#this is about like 4 different characters

[deerspherestudios]

Just read up on MR!Mychael and he is fascinating to me. Would he still fall under the category of a Yandere? Because if he doesn’t want a thing to do with them, I can’t see him growing obsessed with the MC. Especially with what was said about him not wanting human connection the way OG! does.

If someone were to write him would you say it would simply take longer for him to latch onto the MC? Would they need to have something he needs? (Like a resource he’s been having trouble getting his hands on or something)

Would he have an outward shell of “I don’t like you get lost” but still manipulate MC to keep them around. More of a Tsundere mayhaps?my lil fanfic writing brain wants to know!

P.S. I hope your hiatus served you well and you were able to take the time you needed to do what you needed to do thanks for creating this character. (Both OG! And MR!)

Actually, these are somewhat answered in MR!Mychael's section in the masterlist (at the bottom), now up to date!

To keep it short,

here's an analysis by @/fun-chaos-action about the kind of MC he'd fall for,

here's another by @/atoms-are-shimmying about how to (theoretically) win him over,

here's how he'd meet MC under a different circumstance,

and I even mentioned off-hand his personality type is definitely more tsundere than OG!Mychael!

And thank you!! Hopefully by the time this posts I'd have settled in or on the way to moving out. With a new workspace I wanna be much much more productive this year!

Plus if there's a jam that fits I have another idea for a short VN 🐞 but I'll turn my focus on working on Day 4 for now!

[222col]

MISC BOT DROP by @ 222col ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡

notes: enjoy a random mix of bots, some new characters for me so any feedback is welcome!!!! lil nervous about the new characters so pls don't judge me too hard xx thank u for all the love as always my angels <3 reqs are always open, send them into my asks or here <3

ART DONALDSON (challengers) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( bad babysitter )

꩜ lily loved you. art was so happy to have some help post-divorce. what he never expected from his beloved babysitter, was for you to take lily to get her ears pierced without his permission. art's pissed, but boy does he look good tellin' you off. ( req )

ART DONALDSON (challengers) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( lost in translation )

꩜ time in toyko creates some new feelings for art. he's lonely, away from his wife, back on tour for the first time without her, just this time without the tennis rackets. his new commentary gig has brought him to japan, and to you. ( inspired the film 'lost in translation' (2003) )

TASHI DUNCAN (challengers) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( pretty girls )

꩜ pretty little straight girls. they'll ruin your life without even realising it. you thought tashi was no different, another crush you'd have to force yourself to get over. until she tells you if she ever tried it, she wanted it to be you. ( inspired by 'pretty girls' by reneé rapp )

TASHI DUNCAN (challengers) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( party 4 u )

꩜ you were down bad. you were down so horrifically bad. starting a fight club at college to get her attention bad. you have no idea how, but somehow it worked. tashi finally learnt your name, and even came to the party that you definitely didn't throw just for her. ( inspired by the film 'bottoms' (2023) )

LEE (bones and all) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( lick it up )

꩜ lee fuckin' loves kiss. he'd push down any temptations in a crowd of people just to hear lick it up live once in his lifetime. although, you were giving him different kinds of temptations once he spots you in the crowd.

KEITH TOSHKO (barbarian) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( airbnb blues )

꩜ you should have just turned around and found a hotel somewhere. the state of the neighbourhood should have told you everything you needed to know. too late now, you're already stood telling the stranger you've been double booked with that you'll stay. smart move, babe.

ROMAN GODFREY (hemlock grove) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( babytrappin' )

꩜ roman loved you so fuckin' much. he'd rather die than live without you. thing is, he needed to find a way to make sure you never left him. and well, roman wasn't exactly known for taking the conventional route. he needed to get you pregnant, just without you knowing. ( req )

ROMAN GODFREY (hemlock grove) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( sweet as sugar )

꩜ sweet as fuckin' sugar. only way to describe you, roman couldn't stand it. you and your words like honey, always ignoring how fuckin' mean he was to you. it was driving him crazy. worst thing is, roman couldn't decide if he wanted to kill you or kiss you. ( inspired by this post by @vadersangel )

PETER RUMANCEK (hemlock grove) ˚⋆｡˚ ⋆

✮⋆˙ ( lost puppy )

꩜ peter was obsessed with you. even his subconscious seemed to know that. he just wished his subconscious would stop it's need to follow you everywhere like a goddamn lost puppy. peter doesn't even know he's doing it, until he snaps out it in a place he doesn't know. god, how embarrassing. least you haven't caught him... oh, you just did. ( req )

[thefandombringer]

Season 3 Milkvan is not nearly as cute as I remembered it being 4 years ago

So I’m rewatching s3 for the first time in a hot minute because I remembered that being the most milkvan heavy season but what I’ve realized in this rewatch is that there is not a single scene between Mike and El where Mike does not have to put up some sort of facade. We see a lot of Mike’s genuine character in the first two seasons, especially when he is happy (playing D&D with the party, spending time with his friends and Will) so we as an audience can tell that all the times where Mike appears happy in season 3—especially in scenes with El—are NOT Mike’s genuine personality.

Im not sure quite how to explain it, but the main scenes that come to mind are the opening scene with them making out in El’s bedroom, Mike’s phone call to El when he lies about his Nana, and the scene in the pool with that human dummy thing. Two of these are scenes where Mike is supposedly happy and joking around with El, but they have a very superficial vibe to them—which will be the first . I’m pretty sure that anyone can clock those moments if they watch those on their own but, as someone that does a lot of acting, mannerism and vocal inflection shifts are key when playing different characters. The way Mike holds himself and delivers his lines do not feel like the same Mike that we grew to know and love in the earlier seasons and, since Finn is obviously not a terrible actor (he is, in fact, quite a good actor), we as the audience are meant to realize that Mike is not being his true self or, in other words, playing another character. He can’t be his genuine self around El (which is also demonstrated very very clearly in season 4 but this shows that these issues did not come out of nowhere), which heavily contrasts the other significant relationships in the show, especially throughout season 3 (Jancy, Jopper, Lumax) who are their authentic selves with each other and are able to bicker and match each other’s energies while still very clearly loving each other. Milkvan is not like them, and not in a good way.

The second portion of this (and why I mentioned the phone call scene) is the fact that Mike talks to her like he has to dumb himself down/like she is much younger and unable to understand how he would talk to her normally. I really don’t has a way to describe this other than just recommending that you watch those scenes again to see what I mean. It’s obvious that he cares about her and really does enjoy talking to her, but in a way that I would talk to my younger siblings/cousins. Is this how a healthy relationship should seem? I certainly hope not. This is doubled by the fact where in that one interview (I have no idea where to find it so if someone has it please link it!!) Finn says that when he first met El, it was like taking in an alien like in ET. Again, not very romantic. It is also explicitly shown that this is not how everyone talks to El, so it’s not like she can’t understand the standard level of conversation. Such a big emphasis on El and Max’s friendship and the fact that Max treats El as an equal and helps her find her own personality instead of babying El and keeping her sheltered and controlled. She can be treated like a regular person and is so much better for it. She’s not you pet, Michael.

Notice how both of these major problems are never found between Mike and Will. All of their conversations and interactions within the show are 100% genuine and authentic and never feel superficial or forced. Their relationship is also taken much more seriously throughout the whole show when contrasted to Milkvan, but that’s a whole separate post. Mike and Will’s fights are serious and real, while Mike and El’s (with the exception of the “From Mike” fight, which is pretty telling) are comedic and surface level and played for laughs.

BYLER ENDGAME BYLER ENDGAME

[complete-clownery]

some fun facts about this whole picture

(also just because I share all of this with you guys, nothing is set in stone, if you have your own theories that's the coolest thing ever!!! Share them with me please!!)

🍜Some of y'all said that Macaque was sitting alone but believe me just because Bai He turned around to chat with MK and Mei she is only there because Macaque came and Macaque is only there because Bai He begged him to tag along,

THEY COME IN A PAIR DO NOT SEPARATE IN GROUP PICTURES!!!

🍜 You might have noticed that some of the chopstick holders and sauce holders have stickers on them. Those were put there by MK. He first did it when he was much younger to help decorate the shop because he overheard a convo between Tang and Pigsy discussing renovation and finances - it was a whole thing - Pigsy even got mad at MK, but they figured it out eventually and nowadays when the stickers get too worn MK replaces them with new ones

🍜 Mei is showing Bai He a puppy video you can hardly see it

🍜 Mei hardly even touches Red Son in the illustration, Red Son is just completely distraught by the idea of being so close to someone. (He's very embarrassed they might be blushing a bit too (I just weren't able to draw that properly lol))

🍜 Yeeah Yeah okay,,, I know there is a shadowpeach shaped question in the room bugging your minds like: omg clownery is it on purpose that they are the only characters that we can't see the faces of???

🍜MK is sitting on the outside of the boot because he keeps on getting up and helping pigsy around (it's not even a conscious decision anymore, whenever they sit down with the others he sits somewhere, where he can easily get up to land a hand to Pigsy (or to anyone in general))

Except from this one ;]

And my answer to that is: I made this drawing on a whim, I started drawing it purely to mess around with perspective and expected to give up halfway bc it looked ass, I could have hardly given it any deeper meaning or thought. How could've I possibly planned anything? The core elements of this picture are all developed while I was drawing it...

See when I sat down and got an idea about a group picture I wanted to differentiate the celestial monkeys (excluding MK) from the main group

This picture takes place some time after season 3 and a bit before season 4. I would like to say that Wukong and Macaque are not a part of this group. Especially in season 3 both of them have done terrible shit and regardless of where they're sitting and what they are doing, they're not part of it all.

For Macaque this is pretty easily illustrated, he is the one who stands out the most, not a lot of people want him there since they did try to kill members of the group even if he was under the influence of LBD. He's at a different table. MK invited them bc MK genuinely wants to be friend Macaque, but this was already stated: Bai He wants Macaque to be there - I have a lot of head canons about their relationship but I'm not going to talk about this here cuz this rant might get even longer - but Bai He at first was scared as fuck with Wukong around, she only felt better when Macaque was there. She has gotten better since then, as you can see she's pretty comfortable with MK and Mei (even Red Son surprisingly), but she still needs Macaque there.

Well for once he is turned away from the pov, we cant see his face already distancing him from you guys the viewers.

Making Wukong stand out and look isolated is a bit more tricky... He's in the group seemingly chatting with Sandy, he's there, part of the whole thing, but there are subtle hints about his environment and body language you might notice:

Also I think It has been made pretty evident in the show that Wukong loves eating right? If he was perfectly at ease he would at least have 3 bowls of noodles, yet he barely touched anything, he's not eating.

His body language is also closed off, arms crossed, legs just next to each other tightly, he's not comfortable, he's somewhere else, Sandy is there but his talking at Wukong rather than talking to him.

I mean he almost got Mei killed and the whole plan screwed since he was unwilling to cooperate and share his plans with the others. I like to think that Mei just straight up ignored him for a while,, same with pigsy,, those two had enough of Wukongs past getting MK in trouble, they do not like him (and them being so buddy buddy with him in later seasons is annoying af to me,,, maybe season 5 gets some form of pass, because more time has passed and Wukongs actions in season 4 were considerably better, but they were waaaaay too comfortable with him at season 5,,, it bugged me a lot)

I think they're also very aware of each other's presence (I have a whole au that plays between season 3 and 4 explaining how Macaque started living on the FFM with Wukong, so in that context,,,, damn they are having a BLAST especially Macaque, he would like to be anywhere but near Wukong :] )

🍜Also they're sitting away from each other as far as possible, and (this was not planned and got pointed out by one of my friends) Wukong is sitting closest to the sun and Macaque is the one who is in the shade the most

Sorry about the big monkey rant, I am just so extremely shadowpeach pilled that it distracts my brain form everything else

And once again: I tell all this stuff to you guys, but feel free to come up with your own theories about the illustration, details, backstories, whatever you have in mind. You guys have different interpretations makes it all the more fun!!

Please share your theories with me in the comments I would love to hear them 🍎🍊🍊

I'll edit this if I have more ideas 💡

Wow okay

[thranduel]

reminder that mike and will never, ever had an argument until mike started dating el.

the only times they’ve actually gotten angry and upset at each other is because they weren’t paying enough attention to each other.

in 3x03, will was upset mike was so focused on el and excluding him, and when he revealed how he felt, mike got upset too because he never wanted to make will feel that way.

in 4x02, will was once again upset mike was so focused on el and excluding him. then we find out that mike was observing will and got upset because he was quiet, rolling his eyes and moping. they started arguing and admitted another reason they were both upset at each other was because neither of them contacted each other enough when they were apart. notice how this all goes back to mike and el’s relationship though and this wouldn’t have been an issue if they didn’t start dating?

BOTH times mike and will have argued, it’s always somehow about the negative effects of mike and el’s relationship and how it causes mike to completely change, become distracted and not be his true self. they had no issues with their own relationship before that (crazy contrast because mike and el’s arguments on the other hand are always about their own relationship + lying to each other).

it’s also important to note that mike and el excluding all their friends is not cute and romantic, it’s actually a sign their relationship is just unhealthy, and i absolutely hate seeing people defend their immature behaviour just because “they’re kids”. their friends are kids too. their friends have been through a lot too. lucas and max are the same age and started dating and never excluded their friends. they were able to balance their relationships. so no, there’s no excuse (and keep in mind this wasn’t just a tiny plot point in season 3 - if that was the case, fine. but it continued in season 4 when they excluded will at the roller rink. there was no growth!). mike and el ignoring people is selfish, immature and unhealthy, because anyone in a healthy relationship should be able to understand that you don’t just drop all your friends rudely to obsess over your partner and try to over-compensate with cheesy typical romantic things like making out and holding hands - they’re trying so hard to prove it to themselves and to others that they’re “so in love”, but their relationship lacks all the healthy things a relationship should have. if you can’t even be honest with each other and have genuine heart-to-heart conversations, i won’t take your relationship seriously lol. even THEIR OWN FRIENDS get annoyed with them and roll their eyes.

another crazy detail is that mike has had arguments with will AND el, but the only person he immediately apologises to and has a genuine, honest heart-to-heart conversation with is WILL. not el. in season 3, he rode his bike in a storm so he could immediately check on will and apologise. he didn’t do this with el. and in season 4, when he attempted to apologise to el, it resulted in the biggest fight between them where they both made other feel so much worse. when he apologised to will, they both ended up making each other feel better and they felt even closer than before.

the major difference between byler and m*leven has been on our screens since the very beginning. we can see which characters understand each other better and work so much better together romantically, but of course, no one takes it seriously with byler since they’re two boys and they just can’t comprehend the idea of them being more than friends because it makes them uncomfortable. if will was a girl though, i can guarantee you everyone would have very different opinions 🤷🏻‍♀️

[doctorbitchcrxft]

Monster Movie | Supernatural Series Rewrite | Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader ( :0 ? )

Warnings: all of 'em. put 'em all here. mentions of disordered eating, descriptions of severe anxiety, dean is lowkey being the worst, burns, injuries, canon violence, canon gore

Word Count: 3587

A/N: I'm gonna keep it very real with y'all. Please heed the warnings about anxiety and disordered eating. If I am honest, I kinda got triggered writing it as I pulled the experience of my character from my own experience in a previous relationship. Obviously, the circumstances were very different, but I used to get tonnnssss of anxiety specifically while eating that ended in me becoming malnourished because the person I was dating was so horrible to me. Dean isn't like that, though, and I guess I kind of used this chapter and this part of the character's arc to heal that pain still within me, even after years.

Please know I understand if you have to skip out on this chapter for the reasons above. The beginning of season 4 is going to be very rocky as Dean and (Y/N) continue to learn to trust each other again, but I hope to see you in the coming weeks as the storm begins to calm. Much love to you, as always.

-m

“Dean,” you breathed out, eyes filling with tears. 

“Hey, sweetheart.” He sat in the chair across from the bed that he’d undoubtedly put you in.

“Dean, I’m so sorry—” 

That seemed to send a ping of anger through him, but he suppressed it. “We can talk about that later. Are you okay?” 

“I think so,” you said. You pushed yourself up with a wince and noticed the gauze around your left forearm and right calf. “You did this?” 

He nodded. 

You smiled lopsidedly, cheeks heating. “Thank you.” You tried to joke lightheartedly. “You’re finally getting a hang of the right way to dress a burn.”

“Eh, I had a good teacher,” he shrugged. 

You’d missed this so much; the comfort in the mundane moments with him. 

Both of you seemed a little too scared to say anything, and you stared at your scraped up hands instead of at him. 

“I’m still pissed at you,” he stated.

You nodded. “I figured.”

Another moment of tense silence passed between you.

“Once you’re healed, I still want you gone,” Dean said. His blunt tone felt like a sucker punch to the gut.

Even still, you nodded. “That’s fair.”

Dean nodded sharply and got to his feet. When he’d nearly left the room, he turned around again. “Why aren’t you fighting me on this?”

You threw your hands up in defeat. “What do you want me to say, Dean?”

He approached the bed you were in once more. “Something. Anything. Be mad. Yell at me. Call me an asshole. Dammit, tell me what happened. Explain it all away. Just something!” 

You used the side of your thumb to apply pressure to the bridge of your nose. “Well, you pretty definitively told me to leave and not to come back at Bobby’s.”

“I gave you a choice!”

“A choice you couldn’t even begin to understand the difficulty of!” you shouted back. 

“Okay, so tell me!” he yelled. “Help me understand! Because you’re not making sense to me, (Y/N)!”

You huffed, going quiet for a moment. “I can’t,” you finally breathed out, hiding your face from him. 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Of course, you can’t,” he muttered angrily. He started back for the door. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see him hesitate while he grabbed the door handle. When the door shut behind him, you felt your heart sink.

****

Being in the backseat of the Impala again was an amazing feeling. You were tired of going it alone. However, the tense atmosphere was something you could do without.

“The radio around here sucks,” Dean grumbled. He turned it off, briefly stealing a glance at his skulking brother. “Come on, man. Jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed-on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire.” He was making it clear he was going the route of ignoring you and only addressing you with a sharp comment when absolutely necessary.

“No, I- I agree,” Sam said half-heartedly. “It’s a hell of a case.” “A little more gusto, please.”

“It's just... the world is coming to an end. Things are a little complicated, you know?”

“C’mon, man, it's like the good old days, an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. It's about time we got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case.”

****

“Oktoberfest 2008” was painted on a sign Dean drove past, and you watched people celebrating in tacky Lederhosen and barmaid costumes. 

“You stay,” Dean told you gruffly when he parked the car. 

You crossed your arms and stared out the window. 

“We still got to see the new Raiders movie,” Dean pointed at his brother as he got out of the car. 

“Saw it,” Sam replied monotonously. 

“Without me?” 

Their voices became distant as they shut the doors and walked away. 

You felt sick to your stomach. Everything you wanted to say to Dean— the things that had happened since he went to Hell, Uriel, Castiel, the things you’d done— they were all on the tip of your tongue. But then, he’d glare at you. Your heart would sink, and you’d retreat right back into yourself.

Marissa Wright was a young girl who’d been visiting the town for Oktoberfest. Strangely, she had two dark marks on her neck like a cartoonish vampire bite. At least, that was what you gathered from the pictures you’d snagged a peek at over Sam’s shoulder on the ride from the morgue to the bar Dean and Sam had left you outside of.

Frankly, Marissa Wright wasn’t interesting to you. At the moment, you were too concerned with your angel business. Uriel’s words about killing Sam loomed over you, and you felt like you couldn’t leave the Winchesters even once you were healed because of what Uriel was making you do.

Somehow, you needed to regain Dean’s trust. The idea of trying to manipulate him made you sick, but maybe it was what you needed to do to protect him. Even if he never understood why you did the things you did, at least he’d still be alive to wonder.

****

That night, you were unable to sleep. That, unfortunately, was not unusual. Yet again, you were alone in a motel room wishing to be next to Dean. 

The mirror had become your worst enemy. Shirts you’d stolen from Steven when he was a teenager hung even more loosely off you than they did before Dean died. Your arms lacked the muscle tone they once had, and you felt weaker and sicker with each passing day.

An anxiety was beginning to form within you that you’d become unhealthily dependent on Dean. You never wanted that for yourself; men had always been an accessory to you before Dean. You were complete on your own. Now, you weren’t sure what was wrong with you.

Was it that you missed Dean that much? Was it the angels? Was it the things you’d done? You supposed it was a combination of all of the above. 

****

The next morning, you opened the door to your room to see Sam. Your heart sank a bit that it wasn’t Dean, and it seemed like that much was evident based on your facial expression.

“Good to see you, too,” Sam chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “Good morning, by the way.”

The brunet nodded, still seeming not to feel sure where he stood between you and his brother at the moment. “We’re leaving in five. Headed to the morgue, I think.”

“Another attack?” you asked.

Sam nodded. “Doesn’t sound anything like the last one, though.”

“Fun stuff,” you replied, pulling your boots on. “You think he’s gonna put me in the timeout chair again?”

The younger brother looked at the ground bashfully, and you sighed. “Yeah, I thought so, too.” 

****

Sure enough, Dean made you stay in the car again. It seemed he was deriving some strange satisfaction from keeping you separated from the case. Or maybe his joy came from the fact that it very visibly pissed you off.

When the boys returned to the car, you didn’t ask any questions about the case. Frankly, you weren’t interested. However, Sam was adamant about getting your input. 

“Wolf Man?” you scoffed. “Are you sure?”

“What, do you think we’re idiots?” Dean snapped.

You took a deep breath and nearly bit your tongue to keep yourself quiet. “It’s not that, Dean,” you said lowly. “It’s that it’s just sort of implausible to have found a wolf hair next to a body with its heart still intact and Dracula-accurate fang marks in that girl’s neck.”

“Thank you, Sherlock,” Dean snapped.

“Dean! Cut it out, man,” Sam warned. 

Dean seemed taken aback by Sam, but he didn’t press the issue. 

The ride remained silent until the three of you arrived at the bar Dean had left you outside the day before. 

Sam opened the door for you, encouraging you to get out despite the very obvious glares from his brother. 

Once inside the bar, you sat on the same side of the booth as Sam. Dean grumpily chomped on his burger, and Sam ate his meal silently. You didn’t even order anything; your stomach was too upset and tied in knots to properly digest anything. As soon as you tried, you knew you’d be in the bathroom puking your guts up. 

“Aren’t you gonna eat something?” Sam asked you.

You shook your head. 

“C’mon, not even a bite of mine?” he tried again.

You shook your head once more, feeling too shaky to say anything.

Dean looked up from his burger momentarily to address you. “C’mon, (Y/N), you gotta eat something.” His tone was still guarded, but it was nowhere near as harsh as it had been in the car.

“I’m fine,” you mustered out. 

You could feel Dean’s eyes on you, but you just stared down at the table in front of you and took a sip of your water.

The pretty blonde waitress, Jamie, bounded up to the table with two more beers for Sam and Dean. 

“Looks like you guys are staying a while. I heard about Rick Deacon,” she said, referencing the most recent victim. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, this case just got weird enough for our department.”

“Well, beers are on me,” she replied with a smile. Then, she turned to Dean confidently. “And, just so you know, I get off at midnight tonight.”

“Oh, it's not another, uh, girls' night out?” Dean smirked up at her.

Your stomach fell to your shoes, and rage bubbled in your chest. However, you knew your anger was misplaced. He wasn’t yours anymore, and you needed to accept that.

Jamie returned his playful smile. “Doesn't have to be.”

“Okay, then. I'll see you tonight.”

“Okay, then.” And, with that, she left.

Sam noticed your discomfort, but he couldn’t offer you anything more than an empathetic look.

Without even noticing you, Dean said, “Hey, you think this Dracula could turn into a bat? That would be cool.”

**** Another murder, except this time, committed by a mummy. However, you and the brothers determined the “mummy” was using special effects from a prop house in Philadelphia to enhance his monstrous performance. You were either dealing with a Silence-of-the-Lamb-level psychopath, or… you weren’t really sure. Truth be told, you weren’t devoting even a half of your attention to this case. That seemed to put Dean off, slightly, and it made him even more sure you should be kept in the car. Secretly, you thought it was because he was worried about your wounds, but you also knew there was a really strong chance he just did not want to see you.

When Dean realized he’d be late for his date with Jamie, your heart sank. Still, Dean ran off and left you and Sam behind to investigate.

“(Y/N),” Sam said, turning to you. “You have got to eat something. You look like hell.”

“Don’t worry about me, Sam,” you responded absently. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Talk to me.”

You continued to poke around the sarcophagus. “No,” you snapped. You realized how harsh you sounded. “I’m sorry, that was mean. I just— I can’t. I’m sorry.”

You could feel Sam scanning your face, but he just nodded slowly.

“I really am sorry, Sam,” you said sincerely.

His tone was soft and understanding. “I know you are.” 

As much as you didn’t really trust him as a result of the whole “Ruby” ordeal, Sam had a way of making you feel seen. He really was an incredible friend to you, and you hated what you felt your relationship was turning into. 

Not even ten minutes later, Sam got a call from Dean. With a panicked expression on his face, Sam gave you a look that meant the two of you needed to leave at that moment. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked. “Is Dean okay?” Your heart pounded in your throat.

“Dracula attacked,” Sam replied as he tried to hail a cab. 

“What?!” 

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s all I know right now.”

As soon as you made it to the bar, you burst through the doors. When you saw Dean sitting at a table with Jamie, your heart sank in the midst of your relief.

“Hey,” Sam called out, trailing behind you. “You guys all right?” Dean sighed. “Yeah, I think so. And I think I know what's going on.” He put a folded towel down on the table.

“Yeah?” his brother replied.

“Part of it, at least.”

You hesitantly reached out to the towel, trying to keep your distance from Jamie and Dean. He eyed you curiously while you opened the towel. An ear was inside. You lightly touched it; immediately recoiling as you realized what it was. 

“Shifter,” you stated, keeping your eyes anywhere but on Dean’s.

“Oh, man,” Sam huffed.

Dean nodded. “Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee. Of course this one's all holding buckets of crazy. Oh, and, uh—” he took a medallion out of his pocket and tossed it to Sam. “This, I uh, pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon.”

Sam scoffed when he read it. “It's a costume rental.”

“All three monsters— the Dracula, Wolf Man, and the mummy— all the same critter; which means we need to catch this freak before he Creature From the Black Lagoons somebody.”

Jamie’s voice broke in. “So, you guys are like Mulder and Scully or something, and The X-Files are real?”

You didn’t miss how Jamie failed to include you in the analogy.

“No, The X-Files is a TV show. This is real,” Dean replied.

“Oh.” The blonde looked down at the table in front of her.

“Okay, so, the stagecraft, the costuming—” Sam pointed out, “it's like he's trying to re-enact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders.”

Jamie furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait a second. Who the hell is Mina?”

“Mina?” Sam questioned. 

“Yeah. That's what he called Jamie,” Dean nodded. “And he called me Mr. Harker.”

You bit the inside of your lip. “Characters from the original Drac movies and novels. Harker’s Mina’s fiancé. Dracula’s obsessed with Mina. Seems he fixated on you, darlin’,” you nodded at Jamie, pushing down your jealousy.

You knew it was twisted to be jealous of a girl getting stalked, but it was just solidifying in your mind that Dean wasn’t yours anymore. And it was all your fault.

“Wow. Lucky me,” Jamie groaned.

“But to fixate on you, my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you,” Sam added.

Dean turned to the blonde. “Jamie, has anybody strange come to town, somebody that has taken a specific notice of you?”

“I don't know, Dean. It's Oktoberfest. I'm a bartender. There's lots of people. I... wait a second. There is Ed.”

“ ‘Ed Brewer’ Ed?” Sam asked. You assumed it was someone they’d met earlier on the hunt; possibly while you were confined to the car.

“Yeah. He moved here about a month ago. Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He comes in almost every night. But, you know, I don't think he's the type of guy—”

“Where does Ed live?” Dean asked, cutting her off.

“I don't know. But he works at the old movie theater. I think he's the projectionist there.”

Sam looked to you and jerked his head toward the door. You turned on your heel, hearing Sam ask Dean to take care of “Mina” before he followed behind you. Anger bubbled in your chest, but you were trying to keep your feelings from seeping out.

****

You cocked your gun against the back of the head of Mr. Ed Brewer. 

“Whoa!” Brewer asked, holding his hands up in surrender. “W-Wait just one second, okay?” He tried to turn around to face you.

“Don’t move,” you commanded, voice eerily cold.

“W-What do you want?”

“You know what you did, Ed,” you replied.

“What?”

“I know what you are.”

“I'm not anything. I just like to play the Casio,” the man pleaded.

Sam nodded at Ed’s skull. “Had time to grow the ear back, huh?”

“What?!” He tried to turn around again.

“I said don’t fucking move,” you sneered.

Brewer froze again.

Sam tugged on Ed’s ear, but it wouldn’t budge. “It's supposed to come off.”

“No, it’s not!” he replied.

“You’re right,” you stated evenly. “I’m gonna walk away now. You don’t move until exactly two minutes after you hear the last of my footsteps, okay?”

“Okay, okay—”

You cut Ed off by pistol whipping him on the back of the head. He slumped to the floor, and you quickly rushed out of the room.

You caught Sam giving you strange looks, but you completely ignored them. “What did we miss, Sam?”

“Uh—”

“Sam! What did we miss?”

“Give me a second, (Y/N)!”

"We may not have ‘a second’!”

“The fuck are you in such a rush for?” he asked. 

“We don’t have time to talk about this, Sam,” you replied, voice becoming even again. “We gotta find this fucker, so I can—” you cut yourself off, nearly biting your tongue to avoid bringing up the angels and your “mission.” First and foremost, you were supposed to be keeping them safe. If you weren’t with Dean, you had no assurance that you were doing your job. 

“So you can what, (Y/N)?” Sam asked.

“I can’t tell you,” you answered sharply.

Thankfully, Sam just huffed and shook his head. 

****

When you got back to the bar, you strutted through the front doors that were surprisingly unlocked. As soon as you entered the bar, you felt uneasy. 

“Dean?” you called hesitantly. 

Sam just chuckled and took out his phone. “Dean, hey listen. Uh, Ed is not our guy. Um, I'm guessing you're at home with Jamie, so just give me a call, okay?”

While he left his voicemail, you walked over to the table Dean and Jamie had been sitting at. You stopped short at a broken bottle on the floor, and a napkin had a lipstick color on it you hadn’t seen Jamie wearing.

“Sam,” you said, feeling slightly choked.

He walked over to you and looked down at the napkin. “Lucy,” he murmured.

“Wait, Jamie’s friend?” you asked.

Sam nodded. 

“Fuckin’ hell,” you sighed heavily. 

****

Sam tracked Dean’s cell phone as you sped to the house the signal pinged at. As soon as the car was parked, you were sprinting up the stairs to the door of the house. Sam picked the lock, and you burst in, sneaking around with your gun drawn. 

You nodded for Sam to check upstairs while you went to check downstairs. Quietly, you slinked down the stairs with cat-like grace. Silently, you were hoping you’d be finding Jamie instead of Dean to avoid the awkward rescue scenario. 

Alas, your prayers were not answered. You entered the dark basement and saw a large, medieval looking torture device in the center of the room. Dean grunted while he tried to make it out of his chains, muttering the odd, “Dammit!” 

You lowered your gun as you rounded the device. “Dean?” You came to a stop in front of him, feeling everything in you wanting to run right out of the room.

“Get me outta here, would ya?” His tone was harsh.

You nodded obediently, wanting to avoid fighting with him as much as possible. It upset you that Dean could make the Lederhosen Dracula had dressed him in work. 

“Where’s Sam?” he asked.

You nodded at the stairs. 

“Silent treatment?” Dean scoffed. “Mature.”

“Stop, Dean, please,” you begged quietly. You hated that your voice came out as more of a whine than anything. Then, you rushed out of the room in an attempt to avoid any further conflict. 

When you heard a loud crash upstairs, you ran up the steps to the second floor. Dean followed close behind and burst into the room the scuffling sounds seemed to be coming from. 

Immediately, Dracula tackled Dean. “And you, Harker, now you die.” Dean choked out, “How 'bout now you shut the fuck up?”

With Dean trying to shield himself on the floor, you waited for Dracula to raise his sternum up enough for you to fire. Just as the monster was about to finish Dean off, you shot him once in the chest.

“Silver?” the monster said, seeming mystified. He looked up at you menacingly holding your gun. “It was beauty that killed the beast. No, Mina, do not weep.” He dramatically collapsed into a chair. “Perhaps this is how the movie should end.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, immediately turning on your heels to walk out of the room.

****

The next day, you slumped down in the back seat of the Impala while Dean and Jamie made out just outside the passenger’s side window. 

Faintly, you heard Jamie say, “Well, thank you, G-Man. You have been a great service to your country.” “Oh, yes, I'm very, very patriotic,” he responded flirtatiously.

You scoffed, pulling your gun out of the bag on the seat next to you to clean it. 

When the two brothers finally bid Jamie goodbye and got down into the car, Dean turned his eyes to you in the rearview mirror. “Jamie said to thank you.” He stared at you in the rearview mirror waiting for you to respond.

You never answered, and Dean just shook his head and started driving.

Series Rewrite Taglist: @polireader @brightlilith @atcamillanorrman @jrizzelle @insomnia-bookworm @procrastination20 @mrs-nesmith @djs8891 @tiggytaylor @staple-your-mouth @jesstherebel @rach5ive @strawberrykiwisdogog @bruhidkjustwannaread @mxltifxnd0m @sunshine-on-marz @big-ol-boat @mgchaser @capncrankle @chervbs @simpingdeadcharacters @nesnejwritings @stillhere197 @tearsforhan @take-it-on-the-run @iloveyou2mia @maxinehufflepuffprincess @ohgeehowdigethere @seninjakitey @berarenado @s0urw00lf @princessleahorgana @quarterhorse19 @isla-finke-blog @silverdoragon @karacaroldanvers @gayandfairycore @examishbookwyrm @star-yawnznn @real-sharena-h @fandomloverrr @metalmonki @onlyangel-444 @yu-winchester @benniwiththefanni @daisychaingirl @immagods @missmieux @yoongi-holland @littledebbieinabigworld

[tahbhie]

Effective Ways of Creating Relatable and Realistic Conflicts

As a writer, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or expert, you've likely heard about the importance of creating "relatable and realistic conflicts." This advice appears in almost every writing guide. Yes, it's crucial.

However, this recurring statement might seem vague. Let's break down what these terms mean. We'll discuss how to create conflicts in your style that work, and what can lead to the opposite results.

✧✧✧✧

This is a flexible guide, not a strict set of rules. Let's begin.

✧✧✧✧

First, relatability is different from realism, at least in this context.

Relatability offers an experience that people have gone through before. They can easily identify it as something that happens.

Realism, on the other hand, can be a fresh experience or something entirely fantastical. Here's the catch: it must stay true to your setting and plot. For example, in a fantasy setting, your conflict could be the protagonist's dragon falling sick on the eve of a big race.

In the real world, we have no dragons. But in your setting, your situation with this creature feels real. Now consider an instance where we have intelligent insects with no apparent reason or explanation. This is an example of an unrealistic conflict that doesn't align with its setting. It's either you adjust a few things in the settings or adjust the conflict that stems from their intelligence or is solved by it.

Now that we've established that, let's consider what to keep in mind when writing conflicts.

Conflicts can be resolved instantly or extend further. They can begin your story, occur during it, or happen after a sweet moment.

Before writing a conflict, think about:

1. The Setting:

Where is your world set? This matters a lot! You can use our real-life world but still create your own rules, as long as you make that clear. Your conflict could come off as both realistic and relatable. However, where you have a total no is when your world is the normal world we know, with no changes, and your conflicts are unrealistic and unrelated.

You have such examples in some Bollywood movies. No offense to anyone in love with these movies. This is just a case study for clarification purposes.

Think of the fight scenes. The physical conflicts often stem from a grander conflict. You'll understand where I'm coming from.

2. Duration:

How long will this conflict last in your story? Earlier, I mentioned lasting conflict and fleeting conflict. The former helps create more meaning for your plot. The latter adds excitement that drives the plot forward.

3. Solvability:

Sometimes, the resolution to your conflict can render it meaningless, even after you've nailed the creation. Resolve your conflict in agreement with your plot.

4. Interesting Premise:

Conflict ideas sometimes come naturally as you write your story. I remember when I wrote high school stories, conflicts came to me as I wrote, but this doesn't happen every time. Sometimes, I knew I needed something more exciting and less predictable.

For example, it's common for a new female student to be rivaled by the school's most popular girl. This is usually because of the love interest—the most popular guy in school. But what if they become best friends, and the love interest turns out to be the popular girl's brother?

She mistakes the protagonist's friendship with a different guy as cheating, and the feeling of betrayal turns them against each other. This twist offers a fresh take on the usual antagonizing characters. It could make your story more interesting. This time the antagonist is doing what she feels is in her brother's favour not herself.

5. Character's Involvement:

This is slightly similar to the above. The difference is that it deals directly with the characters themselves, not just the conflict they face. The actions towards the conflict give the situation meaning.

6. Aim and Goals:

What do you aim to achieve with your conflict? Do you wish to entertain, hook the readers, drive the plot forward, or introduce a new object or character? It's best to aim for two at a time. Trying to achieve all in a single conflict could lead to complications.

Which conflict have you read in a book that made you wish you wrote it?

If you love what I do, support my work to enable more content production.

Aiming for a powerful plot? Check out this plot progression planner that helps you plan the aspects you often overlook. You get a free gift!

[omamervt]

This is like the third time some variant of this post has come by my feed now and I can't help but think about the time I saw someone talking about how, like, in Hollywood, being fat is so synonymous with a character's moral failings in some way that nobody would know how to make/sell a movie with a fat woman as the lead character (like, actually fat, not like Mae Whitman in The Duff. someone like Rebel Wilson or Retta would have to play her) where she's allowed to just be seen as beautiful as-is, her weight isn't treated as/tied to a character flaw, and "different body types are Okay, Actually" isn't part of the core message of the movie in some form. That's informed by how we see the world as much as our worldviews are informed/enforced by issues like that.

Anyway, tying it back in, every time something like this comes up, it immediately becomes obvious where peoples' sense of what something means gets in the way of their ability to appreciate a story/premise.

"Not wanting to be a parent" is synonymous with someone who is lazy, scared of commitment, insecure about themselves or the state of the world, or has/is aware of some moral failing that'd make them a bad parent (ex: Ice Cube's character in Are We There Yet? just openly hates kids at the start of the movie).

So even people who may be pro-abortion as a hypothetical practice can't help but see someone seeking one as shorthand for some moral failing that they must overcome while on The Journey that this movie would put them through. Not Wanting To Be A Parent is a thing that makes them unfit for a relationship, so in order for them to fall in love and find happy ever after, they'd have to learn to be okay with becoming parents. Which, hey, when something like 1 in 4 adults in the US do not want to be parents? That's a fucked up thing to believe. OP literally said that an unplanned pregnancy would be an absolute nightmare scenario for them when presenting this story premise!

The insistence on making this subversive premise fit into existing narrative frameworks - and therefore, prevailing worldviews - is absolutely a thing that will get in the way of showing people that Parenthood isn't the only way.

there's an extremely niche plot in romance fiction wherein our invariably heterosexual leads fall in love after a night of passion leads to an unplanned pregnancy and they're now bound together by an impending child. I cast no judgment on anyone who enjoys this, but since I'm an evil gay and this is my personal nightmare scenario I want to see a zany romance novel premised on the opposite resolution: a couple falls in love while on a whirlwind roadtrip to obtain a legal abortion

[llamagirl28]

Wait, if Mordred's dragon companion now has 4 archetypes, and is a RO, does it mean you have to write at least 4 variations for every scene? So basically you are adding not 1,but 4 ROs. I admit, I myself am really curious about how these routes might go, especially about reactions of Mordred's family and friends, and of other folk, and am curious about lore implications - will it be a first precedent, is it just very rare, but not unheard of, or is it common enough to warrant some 'traditions' - i mean, dragons and humans, despite cooperating for a long time, still have their own culture, and how will this be navigated is interesting as well.

All in all, good luck! You arw spoiling everyone with the amount of variety in your work, ahah

In a way, it's kind of like having four ROs, but it doesn't feel that intimidating. I think one of the big differences is that I was already planning on fleshing out the character and giving them more scenes, and The Dragon Friend™, unlike other potential ROs has a more fixed relationship with Mordred, meaning they're always close friends with a deep bond so adding romantic variations doesn't feel like that much of a leap.

Dragon-human relationships are not unprecedented. They're not very common, but not unheard of either. Both human and dragon societies are largely accepting, although dragons might be more apprehensive because of their tumultuous history with humans. For other dragons, already very immersed in human culture and society, such a relationship wouldn't feel like that big of a leap.

Out of the humans who wouldn't date dragons their reasoning varies: some just aren't attracted to dragons, others don't think their lifestyles would mesh well, and then there are those who think humans and dragons shouldn't get that close to each other.

Those in human-dragon relationships may or may not choose to marry, some get a partnership contract done (marriage is a human thing, while a contract is a more neutral way of settling legal matters). If they choose to raise children, their only option is adoption as they can't have offspring.

All things considered, human-dragon relationships are not common enough to have formed specific customs or traditions.

[joelsprettyprincess]

period brain has been working overtime and i've been thinking about being passed around by like 4 different characters 😭

what do we think of joel/arthur/john price/ghost x reader?? methinks i will type up a little paragraph or two about it 🤭

[blinday]

1. Not a specific character, but it does feel very passive agressive. Yes, it does seem like fandom policing. It's all in the intent. Like, what's the point of it? "Oh look. You like a white character amongst your shows? Shame on you." That's stupid.

2. a) I don't know, but I doubt it's something like 'oooh! The only white character in the show! I'm gonna kin them instead of the mc'.

b) It certainly criticizes it. Or do you have a different purpose for this comic? You certainly made it seem like it's a bad thing to pay the white characters more attention than the poc ones.

c) Yes. Yes, actually. I've been and seen fandoms in which a character was there for very short period of time and got a lot of attention. Hell, the whole thing in MLP is that background characters get backstories because the fans love them.

3. Actually, no. Most of my favorite characters are black/asian/blasian coded ninja turtles. I like the characters based on how skrunkly and hurt shaped they are.

4. Yes. I do think there's a reason. White people already have many spaces for them, so it's frustrating when they're more beloved than a poc character. Even so, it doesn't make it wrong or bad or harmful for people to like them. What I personally do is to promote my favorites and make content for them.

5. Well. I saw something stupid that a lot of people talk about and decided to give my own 2 cents, since you know. It's the internet. And sometimes it's important to see other perspectives.

For the last question: Actually, no! I was raised in South Africa and am a Brazilian, now living in Brazil with my black boyfriend and family members. Speaking of which, before I posted, I asked for his input, because of the amount of people saying I don't have a say in this because I'm most likely white. I didn’t want to be disrespectful. Well, let's just say, he beta read this response and endorsed it. So. I think I'm in the clear.

Also, I tend to use sarcasm and paused structure sentencing to make my posts humorous. I don't have anything against you personally, I just wanted to participate in the debate. It is a funny comic and it's something that does happen. It's a bit annoying, but I just don't think it's harmful or too deep.

[quartings]

Thoughts and Theories on Pokemon Legends Z-A

With Pokemon Legends Z-A being very different from Legends Arceus, I wanted to figure out what all the differences we know so far are, and what similarities there were to connect the two as "Legends" games.

So here are all the big similarities and differences with a pinch of speculation and a dash of slight TeraLeak info!

Differences between PLA and PLZA:

Pokemon may no longer be able to kill you.

It’s a modern world- you can actually fight trainers, and many different kinds! With this extra source of Exp and gameplay, will there be less focus on mass catching and research tasks?

To build on this, the “boss fights” will likely no longer be noble Pokemon, or not even singular Pokemon at all. Instead, they will likely take the form of trainer battles. Not Gym Leaders, as that would undermine Clemont’s job. Instead, they may be major city figures who use Megas, whom you must recruit to give you access in developing the rest of the city.

Less focus on crafting, maybe more focus on money and business-building? Dex completion will likely still contribute to earning funds in some way, though.

The cast can’t be ancestors anymore- instead we get timeskip designs to show off. Most likely the residents of Lumiose. Clemont, Bonnie, Emma. Maybe other Kalos residents like Xerosic, Sycamore, Sina, and Dexio. Hopefully even Calem and Serena!

Maybe the Fallers subplot will continue, maybe not. Maybe depressed Emmet will be here.

While regional variants may still be around, there will likely be less focus on them thanks to the return of Megas.

To help us estimate how many new Megas there may be, there were 28 Megas in XY. 18 Megas in ORAS. 18 Alolan Forms. 20 Galarian Forms. 16 Hisuian Forms. 4 Paldean Forms. 22 Paradoxes (Counting Koraidon & Miraidon)

With less focus on the wilderness, Ride Pokemon may have a reduced role (Cabs and Gogoat could return) and parkour combined with Rotom Phone upgrades will likely further replace Ride Pokemon.

With Megas returning, this could mean the potential return of abilities and held items. This is not a guarantee, though. Megas have appeared in many other games that lacked either abilities or held Mega Stones, including Let’s Go, Pokemon Go, Mystery Dungeon DX, Shuffle, Smash Bros, MastersEX, and more.

Most notably, you are bound to one city instead of a whole region.

The urban environment means we could get complex new indoor areas for the first time since USUM in 2017 (If you don’t count Let’s Go and BDSP as remakes)

So, what IS a Legends game?

Similarities between PLA and PLZA:

You return to an older Pokemon region at a different point in time compared to the original games (Past/Future). As opposed to remakes, which re-tell the events of the original games.

The starters are a mixed assortment of previous starters (likely) with new forms for their final stages.

You are not taking the Pokemon League challenge in any way. Instead, you are building up a civilisation (Jubilife Village/Lumiose City)

Heavy theming on the balance between humanity and nature. PLA is about urbanizing and colonizing a wilderness, and PLZA is about re-introducing nature to a developed city.

“Drive by” catching is a thing, where you can throw Pokeballs at Pokemon without engaging in a battle screen to fight them.

The battles themselves diverge from the typical turn-based format of the mainline games.

While you are not able to explore the whole region (Floaroma, Eterna, Canalave, and its islands aren’t in PLA), what you can explore is divided into five different roamable areas, unlocked as you progress through the story.

A marketable appeal in seeing a region and its characters in a different time (Ancestors in PLA and timeskip designs in PLZA)

A marketable appeal in introducing new forms for existing Pokemon and (likely) even a small handful of new Pokemon!

Sidequests given to you by townsfolk help flesh out the world and its people.

No version exclusives, and story focus on a Trio master legendary/mythical which didn’t have its own game before.

[kys02]

How the Digital Circus characters are connected?

Alright, I think we can all agree that the main five characters weren’t chosen randomly. Each of them has their own issues, and the way they interact only makes those issues more obvious.

Ragatha & Jax — Two Sides of the Same Coin

Ragatha is sweet, caring, and optimistic, but there are moments that hint she’s not as “perfect” as she seems:

• In the Pomni dream:

Cane: Looks like our new friend's already abstracted!

Raghata: Well, I guess we're not all cut out for it.)

• In episode 4, she tells Gangle: I feel like I'm way more responsible than you.

Sound familiar? Yep, that’s Jax energy. But while Ragatha plays the role of the good one, Jax does the opposite—he breaks rules, annoys people, and insults everyone (except for Kinger). That being said, there are moments where his real emotions slip through:

• In episode 2, he actually looks sad at Kaufmo’s funeral.

• In episode 4, he’s exhausted from all the shift and actually talks to Pomni and Ragatha in a neutral tone—no sarcasm, no teasing.

Basically, Ragatha pretends to be all kindness while hiding her anger, and Jax pretends to be all cruelty while hiding his kindness.

(by the way, I had a post on the topic: why the 5th and 6th episodes will be about Jax and Ragatha at the same time. That's the main reason.)

Zooble & Gangle

Remember that moment in episode 4 when Zooble gives Gangle a plastic mask? By the end of the episode, it turns out it doesn’t work, and Gangle gets upset.

Gangle: The mask didn't work…

Zooble: Look, the new mask was bust. So what? I'm sure we'll find something that works eventually.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting:

• Zooble hates their body and keeps replacing their parts, trying to find something that “fits.”

• Gangle wears a happy mask because, well, no one likes sad people. That’s literally a stereotype—crying is seen as weakness.

Fun fact: in one of the official artworks, Gangle is shown wearing different masks, some of which reference old Gooseworx projects.

Both of them want to change something about themselves, thinking it’ll make them feel whole. But the truth is, Zooble is still Zooble no matter what parts they have, and Gangle is still Gangle with or without a mask.

Kinger & Pomni

(in short, because I don’t see any big similarities here. Just little things that I noticed)

Kinger once told Pomni that he lost his wife.

In episode 2, Pomni makes a new friend— Gummigoo, and when he disappears, she feels the exact same loss that Kinger did.

Every character in the Digital Circus reflects a deeper conflict. Their interactions aren’t just fun or dramatic—they reveal the struggles they’re dealing with in their own ways.

I might add more to this later, but that’s all for now! And remember: everyone is always connected) Thanks for reading! 🩵

[midnight1nk]

So, this week's episode...

[spoilers below cut]

I'M HERE I'M HERE *trips from stone pebble, face first* i'm here...

That's right, my dear fellows, your local theorist is back and freed from the basement! WA-HOO 🎉 What episode do we got today... *sees thumbnail+title* ...oh. huh.

Team...*inhales* care to tell me what. the. fuck is this? "SMG4:" IS BACK ON THE TITLE?! AND THIS DESCRIPTION?!

oh my god the Team hates me so BAD (/lh /jk) WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!

(the following is my live reaction:)

dude, i don't even know what to expect from this but it looks like i'm going to be incredibly annoying in this review 😅 (sorry in advance)

the way Mario goes to the front door of his home is exactly how i enter every room

Mario to Luigi: "Trying to get me back after locking you in the fridge for 5 days?" wha ...y'know what? that sounds about right

*war flashbacks to Ben's tweet*

*slowly turns to Team* what did you do? :) NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR KNOWING SMILES, ONLY I SHOULD DO THAT. ANOTHER FNAF REF WITH THE VANNY MASK ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

(hey nicc, buddy, how are you holding up?)

btw the Team could've gone with any mask but they went with this for 4 & 3 🤔

*points at 4* he wants that cookie SO BAD

UE UE UE THEY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME💙💜 they do be scheming

look how much they've changed 🥹 (and i will talk about them later)

AND their expressions? *dies*

*stares at Team suspiciously* wow the framing of this scene is quite interesting, huh

speak yourself, 4. you could barely handle horror games

OH I GET THE CLUE NOW @arco-doodles never could i have ever imagined a roles-reversed version of "the princess carry" 🗣️LET'S GOOOOOOO

SMG3: "You've used the same laugh in like all your videos." and ofc, you would know that. you were like his biggest fan (in the classic era), obsessed even smh /affectionate

HOLY SHIT ARE WE DOING FOUND FOOTAGE THROUGH 3'S POV/PHONE?!?! dude this is SICK

*deadpans at you through the screen* y'know...

I'm a sucker for this animation, dude

gonna bounce around the screen like the DVD logo, spooky style

well this feels familiar

and also the fact that Mario looked like that one meme with the realistic eyes (link) that Ben used as his pfp one time. what's crazy is that Ben hasn't seen this episode yet lmao

OH A BIT OF 2D PNG ANIMATION. also the eyeliner 👀

(hmm why do 4 & 3 get trapped in the weirdest places tf? /lh)

welp we found Luigi, we did it guys *cheesy thumbs-up* roll the credits

also it's giving:

i'm just going to drop this here, ok? ↓

4 lifting 3's chin :)

a TADC ref? in my SMG4 episode? it's more likely than you think

love the small details of not only Mario's post-it note of "Mario's Spaghetti, DO NOT EAT" but also his drawing of "stinky 4" just hung up on the fridge

it is still Mario....... NOT EVEN THE SPAGHETTI TRAP?

somehow 3 summoning ghosts fit with his internet graveyard/dark web role

*WHEEZE* the 2 dollar store item...

*danny phantom theme plays*

oh. uh, i'm intruding, aren't i? i should go...... ("he wants that cookie so bad" 2: electric boogaloo???)

i hired 3 & 4 to stare at you /silly /ref

love how 3 has his contacts with the regular names (Karen, Bob, etc.) meanwhile for 4, it's "StinkyMessGuy4". 4's different 💅

aw 4 🥹💙 you did a good thing in apologizing

3 NOOOOOOO

*IGBP war flashbacks*

oh, what's that? i was staring at space again? oh, no, I was trying to figure out HOW DID I MANIFEST 4'S CASTLE COLLAPSING IN AN IGBP PARALLEL OF AN EPISODE?! oh god, did the Team somehow see my WIPs of my door fanart? they're hacking into my tablet /silly

so let me get this straight: a supernatural entity with multiple eyes and red is causing chaos, starting from emerging out of the PC to eventually corrupting the castle and its ground, meanwhile, the friends believed that one of them is possessed by said entity and trying to save them in several ways. AND by the end, 3, having a character development moment, sympathizes with their "possessed" friend...

🧍 ...ok yeah I see how it is, Team. and while i was gone for the weekend? smh

eh close enough, welcome back IGBP

before i move on, it's crazy how the Team kept punching me in the gut for the "Eye of Horus/Ra" stem of the Goop!4 theory and now they jumped into the theory's "Eye of God" and Christianity thing with Mario's new form. "wow Mario really is 4's avatar" i can never catch a break 😔 /silly

here's some context *flashback noises*:

*le gasp* he apologized?! BIG MOMENT HERE FOLKS AAAAAA

...and it didn't work? oh shit. i'm still very proud of you 3 💙

THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE SAYS SO MANY THINGS.

ok ok first off, the fact that 3 was serious about his apology. For once, doing the right thing only to be rejected. It feels very similar to the YT arc when 3 was doing his own thing with Snitch Productions. Here tho, 4 is affirming 3's actions, approving it. 3 really did good. if it was 4 back in the classic era, 4 might've had a harder time believing 3 bc of them being enemies, which was what eventually caused Snitch Productions to get destroyed and 3 clicking into his villain arc. BUT HERE, 4 believed and trusted 3's sincerity, especially since we all know 3 isn't the usual type to be emotionally vulnerable. 4 knows bc of what 3 said to him in IGBP

second, this might be a dark subject so fair warning about death. can we talk about how 4, time and time again, doesn't mind the idea of dying? I know we talked about the death guidelines of this universe and sure, it entirely depends on the context/intent behind it. But the fact he's ok with it regardless... Here, in IGBP, and other sillier episodes, it's almost like he accepts it as some sort of punishment, just enough bc by what seems like the end for him, he's doing the right thing or something he loved or from his own doing/fault. And that is what i worry bc in a serious arc, sooner or later, something like this is gonna happen again, and 4 might say he accepts this supposed fate bc he "deserved it" after everything he's done, even before IGBP. This got sad real quick, dude

Really, Team? All this in a silly spooky episode? damn

...let's go on and try to go back to silly mode, ok? ok

GET PRANKED, BRUH‼️🚨🚨‼️‼️

*shaking violently* Team, was it necessary for you to shove the fact that the window to the boarded-up room is right there, in my face? really?

and let's not prank Mario ever again :D

Congrats to Not_wizz for your art being featured in the end credits 🎉

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

[Ink here! Sorry for the late review, I literally passed out for the whole day from the conference and immediately had a rough production day yesterday. But I'm here now, coming in fashionably late 💅]

This. This was an INCREDIBLE episode, I don't even know how. The animation, the story, all of it was crazy /very pos. If you haven't noticed my insanity already, this feels too familiar to IGBP (says the co-CEO of the Goop!4 theory). at this point, the Team is teasing us. So Team, while I'm upset at the fact that I had to miss this, touché. congrats, you got me good.

Now, some of you might've noticed in the end credits that Cube is the producer instead of Kevin. For the jokes and giggles, Kev may not make it out alive from Creator Clash when his opponent's out for blood, so he's passing it over to Cube. Even some of the Team joked about it when it was first announced RIP Kev /jk.

But no seriously, Cube has been the producer for several episodes now and it's nice to see the Team growing and trusting each other with these roles. I'm sure Kev will be around but hey, things change. we just gotta adapt.

Ok, back to the episode itself. 3 & 4 have really shown how much they've grown over all these years. Obviously 4, who didn't do "childish" pranks before, now does bc of 3's influence and is really getting along with 3. But 3 went through some change from 4's influence as well, episodes before and "subtlety" now. 3 tried to save his friends in Puzzle Park (more worried of their safety than his own) and now he apologizes for that prank they did to Mario. Like he said, he swallowed his pride, and 4 believed in his word. another step of character development for these two, we love to see it.

and ofc, another episode of our goofball Mario, it's really in-character for him to into a biblically accurate angel just for a prank lol.

Anyway, this has been an incredible episode and I applaud to everyone who worked on this 👏 something's brewing and I'm so excited to see what comes next. Apparently, I owe my moot a can of rizz soda so chat, I'll see you all at the next one, and remember: numbers go first........

...so *slowly turns chair* Team, what's up with that title huh? you ain't slick, "SMG4: IT'S A ME..." is LITERALLY a few words away from "SMG4: IT'S GOTTA BE PERFECT". and HEY, what's up with the framing showing the DOOR, huh? NO i'm not delusional, ANSWER MEEEE /silly

[batteryacidisedibleenough]

Lean wayyy harder on the idea of sight.

Now, the legally distinct Vigil Lords have 10 eyestalks with differently colored irises, sharp pupils, and deep black sclera. Each corresponds to a certain ability.

I guess the easiest way to go about this would just be to have a magic system with 5 or ten different schools or varieties of magic and divide them on the eyes evenly, but that's kinda lame. I'm just gonna call 'em as I see 'em.

Just to preface, the powers are on-command and all work off the logic of regular sight: powers work through transparent objects and catches more on obstructions the more opaque they are, you can just outright distract or harm the eyes by various means, etc. All the eyes have regular vision in addition to their normal effects, unless their effect is some form of vision. You can see the reflections of what the eyes see, though those less familiar with the concepts may find it harder to make out.

I think the distraction idea in particular is hilarious and encourages bullshit/genius tactics, which is always a good thing. And yes, their depth perception is poor if they don't have two eyes focusing on something, even if that is admittedly unlikely.

1: White-eyed stalk: see through other's eyes. No line of sight required; works unless closed or destroyed. Can be distracted with another's sight if it's more attention-grabbing, but it's easier to just close your eyes if they're being tapped. This one can bypass the whole depth perception thing because it sees through all of a given creatures' eyes.

2: Red-eyed stalk: fire jet/heat ray, your choice.

3: Gray-eyed stalk: blinds you. Just don't look at it when it's looking at you and you're fine.

4: Black-eyed stalk: see a couple seconds into the future. As in, specifically in its line of sight. Effectively just an eye that's ten seconds ahead at all times and is otherwise completely normal; still probably the most powerful. Visually indistinguishable from #8, aside from the reflection.

5: Purple-eyed stalk: see into your soul (judge your character, motive, etc.; hard to fool, better just to break its line of sight. Yes, hitting a Vigil Lord with a mirror could possibly give them an identity crisis.)

6: Green-eyed stalk: gets really long like a tentacle. Whether the eye goes along for the ride or not depends on choice, so they can both stab you and obnoxiously stare at you around a corner.

7: Blue-eyed stalk: spews a cloud that only it can see through. Let me reiterate, anything other than this one eye cannot see through it. Applicable eye effects such as the heat ray will go through, but will rely on this one's sight for guidance. Remember that the black eye gets fogged and unfogged ten seconds early.

8: Black-eyed stalk: Can see the past. Any given section of time of where it's looking, at normal speed. Like a video where you can skip to different parts, but only goes at normal speed. In other words, it can enter a town and watch it's entire history. Through one eye, at regular speed. Can be distracted by a significantly visually significant time, or just a different direction. Visually identical to #4 except for the reflection.

9: Pink-eyed stalk (is just the color pink): Can show others thoughts/memories/lies when they look at it. The most consistently effective use of this is probably jumpscares, as "don't trust the Vigil Lord" isn't a particularly hard idea to come up with.

10: "Glass"-eyed stalk: can copy the ability of any other eye and extends it, so to speak--sees to the same period as #8, shows a different person the same thought as #9, etc., but is able to focus on a different direction. Two heat rays, two tapped sets of eyes, two points of billowing mist, you name it. Glows the color of the eye it's copying. Cannot copy an eye when it's closed or destroyed, and cannot copy Eye Zero.

(Eye Zero (the big one)): No iris, white sclera, black pupil: sees really, really good. Exorbitantly high fidelity sight, and the range goes from 10¹⁰Hz (mid-frequency microwaves) to 10¹⁸Hz (mid-frequency X-rays). Can see in the dark and can't be blinded outside of damage or obstruction. Depends on the other eyes for depth perception, though. Such a big hazard that protective goggles are worn over them pretty much since birth.

Go make one of these guys a prolific detective or god-ruler of a police state or something idk

Game design exercise: You've been tasked with creating a non-trademark-infringing version of the beholder. The design brief specifies that your version should have ten creepy eyestalks with ten distinct magic powers, like the standard beholder, but these powers must not overlap with even one of the standard beholder powers.

For the purpose of this exercise, assume that the forbidden list consists of exactly the ten magic eyeball powers that are present in the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Monster Manual. (i.e., you don't need to research every magic eyeball power that's ever been attributed to a beholder in every iteration of D&D ever published.)

For reference, these ten powers are:

Controls your mind

Paralyses you

Makes you afraid

Slows you down

Makes you weak

General purpose telekinesis

Puts you to sleep

Turns you to stone

Disintegration ray

Just fucking kills you

These are all off limits.

So:

What ten magic eyeball powers do you give your legally-not-a-beholder?

[gayofthefae]

The thing about a character's main plotline is you only get one. Mike's isn't Will no El no Will no El no it's Will but now it's El,

it's his relationship with his own queerness as he confronts it in his relationships with both men and women.

Because if his story is Will, what are seasons 1 and 3 about? If it's El, what about seasons 2 and 4, why are they apart and not working towards the same goal together?

You have to find a consistency. It reminds of something I like to do when I'm doing character work, which is to ask "what is this character's biggest fear?" I had a character who I decided feared being forgotten above all else and let me tell, that fed into every aspect of my performance in some way. Mike's biggest fear for a long time is being queer or being out. We know that because of how it impacts everything he does.

You have to find the consistency. You go back through and see what he does and feels and how he reacts to both Will and El the same, or maybe very differently but always around the same topics. Those topics are what inform us.

Mike's story is one thing, and if it were his love for El, they wouldn't have wasted so much time on him and Will. Professional writers know that scenes must serve all characters involved, and if Mike's story were El, what a waste of an entire season for him. That would mean he has little to know growth from season 2 because it doesn't affect him, something that would also break every screenwriting structure and give us a feeling of lack of momentum - which we did not feel.

No, he has a singular plot. Queerness through his relationships with both El and Will. That's what those homophobic bullies were really there for. It wasn't just easter eggs. It was drive for a character present.

If his story is about both Will and El then no it's not. If it's about multiple people that just means it's about only himself. It's about what those people reflect of him. But they have to reflect only one thing...

There's only one plot consistent enough to be his one plot. And we already know, if the requirement is that his relationship with Will impacts his relationship with El and vice versa...we already know there's only one way it could have done that the way it did.