#truly the only thing that has happened on this show in these next 3 seasons is taylor showing up

[hattersarts]

gomens s2 thoughts, all spoilers!

I spent 10 hours talking to my housemate about the season after we binged the whole thing in the morning but here are the highlights and the biggest takeaways from the season.

okay i did love the ending, i love that we get the conformation of love AND going into the divorce arc next season (if they're not properly together by the end of season 3 however, i am rioting) they're slow burn and a whole season of them getting to the final 10mins was tasty.

HOWEVER. it was an extremely clunky season when it comes to writing, lots of either set ups missed OR set ups repeated 4 times that they're drilled into out heads. there was also lots of dialogue that really needed to be tightened up. the lesbians were so poorly written i thought they might have needed to be cut BUT they just needed to have more bearing on the rest of the plot AND say things like real people would say things and LITERALLY SHOW ONE SINGLE REASON WHY THEY WOULD LIKE EACH OTHER WITHIN THE FIRST EPISODE.

gabe/bulz romance was the one that should have been cut, have them do more of a oh-my-god-my-boss-sucks kind of thing, lean into them complaining about having to avert a civil war after armageddon stopped and touch on the "structural problems" the angels mention later. Have gabe/bulz be super punished for working together which puts huge fear into az and crowley about what happens if you try to team up as an angel/demon pair (but an extra reason why az takes the job at the end so he and crowley can be the same)

imo it works more if the only mirror of their romance is the HUMANS which should lean into themes to season 3 of how they need to team up with humans (re:"us vs them" line at the end of season 1) to actually achieve their happy ending.

Nina and maggies best scene was their last one telling crowley he needed to talk to az but i think that was one that needed to be cut, it would have been far more satisfying to have crowely work out it out himself that he loves az and wants to tell him (still via maggie and nina but more subtle rather than them telling him to his face AND via spending more time with az in the season)

flashbacks were all pretty good, loved the jobe one and that final "lonely" scene. the nazi one needed some trimming the most (why did all three come back to earth, it made scenes too crowed, have them fight to be a zombie)

shax was disappointing, she was kind of just incompetent the whole way through which didnt make the stakes very exciting, (that whole scene of her talking to the legion was unfunny and pointless) i wanted crowley to mentor her more like when he gave her advice in the first few meetings we saw (kind of in a very non-demonic way, not expecting anything in return) and her to then meet him on equal footing in the finale. would have been a little accidental taste for Crowley to have his good deeds come back to haunt him while showing he's different to demons.

speaking of the finale fight, that halo had NO set up, it was sick as hell but ??? the fuck did that come from. the fight should have been won by az and crowley performing another HUGE miracle together, discorporating the demons (which then would alert heaven and hell something was up in the bookshop and the final scene can happen)

az taking the job from metatron was very good, its consistent with his character where he still hasn't let go of his faith in good/god, he's only been upset by the angels running heaven and still has faith in the system while crowley has realised none of it works and it's only them together that matters. it was nice to show he still hasn't truly accepted crowley for who he is now (tho imo he knows he loves him, he just hasn't quite unrepressed himself) and him not turning down the job after crowley confesses to him shows he still thinks he can fix it. Crowley on the other hand thinks he's now lost him, az has broken he the trust he had in him, he's going to be in big depression mode

few thoughts of good directions for S3:

finally delivering on what crowley said at the end of S1 I think is the most satisfying. the final showdown should be humans Vs heaven/hell with Crowley and az on the human side, helping them win the conflict. there would be suggestions that this is actually god's ineffable plan, this is a conflict she wants to happen and the things that Crowley and az went through are what make them perfect ambassadors to help the humans.

the set up for az in S3 to finally work out he and Crowley can't work out within the unfair rules of the system and for him to abandon heaven (tho not I think, becoming a demon) is good. a sucky ending imo for season 3 is if az somehow "fixes" heaven and via bureaucracy and not via blowing it all up.

growth moments for Crowley in S3 might be having more contact with humans since he's already abandoned hell and it would put az & crowley on similar footing (as az very much loves humans already) when they decided to side with humans for a humans Vs heaven/hell conflict.

anyway, gay people

[justfandomwritings]

An essay on why I won’t be watching next season.

1. Obviously actors have to promote their shows and hype them up. But the interactions between Nicola and Luke during the press tour were, in retrospect, clearly also acting performances, and it is rare to see acting within the press tour to the degree that those two put on while grossly exaggerating things like how sexy this season would be or how much Polin we would get. I don’t blame them. It’s clearly what they were told to do. And it’s fine to hype a show, but I think a lot of people felt genuinely lied to with the WAY this season was hyped.

2. The casting has been color conscious and inclusive in a way I greatly admire. But they have not been inclusive in other ways. And that’s not to say they should have to be. One show shouldn’t bear the responsibility of being inclusive to everyone and making up for an industries worth of exclusion. But we have exactly one size inclusive character in this whole show, and I’m not even demanding more, but to butcher the season of the only size inclusive person in this show this badly and in these ways sends me a clear message of what the writers thought they could get away with with a curvy actress and how they saw her.

3. The wait times for this season and next season are just too long. The hype dies down too much between seasons such that we care less and less each time we get a new one, especially when you only give eight episodes, regardless of their length. You know who also gave us a season in 2022 and then an eight episode season this year? house of the dragon. And they have to CGI a fuck ton of dragons. Yall were sitting on this season being done filming for over a year and for what? What did you do in post? A bee? And then to have the audacity to do it in two parts? Fuck off.

4. Add to that. The costumes and new sets looked so much cheaper this season than previous seasons. Where did the budget go.

5. The plot is too crowded. Maybe you thought a curvy girl couldn’t carry a season. Maybe it was bad writing. Obviously you needed Cressida and Eloise to have decent amounts of screen time but you also did half of Francesca’s story and set one up for Violet and Benedict that collectively took the majority of the screen time and left us with very little Pen and Colin. Which was a disservice you never gave Anthony or Daphne’s seasons and was why they were good. We got enough crumbs of the others to tell us what was happening but not enough to make them feel like main characters or to make it feel like an ensemble show. There were leads in season 1 and 2. This season it was an ensemble with too many moving parts. But everyone’s said that. It’s not surprising.

6. My biggest problem is the tone. The blame. Admittedly I’m a woman who relates strongly to Penelope so I’m not impartial here. But for a character who spends her entire life being abused by every single person in this show, who is pushed to her absolute breaking point before finally giving her mother and the tonne a taste of their own medicine. For that character to receive no grace, no understanding, no respect, for the vast majority of the season hurt. To not only have zero understanding of her situation but to frame the entire plot of the show around the fact that SHE alone should be sorry. To have minimal to no groveling from Colin over what he said last season, to have no acknowledgment of how he treated her as a safety net, to humanize Cressida who made her life hell with minimal acknowledgment of that fact, to have Eloise get ONE comment from Cressida of all people about her friendship with Penelope but no real reflection from Eloise or acknowledgment on her part or apologies for what a truly SHIT friend she was for DECADES. That hurt. Because the message is that sure, they can push you to your fucking limit, you can break after years of being bullied for your weight and your looks and your status. Your own mother and sisters hands can be filthy with insults and abuse. Your friends can treat you like utter garbage for years. They can befriend your bullies. Your soon to be husband can, very recently, insult you to his friends behind your back. But you owe them the apology for breaking after years of abuse. It’s not that the tonne couldn’t be angry or that they all should’ve fallen at Pen’s feet. It’s that those arguments never happen at all because once again, just like when she was being used and abused by everyone, everything was put on Penelope. And the cycle continues.

7. Colin should’ve groveled more. I know I said that in the previous point but it really ruined things for me so I want to emphasize it. I wanted that man on his knees the whole season, and I should’ve known I wasn’t gonna get that when y’all dropped the list of songs and there wasn’t any of the A List Yearners on the list. But I’m still mad.

8. Actually that’s a good point. Did anyone else think the songs didn’t go as hard this year? Except Pitbull were we excited about any of them?

9. You did the Pride and Prejudice ballroom trick with the dancing alone thing and you didn’t nail it. If you’re gonna do that trick it has to fucking HIT. (And it has to be enemies to lovers.) And you did it half assed. You should be ashamed.

10. There was a two second window there when Cressida asked the maid for help where I thought they were gonna swap lives and the maid would go with her aunt and Cressida would become a maid and I was like “holy fuck is Cressida gonna become Bennys love interest?” and that would’ve been better than what y’all did I think. And it would’ve justified her excessive screen time.

11. I love gender swapping Michaela and making Francesca bi. We love it. But why was Francesca immediately interested. Once again the writers don’t understand pining. Michaela is PINING for Francesca and can do nothing but love her from afar. Francesca loved John completely and whole heartedly. Michaela was a beautiful love story for her but was also a second chance. She loved John completely. She would never have an emotional affair on him. How did you immediately ruin such a beautiful second chance romance?

12. Where was Pen’s friendship with Anthony or Lady Danbury? Why wasn’t Colin proud of Pen the way he was in the book? To make her even more alone? To emphasize that she was alone and at fault and helpless? Fuck off.

I just don’t have it in me to watch this show deteriorate further.

[sunnywalnut]

Finished watching Dead Boy Detectives. Here are my honest thoughts.

-If you're going into it expecting another Good Omens, stop. Our protagonists are all minors. Teenagers. They cuss, they have total dirty mouths and sexual humor, but they are not eternal beings pretending to be middle aged men. They're ghosts. Dead Boys, if you will. Also this might be a stretch, but I'm assuming from the slightly less good CGI that the budget for this series was a LOT less than what it was for GO

-Edwin is kind of a dick in the first episode. But it's okay. Because character growth is swag.

-REALISTIC CHARACTER GROWTH!!! I liked Edwin a LOT more during the second episode BECAUSE of the character growth. And honestly? It's completely natural that bro is more than a little prickly after only being able to trust one guy for an extremely long time. Fair enough my guy. Carry on.

- this show kinda has Nimona vibes. If that makes sense. Witty humor, somewhat sexual dialogue, funny moments during serious times, though geared towards a younger audience. If you like those kinds of things, you will like this, I'm sure of it.

- In the early episodes, the pacing/character relationships feel a little off??? I'm not sure if that was because I was expecting another Good Omens or what. But after 2-3 episodes, the dust quickly settled and we got into the actual storyline. Which was extremely appreciated✨

-these villains are FUCKED up. I'm telling you. They are HORRIFIC. Had me squirming and cringing through their intense scenes. And gosh. That was a TRIP.

-TY TENANT PLAYS THE MAIN GUY EDWIN!!!! And he plays him WELL. I did not realize this going in to the show and thought his face was VERY familiar. Only after I looked it up did I realize why. He's our sassy son of Job. (EDIT: turns out Ty plays the Doom Patrol version. Not the one on Netflix. My bad! They do look pretty similar though, so ykw. Great casting. Also my point still stands. This guy is a pretty fuckin awesome actor. 10/10)

-Cat King is such a wild card holy SHIT.

-Charles is cute as fuck. His backstory HURTS. But also. I love the way his ears look. Like in the pictures that I saw of him they were of when the Cat King impersonated him so I was like oh chill. So he's got pointed ears bc feline but NOPE. He's just like that!! And honestly? Slay. I fuckin love it.

-oh did I mention tragic backstories???? Yeah we got those :D for everyone :D

-Niko is the best and I love her. Also I love how the letters on her desk are written in Japanese. That is a VERY nice touch of character building.

-hot butcher lady with throat tattoo

All in all. A truly delightful series and I genuinely hope it gets another season because I NEED to know what happens next. My little sister LOVED it and the ending had us all staring open mouthed at the TV screen in shock.

This 15yo girl is literally ranting my ear off, having adventures with the Dead Boys in her dreams and chatting with me about it, searching up fanfics and drawing fanart, the whole shabang. And it is DIFFICULT for this girl to get into shows like this. So honestly? This is perfect. Thank you, Neil. For giving us a whole other banger.

That being said. If anybody else has some younger siblings that are around 15-17 and are looking for shows to binge watch together, this is the perfect one. I'm telling you, you will NOT regret it (except maybe emotionally)

Thoroughly recommend.

[arthurtaylorlester]

malevolent season 4 was... something, that's for sure

i want to preface this by saying i LOVE malevolent as a show and this is no means an attack on the creator or anything like that, i don't think i'll ever stop listening halfway, no matter how i feel about it. i'm not saying season 4 is all bad either.

it is a deviation for malevolent, though i found it VERY well written up until part 31 (and part 31 is my favourite malevolent episode ever)

s4 started off really strong for me, part 29 set the tone really well, much lighter after s3's emotional lows. the butcher was an interesting enough new villain to put yarson aside for now. part 30 had some charming moments, but the real star of the early season was part 31, a truly incredibly written and directed look into arthur's psychology. it truly gave us everything, from lore to highly comedic moments (to me)(no because why was arthur dreaming of waking up next to a shirtless man who tried to kill him)

parts 32 through 34 i'm not sure about, but i can write them off as awkward mid season points. part 34 was an interesting shift in perspective, but here is where my doubt's about the season's villains started rising

but the oscar & scratch arcs.... guys i'm gonna be honest, i might be oscar's #1 hater

scratch and oscar in this season were functionally useless filler. it's not unusual for arthur and john get sidetracked during their missions, but it usually ends up leading them right where they need to be by the season finale. this felt like a parenthesis that killed any tension created by the butcher.

this season had, quite unnecessarily, 3 antagonists. now this wouldn't be a terrible idea, had they been established before. but no. for some reason it was chosen to leave the only villain we could genuinely be afraid of alone, in favour of introducing not one but two antagonists yet to be established. neither because of this have the adequate fear factor (the butcher is better about this) and both get the most abysmal ends i could've imagines. what do you mean scratch is just gone like that after causing some emotional conflict with his deal. what do you mean the butcher was KOed by the fucking priest with a bedpan? what? that's it? you expect me to be scared or even care about the butcher now?

speaking of the priest. i want to like oscar i really do but. he's a terribly written character. we get to know him while arthur is teaching john intimidation tactics so out of gate our initial impression of him is as someone meek. and then in part 36 after "sorting out" the butcher, oscar just dumps out his trauma point blank to someone he's spoken to a handful of times in the past 3? 4? days.

malevolent in general has a bit of an exposition problem, but it usually works out if it's john expositing because. that's literally all he can do. but when a character with more agency do it, it makes them flat. oscar didn't have to tell us all that, he didn't have a reason. arthur confessing to 7 murders isn't a prompt to make himself vulnerable like that. i did not start caring for him, just because he had a tragic backstory. that's... not how you get someone to care about a character. oscar could be defined as a static character, and while it's not too unusual for a static character to be the focal point of an arc, i don't think it works the way most authors think it does.

also the worms in the farm only happened because of him messing with the stove so like. that's not helping his case.

the completely unnecessary farm arc concluded, we return oscar to the hospital, with arthur caving very quickly to john's demands if he truly cared about oscar so much. and so, a single episode before the finale, we get properly acquainted our main ally for the showdown. a choice definitely, but i feel like this one worked out pretty well considering noel had time to simmer before we got know of his past + he had interesting conflict with john and arthur.

and then there's the big one, the thing that appalls me entirely. leaving larson and yellow, the main villains of the finale COMPLETELY alone until the very end. why? why would you choose to not use them earlier? we spent so much time away from larson, so we weren't really as scared of him as we were at the end of part 28 (i literally was listening to the last 15 minutes of this ep on my toes because i thought he might do something) and we had had no CHANCE to even fear yellow, since we knew nothing of his power?

and what, the butcher is on our side now because noel granted his release? just like that? i know he's a contract killer but arthur insulted him to his face, he can believe they understand each other but did he feel no anger?

the finale did well, considering the context it was given to work with, though i did not understand the point of the memory thing... that didn't go anywhere? because not arthur nor noel actually lost anything. we don't know what the box was for, we only know some guy wrote "the birth of my son" on slip of paper and put it in. arthur assumed it was a memory, when it just as well could've been a literal offering, arthur assumed it would involve losing said memory, and they assumed it was related. initially i thought it would only go through if the ritual took place, which, it didn't. but reading back here is no further clarification on it. hold your angst horses, blindfaith enjoyers

i feel like john physically manifesting, if now an established power of his, was very cheap. unless it was a one-off, or some sort of power up, it just literally took away the main premise of the show. an all-powerful god rendered powerless by being stuck in some guy's mind and being forced to confront the troubles of someone infinitesimal to him. if you let him astral project and save people, then what's the point?

but i do actually think it was a one-off, so we'll see how it goes

simply put, john saving arthur when he jumped in s3 had more impact than this because he did it with a single, human, hand. no magic.

it was pleasant to have kayne and his expected chaos back, jarring as always. john's deal was exactly what we all thought it was going to be, maybe more about himself than arthur, but i don't think anyone can fault him for that.

one things though, and this questions may just be me not remembering, is arthur supposed to know that yellow is a separate entity from john when they realise larson has him in his head? because i remember arthur just assuming that 'yellow' just had all of his memories returned in part 23, and therefore not knowing that he's a separate guy from john.

just in general, i feel like s4 had a LOT of good ideas that weren't given enough room to breathe and therefore weren't written very well that really weighed down my enjoyment of the season. that's not to say there weren't things i liked. the emotional moments hit just as hard, like reconciling with daniel, the comedy was on point (genuinely this season was so funny) and even the most out of pocket thing arthur has ever said, calling john a child, no matter how much discourse it caused, was actually sort of in character for him? i mean arthur is an asshole so like i get why his immediate reaction to his severely emotionally unintelligent friend being possessive is babying him. they're awful people. they deserve each other. it made somewhat sense in retrospect.

all this to say, while i didn't hate s4, i think it had a lot of writing issues, especially when comparing it to the other 3, and it could've been done WAYY better but hey we all have our moments.

i await anxiously intermezzo's public release and the rest of season 5 👀

[strangerfigs]

GTFO!!!!

season 3 episode 5

Lucas: it’s up to us

Mike: up to us to do what exactly?

Lucas: find Billy and stop him

Mike: okay yeah that’s a really nice sentiment but even if el could find him again, and that’s a pretty big if, then what?

Lucas: We burn the shit out of him and make sure he doesn’t escape this time.

Mike: Okay, then what?

Lucas: Then we win.

Mike: No, see, that’s the problem. We don’t. We don’t win. We got the Mind Flayer out of Will before and he just came right back. We don’t just have to stop Billy, we have to stop the Mind Flayer.

Lucas: How in hell do we do that?

Mike: I don’t know.

Will: Maybe El does.

Mike: *turns to the bathroom that El and Max are inside* What the hell are they doing in there?

-

This scene is CRAZY… The absolute CONTRAST multiple Byler scenes (where Byler is ALONE btw) is CRAZY. It’s also crazy to me the only quote I don’t have is from season 3… of course?

Season 1

Will’s body is found.

Mike — “IT'S NOT WILL. IT CAN'T BE.”

-

Mike — “All I know is Will is alive. Will is alive! He's out there somewhere. All we have to do is find him.”

Season 2

Mike – “You're like a spy now. A superspy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason.”

Will – “You really think so?”

Mike – “Yeah. Yeah, I really do.”

Will – “What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?”

Mike – “He won't.”

Will – “How do you know?”

Mike – “We won't let him.”

-

Season 4

Mike – “You don't trust Owens?”

Will – “No. I don't know. I mean, he's been good to us and good to El, but he wasn't able to protect me. That was you guys who saved me. That was you guys.”

Mike – “Looks like it's gonna be up to us again.”

Will – “It always is, isn't it?”

-

Mike — “I have no idea what's gonna happen next. But, whatever it is, I... I think we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're... we're a team. Friends. Best friends.”

-

Mike — “She’s never lost before. Not like this.”

Will — “She’ll have another chance.”

Mike — “Let’s hope not. Let’s hope One is dead and rotting.”

Will — “He’s not. Now that I’m here… in Hawkins. I can feel him. And he’s hurt. He’s hurting. But he’s still alive. It’s strange knowing now who it was the whole time but I still remember what he thinks and how he thinks. And he is not going to stop, ever. Not until he’s taken everything and everyone. We have to kill him.”

Mike — “And we will. We will.”

-

There are several things I’d like to point out here. Let’s start with the first that’s the most obvious.

1) Mike clearly has no interest or instinct in comforting Lucas as opposed to Will who he consistently aims to comfort, support, and provide hope for. It’s actually just crazy to me, mostly because Will knows this version of Mike so well, which is why he pushes Mike offer comfort, support, and hope to El. Because he so successfully does it with Will. Will expects him to be that way with them all but he isn’t, but all the times that Mike acts that way toward him, they are alone, so Will truly has no idea that Mike only has this optimistic/hopeful/supportive attitude with him

2) Mike’s general optimism and hope. Especially when comparing it to the scene where Mike is saying “looks like it will be up to us again” and “I’m not sure what happens next but I think we should work together. I think it will be easier if we’re a team.” The general optimism and hope Mike feels here is unparalleled in regard to literally anyone else. Will gives him hope. Being around and with Will brings him the sense that everything is going to be okay, and that it will be easier to navigate. This is a sidenote but I’d also like to point out that Mike also shows self-sufficiency and self-worth and confidence around Will with him saying, “looks like it’s going to be up to us again,” as opposed to feeling useless when he is around or thinks about el. ;_; Mike also holds onto hope that Will is still alive in season 1, not even believing it when he witnesses Will’s body being pulled out of the water! Will gives him so much hope. Even in the scenes where he is comforting him, you can tell that he really believes what he is saying… that they will win because of the hope and confidence Will instills in him, along with the visceral need to protect him. Also, the scene between majority Mike and Lucas in season 3 — Mike only stops doubting everything and their ability to win when Will speaks up. Mike then switches the conversation to what El and Max are doing in there, indicating ALSO, that Mike has discovered some hope from what Will said — that maybe El would know what to do. It’s actually just… insane that that shuts him up and gives him a place to put his hope in, even though he was literally just doubting El’s ability to find Billy again in the literal same scene, which really just goes to show that it’s Will that is giving him hope, it’s not necessarily that he believes in El, it’s because Will is a symbol of hope for him. Which brings me to my next point…

3) Mike doubting El’s ability to find Billy again vs Mike quite literally believing that Will can use knowing what the Mind Flayer is seeing and feeling to STOP HIM, literally saying, maybe that’s how they can stop him… maybe that it was all happening for a reason (instilling hope and comfort and support) while also believing in Will, and seeing him as a source of hope, even though Will is unsure of his ability to do that himself, Mike is fully confident in him. However Mind Flayer does end up spying on them as well. VS again, Mike not believing in El in this scene, saying that literally out loud, but also throughout s3, about her capabilities and powers, and that she can’t find Billy… even though she can and literally does… but Mike has no confidence in her (and I know that this has been pointed out a ton) but its just insane. Then, in s4, Mike saying he believes that she can FLY and MOVE MOUNTAINS even though that’s just so out of range of what she can do with her powers. (And again!!! He says this because Will encourages him to!!!) It’s just such an over correction because it is unauthentic so it’s not what Mike actually BELIEVES. And this is probably a stretch but the “And we will. We will.” Is so important here. That single word “and” is so important here because it indicates that he is unified with Will; that they are are a Team and Working Together and by doing that, they will kill him. Idk? It’s just interesting that they included that “and” because it’s so unnecessary if it just means absolutely nothing. Also - I think it’s OF COURSE important to point out that Will is with him when he is “empowering” Eleven during that monologue. He gave him hope to believe in Eleven just like in this season 3 scene.

Like, sorry, but ;_; if Mike gives Will the courage to go on, then Will gives Mike the HOPE to keep fighting because Mike doesn’t need courage. He has enough of that — he is willing to jump off a cliff for his friends, but he needs HOPE, because he is a broody, moody little man full of self doubt and an instinct to protect his loved ones. <3 they are just so beautiful your honor

4) one more thing that’s also so obvious but just obviously obvious mike treats will so differently than dustin or lucas even though they are all “best friends” as mike wheeler once said in s1. ok thank you

[doyoucopypod]

So this happened! THIS IS INSANE!! If you told me back in 2023 that we’d be here I wouldn’t believe you! And also I can go off without worrying about a word limit so buckle up!

Do You Copy? literally started with this basic idea of two park rangers who just kinda put up with each other and it grew into this weird and sometimes (mostly always) upsetting story about grief and loss and a weird forest monster. And you all just took that and said “yeah this is sick.” Like?!?! That’s so awesome and I’m so very glad I have people to share this with.

And not only thank you to the listeners but a big thank you to the fellow podcast pals who helped me and explained things for me. I literally didn’t know what I was doing (I still don’t) and every piece of information and advice was so incredibly appreciated. Everyone has been nothing but supportive and awesome!

I’m sure the day will come where I’ll get even sappier than this, but we’re not done yet so I’ll save a lot of it for then. Season two finale is next Monday! September 30th! The show’s not done there. No series finale yet. But we’re getting close. (Season 3 confirmed hello?!?!)

But truly. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[supernovafics]

could i please request steve x reader to bug collector by haley heynderickx :)

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 2.8k words

summary: in which after being thrown into the insanity happening within hawkins and somehow making it out alive, you feel different, to say the least. it’s hard to move on from everything that happened, or even fully process it, and steve is the only one that can make things feel even the slightest bit better

warnings: post season 2 but pre season 3, explicit language, some fluff, lots of angst, steve being so boyfriend coded it’s crazy

author’s note: i hadn’t heard of/listened to this song before you sent this request but now i absolutely love it 😭 (sorry this kinda took forever but i hope you enjoy!<3)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

It wasn’t foreign for you to wake up in his bed. In fact, it was probably the most slightly normal constant in your life at the moment, and you liked that. You would be eternally grateful for Steve Harrington’s bed. 

However, one thing you didn’t like was the severe lack of curtains in his room, which made it hard to comfortably sleep past eight o’clock. Every time you were abruptly woken up because of that, you would tell yourself that you were going to buy him curtains, but somehow you always forgot. So you took the bright early morning sunlight shining right in your eyes as your cue to get out of the bed. 

You sleepily padded to the bathroom, brushing your teeth with the toothbrush that was designated as yours and then pulling on a wrinkled t-shirt over the tank top you were wearing because of the slightly cold February weather.  

A soft “Hi” fell from your lips when you walked downstairs and into the kitchen, spotting Steve at the stove. You pushed yourself up on the kitchen island and watched him as he finished cooking. You liked watching him– there was something about the mundanity of the act that made you feel at ease, like things in your life were at least a little normal. 

It also showed the self-sufficiency of a boy who had been fending for himself for god knows how long because his parents were rarely ever home, and that was something else that made you realize that your previous assumptions about him had been wrong.

Before everything happened a few months ago, you were convinced that the “King Steve” douchebag narrative was unequivocally true. But, now after actually knowing him, it seemed as if the exact opposite was what was the truth. 

“Hi,” He said as he handed you a plate of eggs, bacon, and a buttered piece of toast. You placed the plate in your lap and Steve stood next to you with his on the counter. The simplicity of the moment made you smile at him.

“Thank you. You’re way too nice to me,” You told him before taking a bite of bacon. “One day I’ll wake up earlier than you and cook breakfast.”

Steve laughed a bit at the conviction in your tone. “I truly doubt that could ever happen. But, also, if you did make breakfast, that would ruin our routine of me doing breakfast and you doing dinner.”

“Should it be concerning that this has happened so much that we have a routine?” 

You knew what the answer to your question was but you still couldn’t help but ask it. How close you and Steve became over the past few months still confused you a bit as much as it made you feel completely at ease. 

“What? You don’t like spending time with me anymore?” He playfully asked, his bottom lip jutting out and making a pouty face that you tried hard not to laugh at. 

“When you make that face, definitely not,” You told him, smiling a bit. But then just as quickly as the smile came, it left because your mind got serious again, and you pulled your eyes away from his and let your thoughts wander back to that confused place. That place that was also full of so much worry and dread that sometimes made it hard to fully enjoy these good moments with Steve. 

He lightly poked your thigh. “What are you thinking?”

Somehow it didn’t surprise you that he was able to tell that your mind was spiraling, and it also didn’t surprise you that you immediately wanted to tell him what was going on in your head. 

“I don’t know,” You shrugged lightly and let out a small sigh. “It’s just sometimes I can’t help but think that if things were normal, if I was normal and could process everything that happened without having those fucking dreams, we wouldn’t be having moments like these.”

The dreams, or more so nightmares, that had plagued you almost every night since everything happened were the main reason why you’d find yourself sleeping at Steve’s more often than not. 

When it first started, it had been a week since everything happened and after the third nightmare in a row, you decided to call him. Him instead of anyone else involved because it just felt right to do so. You two had been in that junkyard and down in those tunnels together, protecting the kids while also protecting each other, so it felt like there was some sort of unspoken bond or link between you two now. 

“I don’t think there’s any “normal” way to process the shit we all went through,” Steve told you, and you knew he was right about that. “Also, even if you didn’t have those nightmares and there was really no reason for you to come here most nights, I’d still need you here. I’d still want you here.”

You let his words wrap around you like a warm blanket and push away your worry, at least for the time being. “Glad to know you still like spending time with me.” 

“You’re probably the best thing that came out of all the shittiness that happened,” He said with a small smile and it wasn’t hard to detect the sincerity behind his words.

“You are too,” You smiled back at him. “Those nightmares suck and I hate having them, so I’m happy I have you. And your bed. Mainly your bed, actually.”

He playfully poked your side, causing you to laugh, as he said, “I’m gonna make you sleep in the guest room tonight.”

You laughed harder. “That would be evil. If I have the worst nightmare of my life tonight, it’s all your fault.”

“I guess I’ll just have to live with the guilt,” He jokingly shrugged and you used your foot to give his hip a light kick, happy that you were still sitting atop the counter because it gave you some sort of leverage.

Steve let out a mock-offended “Ouch,” and then his voice got soft. “You wanna talk about what it was last night?”

Even though your answer was always no, Steve would still always ask that question because he thought maybe one day you’d actually wanna talk about the nightmares and maybe talking about it would help. A part of you also knew that it would probably help, but still, that didn’t mean that you ever wanted to talk about it. 

The nightmare was pretty much recurring, it just became different versions of the same story every night. It was always a pack of demodogs surrounding you, Steve, and the kids, and there was nothing that any of you could do to fight back, so what would happen next was always inevitable. But, the demodogs never got you. Instead, they would always get everyone else, the people you loved and cared for— the people that you wanted to protect. Which made it so much worse than if they had gotten you because there was nothing you could do to help save everyone else. 

Last night they had taken Dustin and then Lucas, and you’d woken up mid-scream right as they started chasing Max. 

Just the thought of the nightmare made you feel like you were right back in it, so you couldn’t even imagine trying to say it out loud. 

You swallowed down the lump in your throat before shaking your head at Steve’s question. “Not really, no.”

“Okay,” He said softly as his hand found your thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze before almost seamlessly changing the subject. “Hey, look what I got yesterday.”

He went to the pantry, rummaging through it a bit before pulling out a box of graham crackers, marshmallows, and a couple bars of chocolate. 

“We’re making s’mores?” You asked, a small smile tugging at your lips. 

“Yes. You told me you never made them before, which feels like a crime, and I noticed the graham crackers at the grocery store and it gave me the idea and the rest just fell into place from there,” Steve explained. “And yes it’s freezing cold in the middle of February, and not the peak of Summer which is ideal s’mores making weather. But, we can do it tonight at the fireplace.”

Hearing his words made your heart swell. He was so fucking good to you. So thoughtful and sweet— definitely even sweeter than the s’mores you’d be making later. 

You reached out, beckoning him to come closer to you. “I really wanna kiss you.”

He smiled at that as he moved into the open space between your legs, placing the items in his hands down on the counter, and then letting his hands find your hips. “Do it.”

One of your hands found his cheek, which helped you steady yourself as you leaned in and slowly slotted your lips against his. 

This had happened so many times over the past few weeks, but still, kissing Steve managed to surprise you. The soft feel of his mouth against yours, his tongue expertly grazing your bottom lip to make the kiss deeper, his hands squeezing your hips and pulling you impossibly closer to him. 

It almost made you never want to kiss anyone else.

But even so, you two were on the same page about not wanting anything serious anytime soon, or maybe ever. He and Nancy had just broken up and it was clear that he was still at least somewhat hung up on her. And for as long as you could remember you’d planned on leaving Hawkins once you finished high school, which meant there would be no point starting anything with anyone. 

Therefore, because of those reasons, you two were simply unlikely friends that made out sometimes. In your mind it was no big deal. 

“I really wanna kiss you” were the words he said to you a few weeks ago in his car after he picked you up from your shift at the arcade and you two were talking about nothing in the driveway of your house. 

You couldn’t help but smile at his blunt honesty before whispering, “Do it.”

And from there things shifted. You and Steve were no longer simply friends helping each other through a tough time. However, you weren’t dating either; although, a lot of the things you two were doing could’ve been considered as such. It was a line that was continuously toed but never fully crossed. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

A movie was playing, but neither of you were watching it. Well, actually, maybe Steve was, but you wouldn’t know since you’d fallen asleep with your head on his shoulder. 

The position was surprisingly comfortable and you would’ve stayed as you were until the moment Steve lightly shook you awake and dragged you to his room so you could sleep in his even more comfortable bed. However, it seemed as if your mind was almost always against you because of how quickly the completely normal dream you were having morphed into the all too familiar nightmare, and you abruptly awoke with a start.

You let out a loud yelp and your heart was racing as you blinked and glanced around the living room, needing a moment to realize that you were awake now and completely safe and no longer watching Steve getting chased by a bunch of demodogs. 

Because, instead, he was sitting right next to you. One of his hands found yours and gave it a light squeeze as he whispered, “Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. You’re okay.” 

Your gaze met his and you nearly cried at the way he was looking at you with so much concern in his eyes. “Shit. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” He said, his thumb started softly stroking the back of your hand. “Are you alright?”

“Yes… No? I- I don’t know, it’s just…” You sighed and looked away from him as you finally let out what you’d been holding back for a long time. “It’s always pretty much the same thing that happens– the demodogs hurting all of you guys and I’m unable to do anything to stop them or help. And every single time it feels so real, and it hurts just as much as it did the first time I ever had the nightmare. I hate it.” 

The one thing you didn’t tell him was that sometimes it felt like things would never get better. It felt like you would be permanently stuck in this stage of processing it all; which consisted of you barely processing anything and only being so fucking scared and worried. 

Steve let go of your hand and instead wrapped his arm around you, pulling you close and pressing a kiss to the side of your head.

“Don’t forget that El closed the gate,” He said softly. “None of it can hurt any of us anymore.” 

You felt yourself nodding at his words, trying to let them truly sink in and soothe your worried thoughts, but it was hard; way too hard to forget everything that happened or even move past it. And the fact that you couldn’t do so made you feel so upset with yourself.  

“I’ll be right back,” Your voice was quiet, but Steve heard you, and you were detaching yourself from him and rising from the couch before he could question you. 

When you made it to the bathroom down the hall you didn’t even bother turning on the light because you didn’t want to see what you looked like right then. You leaned against the sink and buried your face in your hands as you quietly cried. 

You wished you could go back to two hours ago when you and Steve were sitting in front of his fireplace making s’mores. It was a moment that was simple and easy and normal. It was also a moment that had mainly been filled with laughter because of the number of times you accidentally burned your marshmallows.

Now you were crying in his bathroom about everything that was wrong in your life and how you felt helpless, like nothing would ever be able to go back to how it used to be. 

You were unsure how long you’d been in the bathroom but when a knock sounded at the door you knew that it probably had been too long. 

You haphazardly wiped your tears away before opening the door, and Steve didn’t waste a moment to pull you into his arms. It was hard not to turn into what essentially felt like a pile of mush in Steve’s arms, and you let yourself cry even harder into his chest. 

“They never should’ve roped you into everything too,” He muttered as he softly started rubbing your back in small, soothing circles.  

“I wanted to help,” You told him, words slightly muffled by his shirt. You pulled back a bit and looked up at him. “And I don’t regret it, even though I probably should. But, they’re just kids. They’re the ones that really shouldn’t have had to deal with all of that shit.” 

One of his hands came up and cupped your cheek, wiping away some of your tears. “I wish there was more I could do to help you.”

You shook your head at his words. “You’re doing everything right.”

You could tell that he wanted to say something but was holding back. There was something about the look on his face that made you furrow your eyebrows curiously and you almost asked him what he was thinking, but he spoke before the question could form on your lips. 

“I love you.”

The three short words came out softly and they probably should’ve surprised you so much more than they did, but for some reason they didn’t. 

Because they just made so much sense. The two of you had been practically attached at the hip for the past two months, going from being nothing to one another to being the closest you’d ever been to anyone. Moments with him were the only thing that could make you feel completely safe and okay. 

So, this moment– him telling you that he loved you and you desperately wanting to say it back– felt practically inevitable.

And it didn’t even scare you how much you wanted to say the words right back to him, even though you knew it would probably complicate things and make leaving Hawkins, whenever that day came, so much harder. “I love you too.”

Your arms came up to loop around his neck as he gave you the softest smile that effectively melted your insides. 

For the first time in a long time, or probably ever, you felt like maybe just maybe things would actually get better.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

let me know ur thoughts<333

[h2ojustaddmako]

Headcanon: Why Will and Bella's relationship felt so fake

Will & Bella's relationship is a controversial one for a lot of reasons, and for a while I couldn't really put my finger on it, and I don't think many people can too. It lacks chemistry, for sure - but it often feels neglectful, dishonest, and harming to both parties. I was chatting over this with @devisrina when finally it hit me.

You see, as a gay man, I always found some reflection in Will's character. He was this quiet, loner boy, he liked spending time with the cool, interesting girls, and he never really bonded with any male character (he's friendly with Lewis, but I'd never imagine them hanging out). He definitely has a complex with strong female characters like Sophie and Rikki, where he quite literally adores them, and I think with Bella it was quite similar.

I think Bella started out as his fascination; she was a gorgeous, gorgeous girl, and she seemed mysterious in a way he HAD to find out. He never had a crush on her, it was more this unharmful obsession. He quickly tied her to his obsession with Mako, and she became just another pawn in his game. She was much more open or easy to get to than either Cleo or Rikki, so him choosing her was natural. As I said, he never liked her romantically.

Bella, on the other hand, had a sweet teen crush from the beginning. Of course, he's good looking, but what she liked the most was the fact he's not like other guys; he didn't care about her body or partying, he wasn't the archetypal teen boy, she even says it straight to his face. But she's confused, as Will never seems to recuperate her feelings for him. Sure, he gives her plenty of attention, but that attention leaves her confused as it's never clearly romantic. She keeps going back and forth between trying to get close to him, to accepting it's not gonna happen and he doesn't care about her that way. Poor baby girl.

Then came a turning point. Will finds out Bella's a mermaid. Suddenly, his interest in her specifically skyrocketed, and all he wanted was to spend time with her. You know how some gay men are obsessed with female musicians or whatever? They appear so iconic and cool to them, they want to be them? Or at least, constantly be around them. I think it was like that. Bella was already gorgeous and talented as fuck, with heaps of confidence he could only dream of, and now, she was also a fucking mythical being that can dive forever and explore the oceans gracefully. There's nothing closer to a dream coming true for Will. For Bella, it was a confusing time; as Will started to get closer, she took it as a chance to take things to the next level. Will too was confused - why does he feel all these feelings towards a girl?

You see, deep down, Will knows he's gay. He's been into men ever since he remembers himself. But he's in the tender age of doubting yourself, so when he starts caring so much about a girl, and getting this feeling of constantly wanting to be around her, he mistakes it for love. Will starts questioning whether he might be bisexual after all.

We get a clue about it in the show. Bella starts suspecting that Will only loves the mermaid in her, and not her, which is 100% the case, but Will was still in his denial stage, so they kept going after that. The Beach Party episode, was peak delulu for Will, because, being put on the spot, he had to admit out loud something he wasn't sure of himself, but was boiling inside him for months now. That led to the most inauthentic relationship ever put to screens where Bella thinks he finally loves her, and Will decides to give it a chance before realising it's not really what he wants.

I don't think they lasted much past the end of season 3. I feel bad for Bella for going through it, mostly for all the time she's been in the dark, thinking it was something wrong with her, or just truly being disappointed about how long it all took.

At the end of the day, Will comes out as gay and Bella moves on to date with a guy who really likes her for who she is, and has all those qualities she's looking for in a guy, now also including an attraction to women.

The end

P.s. i do think they were pretty good friends during the middle of the season when it was all blurry for both of them, and that connection was genuine but ever so often shrouded in weird romantic fog that was unclear to neither of them and kept this friendship from reaching its full potential. Will gave her the special attention she wanted, while Bella understood him and was great at listening and giving advice. That made them a good combo, just not romantically.

[miimo96]

Thoughts on My Adventures with Superman S2 episode 4

Alright 2 things, 1 I love how General lane Not only set up an entire bunker like fortress in Clark and Jimmy's apartment, but also made them Use a Code word in order for them to Even get in, 2 I Reallly love Clark's reaction to Jimmy's achievement, it really shows how much he cares about his friend and is really happy for him 😊 Also is it me or has the Animation gotten So much Better this Season, they really stepped their Game up since the Spiderman fiasco, especially when it comes to the lighting and faces, I mean just look at Clark's smile here >_<

Bruh I'm calling it right now, by the end of this Season Jimmy is going to lose ALL of his Money, that Money meter keeps going down each episode, if that isn't foreshadowing Idk what is ^^;

Once again I'm really loving the relationship between these 2, the fact that Jimmy wants Clark to come not because he's an Alien but because he's his best friend is really sweet, and it really shows just how much the writers Really know about Superman and his world and want to make it to the best version, also the fact that Clark is LITERALLY deciding which outfit seems more "Hype man" is Really funny to me, especially Jimmy's comeback line after this

Judging how Waller is clearly making another Task force X I wanna say this Blockbuster, but I'm not entirely sure, so far this guy's only appeared in like a few episodes this season, So if they kill him off I Wont entirely be mad, because he serves No purpose other than filling out the Villain slots, and the reason why I'm saying this might be Blockbuster is because I can't recall another Villain with super strength and Built like this in the suicide Squad other than blockbuster, who coincidently died IMMEDIATELY in a Suicide Squad comic run

Even though the episode is clearly about lois and father, it's Super obvious that it was actually focused on the relationship between Clark and Jimmy, and how they feel about 1 another, this scene with Clark telling Jimmy about how he's made him feel was really beautiful and Ngl, I kinda teared up at this point, the relationship between the 2 is some of the best I've seen in a Long time since the animated series back on WB Kids, they really put a lot of effort into fleshing out each character and making us Fall in love with them even more ^w^

The whole Superman Debate Scene was great, I really loved how Lex and Jimmy are basically two polar opposites, 1 supporting superman and his pureness and the other being Superman's biggest Hater, with both literally being incredibly rich rn, and it's kinda funny, while Jimmy is losing money, Lex is Gaining money, gaining everyhing that we know him for; Lex brought up a lot of good points regarding Superman and how "Dangerous" he is, Stuff that I think will Return in Season 3 with people Gunning for Superman or trying to Eliminate him, maybe we might actually see Batman Show up Next season 😏

I find it So CONVENIENT that general lane's Rendezvous point Just so happens to be near the STAR Labs EXPO, almost like if this was planned for this to happen here, So that when Superman shows up he could be made out as the Bad guy *looks intently at Lex*

As Sad as this scene is you're really telling me He DIDN'T HEAR THAT!? I mean the dude has SUPER HEARING for a reason, you're REALLY telling me he Didn't hear that? Ok whatever Sure, I guess super hearing Only works when the Writers Need it huh, even though they made a WHOLE episode about that Last season 😒

🥺🥺🥺 I don't have any words for this scene other than Seeing Clark like this really hurts my soul, seeing him come to the Realization that he's Never gonna truly fit in and that He NEEDS Someone like him to Really understand him just shows how much Clark has repressed these feelings by trying to be Something he's not, which is human, Now he's Finally starting to accept his Alien/Kryptonian half, with the 1st step being to find someone Truly like him

ZOD IS HERE OMG ZOD IS HERE!!

Also I Officially dub these Days "Superman Saturday's" ^^ 🦸‍♂️

[sonicboomseason3]

Sonic Boom - Theft

NOTE: Here you guys are, a random excerpt from the larger Sonic Boom Season 3 project I've been working on! If people like this one, then I'm down to share more in the future as well (but only occasionally because I don't want to clog up any of the tags). But yeah, I'm not usually someone who's super confident in my writing, but I genuinely did like how this one ended up, and I want to test the waters with this so. lol.

Some context for this: Shadow has a part-time job at Meh Burger. and it's a running bit for Sonic to have a shitty time every time he tries ordering from him, but people who have been on my blog long enough already know about that particular lore. Also, sometime before this, Meh Burger replaced all of their menus with thin slabs of steel with words etched into them due to Reasons. Don't worry about it. Smiles.

--

“Uh…” Sonic faltered when he noticed that Shadow’s expression was visibly stormier than it usually was. “You… okay?”

“Where are my gloves.”

“Come again?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, hedgehog,” Shadow snapped. He pointed an accusatory finger right between Sonic’s eyes, causing him to go cross-eyed. “I haven’t been able to find them since this morning, and so I’ve had no other choice but to wear a backup pair provided by Meh Burger. Where are they.”

It took Sonic another moment to register the words coming out of Shadow’s mouth. Indeed, the latter was wearing the standard white gloves that everyone else wore instead of those weird gauntlet things. Aside from the golden rings clamped around his wrists, Shadow’s whole look was suddenly looking very, very plain.

“I… don’t know?” Sonic slowly replied, pushing Shadow’s finger back towards its owner. “What makes you think I have anything to do with that?”

Shadow scoffed and crossed his arms, clearly not believing him. “Because you are the one who would gain the most out of stealing from me. You want my gloves to enhance your own gear, which will in turn make your battles more efficient.”

“Are you serious, Shadow? I don’t even know where to begin with any of that,” Sonic said, beginning to get annoyed at all the hoops Shadow was jumping through just to blame him for his personal problems. “One, if I really felt like upgrading anything, I would’ve just asked Tails instead of going through all that trouble. Two, I have a perfectly good pair of gloves that I’ve been wearing for years, and I have zero problems with them. No holes, no chafing, no nothin’. I don’t even see what makes your gloves so special.”

“Of course they’re special. They’re the only pair in existence, unlike your inferior ones.”

Sonic’s eye twitched. “Yeah, well, at least mine don’t make me look like I’m wearing a couple of toilet plungers on my hands.”

“What?”

Honestly, Sonic didn’t really think that Shadow’s gloves were that bad, but he had his limits to how much he would take lying down before dishing right back. While he was definitely getting better at the whole ‘ordering Meh Burger when Shadow was on his shift’ thing, there were still times when he lost his patience. This was one of those times.

“Hey, can you exchange insults somewhere else?” Dave, showing up out of nowhere to stand next to Shadow, whined. “I’m sick of doing overtime cleaning up after your fights.”

Sonic supposed he should feel some semblance of gratitude towards Dave for preventing the fistfight that had definitely been about to happen, but he was still too irritated at being falsely accused. “Dave, tell Shadow it makes no sense for me to steal his gloves.”

Dave turned to Shadow with an eyebrow raised. “Your gloves are missing?”

“Since this morning. And if it truly wasn’t Sonic who took them—”

“Dude, for the millionth time, it wasn’t.”

“—then I will hunt down this unknown thief if it’s the last thing I do,” Shadow finished, completely ignoring Sonic. “And they will pay for daring to steal from me.”

“Wow, it’d sure suck to be them then,” Dave yawned, raising a hand to cover his mouth. The other two immediately took notice of the fact that he had on a very familiar red, black, and white gauntlet. “Too bad I don’t know anything.”

Sonic stared at Dave’s hand shielding his yawn, and then stared at his other hand hanging by his side. Sure enough, there was Shadow’s other glove. “Seriously?”

“David,” Shadow ground out through clenched teeth as he reached for one of Meh Burger’s steel menus.

To Dave’s credit, he didn’t even flinch at the realization that he had been found out. Instead, he closed his eyes in acceptance right as Shadow smacked him in the side of the head with the menu, the CLANG resounding throughout the entire restaurant. He fell to the floor, out cold.

“What’s wrong with you, Shadow?” Sonic asked in exasperation. “You’ve been here with him for hours at this point. How in the heck did you not notice until now?”

Shadow didn’t reply, only gazing down at Dave’s unconscious form with open disdain. Something else in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his scowl deepened. “Sonic,” he snarled, his mood worsening even more. “My air shoes are missing.”

“Come again?”

Shadow, growling like a wild animal and possessing more flexibility than a limp pool noodle, kicked his leg high up in the air and slammed it down on the counter for Sonic to see.

Thankfully, he had socks on, but Sonic still could have gone on with his life without the increased proximity to Shadow’s unshod foot. “Oh my god, dude, don’t—”

“I said my air shoes are missing,” Shadow repeated dangerously, his leg still resting on the counter. The counter where food was supposed to be served. “If you have something to do with this, say so now.”

Sonic threw his hands up in the air. “We’ve already proven I didn’t steal your gloves, so why would I steal your stupid shoes?! And again, how do you go around not noticing this stuff?!”

Shadow opened his mouth say something, but the sound of an evil laugh coming from above cut him off. They both looked up at the sky and saw Eggman hovering in the air… with some newly acquired footwear and not his Eggmobile. Sonic slapped a palm to his forehead as Shadow’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“There you are, Sonic! Behold, my greatest plan yet!” Eggman announced smugly, descending to the ground and striking a pose in front of his foe. He was trying to look cool, but the effect was slightly dimmed by how he was clearly in pain despite all his gusto. Of course he was, given that Shadow’s shoes were a few sizes smaller than his own. “I’ve figured out a way to match your speed, and now I can finally defeat you, thanks to my new roller skates! Don’t even try to stop me—”

“Trust me, I don’t have to,” Sonic sighed, hand running down his face.

“Wait, what?”

“They’re air shoes,”came three menacing words from right behind Eggman. Eggman barely had the chance to realize that Shadow had teleported from his spot at the counter before another CLANG even louder than the last one rang out. Down the street, a few villagers in their homes opened their windows, poking their heads out in confusion.

“This pathetic island is populated by trash and trash only,” Shadow sniffed. He threw the menu off to the side and bent down to take his shoes back. When he couldn’t remove them so easily, he growled again and resorted to yanking on them with so much force that Sonic was surprised that Eggman’s feet didn’t pop off with them. Putting them under one of his arms, he stomped back over to Dave’s body to do the same with his gloves. With all his gear now back in his hands, he glanced over his shoulder at Sonic. “I’m out of here. You can go get your swill elsewhere. Or starve. It makes no difference to me.”

He teleported away to who even knew where, leaving Meh Burger completely unmanned by anyone still lucid.

Sonic stood quietly for a second before looking down at Eggman, who was face down on the floor with his butt in the air, his toes red from being crammed into ill-fitting shoes, and his hands covering the rapidly forming bruise on the back of his head. “You okay, Egghead?”

“Mombot…” Eggman whimpered, dazed. “I want Mombot…”

“Yeah, I dunno how you thought that could’ve ended any other way, to be honest.”

[randombrambles]

Okay...going to wade into the Sabezra discussion. May the flying spaghetti monster in sky have mercy on my soul...

I guess you could call me a "causal viewer" because, despite being a life long Star Wars fan, I'd never watched an episode of Rebels before watching Ahsoka. I just never got around to it and I've only watched a handful of eps of The Clone Wars too. But anyway once I started Ahsoka I was like "this show will clearly make more sense if I watch Rebels" so I started. I'm almost done season 3 of Rebels as of writing this post. And really loving Rebels btw. Part of me of like "why didn't I watch this earlier?" but on the other hand I don't have to wait for the next episode and I know the major spoilers already so I'm not going to get the rug yanked out from under me.

So back to Ahsoka and Sabezra...the big questions. Did I see the romance "coding" (not sure I agree "coding" is the right word but whatever, that's semantics) in Ahsoka? Yes. Sabine's actions definitely come across as her being in love with Ezra to me. That said I can also see the platonic angle, especially after having watched some of Rebels, so I'm not going to tell anyone they are wrong for viewing Sabine and Ezra's relationship as platonic. These things are subjective and open to interpretation until anything definitively romantic or definitively not romantic happens on screen. And at this point nothing definitive has happened either way on screen. Nobody has been proven right and nobody has been proven wrong yet. Sabezra is basically schrodinger's cat right now.

Next how did I interpret the "like a sister" line in Ezra's holo. Um...full disclosure the first time I viewed that scene I didn't even register that he'd said she was "like a sister" to him. I'd never even seen Rebels at that point so I didn't know Ezra yet. So as a causal viewer my take away from that scene was Ezra meant a lot to Sabine and Sabine meant a lot to Ezra. And I'd be wiling to bet that that was the takeaway for most causal viewers.

So on rewatch do I think the "like a sister" line means that Ezra truly sees Sabine as a sister? No. On rewatch, paying close attention to the body language, and after having watched some Rebels, I think Ezra is both struggling to find the words to tell Sabine how important she is to him and telling her what he thinks she needs to hear in that moment. The problem is that in English we don't have a word to describe someone isn't technically family but who isn't a lover either but who's also way more than "just" a friend. Sister is the best word Ezra can come up with in that moment but you can tell from his awkward body language and his literal scoff as soon as he says it that its not the right word. And yeah I think Ezra thinks that Sabine sees him as a brother so he tells her what he thinks she wants to hear right before he heads of on what very well could have been a suicide mission.

Do I think Sabezra is going to be made canon on Tuesday's final episode of Ahsoka (of season 1 at least). No, but hold on nobody panic!!! I also don't think that means Sabezra is dead in the water either. And frankly I'm kind of mystified as to why Sabezra shippers seem to think that the next episode is make or break for Sabezra when its clearly not? If there isn't a love declaration or a kiss or both (which is what I'm assuming people would interpret can them being made canon) its not like either Sabine or Ezra are going to marry someone else on Tuesday either. And since much of Ahsoka has been set up, meaning not much is actually going to get resolved in the next ep (Thrawn hasn't even left Perida[?] yet! I fear we are ending on a cliff hanger), we'll be seeing Sabine and Ezra again. There's no rush for them to get together romantically (and I know that's hard to hear for people who've been shipping for years but its true).

And further to the "there's no rush" point I actually have to say I that I think its WAY too soon for anything definitively romantic to happen between Ezra and Sabine yet (and again I get how hard that is for those who've been shipping them for a long time). And I say that as both a "casual viewer" and someone who's also watched a good chunk of Rebels now. For the causal viewer who hasn't watched Rebels, which is probably a big chunk of the audience for Ahsoka, they barely know Sabine, have just met Ezra and have only seen them interacting for ONE episode and don't know any of their history. A kiss or a love declaration would seem out of the blue at this point I think. And as someone who's getting into Rebels I still think its too soon. While I agree that Sabine is very likely in love with Ezra I don't think she's admitted to herself yet (that's why Baylan used the word family when he was getting her to hand over the map thingy imho) no way is she ready to tell HIM. And as for Ezra...dude is clueless that Sabine might might have non platonic feelings for him so no way is he going to risk ruining their friendship by blurting out that he's in love with her. And not only that they've been separated for 10 YEARS ffs. They need to get to know each other again before anything romantic can happen, again imho. I want Sabezra to become canon but I want it done WELL. Sabezra is a friends to lovers ship, they are still firmly in the friends stage right now, it needs to be a sloooooow burn.

And finally do I think Sabezra will become canon? Honestly...I don't know. I'd like it to, it would be really nice to have a non problematic ship, especially after the sequel trilogy robbed us of FinnRey and tried to force freaking r*ylo. But I think Filoni and the other powers that be over at DLF (he is NOT the sole person calling the shots here, keep that in mind everyone) are probably testing the waters right now and waiting to see what the audience reactions are like before they make any decisions. I'd be wiling to bet that by the end of Tuesday's episode the door will be left wide open for pretty much anything to happening shipping wise. So we'll just have to wait and see. Time will tell, it always does.

[xerith-42]

The second turning point

@cinnamontoastcroonch I hope you're happy.

I've been taking a critical eye to every episode of Minecraft Diaries as I rewatch it. And I mean writing upwards of entire essays about single episodes. As you saw with episode 65. Part of why I've been doing this is to see where things truly went wrong with this show. The early episodes were better than I remembered, but I know for a fact there was an entire falling apart that happened between the utter quality that is an episode like say episode 58, and well... Season 3.

Obviously episode 65 was the turning point, but that was just the inciting incident. All the problems in MCD ultimately come down to the love triangle and how poorly it was handled. And the next major step was in episode 77. Episode 77 is an episode that is mostly spent on minimal character interactions at the wolf tribe after the gang finally gets back there with Logan and everyone else. Aphmau spends most of the episode building a boat, and then getting distracted from building her boat.

Until she decides to go check on the Nether Portal. It's broken, like when she last saw it, but Laurance is standing in front of it. I need to emphasize something. Up until this point, we've gotten very few conversations where Laurance brings up being a Shadow Knight. He usually diverts these conversations, or they get diverted by others, so we've gotten very few personal insights into a Shadow Knights existence. This is one of the first real times that we get a deeper look at how this condition has effected Laurance.

And y'know what? I'm just gonna give you a quote from my video essay on this. A nice little teaser. As a treat :)

His mind has sort of been rewired to put himself before others, even if he’s naturally a very selfless person. Which is a real slap in the face when you remember most Shadow Knights are guards, who are encouraged to be selfless. His heart still loves dearly and he is still the same selfless fool who threw his life away to save Aphmau, but his mind is telling him to be more selfish, take what he wants without regard for others. Laurance is actively fighting these thoughts all the time, but he worries that one day he might give in and… He says he never wants his heart to forget Aphmau, even if his mind tells him otherwise.

This. This hurts me. It's quality Laurance content. It's a great moment of Laurance proving one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses. How emotionally vulnerable he is. It makes him easy to hurt. It means he'll actually express it. He's struggled to talk about being a Shadow Knight, but now he's able to.

Imagine if episode 65 let him see the fear of killing Aphmau before this.

And just as Laurance says that absolutely heartbreaking line, GUESS WHO HAS TO MOSEY HIS SORRY ASS INTO THE ROOM?! Garroth just waltzs in there and interrupts this incredibly private conversation that he just happened to be listening to. Now, I will say, there is a way to justify this that I will accept, but I know without a doubt the writers didn't intend this.

The only way this works is if Garroth is listening to this conversation because he's scared of leaving Aph and Laurance alone in case Laurance decides to just... Kill her. But then he feels bad. But that would probably make him walk away out of guilt.

So yeah this doesn't make sense. For Garroth. At all. Why is he so scared of Laurance and Aphmau literally having one conversation? Well, it's the answer it always is. The love triangle. They've shown before that they are willing to disregard basic logic, only to prove that they know the details of this logic in a later episode. In Episode 65 they disregard Garroth's fears around his family, and then center an entire conversation around it in Episode 68.

But wait, it gets worse. Because Garroth knows for a fact that Aphmau and Laurance having an emotional conversation won't likely lead to any romance.

BECAUSE HE SAW LAURANCE CONFESS TO APHMAU 24 EPISODES AGO AND SAW HER REJECT HIM!!

There were seven weeks in between these episodes!! Idk how long it takes to make an episode of MCD, but I imagine episodes are written in major arcs at a time. How did they forget what happened IN THE LAST MAJOR ARC OF THE SHOW?! Because. Love triangle. Because Jesson don't care about the characters they previously wrote, they care about these characters fulfilling an already existing trope they liked in something before. They don't care how this dynamic might change because of their own characters, just that they go through the motions.

So Garroth interrupts this conversation. Laurance gets snippy and tells Garroth to fess up or else he might "sweep her off her feet first." And that's a red flag for Laurance. Good job writers. And let's be clear, I don't disagree with characters maybe being shitty, as long as it doesn't contradict previous characterization. Like this does.

The writers forgot that Garroth saw Laurance's confession. They forgot that Laurance took rejection on the chin. They forgot that Laurance literally said "I'm just happy to be in your life." Did they forget about Laurance's entire confession?! Do the writers think that went away when he stopped being blind?!

...

Oh fuck... Did... Did Laurance only accept rejection because he didn't think he was good enough to be with her when he was blind? Is that what they're trying to say? I... I really hope that isn't. And yet I wouldn't be surprised. Just completely and utterly disappointed.

That took a turn I didnt like. I don't know how to end this now.

[httpjeonlicious]

✨ 💖 my favorite jungkook ffs 💖 ✨

—> the ones i’m recommending are definitely worth reading!! I’ve read these more than TWICE and i’m still obsessed 😌 --> ALL OF THESE FICS ARE 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT --> show love and appreciation to the authors

—> if y’all have any recs lmk 😭

-_- i have to much free time -_- ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── [key] ✿ - fluff ✮ - smut ⚡︎ - angst

1999 | jjk (m) by tattookoo ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ (childhood neighbors to friends to lovers)

summary: the year was 1999. boybands were wearing all-white outfits, everybody wanted an ibook or a tamagotchi, tlc didn’t want no scrubs, fight club was playing in movie theaters and you became jeon jungkook’s fake girlfriend in order to fix his reputation.

2002 | jjk (m) by tattookoo ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ (est relationship au)

summary: the year was 2002. kelly clarkson won the first season of american idol, mtv had everybody glued to their tvs, von dutch was the brand, people were total losers if they didn’t quote shrek or harry potter and you broke the distance with your pro athlete boyfriend, jungkook.

related drabbles -> may 18 | tiny

my note:

i highly recommend reading 1999 (and the related drabbles) this story is in my top 10. i've probably read the story like 4 times now... (im not even joking). both jk and y/n have a special place in my heart. i absolutely adore all the characters in the story. its so well written *chefs kiss* i truly hope you enjoy it like i did ♡ YALL I CANNOT FIND THIS FIC ANYMORE. IF U KNOW WHAT HAPPENED PLEASE LMK 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★

next couple of recommendations are mostly gonna be from @thvhoe because i love all her stories so much. all these stories are amazing, creative, stunning, all of the above.... they literally are the definition of chefs kiss 🤌🏻 bon appetit b1tch3s ♡♡♡ :) send her love and kisses &lt;;/3

Fight Or Flight|jjk (m) ✿ ✮ by thvhoe (best friends brother)

summary: You want to disappear and sink into the ground—we're talking code red. As a result of the horrible events of accidentally sending your nudes to your best friend's brother, your life appears to change drastically. Beautiful, arrogant, and quickly developing into a star fighter—many factors should prevent you from falling for Jeon Jungkook. For years, you've kept your feelings for him a secret. Yet, ever since he has seen you in your underwear, it can become difficult to conceal your emotions when you see him practically daily.

Our Not So Secret Secret|jjk (m) ✿ ✮ by thvhoe (college AU)

summary: When someone learns that Jungkook has been secretly keeping a puppy in his room despite not being allowed to, he turns to ask the only other person who knows about his secret for help. And suddenly you two—who had long been bitter enemies—get very close. (i re-read this story at least twice a month this is literally amazing. highly recommend this one!!!!!)

IN THE SEOM MASTERPOST|jjk (m) ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ by thvhoe (college AU)

summary: Always the friend, never the girlfriend. Jeon Jungkook doesn't date. At least that's what he thought until he met you, a chemistry student who seemed to have it all—except for love. Meeting at a mutual friends frat party, you hit it off right away. However, due to both of your stubbornness, it has never progressed beyond being friends with benefits. The annual camping trip with your friend group was supposed to be the turning point in your relationship with Jungkook. But what happens when your best friend of 18 years unexpectedly comes back from Busan and confesses to you, further complicating matters?

MUSCLE PIG|jjk (m) ✮ by thvhoe

summary: Your winter blues lead you to join a gym, where you encounter a person you'd prefer to avoid. However, because the odds are never in your favor, you wind up running into him. Eventually, one thing leads to another, and...

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION MINI SERIES| jjk (m) ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ by thvhoe (Lawyer Millionaire Jungkook x Student apprentice Reader)

summary: Being the most prominent attorney in South Korea, Jeon Jungkook enjoys the fame, wealth, and marriage that go along with it. Although Jungkook realizes that he may have taken life too quickly and needs to slow down a bit, he finds solace in the daughter of his Boss.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

Don't Blame Me|jjk (m) ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ by thvhoe (Neighbours to lovers AU)

summary: Jungkook is known for his good looks and is often described by your friends as "daddy material." Funny enough, he actually was a daddy. The daddy of the baby girl you babysit every Saturday. Working as a nanny for the world's grumpiest single dad should have been easy, but you can't keep your eyes off him. He's handsome, a little arrogant, with broad shoulders and strong tattooed arms. And when he decides he can't keep his hands off of you. Who are you to resist?

SPICY 'N SWEET MASTERPOST|jjk (m) ✿ ✮ ⚡︎ by thvhoe (Boxer Jungkook x shy ballerina Reader)

my note: im currently reading this mini series and let me tell u, this is so good. idk if its bc its boxer jk x ballerina y/n BUT ITS SOO GOOD. this is currently an ongoing series but its definitely worth the wait

summary: Jeon Jungkook is the perfect guy… to piss off your parents. He’s buff, inked up and the definition of their worst nightmare but hey, when love comes knocking on your door there’s not much you can do. It’s not like you planned on falling for him… it just kind of happened, and honestly, you're not even mad about it. Not at all.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆ ☆ ★ ✮ ★

—>

[tethered-heartstrings]

Hi sorry if I'm bothering you, I just had a question? I noticed that in season three (the first part, with the Italian names) (Italian is my first language) the names are out of order. Like, S3E2 being called "Primavera" (Spring) aside, we have "Appetizers" "Second course" "Apéritif" "Side dish" "Sweets" and "Digestive". And that's not the usual order?

You usually have Apéritif late afternoon/early evening, then you sit at the dinner table and the courses are: Appetizers, Main Course (which is replaced by Spring, but I enjoy the allegory), Second Course with Sides, Sweets and lastly Digestive (or coffee lol).

So yeah I was wondering if you knew whether there was any reason for this change?

Again sorry to bother, also I love you blog. Thank you very much and have a nice day :)

V

omg you aren’t bothering me at all this is a great question!

Let me start off by saying I do not know Italian, but I have some ideas as to the naming schematic.

“Apéritif” is the first episode of season one, and from what I looked up, an apéritif is an alcoholic drink used to stimulate the appetite. As it is the first episode of the show, it is meant to entice an audience to watch the rest of the show, so it makes sense that this episode is enticing the appetite of the viewer. Also, the first glimpse we get of Hannibal in this episode is him eating a meal, and as the titular character who has a particular appetite, we are kind of appealing to his appetite as well. And the first meeting he has with Will also indirectly stimulates his appetite and interest in Will as a person and his involvement with the GJH case and his decisions to intervene. Hannibal wanting to “see what would happen” is his appetite being stimulated. “Apéritif” is also a French word derived from Latin “aperire” which means “to open” which makes a lot of sense as it is the opening of the entire show.

The first episode of season 3, “Antipasto” makes sense as it is the first course of a meal, and thus the first episode of the season. “Secondo” I take to mean a second course, so pretty straight forward.

I wonder if “Apertivo” (aka appetizer) is next because we kind of go back in time a bit to Will being in the hospital and truly seeing how thing occurred, and not his hallucination with Abigail being alive. Like going back “before” the meal. We also see Will back in Hannibal’s kitchen, going back to where everything went down, but there is a peace there as if it was before it all happened. And Abigail is there, too. Granted, Will “knows” she is dead now, but it still feels like before when she was alive. Like Will is trying to take little pieces of life before, little bites of something more savory than the reality he is in. It is also before Will really confronts Hannibal again, seeing and talking to him directly. So maybe the use of “appetizer” is more of this episode and events in it happening before other things. The events of this episode happening before the “meal” episodes as it goes back in time a little bit.

While “Dolce” and “Digestivo” are in the “correct” order, I still want to talk about them. “Dolce” meaning sweet is so perfect because of the Uffizi Gallery scene, because it is so tender and perfect. And “Digestivo” is also perfect, because digestives are supposed to aid in digestion, and Hannibal was planning to eat Will. And not only could it be interpreted as literally helping the meal digest, but also the aftermath of having killed and eaten Will, having to digest the reality that not only is Will dead, but that Hannibal killed him. And that Will’s flesh is finite, and eventually there will be nothing left of him, and soon even the taste of him, the feel of him between his teeth, will be lost to Hannibal, nothing more than a memory.

I also found that bitter digestifs contain carminative herbs intended to aid in digestion. There are a lot of herbs that fall into this category, but two of them being parsley and thyme, which are herbs in the soup Hannibal spoon fed to Will while he was drugged prior to his head being cut open. Hannibal even says the soup is “more for my sake than yours,” after Will comments on how it isn’t very good. And I know that it technically happens in “Dolce” but the end of “Dolce” and beginning of “Digestivo” overlap and blur together a bit like they do. And in “Digestivo”, Will even comments on how he doesn’t have Hannibal’s “appetite”, thus tying it all in together a bit.

As a side note, I also love “Primavera” meaning spring, because this episode is another stage of Will’s becoming and his growth, shedding an old skin. We see a new perspective of what happened in “Mizumono”, and I think “Spring” is a very fitting title for this episode!

thank you for this ask and hope you have a nice day as well!!

[devondespresso]

writing my silly little fic and again im struck with how much opportunities they missed by pretending the s2 stancy breakup wasn't messy, specifically for Nancy's guilt about barb and forcing herself to grow up too fast

like s1 Nancy spends one night being a stupid teenager goofing off at her boyfriend's party and staying over to get spicy while Barb goes home. then she later realizes Barb disappeared and died that one night she was letting go and having fun. this is widely recognized trauma for her and informs a lot if not most of her actions through the rest of the show

in season 2 she's feeling the weight of it more around the first year anniversary. steve trys to help by taking her to a party to forget for a little while and 'be stupid teenagers' for a night. a perfectly set up parallel already

the way the show wants it to go, we get the bullshit argument, they fight, allegedly break up at some point, and nancy sleeps with Jonathan. later steve tells her to go with him and we're supposed to read it as Steve stepping back so jancy can happen. we're supposed to be seeing this as a happy ending.

but with the material we're given this would have been the perfect place for an emotional repeat of season 1 for nancy. she and steve go to the party and pretend to be stupid teenagers for the night. but oh no! nancy lets lose too much, lets herself relax and drink and dance, and the next day her boyfriend's pissed. hes saying she said things she never remembered saying and its hurt him and she doesn't know what to do. and kids around school are talking about them breaking up at the party, and that fits with Steve's anger she saw, so they must've broken up right? it sucks, even if she wasn't in love with him, that'd be the worst way to break up with someone (especially if she's confusing platonic and romantic feelings or convincing herself it has to be romantic when she really just values him as a friend)

and then she doesn't have time to work it out, she needs to go with Jonathan to avenge barbs 'disappearance' to give her family closure. She's got a lot of conspiracy shit to do and its stressful. so when murray starts going off about how she's not really in love with steve, how she actually likes Jonathan and he seems to like her back. they finished a lot of the hard work with the conspiracy stuff, she can let her guard down and have a quick good night.

then the next day is chaos. demodogs and labs and will being possessed. It a rough fucking day. Steve tells her to go with Jonathan while they get the mindflayer out of Will, civil like they're on good terms so she does (and thank god she did because that was rough and they needed all the help they could get)

and then everything's fine again, with the upside down. and it looks like she handled things better this time, was about to relax occasionally and still made it through.

except apparently she and steve didn't break up. he thought it was just a few fights, that they put their shit aside for the apocalypse and now they can work things out.

and it could ruin nancy. a year later and she's still hasn't learned her lesson, that letting her guard down hurts the people she cares about, that relaxing and having fun makes her lose people. its her fault for the messy breakup with Steve and its her fault that barb is gone. she's the reason she's lost friends close to her, 2 for 2, and now she only has Jonathan left (and what do you know, season 3 has her conflict with Jonathan and in season 4 she's not let anyone else get truly close to her and fred still dies)

you see what i mean?? by having conflict magical resolve itself in the background we loose so much powerful, painful character drama for her. our girl who thinks she has to keep the world around her up solely on her shoulders because she can't handle the loss of her best friend in season 1. Nancy who desperately wants to be normal and have people she loves but keeps losing them, through factors both in and out of her control, but feels like everything has to be her fault just because some things were.

and to be fair, that story is still present in the show. its there and definitely compelling, but it could've been even more so. i feel like if maybe there was less 'nancy has to be a strong independent girlboss' in there (abd it's definitely there, they want to make a point of making her a Strong Woman Character so bad) and she was allowed to have mistakes acknowledged by the narrative, this is the direction it would've gone. She could've been an excellent example of well written women who are strong and awesome through their own right instead of the narrative trying to make us like her

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 14: DREAM CATCHER - Episode 1: To The Next Season

Ibuki: Hmm… Something’s not right.

Ibuki: What about this angle… Hmm.

Ibuki: (I can’t really decide… I wonder if I can find some inspiration somewhere.)

Ibuki:  …

Ibuki: (Even TikTak has been full of promo videos for theater companies lately.)

Ibuki: Ah, “Get To Know MANKAI Company”?

Ibuki: (MANKAI Company, eh…)

Iv has entered the chat momo: eugh… i probably messed up… Iv: wassup? momo: no… i just got a little carried away… ig Kar: idgi shiki: you’re always free to tell us if something’s bothering you

-

Sakuya in the video: “Thank you very much!”

Masumi in the video: “Thank you very much.”

-

Muku: *dreamy sigh* … The RomiJuli sequel was so good.

Tenma: Thinking back to your debut really does make one emotional.

Kumon: It’s so awesome how you can tell how much they’ve grown as they play the same role!

Yuki: It’s like their growth as actors is linked to their characters’ personal growth.

Kazunari: Pretty much. It’s like there’s some synergy going on~

Misumi: I can’t wait for our “Water Me!” sequel~

Muku: Me neither! I wonder what kind of story it’ll be?

Tenma: We have to show that we’ve grown just as much as the Spring Troupe has

Muku: … Huh?

Izumi: What’s wrong?

Muku: The boy in the audience in this video… Isn’t he Masumi-kun’s fan?

Izumi: Ah, you’re right. That’s Towa-kun.

Tenma: Is that the fan that came to talk to Tsuzuru-san the other day?

Izumi: Yeah.

Muku: So he managed to get a ticket for the first day. I’m glad.

Izumi: He said it’d be his first time watching a performance in a theater, he must’ve been very emotional.

Izumi: (If anything, he was a little too emotional. I’d have never expected him to say what he did…)

[Flashback starts]

Towa: … Tsuzuru Minagi-sensei!! I want you to write a script for my troupe!! Please!!

Tsuzuru: Eh? … EHHHH!?

Tsuzuru: You want me to write a script?

Towa: Yes!

Sakuya: That’s amazing! Have you created a troupe?

Towa: Um, I plan to start creating it from now on…

Izumi: Have you gathered members?

Towa: N-No… I plan to start doing that.

Masumi: In other words, it’s just you right now.

Towa: But I… want to create a troupe just like MANKAI Company!

Towa: When I participated in the Spring Troupe's workshop, I learned a little about how plays are created, and what it feels like to stand on stage...

Towa: And I became more interested in theater.

Towa: And then, when I actually watched the Spring Troupe’s performance in a theater, I was moved in a way I’ve never been before.

Towa: Thanks to the hard work of many people, the play takes on a real form on top of the stage, and the actors truly shine…

Towa: It made me think that I want to stand on that stage as well. I want to try shining the way everyone does…

Towa: This may be too simple, and my way of thinking might be naive, but…

Towa: I feel like fate brought me here, to find what I want to do, and to discover theater!

Tsuzuru: … I see. Fate, huh?

Towa: I’m sorry, this probably seems really stupid to you…

Izumi: Not at all.

Tsuzuru: I’ve also felt this way, so I get it.

Sakuya: I also felt that way when I first experienced theater.

Citron: We totally understand Towa’s feels~!

Izumi: Moments like that do happen. I believe that if you feel like you’re destined to act, then that means you have the talent for it.

Tsuzuru: I understand your motivation, and I’d love to cooperate with you. But when you’re the only member in the troupe…

Tsuzuru: Performing a one-person act as a beginner is pretty difficult, so I’d rather your troupe has at least 4 members.

Towa: I need 3 more…

Towa: … I understand! I’ll find them!

Tsuzuru: Alright. I’ll be waiting.

Izumi: Do your best.

Sakuya: We’ll be cheering for you!

Towa: Thank you very much!

[Flashback ends]

Izumi: (I do wonder how things are going with Towa-kun’s company, but I have to prioritize the Summer Troupe’s performance.)

Izumi: (Our ranking may have improved, but we’re still far from the Fleur Award…)

Izumi: (The new companies are all rapidly gaining momentum, so we need to keep our guard up as we move to 2Q…)

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