#also. the comedic moments dont land.

[thermesiini]

mannn its rough over there for dungeon meshi animeers this last episode was not very well done

[miirohs]

rats [u.s.p]

pairing: OPLA!Usopp x GN!Reader wc: 0.6k cw: spoilers for opla eps 5-7 but ive forgot which eps exactly so proceed with caution an: if i had a dime for every time i felt uncomfortable writing kisses id have a shit ton of dimes bc i dont want to write kisses but if it calls for it i must answer.

"Usopp, i need help!" You snapped, broom clutched precariously in your hands as you stood on the hanging table.

As your eyes scanned the floor, the small rat you had seen earlier darted across the floor, causing you to yelp and stumble back a little.

You had been stuck in the kitchen for a while, at a stalemate with the critter. You weren't sure anyone had heard your cries for help.

"Hey Y/n, i thought i hear you calling- What the hell?!" He jumped as the rat scuttled around his feet, moving back faster than you had ever seen him move before. It might have been comedically funny if it weren't for that fact that it was a rat, on deck of all things.

"Usopp you coward! Now's not the time to move away!" Usopp stared at you, looking down at the floor before looking back up with a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, i might have left some snacks out, and i think... it might have attracted the little guy. But don't worry, I'll take care of it!" He offered, and you sighed in exasperation.

"Just... just be quiet for a moment. Let me handle this." With a deep breath, you steadied yourself on the table and lowered the broom cautiously towards the rat.

With a quick lunge, making a dangerous swipe at the critter.

"Gotcha! Wait whoa-" You lunged too far, dangerously far off the edge of the table.

Usopp's eyes widened in alarm, and he sprang into action, reaching out to grab you as your arms flailed, trying and failing to regain the balance.

Your breaths came in ragged gasps, and you looked up at him, your eyes wide.

"Rats," you muttered, warmth spreading across your face as you leaned slightly into his arms. "I'm sorry. Thank you for catching me, though."

He smiled, his dark eyes softening with concern. "Of course, I've got your back. It was a close call, though. Are you okay?"

You nodded, feeling grateful but also a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

Usopp chuckled, his hand still lingering on your waist. "Well, I guess I owe you one now."

As he let go, you couldn't help but notice the warmth in his eyes and the gentle smile on his face.

You continued to watch the rat scuttle about the room, eyes wandering from his, broom clutched firmly in your hands.

The little creature had found a temporary refuge beneath the table, and you beckoned to Usopp. Whispering, you said, "I think we need a more strategic plan."

Usopp nodded in agreement, strange look in his eye as he watched the animal alongside you. "You're right. Let's not scare it too much. I have an idea. You stay here and keep an eye on the rat, and I'll try to guide it toward you."

Grabbing a jar, he quickly set up a contraption, fiddling with it before eventually placing a piece of cheese under it.

"Where did you get the cheese?" You whispered as he joined you, crouching next to you behind the island.

Usopp grinned smugly. "I always have a secret stash of snacks. Just in case of emergencies, you know."

"Dude, in what case would we ever need cheese?" You laughed, hushing as Usopp landed a smack to the back, pointing to the jar.

The two of you watched as the rat slowly approached the jar, lured by the scent of the cheese. Its tiny nose twitched, and it cautiously entered the opening, pawing its way in.

With a deft movement, he slid a thin piece of cardboard under the jar, trapping the rat inside. It squeaked in surprise, causing you to jump a little.

"We got it!" Usopp exclaimed, a triumphant grin on his face. "Well done, (Y/N)!"

You couldn't help but laugh in relief, "You're a hero Usopp."

He grinned, his chest puffing out a little with pride. "Well, it's all in a day's work for the brave captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Well, i don't think the actual captain would take very nicely to that," You smirked, taking the jar from him.

"Hey-" He said, looking at you seriously before breaking into a smile, "-there's no telling. It can just be our little secret."

"Well, i'm going to have to charge you for that... How about a kiss?" You smiled at him, putting down the jar.

He glanced around the room before leaning in closer to you, a mischievous glimmer in his eye.

"Well, I suppose I could consider it as payment for saving you from that rat," he replied, his voice teasing.

The two of you shared a brief, sweet kiss. Warmth spread, goosebumps running down your arms as the chaos of the kitchen seem to melt away.

When you finally pulled away, Usopp had a satisfied grin on his face. "Consider us even now."

"Deal-"

A crash interrupted you, and you turned around, smashed jar now on the floor instead of the counter, without a rat to hold.

"Rats. Not again."

"Rats indeed. Better not let Sanji see that," He said, scurrying away as you flushed.

"You better get your ass back here Usopp!"

[madeup-community-episodes]

Theoretics of Bisexual Lighting

Background: The Dean rents out a gaudy hotel venue for a Greendale faculty only dance and NOTHING ELSE THIS WAS ALWAYS HIS PLAN (lying). Its all nicely decorated and he even got some LED lighting, specifically bisexual lighting, which is pointed out by Abed. A-Plot: Troy and Abed decide to go together as each others platonic dates, but the atmosphere gets Troy REALLY thinking about his and Abed's relationship. (More under the cut)

He looks back and sees that for the past 6+ years he has always been with him, save the rare moments they fought. Troy starts to think about spending the rest of his life with Abed, but the thing is he doesn't want to stress Abed out with anything romantic, he doesn't even know if this feeling IS romance, but he also doesn't think its platonic. Abed notices Troy is avoiding talking to him and asks if he wants to go, but Troy says nothings wrong. Throughout the night Troy gets more and more caught up in trying to categorizes his feelings of Abed into romantic or platonic or even familial. Later on in the night Troy confess he loves Abed and wants to kiss and all that with him but still doesn't know what he wants call it, and Abed's just kinda like 'I mean we could make something up, just for us', which helps Troy a LOT and yeah they kiss under the bisexual lighting and to the song 'Somewhere out there' by Linda Ronstadt :] B-Plot: Jeff and Duncan, the night before, decide to stay the night at the hotel to treat themselves, in separate rooms. HOWEVER, the hotel had a system glitch so Duncan's booked room was given to someone else. Jeff lets him stay in his room. That room happens to be a 'Honeymoon suite' because Jeff wanted to treat himself okay? So first off, they take a name in the middle of the day because the room situation kept them up until late in the night, but someone forgot to set an alarm and they end up missing one hour of the dance. THEN Jeff takes an inordinate amount of time in the shower, missing 30 more minutes of the dance. After THAT Duncan can't find the suit top he was going to wear, only realizing he forgot it at home, which loses them another hour. and after more comedic shenanigans ('dont you dare wear that tie, I am NOT matching with you' 'its the only one I brought Ian.' 'idc'), end up missing 4 hours of the dance, Jeff tries to go down without him- he really doesn't know why he didn't while he was looking for the jacket- but the lock on the door breaks and they're locked in and instead of yknow, calling the front desk, they argue about it. Duncan's like 'Why the hell didnt you just go without me?' and Jeffs like 'maybe I like being around you??' and Ians like 'bullshit, you started ignoring me after I didnt get you the test answers' Jeff is all like 'jesus christ, I know I sucked back then but MAYBE im a different person now and want to actually put in effort to be friends again' and Ians like 'Well-' but his ankle does that thing where it just twists while he's pacing around and he falls HARD into the lighting system of the room and, through the divine power of comedy tropes, turns on the Honeymoon Suite bisexual lighting and jazz music. Jeff goes over to him to check if he's okay and yknow after a heart to heart like that (pretend the dialogue was more emotional Im not good at writing emotional dialogue), emotions are racing and they are looking into eachothers eyes all deep and shit and and gay kiss and make out for the first time. First time SOBER, that is C-Plot: Annie meets one of the caterer girls and she tries so hard to get her number because hoooolllly shit she was so pretty omg. She embarrasses herself a lot and at some point just walks away to the bathroom to cry. Britta finds her and is like 'girl you dont have to bust your ass for anyone just go and ask the world wont explode i prommy' and so Annie works up the courage, goes over shaking and lands the girls number. :]

Extra: The dean rented the venue originally for a furcon but that fell thorough and it was a LOT of money to just waste.

[show-us-kaidenshenandoah]

one of the worst things about re-runs on cable is that sometimes youll see a random episode that you remember, decide "eh, sure" to watching, and one of the details you were ignorant to before now (but not anymore) now haS A SEVERELY DIFFERENT MEANING to the point it makes you do a spit-take

anyway. feel free to share your recent "eYO WHAT" moment of At Least I Know Now; I May Be Shocked But I Cannot Blame Myself For What I Did Not Know That I Didn't Know Before regarding re-watching a piece of media that had some small or big pillar within your life (cable or not, tv show or not). would love to know other people's so i feel less inattentive for having entirely forgotten this or forgot to process this or whatever the most apt term is

i'll go first:

my parents have been watching various cop-shows of the Not-Comedic variety (meaning no "Psych" and no "Brooklyn-99", boo), and the tangential (fireman-shows, paramedics, forensics, etc) and/or their spin-offs, since i was like... 7 years old at the youngest? before i was in middle-school at any rate

and for a long fucking time (for good reason, look how many fucking episodes there are), their favorite go-to was "NCIS". the original one with Gibbs, not one of the spin-offs

and bc i had Muslim friends online, a few in my middle and high school classes, and a few also irl outside of school (who were also kind enough to teach me, which they didn't have to do; but i was very privileged that they did), i was at least moderately aware this show had a ton of loudly rampant anti-Muslim/anti-Middle East/etc propaganda. that's who The Big Bad tended to be. which is frustrating. but it was way harder for it to brainwash me as id inwardly groan that "i dont know enough about this topic to be an expert in any way, but i do know this show is so Islamophobic that i wouldn't be surprised if they made this vitriol up". so i do want to mention that is a very huge Problem Area here

so i knew this huge problem existed in the show. i knew i had blind-spots. but i thought i had a good general awareness of all the propaganda in "NCIS"

...i did not. otherwise, i wouldn't have an "i'll go first" to go first with

bc i always remembered that Ziva David was Jewish, but i never memorized nor before had the context to process what it meant that she was an Israeli Jewish person

bc, since the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Israel has been trying to colonize Palestine and actively commit genocide to the indigenous inhabitants of the lands that were once Palestine, killing Palestinians of all faiths, including Jewish and Muslim Palestinians. so. that detail about Ziva does inform her character, the narrative's message, and makes it all the more obvious what kind of propaganda this show is. bc. uh. i knew i should never trust "NCIS" beforehand bc of its Islamophobic propaganda. did not realize a sizable chunk of that was also in a venn-diagram style overlap with Zionism. wow. okay

and furthermore!! apparently! even though it is 2024!!! and both protestors and allies alike are doing their best to keep Palestine in the news as a ton of people try to fund more Palestinian families to get out of danger!! — it's JUST been announced the networks newest installment within the "NCIS" Connected Universes will be the Paramount+ exclusive spin-off "NCIS: Tony & Ziva". and i am absolutely not going to tell my parents about said annoucement bc wtf

(which anybody who wants to maybe Reblog/Reply/send an Ask to say "that's so mean of you to do your parents": shut the fuck up. alright? focus up. talk shit in meaningful ways instead, like to help donate to Palestinian families in need. okay? okay.)

anyway

(1) uh, sure, feel free to eventually boycott "NCIS: Tony & Ziva" when it comes out, but this show won't be dropping for a while and a half. sO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE MORE-PRESSING AND TIME-SENSITIVE THINGS BELOW PLS AND THANKS 🤗💗💕

and (2) feel free to reblog and potentially share your own "eYO WHAT" Didn't Know Back Then What I Didn't Know re-watch stories to better help engage with this post through the tumblr algorithim (all the better if youre funnier than me (shouldnt be hard lol) tho a comedic story isn't a necessity for engaging) and get these Palestinian families Go-Fund-Me accounts in front of people who can afford to donate

and (3)!! i looked for the most recent Go Fund Me link-collection post ive reblogged to have copied down into this post (as someone whose disabilities and lack of wealth means the best i can consistently do is reblog here/repost on tiktok, spread awareness in my irl life, and so on. i irregularly use social media due to how drained my disability + doctor appts make me. i am doing this purely to see if it can help, i do not want attention or to be used as a resource when i cannot reliably be one with my current health situation. instead of me, please go follow (and donate to!!) these families and follow this user to keep the cycle of information and aid going!!)

this vetted collection was originally posted here, by @seance

@anqer - From War to Education: Abdelrahman Resilient Journey

@fatma93gaza - Support Fatima's Family in Gaza After Heartbreaking Tragedy

@emanfamily - Donate to help my family live in peace

@basel-19951995 - Help me evacuate my family and rebuild a new start

@ayaalanqarsblog - Save Gaza: A Brighter Future for Aya and Her Family

@ashraf-family2 - Hope for Gaza: Support Ashraf's Family Rebuild Their Lives

under the read-more is me just Knowing The Internet Can Be Toxic and having further context (about my family + "NCIS") can help curb a few people somewhat. at least it gives me "the autistic sense of peace knowing i have fully explained myself"(TM) so i can more clearly go "that's an unproductive response of pure Bad Faith. blocked". however, i didn't want this post to be longer than it is so as itd have a better chance at ✨️engagement✨️ and $$$ if its not a # Long Post

here's my list of things that clarify some context of this post, but overall dont matter. and also adding any of them Above The Read More would make people less likely to interact and reblog than i already assume people will (bc i dont got a lot of followers lmao c'est la vie, long as i did my best to help), as people either hesitate to reblog or dont reblog Long Posts. so these were all originally a part of the Above The Read More narrative before i thought it overall better to move them down here since i already did not wanna delete them entirely

sorry for any misspellings, im dyslexic and am writing this casually from my phone

like it wasn't until the past 5 or 6 years that my parents got sick of re-watching the "NCIS" re-runs on cable? and i'm 27 as of writing this. so minus 6 years, and that means from sometime before i was in middle school up until i was 21, this was a regular and favorited re-watched show they'd tune in for new episodes of and re-runs of whenever they stumbled on it. and, due to said 5 or 6 years, it's recently accumulated to have been enough time where, if "NCIS" is on now, they aren't AS sick of it anymore? as in, it's not their #1 favorite anymore still, but they will watch it with mild apathy/contentment; especially if it's an episode they still remember the plotline of VS a new episode that they dont. but, overall, even when id be in the room but on my phone or in the next room over and doing my hw: this show was a consistent pillar of my life growing up, at least in the background if not further up close

and, bc i know certain irrational parts of the internet will get mad i ever even dared passively absorb this show: dont be mad at ME bc "NCIS" had funding and viewership, im not a network head nor did i make the choice to have Ziva be Israeli. hell, i couldn't control the TV and refuse to give them viewership; i was a minor, my mom and dad were in charge, and my dad especially let me know him wanting to watch a show mattered more than me not wanting to watch it. he wouldnt change the channel on his favorite show. and though there were times i was invested, and i do have good memories here and there with my parents watching these various shows on/off, i knew also to question every villain they had and do my best to unpack/analyze whatever congrument narrative that was in their show that alligned with a thought i had about Islam as a monolith that i couldn't source back to my Muslim friends or learning about Islam on my own time. im ultimately glad i learned so much from it in that way. and i think that is the better way to go-- to watch whatever, but unpack as needed when you realize your biases-- rather than proverbially "burn the books" of whatever media you dislike and/or deem problematic. which this show is definitely problematic. but im still glad i learned from it in the ways that i have, and that i can use my history with the show to trick the algorithm maybe and get these families some additional attention

my chronic memory loss symptom means i am naturally predisposed to not be able to consistently remember certain things, especially details about people that didn't have emotional weight to me or that didn't come up too often, sometimes including things like a friend's ancestry or ethnicity. but, uh, i guess either none of my past Muslim friends were Palestinian?? or else any that were? they did not have the vocabulary or bandwidth to explain Palestine's fraught history of being oppressed by Israel to me (fair enough)?? i know one of my current Muslim friends definitely is Palestinian, but we met when i was 23 or a bit older (aka: after my parents were already sick of "NCIS", so the show and Ziva David being Israeli didnt come up; we did not know each other during the height of me having Muslim friends in middle and high school kindly helping teach me a few things)

personally, all my Jewish friends are from high school or before. and apparently, i don't have their social media or else they maybe deleted/renamed their accounts bc im not finding them in my Following lists. so i have no idea if any were from Isn'tReal. but i assume not, out of wishful thinking if nothing else. friendly reminder that antisemitism isn't cool, period; and also that calling out Zionism =/= antisemitism

alright then. dont mind me, im just gonna hc that one of my favorite "NCIS" characters is now a Palestinian Jewish person out of spite now. bc that's fucked up, that they made her Israeli on top of all this Islamophobia. and Palestinian people of all faiths are being impacted by Israel, yes, but there absolutely is Islamophobia involved in this genocide. so, like, excuse me, im just gonna casually re-write her in my head; cognitive dissonance is a helluva drug bc, like, you know the thing you like is bad but, like, what if you imagine if it was good lmao rip

unrelated tangent, if anybody was curious: "Bones" has been my stand-out favorite of my parents' rotation. i related to Dr Brennan's autism-coding, the show had good dialog and was largely sincere despite its writers' early-2000s-caused questionable creative-decisions, i find its obvious absurdity funny (wh... why would a museuem ever agree to this, they do FBI crime-work next to dinosaur skeletons, this setting is ridiculous lmao), and it has been the closest to comedy my parents would watch. it's a fun time, with some must-skip episodes, yeah, but it's fun. in my free time, i have also watched "Psych" and "Brooklyn-99" though, and i like them! im not a big fan of cop-shows and its tangential forms regardless though. but yeah, i do not recommend "NCIS". it wore me down over the years, but i do not recommend it. for obvious reasons i have now already fully explained lol

the next bullet point below is the original full form of what i said about "the difference between a protestor versus an ally" before editing my rambling down so i didnt detrack from the post's actual point:

↳ and both protestors and allies alike ("allies" being people who cannot protest for disability and/or safety reasons, but who do spread pro-Palestine news how/when they can and donate if/when it is possible for their wallets) are doing their best to keep Palestine in the news as a ton of people try to fund more Palestinian families to get out of danger!! [edit: i would be unsurprised if people disagreed with me that what i call "allies" is different than a "protestor". but i am keeping the term literal at the moment to give credit where credit is due for these organizers, influencers doing content and outreach to sponsor a family or multiple families, sit-out camp and walking-parade and curbside-standing protestors, and so on and so forth. however, my health and disability makes me specifically only capable of "ally" status; so maybe i am wrong and am doing some form of self-deprecation. i personally doubt it; i think im still right to internally have a dividing line made so literal like this. but i am open to the idea if nothing else. feel free to agree to disagree with my diction, i guess lol]

the next bullet point below is the original full form of what i said about anyone saying "that's so mean of you to do to your parents" before editing my rambling down so i didnt detrack from the post's actual point:

↳ (which anybody who wants to maybe Reblog/Reply/send an Ask to say "that's so mean of you to do your parents": shut the fuck up. okay? my parents don't have an interest in learning how to work streaming services anyway, it's fine. and my mom supports Palestine, so what i said is honestly hyperbole as she'd be down for our household to mostly-intentionally boycott the spin-off anyway. bc, yeah, its SO easily done for us since we dont have any streaming subscriptions, much less Paramount+ specifically. and my dad's early dementia makes his general stance unpredictable, bc it depends what he remembers is happening in the news/in politics, much less in Palestine specifically; he'll be "meh. okay" about being kept out of the loop. okay? focus up. talk shit in meaningful ways instead, like to help donate to Palestinian families in need. okay? okay.)

the next bullet point below is the original full form of what i said about "feel free to eventually boycott 'NCIS: Tony & Ziva' when it comes out" before editing my rambling down so i didnt detrack from the post's actual point:

↳ uh, sure, feel free to eventually boycott "NCIS: Tony & Ziva" when it comes out, since assumedly the networks are not going to ret-con that Ziva David is an Israeli Jewish person (which. her actress' wiki says she herself is neither Israeli or Jewish anyway, so literally no reason for anybody there to dig their heels in about this detail) and there's no reason for us to have ever had, much less have even more Zionism (+ likely still Islamaphobic) propaganda added to our current media landscape. but this show won't be dropping for a while and a half, sO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE MORE-PRESSING AND TIME-SENSITIVE [LINKS ABOVE THE READ MORE] PLS AND THANKS 🤗💗💕

the next bullet point below is the original full form of what i said about "here is why i am not a good person to follow to help you keep an eye on Palestine; go follow the families and the person who organized these links instead" before editing my rambling down so i didnt detrack from the post's actual point:

↳ (as someone whose disabilities and lack of wealth means the best i can consistently do is reblog here/repost on tiktok, spread awareness in my irl life, and so on. i irregularly use social media due to how drained i get. i do not have the luxury of energy, esp with all my diagnostic journey medical appointments further tiring me out, to make original posts on a regular basis like Palestinian families deserve and need from their regular backers. i thought of this post idea and worked on it on/off with the bits of energy i have had; i am doing this purely to see if it can help, i do not want attention or to be used as a resource when i cannot reliably be one with my current health situation. instead of me, please go follow these families and this user to keep the cycle going)

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

TBB s3 ep4 Thoughts!!!

Oooohh starting off strong

Omega immediately wanting to go back because “it’s right”

Crosshair wanting to keep moving, not because he’s scared of going back but because he understands that he can’t help anyone if he’s dead

Ah there he is. The bitch. The Hemcock.

I wanna say Nala Sa deserves to be in prison but idk I’m starting to feel for her

Pretty sure she won’t survive the season though

IM SORRY THAT SHOT WHERE THE COAT IS HANGING OVER THAT POWER LINE???

is that,,,, a reference to yanno,,, shoes hanging from a power line?

hahahahahahah poncho stormtroopers

“You’re the one who wanted to bring… the hound.”

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

YOUR HONOUR I LOVE THEM

best duo this show has given us

If Hunter was the hesitant but willing dad, Crosshair is the exasperated older brother that was forced to bring his younger sister to the party he was invited to an now has to spent all night watching her

Ey not cool Omega. Someone was using that jacket to advertise their business

“See, isn’t this better?” “No.” “Ugh.”

HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHA

“I could take out half of them before they even know what happened” 😳😳

Yeah, I believe you sir

Damn fuck how many more clone crushes will I have to be burdened with

Jesus Christ

“That went well” “Stow it”

THEM

YOUR HONOUR

THEM!!!

Scottish Robot ahhahahahahaha

Say what you will about Crosshair, when that dude sat down across from Omega he was ready for a FIGHT

big ol’ softie <3

“You or your dad”

Glad Hunter wasn’t there to hear that

Or Crosshair for that matter

Both would’ve blown their cover

Tbh Crosshair makes a fair point about leaving while they can. The planet is filled with Empirials and they are running out of time

But he also hasn’t been part of a team in a while and maybe he’s forgotten some of what that entails too

Either way, loving how “selfless” and “selfish” are meeting in this ep

“I’ll do it your way BUT I WOULD LIKE THE RECORD TO REFECT THAT I DONT WIKE IT!”

Crosshair giving Omega a boost to get over the wall I’m crying

“Shouldn’t we free the other animals too?” “Don’t push it.”

HE IS MY SOULMATE (based on sarcasm. I am vegetarian and I would free those animal friendos in a heartbeat)

The extra head shake and eye roll at that question too, he is already so done I can’t hahahahahahahah

“I hope your take-offs are better than your landings” “we’re about to find out”

Aaaaaaand that just reminded me that Tech was the one who taught her to fly

🥲🥲🥲🥲

That fucking shriek when the stormtrooper got blasted by the engine hahahahahaha

Ohohoh altered batch theme after take off? Okayokayokay I see you👀

Jesus Christ, Crosshair trying to prepare Omega for the very real possibility that Hunter and Wrecker are dead?

Like I know it seems cruel and defeatist but it’s actually kind in a way

Managing expectations in order to save her from a worse fall out

FUCK I THOUGHT I’D HAVE TO WAIT TILL NEXT EPISODE FOR THEM REUNION

JESUS

AAAAAAHHHHH

“We crossed the galaxy four times looking for you”

SIR

I AM QUACKING

why did Hunter’s appearance suddenly piss me off

Like Wrecker had a cute line and Hunter had to walk up like

“Um, five actually”

Like idk it felt like he was taking over the moment (which makes sense because he’s her dad but still it just sounded awkward)

EXCUSE ME??? I BEG YOUR BIGGEST PARDON??

Omega just explained that she only got off that planet AND survived so far thanks to Crosshair and all they can do is look all bitchy butt-hurt

Like I expected this from Hunter but why isn’t Wrecker hugging him?

Bc they went looking for Cross before, I thought we were past the straight up hate?

Love how stoically Cross is taking it though

I have to admit, so far this is one of my all time favourites. The comedic timing, the very real story line, the confrontation of previously opposed characters? Wonderful. But the pièce de résistance? Crosshair’s character description rings true again. “Severe and unyielding” Tech had said. I’ve rambled about this a lot recently, but the boiled down version is that when Crosshair commits to something, he commits all the way. Like how he committed to the Empire so hard that he hunted down his brothers. Or when he finally decided the Empire was a bunch of shitbags and shot officer shitbag (I forget his name) in the face. He has now decided to commit to Omega, for whatever reason. And it shows. Because even when she tells him to go, he’s literally only a minute behind her. He lets her employ her own strategies despite his preference and experience. He’s ready to beat up Captain Dickhead (did they even give him a name?) for sitting down across from her. He tells her to get into the ship first while he lays down cover fire.

Crosshair’s next “severe and unyielding” decision is Omega’s safety. And I couldn’t be more excited to see where it goes!

AND I cannot believe how much I suddenly like his character. I was so disinterested in him for like s1 and maybe 90% of s2 but now I am more interested in what becomes of him than I am in what the deal is with Omega’s M-count.

I’m saying it now. These seasons hyper focuses are: Rex, Echo and Crosshair (in that order) (for now, we’ll see)

Thanks to everyone who sat through that, have a good day/night/whatever, friend!

[thealmightyemprex]

Universal Monsters Watch Through thoughts 6

So my watch through of Universal Monster films ends....On a whimper.This was the hardest batch to get thorugh cause the films were kind of meh and I was a little burnt out

26.Abott and Costello Meets the Invisble Man (1951)

So I always heard this was the funniest of the Abott and Costello Monster trilogy ,and while I personally prefer Meet Frankenstein...This was pretty fun .Arthur Franz is decent as an invisble boxer accused for murder,William Frawley has a fun role as a cop ,and the wronged man plot works here.The highlight of the film is the boxing match where the Invisible Man helps Lou pretend to be a boxer.My big complaints are....I dont like Bud here,hes too mean and conniving ,and honestly the comedic premise of Lou getting scared and Bud not beliving him wears thin for me

27.Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

So this is really the last film of the big ones,the last Universal monster introduced ,and owing less to the gothic feel of most of the other monsters ,we are firmly in the era of 1950's monster movies .Aside from Frankenstein,The Creature or Gill Man is the monster I have the most nostalgia for,for two reasons :First is when I was very young I actually went to Wakulla Springs for a fieldtrip ,where they filmed the underwater scenes from the movie (And got scared by a tourguide who implied the Creature might be real ).Second is when I was 12 I went with my Moms side of the family to Universal Studios Florida ,and spotted in the gift shop a bunch of Universal Monster DVD's ,but my mom said I could only get two ,so I got the FRankenstein set(Cause Frankenstein was already a favorite) and the Creature from the Black Lagoon set (Due to the Wakulla Springs trip which got me curious to see the movie )....Also due to getting those sets we got a few free tickets for Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor so that was fun .Anyway I watched Creature many times as a kid .....But while I have nostalgia for the film and love the Gill Man ....Every time I try to watch this film as an adult....I just feel it lacks something.The plot kind of meanders ,while the actors are great (Especially Julie Adams as the leading lady and Richard Dennings as the villain )I find the characters stiff and the ending is a big anticlimax .Not even mentioning the fact the Creatures theme is kind of annoying with how much it is used ....That said I do think this IS a good movie ,with excellent underwater cinematagorphy,the cast is exccellent as I said,the scene where Adams character and the Creature swim together is like an iconic movie moment,.....And the Creature himself is pretty great ,with an excellent design and being a monster I feel for .Also props to his two performers,Ricou Browning (For underwater scenes) and Ben Chapman (For the on land scenes ).Also one cannot deny the legacy of the film and influence it had,especially on filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and Guillermo Del Toro

28.Revenge of The Creature(1955)

I mean...Its alright .I like the premise of the Gill Man being put on exhibit in Marineland in Florida (Also as a Floridian I am so delighted how much Florida has to play in the Universal Monsters verse,also being the setting forAbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ) ,I feel true sympathy for the Gill Man who is being prodded and detained by scientists and its a pretty well made film.....My problem is I am rooting soley for the Gill Man as I dont give a damn about John Agar or any of the human characters .Also dont like the big ping pong eyes of the creature in this film.Though the film is fun to watch to spot a young Clint Eastwood .Not a bad film,decent sequel but not one of my faves

29.Abott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

Tired.Thats the word to describe this film,tired .This was the comedy duos last film for Universal and it just feels routine ....But also over stuffed,with Bud and Lou having to deal with multiple factions of characters and the Mummy is barely in it .There is one funny bit where Bud and Lou keep switching a cursed amulet ,got some laughs and its better then most of the mummy flicks but I didnt have a fun time with it .Not even Michael Ansara could save this

30.Creature Walks Among Us(1956)

And at last we get to the final film in the Universal Monster cycle.....And while not a complete dud ,its pretty boring.Aside from the villain being a jealous husband the human characters might as well be carboard and not a lot happens.IT does have a cool premise though with the Gill Man getting burnt and surgically becoming more humanoid....And it solidifies the Gill Man as one of the most tragic of the monsters and the one with the most complete story.Will say while I dont like the movie .....The ending is great and a fitting capstone to this watch through

Final thoughts:This watch through was fun ,there were some duds (Mostly the Mummy movies ) ,but it soldified my love of these monsters ,actors and characters.Might do one more post about my overall thoughts but till then here is all 30 films ranked

The 30 Universal Monster films rankes

30.The Mummys Tomb

29.Werewolf of London

28.Invisble Agent

27.She Wolf of London

26.Mummys Hand

25.Mummys Curse

24.Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy

23.Creature Walks Among Us

22.Son of Dracula

21.House of Dracula

20.Invisible Woman

19.Ghost of Frankenstein

18.House of Frankenstein

17.Revenge of the Creature

16.Mummy

15:Mummys Ghost

14.The Invisible Mans Revenge

13.Abbott and Costello Meet The Invisible Man

12.Dracula's Daughter

11.Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman

10.Creature from the Black Lagoon

9.Dracula

8.Invisible Man Returns

7.Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

6.Invisble Man

5..Son of Frankenstein

4.Phantom of the Opera

3.Wolf Man

2.Frankenstein

1.Bride of Frankenstein

@ariel-seagull-wings @piterelizabethdevries @countesspetofi

@themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @theancientvaleofsoulmaking

@princesssarisa @amalthea9 @barbossas-wench

[seerofmike]

Mike's Media Medley--June 2024

things i watched and played FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME this June 2024 (belated due both to hurricane beryl and also cuz im depressed <3)

2024 movie/show releases: Young Woman and the Sea, Inside Out 2, The Bikeriders

non-2024 movie/show releases: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999, recommended to me!), Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), La La Land (2016), One Piece (2023)

games: Chillquarium (2023)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

this was recommended to me by a friend who swore up and down i would like this and tbh, i did! it was way funnier than i thought it would be, but kinda towards the middle (maybe more 2/3rds into the movie) it starts becoming more romance and drama heavy and kind of loses the comedic edge i was really liking about it. i also thought kat liking and disliking heath ledger was based more on whims sometimes. like i understood why she'd get pissed with him sometimes but i'd be confused other times, and also equally as confused as to why she decided she liked him again. idk maybe i just dont understand straight people

75/100

The Bikeriders

this movie meant nothing to me and i have already forgotten everything about it except for this thought which i was having the whole movie:

idk i feel bad rating it incredibly low since it didnt piss me off like Civil War did but also, is it worse to get pissed off by a film or is it worse to get so utterly bored by one that all of its details lapse from your mind as soon as you stop watching it?

idk. i guess it could've been worse. 20/100

Inside Out 2

okay so controversial opinion perhaps but i actually liked this one better than the first. HOWEVER, its not like i was necessarily the biggest fan of the first one. it's not like i hated it, i just never really clicked with it, i guess.

i think generally speaking the first one is more cohesive and more creative with its concepts, and has a bigger 'Pixar gutpunch' in the form of Bing Bong, but I thought Riley herself didn't really feel like a character and I found Sadness to be really annoying. so it was very appealing to Me, Specifically, that Sadness wasn't a main character and the other emotions got to play a bigger role (I am especially a fan of all the new emotions, even the ones that don't do shit like Ennui) and also that Riley feels like a PERSON

even if i think the first one had a bigger heartstrings-pulling moment this one overall made me feel way more. mostly cringe and secondhand embarrassment but it was out of recognition like "ohhh fuck ive been like that before". i saw this opening weekend amidst a sea of kids and there were some moments that i (and mostly other adults) were the only ones laughing.

ESPECIALLY a big fan of the vault with all of Riley's secrets. Pouchy was the best character actually. idk I just had fun with this one. I probaaaaaably wouldn't watch it again for a while but if my little brother put this on I would pay attention

70/100

La La Land (2016)

i did not like La La Land

i am not at all an expert on music nor musicals so i don't really feel like i can critique the musical aspect of it too deeply, but i CAN tell you that i didn't really vibe with any of the music and at times i found myself like. daydreaming instead of paying attention to what the characters were singing. i didn't really believe in her and ryan gosling's chemistry and i generally found his character to be irritating.

the most enjoyable parts of the movie to me were probably the musical sequences without any actual singing. i do like them tap dancing in the street and then their date where they start flying. i thought those were well-directed. in fact i thought there were a few well-directed and well-edited sequences in the movie. unfortunately i just never found the actual plot music or characters to be on par with the visuals.

i have not seen pretty much anything else that released that year re: Best Actress nominations (although Elle has been on my list) but i really find it hard to believe Emma won her first Oscar for this. idk i know a lot of people love this movie but it truly did nothing to me.

i guess i will say one of the things i DID like was the ending. how it didn't really work out, the silent musical scene at the end over a montage of what could've been. i like that there wasn't a happy ending just because generally i like when movies do that (if it feels believable anyways lol). but it didn't hit for me as hard as it should have because like i said it's not like i really cared for them to be together nor did i care for ryan gosling's jazz journey. i was a bit more invested in emma's acting journey but not enough to really say i truly cared about what happened to her.

idk. pretty visuals but weak everything else. 40/100 maybe

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

soooooo they put on the LOTR movies (the extended editions, specifically) which are the ones i watched. and i have something to admit. i have TRIED, several times, to get into the lord of the rings. i tried reading the hobbit. i ordered a fancy boxset of the LOTR trilogy and tried to read them. i watched the first movie but it took me 3 tries to complete it.

so i thought, okay. everyone raves about these movies. they HAVE to be good. maybe my attention span is fried. recently i've been getting tickets to movies that i could technically watch for free at home but buying tickets forces me to actually pay attention to them since i paid money and i won't be reaching for my phone or stopping to do something else. so i got myself 3 tickets to all 3 movies, back to back to back.

the first one was okay. i've seen it before. i found myself daydreaming midway through because i'd seen it already. i don't HATE it. i think a lot of the characters are generally very charming and likeable. i love samwise gamgee. i really liked borimir. frankly i could do without the elf lady because the way she speaks drove me insane and made me physically uncomfortable. the plot was a slow burn to build up the Fellowship, which I appreciated. surely the second movie would build upon this.

i do think, generally, that I liked the second movie better. i think Gollum is an interesting character and he was being performed and animated VERY well, especially considering the time when it comes to CGI effects. i liked merry and pippin's journey becoming more like heroes. the big battle at the end was done very well. and obviously i thought frodo and sam were a highlight.

that being said there were parts of the movie that i just did not care nor did i understand. im already hard of hearing and having to listen to british accents without any subtitles means that i legit didn't know what characters were saying maybe 1/3rd of the time. the new subplot of the. kingdom of guys. didnt work for me. i cant even remember what the hell the random kingdom of guys was about or named or anyone relevant because i didnt understand what was even going on. it was very fun seeing karl urban though

despite liking a lot of the movie, a lot of it just weighed down on me to the point that when i walked out i was like, "do i REALLY wanna sit through another 3 hours of this tomorrow?" and i decided i didn't and got a ticket refund.

at least the directing is fun. a lot of fantasy movies feel kinda boring and without personality but peter jackson really had a specific flair when it came to directing these.

60/100

One Piece (2023)

i didn't finish it so i wouldn't be rating it yet but i actually thought this was pretty fun! this could've been way messier but i think so far it looks like everyone is having fun and its juuuuust wacky enough. my only complaint is that zoro is waaaaaay too serious but idk maybe it gets better, i only watched maybe...4 episodes? i dont remember. i do look forward to finishing it. eventually

Young Woman and the Sea

well this was the sleeper hit i wasn't expecting to like as much as i did

i was bored one day and wanted to see a movie but nothing really jumped out at me that i hadn't seen yet. i ended up picking this one because I have seen Daisy Ridley in NOTHING. i will not watch Star Wars unless someone pays me actual money so I was curious to see her acting in something and picked this one. ive seen sports movies. i figured this one would be like a cheesy inspirational story but hey those arent necessarily bad

and yes, it IS cheesy and inspirational, but i liked it. a lot? it's 'based on a true story' which probably means that there are some embellishments but i found it genuinely compelling, between her childhood after surviving the measles to the way she and other young women were treated as swimmers, even during the olympics.

i thought the swimming seasons were decently thrilling. like, idk as someone who has attempted to watch competitive swimming it's just not really a glamorous sport to watch but the way this was shot and directed and the fact that they literally filmed it IN THE OCEAN, *in the English channel*, means that i was actually really invested in her managing this feat, both as a personal character motive and also for what it represented more widely when it came to women's physical accomplishments.

idk i guess im just kinda in shock i enjoyed it as much as i did. this was probably the movie i walked out of with the most positive outlook of all month. i'd watch it again.

80/100

games:

Chillquarium (2023)

i only played one new game this month, and that was Chillquarium, which is an idle/clicker kind of game where you manage fishtanks and grow fish by feeding them pellets.

fishe. what can i say

[somebody-in-this-world-who-lives]

Yall I am in the middle of a Ace Attorney hyperfixation and I just finished Turnabout for Tomorrow (fantastic closer holly shit) so let's talk a bit!!

I desperately wanna talk about the dark age of the law

First thoughts! I dont know how well the series will stick the landing with SoJ, but after some thought Im pretty happy with how it connects with Apollo Justice and continues the world the series set up in this regard.

Style aside, in world it makes so much sense why the public slowly lost faith in the legal system with all the acidents in the trilogy (I'm specially looking at Rise from the Ashes as the case thats meant to transition us and set up to AJ) and AJ where people connected to the legal system show to have their hands dirty (in AJ I can remember the chief of justice, detective sharkboy himself, ...Kristoff - and he was a member of the bar as well ouch...). There is no category of person involved in the legal system we didn't have arested at some poin

The one the game explicit calls out too with Phoenix! Like urg we saw the man had buit such as reputation for himself over the years Apollo was still starry-eyed meating him (we also see that in Trials and Tribulations with the start of Recipe and Phoenix helping spirit mediums slowly regain credibility in teh eyes of the public), I can't imagine how much of a public scandal it was when people recived the news they couldn't trust him and all the results he' had got over the years.

I also think being on a verge of a legal collapse also retroactively explains AJs much darker tone where even the defendents Apollo had were all guilty of some crime. Im still not sure about the implementation of the dark age in game (it can be a bit comedic how they keep mentioning it by its full Dark Age Of The LawTM title), but I can't deny all the building blocks are there in a way that it feels like the natural progression of the world, specially after the way things ended in turnabout succession.

I also like Simon's trial as a straw that breaks the camel's back situation. We have policeman, bailiffs, detectives, defense attorneys, prosecutors, the people at the very top of the judicial system (I believe we are only missing a judge criminal moment lmaooo One day! Unless that's in Investigations lol) and then this guy apparently just straight up cold blooded killed someone, no tragic backstory like Godot, no apparent motive just kills someone and sets bombs off??? Fucking crazy stuff, I kinda love it.

Last thoughts on the dark age and how it connects with AJ, but I can see how addressing this plot here could work as a soft reboot for the series in the future, like I've seen people claiming the game is meant to be! A big part of AJ as a game is showing how ineffective the legal system can be with its rules (we had to use forged evidence to trick Kristoff in case 1, I dont remember how we got Alita (that had so many parts to make it work whichis the premise of that case), but Daryan had to be threatened with his accomplice, and Kristoff wouldn't be convicted again if Phoenix didn't orchestrate a jury because we never had one piece of truly decisive evidence in any of these cases) I feel like bringing all the darkness we uncovered -pun intended- and resolving it can be used in the future to bring back a lighter tone without all the baggage. We will see!!

I'm curious if the DLC case will give me more to think about but these are my thoughts on how the Dark age TM is set up before Dual Destinies. Hope you guys like the analysis I get very enthusiastic for themes :)

[whiteapplesandblackblood]

omg you asked for questions? questions u will get! okay so:

- who is a character from any media that the fandom loves but you dont understand the hype for

- whats your favorite season

- are you more of a spooky halloween or a cozy halloween person

- do you play video games (even casually), and if so do you have a favorite at the moment

- recommend me at least one song right here right now pls

- what is your opinion on bricks

- whats your favorite color, and get SPECIFIC

and lastly

- if you could kill any one fictional character, who would it be

AGH TY SM FOR THE QUESTIONS

my crops are watered, the shines her blissful rays in the dawning sunset-

anyways

a character I don't understand the hype for would probably be todoroki shoto from my hero academia. and here's my reasoning for that (pls dont come after me i love him too but-). ik a lot of people like the brooding dont-touch-me-i-am-brooding-but-pretty, but like....his quirk is too overpowered, and i think he's an overused trope in a sense. like yeah ig he's pretty but...have you SEEN the fandom hype. i dunno rn i was thinking about him and i was like really?????? i do love him tho he has very comedic moments, and i like to headcanon he has slowly realized how funny he is but just keeps doing it and acting oblivious. moving on

my favorite season huh? i would have to say winter cuz i love getting bundled up in sweaters and blankets while its cold around me. i also like seeing my breath fog when the air is really cold, and the fog on the car windows. i also like the rainy season bc the smell right after its freshly rained >>>>>

i'm a cozy halloween person lol. i get pretty easily spoked, but i'll have the most miniscule reaction. like if i get surprised the most i'll do is that my eyes get really wide and i stop walking or doing whatever i was. or have like a full body flinch, but you won't hear a peep out of me.

hmmmm im not a big gamer actually. but i really like the mobile racing games. asphalt 9 has really cool graphics, but i haven't played that in months lmao. i was also really good at the motorcycle games in the arcades. always got 1st or 2nd.

uno reverse im gonna recommend you THREE songs rn. End It by RIELL, Sharks by Imagine Dragons, and RISE by League of Legends, The Glitch Mob, and Mako. Listen to all of them rn. also my music taste differs on my mood lol so its kind of all over the place.

bricks are very good aesthetics and also very good weapons. also jason x brick is the best ship.

royal purple. and i mean the deep rich color that reminds you of luxury back when royals ruled the lands. the purple only seen in silks of the highest quality. a symbol of prestige and power. its nowhere close to any shade of light purple.

AGH THIS IS A HARD ONE. hmmmmmmm. actually wait. mineta minoru. thats it. hes ded. punted out the window. put in a trash bag and lit on fire.

ty sm for asking thisssssssssssssssssssss

ily forever and ever(platonic). i had a lot of fun answering these. send me any other questions you have!!

[ly0nstea]

How do you think a post series Azula redemption arc would best be framed? Ignoring the comics if you want cause they suck lol or you can choose to include them in the canon whichever you want. Basically - post series - how would you go about an Azula healing / redemption arc?

It should be eclipsed by the overall theme of second chances, and that everyone is capable of both good and evil. Azula should be removed from the environment of the royal palace, whether of her own will and not. Bearing in mind that this is a story and it should be entertaining, Azula should go to places we have not seen before, or places we have not seen much of. Some time in one of the air temples would be good, I would say eastern. Seen as we saw a lot of the western air temple in s3, the southern air temples is a pile of corpses, and the northern is a technological hub. One idea could be that Aang wants her to experience spiritualism and show her Guru Pathik, though, for the sake of not treading old water and trying to rediscover settled lands, I would suggest that between aangs interaction with him, and the series end, he passed away due to old age and completing his mission to train the avatar spiritually. It goes fine, some comedic moments about azula being too intense and trying too hard, afterwards they could go to the North Pole, make azula face the aftermath of the war on the water tribe, see how yue is venerated, maybe experience some anti-fire nation hostility. They could also go to the Fire Nations colonies/ex-colonies to show the effect the war had on fire nation citizens, maybe azula starts to feel a little uncomfortable about being worshipped so hard like the citizens do because she doesnt think she earned it like Yue did with a grandiose sacrifice, cue a heartfelt moment with her companion that you dont need to make a grand gesture to be a good person, but small yet consistent gestures are just as, if not more valuable. After that, the next logical destination would be the urban Fire Nation, such as the capital city seen as we didn't get an extensive look past the palace. A lot of interpersonal stuff would go down, between ty lee, mai, suki, zuko, ozai, maybe ursa, probably in that order. That would largely be the end of the arc, and it would fall into the background as the show moves into the next primary focus like the main antagonist of the story, azula would proceed with smaller gestures of good will and generally just being a better person and showing it.

[lucidpantone]

In the defense of Shirley, I'm pretty sure they came out and said the channel (whoever she technically works for) requested AFTER they had written the season and whatnot, to add a plotline about HIV/AIDS (maybe there's more of a stigma against it in France, I don't know) and so they basically had to scrap part of their og idea, or legit condense so much of it JUST to fit the HIV plotline. And we know if it was David Baguette that was asked to do this, he would have added an unnecessary trauma for Bilal to some how get it and then people would have been upset that the homeless guy got it and stereotyped it and whatnot. So in all fairness, I'd cut them some slack on S8. But that's just me, feel free to agree or disagree

So I understand Shirley's decision behind not giving bilal the hiv storyline because its like he is arab, brown, poor and also is attached to the HIV epidemic. Like it would feel like a pile on. I always wondered if it would have been a cool storyline to attach it to his father's death. Like maybe he had hiv and during covid he died because he was compromised. So it could also inform audiences that vulnerable groups were heavily effected during covid but then I also think its important to inform the public that hiv can be contracted via any type of carrier no matter their gender. I have said I think as two mini 5ep seasons Bilal and Jo's season are ok. The issue is they are incomplete because they are only 5 episodes each and so it does neither story justice. Also khalil is a way better actor then Louise I felt like she struggled alot with some of her more in-depth scenes. She has great comedic timing but isnt my fav concerning delivering dramatic moments. I felt like khalil had to carry alot of that season via the acting and he didnt even get to show his whole story so it really sucks for him.I know he did land a Netflix film after this so I am happy he got some recognition but yea it just sucks overall and I am not so sure that Shirley is gonna give his storyline much more time in this season because Khalil was filming his movie during s9 and s10.

So we will see.... I also think HIV is still largely judged in most of the developed world. People think well protection is basically free in most western developed nations why not just use it? However I think people forget that most queer youth which is a large portion of the HIV population in the developed western world has had little to no sexual education. Most schools won't even acknowledge queer sex as a form of sex that also needs sexual prevention. I live in NYC which is like the gayest place ever and I would say only in the last 15 years is queer sexual education being pushed hard. Like pride week has teen day (I think teen day has only been around 10yrs or so) where its alot of queer sexual education and where you can get information on prep, non-latex condoms and protection for wlw intercourse and how to get any sexual health related advice and treatment without needing parental sign off and this is NYC. Also my neighborhood where I live all the sex shops which there is alot since I live in a gaybourhood will give any teen who asks free condoms and lube and an hiv test if they have some. But also you can get a free hiv test at any health center and there is a lot in NYC and all that stuff is free. But once again this is NYC most places preach abstinence or they dont even acknowledge sexual intercourse between queer youth. Also I do agree people put a alot of importance on not getting pregnant for women but just because you can't get pregnant doesnt mean you can't catch a bunch of other shit so kiddos need to be safe out there. Be a hoe if you want. I say this being a retired thotty(in my youth I was a wild one) but dont be dumb. I also say this as someone who was dumb but was lucky enough to catch something that wasn't life altering. Be responsible you only get one body!

[ao3gingerswag]

okay headcanonnnsssss I've put my thinking cap on let's do this.

okay to go with the prompt earlier about cas reading to dean, I'm playing with that and making it into them telling stories. Sam, obviously, the nerd that he is, devours any and all stories he comes across. It wasn't so many when he was with John, for obvious reasons, but as he starts his education once he arrives at Willow Inn he starts reading about all these stories from all these different cultures so of course he shares them with cas and dean (further along the healing process so they're all happy together) and he loves telling them these stories about all these crazy things and ideas and fairytales because these they can understand, unlike all the fancy stuff like science he's learning, and he loves seeing their faces as they sit enraptured and happy as he rants excitedly about the so and so tribe and obviously they're happy because he actually gets to learn this stuff but also its stuff that's so beyond their tiny little world and it's so exciting and Sam is so happy to give them this knowledge because their so responsible about taking care of the inn and him but when he tells them stories he gets to see the excited teenagers learning about distand lands and creatures.

with dean, his stories were the ones he could give to Sam. bedtime stories, made up fairytales, little comedic rhymes to help Sam get to sleep. he didn't think much of them, of course, but he found himself enjoying the peaceful moments where he'd be curled up with Sam, talking about the faraway prince, pinching Sam when he interrupted to question him about the details. he liked to drift off into the worlds after Sam had eventually fallen asleep. perhaps the stories always had a central theme, two brothers going on adventures, but they were full of light and happiness and sometimes there wasn't even any bitterness as they recalled their situation (I'm imagining the stories always starting with the same line or something). once they're settled in at willow Inn together, the bedtime stories stop. dean never thought much of them anyways. Sam, he loved them. he'd tell himself his favourite plots and storylines when he was going to sleep, or when he was upset. and maybe at one point when sam is upset at the willow Inn he asks Dean to tell him a story to calm him down, and dean is so happy that he remembered and still thought of them and they sit there together as Dean begins with that same line, knowing that they don't need to desperately imagine any more.

cas's stories, would come as a surprise to sam and dean I think. there are two kinds. the ones he makes up are simple, based around nature, more poetry than anything as it simply praises the idyll he grew up around. theyre not much stories in the way of entertainment, but sometimes, perhaps when it's particularly cold or wet or miserable and they're all tired, they'll all sit in front of the fireplace and listen to cas's soothing voice as he talks about the meandering rivers and the animals and the trees, and describes the way he sees the world in his own unique way. sam and dean love to catch a glimpse of it too. the other type of story is the one that surprises them. cas, of course, has worked in the inn all his life. it wasn't the busiest, but it still got its fair share of traffic and moreover, his lack of talking led to him overhearing some interesting conversations as he worked. and every once in a while he'll slip a little annocdote into a conversation about a man who was going up the country to search for treasure, or the women who believed she'd found her lover in the old minstrel on the hill. Sam and dean love it, and at first cas is a surprised at how fervently they ask for more details (and probably a little uncomfortable) but as they settle down and they get used to his annocdotes, cas becomes more comfortable sharing his thoughts and opinions and guesses about where they end up, and sam and dean learn to treasure his little quips and thoughts and cas gets to share his experiences of the inn and his little section of the memories and lives the inn has held.

I got carried away in this a little, but hopefully this little headcanon does something to brighten your day :))

oh pls get carried away all u want i love this so much!!!!! oh yess sam would love to tell them all about stuff from around the world. and like ur right they will listen while he talks their ears off about math and science but they dont really get what hes talking about. but stories from around the world they love!!!! so he tells them them and reads that shit to them all the time :)

oh my god dean telling sam bedtime stories when theyre miserable just trying to imagine a happier life ;~; and then doing it again when they are happy without the same desperation, just to soothe normally ;~; !!!

cas’s stories make me emotional. u have such a good grip on the characters in the way i think of them it makes me so happy!!! yes yes most of cas’s “stories” would just be him like rambling about the world in a poetic manner...this is so sweet and would be so soothing and they would love it but it is also very funny to me to imagine sam the first time being like tell me a story!!! and cas being like uuuummmm...and then dean being like yeah cas tell us a story it will be fun!!! and then he ends up like monologuing about the migration habits of certain insects in the area. and theyre like. ....what. gvuhij like not that they dont enjoy it for what it is but theyre just like ????????

but then yes them coaxing out little anecdotes and his thoughts later on fcgvhjbhj ahhh i yes yes yes!

[many-gay-magpies]

[ REASONS ALL THE ENHYPEN MEMBERS COULD BE MY BIASES: A COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND INCONSEQUENTIAL LIST THAT I MADE SOLELY BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT (aka this basically just turned into a post of reasons why i love Enhypen lmao) ]

Sunghoon ::

Pretty ;^;

Pretty dancing, also figure skating??? Yes im lov

His voice <3

He's such a funky little dude i love him

:]

DIMPLES

Fashion sense (I want to steal all of his clothes)

His laugh, specifically when he's teasing the shit out of someone and succeeding. Insufferable child.

Jungwon ::

His eyes!! Are so!! Pretty!!

HIS VOICE

Lil sheep

Precious??

Very mature and level-headed but also a sassy child

Good leader :<

Dimples pt. 2

Sunoo ::

Border: Carnival era. Thats it thats the post

He is adorable, knows it, and takes full advantage of it. He's a little shit and I love him

His voice in Drunk-dazed god I could listen to him forever

HIM in Drunk-dazed

Especially that one choreo move in the chorus. yeah you know the one

BLOND

Evil!Sunoo

Jay ::

HIS SMILE

His laugh :'<

Given-taken

His voice live is *chefs kiss*

Emo man <3

Did I mention his smile

Honestly his speaking voice is just really nice and soothing ;v;

Heeseung ::

His eyes ;^; they're so beautiful im pretty sure they hold entire universes in them tbh

An absolute nuisance I love him

He has a super unique, pretty facial structure that i love a lot !! Specifically his nose its vv cute

Comedic genius

Hoodies,,

SWEATERS

Remember the hee from their very first live with the yellow and black sweater and light blue jeans and fluffy hair and sweater paws . yea im still thinking ab him

Jake ::

Soft????

Friend-shaped

I want to hug him

The long black hair from i-land rip you will be missed

Mixed Up Jake my beloved <3

Smiley boy

That moment in that one live with (I think it was Sunghoon and Heeseung??) where he was like. Hiding in the corner shooting hearts it was so??? I love him so much

Niki ::

Dance king yes oh my god

He's just,, extremely purple?? No I don't care if that doesn't make sense

The glasses (I think it was from a Let Me In stage? I dont remember though)

Cuddlebug :(

Whenever he like very subtly, silently judges people,, I just think it's very cool of him

Pretty eyes pt. ???

Weird and extra

He could literally be my friend in some alternate universe where he was born in the US instead of Japan, and we would even be in the same grade together, and i just. think about that sometimes ;^;

He just feels very genuine and happy and I love it a lot

[misssilencewritewell]

Overall review of wizards. Spoiler warning. This is just my opinion. If you enjoyed it, I’m happy for you. I think it was far too rushed.

Five episodes in we finally started to get introduced to interesting characters. But the pace never slowed down long enough to understand their role, their personalities, purpose, etc. It was a quick flash of ‘Oh that’s cool-and they’re gone...but I wanted to see more and understand...’ The quick glimpse of Angor Rot (my boy 😭) Why did he fish Morgana from the river? He hates humans...I’m confused??? He has magic. Did he learn from the evil magic squad?

The graphics are incredible. It looks amazing but I feel like for me to have a connection to this part of the story it had to have been longer. Another ten episodes of us getting to know Douxie in Arcadia would’ve been nice. When you dump as much information and new things on viewers it’s just too much for us to handle. I was so distracted by going “the heck is happening” to ever bond with Douxie. This makes me sad because I was enamored with him in Trollhunters. Also, he went from super suave bad boy to derpy bard boy. Not necessarily bad...but personally, I enjoyed his confidence in Trollhunters. Straight up hit a gum gum with a guitar. Not a magic one...just a regular guitar. Chad move. But this...felt weird. I personally think it would’ve been a much better plot twist had he been Mordred. Would’ve given him a darker edge, a vendetta, an interesting character arc. His goal to be to avenge his mother Morgana and kill Merlin/Trollhunters. Instead we find out that he’s basically a edgy, awkward bard. Which isn’t bad but not enough character development for me to be excited about any apparent growth or newly discovered powers.

Steve Palchuk (while I love his character) was unnecessary to this plot. I would’ve preferred Eli. His brains would have been helpful and I think his comedic relief would’ve fit better than Steves. Steve’s jokes just didn’t seem to land. The comedy relief was not timed right. Again, I absolutely loved Trollhunters and 3 Below...but there was never a moment to stop and catch your breath to know the world and characters which made it difficult to enjoy.

I still don’t fully understand how magic works. Douxie taught Claire for a minute and that was it and now he’s her teacher? Morgana and Merlin walk to the other side and say that sorcery dies with them but Claire and Douxie are left. Magic is...emotion? Kinda? Idk they never explained. 🤷‍♀️

Arthur’s character was...confusing to say the least. He misses his love and hates “dark” creatures because they killed her. But he comes back from the dead...to atone for his sins...by being evil? That didn’t make sense to me. Same with Morgana coming back and him being like sup sis! Know I tried to kill you but we are blood family! His super quick switch to asking for trolls help and loving his sister again was unexplained and made 0 sense. Just make him a dislikeable character and leave it at that. Sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. Over complicated plots can be messy and unenjoyable.

Morgana going from villain to hero was expected but executed poorly. She would flip like a switch and I just couldn’t sympathize with her as much as I did when she was a villain. I enjoyed her passion while being dark. Her redemption arc could’ve been handled so much better. Her having a romantic thing with Merlin and Merlin betraying her becoming the true villain while she is thirsty for revenge would’ve been top tier world building. We got butt jokes from Steve instead.

Strickler and Nomura. I want to see them. Especially back then? Oh they would be so evil and dark and I LIVE FOR IT. Especially since we love them now. It’d be cool to be reminded of their past. Back to the Jim smelling of human without being a changeling. Could’ve seen more on that and an interaction with him. They’d be fascinated I’m sure. Morgana created changelings but that could’ve easily been explained that she was working behind Arthur’s back the whole time. Working with Gunmar and creating changelings to infiltrate the castle while pretending to be submissive in court to Arthur and Merlin. It would explain why Changelings value cunning even more so and it would’ve been more believable than her talking to Claire one time and saying “yes! I’ll just tell my bro he crazy and needs to stop! Thank you kindly foreign hand maiden with dark magic!” Like there’s no reason for Morgana to trust her. Use her...sure. She would want Claire power, but Morgana’s character was far too rushed to make sense. I miss it when she was just a villain.

Also...Jim gets stabbed by a blade and they don’t call his mom? They don’t let her know her son could be dying? She’s a doctor. She doesn’t know much about the dark Magicks but she’s so smart and Strickler is her boyfriend. She should’ve been told. She should’ve shown up. I love her character and she adds a lot to the dynamic. Steve was the focal point far too often.

Bular. (Inhaled deeply). I missed him so much. It was cool to see Gunmar and Bular again. Bular I feel could’ve been interesting to build more too and I’m grateful for what we received. He obviously was more impressionable than his father. Morgana saved him and he immediately vouched for her while touching his fathers shoulder saying softly “she spared my life.” Like...Bular is an excellent character because even when fighting Jim in his final moments, Jim talks to him about dad issues and you can see Bular think about it and ultimately decide his fate. Just...ugh yes I missed the angry tall charcoal man.

Confusing part though...Gunmar and Bular declare that forest their own. Jim and Deya are there and watch as they scare off Arthur. You’re telling me they just let them go??? When they’re trying to recruit trolls for the war? They just go welp...see ya. Nah. There should’ve been dialogue there. The strange troll that smells of human but isn’t an impure. Cue the changelings. Could’ve been an awesome Segway into the life of the gum gums because honestly...Arthur was a douche and I sided with the Gum gums. Like yeah they eat people but Arthur was so...weird and uncomfortable to watch that I’d rather see the Gum gums who make no qualms over what they want or who they are.

The...giant dragon that’s the familiars dad. No reason for him at all. An attempt at a quirky dad character that landed flat. He went from oh lemme get you a cup of tea to DONT ChALlenge Me BoY I KnOw KaRAte!!! And I was like...ummmmm excuse me??? And then he went on to give a lesson on grief and show pictures of his son and I was like Soooooo we aren’t burning Douxie to a crisp? We are just going to throw in a quick ill timed lesson on grief?

The fight between Krel, Claire and the gang vs evil Jack Frost, eye ball raven, and evil Arthur electric boogaloo. Instead of showing the fight they did a recap. That fight would’ve been so awesome to watch and instead we got a recap of them getting their booties kicked. It’s an effective time saver but lazy story telling.

The fawn earth bender woman is important because she was part of the secret magic club and decided she didn’t want to kill people anymore...or something. As if her club ever lied to her about what they were about to do. Like Oh we are killing people? I thought you were joking for millions of years.

They all need her back to do...something evil that I can’t remember which I assume the movie will be about. I want more lore on evil Jack Frost and eyeball raven. They just were like “Congrats Morgana! We are the cool super old magic squad. We are the dopest thing in this show and we won’t say anything about ourselves besides a vague description in under 3 secs that leave our viewers confused and disappointed because they want more.”

Like seriously. They were the best part. Their intro was on a flying castle and I kinda hate that their intro was Merlin yelling “Oh no! Them!” Like we are supposed to know what and who they are. Build up is so important for an aundieces understanding. Like who they are? What they want? What they are? I spent the first half of the show mostly confused and the last half moderately confused and bewildered.

In conclusion, not my fave. It lacked the charm and quirkiness of 3 below and the depth and character development of Trollhunters to deliver a mediocre segway to a film. I really want this film to do well...but they will be on a time crunch and I was not impressed with how they handled this one in ten episodes. Fingers crossed the movie does better.

[oatmilkovich]

wondering if you've gotten any asks re: ethan's acting btw? i was always charmed by his early seasons ans especially carl's scenes with frank, it seemed sometimes with his more recent work, there were inconsistencies and his deliveries dont always land the way i imagine they're supposed to. still, i remember being quite struck by his screen presence in certain moments ie. when fiona was with sean and losing the house/the whole tail end of the white boy carl arc (as ridiculous as it was) and then carl's return at the end of s7, especially as everyone else was falling apart and he seemed to be keeping it all together in a really lovely way. i suppose 'is it the acting vs. the writing' is the eternall shameless question 🤔

hey <3 

i haven’t yet, so thank you for asking me. 

i adore younger carl and i think ethan’s work when he was a kid was exactly what you want for a role like that at such an age. charmed is the right word, anon. he had such great comedic timing – many of younger carl’s lines are some of my favourites from the earlier seasons, they just somehow always landed perfectly. he also had many moments of great depth – the shaving head scene being a very notable one and one of my favourites. 

he, like emma, had a great presence when they were kids. there was less thought behind their work so things felt more natural and endearing. he was a kid having fun and that was great to watch. but, i do think that he struggled going from being a kid on the show to being an adult – just like emma. once you become aware of your surroundings, what you look like, how you’re perceived – that’s when things start to get shaky. i find it difficult to believe him now and haven’t done for the last few seasons or so. things feel...a lot less personal and very much like words read off a page. it’s wooden and hard to watch a lot of the time – and definitely not done any favours by the storylines he’s been given. 

the difference for me personally lies in the writing, i think ethan’s been relatively lucky and carl’s storylines, mostly were pretty strong – or at least consistently had solid moments – up until he really committed to the army and now, unfortunately, the police. as you said, even the ridiculous white boy carl sl had a good arc to it. he was given some pretty deep and emotional stuff, so even when his acting didn’t necessarily land, the scenes and moments still invoked a reaction out of us. recently though, his storylines have been flat – that scene w the lady and the bus in season 10 being the strongest, in my opinion, for a long while. and especially now with the cop stuff, i completely zone out. it may have been different if ethan was a stronger actor and i actually believed carl’s pov on the situations he finds himself in, but i just don’t. 

i don’t know if this is what you wanted from me or if i’m just rambling, but long story short is i don’t necessarily feel like everything completely ended w ethan becoming older on the show – you mentioned carl’s return in season 7, that’s one of my favourite moments because of how it makes me feel – but things have been incredibly lacking since. carl used to be one of my favourite characters and even though ethan’s acting as an adult isn’t great, had they kept the level of depth and care (i guess? i can’t really find the right words), then his recent storylines definitely would’ve at least been more watchable – perhaps they even may have given us moments on the same level as the ones we all adore from him previously. 

does this make sense? i hope it makes sense. anyways, thanks for asking and have a wonderful day! 

<3

[bladekindeyewear]

Bloggin’ bout HS^2′s second upd8 continued.  > (==>)

And it had felt so real, almost like he could have reached out and touched him--

--Yeah, the next page is gonna be BGDirk just standing there like I saw before I read the update, right?

> (==>)

> (==>)

Two pages. Close enough.

> (==>)

Hah!  Get fucked, Dirk.  (Even if you’re supposedly one of the better Dirks.)

> (==>)

Yep, all see-thru and everything.

DIRK: You passed out in a puddle of your own drool. And what the fuck is that on your face? JAKE: My face? What do you mean on my face? DIRK: The moustache, Jake. Who’s idea was that. JAKE: Oh! You dont like it? DIRK: I didn’t say that.

Oh come the fuck on.  He looks good in a mustache, Jane-influence or no Jane-influence.

DIRK: We’ve had this conversation before, dingus. I’m you. And I’m me. But I only exist because of your powers. The fact that I’m manifesting here, in the new universe, outside of a dream, is evidence in itself for just how absolutely boned you are.

Now what exactly do you mean by that last part?  How is this a sign of trouble?

--Is it because this Dirk thinks he’s needed?  And therefore shit will be going down?

DIRK: You’ve been a useless sack of shit for two decades. I’m here to kick your ass back into active duty.

...Hm.

I mean, Jake MIGHT be able to help stop this stupid goddamn war, but this IS Dirk trying to help him, so...

JAKE: And what side am i supposed to be fighting on? for jane or against her? DIRK: Against her. Obviously. What the fuck, dude.

Pffff.

JAKE: But you were the one who wanted her to run in the first place! You wrote her bloody speeches! DIRK: Yeah, I did. And every single one of them kicked ass. I wanted Jane to be the democratically elected president. Not a cake-slinging Jeff Bezos with a great rack.

Pfff.  I mean, you didn’t do a great job the first way, either.  It’s heavily implied things in Canon-land were about to go to shit too.

Not as FAR to shit, nor as quickly, but still to shit.  So, really, how DIFFERENT is this from the way you wanted it done, Dirk?  How can you claim this isn’t half YOUR fuck-up too?

DIRK: Don’t worry about it. The point is, you have a chance to make a difference. You’re in the perfect position to infiltrate her operation.

Oh hell no.  Don’t send him back in THERE you utter horse’s ass!  How could THAT be good for his mental health!? What the fuck about Tavros?!?

DIRK: That’s horseshit and we both know it. Jane would take you back in a second. She loves you.

I think Jane’s definition of “taking him back” would be a bit broader than his body or soul could fucking afford.

> (==>)

Eugh.  You really liked the Condesce’s way of doing things right down to her style, huh?  To think you used to love the spoon.  Is that a fucking spork?  Is that zilly Battlespork your go-to weapon now?

Also, it took me a moment to realize those green and orange silhouettes were Jake and BGDirk.  I was a little like “how did Rose get here?!?”.

> (==>)

Have I mentioned how good all this art is?  So much attention being paid to the use of color, to making everything look so soft and streamlined?

Looks like she’s going in for at LEAST a hug.  And the art style might be mercifully light on showing us indulgent details of just how asset-laden Jane is supposed to be.  Shots of Jake’s manly bod aside, something in me doesn’t like the traditionally-sexualized stuff pushed like that in a canon that’s been light on it for so long...

> (==>)

Oh, that... THAT looks fake.  Or like, she’s about to turn around and happily wail on his ass or something.

JANE: Boo hoo hoo! Oh, Jake! Something awful has happened! JAKE: It--it has? You mean more awful than usual? JANE: The opposition has taken Tavros, Jake. They’ve finally shown their true colors. I knew it was only a matter of time before they attacked our family directly!

.....Ah.  Well, that explains it.  She’d never cry like that about HIM returning AFTER STEPPING OUT ON HER.

It’s then that Jake realizes that Jane isn’t mad because she’d never realized he was gone.

Poor pages, huh?  All their most dramatic gestures always undercut.

...It seems like we might see Candy kind of resolved in less of a fucked-up worldstate after all, at this rate?

She seems to have forgotten that she’d been cross with him the last time they met, because now that Gamzee is gone, there’s no one left to talk to.

It’s true. Gamzee’s absence always improves things.

> (==>)

All of it is made worse by the occasional wry glint in her eye, or moment of self-deprecation in the slant of her mouth. It reminds him of the Jane he used to know. Or the Jane he thought he used to know.

Ambition is a hell of a thing.  Seems like she’s drunk of it almost as deeply as Prince Dirk.  I’d imagine this could be a pretty consistent thing with really active Life players when they get actual power, huh?  The way it just gathers to Life players in all its forms -- power over others, status, wealth -- it’s easy to start to leverage it in ways that constitute abuse of power over others from a Riddle perspective.

At first Dirk stands at Jake’s elbow, a one-ghost support staff, before he appears to lose interest in Jane’s rant and wanders off across the office, reading the spines of books and spending way too long staring at a startlingly phallic piece of installation art,

--PLEASE let us see it.

, the provenance of which Jake doesn’t know, but could hazard a guess it wore a codpiece.

Nope, never mind. Interest lost.

> (==>)

Then he settles on Jane’s desk, propping his ghost butt there and sort of just...well. Here’s a picture of what he does.

Um.

Where is this going?

> (==>)

Oh, so the BEST option, then.  :D

Okay. That’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Boooooo.

> (==>)

--Alright, forgiven.

he’s thoroughly exhausted from attempting to pay attention to his supervillain wife while trying not to look at the crotch of a ghost man from his brain.

...Okay, hold up.  BGDirk, are you trying to steer him into doing this for self-indulgent, non-comedic purposes? Or is this a bit of Prince Dirk in there?  (I mean... I can’t definitively say Jake wouldn’t have wanted this.)

And I’m still wondering how all of this is going to be relevant.  IF it’s going to be relevant.  Despite promises to the contrary that are seemingly being ignored.

> (==>)

DIRK: All according to keikaku.

Fuck you.

JAKE: i really didnt think id fall off the wagon so quickly. I dont think being here is good for my emotions to be honest. DIRK: Yeah, probably not. But that’s okay. They don’t matter. JAKE: Oh.

Yeah, Dirk, you suck at this more than you know.  This ain’t going to go as well as you “hope” I don’t think.

DIRK: Don’t know anything about stiff lips, dude. But that’s not what I mean. It’s not because you’re a man. You’re a god. JAKE: Oh right. That. DIRK: The world comes first, even at the expense of all your relationships and personal happiness. That’s what being a hero means. JAKE: I guess...i never really thought about it like that.

You’re also not guaranteed to be fucking right, you know.

There are definitely dichotomies where what was best for the world wasn’t best for the person, so far, and vice versa in Homestuck.  But Dirk’s taking his anime-flavored principles as gospel as usual, and ignoring, oh I dunno, the impact of the heart in all of this.  Some people, ESPECIALLY JAKE and other Pages so far, CAN’T operate at their best until they’re at least reasonably healthy and sure of themselves, and investments to that effect are essential to letting them slowly realize their full potential.  Brain Ghost Dirk is likely making the same goddamn mistake he made with his overbearing Dirkbot back on Jake’s island.

> (==>)

DIRK: Think what you want about Jane, but at least she realizes that none of you can ever be normal, and she never bothered to try. Can it really be a god-complex if you’re actually a god? DIRK: People like us don’t get happy endings.

...Yup.  This is the fucked-over part of Dirk’s worldview coming in full play, here.  And he believes in it so strongly that he couldn’t even fucking leave NON-CANON alone anymore.  Fuck.

JAKE: Thats bleak dirk i dont think i could possibly believe that!

Mmmhmm.

DIRK: Yeah. That’s probably more a Dirk thought than a Jake one. I told you, it’s hard to tell sometimes. JAKE: Is...is that really how dirk felt the whole gosh darned time?

Mmmhmm.

> (==>)

Last page of the upd8.  Well... all I can say is, it’s a good thing he’s a fucking ghost here.  And half Jake, at that.  At least that can limit the damage.  Hopefully giving Jake just enough of a kick in the doing-something direction without being so overbearing that he makes things worse, making for a balance of...

...Wait.

Wait, is that why we’re here?

Maybe that finally makes some sense of all this.  Of this cut, of this small violation of that last sentence in Meat, of--  ah, yeah, I might be on to something here!  Only maybe, but still--!

We’re quite possibly bearing witness to a realm of influence where, through measures outside of his control, Dirk has a balanced impact.  Where this same ideology of his, tempered by Jake’s hopeful mindset and Dirk’s inability to take direct action, might just manage to make things better and actually make everyone happier by the end, while solving Earth C’s fucked-up Candyland state at the same time.  It’s possibly to show the readers (through the lens of a Hope player specializing in positive possibility) that Dirk, had he been restrained, COULD have had a positive impact, even at the same time that we’re shown Prince Dirk at his soul’s most overblown and heinous.

And, if we want to be optimistic..... perhaps this’ll show Dirk, too?

Canon and Non-Canon may not “meet” again.  But that doesn’t stop Dirk, via this fragment of his multiverse-spanning soul, from seeing Non-Canon.  From seeing how well things COULD have worked out, had he held back.  And if we keep cutting like this -- back and forth between the “real” story and these events in Candyverse -- perhaps the moment at which Brain Ghost Dirk realizes what he’s accomplished, realizes how much better things are because he could hold back, will coincide at the end with Prince Dirk finally, belatedly, realizing just how fucked his plan was, and understanding at the very, very end why he has to fucking die?

THAT would be interesting.

I guess we’ll see?  Talk to y’all next upd8.