#double side note

[kondietorei]

that day, the city prayed your name.

[s0fter-sin]

one of my favourite aspects of supernatural that you very rarely see in paranormal shows is that sam and dean are already versed in the world they live in. there’s no sudden discovery of ghosts and demons and now they have to learn about them along with the audience; they are born into it and already know all about it. it allows the audience to follow their personal story instead of also trying to figure out this new world and its rules

the first season is full of knowledge we never see them learn; “w*ndigoes are in the minnesota woods or- or northern michigan. i’ve never even heard of one this far west.” […] “great. well then this [his gun] is useless.” (1x02), “you don’t break a curse. you get the hell out of its way.” (1x08), d: “it’s a god. a pagan god, anyway.” […] “the annual cycle of its killings? and the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. like some kind of fertility right.” […] s: “the last meal. given to sacrificial victims. d: “yeah, i’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god.” (1x11)

almost every episode in the first season is a monster they’ve faced before that they then explain to the audience in a way that should feel patronising; like it’s the same speech given over and over again but instead, the audience almost feels included in the knowledge. it’s stated with such an innate confidence and comfort in said knowledge that it feels like we already knew it too; “spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. if they want inside, they just go through the walls.” […] “the claws, the speed that it moves; could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” (1x02), “it's biblical numerology. you know noah's ark, it rained for forty days. the number means death.” (1x04), “no no no, not the reaper, a reaper. there's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names.” […] “you said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? reapers stop time. and you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why i could see it and you couldn't.” (1x12)

they already know and, at least in the first season, already have what they need to kill whatever they’re hunting; already know to salt and burn bones for spirits, fire for a w*ndigo, exorcisms for demons, a silver bullet to the heart for shapeshifters. there’s only three times in the entire first season that they run into something new to them; 1x14 when sam gets his first vision that leads him to another psychic, 1x16 when dean calls caleb for help on the sigil he put together and he tells him about daevas, and 1x20 when they find out vampires are real- and they only don’t know that bc john thought they were hunted to extinction and not worth mentioning

(there’s also technically two half instances if you count one of them knowing something the other doesn’t - sam figuring out the tulpa in 1x17 and dean already knowing about the shtriga in 1x18 - but those still rely on sam and dean having prior knowledge)

even when they’re uncertain about facing something, it’s not bc they don’t know what it is; it’s precisely bc they know what it is and acknowledge that it’ll be a difficult hunt (“i don't know, man. this isn't our normal gig. i mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. this is big. and i wish dad was here.” 1x04)

so much of the tension in paranormal shows typically comes from the main character(s) not knowing what is happening to them/the people around them and having to find out how to resolve it. supernatural is unique in that it operates more like a police procedural. the tension comes from solving the clues and identifying patterns to figure out who (what) the killer is and intercepting before they can take another victim

it’s such a different tone to go for when compared to other shows that came both before, during, and after its run. it sets sam and dean on even footing with each other since they both have the same knowledge going in, and it puts them in a place of authority usually reserved for an outside character

the shows i compare spn to most is charmed, buffy and teen wolf; every main character in those shows are brought into the paranormal world knowing nothing, putting them on the same level as the audience, and they have their mc interact with others already knowledgeable about that world in order to overcome their problem/monster of the week. the audience organically learns about this new world as the characters learn about it. it’s a sound writing strategy that prevents “as we already know”-style exposition but something that complicates it is if your world building isn’t unique or intriguing enough, this slow introduction can become boring

we’ve seen shows like these before; sitting through the same tropes of characters learning to use their powers, struggling with no longer feeling normal/relating to the regular world around them, and not knowing how much they can trust the people already involved in this new world gets repetitive. all three shows eventually reach the same level of comfort with their new world that spn starts with but if the characters aren’t enough to draw you in, you can end up dropping it before they reach that point (and often, before the overarching plot can really kick in and evolve the show beyond the villain of the week format)

it’s the superhero origin movie in tv format; dragged out and overplayed. dropping the audience into an established world of course comes with its own problems but you also have the benefit of pre-existing established character dynamics that let the audience slot in like they’ve always been there instead of just getting to know all the characters while the characters also get to know each other

sam and dean already knowing about the supernatural lets the audience immediately get to the core of the story; the conflict between sam and dean, the search for their father, and the mystery of what killed their mother

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

MDZS x ISAT part 1: In Stars and Necromancy.

(Part 2)

[sheprd]

took a crack at my own interpretation of grimmjow's second resurrection form from the mobile game.

[skullsemi]

He's got a good point

[fisheito]

CLOACA CREW RERUN

[eethok]

Whoopsie almost 3am here….have some previews of new/reworked things

[weirwould]

Nettles and Sheepstealer by Audrey Benjaminsen for a new edition of Fire and Blood.

[ruanbaijie]

rnz + fury THE SPIREALM 致命游戏 (2024) 1.70 adapted from the danmei novel Kaleidoscope of Death 死亡万花筒 by Xi Zi Xu 西子绪 @asiandramanet apr creator bingo board ⎈ free choice

[novelconcepts]

It really frees up so much mental real estate when you start thinking of sex as just: a thing people sometimes do. Some people are super into it! Some aren't! It's for fun! It's for intimacy! It's the deepest connection some people will ever feel and totally meaningless to others! It's hot! It's boring! It helps some people sleep! It exists as an exciting construct solely in fantasy for others! What it isn't is some complicated moral ground that needs to be fought against at every turn. It's just A Thing. Which means people who have a lot of it, or none of it, or whatever in between are all worth the same. Which means stories that have a lot of it, or none of it, or whatever in between are worth the same, too. Smut isn't less valuable than "clean" stories. People who have a high "body count" aren't less valuable than those who have never had sex at all. It's just A Thing. Making peace with sex as just A Thing that is natural to consentingly have or not have, want or not want, really is a great adjustment to your brainspace.

[inchidentally]

god I'm still sick and this is super rambling butttt the way two boys - who have mutual friends and otherwise would fit each other perfectly as friends outside of their careers - have held each other in a holding pattern of gentle, earnest fondness (with a lil bit of yearning !) bc they're both identical in their passion and drive for their careers and personal goals - and they both play a role in driving each other closer to those goals while also agonizingly going after the same things !! both saying uhhh no I want to win I want to come out on top I cannot get in that car and do anything other than strive to be the best *unless specifically told to do otherwise by my team **which they both do ***and they both are sympathetic that the other will do so out of duty than pleasure lasfgsjlafgsaf

and they maintain their relationship in such a way that the fondness and softness can exist (Oscar and his acts of service, Lando with his words of affirmation) while at the same time allowing for the difficulties that come with being direct competitors. so that they can both Feel how they Feel about things like Hungary and Monza and not expect anything of each other immediately, take a moment to process, and then approach each other level-headed. that because they never fed into a bromance image or leaned into PR work together, they don't have anything to maintain for the sake of others. when they break bread together in peace and harmony aka eat nuggies and play board games or make a special effort with each other during the group photo when they've calmed down, it's because they want to. the team is completely hands off with them (as per Andrea) and has never forced a "friends moment" especially since Sophie took over PR and dropped the bromance/rpf content entirely.

it's why I genuinely think this is smth Lando and Oscar either casually agreed on or maybe even put active thought into. I feel like they looked at what a lot of other teammates have gone through - and Lando with his own teammates - and then made decisions for their own partnership that at first seemed very unusual and missed out on a LOT of things they could've really capitalized on for engagement. like considering McLaren's pre-2023 social media, you'd think they'd lean super heavily into how similar Lando and Oscar's interests are, the mutual friends, the same karting team as kids (at different times) having that perfectly matched opposites vibe, the occasional brain fusion/mind reading, Oscar casually dropping carland0 and dand0 and n0rtrell canon, and the whole looking like twins at times ?? they could be milking the fuck out of all that but they never have. even Lando's nickname thing for Oscar was just spontaneous and only stuck bc Oscar laughed so hard at it the first time.

but they've thoroughly rejected playing up to any of it and frequently they stick to doing PR work fully individually rather than together - and it never ties in with anything going on between them! it's never deep! it's just what they choose to do at that time. Melbourne last year Lando was wrapped up in Quadrant filming and even his dad's scooter PR while Oscar was wrapped up in hometown race, McLaren/Great Barrier Reef and Quadlock PR. apart from the fan stage McLaren didn't get any content out of them together and it didn't matter or mean anything! yes I complained and whined at the time bc I want landoscar stuff but it didn't affect anything that mattered kgfsajlfgasljf

so idk it just doesn't feel crazy to speculate that them both so openly stating how happy they are at McLaren and backing up each other's commitments to the team has meant that they're taking the approach to their own relationship with a view of 'what's going to be the best for the long term?' or 'we should stick to what we know we'll feel comfortable doing for the long run, not just what gets us popularity/engagement now' and therefore 'let's preserve the possibility of close friendship outside of work by focusing on our relationship as teammates first and foremost rather than mixing it up with our social/private lives'

bc godddd when you think of the finish the lyrics video and twister and Oscariño and strip poker and Silverstone fan stages '23 and '24 and Max F boasting of his good relationship with Oscar despite it all happening behind the scenes.... like imagine the friendship Lando and Oscar could easily have but then it getting caught up in them battling at the front for wins and there's nowhere to escape and feel their feelings. like it just rly feels like they've observed what that's done to other teammates and decided/agreed/individually assumed that boundaries are healthy and a more expanded friendship is always there waiting for when they're either not teammates anymore or not working in the same field. they can focus on being the best teammates possible for their team and each other with easy friendship on the side rather than trying to indulge in both.

anyway that's my thoughts dump post extracting what buried tidbits of truth I could get from the scripted nonsense and wildly leading dumb questions from the latest season of DTS !

(side note to my desperation whenever ppl say they want Carlos and Lando to be on a winning team together like oh my god do you just want pain and suffering?? are you stupid or willfully ignorant bc no !!!)

[hyperfixated-maybe]

I’ve had bring back a legend stuck in my head the whole time I was drawing this… so I put the episode on and the MOMENT I drew the last stroke, the song came on.

SCAR WAS SUCH A LEGEND

THOUGH HE’S LONG GONE

HIS STORY LIVES ON -

uhh anyways hi nikki @devilsrecreation

[daresplaining]

[gorillastraylight]

Hey they put a nonbinary Mechwarrior on one of these, nice

[randomwriteronline]

I don't know how to call the AU:

All six of the Toa Hordika have started getting bad migraines. Mata Nui, wanting to help them find the source, reads their coding, magic, biology, and so on. He doesn't do more because he doesn't want to accidentally mess something up. But the contact does something. Or rather, activates something that was there before.

One of the consequences is that they're becoming able to use their mask powers as Toa Hordika. Not that they notice that at first. :D

This might have to do with my AU where being chosen by Mata Nui has side-effects on them.

first thing this idea conjured for me was mata nui waking up, looking around somewhat frantically for a while and then going (calm yet increasingly panicked) "i fucking lost vakama"

wonderful news! the animal grandparents have their powers again! horrible news! they are awful little bastard beasts with a penchant for new and exciting ways to fuck up the law even when theyre trying to abide to it and once they realize they have them back they will use these abilities for evil -> Advanced Cat Shenanigans

sometimes they dont even mean to, like the example above with vakama or when its a bit dark and whenua wants to help mata nui read something so he fucking flashbangs him on accident. matau and nuju def mainly use their mask powers for trouble and mayhem tho the absolute assholes. onewa is surprisingly well behaved with mind control (hes still protecting the pack and its very convenient to just blast FUCK OFF into the mind of whoever comes in and have them comply immediately) and nokama is just happy to Know Things All The Time Again. including swears. shes learning so many swears. she is stashing them away to unleash them when the time is right. she could cuss you and your next four generations into the grave with the most heavily constructed curse youve ever had the displeasure of being positively annihilated by. no one can stop her. no one can match her mastery of the art. shes too powerful

how DOES mata nui unlock that. hm. i have the idea that he is connected to takanuva via code (got too excited about the little guy being made to help him and accidentally left a bit of himself in the coding when he snuck off to see it) so maybe something similar, just dipping into the connection he has w the metru through having chosen them. hes deleting things that could bother them and doesnt notice he enabled mask powers on again. whoops.

stressed toa hagah voice WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHOOPS--

[7birdsfashion]

Shoutout to knitblr for getting knitting trending today. Without that I very honestly would not have finished this sweater vest (that I started over a year ago)

Also she is for sale if anyone is interested (I have not set a price nor have I finished weaving in ends but feel free to hit me up if you want the measurements 👀)