#I used to be able to the entire script and I could watch the show in my head. need to get back to that level again

[bemorekleinman]

once every several months I rewatch dear evan hansen, make sure I can still quote all of jared’s lines, not only recite all of them successfully but end up quoting almost the entire script without fail, and then I go dormant for months again until the urge to rewatch it strikes me once more

[celeborne]

“it’s not queerbaiting if byler doesn’t happen” uh actually, it is at this point.

before season 4:

there was so much teasing and giggling from the cast about byler during season 4 promotions - they knew exactly what they were doing and the reaction they would get from fans, because people have always had theories about will being queer (and potentially being in love with mike).

these theories actually started when the show started, but got way more popular after season 2 (where byler had a lot of scenes together all season) and season 3 ("it's not my fault you don't like girls").

after season 4 volume 1 aired:

we actually got direct confirmation from the cast (like in actual proper words) that will does in fact 100% love mike. he’s been in love with him since the start. no more arguing or theorising, it's FULLY confirmed now.

the cast CONTINUED teasing (giving people hope that something would happen in volume 2, especially with how much focus there was on will's painting) and obviously the byler fandom became so much bigger.

after season 4 volume 2 aired:

as most of us remember, volume 2 was a mess and we were all so angry and disappointed hearing mike’s monologue to el and watching will once again be heartbroken and alone.

they literally USED HIM as a plot device to push mike into telling his girlfriend he loved her, because he didn’t have strength to do it without will confessing his own feelings for him and giving him the painting he worked so hard on.

they took 2 extremely important things to WILL that were about his love for mike, and they made it about a straight ship who don't even feel like equals in their own relationship. absolutely horrible. it’s so disrespectful, hurtful and insulting in ways i can’t even explain - doing all this to a traumatised, abused, gay character who has barely had any happiness the entire show is just disgusting, and the cast and writers would’ve 100% seen the backlash and how upset people were because it was everywhere all over the internet.

the ONLY way they can fix what they did in season 4 with how they used will as a plot device, is by making byler endgame. that is literally the only way to solve the messy writing and make up for all the lies and misunderstandings, otherwise it's just one big joke.

mike's monologue to el only happened thanks to will's monologue to mike.

mike wants to be loved the way that will loves him. mike wants to be needed the way that will needs him. this is canon and in the script. will's monologue can only be applied to himself, but mike doesn't know that because he lied and pretended he was talking about el. that's the only reason he ended up being able to say he loved el. it's all one big misunderstanding and it absolutely CANNOT stay this way.

now, years later after season 4 aired:

people are STILL talking about byler, and the cast and writers KNOW IT.

the writers themselves (not just the actors sharing their own opinions at conventions, but i mean THE ACTUAL WRITERS) could EASILY directly say “byler is definitely not happening and we’re serious. we made this clear in the season 4 finale when mike confessed his love to el, so please don't say we didn't warn you”, but they did not.

even if they did, this still wouldn’t change the fact that the monologue only happened BECAUSE OF WILL, but whatever. they’ve mentioned the monologue while talking about the scene, but they have not directly denied byler in words.

why? why is it so hard to just deny byler?

at this current moment, EVERYONE, including the characters in the show (even will himself) are meant to think it’s confirmed mike loves el because of the big "i love you" moment, so telling viewers that byler definitely isn’t happening WOULD NOT be a spoiler. they could easily say it, make it 100% clear so that no one has hope for it anymore and moves on, but they’re not.

the only reason they're not denying byler is if:

1. something IS actually gonna happen with byler and they're going to resolve all these lies and misunderstandings (mike will find out about will's painting and monologue and realise it was never about el), so they have to keep quiet about everything to do with ships/love triangles.

OR

2. they’re leading people on. they're making them have hope so they keep talking about the show and hyping it up, attracting more potential fans and then keeping them all as viewers for the final season, just to disappoint everyone by keeping the straight ship together and not letting the gay kid be with his first true love + best friend that he's known longer than anyone. this would also mean that so much of the writing choices would be absolutely horrendous and make no sense from a story perspective.

THAT is queerbaiting and bad writing.

there was absolutely no point in making will in love with mike if he wasn't going to end up with him.

and no, the issue is NOT mike simply being with el. if they wanted to always keep them together, they could've written their story beautifully in a proper way, WITHOUT involving will. they could've made their relationship healthy, made them feel like equals and made them actually be able to have proper heart-to-heart conversations (aka what mike has with will...), but they didn't. they also could've given will a different love interest a long time ago, BUT THEY DIDN'T. they deliberately made all of these choices, so you CANNOT sit there and blame byler shippers for feeling the way they do when the writers and cast have literally pushed and encouraged it and given us hope even more. it's not delusion, IT IS IN THE LITERAL SHOW. mike wheeler would not have gained strength and happiness if it weren't for will byers in that van scene - absolutely NOTHING you say can change this. you cannot argue. it's canon and it's there.

and even if will did develop another crush in season 5, it would not even be CLOSE to the way he’s in love with mike. that love has been developing for years, and they’ve known each other for so long and experienced so much together. they were literally each other's FIRST FRIEND! you can't get anymore powerful and romantic than that. all the upside down stuff is also a huge part of will and mike knows everything, and even helped him and saved him at certain points. a different love interest in the final season wouldn’t have those shared experiences with him AND it would feel so rushed and like such a massive slap in the face to make him fall for someone new that we don't even care about.

[physalian]

You don’t have to pay for that fancy worldbuilding program

As mentioned in this post about writing with executive dysfunction, if one of your reasons to keep procrastinating on starting your book is not being able to afford something like World Anvil or Campfire, I’m here to tell you those programs are a luxury, not a necessity: Enter Google Suite (not sponsored but gosh I wish).

MS Office offers more processing power and more fine-tuning, but Office is expensive and only autosaves to OneDrive, and I have a perfectly healthy grudge against OneDrive for failing to sync and losing 19k words of a WIP that I never got back.

Google’s sync has never failed me, and the Google apps (at least for iPhone) aren’t nearly as buggy and clunky as Microsoft’s. So today I’m outlining the system I used for my upcoming fantasy novel with all the helpful pictures and diagrams. Maybe this won’t work for you, maybe you have something else, and that’s okay! I refuse to pay for what I can get legally for free and sometimes Google’s simplicity is to its benefit.

The biggest downside is that you have to manually input and update your data, but as someone who loves organizing and made all these willingly and for fun, I don’t mind.

So. Let’s start with Google Sheets.

The Character Cheat Sheet:

I organized it this way for several reasons:

I can easily see which characters belong to which factions and how many I have named and have to keep up with for each faction

All names are in alphabetical order so when I have to come up with a new name, I can look at my list and pick a letter or a string of sounds I haven’t used as often (and then ignore it and start 8 names with A).

The strikethrough feature lets me keep track of which characters I kill off (yes, I changed it, so this remains spoiler-free)

It’s an easy place to go instead of scrolling up and down an entire manuscript for names I’ve forgotten, with every named character, however minor their role, all in one spot

Also on this page are spare names I’ll see randomly in other media (commercials, movie end credits, etc) and can add easily from my phone before I forget

Also on this page are my summary, my elevator pitch, and important character beats I could otherwise easily mess up, it helps stay consistent

*I also have on here not pictured an age timeline for all my vampires so I keep track of who’s older than who and how well I’ve staggered their ages relative to important events, but it’s made in Photoshop and too much of a pain to censor and add here

On other tabs, I keep track of location names, deities, made-up vocabulary and definitions, and my chapter word count.

The Word Count Guide:

*3/30 Edit to update this chart to its full glory. Column 3 is a cumulative count. Most of what I write breaks 100k and it's fun watching the word count rise until it boils over.

This is the most frustrating to update manually, especially if you don’t have separate docs for each chapter, but it really helps me stay consistent with chapter lengths and the formula for calculating the average and rising totals is super basic.

Not that all your chapters have to be uniform, but if you care about that, this little chart is a fantastic visualizer.

If you have multiple narrators, and this book does, you can also keep track of how many POVs each narrator has, and how spread out they are. I didn’t do that for this book since it’s not an ensemble team and matters less, but I did for my sci-fi WIP, pictured below.

As I was writing that one, I had “scripted” the chapters before going back and writing out all the glorious narrative, and updated the symbols from “scripted” to “finished” accordingly.

I also have a pie chart that I had to make manually on a convoluted iPhone app to color coordinate specifically the way I wanted to easily tell who narrates the most out of the cast, and who needs more representation.

—

Google Docs

Can’t show you much here unfortunately but I’d like to take an aside to talk about my “scene bits” docs.

It’s what it says on the tin, an entire doc all labeled with different heading styles with blurbs for each scene I want to include at some point in the book so I can hop around easily. Whether they make it into the manuscript or not, all practice is good practice and I like to keep old ideas because they might be useful in unsuspecting ways later.

Separate from that, I keep most of my deleted scenes and scene chunks for, again, possible use later in a “deleted scenes” doc, all labeled accordingly.

When I designed my alien language for the sci-fi series, I created a Word doc dictionary and my own "translation" matrix, for easy look-up or word generation whenever I needed it (do y'all want a breakdown for creating foreign languages? It's so fun).

Normally, as with my sci-fi series, I have an entire doc filled with character sheets and important details, I just… didn’t do that for this book. But the point is—you can still make those for free on any word processing software, you don’t need fancy gadgets.

—

I hope this helps anyone struggling! It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Everything I made here, minus the aforementioned timeline and pie chart, was done with basic excel skills and the paint bucket tool. I imagine this can be applicable to games, comics, what have you, it knows no bounds!

Now you have one less excuse to sit down and start writing.

[chaysreality222]

⊹₊*:ଓ ˖˚⊹

୭ৎ 𝐌𝓨 𝐖𝓐𝐈𝐓𝓘𝐍𝓖  𝓡𝐎𝓞𝐌 𝓓𝐑 ୭ৎ

𝐈. 𝐃ℰ𝒮𝐂ℛℐ𝐏𝒯𝐈𝒪𝐍 . . .

my waiting room dr is a planet that inhabits one island. it's a place for me to be at peace in my own lonesome, as well as a pit stop from this dr to another! no one else exists in this dr except me, along with wildlife that inhabit the island and surrounding water.

𝐈𝐈. ℒ𝐎𝒞𝒜𝐓ℐ𝐎𝒩𝐒 . . .

"the cave" aka my home

within the white caves on the side of my island is where my home resides. a room with a natural pool that opens up to the ocean, as well as a living-room and kitchen that opens up to the ocean as well. the lower level of my cave (basically basement-ish) is where i have portals to my other drs!

the main beach

there is different locations of beaches i can go to on my island! but of course, this main one is where i go to surf, swim, see the wild horses, etc.

the stables

outside the entrance to my home is a small stable area. it's where i take care of the wild horses on the island, especially this one special white horse where i have a connection with! they aren't conformed to this stables whatsoever, and are free to roam as they please.

𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝒱𝐈𝒮𝐔𝒜𝐋𝒮 . . .

𝐈𝐕. 𝐍ℰ𝐂ℰ𝐒𝒮𝐈𝐓ℐℰ𝐒 . . .

my manifestation journal

this journal is strictly for manifesting! i can find this journal amongst my books on the bookshelf in my living-room. i can manifest anything for any reality. i'll mostly be using the journal to manifest things for my original reality though.

digital clock

this clock shows me the time it is in the dr and my original reality! it also shows me the time i've spent in my DR compared to my OR. basically a way for me to keep track of the time so i know exactly when to shift back.

pc setup

i love playing video games! so this pc will have every game i want to play installed on to it as well as any and all game-passes. especially unlimited money fr. it's not only for games though, i can access my scripts or watch on it too.

𝐕. 𝐄𝒳𝐓ℛ𝒜 . . .

𖦹 it's always summer in my dr.

𖦹 night time doesn't exist but the sun still sets and rises.

𖦹 i don't get sunburn. (i'm gonna be out in the sun a lot fr).

𖦹 there's a sound system that runs throughout the entire cave that is hooked up to my phone so that i can play songs off my playlists.

𖦹 the boat i have in my dr is connected to my phone so that i can be able to control it from there. it also has a gps system so i can put in where i want to go, and it will take me without me having to steer it.

𖦹 i have fresh fruits in my fridge that is always accessible and never goes bad. (i love fruit so much! having a fruit platter after a swim or a surf session would be amazing).

𖦹 my bookshelf in my living-room is full of books i'd actually enjoy and read. (high fantasy with pure romance, lessons pertaining to my life that would help me grow as a person, and quotes that would have me question life itself) basically, meaningful fictional books that would always stick with me the rest of my life.

𖦹 i have access to all streaming services on my phone so i could watch anything and everything that i want.

i'm officially back from the shifting break! this is just a brief rundown of what i have scripted for this dr. i'm really excited to swim and surf there, even just being able to be there. wish me luck <3 happy shifting!

xoxo, c!

[ennas-aesthetic]

What the fuck is Jesus up to in Good Omens season 3?

This is a question I've been thinking long and hard these past couple of days and I have some THOUGHTS SO. Buckle up.

Aziraphale and Crowley watching the Crucifixion (Good Omens, 2019)

First off. The answer to the question posited is relatively simple. What is Jesus up to in GO3? With s2's ending in mind and with the hints we've gotten for 668: Neighbor of the Beast over the years, we know he's descending to Earth to initiate the Second Coming. And that Aziraphale would probably make that happen - or do everything that he can as Supreme Archangel to sabotage it.

But I wanted to examine on how Jesus might fit into Good Omens' overall narratives and established themes - about morality and humanism and free will, and. I'm just saying, there are A LOT of fascinating routes they could do for his character.

(Disclaimer as usual: this is a theory that I obsessed over when I was stuck at the cemetery during All Souls' Day and must be treated as such. In no way am I insisting this should be how canon events must happen. I am just doing this for the funsies.)

The THING about Jesus if you situate him in the world of Good Omens (with the assumption that most of the pop culture Christology mythos associated with him remain intact) is that in this context he very quickly becomes: 1. Adam Young's narrative foil; and 2. an Aziraphale parallel.

Now, the first one is obvious. Of COURSE he is Adam Young's foil, duh. Adam isn't called the ANTICHRIST for nothing. Brought into the world just for the sole purpose of ending it. However, when the time comes for him to fulfill the Will of his Satanic Father, Adam flat out REFUSES.

Both the book and the show attribute this to Adam's human upbringing. He was raised as a human, and because of that he has the trait that the book uses to DEFINE human beings: free will. At the end, Adam had the AGENCY to reject the destiny planned out for him.

'Adam stood smiling at the two of them, a small figure perfectly poised exactly between Heaven and Hell.

Crowley grabbed Aziraphale's arm. "You know what happened?" he hissed excitedly. "He was left alone! He grew up human! He's not Evil Incarnate or Good Incarnate, he's just… a human incarnate—"'

- (Good Omens, 1990)

That is NOT what happened to Jesus.

Adam Bond as Jesus in Good Omens (2019)

Like Adam, he was raised as a human -- being a human incarnate was his WHOLE DEAL in Christology. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us... yada yada yada.

UNLIKE, Adam, though, Jesus wasn't able to REJECT his Destiny of Dying Really Horribly and Painfully on the Cross. Narratives in the Bible also made it clear that the Crucifixion was NOT his Will, but that of God's. Like... him begging to be spared from torment but ultimately following God's Will is such an important event entire devotional practices are made out of it.

"39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

- (Matthew 26: 39, KJV)

We get a glimpse of that in s1ep3 of Good Omens, too:

"JESUS

(muttering through the pain)

Father, please . . . you have to forgive them . . . they don’t know what they are doing . . .

Crowley, in black, comes up next to Aziraphale.

CROWLEY

You’ve come to smirk at the poor bugger, have you?

AZIRAPHALE

Smirk? Me?

CROWLEY

Well, your lot put him on there.

AZIRAPHALE

I am not consulted on policy decisions, Crawley."

- (The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book, 2018)

SO. Here we have the character of the Christ whose free will and agency had been STRIPPED from him in the guise of a "noble sacrifice." He comes back again on this Earth to fulfill another "inescapable destiny."

Aziraphale and Crowley need to stop him. The solution the Good Omens narrative offers to "inescapable destinies and systems" (both in s1 and s2) is for the character to realize they have the freedom to choose their own fates. It happened with Adam, and it happened with Gabriel, and perhaps it will happen to Jesus.

(At this point my sister frowned and said: "Are you telling me you think Aziraphale and Crowley are going to help Jesus realize he has agency and that him Dying on the Cross for the 'Great Plan' was kinda fucked up actually?" which sounds crazy when you put it like that BUT NEVER SAY NEVER BABIE.)

Because that brings me to my second point: if this all happens, Jesus becomes an AZIRAPHALE parallel.

In the same way Anathema is an Aziraphale parallel and Sergeant Shadwell is an Aziraphale parallel. Here is a character stuck in a suffocating status quo. To save the world, he needs to know he can escape that status quo and decide for himself. In the same way Anathema has to learn how to stop being a descendant or Shadwell to stop being a Witchfinder, or Gabriel to stop being an Archangel, and Adam to stop being an Antichrist, perhaps Jesus has to learn he can stop being... Well, the Christ, as well.

And this, of course, supplements Aziraphale's journey of letting go of the idea of being an idealized vessel of God, so he could finally enjoy the freedom of personhood and choice on Earth, with Crowley.

Or they could turn Jesus into a cackling villain who Aziraphale and Crowley need to kill in season 3, and I'd probably eat that up, too.

[jmdbjk]

Traveling is my thing too...

I'm still marinating in my Are You Sure?! afterglow. I just loved every part of it, every minute of the episodes and behinds. There is one thing that's been on my mind and I know it might ruffle some people because of how it sounds at first.

Jimin and Jungkook spontaneously created "scenes" for Are You Sure?!. Prompted each other for the sake of making content. Another facet of being good entertainers...

They were trying to be content creators and not rely on others to tell them what to say or do. The total opposite of "scripted" which, of course, means the shows were unscripted and made up as the days' activities unfolded.

They both actively initiated moments they could play off each other. This is part of that now-becoming-over-used word we say to describe their dynamic... chemistry.

Was it fake? No. The moments they created were genuine interactions whether it was an inside joke of theirs or just talking about topics like cosmic horror or origins of slang words. Not any different than how we behave with our own close friends and significant others. We initiate conversation topics, we poke at each other, we talk about stupid shit, we sometimes have heartfelt and meaningful conversations.

In other words, we are authentic with our closest people. That's what humans do. And as we also are so comfortable with our friends and significant others, we can also have quiet time just being in the presence of the other. IT'S ALL NORMAL AND NOT FAKE.

Was it fan service? No. Again, they were being content creators, trying to create something that was purely them, purely normal interactions only they could have with each other.

Do they have off moments? Of course they do. When one or the other was not active in the interaction, the other was just being themselves, no faking, no fan service, just Jimin and Jungkook behaving as themselves, the only way they know to behave, in the presence of the other, nothing negative about it, just "being."

But they were on a mission to create content that they knew Army would enjoy while they were away. With a big smile, Jungkook said we'll really enjoy it. He said this before he got in that Jeep and drove away to Connecticut. He already knew before it started that he and Jimin were going to have fun. They trust us, their fans, to enjoy the things they give us. Those who do not enjoy it are not their fans.

I've seen people say they only watched a few clips and not the entire series of AYS and then conclude "its obvious (insert fave name) feels this or that." No Boo, you can't deduce those things from a 5 second slo-mo clip or a screen cap from a split second moment from an 8 episode series (9 hours of interactions between the members). What IS obvious is these people don't want to know the truth.

If you don't watch original content in its entirety, how could you possibly "know" your fave/bias? Especially this particular series. If you are a fan of Jimin, Jungkook or even Taehyung, if you did not watch the entire episodes, your opinion is meaningless. If you based your opinions on select snippets or screenshots with no context, your opinion is meaningless because you don't have the entire story. You have every right to say you don't like it and won't watch it because it doesn't align with your (false) idea of who Jimin, Jungkook and even Tae are. But in doing that, you should also remind yourself you are clinging to your own fantasies of who they are.

If you had access and were able to watch all of the episodes on Disney+, many thanks for helping to make this project of Jungkook and Jimin's a resounding success. Ranked #5 worldwide for 2024 TV shows on Disney+. This chart is sorted by popularity:

In his last live the day before enlisting, Jimin told us he was sick with the flu for a week after returning from Sapporo and only had another week before their enlistment. Maybe he was starting to feel the symptoms on that last day in Sapporo and it contributed to feeling so down.

The behind footage for Sapporo shows at some point the cameras were turned off in the car when they were driving to the airport to return to Korea.

It would have been easy for the show's producers to just edit the footage and write captions that totally ignore the fact the cameras were ever turned off at all. We would have never known. Them including that information helps us put everything in context. Jungkook and Jimin purposely turned the cameras off and they purposely informed us of that so we could understand that there was a lot of time without any recording whatsoever. Maybe they talked about stuff they didn't want recorded. Maybe Jimin took a nap because he wasn't feeling good. No matter, most would call that PRIVATE TIME. They had an abundance of PRIVATE TIME during ALL of these trips.

I feel strongly they will do a few more trips. They loved this so much, and they have a foundation to build on, they will do more.

And now, its been a few weeks after the last episode and we've got the behind scenes. It still sort of feels like a dream that these two produced this project for us. Yet it only made sense didn't it? Who else out of the 7 would do something like this? It's genius level thinking to create this, doing something they both have said they love doing, doing it with each other, the people they connect with the best, and giving us something at the same time. Brilliant.

And I want to say thank you to Jimin and Jungkook. Personally, this was the best of the best.

It is truly the work of the Universe that they have each other, to support each other during this period of time. In recent pics I've seen, they look well. I miss them so much.

And now we're just over 8 months away from having them back. Eight months and 15 days before all 7 are discharged and we look forward to the first group live and an ocean of tears of relief pouring from all over the world for them. 10 days until our Hobi is back. I'm so excited!

My Are You Sure?! photobook arrived the other day, I wasn't expecting it so suddenly because Weverse Shop still had it marked as "shipping soon" and then all of a sudden it was here. YAY!

I am going to scan a lot of it but the big postcard sized photos that were part of the early pre-order gifts are on my refrigerator. I also ordered the Are You Sure?! magnets but those won't be here until December. As you can see, I'm a collector of fridge magnets when I travel so it was a no-brainer to get the Are You Sure magnets.

Also, shout out to anyone in North Carolina trying to recover from Hurricane Helene. The Nantahala area was one of my most favorite vacations. I hope to go back someday. I know it's hard to rebuild, I've experienced the aftermath of too many hurricanes. Take it one day at a time and never lose hope. Normal will come back again.

[lurkingshan]

Dead Friend Forever is a Marvel of Mystery Writing

I haven’t been watching Dead Friend Forever live, because I am not always that into the slasher genre and I figured I would wait to hear whether it holds up before jumping in. I admit, I was a bit dubious about a drama sustaining a slasher narrative for 12 entire weeks and didn’t want to spend time on something that might be too shallow to sustain and would end up falling apart. I basically told bestie @wen-kexing-apologist to vet it for me and holler if I needed to start paying attention. And a few weeks ago, they started poking me with increasing intensity, along with a few other friends, because the writing was holding up better than they could believe. I started asking questions, and once @ginnymoonbeam mentioned that Sammon was the writer, it all started to click and I dove into a binge to catch up.

And they were right! This show is excellent, and its strength is sourced in an incredibly strong script from a writer who knows how to construct a longform mystery. Because it turns out, that’s what this show actually is. How do you sustain a slasher for 12 weeks? By embedding a deeper mystery within the slasher framework and pacing your story so that the entire middle delivers a backstory narrative that is even more compelling than the current events. This show is expertly structured to grab your attention and then get you deeply emotionally invested in the coming bloodbath, which is crucial for a slasher to feel like it has any stakes. Let me also note that the excellent writing here is supported by extremely smart direction and editing and some standout performances from young actors. I am going to focus on the writing here because that’s what I do, but it should be said that this whole production is all around excellent. 

So let’s talk about why the writing in Dead Friend Forever works so well! Great drama mysteries should support two kinds of engagement from the viewer: 

no thoughts head empty engagement from the people who just want to be pulled along for the ride and be constantly surprised

red string board theory engagement for the people who enjoy finding clues and trying to solve the mystery in advance. 

It’s actually really fucking hard to thread this needle as a writer, because it requires seeding strong enough clues that attentive viewers could reasonably guess some of the big reveals, but not giving away so much that you are unable to surprise them. A reveal in a good mystery should have you saying “oh my god WHAT” and “of course, that makes perfect sense” at the same time. And the best mysteries support the viewer being able to go back and rewatch, find new meaning they missed the first time, and realize every single thing that happened adds up. A tight mystery has no loose ends and no false steps; it never lies to the viewer, it only works to draw your attention where it wants it at any given point in the story.

Dead Friend Forever does this masterfully with several of its reveals, but I will highlight the biggest example: the reveal of Phee and Non’s relationship in episode 7. In the first four episodes of the show, the story lets us in on a few crucial facts: Phee is newer to this friend group (along with Tan and White), he was not present for whatever went down with Non three years ago, he has some kind of fucked up not!friends with benefits relationship with Jin that involves lots of sexual tension and dick biting, and he seems interested in figuring out what the hell happened once all these dudes start acting crazy about the videos. The string board theorists had enough to go on there to reasonably guess that he was intentionally trying to uncover the truth—but not why—and the no thoughts head empty crowd could just vibe, enjoying his scenes with Jin and wondering how exactly he ended up hooking up with him and getting involved with this group of people he doesn’t even seem to like.

Once we get to the backstory and see Non’s narrative, additional clues emerge, like the existence of both an older brother and a mysterious sweetheart that is only saved as [heart emoji] in Non’s phone. No thoughts head empty is over here going huh I wonder who they’re gonna be and hey when are the rest of the characters going to show up; string board theorists now have two clear options for how Phee could tie in to Non’s story and why he might care enough to investigate, but no one knows for sure. So when the show ended episode 6 with Phee running into Non’s room and began episode 7 with The Most Effective Five Minute BL Of All Time, everything clicked into place. No thoughts head empty got to experience a very pleasant shock moment, the string board theorists got to feel satisfied that they figured out at least part of the reveal, everyone got to enjoy an unexpected shot of romance in the middle of this stressful narrative, and there were still parts of Phee’s motives and involvement with this group that we didn’t understand and would require additional reveals. That is great mystery writing in a nutshell.

And it’s not only the mystery construction that makes the writing here so smart. It’s also the way Sammon is weaving in tons of social commentary, embedding Thai cultural and religious values, incorporating complicated crimes with lots of players in the mix that somehow don’t get confusing, and drawing complex and nuanced characters whose choices and behavior you understand even if you find them abhorrent. It’s not easy to make a viewer both despise a character and still care what happens to them; when you write a story about despicable people you run the risk of inspiring apathy in the audience, which is a death knell for a mystery. We have to be invested for this story to work. We have to feel deep empathy for Non to the point that we fully support axe murdering his bullies, but we also have to be interested enough in the bullies and why they behave the way they do to watch 12 weeks of them running around being awful to each other and harming everyone in their paths. And Non, too, gets to have real complexity. He is not a perfect little Mary Sue who never does anything wrong. He makes big impulsive mistakes, and seeks attention and affection from the wrong people, and lies to the ones he loves, and doesn’t always ask for help when he needs it. He is a flawed human being and that’s so important, because he is the center of this story and we need him to feel real.

In conclusion: holy shit. I tip my hat to you, Dr. Sammon, and I am very excited to be on this ride for the final four episodes. 

[loopdile]

what if during the loops loop started getting so Mentally Funky that after siffrin showed up, conversed and left they'd find a way to get Odile to come over and talk just for a change of pace

ooh fascinating... they usually try so hard to avoid the other party members but that just makes it all the more interesting to consider what could make them break that pattern! and i could see them choosing odile out of everyone, because she's the most aloof / least emotional, surely it wouldn't be as harrowing as trying to talk to like mirabelle.

maybe soon after a fight with siffrin and/or something that was extra upsetting for loop? like after they had to tell siffrin how to use the dagger -- they're mad at him for pushing, they're mad at themself for bringing it up, siffrin might be upset with them, and now loop keeps having to watch siffrin stab himself, and! loop got possessed! that's fucked up.

i could see them wanting to talk to someone. esp if it's been multiple hundreds of loops already. and loop's "thank god at least i'm not in the house" is wearing out into "at least i was doing something before, now i can't even do anything except make it worse".

luring odile over seems difficult when she's all the way in town, it would take a lot of active motivation to overcome that difficulty, but. maybe if siffrin has been in the loops long enough that they're starting to act a little strange even on day 1. maybe odile would come over to talk to isabeau about it? but isabeau already left to let siffrin do his thing with the favor tree. (but siffrin didn't talk to loop, he hasn't been talking to loop much at all lately.)

so odile's about to turn and go and loop is suddenly so desperate to not be alone, to experience anything different, that they call out "wait!" before they can stop themself. and then they're like fuck why did i do that. and odile's like hm? is someone there? and starts looking but loop is like "wait no don't come closer" bc they don't want her to see them they don't want to see her they're not supposed to be doing this this isn't in the script!! but it's too late to undo it entirely (they don't automatically rewind back like siffrin does, not anymore, not for this at least).

so odile does stop approaching. but she's not gonna just leave either, whoever called for her sounds upset, and she can't just leave a problem alone. even if it seems like it's going to be an emotional one that's outside her wheelhouse, she's not gonna leave. if only isabeau had still been there smh.

so she asks who's there and they don't answer, and she asks are you alright and they say "i'm fine" but it sure isn't believable. and she's down to give someone space, but. that first wait was so desperate.... so she asks "do you want me to leave?" and they don't answer that either.

so she stays. leaves real topics alone since they obviously don't want to talk about the who and why, she just starts complaining about the selection at the store instead. tells some stories about her companions. occasionally the mystery person even makes a comment!

and it's hard for loop, hearing about the party, but it's also. really really nice. to hear something about them that isn't from the fucking loops. a story they haven't seen or heard a thousand times in a row, something so old that it's new even though for odile it was within the last week.

eventually odile has to leave for dinner at the clocktower, which loop tries to be normal about but it's obvious they're unhappy. so she invites them to come with her but obviously they do NOT agree to that. she offers to see if another villager can come talk to them instead (she hopes maybe a villager would recognize their voice and be able to help more), but loop insists no they do no want to be around anyone else right now thank you. so odile shrugs and leaves, she's done what she can.

and loop is sooo sad because that was SO nice to just be kinda normal for a couple hours, but what are the chances siffrin will ever act just the right away again to make odile come over here :(

so THEN loop figures out a way to get odile to come to the favor tree ^^

loop doesn't do it every dormont loop, but more and more of them, they end up chatting. and it's less stressful after the first couple times, though it sucks that odile doesn't remember any of the previous chats. sometimes odile gets loop to vent a bit about this or that with her "just one thing" trick, and it does make loop feel better. and eventually loop even lets odile see them and odile is very fascinated, which is. not the worst possible reaction..? (the not recognizing doesn't hurt as much as in canon, because the re-introduction was more gradual, and it's not everyone at once, and it didn't happen right when loop was planning to come clean.)

and that's how one day siffrin walks in on odile feeling loop up (scientifically) under the favor tree, thanks for coming to my ted talk

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

There are two different versions of ATSV in theatres - and the only difference between them in Hobie Brown.

Okay ya'll I came across something so bizarre.

So I've seen Across the Spiderverse twice now, and my theatre was going to stop showing it this weekened - so I went to see it one more time.

Originally, I had seen version one. I knew there were two out there, but I had only heard of version 2. This time I saw it. And the ALL the differences has to do with Hobie Brown.

My man really hate consistency, I guess.

LOOK: This is the shot of Hobie saying 'I quit' that's most used. - THIS is version one

But when I went this time, this is what I saw:

THIS IS VERSION 2. (omggggggg!!!!)

As you can tell, instead of his normal colors - in this shot Hobie is a violet-pink instead, with a lot more texturing on his model.

And these are common throughout Hobie's screentime!

If you saw the top photo - you saw version one.

If you saw the bottom photo - you saw version two.

Chances are if you watched the movie early in it's release (first week or so), or you watched a fancam you have seen version 1.

I was able to capture most of the changes on camera - and it's kinda jarring to see but omg i find it so interesting!!!

I took photos of all the differences and compare them down below, including an explanation of why this happened.

Please let me know which version you saw, and when you saw the movie! Have you seen both versions? I'm so curious!

For the first half of Hobie's appearance the two version are entirely the same - except for what seems like either a different take or wording of his 'Gwendy, how much have you told him-' line. However, the changes begin at the end of Hobie's scene with Miles.

I spoke here about how in some versions Hobie says 'Don't enlist unless you know what war you're fighting', while others 'Don't enlist unless you know just who you're fighting'.

But the biggest differences are his last scene.

Last week I used THIS screencap that was taken from a Version 1 fancam. In it, Hobie is in full color:

In Version 2, he's pink. Also - it's extremely faint in the photo, but if you look closer you can see there are also red spiderwebs behind the blue ones in Version 2:

You can see his pink color better here:

Later in the scene, Hobie changes colors. In Version 1, he maintains the same normal color scheme for the duration of the scene, however in Version 2 he's changing back and forth - even turning black and white at one point.

Version 1:

Version 2:

And can I just say -

This is to show how Hobie is literally the only one in the room who is 1) Literally and physically 'in Miles' corner, (literally) standing 'in the right' - to the right of Miles,

and 2) the only one being honest to Miles (why he turns black and white, he also turns black and white while talking about Miles' parents.)

As the scene goes on, Hobie stays this color - which leads to one of my favorite differences:

His last shot.

In Version 1 - Hobie is white & black for one shot, as he says 'Here we go'. This is the same.

However - for version one, he returns to his natural color for his final line of the scene - 'Good'. And for Version 2, he turns purple.

So why did this happen?

According to the ATSV there are two (and only two) versions that were released in US theatres. Version 1 was released when Sony shipped early copies to translators so they could translate the script for international viewing. The version sent was about 98% done, and made to give the translators a jumpstart prior to release.

However, that version ended up being released.

Afterwards they swapped it out with the full, correct version - Version 2.

It seems like Hobie wasn't meant to be natural colored for the duration of the Canon-Events scene, and that in the whole film, he was the final thing they were putting touches on.

There are other small changes in version 2 - including when Miguel calls for backup - in Version 1 Lyla points at Miguel, however in Version 2 she takes a selfie with him on a AI cell-phone.

In Version 1 - Miles says 'No, no no!' at Pavitrs chai scolding, and 'Sorry, sorry' in Version 2. There are other small adlibs, and they said they removed Gwen's voicelines when she was searching for Miles and the child in the rubble (?? don't know why).

I also think - and I DON'T KNOW, I haven't checked my recording but I did record it - I THINK the watercoloring in Gwen's scenes have different colors in some shots, or different strokes, but only subtly. It just looked more detailed and vibrant to me, but idk. But the trans colors remain completely untouched in every way.

However, it seems that your best and most obvious way of telling which version you saw is by looking at Hobie's lines and coloring in different scenes.

Mans really hates consistency, damn.

______________________________________________

Outside of some split-second shots and ablids, He's the only things that's largely changed, and when seeing it in the theatre today I was literally shocked as HELL. When he said 'eh, what of it?', I was like 'mfer WHY R U PINK'. I hadn't noticed until right then. But I'm literally over the moon I got to see both, I feel like I found something secret.

Maybe being Hobie obsessed and Neurodivergent pays off.

Oh - and here's two more shots that were also changed that I didn't get footage of. If you have a photo or footage of these shots from Version 2 - PLEASE post or send them to me. Thanks!

Version 1 - 'What of it?' / In Version 2 he is a BRIGHT pink color

Version 1 - Standing behind Miles while talking to Miguel / In Version 2 he is black and white with newspaper around him (also doesnt he look so cute look at that slutty waist ugh)

SO uhhhhh yeah Idk if anyone else finds this interesting but I DO and I enjoyed it so much and I WISH I could get better footage of Version 2.

Had I not watched his scenes everyday for weeks and wrote out a dissertation about every one of his lines I might not have noticed lol

If you're not normal about Hobie Brown and found this interesting like me, thanks! Let me know if you read this far and please tell me what version you saw and when you saw it! Ok thxs again bye :)

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

"DID YOU KNOW THAT?"

SOOO I WROTE MY FIRST FIC WITH MARK FROM SEVERANCE

(I love this show and I only saw two episodes guys, it's my new hiperfixation i'm afraid)

I hope you like it!

(Also, I made this new divider for my Severance fics 💚😊)

You and Mark had been flirting for a while during your work hours.

You worked in the administration department, and he worked in the data processing department, so you were only separated by a couple of corridors.

The new department head was focused on sorting the wrong numbers into the correct boxes, which were reflected on the computer screen, when he heard a strange noise coming from the corridor to his right.

His colleagues watched him closely, waiting for him to do something about it.

Finally, he stood up and gave a simple nod, before giving a small, reassuring smile.

"I'll go see what's going on," he said. "You guys keep working. I'll be right back."

He walked through the all-white corridors for about ten minutes: first to the right, then to the left, then to the right again, until he found the source of the problem. The elevator had gotten stuck again.

He opened the doors with his card to check that no one was trapped inside, and after pressing the button again to take him to the other floors, the elevator started working normally again.

"That's it," he said, hanging the card back around his neck. Then he felt someone pulling him from behind, dragging him to a room next to the elevator, which he hadn't been able to see because it was hidden in the wall.

"I don't know who you are, but I advise you to let me go," he blurted out, afraid of who it could be.

Technically, while they were on company property, Lumon was in charge of his protection, so he thought whoever it was might not have any real intention of harming him.

"Shh, it's me," whispered a voice he recognized instantly.

He turned slowly to look at you.

You had only started a few weeks ago, but that time had been long enough for him to begin to develop certain feelings toward you that he'd told himself he shouldn't allow himself to feel.

Socializing was supposed to be a part of his Outie's life, but every time he saw you, he forgot all of that.

He found it very difficult to form sentences with more than four words that made sense when you were around. You disarmed and distracted him in ways he wasn't used to.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, swallowing hard, holding your gaze. "You should be working." He paused for a moment, then pointed at you with his index finger. "Wait a minute, did you…?"

"Yes," you stated, "I broke the elevator."

"Why?"

"Because I knew you'd come fix it, and I needed to see you," you admitted, making his eyes widen in surprise.

"Is this about the new data sheets Irv sent to your department last night at eight o'clock?" he began. "Because if it is, you have nothing to worry about." The thing is, we had a little mix-up with…

"This isn't about work, Mark," you whispered, and Scout realized it was the first time you'd called him by his name, "it's about you."

"About me?" He frowned. "I'm not quite sure what you mean by that." He waved his hand at you. "Could you explain that a bit more?"

"God, you sound like you're reading from the script of questions you asked me when I woke up on the boardroom table," you whined. He tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to answer to that," he murmured.

"But if you have any questions about the management of your department, I can go talk to your superior and…"

"Mark," you interrupted again, "Why do you think I brought you to the only place in the entire building that doesn't have cameras?"

"That's not possible. You must have made a mistake," he said. "Every room in the company is monitored 24 hours a day, including the parking lot." He turned around to look for places where there might be a camera, and therefore a microphone.

He didn't find either. He looked at you again, nervously adjusting a strand of hair that had fallen out of place.

"You were right, there isn't a camera," he murmured. "I don't know why you brought me here, but you'd better have a good excuse, because if we don't come back in less than ten minutes, our bosses will inform their respective superiors, and we might get fired."

"No one's going to fire us, Mark."

You placed the palm of your hand gently on his chest and slowly pushed him until his back hit the wall behind him.

Mark wasn't able to think clearly, as he always did when you were around, especially when you were invading his personal space like this.

His gaze focused on your eyes, which watched him as if you could see his thoughts reflected in them.

"What…" he stammered, "what are you doing? We can't…"

"You've been being more affectionate than usual with me," you explained, "more than with the rest of the workers."

"I was just trying to be nice," he defended himself, making you give a half-smile.

"Really?" you fumbled, slowly tugging at the card around his neck. "Are you sure it's not for something else?"

Then Mark's mind clicked.

He knew exactly what this was about, and he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by, since when you left the Lumon facilities, neither of you would remember each other or what had happened there.

So you both would enjoy it while it lasted, that is, until the clock struck five in the afternoon, your departure time.

Mark rested his gaze on your lips for a moment before leaning in to kiss you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, which made him sigh against your mouth as he felt your fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Now I understand why you brought me to a place where there are no cameras," he smiled. "You didn't want anyone to find out about this, right? How the head of the data department is going to fuck you?" "He questioned. He gently held your neck, not squeezing but making his presence clear. "Answer the question, darling."

"Yes, I didn't want anyone to find out," you gasped. "Please, Mark… I…"

"I know," he murmured. "I know exactly what you need." He slowly kissed your neck, reaching your collarbone. "I looked at this month's data," he whispered. "And you're the hardest worker on your entire team." He smiled. "Someone should give you an award for that, don't you think?"

"I believe it," you sighed, making him smile. "I deserve it."

"Of course you do" he whispered, placing a kiss on the corner of your lips. "You're such a good girl for me… You're the best worker in this company. Did you know that?"

"I'm sure that…"

"No, darling, don't do that." He shook his head. "Don't try to change the subject when I'm complimenting you." He smiled. "Now, why don't you take this off for me?"

You slowly let it fall to the floor along with your underwear.

Mark watched you for a few moments before tracing your pelvic bone with his index finger and whispering, "You're beautiful," he murmured, the gentle way he said it making you suddenly want to cry.

From then on, it was all downhill without stopping.

Mark had you wrap your legs around him while he penetrated you, telling you how beautiful you were and how good you were being to him.

When you were done, you hurried to get dressed and get ready as best you could before returning to your respective apartments, praying that no one had noticed you were gone.

The next day, neither of you would remember what had happened between you, but it had been worth it for as long as it lasted, and that was what you both took away from it all.

[isthatmyjacket-covenofchaossq]

Mini rant incoming because I recently re-watched avengers age of Ultron and this specific thing has been on my mind a lot lately

First of all: this is not a hate post on Bruce. I don't hate him at all! I hate that lazy script that had Nat comparing herself to a monster because she couldn't have kids.

The scene at Clint’s farmhouse in avengers: age of Ultron, where Nat confesses the red room "graduation ceremony" to Bruce, remains one of the most infuriating moments in the MCU to me. Even after all these years and many infuriating scenes later.

It’s not just that Natasha calls herself a monster for something that wasn’t her fault, it’s that this moment reveals just how profoundly lonely and broken she feels, and how desperate she is to prove to herself that she deserves love and goodness.

Natasha spent her entire life fighting to redeem herself. After breaking free of the red room’s control, she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. to atone for the blood on her hands.

But no matter how many people she saved, no matter how many heroic deeds she did, she never truly believed she was worthy: her ledger was too red, her past too dark, and she carried that guilt with her in everything she did.

When she opened up to Bruce in this scene, it wasn’t just about her trauma; it was a moment of vulnerability from someone who had spent years hiding behind walls.

The tragedy is that Natasha genuinely believed she was unlovable. She compared herself to Bruce, a man literally transformed into a destructive green giant, because she thought only a monster could love someone like her.

That belief is devastating (especially for those of us who have Nat as one of their fav characters and love her so much), not just because it’s so untrue, but because it speaks to how deeply her past still haunted her. Natasha didn’t see herself as a hero, a protector, or even a survivor, she saw herself as broken beyond repair.

And that’s what makes this scene so frustrating. It’s not that Natasha was wrong to feel pain or to carry the weight of her past; those feelings are part of what make her human.

It’s the way the movie framed her sterilization as the crux of her pain, as if the inability to have children was what made her feel monstrous. That completely misses the point of Natasha’s trauma.

What truly defined her pain was the violation of her autonomy. The red room didn’t just take away her ability to have children; it took away her choices, her agency, her right to decide the kind of person she wanted to be. That’s the real tragedy of Natasha’s story, and it’s what makes her survival and redemption so extraordinary.

The fact that Nat felt the need to compare herself to Bruce/Hulk shows just how isolated she felt, even among the Avengers.

She was desperate for connection, for someone who could understand the darkness she carried. But in trying to connect with Bruce, she reduced her own trauma into something it wasn’t, framing herself as a monster when in reality, she was anything but.

Nat wasn’t defined by what the red room took from her: she was defined by how she fought back.

Natasha’s desperation in this scene highlights another layer of her character: she wanted so badly to prove she was a good person, to believe that she deserved love and happiness. That’s why she was willing to open up to Bruce in the first place.

But the movie fumbled this moment by framing her confession as though her inability to have children was the defining measure of her worth.

Yes, we all know how much Nat wanted to be a mom, but not being able to for something that wasn't her fault and using this to compare herself to Bruce and call herself a monster was bullshit.

It was reductive and dismissive of who Natasha really was: a woman who had spent her entire life fighting to reclaim her identity and prove she was more than what the red room tried to make her.

Nat was no monster. She was a protector, a fighter, and a survivor. She was the one who stayed behind when others walked away.

She fought for people who couldn’t fight for themselves, for Clint and even Wanda, to the entire world. She carried her trauma with her, yes, but she also carried a fierce loyalty and compassion for the people she loved.

The fact that she couldn’t see her own worth in that moment speaks to how deeply her past scarred her, but it doesn’t define who she was.

Nat deserved better. SO MUCH BETTER. She deserved to see herself as the hero she was, not as a monster shaped by her trauma. And she deserved to have a story that honored her resilience, instead of reducing her pain to a single, misguided moment of self-loathing.

I'm sorry if I repeated myself in a few points, but this shit pisses me off too much

[shihalyfie]

I've alluded to tri. having some very troubled production behind the scenes, and among everything that apparently went on back there, there seem to have been at least two major bottlenecks: 1) the fact that the director (who, based on his own statements about deliberately not consulting source material, most likely didn't even watch Adventure to begin with) kept asking everyone to make things more "mature" without being clear on what that actually meant, and 2) the fact they ran out of budget and had to rewrite the entire plot halfway into it. Even the most brilliant of creators probably wouldn't be able to work at their best under such conditions.

But conversely, this also means that there were some excellent people involved in production whose efforts probably haven't been as appreciated as they should be! So I want to take a moment to spotlight some people I want to give props to:

Ayana Yuniko and Nakanishi Yasuhiro: These two scriptwriters were childhood Digimon fans who were thrilled to be on the project, and their enthusiasm clearly shows in every interview they were in. Ayana even made keen observations like noticing that the Adventure kids aren't as super-tight as people tend to make them out to be (something I've pointed out myself, and something that generally only tends to crop up among fans who have studied the series closely), and Nakanishi stated that she would slip him detailed notes about the characters and their relationships.

Both of them stated they were trying to portray the Adventure characters in a character-accurate way but kept getting their scripts rejected for not being "mature" enough, leaving them unsure about what they were supposed to do. Their roles on the series were also limited; Ayana was on parts 1, 2, and 4 while Nakanishi was on part 4 only, and they were sharing the scriptwriter role with multiple others (even within a single movie). But if I were asked to pick who on the staff list I would want to see come back for another Digimon work, it would absolutely be these two.

Kakikara Yuuko: The one in charge of overall writing for the series. tri. had a total of five scriptwriters and could have up to four(!) on a given movie, so because of that, her statements on the series and its story direction have been a bit difficult to tell whether it was her idea personally or whether she was delivering the writing room's discussion result. But one of her final statements on the series basically amounted to "I'm grateful if you even came to watch it to the end at all," and she was quite humble about saying she felt things could have been done differently; considering it sounds like she had a hard time keeping everyone and everything in order, I can only imagine she went through a lot trying to make sure everything ended safely. Incidentally, her writing portfolio is also quite respectable (and even includes kids' shows).

Suzuki Takaaki: The person with the job of "setting researcher", i.e. the one with the job of looking into the lore. Sadly, it seems like most of his ideas didn't make it into the final series (possibly because of the budget loss-induced rewrite), but his one solo interview indicates that he put quite a bit of conscientious thought into how Digital World lore works, including the idea of an EMP weapon that would affect Digimon easily but not humans (an idea that doesn't pop up among fans as often as you'd think, and took up until last year to make it into actual Adventure material via Takeru's 02TB in-universe fanfic).

Sakabe Gou: The person in charge of the series BGM. We haven't heard a lot from him, but the little we have indicates that although he also had difficulty understanding what the director was asking for when he wanted "mature" music of some kind, he himself put some very thorough thought put into the composition. In particular, he went into detail regarding the music used at the beginning of part 4, which seems to be a fan-favorite track from what I've seen (it's also my favorite too!). Sakabe also has an extensive and respectable portfolio outside Digimon; in particular, he's very highly regarded in Kamen Rider circles, so if you have a friend who's a fan, it might be a good idea to ask them about it!

[teecupangel]

IDEA: Desmond gets turned into a creature of your choosing, just has to be able to “write”. And yknow how we always go with the ‘his writing becomes illegible’ thing? What if all of his writing is unreadable except the word “Desmond”. Drop him in with Ezio and watch the chaos unfold.

I was thinking what creature we should go for and my brain just went ‘screw it, go with Slime Desmond so we don’t have to think if the creature can actually use a quill or if he’s using his hands to write’.

Then my next thought was “Wouldn’t it be funny if Desmond could write ‘Desmond’ but he can only write it in a specific language that Ezio doesn’t know? Like… the Isu script?” but you know what would be funnier?

Desmond had always been an intelligent creature.

He used his strange body structure to make creative shapes that Ezio would be able to decipher and understand. He was the best scout and planning partner to have.

His uncle believes Desmond was a descendant of the slime ‘companion’ the legendary Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad supposed had.

If he was, Ezio could see why everyone believed Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was the best mentor the Brotherhood ever had.

Desmond made everything so easy that Ezio knew he needed to not depend on him too much. He needed to be able to stay on his own feet. To show that he was a formidable Assassin in his own rights.

That was why he asked Desmond to stay in Monteriggioni while he went to the Vatican to finally confront Rodrigo Borgia.

He focused on the safety of his family, knowing it was Desmond’s soft spot.

And it worked.

Desmond stayed and Ezio went to Rome alone.

And then he heard Minerva’s message.

‘Desmond’.

She specifically said Desmond’s name.

Desmond wasn’t a usual name and…

It was the only ‘word’ Desmond could write.

So when he returned to Monteriggioni, he briskly walked towards Desmond and crouched in front of him. Desmond’s entire body seemed to be vibrating slightly and Ezio pointed at him as he asked in an almost panicky tone, “Desmond?”

Desmond created too slimey appendages and pointed at himself, waving the tentacle-like appendages furiously.

“Desmond!” Ezio repeated and Desmond began to vibrate more noticeably.

“Desmond!” Ezio said cheerfully and Desmond started bouncing in front of him in pure joy.

“Why is my brother repeating Desmond’s name?” Claudia whispered from behind them, looking both confused and tired already.

“I’m not entirely sure…” Mario answered as he rubbed his chin.

“Ah, of course!” Ezio grabbed Desmond midbounce and held him in his arms before turning to face his family and allies. He recounted Minerva’s message and what he had seen, making his allies wear different expressions on their faces.

When he got to the part where Minerva specifically said Desmond’s name, Mario’s eyes widened as he asked, “Nipote, are you saying…”

“Yes.” Ezio raised Desmond to his eye-level as he proclaimed…

“Desmond is a messenger like Minerva! He keeps writing the name Desmond because he is looking for him!”

Desmond’s happy vibrations immediately stopped and then…

WHACK.

A tentacle appendage suddenly appeared from Desmond’s body and smacked Ezio behind the head, making the Assassin yelp in surprise and let go of Desmond.

Desmond quickly hopped away from them and went straight for the secret door that would lead to the Sanctuary below.

“What? What did I do? Was it supposed to be a secret, Desmond?!” Ezio followed the slime, already knowing it would be sulking behind the statue of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.

… leaving his family and allies back in the office who stared at the secret entrance.

“…………. well… who’s going to tell him that Desmond is angry because the obvious answer was he’s the Desmond in the message?”

“I will respectfully decline. For one, I don’t want to argue with Ezio about how that idea is foolish as this Desmond is meant to be alive centuries from now to save the world.”

“O dio mio, does that mean our Desmond used to be Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad’s Desmond?! Is Desmond immortal???”

“I’m going to bed. Wake me up once my brother stops being stupid.”

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

It was a documentary, not a series, that's why we were not satisfied because we wanted fiction, not a docuseries.

This only solidifies my POV, which I have already gone over on the Under The Table Podcast and in many previous entries on my blog, about the whole problem with S3 being in the WR. Coming from a very solid S2 and amazing S1 award season, only made matters worse, of course.

Viewers appreciate realism, as a matter of fact the kind of audience The Bear appeals to is the kinda public that digs realism and adult content, with lots of cussing, raw directorial style, fast-paced, etc. We are not the typical rom-com or even drama series audience. The Bear became a hit show back in 2022 because its eps were fast-paced, with a dramedy quality that made it original, lots of adult language, and with a hint of sexual tension that was "promising" if explored in future seasons, that at that point were not confirmed yet. S2 was ordered in July 2022 in the middle of the momentum the show was starting to get, and shot from February to April 2023, then it premiered in June 2023, only to compete now, in this award season that opened a few weeks ago at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Meaning: the reason why S3 didn't work as expected, and the numbers back that up that is why they haven't released them yet, is because the writers were not able to write a BALANCED plot. Yes, it hit all the realistic marks in terms of mental health struggles and fine dining 7th circle of hell, but at the same time, it lost every other "ingredient" that it used to have. THERE IS A WAY to write the best of both worlds, and I certainly expected that coming from who I considered the best script writer out there, the sadist. And his right hand wired for romance, Miss Calo. They didn't do it. They disappointed me. They went all in with the docuseries' raw realism style of Carmy hitting rock bottom, which if you were really paying attention in S2 was nothing but PREDICTABLE → as I proved even before S3 premiered here and here but they didn't build towards a cliffhanger that left you wanting more, actually, 03X10 is altogether hard to watch, there's no balance like in FISHES 02x06, for instance, just one punch after the other, all below the belt, no comedy, no breather, just tragedy and more tragedy and more sense of doom and more PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! THAT'S IT, END THIS, PULL THE PLUG, STOP IT! etc... Like I said: No balance.

Storer only focused on Carmy's background story, but didn't give us anything we couldn't have figured out on our own anyway, he didn't explore Syd's background story, which should be a collection of gems and absolutely Sydcarmy friendly because the more we know about her, the better we will be able to figure out how will Sydcarmy happen and when (I already know when, but still) and he also focused on Tina's background story, IMO that was completely unnecessary as T is not a central character, what he showed there was also easy to guess anyway and could have been summarised in a couple of scenes, not an entire bottled episode, not when other characters are UNEXPLORED after 3 seasons. So basically, all the decisions made in terms of SCRIPT were WRONG. The acting was perfect, the direction was too, the soundtrack, the cinematography, all of it, but the foundation wasn't there because in the WR the creative decisions made for S3 were completely fucked up, we were served a docuseries as opposed to the fictional show with a realism bouquet we were watching the previous 2 seasons.

WE WANT TO WATCH FICTION, write it realistically, sure! BUT DON'T LOSE WHAT YOU HAVE SO FAR, DON'T MUTATE INTO A DOCUMENTARY OF ALL THAT'S WRONG IN THE MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR IN SOCIETY OR IN THE CULINARY INDUSTRY, we already know that and if we don't, we can always tune in the motherfucking news, not FX, and certainly not Disney+. Thank you very much.

[adroitluska]

Ace Alastor Week - Day 6

Idk about you, but I was the type of ace that thought that the entire ‘sexual attraction’ for other ppl thing was just jokes born of the directionless lust that ppl naturally feel. No one was actually sexually attracted to any specific person. So, you get a friends w benefits relationship at best (aro as well lol) and both of you just joke abt sex enough that something happens between you, then you move on. No one was sexually attractive at all, unless they were just as funny and intelligent and unbothered as you. Being flustered by attraction is an allo thing, and I was immune, but I would joke abt sex w ppl a lot (until I learned they were not experiencing that the same way I did). So! Here is a rendition of Alastor (horny version) courting Vox in the way that some ace ppl do.

“So, why is it you dress like that, Vox?” Alastor asked

“Like what?” 

“In pinstripes. I thought you were obsessed with modernity, but you wear stripes like… well let’s just say in the classic way.” Alastor indicated the jacket and pants.

“Hey, these clothes ooze success and style.” Vox said, straightening the coat.

“Perhaps in the forties…”

“What do you know about it? Keep out of my closet, and mind your own outdated outfits.” Vox practically pouted.

“It is alright to exemplify the era you lived in- we all have memories and preferences. It is what makes us unique! Tell you what- why don’t you show me what you loved about the ‘50s? I will go with you for a meal and you can remember why you love it so.”

Vox had to swallow air several times before he was able to ask if a malt shop restaurant would be okay, and to his delight Alastor said it would.

And so they were to meet up at Sinful Sweets Malt Shoppe, a restaurant that Vox favored when he was feeling nostalgic (more frequently than he liked anyone to know). He was hoping Alastor would enjoy it even though the meat was not demon flesh. Vox walked through the streets with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his screen down, hoping no one saw him in the outmoded suit and tie. Finally, the red neon sign with its swirling script came into view. Alastor was already there, leaning against his staff and looking around with a closed-mouth smile just under the candy striped awning.

Alastor had not dressed any differently- he was his usual smelly, frightening, smiley self and Vox couldn’t believe it but he might actually be head over heels for this guy on their first date. Even though Alastor seemed to be enjoying jerking Vox’s chain- teasing and flirting then denying he was doing so. That was alright- it was part of his charm. If it all led to nothing, Vox could be alright with that. He was already stepping out of his comfort zone and could see that Alastor was too. What else could you really ask for on a date?

“Hello, Vox.” Alastor greeted, “Took you a while, and I’ve been smelling this food while hungry for the last quarter hour.”

Vox checked his watch. He wasn’t late! “Sorry for the wait, Al, I wasn’t expecting you to be early.”

“I never arrive late to a meal!” Alastor teased over his shoulder as he spun his cane in a flourish and headed through the glass doors. 

Inside there were garish checkers, puffy booths and swing tunes played in mid-century style. A jukebox stood against the wall alongside posters of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Prestley, Vox immediately relaxed.

The menus were thick laminated paper edged with leather. There were bright, splashy images of burgers, shakes, and fries accompanied by cute descriptions meant to entice a sinner into buying something. Vox accepted one from the hostess and looked it over carefully, wondering if Alastor would order, or if he was meant to. He would order Alastor an ‘American-style’ cheeseburger with all the fixings and the cajun fries along with the classic chocolate malt milkshake. For himself it would be a hot dog and a strawberry malt.

He set his menu down, ready just in case he was the one to order and saw that Alastor was still scanning over the options, so he was likely planning to be the one to order for them both.

The waitress came over, she was wearing a poodle skirt and had one eye that rolled in her head with lazy disinterest. Alastor ordered a malt shake for himself, in banana. A mushroom and swiss burger, two patties, and a side of potato wedges with cajun seasoning. Vox raised an eyebrow appreciatively and waited for Alastor’s guess about what he might like. He hoped that he would get the strawberry malt shake right at least.

The silence was deafening as Vox gazed at Alastor and the waitress had her pen poised above her steno pad, “Hem-em.” she cleared her throat at Vox.

“Oh, were you not?” he looked down, then glanced sheepishly at Alastor before looking at the stony-faced waitress, “I- I thought he was ordering for both of us. Uh, I will take the hotdog, loaded with everything and a strawberry malt shake.” The waitress noted it and left shaking her head. Vox could feel his screen getting hot.

“What just happened?” Alastor inquired, grin stretching sadistically at the sight of Vox’s awkwardness. “Did you forget that you had to order?”

“Well, traditionally, the man would order for the lady- or, in this case, younger man.” Vox stuttered, feeling pathetic.

Alastor smiled showing all of his teeth with a sick glee, “That is so fucked. I see you have not advanced in your sensibilities, get with the times! Is that not what you are always saying? I suppose you are correct in making yourself the deferential party, though. Do tell, what is the point in ordering someone else’s meal?”

“Well,” Vox started, deciding to ignore Alastor’s jab at his masculinity for now. “It shows if you really know your date, if you care to pay attention to their preferences. Like, I would never order you a salad for the main course. A girl can tell a lot about a fella based on his order for her.”

“I see. Well that little experiment will have to wait until next time, then.” Alastor still had the gleam in his eye, and Vox looked away quickly, resenting the teasing a bit, the electric blue pixels of his cheeks changing to pink bit by bit. With uncharacteristic mercy Alastor dropped the topic without poking any further. He had smelled blood, and they both knew it, but Vox calmed down quickly, trying to quell his blush and stutter.

The waitress came back with plates which were heaped with classic crinkle cut fries, and fresh, hot diner food. It smelled better than even Heaven could have. Looking for something to occupy him and remove the awkward tension between them, Vox immediately picked up his hot dog and took a rather messy bite. A few onions slid from the mustard and dropped back onto the hotdog’s paper holder.

“May we get some extra napkins?” Alastor said to the waitress pointedly, wishing to see his friend’s embarrassed and sweet face again. She nodded and glided off. 

Alastor’s smile widened as he leaned forward to point a delicate finger at the escaping toppings. “Vox! The way you shove so much of that thing in your mouth- and so sloppily! What must that waitress think? It almost looks like you are trying to show off for someone!” Just as predicted, Vox froze up, snow fuzzing across his features prettily as an electric hum and the sharp whine of feedback emitted from him. Alastor’s smile softened.

“Jeez, Al!” He finally sputters. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene, and I’ll behave if you do.”

“Oh, please do!” Al said, grin unfaltering.

Vox looked away again. He was unsure how Alastor felt, but all this teasing and innuendo really felt like flirting. He wished he knew which way to take him.

“So, what’s new with Rosie?” he ventured. 

“Humm?” Alastor popped a fry into his mouth and looked at Vox with mild interest.

“Rosie? The cannibal overlord?” Vox clarified.

“Ah! Yes she is a doll, isn’t she! I think she likes you, our tastes align, you see.” Vox tried not to imagine being roasted alive and placed on platters for the two overlords.

“Because that implication isn’t scary or anything.” he forced the sarcasm out of his voice and took another, more careful, bite of his hotdog.

Alastor ignored that comment. But the next bites that he took from his burger made Vox think of a hungry animal. They really would need those napkins.

“She seems like a smart woman.” Vox wondered if the admiration between the cannibals was pure ego, desire for mutual approval, or if Alastor fancied her. He didn’t think it was that last one. Alastor was hard to read at the best of times but Vox was learning the cues. Rosie seemed more like a mentor and role model for Alastor, not a love interest.

“Yes, she is one of the brightest I know!” Alastor seemed more interested in sating his appetite and staring at Vox than he was in conversing about Rosie.

Vox finished his chips and dog before Alastor was done with his burger and fries. He pulled the strawberry malt towards himself and popped the end of the large, striped straw into his screen. To Vox’s dismay, the shake was cold and thick, and it took a lot of suction and multiple tries at the straw for him to get any joy. But once he did the shake was creamy, sweet and perfect. He sighed, then looked up at Alastor to tell him that the shake was good only to see him already watching, amusement on every feature.

“My, my!” Alastor said, teasing condescension dripping from his tone as he eyed Vox, “You must have gotten some cream by now, the way you've been slurping and sucking at that straw…” 

Vox spluttered cutely, his screen consumed by fritzing static. He was overwhelmed, and a wavy black-and-white scene of bonfire overlayed his expression of embarrassed surprise. The signal then fuzzed into snow accompanied by the shush of changing frequencies. Alastor chuckled low in his throat and made eyes at Vox while viciously biting the end off a fry.

“What an amusing little picture box! But do try to contain yourself, Vox! Perhaps the use of a tool could help?” Alastor picked up a long-handled spoon as if to demonstrate. He dipped up a spoonful of Vox’s malt and let a long red tongue roll out from behind his glistening teeth to give it a suggestive lick while maintaining eye contact. Vox’s eyes widened and flickered, the snow threatening to take over his display again. 

Alastor's next few licks were heated and lewd, and the continued eye contact made Vox feel that his circuits might actually melt and fuse.

“Al- you’re definitely doing this on purpose!” Vox whined.

“Doing what?” Alastor was goading him, and he knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to state it explicitly.

Vox felt near crazy with lust, confusion, and embarrassment. “You know what.”

“My dear man, what in the Hells are you talking about?” Alastor’s smile had stretched to a delighted and chaotic amusement and Vox admitted defeat.

“Nothing, I guess.” he grumbled. “Just please try to keep your teasing more PG.”

“Pee-Gee? I don’t know what that refers to, dear. Is that some television term I don’t have any reference for?” Alastor winked, Vox sighed. 

[lurkingshan]

Breaking Down the I Feel You Linger in the Air Finale

Okay pals, I got some sleep and I'm ready to dig into this finale and all its beautiful messiness. I love this show and I'm frankly a little frustrated that we got such an incomplete resolution to the (hopefully) first season when there was ample time to do it right. As ever, pacing and time and information management continue to be major weaknesses for Tee Bundit. As I said last week, the writing for this show has been undeniably messy but it's still holding together on the strength of the production and the performances and the success of some of its big themes and character arcs; that take held firm through the finale and some of the baffling choices made about where to spend our time in this final installment. So, let's dig into it!

The Long Goodbye

I'll say upfront that this is my biggest beef with the pacing of the finale. We spent all of last week on a long and painful goodbye for Yai and Jom, perfectly executed, but for some reason we did another 45 minutes of it this week, not so perfectly executed. While I loved the covering of the mirrors, the saddest sex scene ever (complete with sex moans running as the audio over a memory montage how dare you show!), and the pain of Yai realizing he drew the final picture and watching Jom disappear, we didn't need to retread them saying goodbye to each other over and over again for two entire hours of story time, and we didn't need a long, sappy, on the nose speech from Jom saying things we already knew. As I told @neuroticbookworm, this might be my aro showing but I found the series of repetitive emotional goodbye conversations and memory montages exhausting and not in a good way. If I were the script doctor, I would have kept the mirrors, sad sex, and Yai drawing as the start of the episode and cut the rest, moving much more quickly into the next phase of the story.

Back to the Future

Jom returning to his present day life, trying to cope with his anguish and loneliness and adjust back into things, and further investigating the time travel mystery to figure out a way to reconnect with Yai should have been the main narrative of this episode. Instead, we got a truncated version of it that didn't have time to breath because we'd used up so much time on the above mentioned retread. For my money, Jom's devastation upon finding Yai's letter to him was the most emotionally resonant moment of the finale and the first part of the episode where I almost cried. But we had barely sunk into that feeling before it was abruptly cut short because we were out of time and Tee needed to wrap this baby up.

Eyebrow Scar Yai

Here’s where I get actually kind of peeved, because this final (pre-credits) scene was so poorly set up and executed that to even call it a resolution is a stretch. A modern version of Yai walks into the room, asks Jom why he's crying, tells him he's been waiting for him, kisses him, and then the credits roll!

Now I've been in the tags so I know this caused confusion for anyone who has not read the novel (me too, fam!). And that's because the show had not bothered to establish:

That Yai does in fact have a modern doppelgänger

Who the heck that doppelgänger is and how he’s connected to 1928 Yai

How that doppelgänger would be able to remember Jom when no other doppelgängers in the story can remember their past lives

Based on what we know, could we piece together a reasonable theory about who this man is, how he got there, and the final pieces of the mythology that make sense of it? Sure. In fact, bookworm and I pretty much guessed exactly what the explanation for this was after watching the show, and many of the elements at play here were theorized in conversations we had last week. Book readers like @tipsyjaehyun have now confirmed the full explanation for anyone who cares to go read it.

But the show did not tell us any of this information. If you have to read the novel or have novel readers spoil you on aspects of the story that the show didn't bother to cover in order to understand the ending of the story, the execution has failed. And given the pacing notes above, there is really no reason we couldn't have gotten a better set up for this ending with Eyebrow Scar Yai (yes I know his name but no I'm not using it because the show didn't bother telling me; I am petty like that). Jom could have found this descendant during his time of processing and the ending could have hinged on us realizing this modern Yai is a reincarnation who has his past life memories intact; had we gone into a final kiss between them feeling grounded in all of that knowledge, it would have landed so much better.

Hello Commander

And now on to the post-credits scene, where Tee puts a plea into the universe to give him a second season so he can play around in another time period and explore what is evidently the origin of this soul tie between Jom and Yai. I chose to read this episode tag as separate from the actual season 1 narrative, and I think that was the intention given its placement. If they secure funding for a second season, this tag scene becomes the beginning of that next story, with Eyebrow Scar Yai's kiss sending Jom into another time travel adventure. If they don't we can just ignore it and pretend the pre-credits scene was the end (which is why I'm not happy it was so poorly done). I, for one, would love to see a second season to explore another time period and give Tee a chance to clean up some of this mess he has made of the mythology and season 1 resolution. Shouts to @clairedaring for reporting back from the live showing of the finale on what the possibilities are looking like there. Fingers crossed we get a continuation of this story some day!

Tagging in @waitmyturtles and @twig-tea who also have linked posts above. And shouts to @blmpff @cankersoregirl @pharawee @wanderlust-in-my-soul @italianpersonwithashippersheart @bengiyo @dragonsareawesome123 @wen-kexing-apologist @junghaesin @stuffnonsenseandotherthings @slayerkitty @respectthepetty @chickenstrangers @sunshinechay @btwinlines for posting about this show every week and making it such a fun watch despite having a small audience on here. It was a pleasure watching this with you all!