#another little nugget of a parallel

[shallowseeker]

Zachariah torturing Dean:

5x03

///

Zachariah torturing Jack:

13x14

(Script 13x14 via @spnscripthunt-inactive)

[lemotmo]

Let my man dance with his man!

Q. Not gonna lie the ballroom dancing thing was a little too on the nose, I'm not sure why they felt the need to do that. His baseball and Martial arts backgrounds were both right there.

A. So this is going to sound mean but I'm an American, unfortunately, so I can say it. Sometimes the average viewer needs it spelled out for them in a very obvious, in your face kind of way. Twitter proves daily that people will believe anything you say so long as you make it short and easy to follow (stay away from Twitter). The ballroom dancing thing was a nice stereotype that the audience could easily follow. That's it. That's why they didn't use baseball or martial arts. If you're talking to Linda in Youngstown, Ohio, or Barbara in Tulsa, Oklahoma and you say 14 year old Eddie loves to ballroom dance, it conjures up a very particular image of that little boy in their head. It's ignorant, stereotypical, and incorrect but it's their truth (gag me). They're not writing this Eddie storyline for the fandom. They're writing it for the general audience. How a fan consumes this show is not nearly the same as how a typical average viewer consumes this show. This storyline is being written for them to follow. Two episodes ago they had the gay character insinuate that Eddie is not straight, and that Buck might have feelings for him (he absolutely does). In the two episodes that followed, the audience has seen four FaceTime calls, all of them paralleled to the actual canon couples that were shown in those episodes, one included the two of them cooking together, and all dealt with Christopher and parenthood. Now the audience also knows that Eddie used to ballroom dance and loved it. It's a nonsensical little information nugget in the grand scheme of things, but to certain viewers it was one more check in the 'yep he's a gay man' column. It was on the nose because it was supposed to be on the nose. They wanted people to get the implication it makes. I hate that it's effective because people need a better understanding of things, but I also get why the show did it that way. It was a very quick way to tick another box for the average viewer. And all the show cares about is getting the average viewer from point A to point B. People are wilfully ignorant and stupid sometimes, anon. Occasionally the show has to take that into account when telling a story.

Thank you Nonny. 🤗

I absolutely hate that Ali had to make this point, but the most horrible thing is that she is right. 🤢

This isn't purely an American issue though. I know plenty of people in my own life who would draw the same conclusions from this.

When my son was little, his favourite Lego sets were all from 'Lego and friends'. They come in purple boxes and the characters are mainly girls. They're really fun sets to make. Very intricate and beautiful.

But yeah... once in a while someone felt the need to comment on him having made the choice to play with a "girl's toy" *insert huge eye roll here* and how that might somehow be linked to his future sexuality. He was four years old at the time.🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ The idiocy of stereotyping people. 🙄

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[americanhoney913]

I'm obsessed with Hazbin Hotel and Pokemon, so I just had to give everyone teams! I didn't want to give anyone specific types but things to fit both their personality, growth, and just Pokemon I thought they'd have.

Explanations below:

Charlie's main Pokemon is her Umbreon, to represent KeeKee, and Dreepy to represent Razzle and Dazzle. Hisuian Typhlosion is said to purify spirits before leading them to the afterlife but can also unleash those spirits when they're enraged. Quaxly and Mime Jr. are just fun little nods to Charlie's love of dance and Mime Jr. can also learn the move Sing. I imagine them singing and dancing along with her.

Vaggie's main Pokemon is actually her Absol. I was going to make it her Iron Valiant, which I believe all Exorcists would have, but I wanted to do something different for her. I gave her Pokemon that have weapons and a moth to call back to her earlier designs. Her Espeon is a parallel to Charlie's Umbreon. Because they might be the reverse in personality, you still have Heaven (the sun) and Hell (moon).

Alastor was difficult to give Pokemon to since he's such an enigma. His main Pokemon would be a Rotom that inhabits his microphone. Skeledirge has a microphone and is a ghost type. I'd imagine the Skeledirge has is much more malicious than is typical of its species. Dedenne is another Pokemon that I'd link to radio waves while Froslass and Runerigus are "evil" Pokemon. Runerigus even has strange tentacles like Alastor does. Unfortunately, there are no evil deer Pokemon but Autumn Sawsbuck are the most aggressive of the four seasons.

Angel Dust was a fun one to create. Because he's such a complex character. My first thought was to give him waifu Pokemon from different regions but I didn't want to focus on that aspect of him. Or just give him all spider Pokemon. So I focused on the Pokemon he might surround himself with. His main Pokemon is, obviously, his shiny Lechonk to represent Fat Nuggets. His Ariados plays on the fact that he's a spider but is also a poison type Pokemon. Togepi and Sylveon are both fairy types and Pokemon linked to empathy and feelings. Morelull could be the closest nod to shrooms or other drugs since it's, you know, Pokemon. I gave him a Mawile because it's feminine Pokemon with a scary bite.

Oh, Niffty. The funniest idea would be to give her an all bug team. But that would be mean to the bugs. Her Scyther is her main Pokemon because it's a bug but also has sharp knife hands. So I gave her a Joltik as her one bug Pokemon as a connection to bugs and Alastor. Her Minccino is another Pokemon that evokes the part of Niffty that's the hotel's maid. Mimikyu is just a creepy Pokemon that hides behind a cute look. And I just threw in Tyranitar because Niffty would have an insanely strong Pokemon that's a little crazy.

Yeah, unlike the others, I did give Husk mostly cat Pokemon, but they all fit his personality or the idea behind his character. His main Pokemon is his Meowscarada because it's a magician, just like Husk. Meowth represents the more regal yet greedy Overlord he used to be. His Torracat has very similar colors to Husk with the black and red. His Litwick reminds me of the magical lights Husk put up and were lit with Charlie's magic and his Purrloin represents his deviousness regarding his Overlord days. His Rookiedee represents his wings and chivalry when it comes to some of the characters later in the show and his steel exterior.

Sir Pentious was obviously going to have some snakes on his team but I also wanted to give him some steel types and psychic for his high intelligence and love of engineering. His main Pokemon is his Steelix. It's snake-like but in-your-face snake. He has an Arbok but it's not his main Pokemon. He has Exeggucte to represent the Egg Boiz, but also kind of Togedemaru since it's friend-shaped but spikey. Metang and Golurk represent things that have been created/man-made, which is his thing.

Cherri Bomb was fun because most of her Pokemon know the move Explosion. Her main Pokemon is her Camerupt, which shares her personality. Her Golem and her Electrode are for the whole, you know, bomb thing Cherri's got going on. Her Cherubi and her Hattrem are the more feminine Pokemon on her team but her Hattrem likes to terrorize people just like she does. Her Magnemite has the single eye like she does and also explodes.

Lucifer was really fun because I was originally going to try to give him Pokemon to match the forms that he changes into during the fight with Adam but then rethought the plan. Obviously, he needs to have an Applin for the forbidden apple that will eventually become a Hydrapple. And a Ducklett because of his love for ducks. It was between Ducklett and Psyduck but I thought the cuteness of the small Ducklett just makes me think of Lucifer putting a top hat on it. Lucifer's main Pokemon is actually his Hisuian Zoroark, which is the Baneful Pokemon. I was going to have his main be his Seviper but him being tossed out of Heaven and retreating into isolation and shadows once Lilith left him just fit Hisuian Zoroark. Spiritomb has evil spirits inside it which I think matches Lucifer being in charge of the evils of the world. And Lucario is based of Anubis, who is the guide of the dead to the Underworld.

Thoughts?

[eriexplosion]

FASTER <3 An episode I liked the first time that I have a new and powerful appreciation for

Wrecker and Omega playing strategy games is so cute. He loses a lot, but I think it's not because he's bad at them, she is just. Better than most people. She's great to play with though because eventually she learns that Wrecker just needs a little extra time to think on his turns, he only makes questionable moves if he's rushed.

Tech is SO unimpressed with the uber eats mission Hunter and Echo went on. It's so funny that they apparently needed to use the buddy system for nerf nuggets delivery. Just in case.

Tech is used to Cid's shit he is the only one like 'security detail needs elaboration' because he's apparently the ONLY ONE that remembers when important details like "target is a rancor" got left out

I just love the Star Wars tradition of 'you know what high speed racing needs? extra ways to kill each other.'

Cid explaining everything to Omega is so cute actually she adores this kid.

TAKE A SEAT SPECTACLED SPECTATOR. TAY-0 is so fucking funny. It's time he prepares for the next race. Which he's going to win. TAY-0!

CIDDARIN SCALEBACK. Top Tier Star Wars Name

I love the moment when Tech and Wrecker both move in to protect Omega instantly. And Cid pushing Omega back behind her when she steps forward. She WILL come through for that girl in season 3 I know it.

Wrecker: "What's he saying?" Tech: [REDACTED]

I adore the red painted battle droid we get glimpses of. Top tier design.

SAFA TOMA SPEEDWAY IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INJURY, DEATH, OR DISINTEGRATION. THANK YOU!

love to take my little sister to the local 'get shot in the stands' race

That is definitely not MOST of TAY-0 Wrecker my dear.

Omega immediately speaking up like I have an extremely impulsive plan to suggest that may get us all killed or worse

"I am ready to... WHEREAREMYARMSANDLEGS?" The delivery on this line is amazing

LET TAY-0 INSTRUCT YOU HOW TO DO THIS PROPERLY

Tech looks like the most beleaguered customer service person alive right now

INSTEAD OF REPAIRING HIM WE SHOULD BE MURDERING THE GANGSTER <- Wrecker plans in action

"Hustlers like us never change" "I might surprise you." "I doubt that."

Come on you can't have an exchange like that and not have her immediately take her money and try to get Omega back and find Tech somehow

Love TAY-0's face flipping entirely around while walking away to continue talking to Wrecker.

TAY-0 BEING TAKEN OUT IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. THEY ASSASSINATED HIM.

Cid telling TAY-0 to snap out of it and he's literally just a torso... I don't think it's going to work...

DRAMATIC LEAD UP MUSIC TO "I WILL BE THE RACER"

Wrecker's face falling and "He's not joking" he is SO worried about Tech right now (anyway this parallels his calculated decision to shoot out the cable connector in Plan 99 and shows why it is not going to be as simple as him falling to his death, in this essay I will-)

OBSESSED WITH THE GRATUITOUS TECH CROTCH SHOT OF HIM GETTING INTO THE RACER.

The announcer going through every single name is such a great set up to them just ROASTING TECH'S NAME AT LENGTH WHILE THE CROWD MUTTERS DUBIOUSLY. BE NICE TO TECH.

Haxxon "The War Gnome" Trajanix is the red battle droid and I'm obsessed with him.

The other battle droid and the tricked out protocol droids are fantastic too honestly.

TECH YOU GOTTA BE IN FRONT TO WIN

It's called strategy NO it's called LOSING

I'm sorry their banter is so fucking good this episode. I cannot understand filler complaints on this one it's a breather episode and it's a fantastic one that sets up several things including Cid at the end of this season and like into season 3, as well as providing ample evidence of how Tech thinks and evaluates risk.

Cid looking away from the screen when she sees Tech take the death trap route is it because she's scared for herself or doesn't want to see him die right on screen

"You sound surprised" is another good possible callback line

"Well, I guess I owe you one." "Yes. I agree." "I'll make it up to ya!"

If this doesn't come back I will eat a hat. I don't own any so it won't be mine but I will find and eat one.

I still think the best ending to this would have been Hunter abruptly calling and going TECHHHHHH?

[dreamweaversfavsandthoughs]

Well we are officially one week away from the premiere of season 7 and I’m excited for what’s in store! I get the feeling that the writers are going to pull out all the stops and I’m eager to hear the new actors in action. It’s one thing to hear them in out-of-context clips, but it’s another thing to hear them perform in a full episode and to finally know their identities.

Personally, I really want to see a reunification of these two characters:

I drew these awhile back, but wanted to repost them because I’m really proud with how these drawings turned out and they’re just too stinkin’ cute! Back in season 5, we got a little nugget of lore that Birdperson and Tammy had a daughter together and that she is being held captive by the Federation. My hope is that they devote an episode this season to rescuing her from prison (rather than having that happen off-screen and “poof” she’s just there). I want to know why she was being held captive? Maybe there will be some parallels between her and Eleven from Stranger Things, perhaps, and I want to see BP’s and Birdchild’s reactions at meeting each other for the first time. If that happens I will absolutely be:

So what is something you’re anticipating for this new season?

[vinylspinning]

Mercyful Fate: The Beginning (1987)

In recognition of Pride Month 2024 and all my friends in the LGBTQIA+ community, it's time to showcase some colored vinyl in a rainbow sequence, so here comes orange ...

Denmark's greatest contribution to heavy metal (sorry, Lars), Mercyful Fate tragically delivered just two, massively influential and revered studio long-players in 1983's Melissa and '84's Don't break the Oath, then broke up when frontman King Diamond embarked on his own celebrated solo career.

Some of the band's earliest supporters may have scored a copy of '82's increasingly rare Mercyful Fate EP (a.k.a. Nuns Have No Fun), but Roadrunner Records wasn't about to leave the rest of the band's ever-growing legion of fans in F.O.M.O. Land.

So in '87, the label assembled the four cuts from said EP, plus another four rarities into a must-have 'odds and sods' collection they unimaginatively, but accurately, dubbed The Beginning.

And what, to some of you today, may seem like a greedy cash-in wasn't just very necessary in those dark days before the Internet, Napster, etc., but an enduring reminder of why Mercyful Fate is one of the pivotal bands in heavy metal history.

In these songs, discerning listeners can hear the distilled, subliminal legacy of '70s hard rock, fermented with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and matured in a foreshadowing of the extreme metal diaspora (thrash, black, death, grind, etc.) soon to follow.

It's all there in the dynamic King Diamond/Hank Shermann songwriting partnership that spawned early classics like "Doomed by the Living Dead, "A Corpse Without Soul," and the hysterical combo of "Nuns Have No Fun" (hysterically funny) and "Devil Eyes" (just plain hysterical, thanks to Diamond's falsetto chorus).

Side two unearths three, incredibly raw, flawless, and powerful renditions (trust me, you'll feel like you are there) of Melissa's "Curse of the Pharaohs," "Evil," and the epic "Satan's Fall," from an in-studio session for England's Friday Rock Show, recorded on March 19, 1983.

Finally, fans still hungry for more (as they should be) get M.F.'s only non-album B-side in "Black Masses," and an early version of "Black Funeral" from the Metallic Storm compilation, both of which tied a neat bow -- I mean, a tourniquet -- around the band's discography.

Or so we thought until the following year's Return of the Vampire collection, which, in my opinion, did get a little greedy as it dug even deeper for unfinished demos and abandoned, sub-par songs, but still delivered a golden nugget or two.

So, for those of you who simply cannot live with just two original Mercyful Fate LPs and, like me, find the reunion albums to be decent but not transcendent, you can't go wrong chasing down a copy of The Beginning -- it'll certainly be cheaper and more complete than that out-of-print EP.

p.s. -- When I worked at Roadrunner, my bosses, who knew about my parallel experience writing for the All-Music Guide, asked me to pen the liner notes for a CD reissue series called the Two from the Vault, but I wound up using very few words from that here.

More Mercyful Fate: Mercyful Fate EP, Melissa, Don’t Break the Oath; plus King Diamond: “No Presents for Christmas,” Fatal Portrait, Abigail,“Them”, Conspiracy.

[hughungrybear]

Get to Know Me Tag :)

I was tagged by @telomeke in their post here. Thanks for the tag! 🥰

do you make your bed?

Yes. To be fair though, I am not a messy sleeper 😅. Let's just say that, in less than a minute, I can make the bed I slept in look like it hadn't been slept in lol 🤣🤣🤣

what's your favourite number?

I was born on the 9th day of the 9th month. Imagine how obnoxious I was back in '99 lol. 😁

what is your job?

Let's just say I'm fortunate enough to have an occupation that lets me do experiments, mix nefarious things, obtain spectacular (fail) results, and get paid while I'm at it 😅

if you could go back to school, would you?

I often describe myself as an infinite learner. So, while it's true that I can learn things outside of uni, there are still some things that I want to comprehend in an academic setting. I mean, how else can I get my hands on a Scanning Electron Microscope, spectrophotometer, and the like?? 😅

can you parallel park?

Yes. Curiously, my parallel park is better than my reverse parking lol.

a job you had that would surprise people?

Not a job, but most people are surprised when I tell them that I used to be a competitive cheerleader/dancer 😅😅😅 Apparently, I don't look "perky" enough lol. Another thing that also surprises other people is when I tell them I used to do theatre and even played the Virgin Mary in a school play back in high school. Again, my resting bitch face is working against me 🤣🤣🤣

do you think aliens are real?

I'll believe when there is definitive proof that there are. And before I get dragged into the mud, the same goes with religious stuff. I might have played the role of the Virgin Mary in a school theatre, but I am agnostic, at best lol.

can you drive a manual car?

Yes. I actually prefer driving manual cars to automatic because I tend to get bored easily and shifting gears helps me focus lol.

what's your guilty pleasure?

I usually drink unlimited amounts of long black coffee during the day and drink beer mixed with vodka before bedtime. But I will prolly live happily ever after if somebody gives me unlimited access to some tasty chicken nuggets lol

tattoos?

I would want some but I don't like needles lol

favorite color?

I like reds, yellows, and blues.

favorite type of music?

Depends on my mood. There are times I like heavy metal. Other times I would prefer classical music. However, I do like The Beatles so their music is always somewhere in my Spotify playlists.

do you like puzzles?

Yes. I used to do cryptograms and logic puzzles while commuting to my uni.

any phobias?

Does fear itself count? 😅 No, the worst that I feel is anxiety. However, I could always convince myself to face whatever it is that is giving me anxiety. For example, I might not like needles, but I can still get my vaccination with little fuss lol.

favorite childhood sport?

Running. I just like getting from one place to another as fast as my legs could carry.

do you talk to yourself?

If I am alone, yes. I even address myself in the third person 😅

what movies do you adore?

I listed some of my faves in a different tag game here.

coffee or tea?

Definitely coffee but my GP is on my ass for having low blood pressure so I am slowly migrating to green tea 😅 😅 😅

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

Pretty sure I wanted to be a librarian because (1) I'll be surrounded by books, (2) I will be able to hear myself think since libraries are quiet, and (3) it's almost guaranteed that I will be (mostly) left alone 😅 😅 😅

Whew. Tagging @dribs-and-drabbles, @lost-my-sanity1, @imlivingformyselfdontmindme, @waitmyturtles and everybody who sees this and wants to play this game 😊

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Backup Drummer

Right off the bat, we follow up a note from last time. Kuma's upping the ante on being an unreliable narrator. Now we're doing it a second time. A nested flashback. Fun! I love this, same with the idea it's a pointless exercise. Tragic though it may be, the idea these letters never find Bonney is such a great narrative nugget. Type of thing where...well, I was gonna say you see a flash of static that was there intentionally to cover a key detail but we did that one didn't we?

Seeing this flashback start to fray and break down is interesting. We keep seeing it and now I definitely think we'll have shenanigans upon our return. That's not the only bit of narrative peculiarity though. There's another beat that caught my eye even more:

We've done the "static" effect. Covering up a detail with sound effect Kanji. This one feels more like...listening to the radio at the edge of the station's rage. When it starts to intermingle with another station on the same frequency. This is such a weird little blip. "A smart hawk hides its claws" is a great idiom for all this then we shift to a brief moment with Stussy going oddly philosophical. She went too quiet during the time between the cutaway and this flashback, don't forget her. If there's another "Rashomon" break from the main story she might be a good one. Especially with this weird little adjacent element of a potential relative for Kalifa. It is odd how we get Lucci, Kaku, and a replacement girl. Not to mention the three brothers. Sabo was in Vivi's story, Luffy Bonney's, and the OG Stussy has already been around Marco so Ace fitting in isn't that much of a stretch. Still think Rashomon & Riddles is one of my better ones.

Don't forget she gets tied up in the Tamataebako thread too. Bonney is sorta inherently tied up with Urashima Taro by default with that power while we're at it. Likewise with Vegapunk, but that'll be a little secret for later. Which means now we have to get to Bonney's grand escape. That was our deal. Bonney's really horning in as someone who can fill this open role we've identified. What does our story have to say here?

Distortion. Who does "becoming Nika" remind you of? Club, white hair, doggy form, tboy swag...it smacks of Yamato's Oden fixation. Credit where credit's due, I can argue Kiku threads the needle of these Egghead characters, but Bonney's a good mix of Carrot/Kiku/Yamato as well. Still, this plus the narration feel a certain way to me. Like they're really, really reasserting Bonney as a rival. Her own captain. Someone who could have taken Luffy's place if he wasn't here. Fair is fair, our main narrator being unreliable has happened too. With the redacted announcement of the Luffy v Kaido battle. But this makes me wonder how much we'll even focus on Bonney if this flashback continues. Remember she's the third Supernova this arc set up to end her saga.

We'll get to Luffy & Kuma tomorrow, but I have a last thought on Bonney. With all the Thriller Bark elements floating around, did she lose her crew to the buzzsaw of the New World? As in, end up like Moria? Interesting parallel on the table at least. I always thought Yamato was intriguing from the vantage point of like, being perfect if Luffy did blunder into the New World too early and meet the same fate. Yams is a great person to bail you out and start a new crew. Not like anyone wanted that outcome but you can't forget Moria's shadow hanging around. Potentially even literally given the Blackbeard ship could be stolen.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

jigsaw voice hi hi hello nyla...i'm here to play a game...THE SELFSHIP ASK GAME!!!!!!! for my darling sea otters might i ask:

👯, 📝,💞,💌, and 👀(pretty please <33)

bestie hash, the final boss of sea otters shippers gracing me with their presence in my ask box uwu we love to see it

👯: What canon character are you most similar to?

i think a lot of people would draw superficial comparisons to perona since our devil fruit abilities would have some overlap with my seeing ghosts and her eating the ghost ghost fruit. i can see comparisons to rouge happening as well! and maybe a dab of parallel comparisons to nami, robin or vivi

and i'm only putting garp here not because we are similar but because we're basically narrative foils to one another so he'd be brought up a lot in discussions about me i think

📝: How would your story in canon go? How would you influence the events of the original story?

the biggest one has to do with my insertion into the blackbeard stealing the dark dark fruit plotline. i always end up doing some sort of fun activity whenever we make landfall and one particular occasion i'm told by a fortuneteller i thought would only give fun little nuggets of wisdom on love or whatever says that i'm going to be betrayed by someone and a "precious flame will be extinguished"

to which i'm defensive and in denial about at first because if ace was going to die in the near future, i would definitely know thanks to the version of the faerie faerie fruit i ate but now that it is in my mind i can't really let it go and start speculating who in the crew could potentially be a traitor because where else would such a grand betrayal come from

and right when i think i was just tripping and paranoid and that fortuneteller was bunk, my 'preventable death sense' is pinged by thatch and it becomes a race against the clock to stop THAT from happening before anything can happen to ace. so with the help of wbp crew member that is a ghost still attached to the crew who has sense become suspicious of teach, when thatch finds the dark dark fruit and said ghost pal sees teach's reaction i figure i have my guy

from there i knock thatch out on the deck later that night and take the dark dark fruit for myself knowing teach will inevitably show up for it, which he ofc did before i pass the quick time event of him stabbing me in the back. we have our exchange of me putting shit together that he would kill thatch, his true plans of just wanting that fruit and weighing my options of keeping thatch alive and more importantly ace (who i realize i'm in love with during our time in wano), i relent and give blackbeard the dark dark fruit

then he leaves, although not before asking me to join his crew which i decline and i just wait on the deck for what i know will be a punishment and trial of sorts because of the events that transpired that night and i knew a lot would be stacked against me since

1) thatch is short one devil fruit, 2) i did knock thatch out, 3) i allowed teach to leave and 4) teach had been a member of the wbp for decades compared to my short couple of years

things ultimately work out there and on that end but outside of thatch's death being avoided and ace not having a reason to chase after blackbeard until we have an encounter with him where we inevitably get our asses beat and get sent to impel down (different levels though, he's in level 6)

the only real major change is ace surviving marineford because the 'preventable death' sense triggered on the battlefield when he was faced with his option of turning back to fight akainu or just leaving and he ultimately relents because in that case he knew he would die and didn't want to put me and luffy through that (.... uwu and we both happened to be behind him)

💞: Aside from with your f/o, who else would you commonly be shipped with? Why?

i answered this one here!

💌: How would your dynamic be portrayed? What might people focus on most? Any misconceptions?

i think that our dynamic would really be explored in equal parts gentility and love as worship/a choice

it's shown in present day actions and flashbacks (like the asl brothers arc) that i've always chosen to be in ace's corner - a major highlighted scene being my asking garp if he'd choose ace and luffy or the marines and his hesitance in answering as a contrast to my active decision to choose ace and luffy (and sabo when he is revealed to be alive)

and it's shown in the scenes where there isn't dialogue verbally exchanged but panels/shots of us just having silent eye contact or brief touches for comfort or reassurance. compromises of morality to ensure the safety of a loved on. the fear of losing what's behind him. little things like a casual trivia reveal or random sketch that ace knows how to handle afro hair because he learned a while ago on dawn island to help me take care of it

just stuff that a 10+ of friendship and loving each other and even viewing the world through the lens of that beloved person crafted and i feel like that's really the main thing people would like to focus on in our dynamic

and as far as misconceptions...? i'm not sure i can think of any major ones- well minus weirdos who would only focus on the aspect of our being an interracial couple

👀: How does your ship with your f/o influence both of your characterisations and the world? Would there be any interesting metas written about your dynamic?

i think entire video essays and 'tldr' length tumblr posts would be made about our dynamic as it is expanded on and explored in different ways in arcs like marineford and impel down about the stuff i mentioned above

maybe we'd get so popular there'd be an official ship day so new fans will be ??? when they see an influx of art of the two of us before going "ooooh it's sea otters/flaming pearls day" (dare i be bold enough to say a ship week???)

ace is already a gentle character in certain ways but i think viewing him through the lens of our relationship would add a certain aspect to it that in how much that can extend, verses my more sharp edges that aren't as easily seen over my more sarcastically comedic and joking nature (although the insomnia and eyebags snippets would be a hint there's more to my character than acting nonchalant)

Send in a selfship game ask!

[koasinag]

How (and How Not) to Read the Psalms

New Post has been published on https://www.koasinag.com/how-and-how-not-to-read-the-psalms/

How (and How Not) to Read the Psalms

How (and How Not) to Read the Psalms

June 20, 2023

by:

Bruce K. Waltke,

Fred G. Zaspel

This article is part of the How (and How Not) series.

Hunt and Find

For many reasons, the book of Psalms is a favorite of most Christians. Although we all have derived spiritual benefit from this ancient collection of poems on many levels, there are ways to read the Psalter that are more beneficial than others.

Perhaps the most common approach is what we might call the “hunt and find” approach—reading through a given psalm and looking for that little nugget that gives a spiritual boost. In this approach, the reader gives little consideration to historical context, the superscript, the flow or structure of thought in the psalm, the way the psalmist conveys his meaning, the theme, and so on. The approach is in search of a gem that stands out and is in some way striking in and of itself. This approach yields a certain benefit, as probably all of us have experienced. And on the plus side, it requires virtually no study and little thinking on the part of the reader! But the yield is limited in that it likely misses the psalmist’s own purpose in writing.

So how can we read the Psalter more profitably? By way of broadest direction, we must read the Psalms thoughtfully. This, of course, is required of all reading, and we will expand on this in each of our suggestions below.

Read Thoughtfully

First, it is the nature of poetry (and the psalms are poems) that it is not made for speed reading. It requires thoughtful consideration. In prose we read “linearly”—we can read quickly through the narrative to learn the outcome or the point of emphasis. But poetry, as that of the Psalms, is marked by a distinct compactness of thought and brevity. The meaning is expressed in few words. The language is terse, and often the psalmist’s meaning is even somewhat veiled behind brief expressions, allusions, and figures of speech. This is the nature of poetry. And so if we read too quickly straight through to the end, we are likely to miss something.

For example, who are these who turn David’s honor to shame (Ps. 4:2)? Are they enemies from the outside, as many assume? Or are they potential opponents from within? What is the “good” that is sought from God (Ps. 4:6), and in what way does this inform the opposition in view? Just what is the significance of God portrayed as a shepherd and then as a wealthy dinner host (Ps. 23)? How do the latter verses of the psalm explain? What is the significance of all the military terminology in Psalm 91? Who is the endangered person in view? These kinds of observations are not generally evident on a quick read; they require thoughtful attention to the details.

Brevity and figures of speech are not the only factors that the thoughtful reader will want to be careful to notice; parallelism is another. Hebrew poetry is not generally based on rhyme or rhythm, as in English poetry. Rather, it is based on parallel of thought. Most commonly, verses of the psalms consist of two lines in which the second in some way supports, extends, amplifies, or clarifies the meaning of the first. Sometimes there may be three lines, in which case the second two reflect the first. “Synthetic” parallelism is the norm, in which the second line advances the thought of the first in some way. Take Psalm 119:63 as an example:

I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.

Here, the parallel second line is broadly synonymous, but it does more than merely repeat the thought of the first; it specifies in practical terms what it means to fear the Lord. To fear the Lord is to obey his word.

We will do well also to take note of structures and flow of thought in the Psalms. Laments, for example, typically express lament, confidence, petition, and praise. Praise psalms typically consist in a call to praise, cause(s) or reason(s) for praise, and a renewed call to praise. And there are other genres of Psalms also. Psalms of individual grateful praise typically consist in praise and a reflection on God’s goodness which gives rise to this praise. Taking note of these standard components directs our attention to the psalmist’s own flow of thought and, in turn, serves to inform our own prayers. Often, pastors have found that outlining a given psalm for exposition is a difficult endeavor, but a recognition of these standard psalm “forms” can be enormously helpful.

Notice the Speaker

To read the Psalms profitably we must also be careful to notice the identity of the “I” who speaks. Who is he? Is he Mr. Everyman or just any pious Israelite? And if so, can we rightly place ourselves in his place as we read so that we are the “I” who is speaking? A careful reading of the Psalms will reveal that, pervasively, it is the king who is in view. About half of the Psalms are “Of David.” Military terminology is used throughout, and the danger in view is often that of warfare. Some of the Psalms are prayers for the king, and many reflect the Davidic promise in some way, whether in lament or in hope. On the welfare of the “I” hangs the welfare of Israel. The Psalter is pervasively by and about the king. This explains how “I” and “we” are often interchangeable, for the king represents the people. The Psalter has a pronounced royal orientation. It is essentially a royal hymnbook with all the people of God gathered around the king at the temple.

We will often miss the point if we too quickly personalize the Psalms and overlook the fact that, by and large, they concern the king.

This is not to say that the Psalms offer nothing to us or have no application to our own circumstances—they very often do! But we will often miss the point if we too quickly personalize the Psalms and overlook the fact that, by and large, they concern the king. The well-being of God’s people hangs on the well-being of their king. They are inseparable.

Read in Context

This, in turn, lays a firm foundation for reading the Psalms in light of the larger biblical canon and seeing in them an anticipation of David’s greater son and King, the Messiah. Jesus and the New Testament writers cite and allude to the Psalms repeatedly, overwhelmingly in reference to Jesus. The prayers and laments of David are found now on the lips of Jesus. Jesus prayed Psalm 22 as he was dying on the cross. The promised triumphs of the king become the triumphs of the King. The king who in the Psalter is so often presented ideally anticipates the King who was yet to come. The Lord Jesus himself tells us so (Luke 24:44; cf. Matt. 22:41–45), and the New Testament writers follow in step (e.g., Acts 2:25–28). We, in turn, read the Psalms well when we read with one eye to David, his ancient sons and the kingdom of God over which they were given to administer faithfully, and with another eye to the Lord Jesus Christ who in his first coming established and secured God’s kingdom and who in his return will bring that kingdom to its final consummation.

The Psalter is a rich book of poetry, and its devotional “gems” are many. Paying attention to its poetic forms and expressions, its historical setting, its theological orientation, and its Christocentric prospect, we will find its devotional value still more deeply rich.

Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel are coauthors of How to Read and Understand the Psalms.

Bruce K. Waltke (ThD, Dallas Theological Seminary; PhD, Harvard University) is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Studies at Regent College and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary. He is the author of An Old Testament Theology and commentaries on Genesis, Micah, and Proverbs. Bruce is a member at Advent Anglican Church in Woodinville, Washington. 

Fred G. Zaspel (PhD, Free University of Amsterdam) serves as a pastor at Reformed Baptist Church in Franconia, Pennsylvania, an adjunct professor of systematic theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and executive editor at Books At a Glance. He is the author of The Theology of B. B. Warfield and Warfield on the Christian Life, coauthor of New Covenant Theology, and has published numerous booklets, articles, and book reviews.

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[letssofia3006]

Op I know the stories are not quite the same but, when you mention Zod exiling Kal-el, it reminded me of the beginning of the lion king. So, we have an exiled boy arriving to an entirely new and more "relaxed” environment, where social rules aren't as defined or strict.

A place where the boy´s previous role as an heir for an important social position is gone, forced to adapt into world where funny enough, both simba and kal-el are biologily builded to be the next apex depredator, while their home town is endangered by a soon to be dark haired tyrant. 

I might be looking way too much into things but damn! 

There are so many possibilities to mix the most iconic story beats of the lion king with the dc universe.

1.- “Long live the king” fratricide moment, starring Zod as Scar and Jor.el as Mufasa. Perhaps Jor-el's scientific advancements boosted him to be head of the state in response to the growing concerns of krypton´s limited resources. Leaving behind any of Zod's expansion proposals in favor to optimize krypton´s resources management. Further their relationship apart into near antagonist levels and ultimately, driving Zod to overthrow Jor-el by killing him. 

2.- "Hakuna matata arc but with an added bromance and weird choices of food” no further explanation needed. Ma and pa Kent are just the hetero version of Timon and Pumba, showing perfectly delicious earth dishes normal to humans, but utterly disgusting at first sight to kryptonians. (tho once kal give them a chance, there is no way in hell he will ever live without apple pie)

Bonus: I´m not aware if kryptonians ate meat, but just imagine the irony of Barry inviting Kal a couple of burritos and he just ... .starts uncharacteristically crying, just like when a 5 year old kid learns that nuggets are made of dead chicken. 

3.- Kara paralleling Nala but in an obligatory fraternal relationship with Clark. Incest isn´t allow in this blog. Maybe she joined Zod's planetary conquest not by choice, but for an obligatory military service. And then escaped to the furthest habitable planet with the intention of momentarily escaping war, recollecting allies and finding his little cousin.

4.- “simba, remember who you are” but with a projection of jor-el giving the epic speech ever. 

Ultimately, while I had stretched this premise longer than I expected,  I understand that a recolor/ reskin/ carbon copy of another story is plain boring. 

Plus I really, really, really love your concepts of Clark being the definitive autistic boy who constantly causes my poor little wet cat, no affection needed, bruce eternal gay panics lmaooooo

Ok but Krypton!lives au but clark isn't some jerk alien prince, he is a brat no doubt but he's also just so oblivious to everything. Have some of my headcanons for this:

•I imagine it starting with kal el dropping down on Kansas farm [grown up and shit] being found by the Kents as they patch him up and take him down on the guest room, he wakes up freaks out a bit speaking in kryptonian and just floating around the house being overly careful of everything, ma and pa kent are confused and so is Kal, he tries to communicate with them and they finally find a common ground and after a month clark finally learns the human language.

•zod has managed to exile kal from his home planet, suffice to say kal el is currently heartbroken and looking for help

•Kal just saw some random pair of glasses and thought they were so cool so now he just wears them whenever he's in casual clothes but is in no way trying to hide his identity, people are just that dumb.

•Does not get social cues at all and will unwillingly say the wrong thing at the wrong time, he's just a happy little guy who wants to explore this strange planet and then go home

•he particularly likes rock music despite his personality, he finds hardcore metal music soothing

•he once tried to eat Batman's ears, in his defence they looked edible to him,

•Diana loves to fill in kal with false information about the human race, kal is not stupid enough to belive them but follows them anyways just because he thinks it would be funny

•Bruce has a very subtle crush on him and kal notices this immediately, he's confused as to why Bruce pretends to hate him

•The whole league [escpically bruce] is overprotective of him, lex Luthor doesn't stand a fucking chance

•Kal el has no filter and will call you out with a bright innocent smile and float away moving on with his day

•Kal lives in the watchtower only visiting earth for league business, he rarely works alone

•he floats near the Zeta tubes almost everyday hoping to see bruce and when he's not there he's disappointed

• he refuses to walk, he thinks he's done enough walking for a life time and bruce has to tug on kal's cape to make sure he isn't floating above his seat

•he is way more capable of communicating his emotions in kryptonian then in English, he will switch to kryptonian when he's ranting or angry

•Diana and Barry are the ones who suggest he make a civilian identity, and thus is born reporter clark kent.

•He still visits the Kents here and then bringing them souvenirs from space

•Does not understand when someone is flirting with him but will bring bruce random animals he finds in the wild as gifts because "I heard from Jason you like adopting tiny lonely beings"

•he's still pretty good at hiding his identity somehow and at this point as learned all social cues and slang thanks to lois

•yet he still decides to fuck with the league, he gives batman forehead kisses, he once called green lantern a thot ["does that not mean thoughtful?"] And will very knowingly insult anyone who even looks at his loved ones the wrong way

•while bruce is more open of his protectiveness [and possessiveness] of clark, Clark himself is more subtle and quiet about it, but not forgetting he's still technically a spoiled prince of Krypton cannot share. He snatches bruce and gets pouty whenever bruce is talking or flirting with anybody else

•it takes them five years to get together but it finally happenes and they start dating

•the kryptonians finally find clark and force him to go with them but clark now refuses even if his exile is over.

•unfortunately he really can't leave his planet behind and has to leave [he and bruce have a long sad conversation and clark breaks down]

•A month later bruce is handling another team meeting when Clark finally comes back

•he offically leaves Krypton to his older cousin Kara and moves in with bruce

•his favourite movies are the James bond movies

•The batfam all adore him

•Basically I want a Au of sweet innocent clark that's oblivious to innuendos and shit while bruce suffers in silence and the evolves into clark being a little shit who pretends he doesn't know what he's doing when pulls bruce close and whispers in his ear about smth knowing damm well he's doing things to Bruce.

Also-

Diana: Batman if your done fighting with your boyfriend, we need to leave

Batman: wha- kal is NOT my boyfriend!

Kal: (has only be in earth for a year) I'm not?

Batman: I-

Kal: Am I not your friend?

Batman: no kal I never said-

Kal: am I not a boy?

*jla snickering in the back*

[lady-harrowhark]

I promise I’m going somewhere with this but I am currently fixating on how seeing Naberius’s trident knife in the beginning of HtN gives Harrow the Gideon Memory Migraine™, despite no clear connection to Gideon:

Ianthe considered this. She nudged the confection basket hilt of the rapier at her hip aside, and took out a long knife that, again, ran a hot rill of pain down your temporal bone. It was—though you had never bothered to learn—Tern’s main-gauche, his trident knife, a long blade from which two other blades would spring at the press of some hidden mechanism; she flicked that mechanism now, and with a snickt they burst out like a firework, two hard points of gleaming steel. She flicked it again, and the blades went snickt back into their housing.

Is it simply that it’s something from the Canaan House era in general? Or is there more going on? Stick with me here.

One of my pet theories I’ve been harboring since Kiriona’s wounds were revealed is that Harrow herself wounded Gideon after she threw herself on the fence, paralleling Jesus’s side wound from being speared after his crucifixion. They needed to ensure Jesus was truly dead, and presumably Harrow also needed to be well and truly sure that Gideon was dead before proceeding. Ianthe says she put a sword through Naberius’s heart to pin his soul in place for her ascension, and we see his body run through with the sword. Harrow needing to do the same to Gideon would certainly be some very juicy angst fuel.

The other crucial component here is one of my other favorite pet theories: that Harrow knew Gideon’s sword was haunted, likely before even coming to Canaan House. I’ve seen a few people do some more detailed explanations about that, but I’ll do a brief rundown here. 

Harrow says as far back as GtN about the sword “I never liked that cursed thing anyway; I always felt like it was judging me.” After the events of HtN with the River and Canaan House 2.0, we know she has an innate and potentially subconscious talent with spirit magic; it seems likely she was able to sense what was in the sword whether she knew exactly what was going on or not.

In HtN, Guideline #3 in her her pre-lobotomy letters to her post-lobotomy self has several stipulations (wipe it down with arterial blood nightly, coat it in regenerating ash, don’t cut flesh or bone with it) that sound a lot like precautions one would take to keep a soul from hopping out of it.

When discussing the sword with Abigail in Canaan House 2.0, we get some very specific qualifiers around how much information Harrow is able to provide about the sword. Directly before remembering that the sword was Gideon’s we have: “Harrow’s brain, though still a jumble, was no longer a mess in a darkened room. Memory had gifted her a small torch she could light the disarray with.”

After that, she struggles to recall further details, her own brain providing obstacles: “The light was not proving helpful enough: she was, in desperation, kicking over piles of the rubble in her own brain.” In the end, she’s able to tell Abigail: “I hated that damned sword for years. I don’t know why; it just felt strange - rancorous. I cannot deny that I often assumed its edge would be the last thing I saw. I don’t know.”

Circling back to the final battle of GtN, we get my favorite little nugget of support for this: Harrow is described as looking “affrighted” when Gideon tells her to go get her two-hander. I’d initially taken that to mean she was startled (and maybe a bit annoyed) to find out that Gideon had brought it at all, or freaked out at the situation in general. But I’ve begun to wonder if she specifically didn’t want Gideon to bring that sword with her to Canaan House because she knew, or at least suspected, what it contained.

Which brings us to the trident knife. If Harrow needed to fix Gideon’s soul in place by impaling her herself, and she knew there was a malevolent soul in the two-hander that could conceivably hitch a ride in another body that it came into contact with, she would have needed a different tool for the job… Which may very well have been the trident knife. Seeing the weapon she used to mutilate her cavalier’s body with seems like exactly the sort of thing that would bring on one of Harrow’s Gideon-induced headaches, no? It’s also notable that when Harrow sees this knife, it’s directly before Ianthe stabs her through the hand, again analogous to crucifixion wounds. I gotta say, if this holds water, there’s a certain poetry to both Harrow and Gideon receiving versions of the Holy Wounds on the blade of the same knife.

(Edit to add: further theorizing prompted by @camilla-rekt‘s fab addition can be found on this reblog)

[superblysubpar]

There’s laundry in piles in various states of cleanliness, a sudsy sink soaking a burnt casserole and a box of pizza with crust left in it on the counter. There’s a lot to do once the six little nuggets are snoring in their beds, but tonight, you’re slow dancing with your husband in a candle lit living room, a bottle of wine is opened, and you’ll be back to your mom duties in only a few short hours. When they’re piling onto your bed, requesting breakfast and rides and help with their homework. The record crackles as the needle drops, James Taylor’s voice spilling out of the speakers softly…How sweet it is to be loved by Steve Harrington. 

General warnings: six kids, fem!mom! reader, who technically has the name "Katie" and is used sparingly, but for this reason, I don't upload these to x reader tags anymore, some pregnancies unplanned, and a reminder I'm not a mom so take it all with a grain of salt.

This universe runs parallel to the Eddie Munson series, Easy Like Sunday Morning

a collection of stories in a universe where steve & you are parents to six kiddos:

Nora, who arrives on the scene in 1987 when Steve is only 21,

Grace, who was slightly more planned, arrives in 1991,

Olivia, who was planned, and Steve blames Eddie's baby girl Caroline, joins the family in 1994,

Julie, who's been loudly making her presence known since 1996,

and the twins, Annie and Luke, arrive in 1997 a direct result of Steve and you going to a concert kid free

Stories are not necessarily written in chronological order, but are posted so here:

"Softer, Sweeter, Sorry"

Steve and you make up (aka, you tell Steve you're pregnant with the first nugget) | NSFW 18+

"Together"

steve has a stand off with his stubborn unborn child (aka, you and steve welcome your first nugget, Nora, to the world)

"Super Special Secret"

Nora doesn't want to wear glasses

"Honey Hi"

You want another baby | NSFW 18+

"It's Chaos"

it's hard to stay mad at Steve when he's just being a good husband and dad

"Merry Christmas, Baby"

Your husband and you have a Christmas Eve night to yourselves while the six little nuggets are asleep in their beds. | NSFW 18+ | a drabble that was a part of my 12 days of superbly subpar writing

Magic

Steve's baby girl isn't really a baby anymore

*return to all the Dad stories*

[adracat]

G-Witch Episode 13 - Second Cour Start

It's been awhile! I'm positively jittery to break down this episode. Let's start with that banger OP change shall we?

I love the imagery in this shot in particular. It's interesting that we see Suletta start in shadow, slowly moving to the light throughout. The symbolism is obviously framing Miorine as the light she seeks (edeleth flashbacks anyone?) Oh and the boys have a brief cameo. Yeesh Guel looks like a defeated wreck. 5lan has weird prominence so I wonder if he'll be something after all. Maybe a heel turn? Antagonist at least judging from the glimpse of Pharact. Shaddiq certainly will be.

Aerial Rebuild my beloved. I love her so much and she looks so stylish in action. But woof, I feel bad for Earth House. They're deeply affected by the terrorist attack, and cringe at the violence involved with duels. Great detail!

Meanwhile, Suletta's persistent cheeriness is a stark contrast. They're puzzled she can remain so blithe about it. Shame they don't know our poor little tomato head has been brainwashed by mother dearest. More on that later.

Miorine on the other hand is going through the wringer. We only see her briefly but it says so much about her mindset. She's dressed in a black business suit, as if already mourning her father and preparing to take his place at Benerit. It's not surprising she's neglecting herself while she watches her father, but you hate to see it.

Prospera: You did the right thing brutally liquidizing that guy, Suletta. Very smart. Another way? Don't be silly. Murder is always ethical.

Lol. Lmao. Ugly crying. You're going to need so much therapy.

I saw this in the promos but it's still crazy they just stroll into the episode like this. This episode humanizes them, which is nice. You glean nuggets of character from Sophie especially. She's an endearing terrorist if nothing else. The detail of naming her stuffed animals her family, the sister moniker for Suletta-- it paints a lonely portrait of a girl desperate for familial connection.

Norea is interesting too, stoic but blatantly disdainful of the luxuries Spacians take for granted. Clean air/water, plentiful vegetation, and even general happiness. All things Earthians lack.

And here comes the Benerit brigade to make their lives worse. I sense super fun times ahead ;-; I do wonder what the endgame for Dawn of Fold is though. They must know attacking Delling would result in violent retaliation. Hm, something to think about.

Good for Nika standing up for herself and Earth House! Sophie and Norea's simple school life might be over soon as it began. Rather audacious they thought murdering a girl on campus wouldn't be noticed lol. Suletta was so dashing protecting her friend 🥺 She may be highly impressionable but she's a good egg. Next episode, it'll be a duel for Nika's life! I can't wait~

And omg Miorine figured it out. This makes the quick fic I wrote canon compliant! Very pleased we solved that misunderstanding quickly.

This is worrisome though. What really is Quiet Zero and why is Delling convinced it'll bring peace? And what will come of Prospera using Mio to further it? Nothing good, I wager.

But enough of all that dire stuff. Let's discuss the phenomenal ED

The first thing that came to mind when seeing this is Utena. What we see here is Suletta and Aerial serving as the Duelist and Witch respectively. It's incredibly smart to have Aerial in the role of unwilling servant/collaborator both for Utena parallels but also for The Tempest. She can't break free from her servitude, trapped as Arial is as a servant of Prospero and Anthy to Akio. Utena/Suletta is the one who struggles against delusion and misguided beliefs. GOD IT'S SO GOOD Y'ALL

The ED is so romantic too, I'm going to faint. They way they look at each other, even Mio who visibly seems uncertain. And the way their joined hands tremble in the last shot? You can feel Suletta's desperation. That collection of Suletta's is so ominous and witchy too. Reminds me of PMMM. (Also confirms Eri clones in Aerial?? Maybe) This season is off to a rocking start <3

[paladin-n-cleric]

I saw the “tell me your thoughts” button and figured I would tell you my horrible horrible thoughts

-m!leven wedding getting ready scene in s5 instead of prom getting ready scene. mike looks at el and goes “pretty.” like that s1 scene

-mike gets his own “six little nuggets” speech. El is thrilled at the concept. except mike doesn’t even want the road trip aspects he just wants 6 kids in the suburbs. they compromise by having one kid (will wheeler)

-m!leven wedding except they throw the bouquet to see who’ll get married next. dustin catches it. Suzie has quelled her brief rebellious phase and redirected her interest in science to an interest in housewifery. dustin has been converted to mormonism.

-argyle joins a group called “Parents Against Pot” to speak out about the dangers of the devil’s lettuce

-hopper apologizes to Mike for ever talking bad about m!leven. he says that he shouldn’t have gotten in the way of true love.

-mike gives another wedding speech that parallels his pizzeria monologue. he talks about how his life started the day he met el and how she was wearing the big Benny’s burger t shirt. he ends it with “she’s my superhero.” the audience cheers. not once did he mention anything he likes about el as a person.

-will wheeler gets Will’s wizard hat

-scene of jane and Mike wheeler in their shared suburban house 011 kitchen. Jane made eggos for dinner again. Mike complains lightly about “eggos again??” Mike refuses to cook and yet does not refuse to complain.

-scene of mike and will wheeler sleeping on the lazy boy together like ted and holly in s3

-mike reading a letter at Will’s grave in a parallel to max in s4 except mike ends the letter with “love, mike.” because it’s a letter he wrote for Jane. he wants Will to hear that he’s in love, to hear his letter for Jane, and to thank Will for doing that painting that el commissioned and therefore rebuilding their relationship.

i’m at school rn. i’m going to throw up all over the floor. these cruel little thoughts of yours have kept me up all night and i also want to be your best friend.

THE LETTER TO WILLS GRAVE?????? MIKE BECOMING A SHIT HUSBAND????? I FEEL SICK AND NOT IN THE GOOD WAY

[byler-alarmist]

Jancy :]

Okay, bear with me here lol

I was never super cool with Jonathan taking those pics of her about to get it on with Steve without consent, even when it was clear we were supposed to root for him as the underdog love interest. However, I know people make mistakes and I can deal with some moral greyness in fiction.

I still love Jonathan especially for what an excellent brother he is to Will and for his sick taste in music

I loooooved the passion of Jancy's first kiss. That was amazing!!! Cinema!! And all the lead-up to it- them dancing around their feelings for each other, the matching scars, the "only one bed" tension, them getting Murray'd, all of it! Very good chemistry, which is understandable since Natalia and Charlie are a couple IRL

In S3, I started to like their dynamic a little less. I loved the hasty morning scene of climbing out the window and the lipstick on the cheek, but their interactions fell flat for me during most of the season. They both occasionally talked in a way that sounded condescending and just generally fraught. They didn't understand each other's struggles (misogyny and classism/poverty, respectively) and I don't feel it got adequately resolved by season's end.

Then of course S4 has Jancy living apart, and both giving rather concerning commentary on the state of the relationship

They both go overboard to describe to a friend all the reasons they love each other and that's why they can't spend spring break together and have some hanky-panky as Argyle calls it, but both friends seem a bit suspicious of the truth/motivations (and rightly so, I think).

I do think they genuinely admire those qualities they listed about the other, but it seems to me (and Fred and Argyle) that they were just making lame excuses why they couldn't see each other.

Then in E2 Jonathan discloses to Argyle that he was initially hoping Nancy would've surprised him by coming to California, but then he was relieved that she hadn't.

Then he drops the bomb about college and how he's lying to her and is anticipating a slow-motion breakup with her because he can't be honest about not wanting to, and I quote, "chase s dream that isn't his".

He then goes on to say that they will grow to become like their parents and resent each other. Argyle calls this Jonathan's "nightmare cycle".

Sound familiar? When Steve was talking about his six nugget dream, Nancy said it sounded like a nightmare.

That's why I think both Jancy and Stancy are at a disconnect. They have different dreams! Their lives are taking them in different directions!

Now, I know people will say it doesn't have to be that way, that if Jonathan is just honest with Nancy, then he will go to NYU and she will go to Emerson and they'll just happily do long distance or get back together at a later time.

Maybe!

But I didn't like the way Jonathan was still holding out on Nancy at the end of S4. That means they are still basically in the midst of a slow-motion breakup. Yes they are on apocalypse time, but when will he think is the right time to talk about it? Didn't seem like he had changed his M.O. from what he told Argyle in E2.

And the way Nancy was talking to Robin in the woods was indeed a Byler parallel, with her complaining that she could never get through to him on the phone and wondered if he had met another girl, understandably frustrated at the situation.

When Jonathan asked if they were okay, the answer seemed insincere to me. like they were just trying to ignore the problems and it was most convenient to just say yes.

Nancy even told Jonathan she was glad he hadn't been in Hawkins, just like he had been relieved she hadn't come to Lenora back in E2!

Now the next part when she tells Jonathan that Steve has grown up a lot, I don't think it was meant to mean that she was seeing Steve in a romantic light again, even though Jonathan probably took it to mean that.

I have my own idea of what she meant, but I will save my thoughts on that because that will get into another ship that people here seem to dislike LOL Let's just say that she feels he has grown a lot since he called Jonathan a queer back in S1.

Conclusion: if Jancy mend their relationship and decide to go long distance or get back together after college, I hope they grow to be really honest with each other and mature a lot as a couple. They have had some really sweet moments.

But in the words of Fred, I am still rooting for my alt (Ronance ;3)