#i'm team black-before-episode 8

[bogusavathepit]

General House of Dragon Thought #2

After episode 7, there were clips of interviews with the cast and Emma D’Arcy said that (paraphrasing here) Daemon and Rhaenyra are a lot alike..too alike and that would be their end.

Book Rhaneyra is just as messy as TV Show & Book Daemon. 

But don’t get it twisted--Book Daemon is still messy and “boss”...in his own contradictory ways. But Book Daemon is also less...resplendently impressive than how the show makes him out to be before episode 10. 

Remember that threat he threw at Rhea Royce’s relative, about him going out to seize the lands and rights as his right as her widower? Yeah, that never happens. The Lady of Arryn at the time essentially told him he couldn’t do shit, so Daemon had to walk right out. But the show never lets you know that, only giving you this messy boss moment so we’re left with the impression that he actually was able to get those lands. We never know if he does, only left to assume that he does....but he actually doesn’t!

And if we go back to how Fire and Blood relates the Driftmark claim dispute, we find out that Rhaenyra was the one who ordered Daemon/her prince consort to kill Vaemond after he called her sons bastards. She was also the one who “urged her good-father [the fevered Corlys, who was still able to talk and was present] to name instead her son, Lucerys (386).” 

And nowhere in this account is it doubted that Rhaenyra was the one actively  pursued gains for herself and her sons without showing fear or stress doing it, as if it were a burden more than a desire. And more for herself than her children, though her kids well being and prestige do overlap with her own want for the throne for herself. (Love and ambition are not mutually exclusive.) There’s no Mushroom vs Septon Eustace versus anyone else to put doubt into it. It’s even corroborated by what happened next: Vaemond’s wife and kids flee to King’s Landing and ask for his aide but Viserys instead decides to mutilate them for bringing up the boys’ parentage again. 

Which means that Book Rhaenyra definitely performed her position as heir/political superior over her older, royal uncle-consort, instigating a violent political move to gain advantage. Exactly what A Song of Ice and Fire uses to illustrate the hunger and consequences of placing power above community?

Like, we’re told this is a power couple....but one person isn’t acting out their power and when we see the only event we are given where they could overtly work together for a purely political goal, instead we get Daemon choking Rhaenyra out. While the other is doing more than what they were narrated. Why? Why is Daemon given more brazen acts than his princess-wife-niece who will inherit the throne? Daemon would still look and have that badass element if he had killed Vaemond by Rhaenyra’s order, so I would have to guess that the writers had that change so that there’s some kind of reconciliation moment between Viserys and Daemon...but that could have been done in the Last Supper dinner.

Again, Rhaenyra continues her assertiveness that we glimpse in her teens into her adulthood. Her standing in this farce the greens put her in to get that claim for her son in order to have Viserys show how Jesus-like he is and how little she can actually do without him....where is she powerful again? 

Again, the show acts against itself and creates a far less nuanced plot from its predecessor.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

EWAN MITCHELL INTERVIEWED BY DECIDER MAGAZINE.

SO KNOWING HOW HE'S SO STUDIOUS AND THOUGHTFUL, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHANCES ARE, IF HE STILL HAS THE DANGER, HE CAN FIGURE OUT THERE'S A HIDDEN MESSAGE THERE?

"Yeah, I think I could imagine that."

"I could imagine Aemond reading a book by the fire and he just puts it over the fireplace and then he’s privy to the information of Aegon’s dream."

"But I can’t confirm nor deny it."

ALICENT MENTIONS TO RHAENYRA IN THE FINALE THAT AEMOND PLANS TO FLY TO HARRENHAL. DAEMON HAS HAD QUITE THE SEASON THERE, BEING AFFECTED BY THE MAGIC THERE. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW THAT MAGIC COULD AFFECT AEMOND?

"I think that’s a good question."

"I think if he was to go to Harrenhal, I think, I don’t know."

"It’s similar to what we were saying with Helaena."

"Like, if there was some sort of way that he would be able to harness that power and to use it to his advantage, he could be quite dangerous."

SO, ARE YOU EXCITED TO SORT OF DELVE INTO WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY MOTIVATE AEMONE TO OPEN UP TO SOMEONE? WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD MAKE HIM SO VULNERABLE?

"I think just finding all of that multifaceted nuance in Aemond, and really exploring that shadow side even more…"

"You know, just constantly keeping the audience on their toes and presenting an angle of Aemond that we hadn’t really seen before."

"He always kind of looked for surrogates for his mother."

"He found it in Vhagar, so to speak."

"An old she-dragon parallel."

"And he found it in the madame."

"But is that enough? So he’s always looking for his match, so to speak."

"Whether or not he finds it is another thing."

"Maybe there’s no one good enough for Aemond."

"Maybe he’s not good enough for anyone either."

HE'S SO RUTHLESS IN TERMS OF THE WAY HE WANTS TO APPROACH THE BATTLES AHEAD. IS HIS MINDSET FOR HIS OWN GLORY AND POWER, OR IS HE ACTUALLY JUST TRYING TO SAVE HIS FAMILY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND SECURE TEAM GREEN'S CLAIM?

"I think it’s interesting."

I think when he approaches Alicent and Helaena in Episode 8, he kind of says, 'Like, look, it’s either them or us and I’m choosing. It’s gonna be them.'

"We can’t go down without a fight."

"Because if the Blacks were to come into power, it would be the Greens heads who would be on the chopping block."

"And Aemond especially."

"So it is a fight for self preservation."

"But whether or not he has his family’s interests at heart or whether or not he’s just thinking for himself?"

"I want to leave that out there."

"I want to let people make their own judgment on that."

"I think he definitely loves his mum and he wants his mum at the end."

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SCENES IS THE ONE WHERE YOU BASICALLY DRESS DOWN AEGON IN HIGH VALYRIAN. WHAT WAS IT LIKE PREPARING FOR THAT? WAS IT AS DELICIOUS TO DO AS IT LOOKED OR WAS IT JUST ANOTHER EXTRA CHALLENGE THAT YOU JUST DID NOT WANT TO FACE IN TERMS OF MASTERING A FOREIGN LENGUAJE?

"I mean I remember doing it a few different ways, but I always kind of settled on the idea that Aemond, throughout those first four episodes, he’s just so composed."

"We see other players around the council table and they raise their voices, and Aemond is the kid who’s just acting from the peripheries."

"He’s waiting for his moment."

"He never raises his voice too much."

So in that moment, when he very much seizes a chance to attack Rook’s Rest and work with Criston Cole, he very much says, 'I’m taking over now.'

"It is a public humiliation, but he does it in such a way that Aegon is able to save face because only him and Aegon can understand it (and maybe Grand Maester Orwyle can, as well)."

"It’s something quite merciful in a way.

BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED, I TALKED TO YOU ABOUT HOW YOU STAYED AWAY FROM MATT SMITH ON SET IN SEASON 1 SO THAT WHEN THEY STARE EACH OTHER DOWN DURING DINNER, IT WOULD BE MORE IMPACTFUL. SO I'M CURIOUS, HAVE YOU MET GAYLE RANKIN YET?

"I – I have not."

OH, OKAY. IS THAT INTENTIONAL OR?

"I mean, I’ve obviously seen Gayle Rankin’s phenomenal performance in the show, but also like the Harrenhal set itself is in a different studio to the studio of the Red Keep."

"So I never really brushed shoulders with Gayle Rankin or Matt Smith this season, other than that moment when Daemon sees the vision of Aemond in Harrenal."

"I think — I think I briefly [met Gayle] at the read through."

"Briefly."

OK, COOL. I WAS JUST CURIOUS, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE ALYS AND AEMOND MEET BECAUSE THAT IS A RELATIONSHIP I HAVE SO MUCH CURIOSITY ABOUT.

"No comment."

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (January 14-20, 2024)

Ultraman Blazar's finale aired on Friday. It was a solid capper to what's easily the best entry in the Ultra Series since I was an undergrad, full of heart and pyrotechnics. There were a few major loose ends—Captain Gento is better at keeping secrets than most hosts—which I'm hoping the movie, due in late February, will address. If you're looking for a place to start with the long-running franchise, it would be one of my first recommendations. Great effects, great cast, tons of new kaiju, and a blend of novelty (lots of focus on the tensions between the defense team and the larger monster-fighting organization; a host who's in charge of said defense team) and returning to form (Blazar yowls plenty but is an Ultra of few words; the power-ups and goofy weapons are kept to a minimum). And even if you don't want to commit to a whole show, episode 22, focusing on a hapless salesman of kaiju insurance, is a must-see for any fan of the genre. There seem to be no worlds left to conquer at Tsuburaya for lead director Kiyotaka Taguchi, so as I've been saying since around 2015: Toho, are you paying attention?

Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, the regraded black and white version of Godzilla Minus One, is coming to North American theaters for one week starting January 26. Toho's yanking both versions from theaters after February 1—puzzling considering that the film is likely going to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar tomorrow. Takashi Yamazaki led a Godzilla delegation to the Academy's visual effects "bakeoff", in which voters watch highlights from the ten shortlisted films and their VFX teams explain their work. IndieWire reports that Yamazaki's presentation drew the most applause, describing Minus One as the "potential frontrunner." The Hollywood Reporter likes its chances too. Nominations will be announced starting at 8:30 AM EST. The Creator seems to be its biggest competition.

Godzilla Minus One also recently cleared $50 million at the U.S. box office, in the process passing the first Demon Slayer as the highest-grossing Japanese-language film ever released in the U.S. Some outlets are reporting that it's the highest-grossing Japanese film ever released here, which isn't accurate; the English-dubbed Pokémon: The First Movie made almost $86 million back in 1999. (And I think it's plausible that something like Rodan or Godzilla vs. Megalon would be the champ if you figured out how much they grossed and adjusted for inflation.)

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #4 brought Godzilla and Tiamat to Atlantis, forcing Aquaman to release the Kraken to defend his city. Incredibly, this is the third Kraken associated with the Monsterverse, after Na Kika (called Kraken when it was introduced in the King of the Monsters novelization) and the main antagonist of the Skull Island cartoon. I'm guessing it's going to have a shorter lifespan than either of them though.

In other Godzilla comic news, IDW will be putting out another intriguing one-shot in May, titled Godzilla: Mechagodzilla 50th Anniversary. Past comics from the publisher have included multiple Mechagodzilla models, but this one seems to be going above and beyond. Rich Douek is writing; Andrew Lee Griffith is illustrating. The logline:

For 50 years, the King of the Monsters, Godzilla, has gone toe to toe with its robotic doppelgänger, Mechagodzilla! As an intrepid reporter profiles the history of Mechagodzilla and its creator before the launch of the newest model, he finds himself entangled in a much deeper conspiracy. A decades-spanning adventure celebrating the mechanical monster's milestone!

One of master kaiju illustrator Shinji Nishikawa's books will receive an English translation courtesy of Titan Books. Awkwardly titled Godzilla: The Encyclopedia of Godzilla, the Japanese edition included over 100 full-bodied illustrations of various Godzilla series kaiju and analyses of their designs (alongside plenty of Nishikawa's trademark chibis). I'm sold, suffice to say.

Ryo Momota, director of the short tokusatsu film Revive! Smile Rock Giant God, has put the whole thing on YouTube with English subtitles for your amusement. It posits that a real rock formation outside of Tamano City will come to life to help its citizens in their hour of need. Very low-budget.

Kaiju Brooklyn is a one-day con that began filling a longtime void for East Coast kaiju fans last year. Here's the first major piece of news about their June 1 event: they'll be screening The Return of Godzilla outdoors at day's end. Consider me highly tempted.

Kaiju United has a new, wide-ranging interview with Barry Goldberg, webmaster of the legendary Barry's Temple of Godzilla. That fan site was my first window into the wider world of Godzilla in the early 2000s, and it's only been updated a few times since, so I was pretty interested to read how its creator was doing. Don't get your hopes up for a revival: he's still a Godzilla fan (loved Minus One, Shin not so much), but has moved on to other things. Great insights from a Big Name Fan who stayed humble.

[long-claw]

As a book reader, what are your thoughts on HOTD season 2?

hotd season 2 spoilers:

using this as a wrap up of my feelings now all 8 eight episodes are out, thank you for the ask 🙏

first off, the things i enjoyed: i think the pacing was really good, i think they really took their time with a lot of things and really got into the characters and their motivations. i was worried that having two less episodes than last season would cause them to rush so i'm glad they didn't.

something else that they clearly put a lot of effort into was all the scenery and costumes and cinematography. the show was, as all asoiaf shows imo, gorgeous and really detailed.

i enjoyed a lot of the minor plot lines and i'm interested in where they're going, and i thought rook's rest was great and am excited for more battles.

things i didn't enjoy: i'm not going to go back over everything in detail but i will say one of the most disappointing aspects is this need to strip rhaenyra of basically any decisions making. she didn't send daemon to harrenhall, jace to the twins, rhaenys to rook's rest, she didn't even come up with the idea to storm king's landing. one of the only decisions she did make was the sowing (getting other dragon riders) and that was originally jace's idea that they ended up making him hate.

i'm not saying all these changes individually are bad but i do think all together it just gradually stripped rhaenyra of all agency.

i also think i find the whole show hard to stomach as a sort of glorification of the targaryens at their worst. i don't have it out for every targaryen, there are plenty i like, but the targaryens are not the good guys of the dance, whether they're team black or green, and i think the way the show has tried to push a justification for the war is... a choice.

obviously the characters have their own personal justifications but shying away from the harsher crimes and trying to use asoiaf as an excuse for colonisation is just ridiculous.

this is so long so i'm going to stop here before i go on forever 😭. tldr: i enjoyed it on a surface level but i think about asoiaf way too obsessively to not have plenty to complain about in the end.

[ceilingstar07]

HOTD season 2 was such a letdown😭

i dislike how the writers blatantly ignored the great source material they had right in front of them and literally turned it into their rhaenyra x alicent fanfic

Rook's Rest and the Red Sowing were amazing but the episode 8 was not a finale. If episode 8 (minus rhaenyra x alicent) was not the final episode, it would've been an alright episode. The writers were afraid of making Team Black look bad in any way that they made them all righteous and "good" and overall, bland. Whenever there was a Team Black scene (especially the council scenes), I couldn't help but want to fall asleep. There was little to no nuance. The writers obviously don't like Team Green, but their scenes had so much more nuance and complex dynamics that made for an enjoyable watch. A lot of writing for character arcs are inconsistent or lacking the season 1 quality. Daemon's character arc is the one that's the most messed up because his slow Harrenhal arc that just ends with the weird vision. Saying "Winter is Coming" just feels so out of place for him to say. I miss season 1 ep6 and ep7 Alicent. Why did the writers turn her into someone that would sell out her sons when she was so fiercely protective of them in season 1? I'm not someone who only wants action in a show. I love long, complex conversations between characters and monologues ... when they are well-written. Season 2 had long conversations, but most of them (especially Team Black's) were just not intriguing enough - they were repeating topics in many episodes without taking any action (except the dragonseed plot). The Season 1 finale promised war and by the end of Season 2, we're still waiting for the actual war. Season 2 was not really worth the 2 year wait (except for Rook's Rest) and now we have to wait for another 2 years before we get any actual "all-out war".

I could go on and on about how underwhelming this season was, but it won't change anything. The fault lies with the writers and HBO for making jarring changes to the plot and stretching out already such a small amount of material.

On a more positive note though, the actors were amazing and really brought their A-game. A lot of the scenes with the minor characters were fantastic. The production design is breathtaking. The cinematography and costumes were absolutely gorgeous. The dragon designs and CGI were AMAZING. I love Ramin Djawadi's soundtracks and was disappointed that the showrunners didn't give him much to do this season. But he still cooked with what he was given. "All Must Choose" is the best ASOIAF song I've heard since "The Night King".

Hopefully, they can turn things around for Season 3, but I don't have much faith because it seems that Ryan Condal and especially Sara Hess are not going anywhere.

[nrilliree]

https://www.tumblr.com/miss-dollette/751777149185376256/wake-up-call-for-ballistic-team-black-and-rhaenyra?source=share

Why the fuck put that in the Daemyra tag ?

Plus, we love seeing them bring out the same bullshit that we've already contradicted a billion times.

Also, I don't understand their obsession with saying that Rhaenyra got herself into trouble for her marriage under the pretext that she could marry whoever she wanted ?

Precisely she could marry whoever she wanted, and she didn't find anyone she wanted. Namely someone she could love and co-run with. She doesn't just choose a husband but a future king.

Like, we blame her for not finding someone she likes (as if that's can be controlling...) to one of the countless idiots we've seen parade around ? WTF ?

Also, let's be realistic, the only person Rhaenyra wanted to marry is also the only one Viserys will never leave her, namely Daemon.

Plus, if I remember correctly, this situation wasn't so much about giving Rhaenyra a choice to marry whoever she wants, but about making her feel like she had a choice so that she would finally get married.

Literally Viserys had a discussion about it with Alicent !

To get Rhaenyra to marry the way Viserys wanted, he had to make Rhaenyra feel like she had a choice. So it was just the illusion of a choice from the start.

Additionally, Viserys literally choose Laenor in order to right his own mistake with the Velaryons, so a selfish behavior. He simply took the opportunity of having discovered Daemyra's escapade because of Otto to finally impose on Rhaenyra a marriage that would suit him.

Like... these people are blaming Rhaenyra for following her feelings for Daemon ? Oh yeah, she's such a spoiled brat for that.

Because it's such a spoiled person's behavior to want to be with the person you love !

I'm not even going to bother with the false mention of Daemon being a pedophile yet...

Besides, Daemon, so hungry for the throne, never really does anything to get it ? Whether it's in Fire and Blood or HOTD, the statement that he's so hungry for the throne makes me laugh. Is thinking too hard for these people ?

And sorry, but no, Daemon wouldn't have touched the Greens kids if it hadn't been for the usurpation.

He literally never had any threatening behavior towards them. He never showed the slightest interest in them, even negative. He is literally content to ignore their existence.

The fact that Daemon is ready to kill the Greens after the usurpation is not proof that he would have done it before (and I'm talking about the show). At that point the Greens have to kill Viserys for him, in addition to usurping his wife and causing the loss of his unborn daughter. And he suspects that soon they will come for them. You surprise me that he wants to get rid of it after all this mess !

The only children we see being threatened with their lives in danger throughout the show are literally the Velaryon children from the Greens. In addition, we also have proof that for the usurpation, they would have killed Rhaenyra and her family. They would have been killed if they had stayed after dinner in episode 8 ! And what's more, they wanted to take Daemyra's sons hostage !

Anyway, the only reason this argument exists is because... Otto says it. That's all.

Other than that, there's no indication that Daemyra would harm Alicent's children, you have to stop the bullshit after a while.

Everything proves that Greens are the aggressors for Blacks children. Not the opposite.

Tired of this bullshit.

Oh and this person is visibly neutral which... amounts to being a green no for me anyway.

Because such people want to attract attention so that later they can cry "TB they come uninvited and are rude :( :((".

Rhaenyra didn't want to marry a 10-year-old, or an 80-year-old, or a sexist Lannister who would force her to give up the throne to Aegon? What a spoiled, horrible brat! It's all her fault! Because you understand - her forced marriage to Laenor is her fault and she is not a victim. But Alicent and her forced marriage to Viserys, whom she visited alone in his chambers for half a year without saying a word that her father told her to, is a complete victim of the marriage. Not like Rhaenyra. Neither does Laenor. NO. Only Alicent is THE victim. Besides, I bet that if Rhaenyra had chosen Harvin, for example, she would have been advised against it so they could use her to fix Viserys' mess.

My favorite argument is always "Daemon doesn't want Rhaenyra, he just wants the throne." So why did he show interest in her when HE was the heir, not her :D?

And if Daemon and Rhaenyra wanted Alicent's children to be dead, they would be dead. They would meet with accidents over the years, because if Daemon could organize B&C, he could do this too. But he didn't. Because it was the TGs who had a plan to murder Rhaenyra and her family. Not the other way around.

[cbrownjc]

HOTD possible spoiler (as well as some Fire and Blood ones) under the cut:

The person who posted the initial rumor/leak/spoiler is clarifying/sticking to it.

I've already talked about my problems with how this show has handled its black characters here (wrt Laena) and here when this Nettles rumor/leak first happened a few days ago.

Honestly, if this rumor really is true, I will pretty much be done with the show. Because aside from the racist angle the show just falls right into by doing something like this, it's also just lazy AF writing.

If the show wanted to make Rhaena a more active participant in the war that very easily can be done without making her a dragon rider. They could have her play a bigger role in helping in the survival of her family members, seeing that she, her sister, and her two little half-brothers are the only ones who do so (along with Corlys). Let her become the more politically savvy twin, using her status as a princess and such to form alliances, keep the Vale on the side of The Blacks, and things like that. Maybe even leading up to things like having her take the lead in ensuring that Corlys doesn't get executed for treason after the war is over.

But nope. Just make her a dragon rider during the conflict too. And hey, since she's black now, just have her replace the only book-canon black character in the story of the Dance, who was already speculated by some to be Daemon's bastard daughter anyway. Because all black people are just interchangeable anyway, right? 🙄 (That is if we're even bothering to give them character and story arcs in the first place; especially in comparison to their originally white book counterparts *cough*Laena*cough*).

So yeah, NGL I was already growing apathetic about the show before this, given how Leana, Rhaena, and Baela's characters were all handled in Season 1. Cutting out Nettles and just having Rhaena take her place? When the two characters are nothing alike, personality-wise?

Yeah, if this really is true then no thank you. I'll check out clips of the big moments -- Rook's Rest, Blood and Cheese, and whenever The Battle Above the God's Eye happens in some later season -- on YouTube or something. But actively watch episodes in full? Nope.

Again, I'll wait to full-out rant on this when it's 100% confirmed in some way. (And yes, such a rant very likely would include talking about how color-conscious casting & writing > > > > > > color-blind casting & writing; and using that to properly world build -- because yes that is possible even wrt a fantasy world like Westeros, which already has established places in its world where black people prominently lived and originated from.) Maybe waiting to do so is just me being in denial, IDK. But I'm kind of having deja vu wrt how I felt about the rumors circulating about Season 8 of GOT again. I just couldn't believe the writers were going to be that level of hack-lazy. And yet . . . .

I really had hopes that HBO had learned from that mistake and that the writing team and showrunners for this show wouldn't do something similar. But ever since I saw what happened to Laena's character, (and how her role in Rhaenrya's life -- when they were young -- was basically given to Alicent), I've been questioning if they really have . . . . or ever did. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[voidedsoul5]

OKAY HERE WE GO, ANALYSIS AND THEORY TIME.

Spoilers for the new TMP episode (Ep 8)

NOT ONLY did we get my babygirl back (Who definitely has something going on with him but we'll go back to that later) we also got another hint about one of my other working theories about Celia and this universe... I am losing my mind rn and I need someone to talk to about this even if it's just screaming to the internet void. More below cut. Split it because it's a semi-long post.

I think Gertrude is for SURE coming back at some point, literally no reason for her not to especially considering I don't think TMP team is going to pull the 'But this time she's actually just an innocent old lady' thing. It's cheap, and she likely knows stuff that will come up later when (I believe) she still has worked at the institute before it burned down due to her age. Plus, someone had to have cleared out those files.

Gerry is happy and it makes sense. Gerry in TMA was trying to be a kind person, but he'd witnessed too much and seen too much to be able to do that. In this world, if the fears didn't exist Mary would've likely not been AS deranged. OR mary might not have existed at all given Gertrude claimed Gerry as his grandson. Removing Mary, Gerry really doesn't have a reason to be so reserved and abrasive. HOWEVER. I think there's a possibility that isn't his actual personality. The happiness (as mentioned in the unofficial transcript) is maybe a bit too played up. I wouldn't mind if this is just how he was, a slightly erratic messy artist. But pairing him specifically WITH gertrude in this universe stood out to me. So here's my mini theory.-I'm not saying it's drugs, or Gertrude is casting black magic or something, but I do think she's doing something to keep Gerry out of this 'mess'. Even if that's just living with him and helping him have a normal life as a painter. Gertrude has always had a soft spot for gerry in TMA, in this universe where she's probably not as battle-hardened, trying to keep him safe and out of it all isn't out of character. Mostly, this idea just came from the fact that she tried to brush it off, then seemed disappointed when Gerry spoke about the gifted kids program, despite him being well enough able to speak for himself. She probably doesn't want him involved. This however all relies on the context that Gertrude knows stuff. Honestly, she might just be his grandma that he now lives with either for rent reasons or because his parents might be dead. It could honestly be that simple, I just like rattling off ideas.

CELIA KEEPS DROPPING HINTS OF KNOWING SHIT. SHE KNOWS SOMETHING. SHE KNOWS THINGSSSS. I have another post about my TMA theory of these reoccurring characters from TMA beginning to remember things from the TMA world. Its so incredibly on the nose for her to immediately start asking questions about the 14 fears WE KNOW, ask about alternate universes, AND BE THE ONE WHO PUSHED SAM TO LOOK INTO MORE STUFF ABOUT THE PROGRAM (Sam said it was her idea at the end of Ep 8) I don't know exactly how thisll work, but I get more and more convinced each episode that this theory has some merit.

And this is a small one, but blah blah Norris reading a paper about loneliness, isolation, and hostile architecture blah blah blah metaphors symbolism blah blah you get the jist

I rlly just wanna talk about this show to anyone, I don't have friends who've seen TMA or TMP so my only option is talking about it here. PLS feel free to talk about your own opinions and ideas in reblogs and shit. I don't care if they counter mine I just wanna talk about this show I love it sm </3

[matthew-gray-gubler-lover]

Halloween with the team of the BAU (Spencer Reid Smut)

Please do not read this if you are under the age of 18. It includes sex, kissing, fingering.& dirty talk (spencer)

I wrote this story based on the episode where Penelope throws the Day of the Dead party, but I'm changing it into a Halloween party and also it is based on the time that Matthew Gray Gubler Had black nail Polish on because he had his nails done with his mom. The picture will be posted in this story to show what inspired this. His mom wanted him to have his nails done, or the manicurist wanted to do them I'm not sure. But anyway, for a short time he had black nails.

It was a quiet day at the BAU. Luckily for the team it was just paperwork day. It was quite welcome after three back-to-back cases. You haven't been home in a month and half, aside from the sounds of paper rattling, pen scratching the paper, and sigh's coming from the team who are filling out the paperwork, there was really no other sounds happening in the BAU.

That was until you heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor and the sound of Penelope Garcia 's voice. "Welcome back everybody" she said with a happy tone as she placed a piece of paper down in front of each team member.

Hotch put his pen down and picked up the piece of paper. A black piece of paper with a bright orange pumpkin on it and bright orange words.

The word's saying Penelope Garcia 's Halloween Spooky Spectacular.my place at 8:00pm October 31st.

You picked up your piece of paper and looked at it. "Is this really going to happen? We're having a Halloween spooky spectacular Penelope Garcia style?".

"Yes we are. I want everybody to come dressed up. Come one, come all. I'm so excited". Garcia answered.

Reid Heard what was going on and looked down at the piece of paper. "Yes A Halloween party. I love Halloween".

"I hate to be a downer Penelope, but what happens if we have a case on the day of the party?" you asked.

"Well miss negativity, if we have a case at the time we'll just move it to the next day or the next week or whatever this party is happening. Halloween Spooky Spectacular".

"I'll have to see if I can find a sitter for the night or if will be home to take care of Henry" JJ added.

Two days had gone by and you still didn't have a case, so Penelope asked Spencer and you to help her shop for the party and also help her bring the groceries up to her apartment.

All three of you were chatting about the Halloween party, very happy and excited about the upcoming event.

"I hope I bought enough food for everybody. I want to make sure that everybody has enough to eat and I have very specific things in mind of what I'm going to do with the food that is inside these paper bags". Penelope said as you all walked up the stairs to her apartment.

"I'm sure you have enough food. we have 12 bags of food here Penelope" you giggled.

Penelope unlocked the door and all of you went inside, placing the bags on her countertop in her kitchen.

"I hope so, but I'm kind of nervous. I've never had the whole team here before. Hey Spence, could you check the refrigerator and see how much hot sauce I have?" Penelope asked before getting some fake blood and letting it run down her face.

"Spencer opened up their refrigerator, moving a jar of eyeballs to the side before finding the bottle of hot sauce. "You have enough hot sauce, I think depending on how much guacamole you're planning on making, are you OK.?" He asked calmly as he saw the fake blood running down Penelope's face from her eyes down to her cheeks.

"You didn't even flinch. JJ was right. I told her I wanted to go scary for Halloween and she just laughed at me".

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well if it helps, you probably do have a scary side. I mean, we all have scary sides. Take me for example. On Halloween, I can scare the living daylights out of anyone that's around me." spencer told her.

"OK, so let me get this straight, pen. You brought us here just so that you could scare spencer? That wasn't nice. Penelope Garcia, I am surprised at you." you told her.

"I just wanted to see if I was capable of scaring anyone, and clearly I'm not."

"it's ok pen i love you any way" you hugged her.

"So on to something happier to either one of you know what you're going to come dressed up as to my party?".

"i'm not really sure yet" you told her.

"not sure yet? the party is tomorrow night" Penelope shrieked.

"Well, I already know what I'm coming as. I'm coming as Frankenstein" Spencer told her.

"Frankenstein?" Penelope said with a gasp.

"Yeah Frankenstein. Is there a problem with that? I can try to get a different costume before tomorrow night" Spencer told her a little worried.

"I love that you're coming as Frankenstein. Just can I do your nails, you know, put black nail Polish on them, make you really look like Frankenstein. Please, please, please let me put black nail Polish on you". she was asking him, bouncing up and down, clapping her hands.

"Uh, OK, sure. I guess that would make him look more authentic. You're really excited about this, aren't you?" he asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Ever since the first time I saw your hands, I wanted to put nail Polish on those beautiful fingers of yours." she told him.

You're standing in the kitchen with them, with your hand up on the counter, head tilted to the side with your eyebrows raised, not really understanding what's going on at the moment.

"You want to put nail Polish on my Husband?" You asked her.

"Yes, I do. It's something that I have dreamed of ever since the first time I met him and saw those long, beautiful fingers. I just wanted to put nail Polish on them. I know that I do my own nails, but it's not as satisfying as how I think it would be to do his". Penelope explained.

"Oh no, I'm right there with you. I understand. Every time I do my nails, I think the same thing." you told her.

with spencer looking at both of you like you are crazy.

"ok well you can both do a hand if you want to" he offered.

"REALLY?!" you and Penelope said at the same time.

But you agreed to let Penelope do both hands herself, because it would make it more special if you got to do Spencer's nails alone.

The day of the party came and everyone said they would gather at Penelope 's apartment. She really went all out with pumpkin twinkle lights, bowls of candy, even Halloween inspired snacks.

The one you thought was the cutest was the little mummy Baby carrots. Usually people would do this with hot dogs, but being Penelope Garcia and being a vegetarian, she opted for baby carrots. and you love it

Penelope chose being Barbie this year. And in true Penelope Garcia fashion, she was Barbie from head to toe, literally, from the pink hair tie in her high ponytail to the pink shoes that was wearing.

You chose being an Angel for Halloween. You had on a sparkly white dress, a little Halo, and some feathery wings along with white nail Polish with silver glitter topcoat.

You have to admit though, seeing Spencer with that black nail Polish did make you feel not so Angely. You just wanted to stare at his hands all night knowing how wonderful those fingers feel.

Spencer couldn't help but notice you keep looking at him since you two are the only ones that arrived to the party yet.

"are you ok?" He asked with a little bit of weary in his voice. Not really sure why you keep staring at him.

"oh yeah just like looking at you" you tell him before kissing him.

There are some spooky music playing in the background while Penelope puts the finishing touches on the food.

She's saying something about the food, and as much as you love Penelope, you think of her as a big sister, really. But all you can focus on is Spencer and those damn black nails.

You thought for sure you were going to lose your mind. Thank God there was a knock at the door. It was Hotch. He came dressed as Indiana Jones.

A little bit later JJ showed up. She was Marilyn Monroe in the classic white dress.

The Prentice showed up. She came dressed as a black cat, complete with a tight-fitting black outfit and black cat ears.

"wow you look great" you tell her.

"Thank you. I must look very convincing as a black cat because Sergio couldn't keep his eyes off of me while I was getting ready" she laughed.

Even though there were now more people at the party, snacks were now being eaten, music got a little louder and you were mingling with the rest of the team. well the ones that have arrived so far anyway, you still couldn't stop your mind from wandering the Spencer.

Not helping matters any was the fact that Spencer was now licking ranch dip off of his fingers after accidentally putting a baby carrot too far into the ranch dip from the vegetable platter.

Yep, that was it. You were going to lose your mind. OK, here we go. Mind Officially blown.

But this is so the BAU always knows when you need help, because just as you were about to lose your frigging mind there was another knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" you yelled out with a slightly shrieky voice, Just trying to get your mind off of what you just saw.

It was Rossi. "Hey you look beautiful. What a beautiful little Angel you are" Rossi said to you before hugging you.

"thank you" 

"And you make a very nice...." You stopped looking him up and down, trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to be.

Since he was just wearing one of his suits that he wears every day, so you weren't really sure what he was supposed to be

 "I came dressed up as an agent who left the BAU and then came back." he told you Pointing to the badge that he wears when he's in the station.

"oh so you're David Rossi?" you asked.

"yes i am" he smiled.

Penelope come walking over with a tray of skeleton brownies.

"Hey you made it!. And you're David Rossi What a great costume. No one can pull it off better than you can Sir". she smiled from ear to ear.

"thank you Penelope.

"So everyone's here now, except for the always fashionably late Derek Morgan." Penelope said placing the tray of skeleton brownies on the coffee table.

You go back over into the kitchen where Spencer still standing by the vegetable platter holding his plate with carrots and dip.

"You know the ideas that are in your head are not very Angel like pretty girl." Spencer whispered in your ear.

"What do you mean? How do you know what I'm thinking?" you asked.

"I know because you've been staring at me ever since Penelope put this black nail Polish on me, You keep staring at my hands. I know you already love my hands, but you've been staring at them even more ever since" he whispered.

The heat of his breath brushing against your ear turns you on even more.

"Do you want to see if they feel any better inside of you with black nail Polish than they do without? I know how much you love my fingers, they already make you moan and whine and bring you so much pleasure. Do you think a little bit of color's going to make them feel any better?" he asks.

If he keeps talking to you like this, there's no way you're going to make it to the end of the party.

"Not necessarily better. I just want to know how they feel. Is that wrong for a wife to want to know?"

Spencer smiles and chuckles. "I knew it. You want to see how they feel don't you honey? OK, well here's what we're going to do. We're going to see if they make you feel any better."

"what here? we can't do it here!" you tell him, you are so turned on but your not crazy.

"OK, well we'll just have to come up with something. How about we had a snack to bring and we forgot to bring it? That'll get us back to our apartment." he offers.

"ok, that's good"

 You leave the kitchen and walk back through the living room, heading towards the door. "

We had some snacks to bring and we forgot about them. We were so excited about coming and helping you pen, so we're going to go back and pick up our snacks, OK?" you say rushed.

"oh honey we have food here but i guess we can never have to many snacks" Penelope tells you with a smile before hugging you. "Make sure that you get home and come back safe, OK?"

"ok" 

You're not sure that you've ever seen Spencer drive so fast before? Of course your eyes could not stay off of his hands. Not only the traffic light shining off his gold wedding band, but also those black nails.

You may get home in about 12 minutes. As soon as you're in the parking lot of your apartment, your seat belts are off and you're running upstairs to get inside.

You both run inside and slam the door behind you, making a straight line for the bedroom. You throw yourself on the bed, lifting up the bottom of your dress.

"wow you really can't wait can you?" spencer chuckles.

"no i can't i need you spence please" you beg.

"no need to beg honey i will give you everything you need" he Tells you before reaching down and pulling off your underwear and then looks back up at you and tells you "everything you need and more".

He then takes a long lick right up your center, causing you to moan loudly.

"is this what you needed?" he asks.

"yes" you moan out. As you cleanse the Forest Green comforter atop the bed in your hands.

"Oh OK, so you only need my mouth. I thought you needed my fingers too" Spencer teases you.

"i do please spencer i need them"

"ok what my baby what's my baby gets" he tells you before putting a finger in.

"oh my god, yes move please"

"ok" he starts to move his hand a few times before adding another finger.

"does it feel as good as you thought it would?" he asks before sucking on you clit.

"AAHHH OH YES, YES IT DOES" you yell.

It only takes about 5 minutes before your coming all over Spencer's fingers and mouth.

"so was it better than usual?" he asks you with a smile.

"it was so good, but then again you always are" you pant out.

Spencer smiles and says thank you as he starts taking his belt off and dropping his pants along with his underwear that have pumpkins on them. Something that you can't help but giggle at. You're not really sure how somebody who's so sweet and innocent and has such a pure love for Halloween could possibly be capable of such sexy things.

"do you think you can take me? if you don't want to you don't have to" he asks you not wanting to push you.

"i want you, i need you" you answer."

"you need more? Well don't we have an insatiable appetite tonight? You sure are naughty for an Angel."

He then removed your costume completely and kisses his way up your body before telling you 

"I like that you're naughty" and then kissing you on the lips.

He pushes in with no hesitation. You both moan out at the pleasure of it all. He kisses you with such passion you think for sure this is going to be the end of you, and there's no way that this is going to any time soon. You're going to miss the rest of the party.

But it's okay. Penelope will understand. She knows how much you two love each other. She'll be fine with it.

Spencer thrusts slowly kissing you on the lips and neck before looking at you in your eyes and telling you how much he loves you. He whispered sweet things in your ear as he moves and also interlaces your fingers together.

You both completely lose track of time, completely swept up in the moment, The love, the pleasure that you're both feeling.

after are Both Done. Two orgasms for you and one for him. You both put your costumes back on and realize you didn't get a snack. So you go into the kitchen, open the cabinet and take out a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. "This will do right?" spencer asks and you run back out the door.

"Oh my God, they're so going to know what we did". You say with your hands up to your face is Spencer drives back to Penelope's.

"Well, is that so bad? We're married, We're in love. They'll understand. There's nothing shameful about what we did." Spencer tells you, trying to calm you down.

You pull back up to Penelope's and run inside with the bag of chips.

As you do you hear Penelope saying. 

"Seriously, this is your costume? You couldn't even try for me?"

You close the door and look over to see who she's talking to. "Oh damn, it's Morgan" Spencer says.

"Baby girl, I told you I don't like Halloween. I don't like people going around dressed up like that. I find it creepy. So at least this is a Halloween shirt." he tells her.

"Really? a Halloween shirt is a shirt that says this is my costume. You couldn't even get something that has a pumpkin or a ghost or something?".

"It's orange."

"That's your argument. It's orange. OK? Everybody else got dressed up. Even Rossi".

"Rossi's dressed up? Seriously, You're going to tell me him coming here in the suit that he wears all the time is dressing up? What exactly is he supposed to be?" morgan asks.

"He is a FBI agent that came back to the team."

"so he came as Rossi?"

"well yes, but still it counts."

"This could be good for us. Maybe we can make it look like we've been here the whole time. They seem pretty occupied over there. Maybe Morgan won't notice." spencer whispers.

You both go the opposite direction of where they are on the other side of the room and run to the kitchen.

"i think we made it" spencer tells you.

"Hey pretty boy, don't think I didn't notice you just running into the kitchen." morgan yells.

"damn" spencer says.

"Well aren't we a little late to join the party?" morgan smiles.

"oh no they were already here, they forgot the snack's." Penelope told him.

"Ah, OK, so you went all the way back home just to get a bag of salt and vinegar Potato chips. Hmm. I'm not buying it. Plus, you two look like you got caught sticking your hand twice in the candy bucket."

"morgan please" spencer said.

"oh come on Pretty boy, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you got a little Halloween loving and really while you're in an Angel costume. Oh girl, that's naughty."

"We took the costume off first" Spencer said lowly.

"well At least you took the time to take off her costume." Morgan said, given Spencer a little nudge on the arm with a smile.

"Everyone came around to see what was happening in the kitchen. Oh, nothing, nothing. Just having some fun with pretty Boy over here. Though not as much fun as this little Angel did with him tonight, but I digress."

Aside from being completely humiliated and now you are a dark shade of red, you're sure that Spencer must be too, but the green face makeup is kind of hiding it.

You and Spencer, along with the rest of the BAU, had a really fun time at Penelope 's Halloween party. As the party came to an end, everyone agreed that this should be a yearly thing.

It was after midnight by the time the party ended, and close to 1:00 by the time you and Spencer got home. That didn't mean that you couldn't have another round of fun though. Post Halloween fun was just as fun as Halloween fun.

after two more rounds of passionate love making. spencer held you in his arms.

"So do you think maybe Penelope might be interested in throwing a Christmas party?" spencer asked Running his fingertips up and down your arm as he held you.

"yes, why?" you asked.

"Well, because if it's anywhere Nere as fun as Her Halloween party was I will definitely be going. I was thinking maybe we could make my nails red and green for Christmas." he giggled.

"really? you would let me do your nails for Christmas?"

"as i said before what my baby want's my baby get's" he told you before kissing you but when we get a case we will take it off, just like this color ok?" he asks.

"ok" you answer.

"and now for round 3" spencer giggles. 

oh yes this is a Halloween you two will always remember.

Masterlist

[nullbutler]

Masterpost of Projects

Hi! I'm Null! I make way too much stuff !! Here's a comprehensive list of everything I'm proud enough of to advertise on the front of my blog! It's a lot of kuro stuff!

My COMMISSIONS are OPEN!

BLACK BUTLER : BOOK OF SPIDERS [<- watch here]

A literal season 2 MOVIE. That's right i fucking COMPILED SEASON 2 INTO A FUCKING MOVIE it's a TWO AND A HALF HOUR LONG FUCKING MOVIE. I am in no way an editing professional, but the filler is cut, the gratuitously vile scenes are either done differently or also cut, and Alois and Hannah are portrayed in a kinder light, especially with Alois's backstory being handled a lot more carefully. No original footage is added - it is merely camera tricks and framing.

"You got rid of that Ciel screaming scene and that's like 5 stars for me." -- @warmmilk-n-honey

"Truly proves that less is more." -- @pain-in-the-butler

"An actual digestible version of Season 2." - @mantomhive

2. My Webcomic: The Dead The Damned & The Devil (Read here)

What if Vincent Phantomhive came back from the dead just before his sons were sacrificed? This is a fix-it AU...kind of. Many side characters are integral to this story, like Francis and Madam Red. It's got 8+ chapters, and if you like to watch scared parents protect sad little kids, its a good read. likewise, if you already want to hug vincent, its a good read. likewise, if you want to punch vincnet in the face, it's a good...

VOLUME ONE HAS BEEN COMPLETED!!!

3. My Season 2 Video Essay (black butler season 2 is laughing at you)

watch me scream about the meta of season 2 as an exhausted season 2 fan for about two hours...it's got some original animatics, too!

4. My Youtube + some highlights such as

The Black Butler Actors OVA Abridged

exactly what it says on the tin! a 22 minute long black butler parody following what the hellish production of season 2 was actually like (and also. uh. character trauma??? somehow???)

"Cinder Soul" the angsty End-of-Contract visual novel

Sebastian and Ciel angst hours, in an AU where Ciel has quite literally lost everything. Ominous. Sad.

Season 2 Reanimation project

on indefinite hiatus -- but its still 14 minutes of technically an episode, and the ending is more 'open' than 'cliffhanger.' what if Alois and Ciel got to talk it out when they were trapped in the same body, back in episode 11? Fully originally animated (thsi is probably the largest thing I've ever made hghdfhs)

Collabs w Mel ( @weeb-cheese )

This list will probably get longer but aaa they're so cool!

Pluto video essay!

Drossel video essay!

NOT-KURO VIsual Novel

A light-hearted (?) sapphic visual novel about some ladies who LARP at garden club. On hiatus

5. Ego Te Absolvo

So what if Alois Trancy teamed up with Ash Landers and became an exorcist who killed demons? Would he be happy? Would he be free? This is a really fun fic, i've been co-writing it with @eemoo1o and its aaa!! very cool!! do be warned, it gets...darker...the longer you read it. it is an alois trancy fic after all, even if the initial concept might seem a bit silly

6. RIan Stoker Ask Blog

Don't ask me why i wanted to make this. but he's always open!

I have a number of other smaller projects that you can find by hunting through my youtube and stalking my ao3. I don't mind!! tho some of the older stuff is definitely not as good lmao thanks for reading!!

I also run @blackbutler-heritage-posts and hosted @dadbastianweek2023 !!!

[higuchisora]

As mentioned before, I'll be sharing my top 10 anime characters that could solo my beloved sweet baby boy Binghe. This is both serious and not at all serious. Disclaimer: I love him, he's my good son, but he also needs some competition to keep his head nice and deflated. I'm sticking with 1 character per show to keep things fresh. Also "anime" is a... loosely used term here lmao. Also also, manga/LN spoilers ahead for some shows.

Without further ado (and in no particular order):

10. Uzumaki Naruto (and friends)

Definitely the most obvious so I'm putting it first. Honestly the Naruto cast could've had its own top 10, but rules are rules. That Talk No Jutsu is fucking lethal. If he couldn't TedTalk Binghe into a reluctant friendship, he'd rock his shit first and THEN befriend him. Without so much as a filler episode.

I'm of the mind that any Kage-level character could wipe the floor with my son, Mano y Mano. But even a solid jonin team would have some serious hands for him.

9. Saitama from One Punch Man

I haven't watched the full thing, but ending careers with 1 punch is literally his job, so I'm taking this one on good faith that he'd also be fast enough to catch Binghe at all.

8. Yoriichi from Demon Slayer

The only thing that could defeat this man was his own sadness. He'd clap TLJ and then come for Binghe without so much as a snack break.

7. Hua Cheng from TGCF (yes I know it's a donghua shut up)

Call me biased, I don't care. Hua Cheng would obliterate this man without even thinking about it. He'd laugh, too, because he's an asshole. And then go home to bang Xie Lian.

6. Rimuru from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

I don't like this man or this show. But no one can tell me he wouldn't just. Eat Binghe. Like full vore, as is canon of his abilities. He's done it with physically larger targets and succeeded, he could do it for some pretty boy. Binghe wouldn't even be the first demon king he's fought.

5. Aang from The Last Airbender

I SAID WHAT I SAID. Specifically in his Avatar State, I firmly believe he'd clap Binghe if led to believe it was absolutely necessary. Like the literal world ending. He exorcised a man when he was 12, I think Aang at his peak could handle an emo boy in need of an exorcism.

4. Saiki Kusuo from the Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

He'd dust Binghe out of existence before homie even knew what hit him. Argue with the wall.

3. Yumiella Dolkness from Villainess Level 99

I don't even really like her, but considering she's taken on a demon king of her own before, and is capable of making black holes big enough to swallow cities without breaking a sweat, she'll at least be a worthy opponent.

2. Kumoko/D from So I'm a Spider, So What?

Literally a god. The world-ending kind, and that's when she's being chill about it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being in control of the System tormenting poor SQQ and SQH. She's not as advanced in the anime, but in the light novel ending a world is literally light work. She's done it before and she'll do it again.

1. Mash Burnedead from Mashle

I haven't even caught up 100% with this show but I don't care. It doesn't even matter that Mash can't do magic. Actually, it's precisely BECAUSE he can't do magic that I firmly believe he deserves a place on this list because that just means this human dude is just Built Different. Binghe would throw a bunch of spiritual/demonic energy attacks at him and Mash would just bitch slap it out of the way. And then bitch slap Binghe. Worst part is that he wouldn't even realize they're fighting for real, which would permanently ruin Binghe's self esteem, IMO.

Honorable mentions:

Gabimaru from Hell's Paradise

I don't think he COULDN'T take Binghe on, just that it's unlikely he'd survive, honestly. Cultivation is real in their world kinda, and from what I've watched he's not yet capable of taking one on by himself 100%. But he's tenacious and skilled, so he'd at least get a few good ones in before Binghe smokes him. With a good crew and a battle plan, he'd be able to lock an average Binghe under a mountain.

Sailor Moon

The only reason she isn't on top 10 is because I'm not confident in her ability to take hits. She's great at dishing them out, but in the event Binghe manages to get a good whack in, I feel like it'll be over for her. I don't think she's fast enough to reliably dodge the whole time either. Plus, I barely remember the OG show, so it's kind of odd to be comparing her to stuff like Naruto, which I know well.

Hina from Hinamatsuri

Just offer a lifetime supply of red caviar and Binghe's a dead man. That being said, I don't think she'd walk away unscathed. This battle would mostly be dictated by how it starts. If she has the element of surprise, he's dead. If Binghe is suitably enraged (say, Xin Mo possession style), Hina's a goner. Hence she isn't strong enough to be able to beat him soundly in all scenarios.

Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul

He's pretty cool. Also likes to eat flesh. I don't think he's as fast at it as Rimuru is, but then again I also gave up watching after the first season. Gets an honorable mention because he might actually be stronger than I think.

Goku

He's fucking Goku. I just have never watched this show so I didn't feel comfortable ranking him.

Kibutsuji Muzan + Upper moons from Demon Slayer

Any of them would be a solid threat. However, considering they get their asses handed to them by a bunch of human high schoolers and fold at the tiniest ray of sunlight, I figure the moons would be somewhat of a miniboss vs final boss in terms of power scaling.

Muzan probably would've gotten a place on the list if not for Yoriichi. Also, as said, anyone that gets clapped by a bunch of high schoolers in their own home gets a permanent L. Shine a lamp on him and it's over for bro.

Hashiras from Demon Slayer

Not a single one of them can 1v1 any upper moons. That being said, they still managed to body all of them. They go down with them though, so I'd say it would take all of the hashiras (maybe including pre-canon ones) to take down the average Binghe. And they'd all die doing it.

Hero of Time/Hero of the Wilds Link from Legend of Zelda

Is this an anime? No. Do I care? Not really. Fighting opponents wildly out of his league but ultimately winning anyway is literally his canon lore. All Link needs is a slingshot and an ocarina and he'll fight the fucking moon. He's no slouch in recent games either; a beef bowl and a stick is all it takes for him to take on the immortal demon king possessing the castle in nothing but his goddamn boxers.

This was my list!!! Very long, but a lot of fun. Let me know what your own lists are, I'm curious lol.

If I've not mentioned a show, it's probably because I've never watched it lol.

[bengiyo]

Bed Friend Ep 8 Stray Thoughts

Last time, things came to a terrible head with Krit, who tried to assault Uea in his office and then also tried to ingratiate himself with Uea's mom. Uea broke things off with King after he insinuated that Uea wanted Krit to be gross to him. Uea also told him mom off very loudly and publicly for protecting his abuser. Thankfully, Uea told Jade about what has been going on, and at this point Uea has resigned. He's now taking a trip to get away, but it's clear he's still thinking about King.

I don't know who this aunt is, but she's the first elder we've seen in this show that has any regard for Uea as a person, and is the only elder who has asked if they can touch Uea.

Oh, Uea. You can't text message breakup.

With how bad car violence is in Thailand, it's so alarming to see King trying to use his phone while driving stressed.

King finding out that Uea resigned because Krit finally pushed too far:

Did Net/King use a different accent when he asked for a room?

Honestly, Net and James are the most beautiful acting pairs I've ever seen.

I adore Jade. He's right to call King an idiot and chide him for all of these mixed signals.

I really love the way James embodies Uea. The way he clenches his jaw and steels himself for asking, "Do my feelings matter?" lands so clearly.

I feel like I recognize the actress playing Belle.

I'm glad Belle and King are united against their parents.

These boys talking about the intensity of their feelings. I'm gonna need Uncles Cheep and Dej to come talk to them about making it work long term.

Uea is so good about setting boundaries. It's sad because his are so constantly violated.

Net has a very affective pout.

I like seeing Uea smile in amusement again.

Holy shit that is an enormous statue.

I hope we have some Buddhist fans in the tag, because I'm curious about these rituals we're seeing in the montage.

Krit was really trying to assault an employee in a room with CCTV. This man is disgusting and stupid.

Cheewin did some nice stuff with the shots in the office lounge area.

Okay, I get why they have this confrontation with the CEO, but legitimately I hope this also went to the HR department and people were properly fired.

Did this company not have a sexual harassment policy before this incident?

I'm not a survivor, and would like to know how others feel about the company providing for Uea to seek mental health care.

I'm glad we don't have to hate Mongkol. It's good to show that Mongkol and Krit aren't on the same level, but both believed they could rely on nepotism to do whatever they want. They really just wanted him to contribute to the team.

Once again, James is so beautiful. This outdoor shot in the black and white outfit? GORGEOUS!

'"Because I'm beautiful." He's so right.

We're 43 minutes into the episode and Uea is wearing red again while King is doing everything he can to hold the horny in. Uea knows and is being a menace. I'm sure @respectthepetty is having a blast.

Oh, Uea is going to reveal his trauma to King. No more jokes.

I just really love the way these two talk to each other.

Between this and A Boss and a Babe, I'm glad to see characters taking pills for mental health reasons treated as a normal part of their health care.

Obsessed with the I'm a Weirdo shirt and how it looks like Uea's heart is bleeding, as King wears a black hoodie with a red rose over his heart.

This is uncomfortable, but it's true that Uea is likely not his only victim.

Oh lord, we gotta deal with yet another person hitting on Uea, Sorn's arrest, and King's parents striking back next week.

I'm excited for James and Net to get another show this year. I've deeply enjoyed their scene work together for the last two months.

[horizon-verizon]

maybe it's me but I feel generally the show rushes so much to reach the action part of the story.

it's not even a team green/team black sort of biased. Every scene that has characters talking is cut short in order to make room for more character interactions.

I know the cast has gotten big and there are only 8(?)episodes this season but I think this type of problem could be covered if they had managed and planned out the season.

I don't know how to explain it but to me it's as if the characters aren't allowed to breathe in their scenes. As if the writers are afraid of having the characters talking for too long in case it gets boring - and that concern is kinda valid because I do see multiple people wondering "Where are the dragons?" /"When will shit start happening?"

This might have been the effect of late GoT' seasons where the writing was poor but the battles and CGI dragons could distract fans who weren't readers or were just casual viewers.

Thing is, at least GoT had good early seasons. Despite all the poor decision making by the end, people were invested in these characters because they had connected to them.

I'm ngl and pretend like hotd doesn't have the disadvantage of having a very short number of episodes but since they were aware of the numbers they were gonna get they could plan around it.

This has been a fandom/critics critique since the last 6-7 episodes of the first season.

jeynearrynofthevale writes [Oct 16, 2022]:

Things I think would’ve improved hotd: - Better pacing with less time jumps. End season 1 with Aemond claiming Vhagar and Luke cutting out his eye. This is a great way to demonstrate how the previous generation has fundamentally influenced their children and that there’s no going back. It establishes that conflict is coming and the sides are becoming more equal in terms of man power. And by having Viserys enforce no punishment while Rhaenyra demands Aemond be tortured, we see why Alicent fears for her children’s lives if Rhaenyra is queen. - Spend way more time on court politics and the buildup of the dance. Show why the two sides are falling the way they do and establish the core issues at play. Spend some more time establishing the characters before time jumps. Maybe give Rhaenyra motivation for ruling in terms of what she wants to do. Have her and Alicent navigate around each other in court. - Take some time to build lore and explain to the general audience what’s going on with the dragons. Maybe have a scene of Laena claiming Vhagar. Show what claiming a dragon means and talk about who has what dragon. - Give some focus to court beyond the Targaryens. What do other lords and ladies there think? Do people still believe rhaenyra should be heiress? Who wants a marriage alliance with Joffrey? Who’s angling for court positions? What does the court actually think of Viserys? - And even more drastically, show a little more of the smallfolk. They play a big role later on and having one or two smallfolk characters we occasionally see and interact with would make the world more rich.

Me? Same, & that is why it is so easy for me and even some people who actually like this show to be engaged in it for the visuals, crumbs of some relationships, as well as straight up fanons or not-so-smart headcanons. Some will argue that they are doing some of this stuff now in season 2...the season with only 8 episodes...when all of the above kind of information in any tv show logically and practically SHOULD ALWAYS be presented in the 1st season if not the first 2 seasons! I mean, this current season is the war era...we should already have a steel graps on who everyone is and who they are to each other and the external perspectives establishing the stakes and the knowledge of the chaarcters we already know. I'm sorry, but this alone makes this show subpar and will always make it so.

Not mid, subpar. Add on the unintentionally built-in sexism, the racism and misogynoir, the flagrant and many inconsistencies stemming from all such, and yeah. Supbar.

And these writers seem to have an inability to problem solve or be able to plan their episodes storylines to connect them to a larger one, thus the inconsistencies and their inability to shape the story better around the strikes. Once agains, they didn't write very well when there were no strikes, so they obviously couldn't really take the pressure such as this.

BTW, Interview with a Vampire came out just fine (excellent even) even with the strike bc they took their time....so....

[waywardsou2]

howdy! this is @stars-n-spice sending you asks for the Bad Batch Ask Game :D

3, 8, 19, 34, & 50! 🩵💫

Ah Thank you so much for sending these in! I'll get to them right away.

First: Question 3 - What’s your favorite episode? Why?

I am stuck between two favourite. Episode 16 of Season 1 and Episode 15 of Season 3. Episode 16 because I loved watching their team work, the desperation and planning, the working together and the massive challenge they overcame. Their home, the only one they had ever known and it was destroyed and they had to make their way through the ruins of their home and birth place to get to safety and freedom. I liked how even though Crosshair was still in the early stages of kissing Empire boot he still remembered they were his brothers, he trust them to get out of there, he trusted omega. And he helped save her. Despite him being pessimistic and moody the whole time and not wanting anything to do with Omega. He. Saved. Her.

And with Episode 15, the finale. It was the end, but it was overall very well done. I was so overcome with so many emotions, but they were good emotions. Rampart getting what he deserved and Nala Se doing what she could till the very end. Emery realising that she could do better than what she had been given by the Empire. Hemlock falling of that bridge. Was so satisfying, he deserved a gruesome death but what we got was still fantastic. Seeing Hunter and Crosshair team up, Wrecker be the absolute beast that he was. The Whumpage we got from the capture of the Crosshiar, Hunter and Wrecker. Echo's team up with Emery. Omega saving those children and releasing the Zilo beast. I could go on and on and this will be way to long if I keep going but you get the jist.

Question 8 - What song(s) do you associate with the Bad Batch?

Hymn for the Weekend - Coldplay (this one just in general idk it fits the vibe in my head)

In the end - Black Veil Brides (for all the cool fight scenes and how hard they fight for each other and their missions)

New Divide - Linkin Park (The tension between Hunter and Crosshair)

Something Real - Post Malone (literally anything sad that happen. TECHHHH)

The Summoning - Sleep Token (the general vibe for everything moody and sad)

Punk Tactics - Joey Valance and Brae (for all the cool fighting montages)

I don't really know how to explain it, they just fit the vibes in my head, listen to them.

Question 19 - What are some head canons you have about Crosshair?

I don't have any yet. I think maybe that he knew about the inhibiter chips long before everything and removed it but witheld it from his brothers. TBH IDK but Crosshair is my favourite so I'll come up with some eventually.

ACUTALLY, that Echo taught him how to cope with his missing hand, yadda, yadda yadda, like I said IDK yet.

Question 34 - Which Batcher would you like to kick in the shins?

Crosshair or Tech. Crosshair for leaving his brothers. The Empire was never going to do good by him and I wish he had seen it like his brothers, I wish he had trusted and listened to them.

And Tech for sacrificing himself! WHY?!?! He never should have died. He didn't deserve it. I want him back.

Question 50 - What are you going to miss most about the show?

I think just all of it in general, I just recently got interested in the show. I wasn't interested in it when it first came out but last week I decided to give it another try and I suddenly became obsessed, and now it's over. And I'm just going to miss all of it. I'm going to miss the comfort and the character development and the dynamics and...just literally everything.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASKS THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

I hope to see you around the fandom haha. May the Force be with you!

[just-a-random-person24]

Woe! More notes apon ye!! Stark's Mind eps 5-8 notes

Episode 5

“Halle-fucking-lujah! even though i'm an atheist.” Again, no comment just noting

“Contacting the rescue team should probably be a sinch.” moments before disaster 2k09

*Zombie burning alive* “Hey can you shut the fuck up? I'm trying to think here, pal” sir you are talking to a zombie. It hasn't even been a day yet

“I think my experiences with mazes has manifested into reality.” why do you just? say shit like this??

“I should've gone to the gym more.” Twink.

again, not about the episode specifically but what the fuck causes those jibs?

“These things are straight out of a bdsm fantasy.” THATS ONE WAY TO DESCRIBE THEM IG

“No you're doing it wrong you don't spit it out! Especially you, David! I paid for that.” It hasn't even been a day yet

“A dog? A space pup??” SPACE PUPPYS (I love the houndeyes)

“And look, I'm responsible for this okay? I have the responsibility to make sure everyone gets out of here safely. You know why? Because I did this.” HE SOUNDED SAD WHEN HE SAID ‘I DID THIS’ AUGH

Episode 6

“Alright valve, time to work your magic! I don't want to be waiting here too long.” something, something Valve jab about Half Life and Portal 3

“We're gonna get out of here safely!” Oh he's being so optimistic right now

“That's a bit chilly.” I hope a frozen room is cold

“And without my glasses, I'm screwed! Why? Because I'm a blind motherfucker.” Average glasses wearer experience 🤝

“I could drown myself, I feel like doing that- I don't feel like living anymore.” babygirl… 😭

“Why am I laughing when I'm killing living organisms?” How many times can I say no comment in one document?

“Or maybe I was insane all along! Let's… not do that.” He's so silly

“If reality had a face, I'd kick it in the fucking dick.” tbh if I was in his place, I probably would too

Episode 7

“That acrophobic feeling is already settling in!” canonically suffers from acrophobia. mood

“This situation came by my hand. It's only appropriate it ends by my hand as well.” You still don't really know how to even close the portal yet… </3

“Do I jump down? No, not yet Black Mesa!” WHY IS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT GOING TO KILL YOURSELF PLEASE GET HELP 💔

“Up is right! But then left would be down… Nevermind.” Why are you taking it so literally (I know what you are ♾️)

short episode, not a lot to say 💔

Episode 8

also sort of short episode rip

“Oh, a revolver huh?” I have 0 clue what version of Black Mesa this ep uses (or mod?), but that's usually a shotgun

“Luckily I've watched enough Clint Eastwood movies to do it, but I'm not sure.” Western movie liker 👈

“Why did they even install this?!” Great question! Why does Black Mesa have a ceiling turret??

[haldoklovitez]

Some HOT D 8===3 thoughts

i feel like (especially for show only watchers) the last seasons of game of thrones (mainly 7, 8, but 6 and 5 contributed a lot too) really ruined some people's idea of how you are able to tell a story using moving picture, understanding of visual story telling and media literacy,

with HOTD s2 airing (only one episode out so far) and it also being mainstream, it attracts a lot of viewers who just want to be entertained, which is completely fine, big dragons on the screen are very cool,

but for some reason these people also very much enjoy starting conversations without actually bothering to analyze the given piece of media, then when someone disagrees, they pick pick fights instead of exchanging different views,

the last seasons of GOT became more about spectacle then coherent story telling, and while the spectacle is also present in HOTD of course, b we also have seen some great examples of story telling via visuals only (connections between cuts, parallels, etc.), so the story, and character's emotions aren't always being told through words, sounds, screams (yea i'm kinda referring to the Haleana scene as well here)

i find the whole "team black or green" stupid on both community's and hbo's side as well, but i also understand that it's good for marketing, even though it sparks the stupidest conversations and takes,

one side isn't better than the other, as it's been said on GOT before as well, vengeance is a vicious cycle breeding misery, which only stops at forgiveness, but because in the last seasons of GOT most vengeful acts saw no repercussions (except when the writers thought it would be a good way to subvert expectations) i guess, people kinda forgor about it,

characters are not going to turn to the camera and explain the reason behind the irrational actions which they are about to commit, the whole point of television and cinema is that you watch, you interpret, and you understand,

written words won't always translate to cinema how you, the viewer want them to, because of runtime and episode limits with weekly airing,

people's attention span has definitely gotten lower, expecting immediate answers and for action to be taken within a single episode,

anyways, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in because these things make me angy