#and short of 'one breath' this is the best episode at exploring that

[carefulfears]

talk about je souhaite

well, yes! you know what i love about je souhaite? mulder. i love je souhaite mulder so much. this is the mulder that called the jersey devil "beautiful" and ran through the woods trying to save it. the mulder that looked the soul-eater monster in the eye and gave up the chance to save his own life, because he couldn't bear to add to the monster's pain. he's a bleeding heart behind 7 levels of delusional mania and vince writes the balance better than any other.

i love that the first thing he does is ask the genie what she would wish for, just because he wants to know. just because he's curious, and he's curious about her as a person, her own desires and input outside of the role she's cursed to play in the world. in her answer, you can see how much 500 years of being a slave to people's selfish whims has weighed on her, in the way that she tells him she would just want her days to be her own. to sit and have a cup of coffee.

at its best, this show and its lead characters endowed their central "monsters" (and victims) with so much intricate confliction, humanity within the metaphysical.

i love that mulder tries to win at the genie wish, to save the world. tries to construct the perfect wording and all-encompassing fool-proof plan. he literally throws around the phrase "the end of tyranny."

he thinks that he can crack it, that he can solve it, that he can come up with just the right wish that will make everyone safer and happier, and free. je souhaite is a quintessential season seven episode in that it's a lesson for mulder that scully already knows, scully gets to spend this episode being wise and joyful and absolutely giddy with nerdy delight.

her perspective on the genie wish (something that she doesn't believe in, but takes seriously, as she always takes him and what's important to him seriously) is perfect. "maybe it's the whole point of our lives here, mulder, to achieve that. maybe it's a process that one man shouldn't try and circumvent with a single wish."

in the end, as optimistic as his hope in what's possible is, it's a cheat. it's no more grand than the 500 years of people before him who wished for things like boats and beauty. mulder is learning lessons that scully already knows, and when the time comes, he closes his notes. you can't escape doing the work, that's the whole point of being alive.

after so much mystical pondering, the next scene is refreshingly down to earth: mulder and scully on the couch at his apartment, him complaining about her popcorn choices, her complaining about his movie choices. the way he throws the beer cap just to make her giggle.

there are few moments i love more than the exchange here, when mulder says, "i don't know if you noticed, but i never made the world a happier place." and scully casually answers, "well. i'm fairly happy. that's something."

what a lesson to be learned at the end of the day!! what a sentiment to express, to someone who spends his entire life trying to save the whole world to make up for not having been able to save one person. who spends his entire life trying to repent for having lived.

you don't have to save the world, you can call your best friend and sit on the couch and watch caddyshack. it's something, that someone loves you in a way that makes a life spent with you fairly happy. this is the point, part of what she was telling him earlier.

when she asks what his wish was, and he just smiles and turns to the movie, this cut to the final scene is one of my favorite shots of the series. the genie, finally her own person for the first time in 500 years, sitting with a cup of coffee.

[basilf1res]

Memento Mori - DPxDC

What was beyond death. Was there anything at all? Was there nothing?

That was what he always wondered.

When Clark was a child, he looked up to his fictional hero: Danny Phantom. A half-dead guy in a comic book series that led to the most bisexual awakenings in the century.

Clark liked to go back and reread the comic books from Issue #1 (they were fairly short, but all parts of an “episode”, almost like those ads on shows, but the wait time was every two weeks). He tended to read them all in one sitting, and yet oddly enough, never disturbed as he murmured the made-up summoning spell under his breath.

He could’ve sworn he had been going through them for over an hour and not twenty minutes.

It was Phantom who inspired him to continue being Superman in his darkest moments. He also considered himself physical proof that Danny’s palette swap was enough to hide his identity.

The glasses ARE enough.

When Clark found out he had a clone, he was ecstatic to be able to teach Conner anything everything, to answer any questions his little brother had.

Danielle “Dani” Phantom and her awaited return in “Issue #46 D-stabilized” caused him to become a mama bear to Conner out of the fear he would melt within a few weeks. But it wasn’t like anyone at the Watchtower had to know that small detail.

Getting married to Lois was the best day of his life, the day of Jon’s birth also fighting for that first place spot in his mind.

He had a clone brother, a wonderful wife, a beautiful son, and an amazing group of friends that work together to protect the planet he calls home.

But everything started to fall apart when a protest against metas took it too far, Jon’s powers started to develop and he was seen accidentally tripping, falling, and catching himself by hovering a few inches above the pavement.

Jon said he considered himself lucky nothing scarred. He laughed everything off when it came to the topic.

But it shook Clark, Lois, and Conner to the core.

Memento mori.

It reminded Superman that despite his impenetrable skin, Death can come at any moment. Even for him.

—————————

When Danny was a little boy, he dreamt of reaching the stars, he wanted to be able to touch the moon, explore Mars, and roam the galaxy he resides in and beyond.

He read these comic books of a league of heroes, a team with space cops, super powered humans, a man dressed in a bat suit that was more effective at capturing rogues and villains than some of the powered members, aliens, and so much more.

He flipped through the weekly published comics, learning to read better than most at a young age. He had two favorites, Superman and Martian Manhunter.

Danny wanted to explore the stars like his heroes. He wanted to be able to fight as well as the big Bat. He wanted superpowers. He wanted to help people. He wanted to fight his own set of supervillains. He wanted to be able to succeed and be loved.

Oh how he got everything he wanted but the last.

Tucker and Sam were the only reason he hadn’t broken yet, the reason he was still standing.

The anti-ecto acts, the GIW, Vlad, Pariah Dark, and his- Jack and Maddie’s sadistic comments about ghosts were the last straw.

The hero always wins… they don’t die to the evil they want to stop… right..?

Right..?

…

The sound of a scraping scalpel, the buzz of the lights, and the squeals of pleasure - as his ghostly heart was found again and again and prodded again and again - filled his ears for an unknown length of time.

His cries for help were never answered until a summoning pulled at his core, it was a personal calling, someone had managed to find his calling card.

The tears of relief stung his eyes as the dissection table with his body strapped down to it was sucked into a summons portal.

He was spat out in front of kids, most likely teenagers, due to the shrieks of horror and surprise.

Oh… oh how he prayed to the Ancients that he’d live to see another day as a tears slipped out of his eyes.

Memento mori.

——————————

Jon found out about his comic book collection and wanted to show Damian.

Clark hummed as he typed up an official report on a rogue attack to send to the Watchtower.

His blood ran cold when he heard his son scream from over in Gotham.

[moirindeclermont]

On today's episode of "All the Polin first times we didn't see in Bridgerton" we touch on a particular subject. Do you remember I've talked about Pen and Colin's fantasies? Do you also remember I made a poll? In Colin's case, the winner was boobsfuc*ing... Do I have your attention now? I have Colin's attention for sure!

It's not a secret that Colin is a b00b man. Everyone knows it. So when Colin told her that one of his fantasies was to put his peen in between her breasts... it wasn't as if Pen didn't know her husband was particularly fond of that asset. She does remember a specific carriage ride very well and remembers having to conceal a red spot from her mama the morning after.

She wants to do this, like every new intimate experience with Colin she is sure she'll like it, and if she doesn't, she knows she can stop it. She trusts Colin's understanding and knows he would be happy as well. With that in mind, she goes to Genevieve, asking for something different. Something a bit scandalous that would help her with this mission. One week later, she picks up the nightgown she has prepared for her, and it's exactly what she wants.

That night, after Colin returns from the meeting with his brother, he finds her on their bed with The Robe. Colin has loved The Robe since that night after the ball and has developed a quite interesting reaction to it. "Husband, I have a surprise for you," Pen says, toying with the belt. Colin is right on her side the moment after. "What is it?" She gets up and makes him sit down on the bed. "Would you be so kind as to unwrap me?" she asks, her tone sweet and sensual.

Colin is already salivating, but when he sees what she is wearing, he looks at her in awe. The blue nightgown is short and has a ribbon on her bosom. He asks silent permission to untie the ribbon, and she nods, their excitement almost palpable. He unties the ribbon, and he is agape, looking at her naked bosom on display. "I was thinking about your fantasy, Colin. I want to make it a reality for you," and she doesn't even finish speaking as Colin kisses her.

"Is that a yes?" she asks when they separate for breathing, and he nods. "I have the best wife," he kisses her mouth. "You are the best, Pen," he kisses her neck. "I can't wait to play with these beauties," he kisses her shoulder. Her nipples are already hard, and she feels herself getting wet at the thought of what her husband is about to do. Colin gives her another deep kiss before starting to touch her breasts. He is still sitting on the bed, and it's the perfect height for the next step.

He takes one of the nipples in his mouth before sucking it and using his teeth to give her the stimulation he knows she craves. Especially when she is this aroused, he knows she likes it a bit rough on the edges. While his mouth was occupied, he quickly unbreeched himself, reaching behind to take a cushion. As always, his first thought is his wife's comfort. Then, he switches nipples, making her moan.

Colin uses his hand to go to her mouth, asking her to suck a bit before going down on her, exploring her core, which is soaked. "Let me make you release once before you kneel for me, baby?" and she nods. Deja vu from the carriage comes into her mind, and he also knows it. "Reminds me of something, this position," he says while still using his tongue to stimulate her nipples. She chuckles and then moans when he enters her with two fingers, his thumb on her pearl.

She buckles wild against him until she comes on his fingers. He looks at her then and puts the same fingers in his mouth, sucking them deeply. She goes on her knees, thoughts eradicated from her mind. She gets a bit closer to him and, using her hands, she puts her breasts together. Looking at him with glassy eyes. "Bloody hell, Pen, you're a vision like this," and he uses his saliva to help him slide. The moment after, she sees the tip coming out as he moans loudly. "This is heaven, darling".

Colin starts to thrust, looking at her and showering her with praise "You're so beautiful. Thank you for letting me do this. I have the best wife. fuck Pen is so good," and she is also enjoying herself, seeing how Colin is going insane for this. She has a wicked idea, and the next time the tip comes near her chin, she looks down and takes it in her mouth. Colin almost shouts. It takes a few other thrusts for him to come right on her breasts.

She looks at him and, copying his action, takes a bit of cum and puts it in her mouth. "Little vixen," he calls her, and she feels wanton and desired. She feels loved. Colin then takes out a tissue and cleans her, asking her to sit on his lap. "While we wait for round 2, you can tell me how you explained what you wanted to the modiste," and he kisses her deeply, "and tell me if you liked this."

"I loved it, Colin... and you know by now that Gen is not adverse to helping us if she can," she says, hands in her hair. They share another kiss, and Colin can't take his hands off her. These two are magnificent, you know that?" she smiles. "I made you even more obsessed, haven't I? " They laugh together while they wait for their passion to restart.

I accept requests! Let me know what first time you want to hear about, and I'll do my best to bring it to life!! I hope you've enjoyed this one, and thank you for following me, as always <3

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

Having recently finished an (overly-lengthy) analysis of Tech's development and now working on one for Wrecker, I've been thinking a lot about each of the main characters' arcs. So here, y'all get a summary:

To start off with, it seems each of the titular characters' arcs (with the exception of Omega) revolved around answering one of the main themes of the show, a theme that affects all of the clones:

“We were born and raised to be soldiers of the Republic. It is our entire identity, culture, and purpose. So what do we do when the Republic is now called an Empire, the war we were born for is over, and we face the possibility of being replaced? What are we if we are not soldiers?”

The first question of “What do we do when the Republic is now called an Empire?” is answered quickly: Crosshair joins the Empire, the others don’t.

The second question – “What are we if we are not soldiers, can we be anything else?” – takes longer to answer, because even though Hunter, Echo, Tech, and Wrecker decide within one episode that they won’t be soldiers to the Empire, they continue acting as soldiers and functioning as a military unit (why wouldn’t they, it is literally all they know). Even building relationships with Omega and protecting/caring for her involves them taking an adolescent clone with no military training and teaching her how to be a soldier working with a squad. Whether they are soldiers for a cause, soldiers who have left a cause (deserters), or soldiers for hire (mercenaries), most members of Clone Force 99 take a long time to consider other roles, purposes, and identities beyond being a soldier.

- Crosshair: his arc is the most obvious as he goes from clinging so tightly to his identity as a soldier that he is willing to walk away from his family and throw in with the Empire, to eventually discarding the soldier life completely after the Empire abuses his loyalty, and ends retiring with his family on Pabu. His answer to the second question seems to be "I'm still figuring that out, but I know I don't need or want to be a soldier anymore; and more importantly I know who deserves my loyalty, and that's enough."

- Hunter: he feels he needs to remain a soldier/mercenary to protect his family from the Empire (and from blackmail), and he has a difficult time letting go of that role even as other options open up to him. It takes the loss of one of his brothers to convince Hunter to give up the soldier life “for good”… until he gets dragged back into it, but he stays fighting as a soldier only long enough to recover what he can of his family, ensure their safety, and peripherally help another brother (Echo) as needed. His answer to the question seems to be "People keep telling me there are more options than being a soldier, but there's never any time to really explore these options or let down my guard. Oh, look, here comes another disaster." It isn't until the end of the show, when he finally has a chance to breathe, that he says they, like the other clones, can finally be "Whatever we want."

- Echo: he deliberately chooses to stay in the fight and continues soldiering, but for a bigger cause he believes in and one that aligns with his ideals. His answer is essentially “I guess I could be something else, but I want to continue being a soldier. It's how I can best help ALL my brothers."

- Tech: he remains a soldier in order to help his family, but as he begins to see history, culture, traditions, and life existing well beyond the war he was born for, he is one of the first to openly express an interest in pursuing possibilities outside of the soldier expectations (stay on Pabu, help the community rebuild, spend time with Phee, etc.) His arc is cut short before these possibilities can come to full fruition, but he did have an arc in that he answered the question with “I am a soldier, AND I can be more.”

- Wrecker: he has no problem sticking with the soldier-like roles, though he also has no difficulty integrating into other communities and helping them out - so long as there is action involved. He'll stay in one place if that's what his family decides to do, though they don't officially decide to do it until Tech dies... And it's only thereafter, when Wrecker is left the last man standing to keep Hunter from going off the deep end, that Wrecker begins to not only advise Hunter, but also advise caution. His goals shift from action/thrill seeking and helping his family, to being more selective in order to help his family. His answer to the question is "Being a soldier was fun, but now I see and understand the risks of staying in the fight. I don't care if I'm a soldier or not, I'm open to new things, as long as I'm with my family and they are safe."

While Omega is the exception in that she doesn't necessarily answer the same questions her brothers have, but - like most coming-of-age stories - she still eventually has to answer the question of who/what she wants to be, so:

- Omega's arc takes her from being a clone with no military training (who doesn't even know what dirt is), raised by brothers who for most of their lives had no choice but to be soldiers... to a young woman who has been trained by the best, has the option of staying out of the fight, and chooses for herself to become a soldier.

[emsprovisions]

Hi y'all! I read so many Tarlos fics this past month so I wanted to do a little highlight of some of my favorites! It was honestly very hard to narrow down the one shots but I tried 😂

Oneshots

Rain on Me by @ironheartwriter Rating: Explicit Word count: 6,622 Why I liked it: Lana has become such a dear friend in such a short time and I said one little thing in a tumblr ask response and something like two days later she busted out 6k words of pure magic! I love this fic, it's so sweet. We get to see our boys have some downtime to themselves and they truly truly deserve it!

breathing deeper than i've ever done by @your-catfish-friend Rating: Explicit Word count: 4,693 Why I liked it: This fic is so hot! This fic is heavy on senses, particularly the sense of smell. There's a part towards the end that really makes me insane where TK and Carlos are taking a shower together and it smells like "TK-and-Carlos" which makes me insane because they really are One.

Butterflies and Sky-High by @paperstorm Rating: Teen and up Word count: 8,031 Why I liked it: Demi!Carlos my beloved. I strongly subscribe to this headcanon and Andie, as always, you have executed it so beautifully! I loved this exploration of Carlos's labels, his spiral, his conversation with Paul, how he finally talked to TK about how he feels, it was all so beautiful.

This is The Sound of You Here and Now by @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut Rating: Mature Word count: 3,040 Why I liked it: I was sick with a cold and asked for sick fics of my boys to get me through those trying times. J, thank you so much for delivering! This was beautiful and genuinely it made me cry. I love how they take care of and love each other.

Long fics

Right Before Your Eyes by Goody Rating: Teen and up Word count: 19,894 Why I liked it: This one is so much fun! It feels like watching an episode, it is that realistic. Your characterization was amazing! Also poor TK, he suffers so much already and we just put him through more! But this was still really good! (and if anyone knows their tumblr, please let me know so I can properly tag them!)

to build a home by @freneticfloetry Rating: Explicit Word count: 63,872 Why I liked it: I don't think I will ever recover from the feels this one gave me. I love Carlos exploration fics. I love how well the angst was balanced with fluff and spicier scenes! I'm working on a wip rn that has definitely been influenced by the layout and flow of this gorgeous fic. It's melancholic in the best way, beautiful, and true to character. I won't stop thinking about it any time soon.

Series

Missing Moments by @paperstorm Works: 34 Complete: no Why I liked it: special shoutout to the fic from this series, Homeward Bound because I think about it often. I really, really love this series. Sometimes I confuse details from canon with details from these fics because they feel so canon to me. We needed the background scenes and you have more than delivered, Andie! Love this series so much and I can't wait to see what you do with the rest!

wherever you stray, I follow by @strandnreyes Works: 2 Complete: no Why I liked it: My latest obsession is this series. TK and Carlos are soulmates and now they get to live for eternity. Sometimes it's a bit bittersweet, especially in the second part, when Carlos thinks about all the changes that will happen to them someday, but they have each other and all the love and time in the world and it is beautiful. I love the setting, I love author Carlos, and I love how you adapted all the other characters and how seamlessly they fit into their roles in Castine. This au is gorgeous and I found myself wishing I didn't have to leave that world so soon. I can't wait for the next installment! I am excited to see where you might take it.

[justeclotilde]

Thoughts on LEGO Monkie Kid, pacing, and season 5

I’m taking this from Twitter, but basically this thread about “Say something BAD about the show Monkie Kid” came up and my biggest gripe so far has been :  The show has way too short episodes. Like, 11min30. And tries to do SO MUCH in those 11min30 that either somethings get scrapped (DBFamily but not just that) or big important elements get solved way too fast (Samadhi fire and broken scroll among other things). And it steams I think from the fact that the show went from episodic to serialised while keeping the same amount of time. 

I ramble :  I see a lot of newcomers say that they jumped s1 and 2 and really started with s3/4, and while everyone has their reasons I think that’s silly Because that format is what made me love the characters and settings in the first place. The episodes are short, so the show can only focus on a tiny thing, but sprinkled LBD being a menace throughout the season, with the spider gang being a menace. And now ? lBD is still reveared as one of the best villains, and Spidergang is still very appreciated. Same thing for DBF : Red Son was slowly developed through s1, and returned on s3 Granted he wasn’t in s2, but since he was a major part of s1, and the spider queen special, we grew to care about him and the family to an extent. Because that’s what the show is good at ! Characters interactions, character personalities, CHARACTERS !! And now, the show is going for serialised, which is great and maintains attention, but it wants to do too much with the same amount of time: - In s2 : LBD took 10 ep to build her mech. MK started slowly to grow, and his relationships were explored one ep at a time. Slowly. - In s4 : we lose SWK, MK meets Azure, we learn about Tang, Pigsy and Sandy through their ancestors, we start to question MK’s existence, Monkey MK, the scroll is a menace, Azure betrays the group, MK loses his mentor and morale, DBF is important but scrolled, the JE is defeated and BAM world explodes we have to kill God in 4 episodes now. 

Granted for the characters as well it feels rushed. We don’t have to see everything either. Of course. They have a life outside the show. And overall they did a good job in those 11 bloody minutes 30.

But

But

But.

Now that we have a bit of breathing room, maybe it’s time to have that character moment by episode we’ve been asking for instead of cramming feelings and heartfelt conversations in an episode while the world is teared apart outside. Especially since we’ve seen the characters go through hell for a whole season. MK needs to breath but he isn’t the only one. We could have an episode on Red Son and his time in the scroll, an episode on MK going monkey a whole episode, an episode on SWK and Macaque in coloc, an episode on Tang Pigsy and Sandy trying to get back to their lives since they’re the most normal of the bunch - technically (cuz apparently having episodes focused on them in s4 wasn’t enough to have conversations about it but that’s a gripe i have with the community for LATER). We could have SWK and DBF reminisce on their time together, since DBK is one of the last friend that doesn’t QUITE hate him anymore, or an episode on how Nezha starts rebuilding Heaven by himself while keeping the JE power safe, or an episode on Mei just being awesome honestly, like just Mei observing MK going insane and being the girlboss she is, especially since she went through the whole “excess power that could kill everyone you love” and is still living with that, in a way. That could answer where the Samadhi fire business went. Cuz like in real life some things are tamed but don’t disappear, she might still be struggling but has learned to live with it. And MK is going through a similar path. We could also have Red Son in this one since he’s honestly the most controlled in a way.

And through all that… discretly… the world starts to break apart again ? Tears appear and with it new monsters and ghosts of the past maybe start seeping from the Underworld ? Maybe an unmasked man tries to prevent Mk’s attemps at coming back to some normal because as long as he’s confused and scared he stays the Harbinger of Chaos ? Idk ! TL:DR A lot of critics I see sum up as « They should show this more, why did THIS disappear out of nowhere, this is wasted potential », which seeps from the show not having time to show all that happens at once. Maybe it’s time to take a breather and tackle the problems one at a time again, ep by ep, like in season 2. And then go back to « We’re all gonna die in 4 episodes » to get the panic back on track.

Anyway Please come talk to me about the show and your theories, or headcanons about what the characters are doing now that the wreck of S4 has rolled past them. I wanna talk about my babies some more...

[hongtiddiez]

taking this gif from my recent Bake Me Please set and talking about it bc every time i see it i feel so much.

like, i know Guy is doing some awful, petty, stupid shit right now but this is one of the moments in the show where it became obvious to me that he adores Peach. he loves Peach so fucking much. you can almost hear the hitch in his breath as he looks up.

he probably wondered if he'd ever see Peach again, if their paths would ever cross or if they said goodbye forever - if Peach condemned him just like Shin did. so he bumps into a stranger, looks up to apologize, and suddenly his heart is in his throat because it's Peach. Peach is here, in front of him, and he looks good, he looks happy and-

oh. Shin. Shin is here too. he spares the barest glance in Shin's direction before he looks back at Peach again, his affection overflowing from his eyes. he looks at Peach like Peach hung the moon and all the stars.

Poom Phuripan has made such a fan of me from the way he acts with his eyes, the amount of quiet emotion he conveys. i love quiet emotions, i love the character that's holding it together for as long as he can only to inevitably fall apart when it all becomes too much.

we see Guy go from this playful, teasing, but still endlessly comforting man, and then we watch his heart break in real time because even while Peach denies his affection towards Shin Guy knows the truth. how? because from the moment Peach walked through that bakery door he never stopped looking at him, never took his eyes off Peach.

and the thing is, he doesn't do it in a Nice Guy way. he truly befriends Peach, cares and listens to his concerns, offers advice, is there for him even when the subject at hand hurts him.

the complexity of Guy as a character and the narrative they've set up around him in just 4 episodes has made me fall so in love with him. i know Shin and Peach are end game, i know Guy isn't going to get his love, and honestly? i don't know that i want Guy to end up with anyone else (even Oab.) i love this picture of hopelessly devoted Guy, Guy who knows the truth but can't help but try because his love for Peach burns a hole in his chest and the pain of losing his best friend (all because he dared to strive for his dream) sits like a lead weight in his stomach.

and i think Guy needs to learn who he is. he's spent so long in Shin's shadow i don't think Guy knows who he is when he's on his own. i think he needs time to explore, branch out, discover more of the world around him, and figure out who Guy the Man is, rather than Guy the Baker, Guy: Shin's Shadow.

again, what he did is shit. what he's doing isn't great, but maybe Shin needs that reminder that what he has is precious, that what Peach has given him is something others would fight to have. and maybe he's lashing out in his hurt; he's lost so much in such a short span of time just because he wanted out from Shin's shadow.

idk. i just think Guy is a really interesting character, i'm obsessed with Poom's acting, and i cannot fucking WAIT for My Stand In.

[ploppythespaceship]

I said I was gonna write up a rant about how modern TV shows are so terrified of filler that it's hurting them, and here it is!

Nowadays the thing for most TV is heavily serialized, 15-episode-or-less seasons, which is inherently seen as the superior format. And that works very well for some stories. But the more traditional 20-25 episode season with more one-off episodes has a lot of advantages that would really benefit some stories! Even if an episode isn't moving the overall plot forward, it's often contributing to characters, relationships, worldbuilding, or just overall pacing -- a true "filler" episode is rare in a well-written show. On the flipside, shows that don't take full advantage of these types of episode can feel lacking.

Here are just some benefits of longer, more episodic seasons:

It's easier to explore a wider variety of stories and tones. When each episode is more separated from the rest, you have more space to try different things. You can have a very dark episode, followed by a lighthearted romp, followed by a simple character study, followed by a full-blown musical, and it can all still feel cohesive. Meanwhile, if you have continuous storyline following one massive epic plot, having a fun episode right in the middle feels jarring. If a show would benefit from having lots of variety available, locking it into a single storyline per season may not be the best move.

It's easier to focus on and properly develop a larger group of characters. When you have a short season that's laser focused on plot, making sure that each member of your ensemble cast gets enough focus can be tough. But if you have more episodes that each tell their own story, you can tailor certain ones to focus on particular characters. That way everyone gets plenty of opportunity to see some good development, as they've each had a handful of stories to spotlight them specifically. I firmly believe that if the goal is to develop an ensemble cast, episodic structures are almost always better suited.

It makes it feel like you've known the characters for longer. Episodic series often have a sense of joining your favorites on a new adventure week after week. You see them in a wider variety of stories and settings, and over a longer period of time, creating a greater sense of familiarity. It creates a particular tone, sort of cozy, that can be incredibly beneficial to some stories.

It helps overall pacing. If shows are very short and very serialized, it often means all the major developments are close together. This can feel exhausting as a viewer, like everything's happening too quickly and the big moments haven't been earned. Spacing these larger episodes out with smaller, slower episodes in between gives the audience and characters time to process and breathe. It also helps the huge moments stand out more, because they're truly events compared to the often smaller stakes of the rest of the show.

It protects the show from dumb episodes. If an episodic series has a truly awful episode, it's often easy to dismiss. It's fairly segregated from the rest of the series, so you can ignore it and carry on. Meanwhile, if an episode of a heavily serialized show has a truly awful episode, it probably has ripple effects to the rest of the storyline and is much harder to recover from.

[invested-in-your-future]

I can't help but imagine...

Imagine what RWBY could have been like:

Without over-reliance on "Gods did it"/"Magic did it" - Imagine if there were actual reasons why the setting is the way it is beyond conveniently handwaving it away via magic? Actual effort into establishing Remnant, its countries, how the current world order came to be, how its myths, legends and religion came to be.

With properly complex morality and characterization - bad people doing good things? good people making mistakes and doing bad things? Imagine that! What if well-meaning proponents of status quo had genuine flaws in their world view? What if people's allegiances could shift and change based on their life experiences? What if characters could make mistakes, do the wrong thing, have different justifications for their actions that clash with justifications of others and could grow and change?

With a properly handled Faunus plotline - That subplot really did not work even in the Monty years, but holy...it sure does not work in present day and even the best parts of it have aged like milk. The story had a real chance to explore the power dynamics and "normalcy/status quo" of Remnant but instead we got a very thinly veiled poorly thought out "looting is bad" metaphor. I for one think the idea of how different groups, be it those in powers and those marginalized, can view Remnant's power and social structures differently would have been EXTREMELY fascinating.

With more actual consequences from Fall of Beacon - Hey remember this little thing that happened years ago now where the world was plunged into chaos, half the characters suffered tragic and traumatic life-changing experiences, multiple characters died and the fragile balance between countries fell apart? Show sure seemed like it was trying it's hardest not to with how easy it has, for years, handwaved away what could have been volumes of content and plot and characterization. And whenever it tried to touch upon it we got the infamous "Fear of Mice".

With more proper character arcs for Ruby, Blake, Yang and Weiss - Imagine a world where we got a proper breathing room for Ruby's conflict between the cold reality she found herself in and her naive childhood dreams and actually got to parse her trauma? Imagine a world where we could have seen a proper exploration of Yang dealing with disability and trauma? Imagine a world where Blake got to face her own hypocrisy and grow? Imagine a world where Weiss actually faces the weight of her own privilege and the change in her worldview that the three volumes at Beacon brought her? Imagine Blake and Yang actually getting to work through their issues the end of Volume 3 might have caused? Imagine a story where characters didn't instantly ignore everything that happened to them and had to actually progress through arcs to deal with things - be it with their complicated feelings or feuds or mistakes or their growth.

With actual respect for various topics like social issues, disability, LGBTQ+ issues and representation, etc - What if we did not solve PTSD issues with vague patronizing remarks about fear of mice from a person whose favorite past time was trying to flirt with his students? What if topics of depression, trauma, disability, etc were dealt with the gravitas they deserve? What if overall inclusivity(be it LGBTQ+, gender equality, race, etc) was actually persistent element rather than vague short pieces of patchwork writers apply to dodge criticism? What if issues like racism, sexism, etc, were given even a modicum of thought? What would RWBY storyline be then?

With actual retention of its semi-grounded weirdly contemporary setting - Remnant has always held it's more contemporary setting close and it's more magical elements further away in that "Final Fantasy 7" kind of way where magical and supernatural meets contemporary and urban. We started with premise of every weapon being a gun and we opened Episode 1 with a store robbery in a modern looking city. Filling the setting with medieval villages, relic mcguffins, magical realms, etc feels like diluting what made the world interesting in the first place . For all the times Miles was talking bad things about Korra, he really seems to have wanted to just do Korra instead. And for how much they wanted to do that, Korra to this day is STILL more grounded than RWBY will ever be...

I think it really is a shame we never got any of that.

Every year I look back at what this franchise COULD have been, what it could have SAID thematically, the interesting ways the characters could developed and changed and its just...sad?

Volume 3 was a perfectly pulled off pay off where everything the show built up till then, in spite of missteps, in spite of weird decisions and mishandled stuff, went off without a hitch. It was a case of build up and pay off that is VERY rare in television.

I still sometimes rewatch the final stretch of V3 because even to this day, those last five-ish episodes? they hold up REAL well....

And then nothing...

Just...puke boy and the talking magic animals...

I don't think the people behind the show realize just quite what a gold mine they had...

[spinteresting]

OFMD Thoughts

Immediately after watching, I felt sad. Sad because I want more of the crew. I want more time for the characters to breathe. I felt like we got so much of that in season 1, and I want that same kind of feeling. I'm just not getting it this season.

One of my favorite things about this show is the ensemble cast. Many of my favorite things from season 1 were the B or C plots like:

Frenchie and Olu pyramid scheme

Room people

the flags!

Jim/Olu's history and relationship being explored in St. Augustine

I'm so glad we've gotten quite a few great Lucius and Black Pete scenes because I love them SO MUCH! Them fucking for a full 24 hours in ep 6. Absolutely hilarious. But also, they're so sweet together. It just feels so real and grounded while also keeping a great amount of comedy in their scenes. Their chemistry is amazing. Best in the show for sure.

Calypso's Birthday party was so fun! I wish we had been able to see more of it.

Why did they make ep 6 & 7 so short? They're only 25 minutes long. The others have mostly been 30 minutes. 5 more minutes would have done so much for both of these episodes!

The writing for this show in season 1 was amazing. The storytelling was tight. The show was so funny.

Maybe it caused me to set the bar too high for season 2.

[according2thelore]

just found your tumblr account and thought id give you the comments i never left on your fics. my top three are: I. “swallow my breath and take whats mine” nothing to say about this one except i live for feral sam, the fear for dean’s death and acceptance of letting himself be cannibalized just because he doesn’t want to lose him and at the end the contempt for john, for how far he’s willing to go just to train dean (his inability to understand that it is NOT normal has a whole other special flavor). it was short, lovely and heartbreaking with a je ne sais quoi in sam’s feelings towards dean. 10/10. II. “and its you that i want” this was more lighthearted, not accounting for the breakup between dean and girl X, the best part was sam needing to be used, his desire to be just a vessel for deans pleasure. also i love EVERYTHING that depicts sam’s discomfort with his size with his need to be smaller. overall the smut is so sexy and intimate and also i love the fact that theyre obsessed with each other even in another universe. i love every smith/wesson fic because i love to imagine their reactions when confronted with what they would do with each other when not being stuck with whatever inhibition theyre battling with. 12/10 just because it has smut. “souls tied intertwined by our pride and guilt” NO. WORDS. it is my most read fic on ao3 in the whole seven years ive used the platform and it was published less than a year ago. i love everything. every word, every emotion. the fic starts with the voyeur moment, dean’s guilt at the idea that it was sam’s worst terror and sam’s fear that he may have revealed too much and everything its now out in the open. “the dark side of the moon” is already a seriously angsty episode by itself, but your spin on it with their guilt, their shame and the continuous misunderstandings is lovely.

dean’s overthinking about when did he become so overwhelming to sam that he was TERRIFIED of his big brother, when did he become something that sam needed to escape from leaving for college? sams line that said he “always lived with it” had dean spiraling with guilt and shame and fear so much that he left and “threw” away the amulet. sam on the other hand is full of shame for his biggest desire is out there, the crippling need to have his brother, so debilitating that he had to escape, not from deans leering as he may think, but from his fucked up needs, his perversion of their relationship, of him feeling like he twisted up something genuine and good so much that his brother is now disgusted with him (i love when one of the two seems “disgusted” leaving the other feeling dirty and a pervert) overall i never found a fic that fit all of my reading needs as well as this one. you took a basic misunderstanding trope and spun it in a whirlwind of suffering, dejections, inhibitions and the best part GUILT AND SHAME.

i have no more words 100/10 i live for it. keep up with your writing because i live for it and eat up every single work you produce.

sorry if some bits are grammatically incorrect english is not my first language.

much love<3

HI ANON!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!

thank you so much for this ask!!!!!! i actually think i have answered this one already, and thank you for being so kind!!!!!!! i want to make sure you can see this so i copy-pasted my answer below, bc i had such a lovely time reading this and responding to it!

anon...oh my god anon...anon...

okay so i'm thinking an autumn wedding? how soon do you think we could book a venue?? i mean, we could always elope.

but seriously, anon--holy shit. this ask made my MONTH. i don't know what i did to deserve such lovely and incredible people on this blog but i am so GRATEFUL!!!

just little responses to the comments:

EEP! thank you! desperately devoted winchesters are delicious! we see series!sam being incredibly unhinged about dean/his safety, so i was interested to explore how a pre-series!sam would navigate a situation like that. 

heehee i'm glad this one was good! charlotte beta'd the first half of this fic in public, and it was quite funny to watch her (a lesbian who is also new to A/B/O) give it a read. servicetop sam is something that i love that i also don't see a lot of, so i loved being able to add some in this universe where their power dynamics are slightly shifted (in the corporate ladder sense and also alpha/omega lol). a +2 for the smut!! hell yeah!!! thank you ! :)

okay, small guilty pleasure moment, i LOVE misunderstanding tropes. admittedly in big, long pieces of fiction (fan or otherwise) in the 40k+ category, i can get tired of it, but misunderstandings are such a great way to understand and explore the interpersonal and INTRApersonal strengths/weaknesses/flaws of characters and their understanding of the world they are in. i was afraid everyone was going to hate this fic on sight bc it's written for me (and charlotte) specifically (and i've found from some very vocal and angry people that they hate misunderstandings (not on this blog, thank goodness, everyone has been lovely!)), but i am SO INCREDIBLY HONOURED AND GRATEFUL AND GLAD that you like it!!!!! i don't even have words for how much all of the comments, but this one especially, meant!!! all of your comments breaking it down made me smile wider and wider!

i hope my work continues to be entertaining, and THANK YOU again for this lovely ask!! (ps, your grammar is stellar!! much love!!!)

-lizzy <3

(pps mwah mwah mwah mwah)

[unimpressivegayarrow]

unpopular opinion: 4×03 was alright. I liked exploring the relationship between Carlos and iris I think it gives more reason for their initial marriage. I know there's some discrepancies, but all in all it really makes the characters feel more real.

for example, Carlos got the chance to be an arsehole. like, yes, he was a dick to TK. but also if I were in that situation and my best friend went missing, and my bf didn't tell me that they'd seen them the night of.

I'd be livid. and in those moments, you don't respond to logic. You don't want to hear anything else until the person who's missing is safe.

I really get Carlos and Iris' bond. It's just full on platonic love and massive kudos to the actors for portraying that in a way I've never seen before in such a short amount of time. the hand hold, the telling iris to breathe, really showed me that they do love each other. they need each other, because they're best friends. like no matter the time apart, they just remember one another because they were together in their primary years, when they were still becoming people.

it's mainly due to the amazing acting from both Lydnsey and Rafa. I will take my hat off to both of them. their chemistry is off the hook in line with a old friendship. I'm massively into platonic love on screen can you tell?

it just reminds me of my best friend and everything I'd do for her. and as a gay dude myself I really see myself in iris and carlos' friendship.

however I do think on the TK side of things like however much it seems justified for me, it was a bit wanky. and also I'd be a hypocrite if I said I didn't agree with where Carlos was coming from.

but again, I think it adds to his character. he is now a flawed human being. not a perfect, do no wrong golden child. we're getting so much from his character this season, seeing how he felt before TK, his anxieties, and his drive to protect his friends. and the fact that he will mess up and be a dick because he can't find the words to say he thinks he's responsible for something.

yes, TK didn't do anything wrong at all. he went to see iris and she was fine, she was going out to find that woman from the shelter. all Carlos hears is, "I went behind your back after we agreed to leave it for the time being." and add that to a crisis where the person in question goes missing, you're gonna get an adverse reaction.

so wow yes, Carlos sucked, but that's amazing because he's not a paper thin character anymore he has substance. he's allowed to mess up, and I know he won't appologise on screen because that's not dramatic and this is a drama show.

I do think in the future he'll learn that he doesn't have to shoulder the weight on his own. he can have a discussion about it before he flies off the rails trying to protect his loved ones again.

because you don't go into an abandoned house without letting your fiance know first. that's a rule, Carlos. don't do it again.

however I'm so excited and terrified for episode 4!!!!!

[opscurus]

PROFILE.

— Ichigo is 23

Hair: Orange

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5ft 10in

Weight: 165lbs

Born: July 15th

When the Fight between Ichigo and Ulquiorra happened, the orange haired Soul Reaper awoke his powers of Vasto Lorde. Once the battle was over, his soul returned to its battered state it had been in before the transformation, and his friends had taken care of him as best they could.

Once Ichigo and friends returned from Hueco Mundo, he started having odd feelings and sensations around certain people. Mainly Urahara, Uryu, and Orihime. He couldn’t be around any of them without feeling like he should kill or injure them — it was his Inner Hollow taking a toll upon Ichigo’s spirit.

BASIC.

Set directly after episode 271 through the arc. This Ichigo is AU, meaning events after the named episode didn’t happen, instead leading Ichigo to set off down different paths in the main verse of this muse.

it explores Ichigo’s insecurities / fears about his powers & the fact that he is unnatural

—Stubborn as always, though he’s learned a lot with having to cope with almost hurting his friends with his Hollow powers and has come to live in the far recesses of the Soul Society. He still travels to Karakura town every now and then, but stays only a short while.

— being;

He was a beast in Human skin, not belonging to either world, or any for that matter. If one were to see him, they’d see him ominously silent, and drifting like a leaf on the wind.

Tall, yet thin, his features are sharp, but still a bit unkempt. His hair is long, like it was in the arc against Aizen (which isn’t in his timeline) but it’s his style. He most often wears his Souls Reaper garb, it is heavily tattered and ripped. Zangetsu stands out on his hip.

Something on him is almost always bandaged. His eyes no longer have that youthful glow, now they hold a gloom and depth of heart. An unwanted terror that leaks from his Soul. Worn are his hands, many scars adorn his fingers and upper body as well. Burns marking trails along his spine show his pain. Many trials have been overcome, but not without wounds.

Most thoughts are held back and pushed deep within. He tries not to think about anything concerning his Hollow or events triggered by such. Though things come to haunt him and therefore he secludes himself when needed.

He’s not that vocal anymore, due to lack of substance or more so a lack of feeling the good things. His times for talk are only when really \prompted or when he feel it necessary. The face of the Anomaly is often void of expression, hard or unsettling. Times are short when he shows his feelings and wears his heart on his sleeve.

psychological.

TEMPERMENT: lawful neutral

VICES: martyr-ism • lust

PERSONALITY TRAITS: impulsive • confident • caring • intelligent • vain • charming • taunting • quiet

HABITS: clenching his fists • running hands through his hair • muttering under his breath • gritting his teeth

other.

BLOOD TYPE: O

SEXUALITY: homosexual

ALLERGIES: strawberries • mild asthma

DISABILITIES/INJURIES: partially blind in right eye • busted right elbow • broken ribs • dyscalculia

[ear-worthy]

Josie's Lonely Hearts Club: A Semi-improvised Audio Drama You'll Love

Have you ever seen a Russian nesting doll? Remove one and there is another underneath. That's how the new audio-drama podcast Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club unfolds for listeners. It's a captivating drama with layers upon layers -- all of which will fascinate and enthrall. Here's the premise. Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club is a semi-improvised audio drama set in the studio of New Mexico’s third-best romantic advice call-in show. On-air, listeners eavesdrop as Josie (Rachel Music of How Do They Bone?) squares off against top improvisers and her engineer Frank (Maximilian Clark of Superhuman Public Radio). In reality, Josie, the romance advice DJ, is melancholy Joanne Holtzinger. Each episode has off-air vignettes that chart Joanne's journey to nationally syndicated sensation Josie Heller, and then back again when the mics are off.

I listened to the first episode and was fascinated and wildly entertained. The episode begins with Josie discussing first impressions on dates with her listeners, and then encouraging callers to discuss that topic. Josie's voice is faintly Southern - Western and has a breathless quality to it.

For those who know radio, Josie's voice and demeanor reminds me of Delilah, who is a well-known American radio personality. Her show -- on the air since 1996 -- perfected the format for call-in romantic advice radio shows and has an estimated eight million listeners.

Then the call-ins to the radio station begin. These calls are improvised by professionals, and Josie (Rachel Music) has to respond. The callers include a bouncer for the nu metal band Korn, who doesn't know how to talk to women and a man who recounts a tender slow dance with a woman, who abruptly walks out, leaving a shoe behind a la Cinderella. 

Then, on a commercial break, we meet "Joanne," who is the real person behind Josie. We discover that unlike Josie, who dispenses advice on life and romance, Joanne needs support and guidance about her seemingly despairing life.

The calls are fascinating, funny, odd, weird, yet strangely touching.  "What results is an often hilarious and surprisingly human show exploring the risks we idiots take every time we fall in or out of love."

The character Josie Heller was born in 2021 while Rachel Music drove from New York to LA with all of her possessions, her boyfriend, and her dog -- hopefully no in that order. 

"The week-long road trip was full of colorful characters and long stints of AM radio on old Route 66. The germ of a great idea took root...and like most great ideas, the first iteration was crap, and it sat on her desktop." Around this time, Rachel Music was picked to help write and voice season two of Superhuman Public Radio by its showrunner, Maximilian Clark, and the two clicked like Lois and Clark or Cagney And Lacey. A few months later, when Rachel co-founded Good Story Guild, a puzzle emerged: a show as nimble to produce as an unscripted podcast, but with arcs that deepen an audience’s connection to a flawed, vulnerable character. Together, puzzlers Maximilian and Rachel developed an ingenious hybrid– half-improv Olympics, half writers room. An ongoing experiment in creativity, Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club is designed to surprise:a living, breathing show with a narrative spine. Rachel Music (co-creator, Josie) is a full-time artist and road-tested in New York's cabaret and cirque scene. She hosted and produced burlesque and circus revues as airborne, opera-singing Mistress of Ceremonies Kittyhawk Boone before stepping into a production role. Her work spans theater, music and new media, including GUNS, A CABARET, the award-winning short WENDY/GIGI, and the TikTok series EAVESDROPPERS. Now in Los Angeles, Rachel is the co-founder of the Good Story Guild and executive director of the company's audio drama and podcast slate. According to Rachel, she has lent her voice to children’s toys, rodeo commercials, and a lot of alien-on-human erotica. Maximilian Clark (co-creator/showrunner, Frank) has written and/or directed festival winning films, web series, and audio dramas that provide insightful commentary on the human experience interspersed with slapstick and fart jokes. He’s largely responsible for the Starz digital series Llama Cop, and the audio drama Superhuman Public Radio on the Fable & Folly network. He’s been invited to the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal three times, and has been temporarily banned from the Podcast Movement festival in Denver for six months. When he’s not being a creative menace in the world of fiction, he spends his time going undercover at Qanon rallies, producing content with Walter Masterson that exposes far right extremism through comedy and trolling. You can hear about their experiences on their politics podcast We Are Not Journalis.

Good Story Guild apparently birthed Jose's Lonely Hearts Club and when I googled the company this is what came up: "It is a time of crisis in the realm of storytelling: the barriers to entry are getting smaller, new technology continues to disrupt business models and power has consolidated into the hands of a few empires. Storytelling needs a new wave of heroes to usher in the next era. Instead, they got us - a guild of industry veterans, rogues and outsiders alike, brought together through a little serendipity and a passion for great story hooks. GSG is on a journey to bring back a little risk and danger to our beloved art form. Will you join us?"

I really have no idea what all that meant, but their manifesto is weird, intriguing, and I think we need a new true-crime podcast to investigate these people.  

That said, this show is a rule breaker, a genre mash up of epic proportions, a half-scripted, half-improv Jekyll Hyde creation, and 30 minutes of all-out fun, genius, humanity exposed, and as outrageous as detective Benoit Blanc in Knives Out and Glass Onion.

Check out Josie’s Lonely Hearts Club. Even if you don't love it (which you will), you can get some romantic advice or insights on alien on human erotica.

[haus-seeblick]

Suptober Day 6 - "Just Dean"

Rating: Gen

Tags: Narrative Character Study, The Many Masks of Dean Winchester, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Bobby Singer is Sam and Dean's REAL Parent, Dean Winchester in Hell, Castiel Saves Dean Winchester, Childhood Trauma, Coping Mechanisms, Childhood to Adulthood, Angst With a Happy Ending

Summary: Sometimes Dean pretends he’s an actor. One of those grinning, quick-witted sitcom kids who always says the right thing.

~ A short exploration of the different masks Dean develops as a child in response to John's parenting, and how they follow him throughout his life. And how Castiel sees right through it. ~

Read under the cut, or on ao3 here!

Sometimes Dean pretends he’s an actor. One of those grinning, quick-witted sitcom kids who always says the right thing, who makes everyone pat them on the back with an indulgent smile.

When Dean’s one of those kids, he can imagine that his dad’s an actor, too. That Dad’s not really mad, he’s just reading his lines. He's just faking the narrow eyes and the deep frown, selling his performance. Dean finds it a lot easier to choose the correct words if he pretends none of it is real. 

It helps him deal with Dad’s long absences, too. Dad’s been gone on a hunt three days longer than he said he’d be? That’s okay. He’s just not in this episode. But like any recurring character, he’ll be back for the next one. 

So Dean doesn’t sweat it. He cracks his jokes, imagines the motel room’s a deserted island where he and Sammy got lost on vacation. It can be hard to find food on an island, after all, so he acts like he’s happy with what he can scrounge up. Sam's still small enough that he believes anything Dean says, anyway.

Like any actor worth his salt, Dean's great at reading body language. He just has to glance at his dad to figure out what kind of scene it’s about to be. Are his shoulders tense? Is he breathing loudly, or evenly? How about that twitch at the side of his mouth? Dean can take it all in in less than a second, and then he knows which TV kid to pull out. Might not be time for Funny Dean right now. If Dad had a rough hunt, he might need Sweet Dean. Sweet Dean's usually quiet and quick, and it's his job to make sure his Dad's not hurt before getting him a beer, and then to keep Sammy occupied for the rest of the day so Dad can rest. 

Dean loves it when he gets to whip out Funny Dean. Whenever the motel door opens and his dad walks in whistling or calling a greeting, Dean’s anxious anticipation falls away in a warm rush. His smile is real in moments like these, and he hugs his dad and tells him about the weird things they've heard the neighbors do through the motel walls, or about some new skill Sammy learned, like using a can opener. And Dad will ruffle his hair and scoop Sam up in his arms, and they'll all watch TV together with a real takeout dinner. As long as Funny Dean sticks around, and stops Sammy from tired-crying too much, he can usually keep the tension out of his dad's shoulders for the night. 

When Dad starts teaching Dean to hunt, Dean develops a new character: Tough Dean. 

Tough Dean has some parts of Funny Dean, but they’re rougher, older, like they got put in a shredder and came out gritty. Tough Dean’s pretty cool, because he doesn’t feel pain, and he can shoot guns, and he has a swagger that looks good on Dean’s longer limbs and taller frame. It’s an effective mask for the softer way Dean actually moves his body, which for some reason triggers Dad's disapproving face whenever he sees it. 

Yes, the best thing of all is that Dad loves Tough Dean. He praises him and wraps his big arm around his shoulders, and brags about him to other hunters they meet. The hunting is an unfortunate side effect, and Dean kinda hates it, but Tough Dean doesn’t complain about the blood or the fire or the bruises. He just does his job. On days when Tough Dean plays his part well, things are smooth sailing.

Dean's least favorite character of all is Bad Dean, but he does have to play him during some episodes. When his dad comes home really tense — stomping, slamming doors — Dean knows he needs a place to put all that anger. (It gets harder, as he gets older, to pretend that Dad is acting, too.) So Bad Dean sits on the couch and lets Dad yell at him, and sometimes more, but it's okay because Dean's a talented actor and can take it, and soon enough he’s got Tough Dean to fall back on. 

It's way better for him to do these scenes than Sammy, after all. 

The only place in the world where Dean can be Just Dean is at Bobby’s. At Bobby’s, there’s food on the table, and games to play, and a whole huge salvage yard to explore, and Dean never even has to read Bobby’s body language because Bobby’s never mad. 

If he tries to be Tough Dean at Bobby’s, like hiding a cut he got while playing airplanes on an old car, Bobby finds out. And he makes Dean sit at the kitchen table while he gets his first-aid kit, and he gently cleans Dean’s cut and bandages it, and tells him not to hide his injuries, boy. But he never sounds mad. 

Funny Dean can come out at Bobby’s, but it doesn’t really feel like playing a character because Dean can drop it anytime and nothing bad happens. Bobby laughs at his jokes, and when Sam starts tired-crying, Bobby smiles and puts him to bed and Dean’s allowed to just keep watching cartoons. 

When John and Bobby have a falling out and they don’t go back to Sioux Falls for a long time, Dean almost forgets what it’s like to be Just Dean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time passes and pushes Dean into adolescence and then adulthood, and as the weight of his reality settles heavier and heavier onto his shoulders, some of his willful delusions fall away.

Acting becomes less a method of controlling his environment, and more a way of keeping the world at arm’s length. Of protecting himself from being known — even by Sam, who has shared their life, who knows him better than anyone. Sam may have shed the bulk of his blind childhood idolatry of his brother, but some things Dean still can’t bring himself to reveal. Truths he avoids facing even in the quiet of night. 

Tough Dean becomes his baseline. It has to, if he wants to survive. 

Funny Dean, however, sticks around. He comes out to play at bars, on cases, with men and with women, with cops, anytime Dean wants to be a little more likable, a little more . Funny Dean gets him into places and out of situations, and although Dean's knack for body language is sharp as ever, once John’s gone he doesn’t let anyone push him around without pushing back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean is dragged to Hell, and as he’s stripped beyond any measure of humanity, as he screams for his brother, he flinches from the scraps of sanity that float back to him. When he breaks, at his truest, at his worst, he hates himself. 

He doesn’t have a name for the role he plays after taking up Alistair’s blade. For the mask he shows the souls he tortures. It’s the most grotesque parody of himself that could exist.

Then he meets Castiel.

Of course, at first he doesn’t know it’s Cas. At first it’s the bright white light that washes him clean, that brands his arm, that lifts Just Dean, battered and broken and self-loathing, from the pit. 

When they actually meet, in the barn in Pontiac, Dean’s back to being Tough Dean. Back to keeping everyone firmly out, even Bobby and Sam. Funny Dean’s working overtime just to maintain a semblance of normalcy, a semi-believable façade.

Castiel meets Tough Dean, and tells him he deserved to be saved.

And from then on, through everything, whenever Dean acts in front of Castiel, it just… doesn’t work. Cas doesn’t get it. He tilts his head and furrows his brow and sees past any bullshit Dean serves him. He peers right in, all the way down to the truth, to Dean’s core, and nothing Dean ever does can mask what Castiel sees. 

It terrifies him at first. Irritates him over the years. But eventually, there’s a relief to it, to knowing that someone exists who simply knows him without needing any explanation. 

“I know how you see yourself, Dean,” Castiel says, and proceeds to rip it all down, every wall and every mask and every role, and as the angel cries, he tells Dean who he is. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean’s been Just Dean for a while now. 

He moves softly. His smiles are all real, even if some of them are tired. When he wakes up every morning, it's not with a frantic scramble of determining which Dean he needs to play today.

It's to a pair of sleepy blue eyes. It's to the freedom of just being.

[ben-talks-art]

Thought's on the finale of The Owl House

So now that the series is (sadly) over, I felt like talking about the finale a little since I think there are some interesting things in it to discuss.

Taking into consideration that this series was cut short and they had to do the best they could with the best they had, they still managed to deliver a pretty freaking good finale all things considered.

The animation was great, the storylines were all wrapped up, every character had one last moment to shine (although some were brief), and as always, you can feel a lot of the love and effort the creators are putting into the product.

Most of the problems I had are basically just a matter of wishing this could have had more room to breathe because plenty of things get solved a tad too quickly. It kinda makes me wish I could see a director's cut.

Almost all of the issues I can just accept and blame it on Disney for axing the show, but two in particular really make me go "this needed more time."

(spoilers)

The first one is the Collector.

This kid has been built up like crazy. The entire season 2 finale is basically trying to show how much of a big deal they are, how much trouble they can cause, how disconnected from reality they are, and just how immensely important it is that they get dealt with properly.

Even in the final scene of episode 2 of season 3, it ends with them going "I want to play a new game!" Dun! Dun! Duuuum!"

And then we see said game, and it's just a dream sequence to teach Luz a lesson we already new, followed by playing some games that just last for a few minutes.

Then the Collector gets a little sad, Luz talks to them, and they become friends...

That's it. That's the big climactic confrontation with one of the most powerful characters of the show.

Now, I will say, I did enjoy that they address that the kid just suffers from a lack of understanding of how mortal lives work, and I do appreciate they didn't just make them some raging, crazy kid who hates Luz because King likes her more. I'm glad they made them surprisingly reasonable and patient for their mental age.

Still, I can't help but feel their "defeat" and redemption arc were way too fast and easy. If I were to guess, the stuff with The Collector probably was meant to be its own entire episode, and the true final boss was another, but they had to shrink it due to the cancellation, and if that's the case, that's a real shame because I would really like to see a deeper exploration of this kid's way of thinking and seeing Luz trying to help them realize their errors.

As it is, it wasn't done badly, but I wish it had more.

I also don't like how when Luz gets "killed" the Collector is the one getting focused on and crying over her. Their bond is just not that strong to make these tears feel earned. It's like if in Lion King the one crying over Mufasa was Nala or Zazu instead of Simba. It's not the worst character to cry over her, but there were definitely better options to focus on.

However, I can forgive all that because the scene where they try to deal with Belos using the power of love was absolutely perfect and it made me laugh hard. That was definitely my favorite joke on the whole show.

And now, the second thing on the finale I'm kinda iffy about...

Belos comes back as the final boss (again), and kills Luz, resulting into her turning into literal orbs of luz that just start fading over time until they make their way to... King's dad.

Because why not?

Who just happens to be able to give her an "I win" button so she can go into her Super Sayan form (because every Disney show needs to have at least one character with a Super Sayan form now, not that I'm complaining)...

...and alongside Eda and King, they defeat Belos and save the day.

Now, first of all, Luz's titan form? 10/10! I absolutely, freaking love that design. I love that she's a combination of King and Eda being a mix of a witch and a monster, while also having her own side with all the glyphs floating around her. Plus, she has claws, and we all know that anything with claws is instantly cool. Definitely, my favorite super form from any Disney show. (Unless they make a Jake Long reboot and give him a super dragon form)

I also like how the animation just shines as they fight Belos (who now looks like a badass bone dragon creature), and how each of the main trio has a small moment to help in the battle, it isn't just Luz doing everything.

Not to mention they have an amazing remix of the opening theme playing in the background which just makes it even more awesome.

My favorite part is when they start to wonder where Belos' weak spot is and Luz says "You know where" and Eda just gives the widest, proudest, most joyful grim ever right before all voice actors give their all while screaming "THE HEART!"

It reminds me of Puss In Boots 2 where all the characters look like they're having fun while going through the adventure.

I kinda wish Luz could have had some cooler lines, but they tried to make a point that Luz is a dork that isn't very good at it so... Eh, I'll forgive it. I know she has her "Eat this, sucker!" thing, but I honestly completely forgot that that was even meant to be her catchphrase.

Honestly, this entire climax is amazing and just perfect for the series... But I kept thinking to myself "how in the world did Luz went from being a ball of light to meeting King's dad???"

I have no problems with what we got, I'm just not sure HOW we got it. The way Luz just went from nearly dying to just appearing in the place of the one guy that could help her save the day felt very Deus Ex Machina.

These are basically my only two problems with the finale. I wish we had gotten more time with the Collector and their arc, and that we had a bigger exploration of how Luz got there.

The way it is, it feels like the day was saved not because the heroes were smart enough, or strong enough to defeat the bad guy, but... Because the plot said so.

I mean, yeah, King's dad gave Luz the power because she was nice to his son, so you could say her kindness was what saved the day... But I don't know... Is that what Owl House's final theme is about? Being kind?

Owl House's themes for me were always about being creative, being weird, not being afraid of experimenting new things, thinking outside of the box, and learning to observe and listen, and not being afraid of accepting who you really are.

I wish these themes had played a bigger part in the defeat of the final boss, like in Gravity Falls where what allows them to defeat Bill is Stan's willingness to sacrifice himself for his family.

Luz and King have a great relationship and the fact that she is a wonderful older sister to a little monster does tie into the theme of accepting others and not being afraid of trying weird things... But I'm not sure if I like how that's the final message we leave the show on.

I guess I just wish that King's dad would have had a bigger build-up. If maybe while dying Luz would have used her creativity one last time to somehow get her to teleport into the Titan, then I would have been more okay with it.

This show seriously needed more episodes...

Still, even though the build-up was kinda rushed (to me at least), the pay-off was so good that I can't really get too upset about it.

Again, titan Luz was everything I never knew I wanted in my life (there is gonna be so much fan art of that form on the internet). If a slightly confusing solution is the price that needs to be paid to get such an epic form and such an epic climax like that, I'll gladly take it.