#bc until s5 comes out...

[raayllum]

Bloodmoon Huntress + Duty 

Runaan and Ethari told me something that helped me understand… well, a lot of things, really. They said that, sometimes, we make sacrifices so that the ones we love don’t have to. It’s part of protecting them—part of protecting you. Taking on hard choices and going to dark places is an act of love.

[donutdisturblivball]

i remember first watching the whole heart to heart byler talk in will’s room and texting my friend “wow this guy is in happy tears after being friendzoned” (i have photo evidence too although it exposes me a little bit lmao) but like… after reading the script???? holy SHIT. no fucking wonder this kid was in happy tears after a reaffirmation of their friendship he’s down so fucking bad for this man. like it never really processed in my mind how in LOVE he is with mike and all of a sudden his reaction just makes so much sense especially when put into the context that will probably thinks being friends with mike is all he’ll ever have and how scared he was of losing mike’s presence in his life as his friend. like putting it all into perspective suddenly him tearing up at the fact that they can still be friends makes so much sense and hits so much harder.

(here’s the proof btw i’m just gonna go hide in a hole now)

[aemiron-main]

going insane because the s5 mike death flags are aligning exactly with my gay mike analysis + his narrative as a character and what he represents and how we can use that to demonstrate whats going to happen to him in s5 and why gay mike is a core part of mike’s arc as a character and resolution of the narrative and metaphors of st +  then that’s also tying into my music analysis and oh my god i just need to finish this analysis but there’s So Much to say  its all coming together. though. the math is mathing. 

[mlchaelwheeler]

This is so random and dramatic but I feel like no one irl understands how excited I am for S5 and to actually see Byler become canon with my own two eyes. This anticipation and wait is killing me, but I know in the future I'll be wishing I could turn back time and experience this again. I'm so excited to laugh in the faces of GA and milkvans. I will ascend into the sky and then my life will return to having no purpose. 2023/2024 couldn't come sooner.

[kindaorangey]

OOOOUGHHH THE NEXT FEW EPS ARE GONNA BE RELEASED IN THE FRENCH DUB FIRST???

[bookworm-2692]

saw your tags (mumbo main activate!!!) mumbo's season 6-7 are SO good and i highly suggest checking out some of his older stuff!!!

thank you for the ask!! i'll eventually get there... i started with double life and intended to watch third life and last life after them, but by then i had already started grian and pearl's hermitcraft s9. and then scar. and then tango and impulse. those five because of double life. and then zedaph (my beloved) as well. so i didnt have time to watch third life and last life...

but then i got curious about s7! so i started watching etho's s7, and finished it. and then started grian's s7. and then i also got curious about s8 so i watched pearl's pov there. so at this point i think i got up to ep28 in s7 and ep8 in s8 or something... but by then the s9 plot absolutely exploded so i've had to put s7 and s8 on hold to focus on s9 (and actually watching other hermits than the ones stated above at random)

so i have seen some of mumbo in the various s7 and s8 episodes ive seen, and obviously early s9, so its not that i dont know him at all, but right now im definitely focusing on the active hermits. past mumbo seasons will be there later when either s9 or real life calms down enough to watch more

[nyebie]

yayayayyy new theme!!!!

[queen-of-hawkins-why-ler]

Am I the only one who thinks that the thematic and narrative climax of s5 (and low key the whole show) will be almost a direct parallel to the "You said yes" scene from s2?? Like same exact narrative and cinematic setup of Will being controlled by Vecna to the point where he's nearly gone or on the brink of death, and Mike being able to bring him back to reality with words of love???

Like I low key feel like that scene in s2 was supposed to serve as a precursor and foreshadowing to the climax of Byler rather than just standing on its own as an isolated event. We always talk on here about how Mike's monologue to El in s4 was supposed to directly contrast that scene and demonstrate how false and unnatural Milkvan's supposed "love" is, but we never really talk about just how awkward of a placement it is for the true and "authentic" love confession (Byler s2) to precede the clunky and false one (Milkvan s4). Like, imo it kind of leaves things on an awkward note and kind of hanging.

The only way it wouldn't be awkward or unfinished is if there ends up being a followup scene/parallel to the "you said yes" scene, and I think this is what's going to happen. I think Mike's monologue to El comes after the more romantic, authentic confession not only because it's supposed to contrast it but because the show is serving us two different "choices," two different options for Mike, two different scenarios. Not just for the sake of his character arc but in a meta sense as well, kind of like asking the audience, "which choice makes the most sense for Mike given the events up until now and the themes of the show? Can he be his most authentic and happiest self with Will or El?" And the natural followup to posing this dichotomy would be to answer this question for us by showing us in no uncertain terms why Will makes more sense for Mike as a long-term love interest.

The other reason why I believe this to be the case is because of the blocking of the s2 scene and the way it's set up: with Will being unable to move, unable to say anything or regain any control, and with Mike opening up and being vulnerable about his true feelings for Will [here comes the most important part lol] IN FRONT OF the other characters like Jonathan and Joyce (I can't remember if it was the entire rest of the cast in this scene or just those two?? I think it might've been everybody bc weren't they trying to get Will to communicate with them using morse code? I don't remember lmao) but anyways, I don't think it was a coincidence that Mike gave his grand "Do you remember the first day that we met?" speech not only to Will himself but in front of the other characters. Remember as well that Mike also confessed his "love" for El in front of an audience, and I don't think that's a coincidence either. I think it's leading to a final confession from Mike that will also take place in front of an audience and will serve as the "choice" that Mike makes between El and Will as well as the "choice" the Duffers present as being the correct narrative and thematic choice for the show. It's important that Mike's initial two confessions took place in front of an audience and also that his final one will, because this will also serve as Mike's "coming out" moment to the rest of the characters and to the audience. I think that Mike is going to have a second speech to Will that isn't just "I love you I love you I love you" over and over again like it was to El. It will be sweet and unique to Will and Byler's relationship except this time it will be explicitly, undeniably romantic so that no one will be able to even think that what he feels for Will is anything short of genuine, passionate, romantic love.

I wouldn't even be surprised if what Mike says closely parallels what he said to El except basically the opposite, alluding to the fact that it wasn't "love at first sight" for him but a slow, gradually building and gradually cultivating love that blossomed over the course of his entire life. Instead of "I knew then and there that I loved you" like he did to El, he could say something like, "I didn't realize it yet when I met you, and I'm not even sure I know when it happened, but I think I've spent my entire life slowly falling in love with you." And he says it with tears in his eyes and in front of all of the rest of the characters, who will also be crying (especially Joyce lol). And of course Will will just be sobbing even through Vecna's control over him, but it will be Mike's love that ultimately frees him from Vecna's hold over him. This would make sense, because unlike El, Will's story has never been about independence and breaking himself free, but about him and Mike breaking themselves free through teamwork a la "I think that we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're a team."

[chirpsythismorning]

Something that does genuinely concern me is the possibility of the Duffer’s being a major conflict of interest when it comes to supporting the strike out in the open. They’re not just writers but also producers and the show runners. Arguably they have the tightest relationship of any production to Netflix, and so just knowing that they’ve always been very much intertwined, are they going to be willing to voice their support for the strike, beyond just being WGA members who likely voted in support of the strike? Like even the cast, complete silence. I know that it can be hard for a lot of reasons, but the complete silence, besides that one writer who posted about it, has me side eying the situation as it’s unfolding.

For the last few Friday’s, they’ve been active posting about stuff, and so are they going to keep that going by posting today, hopefully something to agknowledge the strike, or are they going to just act like nothing is going on and carry on with Easter egg like content? Or worse, are they not going to post at all and so we won’t even know what to think?

It’s just so weird bc they’ve known about this strike for months now. They’ve known about it when they’ve been stringing fans along with little things over the last month. And now, silence, at a time when silence is not the best choice, especially when they are the hugest show in television rn. The duffers coming out and saying something about putting pressure on Netflix would actually have the capacity to get something to happen, and yet they don’t… and it makes me think they’re a conflict of interest bc unlike their writers, they get paid A LOT!

And when it comes to filming starting, I’m concerned that just because they have the first few scripts written and finalized, the Duffers are just gonna say fuck the strike go through with it and start the production for those earlier episodes, either without any writers present bc they’re on strike and so no rewrites, meaning we’re risking the quality not being as good as it would be with them. Or worse, the Duffers are gonna go cross picket lines and scab, and rewrite the scenes themselves essentially going against the strike and their own writers to side with the studios that want it done…

Like I want Stranger Things filmed as soon as possible, I really do. But I also am a little bit unsettled by s5 being soured just knowing they chose a route that sided with corporations and not the writers getting paid mf crap while they are in Netflix’s pockets.

Even though I’m skeptical, I’m still hopeful that they’ll say something, maybe the st writers Twitter will make a statement for all the writers, including the duffers to show their support. But just considering how quiet it’s been, I do wonder how they view the situation.

Do they think it will be over at any moment, without their interference and so they’re just waiting for that? Are they genuinely being advised to say nothing, including the cast and so that’s going to be the case until this is over (if it’s even over any time soon).

Like wtfff is going on in their brains I need to know what they’re thinking about all of this.

Bc them being silent all throughout or even worse doing the exact opposite of supporting the strike by literally starting filming anyways against all of their writers best interests, would be the worst possible course of action. The final season won’t be remembered for all the love and dedication put into it, it’ll be remembered for the greed. And that pisses me off bc the writers don’t deserve that! This is their baby and they’re literally out here risking it all to have a live-able wage, only to be undermined at the risk of everything. It fucking sucks.

[kitcatcrowley]

I haven’t seen many people talking about the implications of cap’s death on his first day as a ghost, so here is my emotionally damaging take on it!!

The fact that it was so sudden, that we saw all the other ghosts in the front courtyard at the start of the flashback, and of course that they didn’t already know what happened in s5 - means none of the others were there to welcome cap as he died. He would’ve gotten up on his own, confused about why everyone in the party was panicking and ignoring him. Then seeing his own body and freaking out, confused. The whole reason (its pretty likely) he came back to the house was to find havers, and now he’s stood right next to him, but it’s too late.

He doesn’t even see him.

Doesn’t hear him. Doesn’t reply. Doesn’t even look at cap.

And cap is left following the soldiers around wondering whats going on. In all the commotion of the party, the other ghosts probably didn’t even notice that someone has died until a medic/police etc arrives outside, or when the body is removed from the house. And only then, later on in the middle of all the panic, will cap come across these strange people with strange clothes and voices, but who are the only ones now willing to speak to him. They tell him truths which make no sense. He was fine this morning! There’s nothing visibly wrong with him- he might’ve thought he was hallucinating after hitting his head on the ground!

We know that the other ghosts never found out his name or exactly how he died. So cap must’ve been so shocked by these events that he refused to tell the others anything about himself, or what had happened in the house that day. He was probably too distracted trying to get the other soldiers (particularly havers) to notice him before they left the house.

Imagine how devastating it must’ve been to watch his first love leave without him at the end of the day, after all the effort he’d made to find him again. He’s finally able to speak, but no one can hear him.

He might’ve tried to chase havers out the house as he drove away, begging him to answer, but of course he’d be unable to follow him all the way- AGAIN! Once again, havers leaves him while the captain is trapped inside that house, forever.

I can also imagine the captain noticing the upside down medal still on his jacket - a constant reminder of his percieved cowardice - and trying to throw that thing away SO MANY TIMES (like thomas with his love letter). And eventually just having to accept that he could never get away from this reminder of what he’d done.

This last bit is more of a personal headcannon, but i think it pretty reasonably could’ve happened.

No matter how close cap & havers actually were (possibly they barely knew each other- we’ll never actually know), it was probably PRETTY GODDAMN TRAUMATISING to watch a guy die in your arms, knowing he was only there in the first place bc he was trying find you (and failed). And that you’re not allowed to show any sign of caring - it would lead to some very dangerous questions from the other soldiers. So i expect havers would’ve taken himself away somewhere, had a little moment where no one could see how upset he was, taken some time to process what happened. And cap might’ve sat there beside him, trying to make sense of it himself. Sat side by side but unable to communicate.

Each in their own world, together but totally alone.

Havers can’t tell a soul what really happened for fear of getting thrown in prison to rot. Cap feels too ashamed to say any of it out loud, and doesn’t for almost 80 years.

It’s the most tragic ending they could’ve POSSIBLY MADE. BEN WILLBOND YOU ARE PAYING FOR MY THERAPY-

[winterchimez]

Old Tales, New Beginnings

(a repost bcs the original masterlist sadly got deleted 😭💔 changed up a few things & tqsm @sungbeam for helping me with the banner i wuv you 🩵)

SUMMARY: Ever wondered what if the stories you've been told growing up had an alternative ending? Well, you're in for a ride as The Boyz retell famous true crime & classic novellas in a different light.

PAIRING: the boyz x f!reader

GENRE: retelling of true crime & classic novellas (more details can be found in each season's masterlist!)

A/N: hello my fellow readers! so initially i wrote beast in the beauty as a standalone series, but as time passed more ideas came popping up and here we are with an OT11 series!! i will try my best to retain the strength to eventually bring you guys all 11 seasons in total!!

as of 23/09/2023, two seasons are now available!! please do check them out, and i would deeply appreciate if you could reblog this to spread the word & it does help motivate me to bring you guys more stories in the future!!

send me an ask/comment to be added into the taglist for the series!!

S1: Beast in the Beauty (Lee Hyunjae)

Set in the year 1911 in the streets of Whitechapel, London, a place infamous for its notorious Jack The Ripper murders that haunted the nation for the past decades. 

Except for the fact that the killer after seemingly disappearing for a while at least, decides to strike again. It is up to you as a rookie detective, the handsome yet charming profiler Lee Hyunjae, and your group of friends to finally put the killer behind bars once and for all. 

PAIRING: profiler Hyunjae x detective f!reader

STORY: jack the ripper au

S2: Redemption of Love (Choi Chanhee, Lee Sangyeon)

Choi Chanhee—better known as the Phantom of the Opera, has dominated the Paris Opera House with his lifelong partner, Christine Daae, for years. Until one fateful day, an incident forces them to be separated and never to be reunited again.

Decades later, you have begun your journey here at the famous opera house with the help of your fiancé, Lee Sangyeon. After several performances, it was then that you would come face-to-face with the renowned phantom himself, and he is determined to never let you go again, convinced that you were his long-lost partner whom he has not seen in many years.

It is now your choice to make. To give your heart to the once-forgotten phantom? Or to stand firm and marry the love of your life.

PAIRING: phantom of the opera Chanhee x singer f!reader x fiancé Sangyeon

STORY: phantom of the opera au

S3: tba

S4: tba

S5: tba

S6: tba

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @k-films @flwoie @hokupi @zzoguri @kyusqult @atinycafe @hanniluvi @tinkerbell460 @cheonsafics @sulkygyu @jaerisdiction @heemingyu (join my permanent taglist here!)

[luckyqueenreign]

Hello o/ I've recently started playing litg again, I left after 4th mid-season after lame-ass Will coupled with Thabi, I haven't played the 5th season bc I've heard that it's hot garbage, could you please tell me why? I don't mind spoilers, but I haven't found any answers other than that. Thank you a lot!

Ohhhh babe settle in while I relive that dumpster fire, this is going to be a long one…

Anyone who’s played s5 will back me on this, If you were annoyed with Will leaving us for Thabi, I STRONGLY advise you to not even *think* about playing s5.

First let’s start off with MC…she was… not cute. For reference:

And I know that after a few weeks fb gave us more options and all of our MCs either became cuter in our eyes or maybe we all just felt extremely sorry for her because of the horrible experience she was having. Let’s get into that next…

Your MC walks into the villa and immediately is greeted by none other than her super hot, narcissistic, cheating ex, Suresh. Normally I would have to tell you oh I did X route so some of my choices will defer from yours if you pick another choice, but NOPE not in s5! Because we had ZERO choice. For first recoupling whether you want to or not, you are coupled with your ex, Suresh. Then he is fawning over you IMMEDIATELY, he’s jealous, running around after you, trying everything to win you back. And you can choose every single positive interaction saying you want him back too and the game doesn’t care. It literally won’t let you get back with him until the very end. But on the other spectrum, if you don’t want to be with him, he will not leave you alone no matter how much you beg.

As for LI choices, at the start you are given TWO. (I say at the start, but to be honest you’re really only give 2 for the majority of the season) One being Alfie and the other being Dana. Now every season before this and every season after, one of the girls always asks if you are into girls and this determines whether they will have girls grafting you or not. Well your answer doesn’t matter here. You could have said I’m the straightest person on earth and Dana would still hit on you everyday and get sad whenever anyone else showed interest in you. Oh and because there were only two other girls in the villa and one being your bully, dana was also meant to be your best friend and CONSTANTLY let you know that she was. By interrupting any and all conversations you were having, even good ones! You’re about to kiss your LI? Here comes Dana! There’s a lot more to unpack on Dana but I’ll get back to her later, just remember she’s your “best friend” in the villa.

As for the bully I mentioned, every season prior to this it’s been clear that whenever someone was coming after us, it’s because they were jealous that MC was “that girl”, s5 blurred those lines and became full on bullying. First with Kat, who went into full attack mode when MC even breathed in the direction of the two boys she was after. Her first and very brief LI was Alfie, who if MC just hugs garners a feral reaction from Kat screeching at her to leave him alone. And then her second LI, Finn who comes in as the first bombshell and Kat drops everything to be with him. Throughout the season anytime she feels any sort of jealousy she takes it out on MC and MC NEVER fires back!

Then we get two new bullies bombshells, Meera and Arlo. Suresh starts heavily flirting with Arlo, which I’m sorry but wasn’t he just up our asses literally yesterday?? And legit, who wrote this season and thought this was ok?? bc even if I hated my ex it wouldn’t be nice to see him flirting with someone else. Meera comes across like a super nice girl while Arlo becomes our second bully! Yay! Again even if you don’t want to be with Suresh, Arlo acts as if you do. And after a prolonged recoupling Suresh chooses Arlo, Alfie chooses MC and Meera is sent home (more on her later) Now if you wanted to be with him you’re probably thinking wtf Suresh?? And if you don’t you’re probably thinking, finally I’m free!! But NOPE when he couples up with Arlo that’s when he decides he’s going super full on and starts going after MC even harder. He wears the shirt she bought him for an anniversary on a date, he tries/kisses MC in the bedroom (depends on your choice) and just overall is doing everything to win MC back except for being honest and dumping Arlo to be with MC. Well Kat sees the kiss/hug/rejection and still tells the entire villa that you and Suresh were kissing in bed. The whole villa erupts, Alfie/Dana rush off and are super pissed at you, they won’t even let you explain yourself. So then you try to go find Alfie/Dana and you go to the roof terrace only to find Alfie kissing Kat or Dana kissing Eddie (if you’re on her route he’s coupled with Dana but she doesn’t really like him) OH and just a reminder, you have past trauma from when your long term ex CHEATED ON YOU. Alfie/Dana knew about this the whole time and yet STILL kissed someone else. Then Suresh takes this opportunity where you’re at your lowest again to apologize for cheating and tells you have until tonight to decide if you want to be with him or not. The girls also ask that night who you want to be with and your given the choice of Alfie/Suresh and when you go to tell one of them who you want to be with….they’re gone! YUP! They’re off to casa!!

And you might be thinking, after all that drama casa might be a nice break! A few days of freedom from the mess that’s gone down. THINK AGAIN BESTIE! While you’re at casa you get a major surprise! Remember that girl Suresh cheated on you with??? Oh yea the producers decide to drop her into YOUR casa villa. So you have to come face to face with Gabby, the girl that your ex cheated with. Now this was obviously a massive departure from the irl show because they’ve never thrown a girl into the girls villa at casa amor before. And remember your bestie Dana?? Oh yea she gets SUPER hot and bothered by Gabby and decides she wants to bring her back into the villa.. now I know you’re probably thinking wait but what if your on Dana’s route?? Obviously she wouldn’t cheat on MC with Eddie and then bring back the girl that Suresh cheated with!! WELL SHE DID BB!!!

Throughout the season we’ve been given very little detail about Suresh and MCs relationship. We know he cheated, he said it was a one time thing, MC found out about it from a picture on his phone. OH how could I forget!! We also find out that MC was going to propose to Suresh!! The day before he cheated she bought a ring! Well that’s all we knew until gabby says nah we were more than just a one time thing, he had a tooth brush at my place! We dated for months!

So now casa is over and we’re going back, the game doesn’t let us go back single and we have to pick either Nicholas or Johnny to bring back to the villa. Doesn’t matter who you choose they go nuts regardless. So now Gabby is back in the main villa thanks to your “bestie” and Suresh is STRESSING. Because obviously he left out some crucial details! And you would think ok we’re immediately going to talk to him? NOPE we need a fucking girls chat with the new casa girls. Lulu, Suresh’s new girl…Meera is back with alfie and remember that nice girl? Well she’s gone and we now have a full on bitch in her place aka Bully #3. Eddie is sent packing and tells us that whichever guy you like / Dana still really likes you and thought about you the whole time during casa. Cool cool cool but will any of them tell you this?? Nah lol! So you get pulled in the middle of your slumber for a chat with Gabby and Suresh. He tells you in front of Gabby he cheated once but then mc broke up with him and he went to gabby and they dated for 5 months. Full on rebound relationship. He tells them both that he never loved Gabby and that MC is the only one he’s ever loved. Well she’s not having that! Gabby goes full on delulu and basically doesn’t accept what he’s said. Now at the time there was major upset online about Gabby not being romance-able bc in all fairness she was extremely hot. So the game now allows you to romance Gabby and you’d think they’d change SOME of the interactions but NOPE they didn’t. So basically the entire time she’s running after Suresh trying to win him back. So much so that she explodes one day and reveals to everyone that he was going to propose!! Shock and awe all around the villa while everyone looks pitifully at MC.. at this point in the gameplay I think we were all so tired at the sheer embarrassment we were enduring weekly. And then Suresh announces hey that wasn’t for you dummy it was for MC!! Buttttt remember when he found out weeks ago that MC was going to propose??? Why tf didn’t he say anything then?? BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE. Oh and speaking of making sense… if you’re on Suresh’s route and you somehow survive the weekly torture, I kind of blacked out at the end, but he proposes and MC obviously wins because she should.

I know I left out so much bullying (Nicolas and Eddie) and so much other shit that goes down, but this was getting too long. Bestie if you’re still here, all in all just don’t play it. You’ll have severe ptsd from it. You’re better off reading all of the fanfics the amazing fandom created.

[brookitty]

Okay sooo let's get this straight. Marinette, along with others, withholding information from Adrien about HIS life is WRONG. The show knows this.

S2, Syren: Chat Noir is upset that Ladybug is keeping secrets from him (about Master Fu). This is resolved bc Chat Noir is granted an introduction with Master Fu.

S3, Chameleon: Adrien tells Lila he is happy to be her friend, on one condition, she doesn't lie to him.

S3, Backwarder: Marinette and her friends debate on how Marinette should interject herself between Adrien and Kagami. Someone suggests she disguise herself as a celebrity to woo Adrien, but the idea is shot down bc "Adrien hates lying"

S3, Puppeteer 2: Chat Noir tells Ladybug that the more important something is, is precisely more the reason you have to say it. No matter what.

S4, Lies: Adrien is personally very hurt and guilt ridden when Kagami accuses him of being untruthful.

S4, Rocketear: Adrien is upset that Ladybug allowed for Alya and Nino to know eachother's identity bc it contradicts everything she has told him thus far.

S4, Hack-San: Adrien is beyond angry and betrayed that Ladybug would lend her Miraculous to someone and not inform him on it before hand.

S4, Ephemeral: Adrien confesses how heavy of a weight his secret identity has been on him. As well as feeling like he has been dishonest with Ladybug.

S4, Kuro Neko: Adrien questions his identity and is unsure who his authentic self is. This causes him some distress until Plagg provides him with a satisfying answer. He is both Adrien and Chat Noir, therefore, he is not being inauthentic.

S4, Strikeback: Adrien is upset that Ladybug had kept Rena Furtive a secret from him. Ladybug realizes that, although she meant well, she had been keeping Chat Noir out of the loop and it was wrong. ** She realizes this with Chat Noir not Adrien.

S5, Jubilation: Both Ladybug and Chat Noir are upset after having lost their marriage and four children. Chat Noir is noticeably more enraged than Ladybug. He goes on to emphasize his contempt for having his feelings played with. He attempts to kill Darker Owl.

S5, Passion: Marinette asks Adrien if he is alright. He says that's he's fine, but then decides to tell Marinette the truth that he is worried about Natalie.

S5, Elation: Chat Noir feels wrong for kissing Marinette bc he knows who she is, but she doesn't know who he is. He feels that he is taking advantage of her unawareness (him being Adrien). It's dishonest.

S5, Emotion: Adrien tells Marinette that he couldn't tell her about the Diamond Dance bc his father had ordered him not to. This admission comes from Adrien without Marinette having to ask him.

S5, Revolution: Adrien is tormented with guilt about not telling Marinette about him moving to London. Although, last minute, Adrien is able to work up the courage to tell Marinette before Chloé could.

Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx, the video game: Adrien's character bio in Marinette's scrapbook includes his likes and dislikes. His like...... Ladybug, of course. His dislike........ dishonesty. Marinette's bio in comparison states she dislikes, "bullies and liars". Which I think is a compelling difference. Adrien doesn't just dislike liars; he dislikes dishonesty.

Dishonesty is a much more broad and grey area than lying. It's why Adrien is uncomfortable with secret identities. It's why he feels uneasy about his own identity as Chat Noir. It's why he was so upset over Ladybug allowing Alya and Nino to know eachothers identities. Ladybug didn't lie to him, but she was being dishonest. It's also why he didn't feel comfortable pursuing a relationship with Marinette as Chat Noir because it would be dishonest. He recognized that he held information on her (as her classmate and friend) that she did not willingly give him. It would not only be unfair, but dishonest.

This characteristic of Adrien's isn't some fandom conceived trait. It's been a very prominent feature of who Adrien is as a person throughout the entire series. There has always been a very strong narrative regarding Adrien's dislike for secrets, lies, illusions, disingenuinity, dishonesty...

The finale was NOT the show justifying Gabriel's actions nor the lie Adrien was told about his father's role.

The way I see it is that because Adrien is the deuterogonist of the show his discovery of all these secrets can not be fully resolved in ONE season finale. Now that the Monarch situation has been dealt with. Now that the kwamis have been rescued. Now that Marinette is dating Adrien. There really isn't any other conflict our protagonist has other than the secret she is withholding from the boy she loves. The writers of Miraculous get a lot of undeserved flak in my opinion. I trust them, and I trust the direction of the story.

Ideally, I would hope this conclusion is meant to lead into an Adrien focused season 6. I would hope that ultimately Marinette will come forward and tell Adrien herself. However, I understand before we get there we're gonna need to marinate in this icky resolution for the sake of drama. It is a show after all, we're here to be entertained.

[ven0moir]

The way we only have a "From, Mike" but we have a "Love, El" and a "From, El" creates a subconscious expectation in the audience that we're gonna see a "Love, Mike" at some point during S5. And I'm BETTING anything that it's a poem. And it's going to feel like Ben's from IT.

Short, to the point and ambiguous in regards to who it is for at first bc it fits both El and Will until eventually we find out it was for Will. The fact that the painting is paralleled to this somewhat is so funny because poems are actually something that feels more like Mike. The whole 'My heart burns there, too' like ... again with the Heart symbolism.

So I wouldn't even be surprised if Mike starts off S5 paralelling S4 Will and it is revealed that he did think Will liked El or something LMAO IM GONNA- SCREAM SO LOUD like this is probably one of the things I am most certain about when it comes to S5.

[angelsdean]

wanna preface this by saying if my tone comes across as biting, i did not mean that! especially not to you! i feel ok sending this in bc i agree with your takes on s8/9

anyway lol! maybe a spicy take but…

if we’re blaming dean for kevin’s death, then we’ve gotta blame sam for charlie’s and benny’s, cas for mary and jo and ellen and anna and bobby and sam (s5) and honestly i love you cas but i could probably go on :/

but seriously, i don’t actually *blame* them for these deaths bc while dean/sam/cas’s actions helped create the situations that got each character dead, their actual deaths were on other characters’ choices or even their own (sam, benny). the blame game is just too simple for how complicated spn is. like if you blamed them for every death that occurred after a sequence of events that included their actions, for every death that they were indirectly involved with, it’d just be impossible to count. and that’s just not productive or fair imo yk 🤷‍♀️

yea i definitely get what you're saying. there are a lot of factors playing into things, and chain reaction domino effects that lead from one character making a decision to another character way down the line killing someone. that doesn't necessarily mean the first character is responsible for the death or should be the one that is blamed for it. they couldn't have foreseen how events would transpire. however, i do think, like you said, these situations are more complicated and nuanced. and in some scenarios the "blamed" character did play more of a part in the death of another character. but i don't think in the case of kevin's death dean should be shouldering the blame or responsibility here at all.

like, the stuff with blaming dean for kevin's death feels unfair imo because well, when dean made the choice to let gadreel try to save sam (and sam still !! had to say yes himself!) dean didn't have all the facts. he thought gadreel was ezekiel. he thought this was a friend of cas's that he could trust. he didn't know he was opening the door to someone with ulterior motives, who might try to hurt people he cared about. and secondly, kevin's death was coming, one way or another, because as @aliveboydean says in this post, metatron wanted him dead and wasn't going to stop until he was. so if gadreel hadn't gotten him, metatron very likely would have killed him.

to address another seemingly similar situation where i come away feeling differently: sam and charlie. i have to say i kinda do "blame" sam for charlie's death, because he roped charlie back in. she really would not have been there or been in that situation or been a target for the Stynes had sam not specifically invited her to come help them. and while it seems like charlie and kevin's deaths are comparable, a key distinguishing factor is that one would have been safe had they not been in that specific situation that another character (sam) put them in, while the other always was in danger simply for being who they were. charlie's death is different from kevin's because kevin was always in the line of fire, always had a target on his back by simply being a prophet. so many people wanted to kill him, he wasn't uniquely in danger being around the winchesters. and he wasn't put IN danger solely because of dean's actions. he was always in danger, the whole time. no matter where in the world kevin was, people were going to be out to get him. and i'd argue he was safer in the bunker (and therefore around sam and dean) than anywhere else in the world. dean had no way of knowing gadreel would kill kevin! but charlie was just a regular person who no one cared about killing. if she hadn't been brought in at that time and made a target for the stynes she...most definitely would still be alive.

SO, i think at the very least dean is definitely allowed to blame sam in-world and be pissed at him. (tho sam is obvs still not the one that killed her. but i can understand if dean felt resentment toward him for her death). but. yea i kinda do see sam as more responsible for charlie's death in this case than dean with kevin's because the scenarios and key factors are different. that's what i feel a lot of people don't get when they want to issue blanket statements of who to blame for what and who did worse. there's nuance! and two seemingly similar situations are not always a 1:1 comparison. (this isn't directed at you, just a general sentiment abt fandom)

(and i think a similar situation for cas is mary's death. and i fall somewhere in the middle for him. he knew jack was dangerous at the time. he should've said something. he's still not the one who killed mary though and he couldn't have predicted that outcome)

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

I like ur takes and I just wanted to share some stuff from another side. I watched spop as I was in my teen years, incredibly sheltered, queer, and lashing out because I was also dealing with abusive family dynamics. So… yeah I shipped it. I idealized it. And I heavily identified with Catra. But unlike with Zuko(who I also identify with) Catra didn’t change.

Every time she’d travel to a new part of the world I thought omg her moment is coming! Escape!! But she’d just get into a slap fight with Adora and then go back to the Horde. It was so strange it felt like every other character was in a story progression show and Catra was the villain of an episodic show until s5

And s5 was…. Weird. I don’t understand how Catra has a change of heart by getting more hurt by Horde Prime. She was getting hurt the whole series??? I still cried and was elated at the series finale but only bc I wanted an Adora who’d forgive me and love me and say I wasn’t bad. And I think a lot of people are like that.

Everything about the way Catra is framed points to her redemption even in the first episode… but it just makes me feel insulted now. To me as a survivor… it’s like they waved a magic wand and killed off the abuser and gave Catra a gf and that was supposed to fix it. It doesn’t work like that. My abuser died and it made things WORSE for a while (I think it would especially damage someone like Adora since Shadow Weaver “sacrificed” herself and therefore can’t be bad ever) . And I’m not looking for hyper realism in a Princess cartoon but at the time I watched it I couldn’t have really used yknow ?? Some guidance??? Something that wasn’t a fantasy lala ending that once the initial high wore off left me feeling confused and hollow. There is nothing in spop that teaches you how to get that kind of happy ending. Especially if you’re Catra who just says I love you and is suddenly resurrecting ponytail Jesus. To the me who identified with her, it was mostly about wanting to FEEL redeemed through her. FEELING strong and badass and GOOD and like things would be okay even if I was never a princess type. The actual result was feeling like I would never attain a happy ending of any sort because Catra’s didn’t feel real and her “arc” had no footsteps to follow in. How do you make a kids show and not teach good lessons??? Idk the show bad no matter who you identified with was my whole point.

At least I had/have zuko.

Also shipping zuko x sokka x suki is based I do too lmao.

first off, i'm so sorry about all the trauma you went through. i hope you are healing now, and thank you for sharing your story.

secondly, i think this is what a lot of fans felt. i can understand that people relate to catra. hell, even i relate to her a little. i know what it's like to be considered useless and weak, and to desperately want validation from a parent. i get it. when i say i dislike catra, it's not because she's a traumatized child or even because she adopted many of the toxic habits that shadow weaver portrayed. it's that she faced no consequences for any of this.

as much as spop tried to be mature, in the end, it was really childish. s5 got rid of all the complexity and just went "everyone deserves forgiveness", ignoring all of the glaring issues it had yet to solve. the protagonists forgave catra because the writers wanted them to, not because that's how it would have went down in real life.

most spop critics aren't heartless monsters who despise abuse victims, they are people who relate to either catra or adora. and they just want to see a better representation of abuse victims.

it would have been much more fulfilling and satisfying to have catra and adora take some time explore themselves and heal from their trauma, separated from each other. this kind of relationship is harmful for both of them. as long as adora is with catra, she'll continue blaming herself and putting pressure on herself, feeling as if she was responsible for everyone's problems. and as long as catra stays with adora, she'll continue deflecting her issues and being envious of adora. they needed time away from each other, but spop chose to invalidate trauma instead.

it's a pity that spop was one of the very few representation we had, at the time it came out, so people genuinely believe that c//a is a healthy ship, because they don't have many other examples to compare it to. i'm glad there are more and more queer shows coming out lately, and most of them seem to portray healthy relationships.