#also that slow-zoom in s3

[crime-wives]

i don’t understand how people don’t ship swan queen. like… enemies to reluctant friends, to co-parents, to lovers. it could have been everything. all of that gay yearning. how do people not see it??? also blonde x brunette lesbian romances >>>>>

[pineappical]

in light of tedtrent becoming so real, im also jumping on the tedtrent epilogue 😊

there's just no way ted wouldn't keep in touch with the others (and have weekly zoom meetings just like in the christmas special) and I just love the thought of the whole team having reunions once in a while.

and going back to trent's arc in s3, the sunflowers conversation, "And your daughter?" "She's never been happier." I think it could go the same for ted.. we've never really properly saw how henry felt about his dad being in london, it's always other people that told ted his son misses him, who's to say henry would rather see his dad happy because that in turn would make him happy too? he was there to win the whole thing, right? I just know ted’s story isn’t done yet when he still hasn’t learned to let others take care of him in return and who else to pair him with than the man who blew up his career because a man was nice to him (and also because they were so. so cruel for the fakeout tedbecca scenes for that finale) 🥺

I'm no writer so just pretend these are snapshots of a slow burn fic where ted visits london for their team reunion and slowly realizes that trent has a crush on him and they kiss about it 💛

[quitealotofsodapop]

The idea that Nez Ha's primary reason for tracking Wukong down in s3 in Slow Boiled was because Wukong was pregnant for like... 1300 years is amazing. Wrlang does find out the details about the pregnancy later... after Yubei is born and they all are collectively carted off to Lao Tzu's lab for both Yubei's first check up and a very, very overdue one for Wukong since the never even let anyone except for Guanyin even check the baby before and, well, stone monkey pregnancies are high risk, Yubei's especially so since she was so overdue and Wukong had been through so much stress throughout pretty much her entire development with only the short 500 years he had been isolated or a few short years with the Pilgrims after the Journey as a potential exception.

sequel to.

Potientially world-ending fire being reforged can wait a minute, Nezha needs to know if Wukong put himself and his baby in such danger all those years ago!

Wukong: "So... are you still mad at me for the Map-?" Nezha, nearly on-fire with anger/worry: "Of course I am! But the fact that you handled the Samadhi Fire while with child and didn't seek out help afterwards worries me far more than your reasoning for reforging it!" Rest of the Gang: "Aww." Nezha: *angry little kid face* >:(

And Nezha gets tied up with the gang's shenanigans for the rest of S3, especially since Wukong is possessed by LBD, and Red Son and Mei need guidance on their fire abilities.

I'm loving the idea of Erlang, who's had a clue that Wukong has been pregnant for so many years, only to find out cus Wukong and Yuebei went to Lao Tzu for a post-natal check-up. He's just chilling in Heaven, doing military drills, senses Wukong is in the Realm and sees-

Erlang: "Baby!" Celestial Soldiers: "Huh!?" "Where!?"

Erlang quickly zooms over to finally give Wukong that congratulations card XD

Baby Yuebei gets startled by the sudden appearance of a tall man with a dog and gets so scared that *ZAP!*.

Erlang: *hair smoking from Yuebei's lazer eyes hitting him square in the face. Completely speechless* Wukong, quietly panicking: "Oh... oh you know how I was as a newborn. I shot lazers at your uncle too." Macaque, delighted smile: "Good aim on her though." *pets Yuebei's head* Yuebei: *rubs eyes tiredly*

The Heavenly General ain't even mad. The little lady is super dang cute, and according to her parents; ate the bone demon that was causing trouble on earth a while ago. Someone like that would be valuable to have as an ally to Heaven.

MK and Macaque are also still super protective of Wukong right now - so Erlang quickly gets hissed/glared out the room by the Monkey King's family.

Erlang wonders if he should tell the rest of Wukong's old allies about the little one's arrival?

[incorrectsibunaquotes]

I have a theory that the reason we as an audience feel like Sibuna in Season 3b are making monumentally stupid choices is because the show doesn’t actually spell out for us that the kids don’t have all the information we have. In fact, they are operating with less than half of our knowledge. (This is gonna be a longgggg post, so read under the cut if you dare)

On my latest rewatch of S3 for fanfic purposes, i found myself really struggling to justify why the hell Eddie couldn’t put two and two together with his vision of Patricia and the “traitor” in Sibuna. I was frustrated with him because to me it was incredibly obvious! Like who else could it possibly be?? But then, I rewatched it again with a closer eye and everything suddenly clicked:

We, the audience, are watching the action from a completely zoomed out angle. We’re not just following Sibuna, but we’re also following Team Evil. We know Robert is capturing Sinners and what a Sinner actually is, before Sibuna is even fully aware that they failed to stop the eclipse ceremony. The kids metaphorically tripped at the starting line.

Furthermore, this is the first time in the show that the Sibunas have not had either the upper hand or were even on equal playing field with the adults. In Season 1, the Society was wholly unprepared for a bunch of adolescents to start foiling in their plans (bc why would they be prepared for that??), and Sibuna basically destroyed them due to adults underestimating their willingness to fuck around and find out. In Season 2, Victor/Vera and Sibuna were on equal ground; no one knew how to solve the tasks and it was a matter of a bunch of separate parties trying to figure it out before each other. They were all just throwing shit at the wall and hoping it stuck.

At the top of Season 3, we play a lot with both the S1 and S2 dynamics. At first, Sibuna is leagues and bounds ahead of the adults, and then they pretty quickly end up on the same footing. Then, in the second half of the season, that entire dynamic is flipped on its head, and it’s Sibuna who are wholly unprepared for the adults. I’ve talked about how the kids, especially our Sibuna veterans, got a little too comfortable with Victor and co’s ineptitude and cocky with their own intelligence… but that’s not even why they were so slow on the uptake.

None of the Sibunas even hear the word “Sinner” until they find that book in the secret room and read it while sitting on the stage. And the book does not explain at all what a Sinner actually is. It tells them that Ammut needs “the souls of five human sinners who embody the greatest flaws of mankind” and once she has five of them she can enter the human realm and cause lots of problems. Absolutely nowhere in the book does it ever say “Also, much like Robert, the soulless body of the Sinner is reawakened in service to the underworld.” The only other hint that could have possibly clued anyone in is “when your friends are not your friends”. But like, that clue was ages ago! Why would they even be thinking about that, when it had absolutely no bearing on their hunt for the secret room/answers up to that point? I cannot stress this enough, THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE WHAT A SINNER IS! (I’m gonna repeat this sentence about 400 times in case you don’t get it now lol) Mind you, that atp in the timeline, this is approximately fifteen or so minutes before Denby captures Patricia.

But let’s rewind all the way back to when Team Evil devises a plan to kidnap Eddie. He’s in the crypt, right? It’s pretty evident to him that it was probably Denby, Victor, and/or Robert who trapped him here, but he’s got no real clue as to why. Of course, we all know that they’re planning on turning him into a Sinner, because we saw Victor get turned. But as far as Sibuna knows, Victor has never really been on their side, so all they think is that he’s being meaner than usual but of course he’s opposing them. That’s not strange.

Okay, so Eddie is stuck and distressed, but he’s not as panicked as he needs to be because nowhere in his mind does he think this could potentially end in what is essentially his death. Now, throw in the horrifying vision he has of Patricia getting dragged into a glowing sarcophagus. He still doesn’t know what a Sinner is, but he knows that whatever he just saw was really bad; it’s an incentive from the Osirian spirit (or the house, or the gods, or literally whatever) to actually try to get the hell out of there.

So we’re all sitting here watching going “Oh my god they’re gonna nab Patricia and make her evil! 😰” because we have context; Eddie has absolutely none. It’s also really important for later on that his vision ends when the sarcophagus door shuts. It’s framed as incredibly final, and for all Eddie knows, they’ve just stuffed Patricia in what he knows is a tiny cramped space and locked the door behind her. He thinks that at best they are going to kidnap her or, at worst, straight up kill her. Nothing in that vision indicates she’s walking out of there at all.

When Patricia ran off after the fake messages, Eddie is concerned for a lot of different reasons, but the two primary ones are the obvious “oh my god my girlfriend thinks I cheated on her what do I do???” and the other is “if she’s run off on her own, the adults could fulfill my vision!” But then she turns back up, which should be clear to us by now means that he thinks she’s safe. He’s waiting for her (for any of them) to disappear. But when none of them do, they think it’s fine. It’s not that Eddie doesn’t think Patricia is in danger of becoming a Sinner, he just doesn’t realize what that would actually look like.

Even when they’re all in the hallway morbidly joking about having to give up sinning, the language KT uses is telling of what they think being a Sinner means: “We don’t want to accidentally help out Team Evil [by sinning].” Of course, this statement works with the knowledge the audience has of everything, but if Sibuna actually knew what they were dealing with, KT would have said something more like “We don’t want to get captured/turned by Team Evil.” The jokes they’re making are still morbid, but because they think you just get put in the sarcophagus and that’s the end of it.

Let’s flash forward again to the phonograph getting smashed and Eddie’s second vision that prompts the witch hunt panic in the first place. The vision can be separated into three parts: 1) Eddie sees a hooded figure smash the phonograph (okay Sibuna already knows someone did it on purpose, not too crazy); 2) Robert approaches him creepily and has the mic-drop moment of “it was one of your little friends; you have a viper in your nest” (seriously what a raw line of dialogue… but also now Eddie is being told that there is a traitor. Pretty cut and dry); 3) he turns around and sees every other member of Sibuna mockingly throw up the Sibuna sign (uh oh!)

So here is where people (including me!) always got a little annoyed with Eddie for not doing the math. But upon several rewatches and actually listening to what everyone was saying, never once do any of the kids ever bring up the word “Sinner” during the entirety of this whodunnit arc. And that’s simply because it’s not even a thought that crosses their minds. The language they use is very telling: “traitor” and “betrayal” being the heavy hitters. If any of them actually had context for what was actually going on, the language they would be using would be more like “victim” or literally just “Sinner” as a noun. But they don’t, which is why they’re so hostile toward one another… and why KT was screwed from the moment Eddie had that vision.

Because the fact that they don’t know that a Sinner is an evil version of themselves (not just someone whose soul is being used as a power generator), means that on a subconscious level Fabian, Alfie, and even Eddie already assumed KT was guilty. And Sinner!Patricia knew that, and that’s why she was so easily able to pivot and pin it on her. KT was directly linked to Frobisher, and Fabian and Alfie had already been suspicious of her at the start of the season for other reasons. It’s why Fabian let Patricia help him with the finger printing in the first place: because he doesn’t believe it’s her. And Eddie would have no real reason to suspect Patricia for three reasons: 1) Because he’s in love with her; 2) Because he knows just how long Patricia (and Fabian, and Alfie) have been loyal to Sibuna and to each other; 3) Because he, like everyone else, was looking at this betrayal as a willing capitulation to the Team Evil.

The first time Sibuna becomes aware that a Sinner is an entity that they have to actually watch out for walking about (as opposed to just having to watch out becoming), is after KT and Harriet manage to escape Patricia in the Gatehouse. Harriet clearly knows what a Sinner is bc she has the presence of mind to actually explain (vaguely, of course, because she’s drugged to kingdom come) to KT what she’d just narrowly escaped.

And then when she confronts Sibuna and Patricia in the hallway after Miss Crocodile Tears is telling tales about KT trying to kidnap her, KT drops the bomb on the boys: “She was trying to make me a Sinner just like her!” Pause. Record scratch. Okay. Now everything they thought they knew about the situation is completely recontextualized as something much more sinister than what they initially thought. Because I’d always struggled with how cruel they were being to KT, especially if they thought it wasn’t her fault. But everything up until this point deeply suggests or rather expects us to understand that Sibuna only had two pieces of an 100 piece puzzle, and that them being mean to KT was because they thought she actually betrayed them.

With all of this in mind, Eddie is not stupid for not figuring it out right away. In fact, without knowing what a Sinner actually is, it would be an insane leap to assume Patricia had anything to do with the phonograph.

I’ve basically talked myself and all of you in several circles, but the bottom line is the show didn’t do a fabulous job of telling us that Sibuna had no clue what they were up against. It’s easy for us to sit back and go “what the hell is wrong with them are they stupid?” because we have all the knowledge of what’s going on eons before they do. This is a far more charitable read of the characters’ choices and thought process, and the only way any of their actions make any sense. In fact, this is less of a theory and more of what is… literally canon, I guess

[govindhtech]

Get Ready! Xiaomi 14 Series Launches Worldwide!

Latest Features of Xiaomi 14 Series

Xiaomi, a worldwide innovator, proudly launches its next flagship smartphone range, Xiaomi 14 Series, in Barcelona, Spain, at an exclusive launch event. Xiaomi’s dedication to providing world-class experiences is reflected by this announcement. William Lu, Partner and President of Xiaomi Corporation and President of Xiaomi foreign Business Department, introduced its updated “Human X Car X Home” smart ecosystem to foreign markets at the event.

Xiaomi and Leica revolutionized smartphone imaging after forming a strategic cooperation in 2022. The Xiaomi has changed industry norms with each product generation via continuous pursuit of quality. Xiaomi 14 Series, with Leica Summilux lenses, is the culmination of this cooperation. Xiaomi’s worldwide leadership in mobile image innovation is reinforced by its fusion of cutting-edge optical principles and product designs.

Xiaomi also announced Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4, Xiaomi Watch S3, Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro, and Xiaomi Watch 2 for release.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Premier Photography, Unmatched Performance, and Innovative Design

Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes in Black and White in international markets and has a circular camera module with a flat back design, inspired by classical camera aesthetics.Image Credit to Xiaomi

Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a sturdy aluminum chassis, Xiaomi nano-tech vegan leather, and Xiaomi Shield Glass. Xiaomi 14 Ultra has 1.38x stronger frame strength thanks to a single metal block. A breakthrough recipe makes Xiaomi nano-tech vegan leather thinner, lighter, and 6x more durable. Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s All Around Liquid Display, made with Xiaomi Shield Glass, blends the visual attractiveness of a flat screen with the tactile input of a curved edge. Xiaomi-custom C8 WQHD+ 6.73″ AMOLED display offers an immersive visual experience with WQHD+ (3200 x 1440) resolution, 522 ppi pixel density, configurable 1-120Hz refresh rate, and 3000 nits peak brightness.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a professional quad-camera setup with a wide 12mm–120mm focal length range. The primary camera’s /1.63-ƒ/4.0 stepless variable aperture allows for smooth exposure changes in various situations. An ultra-large 1-inch LYT-900 image sensor with a 14EV dynamic range ensures excellent picture quality in difficult conditions. The Leica 75mm floating telephoto, 120mm periscope, and 12mm ultra-wide cameras complete the quad-camera configuration.

All four cameras on Xiaomi 14 Ultra enable 8K 30fps, leading smartphone imaging. The 50MP sensor and Leica lenses record 8K films with remarkable quality, enabling professional post-production editing. Its primary camera can film 4K 120fps with 5x slow-motion. It also has 60fps full-range zooming at 4K. Stabilization and Dolby Vision 4K 60fps video capture are also supported. An extra microphone forms a 4-Mic array for surround and directional sound recording.

The new Movie option uses cinematic industry principles such a 2.39:1 aspect ratio and 180° shutter rule to create cinematic footage with motion blur. The new MasterCinema encodes HDR films in 10-bit Rec.2020 for better details, highlights, and shadows than 8-bit BT.709, particularly on HDR televisions. Director mode has sophisticated parameter settings and Log file filming for flexible post-production. Xiaomi 14 Ultra may be used as an external monitor with Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 for an immersive production experience.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit, released with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, offers enhanced functionality in a grip and case for photographers and videographers. A two-stage shutter button, zoom lever, configurable video recording button, and custom dial are included. It charges externally and has 1500mAh battery life. This item is sold separately.

Xiaomi 14 Series: Small, Strong Imagery, Uncompromising Experience

Xiaomi 14 is 152.8mm x 71.5mm x 8.20mm, a small everyday companion. Its slightly curved rear panel provides a stable grip for long-term usage. By moving the speaker to the display and the infrared port to the camera deco, the top and side frames appear clean and simple. A tiny 1.71mm bottom bezel is created using innovative FIAA technology to incorporate panel circuits into the display for an immersive viewing experience.

Xiaomi 14 has a triple-camera setup with a wide focal range from 14mm to 75mm. The Xiaomi 14 has Leica Summilux optical lenses, an improved ƒ/1.6 aperture on the primary camera, and a Light Fusion 900 image sensor with up to 13.5 EV dynamic range. The Leica 14mm ultra-wide camera now features 50MP resolution and the highly regarded Leica 75mm floating telephoto lens with a 10cm minimum focus distance.

Xiaomi 14’s 6.36″ CrystalRes AMOLED 1.5K (2670 x 1200) screen is stunning. With 460ppi, the screen boasts more details than before. The peak brightness of 3000 nits makes colors brilliant and images clear even in direct sunshine. Its variable refresh rate, from 1 to 120Hz, ensures fluid viewing throughout surfing, reading, and gaming.

Uncompromising hardware increases performance

Xiaomi 14 Series consumers get a flawless smartphone experience with cutting-edge CPUs, cooling technologies, and battery life.

The leading Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform powers Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which improves CPU performance by 32% and GPU performance by 34% and power consumption by 38% over the previous generation. Xiaomi 14 Series has Qualcomm FastConnect 7800, which provides 320MHz Wi-Fi 72. Xiaomi 14 Ultra revolutionizes high-speed multi-device connection with High Band Synchronous (HBS) Multi-Link, having the broadest channel and lowest latency.

Both smartphones run well in demanding situations like video recording, computational photography, real-time AI, and heavy gaming thanks to the Xiaomi IceLoop cooling technology. Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s Dual-Channel IceLoop technology adds a second thermal channel for the camera module for smoother photos and videos.

Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra include the Xiaomi Surge battery management mechanism for all-day performance. Xiaomi 14 has a 4610mAh battery with 90W and 50W wireless HyperCharge. Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s 5000mAh battery has 90W HyperCharge and 80W wireless HyperCharge.

Xiaomi HyperOS explores smart ecosystem future

Xiaomi 14 Series has the cutting-edge Xiaomi HyperOS operating system, developed over seven years. This human-centric solution for the “Human X Car X Home” smart ecosystem prioritizes Comprehensive Refactoring, Cross-Device Intelligent Connectivity, Proactive Intelligence, and End-to-End Security. Xiaomi 14 Series users can enjoy enhanced system fluidity with advanced file and memory management, a graphics subsystem-enriched UI, seamless device connectivity, and comprehensive security and privacy features to ensure a safe, connected experience with Xiaomi HyperOS.

Google photographs integration in Xiaomi Gallery lets users securely back up photographs and videos to Google Photos. From Xiaomi Gallery, users can view, edit, and share Google Photos backups. Xiaomi smartphones worldwide will have this feature in Spring 2024.

Xiaomi 14 Series uses Xiaomi HyperOS’s cutting-edge AI to make life smarter. Integration of large AI models into system applications streamlines and improves functionality. AI subtitles transcribe video conferencing speech in real time. AI Album Search uses natural language processing to help consumers find photographs in their photo collections by describing them. AI Portraits uses powerful algorithms to produce new portraits from existing pictures. AI Expansion also allows realistic visual content additions, expanding creative possibilities.

Xiaomi HyperMind lets gadgets anticipate user wants and respond appropriately. Xiaomi HyperMind uses devices’ environment, vision, sound, and behavior perception skills to learn user preferences and modify devices automatically. After user approval, Xiaomi HyperMind will automatically switch on the living room light upon opening their smart door lock.

Xiaomi changed its group strategy from “Smartphone x AIoT” to “Human x Car x Home” smart ecosystem at the end of October last year, including cars as a key priority. Xiaomi’s worldwide debut of Xiaomi 14 Series, new IoT devices, and Xiaomi SU7, all powered by Xiaomi HyperOS, solidifies its technical leadership. These portfolio developments demonstrate Xiaomi’s dedication to innovation and user experience.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[margoshansons]

Bridgerton S3 Ideas

So, basically @honeyandsunflowers and I have had Bridgerton brain rot for the last week and we got to talking about Bridgerton Season 3 and what we want, so this is how I personally think episode one of season 3 should go.

Again, this is my personal opinion,. Also Shonda or CVD, on the impossible chance you’re reading this, I will work for pennies at this point.

Alright let’s go.

Episode One: THE WOMAN IN SILVER

-Wide shot, Mayfair, we sweep over until we land on the Bridgerton House, some kind of Lady Whistledown vo playing over the scenery. We zoom on on Bridgerton House.

-Anthony's pacing the house, staring at his pocket watch, Kate comes down with a smile. Anthony meets her gaze expectantly, Kate nods, Anthony sighs, we get some domestic banter and Anthony takes Kate in his arms and eventually Benedict interrupts them with a comment before Violet comes down with Hyacinth and Gregory. Anthony says something to effect of, "is she ready?" and Violet nods. Anthony shakes his head and goes, "let's hope this one's better than the last"

-CUT to the doors of the palace opening and we hear the announcement of Violet escorting Francesca forward, this is the first time we see her, very much resembling Daphne from the first season. She's perfect, graceful, and Kate and Anthony share proud gazes as she curtseys before the Queen, who smiles and announces her as the diamond of the season, comparing her to her sister. It's a moment of triumph, but we can see the slow discomfort stretching across Frannie's face.

-Kanthony has sexy times, Benedict bemoans his existence and refuses to touch his art while Eloise and him share banter about their respective existences. Benedict mentions Eloise's ink stained fingers and Eloise mentions the crumpled up pieces of paper on the floor. Neither of them wish to speak of it.

-The doorbell rings and Eloise assumes it's a suitor for Francesca, it's not. It's Penelope...dun dun dun. Eloise shuts the doors in Penelope's face.

-the first ball of the season occurs and it's low-key a disaster but not in the way you think. Kate manages to stop Anthony from turning every suitor away and Francesca manages to dance with quite a number of new suitors. Unfortunately this turns into a "who can pick the best suitor" contest for Kanthony which ends in hilarity. Benedict refuses to dance, and Eloise cannot hang out with Penelope anymore to avoid these things.

-Edwina (who had greeted the Bridgertons and Kate with Mary at the ball and has been hanging out with Francesca all night) saves Eloise from another dance and asks her why she's so reluctant to give men of the ton a chance. Both Eloise and Edwina have a chance to bond as Edwina admits she also sees intelligence as something she's attracted to, but was never allowed to voice it for fear of not seeming perfect, however seeing Kate marry for love freed her of that. Eloise tells her that there was someone, but she was scared and ran away. Edwina comforts her.

-Violet is speaking with Lady Danbury about Francesca's chances when Araminta shows up and asks if she'll be holding the Masquerade ball this year. Violet tells her that she hadn't thought about it, and Araminta makes some nasty comments about Kate and her lack of English manners which turns into a mocking session of India's cultures. Kate is directly behind her when she hears this and tells her that she will be planning the Masquerade this year, as Viscountess it is her duty after all. Araminta huffs and leaves with her daughters. Violet warns Kate about it and Kate tells her not to worry, she's planned plenty of soirees. Violet offers her help still and Kate thanks her.

-Francesca comes up and wonders when they'll play something more lively. There's some cute back and forth about her prospects and how she just needs the right partner, and right at that time Violet hears her named called out, she turns and who does she see? Janet and Helen Stirling. They catch up, Janet is introduced to Francesca and Helen says that Michael is around here somewhere, shrugging. Another dance finishes and Janet introduces Francesca to her son, who has just left the dance floor, we turn around and meet: John, who offers to dance the next one with Francesca. The moms and Kate smile as they watch the two of them talk.

-Lady Whistledown writes that the masquerade is happening. CUT to Sophie lounging in her servant's chamber, smiling at the latest edition of Whistledown. She lunges up when she hears the door open and Araminta and her daughters come through. Sophie serves them and they mock the Bridgertons, the Sharmas, and the scandal that happened last season. Araminta tells Sophie they need new dresses for the Masquerade ball and gives her their measurements to take to the modiste in order to ensure their costumes are perfect. Sophie nods and deals with Cressida’s outrageous demands and Posy’s need for validation when it comes to her costume which Sophie is happy to provide. Later, when she’s sewing up a tear in Cressida’s costume and laying out their nightgowns for the night, we hear Sophie humming to herself as she dances alone.

-Cut to the next day, Sophie is in Genevieve's shop with the measurements and preferred colors. Apparently the two know each other from years of Sophie working for Araminta. She talks about how she's always wanted to go to a ball and notices a beautiful fabric of silver. Genevieve offers to let her try it on, but Sophie refuses, saying that she could only ever attend the ball in her dreams, no matter how much she wants to go and instead thanks Genevieve as she gathers up the other dresses Araminta had commissioned. Genevieve watches with a curious gaze.

-Cut to Bridgerton House, Colin is returning from the country (after calling upon Sir Phillip to discuss plants again) and the room is flooded with flowers and love notes and gifts as Francesca is called upon nearly every hour. Anthony throws a fit as Kate challenges to find even one worthy suitor among them. They end up having sex again.

-Colin shows up and Francesca makes a choice remark about him not being there for her presentation day, nor Eloise's. She asks him if he had anything important to excuse him. “Daphne is nearing the due date of her newest child, and still she managed to at least make an appearance,” she chastises and Colin is unable to answer her, instead bearing an expression of guilt and something imperceptible. He apologizes and Frannie forgives him “but only because you are my most favorite brother” Anthony takes offense and Frannie replies with “you will start being my favorite once you stop trying to interfere with my plans to find a husband.” everyone laughs.

-Colin sits down next to Eloise and asks why Penelope isn’t around. Eloise, annoyed replies, “I’m not her keeper anymore” Colin asks if something happened and Eloise says nothing, which leads to Colin teasing her about what she’s writing. Eloise gets angry and throws a very public fit before announcing that she’s going out. “Where?” Colin asks and Eloise grumbles “Far away from you”

-Kate has begun to plan the Masquerade and is slowly drowning under all the stress. Kate is called to an audience with the Queen along with Edwina, where she announces that she can’t wait to see what Kate has in store, as she’s attending, only adding to the pressure. Edwina tries to help out her older sister but Kate is still freaking out about everything. Kate has a breakdown and ends up throwing up. Upset, she knocks on Mary’s door and asks for help. Mary suggests she seek out Violet. The two women have a moment where Kate asks when did Mary know she was ready to have children and Mary replies “when I met you of course”

-Benedict is strolling through Mayfair staring at the beautiful street paintings and doubting himself. He’s staring at one when a new voice enters the fray talking about how talented one must be to create something so beautiful from their imagination. Benedict turns and sees Sophie. The two converse and he asks if she’s an artist and she chuckles and says that she’s not, only an admirer. They have a fun conversation and Genevieve steps out from her shop with a box, she accidentally exposes Benedict’s identity as a Bridgerton and Sophie is mortified. Eventually she finds an excuse and leaves. Benedict and Genevieve share a bit of banter and it eventually turns serious as he asks why she stopped sleeping with him. Genevieve replies with “I am not in the habit of breaking hearts Mr Bridgerton, especially one as large as yours”

-Left with no other choice, Kate asks Violet for help and Violet calls the cavalry, bringing out the big guns as Mary, Edwina, and  a very pregnant Daphne all show up to help Kate pull this off, and they congratulate her for getting this far and Mary tells her it is not a failing to ask for help. We get a pleasant montage with Lady Whistledown VO. Invitations are sent, people are excited, and most of all Araminta is preparing her daughters to ensnare a Bridgerton. Sophie overhears the conversion as she helps Cressida and Posy. The scene is pretty much word for word from the book right down to the part where Sophie says she wishes to go to the ball and Araminta shuts her down. 

-Later, as Sophie watches the coach disappear and prepares herself for an evening to herself, Genevieve shows up with a beautiful blue box. Sophie opens it up as gasps. Genevieve explains that she had Mrs. Gibbons sneak in and grab Sophie’s mother’s old gown-- passed down from Sophie’s grandmother when Sophie’s mom worked at the house--which she would’ve worn whenever she married. Genevieve spruced it up and added the silver fabric Sophie had admired. The servants help Genevieve get Sophie ready for the ball and hand her a silver mask. In a last ditch effort to rebel against Araminta, Sophie steals a pair of shoes. Off to the ball she goes.

-Benedict is bored as he watches Francesca dance with a masked man who looks like John and Anthony approaches him. The two have a tense conversation and Anthony tells him that Benedict has no need to marry so soon. Benedict mocks him and moves toward the drink table but is accosted by several women, who refer to him as just a Bridgerton which angers him to the point of nearly yelling. After drawing enough attention to him, he runs off. The Bridgerton clan huddles together and Francesca wonders what’s wrong. She is approached by someone she believes to be John but isn’t sure and takes the dance floor with him.

-Eloise wonders if she should run after Benedict but is stopped by Penelope who demands to talk to her. They have a brief argument where Eloise chastises Penelope for believing that she would reveal her secret and thankfully Edwina comes to the rescue by offering Eloise a turn in the gardens. She accepts.

-Penelope is then approached by Colin who asks for a dance. She says no very flippantly and when he asks why for surely her dance card cannot be full she admits “just because you do not see me worthy of courting doesnt mean others don’t”. The truth comes out, Colin apologizes and we get the heartbreaking line of “I never asked you to marry me, I never told anyone I wanted you to ask.” Anthony overhears this and asks Penelope to dance, to whom she says yes. Colin stands there wallowing in guilt.

-Violet approaches Benedict and they have a chat as she usually does with her children and invites him back to the ballroom, where she claims she won’t try to force anyone into dancing with him except his sisters. He jokingly asks if that includes Kate, cause Anthony would have his head for that and Violet laughs, the two of them walking back in as Sophie bursts through the doors. She draws the attention of everyone in the room and Benedict gapes as he asks “who is that?” Violet claims she has no idea but Benedict has already moved and offers his hand (preferably as a string version of Enchanted starts to play) which Sophie takes as they begin to dance.

-Basically the rest of the chapter happens pretty much word for word from there as Sophie and Benedict get to know each other, while in the subplots: Edwina tries to wrestle the truth from Eloise while admitting that she herself struggles with identifying the feeling of love, Kate tells Anthony that she quite enjoys being Viscountess although she admits she has a lot to learn. Anthony persuades her otherwise and Kate calls him “heroic” for dancing with Penelope which leads to more flirty banter. Francesca dances with her masked suitor. 

-Eventually the dance ends and as Francesca is pulled away by another man, the suitor reveals his face and it is NOT John’s. Instead John comes up to the suitor with a glass of brandy and we find out that the mysterious man Francesca had been dancing with…was Michael. The two converse and then a few moments later a footman approaches both John and Michael with letters.When they open them, both men are wearing solemn looks on their faces.

-Araminta makes a scene which causes Colin to spurn Cressida and proclaim that he will never court her if it’s the last thing he does, which causes the crowd to gasp and Kate to step forward to try and diffuse the tension. Cressida and Araminta berate Kate and mock her efforts with the ball, which causes Anthony to throw them out early with several harsh words for each of them. The clock strikes five to twelve and Sophie catches wind of this while in the midst of her conversation with Benedict makes just as big of a scene, abandoning him as she rushes through the house and out the doors. Benedict calls after her, an embroidered glove in his hand, and the ball is left in stunned silence as Lady Whisteldown narrates.

Fade to Black. End of Episode One.

[beanboisforbrains]

A Little Cybermatsu Case Study

This cybermatsu appreciation post has got me thinking about them. They’ve plagued my mind, I must spew my thoughts.

On a surface level, the two of them have the most “normal” personalities. Yet, despite sharing this major trait, Todomatsu doesn’t look up to Choromatsu like he does with Osomatsu. They’re not often seen hanging out together where it’s just the two of them. However, Totty definitely trusts and admires Choromatsu...to some degree.

Admiration?? For rising Chorofappyski?? It’s more likely than you think.

Cyber are usually the resident tsukkomis. Choromatsu in particular gets his reputation for being “the responsible one” because he plays the role so often—an aspect of his character that’s slowing getting deconstructed over the seasons as we find out he’s just as batshit insane as his brothers, like what the hell was Friend in S3, that shit had me terrified. But when he’s with Todomatsu, it’s often Totty that’s calling him out.

As fake bitch #2 and #3 in the katakanamatsu tryhard trio they understand each other pretty well, which Totty has weaponized; using his Choromatsu bullshit sensor to drag his brother out of his delusions.

Choromatsu Rising, Dayon Tribe, and Choromatsu Memorial Hall are examples that immediately come to mind, but there are tons of little moment’s scattered throughout the rest of the skits.

S1E04 This is Totoko: Todomatsu calling him a total fool when girls are involved

S1E25 Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was: Totty (and Ichimatsu) trying to get him back in the game after Choromstu’s dick possess his brain with hornee thoughts

S3E02 Delivery: “You’re having more fun than anyone else”, in reference to Choromatsu wanting to return the AIs

S3E08 Mt. Takao: The whole bit with Choromatsu’s travel guide, Totty eventually throwing it into the sun

These are just moments I noticed when zooming through the seasons, there’s probably much more

Even in the AU skits Todomatsu is often Choromatsu’s tsukkomi.

This doesn’t mean Choromatsu lies down and takes it though. He has his fair share of Todomatsu assaults, but his attacks primarily happen in a group setting. Additionally, when he gets mad at Totty, it’s usually for stepping out of their box and going beyond the NEET boundaries they’ve placed on themselves (opposed to Todomatsu, who chews him out for acting hypocritical or delusional). 

Just like the rest of his brothers, Choromatsu doesn’t like it when Totty goes out on his own, seemingly pulling away from them.

In Todomatsu's Line, he and Osomatsu are the main instigators in Todomatsu’s interrogation. In Friend, he gets really sad when Totty calls him creepy and ignores him.

As established, the two of them share similar ideals of how they should be, but instead of being all talk, Todomatsu actually works on achieving his ideal. There’s just something about the youngest in the family succeeding first that hits harder than any other wake up call. 

Personally, I like to think Choromatsu is particularly sensitive to Totty pulling away because of how similar they are, BUT ALSO because of how close they were in high school. 

They were in the same class every year up to graduation. With Todomatsu’s baby personality it makes sense that he became extremely clingy to the only big brother that’s been with him the whole time, especially after the six of them started splintering off.

Choromatsu wasn’t exactly…ecstatic… about the responsibility. In the movie he tried to walk home on his own, leaving Totty behind. He didn’t look very pleased when escorting Totty around.

Side note: I s2g the scariest moments of Osomatsu-san come from Choromatsu’s :❮ face. He looks one unfortunate event away from snapping.

However, Choromatsu didn’t scold Totty for hiding behind him all the time (at least from what we’ve seen). He still walked him home, held his hand, and fetched him from the police station. During the rooftop fight, despite being in the middle of an argument, Choromatsu immediately went to help Todomatsu after he bumped into him and fell. 

With the emotional wall built around the other brothers, the fact that he doesn’t push totty away is pretty telling of their relationship. 

The Osomatsu-san Movie really delivered on quality cybermatsus, this shit is so cute.

Choromatsu’s mother henning of Totty has definitely lessened now that they’re adults, but he still looks out for him when it counts (albeit with a good dose of complaining).

Other moments include: 

S1E19 Period Drama Osomatsu-san: Todomatsu calls for Choromatsu-niisan when Iyami’s being sketchy with him

S3E17 Imoni: Choromatsu stops Totty from getting stewed

Tbh most of these are small moments, but they’re quite endearing. Walking Todomatsu to the washroom always gets me 🥺 Choromatsu clearly wants to sleep and could have just left him there, but he waits for him. 

Totty pays back Choromatsu for looking after him in his own ways. Totty has a specific brand of kindness that involves berating the people he cares about for their own good (and usually he’s in the right). When he yells at them it comes for a good place…deep down. He just wants to help them not be so pathetic. Which means, all those Todomatsu tsukkomis moments? THAT’S RIGHT, HE’S BEING NICE

But even though Todomatsu sees through Choromatsu’s mostly shallow attempts of responsibility, he recognizes there’s some truth to it and respects him for it (finally, we’re getting back to the point I made before the cut 😅)

LOOK AT HIM! HE LOOKS SO PROUD!

110 might have been plotting to screw Choromatsu over after (I mean, Totty does immediately back out when Choromatsu gets attacked, even though he said he would protect him), but I’m choosing to believe Totty meant at least some of this.

Totty is genuinely happy for Choromatsu when he gets a job in Letter and he bawls his eyes out when Choromatsu leaves. He also throws hands with oso for being a dick during the going away party, which isn’t the first time Totty’s defended his brother from their eldest.

In Accident, Todomatsu finds the situation hilarious but still tries to get Osomatsu to stop joking about it multiple times……and for his efforts he gets absolutely verbally flayed by Choromatsu lmaoooooo

This is what he gets for helping…probably why Totty doesn’t hold back calling him Chorofappyski in the future. 

In The Choromatsu Incident, he’s the first to breach the topic of telling Choromatsu about his hair. 

Even though he chickens out of actually telling him, later on, Totty is the first to apologize and take the blame.

Note that in the previous episode, they just kicked Todomatsu out of the family, yet here he is trying to help. Osomatsu-san continuity is nonsensical most of the time, so this tidbit doesn’t mean much...but Totty you’re so valid. Additionally, Choromastu was the one narrating Totty getting fired skit. All I have to say to that is THANK YOU FOR THE CYBER CRUMBS

Lastly, going back to the Dayon Tribe skit, Todomatsu might have drop kicked Choromatsu, but he’s also the ONLY one trying to drag him back, despite being the first to bring up going home instead of looking for their lost brothers.

Totty certainly isn’t going to ask Choromatsu for life advice anytime soon, tbh he’d rather die than do that, but I think there’s a lot of unsaid trust between them that goes unnoticed. They fight and argue as all siblings do, but ultimately they’ve got each other’s backs.

                                                ✨PIN PON✨ 

BONUS ROUND FOR CYBER MOMENTS THAT I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHERE TO PUT

Choromatsu rising from his death by embarrassment just to tease Totty.

Falling back into his protective big brother role

And finally, little moments where Totty notices something’s up with Choromatsu before anyone else

[patcaps]

god patcap in series 3 is just. pat spending 3x01 trying to get cap to laugh and understand why he doesn’t laugh more because he’s noticed it enough to say something, but then pat getting him to laugh in 3x03 when talking about ringing mike’s mum, emphasising that cap will laugh in the right place and time and when he’s particularly included. in that episode cap also swallows his pride and lets pat fill his natural scoutmaster/teacher role, is comfy enough to listen and learn, gets bashful and pleased every time pat praises his efforts. pat encourages him, stokes that interest like a campfire, and cap only burns brighter as a result. they also lobby hard for ghost stories and whisper in the tent afterwards with their heads almost touching, cap casually mentioning someone he knew from up north too (wonder if pat reminds him of him?). pat then gives him a bloody teamwork award, a high honour, and we get the slow zoom on cap’s proud face.

and speaking of military familiarity, we have pat in 3x05 opening up about how he scheduled his entire days to make best use of his time and cap agreeing, showing us once again that hey these two are really two sides of the same coin, they’re cut from the same cloth. cap would have been the exact same way, the army hardly a place that breeds spontaneity. which leads me to pat’s realisation about his shortcomings with carol, and how what drove her away is the same thing that makes him more compatible with cap. remember the comment in 2x04 when they’re waiting for julian’s spin talk and pat says he could set a watch by cap and fanny? they’re always on time, and pat is included in that. like fucking HELL. ok!!! pat being put on the same level as the two repressed characters ok ok ok

pat also mentions showering with showtunes to which cap and alison share A Look™️ because who else has been queer-coded in the show via musical numbers? yep that’s right, the canon gay ghost. on top of that we have pat’s dream about fanny with robin’s head and him agreeing with the comment about horseplay in the lake. i’m side-eyeing pat too tbh like. something YOU wanna share, patrick? seems a bit bi, a bit fruity if u ask me. and then of course we have cap almost coming out and pat’s disappointed but gentle expression, how he clearly knows (they all do) and he’s rooting for him to be able to share it along with the rest of the gang.

finally we have the improv club!!! pat once again encouraging cap’s involvement with the group. his applause, the way cap’s absolutely beaming! “do i like THAT!” god pat is just continuously supportive this series and cap responds so well to it. it’s hugely important to cap’s development that he knows he’s integral to their found family as a friend and valued team member and not a figurehead or leader, and the fact that pat is instilling it in him over and over makes my heart burst.

literally s3 said more patcap rights and i just. yeah <3

[deanwasalwaysbi]

S15 Title Card Easter Egg Breakdown

I slowed down the title cards for each season of spn (x)

S15 is haunting me so I'm here to make that everybody's problem.

The way I see it, the easter eggs in this title card represent either the events of season 15 - or of the entire series/ canon story. The beginning and end of the title card have been severely slowed down at the end for your viewing pleasure.

Season 15 TC starts off with a tiny spec. But when zoomed in this is actually revealed to be the angel banishment sigil.

That could represent Castiel going to the Empty. (... or The Rupture)

...Or Chuck casting out Amara and banishing Lucifer.

I want it to be number one, personally. I may just be clowning but Castiel's confession is the first solid direction they had for the season. They knew they were building to it and going there from the very beginning. but

This is quickly followed by the big bang, or seemingly the creation of the universe. At its center is the men of letter's symbol, the Aquarian Star, which is also echoed in the outer edge of the explosion.

As we progress, everything comes toward the screen, or the viewer is flying through the images, and the light at it's center is revealed to be the samulet. The symbol of Sam and Dean's brotherly bond. It is glowing, indicating that Chuck is near.

I lightened the first image below so you can get a better look, but over 3 frames a figure with glowing eyes flies toward the screen, possibly flanked by two others, possibly through a sea of either other beings or material. On closer inspection this is the animation of the souls escaping hell from the season 15 premiere.

It flies closer to the screen and then we see it's claws, which are not in the 15.01 animation. The claws look lifted right out of the S3 title card where they were also backed by a face (easier to see with the progression, right before the key of Solomon (x) ) and probably stood for hell coming for Dean in s3.

Other theories my mutuals and I kicked around were Cas rescuing Dean from hell, or Jack rescuing Castiel. Sigh. We just wanted that to be true.

The creature's claws grow into a bright light in front of the screen for 3 frames and then they form into the word Supernatural with black goo all around. If there had been one item for each previous season or title card that could have been leviathan, but there are no runes from s8, no flapping from S4, and as it is, I have to assume it's the empty. Which is ... interesting.

Every season the title card has been a representation of the big bad or something significant to the season. We've seen leviathan, Jack's eye, the MOL, the grips of hell, in S11 we even saw darkness give way to the Samulet's glow shining in the lettering (which is repeated in the A in S15), in S14 there was a 1 frame Chuck easter egg as the secret big bad.

... but the empty wasn't a presence as the big bad of S15

... until ... it was.

Then the black burns away, and looks very reminiscent of Jack's eye in the season 13 title card. Burning away the Empty.

At the end of the title card not ONLY does the darkness open up to reveal the blue sky of presumably heaven, that sky is framed not by clouds, but by the burning wings from the S9 title Card.

Okay tinhats on everyone.

Blue sky. Wings. S9. After an Angel Banishing Sigil.

Tell me again how Cas wasn't supposed to be there when Dean got to heaven.

We. Were. Robbed.

Season 9 the angels had fallen. Castiel had lost his wings and become human. Not ONLY could this be seen as a hint that Castiel would return after the empty deal, but for human!Cas endgame. Could this also be a nod at Cas sacrificing himself for Dean? Yes. Yes it could.

Do I instead choose to believe that this is Castiel with Dean in heaven? Yes. Yes I do. (except Dean deserved to live but I digress.)

Dean was always going to die but Cas was going to be with him?This is not Dean becoming an angel. They said it in season 2 HoH, Humans don't become angels when they die. Humans can't become angels. No harp for Dean.

The wings give way to the universe continuing to exist, a pentagram, the symbol of the show, and what was on the title card from S10, left at the center with a new light glowing in the distance. Followed by a view of space.

Here is a frame by frame slow down of the single frame images.

Thank you to @thepixelagora & @emzwolf for talking these through with me. I also want to mention @postmodernmulticoloredcloak whose 2019 post we found while on this easter egg hunt.

Our previous derangement on this subject can be found here, for now. Incorrect theories warning (x)

All title cards slowed down available here (x)

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x09 Review

Spring Break was a bit of an odd ep but helped move some key plots forward. Let’s dig in!

Well people can no longer claim that Portwell is one sided. We finally got Gina’s pov and she starts off the ep uncertain whether the shift in their relationship means that EJ likes her but by the end of the ep she seems sure of herself and that EJ likes her back. I liked that she didn’t try to pretend that nothing had changed or that she hadn’t noticed potential signs that EJ might like her; it always sucks when tv characters act like idiots. 

Perhaps the most important reveal of this ep was that Gina has a much older estranged brother who left her and her mom many years ago. That certainly makes her backstory more tragic and is definite set up for her brother to eventually return.

The writers continue to give Portwell great tropes, capping this ep off with an airport rom-com trope that also calls back to EJ getting Gina the place ticket so she could come back in S1. Not only did Gina keep EJ’s Duke sweatshirt but she altered it to fit her better which is both sweet and bold in the assumption that it was hers to keep. Gina got her sign when not only did EJ show up to drive Gina home and take her luggage but he brought her the granola bar that she had wanted but forgot to pack. I wonder if her posting on her story that she was ubering home after her flight was cancelled was intended to see if EJ would show up since the camera focused on her posting it. Also sweet that she’s taken to calling EJ, ‘ Eej’. 

EJ’s opening was good, shows a lot of his character growth from the selfish guy he was in S1 and how he’s learned to value other people which of course leads into his feelings for Gina. We got another great use of the camera as character tonight when Gina was laughing after her facetime call with EJ until she realized that the camera was on her. 

Jack was a lot of fun. Though he didn’t really change Gina’s mind over anything like the ep description said he would.  Seemed like Gina was largely over Ricky and wondering about EJ at the beginning and the end solidified her feelings for EJ but Jack didn’t really play a role in that, it’s not like he encouraged Gina to reach out to EJ or anything. There’s a vague sense in which Jack being nomadic linked him to Ricky’s unreliability in Gina’s eyes with her craving stability but that’s a stretch. Jack mentioned that the second most dangerous part of a plane ride is when the plane takes off, a hint to the blossoming Portwell relationship where in order to take off one or both of them has to risk a confession even though they could be turned down.

This ep might seem a bit weird in hindsight. The zoom parts probably won’t age well and five years from now people might be wondering why they had Gina hang out with a manic pixie dream boy of sorts for an ep.

The path is clear for canon Portwell in the finale with EJ being Gina’s second chance at romance and her first kiss since they clearly telegraphed it out of nowhere. I’ve been impressed with the great work the writers have been doing since 2x05 to build up Portwell as a ship but also work on Gina and EJ as individual characters; they’ve been the highlight of the season so far. 

There was discourse this past week over how well or poorly Portwell has been set up. Objectively very few ships on this show get much in the way of set up or consistent writing. Redlyn and Kowie had barely any set up before getting together. Seblos had none (though in fairness that was due to Disney restrictions) and Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen didn’t have much set up either. Rini did get lots of development in S1 but that’s because they had already dated and were the main ship of the show. The show’s not really about slow burns, if Jenzzara canons in the finale they’ll count and if Rina ever got together they’d also count but neither of those ships have gotten consistent development with Mazzara not being in several eps and Gina and Ricky not even interacting for the past 3 eps. 

Is Portwell a slowburn? In a sense since they did feature quite a bit in each other’s S1 plot lines and even had a fake dating plot but it is true that they were platonic and not that close in S1 so it’s a wash. There was clear set up for romantic Portwell in 1x10 with team wonderstudies and Gina staring at EJ (which interestingly enough looked more like set up for Gina to pine over EJ). I think the main problem is that even though we saw Gina and EJ hanging out in the background we didn’t get any scenes of substance between them until 2x05. It was a mistake and there should have been some scene, like EJ and Gina commiserating in 2x03 over being single on Valentine’s Day or something like that. Hell there was even that still from 2x01 of EJ and Gina looking at each other at the piano while they were in the frame between Ricky and Nini singing and having a moment  which would have been good foreshadowing but that shot wasn’t in the ep.

Whether Tim just really wanted Portwell to be a surprise in 2x05 as a mid-season twist to throw the audience off of what looked like a Rini/Rina triangle or he was unsure as to whether he wanted to go with Portwell or if he just planned it out poorly we may never know. Regardless they’ve had great writing for 4 eps in a row now which puts them slightly ahead of the 3 eps in a row of development Rina got in S1. I’m sure if someone added up their screen time they’d find that Portwell has more screen time this season than Kowie and more screen time than Redlyn or Seblos  got in S1. 

Caswell cousins was fun and Ashlyn did in fact paint EJ’s nails. 

Set up for Seblos drama next week, it’s refreshing to see Seb being jealous over Carlos flirting with other boys that’s definitely not something you see on Disney shows.

Ricky got some healing done with his mom. Enough to cover their issues? No but this is probably the best this show is capable of. There was a brief mention of therapy sandwiched between other options which sounds more like checking off a box then setting up Ricky actually going to therapy. I noticed Lynne was smiling at odd times like when she told Ricky she knew about his breakup with Nini; whether that was poor directing or acting I don’t know. Who knows if we’ll see Lynne again. As an aside still so wild that Tim named Lynne who’s been a kinda shitty mom after his own mom who he seems to be fairly close with.

Really liked You ain’t seen nothin as a song but not a fan of the Tiktok style vid. I’ll level with you wildcats, I’m too old to really get Tiktok, it just seems like a crappy version of Vine to me. Let you go was good, seemed better fitted for Joshua Bassett’s voice than some of his previous songs. A big sign that they’re not circling back to Rini for a long time for sure. Though on that note we got a bit of a hint that Ricky was Nini’s muse which may one day come back as a way to help bring them back together. 

Looking Ahead:

If there’s only 3 weeks left till the Menkies, with only 2 weeks left for rehearsal due to spring break, it’s hard to see East High winning unless North High is disqualified or has to withdraw. 

Lily is in a promo photo so she’s likely the unexpected facetime Ricky gets which is what I had theorized. Also makes it much more likely that she’s the party crasher Ricky re-evaluates in the finale though what Tim actually wants to do with those two I do not know.

There’s little point in bringing back the Valentine’s chocolate since there’s no real stakes. Rini are already broken up, Gina hasn’t spoken to Ricky since 2x06, and it’s not like Nini and Gina were ever close so even if they stopped talking to each other it wouldn’t really affect the show in any way. 

Seems pretty likely that Second Chances refers to Gina realizing that her first try with Ricky failed but her second chance with EJ won’t and that leads to her sharing her truth and cue the Portwell confession and kiss, perhaps with an assist on EJ’s end from Mazzara. We’ve gone well past the point where Portwell can be brushed off as just a plot device to help Rina but Tim is playing with fire by getting the audience so on board with Portwell if he’s once again going to have EJ lose a girl he likes to Ricky in S3.

Gina certainly needs to talk with Ricky and I do think that happens in ep 11 or 12 and leaves them on better terms. As I mentioned last week, if Tim was smart he’d slam the door on Rina if he’s going with canon Portwell or vice versa. If he wants Rina to be a slow burn he’s really botched the writing this season, it’s been too one sided and too angsty to sustain any kind of momentum or audience interest. They haven’t even interacted for 3 eps now and not only has it not affected the show but it’s inarguably made Gina’s story line much better.  Again I don’t think he’s smart enough to not try and do Portwell and then later Rina but he’s accidentally set up the Rina story line to quite easily slam the door permanently on them by having their conversation be closure for Gina who’s moved on and an apology from Ricky who never liked her back as much as Gina liked him.

Not looking forward to seeing Nini basically live out Olivia Rodrigo’s life in future seasons

Curious to see Carlos’ apology song to Seb. Ricky helping him with it is a great way to help start redeeming Ricky’s character in the audiences eye’s. According to Matt there is a bit of a Ricky/EJ rivalry this season and if it’s really happening the sleepover would be a good place to do it though I hope it’s not about Gina. 

Until next week wildcats.

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

Just saw a buddie gifset with the 3 scenes with them and beers and ahem... first time we see them with beers in THE kitchen scene buck just sets beers on the kitchen island and eddie picks it up himself. The second time also in s3 when they're at buck's again and buck is wearing that pink sweater and talking about Chris ("aren't you still in that phase") buck slides the beer over to eddie. And now in 5x04 in the balcony scene, eddie hands buck the beer. Like I don't know if it has to do with anything but just caught my eye: you pick up your beer, I slide you over the beer, I hand you the beer.. whats next? I tilt your head back and hold the bottle for you while you drink? Like I'm probably reaching but for me that beer seems like a prop now to show their development, how much closer they got 😄 never really thought of this till I saw the gifs of the scenes next to each other..

Hi, Nonnie! I don't think you're reaching at all. I think you're onto something actually (and hopefully the very scenario you mentioned LOL). Beer is definitely a prop that they like to use for Buddie. No doubt about it. So I think what you picked up on makes it even more incredible than beer just showing up in the scene, you know?

Buck putting the beer on the kitchen island so Eddie can pick it up in 3x09 - I think this is interesting because Eddie was clearly struggling in that season after Shannon's death, the tsunami, etc. And it's after Eddie picks up this beer, immediately right after, that Buck gives him the heartfelt apology Eddie had been subconsciously hoping to get but wasn't expecting to. Almost as if Buck was gauging in a way to see if Eddie would be open to hearing him out.

Buck sliding the beer over to Eddie in 3x12 - immediately after he does this, Buck is helping Eddie by presenting to him an option that Eddie hadn't seen or even thought of before. This ends up being who he listens to in the end with Christopher and the skateboarding issue.

Eddie handing the beer to Buck in 5x04 - not only is Buck hurting, but it almost seems as if Eddie is now open to everything Buck so to speak. Buck accepts the beer and immediately after Eddie is reassuring him while also giving him advice.

Which brings me back to my original read that Eddie would be the one to help Buck this time around, especially with that line of "Maybe that's not who she is anymore, maybe this time she's the one who needs to taking care of" followed by this look:

And the slow zoom ins for Eddie and then Buck as the latter processes the words. So I think that's what surprises me a bit about the show choosing to continue Eddie's struggling in the episodes after 5x04 (especially 5x08). Like I get they are mirroring his season 3 arc where he was struggling but at the same time, now it kind of feels like we're going in a big circle? Eddie went through all of this growth to the point where he could hand Buck the beer, and now it feels like another layer is being peeled back for his character but underneath it is a return to 3x01 in a way. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'm trying to keep the faith but I truly have no idea where they're going with this. I do know only one thing for sure: they're definitely working their way towards Buddie, one scene at a time.

That was a phenomenal catch, Nonnie, and thank you for sharing it with me!!! I hope as we move towards the mid-season finale, things will become a bit clearer for this season. ;-) I hope you have a wonderful rest of your night!!! <3

[meksims]

here’s a fun challenge that i’ve been seeing around! i’d like to thank @dsimz​ and @oversimplify-it​ for tagging me in this one :’)

fullscreen or windowed

when i played on pc, i kept it at windowed because i noticed that fullscreen really slowed my compter down. i also keep it windowed when i’m casually playing and don’t bother to take screenshots. 

sims 4 camera or sims 3 camera

i barely turn off the sims 3 camera nowadays. i keep it on when i build and don’t bother when i’m in live mode. the zoom on the s3 camera is great too!

sims 4 social menu or sims 3 social menu

i just learned that this is a thing! i keep the s4 social menu on because i like seeing what the game ‘suggests’ for my sims. 

full walls or half walls or none

half for gameplay! i tend to get annoyed easily if there’s a lot in the way and prefer keeping the walls just halfway there. when taking screenshots, i definitely use full walls. 

not tagging anyone specific for this one! if you wanna do it and need someone to tag you, just say that i told you so :’’)

[itsdappleagain]

My theories proven/disproven/thoughts, and thoughts on the trailer.

1. Looking for Vera will be the season goal. Well...its seems to be a goal, but it all seems to be building up to stealing/trying to steal the crown jewels.

2.  Carmen’s love interest will me made clear: Julia, Graham, or no one. Well, since neither of them were in the trailer at all!!!!!!! I don’t know. Could, still, be misdirection (Again with the SPOP S5 observation I made)

3. Zack will get an episode where he saves the day. Well, we don’t see him alone in the trailer at all, only helping out with ground support and (possibly) finding Carmen or something? Unknown

4. Julia will take initiative over Devineaux. WELL SINCE SHE DIDN’T SHOW UP IN THE TRAILER and Devineaux did-! I don’t know. Could be misdirection..

5. More ACME-centric. Mmmmm. Seems like the same balance, VILE showing up maybe even a bit more.

6. VILE will take more of a backseat; however, the fewer attacks we’ll have will be more ferocious. Still yet to be seen, but I don’t think so. 

7. VILE House Hunters. Maybe for a little bit, but it looks like they settle down in some unknown castle. You know. Discreetly.

8.  Roundabout content! We’ll see him in action. Yes yes yes! Totally more Roundabout in S3!

9. As much as I would love more info on Player, I don’t think we’re going to get much/any. Remains to be seen (we did get some info on his family in Secrets of the Silver Lion, though!)

10. Maybe some background on Chief? Unknown.

11. Based on the end of the Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper, ACME will interact with Graham. Again, unknown, but maybe this is why he wasn’t in the trailer...

12. Julia and Carmen will have a different sort of relationship after Stockholm/the hack. *Inhales* WELL

13. Hoping for some silly Shadowsan-Zack ninja training. Unknown again, but this season does seem more focused and serious.

14. Based on the flag teaser from Twitter, I’m hoping we’ll get an episode in Venice. (However, they already did have one in Milan..) Yes! Yes! Yes! Pretty sure that was Venice in the trailer! Yesssssss

15. Hoping for some more angst, as both VILE and ACME’s main directives are now taking Carmen down. *Glances at Carmen getting electrocuted into unconciousness and nearly getting hit by a car and gettig bola’d to a pole and fighting a bunch of people* so

16. Based on 15, maybe Carmen gets captured? This could also be Zack’s big moment, or a turning point for, perhaps, Julia or Graham (if he were to be recruited). So, maybe. Maelstrom says “Who will escort our little lost sheep back to VILE?”. Also, again, electrocuted into unconsciousness.

17. Counting on a small return/mention of the Duke, as he was mentioned in passing in the Need for Speed Caper. Unknown.

18. More. Fancy. Outfits. OH MY GOD I AM LIVING FOR THAT STAR OUTFIT JDJHHHHHH

19. El Topo and Le Chevre...doesn’t everyone want them to get together? weLL since they weren’t in the TRAILER

20. Vera Cruz...I don’t know if they will find her, or if she’ll be alive. To add such a potentially important character in S3, especially after Shadowsan, might be strange. Unknown again; though who is that buff lady who kicks the crap out of Brunt? Hmmmm

21. Building on 20, maybe Carmen will have a “my team is all the family I need” moment. Sounds like she’s still very adamant about finding her, from sneaking in to wherever to Ivy telling her they’ll find her

22. Hoping for some cool, deadly new operatives! Yeah!!!!!!!! Flytrap and Spinkick, plus electrocution lady, and perhaps a few others. (Also, lots of Neal, it seems!)

23.  Return of Mime Bomb. Yeppers yeppers yeppers!

24. Perhaps a stuck-together-for-survival situation (either Team Red-ACME, TR-VILE, or VILE-ACME). Didn’t see a hint of anything like that, but who knows.

25. I know we all want backstory for Ivy and Zack, but they got their little moment in S2, and their “family over career” moment. WELL- who was that lady? The one who sounds like Ivy, then Ivy-Julia, then Julia. You know the one. Maybe she’s family to them?

26. However, maybe Chase’s backstory? It seems to be quite a popular theory that he used to smoke (hence the mints). Maybe this will cause us to be more symathetic to him. Unknown again.

OKAY, MISC. THOUGHTS ON THE TRAILER!

-Again, yay glasses zack!

-Hideo! Hideo’s back and helping! It seems he was either wearing a mask or helping steal one.

-Pirate hat Carmen!

-I am in love with all the masks

-Wrestling lady!? Whomst!?

-The guy talking to Tigress was at C Cleo’s dinner party. The painter, I think.

-Spinkick and Flytrap seem pretty cool, actually. 

-Carmen’s reflexes seem so slow? She couldn’t avoid the loud whistling bola that tied her arm to the pole or think to drop (if possible) the thing that was electrocuting her into unconsciousness

-WOW That car did not slow down or anything, just honked

-Again! The star outfit! Oh my goodness gracious!

-Hey! Tigress and Paper Star working together, that’s going to be really interesting!

-Mime Bomb finally learned how to run

-Suit Chase is not horrible. I’m not thrilled. But its not horrible.

-”You care too much.” WHO ARE THE ROSES FOR SCREAM

-Most impossible heist keeps coming up. Again, like many, I think its the crown jewels.

-Hahah Zari looks so done when Carmen just zooms past

-ACME Graham is totally something I want to see. Maybe thats why we don’t get many ACME clips. Maybe he’s partnered with Julia...

Very very excited!!!!!!!! Its not what I was expecting but I’m very anxious to see how it goes. October 1 can not come soon enough! That was a really long rant and lots of stuff but I’m reallly really excited really really

[starmakerdotcom]

[ IN ORBIT WITH SOLAR S3 EP3 - our flight got delayed! ]

[ february 10th, 2020 ]

“we’re at the airport,” minjung said quietly, “i’m sitting in the waiting area, we’re waiting for our flight. we’re going somewhere to film a little bit and take some pictures.”

she flipped the camera around to show the other members. the airport was almost strangely deserted, and the dark colour of the sky through the windows made it clear that it was night. the members of solar were all spread out through the row of chairs, with honghui across from minjung in another chair, elizabeth and yongmi near the window, jihoon and hyesoo sitting on the floor, minjae sprawled out on his back on the floor, and yeonwoo asleep across at least three chairs.

honghui looked up at the camera, and minjung slowly zoomed in on his face, “there’s milo over there, hi milo~”

“aren’t we supposed to be boarding by now?” he asked. minjung shrugged in return. “look at the clock, it’s 8pm, that’s our boarding time.”

minjung turned the camera around to face herself, “maybe our flight got cancelled.”

“oh no i hope not!” minjae replied, still laying on the floor. minjung turned the camera around again and zoomed in on minjae’s face.

“oh- hi! do you like my new hair?” he asked the camera, pulling his hood down a little to reveal he had dyed it pink, “the fans don’t know yet, but they’ll know by the time this goes up, so it’s okay.”

“when we got here, there were a few fans here to say hi and mj’s hood fell down,” honghui explained, “someone shouted ‘mj has pink hair!’ and then he pulled his hood back up and said ‘no i don’t!’”

“ooh, we should show everyone all of our new hair colours!” minjae exclaimed, ignoring honghui’s little story about him, “i dyed my hair pink, min dyed her’s blonde! milo’s is still black but it’s longer. can i see the camera?”

minjung handed minjae the camera, and he made sure to zoom in on each member individually and talk about their hair. “see posie and orion right there? orion’s hair is dark blue and posie’s is blonde! over there, beth has dark red hair and leda still has blonde, she told me she wants to dye it brown. and over there... eri is asleep so you can’t really see but she has short hair now!”

“are you guys filming right now?” yongmi asked from a few chairs down. she sat near elizabeth who had her phone propped up against the windowsill, very obviously recording herself, probably for tiktok, who knows,

minjae nodded, “come over here and say hi!” he exclaimed, zooming in on her.

she walked over and sat down, “it’s so warm in here,” she said while taking off her coat and rolling it into a ball small enough to put in her carry on, “i don’t know how you guys are surviving, especially elizabeth.”

elizabeth looked over, dressed in a long sleeve shirt, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and platform sneakers that made her at least two inches taller (minjae and jihoon both didn’t like those shoes). “it’s called fashion,” she huffed, “i wanna look good, and some people wanna be comfortable.”

minjae turned and zoomed in on yeonwoo, looking like she was still asleep- although you couldn’t really tell because of the way her hat and facemask were covering her face.

“are you filming me?” yeonwoo asked from under her hat.

minjae kept zooming in, “...no.”

“are you guys judging me because i decided to dress comfy?” she asked, and minjae zoomed in on her outfit for emphasis, a hoodie and sweatpants, with a facemask and bucket hat (it matched the one that leda wore! they bought matching ones with bananas on them).

“...nope,” minjae said again.

the video cut off, and it’s evident a few minutes have gone by. minjae still has the camera, but it’s pointed up at minjung.

“we just found out our flight is delayed an hour and a half,” minjung explained, “it’s still departing tonight but we have to wait a while.”

the conversation was suddenly interrupted by jihoon, who called out to minjung, “min! i’m hungry.”

minjae turned towards him, “me too! is there a cafe or something around here?”

“probably,” minjung said, “milo? do you mind taking them to go find somewhere to eat?”

minjae looked at minjung, “min... i’m 17, i think i can get there myself.”

“you’re gonna get lost,” minjung said, “it’s a big airport, you’ve almost gotten lost here before. milo? can you take them?”

honghui nodded, putting his phone in his pocket, “yeah, i can do that, i’d like a drink anyways.”

“get me a coffee?” yeonwoo asked from under her hat.

“not unless you come with us,” honghui replied.

“nevermind then,” yeonwoo responded, “i’ll stay here.”

“alright,” honghui said, standing from his seat, “are you guys coming?”

jihoon and minjae both nodded, also standing up and following behind honghui.

honghui waved goodbye to minjung, “we’ll be back... whenever. i don’t know yet.”

the video cut to minjae with his face pushed right up against the camera, only his eyes and nose in frame, “guys look how stylish milo is,” he said, turning the camera around to pan up and down honghui’s outfit, a black and white patterned button up shirt, black skinny jeans, and black sneakers.

“i just threw this on this morning,” honghui explained, putting his hand on the camera and turning it back towards minjae, “this is one of my favourite shirts though, i wear it out a lot.”

“guys, there’s a little cafe right there!” jihoon exclaimed, pointing towards a store a little ahead of them. as they got closer, they could see a few tables and a person or two sitting and eating, as well as a young woman at the cash. all their faces were blurred for privacy reasons, obviously.

“okay, what do you guys want?” honghui asked the two younger boys.

“can i get a cookie? and a hot chocolate?” jihoon asked.

“can i get that too?” minjae said.

“i don’t know, that’s a lot of sugar...” honghui replied, “do you really wanna eat that much sugar this late?”

“yeah!” jihoon said, “do you not have enough money for it or something?”

“i have enough money, i just don’t think that much sugar is a good idea this late but if you want it i’ll get it. how about you two go find a place to sit while i order?”

this time, the video cut to a zoomed in scene of honghui talking to the lady at the cash. he was smiling and laughing, and she was too although it was hard to make out under the blur. minjae and jihoon were audibly giggling in the background.

“they’ve been talking for a few minutes, do you think he’s gonna shoot his shot?” minjae asked.

“no way,” jihoon laughed, “he’s too shy, he’s probably being so awkward up there.”

honghui turned around to return to the table, a tray in his hands with a few drinks and their cookies balanced on top.

“there he is!” jihoon exclaimed, “so what’s with you and that girl up there? was she nice?”

“i was literally just ordering. she recognized me and that’s what we were talking about,” honghui replied, a light rosy blush dusting his cheeks.

“what’s her name? is she your age?” minjae asked.

“can i say that? i feel like that’s kinda private,” honghui said hesitantly, “her name is pretty common though.”

“say it!” minjae exclaimed.

honghui leaned in, “her name is hayoon, don’t go find her and stalk her or anything, she’ll probably blame me. can we blur her face out?”

jihoon glanced down at the tray, noticing an extra fourth drink that didn’t look like it was for any of them. “why’d you get two coffees? isn’t one enough?” honghui didn’t respond.

“it’s for yeonwoo isn’t it?” minjae said, and honghui nodded quickly.

jihoon laughed, “you’re such a pushover.”

honghui suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket, “i got a text from leda. where is she? oh, she found a candy shop with posie and beth, do you guys wanna go now and meet her there? you can bring your drinks.”

minjae nodded frantically, “i wanna see a candy shop!”

six members of solar were now in frame, minjung and yeonwoo were still sitting near the terminal, and the others were in a candy shop.

“do you wanna see what i have milo saved as in my phone?” yongmi asked the camera, or more specifically minjae, who was behind the camera. she lifted up her phone to show their messages, “it’s darrel,” she giggled, “it’s an inside joke, i gave everyone english names, right, gary?”

“i don’t like being called gary,” minjae huffed.

hyesoo skipped over, a baggie of multicoloured gummies in one of her hands, “what’s going on over here?”

“oh hi sandra,” yongmi greeted hyesoo, and she laughed in return. “see? posie likes it, why can’t you respond to my jokes like that?” yongmi said to minjae.

“look at how pretty this store is,” minjae said, completely ignoring yongmi and instead moving the camera in a slow pan around the shop. the shelves were lined with rows and rows of colourful candies that would make any little kid freak. this time, particularly any little kid named hyesoo, minjae, or jihoon.

“are you gonna buy that?” yongmi asked hyesoo, referring to the gummy bag in her hand.

“probably,” hyesoo replied, “why?”

“just wondering,” yongmi answered, “i might buy something small, i’m not sure yet.”

“you should,” elizabeth appeared seemingly out of thin air, startling yongmi and hyesoo, “they’ve got these cute little- ice cream- popsicle- ...things. i don’t know what to call them but they’re cute.” she held out the little packet the frozen treat was help in in front of her.

“wait where did you find those? i want one!” yongmi said.

“come over here!” elizabeth said, leading yongmi to a different section of the shop, leaving minjae and hyesoo by themselves.

“so...” hyesoo started, “have we even talked about why we’re at the airport yet?”

“i don’t think so,” minjae answered from behind the camera.

“oh! well in that case...” hyesoo began, “we’re shouting a few scenes for our new music video! can i say the name of the song? this will probably be up after the song comes out anyway, it’s called crush! we’re also going to take some pictures, and honestly it’s mostly just a vacation more than anything. i’m excited!”

minjae nodded, “yeah, it’s exciting. but what kind of candy should i buy?”

“guys?” the two heard honghui call from a few metres away, “min just texted me... we’ve been out for an hour, our flight is gonna be here in less then thirty minutes.”

“does that mean we need to go?” jihoon asked.

“really soon, yeah,” honghui said, “hurry up and pay for your stuff so we can go back and not miss our flight, okay?”

“don’t rush me! i need to pay for my gummies!” posie called back.

“do you want to miss your flight? hurry up!” honghui yelled right back at her.

yeonwoo had the camera now, still waiting on the terminal.

“we’re gonna board in a minute,” she explained, “milo bought me a coffee. it’s cold, but i appreciate it.”

finally, the camera was back in minjung’s hands, and she was on the plane, sitting next to hyesoo who was asleep on her shoulder.

“we’re landing, thought i’d just update you and say we made it through the flight. i’ll come back when we’re on the ground!” she covered the camera with her hand.

minjung took her hand off the camera, and they were in another airport, “we made it!” she tilted the camera towards yongmi who was walking beside her, she looked like she had just woken up.

“yay!” yongmi said with rather flat sounding enthusiasm, “i wanna go back to bed.”

“when we get to our hotel,” minjung said, looking at the camera, “shoot, i think it’s about to die. it’s a sign we’ve filmed too much today i think.” yongmi nodded.

“time to say bye now, i think.”

“okay,” minjung said, “it was a long day, but we made it! we’ll see you tomorrow, b-“

then the camera died, cutting off the vlog.

[flying-elliska]

S3 Rewatch - Episode 3 - Vendredi 21h36 - “Pas forcément une meuf”

And we are dropped right in the middle of the action, sound like a bass drop after the buildup of the previous clip, after a brief shot of the lit up foyer from outside (lol so not discrete guys) with a little powerpoint zoom effect on the timestamp. It works to immediately immerse us in the wild feeling of the party - everyone dancing, the angles askew, the lights flashing and swirling. Three things. First, Arthur looks hella fly in his James Bond tux, class act, hope we see that side of him again in his season. Second, how good must it have felt for Imane to be able to wear her headscarf in school like she wants but can’t do bc of messed up laws ? Also - the girl dressed as a whole ass shower with curtain and ring is a f*cking Legend she should pop up in fics more. Like the level of extra - why a shower ? Who even does that ? did she ever think about how complicated it would be for her to get away if they got caught ? Nope, she did it all for the Drama. She heard ‘Infiltration’ theme (so like, being discrete and shit) and she went and got the most out there costume she could find. Respect. Also I saw someone in a penguin onesie lmaoooo. 

Basile wants to vomit and we really needed to know that, I guess. Alexia has such BDE casually dropping the whole ‘oh yeah that cute girl that looked at me flirtily is my ex, paws off and yeah i have much more game than you also bye’ at Basile. And the way she casually comes out to her boyfriend and orders him to get her a drink as soon as he gets weird. Because she acts as if she is entitled to a normal reaction (and she is!!!) and anything else is annoying. I love her. Her boyfriend doesn’t deserve her. The painted wall behind them looks so cool. Then another hilarious instance of Daphy freaking out over rules even if she’s basically the biggest rule breaker since she started this, Imane protecting Daphy from Basile being yikes, again being the friend who does the Most, and we cut to Chloé dissing the music. Lucas asks her if she listens to Jul (an extremely lame white French rapper) which is hilarious - it’s a ‘as if you’re any better’ covert dig. And then it turns out that she does listen to music Lucas likes and the best part ? He doesn’t even care. He wants nothing in common with her. He listens to dubstep now and he’s gonna like it even if it’s atrocious. He’d rather be with Eliott and listen to annoying music than to be without him (foreshadowing!!!!). He doesn’t give a shit about Chloé and her snobbish ways. Also there is a sun projected on the wall behind Lucas (symbolism !!!) Meanwhile Mika in his metallic silver suit and rainbow shirt is being super extra and kissing boys without a care in the world, and the way Chloé talks about him is dripping with condescension - ‘did he get the wrong party’ as if everyone is not being over the top anyway, or talking abt gay men as if they’re party accessories. Alexia correcting her feels fitting - Eliott in this clip is all about being mysterious and witholding so it’s okay he’s not the one doing that even if him correcting prejudice would have been awesome. I just don’t quite see Eliott standing up for himself in the way Even did. He’s always so much more nervous when it comes to talking. 

The music then goes “oh oh” as Eliott arrives, as if on cue. Like hiding-in-plain-sight camo for Lucas, the fact that the mask is actually blocking out his face physically is very fitting (beyond looking hot as fuck) - like Eliott’s tendency to actually disappear and hide when shit gets rough. Also sorry but Lucille looks gorgeous right there - they both do. The petty “salut, mec” - l e g e n d a r y. I remember how we all thought that Eliott was going to be super sad and down after Lucas shooting him down and there he is, all smoldering ! I love that he’s never doing the expected thing. He’s sensitive, yeah, but he can be hella bold too. Eliott doesn’t even respond to Chloé and challenges Lucas with his super expressive downright bedroom-y eyes. Lucas looks so pissed off and overwhelmed and done and turned on at the same time. Like how did Chloé not notice anything, she really is next-level oblivious. Bubbles are floating around them, I love that, works with the ‘brief bubble’ they find themselves in later. 

I think we wrote entire dissertations about their remake of the ‘Call Your Girlfriend” moment - how much longer it was and felt like an entire conversation. It left me so wired and breathless after I saw it. Eliott’s little “okay we can play that game” smug smirk, open mouthed kiss, jumping in sync with Lucille, both of them looking so cool together like college kids do to high schoolers, all easy grace and racy confidence, and those neon rings around their necks like fallen haloes - whereas Lucas looks like he’s just bumbling around and smashing his face on Chloé’s clumsily out of sheer nerves and annoyance and jealousy. Lucas staring angrily at Eliott who seems absorbed in kissing Lucille and having fun without him for a moment. And then. And then. We can see Eliott pivot and the white of his eyes as they open towards Lucas. He’s staring back ! This is the first moment that we, and Lucas, unequivocally know he wants him back. It’s a culmination of three frustrating weeks of them running after and dancing around each other. But finally, there is absolutely zero misinterpretation possible. And after that, the kissing slows down, it feels like they’re both floating, and as they close their eyes - Lucas especially - we just know that they’re picturing kissing each other instead. Like for a moment, they’re caught in a trance together, in this moment of confirmation, of stolen bliss, of revelation. And bam ! Lights back on and it’s extra brutal compared to OG because it’s not just a random cut, it’s the janitor and they’re in actual danger of being found out, it adds to the ‘caught in the act’ tension. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

 And then they run, and they find each other. Eliott just grinning and thriving in the general chaos is so funny. Another reason why the forbidden party thing is awesome - in the panic, their first reflex is to look for each other, and that is very revelatory of their priorities, but it also gives them the freedom to leave together unnoticed. Eliott walking Lucas home gives us those romcom sweetheart vibes. and it’s so. obvious. subtletly whomst ? Lucas keeps having to make the choice of following Eliott - and I love that Eliott is giving him these choices, it’s a way for him to progressively ease into choosing Eliott entirely. 

Canal St-Martin ! I’ve been there ! It’s very cute and romantic ! Then we have the conversation of absolutely Unsubtle Fishing.  I love that they keep giving each other outs -  to protect each other and their own hearts, to make it easy so they can deny if they need to (so it’s serious with this gf ? so you it’s really hot between you and this Chloé - lol Eliott you know it’s not - ? so you don’t want to be in a couple ? ) and just. NOT. TAKING. THEM. And being like no Chloé is too much it’s annoying, no my couple with Lucille is coming to an end, no bitch it’s you I want !!!!! It’s that reciprocal dance they do, Lucas tentatively coming out of his shell, Eliott giving him time but also making it easier for him (and more enthralling lol). But I did NOT expect Eliott to come out like that. Like ! I was in the tram when I watched this lol (I was still not aware of the importance of Vendredis back then) and. i. just yelped out loud like a moron lmaooo. I wanted to cheer him on like he was a football player that just scored. It’s just such bi/pan goals in particular to come out like that, so nonchalantly, because you’re so easily assumed to be straight and it’s kind of a pleasure to turn ppl’s expectations around, but it demands a certain level of confidence. I love how the music rises and it goes in a second from ‘friends hanging together all casual like’ to ‘yeah they want to jump each other’s bones’. Daaaaamn Manon. 

This clip is just so thrilling. Last Vendredi was the wonder of discovery but all very uncertain - this is confirmation that the special someone likes you back, and it’s such a high, they transcribe it so wellllllll. 

Previous clip. 

[tisfan]

Suburban Warfare

Square: S1 - mutual appreciation society ( @tisfan ) Square: S3 - Day in the Life ( @monobuu ) Warning: unadulterated fluff, suburban life, Home Owners Association Pairing: Tony/Bruce Summary: When the HOA makes his neighbor take down his adorable little garden gnomes, Tony sets out a plan of revenge, involving flying… robotic… flamingoes. Who said suburban living was boring? Word Count: 2,215 Link: A03 for @tonystarkbingo

Tony Stark hadn’t actually seen his neighbor for the first six months or so after moving into Lighthouse Crossings.

Tony’s house was the one on the end, so he only shared the one wall with his neighbor -- Mr. Banner, according to the package that Tony had once gotten by accident. He’d dropped it off at Banner’s porch and rang the bell, but got no answer. So, Tony had left the box there and hoped that the stories about being able to leave your front door unlocked were true.

Rhodey kept saying that living out in the middle of nowhere was going to be good for Tony, but Tony wasn’t so sure. However, with steady access to Amazon Prime and a really nicely remodeled shop in what had once been a double garage, Tony was managing. Mostly.

He hadn’t seen his neighbor, that much was true, although sometimes Tony could hear him moving around in his own house. He drove an enormous, bright green Jeep that was usually parked in the drive, same as Tony’s Audi.

Tony wondered what Banner was keeping in his garage, since it wasn’t his car. It wasn’t that unusual, though. He’d noticed of his up and down the street neighbors, that only about ten percent of them used the garage for actual car storage.

So, he’d never actually seen his neighbor.

But what he had seen was his neighbor’s lawn ornaments.

(more below the cut)

It started as just one; a little garden gnome wearing a pointy hat, and -- Tony actually had to walk up Banner’s driveway to peer at it more closely -- a Star Trek uniform.

“Beam me up, Scotty,” Tony said, patting his neighbor’s wall. “You are my new best friend, if I ever meet you.”

A few weeks later, the Star Trek redshirt gnome was joined by two science officers.

A week after that, Tony noticed that there were now four gnomes, and they’d been redistributed so that Red Shirt Gnome was dead, there was a science officer inspecting the dead gnome, and a yellow shirted gnome screaming at the skies.

“Khaaaaan!” Tony muttered.

A week after that, a communications officer gnome sat on the front porch, delicate little porcelain legs crossed as she talked into a device attached to her head.

A month or so and Tony found a shop in town (he walked by it all the time on the way to the hardware store, but this time he’d actually stopped in and looked.) that sold lawn ornaments. He looked over the stock and picked out a good sized lawn crocodile, which he added to his own lawn, only inches away from Banner’s lawn.

Two days later, he was delighted to go out in the morning and discover that the entire Gnome-Away team was gathered on the edge of Banner’s yard, inspecting the croc.

A day after that, the croc “ate” one of the Away Team.

It progressed like that.

Tony still hadn’t met the neighbor. But he was nursing just a little bit of a lawn decoration crush.

Dear Mr. Stark,

It has come to our attention that you are in violation of Community Guideline 102.a.ii, specifically:

It is the duty of all members of the community to keep their lawns neat and tidy, so as not to lower curb appeal for the neighborhood.

The board is giving you ten (10) business days to comply without our requests, or the board will have the lawn tidied, and bill you for any corrections.

Further non-compliance will be met with a $25-per-day fee after the specified ten (10) business days are up to be collected with your monthly Home Owners Association Fees.

If you would like to appeal this decision, the board will hear your complaints on the second Tuesday of the month, at our bi-monthly meeting.

Sincerely

Whitney Frost

The first time Tony met his neighbor, a man with an unbelievable amount of fluffy hair, a square jaw, and a hideous purple shirt was dumping two garden gnomes (communications officer and the original Red Shirt) into his trash can, and then stood there, staring at the plastic container like it was a open grave.

Tony shoved his feet into a pair of slippers and hurried out the door, still in his pyjama pants (with flamingos on them, because Tony loved him some ridiculous pyjamas), coffee mug in one hand. “No, no, no, wait, what, what are you doing?”

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a rumpled copy of the same letter Tony had received and promptly ignored. His yard was neat and tidy. There wasn’t trash in it, he had his lawn cut regularly by the Parker kid down the street. The flower beds had actual flowers in them. He was fine.

“HOA says my gnomes are tacky,” Banner said. “They’re going to fine me.”

“There’s nothing in the HOA rules about lawn gnomes,” Tony said. “I checked. You’re fine. I like your lawn gnomes.”

“Well, someone doesn’t, because Whit said there were a number of complaints,” Banner said.

“Zero is a number,” Tony muttered. “Look, I’m on your side here-- my name’s Tony, by the way, nice to meet you--”

“Bruce.”

“--so let’s just go to the HOA meeting and appeal.”

Bruce gave him a little half-tipped up smile. “You think so?”

“I know so--” Tony reached into the trash and pulled out the two gnomes. Nothing seemed to be broken. A little paint on Red Shirt’s hat, good as new. “I like these guys-- I’ve… my lawn croc-- you know. It’s been fun.”

Bruce was smiling, a little shy, ducking his chin. But he was also nodding along. “Yeah, I-- it’s nice to meet you, Tony.”

“Bruce, Bruce, check it out,” Tony said. He waved the remote at his neighbor, noting again, for the record, that Bruce was absolutely adorable in an absent minded professor sort of way. Even if he insisted on wearing purple cardigans. He was, in fact, both absent-minded and a professor, so it was just professional courtesy that Tony was noticing, and the fact that he wanted to see if Bruce’s mouth was as kissable as it looked, that was just bonus, right?

Besides, no one had to know that he was crushing on his neighbor.

“What are you--” Bruce ducked as one of the flamingoes got a little close to his head.

“Flying lawn decorations,” Tony said. “They’re not against the rules, I checked.”

Bruce spun around in a slow circle. There were an even dozen of the things, zooming around in patterns above Tony’s lawn. “This is amazing, did you make these?”

“Well, yeah,” Tony sad. “I mean, they don’t even sell this sort of thing in skymall.”

“How?”

“Well, I started with some roombas, and then hacked their algorithms,” Tony said. “Built the core around them, and utilized some of Stark Industries old flying car tech. We never could get approval for the repulser technology, and Dad gave it up as a bad idea. The lift just wasn’t there for a passenger compartment. But these guys, they weigh less than ten pounds each, so it’s pretty easy. They’re confined to the yard, and when they need to recharge, they go right to their stations behind the house.”

“That’s cool,” Bruce said, tipping his head up to watch.

“Perfectly safe. Perfectly within the rules,” Tony said. After the emergency session in which the HOA had decided that lawn statuary of any sort was against the rules, and both Tony and Bruce had been hit with enormous fines (Tony had offered to cover Bruce’s fines, but Bruce had just blown him off) Tony had been trying, deliberately, to get on Frost’s nerves. “They’re not statues. And when they’re charging, they’re out of sight, and so not lowering the curb appeal.”

Bruce hummed thoughtfully, still watching one particular flamingo making patrols around Tony’s yard. “I think you underestimate Whitney Frost.”

“We shall see,” Tony said. He felt pretty good about it. Besides, the flamingos were pretty cool, no matter what.

“Hey, hey, Tony-- Tony will you wait up?” Bruce came shuffling down the sidewalk from the Clubhouse, after the Homeowners Association meeting.

“Yeah, what? Oh, oh, sorry, Bruce, that just makes me so angry, there was nothing specific in the bylaws about lawn ornaments, Frost just has a boner for making people do what she wants. She doesn’t want residents, she wants fucking clones.” Tony hitched in a breath, getting ready to go full on rant, but the look on Bruce’s face pulled him up short. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just have to work on not getting angry,” Bruce said. “I have poor impulse control when I’m angry, and after so many years, I’ve finally learned that toxic anger doesn’t help anyone.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Tony said. “Look, you want to go out and get a burger and a beer or something? I just-- did you see that, she just--”

“Railroaded the board into doing what she wants, I know. She’s done it before. There’s only three of them, and Parker Robbins does whatever she says, so-- no one wants to be on her bad side,” Bruce told him. “I could have told you that.”

Which was Bruce’s way of saying he had told Tony that. And that Tony hadn’t listened. Usually, Tony had discovered that a firm, no nonsense attitude, a big smile, and a reasonable argument worked.

Frost had, when confronted with the idea that lawn gnomes weren’t specifically forbidden by the bylaws, had gotten the other board members to change the damn bylaws at the fucking meeting.

Bylaws took only a quorum vote of the board members to change, and didn’t have to have any sort of discussion or study before hand.

“If Frost wanted us to all have to grow orange crabgrass in our yards, she could just decide that?” Tony demanded of the air. “How is that-- that is too much power for someone to have. These are our homes.”

“You can only turn over a board decision with at least fifty percent of the owners showing up for a vote. No one can do that. Even when she decides to raise the homeowners’ dues, we can only get about thirty heads of household to show up to the damn meeting,” Bruce said. “A beer and burger date sounds great.” He slanted his eyes at Tony.

“Is it a date? I mean, not that I have a problem-- I mean, I haven’t… did you--” Tony stammered.

“You’re adorable when you get all muddled up,” Bruce said. He was a big guy, but soft, somehow. Like a teddy bear. He put an arm around Tony’s shoulders and Tony just wanted to kick back, curl up, and stay safe there. “I’m saying, if you want it to be a date, I’m not adverse to the idea of dating.”

“It’s a date,” Tony said, firmly. “Absolutely.”

“What are you doing?”

“Finding a loophole,” Tony said. The home owners association documents were a huge, over 200 page, held together with a binder clip piece of bullshit that Tony had signed before getting the mortgage for his home.

He’d read through them, because he always read everything that he signed, no matter how tedious. But the addendum to the HOAdocs had not been included.

Which showed a gradual increase in the amount of power that had consolidated into the board.

“Is it working?”

“Actually, yes,” Tony said, looking up with a beatific grin. “How do you feel about some neighborhood involvement.”

“Huh?”

“Change the system from within,” Tony said. “Look, there are actually seven board positions--” Tony traced a line down the page. “And they’re filled entirely by volunteers.”

“Frost only has three people on--”

“I know. No one has volunteered in years. So it’s just Frost and her cronie, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who’ve been on the board since the neighborhood was first build up,” Tony said. “There’s a sad lack of leadership these days. Frost controls the vote, because in the case of a tie, she gets to decide.”

“So--”

“I’m saying we volunteer, my darling,” Tony said, batting his eyelashes at his boyfriend.

“Us. Volunteer.”

“To be on the board,” Tony clarified. “That gives the board six votes total. And I already talked May Parker into it.” Parker had a kid, a nephew about four years old, and she’d gone up against Frost a few times too for things like sidewalk chalk and Big Wheels bikes. Which made for seven votes total.

“You think Jack or Stan will back anything we suggest?”

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted. “But what else can we do, aside from conform to Frost’s expectations. We can’t let her win, Bruce.”

“I wasn’t aware that this was a war,” Bruce pointed out, mildly.

“Look, the board positions are only open at the annual meeting. This meeting. So, if it doesn’t work out, we’re only doing it for a year. How bad can it be?”

“I’m quite positive we will regret this,” Bruce said.

“Oh, come on, Bruce, this is an excellent outlet for your anger issues, there’s something here to get angry about! Use your powers for good.”

Bruce pulled Tony into an embrace and kissed him several times until Tony relented and relaxed. “I’ll tell you a secret. I’m always angry.”