#we definitely won't be getting this in season 7

[andorerso]

wait, I thought I was done but I forgot to post my usual live thoughts so here we go, these are my last thoughts about this arc. disclaimer: VERY salty (not you episode 8, we love you)

episode 7

glad to see Yavin but how is it already this operational? would have liked to see that

literally what the fuck is this hut and how is it realistic that they'd get this in any shape or form 😭

EADU MENTION

idk I don't like the force healer thing. Cassian's not chosen. he's just a guy who wants to do the right thing. that's the whole point of R1

DRAVEN MY MANNNNN

"the day I need permission to come and go, I'm gone" LMAO SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU FUCKING IMPOSTOR

going on an unsanctioned mission a year pre r1. brilliant. spectacular. makes so much sense, I love it

"we're building a real army" well I wish I could have seen that!!

"Cassian's a leader now" wish I could have seen that too

brain does go brrrrr when Cassian is competent. this is the moments I like, when he's on a mission

episode 8

I'm sorry but "rebellions are built on hope" felt like such a random thing to say in response to that? I… don't like it. it's not my biggest gripe but I wanted those to be his own words

I don't know why they're using their real names with each other out here… use your code names ffs!

is the one that keeps staring Kay 👀👀 my beloved droid

oof Syril choking Dedra. yikes…

the Syril and Cassian fight my god!!

he really did that one meme 💀 rip Syril

Cassian will never understand what just happened here lmao

Cassian helping a stranger get up as they escape 🥺 a small detail but THAT'S my man

don't have much else to say. I did really enjoy this episode, definitely my favorite of the season by FAR, and probably up there with The Eye

episode 9

my casskleya crumbs

yeah. so he witnesses Ghorman and he thinks that's it, I'm done? THIS late into the timeline? fuck this honestly, I'm enraged

at least Kleya read him for filth

"I need to start making my own decisions" the way I fully burst out laughing. bitch you've been doing that THIS WHOLE TIME. like you CANNOT be serious

Mon speech cleared!!

"your cousin Vel is a friend" I'd like to see it

competent Cassian still has me kicking my feet and giggling. him rescuing Mon is solid stuff. too bad this won't last

I really thought Mon's speech at least affected him and he changed his mind but no, he still wants to leave. lmao the clownery

"I've done what I can, and I've done a lot" and are we supposed to just believe it? how about you fucking show us? because all I've seen this season (except arc 1 but he was barely in that) is him playing house, resisting going on missions and wanting, in general, to be done with it

he can just stop talking? this is so insanely OOC I fucking hate it. fucking hell I'm furious this is the direction they thought to take him in

I can't believe she drugs him 💀 was that the entire point of her drug addiction or....? because we hadn't seen anything of that in this arc

so... I'm meant to believe that he stays because his gf leaves him? that he literally has to be FORCED into committing? wow. what a brilliantly brave and selfless choice from our hero. so impressed 👏 genius writing

"I'm choosing for the both of us. I'm choosing the rebellion." IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING HE CHOOSES ON HIS OWN BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING, BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IN IT, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO. GOD FUCK OFF

he doesn't even get to reprogram Kay. they just take everything from us

and also... Kay was literally not even in this arc

fucking hate it here goodbye

[stickdoodlefriend]

I can see a lot of your points but I would also like to address some as well.

I agree 911 has put the same conflicts on loop because the writers like to regress the character development for many like Eddie and the Vertigo storyline, Buck's self awareness is temporary, and Maddie's mental health plummets every time new trauma is introduced like you mentioned. However for Henren, isn't marriage/job/kids the main categories someone has development in? Hen deciding between becoming a doctor or being a paramedic was some good development too. I agree I would love for these characters to explore their potential but from what we've seen so far, I don't think they can stick the landing. Buck died (temporarily) but even for the time period he was dead, nothing happened.

So Bobby died, they'll shuffle around and we'll definitely see captain Hen which I love! But what else, either Tim goes the Shannon route and has ghost Bobby floating around the rafters of the firehouse or everyone else reverts back to themselves before. But I would like to not make any hasty judgements and will wait to see the rest of the season on how they deal with his death.

On paper, Bobby dying for his family after he killed them is a perfect ending. However this was a character who also said that 'God is punishing me by keeping me alive' and suicidal until season 7, to kill him off after he finally didn't choose to die and was huge in moving forward for him left a bad taste in my mouth.

I agree, he can't handle retirement, but that's the thing. If he has accepted living a long life with Athena, that would have been the next step for him to accept. And being forced into retirement similar not identical to Buck's firetruck arc would have been a good development for him. Just because someone is never going to retire doesn't mean you have to kill them off to keep the show. Plus, the 118 confide in Bobby and those conversations were a really good tool to get insight into everyone's vulnerabilities. Captain Hen would look to Bobby to talk about leading because as great as she is, I want her to stumble and learn and grow. She won't be able to ask anyone for help now.

I know grief is a part of life, believe me. And I know you don't get goodbyes and death is unexpected and cruel. I get it. I'm holding out for the last two episodes because while Chimney and Athena got to grieve, we haven't really seen others. Hen, Buck, Eddie, heck even Ravi had important relationships with Bobby. We spent so much time on the case and the baby that could have been allocated to showing Harry and May grieving too because they are important to Bobby. And that is why I'm worried that for the first time, Tim has finally committed to a death but if the first episode to follow is already a mixed bag, I'm unsure of how we're planning to wrap everything up in two episodes. ESPECIALLY because we have another emergency coming up.

To address Eddie, what aspect of Eddie's and Christopher's life is in Texas? The last episode with Chris really highlighted how everything his parents had told about Chris liking was manipulated. Chris wasn't happy and him earnestly asking him 'you'll be my dad again?' clearly implied they were skewing Christopher's understanding of what was happening. Yes, Eddie bought a house but his found family is in LA. He has friends there, the 118, heck Christopher's friends are there too. The Texas arc wasnt done well but even taking everything in canon, Chris wanted distance to heal but his parents only created a rift and made him feel small and out of character. He wasn't thriving there and he only lived there for a year. He won't be uprooted. He's going back home to his old school and home. Eddie doesn't want to be an Uber driver and the whole point of his arc was choosing joy and joy is Christopher but also learning how to be himself and not just 'dad'.

He likes being a firefighter and the 118 is his family. That is why Bobby kept his seat at the 118. The season 5 arc showed Eddie wants to be a firefighter and be with his family again.

Yes the 8x16 episode didn't prioritize Eddie and I didn't want them to. However because they spent so much time on the case (a woman in denial about her son's death even though Athena KNEW Bobby was dead) that they didn't have time to show the 118's grief. They don't have to share Athena and Chimney's spotlight but I think a few minutes would have been good to show no, this is his family, they are actually more than coworkers who lost someone they worked for 7+ years would have been good. But we will see this Thursday if Tim can carry those emotional beats.

As for Hen, YES I want her to be captain. But she needs to be Interim Captain first consistently for a few episodes or addressed. The development that would happen as a captain will kickstart as an interim captain.

MCD is not the enemy AND that a lot of people are rightfully upset because 911 just broke the plot armor and they are valid in feeling that because for them it was a comfort show and characters have survived a lot of unlikely things.

as a writer, and as someone who likes to analyse media for fun, Bobby's death is quite literally the only logical narrative choice they could make for his character this season.

sure they could've let him survive, let him live through the rest of this season and into s9, but then what? he never gets promoted, never retires, never changes, just stays stagnant at the top of the 118 forever? that's just putting a cork in the bottle. no one else on the team will have any movement with Bobby still in place.

Hen and Buck won't branch out with Bobby still in the captain's seat. (not that I think Buck wants to be captain yet, but that's another post.) Chim hasn't shown any signs of wanting to change his career path, so Bobby dying isn't going to affect that, and Ravi's looking pretty content where he is too. Eddie, of course, isn't even a concern since he's not a firefighter anymore, so his promotional goals aren't relevant.

So it comes down to Buck and Hen. the two who have shown in past seasons that they want more in their lives/careers than what they currently have. taking Bobby out of the equation means that Hen can apply for the captaincy. it means Buck can start learning those ropes in case he ever needs to step up as interim if Hen needs him to. hell it could even mean that Buck might just try for a promotion anyway, since he's had literally zero career growth since he finished his probational year at the 118. (I'm pretty sure there's a rank or two between where Buck is now and the captaincy but I don't know enough about it.)

let's be real, Bobby was never going to retire. he loves his job and his team too much to ever just leave like that. he would never be happy knowing that his team and his wife were still out there at risk and he couldn't do anything to help them. sure he might've liked retirement if Athena retired with him, but she's not going to do that either. so yeah, the only narrative choice that the writers could make this season to shake up the show's dynamics was to kill off Bobby. and it's sad, but its necessary. MCD isn't a bad thing, it can be really useful when its used properly, and this I think is one case where it's been utilised perfectly.

we can be sad, we can mourn Bobby (and I certainly am) but I don't think it's fair to label this as a "bad writing decision" when it's the only logical choice to make.

[annieontheside]

"we need buck having a mental breakdown in s7!!" "we need buddie kissing in s7!" you know what I NEED? Christopher being in danger and buck getting so worried he growls "get your hands off MY kid" without thinking about it. that or the 118 answering to a fire at chris's school and when buck finds Christopher he yells "dad!" instead of buck. ANYTHING to get these people to finally acknowledge each other as father and son.

edit: of course we can't forget, as Christopher screams "dad!" and reaches out for Buck, he answers with his own desperate and scared "i got you! i got you!"

[paarthursass]

I'm sorry I'm sorry I keep seeing that post that goes "Xander spent years complaining about being powerless and then never took a self defense class" and it pisses me off. Soooo much. Bcs it is such a bad faith reading of Xander as a character and also a gross oversimplification that also misses the entire point of his character.

The brunt of Xander's "complaining" about being powerless happens in the first 3 seasons, and is highlighted particularly in the Zeppo which is about Xander coming to terms with being "the normal one" of the group. He accepts that his role will never be the one in the spotlight, he is the side character to people like Buffy and Willow and he accepts this. While he might make occasional jabs and jokes about being powerless throughout the rest of the show (season 4 in particular we see him floundering with his role, but in season 4 all of the Scoobies are adrift with where they belong, so this is not a Xander-exclusive issue here, that's the point of the season) he seems to settle fairly comfortably into his role. He gets a normal job. He becomes the guy who cleans up Buffy's house when she breaks things fighting demons. We see him further reaffirm his acceptance of this in Potential, when he comforts Dawn (after realizing she isn't a Potential Slayer like she thought, and therefor not "special") by confiding in her his own insecurities with being "the normal one" and then reassuring her that she doesn't need powers to be special. Xander doesn't need powers to be special. He knows his place in the group (affirmed in season 4, where he takes on the role of "the Heart" in the spell to defeat Adam).

And, dare I say it, him learning self defense to the point of being a fighter on par with someone like Riley would completely miss the point of his character. Buffy as a show loves to flip gender roles, and Xander is no exception to this. Xander takes on the stereotypical feminine role in the group dynamic: as stated before, he's "the Heart." He provides emotional support to Willow and Buffy. He's often the one staying home to watch over Dawn, he's the one who cleans up and repairs Buffy's house when it gets wrecked. As the show progresses he increasingly takes on the role of the caretaker and the homemaker. He's also often the damsel, requiring saving by Buffy. He saves Willow with the power of love. Xander "taking a self defense class" - or rather, becoming a 'fighter' like the post implies he should have done, would have run completely counteractive to the point (and subversion) of his character.

Yes, I understand why people have knee-jerk negative reactions to Xander. A lot of his comments haven't aged well, and particularly in the early seasons his treatment of Buffy and Willow isn't great. But he learns. He grows. He does, at some point, stop being an emotionally stunted 17 year old and grows up. I won't act like his character progression is perfect, and there are definitely plenty of Xander moments where I'm incapable of rooting for him, but to claim he "spent 7 years complaining about being powerless and never took a self defense class" is such a bad faith misrepresentation of who he is as a character, and where he stands in the story.

[orengejoshi]

Love you art. My favorite thing is definitely your coloring. Flug does give t boy swag. Hope to see more of your drawing soon. Out of curiosity what do you hope for season 2?

Thank youu🥺💜

I know what you meant but just the entire term "T boy swag" reminded me of my fav rapper who just goes by "T" and since I wanted to do that for a while anyway (his songtexts would resonate with Flug so much) I used this as an excuse to redraw one of his album covers, so I love that, I'm gonna steal that heheh

(relatively unrelated for everyone except me lol but I always throw in some art when replying to asks)

umm yeah so... we're not even done with the first season, so idk. from S1-B I predict more of what we've had so far; more or less episodic comedy, slowly easing us into a connected plot. 6th episode already kinda introduced that.

it's gonna be one of those cartoons like TOH who start off silly and episodic in the first season and develop into a melodramatic serialized show from 2nd season onwards.

this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I actually do not 100% vibe with that, I prefer episodic cartoons like SpongeBob or South Park without overarching plot; comedy over drama. but it was always obvious that Villainous is gonna have a fuck ton of lore so I'm not disappointed.

my criticism rn is that I feel it's already way too many characters I'm sorry. it's getting pretty convoluted. I'm just not a fan of that but again pretty subjective. I can't bring myself to care for absolutely any character that we haven't seen animated yet. it's been too long for me to throw too many new characters in the mix, I've been nonstop hyperfixated since 7 years so I'm skeptical about changes.

as for the plot, I have no idea. we're in so early that I can't even imagine where this is gonna go.

for the end I wish that no ship with the main 3 becomes canon. it's just going to create fandom wars, just leave it open

I just want to see Flug happy...

I'll always just hope to get as much information about Flug as possible

definitely hope they explore Miss Heed's character too, as long as she doesn't end up with Flug l'm interested in her. I would like to see her getting worse (maybe switching sides?) before finally healing and learning to love herself

I want to know more about Goldheart and consequently about Flug's past

I wish for Demencia to snap out of her brainwash some day and learn about her past. I need Flug and Demencia to become real good friends and escape together with 505. I do NOT want them to become heroes but in order to find true happiness and peace they'll have to leave this place imo

but I think most of that is WAY in the future, this won't all happen in the 2nd season. but idk how long this series is gonna be, I doubt the crew even knows, so ye!

[pharawee]

I usually don't do yearly recaps because my memory sucks December is one of the busiest months for me and I'm lucky if I get to gif at all but this year I thought I'd take a look at all of the gifsets I did in 2024 and see which shows, pairings and moments I liked the most.

✨FAV BLS OF 2024

1000 Years Old: 2024 was supposed to be the year of vampire BL (going by all the announcements and pilot trailers) but in the end only this one aired (edit: wait, I forgot about OMG! Vampire to protect myself 🥴) - and it was neither spicy nor particularly spooky. Instead, it was all heart and quirkiness and when it was over I cried for a week because of the bittersweet ending.

Playboyy: This show is truly a masterpiece, with layers of subtext and social commentary. Also, it's fun and camp and sexy and ridiculous. I'm so glad it's going to get a second season.

Caged Again: How come that a little show about a penguin and a panther is legit one of the best - if not THE BEST - Thai BL of the year?

Knock Knock, Boys: I came for Best and Seng and Pak but then Almond and Latte bewitched me body and soul. Kongthup now owns me.

Every You, Every Me: I don't know what I was expecting (well, okay, a whole lot of Mick & Top - which is exactly what I got) but it surely wasn't crying my eyes out for two episodes right in the middle of the show.

Spare Me Your Mercy: Long awaited and currently still airing - I actually love this show a lot because it reminds me of all the detective dramas (esp Endeavour and Grantchester) I used to binge. Morse but make it queer is actually all I ever wanted.

7 Days Before Valentine: This show's depth and artistry and stageplay-like character absolutely blew me away.

I Saw You in My Dream: WeTV absolutely blew it out of the water this year with their many diverse productions, and this unassuming and charming little show with a supernatural twist (love me one of those!) was no exception.

Monster Next Door: Big Thanakorn in his first main role with his first acting partner in an extremely fun and all around lovely Kongthup/WeTV production. And I just love how nuanced it was when they could have just stuck with the whole introvert/extrovert cliché.

✨FAV PAIRINGS OF 2024

Hope x Save (Jack & Joker): These two completely took me by surprise, especially because I had such an intense reaction to Pee Phiravich's character in La Pluie. I had originally set my eyes on PromMark and while I definitely ate up their crumbs, HopeSave just checked all of my boxes: morally grey antagonists (at least for a while there), doomed by the narrative (until they actually got their happy ending, yay!) and ride and die for each other.

Pete x Kenta (Pit Babe): I'll be a PeteKenta truther until the day I die (see all of the checkboxes above), and if Change2561 didn't subscribe to the branded pair model, they'd agree with me. As things are I'm actually kind of meh about Pit Babe 2. I bet KentaKim won't have knives at each other's throats!! (PeteWay is delicious though.)

Prom x Nont (Playboyy): Uhhh, that's a lot of the same checked boxes. So maybe I have a type. Thanks 2024 for making me realise. Also, I hope these two make each other worse in season 2 (before they get their HEA because ultimately I'm vanilla like that).

Latte x Almond (Knock Knock, Boys!): Oh God, these two. I was prepared to be ride or die for Thanwa and Peak but then LatteAlmond barged in with a pink sex toy and it was over for me. They just have so much heart and so much sincerity between them (and while their dynamics are different in Caged Again I'm really enjoying Nokia and Jaonine there too for pretty much the same reason + their incredible comedic timing).

X x Namping (Every Me, Every You): It's probably a good thing we got these two for two episodes only because we might not have survived a whole 8 or 10 or even 12 episodes of them. Plus, the anthology-like character of the series made a sad ending possible in the first place, and I really appreciate it - even if it almost destroyed me.

✨FAV MOMENTS OF 2024

Twins: For a moment there we had FrameRyan and it was beautiful.

The Sign: Chalothorn stole the whole show for me and then when he inexplicably vanished I kind of stopped watching. Whoops.

Deep Night: I have seen the throuple light thanks to SeijiPanKen.

The Rebound: Frank Thanatsaran's acting (but also that scene...) overshadowing pretty much everything else (and now he's with Star Hunter which... you know... ehnnnn 🥲)

To Be Continued: Fluke Pongsapat and Junior Khajbhunditt starring in a way underrated 8-episode netflix show with one of the most beautiful love scenes ever, and I've been wanting more of them ever since.

Two Worlds: Kongthup giveth and Kongthup taketh away (aka for one and a half episodes I had Phupha and Khram and now I will never know peace).

Century of Love: Offroad Kantapon as a sultry fox spirit.

Sunset x Vibes: When Star Hunter remembered Fong and JJ exist and then they stole the whole entire show (there really wasn't much to steal though...).

The Sign: Whatever was going on between Heng Asavarid and Nat Sakdatorn in this scene BUT I NEED MORE (pls Idolfactory I'm begging you release Heng from his solo actor prison).

Two Worlds: Kongthup choosing violence by giving Pak and Mon one of the spiciest love scenes of the year.

The Rebound: THESE TWO (boxes checked!! But also I need more Nammon in my life).

Kidnap: GMMTV's strategic placement of Papang in a suit.

The Hidden Moon: Whenever that tiny low-budget show got surprisingly deep and artsy (and also spicy).

My Stand-In: When I watched a whole show for one (1) character that wasn't really a character at all. Oh, the tragedy of it all (and yes, I'm still scared of Ming).

Pit Babe: When I made several posts about the Pit Babe novel but then I actually ended up loving the villains more than the main characters. I'm watching Pit Babe 2 for them and them only. Winner of my heart here I come!

Aaand that's it, my first ever yearly (Thai) BL recap - which actually ended up way longer than planned (guess my memory isn't as bad as I thought. Then again, I had my gifs to fall back on).

2024 was an amazingly diverse year for Thai QL (along with the wonderful news of marriage equality in Thailand finally becoming a reality) and looking back I now realise (not that I was ever seriously worried) that gmmtv's monopoly is actually way more of a blessing than a curse because not only did it cause WeTV to heavily invest in their own productions, it also leaves more than enough room for innovation and creativity via smaller and indie companies (along with the truly big players finally paying more attention - see: Spare Me Your Mercy). Innovation which in turn enriches gmmtv's portfolio as well (judging by their line-up for 2025 the years to come). In short: the Thai BL ecosystem is truly thriving.

And with that, may 2025 be even queerer than 2024 with tons of marriage proposals and actual marriages (PorschArm here we go!), and a favourite little (or in gmmtv's case not so little lmao) BL niche for everyone.

I hope you had as much fun with BL in 2024 as I had. I really appreciate everyone's commentary posts and meta and fanart and gifsets and tag games and reaction posts, even if I didn't spend as much time on my dashboard this year as I wanted to. I'm so glad tumblr BL fandom exists. ILU guys. Only the bestest and kindest things for you in 2025!🌈✨

[princess-charlie-of-hell]

Those two have tormenting my mind FOR THIS WHOLE MONTH holly shit, like okay i already was fine about their chemistry and such around the pilot era but now is JUST AAA- genuinely brainrot after my 4 year break from hazbin. I have soo much talk about it and just HGKHKHHH soo much i wanna see with those two idiots in the show (affectionate). But honestly i already know people talked about it but eh fuck it.

LIKE OKAY FIRST OF ALL EPISODE 1 LIKE AM SORRY ALASTOR OUT ALL OF THE CHARACTERS?? DOES A FREAKING COMERCIAL ON TV EVEN DO HE HATES TECHNOLOGY, also home boy why do you have so many photos of Charlie????

SECOND OF ALL freaking episode 5 MAN I CAN'T genuinely i haven't laughed and giggle like that in forever like lucifer getting pissed off because Alastor was getting close to Charlie only to turn into a musical about how he's a better person then her father who can offer to her everything and basically saying straight to lucifer that "you're daughter calls me daddy, bitch" LIKE HELLO??

EPISODE 7 I- no comments every time i rewatch genuinely i thought that she was just about to kiss him just so he can shut up about he's nonsense and stupid jokes, like freaking straight up she was having a break down while he was just smiling like a gremlin and not listening to whole context other then just what he hears which i can already imagine this is what he heard in he's mind "Yeah i'm having a break down right now bla, bla, bla... my girlfriend just keep the biggest secret since we bla, bla, bla and now heaven is bla, bla... I think this is you're perfect opportunity to make a deal with you and repay you later with something special"  And then their the half of the episode where basically everything should explain for itself like come on even freaking Rosie calls him out on that and HE EVEN GIVES HER THE FREAKING MIC something that is part of him like DUDE.

Oh dear episode 8 finale was honestly for me the cherry on the top, seeing Charlie soo happy that Alastor was alive and the fact she didn't even haste to hug him just made my heart melt l like soo much freaking joy from her. Also my brother was starting having a freaking breakdown saying that "Oh am gonna be the one who's pulling on the strings" yeah honey no, hate to break to you but she is fixing you! don't you dare come up with random poor excuses for getting feelings for her.

Seriously am speechless soo many scenes that just no comments.

I NEED season 2, praying on knees we are getting more of them hopefully, like genuinely if she the one who fixes he's scar and the have a moment alone I- or a small kiss on the cheek or Charlie keeps on fixing him and Al opening up about he's life, swear soo many opinions. Not meantion a while ago Amir Talai during a interview he was asked a question during the topic about the possibility of Alastor getting redeem and that question was this "Of all of the characters in the show, who do you think he cares about the most like who will he go above and beyond for versus any anyone else" and freaking smile like a god damm gremlin saying he won't answer that fully knowing something is happening and am like BRUH YOU- come on all the hints are on the table at this point like their just keep teasing us with it.

But that's all my apologies if i ramble to much just can't help myself, lmao.

Massive thank you for the charlastor fandom for keeping together in hard times because jeez talk about the definition of hell, hope season 2 gives us some treats for all that happened.

Oh yeah i swear this just straight up a call out to those two.

Oh my god yes, I feel you first I saw the ship in the pilot and was instantly hooked on it but then I saw episode 7 with the scenes in Charlie's bedroom and was just like 👀👀👀. The chemistry between them was so strong that it could have been used for a Chemistry Lesson

In episode 1 where the Commercial was shown and Alastor said later that his face is made for radio only, I just thought "OK My face was made for radio then why did you film it" or when Charlie was shown, I heard people theorizing that he got extra close to Charlie to film her because he doesn't really know how to use a video recorder and I love it. Of course he has many photos of her, he is obsessed with Charlie

Episode 5 and Hell's greatest dad, despite people using it to hate on Charlastor, honestly was a win for the ship too. Like Anon said, Alastor practically using the "Your daughter calls me daddy (and I call her mommy) card and Charlie defending him against Lucifer was just great" he is doing it for me! "or don't forget Lucifer thinking that Alastor is her boyfriend. Mimzy calling Charlie Alastor's princess, Like why do so many think they are dating

Episode 7 was just Chefs kiss, like I already said the bedroom scene with them was just how the hell am I supposed to not ship them?! Charlie and him walking arm in arm to the cannibal colony and Rosie teasing Alastor that she is too young for him. Or the fact that Alastor gave his cane to Charlie while ready for this. People can tell me what they want but Alastor adores her despite him wanting to manipulate her

Alastor opening up even a bit to Charlie in season 2 would be great, like it makes sense that she is and not someone else. Both of them are the leads and as that their relationship hopefully develops in the show, let's just hope Charlie gets attention from the show. I hope the trend about people thinking they are together continues, image Alastor's mother thinking that Charlie is his girlfriend

And as I saw the interview from Alastor's VA my first thought was that he is talking about Charlie like it makes just sense that she will become a very important person for Alastor, whatever platonic or romantically, but I am not trying to get my hopes up as the show and fandom seems to dislike Charlastor (despite it being one of the most interesting ships)

Don't worry about rumbling too much about them, there isn't too much about them, I could talk hours about the ship! Like they are too cute and interesting. We have a saying in my home country "Zwei idioten, ein Gedanke" which translate to Two idiots, one thought and I think that describes Charlastor very well

[biancadoes1]

Question for the more experienced shippers in the mix. It feels like there is a constant pendulum in motion swinging between shippers being pissed at Nic and then pissed at Luke. And for reasons I don’t fully get. It’s a huge drain and honestly grates on my nerves more than the Jakolas at this point. Is this to be expected from here on out?

Ok I'm of the opinion that people should manage their own expectations and shouldn't look to others but I'll give this advice.

Their jobs are our source of entertainment. Their real lives is of interest but it is at a distance. They are not us we are not them. They provide small insight to how they live, we shouldn't ask for more than what they give or when they give it.

Be happy for them when you see them together it's hard to live when you're being scrutinized and criticized every day.

There is always more we don't know. More we won't see and even more we cannot explain. Let them choose their story and what and how they want to tell it. Theories will always be thrown out but don't let theories consume too much of your brain space. Theories can corrupt hence some of the emotional outbursts I see online. That's why distance is needed when looking from the outside.

Focus on other things too. We aren't going to ever get 24/7 content. Whatever we get watch, observe, comment respectfully and move on.

Do not preach and spread hate even if they do something you do not agree with. I'm not saying don't discuss, but don't hate either. They are not robots who will be unfeeling, they have personal struggles as we do.

Unless we are in the industry we will never fully understand what and why they do those things and what they are exposed to that we don't see. Maybe their respective situations provide a safety net from something they are dealing with for now.

One day will never be the next, each day is different. Do not let their public situations be your personal highs and lows.

We see their brand and image more than we see their personal life but behind the brand is a human being with emotions, struggles, ups and downs like anyone else. They do not have conventional love stories and closeness that we experience. Theirs is played out for the world to see, they have to protect them and their loved ones while still doing their jobs and living publicly.

When we realise we can easily live privately compared to them and they have to go through hoops to have some semblance of privacy and a normal life we will be more empathetic.

Life and humans are messy, as with any job, relationship etc things are not linear and sometimes things don't go our way. But it isn't our way it's their life. Not ours.

Stop projecting your expectations on their story. Separate the actors from what you want for them and what you want for you out of this. Their relationship is a bonus, their work is the main attraction. Sooner you get that the less you begin to spiral.

Today is Jake and Antonia tomorrow could be another situation. Again life isn't linear.

They also work together and there is a possibility they have a season or 2 again to go. Maybe they cannot move forward now for contractual reasons or if they can, it's things they need to consider that could be impacted if they are together or not. We don't know so we cannot judge harshly.

Shipping is not for the weak. Look up Christopher Plumber and Julie Andrews. Yes that same Julie who voices LW. She's decades into a Sound of Music ship. Martin and Meryl. I'm not saying this is the timeline for N and L but it's to show we don't control it, they do.

Appreciate the ship, worse thing is to force a relationship and they're not ready. Let's say they're together then break up, we aren't going to be there to wipe tears we won't see. Is that really what you want for them as fans? Where they can take control to make sure their friendship and working relationship is as healthy as possible let them decide because we definitely won't be there to pick up the pieces if they're together then break up. Hearts bleed a different type of sorrow and blood we don't see when genuine love and connection are broken. Losing a loved one to death is hard, losing a loved one while they are alive is fucking war.

OG shippers see it in compartments. We don't see all in a vacuum because not every thing fits. What we do know is we like them and their work and want the best for them. I also think there are new fandom people who have never shipped before or never observed a ship. If this is your first fandom and ship experience welcome to hell. I've been waiting for another ship for years but that's not happening yet so lol. Hope this helps.

.

[supercap2319]

do you remember the scene in season 1 episode 3 where Elena catches Vicki in the bathroom brushing her teeth implying that her and Jeremy has spent the night together? Can we get a male Gilbert reader story where instead of Vicki it's Matt and Mel Gilbert reader, and Elena gets judgy and tells Jenna on them but she already knows.

Elena awoke with the sense of dread. If last night was any indication of where the source of her uneasiness came from, it was how she and Stefan left things. How he was keeping something from her, and the more she pushed, the more he pulled away. Not to mention how Stefan's older brother Damon was abusing Caroline. Like, what was that all about?

She slumped against her pillow and looked at the stack of books on her nightstand. One of them was her diary. Elena reached out and grabbed it as she sat up and had every intention of writing down everything that she was feeling in this moment. Her pen touched the page, but no words were written. Seems like she just couldn't write. No matter how much she wanted to, there was something keeping her from doing so. Looks like Stefan had a hold of Elena more than she originally thought.

The thought of Stefan instantly made her feel numb and sad as Elena shook thoughts of the handsome boy out of her head and headed to the bathroom to wash her face. She opened the door that she shared with her younger brother, Y/N. Elena was surprised not to find Y/N nor Jeremy using all the good toothpaste to brush their teeth, but the shirtless and muscular form of Matthew Honeycutt Donovan.

Elena was no stranger to Matt and his physique. They dated throughout their high school careers, but after the death of her parents, Elena just couldn't be with Matt anymore. They were still best friends, and Elena loved having Matt over, but why was he here at 7:00 in the morning? Matt looked like a deer caught in headlights as he's not sure if he should cover his bare chest or his blue boxers with bunnies on them. "Elena? I-I'm sorry, I'm almost done."

Elena looks confused. "It's fine, Matt. Take your time." She closed the door and blinked. What the hell just happened?

A few minutes later, Matt enters Y/N's room with a smirk on his face, a bounce in his step. "I think you might be in trouble." He said, jumping on the bed and wrapping them both in covers and comforters.

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"Oh, Elena saw me."

"I'm a horny teenage boy with a hot jock in my bed. I'm pretty sure there are worse things that I could be doing." Y/N smiled. Matt smiled and kissed Y/N on the lips as they wrestled until Matt was on top and kissed Y/N into the mattress as he reached down into his boxers and tugged.

Elena walked downstairs to find Jenna in the kitchen. "Jenna! Are you aware of what's going on upstairs?"

"Uh-huh." Jenna says nonchalantly.

"And you have no objection?" Elena asked. How could she act like this wasn't a big deal? How Matt could be here and from his body language, he was definitely sleeping with one of her brothers, and it wasn't Jeremy.

"Y/N could be craftier about it, at least make an effort to sneak him in and out. Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner." Jenna smiles.

[madlori]

If the only thing you can lord over buddie is that bucktommy is canon, then you really didn't care at all about the ship.

7 seasons of being a family unit, being there for each other, having each other's back but hey! Here comes another underdeveloped love interest, but since it's a man this time, you don't care about Buck being stuck in the same hamster wheel, again, because he's kissing a man and that's hot 🙄

Also for all your doom and gloom about buddie not happening, do remember that Tommy/Eddie was an idea in Tim's mind at first, so Eddie can be read as queer, even if it's not in canon yet.

I guess you don't place much value on them being a family unit and always there for each other, and having each other's back...all of which is still true and will continue to BE true. But it's only important to you as a prelude to them kissing, right? It has no value in and of itself. I love their relationship. I love what they are to each other. But YOU are making me not want to see it, because every time they turn to each other, lean on each other, support each other, we have to listen to you shrieking BUDDIE CANON CONFIRMED or whatever, because to a certain genre of shipper (not all buddie shippers, etc) any interaction or feeling they have with each other exists only in service to the ship.

I swear to god, I'm gonna banish the phrase "hamster wheel" from y'all's mouths until I get an actual definition as to what you think it means, because from where I sit, to you it just means "he's with someone who's not Eddie." To me, it means that Buck continually fell bass-ackwards into relationships that weren't right for him, looking for something he wasn't even sure what it was. And heyyyyy, he's currently in a relationship that he actively chose and fought for, having learned something new and important about himself, with someone who makes him giddy and excited in a way we have never seen him be, who the people around him can see gives him contentment. But none of that matters, because it's not Eddie, and that is by definition his only appropriate partner, so he must still be on that hamster wheel. Also if we're going by creator intent here, Tim's said he wrote this relationship specifically to reflect Buck being off of it.

As for underdeveloped love interest? I wrote an entire ass essay about how MUCH we know about Tommy, and it's reams compared to anything we've ever known about Buck's girlfriends OR Eddie's current girlfriend who does not even have a last name. Tommy has been introduced in a way that integrates him with the 118, with multiple interests, a character arc of his own from his first appearance, a set of motivations and emotional arcs that are NOT about Buck, and something to actually offer in a relationship besides existing. Anyone saying he's underdeveloped is determined to read him as such, especially for the limited amount of time we've had him.

And I never said Eddie couldn't be read as queer. He can EASILY be read as queer. I said he WOULDN'T be. Those are two different things. If Tommy and Eddie had gotten together (which I give no more narrative weight to than Maddie and Eddie getting together, which was also a gleam in the eye at one point) I'd equally be saying that Buck would never be queer.

It's hilarious to me that I'm being accused of liking a ship because it's hot (it is, and I do, and that's...fine? there's nothing bad about that?) as if people enjoy Buddie because of the amorphous purity of it all and not at ALL because it's hot (it is and you should say so).

If my thoughts about this are so upsetting to you, just block me, dude. I promise I won't take it personally.

Also, just...learn to enjoy a ship whether it's canon or not. I've done it, we've all done it. It's not that hard, especially THIS ship, which has so much good stuff to it regardless of whether there's romance or not. Those of us who like Buck with Tommy are not taking away from you enjoying Buddie, or anyone doing so. It's not like...the State of Buddie will lose congressional representation if the population falls below a certain level. The existence of another ship does not affect yours.

[herinsectreflection]

I have been struggling with whether or not to talk about why I've not been updating much lately. On one hand, I know I don't owe anybody anything. This is not my job, I do this for my own enjoyment and I am entitled to post as often or infrequently as I like. On the other hand, I am addicted to Explaining Things, that's why I'm planning to write 300k words about an old TV show I really like. So here, here are the reasons. I'm hoping that by writing them down my brain will stop latching onto them as sources of anxiety. 1) I got a job that I care about. I won't tell you what I do, but I will tell you that I work in a hospital. It takes a lot of mental energy, and unlike previous jobs, I no longer have the time or inclination to sneakily write essays in my downtime. Which sucks. I hate caring about the thing I'm paid for. It leaves less care for the things I'm not paid for.

2) Speaking of getting paid - I cancelled my ko-fi a few months ago. As much as I truly felt supported and humbled by the people who gave my money, I think it didn't help. Writing began to feel like something I owed the people who gave me money, rather than something I was doing because I wanted to.

3) I got into a polyamorous relationship. You ever tried to have free time while polyamorous? 'Nuff said.

4) I introduced one of my (then) partners to Buffy, and we ended up watching S3 while I was also trying to write about S3. I ended up oversaturated on S3. The most fun I had writing the earlier essays was when new ideas would hit me as I was watching. S3 doesn't feel as fresh to me, and so I don't feel eager to get to it.

5) In regards to S3, I've definitely been putting a lot of pressure on myself to say something particularly interesting and unique about it, since it is, you know, The Faith Season, and I have been branded The Faith Explainer. It's a lot of pressure for something that objectively does not matter at all. But that's anxiety disorders for you.

6) I have started new hobbies, new sports, and regular therapy. Which is all wonderful and has enriched my life, but it takes up free weekends rather quickly.

7) Speaking of therapy - you know that tweet that's like "I started new meds and now I'm not obsessed with BTS anymore"? There's a little of that going on I'm not going to lie.

8) Hyperfixations change and apparently I have not been fixating on Buffy for a little while. It's a lot easier to sink hours and hours into something when your brain has decided that that is all it wants to sink its time into.

9) I had major surgery 18 months ago and that has not not been a factor.

10) This post, I got three paragraphs into the Consequences essay and then decided to start Posting. I don't control these things.

11) ANXIETY

[jeonscatalyst]

About the ham/pink sausage thing I'd love to know if you think bucking up at ur partner(Assuming jkk are couple or have romantic feelings for e/o) like that in front of other ppl can happen btw couples...... friends? Yes. Siblings? Yes. But couples? I wonder......if my partner does that (jk was kinda pissed because they questioned his knowledge of food or wtv that is) in front of other ppl I'd feel disrespectful maybe not by siblings and friends but definitely by my partner. Of course i don't believe any of the members have that kinda nature where they hit someone that's completely false I believe that. Can you imagine you and your partner in their place? Your partner bucking up at you like that in public? You won't feel disrespected? And i know you'll say jk was joking, he joked when he did it second time but the first time was his honest reaction. It irritated him that they didn't belive he was right.

Hi anon,

Short answer to your question is yes, it can happen. I’ve seen so many people give so many takes about the pink sausage/ham moment but I refrained from saying anything about it until I got my thoughts in order. So many times when people judge other’s actions they look at it from a perspective that they are used to or through a particular lens that makes sense to them forgetting that in this big world with over 7 billion people, there are different people, different cultures and ways of life so what might mean one thing to you, might mean something else to a different person.

I don’t understand why that was a big deal to people ( I mean I do kinda but…) because anyone who has watched even one kdrama or knows even a little bit about Koreans in general knows that koreans do that alot when they are mad or irritated. They buck at other people like they are going to hit them with no intention of actually hitting them. Parents do it to kids, siblings do it to each other and even people in seasoned relationships relationships do it as well. Jk wasn’t going to hit Jimin, that’s for sure. It’s just that was a knee jerk reaction at that point and from the reactions of Tae and Jimin, that wasn’t something Jungkook did often because Jimin didn’t seem used to it judging from his reaction.

I understand what you mean about feeling disrespected especially if that is something that happens in public but I doubt some koreans will see it that way mostly because it is something they are used to. Plus, sometimes people could be intentionally or unintentionally disrespectful to their partners, that isn’t news.

While that moment left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, I actually found it cute….not necessarily because Jungkook bucked at Jimin but because when you watch that scene, you notice that Tae was the one who started saying it was ham and he was also the one who kept insisting it was while Jimin only said it once but that one time Jimin said it was the only time Jungkook doubted himself about it. I also found it interesting that even though Tae was the one who repeatedly insisted that it wasn’t pink sausage, we only saw Jk’s emotions towards Jimin and nothing towards Tae. Now, most people whom I like to call shallow or fickle would rejoice at the fact that Tae didn’t react to Tae who was the instigator but reacted to Jimin who only said it once but to anyone who understands human emotions and knows a little bit of something about life, that single moment right there was more than enough to tell whom among the two Jungkook is emotionally closer to.

That moment to me will go down in history as one of the biggest moments that showed just how close and comfortable Jikook are with each other.

Typically, you are more likely to get annoyed at someone you are closer to because you have more expectations of them than the ones you are not as close to. There is also an emotional investment. Being closer to someone usually means you care more about their opinions and actions so when they do something that bothers you, it impacts you more deeply. You generally also feel more comfortable expressing or showing your frustration at someone you feel closest to because your relationship with them feels secure so you are not worried about how you might come off because you both know each other extremely well, while with a friend you are not as close to, you tend to be more forgiving or less affected by their behavior because your emotional investment is lower, and your expectations might not be as high. Anyone who watches that clip would wonder why on earth Jk only expressed his annoyance at Jimin and not Tae who actually started and instigated the whole thing and this is not to say Taekook aren’t close because we know they are but Jikook just have an insanely deeper emotional connection and bond.

Some people think Jungkook was just joking but I think he was truly annoyed and maybe even a little hurt, and his annoyance (though might sound abit silly) probably came from the fact that he expected Jimin to side with him but Jimin didn’t or expected Jimin to trust his judgement more. To so many people it might have just been a silly argument about ham and pink sausage bit to Jungkook, it was probably more and some might to relate or understand his annoyance but that doesn’t mean his feelings about the whole thing shouldn’t be respected.

Jimin’s reaction was also very telling and even though he handled things in a funny and dramatic way, I think Jungkook’s actions shocked him to a certain extent and he probably felt bad about it but he must have understood at some point why Jungkook reacted so intensely. Jimin’s actions also shows how much he knows and is emotionally close to Jungkook because if that were another person, Jimin would have probably cussed them out but he had this extra patience with Jungkook probably because he understood why Jungkook got like that. Compare the way Tae reacted after Jungkook made a statement about him being weak to Jimin’s reaction. One of them was clearly the reaction of a friend (Tae straight up warned Jungkook not to take things far else someone would see blood) but Jimin’s reaction was more….emotional. Jungkook’s reaction in the two cases too were telling. With Tae he was quick to say “yes sir” when Tae called him out but with Jimin, he didn’t look like he was ready to let go of the annoyance yet and even after they finished eating he kept glaring at Jimin till Jimin apologized.

Reminds me of that Live from May 2019 in Newjersey where Jimin and Jin turned off the Live before Jk arrived and Jk was so pissed he went to start his own Live. All Jin had to do to get Jk’s forgiveness was apologize once while Jimin had to follow him to his room apologizing yet Jk still didn’t let him off easy. These are things that could seem very trivial to people but that shows you that Jungkook might just have more expectations when it comes to Jimin while he doesn’t really get that affected by other’s actions. The rainy day story is also a good example that shows how Jimin’s opinions affect Jungkook differently. He has mentioned so many times that he tries to emulate Jimin’s actions so that already says alot about how much he values Jimin’s opinions and how much expectations he generally has when it comes to him so when he feels disappointed, it just triggers a more emotional response. It also gets a little weirder when you remember that Jimin is actually Jungkook’s hyung which means that Jimin could have easily scolded him like Tae did with Jk realizing that he had just been disrespectful to someone older and ready to apologize yet that is not the reaction we got from them at all.

So anon, I can see why you would see things the way you do but you always have to consider context and the context here would be that, different things are acceptable in different cultures or societies and things have different meanings to different people. And yes, if Jimin is Jungkook’s lover he might have felt disrespected sometimes things like that happen in relationships anyway so it’s nothing new imo.

[fruitsofbeingafraid]

rating forgetmenauts couples on ren faire cosplay ability

bigfoot and mothman- 4/10

now they may be ICONIC, but god this would be a pain. either you do it low effort and just look like a regular wedding or do it high effort and then melt bc summer is ren faire season and it will be hot. the slay value is off the charts though. maybe if they're on their honeymoon?

thomas the rhymer & his faerie queen- 9/10

Average Fairytale Man and beautiful ethereal faeire queen is such a dynamic and you wouldn't be too hard-pressed to do either of them! you could even spice it up and do hawker thomas! wouldn't stand out too much at all. 

helena and gerard-8/10

great and wonderful and beautiful. 1872 is SUCH a time period to be replicating the fashions of. absolutely gorgeous. vampires are inherently pretty too. however they have exactly Zero defining features other than vampire so have fun with that.

the rusalka and the shepherd girl- 10/10

this would go SO hard. shepherd girl-esque outfits and humanoid fantasy creatures are both ren fest staples and i am just reiterating how UNNECESSARILY HARD THIS WOULD GO. no complaints. perfect.

persephone and hades- 7/10

i mean. iconic. beautiful for sure. however as we have discussed, summer is ren fest season, and not being together during summer is kinda their whole thing. also they're maybe the least forgetmenauts-y couple on this list bc its a retelling.

the summer king and his husband- 9/10

breathtaking. the summer king music video is so gorgeously beautiful. -1 point because in said music video the summer king does not have legs. if you're a wheelchair user disregard that last segment its an 11/10 for you. 

gay werewolfs- 2/10

if you want to either wear fursuits or do the most low effort unrecognizable cosplay ever these are the fellows for you! they have even less defining features than helena and gerard, i don't even know how you would successfully cosplay them. 

charlatan in red & foxbride- 3/10

i would LOVE to see people's interpretations of the foxbride. however a ren fest is probably not the place for that. i also feel like perhaps drawings would be better than a human for portraying that. the phrase "charlatan in red" evokes a lot of ren fest vibes though so idk! 

zombie promgoers- 5/10

now this may not fully fit the theme of ren fest but i personally would love to do this. get that sunday best into rags and tatters and dirty yourself up. the outfits would be great and it definitely wouldn't be the weirdest things there.

tam lin & lover- 4/10

i may be unsure how you would successfully do this but that won't stop me from thinking its a good idea. another song that has a set time it takes place in that is not summer, not sure how i feel about that. if you went solo as tam lin's captor though????? 10/10gorgeous perfect etc.

james & lover from cottonwood- 1/10

have fun cosplaying High School Boy.

skeletons from interlace of bones- 0/10

theyre skeletons.?

[jennaaswife]

Some more information about Wednesday season 2 from the leaker. I'm 100% believing them, as many things they mentioned got confirmed recently, like Enid's hair being different and more similar to Emma's, Enid not having scars, etc. Again, don't read if you don't want to potentially be spoiled for season 2.

1- A main character will die (I'm certain it can't be Enid or nobody will continue watching the show, so I guess Tyler, Bianca or Eugene? Obviously none of the Addams can die and there is no much main characters, so...)

2- Pugsley will go to Nevermore. He has powers (we don't know what yet)

3- Maxim has magnetism-esque powers

4- Morticia and Wednesday will be close

5- Enid has a few scenes with Pugsley

6- Pugsley will become close friend with Eugene (always knew they'd get along!)

7- There's a lot of flashbacks of young Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandmama and Barry

8- Ajax breaks up with Enid in episode 1

9- Larissa was indeed supposed to have impersonated Lurch at the end of season one, like a lot of people guessed, but the idea was sadly dropped. Gwendolyn and Christina won't be back this season. Though Christina will be 'there' through flashbacks/photos of season 1

10- Esther and Enid gets closer. Esther spoils Enid with gifts (bye bye all the amazing ideas and fanfics where Esther is a real bitch and Wednesday has to confort Enid)

11- Tyler will have a lot of scenes.

12- There's a 'scary' murder scene. This season will be way more gory than season one and definitely not for kids.

13- Bianca's mom has a fight with Morticia and is planning something bad. Probably something related to the cult she mentionned in season 1.

Also, the 2 years time jump has never been mentionned by the leaker or any official source. So calm down everybody. I really doubt this info is true. It wouldn't make any sense, especially for the stalker storyline and characters arcs. That's all for today! Again, nothing confirmed, but a lot of stuff the leaker mentionned months ago got confirmed recently... and they said they are sharing this to 'get revenge' or something because Netflix messed up with their contract or something. So I personally do believe everything they said, especially with the teaser we got that confirmed a lot.

[the-alien-stage]

BLINK, GONE ANALYSIS

*warning this is pretty long because I'm mentally ill about alien stage*

I'm sure we were all shocked by what happened with Round 7 and I am as well. With that said I believe I should get through the lyrics first.

"Oh in a blink, gone. Blink, gone. I can't let it go. Blink and gone."

This first line is said by Till and already we can start making some ideas. This line could refer to Ivan's death or even Mizi's disappearance because he can't let it go. Ivan was there one moment and gone the next and so was Mizi. Despite this he can't let it go.

"The clock goes tick tock tick tock. Just enjoy it. Blink, gone. Oh, in a blink, gone! Let's go."

This second line is said by Luka and I think in general sets the mood for what is about to happen. It kind of builds on what the last line was saying and it's very much a song about enjoying the moment/present and not dwelling on the past or future. Luka specifically is perfect for this certain line. Luka is clearly enjoying his time in Alien Stage season 50 and the only time he's looked even remotely broken or sad is when he's seen Hyuna. He's focusing on the present, ignoring Hyuna and simply focusing on what is happening now.

"This moment won't ever come back. This party's getting started and let's go crazy high!"

Again, this is Till's line and I think this is pretty interesting. This is the final round and it won't come back. Whatever happens it'll be gone in a "blink". However I think this could also express his emotions in the moment. Despite what happened in round 6 he has high spirits (much higher than round 6) and is clearly fighting to live.

A few other lyrics that caught my attention specifically and how it relates to the character of Till and Luka were:

"Clear your head, no need for baggage

머리는 비워, 짐은 필요 없어

Take charge of the party no, don’t look back now

파티를 책임져 no, don't look back now

Neither yesterday nor tomorrow exist for me.

어제도 내일도 나에겐 없는 거야"

Context clues alone point to Round 7 taking place only a few hours after Round 6 and so with that context it gives the feeling of the song taunting Till over his mind focusing on Ivan. I also interpreted this as the lyrics reflecting Luka's state of mind. He is clearly enjoying himself onstage as he sings and is living in the moment. For him, at least, the past and future don't exist right now.

Overall, the lyrics definitely add a layer of depth to both Luka and Till. It shows Luka's mindset regarding ALNST as well as Till's feelings. While it has already been confirmed by the patreon that his feelings for Ivan were complex, the lyrics show this even more.

Moving on, some key points I thought were good to screenshot also add to this.

Pretty early on does Urak show himself during the video which I found to be interesting. The only other time we have seen him is during Round 2 when there was a glimpse of him and Round 6 when we had a full on scene with him and some other aliens. Here he looks contemplative and curious, different from his other appearances where he looks enraged or violent. Clearly this moment is important for Urak and considering Till's status as the underdog and how he was created specifically to dethrone Luka, this shot was pretty cool to me.

There isn't as much to study with this frame but it does show that this isn't long after Round 6 since that is when Hyuna got injured. This means that the time skip between Round 5 and 6 was because the rebels took Mizi and caused an uproar.

NOW THIS WAS INTERESTING! as Till gets more passionate and strong with his performance this interesting visual happens that I immediately took as Ivan. Till is still thinking back to Ivan and is using his sacrifice to fuel his strength. Everybody around him is gone now and he needs to survive. This is Ivan quite literally haunting him as Till is engulfed by the red light and the camera focuses on the eye. In general I really like how the rave-like atmosphere of round reflects both Luka and Till.

Both of these shots are pretty interesting as it gives us more insight into Luka. I still remember when we all thought he was a girl named Luisa LMAO he is clearly taunting Till in this first shot and is mimicking Ivan's hold on his neck similar to what Ivan did in Round 6. He is very purposefully trying to get a reaction here and when he does and Till's mental light goes red he genuinely has to hold back a giggle. He is never beating the freak allegations. I do think it's pretty interesting how he smiles and gets giddy at provoking others (Similar to how he smiled after Mizi was pulled off him or how he grinned when he saw Hyunwoo). However, I think it's also important to note that in all three of these scenes we do not see Luka's mental light and the one that does have it is red! This could possibly indicate that he doesn't have normal emotional processes (since he does have other health issues because of Heperu's tinkering) and so I'm very interested for how he's going to move forward as a character.

I was so surprised by this because he was so clearly trying to get back up and fight but he was so exhausted. He just got out of Round 6 and is now fighting for his life in Round 7 and can barely stay awake. His eyes are almost rolled back into his head and his nose is bleeding. He is very clearly stressed even without the red light but it also shows how much of a fighter he is and how hard he is trying to live (which is entirely because of Ivan) even in the face of hardship.

HE'S HAUNTING TILL!!! Even in death he can't look away from him. I also find it interesting that it's these frames they use for Ivan. For Till it shows him looking down at him, almost taunting him to get back up and fight. He isn't allowed to die yet, Ivan won't allow it. Meanwhile, Luka has Ivan holding himself (something he has consistently done when stressed because he needs that comfort) while he looks to be in distress. He is also wearing his Round 6 outfit here and so I found that interesting. The way he hallucinates Ivan is also very interesting here and how Till doesn't get Ivan perfectly. While Till hallucinates Luka as Ivan, he doesn't look like Ivan. Even Sua was more convincing and she still had that dead look in her eye that she never had when looking at Sua. Ivan's eyes are completely black when Till hallucinates him and I like how it's that little detail that gives away that Till can't entirely remember Ivan even though he had such an impact on him. Even though Till felt conflicted about him and felt affection for him (70%!!!), he can't even remember his eyes.

NOW THIS IS FUN! Till sees Mizi again and immediately gets back up. With the added context that Till idolizes Mizi, this makes so much more sense. This isn't affection or happiness here, it's relief and a new reason to fight. Mizi is his only connection to his past and he's going to hold onto that until he bleeds. That desperation and relief in his expression is obvious and it's all of that combined that makes him strong again. Meanwhile, Luka looks almost frustrated here. I'm not exactly sure what it is specifically, as he definitely glances at Mizi and Till. Perhaps he wasn't expecting Till to get back up, or maybe he was surprised that Mizi was there. However, regardless he looks frustrated and begins singing with a renewed vigor.

I have maxed out on the photos but really quickly I want to talk about Till's death and Hyuluka meeting.

Till, when he is dying, has a xylophone play. It's a simple one but he was once gifted a xylophone for his birthday. There is a theory that Ivan gave it to him since Ivan had that money from his guardian but it isn't confirmed. Till is also a musical genius and so this little tune playing could also be taken as him remembering his roots and what makes him happiest. He enjoys the arts and creative endeavors and in his final moments that is what plays. Also where he got shot is interesting as his neck has always been emphasized by Vivinos and QMENG. Whether this is Ivan grabbing it or him wearing collars or even other art emphasizing it, his neck is always a key part of his design. I think it's interesting that in his final moments he also attempted to reach up and out to Mizi. His idol was finally here and finally noticing him. There is very obvious relief in his expression before he closes his eyes and the xylophone goes out and I find that very bittersweet. He worked so hard to live only to be snuffed out. The only relief he could find himself was in death and even then it was a painful one.

FINALLY, Hyuna and Luka :3c I can't post the screenshots on his specific post but Luka looks surprised if not a little worried. It's the most genuine emotion we've seen from him and the first time his prince persona has lost itself on stage. It's also the first time we see him unable to act. Usually he acts immediately when things happen (Mizi tries to punch him and he turns her, Till moves away from him unexpectedly and he continues singing), but here he cannot bring himself to move or act. Hyuna is in a similar situation and can't seem to take her eyes off of Luka. There is surprise in her eyes (even though he knew Luka was on stage) and I would go so far as to say fear. I'm really interested in how this will play out AAAAAAAAAAA

[markantonys]

People have been writing think pieces over this entire situation the past few days, but the extent of the trauma Lanfear has inflicted is truly diabolical. This is definitely gonna cause major trust issues and relationship issues moving forward which is why I think the writers wrote it this way

yeah! it's interesting to ponder, though, because i do think they won't and can't afford to go TOO hard on rand having trust & relationship issues just yet, because he needs to be in a good enough place to get into his endgame relationship next season (presumably it will be next season). that was the mistake the books made; the formalization of the polycule waited too long and so by the time it happened, rand had been in his "i must be hard and can trust no one and must push away anyone who cares about me" phase for like 4 books already and then had to quickly revert back to normal to agree to enter into a relationship and a warder bond, and then immediately switch back to the self-isolation mindset again and refuse to see elayne & avi for the next 5 books (and then i won't even get into the whole cognitive dissonance of him getting down into the depths of his I Must Be Hard/I Feel So Alone phase while min is plastered to his side 24/7). and the result is that rand's relationship arc feels oddly-placed within his character arc. the two are often at odds with each other, with his relationship stuff contradicting his character stuff instead of complementing and enhancing it.

so i don't think the show will make that same mistake! and i think it will solve it by a) getting avirandlayne formalized sooner (s4, so basically circa book 5 rather than book 9) and b) keeping rand's mental & emotional decline on a slower simmer, or perhaps even letting it improve for a while at the start of s4 (easy to imagine him being in a better place at s4 kickoff than he's been at any point in s3 since he'll have reached closure with egwene and lanfear will most likely no longer be around to torment him, even if he does also have potential grief for moiraine weighing on him too) so that he can get into his relationships and actually enjoy them and be made happy by them for a little while. because, especially since the show has spent SO long on randgwene and potentially mistakenly framed it to show-onlys as the big true starcrossed love of the story, it's really important to allot some time to showing avirandlayne as a happy healthy relationship that makes rand's life (and elayne's & avi's lives) better! we need to see him get to feel happy and comfortable in that relationship for a bit before things go back downhill! and then once things DO go downhill and he starts shutting his partners out and isolating himself, it will be all the more apparent that something is wrong and he's not doing well. but that relationship HAS to become sufficiently established while rand is still in a decent headspace, or else that entire aspect of the story won't work imo.

i keep seeing people talking about s3 like "this will be the last time rand smiles" "we'll never see him happy like this again" "it's all downhill from here" but i just don't think that will be or can be true. he needs to get some calm in between storms in s4 for avirandlayne to happen! we need to have enough time to see the best that relationship can be, so that we'll root for it once the storm hits! maybe lingering lanfear issues will give rand some brief intimacy issues & obstacles to being with elayne & avi that he'll have to overcome, but i wouldn't expect a HUGE deal to be made of it since each season only has so much time to dedicate to romance-building and avirandlayne also has plenty of other more pressing things that would need to be touched on in order to make it work for the audience (getting egwene's approval, shifting avirand towards explicit romance-coding, developing randlayne more, checking in with avilayne and hearing both their feelings on getting a third, negotiating polyamory between the 3 of them, showing the audience why these 3 work together and why we should be invested in their romance).

tldr: i don't think the show will ever be dismissive of rand's lanfear trauma, but it may sometimes leave it as a more subtle background thing rather than drawing a glaring beacon of attention to it 24/7 every time rand has any kind of intimate interaction with another person. i'll give the handling of mat's childhood trauma as a good equivalent of the kind of vibe i'm thinking: it was most relevant in s1 while we were actively seeing that part of his life, and ever since then it has no longer been super present in his emotional arcs, and he's able to happily drink and slut it up to his heart's content without getting bogged down in the trauma from his parents acting like that. however, the show never dismisses or forgets about his trauma, and it includes one or two brief moments per season specifically referencing it (2x07 tea trip & 3x05 dream), and it allows us to imagine it underpinning a lot of his other emotional stuff even though it doesn't explicitly bring it up in those contexts (his whole s2 arc about thinking he's not good enough etc)

(it also depends on the structure of s4. i'm imagining dumai's wells as the finale, in which case rand's block 4 would be taken up by that, so avirandlayne would have to get squared away by block 3, which doesn't leave a WHOLE lot of time for anybody to be wallowing in obstacles. for our past endgame romances, nynaeve/lan & perrin/faile, they met in block 2 and got together in block 4; avirandlayne reuniting in block 1 and getting together in block 3 would fit similar timing. however, if by some chance dumai's wells isn't until s5 and avirandlayne can wait until block 4 of s4 to get together, that would leave more time for obstacle-wallowing earlier in the season.)