#it was fun to write! and hopefully fun to read :)

[nomorezerocomments]

NO MORE ZERO COMMENTS BINGO EVENT!!!

Hi everyone!!! As you all know, I'm going away for a week, but I didn't want to leave you with nothing to do, so @circus-complex and I have made a bingo card for you all to do!

The rules are simple. Leave a comment on a fic that has no comments and fits one of the criteria on the bingo card. This time, you can only use a fic for one square each, so if you get a full house you will have left 16 comments!

Post your bingo card with the hashtag #nomorezerocommentsbingo and tag this blog, and I'll reblog as many as I can. Have fun! If you have any questions, absolutely feel free to ask.

More information and tips under the cut <3

The prompts are designed to be easy to filter for, but certain criteria may be hard to find for some fandoms. Try fandoms you don't read often or haven't read for a while, or even reading fandom-blind! The challenges are designed to be a little harder, and are not required to get a full house.

If English is not your native language but you normally read in English, reading in English still counts towards the bonus challenge. Fics translated into your native language do not count.

If you have commented on every single fic you have ever read (or there are no fics you've read previously that have no comments), leave a comment on any fic you've read before and I'll let it count because I'm nice like that

We chose 2015 as the 'read before' cut off because that's the year I (the admin) started writing fic!

"50 or less fics in the tag" can be a character, relationship or fandom tag.

A lot of people struggled to read 10k word fics for the last bingo card, so hopefully 5k will be easier for everyone!

A crossover fic should be a crossover between two distinct fandoms. For example, a crossover between two different Star Wars properties doesn't count, but a Star Wars x Batman crossover would.

"Not from the spreadsheet" is any no comment fic you found on your own without looking at the spreadsheet. It can be by an author who is on the spreadsheet but doesn't have that specific fic on there.

If a fic had zero comments when you decided to read it for this challenge, but by the time you finish it has received a comment, then I'll let that count too.

Hopefully this is enough information for you all, but please ask if you have any questions or need clarification <3

[joocomics]

hii I saw this topic on the dashboard about other groups so I thought it might be fun to get your take on it about xh because I love your writing!

okay the question is: whos a head pusher and who's a hair puller when getting a blowjob? hopefully it'll be a fun question to think about! and of course if you think any of them are a Secret Third Thing you can add that too, I'm just curious of your opinion :)

gunil and jooyeon are head pushers; they love being in control of how much you take, at what pace and rhythm. but another thing they love is the feeling of your lips gliding all the way to the base, drooling as they keep you shoved down in their lap. once they pull you away and hear you gasp for air? with wide eyes and red dripping mouth? they’re obsessed.

jooyeon also loves when you choke for a second or two cause he’s too big for your mouth… and the gagging noises before you tap his thigh indicating that it’s time for you to breathe

jungsu and junhan are hair pullers; sometimes intentionally, sometimes - not. both equally love tugging at your hair and just leaving their fingers to rest tangled in your roots whenever the mood is more sensual and relaxed

the difference between them is that junhan sometimes can get rough with it; he likes how you moan whenever he guides you up and down his cock by pulling your hair messily, or whenever he tilts your head back to see if you swallowed his cum. while jungsu most often takes a handful of your hair in his fist and tightens it the more his pleasure rises

jiseok and seungmin are into face fucking; fast and steady, slow and passionate, lazily and sloppy… they can fuck your mouth in all sorts of variations, and they happily do. they’re also the ones who are obsessed with receiving blowjobs in more… spontaneous moments and places; and because that spontaneity always gives them a thrill of excitement, they often fail at stopping their hips from moving - they just get too into it

both love when you look up at them during the process… with aroused gaze and hollowed cheeks

a.note ! hi there :’) thank you so much for coming to me with this question, it was really fun to think about!! i hope you enjoy reading my thoughts; you’re also welcome to share yours anytime too <3

[theresattrpgforthat]

What timing on opening these --I was just thinking I had one for you. I'm looking for TTRPGs that can be played in a very short amount of time, very little setup on the player side, and are appropriate for middle and high school students! I'd love to run some games at the library, but have a very small allowed window in which to do this.

THEME: Great for Students, Very Short.

Hello there! I put you to the front of the queue because I wasn't sure how urgent the request was, so I hope this is still a timely response!

I tried to focus on games that could be appropriate for students and had very little in the form of rules. That being said, the downside of little rules is that there's not quite often a lot of GM guidance, so it might be good for you to read these a few days before you plan to run them.

Additionally, I recommend some places to find One-Page games at the bottom of this post, because I think you're going to get some very fruitful possibilities there beyond what I just recommend today.

One Spell Wizard, by noxnightly.

In this game, you are a wizard who only knows one magical spell for some reason. You’ve only learned the one and for some other reason use it for everything that you can think of. Will you be able to survive an entire dungeon this way?

It's easy to streamline character creation when all the other players have to do is write one spell! To succeed in One Spell Wizard, you roll 2d6. The closer you get to a 6, the better your success - 5 or 6 points away is an utter failure. The game encourages descriptions of how exactly your spell goes right or wrong, which I feel like me a very fruitful and fun exercise for a number of school-age kids.

As for generating challenges, the game has a quick little d6 table that uses a Mad-Libs style of creation to determine what the players will be up against. I can see this game turning well and truly goofy with this! If you want to give your players a customizable experience that is sure to generate a case of the giggles, I heavily recommend One Spell Wizard.

Super Unnatural, by Sam Robson

You are investigators specializing in paranormal problems. You have been hired to solve a mystery at a famously haunted apartment complex. Together you'll perceive, question and research your way to the answer- hopefully without becoming cursed in the process.

24XX games are another series of games that, as a system, are quick to pick up and play. Super Unnatural is specifically focused on spooky ghost stories, and I know that if given the chance, a lot of kids are more than happy to jump into spooky themes.

As for the style of game, Super Unnatural has three character investigator types, three basic skills, and a series of tables to help GM's create a problem of the week in a few seconds. The idea behind many of these games is to give you a few basic tools and then jump into the story as quickly as possible. If you want a spooky option for your group, consider Super Unnatural.

The Summit, by BATTLEAXE GAMES

Climb the White Fang mountain, and discover the long lost secrets that lie hidden at the Summit!

Take the role of an Explorer—an adventurer, survivalist, and mountaineer. Work with your fellow Explorers to climb the mountain and reach the top, before succumbing to frostbite, injury, or worse. After all, this is no ordinary mountain.

Breathless games have a pretty concise loop, and The Summit runs on Breathless. You need a pack of various multi-sided dice, and a few print-outs, and you're good to go! The Summit is designed to be a one-shot that lasts 2-3 hours, since a horror twist on a fantasy game, so I feel like death is a possibility.

The thing that makes Breathless games pretty concise is the Taking A Breath action. At various times throughout the game, the crew can pause to take a breath, which allows everyone to replenish their resources, but also introduces a new complication. In other versions of this system, I think you could even call the end of each session every time the group stops to take a breath. There are a number of different Breathless games, so if you like this idea, you have plenty to check out!

Elevator Dogs, by Blind Archivist.

ELEVATOR DOGS is a 10-minute, fast-paced, trigger-happy live-action RPG where 3 to 6 players portray a group of anonymous criminals who have just stolen something valuable in a chaotic mission. There is no fixed objective; the interesting part is seeing how the game unfolds and how the characters end up after the 10 minutes it takes for the escape elevator to reach the ground floor of the skyscraper. But I guess surviving is a good starting point.

A game with a timer! Elevator Dogs is meant to be 15 minutes long, tops, from prep to end. The game is also tiny, something you can fold up and keep in a mint tin. This game might be a great introduction for anyone who hasn't role-played before. Alternatively, it's described as a great filler game.

Shepherd's Lantern: Sheep Dog Quest, by Rogue Wave Arcade.

The sheep have been kidnapped by wolves. Are you a bad enough dog to rescue them?

For players that want animals and light-hearted themes, Shepherd's Lantern mixes child-friendly subject matter with a tactical style of play. This is a one-page game based on LUMEN, which is known for both rules that are easy to grasp and a tactical build that encourages strategic thinking.

I think you can teach this game fairly easily, while still allowing complexity to enter the experience. While you're playing sheepdogs, combat is still at the centre of this game; the setting gives your dogs a reason to be out there getting into scraps. If you want to encourage your players to problem-solve, you might get a lot out of this game.

Quest It, by Eulen Luda

If you were made out of paper, in a world made out of paper… How would you fight paper evil?

Quest-It is a role playing game about sticking Post-Its all over yourself and embodying paper champions fighting evil in a world made out of fiber, glue and ink where neon-cities, ancient castles and gigantic spaceships are all mixed-up.

I love games that find new and easy ways to incorporate a physical experience, and Quest-It does exactly that. Your character in this game is built up of special abilities called Power Post-Its, which are literally post-it notes stuck to your body! You take them off and slap them onto a table when you use them to try and do something risky.

The game itself is a standard fantasy game, with Trials that can deal damage to your characters, boilerplate templates for adventures that the GM will need to build onto, and treasures in the form of new powers every time you defeat a significant quest. One of my favourite things about this game is that when the group overcomes a challenge and fells an enemy, the players have to write their accomplishment on a Post-It and stick it onto the GM! Additionally, unlike some of the other games in this list, Quest-It includes some solid advice for the GM, giving you some short-form steps to follow to help you run a dynamic game.

The Gardening Club, by Wizard of Ox.

Welcome to our very legitimate high school club where we don’t actually do a lot of gardening! We are open to everyone: cheerleaders, talking vegetables and even people who actually garden. We only have one rule: keep our true agenda a secret. Grab a nice cup of herbal tea, water the cacti and search for clues. We must get to the root of things!

You are a group of high school students who, despite being different from each other, have an interest in common: solving mysteries.

Since a detective club would be too on the nose, you made a “gardening” club as a front. Each one of you has different abilities you can use to get to the root of things, as well as code-names that give special powers.

Can you work together and find out what is going on?

The Gardening Club prioritizes characters that are the same age as your prospective players, and it also makes character creation very quick and easy. The game comes with character cards and special abilities that you can print out and distribute so that your players have to do very little writing. Your players roll for a code-name, which gives them a unique one-use ability, as well as a general vibe for their character.

The game looks like it can be played faster or longer depending on how often the players draw clues. You need a deck of cards to generate each clue, and in order to gain a clue, a player needs to make a successful roll on a d6. In order to solve the mystery, players have to sort the clues they gather on a deduction tree to ensure all of the pieces they find form a larger picture. There's technically a lose state, as you can fail too often and land everyone in detention, which makes The Gardening Club feel like it's partially a roleplaying game, and partially a board-game.

If you like the format of this game, you might also check out Urban Legend Club, by onemorepotatochip, which is a one-page game that inspired this one!

Other Possibilities…

The Best Job On Earth, by Hilander.

Cephalopod Squad, by The Mirage Company.

The 2023 One Page RPG Jam

The 2024 One Page RPG Jam

THe 2025 One Page RPG Jam

If you like what I do and want to leave a tip, you can check out my Ko-Fi!

[lavenderchqn]

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: a single article is what it takes to throw one's life into chaos - multiple photos depicting you, an aspiring music artist, with world's renowned model scaramouche. all is fun and well… until nobody close to you actually takes news about said relationship seriously. and honestly, who could blame them?

'𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐤𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐮𝐳𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐢𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦'

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞: 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 (0.6k words)

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 — 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 — 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭

A couple is walking down the bustling street of the capital city, side by side. A warm breeze ripples through the alleyways and buildings. They’re armed with mental to-do lists of chores to accomplish on this day and face masks on their faces. Spring and its damned allergy season. There’s something about adulthood where every one of your free days turns into an errand run. Juggling a job, living and thriving, and a relationship on top of that usually means dates get pushed aside, just like completing your chores. 

They’re crossing the street when the man takes his companion's hand. People are everywhere, and losing each other looms over their heads like a pendulum of fate. While to some, the gesture would entail the man's protectiveness, it’s quite a charming moment. His hands are soft, just like those luxurious pillows. 

They barely walk to the other side when a sound catches their attention. It’s akin to a flash of a camera. “Did you hear that?” The male asks, coming to a halt and looking around. “Yeah.” The girl replies. It’s most likely a coincidence. The street, located in the heart of East High, is one, if not the most popular, photo location. It's something about Victorian architecture, that speaks to the heart of Instagram followers. 

“Kuni,” The girl comes closer, cupping his cheeks. “It doesn’t have to be a paparazzi, you know.” He knows. It’s probably his paranoia speaking. Ever since becoming somewhat well-known, his brain has developed this sixth sense. Its only purpose? Fishing out these pesky journalists in the wild — the bad ones. Those whose sole job is to turn moments taken out of context into gossip. He sighs. “You’re right.”

He takes her hand gently, tugging her to the grocery store. “By the way,” He perks up. “Did you start watching Rain or Shine yet?” The smile on her face flatters. Her shoulders slump. “Swamped with work, maybe on the weekend I’ll manage.” It’s alright — ‘Kuni’ thinks. Hopefully, it’s one more week until they can pick their brains about the story together. 

There’s nothing like getting home from a day full of completed errands. Well, actually, there are so many things better than the sense of accomplishment. There’s the feeling of being wrapped up in a blanket or the freshly-brewed bitterness of tea hitting your throat. Kunikuzushi is just hanging his coat on the hanger when he’s stuck under the avalanche of notifications pings hitting his ears.

Curse him for never turning data roaming on outside unless needed. Now he’s forced to see what on earth he missed— Of course, he was right back then. The raven-haired male curses under his breath as he reads the contents of the email. 

“What’s your stance on the— Suing the media… Counter statements. Fucking hell.” He sighs, already dreading drafting the email to his manager. Dealing with dating scandals is never easy. You’re not exactly taught how to act the second you’re thrown into the whirlwind of a divided fanbase. Not like Kunikuzushi wouldn’t mind the crazy ones taking their leave. Ever since his photoshoot for that fashion brand went viral, he has garnered the most unhinged people as his fans. 

He digs out the last remaining brain cells from the corner of his mind to force himself to write an email. “Can’t make this decision alone…” He murmurs as he types out his reply on the keyboard. There’s a need for time, a second and a third opinion. If there’s anything that needs to be discussed, it’s how [y/n] views the whole thing. She’s a public figure, too, after all. 

Kunikuzushi grabs his phone, ready to send out a message to the girl. But, maybe, before he does that, he should really catch up on the group chat. 

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: open! please comment under the masterlist post if you want to join~

@skyoverkill1 @lelezahh @sketcheeee @yu-yumii @inferisk0 @aliceleste @mywillt0live @starchyu @procacao @yeiiwanturlove @sesamemin @kyouzki @bubblebellaz @eternallykira-143 @ibyobi @snowsilver2000 @vi0let-writes @arwawawa2 @digitallydemure

date of posting — july 23rd 2025

[clarionglass]

here we go :) part one of three, updates to be released weekly!

---

sam says 4 (game master cinematic universe, part 3)

Ruby was at her mum's for a family dinner she couldn't miss on pain of death, apparently, and the Doctor was many things, but a family dinner kind of guy wasn't one of them—particularly when Carla had already slapped him once in the short time he'd known her. He thought he'd broken his streak of bad luck with mums, but… well, seemingly not. So he was companionless for a few hours, and while he could wait for her to get back, maybe catch up on his reading—what was the point of waiting when you had a time machine? 

He ran his hands over the TARDIS console, marvelling at her clean lines and metallic flourishes, the way that even now she felt brand new but familiar, and paused. He’d just pop off for a quick adventure, nothing too dangerous, but—where to go?

He could scan for a distress call nearby, and pitch in to help. He could drop in on Donna and Shaun and Rose, beautiful Rose, and see how they were all doing. Or he could just hit the randomiser button, and jump in feet first wherever he ended up.

He remembered a conversation from a long time ago, when he wore a different face, and his gorgeous TARDIS wore a face too, for the first and only time.

“You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.”

“No, but I always took you where you needed to go.”

He grinned. Who could resist an offer like that? He pressed the button and whooped as the time rotor spun into action, ready to see where the universe would take him.

---

Apparently, he was needed pretty close to where he already was. Earth, 2024. Huh. Same planet, same time—within a few months of where he’d left Ruby, even. The main thing that had changed was the location: he was now in the good old US of A. California, to be more specific, and Los Angeles to be more specific still. And to really narrow it down, the Doctor discovered as he poked his head out of the TARDIS doors, he was in… a broom closet. Not bad, as a parking spot—a bit squeezy, but out of the way. And as he poked his head out of that door, he could finally see he was in the backstage corridors of a studio of some kind. Film or TV, if he was to hazard a guess, it was a different vibe from Abbey Road.

With a shrug, he decided to go exploring.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute before a young woman wearing the full-black outfit, headset, and permanently stressed expression of a production assistant came running up to him.

“Are you the fill-in Sam organised?” she asked breathlessly, and honestly, seeing the look on her face, the Doctor didn’t have the heart(s) to tell her no. And really, what was the Doctor, if not a professional fill-in? This, this was why he had a randomiser button on the control panel, because whatever he was about to get himself into was going to be fun.

“Sure!”

“Oh, thank god,” sighed the production assistant, relief dawning across her face. “When Ally tested positive this morning, I thought we were sunk for the record, because we called around and we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. But then Sam said he could get someone in, and, you know, here you are, and just in time, so—ah, yeah, if you could follow me this way?”

Smiling all the way, the Doctor followed his guide through to hair and makeup, looking around as they went. The studio seemed to belong to a company called Dropout, according to the branding scattered around, and things seemed, at least on the surface, to be… well. Fine. He couldn't tell why he'd been brought here yet, which meant that when he found the reason, it was going to be particularly tangled. He couldn't wait! 

And then he looked back at his guide, still engulfed in a miasma of anxiety, and realised he'd been too busy looking for clues to notice the person right in front of him. 

“Hey, it's cool, you've found me,” he started with a gentle smile. “You can relax. Hi, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?”

“Oh!” she said, startled. “The Doctor, yeah, of course. Um, hi, I'm Kaylin. Look, sorry, it's just that I've been so busy this morning, I'm so distracted… Shit, and I would've completely forgotten to get your details too. There's paperwork to fill in, but you can do that later. Um, just for now, though, can I get your pronouns?”

The Doctor thought for a moment. “He/him, for now.”

Kaylin nodded, making a note on her phone. “Okay, cool! And do you have any socials?”

“Not me, babes,” he replied. “I'm hardly sitting down long enough to be able to update, you know?”

“On a day like this, I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “That's okay, Lou didn't have socials either for the longest time. Right, so if you go through there, the team will get you sorted, and once you're done, someone will take you up to the greenroom. All good?”

“All great,” the Doctor replied. Kaylin flashed him a quick, relieved smile, then hurried off.

Hair and makeup was a fairly quick process, the sound mixer fitted him with a microphone, and before too long, Kaylin was back to take him upstairs. 

“This is the greenroom,” she said, pushing the door open. “The rest of the cast for the episode are already here—they’re great guys, and they’ve both been on the show a lot, so they’ll be able to help if you’ve got questions. And if you need anything else, just come find me or any of the other PAs, okay?”

The Doctor nodded, beamed at Kaylin, and walked in.

---

The greenroom was small but comfortable, and its occupants, two men around the same age as the Doctor appeared, looked up as he entered.

“Oh, you’re new,” the taller of the pair said, clearly giving him the once-over.

The other sighed with a mixture of fondness and exasperation, just as clearly used to his friend’s antics.

“Hey, I’m Brennan,” he said, levering himself up to standing from his perch on a chair arm, and holding out a hand. “That’s Grant.”

The Doctor took it warmly. “The Doctor. Just passing through, and happy to help.”

Grant’s eyebrows quirked. “Doctor… something?” he prompted.

“Or is it just ‘the Doctor’?” Brennan asked.

“Just ‘the Doctor’,” the Time Lord confirmed cheerfully. “You’ll get used to it, everyone does.”

Grant didn’t look convinced, but—

“Copy that,” Brennan shrugged, and settled back on the arm of the chair, returning his gaze to the door.

Grant, in turn, looked at the Doctor and rolled his eyes in a clear expression of ‘no, I don’t know why he’s like this, either’.

“Okay,” the Doctor said after a moment of watching the watching. “I wasn’t going to ask, but now I think I have to. What’s up with the door?”

Brennan huffed a laugh. “Well, the last time there was one of those up—” he pointed to the Out of Order sign stuck to the bathroom door, “—we got locked in here for the game.”

“He’s paranoid,” Grant interjected.

“Well, yeah, maybe,” Brennan retorted. “Or just cautious. Because Sam’s been acting weird lately, and we’re coming up to the last few records of the season, so he’s probably planning something way out of the box for the finale. And the original cast was you, me and Beardsley, so…”

He shrugged one shoulder meaningfully, and Grant nodded, conceding both the point and the potential for chaos.

“So if Sam comes in to give us the briefing, rather than waiting til we’re on set,” Brennan continued, “or there’s anything else weird going on, I’m gonna know about it right from the beginning.”

He turned to the Doctor. “The only reason I'm not quizzing you is because I know for a fact Beardsley was genuinely scheduled for this, so you can't be a plant by the production team. No offence.”

“None taken,” the Doctor smiled. “That sort of thing happen often, does it?”

Grant and Brennan exchanged a look. 

“More than you'd think,” Grant answered with a grimace. 

“Alright,” the Doctor said slowly, then brightened. “So what is it we're actually doing?”

Grant gave him a disbelieving glance. “You don't know—?”

“Very last minute fill-in,” the Doctor said breezily. “But don't worry, I'm a quick study.”

“Well, you're not that much worse off than the rest of us,” Brennan said encouragingly. “You know about Game Changer, obviously, if you know Sam, and we only find out the rules of the game once we get on set. Hopefully,” he added, with a dark look back at the Out of Order sign. 

The Doctor nodded. No, he didn't know Sam, and he didn't know Game Changer, but he could work out the situation from context clues. This was a game show. And with the Toymaker banished, and Satellite Five not coming into existence for another 198000 years, give or take, he found himself smiling. Maybe third time would be the charm. 

“Mmm, hopefully they aren't going to throw you in the deep end,” Grant said. “Because Brennan might seem lovely now, but as soon as we get out there, he's a whore for points. He'll stab you in the back and won't even blink.”

Brennan barked with laughter. “Yeah, and you wouldn't?”

“Excuse you, I'm always a goddamn delight,” Grant replied, the very picture of injured dignity. 

“Oh, absolutely!” agreed a new voice. The Doctor turned to the now-open door to see a bearded man in a pinstriped suit smiling broadly. “That's why we keep inviting you back!”

Grant bowed sarcastically. “Why, thank you, Sam. Good to know I'm appreciated by someone here.”

“Always,” Sam replied, gently but firmly ending that particular path of the conversation. He scanned the room, and his eyes lit up when they landed on the Doctor. 

“Ah, you must be the Doctor!” he said with obvious delight, walking over with his hand outstretched. “I'm Sam—thanks for filling in for us, you've made sure we're going to have a good show. Seriously, it's a pleasure to have you here.”

“Aw, cheers!” the Doctor smiled, shaking the offered hand. “Glad I could help out, I'm really looking forward to this!”

“Well, great!” Sam exclaimed, then took a step back, regarding all three players in turn. “Now, folks, I'm just letting you know that we're just about ready to start the record, so if you can start heading down, that'd be great.”

Grant and Brennan nodded—Brennan, the Doctor noticed, with relief. 

“See you down there,” Sam said, smiling. “Have a great show, and—”

His eyes caught on the Doctor's for a second, twinkling. 

“Good luck.”

---

Backstage, the Doctor, Brennan and Grant were marshalled into podium order and given a final briefing from the crew. And then, with a thumbs-up from Kaylin, that was it.

Showtime.

“Get ready for a Game Changer!” came Sam's voice from onstage. “Tonight’s guests: he can shoot off a monologue with laser accuracy; it’s Brennan Lee Mulligan!”

Brennan, his back to the camera as the curtains opened, spun on his heel and, with a stone-cold expression, pointed finger guns straight down the barrel, before letting the facade crack open. “Hi!” he exclaimed, and walked over to the leftmost podium.

“It’s his first appearance, but he’s already on fire; it’s the Doctor!”

The Doctor leant against the archway to the stage and flashed a broad smile towards the camera, then in a few skipping steps, had bounded over to the next free podium. What the hell, why not make an entrance?

“And even in the toughest of mazes, you’ll always be able to find him; it’s Grant O’Brien!”

Grant dipped his lanky frame into an approximation of a curtsey, spreading his arms wide, then sauntered over to the closest podium with a grin.

“And your host, me!” Sam announced, a ring of manic white showing around his irises as he beamed down the barrel of the camera. “I’ve been here the whole time!”

“This,” he continued, pushing his microphone shut and stowing it in his jacket pocket, “is Game Changer, the only game show where the game changes every show. I am your host, Sam Reich!” 

As he said his name, he looked at his hands, front and back, as if he was pleasantly surprised to be himself, then gestured towards the three podiums.

“I am joined today by these three lovely contestants! Now, you understand how the game works.”

“Of course not,” Grant started. “You know we don't.”

“We can't, Sam, that's the whole point of the theatre you've set up here,” Brennan said over him. 

“Not yet,” was all the Doctor said, anticipation starting to drum a tattoo of excitement against the inside of his ribcage. 

“That’s right!” Sam said brightly, shooting finger guns at the camera. “Our players have no idea what game it is they’re about to play. The only way to learn is by playing. The only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning! So without further ado, let’s begin by giving each of our players fifty points.”

The Doctor, biding his time, watched the reactions of his fellow contestants. Grant looked at the front of his podium, checking the point total, and nodding approvingly when he saw that yes, it was sitting at a round fifty. Brennan, on the other hand, was starting to frown.

“Players, Sam says: touch your nose,” Sam began, and Brennan sighed the sigh of someone who wasn’t happy to be proved right.

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “Oh, you son of a bitch. Wasn’t one this season enough?”

He touched his nose anyway, as did the others, and Sam smiled encouragingly. “Sam says: touch your ear.”

When they all did, Sam nodded. “Touch your other ear.”

Everybody held still, fingers on the ears they had originally touched.

Sam beamed. “Easy, players, right?”

“You say that now,” Brennan said darkly. “Which makes it worse, because all you're doing is setting us up for failure.”

Sam gasped, pretending offence. “Would I do that?”

“Yes,” Brennan and Grant replied in unison, which drew a grin from the Doctor and set Sam off chuckling.

“And I'm not having it,” Brennan continued, leaning his elbows against his podium and pointing at Sam with the hand not touching his ear. “You better watch yourself, because I know how this game works, and you're not going to get one over on me.”

“Strong words, Brennan!” Sam said, clearly delighted by this response. “Okay, then, let's start making things a bit more interesting!”

The game continued as per Sam Says usual, some rounds done as a group and some individual. Points were won, sure, but lost slightly more frequently, and even the Doctor found he was having to concentrate to avoid getting caught in the host's traps. 

It was fun. Genuinely, it was like playing a game with friends, and the Doctor felt himself leaning into it. There wasn't any sign of danger—maybe there wasn't a mystery to solve at all, and the TARDIS just decided he needed a total break. 

Well, probably not. But the way things were going, he was able to let himself hope. 

“Alright, players,” Sam said a good few rounds in, just as pleasantly as he would start any other question, and the screen behind him dinged as a new prompt popped up. “Survive the death beam.”

For a second, everything was frozen perfectly still. 

And then came the crash, the explosive noise of heavy machinery moving relentlessly through a drywall set.

The Doctor was already moving. “Everyone down!”

“Duck!” Brennan yelled at the same time.

The two of them hit the ground within milliseconds of each other, but Grant was still paralysed in the face of the giant, science-fiction type laser cannon that had just ploughed through the wall. 

It whined ominously, screaming its way to fever pitch. And then a sharp pain in Grant’s ankle made him stagger, pitching forwards onto the carpet behind the podiums as the Doctor rolled away to avoid getting pinned.

“Sorry, babes,” the Doctor whispered. “But it was either kick you to get you down, or—”

A hideous metallic screech ripped through the air, and all three of them could feel the crackle of ozone as a beam of energy swept across what had, moments ago, been neck height.

“…Or that,” the Doctor finished with a grimace.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Grant breathed, suddenly very conscious of every inch of his 6’9 frame. “Thanks.”

“Well done, players!” Sam exclaimed delightedly from above them. “But… sorry, I didn’t say ‘Sam says’, so that’s a point off for everyone.”

“What the fuck!” Brennan snapped.

“Are you actually insane?” Grant demanded at the same time, his voice overlapping with Brennan’s.

In response, Sam just wheezed with laughter. “You can come back to your podiums,” he said, cheerfully ignoring them.

Nobody moved.

“Very good!” he acknowledged, and even without seeing his face, the grin was obvious in his voice. “Okay, Sam says: come back to your podiums.”

Although the words were innocuous, and his tone was just as light and breezy as usual, there was nevertheless an edge hiding just underneath the surface. And while the death beam loomed large in the minds of all three players, it was impossible to consider disobedience as an option.

Slowly, they stood, returning to their places. Now they had the time to look at it properly, the death beam was even more sinister, and Brennan and Grant both kept flicking nervous glances its way, ready to move if it looked like it was charging up again.

The Doctor, however, was focused purely on the man standing in front of them. Unbothered, Sam met his gaze like a challenge, a mischievous smile playing about his lips.

“Oh, you’ll love this one,” he said, and the screen changed. “Sam says, starting with Grant: say my name.”

Grant frowned in confusion, but answered quickly nonetheless. “Sam Reich?”

The man himself shrugged tolerantly, moving on. “Brennan?”

Brennan just stared at him coolly. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Well caught, Brennan!” Sam said happily. “Sam says: say my name.”

“Sam,” Brennan replied, suspicion clear in his voice. “Samuel Dalton Reich.”

He nodded, still with a hint of indifference. “And lastly, Doctor.” His smile broadened. “Sam says: say my name.”

It was easy. Too easy. And as the Doctor looked into the eyes of the man calling himself Sam Reich, he felt his hearts stutter in recognition, because something had changed. He wasn’t hiding himself anymore, and while the face was different yet again, the Doctor would know the shape of that soul anywhere. It was impossible. It was inevitable.

“You can’t be,” he breathed. 

Sam smirked, leaning in across his podium. “Oh, but Doctor… I’ve been here the whole time,” he stage-whispered with a wink.

“He said you lost,” the Doctor said, shaking his head, looking wrong-footed for the first time that Brennan and Grant could recall. “You lost, and he trapped you.”

The other two watched, uncomprehending, but Sam just smiled, drumming his fingers against the podium with an audible beat, fast but distinct. Four taps, four taps, four taps. “I’m waiting.”

The Doctor took a slow, deep breath. Set his jaw. 

“Master.”

---

missed an installment of the game master cinematic universe?

original idea by @ace-whovian-neuroscientist: x

art by @northernfireart concept: x scissor sisters sketch: x sam and his doppelganger: x

writing by me (!) part one (escape the greenroom): x part two (deja vu): x part three (sam says 4): you are here!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Miraculous vs The Power of Love

I've written several posts where I talked about Miraculous' poor use of the power of love trope and how that massively turned me off to canon. Three strikes and you're out! When this topic comes up I usually bring up Adrien and only Adrien. This has led to some anger at the fact that I didn't mention love failing anyone else as it absolutely has. I've also seen some anger over my desire for Adrien to defeat Gabriel's control and win the day since Adrien is a victim and that means that it's perfectly fine if he fails to beat his father's control no matter what the consequences of that failure are. After all, the failure isn't really on Adrien. It's on Gabriel. A sentiment I understand, but don't agree with since this is a writing blog. I'm discussing the message the writing is sending not which character gets the in-universe blame.

I'm not going to change how I discuss this topic since it is my honest opinion, but I can explain that opinion in depth to hopefully save us all from miscommunication! That's why I'm making this post! It addresses all of the above. I'll be linking to this whenever the topic comes up so that I can include some nuance without having to go into all of the detail I'm about to go into because - as you'll see - this is a long one which is why I don't go into this depth in other posts. It would just totally derail them. I'm also not going to go into the deconstruction aspect of things here because this is already really long, but I do have a post on that for even more nuance!

If you disagree with any of this, that's totally fine! I just ask that you keep the your counter arguments civil. Remember, we're talking about a badly written kids show that none of us have the power to change and the magical power of love isn't real so it doesn't actually matter if I'm right about this. Nor is Adrien going to thank you for coming to his aid. He doesn't exist and, as always, my issue is not him as a person. My issue is the way the narrative uses him as a storytelling tool.

What Is the Power of Love?

The power of love is a trope where either platonic or romantic love saves the hero from some type of conflict or upsetting situation. It's a rather broad trope that can be used in conflicts of any size, but even TV tropes acknowledges that it's primarily "applied in dire situations to make things better. In fact, in many Disney movies it's the solution to everything." That definition is how I approach the power of love.

To put it more bluntly, unless we're talking about a specific example, when I say "the power of love" I am thinking of a story's climax or, in the case of something like a multi-season show, one of the climaxes. More specifically, I'm thinking of the lyrics to one of my favorite cheesy pop songs:

There comes a time When you face the toughest of fights Searching for a sign Lost in the darkest of nights The wind blows so cold Standing alone Before the battle's begun But deep in your soul The future unfolds As bright as the rays of the sun You've got to believe In the power of love

If it's not the toughest of fights or the darkest of nights, then the power of love failing may disappoint me, but I don't consider it an unforgivable sin. In some cases, I'd even be disappointed if the power of love was brought in before the climax! The power of love is the ultimate cheesy move so it makes sense to save it for the last minute if using it earlier would lessen or even ruin that last minute epic save.

To show what I mean, let's talk about another trope that Miraculous has failed to use well, but that doesn't ruin the show for me. A trope that has led the show to do the exact thing we just discussed: ignore a small moment when love should have won to allow for a bigger win when all hope seems lost.

The Evil Clone Thing

[Image description: the Buzz and Woody meme with the words "Evil Clones. Evil Clones Everywhere"]

There have been an absurd number of episodes where the evil clone/evil twin trope came into play, but the three big ones are Ladybug, Optigami, and the season four final. In each of these episodes, we see a good character replaced by an identical evil version. We also see the good character's love interest fail to recognize that their crush/romantic partner has been replaced. That means that all three of these episodes see the power of romantic love failing. We also don't see a more platonic version of love show up to save the day.

The worst of these episode is the season four final where Marinette doesn't recognize that Felix has taken Adrien's place. That deception is how Gabriel steals the miraculous so it's obviously a pretty big deal and can be argued as a major fail for the power of love. I don't disagree. I think that Marinette's love should have let her see through the lies and dislike that the writers took this route to make her lose. However, I don't have this on my list of moments when the power of love needed to win for the story to work.

While Marinette failing to recognize Felix leads to her darkest hour, it does not happen in her darkest hour. Her darkest hour comes when she actually loses the miraculous which happens in a completely different scene from the one where she's deceived. It's also worth noting that Felix is not present in this moment of loss so there was no opportunity for the power of love to pull off a last minute win.

The loss of the miraculous leads to a scene where Ladybug is sitting alone in the rain, ready to give up all hope. And what happens next?

[Image description: Chat Noir standing in the rain, smiling, holding out his hand to Ladybug]

Chat Noir shows up to reignite Ladybug's will to fight via his love and support. She takes his hand, he draws her into a hug, and they stand together as one, ready to once again face their enemy:

Cat Noir: We're gonna get them back one by one…until the very last. And we'll make sure this never happens again. Ladybug: You...and me? Cat Noir: You, the best superhero there ever was... and me, your loyal partner.

A lot of people love this scene and it led to some major hype for season five which means that it's time to quote some more of that cheesy song that I brought up at the start:

Stand by my side There's nothing to hide Together we'll fight to the end Take hold of my hand And you'll understand What it truly means to be friends You've got to believe (you've got to believe) In the power of love

While I don't love the season four final, it is a B-tier execution of the thing I was talking about earlier. Canon let love fail in a small moment to increase tension and give Ladybug a "darkest night" moment. That darkest night moment then led to a semi-epic power-of-love comeback that understandably got a lot of fans super excited for season five because they assumed that it was going to be the season of Ladynoir. In other words, for a lot of fans, the power of love did its job in the season four final!

All of this is why I don't bring up Marinette when I talk about the power of love failing. It does fail her, but not in her darkest nights and toughest fights. Any time she's overwhelmed and ready to give up all hope, someone comes along to give her the will to fight on. That person is usually Chat Noir because he's her end game love interest so of course the writers use him! His "you and me against the world" moments may not be the most epic example of the power of love winning, but they are the power of love winning, so saying that the power of love fails Marinette feels like an overstatement of harm. She's never had a total loss.

The closest we get to Marinette truly losing is the season five final. That episode feels like an ultimate-level failure to many of us, on par with Ephemeral, but the writers clearly don't agree. For them, season five had a happy ending which makes critiquing that final fight tricky. I'll be arguing that Adrien lost hard in the next section, but I can't say the same for Marinette and this section is about her so let's focus on that for now.

No matter how much I hate the final, I can't look at the picture below this paragraph and argue that love failed Marinette because what did losing cost her? This isn't the season four final where she genuinely suffered. This is her getting everything she's ever wanted! The miraculous are back in her hands, she won the heart of the boy she loves, and no one is actively messing with her love life anymore. That's a pretty solid win even if she didn't win the actual fight.

[Image description: Adrien and Marinette at the end of the season five final, kissing in the spot that used to house Emilie's statue.]

This is further complicated by the fact that - as written - the season five final doesn't put Marinette in a position to use the power of love. She's never given a chance to save Adrien or even just talk to him. She doesn't know that's he's in trouble, locked up in a padded cell, suffering all alone! And Adrien's love can't rally her in her darkest moment when all hope seems lost because - for the first time ever in a season final - she never got one of those! She was a badass in the final fight! No pep talk or supportive teammates necessary! She would have had a total victory if the writers hasn't made her try to talk sense to the villain or sent her Adrien's ring just so Gabriel could make the wish, further adding to the problem of this show's absolutely vile messaging around love.

In other words, lack of love isn't why Marinette loses the final fight. She loses because the writers wanted love to empower Gabriel in his darkest moment, a move the writers have the audacity to call a mutual victory. (Gross. Abusive terrorist should not get power of love moments without a massive redemption arc first. It's yet another insult to the trope. Gabriel did not deserve peace while his son goes on to suffer.)

If you think about the episodes Ladybug and Optigami you'll notice a similar problem. The power of love failed to let Chat Noir and Alya recognize that their romantic interests had been replaced, but that failure didn't lead to their ultimate defeat. It didn't even lead the villains to a minor victory! Both episodes maintain the status quo.

This doesn't mean that I like those episodes. I would rewrite both of them to let love win because they're good examples of small moments where love can win without cheapening or ruining the season's big climax. I just don't view these episodes as times when the show needed to use the power of love if it wanted to honor its chosen genre. That requirement only applies when it's a darkest night or toughest fight.

Before we move on, please note that Ladybug was the power of Adrien's love failing, yet I never mention it when I'm complaining about the power of love failing. That's because I'm never purposefully listing every time Adrien's love failed and ignoring everyone else. I'm simply listing the moments when love needed to let the heroes win because we were in one of the show's darkest hours and that is the only time when I consider the power of love a true requirement. Love can fail in small moments to increase the tension, but if love fails at the moment when all hope seems lost, then why are we even here?

There are only three episodes that get that level of criticism from me and each one had a single character whose writing infuriated me: Adrien.

Adrien vs The Power of Love

There are three episodes where Gabriel's identity is revealed and the final fight goes down. Those episodes are Chat Blanc, Ephemeral, and the season five final. In each of these episodes, Adrien suffers on a scale that no other character has had to suffer:

In Chat Blanc he is akumatized and forced to use his cataclysm to kill both his father and the love of his life, dooming him to spend eternity alone in a dead word.

In Ephemeral he is akumatized and forced to use his powers to hand the love of his life over to his father, thereby allowing Gabriel to win and rewrite reality.

In the season five final, Adrien is left alone in a jail cell, tormented by nightmares while his father dies leaving Adrien an orphan. Adrien is then told some truly colossal lies about what actually happened, leading him to believe that Gabriel scarified himself to save Ladybug's life. Since Chat Noir's usual role in fights is protecting Ladybug, this is arguably the equivalent of Adrien being told that his failure to show up killed his father. I'm not even sure if that's the wrong message because Gabriel did die from a cataclysm and Adrien would understandably blame himself for that, too, so maybe this was a way to address that without going too dark for kids and why does that argument hold water? Wtf was this trash fire of a story line???

When you compare Adrien's treatment in these episodes to something like Marinette's treatment in season four final you can hopefully see why it feels like comparing a broken arm to a mortal blow. It's not that Marinette doesn't suffer. In terms of individual moments of suffering, Marinette beats out every other character! But while she may beat Adrien in breadth, he is the clear winner in terms of depth and the only one who never gets a true power of love moment.

Marinette's darkest nights and toughest fights ultimately work out so that she can go on to some new type of suffering, the old suffering fading away to nothing more than memory. Adrien's darkest nights and toughest fights lead to loss and suffering for which there is no cure other than rewinding time or rewriting reality. The season five final even has Adrien directly state that he's not worthy of Marinette's love:

Adrien: I'm not in my right mind. I'm too angry — at myself for falling short of Marinette's love, at my father for sending me here in London, at this stupid app and these rings that use my image... it makes me sick! This nightmare is giving me the horrible feeling that, if I transform, I'll get akumatized and destroy everything with my Cataclysm — Marinette, Ladybug... (Takes off the ring and hands it to Plagg.) Plagg: Surely Ladybug can help you. Adrien: If I ask her for help, I'd have to give her information that would jeopardize my secret identity... and I can't.

This is literally Adrien's last scene in the main story line. He doesn't show up again until the happily ever after epilogue where he and Marinette kiss. In other words, the show had Adrien directly state that he's unworthy of Marinette's love and then did nothing to counter that statement. I guess this poor unfortunate soul is just lucky that Marinette likes him enough to keep him around in spite of his many failings...

Writers, seriously, what the hell are you doing? This is the kind of dialogue that should lead into a power of love moment! How is thinking about Marinette leading Adrien to despair instead of strength? Why is Plagg just accepting this? Plagg is a magical being who was assigned to watch over Adrien. Shouldn't a character like that help Adrien rally in his darkest night? Where's Adrien's you and me against the world pep talk? That should go both ways!!! Have him break out, call Ladybug to tell her that he's not coming, only for her to rally him so he comes and at least fights outside in the city while she does her solo fight! Don't leave him alone to rot while almost every other character in the freaking show gets to fight!

It would be one thing if Adrien gave up because he was alone and scared, but Plagg is there and the writers directly bring up Marinette and love only to do nothing to show those as positive forces in Adrien's life!!! Instead, Marinette is the thing that keeps him from the fight because Adrien's nightmare is him getting akumatized and killing Marinette even though Adrien knows nothing about Chat Blanc.

[Image description: Adrien's nightmare where he's a blue haired version of Chat Blanc, holding Marinette's body in his arms having killed her with a cataclysm]

To be clear, in each of the three episodes I listed above, Adrien is undeniably a victim suffering at the hands of his main abuser. They're also some of the worst moments of abuse in the entire show. It would be perfectly reasonable for a real life person to give into despair if they were put into this situation, but real life people don't transform into magical cat boys who wield the raw power of Destruction. I was not looking for realism here. I was looking for hope and inspiration!

I wanted to see Adrien win! I wanted his love for Marinette and/or his friends to give him the strength to overpower his father's control because that's what the power of love is all about! When all hope seems lost, it's there to let the hero win because love is stronger than despair, hatred, fear, and magical remote controls! It is the bright light that blasts away the darkness in your darkest night! Unless your name is Adrien Agreste, then no love for you! Suffer, feather boy, suffer!

Example of what I wanted from canon

There are many ways to fix these three episodes so love wins, but to keep this simple let's focus on Chat Blanc and what the power of love winning might look like if we let canon play unchanged up until the moment where Adrien loses control of his powers:

Hawk Moth: Cat Blanc, I'm giving you the infinite power of destruction!! Together, you and I will seize Ladybug's Miraculous and awaken your mother!!! Obey!!! Cat Noir: (tries to fight back but fails) I'm sorry, Ladybug! (He succumbs his akumatization and transforms into Cat Blanc. Ladybug watches in horror at his transformation.) Hawk Moth: Seize her Miraculous, My Son!!! (Cat Blanc lifts his right arm to Ladybug, activating Mega Cataclysm.) Ladybug: No, Adrien! You have to resist!! (Cat Blanc whimpers as he changes his mind and points his arm to Hawk Moth.) Hawk Moth: How dare you!? Not me, Adrien!! Cat Blanc: (whimpering while looking to both of them) I... I don't know what to do!!!!!!

Instead of having the mega cataclysm go off here, we instead see this: Ladybug and Hawk Moth both realize that Chat Blanc is incapable of listening to either of them. Hawk Moth's reaction is to turn and run away, desperate to save himself. Ladybug's reaction is to run to her boyfriend's side, not caring about the danger. She wraps her arms around him, closes her eyes, and tells him that it's okay. That she's here and she loves him and she'll stay here and love him no matter what. It doesn't matter who his father is, it's still him and her against the world now and forever.

The more she talks, the weaker the mega cataclysm grows. By the time she makes her final vow, the mega cataclysm is little more than a flickering glow. A black clad hand touches both of her hair ties, disintegrating them, leaving her hair to fall free around her face since that was a thing in this episode. The minor wardrobe change makes her pull back and look at her boyfriend to see that he's back to Chat Noir, a purified akumas fluttering off in the distance. Chat Noir is crying, clearly distraught, but he's himself again because Marinette's presence allowed him to focus on her love over his father's poison. They won. Love won. Fear and abuse lost.

The couple embraces. Hawk Moth's big gambit failed and they now know his identity so the fight is almost over. Paris will soon be free.

From there you can have an epic battle with the temp holders where the butterfly and the peacock are recovered. Nino gets to punch Gabriel in the face a dozen times or so as a treat and Adrien gets to cuddle up with some treats, sitting the fight out since he's already done his part by surviving the reveal of his father's identity.

You could also have Gabriel just give up because he doesn't have any moves left and the full implications of what he did are smacking him in the face, sapping him of the will to fight. Anything that lets this asshole suffer is fine by me! Emilie's fate is up to you. I like to make her at least semi-decent and revive her to give Adrien a happier ending and Gabriel the horror of divorce papers, but that's just me.

Final Thoughts

As I said at the top, I'm going to continue to complain about the way that Adrien was written in these episodes. I don't consider his victim status a reasonable excuse for the way these episodes played out. If anything, his victim status is an even bigger black mark against the writing!

I come to family-oriented media for hope and happy endings! I want stories about victims being empowered! I want Gabriel's controlling nature to totally backfire on him and not in a mutually-assured-destruction way like we saw in Chat Blanc. I want Gabriel's choice to cost him everything and for him to suffer that loss for the rest of his life while Adrien gets endless love and support, allowing him to survive the reveal and go on to live a happy life. If that's not what you're selling, then I'm not buying thus me giving up on canon after the season five final. There's just no coming back from that kind of colossal writing failure.

I will try to remember to use the word "forced" when describing the problems (as in "forced to kill"), but that's the only thing I can change while still sharing my honest opinion since my main problem with these episodes isn't Gabriel's treatment of Adrien. While I don't like how far these episodes took Gabriel, you don't need to rewrite him to make the episodes work. It doesn't matter how far the writing takes Gabriel, he should never be able to successfully manipulate Adrien while threatening Adrien's supposed True Love.

As soon as Adrien knows that Marinette/Ladybug is in danger, it should be game over for Gabriel because love is supposed to be stronger than all of the awful things that Gabriel has done up to and including the sentimonster crap. In fact, the sentimonster crap just makes it even more important for Adrien to win! Gabriel should think he has victory in the bag because he views Adrien as a perfect doll, but love proves Gabriel wrong letting Adrien overpower his amok and win. The trope is called "love conquers all" not "love conquers the mildly inconvenient." The more dire the straits, the more important the win!

Unfortunately, that's not the message Miraculous is sending. By letting Adrien give into his father's control in the show's darkest hours, the message is that Gabriel's control is stronger than love. That Adrien will never be free. That he was Gabriel's perfect doll and you were silly if you ever expected him to be more than that. That's not a message that I'm that ever going to agree with and is yet another reason why I only bring up Adrien + these three episodes when I talk about the power of love failing.

You are never going to convince me that Adrien being allowed to give into despair was a good thing unless you pair that argument with some major changes to canon like love square not being together and/or Adrien not knowing that his actions would endanger Marinette. Even then you need to design that fix in a way that ultimately allows Adrien to win otherwise you are sending a terrible message to the audience. There should never be a scenario where the final battle ends the way canon had it end.

Gabriel is the show's big bad, Adrien is his main victim, and the theme of their relationship has been control. That means that, when it comes to the final fight with Gabriel, Adrien needs to be involved in a way that gives him agency. I'm not saying he needs to fight his father on his own or even at all! I'm okay with him sitting out the fight so long as you pair it with something big like Adrien being the one to learn Gabriel's identity or something more dramatic like my simple Chat Blanc fix.

However, Adrien sitting out only works if it's his own, freely-made choice. As soon as you pair it with something like magic nightmare dust you are once again sending the message that Gabriel's control is the strongest force in Adrien's life. I truly don't understand how anyone can embrace that message and call it good, especially when canon didn't ultimately do something positive with it like letting Adrien become stronger as time went on. He actually got weaker as the show went on!

Chat Blanc saw everyone lose because Adrien was able to at least try to fight back, denying his father total victory. Ephemeral saw none of that fighting spirit and Gabriel just outright won. Season five once again saw Gabriel win only, this time, the show didn't even let Adrien be part of the fight. What an uplifting character arc for Adrien! (That was sarcasm.) Play the episodes in reverse order and you might actually have something if you add a fourth one where he finally wins!

If you want to talk about more minor conflicts where the power of love should have won then I'm happy to do that! Canon has lots of options to pick from! But unless you specify that you want to talk about something minor, these three episodes are going to be my only examples of the power of love failing because they are the only times when love completely failed the character in question. Total loss, no silver lining, writers wtf are you doing?

Listing times when love failed Marinette or Alya in the same list as these three episodes just feels insulting to Adrien unless the context is something like a list ranking the failures from smallest to largest. I'll once again point out that I don't even list the other times when love failed Adrien because my issue isn't Adrien as a person. My issue is Adrien as a tool of the narrative and the asinine message that the Agreste arc sends to the young children this show is aimed at. I wouldn't even be okay with this in a show aimed at adults unless it was clearly marketed as a grimdark take on superheroes. Miraculous should not feel like a kiddiefied version of The Boys and yet here we are.

Why was Adrien granted magical powers and allowed to fight his controlling father for five seasons if Gabriel was just going to die without Adrien getting a decisive victory? Why focus season five on Gabriel controlling Adrien to such an extreme if Adrien was never going to be allowed to break free? Why make Adrien the main love interest and focus the entire show on romantic love if you don't have anything positive to say about romantic love? Why bother getting the love square together before every single final showdown in the freaking show if their relationship status was going to mean nothing? Where is my power of love always so strong?

(Btw, that song I kept quoting is from the original English dub soundtrack to Sailor Moon R - The Promise of the Rose. It plays as love and friendship save the planet Earth from an asteroid. The updated dub replaced the song with the original Japanese soundtrack and the comments are full of people complaining about the change because the song just takes this scene to the next level! I bring this up because Sailor Moon set many people's standards for the magical girl team show genre that Miraculous is clearly taking inspiration from, but failing to fully embrace. If you don't want love and friendship to be on par with nuclear weapons and asteroid attacks, then don't write a show about love and magic aimed at kids.)

[dimeadozencows]

I'M LOSING MY SHIT OVER YOUR RAMB ART. LIKE IT'S THE PERFECT MIX OF COMICAL AND DEEPLY TRAGIC MAN AND I REALLY LIKE IT. I'm taking your art and running with it thank you very much for your contribution to my insanity

Well buckle up buddy boy cus I'm not even close to being done

That's exactly it! He's so goofy both cus he wants to be and also he's just naturally.. like that, but he's also incredibly tragic to the point where it's almost jarring??

First time players (me) who didn't play the sword game and saw him petrified next to a random pippins who's roasting the HELL out of him just... What is going on?? He was nice and made funny faces... He's completely alone? His job was given to him to get rid of him?? No one likes his jokes?? No one will care that he died??? Other darkners from different dark fountains are fine cus they felt like they belonged but he's... stone?........ He... loved us..?

Inside he was probably stone already...? (Most obvious depression metaphor in a Toby fox game ever) But also his every other expression is that fuckass smug cat face. "How about the usual?" On his first day on the stand. Like that older family member who was so funny and nice to you when you were younger- then you grew up and learned just how horrible his life is.

I went off but you get what I mean??? God damnit. I'm so happy I managed to get this across in my posts about him!! With these kinda characters (I'm mainly thinking of sans atm) there's a delicate balance between the silliness and the tragedy that if one overshadows the other their unique personality gets lost. A lot of us Undertale veterans are guilty of this with sans, myself included, so that's why I'm so happy you feel like I did him justice :]

Thank you for the kind words! I'm always up to worsen people's obsessions <333 here's a ramb I drew on my phone in two minutes, felt cute might petrify later

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 176 spoilers except its mostly me having a great time bc the panels this week were incredibly fun YAY and thoughts below the cut

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oh my god these motherfuckers are up to their scheme again. LMFAOOOOOOOOO LOOK AT THEM HAHAHAHAHAHA

IT'S SO FUCKING FUNNY THAT THEY'VE MASTERED THIS ROUTINE. THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO TAKE TIME TO PREP ANYTHING JAVIER JUST KNEW. THAT'S SO GOOFY LMFAOOOO I LOVE THESE TWO SO DAMN MUCH HAHAHAHAA

also obsessed w javier's expression. whenever he has these moments his expressions are always the BEST because theyre SO MINIMAL. the slightest curl of his lip,,, the menace in his eyes,,, compared to lloyd's expressions, javier's are always technically lowkey, but the artist always gives that lowkeyness an extra edge in the art that completes the entire panel. i love javier's expressions so much WAHAHAHA THEY'RE SO GOOD

LOOK AT THEM BEING MENACES ADLFKJSLDJKF absolute thugs. god it's like when they're together they sync a braincell that tells them to go Scheme mode. they're so ridiculous i love them sm,,, alicia ur gonna have to get used to this LMFAO

ALSO I AM SO SO HAPPY LLOYD IMMEDIATELY WENT TO COMPROMISE W THE SPIRIT KING. I KNEW U WOULD THATS MY BOY ILY BUDDY!! i really like how nice his expressions are here,,, i want to think that there's a part of him in there that's actually genuine abt this. esp w the panels that are upcoming,,,

like he looks so soft here! it's sweet,,, i'm really glad he's doing this,,,

AND THEN THIS. THIS PANEL OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. THIS IS GORGEOUS I HAVE TO SHOW IT

REALLY enjoying all these soft lineart from lighting moments that the artist is putting in. god i love this so much,,, there's a metaphor in here somewhere,,, idk,,, i like this a lot!!! alicia seeing pieces of suho's heart poking thru,,, like sunrays,,,, hehehe sweet,,,, so sweet,,,

i love this panel to pieces but i do think its funny af that in this panel lloyd is crouching like that LOL what a creature ily bud

ALSO. ALSOO lets talk about what alicia's thoughts are here as she's looking at him,,, she says smth along the lines of "ur interesting to me bc i cant figure u out,,," and i love that a lot,,, maybe im looking too far into this but i read this as her saying "im seeing pieces of who u really are, i want to figure u out / explore ur true and honest self". she's learning more abt the side of lloyd thats empathetic, thats selfless, that brings out a good outcome for everyone,,,, she wants to see more of that side of him methinks,,,,, regardless of what she actually meant by this, it's a very cute moment and i really like it,,,

it again makes me think that alilloyd as a ship has soooo much potential. it could be so so good,,, this moment especially helps give it a little ground to stand on,,, i just wish there was a stronger foundation,,, it could be even greater,,, ohhh,,,, maybe in future eps who knows? we'll have to wait and see,,,

also hi artanis!! this line from her caught my eye i wanted to bring it up

im willing to bet that this belief is also one that was sourced from credos/jang-cheol, just like the rock paper scissors game and just the farming/pacifism schtick as a whole. it probably played a part in how he had to convince the demons to follow him in the first place,,,

this could also indicate that living honestly and working to earn is a principle that jang-cheol followed in korea, and he decided that he would stick with it when he became credos. alternatively, he had the complete opposite principle (he was a gamer after all, with a max level character,,, could imply that he spent all his time on the game) but when he got transmigrated, he realized that he had another shot at making a living honestly and decided to commit to that. there isn't really enough to make a solid conclusion on how jang-cheol lived, but this is an interesting indicator and i think it's worth a bookmark! i hope the prequel gets a manhwa so i can read it,,, manifesting,,,

oh also the railroad! yay!! y'know idk if this is quite the preservation of nature i had thought they would do LOL this,,, could be considered manipulating the ecosystem too much,,, but also i am not a biologist! so i wouldn't know! it looks nature-preserved so i'll take it!

seems like the demons won't be too far from home too, since they'll probably be the ones employed to run the railroad tracks once it's complete. lloyd essentially gave them jobs! yahoo!

AND THEEEN THE SECOND REALLY NICE PANEL FOR THIS WEEK YAYAYAYY WAAAAHHHH LLOYYYD LLOYD

i will be honest the glare is pretty uh. harsh but i dont mind at all bc YAYYY YAYYY NICE MOMENT WITH LLOYD YAHOO YAHOO. he seems and looks super tired here too,,, one of the panels before this was his heart freezing up again and alicia asked if they should stop bc of his heart, but he refuses,,, ghhh,,, stupid fucking martyr i love you stop doing that though please take a break

this panel is again another alicia pov panel and i really really like it,,, he's so Sun character to me idk how to explain that (javier is Moon to me). maybe ill break that down in a different post another time but yeah,,, yeah,,, sun and moon,,, yeah,,,,,,, also alicia is Comet. one day ill elaborate

and then there it is, goofy lloyd panel HAHA there's the greedy front he always puts on, welcome back! alicia's reaction too LMFAOOO she's sick of his antics /lh

like bud u dont have to say anything else,,, we know u care lloyd u dont have to put up the money part at the end anymore,,,,,,, goofy ass

their lil moment here was also rlly cute,,, alicia laughing at lloyd's antics and just. his big ass smile HAHAHAHAH so so cute i love this a lot,,,

and then the railroad got completed YAYY YAYYYY YAYYY ONE STEP CLOSER TO A HAPPY ENDING!!!

lloyd got like a jump ability and according to my mutuals thats not in the novel? so im curious as to what thats for,,, lloyd says it already but yeah he's a swordmaster now and has tons of other skills and summons too. what would a super jump be useful for,,,? so far, most if not all of his skills have had some use in the story,,, skills that are deliberately brought up like this are always used eventually. what in the world will a jump skill do??? what kind of situation will lloyd find himself in?? is this not almost over??? i'm so curious,,,

also this panel lloyd looks really tired, exhausted even,,, his irises look dulled and theres slight bags,,,, the construction plus the effects on his heart is probably doing him in,,,

and then we see him keel over LAKDFJLSDKJF

I GASPED SO LOUD WHEN I SAW THIS AND IM NOT SURE IF ITS OUT OF WORRY OR IF ITS OUT OF GIDDY. bc listen, on the one hand, oh my god im so worried for lloyd please be okay dont DIE. on the other hand,,, on the other, fic-brained character interaction-pilled hand,,, WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP CHARACTER WHUMP WHUMP MOMENT HURT COMFORT. YAHOO FIREWORKS EVERYONE CHEER!!! WHUMP!!! WHUMP IN MY TGED!!! WAOWIE WAOWIE WAOWIE!!!

sorry. my demons. anyway

alicia catching him is so good,,, sweet,,,, so sweet,,,,, ANOTHER POINT FOR ALILLOYD. again i wish the foundation for alilloyd was stronger, bc if they had established it in a better or more solid/connected way this moment would hit even harder,,, BUT NO,,, its missing impact for me simply bc alicia and lloyd do not talk/share/save each other enough. but it's so cute,,, sweet,,, this moment is nice,,, ghhh,,,, i feel heartbroken over this its bittersweet

and off they go,,, yes,,, a queen, her boyf, and her boyf's boyf. beautiful. alicia is carrying him again hehe,,,

off they go to get the eye of summer!! YAYYY!!! lloyd will stay alive!!! YAHOO!!! we are one step closer to beating fate and getting that happy ending,,, hold on lloyd, hold on everyone,,, it'll be over soon! if they don't get a happy ending i am going to cry and sob for forever and ever!!!! i'm serious!!!!!!!!

i genuinely had a lot of fun reading this ep the moments were all so fun and i'm very glad that things are looking up for them,,,!!! this does also worry me that there's going to be one more final obstacle before we actually get their good ending. bc now that i think abt it, getting the eye of summer does save lloyd but it doesn't stop fate,,, so,,, there might be more trouble ahead. but i'm not gonna worry about that right now!!! i'm coping!!! i'm coping.

that's all from me tho,,, i have to get back to the school grind,,, i'll see y'all next time!!!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Season 3 -Surrealism and its psychoanalysis of Carmy Berzatto

Stick with me here if you like. I'm here to talk about how this season it dove into a psychoanalysis and surrealist style cinema on Carmy and his sexual urges. @currymanganese @caiusmarciuscoriolanus & @vacationship discussed in another thread the surrealism of this season with its close shots and quick cuts as well as leaning into faint storytelling and a focus on moving images. Surrealist Cinema connects with Sigmund Freud's principles in creating this film style.

Surrealist films are connected to Sigmund Freud's ideas about dreams and the unconscious mind. These filmmakers used strange, unexpected scenes and bizarre images to depict what’s going on deep in our minds, creating movies that feel like crazy, vivid dreams. The Surrealists ran with this idea in their art to capture pure thoughts from the unconscious mind.

Freud's ideas are super handy for understanding Surrealist art. Early on, Freud figured out that dreams are like visual poems, using metaphors to show our unconscious thoughts and desires. But our minds censor these dreams, turning the original thoughts into metaphors through something called displacement and condensation.

The filming this season prioritized mood over storytelling, which is another interesting aspect. It also featured a surrealistic style of non-linear moving images like in Episode 3x01 Tomorrow- non linear in Carmy's unconscious stream of thought. This symbolism also shown through the displacement of scenes and images.

What is Displacement?

Freud thought Displacement was the important part of dream work, and surrealist felt this way with film. It swaps out objects or concepts with symbols to hide the real meaning. Surrealist filmmakers committed to this act of symbolism. Symbolism is a figure of speech of a character's actions, words, and events that has a deeper meaning.

One example of symbolism from Freud defines that knives often symbolize male genitalia and boxes symbolize female genitalia in dreams.

What are the odds of a parallel between knives and boxes, and it's only Carmy and Sydney being frustrated by the tasks of cutting and breaking down boxes?

It's the symbolism of sexual frustration between them.

Textbook Sublimation

Another Freud concept is sublimation - this is defined as redirecting sexual desire into socially acceptable behaviors or new aims that are still related to the sexual impulse. (AKA Carmy wants a star, not just to beat Chef David- but what carmy truly wants sexually is to please Sydney)

Remember what Richie said about Carmy as he shouts at him and then Carmy looks at Sydney?

Let's definite what textbook sublimation is:

My theory is that Richie told Carmy that he sees him for who he really is. He knows Carmy and knows that he never wanted Claire in the first place. Richie is aware of the tension between Sydney and Carmy, and Carmy's been repressing it all along. Richie is very observant; look at how he observes the tension between Carmy and Sydney.

Bonus: Look how Carmy stares at Sydney- he could care less about the Faks in this moment. He's feeling bad for giving her a headache but he wants to fight some more.

Remember, we theorize here that season 3 breaks into the fourth wall. At that moment, Richie is talking to the audience, giving us a rundown of why Carmy avoids and creates a prison in his mind. We didn't get a clear answer because we were inside Carmy's mind throughout the season. He was experiencing confusion, repression of his urges, and an inability to feel the pain he was going through. Another thing is that he could not accept any joy or love in his life.

I believe the decision to create a surrealist-style season is great because it complements Carmy's avant-garde food style, through which he communicates his artistic thoughts and feelings.

Through the image, we see that Carmy is in a dreamlike state, gazing at the dish he created unconsciously, which matches Sydney's scarf. This hits at the core truth of his desires that he does not want to address. Sydney is the real fun, joy, and amusement that can happen, but he's been sabotaging and repressing since day one, even with the choice of dating Claire. Carmy is more addicted to adrenaline, stress, chaos, and guilt.

I believe the bear in his dream symbolizes the Carmy's unconscious and repressed feelings - desires, guilt, and longing. These emotions overwhelm him as he returns home and processes his grief. The phrase "let it rip" carries multiple meanings, but in this case, I interpret it as a call for him to embrace his emotions and be true to himself.

Thank you for reading.

[yap-city-population-1]

“Yeah I’m really not loving Ron Marz superboy run. According to the reading guide I’m following SB first meets Robin in this 2 issue mini series, so I think I’ll just read that and then skip ahead to young justice—“

No…. Nooooo…… no, not chuck dixon—

I fucking hate Chuck Dixon.

[anonymouszephyrus]

I may or may not have done something..

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64170649

(Chapter 2 is already planned to come on in a day or two, just need to edit it a little :D)

And I may or may not have made art to go along side it..

(Fucked up quality but it's fine, it was just for fun anyways- sorry for the hands being bad in this, I'm still learning :'D)

Anyways yeah, go check it out if you're interested. This is just like a spur of the moment, passion project (?) I guess HDHDND

[wenysrem]

Nether King Herobrine had spent too much time in the Nether, he had forgotten what it was like to be in Overworld. To see the sun and bask underneath its light, a light that isn't full of oranges and yellows, and to feel its heat above him—surrounding every part of him.

So, when he visits the Overworld again—be it during his redemption or someone else managed to convince him—he gets hit by the bright sunlight casting down onto him and the Nether Portal behind him. The purple glow mixing in with the afternoon light.

He stands there for a moment, taking in his surroundings—the green scenery of the clearing, the trees around him providing shade to whoever would be needing it, and of course, the dreaded ball of gas up in the vastness of what the others call the sky.

It had been months—maybe years—since he'd last seen the sun. It hasn't changed one bit. It was still the same as last time—high up in the sky, giving off heat to the world below, heat that he thought he would be long accustomed to because of his time in the Nether.

However, the heat the sun gave off this time was different. It was still hot—much like the Nether—but this one felt... kinder. Warmer. Gentler, even.

Unlike the heat from the lava, this heat was a lot less hostile. Herobrine doesn't know how to explain it, but the heat from the sun makes him want to lay down on a field of grass and bask in its presence.

Perhaps that's what he did, for a few minutes—or maybe hours. Just laying on the grass, taking a moment to breath, and... relax.

Take off the crown, the king underneath and become someone he'd not been for years.

Herobrine.

Not just King of the Nether or whatever it is people call him nowadays—just Herobrine. Himself.

He'll have to visit the Overworld more.

[inyunjin]

say bye-bye (to boring days)

🔞 ITZY - Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin - 5223 words 🔞

READ ON AO3

Yeji starts slow, lazy. The fingers on Ryujin’s stomach grow legs and learn intent, walking themselves across the exposed patch of skin with purpose. Her head slowly drifts up, off Ryujin’s chest, before spelunking into the crevice of her neck and shoulder. It’s an easy adjustment, one that makes Ryujin tilt her head back on reflex alone. She lives there for a bit, covering the smaller girl like a blanket, before she goes further with her plan. A swift kiss to her neck and an even faster response from Ryujin – the smallest, slightest of hitches in her breath. Yeji notices because she notices everything about Ryujin. She kisses her again, this time transitioning the kiss into the brush and nuzzle of her nose against the skin of her neck. Yeji feels it in Ryujin’s stomach this time, the small tense and hardening of it before it relaxes. But she doesn’t let it relax for long. Her fingers cross the boundary of Ryujin’s shirt to the cool skin beneath it. Her nails walk along the pavement of her torso, leaving shivers as footsteps in their wake. Her lips grow more daring, her kisses more forceful, her tongue and teeth joining in as reinforcements on the assault on Ryujin’s neck. “Yeddeong…” “Yes, Ryuddaeng?” The last part of her name comes out as a hot breath, causing Ryujin to shudder beneath the feeling. “What’re you doing?”

CONTINUED ON AO3

[thedeadthree]

-ˋˏ .·:·. ⊱ 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐛𝐲 @pavus — day one: 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

— 𝐈𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑 . 𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝐃𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀 . 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐒. 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐒.

— 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 (mutuals can opt in/out via 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 <3):

@loriane-elmuerto, @carrionsflower, @auricfog, @girliefailure, @sunsofdawn

@risingsh0t, @griffin-wood, @lilywatt, @full---ofstarlight, @grapecaseschoices

@tommyarashikage, @shadowsofrose, @shadowglens, @weisshaupts, @queennymeria

@deadrlngers, @d-esmond, @courtana, @gothimp, @wlwaerith

@unholymilf, @aezyrraeshh, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @shellibisshe, @florbelles

@celticwoman, @neonshrike, @cloudofbutterflies92, @adelaidedrubman, @carlosoliveiraa

@pinkfey, @spookyrares, @yharnams, @aceghosts, @confidentandgood

@theelderhazelnut, @leviiackrman, @ellierenae, @anoras, @lavampira

@dialdrunk, @full---ofstarlight, @imogenkol

[obsessedwhyyes]

WIP Wednesday!

Oh my goodness, it's been so long since I did one of these. But I'm back! And I have a snippet!

Thank you so much to @roguishcat, @davenswitcher, @larvasmoon, @cinnamontails-ff, @vividiana, @verbenaa for the tags! I'm sure I've missed people - it's been so long since I did one of these, after all! If I have missed you, I'm so sorry!

I come bearing a very strange, very experimental little snippet for you today from A Tale of Fools and Tricksters, my Ringmaster Astarion x Fem!OC circus AU! This chapter is Elysia-centric, so not much of The Boy in this one!

Snippet under the cut!

For people that have read this fic, I'd love to know what you think is happening 😂 For people that haven't, don't worry about it 😁

No Pressure Tags: Everyone that tagged me, plus @lady-vincent, @khywren, @pinkberrytea, @caffeinatedmunchkin, @nerdallwritey, @wobblyweasels, @snowfolly, @xxnashiraxx

[shesmore-shoebill]

Running a little low on both writing capabilities and spare time at the moment. So instead, for day three of Amangela Holiday Week. I'm just going to offer the skeleton of a dialogue exchange I envisioned for this prompt, and you can all fill in the blanks as you'd like! 🫡 The voices are potentially way off but hopefully the vibes are still there.

standard smosh rpf disclaimer. F for fiction. fear not ye characterization does not apply irl. etc. etc.

Prompt: "You taste like peppermint."

----

"... Amanda. ...I know what candy canes taste like."

"Yeah, but. Well. Well, this is just in case you wanted to try. My one. Because this one is- uh- especially good."

"...You specifically want me to try your. Half eaten. Candy cane."

"Well not if you're going to give me attitude about it-"

"I'm not giving you attitude, you're just being weird. And I love you for it, but-"

"We share food all the time, this isn't THAT weird. And you don't have to-"

"-no, I mean, I'll do it, but god, Amanda, you know, there are WAY easier ways to get me to swap spit with you-"

[silence]

"... Did I say that out loud?"

"... Okay, way to turn my cute planned thing into the grossest thing I've ever heard. "Swap spit???""

"HEY- wait, don't turn this on me, what do YOU mean by planned-"

"You know what? Nevermind. Just get over here so I can kiss you."

"... you taste like peppermint."

"Well. I ate like. Four candy canes since this morning to try to get this to happen, so, I'm sorry, but it did work."

"I didn't say I didn't like it. ...But let me check again."

----

Context floating in my head that I couldn't execute effectively/quickly enough: this is pre amangela officially getting together. but both of them have an inkling of how they/the other person feels. Someone brought candy canes in. Angela has spent the full day being tormented because every time she looks over at Amanda, Amanda has a candy cane in her mouth/is partway eating it/is looking over at her while her mouth. Does Things/etc and she's Not Being Regular About It.

(In her defense Amanda is absolutely doing it intentionally.)

Close to the end of the day Amanda fully just offers Angela if she wants to "try her candy cane" while holding out the one she's eating. Cue this conversation.

Optionally: whatever else you think suits it!

thanks again to @zillaphoneswag for setting this up! :)