#i would at least have to rewatch all of their scenes to try and get a sense for their dynamic

[dissociativewriter]

Headcanons about making the guys watch the Disney movie we associate with them?

Z = Frozen; X & S = Sleeping Beauty; R = The Little Mermaid; C = Snow White

this is so cute omg. i rewatched all of these when writing this (for research!) and it was very nice. this is very fluffy, i needed to write some lol I've been writing some very mean angst lately.

spoilers ahead and some references to their myths!

❀ It was your turn to pick the movie for you and Xavier's regular Saturday movie night. When you picked Sleeping Beauty, he furrowed his brow. "A Disney movie?" "I think it will be fun!"

❀ Xavier was silent through most of it, content to simply enjoy the movie with you. He would interrupt to offer you popcorn or to refill your drink. "She's a little scary," he whispered when Maleficent appeared.

❀ You caught him dozing off a few times, but Xavier always jolted awake when you nudged him. "I'm up!" "Were you falling asleep again?" "I was just resting my eyes." He did actually fall asleep when the kingdom was put to sleep alongside Aurora.

❀ As the credits rolled, you told him, "This movie reminds me of you." "...because I remind you of the prince, right?" His ears turned a faint pink when you explained you connected him more to Aurora. "So… I'm a princess in your eyes?" "A very pretty princess!"

❀ When you tell Zayne you want to watch Frozen with him, he’s… hesitant, to say the least. “Isn’t that a children’s movie?” He still watches it with you, though, no complaints.

❀ “I understand they’re worried she might harm someone, but locking her away isn’t good for her development,” he says matter-of-factly. He’s very respectful during the movie, though, not saying much. That is, until Hans’ betrayal. “That’s just not right,” he mutters. “What a scoundrel.”

❀ When you tell Zayne he reminds you of Elsa, he just stares at you blankly. After a moment, he quietly responds, “I hope you don’t plan on getting me gloves.” When the movie ends, he gives you a chaste kiss on the check. “If I truly am Elsa, then you’ve thawed this frozen heart.”

❀ For a few days after you watched the movie, Zayne finds himself quietly humming Let It Go. Occasionally Love is an Open Door. He’s alright with that one. He’s extremely annoyed with himself when it’s Let It Go.

❀ Rafayel will gladly watch any movie with you, but best believe he’s judging The Little Mermaid. Heavily. "Giving up your voice is sooooo unromantic," he groaned. "At least give your lover your heart." "What, like you just rip it out of your chest and offer it to your lover?" You laughed. Rafayel didn't.

❀ "Yes," he said very seriously. "Let my blood spill down your wrist as you feel how my heart beats only for you. Let my blood stain your lips the perfect shade of red so that every time you see your reflection, you cannot escape my endless devotion to you."

❀ You try to scoot away from Rafayel after that but he keeps you pulled close against him. He cries during the wedding scene but vehemently denies it afterward. "I'm just really happy they could finally be together! They're from two different worlds!"

❀ Rafayel sings the entirety of the sound track for at least a week. It’s pretty at first but after the tenth time (that day) of hearing, “What do they got, a lot of sand? We got a HOT crustacean band!” you’re throwing tomatoes.

❀ Sylus is always willing to do whatever you want, so when you asked him to watch Sleeping Beauty with you, he didn't object. He just settled you in his home theater with fluffy blankets, snacks, and an arm around your shoulders.

❀ When Maleficent comes on screen, he's already making commentary. "Cursing a baby to die because you didn't get invited to a party seems a bit excessive. And these gifts the fairies have given aren't useful at all."

❀ He’s judging you heavily when you start implying he's similar to Maleficent. "Doesn't her bird remind you of Mephisto?" "So I remind you of a villain?" "..but a really pretty one. I think you'd look very handsome with horns." "Hm."

❀ Sylus looks extremely unimpressed by the time Maleficent turns into a dragon. "...interesting design," he mutters. "See, there's another thing! You remind me of a dragon." Sylus met your wide smile with a raised eyebrow. "Really, sweetie?" "Sure! You're really warm, protective, you hoard things..." Sylus chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "You have an overactive imagination."

❀ When you tell Caleb you want to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he's immediately agreeing. "Whatever you want, pips," he says. "But... didn’t this used to scare you when we were kids?"

❀ It’s not like this is his first time watching it. Caleb's watched a lot of princess movies with you since you grew up together. But, that doesn't stop him from making commentary. "I can't believe she just moves into some random men's home without asking. Promise me you'll never do that, pip-squeak."

❀ Caleb's confused when you tell him he reminds you of Snow White. "I remind you of that little princess?" he asked incredulously. "Sure," you shrugged. "You're a mother hen like she is. You cook, you clean, you're easily tempted by apples." "I'm not making you apple pie anymore," he pouts (he’s lying).

❀ When the poisoned apple comes around, he's desperately defending himself. "I cannot seriously remind you of her. I would not fall for that." You shrugged again. "I just call 'em as I see 'em." He's quiet for a few minutes. "Maybe the sleeping death is a good idea, " he says. "Then you'd be all mine." You stare at him. "Remind me to never eat any apple you give me."

I saw this art on Pinterest and thought it was so damn cute 😭 it wasn’t credited though so if you know whose it is please let me know so I can credit it!

comments and reblogs appreciated and asks open! <3

masterlist

@dolledbunnytail @sleepykittyenergy @orbitraiden @coffeedragonhobbyist @plzdonutpercieveme @sylusgworl

[hooffuloftootsierolls]

I love you Stella

God, she’s cunt, bitch, and brat all rolled into one. I’m obsessed with her. Stella Goetia they could never make me hate you.

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

i am living for some angst 👀

especially some satoru angst

Hold me. Console me.

Tags: Satoru x fem!Reader, angst, hurt/comfort, depictions of poor mental health, depiction of a panic attack, Satoru’s a little bit of an asshole here.

An: Same… same. Before you read this and blame me for how fucked this story is, know that one of my moots (cough. cough. @theuniversesnepobaby cough.) was sending me sad angsty edits last night. this is partially her fault too.

Satoru was normally a very doting and attentive boyfriend. He’s the type to beg to be in your presence. He’d kill to feel your touch against his skin. “Casual” isn’t a word in his dictionary. When he loves, he loves loudly.

So when he got quiet with his love, your body started to fill with a sense of dread. Cold and bitter feelings crawled their way between you two. No longer did you two laugh until you were out of breath and red in the face. No longer did he surprise you with gifts or try to scare you when you’re unaware of his presence.

His strong arms hadn’t wrapped around you in so long. The ruthless chill of being utterly alone plagued you, while Satoru seemed fine. He was even taking on extra hours at his job. So many nights he didn’t come back until nearly midnight.

How could he not see what’s happening? How could he not notice how much you’re drowning?

“I’m going out.” His words are flat with no care put into them. He’s telling you because he feels as if it’s obligatory — not because he doesn’t want you to worry.

“Where are you going?” So many times have you tried to reach out. It was as if you two were passing back and forth a candle of your relationship. You had ignited the flame and passed it to him so many times, but each time, he snuffs it out without a second thought — leaving you in the dark. Maybe one more time, you metaphorically light the candle in hopes to kinder your relationship…

“Out.” Flame snuffed.

“Oh.” He’s done it so many times, but it hurts just as bad each and every time. Being single wouldn’t hurt this bad. At least you wouldn’t be getting rejected by your own boyfriend on a daily basis.

“See ya.” He doesn’t even give you a second glance as he grabs his coat and saunters out the door. Another night spent alone. Another night filled with a barely eaten tv dinner and a shitty reality tv show droning on in the back while you doomscroll on your phone.

You two use to watch these reality tv shows together and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Satoru would hold you so close to his body, and he’d whine anytime you tried to adjust. When was the last time that happened? You never suspected the end of affectionate gestures would come while you two were still in a relationship.

You check Geto’s story on instagram. Sometimes, you’d catch small glimpses of Satoru in the back. Sometimes they were at a cafe or an arcade together. Tonight, it seemed as though Suguru was at very packed party scene.

You hold your breath in your lungs as you rewatch the story again and again — searching for a white head of hair. Your boyfriend makes it too easy for you to stalk him. Though, it feels like a fitting punishment for the turmoil he’s put you through.

No Satoru in sight. You sigh quietly before you check Shoko’s story. It was less likely that Satoru would be captured there, but he has made his appearances in the past. It seemed like tonight Shoko wasn’t present at whatever rager Suguru was at. She posted a picture of her beautifully written notes. She must be studying.

Nanami never posts on his story, so you don’t even bother going to check his barren profile. Haibara never features Satoru in his stories, so you skip his as well. This leaves you with one last option.

Your hand is a little shaky as you click on Utahime’s story. You don’t know when it started, but your cheeks and ears were wet with tears already. Your body had some sort of sick sixth sense for knowing when something was wrong, and something was terribly wrong.

You had always had your little insecurities about Utahime ever since Satoru indulged that he had a small crush on her back in high school. Of course, these were just fleeting thoughts. Up until recently, you knew with full confidence that you had Satoru’s heart. He wouldn’t stray from you. 

You didn’t have that same confidence anymore. Satoru had withdrawn, and it seemed as if he took his heart with him.

You hate being right. You wish you were wrong sometimes. On Utahime’s story, she’s seemingly at the same party that Suguru’s at. Her story is littered with pictures of her with other girls that you don’t recognize, videos of the loud music and people dancing in a crowd, and there’s just one last video on her story that makes your heart sink to your stomach.

Your boyfriend’s pretty blue eyes illuminated by the flash from her back camera. He smiled and laughed as Utahime filmed him. His face was littered with wine red lipstick kiss marks. Utahime had a grab on your boyfriend’s collar, obviously trying to hold his drunk self still while she filmed his crime.

It felt like a punch straight to your gut. You couldn’t even think straight, but you knew you needed to keep this evidence in case she deletes it. Your fingers shakily screenshot the story, logging the picture of Satoru covered in someone else’s affections.

He was out there feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness, receiving kisses from another, dancing to his heart’s content, and enjoying his life while you were sat at home weeping over the loss of your boyfriend.

The tv dinner, now cold and stale, was thrown into the garbage, and whatever little bit you had eaten came up soon after.

The picture was seared into your memory. You didn’t have to look at it to know every minor detail. The way his white hair was messy. His glasses were pulled down ever so slightly to reveal his devastatingly beautiful eyes. His coat hung on his shoulders while his muscular neck peaked out from his shirt.

Every time you closed your eyes, you thought about how many kiss marks he had on his face. How many times had he allowed himself to cheat on you? Was this the first time? Had it gone farther than this? Was it Utahime or some other girl?

You cried yourself to sleep, knowing that Satoru wouldn’t even come home to try to console you.

The next morning, you were disappointed as soon as you woke up. You wished sleep would’ve taken your body and whisked it away far, far from here. Instead, you’re still in your bed, sleeping on a pillow that was stained from your mascara.

If you could, you’d rot in bed all day and try to forget the godforsaken video you saw last night, but you had to make a trip to the restroom.

Forcing your weak body out of bed, you let out a small pained moan. You haven’t eaten a proper meal in so long, and you threw up whatever you did eat yesterday. Your appetite was completely diminished. Satoru use to say that food tasted better when it was shared. He always shared his meals with you, unbeknownst to him, helping you maintain a good schedule for eating.

Your apartment was too bright when you stepped out of the bathroom, and it smelled too much of food. The sizzling on the stove finally caught your drowsy attention.

The man of the hour, Satoru, was at your stove, shirtless and cooking something. Sleeping pants casually hung around his hips, and the dimples at the bottom of his back were so graciously being shown off. Did someone else know about those two little dimples? Even though back was facing you, you could already picture his face, littered with those stupid kiss marks.

Making a b-line for the bathroom, Satoru doesn’t even get the chance to greet you. Your hands were cold and clammy as your body uncontrollably heaved over the toilet. You had nothing left to give, but Satoru was taking everything from you.

Hot tears burned your cheeks as they slipped down your face. You didn’t want to do this. You wished you would’ve never saw that fucking video last night. You should’ve given yourself plausible deniability, but now, you had to face the music.

You slowly returned back to the kitchen after trying your best to clean yourself up. Your eyes focused on Satoru. He was finishing up cooking bacon when his eyes finally met yours and drove daggers through your heart.

“Good morning, sweetness. Something wrong?” He asks with so much care in his tone. You fantasize about hitting him — just once. How dare he suddenly care when you have to check out?

You don’t even know what to say to him. Like, yes, something is clearly fucking wrong, Satoru. I’m dating an unfaithful jerk.

“What are you doing here?” You ask bluntly, wiping your face of the remnants of tears and makeup that had stained your skin. He shouldn’t be allowed to see how badly he hurt you.

“I… live here?” He responds in a questioning tone, furrowing his white eyebrows as he studies your face. “Are you okay?” If only he had asked that question weeks ago, then maybe you two wouldn’t be in this mess today.

“No, and you don’t live here anymore.” You snap, causing him to slightly flinch back — not out of fear but out of surprise. He’s never seen you like this before.

“What do you mean, sweetness? I-“

“Cut the shit, Gojo. Don’t act stupid with me. It’s unbecoming.” You interrupt him completely, not wanting to hear him try to act innocent when you have all the proof you need on your phone.

“Woah. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I don’t really appreciate the insult and the use of my government name. I genuinely have no idea of what you’re talking about.” His voice is firm, laced with sternness, so you can see that he’s not playing around with you.

You take a deep breath until your lungs burn. You want to scream at him, chase him out of the house, and light his shit on fire. Instead, you silently go to retrieve your phone. Pulling up the picture of him with kiss marks all over his face, you shove the screen in his direction.

Gojo takes a few seconds to take in the photo, and he lets his shoulders drop. “This is what you’re mad over, sweetness?” He asks in a much more calm tone, looking up at you with almost puppy dog eyes.

“Don’t call me that.” You snap while swiping your phone back from his hands. “I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you, but we’re fucking done.”

“You seriously believe that I would cheat on you?” He asks in that stupid arrogant tone of his, completely ignoring your blunt rejection.

“Why else would your high school crush post a picture of you with kiss marks all over your face!? You look so fucking dumb and in love. I fucking-“ Your throat chokes up as if your body was trying to stop you from saying something you didn’t mean. The words “I fucking hate you” die right there on your lips. Tears fall down your cheeks, and you place your palms over your eyes to hide yourself from his impregnable gaze.

“This, again?” He asks in a frustrated tone before letting out an exasperated sigh, He turns the stove off - abandoning his food before walking over to you. He bends his knees a bit to get on your level. “Look at me.” He demands before his hands go to pull yours away from your eyes.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” You cry out, jerking back away from his presence. Your breath speeds up. The oxygen isn’t having enough time to enter your bloodstream. Your body is vibrating, forcing the air quickly from your lungs. Everything is moving so fast and why the fuck is he so close to you-? He’s suffocating. Fuck, catch your breath. Whyhim?Whyyou?Why?Why?Whatdidyoudotodeservethis???

A gush of air is blown harshly onto your face, and you can feel the bitter cold feeling of something touching your skin. Your eyes see Satoru’s hand holding an ice cube, guiding it along your warm skin on your arm. Your body is so hot that it’s melting faster than he’s moving it.

“Breathe. Match my movements.” Satoru guides in a calm yet steady tone. Your eyes find the way his chest is slowly rising and falling with each breath. You want to tell him to go play in traffic. You don’t need him to ground you. You don’t need him to do anything for you. You don’t need him.

Still, your body matches his slowly. Your breath becomes more stable, and you can feel your heart starting to settle into a more natural rhythm. Your bleary eyes meet his empathetic ones. It’s been so long since your last panic attack, but he remembers just how to calm you down.

It only makes it all hurt so much worse.

“It’s almost over. You’re doing a good job.” He takes his chances at encouraging you. It feels so sickening, more tears flee your eyes. Where had your boyfriend been, and why is he only just now back after he did the unthinkable?

“Sing with me.” It’s an odd request, but it’s something he found that grounds you better than most grounding techniques. Saying repeatable phrases in melodic tone is comforting for your mind.

“No.”

“Come on… Just one time. Your favorite.” He tries again. Metaphorically, lighting the candle and passing it back to you.

You shake your head in response. Flame snuffed. How can you sing with him after what he did to you?

“Come on, don't leave me it can't be that easy, babe” He starts with such a soft angelic voice. You fold in on yourself unable to keep the sob from escaping your throat. What method of torture is this??

“If you believe me I guess I'll get on a plane. Fly to your city excited to see your face.” He continues, lighting that same candle. It’s so small, barely there anymore from how many times you two have tried to relight it.

“Hold me, console me and then I leave without a trace.” The ice cube has completely melted, and his hand is resting on your arm. He slowly guides you to his chest, and you indulge in his warm embrace for just one last time.

“Come on, don't leave me it can't be that easy, babe.” His chin rests on top of your head. You’ve always fit so well in his arms. He’d always tell you that whatever higher power is out there made you specifically with him in mind.

“If you believe me I guess I'll get on a plane. Fly to your city excited to see your face.” His skin is so warm against yours, and your tears are sticking to your chest.

“Hold me, console me and then I leave without a trace.” You finally indulge him, softly joining in on his singing. His body slowly starts to guide you two into a soft subtle sway.

“Come on, don't leave me it can't be that easy, babe.” It’s not that easy. This fucking hurts so bad. Why would your soulmate do this to you?

“If you believe me I guess I'll get on a plane. Fly to your city excited to see your face.” You feel so pathetic — seeking out comfort from the one who hurt you this bad. If your friend could see you right now, she’d slap some sense into you.

“Hold me, console me and then I leave without a trace.”

You’re sniffling softly into his chest, and his hand carefully pets your hair. “Those kiss marks weren’t from Utahime.” He explains in a soft tone. “We were filming a TikTok. The punchline of the joke was that Suguru and Haibara were the ones who kissed all over my face.”

You look up at him with an unsure look on your face, not understanding what he meant. Satoru carefully picks your phone up, and he clicks on Haibara’s Instagram story from last night.

Sure enough, Haibara posted a TikTok of him, Suguru, Satoru, and Utahime. The camera points at Satoru, showing the kiss marks on his face, and the sound plays. “Bro, what happened to your face? Did you do that?” The camera then pans to Utahime to which she mouths the words, “I did not do that.” The camera then pans to Haibara with smeared wine red lipstick on his lips who says, “Then, who did?” The camera is then panned towards Suguru. He also had wine red lipstick smeared on his lips. “Yeah, who?” The two boys start laughing along with Satoru, and the video cuts.

It only comforts your weary heart slightly.

“It was just a stupid TikTok… I should’ve consulted you or warned you… done anything to respect you.”

“This doesn’t take back how awfully cold you’ve been over the last few weeks…” You sniffle out quietly, and Satoru nods his head knowingly.

“I know, sweetness.. I know. I’ve been terrible.” His arms squeeze you a bit tighter — frightened that he was so close to loosing you, still scared of losing you.

“That’s not an apology… or even a reason.” You try to squirm from his grip, but Satoru holds you tighter.

“I’m so fucking sorry, sweetness.” He breathes out a shaky breath, and you realize the shakiness in his voice. Glancing up at him, you feel yourself clam up with the sight of tears in his eyes. Christ, his eyes are somehow even more blue when he cries. “Shit got crazy at work then-“

“You still had time to party it up with your friends. You left me without even telling me you love me.” You finally break away from his grasp. The cheating accusation was only the surface of the main problem.

“You know I love you…” His voice is small, and he wipes his eyes of the tears that are threatening to spill.

“Do I know that?”

“Don’t… don’t say that.. I love you more than life itself.” His shaky hands go to reach for you again, but you move back away from him.

“You’re only doing this because I’m leaving you. If I hadn’t mentioned it, you’d probably still be half assed ignoring me.” You stare at him, and your eyes start to water for the nth time today.

“That’s not…” Satoru bites his tongue, and he runs a hand through his messy white hair. “I came home this morning… saw the uneaten tv dinner in the trash… Your reality tv show was still playing in the background, and I saw how you fell asleep with your makeup messed up… I realized then how much I neglected you… I planned a full day for us to enjoy each other’s presence… Please, don’t leave me for this. I can fix this.”

“How did it feel to look at me everyday when I tried so fucking hard to reach you?”

“It killed me.” He breathes out, and he tries to reach for you again. “Please, I missed you so much. Work was just so fucking much, and I don’t know why I took that out on you.”

You stare at him, and you shake your head silently. “You should go, Gojo..” Your voice cracked as it physically pained you to tell him to leave. Your body craves him more than anything else in the world right now.

“No, please, princess. Don’t do this… I can fix this. I’ll do whatever it takes… just don’t leave me…” Satoru’s on his knees, literally begging you not to leave him. Tears are falling down his cheeks as he bows his head to you.

It’s humiliating, but he’s so humiliatingly in love with you. He’s so dead serious. He’d do anything for you to stay with him.

“Toru..”

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I-I don’t know why I did it. I just pulled away from you, and I don’t know how it happened. You’re the best damn thing that’s ever happened t-to me. Please. I can’t function without you.”

You stare at your boyfriend with concern as his head literally touches the floor beneath him. You don’t even know what to say to him. The thought of leaving him hurts so fucking bad. It steals the breath from your lungs.

“Please don’t leave me… puh…. please stay with me.” He’s groveling at your feet, unable to stop the tears that escape his eyes. The thought of living in a world where you aren’t his girlfriend… he wouldn’t. He’d be a shell of who he once was. He’s nothing without you.

You slowly sit on the floor in front of him, and your hands stroke his soft hair gently. Satoru’s breath slows as he finally gets a grip on his emotions. He realizes just how pathetic he looks. He slowly leans up, and he looks at you. Both of you looked like complete messes, and it was all his fault.

“I don’t deserve you,” He murmurs quietly. “but please, I can make this better… I love you so much, sweetness… I wouldn’t dream of ever cheating on you.”

“I don’t forgive you.” Your voice is barely a whisper. The metaphorical flame is so small and shaky, but if you two both shield it from the wind, it’ll be able to grow once more. “You have a lot to prove me, Toru.”

“I’ll spend every waking minute of my life fixing this. I promise you, sweets.”

and he did. Satoru went back to loving you loudly. He didn’t merely shield the flame from being blown out, he fanned it himself so it grew in intensity. He was back to doting on you constantly, and he did frequent check-ins to make sure you weren’t feeling neglected. He took frequent vacations from work with you. He usually took you two out on holidays to wherever your heart desired, but sometimes you two would use his vacation time to just lounge around the house and enjoy each other’s presence.

Your confidence slowly returned to you over time. It wasn’t easy by any means. It took many nights of Satoru’s consistent reassurance and overwhelming love and support for you to slowly start feeling comfortable in your relationship with him.

He put in the work, nourished your flame, and he never made you feel guilty for having a second thought because when he loves, he loves deeply. Casual is not his strong suit.

[ixenarcaniss]

Some thoughts because I finished rewatching Steven Universe. I don’t really think this is a new original idea, but I’ve never seen anyone talk about it before so I thought it might be worth sharing.

By this point it’s pretty commonly known that the show offers no one conclusive way we should feel about Rose Quartz. She was a complex, flawed person who did good things and bad things over the course of her life. You can love her or hate her or be completely neutral on her and it isn’t per se wrong. Personally, I still really admire Rose for her continued effort to be better, despite her mistakes, and despite her upbringing as a Diamond.

That said, her upbringing as the littlest, and most immature Diamond meant that she began her life as an entitled, petulant child. We don’t really know anything about the Diamonds’ origins, so we don’t know their relative ages, or if they came into the world pre-programmed with an identity and purpose like other gems, so it’s hard to say whether Pink Diamond was supposed to be the way she was or not. All we know is that she was functionally the child of the family. And as the child, the other Diamonds loved her, found her at times endearing and entertaining, but also they were annoyed by her, and punished her for her spontaneity and disruptive behavior.

For other gems, undermining the Diamonds’ image of flawless authority, or getting in the way of their violent intergalactic conquest would result in proper, dictatorial punishments—being separated from loved ones, being forcefully reconditioned and repatriated, or being killed outright (or shattered in this case), among other penalties unspecified to us as the show’s audience. But for Pink, she was a Diamond. She was family. It would be a bad look for the Diamonds to disappear one of their own, or revert Pink to factory settings using a rejuvenator. And of course, they did care for her. No matter what she did, punishment would have to fall short of the unthinkable act of breaking her.

So, the Diamonds handled Pink in other ways. When she made a scene, she could be locked away in an empty tower—a very cruel, high profile form of being grounded. And when she was simply in the way, she could be placated with distractions. A Pearl—literally made to serve as her personal attendant and entertainer—isn’t enough to hold her attention? How about a gem literally made to be her best friend. Spinel. A similarly childish and cartoonish little playmate to keep her busy playing games and having a laugh so the other Diamonds can rule and forever grow their empire without their annoying kid sister to bother them.

And so, at the same time, Pink Diamond was both cruelly punished for her immature behavior, and encouraged to indulge in it. To spend her time goofing off in the garden so long as she was out of the way. A confusing upbringing to say the least. But this is exactly why Pink would eventually become the first gem to meaningfully resist the Diamond authority, to resist the idea that gems must serve and conform to their intended purpose, and to resist the idea that life is worthless or lesser without that kind of purpose. Pink’s environment drove her to change. She was the only gem that the Diamonds actively wanted to change, and the only gem that they would be unwilling to break for daring to try.

Pink was still very childish and immature when she began begging for her own colony, to the point of throwing tantrums when the other Diamonds naturally refused. To the point of carelessly breaking one of her toys—that is to say, her Pearl. That may have been a bit of a wake up call for her, or at least reason to be a bit more self-aware, and careful with her thoughts and feelings. Her replacement Pearl—the Pearl we know as the rebel Crystal Gem—never knew Pink Diamond to throw tantrums or break her things. Instead, this was the Pink Diamond who could convince the Diamonds that she could handle a colony.

This version of Pink still played with Spinel, but seemingly tried to hide her more childish nature from the other Diamonds, and, based on a scene from Steven Universe: The Movie, may have been a bit embarrassed by Spinel. As Pink was trying to be more mature and take on more responsibility, her friend who was made to forever indulge her childish nature may have become an annoyance, or even a mirror reflecting everything that Pink was ashamed of being, and trying to grow out of.

Evidently, Pink’s mission to grow into a Diamond worthy to rule her own colony was successful, and she was tasked with overseeing the colonization of Earth. Soon after, Pink’s new Pearl, eager to please her sad, bored, and lonely Diamond, indulged Pink’s desire to see her planet with her own eyes, inadvertently encouraging her to take the shape of a Quartz to safely do so without getting in trouble. As the two toured the planet together, Pink began to realize the beauty of the natural life on Earth, which her colony would inevitably destroy. She began to realize a love of the Earth, and her freedom to roam its surface as Rose Quartz.

The protection of the Earth and its life became a new, self-chosen purpose for Pink. And as hard as she tried to convince the other Diamonds that her colony couldn’t and shouldn’t be completed, they still only saw her as childish, disruptive little Pink, making a scene. Of course she couldn’t handle her colony. Of course she was getting hung up on every little problem. Nothing to be done but placate her so she can at least finish what she started. 

Struggling to be heard, but determined in her cause, Pink used her new identity as Rose Quartz to publicly resist the colony’s development. If the Diamonds wouldn’t take her seriously as a fellow Diamond matriarch, they’d have to confront her as an actually punishable rebel threat. As she fought for Earth, she’d spend time as a “lesser” gem amongst other “lesser” gems, gaining new perspective on their lives and feelings. After meeting the fusion of two different gems, a common Ruby and a rare Sapphire, she would come to fight not just for the Earth, but for gems. For their freedom, for their right to self-determination, self-expression, and solidarity, even if their bodies or choices are considered “wrong.”

It’s unclear whether Pink Diamond abandoned Spinel in the garden before or after she made the choice to stage her own shattering and live as Rose Quartz. It could have happened at any point between Pink being granted a colony and Pink going through with her plan to appear shattered, so we don’t know how much she’d yet matured at the time. Maybe she’d left Spinel with the intent to come back and brag about her new colony, only to forget about her as she focused on her rebellion. Maybe she grew tired of Spinel who couldn’t understand Pink’s rebellion or take it seriously. Maybe she cared about and remembered Spinel, but only thought to go back for her once “Pink Diamond” was gone, making it impossible to do safely.

Whether or not she cared for Spinel back then, and whether or not she realistically had the chance to go back for her, Pink loved all life, and was inspired by others to grow and change. She sought to leave her old life behind and never look back, but it’s doubtful that she would not have some remorse for her treatment of Spinel in hindsight. She never would have wanted Spinel to suffer the way she did. She can’t have expected that the garden would be untouched and unchanged for around 6,000 years in her absence, and after becoming Rose Quartz full time, all she could have hoped for is that Spinel would have moved on without her in some way. And after the Diamonds launched their final attack on Earth, all Rose could do was protect those closest to her, and continue to protect her now permanent home of Earth.

Rose was no saint or beacon of maturity even after that point either. She lied about her true identity, likely to run from her past and protect herself from judgement. She’d left Bismuth bubbled for thousands of years, possibly because she couldn’t bear to face her, knowing her wish to shatter the Diamonds—herself and her family—to prevent the kind of attack that ended the war. Yet despite her shortcomings, Rose still tried to grow and be better, to make the most of the life she’d made. She bubbled corrupted gems to keep them safe and free from suffering. She took in Amethyst and welcomed her as a Crystal Gem. She fell in love with Greg and learned to appreciate humans for who they are and the lives they live. And ultimately, she chose to give her life to create a new one, able to grow up in the way she struggled to all her life.

Whatever you think of Rose, she was trying to change for the better. No matter how cruel the Diamonds were, they were the ones who pushed her to change. No matter how slow and imperfect her change, Rose’s dedication to becoming better, defying her nature as a gem and her purpose as a Diamond, is what brought Steven into the world, and by extension, what laid the groundwork for gems across the universe to be freed. Rose was complex and flawed, but she did her best to be better anyways. And that’s all any of us can really do.

[gayofthefae]

Thinking about how if you cut the whole Cali rode trip plot out season four would not be altered at all. They were missing for a whole episode and nothing was hindered.

So why not cut it?

Because season FIVE would be DESTROYED by it.

Because Byler is so vital it needs this set up. Foundation laying seems useless when you don't know something will be built.

Yes. The Cali plot could have been cut entirely. They were glorified chauffeurs with extra obstacles for filler (and literally only one extra obstacle). But that's actually Byler PROOF.

It was useless to the season 4 plot. So the only reason to keep it in when they could have easily just incorporated the characters into other plotlines - they're able to fly to Hawkins, they go with Joyce, some do one, some do the other, whatever - the only reason to isolate them then have them do seemingly nothing of value is SETUP for something that IS needed.

The only reason for having that is if without it, season 5 rolls around and now VITAL plotlines are out of the blue. It is the "blank makes you crazy" to "From Mike". The "I love her" to "from Mike".

Because Byler was not a plotline in season 4. Not really. Not totally. Not vitally, at least. What it was was threads woven back of a plotline in season FIVE. What it was was planning, preparation.

Jonathan and Argyle are basically comedic relief. Mike and Will do nothing to help El except get to her with a car that they did not drive or need to be in for their plan to work. And if the plot were Mike and El, Mike and El would be there, no. The plot is Mike and Will talking, is just the conversation topic - the same way Will was for Mike and El in season 1.

Mike and Will only setup romantic plotlines, assist the supernatural plotline in no way, and are physically isolated from affecting any other characters' plotline, but have no romantic payoff and their romance is not even addressed.

Because this isn't a vital season plotline. This is "I know you wanna see what the NINA Project is doing but season 5 would be shit without this you guys I promise".

Don't care about it but can't live without it of storytelling. Almost everything in season 4 is the same without it. But almost everything about the ending of the show is exponentially different. Season 4 is unchanged. But season 5 falls apart. Without Byler. Without us knowing the little things here and there that we now know.

Because if you go over it, barely anything even happened in their plotline. I've said this before, it really was just a bunch of unpaid setups - which makes sense given season 4 and 5 were supposed to be one season.

It's really just because we need to go into season 5 with the knowledge in the back of our minds "Will loves Mike, Will lied to Mike tpo get him to stay with El, Mike's scared the truth about his love for her would hurt her, Mike told El he loved her to save her life".

4 facts. 4. Not plotlines, facts. Some of which are single scenes, many of which are just single lines. It's information. It's setup. It doesn't matter now. But not cutting it is their way of saying it WILL. "It'll pay off," as the Duffers said to Finn Wolfhard.

Nothing else happened in this plotline and they could have integrated these characters elsewhere. This plotline didn't even really have a plotline, just a sparsely scattered series of facts.

But as someone who predicts lots of mysteries accurately, THAT'S how they show you their hand. Not what they tell you is important. What they try to convince you is useless (but made space for anyway).

That's a twist the only way to do a twist. They said in tightening the season 4 scripts they went back to episode 1 to write in that Eddie played guitar so it was planted for later. This is the same thing. It's just planting things so they aren't out of the blue. THIS is how you do a twist, and why we know to predict one. People are right, they do not have a love story plotline. But what they do have is 'rewatch details' with no other purpose. What they do have is "uselessness".

If season 4 is unaffected by their plotline, it means season 5 falls apart without it.

[stackslip]

I wanna ask what’s going on with arcane but I feel like I’m opening pandora’s box 😅

the thing about arcane s1's writing, is that every plot beat flowed naturally from characters' choices, and every one of the characters' choices made sense in the context of who that character was, where they came from and what information they are working with at the time they make that decision. it felt like a tightly written tragedy where on a rewatch, it all feels completely inevitable that things would end this way because it made sense to who we learned these characters were. and said characters were layered, much time was devoted to giving them a certain degree of depth and believability (bar cait). you can criticize other aspects of s1's writing such as liberal wishwashiness but s1 of arcane was a *good* tragedy with a genuinely compelling cast! the final scene of the show is a confrontation between three major players who were all working with different information and whose motivations are completely at odds but who have a deeply personal tie, it's about jinx as the end result of the zaun-piltover conflict, it's about vi and silco being two deeply broken people who see her in an idealized version they deeply love and want her to remain this static thing they can be comfortable with until it turns out she can't be and she shatters and at the same time irreversably destroys her relationship to both, leading her in her despair to set off the ticking time bomb that is piltover and zaun's inevitable conflict!

so like, s1 has its flaws but its finale imo was perfect and made the whole thing self contained. i was ok with s2 happening. the only thing i wanted was more the dynamic character writing. i expected wishy washy politcs. and act 1 of s2 already struggled with character, but at least the plot beats were interesting and while not earned, made sense according to the characters we'd left in s1.

s2 act 2 is an absolute catastrophe, even compared to the previous act, nevermind compared to s1. it's not just that the plot beats don't feel earned, it's not just that it's missing connective tissue between them--it's that all the most interesting conflicts and dynamics just cease to exist. they don't get "resolved", they either are completely forgotten or are just waved away magically to pave the way for an utterly stupid, shlocky, wannabe shock value emotional final ten minutes of episode 6 that is honestly infuriating in how it's trying to push you to have feelings about it. i don't have any feelings besides revulsion and bafflement frankly. even before these final ten minutes of ep 6, the sheer lack of buildup or of character moments, the way characters are basically willed by the plot to be there at specific points for plot to happen to them instead of them arriving at it naturally--the way it reframes interesting aspects of s1 and s2 act 1 into shlocky, tropey bullshit--it's honestly near mesmerizing? it's like they brought in whole different new writers specifically for this who decided to back down on ANYTHING the show did that was interesting to try to instead push to the league's status quo instead, no matter how little sense it makes. i'm almost in awe. how do you mess up so badly.

this isn't just like, the plot is rushed and we need to get there as fast as possible--none of these resolutions make SENSE. jinx and vi's relationship was the core of season one, and suddenly magically jinx shows up at vi's door and vi bitches a little and then they go hunt vander down together and then they all hug because he was their father too <333 isha. i'm supposed to have emotions about isha? she sacrifices herself for.... forwhat? what? why? it's like they knew they had to kill her off to give jinx feelings and do so in the most stupid and absurd way possible, i was laughing hysterically when the music came in. it was so blatantly manipulative and uncalled for. ok i guess! sevika helps jinx and then once she's served her plot purpose she just vanishes! doesn't she wanna meet vander??? ekko's disappearance doesn't both people much i guess even his own firelights. ambessa says a single line about mel disappearing, and can i say i'm kinda infuriated that two out of three of the main black characters are just locked away from the plot and main cast for a large period of time. jayce--i guess they'll give us an explanation as to why but here it's like he just...... shows up angry and "ruins" things and that's it. whatever there was to ruin lmfao sky and viktor's heterosexuality mind palace leading to him being cyborg satan or some shit? cait finally FINALLY gets some personality, something interesting to her, she is openly a reactionary fascist who gassed half the undercity to sniff out jinx, and then she meets vi and within a solid minute is now back to being Nice and helping out jinx. i guess. silco and vander's backstory kind of completely destroys a lot of the stuff that made vander and silco's relationship to vi and jinx interesting and goes for a Family Is 5ever approach i guess.

just. i don't think there's a single thing there that's redeemable or interesting. it's comically bad. vi has no personality or motivation. she just does things. she got an emo trauma amv so that we get that she's sad but it might as well not have happened bc she barely is a character. jinx is a sad manic pixie dream girl. her psychosis is gone or barely there now apparently. sevika is plot and then vanishes when her part is done. ambessa is not a mastermind as act 1 hinted at but the most stupid comical villain alive. mel is--is she just going to come back to do a big plot thing in act 3 and then that's it? ekko the same? we have no idea what jayce is even doing or what or why. piltover and zaun are gonna ally now i guess lol. ok sure why not. why anything. why do anything at all! what's the point!

it's funny bc i was willing to give this season a chance despite act 1 being so rushed bc again, the plot points were interesting and while the characters needed more time fleshed out for their decisions to make sense i COULD see the characters making these choices and it was just a question of missing buildup. here it's like everyone is a zombie of their actual self. there's no point to anything. it's so stupid. it tries hard to play the emotion part but why should i feel any emotion except befuddlement? why are caitvi shippers happy? i'd be insulted. i feel insulted. i heard via a friend that riot had intervened in the writing more and so far i hadn't felt it but now i'm wondering if that's not exactly what happened bc it genuinely feels like the writers were fired right after act 1. what the fuck lol. i don't think i even wanna watch act 3 after this, i feel genuinely insulted that i should be expected to think this is the same show as s1 or that i should feel any kind of positive feelings about it. fuck this show so bad lmfao i'm sticking to s1 and pretending nothing happened after it. maybe grabbing some act 1 plot points for fun and that's it. it's so bad

[qwordavoider]

If there’s anyone who makes everything about him, it’s Eddie Diaz.

Edit: thoughts on Eddie Diaz making it all about himself in 8x17 here

Lawsuit: Eddie was upset he couldn’t call Buck to get him out of jail and that Christopher missed him. Not once checking in on Buck to see how he was doing after being crushed by a fire truck, getting caught in a tsunami, and losing his job essentially. All within a short period of time.

*the lawsuit prevented him from reaching out, yes, but even after, he held a grudge and didn’t think to check in on his best friend. Eddie just berated him for his actions and never once apologized for calling Buck exhausting.

The will: probably hottest take of them all, but this was actually so manipulative imo. Because yes he was trying to get Buck to stop treating himself like he was expendable, but there were other ways. Looking back on that scene with fresh eyes, it’s basically Eddie saying Buck has to live so that he can take care of Christopher if Eddie can’t. “I need you to live so you can replace Shannon if I die,” is now what I hear in that scene.

Meeting Tommy: Eddie didn’t invite Buck along to trivia which Buck would’ve been great at. Basically just forgot Buck existed for a hot minute (example: scene where Eddie’s presumably on the phone with Tommy and flat out ignores Buck to his face) and instead used him as a babysitter.

Leaving for Texas: obviously at this point we’ve all heard about this one. But he accused Buck of spying and not being supportive of him. Once again talking about how it affected Eddie and not Buck.

*yes obviously I know Eddie is probably struggling with his move to Texas and rightfully so. He’s allowed to feel that. But in moments where he could’ve at the very least asked how Buck was doing he instead guilt tripped Buck for getting in the way.

Sorry @moonydanny for kinda stealing your thunder a bit with the whole idea of reexamining their relationship. I absolutely would still love to read any and all of your thoughts. Plus this was a very quick rant about the examples I could think of off the top of my head 🙂‍↕️ I know you would have so many additional perspectives that would add to this discussion. Especially if you rewatch the series with that goal in mind 🫶🏼🫶🏼

Inspired by a conversation with @the-person-i-became on the comments of my other post about Eddie

[justwriting]

Kant, a truly misunderstood protagonist (THK EP 1-6)

Welcome to First’s 101 class in microexpressions to understand the journey of how Kant by Ep 6 has fallen deep into the clutches of our baby assassin (because it seems some people out there skipped the entirety of KB’s scenes and missed out K having a brother and was being blackmailed by Captain Christ – like how? This scene was pretty much in the first ½ hour of the show)

EP 1:

We can all at least agree Kant is super attracted to the cute dude in red, yeah? – Instant attraction:

And immediately falling in bed with a beautiful man like Bison – the whole red room scene (which I am not putting up for reference in this post because it will just chew up my photo limits – but go rewatch the scene to learn what First and Khaotung are portraying): pure lust & desire (no emotional attachment involved).

However, by the next day, where Kant still has no idea who Bison was apart from his hottest (to date) ONS – he was reminiscing and smiling like a fool about said encounter (and here, let me outline it for you what First was trying to portray – Kant having a crush on his ONS), daydreaming of what he just experienced:

When he finally met up with Bison again in the diner, which he engineered – that’s when his mission started. We can assume Captain Christ (CC) painted the picture Bison as a hard-ass killer. But how to reconcile this with sweet, baby face Bison?

There is certainly an element of deception to Kant – it was easy for him to “fake” some of his attraction (if you want to call it that) because at baseline, there is already an instant connection. Bonus if he can score some kisses and make out session with this beautiful assassin. This is a guy who has tangled with drug lords before and some danger excites him, yes?

So, the rest of Ep 1 was Kant being flirty and suave (and yes, with some trickery to those flirtatious manner). And you can tell, because Kant was putting all these big, exaggerated moves (like wanting to date and become boyfriends with Bison straight away) when he normally would have started cautiously:

However, he mixed this deceit with sincere tidbits about himself like the conversation by the lake when he shared the meaning of his name and his aquaphobia:

But by end of ep 1, Kant was starting to get slightly desperate. Bison is happy to flirt but not commit. Fadel is also in his way. Bison, being a good younger brother wants Fadel approval, and I suspect, a way for Kant to prove he is serious about pursuing him. Bison is also diabolical in that way because he is a cheeky, not-so-naïve baby boy (as proven by his sharp observant of Babe and James) – the only blinkers he appears to have been when Kant is involved (or Fadel) – the 2 persons he cares for the most.

And so, he enlists his trusty bestie (who else would he have called? Kant circle of friend starts and ends with Style. Otherwise, he only has Captain Devil breathing down his neck and his baby brother who he wants to protect from the big, bad world). Yes, it was misleading of Kant not to tell Style the truth immediately. However, Style is 100% chaos and unhinged at best (and to be honest, I don’t think he would have said no if Kant explained his situation).

** Style comes off as charming, but he is also annoying, has stalk-ish tendency, does not know personal boundaries and outside of Thai BL world, we would have called what he did to Fadel (in the locker room at the gym) sexual assault (because you don’t kiss someone without consent and get away with it as easily in real world).

EP 2:

The desperation is now in full force. Kant wants to get this mission underway quickly. He turns up the volume of his charm and repeatedly try to sneak in kisses or showing his big boba eyes to Bison in the hope of melting Bison’s heart. Bison does clock on desperation – but he is happy to continue to with the charade. After all, having a gorgeous, hunky tattooist hitting on you will be good for the ego (and soul)?

Kant and Bison’s scene at the tattooist place? – when Bison was showing his “cat underneath the Northern Lights” design, followed by Kant trying to feel up Bison’s thigh - now that was Kant being sleazy and Bison incredulously laugh, and smile showed he is very much aware of it but still attracted to him.

Despite the sleaziness though, there is still hint of Kant being attracted towards Bison too (see exhibit below) - that lips biting and quick top to bottom survey by Kant 👌

And while it was not shown, we can assume Kant is being hounded by CC about his mission. Thus, to get his mission further, we have Tawan and the whole “make Kant jealous and showing his possessive side” towards Bison. However, Bison does not seem that impressed with it. Amused, yes – he knows he can kill these 2 buffoons with his pinky if he wants to.

By now, Kant is starting to get annoyed. Bison is still playing hard to get. The whole milkshake scene – when Bison challenged him to prove his worth and join him in the dance-off challenge. Here, again let me point out to you the micro-expressions First were making – fond smile by how cute Bison was acting, followed by the minute change to his eyebrows and clenched jaw to express how irritated he was but quickly smoothing it out to hide his annoyance (link)

Now, the whole dance sequence is a masterpiece. Yes, it’s campy and an ode to Pulp Fiction but it also showed the state of Bison’s mind and if you look closely, you can see both boys relaxing and giving in to the silliness of the dance as it progresses until they become a unit and converge at the end – where Kant gives a genuine smile to Bison:

It was also the first time Bison finally gave in and gives those sweet pecks to Kant when the latter asked for it (I truly think it was the first time Bison saw the person underneath the suaveness, and he liked what he saw – someone who is happy to indulge in a bit of silliness and fun):

EP 3:

Just as Kant was relaxing somewhat, we have CC coming down like the devil he is. Kant expression at the pool – that’s a man who is fed-up and frustrated.

Because of his conversation with CC, he had to accelerate his timeline. This is when he started to make huge mistakes in the name of his mission.

Firstly, by hastily agreeing he is into BDSM. Oh, I have no doubt he could have learn to enjoy it in the right circumstances and if Bison had the opportunity to show it in a safe and controlled environment. At the very least, we could agree these 2 were horny of each other - as shown by the beautiful gifs: link here. And remember, this was after Bison put on the nipple clamps on Kant.

Alas, with Fadel cockblocking them, all that was left was lingering pain + bad experience for Kant. So, it was not surprising he looked wary and hesitant when Bison brought up the BDSM expect to their wager at Kant’s friend bar. Nevertheless, Kant pressed on because he needed to finish this mission (and preferably before his feelings get even more tangled up).

Either way, Kant is starting to feel fonder of Bison. Mission is still on the front, but cute scenes such as him helping at the diner is a reminder to the viewers that Kant does have some feelings for him (even as he used it to get ahead of his mission):

The whole bar scene followed by the sequence in Bison’s room was designed to provoke uneasiness. Here are 2 men who are not on the same wavelength in terms of their sexual desire. I hope people can at least read how uncomfortable and discompose Kant was even as he allowed Bison (in his drunken state) to tie him up.

EP 4:

The cracks are starting to show. Kant taking pictures of the BDSM gears and Northern Lights photos are unnecessary for the mission – and after revisiting the episode, I think he took those pictures as part of him learning more about Bison (just as he jots down all of Bison likes/dislikes when they officially start dating in Ep 5). Similarly, him caressing the trophy he won with Bison? – that is Kant subconsciously showing his fondness (and perhaps wistfulness) to simpler time:

Anyway, this episode was when Kant and Bison starts to communicate slightly better – progress! I mean, it’s more about Babe but you know – baby steps. All Bison wanted was for Kant to open to him (one of the main reasons why Bison has hesitated before because he could sense that Kant has never fully made himself feel vulnerable).

So, Babe and “being bullied in school” is the catalyst for KantBison to truly form a connection – they both value family and brotherhood above all others, and in this, we can see Bison softening towards Kant (especially as Kant opens up about his past as a car thief, admitting he is not proud of it but he does want he must to feed Babe). Similarly, Kant is starting to see Bison as more than just a beautiful, merciless killer. This man helped him without hesitation, be his Robin to his terrible Batman. He sees someone with some moral compass – Bison powerful statement to the paedophile about “grooming” must hit a nerve in the boys (because I hope we can agree here that both Madam Lilly and CC ‘groomed’ our boys). Bison since he was a child and Kant, barely out of high school, not knowing about laws and scared out of his wits, agreeing to do the police dirty works to make sure Babe is not put in the foster system (which really hits me – HOW LONG HAS CAPTAIN DEVIL BEEN USING KANT AS HIS LACKEY???)

By the end of this episode, Kant is oscillating between relief, joy and guilt depending on what is the most pressing thing in his mind at that time –  CC or his blossoming affection towards Bison. Sadly, no matter how much he likes Bison, Babe will always come first – all good parents put their children first and Kant who has parent-fied his younger brother for god knows how many years, will do the same.

The scenes when Bison gave his heart (and HeartBurger pin) at the bar followed by Kant’s showering scene highlights this beautifully:

(such a contrast when Bison is the one initiating the sweet pecks - Kant looking pleasingly surprised)

Guilt in his face

EP 5:

Kant is now slowly falling in love with Bison. All the little things he jots in his phone about Bison’s quirks, likes and dislikes show this. He didn’t have to show this off to Bison for his mission. Same with the date at the Arcade as it doesn’t really add on anything else towards his mission. He did all of these because he wants to learn about his boyfriend.

However, the introduction of James does highlight several things about Kant.

It underscores Kant’s worry about Bison (and how much he still does not know about Bison’s core values even as he is slowly getting to know him). We know Bison won’t kill the innocents (even if those people are jerks like James) but Kant doesn’t know this. Even then, he is still concerned for both James AND Bison. He doesn’t want Bison to hurt anyone not just because of altruistic reasons but he has started to care for Bison (and his soul).

Kant reaching out to Fadel and getting Style to persuade the latter to call Bison proves this. Even more when he subconsciously called Fadel “brother-in-law.” Kant said it in a rush as he quickly ran out to catch up with Bison – which means he really didn’t have the time to “plan” this encounter.

However, Bison and James confrontation made Kant determine to finish his mission off. It’s a reminder that dating Bison comes with risk. The double-date may have doubled (heh, a pun!) as a cover for him to put his shoddily espionage plan in motion – yet we could see Kant really enjoying himself when he was singing with Bison. Even those sweet pecks and pinkie gestures were genuine (or as much as it could be given the circumstances):

But by the end of the episode, when Bison worshipped Kant’s body (and I must say, what a wonderful scene to see Bison choosing to yield when he would have previously challenged Kant), that’s when viewers could see it. Kant’s soft tone as he gently caressed Bison’s jaw. And that tortured look as he closed his eyes even as Bison trustfully snuggled by him – yup, this is man who is regretting and tormented by his choice. I think we can safely say, he has truly fallen in love with Bison.

EP 6:

Kant is now way too deep and stuck in a hard place. He tries to get out of his deal with Captain Devil without success. His silence speaks volume when Captain Devil stated Kant has fallen in love with Bison.

His discussion with Style further emphasized this point – Style asked whether Kant could give up Bison. But he also pointed out Kant is toast if Bison finds out the truth.  

And so, if he must give up the boy he has fallen in love to make sure Babe is not left to fend alone in this world – he planned the most elaborate, romantic date of what he wished he could have with the man who gave his heart to him in the initial place he saw said man when everything was clearer without any lies between them.

Kant broke countless of rules (as listed by Bison including trespassing, breaking & entering, destroying property and thieving) to have one special, magical night of what he envisioned to have with future Bison if things were simpler.

It is a testament to First (and Khaotung) as amazing actors that we can feel the wistfulness and bittersweet feelings from Kant while Bison shows a hopeful beginning to what he thinks is a joint future together. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time:

Link for above screenshot here

After the ill-fated mission where we sees Bison saving Babe, Kant has truly fallen for Bison. Even as he tries to convince Style to move on, he struggles to do it himself. Style intuitively perceives this when Kant joined him to find their respective lovers at the burger joint – hence, why he suggested that Kant adopts Bison’s black cat.

So, by the end of the episode 6 – we see Kant pining away while drowning his sorrow and regrets by drinking at his friend’s bar. The hope and guilt in his eyes when Bison called out to him is palpable:

If you reach the end of this long post - I salute you. Because this was just me rambling on to make sure I did not misjudged Kant's character (and I didn't!) - First has done a wonderful job portraying himself as a single parent who sacrifices his needs and desire to make sure his younger sibling has every comfort and leisure he can give - even if it means he plays dirty and make deal with the devil.

[draculasfavoritewife]

Cold

Summary: Showers with the Punisher are always an experience.

Pairing: Frank Castle x fem!Reader

Warnings: A slight hint of "accidental" temperature play, lots and lots of touching. Authoritative! Frank.

If you had told me a mere year ago that I would be here, utterly head-over-heels obsessed with this man, I would have said you were crazy, but there is just something so irresistible about him. I've watched and rewatched S2 of Daredevil and both seasons of Punisher through SEVERAL times and still just can't get enough of Frank ❤️ I really love writing him in small, intimate scenes, so enjoy a little shower piece!

"Frank?"

Nothing.

He's pressing into your body with what feels like his full impressive weight, warm and solid and heavy, strong arms trapping you close to him.

"Frank."

Still no reaction.

His face is cradled softly in the space between your jaw and shoulder, lips warm against your neck, hot breath clouding in the damp air and drifting down your chest, sending water droplets rolling between your breasts.

"Frankie?" you try, and at least you know he's not asleep on his feet by the way he grunts into your collarbone and shifts his hips to bring you even closer to him. His fingertips squeeze into the softness of your flesh, making you lose your tongue for a blissful moment.

He obviously has no plans to move anytime soon.

"Francis David Castle."

That finally gets under his skin, his eyes flickering open so you feel his lashes brushing your jawline.

"Dammit, baby girl, don't pull that shit on me in the shower. Ruins the mood."

"Well I had to do something to get your attention, Frank. The hot water's running out, and I'm getting cold."

He mutters a string of curses under his breath about the quality of your apartment's amenities. "Fine. I'll fix that."

The next thing you know, he's grabbed you and flipped the both of you, so the front of your body is now crushed against the shower wall, Frank looming against your back, his large hands stroking up and down your arms, massive thighs pinning your legs in place as he takes the brunt of the rapidly chilling water for you.

You, however, can't stifle the sharp gasp that abruptly pulls the air from your lungs, and Frank feels the shiver rippling through you.

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"The tile is ALSO cold, Frank!"

Your skin is quickly turning textured with the new harsh chill you can't even escape from; he's a 6'2", 200-something-pound ex-marine after all, and even if you struggled you very likely wouldn't win.

"Christ, nothing good enough for ya, huh?" Despite his disapproving words, his tone is unexpectedly light, and he deftly slips a hand in between your body and the shower wall to grasp your jaw and turn your face just enough to kiss you on the lips.

"Guess I gotta find a different way to warm up my whiny girl, then. And to think, I was gonna be gentle with you tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" You can't keep the intense curiosity from bleeding into your voice as he finally releases the pressure keeping you held in place and turns off the now-chilled water.

"Means I'm gonna run you so ragged that in a bit you'll be glad the shower's gone cold, baby girl." His voice has dropped to that ominous growl as he steps out and chivalrously hands you a towel.

"Get yourself dry. And don't take too long about it, yeah? You got me riled up now, and I've gone too long without you under me to be teased anymore."

[wingedshadowfan]

tw: the scene where caitlyn and maddie are in bed together

a friend is rewatching arcane s2 rn and pointed out that even though it's very dark and kind of hard to tell, the room caitlyn and maddie are in in that scene doesn't look like caitlyn's room!!

now this might be a false alarm but if it isn't, here's what that implies:

caitlyn didn't let maddie into her actual bed (we all cheered!). now i very seriously doubt they're in maddie's house for reasons of wealth and convenience, which means there are like three possible ways things could've gone down w/ caitlyn and maddie sleeping together.

1) most likely caitlyn (and maddie, individually) took a guest bedroom somewhere in the council building, which means she's been so busy with the zaun invasion in pursuit of jinx, she literally hasn't been home and sleeping in her own bed (which is just sad because it implies overworking herself and disconnecting with her home and family, even the memory of the mother she's trying to avenge)

2) if this is just another room in caitlyn's house (which would be crazy, just imagine caitlyn's dad meeting maddie), has caitlyn been sleeping in her own bed when she's by herself and only going to this guest bedroom when maddie is with her?? that must've been so inconvenient and awkward to establish between them lol

3) if this is just another room in caitlyn's house and she hasn't been using it only when she's with maddie, that would imply she had the opportunity to sleep in her own bed (even without maddie) and she chose not to. could it be that after her fight with vi, caitlyn hasn't been sleeping in her own room in general because of the memories they shared there together?

i think 1) is the most likely, followed by 3) and then 2).

and lastly, let's remember that after the explosion that injures vi, caitlyn is sick with worry for her. jinx just surrenders and caitlyn can't even decide what to do with her - she's too worried abt vi recovering and likely wants it to be her decision too, having seen their family bond and truly understood now.

caitlyn most likely takes vi to a hospital/doctor and then takes her to her house, so she can ensure her safety. caitlyn who's been so busy she hasn't been sleeping in her own bed, is calling the enforcers out of zaun, and is preparing for war lets an injured vi sleep in her bed immediately, even before they've talked things out between them (which means a lot, esp if she never let maddie into her bed, or if she had right until now).

moreover, in the scene where vi wakes up and we see loris has been taking care of her too, we also see a bunch of throw pillows on the other side of the bed next to vi. they're obviously not for him. caitlyn has been sitting (not sleeping) there, taking care of vi even with everything else going on. waiting for her to wake up so she can make the call for what happens to jinx. true fucking love or whatever.

symbolically, caitlyn either returns to her house, to herself and her family (after seeing the love in vi's), to what matters, in order to take care of vi and because she's not commander anymore, at least not in the original intended way once jinx is captured and she calls off the zaun invasion, or she's still in a council bedroom because there's yet much work to do but has been finding time to come home and take care of vi despite that.

i also want to point out another thing. when vi wakes up and comes to confront caitlyn abt imprisoning jinx (which, honestly, is better than letting a random enforcer kill her or have her cause more damage which is what could've happened if she'd let her go, which caitlyn eludes to), maddie is already there in the room with caitlyn but we only see one chair. maddie isn't meant to be there in caitlyn's house. she isn't meant to sit down and make herself comfortable. (and yes, we see two chairs when ambessa comes to talk to caitlyn but it's also intentional what gets shown when). when caitlyn tells her, "check on my father?" and dismisses her before she has the chance to interact with vi, she means this is all her relationship w/ maddie is to her. and in the very end of the show when we see vi humming her mother's song to herself, she's in the same room. there are two chairs there now.

i'm so fucked but this is all speculation.

[3igbootyl0ver]

A New Face Pt.3

pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

summary: You and Tara finally went out on a date and feelings are revealed.

word count: 2453

Pt.1 | Pt.2 | Pt.4

a/n: Hey all, I hope ya'll enjoyed this last part for this one-shot. I tried putting in more details so lmk your thoughts. I also made Sam a little laid back for this part since I honestly didn't know how to make her intimidating without ruining it lol. Anyways, I'm always open to feedback!! Thanks for all the love and support! (p.s. i got motivation for the flower scene from tasm where peter gave gwen her flowers hehehe so just imagine that because i still have no idea how to add a collage of pictures here)

Tara was walking back and forth the apartment while waiting for you to pick her up. She had suggested on going to yours instead but you insisted on picking her up for some reason. Sam was just observing her sister roaming around the living room, amused by her antics. She was picking her fingernails and fixing her hair every 15 seconds. It was 3.45 p.m and you were supposed to be here at least 15 minutes ago. Her mind was going through a ridiculous amount of scenarios as fast as the speed of light at this point. Did you suddenly decide to ditch her or realised that she wasn’t good enough for you? 

“Tara, relax. You’re freaking out so much- I can see your brain working overtime,” Sam simply stated, laying on the couch while rewatching Modern Family for the fifth time. Just as Tara wanted to give a snarky remark, she heard the doorbell rang. If she was wearing a heart rate monitor, she was sure it would give her a warning about her sudden heightened heart rate, assuming she was getting a heart attack. She looked at herself once again and fixed her hair after the 55th time before opening the door.

There you were. Looking all cute and flustered while holding a bouquet of flowers and a posy on one hand while balancing two motorcycle helmets on the other. While she appreciated and blushed and the gesture, she can’t seem the ignore the fact that the bouquet and posy is a little… lopsided.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m late. I went to buy this for you but it’s a little harder when you’re riding while holding it, which explains the snapped stem for one of them…Oh! And I bought a small one for Sam, if she doesn’t mind, of course.” You explained with a little blush from the awkwardness. “How embarrassing, this is your first date and you’ve already messed up. Nice one, Y/N.” You thought, mentally slapping yourself for forgetting that it’s nearly impossible to hold a bouquet of flowers while riding and not mess it up. While you were having your own crisis, Tara was in her own head too.

“Seriously? Is there even a flaw flowing in their bones? ” Tara pondered internally while struggling to put out actual words, holding onto both the bouquet and posy, when Sam came to rescue after hearing the painfully awkward one-sided conversation.

“Wow, nice job, Y/N. A liiitttle crushed, but I like the effort. You’re own my good side, for now. Just make sure you bring her home by 9..or I’ll hunt you down.” Sam stated sarcastically, enjoying how you squirmed after her statement. She’ll never tell you this, but she appreciated the gesture and the thought of buying her a small bouquet. The few people Tara had tried dating has never thought of that, so she really meant it when she said you’d “earned a point”. She was impressed surprisingly, and it was hard to impress THE Sam Carpenter.

“Y-Yes ma’am” You replied with faux confidence, even though both the sisters could tell you were intimidated, rightfully so. Tara rolled her eyes at her sister’s statement and dragged you out of the apartment, after placing her flowers nicely by the table beside the entrance, of course.

“I’m sorry about Sam, she can be a bit.. Much.”

“Don’t worry about it, I have to admit I almost peed my pants though.” You joked, trying to ease the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Your attempt was successful when Tara giggled effortlessly, while staring at you with those big doe eyes.

-

The engine roared beneath them, vibrating through Tara’s body as she clung to Y/N’s back. The cool evening air brushed against her face, the city lights streaking by in a blur. The smell of gasoline and fresh rain mixed with the earthy scent of Y/N’s jacket, and Tara could feel her pulse racing in time with the bike’s engine.

Tara knew she would be your ‘backpack’ as you informed her about riding your bike for the date a few days prior. That doesn’t mean she didn’t freak out when you went up a needle on your speedometer though. She was hugging you so tightly around your waist, it could almost suffocate you. You said you didn’t mind it though, and Tara took every opportunity to hug you tighter, and shamelessly run her hands from your back to your shoulders, caressing and admiring the flexed muscles from handling the two-wheeled vehicle every chance she had, enjoying your warmth that contrasted with the chilly weather.

 Her heart was pounding as she felt the warmth of Y/N's back against her chest, the gentle hum of the motorcycle beneath them. She noticed how her grip tightened instinctively, wanting to hold on to something solid as her thoughts swirled in a mess. “Is this real? Is this really happening?"

After finding a parking spot near the theaters, you helped Tara with getting off your bike seeing as she couldn’t even reach the floor if she wanted to. You assisted with taking her helmet off and fixing her hair, pushing her messy bangs away and tucking it behind her ears absenmindedly without her needing to ask for help. Tara wanted to take you right then and there. “Who cares if it’s public indecency? Both of us are hot.” Tara thought. She had never met a more thoughtful and respectful person before she laid her eyes on you; You really knew how to please a girl. 

-

You proceeded to lead her to the entrance of the theatre, which was filled with people that was keen on watching the premier of The Terrifier 3. Tara was buzzing with excitement, practically hopping up and down and effortlessly having a conversation with you after easing her nerves, while waiting on your turns to get some snacks and get seated.

The film was amazing. It was almost concerning with how Tara didn’t even bat an eyelid during the more gory scenes, but you were glad she enjoyed it. You mentally gave yourself a pat on the back after successfully making her glee and rambling about the film afterwards. You both decided to walk to the restaurant you were having dinner at, since it was only a few blocks away. You couldn’t ignore the fact that both your and Tara’s hands kept brushing against each other. You finally made the courage to hold her hands while she was still rambling about the show, your heart leaped when she interlocked your fingers together and continued talking, not commenting on the sudden act of affection.

Meanwhile, Tara was so damn glad you made the move first because she was overthinking too much to make the first move. She tried to act as nonchalant as possible, making it seem like your  gesture didn’t really affect her even though she had her heart in her mouth. When you both arrived at the restaurant, you had to wait for a while to be assigned a table. She finally made the courage to let go of your hands and to hold onto your ridiculously toned biceps, running her hands up and down your arm. She was tracing her fingers on the outline of your tattoo, making you shiver.

“You never told me this, but what’s the meaning behind your tattoo? I mean- It’s fine if it’s personal and you don’t wanna talk about it, though!” Tara stated with a slight panic in her voice. The last thing she wanted to do was make you feel uncomfortable and share something so intimate to you. You found it cute that she was trying to be mindful and considerate.

Tara was tracing your tattoo, which was full of different designs, mainly two dragons being intertwined and a date underneath it. “It’s fine- I don’t mind, really. It symbolizes the Chinese zodiac calendar. My mum and dad was born in the year of the dragon. I initially didn’t think of having a tattoo, but I considered it to honor them. They died a few years ago from a car crash, which explains the date beneath it.” You explained your tattoo in detail, including all the different strokes and lines on your hands. 

Tara wanted to cradle your head and hold you tightly, hiding you away from society after hearing that your parents are gone. It must’ve been tough handling life alone in your twenties. “At least I had Sam,” Tara thought. She gave you her condolences and you took her hand and kissed it, specifically where her scar is, before shrugging it off with a smile, not wanting to ruin the mood of the date. 

-

Dinner went by quickly, with Tara having a glass of wine (not you though, you knew you had the responsibility to send her home and you didn’t want Sam to kill you either) and getting to know each other more. Tara’s indication of having too much to drink is that she often hiccups, and that’s when you knew you had to pay the bill and send her home. On your way back to your bike, you and Tara were giggling and she kept trying to squeeze your face cheeks together, with your hand swatting her away. You decided to make a pitstop at a small bodega and buy a bottled water for Tara, attempting to sober her up, knowing she can’t ride on the bike being that drunk. You slowed your pace, allowing Tara to recover while interlocking your hands. She was effortlessly flirting with you, probably from the liquid courage she was sobering up from.

You finally reached your bike, with having an intention of helping Tara putting on her helmet when she hugged you, her arms wrapping around your neck and leaning her chin against your chest, staring at you. “I really, really like you y’know. Like, like-like you.” She stated, staring at you with her brown doe eyes that resembled a deer. 

Tara’s heart skipped again, but this time, it wasn’t from nerves. It was from a sudden realization—this was different. She hadn’t felt this kind of pull in a long time. And maybe—maybe—she wasn’t just hoping Y/N would kiss her. Maybe she was ready for it. And when the moment came, she wasn’t going to hold back. You softly chuckled, your cheeks tinting slightly at her sudden confession. “I’m glad you like me Tara. I really, really like you too,” you reciprocated and hugged her waist, embracing the intimate moment. Both of you leaned in, nose touching each other before you decided to lean away; Making Tara whine and roll her eyes. 

You really wanted to kiss her, but you didn’t want it to be in a random street where some creeps can be watching you both kiss for their own entertainment. Tara huffed in frustration and wore her (your) helmet, stubbornly trying to get on the bike without needing you assistance (she needed it, she was practically falling off that damn bike if it wasn’t for you). You softly chuckled at her act before wearing yours and turned on the bike, the engine growling. Throughout the ride, you knew Tara was still upset at you since she held her hands on your shoulders instead of your waist. 

After reaching her block, you followed her up to her apartment, making sure that she’s safe. Tara was being grumpy, having her arms crossed which prevented you to hold her hand. After reaching her apartment, she went to open the door, trying to enter before you had to chance to talk to her. “Tara- wait, give me a mi-“ 

“I don’t get you, Y/N. First you bring me out to this date, held my hands and now you don’t want to kiss me? Are you serious-“ Tara’s blabber was disrupted when you grabbed her by her cheeks and leaned in for a kiss, lips colliding. 

Tara melted in your hands like putty and wrapped her arms around your neck, pulling you in and craning your neck, trapping you in her spell. You could taste her cherry lip gloss, secretly hoping that you get to kiss her more often to get accustomed to the taste. She lets out little sighs in between the kisses to take a breath, before pulling you in again for more. You bit her lip which made her gasp, having the opportunity to slip your tongue in, making her moan and kiss you fiercely and fight with you tongue to tongue.

You pulled away gently, making her whine at the sudden end of the passionate makeup. You gave her tiny pecks and chaste kisses which made her giggle before you pulled away. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way, Tara. I just wanted it to be private, I can’t let the creeps down the street see me kissing the girl I like,” You confessed, blushing heavily now that Tara’s attention is all on you. 

“Aw, you sap. I don’t mind letting them watch, at least they know you’re all mine now.” You gave another kiss, when the door opened abruptly.

“Well, well, well, look who’s grinning like a cat that got the cream.” Sam smirks, glancing between Tara and Y/N, making both blush out of embarrassment.

“So, did you two finally make it official, or am I gonna need to take out the old shower and have a little chit chat with Y/N? I know you have no problem with public declaration of ownership.” She gives Tara a teasing look, knowing full well that her sister’s not shy when it comes to flirting. “Shut up, Sam. I’m fine.” She rolls her eyes but it’s clear that she’s still caught up in the moment.

Sam shrugs dramatically, leaning closer to Y/N, lowering her voice with mock seriousness.

“You better keep your hands to yourself, or I will find out where you live, and I’ll have a serious talk with you. That’s your warning.” She threatens, almost breaking character but keeping it cool.

Y/N, clearly caught off guard but managing a nervous chuckle, nods quickly. “Yes ma’am. I’ll take good care of her, I swear.” They look at Tara, a little embarrassed, but there’s warmth in their eyes. They’re obviously not intimidated, but they know enough to respect Sam’s warning.

“Good answer, Y/N. Good answer.” She flashes a grin, pretending to be serious before stepping back from the door. ”And for the record, I’m definitely expecting a full play-by-play tomorrow, Tara. I’ve got all kinds of questions…”

Tara shakes her head, but there’s no hiding the smile on her face now. She turns back to Y/N, giving them a peck before slipping back inside her apartment with a soft click.

[lynxgriffin]

I'd have to rewatch the scene again to see when Kris reacts compared to Susie, but yeah, it takes her a minute to get it. It could be that Kris recognizes it right away because they were likely there for Gerson's funeral, though! But yeah, it could at least hint that Susie's never even been to a monster funeral, just heard of them!

Mmmm nah, I'm sorry, I actually think it's important to stick with Kris being a human rather than a construct (even though that was what I went with in PT, lol) The game seems to really drive home Kris's human-ness and how it's tied to the situation they're in now. Also I don't think Asgore was doing alchemy or anything like that. :P

Ahh okay, I missed this particular bit of flavor text! Bit of an odd distinction to be sure, since monster souls in Undertale aren't necessarily shaped differently, they're just kinda upside-down hearts. Also since all of the hearts are red, no indication there of any colored human souls. That may seem to tie more into her focus on Kris specifically, but yeah, it's very odd!

Oh yeah, I was immediately suspicious of that text when I found it during my first playthrough. That was kind of blown away by actually seeing Susie bleeding at the end of chapter four! So yeah, she definitely has experience with it. I guess the question is then...is she the only one with experience with it? If monsters having blood is typical in Deltarune, why hasn't Toriel cleaned that stain in all the time it's been there?

Hmmmm...perhaps that is relevant!...

Yeah, one thing that I really wish DR would confirm is whether monsters immediately poof into dust upon death in this universe. In Undertale, there was a practical reason behind that, that being monster bodies are primarily made of magic. It seems firmly established that monsters have no innate magic in Deltarune. Heck, it's possible that cremation is just standard cultural practice for monsters in the DR universe...although then it IS odd that they refer to the remains as dust instead of, say, ashes.

But at the very least, Susie eventually recognizes the glass case for what it is, although it does take her a moment, and then it does genuinely freak her out. She seems to know of the practice but not be very familiar with it herself!

And thank you!!

Haha thank you! I think at this point, I will have to dive into the madness of making a theory video for it after all, if for no other reason than to try and make sense of all my thoughts!

[permanentmess]

thunderbolts* (with some platonic x reader) headcanons

a/n: i've been accumulating these for a while and through my 5 total rewatches of this film. remember these are just my personal headcanons, but i would absolutely love to hear yours too! this is very short btw

warnings: mentions of trauma/mental illness/ptsd, slight language, alcohol/consumption of it (minor), also my own personal version of how things happen which is where everyone lives and nothing sad happens ever so sorry (i literally have a whole timeline in my head like this actually), and SPOILERS FOR THE THUNDERBOLTS* MOVIE AND POST CREDIT SCENE

i think alexei forces everyone to eat together when they can

and everyone will groan but secretly love their little found family and traditions

out of everyone, john is probably the best cook [and ava will burn down the kitchen]

yelena wants to do everyones hair, every day (cause cmon have we seen her hairstyles? she definitely gave bucky the dyson air wrap look)

i imagine they do some sort of trade off thing where each week two people do the grocery shopping

and they all take turns buying bob new books to read (idc its practically canon that he loves to read)

more of a sad one, but i have a feeling that they forced valentina to sound proof the rooms because of nightmares :(

specifically bucky and/or yelena asked bc they've (started to at least) process their own emotions/trauma

okay back to happier shit hehe

i think that not only do they have yelenas guinea pig (which maybe they named cucumber 👀), theres alpine, and another cat that you beg them to let you keep

the cat ends up with you half the time and bob the other half

everyone will just kinda pop by each others rooms to hang out or talk, especially if they haven't seen someone in a while and they're worried

they'll never admit they're concerned, not fully, but you'll know. you'll feel the love

MOVIE NIGHTS

i know these headcanons are practically the avengers towers fics that i read when i was younger but idc, movie nights are so a thing

also alexei wants to start a band but its quickly discarded when you all make the equivalent of that one tiktok sound where the caption is like "put these two in the studio and this is what you get"

another semi sad one but i feel like everyone hides bob away when valentina drops in, and they always have an excuse ready

cause fuck her she's not getting ahold of him again

i feel like one night john, alexei, and bucky would get together and try to test their super soldier serums 💀

you, ava, yelena, and bob will walk out onto a balcony and be like "bucky, why are alexei and john chugging a handle of vodka"

"to see if they can get drunk still"

just dumb shit like that that leaves you all awake until 1 AM talking and laughing

in the summer john taps into his inner patriotic captain america and barbecues (and in my head sambucky divorce isn't happening so sam and torres join <3)

im thinking like fire pit, smores, burgers, whole nine yards

they do it at the compound too so everyone can swim in the lake (again, no divorce, everyone lives in my head 😍😍)

even if not, the watchtower for sure has a pool and a balcony so thats where they end up

this was kinda short, maybe a little mundane, but all i've got for now! i had fun fantasizing about a world where i get to live with the thunderbolts*

[kuwdora]

A Vidding Primer

A guide written for @wren-of-the-woods who asked for advice about how to start vidding! This is far from comprehensive and I tried not to make it too dense because it's a big subject. I still wanted to share a variety of topics about getting into vidding because it's a hobby and art that is near and dear to my heart.

First Piece of Advice

watch a lot of vids and rewatch vids multiple times. Seek out vids on YouTube, AO3, Watch the TikTok and Twitter/X vids that show up on tumblr or wherever you’re browsing. They all have distinct styles and tools/techniques they use to make their vids and edits. Rewatch the vids and ask yourself what you like or dislike about them. The song, the editing, the source. That can give you a good starting point about how you might want to approach making your own fanvids. The TikTok style of 30 and 40 second edits are very different what you find on YouTube. YouTube editors tend to use a full song and a lot more effects and a lot more overlapping dialogue. Whereas the fanvids - Vids - from people who came into vidding in the mid 2000s/2010s have their own culture, different ways they approach song choice, clip choices and narrative. I also suggest watching vids for shows/films you’re not familiar with as well as your fandom favorites. You can learn a lot about how vidders try to tell a story even when you might not grasp the context behind certain scenes but you can still follow along with the emotional arc of the vid.

Second Piece of Advice

Have fun and enjoy yourself. Everyone starts a new hobby as a newbie. It can be a lot of effort to make 30 seconds or a 3 minute vid, but it’s such a unique type of fanwork that is fun to watch and fun to make. It can also be migraine inducing because of all the learning and technical issues along the way. But!! omg when you make a clip fall on the perfect beat with your blorbo crying that perfect tear or you find an idea and sources for the bestest perfect lyrics of the song, it’s a magnificent high. It can make you feel like a god. At least that’s how I feel a lot of times!

There are about 10 steps* to creating** a fanvid/edit:

• select your platform and software (phone/computer video editors) • gather your video and audio files • create a new project in your video editor • import audio into the editor • import the video into the software and mute audio tracks that contain your video’s audio • review, label and cut up the video into shorter clips - this step is known as ‘clipping’ in vidding parlance, but it’s also optional. Some people pull in movies and scrub through the whole film and just pull it directly onto the timeline • move the various video clips around on the timeline to match the audio track you’ve chosen for your project, add video effects and additional dialogue if you like • export the finished timeline • upload the video to a streaming platform and/or downloadable service • share your project!!! posting to ao3 and/or social media or share on discord, etc * there are a lot more steps involved with each of these steps. What what software to use, where to find video, how to deal with copyright blocks on Youtube, etc. Some of that will be covered in the links below but is not comprehensive. That would require separate posts and links and I don’t want to drop an encyclopedia on you right now! I’m happy to provide more resources that I can curate if you want more direction and pointers to resources and amazing vidders.

** like any hobby, there can and will be a learning curve and frustrations. Blank page for a writer, blank timeline for a vidder. Is anything you put down is any good, self esteem and confusion about what actually makes sense is part and parcel for any creative work. Once you're in the vidding process and committed, as long as you're enjoying yourself you gotta just keep going to get it done.

Getting Started Vidding

My knowledge and background and learning how to vid from people on livejournal and dreamwidth from 2007. I don’t have any experience in editing with a phone but if that’s something you’re interested in, YouTube will be a place for you to start finding tutorials for various apps and tools. Probably discord communities, too. Vidding Workshop - a great how-to/guide when you're starting out. This is on dreamwidth from the WisCon vidparty in 2014. Some of the tech discussions might be a little outdated but there’s a ton of relevant information. It covers technical subjects as well as developing vid ideas and actually getting started. If you have any questions about what you’re reading you can leave an anonymous comment and ask - some of these vidders responding inthe threads are still active. You can find them on AO3/YouTube, tumblr, discord and actually leave them questions about their vids. Many vidders are more than thrilled to talk about their vids and answer questions. Vexcercises - this is a dreamwidth community for short-form vid excercises. This is a very structured way of introducing vid concepts and constraints so that you can produce a vidlet. I highly recommend you check this out and participate! There’s even an AO3 collection so you can check out how people have done the different exercises, too.

The Process of Vidding

Watch Me Edit - @limblogs put together a fantastic playlist of YouTube editors who will show you beginning to end how they made their vid. A lot of these editors appear to be using Sony Vegas but the general process of vidding end-to-end will be similar with other nonlinear editors like DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, etc. It’s a great way to actually see the vid come together if you don’t know what that even looks like. Every vidder will develop their own workflow and approach (which might even change from vid to vid), but it’s useful to see in video how people actually DO the thing. @limblogs also created a handy YouTube playlist some vidders from Bradcpu’s Vidder Profiles (Fanlore page). These profiles are basically like a director’s DVD commentary on their vidding process, featuring the vidders talking over their own vids! So cool. Phenomnal insights from these vidders about how they choose song, use effects, think about their narratives.

Self Rec: I recently did a vidding textpost series called: do it for the process - a naked vid draft: What (Yennefer of Vengerberg). How I Edit by @vimesbootstheory is another textpost about their vidding process. Self rec: Here’s my text interview: Vidder Profile - Kuwdora 2011. I talk about my process with a lot of specific examples from my previous work and lots of screenshots. This profile is over a decade old but a lot of this still holds true for me today! videlicet - this is an incredible vidding zine that @limblogs put togegther with a lot of amazing contributors. These articles and discuss about specific vids and aspects of vidding. It’s really detailed and a fantastic piece of vidding culture. I highly reading recommend the Demystifying Vidding article by lim and the A History of Vidding by @meeedeee and…pretty much every article in the zine!

Doing the vidding!

I recommend joining exchanges and watching vids that come out of exchanges and checking out fannish cons that have vidshows and discords to get more exposure to vidders and vids. Many people have joined @festivids (AO3 collection here) and made their very first vid, it's a very fun and great way to get into vidding. It’s not quite festivids season right now but time flies and it will be time to nominate sources and do sign-ups in the blink of an eye. Follow @festivids and check out the AO3 collection and see what people are making. Join the Vexcercises community and make some short vids and share them on your tumblr or on discord or somewhere and bask in the thrill of making your first fanvids. Check out who reblogged the vidder ask game - go and read other vidders responses and ask some new-to-you vidders questions. Everyone has their own take on process and tech and everything. It's great to hear and see what a lot people are doing and making.

Final Advice - talking about vids and doing the vidding

• watch vids • rewatch vids • leave a comment and ask a question about something you saw in their vid! • Again: find someone’s AO3 page of fanvids and ask them something about their vid in a comment or send them asks on tumblr (people usually have the same alias or link to their tumblr or dreamwidth pages somewhere.) • YouTube can be a valuable resource for tutorials so if you don't know something, there is likely someone who has made a tutorial about how to use a cross dissolve transition or anything else you might want to replicate in a video that you've seen in a vid. • start making a vid, scream and cry, ask for help, and keep going until you get it done. Celebrate and bask in your completed vid and share it with everyone! • Follow vidders on tumblr that you find from the vidder ask game • Check out the vidding discord for community and questions and vid recs and news about vidding exchanges and cons. • Have fun!

Hope this helps you get started! Thank you so much for the ask! Let me know if you have more questions and I can help you out or send you to cool vidders who have great advice and suggestions. And please send me your vid if you make one!

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 1x20, "love hurts"

chase being a Confirmed Freak* is, somehow, not the most interesting moment of this episode

*good for him! not his fault that the rest of PPTH is boring lol.

i love how you can see the way house's expression changes just before he self-sabotages like wild - the moment of decision to (attempt) to read cameron for filth would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic. so overall, i really enjoy this episode. jennifer morrison is so powerful in scenes where cameron's world view/morals are challenged, and this is one of the strongest of those moments. and all of this combined with a dominatrix subplot, the ethics of which bleed into the rest of the characters? slay.

despite everyone dogging on chase for being into kink, i'd argue that this episode is lowkey pretty sex-positive (in a 2000s tv sort of way. i'll always apologize for that context lol). i like how 1x20 offers the patient, harvey, and his dominatrix, annette, and the clinic patients, an elderly couple struggling to negotiate the frequency of sex in their AFFAIR, as 2 sides in a sexuality spectrum. crazy different situations and perspectives, but both advocate for clear communication and consent and an understanding of one another's boundaries. and once it's revealed that harvey and annette's asphyxiation ritual is to blame for some of his health problems, they give it up.

so it's fascinating when annette is introduces the central theme of the episode: control. she says that harvey enjoys being safely asphyxiated because he can "feel in control by being controlled." in a character arc fraught with competing attempts to control the terms and outcome of their burgeoning relationship, neither house or cameron feel this way. house seems to realize this when he leaves the conversation with cuddy, the hospital lawyer, and annette once it's determined that she's not hurting harvey:

annette describes a perfectly equal relationship in terms of power dynamics, despite what it seems like to outside eyes - harvey has as much agency as she does. since neither house nor cameron feel comfortable rescinding any control, 1x20 implies pretty early that the date that's haunting the background of this episode will not work out.

paradoxically, however, foreman's quick preview into one of the show's writ large strongest themes undercuts this episode-specific argument. when chase is describing the more private, scandalous parts of his sexual history, foreman says that, "why would you want to be with in a relationship with someone that's so obviously only gonna lead to pain?"

that's it, foreman. that's the show. vulnerability and control and meeting halfway and every other piece of a successful relationship will never exist without pain, no matter how badly characters like house try to resist this.

cameron's expression during this conversation is hilarious because, whether she's just realizing it or has known subconsciously for a while, she's about to do exactly what foreman decries:

in my notes, next to the "to feel in control by being controlled," i wrote why #hameron doesn't work. i think she may have an inkling of that here, or at least feel a little targeted by some cosmic irony.

i'm actually gonna outsource some observations about cameron and her relationship dynamics to my resident fellow-expert @all-pacas in this link here. it's a really good breakdown of how the original house/cameron arc leads into her later development with chase, growth within romantic relationships, and how she leaves house in the dust in terms of Growth. regarding the date itself in 1x20, however, i'll add this:

the massive flower vase isn't emphasized in the early shots of them at the restaurant, but when things go south because house gets tired of being read for filth by cameron and lashes out, it divides the frame in half almost perfectly.

even cameron's corsage implies distance; by conflating her visually with the flowers, it acts as another component of house's failure to bond. he meant well by the gesture (it's so cute and would have worked on me lol), he ruins it by self-sabotaging. his body language is closed off, too, with his menu off the table and his feet crossed. cameron, meanwhile, extends both her arms and foot toward him. i truly cannot imagine how the rest of this night panned out lol.

additionally, in his attempts to scare her off, he completely misses the mark. he says that she thinks he's a charity case, and that "but what i am is what you need: damaged." nope. she does, in fact, like you. we've been through some of her messed up reverence issues, how she thinks she should thank house like he's some deity, and how love is a moral obligation to cameron, but that doesn't discount the fact that she does want to be there. he's such a jerk smh.

also, this is a misdiagnosis, and applies in later seasons to another character who is attracted to the shine of someone's needi---

finally, i am qualifying this as Wilson's Compulsive Heterosexuality Ground Zero. my entire viewing experience is informed by my reading that wilson likes men in a schroedinger's closet sort of situation. if he doesn't know the closet exists, can he really be trapped inside it? and if that seems wildly out of left field to you, i am dedicated to convincing more people of the merit of this perspective throughout my rewatch, so please stick around! i even try to differentiate this from strictly hilson posting, the caveat being that house is the only man (for a while) with whom he has any close relationship.

superficially, and much like how chase and foreman treat house and cameron's date, it's a huge, silly spectacle to wilson. when he squeezes it out of house at the beginning of the episode, he's comically elated. we can safely lump him in as another Guy Friend who's teasing his emotionally stunted buddy about taking out a much younger woman.

he undoes this, however, after making a surprise appearance (seriously where have you been lol) to cameron much later in the episode. he appeals to her about the upcoming date, friendly at first.

with 1x19 in mind and wilson's warnings to house that if he doesn't drop the pushing-people-away problem, that he'll wind up alone, it follows that he'd warn cameron about how house is most likely going to hurt her feelings, right...?

no, that would be too simple. abruptly, wilson seems really unhappy with this arrangement, and not because it's breaking a dozen HR policies (chase and foreman are right to be worried lol). he tells cameron that she needs to conduct herself well around house because, if he gets hurt again, he might close himself off for good. noble though wilson's intentions might be toward house, this is an unkind thing for wilson to do, imo. he's investing himself in the situation despite house actively keeping him out of it; he's giving his 2 cents when no one asked; he's attempting to control the situation.

and much like how formulaic annette and harvey's arrangement was, that's how wilson views the date's proceedings. the scene immediately following this one is wilson coaching house on how to act, with a nod to sleeping with cameron at the end - the infamous "panty-peeler" comment...

this is an event to be orchestrated, to be observed from a distance, toward which to give unsolicited advice and feedback. wilson runs through the laundry list of topics to bring up - cameron's shoes, her earrings, her DHA (dreams, hopes, and aspirations) - with the express goal of sex at the end. despite asserting to cameron that this date means a lot to house by way of threatening her, wilson won't conceptualize of anything beyond the superficial. he's the persona guy, after all.

wilson's involvement means more to him than the date does; his ability to influence, live vicariously, control his friend and be protective, is written all over his face here:

along with some real kindness because he does want house to find happiness. we haven't seen what happens when they fall out of sync yet though. they can't handle it lol.

this is all pretty subtle - i know i'm reaching a bit - but just think about where house/wilson/cuddy goes in the future seasons. they're both obsessed with orchestrating sexually-charged scenarios to embarrass the other toward the woman who holds power over them both, the difference being that house has genuine feelings for cuddy, while wilson...? it's all about Living Vicariously, without even knowing that he's doing it.

furthermore, it's certainly a 2000s gay joke atp that wilson is so obsessed with shoes. this is at least the 3rd time he's made a comment about them - the time house noticed that he looked pretty at work; the interviewee from 1x19 that was wearing prada shoes, according to wilson; and now this, when he's so certain that women will respond well to compliments about their footwear. clever way of using said gay joke to make the point that he is forcibly superficial in his romantic dealings.

and what did i say in the last recap about inverted visual dynamics/posturing between house and wilson? wilson is seated, looking up at house, talking about/analyzing him, dominating the conversation:

this is NOT, and never will be, a process by which i erase wilson's adultery. whether or not he finds fulfilment in his relationships over the years doesn't mean he hasn't hurt a lot, a lot of women. just because you're suppressed doesn't mean you get to make it everyone else's problem. and the episode's merit isn't all that impeded by qualifying all of my rambles as just wilson being a dirty rotten player who can't keep it in his pants.

i know i deemphasized parts of the episode that stand out, but as the characters get Bigger and Bigger, i've found that i need to focus on what grabs me the most if i ever want to get thru these lol. and is it just me or does wilson consistently have crazy, unwarranted beef with cameron, whether or not house is involved?

[eisenartworks]

Transformers One Analysis: A foreshadowing of Starscream's betrayal - conflicting loyalties?

Because I've been observing the seekers a lot, and I was rewatching the end credits for Transformers One, because it got me curious where exactly they're getting branded, and if the three examples we got were Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream - turns out, it wasn't, it was all seekers. But! I did notice something:

*Seeker may not necessarily be Thundercracker, but with similar cockpit design (Seekers vary by cockpit design).

Observing what little we can in this shot, we do see that a good deal has it on their cockpit/chest or their shoulder:

But on the other hand, we get an explicit shot of Starscream's insignia ON his wing, and the shot is lead with that before revealing the freshly rechristened Decepticon High Command:

And I thought "that's weird".

Or maybe, it isn't that weird. Since, ofc, Starscream's insignia placement is where it's traditionally located, it's an allusion to that!

But the thing is, we also have to consider all the other factors in the context - there's a deliberateness here, an emphasis. For one, the animators didn't spare a single shot of any other seekers getting branded on their wings. They emphasized that they got it on their chest or their shoulders, and it's odd! Because in any other transformers media, seekers also get it on their wings! Are you telling me they couldn't be bothered to show at least one who had it branded there?

But the thing is, the movie is rife with intentional details. It's a movie that encourages you to observe. And with what you observe, you question. And the scene wants you to ask the question:

Why is it significant to show deliberately that seekers got branded on their chest/shoulders? Why is it significant that Starscream got branded on his wings but not his cockpit unlike any other seeker?

My theory: loyalty.

Which is an insane thing to accuse Starscream to have considering his, uh, established precedence of treachery in all transformers media, BUT HEAR ME OUT AND CHECK THE CONCEPT ART FOR THE SEEKERS, OR RATHER, THEIR COCKPITS:

Ofc, the other seekers are simply a mix and match of these examples, but I also want you really look at Thundercracker and Skywarp:

Checking T.C.'s and Skywarps resective cards, the symbol of their cockpit matches with Starscream:

"But wait, maybe it just matches with any other seeker?" I considered it as well, but I think the emblem isn't just there for decoration. Why do I think so? Because of Skywarp; he has the same cockpit design as Slipstream and two others, but he's the only one with an emblem. Why?

Me, I think that emblem is a symbol of the High Guard - the cockpit design on Starscream isn't just for aesthetic, it's there to show he was the leader, and the High Guard served the Primes. Thundercracker and Skywarp also has these emblems to set them apart with the other seekers, and traditionally, they were Starscream's teammates (or trine in fanon terms). It explicitly tells us that Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp are to be grouped together.

Here's the thing: Starscream on first watch seems like the typical Starscream, but there's something more than meets the eye with him (lol). We can debate how effective his leadership is back when he used to lead to and fro or what his actual moral allegiance is considering by joining the Decepticons and when he attacked Iacon, he's betraying everything the Primes stood for, but weirdly enough, I DO think he is genuinely loyal to the Primes. Considering the movies theme of 'Fall from Grace', Megatron isn't actually the only example of it in the film - the High Guard is too.

Questionable effectiveness aside, I would like to point out the High Guard didn't serve Sentinel. Or more explicitly, Starscream doesn't beg Sentinel for mercy or to be spared to try to bargain his way into gaining power (let's be real, we all can think of a Starscream who would absolutely do that), instead he viciously threatens Sentinel, even when set on execution. Another thing I want to point out, is that if the High Guard was only fighting Sentinel JUST so they could get their high status back, then they could have just. Served him? If they truly don't have any moral backbone, they could have just bargained with Sentinel to keep their status and comfort and still do High Guard things with a "Prime". And it's a win-win for both groups too - Sentinel gets to have an elite force to be his enforcers for his regime, the High Guard gets to keep their status and safe from any retribution. But they didn't. Instead, they chose exile on the dangerous surface with little to no energon, hiding from Sentinel and the Quintessons, all the while trying to survive with incessant threat of death hanging over their heads, potentially killed by their environment, their enemies, or starvation.

Which makes me assume some things: while definitely no longer good people, there's some lines they won't cross, Starscream included; they're not motivated by status, they're motivated by revenge on Sentinel; it seems they're loyal to who the Primes ARE, not to the system the Primes' established.

Which brings to my theory: Starscream DOES betray Megatron, but not because out of greed for power, but rather for a good and understandable reason, and because Starscream still holds some belief in the Primes' ideals and what the High Guard used to fight for.

That's the significance on why Starscream has the Decepticon insignia on his wings - not on his cockpit, where he could brand the Decepticon insignia over the High Guard emblem, not below the emblem, where both symbols exist in equal measure, but on his wings, the farthest away from his chest, leaving his High Guard emblem in full, untouched view.