#he's one of those characters you just KNOW has done gay stuff but pretends to be straight actually

[hualianschild]

[samuraiondo-mace-1177]

Yakuza/Lost Judgement Headcanons: Sexuality, Gender, and ASD/ADHD

Strap in boys, this is a long ass post (some spoilerish stuff)

(I may not mention certain things since it's side content, and that's written by a separate team of people. However, some things are character accurate, but that's rare)

These are personal views so if you don't HC them aswell, I'm chill w/ that

Kiryu Kazuma - Biromantic Asexual with ASD

Yeah, he's quite gay with Majima, but I feel like a lot of people forget the fact that he's had 3 female love interests in the main story and rizzes up entire cabaret clubs in every game. So, he should probably be called bi instead of gay. As usual, asexual since he shows no interest in sex, seems to be repulsed, and sexual thoughts don't appear easily in this man's head. For ASD, he has some processing issues (socially, not physically), a hyperfixation on Pocket Circuit (knowing everything abt it), barely understands social conventions and how people act, and seems to have some sort of selective mutism.

Little note abt the whole Transmasc Kiryu thing: I'm pretty sure people are confusing the signs of autism with the signs of a transmasc character. Ya see, a lot of trans people are autistic and the signs I've seen people mention have just been signs of autism, not him being trans.

Goro Majima - Bisexual Genderfluid with ASD

The first two speak for themselves. Kiryu and Makoto. Then Goromi. Simple. The ASD tho. I'm aware a lot of people say he has ADHD but I don't think that's the case. See, he shows traits of Autism throughout Yakuza 0 and, at the end, basically says to Sagawa, "nah I'ma be insane for fun." He appears to be masking the ADHD traits. Due to him being able to focus well and remain sitting still in Y0 and not doing that in the mainline titles. There's a lot of stuff I could say, but then this would be a three hour read, lol.

Daigo Dojima - ASD

Literally nothing else other than he's way too much like me and one of my friends (we're both autistic woooooo)

Shun Akiyama - ADHD

(Someone on here told me abt the signs, and I got to Y4. So, I can wholeheartedly say that I agree)

Excessive tiredness is a sign of ADHD, and so is a terrible sleep schedule. He struggles with keeping track of time (a.k.a. time blindness). And obviously, issues with balancing general chores and work.

Ichiban Kasuga - AuDHD (possibly Demisexual or Ace)

He struggles to focus, jumps from a new idea to another, struggles with chores and remembering stuff. He's hyperfixated with Dragon's quest to the point where the first game is just him pretending he's in it. Ichiban also has a lack of personal public perception. Resulting in him not focusing on his own behaviour in public and acting in ways others may see as childish. Other members are shown to play along but may then feel a bit embarrassed after or during. He also doesn't seem to immediately think of sexual thoughts when it comes to things (like when you meet that fortune teller dating app woman in Infinite Wealth). Although, Ichiban appears to think that those sorts of things should only be done with a partner you have a strong bond with (tho, this is from memory. I need to rewatch cutscenes)

Joon Gi Han - ASD

(also information that someone told me)

He lacks an understanding of jokes and sarcasm. Typically speaks out of turn in conversation. Joon Gi is also naturally isolated from the group, showing his disappointment and sadness when this happens.

Takayuki Yagami - Biromantic Bigender Demi/asexual with ASD

The only reasons for the Biromantic and Bigender HCs is just because I've seen way too many clips of Kimura being Flirtatious with men and women, and dressing as both masc and fem, that I can't unsee Yagami as anything else. Demisexuality tho comes from the cutscene in Judge eyes/Judgement where he mentions that he takes relationships slow, and doesn't jump to having sex as soon as possible. Plus, I'm pretty sure there's scenes where he gets incredibly grossed out and sexual related things or doesn't immediately see something as sexual. Alright, this man stims, has issues processing info, hyperfixates, has issues expressing himself, large emotion meltdowns, confused by social behaviour, doesn't know how to comfort others, comfort clothes, repetitive behaviour, lack of sympathy/empathy, MASKS ALL THE TIME.

Makoto Tsukumo - ASD

He is a Hikikomori (a full time shut in basically) and a large amount of those are autistic. He has severe social anxiety, hyperfixations, finds it hard to communicate socially, avoids eye contact, and acts strangely.

Kazuki Soma - AroAce with diagnosed ASD

He follows the same stereotype as me, high intelligence and lack of empathy (I'm getting better at it though!) Soma has a low immune system, having an IgE allergy (prevelant in those with Autism). He blames his failed plans on the execution from the others, and not the plan itself. The AroAce bit tho. Idk, it just felt right for the character. He kinda reminds me of an aroace friend of mine in a sense so uhhhhhh

Note for Soma: You may be aware of the meme I posted of "Can Opener and then Leg Opener" w/ a picture of Soma. That was made out of a joke with the aroace friend that I previously mentioned. It was kinda making fun of the fact that I've seen people drool over that psychopath and there was a level of satireness making the meme. Idk dude, we made it at like 3am or smt, anything is funny at that time

(if you want me to give evidence or elaborate on something, just send me an ask lol)

[emblazons]

a post in defense of (a very much alive) S5 Jonathan Byers

under the cut b/c this is more frustrated commentary than strict analysis, and you shouldn't have to read if you don't want to.

I feel like it must have come from the dry spell between seasons, but I have to say it: all of this “Jonathan is gonna die and that means Stancy could happen” stuff lately is not only giving "I just like angst for its own sake," it's lowkey nonsense if you look at it thematically (in context of the Jon/Nancy/Steve madness yes, but especially in context of the Byers family).

—like? Friends.

Given the Duffer’s track record of refusing to fully kill off major characters even when it could have made sense to (cc: Hopper and Max), I don’t think anyone is actually meeting their end, but let’s be SO serious about who is actually likely to get axed: the boy with a mom, brother, step-sister and girlfriend who have been central to every single moment in this show…or the one they've put into a triangle we all thought was over until S4, who they’ve honestly written into a corner, & whose primary drive in four entire seasons was getting a girlfriend and protecting a bunch of teenagers?

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just talk Jonathan.

The Duffers (Matt especially) have openly gotten upset at even the notion of Mike dying because "that's depressing" AND "that's Nancy's brother" (showing the familial ties are a HUGE part of what would keep them from ending someone), in addition to them saying they've thought through every imaginable scenario" on who might die—

—and you think its Jonathan whose meeting his end? King of championing "not liking what you don't have to" and the outcasts in all areas from music taste to being queer...after all the Byers have been through and knowing The Duffers write toward championing the outcasts and those who embrace their differences?

That, combined with the fact that the only "evidence" I've ever seen for him potentially dying has been that speech he gave to Will in the SBP somehow being connected to (you guessed it) setting up angst for Will...I'm gonna take a hard and wild educated guess based on the entirety of the rest of the show and say that was literally written so Will could catch a goddamn break, not as a death tag.

The fact that Noah confirmed it wasn't in the Duffer's OG script, was written day of filming + was done because "it was important for people to see will wasn't alone" is evidence enough for that.

Even so, the fact that there are still at least 4 unresolved plots Jonathan is part and privy to makes his death even less likely, because it wouldn't make sense for resolving anything for him to die at all, never mind in the episodes before our supposed timeskip.

Jonathan's messy relationship with Nancy, the fact that he's the only one who actually knows Will is gay, and the fact that he's the only other character who saw & understood the ULTIMATE Chekhov's gun in the form of that painting (on top of also having a longstanding relationship with Mike )should make it clear he isn't going anywhere from a narrative perspective...and I'm not even sure where the idea that he would die popped up, other than fandom warping the canon and projecting onto the plot.

The Duffers have always been clear about not doing things solely for the sake of surprise + not liking things that don't make narrative sense...and Jonathan's death would be both of those things, done solely for shock value.

I just. Be so serious right now. if you want to imagine the weight of Jonathan dying SOLELY for fandom angst DO THAT...but don't pretend like his death in the show wouldn't be the most poorly foreshadowed thing in this entire show, on top of not matching a single theme of the ongoing Stranger Things narrative. ☠️

Put some respect on his name lmao

Bonus: If you really want to talk about character's dying (and not just jump into angst for its own sake): they haven’t given Steve a proper love interest EVER outside of Nancy, made Dustin cry over Eddie instead of staying close to Steve S4, and haven’t ONCE referenced that boy’s family properly more than a few times in passing (and only by Steve himself).

He is the only character who craves normalcy despite this show being about championing the outcast, was supposed to die seasons ago but stayed because Joe Keery was so beloved, and has now been written into a corner where every single person who is central to him (esp Dustin and Robin) either have a new love interest or are worried about something else more than him, which...if you want canonical evidence for a possible death, you're looking in the wrong corner of this love triangle.

[bigskydreaming]

Haven't seen the new Deadpool and Wolverine movie and don't intend to, frankly, but good to see we're already at the renewed rise/resurgence of the "Wolverine is the most deadly/unkillable of the X-Men" trope that his plot prominence insists on trying to pretend is a thing in every adaptation.

Like I get annoyed by Dick Grayson fanon from people who don't read the comics, but for all that Bobby Drake is my favorite Marvel character, its very funny when Logan stans assume the obvious dynamic between them is that Bobby shrieks and fearfully apologizes for whatever joke he just made whenever Logan just pops his claws menacingly in his direction.

Its like fhalshfklahklhflakhfalfhla see what's funny about this take is Bobby actually finds it hilarious when he does that in the comics because it just means Logan has forgotten that he is talking to the man with the LEAST reason to be afraid of him, like ever.

Bobby could just stand there with an eyebrow raised while Logan carves him into ice cubes and then just.....conjure an entirely new undamaged body in the air right next to him and be like "Are you done now, is it over, did you get it all out of your system? Like what was that supposed to accomplish. What was the goal here." He doesn't even have to be in ice form when the hacking and slashing starts, its all the same to him. He views physicality as like. A guideline rather than a hard and fast rule.

THIS is what the actual power dynamic is between Bobby and Logan and its why non comic book readers' default insistence on picking Bobby OF ALL PEOPLE to be the fall guy/punchline of choice used to show how bad-ass Logan is and to mine for humorous instances of intimdiation is just. Very silly, actually.

Bobby making a skyscraper sized version of himself and just casually squishing Logan with a toe is literal comic book canon. Your presumed rules of 'apex machismo equates to peak power and competence' do not apply here.

The unkillable gay god-tier twink with a pathological aversion to taking anything seriously is lapping him every single time. And Logan knows it too, lol. Its why Bobby is canonically right near the top of his wishlist of allies/teammates to turn to for back-up when he's fighting outside his weight-class. Ororo, Jean and Bobby, those are his top three choices, without fail. When Jean's dead and Ororo's busy elsewhere, Bobby is the one Logan's turning to next, to do the stuff he knows he can't get done himself.

[dr-lizortecho]

🐞🐜

Recommend a favorite fic or several from one of your friends, or a fic author you really look up to!

Oh damn- one friend??? One author I admire?? Imma cheat- it’s has to be three or whatever

@ajna-eye-cogitations is one of my favs ofc

Heartlines : a beautiful echo fic thatshows a sweet and emotionally intimate moment between the couple, really putting Max’s romantic -and kinky- side on the table, and being written really poetically as always

Blanco Navidad : a Christmas time fic that is sooooo sugar sweet it gives me a toothache and also is super sexy but in an understated way- weaving together imagery through memories and experiences and emotion instead of physicality

Thicker Than Pod Vapor : a look at the stress and destress Max would feel welcoming his kids into an unwelcome world- lines of this still haunt me, like knowing he will never fully be at peace and believe himself safe nevertheless his children

@rewritingroswell’s fics are also amazing <3

Impulsive Decisions Made Under The Moonlight : for those Max/Charlie cravings :P

The Consequences of Being a Tease : Delvecho- what’s not to love. Also, super sexy as always. And like… my brain short circuits everytime Max calls Maria ma’am. Also, just the decision to make a fun little competition to make Liz orgasm? Instead of an angsty who’s better in bed? Glorious.

I’m Burnin’ Up On You : t4t echo! They’re soooooooo. And then they’re- ugghhh- this fic captrued them so well, their earnest communication, their burning desire. It’s all there and more. Go read it. Please.

Cheating a second time with @ladynox and @beautifulcheat with two joint works and then one individual (cause I can’t not- they’re too good to pick just a few)

The Truth is Right Here : xfiles. Meets rnm. Malexa and Kaliz and mystery. And just- it’s so god. Truly one of the most intricate and well handled stories (emphasis on story not fic!) I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. From Michael and Max pretending to be ghosts, to Liz fiercely gathering mushroom samples, to Kyle bumping shoulders with Max, to Michael buying Maria a tacky bracelet, to Alex accidentally implying a threesome vacation, to Maria wearing Michael’s hat, to all the fucked up alien stuff (and lemurs) and Jesse Manes it’s a wild ride more than worth taking. Go read it. Like truly- even if you haven’t seen the show, you’ll fall in love with these characters.

Dealing With Dragons : Maria is a witch. Michael a dragon. Fate brings them together in a magic forest? What more could one ask for? The answer is a beautifully written fantasy setting that will have you purchasing the inspiration book to sit on your nightstand.

Nox’s Rough Stock : ummmmmm sexy. like so sexy. brain dead type sexy. Maria pegs Michael- need no say more? Well I will- it’s slow and sensual and just so well done. Sorry- your work is so amazing and I’m like ah the smut.

Beautifulcheat’s Surreal Estate : *hides cause I’m behind* Just the best. Like these three girls are perfect in this setting. Not only that but the romance and the ghosts as metaphors is so well done. I’m on the edge of my seat every chapter head spinning to figure out all these mysteries. Also there’s a cute little demon dog. Precious.

Recommend a fic that makes you laugh! A crack fic, or something that's just really funny!

Ohhhhh- I just rec’ed this in like two servers, but Guerenti Gay Chicken in which they have a kid before someone loses????? Perfection.

That’s How You Lose The Game by @andrea-lyn

Ask Me For A Fic Rec <3

[alarrytale]

This new tattoo thing with Harry is a second blow after similar shame and doubt I’ve had around Louis. A few weeks ago, i tried explaining babygate to a new friend. All of it. The foreshadowing, SBB and RBB, the inconsistent pregnancy and birth timelines, ignoring Freddie for years until suddenly bringing him back, but they zeroed in on how the stunt is a character assassination of Louis, or rather my explanation of it. They pointed out how many times i said “but he would never do that” and how many inconsistencies relied on fans “knowing how the real him.” That all the inconsistencies and odd behavior are only weird if you assume Louis is a good and moral person who would be a picture perfect dad. The way my friend sees him, he’s just a random celebrity they don’t know who maybe isn’t the most present parent, and that, to them, makes a lot more sense than a good guy pretending to be a bad dad who only spends time with a pretend kid to put him in questionable situations in order to convince a small fan base he isn’t gay. All the stuff i brought up about how genuine he is with fans compared to Freddie was countered with videos of other celebrities known to be terrible people also being nice to fans for the camera. They gave examples of musicians who wrote beautiful lyrics while abusing their families behind the scenes. I don’t think Louis is an abuser and neither does my friend, but that discussion has made me question my own biases as a fan. Have they been complicit in stunts this whole time and I’ve just been assuming they didn’t have a choice because i want to see them as innocent? Even if he’s been forced into the Freddie situation, he’s still the one the stunt is for and therefor somewhat responsible. Maybe those sweet boys devoted to love and lifting up the lives of their fans that i fell in love with was just another marketing scheme that i fell for. I’m sorry this is ramble and we’ve moved on but I’ve been working up the courage to ask this and you seem like someone who won’t get mad at me for doubting.

Hi, anon!

Well, ultimately it kind of does depend on what kind of person you believe Louis to be. But also how much his image is controlled, and who's controlling it.

Let me sort it all a bit for you. Here is your options:

Louis is a good person vs not. Aka not just good when there is cameras around. I think there are enough evidence from people bts and from others, and what i see with my own two eyes, that he is a good person.

Louis is gay vs not. If he's gay then bg would never happen. I believe there's plenty of evidence of him being gay.

Louis is with Harry or not. If he's with Harry then he would never have slept with B. I obviously think he's with Harry and that there are a looooot of evidence supporting it.

The kid is Louis' or it's not. B was never pregnant and the kid looks like the Clarks.

Louis behaviour around babies and kids vs Louis around Freddie. He is really good with kids, as we've seen. He's excellent with his own siblings. They adore him. Shouldn't it be the same with F? His tone is flat when speaking of him and he sounds like he doesn’t know any of his interests etc. He's also an absent dad.

Good guy pretending to be a bad dad vs. Bad guy just being a bad dad but pretending to be a good dad. Louis is the son of an absentee father. Do you believe he'd do the same to his own son? If he had a kid with Harry, do you believe he'd treat them as bad as he's done F?

Being forced into it by people controlling his image (hide the gay, tarnish his image and perhaps help closet Harry) vs choosing to closet himself. Bg isn't just closeting it's taking advantage of a kid. There are other ways to closet himself. Make a sex tape. Or create a womaniser image like they did with Harry. Why would he tie himself to that family like that?

And to your 'he's the one the stunt is for so he's still somewhat responsible'. Yes, it's his image they are using, but if he's contractually obligated to (a contract he signed ar 18 to be in 1D) and is resisting, and not cooperating more than neccessary, then at least i struggle to blame him for that. Aka good person pretending to be a bad dad. He isn't the bad guy here. He's damned if he do and damned if he don't. If he's resisting he looks like a bad dad. If he's playing along his 90 per cent larrie fanbase will riot and not buy his shit. He'd also be lying more and also dragging the kid along more. So he's doing a bit of both to try to balance everything.

If you sort out all of the options above i think you'll see that Louis is a good person in a situation where he's a bit fucked either way he behaves. The kid is not his, so it's a stunt. Stunts suck.

[mortallyclearwonderland]

I'm not enthusiastic about Wish

Is everybody hipped for Wish? Finally! An original movie that will honor the history of Disney's animations in a new style? Sign me up! Where can I buy a ticket?

Well, I'm not about to forget everything this company has done. It seems too good to be true. Can Disney really do a 180? Well, seeing the new wave of pointless remakes not entirely.

Let me list everything that can go wrong given Disney's recent trends:

The movie will be an eye-candy with beautiful 2D and 3D. (But going by the trailer it's not as impressive as the Puss in Boots the Last Wish or Spiderverse. We need a better name for that animation style. How about 2/3D? ZED? I don't know.) 

The music will be great, at worst forgettable.

The Star character will be annoying.

Valentino will be funny and marketable but the movie could've worked without him. 

The world will be huge, beautiful, and interesting and we explore none of it. 

The protagonist will be bland with one obvious flaw or a dream which will be related to the message of the movie. 

The message will have all the subtlety of the hammer in the face.

Inconsistencies, contradictions, and random stuff happening because funny/the plot.

References to older classics that you wish you would be watching. (You saw how many references they cram now into their other movies? And now it's one of the things they talked about the most!) 

Death is funny until we have the fake-out death then you need to care. 

No love interest because love makes women weak apparently. Or no love interest because the actress is a lesbian and she talked about how Asha ''looks like her'' because modern acting isn't about pretending to be something you're not, it's about showing who you are every chance you get. And for those who think they might make a lesbian love interest, I would like you to take a look at the gay ''romance'' in the strange world. But if by some chance they do I doubt it will be any good. When was the last romance in Disney, Frozen 2 (2018) and that's a holdover from the first movie (2013) and the last good romance was Tangled (2010). 

No villain. Or worse, a lame villain! It's supposed to be a throwback to the older Disney movies and that includes its villains but Disney is so incompetent with their IPs I wouldn't be surprised if they get their own villain ''formula'' wrong. I swear if they try to make him a twist after spoiling that Chris Pine will be voicing the villain and his evil laugh in the teaser trailer, or ''redeem'' him after he did unspeakable evils. And no villain song. Can Chris Pine sing? Please no terrible auto-tune! 

Making jabs at old Disney tropes even tho this movie isn't even half as good as the movies that came before it, uses a bunch of other modern tropes or straight up the same ones that it mocked earlier and completely misinterprets them and uses them even worse! Modern Disney seems to hate its past and does everything to show how ''better'' they are now. Which is untrue in most cases and just smug and annoying!

I'm sorry for being so pessimistic but that's how jaded I become and only towards Disney. It might be their greatest hit that will make people think ''Disney is back''.

What do you think?

[zmediaoutlet]

Hey there,

Hope you are having a lovely Wincesty day...

Scrolling through your delightful blog, I cam upon your Presidential J2/AU story.

I had read it before, and it was nice to revisit this piece.

Catherine Ackles.... do you have more of a back story for her? I like her character, and I don't like want to dislike her? Does that make sense?

Does she hate/resent Jared? I mean she's gotta know J2 love each other

How did her and Jensen meet? Is he bi? Did they have political ambitions from the start?

So many questions..

I loathe politics with a passion and I never watched West Wing, although I heard good things about it, but you made this a great read, I love your writing style.

Anyways, if you have a back story for Catherine, I'd love to see it. Thanks!

aw, bud! I'm glad you gave those fics a shot even though you're not a West Wing head. <3 Super sweet, ty ty.

I'd thought about writing a fic from Catherine's POV, but I kind of like leaving that series as a self-contained trilogy -- a little fairytale, you know? But I can for sure give you some Catherine backstory, because I like her and I'm glad you do, too. :)

So:

Catherine and Jensen met in college, after he left the Air Force. (I think in a Master's in Public Policy program, specifically?) Jensen had been very very closeted for a long time and Catherine was smart and funny and talented and clearly saw a lot of potential in him, and it just made sense to get married, you know? Unfortunately, she is so smart and observant, she started to put some stuff together, and Jensen admits to her finally that he's gay sometime during the first state office campaign. She is Disappointed To Say The Least (and Jensen feels very guilty), but at this point she's invested in his political career and thinks he's the perfect person to get the things done that they both believe should get done, and so she takes a deep breath and decides that they won't get divorced, and they can just. Live like this. It's not ideal but. What is? She just makes Jensen promise that if he's ever going to act on the gay thing he has to be superhumanly discreet and also tell her immediately, and he promises, and never breaks that promise.

I feel really bad for her, though. Like -- she's getting what she wanted, which is to be throwing the levers of power and making things move without necessarily being in the spotlight herself (until Jensen becomes President, obviously), but... she also thought her husband loved her. And he does, but not like that. And they aren't going to have kids, which she wasn't even totally sure she wanted to do, but now she definitely doesn't want to try. And when Jared becomes a thing and Jensen finally comes to her after that one night and confesses, she hates Jared for a week and then realizes that's stupid. She's very rational and it's ridiculous to hate someone for getting something you never actually had. So she's not Jared's best friend, either, but she realizes this is actually a good option considering how closely they work together and that Jared's also a true believer in Jensen's political career, and... it'll do.

I hope that she has an inhumanly discreet boyfriend on the side. (Actually in this case I'm thinking more of House of Cards than The West Wing.) Some also-powerful donor to one of her hospital projects, or something, who would have nothing to gain from announcing to the world that he's nailing the First Lady, and so she can go on trips and then stop in his city and have a weekend where she pretends that this is fine. And Jensen calls and tells her that they successfully negotiated some bill that'll help get more kids fed, or something, and it is fine. Your own happiness isn't the most important thing in the world.

And, you know, that's maybe an ongoing theme of that series, now that I'm thinking about it. Jensen's never going to Publicly Come Out and have it be some nice Red White and Royal Blue situation. Catherine's never going to write a tell-all. Jared's probably never going to get a happy retirement home in Austin somewhere with former President Ackles, although -- who knows, maybe when they're in their sixties no one would notice or care. I'm interested in people who are willing to give, if not the last full measure of devotion, at least a large portion of it -- who will give up a part of their life to make the world a little tiny bit better. The series is pretty fluffy but that's there, somewhere, in the core. I think Catherine lives her life by that principle.

[damelucyjo]

Okay. I think I’ve calmed down enough. I’ve done the ironing listening to Films To Be Buried with. I’m in a better mood. So let’s give this rewatch a go so I can pretend most of it never happened!

Episode 12 - So Long, Farewell

I will say, one thing I love (as a Brit that has to be involved in football in some way) is that this show got so many ‘real’ football people involved. It’s a shame it was all men though…

Ooo Rebecca, looking for as always 😏 that robe is a gorgeous colour

Is that headline indicating Bex kicked Rupert out?? Good on ya, girl! 💪🏼

Exactly. Shut up Thierry

‘Morning, Rebecca’ ‘Morning, Ted’ WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO US 😫😫

Heavily implying they slept together. Why else would they be so awkward around each other?? 🤔

The fake out was cruel, but the introduction of Beard is brilliant

And what the actual fuck are you wearing Brendan?! 😂 To be that comfortable around your boss 😂

Okay but now I really want to see what the night before was like. Also why are Beard & Jane at Rebecca’s? Why not go to Jane’s?? 🤔

Also was there really an emergency? Or does Beard know there could be something between Ted & Rebecca and needed them to spend real time outside of work together??? If so you’re a genius, my friend!

Yes, Rebecca. Don’t talk about it. That way it’s not happening 👍🏼

GET YOUR BARE ARSE OFF HER COUNTER!! 😂 it’s kinda like a car crash; you know you shouldn’t look but you can’t look away either 😂

Poor Mina 😂 Rebecca, I hope you pay her a ridiculous amount of money

‘Those ropes are not garbage. Some of it’s dirty on purpose’ they sure are an interesting couple 😂

God Hannah’s pretty. And Jason looks very cute 🥰

YYEEAAAHHHH!

I absolutely love how over the top all these boys are with things

He’s the assistant kit man 🥺 I actually love that. Not so much that this is the first times it’s mentioned though…

‘I was just the only one that was snoring’ 😜 Jamie putting extra money in the box, how far you’ve come 🥰

Okay the tears have started again. I’m gonna miss these boys so much!! 🥹🥹🥹

I wish they had shown Keeley scaring Roy. That’d’ve been hilarious

‘… stuff’ 😂😂😂

She shredded his passport 👀

‘I won’t take it out, but I’m happy to tell you you’re wrong’ love the confidence, Trent 👌🏼

It’s a real shame it’s taken until the last episode to see Keeley doing press for the club again 🙁 I’ve missed the scenes between these three

‘Juicer, the better. Safe save’ he’s such a gossip 😂

Exactly. Fuck Rupert. Why waste breath on him

She truly is living in denial! She’s finding it very hard and everyone knows 🥺 Poor Rebecca

WE’RE NEVER GOING TO GET TO SEE THEM ALL BEING SILLY TOGETHER AGAIN 😫

The shock on their faces! 😮

Final spit take & ‘fuck me’ call back 🫡

Nobody is handling them leaving well 🫠

This is incredibly cute though 🥹 their little smiles

ROY MOUTHING ALONG!! My heart 🥰🥰

Everyone in the stands joining in on the final goodbye 🥲 I’m fully crying

Oop a ‘perfect’ call… forward? Foreshadowing?? 🤔

So who told everyone ‘Now react as if we’ve just won the whole fucking thing’ 😂

‘Love those boots’ cause we need to stereotypically remind everyone Trent is gay 🫣

Just call back after call back in this episode 🫡

They’re friends now 🥹 my little heart

‘I really am exceptional’ yes you are, Deborah!

Rebecca, even your mum knows it’s more than a big deal to you that Ted is leaving. So much so that he’s equating it to him dying…

She just wants her daughter to be happy 🥲🥺 am I crying again? Have I even stopped??

See, I love their relationship now! Another thing we’ve not gotten to see much of 😢

Deborah & Mae bestie era WE NEVER GOT TO FUCKING SEE. I’m gonna flip a table 🫠

These three have been amazing to watch too. They so easily could have been throw away characters, but they’re not. They’re wonderful

But she ain’t your mother, boys 😂

Oh she did not like being called their grandmother 😂😂 Harriet, nicely done

So we’ve been cheated out of seeing Dame Harriet Walter skateboard. Rude.

The outrage!! 😂

He’s proud of him 🥹 here comes the tears again

Mentioning the video was a low blow, Jamie

‘If you go, I go’ 🥺🥹🫡

She truly thought about what they could do to get him to stay. Told him if he goes, she goes. That if she sells 49% of the club she could pay him a lot more, but nowhere near what he’s worth… fully outright asks him to please stay… and he gives her nothing. Certainly was a choice, Jason 🙄

Hannah is giving a masterclass in this scene, though

And he couldn’t even tell her she shouldn’t sell?? Wtf is up with that??

‘More like Drink, Sleep, Fuck’ 😂 I wanna watch that show!

Of course they beat the shit out of each other over Keeley. Good on you girl for sending them both packing!! 💪🏼 at least they know they’re idiots 😂

I actually love this scene between Nate & Ted. It felt like a great ending to their story. He’s getting to see Ted’s forgiveness first hand. Beautiful.

Oh, look! The rom-com couple 👀

A call back to the tickets under country women 🫡 My Wynonna Judd loving heart is soaring at this mention! A lovely nod to her for her contribution to Thundergong. Also this episode (if it hadn’t been pushed back 3 hours) would have been released on her birthday! 🥳

And I am happy to see whatshisface back too… genuinely can’t remember the characters name… JOHN! 🫣😂 also he’s not a Richmond fan. Why is he there??

Shut up, Jake

SHARON!!!!!!!!!!! 🥰

Yes, Ted, it doesn’t make sense. But we don’t question it!

‘You’re stuck with us, buddy’ but not really, cause you’re leaving. Arsehole.

‘Can I be a diamond dog’ 🥺 boys, he really needs help 🥺 and he’s actually asking for it for once 🥹 well done, Roy

I’d have liked just one scene of the guys in the changing rooms reaction to that lot barking 😂

You’re still you because you don’t need to change, Roy. You don’t need to be someone better. You just need to learn to speak up more. Talk about things with others. That’s it, babes!

Okay, now that shimmy was also kinda perfect 😂

Of course he got George to be his new coach.

Okay, question (if you read this); why now all the negative press against Rupert when it’s nearly the same as when he broke up with Rebecca?? Is the fact that the affair came out as sexual misconduct instead the only real difference? Why such a shock when he’s been in the press for the same thing before?? Another thing that doesn’t make sense to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tony showing wonderfully that being Rupert in public is him ‘playing a part’. God, I love this man

Good on you, Rebecca, for showing him he really doesn’t get to you anymore. I’m so proud of you!

And Ellie Taylor 🫡 I do not like Sassy, but you’re amazing, babes!

I completely missed Barbara holding up her hand for a high five and Rebecca just waving at her the first time I watched this!! 😂😂😂

She’s into violence, and I think that’s perfect. Barbara is possibly the only addition to this season that they got spot on. I love her!! How of that is down to Katy though, I don’t know…

😂 Mary’s reaction

Why bring up Zava again? This really wasn’t needed 🫢

‘Zorro’ was too easy 😂

As an ex Irish dancer of nearly 29 years I’m going to take that Michael Flatley mention purely for me. Sorry guys ✌🏼😜😂

Yes, this video made me as much of a mess as it made the 😫😫😫 oh, shirt indeed

SHUT UP, JAKE!

Another nice callback to Nate knowing what the notifications means 🫡

Nice goal, Chip 😉😂

‘Shut your butts and sit your mouths down’ made me chuckle both times I’ve seen this now 😂

Another tear inducing speech 🥲 I’m gonna miss you too, Ted

I know it’s to make a point, but how did he forget the sign wasn’t there?? You just had a conversation about it, man. Are you really that for gone?? 🫣

It had to be either Sam or Jamie to start off the Believe sign pieces 🫡

And they were all in the most perfect of places! Behind Sam’s inspiration, in Jamie’s book, Issac’s armband, Colin’s shinguard 🥹🥹

Another sweet moment between Nate & Ted

So is number 4 that their belief can be broken, but together they can put it back together again?? If so it’s brilliant! (I can’t remember what 1, 2 & 3 were 😂)

‘I know folks like to say ‘There’s no place like home.’ That’s true. Man, there ain’t a whole lot of places like AFC Richmond either’ SO DON’T LEAVE THEN, TED!! 🫠

Miss after Miss after miss 😂 this game would go fine in history if it were real! 😂

Sharon is me throughout this match 😂

Ooo Rupert is falling apart 🫢😏

Allowing Issac to take the penalty, showing they all know it’s just a game. Like Colin said ‘it’ll be fun’ 🥹

SHUT. UP. JAKE! 😂

He broke the fucking net!! 😂😂 nice one, Issac!!

Oh he’s really mad!! And Rebecca is confused… why is she paying him any attention, honestly!

Sharon really is me watching football 😂

Hitting John in the face - brilliant. But as I said before, since when has he been a Richmond fan?! Am I forgetting something?? 🤔

Fucking Barbara absolutely loving it 😂😂😂

Here he comes, Emperor Palpatine 🫣 and he is not happy!

Another callback!! Someone get this man some longer shorts! 😂

Dude… to fall apart like that in front of that many people 🫠

I’ve already written about this, but Rupert walking off the pitch breaks my heart. Tony made Rupert so human 😢

Ted just now knowing the offside rule enough to pick up on it when both Beard & Roy don’t?? YOU SHOULD NOT BE LEAVING, TED!! How many more times do I have to tell you?? 🙄

And an offside payout callback 🫡

Had to bring it full circle by asking Nate for his opinion and using his play 🫡

A hilarious call back for Jamie too!! 😂 bet Phil had fun with that

And the quiet mention of Barbecue Sauce 🥹🫡

Of course they won right at the last moment

Sharon! 😂 glad we got to see something more from Sarah! We’ve never seen Sharon this animated!!

And a jump into the arms! 🥲🫡 As a solid lover of the callbacks I’m incredibly great full for the amount we’ve had this episode

Have the fans storm the pitch but don’t use it as an excuse to get Rebecca down there? Huge wasted opportunity!!

Colin kissed his boyfriend!! 🥹🥰

And he did his celebration dance from the pilot 🥹🫡 we love to see it

Oh she’s so emotional 🥰

Had to pause of this Sun cover - Rupert’s out, Kakes is going on Lust Conquers All and Bex got a book deal 👍🏼 nice one, ladies!

Of course he had to grab a copy of the paper that had her photo on it 😏

Then we get a Zava returns, Shandy’s doing great, and a Marcus Rashford Beano 🥹 the work that goes into this show is incredible!

And a rule of 3 with the ussie kid! 🫡 but did he forget he’s met him before or??

‘Wicked’ ‘Kinky Boots’ 🥺 I’m gonna miss these

So was she not going to make a fuss if he hadn’t happened to have seen her?? And why have her turn around right as he notices her?? Why do they do these things?! 😫

She’s sticking around because you told her without words you don’t want her to go with you, mate. She didn’t want to talk about it before, but apparently neither did you!

Not the ‘club matriarch’ 🤢

Like… I really am confused. There’s so much Jason & Hannah put into their performances that speak volumes, and yet the words they speak contradict it all. What I get from this ‘thank you’ moment is that both of them have so much they want to say but won’t. Or can’t. Kills me

And those tears are purely Hannah. You can’t tell me otherwise 🥺

MAYBE I AM STILL ANGRY ABOUT THINGS! How can you have a woman in front of you, holding back tears as fiercely as she is, and not say anything. If you’re so confident you’re making the right decision why aren’t you trying to reassure her. Comfort her. I-

Good God Hannah is so pretty when she cries 🫠

He’s on the plane asking his best friend if it really was the best decision to leave. Showing he’s really not sure if he’s making the right choice. Beard got off the plane, Ted (award worthy performance I might add) and so could you.

A great fake out would have been if it seemed like he was leaving, but didn’t. Cut to him in the airport watching the plane take off. Or he arrives in Kansas but tells Henry he can’t stay. Yes, I’m bitter. Leave me alone.

How long was she in that airport for her to be completely fine now??

Baby Rebecca!!

And Boat Man! Who I will admit looks great in that pilot uniform 😏 Well done, Rebecca 😂

He gets her name but we don’t get his? Rude.

Omg she gifted them snow gloves! The Barbara effect!! 🥰

KBPR… Keeley Barbara Public Relations?? I like it!

Roy as the new manager, as he should 🫡

Aww, the little photo and sign from Phoebe 🥰

Sam on the Nigerian team is a little wtf. Did Edwin change his mind about Sam? Did the breakdown of the Super League make him wash his hands with football completely?? THESE ARE THE THINGS I NEED ANSWERS TO!! 👀

Aww, Jamie & his dad 🥰

Everyone at the Higgins’ for a BBQ 👀

Dutch man’s daughter and Phoebe playing together is cute, though

The boys having one share in the club 🥰

Mae having a whole stack 😂

Hey, it’s Shannon! Nice callback to have her be the one to show at Trent’s signing 🫡

‘The Richmond Way’ 🥰 ‘A very brief forward by Roy Kent’ 😂

AFC Richmond Woman’s Team 👀 This is the spin-off!! it’s not a want, it’s a need!!

And Sharon’s back at the club?? SINCE WHEN?! I just-

But Roy getting help from the Head of Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being. Well done, Roy. 🫡

I’m also incredibly happy Beard is still with the club, too 🥰

Nate on Roy’s shoulders 😂 made me chuckle

The fixed sign 🥹

COULD HAVE ENDED THE SHOW THERE!! Just saying

But no, had to show Beard marrying his abusive, pregnant girlfriend 🙄 I really hope for his sake they just didn’t show that she’s really calmed down and we just didn’t see it. LIKE SO MUCH ELSE! ���

WHY WASN’T TED AT HIS BEST FRIENDS WEDDING?!?! 📢📢📢

Everyone with their partners 🥹 or both partners in Dani’s case 😂

And how wonderful to see the couple who helped Beard on his crazy night out with their baby 🥰 I actually love that he apparently kept in touch with them 🥰

But Ted’s asleep on the plane… 👀 Ted doesn’t sleep on planes… was that montage all his dream?? SO MANY UNANSWERED FUCKING QUESTIONS!!!

Henry & Michelle didn’t go get him from the airport?? Thought his son was desperate to have his dad back??

So are they implying he’s back in his unhappy life he left?? Okay…

He basically became one of the biggest names within English Football for what he did, and now he’s just coaching his son’s soccer team?? Like…🤷🏻‍♀️ more questions for my list…

That did not seem like. Happy guy at the end… 🫤

Okay, apparently Dutch man is called Matthijs and his daughter is called Jelka. Good to know! Would have been nice if it wasn’t left to the credits to teach me that… 🫣

Woah. Okay. I honestly don’t know that I’ll ever be able to watch that episode again in it’s entirety. There were many things I loved about it, but also things that I didn’t. And whilst I felt the same about many other episodes, I did expect more for the season finale. Why did him leaving seem to everyone like they were never going to talk again?? Did they all agree to never stay in contact??

But I do know that it didn’t ruin the show as a whole for me 👍🏼 I’ll just stay living in my delusional TedBecca fantasy land they built for me 😉

[blackgirlsuperherorants]

Stuckys, we need to talk. Like, seriously.

I understand you're upset that Stucky is not canon in the MCU, but you have got to stop yourselves from using that fact to shit all over Black characters just because of their newfound proximity to Bucky Barnes. Seriously. No, seriously. I'm going to call a bunch of you out, now, but I hope you listen and take heed.

1) This isn't about queer representation for you. It's about Chris and Sebastian being hot white men and you wanting to see them make out on screen. And that's literally fine, who doesn't want to see that? But you need to start admitting that's what it is. Because if it wasn't about that, and it was really about queer representation, so many of you wouldn't be calling Sam Wilson "sloppy seconds", and y'all wouldn't treat both Sam and Anthony like an afterthought. Even with a lot of y'all becoming Sambucky shippers, you're doing it under the guise of Sam being some sort of consolation prize because Bucky can't have Steve. Sam has no agency, and also is treated like he isn't as good. Literally, I saw a TikTok with some girl pretending to be Bucky and Sam, and having Bucky literally tell Sam he's sloppy seconds because he can't have Steve. Literally yikes, guys.

Also, it's always girl fans who do this. I'm not saying there aren't any, but I never see gay men who are MCU fans shipping in this toxic way. And I definitely have seen gay men ship Stucky, but I swear to God there seems to be a clear difference in the way they ship vs the white girls who clearly just want to watch Chris and Sebastian make out. Literally every toxic Stucky I've ever seen who does stuff like this is a white girl. I'm not going to say no gay men are toxic fans, because there probably are some, but the amount of fans I see shitting on Sam who are white girls far outweighs any toxic Stucky gay man. Like I always say on here, Stucky is an obvious ship and I understand why people ship it, but it never had to be canon and treating it like it's the end all be all, and especially shitting on other ships like Sambucky, is really weird and, again, makes it obvious that it's not really about queer representation for you.

2) Bucky is allowed to flirt with Sarah Wilson. The same girl I saw saying Sam was "sloppy seconds" also said Bucky was only flirting with Sarah because she's an "extension of Sam", and because Kevin Feige won't let Sambucky happen so Sarah is the stand in. How insulting and sexist to insinuate that a woman is simply an extension of her male family member. No matter how you meant it, that's a really sexist notion. I've seen people make funnier jokes, like Bucky can't decide which Wilson sibling he likes, or he's going to become a Wilson one way or another. Neither of those jokes takes autonomy and humanity away from Sarah. ALSO, Sarah is a dark skinned Black woman being portrayed as desirable to the white boy fave on a major TV show that is part of the biggest film franchise in the world. I'm not sure if y'all know how much colorism effects Black women, especially dark skinned Black women. Hollywood almost never casts dark skinned Black women as desirable love interests. Especially one that isn't super modelesque with basically European features and bone straight hair. This is a positive thing for representation of dark skinned Black women, and I KNOW you've seen how happy Black girls were just seeing that 2 second interaction. How dare you reduce it to being there because Marvel stole your Stucky, and especially not because she's simply "an extension of Sam." At this point, there's no clear indication that Sarah and Bucky will literally happen, but goddamn, you can't let Black girls be a love interest for just one second? Even if you like "queer Bucky", bisexual men exist, damn. Sticking Bucky with Sharon for no reason, like they did with Steve, would have been weird and bad and you would have been more valid for questioning Marvel's motives for doing it, but letting Bucky be himself and flirt with a cute girl on a boat for 2 seconds isn't a bad thing. And if Sarah does actually become his girlfriend, it's an absolute win, and you need to let Black girls have this.

Like, I get Stucky, and I also understand wishing Marvel would just finally let any main character be actually queer. I seriously understand. But can you complain about that without shitting on the Black characters and the fans who are happy about them, right now?

I never was a fan of Stucky, because I don't think you have to have romantic feelings for someone to care about them that deeply, so I don't understand the Stucky shipper assertion that Marvel somehow stole something owed to them... but I also do understand why you ship it, and it's honestly not a bad ship. You guys just take it too far and make things uncomfortable for everyone else. And, as I've been saying for years, sometimes you make it lowkey racist. People have been shipping Stevesam since CA:TWS and you guys have downplayed it the entire time, and even used Sam as Steve's stand-in for Bucky in your fics and all of that. I remember reading fics tagged Stevesam where Steve would be having sex with Sam and then reminiscing about how it was with Bucky and wishing he were still with him, and y'all literally never saw how gross that was. Using Sam like a consolation prize. Now Steve is gone and you're still treating him like that.

And Sam and Bucky have never once treated each other like a stand-in for Steve. They treat each other like individuals with autonomy, and they even care for each other on the level that the other person needs it. It's actually really fucking good, the canon version of their relationship that's unfolded with the show. If y'all could let go of Steve for a second, literally, you would see how great Sambucky's dynamic is and that neither of them would ever see the other as "sloppy seconds" or some kind of consolation prize. It's gross.

Also, I hope Sarah gets that super soldier dick just to piss y'all off.

I'm done.

[jdrizzle15]

Her Second Return

Just like all of you, and especially my fellow Penny fans, I am absolutely devastated by the Volume 8 finale. I had been in quite a state these last few days, utterly heartbroken, and actually nauseous at times. It feels strange to me to be legitimately grieving a fictional character, but it’s not a bad thing to feel this way. To me, this just shows that CRWBY loves her just as much as us to have written her so well that we connect so completely with her, that it feels like we lost an actual piece of ourselves when she’s gone.

But as you can probably tell by the title, this mega post isn’t gonna be about accepting this end, not in the slightest! Today I want to share canon evidence that can point towards another return of our beloved quirky red headed cinnamon bun! I’m here to spread this hope that I and others in the Nuts & Dolts dolts Discord server have!

I have this separated into many different sections to keep these thoughts organized. With that said, here goes…

A Father’s Words:

In Episode 7 of Volume 7, ‘Worst Case Scenario’ we learn the origins of Penny’s aura, and thus her soul. We also learn that it takes more aura each time she’s brought back. This leaves open an option that could be used at a later point.

Many people theorized that Pietro could indeed revive Penny one more time, which he would absolutely do. But there also lies the possibility that someone else could donate some of theirs, I’m not sure about this as I feel like it’s akin to blood donation where compatibility matters or there's a high risk of altering her, but the possibility is definitely there.

Now, the conversation in Chapter 5 of Volume 8, ‘Amity’ that Pietro and Penny have is an important moment for both Father and Daughter. It was there to show how her death in PvP all that time ago really did have a heavy impact on him and is still affecting him to this day.

Instead of continuing to pretend that everything is A-okay, like he had done for most of Volume 7, he finally lets his true feelings about how it come out to Penny for what is quite likely the first time. Even going so far as to say "Are you asking me to go through that again?" when she offers to take the risk of trying to lift Amity with her power. He wants Penny to be able to live her life.

This entire scene with Pietro established “this is what will likely happen” even if circumstances are much different now, it doesn’t negate the fact that this is a key part of Penny’s story. Scenes like these have a purpose beyond simply making an eventual death all the more heart wrenching. Her never actually getting to live her life makes those scenes basically moot. It makes them effectively pointless from narrative point of view. Unless there's more to it.

Building Relationship:

The build up between Ruby and Penny the last two volumes has been absolutely phenomenal with a definite destination in mind, and this doesn’t feel like that destination. So much of the arc of this season was to help Penny. This girl that our main protagonist absolutely adores and treasures, it would just be awful to throw all of that out for what amounts to an avoidable end. Why use so much of their precious and very limited runtime on deliberately building up this relationship only to end it abruptly, and permanently, when they’re separated?

In my opinion, RT is definitely smarter now than to intentionally set up what was really looking like a budding gay relationship only to kill one of them for good. If N&D wasn't actually going in a romantic direction, why would they leave in all of the romance-adjacent stuff that they got, that's not how ‘just friends’ act. And that is not something you use such valuable time building up for absolutely no pay off whatsoever...

Representation of Hope:

At its core, RWBY has always been about hope. It’s not at the forefront the whole time, but there's been an underlying theme of hopefulness that has persisted since it began. Some describe the show as a Hopepunk, I personally find this to describe RWBY really well. This genre of storytelling is about caring for things deeply and the courage and strength it takes to do so. It’s about never submitting or accepting the way things are. Fighting for what you believe in and standing up for others. RWBY fits all of this extremely well. How does this relate to Penny? She has been shown to be a sign of hope for everyone, but especially for Ruby, the main main protagonist. A prerequisite for a Hopepunk story is the hope.

Her first death in V3 was something that fundamentally changed Ruby. For the first time in the series, we see our main character all but broken by this event. With the loss of Penny, immediately afterwards, Ruby’s hope followed. She made up for it through determination and force of will. We see it affect her multiple times throughout the journey to Volume 7. But upon her return in V7, Hope reached a high point for everyone, the sheer relief on Ruby’s face is plain to see!

In V8 chapter 5 ‘Amity’, Penny literally raises hope by lifting the arena into the sky so Ruby could spread her message. And when she falls, and Amity with her, the connection is lost and hope plummets again. From there things take a very negative turn with the hack begins to take Penny’s agency.

In chapter 11 ’Risk’ is the point in the arc where everyone is reunited for the moment, so two separate hero stories are no longer a thing at that point in time. For the time being focus seemed to be shifted to care about the characters and how they’re going to solve the current problems. This is also where Ruby reaches her lowest emotional point in the season.

It’s not huge, but it’s interesting how connected this is. Before Ruby and Yang share a good cry over learning the possible fate of Summer, Yang brings up restoring optimism and hope to Ruby after the younger sister storms out of the room in frustration. This is where Penny’s scenes take up the rest of the episode. Getting Penny back in control of her own body and safe again is what makes the ending of the episode much brighter, when just 5 minutes before Ruby had been distraught and scared. This then spills over into the group coming up with the plan to use the staff, putting the main group in a much better mood. Of all the things to go right, it’s interesting that it’s Penny.

Things go wrong with the plan in the end and Penny dies. I find it interesting that once again, Penny got them hopeful in their chances of doing something right. Given said plan succeeded but at the cost of Penny of all people, Penny is shown to be the beginning and end of hope for them

The highest and lowest points for hope seem to directly correlate to when Penny’s around. When she comes back again, hope will return too, just like it had before. And because she’ll likely be back for good this time, the second return will probably be close to when Ruby is nearing the complete abandonment of hope. This would be pretty par for the course of the show honestly.

A little aside, but in a sense, Penny also represents Unity. The CCT in Vale fell after her first death, knocking out global communications and the unifying connection it gave. When it was restored for the briefest moment, she was there. Her body connected so she could allow for its launch, her soul lighting the night to hold up Amity with every ounce of her strength. So of course when the Hack succeeds and she falls, she takes global comms down again with her. At a smaller scale - even at the Hack's second last attempt to control her, she draws everyone in the Schnee Manor together. At the start of the volume, Yang states the one thing that they all agree on is not surrendering Penny.

Unity seems appropriate for one whose first song and wish was for but one friend, who would go on to find so many more in the process, and permit for a moment the possibility of all Remnant becoming friends once more. Where she first died, the name of the episode devoted to her story - Amity, "friendship", from the Latin root amicus, "friend" - she almost lives and dies with the very possibility of a united Remnant. It's no wonder she's a priority target for Salem, the great divider, and it seems natural that her next restoration may very well allow the next bid to bring the world together.

The Void Screams:

Moments after Penny's death, we hear a weird scream in the void space. It was a guttural, pained, angry scream, almost like the void space itself was crying out. All the portals shuddered and flickered when it happened.

Some think that this scream was Salem returning, but that happens earlier than Penny’s death, her return is signaled with cinder's arm acting up. We know this because after the arm finished flailing uncontrollably, Cinder said triumphantly "she's back." If it were Salem screaming, it would have happened after she fixed herself, but it didn't.

And I doubt Cinder would have been surprised or unsettled by it considering she was happy Salem returned not long before it. And why would a Salem scream affect the portals anyway, she has no connection to the staff or it's magic.

Another thing to consider is the fact sound is not transmitted through the portals. Otherwise, they would've heard Oscar and the rest calling for them, or the screams of the citizens of Mantle and Atlas. This lowers the possibility of that scream being from Salem even further.

The sound really seems to be coming from something else entirely within the void, and that something is not at all happy. There’s also the fact that Penny was the only person who died in the void space, everyone else was just thrown out of it like Ruby and Co. The only logical cause to me is Penny. Her body was a product (or byproduct) of the same creation magic that made the void space, her blood seems to have been a trigger.

Now I can't be sure about it, but this makes me feel like Penny is almost a part of creation itself? For whatever this thing is to be so angry, that is the only explanation I can think of currently. But all of this could possibly relate to the Narnia allusion of 'the willing victim killed in a traitor's stead' that others have brought up, which will be covered next.

Narnia Parallels:

Atlas has several parallels and references to fictional places (putting aside real world ones like the United States). One of those is that of Narnia, both on the surface and on a deeper level. It is a land of winter year round, where people struggle to survive and there is a present divide between those loyal to the current Monarch and those who are not. James is a parallel to Jadis, the White Witch, a ruler whose thoughts and cares aren’t exactly centered around the actual well being of the people. The hologram table in Ironwood’s office is designed to look like stone, like the Stone Table which features prominently in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He has a handpicked cadre of special agents/secret police, like how Maugrim and his wolves served Jadis. Another key parallel is how Jadis’s winter sets in to oppress and kill everyone in Narnia, but the Witch provides aid and protection to her loyal followers. She has all the power to spare harm to others, and uses it only for the loyal. As soon as Mantle splits from James and Atlas, no care is taken to protect them from the cold of Solitas even though he has every ability to turn the heating grid back on. His protection is only for the loyal.

Now that the parallel is established, let's look into the details. Starting with how James plays the role of Jadis.

"I had forgotten that you are only a common boy. How should you understand reasons of State? You must learn, child, that what would be wrong for you or for any of the common people is not wrong in a great Queen such as I. The weight of the world is on our shoulders. We must be freed from all rules. Ours is a high and lonely destiny." These are the words Jadis says in the Magician’s Nephew to justify the blood civil war she and her sister had waged for rulership of Charn, before she came to Narnia. She won that war, technically, but only after the last battle had been lost and her sister had marched right up to her so that they were face to face. Jadis’s troops were dead, her followers had surrendered, and the capital was under full control of her sister. But, she still had one card, one ultimate play to win and prove the throne of Charn was rightfully her. The Deplorable Word, a piece of old magic that killed everyone and everything except for her on Charn. It was monstrous, senseless, cruel beyond measure. But it got her that hollow victory. This mindset, the disregard for the people except as tools for her own will, the ultimate ‘aoe’ destructive move that no one had even considered her using, the unwillingness to stop even when by all practical measures the war is over, is a shocking parallel to James. In many ways, he is Jadis in mindset and deed.

Then there is the shared desire for A Thing that both James and Jadis have. For James it’s the Winter Maiden and control over her. For Jadis it’s the Silver Apples from the Tree of Youth. And funnily enough, the Maiden Powers parallel the Apples quiet well. These apples grant power and a life of eternal beauty, but should not be taken or eaten on one’s own initiative. They must be given, a gift granted by another, or only suffering will come from obtaining them. "For the fruit always works — it must work — but it does not work happily for any who pluck it at their own will. If any Narnian, unbidden, had stolen an apple and planted it here to protect Narnia, it would have protected Narnia. But it would have done so by making Narnia into another strong and cruel empire like Charn, not the kindly land I mean it to be.” Jadis’s immortality, and some of her power, come from the fact that she ate an Apple of her own will after stealing her way into the garden where the Tree of Youth had been planted. She gained the eternal life she had wanted and the power along with it, but she did so by taking it and was cursed because of it. Her skin turned pale and her lips blackened as if she were a frozen corpse given life. She will be trapped in a life of misery and hate according to Aslan- oh hey Cinder, how’s having stolen the Power you always wanted working out for you? Cinder had the power she wanted, but she only got hungrier, eager to claim more and increase her might. But in her pursuit she was defeated and humiliated by Raven, had to steal her way out of Mistral, and then suffered defeat after defeat while in Atlas. Only in the end, when she didn’t keep pursuing the Maiden Power, did she get any kind of victory.

The reason these parallels to Narnia are so important is one of the most famous events of the series. The cracking of the Stone Table and the rebirth of Aslan after his death. ‘When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.’ Well, the ‘Stone Table’ in James’s office has cracked, and Penny strikes me as a pretty willing victim. She has never actually committed any actual treachery or harm, as she was the Protector of Mantle, and fought for its and Atlas’s people until the very end. And because of her death, the actual traitor, Winter, who loyally served James until he had gone too far, was saved. Through Penny’s self sacrifice, Winter was saved. So now Death itself will start working backward.

(Major props to my friend @catontheweb for writing this section, I was getting nowhere with it, if they weren't there this part wouldn't exist!)

Norse Mythology:

The tree we see in the post credit scene gives off some serious Yggdrasil vibes. Also called the World Tree, it is essentially all of creation in Norse Mythology. It connects all nine realms, including the God realms of Asgard, the human realm of Midgard, and the underworld of Hel.

Humans are born from the branches of Yggdrasil. The web of Wyrd is woven for every person once they're born, and their path is set from there regardless of how many times the souls cycle over. But at the end, they're destined to end up in one of the worlds, for a myriad of reasons.

I believe Penny landed closest to this giant tree. She was on the center platform in the void space, so if that space is directly above the island(?) the tree is on, it makes sense for her to fall by the center nearest to the tree. This would not only open up all kinds of possibilities for the volume in general, but it would also create options for Penny.

The whole of Yggdrasil’s representations fit well into Penny’s story. Birth, growth, death and rebirth. We can count Penny’s appearance in V7 as birth for now, her growth is all her development in leaving =the military and becoming a Maiden, her death just happened, and her rebirth would be her revival. And this is a cycle she’s gone through before.

The Norse god Odin and Yggdrasil have quite a connection. In one story, Odin cut out one of his own eyes to gain knowledge from a pool underneath Yggdrasil. The only one that fell whose eyes alone are incredibly significant to the story was Ruby. So, they could choose to have her allude to Odin by having Ruby make some kind of deal with whatever entity likely rules over this magical place. An eye for Penny’s life.

There’s another story about Odin, Yggdrasil and the pursuit of knowledge. Odin so loved knowledge, that he sacrificed himself in a quest to learn the deeper magic of runes. It was believed one could only learn the magic spells from runes in death. So, Odin hung himself on Yggdrasil for nine days as an offering, and teetered between life and death. After he mastered the last spell on the ninth night, he ritually died and all light was extinguished from the world. Odin’s death lasted until midnight, when he was reborn and light returned to the world.

This story doesn’t fit Penny perfectly, but allusions often don’t. So If she really did land near the tree, she could be another loose representation of Odin’s story here. What she did wasn’t for knowledge, but to save her friends and keep Cinder from getting the Winter Maiden power. She believed it necessary that she sacrifice herself to achieve this end. As we established, Penny represents Hope, so her death means the loss of hope. This parallels Odin’s story of his death meaning the loss of light itself. So if this theory holds up, it would make this death temporary, until her rebirth and the return of Hope with her once again.

Alternatively, Ruby has the potential of loosely representing Odin in this story as well. Odin later uses the knowledge of the runes to do many things, but the most relevant one right now is awakening the dead. Both of these stories are about making a personal sacrifice to gain something that is desired. Ruby would absolutely make such sacrifices if it meant saving Penny.

It is said that Odin lived “according to his highest will unconditionally, accepting whatever hardships arise from that pursuit, and allowing nothing, not even death, to stand between him and the attainment of his goals." This sounds like Penny's arc of accepting the WM powers. This is more just a general connection between Penny and Odin, but I found it interesting.

Side Note: I encourage anyone who’s interested to look into RWBY connections to Norse Myth, there’s a surprising amount of things that feel eerily similar to the show. Likely just coincidental, but it’s fun to think about!

(If I got any of this wrong, I sincerely apologize by the way. I researched as best I could, but I admit it could have been lacking.)

Ambrosius and the Staff:

Ruby told Ambrosius "we kinda wanna keep her around longer than that" as part of her very specific instructions. Then Penny died about ten to fifteen minutes, at the absolute most thirty minutes later in-universe. I don’t know about you, but to me that seems very short to be considered ‘longer than that’. Technically it is, but when writing a story and a character says something like that, you typically don’t just kill the character they were referring to basically right away. It makes sense for a week-by-week watch, but in a volume binge, which many viewers do, it becomes ironic how fast Penny dies after being removed from her robotic body.

The first time we see the staff of creation being used, it's to save Penny. Using the staff of creation to help Penny is a sign of how incredibly important she is.

They’ve even got this entire transformation sequence for her, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to throw all that away two episodes later. In a meta context, it’s a massive waste of time and budget considering the asset creation for Penny.

Penny is a character who has already hopped bodies two times. And now we're supposed to just believe that this time it really is a final death? Just two episodes after we were explicitly told her body isn't what matters, that "Her soul is who she is" and that "the mechanical parts are just extra"? From a writing perspective, it feels strange, like your breaking a promise right after making it. And frankly, CRWBY is better than that, which makes me think this is not the actual end for her.

A possible connection between Penny, Ruby, and the Staff (thus Creation) can be seen in the intro. As Ruby is falling and being dragged down into the darkness, she is shown reaching for the staff. In the void space, Penny is the one with the relic. So with Penny having this strong connection to Creation, and the lyrics “fight for every life” playing as Ruby reaches for the staff, it’s a safe assumption to make, with the knowledge we now have, that the Staff of Creation represents Penny in this particular moment. Which could mean that V9 will be about, at least partially, fighting for Penny’s life.

Musical Hints:

In terms of music, Friend, as a song for Penny, is very dissonant from the episode itself. The song is oddly cheerful for Penny’s recent untimely death, and it overall highlights the wrong parts of death. It’s simply too happy to be a song about losing one of the most, if not the most joyous characters in the entire show. The song also abruptly ends. There’s no outro, and while this could symbolize the fact that Penny died young, it could be that the song itself is unfinished in a story sense.

What do we hear just before the song finishes, though? A progression of notes that sounds eerily similar to the last line of the opening of Volume 8. The notes for “Fight for ev’ry life” and “Who fin’lly felt alive'' share a similar melodic structure, they aren’t perfect clones of each other, but they are incredibly similar, to the point where it seems intentional. Penny may very well be the life that the opening song is fighting for. It is also worth noting that the line “Fight for every life” comes just after “Sometimes it’s worth it all to risk the fall,” which is the exact wording used for the description in the Volume 8 finale. Team RWBY risked the fall, yet, strangely the opposite of fighting for every life happened with Penny’s sacrifice. Perhaps the time to fight for every life has yet to happen, and we will see it come Volume 9.

For another thing, the lyrics for Friend are entirely centered on Penny’s feelings for Ruby, to the point where they read very much like a bittersweet love song. The music itself is incredibly cheerful, as mentioned previously, creating a mood whiplash with the end of the volume. Why would we hear a song about Penny’s feelings for Ruby, sounding like a love song, if her death is supposed to be a tragic sacrifice akin to Pyrrha’s? The song may very well be giving a clue into its future use in the show proper.

If this was meant to be a good bye song, why make it so cheerful and romantic sounding? There's only one part about her dying and even then, it's just too accepting and goes right back into cheerfulness. The song is also pretty hopeful, telling Penny's story in a fairly chronological order. And the part where she talks about sacrifice is quite pointedly followed up by one about feeling alive. It also ends with the super cheerful chorus, the word "alive" being the last... (Remember the episode title: The Final Word)

(I want to thank my friend @shadow-0f-x for writing the majority of this section! I was struggling to choose how to tackle it as I am not well versed in music theory.)

What We Didn’t See:

It is likely that Penny understood Jaune's semblance better than him and figured something out about it’s abilities in the same way that she understood Ruby's semblance better than her. She had plenty of time to observe his semblance up close as he boosted her aura to stave off the virus. Because of that intentionally timed cutaway in the finale, we don’t get to hear her explain herself after her strained “Trust me.” All of that seems really suspicious to me.

Pyrrha Parallel:

Pyrrha and Penny both sacrificed themselves to stop or stall Cinder. Jaune tried to convince the both of them to stop. With Pyrrha, he failed, while with Penny he actively helped her sacrifice herself. Doesn’t make sense for the guy who was determined not to let anyone else do what Pyrrha did, unless of course Penny assured him she’d be alright.

The Moment:

RT including the suicide hotline in the description shows that they're aware that Penny basically committed assisted suicide, seeing it as a noble sacrifice worth doing to save her friends. They're aware, and I believe they're smart enough to condemn that decision to hell and back.

The best way to do that in my opinion is to pull her back into the land of the living and let her witness first hand the consequences of throwing her life away so freely. This would show Penny how her actions affected others so maybe she could learn to truly value herself. To not think herself expendable. It would be bold and unwise to portray this choice as something good, unless it was going to be called upon later and be pointed out for how horrible it really is.

On top of this, Penny was way too content with her death, happy even. There's no way team RWBY is letting her stay content with it. It’s almost as though we're supposed to join Ruby and Co. in calling bullshit on what Penny is saying and doing because no, Penny, this is not how things are meant to work. It's as if Penny was basically saying "I want to die for my friends" because most of the volume had been about everyone else making sure she didn't die. She knows it will hurt them. She knows.

At the peak of it all, a choice like this will totally destroy Ruby. It may very well be her breaking point for Volume 9. Curiously, the moment itself is written like it’s the first choice Penny’s ever made, yet the entire Volume shows this isn’t the case. However, this is the first choice that Penny’s made solely independently and it’s rather pertinent that the choice she makes is a mistake. Outside of giving Winter the Maiden gift and saving the day temporarily, this sacrifice will not have any lasting positive effects. Jaune will be saddled with the grief of killing Penny. Ruby will have to live with losing her best friend and not being able to protect her a second time, and Winter now has the burden of the Winter Maiden abilities, making her a target of Cinder. This is a bad thing, and Penny needs to see the long term consequences.

Transfer of Power:

As we all know, colors in RWBY are really important and get a lot of focus in the show. That means the yellow we see as Penny gives Winter the Maiden Powers was intentional and likely important, no matter how insignificant it may seem. It’s possible that the transfer effect being yellow could have something to do with Jaune’s semblance. When Fria gave the power to Penny, the effect was very much blue, so this transfer should have been green since she was the one giving it this time. The weirdness of this transfer and the focus on color in RWBY really makes it look like something’s up with how that went down.

A little off topic, but Penny saying "I won't be gone, I'll be part of you." makes me think... Winter is smart, so when she gets time to think about what Penny said, maybe she'll arrive at the same question many in the audience came to; if she's literally part of Winter, can they be separated again? If Winter starts questioning that, the possibility of Penny coming back just skyrockets.

Fria actually tells Penny "I'll be gone" before giving her powers up, which is an interesting contrast to Penny telling Winter "I won't be gone". She may have gotten that line from Winter be all philosophical in V7, saying Fria was now a part of Penny, but it hits differently coming from an actual Maiden. S5o it’s possible that Maidens usually actually will be gone, but Jaune's semblance did something to change that.

This could go well with the theory that they won't need to find an aura transfer machine, or build another one, because Jaune will have a semblance evolution allowing him to do the transfer instead. It might actually be that this evolution already happened and the golden light we saw was Jaune transferring penny's aura to Winter in some way?

An observation that I find interesting is when Penny gives winter the powers, not only is the aura yellow but penny completely glows yellow too, and she obviously starts to disappear, but she doesn’t seem to fully disappear, she just glows.

It's possibly a fading out effect and she does fully fade but animation makes bright light easier, and so we don't actually see her disappear because she's dead and not gone. But it does once again emphasize the color yellow here!

And the color is coming from Penny, it does go up Winter's arm a bit, but Penny is clearly the source. This transfer is so weird and I’m not really sure how to interpret it. There's just actually no reason that we are aware of to make the effect yellow here is the thing. Unless it has something to do with either Jaune or Ambrosius, or potentially a combination of both...

Jaune’s Aura:

The way we see Jaune's aura break in the finale is strange. His aura shouldn't be breaking here. It had been long enough since he was boosting Penny, he's had time to recharge, and it didn't look like it was a strain on him at all. Plus, we know he has a lot of aura, so there probably wasn't too much to recharge in the first place.

He has a massive amount of aura, it has never broken before as far as I remember. Even if it has though, that doesn’t make this occurrence any less odd. It should absolutely never be a one-hit KO. We didn't see anything that would've drained it, that should not have been enough to break his aura. Unless he did something - something that would require a huge amount of aura - that we just didn't see. That amount of aura drain is far more than just an attempt at healing would do, Jaune absolutely did something with his semblance that took up almost all of his aura.

Pinocchio Allusion:

As any Penny fan knows, her character allusion is Pinocchio, the puppet who became a real boy. Penny deviates from the allusion by having always been a real girl, as Ruby is quick to point out, but she shares many story beats with her original story including multiple deaths. In the original story, Pinocchio dies from being hung by his own strings due to his poor decision making and he dies. Sounds a little familiar, does it not? This is where his tale originally ended. Readers were unsatisfied with this ending however, so the author decided to change the story by reviving Pinocchio and teaching him to be more careful.

Unlike Pinocchio making all the wrong decisions, Penny often makes the right ones, or ones she thinks is right, when concerning others. While usually a good thing, this has meant Penny almost giving herself up multiple times during V8, her last attempt being successful. This is where Penny and Pinocchio begin to share similarities again. They are both very reckless when it concerns themselves. This carelessness comes from different places, but it ends with the same result of them endangering their lives and even sometimes losing them.

In the Disney movie, Pinocchio dies by drowning after going to rescue Geppetto and washes up on the shore (like the beach in V8’s post credit scene). His father is devastated and takes him home to grieve, but as a reward for his selflessness in rescuing his father, the Blue Fairy returns and brings him back to life, as well as granting him humanity. Penny sacrificed her life as well, and it stands to reason that she should be rewarded for it, much like her allusion was.

Penny got her maiden powers from someone with blue aura and then gave her powers to someone with blue aura. So it could be that not only Ambrosius, but Fria and Winter as well represent the Blue Fairy. It could be set up for Winter helping to bring Penny back to life once more. It’s an out there theory I admit, but it’s not outright impossible either. The Blue Fairy in Pinocchio saved him three times that I know of, so RWBY having three representations does make sense.

Geppetto wished for him to live as a real boy, but it depended on what path Pinocchio took. This is very reminiscent of Penny and Pietro. Pietro wants to see her live her life, and surely with him absent in V8C14 that didn't work, despite Penny choosing. Her father did not see her happy enough to live her life, and will only be able to learn her death through others. But Pinocchio's themes were life and being alive. So the likelihood that this is not her end yet is quite high!

A Girl That Fell Through the World:

Penny could be the girl who fell through the world. The girl in the story fled the consequences of a choice. The only person who chose her ultimate fate was Penny. The others were pushed into the void, but she chose to die. The consequence of her choice is Ruby’s grief first and foremost, which Penny won’t see. The girl who fell through the world does come back though, and the world will be changed severely with Penny’s absence. Alternatively, it could also be Penny coming back to Wonderland or wherever they currently are, as long as it’s unrecognizable to her.

What Returning Brings:

Others might say another return would have no story relevant purpose, but I wholeheartedly disagree. Penny gives a profoundly youthful, joyous, and wondrous outlook on the world and story that we hadn't seen since Ruby in Volumes 1-3(not the end), Penny returning would bring a much needed levity back in after the despair they will undoubtedly be going through. While not necessarily a huge thing in most other shows, for RWBY, a show largely about keeping up hope, an ounce of such relief is a necessity.

As much as I hate saying it, Penny’s death does actually make some narrative sense because she had to pass on the Maiden powers. (They could have done this in a number of ways, and I personally think they chose rather poorly, but I digress.) Throughout this whole volume, we can see Penny seemingly being set up to join the main cast, but would have been too strong with the powers. This also accomplishes ridding her of the burden of responsibility that comes with being a Maiden and lets her obtain the freedom that’s so important to her character.

Once she returns, seeing this grief that her actions caused, particularly to Ruby, will get her to realize more that her actions can have serious repercussions. She made a choice, but that choice hurt the people she loves. She must have known that it would but I’m not sure she ever realized just how much.

I didn’t want this post to be heavy in the shipping department, so I largely left it out, but I am going to say this one thing that could have an impact. If Nuts & Dolts is on its way to being canon, which this volume makes it feel highly likely, this could be a catalyst.

It could prompt an arc for the both of them in which Penny learns to live her life fighting for her loved ones, rather than sacrificing it for them. A relationship could potentially start from there. And Ruby seeing Penny learn these things may also help her to stop doing the occasional but very dangerous and reckless things she does. Ruby witnessing Penny coming to terms with what she did to the people that care about her would actually make her stop to think “wait, is this how everyone else would feel if I got myself killed?” That would be a very important moment of character growth for her.

I’m certain there are other significant things that Penny returning can bring to the show. And there are definitely more sections I could add to this. At this point though, assuming anyone even made it this far, I think I’ve been going long enough already. So let’s just roll into the outro!

As painful and hopeless as it seems, I'm choosing to trust them with this because there is absolutely no way they didn't see backlash coming. The way this finale went makes me think that they calculated for backlash and aren’t jumping into something they don’t have a plan to recover from. Whether this trust is unfounded or not remains to be seen, but I don’t think it is currently. I do think, however, that the cause of this backlash was a major misstep. Now that it has happened though, they have a chance to do something good with it.

I know for a lot of you, trust in CRWBY has been damaged, some even irreparably so. And for those that feel this way, I don’t blame you. My trust in them took a hit too, but isn’t broken completely yet. There are many ways that they can bring her back that would make sense with the narrative, they have the ability to make it right, and after going over all of the hints and general weirdness of things many times, I think they will.

I'm feeling pretty confident now and I really didn't expect that to happen at all to be honest. But discussing and theorizing with the discord server seriously helped get my hopes back up surprisingly fast! It’s actually thanks to all of them that this gigantic post even happened! So thanks a ton my fellow Dolts! And a special thanks to!!

@arcana-amicus

@catontheweb

@cosmokyrin

@gaydontmesswithme224

@jammatown919

@shadow-0f-x

They really helped get this thing across the finish line!

And thank YOU for reading all~ of this! I sincerely wish it gave you some of the hope and confidence that I now have!

[moonmothmama]

i'm thinking now of Frank Mundi in regards to the whole, "he beats up suspects" thing that gets said repeatedly by several people and yet we never see him actually do it, though he has plenty of opportunities.

the closest he got was when he went towards those guys who were yelling disgusting shit and harassing mourners at the funeral of the woman he'd previously been engaged to (maybe he's gay but he pretty clearly loved her even if only platonically or somethin. like he wasn't just pretending to care for her. and even if he hadn't that's an absolutely fucking deplorable thing to do), and even then he stopped when Penance asked him. she didn't even have to try that hard, she was just very quietly like 'please don't do this now' and he didn't. plus... that was a funeral he was attending. personally. not as a cop.

then there was when he manhandled Hugo, and physically threatened him, but a) he didn't actually go through with harming him b) it's pretty damn clear that he's there in a personal capacity with Hugo rather than a professional one. he's not there to do his job, he's there because he's fucking sick of the man and he can't take it anymore. also like... they're fucking. or they were, rather, since he says straight up that they're done "across the board." my point being that is most certainly NOT scotland yard business. Hugo practically says this himself, pointing out that someone implicated him specifically because if anyone else were implicated Frank would be out doing his job.

and he defends himself when 'Maladie' attacks him but he just, like, subdues her as quickly as possible, as i recall

so.

we know he's an ex-boxer, with such a fierce reputation that a much bigger dude immediately backs down when he's identified.

does he, has he ever, actually beaten up a suspect? that one guy says he could 'beat a confession out of a tombstone,' Lucy says that he 'likes knocking suspects about, even if they're as innocent as christmas.' but he hasn't actually been shown to hurt anyone, unless i'm seriously forgetting something. so...

is that just a rumor? did it happen once? what's the deal there? are we meant to believe it?

i'm also thinking about that whole exchange between him and Hugo, where Hugo asks him why he took a job that he hates, and he answers "because i work with the people that love it." and how he goes on that whole rant to him in the billiard room about how "if it's not you it's one of them toffs you play chess with," talking about the rich "grinding up" the oppressed for "an extra penny on the pound, or the rights to a patch of sand, or a fuck." and then when that one cop tries to pull a knife on "Maladie" when she's in custody and he slams the guy against the wall threatening to have "badge and balls off any man who tries that."

like this man obviously has some serious problems but is he actually deserving of his professional reputation? with everything we've seen, and haven't seen, i can't help wondering. i want to know more about him, i want to figure this sad fucker out

(and i just wanna say right here yes ACAB, yes fuck the police, but this is a fictional victorian era cop we're talking about here. i'm talking about character stuff and where the story is going, not any kind of real life shit, ok? fuck the irl police)

[onebizarrekai]

v3′s art is comically terrible for a professionally distributed game in a series: a compilation

in this not-essay I will list all of the mistakes and problems I have spotted in v3′s art. don’t worry, it’s entirely for fun and I’m doing this on a whim, so please feel free to not take this seriously but also it’s hilarious and embarrassing how ridiculous this is like what happened did they speedrun the whole production or what

see, there are some things you can take as meta like “they made it bad on purpose to allude to the downfall of tv shows that have been on air for much too long” but I have a very strong feeling this is not the case due to the nature of some of these errors

disclaimer, the more I study this art, the more I fear that the artists were underpaid and underslept, so if this is in fact the case, I am so sorry to all of them but also I’m going to make fun of the art anyway

anyway let’s get started!

if you study this image for longer than 5 seconds, you will see that kaede is the only one fully shaded and keebo is literally just his normal sprite pasted into the image. every other character is just an ordinary ref, hence most of them facing the exact same direction with neutral expressions on their faces. it looks like a bad edit, and is probably one of the worst pieces of art in the game. it kind of gets better from here on, but my roasting will not.

with that out of the way, here’s the problem that officially bothers me the most and clarifies my viewpoint of “this is not meta and an actual lack of company communication”

this freaking cg, which seems normal at a glance, but some wiseass was like “oh, kaede is a girl, so obviously she’s going to be shorter than the Male Protagonist™” ah, that’s funny. because if you look at the character bios, kaede is, in fact, one inch taller than shuichi and not like 6 inches shorter as she is shown here.

also shuichi’s shoulder is disproportionate and horrendous and he looks vaguely like a jojo character, but I wasn’t even thinking about that until right now.

thanks guys, 50% of the fandom who has never bothered to check these bios thinks that kaede is like 5′3 (did the developers really put so little thought into her to the point where drawing her correctly in the game didn’t even matter??)

also I would like to point out that, even though this isn’t related to the art itself, yes, a character kaede’s size being only 117 lbs is unfeasible, but this applies to literally every character in danganronpa ever and it’s not new news that it’s unrealistic

update: someone in the tags informed me that in versions of the game that use centimeters, like the japanese version, kaede is actually shorter than shuichi, which just adds another thing to the list of weird decisions the localization team made for no reason. that said, after confirming this, kaede is 167 cm in the original, while shuichi is 171 cm, which are approximately 5′6 and 5′7 respectively, but one inch is still nowhere near as drastic as it is depicted above. (in spite of this, I would rather depict kaede as slightly taller, so I’m probably going to keep doing that.)

the journey continues!

bro if you want kaede to have shoulder length hair then stick to it to begin with

you can pretend this is at an angle all you want but they definitely committed the shorter kaede sin a second time

wait a goddamn second.

DO YOU SEE THIS

no………… it wasn’t kaede who shrank. it was shuichi who got taller

speaking of which, can we talk about how shady the perspective is in this elevator pic? look at shuichi and kokichi in comparison to kaede. kokichi, who is canonically 7 inches (edit: or 5, if you’re loyal to the original) shorter than kaede, looks taller than kaede. he’s growing too. what steroids are these gays taking

running into the room, electric boogaloo: I don’t think tsumugi is supposed to be the same height as kokichi

gonta… gonta you’re lookin a bit like a jojo character there

I love how kaito’s head looks kind of like it was pasted onto his body. why is he the same size as shuichi? shouldn’t he be high school bully size or something? his torso is teensy

ah yes, white angie.

I love this cg but why is shuichi’s right hand so much bigger than his left hand

I also love how this cg looks like they literally took pictures of trees and pasted them into the background, especially on the left. the shadows are so weird, especially closer to the ceiling, it’s difficult for me to believe they didn’t do exactly that.

return of Enlarged shuichi

puberty update: kokichi is now taller than shuichi in spite of shuichi never missing leg day. what crimes will he commit

I have to mention it, guys. this has to be one of the worst danganronpa cgs. kokichi’s facial proportions look atrocious. look at the way his face sticks out like his jaw is in the wrong place. his scarf is a pasted texture. that’s it. this moment was so iconic but the cg just looks so… so… off. like something is terribly wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it.

you know what? let’s get into that ‘pasted texture’ thing.

let’s imagine you’re an artist working on a professional game. you’re assigned to draw cgs of kokichi ouma, who has a checkered scarf from hell. sure, it will be terrible to draw, but you only have to draw it once at a time! plus, perspective is pretty important, right? can you be bothered? nah, actually. let’s just copy paste a checkered pattern into the cg, because I’m sure nobody will notice. it’ll blend right in with the other cgs that someone actually put effort into drawing his scarf in, right?

no. the answer is no and I very much noticed. this genuinely looks terrible and I would understand taking a shortcut like that in fanart or even an indie game but this is a full price pc and console distributed game

(an addition: look at kokichi’s TINY HANDS in that last one)

meanwhile, they straight up forgot to color in kokichi’s scarf in this cg.

dude. I forgot about whatever the hell this cg was. anyway look at keebo please just look at him

lovin kaito’s baby arms

real talk, maybe you could argue that he’s missing muscle because he’s deathly sick, but most of his cgs don’t line up with this, and his arms just look disproportionate to his torso size (granted this is a consistent problem across all danganronpa games and a lot of characters have this weird problem, like hajime, but also kaito is bigger than hajime so I kind of have higher expectations of him) maybe it’s his stupid goatee and the way he reminds me of yasuhiro?? it creates this illusion that he’s older than he is and so I keep expecting him to look more like an adult

oh, also rantaro is missing some of his accessories in that video he made–you know the one–but I don’t wanna go back and screenshot it

also you may have noticed that I’m skipping all of the monokub cgs because I literally do not care about them and I’m not even bothering to check and see if they have artistic mistakes in them

JIMMY NEUTRON???

hey um uh kaito you seem to be missing your neck

hey guys do you like my pregame fanart

so, that done, the sprites are also pretty terrible at times. they’re not as interesting to go through, however, and downloading the full sprite sets for every character and studying every single one of them will drive me insane, so I’ll just sum some of the ones I noticed up. I made things for kaede and shuichi before deciding I wasn’t going to get into it, so here are these.

that said, other mistakes include kokichi missing his purple highlights in all of the sprites encompassing a specific pose, stray pixels all over the place on everyone, and everyone also has heavily inconsistent shading, but literally all I think about is how pregame shuichi is unshaded and two of kaede’s pregame sprites have glaring outfit change mistakes in them

anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my ridiculous ramble. in all seriousness, there’s this looming presence of some lack of communication in the development team, like with all the art and design inconsistencies, pieces and sprites that look rushed, stray pixels, and missing basic proportional stuff. these are the kinds of things that you supposedly have to pretty much have in the bag in order to get jobs in professional businesses, so it’s really weird to me that this game suffers from so many of these problems. it’s like they tried to make the art so much more crisp than the other games, but it fell on its face as they realized it was going to take longer to draw everything and they started to rush. it’s weird, because the coloring itself looks normal–it’s just sloppily drawn, and the proportions are a mess once put into the context of perspective. many of the cgs look like they were drawn by different people, and I’m still not over the fact that half of kokichi’s cgs have his scarf pasted in as a texture.

the moral of the story is that if you’re selling a game at full price that also happens to be in a series that has had 3 very good games in it already the stakes should probably be higher than this. v3 has been out for more than 3 years and it’s still $40 (did it cost more than that before? I sure hope not), and the overarching quality of the game is just not as high as the other games. I’m not saying that the other games don’t have any problems with their art at all, they’re just not as glaringly obvious and every artistic choice in those games feels intentional.

regardless, I had a blast roasting the art at 2am, so maybe you got a kick out of all this chaos.

[ms-demeanor]

Some meandering thoughts about jokes about rape and cultural changes in the last decade and a half

Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad we’re in a place now where we DO question rape jokes and it would be much harder to get away with “raping Jonah Hill is incredibly amusing” as the center of a scene the way that you could in 2007-2013 but I do kind of feel like we don’t talk about how sudden that change was enough.

People talk about how you should have always known that awful things are awful but if you’re surrounded by rape jokes and pedophilia jokes all the time and that’s what’s funny to the other kids around you and the adults in your lives and what makes up the jokes in the movies you watch then it’s hard to act like you always knew it was wrong.

Dead baby jokes were a HUGE thing when I was a teen and in my early twenties and sitting around swapping dead baby jokes was just a thing we did, and tossed in among them were things like:

A joke about incest with the punchline “Get off me pa, you’re crushing my smokes.”

This joke about a pedophile murdering a child.

Let’s not turn this rape into a murder.

And hell, look at the activity graph for “soap on a rope” on urban dictionary:

2014 starts a significant taper.

Letterboxd has their “sexual assault against men played for comedy page” and if you sort by release date there’s a downward trend with 2014 as a really stand-out year for rape jokes about men in popular movies:

2010 - 10

2011 - 12

2012 - 14

2013 - 12

2014 - 18 (jesus, which includes a prison rape joke in “Paddington”)

2015 - 9

2016 - 9

2017 - 11

2018 - 15

2019 - 4

2020 - 1

(this is of course with the caveat that this is only what has been documented so far)

Shock porn sites used to be a thing and they used to be a COMMON thing. A thing that would get remixed and have late night hosts make jokes about them and that got parody music videos.

So on the one hand I was really glad that in 2010 the hacker conference WASN’T asking me to make a rape joke on their tee shirt, but since Pool 2 Girl came up at every single “this is what defcon is about” discussion and some of the guys from the con had printed up “lemonparty.org” stickers to slap up around town it wouldn’t have been *surprising* if they’d been asking for that.

If you were a teenager in 2005 would you have known how much of a dick move goatse-ing people was? We didn’t have the same culture of trigger warnings (not that I disapprove of trigger warnings, they are good and I like them) and there was very much an attitude online at the time of “if you can’t handle it log off.”

I think the fappening was the turning point for a lot of this stuff - I think that was a big cultural moment that changed a lot of people’s attitudes really quickly and I’m seeing echos of that with what Chris Evans is dealing with right now: people are a lot faster to say “oh, that sucks, don’t be an asshole, report people for posting the pics” while I remember sitting and arguing in an imgur thread because there were a bunch of people saying “if you don’t like it don’t take nudes” about the celebrities who got caught in the icloud leak.

People look at Shane Dawson’s (admittedly gross and incredibly inappropriate) behavior with a poster of Willow Smith and act like it’s unprecedented***** but as someone who remembers not only Olsen Eighteenth Birthday countdowns but ALSO the jokes about fucking the Olsen twins that came BEFORE they were legal that’s just bizarre. Seeing people my age and older react to James Gunn’s pedophilic twitter jokes like they’re worse than Jay Leno’s jokes about Michael Jackson (which were made on TV! Across America! On a major network!) is just. It’s bizarre.

I’m glad we are where we are now, I’m glad that making rape jokes in public or jokes about incest or pedophilia (or murder or abortion) is less common and less okay (especially in children’s media, jesus fuck) and more likely to get criticized.

But I’m also pretty sure I’m going to get called a rape apologist by *someone* for saying “2010 was a different time, rape jokes were more common and we didn’t realize how shitty it was” when it really was a different time and rape jokes were more common and most people didn’t realize how shitty it was. I sure didn’t. I do now, and I’m glad I do now. But pretending that we should have ALWAYS known this, pretending that this was NEVER acceptable, pretending that it WASN’T a different time is ignoring the fact that for over a decade there was an entire genre of pedophilic rape jokes (that were frequently also racist) centered around one celebrity and that people told these jokes in public and in pop culture *all the time.*

Does that make it right? Fuck, I don’t know, shit is relative. It was still largely acceptable to electrocute gay kids and people tossed around the word “faggot” pretty freely. Mean Girls is full of jokes about how awful it is for people to think you’re a lesbian and Superbad is full of jokes about getting people shitfaced so they’ll sleep with you (so date rape) and there’s an entire “cute comedy” from the 80s starring Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn that’s an extended rape-by-fraud joke. I think that as a whole we’re better now as people than we were in 2010 and the 90s and the 80s and the 50s and I don’t think that someone who made a sexist joke in the 80s is irredeemably evil and I don’t think people making rape jokes in the 2010s are rape apologists in 2020 and I wish there was a lot more understanding of both history and nuance in these conversations.

*****to be very, very clear Shane Dawson has been filmed kissing underage fans on the mouth and having explicit sexual conversations with his very young cousin - Dawson has done things that go beyond “inappropriate” and fall clearly into “wrong” “bad” “dangerous” “illegal” etc, which is all the more reason that it’s so strange to see people focusing on him fake masturbating on a poster of Willow Smith. YES doing that was gross but why is it even being compared to the way he’s been filmed interacting with fans? The lack of nuance, making “fake masturbating at a poster” and “creating a sexually abused puppet character” the same as “inappropriately touched and kissed minor fans and engaged a young child in explicit sexual conversations” is NOT GOOD. That is a bad thing. Two of those things are tasteless and two of those things are actively harmful and it’s the actively harmful stuff that we should be focusing on and part of why it’s really weird to see shit like “pizzagate conspiracist accuses James Gunn of making inappropriate jokes” like yes Gunn please don’t but can we maybe refocus and talk about the dude who can be pretty significantly assigned blame for a fucking shooting? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/01/james-gunn-alt-right-marvel-film-director-tweets

Actually, you know what, I thought I was done ranting, I’m not.

It’s purity culture.

YES you should attempt to do less harm with your language, YES you should attempt to not use slurs, YES you should try to avoid making rape jokes. But there’s an entire huge group of people who are willing to drag up rape jokes from a decade when rape jokes were REALLY REALLY common in order to say that nothing you say or do today matters.

And that same group is ALSO really interested in expanding the concept of what pedophilia is to include age differences in adults or liking the wrong style of drawing and it’s a purity culture silencing tactic and can we PLEASE stop pretending that gross, tasteless jokes are the same thing as actually sexually abusing people? Can we stop pretending that pointing out “rape jokes were more common fifteen years ago and I feel bad about it but that’s just the way it was and I don’t make jokes like that anymore” is the same as saying “rape isn’t bad and you shouldn’t make a big deal out of it.”

It’s always good to try to be a less shitty human but if you’re only allowed to grow and improve and be less shitty if you never fucked up in the first place then it’s all just calvinist bullshit and none of us could ever really be saved in the first place.

I dunno, dudes. We got so careful about disapproving of the wrong kind of language that we let a white supremacist concern troll Disney into firing a director who caught the attention of the alt right by shit-talking the president.

I think perhaps we need to reexamine some strategy here.

[theyarebothgunshot]

this is exactly how it went down in my head.

misha: hey, everything okay? do you need me to do something?

jensen: no, lay low. we’re figuring it out.

misha: got it.

— the next day —

misha: things settled. should i say anything? draw attention? stay neutral?

jensen: you don’t have to, but if you want, tread lightly. we’ve had enough chaos.

misha: say no more.

when nobody got your back you KNOW dmitri got your back.

ANYWAYS i turned my back for TWO MINUTES and y'all went the fuck off in my inbox so, you know the drill: more under the cut

NO BUT JENSEN’S RESPONSE LMAAAAAO honestly fallout theory is so on oh my God I can’t stop-

on god they are so loud like-

Worst damage control i've ever seen. god bles.

so true bestie

I think Jensen probably just wants to be done with this petty little drama, so if he has to pretend everything between them is okay he is going to be the bigger man and lay it to rest. Whatever is going on between them he definitely doesn't want to sort that out on social media and the earlier he pretends everything is sorted out the earlier people will forget about it again.

Also it's kinda funny how J*red Tweet was like implying they had a misunderstanding but still talk to each other regularly, while Jensen went full on the we grow apart a little bit, because we were busy, let's catch back up. Makes me wonder if they actually talked or if there managers just said hey that's not good pr, let's put that to rest. Also did J*red know before yesterday that they had a falling out or did he just not realize.

- 🐌 anon

literally jensen went out of his way to say 'uhhh we never talk, worstie' god if pr management is involved then they did a bad job. also j*red still does not realise they have fallen out. jshfjdsfh

Jackles was like God bless but we ain’t talking like this worstie

good for her.gif

csdsc heeft gevraagd:

All I need now is for Misha to tweet “ is it safe to come out now?” And I’ll be complete lmfao 😂😂😂

that would have been better than what we got lmfao

I have one fear and it's Jensen being forced to add j*red to his show and his other projects because he couldn't stop whining like a baby,,, ugh i hate him

i pretend i do not see

Kinda selfish of me tbh but i don't want them to be "friends" again, Jensen sweetie run as fast as you can

co-signed

Ok Jensen's answer to Jared tweet made me feel so bad for him. Like, I can see it's damage control and public relations (obviously) but there's stuff behind it. I can't name it, but idk, I felt terrible for texas man this time, I don't think that reply was written with a "love and light energy" or even without much care. I felt some heavy vibes.

- 🌻, who is now a fortune teller and a prophet apparently

yeah i feel hella bad for him to, for having to deal with this shit. nonnie please if you ever have anything to predict, lemme know sjdfhs

You know Jensen's tweet has the energy of like kindergarten wenn an other kid started a fight with you and the kindergarten teacher wants you to forgive each other and hung it out and you really don't want to, but your kindergarten teacher is being annoying and he isn't worth the annoyance either.

- 🐌 anon

you are not wrong

Incredibly thankful that I have the day off from work 😂 I'm with hatching chick anon, the 3 dots read as passive aggressive/insincere to me, and I love it! I haven't spent this many hours on tumblr since I first discovered cockles! (On a side note, the lack of fimmf posts today has me feeling like it's not friday lol) -🐢

i, too, miss fimmf but alas things happen, they do they do they do

I was right. :(

It got almost romantic...

👀

nonnie you know i love you but this is really not the case, like, at all??? idk how you could look at those tweets and think it was almost romantic. it was THEE most scripted, pr bullshit ever. it was staged and fake. idk what else to tell ya

Danneel liked Jensen's tweet

i saw

That is so so awkward I feel so sorry for all of us being exposed to this and so happy I chose to leave the Internet for half a day - tea anon

god bless your stance on that cause i would have hated missing out on this lmao

You know what? I think it’s okay being a 38 year old moron if you’re bringing us this type of content

im happy with the food but still think its not okay tbh

pspspsps Misha this is the perfect day for you to drop the gay Cas essay pspspspsp it is still pride month pspspsps

you know you want to king pspsps

So that JIB6 link (I think it was from your post, right?). I went and watched that bit, and a little more.

Jensen makes a comment about Jared being first on the call sheet because Sam was supposed to be the main focal character.

And that him nor Misha cared about what number they were, so in all that time it never changed.

And I’ll be… if that just doesn’t perfectly sum them up and their feelings on things. And how a certain someone can be petty… 🦚

idk if it was from my post? but maybe? my analysis probably? but yeah things are making more and more sense huh

Ohh that's also an alien? Welcome to the extraterrestial family then, purple alien anon!

Also it's probably because I'm coming off the high this drama gave me but I'm not looking forward to them trying so hard to convince us everything is normal between them. Even though we now Know, they will have to keep pretending. Today (yesterday?) was a shitshow but some masks fell off, at least for a moment and I kinda wish Jensen was less professional 😂

👽

oh for real, fallout theory IS confirmed and nothing they said today will change my mind, it only made me believe in it even more lmfao and with that in mind i am just gonna sip my tea if they try to be buddy buddy on main again

I THINK MISHA UNRETWEETED BUT HE TWEETED "LOVE AND MISS YOU BOTH" I'M LOSING MY DIGNITY HERE - tea anon

yeah he now answered them sjdfhsjfhsf instead of rt

MISHA COLLINS IS A KING I STAN THE RIGHT MAN

YOU SURE DO

I just know Misha’s process was oh crap I have to let people know I’m supporting them and I can’t choose sides. Ok. Retweet. NO. Delete. I love both of you. Yes, good.

sjdfsdfh this makes me think of that post that dissected jackles' birthday post for misha where he used the heart. 'call him bro, that makes it less obvious. nailed it.'

Lol I'm off for a few days and come back to total chaos... God I missed it here

Like the "et tu... #bravo" tweet? Made my day! Frikking hilarious (every time I see it I picture J*red with a pissy frech accent saying it out loud lol) it's just such an incredibly petty hissy fit he threw (I know he tweeted more later on but... Really all that stuff coming afterwards just sounds like damage control)

Missed you Rose

-🐻

LOVE the french accent detail im gonna do this too sdjfhsjfh missed you toooo!!!!

Oh man Misha is really gonna get hate for that I KNOW IT

sigh well. nothing he isnt used to by now, unfortunately

i mean i believe they feel like brothers, but constantly falling back on the “brother” thing to keep up appearances is really starting to feel like “#spnfamily” at this point.

honestly brothers can be very annoying, or so i have heard, so it fits with the fallout theory lmao

They actually said if we’re gonna make this gay we cannot have Jar*d Pad*lecki involved

oh my God this is the funniest timeline to ever exist God bless I’m just waiting to canon bi Mary

king shit tbh

[michaelmilligan]

📓 wait wait I wanna hear more about the midam musical idea :(

Aahsksldmdhs okay so!! This once again takes place in S15 (and once again after 15x08). Tfw 2.0 goes on a hunt surrounding a high school and they run into Michael and Adam. Those two live in that town and noticed the supernatural occurences at the school and so Michael promised he would solve this because Adam gets upset every time he hears about kids being hurt. So, very begrudgingly and sitting a little cramped in the Impala, Michael and Adam agree to team up with the others (Michael mostly doesn't want to and while Adam isn't thrilled either, he knows that while Michael is very strong, he also has zero experience with hunting and his brothers are, sadly, the only experts here). So to go undercover, Dean and Cas want to try out as teachers while Sam pretends to be someone official (Idk anything about schools in the US, but they must sometimes get inspections or get visits from semi- important people, right?) Meanwhile, Jack will play a teenager.

They all wonder what Michael and Adam will do when Michael suddenly makes Adam look eighteen again with the snap of his fingers. It's an illusion, but not even Cas can see through it, so it'll work.

Once they walk into the school though, something happens. Adam gasps and falls over while a crash sounds from a nearby classroom. Sam and Dean go to investigate and find some high schooler lying on turned over tables, looking like he fell from the ceiling. The guy gets up, asks what's going on, then runs into the corridor, saying Adam's name with urgency.

It's Michael. The dude is Michael, and he doesn't know how he got that vessel, only that he was forcibly ripped from Adam and deposited in that body, which is empty in the sense that there's neither a human soul nor any memories in it. They all know that the only one who could have done that would be Chuck, but Michael doesn't want to think about it.

Anyway, Adam is feeling extremely weak, barely being able to stand and Michael 'solves' this by picking him up bridal style and carrying him to the infirmary. (Michael can't get back into Adam's body and also can't heal him. Cas also can't find what's wrong with him. Michael hopes he just needs some rest, so he's getting him to a bed.)

In the infirmary, they meet a nurse who is threatening to burst out of her uniform, looking like she's plucked straight from a porn mag. Michael stares at her and goes 'Gabriel???' and the nurse goes 'Mikey???' and changes into regular Gabe. Turns out, Gabriel woke up in the school (after being, you know, dead) couldn't leave and decided to try and blend in. Since he knows exactly nothing about children, he decided to become a hot nurse. ('Who doesn't want to be a hot nurse, Mikey??')

Introductions are made, and Gabriel checks Adam. All he finds is very low energy for no discernible reason. They hypothesize that Adam's body, after over a thousand years, is not used to running on anything but archangel juice anymore and doesn't really remember how to make its own energy anymore. Gabriel makes some food for him, hoping that'll prompt the body to burn some calories and stuff.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Jack, Adam and Michael were actually enrolled in classes without anyone applying for that (Chuck's meddling, probably). (They were just kinda supposed to blend in and talk with the kids, which is stupid but hey, it's a Winchester plan and they seem to mostly rely on their main character mojo half the time.)

Anyway, they're actually all trying to get info on the case (Adam is slowly getting better which is good bc Michael will NOT leave his side and they are earning a reputation around school as 'that cute gay couple - you know, the geek and the jock?'). That's when the first Musical number happens. It doesn't even involve any of the team, just some random kids Jack befriended, but they're singing and dancing and then after they stop they go on as if nothing happened. And that's... odd, especially when no one even mentions it and asking about it just gets them weird looks. But then it happens again and again to different members of tfw 2.0, sometimes solos, sometimes duets, and they don't WANT to sing or dance but they can't help it, not even Cas.

Adam, who was both a STEM major AND a theater gay, is getting more and more frustrated that HE doesn't get any songs.

This goes on while they slowly uncover clues about the 'supernatural occurences' being bogus, all signs hinting at Chuck having lured them there for his amusement. Like Gabriel, none of them can leave the premises, and everyone is getting more and more annoyed.

Finally, Adam and Michael sing a very sweet duet together (I'm thinking either Breaking Free or another Troy/Gabriella song from High School Musical) and while dancing to the music, they manage to get off the school grounds and actually end up breaking the spell that made them all 'play along'. (It turns out that the Midam duet was not orchestrated by Chuck but was meticulously planned by Michael, Adam and the other theater gays they befriended. They had an inkling that they could trick the spell into letting them out and yeah, they chose that song, 'Why are you guys looking at us so weird? It's a classic, Dean!')

So Michael and Adam saved the day (from Musicals) but Chuck is still at large. (Which is why I call it an episode and not an AU. It could theoretically have happened! Gabriel vanishes, btw, and it's up to you to decide if he bolted or Chuck got him.)

Michael and Adam go back to sharing a body, but they do keep the other body for, uh, reasons. Tfw 2.0 fucks off. Michael and Adam are glad they get to go back to their life now, though they are gonna miss the kid. Jack really grew on them. Next time, Adam says, they need to get the kid some ice cream. And maybe sing some more.