#if August doesn’t get beat up in s2 then what is the point

[omarscurls]

Wilhelm finds the red shirt…

This was supposed to be about Wille finding his shirt in Simon’s room and just like being fluff in general

I’ve literally had this idea in my head since s2 premiered, and been writing since then lmao

It has taken me unbelievably long to write this short piece of fluffy nothingness

TWs: none really? Hints or signs of a panic attack and anxiety, August is mentioned, otherwise I don’t think there’s any

A/N look like this because my mind is weird and it’s fun to comment as I write

Idk what this is but enjoy! :)

Everything in Wille’s mind went blurry the second the cameras were turned off. He registers that the choir behind him has started to move, that the crowd watching him is whispering and not even hiding the looks they’re giving him, that the headmaster seems to be frozen where she’s sitting and that his mom, the queen, is walking towards him with determined steps and an unreadable face.

But he can also see that Boris is smiling at him proudly from where he’s sitting, that August who has stood up from his seat and is now talking to Nils while looking like he just swallowed a lemon, that Felice and Madison are both waving and smiling at him.

He finds comfort in all of these things, but it isn’t quite enough to stop his head from spinning and vision from going blurry. He once again realises his mom is trying to reach him and he starts feeling the panic rise in his chest and he desperately look’s around for a place to hide, run, anything, but everyone is coming closer and there’s so much noise and angry voices and people trying to reach him and he can’t quite see and…

There’s a hand in his. Simon’s hand, his mind helpfully tells him. Simon who is now desperately trying to pull him away from the chaos that is happening around them.

Wille doesn’t quite know how but they end up back in his room. He silently watches as Simon pulls the curtains shut and checks that the door is locked. Twice.

Then Simon turns to Wille. They stare at each other for just a second before they both go “Are you ok?”. Simon lets out a breathy laugh and says “yes, yes” while Wille pulls him close. “Are you ok?” Simon asks again, a bit muffled since his face is now hidden in the crook of Wille’s neck.

Wille thinks for a second. Because no, no he’s not ok. His heart is beating too fast and it still feels like he can’t get enough air into his lungs. But Simon is right here with him and having told everyone the truth doesn’t make him as anxious as it should. “Maybe, I think so” he finally responds.

Wille can feel Simon wrap his arms even tighter around him and he’s pretty sure Simon is smiling against his neck. He can feel his own heartbeat slow down little by little as he breathes in the smell of Simon’s hair.

“We are ok” Simon whispers to him, over and over again. Wille doesn’t know which one of them he is trying to convince, probably both. Either way, it helps.

Why tf are they at Wille’s? The whole point of this was for them to go to Simon’s, I’m getting carried away lol

“I love you” Wille whispers back a couple of minutes later, or maybe an hour, he doesn’t really know. It also doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he can somewhat breathe normally again and that Simon is still hugging him, gently rocking them back and forth.

“I love you too” Simon says, pulling away a little, so that he can look into Wille’s eyes. They both smile.

And then, finally, they kiss. Because after all, they’re just teenagers. Who are a little bit in love. And sometimes a little bit of casually making out is the best way to forget about the rest of the world.

They are rudely interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. It’s Wilhelm’s. He doesn’t want to answer it, he can’t, really, right now.

But he doesn’t have to because Simon slips his hand into Wille’s pocket and grabs his phone. Declines the call and turns it off. Wille doesn’t even get the chance to see who’s calling.

Is this the fluffiest mess if ever written? Maybe

“Do you want to sleep at mine tonight?” Simon asks him after giving the phone back to Wilhelm, now with a determined look on his face.

“Please” Wille answers immediately, without hesitation. He doesn’t really know how that’s supposed to work though, because there’s most likely someone outside of his door just waiting to grab him and take him to the castle, or to his mom, probably to talk, or something.

But somehow they manage to get out, with some help from Felice and Madison. Wilhelm decides to just not look behind him as they hurriedly walk towards the bus station. He focuses on the feeling of Simon’s hand in his and blurs out everything else.

Yes this is me getting through not having written anything for weeks bc I didn’t know how to get them out of there whoops lol

Simon’s mom hugs them both tightly as soon as they walk inside the door and once again Wilhelm feels like he can breathe a tiny bit more freely.

After greeting Linda they head off to Simon’s room, where they once again make sure the window is locked and the curtains shut.

Is that even the right way to say that lol

He looks around for a bit, touches stuff that has been added since he was there last. He and Simon talk, mostly nonsense, very obviously avoiding the fact that the entire world is probably looking for them right now. But it’s comfortable. Wille feels safer than he has in a long time.

The sit at the end of Simon’s bed. Simon’s fingers are running through Wille’s hair as he rests his head against Simon’s shoulder. For the first time since the the cameras were turned off, Wille can’t feel his pulse racing. Simon tells him as much: “ are you more ok now? It seems better” “I think I am” he answers. He realises that’s true.

There’s a faint thought that he should be worried about something but it’s in the back of his head and it doesn’t seem impossible right now. Not when Simon is right there, feeling so real. His fingers in Wille’s hair is the only thing that seems to make any sense in Wille’s head at the moment.

See what I did there? “All the people are fake… but I like you and that’s not fake…” Simon is real :,)

Simon let’s his hands wander, one stopping on the prince’s chest, right on his heart. “At least your heartbeat is ok again” he mumbles, as he gently scratches at Wille’s shirt in the same spot, seeming to need something to hold on to.

The let their hands wander, talk for a bit, share a couple of innocent kisses, both of them being too exhausted to make them lead to something else.

It’s when Simon’s head, that’s now resting against Wille’s shoulder, start to become heavier, and Wille muffles another yawn with the sleeve of his hoodie, he suggests they go to bed. Simon doesn’t even really know what time it is, or if anyone has tried to reach them, but agrees since they both seem exhausted enough to fall asleep sitting up against the wall.

As Simon leaves to get some stuff for Wille and to say goo night to his mom, Wille gets up from the bed too. He changes into the T-shirt Simon threw at him to wear as pyjamas, and looks around the room again.

Why tf is nothing like, happening lmao

Simon did clearly not make his bed this morning so Wille doesn’t think he’ll mind is he just sits down and rests his eyes for a little while.

Ooooo finally? Maybe

As he moves the pillows around just a bit he sees something red sticking out from underneath one of them. Weird. He pulls out the piece of fabric and is puzzled for a second before he realises. That’s his shirt. The one he thought he lost months ago. In Simon’s bed.

He’s about to start thinking about what that means when Simon comes back. He seems to be in the middle of a sentence when he realises what Wille is doing and as his eyes land on the shirt in Wille’s hands, he freezes completely.

“I-“ he starts. “I was going to give it back…” “I swear!” “I didn’t steal it it was just that…” “I- you- the headmaster-“ Simon’s brain doesn’t seem to be functioning properly.

Wille just giggles: “Hey, it’s ok, I don’t mind, like, at all”. That’s makes Simon unfreeze again and stumble right into Wille, trying to hide his embarrassment in the prince’s shirt.

Said Prince just wraps his arms around Simon, who is very much clinging to him but still refusing to show his face. “I just want to know how you got it” Wille ends up saying.

As they move into bed Simon tells Wille how he got his hands on the shirt and how he completely forgot to give it back.

They forget about it, start talking about other things, kiss a little, talk some more, while they cuddle up under the covers. It’s not until they’re in the dark, just about to fall asleep, bodies tangled together until they can’t really tell where Simon ends and Wille begins, that Wille whispers: “how come the shirt was in your bed though? Under you pillow?” He barely has time to finish the sentence before Simon slaps a hand over the prince’s mouth and groans, while hiding underneath the blanket.

They’ll be ok.

Thank you so much for reading!! Any thoughts on this/feedback is very much appreciated so please leave a comment :)))

[just-slaying-the-housebootsdown]

personally i think the world should revolve around simon and wille

[imperfekti]

Tenipuri Party: Echizen Ryouma profile translation

TN:

In the absence of an official English version, this translation is intended to help those who can’t read the material in the original language. Please support Tenipuri by getting your own copy of this book - it is worth it! There are various ways of purchasing it even for those not living in or visiting Japan.

The pictures I have included in this post do not show full pages.

On Echizen’s style of speech: he uses boyish style with pretty straightforward and brief sentences. In Japan it wouldn’t be considered exactly polite in style, even if the content is not exactly rude.

I’m still working on Japanese, so there might be mistakes. Please let me know if you spot any translation errors so I can fix them here!

U-17 Japanese representative, middle schooler Seishun Gakuen tennis club player 33,432 votes

Leading to the stars, going beyond Tenimuhou - the samurai that conquers any heights!

Message

You’ve always been looking at me, haven’t you. I’m grateful for that. Thanks. Regardless of the ranking, I’m your number one. Right? Cheer for me more and more. Because I’ll take you along and go even higher.

Profile

Middle school 1st year / December 24th /  Capricorn / O type / 151 → 152.5 cm / 50 → 47 kg / Left handed

Special techniques: Twist serve, Drive A, Drive B, Drive C, Drive D, Cool Drive, Muga no kyouchi, Tenimuhou no kiwami, Samurai Drive, Hope (kanji: Hikaru Dakyuu)

Play style: All-rounder

Family: Father, mother, female cousin, cat (Karupin)

Father’s occupation: A temple’s substitute head priest

Hobbies: Clearing borrowed games, watching cat videos

Favourite saying: All or Nothing

Favourite color: Silver

Favourite foods: Fried fish (the type with not much bones), Chawanmushi, famous sweets

Favourite book: TENNIS LIFE (an American tennis magazine)

Favourite music: J-pop

Preferred type of person: Someone who looks good in a ponytail

Preferred date spot: Santa Monica Pier Pacific Park

Most wanted thing right now: A smart watch

Weakness: Early wake-ups, paparazzi

Elementary school: Los Angeles State Saint Youth Middle-school 

Committee: Library committee

Strong subjects: English, chemistry

Weak subjects: Home-ec (cooking), Japanese 

Often-visited place in school: Under the big tree behind the school

Uses allowance on: Fanta

Skills beyond tennis: Being liked by animals, peeling fruits cleanly, horseback riding(?) 

Routines during tournaments: Soaking in an open-air bath

Favourite anniversary: Any day as long as there’s tennis

Preferred travel destination: Snow viewing onsen

Present for a special person: Just tell me what you want

Interview

“As long as I can play tennis, I don’t care which team I play for”

Congratulations on being reinstated as Japan’s representative! For Echizen-senshu, what was the experience of fighting as an American representative like?

What was it like…? Normal. As long as I can play tennis, the country is irrelevant.

Did you have a strong desire to play on the same team as Ryouga-senshu?

No, I wanted to play against him. But in the end, he was being evasive and escaped.

Where there any impressions you had looking at the Japanese team from the outside?

They’ve changed a bit, somehow. Fuji-senpai, Atobe-san, that person called “the child of god”. And… Akutsu-san too. Not bad, everyone.

Is that the reason you returned to Japan’s team?

Not really. It’s just that when I thought about who were the people that made me strong… If you’re fighting together with someone, I guess I’d do it here.

Sometimes, a samurai-like aura can be felt around Echizen-senshu.

Hmm… I don’t know since I can’t tell myself. When I was fighting the French prince, I guess it was said that he was a knight and I was a samurai. He was a troublesome guy, but the match with him was fun. Well, I’ll win next time too. The horseback match was a tie, but next time I’ll win that one too.

Party Talk

Q: Is there any table with players you’re interested in? A: Not really… But I guess there are strong looking guys at the German table. Well, I’d beat all of them.

Q: You offered Fanta to Tokugawa-san, didn’t you? A: He drank it in one go. I wonder if it was that good.

Q: Could it be you’re having taiyaki for the first time? A: Yeah. Why is it shaped like a fish? I’ll eat from the head side.

Q: Your suit is wonderful. Did you tie the necktie yourself? A: …How about not treating me like a kid? Well, I had it tied for me.

Q: Ah, suddenly a cat is clinging to Echizen-kun...! A: The Australian rep’s cat? There, there…

Fashion

“When we met by coincidence the other day, you were wearing a T-shirt with a strange design. What country’s brand was that?” (Yukimura)

“I’ll give you some hand-me-downs next time. But maybe they’ll be too big for you, Chibisuke?” (Ryouga)

“Koshimae is always wearing a cap! Lend it to me too!” (Tooyama)

“Basically I like clothes that are easy to move in. I guess I wear half-pants and shorts a lot.” (Echizen)

“Heeey Echizen! Are you wearing the socks we bought for color variation when we went shopping?” (Momoshiro)

Album

This is an album that happened to be in my backpack when I came to Australia. I think I got it after the nationals when I was leaving for America. Look at this and remember, they said. …But email and phones exist. Mada mada ne. 

Room

Looks like stuff from America has increased While I was gone, mom and the others have rearranged my room, and exchanged stuff like the TV for a new one. The stuff I was made to take to the camp has also increased. I always play tennis at home too, though, so I’m only in the room when I sleep.  

History

Age 0 December 24 Birth

Age 5 Eats his beloved dried kombu at home Lives together with Ryouga for a short while in Los Angeles During elementary school, wins American Jr. tournament 4 times in a row

Age 11 September Graduates from Los Angeles State Saint Youth Returns to Japan with his family Goes to an onsen for the first time, likes it too much, sticks to using a bathtub (*1)

Age 12 April Enters Seishun Gakuen's middle school department, becomes a regular in the tennis club At a family restaurant, orders a kid’s meal recommended by Momoshiro Victory at district preliminaries finals (Fudoumine), wins against Ibu in S2 Loses to Tezuka at the courts under the overpass

June In Tokyo prefectural quarterfinals (St. Rudolph), wins against Yuuta in S3 Victory of the tournament (Yamabuki), wins against Akutsu in S2 Struggles with classics at the end of term tests, study session at Fuji’s house

July In the first round of the Kantou regionals (Hyoutei), wins against Hiyoshi as the reserve player Second round (Midoriyama), wins against Kiraku in S3

July 24 Wins against Kirihara at a tennis club in Kanagawa

July 27 Tournament victory (Rikkai), wins against Sanada in S1

August 17 Nationals tournament second round (Higa), wins against Tanishi in S3

August 19 Quarterfinals (Hyoutei), wins against Atobe in S1 Semifinals (Shitenhouji), has a one point match with Tooyama that ends in a draw Drinks “Cola” in the yakiniku battle

August 21 Loses his memory during the training with Nanjirou in Karuizawa 

August 23 Nationals finals (Rikkai), arrives at the stadium by Atobe's helicopter Regains his memory through playing against his past rivals Wins against Yukimura in S1, wins the nationals championship

August 26 Goes to America

November Returns to Japan, participates in the U-17 camp Doesn’t play against Minami in the friendly-fire matches, loss Participates in the mountaintop training With Tanishi and Kenya, finds a secret passageway at the depths of the cave Protects Tokugawa, has to leave the camp; goes to America together with Ryouga Beats 24 American representative contenders, becomes an American representative Does BBQ with Kiko and Dudu, fries fish

December U-17 pre-world cup begins Faces Tube Republic, wins the first match U-17 world cup begins Match against Sweden, wins against their captain (*2) Calms his worries, returns to Japan’s team and becomes a representative Beats Aramenoma in an unofficial match Gets lost with Tooyama in the athlete village (*3) Quarterfinals (France), wins against the Prince in S3

TN:

*1 I don’t really understand the sentence fully, so this is a bit of a guess.

*2 In the magazine release, this match was against Denmark, but was changed into Sweden in the volume release. 

*3 Literally “becomes a lost child”.

[chinasites]

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[sol1056]

three anons: what the hell was all that in S7

Picking out the three that are most to the point for this answer, but I’ve got another dozen or so that overlap. Not sure I’ll have time/energy to answer the rest individually, so hopefully this meta will be sufficient. 

I mean it could be that they had different execs back then who were better at their jobs and kept Shiro around. No one disliked black paladin Shiro, even the DotU fans were ok with it, and the writing in s1-2 was mostly very good. Changing all that was a bad idea. I would have left on the spot if Shiro died or was benched, like now, I'm only around for closure. Maybe they were different execs with this decision & the EPs leaped at the chance. Well, we know who's also gonna be in trouble if that's the case.

With your theory on how storyboards were reused and characters shuffled around for cost cutting, might this not also partly explain the Adam flashback scene and how it was staged? I mean, they were originally supposed to be roommates and the scene was meant to appear in season 2 but got cut. What if they just reused the storyboard (or even animation, if it was already mostly done) the way it was and then just changed the dialogue? This could explain the lack of intimacy in the staging, too. Ezor and Zethrids interactions were more openly intimate maybe not (just) because they‘re villains who die immediately after, but because the decision to make them an item came before storyboarding was done, so the staging is more suggestive. I mean, if you think Shiro was mostly pasted in in the first half of s7, that might make sense.

If cost was the issue and they already had the black paladin Shiro version written, and got the greenlight to change it to Keith then things don't add up. Because they changed it once more! Which could have been avoided if they stuck to the Shiro one. And it goes without saying it would be better written to follow canon instead of the mess we got, like, I cant imagine this NOT discussed. So if it wouldn't be cost effective to change it again for Keith and it would be badly written, why did it happen?

Behind the cut: the most likely chronology of revisions, the clues in S7 as to its original form, and what this means for S8 and the Black Paladin position. 

This is everything I’ve been able to figure out between interviews, podcasts, tweets, plus researching the industry and a few reality-checks with friends more familiar. As always, any mistakes are my own. 

version 0: "five teenagers"

This would’ve been the first pitch after getting the green light, and probably only a loose synopsis, with just the pilot given a rough storyboard. A post-apocalyptic Earth conquered by the Galra, who are seeking Blue. The execs rejected JDS' mechanism for the discovery of Blue, in favor of simply having Keith ‘sense’ Blue. The execs also rejected the idea that Shiro would die only a few episodes in. This summary seems to be the basis of the "five teenagers" part of the teaser.

version A: "shiro kicks the bucket"

Timelines would've dictated moving onto an outline pretty quickly, detailed down to the episode level, including bits of dialogue, motifs, turning points or emotional beats. In this revision, Shiro dies/leaves at the end of S2 and does not return. This is the “originally we wanted him to kick the bucket” version, which the execs rejected.

version B: "shiro goes away for awhile"

If I'm interpreting the hints correctly, the "does Shiro die or not" question got tossed back and forth all the way into S1/S2 pre-production. Rather than rearrange everything, the easiest fix would've been to leave most of the story intact and write only a new ending where Shiro returns. The execs reject this rewrite, saying Shiro can’t be gone that long. This is the “we tried to just have him gone for awhile, but the execs said he had to come back sooner” version.

version C: "enter the clone"

Again, easiest fix is to insert Shiro/Kuron, remove Keith, and reverse that just before Shiro's return in version B. This impacts only the middle seasons (S3-S6); the clone compromise satisfies the execs. Kuron's characterization makes a lot more sense if it’s Keith, in visuals (ie Kuron leaning against the wall in Keith fashion), dialogue (fighting with Lance), and action (leaving without consulting the team). It's also why no one mentions Keith's absence. Because in the original version A, Keith was standing right there.

version D: "wtf is going on", aka Season 7

When JDS mentions having a full season written with Shiro as Black Paladin, it didn't make sense how they'd have a script and not use it. With @ptw30's visual detective work, I think I may've figured it out.

Technical notes: first scripts are all written for a season, then voices are recorded, and then the combined script+recording is used to storyboard. Production seasons are 26-episodes, independent of actual broadcast seasons; VA may be recording scenes across two 13-episode seasons completely out of order, since the recording schedule's going to be based on who's available, not chronology of the file numbers. The biggest staff changes are usually in April ('staffing season') when new shows get the greenlight and start sharking around to catch writers, designers, directors, etc.

In March of this year, S5 was released. At least some of the storyboarders were released in time for staffing season; in April, Hedrick moves to a new project. With S7/S8 being unchanged since version B, I suspect Hedrick delivered the scripts for S7 and S8 by winter of last year, at latest. Even that would be tight, since that's expecting animation to deliver 26 episodes in an 8-month timeframe. [edit: probably delivered much earlier, given the studio leaks show images we can recognize from S7/S8, so some amount of these seasons were in production by then.]

In June, S6 dropped, and a week later, Hamilton was announced as the new story editor via the Lets Voltron podcast. With the lead time required in production, there doesn't seem to be any reason to even need a story editor, at this point. All the pre-production work should be done.

In August, S7 dropped. Hedrick's editor credit is only for the first half of the season; Hamilton gets it for the second half. That means the last six episodes were written after Hedrick's departure. (May Chan's S2 script was reused in part, and she gains a belated co-writing script credit for that. Hedrick should've received the same; it's standard.)

Let's recap a few things we know (and a few we can intuit) about S7:

The season was already written with Shiro returning as Black Paladin, possibly also recorded and storyboarded. 

S6 reversed the S4-S5 trend, lending strength to exec arguments that Shiro is necessary in the story.

After S6 dropped, the EPs said the wolf's name was a spoiler. See this post from @pwt30; tl;dr is that perhaps the EPs intended the wolf to be Shiro's spirit. 

Despite Shiro's return, he's absent for the majority of the first half; when he is present, he barely speaks a half-dozen words, and none are plot-relevant. See @ptw30's post for more details. 

There's a glaring incontinuity when Allura says the paladin armor protected the team, yet Shiro is frozen with the other non-paladins despite wearing armor. 

Keith never offers for Shiro to pilot, nor mentions it, nor even seems to consider it an issue.

Not everything dovetails since I don't have the full picture, but here's my theory: S7 was originally outlined with Shiro's spirit in the wolf, rather than Black. I have no idea when/how JDS would've thought up the CA:WS parallels for his sole writing credit, but Shiro's "I died" and Lotor's psychotic breakdown are squeezed into S6E6, which was written by Josh Hamilton, Hedrick's later replacement. The only other Shiro-in-Black point is a few minutes at the end of S6's final episode. Shifting from Shiro-in-wolf to Shiro-in-Black really only affects one episode, with a bit of editing for another.

Anyway, S6 ends version C, and we segue to version B. For the first half of S7, the clone's body may have been in stasis while the team traveled through its various non-adventures. The episode we now know as S7E1 may have been the mid-point, with about six episodes of Shiro being unconcious. After watching the numbers drop from S3 to S6, the execs may've rejected another six episodes of where-is-Shiro and insisted he come back ASAP.

S7 only has two episodes that must be in order; the rest are pretty rearrangeable. All they had to do was insert Shiro into the background and record a few lines. (Several lines are pure voice-over, which also saves cost/time by not needing to animate moving mouth.) But the moved episode is only his memory/awakening, and the logical next episode would be Shiro's reconnection, and the rest of the season would roll from there. Without moving the entire second half of the season to the start, moving only his awakening episode would mean Shiro does nothing for 5-6 episodes and then abruptly reconnects.  

In a recent interview, JDS said at first the execs weren't enthused until JDS talked up the new mecha they'd give Shiro to captain. Honestly, there's no way JDS got to be EP without giving a really good pitch, but there may've been another element to his argument: nostalgia. The EPs seem certain everyone suffers from their same nostalgia dementia, which if you do, then you probably have been waiting for any glimpse of that og!Keith. If Shiro returns at the start of S7, then Keith's time in Black has been limited to a few disastrous episodes in S3, and a single big battle in S6. The beginning of S7 is the only time we'd ever see the Voltron84 formation working as a unified team, and returning Shiro too soon would defeat the whole purpose of showing how the team has grown in his absence.

The solution seems to have been to remove Shiro's reconnection completely, and keep Keith in Black. That would mean re-recording Shiro's lines from the midpoint onward, and editing in Keith over Shiro. The savings would be that only half the seaon would have to be reworked, not all. The loose end of the space wolf --- an artifact of version B --- was left in place.  

What I'm not sure of is whether the following are significant enough changes to warrant removing Hedrick's name and replacing it with Hamilton's. It could be, if supervising the revision process is enough to override the previous credits. I have no idea about that part of the industry, and it's the kind of edge case you're just not going to find a lot of blog posts about, so if you know, tell me. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine.

Anyway, this would've meant Shiro was switched in for Allura, Allura was put back in a lion, and Keith was switched in for Shiro. This would explain why Shiro speaks as the leader of Voltron despite no longer being a paladin, and the uneasy sensations a lot of people got about the characterizations. It was most striking in the last three episodes: Shiro felt like Allura v2, while Keith felt like Shiro v2. And that further, the Altean-Earthian ship just 'lighting up' for Shiro --- and becoming that oversized white mecha --- may've meant as Allura's fourth (fifth?) deus ex machina.

I'd be willing to bet that mid-battle, Allura repeated her stunt from the end of S2, heading out to destroy Sendak's crystal by herself. She wouldn't need Sam to hack her brain, and then we'd also have a call back to when she got knocked down by the crystal-ball thing on Naxzela. If she was the one meant to go toe-to-toe with Sendak, that would explain the bizarre neutrality of Sendak's words --- he says nothing personal to Shiro, at all --- and the even more bizarre silence on Shiro's part. Allura's words wouldn't fit Shiro, so he's silent.

And lastly, it'd mean that the one leaping out of Black to cut down Sendak wouldn't have been Keith. It would've been Shiro.

Where would the story go from here?

If I look at the events of S7, the first half is terribly disjointed, really. If Shiro was supposed to wake at the midpoint, an episode (or two) is missing. One for him to reconnect with Black, and a second that would provide some minor conflict to settle him back into position. Those two episodes were likely replaced with the unexpected and frankly over-told two-parter of the Earth flashbacks.

Two problems with that, one technical, one structural.

First, the flashback two-parter has a lot of moving parts. Brand-new designs, characters, and backdrops. It's far too elaborate to be done in an ultra-compressed timeframe, not without several heart attacks and therapy bills on the part of the animation staff. (Plus, the US-based storyboarding team is already downsized, so fewer hands to do the work.)

Second, it doesn't make a lot of structural sense, especially against the big revelations in S6 of an existing Altean colony. Within the story, there's no reason to halt everything and travel across the universe to take however long to build a new castle, when the Altean colony question is far more pressing. Returning to earth also violates the structure, because it's really just a standard milieu: start on earth, head out to have adventures, and return home at the end.

But here, they're returning home and then possibly leaving again. That's just... a rather peculiar and imbalanced way to do it. It doesn't help that doing so means literally telling Romelle her people are just gonna have to rot, the paladins are certain they need the castle more. Why would you take one of the more compelling storylines you've come up with, only to background it again, and wreck the traditional bookending milieu structure at the same time? Especially if that means coming up with major set-pieces and brand-new designs in the space of several months, after a chunk of your core staff are already onto other things.

I think those two flashback episodes -- and the rewritten finale episodes --- may've been cribbed from S8. In other words, the second half of S7 was the original end of S8. That would mean repurposing already-created storyboards and animation artifacts, so there's a huge time savings there (not counting the need to re-record voices and edit the visuals to match the changed-around parts). 

[note: if there’s anywhere you want to frontload introductions for the spin-off, it’d be in the final season, not the penultimate season. Here it feels like a big honking distraction, rather than an organic segue into the next iteration.]

That change necessitated that utterly bizarro mecha that appeared out of nowhere with the most ridiculously impeccable timing. There needed to be a reason to pull the team back out to space to deal with Haggar and/or the alt-Alteans and/or Lotor or whomever else it turns out to be.

So... where we go from here depends on when S8 gets released, because that’ll tell us how much they did (or did not) edit the episodes. Another clue will be whose name gets listed as head editor for an episode; if we see Hedrick’s name reappear at the top, we’ll know we’re dealing with episodes that are enough unrevised to qualify as being Hedrick-edited, that it’s a version B episode. 

My expectation? They’ll move Shiro’s reconnection to the first part of S8, and add an episode or edit pieces of another, to blend it into what would’ve been the first half of S8 (probably with filler to mask the gap). Then add an episode to segue into the version B finale of S7, where we’d end with the original VLD lineup. With the time needed for animation, that’d be the easiest (if potentially awkward) way to repurpose as much as possible of existing artifacts. 

If we don’t get S8 in the next 1-2 months, though, all bets are off, and there’s a much greater possibility that the entire final season is being redone from scratch. I’d expect Keith to stay in Black, in that case, but I’m always willing to be pleasantly surprised.  

edited to add: see this followup for another detail that supports the reversed-seasons theory

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY on PASSWORD ~ Part 1

1963-1964

“Password” is a game show created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions. The host was Allen Ludden, who had previously been well known as the host of the “G.E. College Bowl.” In the game, two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.

“Password” originally aired from 1961 to 1967 on CBS, along with weekly prime time airings. An additional 1,099 daytime shows aired from 1971 to 1975 on ABC. The show's regular announcers were Jack Clark and Lee Vines on CBS and John Harlan on ABC.

Two revivals later aired on NBC: “Password Plus” (originally titled “Password '79”) from 1979 to 1982, and “Super Password” from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version on CBS from 2008 to 2009 “Million Dollar Password.” All of these versions introduced new variations in game play.

The theme song used on “Password” from 1961 to 1963 was called "Holiday Jaunt," composed by Kurt Rehfeld. That theme was followed later by "You Know the Password," composed by Bob Cobert, which was used from 1963 until the CBS version's cancellation in 1967 (listen above). When the show returned on ABC in 1971, Score Productions composed "The Fun of It." The theme used later in that version's run, beginning in 1974, was called "Bicentennial Funk," which was used until the ABC version's finale in 1975.

“Password” was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (later converted to the Studio 54 disco) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the Ed Sullivan Theater) until the end of the daytime run in 1967. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s. Mark Goodson opposed a permanent move to Hollywood so the network canceled the series.

The Milton Bradley Company introduced the first home version in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. Owing to common superstition, these releases were numbered 1-12 and 14-25, skipping 13. It was tied with “Concentration” as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a “Password Plus” home game between 1979 and 1981, but never did a version for “Super Password.” Lucille Ball was fond of playing the home game. 

In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.

“Password” ~ September 26, 1963

Lucille Ball (Celebrity Player)

Gary Morton (Celebrity Player)

[Note: No video footage of this episode was available for preview]

“Password” ~ December 26, 1963

Allen Ludden (Host)

The program is sponsored by Tame hair care products. The top prize is $500 and the consolation prize is $50.

Lucille Ball says that next Monday on “The Lucy Show” she will conduct a 45 piece orchestra. She is referring to “Lucy Conducts the Symphony” (TLS S2;E13) on on December 30, 1963.  

LUCY’S PARTNERS

James Waldo from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is in a stock broker training program.

Mary Ellen MacInally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a student who plans to enter the ministry.

William Sexton from Evansville, Indiana, has been married for a year and a half.

Ralph Jones from Westfield, New Jersey, is studying mathematics at Union Junior College.

Gary Morton says that he, too, will be on “The Lucy Show,” in an episode that Lucy had written for him about his favorite sport, golf.  He is referring to “Lucy Takes Up Golf” (TLS S2;E17) airing on January 27, 1964. In it, Gary plays Gary Stewart, Lucy Carmichael's ‘golf nut’ boyfriend.

GARY’S PARTNERS

Margery Blom from New Orleans, Louisiana, is a newlywed.

Robert Davidson from Rego Park, New York, has an insurance firm in Manhattan.

Jackie Lane from Nashville, Tennessee, is enjoying her trip to New York.

Sigrid Newman from New York City is a registered nurse at the New York Hospital.

TRIVIA

In round four, the password “TINKLE” makes everyone giggle. Ludden is relieved when Jones successfully guesses it in the second try.

When the password is “PROPOSAL” and the clue is “MARRIAGE,” Lucy's mind immediately goes to “DIVORCE.”  Lucille Ball divorced Desi Arnaz in the spring of 1960.

At the end, Lucy says her son [Desi Jr.] beats both her and Gary when they play at home. Ludden makes the usual mistake of guessing that her son is named Ricky. Lucy corrects him, smiling. Ludden says that Vivian Vance has challenged Lucy to a game. Vance appeared on the game twice previously, once in 1961, and a second time in November 1963, where she likely issued the challenge. A year later (September 24, 1964 - see below), the challenge was accepted.  

THE RESULTS

Lucy and James Waldo win the first round.

Gary and Robert Davidson win the second round, despite Gary saying he’s not being sure of what several of the words meant.

Lucy and William Sexton win the third round.

Lucy and Ralph Jones win the fourth round.

“Password” ~ May 7, 1964

Allen Ludden (Host)

Bern Bennett (Announcer)

The program is sponsored by Salem Filter Cigarettes.

THE PLAYERS

Lucille Ball is introduced as the start of television, motion pictures, and the Broadway stage. She had just finished her second season of “The Lucy Show.” Allen Ludden implies that there was a question if it would be renewed for a third season. Lucy reminds the audience that the show will start at 9:00pm in the fall, a half hour later.  

Gary Morton is introduced as the star of television and supper clubs. Ludden talks with Gary and Lucy about golf, Gary's favorite pasttime.

Lucie Arnaz is from Los Angeles, California. She is 13 (in July) and in seventh grade. She doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up.

Desi Arnaz Jr. is from Los Angeles, California. He is 11 and in sixth grade and plays little league baseball.  He is a center fielder but would like to play second base.  

In round one, Lucy's partner is Desi Jr. and Gary plays with Lucie.

In round two, Lucy's partner is Lucie, and Gary plays with Desi Jr.

In round three, Lucy's partner is Gary, and Desi Jr. and Lucie play together. The children are playing for their allowances; a quarter a point.  

TRIVIA 

This episode was taped in at CBS Television City in Hollywood.

In round one, the password is “LEOPARD” and Lucy's clue is “STRIPED.”  She instantly realizes her mistake, as does the studio audience.

When the password is “HARP,” Desi Jr.'s clue is “MARX”, thinking of Harpo Marx, who made a guest appearance playing his namesake instrument on an episode of “I Love Lucy.” The audience audibly gasps at how clever Desi's clue is. Gary gets it right.

In the lightning round, the password is “THUNDER” and Gary's clue is “LIGHTNING,” to which Desi Jr. says “ROUND.” Ludden stops the clock, momentarily confused if Desi is just repeating the name of the game. In that same round, the password is “COWBOY” and Gary's clue is “GUNSMOKE.” Desi responds “CHESTER,” which is the first name of one of “Gunsmoke's” leading characters played by Dennis Weaver.

In the final round, the password is “CARROT” and Desi's clue is “RED.” He was probably thinking of his mother's hair, not the vegetable.

THE RESULTS

Lucy and Desi Jr. win the first round.  

Gary and Desi Jr. win the second round.

Lucie and Desi Jr. win the third round.

All their winnings will go to a summer camp for underprivileged children.

In the final moments, Ludden says that Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stewart will be on the show next week.  He gives a plea for helping the Peace Corps.

“Password” ~ September 24, 1964

Allen Ludden (Host)

Jack Clark (Announcer)

The program is sponsored by Salem Filter Cigarettes.

THE PLAYERS

Lucille Ball is introduced as the comedy star of television, motion pictures, and the Broadway stage. Lucy says the new time slot for “The Lucy Show” is 9 o'clock and that Vivian Vance is still with her on the show. She also mentions future guest stars like Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, and Ann Sothern. The show's third season premiered three days earlier on CBS with “Lucy and the Good Skate” (TLS S3;E1).  

Lucy's first partner is James Horn from Hubbard City, Texas. A student, he spent the summer working at the Texas Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. Ludden says that the most popular day at the fair was 'Lucille Ball Day.' The event was held on Monday, August 31, 1964.

Lucy's second partner, Vivian Vance, is introduced as “a housewife from Stamford, Connecticut.” This is indeed where Vance was living at the time, commuting to Los Angeles to do “The Lucy Show.” Vance's appearance is obviously a complete surprise to Lucy, and even to Morton, who is just as shocked to see her. She is playing for a charity called Medi Help.

In round three, Lucy is partnered with Peter Lawford and Gary with Vivian.

Gary Morton is introduced as the star of television and supper clubs. Gary promotes their 15-minute CBS radio show “Let's Talk To Lucy.”  As Lucy tells listeners, “Don't boil water or you'll miss it.” Morton is the show's producer and announcer. Dean Martin, Mrs. Dean Martin, Red Skeleton, Mrs. Red Skeleton, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are some of the upcoming guests.

Gary's first partner is Kelly Brummer from Denver, Colorado. She is a student with a merchandising major and a French minor, which confuses Lucy.

Gary's second partner is Mr. Peter Lawford. At the time, Lawford was married to President Kennedy's sister, Patricia. Lawford had an uncredited role (voice over) in the 1945 film Ziegfeld Follies that starred Lucille Ball. He often appeared on Goodson-Todman's other panel shows “What's My Line?” and “To Tell the Truth.” His winnings will go to the Kennedy Library.  

TRIVIA

Trying to get her partner to say “FRECKLE” Lucy is chastised by Ludden to “watch her gestures.” Gary uses the clue “DAY” to get his partner to guess it, to no avail. He is referring to the popular singer and actress Doris Day, who famously had freckles.

As usual, Lucy is startled by Ludden's “Yes!” when she gets it right.  

When the password is “DRAPE” and the clue is “CURTAIN,” Lucy sings a bit of “Everything's Coming Up Roses” from the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy: “Curtain up, light the lights...”  

During Vivian's entrance applause she and Lucy exchange some barely audible chat: 

Lucy: (to Vivian) “What a wonderful surprise. I was calling and wondering why you weren't home.” Vivian: “I wanted them to introduce me as Mrs. John R. Dodds.”  [Vivian's husband at the time.]

When the password is “PANTS,” Gary gives Lawford the clue “STRETCH” and he guesses correctly. Lucy says she would have thought girdle.

Ludden: (to Vivian) “Does Lucy have a lot of stretch pants?” Vivian: “Yeah.” Lucy: (chiding Vivian) “Don't tell him everything!”

As usual with Lucy, Ludden has to admonish her for gesturing too much.

Ludden: (to Lucy) “Watch those hands!” Vivian: “Oh, she cheats!” (laughs)

While Lawford is thinking about a clue, he tuts at Lucy and Vivian, thinking they are cheating.

Vivian: “Oh, no!  She said I look thinner. We didn't say a word about what was here.” (referring to the word card)

Ludden stops the clock momentarily when Gary inadvertently says the password during the lightning round.

When the password is “FEMININE” and Lawford's clue is “MASCULINE,” Lucy guesses “VERILITY” and then makes a lewd gesture thrusting forward her stiffened arm and clenched fist. She immediately softens it. In a previous appearance she gave her husband the middle finger!

THE RESULTS

Lucy and James Horn win the first round.

Gary and Peter Lawford win the second round.

Gary and Vivian win the second round.

Ludden closes by promoting that Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stewart will be his next celebrity guests.

“Password” ~ November 12, 1964

Allen Ludden (Host)

The program is sponsored by Clairol and Bufferin.

THE PLAYERS

Lucille Ball says “The Lucy Show” is on at a new time, 9:00pm. She promotes that later in the season, for three episodes, Ann Sothern will appear. Lucy says that they are trying to get Jean Arthur to guest star.  [This never happened.]

Gary Morton promotes Lucy's radio show, “Let's Talk to Lucy.”

Lucie Arnaz is 13 years old and in the 8th grade.

Desi Arnaz Jr. is 11 and a half years old. He has a new record out for Reprise Record with Dino Martin and Billy Hinsche.

For round one, Lucy and Desi Jr. are partners against Gary and Lucie.  

For round two, Gary and Desi Jr. are partners against Lucy and Lucie.

For rounds three and four, Lucy and Gary are partners against Desi Jr. and Lucie.

TRIVIA

When the password is “FLEA,” Desi Jr. mistakenly thinks it means “RUN.” He realizes his error in the second clue, which he gives as “DOG.” Lucy says “We're going to have spelling lessons when we get home.” Lucy and Desi Jr. win the round. 

In the lightning round, Desi Jr. is startled by the word popping up from the desk. It quickly goes back in and pops back up again. 

While Lucy and Desi are playing, Gary unwittingly says the last clue “HUNGRY” even though he is not playing. Ball momentarily shoots her husband the middle finger!  [see above photo]

In round two, Ludden starts with the wrong team and shouts “Cut! Cut!” after hearing a voice from the booth. It is unclear whether this was edited out for broadcast, but was left in for the syndicated master print seen on the Game Show Network (GSN).  

Mother and daughter win round two. This time it is Lucille Ball who is startled by the pop-up lightning round passwords.

In round three, Lucie and Desi Jr. are playing for their allowance: 25 cents for each point they earn. Ludden says that they did this the last time they were on. Lucy says if they win too much, they can't have it all at once. The youngsters prevail.

Time runs out before the end of round four, but Lucy and Gary win $250 for their charity anyway. Lucy announces that all the prize money will go to a Child Guidance Center in Los Angeles. 

The announcer promotes that Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows will be next week’s guests. Promoting Desi's upcoming record Ludden says the titles are “We Know” and “Since You Broke My Heart” although Ludden mistakenly says “Your Heart”. Desi quickly corrects him. Although Desi said earlier that the record due to be released soon, Desi failed to realize that the program was pre-taped and would air ten days after the single debuted.

Coming Next!  LUCY on PASSWORD ~ Part 2 (1965-1987)

[ebaeschnbliah]

DUNGEON  ON  THE  MIND-STAGE ?

________________________________________________________________

Musings on the 'Serbian-Scene' in TEH and playing with it on a metaphorical level

Sherlock chained to the walls of this dungeon, beaten with a metal bar by a brute and Mycroft sitting by ... watching calmly .... it never felt right to me. And a lot of other things contradict themselves in this scene as well.

More under the cut ....

Why has Mycroft to visit that prison himself ... 'smuggling his way into their ranks'. Does he not have a lot of experts at his command, trained exactly for this sort of action? Also .... this must have taken a lot of time. Who replaced the 'british government' in London while Mycroft was away, doing the much despised 'legwork'?

Maybe Mycroft wanted to go himself because it was about Sherlock, his little brother, whom he always worries about so much? Then why doesn't he show his concern in any way?

Maybe Mycroft couldn't use words because there was the risk of being overheard? Sure, the first few sentences are wispered but the last words - and very revealing words by the way ('Back to Baker Street, Sherlock Homes') - aren't wispered at all.

Besides, there isn't the slightest hint that someone is watching this interrogation somewhere from the outside - unlike the one of Jim Moriarty at the end of THOB. There is no quick shot of a little camera lens in a dark corner, nor a tiny red laser light to clarify the possibility of being watched or overheard. No one is monitoring that scene from a different room. On the contrary, it is explicitly shown that the soldier outside the door wears earplugs and listens to music ... he's not interested at all in what happens behind him in that dungeon.

Maybe Mycroft can't express his worry and concern with words because ... he simply doesn't do things that way? Very plausible .... but ... There is no concern or worry or empathy in his eyes either. Nothing! Just sarcasm, scorn and cynicism. And I wont even start about the hair pulling or comparing torture to 'holidays'.

In fact, Mycroft seems much more concerned to get Sherlock back to London in time to ward off a possible terror attack, then he is about his bleeding and tortured little brother. Which reminds me a lot of Eurus in Sherrinford and her special 'utility':

'There is, in this facility, a prisoner whose intellectual abilities are of occasional use to the British government.'

Mycroft seems to have a certain tendency to free his siblings from prisons when he needs their extraordinary talents for his own purposes. 

So, my friend. Now it’s just you and me. You have no idea the trouble it took to find you. Now listen to me. There’s an underground terrorist network active in London and a massive attack is imminent. Sorry, but the holiday is over, brother dear. Back to Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes.

"I got you out."  .......  "No – I got me out."

There is clearly something in Sherlock's hand and it looks a lot like a key.

Question is ... how was Sherlock able to get hold of a key? Had it been already in his hands before he got chained up in that room? Then why didn't the torturer notice it? I heavily doubt anyone - even Sherlock Holmes - is able to pinch something while chained from wall to wall with outstreched arms. The next thing I also heavily doubt is that Sherlock would be able to use that key to free himself. The hinge of the shackle is clearly on the underside ... therefore the keyhole must be on the back of the hand. Seems very, very impossible for Sherlock to 'get himself out'.

Well .... and that's the next thing which reminds me of Eurus in Sherrinford ... behind Elephant Glass.

Two prisoners - under normal circumstances - unable to free themselves by their own power - and yet ... neither a high tech security prison, equipped with elephant glass ... nor shackles and heavy chains forged of iron, can keep them inside.

Eurus apparently is able to walk through elephant glass every time she wants to break free.

Sherlock holds the key to his bonds in his own hands, ready to get himself out when he wants to.

By the way ... apparently Jim and Ajay can't be held in captivity as well. They too walk away from torture and prison under dubious circumstances. Not sure about Alex, but it's always suspicious when a charachter dies off stage. And Gabriel ... except for the name there's not the slightest bit of information about that guy. So, who knows ....

Taken as a 'real life scene' Sherlock's captivity and torture in this prison in Serbia ... ordered by a man who is called 'Baron Maupertius' ...  appears to be at least a bit dubious. (I know Baron Maupertius is canon but still .... a Baron in the 21st century in Serbia???) Could it be that this whole scene has the distinct flair of someone who loves to be .... dramatic? Anyway, I dare to doubt ... and therefore:

A metaphorical reading of the dungeon scene in Serbia

Based on the assumption that Sherlock is already investigating and deducing on his Mind-Stage at the beginning of 'The Empty Hearse' ... with

Mycroft representing the BRAIN 

Sherlock the SOUL

London equating Sherlock's BODY

Terrorists .... being synonymous with EMOTIONS

... what would that scene look like?

So, my friend. Now it’s just you and me. You have no idea the trouble it took to find you. Now listen to me. There’s an underground terrorist network active in London and a massive attack is imminent. Sorry, but the holiday is over, brother dear. Back to Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes.

BRAIN:  "Ok, SOUL ... I watched you torture yourself long enough. Stop this nonsense and put yourself together! You are severly needed by your BODY. Return at once because very soon EMOTIONS will rise and attack again. Get ready for it. Find and defuse all the 'danger points' (explosives) ... unless of course, you want to become a prisoner of your own meat! ... You had enouth time to catch your breath! Get up! The game is on again!"

Torture yourself? .... let's take a closer look at the torturer then

TORTURER: He said that I used to work in the navy, where I had an unhappy love affair ... that the electricity isn’t working in my bathroom; and that my wife is sleeping with our next door neighbour! The coffin maker! ... If I go home now, I’ll catch them at it! I knew it! I knew there was something going on!

The torturer worked in the navy .... a sailor then? Interesting. Serbia is a country without access to the sea. But then, the man (who speaks Serbian) could have been a mercenary in some other army. Who knows? A mercenary in the navy .... maybe he even was a .... PIRATE?

Unhappy love affair ..... the sailor/pirate once loved someone, but it went wrong. And then he gave up his profession as a 'pirate'? Because of a broken heart? Well, well ....

Electricity not working.... if it's not working then there is no light ... then it is rather DARK. Which impairs the sight considerably. A bit like 'shortsightedness'?

In the bathroom .... the bathroom is definitely the one room in a house/flat which has the strongest connection to ... WATER. A lot of water in a bathroom. A lot of 'dark water' ...... if the electricitiy isn't working .....

The wife is cheating with a coffin maker .... someones life partner is cheating with a person who creates sort of 'closets/cupboards for dead people' .... who puts dead people into narrow boxes .....

If the torturer goes home at once, he will chatch them cheating .... hm, maybe if the 'former pirate' returns to London immediately, he will arrive just in time to be present for ... an engagement?

There is even a little bit of additional information hiding in plain sight regarding this 'torturer'. He wears a Tattoo. Nothing unusual for a former sailor or a mercenary one might say. In combination though this tattoo becomes very interesting because it is Mary who also wears a 'secret tattoo'. Sharing more than 30 similarities makes her a major mirror for Sherlock. Therefore I wouldn't be much surprised if somewhere on Sherlock's body waits a tattoo to be discovered as well.  :)))))

It really looks like - on a metaphorical level -  this torturer is no one else than Sherlock who is torturing himself in the solitude of his mind.

Conclusion

Something happens in S2 TRF and Sherlock ... panicks. My humble guess: Jim happens. Oozing sexuality and darkness like never before, threatening Sherlock to break into every corner of his being, to occupy even the most secure and heavily locked places ... 'the man with the key is king and honey you should see me in a crown' ... no place of power, no prison is secure enough to keep him out ... not even the crown jewels are safe anymore. : )))

Sherlock tries to get rid of Jim, then fakes his own death (just to be safe) and goes on a mental hiatus to find his former equilibrium again. Only ... it doesn't work. It turns out that being away from BODY and HEART doesn't change anything. On the contrary ... the distance becomes torture, unbearable suffering. At last Sherock's own BRAIN - logic and reason - tells him to stop that misery and go back to where he belongs. Sherlock has to find either a way to defeat/delete his emotions entirely or .... lose the war and surrender to that powerful 'underground network'.  And we know already how this battle ends .......  :)))

Bonus-Pics ________________________________________

Obviously the torturer doesn't use a tyre lever to beat Sherlck. It's propably some piece of a water pipe ... but .... well .... the look of it ....

I mean, they could have easily chosen a club or some straight piece of metal ....?

Sherlock holding the key to his chains in his own hand?

How does a rainbow get into a dungeon .....

I leave you to your own deductions. Thanks @callie-ariane for the scripts.

August, 2017

@gosherlocked @loveismyrevolution @monikakrasnorada @sagestreet @sherlockshadow @sarahthecoat @darlingtonsubstitution @kateis-cakeis @tjlcisthenewsexy @221bloodnun

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New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/05/05/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-5517/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 5/5/17

In TV news, we got the first trailer for Marvel’s The Defenders series on Netflix. I dunno, y’all. I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m behind on these shows. At this point, I’ve only seen Daredevil season 1 and Jessica Jones. No DD S2, no Luke Cage, and no Iron Fist. Sorry, kids, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Daredevil was a worthy bingeing experience, as each episode ended on a cliffhanger that MADE you have to check out the next episode immediately. Jessica Jones, not so much. It took me about 3 months to get through that show. Now, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t demand that I consume it immediately. I’m eager to catch Luke Cage, but I wanna go in order, so that means I’ve got to meet the Punisher and Elektra first in Daredevil season 2. So, even though The Defenders comes out in August, I’ll be lucky if I get to it in 2017. Anyway, I told you all that to make you see that my level of enthusiasm for this probably isn’t as high as yours because I’m so far behind. That said, I thought this trailer looked hokey as Hell. The scene where Murdock comes into Jessica’s interrogation felt like a bad fan film. Shit, the whole thing felt like a bad fan film. Remember when Playstation Network aired that Bendis Powers show? Yeah, it looks like that. Something about the cinematography of it all. And then they had to do another goddamn hallway fight. WE GET IT ALREADY! I just don’t know about this one right now..

In other TV news, there are talks of a Roseanne revival, with ABC and Netflix interested bidding on the project. Laurie Metcalf, Aunt Jackie herself, reported that contracts have been worked out, so now they’re just trying to sell the series. Right now, Roseanne (does she currently have a last name?), John Goodman, and Sara Gilbert would star, while Metcalfe says she’s on board in some capacity. It’ll be interesting to see how they pull this off, ya know with Dan being dead and all. Still, it ended with one of the most maligned series finales in television history, and they’ve got a chance to basically erase it. How many shows can say that? Anyway, I was never a huge Roseanne fan. They were just so poor and depressing. Are they gonna lose the bike shop? Are they gonna lose the loose meat restaurant? Is Fisher gonna stop beating up Jackie? I know their struggles resonated with certain folks, but not me. I actually liked the Lottery Season because I could say “Thank God their lives aren’t such shit anymore!” Anyway, I’d bet money on this happening, so it’s now just a matter of where it’s gonna air. The big question is in which “universe” it will be set. After all, the finale basically laid out that everything since about season 4 of the show had been a lie, since Darlene actually ended up with Mark, Becky was the one with David, Jackie was a lesbian, etc. So, would we get the “true” Roseanne, or just more of what we’re used to? And with Mark dead, and David on The Big Bang Theory, I don’t really expect much from those characters anyway. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

I was on my own last weekend, so I took the time to watch TV and catch up comics. Well, I didn’t really watch TV, but it was on in the background. It provided the soundtrack to my comic time. What did I watch? CMT – Country Music Television. Yeah, yeah, you hate country. I don’t care. I grew up on it, so it has a special place in my heart. Anyway, when I saw Brad Paisley’s new video for “Last Time For Everything”, I KNEW I had to share it with y’all. This thing is a love letter to children of the 80s, complete with tracking/tape distortion lines. I don’t wanna spoil anything, so just check it out. Don’t worry – the song’s not about drankin’, or a dead dog, or his wife left him; it’s just a song about appreciating things when you have them because they won’t always be there.

The backdoor pilot for the Black-ish spinoff aired this week. Oh, you don’t know what a “backdoor pilot” is? It’s when an established show gives up one of its episodes to try to launch a new show. Since it already has a built-in audience, it kinda tricks viewers into watching a new show that they otherwise wouldn’t have checked out. Married…with Children had, like, 4 of them. Anyway, in Black-ish, Zoey went off to check out college, made a new best friend, and pissed off the Black Student Union. The whole episode was kinda hokey, but it worked. Chris Parnell was the spineless dean, which is basically every Chris Parnell character these days. And I love how they worked Deon Cole’s Charlie into the plot. If the spinoff gets picked up (I mean, why wouldn’t it?), I hope he gets a bigger role there than he has on Black-ish. If Black-ish is a modern-day Cosby Show, then this is its A Different World. And there ain’t nothing wrong with that, really.

If you like useless gimmick items as much as I do, then make sure you pick up your Frork from McDonalds today. To celebrate the release of their three new Signature Crafted Recipes (Pico Guacamole, Sweet BBQ Bacon, and Maple Bacon Dijon), they’re releasing a utensil that they know nobody needs, but hey, why not? The Frork is basically a fry holder, where the fries act as the tines of the fork. In the infomercial, complete with Anthony Sullivan appearance, they claim the Frork will help you scoop up the toppings that fall off your overflowing sandwich. I swear Anthony Sullivan killed Billy Mays ‘so he’d get ALL that sweet infomercial work. But I digress…If you would like a Frork, check this link to see if one of your local McDonalds locations is giving them out today.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

HBO has hired writers for FOUR potential Game of Thrones spinoffs. So, get ready for Match of Chairs, Bout of Seats, Mother of Dragons and, my personal favorite, Tits & Swords.

Warner Bros has pushed back its theatrical animated Scooby-Doo film two years to 2020.

Girl Meets World is officially dead, as creator Michael Jacobs was unable to find a new home for the series.

While this news is about a month old, FXX has decided against a fourth season of Man Seeking Woman, which wrapped up its 3rd season in March. The season finale was a fitting series finale, so I ain’t mad.

Hot on the heels of its premiere, Hulu has renewed The Handmaid’s Tale for a second season.

Surprising no one, Fox canceled the freshman drama Pitch, about the first female major league baseball player. Following on their heels, NBC canceled the Wizard of Oz update Emerald City.

It was reported that Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider will be returning to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the season finale

Speaking of Marvel TV, we got our first cast picture from Inhumans. KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

We also got our first look at the cast of Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu. They look like the comic, but I still hate that they aged Molly. I like her more as a precocious child to balance them out.

A strike by the Writers Guild of America, which would’ve affected all corners of entertainment, was narrowly averted at the 11th hour

Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealed that they’re engaged. Man, they shit in the company ink! That’s the saying, right?

The biggest TV news of the week was that Ryan Seacrest was announced as Kelly Ripa’s permanent cohost on what will now be called Live with Kelly & Ryan. This bothered me so much! First of all, I was really kinda hoping an underdog, like Fred Savage, would get it. And if they had to go with a media person, they had Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen on the list. But Seacrest?! The dude’s empire is based in LA and, yes, he has an empire. He’s a modern-day Merv Griffin, producing Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Shades of Blue, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He also has a daily syndicated radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, as well as hosts the weekly American Top 40 countdown. With all that going on, you’d think he’d stay in LA instead of taking a job from a New Yorker. Instead, iHeartMedia has built a radio station in the ABC Studios building so that he can do his radio show immediately after taping Live. The plan is for him to stay in New York Monday-Thursday to film Live, he’ll pretape Friday’s show on Thursday, and then he’ll spend Friday-Sunday in LA.

But that’s not ALL the Seacrest news this week. You see, talks of an American Idol revival have heated up again. I wrote about it a few weeks ago, when NBC and Fox were both interested in the show – NBC especially because they could, then, reduce The Voice to one cycle a year. Those talks fell through, but now it appears that ABC has gotten into the game, with one stipulation: there’s no Idol without Seacrest, so the show would have to move to New York so he could continue to host. The show’s production company, Fremantle, insists that it stays in LA. ABC wants to announce it during the May upfronts, which occur in two weeks, for a Fall 2018 premiere (yeah, it ain’t gonna be ready by this Fall). So here’s the plan on how that would work: Fremantle wants to air Idol on Sunday nights from LA, where Seacrest would then fly to NYC after the show in order to make it in time to film Live Monday morning. After filming Monday’s Live, he would then fly back to LA for the Idol results show. Once that’s over, he would fly back to NYC in time for Tuesday’s Live. My God! The live portion of Idol is only 10 weeks, but that is a grueling schedule that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. So far, however, it seems that ABC’s plan would be to air Idol on Mondays, to go head to head with The Voice, so this plan wouldn’t work.

Say what you will about Seacrest, but I’ve always admired the dude’s work ethic. He doesn’t seem to know the word “no”, and he’s constantly building his brand. With the exception of the short-lived On Air With Ryan Seacrest TV show (which is conveniently missing from his Wikipedia entry), he doesn’t really fail at anything. I guess hard work and determination really can take you places. I’ll tell ya, back when he was hosting Click and Gladiators 2000, I had NO CLUE he would become as big as he is. He makes me wanna go out and get 3 more jobs. Then again, I wouldn’t have his net worth of $330 million, but it’d be a start. Anyway, for taking all the jobs, while growing in power, Ryan Seacrest had the West Week Ever.