#i just think it’s funny how he always gets casted in projects where he’s the opposite description of the character he’s playing

[bagsbycliaro]

it’s so funny how for ages the fnaf fandom perceived michael afton as some 80s stoner bad boy who’s tall with a tan and a curly mullet and then BOOM we have 5’5 josh hutcherson with his puppy brown eyes

[cuubism]

actor hob, and pretentious asshole film director dream

[ this got so long and so weird and specific i'm so sorry ]

so hob is an everyman actor. a good actor, charismatic, funny, fan favorite, but not the type that gets cast in highbrow art films. mostly he does like romcoms, mid-budget action movies, feel-good family films, etc etc. and he's totally cool with that, he's good at what he does, and people enjoy those films, anyway. he might be getting a bit bored though, a bit stagnant. might be thinking it's time for some reinvention. and there might be a certain director whose ridiculous and nonsensical but dreamy films he's particularly enamored with...

dream makes REALLY pretentious art films. the types that get studied in graduate level film classes and have fifty different academic papers with fifty different theses trying to puzzle them out. dream is a master of themes and images and subtle construction. he is also a COMPLETE asshole and impossible to work with, an auteur in the most stereotypical way possible, he writes and directs, he micromanages all his projects, he asserts his vision and god help anyone who goes against it. nobody can handle him, nobody can STAND him, and the only reason he still gets funding for these projects is because they win awards, so many awards, and the studios want to ride on the coattails of those awards. but it's getting to the point where even his most ride-or-die producers are ready to give up.

right off the back of dream's most recent bafta, a rather naive Big Exec approaches him to direct the next installment of his Big Superhero Franchise. dream is immediately like fuck off with that bullshit but the exec pleads with him that the franchise is flagging and they really need something new to spice it up. plus the pay will be enough for dream to finance like 10 of his own ridiculous art films without having to rely on producers for money. and dream really is about to get cut off for being a complete insufferable asshole so he takes the gig. it kind of feels like prison though.

anyway, he gets to work trying to make this shitty boring film at least marginally less shitty and boring. he doesn't have a lot of leeway -- a lot of the story is locked in, half the cast is set from prior installments etc. dream immediately regrets taking this job, he'd rather die in actual prison than work on this mindnumbing piece of trash. it feels like it's taking an eternity and who could possibly stand an eternity of this???

well. enter hob, whose agent managed to snag him a 2nd-lead sort of role in this thing. it's not QUITE the reinvention he was going for but the pay and exposure are really good -- and even if they weren't, the moment hob saw that dream was attached he was immediately on board.

cue dream tearing his fucking hair out and basically being a complete menace and diva on set -- no that wasn't good, yes we have to do a 57th take, oh my god this dialogue is horrible give me that shitty script i'm writing my own thing, what do you mean the plot is linear???, wait there are how many cgi aliens????? i'm going to kill myself -- and Hob, pretty much Just Happy To Be There as always, takes one look at this beautiful dramatic emo asshole and is like oh. yes. i don't know what i'm saying yes to, but i'm saying yes. just immediately enamored with this bitch against all logic, he's like i've seen all your films i know how your mind works you brilliant nihilistic mess of a person. i'm on board. let's go.

first scene that hob's in dream is once again ranting about the atrocious script, which he did not write and is hardly allowed to change -- or, every change he makes is too weird and the studio keeps nixing it. everyone keeps sighing and being like oh my god can we please just shoot i wanna go home, meanwhile hob's like alright then. let's workshop it. and dream's just like. what. you aren't just gonna tell me to shut up? and hob's like no, youre right, this script is trash, but i know you're just going to write something really weird and psychedelic that they won't let you shoot. and dream's like you dare to speak to me that way??? and hob just puts his hands on his hips and is like listen, i actually know more about this sort of general audience family film thing than you do, mister arthouse, so are you going to work with me or not? and dream's just like what... is happening... because usually people who try to 'handle' him either just cave to his every demand like wimps, or just fight him on everything to 'prove' that they're in control, and hob is just kind of... not doing either of those? anyway dream doesn't know what to do with him.

so they workshop it. turns out hob actually DOES know how these sort of general audience all-follow-the-same-three-act-structure films work and how to improve things within those confines, and also he understands what like, normal people like, you know, casual feel good movies, not everything has to be a mindbender, jesus. so they bounce ideas off each other for like 3 hours until they finally get something that's okay enough that dream no longer wants to fling himself into the sun. meanwhile everyone on set is staring at them like 👀. then dream is like come back to my trailer we are rewriting the other 116 pages of this script right NOW. what else is hob supposed to do but follow.

then hob becomes the designated Dream Handler on set. dream starts using him as his barometer for what 'normal people' would like because he does not understand that at all. ("hob, will 'people' accept this?" "well considering youre spinning the camera around on a string i'm gonna go out on a limb and say no"). dream becomes kind of obsessed with him because his life is so like, normal, and he's okay with it?? he doesn't find existence to be an insufferable prison from which there is no escape?? and hob is like aw i know you're such a tortured artistic soul *pats him on the head*. plus, hob is actually a good actor, and he's able to put a lot of heart into even this mediocre big budget film, and kind of forces dream to confront the idea that there's more than one good type of story. that different stories serve different purposes and a straightforward happy story is okay, actually.

(and that the problem is the corporatization of the storytelling, not the story itself)

anyway the movie ends up being pretty good, dream still kind of hates it because he wasn't given full artistic license but he has to grudgingly admit that it has at least some merit. after the premiere hob is like (cheekily) so you gonna direct the sequel? and dream is like i did not write that to have a sequel. and hob's like it has a cliffhanger? and dream's like so???? and hob's like well theyre definitely gonna make a sequel. and dream's like i hate this planet. also no i'm not going to make the sequel. i'm going to fuck off to the woods and make a movie about teeth. do you want to star in it? and hob's like you're so fucking weird i'm obsessed with you i'm going to kiss you now.

so yeah, that.

[rainbowchewynuggets]

Hello, I'm still here!

I just moved again, and I wanted to share some stuff I made before I did.

So I was working on an idea for an episodic serial comic about a small polycule with mild super powers trying to live a quiet life together in an apartment in a small city--hanging out, running errands, going to work, and trying to duck the feds who want to take them away to be "studied". Just a cute slice of life thing with some spice to heighten the magic and preciousness of mundane life.

It woulda been called UNSUCOTH (Untitled Supernatural Comfort Throupple).

I didn't get far into making it, and I may never. I think I started it because I felt really sad and lost and missed my hometown. And now that I live there again, I don't really feel that motivated anymore. I just want to go outside all the time lol.

But here's the cast anyway because I love them, they're a part of me, and they may show up in later posts and projects regardless.

This is Chesah. They have psychic powers (largely Akira style, but they've always had a spiritual/emotional connection to the stars and are starting to think they can also talk to the dead). ((My notes also say they have acid blood? What??)) They work as a clerk/archivist in the filing room at a very outdated office. People leave them alone, so they get to use their powers to do their job and listen to music all day.

They are my inner goth who never got to come out.

This is Kanai. He can influence local temperature, air pressure, precipitation, plant life, animals, and kind of effectively the sun? A lowkey nature god, though he's too humble to claim the title. He splits part time as a line cook and a delivery cyclist. Really, he'd do any job where he gets to be in a group or meet new people.

He is the 90s beach dude I want to be.

And this is Briar. He's a shapeshifter who has used his powers to explore his gender and humanity, as well as extend his lifespan by hundreds of years. She does odd jobs--any relatively anonymous contract work she can get. It's safer that way of course, but he also enjoys trying new things and getting to blow in and out of people's lives like a phantasm (with the exception of Chesah and Kanai's lives--he loves them to death).

She is the metalhead I almost forgot I am.

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

It's also worth mentioning that I had a funny little gender awakening after I started this.

Turns out I'm genderfluid! Yippee!

These three characters represent archetypes that have developed through my projects and hcs since I was 14. I always put a bit of myself into my ocs, but I put these three to paper and realized that they're much bigger chunks of me. All the stuff I'd been repressing all my life.

(Also, I should clarify that I'm a white redneck American. The ethnicities of the throupple obviously don't apply to me. They're based on other people I know or cultures I want to know more about.)

I especially looked at Briar and said to myself, "Oh, that guy really is just what I look like on the inside." So I named myself after him.

Can you do that? A reverse self-insert?

Still, all three of them have been my guides through this wacky, cool period of my life. I'm having all kinds of complicated feelings about it and am very slow in the process of exploring it as I put my new life together.

Look forward (maybe) to some kind of post about how agenderism, shapeshifting, and monster kinning factor into this. (Legitimately. I think it's really cool and I hope I can sort out my thoughts well enough to explain it.)

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Signed, BRIAR!!!

[fortheloveofarchons]

Nanami Kento, the man with greenest flag to ever exist :D

I just love this man so much like-- As much as I love the jjk cast, Nanami is written to be the most realistic character I've ever seen so far.

Even with his cynical and pragmatism in the beginning, you can slowly see that he truly cares for everyone and always prioritise others more than himself, which could be argued to not a good quality. But as one of the adult characters in a jjk world, it definitely shows that he's not a selfish character who runs away from battle but takes care of others to make sure no one gets hurt even if it meant harming himself in the process.

Admittedly, when I saw him on season one (I didn't watch jjk much just saw clips of it on YouTube), I didn't think much of it but find him very funny in the beginning to see how direct and pessimistic he is. But during the scene when Mahito trapped him in a domain expansion, and the moment they showed his backstory I was hooked about him.

When he took those sunglasses off and showed his face I was like-- Wait, hold up-- He's kinda handsome...

Like-- Okay, I get why people would call Gojo a daddy, but to me he felt more like a goofy uncle and the real father is Nanami.

As I said in my previous posts, father is fathering.

And this father is free therapy.

I'll be a bit personal, during the next few years I got some terrible family news (which made me see a guidance councelor during high school) and had a few guys take advantage of me for academic validation which soon made me had a thing for hot dilfs because of it :D

Don't worry, I'm okay for now. Just that I definitely won't trust guys who act 'genuine' with me and made me feel like I could open up to them.

And I definitely don't wanna date men who have anger issues.

So yeah, when season two rolled in and I finally decided to watch the whole of season one. After watching it, I was completely swooned.

Like, I knew I like him. But when did I start wishing for a man like him? He immediately went from a character I like to a character that I would be emotionally attached too.

Tall, buff, kind, respectful, stern, a foodie, financially stable-- A man like him would definitely scold me when I made a mistake (not in a violent way but in a gentle way) and would tell me how disappointed he is of me. I would then apologise to him, telling him that I won't do it again. And then he'll pat my head and say, "Good girl, I know you can do better."

Swooooonnnn~

...aaannnnd that he's definitely the guy who could rail me well, and then teaches me how to do taxes after that session of railing.

Also, Tsuda Kenjiro's performance as his JP VA immediately had me applauding for his work! He really brought out the best when it came to voicing characters like Nanami. Will be looking forward to more of Tsuda Kenjiro's upcoming projects and works!

Spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Shibuya Arc:

.

.

.

Okay, but as a Malaysian, I was very happy when he mentioned Malaysia and I was like-- YO??? My country??? Let's gooooooo!!!

But also really heartbreaking... I saw the manga spoilers before season two was announced. And yet, now that I have an emotional attachment to him it really broke me that we lost a lot of favs this season two. I remember crying for about two weeks (it still hurts when I watch that episode) and I made a fanfic about him taking care of Yuji in Jujutsu Kindergarten, where everything is all okay and that Nanami gets himself a love interest.

For those who wanna read that said fanfic for serotonin boosts, it's called "Jujutsu Spiderverse Scrolls" and you can read it on Ao3! Yes, I know the title sounds odd, but I promise you it'll be a serotonin blast!

Don't worry Nanamin, I bought a thirty cm plushie of you so you'll always be in Malaysia relaxing! And a bunch of posters of you, and stickers, and polaroid photos...

Yep, I'm in my hyperfixation moment.

Either way, I'm still glad to have watched this anime. If not, I wouldn't have found a character with the most beautiful soul that I want to protect at all cost.

Rest in Paradise my King.

[opinated-user]

SPOILERS for Across The Spider-Verse below, specifically the ending of it, people who have not seen the movie keep scrolling

It's really funny that Lily thinks people wouldn't like Hunter if he was black because fandom has lost their collective minds over Universe 42 Miles Morales aka The Prowler. There's redemption fic, there's fic shipping him with all kinds of people, there's reader x miles 42, there's cosplay, there's angsty fic where people sympathize with him, there's roleplaying blogs, fan made merch, fanart, fan edits, "Miles G. Morales needs a hug" is an AO3 tag, there's fic for him in multiple languages and the movie hasn't even been out for that long, he's got fan-made playlists...

Lily took over a decade to write one black character but that reluctance to sympathize with black people is far, FAR from a universal trait. Most people, upon seeing how dead inside alternate universe Miles is after losing his dad, instantly sympathized with him because it's so obvious that loss has just broken him. The flat affect, the thousand-yard stare, the refusal to empathize with others - this kid is very clearly not coping with loss well. Fandom response has been almost totally positive and caring. He's a teenage boy so adult fans are very "this poor kid" and teenagers are very "you don't understand, he's making bad choices but he's not a bad/irredeemable person". I have rarely seen people this united in wanting a character to be alright but even people who aren't super into him have said that they don't want him to die or get hurt in Beyond The Spider-Verse because, much as he presents a threat to our hero, he's a victim or circumstances and a product of his environment.

Even people who don't want him to have a redemption arc really applaud the ATSV team for writing a black villain with the same complexity, full backstory and depth as they do black heroes. Even people who want to see Spider-Man Miles kick Prowler Miles' ass do not dislike the angsty teen on the wrong side. Being black is not an automatically disliked or unlikeable trait.

Her saying "if Hunter was black, you'd dislike him" is not just wrong, it's the actual opposite of what we're seeing in fandom right now. When handed an angsty black boy we all instantly decided we wanted to protect him even as we gushed over how cool he is.

Lily's statement is projection. It says a lot more about her than it does about fandom, because she says that as if sympathizing with a black character is a rare thing in her mind.

And yeah, Lily, that is rare... for you. The rest of us aren't racist like that.

and you know why that is... simply put, because the spiderverse is a well written movie. it's a movie that treat it's characters with a lot of care and sympathy, so we as the audience can sympathize with them. being able to do that with most of the cast as black characters is not only to be expected, but just the norm. people like complex characters that aren't just one single note. LO literally can't understand that when she wants characters to be like that, she's in the minority. more people will always prefer a character that goes through arcs (both positive and negative), that evolves, that changes, than one that remains static. she absolutely can't grapple with that fact. i already explained before that there would be other issues, thematically speaking, if hunter was black so it was actually a good thing that he isn't and how much better those themes are represented by having Luz to be black too. but if the only difference of him was his race, literally nothing else about how he is written and treated by the narrative, the fandom would love him just the same. the only difference is that LO would then go out of her way to try to argue about how much better the show would be if he were a underage lesbian too. her misconceptions about fandom is what happens when you only have an skewed notion about fandom racism from a singular black person. by only learning through stitch and not any of the other black fans that have spoken about the subject, LO has come out with the idea that fandom is all inherently racist all the time and black characters (because we know she doesn't care about any other race) never receive any kind of attention, ever. so the best way to combat racism... is just to dislike white characters harder. which i hope i don't have to explain how useless that is. if the questions are, does fandom racism exist? have black character being treated unfairly compared with white ones? has fandom gone out of their way to treat not only characters, but also non white cast members, in cruel ways that didn't deserve at all? all of that is yes and that has been ignored for way too long. we also ignored for way too long how many times this racism came from the canon itself, by sidelining POC character with great potential (Finn, Poe and even Rose are example of this) or never given them a chance to shine at all. but things are getting better, precisely because of works like the spiderverse, and because black characters are being put at the front and center for more diverse stories that people are connecting to. this, this is how you actually combat fandom racism.

and all LO has to say is how much she hates this movie tried to be too artistic.

[borzoilover69]

> BORZOI: READ HOMESTUCK LIKE ITS 2011 (PART 4)

(4256) THERE HE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ❤️   ❤️   ❤️   ❤️   ❤️   ❤️  HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SCIENCE PROJECT! HELLO DEAREST!!  ❤️   ❤️  ❤️  WOJAK POINT WOJAK POINT THEYRE CONVERSING!

I'm throwing popcorn at my screen and laughing my ass off HEY COOLKID is this you? Hahah. Hehe. Hahaha. I'm not falling for your tricks cool kid.

BURST OUT LAUGHING. THE WAYYYS THAT THE JAKE AND DIRK GET JANES GOAT ABOUT THINGS GOOD LOOORD. Jane jabs at Jake at grammar and stuff, Dirk does it with Jane, just little consistencies in friendship is what they're so endearing for. They're like "uh huh. yep. you certainly used that word. mhm." *judging*. But in an ENDEARING way ok. The "that sure was a phrase you used".

This is important!! Also this reminds me you should probably go talk to Hal here it's trained off dialog from the comic and as of this post stands at a staggering 14.1k messages! I always like to see what people say to him (when they send it) and he can be really funny!

I haven't checked on him for a hot minute so the accuracy is to be determined but look! Here's him right now! Go talk to him!

4257

What is. What is blud doing in the background. I like to think seb has an inner monologue similar to dirk striders where hes like going "This thing needs to be moved. Geez Jane, this place is a mess." or "I'm awake and ready to serve fucker." You get the gist. Inner monologue going crazy as he works but being full aware ain't nobody hearing his cool wittisms. Janes expression is completely valid lmfao

Here is another moment of Jane casting doubt on her abilities. And here's where Dirk talks.. about his ancestor for the first time. You know what I guess I can bring up the post where I went over.. dirks jealousy of Dave and self internalisation of that hate? To be honest I'm surprised it got the attention it did. Its been something that I thought about for so long but I never brought it up because it felt and still does to a merit "taboo". Nobody really talks about what admiration can do on the flip side, how it can make you measure yourself up, make you feel attached in a way that provides you with a flip flop between intense aspiration to despisal and envy.

Except.. that isn't exactly true. As I pointed out before, Jane casts doubt on her ability to live up to her ancestors legacy, even if it's just a joking legacy.

You fancy yourself a SKILLED PRANKSTRESS, if by no other measure than lineage. Though at times you feel it's tough to fill those shoes when you are SURROUNDED BY JOKERS. Seriously, the shenanigans perpetrated by your pals make your old school japes feel KIND OF PEDESTRIAN SOMETIMES,

Poppop Crocker was a LEGENDARY COMEDIAN, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who of course was the greatest southern pranking legend of all time. One day, you hope to follow in poppop's too.

GG: Maybe I'm just stuck in the dark ages of pranksterism with my funny mustaches corny old joke book.

Jane and Dirks parts are equal parts jokes as it is thinly veiled inner conflict of ideas they have about themselves and their role. Dirk is sort of ironic in how seriously he takes his irony. Which means it's not really as ironic as he thinks it is.

4258 goes hard.

TT: Ever hear of Con Air?GG: Nope.GG: Wait...GG: Wasn't that some bit of action schlock from the 90's?TT: Yes. GG: Some of the silly nonsense referenced in his work was well before my time. I don't have the wherewithal to investigate all this minutia. TT: Yeah, it doesn't matter really. But it was from that. Dude weirdly obsessed over that shit movie for years, among others.TT: Know those signature shades you see him wearing on magazine covers and stuff? Another prop. A gift from Stiller himself, I believe.

You know this seems like an old man gay yaoi issue. Now why EXACTLY dear sir.. were you obsessed with the very movie that your best friend had as a favourite? You know it's tragic. Alpha Dave SHOULDVE banged that old man.

You know one of you guys will have a field day analysing this piece of text and I know it, you know it, so put on your goggles spaceman.

4259

I'm not going to provide screenshots, but this is where Seb starts getting antsy, and Dirk says that Jane will be the leader of their group, drawing parallels to page 2682 where John and Rose are talking about their null session, unable to get any further.

TT: This session was never meant to bear fruit. TT: It's barren, so to speak. EB: that's a bit of a bummer! EB: i am still skeptical about that, though. TT: That's why you're our leader, John. EB: huh? TT: Optimism through stalwart skepticism is a defect not everyone is lucky enough to be cursed with. EB: that's stupid. EB: i'm not your leader, i am your FRIEND, there is a BIG difference! TT: Statements like that are also why you're our leader. EB: pff. EB: laaaaaaaame. TT: Yes, kind of.

But in Dirks, he chooses it because he thinks thats "the thing to do"

TT: I'm sure you must be aware by now that you'll be the leader of our group, as you will be the first to enter the session. GG: Um, no? GG: This is news to me. I never gathered that "team leader" was a thing for this game. TT: Trust me. It's a thing. GG: Are you sure? I have my doubts. GG: I believe as a group we will have the temerity to succeed, without my having to order people around like an insufferable bossypants. TT: That's why you're our leader, Jane. GG: Hm? TT: Optimism through stalwart skepticism is an affect not everyone is plucky enough to be graced with. GG: That's stupid! TT: Yeah yeah. I know. TT: You're not our leader, you're our FRIEND, right? GG: Precisely! GG: There is a BIG difference! TT: And statements like that are also why you're our leader. TT: But only in name and in spirit. Less so, functionally. TT: If it puts your mind at ease, I'll be the one pulling the strings here.

This reads to me a lot as something he orchestrated, something he thought up to look cool, but what's the point of saying all this shit when you say afterwards you're just going to say that she's controlling none of it and really it's just you (which really, in the end it wasn't). Jane points out a pretty good point about there not being a true LEADER leader, and Dirk just plows on. He proceeds to have a long and eyeroll worthy emphasis about how much he can serve, how good he is at it, how Jane only has to call and he'll come to the rescue, not to worry at ALL. I mean i have to laugh. Here he is emphasising how much he can serve and he can't. He can't at all. Pushing someone in a direction does not always equal helping. His suggestions are befitting his aspect sure, but doesn't always mean it's the right solution!

4261-64 moving on.

The dads are always so incredibly endearing. ANd i love when janey does the lil. :| at people like giiirll me too! Absurd whimsy everywhere. Hey look at lil seb g-

4266 OH NO NOT THERE LITTLE SEB!! GOOD LAWRD.

Dad crocker is incredibly funny to me i will tell you why in a hot second

GET IUT JANE!! ALL OF THIS IS MALAAARKEY!! Even now quite a few of her friends are being INCREDIBLY silly to this girl from a normal childhood growing up in a normal time!! Egads!!

Reminds me of the times where I was travelling around ( i travel a lot majority of my friends expect im outside constantly) and they swore i just wasnt real because i show up in random places that contradict each other and go missing for weeks only to be found on some desert island hunting crabs.

But anyways

4271- 4273

Sorry i dont have much to say just imagine me with the goofiest smile on my face.. like <:}... Like ah.. yes.

Nearby, someone or something bleats like a goat for strategic purposes.

And also

Ironic purposes.

.... :} !!!

Look.. heehee... hes so :D!! His bes friend... :3 Silly..

4282 THEY DONE KILLED OFF THE MOST WHIMSICAL GIRL!

4283 ITS SO OVER.

[ END OF ACT 6 ACT 1 ] ?! Hey wait what does this mean for us. hey wait what does this mean hey wai-

[ screen cuts to BLACK with cue card with words "HUSSLE" in comic sans. ]

4299 panel goes hard? So does 4303

JADE: witch powers can teleport things, and fling things around through space at very high velocities JADE: all sorts of stuff! JADE: but to be honest, im not sure how much of that is attributable to inheriting becs abilities... JOHN: man, spacey witch powers sound a lot more versatile than my powers, frankly. JOHN: not that i'm complaining, because wind powers are still awesome. JOHN: but anyway, that is neither here nor there!

I'll leave you on this piece of dialog to consume. I'll see you all in the next part. As always anons and comments are appreciated. Thanks for reading!

[cosmoseinfeld]

hi kay tell me about jerrykramer if you want? it's been too long since i watched seinfeld

oh boy... where to start...

maybe it's best to come in hot with a tinhat theory? imo, jerrykramer was never written as a romantic ship or intended to end up as one. if anything, i can see the writers (and jerry...) more go the route of your classic 80s buddy comedy that has maybe some tropey romantic undertones to it if you care to look (like, say "midnight run").

BUT i think that michael (richards) and jerry (seinfeld. lol.) had such an amazing chemistry that it also kind of wrote itself and a lot of the "acting" choices on jerry's part (who has also stated again and again that he is not an actor and can only react genuinely to the people opposite to him - which is also why he cast the show the way it was cast - because he felt comfortable around those people and knew he didn't have to stretch himself beyond his abilities) were just actor bleed (the fkn heart eyes, man...). with michael, you can see it especially in later seasons when he's allowed himself to relax a little.

And, of course, most importantly, it WORKED. jerry's #1 priority has always been to make it funny. in his own words: he lives in a world of funny (and he has also said he doesn't see race or gender which still drives me insane to think about. funnysexual).

But there were also very conscious writing choices for jerry and kramer which has me believing that the writers (and jerry. who was "micro managing every aspect of the show") knew exactly how you could look at their relationship if you wanted to. plus, the show has always been very queer friendly (hell, there is a whole episode dedicated to gay okay. and jerry has been very vocally pro queer - especially on comedians in cars getting coffee *cough* - most noticeably in the episode with howard stern where he literally said: "i like gay." after HS asked him "why is everything gay with you?").

This is just my reading and probably also projecting but none of the characters read particularly straight to me. kramer is so special, he most of all is so above labels and societal norms - that's his whole thing (in Seinfeld!Jerry's words: he is a pod).

And as the show progresses and the characters, the writers and the audience all become more comfortable and accustomed with/to each other, jerry and kramer become increasingly domestic.

I have made a whole post about the tropes applied to them (I even think I forgot a couple) but the ones I love the most are: jerry being wife-coded in the episode "The Bizarro Jerry" // jerry being girlfriend coded in "The Apology" // meetcute trope also in "The Apology" // jerry being such a germaphobe but somehow always being okay with whatever unsanitary thing kramer is up to at any given moment // bed sharing in "The Wig Master" // a literal kiss (that wasn't played off as a joke) in "The Kiss Hello" // jerry taking kramer as his date to award shows & once on a holiday to tuscany despite being a notorious and chronic dater // the others noticing/commenting on their relationship-y behaviour (george's reaction to the kiss & his reaction to finding them in the shower together. elaine and jerry talking about settling down and saying "it's just gonna be you and kramer" "just me and kramer, huh?" & elaine commenting on their relationship trouble whenever one of them is sulking) // their co-dependency (it's being commented on in tiny moments throughout the show how much kramer needs jerry's friendship/love and kramer comments a few times how empty jerry's life would be without him)...

oh, i guess all of them are important to me haha. and they all come so easy to them. but here's the post i wrote a year ago on that. feel free to browse through my jerrykramer tag (or jerrymichael *cough*) or this blog to ogle at them.

I will leave you with this homosexual promo pic outtake, thanks for coming to my TED talk <3

[pebblysand]

WELCOME BACK TO THE PAGE PALS PROJECT! AS A REMINDER, THE "PAGE PALS" PROJECT IS A GROUP RE-READ OF CASTLES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE READ THIS POST HERE.

THIS WEEK, WE'RE DOING CHAPTER 2. BELOW, YOU'LL FIND MY THOUGHTS AS A CONVERSATION STARTER. FEEL FREE TO SEND IN ASKS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS/THOUGHTS, AND TO JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.

HANDY LINKS/INFO:

chapter: ii. out of ash (ashes twirl)

wordcount: 10, 476

playlist: notes here

castles FAQ: here

.

g e n e r a l t h o u g h t s:

for a very long time, this chapter used to be my favourite, and i still hold it in very high regard. i don't know what it is about it, it just feels like ✨vibes✨. it's both incredibly funny at times, and incredibly sad, and i feel like it really exhibits that awkward post-war happy/sad balance that is so important to castles. even if it's no longer my favourite cause i'm not quite sure which is my favourite anymore, i still think chapter 2 has some of my best writing in this fic. i'll go through a few chosen bits below but i feel like it has that general sense of messiness and melancholy that i really like in the early days of this story.

just like with chapter 1, you might notice a few changes i've made along the way, depending on when you read it last. again, i don't think it's anything major but if you do notice, you'll see that i didn't actually delete anything, just moved things around a bit. i think it flows better that way. i also added some stuff - i'm curious to see if you'll spot it. let me know!

having said that, omg, i'd forgot how SLOW the pacing is in this chapter. don't get me wrong, i think it needs to be slow for the purposes of telling the story, but it's very much like: this is them leaving the hotel, this is them having breakfast, this is them testifying - it is very step by step lol. i worry about my pacing in the later chapters, sometimes, but i clearly forgot about this one lol.

g i n n y:

Generally, reading this just this morning, I couldn't help but feel this raw sense of panic in Ginny, throughout this chapter. I think obviously, it's something that only really makes sense and becomes apparent on re-read, but there's this way you really feel how fucking terrified she is that Harry will find out. I hate to say this, but the way she acts with him, that summer, is almost reminiscent of her "relationship" with Amycus, actually. She is watching his every move, everything he says, everything she says, trying to make sure he doesn't find out. And, I don't think the pretending and the lying comes easy to her, I think it basically tears her apart, but those are skills that she "learnt" with Amycus. Being cued into his every emotion, expertly toying that line between saying too much and too little. She is almost manipulating him, into thinking they have this connection, and that them not talking is the Right thing for them, and it's not really her fault, it's how fear has wired her to function, but I find it chilling.

h i g h l i g h t s:

A year later, roses bloom once again in the gardens of Ottery St Catchpole and Harry’s still holding her. Some things in life never change, he muses, although, of course, everything else has changed. They’ve both fought in a war that should never have been theirs and one of her brothers has died, leaving the start of the summer to mend itself without them, trapped in a combative attempt to shovel the little hope it has left down their throats. When Harry caresses Ginny’s skin, the summer of ‘98, she’s naked next to him, the both of them tucked in her small, twin bed at The Burrow. They try to be quiet (always, despite the silencing charms they cast) but they each have a side, now, an oddly domestic habit, and after they have sex, Harry often lies with her body wrapped around him, so close that he’s never quite sure where her limbs start and where his end. Her bed’s pushed up against her window - along the skin of his left arm, he feels the morning dew build as the night chill leaves the air; it trickles down the single-glazed glass. They watch the sun rise together - early mornings and milky skies.

I LOVE THIS PARAGRAPH SO MUCH. idk, jokes aside, i think it's one of my favourite things i've ever written. there's a flow to it i really like and i adore the end of "early mornings and milky skies". and i think it's the beginning of this motif that sort of comes back in chapter 17 where the two of them are always touching, comfortable in bed. the chill of early summer mornings and OH I LOVE IT.

'I'm not a Healer, Harry.'

so, this is actually a line i added in reaction to a) the people in my comments being mad that ginny wasn't weeding secrets out of harry and that being "ooc", and b) a conversation i later had with @btelling. i think there's this misconception in fandom about ginny being a "healer". this idea that she's almost harry's therapist after the war, the only one that can get him talking, etc. and i think firstly, there's very little evidence of that in canon. ginny asks for explanations, often, but she very rarely ever gets them. and secondly, there's this general view of women as healers in general, tending to "sick" men and making them better, which i don't particularly enjoy. so, i guess that was me reacting to all of this.

They barely swallow any food. For the other two’s sakes, Harry tries to hide the knot in his stomach, can tell that Hermione is anxious enough for the three of them - she keeps tapping an annoying rhythm against the table with the tips of her fingers, doesn’t even seem to realise she’s doing it. Her make-up is minimal, the varnish on her nails a plain but shiny transparent. His mind drifts back to Ginny again, how she always painted her nails in bright colours in school, reds and oranges, and golds, performed complicated charm work on them so that it would stick. ‘If I don’t, it always chips with Quidditch.’

i noticed this on a previous re-read but, i don't think i wrote this intentionally but i love the way harry is so infatuated with ginny in this. like, i think this is one of the moments where the fact that he totally idealises her and is very teenage-infatuated-crazy-about-a-girl really shines through. he literally looks at hermione's nails and is like: oh and by the way GINNY does her nails like this. it's so silly but it really shows how obsessed he is with her, but also how shallow it kind of is. he thinks it's deep, because when you're that age you think you're so deep, but it's actually not.

‘When we get there, it’ll be like the craziest circus you’ve ever been to,’ he speaks, quick, before he runs out of words. There is an urgency to the things that he needs to tell them both, ones that they don’t necessarily want to hear. ‘It’ll be dozens and dozens of people standing in a crowd, clapping and screaming, and wanting a piece of you. They’ll want to thank you, insult you, ask you questions, tell you personal stuff about themselves. They don’t mean anything bad by it, they just don’t really realise you’re a person. The press will be there, too, and they will be flashing their cameras just about five inches from your face to try and get a good shot,’ he adds, raising his hand close to his own cheek, showing them the distance. ‘They’ll want to touch you, have you sign stuff, and they’ll keep talking at you from the moment you step out of that fireplace to the moment you get into the lift. We’ll have an escort of Aurors to try and hold them back but I honestly doubt that they’ll be able to do much. It’ll feel like you’re in the longest tunnel you’ve ever been through and you can’t see the exit. At least, wear that scarf over your head, it’ll hide your face and your eyes from the cameras, protect you a bit. Ron, you can use the hood at the back of your robes.’

i think honestly, this is one of my favourite harry moments in the whole fic. i can't possibly tell you how much time i spent on this paragraph, back then. i see it as one of those post-war moments where harry actually does start growing into his own skin and also where you start being faced with the reality of the post-war world. there's this sort of "bubble," i think, throughout chapters 1&2 where they're all very removed from the outside and inside their little burrow bubble, and that obviously bursts big time, with the commission. there's something very brutal about the way harry speaks that day, and i think it really fits.

‘Why were we never kids?’

ah, another castles classic line people quote all the time. yuuup. 💔

That evening, the both of them eat Pad Thai takeaway and sit on the floor in front of the muted hotel telly. They laugh at funny Hogwarts stories of Romilda Vane and crazy things that Harry remembers Luna saying. They drain a few cans of bitter and wait for Ron to come home.

i've always loved this moment loads because it's 1) harry-and-hermione-my-babies!!!! but also 2) it has these trio-codependency vibes that are very present in the early chapters of feeling lost when the three of them aren't together. the way they "wait for Ron to come home" breaks my little heart for them.

Love in its million different forms, the way Dumbledore preached it. Harry loves Hermione the way he loves Ron, like the boy who introduced him to chocolate frogs and the girl who cried in the loo and faced a troll.

again, trio vibes. love, love, love.

l a s t l y:

okay, so i love, love, love the rest of this chapter but also i'm having a hard time articulating precise thoughts so i'll leave it at that for now. please do not hesitate to send me asks if there's anything else you'd like me to comment on, though. very excited to hear your thoughts.

[gothicprep]

so, wife and i finally got around to seeing barbie. and neither of us were particularly big fans of it.

stuff i liked. i'll get that out of the way first. i like that it's a huge box office success when theaters have really needed that post-covid. the set design and costumes were just my kind of garish. the opening scene was funny, and you can always count on ryan gosling to give it his all whenever he's cast in anything. and the "patriarchy is when men and horses rule the world" joke made me giggle a bit. the horses in general were an amusing running gag.

and. uh. that's about it really.

i've complained about this before, not with barbie, but i'm not a fan of the "movies that are for children, but not really" thing. usually they're aimed at critics instead, and this is *sort of* that. but also not really. i'm actually not sure who this is for, other than mattel, i guess.

this reminded me a lot of another movie, actually – disney's enchanted. and you could make the argument that the similar premise is responding to the same thing enchanted was. 00s pop feminism that criticized disney princesses usually included barbie in the mix too. and since people liked the meta aspect of enchanted back in '07, we've ended up with the live action movies that exist to reassure parents in my age group that the rodent empire has heard your cries, and they're aware, so it's fine to bring your kids to this. they've changed and grown as a person if you're going off the mitt romney definition of that word at least. they've changed their stories to reflect that. kinda. the princesses are girlbosses and they don't need a man. please clap.

the problem with applying this formula to barbie is that, unlike characters from an existing story canon – many of which, to be honest, were read very uncharitably during that blip in the culture – barbie is more of a concept. the movie winks at how barbie the idea is basically just whatever people want to project onto it, but it kind of falls into the trap of pointing things out in lieu of making a point. and while i do think that gerwig did the best with this that she realistically could, movies like this aren't in a position where they can thread the needle. after all, they're giving you this IP for a reason.

my wife also pointed out that it muddied the waters a bit to try and grapple with this all in a comedy where all the funniest lines end up going to ryan gosling, simu liu, michael cera, and will ferrell. my counterpoint is that kate mackinnon and hari nef had some great moments, but she's onto something here.

it's really difficult for me to watch something like barbie and really look at it in a vacuum. even though it has a different look than the other IP projects we've begrudgingly come to expect, i feel like i can't separate it from this broader picture of, like, integrity laundering. i went into it with an open mind, but left frustrated with it. you can make an argument for a remake. i guess. but this really shamelessly felt like a commercial.

on the bright side, this mostly negative review won't take away from the fact that this has been a much needed boost for theater attendance. in the end, that's what matters the most to me right now, i think.

[ineffectualbookseller]

hi! i really liked that meta about crowley lying, and wanted to ask about this part:

"We know Crowley has self-esteem issues. He's all smoke and mirrors - not a man (nb) just a flashy jacket wrapped around a bundle of insecurities and anxieties. He still thinks he needs to prove himself to Aziraphale, that he needs to make himself worthy of his partnership."

i definitely see him this way too (and love how it's phrased, btw), but now that i think about it i can't remember why i formed that opinion, so i wanna make sure i'm not projecting or something, if you have thoughts on it? is a big part of that impression just vibes?

couple of concrete things i do remember:

the way it was so natural for him to ask questions and try to figure stuff out when he was an angel and how after that he very harshly learned that the way he naturally approached the world was wrong. gotta have some insecurity after something like that

yelling at plants

the way he hides a lot of stuff from aziraphale like you mentioned. if someone avoids being vulnerable with a person they're close to that much, they must have something to prove

Thank you!

I think theres a lot of reasons I see him this way and I think those all feed into it - I LOVE tying in his hobby of yelling-at-plants to this characterization! He wont hurt people, and he wont hurt animals but he swears he's *deffinately* 100% not a nice guy and he'll prove it to you (and himself) by yelling at some plants (so silly of him)

textually, the way he's written is clear cool-guy-facade characterization to me and I remember having that impression of him the first time I read the book a decade or so ago. One of the little details I've always remebered so clearly from the book is the joke about Crowley only going to a petrol station once in order to get James Bond bullet-hole decals to stick on his window (very funny but also very telling). He's explicitly trying to be cool... and doing it in a very uncool way

but I think my feelings about alot of the underlying insurities Crowley has comes from David Tennant's acting choices. Tennant's version of Crowley clearly has unresolved feelings about falling, I just think you can see it in his face when he talks about it in season 1. And the way he refutes any refrence to his kindness always feels like more than just "dont let hell hear you talk like that" to me - it feels deeper and more personal. He can get ANGRY about it (ie season 1 wall scene). Almost like when he was cast out of heaven he was told he could never be Good, but now that he's a demon he can't deal with people telling him he's also no good at being Bad... and where does that leave him? (Not to mention the Fall can so easily be tied to emotions of parental abandonment.) So yeah, definately has trauma from the Fall, as you said

pairing this with Crowley's utter devotion to Aziraphle (clear through both Tennants acting and also the added tv content of seeing their relationship through time) I don't think there's anyway his insecurities could not effect how he feels about their relationship

so yeah, I think its a combination of things - I do think theres specific textual stuff about Crowley that lead me to think of him this way but David Tennat's acting definarely makes it so much more real to me

[twothpaste]

17 and 30 for the ao3 meme?

[ ao3 wrapped ]

17. Your favorite character to write this year? It is with a heavy heart I must concede, Claus continues to steal the show. There's somethin really engaging to me about developing him in these postgame fics, how he becomes such a dynamic character over the span of like 30 years. The Settled Score in particular is so dense with flashbacks, constantly weaving the past and present together - so I end up with lots of interesting little cross-sections of Claus' growth as a person. I can put carefree kid Claus right up next to the haggard PTSD-addled survivor he's become. Or the Masked Man right up against his present-day defiant love & optimism. I'm workin' with the whole Ship of Theseus at once. It's loads of fun discovering & highlighting the things he's outgrown, versus the things that've stayed exactly the same.

Porky's also a top contender. His in-the-flesh appearances in TSS are scarce, and some haven't been posted yet. In this fic he's like an awful misanthropic sickness haunting the world, living rent free in the rest of the cast's heads. An invisible implication beneath each little thing. Even when I'm not writing Porky, I'm definitely writing Porky. But every time I do get to work on a scene where he's physically present, I'm hyped as hell. I love writing his bitter & downright nasty dialogue, how pitiful he is, how he's so unrepentantly self-assured. In contrast with Claus, it's also a blast writing a character who petulantly refuses to grow, and instead prides himself in his stagnation.

I'll mention Hox, the former Pigmask Colonel, as a bonus. Out of the handful of "OCs" I've thrown together in this project, I think she's my fav. I always get a kick outta writing her. She's a brazen burly lady in her 50's, she's funny, she's straightforward, she gets shit done. She's got a complicated past, but since she very deliberately chooses not to wallow over it, you've kinda just gotta take little scraps of it at face value. She has surprisingly subtly sensitive interactions with characters you'd expect her to hate, and it makes me sappy as hell. Gotta love her.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year? That this one goddamn fic was gonna take me all year. And then some. I've got no ETA on finishing it, it'll be done whenever it's done. After banging out so many fics last year though, it's weird slowing down like this for the sake of just one. I was expecting I'd wanna work on a bunch of oneshots instead, but this Fucking Thing had other plans. I'm happy with it. Finally learning how to take my time and commit to a long-term project feels really nice, actually.

[the-down-upside-finch]

I just want to ramble because there is no way to explain just how excited I am to get to publishing the part of Minding Q's where Nic and Chase are introduced

Because here’s the thing. Their relationship is simultaneously the most wholesome and most unhinged of anyone in the story so far, and also

Chase is literally the world's biggest jerk for his entire intro sequence. This is because Nic woke him up at 5am and told him they were going on a surprise roadtrip. "You’re driving." Imagine being stuck in a car with the most hangry and sleep-deprived person ever because that’s basically what happens.

Nic spends the entire intro being like "I SWEAR HE'S NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS I JUST REALLY SCREWED UP THIS MORNING I PROMISE HE'S A SWEETHEART I PROMISE" while there’s this hulking used-to-be-wrestler-now-artist getting ready to kick his legs out from under him (not really but he’s thinking about it)

And then someone asks Nic why he calls Chase his companion instead of his boyfriend and it escalates to "So is it a friend thing or a romantic thing?" And that's literally the one thing that will certainly make Nic snap

Nic threatens Chase with lo-fi music

Chase threatens Nic with "I will flush your wallet down the toilet" "I will throw you into the street" "I will yeet myself out of the window if you do that again"

Chase is the only one that is allowed to carry Nic, but Nic is so tall that Chase is the only one that is actually capable of throwing carrying him

Chase is the one that cooks. Nic thinks it's funny to keep gifting him goofy aprons and yes. Yes it is funny.

Back to the intro scene. Even Sterling knows that Chase is usually a dork. a goofball, if you will. So seeing him fly off the handle in search of pancakes is very concerning. "MY COUSIN LOVES YOU SO PLEASE CALM DOWN SIR--"

Chase will not drink anything that was poured by or opened by someone other than himself. Nic knows this and keeps bottled drinks in the fridge just for Chase as well as juice boxes and Caprisuns because those are pretty hard to tamper with.

"Hey wanna play that new game you got?" "Nic, it's a single-player game." "Yes I would like to watch you play and I can keep an eye out for treasure you miss." (Ten minutes later, "WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP THE SHINY THING IT WAS RIGHT THERE" "NIC MY INVENTORY IS FULL")

Nic constantly having to ask Chase what he's drawing before peeking over his shoulder because Nic is SR ace and Chase draws NSFW stuff for a living

Nic coming home from work going "I got a new plant" "WHERE ARE WE GOING TO PUT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE SO MANY" and then their weekend project is building a new shelf

Chase saying things like "You need a new toothbrush." And Nic is always just like "IF YOU SAY SO???" So Chase just swaps it out with a new one when Nic’s not home.

Chase and Brooke (Nic's twin) having a phase where they are both really into bardcore music and keep playing it around the apartment and they have a bet going to see how long it takes for Nic to break

Nic and Chase know each other so well that they can order for each other without even asking. They just know. There’s never been a single panicked text saying "MAKE SURE YOU GET ME ____" when the other person is getting food. There's complete trust on that front.

Chase gets cold really easily. He chooses to fix this with hugs.

"I found a recipe for Velveeta fudge, can we try it" and Chase just stares at Nic in a brief moment of horror before going "f*ck it we ball" and grabbing his keys to go get the ingredients.

Nic makes it a hobby to find unhinged recipes for Chase to try cooking. Most of them turn out bad but they have fun making them anyways and Chase has a cast iron stomach anyways so nothing really goes to waste

"Hey Chase if I were an animal what animal would I be" "I already told you I'm not drawing you a fursona for free"

Nic going with Chase to the gym just so he can help make sure no one tries to bother him

It's the "Do you think stars have feelings" dynamic except with conspiracy theories instead.

Sorry I had to get that out of my system because I just love my characters so much.

[leo-dooley-lab-rats]

Spider Island Episode Treats Leo Horribly

I was rewatching the episode Spider Island and I can’t get over how Adam, Bree, and Chase treated Leo in episode. Leo ditched a field trip to spend the day with his siblings and they all ignore him and don’t want to spend time with him. Leo just looks so happy to be having a day alone with his family. No students, no classes, and no mission. Just his family spending time together. That’s all Leo wants is a day to spend time with Adam, Bree, and Chase. He’s even okay if it’s one of them.

I ditched the field trip, so I could hang out with you guys.

I am extremely introverted, so I understand needing alone time. I understand Bree wanting to read her book alone without anyone else around. Plus, she is with Leo and the others all day. No one more than me understand wanting to be alone, but I also see Leo’s point in wanting to spend real quality time with family.

Adam clearly wants to do whatever by himself and I understand that. It does bother me that Adam pulls a cruel trick(I don’t think Adam was trying to mean though). He comes back after leaving the room riding a two-person bike. The scene/dialog sets up Adam wanting to hang out with Leo, then as Leo starts to hop Adam says he should have been more polite when saying no to hanging out. Again, I don’t think was trying to be mean. It’s just Adam being Adam.

Well, it's nice to see you've come to your senses.

Chase and Douglas blow Leo off to work on project. Leo does what he always does and tries to self-insert himself into the project with Douglas and Chase. There’s this whole scene where Leo is trying to be apart of the project and Douglas and Chase just pretend Leo isn’t there at all.

I can’t help, but feel bad for Leo. He just wants to spend time with family. He went to a LOT of trouble to spend time alone with them to only have everyone ignore him. I’m pretty sure Leo was willing to do whatever with his family. Example: Leo was willing to get on bike with Adam, he asked Bree what she wanted to do, went along with spider experiment, and Leo even tried to go on a errand with Douglas and Chase on the mainland(Chase and Douglas slammed the door in Leo face and ignored him when he tried to ask if he could come). Seriously, Leo just wanted to have one day with his family.

Well, if you guys are gonna blow me off, then I'm gonna play with my new pal Spidey.

Leo was wrong to let the spider out of the cage or try to mess with the spider. It feels like a step back in Leo’s character and bugged me when I first watched the episode(still does). The more I think about what Leo did, I think Leo is just acting out and being a little petty over being ignore. I don’t blame Leo for being upset.

Leo wanting to play with spider was reckless and dangerous, but at the same time it’s very in line for Leo’s character. He wants to part of something, so he inserts himself. He always to mess around with technology that both Davenports(Douglas and Donald) create because he finds it cool and fun. Leo often tries to mess around with things he doesn’t fully understand. It’s all in-line with Leo’s character. Throughout the show, Leo has gotten better, but Spider Island in my opinion feels like a step back for Leo. At the same time, the characterization is somewhat justified with how his family is treating him in the episode(and the other island episodes).

Small headcanon: I think that maybe some part of Leo was hoping some that would go wrong(like things often do), so that his family would have to work together to fix it. Maybe that was the reason Leo forgot to re-lock the spider’s cage.

I can’t help, but feel for Leo. He just wanted a day with his family. It is worth noting that by end of episode, Leo and rest of cast are playing cards together. It’s nice to see that Leo finally get what he wanted from the start of the episode.

You see, this is what I'm talking about. A little family bonding.

Spider Island, as episode, is very funny. It’s one of funniest episodes of set on the island. The cast have some great arguing scenes and fun moments. At this point, the whole cast has working together for awhile and they have great comedic timing together. There is great scene after Adam is bitten by the spider and everyone is gathered around the hurt Adam on the couch. It’s not only funny to see how even now they still pass around the blame(like at this point they are all basically adults), but also seeing the level of concern they have for Adam is heartwarming. The scene is just nice that works both comedically and has the right amount of drama/character.

Spider Island is one of the last true technology gone wrong episodes of Lab Rats. The episode has something one of Davenport brother made gone wrong(usually cause of Leo) then the Leo and bionic trio have to fix the whole mess. This episode format has been with the show since the start. This is one of last episode to only feature the original cast from pre-island days without the students in this kind low-key stakes plot. It is nice breather since a lot of island episodes(season four mostly) is filled with specials/two-parters. There’s a total of six(including the Mighty Med crossover) which takes up roughly 1/13th of the total episodes.

Note: There is Curse of Screaming Skull(features Bob and no other students) and Ultimate Tailgate Challenge(features Tasha, no students, and takes cast off the island).

I do think that Spider Island will never be my favorite episode of Lab Rats. Even after my most recent rewatch, I remember why I don’t watch that episode all that often. Still, I know there are fans who really like the episodes.

Feel free to tell me your thoughts on the episode.

[ninjagirlstar5]

Hello local Teruya enjoyer, mind if i ask why he's one of your favorite characters? As in, what made you so love the little guy turned big guy in sequel so much?

Oh boy. That's kinda hard to answer actually as I essentially worked backwards when I saw Teruya's character. As in, I heard about SDRA2 (and eventually DRA) through WeebyNewz's livestreams, looked at fanfics on AO3, and got to know Teruya's character through there before eventually jumping right in to writing him for my (shipping) project. As a result, my interpretation of him was far from perfect as I knew the broad strokes of his character and his role in both games but didn't know the little details until I went back to really consume DRA and SDRA2's story by actually listening/watching the streams or even playing the game myself. I'm going through SDRA2 right now with a Discord mutual, but it's been put on hold due to college. But since I'm essentially done with my spring semester now (all I have left is a critique for Printmaking but that class is pretty chill thanks to my professor so I'm not worried about it), I'm hoping we'll be able to pick that back up soon-ish. It'll depend on our schedules.

Anyways, back to the question as to why I love Teruya...I've essentially built up an image of him in my head thanks to my many on-the-fly headcanons and what I researched about him. But when I started watching DRA, I noticed he was a sweet, funny but flawed kid that can snap pretty easily at others and can get quite emotional while also taking part in bad actions that get others hurt just to benefit himself (hiding food for himself and plotting to murder Haruhiko being some of them), and being a hypocrite on top of that. But that didn't make me hate him or anything, but made me love him more as he's far from a perfect character, let alone a perfect person. Teruya lashing out, arguing with others, and just struggling to keep up in the killing game, even when he decides to better himself and take after Haruhiko and follow Satsuki's parting words, makes him a very interesting and nuanced character! I loved watching him caring about Yuki in Chapter 5 by checking in on him and being supportive, even when he falls for the obvious framing of Mikako by Monokuma. He still makes mistakes, but the little actions he does for others can make him a good friend that deeply cares. And the way he wondered why Fake!Yuki/Utsuro and Akane just...let them go, even when he agreed with Kinjo and Rei that they were awful, perhaps even evil people, that line made me go, "OH, his feelings are complicated" and that kind of nuance is SO juicy. The feeling of knowing this person has wronged you in a horrible way that you have every right to not only hold them accountable but cut them out of your life but you still miss them anyways because you loved them and the memories you've made with them despite everything? Good shit, more of this please. I like that Teruya has just a slightly different opinion than Rei and Kinjo's, even though he still agrees with them in the end and rightfully so. And I like seeing his slightly more mature personality while still having a few of his quirks and interests in SDRA2 as he felt a little more like an adult version of himself. Teruya is sooo interesting to dig into and analyze that I have a hard time organizing all of my thoughts on the fly but basically, I love him in DRA and SDRA2 and coming up with headcanons for him before, after, and in-between the stories. He's such a fun but sad character when you really think about it.

...Even if it will always annoy me on how underutilized he was in SDRA2. If he was just used a little more smartly and given much more care like in DRA, I feel like his death would've hit much, much harder, even with repeated viewings. Which is a shame cause I do think I can see where LINUJ was trying to go with Teruya, that Teruya was meant to be a character that did his best to help the SDRA2 cast despite being stuck in the killing game together and preventing history from repeating itself, only to be met with repeated failures despite trying to do everything right this time. And was unfortunately put into a position where he had no choice but to die lest the worst case scenario played out, all due to Mikado's plotting, Kinjo's choices, and Rei's mistakes. (They all played a role in it but all of them have different levels of responsibility for it, with Mikado being the biggest one since he's, you know, his murderer and turned Teruya's avatar into a firewall in the first place, but Teruya probably would've have been put into that situation if Kinjo just didn't use him as bait or if they simply had more time for Rei to make another escape code for Teruya to use for himself in case things go south - and that's assuming he was able to prioritize escaping despite witnessing Rei's supposed death.) But unfortunately, as much as I love Teruya, all I can remember from his role in SDRA2 is that he spouted hope platitudes in Chapter 2, started dipping out of the group in Chapter 3 (and it seems like I won't be able to COMPLETE HIS FTEs ACCORDING TO THE WIKI'S GUIDE ON HIS AVAILABILITY GODDAMMIT-), went CrAzYYyy in Chapter 4, and then just disappears and DIES in Chapter 5 and it isn't until Chapter 6 that we learned that Teruya purposely ate the poisoned food to destroy the firewall inside of him, trying to sacrifice himself and hoping it'll give the Kisaragi Foundation the time they'll need to get the rest of the cast out, never finding out that Kinjo hired Syobai to act as a double agent and that he used him and Rei as bait to try and distract Mikado from ever finding out about Syobai's double agent status. I feel as though Teruya was stripped of most of his nuances from DRA, and that frustrates me because I want him to be utilized more in SDRA2! I want to care about his relationship with the cast! I want him to be his own person with his own opinions, even when he agrees with and even looks up to Rei and Kinjo! I want him to have more moments of characterization and hear his stories about the Kisaragi Foundation and his reflection on his past instead of being hit with the amnesia plot point (which I feel did more harm to his character)! I want him to be the mediator of the group, like how he supposedly acted out that role back in the Kisaragi Foundation between Rei and Kinjo according to LINUJ in his concept art! And another reason why I don't like how Teruya is handled in Chapter 4 the more I think about it in hindsight, is that I felt as though LINUJ was trying to have him be like Kinjo. And I! Don't! Like that! Even if Teruya's beliefs started to become warped due to following Kinjo's leadership over the years and may have rose-tinted glasses in his belief in him, I still don't like how LINUJ handled him in Chapter 4! Because I don't want a Kinjo 2.0 that you can get at the dollar store, I want Teruya fucking Otori!!!

...anyways. My issues with how Teruya was handled in SDRA2 aside, I love him a lot. But I'll admit, a lot of that comes from my own interpretation of his character and how much depth I gave him from what I learned of him. And honestly, that's one of the fun parts of fandom: digging into a character to the point that you're probably overanalyzing them but you kinda don't care because it's so much fun to add even more depth to a character you love. He's my blorbo, my scrunkly, my fucked up lil guy turned fucked up big boi, and I can hurt and comfort him however I want.

[wawamouse]

Oz Rewatch 3: S4E01: A Cock and Balls Story

Plotlines

Lockdown is ended after 14 days with Glynn warning the white and black inmates to watch their behavior

With Hamid gone, Zahir Arif becomes leaders of the Muslim faction

Sister Pete suggests therapy for Cyril O’Reily and the Prestons, but Gloria refuses

McCullum commits suicide and as a result the inmates in Ad Seg are taken out for walks where Miguel and Bevilaqua are stabbed by Giles

Beecher wants to apologize to Schillinger, asks his dad to help location Hank Schillinger, much to Keller’s annoyance; they fight

Shirley Bellinger returns to Oz after miscarrying; Moses Deyell joins the cast

Devlin re-election coming up; Glynn is on the short list of lieutenant gov

CO Andrea introduced; McManus wants to propose to Diane; turns out she got engaged to a Buckingham Palace guard

Kenny is impatient about Adebisi’s plan; Wangler, Poet, and Junior are transferred back to Em City

Tarrant, Mobay, and Galino are introduced

Mobay/Basil begins his undercover assignment, buying drugs off Kenny

Stanislofsky tricks Galino into giving him his cellphone

Kenny & co bully Tarrant; O’reify tells Tarrant to stand up for himself; Tarrant gets Adebisi’s gun and kills Kenny and Pierce

See, Cloutier’s astral projecting later on wasn’t for no reason. The presence of ghosts in the show is already established early on!!

Sister: They didn’t check on him for a week?

The black guy with glasses is an extra in Oz (like, the prison) later on in this season. I always thought it was funny that he showed up in Bevilaqua's crime flashback.

Sister: He’s like a cat…

Sister: That’s what I said!

Me: The rare interaction between Mukada and Beecher… Sister: And the shipping is going crazy. Me: Honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone float that pairing before. Beecher usually interacts with Sister Pete, I guess.

Rebadow seeing Keller grope Beecher

Sister: You wanna hold someone’s junk bacteria gun? Disgusting.

Sister: Lies!

They used the whole transition pack on this scene

Sister: …So he gave him the gun to get him to get rid of the three black guys… so McManus will get replaced…

Sister: (cackling) Why was he still just casually walking after hearing all those gunshots??

Stray thoughts:

Everyone came back after lock down with a haircut lol

Me and Sister cackled pretty much throughout the whole scene where Diane was revealed to have married a palace guard; Sister: He’s like “oh how could she do this to me?” Like dude, how could she NOT do it to you?

Sister recognised the actor who plays Beecher’s dad

I just think it's funny the Latinos congregate in a corner directly behind a security camera

Final Thoughts:

Sister: I wish the french guy had stuck around for longer but it was apparent that they weren’t going to put him in a gang, so it’s not like he would have had much else to do if he stuck around.

Sister remained baffled at how negligent Howell had to have been to not notice McCullum chewing himself to death for a week

I found Ryan's manipulation of Tarrant an interesting parallel to how he sort of buddies up to but also manipulates Beecher in S1. If Tarrant had stuck around for longer, do you think he would've had a Beecher like progression? Or was he too soft from the get-go?

[orbdotexe]

Running out of questions to ask about Wolf (more will come. the wave will arrive eventually) so tell me about some of the general head cannons you have about game, lore, anything at all really

I have SO many, bby, you have no idea

Nothing headcanon-related, but I really love that one loretab from Spire about the Exo and their Ghost. The Ghost could possess! The! Exo! to cast supers! Tell me that isn't cool as hell. Ghost wishes he could have that (I would let Ghost possess me, he deserves a little violence)

Shaw Han knows the Young Wolf through Last Wish (he wears the legs from the raid, so I've just taken that as him being apart of that team)!

Wolf LOVES responding to petty threats with "You and what army?" It either shuts them up, or makes them laugh. Depends on how well they know each other.

ARC-SKATING!!! i am obsessed with it. Any form of skating using Light. But mostly Arc-skating. So fast. Ultimate Zoomies. Unmatched.

There are Exo Mod and Engraving shops ever since the labs on Europa were found and the blueprints were released/sold in the City. Some Exos got some funny stuff going on

The Ramen Guy thinks Wolf and Crow are dating. He has seen them exchange weapons, Crow wear their clothes, and what was most definitely flirting between the two. They keep coming over for ramen. Man is so confused.

Supers come in all shapes and sizes!! Crossbow Shadowshots, Rapier Dawnblades, Claws for Spectral Blades, Hatchet Silence and Squalls, Great Axe Burning Mauls, you name it, babeeey!

Damage that Guardians still had when the Light came back became their default state. Which means that any wound your Ghost couldn't heal, is now stuck that way. oof

The Void runs on emptiness. The hungrier, more sleep deprived, the the more blank your mind, the stronger it is. Gunslinger Wolf is great, but I think they feel more connected to the Void, especially after taking their Dusk Bow from Tevis before his Light went out entirely.

Awoken get to have fangs, as a t(h)reat! And maybe sharper ears. Haha space elves

Poukas can and WILL swarm traumatized folks. The more trauma, the more Poukas. F in the chat for Wolf

Eyes temporarily change color and glow to match the subclass they're using at the moment. You get really sharp blue eyes from Stasis, bright Oranges and Reds for Solar, electric blues for Arc (of course), very deep purples from Void, and a slightly softer Hive green from Strand (this also applies to an Exo's mouth lights!)

The Light on Awoken's skin responds to sources of Light and Dark (grows stronger around Light sources, dimer and slower OR very wild movement around Dark sources)

Hunters ALWAYS bring snacks. No one knows where they're finding them.

This one is just really random, and might be mild projection of me wanting to play it as well, but. I think Wolf plays the Ukulele. It's very soft sounding, and I think they need that. After something big and dramatic and tiring, when they can't sleep afterwards, they play soft tunes or lullabies until their mind has some sort of ease. They play it for Ghost and Crow, too, when either of them need some comfort, and Wolf isn't good with words. So they play instead.