#I’m still mentally in like season 3 and 4 btw

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

A Pirates Life For Me

Pairings: father Killian Jones x child/teen!reader

Imagine: what it would be like to be Killian Jones child

Warnings: none really, mostly fluff, and Killian Jones being the best father ever, I guess there’s some spoilers for those who haven’t watched all seasons I guess, mention of when he died, NOT proofread yet

A/N back to writing ya’ll (hopefully), thought I’d start it of easy with some headcanons, so a few other will come out too but this is the first because recently I’ve been obsessing over Killian again along with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hunter (from tbb)

Side note half of this got deleted and couldn’t really remember what I wrote so it’s definitely not as good as the first draft

First things first you were raised on the Jolly Roger, you would most probably grow up as a pirate, and when old enough you’d help him fighting against the other pirates that would attack you at times

I’m sorry but you’re gonna have to deal with wearing dark colored clothes, he doesn’t do light color therefore neither do you at least until you’re old enough to decide for yourself what clothes you want

You’d beg Killian to buy you the biggest hat ever as you read somewhere that pirates has hats, he never bought you that hat… he did steal a tiny hat that fit you perfectly though…

He was scared to death that he would be like his own father, but don’t worry he’s both like that he’s the best and he’d never leave you like that

Your initials are written beside the wheel (you know where he wrote with his hook for Bae/Neal)

Things you carved into the ship as a kid can still be seen in the most random places

He childproofed the ship, put child locks on nearly every cabinet not knowing if it was child appropriate things in them as the crew would put their things in random places, he did not find the thought of you finding a knife, sword, or gun and accidentally hurt yourself very comforting

Adopted child, biological child, doesn’t matter he loves you the same.

Depending on when you were born you might of watched The Dark One rip the heart out of your father’s lover

One of many traumatic events

Killian values you more than anything else, if he had to choose between revenge or you, he’d always choose you, he’d do anything for you even if it meant him dying

He still knows how to say no to things though

He made a mental list in his head on things he would teach you

1. How to sail

2. How to navigate with stars

3. Sword fighting

4. How to survive on Neverland (just in case Pan decided to kidnap you or something to mess with him)

5. How to escape from Neverland

6. What plants are poisonous or not

7. Do not make deals with the dark one

And then the list goes on and on, he would want to teach you everything he knows about everything really, he just doesn’t want you to make the same mistakes he did, or to end up being a villain as he wants you to get your happy ending

Somewhere along the road you got dragged into wanting to help your father get revenge, nearly succeeded in multiple occasions, but as it turns out villains don’t really get their revenge

You once made the crew find a hook and clothes similar to Killian’s and later on that day you’d run up to Killian, hand clutching a hook and act as if you were the captain of the ship, imitating your father (with a really bad “adult” voice). He would let out a wide smile, eyes twinkling and a soft gaze as he looked down at you trying to reach the wheel. He’d eventually pick you up and let you steer the destination as he helped you turn the wheel the other way than he had set the course too. This was also the first time he taught you how to sail. Or somewhat, it wasn’t like you took much of the information in as you soon got bored and went to watch over the railing at the crashing waves.

Btw I’m tired of fics where Captain Hooks child likes Peter Pan, why because a parents ideals usually sets with the child, meaning you’d probably hate Peter Pan and Rumplestiltskin as much as your father does

He would tell you stories of his older brother and how he was a hero and he wished you’d met him, you would eventually in hell though later as you went to rescue your father so that’s fine, turns out he wasn’t the hero your father made him out to be, but that’s fine you only need one hero and that’s your dad

He would also tell you stories of his adventures, it made for quite the long entertaining tales as he tucked you into bed, kissing your forehead before continuing his story which he altered to be a bit more child friendly and a bit more dramatic

He lets you have some of his clothes when he’s going away for a long time because he knows you’ll miss him

He lets you wear his jackets/coats, you freezing he’s already put his jacket/coat over you, even if they’re too big for you , he loves how adorable you look in it as he’s reminded that you’re still just a child and he doesn’t want you to grow up

He’d try to teach you how to paint, might succeed might not still he loves the bonding time he’s good at painting in any universe you can’t tell me otherwise

He hates seeing you hurt

If you get hurt on a raid he’d made sure whoever hurt you would suffer, you want him kiss the injury better, he’d do so in a heartbeat even if it meant his reputation would falter slightly

He starts dating someone else (Emma) he’d make sure that person treated you right, if not he’d dump said person

If he founds out you like someone he wouldn’t be overprotective, he’d still be protective but he’d mostly be supportive. He’d tease you about it until it became annoying, he’d encourage you and give you advice (even if most of his advice failed)and if it failed he’d be there to comfort you through it all

You’d blame Emma for turning Killian into a dark one and you’d blame Emma for Killian’s death

When you rescued Killian from hell he promised you he’d never die again if not of old age and that he’d never take of his good luck ring ever again as you thought he jinxed it by giving it to Emma

You were glad for his sake when he married Emma just because you saw your father happy with someone else again and not just grieving and seeking revenge for his ex lover

He hugs surprisingly great, he’s like your human sized pirate teddy bear

He misses the times when you would come into his room late at night after a nightmare and crawl under the covers and cuddle close to him, not because you had a nightmare but because he liked that you knew you would always be safe with him

He would hate that you’d have nightmares after his death and you no matter what age you are in would sometimes go into his room to make sure he was still alive and maybe even sleep beside him, he’d wake up to you sprawled out over the whole bed clutching his side tightly as if you were afraid he’d disappear

Will make sure you get your happy ending

He’s just father material it’s as simple as that (just look at Nook, love Nook though but original Hook is the best)

[you-usuratonkachi]

why mike’s monologue is wack (aside from what’s already been told)

so i saw this answer to this anon, and tbh i wanted to add to it, because i haven’t talked about it yet.

the argument is that the cast complimented Finn for his performance, so doesn’t that go against Byler? 

So here i go...

The problem with Mike’s monologue isn’t Finn’s acting. People like to blame his performance, because it’s the easiest thing to pick apart, but tbh I don’t feel like he acted any different from how he always has. Acting, my loves, isn’t the only thing that makes a scene. In fact I’d say that writing, editing, directing and music can make or break a scene more than the acting performance does. 

And here is exactly where the major issues with the mologue actually come from.

1. the writing - the monologue was wack because of the build up to it and because of its word choices. Not only was the confession weak in terms of what Mike actually said during it (outright lying about how he felt when he met El, talking only about her superpowers, etc.), I’m pretty sure that even the least attentive watcher subconsciously picked up on the fact that it quoted Will’s confession and was pushed by Will, because the show hammered it in everyone’s head for EPISODES. 

The build up to that monologue is Will suffering over and over as he tries to fix Mileven’s relationship for them. Even if people like to deny it, after watching the whole show, that kind of exposure sticks in one’s head and in the perception of the overall show. The monologue felt wack because it was written so that the audience would never forget that it just happening because of Will and that it was hurting Will in the process.

2. the directing/editing choices - Mike and El aren’t alone as Mike conesses his love, they aren’t even face to face. Not only that, they could have still concentrated on their faces, but the editing and directing CHOSE not to help them in the slightest. 

Imagine the shot having both of them in it, even just a diveded screen would have sufficed to make a lot of difference, but no, they decided to have them always separated as Mike’s voice echoed for her and he looked at her wearing pizza goggles. Not exactly the most romantic circumstance, was it? 

If that wasn’t enough, they DELIBERATELY chose to include Will in basically all shots as Mike professed his love. Go back to check, you can either see him behind Mike blurred out or actively see his expression. There’s barely any frame of Mike alone and even when there are, right after that Will gets a full shot looking devastated.  

If the writing wasn’t enough to force you to remember him, the directing made it a point to always include him in the background (which has happened all season btw). Even in Mileven’s highest moment, the audience is made to remember that Will is there, Will is listening, Will is hurting. The focus of the scene ends up being more on him than on Mileven themselves.

You might hate Will, but the whole triangle was written so that even just subconsciously you would end up filling Will’s shoes. Even as a Mileven shipper, it’s hard to concentrate on Mileven because the focus constantly turns to Will. 

So yes, it’s not Finn’s fault the monologue feels wrong. Mileven’s feelings weren’t the point of it, Will’s were.

And if you don’t believe me, let me just add a point 

3. the music - just check the title of the song they used in that scene, it’s literally “You’re The Heart”. That’s something Will said. Those are Will’s feelings. Mike was telling El that he loved her for the first time in 4 freaking seasons and they didn’t get the scene for themselves, they weren’t even the focus of it. The focus was Will. 

I would underline this a million times if I could. This was the first time we heard Mike actually say TO EL that he loved her. THE FIRST TIME. And he had to be PROMTED, they weren’t even in the same mental dimension, they were not looking at each other, Mike was answering Will’s feelings without knowing it, they were never singled out in the scene, there was always Will but also other people in the shots, the SONG even WASN’T ABOUT THEM. 

Literally nothing that came out of this confession is Mileven except the active paricipants.

At this point, after all the built up, the whole thing feels cheap and childish and hollow.

It leaves a bitter aftertaste, it’s not shot nor written as a happy moment, something everyone was waiting for and is delighted to hear. Can’t you see? 

It’s written as a dreadful moment. Because it was. To Will.

[jamie-fanfan118]

My wild speculation of how they will adapt the rest of the comic / Solitaire

Okay, it’s time for my heartstopper obsessed brain to get out all the baseless speculation for season 3… Major Spoiler alert for the Heartstopper comics and Solitaire (and maybe Radio Silence)!!! Also trigger waring for ED and self-harm.

So season two introduced the plot line about Charlie’s mental health with him telling Nick (in two scenes that made me tear up) about needing to control his eating and self-harming. This will obviously be a big part of the next season, but the question remains open about how they are going to do this.

In the comics the timeline is basically like this: paris trip -> Nick telling Charlie about his research into Eds during their friend groups trip to the Beach -> Nick’s holiday and Charlie getting worse because he is arguing with his mom -> Nick’s mom telling him that love can’t cure mental illness -> Nick’s birthday and him getting Charlie to talk to his parents (best scene in the comic btw)

The comic then fast forward with the following happening during the time skip: Charlie not getting an appointment with a psychiatrist -> Tori finding Charlie bleeding in the bathroom (with Charlie’s note on the cake card for Tori) -> Charlie going to a mental health ward -> Charlie coming back and the events of the short story this winter

And then the events of Solitaire take place. Of the things that happen in that book the heartstopper comic basically only mentions two things: Charlie’s self-harm attempt after his fight with Nick and Tori being friends with Micheal Holden. From that point on the comic does it’s own storyline till present (ending probably some time before the short story Nick and Chalie)

So where does that leave the Heartstopper TV show? I think they can basically do the following:

Season 3 will cover the 5th part of the comic (including the beach scene, Nick’s holiday and ending with Charlie talking to his parents.). Let’s say they add plots for the other characters like they did in season 2 and it just about fits. Then season 4 can cleanly make the same time skip the comic did. I’m guessing they would use Nick’s and Charlie’s diaries as a framing device and simply adept the flashbacks of the comic and maybe the full story of this winter.

So far so good, but the big known-unknown in this is the whole plot of solitaire. The comic sort of skirts around the plot of solitaire and simply explains the parts that are relevant to Charlie (with the notable exception of Ben getting outed and targeted by solitaire). Adding to this the comic also has a much lighter tone than solitaire (e.g. they skip showing Tori finding Charlie in the kitchen). (As much as I would kind of love it) clearly the TV show can’t simply pivot to adapting solitaire for a season.

Of course the dream scenario would be season 3 -> solitaire movie adaption -> season 4 😍

But I think that is somewhat unlikely since it would slow down the production of the show and also make it confusing for people who just watch the show.

I’m kind of sad to say this but I think they will simply cut the plot of solitaire and put a few of the more interesting pieces into the show. For example, in season 4 they could have a b-plot of Tori meeting Micheal without the context of the actual solitaire group and that leading to a toned-down version of the scene of Tori finding Charlie in the kitchen.

They kind of already started this in season 2 with the Ben Hope plot. Charlie is basically done with Ben. We don’t really need the solitaire-scenes of Ben confronting Charlie at school or Ben getting beat up at the party. The story with Imogen is also clearly similar to the story with Ben and Becky in the book.

This way you can still have all the parts of Solitaire that are needed for Nick and Charlie’s arc and also a different version of Tori’s arc as a b-plot. Ironically Solitaire without the actual group Solitaire… and no Higgs burring down. Even Tori as Wendy Adams meeting Francis as Doctor who girl is kind of questionable.

Yeah, so basically that is 3 days of my disorganized thoughts about the future seasons. I have no doubt that Alice and the whole team will do a great job on future seasons. What do you think about how they will adept the rest of the comic?

[neyxmessi]

i’m curious to know what ur theories are omg!! (on why ney left) but yes, we’ll truly never know it really did seem to come out of nowhere

Okay we’ll start off with my most probable theory:

1) the PSG game. Oh the Barca v. PSG comeback game. The Remontada. That game still makes me sick lol. It was a spectacular game. Arguably one of, if not, the biggest comeback in UCL history. Leo scored a penalty, but Neymar was the true genius of the game. Neymar scored an amazing free kick and penalty (which it’s so interesting that he took them too btw when normally Leo would take them). And he also provided the amazing assist to Sergio Roberto in literally the last minute to secure the win. However, that one photo of Leo went VIRALLLLL and he seemed to be getting all of the credit for the game. Part of me thinks that really pissed Neymar off, and he was literally in his prime if not getting to be there, and maybe he realized the only way to prove his greatness was to get out of a club with Lionel Messi there. So while he truly did love Leo as a person/teammate/idol, he was the one person standing in his way to achieving ultimate greatness. I think in the beginning he was truly about the team mentality and wanting to help Leo be the best (he literally said that in his debut), but Neymar isn’t the type of person to only strive to be that. He wants to the best (he’s always been quoted saying this too lol), and he wants to WIN. Him being the leader? Even better. If this was the reason, I don’t really blame him too much. I wish he never left, but underappreciation can really drive someone up a wall.

2) there is a chance that this move could’ve been prompted even earlier than when Neymar had left. Dani Alves joined PSG in 2017, and it was no surprise that he had urged Neymar to join him. He was even quoted once saying that the only way for Neymar to be the greatest was to get out of Leo’s shadow at Barca. I’m not saying he instilled the idea into his brain, but it seems like he was thinking what some other people were too.

3) the money. €222 million buy out clause is insane, and the wages PSG was paying Neymar was out of this world. Literally his move broke the market. There’s a chance that maybe that’s why he left (although I doubt it. Mans was making enough) unlesssssss his father had something to do with it.

4) the father. While Neymar’s dad said he never wanted Neymar to leave Barcelona, there’s a part of me that thinks that maybe he helped push the decision. He could’ve either wanted it for money, orrrrr there’s a chance that he could’ve pushed the idea into Neymar’s head that he needed to be the greatest. Potential constant comparisons between him and other players that made him feel like he wasn’t good enough. That he had to leave and bring a team to its first UCL to prove his worth. I’m not sure.

5) this is my delusional ass fanfic ass brain that should be taken LIGHTLY. But Neymar announcing for the first time he was thinking of leaving Barca for PSG at Leo’s wedding??? Um??? Who does that? At a wedding? At Leo’s wedding?? It’s interesting is it not? And the Instagram pictures he posted of the wedding afterwards and the caption… it was just iffy and unusual to me. Maybe the pain of staying would’ve been too much. I don’t know. (AGAIN TAKE THIS VERY LIGHTLY THERE IS A REASON WHY IT IS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THIS LIST 😭😭 — delulu brain over here okay I am claiming absolutely nothing) Also, around this time Leo was getting REALLY close to Suarez. I wonder if Neymar felt abandoned somehow and that also made him want to leave too.

6) maybe he just didn’t believe in the team that much anymore? The 16/17 season was really bad in comparison to the prior one. Maybe he foresaw Barca’s downfall and wanted to get out before his reputation could’ve been ruined because of it.

Anyways these are all my dumb little theories. Take them with a grain of salt. I don’t know anything nor claim to know anything. But these are the best theories my brain could conjure up 🤷‍♀️

[phantoghost-gamerdemon]

My Artist’s Year in Review

Unfortunately, I haven’t put out much art this year. So I’m using my favourite sketch pages from this year instead of pieces. I’ve had a lot of struggles w/ my mental health and personal real-life problems, so doing full pieces seemed a daunting task. But hopefully in this new year, I’ll be able to do more full pieces!

Pages (and artist’s notes) under the cut!

December 2022

This was a difficult time for me motivation-wise, and this was the only full page I made at that point, as most of my (now-lost) art was digital then! My favourite sketch here is the Grant Cohen in blue at the bottom.

2. January 2023

Another especially-difficult month for me. Again, the only full page I was able to fill, unfortunately. I really like the Norman in the top-left corner; he was so fun to draw!

3. February 2023

My bestie (@harmonyblossom19 btw, hey girl) had said that MatPat gave off Fred ScoobyDoo vibes, so I drew their fusion—dubbing him “FredPat” shortly thereafter. It was the best of February’s doodles, though I’m still not proud of it. This was around the time I moved here from my old blog!

4. March 2023

Do y’all remember The Orchard Mystery Series, that set of OCs I had a while ago? Well, here's the main two characters–Dick and Melanie! I wanted to try a washed background and layering the sketch on top of it—though I should have looked up some tutorials before taking on this task lmao

5. April 2023

I posted this one on my Instagram (@/biblically_accurate_art btw if you want to see my art)! I got back into TMA after finally getting over the hump with some depression. Ngl, absolutely love drawing s3 Jon.

6. May 2023

Ace but with a binder. Nothing else to say here, except that this was when I rediscovered Yugioh. These suckers ware going to get me through uni istg….

7. June 2023

More OCs! These guys are part of my Arthuriana-based universe, The Quest for the Atlas Dias / The Atlas Stone. Meet Sol, Lyra, and Finnigan!

8. July 2023

The only complete page I have for July lol. I’m especially proud of Ryou in the Spotify colours here!

9. August 2023

I drew this after coming home from the camping trip that inspired the DMAU! I picked my favourite (left) and least-favourite (right) outfits, and drew my blorbos in them. Yugi’s bag is still my favourite bag I own irl to this day.

10. September 2023

My favourite page out of this collection fr. I did fuck up Season 0 Yami/Maou’s hair, but the whole page is just a joy to look at. Tbh, I wish my current style worked with this type of page format.

11. October 2023

My birth month babeyyyyy! And to celebrate ya boy’s 18th, I decided to draw some really nice-looking Ryous, and a full-body Yugi! The Ryou doodles are my favourite here, purely for the way the hair looks.

12. November 2023

THIS! 👏 FUCKING! 👏 PIECE! 👏

I love every aspect of this piece to DEATH! The way Atem is looking at Yugi, their facial expressions, the clothes, the pins on Yugi’s shirt! This is definitely one of, if not the best piece here.

13. December 2023

This is all of the OCs I’ve stuck together for various universes. Lilith and Star are from a D&D-inspired universe called Spires of Heavenly Light and Shadow, and of course, Lyra and Sol are from TQFTAD. I’m so in love with the Star doodle here.

This was a train wreck of a year, but I think I pulled myself out of it pretty well. I hope your years have been just as great, if not better!

[itsanotheridiot]

Honestly after seeing Vol II ST4 wasn’t that good HEAR ME OUT btw ima be talking abt writing choices and the possible queerbaiting OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS AHEAD

First let’s start with the queer baiting B*ler it been revealed to us that Will is gay after his speech to Mike abt how Mike the heart of the party. Literally if you go re-listen to Will’s speech and replace everytime he said “El” or “her” with “I’m” or “I” honestly still has the same emotional value hell probably more since Will would be admitting his feeling WE AS A AUDIENCE can even tell Will talking abt himself but in the end Will is there just to uplift M*eleven in the end.

Next Robin and Vickie they felt like a cheap shot at getting praise for trying for LGBT+ rep I mean Vickie have like what 5mins of screen time and I’m supposed to care for them but at least they left the two on a good note.

I know there are some who are going to say “BuT ItS tHe 80s” honestly go fuck yourself the whole point of this show is being a outcast and finding other outcast to make a found family of so the chance of a few characters in the gang being queer is a likely possibility

Now I wanna talk abt the shitty writing because Vol I by it self looks amazing but now seeing the ending I’m disappointed. Focusing on Max’s storyline this season we can tell it abt depression and suicide basically mental health in general just looking at “Dear Billy” it holds a GREAT message abt not letting depression take control of you and over coming it but accepting the support from those who love you. It was a powerful prefect message then you watch the finale and Max fuckin dies loses her eyes and have 3/4 of her bones snapped only to get resurrected and put in a goddamn coma it took away the message for “Dear Billy”

But I will admit the writing did have some good choices like acknowledging that Johnathan and Will hasn’t been as close as they used too or Steve admitting he has improved as a person after Nancy dumped him.

Idk I just needed to get some of this off my chest honestly add to this is you want or give me your opinion I would love to hear what anyone has to say abt this

-Rainy

[baborange]

With the Hazbin episodes out I figure I give a good ol review on the episodes I seen so far, I’ve just took screenshots from my notes because typing on a small phone sucks, this review will have some praises and criticisms, also will touch on sensitive topics so if you don’t like that I recommend you do not read this, anyways onto the review.

MENTIONS SA/ABUSE PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION

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Most of what I wanted to say will be n these photos, but right now I’m gonna go over my gripes I have plus what I like!

No this is not a review where I bash the show nor Viv btw, sorry to anyone who was hoping it was

WHAT I DONT LIKE / CONFUSES ME

1-I’m very confused in the plot, I thought it was supposed to be about sinners being redeemed, when did the heaven vs hell war come into play? I mean I don’t mind a show where the roles are reversed but shouldn’t that have been in the pilot from the beginning?

2-Fast pacing, I mean I’ll be slightly lenient on this one because S1 has eight episodes, but I feel like on one hand there’s too much going on or on the other hand too little, who knows the season finale might surprise me

3-Lil too much swearing, while I do not mind it seeing that these are demons who don’t really care, nor do I personally care for lots of cussing, I think it can be toned down a bit

4-I feel like there’s some good characters here, but they can be executed better, so far there alright, not amazing but I’ve seen worse

5-Writing is a lil all over the place, that’s my one issue with Viv, though compared to Santa Inc or a game like Garten of Bad Bad and so on… but yea that definitely needs some work

WHAT I LOVE/LIKE

1-Songs are catchy as hell, love em

2-Love the art style, while yes there’s too much red even though this takes place in the pride ring it doesn’t make my eyes bleed so far, character designs are good too, not to completely bland but also not too complicated

3-The fact that this started as a pilot on YouTube that became a series is impressing

WHAT I DESPISE THE MOST

Twitter and the fandom, that’s it

Overall my rating is still 8.5/10! I’ll make another review once I seen all the episodes!

Edit-Yes I’m aware of the questionable choices that Viv has said and done, but I can’t be mentally bothered to add them

[bellsliturgy]

sry for the lack of activity on my part here it’s been v stressful wrt the crimis season i’m dealing with a lot of small things and a couple really big things and it makes me want to eat my own hands more details under the cut if ur interested (tw mention of a horrible certain swamp scum transphobe author; fellow transpersons beware)

1) my gma is 85 and is on her last legs idk how much longer she’s got left in her and with her being in the hospital with afib (atrial fibrillation for those who dont know, basically her heart is beating 2 fast and out of rhythm (but afib can be any kind of heart beating speed, it just means it’s Not Normal) and the winter storm she is staying with us which means my mom is more Aggressive and Demanding and Hateful towards me and dad bc idk i guess hosting ur small quiet kind grandma calls for attacking your husband and child (very important ingredient cannot skip)(btw my grandma is fine she’s just very weak and is struggling to physically move around by herself but insurance company is refusing to let her go to a physical rehab center for treatment???? lol????? hashtag AICAB (all insurance companies are bastards)

2) speaking of whom i also came out to my mom as trans after an argument abt justa kunt r*wling (mom doesnt know anything abt how nasty of a creature wizard bitch is but i’m still like mom pls there are better authors out there with fictional work that isn’t harmful) book that she bought for my cousin’s step-daughter (she’s fucking NINE) and i was so triggered i was like i need to get this out it’s weighing on me (it was every time i wanted to come out to her and didn’t it was so damaging to me mentally) so that was wild and lukewarm but she didn’t kick me out of the house and says she loves me and wouldn’t reject me no matter what (unless grandma is around??? for some reason idk) so while that is a good thing it’s still been a very hard birthday month for ya boi greg

3) i’m also on the phones at work which in itself isn’t a bad thing because the calls i get are from ladies who work at the courts across the state and they are for the most part very nice and easy to work with but i have Big Phone Anxiety thanks to my time working at the call center for the same agency (i don’t even answer the phone at home anymore and i get scared when it rings, members of public are nasty and i hate them and they belong in a zoo) so that’s causing me anxiety at night andd also at work even tho when i’m actually talking on the phone it’s not really an issue it’s just the Anticipation of a Call

4) i’m in therapy!!!! with a transgender therapist and he’s WONDERFUL but we are focusing more on cbt (cognitive behavioral therapy) which is digging up a lot of pain for me and forcing me to deal with my emotions and my past trauma so THAT’s A LOT and now i have “I came Out to my MOM” for him for next time so that will be interesting (i need to just let myself cry in front of him i have a VERY hard time crying in front of ppl bc i was horribly abused for crying at a babysitter’s house but that’s 1) very heavy and 2) neither here nor there)

5) BEACUSE OF ALL THE STRESS and cold weather my lip split open and 2 canker sores formed in the split area so that’s been cool

6) christmas is just stressful for me and also my mom has been On One this whole month because murphy’s law keeps going into effect w grandma being in the hospital and her brother my uncle suggesting we have christmas separate because of covid (he and my aunt both had covid VERY recently), grandma being sick in the hospital, and the winter storm and i also have 3 cakes i’m baking so THAT’s stressful to think about and i just want it to be over lollll

[sprinklesandshatters]

A Review on NCT 127′s 3rd Album <Sticker>

So NCT 127 just came back with their 3rd Full Album <Sticker> and this is my first 127 comeback since I became a fan last year! Neozone is such a special album for me as it was their first album that I explored entirely. I've known NCT as the group who never fails any expectations so I've kept mine up although I know they'll exceed it anyway. And guess what, they did! I absolutely love their new album hence this review~

This isn't a technical music review—as I am not a musician myself—but rather a listener's honest takes, goofy notes, and interpretation on each of the tracks in the album. I admit I've also struggled to build my own opinions on some of the tracks until I listened to them over and over again.

I have also heard there are mixed opinions on the title track <Sticker> and a lot says it's another acquired taste. But I think it's not just that, as it can be a grower, just like how most of NCT's songs were for me. Maybe after a few listens and a right passage of time, it will grow on those people. The bottom line here is, I like it a lot! 😛

So I listed down the songs according to their respective track numbers and followed each with a bulleted list of my opinions and interpretations.

(Viewer/reader discretion: before you continue, minors, do not interact as there are few 18+ contents under the cut. Thank you.)

1. Sticker

THEY DIDN'T JUST PUNCH A NEW NOTCH ON THE BELT LIKE THAT

THIS SONG SLAPS, LITERALLY SLAPS… AND WHIPS 

The recorder at the intro boyyyy I thought something was wrong but then I remember it’s NCT lmao

It already stuck in my head from my first listen from the Instagram audio.

With Taeyong opening the verse with his divine rapping, I knew I'm in for a new ride.

STICK-UH STICK-UGH STICK-UGHGHGH

To those complaining it sounding like noise music, imagine it sounding generic. I don't think it would fit as the title track. Not a b-track or in their repertoire, even. They are called NCT because they define the NEO in the music culture and music technology!

It honestly was an unorthodox, just like all of their title tracks, which I’m inherently here for.

Literally, no one does it like them!

The growls and the vocal flexes and adlibs! (You can tell it has Yoo Youngjin's brand.)

The crisp metronome sound that’s consistently ticking except for the pre-chorus and the dance break adds depth to the soundscape. I love how it’s used instead of the usual snaps.

The production quality blew my mind. Like how can someone think those melodies would sound so exquisite? CAN I CALL THEM GENIUS?

The piano at the back, oh my God—Yes! It adds this mystifying element to the song.

I'm not sure if it's a midi violin at the pre-chorus, but it added thrill to the song. It was a great transition from the bass line in the verses to the combination of the flawless harmony with the same instrumental.

"You treat me like a boy, like a grown-up child chasing a dream" JUNGWOO BABY NO MORE HUH

Taeil, Doyoung, and Haechan—the bridge vocal trinity!

But why the heck are they cowboys? I dig the concept, but why? LMAO

BTW GUNSLINGER MARK I’M ON MY KNEES YEEHAW

This is easily one of my favorite tracks from NCT 127's entire discography 💚

2. Lemonade

(⌐■_■)

Jaehyun starting off this song with his deep voice eee

The song opens to a verse oozing with chill confidence. They're like, yeah you're lurking because we’re cool.

This is such a huge slap to their haters. NCT's not chillin' like a villain, nah they're the main characters!

Well maybe they’re villains, but still ya not cooler than them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Funny enough how they could have just referred haters as simply lemons whose sour/bitter to the taste, but 127 squad's success is sweeter than all the haters' spiteful remarks so yeah, SIPPY SIPPY LEMONADE 🧃

"WOOF"

I might have just barked too wOW

Yuta’s vocals hooooO his voice just sounds so glamorous mhmm

Also Mark referencing their previous title tracks such as: Firetruck, Cherry Bomb, and Regular (it's Irregular in the lyrics) in his rap part 👌💅

I just love Mark's energy when he raps. HE RESOLUTELY BITES AND STRAIGHT UP EATS EVERY TIME HE DOES.

3. Breakfast

Now breakfast time, oh jeez!

AAAHAHFU—

Summer 127's bestie!

If Summer 127 talks about dancing all night long, Breakfast is the morning after.

You know what it is.

"Even if I gulp and drink you, it's not enough for me." oho Taeyong no you ha—STOP

Sexual innuendos aside, isn't it just sweet if someone tells you they'd want to have breakfast with you every day?  Okay maybe I'm melting at the thought 😩🙈💞

And I can see myself dancing to this song as I make breakfast (in the afternoon or at midnight bc I’m crazy)

This was an okay b-track for me at the first skim on the album, but boy it grew on me wildly.

Honestly one of my favorite tracks in this album.

4. Focus

Did I just invade a private call? LMAO

The analog voice filters make it like so.

Dude, this feels intimate in the level of eavesdropping a phone call between seasoned lovers. Then you realize you hear them whispering their kinks over the line and you're ooh, that's sexy! hfgklhfhf

My first listen to this, I almost went feral because,

"I can't wait to eat you…" when it's actually "I can't wait 'til we chill…" aahaha

"Baby call me when you want me." OKAY!

This sounds relaxing and chill. I'd love to play this on a late night drive or just before bed time along with Fly Away With Me, Sun & Moon, My Youth, and Long Flight.

Belongs to ‘make out session’ playlist  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

That was lowkey a playlist recommendation, huh?

I'd be kidding if I don't say I could touch myself while listening to this song AHAHAFGHFJFJ

I didn't know this would grow on me this much lol I love love LOVE THIS!

5. The Rainy Night

Ooh, the holy melancholy!

Piano at the intro—I knew I'd cry to this.

This song isn't just about break-up, but the heartbreak after one.

The yearning; the remnant pieces from the shattering of what was once there.

I think I crumbled from this one.

This hit so hard I felt like I fit in the shoes with the lyrics throughout the entire song.

What’s fascinating is I clearly forgot the title when I mentally said this sounds like a sad rainy day song from the first listen.

Something I’d turn up when it suddenly rains, just because I want to feel the blues.

Taeil and Haechan singing in lower register? I wanna cry :( they’re just one of the best vocalists in K-music industry right now.

Could have been also nice if they added Yuta to the vocals.

"My selfish heart who waits for you to come back," OKAY WHO HURT THEM?

And the fact that they sang it so good that it translated every ounce of the emotions well even before I looked up for English translations is the reason why I love this song too.

6. Far

Hmm… What the hell?! Do I like this? Wait...

Alright!

The jumpy vibe from the first verse to the pre-chorus set the mood for this song. It sounds merry and heavy. It was honestly too much to take until I’ve reached the chorus part.

Honestly, I think this song could fit NCT Dream better, as it gives off a vibe similar to Hello Future's b-tracks. If some credible source say this could have made HF’s track list, I might believe you too fast.

Also Dream’s Deja Vu where they go na nananananana na na na~

Playful yet confident! That’s what I mean!

As usual, the vocals are insane! Vocal flex from left to right!

I swear Jungwoo sounded a bit like Taemin at the second verse that I had to replay it hahaha

I love hearing Johnny as a vocalist! SM, how many signs do you need until you utilize his vocal talent???

Taeil's part where he sings, "go nuts, go nuts, 'til we go bust, go bust" IDEK BUT I SNORTED A LAUGH AT FIRST LISTEN HFCAHKFHK

Not my favorite, but still great though!

But wait it’s actually stuck in my head???

7. Bring The Noize

Yes, they never beat those noise music allegations

HERE'S SOME NOIZE, BITCHES

I love me some noisy percussions. AND THE BASS YO

This screams so much confidence!

The build up from the pre-chorus to the chorus—FIRE!

This song reminds me a lot of SuperM's Super Car, especially with the engine roar samples and the battle cry-like singing at the chorus.

JAEHYUN RAPPING? You mean Jaehyun the visual, the vocalist, the actor, the model, the funny dude, aka my everything?! (markie bb look pls look away for a moment)

THEY DELIVERED IT STRAIGHT FROM NEOCITY THAT'S SOME NCT MUSIC RIGHT THERE NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THEM

When I said I'd play Focus on a late night drive, and if I add this in the playlist, VROOM VROOM SPEED LIMIT WHAT

OUTTA MY WAY

“We got no shame” ouh TAEYONG’S FLOW IS JUST VERY HIM AND HE’S IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

You know what's so clever about this song? It's how it ended with Mark's final rap without any instrumental, leaving you  standing there with a doppler effect-like post experience.

A super car on a super speed just whooshed past you and you look its way as it zips through the road. It's gone in an instant but you're floored dumbfounded at a sidewalk. That's how I describe this song.

8. Magic Carpet Ride

This song… Wow. Oh gosh it's so beautiful.

Their harmony in the chorus—it makes me want to kiss someone so passionately that I'd cry.

This makes me want to feel love that transcends the universe. Literally, just please take me on a magic carpet ride :(

The background harmonies too oh my goodness—HEAVENLY.

Jaehyun's voice is so warm and soulful it fits perfectly with songs of this genre.

Okay alright Doyoung Grande!

And Taeil makes me feel like I'm listening to old school R&B.

The first time I heard this from the track video, I can't stop replaying because it's just that great.

This makes me want to love. I think that sums it up.

9. Road Trip

This is such a soothing song for me, especially how I easily become nostalgic thinking about the road trips I've had.

Whenever I listen to this, my brain immediately conjures up thoughts of my ideal getaways. Gazing at the sky through the car window, stirring up from a nap in the middle of the ride, and   eventually reaching your destination.

Oh, to travel around anywhere... (curse you covid-19)

Okay that's it. I'M PACKING UP.

But where do I go—

I could also imagine Mark playing this on the guitar and the other members sing along together, something like that.

Just Wholesome™ vibes.

I love how it evokes such a nice emotion within me effortlessly.

This isn't my favorite, but I still love this.

10. Dreamer

Eyyyy such a refreshing song!

This song is so bright it makes me want to dance. I play this first in the shower!

It reminds me so much of Elevator (from Neozone)

The horns make it more lively I think!

Yuta and Jungwoo's voice suits lively songs like this.

The background vocal in low register in Taeyong's part in the first verse is so good ahhfhf

Taeil, the R&B vocal king you are...

There's this part where Doyoung and Johnny harmonized, that at first listen they seemed to clash, but it sounded actually fine after a few listens. Maybe it's just that I've never heard them do it before.

And I think it's Doyoung's laugh at the end of the bridge? Oh my goodness I really love this too!

11. Promise You

MY FIRST LOVE AND MOST FAVORITE SONG IN THE ALBUM!!!

The first time I heard this from their NCIT Sharehouse Sitcom, I fell in love with the song already.

It sounds like something you'd feel from a warm, welcoming hug.

The lyrics are so beautiful and endearing. It's definitely a be-there-for-you type of song that will touch your heart.

It definitely sounds like a promise.

A song about platonic intimacy.

This really fits to be the closing song of the album. It's like the end of it but holds a promise that says “see you soon.”

Because they cherish their fans like that.

It's also like I've watched a movie with a happy ending, where the camera pans up to the clear sky and this song starts playing.

Speaking of ending, I would love to hear them sing this as an encore stage in their concert. You know, that moment just before the stage lights die down at the end of the concert where they send final blows of flying kisses to NCTzens. Then you come home smiling and crying.

This wasn't supposed to be this long since I originally planned to write this with just simple phrases and emojis but I got too engrossed lol. I also meant to include my own ratings but I figured it’s pointless since I can’t really decide about them hahaha

I really enjoyed the whole album and I love how they're progressively defining what NEO means by breaking through standards. It's not NCT music if it doesn't make you say "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" But then you realize it’s stuck in your head and you’re enjoying it already.

✨ OVERALL RATING: 127/10 💚

if you’ve reached until here, thank you for letting me share you a braincell or two 💞

[mirinda03]

@leaflinerambles asked me for an essay so i complied

Here’s why c!tommy deserves better

Tommy Danger Kraken Careful Innit deserves better.

(All of this is about the characters btw. Sometimes i don't put c! Because honestly its a lot of putting that so just know that unless it says cc! I mean character)

Now, I know that can be a bit of a controversial take for.. some reason??? People may say that actually, he deserves to face the consequences of his actions and deserves to be punished.

. What the fuck.

That's a sixteen year old. That a teenager. He doesn't deserve to be 1. Abused 2. Traumatized 3. Manipulated 4. Used and 5. Taught a ‘lesson’ that i'm sure he’s been taught far fat too many times.

Tommy is a complex character. As we all know, he's regarded as the ‘protagonist’ of the dream smp or the ‘main character’. Now, of course, being the main character is a very subjective term and that is a whole other fucking essay that im not gonna get into right now—

BUT.

I do think in a way Tommy has been involved in a lot of the more.. main plots. From season one to season three.

And of course, with being the ‘main character’ (again, a purely subjective term because it depends on the point of view you watch) come a lot of things and a lot of trouble. Mainly, from our main ‘villain’ of the series.

C!Dream, the fucking bitch.

As we all know, c!Dream has had a weird obsession with c!Tommy since.. probably the beginning?

He liked to antagonize Tommy, but that wasn't exactly special. The man liked to antagonize everyone! He seemed to just want the most chaotic option, which of course ended with him antagonizing others often for his own entertainment.

I think, in a way, Dream always saw the smp as a game. His own little puppet show, where he could move the strings. He wanted complete control

But Tommy was more stubborn than the others. Tommy actively went against Dream from the start, like we see in the disc war. Or L’manberg, or during manberg, or new lmanb—

You get the idea.

Tommy never gave in, and Dream’s obsession grew.

So.. exile happened.

And like, i'm not sure what exactly dream was planning but i'm assuming he wanted to like.. ‘break’ tommy?? Make him more ‘compliant’ to his twisted game?

C!Tommy was, to put it simply, abused. No sugar coating, that was straight up abuse and gaslighting and manipulation. The burning his armor? Making sure no one got an invite? Keeping Tommy at low health? EVERYTHING??

That was all clear manipulation. Tommy.. went through a LOT in exile. It still affects him as we know. ‘Plain biomes, small holes, logstedshire’ among other things have been added to his list of stuff that sets him off.

(And also the waking up drowning?????)

And i know, Dream almost had tommy in his grasp. He almost broke him.

But Tommy resisted. Tommy pulled back at the last second, in that dirt tower. He was strong enough to realize what dream was doing was wrong an he ran from a toxic environment and situation and honestly? Good👏 for 👏 him 👏.

But the trauma stayed, in many ways. And even during the raccoonit arc, tommy didn't really.. get a chance to heal?

During the techno and tommy arc, tommy seemed to direct his hurt into lashing out at others. He got angry, he lashed out, and he hurt people. Even if im a tommy apologist, i can acknowledge that during his time of poor mental health he hurt other people and he had to apologize (and he did!! But im getting to that)

Now. I am.. very conflicted when it comes to techno and tommy’s relationship. I do believe that, somewhere deep inside, they both cared about each other. However, bias and fanon influence can get in the way so i'm not touching on that.

The one thing i'm saying? It wasn't exactly a healthy dynamic. And again, not saying anything because bias could get in the way, but Tommy realizing the error of his ways and realizing he HURT PEOPLE is such a huge milestone??

He took responsibility by joining tubbo again. He said how his trauma did not excuse shit and he acknowledged it and he tried to CHANGE.

Even when faced with people who exiled him, who shunned him or who weren't there to visit during exile, he decided to be better and he once again took the role of the troop rallier even when he KNEW how impossible the task would be. He SAW Techno’s wither skull vault. He knew it was a losing battle.

But he stayed strong. And he fought for L’Manberg, for the last reminder he had of Wilbur (and oh, wilbur and tommy’s relationship in canon is a whole other can of worms god—)

Just for it to get destroyed.

By his abuser, and two people he had trusted. People he RELIED on.

Blown, to the ground.

And then dream.

Dream saying their story isn't over. Their story would NEVER be over.

. Bone chilling. Genuinely so.

And still. He faced Dream. He faced his abuser, the person who in his own words ‘ruined him’ and he refused to back down.

He refused to let Tubbo die. He refused to lose.

And in the end, Dream was sent to jail. Retribution was sent!

.. right?

Wrong.

Because even after that, Tommy continues to be haunted by dream or by the literal CULTISTS trying to kill him.

And to top it all off, he gets fucking trapped in prison with his abuser surrounded by a bunch of triggers in a small cell. And have we mentioned how he's canonically claustrophobic?

Yeah.. that was bad.

One week. Trapped with his abuser.

And still, he stayed strong. Still, he refused to give in and stayed himself,

And what did he get for that?

Death.

Beaten to death by his abuser of all things.

And he was trapped in the void for two months. Two. Months.

But in the human world? It had only been days.

And he was so so shaken by it. He couldn't even touch other people, he couldn't take any damage, he was treated as a ghost by people, he was called a ‘science experiment’ and the one thing he wanted? Normality? It was taken away from his forever.

Again, by his abuser.

Hes a traumatized child soldier whos done plenty of wrong in his life, but he's also a kid who needs to heal and learn to have healthy relationships because one way or the other every healthy mentor figure in his life turned against him or got corrupted and now he feels alone and he DIED and he needs fucking therapy come on.

And we KNOW the dream isn't done. Far from it. We know dream will never, ever be done. He's too obsessed with the game, with his favorite toy to let the game end. To let the people rest

C!tommy is so broken and jaded and traumatized. But still, he chooses compassion. Despite the trauma, he refused to hurt his best friend. Despite it all, he refused to blow up him home. He stays true to himself and he stays strong and even when the world tries to mold him he doesn't break.

And believe me, the world tries to break him and mold him so many times. He’s been manipulated or used before by others, but he still keeps his attachments and he still keeps himself and i think thats fucking admirable.

So yeah. I wholeheartedly believe tommy deserves better as do the other members of bench trio because honestly they're also children and they all deserve to heal come ON.

But yeah thats the essay

[januarymoreau]

Zeke Beakerman (Wizards of Waverly Place) has anxiety

Okay, so I’m rewatching (and hyperfixating on) Wizards of Waverly Place and I can’t shut up about it and there are so many little things that no one ever points out (for example, Justin has a “make art not war shirt,” etc). WOWP did a lot of messy things (because it was 2009ish and it was on Disney Channel), but it’s also one of the most progressive Disney Channel shows, especially for this reason: its depiction of mental health. Now let me get to my point: Zeke, Justin’s nerdy best friend and Harper’s boyfriend, has anxiety.

 I’m still not done with the show (I’m on s4) so no spoilers please <3 This post will contain WOWP spoilers for up until season 4 e13. For those of you who don’t remember, this is Zeke:

Alright, so let’s get into why Zeke has anxiety, and why I think it’s implicit within the show.

-First off, Zeke is literally shown to have a panic attack. In “Zeke Finds Out,” the episode where Zeke finds out about the Russos being wizards, there’s a scene where Zeke has what is pretty much a panic attack. If you’d like, you can go watch the scene at this link. The scene starts at minute 20, I believe. Trigger warning for depiction of a panic attack. He gets really agitated and even hyperventilates at one point. Although the show sadly plays it off as a joke to some extent, I do believe he was having a panic attack because you can see him experience just pure and utter panic and he shows typical signs of one. He also doesn’t seem to think it’s a super big deal after the fact so it’s likely he’s had one of these before.

-Second off, Zeke is shown as a generally nervous person and catastrophizes a lot. He fantasizes about the worst case scenario - there’s an episode where Justin offers to give Zeke one magical wish and he imagines the worst case scenario for simple wishes. We’re also told that he’s afraid of water, which could likely be an anxiety related fear. There’s even a scene one time when he goes up to Harper while she’s in school and said that he became the crossing guard so he could go see Harper whenever he got nervous (which is really sweet btw even though I don’t ship them). He’s just kind of generally an anxious person and although I’m sure I could list a ton of other examples, if you watch the show you’ll see it.

-Finally, Zeke overthinks a lot and is also a people pleaser. When Harper tells Zeke that the Russo parents hate him so he doesn’t find out that Max has been turned into Maxine, he instantly believes her and then spends an entire morning making them breakfast to get back on their good side. 

Of the symptoms for anxiety I found online (gathered from Mayo Clinic) Zeke fits:

-Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events

-Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't (when Justin flashes him into the lair and tells him he’s a wizard, he assumes that he’s going to hurt him - you can see it in the clip where he has the panic attack

-Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge (he tends to be very fidgety and moves very quickly)

-Nervousness or being easily startled (he scares pretty easily)

Overall, I think Zeke has anxiety, but the writers couldn’t explicitly state that bc it’s like 2011 and Disney Channel censors a ton. I also think Zeke is neurodivergent (he even says one time that he never felt like he fit in on Earth when he thinks he’s a wizard) coded. I’d love to talk more about Disney/Nick characters who are coded to be mentally ill or neurodivergent because there are a TON so if y’all would be interested please let me know. I’d also love to talk about how Disney and Nick intentionally coded some of their characters to be mentally ill or neurodivergent bc they defo did so if y’all would be interested in that please let me know <3

[codename-adler]

Dear Tumblr toxicity,

Hi. Adler here. We need to talk.

- TW: mental health issues, depression, bipolar disorder, self-harm, homophobia, transphobia, coming out, xenophobia, islamophobia, racism, implied sexual content, rape, non-con, addictions, abuse, parental negligence, depictions of violence, swearing (please message me kindly if I forget anything)

- What prompted this message: The release of Skam France S7 teaser (emphasis on teaser, will get into that below)

- Where I’m coming from: I will talk from the pov of a white, cis and queer 22-years-old woman (she/her); this is the pov that affects my experiences and the opinions I will share below; but my message comes from a place of deep hurt, and love

- What this is about: My goal is to share a recurring experience that has hurt me in order to spread a message of awareness, maturity, peace and love

- Central content: Skam France, Skam Wtfock, and Skam/remakes in general

From now on I will assume people have enough information for me to talk about the topics without explaining every plotline/character. There are plenty of wiki pages to help you out and I will gladly answer any (respectful) questions asked if a plothole bothers your comprehension of my message. I’m only making these assumptions in order to alleviate the text.

January 9th, 2021.

The francetv slash YouTube channel releases an unexpected teaser video for an equally unexpected seventh season Skam France. The video features Tiffany, a white, cis female teenager, going into labour from denial pregnancy just after winning what appears to be a gymnastics championship. Overall, the video and its release are very dramatic.

The character of Tiffany, also called Tiff, was previously seen on season 6 of Skam France as a bully who persecuted the main character, Lola, both at school and on social media. Outside of this characterization, nothing is known about her. It is majorly accepted that Tiff is not a liked character; she rather poses as one of the antagonists of Lola’s arc.

Now you know the details of what happened, in the most objectively possible way. 

Now I’ll speak for myself.

Before I went digging around for people’s reaction, here is what I initially thought of this video.

1) Shock: I thought Skam France was over, so... Big, big shock.

2) Excitement: I hold this web series very close to my heart. It has gotten me through depressive episodes, anxiety attacks, coming out to my best friend. To see this new development? It couldn’t bring me more joy.

3) Curiosity: I recognized Tiff immediately. I was intrigued as to what would happen to her to set off a new season in true Skam Fr fashion. As soon as she started gripping her stomach, I knew she was pregnant and wasn’t aware of it. Big, big surprise here again.

4) Numbness/Overthinking: As I stared at my screen, motionless, my mind went off. What did it mean? How did she not know? Who is the father? Do we know him? Will the baby survive? Where are the other characters? Will Lamifex be present? What? How? When? Why? Who?

5) Disappointment: No, I did not like Tiff one bit in S6. Yes, I sincerely wished for a season on either Jo (ambiguous and funny teenage girl, cis + white), Sekou (seemingly neurodivergent teenage boy, cis + black), and my favorite, Max (mysterious and grave teenage boy, trans + white) So why Tiff? It felt to me like a missed opportunity, but I did not lose hope.

So, these were the five stages of my emotional process. And then I made the terrible mistake to go look for the fans’ reaction. I didn’t even look at the YT comments, I didn’t go on Instagram, I went directly here on Tumblr. Why? I’m still asking myself that. From S1 to S6 of Skam Fr, I kept my love for the show to myself and only looked at ig and video edits. I tried once, and only once, to look it up on Tumblr, and was greeted by fervent agressivity, disrespect and hate. Why did I ever forget that after watching the S7 teaser? I still don’t know.

The reactions on this platform were wild. People are furious (I get that). People are disappointed (I get that). People are anxious (I get that). People are also verbally agressive, insensitive, hateful, disrespectful and bullies. I don’t get that.

Comments along the lines of “What she gonna do with a fucking baby?”, “Are we gonna watch the baby do nothing all fucking season?”, “Wowwww, teenage pregnancy, so new and relatable!” (note the sarcasm made in the comment here), “Who gives a shit about Tiff?”, etc. 

And then all the mistakes Skam Fr ever made flooded back onto the feed. The wlw misrepresentation, the whitewashing, the overdramatization, the dubious sex scenes between minors, all of it.

Let’s take a break here. Do I condone these mistakes? Nope. Am I a white-bully apologist? Nope. Did I forget every horrible action Tiff has made in the past? Nope. She manipulated a whole school against Lola, she profited from Lola’s mother’s death, she bullied her, harrassed her, pushed her deeper into mental distress. Tiff was a despicable character that I never once liked. The way she was played by the actress made it clear that Tiff was not intended to be a good guy. If I could replace her as the main of S7, I would, in a heartbeat. I’d choose, as I said, Jo, Sekou or Max.

Skam France deeply lacks diversity and made mistakes when attempting to diverse the issues represented. This is not an opinion, it’s a fact. 

Poc representation is very, very low. Only one season has a woc of Islam beliefs as mc (Imane, S4) with poc entourage/family. Only 2 other characters not related to Imane were poc (Sekou and Sarah, S1-S2). These 2 characters were very in the background and served to further the mc’s plotline, they had no real content. (I am not a poc, and so my opinion does not matter here. If you are not poc, your “opinions” don’t matter here, this point is not for you to debate. These are facts.)

While I do not particularly find the wlw representation bad, I do understand how it hurts/bothers other queer women. From my perspective, the bar was very low regarding my expectations of the Lola/Maya pair (none of them died *yay* they had a happy ending *yay* they were not typically overfeminized or overmasculinized *yay* Lola  and Maya were respectful of each other, understood each other, accepted each other with all their flaws and their beauty *yay* I truly believed in their love and it gave me confidence and hope *yay* I ould really go on but this is not my main point so I’ll stop here) Regardless of my opinion on Mayla, I understand that to some queer women, it was bothering/hurtful. (If you are anything other than a woman / wlw, this point is not for you to debate. Keep your “opinions” to yourself, it does not matter here. These are facts.)

Like every remake of the original Skam where the S4 was given to Sana/Imane, the Muslim community was not represented at its best, at its most beautiful and respectfully. The character of Imane, although she is my favorite girl of the series, was not portrayed in a way that respected the majority of the Muslim community. (If you are anything other than Muslim, this point is not for you to debate. Our opinions do not matter here. These are facts.)

And so the same goes for the portrayal of sexual assault and child pronography in S2, of mental illness and homophobia in S3, of disabilities in S5, of addiction, transphobia, self-harm and neurodivergence in S6. Again, if you are not part of these communities, your opinions do not matter on these issues. These are facts that are not up for debate.

In other words, Skam France, as well as the original Skam, Skam Wtfock, Skam España, and probably all the others I haven’t watched in their entirety, are NOT perfect shows. They (maybe) tried their best to portray issues of the younger generations that are ugly, shameful, taboo, hard-to-swallow-pills. Of course they made mistakes. Of course they have to be held accountable. Of course they can and should do better. Of course it must be spoken about.

Here is my problem.

The so-called “fans” shamelessly SHITTING on the WHOLE show because of ONE TEASER TRAILER. (btw, this is where I get angry)

I am not talking about the fans making fun of the show and this season’s premise like “Better MCs than Tiff for S7: a romance between the car that almost hit Lucas S3 and the car that hit Arthur S5, or the school’s nurse, or Imane’s dad, or Elu’s rabbit” (that shit’s funny and I’d watch all of these).Or the joke about Wtfock and Skam Fr shaking hands while signing the same contract to disappoint the fans with white MCs (it’s funny cuz it’s trueeeee).

I am not talking about the fans criticizing the producers’ choice of Tiff as MC. There is a difference between shitting on issues and adressing/discussing them. I WANT to talk about how this season’s issue would have been so much better if a woc, specifically a black woman, had been the MC, because black women and doctors are a whole different level of issue than white women and doctors. Add on top of that an unplanned teenage pregnancy? It would have been IMMACULATE. I WANT to talk which wlw couple was better represented, Mayla or Croana/Crisana, and why is that. I WANT to talk about disabilities in black and poc communities. I WANT to talk about headcanons, AUs, to rectify the missed marks. I WANT to talk about our takes on seasons about Max, Sekou and Jo, instead of Tiff’s.

I DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SHITTY, NEGATIVE, UNHELPFUL, HURTFUL COMMENTS.

Just because the protagonist is white, doesn’t give you ANY right to dismiss the issue that is unplanned teenage pregnancy. This is a problem that affects countries WORLDWIDE. Do you know how many deaths are related to minors giving birth? Do you know how many babies die at birth from these pregnancies? Do you have any idea the trauma it puts you through, to go into labor without even knowing you were pregnant in the first place, and then giving birth, and then having to care for a defensless human being? The dilemma of keeping it, or giving it away? The fear that lives in every person able to give birth, that one day they’ll become pregnant, because society turns sych a shameful look to that? No matter your ethnicity, your gender identity, your sexuality, your political stance or whatever shit you bring up to justify your disgraceful and downright degrading comments, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT A MINOR GIVING BIRTH IS NOT AN ISSUE. 

You think the topic has been covered plenty before? Yeah, because shows like “16 and pregnant” and “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant!” are such good examples and show the reality with such an objective point of view! 

Bullshit. Teenage pregnancy is still a taboo, it still kills, and people are still morons about it. 

“Well I guess everybody is secretly pregnant now!” No, Jessica, but you wouldn’t know about it, would you? Because I wouldn’t tell you shit if you were my “friend” and I was going through it. The whole message of all the Skams is not that it presents super relatable issues of teenagers, although it is a big topic of the show. They present some issues that affect the youth in an authentic light, but that’s not it.

Tous les gens que tu rencontres mènent un combat dont tu ignores tout. 

Sois indulgente. Toujours. x x x

//

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

Be kind. Always. x x x

THAT’S THE MESSAGE. THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SHOW.

And you all missed it.

All of you making dead baby jokes and death threats, degrading people who give birth, shaming teenagers for their pregnancies... Listen to yourselves.

“Well she deserves it, she was such a bitch!” No, Michael, you shit stick. Let’s rewind a bit for you, yeah? It was a GOD DAMN TEASER. We literally know nothing! Nothing at all! Why are y’all getting mad when we saw 3:25 minutes representing a whole ass season! Listen to yourselves. Y’all judge so fast for people pretending to love Skam and its authenticity and its motto.

You say Tiff is irredeemable?

Emma cheated on her boyfriend.

Manon lied and manipulated her friends.

Lucas was homophobic and prejudiced agaisnt mentally ill people.

Imane was homophobic too and went behind her friends’ back to get what she wanted.

Arthur cheated on his girlfriend too.

Lola dragged Elliot down with her in her addiction, lied, was verbally abusive, etc.

ALL THE MAINS ARE PROBLEMATIC.

Any guess why?

BECAUSE THEY ARE TEENAGERS. THEY ARE STILL GROWING AND LEARNING.

Yet we still loved them all. 

So don’t you dare tell me that Tiff deserves this, that her baby deserves to die, that teenage motherhood is irrelevant. Motherhood is not a curse in the first place, nor is it something to wish to inflict upon anyone. Motherhood is different for every single person and nobody except the person living with it can have an opinion on that. We don’t even know if the baby survived, for God’s sake!

There is no excuse for this kind of behavior..

It makes me so angry. Women are discriminated against in a fandom I thought was safe, again and again and again. 

I have to stop here because, well, this is just too much. There is much wrong with Skam (the original AND all the remakes), but there is even more wrong with the fans. I’m done.

You don’t support the show anymore? Fine, then don’t watch it! If I really am wrong, the number of viewers will go down and the show will die, just like you wished. There is no need to be vicious about it. 

I hope y’all are proud of your misogyny. 

Sincerely,

Adler.

[chaoticdean]

Do you believe the SPN writers owed us the "right" ending? (This is a serious question!) And if so, what was it? Would you require a "happily ever after" for all the characters involved? Is the mental health of the audience a priority when creating a story? I know, a lot of thoughts, but I'm v curious!

Well, I think any writers of any show owe their audience the “right” ending. That being said, I still firmly believe that what we got as an ending (that englobes 19 and 20, btw) resulted from corporate fuckery rather than from the writers shooting themselves in the head with their own gun. If you’ve been attentive enough for the past few seasons, you’d have noticed the theme and the clear meta storylines being laid out by the writing team, and the way season 15 all up to episode 18 was absolutely, utterly, completely following that path. The way both episodes 19 and 20 can be separated from the rest of the season is a clear hint at what happened, and that’s also why it can be this easily disregarded.

Now, back to your question. To me, the right ending involved several things.

Dean getting to speak his truth: not only did that involved the situation with Cas needing to be addressed in any way, but that also involved getting Dean to let go. To me, Dean was always going to die at the end. What I didn’t picture was his death being this meaningless, on an insignificant hunt, only with Sam by his side, delivering a 5 minutes speech that could’ve been avoided in favor of calling a goddamn ambulance to save his life. I expected something along the lines of Sam and Dean raiding Heaven in their final battle against Chuck, and at the end of it Dean choosing to stay behind, choosing the Afterlife and having something with Cas while Sam went back to Earth to live his life as the Leader he was always supposed to be. Which brings me to my second point.

Sam rising up to the leadership position he was always supposed to get: I think I made a post sorely for this at some point, but long story short Sam’s storyline has been carefully crafted since season 1 to end at a point where Sam was supposed to become the leader of this big old hunter family in America. Yet, he ends up closing up the bunker (effectively turning down everything he’s worked for for the past 3 decades of his life, everything Dean, Cas and their entire extended family fought for), and runs off to live a meaningless life with a blurry wife and a proxy kid he names after his brother. This is nowhere close to anything they’ve ever laid out for Sam’s path, and I don’t even understand how Sam stans can be okay with where he ended up. He spends the last 4 decades of his life mourning his brother and turning his back on everything the show made a point of crafting for him. He never becomes the leader he was supposed to. He never gets back to Eileen. He apparently forgets everything about the past two decades of his life. Again, the show makes a point of telling us “you thought what we showed you for 15 seasons was real? Well, here’s our #1 character turning his back on everything we made a point of carefully tell, because non of it mattered”

Cas’ place in the finale: Parts of what makes no sense is the fact that Cas disappears in the Empty after ep. 18 and nothing about it gets addressed later on. I’m not even talking about Misha being in the episodes, because if Covid really was the excuse here (hint, it’s not, but bear with me regardless) there were SO MANY easy ways to explains this storyline without needing Misha to be on screen. You’re telling me there was no way to grab an extra to wear one of the trenchcoats and sit next to Jensen in the Impala? You’re telling me there was no way of adding ADR at the end of 20 to add a simple “Hello Dean” to the scene, before Sam appears in Heaven? You’re telling me there was no way of having a Winbros conversation about what happened? Castiel’s absence makes no sense, if not for the fact that he’s been a core character of the show for 12 years, and not having him at the end felt like a punch to the guts. Castiel was also deeply linked to Dean’s character arc, and his absence leaves Dean’s storyline entirely incomplete (which, I may have to add, is completely hysterical judging by the fact that he’s literally the second main character of the show). I’m not gonna go on and on, but basically I pictured Castiel being there when Dean came along, and being part of the reason Dean makes a choice of staying instead of going back. 

There are a lot more things to say. The complete disappearance of Eileen in favor or Sam getting a blurry wife. The complete erasure of the Found Family angle they made a point of cultivating for so long. Basically, 19 and 20 felt like the whole series being ripped away to pieces and the show telling us that it was all a lie. The “right” ending, to me, involved Sam and Dean finally being at peace. It involved Sam finding Eileen again and working up to the leadership position he was always supposed to get. It involved Dean finally making a choice for himself instead of thinking as a 2-unit with Sam. It involved Dean speaking his truth to Cas. It involved the co-dependence finally being bid goodbye.

Would you require a "happily ever after" for all the characters involved?

No, because at the end of the day this is Supernatural, this is not necessarily the picture-perfect show for a “happily ever after”. That being said, you can have a satisfying ending without it being happily ever after. Dean choosing to stay in Heaven is essentially Dean choosing to metaphorically die. Sam and Dean finally going their own way in different realms is fulfilling and satisfying, but doesn’t really qualify as a happily ever after either. 

Is the mental health of the audience a priority when creating a story?

Good fucking lord, YES. It SHOULD BE a priority. I assume this is in relation to something I wrote a while back, where I basically said that the ending they wrote was dangerous. And I stand by it. This ending sent so many wrong messages to the audience of a beloved 15-year-old show. “We made you think that family didn’t end in blood? Well, we lied, and that’s why the ending of Supernatural will consist of sorely Sam and Dean, with the meaningful appearance of OG Bobby at the end of it”; “Speak your truth and you will be silenced”; “you’ll never be free from trauma so it’s better to just choose to bleed to death and die”. I think I could go on for hours, but you get the idea. This ending was dangerous, and I wish they’d considered the trauma that would unleash on their own fandom because it’s making me insane. I’m glad I’m at a point in my life where I can take care of myself, but a couple of years back that would have been enough to set me back on my own destructive path. And it’s making me sick to think that it probably did put many fans down to the point where it fucked with their sanity. 

Yes, it should be a priority. Obviously, it wasn’t a priority when crafting an ending for Supernatural.

Sorry, that got excruciatingly long. I hope that answered part of your questions, but feel free to reach out for more!

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

Holy crap this episode was funny as hell until it wasn't and then we were plunged right back into the intensity. But great episode!!! I don't lb so I don't get spoilers but man I had a lot of reactions as I watched. Ngl, a lot of cursing and caps ahead but damn was this such a good episode:

“One minute before the blackout” - now we’re to 1 minute from 1 week last week

“The place where this heart’s from, it was a tragedy. But once we land, it’s gonna turn into a miracle, right?” “Yeah, I like that” -- so once we land and settle after all of this craziness, a tragedy will turn into a miracle? I like that *looking at you Eddie*

EDDIE GET OUT OF THAT CHOPPER RN, DO NOT DO THIS TO ME AFTER SEASON 4, DO NOT!!!

Bobby going in to save the heart, hmm...

Oh, thank God - Eddie, Hen, and Bobby are all safe

Dr. Salazar - we need more of her. I love her so much.

4 Days later - hmm...

Wow, they’re really bringing Harry to the forefront here, this whole kidnapping thing is going to happen isn't it?

Harry charging neighbors and Michael and David in a sort of co-parent situation - first of all, Harry you are a GENIUS and love that Michael and David with Harry are being focused on in this episode, ahem, is there possibly a reason...?

Lou survived!!!! THANK GOD

Nearly 5 days Lou was in hospital

5 day head start for Hudson - is there something with 1, 3, 4 and now 5? I'm keeping track here, Tim

Buck is the power czar LOL - omg I love this man so much

Ravi!!! We need MORE Ravi!!! but where is Albert???

CHIMNEY!!!!! OMG I LOVE YOU - "Give me a charger or Uncle Buck will never see his niece again" - "Give him a charger" - "Well played" - "Let this be a lesson, never give that man a clipboard" - "Excuse me for being efficient" - "That’s one word for what you are" - okay #1 I will forever be in love with Chimney, probably one of my top favorite characters on this show & #2 LOVE this whole brothers interaction, Albert may not be there but Buck and Chim are still going with the whole older-brother-is-exasperated-with-the-younger-brother's-shit vibe

Oh God, here comes more cringe, yay... not so much

Eddie kisses Ana on the cheek AGAIN (Eddie, can you hear me? This is your subconscious speaking, when are you going to end this, my man?)

Ana says going to visit was Christopher’s idea since he missed Eddie and thought he was hungry - muy interesante

Buck rushing over to greet Christopher and hugging him tight is a moment I live for - outside of the whole Buck and Eddie story, I LOVE this relationship with all of my heart, I am so glad Christopher has Buck, he really is his second dad (with or without Eddie being involved)

Eddie not introducing Ana to Ravi (nor Buck saying hi) - Buck’s expression - “You must be Eddie’s wife” Christopher: “Not yet” I FUCKING LOVE THIS KID, OKAY!!!! Buck’s smile, he loves Christopher, too - love how Ana and Eddie don't say anything to dispel or clarify this

SAME FUCKING TRIGGER AND THIS TIME BUCK SEES IT!!!! OMG (Eddie, this is your subconscious again, you need to listen! The universe and I are trying to tell you something, please before any more shit hits the fan like me having to watch more uncomfortable interactions between you and your placeholder friend!)

Eddie sending Ana and Christopher on a tour with Ravi IN THE DARK at his work place so he can put SALADS AWAY

Buck’s expressions the entire time - Buck knows something's up

Ana’s expressions the entire time - she KNOWS

Thank God Bobby wasn’t around - hear me out, I have a reason for this that I am still working on in this long ass meta

Buck makes sure to not make eye contact with Ana (except quickly when Ravi is waiting to be introduced), even when Ana laughs at his “Constantly”

Eddie being a probie when Shannon came back in season 2 (and Eddie pulled her into the locker room to talk) & Ana being left to tour the station house with Ravi aka Probie - hello parallels & contrasts, my old friend

“I don’t want these things to wilt” - interesting choice of wording there, Eddie (newsflash, it's already wilting, Eddie)

I almost feel a little bad for Ana here because she did do something nice and she gets the brushoff and some discomfort/embarrassment in return (I mean the woman brought three salads in the middle of a blackout that she most likely made herself, come on - I'm sure some people think salads are easy to make but to those of us in the inexperienced/uninitiated cooks' club, it's not that simple)

Lila dead - hmm...are we surprised? (Hudson didn't give a fig about her and what's sad is Lou would have saved her)

“I think she was smitten like those other fools. I think she saw him being led away in cuffs and she intervened on his behalf” - interesting line there, Athena...

I need more scenes with Athena and Elaine - I know Elaine is the captain and Athena is on her own with no partner but I gotta say I am enjoying this

Athena! Why are you not warning the survivors!!! I mean I get it but still!!!

OMG “He takes Christopher all the time, he’s got the place memorized” - BUCK LISTENED TO EDDIE IN 3x03 - OMG!!!

Oh Buck my poor baby, he knows what they’re walking into - I LOVE Hen’s line of “Just smile, Buck” and then Eddie and Chim both smile wide at him - OMG I AM LIVING FOR THESE SCENES WITH THE 118

“Welcome to the Jungle” - nice touch 911

OMG Buck you are cracking me up - no animals are getting past him

1 hawk or eagle or raptor maybe? I’m not good with bird species okay!!!

3 emus again

1 bird I have no idea what kind (wondering if that’s what we saw the back of last episode near the emus)

Giraffe again

3 wolves

3 camels

Elephant

“The animal makes a move, control it” - YOU GOT THIS BUCK (yes we are finally getting that scene we saw filmed!!!)

Buck’s expression when the camel runs by is KILLING ME 'yeah, that's right Camel, back up, back up, you don't want any of this, yeah that's right'

Stuffed animals in the souvenir store, interesting

2 for $5 sign - even more interesting

1 alpaca

I guess I kind of wonder why Hen didn’t become a vet at one point in her life? Like I’m glad she’s a first responder and about to be a doctor but damn she knows so much about animals, she’s like the 118’s resident animal expert, that’s my girl

“We were gonna get one” - um...what? Hen...

“I wouldn’t” LOL oh Bobby you slay me

Is it just me or do we hear ET almost type music in the background as Hen lays chips down for the alpaca? Bobby mentioning the Reese’s Pieces, the flashlight shining on the Alpaca when it steps into view...are we getting an ET reference?

“It’s calling its friend!” *another Alpaca appears through coats “Clever girl” - a Jurassic Park reference - It’s a fucking Steven Spielberg reference, holy shit!!!!

Okay so that scene was Eddie looking over at Bobby, got it, near the fire trucks

Oh Buck I love you so much “So you ran from an Alpaca?” “Two Alpacas and no one was running” - both Buck’s and Eddie’s faces and then laughter are freaking hilarious

Chimney: “After careful consideration, I have decided not to endorse this park” - OMG I have not stopped laughing for like five minutes straight, can you imagine a Jurassic Park AU for this team? - shot of T-rex above Ripley’s Believe It Or Not (nice one, 911)

Weird looking bird that I've never seen before and 2 emus and 2 vulture, 1 hawk/raptor bird, 1 rhino

May is awesome!!! And so are those neighbors!!!!

Eddie in the tank top!!! Buck with a clipboard!!!

“Hey are you sleeping or just pretending?” Buck is taking no prisoners today

Buck is trying to make sure he’s not having any symptoms, omg, seriously how do you not love this guy???? Eddie you better make an honest man out of him soon, I'm not sure how much longer I can take this

“You don’t give up, do you?” Oh Eddie you did not just say that, to Buck of all people, come on man (hello season 3 Eddie, my old friend)

Get him, Buck! Get him!

“Since when do you panic?” “That’s what I said, I don’t panic” Buck once again out there proving that he knows Eddie better than anyone else

Oh wow!!! Eddie came right out and said it “If I’m being honest with myself I think it was Ana”

And there it is folks “She’s been a constant through all of this, staying with Christopher”

“Somehow we became a ready made family and I don’t know if I’m ready for that” - wow, this is an excellent scene, he’s totally letting that wall down to talk candidly with Buck, nice - and him being stripped down to a tank top for this scene just reiterates that fact, he's baring some things

“I think I’m gonna stick it out. Ana’s the first woman I’ve wanted to spend this much time with since Shannon” - oh Eddie, you really need to shit or get off the pot my friend, this isn’t good for you, Christopher or Ana - how can you sentence all three of you to this? come on

“My kid loves her” but YOU DON'T - okay my heart is breaking, Eddie is making the same goddamn mistake all over again just like we predicted - Eddie please, what did Carla just say to you three episodes ago? Where the hell is Carla btw????

“Stick it out? That’s not the way you talk about someone you’re in love with” “That enough?” - thank you Buck, seriously THANK YOU

Okay my heart just broke again but for Buck this time “Eddie, I have been Ana” - aww =( I love my chaotic firefighter son with all of my heart

And of course Denial!Eddie aka repressed!Eddie are back, sigh - 5x03 has to be where it all comes to a head, it has to be, now even Buck is forcing him to face what he's trying so hard not to - word of advice Eddie, my repressed firefighter son, you can try to deny it mentally/emotionally all you want but it will come out one way or another, just like it's coming out in panic attack symptoms and anxiety - you have to end this, sweetie

And I think it’s very interesting that Eddie looks right at Buck during “If I’m being honest with myself” *looks away then right back at Buck* “I think it was Ana”, “staying with Christopher”, then right after “I don’t know if I’m ready for that”, “I think I’m gonna stick it out”, “Ana’s the first woman I’ve wanted to spend this much time with since Shannon” “My kid loves her”

OMG Eddie’s expression when Buck says “I know what it’s like to be in love with someone who’s not all the way in and deep down you know it and it hurts. It hurts worse than the truth” — RYAN WHERE IS YOUR GODDAMN EMMY??? If anyone ever doubted that Eddie was in love with Buck, there’s the freaking proof written all over Eddie’s face at Buck’s line!!! It’s not something he thinks he can have and it hurts

Okay seriously, Eddie saying “Ana’s the first woman I’ve wanted to spend this much time with Shannon” — VERY PURPOSEFUL MENTION OF A WOMAN HE’S WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH, EDDIE PLEASE, CAN YOU HEAR ME!!!!

Then they go right to Chim calling Maddie, uh huh, I see you 911

I really love Hen’s full support of Maddie btw & I love how Chim is able to talk to Hen about it all

Oh no!!! Maddie please don’t fall asleep!!!

Oh thank God!!!! It’s going to be okay, Maddie, you got her, it’s going to be okay - I seriously want to give my girl a hug and tell her it's going to be okay

Omg Jee-Yun is so cute!!!

Day 4 or day 5 hmmm - I'm still keeping track, Tim

“Why is it every time the world ends, it ends some more?” “It just keeps us on our toes” “More like knocks us on our asses” - Universe is that you?

Awww Bobby just called Athena “baby” <3 I'm not crying, you're crying

YES more Athena and Elaine

Lou is awake!!!!

Awww Lou =( I may or may not be ugly crying rn

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that Lou is alive

Oh God!!!! Athena get the cops there now!!!!

Yeah you should have let Harry charge them Michael lol, of course they were there to just use the generator power (though I love and appreciate the contrast they gave us in the neighbors who helped the boy with the ventilator so we know not all people take advantage)

OH NO GET AWAY FROM HARRY YOU BASTARD!!!!

On a side note, it’s nice to see more Michael and David but at what cost, Tim? Can we please get more of them and especially David in a more lighthearted episode for crying out loud? Is that too much to ask???

Go Bobby!!!!

Good for you, Athena!!!

Omg this is practically Athena’s nightmare come to life, shit

Omg Hudson unplugged the goddamn generator, THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!

HARRY!!!!!!

I’M SORRY BUT ARE YOU TELLING ME THERE’S NO BOLO WITH A PICTURE ON THIS GUY?!!? - oh right, no power, but STILL

Okay that was super intense, I really hope Athena is the one to take Hudson down, just like Bobby said

I have a few more rewatches to do before breaking things down but damn, I think I need a drink after that one.

[ftstorm]

5x07, 5x08 and 5x09 thoughts.

In which I complain a lot about the last 3 episodes. It’s long and boring. Read at your own discretion.

I just needed to get this out of my system. I try not to overthink it when I watch the show but I can’t help it! So I’ve come to accept the overthinking as a part of me LOL. 

I’m angry, okay? Possibly because I’ve been debating myself whether to post this or not for three weeks but also because they erased from the face of Earth the relatable and inspiring Mac that I used to know.

I’m going to start with the positives! 5x07, 5x08 and 5x07 were average MacGyver episodes and they weren’t bad. They were etertaining and had the science moments we all like. Also, 5x06 is the highlight of the season so far because if felt like MacGyver again and since it was written/produced by the new team it means THERE’S HOPE.

From episodes 7 to 9 they just did the job to put the episode on air. That’s about it.

Maybe the fact that they were just good enough is the reason why I feel indiferent 5x07 and 5x08. I’ve been wondering why since both of those were pretty good episodes overall.

{ ! } 5x07 left me with a bad aftertaste. You have to understand that 5x06 was a lovely episode and regressing to the dumb “let’s put this whole bagagge of blame in Mac’s shoulders as if the rest of the characters didn’t have anything better to do” was upsetting.

If the focus would had been completely in the danger of someone stealing the idea instead of having the team doing an inquisition on Mac (from the very beginning to the end), then it would’ve been a much better episode in my opinion.

Also, you make an episode centered in cancer and you DON’T make a reflection on it? What’s the point of the episode? That there’s people who can weaponize the cure for cancer? Where’s the depth, the layers? They barely mention how this whole thing is related to Mac’s dad in favor of blaming him because he created a an illegal bioweapon? 

Turning a cancer sensible episode into a government conspiracy is so... American.

{ ! } 5x08 had the main issue that they had to distribute screen time in three parts since there were two incredible guest actors but also Mac himself. Idk, I’m not an expert in the topic but the episode did feel incomplete. As if there wasn’t enough screen time in either of the two more entertaining fronts (the guests scenes). 

It was like a punchline that doesn’t hit home.

Also I’m sad that I watched the Matty and Riley sneak peek because that was their only scene. I really thought they would dive more into their bond... but they didn’t.

This is also when I noticed a pattern in these PL’s era where they make Mac fail his improvisations a lot. He’s usually not in the right track and has to rethink the whole thing. That is so out of character. This type of scenario only used to happen in the really dangerous and important missions.

{ ! } 5x09 was, like 5x07, a pointless episode. “Let’s make Mac have a mental breakdown during a mission.”  That was the whole premise, really. This is an example of how the characters in MacGyver have been used as plot devices for the whole season.

Inconsistency #1: Mac having a breakdown in front of everyone when three episodes ago he wouldn’t let a soul see him grieving Jack’s death.

Inconsistency #2: The trigger for said breakdown was a mission that was very dangerous, yes, but no different to what they team confronts in a daily basis. Mac’s character is meant to work the best under pressure, his brain enhances during those moment so having it be thet trigger it doesn’t feel right.

Inconsistency #3: Desi showcasing trust during the mission at the beginning and understanding Mac later on. Until two episodes ago she TAILED him and forced him to open up because she didn’t have a clue what was going on with him (it’s not that difficutl to figure out tbh dear Desi writers).

Do you see where I’m going with this? Plot devices, out of character writing, making the characters do stuff to fit in Mac’s “traumatized” state...

Inconsistency #4: Riley snarking so much at Mac. She usually is supportive no matter what and if she has a comment about his crazy plans they’re always delivered in a comedic demanour. But this time it didn’t.

Inconsistency #5: They writers pushed Mac to have a breakdown during the mission, to expose his mindset to the team and audience clearly showing that he still hasn’t moved on; yet when he’s FINALLY about to have a therapeutic catharsis moment in the graveyard he gets interrupted.

(btw, forcing yourself into someone’s personal space is never a good decision dear Desi writers)

Incosistency #6: He hasn’t realized how much he misses Oversight? Right, sure.

Incosistency #7: Mac’s hair in the graveyard scene, Mac’s mother grave missing, Mac not showing much vertigo... The details man, the details.

Why even write an episode like that?? What’s the character/plot development?? Having a breakdown during a mission is NOT therapeutic. Having your feelings exposed to everyone is NOT therapeutic. 

That talk with Bozer in the comms was beautiful but I wish it had happened in a more appropiate moment. Imagine if Bozer kept talking to Mac because he knows that calms him down, without the “Bozer the psychologist” piece of dialogue. And then, after the mission, reach out to Mac privately to have a heart to heart talk. Imagine that.

Conclusion 1: PL’s era absolutely destroyed Mac as a character. They kept pushing him, episode after episode, to be a traumatized man that would not have a supportive environment near him to process his dark emotions (which is bullshit because he’s surrounded by a very supportive group of people, they just decided to not write them as that).

Conclusion 2: CODEX (or should I say codex 2.0?) is a boring threat. The creators of the show are stuck not only with a mess of a character who goes through the same experiences (loss, loss and loss) over and over again without real devolpment and whose present isn’t relatable at all to the common audience, but also with an unenengaging enemy. I hope they drop the Codex plotline sooner rather than later.

Now, listen. The ratings won’t change. If MacGyver hasn’t lost much audience with the show how it is now, then it won’t lose more in the future. MacGyver as a show is a great concept and people will keep watching just for that.

There, I said it. Harsh words, heavy criticism that I needed to get out of my system.

[ravens-words]

🖤 It feels like Alex is really being sidelined this season. He has his own plot away from everyone else which has also pretty much been the case for the last 2 seasons which sucks. He needs to have plots that involve everyone else which will allow him to have more screen time and just be involved. Also he has not been in the main plots for episodes 1-4. I am however happy that Kyle and Maria are not being sidelined this season. IDK how to feel about it tho! I just want Alex to be apart of the main action and be involved and interact with everyone and not just interacting with Maria, Kyle, Michael, Forrest and Greg. I would love Isobel and Alex scenes and Max and Alex scenes. Don't even think Max and Alex have has any scenes one on one. I honestly feel like they don't know how to give Alex, Kyle and Maria all the spotlight so they rotate them. In season 1 Alex, Kyle and Maria all had ok screen time and storylines. In season 2 Alex had ok screen time and storylines while Kyle and Maria were sidelined and their characters only used when someone needed something or in Maria's case when they needed a plot device for Malex being apart. In season 3 it feels like Kyle and Maria will have big roles (I mean they are pretty much in the main plots so for episodes 1-4 and Maria is the key and center for this season) and Alex will just be sidelined and only used to make Malex fans happy. I obviously want Malex to be together which can't happen if he isint involved or having the same storylines and screen time as everyone else. Also I want Alex to exist outside of Malex and have a good plot of his own and be used in the main plots which so far isint happening this season. I want Alex to be at the center of this season. There is so much potential for his character aside from Malex like the military, his PTSD, having flashbacks of him loosing his leg and what he went through. I know Chris took over for Carina but I wonder if she would have stayed if Alex would have been more of a focus and not sidelined since she did love Alex. 🖤

Nonnie 💛 this is gonna get long so I apologies in advance.

- About CAM- I didn't follow what happened much, but going off on nothing but the show, if that woman loved Alex, she sure had a funny way of showing it. And she was sidelined because she was unprofessional, among other things.

-About Kyle and Maria- my hope is that that means more focus on Kyle the doctor and Maria the psychic/alien. About Screentime, yes Maria is at the center of the SL, but it's not just about her. We don't know what the visions are about, or how involved the group is.

-Alex is an underutilized character. But if we think about it in terms of wasted potential, then most characters in this show are, too. Alex is my favorite character on this show, I would love to have him on my screen as much as I can. But he will never be the center of any season- not even Liz, the main character, has been the center of any season (at least imo).

I'll tell you what, though- I would settle for at least one good, consistent SL for him- which, btw, can be this DS storyline- they're mostly Vets, right? Maybe Alex will open up to one to get info and we'll get some insight into what the lost decade was like for Alex, how he lost his leg, PTSD, BAMF!Alex.

We've only had one episode, written in its majority by CAM. We still have 12, all under a different show runner, who seems to care about these characters, and Alex is in 9 of them. We know Malex and Echo are gonna be treated like equals this season. We know there will be friendship and tension this season.

What we don't know, however, is how much of the season will be spent with Alex separated from the group. We don't know if that separation means less Alex screen time, or if it means complete isolation, or if we're gonna get secret meet ups/phone calls/emails or whatever (I know F*rrest said bring in DS means going in deep, but this is RNM, crazier things have happened). We know Alex will be in the hospital and that Michael will be there (episode 9, I think?). Jeanine said this season is focused more on friendships and there will be more interactions between characters who haven't interacted before.

These are the facts and these are all (potentially) good things, Anon.

I'm not saying this will be a perfect season, and that it'll hit all the right notes. I know for a fact there will be moments that will make want to pull my hair out- hell, there already have been.

What I am saying, however, is that recently I've adopted the "hope for the best and expect the worst" mentality with my shows, and it has done wonders for my viewing experience.

Have a tiny bit of faith, will you?

And know that my Inbox is always open 💛