#i mean if i were a better writer i would have casted them fighting during the magic hour and then tim hit during the magic hour

[mortiferumsomnum]

the magic hour is now (you cannot slow it down)

THIS POST JUST--- I have so many feelings *sobs*

@annoyed-at-things please have his little drabble of mine. I didn’t use your whole prompt because I focused mostly on Tim (the magic hit only him), ehe~

***

Tim felt like he was floating, as if he was sinking slowly under water, drowning. He couldn’t breathe, his vision was blurry, and all sounds around him were muffled.

His limbs felt too heavy, felt too hot and cold at the same time as he reached up for--- something. someone.

He thinks he’s calling for... Damian? Is Damian around here? 

Damian, are you here? Where are you? Damian?

Warmth. There is warmth covering the hand he reached with. He could feel pressure, feel it being squeezed. It felt nice. Comforting. If this is how warm Damian’s hands were, Damian should hold hands with people more often.

He closes his eyes. The muffled sounds around him grew louder, but Tim couldn’t bring himself to open them anymore. He felt comforted and safe. He felt warm and sleepy. 

Soon, Tim felt nothing.

***

Damian had attended many funerals in his life. However, he was used to bodies being cremated and stored in urns before being buried in the dirt. It was interesting looking at a coffin. The last time he’s seen one was when his father was temporarily dead. 

However, compared to that experience where he felt only a small sense of remorse and indifference, seeing Timothy in a coffin had hit different.

Timothy is usually pale, even as he goes out to spend time with Conner or his love Bernard. Now, where Timothy lay, he looked paler. The make-up fails to hide the bluish tint of his lips and around his cheeks. 

Damian looks away from the smile that never left Timothy’s face as he... passed. He already knew what it looks like, even if his memory of his smile had blood coating Timothy’s face as he squeezed Damian’s hand back, whispering about how Damian was... warm. 

He couldn’t believe Timothy thought he was, because Damian felt ice-cold as he held his hand and demanded that he stayed awake. His whole body felt frozen stiff as he watched Jon keep pressure on Timothy’s wounds. But Timothy had--

He had too many deep scars. Scars that Damian didn’t know existed.

The scar on Timothy’s neck hadn’t really healed, covered by plaster. Even as Timothy laid in his coffin, there was plaster covering his neck. There were more on his body, but deeper on his abdomen. Blood was gushing from two vital places, and Damian and Jon tried their best to staunch the bleeding while waiting for help, for Batman, to arrive.

The magician that casted the spell

Timothy wasn’t even calling for Batman. He sent a signal, yes. But he wasn’t calling for Batman.

Dami’n, ‘re you... ‘ere?

Someone was hugging Damian now, but Damian didn’t care. His body still felt cold despite the arm tugging him close to someone’s chest. There was a deep scent of sweat, hay and lavender - Richard. Timothy had always said that he never stopped smelling like a circus, trying to cover it up with some cologne that Barbara got him.

He was brought to sit down, far away from where he could see Timothy’s face. Not that he could see him anymore, Jason was now standing where Damian was, peering over Timothy with a blank face and a white-knuckle grip on his coffin.

He wondered what Jason might be thinking, if he was remembering the moments before he died. Timothy said that Jason died trying to call for Batman, trying to escape only to accept that he wouldn’t be making it out alive.

Timothy didn’t call for Batman. He didn’t even look like he knew he was dying.

Wh’re ‘re you?

“Are you okay, Damian?”

Was he okay? Richard’s soft voice called for him once again, but Damian couldn’t bare to look up to his eldest brother, his father figure and mentor. Damian found it slightly hilarious that Richard was comforting him right now when he knew that out of all the brothers, Richard must be feeling the most guilt. He was not there when Jason died, and he was not there when Timothy died.

Damian only relaxed into Richard’s chest, burying his face into his clothes.

...Damian?

“I was there,” he whispered. He felt a hand stop rubbing his back. He didn’t even know when that started, but the hand stayed paused in the middle.

“I... Jon and I... we tried stopping the bleeding...”

Damian’s whole body was back to being cold, and the warm hand felt scorching where it laid. “But Timothy was calling for me and...”

He looked at his hands. They were no longer red. They were cleaned of blood, but the warm and wet feeling still felt fresh in his mind.

“He said I was warm.” Warm like his blood-soaked fingers, like the blood pooling out of Timothy’s body nonstop. “I held his hand and he said I was warm.”

He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t.

But he knew Richard was, from the way he seemed to be heaving and clutching Damian tighter.

“Did he call for anyone?” Richard asked. 

Damian nodded, breath hitching and finally acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, he was crying.

“He called for me,” he said.

Richard kissed his head. “And you were there.”

Damian nodded. “I was there.”

[professional-sephiroth-scrungler]

I finally finished rebirth! Here is my unsolicited review cause i don’t want to melt my brother’s ear drums with my rambling

First off, Rebirth is a wonderful game. It’s not perfect by any means but it’s still great. The graphics are stunning, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and all the issues i had with story flow and confusion in the OG are basically fixed.

Story: I’ve got so much to say but thats mostly theories so i’ll keep it brief. I love where they are taking things. They’ve done a wonderful job of blending the OG story with the new stuff and the new directions its going. We arent really gonna full know whats happening until its all wrapped up but I am here for it!

Gameplay: its a good improvement on what they did for the first part. I however, have slow reflexes with the bumper and trigger buttons so they milliseconds they give you to block for immunity is not great for me. Dodging around is really fun though

Side quests/world intel: the side quests and world intel are hit or miss for me. Most of the stuff that doesn’t enhance the story, give lore, or deepen character relationships feels like a chore sometimes. Getting all the lifesprings, phenomenons, summon alters, and intel fights is repetitive and annoying sometimes but its easy to fall into the groove of if you have something playing in the background for the dull bits and running around the world to get to another story/side story beat.

Characters: Wonderful, amazing, exceptionally characterized. The nuances of the cast have been fleshed out a lot and it’s great. Even with their limited screen time, Vincent and Cid have so much substance and i am extremely excited to see where the story takes them. No, i am not ignoring one character in particular, what do you mean? None of the characters have made me seethe and mald at all and make me want to stop playing because of how annoying they are! And im definitely not afraid of the wrath my opinion of the character will bring if i say who! … Fuck it.

Yuffie: Yuffie definitely has more character than in OG and has sure been fleshed out since Intergrade… In the sense they took the happy go lucky, hyper, materia obsessed kid and multiplied it by 1000. It doesn’t help that she is also inserted into situations she 100% does not belong in. What could have been bonding moments for Aerith, Tifa, Barret, or Nanaki, what would’ve fit well in those situations, have Yuffie instead. And it seems her story is not until part 3 so why is she here so much? During tense or sad moments, she says stuff that ruins the vibe or is just irritating. Many time, she would say something during the story, and right after i would think that the moment would’ve been 10 times better if she was not inserting herself into it. Sometimes it feels like the writers are partially writing her as the main character when in the OG, she was an optional side character. Its not to say its all bad, she can have some funny moments. Except those where near when she just joins the party and the more those “silly moments” happen, the more grating they become. I hope that whenever her story arc happens in part 3 or a dlc (god i hope not a dlc the game is already $70), she has some growth and mellows back at least a bit. But who knows, maybe this is just a personal thing and she is actually a fine character. If you like her, thats fine. In the end, her character just isn’t for me and i just dont understand. These were just things that annoyed me personally and if you are fine or like how much more Yuffie there is in the remake trilogy, thats perfectly ok. Anyways

Expectations vs Reality: my only real gripe with the advertising is around Sephiroth and him being called a “protagonist” and supposedly us learning more about him in some english translations ive seen of interviews. I don’t quite understand where the protagonist thing came from. He is still very much the penultimate antagonist. But i expected to at least be able to read some in the manor about his childhood and play as him in combat a bit more. Maybe some TFS promo material got mixed up in my brain. If not, the best i can come up with from where the protagonist thing came from is that Sephiroth believes he is the protagonist, that he is doing the right thing, that he is the hero saving the planet and all other worlds through his twisted vision. And i guess through that, we have learned a lot about his motivations now and how he currently sees things. Not the backstory stuff i was hoping fore, but still really cool to see and analyze.

Over all, i would say Rebirth is an 8.5/10 for me. Some stuff dragged, was fluffed out a bit much in parts and such but over all a great game!

Actually, no. Sephiroth didn’t fast ball a materia at us in the basement. Maybe that will happen in Part 3. But that loss makes it a 0/10. RIP baseballiroth

[mixterglacia]

So here's my general opinion on Hazbin Hotel.

First and foremost, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO LIKE THE SHOW. MY VIEWPOINT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T ENJOY IT.

Alright? Let's not string Logan up because he doesn't like a show.

Spoilers under the cut obviously.

To start, I absolutely think Viv is talented. I'm not going to pretend that she has no skill whatsoever because that would be disingenuous. I think that she's got an amazing gift for music videos and one-off episodes.

However that doesn't translate to an eight episode series.

When it comes to both of her shows, I find that her characterization, plots, and tone are very inconsistent. It becomes extremely clear when she really likes a character because she starts rewriting them to be this tragic thing that the whole plot needs to revolve around.

I'm not saying that a comedy series can't have depth. I'm an RvB guy, there's absolutely a way to strike a balance between snark and serious. But so often the dramatic parts of Hotel feel like they're fighting -against- the humor, not using it as a foil.

You can't expect me to take you seriously when you have half an episode dedicated to an absolutely stellar performance by Angel's VA, then make a rape joke in the next episode.

Beyond that, for a show about rehabilitating sinners, you spent all that time on Angel and his arc, only to have Pen' be the one who dies and goes to heaven? Are you honestly telling me that doing one grand gesture, one -singular- act of sacrifice is all it takes to get in?

Don't get me wrong, Pen was literally the only thing I consistently liked about the show. But his temporary death felt like nothing more than a tool to shove the plot along.

I believe a lot of this show's faults stem from having WAY too many characters. You have eight episodes that run for roughly half an hour each. You have to make some sacrifices to make things work. I'm not even sure having full hour eps would make it better, but it definitely wouldn't hurt things.

But Viv should be able to make those tough calls if she wants to be considered a good writer.

The three Vee's were almost completely wasted, -especially- Velvette [sp?]. You've got too many random antagonists in such a short season. Them (mostly Vox) interjecting during the big fight was jarring and more distracting filler/haha dick nonsense.

The only one I find was used in pretty effective way was Valentino. He's honestly a really nasty piece of work and I mean that in a positive way. He's charming until he isn't, he's predatory, and makes my skin crawl every time he's on screen. Good, kudos on that front.

But for the show that's supposedly the girl-show to Helluva's boy-show? THE GIRLS ARE BARELY FLESHED OUT. It feels like Viv can't decide who her main character is. (Likely a side effect of the bloated cast) Angel could be considered just as much of the lead as Charlie.

Speaking of Charlie, she comes off like an extremely flat and frankly obnoxious character for more than two thirds of her screen time. Why does her relationship feel like an after thought when it's canon? If it was meant to be a will they won't they, it could have made more sense. But it felt like we were constantly being reminded that they were together rather than showing us outside of the (i think) second to last ep.

The pacing is also totally out of control. The first episode was one big plot dump, then nothing moved the main story along for four and a half episodes, then suddenly everything is happening all at once? It feels like being in bumper to bumper traffic, then taking an off ramp.

Again, they really needed to streamline the cast.

As a final note, I really, REALLY hope Lilith is going to be more than just the evil bitch exwife. I already find Stella to be a total waste of a character. Please don't do the same with Lilith because I'm already sick of the "uwu misunderstood dad with his cunt ex" in Helluva.

I guess I'm extra annoyed because I really truly want to like this show. When the writing hits, it's absolutely amazing. But the overwhelming majority of the time, it's just -boring-. I know she can do better which makes it all the more frustrating.

You're allowed to like it. I'm allowed to dislike it. I'm glad so many people find joy in it.

I just wish I could.

[thewebcomicsreview]

You're the best quasi-public figure I cant think of to ask this--could you please try to explain why Gunnerkrigg Court feels so *off* recently? Is it the pacing, the dialogue, the panel composition...? I know artists grow and change over time, but even chapters from around five-six years ago have a different, more natural, rhythm to them. Characters now don't seem to talk nor react to things like they used to, and it's very off-putting

The thing that's happened is that Gunnerkrigg Court has gotten much faster paced in terms of plot twists and status quo changes, and none of them are landing because none of them have time to breathe.

For example: The two Annies are introduced in Chapter 69 (nice). This chapter also has a timeskip, explains the new status quo, and ends in the reveal that Anthony can be comfortable and jokey with Forest Annie, who gets to see the Anthony everyone else sees. The two Annies have a somewhat antagonistic relationship.

Chapter 70, the very next chapter, has the two Annies learn to be friends and work together and the "Annie dislikes Annie" plotline is resolved almost immediately after being introduced.

Chapter 71 is a whole lot of exposition, Rey becomes a familiar (what does this mean? It's not explained), we get the reveal that neither Annie belongs to this timeline, and Arthur gets a new body

Chapter 72 is mostly a fight scene, and introduces Idra to the cast as well as a new issue: They can't reach the goose bone they need.

Chapter 73 is a load of exposition but TL;DR Loup evicts all the elves in a fit of pique and now they'll get the goose bone. Plot point resolved.

Chapter 74 has Paz exposit about how stressed Kat is. We never actually see Kat be stressed or unable to work, Paz just tells us its happening.

The end of the Chapter kind of reads like it's mean to be a twist; Kat wasn't stressing about the two Annies at all, she was working on giving the Robots new bodies. So the plot point is resolved, kind of, I guess?

Chapter 75 is all about the robots getting new bodies, and then Chapter 76 has the TikTok reveal. Chapter 77 has the long-awaited reveal of Brinnie, who is immediately brushed aside to introduce the Norns who let Kat create a stable time loop. Chapter 77 is extremely busy.

Chapter 78 is setting up the activation of Omega which leads directly into Chapter 79 where Zimmy fuses the two Annies into one in order to "help her understand herself better".

Pacing is hard, in writing. It’s one of the hardest parts. And one thing a lot of inexperienced writers do is have too slow pacing. Like, they’ll have a bit establishing the MC is a witch and then a bit establishing that the witch does work for hire and then a bit establishing that the witch is overworked, where you can do all of that exposition in a single splash panel of a stressed-out witch with a big stack of papers in front of her, or some such.  Gunnerkrigg, lately, is having the opposite problem. There was a set off plot points that needed to happen with the two Annies, we raced through them, and then immediately fused them together once all the plot beats were hit, without actually doing anything with them. We zipped from plot point to plot point, and whenever the status quo changed we didn’t have time to get used to it. 

In older Gunnerkrigg Court, there would have been little one-off adventures mixed in here. Like, “Kat is stressed and overworking herself to dangerous levels” would have been the entire B-plot of a chapter about Crab People, not something exposited to us by Paz. There would have been a chapter with the two Annies fighting a lot and then a chapter of them learning to be friends (as is, the other students’ first on-screen reaction to Annie being split into two people is “We’re sick of how much you two fight”, which is a weird first reaction when you think about it). There’s fifty chapters between Jeanne’s first appearance and the eventual fight, during which we slowly learn bits and pieces. Nowadays there’s just so much shit happening that none of it sticks, and the worst part is that it has to be this way because of fucking Loup, who won’t allow any filler arcs to happen to let us get used to the new status quo before it changes again.

tl;dr: Gunnerkrigg Court’s issue is that the plot has hit a point where it can’t do lots of one-off filler arcs any more so the big moments aren’t spaced out properly   

[crookedfandomquill]

TOTNT 1938 is halfway done (grrr no whyyyyy), and I have many thoughts. I will share some of those thoughts with you this evening:

- I love that this season is so distinct from the first, without totally abandoning its roots; it leans a lot more into the action/comedy, but it’s still got a lot of dark folklore and is very character-centric.

- The intro sequence is amazeballs. It’s like the first season intro and the intro from Bad and Crazy had a beautiful, unhinged baby. I never skip it!

- I love that they got back almost the entire OG cast. I’ve missed them!

- I haven’t seen anyone comment on it so I gaslit myself into thinking I imagined it, but is Yeon’s hair a good bit darker? It’s leaning more auburn than the old bright orange, although it’s more orangey in direct light. I like it, I was just doubting myself.

- Everyone is clearly having so much fun with their roles, and that’s what I look for in performances. LDW especially, but that’s kind of a hallmark of his acting for me.

- It’s hysterical to me that the writers explained the end of season 1 FIRST THING. They were like “okay we gotta fix this immediately so people stick around.” Honestly in the absence of other information I had a different theory for why season 1 ended like it did, but this works too!

- The end of episode 1 was genius. Getting them all together on the train, everyone with different information and agendas… chef’s kiss, no notes.

- I’m glad they’re giving Rang so much to do! He’s getting his romance subplot, he has his bandit gang…

- Ghost!Rang was so fun, and a great opportunity for hijinx. I love that it allowed him to hear what Yeon was really thinking, and the sneezing thing was hilarious.

- One thing I was hoping for from this season was a more in-depth exploration of what it means to be a mountain god, and it looks like we’re getting it! The information we have so far on our three mountain gods casts a really interesting light on the first season and Lee Yeon’s whole character. The fact that they were chosen for the job as children by Taluipa… I’ve gone into that in a separate post.

- Hong Joo is my new problematic fave. I say problematic because the scene where she comes on to Yeon while he’s blind really gave me the ick, but in spite of her inability to take no as an answer she’s a really interesting and fun character. Flawed, strong, hot… just my cup of tea! My love for her feels similar to my love for Taluipa; part of me kind of hates her, but I respect her at the same time.

- I’m still waiting to be compelled by Moo Young, but I’ve never tended to attach strongly to stoic characters (at least until we get a full tragic backstory). I’m excited to see more from him.

- I’m interested to see how the broader plotline plays out, considering we’ve been told that nothing Yeon does in the past will make a difference.

- Will Yeon and Rang’s dad be making an appearance?? I don’t think we’ve been told that he died, and we’ve seen Yeon talking about how abusive he was during his childhood. I’d love to see them tie up that end.

- Everything with Mi Ho was absolute gold (pun intended). Yeon is 100% going to return home and start pestering Ji Ah for a baby.

- Yeon and Shin Joo are really doing the Lord’s work getting Rang’s mermaid romance off the ground. Very accurate portrayal of an older sibling’s reaction to the younger one being in a relationship; I’ve said and done all of those things with my brothers.

- I don’t know what I expected from 1938!Yeon; part of me thought modern!Yeon would transmigrate into his body from the time period, but the alternative is so much better. Coked-up, petty, grief-addled Lee Yeon is a treat to see, and I wonder how he’ll factor into the rest of the story, if he does at all. The fight between the two Lee Yeons was epic and hysterical.

- On the topic of 1938!Yeon: I notice that his hair is in the Goryeo mullet, which I guess just means he hasn’t cut it lately. But also: his black-gray ends are gone. So he’s not cutting his hair… but he’s dyeing his ends! I like to think it’s his sad emo look.

- Yeon choked up so much blood at the beginning of episode 6 that for a second I thought I was watching a Chinese xianxia lol

- I appreciate how Yeon and Shin Ju are both spending significant mental energy pining for their wives. But also: WHEN WILL SHIN JU GET HIS WEDDING RING BACK

I’m sure I’ve forgotten many thoughts. Perhaps I will reblog later with additions.

[mid-nightowl]

💖 & 🧠 for the fic writer ask game please? <3

hi hello!!! thank you for the ask!!! :) <3

💖 ahhhhh, tough question! i would say my fight scenes or writing action, whatever word you use to describe that type of writing lol. i once got told my fights were pretty realistic and fun to read, and i ran with it (absolutely inflated my ego ngl), i kind of pride myself on them though it also means they have to be perfect

🧠 oh man, i have a few that are just outlines but most usually have a few drabbles or scenes associated with them that i tinker with when bored. BUT i do have a spider-cat jaydick au that is only worldbuilding notes at this point (and im not actively working on), so please enjoy my notes on that :)

(stuffing it under a keep reading thingy bc its a lot, sorry!)

Spider-Cat Jaydick AU

Working Summary: After the death/retirement of Spider-Woman Barbara Gordon, Gotham hits a dark patch. But unfortunately or fortunately, another radioactive spider bites Jaye Todd-Wayne on a school field trip to Fox Corp/Wayne Tech. Knowing Crime Alley, Jaye’s home (despite being adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne), is in trouble without a Spider guardian, Jaye decides to take it upon herself to be the next Spider. 

It’s not without its…problems.

Barbara as Spider-Woman Main Cast

Barbara Gordon = Spider-Gwen/Spider-Woman aka Gwen Stacy (Earth-65)

Commissioner Jim Gordon = NYPD Chief George Stacy

Harvey Bullock = Captain Frank Castle

Renee Montoya = Detective Jean DeWolff

Dinah Drake Lance = Mary Jane Watson (of the Mary Janes Band)

Alysia Yeoh = Betty Brant (of the Mary Janes Band)

Kori Anders = Glory Grant (of the Mary Janes Band)

Ted Kord = Peter Parker (aka Lizard, Earth-65)

Luke Fox = Harry Osborn (close friend to Gwen & Peter, Earth-65)

Lucius Fox = Norman Osborn

Jaye Todd-Wayne as Spider-Woman II or Ghost Spider Main Cast

Jaye Todd-Wayne = Spider-Woman II or Ghost Spider (aka Miles Morales)

Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne = Rio and Jefferson (Davis) Morales

Damian al Ghul = Billie Morales (younger sibling to Miles)

Willis Todd = Prowler aka Aaron Davis (uncle to Miles)

Tim Drake = Ganke Lee

Stephanie Brown = Starling aka Tiana Toomes

Arthur Brown = Vulture aka Adrian Toomes

Dick Grayson = Black Cat aka Felicia Hardy

Selina Kyle = Black Fox (mentor to Felicia and Tamara)

Victor Stone = Boris Korpse

Donna Troy = Bruno Grainger

Roy Harper = Tamara Blake

Raven = Odessa Drake

Main Villains

Joker & Harley Quinn = Carnage and Venom

Cluemaster (Arthur Brown) = Vulture

Two-Face (Harvey Dent) = Green Goblin or Two-Faced Goblin

The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot) = Kingpin

Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley) = Doc Ock

Selina Kyle = Black Fox

Bane = Rhino

Black Mask (Roman Sionis) = Mister Negative

Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries) = Electro or Scorpion

Clayface = Hydro-Man or Swarm

Scarecrow = Sandwoman (whose sand causes nightmares from Earth 2099)

Firefly = Shocker

Mad Hatter = Mysterio

Ted Kord = Lizard I (deceased)

Killer Croc = Lizard II

Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) = Kraven the Hunter

Grant Wilson = Grim Hunter (Kraven’s first son and Kraven the Hunter II)

Rose Wilson* = Ana Kravinoff (Kraven’s daughter)

Carmine Falcone/Falcone Crime Family = Hammerhead

Maroni Crime Family = Tombstone

Moxon’s Empire/Lew Moxon = Silvermane

*Originally had Rose Wilson as Deadpool but I think she would work better as Kraven's daughter

Other Cast: (could potential appear or be saved for later)

Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman) = Kate Kane

Cindy Moon (Silk) = Cassandra Cain

Matt Murdock (Daredevil) = Helena Bertinelli*

Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) = Ma Gunn

The Tinkerer (based on the game Spider Man) = Lonnie Machlin or Dana Harlowe

*Helena could either be Daredevil or Glory Brant (of the Mary Janes Band), whether you want to have her as a vigilante or just a civilian

Additional Notes:

Barbara’s main villains were Doc Ock, Vulture, Lizard, Shocker, and Mysterio. The only villains present during her tenure were: Doc Ock, Vulture, Lizard I, Mysterio, Sandwoman, Kingpin, Black Cat, Silvermane, Tombstone, Hammerhead, Electro, Swarm, Prowler, and Shocker. 

>>Barbara knew Kraven the Hunter was active and a villain via Dick, but never fought him personally. 

>>Barbara mainly fought her big three: Doc Ock, Shocker, and Lizard. She also handled a lot of mafia/gang related crimes, in conjunction with her father’s work. 

>>Barbara’s toughest battles were with Lizard I (mainly emotional) and Doc Ock.

Jaye’s main villains are Green Goblin/Two Faced Goblin, Kingpin, Mister Negative, Venom & Carnage. The villains present during her tenure are: Doc Ock, Vulture, Lizard II, Mysterio, Sandwoman, Black Cat, Kingpin, Shocker, Electro, Rhino, Venom & Carnage, Kraven the Hunter, Grim Hunter & Ana Kravinoff, Prowler, Swarm, Mister Negative, Hammerhead, Tombstone, and Silvermane. 

>>Jaye mainly fights her big four: Two-Faced Goblin, Kingpin, Mister Negative, and Venom & Carnage. Jaye also handles a lot of gang related activity but for different reasons than Barbara--whereas Barbara acted very much like a police detective, Jaye was trying to protect Crime Alley (aka Barbara worked with the police and Jaye does not). 

>>Black Cat, Doc Ock, Lizard II, and Ana Kravinoff are technically “villains” but Jaye has good working relationships with them. 

>>Jaye’s toughest battles are Venom & Carnage and Two-Faced Goblin (mainly emotional).

>>Jaye was adopted around 12-13, and grew up with Bruce and Talia (and later on, baby Damian), but also Uncle Harvey, Bruce’s best friend. Harvey, unfortunately, will be attacked and scarred by Tombstone (Maroni) and become the Two-Faced Goblin. 

>>Unclear if Jaye knows Willis is Prowler. 

>>Madame Web and Starling are newest additions to the hero community in Jaye’s time, and did not meet Barbara. Starling (Steph) knew of her because of her father and Madame knew her through her clairvoyance, but neither of them had ever met her face to face or interacted with one another.

And the lil drabble that started it all:

Out of all the leftover characters and remnants from Barbara’s time as Spidey, Black Cat is the only one she doesn’t mind.  Granted, he’s still a pain in the ass.  But, he also doesn’t try to kill her. Maim? Maybe, if she gets on his bad side. Use as a cat scratcher? More times than she can count, for no reason beyond “he was bored.”  He’s never gone for the jugular though and that she can appreciate.   And even she can admit, Barbara had good taste in men.

[theburiedlad]

Alright so! I just watched the Kickstarter Launch Livestream VOD and here all literally all the notes I have on it (this is a collection of funny quotes, thoughts I had, and information I thought was worth noting):

The title of TMA 2 is officially The Magnus Protocol

Not a minute after they announced this, someone said "Scrotocol" and as a result "Magnus Scrotocol" became a running joke throughout the stream

Protagonists in TMP work for the British Civil Service as Civil Servants

There might be more world building? Maybe we'll learn how Avatarship works?

Alex described writing the spin off as being a DM in a D&D campaign without the major lore dump at the beginning of the game

Returning characters - possibly Peter Lukas?

"Agency-related occurrences"? What does this mean Jonathan???

Sam the spooky viola man

Jonathan doesn't imagine faces to the characters until they have a voice actor, and then he imagines them as the VA

Alex on the other hand celebrity-casts characters in the early stages of projects but the characters tend to devolve into just faceless mannequins of accessories and mannerisms

Alex says the Boneturner (Jared Hopsworth) is the hottest character in TMA.

"I want to climb him like a mountain. A bony, bony mountain." "Put that in a mankini." -Both lovely quotes from Alex kdjdjejs

Helen thinks Elias is the hottest character, which Alex vehemently disagreed with ("Can [Elias] crush a car with his thighs??")

There isn't going to be just one MC in TMP, but there will be 2 protagonists

The merchandise they've released is purposefully horrendous /pos

Helen says she thinks Hozier (like the singer) is an Avatar of the Buried

If the Kickstarter goes way past its goal, Jon and Alex will start a ghosthunting show

Alasdair went off on his theory/headcanon as to what actually happened to Peter Lukas after the Archivist "killed" him

He says that after the Archivist launched him into the sun, he realized halfway up that it's really hard to kill him and just teleported to one of his homes, in Loch Ness or someplace near there. After getting out of that, he decided to Ultimate Divorce Jonah and got a gigantic umbrella with a huge middle finger on the top so Jonah would see it if he tried to look at Peter.

"Martin, the sky is looking back and it looks really pissed and I don't know why!" -Alex's approximation as to Jon's reaction to Jonah's reaction to this

"This will blow over eventually, that asshole [Jonah] will overextend himself cuz he already fucking has." -Peter's thoughts during the Eyepocalypse

Peter has woken up to the words "U up?" written in the sky to him

"Booty call from Jonah Magnus." -Helen

"[Peter's] my terrible, terrible Lonely bastard man." -Alasdair

The DaVinci Code is canonically in Leitner's Library (not really though)

House of Leaves, Haunting of Hill House, Lanark: A Life in Four Books, and White is For Witching are all in the Library as well

Alex thinks Leitner had a soft spot for Terry Pratchett novels and had a lot of them in his personal library

Alex thinks that with powers, Writer!Jon would win in a fight against Archivist!Jon, but without powers "Early Archivist is very soft, he would keep saying 'It's not worth it' whilst losing.", but later season Archivist is "very scrappy" and would fair a lot better against Writer!Jon

Alasdair thinks that the real winner in a fight between those two would actually be Narrator!Jon from Slay the Princess

There were headcanons for the Admiral!

Alasdair and Helen think he is a very large ginger car

Alex thinks that the Admiral is the most vile-looking cat imaginable purely because he thinks it makes the scenes with people talking to him even funnier

Stretch goals for the Kickstarter:

Spin-off in-universe content

Alex says it would "break the series" if he dropped that content now (lots of lore possibly?)

Certain episodes will be double the length of normal episodes

Alex says he isn't opposed to "special" (holiday) episodes

Alasdair suggested a LonelyEyes spin-off series and Alex is actually considering it???

"Drip feed" of content before the actual series drops

Alex said he has no intentions of revealing what the K in "Martin K Blackwood" stands for

Alasdair said he thinks it's Knievel, someone in the stream said "Martin Kayak Blackwood", and someone in chat said it's Krotocol

Alex said Leitner used a magic book that consumes fecal matter as a toilet while he was in the tunnels, while Alasdair suggested he used one of the rivers he imagines runs through the tunnels as a bathroom

Jon and Alex are looking at both "broadening the number of format options" and guest writers for the show

Subtitle ideas for TMP

Helen suggested "The Magnus Protocol: Snogs Galore"

Alasdair had a list: Halbert's(?) Legacy; Requisition This, Health and Safety Can't Save You Now, and There Are No Sick Days In Hell

Alex couldn't give an opinion because the subtitles (taglines) could majorly spoil stuff and taglines tend to be one of the last things thought of in these sorts of projects

Alex says the "stakes" are "not equivalent" to those in TMA but that they wouldn't even try to top the stakes from TMA in TMP anyways

"It would be a mistake to equate stakes to material, physical threats"

And now here's the gaming portion for the last like hour of the Livestream so this is all mainly stuff I thought was funny:

"Pegging? In this economy?"

Alex asked who "Zen-die-a" was

Helen booed at the JKR question because she has taste and common sense 🥰

"Do you spell wildebeests with 2 E's? I thought it was 'wild beasts'!" -Alex (but mood honestly)

"What is tuatara?!" -Helen; "It's what Twitter used to be called." -Martyn

"The Magnus Protocol: Let's All Kill Alex!"

"No coordination, only skewer"

Someone called the uvula a mouth swing

Hannah's luck is unparalleled apparently

Helen is a Spamton fan!

(After learning that more dice to a person means there's a greater chance of them losing) "Oh, I was trying to help!" -Alex

(See also: Martin in just about every season kfjdjdjs)

Alex squirming in glee after screwing Hannah over made me laugh

"Cockney misogyny birds"

[rxdscarf]

Who even knows their sexuality at 18?? A LOT of people. Most of us know from a very young age. Maybe people don’t like that argument of “ you don’t know your sexuality at 18” because it’s what’s use to gaslight us when we come out at an early age. Yes some people don’t know. But must of us do. And we’ve been paying the price since we were children. Yes people don’t owe anyone an explanation about their sexuality. But some people like the reassurance that their representation is authentic, especially when so many queer artists get overlooked for the more “marketable” option. Not trying to pick a fight here. Just something to consider.

For someone who "doesn't want to pick a fight" you sure sound aggressive pal.

I get the want for representation and for queer people to get cast in queer roles. But at the end of the day, the point remains that that's a real person we are talking about, a teenager, and he doesn't owe us anything. Being in the public eye doesn't magically remove his humanity, his right for privacy, his right not to get bullied, his right to figure himself out at his own pace.

Regarding figuring yourself out at a young age: if you always knew, that's amazing (no sarcasm, genuinely) but you can't forget that your experiences aren't universal and a lot of us don't figure ourselves out until well after our teens. Be that because of repression due to a bigoted environment or simply a lack of education on queerness or queer identities. And that doesn't even factor in that for a lot of us, sexuality is fluid and coming out that publicly will inevitably put someone in a box, a box that might not even apply. Maybe Kit doesn't use a label, maybe he hasn't found one that fit him beyond "I'm not straight" yet. Or maybe he just doesn't feel like he owes a bunch of invasive strangers anything at all. And all of these reasons would be valid. Because at the end of the day he is a human being, not a fictional character. It's lovely to watch other queer people strive, but they don't owe us any part of themselves that they are not willing to share with the world. It's their lives, not a plot in a TV show. Kit, or anybody else, is not responsible for giving people representation. Especially not when they are still so young.

At the end of the day, we don't know the first thing that is going on in these people's lives. I mean, just look at actors like Tyler Blackburn, Ronen Rubinstein or Chyler Leigh. The opportunity to play queer characters on TV gave them the strength and the courage to start loving themselves and their sexuality and gave them the strength to out themselves to the world eventually. Should they not have been casted because they weren't out when they were casted in their respective roles?

Should we tell actors and actresses "Either you come out on our terms or you can't work in a way that is right and healing for you"? Or should casting directors be allowed to ask invasive questions about an actors sexuality during casting? Or should we stop casting new people for things and stick to the small pool of people who are out and famous enough that you can google their sexuality? Because those are the options if you only want openly queer actors for these roles.

Again, I understand the desire for openly queer actors in queer roles, but you know what (imo) is even more important? Queer directors. Queer writers. Queer showrunners. In short: Queer people behind the scenes making the decisions and telling stories in a way that actually represents all parts of our community.

There are a lot of ways to help our community to get more and better representation, but bullying a teenager off of twitter because he doesn't feel like he owes the world every part of himself isn't one of them.

(also, attempting to bully someone out of the closet isn't "seeking reassurance" , that's just people being nasty for the sake of looking righteous in front of their online friends on the back of a stranger who is also a literal teenager)

[radicalfemimist]

Just had the displeasure of seeing a “trans girl Katara” tag, and it really makes you think, doesn’t it?

In canon, this character explicitly faced sex-based oppression. This character, who suffers from eldest daughter syndrome on account of being born and raised as a girl, who has to call out sexism multiple times during the series and who initially isn’t allowed to learn to use her powers to fight because she’s a girl. This character who mourns the loss of her mother and subsequently, her childhood, as she had to take on many of the responsibilities her mother would’ve had— even more so once her father had to leave.

The foundation of her character is built on her womanhood, and the oppression and trauma she faces because of it. This character who is often misunderstood by the fandom, discounted as a motherly character as if she herself isn’t still a child who makes plenty of reckless or irresponsible decisions, or villainized for the crime of distrusting the fan-favourite, ex-villain boy.

So to make her a “trans girl”, or a man, as I’d prefer to call it— to erase the sex-based oppression she canonically experiences…

Not only is that incredibly disrespectful to the character herself, but to the real life women whose experiences mirror Katara’s, and to the progress the show tried to make by showing powerful female characters, by directly calling out sexism on more than one occasion. The progress that the merchandise of the show didn’t mirror, because little boys didn’t want to play with girl-action-figures and they didn’t care about the little girls who would.

Even separating my radical feminism from this post, it’s inherently a disservice to the character. You’re exchanging her canon oppression for a so-called “oppression” you consider more flashy. It’s not enough for her to just be a woman, because you need the brownie points. Just like it’s not enough for, example, Zuko to be gay— he’d also have to be trans, as I’ve seen too many times. It’s not enough if you can’t stack on whatever you think makes the character more “oppressed” and “woke” so you can allow yourself to feel empathy for the character.

It reminds me an awful lot about how it didn’t matter that J.K Rowling’s writing had elements of racism and antisemitism, homophobia and fatphobia. It didn’t matter until J.K Rowling was “transphobic”— and then all of it suddenly mattered, because the more cards you can stack against someone you don’t like, the better. And in the interest of being woke, they’d claim that J.K Rowling was never a good writer to begin with— as if she didn’t build a fantastical world that was loved by millions, and as if she didn’t have to overcome sexism to get her book published to begin with.

(The similarity of course, being, that these cards and labels are the same. The more, the better— two ends of a spectrum, one against and one for.)

It’s funny how basic human empathy is turned off once you don’t like someone, how J.K Rowling’s struggles and talents were ignored and dismissed the minute she was disliked. How I’ve seen multitudes of people bashing Noah Schnapp’s appearance and acting ability, and claiming he shouldn’t have been cast as Will Byers in the first place, as if he hadn’t been 11 at the time and a phenomenal actor.

Because admitting to any positive qualities someone may have means you like them, apparently, while admitting to any negative means you don’t. So black and white; this world we live in.

Do not try and instigate with this post, or with me. It’ll do no good for you or anyone else. Do not try and put words into my mouth that differ from the ones that I wrote, one that I hold onto no illusion that they will be understood. But still, this is not a discussion, it is a train of thought. If it bothers you, simply scroll past.

[marukrawler]

I feel, quite disappointed with MS1. I feel like it had so much potential ? I don't really get why they cut MS in two parts. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored Wiseman, but I really really wanted to see Sellon and Anubias get more development and maybe even get a good redemption arc ? I ship ShunSellon and AnuDan hard so yeah, I guess I'm super biased, but I feel like both Sellon and Anubias could've made great love interests if they were even more fleshed out. Both dynamics are very interesting to me.

I mean, ShunSellon could have been amazing ! Sellon regretting her betrayal towards Shun could have been a nice turn and a great start for a redemption arc on her part, maybe her even ending up realizing she had grown affection for Soon and Chris would have been very sweet. Shun could've had great moments in all this too ! At first, of course he wouldn't want to give Sellon a second chance, but he could grow to understand why she did what she did and could've helped her with her misconceptions about humans...anyways, Sellon really needs to be talked about more.

When it comes to Anubias, I would have adored more interactions with his team. I feel like he never had good moments with them, he only interacted with them to give em orders and then immediately go back to thinking abt Dan. He could've had more sweet moments with Ben, Robin, Jack and Noah. As for his relationship with Dan, even if probably wasn't the intention of the writers, it could be seen as a crush. I mean, from the beginning, Anubias seems very little invested in Mag Mel's plans, he likes brawling and he likes to do it with Dan most. He could have dropped out that some point, deciding that he likes his team and brawling too much for destroying it all like Mag Mel wants. Him ending up with Dan could've been hella cute (I love rivals to lovers), but they didn't even need to, he could've become a great friend to Dan and also become the rival Dan fights the most.

Also, Sellon and Anubias' older sister and younger brother dynamic could have been legendary during their redemption. And there's no harm in them keeping a bit of mischief even if they become better people UwU

Anyways, Sellon, Anubias and their dynamics really needed more attention in my opinion...

(Take a shot everytime I said "could've" or "could have")

Peace out ! UwU

Hi, sorry for the late reply!

MS1 fell short in a couple of areas but overall I enjoyed it. However, I agree with you that rather than making a whole new season with only 20 episodes that ultimately did nothing for the overall story, those 20 episodes should’ve been used to properly flesh out MS1’s storyline.

MS1 has a fairly large cast but not enough time to spend on them or enough time to deviate from the plot and, I don’t know, revisit Gundalia and Neathia or Vestal? Especially considering that Mag Mel threatened to destroy multiple planets and all. And yeah, the dynamic between Shun and Sellon and Dan and Anubias could’ve been touched upon more.

I think in order for Sellon to have an arc like you mentioned, you’d have to rewrite her significantly. To the point where she would almost be a shell of her former self. Sellon loathes humans for their compassion and their friendships and she’s deeply devoted to Mag Mel no matter what. Sellon found acceptance with Chris and Soon and perhaps even a second chance with the Brawlers after she had betrayed them and she tossed it back in their faces with a laugh. Sellon risked her life repeatedly in order for her master to reign victorious in the end, and didn’t care for her own death so long as she could catch a glimpse of the magnificent world Mag Mel would create. Sellon was absolutely aware of the consequences of her actions and she didn't care. You’d have to rewrite her character to be like Anubias for her to even have a chance at redemption.

With that being said, I don't see how Sellon isn't Shun's love interest already? She verbally expressed interest in Shun despite him being human and made sparkly shoujo eyes in his direction LMAO how is that not enough.And Anubias and Dan had that whole mental link, pink sparkles moment that Drago and Wavern had so. Canon™

Speaking of Anubias, he did have some nice moments with his team. Whereas Sellon’s orders were absolute to Chris and Soon, Team Anubias didn't always obey Anubias but that didn't mean they looked down on him.

They were all a tightly knit unit and kept the name “Team Anubias” even after he died. You see Anubias being a mentor to Noah.

Not to mention, Anubias and Sellon feel differently when it comes to serving Mag Mel.

If anyone should’ve had a chance at redemption, Anubias would’ve been my choice because the pieces have already been laid in place for something like that to happen. (And if anything, it would’ve been more believable than either Masquerade or Spectra’s redemption lolol) 

But while we're on that topic, I wanna talk a bit about redemption arcs because to me, it’s not something you should hand out to the characters you like willy nilly. This post perfectly puts into words how I feel about redemption arcs, and it’s the reason why I’m always very critical when it comes to these, no matter which show I’m watching.

In my opinion,giving Sellon a redemption arc wouldn't make sense because, with the given storyline, it would come out of nowhere and wouldn’t be earned. Handing out instant redemption to an antagonist with no redeemable qualities or remorse is the reason why Spectra can walk around and be friends with everyone like he didn’t do a bunch of inexcusable things back in S2. I think both Sellon and Spectra should stay evil and irredeemable because given their motivations and personalities and how they’ve been written thus far, anything else would be completely ludicrous.

The questions; “what message would it send to redeem this character?” and “would it be logical or satisfying on a narrative level to redeem this character?” should definitely be asked and thought over, and I don’t think the writers of S2 did that when they decided to redeem Spectra and Gus in favor of Volt, Lync and Hydron.

[mediadiscord]

WWE Night of Champions (2023) - Results

Well, to be honest, the results of this pay per view weren't my favorite. I don't mean in regards of who won and who lost, but it's how they lost. There were so many cheap finishes that either the writers didn't know what story to tell or the wrestlers called audibles during the matches. This seemed more of like a "hey we have big names on the card" pay per view, and less of a "we have good stories to tell and the following weeks will mean something". The only match that meant something was the tag team championship match, and even then we all knew what would happen and it came down to seeing how it was going to happen. Let's take a look at the matches and see how my perdictions were. Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. AJ Styles - I was right. This seemed like the match went on too long with not very much going on. There was a lot of story told with injuries, but I think they relied too much on it. The story throughout the whole night seemed to be injury based come to think of it. It was pretty evident that Seth was going to win since the belt was revealed, so at least now what everyone predicted came true. Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus – I was wrong. It looks like we'll be seeing more of Trish since she won with the assistance from Zoey Stark. I'll go ahead and say that Lita will come back and team with Becky and defeat Trish and Zoey and Money in the Bank and that will be their redemption and how Trish will be written off. Bianca Belair vs. Asuka - I was right. Damage CTRL wasn't involved, but there seemed to be a lot going weird with this match. The focus of Asuka on Bianca's hair was an ongoing situation, and there were chunks of hair even pulled out. I only see this being an issue if there were kids who thought that was all of her real hair, and getting freaked out over clumps ripped out and left on the mat. Asuka's taked up fingers were noticed, but I thought something had happened to her and she was just wrapping them for safety reasons. There were also times where I felt like this was almost a triple threat match, because the ref was extremely vocal and would interfere in the match to break them up. I don't think I have ever seen a ref get in the middle and break them up unless it was a boxing match or UFC fight. I wasn't a big fan of the ref being a part of it and the match looked like on the fly calls that resulted in botches. The hair situation bothered me and in the end it was a win for Asuka, but it didn't seem well thought out. Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya. I was right. This was just a flat out squash match. Thanks for coming Nattie, hope you enjoyed your mini vacation and travel pay. Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar - I was wrong. This ending pissed me off out of all the matches tonight. The match itself proved finishers are as usefull as lockups. There were so many crossroads and F5's that it didn't make any difference. The arm being used as a weapon was fine for a hot second, then it turned and it didn't matter anymore. Cody really milked the kimura and trying to grab the rope, it was like he had forgot what was going to happen next so he needed to buy time. The finisher with him going to sleep was weak and a slap in the face to the WWE universe who deserved a better ending. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa) (with Paul Heyman) - I was right. Other than Roman eating two purposeful super kicks from Jimmy and not Solo on accident, this match ended up going the way everyone who was watching had predicted. Smackdown had the beginning of the fallout, the Uso's attempted redemption that backfired came to be and now the end is in the near future. Roman hit his milestone or 1000 days and his faction is slowly going away. Solo is either going to sink or swim as a brute for Roman Reigns, but if he doesn't start doing some mic work he'll get cast to the side. There's no reason for Roman to hold the belts anymore, and as much as I like him I feel like he just might end up dropping them to Brock again when the time comes. Read the full article

[phandoz]

Morning Debrief

For Week 8 @writer-wednesday

Summary: Benjamin Miller is a better gossip than cook.

Pairing: Frankie Morales x F Reader

Rating: Explicit, 18+ Only folks

Warnings: Some swears and brief mentions of sexy times

A/N: Gave myself half an hour to vomit this idea out of my sleep deprived brain at 1am and for that, I apologise.

"I'm sorry about the eggs."

Benjamin Miller apologised sheepishly from where he sat opposite you.

You smiled down at your plate. As much as he tried, he really was a terrible cook.

"Don't worry about it," you managed to get out through a half chewed mouthful. "They're a bit like my brain at the minute," You speared a chunk of the white rubber that was once an egg. "A bit rough around the edges."

"I heard you get in late." He mentioned offhandedly. "Good night?" It seemed like innocent, light conversation but you knew Ben well enough to know better.

"You could say that. What is this, your morning debrief?!" Your eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"That's exactly what this is and you are trying to avoid the question. You pulled, didn't you?!" He waggled his eyebrows at you, thoroughly pleased with himself.

"You could say that."

Your eyes remained on your plate but you could see Benny lean forward in anticipation. Here we go.

"A lady never tells though I suppose..." He trailed off dramatically.

"You know, I think that's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me."

He held his hand to his heart in a mix of sadness and offence but you both grinned like idiots at each other. Your efforts to dodge his prying would only last so long. You knew this from experience.

You had originally stumbled into each other's lives when you had moved to town and were looking for somewhere to live. You needed a room and you suspected that he needed to fill a lonely house with some company more than anything. Regardless, the two of you had fast become close friends.

The kitchen was quiet bar the sound of cutlery on plates as you both persevered in eating Benny's abomination. The silence didn't last long as he tried again for more details.

"So, who is this mysterious stranger you met after my fight?"

"After your fight?! You're taking credit for it then?

"You could say that."

Using your own words against you. He was feeling cocky today. You scoffed as you took a sip of your now lukewarm coffee.

Benny wrinkled his nose at the mug in your hand. He gave you shit for it ever since sending you some stupid BuzzFeed article that said people who drank black coffee were more likely to be psychopaths. You might just prove that this morning.

"All I'm saying is that he must be a massive fan of mine if you met him at the bar during my celebratory drinks."

You smirk. If there is one thing that will make him back down it is playing him at his own game. If he wants details, he'll get them.

"He was massive alright." You replied nonchalantly.

Benny's eyes widened and he choked on the last of the eggs he had been shovelling into his mouth. "I didn't think anything could make this breakfast taste worse, but there you go. I think I've lost my appetite."

He pushed his chair back, deliberately letting the wooden legs grate over the floor like nails on a chalkboard. He smiled innocently as he stood, knowing the noise made your eye twitch in annoyance every time, before turning his back to you at the sink.

"Good for you though. It's about time you got back out there after that last asshole."

He was right about that.

"Well, I'm glad I have your blessing, oh wise Benjamin" you joked, trying to lighten the serious turn the conversation had taken.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah I do." Did you ever. "Thanks Ben."

You saw a shadow cast from behind you appear on the floor. This should be good. The figure crossed the threshold silently into the kitchen and you soon felt warm arms slide down to your waist before giving you a light squeeze. You let your head fall back until it hit a solid stomach, closing your eyes as a warm smile spread across your face. You felt pleasantly loose this morning despite the late night activities you engaged in with the man now stood behind you. Late night, early morning, it was all a blur. One hazy, sweet, orgasm filled blur that left you wondering why the hell you hadn't done this sooner.

"I just want you to be happy." Benny continued none the wiser, the sounds of him viciously scrubbing the blackened pan filling the room. "We've been living together for like, what, three years now?"

"Mmmm," you replied distractedly as the arms around you slid up to your shoulders, "Best three years of your life, right?"

"Obviously, but you're like a sister to me."

A nose in the crook of your neck gently nudged your head to the left so plush lips could latch on to your neck.

"You deserve to be happy. I keep saying the same thing to Fish you know. You two are as bad as each other."

Teeth grazed across your skin before a tongue darted out to sooth along the same path. "Oh yeah?" You managed to smother the waver in your voice. Why hadn't you done this sooner?

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I caught him checking out your ass the other day though, that's a step in the right direction I suppose."

"Francisco Morales..." you tsked in mock scandal before a calloused hand squeezed your breast through your tank top in response, thumb flicking across the nipple teasingly.

"You know if lover boy were still here, he would be more than welcome for breakfast, right?"

"Oh, he knows." The man behind you stood up straight and moved his hands innocently to the back of your chair as he finally announced his presence.

Ben's back straightened immediately. "Fish." He turned, hand on one hip in his best attempt at an overprotective brother stance. "You old dog." It might have been intimidating if not for his shit eating grin.

Frankie bent down to redirect your fork of eggs to his own mouth. After chewing for far longer than expected he politely declined any future offer of Benny's.

"I think I'll pass on the offer of breakfast. Jesus Christ Ben, you still can't cook for shit."

"Well you're more than welcome to do better."

"I can and I should. But, I actually had something else in mind for breakfast and it doesnt involve you."

"Ugh, in my own house Fish?! This is a kitchen. People eat here."

"I can eat here if you want."

You happily watched the back and forth between the two friends over your coffee as Benny's jaw dropped the moment he got the innuendo. You also found yourself subconsciously rubbing your thighs together under the table, the skin there anticipating that same delicious scratch of facial hair from the night before. This confidence. It was a good look on Frankie and damn if it wasn't doing something for you right now.

"You know what, I'm going to the gym and then I'm going to Wills. I can't deal with this right now."

"Don't hurry back." You chirped

"You sure?" Benny looked right at you as he stage whispered. "Fish is getting pretty old these days."

"It's not so bad," you shrugged. "Flying for all those years has really paid off for him. Great with his hands. He does this thing-"

"Alright. Just stop." Benny held a hand up, the other hastily snatched his keys from the counter, and headed for the door. "Just message me when it's safe to come back or something."

"Fine." You conceded, "But as I was saying-"

"No! Bye!" The door slammed shut and Ben's truck could be heard starting up only moments later.

You looked up to Frankie where he stood at your side as you sipped your coffee, licking your bottom lip for the stray drop that may have been intentional on your part.

"You know," Frankie cleared his throat, dragging his eyes from your lips back up to your eyes, "I read somewhere that coffee before sex gives you better orgasms."

"Honestly, what is it with you guys and your shitty BuzzFeed articles." You rolled your eyes.

"Benny sends me at least one a day." Frankie shrugged.

"What is he, like fifteen? Of course he does."

You swayed your hips just a little bit more than usual as you crossed to the sink, placing your dishes inside for later when you could think about anything else besides what Frankie had planned for you.

Before you know it he is behind you, hands gliding down your sides before slipping into your sleep shorts, grabbing a handful of each bare cheek.

"Well, their research wasn't conclusive. You going to finish that?" He nodded to your mug.

"And you are nothing if not thorough are you. Bottoms up, Morales" You wink over your shoulder as you tip your head back onto his shoulder to drink the rest, the angle giving him a clear view of your cleavage while pushing your ass back into him.

"Mmm, bottoms up." His voice rumbles next to your ear, giving your ass a playful slap. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

Tags:

@tuskens-mando @littlemisspascal @asta-lily @radiowallet @aliwritesfic

[mishasminions]

The Last Time I’ll Write a Long Post About Supernatural (15x18-15x20)

15 YEARS OF WATCHING THIS SHOW. 11 YEARS OF RUNNING A BLOG ABOUT IT. IT’S BEEN QUITE A RIDE.

[15x20 Speculation + evidence at the bottom]

First off, I just wanna come clean and say, after all these years, I still think they should’ve ended at Season 5.

If you’re going to come at me with “Then why’d you stick around to watch it if you didn’t like it?”, your question is immature, and the answer is simple: I just want to know what happens next (I also love the main characters and their actors too). You can watch a show and still think it’s shit.

Call me a clown, but despite all the disappointment and trust issues that this show has given me, I would still look forward to the day where it might just turn itself around and bring back the quality it once had, or realize the potential of each story it was trying to tell, or at the very least, do justice by my favorite ship.

Never happened.

They’ve had a few good episodes here and there. I can’t imagine the SPN Universe without The Man Who Would Be King, The French Mistake, and Scoobynatural. Seasons 6-10 were enjoyable at times. I blocked out most of 7 & 11-15. 

If you’ve been following this blog since its heydays in 2010-2014, you’d know I’d try my best to defend Destiel and this show’s decisions regarding it no matter what.

Because you know what, as a CONCEPT, this show is good. If you take a look at all the worlds its storylines have birthed in fanfiction/fanworks, you’d see how much Supernatural has wasted its own story arcs. The writing got shittier as each season progressed, and they’ve obviously given up in production as well because the quality in the execution has noticeably gone down too, but if you take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture, you’ll see that this show still tries to make sense of itself.

[If you’re still following this post, please bear with me, I know this is long, but I just want you to understand how jaded and pessimistic I am with regards to this show, so maybe you can buy into whatever hopeful thing I’m about to say later on.]

SO LET’S TALK ABOUT DESTIEL

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they would give us Castiel’s “I love you” speech. To the point where, if I weren’t so desperate for it, I would argue that it was completely out of character for him to word vomit the way he did (but I’m not gonna diss on that right now because I’ll take what I can get).

I’ve valued every meaningful and obscure exchange that Dean and Cas have had in the earlier seasons, and I was willing to accept their relationship as just that--undefined, without any clear boundaries as to what they really are. And I think that was beautiful on its own.

But now, they’ve chosen to define it.

After they’ve driven every possible wedge between Dean and Castiel in seasons 11-15, to try to explain away their feelings as something they offer to a collective.

Dean can’t mourn and pray for JUST Cas, he has to mourn and pray for EVERYBODY--even Crowley, even some chick he just met, because god forbid he cries about just the guy who has given up everything for him--that would be “too homo”.

They’ve even set Cas on a path to abrupt fatherhood just so he can care about something other than Dean. Make it seem as if Dean wasn’t his purpose through and through.

And after all these years of this stupid show trying to deny it, they choose to acknowledge it at the worst possible circumstance, at a time where they’ve been so far apart, that it seems so foreign for them to suddenly come together.

But here we are. And they’ve chosen to tell us.

Chosen to tell us that everything that Castiel has done leading up to his death, he has done it because he was IN LOVE WITH DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that the ONE THING THAT WOULD MAKE CAS HAPPY IS DEAN WINCHESTER.

Chosen to tell us that BEING WITH DEAN WINCHESTER is something that CAS WANTS BUT KNOWS HE CAN’T HAVE.

And they’ve also chosen to tell us nothing about how Dean feels.

Sure, finding out your angel made a deal, the stipulations of said deal, his newfound happiness philosophy, his long-winded monologue of why he loves you and why you’re worthy of his love, and to top it all off he tells you that being in love with you is enough to make him happy while he subtly hints that he’s always wanted to be WITH you romantically, was a lot to process in the 5 minutes after you’ve just had an existential crisis.

It’s whatever, right? Let’s culminate 11 years worth of tension and feelings in 5 minutes. Let’s waste the entire episode with cringey expository dialogue, and irrelevant sequences. The whole season was a waste anyway.

You know what Supernatural? FUCK YOU FOR THAT. They deserved better. WE deserve better.

And I would love nothing more than to hurl every possible insult your way,

But for the last time, I’m going to HOPE that you’re finally going to try to make it better for the fans that stuck by you all these years.

No more baiting new viewers, no more placating casual viewers, no more excuses. 15 years. Bring it home for the people who have actually been around.

SO HERE’S HOW I THINK 15x20 IS GONNA GO

There’s two ways this series is gonna end. Horribly or Spectacularly.

First let’s all take into consideration what Andrew Dabb says about it:

So, let’s start with

ENDING HORRIBLY

In this scenario, Misha is telling the truth about his last day of filming being 15x18. His “camping trip” during the last few days of filming 15x20, was actually a camping trip. He doesn’t go to Vancouver to shoot.

Jensen wasn’t “being careful” during the zoom interviews that it was just him and Jared quarantining for the shoot, it really was just him and Jared (althought most of these were done pre 15x19) Supernatural isn’t smart enough to do misleading PR, and they’re once again oblivious to the potential of their own story.

Misha hasn’t posted a “Goodbye Castiel” tweet because he’s probably saving it for last episode or he forgot because it was overshadowed by the Destiel trend that night.

So what we get is:

Sam and Dean are on the road again, up against the monster of the week. Only their world no longer has actual Supernatural beings anymore, so the monsters they’re fighting are humans.

Humans end up killing the Winchesters (despite having gone up against literally every powerful being imaginable INCLUDING God himself). Dean and Sam end up in heaven and relive their greatest hits.

Meanwhile, Castiel rots in The Empty because he died after realizing that he was happy and gay. Jack doesn’t bother rescuing him—his surrogate dad, the guy who made this specific deal to spare him—even though it was so easy for him get Cas in and out of The Empty when he had a fraction of the power that he has now.

Dean never speaks of Castiel’s confession because despite all the hints of a profound bond in the earlier seasons, and the fact that Dean has never cared for anyone (who isn’t his actual brother) as immensely as he does Cas, Supernatural just can’t have its main macho character be “suddenly bisexual” because that would hurt the male ego or some shit.

His heaven would probably be living happily ever after with his family. “Family” meaning Mary and John Winchester--two of the shittiest parents ever (but they’re not going to include them in this episode like they were supposed to because of Covid) and Sam.

Sam also gets a dog. As usual.

I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to do this. After everything they’ve pulled, this would be right up their alley. I actually expect this ending.

Anyway, onto the next possible ending

ENDING SPECTACULARLY

In this scenario, Supernatural tries to stick the landing, and Jensen’s whole “It didn’t sit well with me at first, but then I took a step back after talking to Kripke, and realized that I had to view it from an audience perspective, I am now really excited about it” (DC Con 2019) anecdote about his thoughts on the final episodes, were actually about Dean potentially ending up with Cas. (Which would totally make sense because Jensen at first didn’t see Dean as anything but hetero, but as of late, he has been throwing in Destiel jokes of his own, so he seems to have warmed up to the idea)

Backed with Misha’s tidbit (DLConline 2020) that he and Jensen had conversations about Destiel, and that they wouldn’t have gone through with it if Jensen wasn’t onboard with it, but Jensen didn’t push back at all. (Why would they need to check with Jensen if it was just Cas going all in?)

Robert Berens (writer of 15x18) also wrote the script at the beginning of Season 15, but made Misha privy to the concept a year prior (Season 14), so they went into this season knowing about Destiel going canon.

This one’s a reach, but this scenario also supposes that Misha was lying about his whereabouts during the filming of the final episode, and him saying that 15x18 was his last episode is part of the diversion to avoid taking away from the weight of Castiel’s death.

And that Supernatural is actually self-aware of its own material (similar to how they have wrapped things up in the past—lots of expository dialogue, poor execution, but fulfills the story arc)

Since Season 15 is basically a Meta Season (Chuck/God as a writer, pretentiously calling out how he created the worlds, its characters, and basically invalidating the past 14 seasons), and 15x19 is supposedly the finale for Season 15, written by two of the worst Supernatural writers, Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming (Bob Singer’s wife), then we can assume that 15x19 is where the shitty writers kill themselves--as Chuck, of course.

So we get a badly written episode that produces a bad ending, or as Becky put it, “All action, and no Cas”

So we get the bad writers season ending at 15x19.

And 15x20 is where Sam and Dean write their own stories, and where the cast had a hand in pitching ideas for it.

Dabb has mentioned that 15x20 (Act Two) is a SERIES finale, where they try to resolve the characters’ journeys.

Because as everyone has acknowledged, Supernatural isn’t about the story, it’s about the characters.

So here’s what we can get out of it:

With no more Supernatural beings left to fight, Sam and Dean are in a stalemate. They’ve resigned themselves to fighting to the bitter end, but the “end” has passed, and they’re still standing.

So they try to figure out who they are now, and what they want out of the life they still have.

Sam still wants a normal apple pie life. Before Dean dragged him out of college to go hunting with him, he had a whole life planned out for him. Become a lawyer, settle down with a nice girl, and get a dog. He gave all that up because they had work to do, but now the work is finished, he can finally go back to wanting that for himself again.

Dean finally realizes his self-worth after Cas saves him again. His prayer to Cas in purgatory may have helped him come to terms with his anger, but the whole “you’ve done everything you did for love” speech finally put him in his place, and he learns not to hate himself anymore.

But of course, he cannot fully reconcile with himself if he doesn’t get Cas back, and tell him how he feels.

Because Dean actually wants something for himself this time. Something he knows he can finally have if he can just salvage it.

So maybe this time around, with the help of Jack (off-screen), Dean saves Cas. Grips him tight and raises him from perdition.

They bypass The Empty deal by turning Cas human, and he lives the rest of his days with Dean.

Dean and Cas know they deserve to be saved, and they know that they deserve to be happy.

(Wishful thinking, maybe they kiss a little)

Anyway...

I’m just saying, there’s NO WAY that they’d have Cas go through that whole rushed speech, if they weren’t going to do anything about it later on.

But again, after 10 years of disappointment, I wouldn’t put it past Supernatural to pat themselves on the back and say, “Okay, we sort of gave them what they wanted. We’re good now”

If that’s the case, Supernatural, I’m sorry I wasted my time on you.

Here’s to hoping 🤡

[asteroshearts]

[Actor!AU] Relationship HCs

[Levi + Eren] 

Levi Ackerman: 

Even though he still has his RBF off-screen he’s a hell of a lot nicer than people think he is. 

Probably asked Eren if he was okay several times before and after the trial scene. 

They used one of your tweets that read, “I want Levi to break my back like a glowstick” during those “____ reads thirst tweets” videos and his face immediately became full-on red when he saw your @. 

I mean, he was blushing before, but when he saw that it was you he jokingly says, “I had no idea they posted this... Why are you like this. If you wanted me to break your back you could’ve just asked me to my face.” 

Great with puppies, kittens, children, and other infantile creatures. If he’s carrying a bouquet during an event or something and a kid comes up to him, he’ll give them a flower. 

“Levi Plays With Puppies While Answering Fan Questions” probably got over a million views in less than half an hour. 

NO ONE DOES BUSINESS CASUAL BETTER THAN HE DOES!! 

People probably take more pictures of you two at the front row seats of fashion shows more than the models themselves. 

Probably has the Rihanna Effect™ where he’ll wear something that looks bad on the OG model on the runway, but once he wears it, it’s suddenly fashionable. 

Speaking of Rihanna he’s probably in a random music video of hers like Mads Mikkelsen in “Bitch Better Have My Money.” 

HE’S STILL AN ACTS OF SERVICE MAN THROUGH AND THROUGH. 

On one hand he does expected “gentleman” things like opening doors for you, closing your car door after you, holding your bags, etc. 

On the other hand he goes to the extreme. 

If he’s not filming something or busy, he’s by your side doing all of the jobs your assistant is supposed to do. 

The directors and cameramen are looking around being like, “Where’s our Important Character Levi” when they need to shoot scenes, but if they find you they’ll just see him following you around, holding an umbrella over your head in one hand and holding your coffee in the other. 

When they first saw it everyone was like...couldn’t you find someone else...that’s not an extremely important cast member to do that... but it’s just Levi, he insists on doing it himself. Your assistant has the easiest job in the world because he elevates all of their jobs for them. 

CAREFULLY HOLDS THE TRAIN OF YOUR DRESS ON RED CARPETS 

When your hair gets tousled or locks fall over your face during filming or photoshoots, the cameramen will point it out, but before any of the hair or makeup people manage to get to you, Levi will just ;; walk over and fix it himself. The two of you probably have the softest smiles at that moment when he’s carefully brushing your hair out of your face. 

Isn’t in a lot of roles. He definitely gets offered a whole bunch of roles!! but especially when you two started dating, he told himself that he didn’t want you guys to crash and burn like many other celebrity couples since they normally spend a lot of time apart and are usually thousands of miles away from each other. When he’s not filming AOT, he tends to take a break from acting and go with you to your jobs. 

However, if he does find himself in a role that he wants to do, he’ll definitely appreciate it if you reciprocate, but doesn’t expect nor force you to. 

Instead he’ll leave your assistant with a long-ass list of how you like your coffee, what you like to eat after a long day of filming, how to approach you when you’re stressed, etc because this man has been doing your assistant’s job the entire time asdfghj 

The only time he’s gently smiling in paparazzi photos is when he’s with you, other than that he looks angry or bored. Like he’ll be at a beautiful beach party with Erwin and Hange but he’s just sitting in the shade with a drink in one hand looking inconvenienced. 

Eren Jaeger: 

OKAY 

There’s this one video of Dylan Sprouse putting his hand on his heart like it’s the national anthem or something when Barbra Palvin walks by on the runway AND THAT’S EXACTLY EREN 

When he sees you walk by either on a modeling gig or on the red carpet this man just stops ,,, and immediately stares and puts his hand on his heart like he’s seen Jesus. 

ALSO does anyone know that one video of the dude tripping over his words when he tries to talk to Jhene Aiko during an interview. 

When you and Eren first met he had to bring Armin as a translator because he was never able to get a straight sentence out in your presence. 

He was legitimately stunned stupid when he saw all of your red carpet looks or interview looks when you two were still new friends during S1 or something. 

follows Ere[Name] ship accounts on twitter and your stan accounts. 

Why do you even have a publicist. He’s your personal hypeman. Sometimes people get confused when they go to his official instagram bc it’s just pictures of you, him promoting your stuff, or really grainy, desaturated pictures of you two doing dumb things together like doing the JOJO Torture Dance together on an empty street at 3AM. These are interspersed with pictures of him when he has to promote something that’s like in his contract. 

When he posts pictures or stories that doesn’t have you in it, the comments are all, “Where’s [Name].” 

When little kids come up to him during panels or out on the street he’ll get jokingly concerned that they’re watching AOT. Like, “Y-You watch the series?? Do your parents know? Is it too scary for you?” 

Tries to make you laugh by pulling funny faces where the camera can’t see him. 

If you mess up on your line, he’ll immediately build on that and goof off with you, resulting in the two of you getting yelled at. 

Quality time is one of his love languages, so like Levi, your managers will work together to make sure your schedules work with each other. 

Sometimes when you have other roles outside of AOT, you might catch him as some regular extra in the background. 

It can’t be helped if sessions go on for too long sometimes, but if it becomes a reoccurring thing due to unorganized sets, he’ll fight with the director and crew to get a break since it’s important for everyone to get some rest. 

If your character is shipped with some character That’s Not Him, the directors know not to show his face during kiss scenes or romantic scenes because he’ll legitimately break character and pout or become so stone faced that he can’t emote at all. 

This Academy Award winning actor will just go 🧍 on the sidelines while you’re trying to kiss Jean for a scene but his stare is burning on the side of your head. 

Eren to Jimmy Fallon or something, “I guess Jean and [Name] are cute but it would be better if it was Ere[Name]. No, no I’m not complaining or anything...” 

GAVE HIS EVERYTHING TO ATTACK ON TITAN JUNIOR HIGH. 

Begged the writers to have more Ere[Name] content in Junior High.

If they let him direct an episode of AOT he will film it like Parks and Rec or The Office.  

[Eren: commits war crimes 

Camera: swerves and zooms in on your face grimacing and Levi’s dead expression while he stares right at the camera.] 

People probably know that they can’t interview him/force him to do lives after shooting because his voice is gone after all that shouting as Eren Jaeger. 

Has a Dan-Emma-Rupert relationship with Mikasa and Armin. He legitimately sees them as siblings even off-set. 

[beepboop358]

The Opera in the HNL Control Room Video Hints to S4

I don't know if this has been done before or not but I did this right after the tweets dropped, but I wasn't posting then so I'm posting it now LOL (better late than never right?)

On May 5th, 2021, one day before the May 6 release of the ""Eleven are you listening?" teaser (002/004), the Stranger writers tweeted this:

with the accompanying video:

The opera that's playing in the background is "Quand Le Bien-Aime Reviendra" which translates from French to English as "When The Beloved Will Return"

I’ve also seen it translated as "When My Sweetheart Returns To Me”. (any french speakers please correct me/google translate if it’s wrong)

Next I looked up what this opera's plot is about, because there has to be a reason they picked this specific thing to play in the background, nothing they do is random xD

At first when I saw father and daughter detail I thought of Hopper and El, but I reallllyyyy don't think it's referencing them. For one, El won't end up with Mike because he's gay and in love with Will, so El can't fulfill the "marrying her lover" part of this story. There's also no references to Hopper's death/reappearance in here if he is the father character.

It's the daughter's lover that disappears and returns after fighting his enemy, and the daughter goes "mad" thinking he has died. Germeuil (the lover) is "the beloved" the opera title refers too. The father is not a super important part of the picture here. This opera is more about a couple than a father/daughter or parent/child.

So that leave's us with two possibilities for who this opera could be referencing:

1. Joyce is Nina, and Hopper is Germeuil.

OR

2. Will is Nina, and Mike is Germeuil.

3. A third possibility is that the Opera references BOTH Jopper and Byler in s4, or just some aspects of the opera's storyline for each couple.

Possibility 1: The opera references Jopper

Germeuil (Hopper) fights his enemy and disappears:

Hopper has already disappeared in a fight with the enemy. He was fighting the Russians & the upside down during all of s3, and he disappears or during the final battle of s3, with Joyce literally watching the fight between Hopper and the Russian happen right as she's trying to close the gate.

Nina (Joyce) goes mad and forgets details of the traumatic event:

Just like I mentioned in my Victor Creel Theories post, there are several hints throughout the show to mental instability running in Joyce's family, and Nina is described as going "mad" when her lover (Germeuil/Hopper) disappears and she thinks he has died. Everyone thinks Hopper is dead, Joyce included. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Hopper's death will send Joyce spiraling, and cause her to forget the details of the event due to psychological distress.

Possibility 2: The opera references Byler

Germeuil (Mike) fights his enemy and disappears:

Mike wasn’t seen in the recent st4 sneak peek teaser (but neither were Jonathan, Argyle, and Joyce (unknown if Will is the one in front of the burning car but I think it is), and Finn was the only person who posted a picture of the clock with the caption “In the upside down, meanwhile…” and not “Meanwhile, in the upside down…”, like all the other cast members and official ST accounts. He never fixed the caption, which leads me to believe it wasn’t a mistake, but rather a clue. I wonder what this means for Mike’s storyline this season - does he get stuck in the upside down somehow?

Germeuil (Mike) fighting the enemy probably refers to some upside down monster, and he gets taken to the upside down during a battle or something.

And Nina (Will) goes mad and forgets details of the traumatic event:

Nina is described as "forgetting aspects of the traumatic incident in a manner consistent with a diagnosis of psychogenic amnesia"

"Psychogenic amnesia or dissociative amnesia is a memory disorder characterized by sudden retrograde episodic memory loss, said to occur for a period of time ranging from hours to years. More recently, "dissociative amnesia" has been defined as a dissociative disorder" characterized by retrospectively reported memory gaps. These gaps involve an inability to recall personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature"

There's a popular theory out there that Will has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and while DID is not the same thing as dissociative amnesia, there is the same dissociative aspect in both where the person represses/forgets memories that are traumatic to them. I recommend you read @kaypeace21's theory on this here and here.

If Mike was to disappear into the Upside down, it would certainly take a big toll on Will, which may cause him to go "Mad" (again hints of mental instability in Joyce's family, and Will is Joyce's son) This event may also bring out a more hardcore and powerful side of Will, and could trigger memories of his own life that he has forgotten. It could also be what makes Will face the lab/the monster this season.

Noah said this would be Will's darkest season, and my mind immediately goes "darker than getting possessed by an evil inter-dimensional monster who wants to kill everyone? How is that gonna work?"

But this theory is pretty dark, and it just might fit the description.

It also might fit in with the theory that Will may be one of the test subjects in the "Eleven are you listening?" teaser, which goes along with the theory that Will may have a connection to the lab beyond his relation to it in s2, which I discussed in my post about how Will, Sara, and El are all connected.

Anyways, this is all just speculation right now since nothing is confirmed, but it's interesting to think about how this opera might hint to s4 storylines.

[oddlyhale]

(I posted this on r/rwbycritics but I wanted to share this here, too.)

This is just my personal opinion, subjective at best. But I can't help but say Team JNR are always in the way of Team RWBY's character growth.

For a long time, Team JNR were just friends and a side-team that functioned as the comic reliefs or the sometimes emotional support. They were Ruby's substitute team during V4, gradually forming Team RWBY again in V5.

Once Team RWBY were back together, it should of been the perfect cut-off time to separate both teams and set them on their own paths. But no. Team JNR stayed and bloated the cast that didn't need to be there. Not to mention, it seems the writing has started to put more of the physical and emotional labor on Team JNR than on our titled team.

- Jaune needs to mourn and accept Pyrrha's death.

- Nora has to start learning to let go of Ren and better herself.

- Ren needs to be more opened and thoughtful of others than hiding himself.

- Nora challenges Ironwood's morality for Mantle.

- Ren is ballsy enough to call everybody out for not being ready to be Huntsmen.

- Jaune is the last to fall, but not before fighting the mini-boss Cinder. Not the first time he went 1v1 with the Cinder, either.

Even when Jaune and Ren were teamed up with Yang during V8, she was a nothing accessory to the team. Jaune and Ren really shined more when Nora wasn't there, which does show a flaw within Team JNR's team that they need to function together, not against each other. A flaw in their machine that is nice. The team has character now.

Not to mention... the writing staff said they "didn't have time to put Team RWBY in the whale to fight Salem," yet they sure had time to let Jaune, Ren and Yang go in. What applehead bullshit is that? You're telling me that they couldn't be bothered to animate all of Team RWBY infiltrating Monstro and confronting Salem, but they were all OK with animating the two boys from B-team and Yang to do just that? Literally no excuse for it.

For some reason the writing has decided to make Team JNR the mules that carry the emotional baggage, while Team RWBY don't do anything. Sure they have their little moments, but those tend to mean nothing minutes later. They solve themselves or the writing doesn't care about it anymore.

If the show wanted to make Team JNR the main characters, then I don't see what's stopping them. The titled team aren't much of importance, other than one of them is burdened with Silver Eyes, but that just means both the audience and writers have no choice BUT to find her important because of her eyes. That's all.

If we want to make Team RWBY important to their own show, then my take would be:

Should've ditched Jaune and the rest of his team on Argus. Don't need them any further into the story. Team RWBY need time to shine and explore their flaws as a team, and Jaune and his team prove to be a wrench in that growth.

Ditching them doesn't mean they're not important, but this is the step into letting Team RWBY work together finally and not rely on B-characters to pave a path for their success. They can show up later in the story, perhaps appearing in Vacuo to help out the refugees after hearing Ruby's broadcast, but in no way is Jaune or his team needed during Vol6, 7 and 8.

That's just me though.