#and there’s so long before s5 so really nothing to lose

[tender-emotional-music]

Delving into the Creeler theories is so interesting. Seeing a few accounts point out the casting alone is very 🤔🤔 Carmen Cuba is a genius honestly. I feel like there’s a lot to say about the thematic parallels between the families and Mike/Nancy/Karen’s battle with normalcy. Anyway, this is cool to get into so imma keep looking into the theories, and @henrysglock talks a lot about this theory if u want to, too

[mintaikk]

Shadowpeach Things I think about A Lot

Note: My knowledge of season 5 is very limited (only seen first 2 eps, and some spoilers). Do not say any spoilers in comments or reblogs. If you want to avoid spoilers completely, I suggest you don't read this

-Peng said it themselves. "Could Wukong do anything that could break his hold over you?" or something like that. But Macaque's entire world was Wukong

-Macaque's dream was spending a peaceful forever with Wukong

-"You were a villain like 5 minutes ago!" Nothing there, but this was when they were having that screaming match and I burst out laughing when I realized that's what Wukong said. He was tho. From s4 to s5, bro went from trying to kill him to living on his mountain again

-Oh, that. "This room(?) has been my home just as long as yours." That's true, but my guy, don't you have like a dojo or smthn? Can't you just live there? Or do you just secretly miss Wukong and want to live on FFM to be closer with him?

-AND WUKONG DOESNT FIGHT BACK EITHER OR ANYTHING. He just sighs and accepts it

-OH YEAH THAT. Macaque sleeps on the same GOD DAMN tree that he and Wukong used to sit at. There are so, so, so many trees on FFM, yet he chose that specific one

-Wukong wanted to spend the remainder of his life holding hands with Macaque

-Correct me if I'm wrong, but in old China, a man giving another man a peach was a sign that they felt romantic love for them. Wukong and Macaque's hole thing is peaches

-"Yeah, because you always eush to my rescue." Wukong believed that Macaque never saved him, but from what we seen in s5, he does. Maybe he always has and Wukong's just never noticed, or maybe Macaque took that to heart and is trying to make up for it

-THE GOD DAMN SLOMO SHOT WHEN WUKONG WAS GOING TO SAVE MK

-Macaque calling Wukong "cute" in the s4 special

-When we first see the ink demons of Wukong's past, one of them was Macaque chained up while struggling and crying. Whatever happened there, it still haunts Wukong

-"I don't trust anyone that isn't standing here right now." WUKONG STILL TRUSTS MACAQUE AFTER EVERYTHING, MACAQUE EVEN PERKS UP AT THAT. And right after this scene, Macaque sacrifices himself to save Wukong. I think Wukong saying that really stuck with him. Maybe that's why he was a lot more helpful this season; Wukong still trusted him, and he didn't want to lose that

-When Wukong was getting the circlet put on him for a second time, Macaque didn't even hesitate when he saw that Wukong was in pain and immediately sprung to help

-Ik it's been talked about before, but the fact that Macaque thinks Wukong killed (and that he was about to again in season 3 when he was literally choking him) him but he still helps him when he can and smiles softly at him and goes out of his way to see him and stares in awe when he sees him coming to help MK and still accepts his peach offer (symbolism for rekindling friendship) and smiles when Wukong says "we" instead of "I" and gets sad when he sees the memory and realizes he wants to rekindle their relationship and crashes a beach party just so he could be with him (Copy and pasted from old post

-This specific art piece that Alejandro Saab commissioned and used for autograph signings

-Macaque literally looking away and smiling in this shot bro looks like a schoolgirl with a crush 💀

-Wukong was shown to help Macaque tie his scarf when they were still friends and in the shots of their past, Macaque's scarf is always tied. But now that they're not friends, his scarf is never tied. I just find this detail neat

-As much as Macaque tried to kill Wukong between s1 and s3, the moment Wukong was genuinely mad at him, Macaque's first instinct was to run. Even when Wukong was holding him, he was still shaking Yes, he probably couldn't breathe bcuz choking, but these guys are immortal and with the whole thing underwater, I don't think they actually need to breathe. So this means that he was probably terrified the entire time, and thinking that Wukong would kill him again (I fucking hate doomed yaoi)

-Now that I think about it, the only time we see Macaque scared was with LBD, Sun Wukong attacking him, Sun Wukong getting attacked or being endanger, MK being endangered, Bai He being endangered, or actually having to deal with the idea of staying with Wukong to help him (s4, MK going on that whole "I gotta help my friends" speech while Mei is being consumed by the Samahdi fire). Most of those things are Wukong and Monkey fam related

-Alejandro Saab doing a cover of peaches. Istg, he KNEW what he was doing when he pulled that one

-Correct me if I'm wrong again, but apparently, some gay men in ancient China would become sworn brothers so they could be together legally. Other than Shadowpeach, I was never much a brotherhood shipper, but do what you will with this info

-ALEJANDRO SAAB BELIEVES THAT MACAQUE IS SHORTER THAN WUKONG! THE DEBATE IS OVER YALL

-"Forever is a long time, bud." "Me and you just living here get on fat on fruit forever!" Bro was definetly thinking of Macaque

[ashtheketchum]

Would you be willing to write a scenario for A New Family where Daryl and Y/N have a baby together, D/N becoming a big sister? Maybe the baby is a boy? D/N would definitely have questions about where babies come from😂

A new family member

Daryl Dixon X fem.Reader

A/N: I hope you like this idea and how I implemented it! It's an incredibly cute idea! I can´t-! Thank you for your request!

Era: Alexandria (S5)

Summary: Daryl and (Y/N) are expecting a child and (Y/N) gives birth in Alexandria. The whole group is happy for the couple, but (D/N) is confused and a new question is on the tip of her tongue.

Warnings: Fluff, a little angst, mention of sex, mention of childbirth, Daryl is maybe a little bit ooc

Words: 2.4k

Masterlist!

_______________________

PoV (Y/N):

It was a terrible time. After that whole Terminus shit our group was badly beaten and we didn't know where to go. We ran out of food and hardly had anything to drink. And what didn't make things any better was the fact that I was pregnant. I was in my last months and it was getting harder and harder to keep up with the others. Daryl and (D/N) always stayed close to me and supported me. Sometimes it really took me emotionally to see how quickly she had grown and now she was going to be a big sister. But unlike her, her little sibling will grow up without violence from her father.

Daryl and I had planned it, of course, and after a lot of talking and planning we decided to have a child together. The embarrassing part was that we had to discuss everything with Rick and prepare everything. We had been given a private room, but Rick wanted to put guards outside the door. Luckily Daryl had said something against it, so we had peace and quiet. Daryl had also taken good care of me during the pregnancy.

(D/N), on the other hand, was always way too curious. She kept staring at my belly and I noticed that she had asked Michonne or Carol where the children came from. But both of them had repeatedly waved her off by saying that she should ask me and Daryl. Of course, Daryl noticed this too and he mentally prepared himself to have to answer the question.

At Terminus everything just got more stressful, the fear of being eaten by living people was frightening and I was incredibly afraid of losing (D/N). Carol came to save us just in time, but I had barely felt a kick from the baby since then. But now, whenever I ate something small, it would kick slightly, which made me sigh with relief every time.

After not even too long, Aaron found us and brought us to Alexandria. It was all set up so beautifully and safely that it felt like a dream at first. But when I was told that I could be taken to the infirmary, I pinched myself. And no, it was all real.

Daryl and (D/N) accompanied me to the doctor in this small town and everything was checked out. The baby was okay and would probably be born soon. I was suggested to stay at the infirmary until the baby came. Daryl was against it at first, but after I agreed, he remained silent and looked at everyone threateningly. (D/N) was also against it at first, but she didn't speak up either. She knew she didn't have a say in this case. So the two of them went to our new house that same evening to prepare everything there.

PoV Daryl:

We had prepared everything in the new house where we were going to live for a while. Everything was ready and some were already ready to rest. But even though everything was so full, I felt something empty inside me. It pissed me off. I love (Y/N), (D/N) and also our future child, but somehow it annoys me that I've become so soft with them. But I didn't want to change it, I was happy and nothing would change that. "Daryl?" I suddenly heard someone. I looked at (D/N). Her hair has grown and she has grown too. She looks more and more like her mother and she was just as strong as (Y/N). "Wha' is it, lil' brat?" I asked her.

She lets out a quiet sigh before she sits down on her sleeping bag. Between mine and (D/N)'s sleeping bag is actually always (Y/N)'s. Well, I put her sleeping bag between ours anyway, but her sleeping bag was empty and cold. "I have a question…" I had to swallow hard, the fear building up inside me again. Fuck, I hadn't thought up a lie yet. Should I tell her the truth? But she's not even 13 years old. I nod nervously at her before I sit down next to her. "Wha' is it…?" I asked, even though I already knew what it was about. (D/N) looked me seriously in the eyes before she sat down straight. "Where do children come from? How do you make children? How did you and Mom manage to get another child in her? And why does it have to be inside her before it can come out? Where does it come out from?"

She had so many questions, my head even started to spin slightly. Behind me I could hear Carol giggling, which made me look at her pissed off for a moment. But she just turned away innocently and then continued talking to Tara. Hissing, I then turned back to (D/N), who looked at me with determined eyes. Why was she so interested in knowing something like that? I'll probably never know. "Well… uh… ya know… ya have a cun-!" Before I could finish my sentence, Rick walked past me just behind me and he pulled my hair hard.

I growled as I watched him go, but he just gave me a pleading look. As if he knew I was about to tell (D/N) the truth. So I sighed quietly before turning back to (D/N). Her expression hadn't changed at all. "Well… uh…" I tried again, but this time with a lie. Even though I didn't like lying to her. "Yar motha and I… we love each other so hard that… aliens put a child in her stomach." Everyone around us went quiet and I could feel the confused and amused looks on me. "Aliens?" She asked again. "Yeh… aliens…" I mentally beat myself up, I had never said anything so stupid before. “I don’t think that aliens are real, Daryl…” “Have ya seen the dead people here?” Now (D/N) looked at me confused before looking at Carl. "Alright… cool… I guess…?" She just mumbled quietly.

Her (E/C) eyes just looked at me suspiciously. I was incredibly uncomfortable and my ears turned red. I quickly looked down so she couldn't see my expression. "And… how will the kid get out…?" My whole body tensed when (D/N) asked that. Little beads of sweat formed on my forehead and I had to swallow hard. What the hell was my problem? I could fight walkers, I could fight people, even kill them. And now I have damn problems explaining to a child what sex is for and how to have children? "W-well… Ask yar motha! I'm not the woman!" I then said, overwhelmed.

With quick movements I grabbed my crossbow and walked out of the house. My heart was still pounding wildly against my chest, but the fresh air felt very good and I calmed down a bit.

PoV (Y/N):

I lay awake in the hospital bed and let my hand slide over my baby's belly. Although I was tired, I just couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts were going through my head and I missed Daryl and (D/N). Actually, it was completely idiotic to miss them both, they only sleep a few houses away from me. "How should I name you…?" I then murmured quietly. I looked at my belly and the baby stepped right under my palm. Smiling, I kissed my fingertips gently before rubbing them on my belly. "Maybe DJ, if it's a boy…" I had to giggle at that thought. But my smile disappeared immediately when I heard a loud crack. My gaze went to the window, which was slightly open, only the curtains obscured the view into the room. Out of reflex, I reached next to me, where my knife usually lies, but it wasn't with me. Annoyed, I hissed quietly before holding my breath and staying as quiet as possible.

Swallowing hard, I saw a broad figure approach the window and gently push the curtains aside. "If you come in here, I'll call my husband. He'll bust your ass!" I shouted and the movements stopped for a moment. But after just a few seconds the curtain was pushed aside and Daryl looked at me, slightly confused but also a little embarrassed. I breathed a sigh of relief, but a certain shame also spread across my cheeks. "Yar husband? Since when are we married?" He asked amused.

I looked away from him, sulking, as the archer quietly climbed into the room. With quick but quiet steps he moved towards my bed and sat down next to me. He briefly kissed my baby belly before giving my forehead a kiss. "I messed up…" "Nah… you're doing great with all this…" Daryl just shook his head and I saw his cheeks turn bright red. Amused but also confused, I looked at him closely. "Daryl? What have you done?" "Nothin'… jus'… well…" He hesitated and then looked away, at my belly.

I slowly sat up and kissed him gently. “It’s okay… I won’t be mad, I promise…” “… I told (D/N) tha’ aliens put a baby in yar body…” My eyebrows shoot up and I look at Daryl in disbelief. As if I didn't believe that he really did that, but he didn't lie to me. In the whole time we were together, he had never lied to me. "You did what?" "I can explain…" We remained silent for a moment, my waiting gaze remaining on him. "… 'kay… I can't explain…" He then murmured quietly.

Sighing, I put my hands on my stomach before shaking my head slightly. "Okay… I-'m sure, we can handle this after the bi-!" Before I could finish my sentence, I was suddenly struck by a strong pain. My legs became wet and damp and my breath came out in jerks. In a panic, I reached into the bed frame and lay flat on the bed. Daryl saw me panicking, his hands at my sides. "G-go and get the doc!" I then shouted loudly. I clenched my jaw tightly while Daryl just nodded and then went out to get the doc. Breathing heavily, I squeezed my eyes shut so I could concentrate on the pain.

PoV Daryl:

As quickly as I could, I pulled the doc into the room, away from (Y/N), who was screaming louder and moaning in pain. The doc rubbed his eyes briefly before looking at (Y/N) with wide eyes. He immediately went next to her and pulled his tools towards him. "Daryl, wait outside." "Nah, fuck off, doc!" I shouted at the doc, but he just gave me a stern look while his hands spread (Y/N)'s legs. I looked at it uncertainly for a moment before I growled loudly and left the room. I closed the door only slightly so that I could at least hear everything.

While I listened to the doc talking to (Y/N) and (Y/N) always screaming loudly, my face sometimes twisted. I felt sorry that I could only listen, but why the hell wasn't I allowed in?

"What's happening here!?" I heard someone shout. I looked at the entrance door where (D/N) was standing. She looked at me in shock, but when she heard her mother, her eyes widened and she tried to go into the room. But I wrapped my arms tightly around her. "Stay here, damn kid!" I admonished her. But (D/N) hit my chest hard, hoping that I would let her go. But I didn't. "Daryl, let me go! Mom needs me!" "Nah! The doc is with her…"

She didn't listen to me, but kept trying to walk past me. God, she got her mother's stubbornness too. After several minutes, the screaming stopped and my whole body tensed. (D/N) also stopped when she no longer heard her mother and tears formed in her eyes. "Dary…" She spoke quietly to me, her voice very weak. I heard the doc walking around the room before he opened the door and looked at me. He just looked at me silently, his cold eyes boring deep into mine. "Mom!" (D/N) screamed and pulled herself from my arms.

Before I could even react, she was already next to (Y/N), who was lying in bed, breathing heavily. The baby was in her arms. Our baby. I stayed quiet for a moment before I walked past the doctor and went to (Y/N) and (D/N). I immediately sat down on the bed next to (Y/N). The baby was crying loudly and only had a thin blanket wrapped around its lower body. The umbilical cord was still on its belly button. Rick had told me about it, but somehow it still seemed so surreal and disgusting. "It's a boy by the way." I just heard the doctor say. Maybe I had misheard, but his voice sounded tired and annoyed, which is why I glared at him briefly. But my attention immediately went to (Y/N) and our son.

"Ya don´t really have a name for him, righ´?" I asked as I threw away the severed umbilical cord and then gave her a kiss. (D/N) had now calmed down again and she looked at her little brother admiringly. "Well… at first I thought about DJ… you know, because Daryl Jr…." I had to suppress a smile, but then I nodded slightly. “Wha not?” My question made (Y/N) look up at me, (D/N) took her brother in her arms and tried to calm him down. "What do you mean…?" "Wha shouldn´t we name him DJ?" "B-because well… I… don´t know…" She looks down at her hands and plays with them. I quickly put my hand on hers and kissed (Y/N) lovingly. "We´ll name him DJ…" I then murmured softly against her lips.

(Y/N) smiled lovingly at me before nodding and then looking at (D/N). "You are an alien baby, do you know that?" She whispered to her brother. Swallowing hard, I stared at the girl while I felt (Y/N)'s pissed off look on me. Maybe I should have just been honest with her.

[byler-alarmist]

So I know we collectively hate time reset/dimension wipe theories about S5, but.....maybe it does need to happen?

Assuming the last couple seasons of ST weren't some elaborate manifestation by Mike to deal with the trauma of losing Will, there are some problems that seem like they can't be fixed without some kind of a reset.

El. Just El in general. Owens was able to give her a fresh start, a new name and a chance at being "normal", However, too many people know about her telekinetic abilities and the ability to open and close gates to the Upside Down. I think she would be in danger of being kidnapped and studied/used as a weapon forever. She can't just kill off/destroy the entire U.S. government (if only), so her file will probably be available for years and even if not, enough people know about her existence that bad actors could target her.

Now that the UD is merging with the RU, will it be contained to Hawkins? Will it spread throughout the country? The world? Even if it is all a hive mind, if they killed Vecna and somehow closed all the gates (it exhausts El to even close one) , would those spores or whatever still be floating around and infecting things in the RU? How could they ever get rid of all of it or ensure that it was all contained in the UD?

As long as both the UD and El exist, even if Vecna is defeated, scientists/governments will always track her because trhey will want to know more about/study/find lucrative applications for the UD. They would still want to use El or use her to find their own way to open gates.

If all this is true and Will/El/the Party need to destroy the UD to make sure no one ever crosses over again, is that really fair? Even if Vecna harnessed the dark particles and created dangerous monsters out for blood, it is hinted that the UD is not inherently malicious. Sure, the Party want to kill Vecna, but if he's gone and the creatures are just minding their own business, would they be fine with destroying it?

And even if they wanted to, could they? How? If it turns out we're right about Will having powers, how would he use them to destroy the Upside Down? I highly doubt his powers would be like El's or involve gates. If he had some kind of creation powers, would he just recreate the UD with glowy light particles and make it beautiful? But even if he did this, wouldn't scientists still want to find a way inside to study it with El"s gate-opening powers?

On the other hand if he (or someone else) has some kind of time powers,, when would they reset it back to? Or what would they go back in time to change? Is there something out of space and time that doesn't belong? (Somehow I am reminded of El saying she doesn't belong anywhere).

If Will or someone else wiped out the dimension that contains the UD (or banished it to another dimension), MKUltra would still have been doing their telekinetic children experiments, right? And if they went back in time, how far back would they have had to go? Back before Henry was taken to Brenner? Would El have been created at all if her mother wasn't part of the MKultra experiments?

Bonus thoughts about a reset: we know how much the Duffers love The Neverending Story. Spoilers for Neverending Story after the cut:

At the end of the Neverending Story movie, Fantasia (the world of fantasies and dreams a bowlcut kid has been reading about in his book) is destroyed by the manifestation of emptiness that is the Nothing. Bastian ({the bowlcut kid) realizes he has the power to make Fantasia (the world of his fantasies) anything he dreams.

After he takes ownership of his role as master of this reality (by giving rhe Childlike Empress a new name 🤔), the entire world of Fantasia is wiped out and it's just Bastian and the Empress together in a black void. All that remains is one grain of sand (a glowing particle, if you will).

The Empress hands the particle to Bastian and tells him his wishes will recreate Fantasia. He recreates it the way he imagined it, and notably brings back all the people who died as a result of the Nothing.

Even more tellingly, he exclaims:

"It's like the Nothing never was!!"

👀👀👀👀

[erikiara80]

Will and Jonathan

To celebrate Will’s birthday, long post dedicated to my favorite brothers and their beautiful bond.

Season 1

The most terrifying week of Jonathan’s life. First, he thought that if he had been at home, nothing bad would’ve happened to Will. Then, if you think about it, he is the only one who thought for at least two days that Will really died. His worst nightmare. He failed to protect his little brother.

But he’s always there for Will. And if he had been there that night too, the Demogorgon would’ve killed him and taken Will anyway. And Will would’ve have been lost.

When Will is sad, Jonathan can always make him smile and feel better: 

I have a brother, eight years younger than me. We are very close. I basically raised him. You know, single mom (divorced parents when I was 13 and my brother was 5), night shifts. And we were also poor. 

I relate to the Byers so much. In my family, I am Jonathan. It’s so painful to imagine what he felt when Hopper told him that they had lost Will

When he saw Will’s small body on that table

Season 1 is a roller coaster of emotions. But they all love Will too much. And their love saved him. This is one of the most precious moments in the whole show, imo. I love it so much.

Jonathan is so emotional. He holds Will’s hand as if he wants to be sure that Will won’t go away again. Also, wonderful performance from Charlie. I can feel all Jonathan’s love, happiness and relief

Season 2

Another big season for the Byers brothers. And another time Jonathan risked to lose Will. The crazy thing is that this time Will is there but something is trying to erase everything he is. Another nightmare (army of monsters aside, lol)

Once again, the season starts with Jonathan taking care of his family (I really hope tho that at the end of the story, he can finally live his life and find his happiness, knowing that his family is safe. It’s so unfair -Lonnie’s fault- that he has all those responsibilties at such young age)

Fortunately, he also has Nancy. He’s starting to find something for himself. Problem is, Henry doesn’t care. So, the moment Jon leaves town... oops, Will gets possessed. No wonder he thinks he can’t leave him and his mom. 

But before that, we get another beautiful moment where Jonathan encourauges Will to be himself and be proud of it (Jonathan is just a wonderful person, ok?)

Will is so upset about everything. He knows nobody can understand how he feels. At first he doesn’t even want to talk with Jonathan.

But Jonathan knows him so well and always knows what to say. Being a freak is actually the best. Normal people never accomplish anything important in this world. 

And then this. So sweet. Aaaand we also have little shit Will, who always reminds his siblings that they are friendless, lol. I love him

And of course, Will smiles again

Then, sorry Jonathan. The real nightmare begins. I love S2, because there’s so much love for Will in every scene. From Mike, Joyce, Jonathan. What an amazing season! I’m so happy that S5 will include big S2 ideas but also have S1 vibe. The two seasons where Will and the love people have for him are central.

The last episodes are incredible. I just love everything.

The shed scene is absolutely one of my favorite scenes of the show, and imo, one of the best. Stellar acting, perfect shots, amazing dialogue, and oh, the emotions. It’s simply perfect. And different from what we usually see in Stranger Things.

They love him so much

But then this moment kills me every time. Jonathan is desperate. He can’t hear Will screaming and being in such pain without helping him. I’m glad Nancy was there. In fact, a few minutes later, he tries to help Will, but it was a mistake. 

Jonathan couldn’t think anymore. He was sure Will was dying. He had to save him. But Nancy, as always, helped (yeah, she hurt Will, but it was the only way) This scene!

And then, he got his brother back

Season 3

There aren’t as many scenes as in the previous seasons, but the love between them is always there. 

Always protective

And even when he doesn’t say anything, Jonathan always see his brother’s pain, like Charlie said.

Season 4 

Both brothers are struggling a lot now. They’re older and for a while they probably thought they weren’t as close as they used to be. And that hurt and must have felt so strange. Jonathan is almost adult now. He feels all the weight of his responsibilities. He feels like living his life means abandoning his family. So he’s stuck. So glad he has Argyle!

And Will is dealing with feeling different, his feelings for Mike and the fear that he will never be happy. He’ll never find love. It doesn’t help that for the first time he doesn’t feel his brother’s support. Jonathan seems different and distant. Maybe Will, who’s more aware of his sexuality now, even believes that it’s his fault if his brother doesn’t spend much time with him anymore. 

That’s heartbreaking.

But of course it’s not true, it will never be true. Jonathan never stops caring, or being protective. No matter what.

Oh, and this moment. This moment...

This is the season where both Will and Jonathan have much less scenes than in any other season, and yet S4 is where they share probably their most emotional and beautiful moment. This is the only scene in the show, along with when they find Will’s fake body in the quarry, that made me cry.

It’s so beautiful. Many people criticize it and say it wasn’t clear enough. That the writers were cowards. But I think it’s the opposite. It’s so delicate. And so in character. Jonathan was so sweet. 

He didn’t push Will, because he didn’t know if Will was ready. He knows Will is afraid of losing the people he loves, that they won’t accept him. So he didn’t explicitly say that he knows. He just let his little brother know that he will always love him. That he will always be there. He made Will understand that he is important and special to him, and he will always be. 

And NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING will ever change that.

And Will’s little smile and tears when he hears those words. Jonathan hasn’t forgotten about him. He wasn’t distant because he knows and doesn’t approve.

He’s just dealing with his own problems. And I love, love that here Will also wants to reassure Jonathan that he will always be there for him too.

This has never happened in other seasons. It was always Jonathan the one who offered support. And it makes me hope that in S5, the season of Will’s coming of age, he too will reassure and protect Jonathan, and tell him that he deserves happiness. 

Jonathan’s always been there for Will, and I’m sure he will do everything to protect him again in S5. But Will will protect his brother (and mom) too. Jonathan will see him become confident and find love with Mike. He’ll see his mom with Hopper, and El happy too. And he’ll finally know that he can live his life and that his family is safe and happy.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I was brainstorming ways to make Marinette (and everyone else) keeping Gabriel's identity from Adrien work.

What if, in S5, Lila was redeemed and Felix was set up as the future antagonist? Of course, S5 would have to be majorly reworked but the basic concept for just Lila is:

Lila is fired by Gabriel earlier, being devastated by fading back into a nobody (no mastermind stunts). Marinette talks to her and they build a awkward connection.

Lila becomes more honest to the class but doesn't reveal her previous lies. She simply acknowledges that making unkeepable promises could backfire, like with Gabriel.

Lila finds out about Marinette's identity through her perception of lies and reveals Gabriel's identity (+ maybe some stolen floor plans or something).

After the finale, Marinette is torn on revealing Gabriel's identity to the public & Adrien and confides in Lila, the only other person who knows and boy is that unlucky.

The thing is Lila's concept of good is still undeveloped, more logic and less empathy. To her, the main focus is keep everyone happy. 1/4 because it's "right" to see smiles and 3/4 because it's "smart" with the Butterfly still active. So, Lila recommends keeping it a secret.

Marinette is still hesitant but decides it would be best to keep it a secret, if only while the Butterfly is still active.

The main point of making Lila the sharer of knowledge is that she feels no obligation towards Adrien and (well-intentionally) encourages Marinette to feel the same way.

Also, no one knows Adrien is a sentimonster. Kagami isn't involved, so the only available person would be Nathalie and she can be written off as indefinitely comatose. As for Felix, Gabriel's identity and the human sentimonsters should be brought up in S6.

Ideally, Felix reveals to Adrien that he is a sentimonster near the beginning of the season and Adrien learns to accept it at the end of the season. Then, Marinette recognizes Adrien's maturity and shares Gabriel's identity with him.

I like elements of this, but I think season five is too late in the game to redeem Lila without it being a major story arc that spans at least half a season. You could have done it after season one, maybe even season two, but season three made her way too evil without adding any complexity to her character, which is very much needed for people to see her in a sympathetic light.

I don't think most viewers would be satisfied by her lies staying a secret, either. I know I wouldn't, but I think you could potentially rework that element? Have her exposed and ostracized and that be what leads her and Marinette to become tentative allies? Maybe Lila is desperate for revenge on Gabriel to the point that she no longer cares about Marinette because Marinette has really done nothing noteworthy to Lila (why does this show love giving people baseless vendettas against Marinette?) and Lila knows Marinette will do anything for Adrien, so Lila recruits Marinette to help her? It would be hard to pull off, but not impossible.

I do like Felix being the new big bad more than Lila, though. However, he's going to suffer from the same issue Gabriel does unless you nerf the peacock. Namely the issues of the character's power set being way too overpowered for them to come across as smart while still losing every battle. You could potentially get around that if Felix refuses to make sentimonsters, though? But then you'd need to come up with a way to keep him threatening. It's a hard balance to strike with the peacock. The butterfly is much easier to nerf. For the peacock, I just flat out redesign it because of all the issues it introduces and I was doing that long before the senti nonsense.

[generalluxun]

It's strange how many people use terms like Breaking Point, Lowest Point, and Rock Bottom when describing the path certain women like Azula and Chloe Bourgeois need to go through to grow. Aaron Ehasz is one of those people. But people never seem to talk about characters like Zuko and Felix Fathom in this manner.

Rock bottom is a sort of myth that came from I don't know where. More villains than heroes are created at rock bottom. People who are desperate and have nothing to lose don't make the best choices.

More people change when cared for and shown another way, than do at their wits end. Keep in mind that care and coddling are distinct things. Support, love, and a healthy environment are free of charge, but not necessarily easy to face, especially for someone whose worldview has been warped. Yet it is in such an environment where people are most likely to make a positive change.

If I'm being generous I would say 'rock bottom' has been missinterpreted, and a better phrase might be 'Must come to see the darkness/outcome of their current path. This might take the form of losing something important and realizing it was only their own actions that caused the loss, but it doesn't have to. That path is ALSO not a one size fits all answer.

Take Azula: She's been chasing success and recognition her whole life. She bought her daddy's line, she worked to overcome everyone else, to be a ruthless, cunning, perfection of a Fire Lord. She wanted to be her father's successor instead of Zuko. She lost her friends along the way, and that hurt, but what really was 'rock bottom' for her? Do you think it was losing to Zuko? No. She was broken long before he got there. Zuko even comments on it. What broke her was her father naming her fire lord... and then promptly making the title of Phoenix Emperor. The thing she had strived for her whole life suddenly cheapened, and made subservient to a new rank. All her work... and she ended up second, just where she started. *That* was rock bottom for her. And when she hit rock bottom what happened? She snapped. Being at rock bottom *broke* her. It didn't save her.

Similarly where is S5 Chloé? No power, no friends, under the thumb of an abusive mother, dragged to London. Seems pretty rock bottom. Did it look like some sort of epiphany was pending, or just more suffering?

By contrast: What did Zuko lose? He had lost, and he didn't change. It was actually his uncle, it was Aang, it was love, support, kindness, and repeated care in the face of Zuko falling again and again into bad habits. That's what eventually allowed him to see there was a path other than the one he was on, and it took him a while to believe even with so much help. That's because these kinds of changes are *had*.

Felix: Well, umm, Felix hasn't actually necessarily changed at all? He joined a side to further his ends, but he hasn't shown much character growth beyond that yet.

As for why some characters are pushed with this narrative and not others? That depends on the speaker I guess.

[quijabored]

SPOILERS FOR UP TO EP6 S5 OF BUNGO STRAY DOGS

HERE WE ARE AGAIN

It's been far too long for not watching BSD, but in my defense I've been playing bungo tales, drawing more bsd, (Dazai doodles will hopefully be up soon? If theyre not theyll be up tommorow) and I've also been in the midst if reading and writing for a book I'm working on.

So long story short, I haven't had much time to watch it, BUT IM BACK

AND DEAR GODS DO I HAVE TO SAY THINGS

FIRST OFF, *AKUTAGAWA*

FIGURED OUT WHERE THE NECK SLASH PANNEL CAME FROM, *BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS*

MY SON, MY BABY, MY WILL TO LIVE, WHY THE FUCK DID YOU GET HURTTTTT

HES NOT DEAD THOUGH I DONT THINK

THEY HAD ME IN THE FIRST HALF BUT THEN THE VAMPIRISM SHIT STARTED HAPPENING AND I WAS LIKE "OH THANK GOD"

If he does die I'm actually gonna start sobbing

I kid you not I went outside of my room and was like "HES- HES NOT DEAD. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE- UH-"

While like on the verge of tears

IT WAS SUPER FUN THOUGH

STILL A FUCK YOU FUKUCHI

HATE THAT GUY FR, I GOT SO EXCITED WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT THE PAGE BUT I KNEW IT WASNT OVER JUST YET BECAUSE THE ABRUPT ENDING WAS TOO ODD AND I LOVE CALLING THINGS IN SHOWS BUT NOT LIKE THIS MAN

ALSO AKUTAGAWA BACKSTORY KINDA????

HIS YOUNGER SELF LOOKS SO DEAD INSIDE PLEASE I WANT TO PAT HIS HEAD :((((

He would kill me if I got too close BUT SHHH

AND THEN BRAM????

I LOVE HIM I LOVE HIM I LOVE HIM

HES SO SILLY LIKE AAAAAA

IM GONNA GET TO HIM IN A MINUTE BUT I GOTTA TALK ABOUT TACHIHARA AND JOUNO FIRST

FIRST TACHIHARA

I KNEW HE WAS GONNA LOSE THE FIGHT AGAINST FUKUCHI, BUT GOD DAMN IT DID HE HAVE TO USE HIS STUPID TIME SWORD???

I HATE THE TIME SWORD SO MUCH IM GONNA MOP THE FLOOR WITH FUKUCHIS BLOOD

OH OH ALSO ALSO

TECCHOU AND JOUNO ARE *NOT* STRAIGHT BRO LIKE AINT NO WAY

I TOOK A SCREENSHOT FOR IT, THE LINE WAS, I KID YOU NOT, "Stop jabbing me in the ass!"

*MY MOTHER WALKED IN WHEN IT WAS PLAYING*

Most horrifying experience I've ever had, she just slowly walked away

ALSO THE FACT THAT JOUNO WAS LIKE "Wait till the other guys and Tecchou hear about this!"

Like why didn't you lump them together 🤨 kinda fruity if you ask me 🤨🤨🤨

I'm delusional

OH AND JOUNO BEING LIKE "You made the mistake of showing me how to care for the life of others"

LIKE AAAAAA???? I LOVE MY SON

ALSO HIS ABILITYS COOL ASF

And then Akutagawa bit him

SPEAKING OF AKU

I WAS STARVED FOR LIKE THE ENTIRE SEASON BEFORE I SAW HIM AGAIN, *AND THEN HE GETS ALMOST KILLED??? HELLO?????*

Seeing him w/o his coat was super fun though, I can finally figure out how his shirt looks for my artings

Makes me really sad how he sees everything as a test for Dazais approval though :(

Knowing he's gonna die due to a lung disease hurts, like I knew he was sick and stuff but still :(

WHEN THEY WERE LIKE "Im gonna kill you Atsushi! RAAAHHH!!!" AND THEY STARTED RUNNING AT EACHOTHER I WAS LIKE OH FUCK YEAH THEYRE GONNA TRICK HIM

And then Fukuchi went back in time.

ALSO TACHIHARA BEING LIKE RAAAAHHH IM A PORT MAFIA MEMBER NOW RAAHHHH LIKE I LOVE HIM

AND AND AND NOW FOR MY FAVORITE SEGMENT

BRAM AND AYA!!!

THEYRE SO SILLY OH MY GOSH I LOVE THEM

Imagine putting your pink children earbuds into a Gothic Victorian man's earlobe, ant other person from that time would've called it witchcraft

THE WHOLE RADIO THING I LOVE IT

"Im trying to sleep." LIKE ANY TIME HIS COFFINS OPEN I LOVE HIM

I just have to hope nothing bad happens cuz everyone's like on the brink of death right now

KUNIKIDAS NOT GONNA DIE, I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT (If I turn out wrong by the time the series ends Im crying)

I love how hes yapping about old stories and how he's super strong and then Ayas just like "The huh??"

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

OH ALSO

WHEN JOUNO WAS IN THE MEETING WITH EVERYONE AND HE STOPPED BEFORE FUKUCHI LEFT THE ROOM I WAS LIKE "HAHAHA ITS OVER FOR YOUUUU"

AND WHEN HE TRIED TO PLAY DUMB I WAS LIKE HUH??? AND RHEN HE WAS LIKE "I knew before this, Fukuchi." AND I WAS LIKE CALLED IT

I love bsd I love bsd I love bsd I love bsd I-

TERUKOS SO SILLY I LOVE HER SO MUCH

ALSO RANPO AND POE ARE SO SILLY LIKE YOURE TELLING ME POE WROTE A BOOK FOR RANPO AND THE AGENCY TO HAVE A MEETING IN JUST BECAUSE HE ASKED??? I LOVE THEM

THERE HASNT BEEN MUCH TECCHOU CONTENT BUT WAAA WAAAA WAAAAA I LOVE HIMMMMM

HES SO SILLY AND ADORBS

Not as much of an adorbie worbie as Akutagawa tho, no one can top my son

Love Mori when hes not being a creep, I still hate him but his character interests me to say the least and Ill analyze him further eventually.

OH

I THOUGHT I WAS ALMOST DONE BUT NO

DAZAI AND FYODOR ARE FUCKING INSANE

I love both of them.

POOR SIGMA BRO HES WATCHING THEM WILLINGLY PUT POISON INTO THEIR BODYS???

IS DAZAI GONNA LIKE USE HIS HEARTBEAT SHIT TO SLOW DOWN THE THING OR IS NIKOLAI GONNA BE LIKE "Yeah Im gonna help you because I want my bestie to die :3"

NIKOLAI CALLING FYODOR BESTIE IS WHAT GIVES ME LIFE I LOVE THEM

I didn't see a chess board when Dazai and Fyodor were in their weird bubble cells, but Fyodor called Dazai his chess buddy, so I'm 90% sure they just kinda...

"I move my rook to E5."

"You dont think I saw that coming? Knight E5."

"Hm, whatever. I already planned this out anyways. Queen, E5"

"Hah, youre only just starting to fall into my traps. Ill play the waiting game. Pawn, D3"

BUT LIKE IN THEIR HEADS

HELLO???? THEY??? HOW???

I love playing chess sm though, very fun game would reccomend

I play chess with my therapist actually :3

It's really neat, live laugh my therapist bro

I THINK THATS IT BUT IF I REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE ILL SAY IT LATER!!

LIVE LAUGH ASAGIRI BRO

[cdyssey]

The Big Bang Rewatch Thoughts:

The way Moffat plays with time travel in this episode is SO much fun to me. Watching the Doctor zip back-and-forth in time to set the pieces for the future, and then getting to see the moments where he realize that he has to do that in the first place, is so clever. It makes time feel fluid and complicated—possible to be rewritten.

I get weepy at so many moments in "the Big Bang," but especially at the Lone Centurion keeps Amy safe for two thousand fucking years segment of the episode. goddamn, seeing that kind of devotion changes a brain chemistry.

And really, how the entire episode is about all the unassailable love between this core cast of characters. Rory and Amy. Amy and Eleven. Eleven and River. Hell, even River and the TARDIS—I've always been made tender by the notion that the TARDIS puts River in a time loop to save her. That's her daughter right there!!!!

ANOTHER MOMENT THAT CHANGES THE BRAIN CHEMISTRY. A devastated and ruthless River making a Dalek beg for mercy!!!!! ahhheojsdoijfoisjfoiejiojoisoi!!!!!!! she's so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am!!!!!!!!

God, Eleven and River's dynamic in "The Pandorica Opens" / "the Big Bang" is a delight all around. The Doctor is finally starting to relax around her and openly flirt—pet names, nose boops, trusting that she'll arrive at his line of thinking when it comes to saving the day. They're having their first dates at the end of the entire universe.

And so that makes it all the more harrowing when River understands that these tentative moments are still early ones, and that the Doctor doesn't know her well enough at what they both think is his end. GOD.

I always lose it a little when Future!Eleven returns to "Flesh and Stone" to talk to Amy. the way that this sequence was so meticulously planned out is really a marvel to behold from a directorial and writing level.

jesus christ, Matt Smith is magnificent. Him tenderly putting Amelia to bed and gently talking to her as their history turns into a mere fairytale right before his eyes is nothing short of stunning. As young as he is, he absolutely sells the fact that he's a 900+ year old alien who has seen so much and traveled for so long. And in his devastated face, you absolutely know that every heartbreak he's ever had—including the one unfurling in front of him—is as fresh as the first.

I gasp every time river walks past her parents' wedding reception even though I know it's coming. oh, she's serving!!!!!

Amy's realization that there's someone missing is so beautifully done all around. One of my favorite moments is her seeing a random bowtie and suspenders in the crowd, and it helping to jolt her memory.

"Raggedy Man, I remember you, and you're late for my wedding!" WEEPS, SOBS, ETC.!!

JSIOJDOSOI, yeah, he's Rory Pond.

"Did you dance? Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?" oh, god, I'm so unwell about river song sioaoioijsiojios.

The euphoria that the episode ends on is spectacular—the Doctor, Amy, and Rory flying away in their blue box of a home together to solve another mystery. What a trio. What a family.

I enjoyed this rewatch so much. S5 is stellar in a thousand different ways, and this finale took it home with... well... an absolute bang. ;w;

[ardentpoop]

your a person who I feel really understands Sam and I always enjoy seeing your opinions on the show so i hope you don’t mind me asking a bit of a specific Sam question. In s8 Sam says that the time is he found with Amelia was something unique that he found for the first time in his life. I’ve always found that line to be a bit weird considering Stanford and Jess but I’d like to see what you think Sam means and is saying by this line. Have a good day.

hi :)

I have mixed feelings on the amelia arc leaning more positive than negative bc I’m a contrarian and I thought the fandom disliked that arc for the wrong reasons lmao - as usual dean’s inescapable perspective aggressively dampened ppl’s ability to empathize w/ sam. also as usual this fandom hates women as much as the show does.

anyway bird’s eye view: sam’s “break” with amelia pre-s8 followed the extremely traumatic events (for sam more than anyone) of s4-s7. he spends literal years dealing w/ one catastrophe after another, his and dean’s relationship suffers its first major breakdown in s4 that imo they never truly recover from, he sacrifices himself to save the world bc it was “his fault” it nearly ended, he suffers an eternity of torture in the cage and loses those memories then regains them then loses them again, nothing feels solid to him least of all his own body and mind. and then dean dies in the s7 finale! or at least, sam thinks he does - he has no reason to believe otherwise. and sam looks for dean, we see that he does, we see him spinning out and suicidal again, but then he stops. bc he hits a dog! and he meets A Girl. and this girl, like him, is drifting and grieving and desperate for something solid to hold onto for just a while. and she’s prickly and unapproachable at first and sam finds that comforting.

my overall point is that sam’s headspace going into stanford era and sam’s headspace pre samndean reunion in s8 are like…. impossibly different. he goes through shit his teen self wouldn’t even have the words to describe. he and dean hit lows that he would’ve never thought possible when they only had each other for comfort under john’s roof.

stanford era sam was blessed with ignorance; he was trying to be Normal, he left his stifling family unit behind and started planning a stable future without them, he was doing everything you’re Supposed to do to be a happy successful person per american individualism - and at the time, it WAS making him happy, bc everyone had kept him in the dark abt the nefarious plot he was smack-dab in the middle of; he didn’t know his freedom was an illusion and that he’d never stopped being watched.

pre-s8 sam on the other hand has long since given up on normalcy. he views himself as a freak who will “never be okay” and hunting as a burden that he deserves to bear. it takes dean being gone for the veil to lift a little and remind him that A) it’s maybe okay that he’s a freak lmao bc amelia’s kind of a freak as well and they can help each other specifically because they’re broken in similar ways, and B) he CAN feel okay when he’s not hunting.

like we know sam’s always hated hunting lol his introduction as a character is centered on this inner conflict. however sam “running away” from “the life” before he knows abt what azazel did to him and before he’s made to shoulder the burden of the apocalypse in s5, among countless other burdens, and sam making an Informed Decision to step back from hunting are 2 entirely different things. to me.

also btw sam turning away from hunting is inextricable from sam turning away from dean, and punished accordingly. bc sam’s Place is at dean’s side whether he likes it or not. he is reminded of this the very instant dean gets back from purgatory and bombarded with guilt abt it for the rest of the season until he cracks.

[imminent-danger-came]

what would your ideal lmk season five look like? specifically for mk's character arc because I love your takes on that

I've said it before I want that boy centrifuged by the narrative

I didn't get the title of "MK death spiral blog" that one time by that one guy for nothing. I am 1000% on the "MK getting centrifuged by the narrative" pain train.

Now, in all honestly my ideal lmk s5 is the one they give me. These writers are so talented and they know more about their story than I do, so whatever they got planned is going to make me lose my mind!

But, indulging myself a little bit, here's a list of some things I'd love to see in s5 (or beyond???):

Sun Wukong V MK fight. Anyone who has followed me for any amount of time probably knows this. I need a SWK and MK fallout and then I need them to build their relationship up stronger.

MK Guilt Over Azure's death. That boy felt guilty for "releasing DBK from the underworld" when it was definitely Red Son who did that. MK arguably had a huge hand in Azure's death, being the one to cause Azure to finally lose his grasp on the Jade Emperor's powers.

Samadhi Fire Part 3. Anyone who has followed me for any amount of time also probably knows this. I want MK to be in the position of Samadhi Fire Mei and Jade Emperor Azure, unable to control his own powers, and needing to be talked down by Mei or someone else. We got one half of a 3x10 parallel in 4x08, and I need more!

Mei Dragon Form. Please for the love of god I want her to turn into a dragon so bad—nonnegotiably while she's protecting the people she cares about, for the sweet 4x05 callback. In my heart of hearts, I want Mei to unlock dragon form while trying to reach MK during Samadhi Fire Part 3. If we don't get another "We will figure this out together" what's the fucking point.

MK Subodhi Training??? Or honestly, MK interacting with real Subodhi in general. Did you see his face after the world reformed in 4x14? That was not a face of confidence.

Sandy Backstory. Which partially includes Pigsy. I just want to know what his 2x08 PTSD flashbacks were all about. *pulls out conspiracy board* I want to say those flashbacks take place at the 1x09 battlefield, which has helmets that we then see in 4x01, but who knows!

Sun Wukong homeless arc. Flower Fruit Mountain was destroyed during the s4 special, and I want to see the consequences of that, especially if MK feels guilty about it! Which he probably will!

MK Spiral! This isn't as much of a prediction/want as it is just a fact. MK is going DOWN next season and I'm here with popcorn and tears. I need a FULL harbinger of chaos meltdown.

Macaque is just there, hanging out. After everything that happened last season I hope we see Macaque around a lot more, because I love him but also because I need MK to yell at him too. Also because "Whatever they're scheming we can handle it."

Yellowtusk helps Ne Zha maintain the seal. Yellowtusk had an important skill in helping Azure contain the Jade Emperor's powers—I'm wondering if he could do the same with Ne Zha's lotus seal.

MK Flashback. You know, how he got to Pigsy's, the circumstances of his birth, an explanation for what the fuck the stone monkey is/all those stone animals were, all that good stuff.

Bye Bye Bandana. If/when MK snaps and completely loses himself to whatever he is, I'd love for the headband to come off. Really cement it.

MK Relives His Nightmares Again. Oops. After going "So we never have to live our nightmares again!" in 4x12 I now need the opposite of that to happen. Sorry MK. I need his new "Better than we found it" resolve to fold like the soggy french fry it is. That ain't lasting.

Hurting The People You Care About Theme. So with "hurting the people who care about you the most" and everything being "to pain", I really want this to go a "hurting people is a part of life" route. We're already almost there with "Mistakes happen but as long as you leave the world better than you found it then it's all good." Like that's SO close. Come on s5 give it to me.

Wukong Killed Macaque Reveal. *twirls hair* This would sooooo not bode well for MK.

MK Gets Out of His "Good Guy" "Bad Guy" Way of Thinking. I think 4x11 as an episode really highlights this. MK views people as one or the other, ignoring the vast grey area that a lot of people fall in. Wukong in his past wasn't just "a bad guy", just like he isn't currently flawless or wholly "a good guy" now. He's just a guy.

I could probably go on forever, so I'll cut this off here!

[mike-haters-dni]

Some S5 Ideas, Before Information Starts Coming Out And They Get Destroyed lol, Pt. I

Part II | Part I.V

Roughly ordered from most to least likely to actually happen, but I'm at most like 50% on any of these. Except for the first one which is a 100% :)

No one dies. Yeah, that’s right. Maiming is on the table tho.

The Duffs said we were getting the original groups back together so I’m running with the idea that our boys (and girl) spend the majority of the season as a unit. (yes, this is mostly about the party, I only think about them lmao)

Mike and El have twin arcs that center around responsibility. They are both officially named the party’s leaders who get the last say on anything the group does, specifically for dangerous situations to make sure the group works together. Technically El is the Supreme Leader who gets the final say if they disagree on anything and generally isn't argued with, but Mike is more often coming up with and overseeing plans. They both take this role very seriously, and end up putting perhaps unnecessary pressure on themselves. They both feel responsible for keeping everyone safe, to the point where they would gladly sacrifice themselves if it meant making sure no one else got hurt or died. Mike grapples with his own fears and starts to buckle under this newfound feeling of being responsible for his friends lives, while El also feels the larger responsibility of being the only person with the power to actually fix the apocalypse. Does this mean she has to be willing to do absolutely anything to fix it? Is she even actually the only solution? Does she have to prioritize saving the world over saving her friends?

Lucas of course feels horrible about “letting” max die and funnels his regret into training to make sure he never loses a fight again. As soon as they figure out a plan to get her back he’s on the warpath, and ends up making some game-winning (and very risky, much to Mike's chagrin) plays for the mission.

Will’s arc is about him finding his own self-worth, and ends with him getting to physically defeat the representation of his trauma.

Nancy teaches Mike how to shoot a gun.

Hawkins gets destroyed. I want it destroyed. The rot from the gates and the gates themselves spread over time and eventually monsters come pouring out, making the area completely inhabitable and everyone gets evacuated and the town is closed off. Of course, our heroes eventually have to sneak back into it to fix The Plot. Imagine a scene where they go to the Wheeler house looking for something and have this terrible “oh shit. Nothing is ever going to be the same again” moment as they see how broken down and destroyed everything is. Our homes are destroyed and there’s no going back. It’s like a metaphor.

Everyone ends up having to begrudgingly work with the government/military to fix Hawkins cuz I mean, there's no way they’re leaving the area of this insane alien disaster and someone on the Alien Disaster Response Team is going to know about Eleven and realize that she’s their best resource for fixing this (again lol). Our heroes agree to this because they don’t really have a choice, plus the military has a ton of resources that they can steal utilize.

I also want that timeskip. A lot of it is spent in a makeshift military base in the next town over trying to figure out how to approach the Vecna problem, who has been weirdly absent for too long. There’s very much a held-breath, dread vibe during this section.

During this lull, everyone trains to become apocalypse-ready, and El finally gets an unironic, non-trauma-based training arc to become the finely-honed, superpowered boss bitch she was always meant to be.

Also Dustin learns a good deal about field medicine, which becomes a skill that he utilizes at least once in a very life-or-death situation later.

The other half/two-thirds of the story is spent traveling to the heart of the apocalyptic Hawkins after confirming the military can’t be trusted.

Will gets slightly more utility out of his monster sensing powers/curse than just being able to tell that the giant ominous rumbling is danger, actually. He can more or less read their minds and sense where they are in an area, which allows the group to avoid or ambush them. It would also be really cool if there was some moment where he sensed some goal the monsters had and it was all spooky and cryptic, or he figures out a way to mask his presence from them and there's a tense scene where he sneaks through a heavily infested area to get to something. Idk, the show’s scifi magic system barely has rules anyway we can have fun with it.

Max gets woken up halfway through the season and has some important new information that is the key to stopping Vecna. I like the idea that she retains like 20% vision and her bones healed through the coma (and the timeskip cough), so she forces the boys to bring her with them on the final mission to end everything despite their reasonable concerns about her physical state. Just so we can have the whole group together.

Continuing the responsibility theme, the idea of El having to sacrifice herself to fix everything is brought up multiple times. She never argues with this—its clear she agrees on some level, but then when the moment comes for her to do the thing and die to save the world, she decides “fuck it, I wanna live actually” and fights her way back to her friends.

The one time someone (Dustin) is brave (dumb) enough to suggest El sacrificing herself in front of Mike he almost spontaneously combusts with rage and gets to say the one ‘fuck’ of the season. I would say lmao but its actually a very intense emotional scene ok take this seriously please.

Mike finally gets a real Violence Moment (checkhov did lend him a gun). As well as anyone else that wants one.

It would be fun to see Dustin like legitimately bitter and angry after what happened to Eddie. He blames the townspeople for Eddie’s death and generally lacks empathy for anyone opposing them. Not sure how that would wrap up for him though.

El loses her powers permanently at the end of the show. I just think it would be a good ending for her to finally get to be normal, and not have the government breathing down her back (as much) anymore.

Part II | Part I.V

[jackiietaylor]

unpopular stranger things opinions/hot takes 👀

omg thanks for sending this and giving me a reason to share my opinions 👀 this got really long because i have a lot to say apparently

first of all, i genuinely love and enjoy this show and that seems to be an unpopular opinion recently? like i was shocked when i logged on after watching volume 2 and everyone on my dash hated it because i loved it. and i love all the other seasons, too. yeah obviously there’s some parts i don’t like and things i would change but overall i still think it’s really good. but yeah mandatory “i do actually really like the show” before i start complaining about some things

s1 > s4 > s3 > s2

i don’t understand the obsession with character death. not as in i don’t understand why people don’t want characters to die but i don’t understand the constant need to talk about how characters are “definitely” going to die. no main character has been killed off throughout the whole show and yet pre-s4 no one would shut up about characters dying. also after the reaction to eddies death i think the duffers are gonna be too scared to kill anyone off lol

on the other hand, killing el off/not giving her a happy ending would be the single greatest mistake the show could make

el’s side plot in s2 is one of the highlights of the show for me. the lost sister will probably forever be my favorite episode of the show. ive never understood the hate it gets. im really hoping that kali comes back in s5 and helps fight vecna

el is the only Main character. there are obviously many other characters that are leads but she is ultimately the main character. the entire show revolves around her and her plot(s).

nancy has some of the best development in the entire show. ive seen so many people say she has no development outside of the love triangle and i find that so surprising because she’s changed soo much. her entire journey to wanting to be a reporter directly stems from her not being listened to and her desire to do something about barbs death. everything about her current character stems from that specific moment and we’ve seen throughout the seasons how that’s progressed and shaped her into and i think because of that development, she’s pretty much the only character with a defined ending (career as a journalist)

mike has done like one thing wrong in the entire show and im so unbelievably tired of people acting like he’s the villain. he’s a 14 year old who doesn’t know how to perfectly express himself sometimes. people need to leave him alone

steve & robin and el & max have the two best friendships on the entire show and anyone who says otherwise is wrong

hopper should’ve stayed dead. his death was perfectly written in s3 and reviving him brought nothing to the plot. it wasn’t even explained how he survived, he was just there. it wasn’t well thought out or well written, and overall it just wasnt necessary. they ruined what was ultimately a beautiful send off (the speech to end s3) for a cheap plot twist that had no payoff.

(also i don’t like hopper because he gave brenner el’s location in s1, fully intending that he would kidnap her again. it’s unforgivable regardless of what his reasoning was and i hate that it was never brought up ever again)

going off of that, the entire russia plot is the worst written part of the whole show. it could be scrapped entirely from s4 and the season would lose nothing

stranger things is blatantly obvious about what ships are gonna end up together at the end of the show

jancy is just a truly terrible ship all around. jonathan hiding in a bush to take pictures of nancy through a window while she was taking her clothes off is soo unbelievably creepy and unforgivable, and it’s terrible that it was just dropped with no consequences whatsoever for him. he doesn’t even actually apologize! he says he shouldnt have taken the picture, but when she asks him why he took it in the next episode he says it was just a nice picture and then starts lecturing her about how she’s gonna end up miserable like her mom?? they should’ve never got together after all that. and then there’s all the bullshit in s3 when he undermined the misogyny she was facing at work and didn’t believe her at all which just further proves that they shouldn’t be together! and then she forgot he existed for most of s4 anyway

i want nancy to end the show single so bad

robin/vickie sucks lol. stranger things is probably the only show that has me rooting against the lesbian character ending up in a relationship. vickie is sooo boring and has absolutely no personality! even suzie’s random family members got personalities in s4! im tired of being told to accept the bare minimum just because a show is adding a random throwaway gay character. vickie serves no purpose in the plot and id rather not waste the extremely limited time left in the show developing robins relationship with a complete nobody when her friendships with pre-existing characters should be the focus. also every single one of their scenes featured steve in some capacity which was very annoying

steve and nancy actually have such an interesting dynamic as characters but specifically as exes. personally, i do not think they should get back together, but i think what makes them interesting is why they shouldn’t be together. obviously their first breakup is because of their different reactions to barbs death. their relationship was never going to make it past that. barb died because nancy brought her to steves house, she died AT steves house, and died while nancy was alone with steve. there was never any coming from back that, not while nancy hadn’t processed her grief and especially not when steve was trying to convince her to forget about it and go to a party. but they’ve both grown as people since then, and they’re still not going to work. steve wants a big family, nancy is career-oriented to the point that she will do anything to succeed as a journalist. nancy doesn’t want the suburban, nuclear family life. they are fundamentally mismatched when it comes to what they want in life and i think exploring THAT aspect of their dynamic is so much more interesting than just shoving them back together

overall the show is so much more enjoyable when you don’t care about ships <3 please disregard everything i just said about the ships <3 but seriously the main focus of the show is not even remotely centered on the romantic relationships and watching the show without really caring about that aspect of things is way better

this isn’t a hot take about the show but more the fandom: a lot of the dynamics do not exist at all in the show the way some people think they do. most obvious example is el and will, who both are wayyyy closer to at least 3 other characters than they are to each other. this isn’t just limited to stranger things, it happens in most shows, especially ones with a found family element (ex. agents of shield) but people tend to forget what the dynamics actually are and then project their opinions onto the characters

semi-related and not really a hot take but if i had to choose underrated/non-existent dynamics to explore in s5, i would choose: lucas and el (connection to max), nancy and el (both on the show since s1 but have barely spoken, both the only people to know vecna’s full backstory firsthand), and nancy and mike (siblings who both probably think they’re only children at this point because they never interact with each other)

also related to fandom but it’s so clear that so many people either have not watched the show or just don’t anything remember what happens in the show when they post shit. and that’s way there’s sooo much mischaracterization everywhere

this show has way too many characters and it’s resulted in a lot of them having nothing to do for entire seasons. look at the california group from this season. they spent the entirety of episodes 5-8 driving around in a van with nothing to do. even joyce, who was one of the main main characters in earlier seasons, felt like she was just kinda there this season. part of it is the way they divide the plots, especially geographically this season, but the other part is just not having anywhere near enough time or plot spaces for all the characters. it’s unfortunately probably only gonna get worse in s5 because they have to somehow wrap up every characters individual plot in addition to the greater shows plot

and my hottest take is that will is severely overhyped sorry. he’s just not that interesting of a character and i really don’t understand that obsession with him? i mean he’s a fine character and he hasn’t really done anything wrong but there are so many other characters that are actually involved in the plot that i find way more interesting, relevant, and better written. like he was barely in s1, s2 was more about things happening to him than him actually doing anything, and s3 and s4 he didn’t do anything. hopefully s5 will give him something interesting to do but for now i just don’t see it

[warningsine]

So I started watching the 6th season of OITNB and it does indeed look like an improvement over the mess that was season 5. Phew.

Loving the drama with the OGs having to snitch on each other so that they won't get more time.

Red forgiving Nicky for fucking her over? [cries in a corner]

Have yet to feel bad about Frieda for doing the same though, because you don't see her hurting or feeling remorse. Unlike Nicky, she barely hesitates. Checks out. She's a survivor.

I still love Maria (pretty sure it's because the actress is really good no matter how bad the script gets), but can't blame Gloria for getting revenge. Can't blame Blanca for turning on her either.

What pained me a lot was seeing Cindy implicate Taystee. We had already known that Cindy is selfish and a coward, but this season and her new flashbacks really drive that point home. A really nice touch that she was the one to hug Tasha during her breakdown in front of Piscatella (season 5 finale).

Why is Alex not questioned about the events in the pool though? Does that happen in the background?

Moreover, it's a delight to see the OGs (Flaca, Cindy, Lorna, Daya etc.) interacting now that their cliques are not a thing anymore.

Moving on.

A thing that feels forced to me: Red losing all sense of control when she sees Frieda and thus missing the opportunity to meet her grandchildren for the first time. Like, come on. That only happens to trigger the "SHU is cruel and gives you dementia" ending, because it makes no fucking sense.

Red's s6 characterization is so inconsistent with her s1-s4 counterpart's, who played the long game and did not make such impulsive/hasty decisions.

Not counting s5 Red, because almost every character (except for Tasha, Gloria, Soso and Sophia) was an exaggerated caricature of themselves during season 5.

Another lady whose characterization is off? Lorna's, who thinks that joining a gang is good for her baby. Antidepressants (paroxetine) do have side effects, but do not give you a personality transplant.

"Don't look at me. I'm crazy, but not Florida crazy." Oh, baby.

That's the only reason they kept her there in season 6, because she adds literally nothing to the story.

Now, as for the new characters,

Love the guard who used to be Tasha's friend and Lorna's bunkmate. Hope they both get their own background episodes, because they're the most interesting ones.

Most of the other guards seem pretty bland in comparison--cheap repetitions of previous COs, e.g., Hellman is Humps no. 2.

A good thing that Artesian is back though. She's no Fisher or Wanda, but compared to the rest of the COs... Can't wait to see her PTSD episode.

Why is the show trying to make Dixon, the guard who compared Poussey's murder to breaking a chair and murdered several people and also a girl after he had sex with her because her loved ones "would kill her anyway," goofy and lovable all of a sudden? Isn't the woobification of Tiffany's rapist enough?

I like the "crazy baby killer" (Piper's bunkmate) and want to know what turned her into Medea.

All the new inmate villains (Carol, Barb, Badison & Annalisa) are so cartoonish and over the top. Waiting to see if they'll get any depth, but I'm sensing that the baddies on this show peaked at Vee. Even Piscatella seems more nuanced in comparison.

I'm struggling to see what people saw in Carol... that she's pretty? The older actress is ok, but the younger one's acting is, um, how to put this delicately? Not ideal.

Badison has some funny lines, but she's more of a tryhard high school bully than a compelling antagonist. Waiting to see if that's intentional or not.

Annalisa is so annoying and unnecessary. Could definitely do without her. Glad to know that Lorna attacks her before being moved to Florida honestly.

"Daddy" is so physically unimposing that I find it hard to buy he* is the protector of the block. Androgyny on its own isn't enough. Waiting to see if he'll get some development, because for the time being, it looks like he's Stella no. 2: there to look hot despite the subpar acting and personality of a spoon. But I suppose he's there to trigger Daya's kingpin arc and drug addiction. My point? Missing Boo hours.

*Not sure what pronouns I should use (Annalisa says "he"), because it's not clear to me whether "Daddy" is a trans guy, nonbinary or a cis masc lesbian.

Moving on again.

I found the opening with Suzanne's hallucinations charming yet a bit out of place.

The thing is, S1-S3 were more of a comedy than a drama. S4 was the turning point and the show became more of a drama than a comedy.

Season 5 should have committed to drama, but unfortunately tried to balance the two and stumbled.

Season 6 is another attempt at balancing the two.

Nicky remains funny, but the lines lack the spark and wit of her pre-s5 ones. Maybe that can be explained due to the "We're all in Max now" development, maybe it's due to the new writers interpreting her differently.

Something is missing there for sure and is definitely not the "I'm a player, but suddenly stopped chasing women" bit.

Piper keeps asking for Alex ("a broken record" like Daya says) and then spends her time joking about their wedding. What else is new with these two?

What else indeed. Hm.

Where the hell is Sophia? I know she gets out in the finale, but in the meantime, where is she? We barely saw her in season 5 after 2 interactions with Gloria.

Oh, last but not least, missing Soso and Chang hours.

Not missing Leanne and Angie at all hours. Too bad that they replaced them with equally irritating characters.

[bookinit02]

HI ME AGAIN . Glad you appreciate the asks because here's another. I just finished the posted script, and I'll be moving on to the fic soon! There were SO MANY THINGS I loved outside of just the Byler (which I will no doubt scream about via Ao3 once I get to the fic version of those moments), and I started to write them down but only once I got to episode five, so unfortunately I forgot most of them. However here's a few anyway:

All the scenes with El, Lucas, and Max were SO SWEET. Them working together to save and hide her, them talking about love, just—ALL OF. I love that trio in general and the focus on them in the script is great ❤️

Argyle and Will's talk was so sweet :( I especially love the added dimension you gave Argyle in that scene, outside of just "comic relief stoner dude" (and the plants!!! he named the plants after all his friends!!! so SWEET)

That cut from Jonathan incredulously asking Nancy "What? You and Steve just spend all your time—" to Dustin yelling "Fuck!" in frustration was HILARIOUS and I can ABSOLUTELY picture that happening on TV

Robin and Vickie!!! Yes!!! The lesbians are winning!!!!! I almost wish Vickie HAD stayed to see who it was/Steve had just come out before she left bc them meeting would have been... both sweet and hilarious.

Okay I was going to wait to freak out about the Byler-specific stuff because it'll be the main focus of the fic but like. I can't bro. Mike not even HESITATING to jump in after Will? The relief of them finally revealing their secrets and comforting each other (and then the frustration of Mike telling Will his Vecna-vision of Will's corpse is "nothing" IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT CONVO like I get the reasoning but CHRIST dude)? Mike just casually revealing he self-sacrificially jumped into the quarry once before and proceeding to not elaborate AT ALL? And the LETTERS oh my god. When/if ever those get revealed to Will I am going to LOSE IT.

Whoops this got long again - last point. Overall I just... absolutely love this script? All the dialogue and the actions feels so in-character, like I can actually envision it all being said in the show—ESPECIALLY Erica's lines, you have her little middle school snark down PAT.

Okay I am done screaming . For now. Much love ❤️

hi!! sorry it’s taken me so long to answer this, it took me a while to get back in the comment-answering mood😭💗

i’m glad you’re enjoying the elumax plot! they’re very very special to me and i enjoy writing them very much :)

argyle!! i personally love scenes where the “comic relief” character is given unexpected depth, so i was really excited to explore that with him. that moment specifically was inspired by a really great s5 fic (can’t remember the name right now, unfortunately—if anyone knows, please feel free to leave it in the comments!) where argyle brings pizza rolls to the hospital for max and lucas. it was such a sweet moment in that fic, and i really admire how the author treated his character. i wanted to emulate that, at least a little bit!

you are the ONLY PERSON that commented on that moment, thank you so much😭😭😭💗 i was proud of it. feels very much like something the show would do (if they were allowed to say fuck more often!)

ROVICKIEEE💗💗💗 dw she will definitely meet steve eventually!

glad you liked all the byler :) it’s been a couple fics in the making!

thank you so much for the comment, i get really really excited when people comment on my scripts🥹🫶🏻 and yes, erica!! love her to bits :)

[cabeswaterdrowned]

miss katherine pierce for the character asks. 🙏🏽 and/or cordelia chase!

Hi sorry this took me so long!

Katherine Pierce

three facts about them from my personal headcanons: 1) this seems obvious but she’s bi 2) this isn’t super hc-y it’s more like the show is inconsistent about what’s up and I have a set idea, I do believe that she genuinely was in love with Damon at a point not just Stefan and Elijah 3) idk… Kat isn’t really a character I get into heavy hc territory with a lot

a reason they suck: well she is an objectively terrible person but not in a way out of the ordinary for this verse and she is a villain lol. I guess technically the thing I don’t like about her char sometimes is when they lean too hard on the more misogynistic aspects of the femme fatale trope in how she’s written

a reason they are great: she’s just a fantastic character and villain imo she consistently makes thing interesting every dynamic and storyline she’s in has a little something extra because of her, I love that she’s incredibly clever and competent and tenacious in her pursuit of survival above all else also she also has the best lines.

a reason I relate to them: I don’t really relate to her… actually I can relate to her hating being human in s5 being human is bad enough going from vampire to human sounds terrible lmao.

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character. I really enjoy basically all her ships but I do have a favorite and it’s Katherine/Caroline <3 they check a lot of my boxes in terms of just what I enjoy in ships. And for ot3 I’d go for Katherine Caroline and Stefan I do ship and have feelings about all 3 dynamics and they had good moments as a trio in s5.

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened: 1. I really like the majority of her arc in s5 and the concept of the body swap with Elena but I wish the reasoning for it wasn’t so Stefan-centric… I wouldn’t call it ooc necessarily but I don’t think it was good enough for her idk I would alter some of the specifics of her last couple of eps in s5 2. more interactions between her and Bonnie especially it would have been nice for Katherine’s relationship with Emily to come back up as a thread and that to impact how she interacts with / connects with Bonnie 3. I feel like at times she should have kind of had more space in the narrative to express how Klaus impacted/traumatized her over the years. 4. No Queen of Hell storyline 5. Scenes with Hayley + more scenes with Rebekah

five people that character never fell in love with and why:

1.Klaus—the obvious answer is him chasing her and trying to kill her but also I feel like probably before that and just in general they’re both characters who put on masks a lot of the time, and they’re really similar in a lot of ways maybe too similar for them to develop the soft spot to fall in love with each other.

2.Matt—Katherine finds him hot for some reason but he hates her too much for it to be a StefanElijah situation.

3.Kol—Is there ever anything stated in canon about their dynamic? Have they ever interacted? I feel like the dynamic would be sort of Datherinelight I think she’d have fun with him in a similar way but wouldn’t get intense about him the way she did with Damon I think despite herself.

4.Bonnie—Julie was too cowardly to let them interact much.

5.Rebekah—Same thing.

Cordelia Chase

1.three facts about them from my personal headcanons: 1) her first kiss was with Harmony they were “practicing” 2) ats doesn’t ever go very deep into Cordy and acting but I like the idea that it is genuinely something she’s always kind of wanted to pursue but it would never have been her plan to primarily pursue it before her dad went bankrupt, I think once that happened she figured she had nothing to lose and decided to go for that when her mo is usually the most practical option. And when she actually finds her place in Angel investigations it’s something practical that you could argue does occasionally involve theatrics xd so I think that’s the perfect medium for her. 3) Because Cordelia can be really caring and protective when it comes to people close to her, I think she really holds the way he treated Harmony against Spike. She also definitely holds other things against him related to Angel (I don’t think in the canon timeline she ever learned about spuffy which is unfortunate I love Tara’s reactions but Cordy’s would have been stellar too.. but like that’s not a factor here) but I like the idea that Harmony’s treatment is a sticking point for her.

2.a reason they suck: the classism ig it’s hard for me to care when it’s directed at Xander though sorry

3.a reason they are great: I think a lot of what I love about Cordelia is definitely in how Charisma played her rather than the writing for her in either show, she just channels so much… well charisma lmao no pun intended into this character and also so much complexity, you get the feel of her as such a fully fleshed out person right away even though the writers didn’t seem to see her that way. In terms of just personality traits she has that I really dig I like that she’s not afraid to be honest and herself, her confidence, the fact she’s smarter than given credit for not just book wise but she’s a really pragmatic thinker and problem solver, her ambition and her capacity to be loyal and caring and protective even if she isn’t the most compassionate person ever at first. I also just love how funny she is which also goes along the lines of Charisma is so good at being her.

4.a reason I relate to them: as a teenager when I first watched I related to her ideas about brutal honesty now that I’m older I don’t do much. I guess ambition and I can be materialistic

5. (what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character: Coffy probably edges out Cangel for me but just barely I love both of those ships so much. I don’t really have a set ot3 for her I could ot3 her with Angel and Buffy (probably the only way I’d find BA interesting tbh), also could see Cordelia Angel and Gunn or Cordelia Fred Gunn. Or Cordelia Fred Lilah there are options

6. five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened: 1. She should have lived 2. She never should have had that arc with Connor and I like Jasmine but I’d either scrap the Jasmine arc or have her exist in a way that had nothing to do with Cordelia 3. she should have been present on the show for all five seasons and Cangel should have been endgame (there aren’t a lot of Buffyverse ships I feel strongly Should be endgame because I tend to be attracted to messy ships like Spuffy Weslah etc. where I don’t necessarily think a conventional happily ever after would fit the ship and satisfy me, but Cangel is the buffyverse ship I think fully deserved that) 4. She should have gotten to talk to Buffy again at some point in the later seasons! Had some crossover scenes! The Willow one she did get also could have gotten into a lot more detail about the parallels and anti parallels in their arcs 5. She never should have been blonde. I realize that was more things that shouldn’t have happened to her in a way but I feel that’s valid.

7.five people that character never fell in love with and why:

1.Doyle — other than the lack of time I don’t think she ever liked him that much outside of him being sort of there for her at a vulnerable time in her life

2.Harmony — I think Cordelia cares for Harmony but she always very much thinks of her as not on the same level as her, not an equal with the ability to rival her the way she treats Buffy even arguably Willow or Anya but definitely Buffy. There’s not enough mutual respect in their relationship to lead to Cordelia falling in love But I think in a world where post Harmony vampirism they got a chance to work on their relationship a lot over time that could look very different.

3.Willow —- Just too much built up animosity from over the years even pre series but if they’d been in a life or death situation together like with Cordy and Xander I’m sure they would have made out and hey maybe they did make out in that closet in School hard.

4.Wesley — obviously the main thing is they met/started flirting when she was a student and the age/power difference. I also think Wesley personality wise is too… not her type I think Cordelia tends to be most attracted / emotionally drawn to people who have a genuineness about them kind of in line with her policy re: tact and honesty, and Wesley is so repressed and has such a convoluted sense of identity that just doesn’t strike me as something Cordelia is into. Even Xander was more genuinely himself around Cordelia and I think that appealed to her (unfortunately).

5.Faith —- They repel as two shadow selves to the same woman do. They also just didn’t get to interact enough because the writers are cowards like with Katbonnie and Katbekah.

Thanks for the ask 💕