#iconic scene in this show excuse me

[mcbride]

13 years of CAROL PELETIER THE WALKING DEAD 1.03 Tell It To The Frogs (Nov 14, 2010)

[absolutebl]

Pit Babe - it's time for a Trash Watch!

I had to. Well, no I didn't, but COME ON. It's like Thailand is negging me. Let's burn rubber, shall we? Burn rubbers...?

The things I had been told going in about this show:

it's about car racing (this bores me)

it stars Pavel (my BL ult bias, he is my icon for a reason)

it started as an omegaverse y-novel but the A/B/O aspects would be stripped from the BL series

it's high heat

(There some chatter about whether point 3 was a mistranslation of something the author said, but don't bother me with trifles.)

Here's a definition of omegaverse:

Omegaverse, also known as A/B/O (alpha/beta/omega), is a subgenre of speculative erotic fiction, and originally a subgenre of erotic slash fan fiction. Its premise is that a dominance hierarchy exists in humans, which are divided into dominant "alphas", neutral "betas", and submissive "omegas".[1] This hierarchy determines how people interact with one another in romantic, erotic and sexual contexts.[2] (Wikipedia)

In my experience and opinion, omegaverse archetypes and tropes are often used to strip out female characters (and The Feminine) and as a tool to excuse extreme hyper-masculine behaviors without a critical feminist lens (leading to lazy characterization). Just as heat is an excuse to get nkd quickly, A/O/B is often an excuse for taboo and dubious consent actions and behaviors. Do I get why writers/readers enjoy it? Yes I do. Do I personally like it? Not particularly. (Although there are always exceptions.)

Putting all that aside, the above represents my foundational knowledge before Pit Babe started.

Oh and that the familiar BL faces appearing in this show were follows:

Pavel Naret (aka Pavel Phoom) from 2 Moons 2 & Coffee Melody - Pavel is a fluent English speaker, a bit of a drama monger, and a motorcycle rider/car-dude, this role suits him

Nut Supanut from Oxygen & Something in My Room - has an amazing voice, his somewhat wooden acting has improved steadily since Oxygen

Pon Thanapon - one of Star Hunter's stable first seen in the Gen Y series (where he stole the appeal of an intended pair), also v good in Make a Wish, I wish he'd get a lead role as he has a likable screen presence

Pop Pataraphol from La Cuisine - he's playing the Alpha rival and I'm not convinced he's suited to this role

Michael Kiettisak from Love Sick, Oxygen, Call it What You Want, Till the World Ends - playing the comic relief this time rather than his usual tortured stoic... huh

All the rest are either fresh faces or older experienced actors. Interesting mix. They must have some money behind this.

And now, get out your marshmallows! The dumpster is on fire! Let's start the roast.

Episode 1 - Platypus, Pickles, Pavel, & other Smoking Hot Problems

This first segment told with a 4 day retrospect, because I decided to do a trash watch only after @aliceisathome said I should.

My initial reaction:

the sheer audacity of Thailand being like "PitBabe is not omegaverse" and then serving "Alpha" to us on a platter in the first sex scene is

how dare

but also

what the actual fuck is going on? what world are we living in where a/b/o is LIVE ACTION ON OUR SCREENS?

we getting heat, knotting & mpreg next?

apparently this is my reality now

I'm not sure what weird quantum time stream I've jumped into but someone was all,

yes the whole world is hella screwed, but also...

Thailand has decided live action mm fanfic is gonna win it the culture wars

and I'm beginning to think they may be right

BL is now the platypus of the film industry

4 days later:

Considering how much chatter this caused there's a part of me that wondered if it was all intentional and a marketing ploy (to say it wasn't omegaverse when obviously it is). In which case... brilliant Machiavellian tactics, production.

But Thai studios are rarely this calculated in their promo. So I think it's all accidental. But it certainly caused a raucous few days on Tumblr.

On a completely different note, Babe's house looks like it started life as a particularly inventive Olive Garden. Or is that just me?

More random thoughts:

Pavel has had work done, why honey? You were the definition of perfect.

The smell thing is great, I love stuff to do with scent and necks. If omegaverse brings this to the table, fine. But...

Being all Alpha perfect butch manly man = I do not like Babe at all, I kinda want him to be brought down a peg. (Woo... pegging!) I never like narratives that glorify the captain of the football team (side eyes Cdrama CEO romances and Love O2O), Babe better have depth and damage (forget the pegging) of some kind or his behavior will get old FAST, faster than he drives (also, forget the pegging idea)

Nut is ideal in the Beta role. I mean, that's Way's character right? We all can see that. If it's not intentional, it's a miscast. I love how soft he is as as screen presence. He's great in this part.

None of the other characters are sticking out to me yet, but I'm prepared to love the side dishes in this, please make them swoon worthy!

I'm glad they didn't hold the Charlie = trickster reveal off, I like knowing he is a double agent up front.

Finally, with respect to an adequate trash watch, I'm in a pickle.

How am I going to drink for this show when there is so much else airing on Frigay? I can't keep track, if I'm drunk.

I need a strategy for this trash fire if the puns and snark are to spout forth! (HA Fourth!)

Controlled burn?

Anygay, see you all next week.

Episode 2 - Side Dish Addiction + Second Lead Syndrome are both infecting me at once

[FYI I gotta have my backup computer to watch this so that's why Imma sometimes be delayed getting the trash out to the curb.]

3 minutes! 3 minutes in and I needed to pause and wax snarkful. (Ouch, bet that hurts. Is waxing snark similar to a Brazilian but for BL? Is that why they all so hairless in The Sign?... I digress, where was I?)

Okay so the subber said Daddy but I don't think that word means what they think it means. Because Way said simply nong paa.

Usually they'll use the English word Daddy (pronounced Dah-deee) for, ya know, Actual Daddies (tm).

Wait wait:

Calling Daddy Actual

(My dumb sci-fi loving arse will see myself out the back before I start drawing Battlestar Galactica = Pit Babe connections. TOO FAR ABL. Too far.)

Look, I like the tension in this show. It's good to set up an unlikeable Alpha dog and then immediately turn him into an underdog, makes him a bit more likable. I still don't like Babe, but now at least I'm on his side.

Charlie = cute but v sus. Fortunately for him, Babe = cute but v thick.

Everyone calls Charlie Babe's dek. Yes sounds a bit like what you think but also means kid/child and SHOULD be translated as boy in this show. Why doesn't the subber get that? They a sub...ber after all. (I'll see myself out.)

Honestly, the script writers might know what they are doing with abo but our eng sub translator sadly does NOT. I'm so glad this is coming now in my BL watching life. When my ear and knowledge of Thai is so much better than it once was. Others much be SO CONFUSED.

Snicker. They just fucking with us, but it's fun to watch the mpeg speculation abound.

File this one under: Thailand's trouble with ESL plurals and also "you should have Pavel helping with these subs" sweethearts.

Production knows entirely what it's doing with this show and its omegaverse shizz (even if the subber doesn't) and I am very much enjoying the online carnage that results.

This dumpster fire continues off screen into the blogosphere and I continue to roast things over it.

Meanwhile, hi Pon! You so adorable! When you gonna lead out a BL for us?

Is Idol Factory stealing all of Star Hunter's talent? Are they the Red Racers of the BL world? These are the questions I ask myself as I watch this.

Is that AGE GAP I smell before me?

Is the 20 yr old college kid meant for the pit boss? Cause you all know I am a slut for age gaps.

Moment of a/b/o: Jeff's fear of touch/heightened personal space would be a plot marker for "baby doesn't want Alphas close cause he smells like an omega" but of course this show it not omegaverse. Not omegaverse at all.

nuh-uh

Linguistic corner!

Lung (sounds a bit like loo) is uncle(ish) it means basically a male relation older than phi. So Alan is the oldest in the crew.

Alan calls Jeff nu (which the subber translated as boy I would have gone with cutie or little one). Nu is a diminutive affectionate term that's technically gender neutral but is most often used by/on cute girls/women. Jeff did NOT like it. Then Alan sort of dodges through pronouns/particles settling on phi for I, ger for you, and ja for a particle. This is interesting because ger & ja kinda lower his age and status into a casual sphere. Not more intimate more equal to jeff... fascinating.

I love the new "Korean" red racer, he drinks my brand of soy milk. He is now my baby snake in the grass.

Get it? Snake.

He and Babe should end up together.

The fight wasn't bad, do both actors have kickbox training in their backgrounds?

Who am I kidding, I care only about Uncle Alan and Nu Jeff now. All others are irrelevant to me.

Also...

WHERE IS A BOY FOR WAY?!!! Or a Daddy. I do not care. (Methinks nether does he.)

I am now captain of the Way Appreciation Society. Let's all find a way... to get him some dick.

Also the BTS stingers are tons of fun. Looks like the set was a blast.

Finally, and I mean this kindly. Why isn't Noh Phouluang in this? He should have been cast as Winner. Bah. I'm biased.

But one should be with Noh.

Episode 3 - Side Dishes Delux

Gayest bridge n Thailand has made its obligatory appearance.

How much do I love uncle & nu? They are SO damn cute. Also nu flustered is the best kind of nu.

I could not care less about Babe and Charlie. Except I do love the smell thing.

Way will break my heart by getting his broken. He is right tho.

Tra la la. I feel like this is a bit like KP 2.0.

Charlie is a such a princess (and ace manipulator). Good thing Babe clearly likes being buttered up.

Babe's backstory was more interesting than I expected, I didn't think we would go so far into the paranormal side of a/b/o. I like it and I hope they lean into it quite a bit more. Make it part of the plot.

Unlike the kissing thing which seems to have been gotten over rather quickly.

I gotta say I'm enjoying the corporate sponsorship jockeying and tension more than I thought I would. I'm curious as to who Jef and Charlie are working for and what their motivation is. The plot itself is keeping me intrigued and that is rare for me with BL.

So no trash talk this ep, I was largely absorbed and entertained. I didn't event need booze. Shocking behavior on my part.

#giveWayaboy2023

Episode 4 - I (who never ship) am shipping the impossible

Here’s the thing. I just want this to be a better story than it is. Right now it’s kind of like a soap opera. I don’t hate lakorn, I really don't. To Sir With Love is a glorious chewing of the diamanté scenery (completed with death glitter). But...

If this is gonna be a soap opera it needs to lean into the messy side more than the tailored high concept side. Support characters and evil needs more screen time.

Instead, right now, I don’t know where I am with this show because it doesn't know where it wants to be. I’m kind of dangling in the middle of a dirty situation. It’s uncomfortable for me, and the show feels uncomfortable for the performers. 

Also... I have questions.

Yes, of course I want to know what Charlie & Jeff are up to. Why can Jeff see the future?

But more importantly I NEED to know why Babe has a flying saucer bed?

That kind of lighting makes nobody look good, especially not at that angle. It’s very traumatic and I’m not wild about the shag rug either. I have concerns about Babe's taste. I guess is what I am saying. 

On a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT note:

There’s absolutely no chemistry to justify this, but I have decided that I am going to personally advocate for, and ship, Way and the interloping not-really-Korean. They are both sort of own-moral-code types. I have tiny crush on Kim, and Nut is the prettiest, and Way is Best Boy so there it is, I would like them to hook up, please & thank you.

#giveWay2Kim2023

Arrow guy is cute, too. Will we get to see him bone?

Is he going to be another one of the adopted alpha super-kid pets?

What the hell, throw Arrow Boy a bone! All hot boys in BLs deserve bones.

Plot thickens.

Hah.

Thickens.

(I am an immature idiot.)

Episode 5 - wait wait way-t, can arrow boy have Way?

Look, BLabies, I didn’t get any screen caps this episode because frankly there wasn’t anything worth capturing.

I guess Charlie really does love Babe? Very dramatic if idiotic saving from the burning car. But Babe has gone to the broken Alpha place of extremely unlikeablability (frankly he was almost there at the start). If I were Charles B Spectacled I would be OUT by now. 

Is that?

NO.

Don't get the plastic bowl.

No white towel sponge bath. Please kill this trope.  

I mean, it's not as bad as singing, but that's because NOTHING is as bad as singing in a Thai BL.

AND the main boys are back together.

I don’t find their relationship or Babe’s lack of senses a particularly interesting aspect of the plot.

Unless, of course, Babe is pregnant and that's why he lost his Alpha sniffer.

BUT I do love the sides.

Jeff = the introvert precog who can’t/wont do people and Alan = the extrovert people person who WANTS but doesn’t understand him. 

Were Jeff and Charlie ALSO raised by Evil Daddy MacEvilPants? 

I liked the way Arrow CEO & Way looked at each other. Way, hon, give up on Babe (he sucks) and get thyself a billionaire bf with great aim and BDE.

On a completely different note, the best thing about this show is the blooper reel. That thing with the green smoothie going down his pants was hilarious!

In conclusion, this was a green smoothie down the pants episode. I was entertained, and it’s probably gonna be good for the plot in retrospect, but it was kind of squishy and unpleasant at the time.

Episode 6 - Are they actually listening to us now? Is Tumblr bugged?

This was a fun ep full of like actual racing and shizz.

Whatever.

Charlie is on the team now. All the teams, apparently.

Can we talk about Jeff and Alan?

The apology scene! Did you hear that Alan dropped to chan/ger? Eeeee!!! So cute. (He equalized their relationship in a soft way.)

Get it with that language play hottie. Next up: lengua play.

Please & thank you. 

Meanwhile, as all of the Internet knows, they went fully in for omegaverse - no bars.

I have to say, one of the greatest typos (or whatever) in existence is enigma instead of omega.

That's where I personally would rank in the omegaverse.

Hello, my gender is... enigma.

 Apparently it's a/b/o and sometimes e!  Also sometimes switch-ee 

Oh I'm very proud of myself with that one.

Funfunfun

Charlie. Babes. When a man asks to be thrown up against the wall. You throw him against that wall.

OMG is that arrow boy looking at Way in the bar?

3 seconds later.

Noooo.

Wait come back.

Noooooo.

That’s what I actually want to watch! 

OMG. Who said nu was the first step to teelak?

I flipping love Alan. 

Ah the boyfriend ep. Thank you, but I still don't trust Charlie.

Poor Way.

But nice crying jag, and I don’t say that often in Thai BL.

Now let him go, Way.

A boy with his arrows is waiting. 

(source)

Note for the future: tumblr has a bug that stops allowing edits after a certain time/number, thus my full trash often occur in 2 segments as a result. Click on the "abl trash watches bl" tag for the full thing if you're reading this and later episodes are missing.

[aangarchy]

Alright. I've rewatched the trailer like 20 times by now and i've been processing it.

First things first: anyone that's gonna talk shit about Gordon Cormier is gonna have to go through me first. I've only had Gordon!Aang for a day and a half and if anything happens to him i'll kill everyone here and then myself got it?

Just look at him! This is the exact big eared cute little kid i wanted them to cast for Aang. He looks adorable and honestly his outfit is growing on me.

The glowing arrow looked cool as hell. I like that the light spread through his tattoo almost like veins. I'm still curious on how the full avatar state is gonna look, how they're gonna get the glowing eye effect. Please don't let it look goofy.

Y'know what does look goofy?

Is it better than the m night shyamalan appa? I guess. Does that mean it looks good? Well.... at least momo sort of looks cute instead of some folklore nightmare like in shyamalan's version. But also you can tell in this shot in particular that it's very green screen-y

Then we go over to the bending, the limited shots we have of it. Mainly firebending was shown (a little airbending too but kinda hard to get a stillframe for that one)

Idk how to feel about it. In screenshots it looks alright but the shots while they were moving looked a bit off, especially the one where zuko's kicking. We only got very limited shots and that's intentional. I feel like the bigger cgi fails are gonna show up once we get the full show. If the bending looked good all the time i feel like they'd be showing it off by now.

What i don't like, is how apparently they're gonna SHOW Zuko getting burned. Like sure in atla they didn't bc kids show and Nickelodeon wouldn't allow it, and netflix can take darker turns if they so please. But i personally always felt that scene made so much impact because we didn't see it. Iroh is telling it from his memory and he didn't look when it happened, so we don't see it either. It's like a courtesy the show extends to both Zuko and the audience. We just hear the harrowing scream, and that's enough to know how devastating it is. I don't need a dramatic overlook so we can see the whole thing in detail, netflix.

Another thing is the hair in some scenes.

Daniel dae kim looked better in that promo photo, bc here you can just see how the bulky goatie was glued on. And then Sokka's hair..... where's the ponytail? It's laying completely flat against his head... why? Is it bc that's Ian's hair and they didn't know what to do with it? Literally get a comb and tease that bitch. This is like the complete opposite of Jackson Rathbone's hair in the shyamalan version, and somehow that full maybelline ponytail makes more sense than this sad excuse of a tail. Either way at least Suki looked dope.

Another thing i found weird about the trailer is the narration. I think it's either Iroh's voice or maybe Gyatso's? (I haven't heard Iroh's actor talk yet so idk, but it felt like it was being said TO either Aang or Zuko) but the lines they gave him... it felt like some weird mumbo jumbo tbh. Something something about the past and present being the same and it's up to us to know the difference and be the difference? It's saying everything and nothing at the same time and it felt kind of out of place. They're probably saving the iconic opening narration done by Katara for the full trailer (i hope???) but still they could have just gone with music, or maybe just a few iconic existing lines?

The music? Fire. Nothing needs to be added there. Was i kind of hoping for a different soundtrack? Maybe a bit. But am i mad? Not at all. They clearly took the nostalgia route with the more epic version of the avatar theme, and i can only respect them for that.

So far, very mixed reviews for me. I'm morbidly curious and very nosy by nature though, so i'm absolutely watching.

[sillypiratelife]

They didn't have to go completely out on the bond between Zoro and Nami the way they did in opla. They didn't have to prove that Zoro is the man for the first mate job or that Nami was good at hiding it, but she was desperate for someone to share her burden with her, all in one scene.

Back to back scenes Luffy breaking down Sanji's walls gently and Zoro breaking down Nami's walls subtly. Luffy hypes Sanji to help him see just how amazing he truly is and how much he can achieve if he allows himself to go after his dream. It's not that complicated for him, not at all. Zoro has been observing Nami for a while and decides to "play a game" using his fake ego to drag Nami in it, until Nami is talking about herself and sharing— Zoro shares his pieces too, not worried if he was losing or anything because that was not even his goal.

When Sanji says "it's complicated", Luffy shrugs and asks "is it really, tho?"

When Nami says "you wouldn't understand what I'm going through", Zoro offers a drink and goes "try me, then"

When Usopp was scrambling to find a reason not to leave his village, Zoro told him to get on the ship already and Luffy stood there questioning him until Usopp admitted he wanted to stay for and with Kaya.

Luffy and Zoro tear down their excuses like it's the easiest thing in the world. Maybe it's the fact that they don't have a doubt in their bodies when it comes to their own dreams or life choices, maybe it's the fact they don't do regrets. Either way, it's impressive to watch them work synchronized in parallel without having a clue.

The bond between Luffy and Nami is iconic and every version of One Piece is careful to show that. The same with the bond between Luffy and Zoro.

But the bond between Zoro and Nami is equally important and powerful and amazing, okay?

Okay!

[chrollohearttags]

I cannot get over hard shelled detective eren and his pretty, eccentric P.I. rival turned girlfriend! An iconic duo me thinks 😫

cw: black!fem reader, sexual content, mean eren, just a lil thought while I finish up my next commission

detective eren! is a notorious asshole, around the city and the force but he’s the best at his job. Top graduate in the academy and highly decorated at only 27 years old.

detective eren! solves almost any case he’s put on but he doesn’t work well with others, not even his three partners he’s been assigned.

detective eren! who finds himself at the scene of a gruesome crime one day is quick to pick out all inconsistencies and evidence, thinking he has it in the bag. He wastes no time directing all the officers and giving orders.

“Get this down to the lab, have them run prints and tell them I want it by this afternoon.”

detective eren! who’s in the midst of interviewing witnesses is shocked when he hears another voice doing the exact same thing but it’s not one he recognizes. It’s when he turns to see a woman in a pink plaid skirt, white turtleneck and thigh high boots so he figures you to be a reporter or inquisitive mind, getting in the way.

“Excuse me, this is a crime scene. I need you to wait with the other press.” “Oh, I’m no reporter, sweetheart. I’m (y/n) (l/n)..private detective. It’s nice to meet you.”

detective eren! who’s rarely if ever swayed by anyone or impressed by anything is immediately taken aback by your presence. The larger than life personality and pretty face..he’s captivated. Even so, he has a job to do.

detective eren! who finds himself stumped on this latest case frustrated when he can’t figure out the missing piece of the puzzle decides to do the one thing he can’t stand: interact with people to get more information.

detective eren! cross paths with private investigator (y/n) once more when he starts questioning people down at a infamous club but gets no response.

“Sweetheart, you’re not going to get any info talking to people like that. This is the Southside. Know who you’re dealing with before you come demanding things, pretty boy detective.” I don’t need some little girl playing Sherlock lecturing me. Sit this one out.”

detective eren! who gets so flustered when you one up him in solving the case and it keeps occurring. So much so, his reputation as a detective is brought into question.

detective eren! who can’t understand why someone so silly and whimsical is so good at this decided to confront you at your office one day.

“I want to know how you did it. What the hell did you do to solve this case?! There’s no way you can keep beating me!”

detective eren! who’s always so tense and serious doesn’t know how to handle your calm demeanor, especially when you hand him the missing piece of evidence that he had discarded as useless. But you don’t rub it in his face, rather..you offer to help him! But he’s stubborn as hell.

“It was right under your nose this entire time, pretty boy detective.”

detective eren! finds himself caving when you brush the side of his face, run your finger down his chest and bat those big brown eyes at him. With that sweet angelic voice. It’s easy to see why you’re able to get information out of anyone.

“I don’t see why we have to be at odds, sweetheart. We’re doing the same job so why not work together, hmm? Can we be friends, Detective Jaeger?”

detective eren! can’t resist you any longer finally caves and gives into your charm. In more ways than one…

detective eren! who can’t keep his eyes or hands off of you as you corner him against the desk in your office. Knowing that he’s watched you strut around in those cute little outfits that show off your body, he can’t help but to pull those platinum blonde butterfly locs that compliment that beautiful brown skin so well as he bends you over and hits you from the back.

“God, you’re far less annoying when you’re moaning my name.”

detective eren! who realizes he can’t quit you even if he wanted to now, always looks forward to seeing you on the scene of the crime, even if your hyperactive ass works his last nerve. But he knows you’ll always come through when he needs you.

“Bestie, I got a new lead for you. Wanna hear it?” “I made you come four times last night, (y/n). Do not call me bestie.”

detective eren! finally found someone to be his partner in crime and in life.

[gabessquishytum]

When Hob put in notice of his let's call it retirement, resignation if you will, he wasn't expecting a "good" reaction from his employers.

Hob was an assassin, one of the best in the game, one of the most successful for his employers, why would they be happy to have him quit.

So he made it big (there might have been a few bombs) and he might have taken out an information hub, then he found an off the grid tropical island to relax and do nothing but (badly) fish.

He hoped they would just let him go after his loud exit, but didn't have high hopes. The first few guys they sent were, well, not that good, which honestly, was great for Hob.....he only got a little beat up and could deal easy.

Then they sent The Sandman. Hob, privately, he was the absolute best - not that he would tell the stuck up (fantastic lay) to his face. They had one steamy night when the company double booked a job, all they could do at the time was wait for new orders -- they spent it working out their frustrations with each others bodies. It. Was. Glorious. By the time Hob let himself fall asleep, he knew every inch of The Sandman's, Dream's body and that only made him hungrier.

When he woke up the next morning, Dream was gone and the job was done. Hob didn't want to think his heart was broken, but it totally was. Hob wouldn't admit it to anyone, but losing even the chance to fight for more of Dream's time because of the job was part of why he lost the taste for it. He should be allowed to find happiness; Dream should be able to find happiness, even if it wasn't with Hob.

Then Dream disappeared and any information Hob could find listed him as captured or KIA - a job gone bad. Hob really was heart broken then,,,,it was time to go.

Seeing Dream walk into Hob's local dive bar was a shock. He had a few new scars, ones that Hob can see and probably many more that Hob could not see, covered by clothes; he looked like he went through hell. All Hob wanted to do was hold him..........but he was prepared to fight for his life if he had to; and he hoped that Dream would let him save him too. It couldn't be to late to save them both, it just couldn't!

*

*

*

*

Hob wins, of course he does -- Dream wants him, just as much as Hob wants Dream...... and for a while they get to live their best (loving) lives, when the company sends the Corinthian to get both of them.

This really, really made me think of one of my favourite movies, the latest James Bond film - No Time To Die. James goes off to "retire" in the Caribbean and live his best life until he runs into the woman who is essentially his replacement. Just the scene where they go to the bedroom, James thinks it's gonna get sexy and she whips of her wig??? Iconic, I can totally see Dream doing that.

And I love the idea of Dream showing up to kill Hob, but instead ends up getting persuaded into a romantic entanglement and a lot of steamy sex on the beach. Each time Dream reaches for his gun, Hob gives him a reason to postpone until later (mainly by sucking Dream’s soul out through his cock, until he's forced to admit that he doesn't really want to kill Hob at all). If they do get into some kind of fight, it's definitely more homoerotic than deadly. All that grappling is just an excuse to squeeze the hoboobies.

The Corinthian is quite peeved when he shows up and Hob more or less just says "Look, you can try to kill us, or you can have a lot of gay sex with us and then move to the island next door so the company cant get you." The Corinthian would quite like to have gay sex AND kill them, and he doesn't appreciate being forced to choose. At the end of the day though, it's two against one.

The company keeps sending assassins. Dream and Hob treat them like anniversary gifts. And continue having as much gay sex as possible while they're still alive and well <3

[vanellopes-mun]

Vanellope VS. Turbo: A Mini Analysis!

There are a million reasons why Turbo’s reveal in Disney’s Wreck-it Ralph is such an iconic and memorable scene. A scene that I and many others have replayed ever since 2012 and its impact has never left our minds. It solidified King Candy/Turbo as one of Disney's top villains ever created, surprising and shocking viewers with a plot twist that Disney hasn’t been able to overthrow with their other movies before they abandoned villains until King Magnifico but he sucks so. He WISHES he was as charismatic as King Candy plz-

But this analysis isn’t just about King Candy/Turbo, it’s also about Vanellope Von Schweetz. She’s the most important ingredient to making this scene work and play out the way it does and ultimately why it’s so fucking cathartic. ( More so than Ralph’s fight against Cy-Bug Turbo in my opinion) After watching how it was originally story boarded, the crew behind WiR perfected this scene with a specific detail that they changed. In the early storyboard, Vanellope causes King Candy’s vehicle to crash, causing him to glitch and transform into Turbo in front of the cameras. While I love love love the extended race between Vanellope and King Candy and sort of wished it could have been longer in the actual film, I am content that they didn’t go with the direction. In the movie, King Candy is revealed after trying to beat/kill Vanellope with his horn rod/pole thingy from his kart, she grabs it and glitches due to stress/adrenaline/her emotions, her blue glitch traveling through the cane and making contact with King Candy, finally putting down the facade he had on for 15 years and revealing him as Turbo to the characters in the film and the audience. It’s such a small detail, it only happens in a second, but it’s all it took for the start of his downfall and his eventual demise. 

And this is why it brings me catharsis every time I watch this scene. I could never put it into words before, but it’s beyond satisfying that the end of King Candy’s horrible reign starts with Vanellope and her glitch. The very same glitch that he caused trying to delete her code and remove her place from the game. The glitch that he used as an excuse to turn everyone in Sugar Rush against her. He usurped her throne and tried to ruin her life. Despite this, he still had the audacity to shout “Get off of MY track!” earlier. It brings his Roadblasters incident back up, it was his choice, trying to steal the thunder of another racing game that just got plugged in because he couldn’t stand the idea of anyone taking his place, only for Turbo Time and Roadblasters to be unplugged. All of this circling back and biting him in the ass. Vanellope was the key all along and he knew it, he feared her despite never really having a conversation with her as far as we know (Vanellope asking Turbo “What the-?! Who are you!?” leads me to believe that if they did converse in the past, it was not in his true form and he was most likely already King Candy. Plus it just goes to show how fast he hijacked Sugar Rush), but you can just tell by how desperate he was to keep her from racing, he didn’t want anyone to take his place ever again. 

So the scene continues and his famous line and breakdown goes as this: “I’m Turbo! The greatest racer ever! And I did not reprogram this world to let YOU and that halitosis riddled warthog TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!” It’s just so ironic, unfair and hypocritical of him it makes my blood boil! And the way he’s raising his voice, jabbing his finger at her and Vanellope’s trying to shrink away from him as he yells at her face before he tries to murder her I just- So cruel, scary, wicked and disturbing! But Vanellope, this brave WARRIOR, is reminded of her glitch after Turbo calls her for what he believes is the last time. “End of the line, Glitch!” She takes a moment, everything slows down around her as she tries to control her glitch to escape Turbo. She glitches away, missing the wall and It ends up saving her life! I just cannot stress enough how beautiful that is! She used her disability, that everyone thought would simply doom her and the game, and embraced it when she needed it most. Her glitch, while it was suddenly given to her by circumstances she couldn’t control or prevent, she took control back. It’s her beautiful superpower and it’s empowering. After this scene, it’s the “end” of Turbo before he gets nom’d by a Cy-Bug. ( I want to note that he later says “I’m the most powerful VIRUS in the arcade”, part of me wants to believe he said that because clearly Vanellope bested him as the greatest racer ever but I doubt that was their intention lol)

They’re the embodiment of Selfishness vs. Selflessness. While Vanellope had everything taken away from her, she didn’t follow the same path as him. Turbo had everything taken from him, but it was his fault and he only ever thought about himself, never about the destruction he left behind. Hell, all she ever wanted was to be one of the racers, no matter how much they bullied her and ostracized her, she never ended up being evil like him even though it would be a perfect recipe to become a villain, this is also what makes her a mirror to Ralph.  (Remember in that one deleted scene where she said she wanted to break the racers’ legs but come on can you blame her!?!?! She was so real for saying that.) VANELLOPE IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER EVER AAAA. 

Before I ramble any further, I will forever love the choices that the writers made for the climax and it just ends up being an absolutely perfect and brilliant scene and I will continue to rewatch for the millionth time. 

[offshore-brinicle]

I don't know much about Iori, but do you think that she'd end up in/directly opposing Hermann, given the latter's 'wanting to destroy the mirror worlds' thing?

It would also be a nice way to loop her back into the story so Vergie can suffer again and also because she is very pretty.

I mean, it's pretty heavily implied Iori is somehow connected to the events of Limbus with Ruina's deleted ending scene having her propose making a company of E.G.O users to the Hana Association, and Lion, Panther and Wolf were her underlings too as said by Vergillius and the color of their name tags & outfits including these purple snake things in their designs, they are better seen in Vellmori's concept art since it seems she was actually the character designer for these three in specific rather than Nai_Ga like usual going by these sketches

Actually even more interestingly in the topic of Iori and her power of travelling through multiple possibilities and how that is definitely connected to the mirror worlds there's a few details pointed out by Korean users

In Ruina, all of the guests to the library have their own icon/emblem/logo representing them, Iori being such a big deal as The Purple Tear gets her own, and now fastforward to Limbus and compare and contrast the shape of Iori's logo to Yi Sang's mirror he showed the League, a purple circle framed by three lines in the exact same angle.

Even more is that some time ago I came across a tweet pointing out this detail from an official Iori standee where she's seen reading a book which on closer inspection the user had figured out was in fact meant to be a copy of the original Korean text of The Wings (I can no longer access the tweet since they seem to have deleted their account or changed @, but I had the image saved the image comparison on Discord. I looked into it and it was released last November too but the preview pic is so small I can't get a better look

Either way thanks for giving me an excuse to share this information I deadass always forget to talk and I think it's extremely interesting and way too specific for it all to be coincidental

[turtleofdamascus]

In praise of the non-canon moments in sab2 and my ratings:

Just want to appreciate these moments the writers added cuz idk I feel like they do understand the characters. It’s like watching fanfic. Hot take: I sometimes like them so much more or just as much as the canon scenes taking place.

kanej chapel scene in s1

iconic. One of the best non-canon things they added to show Inej's first kill. And it be for Kaz. AHH and in a chapel. The symbolism. The emotion. And of course the delivery of Kaz saying "Look at me" while leaning in but not touching. 10000/10

Nina and Kaz fake couple scene

I'm dying I cannot with this scene. This is perfect. I always wanted a fake dating scene in the books. And this was perf. "He's all hands" and Kaz's face looking slightly terrified and horrified. Also ahhh him having to take off his gloves to do the tea ritual. I gasped. It was so surreal. And then Inej watching tear tear. 9000/10

Kaz panicking at tea time

I gasped when I saw this. I think this was insane. Cuz in the books, all we get that is similar is the... prison carriage scene. But this- this seems even more exposed. Kaz panicking and then putting his hand down and then, Nina putting her hand on him and Kaz looking terrified then running through the streets and then Inej carrying him and... then him curled up holding his cane without his gloves and Inej being there to give his gloves and witnessing it. Ahhh like first of all, looks like a nightmare for kaz but dang idk if we get such a scene capturing the vulnerability of kaz ahh. The writers knew exactly how to torture him. It's so crazy bc Freddy can play him with nerves of steel but then in a puddle of fear and I'm in awe. The shaking and the curling up in the corner. I'm in tears. 10000!/10

Wylan monologue on butterflies

This was hilarious and very Wylan. So nerdy. 900/10

- feeding the team butterflies… ummm

I don't know if this brought me out of the show, bc it was so bizarre. But ahhh Inej on top of kaz trying feed him a butterfly while he's having a nightmare was just-- ahhh most strange situation I could think of but also ahhh the angst. I was screaming no don’t touch kazzz. I guess the scene was another excuse to torture Kaz and I ate it up. AHHH the fact the only inej could help him. 900/10

-the Jesper and wylan piano tuning

Also such a random scene but I loved it so much. Lol the fact that wylan pretends they're piano tuners bahaha. And then he congratulates Alby's playing and then proceeds to show off. Such a fun scene. 9000/10

Jesper being in prison carriage scene

Screaming crying and throwing up. when i saw this in the first episode. I gasped and in the first 5 minutes AHH. What. Idk i kinda loved that jesper was there. There's so much trust in their relationship and seeing kaz struggle right in front of jesper was so painful. Ahh him gasping for breath and trying to hide it. Is heartbreaking. And then Jesper being like "boss", and then "kaz" and his eyes being so concerned for his friend and calling for help. I cry. 10000/10

Hallucination scene

Once again performed beautifully. The stares. The "May I" and then gently pressing Inej to him. The hand on the cheek. And Inej giving him the intent stare. The soft kiss. UMM. I don't like that it's a hallucination. But i do find it fascinating to compare the "I want you" of this and the actual "I want you". THEY are BOTH delivered similarly. So in some ways,,,, I see this as a look into a future. Not unrealistic. If we never got a "real" I want you. I would be angrier. so for that it gets points back. WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE A KANEJ KISS> 9000/10

Also some thoughts on canon moments brought to life perfectly:

Kanej "I want you" church scene

“You,Inej, you…. To die buried underneath” Kaz never said it but ahh his eyes looking so ... distant and his lips forming the words and then the delivery of the "To die buried..." with his eyes rolling upward. Perfect. Perfectly delivered. AHHH. Freddy understands Kaz.

"I want you" - Idk how freddy can go from being the most monstrous looking person to turning his eyes into these round boyish eyes. So... open and round. And ahh you can see Kaz trying... so hard to show he's giving his all. And then when he takes his gloves away and you can see his shuddering breath. Ahh

"Gloves on" delivered so sadly and brutally. Amita's eyes so... yearning but letting him down. Ahh felt like a breakup. Almost made me wish they cut the line. Because the show!kaz was trying to hard. I kind of wish in some way they didn't say this canon line lol. I want Inej to see he's trying.

And then when Inej leaves... and we are left looking at Kaz. His eyes watering. And looking so heartbroken. Stab me.

This was delivered perfectly. I-chef’s kiss.

The Dregs fight

Ahh the fight was amazing and stunning with the speed ramping. And kaz using his cane to lift a chair and slamming his cane into people faces. Chef's kiss. Freddy giving his all. THIS IS BRUTAL KAZ I NEEDED. YESSS feral kaz. How did i deserve this 100000/10

Pekka Rollins revenge scene

UMM... Freddy/Kaz gave it his all. And I bow before him like Pekka. AHHHH. The glares. The delivery of every line from the books UMM. Praise. "Buried." "Six feet deep" . Also seeing Kaz getting beat up was so painful but ahhh performed so well. The framing of the shot where Pekka bows before him... and it's silent almost. It looks like a painting. I'm stunned. Also the delivery of the line "quitclaim for inej ghafa" AHHH. Ahh idk... the protectiveness. 10000000/10. AMazing showstopping. I can't believe they plucked it from the books.

[bimyself06]

Ok so here's the thing many Green Fans need to understand. Every single time there's been conflict between the Greens and the Blacks in the show (I would say F&B too but I haven't read it so if there are instances of this happening in the books let me know) it's because the Greens instigated the conflict.

During Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding Alicent wears her "iconic" green dress and interrupts the king in the middle of his speech taking the spotlight away from the bride and groom(whose wedding let's remember is happening because she married the king and he needs to make amends with the groom's family for snubbing their valyrian daughter in favor of the daughter of a second son) and then Sir Crispin attacked a knight under House Velaryon's employment who is also a member of nobility, killed him and put the Royal Family and their guest in danger.

(This one is going to have many people coming for my throat pointing out how Daemyra were literally having sex during this event) During Laena's funeral none of the Greens are wearing the proper mourning color, black. I've Googled and zoomed at the scenes were they appear and all of them are dressed in green, a very dark green but still green. Sir Crispin I can excuse he is(as much he really should have lost his job if not his head a long time ago with his actions and attitude) in active duty as a member of the Kingsguard and is in uniform, therefore he cannot wear black and kids are well kids, Alicent and Otto have no excuse however. It would have been like Rhaenys and Corlys dressing themselves and their kids in blue at Aemma's funeral. Then later that night Aemond sneaks out to where Vhagar is resting to claim her after just attending the funeral of the dragon's last rider, without asking for permission or the deceased rider's family's blessing or letting Rhaena try to claim Vhagar. This and his taunts are what causes the fight that leads to him loosing his eye. Then hours or minutes later it's Alicent who attacks first, not Daemon (who just found out that the grandson of the man he hates claimed his late wife's dragon and attacked his daughters), not Corlys or Rhaenys(just buried their daughter, her dragon has been claimed, and their grandchildren and heir attacked in their own home), not Rhaenyra (who's sons have been attacked and who just recently lost a man she loved as well as a good friend(the directors may not have shown this in favor of rhaenicent friendship but Laena and Rhaenyra were friends possibly lovers in the book) and currently has her former friend demand the eye of her child who was your defending his brother and his cousins).

During the dinner scene it was Aemond and Aegon who started things, or well Aegon tried to start things. Yes Luke was laughing as the pig was brought in, but has it ever occurred to anyone that he may have been talking to Rhaena and Baela or maybe even Daemon and his mom and one of them told a joke he found funny enough to laugh; literally everyone was laughing in that scene but Aemond and Aegon. But no Aemond didn't stop to think for a second and instead decided to insult his nephews and by result his sister.

The war is self explanatory. I have seen many green stans say how the greens never wanted war, but let's all remember that they were the one's who started everything by killing all of Rhaenyra's supporters who didn't bend the knee to Aegon, killing Luke while he was acting as a messenger which I'm pretty sure is taboo and considered a big no no in Westeros with out considering the whole kinnslaying thing.

Literally everything that goes wrong for the greens is brought upon them by their own actions and decisions. Jace and Luke's "bullying" of Aemond is also instigated by a member of team green, Aegon. Alicent is fully aware yet she does nothing to stop it just let's it continue.

[bennett-mikealson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3arAh1DNiPM

Kat even mentions in this video how close her and Claire was. So it's just down right cruel to utilize that on-screen. Also about her and Paul, them being a trio in season 4 would have been iconic and make that season way less garbage.

Exactly, why try to focus pointless friendships between Rebekah and Caroline or Rebekah and Elena when you already establish that Caroline and Elena didn’t like Rebekah instead of giving us bonbekah moments.

This reminds me of the same thing that happened with Klonnie. Before Joseph was given a love interest on the show him and Kat made it know that they got along well behind the scenes. Kat even talked about how she caught Joseph watching a Klonnie shipping video (making it know that they both were aware that people were shipping their characters together). They both even supported the idea of Klonnie having more scenes together. Then all of a sudden Joseph is being paired with Candice for klaroline when their characters had no interactions. It’s funny bc even tho klaroline became a pair Joseph still publicly vouched for Klonnie. 

It’s like the writers purposely pushed Kat away from any well loved characters to sideline Bonnie/Kat even more than they already did in and outside the show. Like a big slap in the face; I don’t respect or like you so I’ll make your character suffer as well.

The same thing happened with Paul bc in season one Bonnie and Stefan had so many good scenes together and people would ship Bonnie and Stefan given Paul and Kat’s Chemistry. Then suddenly Caroline and Stefan are getting more screen time together and are now besties even tho Stefan barely acknowledged Caroline in season 1 nor cared for her. Bonnie was the one he would go out of his way to be friends with and care for. Stans always use that time Kat said she couldn’t focus around Paul bc they would laugh and joke around as a way to explain why Bonnie and Stefan began to have less screen time together but I think it’s simply bc the writers didn’t want Bonnie having any shine. Especially with the main character who are the viewers loved.

When it comes to Bonnie, Stefan and Rebekah being a trio I can see it. To go deeper since season 4 Bonnie was “dark” and was obviously struggling dealing with Shane’s/Silas’s mind manipulation, understanding expression and balancing family issues with her mother and father being around Stefan and Rebekah being friends to her would of been fresh and nice to see. Especially when Bonnie already seen the dark side of Stefan (ripper side) and in season 3 Bonnie work with a dark side of Stefan (no humanity) it would of been cool if the writers make Bonnie a source of light, hope or peace for Stefan at that time he was going through things then turn around in do the same with Stefan for Bonnie. Then adding in Rebekah as a fresh face bringing in her good vibes would have been fun as well. Imagine Rebekah taking 2 of the most serious and reserved characters in the show loosing them up and having a good time. That would of been good to see. And since both Stefan and Rebekah both knew Bonnie’s ancestors (Ayana and Grams) them sitting around, chillin and telling Bonnie stories about their time with her ancestors would have been such sweet moments for Bonnie. Especially since she was going through her dark time and rarely got any Intel on her ancestors.

The amazing storylines that could of came from Bonnie were endless. It annoyed me so make hearing that the writers excuse for not writing Bonnie better was them just not knowing what to do with her when it was obvious that they could but didn’t want to. You claim you don’t know what to do with Bonnie or how to write her but when you need a quick fix Bonnie’s there for you. They would even add onto Bonnie’s family dynamics to push forward other storylines while making it have no true connection back to Bonnie nor caring how it affected her negatively. So when you need to push the plot all of a sudden you know how to write for Bonnie but when it comes to caring for Bonnie’s character in general then it’s “oh we don’t know what to do”.

Seems fishy to me. 🤔

[snake-berry]

@melrosing 's asoiaf art meme! incredibly nostalgic to complete 10/10 experience

excuse the shittier quality of my drawings i was trying to keep it simple <3

typed out my notes under the cut bc my handwriting is illegible

Introduce yourself as a citizen of PLANETOS - Either a Blackwood or a Bracken (ironic), probably a member of the Dead Ladies Club, married to an old man or a cheater or something. hates life and simmers with internal rage

What do you like best about ASOIAF? the emotions... (and by extension the characters)... i was spoiled for ned's death but still cried for an hour when i read it

Who is your favorite character (dead or alive)? Sansa Stark <3 my fave since her first chapter and im not sorry

Your favorite house? Stark and Baratheon (+ lots of minor houses). Drew young Ned and Robert to represent their houses (included stick figures of them to show robert's stance he is bending tf down to fit into frame)

What's the best scene in the books (in your opinion)? King in the North scene in AGOT! (actually i have no idea but for some reason this was the first scene to come to mind)

A ship you like? CatNed, Loras&Renly, and Daensa (in the fanfic zone bc they havent met yet

Your favorite death (since this is ASOIAF)? Ned's... most iconic death + made me cry the most

Your favorite region of Planetos? the riverlands!

Who is your endgame King or Queen of Westeros? King Bran! Or Dany but bc of the sh*w ending im like p sure Bran is the most likely candidate (i could be wrong but ya idk i support my son either way)

Share a prediction for The Winds of Winter - Sansa will be Littlefinger's downfall (not in a way as bloody as my dramatic rendition tho)

It's over! As a parting gift, resurrect a character of your choice - Renly :) no reason i just think it would be funny (his hat says party prince king if u cant see it i triedddd)

[classic-maya]

why did Justin fall for Brian?

Ahhh, I love this question because I feel like it is more complicated than answering why Brian fell for Justin but I’ll give it my best shot.

After their first night together when Justin says he is in love with Brian I think he has a naive understanding of what love is at that point. He is infatuated with this handsome, confident, wealthy guy who took him home, let him join at the hospital during one of the biggest nights of his life, and then gently took his virginity. I really like that all the way in season 4 Justin says they made love that first night and when Brian disputes it he says "It was love to me." Even if it was infatuation, Justin is right, that night, that moment, that whole experience was love to him.

Despite not being able to remember his name, Brian made Justin feel like he was the center of his world that night and Justin had never experienced that before. I think it’s that initial spark that pushes Justin to be so resilient and keep seeking Brian out. I mean how do you get over a man who says "you can see me in your dreams." !!!

Later on I think Justin falls in love with what Brian represents. Brian is freedom incarnate; he will say anything, do anything etc. When the audience meets Justin he is entrenched in his rebellious teen phase. Don't forget that Justin is 17 running around all night. He is the kid who told his teacher to fuck off, told his mom that he likes dick, and in an absolutely iconic statement after his dad threatens to send him to military school to learn some discipline replies with "I know all about discipline and you should see me take it like a man."

In many ways, Brian is in the same place emotionally as Justin in season 1. He is chasing his youth. He is angry at the world, he likes being an outsider in society and he revels in it. He doesn't care about driving around in a vandalized car painted with the word “faggot." I mean for goodness sake Brian drove through a fucking car dealership because the seller said something mildly homophobic. Justin finds Brian's fuck you attitude ridiculously attractive. The persona of Brian no excuses, no apologies, no regrets Kinney is Justin's first love.

But over the course of the first season, Justin's understanding of love and his understanding of Brian both develop. Justin is suddenly dropped into this very adult world that is different from his WASPy upbringing with two parents who have fallen out of love with each other. Justin has adult friends for the first time and he gets to see how Melanie and Lindsay love each other. How Michael and Brian love each other and Ted and Emmett and how Debbie as the matriarch loves and cares for all of them. I think he comes to the mature idea that you don’t just fall in love with someone and everything is fine, you decide to love someone and then you hold on to that decision and make lot of little decisions in order to keep loving them.

In the first season while Brian struggles with himself and his love for Justin, he keeps hurting Justin in an effort to push him away. He tells him not to trust people, he flaunts his tricks in front of Justin, he is downright mean to him at times. I love this scene in 1x17 when Justin tells Brian “Being mean to me has never really worked, you should try another tactic.” He is telling Brian that he’s got his number and that can’t get rid of him that easily. He then says “I’m killing you with kindness.” From the start, I think Justin saw through Brian’s bluster and just dug down until he could see the scared boy behind the walls Brian built around himself.

I honestly don’t think anyone else in the show understood Brian as much as Justin. Justin notices all of the little ways that Brian sacrifices himself to help his friends and others. Brian has a reputation for being selfish, but Justin peels back the layers and sees how Brian uses that assumption as cover.

And while Justin does eventually lose his infatuation, he still loves Brian because he already made a decision to love him and to love him for the man he is and not for everything he represents to him. Brian is no longer a symbol to him but a human being with significant flaws and insecurities. This is where I see a massive difference between Michael’s love for Brian and Justin’s love for him. Michael idealized Brian but never got over his hero worshipping crush. Anytime Brian acted outside of how Michael expected him to he was overly upset and confused. While Brian obviously hurt Justin’s feelings sometimes and they misunderstood each other at inopportune moments, overall Justin was able to accept and love Brian as a person not a persona.

Another one of my favorite scenes is in 1x11 after Michael’s birthday party and everyone else abandons Brian but Justin just says “I guess you’re going to need someone to help you clean up this mess.” As an audience, it’s one of our first indications that Justin really gets Brian. Although everyone else thinks he is an asshole, Justin knows what his true intentions were. I also like the use of the word mess in this scene. He is not just talking about the party leftovers but everything. It is also a small little commitment. Justin isn't going anywhere, he is going to love Brian even when it’s messy and difficult.

Of course, if I'm arguing that Justin made an active decision to love Brian that begs the question why did he leave him in season 2? I don’t think Justin ever fell out of love with Brian. Even in the cheating era I don’t think either of them stopped loving each other. Justin was very hurt and he wanted to see what life was like with someone who was deliberate about showing and stating their love for him unlike Brian. Obviously, Justin shouldn’t have betrayed Brian by cheating but I don’t blame him for wanting something else, nor do I blame Brian for not being able to give Justin what he needed at that time. I think Justin was so shocked by Ethan’s betrayal again because he is a bit naive and did not realize that someone can say they love you 10 times a day but not mean it the way you want them to. On the other hand, although Brian couldn’t let himself say it he showed Justin in every way he knew how that he was important to him and he cared about him. Also, one more reminder that Brian NEVER broke their rules and I think Justin knew that and realized that was what he wanted way more than someone who spoke the right words but didn't follow through with real action.

TL;DR Justin fell in love with Brian over and over for so many different reasons. Because he was sensitive and gentle, because he made Justin feel important, because he represented Justin's anger, rebelliousness, and the freedom he desired, because he loved Justin unconditionally even when it was messy and difficult.

[nemmet]

What are some of your favorite Fred and Daphne moments? Romantic or platonic

AAAH thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble about them!! always so so appreciated. and for specifying romantic or platonic too!! while a lot of their significant moments together from the 90s onwards have been somewhat romantically charged, i love them even when they're just a goofy pair of friends with no immediate romantic implications.

because (mini fraphne history side tangent), they weren't always intended as love interests! the "fred chooses to search for clues with daphne because he fancies her" reading of the original show technically isn't true — they were just paired off because the writers found them boring and wanted an excuse to get them out of the picture for a few scenes. which makes the fact that they've since grown to become an iconic duo in their own right all the more inspiring!

so without further ado, here are some of my favourite moments of theirs!! 💙💜

(begins under the cut!)

the best birthday present ever — zombie island

if i could count their general existence in this movie as a single moment i would. i am so weak to the fact that even after the gang splits ways, fred and daphne stick together, and fred plays such a crucial supporting role in daphne's dreams/career/life. and their relationship hasn't descended into being just boring coworkers — daphne has been so busy with work that she forgot her own birthday, but fred is sure to make it special by doing no less than getting the whole gang back together. the way he teases her before revealing them, too!!! and the hug she gives him when he explains. i get such cosy, "known each other since forever" vibes from them in this movie, like they're just so comfortable and silly with each other and (sobs into my hands)

my hero — scooby doo and krypto too

the way this movie has already given us so many fraphne moments for the books. the Literal Kiss aside, this scene just made me smile from ear to ear. i'm not always so hot on the jealousy subplots these two often get, but i appreciated how this film had a more light-hearted take on it, and how fred was simply confused rather than upset. additionally, his attempts to impress daph are just so funny and sweet, you get the sense that he's just hamming it up to make her laugh and doesn't care if that's all he ends up doing. of course then he gets so into it that he doesn't register the monster right behind him, and jumps into daphne's arms just like the rest of the gang always do with him. the way he clings to her!! and how she says "oh come on". they are disasters and they need each other in this essay i will.

you're never going to lose me, fred — mystery incorporated

following their relationship in this show sure is a journey... and not always the best one. while i understand that they're teenagers going through a lot, it's sad to so often see their inherent chemistry as a duo lost in miscommunication and arguments. which makes the moments where they connect and come out stronger as a couple all the more rewarding!! this is hands down my favourite scene of theirs — while the conflict that leads up to it is uncomfortable (fred tightly scheduling their activities together), i like how daphne addresses it quickly rather than keeping her feelings hidden and simply expecting fred to pick up on them. by now she understands that fred needs direct communication (autism!!!), and that's ok!! meanwhile, fred has grown too; he actively opens up to daphne about his fears of losing his loved ones, something i don't think he could or would have done at the start of the show. he's come to understand his own emotions and the importance of expressing them. both of them learn from each other, and are able to move forward because of that. it's a wonderful little moment that really showcases the best of them!!

i love you — stage fright

THE fraphne scene. god. where do i begin. the fact that daphne wrote lyrics about her feelings for fred to the music he composed, and was terrified of ever showing them to him. but then she decides to break the condition she established to velma (only confessing to him after the contest), throws caution to the wind, and just,,,,, confesses her love to him live on stage in front of thousands of people!!!! and how fred looks so happy and content playing along to these lyrics that i'm sure he knows are about him, and when it comes to daphne singing "i love you", he says i love you back with ZERO HESITATION!!! like he was waiting to say it too!! because they're mutually pining dumbasses who will cry if they make eye contact in a remotely romantic context!!! god!!!!!!! also the nose boop before daph goes in for the kiss. adorable.

the engine / the driver — curse of the 13th ghost

this scene is another that has a lot to say about their relationship in a general sense, and it's so special to me!! i'm not crazy about this movie as a whole, but i love the running theme of fred and daphne's differing leadership qualities, and how they balance each other out. fred just wants to keep things the same as they've always been (autism!!!), but that often leads him to coming off as controlling or dismissive when he's in Planning Mode. he doesn't mean it, because he genuinely believes the best in the gang and their individual skills, so it's no wonder that he grows insecure when his place is questioned. but by the end of the film he accepts that daphne is the engine, the glue that fundamentally holds the gang together and keeps them running as a unit — they would be nowhere without her constant energy and willingness to take action. however, daphne reassures him that he'll always have his place as the driver, the man with the plan, the one to put things in motion and support everyone with all his heart along the way. and the tender way they look at each other to cap it all off!!!!!!!

knight in shining armour — sword and the scoob

i saved the (probably) best for last. less serious analysis here and more just me gushing because i spin this moment around my microwave brain on a daily basis. continuing the theme of "fred embraces his role as team cheerleader", he's not even upset when daphne has to fight in his place — he planned this and is wholeheartedly supporting her, to the point where it makes her flustered (she’s HIS knight in shining armour)!! and him giving her his ascot as a good luck charm!!!! nem found dead on the floor. not to mention "sir daphne/sir fred" and how they continue to call each other that. i swoon every time. they are so romantic in their own very silly and very teenager-y way and i love moments where they're just so unapologetic about that!!

i really hope you enjoyed and that this was what you were looking for!! fellow fred & daph fans, please feel free to comment and/or reblog with some of your own favourite moments!! i always love to see them. :D

[the-owl-tree]

There’s so many toms that I hate because they were shoved into the plot to steal a she-cats story for themselves… it’s SO OBVIOUS when the Erins do this. The she-cats deserve to have just as much of an arc and character depth as the toms do, yet the writing team consistently devolves it’s female cast into accessories for their male counterparts.

Examples:

- Alderheart (blatantly having been written to strip sparkpelt of an arc that so clearly should’ve been her own - ie “the spark that remains” - sparkpelt is then twisted into a xenophobic jerk at the drop of a hat to make alderheart look better than her, when previously she was VERY MUCH in support of SkyClan’s return. What the fuck, Erins??? Sandstorm is also iced for this loser’s manpain.

- Nightheart (basically every she-cat has their personality altered to fit his victim complex, and we all KNOW that Finchlight would’ve been more interesting and deserving of a pov than him. If they kill off spark, finch, or sun to further his angst, I will be so pissed off…

- Tree (violetshine’s character growth, struggles, and arc completely disintegrates with his introduction. in tbc, she’s reduced to your typical background protag mother… while tree remains a major character, and is not only hugely valued by the plot, but also by its characters. violetshine deserved so much better than to be shoved to the sidelines by this random-ass character who was *totally not introduced just to make her into a a generic wife and mother*. that’s not even getting into how stupid the Sisters fiasco is, where ‘waaah tree was oppressed by all the women in his life and kicked out, isn’t he just so tragic and sad???’… good god. that was bizarre

- brambleclaw: probably one of the worst offenders of this, right alongside alderheart. Tawnypelt should’ve gotten his pov, considering her personality in TNP… it seems liked they flipped their stories around just because she’s a she-cat, and they just *had* to make the main protagonist of the arc a tom. very disapointing

- rootspring: bristlefrost’s character arc was absolutley DERAILED by this character, and it’s such a shame. even her most iconic scene, her sacrifice, was primarily focused upon rootspring and his pissbaby manpain. also… needleclaw, anyone? she’s the one who should have the sisters’ abilities, after all, but instead she has none… how does she feel about that? I think exploring that would be much more interesting than ‘whiny loser is upset and feels weird that he can see ghosts in a society that values the ability to see ghosts, gets a girl by being weirdly pushy and not taking ‘no’ for an answer, and goes through extreme manpain after she’s iced to further his development’.

- crowfeather: I don’t have any qualms with early crowPAW, but what I DO have an issue with is just how much feathertail’s death is twisted to revolve around *him*, when, in reality, it should’ve focused on Feathertail herself, as well as her brother. FeatherCrow was just awful in general though… especially considering that her name is only invoked later on as an excuse for crowfeather to be an abuser, implying that he’s justified in hurting his wife and son, as well as leafpool and her kits, ‘because manpain’.

real & true, it sucks seeing how many mollies in the series will have really interesting stories and potential conflicts then have the writing team choose whatever supports the main dude around them. more i think about tree the more annoyed i am that it wasn't violet, the big prophecy kitten who had survived the kin and would have more reason to want to keep the clans from tearing each other's throats out. the mediator role is a dumb one (i say with my mediator oc) but it would have been nice if it was actually a character who we followed who got the position instead of "my mommy is mean to me :(" rando dude who just shows up.

[queseraone]

Because I'm a rascal, but also because I really enjoyed the last round of questions: your favorite Chenford *scene* from each season. Only one scene (plus one honorable mention) allowed per season!

Rascal seems like a bit of an understatement!!! The way my brain broke reading this...

This was an interesting exercise. Some were super easy to answer, and some I stewed over for a long time... and I surprised myself with some of my picks actually!

Season 1 This was tricky, but I have to give it to the between-the-wall heart-to-heart in 1x20. The vulnerability is just next level, and this scene is iconic for a reason. I'd argue that this is the first time we can say with absolute certainty that their relationship is more than just TO and rookie.

Season 1 Honorable Mention: The scene in the shop outside Isabel's apartment in 1x03. It's the first time we see Lucy breaking down Tim's walls. She really shows her empathy here, and he responds with a vulnerability he hasn't allowed with anyone else. They've only been riding together for a few weeks (?) and somehow Lucy knows what he needs, gives him that safe space and a compassion he clearly hasn't seen in a long. time. It's a beautiful showcase of their dynamic together, but also reveals so much about them as individuals.

Season 2 Oh god, oh god, oh god. This is hands-down the hardest season to choose in, because it's my favourite one, and it's home to some of the most iconic scenes. In the end, I had to go with their exchange in the gym at the end of 2x12. In general this episode is one of my favourites, but this scene is so powerful. We see Lucy working through things, taking out her frustration, trying to channel her strength, to get back to herself. And somehow in that moment, Tim manages to make her smile. He opens up to her in a way we've never seen him do before, and most of all, he reminds her how strong she is. UGH, this scene makes me scream in the best possible way.

Season 2 Honorable Mention: Now that I've picked a favourite, second place is easy—their conversation in 2x17. I've always loved it so much, because between the teasing and the banter, we see this beautiful vulnerability as they talk about the Caleb of it all. It's truly a perfect showcase of their dynamic and everything I love about them. Shit, maybe this is my favourite season 2 scene? AHHHHH IDK

Season 3 I have to go with this scene from the end of 3x09. Hello, excuse me Timothy do you see how you're looking at her????? Also the fact that he dismissed Lucy's comments about missing riding with her earlier in their shift, meanwhile he had already specifically written just that??? AGJLAERGJALGJRLA It's becoming quite clear that my favourite scenes are the ones that I feel most embody their dynamic, and this is no exception—the perfect mix of playful and soft.

Season 3 Honorable Mention: At the wedding venue in 3x14, duh. THE TUX. THE GREEN DRESS. "Save me a dance." HELP HELP HELP *faints*

Season 4 This was was actually pretty easy for me, it's 4x01, the scene at Tim's house. The fact that Tim not only invited her into his space, he practically insisted. Seeing Lucy wearing his clothes, seeing them together, not just outside of work, but in a very intimate space (at a very vulnerable time)???? That hug?? (That look??!?!) THAT HUG?!?!?!! The way Lucy just melts into him is the visualization of what we'd known for so long—that he's her safe space. (And she's his.) UGH, my heart. The entire exchange just felt so damn hopeful, like one of the first real hints that there was something more bubbling under the surface.

Season 4 Honorable Mention: While that kiss in 4x22 was so exciting, I have to give it to the scene outside the hospice. The vulnerability we see between them here, seeing Lucy be Tim's safe space—it's such an incredible parallel to 4x01.

Season 5 HANDS HANDS HANDS. This one was also an easy pick, because I think this is my favourite moment EVERRRRRRRRRRR. The way any trace of Jake/Dim vanishes in that moment, and all we're left with is Tim and his visceral need to check in with Lucy, to be that grounding force for her, to remind her that she's here, she's safe, and she's strong. It's just everything.

Season 5 Honorable Mention: While my #1 scene in this season is easy, it's incredibly hard to pick just one honorable mention. I waffled between the super hot kiss on the plane in 5x01, and the vulnerability in their exchanges in 5x21, and so many other great options... But I think I'd have to say that cold open in 5x10 when we see them getting ready for their date—that whole thing just perfectly embodies everything I love about them. The teasing, the banter, the comfort level between them, the best friend energy, how damn happy they are. It's just so fun and so them and makes me giddy every time I watch it.

I can't wait to see which scene will top my list for season 6... as of now it's obviously this one (I just want to watch this again, so here you go!)