syrae to gesture with her hands that she should wait.

Syrae followed behind Terry quietly. She climbed into the passenger seat after he opened the door for her, watching in the warmth of his car as he jogged around to climb into the drivers.

The interior of the car was as clean as a whistle. Shiny leather seats and surfaces free of dust. Syrae’s heart clenched at the scent that wafted the air in the car, however. Lavender.

There was a pregnant silence between them. Terry's eyes focused solely on the windshield while Syrae’s solely on her lap, where her fingers twirled around one another.

She felt distant. Terry wanted to look at her so badly, but stars seemed to be his weakness, even though they were deemed unreachable.

But when Syrae was the subject of his lens, chasing those unreachable balls of light didn't seem so impossible. Because she always had them floating around her, on her, even if they were faux. Like micro, plastic cut-outs that danced on her skin and shimmered in her light.

“You been ignoring my texts.” Terry said, not out of accusation, but out of observation.

Ever since she called him about his wallet, Terry had saved her number and they've been texting back and forth ever since about anything and everything. Those texts stopped after their drunken kiss.

“What was I s’posed to say, Terry?” Syrae sighed, already feeling a pending headache from the conversation between them.

“Could've at least let me know you made it home.” He responded and finally turned to face her. “You just ran off, Rae. I was worried.”

“Well you should've ran after me, made sure I was safe if you were so worried.” Syrae countered, holding back an eye roll as the attitude rolled off her tongue effortlessly.

“How was I ‘sposed to do that after we kiss-” He stopped himself, exhaled as his eyes were facing the front of the car again.

“Then how you expect me to text you after that?”

A great question, one Terry definitely didn't have an answer to. While he knew it was selfish of him to want to continue talking to Syrae after what happened, he also couldn't help indulging himself.

There's another heavy silence, this one filled with newfound tension.

Syrae looked out the window. The smell of lavender was so strong and it reminded her of the intensity of the situation.

“This was a mistake.” Syrae mumbled to herself before opening the passenger door and climbing put of the car.

Terry got out as well with a quickness, quickly rounding to reach Syrae before she walked away from the conversation… from him.

“Syrae! Damn it, could you stop walkin’ away from me?” He caught her arm, holding it gently as his thumb rubbed circles over her coat.

“Well I need to, Terry. Cause you clearly don't want to. This!” She points between the both of them animatedly. “Can't happen. That night wasn't supposed to happen because you're married.”

“And I know th-”

“Well then act like it!” Syrae exclaimed suddenly before looking around her, embarrassment settling at the outburst.

“I can't sleep sometimes, Terry. I keep thinkin’ bout how I stole such a… precious moment with another woman’s husband.” She whispered, looking everywhere but his eyes.

And that hurt Terry, he wanted her to look at him, but he didn't have the audacity to ask for such a thing. “It won't happen again.”

“And you gon’ stop it, like you did last time?” sarcasm oozed from Syrae’s rhetorical question. Because the answer was all in their current argument. Terry wouldn't be able to stop shit from happening between them.

“I just- I don't wanna lose you as a friend Rae. I… we could forget bout what happened.”

They couldn't, they wouldn't be able to. Because that was the first time in a long time that Syrae thought a man’s touch felt right. Despite how wrong it was or how drunk she was, she felt at ease when Terry touched her.

Still, even after that realisation, she still pondered at the idea of them being friends. That maybe that would work out, maybe she could forget all about their mutual attraction to one another.

“Terry, you and I can't be ‘just friends’.” She shook her head and looked off to the side.

Terry finally let go of her arm, placing his hands in the pockets of his coat. He didn't have anything that could dispute that, he was merely living in a fantasy where he could have her… platonically.

“Yes we can. Just let me show you.”

She pondered yet again, scratching at the exposed skin of her neck before exhaling through her nose. This was exactly what she was talking about, the rejection that just always seemed so impossible with Terry involved.

“Just friends?” She asked, finally looking up at him, and she wished she didn't. Because the earthy pools that looked back at her sold promises that she wasn't sure could be kept.

“No funny business?”

“Just friends.”

“Give you my word.”

“Well then say it.���

Terry laughed at that, the baritone woke the fluttering in Syrae's stomach. The sight of his smile enticing a smile of her own.

“I promise.” Terry muttered through his smile. Signed, sealed and delivered.

“Okay.” Syrae whispered, her fingers twiddling yet again. “We can stay friends, I guess.”

His smile widened, something Syrae thought wasn't even possible with the way he was cheesing moments before. She bet husband cheeks hurt more than hers.

“Okay. I'll see you around, Ms. Belles.” Terry nodded his head before walking backwards, keeping his eyes on Syrae which drew an unsolicited laugh from her chest as she shook her head at his antics. “Keep safe.”

“See you ‘round, Mr. Richmond.” She began, watching him back into the driver seat of his car. “And you too.”

Syrae watched as the car backed away from the parking lot of the club. She sighed heavily once it was out of her sight before she turned and walked back to Broisa, who was beyond curious with the interaction she just witnessed.

“Don't start.” Syrae warned with a flat face once she took notice of the other woman’s expression.

“I’m just worried. I thought I was seeing shit that night. I told Gage’s ass that there was somethin’ between the two of y'all and he aint believe.” Broisa rambled, which caused Syrae to roll her eyes and shake her head.

“Y'all havin’ pillow talk about my business?” Syrae frowned up at her friend.

“I mean, your life seem very interesting lately so why the hell not?” Broisa shrugged with a small smile before she focused on Syrae seriously, her eyes scanned her face intently.

“That's a married man, Rae. Freshly married might I add.”

“I know, Broisa. There ain't shit going on between me and that man.” Syrae quickly countered with a loud exhale at the reminder. The feel of the cold metal around his finger ironically burned the skin of her thigh since the kiss. She didn't need another reminder.

“I hope for your sake that's true, cause what I just saw ain't look like nothin’.” Broisa hummed lowly before sliding off her car and unlocking it. “Anyway, let go get somethin’ to eat. A girl hungry as fuck.”

Syrae watched as Broisa got into her car after her warning. Her heart thumped a bit faster at her words. She hoped so too, hoped so badly that Terry and her could stay friends, no matter how impossible it sounded to her heart.

“Fuck my life.” Syrae murmured under her breath before she walked to the passenger side of the car and climbed in.

She really, really hoped she could forget about that night, the kiss, the idea of something romantic with Terry. But why did hope suddenly feel like something so far-fetched.

A/n: Finally, with this chapter out of the way, we can get to the nitty gritty of the story. The first four chapters were just introducing us to the characters and the situation. Now we can go into the problems and the angst.

Please comment and reblog if you like the story so far or on your thoughts, I'd like to hear what you guys think.

Taglist:

@blyffe @peachbutterfly-blog @browngirldominion @blackmoonchilee @megamindsecretlair @mogul93 @earthchica @nayaesworld @cdotmvkspaz @kaylaaisthebestest- @zillasvilla

If I forgot to tag you or you want to be tagged, let me know in the comments.

[mdhwrites]

I'd like your thoughts on the segment of TOH fandom that attributes Luz' behavior to her having been bullied and ostracized in Gravesfield. Canonically there is nothing showing Luz being bullied or says that she was bullied in Gravesfield. Quite the contrary. Yesterday's Lie had Vee, who had been living as Luz for months, living a good life where she had made friends at camp and at school. She resented Luz' return and castigated her for not appreciating how good a life she had. The episode Thanks to Them had the guidance counselor ask Camila if she had been bullied in school to which Camila answered that she had. He then asked if she wanted Luz to struggle as she had. That question strongly suggests that Luz was not yet having any social difficulties beyond those of her own making and that sending her to camp would keep that from happening. When we see Luz back in Gravesfield HS she was having no difficulties dealing with other students and that some of her contacts with them were friendly and admiring.

So what are your thoughts on this insistence of certain fans that Luz had suffered this bullying and ostracization when the show itself not only doesn't support it but contradicts it?

Because it's necessary for Luz's character to function.

That's really all it comes down to. Luz is kind of monstrous if she has never actually known strife. She wants to be seen as the victim after all. She wants to be justified in abandoning her mom for her fantasies. For rejecting the consequences of assaulting people. Heck, that's still true in S3 where she needs to be able to claim that the human world would be some torturous hell hole for her so that her self martyring actually comes across correctly instead of someone going, "Oh, that sounds like a lot of work and might actually be dangerous so I'm just gonna stay home with my loving mom instead."

If her home life was good, was kind, was what we wish our home lives with a parent who will enable us to do whatever we want short of breaking the law... What the fuck is she doing? The audience insert, who goes entirely unquestioned in the show besides "Hey, you kind of messed up, go apologize," (which she doesn't do well all the time) is suddenly this whiny brat who wants to be enabled by literally every person in existence because she needs to be the most special person there. It's the antithesis of what people want "I just want to be understood!" to be about. She wants to be understood so you go "Oh, I get it, you keep being you," and never hold her accountable. Otherwise, she might not lie all the time because she might be willing to actually face the consequences of her actions.

It is a shift in Luz's character irreversible in its damage. You just cannot like the show in the same way when you have to admit that Luz is a self entitled little shit. And mind you, her normal archtype is of that sort. Danny Phantom and Randy Cunningham and even to some extent Kim Possible are all flawed teenage characters who are clearly growing. Who need to be better people so while they're protagonists, you're supposed to learn as much alongside them as from their example, if not more. You are meant to take from Luz by example though. She is meant to be the audience surrogate after all. And, you know, if she's unjustified in her actions... What does that say about you all of a sudden who connected so deeply with her?

That's all of why this can't vanish. I actually want to add onto your proofs though because people will go "What about her panicking during Knock Knock Knocking?" Yes, that is the ONE time we are ever given the idea for her being mocked for something and even that one... Well, she's worried about going too over the top. How much do we want to bet Luz came to school in her suit to ask the person she liked out like she was in some sort of soap opera? That's gonna get you reasonably laughed without a VERY specific sort of partner like Amity.

HOWEVER... That's the one time, a season and a half into the show, her actions imply someone who has been bullied. Otherwise, she is very confrontational, she does nothing to hide herself, she gives almost no shits about what anyone thinks about her besides "Fuck you, I am totally the greatest" everytime Eda doubts her. The closest before then is her worrying about Amity seeing her as lame but Amity is the only one she cares about for that. Even then, she never seems bothered by the fact that Amity is a bully. She is willing to stand up to her regardless. This is further reinforced by what she does with Boscha where she either just brushes her off during Once Upon a Swap or is entirely confident in confronting her in Winging it Like Witches. NONE of that is the behavior of someone who has been bullied, harassed and hurt by constant bullying. Add all the elements where she clearly could have found people like her but chose instead to chase more popular clubs like cheerleading and acting and it paints a REALLY bad picture of Luz.

It paints her as Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, or Goob from Meet the Robinsons. Both people who claimed the world hated them when the reality was that they were awful to reality, one being a bully and the other ignoring all signs of kindness and acceptance that was attempted to be given to him. This is far worse when you remember that Luz never appreciated her mom properly, like Goob, and also is genuinely an asshole to both King and Hooty for their interests, like Liz Lemon.

Luz is a bad person. But for the show to function, you cannot believe that. Once you do, it will only to start to collapse faster and faster as the contradictions pile on top of themselves.

So why not just twist the truth instead into the pleasant lie Luz is actually the archtype of the bullied nerd that the first episode tried to imply she was but then failed to ever deliver on? It's easier that way, even if it's dishonest. Luz wouldn't judge you for it, not so long as you didn't try to lie to her. Because all that matters in the end to Luz is Luz.

======+++++======

If the idea of a fact that's not well supported by the show being critical to a character functioning sounds familiar, it's because it's the same reason why people need Odalia to be pure evil. Both Amity and Luz need to use having been hurt by others to justify their own behaviors, even when their behaviors don't correlate in ways that actually support those excuses.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[destiny-in-the-universe]

RC9GN Commentary + Thoughts

my current and ridiculous hyperfixation on RC9GN is dominating my entire life, oops- but basically, this is mostly me once again testing the waters of not only a potential fanfic with a reimagined/continued-fanon season three and beyond but before i start

Here’s my general commentary of the show!

For starters- Randy is so neurodivergent-coded? He has ADHD, and I feel if his actions in the canon are viewed from a more ND angle, a lot of his behavior makes so much more sense to be honest; he stims, he doesn’t exactly think before he acts sometimes (and it’s only later - once he’s truly thought about his own actions - that he finally realizes he could’ve messed up), he gets overstimulated, and on another thing- he definitely has displayed signs of not only rejection sensitivity dysphoria but he also looks for others’ approval - not in the people pleasing way, he wants to be noticed and he can’t exactly get that

The show can be mature- and it shows in certain moments. Howard‘s beef with the Nomicon is genuinely legitimate, and we see he hates and despises being alone - he’s not socially anxious, but he does seem to only have Randy as his friend; though could it also be tied with Howard just being so used to having him as company that not having him around just gets a little distressing? They were friends from literally three years old- maybe it’s the knowledge that Randy’s now faced with this life-threatening role?

Another thing! The whole thing with the First Ninja (part of the commentary and thoughts of this post) having lost his entire family at the hands of the Sorcerer? That has got to have developed some serious ptsd and survivor’s guilt- it could explain why he’s so strict and rational and attempts to be this mediating figure but also suddenly gives up and loses his temper (like- if his soul is in the nomicon, then has he had proper contact with people? He’d have been completely isolated-)

Going off on “Finja” (though i seriously need to give him a name-), his official introductory episode could’ve gone so much better? Like. I get it, why he seemingly gave up so quickly but also- I think he sees his younger self in Randy and that’s why he could be harder on him, but going back on the last point; “Finja” has gone through so much - even if it isn’t inherently canon - and goodness me, I wish we could’ve seen more of his character- and the idea he’s Randy’s ancestor? Hello?

Massive Commentary incoming!

The Norisu 9 is such an interesting concept- I want to know more, but for that I need to write it; who were they? They were a clan- could they possibly be brought back as other ninjas that fight alongside the Ninja? (AKA Randy) If that’s the case though, wouldn’t it have been mentioned beforehand? Then again- this is entirely fanon. Maybe it’s only in specific moments; like we all know there are eight other realms - apart from the Land of Shadows - that Randy would’ve had to face. Imagine just-

The Norisu 9 are carefully chosen, and that’s likely why they weren’t seen before? Maybe it was thought the bloodline vanished- or only show up when fighting against specific threats like, say, the Sorceress- but now I have to figure out who would be the rest of the Norisu 9? Off the top of my head, genuinely- Debbie should be one of them (a theme of dark purple? But seriously- I feel they all have a select set of powers) - i can’t fully explain my thoughts right now, but also Theresa? Like, they definitely have certain qualities to be ninjas- though that still leaves six more people-

Also like, I really want more on the tengu and the ninja? I have a lot more dedicated to the fanon season three and this is only one part of my thoughts but- i keep thinking about the one episode where tengu! Howard (in the time travel/season one finale episode) was hurt and it affected Randy; like this has so much potential? Like just imagine the angst that could create- or even if Howard was permanently linked to the tengu, and he developed powers and things went a little… south - there is going to be so much I’m going to explore with this tbh

I need to dedicate an entire nine post thesis purely dedicated to my attempts at interpreting the different realms that Randy would have had to face if the show wasn't suddenly cancelled, oh my god

Another thing- the Sorcerer had so much potential as a villain; it's basically what he could have been if the show wasn't posed so much as a lighthearted action-comedy, but this is also a topic for another day. The amount of brainrot I've been dealing with is so ridiculous, someone help

[cloudy-skyes]

General Main 4 Headcanons

Notes: Hi Harleyy <33 Sorry I accidentally lost your actual request (thank god i screenshotted it) Thank you for the request :)

Warnings: Slightly suggestive, smoking (Kenny)

Relationship: Established romantic relationship

Gender: Gender neutral, no pronouns mentioned

Kyle:

Not only is Kyle an amazing boyfriend, he’s also an amazing study buddy with you. If you’re struggling with homework or you have an upcoming test, you two will have a study date at one of your houses.

These dates often include you being held in his lap, while he points at homework/test questions and explains them to you.

Breaks are always important in studying though!! So when you two get sick of studying, you have cuddle sessions where you calmly run your fingers through his curly hair.

Speaking of his hair, he secretly LOVES it when you play with his hair. Kyle won’t let anyone else touch it but you. It’s just something about your touch that is so relaxing to him.

He is SUCH a gentleman. He’s the type to hold doors open for you, pull seats out for you, and other acts of service. He likes holding your hand in his own hands and kissing your knuckles. It’s a little bit cliche but it still makes you feel so loved.

Kyle adores it when you get along with his little brother, Ike. He’s such a family oriented person, so seeing you play with Ike makes his heart flutter with adoration. Ike totally acted like Kyle’s wingman before you and Kyle started dating too.

Kyle tends to have a short temper, especially with Cartman. He looks to you as a source of serenity when he needs to calm down. I swear if you just hold him and give him a kiss it soothes him right away.

Kyle also has some abandonment issues because of his history with failed relationships. Please just reassure him every now and then that you love him, he loves you too <3

Stan:

First off, Stan is absolutely head over heels for you. He loves being around you. He’s practically living at your house at this point, he’d rather be with you than at the farm with his dad.

Stan does struggle with depression, and goes through depressive episodes pretty often. You know it isn’t your responsibility to care for him, you do anyways. He always tries his best for you so you return the favor by being there for him.

This includes SOO many cuddle sessions. When he’s cradled in your arms, one wrapped around his torso and the other gently holding his head in your shoulder, he feels much better.

Stan also plays the guitar, he often brings his guitar over to your house and plays songs for you. Sometimes he’ll even have you sit on his lap, his guitar on your own, and guide your hands with his to learn to play the guitar :)

He’s also a HORRIBLE texter. It’s a little bit ironic because he shows his affection to you constantly in person, but this guy cannot get any more dry over text with you. That’s why he prefers to hang out in person anyways.

Stan has gotten better with his vomiting issues over the years, but he still struggles to hold back nausea when he’s with you. He’s just so overwhelmed with how much he loves you that he can’t help it.

Despite the fact that Stan cannot stand his dad, Randy ADORES you. His son? Got a girlfriend?? He tries so hard to be friends with you (and sell you weed). Stan always tries to get his dad to knock it off, ashamed by Randy’s antics, but Randy doesn’t really care. Even though Stan’s dad is super overbearing, at least you’re always welcome at the Marsh house.

Kenny:

I’m sure we’re all aware of this by now, but Kenny is SUCH a flirt. Even before you two were together he was constantly dropping flirty and suggestive lines on you.

Occasionally, when you and Kenny are hanging out with other friends, he’ll lean into you and whisper the most suggestive shit into your ear and then continue to act like he never said anything to you.

Kenny is also very physically affectionate, when he’s with you he’s always touching you, but he’s usually just holding your hand. He probably does that thing where he swings his arm back and forth while walking and holding your hand and it’s really cute.

Like Stan, Kenny is with you most of the time. He loves you so much and he literally cannot get himself away from you. He finds himself often escaping his shitty home life to go hang out with you.

You and Kenny also become smoke buddies. Usually when you’re over at his house you chill in his room and share a joint, and talk about whatever comes to your mind. He thinks it’s so fun to get high with you.

But when you’re not in his room smoking, you find yourself playing with Karen. Karen sees you as an older sister figure and looks up to you so much. Kenny is so protective over Karen, so when he sees you two doing something cute like playing dolls, he knows he found the best s/o he could possibly have.

Kenny is really generous, and although he’s poor, he does his best to spoil you. He still works at City Wok, and he uses his extra money to get both you and Karen gifts. Besides physical affection, this is one of his biggest ways to show his love for you :)

Cartman:

Your relationship with Cartman is the type where both of you can insult and bully each other as a form of affection. Sometimes it sounds so real that others are unsure if you love or hate each other, but you two both know well that it’s the first option.

Cartman will hit you with an insult, and you return one right back to him. Maybe that’s why you two are so close? Since you can tolerate Cartman’s crude humor and behavior and reciprocate it right back to him he fell for you.

Nobody really has ever enjoyed being bothered by him except you. Cartman LOVES anyone who understands his humor and plays along with his banter, especially when other people like Kyle or Butters are involved.

Cartman takes you out to KFC and other restaurants on the regular. One time he even convinced his mom to buy tickets for the both of you to go to Casa Bonita. That date was definitely one of his favorites with you.

You’re good at calming Cartman down when his anger issues get out of hand. When he starts taking arguments with his classmates too far, you’re there to help cool him down. You’re often his source of sense when he’s too upset to think clearly.

If you ever give Cartman any gifts, no matter what it is, he will always keep it around. He’ll treasure it as much as he treasured his stuffed animals from elementary school. He’d have a shelf of his bookcase dedicated to things you’ve made for him or gave him, and he thinks of them very fondly.

His mom is surprised that Cartman found someone he gets along so well with, and you manage to keep his temper in check better than anyone else has. She loves having you around, you treat her and her son so kindly after all.

[medusasea]

South Park Younger Siblings

South Park creators, you have Ike from the very first episode, you give him tons of development and scenes and even make him unrealistically badass for his age.

Well done! Ike rocks.

You also had plans in Starvin Marvin to give Kenny a sister, but you decided not to, only to add her many years later after all, even though her existence doesn't make sense. Now, the South Park timeline doesn't make sense, but since the other children barely aged, it looks like Karen popped out into existence, since she is 6 years old. To be fair, the show sort of has selective continuity. It's not like Avatar The Last Airbender, where such a decision would be horrendous. I still would've been more invested in Karen if she was from the beginning or at least if her existence didn't break story rules, but if you write her well I can forgive it.

What is Karen's role in the show? Kenny saves her and takes care of her. Sure, she is nice, but she didn't really help anyone or herself either, not on-screen at least.

She barely even showed personality traits. We know she is shy, sensitive, naive and does not like conflict. She is close to her mom and brother Kenny. She likes dolls. In the fractured but whole we learn she doesn't often get to socialize with others besides Kenny and thus she joined the vampire kids only to later realize how fucking lame they were and to join the Goth kids. Later she is no longer a goth with no explanation and no further character development. The show does not even use her in the Karen episode, but it makes Randy a Karen.

South Park creators, if you just wanted someone Kenny takes care of, he was already helpful and even heroic towards both his friends and strangers. Spoiler: He was even willing to die forever for his friends in the Coon trilogy. Did you plan for Karen to just be someone who Kenny takes care of even in Starvin Marvin, where you decided not to add her? You are capable of giving Ike tons of development, what is stopping you from giving Karen a little more development and importance?

Karen is barely more than a damsel in distress. The damsel in distress trope is not inherently bad, I only hate it when a competent character does something extremely stupid just so that they can become one or when the character in question has little to no personality and agency and is more a plot device than a character. About the latter, when I say the character needs agency, I am not saying they need to save themselves or others, but they should show skills or at least attempt to do something, otherwise they come across as unbelievably weak. The only exception where I don't care about this is if the characters overall don't get much development, like most old fairy tales or certain video games where the gameplay is more important than the story or characters. However, this is not the case with South Park. I used the term damsel in distress, but this can apply to any character regardless of gender, though it is more prevalent for female characters, in older stories at least. While South Park often underuses female characters in my opinion, it also underuses plenty of male ones too and most female characters have a fair share of development and agency even if I think they don't appear as often as they should. However, I can't help but find it fishy that out of the main characters' younger siblings the girl is reduced to a damsel in distress while the boy gets tons of development and relevance. It was probably not intentional, but it reminds me of the sexist world view of women being inferior to me and needing constant protection.

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 10

Link for Seasons  1  2  3  4  5  6  7 8 9

You know the drill by now, I'll judge whether an episode has all the qualities of a canon one, or is it just shameless filler. S10E1 The Return of Chef is CANON

When it comes to separating canon material from filler, you really come to notice a lot more secondary characters die in a shorter span of time. Anyway, here's Chef's farewell in a scientology follow-up episode. S10E2 Smug Alert! is FILLER

Kyle moves. He comes back. Stan has a hit song. Never mentioned again. S10E3 & S10E4 Cartoon Wars Part I & II are LORE

I was so conflicted on this one, no consequences come from this two-parter, expect Trey and Matt's interest in the portrayal of Muhammad, and since these got banned on streaming sites, I'd encourage everyone to watch them! S10E5 A Million Little Fibers is FILLER

I'd never make anyone watch this episode. Except that one time when I did a South Park marathon with my step-father and I made him watch it. But no, even if Towelie's career would be mentioned, there's no need for this one to exist. S10E6 ManBearPig is CANON

ManBearPig IS real. Al Gore warned y'all. S10E7 Tsst is FILLER

Every now and then in these posts I feel like I have to explain myself and the fact that I'm excluding iconic episodes of South Park. However based on the feedback I received, everyone seems to get the shtick and I was too anxious, that's why I toned the introduction down. A great Eric episode that's more about telling us the possibilities this character could have, but does not actually have. S10E8 Make Love, Not Warcraft is CANON

Because Randy's role is another turning point in his mid-life crisis, Jenkins will return later and you need an episode that showcases the strength of the four boys' friendship despite all their differences, since you'll see them coming back to it every time after they start growing apart. S10E9 Mystery of the Urinal Deuce is FILLER

Kyle is getting bullied again and this time STAN is the bad guy? Interesting concept, can't say it's important. S10E10 Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy is FILLER

Kyle's brother is getting molested and this time ERIC is the hero? What's up with S10 and these bizarro concepts in its fillers? S10E11 Hell on Earth 2006 is CANON

Not THE most plot-heavy one, but Satan's character development is important to us. S10E12 & S10E13 Go God Go & Go God Go XII are LORE

You don't NEED these for context, however the Garrison arc feels more complete with it. S10E14 Stanley's Cup is FILLER

It's a divisive one for sure and I wouldn't touch it for personal reasons. The one thing you can state is that without it you'll still understand every episode going forward.

SPOILER-FREE��RUNDOWN

Again, CANON means you should watch it, FILLER means you can skip it, LORE is somewhere in-between, any episode with the LORE label will have an explanation that helps you decide if you should include it or not. S10E1 The Return of Chef is CANON S10E2 Smug Alert! is FILLER S10E3 & S10E4 Cartoon Wars Part I & II are LORE* S10E5 A Million Little Fibers is FILLER S10E6 ManBearPig is CANON S10E7 Tsst is FILLER S10E8 Make Love, Not Warcraft is CANON S10E9 Mystery of the Urinal Deuce is FILLER S10E10 Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy is FILLER S10E11 Hell on Earth 2006 is CANON S10E12 & S10E13 Go God Go & Go God Go XII are LORE** S10E14 Stanley's Cup is FILLER *If you are interested in banned Muhammad content **If you are invested in Janet Garrison's love life

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14 S10: 4 out of 14

Overall: 69 out of 154

[maslosstuff]

MASLOSSSSSS MASLOS I HAVE TO KNOW. how does “Shloomp! There It Is” (the body switch episode) change in ur punk howard AU ???

For starters Randy begins to not listen to the nomicon as he grown to trust himself with own judgment then the book which makes Nomicon angry as Randy needs an ego check creating NomiRandy as a lesson but realizes themselves their wrong with Randy trapped inside. Meanwhile NomiRandy is being loved for his pride compared to Randy as he’s smooth rather than obnoxious which at first Howard likes because no rules = fun but it starts to change of how much trouble NomiRandy is causing the breaking point would be flirting with Heidi instead it’s him being hit on.

NomiRandy is Randy but lacking the obviousness so he’s aware of the relationship that Howard has with Randy it’s much more than friendship it goes way deeper than that which causes most students to gasp except Heidi she always had a feeling ya know.

Howard tries to deny the feelings by being defensive about it but NomiRandy pushes his buttons more and more getting closer which makes Howard immediately punch Randy in the face knocking him out for a bit to steal the nomicon and yell at it causing him to be shloomped (Howard doesn’t know Japanese btw so he’s really confused by the writing inside) Randy learns he needed an ego check otherwise he’ll be the next Mac Antfee and the Nomicon learns maybe making evil versions of the bearer is a bad thing.

They get out the book like in canon Randy is in Howard body but instead of getting his butt whooped he won against NomiRandy by tricking him inside the book again then immediately Howard (back in his bod) gets grabbed by Theresa and everything is handle like the Heidi situation. Howard brush off that he would ever like Cunningham that way (he’s lying)

[tlbodine]

Overthinking: The Girl Who Cried Monster

The Girl Who Cried Monster is Goosebumps #8, released in the summer of '93. I'd never actually read this one, although I do remember the TV episode as being one of the better ones. This book is a delight largely because of the voice of our main character and narrator, who is simultaneously extremely relatable and also, in a very real sense, just the WORST.

Could it be that we are the real baddies?

First, the Plot:

Lucy Dark is obsessed with monsters. She's also a natural-born storyteller and prone to letting her imagination get away with her. So when she's not telling monster stories to her easy-to-scare brother Randy, or pulling practical jokes on her friend Aaron, she's getting herself worked up.

The unfortunate part about always making up stories is when something real happens, nobody believes you, and that's exactly what Lucy faces. Over the summer, she's involved in a Reading Rangers book program with the library, run by pudgy, damp-handed, sweet-but-weird Mr. Mortman. Lucy leaves something behind and returns to the library after hours, just in time to witness him turning into a real bona-fide monster and shoveling fistfuls of live flies in his mouth.

Lucy tells her parents, but they don't believe her, so she sets out to try to prove it: first by hiding in the library and witnessing it again just to be sure she saw what she saw, then by trying to take a photo, and again by convincing her friend Aaron to come along and see the monster. Unfortunately, Mr. Mortman doesn't show up in photographs, and Aaron missed the frightening transformation. Even more unfortunately, Mr. Mortman knows that Lucy is following him.

He finally locks her in the library with him to confront her over his secret. She flees, managing to escape after a tense chase. Aaron was there to witness it this time and backs up her story to her parents, who finally acknowledge she's telling the truth. So there can be only one solution: They invite Mr. Mortman to dinner.

In one of the more iconic Goosebumps twists, Mr. Mortman is on the menu, and Lucy's parents -- who are themselves monsters -- gobble him right up, to the delight of Lucy and her brother, who one day will get their monster fangs and can join in. It turns out that the Dark family are monsters and must do their part to keep other monsters from entering their territory and scaring people, lest they get chased out.

Lucy, having learned nothing, tells her brother another scary monster story that night.

Overthinking It:

On the surface, the monster twist doesn't seem to make much sense. If these kids are in a monster family, why would they be so worked up and scared about a real monster?! But the more I think about it, the more it does make sense, and hints at some really fascinating worldbuilding.

These kids know what they are, what their parents are. And they understand why what happens, must happen. Lucy's parents don't seem to relish the opportunity to eat Mr. Mortman; they seem resigned to it. This is a family who has faced persecution in the past, is tired of running, and will do whatever it takes to secure their comfort and safety.

Imagine growing up in that environment, knowing that there ARE other people like you in this world, but that if you ever see them that you'll need to exterminate them lest your family be threatened and maybe even killed. What a lonely, isolating experience that must be. It's no wonder Lucy is fascinated by monsters. She IS one, and by necessity has never met another one. How could you help but speculating about what they're like? How must you rationalize their danger, their monstrosity, in order to rationalize your own? And no wonder Randy is afraid of them! The very presence of a monster poses an existential threat to the family!

It's really fascinating and raises so many questions about monster society. There also feels like inevitable cross-over potential with a later book, One Day at Horrorland, which is one of my favorite Goosebumps ever. We'll talk more about that one when we get to it, though.

The Girl Who Cried Monster is a cat-and-mouse game between Lucy and Mr. Mortman, and it's not always clear who is predator and prey in this scenario. Ultimately, poor Mr. Mortman gets eaten alive, just for the crime of existing. It's a monster-eat-monster world out there!

Fun fact, originally R.L. Stine was going to have Mr. Mortman caught eating children in the back of the library. That would have shifted the vibe significantly. The editors decided that was too scary and demanded he change it, so instead Mr. Mortman eats flies and live fish and turtles, and frankly, shoving a live baby turtle in your mouth and eating it whole is in many ways more disturbing than eating children. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

But in all seriousness, this change dramatically changes the trajectory of the story. If Mr. Mortman is eating kids, then it's not such a bad thing to dispatch of him at the end -- that's The Good Monsters killing The Bad Monsters, right? But if he's just minding his business and eating out of his terrarium, who exactly is he hurting? How long has he lived in the neighborhood without bothering anyone? If Lucy had left well enough alone, would everything have been fine?

I also can't help but read this with a little whiff of...well....

Mr. Mortman is written as a kindly, soft-spoken, effeminate man. He has soft, clammy hands and a pudgy little body and a bald head and loves to talk about books and spends time in a dark library having one-on-one chats with kids.

I don't know whether it was Stine's intention, but Mr. Mortman feels like exactly the kind of guy folks would accuse of being a pedophile -- if not today, then certainly in the 1990s where homophobia and pedophilia accusations were mixed up in a big toxic slurry. And that he is emphatically not preying on children (he's eating turtles!) then that to me casts this entire story in the light of an innocent gender-nonconforming man whose life is quite literally destroyed when he's in the crosshairs of a panic.

And THAT is truly horrifying.

If You Liked This, THESE Will Really Give You Goosebumps:

The title and general conceit of the story is, obviously, derived from the Aesop's fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. There's a 2010 stop motion film adaptation of that story, if that's your jam.

Stephen King's novella The Library Policeman is like the adult, dark, all-your-fears-are-true version of this book. Read for a terrifying glimpse at a monstrous librarian who does prey on children, and the CSA isn't just subtextual. This book lives rent-free in my head, but go into it heeding all the warnings.

For another story about someone who insists on spying on someone and bites off more than he can chew in the process, watch Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.

For a couple other stories about people whose lives are destroyed by pedophilia accusations, try The Hunt (2012) staring Mads Mikkelsen, or try reading Gillian Flynn's Dark Places.

For a much more fun look at kids trying to reveal and hunt monsters, check out the vampire classic The Lost Boys.

[just-animaxiz]

Spike's Hatred

Here's the thing: Scrapped Robots don't hate humans - instead, they specifically hate the Ninja and McFist. In Escape from Scrap City, Spike revealed to Ninja and McFist that they're taken to the arena for their crimes against Robo-manity, which is...

McFist taking Viceroy's credit for the robots and when the robots failed, he had them immediately scrapped and disregarded

The Ninja destroying the robots McFist sent after him and taking them down in their weak points

The thing about that is that Randy is trying to protect himself while McFist is pushing every bots in to take him out. It's revealed SO MANY TIMES that McFist is abusive towards the robots, while Randy does show compassion but still attack because they are a threat to him. For example, he doesn't immediately destroy Dale / Q.T Bot because Dale isn't a threat until that 180 degree backstab.

To Spike and the rest, however, the two had never given them any sign of mercy, but McFist is more commonly targeted because of how egotistical and threatening he is. More proof stemmed from the Rise of the Planet of the Robo-Apes where they all went ape mode because McFist refused to cooperate with their strike and tried to push them to just kill the ninja. This makes all of Scrap City the most hatred for McFist than the Ninja in my case, because of his awful behavior towards them.

I can imagine, in the Scrap City episode, Spike came up to McFist looking sympathetic and obedient. This gives the idea to McFist that they still respect him by showing obedience, but once he turned his back on Spike, Spike looked at his friends and made a barfing expression. It sickened him to say these things to that man.

Speaking of which, the way they tricked McFist is seen as more manipulative and personal than the Ninja's trick. For the Ninja, Spike chose Dale as the operative to lure them in because of Dale's looks; however, for McFist - they took action to pity him. They gave him the throne, the higher advantage, and the idea he could take down the ninja all by himself. They made him feel like the highest, which makes him vulnerable to the betrayal.

Why they didn't bring Viceroy in, though? Didn't he make them?

Well, for obvious reasons, he didn't appear in Scrap City. For other reasons, Viceroy did make them for the same idea, but unlike McFist, he's not extremely abusive. That doesn't mean he's free from their hate, though.

Viceroy is pretty much ignorant of how the robots were treated, not thinking of the potential ideas they would gain their own sentience. He doesn't show sympathy in the Scrap City episode, but just narrated the history and left it there. The only robots he had are just selected few he adored, like Otto, but it still made him just as worse as McFist in terms of treatment.

He's even aware of creating a strike mode and ape mode whenever they need to protest against McFist, yet still no compassion over their abusive treatment.

This would make directional relationships between the McFist family and the Scrap City robots too. Like Bash is similar to McFist, and if Spike knew how much Bash treats everyone, he would give him an ol' boot to the stomach. Doesn't matter if Bash is in high school - he needed a lesson just like McFist.

For Marci, and while she's lovely in her own way, she's in the same area as Viceroy. She was ignorant of the abuse and even sided with whatever McFist is scheming up. If Spike ever encountered her, he would give her the silent treatment in a disgusted manner, thinking that even the sweetest can be deceiving to him.

Overall, the robots do not like McFist and the Ninja, but boy - they really REALLY REALLY HATE McFist because he pushes them around for no reason.

[ncisfranchise-source]

You may have questions before sampling CBS‘ NCIS: Origins, which launches Monday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c with a double-episode premiere.

Well, since Rule No. 15 tells us to “always work as a team,” let’s see if TVLine can’t dot some I’s and cross some T’s for you, ahead of the prequel spinoff’s debut.

Opening in 1991, NCIS: Origins follows a young Gibbs as he starts his career as a newly minted Special Agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office. There, he will forge his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by the legendary Mike Franks.

Austin Stowell (A Friend of the Family, Secret Life of the American Teenager) fills the role of Gibbs (played on the original NCIS by, of course, Mark Harmon), while Kyle Schmid (SIX, Big Sky) channels a young Muse Watson as Franks.

The series regular cast also includes Mariel Molino (Promised Land) as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine with a dark sense of humor; Tyla Abercrumbie (The Chi) as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes, who has wryly dubbed herself “HSIC” (Head Secretary in Charge); Diany Rodriguez (The Blacklist) as Special Agent Vera Strickland, a no-nonsense Brooklynite who’s tough as nails; and Caleb Foote (Made for Love) as Special Agent Benjamin “Randy” Randolf, the “golden boy” tasked with showing Gibbs the ropes.

Read on for answers to a dozen questions we had, and maybe you do, too….

01

DON'T WE KNOW ALL OF THIS ALREADY...?

To longtime NCIS fans who assume that across 19 seasons with Mark Harmon‘s Gibbs — including visits from Muse Watson’s Mike Franks and a smattering of flashback episodes starring Harmon’s son Sean as a young Gibbs — they already know everything about Jethro’s beginnings, “I would tell them, they don’t know as much as they think they do,” says co-showrunner David J. North.

On NCIS, “We talked about things, and we had little flashbacks that we went to, but that doesn’t come close to getting into the texture of what could be explored there,” North explains. “Seeing Gibbs arrive at NIS on Day 1, and seeing how Gibbs became Gibbs…. there’s so much to explore. Even for [co-showrunner] Gina [Monreal] and I, every day in the writers room is something new. When I was writing the mothership [NCIS], I never pictured Gibbs exactly like this, but of course he would have done that, of course there was a time when he actually learned where his gear is.”

Adds Monreal, “Gibbs as probie, we’ve not seen that before. We’ve not seen that dynamic between Gibbs and Franks.”

02

HOW WILL NCIS: ORIGINS DIFFER FROM ANY NCIS BEFORE IT?

The series’ co-showrunners had just reviewed the first dailies from the premiere before sitting down with TVLine, “and as proud as I am of what we’ve built at NCIS, this doesn’t look like that,” David J. North shares. “Tonally, we’re a little darker, and the whole look of the show, we wanted it to look current yet ’90s, and I think that our [set designer and DOP] delivered that perfectly.”

Monreal zeroes in on the juxtaposition of the “big orange” NCIS squad room where “they have everything their fingertips” and the Quonset Hut at Camp Pendleton from which Gibbs, Franks et al work: “It’s just so messy and gritty and underfunded, and that’s been really fun to explore.”

03

DOES YOUNG GIBBS HAVE FAULTS?

After all, the older Gibbs who we got to know over nearly 20 years of NCIS was the sharpest and savviest, if not chattiest, of Special Agents. But as a probie, will he have rough edges that need sanding?

“I wouldn’t call this a ‘fault,'” says Monreal, “but when we’re meeting him [in 1991], he’s so fresh out of the Marines, and that is a totally different perspective than we’ve seen. We’re seeing him transition to being a civilian and a civilian agent, and that gives him a different kind of shading than we’ve seen before.”

North then chimes in, alluding to the failed psych eval mentioned in the series’ trailer.

The recently widowed Gibbs’ “biggest fault, in a large, 30,000-foot sense, is taking a job as a Special Agent at NIS that he maybe is not ready for,” the EP offers.

04

IS MARK HARMON PROTECTIVE OF HIS 'YOUNGER SELF'?

Is Mark Harmon, as Gibbs’ longtime portrayer (and an executive producer on NCIS: Origins), protective of the character he created? Has he set up “guardrails” for just how green (or even bumbling) young Jethro can appear to be?

“No,” co-showrunner David J. North answers. Rather, “He’s as hands-on as we want him to be.”

Harmon is “there for us to talk through things, if Gina and I can’t come to a consensus on something,” North elaborates. “If we’re not sure which way to go, left or right at a fork in the road, and we need another opinion, he’s there for us. Mark’s not going to bulls–t you. And he’s certainly there for Austin [Stowell, who plays young Gibbs], which has been a huge thing and obviously is important to us.”

05

WHAT IS THE GIBBS/FRANKS DYNAMIC LIKE?

In two words? “Boss” and “probie,” says co-showrunner Gina Monreal.

“The way that Austin [Stowell] is playing it, the way he looks at Franks, you can see the bit of awe in his eyes, which is so interesting for both of the characters,” the EP shares.

“I describe them as ‘there’s nothing I love writing more,'” adds North. “Seeing Gibbs in these situations that you could have never imagined Mark in has been wonderful.”

Situations such as…?

“The other day, Gina and I said to Mark, ‘Did Gibbs ever ride in the back seat of car?’ And Mark said never, in 20 years. Because Gibbs was the leader.” So, expect to witness that “first” in the series premiere.

06

AGENT VERA STRICKLAND? THAT'S A DEEP PULL, NO?

Diany Rodriguez’s Special Agent Vera Strickland is a character first played by Roma Maffia once — and only once — in a random Season 11 episode of NCIS. “It is a deep pull,” co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal acknowledges, “but we looked at the timeline and she would have been there [at Camp Pendleton]. She was described [on NCIS] as Franks’ first partner,” though that is no longer the case when Origins opens… and for conspicuously vague reasons.

“Vera has some mysterious elements as well,” Monreal teases, “so being able to flesh out a character that was so clearly defined in that one [NCIS] episode has been really fun, for sure.”

07

WHAT SCENE STEALERS SHOULD WE WATCH FOR?

Tyla Abercrumbie as “Head Secretary in Charge” Mary Jo “is dynamite,” raves co-showrunner Monreal. Adds North: “She’s so, so good.”

But most every character gets a fun moment to shine in the double-episode premiere. “There’s a scene between Mariel (as Lala) and Diany (Vera) that’s really great, and powerful,” North previews.

08

WILL WE MEET A YOUNG DWAYNE PRIDE? HETTY LANGE?

Younger versions of Mike Franks and Vera Strickland (characters played on NCIS by Muse Watson and Roma Maffia) appear on NCIS: Origins. In success, could the prequel one day also cast/introduce Gibbs to circa-1991 versions of Dwayne Pride (played on NCIS: New Orleans by Scott Bakula) and/or Hetty Lange (NCIS: LA‘s Linda Hunt)– the former of which Jethro met as a young agent? “Sure!” affirms North. “I don’t think we want to say no to anything.”

09

WAIT, HOW CAN GIBBS' ESTRANGED DAD BE A PART OF THIS?

When the late Ralph Waite first guested on NCIS, it was established that Gibbs and his father had not spoken since Jethro’s wife Shannon’s funeral, in 1991. So, how will Longmire‘s Robert Taylor figure into NCIS: Origins, playing a younger Jackson?

Addressing the canonical conundrum, co-showrunner David J North says, “We did solve it. We’re very aware of the canon and what’s been set up, and we’re working within that. But I’ll say this: Jackson is an important role, and we’ll see the influence of him on Gibbs.” 

10

REMIND US, WHAT IS '90S CRIMESOLVING TECH LIKE?

Gotta reach an agent in the field? Ping their beeper.

Need to report back to the office? Hunt down a pay phone, or use the wall phone in the dead petty officer’s kitchen.

Need to walk everyone through the evidence? No smart boards here! Grab a bunch of thumbtacks.

Such 1991 constraints are “wonderful,” North avows, because “it pushes you to solve the stories in ways that’s not just fingers flying over a keyboard, or answers popping up for Kasie in the lab. It pushes us to go further into character, and that’s what we’ve done.”

11

WILL THIS 'GRITTIER' NCIS STILL HAVE HUMOR?

Yes, by way of the characters played by Caleb Foote (“golden boy” Special Agent “Randy” Randolf) and SNL vet Bobby Moynihan (forensics lab boss Woody Browne), among others.

“Woody is this overworked guy who’s working the forensics/fingerprints thing, but [in 1991] everything takes forever,” North says with a laugh. “The crew had to try to stop from laughing when [Bobby] was shooting, he’s that good.”

12

IS THERE A REASON WHY ADULT GIBBS, AS NARRATOR, IS TELLING US THIS STORY? NOW?

Yes, NCIS vet Mark Harmon will occasionally appear on-screen, as the older Gibbs relays this story of his NIS beginnings… to anyone in particular?

Why is he looking back on this time in his life? Now? Is he being interviewed? Writing a book? Maybe it’s (gulp) an epitaph of sorts?

There is a reason, North assured me.

He and co-showrunner Monreal later elaborated in an email, “As the creators of the show, we viewed Gibbs telling his own story as an enormous opportunity to actually get into the head of one of the most iconic, enigmatic characters ever.

“As far as how we’re getting this peek behind the curtain — meaning, in what way exactly is our beloved Gibbs telling us his story? — that will be answered on October 14th,” they promised.

[secret-origins-crossover]

SECRET QUARTET UPDATES

I was waiting impatiently for the poll to finish and dare I say, I have never been more excited for the next part- especially because this is set after the first installation. Now, one thing I'm sure all of you are curious about: can ghosts be stanked?

Much like what I said about Akumas, no- this simply isn't possible for, well, a few reasons but that will come later, so you'll just have to wait! (as for halfas, the answer to that question is also being left ambiguous-)

This does mean that whatever happens in the next part won’t be involving ghosts being affected by the Sorcerer’s magic- now whether ghosts exist inside Norrisville, well, we’ll just have to see won’t we? I do like to think ghosts aren't a common phenomenon everywhere because of other reasons

For now, these are my current forming ideas. Either Danny ends up in Norrisville somehow (which would be partially dependent on the timeline-), or Randy is sent to Amity Park as a result of... other reasons. This is a bare minimum draft to say the least and I have some stuff that will be included immediately and the rest will be added in as the series continues!

I will say that Danny’s going to be having a time if he’s the one to arrive in Norrisville. Poor Danny gets to go through the burner during a lot of this- he is one of the protagonists after all hahaha

Though I decided to use this time to explain some of the lore and information about this AU people are still interested in (which I’m admittedly surprised about-), so without much further ado- let's get right to the point!

Also, one last thing before I start: this takes place before the season two finale of RC9GN for what I feel is kind of obvious, but moving on-

Lore Dumping + Headcanons

Something that was canonized in the first installation: not all heroes are aware of another- due to certain restrictions and, well, some magic of the universe... a lot of the organizations basically were sanctioned off to specific locations as a way of maintaining the peace. What this means is that clashing will go down at first- perhaps not between the main heroes but say, a certain council with other groups but we'll get to that later

Norrisville does not have a high concentration of ghostly energy since there isn't a portal (natural portals are an entirely different story; i'm more referring about something like what's at fenton works-). This didn't really need to be said but just in case! I'm shoving it into the lore dump anyway

Randy faces a lot of pressure just for being the Ninja but without the added knowledge of other heroes- he's genuinely living the best life and having fun while still being the protector, though we all know this won't last. I also will say this is going to explore the whole thing with the tengu but I'm not sure how much just yet-

Could someone else be shloomped inside the Nomicon? Hahaha, you'll find out later- I thought about saying it, but decided to hold myself back for now. I will say this: the Nomicon is still a sentient being and, well, who is able to go inside it (since technically, in one of the episodes, Howard did but I'm not sure how far into the RC9GN 'canon' it's set in-) has some rules to it

Danny and Randy are obviously different in terms of personality- having them work together is going to come with its challenges, but I do think they'd have a good partnership going. They just have to get comfortable with one another

I'm trying to keep myself from saying things about future installations lol, but- I will say that so far, Vlad has zero connections to Norrisville. This one-shot is going to be a little different and that's all I'm going to say for the time being

If anyone's curious about the difference in strength between Danny and Randy- well, their methods of combat are different so, do with this what you will for now :)

As of right now, there are no confirmed ships within the series! To be honest, I don't fully see it as important but it may show- just... not right this second

So far, this is all I got! It's getting a little late and I am honestly really tired which means posting will have to wait until later, but do expect more content soon! I am very excited for the continuation of this project to say the least!

Goodnight, my lovely readers!

[destiny-in-the-universe]

and we are back on the hyperfixation train-

seriously i cannot stop with the never-ending brainrot when it comes to randy cunningham so, if anyone is genuinely interested in seeing more rambles about this show because honestly the gears are turning lol, both due to my incoming crossover and just- things in general?

it’s late, the ideas aren’t flowing as well as i’d like right now, so in the meantime have a series of random headcanons

RC9GN Headcanons

~ Since magic is a thing in the universe, I’ve always envisioned that creatures from Japanese folklore/legends/etc coexist with humans- however they mostly appear in other plane of existence and don’t interact with mortals at all- i know this doesn’t make sense yet but it will,, when it’s not past midnight lol

~ I’m firmly convinced Plop Plop and Howard could be part of the same bloodline (Howard is 100% a descendant of Plop Plop, this is just canon lol i was there i was uhhh, howard’s shirt /lh)

~ this is practically canon but Plop Plop is?? practically immortal?? Could the same apply to the First Ninja? (because he’s now just sort of in the nomicon- like is he technically immortal bc his soul’s trapped in it so to speak)

~ ADHD Randy. Like how could he be anything but? I mean look at him

~ Julian is 100% some breed of ND, as is Howard. I make the rules this is canon now

~ Can I please just have the idea that Randy continues the mantle of being the Ninja post-grad? Like, don’t mind wipe him i’m begging- but also, consider he does forget and then something happens where it triggers his memories back- could make an au out of this but not right now,

~ There’s no way half the characters are straight lmao

~ I just watched the reveal episode and I like to think Viceroy sabotaging the robot because, well, Randy’s 14-

~ absentee parents for Randy- like. how does he get away with half the things he does? where even are his parents

~ Howard clearly has abandonment issues. I seriously need this being a thing more often-

~ caretaker Howard- to what level would the suit protect Randy?? I genuinely think Howard patches Randy up whenever he gets injured bc of literal ROBOTS

~ Randy 100% has self esteem issues?? (living in shooblivion was a perfect example of this-)

~ Heidi also has ADHD

~ Adoptive Parent First Ninja. I will not accept anything less-

~ Randy is a summer child. Howard was born in winter-

~ Game Developer Howard? I need this

~ Randy is a bit of an artist. He can already play instruments- so I say let him know how to dance, maybe not an expert but he knows his moves; also, he can sing- he does vocals in his and Howard’s band

~ not really an hc but if i don’t get more lore for the tengu i might actually go insane lol (what is the connection between the ninja and the demon bird-)

~ so. Randy, this kid- istg if this wasn’t an episodic, lighthearted kids show, he would be so traumatized. ptsd for Randy

~ Asian Randy- I’m not sure which one just yet

~ another Randy hc- I need Randy being a descendant of the Norisu 9-

~ Theresa your crush on Randy is so freaking obvious-

~ SIR, hello?? Not exactly a headcanon but I swear to everything- Randy and Debbie are a disaster waiting to happen. The identity reveal has me screaming, and honestly I wanted more; aka I need a more angsty version of the same episode istg

~ am I the only seeing Mort pseudo-adopting Randy??

~ there will be more to come but not right now- this pup is taking a slumber,, they are eepy

[hottiemcdottie]

I was re-watching some early episodes and there is more than one time that Monk says, to Sharona or to someone else, that he "can't do this without her."

Big fandom wank below the cut, relevant to no one except Monk fans who ship Monk and Sharona.

When I first got into this show when it aired, I was about 16. I was already a big fan of both Tony Shalhoub and Bitty Schram, and was interested to see them play together. It was very beautiful, of course, clearly a labor of love, and I could overlook some of the silliness of Monk because they were she such a good team. Their relationship was the heart of the show. But Sharona is the real heart of Monk's life, and I'm still not over the fact that they didn't end up together.

No shade to Randy, he's 20/10 a cutie and a hottie and deserves to be happy. Maybe with a girl he'd had a chance to develop a real on-screen relationship with?

I think it was the circus episode where Sharona is terrified of elephants that made me really think about it-- I first noticed in the carnival episode how Sharona looks down and away when he mentions Trudy, and that her face is sad. it's a very good and subtle acting choice on Bitty's part but it says what Sharona is feeling.

Here is this man, this brilliant, damaged man, whom she has brought back to life because for some mystical reason, he heard her when she woke him out of his sleep trying to follow Trudy to the grave. That's not what a nurse's function is-- so yes, she performed the clinical aspects of the job for him (which it honestly seems were minimal given that he never took medication or was physically incapable of caring for himself) but it would be silly to say there was some kind of clinical reason for how she called him back from the underworld and he heard her.

Bear in mind that Sharona was an emergency room nurse before she worked with Monk. Stottlemeyer is the one that saw her and something made him decide that she would be good for Monk. I added something about that in my last fic where Monk asks Stottlemeyer why Sharona and all the captain can do is say, "I saw an angel in that ER that night and I knew if you wanted to live she'd be your best chance."

Now that's just my fluff and was never really explained in the show, but there's no objective reason why Monk ignored everyone else but heard Sharona.

So here is this man; this brilliant, damaged man who so obviously loves Sharona so much, but with the mess of his illness in place he can never express it fully or offer her the support she offers him. At the time of the show, it can't be a partnership of equals (even if Sharona told her mother that Monk is her partner, not her boss). He is much too preoccupied with solving the problem of Trudy's murder to be able to fully express anything concerning Sharona, even as his body language and his eyes and even his words indicate it.

That's why it comes out of him the way it does-- "I can't do this without her" because he doesn't have words to express how vital she is to him. And he doesn't have the capacity at the time, even if he recognizes it somewhere in his consciousness, to understand what effect he's having on Sharona.

Monk does tell the coma guy he recognizes that Sharona is lonely, and more importantly, that he recognizes he is jealous-- that he doesn't want Trevor to take Sharona away from him.

Even more important, though, is that we so rarely hear or see Sharona react to all of this. It's all down to the physical acting when it comes to hearing about Trudy (and though she grieves his loss with him you can see it hurts her to hear about it all the time when she's right there next to him). Sharona never complains about it. She yells at him sometimes about not doing what he needs to, but she never complains about always, always being second place to a memory.

And Monk never notices that she never complains about it.

And Sharona never complains that Monk doesn't notice.

She just let him make his home in her. She made him part of her family because he needed it, and he was so unwell at the time that he couldn't recognize it.

So to my original point about the circus episode really being eye opening about Sharona's feelings: she had the right to be angry, but the sheer hurt that Bitty Schram infused that performance with was so heartbreaking. Sharona is more than angry; she's devastated that he could be so callous to her when she is on call for him 24/7 with no reward beyond not enough money. She cries more than once in this episode. The personal aspect of their relationship is challenged in this episode and it's an indicator of an emotional intimacy beyond employer/employee. That intimacy is written into the show anyway, but it's at this point that we really see what it is in practice.

Sharona legitimately walks away from him. She finishes the day with him when it happens and she walks away from him. A bonus funny moment: when Sharona says she'd marry the Elephant Man before she'd marry Monk, he looks back at her like "we'll just see who you marry, won't we?" as he leaves. Also, marriage is an interesting topic to bring up between employer and employee.

And Monk, being both a man and an anxious person, has taken for granted that Sharona understood his feelings for her and never expressed them. This is why he's so upset that she won't talk to him. He does love her and care about her, but there's so much mess in the way from his mental health that he doesn't remember to show her the empathy that would prove that love. And if there's anyone on earth who has the right to expect some empathy from Adrian Monk, it's Sharona Fleming. It would also be major progress for him.

When she's on the phone with him, those expensive and perfectly-matched tulips in front of her with that blank card, that's more function of their personal relationship, because she takes the time to explain to him that he can't just say the word "sorry" and everything be okay. I don't know employers who send their employees expensive, perfectly-matched flowers. Even with the blank card, because he lacks the words to express himself, it means a lot.

And he has to learn that it isn't what Sharona was afraid of, it's that she was afraid at all, and he scorned her for it, which she never does to him. Dr. Kroger was right to tell him he had to figure it out for himself, so that in the kitchen when he does start to get it, he makes another step forward in progress, and that is always good.

Because eventually he has to be shown that he can do this without her, however much he doesn't want to. Tony Shalhoub made sure to show in season 8 when Sharona came back that he was never really over her leaving him.

I look forward to seeing Sharona in the Monk movie.