#I have a feeling in their next episodes they'll just end up coming to an agreement for a trade tbh but still

[minecraft-sideblog-tm]

After watching Grian and Mumbo's failed negotiation over the prismarine permit, I think it'd be really funny if instead of actually trading permits they just became the wholesaler for the other's shop.

Ah yes this is Grian's iron and gold shop which sells iron and gold bought in bulk exclusively from Mumbo's farms. Still Grian's shop though! And that over there is Mumbo's prismarine shop, where he sells products bought from Grian and also let Grian decorate with the 5000 cod heads he doesn't want to talk about

[miodiodavinci]

taking a break from working to say man. if the end up having to cut content to fit everything in 24 episodes, my favorite chapter of dungeon meshi is almost certainly getting cut skdjfhglj

[satxoru]

You were always the quiet one in the friend group. You would try to make your voice heard, but your friends just didn't ever hear you nor believed in you or considered your feelings whenever they did anything.

You always tried to fit in with them in any way, maybe they'll start noticing you right? it even came to the point where you change your opinion so you could be just like your friends.

but they never really noticed you, never considered your feelings in anything, even if it's about an important situation or not.

one day your friends brought universities up in a conversation, which is great because you've been thinking about universities for a while so you took it as a chance to voice out your thoughts.

You have always loved drawing and photography. You were thinking about taking either arts & design or photography in college, but you weren't sure which one to choose. You were leaning more towards photography because you loved taking pictures of nature and you felt like it was something you really had a passion for.

but you weren't sure if you should pursue this or not. You wanted some advice on what to do, and you made the mistake of asking your friends for advice, because they did everything other than advice or encourage you.

"i was thinking either arts & design college or photography college."

one of your friends scoffed "are you even good at either of them to consider these universities?" your friend said.

"oh, i never knew you were thinking of going to college considering you'd most likely fail the admission test" another friend added which had the rest of the friend group hollering in laughter.

as if the first comment didn't already hurt you enough, your friends just had to bring up the fact that they thought you'd fail the admission test, which was something you were always scared of.

You felt completely humiliated and your confidence started to crumble even further as they kept laughing and mocking you.

You tried to laugh off the hurt that you felt when your friends mocked you, but it was clear to everyone that you were upset. one of your friends noticed this and said, "don't be so dramatic, we're just joking around." this only made you feel more hurt and embarrassed, and you quickly tried to hide your tears.

You slowly started to doubt yourself and your abilities. Your friends' behavior towards you started to take a toll on you and you started falling into a depressive episode.

later that night, you were having a hard time falling asleep. You were overthinking everything that happened at school, doubting yourself and your abilities, and you kept thinking about why everyone else seemed better than you and why you couldn't do anything right. You kept beating yourself up about it and it was too much for you to handle, you broke down in tears and cried yourself to sleep that night.

It was the same cycle again the next day in school. Your friends kept making fun of you, but you weren't aware that a specific person with blue eyes was watching you for the past two weeks, dying to go protect you from your cruel friends.

later after school, you and your friends went to the park even though you were very heavy-hearted that day and didn't have the energy to socialise with them, you didn't give up on trying to fit in with your friends.

they ended up coming across a dog. everyone was squealing about how cute the dog was, but you kept your distance because you were scared of dogs since one had bitten you before. you tried to tell your friends this, but they dismissed your feelings and told you that you're just being dramatic, which hurt you even more.

"god why are you so dramatic, its just a dog it won't bite." a friend snarled at you.

"i literally told you guys before that I've been bitten by a dog before, that's why im scared of them and you know it!" you complained.

"how were we supposed to know when you never told us." another friend added.

"i did tell you guys but you never listened to me." you sighed out, having no energy to argue back.

the next day at school, Satoru noticed how exhausted and down you were. he was concerned for you and wanted to help.

he started a conversation with you to distract you from sitting with your friends and give you some time to yourself.

"hey, can i sit next to you?" Satoru asked which he got a slight hum of approval in response. You and Satoru knew each other, but you didn't know each other to the point where you would start a conversation which confused you a little, but you didn't complain, you love company as long as no one is making fun of you.

You were doodling in your notebook midway through class when Satoru noticed and took it as a chance to start another conversation.

"..i've noticed how hard you've been working on your drawings in art class and I think they're really cool" he complimented.

"really? you mean that?"

"yeah, I really do, you have a lot of talent and I think it's amazing how you're always challenging yourself."

his words made you smile, "thanks, Gojo. That means a lot to me."

Satoru could tell that he had put a smile on her face and he was glad he had.“Satoru.” He corrected you to which you tilted your head in confusion. he smiled at your expression.

“call me Satoru.”

two months have gone by and You and Satoru have grown very close, you're basically attached at the hip now and you have gotten so close to each other that Satoru is the best friend you have always asked for; he is always standing up for you and encouraging you, and slowly you've gotten the strength to believe in yourself and are becoming better and better in what you do.

he even helps you by being your photography companion, posing for you and doing silly faces to make you laugh and giggle, which leads you to have lot of pictures of Satoru in your gallery. and as his friendship with you grew, you became more distant from your friends, even though they never really asked about you, nothing really changed in your absence, so things were still the same as usual.

but, there was this weird feeling that you weren't quite sure of, you didn't want to think too much about it in case you ended up convincing yourself of it

You liked Satoru, but weren't sure of your feelings and kept denying it by saying it was because he was your first guy friend or the first person who ever believed in you, but you sometimes share some moments together that would leave you blushing, and you weren't sure if he shared the same feelings as you, or if he was just being friendly.

like that one time you were at the park walking together when suddenly Satoru randomly blurted out "you know, I just realized how nice it is to walk with you, being around you is just so peaceful."

You blushed slightly and couldn't help but smile. You were starting to realize how comfortable you felt around him and you couldn't stop thinking about that interaction for the rest of the day.

or that one time when you were in the school hallways heading to class, and bumped into Satoru. you both said apologies at the same time and laughed it off. but it was then that you realized how close to you Satoru was and how strong his cologne smelled, you blushed a bit and couldn't help but notice how handsome he was.You both continued on your way, but the interaction had left you blushing.

and today in class you were talking to each other when suddenly Satoru leaned in close to your ear and whispered "you know, you're so cute when you talk about what you love." You blushed and ducked your head low, giggling.

You couldn't help but blush from the compliment and you were starting to realize that you might have feelings for Satoru.

a few weeks later and you finally mustered up the courage to confess to Satoru, at the thought of him you got a text from him telling you to meet him in the park because he has a surprise for you, as you were reading the message you got your hopes up maybe he'll confess.

As you arrived, you spotted Satoru sitting with another girl, and your heart sank but didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"hey Satoru" you said as you were approaching them, he looked up at you and smiled, although it was clear that he was quite comfortable with the other girl, you didn't forget to give a slight smile to the pretty girl although jealousy was all you felt.

"who's this?" you asked politely, and as Satoru introduces his girlfriend. Your heart sank.

seeing him introduce his girlfriend with a big grin made you glad he was happy but you can't deny the pain you're feeling right now, though you tried your best to hide your feelings, That's what you've been doing all along. You started a conversation with his new girlfriend.

"omg I'm so happy for you two, congratulations!" You say in a happy tone hoping Satoru won't notice your change of mood, but as he knows you too well, he definitely noticed. He decided to act clueless for now but he would talk about it later.

a while goes by with them and you had to make up an excuse to go home because the pain in your chest was unbearable. Later at night you got a text from Satoru reading "hey, are you okay?" followed by another message "i noticed how upset you were today with us— did something happen?"

"yeah I'm okay, i just needed to go home cuz i remember something important to do"

You sent the text hoping to change the subject.

"im not stupid"

"be honest with me, what happened"

you both went back and forth, with Satoru asking if you were sure you wanted to tell him what was bothering you, and you finally building up the courage to ask him to come over.

"But promise me nothing will change between us when I tell you," you added.

Satoru agreed to your condition, and came over to your house.

when you opened the door for satoru, you couldn't help but get a little teary eyed. Satoru noticed the worry written all over your face, and he didn't hesitate to hug you when he saw tears in your eyes.

he closed the door behind him and held you tightly and comforted you. letting you on his shoulder, he took you to sit on the couch and get more comfortable. you were overwhelmed with emotions, but you were appreciative of how Satoru was taking care of you in this moment. you felt safe in his arms.

"you wanna tell me what happened?" he slowly asked. your voice cracked as you tried to talk to him which gave him a signal that you weren't calm enough to talk right now. "hey its okay, take your time, im not pressuring you." he whispered in your ear while trying his best to calm you down.

he held you closer, not letting go and continuing to hold you close; he didn't want you to feel unsafe or uncared for, he wanted you to take your time and be ready to share what was bothering you when you were ready to do so.

You tried to stay calm, but you could feel your heart racing and your emotions overwhelming you.Satoru was looking at you curiously, and you knew that you had to tell him what was bothering you.

after a deep breath, you went on "I have to be honest with you, I've liked you for a while now, but when I arrived at the park today, you were with another girl and I realized that you had a girlfriend. It was hard for me to hide my disappointment and heartbreak." You said all in one breath which left Satoru silent for a while trying to understand what you just said.

the silence scared you, it was eating you alive and you couldn't help but start to overthink, "does he hate me now?" "is he disgusted of me?" "is he gonna leave me?" "i dont want him to cut me off."

all those thoughts came rushing all at once, you were gonna let go of the hug but he pulled you closer to himself and started talking.

"you know, i used to like you back then." his sudden statement confused you, you needed more clarification.

"no, i used to love you, but i realized you weren't in the right state to be in a relationship, and you weren't looking for a relationship and i didn't wanna get it into your head"

"i didn't wanna pressure you into anything but at the same time I've been waiting for too long. it was hurting me so bad"

"i was glad and upset that i was starting to move on from you, and now that you told me, im disappointed." Satoru isn't sure what he's disappointed by, but the thought of them nearly becoming something ached the both of them.

maybe Satoru should've waited a while longer? maybe you were just late trying to figure out your feelings? either way time was up and there was no going back, and of course Satoru won't leave his new girlfriend, he loves her still.

but he knew deep in his heart that he could never love someone else the way he loved you.

"but.. in the future if im able to fall in love again, i hope its you." he added

"in the future, if you ever find yourself in the position to love again, fall in love with me." you could barely form a sentence.

"i wish you well for you and your girlfriend, but if anything happened that separates the two of you, just know that ill always be waiting for you Satoru."

"you cant waste your life waiting for me" he caressed your hair.

"i know but i love you too much to let you go.”

[thefirstknife]

Information about the new stuff for Destiny! I recommend reading the articles starting with this one. Some really cool and exciting possibilities. All of it is still very early so we don't know details, but we did get some images!

The next two are super exciting, I'll go wild in the speculation so it'll be under read more:

No clue what these are. They've teased that we'll be going to new places and especially leaving the solar system. The second picture even shows an unfamiliar sky with two planets/moons. But the technology on the ground is human (aside from the white floating things which is potentially human, but could also be something else) and it seems like it's been here a while so I don't think this is us freshly arriving. Or, depending how this will proceed, maybe it is. Perhaps some ships could be sent ahead of time and by the time we get there in person, they'll be in this state?

The ship in the first image feels old though, and it's in what looks like a dry water bed (sea? river? lake?). Feels alien with the weird things floating in the sky, but the actual ship looks very old.

If we're talking Golden Age colonisation projects, there aren't many options here to explore. We know they had projects, but everything we know about them is that they failed due to the Collapse. Exodus ships never made it out; the only one we know about that did is Indigo which ended up only reaching Neptune. We know Exodus Black had a target outside of the system (Kepler-186) but that ended up crashing on Nessus. It's always possible that there's some other previously unaccounted for Exodus ship that did make it out and we just didn't know about it which makes sense given the Collapse and a total loss of information.

Clovis had the ECHO project which was supposed to go to Andromeda, but one ship never launched and one was stolen by Soteria and crashed on Neptune. There's one peculiar lore tab I've really never forgotten about that mentions what appears to be some sort of a transmission around the time of the Collapse of someone attempting to escape the system and, well:

"If I rig the pod just so, I should make it to Ross 128 b before the systems die. I can rally some ships and try to make it back."

The mention of going there, "rallying ships" and coming back implies there's ships to rally at that location which further implies there's a living colony. I've always been intrigued by this lore tab and there's never been any sort of elaboration on it. Once again, it makes sense because even if people of the Golden Age settled somewhere out of the solar system, we simply wouldn't know about it unless those both survived and were able to reach back to us. Given the state of this technology in the images, perhaps the colony failed, possibly because of the loss of contact with Earth and resources before it could be properly set up. Both Kepler-186 and Ross 128b are real exoplanet locations btw.

Anyway, we have no idea what this is and as much as I like speculating, I hope it's something wild that we can't possibly guess. I just wanted to go into some of this because it's cool and exciting to think of the possibilities that have been mentioned but never explored.

There's other options as well. My first thought over the first image before I saw the second one was Panama Ravine, with the dried out water bed and the ship, but I think that feels a little too small as an exciting new "frontiers" location. Because it would just be Earth. But the second image shows an unfamiliar sky so!

There's other possible options including stuff we can't really even begin to imagine because it hinges on stuff that will be happening next two episodes. They said that the next two episodes will be hinting at what this is and where we're going.

Really intrigued about all of this as I have been since they teased Frontiers! So clear that they plan on taking us to completely new places and I can't wait to see what they have planned.

I do have some concerns about the plans with how content will be delivered. Two expansions, even smaller ones, is a lot of work, on top of free seasonal updates. My main concern is that after the layoffs and downsizing of the studio, this will be tough on the employees which might once again lead to crunch and insane demands. I want people to keep that in mind when we talk about our expectations for this content. It would feel bad not to mention this. I'm excited but also I don't want to forget everything that happened and how this might be affecting the team. I'm also not sure if it's the right way to go back to four 3-month cycles again instead of keeping three longer episodes, but since it's a different type of a cycle, who knows.

Either way I'm excited and I'm excited about all the future information they'll be sharing over the months to come.

[firewasabeast]

Uncle Eddie- Chapter 2

Two and a Half

(read here, on ao3, or start at the beginning)

At least once a month, Eddie would come over and watch Juniper while Tommy and Buck went out on a date night.

On those days, Juniper would spend most of her time at Tommy or Buck's heels, asking when her Uncle Eddie was coming.

“You an Papa get dress!” She exclaimed, pushing at Buck's legs to try and get him to go into the bedroom.

“Juniper, it's only three,” Buck said with a laugh. He lifted her up in his arms and took her over to the old grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. It was something Tommy's dad had left him when he died. Tommy hated it, but also couldn't seem to let it go, so there it stood.

“What number is this?” Buck asked, pointing to the three on the clock.

“Tree!” She squealed.

“Right.” He moved his finger. “What number is this?”

“Five!”

“Good job!” He gave her a high five before turning back to the clock. “When this,” he said, pointing to the hour hand over the three, “gets from here to here,” going back to five, “that's when Uncle Eddie comes.”

She pursed her lips together, staring intently at the clock, as though she could get it to move with her mind. After a moment she wriggled herself out of Buck's arms. She stood in front of him, staring up at the clock. “I wait here.”

Buck smiled. He knew she wouldn't be there longer than a couple minutes. She'd get distracted with her dolls, or her toy cars, or the episode of Bluey that was about to begin.

He got his phone from his back pocket and took a quick picture, sending it to Eddie with the text:

Waiting for the clock to strike five so she can see her Uncle Eddie.

As much as Juniper looked forward to their special time together, Eddie was pretty sure he enjoyed it even more. With Christopher at college and the house feeling quieter every day, he relished the moments he got to spend with her, filled with play time, imagination, and endless laughter.

So, after seeing the text, he couldn't help it if he ended up at Buck and Tommy's place by 3:45 with the excuse that they could get ready without distraction.

He ignored Tommy's, “She's got you wrapped, man,” in favor of bending down on his knees, arms stretched wide, as Juniper ran to him as fast as her little legs would allow and launched herself into his arms.

*****

“We'll be home around nine,” Buck said as Eddie and Juniper walked him and Tommy to the door. “Junie- She's been getting into karate lately. Thinks she, uh, she can kick people in the shin and as long as there's a hi-yah attached to it it's okay.”

“We'll be fine, Buck,” Eddie assured him. He makes a mental note to buy her some boxing gloves. Never too early to start learning some techniques.

“And she has to have her yellow blankie to fall asleep or she'll scream.”

“I am not new to this, Buck,” Eddie reminded him.

Tommy placed a hand on Buck's back. “He's got it, babe. They'll be fine.”

They went through this every time. Buck was the more overprotective of the two. Always worried that some sort of danger was looming around the corner. It wasn't like Tommy could blame him, with his tendency to get seriously injured on the regular.

Tommy was slightly more laidback, although Eddie knew he was just as protective on the inside. He was simply better at hiding it.

Buck bent down to Juniper, who wrapped one arm around him while keeping the other hand latched onto Eddie's finger. “Bye, babygirl.”

“Bye, Daddy.” She patted him on the back, “Have a fun.”

Tommy bent down next. Juniper put her hands on her hips, raised an eyebrow at him. He mirrored her.

It was something they had started months ago. At random times she'd give him the look and he'd have to return it, then try to “read her mind.”

“You're thinking of... the number three!”

She shook her head, a smile washing over her face. “Two, Papa!” she shouted. It was always the number two. Every single time.

“Darn!” He looked up at Eddie. “I never get it right.”

“Being a mind reader is not an exact science. Don't beat yourself up about it.”

Tommy smiled, leaned in and gave Juniper a kiss on the cheek. “Who do you call if something bad happens?” he asked.

An eye roll. “Nine and one and one.”

“Good job!”

Tommy stood back up just in time for Juniper to turn her hand and begin shooing them out the door. “Daddy, Papa, go.”

Buck turned to Tommy. “I cannot believe our child is kicking us out of the house.”

“It's a tragedy.”

“You heard the girl,” Eddie said, waving them out the same way Juniper was. “Daddy, Papa, go!”

As soon as Buck and Tommy were out the door, Eddie looked down at Juniper.

“What's your name again?”

Juniper let out an exasperated sigh, hands back to her hips. “Chewpiner.”

Eddie snapped his fingers, “That's right. How could I forget? Mind if I call you Chewy?”

She rolled her eyes, brought her hands to her face and pushed hair back from her eyes. “Fine.”

They played this game every time Eddie came over. Although, to Juniper it was not a game at all.

If her dads were home, she'd be walking over to them right now, a very serious look on her face, and tell them, “Uncy Eddie forgot my name... again!”

To which Buck would ask dramatically, “Uncle Eddie, how could you?!”

And Tommy would add, “It's Chewpiner!”

“Let's go, Uncy Eddie!” She yelled, heading for the back door.

“I'm comin', Chewy!” Eddie followed closely behind. They always had to play pirates first. She'd been fascinated with them since she was eighteen months old, watching old episodes of Jake and the Neverland Pirates. On her second birthday, Eddie and Tommy spent the day building a pirate play set in the backyard while Buck kept her busy. Eddie will be forever grateful he recorded her as she came outside and saw it for the first time. He'll also never forget the neighbors calling the cops, thinking someone was being murdered from the sound of her excited screams.

She'd had the play set for six months now, but loved it just as much as she did on day one.

*****

After pirates was dinner. Eddie fixed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the both of them, along with some carrot sticks and goldfish.

When he placed the plate in front of her she looked down at it... unimpressed.

He knew this would happen. Happened every time. She always forgot that he was not a gourmet chef.

She glanced up at him. “Daddy makes ri- riso... risotto.”

“Oh does he?” He sat across from her, taking a big bite of his sandwich. “Did he also teach you the word risotto just to mess with me?”

She tilted her head to the side, scrunched up her nose. “Huh?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” Pushed the plate closer to her. “Eat.”

Sometimes Eddie couldn't believe what a perfect combo Juniper was of her two dads. Not just her attitude, but looks as well.

Technically, she wasn't biologically Tommy's or Buck's. Eddie still remembers Buck getting that call. Everyone was at Bobby and Athena's, enjoying a barbecue dinner, when Buck excused himself from the table.

A few seconds later he returned, tapping at Tommy's shoulder and telling him they had to go.

“One week old,” he explained poorly. “Girl. Hospital. We. Us. Now.”

Everyone got the gist, tossing out congratulations as Tommy and Buck rushed out the door, then Tommy ran back in a few seconds later when he realized he forgot their keys.

Still, it was hard to believe. Her eyes were identical to Tommy's. A deep ocean blue with specks of hazel. It wasn't something Eddie would have ever noticed on his own, but once Buck showed him twenty side by side photographs, the resemblance was uncanny.

She had a birthmark on her left arm that was a near match to Buck's. Tommy had sent everyone a picture on the group chat as soon as they got to the hospital. Buck, smiling with tears pouring down his face as he held up her little arm to show the camera.

Her hair was light brown, just like both of her dads, with loose curls that clung to her head when they'd get wet.

“It's like she was made just for you guys,” Eddie said the first time he ever held her. It was an offhand comment, spoken as he stared down at the most adorable little girl he'd ever seen.

It also brought both Buck and Tommy to tears.

Buck couldn't even speak, just nodding his head in agreement.

Tommy wiped his own tears away before they could fall too far, muttering out a, “Yeah. Yeah, she was.”

*****

Dinner turned into a discussion about her dolls. She had to tell Eddie each of their names, how old they were, and apparently each of them had a whole backstory.

Eddie was pretty sure Buck was behind that one.

When dinner was cleaned up, they colored. Juniper proudly held up a drawing that was just a rainbow of colors scribbled on the paper, “For you, Uncy!”

Best. Drawing. Ever.

Afterward, they had ice cream while they watched reruns of Bluey.

That damn show always made Eddie cry.

Soon enough it was time to get ready for bed. He got Juniper cleaned up, teeth brushed, changed into pajamas, then brought her back out to the living room to brush her hair and put it in braids.

Learning to braid was quite the experience for him. Tommy and Buck were far more natural at it than he was, but he made it his mission to learn because Juniper was always asking him to braid her hair.

So he went to YouTube and watched as many videos as he could. Actually learned to french braid while he was at it, and now he was her favorite braider.

Once he was done he turned off all the lights except for one dim lamp, put Cinderella on, and she snuggled up in his lap. He tossed a blanket over her and her eyes immediately started to close as she drifted to sleep. “Wove you, Uncy Eddie,” she mumbled, her thumb coming toward her mouth but making no actual effort to put it in her mouth.

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Love you too, Chewy.”

He could have turned off the movie once she was good and asleep. Could have gone and laid her in her room, turned on a basketball game, and scrolled through his phone as he waited for Tommy and Buck to get home.

He didn't though. He kept her in his arms, continued watching Cinderella, and made mental notes of different parts of the movie. He knew she'd ask him about it the next time he saw her. Even if she didn't make it through a movie, she'd remember what they had been watching, and ask Eddie his favorite parts.

*****

When Tommy and Buck got home an hour later, Juniper was still sleeping soundly in Eddie's arms.

“Hey,” Tommy greeted quietly. He smiled at the sight. Juniper lying there, mouth open wide, little snores escaping with each breath. She had a hand latched onto Eddie's shirt, her other curled up underneath the blanket. “I can take her to bed. Thanks, Eddie.”

He scooped Juniper up in his arms, Eddie only slightly reluctant to let her go.

Buck rubbed a hand down Tommy's shoulder as he passed by. “I'll be there in a minute to tuck her in.”

“M'kay, babe. We'll be waiting.”

Buck turned back to Eddie as he stood and started folding up the blanket.

“Oh, um, where's her special blankie?” Buck asked, looking around. “She'll have to have it if she wakes up.”

Eddie shrugged. “Still in her room, probably. She never asked for it.”

Buck stared at him. “You're magic. I swear to God, you're magic.”

Eddie smiled, "When you're right, you're right," he said, beginning to gather up his things and head out.

“Thank you, for tonight.”

“I've told you a million times, Buck, you don't have to thank me. I like hangin' out with my niece.”

“Yeah, she loves it too. You really are so good with her,” Buck said. “We never have to worry about her when she's with you.”

Eddie eyed him knowingly.

“I never said I didn't worry,” he corrected, “just that I didn't have to worry.”

Eddie laughed. Before leaving, he took a detour to the dining room table.

“You ever think of having another one?” Buck asked.

Eddie laughed harder. “God no,” he replied, picking up the scribbled drawing Juniper made him, “but getting to be her uncle is pretty cool.”

[gorboble]

So, Meta Flowey. Encore Flowey. whatever you wanna call it. I wanna discuss it rq

I believe I have a pretty solid explanation for the specimens (intentional by the devs or not,) and I've come to one conclusion: They're based on childhood fears. Let me explain each one.

Clay

This one is a bit obvious, at least to me. I think it's based on how kids will see claymation and get scared of it, you know? Like Mabel in that one episode of Gravity Falls. Might have something to do with Uncanny Valley.

Polygonal

Another obvious one. This is based on late 90's games when 3d was becoming a thing. The kind that is mostly good fun until one moment when the scariest enemy known to man comes out and has you quit the game for 6 months. Like Majora's Mask! Every kid was scared of that game, weren't they?

Patchwork

Creepy dolls, and such. Maybe just the slight discomfort you feel when you go into a room in grandma's house, the one where she sews blankets and toys. I always had a slightly unnerving feeling when it came to stuff like that. This one might be a little more personal, but it's valid.

Now, these next ones weren't so obvious. I had to do a little reaching for them.

Mechanical

It just wasn't quite obvious to me at first. This one is based on how heavy machinery may scare children and make them nervous. It's unknown and foreign to them. They don't know anything about it, but they have a feeling that they'll get hurt if they aren't careful with it (and they're right! machinery will kill you if you're not careful!)

Also guns. Guns can be scary to kids. I hope.

Organic

Now, I would say this one is the fear of doctor visits. But... it's gotta be more than that. You hear the beeping and see blood cells and such. You probably won't see that at a check-up. I think it's a bit deeper than that.

I think this is the fear of going to hospitals in general. A bit more serious than the doctor's office. It could be for a serious, painful disease the child has contracted, or... it could be visiting a loved one while they're in medical care, maybe after a horrible accident, or a terminal illness. The song supports this sort of dread regarding the inevitable loss of family. And the beeping at the end... yeah. This one is pretty grim.

Paper

specimen paper was the hardest phase to think about. Mostly because... who the hell out there is afraid of paper? I know there's a phobia for it, but it's rare.

So, I looked further into it. Paper airplanes and paper balls are flying around as attacks. And in the music? Laughter and talking.

I think this is bullying. It doesn't play into the... paper flowey, but I couldn't find any other fitting explanation. At least for this theory. Because, again, paper isn't exactly a common childhood fear that people have. Neither is bullying... but it's a huge issue in schools and is a lot more scarring than something you might find scary as a 6-year-old.

Also, note how Flowey doesn't move in this phase. Along with the organic phase. They feel really empty compared to the others, in a good way. It paints the picture of darker memories than just a scary enemy you encountered in SM64. It could also bring up some questions about Clover's past..

remember this post was entirely theoretical and probably not intended by the devs. i just wanted to write this lol. anyways i think im done. i wanted to make this post for a while now but i just now got to it at like midnight on a Friday ok byeeeee

[kenananamin]

Nanami watching a reality show

a very short list of hcs about nanami kento watching a reality show bc i was watching jersey shore, the hills, and sister wives and wondered what he would think about those shows and reality shows in general lol enjoy!

always avoided watching them bc gojo gave him enough drama and he did not want more

passes you the control and tells you to put whatever you'd like since he was gonna finish his report and read his newspaper for a bit

you put on a reality show, and he doesn't do it but he feels like groaning just from hearing the cast speak

he's a quarter of the way in one section of the newspaper when he hears some of the juiciest comebacks he has ever heard in his life

he doesn't lift his head the whole way but he watches the tv for a bit under his eyebrows

the thing is, nanami is a lowkey chismoso aka nosy

he skims through the rest of the newspaper and closes it and leans back w you to watch. you ask if he wants to change it and get ready to pass him the remote but he stops you and says to keep watching it bc he's getting up in a bit to make lunch anyways

does not get up to make lunch, y'all end up ordering in and nanami asks who each person is 10 times before finally (kinda) remembering names and understanding the dynamics

he'll shake his head and quietly mumble, "damn, that so messy" or "why would anyone in their right mind do that?"

is very shocked at half the things they do or say, but tries to hold in his laughter when someone says something ridiculous

quickly has nicknames for the cast and has his favorites

strongly dislikes the instigator and sits on the edge of the couch when someone stands up to them... but also looks forward to what the instigator does next

watches 90 day fiancé w you and grunts about the episode length but quietly watches... and enjoys

watches 90 day fiancé the other way and enjoys the way americans complain

can only watch a bit everyday and compares reality shows to medication, can only do so much at a time

will later ask which shows you've watched and looks them up when he's alone

will give you updates on the casts after looking them up on social media. "did you know she got married? i think they'll cover that in the next season?"

takes mental notes of contradictions and reminds you of these contradictions during the reunions

feels himself getting irrationally upset at some of these people and has to remind himself it might be scripted

will eventually ask if you'd like to watch a more wholesome reality show to balance out the dramatic ones

later falls into the hole of survival shows

gets a bit sulky if you watch the shows without him

hates to admit that he wants to get back home and watch one of these shows

quietly asks if you'd like to have a weekly reality show day w him where you can relax all day (or most of it at least) and have snacks, order in and just watch watch and comment on these shows

these end up being one of his favorite moments of the week w you, snuggling and enjoying brain rotting television

extras about certain shows:

prays that angelina is removed from the shore house, that sammi and ron separate for their own good, and mike gets the help he needs (is happy when it all happens except for when angelina comes back in the family vacation spin-off)

lowkey wants to rewatch the hills after the ending leaves him wondering how scripted the entire show was (you go back to explain the drama behind that and how it was mtv poking fun at it all)

has given up on trying to learn the names of the kids in sister wives. knows their faces, not their names. feels like he has personal beef with kody. wants to catch up on all recent drama.

[momowoah]

Okay but I really think that the worst part is that this is season seven. Unless they're planning to turn 9-1-1 into the new Grey's Anatomy the chances of us being already in the final half of the show are huge. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any drama, but the characters should've started to go forward, and yet nearly all of them feel stuck in the same place they have been for several seasons. Or should I say 2-3 seasons?

tldr: all/most S7 storylines were either useless in the long run or recycles. The only characters who had storylines on the good side of the scale (as in, they helped the characters develop and move to a new place in their lives) were Maddie and Chimney (and maybe Buck but he's on thin ice). All the characters are back to the same place they were in s4/s5. It's probably TM's fault. This shouldn't be happening in a 7th season.

(really long post under the cut but worth it imo)

Bobby and Athena had a whole seven episodes for their storylines and yet it didn't significantly change anything about them or their relationship. The doubts of how they are when they're at peace that were brought up in ep1 ended up not being addressed at all. We started the season with what was supposed to be this huge thing in their relationship and it was just never brought up again! Instead they put bathena through distress again just for the sake of being dramatic. And while I'm extremely glad we got Amir and think there were several high points in his storyline, what difference did it make in the long run? Yes, it brought up interesting things to Bobby's storyline, such as more insight into his childhood and the chance for him to explore another side of the fire he caused, but is it going to change anything? No! Bobby will be reinstated in S8 bc that's just how these things go, and I doubt they'll put any effort to continue the survivors storyline. I'd bet it'll just be ignored in the next seasons.

Hen and Karen have been trying for YEARS AND YEARS to adopt a child and they just can't let them! As a wlw, do you know how awful that is to watch? Seeing them fail time and time again and have their family broken up once again just because??? It was one thing with Nia, she got a happy ending, but that wasn't the case with Mara. The best thing for everyone involved would be for her to stay with Hen and Karen, but they blew it up. I know she's with Madney, but it's not the fucking same. Why do they have to go through this again? Why can't they finally get the family they've spent years fighting for? Why can't the drama be about anything else, why does it have to be about failed adoptions? I've seen this enough times before. Why not let them be able to adopt???? Why? I'm genuinely upset abt this btw, probably more than about anything else that went down.

Buck got to finally come out and it was great but instead of taking it as an opportunity to let him grow into himself they just threw him right back into the hamster wheel of dating people who are either not fully into him or who he's not fully into. (if you like bt probably skip the rest of this paragraph but I'd also be upset about how they're handling them if I liked the ship bc I liked the previous bt and they did something similar to them lol) Tommy's behavior could be explained away at first, but I feel like time and time again the show goes the extra mile to make him uninterested in Buck or just straight up an asshole to him? Instead of taking the small opportunities of portraying them as a healthy happy couple they just consistently screw up their relationship? They're not the couple I support but even then I wanted them to be good together bc I want Buck to be happy, and yet all we get is this?

I don't even have words about Eddie, especially considering what rg has said about him destroying his life and possibly reverting back to military no emotions mode next season. WHY CAN'T HE BE HAPPY? We already saw him break down, WE'VE ALREADY HAD A STORYLINE ABOUT HIM REBUILDING HIS LIFE, but happiness is boring so now he has to ruin his relationship with his son too right? It just pisses me off how they go about his character sometimes. I liked that they were bringing back the Shannon storyline because he was supposed to be able to finally move on, but this wasn't about that. No, it was about retraumatizing Eddie and Chris and splitting them up at a time when they should be leaning on each other and healing, because Chris has also been suffering with the Shannon stuff. We saw it in fucking ep 1. Don't even get me started on the Marisol stuff because idek why she was there at all. Literally don't get it. We had an off-screen breakup anyways. She wasn't relevant at all to anything that happened. Why was she even there? I'm genuinely asking. The only Eddie arc that has some positive potential for next season is him dealing with his relationship with religion (especially if they tie it to the military and the way he lives his life for others' expectations), but tbh I don't trust them not to fuck it up.

Finally, I don't have complaints about madney, except for why tf was Maddie so absent this season? The wedding episode was all about Chimney (who was also maybe kinda missing tbh), and although I love him and his backstory and the opportunity to see Kevin again, I really wanted it to be about their relationship, since it was their wedding, yk. Dispatch was also severely under utilized. We did get the 7x07 Maddie plotline and it might've been bc it was a shortened season but yeah, I'm still not that satisfied.

So, we have all the characters stuck in places they've been before. More specifically, in the place they were in season 4/5. Bathena relationship problems followed by a life threatening situation? Check. Henren struggling with adoption? Check. Buck getting into what was supposed to be a good relationship only for it to end up going really bad? Check. Eddie struggling with relationships and his mental health going to hell? Check. Madney in a good place with a new child and about to have an awful fucking time? Hopefully just check for the first part. And you know which question this makes me ask? It's whether Tim Minear is just reverting everyone to their s4 state out of spite for the seasons he was away. And even if it is a genuine attempt at getting the show back on the track he wanted out of good intentions, it still sucks, because it doesn't change the fact that it is just a repeat of old storylines. I actually complained at this before the show even aired, but (iirc) I ended up deleting my post because I thought that I was just overreacting. Guess what? I fucking wasn't, bc that's EXACTLY what they did.

Now, going back to the start of this post, the reason why all these storylines suck so much is not that they are bad. It's not even that they aren't original. No, it's the fact that we're doing storylines that belong in the fourth or fifth season of a show in its seventh season. Even the Gerrard plotline, which is new to 9-1-1, feels like it came too late, because the split up crew/villain captain storyline tends to happen much sooner in procedurals, and for a reason. Besides the fact that this was never really a big bad type of show and I don't get why they are making it one all of a sudden, and ignoring the fact that Gerrard being brought back as captain, especially to the 118 of all places, makes no fucking sense, that kind of plotline is one that it's obviously always temporary. No one believes he'll still be the captain by the end of 8A, much less by the end of the season. He'll hardly survive the first 3-5 episodes. That's ultimately a filler storyline. It helps the show go on for longer, it might even help in the development of a couple characters, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything, which appears to be a recurring theme when it comes to 9-1-1 storylines.

The reason I have a problem with this is that we don't need a filler storyline, because no one knows whether the show has the luxury of taking its sweet time. Yeah, it has a huge audience and it is doing good numbers, but it is still a fucking money pit that was already cancelled once and it's unsustainable on the long run. It might not end that soon, but is it honestly going to reach season 14? Does anyone truly think that we've only seen half of it (or less) so far? Because I don't. Not many shows make it that far, and there's a reason for that. We have three huge names who are extremely important to the show. What happens if they get tired? What happens if someone gets a better offer? What happens if we're still revisiting old storylines when that happens? Do we get an incomplete story or a rushed one?

The show should be moving forward, even if there are no plans for it to end soon. We have the drama of the huge disasters 9-1-1 loves. We have the drama of the cases. We have a myriad of new possible dramatic storylines for the characters that show development without being too final. Athena could have so many different job related storylines (from moving up in her career to abandoning it), and her and Bobby's storyline from the beginning of the season about being boring together can be played in a good and dramatic line. Henren and Madney have a whole world of parenting issues that they could go through. Buck and Eddie both still need either an endgame love interest (whether it's each other or not) or to get to the point where they are fine not having one, and we have all of the relationship trouble that comes with that. This show can give us new things, storylines that are good for the characters, without losing the dramatic factor (which, if I'm being honest, would not be a deal breaker for me). Yet, it refuses to, and probably not for a good reason, because it comes down to either Tim wanting to rewrite history or just trying to drag this show for as long as possible (which apparently he only knows how to do by refusing to make the characters happy). And you know what? I'm fucking mad about it, and I think you should be too.

Btw, this is not to say the whole season sucked. We got Madney and Henren together multiple times which was great. We finally got Bi Buck. There were several amazing acting moments for both the main and recurring actors. As a standalone season, it was good. It just doesn't work when you look at the bigger picture.

[llamaisllama777]

DAILY*/WEEKLY* LAES, TSAMS, EAPS REVIEW! 👏 👏 👏

Yesterday's episode were great I wonder what today's episodes will bring...

HE'S HERE!!! TAURUS IS HERE! EVERYONE PANIC! let's see how badly this ends....

Surprisingly well actually.

The music in this episode was also really good. I usually don't pay attention to the background music, but the music in this episode was really good it kinda reminded me of Walking Dead mixed with Last of Us. I'm not sure if that was the intent, but it works really well I feel for this situation.

Taurus is obviously menacing, but he's also oddly calm. Not what I expected from a destroyer of worlds. He says he's just here to observe Lunar and the others and decided if Lunar and probably the whole world should live.

I ain't gonna lie, I don't have hope for this world.

Taurus is gonna take one look at the whole place and decided everyone is better off dead. Which will probably lead to some kinda of Astrals civil war or Nexus showing up and whooping Taurus and the others Astrals behinds and Lunar having to step in and save the Astrals. But that's a pipe dream I guess. We'll have to wait and see.

I can. Nebula isn't a big fan of Taurus, and he clearly isn't a big fan of her. The way he talks to her, I get she's just the messager, but she's still a person. Taurus is gonna be observing everyone and his next stop his Sun and Moon, and I don't have high hopes for what he'll say or think of them. Him and the other Astrals know about Nexus and his little stunt with star power. Sun, Moon, you guys better have a good space lawyer. I know Earth plans to befriend Taurus and make things easier on Lunar, but I have a feeling Taurus isn't the friend making type.

Gemini did say Taurus would threaten Lunar's family to get a reaction out of him. Taurus, I swear to gosh! If you hurt any of them.

Also, I think it's a matter of time until Earth runs into Nebula again, and if she does, I hope she can convince Nebula to help them with EVERYTHING going on.

We'll have to wait and see.

Now, let's see what Sun and Moon are up to maybe they'll have a calmer episode today...

Nope. Just trauma and sadness.

Solar and New Moon reunite.

Probably not the way either of them wanted but here they are.

Okay, Nexus has just completely gone off the rocker!

"All it takes is one bad day" -Joker

Guess that saying was right for Nexus (Not really but still)

Solar tries to reason with Nexus and even says he can help him come back to the family, and Nexus just laughs! He starts spouting off all these lies about the family, like how Lunar never cared about him. He did! That Earth was just trying to fill the void cause her dad didn't love her. Earth still believed the creator loved her at that time, so that's a lie! And that Sun never cared and just took pity on Nexus. Nexus, you dense mother.... Nexus, you are just a terrible person. Knock off the oc act and get a life! Seeing as how you lost the one you had. I mean, you'll probably get yourself killed soon anyways so what's the point. But we probably should worry. Someone pointed out to me that Nexus could be a part of Rez's plan, and it's definitely looking like it. Maybe Dark Sun is Rez's master or at least is in league with Rez and his boss. I feel so bad for everyone here. (And I kinda feel bad for Nexus.... but not by a lot.) I more pity Nexus cause one day I hope he'll realize that he lost the BEST thing that ever happened to him and will never get it back and I hope he dies knowing that.

I more so feel bad for Sun and Solar.

Solar already had to kill his Moon once... and now he has to do it again. And Sun sounded so shocked and saddened when Solar suggested they kill Nexus. Nexus/New Moon was the Moon who actually showed he cared for sun. And he did at one point, but now he can't even say Sun's name without wanting to gag! Oof.

This is just sad all around.

And now they have Nexus, Taurus, and Creator after them.... LOVELY!

This is all going to boiling over and culminate in some crazy Infinity war level poo I hope.

And now, it's a less sad one but still equally as worrying.

Puppet and Solar reunite! Yay! At least one of his reunions went well today.

Puppet filled in Solar to everything that has happened. Gosh, that must have been fun. This is like the second time someone has had to explain to him what's been happening since he's been dead.

Solar gave Puppet some advice on what to do about Eclipse, and Sun gave her some advice on what to do about the other Sun and Moon. I hope their advice works. Puppet expressed at the very end of the episode her wish to leave this new dimension and return to the old one.... Puppet...

WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST STAY IN THE OTHER DIMENSION THEN?!

Puppet, you left that universe to protect everyone from Puppeteer. Now, I'm not sure what the deal with Puppeteer is now. He's been weakened cause Puppet herself has been weakened, but there is still the risk of him coming back. Are you really gonna take that chance, Puppet?

Also, Puppet, you uprooted your entire family's life to go here. You don't have that apartment anymore! You can't just decide to move to a whole other universe and bond to said universe only to decide to leave it after what 3 weeks?

Yes, I know Foxy chose to go with her, and he could have chosen not to but did, but still, you can't just decide to ditch when the going gets tough Puppet, you stick it out and ride the waves till it all calms. I hope everything works out for Puppet and Eclipse and hope Sun and Solar's advice to her works. Also, sorry if it seems like I hate Puppet's character, I don't. I love her character and this flaw of hers. I'm just being critical.

11/10 TAURUS HAS ARRIVED.

[all-pacas]

stupid chase 13 self indulgent sibling shit:

13 is the first one to jokingly refer to chase as her brother. except she calls him her younger brother. chase is like super touched but also hi i'm older than you "sure you are buddy". it's like an ironic "haha we're not actually siblings" joke except secretly no. it's not ironic

13 also has made at least a couple "let's go find dad" jokes about house. she finds it funny and deeply annoying that house and chase don't seem to Get It. it's very obvious to her that chase's deepest dream is for house to pat his shoulder and say "i'm proud my son" but they deny it

at least once 13 has pat chase's shoulder and gone "i'm proud my son"

at least once though. at least one time. "i killed my older brother." "i abandoned my younger sister to rehab." like they know. all their darkest shit. they don't want to be siblings because they did terrible things to their families. but it's why they are

they text. she's constantly sending him photos from her greek island. the food. the beach. look how hot my girlfriend is. he's in the middle of some gross procedure and gets a text of a beautiful sunset. he sends back a photo of a urine sample or some gross wound

when chase quit at the end of s8 and 13 swung by the next episode to talk with wilson the next day? she was staying with chase while she was in town. they mostly just hung out and watched nature documentaries. when wilson called she was like "oh i just happen to be in new jersey, let's meet up" while wearing sweats and sitting on chase's sofa

chase offers to kill her since house is gone and can't. they come up with a rough timeline and plan and then never discuss it again. until it's time.

at least a few dark "oh, shit, i'm wilson now, aren't i?" jokes from her in return. shit, the new house has a dying best friend too! except with so much less sexual tension!! they joke because they can't bring themselves to be serious about it. she tries to set him up with new friends. big advocate for choreman

idk but i get the feeling they'd watch crappy reality tv together.

they'll sometimes just have the darkest and most serious 1 am conversations about morality and souls and what makes a person good or evil, and then the next time they see one another instead of following up it's just "did you see real housewives last night"

chase has never asked 13 for a favor. like he'll ask her little things or let her pay for lunch, but that's about it. meanwhile she can call him at 2 am and he'll show up no questions asked. maybe kind of grumpy about it tho. kind of pisses her off he never lets her return the favor and sort of shut himself off emotionally after s6. but also it's nice? not the "chase's turn towards cynicism" part, but having a standing no questions asked deal.

when he annoys her enough, 13 DOES call chase "robbie" or worse "bobby" but he's never called her by her first name and probably never will

he didn't tell her he got stabbed and she was mad about it because see above. that was a real bobby day

chase knows she doesn't want to fuck around with more huntington's trials but he reads EVERY article and EVERY journal, just in case some miracle comes up. 13 meanwhile follows fake african country politics with a weird intensity to make sure diabla's forces aren't regaining power. they never discuss either thing with one another.

first time 13 visited Chase MD office she forced him to pose in front of the door and took like 15 photos like it was bobby's first day of school. absolutely humiliating

chase goes to 13 and amy's wedding. he's the only one of the PPTH folks who do (taub sends a card. they forgot to tell foreman.)

once 13 was like "we're both hot and single and should do what hot, single people do!" "....have...sex...?" "no, go to a gay bar" they actually go quite a few times

[ladyjayde]

Okay, I have some things to say about the first season of The Magnus Protocol... This might be a long one but I don't care ✨

SPOILERS OBVS IF YOU'RE NOT UP TO DATE

I'd like to mention beforehand that I absolutely ADORED TMA, and I'm a big fan of Jonny and Alex's work. Maybe this is just me having too high expectations for this series, but I have spoken to some of my friends who also listen to this podcast and have listened to Magnus Archives and pretty much everyone agrees. So here we go

I'm not feeling it. I didn't enjoy this season at all in all honesty. The only moments that excited me was the lore we had for the TMA characters to which, as far as we know, have nothing to do with this story. It was all filler to please the fans which is appreciated, but every statement in this season felt unimportant. Sure, we had Mr. Bonzo and a couple others that we saw again as part of Gwen's work, but they never truly felt like a threat to me. If anything, most interactions they got felt coincidental more than anything.

Which leads to my second point, there was no action in the season and it made it political and boring to me :/ I understand that's this is how TMA kinda started as well, with a lot of build up and set up for the world. BUT, at least we got SOMETHING by the end of the season. There was real danger and survival instinct activated for the characters. TMAGP has none of that... They jump in, no questions asked and no questions answered. There's no thrill, there's barely any suspense. It feels empty.

And now the characters themselves. Well, except from the very charged introduction to all of them at once that lead many fans to be confused and have difficulty identifying each of them in the first few episodes, they are pretty mundane. None of their stories truly engage with me. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but they feel a bit boring and all too similar to each other. They get lost in the plot and don't feel like individuals. It's like they're forgetting who they are in order to feed into the plot.

Now, with all of that being said, here's what I think could've helped make this a better series.

1. Make it a longer series. As of now, there's only one episode left which, yes, is supposed to be double length, but nothing has happened yet for me to want a second season. Even if it has taken an extra year or two, I would've rather waited. So, unless something very intense happens next Thursday, I don't think S2 will be in my "Need to listen" list. Too much setup, not enough fear. Like, I'm not even worried that Sam or Celia will die in the next episode. They have so much plot armor I'm certain they'll survive.

2. Make the statements have an effect on the characters. Only Sam seems to take interest in them. But with the others just setting them aside and ignoring the stories, it makes us feel like they're unimportant as well. And it sucks, cause TMA's statements had an effect on the characters and changed their ways of thinking. Now, they're just there to be there and not much is coming out of them.

So yeah, this is MY PERSONAL OPINION and I still want to support Rusty Quill for all the beautiful podcasts they create for us, but TMAGP was not it for me. I love this fandom, I love the lore and the writing itself, but the story didn't hook me in as much as I would've liked it to.

I might regret all of this by next week when the last episode comes out, but for now, these are my thoughts.

I'll get back to you all next week to share my overall thoughts on the S1 of The Magnus Protocol.

Feel free to comment or repost with your own thoughts! I'd love to hear if I'm alone in this or if people agree

Love you all <3

[marithlizard]

I promise I'll stop posting so often about Helluva Boss soon. Probably. Maybe. (Doubtful.) There's just a LOT to notice and speculate on in the latest episode. Including the lowkey way Fizzarolli's fear is handled in this scene:

After mulling it over, I think I really like the way the storyboarders went with this. We've already been shown the love and trust these two have for each other, plus we've seen that Ozzie is an engineer/inventor type. He almost certainly built those prosthetics for Fizz. Maintenance and repair are a familiar shared activity, regardless.

The mood is relaxed and affectionate as the two of them enter the workshop(?) and get settled; Fizz apologizes for getting "messy" because he feels bad for damaging Ozzie's handiwork, Ozzie reassures him that what he cares about is Fizz himself, Fizz is touched and asks how his partner's day was. He's doing fine until the scissors come out.

And then he's obviously _not_ fine, but he doesn't say anything or try to move away. His eyes track the scissors as Ozzie comes closer and he braces for pain:

before realizing that all Ozzie's doing is cutting off his outfit sleeve. Then he's thoroughly distracted by the news that Stolas wanted a crystal for Blitzo, and that carries them through until Ozzie actually does start work on the arm.

I'm guessing that process was not painless, because then we skip to Fizz getting the new arm. He looks slightly apprehensive,slightly surprised that it doesn't hurt, and then happy.

And what is Ozzie doing during all this? Completely ignoring Fizz's distress, that's what. Acting normal, sharing gossip, very proud of himself for saying no to Stolas, even starting to sing as he takes hold of the damaged arm.

Is he callous? Oblivious? I don't think so. We would have seen Fizz getting tense and anxious a lot earlier in that case. Instead the two of them must have worked out through trial and error that this approach is what helps most to get Fizz through medical procedures that must bring up very bad memories.

The episode took some pains to show us early on that these two interact as equals and that Fizz has NO problem being assertive in their daily lives. And while there are hints that Ozzie may be about to go overboard with the protectiveness next episode, this subtle evidence of teamwork is one of the things that makes me confident they'll confront and resolve the problem by the end of S2E7.

[lurkingshan]

Cherry Magic Episode 11

WE ARE BEGINNING TODAY WITH A PRIMAL SCREAM BESTIES!!!

Okay now that that's out of our system, let's talk about the anti-episode 11 of doom that this glorious show just delivered to us. If you, like me, are both an OG Cherry Magic fan and a Dark Blue Kiss TayNew girlie from way back, you will understand the depth of my satisfaction at seeing these two particular actors playing these two particular characters and delivering a love scene of that caliber. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be so blessed by this drama. I am verklempt.

And it is extra sweet because the lead up to this consummation was so excellent. Achi and Karan managed to turn this temporary separation into a way to strengthen their relationship by working on their communication, and every moment of it was so sweet. They have grown leaps and bounds with their comfort and trust in each other. Karan was an ideal partner to Achi as he took on this new work challenge, and Achi has gotten so much better at reciprocating affection, stating his feelings out loud, and making Karan feel secure. I loved the way Karan gave him smart advice for bonding with his new coworkers, that Achi did so well with the assignment, and that Achi even found the courage to come out to his colleagues. And he did it all without leaning on his mind reading powers at all! He has grown so much and he doesn't need them anymore.

After weathering all of that, it made perfect sense that this was the moment for them to deepen their relationship and say goodbye to Achi's powers forever. I loved Karan's confidence that they were ready for this; his thirst for Achi has been present the whole time, but he has not been in a rush to get to physical intimacy even with the powers between them. He wanted it to be right, and he found his moment. Achi clearly felt the same, because "I would regret not loving you" has got to be the most romantic thing that has ever come out of his mouth. They're in love, your honor! The joy radiating from both of them after they slept together is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and I am just floating on a cloud thinking about how happy they are and how much they deserve it.

Some other stuff happened in this ep, too, I guess? I liked it all but Karan and Achi really booted it out of my mind... Oh right, Jinta and Min were also here demonstrating A+ supportive partner behavior, and we love to see it. Achi's new office gang was delightful. And Pai and Rock! I think I like where they are landing with this story for them. I liked that they gave Pai a properly nuanced reaction to Rock's confession. She was clearly touched by the gesture but she was not swooning in that scene, she did not jump into his arms, she continued to hesitate (which he saw), she asked if she could take the bear and not him lol. She likes Rock but she doesn't really reciprocate his feelings. I expect that next week they will end this on a somewhat open note, with her agreeing to try dating but putting up some boundaries, or even saying she't not sure and needs more time. I don't expect her to reject him, but I don't think there will be a full HEA either, because it's not where she is emotionally. I hope they'll leave room for interpretation re: how it all works out for them.

[augustmonsooning]

The Bear in 5 Acts : We're really in the Act III weeds, pals

One of the first thing's they'll teach you about good story telling is about the 5 act structure - it's tried and tested, from Shakespeare to films like I don't know, Past Lives, they all follow the same beats.

I think's it's significant that the title card at the this season and maybe season 2 (I'm gonna have to go back to check) says "The Bear Part III"; these seasons are components of a cohesive whole, it's not being made up as they go along. This is part of the reason why the writing and filming is so quick: the bare bones of the story arc is already there, they are just embellishing and perfecting.

Season 3 thoughts under the cut!

Now, I know Season 3 has the crowd split. My initial reaction was that I loved the cinema of it: the first episode I think was one of the best, most innovative bits of TV I've seen in a minute. I really enjoyed how they played with memory and anxiety. The show had a lot of interesting things to say about grief and regret and shame this season, and the ways we cope with it all.

It also cemented for me that The Bear is following v classical 5 act storytelling.

Act 1/ Season 1: Almost pure exposition, and probably why it stands out as a very strong standalone season. You could get away with not watching any episodes after Braciole and still feel like you've watched a great show. The money in the tinned tomatoes, and Carmy's proposal (of a restaurant) to Sydney is the inciting event. You could also think of Sydney coming back as the inciting event - this is probably the first time in Carmy's life where someone outside of his family (maybe even including his family) has seen the worst of Carmy and decided to come back

Act 2/ Season 2: Rising tension. Will The Bear make it? Will Carmy escape his traumas? Will Sydney and Carmy actually find their way back to each other?

Act 3/ Season 3: This is where we are now. To mix metaphors. The traumas and bad copies strategies are coming home to roost. This is Carmy at his very worst, because somehow he thinks this is him at his best. This is how Backstage, a theatre newspaper describes Act III : "Oftentimes, the end of your third act leads into a “dark night of the soul,” where the main character is at their lowest moment as a result of the climax. They believe that they cannot achieve that new, overpowering goal established at the end of Act 1. " I think that pretty much sums up Carmy and Syd this season, on the surface their goals have been achieved: The Bear is a functioning kitchen, it's packed out every night. There's modern Danish design, there's two tops, a tasting menu at the bar, and a window on the side for the sandwiches (the family style has been scraped, but we'll get to that later). So why does it feel so off? Can it be that neither of them wanted any of that shit in the first place? Can it be that they were at their happiest eating gluey spaghetti with their friends they loved in a place that had regulars who knew them, a place they could innovate with the odds and ends they had lying around and still make wonderful food. Could it be that a place where bricklayers and teachers and postmen were eating was the goal all along?

Act 4/Season 4: Where next? I think both Syd and Carmy are gonna reckon with what is actually important to them. And we alreayd know what that is, it's that scene under the table last season: they love to take care of people, they love to cook (not be "chefs"), they love to be there for each other - be someone the other can rely on. Everything they absolutely were not doing in Season 3.

Act 5/ Season 5: The real coming back. I remember watching Braciole for the first time thinking fuck, is this just an extremely silly show? It feels so real, so earned all the way up until the cash falls out of those tomatoes and Syd comes back. Because nothing has actually been resolved or addressed. Carmy has learnt absolutely nothing. Syd is as impatient and green as ever, jumping into a new business with a guy who has absolutely shown himself to be volatile and unreliable. But we forgive them, because as the viewer we've come to love Carmy and understand that the angry, doughnut slamming Carmy is not the real him, and we understand Syd because sure, of course it feels intoxicating that when the person who made the best thing you've ever eaten, the person who can seemingly finish all your sentences, the pinnacle of your professional ambitions looks at you with his freakishly blue eyes, and ask you open a restaurant with him, you're gonna say yes. The series from Season 2 onwards feels to me like a redux of the last few episodes of Season 1 in slow-mo but this time with real learning, real consequences, and real, abiding love. Like a "find out what you love, and do it on purpose" type of thing. When they get back together the last episode it's going to feel even more magical than in Season 1.

Listen. I feel like that dude trying to get Tina et al to invest thousands of dollars to get a job in Napkins. It feels like a scam to tell you all to invest more time and hope. But, imma do it, because it's gonna pay off.

It also doesn't escape me that Strange Currencies, the song they use on the show to signpost Carmy's romantic life, has the lyrics "I need a chance, a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance"

Carmy had a chance in season 1, he fucked it up by going absolutely bananas in 'Review', he had another one in season 2; and he ran away and then thought he could fix it with a fancy chef jacket and promises under a table, he's had another chance in season 3 and safe to say, he's fucked it again. He's gonna get another, but he better stick the landing.

[gayofthefae]

I'll say it. Mike's opportunity expired. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay? He'll come crawling back to you in no time, begging for forgiveness."

El is sad. That is an emotion you want to fix. She wonders if Mike is on his way back to her, we assume he is to - so did Max. That's why her sadness was good news: when Mike inevitably, obviously, shows up to apologize, she'll be open to it. But she checked. He wasn't on his way to her. In fact, he stated that he would not be because he did not think it was on him to fix. But it's not on El to either, and she knows this. So now she knows three things:

She's sad 2. Mike isn't going to fix it 3. If he isn't fixing it, her going back will just put her in the same situation she ended for a reason.

When typically, when we're sad like this, we don't just sit in it. We want to do something to solve it. There's only one remaining actionable solution to this feeling: move. on.

The writers included her IMMEDIATELY having reason to (giving us one too) which was a...choice to say the least.

El is bummed because she is reminded of her breakup's permanence. Max comforts her by saying "it's probably temporary anyways". She checks. Mike seems to say it isn't so long as she doesn't go back to him. We know that she doesn't owe him that and that the only way to get them back together is for him to apologize. So now we've established that their breakup is permanent, conceptually. For both us and, more importantly, for El.

Now El sees her breakup as permanent. She immediately starts playing games with Max and taking actions to, you guessed it, move on. She's laughing again. Notice how she didn't fix her sadness over Mike but she's happy anyways. Because she's caring less now that MIKE has given her permission to let go.

The next episode Mike DOES come "crawling back". He apologizes while they're prepping the sauna. It's ALREADY too late. She does not accept his apology. But she does miss him, so there's an olive branch. He accepts it but doesn't build on it towards getting back together. They just have a sort of truce again now.

A new spark - I love her - is ignited. Know why? I would argue argue the outcome would not be the same without it. What I'm saying is I would argue, and I kinda thought this on my first watch too, that they would have stayed broken up without that. I remember thinking "phew! Another actionable thing to get them together". There was one obstacle in their path before: him. That one didn't budge. I mean it kinda did to the point where they were both happy but establish "happy as friends" is kinda worse, so then you have to create a new obstacle and hope people don't notice it's not the same one and just go with the idea of "once he tells her he loves her, they'll get back together" to cover for the fact that when he fulfills/fulfilled the original goal, apologizing, they don't get back together.

"I love her". It's romanticized and she watches a lot of movies, but the truth is, it still doesn't solve the problems she had with him (as we see in season 4). They would have stayed broken up.

Because she still made no action to get back together with him. This was still on Mike. And he apologized in episode 7 but he missed his window because they didn't get back together until the stakes were now or never with the move.

Her telling him she loved him was her giving up on him saying it to her. That was not cute. Even in the scene itself, he does not take the opportunity and is avoidant. She almost leaves then stops herself. He makes a face, shaming himself for not saying it, but she - the one walking out the door - stops him. She calls out to him. This not "I wanted to tell you before I go". That would have been Mike's. This is "fine, I'll do it myself".

Mike missed his window. She started moving on as soon as she got that confirmation in the first scene of 3x03. 3x04's apology was disingenuous. 3x07's wasn't. That's a week he's taken to get to the original goal Max set in 3x03's first scene.

And the funny thing is, it wasn't a goal. That is a terrible end goal. It was an immediate solution to El's sadness that she employed. That is a smoothing things over thing to say. That is a quick band aid. She wanted a band aid. If Mike followed her onto the bus, she would have kicked him off. Instead, he waited a week to apologize, it was too late. He had a window in episode 3, and what was he doing for the entire episode? Spending time with Will. Waiting for El to call, yes, but still putting it on her and still, as usual, prioritizing Will as soon as it was asked of him. Not just when he was sad, honestly, the fact that he played in the first place should be reason enough. At least before they were brainstorming solutions. That's something.

While El was waiting for Mike, he was chasing after Will, so she stopped waiting. He came too late a day later and she didn't forgive him. She extended an olive branch because she missed him but he still hadn't apologized so they had a friendship now but were not back together. She romanticized him loving her and gave him another chance because she liked the idea of it. He finally apologized but did not yet tell her he loved her and more notably did not ask to get back together, fulfilling Max's impression of "please take us back". She still knew this wasn't on her so she waited for him to say it/ask her to get back together with him. Honestly, the latter would have been enough and he could build the courage on his own time (by 8 months she lost patience, though). But he didn't do either. And she was grieving. And she was moving. And she wanted comfort and constancy. She had lost Hopper and she was losing Max, the two people who supplement Mike. Once, she had been willing to make the choice that if he didn't say it, she simply wouldn't get back together with him, but she was no longer willing to make that choice (see show theme: love is about choices. hers to get back together with him was made reluctantly out of his inaction and her unwillingness to make any other choice). He still did not say it. She gave up on him and said it herself.

El missed Mike. El moved on from Mike because he wasn't coming back to her. El romanticized Mike loving her. El gave up on Mike coming back to her but this time instead of moving on, she did it herself.

It is not romantic for her to have done it herself. He should have done it. So many romantic milestones for them are not romantic and are full of "should"s for the characters. The Snow Ball was perfect, romantic, how they dreamed. But getting back together should have been on Mike. Her doing it is reluctant and disappointing and starts with the thought "oh, fine". Mike saying El he loves should have been quiet and sweet and intimate and alone. Him doing it while she's dying surrounded by people is stressful and the love is overshadowed by fear.

The most in love version of these characters wish every milestone in their relationship went differently. El wishes Mike asked her to come back. Mike wishes he could have told her he loved her in an intentional, romantic way that was allowed to be happy and allowed to be together. Nothing goes the way they want it to, even in especially in the version where they are deeply in love.

The ideal version of their love story is two people who are just okay with their relationship enough to stay in it. They want to hit the milestones for the sake of it because they hear it's good and it feels nice and validating to their self worth. They care more that they get back together than feeling wanted in the actual event and that the I love you was said than whether it felt nice. They will either get married at 18 and divorce by 24 or be the elderly couple who "stuck it out" who tell their love story as resenting each other for entire decades on and off.

Their love story is only happy if they are using it to boost their self worth.

And oh, look. Look what it failed to do for El in season 4 when she needed most, prompting her to- what did you say? Move on because Mike couldn't fix it before Mike got around to apologizing, making his apology mean less? You don't say. And being with El what? Makes Mike feel inferior unless he can hit these milestones, erasing stress as opposed to granting joy? Hm. Got it. Good to know.

Mike and El's ideal fit for this love story is kinda-passively-love-each-other but most of their highs come from self esteem and external validation. And the plot of season 4 is that Mike is unable to help El's horrible self esteem and does not provide validation when she needs it most. And just because Mike isn't crying doesn't mean it isn't of note that she has not told him he is enough in narrative response to us knowing he doesn't feel like he is.

Mike moving on when El was too late

Edit: Just remembered! After Mike attempts his first apology, El has even gotten to the point where she has gone from bummed at the reminder that he's her ex to giggling when Max says their breakup is permanent.

(^immediate response)

[3416]

1634 primer pt. 2 (2023-present)

hey again... since the 1634 primer (2015-2023) was a success, i figured i'd start a newer part two to keep that one from getting too long and unruly, so this will be a continuation starting the summer of 2023! with auston's extension signing him through the 27-28 season and with the contract talks for mitch (and hopefully inevitable extension, knock on wood) coming at the end of the 23-24 season.... i feel that there is a ton of content to come, so let's do it x2:

mitch marner got married on july 29th 2023... auston came to his wedding in canada after skipping other teammates weddings the same summer... here's auston being spotted watching mitch and steph during their first dance (his face...).... auston being in the official wedding video (gifs)... tarps off with mitch yelling in his face.... mitch making sure that auston's in one of the pics he posted in his photodump on ig <3 despite not posting many guests... here's a pic with them, michael bunting, naz kadri, and tyson barrie

last year we got auston calling mitch 'mitchelly' and 'his guy' in our leafs thanksgiving video, but this year we got them all randomly assigning thanksgiving dishes to random teammates (video)... and auston chose to give mitch the apple crumble "because it's actually his favorite" (gifs)

for media day, mitch got roped into a stupid game where you try to roll a coin into a fork... when he sees auston in the bg, he tries to wrangle him into it too... auston's noises of dissent like he's used to mitch trying to boss him around, i rest my case (leafs blueprint ep later showed auston smiling while mitch begged so... i was correct)

in the 2023 bardown callout video, auston turns into a giggly happy mess when mitch comes in the room mid-answer (gifs)... mitch also picked auston as the most likely to rip dress pants bc he's got "big legs" (gifs)... followed by a look that can only be interpreted as him fighting his own demons

auston, mitch, willy, and mo all did this goofy video where auston and mitch pretended to be sobeys workers and were given instructions behind the scenes... mitch sees auston in the outfit and his first thought is immediately "dude you look good as a sobeys worker" (gifs)... and then proceeds to make auston do pushups for fun (gifs). they were also given costumes with matching pb&j hats... and there's THIS picture i still need them to answer for.

all of them also went and did a little crossover with the blue jays... where mitch and auston were still a duo on the baseball field (vid here) (pic)

first glimpse of them playing hockey to start training and of course... they're hovering around each other from the first moment

this little preseason moment where mitch keeps his hand on auston's back for a bit... just to touch him

in the opening game of the 23-24 season, auston matthews scored his 300th career goal (followed by his 301st and 302nd for his 8th career hat trick) with an assist by mitch (who collects the puck for him too), which marks 100 goals he's assisted on for auston if this graphic is to be believed. auston went on to score 2 more hat tricks within his first 8 games, many of his goals being assisted by mitch.

another warmup video where they pass in sync too... and the maple leafs official account calling their warmup a TRADITION

the commentators still never shut up about them.. there have been 4892342 moments where they comment on mitch and auston being able to find each other or being partners out there or having chemistry... here are just some of those audio moments: 'with marner by his side, they'll find each other', 'trying to get that fourth goal for his partner', 'his partner mitch marner'

a leafs blueprint episode revealing they sit next to each other in team meetings.... and auston looks at mitch like he's the sun, but WHAT'S NEW

here's jesse from the steve dangle podcast talking about how mitch and auston are more in sync than normal center-winger combos and how matthew knies fits with them.

auston being so happy about mitch shootout goal the first time AND the second time

a game against nashville where auston was ready to go after a man who crosschecked mitch and where they held hands even though they didn't score themselves (pic) (gifs)

random pics of mitch and auston being attached at the hip during breaks here here here here

auston and mitch... have changed their pregame handshake to something that looks like... they both? kiss their gloves? before highfiving????... see for yourself ... pic by pic of a different day too

some cellies :') here and here and many more to come, im sure

bench moments so far: x x x x

they also still constantly walk into places on the road together as evidenced by this tag i've started and here's a pic from their global series trip where they're getting off the plane together

here's the first part of the primer in case you missed it and here is the @1634archive, where i've got a bunch of pics dewatermarked of them for you to peruse. it'll be updated as the season goes. for misc moments and gifs of 1634 that aren't substantial enough to get bullet points here, you can check out my tags #1634 and #egifs where it'll probably mostly be mitch and auston stuff. if there are any broken links or anything, don't be afraid to shoot me an ask so i can try to fix it!! enjoy!!

updated: 11/14/23