#when i watched the trailer it was what captured my eye the most

[nullcanary]

"Now all my other gods are dead. Hallelujah, to the apocalypse in my head!"

[edmundosmustache]

best buddie episodes and why:

2x01 under pressure- duh. buck’s bi panic was so funny to watch and him folding immediately after eddie looks at him with his big brown eyes is peak

3x03 the searchers- the tsunami arc has always been that girl. the christopher eddie reunification scene paired with “there’s nobody in this world i trust with my son more than you” like pls just kiss already IM TIRED

3x15 eddie begins- i’ve been watching since the show has been on air, and there has been maybe two episodes that top this one. this was the episode when i started seriously shipping buddie. buck going absolutely apeshit when eddie got buried and most of eddies flashbacks including buck was what really sealed the deal for me.

4x03 future tense- this one is just so domestic. the scene where buck and chris are playing video games on the couch and buck buying an expensive coffee maker solely to prank eddie… they’re so married it makes me sick

4x14 survivors- this is top 3 buddie episodes of all time. sniper arc you will always be famous!!! eddie asking buck if he’s hurt, the physical touch, BUCK CALLING EDDIE “EDS” oh that boy is down so bad. the will scene takes the cake though. I think this episode is the best one in terms of buddie’s relationship progression.

5x06 brawl in cell block 911- the main parts of this episode that i really love are when buck gets very protective over christopher OR when he thinks eddie gets shot (again.) season 5 was probably the slowest buddie season, but there are still soooo many good moments sprinkled in

6x10 in a flash- again, very obvious. “alright cowboy go get em!” kills me every time. this episode is why i can’t decide whether i want a buck nde or an eddie nde in 8b. i want to see eddie DISTRAUGHT again… him trying to pull buck up towards him screaming is just too good

7x04 buck, bothered and bewildered- another peak buddie episode. even tommy knew that buck was trying to get eddies attention the whole time. i’m honestly surprised that this wasn’t bucks realization arc. The entire episode was focused on eddie. even when tommy came over to flirt with buck he STILL found a way to talk about eddie, multiple times. bi buck canon was also life changing and this episode is top 3 for that reason.

7x05 you don’t know me- season 7 has banger after banger episodes. watching the trailer for this episode and seeing eddie crash bucktommy’s date was the icing on the cake tbh. this ep is how i knew marisol and eddie were not going to last. eddie stop terrorizing the women of LA challenge (level: impossible.) the coming out scene is also just one of the best buddie scenes they’ve ever done, it’s so raw and emotional and captures their characters so well.

7x06 there goes the groom- another season seven episode but it has to be included because of the bachelor party. bachelor party buddie is going to be nearly impossible to top. it’s also cute how they don’t leave each others side for most of this episode.

8x06 confessions- i think this episode is top 3 for buddie relationship development. it’s very bucktommy centric but we get hot priest talking to eddie and bucktommy bones. AND how could we forget the risky business scene. i think this episode is when they put buddie canon in motion. eddie dealing w his catholic/regular guilt and saying he’s straight smells like a gay arc to me. buck immediately going to eddie after breaking up with his boyfriend, AND interrupting eddie’s activity that is supposed to bring him pure joy just seems too obvious. at this point we are past subtext and now getting into true buddie canon territory.

anyway! hope this was enjoyed. if anyone has other episodes they think should be added please share!!! there are so many good episodes i probably missed <3

[huhmiya]

CINEMA | chris sturniolo

pairing: bf!chris x f!reader

summary: you and chris went to the cinema to watch a new film that you both had been eagerly anticipating. he wanted to have a special time together, considering it a cinema date. however, once in the cinema, he became too aroused because of you, leading to him getting carried away and having to excuse himself with you to the bathroom, which resulted in missing most of the film.

warning: smut, fingering, swearing, pet names (ma, love, good girl, darling), use of y/n, public place, dominant chris, bathroom sex, needy chris, hair pulling, ass grabbing, p in v, unprotected sex.

a/n: not my photos, found on pinterest. not sure about this one tbh.

WORDS: 2.8k

huhmiya on wattpad

you - pink | chris - orange

-

You and Chris have been eagerly waiting to watch a film at the cinema for the past few months. His identical brothers expressed interest in joining, but Chris preferred to have some alone time with you.

"What would you like?" he asked, who already ordered popcorn and a Pepsi for himself. He insisted on paying for your items, not letting you pay.

As he ordered what you wanted and handed you your items, his contagious smile made you smile back. "Thank you," you said, which caused him to smile a little more before grabbing his popcorn and Pepsi.

Walking into the movie theater together, he took your spare hand and led you to your seats, pulling you down next to him. As you settled down, he watched your movements, admiring the shape of your thighs as they spread out slightly due to you sat down. He adored your thighs.

"Would you like a hand?" he asked, eager to feel the touch of your skin. He cherished the sensation of your touch and was willing to do anything to maintain that connection, even if it meant giving up his YouTube career.

Ignoring the fact that you didn't actually need assistance, he was determined to help to you. As you reached for the snack you had mentioned wanting, he swiftly took them from you and placed them where you intended. "Really?" you muttered, to which he responded with a smile, revealing his teeth.

He rested his hand on your thigh and gently squeezed it, relishing the feel of your soft skin against his warm palm.

"I sometimes wonder how I managed to win you over," he whispered before planting a kiss on your cheek. When he noticed the movie had started, he shifted slightly to get more comfortable in his seat, while keeping his hand on your thigh still.

The movie started playing, capturing both of your attentions since you both had been eager to watch it ever since seeing the promising trailer.

His thumb gently caressed your upper thigh, inching closer to your intimate area, though he was unaware as his soul intention was to provide you comfort, which he achieved flawlessly.

His piercing blue eyes were fixed on you rather than the film for the past ten minutes, finding your profile captivating despite your self-perception. "Stop staring," you playfully scolded, glancing at your boyfriend who only smirked in response, refusing to divert his gaze from you.

"Your beauty mesmerizes me, darling. How can I not resist looking at you?" he whispered, stealing a few more glances before turning back to the movie.

You playfully rolled your eyes and kissed his cheek, causing him to raise an eyebrow before returning his blue orbs at you.

He casually moved his hand from your thigh and brushed your hair away from your face, using it as an excuse to touch your skin even more.

Chris found himself looking at you once more than at the film you both had been eager to watch ever since hearing about it. "Okay, my beauty can't be that good," you teased, catching his stare again.

"Trust me, it is," Chris whispered, placing his hand back on your thigh. Though his hand was now closer to your warmth which is between your legs, you were wearing shorts and a fresh love shirt that Chris had given you earlier before you both headed out to see this movie.

As you both finally focused on the movie, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his body, drawn in by your scent and the softness of your skin against his.

Quietly, he adjusted his shorts and boxers, subtly shifting in his seat to compose himself without drawing your attention to the growing intensity he was experiencing.

Despite feeling exposed in his vulnerability, he couldn't resist the desire for more.

Observing your engrossment in the film, he scanned the surroundings and noted the proximity of other moviegoers, ensuring that the slight thrill of the moment was contained within a safe distance. The other couple nearby though remained on the opposite side of the aisle, four rows behind you both.

"What are you looking at?" Your question caused him to turn his head towards you suddenly, his heart skipping a beat as he jumped slightly in surprise at your unexpected message.

"I was checking out the people around us, seeing how far away we are from everyone else," he explains, as his finger traces from your upper thigh to your shorts.

"I wanna pleasure you.. I'll make sure no one sees, but you must promise to stay quiet, okay?" His words were laced with desire. His speech made you surprised and confused due to how bold it was.

You trusted him, so you spoke, which made him smirk because those were the words he wanted to hear. "okay..."

He made sure no one was looking before taking off your shorts. He couldn't help but smile like a kid in a candy store. He loved when you were like this with him, especially when he was feeling aroused.

He pulled your shorts off, but only up to your knees, so if someone did happen to see, he could quickly pull them back up before security noticed or something.

He rubbed his thumb against your thong, making you widen your eyes, which caused him to quietly chuckle so it wasn’t attracting anyone attention, except from you.

He felt your wetness seep through, which prompted him to whisper in your ear, "Didn't know you needed me that badly," as he bit your earlobe and then kissed your cheek.

He discreetly kept watch to see no one was looking, as he had promised not to let anyone catch a glimpse. His hand moved to the waistband of your thong.

As he began to pull them down, revealing your bare pussy that he adored, his fingers gently caressed your folds before teasingly slipping one finger inside, aware of your desire for more.

Feeling himself grow harder because of you, he set aside his own needs to focus on pleasuring you.

You attempted to stifle any sounds to avoid drawing attention, trying to concentrate on the movie, even though the pleasure he was giving you was incredible.

Unexpectedly, he added two more fingers, intending to use only two but ending up with three inside you. He skillfully curled them once he located your g-spot.

His arousal evident but yet he refrained from touching himself or adjusting in his boxers, solely focused on satisfying you.

He watched as you bit your lip and closed your eyes in pleasure while he pleasured you with his fingers. He increased the pace, his thumb teasing your sensitive spot, causing you to squirm with delight, a reaction he enjoyed, knowing he was satisfying you.

"Close?" he whispered, his intense blue eyes focused on you, observing how your innocence transformed into desire as he brought you to climax with his familiar touch.

You refrained from speaking, both aware that a moan could escape your lips and draw unwanted attention in the cinema. Instead, you simply nodded in response.

He noticed your body tense around his fingers, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips as you reached your peak.

Thankfully, you managed to stifle any loud sounds when you coated his fingers, although it was a challenge to contain your pleasure. You breathed heavily, releasing your lip from where you had bitten it hard enough to draw blood.

He withdrew his fingers, licking them clean before helping you adjust your clothing, ensuring that no one noticed the intimate moment you shared in the cinema.

“Are you okay, love?" He asked, wanting to ensure your well-being, not wanting you to feel irritated later by what had happened, especially if someone had seen, even though no one knew or anything similar.

"No, I'm not," you replied playfully. Chris froze for a moment before realizing it was in jest. He smiled and playfully twirled a few strands of your hair.

He found himself needing to touch himself even more, still feeling a throbbing pain. He had completely forgotten about the film and his desire earlier.

"y/n," he said your name quietly, savoring the sound of it. What made it even better for him was that his brother would sometimes express annoyance when you weren't shopping with them or somewhere else, chris always mentioned how you would love something or recounting a story about you.

You looked at him and smiled, your focus now on him rather than the film. You didn't know what was happening in the movie as most of the time you were being pleasured by him.

He knew he couldn’t come out with it directly, so he began by asking a few questions in order to lead up to the main reason. “Do you know what's happening in the movie, because I'm a bit lost?”

His needs were escalating, and he reached out to hold your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“Not really,” you reply honestly. Even though both of you have wanted to watch the movie, he was relieved by your answer right now.

“Should we just skip it? I can get tickets for us to see it tomorrow or something,” he offers. As you look at him, he uses his spare hand to discreetly touch himself through his shorts and boxers, trying to stifle his moans. You hadn’t notice that yet.

“I don’t mind, do you?” you inquire. He remains silent for a moment, trying to contain himself as he struggles with the urge to climax while discreetly touching himself.

He removes his hand with hesitation and made his other hand stop holding yours. Instead he grabs your wrist, guiding it to his throbbing member.

“I need you. I need to be close to you, please ma.” He whispered, his eyes locked on yours in the dark movie theater, illuminated only by the flickering light of the movie screen.

His hands wandered over your thighs. "Please," he pleaded softly. You knew you couldn't, even though you wanted to. If you engaged in intimacy here, someone would surely see you two and get security.

"We can't. We'll get caught," you said, causing him to roll his eyes and quickly suggest, "Shall we go to the bathroom?" He was willing to beg on his knees if necessary.

He was consumed by his desire for you, feeling a relentless need that left him in torment. He understood his craving and it was to be close to you, to be inside you.

You were about to say yes, but he didn’t wait any longer. He grabbed your arm and stood up, leading you out of the theater, possibly heading to the restroom.

“I can't wait any longer, I need you so badly. I feel like I'm going crazy,” he said, taking you to the men's bathroom where no one else was present. He entered a stall and started kissing you passionately.

He pressed his knee against the area between your legs, his kisses were intense yet filled with love. He slipped his tongue into your mouth as you reciprocated.

Moaning, he squeezed your ass through your shorts. “I'm so lucky to have you, I have no complaints,” he said after pulling away and moving to kiss your neck, marking you as his own.

You removed his shorts, letting them fall to the ground, but neither of you cared as desire took over. He was aroused in his boxers.

He then helped you remove your shirt, as he also discarded his own.

You playfully tease him, calling him 'so needy,' but he just rolls his eyes with a small chuckle and takes off your bra, casually dropping it on the stall floor.

He gazes at your breasts and begins to caress your nipple, eliciting a soft moan from you. “You love that ma?” he whispers. “mhm”

He kisses your lips and undresses you, leaving you naked while he remains in boxers.

Your hands explore his body until you remove his boxers, feeling the heat of his skin against yours. “I need you y/n” he confesses.

Your touch has him on the verge of climaxing, but he desires to be inside you, savoring the sound of your sweet moans blending with the rhythm of your bodies together.

"I need you too," your voice was like music to his ears, and he didn't hesitate; his pre-cum was already leaking from his pink tip.

He turned you around, admiring your beloved ass for various reasons: the way it gently bounced as you walked, when he took you from behind, when he rested his head on your back while you lay on your stomach.

Brushing your hair aside, he kissed your shoulder before entering you, causing you to moan. "Be loud for me, my love, no one here," he urged.

He started to thrust inside you, causing a blend of pain and pleasure that made you moan, but he was whispering things to make you forget about the pain.

His size initially caused discomfort as he stretched you, but as you got more used to it and he stimulated your G-spot, the pain gradually faded, making room for heightened pleasure.

He continued to thrust in and out of you, kissing your neck and jawline, pulling your hair to reach your sensitive spots.

The sound of your bodies coming together echoed in the empty cinema restroom where you were alone, intensifying the intimate moment.

As he moaned at the tightness, his hands explored your body, focusing on your breasts by pinching your nipples.

"I'm so close to climaxing when your so tight around me," he whispered. He heard the bathroom door creek so he was alerting you to the presence of someone else entering the restroom. He quickly covered your mouth and urged you to be silent.

Despite the interruption, he didn't stop, instead becoming more intense and faster, making it challenging for you to contain your moans.

He listened to the sound of someone washing their hands and then leaving. “Good girl for staying quiet,” he whispered.

He tugged your hair to make you look at him while he was having sex with you from behind. His blue eyes locked on yours. “Keep looking at me like that, and I'll have to punish you,” he said firmly before releasing your hair and gripping your hip.

As he was reaching climax, you could sense it by the way his large member twitched. He thrust hard into you, causing you to moan loudly.

It felt like he was discovering new pleasure spots you never knew existed. “Chris.. I'm close,” you gasped.

“Me too, darling,” he murmured. With that, he climaxed inside you, continuing to move inside you vigorously until you also reached orgasm.

As he finished, his hot release mixed with yours, dripping out of you onto the bathroom stall floor.

“fuck ma, I love you,” he said, pulling out with a pop and then adjusting your position to see your face.

You looked adorable in his eyes, with sweat glistening and a lazy smile as you were catching your breath, mirroring his own. He gently wiped the mascara off your cheek and kissed your lips softly, briefly pausing before diving into a passionate make-out session.

“I love you more,” you whispered after he pull away but he embraced you, your sweaty bodies pressed against each other. He rested his head on your shoulder, his fingers entwined in your hair.

“Impossible,” he murmured softly before pulling away to clean you up with a tissue, help you put your clothes back on, and then get dressed himself.

“Let’s get out of here,” you suggested, both of you eager to leave and head back to his place.

He took your hand and led you out of the men's bathroom before anyone could see. His thumb caressed your palm as he exited the cinema with you.

“I promise to buy another ticket... maybe tomorrow? Who knows, we might have another round,” he smirked, placing his hand on your hip instead of holding hands.

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[glaciertea]

Tickets for Two

Miguel O'Hara x GN!Reader two-shot

Part 1

Here is part 2, happy birthday to the giant spider!

Also, thank you @slushycoookie for being my beta reader for this part. You are truly the alpha cookie.

Summary: Working the graveyard shift at a movie theater has it quirks. It's not the best thing, and it's not the worst.

Well, there is one thing that keeps you from leaving this job.

The huge, gorgeous man who comes in every Thursday.

CW: 18+, Oral (both receiving and giving), light teasing, semi public sex (it'll just be you two, so I guess it'll be semi), you both are perverts... just slightly

Word count: 2.7k

“It always feels weird not to be the one behind there.” You eyed the menu, debating if you should have a small or medium popcorn.

“It's nice seeing you here and not working.” Miguel shoved his hands in his pocket, already knowing what to get himself. “Figure out what size you want?”

“Yeah, I'll get a small. And are you saying that because you get to be handsy and not solicit around my area?”

“Maybe.” Miguel grunted and moved closer to the counter to place his order.

“I'm still surprised they haven't banned you yet.” You greeted your coworker and asked for a drink alongside your buttery treat. 

“I merely want to be near my partner. I don't see anything wrong with that. Besides, I'm not spooking any other patrons, so there's no problem.”

“Then what about the guy who—”

“That time doesn't count. That idiot shouldn't have been raising hell for getting mad when you accidentally tapped the wrong size. You caught your mistake and apologized, and yet he still had the nerve to be a shocking idiot at that point.”

“Miggy, you forcefully threw him out. The employees and customers swore you were security after that, especially with how much you hung around the counter beforehand.” You nudged his arm before reaching for your card.

“And?” He stared at the transaction, concluding he was going to pay you back.

“At this point, I believe you are the only one who supports the concession stand after dark.” You hauled nearly all of the items in your arms, trying not to tip over.

“Si mantiene alejados a los imbéciles, que así sea.” He mumbled and balanced you out by taking some of the snacks. “Now come on, let's go watch this film.”

“Movie date, commence!” You skipped ahead, making Miguel smirk.

You tended to stray away from movie dates, especially considering your employment in the building, but you decided to join Miguel for this night. You might even enjoy the thrill and peace of experiencing a vacant showroom. To be the consumer indeed of the provider.

You made your way to your chosen seats, near the back, and got comfy. The lights dimmed, and you glued your eyes to the screen. It showed two new movies coming out, but didn't capture your attention. Then the trailer for the next future showing was coming to an end when you noticed nobody else was heading in. 

A whole theater between you two. An accidental private screening, one could call it.

“Is this how it is when you come in here?”

Miguel plopped a gummy in his mouth and shrugged. “About. It is nice to have a theater to myself. It gives me time to think.”

“What do you usually think about when you're here?”

“Work.” He stole a sip of your drink. “And you occasionally.”

You didn't get the chance to react when the lights dimmed and the feature film started up. He didn't turn to you; his eyes focused on the screen, so you decided to munch on your popcorn and get comfortable.

And you did get comfortable because the movie they chose to show was mind-numbingly boring. You didn't know what was going on or if anything was going on. By the thirty-five minute mark, you had devoured most of your popcorn, and your drink was heavily watered down. You felt yourself dozing off; the room became darker than before when Miguel nudged you awake. 

“You okay?”

“I'm up!” You twisted your head up to him. “Is this movie over?”

“Close. We got,” he checked his watch. “Approximately an hour and forty-five minutes left. Excluding credits.”

You groaned out and banged your head on the back of the chair. You thought of the many possible options. You could suck it up and finish the mind-numbing film, or you could get up and leave, draining the funds you spent. Your brain circled and circled when an idea struck. 

“We can do a certain indecency when a couple is in an empty theater roo-”

“Front cameras.” He subtly gestured to where they could be placed.

“Shock. That's right.” You slumped more of your drink down. So much for a fun night. 

Miguel drummed his finger on the armrest before standing up. “I'll be back in five.” 

“Going to the restrooms?”

“Something along those lines.”

You watched him stand up and crack his neck to the left and right. He didn't say much as he strode down the steps and disappeared behind the barrier separating the seats from the theater room's door. Your eyes lazily went towards the screen. More nonsense about the car robots and exposition; you could've sworn that the film was going to be about medieval times. Or was it going to be about a war? You decided it was best not to question the direction of the movie.

Stealing some of his lukewarm coffee to give you somewhat of an energy boost, Miguel finally returned from wherever. He parked himself right back in his seat and turned to you.

There was a hint of confidence in his eyes. Uncertain by the new attitude, you cocked your head, intrigued by what he did out there.

“Miguel? Where did you go?”

Not missing a beat, he pulled the armrest up and placed you on his lap. Something was poking you and nudging the backside of your thigh. Masquerading an ignorant state, your fingers casually brushed along the outline, fascinated by the peculiar object. 

Miguel grunted at the attentive focus, shifting in his seat and rubbing against the fabric of your pants. He was glad the bottoms he was wearing were slightly thinner.

“I don't think the movie is causing you to react this way; is it now?” A cheeky grin crept on your lips as you sneakily grinded.

“I'm taking your idea into consideration.” He grunted and squirmed, relieving any pressure that roused up.

You turned your torso and peered down to undo his belt buckle. “The cameras?”

“Right now, they're seeing two people watching the film, bored out of their minds.” His gaze was not leaving your fingers.

“But wouldn't they realize it's a still image?” You stopped unbuttoning his pants. “Miguel, did you hack my job's security cams?”

“Hack is a strong word, cariño.”

You gave him a look and crossed your arms. “Did you hack?”

“I'm able to recreate realistic simulations. I know how to fake a moviegoer experience.” He took your hands and kissed them, knowing your disapproving glare wasn't going to leave. “So yes, I did hack your job's cameras. Más o menos. But only for this area.”

“Miguel, make sure you fix them back.”

“I will. Lo prometo.”

“You better, or else.”

“Or else what, amor?” He was prepared to accept what you were going to throw.

“Or else, I'll be forced to teach you a lesson.” You palmed the hardened erection, massaging it and enjoying the damp stains leaking through.

A low rumble expelled from his chest as pricking goosebumps and the flaming ignition coasted within you. Your eyes locked with his mesmeric ones, passion lighting up the darkness of the room. You took each other in, admiring one another's features more than the feature on the big screen. The only good thing about it was you were able to pick out his sharpness and gorgeousness.

You wrapped an arm around his neck and closed the gap, tasting the snacks on his lips. The buttery popcorn, the sugary fruit from the gummies, and the bitterness from the coffee create a delicious concoction melting onto your tongue as you twist it around his, needing to taste it all.

Soft moans trickle from you two when a husky one leaves Miguel. You don't pull away, playing coy. The raw guttural sounds become more like a beautiful song you will never get tired of hearing. You squeeze and knead the bulge, getting the reactions that make you giddy. His hands glide down your backside, pinching your behind or your inner and outer thighs.

“I don't think we should waste any time. Don't know when an unexpected viewer will show up.” You cheese and nip at his cheek.

Moving off his lap, you slip back over to your seat, cozying yourself on your knees. You pushed the searing need between your thighs in the back of your head; right now, you want all your concentration on Miguel. 

Helping him get out of those uncomfortable bottoms, you licked your lips at the pulsating tent before freeing him completely.

“This is way more interesting.” You thumbed at his glossy tip, loving how he looked when he threw his head back, biting his bottom lip.

Enthralling, a gorgeous frame that any camera can pick up on. It would only enhance his beauty further. He is certainly better than any film. 

Done with keeping him anticipating your full touch, you scoot closer, grasping the sensitive shaft, pumping in a slow motion, letting his self-lubrication mess up your hand. You sucked at his neck, wanting to leave a fresh mark. It got a few grunts out of him, but you needed more. 

Leading up to his ear, you glazed your tongue over the outer shell and carefully nipped at it. 

“I thought we couldn't—joder—I thought we couldn't waste any time, cariño? Joder, qué bueno.” There was some smugness in his tone. He was trying to save face when you pushed his cock towards his stomach.

“You know what? You are so right. The movie can end at any moment, so I really shouldn't waste any time.” You threw the smugness back with a hint of sarcasm. “Here, let me speed this along for real now.”

“Ah, no, it's fine; you can take your time. I was only—oh mierda, cariño, joder, espera, más despacio!”

You dipped down and immediately engulfed half of him. Your mouth built up enough spit to help make this easier. You always struggled to fit him all the way in. A blessing and curse with what he was endowed with. Dribbles of spit fall onto his trimmed hairs, your muffled moans giving vibrations, making him almost lose a fit.

He pushes your head down, biting his on his bottom lip until he tastes a bit of metallic. Your tongue made delicious laps, noisily slobbering, thankful that the film was drowning it out.

He was holding back, the croaks and the whines in his chest fully prominent when you cupped his balls, fondling them with the utmost care. You curl your tongue, going down more until you could feel him touch the back of your throat. He was a mess at your attempts. You would come up to go back down, and when it wasn't enough for you, you would start the process over from the head until you got it.

“Amor, I'm not going to last if you keep that up.”

A disgruntled, muddled hum resonated at the back of your throat. You were now very determined to take him all. Securing your hands on his thighs, you opened your throat, relaxing your body. You stretched your tongue, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You were almost there, so tantalizingly close, when a hoarse low shout of your name was called out, and your face was suddenly closer to Miguel's pelvis.

He erupted in your mouth, the salty strands cascading, hitting your throat, and running along the sides of your chin. He kept you there when nothing left to give and hauled you up.

“Shock, Miguel.” You gasped out. “I will perfect—” you swallowed any lingering residue and took a long breath. “I will perfect me taking all of you. That was a lot, are you okay? That was intense.”

When you didn't get a response, you started to worry when you were met with bright blood-red eyes piercing yours. You shuddered. Miguel can be intimidating, but it brings that awakening out of you.

“Miggy?”

“You always know how to make my head explode, cariño.”

He stood up and fixed himself. You could only watch, dazed at what he was doing when he kneeled before you. You gulped as he fingered the button on your pants. 

“But this movie date is supposed to be an enjoyable time for both.” He starts to pull your jeans down along with your underwear. “Así que te voy a dar algo bueno que ver.” He murmured along your thigh, pressing a soft kiss to it. That fiery flicker burning into you.

You gulped and tugged at the collar of your shirt. “He-hey, about what I said about wasting time, you know I was teasing—oh, shock!”

Miguel wasted no time diving right in, letting you feel the high satisfaction and pleasure you bring—and brought—to him. 

You struggled to choke back your moans, covering your hands to the point your fingers were squashing your cheeks. His tongue twirls achingly slow, teasing you simply because he can. Because he's acutely aware that you can't get too loud to draw anyone to you both. That annoying, sexy, mischievous glint in his eyes, saying, ‘You wouldn't want us to get caught now, now do you?’ 

God, he is such a smug bastard, and you can't stand that you love it. 

He massaged the tension from hips and thighs, not caring about the crick in his neck or the slightly sticky floor; his only goal was to make sure not to miss a single part of your heat.

Every stroke and every round he made was bliss that was driving you mad. His fingertips glided against your thighs, stroking the soft skin and pinching the inner part to make you squeak. He refused to break any contact with you, the suction so heavy that you swore your soul was going to ascend right out of the theater.

“Miguel.” You purred out, combing his luscious hair, relishing the glorious moment. 

He was ready for you to come apart.

His tongue dragged down in an unpredictable pattern, making your hips buck. He let a breathy “humph” out and grasped your waist, a heed to get you to stop moving.

Your head spun, and your body quivered. You were close, so very close.

He must have known as he sped up, his tongue making moves you didn't think he even possessed, his mouth slurping you whole. The room was fuzzy; your brain could have been a pile of goop by the end of this, and you wouldn't even be mildly upset, not even the slightest.

“Miggy, I- I'm-”

A silent cry parted between your lips, pushing Miguel's head down as your release shook you whole. Your mess was stained on his lopsided grin, and that was enough to make you want him again. 

You felt hot and cold, the sweat clinging to your forehead greatly helped you cool off, but you weren't quite calm. He cleaned himself off, double-checking to see if you had any questionable fluids on your clothes or your face. The film was still going, and you couldn't tell if it was the middle or third act. 

“Did it make it to the climax?” You heaved out. 

“I think we both just saw that.” Miguel smirked. 

You squeezed your lips together and released a waft from your nose. “Do you want to continue this at my place?”

“The film?”

“No. This movie isn't good. We could do better. Hell, I believe we can make a better one.” Your eyes drifted to his, and you could already see the hunger growing back.

He took hold of your hand and stood you up. It startled you, but you shook it off and trailed behind when it clocked on you. 

“What about the cameras?” You stammered.

“It'll revert itself back when we step out of this room. I put a sensor that'll detect when we leave.”

You trusted his word but resisted asking him how he had messed with the security later on. Right now, you were both overcome with anticipation when you rushed out of the doors, thankful for how devoid the building was. 

Even if the movie didn't satisfy you, it might have become your new favorite. If mindless films like that bring you that sort of experience, then you will gladly watch them with him.

[bird-inacage]

The Heart Killers EP1: Kant & Bison's Desire for Agency

I recently wrote a post around Kant being the vehicle for Bison's freedom, but I'm spotting a bigger theme that these two lovebirds share in common. Both feel stripped of their agency, their ability to dictate their lives freely on their own terms and by their own ideals and desires.

For that reason, they're respectively struggling with where they are versus where they want to be, as factors beyond their control currently inhibit that from being attainable.

"I've cleared my name of car theft. My hands are so damn clean now." Kant is keen to put his past behind him, however Captain Chris has him cornered under the threat of re-opening his previous felonies and possible jail time, dangling custody of his brother as a bargaining chip. "If you get this done for me, not only will your criminal record be swept away, I'll wipe it clean." "If you go to jail, who'd take care of your brother?" Leaving Kant with no choice but to begrudgingly concede.

Bison feels similarly trapped by a life he didn't choose, clearly eager at any opportunity to 'clock off'. "I do what I have to do. Now I want to do what I want to. Can't I just live a little?" "If being hitmen makes it so hard to live, shouldn't we just quit?" "I don't want to kill people for a living my whole life... I just want to live my life." He just wants to enjoy a normal life - to have fun, to be frivolous, to embrace being an ordinary 24 year old.

TOGETHER WE BREAK FREE

Their relationship serves as temporary relief or escape from the situations they both find themselves in. Bison finds Kant's company a break from routine and monotony, a welcome distraction in between killing and working at the burger bar (neither of which he chose for himself). Dating Kant is an insight into the joys of life he fears missing out on. 'When I'm with you, I'm not a killer, I'm just a boy'.

By some poetic irony, Kant's mission to instrument Bison's capture would grant him access to the freedom he is seeking - allowing him and his brother to truly start afresh. There will absolutely be more backstory to come as to why Kant wants this so badly, that he’s willing to throw so much in. Dating Bison may begin as a means to an end, but Kant does find himself falling in love - despite his objective.

Once everything is out in the open, I do think they'll aid one another in acquiring the agency they each so desperately desire. No one can better understand how it feels to be trapped than someone who is also fighting against the bars of their own cage.

OVERCOMING YOUR RESTRAINTS

On their first date, Kant shares the following with Bison: “Would you believe me if I told you that I'm afraid of the ocean? Something happened when I was a kid. I almost drowned. Now I'm still afraid of it." One could argue that we don't know if Kant's admission is true, but I don't see any reason for him to lie about this specifically.

This promptly takes me back to this moment from the trailer, which has prominently stuck in my mind. I still get the impression that they are working together here when Kant jumps in. If Bison was on the offensive, I don't think he'd be as stationary or calm. Maybe he's performing under someone's watchful eye, or his gun is aimed at something out of shot, or they're practicing for a specific stunt.

Whatever the context, this scene now has considerably more weight. The fact that Kant jumps in whilst his hands are bound, when he has a fear of drowning is an indication of putting his complete trust in Bison (who is adept at swimming), to rescue him if needs be. The implication here being that Bison may quite literally, mentally and symbolically free Kant from his restraints, helping him to overcome what he’s most afraid of.

BDSM: THE PLEASURE OF CONTROL

Funnily enough, this duo's exploration of BDSM even aligns with their shared desire for agency. From the few snippets we’ve been shown, Bison likes being the one in control. Your partner consents to be at your mercy, affording you the power to enact pleasure and/or pain. And there’s a heady thrill in being handed such control. (It's also worth noting the inherent power play in taking a life, but whether Bison derives any pleasure from this, I'm not 100% sure. Kant also knows Bison is capable of killing, so letting him dominate actually says a tonne). During their one night stand, Bison even quips, "you're not doing this solo, you know," which teases that he's no passive participant. This seems to be Bison's philosophy on life overall (and the root of his dissatisfaction), that he's not one to sit back and watch his life pass him by.

Kant seems happy to indulge Bison in taking the reins. Having his agency taken away during acts of passion, but on his terms is noticeably different to feeling forcibly pushed - because you've chosen how and who you forfeit that agency to. This is partly why I suspect Kant actually gives Bison permission to tie him up in that boat scene (above), for the greater purposes of a mission or task they have agreed to help each other achieve.

You can keep tabs on bird-inacage’s BL meta directory for my other long-form posts around The Heart Killers, which I’ll be updating in real time as the show airs.

[xhoneygirlxx]

because work has been kicking my ass and i'm a wh*re for virgin Eddie, here is this small little blurb as a treat :)

virgin!eddie x reader (reader and Eddie are both in their 20s)

rated r: smut, oral receiving, swearing, mentions of sex. (18+ minors GO AWAY)

You and Eddie sit on the small couch in his trailer living room, the blue glow from the tv highlighting him in the most beautiful way. The eerie music of Halloween plays through the tinny speakers, the soundtrack of your night. Although the metal head has watched this movie more than he can count, you can’t help but notice your best friend has become instantly tense the moment Lynda’s tits appear on screen.

Eddie’s virginity wasn’t a secret in your friendship, he’d constantly asked you for advice on how to please his partner when the day finally came, but watching him squirm in his seat at glimpse of bare tits makes your heart melt. To be completely honest you had a crush on your bestie for as long as you can remember, to be fair who wouldn’t? You’ve thought about him a few times when your hands were in between your legs, fingers pumping in and out of your sopping cunt.

You’ve thought about offering taking Eddie’s virginity but you would hate to take something so special from him especially when it should be with someone he loves. So you kept your offer to yourself, helped him with any advice he’d asked, and remained supportive in his search of a partner.

The continuous bounce of Eddie’s knee pulls your attention from the screen, too entertained by his constant fidgeting. The scene that got him so riled up as now ended with the pretty blonde being killed but his growing length beneath his jeans continues to strain against the unforgiving material.

Even though it’s selfish and you’re dying to know what he hides beneath his pants, you give in and ask him the one thing you’ve been dying to ever since the two of you turned eighteen.

“Eds, are you good?” Leaning forward, you curl your legs underneath your bum.

His head snaps towards you, eyes bugged out and cheeks flushed. “M-me? Yeah I’m fine, m’good.”

Eddie nods his head slowly, not only trying to convince you of his words but also himself. Your face falls, mouth pulling into a straight line clearly unamused by his horrible acting.

“Okay let’s try this again but this time tell me the truth,” You say sternly, “are you good?”

Letting his head fall to the back of the couch, Eddie closed his eyes and lets out a harsh breath. “I’m just, the movie it’s,”

The nervousness in his voice won’t let him finish his sentence, every thought in his brain melting together in a bowl of mumbo jumbo.

Placing your hand on his thigh, a little higher than usual, you look up at him from under your lashes. “Her tits got you all hot and bothered, is that it?”

Snapping his eyes open down at you, he stares at you as you spoke in a completely different language. Having too much fun with his blush intensifying, you lean forward just a bit more putting your cleavage on display.

“It hurts, huh? Feels like you’re gonna burst at any moment.” Your voice is sweet like sugar, dripping with an intoxicating amount of intensity that Eddie’s never heard.

His hands that sit by his sides clench and unclench, jitters pouring through him at an alarming rate. Too dumb to speak he nods, curls bouncing with every motion.

“Awe baby, s’okay,” you coo as you hook your legs over his thighs, “if you want I can make it all better. Want me to kiss it better?”

Eddie stares at you unblinkingly, mouth parted slightly in awe. Again he nods but this time you tsk at him, shaking your head back and forth in disapproval.

“I asked you a question, honey, I need your words. Do you want me to make it better?” You pout your lips at him and he swallows harshly.

“Please make it better, hurts s’bad.” He slurs, already drunk off your touch without even really feeling it just yet.

“Such a good boy begging me so nicely.”

Slowly you move forward, capturing his soft lips into a needy kiss. Despite being a virgin Eddie does a good job kissing you, not going overboard with too much tongue or sloppy movements.

Taking a chance and wanting to take care of the growing pulse that grows in between your thighs, you begin to rock hesitantly over his hard length. The intense spark you feel jolting through your veins is verbalized with the wanton moan that rips from Eddie’s throat and vibrates into your mouth.

Picking up your momentum you can’t help but roll your eyes into the back of your head, the rough material of his jeans adding extra intensity to your pulsing bundle of nerves. Eddie isn't any better, his face is flushed red, bangs sticking to his forehead due to the amount of sweat that beads from his hairline, and his chest rattles from all the moaning sobs that leave his open mouth.

Opening your eyes you can't help but snort at Eddie's awkward hand placement. They hang in the air, itching to grasp at something but too nervous to give into the temptation.

Letting your hips come to a complete stop, you gently cup his cheeks in the palm of your hand. Hazy eyes open and look right at you, a thousand tiny specks of glitter shimmer in the big brown pools, sweeping you right into his vortex.

"Eddie honey, do you want to touch me?" Despite the dryness that lingers in your mouth, your words drip and saturate the boy beneath you in love and care.

"If that's okay with you, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. So like if you don't want me to I won't-" You stop his rambles with a quick kiss to his lips.

Pulling away with a small giggle you look at him the same way he's looking at you, disgustingly in awe.

"I want you to touch me, Eddie. Bet your hands would feel so nice on me, so big and strong."

With the thought of it makes your underwear even wetter, so wet that you know when you get off his lap there will be a big wet stain. Not wanting to wait any longer you pull your shirt over your head, revealing the pretty white lace bra that holds your breast into place.

Eddie looks something like a fish, opening and closing his mouth with unspoken words that get caught in his throat. Although it's funny watching your best friend so speechless, you can't help but adore his childlike wonder.

Gripping his wrists in your hand and pull them towards you placing them on your tits, squeezing his fingers around the doughy flesh causing you to hiss in satisfaction.

"F-fuck you're so hot." It's breathless when it comes out.

Eddie follows your lead, fondling your round breasts in the palms of his big hands. The feeling of his grip causes you to resume your motions, grinding harder on his lap trying to relieve the hammering thump in between your legs.

You remember in the fog of your lust that this wasn't about you, it was in fact about your best friend who is currently trying to hold himself together.

Again you stop your movements, pulling his hands from your lace covered chest, and move from his lap.

"W-wait, what's- what are you doing?" Eddie is more than frantic, he's completely distraught with the absence of your weight on his legs.

Pinching his cheek sweetly, you push his legs apart to create enough room for yourself. Sinking to your knees, you move into the space you've created for yourself.

"I'm doing what I said I was going to do, I'm going to kiss it better." You drag your nails up his jean covered thighs, gazing up at him with doe eyes acting as if you aren't making one of his dreams come true.

"Yeah yeah, fuck okay." Babbling like an idiot, Eddie stares at you completely shocked as if you didn't promise this to him earlier.

Raising your eyebrows at him, you wait for him to catch on to what you're waiting for. It doesn't hit him until you clear your throat and point at the handcuff belt that hold his jeans in place.

"Oh shit, right. Let me just get these off." Going as fast as his shaking hands will allow him, he goes to undo his belt and push his pants just below his balls.

His cock bounces from their confines, hitting his tee shirt covered navel with a small thud. You can't help but gawk at the sight of him. Eddie's packing more than you ever imagined, long and thick with a prominent vein running along the underside. The tip is a pretty pink shade that shines from the pearls of precum that dripples from the slit.

Your mouth fills with saliva just from the sight alone. The dark brown thatch of curls that sit at the base match the hair on his heavy balls. You weren't someone who found genitalia appetizing but man oh man was did your best friend's look good enough to eat.

The small silence that settled between you two has clearly made Eddie anxious. His chocolate brown eyes look anywhere but you and the thick chunky rings that sit on his fingers have become his clear fascination, twisting them around and around his thick digits.

Not wanting him to sit with his thoughts any longer, you lean up enough to capture his kiss bitten lips in a passionate kiss. This time it's all teeth and tongue, spit swapping between the two of you.

When you both pull away you wish you could continue kissing him, fuck the oxygen that you need all you want is Eddie.

Sitting back down on your knees, you let spit dripple down onto his stiff shaft. Clasping your hand around him you begin to jerk him off slowly, not wanting the moment to be over fast.

Eddie on the other hand is fighting for his life, lip pulled between his teeth and his eyebrows pinching together. You drink it up like a plant in the middle of a drought.

"You're s'pretty, Eds and your cock, fuck it's so pretty too." You coo, to prove your point you press kisses up and down his length.

"Mmm s-shit, your ha- your hand feels so good." Eddie's voice is completely strained, his jugular vein pocking out every once and a while.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Eddie's nearing the end, the shaking and tensing of his thighs a clear sign. Wanting him to experience it all, you envelope the tip of his cock into your mouth, swirling your tongue around it and licking along the slit to collect the salty bead of pre that beads out of it.

Moving your mouth lower, you take him halfway into your mouth and allow your hand to jerk off whatever you can't take. The hand that braces itself on his thigh snakes its way to the heavy sack that sits just below his cock, kneading it in the palm of your hand gently.

Without needing instruction Eddie's hand finds it's way to your head, gripping your hair at the scalp and pulling out it with vigor. The pain and arousal that sparks within you causes you to moan around him, making him sob out in ecstasy.

"F-uh, oh don't stop I'm gonna- shit I'm gonna cum!"

Moving your head as fast as you can, you move to the tip to avoid chocking on the salty release. Still pumping your hand up and down on his cock you collect his warm seed in your mouth, letting it pool on your tongue.

Above you Eddie is a screaming mess, blabbing nonsense and groaning loudly. To no one's surprise Eddie cums and he cums a lot, so much so that it starts to dripple out the sides of your mouth with the string of your spit.

Once his breath returns to his lungs and his grip loosens on your hair, you let him fall out of your mouth with a lewd pop. When your eyes make eye contact with his own, you open your mouth to show him the pearly white of his release that sits on your pink tongue. Closing your mouth and swallowing it with a loud hum, you open your eyes to see Eddie completely gobsmack.

"Jesus sweetheart, you can't do shit like that unless you want me to get hard again." He says with an airy laugh.

You take his words as a threat, one that you'd be stupid not to take with the way your pussy flutters in need.

"Who said I was done, Munson?"

[nemo-writes]

𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜 ; 𝚜𝚒𝚡 - 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚎

➝ steve harrington + eddie munson x loser-club!reader

➝ synopsis; a lighthearted arcade trip takes a strange turn, leaving behind a lingering unease. as new bonds form and tensions simmer, the quiet hum of hawkins hints at deeper mysteries waiting to surface.

⚠️ warnings; none

➝ series masterlist, moodboard

➝ previous chapter ; next chapter

Eddie was in a mood.

As he drove you home—a habit that had started to feel suspiciously routine—he drummed his ringed fingers against the steering wheel, his brows furrowed and lips pursed in what could only be described as a full-on pout.  

“Can’t believe you invited Harrington to The Hideout,” he muttered for the third time since leaving the tight and noisy bar.  

You sighed, leaning your head against the window and watching the dark streets of Hawkins blur by. “I didn’t invite him. I just told him he should drop by if he wanted. Big difference.”  

“Same thing,” Eddie huffed, gripping the wheel tighter. “The Hideout supposed to be for the misunderstood, the black sheep, the... the different, not Hawkins’ ex-royalty!”  

You rolled your eyes. “You're such a baby.”  

Eddie ignored your comment, instead glaring at the road like it had personally offended him. “You even missed the best set we’ve ever done because you were too busy playing babysitter.”  

You sighed. “I was taking my break, Eddie. And—”  

“Oh, sure, yeah” His tone dripped with mockery as he glanced at you again. “Likely excuse. You’ve got no idea how hard I worked on that setlist. I poured my soul into it, and you didn’t even care to stay!”  

As the van pulled into the trailer park, he slowed to a stop near your trailer but didn’t put it in park. Instead, he turned to you, his pout intensifying. “It’s fine, though. Really. Who needs support from their friends? Not me.”  

Fed up with his theatrics, you unbuckled your seatbelt and opened the door. “Stay here,” you said sternly, pointing a finger at him as you climbed out.  

Eddie blinked, surprised by the sudden command. “What—wait, what are you—”  

You didn’t answer, instead stomping up to your trailer, yanking the door open, and disappearing inside.  

Eddie leaned out the van window, calling after you. “If you’re getting a granola bar, you’d better grab one for me!”  

Ignoring him, you rummaged through your things until you found what you were looking for: your sketchbook. Your stomach churned with a mix of determination and embarrassment as you flipped to the right pages and headed back outside.  

Eddie was still hanging halfway out of the van window when you approached, your sketchbook clutched tightly in your hands.  

“Here,” you said, shoving it toward him.  

He took the sketchbook, raising an eyebrow at you before flipping it open. The first few drawings were a mix of landscapes and fantasy-like creatures—dragons, castles, armoured knights. His eyes lit up immediately, his earlier grumpiness melting away.  

“This is...” He paused, flipping through more pages. “Holy shit, this is good.”  

You shifted on your feet, crossing your arms tightly over your chest “Keep flipping.”  

When he turned to the last page, he froze. There, in a mix of soft pencil strokes and intricate detail, was a drawing of him—clad in long robes, a staff in hand, and wild curls framing his face. You’d tried to capture him as a wizard, complete with rings glinting on his fingers and a mischievous grin that felt unmistakably Eddie.  

For a moment, he didn’t move. His mouth hung open slightly as he stared at the sketch, his eyes wide.  

Then he squealed.  

Not a small, subtle squeak, but a full-blown, high-pitched squeal that startled you so much you took a step back.  

Before you could react, Eddie jumped out of the van, still clutching the sketchbook. “Are you kidding me?!” he exclaimed, his voice cracking with excitement. “This is the most metal thing I’ve ever seen!”  

You flushed, taking a step back as he advanced on you, practically vibrating with energy. “It’s not a big deal,” you muttered. “I was just messing around—”  

But Eddie cut you off by wrapping you in a sudden, tight hug, lifting you off the ground and spinning you around in a blur of wild curls and laughter.  

“You made me a wizard!” he yelled, his voice gleeful. “I’m a goddamn wizard!”  

“Eddie—put me down!” you yelped, smacking his shoulder as your feet dangled in the air.  

He finally set you down, clutching your sketchbook to his chest like it was his most prized possession. His eyes sparkled as he looked at you, his earlier grumpiness completely forgotten.  

“You’re incredible,” he said earnestly, his grin so wide it almost hurt to look at.  

You groaned, hiding your burning face in your hands. “Don’t make it weird, Eddie.”  

“Too late!” he shot back, holding the sketchbook up like a trophy. 

“Eddie,” you warned, but the laugh in your voice betrayed your amusement.  

He turned toward the van, sketchbook clutched tightly to his chest like a dragon with its hoard. "This is going in a frame!" he declared, his grin wide and gleeful. "I’m telling everyone—"  

“Not so fast,” you interrupted, grabbing the back of his jacket like you were wrangling an overexcited child.  

He stumbled to a halt, spinning to face you with wide, confused eyes. “What? What’s wrong?”  

You snatched the sketchbook out of his hands, flipping it open while he squawked in protest. “Hey! That’s my treasure!”  

Ignoring him, you carefully tore the pages with the fantasy drawings out of the sketchbook. Your movements were precise, making sure not to damage them as you handed the loose pages back to him.  

“Here,” you said, thrusting the stack into his hands. “Take these. But the sketchbook stays with me.”  

Eddie blinked down at the drawings, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Then his face lit up all over again, his earlier distress forgotten. “You’re the best,” he said, grasping the pages to his chest like they were the Holy Grail.  

“Yeah, yeah,” you muttered, tucking your sketchbook safely under your arm. “Just don’t get carried away.”  

He beamed at you, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. “No promises!”  

You watched as he climbed back into the van, still cradling the drawings like priceless artefacts. Before he drove off, he leaned out the window, waving the pages in the air.  

“Dungeon Master Eddie lives on, thanks to you!” he shouted dramatically.  

You rolled your eyes, but a small smile tugged at your lips as he disappeared down the path. Eddie Munson was exhausting—but in moments like this, it was hard to stay mad at him. 

.

.

.

Wednesday 5, March 1986, Hawkins, Indiana

The next morning, you woke up later than usual. The faint sunlight filtered through the cracks in your blinds, painting warm streaks across the walls of your cramped trailer. Stretching lazily, you pulled yourself out of bed and shuffled into the tiny kitchenette to make your favourite morning drink.  

Still in what you slept in—an old, oversized shirt and some ratty old pyjama pants—you stepped outside with your cup, savouring the quiet of the morning. The cool air was refreshing, and you raised the mug to your lips, ready for your first sip—  

But then you spotted Max.  

She was getting out of her own trailer, backpack slung over one shoulder, her skateboard under the other arm. The way she glanced around made it clear she wasn’t heading to school.  

You raised your cup and called out, “Skipping?”  

Max jumped, her head whipping toward you, her cheeks instantly flushing red.  

“Shhh!” she hissed, holding a finger to her lips. “Be quiet!”  

You arched an eyebrow, lowering your cup as you leaned against the side of your trailer. “Why? You worried someone’s gonna report you to the truancy police?”  

Max scowled, shifting her backpack nervously. “I don’t need everyone in this place knowing my business, okay?”  

You smirked, watching her with a mix of amusement and curiosity. “Fair enough. So, where are you sneaking off to, then? Doesn’t look like school.”  

Her blush deepened, and she crossed her arms defensively. “None of your business.”  

You shrugged, taking a sip of your drink. “Relax, I’m not gonna narc on you.”  

She seemed to consider this for a moment, her shoulders relaxing slightly, though she still eyed you warily. “You better not,” she muttered.  

“Promise,” you said with a faint grin, holding up your mug like a toast. “Scout’s honour.”  

Max rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath as she adjusted her backpack. “Whatever.”  

You watched her for a moment, the guarded way she clutched her skateboard and backpack, like she was bracing herself for something. There was something familiar about it, something that struck a chord deep inside you. You weren’t one to push, but this time, you couldn’t help it.  

“Hey, Max,” you called, stopping her in her tracks again.  

She turned back, her expression wary. “What now?”  

You took another sip of your drink, tilting your head thoughtfully. “Wanna go to the arcade?”  

Max blinked, caught completely off guard. “The arcade?”  

“Yeah,” you said, shrugging casually. “I’m buying. Could use some competition. Plus, I still haven’t decided if beating your score was beginner’s luck or actual skill.”  

Her cheeks flushed again, though this time it was more from indignation than embarrassment. “You’re joking, right?”  

“Do I look like I’m joking?” you replied, raising an eyebrow.  

She hesitated, her eyes darting to the ground as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Aren’t you, like... busy or something?”  

You snorted, holding up your mug. “In case you haven’t noticed, this is about the most productive thing I’ve done all morning. I’ve got time.”  

Max shifted her weight, clearly debating whether to take you up on the offer. Finally, she sighed, her shoulders relaxing just a little. “Okay, fine. But only if you don’t get all weird about it.”  

“Weird?” you echoed, smirking. “Define weird.”  

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”  

“Noted,” you said, draining the rest of your drink before setting the mug on the railing of your trailer steps. “Give me five minutes to change, and we’ll go.”  

Max stared at you, still slightly suspicious but also visibly curious. “You’re serious?”  

“Dead serious,” you replied as you stepped back inside your trailer. “Be ready when I’m done!”  

True to your word, five minutes later, you emerged in something more presentable, grabbing your keys and wallet as Max waited awkwardly by your trailer.  

“Let’s go,” you said, motioning for her to follow as you started toward the arcade.  

She fell into step beside you, her usual frown softening just a little. “You’re really treating me?”  

You nodded, glancing at her out of the corner of your eye. “Yup. But if you lose to me, you’re never living it down.”  

Max snorted, finally cracking a small, genuine smile. “You wish.”  

The walk to the arcade was quiet, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Max eventually got into her skateboard, rolling slowly along beside you, her wheels crunching softly against the uneven sidewalk. You kept your gaze forward, hands in your pockets, perfectly content with the silence.

Max, on the other hand, kept sneaking glances at you, clearly trying to figure out why you weren’t trying to fill the quiet with small talk or questions. Most adults—or anyone older than her, really—always felt the need to talk. But you didn’t.

She studied your relaxed expression, her brow furrowing slightly, like she couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. Eventually, she stopped looking and just rolled along beside you, the corners of her mouth twitching upward as if in approval.

When you finally reached the arcade, the faint hum of machines and game soundtracks spilled out from inside.

“Ready to lose?” Max asked, her voice laced with competitive fire.

You smirked, pushing open the door and stepping aside to let her in first. “Let’s see if you’re still as good as you think you are.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress her grin as she stepped inside, immediately making a beeline for her favourite machine.

For the next hour, the two of you threw yourselves into game after game. Max dominated most rounds with her lightning-quick reflexes and uncanny ability to memorise patterns, but you managed to sneak in a few wins here and there, much to her annoyance—and your smug satisfaction.

“You’re cheating,” she accused after one particularly close round, narrowing her eyes at you.

“Setting traps isn’t cheating,” you said with a shrug, leaning against the machine as she selected the next game. “It's strategy. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

She scoffed, but her grin widened as she hopped back into the game, determined to win.

As the games went on, you noticed the tension in her posture ease. Her frown had all but disappeared, replaced by small, fleeting smiles, and her laughter—rare and genuine—came more freely now.

But you didn’t comment on it. The last thing Max needed was someone pointing out her improved mood like it was a prize to be celebrated. You let her be, letting the games and the competition speak for themselves.

After a particularly close game where Max won by a narrow margin, she leaned casually on the machine, looking up at you with a mix of curiosity and satisfaction.

“Where’d you learn to play?” she asked, her tone light but genuinely interested.

The question caught you off guard. Something about the simplicity of it—it shouldn’t have been difficult to answer, but it was.

“Back home,” you started, the words feeling hollow the moment they left your mouth. You frowned slightly, the edges of your memories blurring as you tried to focus. “I... I think I used to play with some friends.”

“You think?” Max asked, her brow furrowing as she studied your expression.

You straightened, your hands tightening slightly on the edge of the machine. “Yeah, I think,” you said, frustration creeping into your tone. “I just... I don’t remember exactly.”

Max tilted her head, her gaze sharpening as she watched you. “Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

You didn’t answer, your chest tightening as you tried and failed to piece together the details. You knew you’d played. You remembered the laughter and cursing, the feeling of the buttons beneath your fingers, but the names and places—it was all just out of reach.

Before you could say more, a loud banging sound broke through your thoughts.

Your head snapped to the left, where the exit door stood. The sound came again, sharp and persistent, like someone pounding their fists against the metal.

Each knock reverberated through you. It wasn’t just loud—it was desperate, frantic, as if whoever was on the other side was trying to push their way in.

“Hello?” you called out instinctively, stepping back from the machine.

Max looked at you, confused. “What are you talking about?”

The banging grew louder, more erratic, and you couldn’t look away. Your heart pounded in your chest as the sound filled the arcade, drowning out everything else.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

The silence that followed was deafening, but your head felt like it was swimming. The metallic taste of blood hit your tongue, and you instinctively reached up to your nose, feeling the warm, sticky trickle.

“Hey!” Max’s voice broke through the fog, sharp and concerned. She stepped in front of you and as she grabbed your arm, as if to steady you. “Are you okay?”

You blinked at her, trying to ground yourself. 

“You’re bleeding,” she said, pointing at your nose, her tone carefully neutral.

You touched your face again, this time pulling your hand away to see the blood on your fingers. “It’s fine,” you muttered, but your voice sounded distant, even to yourself.

“Fine? Seriously?” Max shot back, her scepticism cutting through the haze in your mind.

For a moment, it looked like she might say something else, something important, but she clamped her mouth shut. Instead, she dug into her pocket, pulling out a crumpled tissue.

“Here,” she said, handing it to you.

When you didn’t take it right away, she rolled her eyes and stepped closer, using the tissue to gently wipe at the blood trailing down your face.

“Hold still,” she muttered, her touch surprisingly careful.

You let her clean you up, too dazed to protest. When she was done, she handed you the tissue. 

“What were you even looking at?” she asked finally, her voice quieter now.

You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to shake it off. “Nothing,” you said quickly, stepping away from the machine. 

Max frowned, her concern not fading. “You should sit down or something. You don’t look too  great.”

You nodded numbly, letting her guide you to one of the benches near the corner of the arcade. As you sat down, wiping at your nose with the tissue, your thoughts raced.

The banging. The desperation. It was like a distant echo of something familiar—a dream perhaps. 

Max sat heavily next to you. “Seriously, what happened back there?” she asked, her voice softer now.

You shook your head, trying to muster a small smile. “Probably just tired,” you said, though the unease curling in your chest told a different story. Max didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press further. For that, you were grateful.

Deciding you’d had enough of the arcade—and enough strange occurrences for one day—you both opted to leave. Your stomach rumbled faintly, reminding you that you hadn’t eaten much yet, and grabbing something to eat felt like a good plan.  

As you stepped outside, the bright midday sun momentarily blinded you. Blinking against the glare, you spotted a familiar car pulling into the parking lot. None other than Steve and Robin climbed out, both dressed in the unmistakable green vests of Family Video.  

Robin was the first to spot you, her face lighting up as she waved enthusiastically. “Hey! It’s my favourite bartender!” she called out, striding across the parking lot toward you with Steve trailing behind, his expression strangely less than thrilled.  

“Hey, Robin,” you said, giving her a small wave as she stopped in front of you.  

Steve, however, wasn’t looking at you—his eyes had zeroed in on Max, who was still standing nearby with her skateboard.  

“Max,” Steve said, his tone sharp and familiar.  

You look between the two. Ah, so they knew each other.

Max froze mid-motion, her mood souring instantly. “What now?”  

“What do you mean, ‘what now’?” he shot back, crossing his arms. “You’re supposed to be in school. You know, that place where kids go during the day?”  

Max scowled, her earlier guardedness slamming back into place. “Whatever, it’s not like you’re my dad.”  

“No, but I care!” he said, throwing his arms up. 

Max huffed, clearly done with the conversation. She turned to you, her lips pressed into a tight line. “Thanks for the games,” she muttered, giving you a quick wave before hopping onto her skateboard.  

You watched her push off down the sidewalk, her posture stiff and her movements clipped.  

Robin sighed loudly, throwing Steve a pointed look as she crossed her arms. “Nice going, Dad,” she said sarcastically.  

You raised an eyebrow at him, silently echoing her sentiment.  

“What?” Steve exclaimed, crossing his arms defensively. “She should be in school!”  

Robin groaned, shaking her head. “You’ve got the subtlety of a sledgehammer, Harrington.”  

Steve turned to you for backup, his brows furrowing. “Come on, back me up here. She shouldn’t be skipping school, right?”  

You gave him a flat look, taking a step past him. “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” you said dryly, though you couldn’t hide the faint smirk tugging at your lips.  

Robin snorted, clearly enjoying your response, and Steve let out an exaggerated groan.  

“Fine, whatever,” he muttered, adjusting his vest. “You two are impossible.”  

Robin patted his arm with mock sympathy before turning back to you. “You sticking around, or do you have a shift later?”  

“I’ve got work tonight,” you said, glancing down the street where Max had disappeared. “I was just about to grab something to eat first.”  

“Well, don’t let Captain Buzzkill here ruin your day,” Robin said, shooting a playful glare at Steve. “Catch you around?”  

“Sure,” you replied with a small smile, shoving your hands into your pockets.  

Robin waved cheerfully as she headed toward the video store, while Steve lingered for a moment longer, still looking vaguely disgruntled. He scratched the back of his neck, glancing in the direction Max had disappeared on her skateboard.  

“She hasn’t been doing great lately,” he said quietly, more to himself than to you.  

You paused, studying his face. His exasperation was gone, replaced by genuine concern.

“Max, I mean,” he continued, shoving his hands into his vest pockets. “It’s been rough for her, you know? And she’s not exactly the type to let anyone in, even when she really should.”  

You nodded, not sure what to say. It wasn’t like Max had poured her heart out to you either, but you’d noticed her walls, her guardedness.  

Steve glanced at you, his brows furrowed slightly. “So... thanks. For whatever you did to make her, I don’t know, laugh or smile or whatever. It helps.”  

“Wasn’t much,” you said, shrugging. “We just played some games.”  

“Still,” he said, his voice almost begrudging. “She seemed happy when I saw her with you. So, yeah. Thanks.”  

For a moment, the air between you was quiet. Steve looked thoughtful, and then, as if realising he’d let himself be too earnest, he cleared his throat and straightened up.  

“Anyway,” he said, his tone a little too casual now, “I’d better get inside before Robin starts rearranging the horror section again.”  

You smirked faintly, watching him retreat toward the store. “See you around, Steve.”  

He gave you a small wave over his shoulder before stepping inside, leaving you alone on the sidewalk. His words stayed with you, though, as you continued on your way, your thoughts swirling with questions about Max, her walls, and the glimpses of vulnerability you’d seen in both her and Steve.  

divider credit

[staarjeelly]

i'm not necessarily a hater but i would still love to hear your thoughts on the httyd live action trailer

first of all, thank you so much for asking but i must warn you that i'm not going to shut up about it now.

i've given this a lot of thought and i think i might've gone a little bit overboard (sorry not sorry). so, behold;

my (probably unfinished) list of reasons as to why i’m sure the httyd live action is going to be shit

i really don’t think there’s another way to start this list: characterization. we can all agree that (as far as we’ve seen), they didn’t get anyone right. starting off with hiccup, and with all due respect to mason thames, that is NOT how he was supposed to look. hiccup was an outcast, a runt, a late developer, a “nuisance”, if you will. he is depicted as this scrawny looking child that wasn’t even able to hold an axe properly and that would never, ever become what a viking should be. and he isn’t any of that in the remake. he isn’t meant to be hiccup, and it’s painfully obvious. stoick is worth a mention, because i didn’t expect to be this underwhelmed with his character when i knew that gerard butler was going to play him, but here we are. i understand the decision to cast him as stoick, no one else could ever live up to the standard of that role, but i can’t see stoick when i look at him. for the rest, i can’t say much, since i haven’t seen how they decided to characterize them, but something i can say is that the people out there being racist towards nico parker should just keep their mouths shut. 

the way they designed toothless honestly just makes me mad. i’ve seen a lot of people complaining about this same issue, and i wish i could use all of their points and arguments, to be honest. i just have one thing to say. what did they do to my boy?? he looks so unbelievably bad. as far as i’ve seen, his proportions are weird, his wings look like they’re made out of leather and he doesn’t have any of his markings, scars, nothing. every detail that added depth to his design is gone. i saw someone say that he looks like that horrible pez dispenser and now i can only think of that. to me, he just looks like a toad. the rest of the dragons aren’t much better, either. they are recognizable, yeah, but the second they appear on the trailer doesn’t say much. pretty sure they are going to be as underwhelming as toothless. 

(this is what i was talking about)

another thing that i’m sure is going to happen is that they’re going to depict the scenes so miserably. the downed dragon scene?? like?????? it was one of the deepest, most telling (and for me) nerve-wracking scenes in the whole movie. i remember watching it when i was little (and not so little), seated at the end of my seat, leaning towards the screen in complete awe. the music, lighting, atmosphere… i got goosebumps every time i saw how the camera moved from toothless lying body, how it passed over his wing and stopped right above his open eye. i’m feeling those same chills just thinking about it. and in the trailer and the leaks, it just looks like a national geographic documentary. it feels nothing like the original, and i know that being a copy of the original isn’t its point but like. try a little harder. (i don’t even want to think about how test flight or forbidden friendship are going to be, but i’m scared)

the movie itself just looks bland. the backgrounds look straight out from a walmart commercial, costumes look tacky, and it just doesn’t look like berk. to me, it seems like they tried to create some kind of cartoony atmosphere?? it obviously didn’t work, and that’s what i guess makes the movie look cheap. like it’s some low cost rip-off. and given the budget they had, i hoped we would get berk in all of its glory. they failed in capturing that feeling that the animated trilogy has, that comfort and warmth that almost wants to make you jump into the screen to live amongst dragons. and i’m so bummed because of that. 

this is one of my BIGGEST issues with this movie. because it’s not like we wanted the movie in the first place. i’m sick and tired of hollywood, dreamworks, whoever’s been involved in this monstrosity, thinking that what we want is another shitty cgi live action. i’m sick and tired of animation not being treated as a serious form of portraying media, because it is!! we have so many examples of good animation, with touching stories and fantastic writing in the past years!! arcane, the spiderverse movies, nimona… and i could keep going! animation should be boosted instead of pushed under a bunch of live actions no one asked for!!!! and i’m so mad about this!!!

and the final, and i think most important issue with this movie is that httyd DIDN’T need a live action. yes, i know that the ending they chose for the films isn’t the best, yes i know it isn’t the best piece of media there is (at least for the people that aren’t fans), but it was enough! the characters were well written, the storyline was moving, the scenes, music, writing… i still remember when i was four, 2010, and my dad took me to the cinema to watch it for the first time. i remember leaving that movie theater with my mind completely blown away. and that feeling of… love and nostalgia has only grown over the years. which is why i’m so mad about all of this. i didn’t want the live action. i don’t want one of my favorite pieces of media to be turned into this cash grab nonsense. i don’t want it to be ruined. 

so, yeah. i think that’s about it. i apologize again because this is like super long, but i had to get it out of my system. and tsym for asking <333

[generositygullet]

A letter to Akira Toriyama

Dear Akira Toriyama,

I first interacted with dragonball when I was in 6th grade or so, when I started playing dragon ball fusions for the 3ds since the trailer looked cool. Kind of a weird start right? But I was getting really into anime at the time, and wanted to check out one of the most popular ones. I had NO idea who the characters were, and had NO clue what the story was about. But for some reason against all the odds, as soon as I saw the title screen boot up with that soaring music I was hooked. The game was super fun, no doubt about it. But what REALLY kept me going when playing it, was the world of dragon ball itself.

Again I had no clue who any of these people were. But seeing these characters interact with each other, seeing these different setpieces made, seeing all of these powers and personalities, it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It channeled the raw kid desire in me to see two buff dudes duking it out, and god I adored every bit of it.

I didn't dig any deeper than that initially, and like all my other hyperfixations it died down. But again in 7th grade I started playing fighterz, and I was hooked again. But this time I dug deeper in preparation for the release of the new GT dlc, and so the first dragon ball media I actually watched? Was GT. Which is hilarious in hindsight, but I still adored every second of it.

In 8th grade things were not going so well for me, I was losing friends due to being an asshole, and I had to change myself to be worthy of the people around me. I was pretty depressed, and everything seemed sad and hopeless (I know it's pretty dramatic for a literal like 13 year old but bear with me lmao). It's around that time when I decided to watch Dragon Ball Super. And again, I was hooked. I binged it so fast, all 130 something episodes. I could talk big about the characters and everything, but honestly it was just so plain cool. It made me feel excited and happy, it made me feel like everything was ok. And those positive feelings made that much of a difference in me.

From that point on I always was interested in Dragon Ball. my first and only hyperfixation to never really go away. I read the OG dragonball, and started REALLY noticing your artistic talent. From the way you drew Goku moving across the battlefield and the poses he struck. To the illustrations of the action and the punches thrown. It was all so dynamic and energetic. When I was reading it I was always engaged, excited to see the next panel. I wanted to channel the same energy in my own art somehow, to encapsulate the same excitement you instilled in me with your drawings.

I FINALLY got around to watching and reading Z a little later. And of course I loved it. I knew all the basic plot beats, and had a 3 in one Goku vs Vegeta volume collection that I would reread constantly. But seeing them play it is so different. I also started to admire your character design more and more. Trying to draw them in my free time, and getting a bit sad when I couldn't capture the same magic you could.

All of this, of course, was older material though. This was all before my time, I was never there to experience it when it initially happened. Not for super, not for the OG DB, and not for Z. I adored it all, but I always knew what was going to happen.

I remember the reaction on my face when the news of DBS Superhero dropped. I was so so SO excited. More than you could ever imagine. Something new, something I could see with my own eyes, and something about Piccolo and Gohan??? It was amazing. And seeing it in theaters a few years later? God I was on the edge of my seat the entire film. I even started reading the DBS manga, I think it's amazing so far.

When I heard that you were gone yesterday night, I was crushed.

I’m a junior now. And after a long time of thinking about it, being anxious, afraid, and scared of the future. I think I want to be an artist or filmmaker. I want to bring the same energy you did to the world. I'm still trying to figure out my artstyle, and how I want to draw. I’m not great at it, but no matter what, I want to keep going. Because I want to bring a character to life, like you brought Son Goku to life and so many others as well. I want to inspire so many others like you inspired me. With your messages, you brought me happiness. You told me that simplicity was ok with Son Goku. You told me that we need to fight for what we love with Son Gohan. You told me that we should aim to be better than our predecessors with Piccolo Junior. You told me that we shouldn't let our pride consume us with Vegeta. You’ve shown me and the entire world so so much. And I hope you were proud of it. I’m

I said the world of Dragon Ball earlier, but really, it was your world Akira Toriyama. And your world changed mine forever in the best way. Thank you, for letting me dream again.

[tonydaddingham]

lmao guess whos activated ✨blathering oaf mode✨ again (clue: its me)

(cut because length and spoilers, read at your own peril)

so this post got me spiralling into detective mode again and yes i know douglas suggesting it might have been war/pollution but i have certified trust issues™ and i dont believe that for one darn second

BUT

i also don't think it's a kiss. lemme explain horrifically

so i took another look at the two frames we have of The Leaked Smooch™ and the background has a lot to be desired (if you take into account that the boys are taking up most of the frame (duh), plus already fairly average quality video PLUS compression from when i captured it)

but i think we can safely rule out that The Leaked Smooch™ doesn't happen in the theatre here, mainly because even though the quality is bad, the glasses in the Smooch™ are crowley's modern ones, not the ones we saw him wear in the 1941 flashback in s1, plus his hair is differently styled... so yes can pretty confidently say this is not the kiss we are looking for

so i wanted to pinpoint what era the theatre bit is actually set in, and therefore i set about identifying the theatre in question. turns out kids that im not a good researcher (despite it literally being my job) so it took FUCKING AGES but i eventually found set photos of the boys entering a theatre, specifically the hippodrome in bo'ness:

now this was a turn-up for the books, because that's crowley's 1941 costume right??? id recognise that iconic fit anywhere. az's costume is trickier to pinpoint bc he wears the same damn thing but pretty sure this is a match to the church scene:

so we know from s1 that we have the church scene yada yada, and crowley offers aziraphale a lift home... which we know he accepts given that the s2 trailer gives us the ✨Dinner of '41✨ scene:

the other bit however to this puzzle is that there ALSO a set pic of aziraphale at the hippodrome in his magician's outfit. given the frame from the trailer where he looks like he's about to brick it going on stage, surrounded by lovely burlesque girlies and dame siân phillips in period dress, AND there were extras on the set dressed in ww2-type army uniforms, so i think it can be fairly surmised that this bit also occurs in the 40s

so my thought process is that we're getting two separate scenes (kinda) from the 40s, we have the church bit from s1 plus the Dinner of '41 scene as its own entity, but then, like

aziraphale is doing his magic act as a side hustle to this burlesque show? and crowley turns up to watch him, hiding out up in the box?

if we follow this completely made up narrative ive just come up with, aziraphale, im assuming, finishes up and gets changed into his normal clothes, and then goes up to this box to meet crowley?

to this end, i captured and slowed down the bit in the opening sequence where aziraphale and crowley (sorry douglas, not buying it) are in the box... and-

now to my eye, the motion of them in the clip looks like they are dancing? i don't have the source to hand but we've had it confirmed that a choreographer was brought into s2, not impossible az would go up to meet crowley after his magic act, whilst there's still something going on on the stage, and the two end up dancing or something? and az bless his heart gets spooked from that?

im reasonably convinced that this might be the origin of the 'you go too fast for me' line - something happens and ultimately aziraphale gets spooked given that he's only just realised he has Feelings for crowley, and so my boy fucking legs it (a lil post i made a while ago about this exact scenario if you'd care to peruse)

other thing to note:

there is a figure that is lurking behind aziraphale and crowley in the box, which looks like it moves specifically in sync with crowley, so it could be a shadow, or someone/thing is in the box that they aren't aware of 👀 so maybe this thing (?) witnesses it all? whatever went down in the box?

so in my addled feral mind, ive come up with a speculation that even as im breathing life into it sounds unhinged and so implausible it's hilarious -

i put to you, members of the jury, that something was meant to happen in that box, and it didn't... that something being that crowley makes a move of some kind - kiss, dance, hug, declaration, WHATEVER - and aziraphale was meant to accept it/reciprocate/idk, but didn't.

and that fucks with the plan, and for lack of better terminology creates a nexus event (lmao thanks loki) which in turns starts screwing with other events, somewhat like i theorised in this post here tehe

are aziraphale and crowley, essentially, the earth's endgame? idk about u but ive read enough angst fics to know that it's not inconceivable that crowley and aziraphale's mere existence may have been part of god's plan to represent free will on earth, defend humankind, and give balance and meaning to it

so what would happen if aziraphale essentially rejected that? did the most human thing possible and resisted the plan? idk i feel at this point i am just writing a fic and this will all be ludicrously incorrect bUT half the fun is torturing yourself over your own theories right 🙃

[chaifootsteps]

The other day i was watching how people made fun of the Hazbin trailer and someone uploaded a clip from "Inside Every demon is a Rainbow" to say it was a downgrade and my jaw dropped when i saw that it was true, i always thoght that the "new" H.H had something that made it look worse than the pilot but i couldn't put my finger on it, and now i think i understand the reson.

So, these are the reasons why the new clip looks like a downgrade (in my opinion):

1)The Song.

No matter your opinion on Hazbin, we all agree that "Inside of every demon is a rainbow" is an iconic song. Its not a masterpiece, but it works really great to introduce the show. Maybe its nostalgia talking, but i love this song, i really like how it start slow but then goes into a fast catchy tune as Charlie is talking with enthusiasm about her proyect. The voice actress also is doing an amazing song because she sounds SO energetic and genuine, wich is clearly a sign of how much she loved that job. Its a cringe song, but in a "charming" and pure way, that is very unique and enjoyable when you turn off your brain a little.

Meanwhile, the new one sounds like a generic, forgetable, lifeless Disney song, the only difference is that it has curses and shit. Its like its trying to replicate the other one without understanding what made it so loved.

2) The damn camera movements

The pilot was fast moving, energetic and sometimes there were parts where you couldnt tell what was happening until you paused, but even so, it was easier to digest because the camera was still most of the time, it didnt need crazy movements. There was a million things happening on screen, but at leats the camera had slight movements so your eyes could at least know where your focus should be in (check out the "so all you cartoon porn addictions" part to see what im talking about).

The new one? It shakes and zooms like crazy every time a character takes a step and it makes it hard to the eyes to understand where the fuck they should be looking. Its not even funny, someone WILL get motion sickness.

3) The character designs

Im one of those people who didnt like most of the redesigns, now i understand why: because they dont fix ANY of the problems the original ones had: no less use of red, they still have a shit ton of unecesary details, they still have copypasted body types...

I would say some are WORSE.

Take Charlie, for example; she used to wear a light red shirt with black pants, she would blend a little bit in the background when interacting with it. Now she wears a bright red suit in bright red background and she gets lost EVEN MORE. The only thing they improved was her hairstyle.

4) The animation

Some people say that the animation is good and its just the editing that makes it look bad, but i disagree. Just take a look at the pilot and then the new clip, you will see a clear downgrade.

The old animation was so smooth and expressive, new one is choppy and is afraid of smearframes. Making characters with cartoony propotions look so stiff.

Its like those Sonic games when they used motion capture to animate Sonic and his friends. So they would be literal cartoons animals moving like realistic humans and it sucked.

4) The pilot was visually easier to "diggest" in general

I gotta say, while re-watching the clip of Inside of every demon, the only parts where it was hard to follow were when Charlie interacted with characters with exagerated designs and when she is rapping and there are a lot of fast scenes that ends before you have time to understand what you saw. The rest was just ok.

But in the new clip, it was 90% Charlie jumping around different backgrounds with a drunk camera man and in some part i paused to look at the wall cuz i felt like my eyes were gonna burn if i keep looking.

So thats it, there are some other reasons but these are the most important ones.

Sorry for writting too much, its such that im mad for what they did to a proyect i used to be obssesed with.

Anyway, hope Hazbin gets cancelled in the mid of the first season and the rest became lost media, have a good day 🩷

These are some great thoughts, Anon, thank you. New Hazbin doesn't have much appeal to outsiders, but it looks even worse when held up to the pilot.

"Inside Every Demon is a Rainbow" isn't the best song in the pilot, but it was an excellent song to introduce us to Charlie. It's not an easy one to sing either, but Charlie's singing VA nailed it.

[legless-fish-on-rollerskates]

I'm laughing at how hard the trailer is trying to convince us that Blitzø and Millie are going to be at odds in the second half of this season. At first I was worried, but after a few rewatches I'm solidly convinced that it's all fabricated drama for the trailer. There are clips interspersed throughout of them fighting, pulled from two different scenes. One of them is in the hotel (presumably in the Ghostfuckers episode), and if you pay attention you can see that Blitzø is very much not in control of his body. The shot of him coming out of the fountain with fins is the most obvious one, but there are hints in the other shots too that Blitzø is being possessed by the ghost/aquatic demon (posibly Leviathan??).

In the other scene they've pulled from where the two of them are fighting, Millie has long hair like she did in her and Moxxie's wedding photo. This is a flashback, probably to when Blitzø and Millie first met, like we got with Blitzø and Moxxie's first meeting in Truth Seekers.

Neither of these scenes are current Millie fighting current Blitzø.

I'm a little concerned about the shot of Millie with glass in her eye, but that's entirely out of context so it could easily be a nightmare or hallucination, and even if it's real (nooo poor Millie) we don't know that she's talking to Blitzø. She has ropes around her wrists and is leaning through a doorframe, which implies either she and Moxxie were interrupted doing something kinky or she was captured and is trying to escape. My guess is this has something to do with the D.H.O.R.K.S. And it's unclear whether the dialogue over that clip even actually matches - it could easily have been pulled from another scene, we only see the shot for a split second and I still can't decide if Millie's mouth matches up with the words.

"You always take from those around you and leave them worse and more broken than you found them!" This is a cutting remark from Millie to be sure, but whether or not it's from the glass-in-eye scene, there's not actually any evidence that it's directed towards Blitzø. It's an easy assumption to make because it's sandwiched between two other pretty upset things, the first one of which is for sure directed at Blitzø ("you are so shitty!" from Verosika) and the second one of which absolutely could be said to Blitzø given that we know there's going to be Blitzø/Stolas tension ("do you feel any kind of remorse for what you do?") ((I actually think Stolas might be talking to Stella here, but that's a whole other theory)), and since the whole trailer is sort of framed around Blitzø having a terrible time it's easy to assume all the out-of-context anger from everyone is directed at him. Do I think it could be interesting story-wise if everybody really is mad at Blitzø and abandons him? Totally (though it would make me very sad). But at least with Millie, there's no real evidence that she's upset with Blitzø, just a lot of clever editing to make us think that at first watch.

[teaspoonofdread]

THOUGHTS on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

I'll start with two statements regarding Anya Taylor Joy's casting and go from there.

I like her (I know some don't).

I agree she doesn't look like Charlize Theron (and we all know Charlize realized Furiosa as much as Miller did).

BUT a thing that struck me as soon as I heard she was cast was that she had that ethereal vibe of the Five (when I first saw them, the word 'mermaids' wouldn't leave my mind). I could see Anya playing a 'wife', which works with a backstory, I don't think any fan would like to watch play out on the screen...

Now let's try not to be too skeptical: she's tall like Furiosa, there's the probability she was more feminine as a girl living in a feminine world the Green Place of Many Mothers, she didn't need to be as muscular in her youth so she wasn't, etc.

Now. The trailer didn't manage to completely sell me the idea of Anya as Furiosa, but it eased some of my nerves. THE EYES! I saw a troll post on redit literally the day before the trailer dropped with close-ups of Theron and Joy (brown-eyed) captured "Furiosa eye color change?"

I've read the meta, I knew the eyes were carefully retouched in Fury Road in post-production, so I had hope. And seeing Anya's eyes in the trailer, I thought to myself, 'This is THE death stare. This is Furiosa'. And when she screamed all disheveled, I liked that part best. The one with her face covered, making the V8 symbol - second best.

I liked that she was shooting, I liked that cropped-out-seconds-rising-the-tension-rising-the-momentum Gorge Miller magic, I liked how over the top Lord Dementus was, it worked for me. Joe looked like Joe, I believe he didn't have any lines.

I definitely didn't like that head-touch with Tom Burke's character 😕 (sorry. He seems to have a lot of fans.)

And I didn't like the opening and closing shots. Can't quite place why: the opening one seemed like I'd already watched it before, also a bit too long, and the closing felt not authentic somehow. I wish she was more muscular. She just seems fragile in the classic Furiosa outfit.

Last roll of 'complains' before I start with the excitement-inducing points:

The over-explaining in the trailer itself, the big words with the exact number of years and all (like they could've converted into days, like they do in universe) but alas I suppose that's in order to bring in a wider audience. I hope it succeeds, tho!

Is a prequel the story I wanna visit - no. I'd like a movie about the Four - rebuilding, reforming, growing (green and as people), I want Max back even as I know it isn't like him to stay, and finally I want Theron and Hardy side by side, even as I know they wouldn't haha.

All of that is so unlikely. And there are so many spectacular novel-length fics about that. Hell, one such universe has been materializing in my mind for the past year. I almost don't want a movie about what comes after.

Still, I'd prefer a movie about the after rather than the before, but that's what's happening.

But I'm a nobody. The Creator of this world has a story he'd like to share, and it is centered around one of the most incredible characters in recent history, I think we're lucky to be able to witness that.

Now, onto the real excitement!

Disclaimer: this is less coherent even than what came before it.

First of all, we're finally getting a Wasteland movie by Gorge Miller (edited by Margaret Sixel!!!)

I cannot stress this enough!

We're getting chases, and War Boys and shiny mutant-cars, and we're going to GasTown, people! To the Bullet Farm! Helloo, I'm so ready, so curious!

And we're going to the Green Place, y'all! I'm so excited about it. Like they had horses wtf? Mary Jo Bassa! Canon Vuvalini names! Traditions! Defense strategies, weapons, male Vuvalini maybe, crows, so much lore...

But I'm most excited about that Lady driver and the little girl. I'm soo ready for the stories of women in the Wasteland!

To sum up: I'm mostly hyped for the expansion of the world because I love it so much. Because we'd see another of Miller's visions.

And I trust the team behind it enough to know it won't be an unremarkable movie.

I know it won't be another Fury Road because there never will be.

I watched it way too late, and it's my dream to see it on the big screen, which wouldn't happen. So I'm grateful for a second chance to experience something like it. And I'm hoping the fandom will live again, because from my lurking I've found it to be as intricate and smart and fucking amazing as Fury Road itself is, and I'd like to be a part of it this time around :')

[sirenjose]

Call of the Abyss 3

This is a repost of my COA 3 analysis.

Trailers:

COA 3 Official Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukzNGCsP32g

COA 3 Intermission video (COA 1 – 3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oOxOUwNOEY&t=1s

COA 3 Countdown video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3PdSzbESU

COA 2 ended with Steam Teen and the expedition defeating Evil Eye Host and the Iron Hats, after which Steam Teen gets the eye and disappears with it. The next time we hear about the eye is from the 2nd anniversary package when Auctioneer gives Pickman aka Netherwalker the evil eye. Netherwalker shows Margaretha (before she became Vile Blossom) the eye, which ends up opening and as a result corrupts Margaretha, turning her into Vile Blossom, and Pickman, who becomes Netherwalker.

2nd Anniversary Package (Netherwalker’s Offer) Information:

When the auctioneer showed me that eye, it was still closed

I was curious to see what color that lidded eye would glow, but I also wanted them to stay closed, quietly and forever, to escape any malice that might be stirring.

That night, I gave it to her.

When I framed the scene, everything changed.

It seemed to have heard my faintest wish.

I wanted to capture the most beautiful things and the things that aren’t even allowed to exist in this world on the same canvas, if only for a moment.

At that moment, my wish came true.

It opened its eyelids.

And for the first time, a smile appeared on her face.

In a moment of ecstatic madness, I had completed the masterpiece of my half-life.

The moment I put down my brush, I knew this was all I had left.

Before this happens, a few other important events occurred that I need to discuss. Specifically, events related to Margaretha and the “Snow Kingdom”.

The “Snow Kingdom” is mentioned by 3 accessories (Margaretha’s Snow Lotus, Michiko’s Edelweiss, and Yidhra’s Ice Crystal) and Murro’s Snowfear skin.

Snow Lotus: Legend has it that this flower can only grow in the holy land of Snow Kingdom. It was given as a gift to the Dancer, and although it was taken out of Snow Kingdom, it continued to bloom miraculously.

Edelweiss: Who will put this ornament from the Snow Kingdom on Geisha?

Ice Crystal: The work of the craftsman from Snow Kingdom exudes a strong chill every moment.

Snowfear: The Snow Kingdom has a legend that at the height of the storm, two huge figures will appear in the plains. People call them the Snow Monsters, but Snowfear does not buy it.

The Snow Kingdom is what happened to Steam City at the end of COA 2 after the tower’s core was “extinguished” and the expedition prevented the eye from being used to reignite the tower. This would’ve corrupted everyone and caused them to go mad, as we see with Emily’s Chemist skin.

Chemist: The severe cold delayed the Eye's awakening, but could not stop its effect on the human mind. She gained inspiration, stimulated her potential, and fell into madness.

Yidhra’s Ice Crystal mentions being created by a “craftsman” from the “Snow Kingdom”. Michiko’s Edelweiss is likely made by this same “craftsman”, as it also mentions being from the Snow Kingdom, plus there’s how it seems to hint at the idea these items are purposefully being given to people. Margaretha’s Snow Lotus is hinted to be abnormal, as it “continued to bloom mysteriously” despite being taken out of the Snow Kingdom.

Based on the Nether Flower pet, there’s a good chance Margaretha’s Snow Lotus is actually a nether flower. The Nether Flower is said to be from the Nether and has an “otherworldly beauty”. This could explain how the Snow Lotus has its abnormal behavior. Both the Nether Flower and Snow Lotus even have the same number of petals.

Nether Flower: A single blossom of flower native to the nether dimension. It brings an otherworldly beauty to this ordinary world.

Things from the Nether or abyss are capable of corrupting people (aka “erode” the mind as Trickster’s and Surveyor’s descriptions put it). This is backed up by how Margaretha as Vile Blossom and Michiko as Porcelain Doll are both on the side of the abyss, as is Murro as Bodyguard (even though he may not have received an item). This is also exactly what Netherwalker is doing with his “art museum”, as the backstory even mentions his “inspiration” is “mesmerizing all viewers” and people “attracted” by his art can’t help but step “deeper into the gallery”.

COA 3 Backstory Summary (http://id5.163.com/sshh3/index.html):

In a mysterious art museum, there are works of art on display that are shrouded in darkness, severely distorted, but full of strange charm.

The artist, who calls himself an otherworldly traveler, turns his crazy imagination far beyond human beings into endless inspiration, mesmerizing all viewers.

The seeker, attracted by the strange statues, stepped deeper into the gallery, only to realize the mad artist was merely using his most successful technique to express a truth that no one had ever been able to touch before. But he is only a modest evangelist. The abyss behind him is still searching for a new agent, looking for an opening to spread chaos to the world.

After the brilliance and shock, who will lift the curtain out of curiosity and look directly at the shadows that have been watching for a long time?

Speaking of this similarity, it’s possible Netherwalker might be the “craftsman” that created Yidhra’s Ice Crystal, Michiko’s Edelweiss, and gave Margaretha the Snow Lotus. We already know from Netherwalker’s description and the backstory for COA 3 that he is an artist and people “couldn’t get enough of his work”. We also know he’s seen inside the Nether according to his skin description and is involved with items from the Nether (such as Porcelain Doll with the “soul” that came from the Nether).

Netherwalker: Pickman only took what he saw in the Nether as inspiration, and somehow those fools couldn't get enough of his work. When he discovered that the Vile Blossom's deteriorating erosion can only be transferred and can't be eliminated, he chose to be the container himself. But who can ever replace her as Pickman's model?

Porcelain Doll: The porcelain doll for the Far East emerged at the auction after it went missing for a long time. The ferocious soul attached to it seemed to have come from the Nether. The fools are therefore convinced that the Pickman's art has surpassed the dimension of creation - that he has the ability to access the Nether.

Pickman and Margaretha met up at some point before Margaretha became Vile Blossom based on the 2nd Anniversary package.  From how Pickman seems familiar with Margaretha, this likely wasn’t the only time, which could mean they met up before, possibly when Pickman gave Margaretha the Snow Lotus.

One thought along with this is if Pickman could be tied to the Snow Kingdom based on Joker’s Iron Hat Commander skin. That description goes into how he saw Steam City as “their last shelter” and he would “live on here no matter what it takes”. Maybe even after things froze over, he hadn’t left, and went on creating these “ornaments”. The reason he can create these kinds of objects could relate to how Iron Hat Commander was likely corrupted by the evil eye back during COA 2 (when he worked with Evil Eye Host to reignite the tower with the eye). As a result, he could’ve been “inspired” by it the same way Chemist was, which could be how he was able to make these items (or why he became an artist).

Back to Vile Blossom. Being there when the evil eye opened is likely how she became the abyss’ “agent”. It’s possible that, when she was corrupted, this may have caused the Snow Lotus to have “blossomed into petals on her body”, possibly meaning it’s connected to the flower over her eye.

Vile Blossom: Pickman once believed that the human body was the most beautiful art, but she also believed that such beauty would eventually fade. It wasn't until the Nether's decay blossomed into petals on her body that she realized her favorite poetry had bloomed long ago, and she would become its everlasting champion.

I believe the evil eye and the flower on Vile Blossom’s eye are connected (which could mean the Snow Lotus and evil eye are also connected) due to the COA 3 official music video showing the flower having the same eye that was in Evil Eye Host.

This could relate to the title of the “poem anthology” Vile Blossom has hanging at her side, “Les Fleurs du Mal” or “Flowers of Evil”.

Design Notes for Vile Blossom (https://mobile.twitter.com/IdentityV_info/status/1244834650956193794):

As the core of the story’s conflict, we hope that the image of the "Flower of Evil" can be a combination of beauty and corruption at the same time: in terms of style, it can break the common pile of gorgeous beauty, combined with COA's Cthulhu elements, to bring players a more layered sense of beauty. In terms of specific design, there are several expectations as follows.

① Mask is an important element of the clown camp fashion design. Added a foreign flower mask to enrich the face elements of the fashion, in line with the setting of the character disfigurement at the same time point.

② Changed the bag around the waist of the dancer to the poetry book "The Flowers of Evil". The evil eye and tentacle elements on the book are the manifestation of the abyssal consciousness of the book (character).

③ Short skirt and high heel design to embody the perfect body of the dancer + model.

Vile Blossom’s official lore seems to allude to it, as it talks about her “resonance” with it, and how the “dancer felt deeply the sickness of society, and the malice in life. She determined that all ‘beauty and grandeur’ is the end result for the people, and pure beauty is fragile and short-lived, withering away in the end”. “Les Fleurs Du Mal” discusses these sorts of topics (failure to find fulfillment through love; how the only certainties are suffering and death; focus on the poor, deranged, victims, etc... who were the author’s inspiration; etc…). This poetry is about beauty existing in ugliness or being created from evil or suffering, and a beauty requiring a different kind of eye to perceive. This would explain Vile Blossom’s beliefs about beauty.

Official Lore for Vile Blossom (https://mobile.twitter.com/IdentityV_info/status/1244834650956193794):

The inspiration for Call of the Abyss III’s story came from a famous story, “Pickman’s Model”, by H.P. Lovecraft, the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos.

In our story, Pickman is a lofty, nameless artist, and his model is a disfigured dancer. When the evil eye of the Abyss opened before them, their interwoven fates suddenly changed.

Wandering the Abyss, Pickman abandoned his human form and became the Netherwalker. His endless creation was both a welling up of inspiration, and a release of stress under the pressure. But the intrinsic motivation behind all his actions was this model, so heavily affected by the Erosion – in resonance with the poem “Les Fleurs du mal”, the disfigured dancer felt deeply the sickness of society, and the malice in life. She determined that all “beauty and grandeur” is the end result for the people, and pure beauty is fragile and short-lived, withering away in the end.

When the twisted foreign things of the abyss began to grow petals on her body, she finally realized the beauty depicted in that poem anthology — Live in symbiosis with the deformations of malice, never to resist decay, never to fear corruption, and in the original contradiction between ugliness and beauty let your ego bloom. She faced the Nether with glee, willingly abandoned her name and identity, and returned to being but of the origin, a vile blossom.

“Flowers” of “Evil” could also help imply the flowers on Michiko’s Edelweiss and Margaretha’s Snow Lotus are from the nether and have corruptive properties (aka “evil” flowers).

Once she was corrupted after witnessing the eye open, this would’ve been when she became “Pickman’s model”. Pickman at this point used her as “inspiration” for his art or works, which is likely how he was able to create his museum later on.

It’s around this point that Pickman hires Bodyguard to protect Vile Blossom. Auctioneer takes notice as Pickman gains fame for his works and decides to help spread them around to everyone. It’s possible that Auctioneer was a “maniac admirer” due to having the eye before (and maybe longer) than Netherwalker, and we already know from COA 2 that the eye is capable of influencing and corrupting people.

Auctioneer’s auctions are when Porcelain Doll appears. The fact it was said to have been “missing for a long time” but now has a “soul attached to it” that’s from the Nether seems to imply even if Pickman didn’t create Porcelain Doll, he’s likely the one behind the soul it now has (possibly tying into Michiko’s Edelweiss, as its description is about someone asking who will give the item to her). These same auctions are also how (and where) those in the Investigation Bureau (Whiplash, Puppeteer, Trickster, and Surveyor) acquire their items, which we see at the beginning of the COA 3 official music video.

Auctioneer: He never thought that Pickman, who was ridiculed as a copycat, could utilize his imitation skills so well on things from the Nether. As a maniac admirer, the Auctioneer decided to spread the Netherwalker's work, so that the world would come to know of the Abyss' glamour and novelty.

The Investigation Bureau is mentioned by Puppeteer and Patchwork. This is the organization they plus Whiplash, Trickster, and Teleoperator work for. It likely connects to the “F.E.A.R.” badges several of them wear, namely Puppeteer, Whiplash, Patchwork, and Teleoperator. Trickster isn’t wearing one, but does have one on the papers in his briefcase.

Surveyor is the only one without this badge. I do believe Surveyor is still interested in Netherwalker the same way they are, and does help them with their mission, but I think the lack of a badge seems to imply he doesn’t work for the same organization they do. I think the reason he’s here is actually on behalf of Mr. Inference. This is due to Mr. Inference’s Carnival Party accessory, which is a literal invitation from Netherwalker that mentions the “gate to the Nether”:

Carnival Party: My customer, as you receive that invitation, the gate to Nether has opened its embrace. Welcome to my Carnival Party. - Pickman

The reason I think these 2 are connected comes from how Netease purposefully put Surveyor’s owl, Netherwalker’s mask, and Eli (as Recluse instead of Surveyor though) in the poster for Mr. Inference. This is something else that likely isn’t an accident. This would also explain Surveyor’s role with the group, as well as possibly explain his name. Unlike the others, he wasn’t ordered to take Netherwalker out or anything. He’s likely here to “survey” for Mr. Inference and investigate (Mr. Inference is a detective). The reason Mr. Inference asked Surveyor probably has to do with Surveyor’s knowledge of the abyss (aka, he’s more knowledgeable in this area than Mr. Inference likely), which is displayed well enough from Surveyor’s description (and him explaining the difference between people who say the Nether versus the Abyss).

Surveyor: The admirers call it the Nether, while the opponents call it the Abyss. To the Surveyor, this is how the indiscernible manipulate people's mind, so that the admirers become strong and the opponents shrink in fear. The erosion of mind and engraving of flesh through art is nothing but another of their hobbies.

In regards to Trickster, who wasn’t actually wearing the badge and only has it on his papers, I think could be because or imply Trickster is one of the ones at least helping run the Investigation Bureau, if not is one of the higher ups. This could relate to how he mentions “the Surveyors” which almost sounds like he doesn’t include himself as one of them. There’s also from the papers that appear from his briefcase and the typewriter could imply he has a different sort of job (at least normally) compared to people like Whiplash, Puppeteer, and Patchwork.

Trickster: The Trickster tried his best to protect the Surveyors mind from being eroded, just so they could continue with their journey on the road of darkness with the Abyss' creation in their hands. Yet, his playful miscommunication finally took its toll on the Puppeteer.

Another random idea, but maybe Trickster acquired his ability to “protect the Surveyors mind from being eroded” the same way Netherwalker acquired his ability to “imitate” the abyss with his art. If we connect these people to their COA 2 skins, Joker as Iron Hat Commander and Aesop as Banker could’ve both gained “inspiration” and had their “potential” “stimulated” the same way Chemist did. This happened to Chemist due to being affected by the eye, which Iron Hat Commander and Banker could’ve also been affected by due to having the same proximity (if not closer) that Chemist did to the eye in Steam city (seems like anyone in the city could be affected).

Since I’m mentioning COA 2 and Banker anyways, I discussed this during my COA 2 analysis, but the idea Trickster could be on the side of the abyss (or at least seeking to do things like turn people into vessels) may relate to how he was possibly one of the ones during COA 2 who wanted to use the eye to reignite the tower. This would explain why the key to the tower he kept was said to have gone missing soon after the “core was extinguished”. So, in this case, Trickster could still be after the same sort of thing (the abyss, madness, etc..) that Banker was in COA 2.

I want to discuss Patchwork now, as I mentioned who a little bit ago. From his description, it seems to be implied that he was injured at some point in the past, and injuries from the abyss can’t be cured, and may eventually cause the person to become a “creature of the abyss”. I don’t believe this latter bit has happened yet, but in regards to the idea he was injured, it made me think about how Margaretha was referred to as “the disfigured dancer” in Vile Blossom’s official lore. “Disfigured” could imply she was injured in the past too like he was. As Teleoperator is the one to mention the land of snow, that could imply the Investigation Bureau had an interest in the place, and thus may have sent people there. Maybe this is how Margaretha wound up there to receive the Snow Lotus. Maybe she went there with Patchwork, but possibly during the trip she and Patchwork were injured. This possibly could’ve caused her or both of them to be looked down on negatively by the Investigation Bureau. Maybe she was kicked out, which maybe could be why she wound up with Pickman, and why he says seeing the evil eye open was the first time he saw her “smile”. I’ll discuss this idea more later, but what if they were sent there by Trickster? What if he wanted someone to become a “container” (as Netherwalker puts it) for the abyss?

This idea in part comes from the possibility that Trickster is also Banker. For one thing, Banker may have been influenced by the eye the same way Chemist was. Another thing is that I think Banker was on the side of wanting the eye to reignite the tower. Either way, his involvement in COA 2 is where I think Trickster would’ve acquired his interest in the abyss. I believe he could also be connected to how the Investigation Bureau even in COA 4 and people like Galatea (as Wheelchair Racer) were interested in turning someone else into a “vessel” (for the abyss) to replace Molten Hound (who’s description calls him a vessel, but Reflective Mirror explains he was “disobedient”, which was likely why they wanted a replacement). This comes from the Chinese description of Bane’s Jammed Gear accessory, which adds a part about how “When the medical company cooperated with the investigation bureau's cleanup” (the Chinese version may use the word for “recycle” here) to the rest of the description, which is “The Pharmaceutical Corporation and the Bureau of Investigation created an almost-flawless container that combines Pickman and the Puppeteer's recovered techniques - with only a tiny flaw in its design”.

Basically, Trickster like the Investigation Bureau (if he isn’t one of the ones running it) may be interested in creating a “vessel” or “container” for the abyss. We already know Puppeteer was essentially being sent on a suicide mission because they wanted her to become Vile Blossom’s replacement. We know Trickster was the one who helped cause this to happen and for her to be vulnerable to Netherwalker (as we see during the COA 3 official music video) due to his “miscommunication”, as it is said to have taken “its toll” on her. Therefore, it’s possible Trickster may have also been involved in sending Margaretha for the same reason, and essentially helped cause her to become corrupted (turn into Vile Blossom) as well.

Trickster picking people to be corrupted and turned into vessels could parallel his canon backstory and how he has standards on who he kills based on his 2nd birthday letter with Victor.

Back to Patchwork, another thing I want to mention with him is the mask he wears.

This should imply he is at least somewhat corrupted, as the only other people with these kinds of masks with tentacle designs have been on the side of the abyss (Vile Blossom doesn’t have a mask, but she does have that flower covering the left side of her face). Vile Blossom’s design notes mention masks are “an important element of Netherwalker’s camp”. These masks may be a way of imitating Vile Blossom, who Netherwalker calls his model.

Teleoperator doesn’t have a mask, but she does have tentacle designs around her left eye, plus a Cthulhu looking design on the back of her hood (not to mention the antenna thing sticking up from between her horns).

This could mean, besides Patchwork, that Teleoperator is potentially unwittingly helping the abyss somehow.

Back to Patchwork, he also has something silver or metallic covering part of his left arm as well as a horn coming out of a magnifying glass on the left side of his helmet/hat. Norton’s Puzzler skin also has a magnifying glass on it, except it’s intact unlike Patchwork’s. Miss Truth also has a magnifying glass on her outfit, and she’s connected to Mr. Inference. Other details that connect Puzzler to Mr. Inference are the pipe at his hip as both Mr. Inference and Miss Truth have pipes, the kind of leather outfit he wears similar to the ones Miss Truth and Mr. Inference wear, and the “?” on his head which can relate to how Mr. Inference and Miss Truth have things appear above their heads when they’re near to each other (Truth gets a light bulb, while Mr. Inference gets a lock).

Patchwork is possibly intended to be Puzzler after he was corrupted based on the pierced magnifying glass. Maybe he was sent by Mr. Inference because of the invitation from Pickman he received the same way Surveyor likely was. Or maybe Mr. Inference is invested in this abyss and Netherwalker stuff because of Puzzler, who may have gotten hurt because of the abyss.

The “Investigation Bureau”, from the name, is basically a detective agency. Maybe before the events of COA 3 it was just a regular detective agency. Puzzler is a detective, so maybe that’s why he was working there. Maybe Inference and Surveyor (or Recluse) were too. But then the events of COA 2 happen. Maybe this was when Trickster (or Banker) joined. As one of those that likely “hungered for the treasure’s power” (the eye), this may have been when he started using the Investigation Bureau for his own ends. We know that Patchwork was hurt by something abyss related. Until COA 3, the abyss seemed to be focused around the eye, which initially was in R’lyeh but was taken out and ended up in Steam City. This could mean the place where Patchwork could’ve gotten hurt, and how Puzzler could’ve become Patchwork, involved the “snow land”. Maybe he went there with Margaretha, which could’ve been when she received the Snow Lotus.

After Trickster gave the eye to Auctioneer, who gave it to Netherwalker, the abyss started to really spread and become an issue, which could’ve been when the Bureau began focusing on abyss related matters. This is likely when the Invesigation Bureau decided to fight fire with fire and realized they would need abyss weapons to deal with Netherwalker, meaning this would’ve been the first time people like Whiplash and Puppeteer acquire (and use) their items. This would also be how and why Fiona learns this is actually a bad thing, and attempts to warn them, but her warnings never get through because of Trickster.

Moving on, I want to talk about Netherwalker again.

From his description, we see that Vile Blossom’s corruption was getting worse. He didn’t want to completely lose her, so he looked to see if he could get rid of it. Unfortunately the “deteriorating erosion can only be transferred and can’t be eliminated”. As such, he “chose to be the container himself”. Also, when Pickman becomes the new “container” is when Pickman really becomes Netherwalker.

Netherwalker was using Vile Blossom, and likely her corruption and connection to the abyss as its agent as well, as “inspiration” for his art. With him now the container rather than Vile Blossom, he can’t get the inspiration (or at least as easily) anymore. That’s why he says he’s looking for a new “model” to replace what Vile Blossom was (so he can continue getting inspiration for his art).

This also shows that Margaretha is more the real “mastermind” than Netherwalker. Vile Blossom was the abyss’ “agent”, while Netherwalker simply used her and her connection to the abyss as “inspiration” for his art. COA 3’s backstory mentions the “abyss” was searching for a “new agent” because it was “looking for an opening to spread chaos to the world”. This is likely what it was using Vile Blossom for until Netherwalker began searching for a new container (or agent) for it. Maybe Vile Blossom was even the one to directly tell Netherwalker what kind of “art” he should make (or at least pointed him in the direction it wanted). She may have even been the one to “inspire” Netherwalker to make a museum to better “spread chaos”. This idea is backed up by how the Call of the Abyss III Promo Director’s Edition says essentially the same thing, calling her the “mastermind behind the scenes”, and how the battlefield between Netherwalker, Puppeteer, and Whiplash in the official music video is her music box. It even says she “looked down on the battle to indirectly express that everything was under her control”.

Anyways, Netherwalker looking for a new “model” is where Puppeteer comes in. I believe the reason Puppeteer is chosen to replace Vile Blossom is partially because of Netherwalker wanting a new “model”, while the other part is Trickster and the Investigation Bureau. Trickster’s “miscommunication” is the reason Puppeteer becomes vulnerable to Netherwalker. At the same time, I also believe Trickster and the Investigation Bureau purposefully sent Puppeteer, despite her lack of experience and being new (Whiplash calls her the “newcomer”), to Netherwalker, knowing she’d fail so she could become the new “container”. As I said before, especially when I brought up COA 4 earlier, Trickster and the Investigation Bureau seek to essentially create a vessel (possibly because they seek to control the abyss, experiment with it, use it to acquire power, or just help it spread chaos). In that sense, they agreed with Netherwalker’s goal, whether or not they were actually on the same side (which there’s not enough information to say).

This is why they send Puppeteer on the mission to Netherwalker’s museum.

This could also be why her and the others at the Investigation Bureau use abyss items that will also “erode” their minds over time. Just like with COA 4, this seems to relate to the idea they’re experimenting with the abyss. Maybe these items and what they do relate to Trickster’s “miscommunication”. Other versions translate it as something along the lines of: “But a groundless rumor that he toyed with lives spread, taking its toll on the Puppeteer”. Teleoperator’s description mentions the investigators being “devoured” by their “own creation” (she uses the word “Surveyors” which is confusing considering that’s the name of Eli’s COA 3 skin, but she’s actually talking about the people working for the Investigation Bureau rather than specifically Eli). It’s even said she tried to send “numerous messages to her companions”. These messages could be the very papers we see fly out of Trickster’s briefcase in his showroom.

Teleoperator: Only the Abyss can confront the Abyss - when the dispute from the far away snow land came over, she finally realised this is all but another pipe dream. "The Surveyor will be devoured by his own creation." She sent numerous messages to her companions, yet she couldn't foresee this ending.

“Miscommunication” can be defined as the failure to get a message across, so it’s possible he simply prevented the message from reaching her (or maybe he changed it somehow). This way, he could purposefully cause Puppeteer to wear down until he got what he wanted from her, which is why his miscommunication is said to have “taken its toll” on Puppeteer. Maybe this “toll” involves Puppeteer’s Heart of the Machine accessory, which is said to have been created with the help of Trickster. It also talks about “imitation tentacles”. The idea of “imitating” relates to Netherwalker, as that’s exactly what he does. Therefore, this could’ve been part of the reason Puppeteer ended up getting captured or corrupted more easily (maybe the “miscommunication” more had to do with him getting her to add abyss stuff to the heart and bot, and so assist in her being handed over to Netherwalker or corrupted).

Heart of the Machine: A feature created by the Puppeteer with the help of Trickster, with imitation tentacles that enhance the Doll's mobility or can be used as disguise.

Fortunately for Puppeteer, she’s not alone. Whiplash goes with her to the museum and is committed to protecting her. She also has Surveyor, who I believe both helps find Netherwalker, as well as helps Whiplash navigate the abyss and find Puppeteer after she gets taken and/or falls into the “gate” to the nether (mentioned in Mr. Inference’s Carnival Party accessory), which we see happen at the end of the COA 3 official music video.

Regarding the timeline of these events with the museum, we have the official stages for COA 3: Invitation, Dome of Musee, Masterpiece, and Cross Dimension.

“Invitation” can connect to the developers’ notes for COA 3 when they say “a letter of commission from the dancer entrusted the four investigators, Cowboy, Mechanic, Embalmer, and Seer, to go to an art gallery to investigate the artist Joker, who is deeply influenced by Cthulhu's power, and the four of them start a fierce battle with Joker in the art gallery”. Another thing it can connect to is Mr. Inference’s invitation, aka his Carnival Party accessory, which is a direct invitation by Netherwalker that talks about his “gate to the Nether” opening (which could be that pit we see Puppeteer falling into at the end of the music video).

The beginning of the music video could also parallel this “invitation” from Vile Blossom, who they may not know is corrupted and/or working with Netherwalker, and the Bureau’s interest in Netherwalker.

Maybe the reason they didn’t suspect anything from the dancer’s invitation if my earlier theory that she used to work for the Investigation Bureau is true, as investigators like Puppeteer and Whiplash would have trusted (and worked with) her in the past.

Teleoperator says “only the abyss can confront the abyss”, so if they wanted to deal with Netherwalker, that would explain why they’d need the abyss items they acquired (from Auctioneer’s storage room).

She also says “the dispute from the far away snow land came over, she realized this is all but another pipe dream”. This “dispute” could be the events of COA 2, and when she talks about it coming over, the connection between COA 2 and COA 3 is the evil eye, which may be what Teleoperator is referring to, as we know Netherwalker received it from Auctioneer, and the eye is what corrupts him and Vile Blossom.

Next up is the “Dome of Musee”. Musée means art gallery, so this would be when the 4 (Puppeteer, Whiplash, Surveyor, and Trickster) arrive at Netherwalker’s museum, like we see in the official music video. During the video, we see Surveyor using her doll to get past security, which ties in to Heart of the Machine’s description talking about it being able to “disguise” itself. Regarding Surveyor, he seems to essentially have night vision goggles, and I already mentioned his knowledge of the abyss, both of which could help them navigate the museum and reach Netherwalker.

The next stage is Masterpiece. This refers to the large statue of Vile Blossom at the end of the museum.

This is where the battle between Netherwalker and the investigators occurs, the one I referenced Vile Blossom was “looking down on” before. As we see during the official music video, as well as from the COA 3 Promo Director’s Edition notes, Puppeteer is taken by Netherwalker and falls into the Nether. He has her become the new “model” and the new container for the abyss.

Call of the Abyss III Promo Director’s Edition (https://www.zcool.com.cn/work/ZNDI5NjI2Mjg=.html)

The short film needs to show a story with a complex background and full of turning points in a limited time. We used a lot of metaphors and clues to express the plot, leaving the audience ample room for reasoning and imagination.

The story is based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft's work "Pickman's Model" under the Cthulhu mythology system: a letter of commission from the dancer entrusted the four investigators, Cowboy, Mechanic, Embalmer, and Seer, to go to an art gallery to investigate the artist Joker, who is deeply influenced by Cthulhu's power, and the four of them start a fierce battle with Joker in the art gallery. The truth is that the dancer is the ultimate boss possessed by Cthulhu’s power.

In the end, Cthulhu's power was unfortunately transferred to the captured Mechanic, and the Cowboy was also caught in a dilemma in order to save the Mechanic.

We have spent a lot of thought on how to imply who is the mastermind behind the scenes. And in this especially important scene, an Easter egg was buried for the player.

The battlefield is the dancing girl's weapon-the music box. The dancer looked down on the battle to indirectly express that everything was under her control...

This is where the last stage “Cross Dimension” comes in, which in other versions essentially is referring to the Nether. I actually think the idea that Puppeteer fell into the “gate to the Nether” Netherwalker mentions in Mr. Inference’s Carnival Party could somewhat parallel one of the official art pieces for COA 3. In this piece, we see the 4 falling into a gateway to the abyss (based on the tentacles coming out).

Once Puppeteer fell into the abyss, this is when Whiplash’s description comes into play. It mentions that he “stands at the exit on the other side”. This could parallel the end of the music video when Whiplash is seen watching Puppeteer fall into the abyss.

It then adds that she had a choice: “take on everything alone and stay behind, or accept the horrible price and leave”. This could tie into Puppeteer’s description, which mentions she didn’t understand why the “Investigation Bureau sealed off the Secrets of the Abyss, until the Netherwalker’s existence made her realize the catastrophe if it is ever revealed”.

Whiplash: At the exit on the other side, the veteran's last lesson for the newcomer is about choice: take on everything alone and stay behind, or accept the horrible price and leave. No matter which choice is made, it will only bring him closer to the Netherwalker.

Puppeteer: She never figured out why the Investigation Bureau sealed off the Secrets of the Abyss, until the Netherwalker's existence made her realize the catastrophe if it is ever revealed. But the Abyss will no doubt find a way to show itself, and just when she's willing to step up...

This choice may involve these “Secrets of the Abyss” that were sealed off, and the “catastrophe” if they’re ever revealed may be the “horrible price”. She likely understood what these sealed off “Secrets of the Abyss” were once she was Netherwalker’s new “model” and new container for the abyss (as she would now be the abyss’ new “agent”). Her choice was probably to either to leave (the Nether and/or the museum and Netherwalker) and allow these “secrets” to be “revealed”, thus causing this “catastrophe”, or take on the burden of preventing this catastrophe, the reveal of these “secrets”, and allowing the abyss to spread chaos, but be forced to stay behind.

Based on the COA 3 Countdown video, I believe she chose to deal with everything herself, as we see a statue of her in a glass case.

There’s also Connoisseur’s description, which mentions Connoisseur capturing “that blood and desire-soaked blossom” and placing her “within the glass encasing she had designed”. This “blossom” would be Puppeteer, as Puppeteer was to be the replacement for Vile Blossom. Her fight with Netherwalker alongside Whiplash could be where the “blood” comes from. Finally, the desire could relate to her desire to be with Whiplash, as the end of the music video shows her reaching out to him. Another thought is it could relate to her desire to defeat the abyss, as her description does say “and just when she’s willing to step up” right after mentioning a “catastrophe” if the “secrets” were revealed.

Connoisseur: She didn't care about how the artwork was created. Even that blood and desire-soaked blossom she'd be willing to capture herself and place within the glass encasing she had designed.

After she was “captured” is when I think Whiplash comes in again.

From Whiplash’s description, it mentions that “no matter which choice is made, it will only bring him closer to the Netherwalker.” This could mean Netherwalker hadn’t been beaten before Puppeteer fell into the abyss, which could parallel what we see in the music video (it shows him dealing a blow to Puppeteer before she falls into the abyss, and we don’t see Netherwalker afterwards). Therefore, the meaning of this part is probably to show Whiplash is targeting Netherwalker, which also may help imply he hasn’t given up on Puppeteer and still wants to rescue her. This is backed up by how, before breaking the glass case Puppeteer is in during the COA 3 Countdown video, he sees flashbacks of when she was captured and fell into the abyss. The significance of him breaking her case is he wants to free her (aka, rescue her) from her predicament.

Based on this plus how we see (only) Netherwalker’s mask in the Mr. Inference poster, not to mention his Bladeless Hilt accessory, I believe this may imply Whiplash could’ve beaten Netherwalker to help Puppeteer. This would go along with how it’s said the earlier choice would only “bring him closer to the Netherwalker”, not to mention how the COA 3 music video and COA 3 Countdown video both show Whiplash’s willingness to fight Netherwalker (not to mention his strong desire to protect Puppeteer). The fact Netherwalker transferred the corruption from him (Pickman) to Puppeteer could imply he’s weaker, and so therefore easier for Whiplash to defeat (as now Pickman doesn’t as many abyss powers).

At this point, I think Whiplash decided to help Puppeteer by transferring the corruption from her to himself (the same way Netherwalker transferred it from Vile Blossom to himself). Bladeless Hilt’s description, which talks about a “mind at peace” may help back up this idea. The fact it was essentially saying he wasn’t going to let his mind “shatter” like a sword is to imply he was going to resist the corruption and refuse to allow it to completely erode his mind.

Bladeless Hilt: Hold your whip as if you're holding a sword. A tempered blade can be shattered, but a mind in peace cannot.

I don’t think he died or anything after this. Maybe he left (separated from) Puppeteer so he didn’t hurt her after he became the new container. There’s also how he appears in the poster for Season 10 Essence 1 (with Desolate Sands). Either way, the fact his accessory mentions he wouldn’t “shatter” I think is symbolic as to imply he wouldn’t die either.

The idea both Puppeteer and Whiplash were the container at some point could connect to how both of them have roses on their outfits similar to the one Vile Blossom had on her face.

Actually, now that I mention it, this is mostly a random idea (crack theory/headcanon), but what if the 2 of them dealt with the abyss and its corruption by splitting the role? As in, they each sort of received half of it? That way neither would completely lose themselves (share the burden). It could also tie in to how they both still have flowers on their outfits (at the same time, and on opposite sides of their chest from each other).

The last thing I have to discuss is COA 3’s connection to COA 4.

This comes mainly from Bane’s Jammed Gear accessory, which implies the Pharmaceutical Corporation and Bureau of Investigation are connected. It talks about them using “Pickman and the Puppeteer’s recovered techniques” to create “an almost flawless container”. The creation of a “container” is exactly what Netherwalker (and Trickster, based on my theories) were doing in COA 3 with Vile Blossom and Puppeteer (This is also what happened to Netherwalker when he took the corruption from Vile Blossom to keep her condition from deteriorating further, and what happened to Whiplash when he transferred the corruption from Puppeteer to himself).  

Jammed Gear: The Pharmaceutical Corporation and the Bureau of Investigation created an almost-flawless container that combines Pickman and the Puppeteer's recovered techniques - with only a tiny flaw in its design.

The fact they were trying to create a “flawless” container could relate to how Vile Blossom’s condition was deteriorating to the point Netherwalker wanted to save her by making himself the container, or how Puppeteer (and Whiplash) attempted to resist the corruption. The latter point could be why they were trying to “create” something that they could control (I mention this in a bit, but Molten Hound is an artificial creation). But their creation ended up having a “flaw” despite their attempts. This “flaw” could relate to why the gear is “jammed”, or it could relate to why Molten Hound in the backstory and by Reflective Mirror is referenced to have gone “out of control” and described as “disobedient”.

Regarding the “techniques” of Netherwalker and Puppeteer, this could be referring to the “imitation” technique. Auctioneer is the one to state Pickman has “imitation skills’ which he utilizes “so well on things from the Nether”. The other mention comes from Puppeteer’s Heart of the Machine accessory, which is said to have “imitation tentacles that enhance the Doll’s mobility or can be used as a disguise”. As Trickster was the one to help her, and Trickster wanted her to be captured by Netherwalker and become the container to replace Vile Blossom, maybe these “imitation tentacles” also came from Netherwalker. Therefore, this “imitation” ability and/or imitation tentacles may be the “technique” they took from Netherwalker. This could relate to how the Parasiticraft pet from COA 4 has tentacles and an eye on it that is the exact same eye as Netherwalker. Both of their eyes even have the same flower image in them. Even the tentacles on Parasiticraft have the same bluish eyes on them Netherwalker has.

The technique they took from Puppeteer may involve her doll. Molten Hound, according to the (expanded) backstory for COA 4, is said to be something along the lines of an “artificial sculpture” made by the Pharmaceutical company. This likely means he was made using the same techniques Puppeteer used to create her doll, which could be backed up by how Jammed Gear and Heart of the Machine appear to have a similar design/feel to them.

That’s it for now. I hope everyone enjoyed this (COA 3 is one of my favorite storylines)!

[kyndaris]

Days of Transit and Films

Living in Australia, the first day of travel is almost always the most uneventful. Why? Because in order to reach any other country (besides New Zealand) involves a bloody long flight. So, it was with my trip to Japan via ANA (which took about 9 hours and 45 minutes or so). It also didn't help that there was congestion at Sydney airport, which delayed our departure time by upwards of thirty minutes. By the time we landed in Tokyo, it was nearly 9 PM local time and bleachpanda and I needed to go through customs, collect our baggage and check-in to our hotel.

Thankfully, getting through immigration didn't take too long for either me or bleachpanda. With our luggage in tow, we breezed through quarantine and went about securing ourselves a taxi to take us to our hotel for the night: Toyoko Inn II in Haneda.

On the 9 hour flight over to Japan, I kept myself entertained with several films while bleachpanda battled with motion sickness. Still, she managed to watch Barbie despite sleeping for the majority of our time onboard. As for me, the films I watched included: The Marsh King's Daughter, Puppy Love, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and Dumb Money. An eclectic collection of films that started off strong in the psychological thriller genre before dovetailing into a lighthearted romantic comedy and animated child film. Then I finished it off by watching a meme-heavy film about gamers rising up and sticking it to the man.

Sadly, during my flight over to Japan, I didn't get much reading done. Nor could bleachpanda and I have any riveting conversations given her proclivity for motion sickness and had her eyes closed every time our plane hit turbulence.

But what to say about the films I binged on the way to Japan? Well, The Marsh King's Daughter was a movie that tickled my interest a few months back when I first saw the trailer. It starred Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn and so was immediately on my radar as a weighty exploration of the human condition. While it wasn't exactly the most riveting watch, it still managed to capture my attention for the duration of its run-time.

After enjoying the tension-heavy film about family, love and toxic obsession, I decided to watch something I could completely shut my brain off. Enter: Puppy Love starring Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin (two actors who caught my eye back when they were starting out. One featured in a guilty pleasure show I watched back when I was in university - Pretty Little Liars - and the other started out as an antagonist in Glee before becoming the better version of the fastest man alive).

From Puppy Love, I hopped over to watch a film about a singing crocodile and the wacky plot shenanigans that come from a half-animated, half live-action musical starring the likes of Shawn Mendes, Javier Bardem and Constance Wu. Is it strange that there's a singing crocodile whose exact origins were never exactly explained? Yes, but the songs are catchy and it's a nice feel-good film.

And even though Lyle doesn't speak, he can readily communicate through song - which, admittedly, beggars belief but these aren't things one should think too hard about.

Then finally, after nearly nine hours in the air, and fully from a sandwich dinner, I settled the headphones back onto my ears to watch Dumb Money. Though I never did watch it in cinemas, I did read about how people were using the RobinHood app to hold the line against The Man when it came to the shorting of the GameStop stock back in 2021.

At 8:57 PM, we landed at Haneda airport. After our plane taxied to its designated spot, we traipsed down a set of stairs for the waiting shuttles that took us to the terminal proper. Due to the late hour, we were the only flight going through immigration and customs, smoothing exiting the airport about twenty minutes to ten.

One short taxi ride later took us to our hotel close by. I, of course, managed to embarrass myself by trying to close the automatic door of the cab. It was only when I heard the driver tell me twice to stop that I realised the error of my ways. Still, we managed to check-in to the hotel only a few minutes past 10 PM. Once inside, bleachpanda and I dumped our gear and flopped onto the bed, exhausted from a day on the plane.

The next day, I woke up early and puttered around our shared room as bleachpanda snored away. At 7 AM, bleachpanda's alarm went off and after spending 45 getting ready, the two of us headed down for breakfast. Once full, we visited a local shrine nearby as well as a 7-Eleven wherein I bought a banana and milk.

Returning to our hotel at around 9:30, it was back on the road for the two of us as we headed to Narita airport for our flight to Seoul. We arrived with barely any time to spare as we checked-in for our flight and sped through security. Still, we managed to try out Japan McDonald's. I picked a Teriyaki Pork Burger (which was mildly disappointing because of how dense the sauce was) and bleachpanda enjoyed an Ebi Burger. Full, we boarded our flight to Seoul, wherein we were treated with another heavy meal.

At 4:30 PM, we landed at Incheon International. On the flight, I watched Venom: Let There Be Carnage while belachpanda slept on, too ill from the turbulent start to our flight. The sequel to Sony's Venom was a fun watch, even if it didn't win any awards. Tom Hardy, I can most assuredly say, is living his best Eddie Brock life, given the banter between our two protagonists.

In fact, it reminded me of my relationship with bleachpanda during the trip. I'd tease and aggravate her, she'd threaten to murder me in my sleep...

And yet she'd still comply with all my walking demands as we managed to rack up a 14,500 step count average over the three weeks we were out and about on our overseas trip.

Once we grabbed our luggage and went through South Korea immigration, we took a taxi to our hotel in the heart of Seoul. After wechecked in to our hotel in South Korea: ENA Suite Namdaemun, bleachpanda and I ventured out to enjoy a nice meal out at Michelin Star winner: Korea Ginseng Chicken Soup.

[randadrives]

An overview: Moab pt 3

So that was my first stop. It was built in 1908 and is open seasonally. I wont give too many details as it’s a neat stop to take your time and read about the history there. Not only do they sell pies, but you can purchase honey, jams, pumpkin butters, and other souvenirs. I bought an apple pie, that could probably be split between two people, and told myself that would be my post-hike reward. I hiked the Chimney Rock trail, which honestly I can’t remember why I picked this one. Sometimes I choose based on the distance of the trail and where it’s located in the park before I’ll choose for landmarks or popularity. It’s just what works best for me most of the time. But DAMN I’m glad this is the one I ended up on. There are moments when I’m exploring that just hit me a certain way, and the best way I can describe it is a spiritual experience. I’m not religious, but if I were, nature would absolutely be my religion. I came around a bend on this trail about half way through and was greeted with a sight that brought tears to my eyes. The sky was riddled with clouds and the sunshine had just came through to hit the mountains and Mummy Cliff in a brilliant way I could not have captured on camera. It was a dream! I finished the trail with so much joy in my heart. I stopped at a couple lookout points on the way back out of the park and ate the entire apple pie when I got back to my trailer. I absolutely insist you get some pie if you go, 10/10.

This leads me to another type of attraction to visit the area for: the state parks! I stayed at the campground in Hanksville because on my way back to Moab from there was Goblin Valley State Park. Have you ever watched the movie Galaxy Quest? If so, this landscape will look familiar, as the scenes on another planet were filmed here! It was such a cool stop and cost me $20 to get in (worth it). I had my trailer with me, so I was nervous about the parking situation, but it turned out to have a large parking lot with RV size spots, right in the hub of all the park had to offer. I was able to park the truck and trailer and walk the dogs around right where all the hoodoos, or goblins, were located. A hoodoo, aside from being a spiritual tradition practiced by enslaved African-Americans in the U.S., is a tall and thin natural rock spire caused by erosion. These spires go on for miles. My dog and I explored them for about 2 miles or so in total. There were a couple hikes I had wanted to do, such as the Goblin’s Lair, but I didn’t want to leave the dogs in the trailer in the parking lot after one had just waited for an hour already. Exploring the main area was enough for me that day. It really did feel like an alien planet. Another state park I visited and camped in was Dead Horse Point State Park. To me, this park is so underrated, and the landscape was comparable to Canyonlands, though a little bit closer of a drive from Moab. This is a dark sky area, and I made sure to reserve a night during the new moon (do this far in advance!) so that I could star gaze, but unfortunately the weather had other plans and it rained that night. I still had a great time. The trails were very accessible from the visitor center parking lot, as well as the main views everyone wants to see. Many of the plants you’ll see here are slow growing and hundreds of years old. I do love state parks because, unlike many national parks, dogs can be on the trails. I witnessed a wedding occurring right at Dead Horse Point that evening! Mountain biking also appeared to be popular at this park.

Another feature, and is free, to explore is the Manti-La Sal National Forest. During the hot summer months if you drive up into the mountain, you can experience much milder weather that stays about 15-20 degrees cooler than down in the town! That is as long as you can handle the elevation. When it was too hot to be outside, I would load the dogs up in the truck and we would go for a drive on La Sal Loop, which takes about 1.5 to 2 hours with no stops. Along the loop are many hiking trails to hop out, as well as a lookout point at around 9,000 ft in elevation. My favorite trail here was probably one that leads to Brumley Arch and a waterfall. It was HARD because of that elevation, but I went in October when the leaves were changing and it was well worth it. People may think the desert doesn’t get pretty colors in the fall, but that’s just not true! Another good one was the Clark Lake Loop, which I did in November. The wind was killer, and my friend and I heard some type of animal that made us almost pee ourselves. Oh, and we became kind of lost. But those are all things that just add to the fun. . . Right? Aside from hiking, the forest is full of off-roading trails (as is most of the area anyway). There’s also two other lakes, one called Oowah Lake that you can drive to on a very narrow, dirt road. I had taken my dogs there on several occasions, but tread wearily as we had an incident with a fishing hook we did not expect. Another cool detail about the forest is that it’s grazing land for cattle. You will be driving along the loop, or show up to the lake, and all the sudden there will be random cows everywhere! Maybe some people wouldn’t like that, but it always made me chuckle.

Aside from these major attractions, there are plenty of hiking trails, off roading trails, mountain biking trails, cool rock formations, lakes, the river, and historical things like petroglyphs/pictographs and dinosaur fossils, to see all over Moab and the surrounding areas that you don’t need to pay a fee or reserve a time to see. I could seriously write a 10 page essay just on free trails I did outside of the national and state parks. I suggest using apps like Alltrails and Fatmaps, as well as just Google, to find them! Or ask the locals when you stop at the shops or in the campground stores. There are plenty of ways to stay for all vacationer types: hotels, Airbnb’s (though I’m still salty about the housing crisis in Moab), RV campgrounds, and BLM land to camp on. There are local restaurants to support, my favorite place for coffee being Snake & Oil. I cannot stress this enough, but as a visitor please DRINK WATER. Drink more water than you think you need! Heat casualties are very real in this area, especially for those who are not acclimated to the climate or elevation. Your water bottle should be your best friend here. Bring your camera! You will take photos and think “this seriously doesn’t do it justice” but still take more! It’s nice to have something to look back on, especially if you only ever get to visit once in your life. Don’t take your vehicle on off-road trails that it is not capable of handling, and also do not unless you’re willing to break something. It happens, frequently. Maybe rent a Jeep, and break something on that. Remember to pack in and pack out, as the ecosystem here is extra fragile. Most importantly, be kind to the locals! After spending 5.5 months there, I can truly say I had great experiences interacting with the people of this town. It can be extremely frustrating for them with the amount of tourism that occurs when the infrastructure can’t always handle it. I hope that you will have the opportunity to experience the splendor of this region if you have not already!