#because we see the whole show from Cecil

[manynarrators]

Please allow me to be absolutely insane over Cecil and Kevin for a minute y’all. I finished relistening through Old Oak Doors a few days ago and have FEELINGS!

Please enjoy some ramblings!

Just imagine. He is the best parts of you, you are the worst parts of him. Once upon a time there would have been few differences between you. (But you did not know each other when that was still the case).

You ask him to join you in the “Night Vale AND Desert Bluffs Metropolitan Area”, while your managers refer to it by Desert Bluffs alone. Maybe it’s a last ditch effort to win, maybe it’s some part of you reaching through for that connection. Do you know which? Can you?

You understand each other on an innate level no one else ever can. You’re strangers. You have only ever spoken half a dozen times, and you’ve tried to kill each other in at least half of those. Neither of you can bring yourself to.

You build him a radio station to the best of your abilities.

He gives you hope, he lies to you, he is one of the last people you talk to when even your name ceases to mean anything to you. (The Desert said that he belonged on one side of the door and that you, who were once Voice in your own right, do not).

You are the same, and perfect opposites— until something broke. What happens then?

[bulkhummus]

What I think is particularly heart breaking about this episode, is that Esteban is immortalizing a memory that Cecil doesn’t get to experience. Esteban knows about his grandfather, because he has heard the story several times before according to Abby, in fact they all just heard it. Cecil is experiencing, second hand, remnants of a memory that slides off of him. It refuses to stick.

There is something so poetic to me about Cecil being a reporter, a journalist, an observer, and doing everything to piece together a story from literal scraps of his own life, only to find its already been written for him. The story has already been told. Cecil doesn’t listen to stories, he tells them. I can think of nothing more infuriating than a story being told and not having a satisfying ending, or an ending that makes sense. Nothing within the story justified the ending. And yet we have seen it before throughout the show.

I am reminded of the episode It Doesn’t Hold Up, where Cecil watches the last few minutes of his comfort film Cat Ballou, changed and different. He has seen the same movie over and over and over again, and now the ending is different. In the drawing Esteban drew in 245, there is a shovel stuck into the dirt, and there is a boy climbing into a tree. In the ending of Cat Ballou, there is a man digging into the base of the tree. Just like in the episode It Sticks With You, when Abby, Cecil and their mother journey into the woods, and Cecil climbs into a tree over and over and over again until he can no longer remember the outing with his husband and son. Just like in Cassettes, when a young Cecil’s story is cut short, in an ending that Cecil refuses to listen to, immortalized on tape.

Just like in Liminal Spaces, when Cecil enters a space that is neither here nor there and is haunted by someone who tells him that he wants Cecil to remember. The very face that Cecil saw in Cat Ballou in It Doesn’t Hold Up. In fact, he tells Cecil he has no choice, before once again, he is pulled from the story.

Cecil’s whole life is one long interrupted narrative. It’s as if he is an old cassette that isn’t rewound all the way before pulled out of the slot and put back on a shelf. The next person to listen to the tape, unknowing, doesn’t realize where they’re starting off is not the beginning. There are things missing. Cecil has gotten so good at forgetting (and justifiably so) — has forgotten how to stop. He’s recording over the same tape over and over again until the tape inside is no longer coherent. I’m thinking, of the sound of a cassette being rewound, and how it could sound very much like how Cecil is often describing owl sounds.

So, how disquieting, to have your own family stare back at you, privy to information about yourself that you do not get to have. Cecil is there, quite literally, to construct a story for his town, but who is there to construct a story for him? A man you used to hate? A sister you aren’t sure you even like? A husband who you have forgotten before? Children who see and hear more than you realize? The listener?

No. Instead he will sit until dawn comes, and be made a fool out of trying to create a story, maybe even a better one, out of scraps of memories.

[kerink]

okay, i finally finished the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. i thought it was a good story but not really a wtnv story. this post isn't about that. this post is about some of the things i got really excited about re: implications for the podcast:

the first was in part 5 ch5 when the FOW talks about how she's drawn to slobs and sloths. she does her best to help them improve their lives by cleaning their home for them and by trying to help mend their relationships. but if they're beyond her help she terrorizes them until they kill themselves.

this stood out to me because of how much the FOW fucks with cecil in the early part of the podcast. there's a lot of implication about cecil's depression and alcohol abuse in the early parts of the podcast, and we slowly watch him get better as the show goes on. i think knowing this about her MO adds an additional layer to that conversation. it makes me think about an immortal man burdened with decades of childhood trauma, the damage of which led him to being completely cut off from his family. a man living only to get up and go talk on the radio and drinking himself to sleep every night. the whole time the FOW is trying to get him to get himself together.

the second was in part 5 ch6 when she's talking about how all she had was murder and she existed in this world not by god or the devil but that she was brought by herself. she paralleled this with the story of eleanor, who was raised in a gilded birdcage by a controlling father and sold to her husband for a business deal. eleanor murdered her husband to take his money and make a life for herself controlled by herself. and how eleanor could see her face.

and what stood out to me about this was in the debate liveshow, kevin could see her face. the FOW made it clear that the only people who could see her face were people who were unburdened with the knowledge of this world (babies, small children, the erikas) and people who are on the same path as her - living for themselves and fueled by revenge.

lastly was in part 5 ch7, the FOW said that leonard burton's show was broadcasting 24/7. she said she stood in leonard's house, watching his sleeping body, while also listening to him perform on the radio. she said she called in and he answered her live.

i frankly can not believe i haven't heard anyone talking about this and what implications it has for cecil.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 19

Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long to get this out. The chapter was fighting me and I have had the absolutely worst week. However in slightly happier news, my partner got a new job and that means I should be able to quit mine and go back to writing full time. I'll let you know more when I do, but it's looking more and more likely.

I realized it had been a while since we had an Eddie centric chapter and decided this would be the one. And I left it on a cliffhanger again. But don't worry next chapter will see more than one villain vanquished.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

***

Eddie was seething. He hadn’t been this mad since he learned Max was moving to New York. Actually. No. He was madder then that. He was pissed.

Gareth grimaced. “They won’t do anything?”

“No,” Eddie growled. “Because he technically hasn’t violated the protection order, according to them.”

“If he can’t get with in five hundred feet,” Brian said, “then how did he find out about Steve.”

Eddie threw up his arms into the air. “That’s what I asked.”

“I’m betting,” Mandy said, “that they didn’t have a good answer?”

“Apparently since Seth showed up at Hopper’s,” Eddie snarled, “and not Steve’s shop, that he was just going around to all the tattoo parlors and threatening everyone.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “I bet they didn’t even check with other tattoo shops and just made that shit up.”

“I even talked to Officer Callahan who was in charge of the original case file because he’s not supposed to be out of jail yet,” Eddie said, beginning to pace. “He never went.”

“What?!” came the shocked cry of outrage from everyone.

“Yeah,” Eddie continued. “Apparently he made a deal with the DA and they didn’t tell me. He got two years probation.”

“That’s bullshit!” Mandy hissed. “He was going to kill you.”

“Criminal mischief,” Eddie said. “Domestic abuse down to criminal mischief. $300 fine, two year probation, and forced to take a class about how not to be a violent offender.”

“It’s because you’re a man, isn’t it?” Gareth asked, licking his lips slowly. “These fuckers don’t think a man can be abused.”

Eddie pursed his lips into a line and nodded.

“Hop’s calling in a couple of favors to keep Steve safe,” he said. “But that does jack shit about me. And this isn’t me calling out that shit. That’s Hop’s prerogative but he’s my dumb ass ex, who’s protecting me?”

“We are,” Jeff said. “You don’t go anywhere without one of us. Garth, since you’re the only one without a roommate at the moment, Eddie’s going to stay with you. Brian, talk to Cecil, he’s studying law. See what he can recommend.”

Gareth and Brian both nodded.

Eddie buried his head into his hands. “This is such bullshit.”

Mandy came up and gave him a hug. “We’ll get through this. We did before and we will again. And this time we have more people that would be willing to help. Steve, Robin, Chrissy, hell the whole of the Royal Pain would throw hands for you.”

Eddie chuckled. He knew that too. “Well, maybe not Erica.”

Brian snorted. “That girl would sell her own mother for a cookie.”

“Not even a Girl Scout cookie,” Jeff agreed. “That girl is bound for world domination.”

“No doubt.”

*

“You tell me right now,” Wayne said when Eddie had called that night, “do you need me up there? Because work be damned, boy, I’ll be up there in two shakes of lamb’s tail.”

Eddie chewed on his nail. He felt like that little boy all over again. Being given the choice between being with his uncle or being put in a foster home. He didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, but he knew. He knew that Wayne was someone that wouldn’t care. That he could be as big a bother as he wanted, he would still be loved.

He let out a shuddering breath and like that little boy all those years ago said, “Yes. Please.”

“I’ve got some vacation time coming,” Wayne said as if he didn’t have weeks and weeks of it stored up because he was never sick a day in his life. “I cane be up there for as long as you need me, you hear?”

“I’m staying with Gareth for the time being,” Eddie said solemnly, “because Jeff is worried that Seth will follow me home.”

“Smart man, your Jeff,” Wayne agreed. “I have a friend in Indy I can crash on the sofa of for a couple of days until I can find something a little more permanent.”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Let me know when you get into town and we’ll meet up for lunch.”

“You can finally take me to that pizza place you’ve been going on about for months.”

Eddie laughed, a knot loosening in his chest. “You’ve got it, old man.”

*

A few days later Steve was waiting for the pizza he had ordered for the shop, playing silly games on his phone when the bell announced new arrivals. He looked up instinctively and grinned.

He waved. “Eddie!”

Eddie lit up with a big smile. “Stevie?” He hopped over, an older man following a little slower behind.

“Hey!” Steve greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Eddie’s smile turned into a grin. “DiMaggio’s is the best pizza place in Indy, not coming here is a crime.”

“If it’s not it certainly should be,” Steve agreed with his own answering grin.

“Steve,” Eddie said, “this is my uncle, Wayne. He’s staying in town for a few days.”

Steve’s mood was dampened a bit, knowing why he was in town. “Nice to meet you. I was planning a trip back down Hawkins at the end of the summer so that Eddie could introduce us, sorry we had meet under lesser than ideal circumstances.”

Wayne blinked at him for a moment before turning to Eddie. “This one is a keeper.”

Eddie blushed, shoving his hair in front of his face, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment.

Steve just smiled fondly at him. “I think that’s up to him.”

Wayne’s eyebrows shot up. “I like him.”

That surprised a laugh out of Eddie causing him to drop the hair. “Me too.”

“Let me just go order our pizzas,” Eddie murmured and darted for the front counter.

“He’s cute,” Steve said, waving his hand to the chair in front of him for Wayne to sit.

Wayne took the seat and smiled. “He certainly is. I’m glad the world didn’t beat the silliness out of him.”

“Me too,” Steve agreed. “I love how earnest and outgoing he is.”

Wayne hummed. “He tell what was going on?”

Steve nodded. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Seth came after me at a friend’s shop, tried to threaten me into leaving Eddie alone.”

“I don’t think being threatened is the fault of the victim,” he said, his voice a deep comforting rumble.

Steve blushed. “That’s what Jeff and Robin said.”

“Jeff I know,” Wayne said, “Robin I don’t, but it sounds to me like they both have their heads on straight and you should be listening to them and not that voice in the back of your head.” He tapped Steve forehead for emphasis.

The bell above the door rang again and Mike and Will walked in. Steve raised a eyebrow when he spotted them.

“DiMaggio’s is certainly hopping for a random Thursday,” he commented dryly to Will when he lead a slightly reluctant Mike over to their table. Eddie arrived at the table just moments later and there are hugs and greetings all around.

“You caused quite a stir at the latest family dinner,” Will said with a huge grin to Steve.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, how did that happen?”

“Jonathan is back on Mom’s couch,” he said with a smirk.

Steve reared his head back. “And how did that involve me?”

“Argyle kicked him out of the apartment because him and Nancy lied to him about who’s fault your and her relationship ended.”

“Nancy is furious at them both,” Mike said with a half shrug. “I’m not sure their relationship is going to survive that little revelation.”

Steve winced. “Yeah...that’s on them though. How was I to know that Jonathan hadn’t been honest to Argyle about that.”

Eddie bumped his shoulder. “You weren’t.”

“Oh we are totally on your side,” Will said.

Mike nodded. “Yeah, man. It was straight up bullshit all the lying they did.”

“Mom’s pissed because she really liked you,” Will continued, “and believed Jonathan about how things went down. Like of course she did. He’s her son, but she should have tried to get your side of it.”

“Those eight years are totally on her,” Steve said, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’ve been trying to tell her for years to at least talk to me about it.”

Will and Mike nodded.

Mike chewed on his lip as he played with the loose string on the hem of his t-shirt. “Is it bad I hope Nancy and Jonathan break up?”

The table got silence for a moment.

Wayne lifted his chin. “Why’s that, son?”

“Because I don’t think she wants a relationship. I think she was only with Jonathan and Steve,” he said waving at him with his left hand, “is because that’s what you’re ‘supposed’ to do.”

“Steve!” the counter called.

Steve got up to get his pizza order, he stopped back at the table. “I don’t think it’s a bad you want your sister to learn how to be herself without a partner. I think it shows that you’re more mature then she is. You’re a good man, Mike.”

He clapped Mike’s shoulder and then waved goodbye to everyone. He pulled out his keys and walked out to his car, flipping the key ring around as he thought.

He never intended this to happen when he saw his ex at the grocery store, but honestly? Maybe it was a good thing to get all those wounds brought to light so that they could heal properly.

For all their sakes.

*

Steve was ready for the weekend. His week had been a literal hell. But Eddie had promised that he would have fun. The band had been practicing a couple of new songs and were debuting them Saturday night.

He sat at the curve of the table, sandwiched between Robin, who wouldn’t care, only to tease him mercilessly later, and Mandy who got it, how fucking sexy Eddie and the band was when they were on stage.

Steve wished he could say he was better prepared every time Eddie got on stage, but every week Eddie went out of his way to drive Steve absolutely wild.

“He does this on purpose doesn’t he?” Steve asked after a particularly hot number where Eddie fell to his knees grinding on his guitar.

Mandy laughed. “I would like to put you out of your misery and say yes, but no. When Eddie gets on stage he loses all connection to the audience and just rocks out. His fans love it.”

Steve looked around the dingy bar and had to agree. They were just as turned on as he was. He shifted uncomfortably in his jeans, clearing his throat. “If we...” he cleared his throat again. “I mean if Eddie were to–if we were–”

Mandy took pity on him. “If you two were going out would the fans tear you to pieces for touching what they can’t?”

Steve bit his lip and nodded, looking at his hands that were twisted in lap.

She gave his knee a squeeze. “I honestly don’t know what the fans would do. But Eddie wouldn’t give a damn what they think. He’s been booed before for a song that they didn’t think was metal enough and he didn’t let that stop him. Not once.”

Steve let out a breath. It was always something that worried him. He knew he went against the grain in everything he did, but he didn’t want that with Eddie. He didn’t want to be with Eddie just because it went against the norm of what was expected of either of them.

They arrived at the club and already Robin was on the dance floor. She loved dancing and soon Mandy, Chrissy, Jeff, and Brian were out there with her. Gareth, Eddie, and Steve watched in amusement as their friends let loose on the dance floor, living it up under the rainbow lights and the thumping beat of the music.

Steve turned around and Eddie wasn’t there.

“You seen Eddie?” he shouted at Gareth.

Gareth shot up and looked around. “Shit.”

Somehow during their watching of their friends cutting it up, Eddie had slipped away.

“You check out back to see if he’s gone for a smoke,” Steve said.

Gareth nodded.

“I’m going to check the bar.”

Gareth nodded again.

Across the crowded room, a man in a tailored white suit grinned as he moved to the back of the club where the restrooms were, eyes glittering with want and rage as he scented his prey.

***

Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​ @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @aizawa-emma @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @archermightbegay @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95

[crossdressingdeath]

I am once again asking Rick to confirm in TSatS that the reason why Nico thought no one at Camp Half-Blood wanted him around was that he exclusively spent time with Percy's friend group while he was there.

Like... ToA confirms that Will's claim that people would be Nico's friends if he talked to them is accurate (I can't think of any non-villain character in ToA who responds to him with worse than neutrality, and he's clearly become very close with the whole Apollo cabin, not just Will). So does Will, Cecil and Lou Ellen's reaction to him running into them during their recon mission; all three of them are as friendly and pleased to see him and work with him as you could expect under the circumstances. But we also know that Nico is right about people not wanting him around, because the Seven (minus Hazel and later Jason) are about a step removed from openly hostile towards him in their POVs the whole way through HoH and only interact with him when they have to to the point where they barely seem to remember how he literally had to walk through Tartarus alone like a week before they rescued him from the jar where he had been locked up to slowly suffocate to death. And we can confirm that Percy was basically gossiping about Nico on the way to Rome (and we can assume that Annabeth, who would also have been one of the people Nico spent time with at camp, either didn't know or didn't try to do anything about it) and that that did play a part in the Seven's dislike of him based on Jason's POV in the Split section. And if Nico's only been spending time at camp with that group...

Basically Percy's friend group are fine on their own, but they do seem to be pretty insular (Percy says he has other friends at camp, but aside from Annabeth, Grover and Tyson they seem to be more like school/work friends than close friends; he gets on with them okay, but he doesn't seem to really interact with them except when they're put in proximity to each other by the structure they're part of) and they clearly don't particularly like Nico specifically. Both Percy and Annabeth are pretty open about being uncomfortable around him in their POV, and while Tyson's his usual friendly self when he runs into Nico in BoO he and Grover tend to take their cue from Percy and Annabeth in a lot of things. Nico clearly picks up on that (his bitterness when he tells Jason that he's sure Percy told the Seven all about him really does speak volumes), and he never really sticks around at camp long enough to interact with other people (and even when he is around he's definitely not the most sociable of people, and while people are clearly perfectly happy to be his friend there probably is a sense of intimidation from his death powers and general Big Three energy that means people are a little nervous about approaching him first; I suspect part of the flashbacks in TSatS will feature Hazel, Jason, Reyna and Will dragging him into socialization). It would make sense for him to conclude that no one at camp wants him around when all the people he actively talks to don't really want him around!

And also like... just in general it's the only way I can really think of to reconcile Will's claim that Nico could very easily have friends at camp if he talked to people (and how that's backed up by ToA) with how Nico has never felt welcome at camp and how the Seven's POVs (minus Hazel's and later Jason's) show that he's right to feel that way based on how they think of him. At least the only way that wouldn't feel like a copout. And that's one of the things that really bothers me about Nico's situation, because almost all the POVs in HoO prove his view of the situation right... but then he does seem to have made friends pretty easily between HoO and ToA, and it just doesn't line up.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Okay I literally never do this but episode 7 was so good I gotta do an episode review.

Spoilers ahead obviously

First things out of the way: FUCK FUCK WHY IS SHE HERE FUCK OH MY GOD JESUS CHRIST. When she slammed Mark into that crater I legit began hyperventilating (albeit very lightly). I was so not ready for her to show up and oh my god, the terror conveyed in Zazie's voice acting was legit. That fight scene absolutely kicked ass though, I got hyped as hell when Mark dropped that "no". Now that she's in the show I really hope she doesn't garner any fans because WOW they are gonna be in for a shock. And lastly FUCK YEAH ALLEN KICK HER ASS.

The breakup scene was fantastic. The episode focusing on so much of their relationship kinda made it clear something was gonna happen but when Mark changed up his schedule for her I was like "oh that's really nice" and then she showed up. As I said that was all fantastic, from Cecil's panicking to Amber's terror the presentation was great. Although now that they're broken up, I really hope they go somewhere else with Amber that isn't... that storyline.

REX IS THE GOAT. I love how he just tells Mark "pick a day and we'll cover for you". An absolute bro for sure, I'm loving his character arc. Can't wait for everyone to learn his origin and be like "oh shit" like after Eve's special. Speaking of which, do ya think we're gonna get a Rex-focused special about his origin like we did Eve?

Donald talking Rick down from the ledge and learning about himself in doing so was fantastic. We stan Donald. And man, am I glad they replaced Justin. Like, I know they had to after his actions came to light but also if I'm being honest I despised Rick's voice. Justin was good for silly characters but if I had to listen to him try to do the emotional segments I would've pulled a Rick (sanchez) and put my head in a lazer.

Still don't like Immortal's sad arc. Don't get me wrong, they're doing an awesome job with everything post Kate's "death" but the fact that we literally never saw anything more of their relationship than a shower fuck kinda makes it hard to feel anything when he talks about how sad he is.

Last but not least, OH SHIT OH FUCK IT'S HIM IT'S... *checks notes* Langstrom Sleazy...?

Look I'm sorry I like Angstrom and that end reveal was AWESOME and I am so scared and excited for what's definitely gonna be the plot of season 3 but also I can never remember his fucking name for the life of me and I have no idea why.

Anyway with Anissa here at least that means Thragg's not far behind. Hell we might see him next episode what with the whole prison thing.

[cowboyinternist]

what makes sam and jackie compelling/interesting as a ship to u? /gen :O (not related to anything ive been meaning to send u this ask for a while and only just got round to it lol)

i think a big part of it is that the way jackie talks about sam makes them a lot more interesting as a character?

because objectively, sam sucks! as we see them about 90% of the time, they’re incredibly self serving and negligent. and that’s putting it in as simple terms as possible.

but we get these small implications as time goes on that there’s something beyond that! which is most notable in the interaction they have with dana in episode 83 (another thing i could talk about for a million years (i could also go on a whole other tangent about how them showing their face is another really huge example of this but that’s off topic rn)). but none of them are necessarily set in stone, outright saying who they are. like MAYBE sam isn’t completely horrible, but who can really be sure?

but then Jackie says this in it devours,

sam is nice! really nice, actually! outside of the specific context of them being the sheriff and instead them,,, fundamentally as a person. and it isn’t like jackie is this one off character whose judgment we can’t trust. we spend an entire book getting to know her! and i feel like jackie is reliable in this aspect, especially post novel 1. this is the first and really like,, ONLY time we get info on sam from somebody who actually knows them personally. and interestingly enough, the next time we get insight on this aspect of their character, it can be linked back to jackie. they only decide to stand up against the university of what it is once they threaten josh, who is jackie’s half brother. and it is IMMEDIATE they are,, FRONT and fucking center in that movement. like their relationship is so interesting because jackie saying something as simple as that shakes up everything we know about this character.

and this all makes it very interesting to explore just,, what makes sam so fucking horrible outside of that? like what is it that drives them to be that way. and there are so many possible answers to that question and i have my own extensive thoughts on that but again,, off topic.

i love it all so much because it plays into the major themes of perspective that wtnv has? which i think is my favorite thing about the podcast. cecil has his own perception of sam, so does dana, so does jackie. and none of those perceptions are necessarily false, because they’re based on those people’s individual experiences.

also i enjoy the way their relationship is foreshadowed in the novel because i think that with the way she describes it, sam is like the LAST character you’d expect her to end up with lmao.

but yeah TLDR; i find them compelling because sam is absolutely awful and jackie is not, but she describes them as a really nice person anyways ^-^

[ominoose]

𝐎𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Characters: Steven Grant, Cecil, Basil Stitt Summary: Oscar Characters dating a gn! reader that dabbles in witchcraft (written secularly) Warnings: None

☽ 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭

+ When Steven first finds out you dabble in witchcraft, he's intensely curious. His attitude is essentially "Wot's all this then?". At first, he relates it back to everything he knows on Egyptology, comparing any practices you do to that, "Oh! That's similar to what the Ancient Egyptian's did!" or "Hm, that's not how it would've went down back in Ancient Egypt...".

+ He ends up doing a ton of research, half of which isn't even applicable to you, but he likes knowing the ins and out of things, it's his love language. He wants to show genuine interest and care both because its his way of showing he places important on your lifestyle, and because he's genuinely curious.

+ Tries to be as respectful as possible. He knows from Marc being Jewish the amount of importance certain identities or practices can have to people, so with you he's doing anything he can to take it seriously, whether its not touching things or giving you silence to work. That said, he can be a bit teasing sometimes, especially when you give him things, "Hope you didn't put a little hex in my tea." or "What're you going to do, turn me into a frog?!".

+ If he finds out you've left a little sigil note in his work bag to ward off negativity (Donna) or you invite him to join you in making a nice, charged soup, he's ecstatic. Rambling and smiling like a sap, honoured you've involved him.

☽ 𝐂𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐥

+ "Are you... The Blair Witch?" No matter how many times you may tell him you're not the stereotypical, evil, hexing old witch that only brews evil potions in a cauldron, he doesn't fully believe you. Anytime you go outside and someone is rude to you, by cutting you off in traffic or saying a mean word, he's side eyeing you warily, mentally picturing you cackling as you put their hair into a bubbling green vial.

+ The above isn't to say he's scared of you, he's not. Cecil's quite laid back about the whole thing, it's just another facet of you to take in his stride. You're leaving water in jars outside to make moon water? Sure, cool. You need him to pick up certain herbs when he's getting shopping? No problem, (unless its anything other than rosemary and thyme, then he has no idea what the herb is). You want to weave him an intention bracelet? "Aw, babe, that's so romantic."

+ Doesn't understand how it works and perhaps never will. When he's watching sports and his favourite team loses, he'll be sighing and turning to you to ask if you can do something, "Can't you like, manifest them to be less shit? Use your moon water, the moons ball shaped, thats, like, symbolism, right?". No matter how much you try to explain the inner workings of your craft, he will not understand. In his mind, his partner does this weird stuff but it's cool and he will never get on the wrong side of them because he will end up going missing in the woods.

☽ 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐭

+ Basil is absolutely stoked to have a witch as a partner. He thinks it is the coolest thing ever and romanticises the whole thing a fair bit. All of what he knows about witchcraft comes from pop culture, his mind is full of cliches. When you're forced to tell him that you cannot summon lightening or banish thunder clouds, he's quite disappointed, but quickly bounced back, "It's fine, whatever! You can still hex monkeys, right?"

+ He will watch you in awe if you do anything, asking questions about what something does, why you're doing it, why you're using that, what does that thing mean. Eventually he'll learn and get used to your practices, and it becomes part of his routine with you, he looks forward to seeing you do any rituals.

+ When he's more used to your witchcraft and it does become routine, he might even ask to join some of it, "Can we make a spell jar together? Or will it blow up on me?". When he accepts his scar and mantel of 'Lightningface', completely letting go of his ego and outside perceptions of him, he's ready to delve in and explore new things which your witchcraft helps him do. It's another thing to help ground him, its not exactly common and if he'd spoke about any of it in his past peer groups he'd be ostracized, but now he finds strength in that.

[dasinclair]

how’s the art book? I’ve been trying to find pics online but I haven’t found many. any cool trivia?

i really like having it! i love the full-page spreads of background paintings, they're beautiful. we get turnarounds of every character, and expression sheets for several. it's nice to have clear references and see some range of emotion we didn't see in the show proper

some interesting stuff i never would have thought of, too. like a floor plan for the sewer sinclair works in, the lighting effects on characters' powers, robot's eye displays, fun details like that. if there's anyone/anything specific you'd like pictures of, i can try to get them for you!

the only real disappointment for me was the lack of concept art. i really like seeing the process of character design and the drafts that didn't make it, even if a lot of these guys didn't change that much from page to screen. there's some discussion of that, but not a lot of examples shown

trivia:

the grayson home had no consistent design in the comic, and kirkman wanted them to have a sort of nonsensical house with no fixed layout in the show too. this didn't pan out obviously

a lot of the iconic gory shots were done by the character designers rather than the animators, and some scenes had to be re-boarded to match the intensity of the action with the brutality of what they'd drawn... every seemingly random blood splatter was done with artistic intent ❤️

nate bellegarde got super attached to the background heroes we see at the guardian tryouts. some of them have names and a little bit of backstory in here too. there's a green goop guy named Big Mildew who didn't make it to the screen but he's in this book

there are designs, somewhere, of mark & amber in prom outfits. eve used to have a whole collection of pins on her jacket. bellegarde always thought that cecil was from texas and should have a cow skull bolo tie. i wish we got pictures of all this

dou hong thinks they picked the ugliest outfits out of all the ones she drew for debbie

rex was designed to be "as different as possible" from mark in the show, which is why he now has a one-piece visor instead of goggles like mark's

ryan ridley came up with the bit about ka-hor the mummy and everybody thought it was really funny

kirkman wanted to reference different styles/genres in each episode, for instance s1e5 being a crime drama and s1e6 being horror

season 1 was more self-contained because they didn't know if the series would get to continue, which is why in the viltrum flashback they made sure to include recognizable characters like thula, kregg, and conquest. just in case that was all we ever got of them

[coldflasher]

so me and my friend had to put our flash (re)watch on pause for a while bc she broke her ankle so we haven't seen each other in a while, but we finally picked season 8 back up and. god. i don't even have anything funny or insightful to say about it because it's just bad. it's so bad. and i couldn't even put my finger on why it was so bad at first, but eventually my friend pointed out that like. NOTHING happens. the characters literally just stand in a circle and talk. then whenever something DOES happen they go "hey so this thing just happened, hold on a sec while i describe it word for word in case you missed it." there's no action 90% of the time and there's no meta of the week for the most part so every episode feels samey and directionless as we slowly crawl our way towards a resolution of a plotline that isn't particularly compelling anyway

the characters are flat and nothingy. barry, the main character of the show, does FUCKING NOTHING EVER. there was one scene where he was running down the street, which he obviously used to do in every single ep, and my friend was like "holy shit i feel like we haven't actually seen him RUN in ages" and she was right. the man whose WHOLE SUPERPOWER IS RUNNING VERY FAST DOESN'T RUN ANYWHERE ONSCREEN FOR LIKE SIX EPS STRAIGHT. we see him run in and out of rooms but never see a straight shot of him running TO anywhere. WHY?

then there's the fact that the overarching plots are bad. the characters are split into two factions that don't interact at all. iris having time sickness could be cool and interesting and there's lots of potential for interesting character work there, but instead of making anything happen they have her sit on a couch and not touch anything in case she erases it from the timeline.

at one point she literally GOES MISSING and barry just. DOES NOTHING?? im sorry, fuck whatever else is happening, you know if iris disappeared he'd be tearing the city apart looking for her but all that happens is cecile is like "omg barry i can feel that you're sad, what's going on??" and he's like "iris is missing, im worried about her." WHAT!! THEN FUCKING LOOK FOR HER YOU DINGBAT!! i've said this before but s1-4 barry would absolutely beat the shit out of this version of himself if he found out about this

and don't even get me STARTED on caitlin and her almost husband, the skeleton fire demon who eats grief---again, this had the bare bones (pun intended) of an interesting plotline; a meta that feeds off people's grief could actually be really powerful and interesting to explore, but he's a magic skeleton from another universe who tricks her by pretending to be her dead husband so it's just stupid. at one point the characters like "why are we doing this plotline now, 7 years after ronnie died?" and i'm like yes, why ARE we? because again, having caitlin fall prey to the manipulations of a malevolent force that feeds on grief would actually be very topical and interesting if it had happened in, say, s2, when ronnie had just died for the second time. if her grief was fresh and raw and painful it could be conceivable that she'd be desperate enough to go "well i thought he was dead once and he survived, maybe he did it again", and cling to that, allowing herself to be tricked into believing this evil sentient flame skull was really ronnie. but it's been SEVEN YEARS and she literally just got a new boyfriend who has no personality and who we never see again, so it doesn't make any sense and i don't care. also the show keeps trying to convince you to care by having caitlin go "ronnie was such a valuable member of the team, you knew and loved him!!" and it's like... did we though? did we really? he's never made a big impression on me personally. the only character who was close to ronnie and actually knew him was cisco and he's not here. they added a few flashbacks and a proposal scene to try and make us care more about the caitlin/ronnie relationship but they didnt do anything for me because i was too busy staring at danielle's terrible wig. like babes that is NOT what caitlin's s1 hair looked like, did you even try

the skeleton fire demon stuff is actually kind of enjoyable to watch at times purely because it's so fucking ridiculous, the whole thing is a trainwreck, so i did somewhat enjoy getting to make fun of it but JESUS CHRIST IT'S SO TERRIBLE. HOW DID THE SHOW FALL SO FAR. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED

[makilime]

Rex Sloan x Gn!Reader

Essential - Part One

cw: Reader has telekinetic powers, violence, mention of death, novice writer.

You joined the Guardians of the Globe.

A new addition to the team, a foreign hero who worked hard to prove that you really were a good choice, but even if essentially you was, you were far better doing damage control than beating bad guys in the face. It wasn't bad, at least it was what Cecil wanted to make the Guardians a more effective team, worthy of the name, but yet it was something that got Rex especially annoyed, no, in fact it drove him crazy; seeing how someone or something would try to kill you, but instead of attacking and defending yourself you just put a barrier while you focused on doing as little damage as possible, in his eyes was nothing but a ticking time bomb. I mean, what's the point of "guarding" structures or your teammates if you couldn't protect your own ass? The rest know how to protect themselves, he knows how to protect himself, and anyways, who cares about structures? If there are no innocents in Rex didn't see the point in worrying about a stupid statue or a building that would have collapsed sooner or later anyway. There was a limit to his companionship and you were approaching the deadline too fast, even if he still saving you. He especially couldn't believe that you were actually getting compliments for it. "Ah yeah, thanks for being the jailbait, keep it up". At least that's what Immortal's thanks sounded in his head, though he knew it was too much to expect from the old man.

His companionship had a limit, and you found a way for that limit to become more and more distant, maybe because you didn't know him, with you there was nothing written, and that for some reason that fact made him feel good. The conversations with you were very different from the ones he had with the rest of the members, there were no resentments and you didn't demerit him, you took him as seriously as any other member and not out of commitment, as Cecil did to keep him there, but you seemed to do it sincerely for some strange reason.

His companionship began to become part of your routine, you had no idea when that became a fact, maybe days, maybe months. At first it seemed like a simple coincidence; suddenly you'd go to training and it wouldn't be long before he'd come in and strike up a conversation, you weren't particularly talkative at first, maybe that's other thing he liked about you, after a while he knew what strings to pull to get you talking and joking around. And then his company was no longer a coincidence, he suddenly started showing up in the dining room, even though he said the food was awful, suddenly you started noticing him standing next to you, as if it was some kind of mania while you listened to a new Immortal speech or some mission you were assigned, suddenly it stopped being subtle at all.

His companionship became unconditional, something that used to drove him crazy now got on his nerves. He wasn't just worried that you were more of a problem than a long-term help, now he was worried that something would happen to you while he wasn't looking, he was worried about you, it was something that started to make him focus more on the way you handled things and he came to the same conclusion as at the beginning; with you there was nothing written, It was more than obvious that you started to become a duo, Rex made you a duo "we are like a combo, you are like the chocolate and I am obviously the whole package", you didn't understand at first, you thought it was just a normal thing, Rex had made it clear to you that he cared about everyone with his actions, why would it be any different with you?, well, you wouldn't feel cornered when trying to do damage control, now Rex was the one attacking while you did your best to make the mission quick and efficient, Rex would now be your shield, it became a natural thing to do, you both spent enough time together to start to see patterns in his actions.

[...]

Just another fight as any other, that's what you wanted to believe to create a kind of routine in your head, defeat the villain of the day and go home, it was something simple, that's why only three people were sent to that mission, in the end it was not something that happened that day, you could swear it was only for a second, you heard a scream from Rae and you turned your head to help her, so the next thing you could recognise was the sound of metal through flesh, your flesh. Every curse word you could remember went through your head, but a loud noise drilling your ear and the weapon being pulled out of your stomach without any kind of caution was what stopped you from screaming, you stumbled and before you could regain your balance you closed your hand without even thinking about it, you didn't want to admit it, but the reality is that you did think about it, it really was your intention to explode that creature's head, the first time you didn't have the luxury of mercy. Your face was stained with blood but at least you could finally stand up, it was your job at the end of the day, not to let things get out of control, barely that registered in your mind when the rest of your senses seemed to react, you looked around, you could see Rae injured, but at least she had won the fight she was in, however you felt your heart start to pound in your chest when you couldn't see Rex, you averted your gaze to the ground and you could see him, apparently the son of a bitch had been kind when he pulled the weapon out of your stomach, you fell to your knees in front of your friend as you tried to drain the bleeding, however you couldn't identify the source, it was your fault for making a bloodbath, your mind was a chaos of emotions as you tried to help your friend in any way you could, you held him in your arms hoping that amongst all the blood you could see where it was flowing from and yet you yourself didn't help as you started to cry and yet once again you were getting on Rex's nerves. "You know, you won't get rid of me that easy," you knocked his shoulder, full of relief that he was still alive.

Your companionship was indispensable to both of you, even if neither of you had come to that conclusion yet.

[blackautmedia]

Amber Wasn't Wrong - How Invincible Discusses power Differentials

Some Excerpts:

One of the big things the first episode focuses on is that superpowers or even just being non-human in the case of Omni-man isn't just challenging in navigating day to day life of the actual work of being a superhero, but drastically affects the balance in power between your friends and family.

First is this incorrect idea that Amber is angry at Mark for saving lives instead of spending time with her.  When people look at this episode for her angry outburst, they also leave out the part where Amber runs out to help others escape when she sees people trip and fall. She asks her friends to stay and help other people escape. The idea that this kind of person would also be opposed to Mark prioritizing saving people's lives is unthinkable.

She is in a public space and can't speak publicly about the situation that's actually upsetting to her nor can she necessarily safely share that she even knows. He's been hiding this and has no knowledge on what else he may be or how he'll necessarily react when he does.

He's working up the courage to tell her, but ultimately her doesn't answer her. I realize this isn't an easy or a light decision. As Eve points out once you tell, that's it. He has to know he's serious about this relationship and maybe they grow and change over the years, sure. But by making this choice, he's also continuing to keep her in the dark and continuing the power and information imbalance. "I'm going to do better" doesn't mean anything if he's also hiding very significant portions of his life from her and putting on the face of another person the whole time.

I don't even consider this a well written scene. It feels contrived and clunky still and I feel there were better context clues that could be used. Most people compare this with the fact that he left them, but it reads more like she can't publicly talk about it, and a clarification about that scene would have been helpful. There are plenty of scenes that take on a very different context when you rewatch because people have to be covert.

Amber has shown multiple times that she's very smart, and we've also seen that she's willing to show people grace, because in learning he's a superhero, she also can look back on those moments where she likely realized he was planning to tell her but didn't, and in doing so put her through that unnecessary grief and frustration for the longest time. This is about power, not about expecting him to stop saving lives.

This is the same thing Debbie and Cecil go through which is why the show draws this parallel by having Debbie's confrontation with Omni-Man run in tandem.

We see this shot of Nolan punching a hole in the wall, which Debbie looks at the next day. It's a reminder that that could have easily been her. That could have been her child. Nolan has the power. Nolan has the information.

Amber shuts the door on him and doesn't want to speak to him, so he flies into her room through the window and enters without consent to announce he's a superhero and asks to start over. I don't feel enough people are talking enough on how Mark inserts himself in her room without her consent, drops that he's a superhero on her after months, and expects her to show him all the endless patience and understanding in the world.

More than anything though, the amount of people constantly injecting their desire to see violence toward even a fictional Black girl in anything even vaguely Invincible related is so unsettling.

[ceruleancattail]

I actually have a shit ton of Ace’s big brother headcanons so I’m gonna go ahead and throw this in your inbox😫

Ok so first of all. I like to think he has a name that’s also related to Alice in wonderland so something like Hare or king or a Filipino name (Cause I’m a believer in the Filipino Ace headcanon) like Angelo or Lester. For now we’ll call him K.

First thing’s first, this guy was a straight A student even though he was a slacker and didn’t like doing shit. But when he studied he *studied*. the first time he spoke to Sam he actually needed something from him so he was lying out of his ass the whole time(Sam found this out when he was Senior and was lowkey impressed and annoyed). He has three pictures of Ace in his wallet, one when he was a toddler one a child and one now. When he found out Ace was going to NRC he threw a small party, only inviting close friends and family. He’s in and out of relationships every other month, longest one he’s been in lasted a year(everyone was surprised). Continuing the last point, that relationship was with Sebeks brother, they’re still friends and talk regularly though. Trein was and still is his favorite teacher, and even though he doesn’t show it Trein likes him a lot. He was the one to create the board game club because “the other clubs are so boring”. When he was around 18 he got a tattoo of an Ace Of Hearts because Ace. His home screen is an old family photo with his parents and Ace and the inside is his with Sam and Sebeks brother. Speaking of Sebeks brother, they always talk about their brothers together. The housewarden of Pomfiore when he was in his 2-4th year has a huge crush on him and hated the fact that he didn’t like him back(K was and still is an oblivious dumbass). He flirts without realizing he’s flirting. Can hold his liquor, doesn’t like drinking. Smokes every now and then (nothing heavy don’t worry). Was a mechanical engineer major and now works in an amusement park(this one is true, he does in fact work there in canon). His best subject was potions, but he always had “beef” with Crewel(friendly fighting). Was supposed to be the vice-housewarden but he didn’t want to deal with all that responsibility. Was a model for a few years. While Ace looks more like his mom K looks more like his dad, but they still resemble her more. ✨dimples✨. He sounds a bit like Howl from howls moving Castle. While he loves annoying Ace more than everything ever, if he ever called K he would drop everything to make sure he’s alright.

And uh yeah, that’s all I can think about at this time!!

THE FACT HE CARRIES ACE’S PHOTOS AROUND IS KINDA CUTE LMAO. You see this cool guy until his brother somehow gets mentioned in conversation and he’s immediately brightening and showing you all the photos… I think that’s so cute-

I need that brain tbh… K being insane at tests😔 we love him being on good terms with his exs tho!!!! Hehe. Trien the big ol’ softie

Board game club founder- he has my respect. As a TCG lover amen🙏

Noooo him being a flirt and not realising it- pain heiwjwjwj- omg amusement park worker…. Imagine going on a date with him and he brings you to the amusement park at night when it’s closed so it’s just for both of you….

He’s just such a guy oh my gods…. Also Cecile you put in so much thought into this holy- shensjejeh AHAHAHAH thank you for sharing your thoughts on this silly!!!! It was a super fun read

[kardia-library-official]

I don't usually get into the weeds with this stuff, and yet.

...Actually, I'm not done talking about the Reddit Cecil (and Amber and Kiel for that matter) Hate Brigade. Because like. They're weird.

Like, I get not liking a character, and I get not wanting to marry every candidate (for one thing, you literally can't, at least not in the same save). That's all fine, we all have preferences! But past a certain point, it all just seems way too insistent, and dare I say performative. It seems to come from a place of, like, "look at me, I would never sexualize children! So much that I clutch my pearls at the idea of even liking a fictional character who is short and kinda goofy! I'm a good person, not a freak!" Which just makes one look like a freak about fandom discourse and short people, tbh.

And sure, sexualizing kids is gross, but... Nobody is accusing anyone of doing that on some random Reddit thread of people talking about their blorbos. (I mean, they might, but people try to start fights about all sorts of things.) We can chill! Honestly, it's kinda unsavory in and of itself that this keeps getting brought into it at this level of frequency and intensity. I don't want to think about the abstract concept of someone somewhere being a pedophile when we're just trying to have a lighthearted conversation about which silly little farm game guys are the coolest.

And that was weird enough, but then I realized that I might have it backwards, at least when it comes to some of these people.

Because sometimes I think it comes from a place of... Thinking liking a character and finding them attractive are the same thing? Or at least in a romance-oriented game? So if you think it would be gross to find a character attractive, you have to make a show of hating them, or just instinctively hate them period?

Like I said, it's weird!

As someone who considers Cecil one of their faves in RF5, I can't say I thought about that at all either way? At first, I just thought he was funny and liked seeing his little adventures. Then I realized that his characterization is actually really interesting, and among the most complex of a slightly underwritten bunch.* I like how his issues and story remind me of what it was like to be 18-19 and trying to be taken seriously as a person! The implicit tension around how protective Martin and Terry are towards him when it's probably their lives that would fall apart without him is fascinating. He's just really neat! And I feel comfortable saying that, because "I like this character a lot" isn't interchangeable with "would smash," and that's kind of a weird assumption to make. Do... Do they think that's the only reason to like a character at all? Do they think that's what we're all doing? Is that what we're all doing, and I didn't get the memo?

Like, there's a point where I have to wonder... How the hell horny are these people? If my reasoning is correct, hornier than I can get my head around. O_o

(...Not that I have anything against being horny! You probably know this if you've read my fic. But there's also more to life! You probably know this if you've seen the word counts on my fic. :P)

*imho, he gets what might be the best blink-and-you-miss-it subtle character moment in the whole game... The thing where Yuki said he gives a really good shoulder massage? And then you think about it for a sec and realize where/why/how he picked up that particular skill? I think about that constantly and hope it was intentional and not just me reading into things too much.

[probablyhuntersmom]

Fave Characters from Invincible (so far)

can you see me trying to use a defibrillator to add a bit of life to the main tags while we wait for S2

Anybody wanna share who their fave characters are?

It took me the whole morning to rank mine (and believe me, I was wayyy less active in fandoms on Tumblr in 2021 during S1's run so I didn't even think much about this stuff). And this is something I can usually do rather quickly for shows and media: I almost immediately know who, and why. But for Invincible? It took much longer because everyone in it lends so greatly to the tone, flavour and overarching story in their own way.

But upon evaluating which scenes, dialogue and lines I replay in my memory, and how I relate to them and resonate with them, I found myself settling on...

#1. Cecil

#2. Robot

#3. Mark

When it comes to the honourable mentions, I couldn't narrow it down to one or even two. I settled on all four below:

I think all my picks have to do with how this exceedingly dangerous fictional universe (thus its very interesting relationship with raising the stakes in battles) is commentary on how cynical vs. hopeful we want to choose to be, about the worst that life can throw at us. And of course, I wanna have a dang good time watching the action sequences.

And Donald deserves his own category! RIP, Donald:

Something also tells me I'm really gonna like Angstrom next season, Thula depending on how they write her for the screen, and maybe even Thragg later in S3 (he in particular is gonna be a huge challenge to write for this adaptation, compared to someone like Nolan, in order for him to be kept interesting and engaging at least for me).

[icedteaandoldlace]

Hey hope your doing well

I saw that you said that David and Rob singh were neglected in the mirror verse storyline and I strongly agree. How would you have liked David storyline to go.

I felt like kamilla , iris and him could have really bonded through that experience.

I am well, thank you!

So I haven't really put a whole lot of in-depth thought into it, because there's only so much we know about them, so knowing how they would respond to that situation is tricky. I do know that when Cecile said she was going to go talk to Rob, I was hoping we would get to actually see that conversation. After that, maybe having Rob help the team out with trying to figure out a way into the Mirrorverse, or maybe keeping tabs on Mirror!David for them. Like, his husband is missing here and has been replaced with an imposter. He's entitled to a little involvement in getting this storyline moving.

I definitely would have liked a real reunion scene for everyone. I wanted to see Cisco and Kamilla running into each other's arms and not wanting to let go, leading into a passionate kiss, and I wanted to see David get back and freak out that Rob doesn't know he's living with a mirror copy, only for Rob to arrive at his side the second he's free of the Mirrorverse and reassure him that he knows what happened and he understands that anything Mirror!David might have said or done wasn't actually him. And then a relieved embrace and kiss for them, too, because dang it, they deserve it (we're ignoring the covid protocols that prevented the show from having many kissing scenes in season 7 and just focusing on what would be best plot-wise here).

Then yeah, maybe have David and Kamilla both join Iris at the support group meeting. Or maybe leave that as just Iris's thing, but have the three of them meet up for coffee to talk and bond and recover together.

I could also see Rob coming to S.T.A.R. Labs a bit later to ask Barry for advice on how to deal with knowing his husband was swapped out with a mirror copy without him noticing, and trying to get used to life as normal again when he doesn't know how to tell the difference between his real husband and an imposter. Barry is out doing Flash stuff when he arrives, but Cisco is there handy, and he's the expert on doppelgänger related trauma, so he's able to give him some advice on how to move forward and separate Mirror!David from the real David in his mind.

That's all I really got right now. But heck, it's more than canon gave us. 🙃