#bob's a really sad guy imo... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lavender-twilight23 · 1 month ago

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It’s been about an hour since I walked out of the theater from seeing Thunderbolts* for the third time (this time in 3D), and I can’t stop thinking about this film, I’m so obsessed.

This movie has SO much rewatch-ability, I will die on that fucking hill forever. In the past 6 days, I’ve seen it three times, and it’s only gotten more enjoyable/emotional with each watch.

ALSO, now that I know the story and I know exactly where it’s going and I can stop digesting the plot like I would on a first watch, I can focus on other things and try to seek out smaller details that make small (and big) moments THAT much bigger.

It’s the small things that MURDER me.

Anywaysssssss here are

DETAILS THAT I NOTICED ABOUT THUNDERBOLTS* IN THE THIRD WATCH

SPOILERS!!!

(mostly Bob not gonna lie lol)

Not necessarily in any order. (And I will probably make separate posts for a lot of these once the movie comes out on digital/Disney+ and I can make high-quality gifs.)

In the attic scene in Bob’s shame rooms, when Yelena is slowly approaching Bob, Bob is silently breaking down and trying not to cry. As Yelena comes nearer, Bob keeps looking back at her, then looking away again, almost doing a double take to see if she’s still coming closer. Then when Yelena sits down by him, Bob has head fully turned away from her with his hair draped over his face because he doesn’t want to cry in front of her 🥺

Another thing about the attic scene, when Yelena reaches forward and lays her hand on Bob’s wrist to provide some physical comfort, the movie hangs on that shot for a LONG time. With NO dialogue. On a third watch, I realized how long that shot feels, and it’s so beautiful, I LOVE that choice to let the moment BREATHE. They let the emotion of the moment and of Bob’s trauma weigh heavy on that one shot, with Yelena watching him intently and Bob turned away, trying not to cry.

In the scene when Val is talking to Bob after he wakes up, Bob is understandably pretty apprehensive and scared around her, right up until Val calls him perfect, and Bob visibly responds positively to that. I think he does repeat her compliment to himself, but he has a physical response to that as well.

There are multiple points in the movie where Bob gets a compliment and his behavior and demeanor IMMEDIATELY changes, and he's like a little kid being praised. And it's really sad imo to think about WHY. He had a very abusive childhood and he's had a really hard life, he probably doesn't hear compliments very often at all. He is so deprived of compassion and love that he will respond to ANYONE that will give him compliments and speak highly of him, EVEN when it's manipulative. I think Val notices this and feeds off of that.

4. One of the many acting moments that I LOVE in Thunderbolts* is when Bob and Yelena are having their first conversation in the vault, Bob says that he’ll just stay behind. Yelena counters and says, “No, you’ll die down here.” Then Bob continues and admits that he’s fine with that and says some other depressing shit, and there’s a split second in Yelena’s face where she realizes that he’s not joking and is 100% serious, and for a second, she looks almost heartbroken, like she’s just realizing that “whoa, hold on, this guy is really depressed.” Florence Pugh KILLED with that moment, there’s so much emotion on her face and that sudden realization, and then you can see her processing that.

5. All the way at the beginning of the movie, when Yelena is in the lab, she’s fixated on getting into that one room that needs a facial recognition, and something I realized is that in that locked room, the room where Bob was for the medical study, there are the two ‘Voided’ shadows frozen in place IN THAT ROOM. That detail is there even in the beginning.

6. When Val is trying to get Bob to move the glass of water, he tries and then fails, then backs down and says that he can’t do it. Val compliments him again, a really manipulative compliment, then Bob immediately perks up, tries again, then succeeds.

7. When Bob and Val are talking (again, after Bob wakes up), Val sees her shame room from touching Bob. Then when she returns to the present moment and goes to leave, Bob doesn’t do anything. But it’s only when Val takes the Sentry signet from the en-table that Bob stops her and says he can control it. He's SO desperate to be seen and loved and appreciated 😭

8. When the Thunderbolts* meet Sentry and they’re trying to get through to Bob, John says, “You don’t wanna do this, Bobby,” or something like that. Bob visibly reacts to that use of that name, his eyelids twitch, and he gives John a sort of twisted glare or something, then says, “You can call me the Sentry.”

I’ll ramble more on this in future posts when I make gifs as well, but Lewis Pullman’s acting blows me away. I’ve never seen him in anything else, I’d never heard of him before this movie, and I think he portrays Bob brilliantly. I can’t see anybody else as Bob. Lewis manages to balance Bob’s timidness and innocence with the darkness and mental instability hiding just under the surface SO well. His eye-acting is so intense and visceral, there were many close-ups where I noticed tiny movements in his face or an intense reaction to something flickering in his eyes, and it reminds me of Sebastian Stan’s acting in the Winter Soldier when he’s being talked to by Alexander Pierce. That’s the vibe I get with Lewis in Thunderbolts*, there is a WORLD of pain inside Bob’s eyes, and I think Lewis brings that power to him.

Or I could just fangirling, but whatever lol

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corruptedhyena · 11 months ago

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uhh hello neighbors, am i doing this right??

at the old age of 22 i've become obsessed with the Hello Neighbor: Welcome to Raven Brooks show and i need help lol

soooo i drew them as furries!! it's not quite all of them, but i feel like once s2 comes out, i'll be able to get a better grip on their personalities in order to decide their species. i've never been into HN as a franchise beyond the initial alphas, so i'm missing quite a bit of context into these kiddos, but i can't wait to see what they do with the show!

general breakdown:

characters were colored based off of their hair and general palette, a few colors were tweaked to better fit my style and preferences (:

Nicky had to be a Pointer dog of some sort, it's just such a perfect narrative fit imo. the hunting dog pointing at the Wrong, only to be snatched up by it in the end

Trinity felt fitting as some type of bob-tailed cat, not sure why exactly bob-tail but it just seemed cute. the cat aspect, though, felt like a nice flip of Nicky being a canine, as well as the knowledge that Trinity has gotten into danger/trouble before coming to Raven Brooks due to her curiosity/snooping, which felt fitting to "curiosity killed the cat"

Maritza and Enzo made sense to be the same species, though with their own little quirks. i felt a fox fit for both athleticism and smarts with a shared trickery in the way the two bicker and spat. Maritza's fur is a bit more fluid and laid-back, whereas Enzo's is a bit more stiff.

Mr. Peterson, finally, had to be a lion. i don't know everything about HN lore but i know he's associated a lot with the amusement park and clowns, hence the big cat of the big top felt right! not to mention it allows him to have a more intimidating figure that plays into the idea of the ringleader of some big scheme (though leaves room for a sad, bullied cat that the one teaser presented)

so! i still don't really know how to exist on tumblr but lmk what yall think for these guys or the other trio! not sure if anyone will see this but hoping for the best ^^

#digital art #furry #hello neighbor #hello neighbor welcome to raven brooks #nicky roth #trinity bales #maritza esposito #enzo esposito #theodore peterson #hello neighbor art

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neufer · 13 days ago

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My thoughts while rereading Tex!!! (there’s a lot) (idc im leaving it all as one post)

(tagging @broareweabouttoviberightnow @damthosefandoms @bleucheeeeeese my Tex homies <3)

Okay right off the bat the opening just shows Tex’s personality so well. I feel like you can tell a lot about a person if you know they talk to/treat animals like they’re people. My favorite part is when Tex worries he sounds too sarcastic and has to reassure Negrito that he’s a good jumper. Oh my heart.

I wish in the movie they would’ve kept the detail of Mason and Tex sharing a room(the only one in the house)/bed. It’s kinda important imo in showing that they don’t have a lot.

A short list of “hick” things about Mason: he loves to fish, he did junior rodeos (we need to talk about that more btw), and he wears boots.

“A guy came out and turned off the heat this morning. I haven’t paid the gas bill lately.” “No kiddin’? Why not?” 🤦‍♀️oh Tex my sweet summer child.

It gets lost in the movie just how bad Mason beats up Tex. It’s BAD bad.

“I cried because I was hurting and because I wanted to kill Mace, and he was my only brother and I didn’t really want to kill him.” Hey this is crazy considering what happens.

I also wish that in the movie Tex gets in the bed of the truck when Mason comes to get him like he does in the book. He’s too mad to sit up front with him.

Idk what other peoples opinion’s of Jamie are but I love her. Chewing out Mason for beating up Tex? Hell yeah.

Hey can we talk about Mason being the only person to call Bob Robert. What is up with that. I guess “Bob didn’t like to be called Robert. He took a lot off Mason, though,” probably means Mason just gives him shit but being the only one to full-name him seems kinda intimate to me.

Tex remembering Pop coming to pick him up after he borrowed that car: “I remember seeing his face, when he came to get me, almost like he had written me off, like I wasn’t his kid anymore.” Another bit of insane foreshadowing there, Hinton.

After the fight Tex talks about how things aren’t the same anymore and Mason’s changed :( idk, for me, things changing between me and my sister is one of my biggest fears so I get the way Tex talks about it.

A short list of details I love about Mason: he’s good at making chili but doesn’t know how he does it, he doesn’t like driving in the city and gets road rage, and he measures how tall he is on the door frame.

“Johnny was smarter than most people thought. Once you get a reputation for being scatter-brained, people always think you never have a serious thought in your head, but that isn’t always true. I ought to know.” 😢

Very important to me that the fortuneteller’s best advice is “don’t change.” Obviously Tex changes some, he’s not a static character, but at the end of the day he’s good by just being himself.

“It tasted really good, like pop with a zing to it. The only thing I’d ever tried drinking before was beer, and I never could get a taste for it.” He’s so real for this. Beer sucks.

Very important to me that multiple people refer to Tex as “cowboy” (Charlie Collins, the hitchhiker, and Lem).

Tex’s dream is so sad. The fact that he wakes up holding the doorknob, when what he remembers of his mom is wanting to stop her from leaving but he wasn’t tall enough to reach the doorknob 😭 stfu. And also just the way Mason deals with his sleepwalking. “He never gets mad at me when I sleep walk.” 😭

Mason dealing with Cole Collins demanding who got his kids drunk is so good. Peak Mason right there. “Don’t you have enough kids of your own to hassle?” GET HIM. He’s also just so funny. “I was thinking about going over to the Collins’ and demanding to know who got you drunk last night,” pls.

I’ve talked about it before but Mason’s reaction to Lem’s baby being “Little Lem” and him not liking being named after Pop is a detail that’s really important to his character.

“I would have rather gone out for track, but not going out for anything was the thing that would bug Coach most, so that’s what I did. I love to bug people like him.” Love that for him, honestly. Okay Mr. Do things out of spite.

I really like how Tex says “It was a relief to me that Jamie always said what she thought without hedging around or playing games.” You would think he would maybe feel the same way about Mason, but later he says something about how Mason doesn’t lie to him, but he doesn’t tell him the truth either, and I think that’s the big difference.

Taking a moment to say that it’s nice to see Tex being a teenage kid who’s just like living life and growing up and learning about love, but it’s also so frustrating in a good way. “I wondered when she had started wearing a bra.” BROTHER PLEASE.

Tex and Johnny’s make up after Tex jumps the creek is actually very sweet. “Johnny, there are people who go places and people who stay, and I think we stayers ought to stick together.” ❤️

Tex telling Mason he’s got a few more inches to grow based on how long his legs are because that’s the way it works with horses (and Mason sighing with relief) is so freaking funny.

I love how Mason drops the subject of Tex jumping the creek so quickly. It really shows how he has to truly pick his battles😭

Tex being confused and flustered by the salesgirl <3

Okay he mentions going water skiing once and immediately my mind went to Alan Jackson in the music video for Chattahoochee. Tex core as hell.

“Hell, Bob hasn’t made it any further than I have. But for different reasons.” Hello. Hello Bob what.

“Texas, all my life I wanted somebody who knew more than I did to tell me the truth. I really wanted that. I never got it. I had to learn it all the hard way. I’m just giving you a present I always wanted.” God this gives so much insight to why Mason is the way he is. I think there’s more to it than just truth, too. He just wants someone to help him. And as an older sibling, I get that so much. And my parents are great, and I have several older cousins and friends who are a few years older than me and I still feel this way sometimes, so Mason is like really on his own.

I will NEVER not laugh at Tex looking at Western Horseman but thinking about Playboy. YOU STUPID HORNY BOY.

“We drove out to the expressway so Lem could get it going fast. I had fun running the windows up and down.” Oh it really doesn’t take much to amuse you, does it Tex. (relatable)

God I’ve talked about it before but the hitchhiker scene is just. . . urghhhhhh. Tex being pissed off because Mason is scared. Getting the hitchhiker to look by saying the cop turned his lights on (I wish they kept this detail in the movie, it’s very smart). Mason letting his head hit the dash so he doesn’t hurt his arm. Tex having to hold onto Mason so he doesn’t slide out or be dragged out by the hitchhiker. Him wondering if he’d had a gun if he’d join in the shooting. Fuck.

Then the aftermath!! Tex knowing that something bad must’ve happened for the guy to turn out like that. That his actions killed him. That he reminded him of him.

Also, just want to say that the first time I read this I LOST my mind when it’s revealed the hitchhiker is Mark. Truly lost my shit. And then for some reason it took me until Miss Carlson going to the funeral to realize that Miss Carlson is freaking Cathy. Crazy.

Mason trying to act all cool after being called a basketball star on the local news <3

I didn’t fully appreciate Mason smoking the joint with Tex until now. And the fact that he lit it on the stove burner. Cool as hell. And he’s just a 17 year old kid.

Hey, for all that he hates about Pop, Mason still gets excited when he comes home and tries to beat Tex out the door so he can get to him first, and he was all over him just the same as Tex was😢

I know it was probably just for the sake of pacing, but I wish in the movie they kept Pop forgetting that he was going to get Negrito back. It’s a prime example of him being a bad parent. It’s ANOTHER thing Mason and Tex have to do by themselves, another thing that Mason has to take care of.

Negrito missed him💔

Tex telling Mason he’s going to hate him for the rest of his life and knowing it hurt him: “It was the first time I realized hurting somebody could feel really good.” Yeah again I’ve talked before about how Hinton writes this part of sibling relationships really well, that the worst thing you’ll say/do will be to your sibling and this just emphasizes that. A sibling relationship is full of everything, especially intentional hurt.

“Blackie had the perfect build for football. . . it must be weird for him, to look like a football player and be totally on the inside.” Again hello. Blackie Collins I know What You Are.

The second worst thing Pop is guilty of is him not worrying that much when Tex busted five in a junior rodeo. FIVE FUCKING RIBS AND HE WASN’T REAL WORRIED. Oh I hate him.

Tex helping Ralph look for his false tooth after punching him and knocking it out <3

“Jamie, when we get older, sixteen maybe, let’s get married.” Mind you he just turned 15🤦‍♀️

There’s something about when Tex and Johnny are in the office and “I hadn’t been too afraid of facing Pop, but the look on Mason’s face was giving me chills,” that just really got to me. Idk. And again, the way Mason deals with Cole. Peak.

Johnny calling Mason a lousy son of a bitch for saying he’ll think of a punishment for Tex. Oh man. He and Jamie really said “we’ll defend Tex til we die” and I am so here for it.

I knew it was coming, but Tex’s reaction to not being Pop’s son is so sad :( also, I think it’s important to note the weight Mason’s words carry and how double edged they are. “I know when you went to prison and when you got out and I know his birthday.” Yeah he can do math but he also just knows when his fucking birthday is, unlike Pop.

“I was scared. I wanted Mason.” “Whenever I was scared, Mason was there.” SHUT UP😭😭

Honestly I don’t like Cole very much but props to him for being so level headed, asking Tex where he was right away and then calling the ambulance.

“ 'She was real good with animals, especially horses. She always said they talked to her and she’d get mad when I laughed.’ My wound gave a sudden throb and I had to bite back a gasp.” CLARE WAS THE PARENT HE DESERVED. HE AND MASON BECAUSE MASON’S LIKE HER TOO IN A LOT OF WAYS.

Okay, listen, HATE Pop McCormick, but his one good action is telling Tex and Mason to not think bad about their mom for cheating while he was in prison.

But believe me that is the ONE thing. Because what do you mean Tex asks him if him not being his biological son was the reason he paid more attention to Mason and all this motherfucker has to say is “I reckon.” I am going to rage. (this is the worst thing)

I’m really appreciating Johnny and Tex’s friendship more. I love how Johnny is so jealous that Tex asked for Jamie.

Tex asking Jamie if she wants to see the bullet wound and then kissing her when she leans down. Little boy you just got shot, calm down.

“I’m goin’ for a walk and I’ll take the gun with me. I ain’t going to shoot anything, though. I ain’t going to shoot anything ever again.” 💔

“Late at night, lying awake, rehashing everything until my mind was whirling around like a squirrel in a cage, I thought I was going to die or go crazy. But then, in the morning, I’d still be alive, and sometimes the pain seemed a fraction less.” Hey so what the fuck. Oh god I get it so bad. And to read it in a young adult novel. Good god.

The ending really is my favorite. Tex telling Mason he has to go to college. Tex doesn’t hate him. Mason crying. Tex is going to make it. Not being able to say I love you but they know it’s there. “I remembered what Jamie had said, that love doesn’t solve anything. Maybe. But it helps.” 😭 and them deciding to go fishing. Because Mason loves it and it helps him unwind but he hasn’t been able to go for a long time. While I like the very last lines of the movie ("you wanna go fishing tomorrow?" "nah, you'd better practice. its rough where you're going" "well its pretty rough where you're staying"), I wish they would've gone fishing in the end like in the book.

Anyway. Love helps <3

#it took me like three hours to compile all of this #please like it #tex #tex se hinton #tex mccormick #mason mccormick #johnny collins #jamie collins

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pigtailedgirl · 2 months ago

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Oh it's getting close!!! Predictions for @variousqueerthings and @gjdraws etc. for finale thoughts versus moi.

Spoilers so read after your watch all.

I think you'll be quite pleased. I feel like Welsh. 'On reflection I imagine that pleases me' LOL. No no, I kid, cause it's good to see fannish joy.

Things you'll love:

I think because you like the idea of Fraser returning home and full circle you'll love the Canada return and ending.

I think you'll see Ray K opened up for a growth arc going with or that as a sort of pointed thing of commitment in his friendship with Fraser. So not the for shipping but very nice to see their dynamic.

I think you'll enjoy the brief Rays dynamic.

The plot and Bolts return. The Mounties and Buck and omg cute Dief in a scarf.

Things of mixed bag:

Ray Vecchio's return and somewhat regulated to side pool status and all the unexplored there.

Thatcher's ending.

Bob's ...Well everything. What it does for his and Fraser's characters and relations.

Everyone else in the epilogue going off wall.

Things I'm really curious about:

Your take on re-watch whole of the dip into surrealism of the later that admitted didn't jive for moi. Do you perceive a writing difference?

My crack take that has mounting, heh heh, evidence of Fraser's cracked self running from realism almost like that's a character arc.

What you think of the alternate script idea which was gonna play Fraser/Thatcher as boss/worker/relationship up there at end?

My take; which is such a contrast because lord is the finale not my jam LOL:

On I don't like Fraser going back, and view it as backwards and hiding and not closure. I'm a give a man a dual citizenship home take.

The plot opens up chasms in his and Bob's relationships I don't like. Oh my god does the murder plot torpedo Bob's parenting and moral and the idea the ending gives any earned redemption to Bob but leaves Fraser with all these new wounds...ARGH. Especially in light of just re-watching Hunting Season as the episode prior. Bob not only moved on enough for himself to have another lover, another half-abandoned emotional connection and oh look a kid, but it just means he doubly devalued getting close to Fraser over everyone else Bob was friends and all with. Oh he makes amends or wants to for Maggie but fucks off on Fraser. Oh he tells her killing in revenge is wrong and then THIS. Excuse you sir?!

THE HATE FLOWS THROUGH ME.

Also, Muldoon isn't a well fleshed final bad guy for that big a reveal and we don't get the weight. Same with the plot. It's very set piece, not characters.

Ray K latching on to Fraser for identity validation and finding is backwards to him growing for me in both seeing himself for himself, or closure with his stuff, and in learning to be there for a friend without it being bout him.

What the hell is up for everyone else? They have nothing serious imo. And woah the epilogue.

And last and yes surprisingly least, cause it's not about Ray issues, I was disappointed that they brought Ray Vecchio back but didn't really go in on explaining or fleshing out character of the why undercover. You are left with theories of whys and what impacts. For what was your co-lead, that sad.

#due south

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willel · 2 years ago

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Not trying to sound annoying here, but I said many times that this play was going to most likely include a love story between Bob's sister and Henry while people disagreed and attacked me. Now it's revealed that what I predicted was true, now some people just seem to not accept this reality despite the reveal being obvious.

I also think that it's pretty likely that the writers will connect the story to the play and revolve the story around it by conforming that Henry wants to take revenge on the town and on Joyce, Bob, and Hopper because of something they 'did' in the past from Henry's perspective. Maybe they caused Patty's death accidentally and that's what made Henry be angry at town and Joyce, Bob, and Hopper. That may be the reason why Henry wants to take revenge on the town and Jopper + Bob. This also most likely includes Will's kidnapping. And it actually would explain a lot of things, if Henry wants to kinda take revenge, it explains why the Byers are the only family in the town who seem to get targeted in S1, why the MF/Demogorgon seems to not be fond of Joyce and was angry at her, why Will was the one who got targeted twice, and why Bob ended up getting killed, etc.

We may not like this story personally, but let's be real guys... it's very clear and likely that this is where the writers are going for in terms of the overall story and the play's plot.

Is the discourse really that intense right now? I barely see anyone talking about the play

I agree that Patty may play a part in Henry's downfall, but I don't think it'll be the only reason. Maybe just the start of it. The "memory that makes you sad but angry" and he starts spiraling as one bad thing happens to him after another. Patty, his mom, Brenner, all of it.

And you know, I've been wondering about this Alice thing as well. Why wouldn't she have been cast? It's so weird. It got me thinking, was Alice adopted? Did they try to "replace" Henry with a happier child? I dunno random thought that's been swimming in my brain.

Anyway, I still don't agree that Bob, Joyce, or Hopper will be directly involved int his or that Henry has a personal vendetta against them in particular. The Byers weren't the only ones targeted in town, only Will seemed to have been hand picked. Otherwise, the Demogorgon only cared about food and El. It chased or killed everyone else.

In season 2, yet again, it didn't give a shit about anything other than Will and only started caring about everyone else when it got burned and decided to kill anyone in Will's way.

In season 3, it only cared about El. Everyone else involved was meat food.

In season 4, he only cared about his 4 targets so that he could open a gate and kill everyone.

Imo, it's unnecessary to center this conflict on Vecna getting revenge against Joyce and Hopper specifically. I truly think Henry hates the whole town and everyone in it, including them.

I think Joyce, Hopper, and Bob probably witnessed what happened that upset Henry so much, but I'm really not sure why they'd be the cause of it. Not even accidentally.

An example I can think of is their biggest inspiration for Freddy Kruger. When he was alive, Freddy was burned to death by an entire mob of parents so now he hunts down the children of that mob, which is essentially the whole town. Whether or not the parents directly did something like pour gasoline or light the fire, they witnessed it and thus became his targets.

In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy is introduced as a serial child killer, Fred Krueger, from the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, who kills his victims with a bladed leather glove he crafted in a boiler room where he used to take his 20 victims. He is captured, but is set free on a technicality when it is discovered that the search warrant was not signed in the right place. He is hunted down by a mob made up of the town's vengeful parents and cornered in the boiler room. The mob douses the building with gasoline and sets it on fire by throwing Molotov cocktails, burning him alive. While his body dies, his spirit lives on within the dreams of a group of teenagers and pre-adolescents living on Elm Street, whom he preys on by entering their dreams and killing them, fueled by the town's memories and fear of him and empowered by a trio of 'dream demons' to be their willing instrument of evil. He is apparently destroyed at the end of the film by protagonist Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), but the last scene reveals that he has survived. He goes on to antagonize the teenage protagonists of the film's sequels, including Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox), and Lori Campbell (Monica Keena).

If I had to guess the plot:

Henry already had trouble fitting in and a pretty poopy home life. Maybe while his dad was at war in Vietnam (that is the war he was in right?), his mother didn't take care of him and was awful.

Suddenly, when his dad was finally coming back to war, his mother flipped her switch and suddenly became the model mother and wife and despite her neglect, tried to get him to do it too, be he wasn't good at pretending.

He finally makes a friend Patty and he feels like things are finally looking up, but something happens to her which is one of the triggers to his spiral. Maybe he was with her when it happened and gets blamed for it? Or at least suspected.

Being that Patty is Bob's sister, maybe Hopper, Joyce, and Bob try to investigate the circumstances of her death and they get really close to the truth? Maybe they do discover the truth and they're the only ones that know because no one believed them.

Anyway, what happens to Patty was so terrible and Henry was so deeply affected that his dad decided they should move for a "fresh start" in a new house. This also affected him deeply and he had trouble adjusting.

When his dad wasn't looking, maybe his mother was still awful, which is another crack in the mirror.

When the nightmares started, his mom called Brenner on him and that was another trigger for him.

And thus, it all came crumbling down and he tried to kill his whole family.

I dunno. Guess this will be by bingo card and I'll cross off everything I got right when the play gets here.

All that to say, no one should be arguing and getting mad over all this. It's just a play. Yeesh.

#ask #Anonymous #stranger things

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seitmai · 2 months ago

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As always many thoughts

Work was an adjustment. In a good way. It took Bradley a few days to remember he didn't have to look over his shoulder for Indigo. He didn't have to keep his head on a swivel, wondering if she was giving you a hard time somewhere on base. He could just get his work done without interference.

It's so sad that Bradley didn't even realize till now what an impact Indigo had on him 🥺

"Did Bickel seem upset with her?" Bradley knew how much you loved working for your commanding officer, and that feeling seemed to go both ways.

He is instantly in defending mode

Apparently Bob and Maria were giving up their lease to move into a nicer one-bedroom place together.

Good for them 🥰👏🏻

Bradley cringed, and Maverick crossed his arms over his chest like he was fighting to stand still. "Yes, Sir," Bradley agreed with a nod, hoping he wouldn't have to rehash anything that had already happened. "I was notified of her separation this morning. An admiral in Texas called me first thing." Bradley sat up straighter in his chair as Cyclone said, "Lieutenant Jeffries has been formally discharged."

"No, I don't feel that way now," Bradley rasped as he shook his head. "I'm where I belong."

Yes absolutely 👏🏻

She was still smirking when you washed your hands. "Remember all those promises you made about watching Jer for me if I was willing to finish the code in a hurry?" "I do," you replied easily. "Want to drop him off at my house after work one day this week so you and Jake can get into some nasty shit for a few hours?" Cat's laughter echoed throughout the space as she doubled over, cackling. "I guess that depends upon your definition of nasty.... we're trying to figure out which day we can go apply for our marriage license." You screamed before she clapped her hand over your mouth. "Shh! Are you out of your mind?"

I'm sure they can think of something nasty after getting the marriage license 🤭

Jokes aside, very happy for them 🥰

"Marriage license!" you screeched when she freed you. "Jake is such a fuckboy, and you're so in love with him!" "You're the one who told me he's a good guy in the first place!" "He is!" you insisted, beaming at her. "And he'll be the best dad for Jer."

Fuckboy and best dad for for Jer don't rule each other out imo 🤷🏻‍♀️

"Hi, Roo," you offered, patting him quickly on his flat belly as you headed for Jake who was sweaty and unzipping the top of his flight suit. You flung your arms around him, and he held you awkwardly with your bump pressed against him.

She's walking into the aviator's lounge as if she owns it, as she should 😌😅

"Whoa, Angel. What's got you throwing yourself at me?" he asked with a laugh. "Not that I mind..." he added, winking at Bradley as you pulled away.

Not a spare moment to fuck with Bradley haha

"Jake," you gasped, tears filling your eyes. "You're so in love with them." He nodded. "I am. And I told Cat she'd have a spectacular wedding in ninety days or less if she promised to get the marriage license now. She told me she doesn't want to spend any money. Claims I've spent enough to help her get free from her ex. But I want her to have whatever she wants-" "She wants you. You're already Jer's dad. Just marry her. Keep it simple."

They will have a nice simple wedding and it will be great 🥰

"Are you ever going to give me a hug?" Bradley called from across the room. "It's been like two minutes, Sweetheart." Jake smirked and nudged your shoulder with his bicep. "Get over there so he stops whining." "He whined when you missed lunch, too," Natasha said casually as you laughed. Bradley huffed. "Is it really such a bad thing that I like being around my family?"

This is just peak Bradley 😂

"That you're the best officer he's ever worked with and he wants you to take over his lab when he retires?" Your heart fluttered at your husband's words; he was your biggest fan.

Truly her biggest cheerleader 🥰🥹

Bradley's lips curled into a smile as he took your hand and kissed along your knuckles. "I'd have remembered later at some point, but Indigo is the farthest thing from my mind now. I'm more intersted in going home and packing for our trip and fucking you."

Fair 🤷🏻‍♀️

"Can't it wait until next week after we get back from the mountains?" he whispered. "I'm in family mode, looking forward to our anniversary." "Nope. We absolutely have to watch Jer for them. It's a necessity, Roo."

She is putting in the work for this wedding to happen ASAP 🫡

"Roo!" you squealed, wrapping your leg around his hip as he held himself over your body, his hands planted on either side of your head. "You have to make it quick. And you're never quick." "I know," he grunted, biting his lip as you rubbed yourself against the fly of his khakis. All he wanted at the moment was to take his time licking that bead of milk from your nipple before treating his mouth to your entire body. But there wasn't time. Jake Seresin would be here shortly to ruin his fun.

I mean Bradley knows it himself, ge is never quick so them being disturbed is not too surprising 😅

"That's fucking beautiful." He kissed away all the little sounds you made as he fucked you slowly; they could just wait out on the porch with Jeremiah until Bradley was done with you for all he cared. But something about having you naked and beneath him while he was still fully clothed in his uniform made Bradley realize he wasn't going to last too long. The bounce of your tits as your fingers dug into his hair. The scrape of your nails along his scalp as your pupils grew wide. The way your growing belly took up more space than usual. It was all designed to make him insane. He knew it. He wasn't going to fight it. You'd win every time anyway.

He is helpless with her

"They're here," you moaned, starting to sit up with Bradley's cock still buried deep. "But I'm not done with you," he whispered, keeping you in place while Tramp howled. But it was useless. "Fuck!" He pulled himself free, forfeiting the opportunity to watch his cum leak out of you as he stood. Bradley tucked himself back into his pants and did up the zipper, scowling. "Hangman ruins everything, I swear to god." He pulled one of his old undershirts and some gym shorts from his drawer as you laughed and stood. "I'll finish you off later," he promised with a kiss, pressing his clothing into your hand. "I know you will."

Hahah he is such a horn dog and always finds a way to blame Jake, no matter what 😂

"Thanks for babysitting," Jake said as he strolled in from the porch earning an eye roll from Bradley. "It's no big deal," Bradley replied through clenched teeth, trying not to glare. It wasn't like Jake and Cat had any idea what they'd interrupted. Or at least they didn't until you came rushing down the hallway into the living room with Bradley's undershirt on backward. Cat didn't seem to notice, but Jake stifled his laughter behind his hand.

Whoops 🤭 but I mean it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with Nugget number 2 on the way😅

"Sorry about the timing," Jake muttered. "No, you're not," Bradley whispered. "Now get out of here."

😂😂😂

"Love!" Jer cheered as Bradley settled down on the couch next to him. The little boy suddenly seemed more interested in Rose than in the book, but you obliged everyone by starting the story at the beginning.

Rose and Jer's future is being written right then and there 🤭🥰

"Higher!" Jeremiah replied, and you watched your husband push his swing harder. Peels of laugher filled the backyard, and now Rose was crying for a different reason. She seemed to want to join in the fun as Tramp ran around the playset in circles.

Valid 🤷🏻‍♀️

"It's getting dark out here. How about a snack and one more round of the silly goose book?" "We could do that," you whispered, letting your hand rest on your belly. For the briefest second, you started rethinking your threat about the vasectomy.

👀

"You have to read it again," Bradley murmured, leading the way to the sliding glass door with his arms full. "The kids love your voice, and so do I."

🥰🥰🥰

He nodded in agreement, closing the distance with three long strides before kneeling in front of you. His hands wrapped around your thighs as his lips and mustache met your rooster tattoo before skimming along your belly. "Yeah. Right about here."

"I disagree, Sweetheart," he told you as he reached for Rose. "I thought that was pretty fucking nice considering what they interrupted earlier. Now say goodnight to your daughter and go get undressed."

He has a mission and a promise to keep 🫡

He would never forget where they stopped 🥵

Aim for the Sky Part 40 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Work is finally peaceful for Bradley. While it seems like everyone around him is moving to a new stage of life, he knows he is, too. He's surrounded by so much love already, and more will be blooming soon as he counts down to the end of your pregnancy.

Warnings: Adult language, DILF Roo, pregnancy, smut, lactation kink

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

When he eyed the burrito bowls in the cafeteria at lunchtime, he checked his phone, wondering what was taking you so long to come down. "You okay, Soul Sister?" Nat asked, squeezing his shoulder. "Want to sit with Bob, Maria and me?"

Bradley grunted, and shook his head. "I'll wait for my wife."

"I don't think she's coming," Nat replied casually, bypassing the burrito bowls in favor of the baked pasta.

"How do you know that?" Bradley asked, double checking to see if he'd missed a text from you while he was in his classroom all morning. But there was nothing.

"I was talking to her when her boss tracked her down. He looked flustered, telling her he needed her in his office."

Bradley's brow creased as he picked up just one burrito bowl instead of two. He eyed the green hot sauce you were obsessed with, but it wouldn't taste as good without you sitting next to him. "Did Bickel seem upset with her?" Bradley knew how much you loved working for your commanding officer, and that feeling seemed to go both ways.

Nat shrugged. "Less upset and more concerned. I'm sure she's fine."

Bradley settled in next to his best friend and across the table from Maria and Bob, but he barely got one bite of food in his mouth before Maverick was standing next to him.

"I'd eat that as quickly as possible. Cyclone wants to see us."

"Now?" he asked his godfather, wondering why his day kept getting more annoying since parting ways with you. Maybe he should just cancel his afternoon flight.

"I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes," Maverick said, leaving him to practically inhale his food while the others conversed.

Apparently Bob and Maria were giving up their lease to move into a nicer one-bedroom place together. While that information wasn't surprising, it made Bradley a little sad. You'd been the one living in that apartment with Maria when Bradley fell in love with you. Your little bedroom was where he'd poured his heart out to you in the early days. It was where he made love to you for the first time.

"I'll help you move," Bradley immediately offered, getting a nod in return from Bob. He really wanted the opportunity to be in that sacred space one last time while he had the chance. And getting brownie points with one of your best friends was never a bad move.

"Thanks, Rooster," Bob replied as Bradley shoveled the last of his burrito bowl into his mouth and got up to leave again. Whatever Cyclone wanted, it was best not to keep the man waiting. But honestly, Bradley couldn't understand how his perfectly good morning was deteriorating so quickly. Waking up with his hand on your belly felt like days ago, and what if Admiral Simpson wanted him for something annoying? Fuck, what if he was about to get deployed even though he'd been promised those would become few and far between? What if he wasn't even home for your due date?

He was counting how many weeks were left in your pregnancy while he knocked on the office door. If he had to spend the anniversary weekend he'd planned at the cabin telling you he was leaving, you would be so upset. You and he needed a break together.

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw. Have a seat." Bradley met Cyclone's eyes where he stood next to his desk with Maverick. He hated to be the only one in the room sitting, but he was left with little choice. Bradley sank into the chair while Cyclone cleared his throat. "I wanted to take a few minutes to wrap up your complaints against Lieutenant Jeffries."

"I was notified of her separation this morning. An admiral in Texas called me first thing." Bradley sat up straighter in his chair as Cyclone said, "Lieutenant Jeffries has been formally discharged."

Now Bradley had to fight a smile as he replied. "Thank you for letting me know, Sir."

It was obvious Maverick had something to add. "Bradley. Uh, Rooster," he corrected quickly. "During some of our discussions, you voiced concerns about staying in your current role." Bradley swore his heart stopped as Mav added, "Do you still feel that way?"

Bradley stayed silent. For weeks and months he'd been wondering if he was in the right place. Wondering if he was effective as a teacher rather than just another body in another Super Hornet in the air making decisions without considering the consequences. But the main reason he had been second guessing himself was Indigo. He'd keep his head on a swivel from now on. He'd never let something like that happen again. It was easy to reconsider things without her on base. His classes were fun again. He enjoyed teaching. He loved watching his students take what they learned to the air.

But the best part was being at home with you every night. At home with Rosie. At home enjoying the countdown to the arrival of his second daughter.

"No, I don't feel that way now," Bradley rasped as he shook his head. "I'm where I belong."

--------------------------

When you realized you'd inadvertently bailed on your husband, you felt bad, but that feeling didn't last for long. When you got to Bickel's office at the same time as Cat, you and she shared a brief look before he ushered you inside. Once you were all seated, your boss broke out into a smile.

"I don't know how you manage to do it, but you two always surpass my expectations."

You pressed your lips together to keep yourself quiet, because you had no idea what he could be talking about. The baby was squirming around and thumping on your ribs as you tried to remain chill without looking at Cat. You adjusted your maternity tent and let your boss continue.

"The quick work you put in to test the new software updates ahead of schedule was so successful, your efforts are being recognized."

Now you were shaking from holding back your laughter, and Cat cleared her throat awkwardly three times. "Thank you, Sir," she said calmly with a smirk. "We try our best."

The look on her face made you start coughing. Was she hoping to make you pee your pants? You thought you might as you took a deep breath and listened to Bickel lay out an upcoming timeline for the continued software testing. It wasn't like you didn't know the updates would be successful; you and Cat worked too hard for anything otherwise. But Indigo was the reason you wanted to ground an aircraft ahead of schedule.

When you were finally dismissed, you rushed toward the bathroom with Cat on your heels. "Are you still nauseous?" she asked as you headed for the first stall. "You're awfully late in your pregnancy to still be so nauseous."

"No! I have to pee! I don't know how you stayed so calm throughout that meeting. I thought I was going to explode with laughter."

She was still smirking when you washed your hands. "Remember all those promises you made about watching Jer for me if I was willing to finish the code in a hurry?"

"I do," you replied easily. "Want to drop him off at my house after work one day this week so you and Jake can get into some nasty shit for a few hours?"

Cat's laughter echoed throughout the space as she doubled over, cackling. "I guess that depends upon your definition of nasty.... we're trying to figure out which day we can go apply for our marriage license." You screamed before she clapped her hand over your mouth. "Shh! Are you out of your mind?"

"Marriage license!" you screeched when she freed you. "Jake is such a fuckboy, and you're so in love with him!"

"You're the one who told me he's a good guy in the first place!"

"He is!" you insisted, beaming at her. "And he'll be the best dad for Jer."

Instead of returning to your office or the lab, you dashed toward the elevators and went downstairs. As soon as the November sun hit your face, you felt like this day couldn't get any better. The walk to the tower was filled with the distant sound of jet wash and a breeze that gave you goosebumps. When you reached the aviator's lounge, the first person you saw when you opened the door was your husband holding a disposable coffee cup and chatting with Natasha, but you rushed past them.

"Whoa, Angel. What's got you throwing yourself at me?" he asked with a laugh. "Not that I mind..." he added, winking at Bradley as you pulled away.

"You didn't tell me you're getting married," you hissed quietly so the others couldn't hear over their conversation. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Jake's cheeks paled as he wrapped his fingers gently around your bicep, guiding you toward the window. "Damn, Cat can't keep her mouth shut," he muttered, glancing outside. "We don't actually have anything planned yet, but I convinced her to get the marriage license. That'll give us ninety days to make it happen." He turned his green eyes your way and added, "My lawyer said Jeremiah's biological father stands less of a chance of locating him if I adopt him. Make him a Seresin," he grunted softly. "It's just Cat's name listed on Jer's birth certificate, and I'd really like to change that as soon as possible."

"Jake," you gasped, tears filling your eyes. "You're so in love with them."

He nodded. "I am. And I told Cat she'd have a spectacular wedding in ninety days or less if she promised to get the marriage license now. She told me she doesn't want to spend any money. Claims I've spent enough to help her get free from her ex. But I want her to have whatever she wants-"

"She wants you. You're already Jer's dad. Just marry her. Keep it simple."

"Are you ever going to give me a hug?" Bradley called from across the room. "It's been like two minutes, Sweetheart."

Jake smirked and nudged your shoulder with his bicep. "Get over there so he stops whining."

"I'm not whining," Bradley whined. "I just want a hug from my wife and daughter." He tossed his empty cup into the trash when you slotted yourself into his arms. "That's better," he murmured, lips meeting your forehead as you let your cheek rest against his chest.

"He whined when you missed lunch, too," Natasha said casually as you laughed.

Bradley huffed. "Is it really such a bad thing that I like being around my family?"

"Not at all." You glanced up at him. "And I think it's kind of cute when you whine about it." He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as his fingers crept around to your hip, holding you tight. "Guess what Bickel told me earlier."

"That you're the best officer he's ever worked with and he wants you to take over his lab when he retires?"

Your heart fluttered at your husband's words; he was your biggest fan. "Not quite. But Cat and I are being recognized for our work on the Super Hornet comms. And I kind of have Indigo to thank for it in a very twisted way."

"Oh! She's out of the Navy, Baby Girl."

You blinked up at him. "She is?" you whispered, mind swirling with the image of Indigo storming away from you in a rage the last time you saw her.

"Yeah, she's toast," he replied, lips meeting your forehead again as Natasha and Jake headed out. "I had a meeting with Mav and Cyclone."

"When were you going to tell me?"

You glanced around to make sure everyone else had cleared out. "Okay, that does sound fun, but we have to babysit Jeremiah one evening this week."

"Can't it wait until next week after we get back from the mountains?" he whispered. "I'm in family mode, looking forward to our anniversary."

"Nope. We absolutely have to watch Jer for them. It's a necessity, Roo."

-----------------------------

"Jesus," Bradley groaned, kicking your maternity uniform across the bedroom floor before it could trip him up. Dinner was in the oven, Rose was napping, and you were easing yourself back on the bed, nearly naked. He watched you pull your sensible underwear down until he could see your rooster tattoo, and then he pounced.

"Roo!" you squealed, wrapping your leg around his hip as he held himself over your body, his hands planted on either side of your head. "You have to make it quick. And you're never quick."

"I know," he grunted, biting his lip as you rubbed yourself against the fly of his khakis. All he wanted at the moment was to take his time licking that bead of milk from your nipple before treating his mouth to your entire body. But there wasn't time. Jake Seresin would be here shortly to ruin his fun.

Your hand on his zipper prompted him to savor that bit of your milk as you pulled him free of his pants. Then you guided him right where he belonged, and he sank inch by inch into your pussy until you moaned his name.

But something about having you naked and beneath him while he was still fully clothed in his uniform made Bradley realize he wasn't going to last too long. The bounce of your tits as your fingers dug into his hair. The scrape of your nails along his scalp as your pupils grew wide. The way your growing belly took up more space than usual. It was all designed to make him insane. He knew it. He wasn't going to fight it. You'd win every time anyway.

"How do you do this to me?" murmured against your neck, inhaling your scent with a gasping breath as your pussy pulsed around him. "How do you fuck me up like this?"

Your answer was your lips on his jaw as Bradley swallowed hard, fucking you as his body tensed above yours. "Roo," you gasped, lips parting, rolling your hips. He couldn't hang on when it was this good. When your voice was in his ear, coaxing him along.

"God, Roo. Daddy!"

That did it. His thrusts grew shorter as he came, pushing himself deep, filling you with his cum until he let his weight settle halfway on top of you. He was never done until you got what you deserved, but as soon as he dragged his fingers along your tattoo and let them settle on your clit, Tramp started barking.

"They're here," you moaned, starting to sit up with Bradley's cock still buried deep.

"But I'm not done with you," he whispered, keeping you in place while Tramp howled. But it was useless. "Fuck!" He pulled himself free, forfeiting the opportunity to watch his cum leak out of you as he stood. Bradley tucked himself back into his pants and did up the zipper, scowling. "Hangman ruins everything, I swear to god." He pulled one of his old undershirts and some gym shorts from his drawer as you laughed and stood. "I'll finish you off later," he promised with a kiss, pressing his clothing into your hand.

"I know you will."

Bradley was in no mood for company, but when he opened the front door, Jer clapped his hands with a big smile on his face. "Hey, Buddy," he said, smiling reluctantly as Jeremiah climbed from Cat's arms into his. "Tramp is so excited to play with you."

"Tramp!" Jeremiah reached down trying to pet the dog while he went wild.

"Thanks for babysitting," Jake said as he strolled in from the porch earning an eye roll from Bradley.

"It's no big deal," Bradley replied through clenched teeth, trying not to glare. It wasn't like Jake and Cat had any idea what they'd interrupted. Or at least they didn't until you came rushing down the hallway into the living room with Bradley's undershirt on backward. Cat didn't seem to notice, but Jake stifled his laughter behind his hand.

"Hi, Jeremiah!" you crooned, running your fingers along his cheek. "We're going to have so much fun. Rose will be awake soon, and we can go out back to the playset."

"Sorry about the timing," Jake muttered.

"No, you're not," Bradley whispered. "Now get out of here."

Jake laced his fingers with Cat's as she said, "We'll be back in less than two hours."

"Take your time," you said, waving her off. "We'll have so much fun while you're gone." You took Jeremiah's hand and led him to the couch where you'd left a stack of Rose's books, ready for the occasion.

When Bradley closed the front door, he heard his daughter's cries coming from the nursery. He rushed in to scoop her up, kissing her fuzzy hair and changing her diaper before carrying her to the living room where you were reading Jeremiah the silly goose book.

"Whoa, Baby Girl. You need to start over. Rosie and I love this book."

--------------------------

The sun was setting after dinner as you nursed Rose on the patio wearing Bradley's clothes and your boat shoes. You hadn't taken the time to turn his shirt the other way, too busy bustling around with the two, well, three kids.

"Higher?" Bradley asked.

"Jake needs to get this kid a puppy," Bradley eventually said as Jeremiah reached for the dog again. Really, the only thing that seemed more interesting to him was Rose, and he shifted his focus as you walked their way, Tramp immediately forgotten.

"Can you say Rose?" you asked Jeremiah as his swing came to a stop in front of Bradley. "Rose."

He tried his best but struggled with the R sound as Rose reached for his hair. "Be nice, Rosie," Bradley scolded, scooping up Jeremiah at the same time he took Rose from your arms. The sight of him holding both kids was almost too much, and you reached for one of the wooden playset posts to keep yourself standing. He kissed your daughter's cheek and said, "It's getting dark out here. How about a snack and one more round of the silly goose book?"

"We could do that," you whispered, letting your hand rest on your belly. For the briefest second, you started rethinking your threat about the vasectomy.

"You have to read it again," Bradley murmured, leading the way to the sliding glass door with his arms full. "The kids love your voice, and so do I."

By the time you finished the book, Rose was falling asleep and Jeremiah was yawning. But Bradley looked attentive, eyes calculating. At the sound of a knock on the door, he was up from the couch with Jeremiah in his arms. "Well, it's been fun, little man, but it's time for you to leave."

"I didn't even get to say goodbye!" you complained, holding Rose.

Bradley turned around so you could kiss Jeremiah on the cheek, and then he thrust the child into Cat's arms and closed the door as soon as she said thank you.

"That wasn't very nice," you said with a laugh.

"Stop swearing in front of the baby," you scolded half-heartedly before he kissed your lips. God, he was doing numbers on you right now. He was in his demanding 'dad' mode while still wearing his uniform, and you moaned out loud. "Okay, fine. I'll go get undressed."

Everything felt so good tonight. You could hear Bradley singing to Rose as you went to the bathroom and did your bedtime routine. You didn't have to wait long after you tugged his undershirt over your head before he appeared in the bedroom doorway. His brown eyes were playful, but his gaze was glued to your body. "Now, where were we?"

You trailed your hand down your side, along your swollen belly, and let your fingertips graze your tattoo. "Right about here, Roo."

--------------------------

Well, I was wrong... there will be one more part after this! Stay tuned for an anniversary trip. And don't forget to send me your thoughts about hcs and blurbs! Thanks for reading!

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420 notes · View notes

britishsass · 3 years ago

Note

Winged au Bob idea: his mind has some really obnoxious wind currents that dibt make that much sense - too many downdrafts, the wind shifts to exactly the direction you dont want it to go, the wind currents really screw with dynamic soarers like albatrosses too. So raz has to use the boat.

I could see that-- Something that makes it really hard for anyone to even try to help him, to be honest. It's not like he hasn't tried, it's just that after the first three crashes... he gave up.

#anon #ask response #winged au #level ideas #queue #bob's a really sad guy imo...#but i love him so much.....

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randomidiocyncrazies · 2 years ago

Text

akdsfjshdsfjhlakdsjfhalksfhasjk screaming crying frothing at the mouth at the latest ep of Gwitch!!!!! i’m real sad we have to wait an extra week for the next ep.....

some thoughts in no particular order under the cut:

Shaddiq has apparently “always intended” to break up the Benerit Group, and his posse are actively working towards that...

So the question is: why? We know that Grassely Defense used to lead the MS Development Council (in the prologue), but Delling took control and formed the Cathedra & the Benerit Group after he arranged to wipe out the Vanadis Institute. Is killing Delling and breaking up the Benerit Group revenge on Delling for taking over and displacing Grassely as the top dog, or is it just because Shaddiq is sick of the current status quo? Is Shaddiq doing this for his adoptive father, or does he actually resent the man?

For what it’s worth, I think Grassely CEO does value Shaddiq, and so far we’ve seen no evidence that he had ever abused his adoptive son—however, their relationship is still fundamentally unequal in that Shaddiq’s position is reliant on performing the role of “Grassely CEO’s adoptive son” well. The comment that Shaddiq will lose his position should he fail could definitely be read as a threat, though my personal interpretation of it is that it’s a reminder that there are limits to his adoptive father’s influence.

(Also, right now my headcanon is that at least some of Shaddiq’s squad are orphans like him—maybe they grew up together, which explains why Shaddiq is so close to them. It is pretty weird that all of them are girls though.)

Space Assembly League

And speaking of people who are sick of the status quo, the lady who said “space needs some new rules” back in episode 2 is back! I admit, I forgot what the Space Assembly League is or even if we’re supposed to know who they are... In any case, Miorine networking with them should be fun.

Miorine and Guel

It’s interesting to me that both Miorine and Guel had attempted to run away from the Academy, and in Guel’s case actually succeeded. Guel is an obvious foil to Miorine—though last episode drew a connection between Suletta and Guel with the whole “your parent is important to you, my parent is important to me too” conversation, imo Guel and Miorine have many more ‘obvious’ similarities regarding their tyrannical parents and lack of control in their circumstances. I am excited about the development of Guel and Miorine as narrative foils, and I hope this gets explored in depth in future episodes.

The different trajectories these characters are on to gain essentially the same things (freedom and genuine respect) is really fascinating: Guel starts off as an asshole who has power because of his family’s influence, as well as his unbroken win record, while Miorine was looked down upon by all her peers despite being Delling’s daughter. Miorine is frequently shown to be treated as an accessory by everyone around her, and in episode 2 we see that Guel is only valued as long as he doesn’t deviate from his father’s expectations, and with each new episode we see that his father basically treats him the same way Delling treats Miorine—both their wishes are overruled by their fathers, and the children get no respect from the parents.

Then the gala episode saw Miorine leverage her connection to her father, and we see her relationship with him having a slight improvement in this episode; on the other hand, this episode sees Guel shedding his family’s name entirely to stand on his own by working a ‘common’ job in a simple existence—which was what Miorine was aiming for back in ep 1. Miorine gains autonomy and respect by entering the system as a company owner; Guel—sorry, Bob—experiences freedom and camaraderie by being just another unremarkable guy doing a job and living a quiet life.... until the Dawn of Fold attacked.

Dawn of Fold

I haven’t made up my mind about the two Gundams(?) that the Dawn of Fold has yet—maybe Prospera shared the tech and had been developing Gundams on Earth? After all, Ochs Earth was involved in the research conducted at the Vanadis Institute... Although Earth is very poor, Aerial was developed (or upgraded) on Mercury, which is also poor. And the way the two girls dismissed Gundam Inc.’s advertisement shows that they consider themselves far more knowledgeable about the topic, and the ways Gundams should be used (which is to wage wars, probably).

I think Nika being associated with a mercenary group on Earth and is potentially attending the school as a spy is a pretty good twist! I’ve said before that the school’s security is ridiculously lax, considering a substantial number of VIPs in the next generation of current Benerit Group members attend the Academy—all it takes is one accident (or “accident”) to wipe out or weaken the top dogs in the Group. The reveal of Nika’s connection to Dawn of Fold also explains the nuances in her dynamic with Shaddiq, and I’m interested to know how they started working together (or, more like how she started working for him.)

Suletta’s heartbreak

As Miorine’s relationship with her father improves, her relationship with Suletta worsens. I do think there’s a little bit of miscommunication going on: Miorine’s used to doing everything by herself because she had no power before, so imo she probably sees being able to actually hire gardeners and delegate tasks as a very good thing—it means she can trust that her wants are respected. And with how busy Suletta is, she thinks she’s genuinely helping Suletta—besides, she doesn’t want to burden Suletta (and probably thinks Suletta was interested to go on a date with “Elan”...)

However, she doesn’t realize that Suletta doesn’t mind the busywork, because it’s Miorine who's asking her to do it. For all of Miorine’s rage about her father ignoring her—silencing her voice—she herself isn’t really listening to Suletta either.

Seems like she is her father’s daughter after all... but I’m optimistic that it’ll turn out differently with Suletta.

The new Elan (El5n)

El5n is under orders to seduce Suletta to get to Aerial, and with the recent heartbreak she might fall for his charms—he might be the Touga analogue, since I have increasing doubts about Shaddiq’s playboy persona.

Also, I can’t help but think choosing El5n might bite the Peil CEOs and the real Elan (El0n) in the ass, since they made a point to show how much of a schemer with a “wicked personality” he is in his brief appearance.

(Like... if El5n and El0n are so similar, what makes El0n so secure that El5n wouldn’t take his place for real? We also don’t know El0n’s relation to the Peil CEOs—or if the CEOs even have the most authority in Peil, and aren’t just the face of the corporation—so who’s to say that his position is as secure as he thinks?)

Misc: Secilia and Rouji

I know this is so not the point, but I’m really curious about them—they don’t seem affiliated with any of the Big Three, so why are they on the Duel Committee? We have no idea what their affiliation is, and we have no idea what they actually do: they certainly don’t pilot, and only seem to handle the admin tasks. So why are they there? Why are they specifically trusted to handle these things and have the privilege(?) of being on the Council? Like, I get that it might look bad if only the people affiliated with the Big Three are on the committee, so for appearance’s sake they need another party who’s “neutral”, but why specifically these two (or the companies they’re affiliated with)?

#gwitch #gwitch spoilers #gundam witch from mercury #gundam #ric reacts

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wild-oats-and-cornflowers · 3 years ago

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so the concert was fantastic beyond my expectations. Now granted I didn't know what to expect since a) I never got to see MCR before the breakup and b) I haven't been watching the livestreams because they all tend to have bad sound quality. But the whole night was just unbroken fun and joy from beginning to end. I got to the Little Caesar's Arena about 5 minutes before doors and immediately headed into the merch line which was actually really fast-moving - I was in line for about 20 minutes, picked up the demo lovers shirt and some pins and was well seated and settled a good 15 minutes before the show started.

What I had heard about the Lemon Twigs made me think they weren't gonna be my cup of tea - I had the impression they were an EDM band - but they were actually a regular rock band with a really nice sound. Thursday was killer as I expected. Geoff Rickly dedicated Signals Over the Air to human rights, reproductive justice, and the right of everyone there to express their gender and sexuality.

This was the MCR set list (courtesy of The_MCR_Archive on twitter):

They were incredible. The people saying they're at the absolute top of their game, better than they've ever been, were NOT lying. Foundations of Decay actually sounded better live than the recorded version - not to insult the recorded version, it's excellent, but the live was something else. Also Gerard was dressed in a nurse costume (photo by blazingchakrams on twitter):

The crowd was pretty lively for the whole show, but I think went the craziest for House of Wolves and Na Na Na (s/o to the guy in the checkered shirt 3 rows down from me who went crazy for pretty much the entire show.) World is Ugly was probably imo the most beautiful performance of the night, but Welcome to the Black Parade was the pinnacle of the show, and may I say that I only cried a little. Apparently they were originally planning to do Cancer as the final encore song, but changed it, which I'm glad of because Helena was amazing.

People have said that the day after their shows they've felt kind of sad and drab because it's over or they're emotionally in withdrawal or whatever but I'm just bobbing along in a kind of extended afterglow here. I have my concert tee on and I feel only a deep content that I got to witness all of that last night.

#mcr #mcr detroit #not les mis

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arvandus · 3 years ago

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Stranger Things Thoughts:

I’ve been rewatching Stranger Things for the first time and I’m now on season 3. Here are some of my hot takes:

- Season 1 was truly fantastic. The best season. The way they built up the suspense and the mystery... I was scared all over again even though I knew everything, which was a testament to its quality.

- Still pissed at Nancy for ignoring her friend who was obviously miserable and uncomfortable just so she could hang out with her boyfriend. I would NEVER.

- Bob deserved better.

- There’s a definite vibe change in the setting from season 2 to season 3 and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

- Joyce is an absolute beast and I fucking love her; she’s probably the closest character to me emotionally. It’s that mom energy - the way she cares for El in season 1 and her tiger mom vibes for Will... I can relate deep in my soul.

- Poor Will deserves better. He’s suffered so much!

- The confrontation between Will and Mike in Season 3, where Mike says, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” and Will gets this wide-eyed look... THAT was the moment. That was the moment when it clicked for Will why he was so jealous of El and Mike. It was the first time he finally understood what his feelings *meant* which was probably a big part of why he ran away, hid away in his hide-out, called himself “stupid” and then took a bat to everything. And then tried to brush the whole conflict off as “not a big deal” when it obviously WAS a big deal. Poor boy realized he was gay and wanted to bury that shit waaayyy deep so one one could find it.

- On a side note, I can only imagine what Will might have been thinking... he’d been taken the upside down where he almost died, was pretty much impregnated against his will (recall the baby Demogorgon he coughed up??) possessed, and the Mindflayer STILL has some hold on him because he can sense him when he’s active. And with the way that homosexuality was treated in the 80s, I’m sure he thought he was a monster, a freak, that maybe the feelings he had for his best friend were wrong and vile. That they were something that was the result of what he’d gone through, something that was done to him, rather than it being a very natural and acceptable part of who he was as a person. THIS POOR BOY I CAN’T RIGHT NOW.

- Mike started out as such a good character but each season has gotten progressively worse and it makes me so sad...

- I remember El’s abilities being so badass when I first saw them; but now on the rewatch, they’ve lost their impact for me because I’m so used it (and it’s very overdone every season - can she level up...? Like... at all?).

- Steve and Nancy never really had a breakup...? Like... wtf was that? They had a fight during the party and the day after... but like... an actual breakup wasn’t established? And then Nancy hooked up with Jonathan? Excuse me, but what??

- I miss season 3 Robin when she was less chaos incarnate and more smart, snarky nerd.

- Steve and his bat are the OTP.

- I like all the scenes that have the clock ticking sounds... it all ties it in together which I enjoy.

- Season 3 Hopper is SO FLAWED but tbh I appreciate it because it’s important for his character development.

- On a side note, the running theme of his abuse of his power as chief of police makes me cringe a little thanks to real life events. I know it’s just a show and we as the audience know he’s the good guy so his actions are ‘justified,’ but still... the overall theme of “I can do what I want because of my authority” has not aged well, imo.

- I’m not looking forward to season 4 because I know what’s going to happen and I’m not ready for that pain again....

#Arvandus rambles #Stranger Things

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dil-ibaadat · 3 years ago

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Hello. Just curious how chapter 3 of Dowry is coming along and when to look for it. I’ve been really sad about recent Kanthony news (possibly no s3 subplot, no Emmy noms for Jimone) and need my comfort fic more than ever lol :(

aiming to have it posted by this weekend! a return to kate pov, my beloved :D.

i'm sorry you're feeling down about kanthony!

this may not be what you want to hear, but bridgerton isn't exactly the type of content emmy voters look for when nominating their favorite shows. it's frilly froth meant to entertain, nothing more, and this season's story was frankly an incoherent mess saved solely by the chemistry and performances of the two leads. in my humble opinion, it was really engaging, but it wasn't good television, at least not in the classical sense.

now, personally, i think JB did a fantastic job and deserved a nod, but it was a stacked board this season. i mean, succession won 7/12 nominations allotted for guest actors in drama series and a total of 25 nominations overall. that's insane (well, well-deserved, it's a beast of a show, but still). they clearly have their preferences.

but here's the thing: emmy nominations are not the final arbiters of taste. these guys nominated TBBT for YEARS (a show whose writers routinely relied on casual misogyny and jim parsons rattling off the periodic table for laughs) and paid dust to brooklyn 99, bojack horseman, the wire, the office, freaks and geeks (OK, it only ran for a season, but it was a brilliant fucking season, alright?), etc, etc.

so don't feel guilty for liking something because it's not as "highbrow" or critically acclaimed as shows touted in variety or the a.v. club. bridgerton's failure to garner many nominations is nothing but a reflection of the fact that emmy voters simply didn't like the show enough to nominate it. that's it. but for the general audience, season 2 was of major interest! we can see that looking at netflix's streaming stats. in sum, the show is not in danger of being canceled, we will still see bits and bobs of kanthony in the future (even if JB books new shows, as he should), and your favorite actors will go on to have great careers in which you'll have plentiful opportunity to see them on the screen to your heart's content. not having emmy noms is not a big deal, especially for show of bridgerton's caliber and appeal.

and, another, very, very humble opinion of mine:

in my experience, if a show is visually and technically perfect, i won't be motivated to write for it. because the story is finished. it was emotionally satisfying, it was done well. i'm the breed of writer who writes out of rage, who views fanfic as the ultimate 'fuck you' letter to the production of a show that has lost its way. i did not like season 2 - it had some great elements, but overall, the story for me felt unfinished. that's why i'm in the fandom, to read and write about kanthony getting the ending and character development they deserve. a lot of these highbrow shows that have been nominated will more often than not have a different type of fandom, one where fans are more likely to engage in iterative activities (what was your favorite episode, rank your favorite characters, etc.) as compared to transformative activities (as in rage-writing fix-it fanfiction). in my view, season 2's terrible creative decisions did result in a lot of fan engagement with kanthony as a ship. the lack of good content and desire for more is what prompts creators to create. that's a good thing!

imo, we've got a fantastic fictional couple, amazing fans, brilliant writers in the fandom, and enough spite to keep us churning out content for YEARS. so don't worry yet about the kanthony well drying up. we're doing just fine.

i hope this rant makes you feel somewhat better, anon. clearly, i had some feelings to get out as well. :D

#anon #my fic #bridgerton

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cherrymoonvol6 · 5 years ago

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absolutely no one asked for this but i will rank every kent parson pairing that i can think about (warning: SUPER subjective, but i tried)

kent/bad bob

i don’t even know what to say except NO. come fucking on. -1000000/10

kent/fry guy

i mean... first of all, LOL. second of all, if we take in account that all the times we see fry guy he’s being annoyed by either jack’s or bitty’s accomplishments/happiness, then i can see them bonding over that and going straight to the hook up. but again, come onnnnn in the best cases this is either a blatant self-insert or pushing the concept of a crack-ship, at worst this is deliberatedly ignoring richer characters in the comic in order to pair kent with the LOL option. 2/10

kent/bitty

i feel like this is the one pairing that makes NO sense at all yet i know people are gonna go for it because two conventionally attractive guys together cute. imo a lot of people go into this thinking bitty is morally superior than kent and it’s like an extension of the kent discourse and a form of a “fix-it” for him (and fix WHAT?) (if you don’t, you are so valid and please keep going). like, do you really think kent parson would give a single fuck about eric bittle? i love bitty, but c’mon. this is like the kinda thing bitty would come up with in his own head to make himself feel better about his second-hand feelings of anger and sadness over kent and jack’s history. your only shot at this is to write one or both of them ooc, which, valid i guess. 3/10

kent/holster

same thing with fry guy: holster isn’t very fond of jack, he and kent can bond over that. i can totally see holster being kent’s type, too. maybe holster wants to act some of that steamy jackparse fanfiction with him. 4/10, has potential

kent/ransom

bro did you SEE ransom’s face while talking about parse coming to the epikegster on year 3????? and kent remembering ransom on that forbidden update????? after all, ransom was the one holding kent’s body issue on parse ii. nhl guys are ransom’s weakness, 200%: they’d hook up and then they’d spent the rest of the night gushing about how hot tater is. 6/10

kent/tyler seguin

bro this pairing is like, fucking hysterical. whoever came up with this, i love you because is there anything more on brand for kent than pairing him with the irl hockey player he’s based off??? this is a crack ship done right. 6.5/10

kent/whiskey

listen....... i’d be so up for this. whiskey and kent are essentially the same person. whiskey is literally what kent would’ve been if he had gone to college. they’re SUPER ambitious and competitive, have problems opening up, it’s all about the Fronts(tm), but like. what’s that age difference, again? like, six years? idk. idk, man. if they were to end on the same team, though, they’d vibe so hard with each other... opening up to each other might be pushing it, though. whiskey must have mad respect for him because he’s a great player and same with kent! so like, if i pretend i do not see it, 7/10

kent/scraps

am i imagining it or did ngozi describe scraps as someone who sees kent as the smartest one in the room? or something like that. anyways, it’s about time that kent gets someone on his life that he can confide in and then return some of that love. if they’re not higher on the list is because i like them more as the platonic bond kent desperately needs (also i’m not sure about what the age gap is?), but friends to lovers following deep conversations and personal growth in an incredibly toxic environment? good shit. 7/10

kent/lardo

i feel like this is either a hit or miss with whether you headcanon kent as gay or bi, but even though i always think of kent as gay i’m so up for this pairing. i feel like they have so many things in common and you could truly portray them in such different settings! and i love to think about them opening up to each other. oh, the softness and tenderness that could come out of these two!!! bonus if we get jackshit as the background couple, plus that damn jackparse reconciliation. 8/10

kent/omc

i love kent parson, which means i’m always up for the idea of him getting himself a boyfriend who can challenge him and drive him to want to become a better person so that he can come out of that self-destruction spiral that his life in the nhl has been. free space, you can quite literally do anything with this. 8/10

kent/swoops

i hate to say this but this pairing, though it’s the friends-to-lovers crusade that kent deserves on his nhl life, is kind of a wild card because swoops is just a shell of a character. this pairing is kinda like kent/omc but the omc has actually appeared in canon. but again, FRIENDS TO LOVERS and there’s SO many cute and angsty and wholesome things you could get out of it. 8/10

kent/tater

listen, enemies-to-lovers isn’t my shit, i’ll admit it. but i love tater and i love kent and seeing them clashing looks like so much fun. i feel like once kent shows some of the ugly things he’s hiding inside, these two could click so well. and also that one panel with tater lifting kent off the ground with one hand, out of pure anger at this little shit trying to make jack’s nhl life a living hell, boy oh boy do i love me some of that. with them, and if done right, there could be a great balance between humour and the deep angst we all know and love from kent fics and character studies. plus, it’s going to eventually push a jackparse reconciliation. gimme all that closure baby! 9/10

kent/jack

you 200% expected this if you have seen a single post from my blog. i mean.... this literally has it all. the two characters with the richest backstories and/or development. rivals to friends to “lovers” to enemies to ??? to enemiesANDrivals to eventual lovers??? YOU pick it. you get all the angst, all the conflict surrounding each others’ expectations, the pressure of the hockey world around them, the APOLOGIES and the growing up, the delicious trope of them individually solving their shit and then coming back to each other. all the personality clashes! legends on the ice! kenny and zimms! jack and cat content! absolutely everything you could wish for. hot and steamy? we got it. angry and challenging? hell yeah. soft and forgiving, eventually? just the best of the best. you get the closure that bitty’s pov couldn’t provide, character studies, SO many different types of pining and unrequited and forbidden love... if you’re not on the jackparse life, you are missing out. come join us in hell. 1000000/10

#omgcp #parse positive #kent parson #long post

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haus-of-wu · 5 years ago

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Bonamana (미인아) 10th Anniversary Album Analysis/Rediscovery

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Happy 10th Anniversary to Bonamana / 4jib !

I viscerally remember this album coming out when I was in the 8th grade and using my damn iTunes gift cards to buy the album tracks for my iPod nano. (WTF was streaming in 2010)

Bonamana was the first album of many in SJ’s discography that didn’t have the full lineup of members. Hangeng had departed SM, Kibum had announced a hiatus to focus on acting, and Kangin was starting off what would become SJ’s almost decade-long military rotation era.

We’ve come a long way, and we’re still out here !!

Track analysis and re-reaction below the cut - as a veteran ELF I find that middle school me fixated on certain songs (and was the biggest Ryeowook stan), and then completely forgot about entire other songs, so it’s always a fun time going back down memory lane.

Bonamana (미인아)

Even if you look and look, look and look, look and look There’s no one else but me.

It’s true, true that my feelings don’t have a place to go. You know that I adjusted myself to fit you

honestly the best iteration of the “SJ Funky” sound that started with “Sorry Sorry” imo

an absolute headbanger !! if you aren’t already bobbing your head to the bass line and percussion in the first 10 seconds you are not human

this has just the right tasteful amount of autotune that makes it age a lot better than sorry sorry over the years

i’m sorry but the choreo absolutely fucks especially with kyuhyun going out there being like “you thought i was a main vocal? i’m in this fucking dance break”

re:choreo, it’s understandable that they’ve pivoted to the rock remix of this for super shows bc there’s a squat move they do that is not friendly on the knees at all

if you wanted a club BOP about a guy trying his hardest to figure out how to get a girl’s attention, this is it

donghae doing a magic trick for every music show performance of this, while looking fiercely in character while delivering his line as a man who is hella stressed about what to get the girl as a present

the way ryeowook and sungmin (tenor line !!) exchange lines

this song made me go feral in 2010

No Other

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Hearing you tell me that you love me, I have everything in this world, You & I, You’re so fine, Is there someone like you? I love you Oh, please know it, to me there’s only you, That I stupidly see you As my everything

that feel-good cute love song that served as the foil to Bonamana

the softest MV !!

just super chill and smile inducing

all the music show performances of this are just...so cute (also featured so many shenanigans like leeteuk yelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEENIM/GOOD LUCK SHINEE, and random members playing rock paper scissors in the middle of the performance)

probably has the most evenly split line distributions for the time (each member has their own verse of sorts)

contains one of my favorite hyukjae rap parts - it flows in such a relaxing way

Shake It Up (Remix Version)

Hey get up, (Hey get up) everyone come here (everyone come here) Just shake (all your thoughts) Just shake it up!

your everyday repetitive life, right now shake it up your repeated thoughts of sadness- right now shake it up Are you separated from the world? It all depends on you

SJ said shake it up !

chill club song with the touch of autotune, heavy synth, and weird background “oh OHs” of the time

the predecessor to the electronic chill vibe that Skydive has

they really told us to have fun and enjoy

honestly the song i didn’t realize i’d need in quarantine as i jam out at my desk

All My Heart

The words I still can’t say The words that got stuck in my throat I love you more than anyone else It’s still you and me, me me me me me me me me

In this moment I’m really happy I’m really grateful that you came to me The one who gives everything to me It’s only you and me, me me me me me me just you

a simple guitar instrumental with soothing vocals, a wholesome r&b

composed by LEETEUK AND HENRY? fuck me up fam

as a kid this was just the “nanana nanana na” song (that’s the me me me part of the chorus lmao)

this is the happy song that you’d like wave your lighters to maybe

hyukjae’s been singing “don’t wake me up” for eons

god this song makes me so soft

A Short Journey

My heart that loved you My eyes that looked at you Are still here

Oh baby say goodbye, for a short while goodbye I’ll go back to the place when I once was When I open that door and take one step So that I can stand in front of you who I missed

My heart that loved you My eyes that looked at you Will wait

Kangin going to the military tribute song composed by Donghae and lyrics by Hyukjae? they really had all the rights in 2010

god the lyrics really hit me in my ELF heart. like we really went through a whole decade of military service and said goodbye for now so many times

the opening piano intro? i hate you donghae i really do

hyukjae these lyrics man. why. why you gotta make our hearts hurt like this

another simple instrumental with soothing vocals, but this time it hits you in the feels a bit

if you weren’t listening to the lyrics, this feels like a song you’d watch your parents slow dance to in the house

thanks for triggering the “i miss kangin” hours G O D

Boom Boom

From head to toe you are wrapped with all luxury things Hoo~ so eye-blinding, who would ever dare to touch you?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star I’m trying to get a hot girl, I’m drawn to her bad look look look am I wrong?

It’s nothing but such a beautiful sin

THE OTHER BANGER IN THIS ALBUM

yeah i feel like 13/14 y.o. me only was here for bonamana and boom boom back in 2010 which is like...pretty valid given the taste of your typical middle schooler in 2010

but literally. if you thought bonamana was about a guy desperate to get the girl, boom boom was legit like “shit she’s hot like sin and hooking up with her might be a mistake for me but oh well wtf why the hell not”

kyuhyun’s line at the beginning “from head to toe/머리부터 발 끝까지” is apparently used in a lot of lyrics, to the point where D&E were like, Bout You’s Korean title is gonna be that, AND it’s gonna be in the chorus. this was totally off-topic.

the whiplash in this album honestly. soft love songs to trying to get girls in the club to i’ll wait for you to finish military service. they have the RANGE

Coagulation

On the window and on my eyes Dew forms, tears form, a small stream is made Where they’re from and how they form over and over even I don’t know The only thing I know is that I just really hurt My formerly burning heart is slowly becoming cold It seems even I don’t know what to say, or how to hold on to you

time for a KRY ballad (can you BELIEVE they are finally having their first whole-ass album in june ??)

break up crying song included with the album of two absolute bangers

just close your eyes and get taken away on the sad rainy day ballad

Your Eyes

I want to erase all of my insufficient former self It seems like someone like me has nothing to give to you

Do you still remember, do you believe that it’s only you for me Do you know how long you can keep me by your side In this large world, there’s only one person (I only want you) Did you know this about me

sad piano r&b time !! brought to you by yesung and kyuhyun only

harmonies

kyuhyun’s bridge though

easily a candidate for some drama OST

i feel like this album really just had two sides - party rock central and r&b feels

My Only Girl

Even if I cover my ears I can hear it, even if I close my eyes, I can see it Even if I shut my mouth I keep calling out for you I am stupid I hate how I can’t get over you

we really opened this song with “cause i’m lonely” huh (screams at how applicable this still is for them TEN years later)

i love everything about this song except the chorus

the chorus is very underwhelming

My All Is In You

Even though I’m pretending to smile Without knowing why In truth I want to cry

It seems love is ending like this Before I know it our parting is approaching You say “goodbye” To me, letting you go is still difficult Please give me a little more time I can’t live without you My all is in you

another sad breakup bop why are you guys so good at this genre

the percussion comes in so nicely

little strings in the background that help accentuate the words (chef’s kiss)

KRY really were already yelling not even halfway into this song - perf

we literally are only in the second chorus folks

this song is great, it’s only sin was that it said “rap line you just don’t get lines”, so rip heechul, hyukjae, and shindong

Shake it Up!

the original - way less electro, more acoustic

has a very lo-fi beginning and then it amps up

has some interesting high pitched synth piano twiddling up there

a tad slower than the remix, but not by much if at all

dude the horns coming in behind hyukjae’s rap !! it fucks !

if the remix version’s vibe is people having fun in the club, this one’s vibe is a summer bbq party in the backyard

god i really love the horn line - it gives it such a nice vibe

another point in the “feel good” bucket

In My Dream

She’s walking away Embracing another person My chest’s like it’s being crushed under a heavy weight

I’m dreaming again, right? Cold sweat runs down my body It hurts to dream about things, I hate to remember

I wish I would fall asleep forever like this I wake up with her presence still… although I hope I don’t dream again, Like today, it seems I fall asleep with her presence

piano and string sadness here we go

bring back SJ KRY + donghae + sungmin

this chorus for this song stabs me in the heart every time

i’m mad where’s the MV for the heart-wrenching sad ballad

kings of emotional power vocals

we really are out here singing our hearts out about that ex-girlfriend that haunts us as we try to fall asleep

if they ever perform this all ELF in the vicinity would immediately die

One Fine Spring Day

A warm wind is blowing like it was that night The flowers you lovingly planted have bloomed Before I know it spring has come again I still want to deeply sleep like it’s winter

You are so very far, so very far To be honest I miss you every day Even the very small, very small trivial things make me think of you every day

still laughing the ryeowook brought up bonamana as his favorite album on weekly idol bc it contained his first ever solo track ;kasjf;aksdf king of promoting only himself

this is v soft, v much aligned with the little prince image that wasn’t even in the works yet

the imagery of the lyrics man. cute winter to spring yearning uwus

s o f t e s t

like this is literally the song that inspired every fanfic writer that’s ever written ryeowook as persephone in some greek god au

Good Person

When you laugh I feel good too, even when you say it’s just pretend You bring happiness to the days when I wait for you, the nights when I miss you Even when I’m alone it’s okay if I can just see you I’m always behind you, I’m always looking out for you, but it seems like I have to share

The difference between me and the person who makes you cry is that all I can do is comfort you

this song sounds like something that would be in the opening of an animated show that takes place in a high school

now that i’m looking at the lyrics, this is literally an upbeat sounding song accepting that they’ve been friendzoned and all they can do is support her relationship with the other guy

bittersweet nostalgia bop i guess

Here We Go

cue family/action movie credit music vibes

i don’t have much to say about it - i just isn’t something i’d listen to on the regular

it’s just happy-go-lucky finale type music

it has a really old-school hyukjae/shindong rap verse lmao

vocal line is out here yelling, very on-brand

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alextriestowritestuff · 5 years ago

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House of Hades Read with Me Part 2

Hey guys! I’m back with my final thoughts on House of Hades (HoH) by Rick Riordan. My thoughts covering the first half of the book can be found here. My thoughts on Son of Neptune/why I’m re-reading the series is here. My Mark of Athena thoughts are here. If you want to know my general thoughts on HoH and don’t want to read my long winded review of it here it is: It’s AMAZING. This is the best book in the series so far by a landslide imo. Literally if I actually felt more than indifference or dislike for the new HoO characters, I’d say this book was better than any of the PJO books. I was really losing faith in the series before I read HoH to the point where I had wished Rick ended Percy’s story with the Last Olympian. If I were to rate this book, I’d give it a 4.5. I enjoyed the Percabeth, the suspense, and the journey through Tartarus the most. Despite issues with pacing, lack of platonic bonding between the Seven, romantic relationships being stunted for couples such as Piper/Jason and Hazel/Frank, HoH has renewed my faith in the series potentially ending on a good note.

So let’s get into more specifics down below. I’ll have thoughts, my issues with the book, and spoilers under the cut.

I’m going to try not to fangirl too much over Percabeth because I’ve done that for all of my read with me’s so far but my heart belongs to them. I loved every reference to their future together. Percy and Annabeth both mentioned possibly having children in the future and I just decided then and there that their relationship is why I have such high standards. This is the blueprint of what I want for my romantic life. Taking applications for suitors now. Actually no, I’m scared of men. Percabeth’s chemistry is out of the world, romantically and in their fighting abilities. I really started to pay attention to how they fight together and as I read, I noticed how they would stand back to back and work together without even saying anything. I’m curious to how they’re going to react now that they’re literally been through hell and back. I’m sensing a PTSD arc. I guess Percy will have a more aggressive reaction (My mans was wildin in Tartarus-also when he said he was going to kill Gaea with his bare hands, I was like umm. sir. Rick better let him have that kill though.) but I can’t quite predict what Annabeth’s reaction will be. Also it wasn’t explained why Percy was acting like a psycho in Tartarus and about to brutally kill Aklyhs but I guess I’m just to assume it was to add suspense and implies he has a dark side. And don’t forget that Percy told Annabeth he loved her back-it wasn’t as poetic as when she said it but he still said love you too.

Next topic: Bob/Iapetus/Damasen. I like to check goodreads reviews after I finish a book just to see what everyone thought of it and it seems that a lot of people were heartbroken after they (presumably) sacrificed themselves. I don’t have much to say here-I mean, that’s sad and I’m thankful that they did that but I’m not in my feels about it. It was a clever outcome of the ‘foes bear arms to the doors of death’ line from the prophecy. I was wondering if Small Bob had any cool powers the entire time so that was cool when it got all big and helped Bob fight Tartarus (who by the way, scared the shit out of me jesus).

Nico. Check out my first part to know my thoughts about his whole coming out. I just had a question for you guys here-was he technically outed? And if so, that’s not good. I consider myself an LGBT ally and I try to be aware of when it is and when it’s not okay to reveal someone else’s sexuality. On one hand, I thought it was shitty of Cupid to coerce Nico into it but on the other hand if we (the readers) found out that Nico was gay by just him saying he liked Percy, I would’ve been like there’s nothing in the text to support that statement (because prior to HoH, I thought he hated Percy--blaming him for Bianca’s death--then only helped Percy (River styx, the Labyrinth) because he was an ally to the gods like Nico) so having the scenes in HoH of how Nico started to develop feelings for Percy made so much more sense to me. And those scenes only came up because of Cupid. Idk. Let me know what you guys think.

I found it a little strange how Nico wrote off Percy at the end of the book when Percy thanked him for leading the other demigods to HoH. I get it’s probably a defense mechanism to keep his distance from being even more attracted to Percy but I figured Nico would be a little less cold to him now that he admitted his feelings. I saw a goodsreads review that said there was a confirmed Nico POV in Blood of Olympus so fingers crossed we get that and it’ll explain his curt response to Percy and I’d love a Nico POV if we don’t actually have a Percy/Annabeth POV (according to another review I saw) because I can’t deal with the other HoO characters (except Leo, y’all know that tho).

Next topic: Frank and Hazel. I always give credit where it’s due even if I don’t particularly like or care about a character and these two got the MVPs for this book. Hazel’s fight with Pasiphae-it was so cool. For someone who didn’t get a mentor to help her with the mist and figured it out on her own, she was a straight boss. It was a little off to me how her POV started off the book yet she had the least amount of chapters but had this huge task of controlling the Mist/helping the team get through HoH ahead of her. And then her POV pops up in the end to defeat Pasiphae. This is again, why I say, there’s no need for all 7 to narrate. Hecate could’ve easily come to the ship and say all that stuff in front of the crew and let’s say it had been Frank’s POV. He would notice how Hazel is apprehensive/scared of this task because he knows her well and they could talk about it together so we still know her feelings and that’s one less POV because once again, she barely had any chapters.

Frank. I stand by my thoughts about the ‘growth spurt’, still think it’s hella problematic. I don’t generally care for him but even I got seduced by him more times than I’m willing to admit. When he commanded that dead army I was like yesss. The blessing of Ares and how he literally was on fire and the fact that he pulled an arrow out of his arm like it was no big deal really did it for me. I feel bad, because he’s just not very well written or else I think I could like him. I want to touch on the ship-- tbh, ship is not a word I’d use to describe this DOA relationship, maybe dinghy--ya this DINGHY ‘ship’ that is Hazel and Frank. Like it’s even drier than Jasper lmao. No chemistry there. They had no scenes alone together. I see that they care for each other and are worried when the other person is in danger but that’s not enough. Worry is normal for any relationship, Percy was worried about Grover when he went missing in Sea of Monsters but they weren’t together romantically.

And it could just be me refusing to ship a 13 year old with anyone but I just get no vibes from them. Leo and Hazel have more chemistry in their conversations alone. This is a total aside but I’ve been getting salty about how little Percy has had to work with in PJO compared to the HoO characters (And I know Rick wrote PJO first, he didn’t develop all these cool things/weapons like charmspeak or Leo’s belt yet) but although Percy is a great swordsman, he only has his powers like every other demigod. Like Hazel has her child of Pluto powers, the jewel curse that has helped her find gold, and now she can control the mist. And technically she has a horse but so does Percy. Frank’s got his fire stick, shape shifting, Ares’ child powers, archery, and he can command armies. Y’all know the other skills/boosts/weapons the other Seven have (Not including Annabeth) so like Rick really gave Percy (and no offense to Percy but also gave him half the intelligence of the HoO demigods) the bare minimum in PJO and we were all still impressed.

There’s this tik tok sound where someone (I don’t know the original meme or video, if you know please comment or reblog. I’d love to give credit), in disbelief, says ‘Wait a minute, what is this? This isn’t enough’ and someone responds in a sassy tone, ‘Make it enough’. And I feel like for PJO, Percy was like this isn’t enough and Rick said make it enough lmaoo. Percy was struggle bussin’ for no reason in PJO! HoO characters get everything handed to them and they still have the AUDACITY to not have any characterization. Couldn’t be me.

Next two couples I’ll talk about: Leo and Calypso & Jasper. I wasn’t expecting Calypso to be such a savage, like she was DONE with having heroes wash up on her shores. I missed her so much. While I liked the banter between Leo and Calypso, I felt that it was rushed/forced because it all took place in about four chapters. This wasn’t the best execution and part of why I can’t give the book five stars. I think he’ll come back for her, I don’t know how but out of everyone, Leo has really figured out how to make things work when they’re deemed ‘impossible’. So he’ll find a way. I wonder if he’ll confront Percy about leaving Calypso tho, I’d like to see that. So while he was on Ogygia, the other demigods had moved forward and were in Africa. And I was like WOW y’all really said fuck Leo. There was no search party for him (or mention of it), no tears shed for Leo. Damn. No wonder he feels like the Seventh wheel. I mean we got one or two throwaway lines about them worried about Leo’s whereabouts from Jason and Piper but I mean they weren’t in distress about it. I guessing I’m to assume they asked Nico if Leo was dead off screen and Nico confirmed that he wasn’t so they weren’t too worried about him? Anyway, they’re fake friends for that one.

That aside, Piper and Jason are *yawn* boring as I’ve said before. But I thought he was going to address Piper’s ‘I love you’ confession last book but I’m not sure if he even heard it. I really thought Reyna was going to come in and shake things up between them but just as soon she came, she left w/ Nico and Hedge to take the statue to Camp Half Blood so missed opportunity for resolution there. Piper and Jason also had NO scenes together so I’m really shocked how Rick expects us to ship couples if they don’t spend any time together. I’m not shocked about how Jason is most likely going back to Camp Half Blood after all this is over. It’s superior to Camp Jupiter so I don’t blame him but it’s an interesting choice. I was actually thinking that Percy might stay at Camp Jupiter because I figured he’d stay as praetor. And since Annabeth’s dad lives in Cali, I was thinking they could stay there but I’m sure they go back to New York after BoO because I saw an excerpt where Apollo asks for Percy’s help and I believe Apollo went to Sally’s apartment. But Percy could’ve been visiting Sally and live in CA normally. Speaking of which, how did Jason just give that position to Frank?? He has to be elected lmao. I mean when I read it, I was like Frank gets handed everything but then I was like well, Percy got the position and he wasn’t even at Camp Jupiter for a week and I didn’t complain about that. At least Frank has been there longer and has shown leadership qualities. But yeah, it’s still a no for me for Piper and Jason. At least Piper’s POV chapters weren’t annoying this book but she only got 4 chapters lmao so no time to be annoying.

To end this review, I want to touch about why I give this book gets a 4.5 and not a 5. I really feel like the 7 POVs were extremely unnecessary especially because the demigods not in tartarus were mostly together and didn’t have as many side quests as MoA. And some of them didn’t even get more than 4 chapters. I found the magic growth spurt way too problematic to overlook. I still feel like the new HoO characters except for Leo are underdeveloped or unlikeable. The pacing wasn’t the best-Alot of things happened in this book and very little of it could’ve been taken out. The pacing wasn’t slow, it was the right pace until about 60% of the way in and then I was just constantly being hit with attacks and rushed meetings like Leo and Calypso. But I can’t quite fault Rick because I felt every event in this book was necessary for it to be as good as it was so of course, some parts end up rushed. In addition, there’s not much bonding happening between the Seven. Like each trio that had their own book had some bonding in there (Can’t speak for Lost Hero because I haven’t read that in 6 or so years. But tSoN had a little, mostly between Frank and Hazel tho) but collectively, as the seven demigods of the prophecy-they haven’t really hung out and just talked about things that aren’t quests. For example in the Lighting Thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover would play hacky sack and he bonded with both of them when they were stuck in the zoo animal enclosure whatever. Grover told him about finding Pan and being worried since he was supposed to guide Thalia back to camp safely and he wasn’t able to. Annabeth told him about her dreams to become an architect in the Sea of Monsters.

Those moments of platonic bonding and intimacy are what’s missing from this series. Yes, the plot/the quest of the Seven should be front and center but I don’t feel like they’re a team. They’re just co workers at this point lmao. Hell, I think all of them participating in a conversation and just talking and enjoying each other’s company would actually make me like the HoO characters. Not Piper, she’s irredeemable in my eyes. She belongs to streets. Everyone else has a fighting chance tho. Guys, think about it. They have something in common (that’s number one requirement of friendship) they’re all demigods. They’ve all been scared, under pressure and expectations to save the world, and felt abandoned by their parents at one point or the other. Leo and Frank have said in their narrations that they feel inadequate next to powerful demigods like Percy and Jason. Imagine if Frank and Leo spoke to each other about that and were friends. Or started a dialogue about feeling inadequate and the other demigods could share their insecurities. The Seven are able to work together, that’s true but it doesn’t feel like friendship. It seems like each separate trio from the first two books are friends (Annabeth is in between because she’s friends with Jason and them but also Percy’s girlfriend) and they all just call the other trio friends because what else is there? Quest mates?

And I’m getting a little upset rn because there have been so many instances where we could’ve gotten some platonic friendship. Piper is learning from Hazel how to sword fight (How this girl has survived without learning an actual weapon how is beyond me. Charmspeak didn’t work very well for her in this book), like we had both their POVs. We could’ve had a training/bonding scene from either perspective. Not just some throwaway line about how they got close because they’re the only girls now that Annabeth was in Tartarus. Why couldn’t we have gotten one scene Rick? What was the reason? Tragic.

Platonic love and relationships exist. And it’s more than just complimenting someone when they use their powers. The scene at the end of the book when the Seven, Hedge, Reyna, and Nico are having lunch together on the hill is a whisper in the right direction. How Jason ‘bear hugged’ Percy when he got out of Tartarus is another example. Though this wasn’t platonic and was more familial but Nico basically accepting Hazel as his siser (On a level that is acknowledging her on the same level as Bianca and not just another kid of Hades/Pluto) by kissing her on the cheek. I know you can do it Rick. You’ve done it before. All I want from the last book in this series is platonic love, answers about how Hazel’s curse will be lifted by a descendant of Neptune, Percabeth, and the Gaea/giants defeated. You can have all the POVs your heart desires if you just give me those things.

See you guys next week with the Blood of Olympus read with me. My writeblr followers must be tired of me lmao, I swear I’ll get back to normally scheduled content after this. I love writing this kind of rants/reviews even though they take me like 2 hours to write.

#heroes of olympus #PJO #Percy Jackson #Percabeth #Jason Grace #Nico #house of hades #rick riordan #Read with me #notwriting #alextriestowritestuff #book review

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baldrambo · 5 years ago

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On Joyce Byers....

Joyce Byers is a bad ass. So why is she handled with kid gloves by everyone? This is a bit of a companion discussion to my Hopper post from a few weeks ago. Like my prior meta, I will discuss what I believe to be truths about Joyce and her arc, which don’t appear to be aligned with most analyses of her character that I’ve seen elsewhere. I will make 5 assertions and address each of them below the cut because (as per the norm) this got really long and I am not trying to clog up people’s dashboards.

Assertion 1: We have no canon evidence that Lonnie was physically abusive and making Joyce his victim does a disservice to her characterization

Assertion 2: What Bob represented to Joyce was more important to her arc than Bob himself (aka Bob/Joyce were not really a good match)

Assertion 3: Making fun of/being frustrated by Joyce’s magnet obsession misses the point of her arc in S3, which was about her pro-activity rather than reactivity

Assertion 4: Joyce inappropriately attempts to compartmentalize Hopper (aka Joyce needs to let Lonnie and Bob go if she’s to ever move on)

Assertion 5: Joyce is not a delicate cinnamon roll in need of our protection she is a BAMF and should be treated as such.

Assertion 1:

Our first introduction to Joyce is as a small, mousy, anxious, chain-smoking single mom who….can’t find her keys. And not because she is is careless. She has literally SO much on her plate at any given moment that the location of her keys is trivial until it’s not. She works long hours at a low-wage job to support her boys. She really has no life outside of work, paying bills, and cleaning house. Wash, rinse, repeat. She is just barely scraping by.

And yet we learn through flashbacks fairly quickly after Will’s disappearance that despite working long hours, despite the constant stress….she still manages to find time to parent her boys. And not just be any old parent, mind you. Joyce Byers is a good parent. When Will is out in Castle Byers she doesn’t just barge in. She respects his personal space, remembers a unique nerdy password, and waits for him to tell her that she can enter. She then trusts his judgment when he says that he can handle watching Poltergeist. This is later juxtaposed by the scene in Nancy’s bedroom with Jonathan where Karen attempts to enter the bedroom after Nancy has had to lock it. Jonathan looks at Nancy, a little shocked, and says “she doesn’t knock?” Which is weird to him, of course, because Joyce would always knock. Now lets contrast Joyce, who is Mother of the Year, with Lonnie Byers who is a Grade A Piece of Shit™. He abandoned the family and hasn’t seen them in years. And when he was around, he spent his time being a deadbeat, calling his son a faggot, and trying to force his boys into being “manlier” and more mainstream.

We first meet Lonnie in 1x2 when Jonathan drives out to Indianapolis to confirm that Will is in fact, not with his father. When Lonnie’s girlfriend answers the door, Jonathan pushes past her and into the home, shouting for his brother. Lonnie then comes in from outside, grabs Jonathan, and pushes him up against a wall. Only then does he realize it’s his son. Lonnie hadn’t seen Jonathan in so long that he almost didn’t recognize him, and initially thought him an intruder. Jonathan angrily shoves Lonnie back, who steps back and laughs. Notably, Jonathan does not appear to fear Lonnie and Lonnie makes no attempt to otherwise assert any other type of physical control over Jonathan. Lonnie talks to him like he’s an adult.

When Lonnie returns in 1x5 for Will’s funeral, he is an immediate negative influence who has Joyce up drinking all night, calls her crazy, and starts sniping at Jonathan about some stupid poster in his bedroom being inappropriate. However, there is no real confrontation until Joyce finds the flyer in his belongings and realizes he is attempting to collect on Will’s “death.” She screams at Lonnie and holds her ground when he shouts back. She shoves him. She gets in his face and throws his bag at him. And then little 5′2 Joyce Byers successfully throws a grown ass man out of her house. He never raises a hand to her.

This is not a Lonnie Byers apology piece. Lonnie Byers is a shitty dad, shitty partner, shitty person. I think an entirely separate piece could be written on the emotional abuse of his boys (although in the 80′s Midwest much of that would be considered normal, but that’s another essay). But there is nothing to suggest that Lonnie ever hit them, or Joyce. If the Duffers wanted Lonnie to be physically abusive, they would make it obvious, no?

The most clear example of this? Neil Hargrove. When he enters Billy’s bedroom in 2x8, he has complete control. Over Billy, his wife, the conversation. He overtly strikes Billy, humiliates him, and it’s clear that Billy fears him. Susan Hargrove also fears him, and she stands in the background for the entire confrontation, avoiding eye contact, saying nothing. The only time she attempts to intercede is to diffuse the situation, diffuse Neil, when he commands that Billy apologize and quickly shuts up when it’s clear her efforts didn’t work. She then exits the room, first allowing him to leave the room before her. The dynamics here are light years from Joyce/Lonnie/Jonathan.

Ok so. Why am I bringing all of this up? Because, imo, turning Lonnie into a physical abuser cuts at the heart of Joyce’s characterization. Joyce Byers is a fighter. That’s what Bob loved about her. “You fight back,” he told her, in a somewhat awestruck voice. Joyce is not a Susan Hargrove. None of this is to suggest that Susan is to blame for what she has gone through, or that somehow Joyce is better for not being like her. I contrast them because the Duffer brothers do. Joyce will steamroll anyone and anything that gets in her way to protect her boys. If she’s on a mission….if she is trying to save someone…watch out. Making Lonnie a physical abuser so he can be a plot device, or because it makes it easier to hate and villainize him upsets the core of Joyce’s character. And it changes the entire show.

Assertion 2:

Much of Joyce’s inner strength shines through in S2. When S2 begins, Joyce can’t leave Will’s side and still worries about him incessantly. She’s overbearing and “struggles to function” whenever she is not with him. She is forced to re-live the horrors of what her and her family went through every time she goes to Hawkins Lab and worse…she has to place her trust in the very same people who nearly ripped her family apart. Yet, she doesn’t give up, she soldiers on for Jonathan and Will. But so much like S1, S2 Joyce is helpless. She is unable to control what is happening around her. The events of S1-S2 make her reactionary, she gets dragged along by the plot instead of driving the plot.

But there is one bright spot of happiness for her…..Bob. He is the exact opposite of Lonnie in every way. He is kind, thoughtful, hardworking, honest, and trustworthy. He put Joyce first, he tried to bond with and be a parent to Will and Jonathan. And he was willing to jump in to the fray when he had no idea what was going on to save her, save everyone despite being absolutely terrified. Bob Newby. Superhero.

There are some early warning signs that perhaps….we as the audience are not supposed to view this as the perfect match? Jonathan, in particular, doesn’t seem to approve at all, in fact, it downright confuses him. He confides in Will that he doesn’t understand what Joyce sees in him and later gets agitated when he learns that Bob has stayed the night. Hopper, too, seems to struggle with it. And while a lot of that can probably be chalked up to the early signs of jealousy, his forced “I’m happy for you” appears to be at least somewhat tied to his inability to take her dating “Bob the Brain” seriously. Why drop all these hints if it doesn’t mean anything?

It’s the conversation she has with Bob in 2x2 on Halloween that really cements Joyce’s arc and Bob’s central purpose. While they’re dancing to Kenny Rogers, he starts prattling on about moving to Maine. He’s in love with her, he knows being in Hawkins is hard for her. So why not start over again and be a family? “We aren’t a normal family.” She tells Bob. His response is simple: “It could be.” And that moment plants that seed for Joyce. What if they COULD be a happy, nuclear family? What if they COULD leave all that trauma behind them and finally find safety and security? She starts thinking on it so much that by the end of S2 when Bob brings it up again, she’s all but ready. And the Duffers have confirmed, if Bob had survived she would have gone with him to Maine.

But here’s the thing: what if someone else besides Bob had planted the idea in her head? Would she have wanted it any less? Or consider, was it really Bob himself that drove her desire, or was it always lying dormant there waiting to be activated? If she had started dating Hopper after S1 instead and HE had been the one to make the suggestion, would she have desired it any less? Did she really love Bob himself, or the idea of him?

It’s easy to romanticize Bob because he seemed perfect, he represented the happy ending that Joyce wants, that WE WANT for her, but here’s the thing. There is no perfect guy. You can’t move a few states away and leave behind Demogorgons and another dimension that nearly killed your son. That stays with you wherever you go, and you have to face it and deal with it. You can’t run away from trauma, and Joyce has to realize this. Joyce is chasing a mirage. Perhaps Bob was kind of a mirage, too.

Assertion 3:.

The Joyce we see at the end of s2 seems….like she’s going to be okay. She has her boys, Hopper’s friendship. She’s lost Bob but the Gate is closed now, everyone is safe (or so everyone thinks). But then there’s S3 Joyce. She’s lonely, isolated, sad, discontent, and restless. The kids are trying to move on from the events of S1-S2. But she’s unable to. She’s unable to move on from Bob, from her fear that her boys could still be in danger, from the feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong again and she won’t be able to stop it.

So Joyce preemptively reshapes her arc. She decides she is going to put her own house on the market. Bob may not be coming with her but goddammit she is going to move anyway and find safety somewhere else. When she notices the magnets fall off the fridge she is not going to wait and see what happens, SHE is going to go research magnets and solenoids and weird science stuff she doesn’t understand and SHE is going to figure it out and SHE is going bring it to Hopper before shit hits the fan. And when they call the military, SHE is not going to wait around for them to show up and save her kids. She’s going to take action herself.

Thus, Joyce is driving much of the plot in S3, rather than being dragged along by the plot as she was in S1-S2. She is not focusing all of her time and energy on Will and his safety, and reacting to where he is and what he’s doing, she is able to focus on Hopper, El, the Party, the bigger picture. Will kept her focus narrowed, magnets expanded them.

And perhaps most significantly, the magnet obsession is what ultimately saved the day. Joyce is the hero of S3. Think about who saved the day in S1-S2. Who were the heroes? El and Hopper. In S1, El sacrificed herself to kill the Demogorgon and save the Party and Hopper resuscitated Will. In S2, El and Hopper closed the Gate. In S3, who saved the day? El? She had no power. She wasn’t even the one fighting the Meat Flayer. Hopper? He was trapped on the platform. Who closed the Gate and killed the “Meat Flayer?” Joyce. By herself. This ended the threat, this stopped the “Meat Flayer,” this saved El and the Party.

I think it’s easy to miss all of this due to the tonal shift in S3, which added some silliness to the plot lines that didn’t exist in S1-S2. On the surface, obsessing about magnets instead of your son seems ridiculous. But this shift gave Joyce’s character a chance to breathe, a chance to grapple with her own feelings, what she wants, it gave her a chance to just be Joyce instead of Mom™. So S3 is about her, instead of what is happening to her.

And i think, ultimately, this tonal shift in S3 is what allowed that to happen. If the circumstances in S3 were the same as S1-S2, then the Duffers wouldn’t have had this freedom. If we want to see Joyce grow as a character, there has to be time and energy spent on her away from her kids and away from the same closed loop of S1-S2. Which brings me to my next point.

Assertion 4:

Jopper. You can’t expect me to write this long ass meta on Joyce Byers and not talk about Hopper, right?

In early S3 there is obviously a marked shift in her relationship with Hopper. There are no longer secrets (El) or other relationships (Bob) that they can use to hold each other at arm’s length anymore. There are no other adults in town now who understand what they’ve been through. Joyce is effectively co-parenting El with Hopper and it’s clear that he not only asks her for advice often but that they spend a lot of time together. This did not happen between 1 and 2. It’s made fairly clear upfront that Hopper is hopelessly in love with her, but what of Joyce? She’s more difficult to read. And this is due in large part to the fact that she is more complicated than Hopper and her feelings are more complicated than his.

I am not here to argue about whether I think Joyce loves Hopper. This entire analysis is based on the assumption that she does because I think the Duffers and Winona have given us more than enough to go on to draw that conclusion. What I AM here to argue, however, is that Joyce is still grappling with what she wants and (inappropriately so) is attempting to compartmentalize Hopper.

Adult relationships are complicated and particularly for a character like Joyce, who has been to Hell and back a few times, there is added complexity that has to be dealt with and worked through. She’s been in prior relationships before. She knows what it’s like to be in love and she’s felt the pain and grief that comes along with it. She’s been divorced already, had a spouse that abandoned her, children to prioritize over her own love life, and trauma stemming both from the events of 1983-1985 and separate from it. Joyce, especially, is fresh off the train of losing a love interest who she got close to very quickly. You can imagine her hesitation about leaping forwards again with someone else who could die.

There’s your backdrop for Joyce in S3. Throw a healthy dollop of she has feelings for Hopper and then point blank ask her: “What do you want, Joyce?” She could probably tell you that she wants to feel safe again. That she wants to be free of the pain and grief of losing Bob and what happened in S1-S2. If you really can get her to open up (or if you are a mind reader like Murray) you would also find out that she is still holding onto that desire to have a normal, happy family which includes a “nice guy to settle down with.” The thing about Hopper is that he fulfills all of this for her, just messily. Joyce is still looking for that coloring book of life to be filled in by an artist (Bob). Hopper fills it in like a 3 year old with disorganized scribbles that cover the picture but can’t quite stay in the lines. Lonnie is easy: he never even filled in the lines to begin with.

Hopper shares personality traits with both Bob and Lonnie. Like Bob, he makes her feel safe, she can trust him, she knows he cares about her, feels more than friendship for her. But he’s also brash and loud and argumentative and after spending a decade of her life screaming with Lonnie….she doesn’t want that again. He probably at times DOES “remind her of a bad relationship,” but Hopper is not Lonnie. He respects her, treats her like an equal, trusts her judgment. But she can’t escape the constant comparisons.

And what I’ve seen from a lot of the fandom are the same attempts to shove Hopper into the “Lonnie” box or the “Bob” box that Joyce keeps trying to do. S1-S2 Hopper is in the “Bob” box. We like S1-S2 Hopper. But S3 Hopper, man. He is in the “Lonnie” box. He yells and stamps his feet. This Hopper isn’t “good enough” for Joyce.

But here’s my radical proposition: Hopper IS good enough for Joyce if he is who she wants. And he is what she wants. But she needs to let Lonnie and Bob go first.

Lonnie and Bob still have a hold on her and if she is going to be able to take that leap forward with Hopper she needs to put their ghosts to rest. She couldn’t save Bob, but maybe she can save Hopper. Maybe Hopper isn’t perfect and has a temper, but that is ok because he loves her and respects her unlike Lonnie. I think if we see Joyce work through this in S4 and join her on her journey of making the decision to be with Hop and making that choice FOR HERSELF rather than the plot or some other force making that decision for her, the payout is gonna be huge.

Assertion 5:

Finally, I wanted to touch on the common theme of this whole analysis: that despite this inner strength, despite the growth and change her character has undergone, she is still largely handled by the ST fandom with kid gloves. Like she is someone that can’t take care of herself, and who we need to step in and defend and protect against….the world. Here are a few examples I’ve seen over and over:

1) Mischaracterizing S3 Hopper as an “abuser” that Joyce needs “protection” from, much like she needed “protection” from Lonnie.

2) Attempting to turn Jonathan into her protector/her keeper.

3) Defending her when she is in the wrong because she is Mom™ (see i.e. standing Hopper up for their date and being non-apologetic about it.)

4) Analyzing “what is best for Joyce” without thinking about her canon feelings or what SHE wants

As I dissected above, Joyce never needed protection from Lonnie. She doesn’t need protection from Hopper. Or anyone. She doesn’t need Jonathan stepping in for her and she does not need us the fandom, to decide FOR her what she wants and what she can and cannot do. All this does is, ultimately, build her arc around men and strip her of her agency as a character.

All the canon evidence suggests that she is a bad ass. She curb stomps assholes on the regular and saves the day, multiple times. So why is it next to impossible to find any discussion of Joyce that doesn’t involve complaints of what man (Duffer or otherwise) is wronging her at any moment? Is it because it’s just easier to pidgeonhole characters, particularly female characters, into villain/oppressor and “the good guy?” Because if we open her up into complexity outside of being our cinnamon roll mom we worry she could disappoint us? Because we cannot accept that a good female character doesn’t need protection? What happens if Joyce is just a complex person who is both mom and badass? Focused on her kids and herself? Deserving of her own life and respect for her autonomy? Is both selfish and selfless?

Joyce, imo, has one of the most compelling arcs on the entire show. We are introduced to her as a Mom who is barely holding it together already and then loses her son, sending her into a spiral that her inner strength alone carries her through. After nearly losing her kid again, she loses her boyfriend horrifically, and just when she thinks they may have finally escaped it all permanently she has to single-handedly close the Gate, torching the only other man she loves in the process. So she packs her shit up and moves her family away from the danger. She goes from the most reactive character on the show to, perhaps, the most proactive one.

She may not have “powers,” she may not be able to effectively wield a gun, but she can knee an asshole in the crotch and that makes her a hero to me. I say let her be everything she is, allow her to explore her own wants even if they are imperfect, let her make mistakes and stand up for and protect herself, and let her be her own person outside of the character arcs of other male characters.

Andddddd end scene.

#joyce byers #jim hopper #jopper #jonathan byers #lonnie byers #thank you for coming to my long winded ted talk part 2 #aka joyce byers could beat my ass and i am here for it #also this got me all kinds of hype for s4 lemme tell you its gonna be JOYCES SEASON #anyway if you read this please give me your thoughts i love to hear what other people agree and disagree about #i get so wrapped up in these im sorry they're so long jfc #meta

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gffa · 5 years ago

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Scattered Star Wars Thoughts: - I’m about two thirds of the way through Empire’s End and I’m once again sad that we haven’t gotten anything like this in awhile--stuff happens in these books, the huge, big, galactic-level stuff happens! The Battle of Jakku! Rae Sloane vs Gallius Rax! The bombing of the New Republic ceremony! Mon Mothma’s struggles to keep the New Republic afloat and her political enemies trying to take her down! Sure, I love the books for the ragtag team I came to know and love, it’s still one of the top tier groups of new characters, but it’s also that stuff happens in this book, I get a good, strong look at the events that shape the galaxy in this era. I suspect (even though I have no proof) that SW deliberately moved away from this kind of thing, because they were filling up the space too quickly, there soon wasn’t going to be much room left for any kind of big events, between this and Bloodline, especially if they ever wanted to set a show or movie in that era. I sometimes half-wonder if we’re heading for another reboot after awhile, because they’ll want to free up some space or if we’re just going to get more “away from the main action” stories. Which I wouldn’t mind, if they were more like Spark of the Resistance because that was one of my favorite books of recent times, where it didn’t have to have a big impact, it could be a cute space adventure, but it was about characters I desperately wanted to have more interaction with. I guess that’s what was missing from Alphabet Squadron for me, that the new character stuff was SO GOOD, but Hera’s role really could have been filled by anyone. Empire’s End is giving us Han and Leia and Mon character moments, but a lot of them don’t have to be about the big galactic stuff, they can be little mini-adventures set between the bigger ones. On the other hand, the comics seem to be filling that niche more than the novels, and the comics are so good that I’m kind of fine with the priority seeming to be on them--even if I don’t think that’s intentional. (Or maybe it’s just me vastly preferring the comics over the novels, it seems like that’s where the good stuff is happening, imo.) Anyway. Empire’s End. I really do love this trilogy in a way that, looking back, is a lot sharper than a lot of what I’ve been feeling re: current SW. I wish Wendig would get another crack at writing SW, whether for these characters or someone else. And that the Bens would come back and write more, too. I was skimming over their From a Certain Point of View story and thinking about Join the Resistance! and I MISS THOSE STORIES. - I am doing pretty good at keeping up with my rewatch getting finished before the new season of TCW happens, I’m down to 1.8 episodes per day to reach my goal! :D Between that and the way I’ve been booking it through other stuff (it’s been so cold out lately that I don’t go out much, so I have more time to watch stuff) that I’m already a quarter of the way through my 2020 Resolutions list! - I just saw Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej, and Steven Lim launched Watcher and have a handful of videos up, so I’ll have those to watch, I also have a bunch of shows (Barry and Patriot mostly) waiting in the wings for when I finish with TCW, and of course more of The Untamed, and, well, THANK GOD SW IS QUIET RIGHT NOW, because it’s getting to be a bit Much. In a good way, but still! /wanted to grump - I finished the current season of Grace & Frankie and I really liked the first 3-4 episodes, I got a bunch of IRL LOLs out of them, but about halfway through the season it lost steam for me and the ending just felt weird, like, “Why are we going down this same path again? What was the point of that sub-plot?” and it just felt unfocused to me. I feel like, by this point, we’re six seasons in, Grace and Frankie lying about stuff from each other feels very, very retread, especially when Grace and Nick have talked about this before, that sometimes she has to choose him, not just Frankie all the time, and this storyline sort of ended up in a place that seemed to contradict that, and it does help to view this through the lens of Grace still has decades of lying and secrets as routine to recover from, she’s going to backslide, and I’m down for that, but I feel like this just didn’t quite acknowledge that it was part of a pattern she’s still working on, rather than ignoring that it comes with context of stuff that’s already happened in the show. I’m also losing my patience with a lot of the romantic partners drama on the show, like, I think they’ve been on a slow drive towards Coyote/Mallory for awhile and I hate it, I really don’t get any kind of spark between Frankie and Jack, Joan-Margaret and the guy she picked to marry didn’t have enough of a spark to make that storyline all that fun, Principal Dan being weird by the end was just *SIGH* (all the more so because I want Mallory to be with someone who Is Not Coyote). I do very much still love Barry/Brianna, I feel like the show does better at Brianna Is An Onion You Have To Peel Her Back In Layers, so going over similar ground makes sense. And I actually enjoyed Coyote/Jessica, they’re adorable, but it’s hard to get invested when I don’t think it’ll last. I actually really enjoy Bud/Allison and their mutual failboating conversation about their first times was delightful to watch. But I also sort of feel like I’m getting exhausted on Robert/Sol, it didn’t feel like there was any idea what to do with them this season, so they just sort of threw a bunch of things at the wall to see what would stick. Robert being like, “NO THIS IS A BAD IDEA” while Sol and Allison researched Bud’s family history was hilarious, MORE LIKE THAT, less of them keeping secrets from each other like that entire local theater storyline. Or even Sol’s health thing, which brought out different approaches to quality vs length of life at their age, that was a much more interesting story. I guess I wouldn’t mind retreading the same ground quite so much, if it felt like they were aware of it being part of a bigger whole, rather than just doing the same thing again, or if it felt like it was going somewhere (I think this is why I liked the Brianna/Barry stuff, it feels like it’s going somewhere), but that doesn’t mean the cast isn’t still delightful and the show isn’t still an absolute delight. It never feels flat or like they’re Flanderizing the characters, the human moments are still there and very genuine. (Grace and the other young wives was one of my favorite moments of the season! It was such a lovely, warm, human resolution.) The cast still delivers everything beautifully and they’re retreading these stories for a reason--though, I can’t lie, I’m curious to see what the final season has, in the way of a shake-up of the usual dynamics, as well as some more permanent resolution, one assumes. It still remains one of my favorite shows whenever it comes back! Scattered Star Wars Thoughts/2020 Resolutions Update: - Star Wars: The Clone Wars s3e02-20 Current total: 41/260 Scattered Everything Else Thoughts/ 2020 Resolutions Update: - Watchmen s01e01-09 - Bob’s Burgers s10e11 - The Good Place s04e11 - Grace & Frankie s06e01-13 Current total: 86/260 Star Wars Fic Recs 2020 Resolutions Update Current total written: 81/520

#scattered star wars thoughts

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