#this is the sillier alternative to like

[nightcxty]

currently fighting 2024's first flop era and existensial identity crisis♥ stay tuned besties im gonna get sooo much worse!!!

[todayisafridaynight]

'tumblr if you snipe the quality of another post of mine im going to break into your cellar and ruin all of your wine' translation: click for better quality

80's version

[multi-fandomdisaster]

Ted Spankoffski x Executive Andrew Kilgore will forever be one of the funniest ships to me in a good way. Like- every time I see it it makes me laugh and smile because there is NO WAY considering the way everything plays out event wise in Time Bastard that this ship would ever happen, but like...what if it did?

The ultimate enemies to lovers arc /silly /hj

[objecks]

when i was 12 this was the coolest most mindblowing shit ever i was genuinely so obsessed with it I'd read it very day like the bible. I would die for a version of this with the post 3D world content over my country

[sculptambitio]

Wait I have something more- the difference with og D.io and s.teel b.all r.un D.io is that og D.io is a lawyer and sbr d.io dropped college

[dyk3pup]

merciless tickling till u cry 🤝 playful silly tickles till ur out of breath

[goatsandgangsters]

Posh Fancy People Name Generator (Debrett's Peerage 1903)

Do you spend a lot of time coming up with silly names for your Jeeves and Wooster fanfic? Do you and your friends get together on weekends to LARP as Oscar Wilde characters? Do you just want to feel grateful that your parents didn't name you Allnutt?

Then have I got the random name generators for you! 

Introducing two Debrett’s Peerage (1903) Name Generators, by yours truly! 

It will give you a first name, TWO middle names (so posh), and a surname, all taken from actual once-living human beings whose names were recorded in the 1903 edition of Debrett’s Peerage 

There’s a posh man version and a fancy lady version

(I also included an optional tick-box to add a title/peerage rank and/or some silly bonus info from me, but you can keep it name-only if you prefer) 

here are some of my fave Actual Names that I found. now imagine how much sillier we can make this by putting it all in a blender

please note: lettice is her middle name. her surname is gore. miss lettice gore, you are an icon.

A few notes on logistics:

Names are not weighted and were entered into each category only once, regardless of how common or uncommon they were in 1903. This means you’re as likely to be named Wyndham as you are to be John, because frankly it wouldn’t be fun if every man you generated was named John 

However! First name and middle names are separate lists, so your first name could be the same as one of your middle names; alternatively, both of your middle names could be the same because middle names are pulling from the same list. This should enhance the absurdity 

The name ‘Napier’ appears in Debrett’s Peerage as a first name, as a middle name, AND as a surname. While it’s statistically unlikely, it is technically possible to generate the name Napier Napier Napier Napier for yourself 

Spelling variations (eg, Ann vs Anne) were included as separate names

The generator is continuously being updated with more names, because there’s a whoooole lot of names recorded in Debrett’s Peerage (yes, I am manually reading and entering names from a 2,000+ page document. what of it.)

For the bonus tick-box: the titles are all real, but they may be paired with a different peerage rank than they were in actuality (e.g., if you generate Lord So-and-So, the So-and-So is a real title, but the generator might tack it onto a Earl instead of a Marquess, etc). I didn’t include any royalty, just aristocracy 

For the bonus tick-box: most are a straightforward “you are a Countess” but some are me being a bit silly and having fun 

[whattzitt]

The storyboards of the alternate ending to tf1 have me in tears and I desperately want to see them still happen.

Idk if anyone has already thought of this so sorry if it’s already out there but picture this, we get another movie (PLEASE PLEASE IM BEGGING I NEED ANOTHER ONE) that scene happens on a battlefield near the beginning of the war. Instead of Sentinel it’s Bee at Megatrons mercy, hand around Bee’s throat Optimus couldn’t quite get in front of Bee before Megs grabbed him. Queue that whole conversation with Optimus and Megatron starting at “this is not you D” and add in a bit of dialogue about the war and stuff. Time is standing still for them as the battle rages on behind them and Optimus can see D for the first time since Megatron, he’s there deep down. He’s so sure that maybe they really can end the war and they can create a better world together. Megatrons grip loosens on Bee for a sec as Megs recounts his past, then he yanks out Bees throat. Optimus gets shot, critically injured.

Or alternatively it’s Elita that gets shot a the end there. As she’s fighting around in the background, maybe get a shot of her taking in the situation while she’s mid fight. But she, unknowingly to the viewer is now coming up behind Optimus to get to Bee and while Optimus is facing Bee, Megatron gets the shot off and she’s critically injured too. And Megatron pushes Optimus back, optics briefly flick up to Elita as Optimus is ready to fight or go to Bee, finally turns around sees Elitas optics wide and a gaping hole in her side.

I think it’d be a pretty good moment that creates a turning point for the characters where the realisation of what they’ve actually started settles in. Optimus truly understands the weight of Megatrons words when he hurt Bee and to really kick him while he’s down Elita is hurt too.

Bee gets his trauma, I’m personally a lover of voiceless Bee and even though I do love Bee and his voice in tf1, that robot needs his trauma and I think it’d be a great arc for him after dealing with his aloneness, only having his voice, getting friends, loosing them and then his voice, would be amazing for this version on Bee. Also because I’d like to think he’s still trying to joke around with Megs on the battlefield, would be great.

And Elite just gets the worst I told you so moment ever, she knew what they’d gotten themselves into but still seeing it happen, knowing how D was before, it hurt.

And yk you could always spin this with Opti becoming more of the reclusive Prime we see a lot of the time, and maybe having the “you don’t have to do this on your own”, “but you got hurt because of me”, “shut up you dumbass” arc. I just like when he’s a little sillier and learns to lean on people more kinda thing.

Idk anyways I’m gonna go cry now.

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

Oh, it's better than that:

It was he, in fact. The clerk’s lamp illumined his countenance. He held his hat in his hand; there was no disorder in his clothing; his coat was carefully buttoned; he was very pale, and he trembled slightly; his hair, which had still been gray on his arrival in Arras, was now entirely white: it had turned white during the hour he had sat there. (1.7.11, Hapgood)

It turned white in less than an hour.

As a fandom, we don't talk enough about how Victor Hugo thinks people's hair goes white. Everyone just accepts that his hair is canonically white and never talks about how it actually happens in the brick. Like he goes out and says that Valjean's hair just turned white overnight from the stress? Like the hair on his head simply lost its colour. Just like that. Poof. I'm picturing it just like, drying up? Did he genuinely believe that's what happened

[the-artist-grimm]

stopping by to say a few things. one, i love your crimson angel au. it's a fun and different take on how things work with canon and how things can be changed accordingly. two, love your art style. i can't explain it, but i just really like the way everyone's drawn. three. AWWWW short lamb! no worries anthea, i'm short myself, so you have good company! four. has anyone challenged anthea, nona or narinder to a cook off? five. fave type of music for everyone? like ballads, etc/ have a good day!

First off, thank you so much!!!!!!! I'm glad you're enjoying my stuff :D And hehehe-the idea of someone super short taking on and winning against 5 massive gods is just very funny for me, I like tiny but mighty protagonists

Now hm a cook off-I think no one would dare trying to face off against Nona-cooking is her domain. Probably only Heket eventually would try, and even then lose to the old lady's might.

Music (Just doing the cats and the lamb for simplicity's sake XD. Also adding links so people can you know...check out all the reallyyyyy good songs hehehe):

The Lamb, Anthea: Indie-Folk (Anything Crane Wives (Never Love an Anchor, Allies or Enemies) Alternate/Indie Pop (Live Cinema, Espresso, Cabo, Snow) Vocaloid-y? Like the kind of depressing/sad-ish tracks you come across in vocaloid type songs (Kokoronashi, Rest in Peace, Soundless Voice) Narinder: Progressive Metal and Rock. I personally think he'd love Sleep Token with how heavy their lyrics are, Euclid, Atlantic, and Alkaline would likely be some of his favs. The band Starset too with Perfect Machine, Alchemy, and Die for You. Aym and Baal: Nightcore and especially Vocaloid. They're 11 year olds that's like starting middle school age, there's a reason they were Rin and Len for Halloween XD . When I was in middle school I'd just discovered Youtube and was recording those songs onto my 3Ds via the camera to listen on car- trips since I didn't have an MP3 LOL. For specifics: -Aym: Leans to more edgy/loud tracks but sometimes the sillier ones too. Tokyo Teddy Bear, Matryoshka, Death Should Not Have Taken Thee, Ghost Rule -Baal: Leans to more happy and energetic tracks. Popipo, The Snow White Princess , Tell Your World, Drop Pop Candy

...I definitely didn't just give them all my music tastes what are you talking about (trips and falls over playlists)

Anyhoo...have a good day to you as well! (and my apologies for the delay KEKW)

[e-rated-beardo]

Scorn and the Saint-Maker, chapter 31: Serpent of the Nile, relieve me for a while

Scorn and the Saint-Maker is a murder mystery/ineffable husbands romance/who-turned-them-human Good Omens fanfic, set at a university in Scotland, with lots of (as-yet skippable) level-5 smut, ✨sexy maths✨ (reportedly), and one trans angel

So umm I may have played with the cover image what do you think 👀

Chapter 31 summary: Doctor Fell carries out his plan.

Rating: Chapter rated T; fic E.

Notices/warnings: Mentions of alcoholism, alcohol poisoning, and deaths from the same. Reference to basically all triggers in the last few chapters. Also, actual (canon-appropriate) drinking.

Excerpt:

The scratch and click of the lighter sounded ominous in the dark. Candle flames flickered to life one by one in the dusky living room, their dancing light somehow less warm than it ought to be. The sounds of traffic on the street out front, muffled through two layers of doors and an exterior wall, faded into the background; the soft noises of wind and rustling branches from the courtyard in the back were swallowed by the blackout curtains. All eight flames lit, he stepped around to the couch – pushed back against a wall with the rest of the furniture – and sat down on it. “How do you do this, then?”

Read chapter 31 on AO3 ➡️ or start from the beginning ↩️ (136k words, WIP)

@goodomensafterdark

And, y'know what, fuck it, @ezomind-the-other-one you bastard for sitting there on discord happy as you please with iarrannme (who isn't on Tumbler afaik?) and basically THEORISING A SILLIER VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER like "haha lol wouldn't it be great if beardo wrote this eh", you have no idea the scream i screamed and the urge I have right now to write that version as a crack spin-off alternate universe okay

[ravioliet]

ok so let me be cringe on main for a minute here (this is a joke btw i know cringe isn't real). odd squad mlp au for your consideration

please ask me questions about this by the way i have so much for this. i'll put some of the basic info (it's a lot more than that now but in my defense it started as a basic summary) and a few more drawings under the cut though please look at it with your eyes thank you

so for some basic explanations we have Olive who is a unicorn, Otto who is a pegasus, Olympia who is a part unicorn earth pony (which i'll explain in a sec), and Otis who is a full blooded pegasus (which i'll also explain the importance of in a moment). i haven't drawn Ms. O, Oscar or Oona yet but they are an alicorn (formerly an earth pony), a unicorn, and an earth pony respectively

Olive and Otto are the only two that i've come up with cutie mark designs for so far (they are so hard to design..) but Olympia and Otis have them too, they just get them mid-season. specifically after the talent show. i'm designing them side by side so that they kinda match because they get them at the same time and also they're besties your honor, but anyways theirs are a little fireworks design and some sort of a swan design because y'know. the ugly duckling story. and also i think part of his talent is dancing and like swan lake exists etc etc. and yes this does mean that he's a little bit scared of his own cutie mark at times but he just tries not to think about it and usually covers it with his wings anyway. all four of their cutie mark meanings are kinda abstract personality trait related things

Olive got hers after stopping the pienado because character development moments, which also kinda means that she's sorta tied to Todd because of this which she Does Not Like. i'll need to make a whole other post about Todd in this au because he's definitely a guy, but anyways while they were partners Olive was a blank flank and despite how good at his job he was Todd was one too and it was like one of the only things they really had in common, but it also ends up being one of the reasons he goes rogue because not only is Todd bored but he's also frustrated because he's tried everything he can think of and won every award he possibly can and he still doesn't have a cutie mark even though he feels like he definitely should by now because this has to be his talent. why would he be so good at it if it wasn't? he doesn't get his cutie mark until after he reforms btw, because before then he was either too certain about his talent being something else or too busy causing trouble to entertain himself that he never really took the time to stop and discover that his actual interest was gardening and that's when he finally gets his cutie mark. in my head i have this alternate version of Otis's tomato speech where when Todd is like "i'm Odd Todd it's who i am" Otis is just like "that's not what your cutie mark says" and it's very silly but anyways i'm gonna circle this back around to Olive real quick

so on top of Todd's cutie mark being in gardening he also has a sort of side meaning as well in the sense that he's a little bit like the CMC and has a sort of knack for encouraging character growth in others whether he realizes it or not because. encouraging plants to grow.. encouraging people to grow... the whole villain rehab thing...... you see what i'm getting at here. but the funny thing is the first pony he really did this to was Olive and it was completely unintentional. he didn't know that she would get her cutie mark by stopping him, at least not consciously, but she did. it probably takes him quite some time before he actually puts together the fact that he's had that talent the whole time.

Otto's cutie mark is a lot sillier. he actually doesn't know how he got it or what it means (as mentioned earlier it's symbolic but he doesn't know that. also shoutout to Shroom aka Evillandscaper for suggesting a paper crane because i did NOT know what i was gonna make it) he just kinda walked into work one day and Olive was like "oh cool you got your cutie mark?" and Otto was just like "WAIT I GOT MY CUTIE MARK?????" cue a whole silly filler episode involving the two of them trying to figure out what it means and also Olive having a crisis over the fact that Otto can do that pegasus thing where they use their wings like cartoon hands. both of these become running bits from then on. also i drew this comic about it and it might be one of my favorite things i've made for this au honestly

and on the topic of cutie marks as i previously mentioned, Olympia and Otis both get theirs after the talent show and they're also matching a little bit. theirs are also personality things but in addition to that Otis's is also for dancing and Olympia's is for magic, and you may be wondering how an earth pony can be a magic talent and this is where that half unicorn thing comes in!

so Olympia is half unicorn half earth pony which i don't think is too uncommon on its own, but the thing that makes her weird is that she inherited traits from both sides instead of just one over the other, so she actually has unicorn magic but no horn to actually use it with so she's unable to cast actual spells or anything but her magic will kinda spill over at times, especially if she's emotional, and cause things to happen like that one time she exploded into glitter when interviewing Olive or of course the fireworks! she's kind of like the Pinkie Pie character who just does unexplained things sometimes she's just very silly. fun fact in her ref you can see that her mane and tail are sparkly and that's because they kinda just perpetually look like they have glitter in them, but the thing is it's not really glitter it's all just magic. i imagine her coat is like this as well but i just didn't draw it in

also as a side note it came to my attention that she bears an uncanny similarity to Sparkleworks from G3 and i have absolutely no idea how that happened At All. like they have the same cutie mark and everything it's so weird. i've never even watched G3 i'm a G4 kid i legitimately have no clue how the hell this happened. i did make this out of it though

anyways for Otis, he's a pegasus of course but he's specifically a Cloudsdale weather pegasus, which yes i did make up but hear me out. so basically in my mind pegasi born in somewhere like Cloudsdale are more likely to have weather talents or like. stronger abilities in controlling the weather and such, which means stuff like larger wings and weatherproof wings and feathers to make it easier to deal with storms and stuff like that, so basically all this is just an excuse for me to give Otis waterproof feathers like a duck. but anyways since he was still raised by the ducks he doesn't actually know he's from Cloudsdale or anything so he just thinks he's weird for the feathers thing

okay i have. way more but i'm cutting myself off here so i don't overload everyone with information but anyways, please ask me about them, and also here's some extra drawings i've done of them :3

[ancha-aus]

Lmao!!

The alternative ending is just the others finding Nightmare and Dream.

Blue pulling 'Dream' away: What were you thinking?! Are you okay?!

the gang struggling wiht 'nightmare': Boss?

Dream having had enough: Let go and let me at that fucking idiot of my twin! Four floors?! FOUR?! Why do you need four?!

Nightmare: don't curse. The boys are very influencial and I alreayd have an issue with Killer cursing at everything. And where else do I keep the wine cellar?

Dream: Why a WINE CELLAR?! Why would you even need that!

Nightmare huffs: Because I deserve a treat, and wine and cheese is nice together to enjoy as i read a good book.

Which is when the others realise the shenigans going on and they all take a seat to figure out what the hell is going on.

Nightmare and Dream are both very salty.

Blue: ... wait.... You said I am the only smart person in the multiverse.

Nightmare deadpan: Correct. you better be proud. because my minions are great but they are not the smartest.

Dream: How do you deal with them being like your second, third, fourth and FIFTH shadow?

Nightmare: *shrugs* They got seperation anxiety.

:)

Connected to the story I made of your comics.

(I hope you know Encanto otherwise this will make little sense reference wise)

Dream in Nightmare's body staring at the large stairs and many hallways: ... that is a large area to search. Luckily I have a friend-

Tentacle he had been talking to twists around and hides behind his own back.

Dream: ... nevermind. Well here i go!

two hours of searching later.

Dream: Nightmare your castle SUCKS!

-----

Nightmare as Dream somewhere else stops and frowns: ... why do i get the feeling soemone is insulting my things?

Pfffffffff- XD

I have seen encanto! I've only seen it once but I think I remember the bit, and yeah god help Dream trying to search for anything in that castle.

I can just see them meeting up at the end but instead of trying to fix things it's like

Nightmare: you need to learn to say no to peo- Dream: Why do you live in a fucking castle with THREE floors?? Do you have any idea how long it took me to find the front door?? I'm amazed you have 15 sitting rooms when I never see you sit!! Nightmare: ...actually it has a basement so there's four floors- Dream: STOP!!

This is the ending where they don't return to their bodies they just stand around strangling each other lol

[d-8tober]

Announcing the D8Tober Dimension 20 fan event/prompt challenge!

Select 8 of the 31 prompts to make a fanwork based off of during the month of October! Prompts are each loosely inspired by a horror movie, for the spooky October vibes, but none of the prompts necessarily need to be horror based and many are on the sillier side.

The prompt list will be revealed in two separate posts tomorrow on Friday the 13th of September, because that's appropriate!

FAQ:

Q: Who's running this event?

A: Running is a STRONG word, but the person behind this account is @remidyal. I debated whether to make it a separate account or not but decided to split it out.

Q: Are the prompts associated with specific dates?

A: Nope! I just did 31 to have one for each date but do them in whatever order strikes your fancy. Creation often takes multiple days, and there shouldn't be the added stress to try to have it out on a specific date for this relatively light thing without feeling like you missed your shot. Wanna jam out all 8 on one sunday? You do you, bud!

Q: I want to do less than eight of the prompts. Or, alternatively, I want to do more than eight of the prompts. Or, alternatively, I thought of something that doesn't quite fit one of the prompts.

A: Go for it, I'm not your mom. The whole purpose of an event like this is to inspire some fun fanworks; this is a super casual thing and I'm not going to stop you from doing whatever suits you.

Q: Is there an event discord or anything?

A: No, but I'll be using the tag D8tober for my own postings, and as usual I'll be around on the fic discord server or a lot of the other community servers if you have questions.

Q: Do I need to watch a single one of the movies on the list in order to participate?

A: Absolutely not! The prompts are just, themselves, inspired by a selection of horror movies. The long-form version of the prompt list will include some information about and a brief review from me of each movie, but spoiler alert there are a couple on there I don't recommend to anyone to watch. Not because they're horrific or problematic or whatever - I'm not including anything very far off the beaten path, really - but because they're bad. (Don't watch the original Friday the 13th, for example. It's awful and you can do better with your limited time on this planet.)

Q: If you had to recommend a single movie on this list, which would it be?

A: If you've somehow never seen a single one of the movies on the lists, then I'm going to have to recommend one of the true classics not just of horror but of movies generally and tell you to watch Alien. Sometimes things are classics for a reason. If you've seen some of the really well-known stuff but not gone all that deep, I think I'd push you towards Ready or Not, which is a lot of fun and not that many people saw.

Q: Are these questions really frequently asked, or did you just try to cover things you thought people might ask with something you wrote in advance?

A: This press conference is over.

There will be two versions of the prompt list posted, one with just the prompts and one with some fun info and opinions on each of the movies on the list.

[love-takes-work]

What do you think the personality and appearance of Smoky Quartz and Sunstone would look like, being fusions with Rose? I really wanted to see them in the series, just like we saw Rainbow Quartz with Rose and Steven.

I'm not really sure. Despite the fact that I enjoy analysis of characters, I don't usually feel that comfortable with speculation on characters I haven't met, and Rose!Smoky and Rose!Sunstone would definitely be very different people even if we apparently have precedent for expecting them to share some elements (including names). I very much would have wanted to see the original Rose Fusions of those characters, and would have very much wanted to spend time with more of the Steven Fusions (including with a longer build-up and reserved special time with each Fusion).

I don't develop a lot of convictions when it comes to speculating on stuff like this, so consider this pretty loosely held, but if you want to know what I think about this, I'll try!

Smoky 1.0

Appearance-wise: She'd keep the skin color and the freckles/flecks, keep the body type and same facial features, keep the arm arrangement and the weapon. I think her hair would be pink, straight, and longer--maybe in pigtails. She'd get some kind of cute ruffled jumper, I think--like overalls with a fluffy skirt--and have tights and bare feet. She'd kinda be the kid Rose never got to be, and enjoy the "childhood" she always wanted for Amethyst.

Personality-wise: She would have some inadequacy issues but they would be buried deeper and probably would not come out in self-deprecating jokes the way Smoky 2.0's did. She'd have a genuine version of Rose's calculated gregariousness. She'd give love freely in a sillier way than Rose did; she'd want to play around and be rambunctious, maybe a prank here and there. She'd enjoy binge TV with Greg and helping Pearl with tasks (if requested). She'd be good with eating and would probably laugh at burp-and-fart jokes. I think she'd enjoy building sandcastles and knocking them down.

Sunstone 1.0

Appearance-wise: She'd have the same weapon and color scheme and still have four arms, but I think her upper body would be less exaggerated and she'd have four arms all the same thickness, without the broad chest. I think her top section would be more like Garnet's except she'd be wearing something sleeveless. I think her flame hair would be big and curly OR maybe totally round like a perfect ball-shaped afro, with an overall effect of more hair/less head. She'd probably have some kind of flexible shoes with the toes showing. She might have one of those leotard-type outfits with a little ruffle depending on if the figure she's based on was maybe an exercise guru or fitness coach. Given that Sunstone 2.0 is influenced by Steven's conception of PSA-spewing mascot vibes, we would have to figure out what Rose's less childish contemporary-to-her equivalent of that is, and I think it would end up modeled after a motivational speaker or guru who was popular during whatever time period Rose and Garnet first formed her, so the clothing details would depend on that. The alternative to this is if Sunstone 1.0 first formed during the war and Sunstone could have been an extremely charismatic commander, but that would very much change the vibe. I could still see her charging into battle leading Crystal Gems with a flag, all hyped up on pep-talk juice, with Bismuth at her side.

Personality-wise: Rose and Steven are pretty different people but they were both given to "motivational" statements, and Garnet is good at boosting confident delivery of whatever primary elements her Fusions absorb, so Sunstone 1.0 would love hyping people up, dropping philosophical and exciting speeches whenever possible, and encouraging people to be their best selves. She'd be far more forward about it than Rose was. She'd use her fourth-wall-breaking/Future Vision type powers to give people reassurances that they would achieve their dreams if they followed their hearts (and maybe give them little prediction hints to give them hope). She'd be extremely outgoing but never say much about her own feelings, always focusing on others. She'd be loud and kinda give Pearl a headache, but Greg would enjoy the hype in small doses. She would not replicate the sometimes physical comedy Sunstone 2.0 does, but she'd be flexible and willing to do acrobatics, and I think she'd like to go surfing.

[bird-inacage]

Love Sea Episode 9: Lost at Sea before the Finale

Sigh. I had high hopes for this episode, which reached it's apex in the main conflict with Rak's dad (our honorary big bad). But yet again it's at a crucial juncture in the story, where writing and execution have fallen short when it really mattered.

Despite building tension for the past few weeks in service of this moment, it's swiftly deflated with little fuss. I thought the contract-tearing scene would provide a riveting layer of complexity for our characters to navigate. But it's barely a hiccup. The entire pay off we've been hurtling towards just unceremoniously fizzles out.

Here are my observations as to why this episode missed the mark (some of which I hope to dig into when I do a full review of the series).

The 'saviour' plot device. Where a character repeatedly saves the day in service of other characters (regardless of their credentials to do so). This is the role they've boxed Mut in. He swoops in - solves, fixes, pursues, soothes. He's faultless. He's unwavering. He's Rak's hero in shining armour. This isn't fundamentally bad except his capacity is reduced mainly to just that, and the cost is little to no development of his own. I take enormous issue with this because I dearly love Mut. He has great scope for a far more compelling trajectory. We had wonderful insights into his outlook on life in the earlier episodes, which have since taken a noticeable backseat. We are yet to see significant exploration of Mut's struggles, flaws or weaknesses. There appears to be some focus on this in episode 10, but why so little so late?

The women are rendered superfluous. Which isn't helped when we already have a lacklustre GL portrayal. As things go awry - Kwan, Vi and Mook are varying degrees of 'just there'. I would have loved to see the plot utilise the women who know Rak best, to contribute towards bringing Jak down. But the show's priority to aid Mut's heroic efforts, means the women are left with very little to do.

Mut VS Jak. If you compare the two men, Jak is taller and in fairly good shape. Physically, you'd expect more resistance in a fight. When Jak goes down, he barely tries to get up (even when Mut's back is turned). Thus, the outcome of the fight feels unearned, especially if we are to believe this man has violent tendencies that have traumatised his children. (He may not be murderously insane, but still volatile enough to maim his own son). By being so easily overpowered, the takeaway ends up being: 'oh, we needn't have worried'. And this exchange didn't have to be strictly physical either, it could have been psychological. Jak could have taunted Mut like he did in the café, and tried to chip at his resolve. Alternatively, if Rak were the one to overcome his father (in a bid to save Mut), it would show that Rak's love can power through his fear, and he'd gain that lesson through his own agency rather than Mut telling him he should no longer be afraid. (Another symptom of this series is subjugating Rak to a huge degree of passivity).

I'm not sold on Jak's character motivations, based on what we've seen. He's not quite smart or menacing enough to be a calculated sociopath, and he's a shade too conniving for an apathetic loser. If he's as lazy as we've been told, why would he go this far to secure Prin's money, when he's already syphoning finances from Rak and his mother? Couldn't he just sit back and continue to leech with no effort? If his desperation were a result of poor spending, it would at least ground his motive. Or if he's fuelled by the thrill of tormenting his family, we'd need to see mental depravity. Instead, much of Jak's actions feel - dare I say - 'because plot'? (Make your villains more formidable and their eventual downfall will pack more punch).

The few too many plot conveniences. The sillier one being how on earth Rak left the house without anyone noticing? The enormous glass staircase which sits front and centre in an open plan property makes it near impossible to go undetected. Unless he parkoured from his bedroom?

I'm gutted because the show veers towards the more questionable choices at their disposal. The set ups are there. The ideas are there. The parameters are there. It's what they decide to do with them that sadly misfires. This has caused my investment in the story to plummet towards the latter half.

I continue to watch for Fortpeat, and I feel for them because they've worked so hard. There's some lovely acting sprinkled throughout this episode but at this late stage in the series, the plot should be driving things home. Whereas the metaphorical tide keeps moving those goal posts in and out of sight. I hope they can at least round things off on a high note next week.