#well spoiler free of s2 content

[frogizzhc]

JJK Headcanons : ItaFushiSaki Edition!

Just a cute little list of what I think this trio would get up to:

Yuji buys keychains that reminds him of Megumi and Nobara.

If Megumi ever had to get his hair done by anyone, it'd be Nobara, because once Yuji messed up his hair really bad-

Nobara will drag the boys shopping with her and makes it a whole fashion show for them. Yuji is enthusiastic about it after a while, but has terrible fashion sense. Megumi is bored with it, but has great taste.

If Yuji has a nightmare, he knocks on Megumi's door to have a talk with him until he falls asleep sitting next to him.

Megumi takes his little camera everywhere when he hangs out with the other two. He has a ton of photos on his camera roll that is just Nobara and Yuji goofing around.

Nobara finds Yuji annoying but appreciates Yuji's presence because she never wants to feel that kind of grief again.

Yuji tries his goddamn best to get Nobara interested in the same Jump comics as him but she just doesn't get attached to any series. Meanwhile, Megumi secretly reads each updated chapter to one day surprise Yuji and nerd out with him.

Megumi will grab Nobara and Yuji a sweet treat if he's out alone. He thinks they'll appreciate it every time, and they do.

Nobara can draw pretty well, so sometimes when she's bored, she sketches the boys in cute outfits. She's a bit of a designer too.

If Yuji ever discovers Nobara's drawings, he'd tease her to death about how detailed they are.

Megumi knows about Nobara's drawings and finds them to be flattering, except for the fact that she refuses to draw Megumi's actually hairstyle.

Nobara refuses to draw Megumi's hair because it looks like a sea-urchin.

Yuji can sing; but he refuses to have Megumi and Nobara know. So, he purposefully sings bad around them. Until...

Megumi hears Yuji belt out some random American songs in broken English from all the movies he was made to watch while either in his room (Yuji forgets he's next door) or in the shower.

Nobara doesn't believe Megumi when he says Yuji can actually sing.

Yuji always comes up with places to go out with the three of them, even if it's as simple and childish as picking at an ant hill (and regretting it).

Megumi's idea for a day out is just going to a book store.

Nobara begs to go to the mall but the boys refuse to go twice in a week.

Yuji saves up for a big blanket for all three of them to fit under when they play card games in his own room.

Megumi has a collection of card games he was practically forced to play since he was young (Gojo being the one buying these games).

Nobara is more of a board game gal, but she plays the card games just because the other two are.

[izzy-b-hands]

Memorial icon change to Tits Out Izzy. Would he appreciate it? Potentially, but he'd also still probably call me a twat for it (and I would be honoured 🖤❤️)

[intoxicated-chan]

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬

Summary ➳ Daryl allows himself to become vulnerable with you.

(A/n) ➳ This is my first take for writing S2 Daryl, feedback is definitely appreciated and needed!! I just started S3 but already know about spoilers so it’s cool! Also, thanks to @celtic-crossbow for the tips!!

Word Count ➳ 790

Content Warnings ➳ Female Reader, Season 2 Daryl/OOC Daryl, sexual content, penetration, unprotected sex, riding, foreplay but no prep, Angst?-to-fluff… Let me know if I missed anything!

You could always tell how Daryl was feeling by his eyes. How they shifted around the room whenever he felt annoyed or tense, how his eyes slightly relaxed when he was doing something he enjoyed. He wasn’t an open book, he was a closed person and a person who was difficult to understand.

But under his usual demeanor, he could be vulnerable if he’s given the chance. But that’s a blue moon, a rarity. You’d never ask him for more, Daryl is enough in your eyes.

Daryl had you pushed against the tree trunk, his crossbow on the ground, resting next to your gun. His hands slipped under your shirt, unclipping your bra to take it and your shirt off. Your hands remain on his shoulders, avoiding his back and spots that you know he doesn’t like you touching.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, wrapping your legs around his waist. The two of you continued to kiss as he carefully laid you down on the cold grass. Daryl pulled back only to unbutton your pants, desperately ripping them off along with your underwear.

He hovered over you, you could see that familiar look in his eyes… His vulnerability. You could see him swallow in nervousness.

He stood to his feet, his hands reaching for the edges of his shirt, and stripped himself, one by one. Articles of clothing fell to the floor. He watched you closely for a reaction. For the slightest signs of disgust or discomfort.

But he didn’t see it. You had yourself propped up on your elbows, you watched him with adoration. His face didn’t show how anxious he felt. He looked composed.

Once Daryl finished, he stood in front of you, completely nude. He could feel your eyes on him.

You stretched out your hand for him to take. With a smile and your eyes watering. “Come here.” You uttered.

Daryl took your hand, squeezing it as he came down back to you. He kissed you again, and your other hand found his hair, giving it light tugs.

His other hand grabbed his cock, guiding himself to your hole. He gave himself a few seconds before he pushed himself in bit by bit.

Your eyes tightly shut as your mouth opened, letting out an airy moan. Once he was completely in, Daryl thrust, keeping himself at the perfect pace. Not too hard or fast.

You felt full, biting back moans as you felt him moving inside of you. He stared down at you, clouded and intoxicating he was to look at.

You threw your head back, your other hand moving from his hair and to his shoulders, nearly touching his back. But you weren’t going to push. Not ever.

He kept a tight grip on your hand, refusing to let go. Even when you managed to roll on top of him, he lay flat on the ground. His free hand gripped your hip tightly so that you were sure that he would leave a bruise.

Daryl breathed heavily as he felt you rocking your hips back and forth, you honestly tried to be quiet. But with his cock kept hitting your spot, it was difficult to do so. You were drunk on the feeling since it felt so different than before.

It was usually a quick and hard fuck with Daryl but he took care of you after. But he seemed to be taking his time with you, savoring the feeling as well.

The feeling of your cunt was almost hard to believe, you squeezed around him.

He sat up, kissing you once more. You didn’t stop bouncing on his cock, you quickened your pace as you felt the feeling pool in your stomach.

Daryl could feel it too, shoving his head in the crook of your neck. Even when you felt the hot liquid spill into your cunt, even when you stopped moving, Daryl didn’t stop. He quickened his pace.

His eyes remained shut as he choked on his moans. His face was flushed, as well as the tip of his ears.

Your hand tapped his shoulder. “Daryl, Daryl…” You said in between gasps and moans. “It’s alright.”

Daryl’s movements halted and he just laid his head on your shoulder. His breathing was rugged, he shook in your grasp.

“Can you look at me?” You panted.

He lifted his head, his lips slightly parted. There was no need to say anything, you pressed his forehead against his.

“It doesn’t matter where I am, I’ll always be with you.”

Daryl made a vow, he was going to do everything to keep you protected. If his hold on your hand couldn’t get any tighter, it would. And refuses to ever let you go.

© Intoxicated-Chan 2024, I do not allow my work to be copied, translated, modified, adapted, or put on any other platform without my permission.

…Feedback, please. I’m seriously begging you all.

[arcanegifs]

A few reminders from my blog before Arcane S2 airs:

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If you don't like the content I post, the block button is there for you to use.

Comments in my posts and my askbox will remain closed indefinitely, but feel free to reach out if you are mutuals with my personal blog.

Enjoy S2 and have fun!

[saerins]

─── 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐘

+ gojo satoru x f!readsr | wc 1.8k | content: fluff, slight angst, manga spoilers, friends to lovers, geto is mentioned a lot here, i’m too lazy to proofread !!

notes: i caved , couldn’t help it , i love him and i miss him and i can’t wait for s2 !!! first time writing gojo plus this is word vomit i don’t actually know where i was going with this help :’)

summary: gojo has loved you forever, since back then—and now neither of you can hold back anymore.

“gojo satoru, you’re insane!”

for any normal guy, that’d probably be an insult. but not for this guy, no, because gojo satoru is not normal. he’s anything but. he’s the pinnacle of power in the jujutsu world. has been ever since he was little.

at least, that’s what you came to understand. thanks to suguru.

it’s as if gojo can sense what you’re thinking of, as though he can teleport himself inside that teeny tiny little crevice in your mind and pick out the information he wants. you’re never safe from him, because he always knows what you’re thinking.

it isn’t exactly a bad thing, but sometimes it scares you. being easy to read has never felt so disappointing. not for yourself, no. but because what upsets you, what you try not to think about all the time, is what upsets gojo too.

suguru’s death. his absence.

you wonder if gojo ever took suguru here too, teleported him to the top of the highest skyscraper in tokyo. you wonder if suguru liked the view. then you start to wonder if you could’ve been more for him, whether there was something you could’ve done to be enough.

it’s been a couple years now, and you’d think you would get a little better. but you’re starting to think you never will be. and it’s not like you and suguru were together, no. but you used to dream of it.

you see, you and suguru connected on many of the same levels. but then suguru strayed, and it seemed like the boy you once had eyes for became someone else entirely.

“why the long face?” gojo asks, settling next to you, sitting on the edge of the building where he teleported you to just seconds ago, legs dangling over impending death if any were to fall. well, as long as they didn’t have gojo satoru with them.

old you would’ve seen this as an intrusion. but as it is, gojo has always been there for you. maybe not for selfless reasons, maybe because suguru’s departure didn’t just leave you with a deep scar. you imagine it must be much worse for gojo. because as invincible as he is, even the strongest sorcerer has his weaknesses.

suguru happened to be one of them.

maybe, as much as you need him, maybe gojo satoru needs you too.

he’s been unbearably close most of the time, especially when he’s in the country. and when he’s not, he annoys you consistently over the phone whenever he’s free. and even when he’s not, and then you’re talking to gojo while the monsters are wailing in the background.

gojo’s not very serious most of the time. that’s just the way he is. (he gets very scary when he is serious, but you don’t want to get into that.) mostly he makes jokes about anything and everything, but right now—you turn to look at him, beautiful oceanic eyes hidden by that blindfold—you don’t know which version you’re going to get.

over the years, you’d gotten close to gojo too. enough to know his sweet tooth, enough to know his deep guilt towards suguru. and somehow, after the longest time of only looking at suguru that way, you find yourself questioning what this invisible something between you and gojo is.

not his infinity.

“you ever wonder what life would be like if you weren’t born for this?” you ask, because lately you’ve been feeling this way, feeling like you want to run away from here, run away from this… world.

for a moment, you wish you could be a normal citizen, ignorant to the woes of having to deal with curses, with the woes of having to watch people you know leave this plane far too soon.

you feel gojo’s finger brushing against yours, something that always catches you off guard because he rarely lets his infinity down. your pinkies are intertwined now, and you feel the butterflies forming in your stomach.

“you mean if i didn’t have the six eyes?” gojo grins, and you find yourself wanting to see beyond his blindfold. he rarely takes it down, and you can’t remember the last time you’d seen his eyes.

but you control yourself.

a nod, and gojo hums, contemplating. “if i was a normal guy,” he begins, looking heavenward, and you wonder what he’s really thinking. you don’t have his talent. “i’d hope i was rich.”

you laugh, mirroring his position. “and why would you wanna be rich?”

then, gojo turns back to you, his grin turning into a gentle smile, “so that i could escape with you, take you all around the world with me.”

you find yourself wishing it was true. that he’s a normal guy, and you’re a normal girl. hell, maybe suguru would still be around if it was that way. then you wouldn’t have to spend your time worrying about whether curses would take over the city, wouldn’t go to bed wondering if gojo made it safely back home.

gojo satoru is the strongest sorcerer, yes. but you can’t stop the worries from festering. you can’t stop from thinking that maybe there’s an evil in this world you haven’t seen that’s strong enough to take him away from you too.

after all, when they managed to seal gojo in that box, you thought you’d never see him again. you’ve never felt so powerless, being as weak of a sorcerer as you are, barely being able to help anyone, what more gojo satoru.

“going on an eternal holiday with you all over the world, huh? sounds perfect.”

because it is. because maybe after all this time, after all gojo has done for you—be there for you, become your distraction, become your best friend—maybe you’re ready to let go of what you almost had with suguru after all.

you have someone here, right next to you, who’s perfectly capable of making your heart skip beats and taking care of you even during the times you most feel like shit. sure, he can’t be around all the time, it just comes with the job—but he’s always there when it matters. and you think that’s enough.

gojo thinks you’re beautiful in this light, he doesn’t regret bringing you here. can’t say the same for you though, because he’s been teleporting you all around japan today—you’ve been especially mopey lately. and because it’s been ages since he’s spent time like this with you.

he missed you. a lot.

after all, he’s been in love with you ever since he was eighteen. he’s been attracted to you ever since he met you. but back then you had eyes for his best friend, so he bottled all his feelings up.

but then everything with suguru happened way too fast, leaving you heartbroken, apart from gojo himself. and maybe it was selfish of him but you were the only other person he could throw himself on that would be of any use for the heartache he didn’t want.

he wanted you to lean on him, and he wanted to lean on you too.

is he wrong for wondering if, after all this time, you’re ready to let go of whatever it was with suguru?

“satoru,” you call, and gojo flinches slightly at the contact between your fingers and his cheek. you have two fingers on his blindfold. “can i?”

honestly, he’d let you do anything if you asked. he keeps his happy-go-lucky facade up, grinning and baring his teeth, “go ahead.”

the way you take off his blindfold is painfully slow, like you’re careful about treading on this line, afraid that you’d cross some sort of boundary. but he’s always wanted you to, eagerly, patiently waiting for you.

it’s been over ten years now, and his feelings for you are still the way they’ve always been. you’ve always been special, you are.

you tie his blindfold around your wrist; you can keep it for all he cares. he wants to give you his shirts too, wants to see you covered in everything that’s his. is that too much?

his white lashes flutter slowly as you lean in, his breathing getting shallower the closer you are—you can feel his breath against your lips and you’re sure he’s using his infinity to surround you, to make sure you don’t fall. physically. but you think he wants you to fall, for him.

and you’re too weak to deny it any longer.

you want to let yourself fall into it, into gojo satoru, no matter how dangerous it may be and no matter how much weaker you are in comparison. that’s why your lips press against his, and you’re right, because he kisses you back, with urgency, with his tongue prying your lips apart and his heads on the back of your neck pulling you closer.

satoru pulls you in, lets you straddle him on the edge, asks for more when you pull away. his “no, no, no, don’t go,” so needy, whiny—it’s almost like you can feel his yearning from ever since a decade ago.

when satoru finally lets you pull back, his lips shiny from your touch, the blue in his eyes sparkle against the sunlight and you chuckle, pulling the bangs of his hair backwards, admiring how childlike he looks right now.

“you’re so pretty, satoru.”

he cocks a brow, smirking. “you’re one to talk,” because he thinks you’re the prettiest thing he ever laid eyes on. to gojo, you’re everything that’s good; he wants to have you, keep you, love you, he’ll fucking spoil you silly, he doesn’t care.

now that he knows you reciprocate? he’ll make sure he protects you even more now, makes sure that he’ll make time for you whenever possible. this means he gets to be with you, rest with you, be around you—if he’s being too much you’ll tell him off anyway, that’s how you are.

he likes you the way you are. he always has.

now he gets to love you.

fuck, he’s excited.

“i’m never gonna let you go, you know that?” satoru tells you, grinning, boyish and innocent, because he’s only ever been able to fully let his guard down around you. only you.

it’s infectious; you’re falling. and you like it. it feels like you’re on cloud nine, like you’re floating, like he’s—like he’s fucking carrying you while you’re falling from the top of the skyscraper because he’s still the same gojo satoru who’s cheeky as hell and loves to get under your skin.

you scream and punch him on his chest continuously, not that it hurts him. he’s laughing, that devil. then he teleports you both to the ground instead, still laughing. tears form at the corners of your eyes—you’re pouting, and god you’re so beautiful.

“don’t be scared, baby, i told you i’m never gonna let you go,” he winks and you punch him, hard. he winces this time.

“gojo satoru, you’re fucking insane. i hate you.”

“you’re a horrible liar, baby.”

you are. because you love him. dearly. no matter how infuriating he is sometimes.

you roll your eyes. “you’re lucky i like you, satoru.”

he grins, because yes, he knows. he knows he’s lucky. and he’ll make sure he keeps this luck, forever.

[localaceken]

Ninjago DR S2 Part 2 thoughts, spoilers ahead.

First few episodes were...rough.

- Rody was kinda annoying at first, but I grew to like him as the episodes went on. I'm glad Wildfire found someone to match her Freak. I like that he is geniunely into her too.

- I can't believe Bolobo fucking died lmao rip in piss.

Nero, Chamille and Shade cameos were nice. I like that Tox and Mr.Pale actually had dialouge AND WE FINALLY SAW WHAT MR.P LOOKS LIKE YES.

Ily Geo <3 The Goblinnnnnnnn

Zeatrix was annoying lmao I get why Beatrix hated her ass

Otherwise liked all the new elemental powers and masters introduced. [I can hear Legacyverse screaming already. Rip.]

[Elemental Master of Balance is a thing...welp. There goes the 'Riyu will become the Source Dragon of Balance' theory I suppose]

- I really hoped they would do more with Jay, not only because he's my fave but he could have been more. I think revealing his identity and making him lose his first round immediately was a mistake. Also the teams reactions to him??? Being there??? HELLO?!?! HES BEEN LOST FOR YEARS!?!?! AND YALL ARE LIKE "oh hey Jay is here."!?!? YALL ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FAMILY?!?!?!?@?@?@ BROTHERS?!?!?!?!

Istfg only Nya actually gives a shit about Jay at this point.

Sigh...at least his voice is deeper now...it was kinda getting annoying how high pitched it became over the years...

Being a Jay fan is suffering.

[Anyways, go read Lightning Pin by @taddymason for peak DR Jay content.]

- I like that Ras had no idea what was going on with Nokt and I like that The Forbidden Five, mostly Nokt, and Ras ancestors had something going on [the something was hating eachother, probably]

Kinda not buying Ras' whole 'unmerging the realms' thing though.

Also what the fuck is up with Cinder and immediately betraying Ras lmao bootlicker behavior.

I'm glad Jordana made it out and Sora realized. Well. Everything. I hope we get to see her again so she can get a proper redemption arc.

- I'm loving Arin's arc so far. He's not evil. He's morally grey at this point. I would be too if I was in his shoes. He just wants to find his parents, but he always had to put ninja business up first, but decided that enough is enough and he will find his parents, without the ninja.

I wouldn't be surprised if he and Ras try to manipulate eachother next season. It would be fun to watch. [Bonus points if Ras backstory and redemption. Pls. I want tiger dad]

Welp. This is it for now I guess, feel free to ask about my opinions on specific stuff.

7/10 Good season. Could have done much more on certain places but still a good and entertaining watch.

[nalyra-dreaming]

IWTV s2... an (emotional) recap

Between the spoilers dropping before the last three episodes and the content of the episodes themselves we really have gone through the emotional wringer.

I think I have rewritten this three times over, because my feelings kept changing.

I had hoped for more, I got more than I wished for, I wanted something else, they hit the nerve precisely...

And now with the season 3 announcement:))))

Maximum emotional carnage - indeed.

Everything ... up to that NOLA visit in episode 8 and the actual ending... is not the truth. Let that sink in.

The trial: scripted (and Lestat breaking out of it for the important bits)

Claudia's turning: So much... more raw.

Claudia's death: brutal. That final look between her and Lestat was one of the most painful things to witness.

Her diaries (pages): mostly unused. I am a bit unnerved bc of that wasted Merrick reveal and aftermath implementation tbh. Louis is not freed up after it, but... he should have been, imho. Though, that said, with Dubai likely a stand-in for Trinity Gate... maybe the arc fits after all - BUT I still think they could have done more with her diaries. I get why they wanted to escape the “white savior trap“ but this way Louis did not get that power-up that will ultimately bring him to where it frees him. But who knows... maybe they will implement a version of it all still.

The broadcasting and Loustat's relationship in general: Armand putting a fantasy retelling into Louis' brain. Holy shit.

Flashbacks to 1790: Self-indulgent fanfiction.

Dubai: Stepford Wives via mind gift. 💀

Daniel: Supposedly(*) turned out of spite. I absolutely get why DM fans are besides themselves with this and the comments after.

The story itself: More or less ending exactly where the first book puts us. I do NOT know why they kept that title a secret, it's not hinting at anything other than that simple fact, imho. :)

So.

You know, them using the movie "Gaslight" for the poster reference makes more and more sense now, because that is how I feel a bit at least: gaslit. Just a little bit.

Because... Nice reunion that you had there... too bad it will turn out to be the contested NOLA one, I would bet real money on it. 😅

......

Sarcasm aside, this is a brilliant show. But I am NOT looking forward to another two years of bullshit accusations (by some) because they were mostly/only spelled things out in the episode insiders, and only broke things up in the last episode. Or of people confusing the meta and social commentary level with the in-universe one.

Which, by the way, I'm happy that they went there. And I am relieved that they spelled things out in the episode insiders. Truly. But as experience has shown after season ONE... implied manipulations, episode insiders and interviews, and cast/crew/writer statements don't mean jack shit to some people.

So yeah, where does this leave us?

This was a dark season. I think I'm not totally wrong when I say that most of us did not get what we wanted from it, neither DM, nor Loumand, nor Loustat. Or Claudeleine.

"Locked together in hatred" comes to mind, though "hatred" is obviously (way) too strong a word. (But that quote fits so nicely 😏🤓)

We DID get some of what we wanted. But for a show which built so heavily on other books... to follow the first book then so closely?? I don't know, it leaves me a bit unsatisfied(**). It feels as if they just shut the book, to be done with it, you know?

I still enjoyed the season, there were brilliant parts in it. But it feels... bloodless. Sexless. Empty of affection. Harrowing. Which is, of course, the point.

This... is a depressing, hinting at suicide-through-vampires note.

Which won't happen, of course.

Because here we get to (**), which is of course ™️ them announcing s3 just prior to the last episode;))) And thereby making some things clear by that fact alone :)) 🙌🙌🙌

I said it before, I expect them to revisit... again. Given that this will be in what, 1,5 to 2 years from now? Well. Hopefully still in 2025. And I hope the arc they spun over these three seasons will be done then. And we can move forward.

I do hope this show will get 10 seasons. But for the first time since it aired I wished we'd already be ahead, in season 4 or something. 😅 Because this heap of loose endings is... taxing^^. Though definitely coming very softened as a blow now with the s3 renewal that’s for sure^^

Can't wait to hear your thoughts, if you want to share them. But these are mine. For now.

I'm sure there will be a lot of details, and analysis and meta to follow, and I'm looking forward to it. 🥰🙌

S1 and s2 were a tale... I mean we knew. But I would have preferred a bit more... truth.^^

Because that Magnus‘ tower scene?! No way. The metaphorical push off the tower??? No way, sorry Rolin but if they let that stay… that’s not giving agency that’s removing Lestat‘s suffering for their weird ���toxic masculinity arc“ that Sam hinted at and which was - IN THE BOOK!!! - a misjudgment of Akasha.

AND it is removing Lestat‘s suffering to give more nuance to other characters. -.-

Given Hannah‘s episode 5 comments I hope they do not make a misjudgment of his character there. The red flags are there though, especially after the recent interviews, have been ever since that DV drop, and I have people come to me via DMs now to tell me they’re leaving the fandom bc they’re scared of another GoT…. which I get.

I… still have some faith. I know Rolin tends to put his foot into his mouth at times, he is a troll, and for all her takes on ep5 Hannah also wrote other brilliant scenes.

And we have Sam and Jacob as trump cards.

I‘m determined to enjoy this - this is what we‘ll get. I waited 30 years. I won’t go anywhere. I will enjoy what they give us.

I won‘t like all their decisions. That I am aware of.

BUT I will enjoy it, going in open-eyed, nonetheless.

(*) okay that is obviously bullshit, Armand would not turn him out of spite. Which is another hint I guess. But I talked about that in asks^^ At length 😅

[craycray-wolf]

*I*

Would like to make fanfiction of Minecraft Story Mode 😎

I plan on writing my own ideas as well as my version of events/own twist on the game's story itself! By this I mean the choices I like to make and adding some of my own events as well. I know these are common I just think I personally have something to offer! Plus the more preservation of the game's overall story we have the better ^_^ I love these games so much and I don't ever want them to die!

Then of course I have my own original stories for MCSM, it's just that my version of the games' stories provide context.

(Also it's probably going to be rated teen/PG13 and possibly even mature for some chapters, though for the latter I'm going to try to make them not necessary for the story when I can! I know the game itself is E10+ and meant for a general audience but I'm too much of a freak tbh. I like making intense content)

I plan on making 3 different universes:

Red Suspenders Jesse (and Jesskas) <= currently working on this one

Red hairclip Jesse (and Jesstra)

Red pants/peach sus Jesse (Jerkesse. No hate to any Jesse variants- I love them all!)

I also have a few short stories about red sus already written that I plan to integrate into the greater narrative once it's done. I have them already published on Wattpad and plan to publish them on AO3 and Fanfiction too.

Now this is gonna take a while to write so uh- feel free to ask any questions! I'm also going to share some tidbits about each universe real quick below.

SPOILER WARNINGS FOR BOTH SEASONS JUST IN CASE 🚨🚨🚨

You have been warned! I highly recommend experiencing the game for yourself if possible or watching a playthrough!

Okay let's experience a sampling of my chaotic brainrot!

Red sus: This Jesse is the most cinnamon roll of the 3 Jesses, but he's still savage as that is a classic Jesse trait. He's also the most honest of the 3, his mindset here is probably best encapsulated by the phrase "honesty is the best policy." He tends to relate more to Olivia than Axel, but he deeply loves them both. He takes Hadrian's deal without hesitation.

Jesse particularly likes the Ender Defender armor and uses it during S1. He also thought the best way to keep Magnus' armor would be to care for it and it not be damaged. He decides to branch out in S2 and wear the Shield of Infinity armor, then Please Don't Hit Me. He takes Romeo back with them home with no hesitation, even if he's p.o.'ed at the man. He told Petra he'd be right beside her as she found herself at the cabin, and follows through on his promise once Beacontown is rebuilt and stable enough (and he works on some personal business). He turns down Stella's offer as he thinks Lluna and her are meant to be.

During their travels, Jesse realizes how much he missed animal companionship due to Lluna. He keeps an eye out for his new companion, and comes across a bat in a cherry grove. The Order had troubles with bats previously whereas now they're turning over a new leaf. This new friend symbolizes new beginnings. Because of this and the fact that she was found in a cherry blossom biome, Jesse names the bat "Bloom." I love Bloom so much y'all. I hope you will too 😊

Red hairclip: She's less optimistic than red sus Jesse, but still a fair amount so. This Jesse still appreciates truthfulness but it's not a core feature she has or one she seeks like red sus Jess. She's less trusting than red sus Jesse so she doesn't take Hadrian's deal (though she's willing to sacrifice herself for her loved ones no question).

She thinks the best way to keep the armor is to wear it, killing the Witherstorm in honor of Ellegaard. Briefly before their Portal adventures though she tries wearing the Dragonsbane armor and falls in love. In S2 she wears Star Shield and Golden Apple.

Since Jesse chose to leave Nurm behind she has a stronger bond with Lluna, and takes Stella up on her offer to keep the fashionable llama. She is torn between adventuring with Petra and staying to keep leading her beloved town. She ultimately stays in Beacontown, at least for quite a while. That is until Jesse realizes how much she loves Petra and goes out to search for her.

Red pants/peach sus: And then there's THIS asshole. Tbh he's not as developed as the other two yet, but he's not the funnest guy to be around. He still cares on some level for his friends, but he sees them more as a means to an end. He's incredibly selfish and egotistical, soaking up all the glory from his "heroism". All of his actions are motivated by things that'd benefit him. Therefore he sure as heck doesn't take Hadrian's deal.

Not sure whether he takes Magnus' or Ellegaard's armor. S2 he wears Tim's armor because you know. Fancy and diamonds and stuff. He gets no 2nd animal sidekick, he didn't treat the first one right!

Also here, a link to my fanart of the New Order (S1 style) thx: https://www.tumblr.com/craycray-wolf/736076088473731072/these-dorks-in-my-artstyle-i-love-them-too-much?source=share

Thanks for reading Fam! It's been lit.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Those who know me know I'm not usually a shipper, because fictional romances tend to bore me or make me roll my eyes lol So it's interesting how the only two ships that got me obsessed enough to write multiple posts about them, Hannigram and Saurondriel, both involve a male character that's literally the devil incarnate, and a "lover" who's revealed to be very complex, as far from perfect and "all pure and good".

Spoilers of Rings of Power S2 after the line!

The universes they originate from are of course very different, but I recognize similarities in the dynamics between Will Graham and Hannibal, and Galadriel and Sauron. Especially now that The Rings of Power season 2 is airing.

In Hannibal, Will keeps saying that he hates Hannibal and wants him dead or in jail, but he can't help being irrevocably drawn to him even knowing what he is. At some point it's very clear that he uses his "duty" as an excuse to get closer to Hannibal, because he can't find peace if he can't reach him. Part of him still believes Hannibal is the devil and must be slayed as the monster that he is, but he also recognizes the darkness in Hannibal as being in him as well, and is torn apart because Hannibal is the only being who truly knows him, and understands him. Hence why in season 3, he knows the only way to be free of his torments is to die with Hannibal (for the record, I still refuse the idea that they survived this. It was the perfect outcome!).

In Rings of Power, I feel the same thing happening to Galadriel. When in her first vision, she asks "he has returned already?", it's unclear if she's afraid of hopeful; actually, she looks and sounds as if she's both. I don't talk enough about Morfyd's flawless acting, she's amazing!

Her attitude when she talks about Sauron has changed from season 1: he's still the enemy to defeat, he's still the devil incarnate. But he's also still Halbrand in her heart, as the slip on the tongue she makes proves when she's discussing him with Gil-Galad. She won't admit it, but she's conflicted now. Worse maybe (from her point of her view), vulnerable. Despite everything, he's still the only being in the world who understands her, who knows her, just like for Will and Hannibal. She let him in because she felt seen at last, maybe for the first time...

Again Morfyd's acting... flawless. WOW.

Elrond is no fool and has figured her out better than she did: the problem is not that she might let him in again, but that "he never left". The darkness in Sauron resonated in her, they're now bonded. There's no turning back from that.

In season 1, there was no ambiguity: she wanted to find Sauron to destroy him, period. But now? Sure, she wants to prevent him to do damages in Eregion and all the Middle-Earth, so it's a good reason to go after him, but I think part of her also craves this precious connection she lost, and wants to find it again. I mean, the way she's always touching her ring? She acts like a drug addict always coming back for more. And we know there's no way Sauron couldn't have corrupted these rings. When the ring tumbled at her feet, it may have been a move made by Sauron himself, from afar. It also can be no coincidence that the vision she sees in Episode 4 is Sauron masquerading as Halbrand: it's a calling.

Now, of course there's no way Galadriel and Sauron's story end like Will and Hannibal. Galadriel will overcome this, she'll soon tell Sauron to fu*k off for good and they'll both spend the rest of their long lifetime sulking in their corner and being forever miserable content with what they have. Still, while it lasts, I'm enjoying the hell out of it!

[therainscene]

Crazy together: Byler, Cthulhu, and cosmic horror

Cthulhu is a queer horror film from 2007 that I've always been fond of. I rewatched it recently and was struck by some of its similarities to Stranger Things: small town vibes, conformity themes, cosmic horror as queer allegory, a gay protagonist with a childhood best friend slash love interest named Mike...

The film has an ambiguously villainous ending for its main character, Russ Marsh, and it's an ending that suits this story pretty well, imo -- so given how much it reminds me of Will's story, I thought it would be interesting to compare the two.

[Content warning for rape and (bloody) attempted suicide, both depicted in the movie and mentioned below the cut.]

👆 [That's the entire movie available for free on YouTube, courtesy of its director. You don't need to watch it to understand this analysis tho. Spoilers ahead.]

Cthulhu is a (very) loose adaptation of The Shadow over Innsmouth, a cosmic horror story about an outsider who arrives in a small fishing town and unearths a cult that interbreeds with immortal sea-dwelling monsters. He ends up making the horrifying discovery that he's descended from the cult's founder and thus doomed to turn into a monster himself.

The film uses this premise to talk about queerness: As an openly gay man, Russ has always been an outsider and was never going to participate in his hometown's, uh, traditions. Unfortunately, his father is the cult's leader and his sister is infertile -- Russ must participate.

[Yes, that's Cara Buono. If you enjoyed her portrayal of Karen as a loving but deeply conformist family member who does a better job of supporting the status quo than supporting her loved one, but just wished her character was more one-dimensional -- then this is the movie for you!]

Russ doesn't actually know much about the cult at the start of the film -- he fled to the city in his teens and dismisses his father's proselytizing as "Joseph Smith frontier horseshit" -- so it isn't until he returns for his mother's funeral that he begins to unravel the truth.

It's a good metaphor for how it feels to look back on a bigoted or abusive upbringing and realize: wow, that was a lot more fucked up than I thought it was.

As you might expect from cosmic horror though, this isn't a healing or empowering process for Russ.

Rather, he just keeps running into brutal reminders of how powerless he is in the face of the town's overwhelming, ingrained homophobia: at one point he's raped to satisfy his father's need for an heir; at another he's falsely jailed for the rape and murder of a boy he was trying to rescue from the cult.

It's similar to the torture Will endures in S1 and S2: he's kidnapped and symbolically raped, reflecting Troy's coded "killed by some other queer" comment, then bullied for having the audacity to survive it. He even stands up to a literal eldritch monstrosity and is rewarded for his bravery with yet more loss of autonomy.

You might be wondering if these stories even count as cosmic horror. Cthulhu only ever vaguely hints at the existence of, well, Cthulhu, and Stranger Things (which deliberately tweaks its genre every season) reveals that the Mind Flayer was basically just some guy all along.

But I think it's a bit of a misconception that cosmic horror is about star-sized masses of eyeballs and tentacles that drive you insane with their inhuman incomprehensibility.

Really, cosmic horror is about powerlessness, inevitability, and comprehending all too well. To know that horrors exist beyond the everyday facade of human existence -- whether they take the form of unknowable monstrosities from the void or of violent bigotry in an otherwise pleasant town -- is to know that your existence is nothing more than a delicate soap bubble floating in a vast, uncaring universe made exclusively of sharp edges. Even if you return to the everyday world, you can never return to blissful ignorance.

And that’s what drives you insane.

Will has something of a knowledge motif following him around: He's a wizard named Will the Wise. He illuminates. He has True Sight. He's a super-spy. He's part of the hive mind. He was studied in the lab. He was violated at school and in a library. His neck prickles when Vecna is close. He knows what Vecna is thinking.

It's too much cursed knowledge for one little boy to bear.

But he doesn't have to bear it alone.

Will is lucky to have a bunch of loving friends and family, and their support does a lot to help him cope... but even his fiercest supporters, Joyce and Jonathan, tend to be absent for long swathes of time. There's only one character who can be consistently found by Will's side through the majority of every season, and that's the boy who promised to go crazy with him.

[Strictly speaking Mike wasn't by his side in S1... but he fought hard to bring him home the whole time they were apart. Tomayto tomahto.]

Russ has a Mike too. (Literally -- his name is Michael Shields lol.) His childhood best friend reconnects with him soon after he arrives back in town and pretty much immediately becomes his sole trusted confidant as Russ falls down the cultist rabbit hole.

A quick aside -- Russ's past with Mike is a glimpse into a possible future for Byler.

Russ and Will have both been saved by their Mikes from giving in to the despair of being treated so brutally by their towns: Russ's Mike caught him mid-suicide attempt when they were teenagers--

--and Will's Mike, of course, helped rescue him from the Upside Down and sat patiently with him the whole time he was possessed.

Unfortunately, both Mikes are also conformists who are unwilling to leave the safety of comphet. Russ ran away to a more liberal environment where he could exist in peace, but Mike stayed behind and married a woman. This could easily end up being Byler's fate too.

So while Russ and Will might be alive thanks to their Mikes, they now have to live the rest of their lives without the love of the boy who gave them the drive to face it in the first place.

And it isn't as though the boy doesn't want to love him back.

The jury is officially still out on Byler, but Russ's backstory is very much not about a sad gay boy having to get over his sad gay crush on his straight best friend -- it's about a pair of would-be lovers getting torn apart by a town that refuses to let them be themselves.

I want to emphasize that both of these pairings consist of a visibly gay guy and a straight-passing guy.

In both stories it's typically the visibly queer one who actually interacts with the horrors, while the straight-passing one tends to observe from a position of relative safety, either escaping before anything too nasty happens to him, or more often, simply learning about the horrors second-hand from the visible one.

(There's one key exception at the end of Cthulhu -- but we'll come back to that.)

This is such an important dynamic that it's even unsubtly foreshadowed in Byler's first scene together:

This informs the way the characters support each other. We've already seen the obvious the safe one acts as a mental tether for the endangered one so he doesn't go insane with despair dynamic, but there's a reversal too: the authentic one inspires the conformist to join him in what was never really insanity so much as a different way of looking at the world.

Russ doesn't have any designs on seducing Mike -- much like Will, all he expects is some support from his best friend -- but his dogged questioning of the town's status quo still leads directly to Mike breaking out of comphet and admitting to what he's always really wanted:

[Learn from your elders, Byers: this is the proper way to respond when your love interest says that home just isn't the same without you.]

But Cthulhu's protagonists are confident adults who know how to quickly resolve their romantic tension. Byler are frightened kids in a five-act coming-of-age story -- their version is a little messier.

Mike has always been inspired by Will, right from the very first episode -- he decided to risk looking for him in the woods because he figured that's what his brave and kind friend Will would do.

The first two seasons thus show us Byler's dynamic at its best: an endless feedback loop of Will's strength and insight inspires Mike and Mike's devotion supports Will. (Very cleric and paladin of them.) But they're still children at this point, and don't really notice the blossoming queerness in their relationship yet.

S3 adds puberty to the mix and oh boy do they notice the queerness now. Too scary no thank you cancel unsubscribe uninstall. Will's bravery falters. Mike devotes himself to the grim duty of having a girlfriend. The loop breaks under the pressure.

They fight about it in the same location that introduced us to their dynamic and call each other out on failing to hold up their respective ends of the bargain:

"Why aren't you there for me anymore?"

"Why are you refusing to face reality all of a sudden?"

Note that Will's knowledge motif makes a return here -- just before the fight, he dresses up in his Will the Wise costume in an effort to inspire Mike again. But the tone of the scene is silly and cringey -- as correct as Will is to point out that they don't need to abandon their childhood dynamic just because they're growing up, pretending that it isn't going to mature as they age is, um. Unsustainable.

Deep down, Will knows that he'll eventually have to address the terrifying truth that keeps tapping insistently at the back of his neck.

By S4, Mike is starting to come around -- he's still deep in comphet, but he at least recognizes that it's making him unhappy, so he reaches out to Will the Wise for advice. Unfortunately, Will learned the wrong lesson in S3, and all the advice he offers is designed to push Mike back into the arms of comphet.

By the end of the season, Will has even orchestrated a grand heterosexual love confession in the foolish hope that sacrificing his heart on the altar of heteronormativity might finally make the horrors go away. (How's that working out for you, Byers?)

And so we've arrived at that ambiguously villainous ending.

By the climax of Cthulhu, Russ has uncovered the awful truth: his mother was murdered by his father to lure him home, extract offspring from him, and trigger the apocalypse. It's already begun; there's no stopping it. Shambling horrors -- his ancestors -- emerge from the rising sea. Russ is expected to become the immortal leader of this sunken new world.

He and Mike make plans to flee town together, but Russ runs into his father. He's brought to the shore to admire his kingdom before being handed a weapon and commanded to make sacrifice to Cthulhu:

Russ glances between Mike and his father, assessing his options. Soon even the cities will be consumed; he can't Smalltown Boy his way out of this again.

He raises his weapon--

--cut to black, roll credits.

All too often, queer villainy is shown from a straight perspective, presenting queerness as inherently threatening. This is the type of villainy embodied by Vecna: he's a vengeful and predatory outcast who forces his version of reality on others (especially children) and refuses to compromise his dangerous nature.

Cthulhu shows us queer villainy from a queer perspective. Russ, like Will, is harmless: he's kind, has no interest in vengeance, and just wants to live his life in peace. What drives him to villainy is the temptation to throw queerness under the bus in the twisted belief that appeasing the majority is the key to escaping homophobia.

Of course, there is no escape. Sacrificing the man who trusted him to guide him gently into the reality of queerness just means he's succumbed to the madness and become a homophobe himself.

S4 concludes with Will in a similar position to Russ: teetering on the precipice of madness as he helplessly watches the world fall apart at the hands of the villain who would stop at nothing to force him to join his cause.

But where their situations differ is in what cause that villain represents.

Russ's antagonist is a straight homophobe, representing societal homophobia -- far too powerful a force for one man and his lover to have any hope of defeating. But Will's antagonist is that offensively queer-coded-for-straights villain, representing internalized homophobia -- all along, the prickling at the back of Will's neck has been his own instincts warning him of what happens when you allow bigots and abusers to have a say in how you define yourself.

True love can certainly defeat that.

Unlike Russ, Will hasn't reached the end of his story yet--

--and unlike his older namesake, Mike isn't kneeling on the sacrificial altar, but standing by the side of the boy he promised to go crazy with, ready to face the horrors of Hawkins -- together.

[@bylerween2023 day 4 🐙]

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 9

Link for Seasons  1   2   3   4   5   6   7 8

My analysis will have spoilers, if you’re a first time viewer, just scroll to the bottom and read the list and only read full text if you are familiar with the content of the show already! S9E1 Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina is CANON

For the first scene of course, you just can't miss that one! Since that's the one scene that holds the event that shifts a character's story arc! That's right, I'm talking about Mr. Slave. His loved one changes in ways he can't comprehend. S9E2 Die Hippie, Die is FILLER

No events carry over. S9E3 Wing is FILLER

No events carry over. Does anyone else have déjà vu? S9E4 Best Friends Forever is CANON

We see Satan moving on from Saddam. His new boyfriend is Kevin, and the Heaven team has a lot of upgrades as well. S9E5 The Losing Edge is CANON

I bet this is confusing for someone who doesn't instinctively remember You're Getting Old anytime this episode starts playing. Yes, this is an important part of the Randy storyline. S9E6 The Death of Eric Cartman is FILLER

You could tell me about how funny or heartwarming and inspiring this episode is. But for my purposes it's just a day of the boys ignoring Eric. S9E7 Erection Day is FILLER

Our annual Jimmy episode! Although I can't imagine many people upset over this one getting shafted. S9E8 Two Days Before The Day After Tomorrow is FILLER

Stan and Eric make a great duo. Or do they? Canon followers will never find out. S9E9 Marjorine is CANON

Mostly because of Heidi Turner's proper introduction and her parents as well. However I love including Farmer Fred's episodes, and I hope I can include most of them, even if some are already unlikely. S9E10 Follow The Egg! is CANON

This one is for the relationships. Stan and Wendy get development for the first time since "Raisins". Mr. Slave moves on from Herbert aaaand Heidi Turner gets a team-up with Eric? S9E11 Ginger Kids is CANON

The ginger kids organization will return in a major way. Also, some interesting in-series lore about Kyle's and Eric's genes. S9E12 Trapped in the Closet is CANON

This is a big one in meta-storytelling, since Tom Cruise did later try to sue South Park (and an episode was made around that case), while Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef also left because of this episode (and an episode was around that case). S9E13 Free Willzyx is CANON

Ok, there's three episodes in a row that will play an important part in 201, so it's safe to say Trey got really inspired by this era. S9E14 Bloody Mary is FILLER

This one is a character-study of Randy and Stan. It works, and all the specifics to their relationship is here, the events though are again, self-contained.

SPOILER-FREE RUNDOWN

Again, CANON means you should watch it, FILLER means you can skip it. S9E1 Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina is CANON S9E2 Die Hippie, Die is FILLER S9E3 Wing is FILLER S9E4 Best Friends Forever is CANON S9E5 The Losing Edge is CANON S9E6 The Death of Eric Cartman is FILLER S9E7 Erection Day is FILLER S9E8 Two Days Before The Day After Tomorrow is FILLER S9E9 Marjorine is CANON S9E10 Follow The Egg! is CANON S9E11 Ginger Kids is CANON S9E12 Trapped in the Closet is CANON S9E13 Free Willzyx is CANON S9E14 Bloody Mary is FILLER

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14

Overall: 65 out of 140

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

These calls and moments accompany Victor’s S2 CH 45-48 Karma, and feature S2 Victor and MC, but don’t contain any spoilers from the S2 storyline~

⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for contents yet to be released on the global server! ⌚

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

【Moments】

Victor’s Post: To my surprise, a certain someone actually grabbed my hand and purposely broke the sandcastle just for the sake of “reviving old memories.”

–

⊳  OPTION A:

MC: Hehe, it’s been so many years. I’ve learned not to cry anymore, you see!

Victor: Hmm, that’s really impressive.

–

⊳  OPTION B:

MC: A certain someone said he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake, but now he has broken- my- sandcastle- again——

⊳  OPTION C:

Victor: ...just state your conditions for making amends directly.

–

MC: It doesn’t matter, anyhow, Vic gēge needs to compensate me with a pudding tomorrow.

Victor: I can compensate you with more.

─

—

【1st Call】

Victor: You sent me ten angry furry cat stickers in a row… what happened again?

MC: Sob, sob, sob, I just went through an “extremely tragic social demise.”

Victor: [sounds so amused LOL]  A rare sight; even dummies have moments when they feel embarrassed.

Victor: What happened?

MC: During the meeting earlier, I was screen-sharing my phone and accidentally revealed my wallpaper. Everyone burst out laughing…

MC: AHHHHHH, thinking back on it even now, I still feel so embarrassed.

 Victor: If I remember correctly, a certain someone recently changed her wallpaper into a new photo of mine.

Victor: [you can practically collect the teasing dripping from his voice in a bucket LMAO]  I don’t think I’m that unseemly, am I?

MC: It’s not that you’re unseemly… it’s just that, I’m just feeling a little embarrassed, you know!

Victor: Who was the one that excitedly sought out Goldman for the best HD version after seeing the cover photo I took for LFG last week?

Victor: She even kept bragging about how she was the one who styled my outfit, so she needed to keep this meticulously crafted masterpiece as her personal collection.

MC: Well, what I said wasn’t untrue. The photo did have my fair share of contribution!

Victor: It was more than just a contribution. The direction of my hair grooming and the cosmetics that ended up plastered on my face was all thanks to your involvement.

MC: Hehe, well, the final result of the photo was absolutely flawless, wasn’t it?

Victor: If the photo is flawless, why do you feel embarrassed about it?

MC: Hm…? Oh… Victor, you’ve misunderstood. I actually changed my wallpaper yesterday…

Victor: [sighs helplessly] …the speed at which your heart changes is truly remarkable.

MC: The new wallpaper I switched to was your new photo. How can you blame me for having a change of heart!

Victor: I don’t remember taking any new photos recently.

MC: That’s true. You don’t remember taking any new photos because it was last night when I couldn’t resist taking a sneaky photo of you while I was putting the cat ear headband on you. 

Victor: …what did you say?

MC: Even though it was a photo of your back, everyone still seemed to have recognized you…

Victor: So, when you said you went through an “extremely tragic social demise,” the main protagonist of the incident was actually me?

MC: Well, I guess you could phrase it like that too?

Victor: [HOLY SHIT THE ALARMING SEXY TONE-DROP x1]  This issue won’t be dropped so easily. I suggest you think of a reasonable compensation proposal as soon as possible.

Victor: [x2]  If I don’t get an answer by tonight, don’t blame me for being a heartless capitalist and claiming for damages according to my own term.

─

—

【2nd Call】

Victor: What’s up?

MC: I’ll be off work soon. How about I come to LFG later, and we can grab some free food from the cafeteria?

Victor: Is the menu at Souvenir no longer able to satisfy your cravings?

MC: How could that be! CEO Victor is already so exhausted from work, I can’t bear to make you cook all the time~

Victor: If memory serves, a certain someone was clamoring about having two puddings this morning.

MC: Hehe, okay, I’ll be honest~ The braised pork you brought me from the cafeteria last week was so, so delicious. It’s constantly been on my mind ever since.

MC: I really wish I could hire this chef with a hefty salary and have them handle the catering for [MC’s Company Name]’s company meals!

MC: After all, it’s really challenging to arrange delicious and nutritious work meals for everyone when we’re filming on location.

Victor: You probably can’t afford this person.

MC: Even though you’re Victor, you cannot underestimate others casually!

MC: Our company’s financial report for the past quarter is really impressive~

Victor: Since you’re talking so big, have you made up your mind about poaching the chef with a high salary?

MC: I’m considering it. If we can have this level of braised pork on the filming set, I think everyone would be ecstatic to the point of fainting~

Victor: I think the only one who would be ecstatic to the point of fainting is you, the dummy boss.

Victor: So, how high of a salary are you planning to offer to lure him away?

MC: Hmm… we definitely need to offer a salary higher than LFG.

MC: Can you give me an approximate idea of his monthly salary? Just a rough estimate is fine. I still must respect LFG’s business confidentiality.

Victor: He receives an annual salary, and the amount varies each year. But you already know that.

MC: …!

MC: Victor, did you personally cook that braised pork yourself?!

Victor: Could your uptake be any slower?

MC: Sob, sob, sob, how I just knew that taste was so familiar!

MC: But who would’ve guessed that besides French cuisine, your home-style dishes are so-freaking-delicious too!

Victor: …you really do excel in sweet-talking. Apart from braised pork, what else would you like for dinner tonight?

MC: Do you know how to cook dishes like hot and sour fish soup, sweet and sour pork, Pecking duck, shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea, Laziji, and hot dry noodles?

–

[Tidbits]: Laziji is a dish of Sichuan cuisine, a variety of spicy chicken, to be more specific. The dishes MC mentions here are actually part of different provincial cuisines in China, which is why MC asks if Victor knows how to cook them 😂🫠

–

Victor: ...I asked you to decide on tonight’s dinner, not quiz me on dish names.

MC: Hehe, I’m just really curious to know where your culinary skill reaches its zenith~

MC: But now that I think about it, these dishes can be quite troublesome. Let me think of some simpler options…

Victor: The person who is eagerly waiting to eat doesn’t need to fuss about the trouble.

Victor: It’s just that a certain dummy with big eyes but a small stomach always gets enthusiastic when ordering, but never manages to finish her food, leaving a pile for someone else to help with.

MC: Since we shouldn’t let food go to waste, why not borrow CEO Victor’s stomach for that purpose?

Victor: My stomach capacity is also limited, so out of the dishes you mentioned, choose three for tonight’s menu.

MC: Then I really need to ponder over it carefully...!

Victor: Sure, you can think it over while getting ready to come downstairs, and then we can go together to buy the ingredients.

─────

[shipposttt]

The Ship of the Day: The Ineffable Husbands

SPOILER WARNING for the Good Omens series, including season 2 :D

Names: Crowley and Aziraphale 

Ship name(s): The Ineffable husbands/ Aziraphale

Original Content: Good Omens book (1990) and the Good Omens series (2019 S1, 2023 S2)) and all subsequent world building done by our lord and saviour Neil Gaiman through Tumblr <3

Ship info: Firstly, while the book will be mentioned within this post, it is important to note that i myself have only ever watched the series- as such, if there is information from the books that is failed to be mentioned that you believe should’ve been, this is why; please feel free to add anything you would like in the notes! Secondly, I will be using multiple pronouns for both Aziraphale and Crowley within this post because, as stated by Neil himself in a Tumblr ask, we might as well see them as genderfluid because he does. Similarly, angels (and thus, demons) are defined as sexless beings within the book, who’s “size, and shape, and composition, are simply options”.

So, you may be wondering, “what’s with this bible fanfiction?”, well don’t you worry I will clear that right up!

Good Omens is a novel/book originally written as a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman in 1990, exploring the roles of angels, demons and mortals during the apocalypse – Armageddon. This has in recent years been adapted into a series for Amazon Prime Video with the help of Neil our beloved to ensure it stayed true to their vision for this story, especially since the series goes beyond the canon timeline of the book.

In particular, it follows demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale, who, as the only non-mortals residing within the mortal world long term, formed an alliance over the centuries, though this alliance slowly but surely turned into a friendship and then progressed into even more. Now, this might sound like an enemies-to-lovers 400k slow-burn but it’s NOT. You see, Crowley was once an angel prior to his fall, with the fandom theorising that they were a rather high-ranking angel due to his actions and clearance levels depicted within scenes of season 2, so technically they didn’t start off as enemies, nor would I argue that they ever truly became enemies following Crowley becoming a demon. Anyway, the first series follows these two immortal beings as they attempt to prevent the coming of the Antichrist, Adam Young, together. The majority of season one focusses on how Armageddon is coming to fruition and how mortals and immortals alike were attempting to stop it. Despite this, there is still a large focus on Crowley and Aziraphale’s personal relationship throughout time.

Within season 1 episode 3, we take a short break from the ‘current’ canon of stopping Armageddon to explore Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship and how it grew throughout the centuries using flashbacks for the first portion of the episode, this past history between them before the canon of Armageddon is also explored further in season 2 through multiple extended flashbacks. In the canonical timeline of events, these flashbacks begin from before the beginning of the universe as we know it, with then-angel Crowley creating the universe (“let there be light” and all that) as Aziraphale watched him do so; then jumping to the Garden of Eden, where now-demon Crowley tempts Eve. These flashbacks are sporadic throughout time, gaining in frequency the closer to ‘now’ they get, showing the pairings meetings at: Noah’s Ark, during the testing of Job’s faith (where Crowley first tempts Aziraphale with food), at Jesus’ crucifixion, in a Roman tavern, in Arthurian Britain, and then much more frequently between 1793 in a Paris dungeon and 2019 at Armageddon. All of these flashbacks portray their relationship going from working against each other (in the garden 4004 BC) to working together (the Globe Theatre 1601 AD), though we don’t know the exact date “the arrangement” between the two beings began, it is alluded to within this scene in the Globe Theatre as they discuss the possibility of one of them doing both “the blessing and the tempting” (their respective jobs given to them by heaven and hell) in Edinburgh, as they had done so elsewhere previously, with Aziraphale showing fear for Crowley’s safety within this arrangement, saying “but if hell finds out, they wont just be angry, they’ll destroy you”, but eventually acquiescing, calling heads on the coin toss to decide who goes. These more frequent visits shown leading up to Armageddon show the change from just working together for ease to working together because they enjoyed their time together.

So now we are up to date with their relationship prior to Armageddon, from working together to working against one another all the way up to forming an alliance together and coming to care for one another. So, spoiler alert (I say as if the previous paragraph wasn’t full of spoilers); they stop Armageddon together (yay). Following them preventing Armageddon, hell and heaven attempted to fully discorporate the pair, using hellfire for Aziraphale and a holy water bath (sans rubber duck) for Crowley, the two predicted this move however and temporarily swapped bodies so as to ensure neither came to harm. They then nicely finished off the season with the pair dining in the Ritz, making a toast “to the world” as a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square (in reference to the popular love song published in 1940).  

So, all is well and good for the start of season 2, right? WRONG. Archangel Gabriel shows up at Aziraphale’s bookstore having lost all his memories, Crowley and Aziraphale perform a miracle together to hide Gabriel (now going by Jim) that is so strong heaven believes it could only be the will of an archangel, leading to them believing that Gabriel is hiding in Aziraphale’s bookshop. Now, this season evolves around hiding Gabriel and somehow restoring his memories but Aziraphale instead takes it upon himself to focus on trying to set up the owners of two nearby stores, drawing similarities between the two and himself and Crowley. So Aziraphale is trying to set these two up, Crowley is trying to keep Aziraphale safe and heaven and hell alike are both convinced they are hiding Gabriel. This all comes to a head as Gabriel’s memories get restored and it is revealed that he was demoted after refusing to support an attempt at a second Armageddon, conversations are had and offers are made and the elusive Metatron offers Aziraphale Gabriel’s old position, promising to restore Crowley’s status as an angel.

Now for the divorce. Yeah, you read that right, the ineffable divorce. The day I cried, the fandom cried, I think even the official Amazon Prime Twitter *ahem*, sorry, ‘X’ account admin cried. Aziraphale accepts the Metatron’s offer because they believe he and Crowley working together can make a difference, “we can be together, angels, doing good. I need you”. Crowley confesses to Aziraphale, saying how they can do the same as Gabriel and Beelzebub and leave heaven and hell behind to just be them, they disagree on working for heaven and Crowley points out that they can’t hear any nightingales (in reference to the end of season one), “you idiot, we could’ve been us”, before kissing Aziraphale once, finishing off this glorious season with “I forgive you” (A), “Don’t bother”.

Now, this is where we are left off with their relationship, and while there are a lot more scenes I’ve missed out here which allude to their building romance and many, many posts by Neil Gaiman which explore it further, this has already gotten way too long to include them all.

Type of Ship: Queer

Now, even outside of their relationship, these two are unequivocally queer.  As previously stated, they both do not conform to societal stereotypes surrounding gender, with them being angelic beings who simply choose to take on the traditionally more masculine forms we most associate with them, whilst other times choosing more traditionally feminine forms- like Crowley did in scenes of the crucifixion of Jesus, or when they were a nanny. While this isn’t explicitly spoken about within the series (because their gender presentation simply is there, an unquestioned part of them, it’s not a focal point of the plot), co-author and series writer Neil Gaiman has clarified that angels and demons alike do not have gender or sex and do not perceive gender in the same way as humans do.

How, as such, within the ship they are also queer, with the pair not bending to societal norms surrounding gender, sex and relations. And though they do kiss in the final episode of season two, Neil Gaiman has confirmed that their kiss was “about a lot of things but   its not to show they’re in love” alluding to the love being shown in other ways as their relationship isn’t inherently sexual- neither is it inherently asexual as he explained “they are an angel and a demon, not as male humans”. This portrays romance and love in away that is inherently queer and different to that of heteronormative ideals as they are not strictly male or female and don’t explore sexuality in the same way as is the norm.

Thank you for reading this! Admin 🦇 out!

[rosetheocto]

My Rants and Reviews on the Failtopia S2 Finale Outfits!

this post was inspired by the one made by @cosmo-production so please check out their post too! my review is under the cut

Major Failtopia Season 2 spoilers ahead!

Mar

yeah it’s the basic one, but i think that fits him! If I had to pick another outfit it would be the Pro one, but I genuinely can’t see him in anything else other than the boring chef outfit. I feel like if he wanted to change it he def could (I mean look at his imp outfit) but the basic chef outfit is very solid for him! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! 7/10

Orion

I know the outfit is very clashing and has a bunch of colors, but in Dan’s defense: Orion’s makeup already has a bunch of colors, and when you look into it the colors the outfit has actually matches with the makeup a bit! and also, I kinda wish Dan didn’t have the makeup be as out there for the sake of those drawing fanart, but at the same time this is Daniel Failboat. Insane designs are expected. That being said though, I can’t change the clothes or makeup even if you forced me to. the context for it is just so freakin cute!! we all love great fathers in this household. He makes me wish I had a meaningful relationship with my dad. 6/10

Friend

I like it! I have a few minor gripes though. This may be a bit of a hot take, but I don’t like Zone (the hat) or Ship (the staff). Not in the Finale at least. I think Friend should’ve removed them both to show that they’ve moved on and don’t need something like Lee anymore. Symbolism and character arcs and all that other fancy stuff idk. Also I like that she looks more like a priest than a Cleric, it makes sense! He’s really religious in-universe and their war cry is literally “die, sinner :)”, so I don’t have any problems with that! As much as I like her in purple, he looks oddly good in a black and white outfit too! 8/10

Shrimp

listen guys I’m sorry but her outfit kinda sucks.. the bright pink hearts don’t really give off the same vibes as her first outfit did.. I get where Dan was coming from with it but I just personally don’t like the design :((

I think that he should’ve went with the emo goth outfit for her instead, especially since it fit her more and the fandom latched onto it like a moth to a light, but that’s just me. it gets a free half point for matching up with Bill though, 3.5/10

Erica

look I love it but the actual armor part is so overdesigned. I hate drawing that thing. that’s my only problem though the rest of her outfit is cool as hell!! Let’s go lesbians. 8/10

(and this doesn’t really count for anything, but don’t like her weapon, again I get the idea Dan, but she realistically would NOT use the giant arm 😭)

Chi

This kind of outfit fits her so well omfg. The stupid bowtie? The short sleeves and general lack of lab safety?? The triangle patterns??? It all just screams “Chi” to me! Thank you Miitopia for creating this outfit. Flawless. 10/10

(also another weapon mention, her using the ketchup bottle in the finale?? as someone who is obsessed with S1 of this series, Daniel, ty sm for including that.)

C!Failboat

the catsuit is very boring, but it is also very iconic. I like it. I’d give it a solid 7/10. But I don’t wanna talk about that one. I wanna talk about his outfit when using the Power of the Scythe.

oh my lord. this outfit. this is not me dunking on Daniel or Wafferscotch at all, I genuinely love their art and content!! but like. you’re telling me this man saved the universe in tracksuit sweatpants and an open button up shirt WITH HIS OWN MERCH ON??? He killed god in the Bee Movie shoes?? The Piss Adidas??? It just. doesn’t really fit the Miitopia vibes to me, and I think this could’ve been better as an outfit for ACNH. It could’ve looked much worse, but still. I think it’s a 3/10

Bo

perfect. love the callback to Rose (and I mean, they’re very similar characters, so it makes sense!) She also looks cool af in a suit. her new look can be strange at first but you 100% get used to it with time. And her multiclass was just chefs kiss. Absolute goddess, let’s go lesbians. 10/10

Chat

very good. very iconic. so glad this series came out before the Kirby Era cuz i think the lips would’ve ruined it. 10/10

Big Bill

It looks really comfortable!! I want this robe irl, I like the patterns! I surprisingly really like the pink for Bill! It stands out compared the rest of his appearance and I think that’s really cool!! the dark blue also fits him really well!! Half point bonus for matching with Shrimp. 9.5/10

Void

GOD TIER!! PEAK DESIGN!!! We all love Void in this household. 20/10

[tonydaddingham]

wow so in the championships of fucked up batshit posts written by rhi✨, i do think this takes the title but i am really concerned that this might be the case... so,, hear me out

s2 = possibly clue? like, for real???? like alternative EP1 ENDINGS/SCENES???

so laure @theeminentlyimpractical and i had basically noticed at the same time that crowley's sideburns drastically change clip to clip, promo to promo, throughout the stuff we have of s2 so far, and this led us to have the, i guess, fairly insignificant theory that there is a falling out and a timeskip. now obvs this theory is quite old, very much in its infancy, and probably very inaccurate, but like 2500 people have at least seen it and we have reputations to maintain so we looked into it further

now pretty much ALL content released to us is either ep1 or ep2, or minisodes, or maybe the odd photo (e.g. i think the aziraphale/clipboard one is firmly ep5). but most stuff we have tbh can almost be chronologically traced and plotted. well - all except this:

the scene where crowley finds out about the naked man friend? short sideburns:

in the shop, finding out that it's gabriel?

long sideburns.

(not to mention that crowley's glasses change between ep1 and ep2 somewhere but that's a different story)

now i know that this could be an error with make up, or additional photography etc blah blah blah but one appears to be forgetting that this is amazon, and id put my money on every single person on that set wanting s2 to be nothing short of loophole free, continuity error-less perfection *😘👌*

so my Occam's razor is there is something we are missing between these two scenes in particular, or one of the scenes is not as it seems. from what we have worked out (and save this post because ill hopefully link in a sideburn timeline once laure and i have got our shit together and are operating on the same timezone again) most of ep1 and ep2 plot seems to feature crowley with short sideburns and predominantly the silver (not grey) sunglasses

whilst we have spotted a couple of confusing possible exceptions to this (example is below), it feels like overall that's basically right. bearing in mind that stuff that might say it's an official promo from e.g. ep4 may actually refer to events in ep2 --- there is nothing to say that the story has to be told in chronological, linear order!!!

so yeah overall; everything with crowley, present day, for ep1/2 is shortburns. now an interesting tidbit ive found from accounts of the nycc screening (and speaking to lovely people who gave me more info, not sure if they want to be named!!!) is that the screening

did not show an ending for episode 1.

that it basically ran straight through to the job minisode cold open, and then into the ep2 opening credits. for clarification, there was no ending credit for ep1, and apparently nothing to show that there was an end (e.g. no big gutsy 'well then... welcome to the end times' scene) ***and this is where i need input from sdcc people!!!

so apparently (and this may need further input), the last scene that took place before the job minisode is crowley returning to help with the miracle on gabriel to hide him... now im not sure if this is the same scene as the "I'm back"/apology dance scene (which btw we think is a shortburn/silver glasses scene, which is even weirder) but if someone could let me know that would be great ✨EDIT: CONFIRMED✨

👀 at sdcc viewers that only saw ep1 - WHERE DID IT END???

so in summary: the first sideburn loophole we have is the "ah gabriel!!" scene. obvs people have seen it so it's not a flashback, but i think potentially there will be additional scenes added to ep1 + an official ending upon the full release... or potentially scenes are replaced altogether to prevent spoilers from the screening? hmmm

does this remind anyone of clue lmaooooo wink wink

second, this is also an issue: so the first screenshot im pretty sure is late ep2 after aziraphale is talking to a rug salesman...? but features les longburns and possibly grey glasses:

but then this ep3 interaction with muriel? them burns are definitely short, which could obvs mean it is posed as a flashback, but those are DEFINITELY crowley's new grey glasses?

so yeah I'll be honest I'm not sure how far ill swing with this but ill keep updating with more info and link to the timeline etc etc, but yeah i think someone might have been writing a love letter to clue rather than writing s2 hahaha✨✨✨

but all nycc screening viewers pls come scream at me about this!!! and sdcc please tell us where ep1 ended??????

[ontoilogical]

arcane end of s2

My impressions. Spoilers of course.

For all the good storylines and setup, Arcane didn't land them well. This was my worry from the start, because a good setup is not enough and not a guarantee that the payoff for the narrative and emotional build up will be good. I would not have expected a Riot Games IP to make layered political commentary along with badass, genre-pushing narrative music sequences, allow their characters to be flawed in a way where, yes, you may not like the whole of the protagonist, even if you're emotionally following and cheering for their journey. And yet they did... until the last three episodes that brought the series back into its gaming origins.

A lot of what happened in those three episodes simply wasn't narratively earned. The Piltover-Zaun collab against the Borg. Mel's sudden sHe'S a mAge shift, when she was extremely and, pointedly, the one without any combat skills, instead an accomplished diplomat. I would have accepted defensive qualities, but her dependence on skilled fighters in a violent world is an interesting premise, for she is strong, but that strength also hinges on other people's abilities and assistance. Ambessa's death. I don't even know what to say about that, other than making a League of Legends game mechanic reference how she's shouldn't have gone 1v2. Hells, how they frame Vi and Caitlyn's reunion and sex scene felt strange to me.

I did not see Caitlyn coming back to her moral base entirely, which is fine and may be a good decision for the concept of the character, but I feel it was left muddied, without addressing her journey towards temporary tyranny beyond the line Vi says, in a scene that felt stronger in a Tumblr gif than the series.

Vi's characterisation, meanwhile, ends up as a season-long journey of being lost and not being able to have the lesson of "you can't save Powder... or Jinx, or anyone" stick. She's not politically relevant to either Piltover or Zaun and thus doesn't really participate with any significance beyond following Caitlyn's suggestion. Her convictions are tied within a family she has lost and ends the series with an, again, strange line about how she's there to be with Caitlyn. It almost reads as a co-dependent personality manifesting in life circumstances where she literally has nowhere else to be, which doesn't feel very rewarding to viewers who like the pairing. Again, could be interesting storyline material, but it wasn't done well. The storyline leaves us with an impression of her having no agency and not being afforded a celebration of her character within the storyline.

The way Maddie fucks off takes away from the setup of Caitlyn dating her, rendering it completely irrelevant. The implication is basically "she was actually evil, thus whatever her and Caitlyn had was not relevant or a source of conflict or complexity. For that evil she (conveniently) dies, although she wasn't an obstacle to begin with".

And don't get me started on Jayce and Viktor, who have somehow managed to, within the fandom, or more broadly I don't know, eclipse Caitlyn and Vi as Arcane's Important Couple. Their entwined souls locked in a lifelong loop explode together and save Piltover and Zaun from destruction, while Vi is the dirt under Caitlyn's nails lmfao. I never noticed fandom's preference for The Gays over The Lesbians, because I am so deeply uninterested in couples with men that I do not offer any attention to them, but this time it feels a bit... bad.

The series was still excellent, relevant, an animation marvel, with some really good content and some scenes that will live rent free in my head. And some old part of me that cared about Vi and Caitlyn's pairing is finally mostly sated and calmed, but Arcane's end is not raptuous – it's a Marvel-flavour of epic fight scenes against an other-wordly foe, where characters die or maybe-die at a breakneck pace that would make GoT blush and a storyline's end that that has more to do with the sequel than the two seasons it consisted of. Whatever difficult commentary on society or politics relevant for the world WE live in was trivialised into formulaic boom boom solve the bad problem, the end. That is what I meant when I said going back to its capital g gaming origins.

Gentle disclaimer... I watched this while I was sick, tired and sleepy, so it's not the most layered or seasoned option I've given so far, but I don't get the impression some detail would change my impression by much.

Edit: Just a final thought. I think ALL the narrative decisions they've made could stay and be considered Good Storytelling, if there was a sufficient amount of padding and contextualising added between the scenes (the scenes simply needed proper introduction to make them impact the way they were intended to). Maybe they counted on that - animation is a slow and arduous format and a story doesn't need to spoon feed explanations for every aspect of a storyline, but there is simply too much here to fill.