#things i would have passed off as a coincidence in any other season

[ragnorfalling]

dalek invasion of earth rewatch time for susan theorising

i cant believe they land on a fucking SUNDAY you have got to be kidding me💀

[k-s-morgan]

What is your HC for Will’s sexuality? Do you see him as bisexual? Also if we only consider canon, is Will a straight man who happened to fall in love with one man (Hannibal)? Sorry for my ignorance here as I am not part of the queer community, but if a straight man falls in love with just one man in particular and doesn’t feel attracted to others, is he considered bisexual? Because I think this is where Will fits. I personally don’t think he’d be attracted to any other men, just Hannibal.

What do you think?

Hi! I don't have a clear headcanon here, but I enjoy speculating because I adore Will as a character.

To note, I won’t be relying on Bryan’s words in this meta as he gave us three different versions of Will’s sexuality, where he called him heterosexual with Hannibal being his possible exception (Bryan: I feel one is omnisexual and one is heterosexual and there's a lot of influence going back and forth, who knows with a six pack of beer what would happen), hinted at Will’s bisexuality (Bryan: You can have this intimate connection with somebody that then causes you to wonder where the lines of your own sexuality are), and implied that Will might be gay (Bryan on Twitter: “YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO BREED” #SUBTEXT #HANNIGRAM #WhatAreYouBecoming). These tags point out not simply to Will’s darkness, but to the other things he (possibly) represses.

So, I think only the show itself should be taken into account when discussing this topic. On the surface, we see Will interested in Alana in S1, sleeping with Margot in S2, and marrying Molly in S3 — and of course, falling in love with Hannibal in the process of all 3 seasons. However, the three women in his life are united by some common aspects — namely, 1) they are perfectly safe and ordinary (with maybe Margot being an exception, but her own sexuality plays a role in this); 2) Will never develops any real emotional connection with any of them. To be more specific.

Alana

We first hear Will referring to Alana in E1 of S1, when he just distantly calls her by her last name. In the course of their time together, Will never seeks Alana out himself. It is Alana who comes to his class, or to the hospital, or to his home — Will does flirt with her, and he kisses her first, but he never appears genuinely interested because he never seems to think about her unless she comes to him. The only exception I personally remember is in E8, where we learn that Will called Alana and invited her over to help him find an animal that was attacked by coyote. Still, the script offers an interesting bit here.

WILL GRAHAM: I invited you over on the off chance we find it alive. Hard to wrangle a wounded animal by myself. (then, realizing) Did you think it was a date?

ALANA BLOOM: Honestly, it never crossed my mind.

Will is at first relieved, then almost disappointed.

So, why relieved? And why flirt with Alana at all if he isn’t actually interested? As I see it, Alana is a very normal, perfectly safe and socially acceptable choice, a nice beautiful woman whose acceptance is clearly important to Will. We know that Will is fighting his demons all the time — he desperately wants to be normal, to bury the darkness inside him. I would say, to him, an acceptance by such a normal person as Alana would mean that there is nothing wrong with him and that he can be normal, too. Now, I can’t say if it was really planned or if it is just a set of coincidences, but I think that the theory that makes most sense is that Will was attracted to Alana’s normalcy first and foremost. He craved an ordinary life at that point, and Alana was someone who could give it to him. The more time passes, the stronger Hannibal and Will’s bond gets, the colder Will acts with Alana. By S3, he doesn’t even know that she had a child and who she is with, so they obviously do not keep any contact. For these reasons, Will never appears emotionally invested in their relationship to me — he remembers about Alana only when she comes to him, like he is only interested in her because she is the only woman he is friends with, someone he doesn’t have to try hard with.

The only aspect that points to the sincerity of Will’s attraction to Alana is his words to Hannibal — that he wanted to kiss her since he’d met her as she’s very kissable. I can interpret it in two different ways. Will can be truly attracted to Alana or he might be so repressed that he thinks he wants things that he doesn’t (and we do have a precedent here — Will tries to deny who he really is in regard to his darkness for quite a long time).

Margot

I think we can all agree that Will was never emotionally interested in Margot. Like with Alana, it is Margot who seeks him out, and Margot is the one to initiate sex. Why does Will agree to it? Just because he wants it? I think it is possible, but I also think it’d be a little out of character for him for several reasons. Will knows Margot has some agenda. He knows she is not interested in sex with him because she admitted she is a lesbian. When she makes her move, Will tells her, "I've got the wrong parts for your proclivities". So he knows the truth, yet still agrees to have sex with her, and during this process, he doesn’t really see Margot. He sees Alana, Hannibal, and a Stag Man– a being that symbolizes his and Hannibal’s connection. More than that, he reaches orgasm only when the Stag Man appears. So, it is equally possible to read this scene as Will’s attempt to engage into the most natural activity in the world — sex with a woman, but he still fails at it by dragging a man and a monster into it.

Molly

Molly is a character who seems alien in the world of the show because she’s the embodiment of normalcy. Will marries her, and we can surely assume they have sex, but from the first seconds of their scenes, it is clear that emotional intimacy between them is missing. Molly and Walter go fishing, an activity that Will enjoys deeply and that could be a uniting hobby for him and his new family. However, Molly and Walter go alone, Will stays home. In all their scenes together, Will never initiates contact between them — he never attempts to touch Molly, sometimes even going out of his way to avoid it. In the hospital, after Dolarhyde’s attack, Will still doesn’t touch her, though his hand twitches as if he considers it. In the second scene, he touches the pillow near Molly’s head, which is so awkward and embarrassing that I’d personally never be able to tell these people are married. The most important thing, Will doesn’t return her ‘I love you’, which is very deliberate. Hannibal tells him that he has chosen a ready-made family, and Will doesn’t argue with it. He goes to Hannibal at the first opportunity because he missed him, not because he needed his help, and then after Dolarhyde’s attack and after learning Hannibal is in love with him, Will easily discards both Molly and Walter and we never see them again. He basically breaks up with Molly back at the hospital, as if her first contact with something not normal taints her in his eyes, breaks the normalcy he thought he needed from her.

So, it is clear that Will never really developed emotional bonds with women in his life. Was he truly attracted to them, or did he like them for the cover of normalcy they could potentially provide for him? I wouldn’t be surprised if Will turned out to be flexible, bisexual, or gay, as it is really open to interpretation and there is enough subtext to support every version. I used to think that Will was bi, but I also wonder if his possible repressed homosexuality could be one the factors that made his fight with himself so intense. Taking into account the area where Will has grown, to him, it is bad enough that he is a killer — he’s also a gay one at that. I think it could enhance his struggle through S1-3 and his slow realization that adhering to social norms in all ways does not make him happy.

Then again, I think Will’s sexuality doesn’t actually even matter at this point because after all seasons, there is only one person who is going to be a permanent part of his life, among all men and women — Hannibal. We have seen that neither Will nor Hannibal can tolerate the other’s partners, and with rich sexual subtext between the two of them, I believe they will easily move forward in their relationship post-fall.

[butterfrogmantis]

So before I get into the backstory I'm going to do a little species bg since this a brand new species! Ironically yeti's have always been super low on my 'fave mythical creatures list' but here we are, some Butterverse specific lore;

Greater yeti's, usually just referred to as 'yetis' or occasionally 'abominable snowman' are the artic cousins of their warm temperate cousins the sasquatches. Both are large ape-like creatures, roughly 7-8ft tall and known well by humans. One such greater Yeti is known to the Smurfs as the guardian of the snowflowers.

Pygmy yeti's, by contrast, are much more elusive and rarely documented by anyone, not even Smurfs. They're similar sizes to small size fae, though many are much larger than Smurfs (This guy is not but he's on the smaller size for a pygmy yeti). They more closely resemble something between a polar bear and a deer. Interestingly, they often use the identifying names of both too - with children all being 'cubs' and adults separated into 'bucks' and 'does' (since they're a sentient species I suppose any nonbinary pygmy yeti's would just go by a 'yeti' instead). Both biological male and female pygmy yeti's grow antlers, although only the males grow 'manes'.

Both greater and pygmy yeti's are largely solitary, although occasionally groups of females in particular may raise several young communally, or yeti couples might live nomadically as a pair. Diets are largely scavenger/carnivore based since they live in cold climates and you take what food you get. They don't change fur colour in summer but do shed like crazy and tend to have shorter, lighter coats in warmer seasons that may occasionally have some brown whilst still being mostly white coated, similar to polar bears.

Right now that the biology stuff is out the way, on with the backstory of this particular guy!

So Yukio was actually found by Explorer - he'd been up a few of the northern mountain passes looking to mark off previously uncharted territory up there and see if there was anything worth taking for himself. Whilst exploring a particular cave, he found a small … thing. Stuck in corner, arm bleeding, and hissing at him like a spicy kitten. It was totally unexpected and honestly mostly a coincidence he even found it. Now Explorer has his faults but he's not evil, and even he wasn't about to leave this bear-cub looking thing, especially since it was injured. He's not very paternal but he does his best to try and get some story out of the creature, and when the cub refuses and says he's fine on his own, Explorer takes matters into his own hands and smurfhandles the child back to the village because he'd rather do that than leave it to die, nice guy /lh.

Whilst in the village, Sorcerer does his best to attend to the child, whilst Papa researches (the cub was particularly stubborn and refusing to admit to anything about himself). So now they had a bit of an issue - at this point there were two other non smurf infants in the village, but both were babies and it had only been at the kindness of Blacksmith that the village Goblin had been adopted, so there wasn't anyone really willing to take on an ?? especially one so stubborn. So it ends up being Sorcerer that just sort of looks after him, and starts to develop a sort of older-brother bond, whilst Papa EVENTUALLY finds some rough notes about Pygmy Yeti's and realises Smurfs know nothing about them. The cub does eventually give his name; Yukio, and explains he'd been travelling with his group who were attacked by a stoat on the mountain - he'd been bitten first but his father had jumped in to save him, leaving Yukio just enough time to escape, but he got lost and decided to hide out. As of current, their fate remains unknown, since despite the Smurf's best efforts, they were never able to track down his family either.

Yukio ends up growing up in the village, though he's initially very mistrusting of most of the other's, despite anyone's best efforts. For this reason he's never officially adopted by anyone, and by the time he is warming up to others he's pretty self reliant for a kid.

Yukio does however quickly become well known for demonstrating his caving abilities - it's a natural habitat of pygmy yeti's so he feels quite at home in the mines and caves that members of the dirt boi committee frequent. I think my original Spelunker can stay as a Smurf, he just becomes one of the guys Yukio does end up taking a liking to. He sort of views a lot of the DBC as uncle-ish figures eventually. He even takes a liking to Skelly - perhaps more specifically, Skelly's bones. Poor Skelly he already had to deal with Puppy jkgdk. Unfortunately wherever you find Skelly you usually find Archie, and Archie tends to defend him bcuz look at that face how can you be mad at that cute little bear-deer face. And since Archie also frequently needs help navigating ruins and tombs, Yukio is a big help. In the way that Nova is closer to Pal as an uncle-figure bcuz they share an interest in fossils, Yukio is closer to Archie.

Yukio also gets on well with Miner, since again, caves. And being a similar age to Miner's daughter Lapidary means the two often work in tandem, with her being more knowledgeable about the actual things they're looking for, and Yukio being the muscle, so they're good friends.

So … there he is! Part of the older-mid ng age range but not actually A next gen, just looks up to a bunch of not-uncles :)

Archaeologist (c) The Smurfs

Yukio and Skelly are mine

[humbledragon669]

Season 1 Opening and Closing Credits

This write up will likely end up feeling a bit scatty, partly because there are a lot of different bits and pieces to cover, but also because that opening credits scene is, to be quite honest, a little bit frantic. There’s a lot of stuff going on in there, despite the fact that it’s less than a minute and a half long. I’m intending on covering all of the opening credits scene here, so to make things a bit easier to digest, I broke it down into what I’m calling tableaus. The intent is to describe what we can physically see happening in each tableau before offering any observations on them in turn – it was the only way I could really see to break it all down. Lastly, there’ll be a quick summary of the music for each of the end credit scenes. Hopefully that all makes sense, and gives the opportunity to decide you’re not all that interested in the upcoming content before you get too far into the weeds with me.

Opening Credits

Before I get going with tableau #1, I thought I might offer a suggestion as to what I think the story is that we’re being told by the animation that takes place throughout the credits. From what I could gather, it appears to be telling the story of the consequences of Armageddon actually taking place. I hope that story arc will become a little clearer as we progress through each of the tableaus.

There’s one other thing I want to address before getting into the nitty gritty, and it won’t surprise you that it’s to do with the music. Something I noticed very early on in my GO-related brainrot journey is that the theme tune is written in ¾ time. That along with its very characteristic bass line accompaniment would qualify it as a waltz, which were predominantly used as courtship dances. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the music we come to associate with this show is representative of a genre of music that was banned in some places because it was considered to be sinful. Subtext on multiple levels there methinks.

Side note: the original theme tune for the series was intended to be Buddy Holly’s “Everyday”, but when David Arnold presented the piece that he’d composed as a potential replacement to Neil, it was love at first hearing. It’s lovely that we got to keep the Buddy Holly song in the show in season two, as it was apparently something that Terry was keen about having as a theme running throughout the whole of season one.

Tableau #1

Crowley and Aziraphale (with Crowley in the lead) are walking through the darkness.

Camera pans out to show a barren landscape.

Straight from the off, we see Crowley and Aziraphale together, very much like in the show itself. The animation leaves us in no doubt that these two characters are meant to be seen as a partnership. It’s noticeable that the ground they’re walking on is curved, which would suggest it’s Earth they’re walking across, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the barren landscape gives the impression that the two of them are striking off into the wilderness together. If we tie that into the timeline and story, this scene feels like this is a representation of the two of them as they leave the Garden of Eden.

Tableau #2

Crowley and Aziraphale have been joined by a small procession of two hooded figures and a small demonic-looking being.

The landscape in the background has more landmarks – rocks and bare trees.

The camera has adopted a closer position to the beings in view.

A warped tree grows as Crowley and Aziraphale pass a particular point in the scene. An apple springs from it.

The small demonic-looking being runs ahead of the hooded figures and picks the apple from the tree. He carries it out of the tableau.

The vegetation in the background grows more luscious as the scene moves into the next tableau.

The only observations I have about this tableau are unfortunately more like questions. First off, I don’t think I could say who/what any of the procession members are here:

Those hooded figures could literally be absolutely anything. And WHAT is that little thing at the back? It has a mohawk and sunglasses. I can’t recall any characters in the show that would fit that description. And why does he pick the apple and carry it away?

It’s almost like he’s trying to get Crowley or Aziraphale to take it (perhaps trying to tempt them with it?), but I don’t know why that would be.

Tableau #3

Foliage now thick, like a rainforest.

Flowers spring up from the ground as Crowley and Aziraphale walk into the tableau.

The procession has expanded with the addition of a bearded man, a nun, a different small being, and a priest.

There is a large cherub statue in the background.

A butterfly lands on the vicar’s hand, before flying across the shot.

The flowers springing from the ground is the second instance of foliage growing where Aziraphale and Crowley pass over, and it makes me wonder if the growth is either inspired or commanded by their presence. The apple has now disappeared from the tableau, but we have no indication of where it went, especially since the demonic-looking being that was carrying it has either changed or transformed into a completely different small being, one that looks an awful lot like Shax!

I realise this could be a representation of Madame Tracy, but there’s something about the sunglasses that makes me feel that’s not right.

Knowing that nothing ever makes it into this show by accident, I find myself wondering if the butterfly in this scene has been put there to suggest transformation.

We certainly know by the end of the season that both Aziraphale and Crowley go through actual physical transformations in the body swap, but the personal growth of many of the characters throughout the show forms a very important theme in the story too. And speaking of transformations, the device used to “transform” us from this tableau to the next is a large statue, which appears to be the back of the same one we can see in the background, or at least an identical one.

Tableau #4

Crowley and Aziraphale are sharing a glass of red wine whilst seated at a table.

The cherub statue from the previous tableau is still present in the background. Our point of view appears to be revolving around it.

The table is in front of a phone box.

The Bentley is seen in front of the bookshop.

There is a fire blazing in the upstairs window of the bookshop.

The instantly noticeable difference between this tableau and the ones that came before is that Crowley and Aziraphale are no longer marching as part/the head of the procession. In fact, it looks like they’re sitting at a table in a very lovely garden, what with the shady tree and the verdant grass in the forefront of the shot. What’s more, we can see the procession relentlessly marching away over a hill in the background. This tableau suggests to me that we’re at the point in the storyline where our hero pair have subconsciously abandoned their Heavenly and Hellish duties, happily settled in their own side, and with that in mind, I would say that this tableau represents the “present day” of this season as a snapshot in time. The flames in the upper floor window of the book shop are of course foreshadowing of what’s to come, and I do find it interesting that it’s there at all, major spoiler as it is, but it’s pretty fleeting as with the collage device used in episode 6, so perhaps the hope is that its presence won’t register with most audience members.

Tableau #5

An ark is resting on a building in the background.

The procession has had a few additions:

A brass band.

A hooded figure on a horse holding a scythe – Death.

A man in a top hat.

The alien being from episode 4.

A duck.

Something that looks like a rat.

A nun.

A second bearded man.

The procession is watched over by a demon (looks like Usher, the small demon that was used to test the holy water in episode 6).

Towards the end of the tableau, the procession starts to proceed up an escalator.

From certain angles, the building that the ark is resting on (or has crashed into) looks a little like the building that hosts the entrances to Heaven and Hell, though quite why this would have happened, I’m not sure.

There’s a change in the music in this tableau too, to what I will describe from this point on as theme #2. It’s probably most recognisable as being the tune to the lullaby that Aziraphale sings to Adam, although it is used throughout the season for a multitude of other scenarios. Interestingly, the change in tone in the music isn’t accompanied by a change in tone in the animation.

We see the first appearance of one of the four Horsemen in this tableau. In a sort of round-about-face way, the first we see in the opening credits is the last we meet in the storyline, the last to be called, and the last to be dismissed on the tarmac in Tadfield. I do like that Death has been put on a horse in this setting, making him a literal horseman as well as a metaphorical one.

This is the first tableau that Aziraphale and Crowley are nowhere to be seen in. If my theory about the story being told is correct, perhaps this is to show events continuing without their awareness, but I feel like that’s a bit of a stretch.

Tableau 6

Procession now proceeds along a moving walkway.

Additions to procession membership:

Weird tall being that looks like a bear.

Something that looks like it might be from Atlantis?

A short being of human appearance.

Small being carrying an “END IS NIGH” placard.

Somebody in a hazmat suit.

Something wearing some sort of face mask.

An additional dark figure on horseback – Famine.

Another unidentifiable short being.

The short demonic-looking being from the procession in tableau #2.

The backdrop now is of a night sky containing nebulae and galaxies.

Crowley arrives from the left and hovers over the procession.

The UFO from episode 4 appears and collides with Crowley, who is thrown of course. The UFO, now smoking, begins a descent into what will likely end in a crash.

I don’t have an awful lot to say about this tableau, other than it being the first time we see Crowley or Aziraphale without the other. It’s also the first time we see the transition into the next tableau being led by movement downwards, instead of from left to right.

Tableau #7

UFO crashes through a layer of cloud to reveal a descending escalator carrying, what appears to be, a procession consisting of a different set of people.

Aziraphale is hovering above the escalator and observing the descending procession.

Aziraphale deliberately flies into the UFO, causing it to explode into a shower of fish.

A single being can be seen ascending the escalator, against the flow of the procession.

It was at this point that I realised that if the escalators were supposed to represent the entrances to Heaven and Hell, with the beings on them going to their final place of rest, Aziraphale and Crowley were in the wrong places. You’d expect the angel to be watching the beings on their ascent to Heaven, wouldn’t you? So I actually think this might be a representation of the start of the war between Heaven and Hell, with forces from Hell ascending (perhaps invading?) Heaven, and vice versa. The presence of Crowley watching over, or perhaps feigning participation, would be more fitting in this case.

Unfortunately, the procession on the descending escalator is too far from the camera POV to make out individual members. The being going up the escalator instead of down is the mysterious little Shax-lookalike we saw introduced in tableau #3.

I’d quite like to know a) how that being got there and b) why they’re going against the flow of traffic. Perhaps they’re just late to the invasion of Heaven.

The shower of fish is a nice little callback to something that was used as a device on more than one occasion in the book, and was even intended to be used for the show in the original script but was unfortunately cut. It’s good to see it as a little Easter egg here in the credits.

Tableau #8

Backdrop is now of a wood or forest. The remainder of the shower of fish can be seen falling through the trees and into water.

Aziraphale and Crowley are now together again, with Crowley leading the way.

A military ship comes into view. It holds a lot of passengers, and definitely has members of the first procession on it. There is now a white figure on horseback present – Pollution.

The camera POV pans under water to provide the next transition.

It’s unclear whether the passengers on the ship are of members of both of the processions we’ve seen (mostly because the only shot we’ve seen of the second procession was too far away from the camera to make out distinct characters), but they seem to be mostly from the first procession. It’s also unclear as to whether Crowley and Aziraphale are simply observing the ship and its passengers, pursuing it, or even trying to overtake it.

Tableau #9

Backdrop is now of an ocean floor, complete with a kelp forest.

Crowley and Aziraphale are hovering over the procession in the same formation as the previous tableau (with Crowley in the lead).

The procession is now very large, with many members carrying placards and signs.

The kraken appears in the background, watching over the procession.

The procession starts an ascent up a hill, leading into a destroyed cityscape in the background.

Crowley and Aziraphale deliberately exit this tableau, accelerating out of shot.

The camera point of view focuses in on the head of the procession.

There is now a red-headed figure on horseback present – War.

The procession is now being lead by the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

There are some objects that we can see floating through the ocean during this tableau.

They look quite like plastic bags to me, so I wonder if this has been put here as a social commentary of the seemingly incessant need for humans to pollute the oceans. I think this tableau, with all four horsemen leading the procession, is representative of Armageddon having actually occurred, with the procession consisting of beings who are all now marching forward to be judged. Interestingly War was the last of the Horsemen to join the procession but the first that we are introduced to in the show, and the first that would be called upon in a nuclear holocaust situation.

Tableau #10

Backdrop is now of a destroyed cityscape.

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are now at the rear of the procession.

Madame Tracy and Shadwell ride Madame Tracy’s scooter across the tableau, in front of the procession.

Aziraphale can be seen observing the procession from the top of a road sign signalling the M25.

The repositioning of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse suggests that their roles have shifted from leading the procession to ushering its members. This makes sense, given the backdrop of this tableau suggests that Armageddon has happened by this point.

Tableau #11

The procession continues up a rock bridge.

Backdrop has become a stereotypically “Hellish” landscape.

We can see the back of Aziraphale and the road sign he sits on as we pan into this tableau.

Crowley is floating above the procession, apparently observing.

The Shax lookalike demon can be seen running against the flow of traffic at this point.

The procession is being watched over by hellhounds (one in the background, an additional one in the extreme foreground).

We can see parts of the rock bridge crumbling under the weight of all of the beings in the procession, which brings my attention to the fact that there have been sound effects added to the soundtrack for certain things – these crumbling rocks, the flutter of wings, the pop of the UFO as it explodes into a shower of fish, and the roaring of the hellhound as the camera passes by. It adds to the impression that this isn’t just a credit sequence needed for logistical purposes, but that it is telling a story in its own right. It’s also possible to see that the procession participants not only look distinct, but have different walking styles too. It’s a tiny detail that would go amiss by so many, yet would have taken a lot of effort to implement. There hasn’t been anywhere for me to give credit to the animators in my write ups prior to now, so this is their chapeau – well done all, little things like that really add to the richness of this show.

Tableau #12

We see a view of the end of rock bridge and a bright white light in the sky.

The supporting pillars crumble as the camera approaches the end of the bridge.

I don’t have a lot to say about this tableau, partly because it’s very short but also because it has the least amount of content to it. As the penultimate tableau in the credit sequence, it’s the only one that takes place from the point of view of the procession.

Tableau #13

Point of view returns to a side view of the procession.

We see the front of the procession approaching the end of the rock bridge.

The Shaz lookalike can be seen, once again, running against the flow of traffic, away from the end of the bridge.

The camera perspective changes as it passes the bridge’s supporting pillar. It’s now further away and the light in the tableau is much stronger.

Members of the procession start to fall off the end of the bridge, some gaining wings and flying upwards, others falling straight down.

The camera pans out to show the title card for the show whilst procession members continue to march off the end of the rock bridge in the background.

That weird little Shax lookalike is busy running away in this shot, not once but twice. Once before the camera pans across the bridge’s supporting pillars:

And again, right after:

There seems to be a bit of a continuity error here, as those two gifs lead literally one into the other. What I really want to know though, is who or what that being really is, what its purpose is and why is it almost always travelling in the opposite direction to the rest of the procession.

And so we come to the end of the road (quite literally) for the procession. We can see the outcome of the judgement for each of them as they either ascend to Heaven or fall into Hell. Strangely, Crowley and Aziraphale aren’t present to see any of this – it makes me wonder if they’ve decided to flee to Alpha Centauri after all, seeing as in this series of tableaus it looks like they failed to avert the end of the World. Perhaps the halo over the “O” and the little devil tail on the “M” of the Good Omens title card is meant as a representation of their presence, albeit transformed somewhat.

End credits

Episode 1 end credits

Description: “The Theme That Got Left in the Car”. Queen-style symphonic rock of theme #1 from the Opening Title music.

Notes: links to the episode through the introduction of Queen as the music mascot for the show and its general feeling of impending doom. It’s orchestration also sets the scene for the epic nature of the show. One a personal note, and I know I’ve mentioned this before, this is HANDS DOWN my favourite piece of music in the entire season. I love absolutely everything about it – the wailing guitar, the operatic piano, everything about is JUST AWESOME.

Episode 2 end credits

Description: string quartet fugue-style of the Opening Title music. Has an extended theme #2 section and a variation on this theme before the return to theme #1. Not included on the OST album.

Notes: this version of the end credits theme offers an incredible contrast from the thickly layered version from episode 1. Its tone brings to mind an Austen-style ball, and although that would link beautifully with some of the concepts in season 2, I struggle to find how it connects with the episode content here. It’s beautifully crafted nonetheless.

Episode 3 end credits

Description: 60s instrumental style setting of theme #1, complete with Hammond organ and hand claps. Has an exploratory middle section and a distinct “Tarantino” feel. Not included on the OST album.

Notes: links to the episode through the 1967 flashback scene. There was, of course, a whole host of historic periods David Arnold could have chosen to use as the theming for this particular instance. Perhaps this was just the most fun to write.

Episode 4 end credits

Description: sounds like circus music! May use a calliope, or uses instrumentation to achieve that type of sound. Encompasses the entirety of the Opening Title music and includes a key change in the theme #2 section (the only end credits music that does). Not on the OST album.

Notes: I would argue that this piece offers the most obvious representation of the characteristics of a waltz, despite its very different instrumental setting. As with the episode 2 tune, I struggle to find the link to the dark episode content with this version, which is cheerful to the point of insanity.

Episode 5 end credits

Description: pipe organ fugue. There is a choir that joins to punctuate the phrasing towards the end. There is no other instrumentation. Not on the OST album.

Notes: I was told by the head of department when I was doing my music degree that the most evil instrument in all music was the pipe organ. He argued that if you ever ask somebody to think of “evil music” they will instantly summon the sound of a pipe organ, most likely the first movement of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which I think this piece is heavily influenced by. It links beautifully with the cliffhanger of impending Armageddon at the end of the episode.

Episode 6 end credits

Description: “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” by Tori Amos. ‘Nuff said.

End credits general notes

The breadth of styles encompassed in the 5 different treatments of the Opening Titles music is, to be frank, astonishing. Each one is entirely convincing as an example of the style its written in, which really just goes to show, at least as far as I’m concerned, that David Arnold is nothing short of a genius. It’s really unfortunate that only one of these can be found on the OST album - I can only assume that this is due to a need to keep the album to a certain length. Honestly, I feel like each one deserves its own full musical critical analysis, but it does not appear that the score is available.

And there we have it. I said it might be a bit scatty, didn’t I?! Also long. Sorry about that, I didn’t think it would take as long as it did to analyse one and a half minutes of opening credits! As ever, questions, comments, discussion: always welcome. See you next time 😊

[jewwyfeesh]

The Lost Tome - 2

Writer: Mitsuki

Characters: Suou Tsukasa, Mikejima Madara, Sena Izumi, Narukami Arashi, Tsukinaga Leo

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Leo: It’s not good for your body if you’re always angry ☆

[ ♪ ]

Season: Autumn

Location: Yumenosaki Academy Walkway

Izumi: (Where the hell did the King run off to? Tch, I can’t find him anywhere.)

(Though… Rather than saying I can’t find him at all, I have a feeling that Ou-sama’s trying to hide from me on purpose. I know he’s back in school, but I’ve searched high and low and checked every nook and cranny — there’s literally no way he can’t be found.)

(Perhaps someone told him in advance? Only Kasa-kun and Naru-kun knew that I’d gone looking for our King back then — just who ratted me out?)

(Must’ve been that Shitty Okama, getting on my damn nerves again! Sure, if you wanna play tag, I’d gladly keep you company till the very end!)

(Hm? Mikejima and Anzu are up ahead. I’m unsure if I’ll even be able to glean some information off of them, but it doesn’t hurt to try.)

Madara: Someone’s full of energy! An angry Izumi-san is truly a vision to behold! Though, Anzu-san, there’s no need to be afraid! You can rest assured, Mama will handle it! Hahahaha!

I’ll help you answer any questions Izumi-san may ask.

Izumi-san, fancy seeing you here! You’re truly a sight for sore eyeeeeees…!

Izumi: Hello…

While bumping into you both doesn’t necessarily make me feel any happier, but since we’re already here, I suppose it’s worth a shot.

Did you see the King? If you see him, notify me immediately. If not, get lost, stop blocking the road. I need to find that idiot today.

Madara: I did not see Leo-san at all… ☆

Though, aren’t you prickly today! Did something happen?

Izumi: Hmph, telling you won’t help me in my search for Ou-sama, would it?

But whatever. You have a good relationship with him, don’t you? I was hoping that when you find that idiot later, you could help remind him of some things.

Although Knights has been doing better after the King’s return, to the point where others have been praising the resurrection of a powerhouse unit…

But slacking off for that particular reason is unacceptable. Complacency on the battlefield is but a sure-fire way to send oneself to ruin; and yet, the King is capricious as ever.

That’s my motive behind looking for him today — I need to teach that idiotic Ou-sama a lesson!

Madara: (Ah, so that’s the reason behind Izumi-san’s actions… Izumi-san’s prioritising Knights' wellbeing, but I’ve already promised Leo-san to safeguard his secret. I’ll be sure to pass Izumi-san’s regards on to Leo-san later.)

Though, what’s that in your hand? Is that a sword? A furious Izumi-san brandishing a sword… How majestic, hahahaha!

Izumi: This? This is Ou-sama’s toy, as well as evidence of his negligence.

That guy would sometimes skip on practice; and if that wasn’t bad enough, Knights events too! This time, he even brought a f**king toy to practice, as if that isn’t just throwing gasoline into a blazing fire! He’s really pissing me off!!!!

Leo: (So that’s what happened… Sena’s treating that sword as some sort of toy.)

(At first, I’d thought of hiding here to eavesdrop on what Sena and Mikejimama could be talking about, but ended up hearing something rather disastrous.)

(Although I do disappear… sometimes… But this misunderstanding is something that must be cleared up.)

(As they always say, one must take responsibility for their actions! Everyone does that! Okay! I think it’s better if I reveal myself.)

Yoohoo~

Oh? Sena! What a coincidence, seeing you here.

Why’re you so angry? Did someone upset you? Eh? You somehow look even more displeased — your face’s all red.

It’s not good for your body if you’re always angry ☆

Izumi: For f**ks sake, you acting as if nothing happened… The one pissing me off is you!

Ou-sama, you… I… I don’t even know what to say anymore!

I need to cool off and get my thoughts in order. Aaaargh, sooooo annoying!

Ou-sama, ditching our practice is one thing, but our events too! Hmph, don’t think I’m in the dark about it. I’ve asked the fans at the venue, and they all said they’ve seen you! Don’t you dare try to bluff your way through this!

This time, you’ve even brought this toy to practice! I hope you can very well offer me an explanation!

Leo: Oh, that’s not a toy, it’s a sword. It’s because the book from earlier really got the creative juices flowing! In my search for the feeling of being a knight-errant, I specially commissioned someone to buy a sword for me.

Though, I’ve completed the piece, and so happened to have bumped into Sena! Here, here, you have a look too~ ☆

Izumi: …………

Leo: Sena, you’re looking hella confused? Why? What’s wrong? Is it because my composition was too amazing, and you got a shock from it~?

Izumi: Excuse me? Don’t go around blindly trying to guess what I’m thinking!

It– It’s not a bad piece I guess… But, don’t think that you’re able to wriggle your way out of the mess from earlier just because of this particular outcome. I can see that you’re doing your part too, so I’ll let you go this time.

With that being said, could you please be more involved in our activities and practices outside of composing? Are you even aware of what it means to be the leader? Don’t just disappear as and when you like!

Tsukasa: Sena-senpai, Leader, I would like to request that the both of you cease your fighting. The members of Knights should all get along with each other; now really isn’t the time for us to be demoralized and disunited…

Arashi: Tsukasa-chan’s right. Everyone should coexist in peace~

Izumi: Kasa-kun, don’t just run over and start pulling me away— I wasn’t fighting with Ou-sama, the situation is not what you think it is. And, why are the both of you here?

Tsukasa: That’s because after you left, Narukami-senpai and I came to the conclusion that you’d gone to look for Leader; judging by your furious expression, we were worried that a large Conflict would come to pass. Thus, in order to avoid such a scenario, the both of us came over to mediate……

But uh… Are you sure the both of you aren’t quarrelling?

Madara: Relax, Tsukasa-san. As a bystander, I can testify that the worst of it is over, and that the both of them are getting along rather swimmingly, hahahaha!

Though I am curious to know how this happened in the first place? What about this book that you mentioned? I’m super curious about the source of inspiration for Leo-san’s song! And don’t forget to tell me what happeneeeeeed!

Izumi: Good lord you’re annoying as hell, Mikejima! Whatever, I’ll tell you what happened, I guess.

[ ☆ ]

← Chapter 1 | Story Masterlist | Chapter 3 →

[gluechugger]

REDDEADHEAD AU RUNNING MASTERPOST

I can’t stop thinking about my deadhead au and I have so much to say about it that I can’t even put it in a post like I have a running list of character deaths and songs and things I want to draw and band t shirt virtue signaling and anyway here’s some ideas

Updated last: 9/11 8:00pm

tw for character death,drug use

Feel free to like this post! I would love any kind of feedback even if this is mostly here for me to reference!! Maybe don’t reblog since it’ll be updated often.

Drawing ideas;

Strauss in a Rammstein shirt.

Mary Beth printing her zine at the Fed Ex print shop.

Tilly and Grimshaw listening to The Slits together

Arthur watching cartoons with Jack

Im going to make a post with bands the gang listen to individually. Ie: Arthur likes Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. John likes Korn, Deftones, and various other numetal.

An mtv playlist that embodies the gang

Blurbs:

The house is a character in itself because most of the events of the games take place there or in town. I imagine it’s somewhere in backwoods Kentucky/southern Indiana ? That’s probably where Dutch’s artsy parents settled down and bought the house which he inherits. Dutch’s dad dies in Viet Nam, his mother passes later in the early 80’s. The house is probably close to Bloomington/IU where his parents went to school. The residents of the house in the winter of 1998 would be Arthur, Dutch, John, Jack, Abigail, Louise, and Hosea would be living in the carriage house.

Sadie, Charles, Uncle, Grimshaw, Lenny & Sean(roommates) have places in town and visit often during the winter.

The house has 3 cats and one dog, kind of a fucked up looking pitty mix. His head is a little smushed and he’s not very smart but he keeps Arthur company. Most of the time the dog will go on the road with them, but Arthur rides back home with him for company. When they adopted the dog, Dutch wouldn’t shut up about how “ugly and stupid” the creature was and named it “George Dubbya” most of the gang call him Dubbya apart from Arthur who just calls him George.

All character ages coincide with 100 years before. Arthur born in 1963 and so on. Louise is one year older than John, born in 1972. Heres a very helpful timeline!

Jobs for the gang in the off season/when they’re home:

Most of them sell weed and psychedelics for Dutch but Arthur is the main breadwinner during the off season. He’s built a decent reputation in town and a lot of folks depend on him to deliver their drugs safely. Arthur also works for a frozen grocery delivery business(like the swans trucks) and brings home any thing that falls off the truck, keeping the house fed in the winter.

Dutch does not have a “real” job but makes enough to pay property taxes and utilities thru his illegal side hustles, mostly executed by those in the house.

Hosea is retired 🙌

Louise gets a serving job once she’s living in the house with everyone. She works at the Red Lobster in town or something like that.

Still considering John’s job, he might work for a construction company later in life but I’m considering giving him something like an airport security job in the winter.

Lenny manages a pizza joint where Sean is a pizza delivery boy. Instead of dying both of them leave for school but Lenny is older than Sean and leaves a year before him. Sean doesn’t know what to do without his roommate around and drives the gang crazy.

Charles lives in town and doesn’t tour with the gang. He’s married and lives in a trailer with his wife. Arthur sells to them and they get close during the summer of ‘98. Charles is a paramedic and is the first responder to Hosea’s car wreck. He gets the drugs out of the car before the cops show up god bless him.

(This is some wooey wooey esoteric shit so if you’re not into that please feel free to ignore this nonsense about the haunted house character) The house is absolutely haunted but after staying there most of his life, Arthur has kind of come to terms with it and is the best as far as dealing with the strange happenings. The way each resident reacts to the house is very specific and draws from their relation to the house. The house pushes people together and apart thru its seasons. It affects Louise in an attempt to drive her into Arthur’s arms. It gives Jack nightmares. John is not receptive to it. It keeps Arthur safe when he’s alone. It drives Dutch even further into himself.

Running timeline-ish:

(I will edit this after I post it shhhh I’m really just jotting things down 😭 I love writing shitheads and sometimes it’s hard to give them the respect and gravitas they deserve or don’t, especially when I’m just trying to work out logistics.)

Arthur has a public freak out in the early spring of 1998 when the gang heads out on the road and Dutch decides it’s not safe to keep him on the road while they’re actively engaged in illegal activities. Arthur agrees to some degree and heads home for the season. This feeling of uselessness plagues him for the rest of his life. He doesn’t return to the scene.

Louise has been kind of on the run since she escaped the troubled teen industry about 10 years back in 1988. She’s been sleeping on couches, stripping, hiding out in the party scene around LA but never secured a place to stay and has completely cut off her parents.

Dutch meets Louise in summer 1998 and they immediately hit it off and start going out. It doesn’t last long and by the beginning of fall 1998 Dutch is already thinking of a way to get rid of her. In mid October, Dutch swings back by the house to enact step one of his new plan to cut off two limbs in one strike. With very little patience or compassion for Arthur’s mental state, he knows spending the winter locked up with a basket case isn’t in his best interest. If he can get Louise to cheat on him with Arthur, he’ll have an excuse to kick them both out of the house. Dutch explains the situation to to Louise, telling her she has to pay $150 monthly for rent, chores she must maintain, and so on and so forth if she expects to have a place to stay for the winter. Arthur is not clued in on these plans, nor does he know that Louise had dated Dutch until she has the chance to explain it to him. Arthur’s only contact to the gang til they return for the winter is periodic calls from John or Charles who actually take the time to check on him. They’re pretty clueless on the Louise situation.

When Arthur hears the bus pull up to the house, he runs out side thinking he might get to see young Jack or maybe even Hosea, but the only person who steps out is Louise and the bus drives off. He doesn’t know the truth about what’s going on until he asks John for clarification over the phone but he can’t say much. Louise is free with the information she gives Arthur and Arthur is quick to understand Dutch’s intentions. He does his best to stay away from Louise for the rest of the fall, but it’s a fruitless effort and they end up sleeping together.

(Timeskip, will fill in later)

the following is moreso what happens within the red dead redemption 1 and 2 timeline.

Arthur OD’d in 2002 after acid broke his mind and he went on to harder drugs to deal w the mental pain. Like to think he and Louise managed to get an apartment together but Arthur missed his family too much to deal with it. Louise(ESPECIALLY, possibly trying to pass blame off because she feels responsible herself? Is she? Up to intetpertation), John and almost everyone else kind of blame Dutch for Arthur’s death(makes sense) and the gang dissolves. Dutch breaks when Hosea dies in a car crash, heading home for the season in fall of 1999.

Since John moved out, Dutch has been harassing John with CPS calls and other various insane threats. John shows up back at Dutch’s house in winter 2008 back where it all started to end this whole mess, shotgun in his hands, snow falling, crunching under his feet as he approaches the house. The recession has really taken a toll on the Marston household, cps calls are getting harder to deal with. Bill is inside helping Dutch defend his house and threatens John’s life. John didn’t come here with the intention to hurt anyone, but bill fires a shot in his direction and it comes far too close for John. In self defense, John takes Bill out with the shotgun. The whole thing culminates in Dutch climbing up on the roof in some wild display of ownership over his space and he looses his footing, falling to his death.

We fade to black and then a news broadcast comes on screen and displays the events of the murders: man shot trying to defend friend’s home, owner shoved off roof. No evidence pointing to killer. We pan out to see John, Abigail, Uncle, Charles, Sadie and 13 year old Jack watching the news broadcast.

[maple-leifarts]

INFINITE PARADISE - Chapter 1

A DSMP AU fic I had the idea for not that long ago actually! Hope you enjoy :D (warning pretty long lmao)

“Goooood morning New London! Thanks for tuning into Destrympia News—your one and only news station personalized for your region!” The annoyingly cheerful automated dialogue blared in the blonde’s face, almost startling him off of the steel ladder he climbed down. Tommy sneered at the cyborg announcer’s face in the fully colored hologram before him as it continued to spew about how wonderful a day it was, like it did every day. “Can’t you believe the great day we all have ahead of us? Our futures are guaranteed to be enjoyable, special, and unique thanks to our sponsor—and our planet’s loving caretaker—The Syndicate!!”

“If only you knew how bad it really is,” Tommy grumbled furiously. He reached the bottom of the steps and took off into the dank, dark sewers on his hoverboard—inconspicuous enough to fool anyone into thinking he was your everyday teen. But, truly, he was more than that. In both good and bad ways. He barreled out into into the streets, the morning light blinding him, and zoomed up past the buildings into the Skyway.

The bright lilac sky blanketed the skyscrapers of New London, each one miles high, shiny and black, and laced with their own glowing neon colors. Despite being 6 in the morning, the city was bustling with activity—people walked along the streets, shops opened, the Skyway was packed with other flying vehicles, and—as Tommy discovered from the news report—a festival was being set up on the other side of the city. “Make sure to stop by the Harvest Festival today! It will be open to the public at 7 and will have lots of activities for everyone—roller coasters, fun competitive games, sideshows, and fireworks tonight at 6! Thank goodness the festival is this week too, since the average temperature will be taking a huge drop as the autumn season begins-“

Luckily briefly interrupting the weather report, Tommy received a short text on his watch—“New place is in the festival”. He grinned, happy to hear the news. “I was hoping for an excuse to check it out.” He took a right and began his way downtown.

Tommy tuned out the news and watched his surroundings as he flew, memorizing the buildings and streets he passed. Having no clue how long he would have to stay in New London, it was best to get to know the city from head to toe and especially mark all possible escape routes in case he was forced to run away from anything or anyone. Which, unfortunately, was often.

Tom was stuck in his trance of staring at all the roads below him until the news report momentarily snapped him back to reality. “As of last night, 5 mutants escaped from the Syndicate HQ and are on the loose. No trace of them has been seen since around 1 last night, so they could be anywhere. The Syndicate has not submitted any photos of them, so keep a lookout for anyone that seems out of the ordinary!”

The blonde hummed and nodded knowingly. “If they’re smart, they’d be far from HQ by now,” he muttered to himself.

”And on that note, we have some related news—“

Tommy groaned. “Here we go again.”

”It’s coming up on the 2 year anniversary since mutants Tom Simons and Ranboo Beloved mysteriously disappeared from the HQ. We still have no idea if they escaped together, or if it was just a coincidence that they escaped at the same time, but all we know is that they haven’t been seen since.” Tommy rolled his eyes. There were two things wrong about all of that. One, he didn’t “mysteriously” disappear; the escape was plenty obvious. And two, he had been spotted lots of times. Apparently the Syndicate liked to keep quiet about it, and/or were embarrassed they hadn’t caught him. And just to clarify, he had never met Ranboo.

Two images now appeared in the hologram, the first being the “Ranboo” guy. He looked about 17 in the image and had fuzzy light brown hair in a short wolf cut that somewhat covered his piercing grey eyes. A strange metal mask hid the bottom half of his face and many tubes filled with a glowing orange liquid came out of the side and bottom of the mask and connected to something on the back of his head and to a metal plate/control panel sort of thing on his chest. He wore a plain black tanktop and stared at the camera with a mildly annoyed look on his face.

The second image was Tom, 16 at the time, blurred as he ran away from the camera looking furious. Unlike Ranboo, Tom in the picture wore extremely bright colors on black, to the point where it almost looked ridiculous. However, it didn’t distract from his electric blue eyes, which were blindingly bright and shone like headlights. The result of messing with a tube of Element X5, the element that fueled the entire planet when mixed with neon, when he was younger.

“Remember, if you see any of these individuals, don’t hesitate to tell your nearest Syndicate scout immediately!” the android in the hologram finished.

Tommy hastily gave his current outfit a once-over—a mahogany sleeveless jacket with a dark green t-shirt under, a black belt, dark brown cargo pants, even darker brown boots, a red-brown over the shoulder bag, light brown sleeves with diamonds cut out at the elbows, black fingerless gloves, a mahogany forearm guard on his left arm, a light maroon hooded cape, and to top it off, a faded green bandana wrapped around his eyes to hide the glowing blue. Nothing like the outfit the world constantly saw him in on the news and posters. One might call it a loss of identity, but he called it street smarts.

He finally looked up to realize he nearly missed the exit to the festival. He swerved and floated down to the entrance, which seemed to have opened a bit early. A good number of people already wandered through the food stands, played the games, watched the sideshows, and rode the coasters. It was quite overwhelming of the senses and full of distractions—bright flashing lights, screams and cheers, aromas of fried food, and much more. And the festival took up 8 acres. Tom looked at his recent text and sighed. “This is gonna take a while.”

[sugaredoleander]

on the death of the arrowverse & what we owe to each other

gonnae say something potentially controversial bc it's exam season & i have all my notifications off so if people get mad at me i won't even know (& most likely no one will see this anyway, my longposts tend to go unnoticed)

in honour of the flash season 9 premiering in february, here's my opinion:

not lending any of their screentime to the cancelled arrowverse shows is a selfish move.

we don't know that they don't have cameos because the season isn't out yet, but i'm going off things the showrunner has said.

i'm not calling them bad people but i am saying it would be a selfish move, and i am saying that as an artist and creator myself.

because as an artist, it is my first impulse to sympathise. i get having a creative vision, wanting to stick to it.

but Also, as a Queer artist, i value solidarity in art. i want to uplift the work of my more marginalised contemporaries. i want to stand with other artists.

the flash got a last season in a move that wasn't survival of the fittest but was corporate fuckery, this is proven, and then, as for the thing we don't have solid proof of - who are we fucking kidding?

like are we really going to pretend that just because we don't have solid proof of something that would be a PR disaster to admit out loud, but that, if you've been paying attention, you Know happens and not infrequently, that just because we don't have solid proof it's not the case?

like wow, what a complete and utter coincidence. the only arrowverse shows with leads that were straight, white and male survived the cull, whereas the show that, as of its next season, wouldn't have a single straight white man in its ensemble, and the show with a Black lesbian protagonist, got cut.

both shows with Ridiculously passionate fanbases as evidenced by the fallout (there were billboards. there were planes. there was even Beebo.) legends was the Only show on the entire god damn CW. with ratings going up.

are we really going to act like that has nothing to do with it?

the fact is, queer shows are always up against unfair odds because a lot of people don't want to see us on screen. because a lot of people don't want us to exist. we're inherently a minority & from a capitalist marketing perspective, that often means our stories don't matter. but we defy the odds, because that's part of being queer. but also, as an inherent minority, it's damn near impossible to do it without outside support.

it's a unique opportunity. on most networks with most shows this wouldn't even be an option for the creators, even if they did disagree with other shows getting cancelled, there really is nothing they can do about it.

but the arrowverse is Full of crossovers, it exists in this larger world. a world they didn't build alone.

so taking your final season & running with it when the people you really built this great big world with, the people you worked with on crossovers - the people who decided to tell more diverse stories - telling your story while theirs are left to end on cliffhangers? idk. as an artist i want to be understanding, as a fan i don't want to act entitled, but especially as an artist i feel that is a selfish move.

a unique opportunity is presented here, to make a move of solidarity & give their stories the endings they deserve.

and if would be a shame not to take that.

i get needing to wrap up your own story, needing to prioritise that. but let's be fucking for real, they get to do that anyway, it's a full final season. a last season is generally a place to bring back old characters & guest stars anyway, especially the flash and legends are pretty tightly woven together, with crossovers and swapped characters over the seasons.

idk. at the very least, like. the very least they could do is consult the writers of the other shows on the endings they Would have wanted their shows to have & mention them in passing (which wouldn't be anything new on the flash, they've mentioned other shows before). a few lines of dialogue, & it wouldn't be Worthy of the shows we lost but it would be. a nice gesture of solidarity, and some closure for the fans at least.

like as a fan, it really is my strongest feeling that i'm not entitled to much. i mean, what are we entitled to in this world, not fucking much. but the question is more, what do we owe to others? when i twist it around and think about it as an artist, if i was put in that position, then i'd feel real selfish doing nothing

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Ties Between FTWD, TWB and the Maggie/Negan Spinoff?

@galadrieljones:

I saw the ask about the Maggie/Negan spin-off and I do agree, it feels like a mystery. With Hershel being abducted, I find it interesting that we have that information but literally nothing else. It makes me think they want us to connect it to what’s currently going on in Fear.

Will it be airing at the same time as Fear?

If so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to set something up in terms of tensions between them. I’m trying to remember if there are any characters connected to Manhattan. We only know that the WB endlings have a faction in NY state, but not NYC.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Interesting! I hadn’t thought of connecting the Maggie spin-off directly to Fear, but that’s a great point! 👍🏻

I’ve thought about TWB too, as I said in the Ask. Even tho it’s NY state vs. NYC, so still think it’s a small enough area that the character paths could cross. And too much of a coincidence to think they’re not setting something up there.

After all, if Morgan could randomly stumble onto Daryl and Aaron in S5, who happened to know the exact guy he was looking for, no reason Maggie and Negan couldn’t encounter Iris and Elton. 😉 Here’s hoping! 🙏🏻

@wdway:

It's so funny guys because I've been thinking about this for the last few days and then this morning I read your ask, @twdmusicboxmystery, about TWD:DC Maggie/Negan's spin-off and plan on bring it up to you guys but other things got in the way. So this evening when I checked my phone I got excited when I saw that you guys had started to discuss it.

Surprise, surprise I have a few thoughts on the subject. The initial thing that I've been thinking about is the order in which tptb are airing the spin-offs. Earlier this week Fears final season part A air date has been moved until May 14 with 6 instead of 8 episodes which put the last episode in the first block ending on June 18th.

In the Comicbook article announcing the change date it said that Maggie/Negan spin-off TWD:DC would follow Fear in June. Since they're making a big deal about the spinoffs I can't imagine they would air Maggie and Negan's beginning episode on the same night as the last block episode of Fear so that means it would start the following Sunday on June 25th. 6 episodes would mean it would finish on July 30th.

San Diego Comic-Con this year is July the 20th through the 23rd. I tried to find some dates for panels but it only said that TWD's last Comic-Con was July of 2022.

Initially this surprised me because I cannot believe after all these years and what a big deal Comic-Con has always been that The Walking Dead Universe would not be represented. Then I realized that it is in how you ask the question and in fact the TWD original show from the comic did end and had its last Comic-Con in 2022 but since I didn't quite know how to phrase the panel question with all the different spin-offs. I don't know how they would group it together because I cannot imagine them passing up such a huge opportunity to promote the TWD universe spinoffs.

I'm going to speculate that this might be one of the reasons they push the dates back so that since Dead City will not finish its run until the 30th of July then they can still promote it during Comic-Con along with Fear and the other upcoming spinoffs.

From here on this truly is speculation but I don't believe that they would want to come back with Fear Part B directly after Dead City. That would only be a 6 week break.

We also know that the Daryl Dixon spin-off will air in 2023 so my best guess is Fear series final 6 episodes will air beginning September 3rd and end October 6th or start back on September 10th and end on October 15th.

Here's the thing I got excited about is looking at the dates. If Fear ends on the 15th that would mean that the Daryl Dixon spin-off will begin on October 22! That right 10/22!!!

Is it just me or does that date seem like a likelihood and a meaningful one? With the number 22 showing up in s5e8 Coda on a police car

and then later on a door in s1 of TWB, on the sailboat with Michonne and Virgil in s10e13 What We Become and in s11e21 Outpost, on another door in s11e23 Family in the scene where Daryl is carrying Judith who has been shot a replay of Coda.

It just seems like too much of a possible coincidence that they would not use that date for Daryl spinoff.

The other thing that I wanted to mention to you guys I do think there could be a possibility of Maggie and Negan's spin-off tying in with TWB since both spin-off's are set in NY state. It's just that I'm getting more of a vibe that Fear will give us something that will make sense or tie into the storyline of Herschel's kidnapping. We last saw Morgan and Madison searching for Morgan's daughter because she had been kidnapped. It just seems like too much of a lead in for Maggie and Negan's search for Herschel imo.

The other thing is and this is something I would love for us to discuss in more detail is how they left Al and her partner Isobel. They left the audience with the fact that they were in the Smoky Mountains and we know that Maggie was in the Knoxville area which is near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. There again it seems to be a natural lead in to the people who are targeting Maggie.

Just a few more things for thought.

One more 22 that I forgot to add to the above list. Series episode 22 was s3e3 Walk With Me. The episode where we find out that Merle and Andrea are still alive.

@galadrieljones:

I love all the date speculation. I really enjoy thinking about how these disparate pieces are going to come together in small but potent ways. I feel strongly too that what we learn in Fear must inform Maggie and Negan’s search for Hershel. There’s no way that what’s happening with Morgan isn’t on a crash course for what’s about to happen to Hershel.

The thing about Madison’s return is, that even tho I don’t love her character, her role is pretty compelling. All this stuff with kidnapped kids, and how it subtly informs situations, barely hinted at the flagship, it makes me excited for how it connects to Beth, as the nanny, the caretaker.

The episode Inmates always comes to mind, how her only goal is to find the children. At the end of Too Far Gone, the reason she isn’t on the bus and ends up with Daryl in the first place is because she bravely went back for the kids. It’s her first true heroic attempt, even as she is not successful.

It’s part of why I always compare her to the Biblical Rachel, who was the farmer Laban’s youngest daughter, beautiful, and who struggled to have her own children but who was a great maternal protector of her ppl. It really makes the Jacob/Daryl and Leah in disguise thing sing for me.

I mean Rick is the most important character in the franchise and Beth took care of his children. She was like part of his family. She was a quietly important character.

Also, I’m glad you brought up Al and Isobel. Remember too how Denis from WB told a story about his partner early on when he was a soldier in the CRM going awol in the Smokies. I remember doing the math on the coordinates for Isobel’s cabin and determining that it was only about 30mi from Knoxville.

This makes the Smokies a legit mention in all three shows. Maggie pinpoints her time in Knoxville to a couple summers ago, which could be a nod to the time difference with Fear.

I am purely speculating that possibly Al and Isobel were in hiding in Maggie’s community, which was then targeted by the CRM, as you suggested. We’ve also speculated that possibly Georgie has a CRM bounty on her head, or is some sort of CRM escapee. We know from WB that the CRM uses walkers to end their threats.

If this is the case, Maggie would just think a horde moved through. She wouldn’t know it was the CRM. It would just seem like things keep going wrong. Maybe Al and Isobel stay with them and move from place to place with them. Maybe they don’t even realize it’s the CRM at first, until whatever happened before Meridian. Then they take off. Maggie never mentions Al or Isobel, but we know she lost a lot of ppl. She might just assume they’re dead. Or maybe they went with Georgie out west.

This is why I feel we may see the Reapers again. Why they gave us that purposeful zoom into Michael Turner’s face. Maybe the Reapers were bounty hunters for the CRM for a time. Per the timeline it’s feasible that Leah was with Daryl when Knoxville went down, which is why she goes easier on her in some ways.

Remember too there’s this weird tension with Maggie and Michael Turner. He is the guy wearing the super classic reaper mask. He has it in for her specifically and follows her into the mall.

There’s tons of focus on him as the guy who throws his scythe at her at the end of that bizarre opening sequence in Hunted. Maybe (and this is huge speculation lol) he will reappear at some point, in a flashback, or in Fear as pertaining to Al and Isobel, and that’s why they were so certain to show us a close-up of his face in Rendition.

I spent a long time trying to find out who the actor is who plays Michael Turner and I could never find anything. Wonder why!

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Love all the discussion, Ladies! One thing I think TD has always been really good at is figuring out the logic of how/why tptb would do a thing. I honestly think that's why we're right so often. After all the stuff about kids being taken, how could Dead City NOT be about that, you know? And I think all your logic above is on point. 👍

@wdway:

The long ramble that I did about the possible air dates for Fear and Daryl Dixon spin-off I feel should be combined with what I wrote you @twdmusicboxmystery, in a comment for an "ask" posted the other day about my theory of why they bumped Rick and Michonne's spin-off until 2024.

A large part of the general audience doesn't seem to be able to make connections of how these spin-off's will all tie together to lead into a bigger story of a war with the CRM. I get why a lot of people cannot see this coming because for whatever reason they have not watched Fear since Morgan moved over to that series to slowly lay out over several seasons the storyline of the introduction of the CRM in the TWD Universe.

Even though The World Beyond was billed as a closer look into the CRM many viewers couldn't get pass the storyline featuring 4 inexperienced teenagers on a quest to New York to the Civic Republic Scientific Research community. They had little patience for the teenagers and what on the surface didn't seem to relate to the faster more action packed original TWD series.

My belief is that all of the spin-off's will eventually merge together into a new non-comic book based series. TWD Part 2 or TWD the Last Act. Whatever they decide to call it it'll be a continuation of the story after the end of the comic era with many of the characters from the original series that are not included in the upcoming spin-off's.

From Facebook:

Here's my theory about them pushing the Rick and Michonne spin off until '24.

First I agree what you said about wanting to focus the big story for 2023 being the Daryl/Beth storyline. The word epic has been thrown around a lot for both spin-off's so I don't think they want to put them necessarily back to back. I believe they want to establish or keep that fall Walking Dead series air timeline. You have people who have come so accustomed to having TWD during October and November and it is not a wise move to leave it open to movies or something random and people get used to looking at other networks during that time period.

Here's the real reason I think R/M spin-off has been moved to next year. The R/M spin-off should be able to finish their filming by late spring so they will have time to edit it and then it will air probably in February of "24 when TWD would normally have their second half of their season.

So they would be keeping their fall and winter TWD programming format. And this is where I think the long range plan is being set in place coming the fall of '24 we will have the spin offs coming together for the new series with the return of of many of others characters that are still at the CW/AZ.

I think a lot of the actors will have a nice break from after their spinoffs are done and the new series comes together. They can go and do their individual other jobs and still come back for a new revamped TWD that will have all the beloved characters that are still alive and will not have to work from the comic book. The things that people were so weary of having new characters without enough air time to care about them will no longer be an issue. I'm sure it will be a good size cast but not overly so. Filming for the new revamped TWD series would probably start next spring of 2024 and air that fall.

@galadrieljones:

All really good points, @wdway. It’s so easy to forget how much of the CRM undercurrent has been just outright missed by the GA. Even I initially dismissed WB till you all suggested I should watch it. It’s not the type of show I would normally watch, but I wanted to watch it just to understand the foundation of what was going on. So like are there ppl who saw that Rick coda and were just completely confused, or…?

[haaam-guuuurl]

Okay, so here's the thing: It randomly hit me, a few days ago, that the way Emily describes Peep, as a mortal exhibiting their fae bird magic, would make her a super cool D&D build (much like her other D&D daughter, Cat from TUC II, the future Aasimar paladin of La Gran Gata).

After that, it was an easy leap to "ooh, how cool would it be for Peep to be a character in ACOFAF season 2, sneaking into the fae realm for the first time and attending the next Bloom, which, for fae time wackiness reasons, could totally coincide with the amount of time that'd have pass for Peep to reach young adulthood??".

And after that, it was way too easy to jump to "But who else would be super cool to have in the party??" and immediately came up with like 3 other fully formed character concepts. Of course I flashed back to this post, too, because well fuck, this fancast is absolutely perfect.

So, if anyone's interested, have my proposal of the ACOFAF season 2 pack of pixies cast and characters:

Jasmine Bhullar as Phillipa Featherfowl - half-mortal, half-fey, with the power of flight and an affinity for birds, she has been kept in the mortal realm for her whole life, and forbidden from ever crossing into the fey realm. Tired of hearing all of her mother's and Uncle Squak's stories and wanting to break free of her moms' overprotective-ness, she has managed to sneak into the fey realm for the first time, and stumbles into the Bloom, without any idea of how to act within the fey nobility, but wanting to experience it all. She must get through the Bloom without anyone finding out her true identity, and most of all, without her definitely alive great-grandfather ever suspecting she even exists. (pronouns: she/her; class: sorcerer; subclass: draconic avian bloodline)

Erika Ishii as Wuvvy - the new master of ceremonies and mistrex of the Bloom, Wuvvy has a lot on their shoulders. Though she has assisted a number of events, this is the first Bloom she's in charge all on her own. She can do it, though, and will work her hardest to prove it to everyone, especially the deeply scrutinizing Court of Wonder, who's been watching her close since her promotion. They miss their best friend, and have mixed feelings about the Court of Wonder after everything that went down last Bloom, but they also love their work, and need this event to go off without a hitch, and are willing to fight for it, and to do anything for the perfect Bloom. (pronouns: she/they; class: druid; subclass: circle of the moon)

Krystina Arielle as Lady Sylmenar - lady in waiting for the Queen Titania, Lady Sylmenar has lived comfortably in the Seelie Court for ages. She's an invaluable confidant, sure, a friend, but still a servant, and even a disposable pawn. The Queen has many moods, and many needs that need attending, after all... She'd be a fool to give up this opportunity, though, this position that allows her, a humble low-born fey, to live amongst nobility. However, that's exactly what she's doing. Having acquired new knowledge about the dark goings-on of the Seelie Court, she arrives at the Bloom with one goal - to desert it, and maybe even bring it down. All as long as she isn't caught by the Queen, of course. (pronouns: she/her; class: rogue; subclass: arcane trickster)

Bob the Drag Queen as Baroness Alven - no stranger to scandal, the Baroness has had their share of former lovers and broken engagements. They're famous for it, in fact, and people have come to expect them to have the best gossip and always a secret or two to share. Between this position, which makes them invaluable in the Bloom, and their high position within the Seafoam Court, what else could they possibly wish for? Well, a way to save their home, perhaps, which has been weakened, and some say cursed, after the last Bloom's "festivities". And, maybe, just maybe, they could, finally, be looking for a true love match... (pronouns: they/them; class: bard; subclass: college of whispers)

Brian David Gilbert as James Michael Evans - new to the Bloom, to the fey realm, and to this entire thing, really, James is a human, brought to the Trickster Court on a whim from his hosts, or some might say patrons, as a lark, for their entertainment. He might be completely overwhelmed, and unprepared for both whatever this court throws at him (sometimes literally) and for navigating the other courts too, but he will not let this opportunity go to waste, of studying the fey realm closer than ever thought possible, and of perhaps increasing his own power, while he can. (pronouns: he/him; class: warlock; subclass: archfey patron)

Jasper William Cartwright as Duke Roshan - attending the Bloom for the first time in ages, the Duke strikes a mysterious figure, and everyone wonders about their intentions. Their home has certainly always been secretive, as the Stone Court has kept to themselves and rarely mingles with others or actively partakes in the Bloom, so to send such a striking champion this year has made waves in society. As for the Duke himself, he may be unaccustomed to the ways of the Bloom, but he has come prepared and focused, with only one mission, which he must keep hidden - revenge. (pronouns: he/they; class: paladin; subclass: oath of vengeance)

Disclaimer: yes, I do realize that if there were to be a Season 2, they would probably all come up with wholly new characters, instead of 4/6 picking up NPCs and bringing them to life, but you know what the problem with that is? Aabria's made the NPCs too interesting!!! I'm invested in having Lady Sylmenar find happiness! Peep sounds incredibly cool! Baroness Alven has so much potential! And I simply need to know everything about Wuvvy!! These concepts were just too cool for me not to want to expand on them, and even if it never comes to pass, I just needed to include them here.

Anyways, let me know if you like this! I've gotten way too invested in something that might never happen... Maybe if we all believe in ACOFAF S2 (and if we all badger Sam about it) it'll come true!!

@quiddie I am begging on my knees. And many many many more with me

[yumitsukiyoru]

The Journey of a Novice Weed Grower: From Seeds to Harvest

Exploring the World of Home Cannabis Cultivation

What if I told you that it’s no longer necessary to suffer from “anxiety” or “migraines.” That you can dispense with finding innocuous emojis to help launder those quarterly $60 Venmo payments to your “friend” from college. That the days of relying on the charity of an elderly in-law undergoing cancer treatment have passed.

While the City of Fredericksburg will hold Earth Day festivities on Saturday, for many of us April 20 has always signified a different — if not wholly unrelated — holiday.

As of July 2021, the Virginia General Assembly passed into law 4.1-1101, making it legal for a person over the age of 21 to cultivate up to four marijuana plants “for personal use.”

A year later, I decided to take our fine legislators at their word.

The Journey Begins

It started with a white envelope, no larger than a business card, with the words “Banana OG” scrawled on the front in red pen. Inside were approximately 20 seeds, generously gifted by a fellow teacher at my wife’s former school.

My dad always likes to proclaim that the internet is “the seat of all knowledge,” and when it came to growing weed, he was absolutely correct. The first stop on my informational journey was r/microgrowery, a subreddit dedicated to the small-scale cultivation of cannabis. Inside the community’s sidebar, you’ll find a “beginner’s guide.”

At this point, I find it necessary to make a few disclosures. I’m not exactly a novice when it comes to growing things.

Each summer, the small strip between my driveway and fence line teems with tomatoes, peppers, and — when the pollination gods gaze favorably upon me — zucchini and other assorted squashes (including an accidental pumpkin patch whose harvest coincided nicely with this past Halloween!). My herb garden stands as a testament to the potency of Fredericksburg’s feral cat colonies as fertilizer (wish I were joking).

I largely understand sunlight, water, airflow and soil as a growing medium.

So, in March 2022, I asked myself: “How different could weed be?” The next six months would hold the answer to my folly.

The Germination Process

Back to the white envelope.

I plunked a few seeds into a mason jar filled with tap water, having first allowed the water to sit undisturbed for a day to allow any chlorine to dissipate. The idea here is to soften the seed’s outer shell to expedite the germination process.

After approximately 48 hours, I saw one of the seeds start to… do something. A taproot had emerged. From there, I followed the advice on r/microgrowery of putting the primed seed in a disposable cup with a small amount of potting soil and placing it under a cheap plant light.

These nascent stages of life took root in my wood-paneled “three-season porch,” a room so thickly layered with tobacco as to resemble the age rings of a tree trunk. It felt like the right place for the seedy task at hand.

If you glean nothing else from this column, remember this: marijuana plants have two stages.

Vegetative stage begins when seeds sprout. Fan leaves develop and the plant, well, grows. It needs at least 18 hours per day of continuous light (up to as many as 24 hours) during this stage.

Each time the plant outgrows its container, you simply transplant it to a larger one.

The second stage is flowering. This can be triggered in one of two ways. If you’re growing indoors (usually in a reflective tent with a dedicated lighting setup), you switch to a 12/12 cycle, with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of total darkness.

By contrast, I didn’t have the space to grow indoors. Actually, I’m lying. As I’m wont to do when acquiring a new hobby, I “invested,” purchasing a cheap grow tent and lighting rig off Amazon.

As I write this, the box has sat unopened for three years.

The Art of Stealth Growing

Virginia’s law states that a home grower must “ensure that no marijuana plant is visible from a public way without the use of aircraft, binoculars, or other optical aids.”

In June I parked my plant, which had grown to occupy a five-gallon planter by this point, on the concrete slab next to the shed in my backyard. The denizens of Stuart Street were none the wiser as to my operation. To be clear, it’s one plant we’re talking about here.

Like Fight Club, the first rule of growing weed is you do not talk about growing weed. Silence is theft prevention at its finest. (Side note: it also aids your cause when every adjacent neighbor is 4/20 friendly, and, in one case, doing their own parallel grow).

Your weed plant needs training to be a good girl. And she must be a girl; at the first detection of male pollen sacs — which are a bit too on the nose as a gender identifier — the plant becomes instant trash. Training can consist of tying branches down or topping, a process that involves cutting off the top of a stalk to split it into two new ones.

I knew none of this during my maiden voyage.

Instead of a sturdy, bushy, plant tailored to maximize yield, I grew a marijuana tree. Seriously, by the time the changing of the seasons triggered flowering, it stood more than three feet tall and required a creative scaffolding of string and tomato cages to prevent it from collapsing under its own weight.

The Harvest

Fast forward a few months. An early November frost has turned my plant’s fan leaves from army green to a pleasing shade of purple. It’s time to chop.

I know this because, for weeks, I’d been using a jeweler’s loupe (basically a pocket magnifying glass) to check the trichomes on my plant’s buds. Trichomes look like dew drops; they’re very pretty. During the flowering stage, they change color from clear to cloudy to amber.

Depending on the desired effect, you chop between cloudy and amber. My harvest was closer to the cloudy end of the spectrum, as I was worried about powdery mildew due to fluctuating humidity levels and figured better-safe-than-shortness-of-breath.

I’d arrayed newspaper broadsheets (and we had no shortage of it due to my employer at the time) on our picnic table and had at the ready a standard-issue pair of Fiskars scissors. A third accessory that came in handy was a pair of gardening gloves — sticky icky is a rather crude but apt description for the not-yet-finished product.

The process as I elected to go about it is referred to as a “wet trim,” since it’s done before the buds are dried. I started with the large fan leaves, placing them in a bowl as I went. If you’re into hemp products, this is the material used to make goods.

The racks of a food dehydrator work nicely for drying the buds, a process that takes anywhere from one to two weeks with a fan running constantly for ventilation. This stage and the subsequent cure took place in my home’s second novelty space, a poorly retrofitted darkroom my wife and I refer to as the “murder room.”

And let me tell you, I killed it on my first try. After curing the dried buds in Mason jars for an additional two weeks (good things come to those who wait), my first harvest came in at a whopping *redacted for legal reasons* grams.

It’s been nearly two years, and the conception and subsequent writing of this column has served to reawaken my holiday spirit.

Who knows, maybe in a damp paper towel somewhere, seeds of future inspiration lie in wait.

Happy 420.

[archiemills10]

Thank you, Steve

Thank you, Steve.

Thanks for that night at Ashton Gate, thanks for the Play-off semi finals, thank you for Wembley and thank you for every home game last season.

Without you, those games, those scenarios would not have been possible, but you had this clever way of installing a belief, a unity, that ran throughout Nottingham Forest from the players to the fans. You gave us some of our happiest days and for that, Steve Cooper will forever be a legend in Nottingham. 

It says a lot about the man Cooper is that he has relentlessly had his name chanted by Nottingham Forest fans when the team has been 4-0 down away to rivals Leicester, in dire straights away to Aston Villa having not won for two months and again this season despite being 5-0 to Fulham with the writing seemingly on the wall. His connection to the supporters was unbreaking and he earned every last cheer he got. 

His time in charge of the Reds will go hand in hand with some of the best memories Forest fans will have ever experienced in their time supporting the club. For those who never got to experience the heady days of the Brian Clough era, this was the next best thing. 

Here was a man who made it his mission to restore a bit of hope to the club, a club which in truth before he turned up, had lost that loving feeling. 

Arriving on Trentside following our worst start to a Championship season with the club bottom of the table and the fans seemingly resigned to another year in the second tier at best. There was no real furore about his appointment - we knew what he had accomplished with Swansea, especially given it was his side that pipped Forest to the Play-offs a season prior, but there was largely little buzz given the fact that we had seen every single type of manager come through the doors in the past ten years, former club legends, unknown foreigners, experienced Championship pros who know how to get promoted, we had seen them all. Cooper was expected to be the next to try his hand and fail.

Something was different this time around, however. Maybe it wasn't the most obvious pairing but what happened next will go down in folklore. 

Firstly, there was the matter of restoring pride in the side, giving the ability for supporters to get behind a team they believed in and could be excited about. 

My first week as a university student in London coincided with Cooper’s appointment as Forest boss. Studying at a sports university, when I met my flatmates for the first time, the topic of who we supported was an obvious one. You can imagine the obvious answers I got from these people therefore, when replied with Forest.

“Rough start to the season for you guys.”

“Why do you support them then?”

Five out of the seven in the flat supported teams from the ‘big six’, and so, every weekend, it would be one of their games on the TV in the kitchen with only passing comments from them asking how we got on that weekend. 

I can't recall ever watching a Forest game together as a flat early on, not before Christmas at least and even then, it was only our FA Cup games against Arsenal and Liverpool that they ever paid any real attention to.

What I associate my first year of university with most, however, is the journey we went on. 

We got better and better each week (minus a few odd blips) and I remember getting to the point where I felt able enough to brag to my other flatmates about how well we were doing. By the time we made the Play-Offs, I sat them down, all weary eyed after our plane had only just got back from Italy and I made them watch the Sheffield Utd game. I wanted them to experience what Steve Cooper had given me and so many others that season.  

My flatmates may not have cared, they still don’t, but for the first time, it gave me something to be proud about. 

I had got to love and support Forest through my dad, a fan since the 70s who had developed into one of the most cynical supporters I knew. At the first sight of issues, he lost belief - this must have come from seeing the struggles we had been in since the turn of the century - a misery we’d shared since 2010. 

I think this was symptomatic of most Forest fans throughout this period. They would fool themselves into believing this could be the year, yet after several poor results in games we could have won, as well as the inevitable Christmas collapse (a yearly event), all that goodwill and hope would be gone. January would arrive, a new manager would be in place and the rest of the campaign would be about making sure we didn't embarrass ourselves. 

Steve Cooper did what none of the recent previous managers did, he changed how my dad and so many others viewed the club. 

There may have been a few bumps in the road, however, we never lost faith in what this brilliant, clever man had created - a team and a club with a positive, forward-thinking mentality. 

He changed our track record in the league, something that appeared to be an impossible task for so many before him.

I remember the first time I properly believed we would get promoted, Blackburn away at Ewood Park in February 2022. Blackburn were above us in the league, challenging for automatic promotion, however, I felt as though we were a much better side. Normally therefore, facing teams I felt we should beat would normally result in the exact opposite occurring, however, Forest put in a composed performance to win 2-0, leaving me with little doubt that we were in the hunt. 

Cooper made the team believe, he made the city of Nottingham believe. He also made sure we didn’t kid ourselves. We deserved to be there in his eyes, but he would never let us get ahead of ourselves, that part was key. Celebrating what we were achieving under his guidance therefore, felt necessary. The fistpumps, Forza Garibaldi and Depeche Mode - all of these things seemingly were now part of the fortnightly sensation at the City Ground with Cooper as the ringmaster. 

When we reached the promised land of the Premier League, following 23 years desperate to return, things were naturally harder as they always are for a promoted side. Not every game will be a victory, there will be moments when you contemplate whether we’re good enough, however, it’s important that you keep believing, keep the faith in the team and with Steve Cooper at the helm, it always felt like the captain of the ship had it under control. 

Let’s not kid ourselves, last season could have been very different. After signing nigh on 30 players, we had an entirely new team, players we’d have to grow to love, especially after losing the bulk of our promotion-winning side in the same window. At certain points in the season, fans would find themselves comparing the two sides, often feeling our Championship side would have done better, however, by the end, after we grinded out survival, the fans grew to love that group because they cared about the club - something I am in no doubt Steve Cooper drilled into them. 

Cooper got this club, he understood what being in the Premier League meant to the fans. His time charge allowed us to dream, have those dreams become a reality and then dream even higher. 

His place in Forest history will forever be cemented, with younger fans today likely to hark back to the 21/22 and 22/23 seasons in the years to come. For them, these are the glory years. They might not be quite the same as the success under Brian Clough, but they do now have a hero of their own, the man who galvanised their club in a job many thought to be impossible.

So thank you, Steve, forever leader of the Garibaldi.

[blueikeproductions]

Hasbro has always had a terrible ability to read the room, nor have they ever really truly cared about their IP that much.

The Marvel team submitted a fake script where half the cast died horribly by sheep droids just to see if Hasbro was paying attention. Their suspicions were confirmed when Hasbro didn’t bat an eye at the ludicrous script and just submitted some casual notes.

Hasbro REALLY wanted Optimus to die in the 80’s film, despite being warned multiple times not to do that. And naturally they were shocked when killing Optimus traumatized so many children, and had no choice but to bring Optimus back.

Hasbro couldn’t make up their minds on whether they wanted to renew Beast Wars and RiD15, so each series had their own way of referencing that. Beast Wars would have their cliffhanger endings end with “The End?” or “To Be Continued…?” because had the series been canceled in S2 specifically, …Megatron won. He hands down won even if he made the time stream swiss cheese at that point.

RiD15 wrote each season to be self contained, having a final bad guy they’d defeat and then ride off into the sunset. RiD15 didn’t commit to anything that big like Prime did probably for this reason. RiD15 was also bragged about by Hasbro in particular how well it did at the time, as like it or not, RiD was very successful with its target audience, and even the grumpiest veteran fan had to admit the monster Decepticons were cool, with Steeljaw being very popular. The popularity of Decepticons like Bisk and Springload are why they got toys at all, as Hasbro initially didn’t want to make toys of certain characters.

They were incredibly unhelpful in the development of Netflix WFC, forcing the writers to make all their outlandish ideas work. One such idea they insisted on before backing off was trying to make WFC canon to the 80’s cartoon… when absolutely nothing the show was trying to do made sense for the 80’s cartoon. It’s also pretty apparent the original intent for the toys was to adapt the movie and season three, but at the last minute they threw in Beast Wars, which is why you confusingly have Rodimus and Cyclonus in a Beast Wars line, but not including them in the cartoon at all despite using Galvatron… Beast Wars also wasn’t supposed to factor in the show was it was originally supposed to end with the Transformers awakening on Earth in the 80’s.

Hasbro really wanted a Legacy cartoon on Netflix, as they were happy with WFC… despite fans rejecting the show hard during Earthrise and the ratings in the toilet. Netflix understandably passed on making more since the other show didn’t do them favors.

So Hasbro reps being brain dead about the clear apathy and disinterest in EarthSpark from audiences since day one doesn’t surprise me. Even fans of ES have turned their back on the show to the point some TF YouTubers point this out when discussing the very abrupt transition from ES to CyberWorld and Wild King, that’s how bad it’s gotten. Like you don’t immediately fast track CyberWorld if EarthSpark was doing well, and Takara finally just going “Up yours, we’re doing our own thing” after years of failures post Animated.

I don’t buy for an instant EarthSpark is continuing on into 2026 alongside CyberWorld as the old planning document states, like do fans not understand plans change on a dime? I sooner see some final episodes already in the tank trickling out next year to coincide with what has been stated to be a last minute small extension to ES. Cyber Glow Megatron screams final power up in that context, but ES isn’t very great at advertising its toy gimmicks so who’s to say. But I think ES having a last minute extension sounds like they’re largely intending to abandon it after Cosmos and Scareglow Megs comes out. We already know they’re working on CyberWorld with new toys ready to go, the same with Takara working on Wild King, so any chance of guys like Terratronus, the Insecticons and Hardtop getting proper toys are next to none in their own cartoon’s toy line.

Age of the Primes is probably the only place these guys get something, at least some of the Terrans would make sense for Quintus’ toy. Though with how much Thrash and Twitch toys I see on clearance I’m skeptical.

So there was an interview posted today with Hasbro Entertainment president Olivier Dumont. Looks like more ES episodes are still coming:

Here's the article if anyone wants to read it. I have to say that ES being mentioned like an afterthought after Peppa Pig of all things is pretty damning considering how Hasbro has been treating ES lately.

[stellocchia]

I have a new AU idea. Again.

Okay, I've been reading a superhero fic today and my brain immediately went "how do I make this more angsty?" so what I propose to you is: we mix a superhero AU with the whole idea of immortal Tommy (the version where Dream managed to make the two of them immortals, but Tommy ended up killing him, being stuck as the only immortal alive since only another one can kill him and he's the only one with the knowledge on how to make more).

So Tommy technically doesn't develop any superpower, but, you know, being literally immortal probably counts regardless.

Anyway, thousands of years have passed and people have developed special abilities. Tommy wasn't initially too interested in it until he meets Tubbo. Not original Tubbo of course, that one is long dead, but a reincarnation. This one doesn't have the traumas from wars and executions and losing his friends and family. He's just a bright-eyed teen who aspires to be a scientist someday and develop gadgets for the heroes.

At first, Tommy thinks that it's just a coincidence. He was bound to meet other people named "Tubbo" sooner or later and them looking and sounding similar doesn't mean much. Then Tubbo introduces him to Ranboo. And then Tommy gets a job at Sam's tech shop. And Sam is in a relationship with someone named Ponk whose arm hasn't been ripped off by his boyfriend thankfully (Tommy panicked when seeing their prosthetic arm, but it turns out they just lost it in a car accident). And then he starts paying attention to the news and notices that the 3 top heroes are definitely Wilbur, Phil, and Techno. Same stuck-up attitudes and poor fashion choices. Also, the guy in the boar mask really appears to never have gotten the memo about how the monologuing part is supposed to be a villain thing.

And with all these new discoveries Tommy really can't ignore the very real possibility of Dream being back. Alive. Possibly ready to traumatize more people. (Tommy has healed pretty well by now, but he is still stuck with the f*cking immortality curse that Dream put on him. A parting gift he can never forget).

So Big Man's plan is to find Dream and kill him. Simple as that.

Everyone else is pretty similar in personality to how they used to be, minus the trauma for most of them, so he doesn't doubt that the same is true for Dream if he's back.

And he isn't entirely wrong. But also, Dream is not as unhinged as he used to be? Still an asshole. Still definitely starts stalking Tommy as soon as he takes notice of him. But without ever having had complete power over the city and without the incentive of the book he hasn't cut all his attachments off and shit. He hasn't gone full c!Dream mode. He's a chaotic asshole, but he hasn't necessarily hurt anyone. (Basically season 1 Dream, but without the mass slaughter he organized)

So just fricking moral dilemma of: do I wait for him to snap before I kill him and risk a ton of people getting hurt or kill him now and risk killing someone who would never even have gone off the rails in the first place?

There's a bit of extra stuff under the cut because this was getting long...

Everyone is pretty similar to how they used to be, but also entirely different in a way? Like, it's them, but with different life experiences.

So you keep having instances like:

*Wilbur, happily fishing at a lake to relax on his day off* Tommy, behind a bush: I swear to god, if he catches a salmon I'm gonna scream *Wilbur catches a salmon* Tommy: Why am I here? Just to suffer?

Tubbo: So, I was thinking of creating a bit of a more nuclear alternative to the classic smoke bomb heroes are equipped with if you catch my drift... Tommy: Tubbo, I swear to Prime, I will fucking stab you

Ranboo, holding the ugliest pig plushy ever: I called him Michael! :D Tommy: ... Tommy: Ranboo, be honest with me, are you and Tubbo married? Ranboo: We're 17... Tommy: NOT MY FUCKING QUESTION

*Sam building a robot that's eerily similar to sam Nook* Tommy, tearing up: This is so poggers. I won't cry because I'm a Big Man, but can you make it so he can give hugs...? Sam, now concerned: A-are you alright Tommy? Tommy, now definitely crying: Yes

Also, to be noted is the fact that this Au takes place thousands of years into the future. Meaning that Tommy is literally like a grandpa in the body of a 17 yo. He never learned how to use a computer or a smartphone. He can’t drive and refuses to get into any type of car because “he doesn’t trust them” and “why can’t I just get a horse?”. 

And he’s working in a tech shop. Admittedly he’s just working the register (and mostly because Sam saw him and went “my child now” more so than any actual qualification), but still, his complete lack of knowledge can still cause issues...

Custumer: I need a new smartwatch Tommy: HUH?! Wha- are you too good for normal watches or what?  Custumer: I- Tommy: Are normal watches too dumb for you? Are you looking down on them?  Sam: Tommy please...

He also is incredibly knowlegable when it comes to history though. He did live through it though, so maybe that’s cheating, but still... At least he and Wilbur can bond over being history nerds together:

Wilbur: So, people don't know this, but it was someone who was also called Wilbur Soot that won L'Manburg it's independence Tommy: No it fucking wasn't, that wimp was about to surrender, when I- I mean, when Tommy fucking went toe to toe with Dream in a duel, lost, and then surrendered my- HIS! His Discs for their independence!

Wilbur: It’s weird, because we found an obituary for all of the old L’Manburg citizens, except for Tommy Innit Tommy, sweating heavily: Haha weird, innit?

[nahoney22]

Storm***

Hunter X F!Reader

word count: 2.8k

Request: ALANAH HELLO. I love you. also may i request something? Something steamy with any of the bad batch bois and lots of feels, maybe some angsty nsfw? only if you’re comfortable!!!🌻🌻🌻 @colorfulloverbatturkey ❤️

After Hunter reveals he’s going on a dangerous mission, your gut tells you that this could be the last time you see him again despite their success rates. In a heated debate, you let slip your true feelings and wait for his response.

warnings: NSFW, minors be gone. Angst, arguing, swearing, smut, pinv, praise... just angsty sexy time.

——————————

You had known the Bad Batch for a while, finding the misfit of clones to be completely bizarre but also incredibly kind. You first had met them at Cid’s parlour and found them passed out on the old and tattered chairs, snoring their little heads off.

Cid was getting sick of them, always having patrons turned away because they looked ‘unruly’ but you had a feeling it wasn’t the clones that were turning their backs on the place.

You got to know them, getting knowledge that they weren’t so bad and were doing what they can to survive which meant laying low but also doing missions. Being the kind hearted soul you were, you offered them refuge in your apartment. It wasn’t the largest but it had two sofas, a bed, plenty of food and water (they give you payment for these) and just somewhere clean and safe for them to lay low. Omega especially took a liking to your projector that could display large holomovies on your wall.

There was one Batcher however that you got to know increasingly well and soon, you fell hard and fast for him. The Sargent. Handsome, tall, strong and a good leader. He was also a very kind man and always thanked you whenever the boys and Omega crashed at your place, ensuring they always tidy up after themselves.

There was also some light flirting thrown about in the middle of conversations. For example, you had just finished cooking up a feast for them all after they came back from a tiring mission. You requested some help and sure enough Hunter was by your side, a small smile on his face as he takes the largest platter, setting it in the middle of the table. He comes back to you as you finish the last touching and he placed a hand on your back. Initially the contact didn’t bother you but when he began to move soft circles onto your back you almost went overboard with the seasoning as you lost all control of your mind.

“Looks delicious.” He tells you and you just laugh gently and shrugged, trying to ignore the touch on your upper back.

“Nothing like old family recipes.” You decided not to take the full gratuities as it was food you had learned from your family and that earned a chuckle.

“Is that so?” He quipped an eyebrow, dropping his hand from your back and taking two plates in one hand and then one in the other. He steps back but pauses, returning back to you. “I also wasn’t just talking about the food.”

Your cheeks burned and you could help the small gasp at his bold compliment to you. You turn to him, mouth slightly open as shock and surprise was evident on your face but he just winked and turned away, serving up the goods.

It was little things like that really. He never initiated anything more however, always knowing his place and what would be crossing the line. He also didn’t want you to think he was taking advantage of you and your home.

Of course, you had a tendency to flirt back but only when it was just you and him. It would’ve been too awkward with anyone else around.

This went on for a few months. The Batch would come and go; sometimes you wouldn’t see them for days or for around a week which you didn’t mind although you did find yourself missing Hunter. A lot. The crush on the clone had developed into something more and you couldn’t help but feel as though he could maybe return the feelings. You caught him staring at you a few times to think that it was just a coincidence. And the flirting on top? That was sealing the deal of your thoughts.

It couldn’t be like that all the time sadly. Today was one of the days where they’d receive new intel, new missions where they don’t ask questions. They just do. However, something in your gut was telling you that it wasn’t going to end well. Your thoughts were wild but you just had to sit to the side, let the Batchers talk among themselves before seeing them leaving. They all thanked you again for another nice visit but as Hunter was about to be the last one to leave, you called out to him.

“Hunter?” He turned to you, helmet tucked under his arm, “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

He looked to Echo who was also now looking, giving you a confused glance before taking Hunters helmet. You heard him utter something along the lines of ‘I’ll catch up to you in a few’. He closed the door and took a step towards you.

“Alright, what is it?” He questioned said he stopped just a few inches away from you, arms folding over her broad chest, eyes watching you as you fiddled with your fingers.

“The mission… I- I don’t think you should do it.” Voice timid and eyes now on the rug beneath your feet as if it was more interesting than the beautiful man in front of you.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.” He chuckled and waited for a smile to flit onto your lips but nothing came. He tilted his head, brows furrowing. “Why don’t you think we should?”

You sighed and shrugged. “I just have a bad feeling about it.” You shifted towards your couch, pulling your knees to your chest as you sat and now looked up at him.

Hunter walked towards the singular arm chair opposite the couch you sat on and sat on the arm, leaning forward. “You force sensitive now or something?” He teased, trying again to see that smile he had grown so fond of but to no avail.

“It’s not funny Hunter,” you frowned this time, feeling yourself getting aggravated, “it’s too dangerous. Sneaking into an Imperial base? That’s crazy and you know it.” You pointed out, lips pulled into a tight line.

Hunter felt your hostility before you even spoke then, your heartbeat now thumping around so hard against your rib cage it was ricocheting in his ear canal. “I’m aware but we need to do this.”

He stood and already started towards the door but this was when you chased after him, stopping just out of arms length as you spoke up. “Do you know how much pain I feel when I don’t hear from you all for weeks? Do you know how long I wait by that door and imagine one of you not coming back.”

Hunter turns to you, eyes narrowed with concern once your voice trembles. You stood still, chest rising and falling noticeably as you locked eyes with the clone.

Hunter sighs this time. “We’re soldiers, we do what we think is right. Dying is part of the package deal when we were created.”

His words stung that he stared at him in disbelief. “You say that like it’s normal!” You snap, turning away from him and running a hand through your hair, getting more frustrated as it hits a knot.

“It’s normal for us. I don’t need a civilian to tell me what I can and can not do for my squad.” Hunter snaps, chasing after you as soon as you and turned away.

You laugh almost mockingly, not even glancing over your shoulder at him. “Is that all I am to you? A civilian?” Venom poured out into your words, the audacity of Hunter saying that to you creating a pain in your chest. “A civilian who opened up her home and put food into your bellies and provided you protection?” You fully turned to him, eyes set on him as his jaw tightens. “I allowed a group of rogue clones into my house, fleeing from the Empire and their brother meanwhile Bounty Hunters search the galaxy to hunt down a child you’re with. Trust me when I say this Hunter, I am more than just a damn civilian to you.”

A clap of thunder broke through the sky outside your window, the tension so thick in the air that Hunter could barely even talk until he did. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you.” You say quickly and almost desperately but realised your mistake. His eyes softened for a brief second. “I mean, I-I want you to stay. All of you.” You say carelessly as you moved away from him and towards the window, staring down at the onslaught of rain that cried from the grey sky.

Hunter watches you with a steady gaze. The flashes of the storm outside lit up your perfectly framed face and he wasn’t certain if it was the storm outside or the storm in your eyes that made your pupils glisten perfectly.

Slow and tentative steps, he stands beside you and broke the proximity by bringing a hand up to your chin, twisting your head to face him. The hitch in your breath doesn’t go unnoticed, your eyes falling shut as you couldn’t bare look at him. You knew that he knew what you said wasn’t a mistake.

“You want me?” His gravelly voice was gentle yet it still rough, his finger gently brushing against your cheek.

You inhaled sharply, seeing no reason to lie no more and nod.

You didn’t see his reaction but you surely felt it as not even a moment later his lips are on yours and hands grabbing at your waist with urgency.

The whimper in your throat that poured into his mouth almost made his knees crumble, pulling away only briefly to say: ‘I know you want me… I’ve just wanted you twice as long’.

Then, there was a clash of your lips against his again, your hands instantly finding their way to his shoulders as your mouths fought for dominance. Your tongues had already darted out and embraced in a dance, teeth slightly clashing as you’re pushed against the window. Kissing heavy and slightly sloppy, Hunters body held you in place as he already made work at removing his armour, tossing it carelessly to the floor whilst your hands tangled in his hair at the back of his neck, his bandana falling away and letting his brown locks flow forward.

“Where to?” He grumbles against your now aching but plump lips, him gently nibbling against your lower one before you could respond.

“Bedroom.” You utter breathlessly, allowing him to lift you and carry you through the double doors that led to your room. Placing you delicately on your bed, he prop yourself up on your elbows to admire how Hunter freed himself from his black glove, a knowing smirk on his face as your eyes trailed over his toned and defined torso.

“Wow… Hunter…” you whisper, suddenly feeling that you wouldn’t be up to his standards but he felt your worry and leaned over you, the lower half of his blacks still in place.

“Hush now,” he soothes, his hands falling on your waist, “let me see my beautiful girl.” It wasn’t a demand, it was more of a request and only allowing you to take control in the next step of what was about to go down.

You nodded eagerly, sitting up and pulling your shirt over your head to reveal your bare chest to him. A grin spread on his lips as he looked down at you for a few moments, taking you all in. “You’re so… so mesh’la.”

You blush. “You know I don’t know what that means.” A light laugh passes your lips, a smile forming your plump lips as his hands gently move up your body and running gently over your breasts.

“Then let me show you.”

His mouth, scorching hot, had clasped it’s way over one of your nipples. Your body jolted at the sudden sensation, your hand holding onto the back of his head as his tongue began to mercilessly attack your stiff peak, other hand fondling over your other breast.

“H-Hunter.” You stammer, nothing particular to say but it felt so right to say his name as he sends a pool of damp between your legs.

He worked at your nipples for some time, alternating them and you could feel the hardness of his length press against your belly as he hovered over you. The feeling of him making your dripping hole throb, just wanting him more than before.

“Come ‘ere.” He uttered in a gruff tone, arms wrapping around your back and pulling you into his chest as his lips find yours and your hands find the incredible bulge he was hiding away.

“Need to touch you Hunter.” You whisper into his mouth, the palm of your hand palming over her crotch and over his length, feeling a small damp area where his precum has already seeped through.

He nods his head, lips moving from yours to the hollow of your throat and sucking on your delicate skin as you managed to free him.

His cock was warm, twitching in the base of your hand before you slowly started to pump against him and that’s when he began literal putty in your hands.

His moans were staggered, words a incoherent mess as you wank him, using his precum as lube to get him as hard as he could.

“So – Ah! So good to me. Always been so good to me.” He worships you, gentle and lazy kisses against your jaw before sucking on your earlobe.

You hum in amusement, enjoying this power you have over him that you even stopped your movements, just keeping his cock warm with the firm hold of your hand. “Please…” he whines, hips jolting to grab some friction back and you gave in easily, stroking him again.

The night turned more passionate as you soon both became completely naked, admiring eachothers forms before he had sheathed into you at a slow and euphoric pace.

Eyes trained on you, you stare up at him as he begins to pick up a rhythm, the sounds of his thighs hitting against your own mixing in with rain pour and thunder that pounded the streets.

“This is what you want, huh? My cock in you?” He muses, seeing the grin on your face as he gave you what you wanted but deep down you wanted more.

“Hunter…” you breathe, cupping his tattooed cheek with your hand, an unspoken set of words residing in your storm-ridden eyes.

He halts his movement, feeling the connection you was sending him just by the look. He smiles softly and he leans down to kiss your lips. “I love you too.”

Your legs instinctively wrap around his waist, hands clutching around his back as his face buries into the crook of your neck followed by some relentless pounding of his mighty length inside you.

Your walls clenched around him, edging him closer to his climax but he kept going despite what you wanted. If he was going to leave, he wanted this to last. So, he pulled out of you and you glance at him in confusion for moment before you’re flipped onto your stomach.

You gasp at the feeling of him sliding his length against your rear, your folds so drenched with your juices that he easily slid back into you.

“F-Fuck.” You groan, face squished against the pillow as he folds over you with both hands beside either side of your head as he slams into you. His cock slipped out with each thrust, earning a squeak from you with each breach.

“Maker, you’re delicious to look at like this. Never want to leave you.” He grunts as his hips slap back and forth.

Your hands gripped your sheets, your pillow drowning out your moans but he wanted to hear you. He always wanted to hear you. Taking a hold of your hair, he lifts your head, clenching hard as he began thrusting back into you, movements getting sloppier as he nears his end.

“G-gonna cum all over your pretty back. Need you to cum first for me beautiful.”

You nod, already feeling your legs quiver at the thought of cumming all over his cock. Stars fill your vision with each following thrust, eyes rolling into the back of your head as you feel yourself hit your high. You mewl a whiny squirm, his hand in your hair becoming more gentle as he let you slowly down as you overcome your climax.

Like he said, he pulls out of you and hot jets of his seed squirt onto your lower back. He bites hard on his lower lip as a dominant growl escapes from his chest, the sight of you drenched in him making his heart stop briefly.

He collapsed down beside you, his hand gently pulling your hair out of your face. Chuckling, your eyes open weakly and a soft smile tugs on your lips. “Hi…”

“Hi.” He laughs at your cute choice of words what to say after what just happened. “I’ll go grab something to clean you up, hold on.”

When he returned, he wipes you clean and soon enough you’re cradled into his side, naked bodies entwined.

You’re both sweaty but truthfully you didn’t care. All you wanted was beside you and as he looks down at you, you realise that he may stay for the night too. You loved him and he loved you.

———————————

🍓 back to masterlist 🍓

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[thechekhov]

Alright, alright, I caved.

After a slot opened up in me to be able to take on another show emotionally, I decided to invest in OwlHouse. I thought I would probably like it, but it won me over faster than I thought it would.

I’ve already watched a few episodes, but I realized that it might be more fun to do liveblogs, so here I am - with a liveblog...

I will be doing this episode by episode, and probably releasing them every once in a while. Everything will be under a cut, however, to save you all dash space.

If you’d like to follow, please track the #chekhov watches owlhouse tag!

(I’d also like to dedicate this post to the Tumblr Staff Rob, who did his best to restore this post for me when tumblr queue ate it.)

Without further ado...

Episode 1!!

Fair warning - this is technically not a ‘live’ blog, because I have already watched some of the show before deciding to do this, but I’ll still react to them to round things out.

Immediately, this reminds me of Little Witch Academia... Anyone? No? Only me? I feel like maybe I’m getting my wires crossed, but there HAD to have been some inspiration taken from there?

“No-- my only weakness! Dying!!“

Same, big snake monster. Same.

Oh, backup snakes? This girl is READY.

Please don’t mistreat the snakes.

Spider breath... This kid is on my wavelength. That griffin seems to be waiting to be put out of its misery though, and I don’t blame it.

My child... where did you get that pigeon head though.....

Nurse mother, do you REALLY think signing up your spider-summoning daughter for summer camp will actively make her antics slow down instead of ramp up to 60?

Awww, baby makes AMVs... But also, NO ONE TOLD YOU TO THROW AWAY THE BOOK??? I know it’s symbolic, but goodness, isn’t that a bit much???

wait a sec, is that Eda????

Love the realistic bilingual kid experience of replying in English when your mom talks to you in your native language. Universal.

Love this introduction of Eda’s character. She’s got that little green scarf on and everything. Like a tiny trash grandma.

Oooh, okay, let’s extrapolate...

Lots of bones everywhere. I kinda love the aesthetic here - it’s gross and visceral, kind of like what Luz was making with her school projects. Yet in the middle of it all we have a rather clear gothic looking structure. Is this a power imbalance in the supposed kingdom?

The five circles of stained glass seem to perhaps indicate something like Hogwarts houses? Several different types of magic?

But Luz has no reason to freak out as much as she is - she LOVES weird stuff! Haha... No, I kid, I kid. I get it.

“Am I in the bad place?“

Eyyyyy, gotta love shows referencing other shows. :)

“Oh dear child... I’m not like you.”

Wow, what a DRAMATIC reveal for some pointy ears. :) I love her.

We should all aspire to have such cool and stylistically well put together wanted posters. You can tell the commissioned artist really respects her craft.

Steven Universe fans watching this:

I’m looking too.

Okay, okay, enough shenanigans, let’s have some LORE.

I love this landscape. Teeth or bones, or whatever they are, this is one of the more unique settings we’ve gotten, though maybe I’m prejudiced because I love body horror and bones. The darker orange and red themes fit really well here.

Things I’m desperate for: Giraffe Lore 

Things I’m more desperate for: Eda lore. Why do her limbs fall off? Is she a zombie?

Things I’m not quite as desperate for: Hooty lore. He can keep that to himself.

well hello there mysterious chekhov’s glyph which will DEFINITELY not be relevant in the second chapter (or end of season? Maybe? Idk it just seems important).

Ah, yes. That would have been my reaction as well, to be fair. Somehow I didn’t expect to see this guy so early on. I figured he would be a low stress early villain that got assimilated into the Found Family. Kinda psyched that he’s just there from the start.

....I’m just gonna presume this is all true and accept it at face value.

Old Escape The Cops Lady and Tiny Little Demon King, I need your backstory. How did you meet.

I love looking at background details, because like... you can tell the BG artists had fun. I particularly love how the 3 eyed toad doesn’t actually have any reward attached to her. Though the Knife Baby does intrigue me!

“I write fanfics of food falling in love.”

Why am I being called out...

“Noo! My weak nerd arms!”

Finally, a realistic portrayal of a protagonist thrust into a fantasy setting!

.....................

Okay but. If only humans could pass through the barrier... wouldn’t that mean a human had to have deposited those things in there? Do they have a human on staff in this weird pseudo-prison??? Suspicious....

Confession - when I initially saw ads for this show, I expected Eda to be a villain, not a loveable middle aged witch aunt figure. I am shockingly even MORE drawn to her this way. I expected betrayal. I expected her to be a lowkey threat?? But no. She’s just wholesome in the way a solid raccoon is.

“Eda, are you okay?!”

“Yeah, this just happens when you get older...”

“........does it..?”

If I had to pinpoint the exact moment this show won me over...... it would probably be this one.

I know it’s probably the wrong thing to focus on, but what is that insignia? Wings??? Like.... the kind OWLS HAVE?????

COINCIDENCE??? I THINK NOT!!!

I’m really loving the landscape here. And those fireworks are... hmm... intricate?

Gotta love the old tried and true Witch Apprentice Actually A Live In Intern trope. :)

Hold up...

Is that

Is that Hooty? I thought he was just a door....

Eda: This is my room for human stuff. I will also put my human in there.

. . .

Overall rating: I think this is a cute overall beginning. The prison break went hard! I enjoyed the characters and it kind of surprised me in a lot of ways. It definitely does a great job setting up a world with a lot more to explore while giving us a small taste of cool magic stuff and witchy battles. :)

Now on to Episode 2!!

Read the liveblogs in order by clicking here!