#im in pain because this show is like casting >>>>>> writing

[the-s1lly-corner]

Platonic tadc cast with a child reader Who is like :

"hey, wanna see me do a cartwheel :D"

Basically very spontaneous and chaotic in the adventures lol

Ty!! (and remember to drink water) ;3

TADC cast x chaotic!kid!reader ! (Platonic)

Guys I'm literally so tired I just got done baking a ton of stuff, like I'm talking 12ish hours of non stop cooking and baking I'm going insane im trying so hard not to fall asleep rn because I kinda. Feel bad for not really answering requests today

Anywahs

Hope you enjoy anon!

Written on mobile

CAINE:

Well well how the turn tables (writing caines portion last for once)

Very similar to kinger and ragatha in that he supports everything you do; in fact he encourages your behavior as long as no one is getting hurt. Very loudly (and sometimes obnoxiously) cheers for you

While kinger can only cheer and clap, I think Caine sets off sparkles and fireworks... probably has a whole group of bubbles cheering you on too , assuming there can be multiple bubbles at any given time (I personally think there can be, and they all share a hivemind of sorts)

So what was the occasion that prompted that?

A wonky cartwheel, of which you excited called "a sideways front flip"

(Fun fact from the admin, I called my first cartwheel that bc I didnt know it was called a cartwheel yet)

POMNI:

Anxious parental figure and hyper child, a dynamic that's hit or miss at least for me. Really it depends on how its executed

That said I think she struggles to keep up with you

Constantly scrambling around you make sure you dont fall into any danger. Literally and figuratively...

Her attempts to get you to sit down for more than five minutes fail

Your ass is failing the marshmallow test/j

RAGATHA:

No thoughts only that one clip from adventure time where BMO pretends to be a wheathervane before trying to nose dive off the roof, all while calling for finns attention. Thats you and ragatha, basically (in essence, not exact scenario though)... maybe zooble too, but we'll get there when we get there (I am currently having a brain blast)

Says things like "what am I gonna do with you" everyday, always lightheartedly of course and usually accompanied by a tired chuckle

Generally very supportive of you though, just so long as you're not hurting yourself! Sure, this is the digital world and injuries dont really stick, but still! The pain is still there

JAX:

I mentioned the marshmallow test in pomnis part and I feel like jax would do something similar with you. Except the test is rigged and the candy (which he uses in place of the marshmallow( is actually for him and not for you. So if you actually earn the extra candy you dont even get it

That said I do think jax would feel bad when you get upset about the joke

Anyways

I think he finds it funny, as long as you're not tugging on his overalls and screaming at him for something, or interfering with his plans

Hes not a neglectful rolemodel/familial figure, he just has a short fuse with the above I think, regardless of who it is, kid or not

That said he fully embraces your spontaneous nature

KINGER:

Peepaw and his grandchild, that's it that's literally the dynamic

"Kinger is only 48-"

Hush♡

"Oh that's so lovely, (reader)" when you run up to him with your hands full of god knows what

Eagerly claps and cheers when you show him a new trick you learned

Bonus if you try to recreate or one up his embellished stories in order to make him proud of you (hes always proud of you)

ZOOBLE:

As mentioned in ragathas part, the wheathervane BMO thing is basically in essence you guys' dynamic. Except where I think ragatha would be quicker to pay attention to you, zooble may be a little slower. Not because they dont care about whatever you're trying to display to them, but because I think a lot of the times they kind of mentally check out (me too honestly)

Tries to scold you if you do something too dangerous or out of line, may come across as way angrier or upset than they actually are though thanks to their voice being kinda

You know

Zooble gives off "cool older sibling who doesnt care about nothing" energy

GANGLE:

Meekly tries to get you to calm down for a few minutes, especially if theres an IHA going on because she doesnt want you to run off and potentially get hurt. Tries to keep you occupied with arts and crafts. Watches in horror as you impulsively eat the glue

Tends to wrap one of her ribbon hands around yours so she knows you're not running off.. this is more so when theres an IHA going on

As per usual not many ideas for gangle <\3

[scarrletmoon]

it's izzy hands it's kylo ren it's billy from stranger things it's snape it's draco it's loki circa 2012-2014 it's a REPEATED PATTERN throughout all of fandom of an antagonistic white guy getting a devoted fanbase that is both disproportionate to his importance in the story and also misunderstands the white guy's role as an antagonist. they think their mean little guy is a misunderstood victim and they base their entire fandom experience around him. and then in season 2 ofmd went and redeemed izzy before killing him off to further ed's arc, something that is a solid choice from a technical writing standpoint but from a fandom perspective it built the izzy fans up into thinking they were right about how izzy has never been homophobic, izzy is a poor downtrodden abuse victim, and from day one izzy has been a protector and the only competent guy around and a loyal and dutiful first mate. and possibly the most significant part is that so many izzy fans have accidentally and unknowingly tricked themselves into thinking that izzy is a main character bc their fandom engagement revolves so heavily around izzy that they forgot the actual show itself doesn't, so they were completely blindsided by a death that has been foreshadowed since season one ("im not dying, not for that twat and not for you" and "only retirement we get is death" and the whole "plumb the depths, man" sequence where izzy was talking to stede through a death shroud ffs). and i want so bad to just ignore it but we literally got a queer romcom centered around an interracial couple and an incredibly diverse cast and an indigenous main character and a diverse writer's room and the season ended on a happy note and it's all about queer joy AND YET. soooooooo much of the post-season discussion has to center around the white side character!!! even in death izzy hands takes up a disproportionate amount of the fandom conversation and im exhausted. it's every fandom! every fucking time!! this isnt anything new this is the same time-honored fandom tradition of white man favoritism YET A-FUCKING-GAIN and im SO FUCKING TIRED OF IT!!!!!!!!!

(i get so scared when i turn on anon bc i’ve consistently gotten such shitty, cowardly messages through it but i’m glad this isn’t one of them lmao)

i know i’ve said this 374748 times but the last time i made the kylo ren/snape/white villain connection on twitter (i mean that’s on me, it’s twitter) i had people legit furious with me for calling them nazis which………..i literally never said

and i get the frustration. trust me, I GET IT. the white villain problem smashes right into white fragility and makes it almost impossible to talk about any of it. it means, like you said, that we’re talking about a fucking white side character in cast of amazing, nonwhite talent, because some people can’t handle confronting the fact that whiteness insulates them from the realities of racism, and that their ignorance and hostility makes them active participants in white supremacy

(and it’s really hard to explain this to people who’ve been taught that racism is when slurs and white klan hoods, because then they’ll say and do the most vile shit and CRY or fight you when you gently try to explain the racist shit they just did)

and because fandom is very queer as well as very white, we also have to contend with the kinds of white people who think that queerness somehow negates their whiteness. that they can’t express their privilege in contexts involving POC. that we’re making shit up to be victims and to minimize their pain on purpose. and time and time again, i have had my queerness erased by white people, so they feel comfortable ignoring criticism i only ever shared bc i was hoping for something better

i’ve said it again and again and again and AGAIN that it’s ESPECIALLY depressing seeing white people close ranks in ofmd fandom especially BECAUSE it has such a diverse cast and doesn’t shy away from discussing racism in all the ways it manifests. like, most of the racism in the show isn’t even subtle and y’all STILL elected to ignore it? do y’all not feel ANY shame about that?

and some of them don’t! bc they think we’re infiltrators. bc they’re only a few steps removed from “they will not replace us” as they see more POC try to join fannish spaces. and they’ll pretend they’re not trying to push us out bc they’re marginalized in other ways — deliberately ignoring the fact that they’re also crushing their fellow queer, disabled and marginalized community

so you’re tired? yeah. me the fuck too. we deserve so much better

[accio-victuuri]

Sugar Rush: September CPNs 🍬🍭

The month of BXGs had some very exciting candies! Let’s review them together ^^ Same disclaimer applies. Only for CPN-loving bxgs. If you hate this kind of thing, please spare yourself the pain and scroll along.

• Similarity between Shengyang & Yibo ( when what you love becomes a career )

• Same brand = Covernat

• Them being the Sun 🧡

• WYB’s Pechoin Ad spotted in an episode of SBMS

I really have a lot of feelings with the Shengyang x Chen Shuo AU pairing. They are so perfect together!

I mean….. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

• There is something about the similarities between shengyang & yibo in the way that they look at the person they care about the most that gets me. it’s this whole “puppy” devotion they got going on. an innocent kind of love.

the kind where you look at the person’s reaction first when something happens, you wanna see them happy before you enjoy what’s in front of you. even if they don’t talk, you carefully observe their body language cause you wanna figure out how to help them and show them that you’re on their side. ☀️

• In a BTS released by One & Only, they showed some wardrobe and looks for Chen Shuo. This one is him wearing a black helmet instead of red. Did you see the peppa pig sticker? and i can’t make out the other one. What a coincidence, considering the CQL crew’s “history” with peppa pig 😂😂😂

• Not really CPN, but to archive this incident where cpfs commented WYB photos on ZZ’s douyin post. This reminds me of that 95 post on weibo, where it was all cpf, then 🍤 of course did the most to “erase” that. but that comment section has so many interactions. I’m 50/50 on this, I think it’s unnecessary to do it, knowing full well that it will “provoke” a fan war and i personally don’t want that. The other half of me tho is cackling cause cpfs surely know how to troll. My fave tho are photo comments of cute fandom dolls 🥺🥺🥺

• One and Only top box office in Chongqing on 9/4

• Summary of SBMS clowning material from 9/1 to 9/5 ☀️

• Similarity in WYB & XZ selfies ( vintage motorcycle gear )

• XZ’s mystery driver, and was it WYB?

• INNER MONGOLIA MYSTERY : I’m naming it as such because it’s truly a mystery as of writing. There’s been some rumors already that LOCH & Mermaid will have scenes shot in IM. XZ tho is confirmed to be there. The cast and crew were spotted and XZ is not exactly hiding it either, his IP is there.

What makes it sus is a video captured that is allegedly of the hotel entrance where XZ stays. It’s too dark to see who he is with but some cpfs are saying you can see someone who is like WYB going in too w/ XZ. the way the person walks tho is so WYB as far as I can tell. And the most sus thing is the hotel closed all the lights in the lobby. Who the fuck does that. Yeah I know XZ is VIP and they will do everything to protect him and make sure no photos of him will be taken. But to actually close all the lights??? There must be something more… probably another VIP guest????

and well this.. whatever this is… it’s not covering with umbrellas anymore, it had come to this kind of hiding already. and how they were hiding who was coming in and. there were 2 people. so yeah. 👀

again, i am including this here to archive but i’m not fond of them being followed around like that. just leave them alone to work in peace. 🙃 we should be more focused on their projects and not act like paps. understand the reason why there are proxy shooters is because there is an audience.

the most sus thing do, is come monday, the black cloth and all the cover up was not done anymore. So it makes you think that they were really trying to hide something in those days they used it. 🤡

• SBMS clowning series version 2 / version 3 / version 4 / version 5 / version 6

• Hangzhou Asian Games power couple 🔥🔥🔥

• THEM and Li Qin as leading lady 😂😂😂

• Their long hair! Please bring it back for both please and thank you ☺️☺️☺️

and the fact that GG is absolutely glowing in the photo. We’ve been speculating that WYB visited him, so is this the result????

• YIBO-Official 9th debut anniversary debut clowning: who folded the shirt // 2019 memories, new? black panther drawing and day&night selfies // XZ signed the artwork + the pose is inspired by yibo

• Edited background in yibo’s selfie + Why we think this was taken in Inner Mongolia

• Couple autograph !!!!

• RIO becomes cpf’s friend lol

• Love is like this / Fireworks

• The timing of their posts ( an example )

• This is so funny!!!! Now that we have a glimpse of Wei Ruolai, he is being paired to Xiao Sa — who we know is Mister Ye’s. So it’s now a love triangle 😂

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

• bracelet & hand cpn - i don’t personally buy into this cpn but a huge chunk of the fandom were talking about it so i’m including it

• XZS Vlog Chapter 6 candies: ZZ & WYB similarity in XZS vlog + xzs and ybo are working together again & salomon shoes & mosaic design + panda rumor

• Matching Mid Autumn festival post ; Also how WYB’s look like there is a Mole. ☺️

There are also talks of the photo being taken from a proper camera, the most popular guess being a leica. I guess how YBO reposted this and said something like how Bobo is a “photographer” clued people in. But it could be because he posted an artsy photo like this instead of a selfie. 📷

—— END ——

See you all next month! 💕🍬

[mins-fins]

HAUNTED (L.DH)

SUMMARY . . . it's difficult to.. grasp it, in a way, yeah, donghyuck is psychically there, but he doesn't remember anything, like his mind has been wiped clean. in the end, he's just a walking blank slate.

PAIRING . . . lee donghyuck x male!reader

GENRE . . . angst, somewhat fluffy

WARNINGS . . . passing mentions of car accidents, post-traumatic amnesia

WORD COUNT . . . 0.9k

NOTES . . . im going to admit, not my best work, i made this SUPER PRETTY HEADER and the writing cant even compare its so……… *sighs* mediocre 🙁, anyway i love haechan sorry if this doesn't live up to expectations

"do you know who i am?"

it's the same response as always, donghyuck's eyebrows knit together and he pauses whatever he's doing for a moment, staring at y/n like he's a complete stranger that he's never met anymore. y/n has to admit, it really feels like his heart is being ripped out of his body every time he asks this question and he gets this response.

"your.." donghyuck pauses once again, his mind going blank. y/n knows this is the result of the accident, that his condition will probably get better with time, but does it remove the pain of him not knowing him? no. "y/n, my boyfriend, my partner".

y/n blinks, staring at the male right in front of him. he tries his best not to cry. he doesn't sound sure of himself, he sounds like he's trying to convince himself that that was the right answer. donghyuck continues staring, his eyes holding nothing, just emptiness that y/n can identify.

he clears his throat, shaking his head. it's too early in the morning to get emotional like this. "yeah that's.. right, sorry, i—"

"i hope i didn't say anything wrong" donghyuck says, biting his inner cheek. "your not upset, are you?" he asks, his voice lowering to an astonishing way honestly, it makes y/n want to cry even more.

"no no, you didn't i'm just.. i thought about something sad that's all" he doesn't look convinced, which y/n finds ironic considering his current condition.

"oh i'm sorry".

it's difficult, living with someone who once remembered every single little thing about you, now not even remembering your facial features, or your favorite color, or your hobbies, or what your coffee order is. y/n didn't expect for him to live when it came to the accident, it would've hurt having to go to a funeral for someone he loves so dearly; but it also hurts knowing that because of the trauma from accident, everything is just.. a blur now.

it hurts, having to clarify who he is every few minutes because he doesn't remember, and it hurts even more because it's like living with a blank piece of paper. yeah maybe he's psychically there in a sense, but he's just.. there, he doesn't remember anything much, and when he does talk first, which is unlikely, all he talks about is stuff that's barely important.

when y/n does bring up stuff they did in the past, or shows him the pictures they used to take on their polaroid cameras together, all donghyuck can do is just stare, because he so badly wants to remember it, he wants for his memory to desperately come back and for everything to go back to how it was before he decided to get into that car on that saturday morning.

but it just can't.

life just isn't fair, and no matter how much y/n tries to act like it'll all be okay, it won't. it won't ever be okay, he can try to ignore it, he can try to act like he's doing well, dealing with it well, but.. he isn't, everyone can see through his stupid facade.

"you look very pretty in these pictures" donghyuck randomly comments, looking through the polaroids spread around the table. pictures the two of them had taken together with.. his camera. he gives y/n a small smile, focusing back on the pictures.

"yeah, you took them" he replied simply, and donghyuck blinks, he doesn't remember that, of course he doesn't, y/n can envision the words that are about to leave his mouth.

"i don't—"

"remember.. i know" y/n cuts, donghyuck looks sad for a moment, casting his eyes away from his partner. "hey it's okay" he runs a hand up and down his back. "i'm not upset, it isn't your fault".

donghyuck blinks, he wonders what it'd be like if he just.. did remember, he'd save y/n so much pain and despair if he could just remember. does the universe hate him so much that he's causing pain to the one person who loves him the most? why can't he just remember everything? he wishes y/n could be happy, because even with the smiles he showcases to donghyuck, he's not really happy.

it bothers him, like an itch, but no matter how much he tries, his mind can't conjure up anything, whenever he thinks he's about to get it, it's like his mind resets, and every memory he's ever had has ceased to exist.

it keeps him up at night, and he doesn't even know why, because usually he just.. sleeps, he usually never tosses and turns, he usually never zones out staring at the ceiling, he usually sleeps just like that.

but he can't help but think he's at fault..

he can't control other people's actions, he can't, but it just makes him feel so disappointed knowing that the reason y/n doesn't have peace.

donghyuck rolls over, staring at y/n's sleeping face, he looks peaceful, and it makes a smile come to his face. his mind always goes a little hazy when he thinks of y/n, and he knows that it makes y/n's mood go down.

he doesn't know why, but he reaches over and lightly brushes y/n's hair out of his face. he blinks, just staring at him. he stays asleep, only lightly shifting. in his unconsciousnesses, he reaches over and grabs donghyuck's hand, holding it.

donghyuck is a little taken aback, he looks down, staring at the sight. y/n's hand is warm, it feels nice.

he lightly smiles again.

he doesn't really remember much, but y/n's still by his side.

for now, he'll just live in the moment.

[5am-mist]

angst with bellie bel

Strangers.

°pairing°> bella ramsey x reader

°summary°> you can't help but get excited when Bella says he has something to tell you. Only to get your heart crushed moments later.

°requested°> yess!

~°A/N°~

i am still working on your requests so please don't sorry if i haven't posted your req yet! Also sorry if this sucks im still not feeling well but i felt bad leaving your guys' requests for so long and i didn't want anyone ro get mad at me lol. so i wasn't sure what direction to take this in and i lowkey suck at writing angst but i hope you like it! I used he/him pronouns for Bella! thank youuu for the request love you<33

You and Bella had been best friends for a while now. You used to do everything together, go everywhere together. Recently though you two had been growing distant and it killed you. You loved him far more than a best friend should and you knew that.

Bella had been out of country for filming and in the beginning it was like it always was. Facetiming every night, messaging you whenever he was on break and constantly updating you on his plans. You remember the late nights where he'd tell you how filming was and about his new cast members.

With time however that seemed to stop. No more factimes or messages and when you'd reach out you were always met with a "im busy rn" or "maybe later" only to never hear back from him.

You were upset and angry to say the least. You just wanted an explanation as to why suddenly your best friend was no longer making an effort to talk to you. It was the day Bella flew back home. You marked it on your calander back when he originally flew over.

You stared at your phone re-reading Bella's text over and over again. "hey can i come over? i need to tell you something really important." you cursed yourself for getting excited, for thinking he was going to tell you how sorry he was for shutting you out. Were you really gonna let him come over after he practically ignored you for months on end? Yes, you were.

"sure." You thought about typing something more, anything more but at the same time you felt he didn't deserve it. It wasn't long before he showed up.

You let him in and closed the door behind you, he made a bee line for the couch but you stayed standing. "You're not going to sit?" he sounded confused.

"No, I'm fine standing. What did you want to tell me again?" you urged him. "Straight to point are we? Uh..well I'm not sure how to say this but i uh got a girlfriend. Macy, you remember her?" you were crushed to say the least and all you wanted to do was cry.

Of all the people aswell. It had to be Macy, the Macy that Bella used to talk about on facetime with you, the Macy Bella had been working with for these past months, the Macy you never actually got to meet. "oh. yea i remember her." the pain was evident in your voice and tears were pricking your eyes.

You see, at this point you weren't even that upset that Bella had a girlfriend no, you were upset that Bella had been shutting you out and practically ignoring you all this time because of her.

"What? What's the matter?" he demanded. Not a hint of concern in his voice. "I just, i don't know what to say Bella" you weren't lying you really didn't know what to say to him. "Oh i don't know maybe a I'm happy for you would do?" he stood up at this point and you could tell he was getting agitated.

"I can't. I can't say that I'm happy for you that would just be lying." your voice wavered. "Why can't you just be happy for me then? Your my friend thats what you're supposed to do." Appalled was what you were.

"So we're gonna play that game huh? Alright, friends don't randomly stop calling each other. Friends don't dismiss each other when they're very clearly trying to reach out. Friends don't leave the country and essentially cut you out like you were never even that important. Im so sorry i can't be happy for you. Im so very sorry that all those nights you were having fun in a different country with your girlfriend i was here in my apartment trying to find out what i did that was so wrong it pushed my best friend and love of my life to the point where he no longer wanted to talk to me."

You aggressively wiped away your tears waiting for him to respond. "oh. i didn't-" you cut him off before he could even finish. "just leave Bella. Im tired. I have been waiting months for you and now you're back and i never wanna see you again. I don't want your petty fucking excuses and i don't want your half assed apology and if you're expecting an apology you wont be getting one so i suggest you just go."

He looked at you with regret evident on his face. A part of you begged for you to apologize, to make thigs right again but it had already been done. You couldn't take back what was said. He stopped for a moment as if he were going to say something but decided against it and walked past you towards the door. You didn't bother turning around, you almost couldn't. "Goodbye."

One word. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. You knew that one word was the last word you'd ever hear from Bella and you hated it. You thought about stopping him. You thought about calling him. You thought about how things would be if you had just put on a fake facade for that one conversation but at the end of the day you didn't. You didn't call him. You didn't stop him and you didn't act happy for him that day.

You two were strangers now. Strangers with a backstory. Strangers who'd stay up all night wondering what your life would be like if you were still friends.

[schro4444]

Idk abt pained but that anon's right!! There's just something about the way you draw kaito's smiles that feels like running headfirst into a brick wall - it's great!!

On that note though - I'm absolutely obsessed with the bit "he’s got an expression of scrunched-nose focus on his face that looks, for some reason, incorrect—like it’s not how his face actually looks when he’s concentrating, but the emotion underneath is the same. A mask of a feeling to obscure the same feeling, entirely purposeless"

because like! YES! That's EXACTLY it!! Kaito LOOKS like he's super expressive, emoting with his whole face and body, and then you just - get punched in the face when you realise, OH, he feels like neither him nor anyone could ever get out of the shadow his dad casts, OH, he DOES remember the clock tower meeting, this whole ringmarole was to save it, OH, he was trying to get Aoko to act more natural, OH, he was playing the fool at billiards (I GENUINELY doubted for a moment whether he Actually sucked at billiards or just cheated for the poetic justice)

It's a bit sad, to be honest, that Kaito can never put his masks down no matter what face he's wearing - even if it is his own. He said he's a fan of Lupin but imho he'd do well to reread the first book - there is a line there about disguises and ceasing to know yourself Kaito would do well to remember, bc I very much he's taking the time to rest, eat and become himself again between disguise and disguise.

THANK YOU!!! genuinely that’s such a huge compliment ajfjdhd

THANK YOU! AGAIN!! AND YES YES OKAY—I was going to say I have an essay on this, but I think ditto IS my essay, lol

BUT IM GONNA TALK ABOUT IT MORE ANYWAY!!! I won’t get into all of it now but Gosh I think so much about expressions. kaito appears to be an extremely expressive character, and it’s not that he Isn’t, but more that it’s Very intentional, like you’re saying—he’s a magician, he lives for misdirection, he’s always misdirecting and deflecting and reflecting.

moments like these Haunt Me!! he’s very clearly Being Kaito, enough that everyone around him believes him, but he’s also just… totally lying, in every single image. I really really want to capture the energy of these panels in writing and art, lol

LIKE. how good of an acting job did he do here that he managed to convince aoko that he didn’t want to see a magic show. lol.

THE POOL CHAPTER I think about that all the time. what an establishing moment for kaito. first of all because of what it reveals about how he is

(thank you toichi)

and second of all because I was also!!! bamboozled!!

the way he is portrayed when he starts winning in this chapter is Very interesting, because I feel like it comes across as kaito more,,, like,,, settling into the role. he’s not really actively trying to do anything, he’s following what he most naturally wants to do, which is somewhere between “be silly so that people don’t look too closely” and “I’d really like to see the people around me laugh and be happy.” once he starts being able to Perform, he succeeds. and yet we as the audience are still left doubting what really happened!!! kaito misdirects the audience just as much as any of the mk characters!

oooo I really need to read the arsene lupin books. but like YEAH! EXACTLY! kaito never really made space for himself to Not be acting. the closest he gets is with Jii, and maybe his mom. relevant to my OTHER ramble about how, in deciding to become kid, kaito ended up creating a character out of himself, a character that he Has To Be most of the time. and it’s WILD, because it’s a version of himself that’s fundamentally missing a lot of who he is, but nothing that anyone would actually know to miss.

[thefringespod]

Hello dear wanderers! Its time again for another #AudioDramaSunday! We're going to start with my relisten of The Grotto because I love emotional pain. Yes I knew what was going to happen, yes I still cried a bunch. The first 4 eps of The Grotto are out now and they're amazing

The mini episode of @tellnotalespod from this week made my heart hurt 😭 I'm so happy to hear from Julia and Riley but also im back to needing to shake Leo for what they've done

@camlannpod released their first episode this week and my gods yall its already so so beautiful. Between the voice acting and the music and the writing I could scream about it forever its just. Absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to see what else happens in this show!!

New @somewhereohio fucked me up (affectionate) Green and Sterling just. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. And then the end of the episode???? Rat Grimes is written a masterful show and it makes me so worried every week I love it so so much

I finished season 1 of The Storage Papers this week and wow. Just wow. I love an anthology with an overarching plot and I love a podcast that is its own fictional podcast and the Storage Papers checks both of those podcasts. Also Jeremy Enfinger is a stellar VA!

Here on the Fringes we've released the first bit of our midseason break content: a feed drop of @souloperatorpod episode 1! You already know im biased (and right) about everything Tot does but it's truly an amazing episode

Also theres only 3 more episode to write for the Fringes!

And over on @forgedbondspod I've finished up episode 19! Only 5 more episodes to write before stuff starts going out to our incredible cast and im so excited to start getting to hear these lovely lovely folks voice my silly little characters

That's all for this week! Starting s2 of The Storage Papers this week and likely doing an Ethics Town relisten because I finally got Tay to start Ethics Town and it makes me want to listen again

[the-crimson]

Q!BBH and Generational Trauma

For a long time this has been something I’ve noticed in the halo family that I’ve strongly related to. Idk if it’s an intentional theme bbh and Dapmin (and pommin but im mainly gonna focus on Dapper) put into their characters but it’s definitely there. So heres my perspective on bbh’s character arc so far observed through a lens of generational trauma.

(Quick side note. Writing this post was a journey tm and my initial view of bbh and god’s relationship and what the afterlife scene meant shifts dramatically half way through XD)

Even if a parent does everything right, they will still hurt their children. It’s part of the job. It’s part of life. Even if we choose to be better than our parents, the scars they left will bleed onto our children. I think every family has an element of generational trauma - I certainly do but im not gonna trauma dump on yall - but the severity of it is a spectrum.

Q!bbh was cast from his home due to the conditional love of God/the Father and this has left a clear impact on him. His self worth is in the gutter and he lacked a sense of purpose. According to everything we know of bbh’s life before the island, he didnt really care for much of anything other than finding the next source of entertainment - i mean, he remembers the salem witch trials fondly because of the drama of it all regardless of the fact that hundreds of innocent women were murdered.

Was God being intentionally cruel or abusive? Probably not. From His perspective, he may see casting his angels from heaven as a temporary punishment - like spanking a child for throwing a tantrum - without really understanding the damage such treatment is actually doing. He isnt teaching his children the lesson he thought he was just as spanking a child doesnt teach them to behave, only to fear. Bbh redeemed himself in the eyes of the Father and thus was granted the choice to return home. The Father was doing his child a kindness, he was welcoming his lost angel back home because what fallen angel would ever choose anything other than Elysium? And thats the point of conflict. The Father thinks he is doing right by his child but hes only causing bbh more pain. Bbh has to choose between his own children and eternal salvation (that he knows can be taken away on a whim). His heart has been severed in two.

Bbh’s wounds from his disownment run so deep he doesnt even notice them and thus, doesnt notice how they impact his children. Dapper has taken after so many of bbh’s characteristics and a complete lack of self worth is one of them. Selflessness to the point of self annihilation. The fear of being a burden. The need to feel useful otherwise why am i even alive? Dapper was borderline suicidal because they felt useless and nearly killed themself trying to be useful by farming soul hearts and they learned all of this behavior from Bad. Bbh showed Dapper unconditional love but it wasnt enough. Bbh couldnt save Dapper from his own trauma.

Breaking cycles of generational trauma takes more than just realizing how you were raised didnt work and trying something else. Bbh never healed from the wounds left by the Father and thus they were passed down to his own son.

When i started writing this analysis, i thought that this was the tragedy between bbh and the Father. God was too stuck in his ways to understand what His child needs, what would truly make bbh happy. I thought that the Father had not changed. His love remained conditional. Bbh could only come home if he chose god/heaven. The door might be closed next time. This is his only chance of coming home. But now after laying it all out like this… it made me wonder why the Father decided now of all times was when bbh redeemed himself. My initial cynical reading was that the Father was putting bbh through a test of loyalty. He only truly earned his redemption if he would abandon his children in favor of god/heaven but now… i can see a more hopeful reading.

God watched bbh become a father. He watched bbh become a better person through fatherhood. He also watched as the trauma He caused was passed onto bbh’s child. If the Father wanted bbh to come home because he’d redeemed himself, then the Father could have snapped bbh away at any time. Perhaps thats what He would have done 14,000 years ago when bbh first fell. What if the Father recognized his mistake? What if this was His attempt to fix things after seeing just how much damage He’d done? What if he did finally understand what bbh truly needed?

Bbh was stuck in his trauma because he lacked agency in his current state. The Father still had all the power between them by holding heaven hostage. The only way bbh could ever start to heal from this damage was if he was given back the choice that was made for him. Bbh needed to choose one way or another in order for him to take the first step towards healing even if it causes him anguish in the moment. He needed the choice. He needed the freedom to refuse.

But giving freedom to your children can be scary. What if they make the wrong choice? What if they screw up and ruin everything? For a god who expects perfection from his children, freedom must be terrifying. Giving His children freedom means giving them the option to turn away from him. But that is part of being a parent.

What if unlocking the gates was an apology? Im sorry i hurt you. Im sorry i made this choice for you. I see you. I wont take this choice from you again. Its too late to change the past but you can change the future. Dont make my same mistakes.

What if it was a gift? God relinquished his leverage over bbh and gave him the option to come home. An opportunity for bbh to break the cycle. A chance for bbh to make a choice for himself for once. To free him of the shackles that tied him to God. To heal and stop his own son from continuing the cycle of generational trauma.

After all, the greatest gift a god can give is the freedom to choose one’s own destiny.

[creative-clawmarks]

There are some common tropes in HLVRAI fannon that get on my nerves, those being:

1. Benrey shows up on Gordon’s doorstep like a wet cat and domesticity scenarios happen.

and

2. Benrey learns that humans can’t respawn or regrow their limbs and he’s genuinely caused Gordon great pain.

And like obviously write whatever you want, im not the fandom police and I’m sure these have good angst potential or something, but I do wish more of fannon would engage with the actual themes of the series and dynamics of these characters.

Because Benrey couldn’t show up on Gordon’s doorstep, he’s trapped in a computer and there’s nothing outside of Black Mesa. And Gordon can respawn and fix his player model, he just doesn’t to maintain kayfabe. And I find that so much more interesting.

Because think about it. The physical stakes in this series are nonexistent because nothing that happens to Gordon in the game can have any real effect on his real self. But the emotional stakes are through the fucking roof because the existential stability of these AIs are on the brink of shattering and Gordon cares so fucking much about them that he roleplays super hard as a way to preserve the illusion and Benrey’s shenanigans jeopardize that.

And from Benrey’s perspective that has to be annoying because he knows that none of this is real, it’s just a game and he’s just messing around bro why are you freaking out over everything? Like I personally don’t even think that in the intended story of this hypothetical Half-Life VR game that Benrey is supposed to be this extra-dimensional threat, I think he’s just more aware from the jump and better at manipulating the game’s systems. He really was just using PAC3 for that final boss.

This dynamic fascinates me to no end and there are so many creative ways to expand on this metanarrative and it frustrates me to seen it get put to the wayside for plots I’ve seen elsewhere. Benrey and Gordon are not on equal footing with the rest of the cast and they are not on equal footing with each other and that’s so interesting.

This isn’t a story about some guy and his friends being harassed by an unknowable threat, it’s an ideological battle between an angel and a demon with everyone else getting caught up in the middle. And also they’re a little in love.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

GAAAAAHH, Your so good man! While writing for Hank, I drabbled a little with how reader feels/felt?

Now, Reader didn't feel unloved of course, they loved the platonic yan adults and the teens/kids very much! But... they couldn't help that they didn't feel unconditionally cared for, the fact that they weren't actually related to them (Im shooting for that being what reader truly believed) always burned in the back of their mind, they felt the others had every right to turn them away if reader sought out that family bond from them, because they weren't really family, so why would they need to reach out to reader in that way? Reader knew they were loved, but that didn't change or get rid of the the pain, or the guilt they felt for not being grateful for the relationship/s they did have with everyone, they should be satisfied with the love they have, but they aren't, there's a part of reader that wants a kind of affection they truly believe they don't deserve.

So if Reader were related to Hank/Beast? The world is going to see a whole new side of him, a part of him that's merciless, because someone has been taken from them, and that can't go without punishment. He would be so so angry with himself, for never seeing that his kid was there with them the whole time, no one knew, and now reader and the others were gone, and nothing could change that. Then learning about how reader felt, something in him snapped, and he would do anything to make sure the future was a better one... even if the kids were the price they payed.

Dude you've got to let me know if I need to slow down, anyways, love ya!

🐑 Anon

Holy mole... That is a good take on a passage Reader would write, 🐑 Anon! They wouldn't have many notes written, or too much, but what they do have is hidden, all put in the same box and tucked away in a closet or under the bed or hidden behind books or beneath a floorboard. The notes have various dates, sometimes a few days apart, sometimes several months, even a year or so, but it details how Reader truly feels... And it's not great. They felt less than the others. Like they weren't worth as much. If anything happened to Reader, it wouldn't hold as many consequences, but it would break the others if something happened to another kid or adult, so they'd do everything they could to keep them alive. It portrays their fears, of abandonment, of hatred, of being cast out if they overstepped a boundary. It shows small portraits they've made of the others, or small notes on what to get them, what they like, the best ways to cheer them up...

It's heartbreaking, for the adult platonic yans to read through them, seeing how Reader tried so hard to please them and make them happy and keep everything together... And it's even worse when one of them is their parent. One they never knew about, one they'd never have a relationship with... and one who would never be able to form that bond with Reader.

If Hank was there parent... He's a sweet person. He's patient, he's good with kids, he's helpful and kind and caring... After this... He gets a bit darker. He still loves the kids and his friends, don't get him wrong! But... he misses the ones who are gone. The ones they couldn't save. And he spends hours, perfecting medicines and devices to help keep the others healthy and safe and to get rid of any... unnecessary individuals. What happened will not happen again. Not if he has any say in it. This tragedy... it will not be in vain. They learned their lesson. They cannot let others hurt them, or their children, or others like them. If they can't choose peace and acceptance freely, then they will accept it forcefully. And my oh my, the ideas he has to help keep the order amongst the people... Nothing violent, no. But perhaps something that... inclines them to make certain choices. To act a certain way, or to think a certain thought... And all the ways it can be administered. Medicines, drugs, perhaps a few small chips or trackers, to better keep an eye on every individual, especially the ones who are rather... outspoken...

It isn't easy, trying to move on. Trying to keep this new peace. Trying to right a wrong that has nothing they can right.

He had a child.

Now he does not.

Neither one of then knew the other was there, within reach, and now neither of them will be able to have the other as family. It hurts, deep down inside, worse than when his mutation further manifested, worse than being cooped up inside the mansion for a few months, worse than any accident in his lab. Those could be managed; handled; dealt with; healed. This... this wound won't heal. And while he is thankful for the others who are still there... he truly misses those who aren't.

Perhaps this path is dark, full of sorrow and doubt, but all they can do is make the best of it. The woods of paradise may be lovely, dark and deep, but he has promises to keep, and miles to go before he sleeps... (miles to go before he sleeps...)

(We have Erik and Hank down; that leaves The Professor, Storm, Wolverine, Sabretooth, and Mystique, as possible parents to Reader, that we can explore before anything is made canon to the au!)

[jessisajackass]

Hc idea: crew member reader being recruited for jackass, and what made the boys decide you should join the show individually?

jackass hc's!

thank you for requesting! <3

this was kinda hard to write because i really had to sit down and think (i even used my friend for help, thank u ry lol <3), but it was fun to write too! i'm sorry if it's bad/not exactly what u hoped for but i hope u enjoy it anyways!

i also decided to do more members than last time, but it still might be a bit short. anyways, lets get into it!

johnny knoxville

your pain tolerance

like i’ve said before, i feel like knox is more of a “walk it off” type of guy, so when he sees how you can just deal with pain, i think he’d be impressed!

hes also like…the boss of everything tbh so even if he liked u a lot and everybody else was meh, you’d get the part LMAO

i could def. see some duo skits with absolutely crazy things since you both deal so well with pain LMFAOO

bam margera

he’s known you from the past

OKAY LISTEN

IMAGINE YALL SKATED TOGETHER IN LIKE 00-03 ISH

AHHHHHH

and hes all talking big game all like “oh yeah i know this one amazing chick”

and they’re (the boys) r all skeptical like “hmmm :|” but hes PERSISTENT.

“no no fr shes funny she can do anything shes good at skating” LMAOO CUTEEE

steve-o

your willingness to do things

okay like imagine this

u walk into the audition or whatever and they make u do any stunt from previous jackass media, and ur like “cool great” AND THEN DO THE GOLDFISH STUNT?!?! (pls go see that if u havent)

STEVE-O WOULD BE BAFFLED LMFAOOO

he’d legit just be like “holy shit dude”

IN THAT RASPY VOICE PLSSSSKSJSHFBRJENW

anyways…he’d just be so shocked and like would talk to the other guys “omg we gotta get this person on here”

would even try to get u on wildboyz maybe ;P

chris pontius

your looks

this is maybe my weakest point but let me explain

pontius see pretty person

pontius like pretty person

pontius want pretty person on show

(you are very good looking)

LMAOOO IDK I THINK IT WOULD WORK

esp since u look so good u could do like party boy stuff AHAHAHAHAH

2 devils in california >:) OMFGGG

ryan dunn

your overall personality/friendliness/boldness

I GOTTA EXPLAIN THIS ONE OK OK

so basically i think like ryan is so super chill right and he just is always kinda being dragged around right

so i think he would like someone like bam! that is bold yet kinda friendly (of course ur friendler than bam LMAO) and would be a big help on the cast

i think ryan would just want someone that could entertain him tbh LMAOOO

i just think he’d be super chill with anybody, like a “if everybodys happy then im happy” situation LOL

dave england

your patience/responses

i feel like in some skits dave is always like “is that good? yeah?”

so like maybe at first hes a little iffy on if he wants u around

but then you’re always like “that was hilarious!” or “that was so awesome!” and he appreciates it!

i think it would make him like u more teehee

danger ehren

your knowledge of painful things/dangerous acts

okay since he is “danger ehren” of course

i think if you were always there being caring, he would love it and really want you on the cast

you’re always standing by with medical equipment IM SOOOOOO NFEJWQJK

i can even imagine at some points ur like “nuh uh ur not doing that” and hes panicking cuz he doesnt know if he should or not

CUTEEE ISH <3 :P

[lucihens]

Hi. I just want to somehow make catharsis about the whole Chenford break up going on and listen other takes on it.

Maybe Im just a girl going through Mercury Retrograde being delulu not wanting to aknowledge they are over. Having said that:

I just know this is not the end for them. But not for plot reasons that we are all speculating. I mean sure for plot reasons is necesary for Tim to get his shit together before taking the next step with Lucy (Eric said in his interview that Tim loves her and its seen in the lie detector scene and all the Tamara moving out storyline that has been going since last season they are sure heading to moving together). Also sure Lucy has suffered many things and is interesting to see her next steps.

But I just know this is for marketing reasons. They need the show to be renewed for another season and a massive cliffhanger like this one when there's a 3 weeks break between episodes where they know people will be engaged on it is a good way on getting that renewal.

They know people still watching the show because Chenford. They have stated they are endgame. But they are producers and writers and plan things ahead in order to keep the show going. Is just trust the process and the fact that they work on this and know what they are doing. I have seen many shows (most of them from ABC) to know they give the fans what they want bc in the end is a product that is sold and know that not doing something your target audience wants equals not product to be sold.

Also, even though Melissa and Eric had said that there are some things coming on Tim and Lucy on the season finale and blah blah blah. They are putting a lot of effort on the breakup promotionally speaking. The interviews released the second the episode finished, the TikToks from Melissa, the whole ice cream promo with letters to the cast about the breakup and they laughing and making jokes (also like the ig account still saying Chenford stan account) is more clear is about making the people engaged and furthermore, making the network renew the show for season 7. They are actors and know they must keep a good relationship with their fans (I mean if you make something that upset your fans then how would you keep getting called to act if you dont have people watching them for you and other actors can), what Im saying Is they are laughing and all of this because they know how it ends and know they end in a place where fans will love it, if not they are basically bullyng us lol.

So long story short: just keeping my peace of mind knowing it is just marketing. By the interviews we know somehow the season finale lets them in a good place, so if season 7 comes maybe we got time to see them making up with more time and development (things this season had been rushed bc the strike, not only here but in most shows) and if there's not season 7 it will end up with Chenford with a sort of an open finale where all points to them giving it another chance in their inmidate future.

Hope i made myself clear. Just wanted to vent haha. And lets chill and cross fingers for season 7 and an Oscar for Melissa and Eric because that break up was so CHEFF KISS like girlll I have felt that pain too.

hello dear anon! thank you for being my very first ask!

i hope you won't regret venting to me because this response ended up....well...extensive. i have many many things to say and a lack of adhd medication to contain them.

i would also like to note that i'm not at all experienced with writing think pieces on the internet. but even though i haven't written an essay since college, i can sure yap. and even though i'm a genius /s, this may not make sense to anyone. so here's what my chronic fatigue and i were able to conjure up:

yes, tv shows are primarily for an audience, whether writers and directors do accept that or not, that's what i'm guessing producers have in mind. tv is literally built 'for your viewing pleasure', and with this show in the past, and by past i mean season 5 especially (and the shock and surprise of 4x22), they (whoever they is) have been manically hitting that red button titled 'DO THE THING THEY WANT' just so they can say they did it and you as an audience can't complain. so yes in my experience, shows very often, if not always, write for an audience, otherwise the creators would just be giggling at themselves in their own private screening room at their custom, personalised tv show made only for them. when you give a show to the masses, it is, in certain ways, their's now. so going against everything an audience wants is certainly an interesting move, and since i have a common disease called 'being absolutely befuddled by the varying degrees of human nature' i don't know particularly what their aim is, what they're hoping this will provide an audience, as well as the show as a whole. what i do know however, is that there is not just one kind of audience, within the watchers of the rookie, there is obviously an abundance of angst lovers, an array of fluff lovers, complex think piece people, and apathetic 'this is what i fill the void of a tuesday night with' people (which is potentially what makes up a good portion of the viewers (?), not just the dedicated fandom we see on social media). with this in mind, the creators, the writers, are evidently incapable of satisfying every single diverse/contradictory demographic. so it's unclear which demographic they want to make happy at a given storyline. is this to give the angst lovers what they want? is this to give the comfortable fluff lovers a kick in the rear? or is this just to keep the average viewer interested in this ever-appealing show? i can't speak for them at all so i couldn't say which, but i also haven't a scooby doo. maybe others could give their opinion on which of these they think the creators are aiming for, because i couldnt tell you. then again, maybe it's all of them. maybe we let the rest of the season play out to completion, and we may know for sure. but marketing a show goes hand in hand with keeping the general audience as well as potential new viewers: 1. happy and excited, 2. interested in investing their time into the show. and given that season 6 is a short season: yes, i'm sure the marketing the break up is one of their best bets at keeping ratings up and viewers in, whether it comes directly from outrage or intrigue. and given how some other storylines seem to fall kind of flat (wink wink nol–), especially compared to last season, the initial lucy storylines and the now tim storylines are what is keeping up the hype for such a small season. and i'm sure (hoping) the other characters will have something to add to the s6 plate to further the impact of such a small season and the plots within. but for the most part 'chenford' is such an electric word. drop it in anywhere and the millions(?) who have ever laid eyes on the show just got a shock. and they know that, so of course they'll use it to their advantage in anyway they can.

and with this rambling: one thing i'm sure of, the only thing i'm sure of, is that yes: THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. and not just a slight admiration or a tinge of care. actual undying love. incomprehensible love. i don't know a lot about this topic but i definitely love to aggrandise the concept of love, and especially unto something harmless like fictional characters. in the real world, loving someone isn't always enough for sure. but not loving someone at all can also having no bearing in the upkeep of a relationship (i know this from personal experience). so whether or not two people end up together in real life, has no distinguished rule of 'do this and feel that and you'll be together forever'.

but this is fiction! WE make this stuff up. so we can do whatever we want! we can link A to B and say these characters love each other so they must end up together, and still be flawed along the way, because they are not real. so in my opinion the various ideas like "real relationships have people breaking up", "real relationships have people never getting back together", "real relationships have people never breaking up", and to follow, the incessant "real relationships have good communication!" don't matter anyway because ideas based reality have absolutely no impact in this fictional realm. yes bring in realism, be realistic if you want, but don't let reality dictate your fiction entirely (as well as the inverse). nor should you let reality make you want your fiction to be completely unreal. both fiction and reality have complexity in personality and characterisation. people have personalities and characters have characterisation. the one commonality is imperfection. but just because they are similar doesn't mean they have to be the same. it doesn't mean chenford are realistically doomed. and with this the plot that may unfold could be one unexpected, one unreal, or one completely real. tim and lucy could work through their own storylines, flaws and complexities separately and i'd be glad to see it.

i had a lot of issues with how fan service esque the initial 'canonisation' felt and maybe this is not just to market their show, but to finally listen to the majority of the audience, the particular audience that literally helps them market the show. aka the social media citizens. the ones who talk up a storm about what they love about the show and literally rope others into watching it. maybe they'll finally write them with more specific intentions this time, maybe this is what this is for. not just for drama but to give us what we wanted to watch in the first place but heavily missed out on: pining, feelings, dramatic reconciliation. who knows. we won't. not until the season is over and s7 inevitably comes (it's guaranteed).

i know many become angry with this show about what it does and doesn't do but one thing that helps me survive is this: it doesn't matter, the episodes exist anyway. they will continue to exist even if they don't have what we want. all we can do is feel every feeling this show evokes because that's really what it is to be entertained, at least for me. we're not the creators at the end of the day, no matter how much we've created. if something happens we don't like, we don't like it and we talk about how we don't like it. if we do like it, we talk about how we like it. and we praise the actors anyway, for the characters they bless us with. and the creatives, who gave us the masterpiece that is season 2.

and with that, i conclude. this definitely got away from me like the runaway train in my adhd brain. i wrote this sleepy and fatigued and i think i might be brain dead so if there are contradictions or things that make not a bit of sense feel free to call me out on it! especially those who are more experienced yappers, i'd definitely like to know what you disagree with or think has no place in this piece.

anyway, fin. thank you anon and TLDR; chenford will be fine and the show will always favour exploiting the most loved characters for marketing but with every PR box of ice cream sent and every article written brings in one more viewer to our beloved show and at least we'd stand a chance of a season 10.

[notmyannabeth]

omg hii

so im on anon cause im scared to be found haha

but just

im so relieved to find someone who doesnt like leah as annabeth because she looks nothing like book annabeth with ZERO racist intentions(i hope?).

because people dont understand- like i love leah she's done a phenomenal job portraying annabeth but i just wanted her to look like annabeth like she;s been my comfort character and like having the way she's being portrayed change- thats been hugeee for me (huge bad). and if i say this people usually jump on me for being racist (not all but yeah most people ive told this to).

but isnt just annabeth. i HATE that percy is blonde. i hate it so muchhh that all the fanarts are changing and i hate the eyecolour part of the books- its just gone cause i personally felt like that was a big thing in the og series.

(and another thing- most of my personal favourite fanarts of percy show him as a poc) and the blonde white asf casting for percy also bothers me (like personally)

whatever my personal opinions are tho theyre still kids (i say this being aryan's age hahah) and the hate leah's getting is fricking unacceptable.

The ship has long sailed for anyone to find me genuine when I say “with zero racist intentions” because obviously I’m doing something so weird and out of my way but truly my dislike for show Annabeth is what you just said: she looks nothing like book Annabeth.

There’s a different type of satisfaction seeing a character portrayed as they have always looked (whether described in writing, illustrated in art, etc) and whenever it’s not done correctly it’s always a let down.

Fortunately I’ve moved away from the PJO fandom so the overall inaccuracies with all the characters doesn’t put me in as foul of a mood as you hinted at 😅 I was thinking of all the let down Annabeth fans though when the casting was announced. I’ll feel your pain if Nico’s casting isn’t done right; he’s the only one I am eager to see (even if I stopped watching the show after episode 3 due to its horrible writing ☺️)

Also I thought I had the anon messages enabled since the very beginning🧍‍♀️I realized today that they were not ..

[public-trans-it]

TMA Season 3 Review (Part 1: 81-91)

Season One

Season Two

I FLIPPED MY SHIT hearing the first episode. It really recontextualized a lot of the series. I think once I finish the series, im gonna go back through and listen a second time, probably liveblogging it a second time. There are so many details I’m missing I’m sure. A friend did a thing about Jon and how his backstory motivates him and it’s EXTREMELY well written, check it out. It summarizes my own thoughts on him quite elegantly. (Lyre don’t read this, obviously)

Love the new format. Also loved the last one, but forgot to mention it. I really like how it divides the seasons like this. Not just “that was the season finale because TWENTY EPISODES SINCE LAST BIG THING! NOW NEW BIG THING!” But because those twenty episodes are unique in their format. I desperately hope that continues to be the case.

But I’m also breaking up my post because there is SO MUCH MORE NOW. EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO MUCH. AND I NEED TO SCREAM ABOUT IT. Gonna be doing one of these every 10 episodes instead of every season. So I’ve only listened up to MAG90. Well… 91. I debated writing this up at 90 and the contents of 91 basically forced me to.

I absolutely LOVE how Jon is getting affected by the Eye.

One of my pet peeves in horror is how the main character remains untouched by the spookystuff affecting the people around it, because it needs to be that way for the narrative to work. Meanwhile in TMA…. That…. Is not the case. The Archivist is ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY affected by the hidden powers behind the scenes and you get to listen to it warping him and making him more than human IN REAL TIME :D It’s DELIGHTFUL. And hearing what it’s like from everyone ELSE is also delightful! Daisy’s desription of “his questions ripping answers out of you like he was pulling teeth” was GREAT.

Also it actually answers the question of “Why don’t they just leave?” because we had the hand wave answer of “they just can’t” before due to Tim, but Tim is now REALLY going out of his way to show us WHY they can’t. Even as he fights tooth and nail from doing ANYTHING he is still dragged along against his will. I think Tim is going to be our example of what happens when you keep feeding your entity yourself instead of everything else. He only ever looks for answers when it’s something HE wants, and it is LITERALLY KILLING HIM.

I also just realized the interesting parallel between Jon and Tim. Both left the institute. Tim had to go back. Jon has been fine though. Cause when Tim left the Institute, he also left the Eye. But Jon brought the Eye and all it’s inquisitiveness with him. Only one of them was forced to come crawling back against their will.

I like that we are just getting live statements from the various avatars of the entities we have seen. Again, Jude’s reactions of genuine pain with every question are delightful storytelling. Jon (IRL) and Alex did a great job with that, as did Jude’s actress.

I also love how large the cast has gotten, but it still feels organic. It feels like natural growth as Jon gets more people looped into this.

I also love the implications that the tapes are no longer in anyones control. They have activated in their own a few times, and also it seems like they just HAPPEN to be recording when it’s something Jon will eventually need to hear or when it’s about him. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Also I forgot to mention it last season but the comment on tapes being digital not analog didn’t skip my notice. Especially when it was in a statement about becoming trapped in a digital format. Jon is ABSOLUTELY binding parts of these things in the fucking tapes, and I’m excited to see where he goes with that. I’m just waiting for the tapes to start becoming like the books. The books became artifacts of the Entities because they were analog, but they have limited influence on the tapes. I don’t think the tapes will be able to contain an entities power in the way a book can, but I am certain it can capture a part of them in some way. I’m excited to see it.

I do desperately want to shake Lyre now and go “HEY GO LISTEN TO MORE TMA FOR BLORBO REASONS THAT I CANNOT STATE.” Especially after his response to the statements of basically saying exactly what she said in her post. That he knows it’s too dangerous to ignore this stuff, and also knows it’s too dangerous to act on it. And it’s becoming clear now that the solution is that… he has to let it become more dangerous. And accept that it will be. That he WILL suffer to get his answers, and that he can’t NOT get answers anymore.

Yeah. Looking at the length of this post, breaking them up seems like a good idea.

[honeyblockm]

Stagnant au … *grabby hands* gimme more … sounds so cool …

sdkfjk i think this is abt tangent au? anyways pulls out a chair before we get started im going to talk for 2 hours about elektra natchios bc i promise it's relevant /j

i'm not sure when or if i will end up writing this as an actual fic and in which case everything i say will probably be spoilers but fuck it i don't believe in spoilers anyways

ok i mean there's a lot. that i could say but yknow what i'll elaborate more on the lmanberg story. it's. well ok at the barebones it's a year one for tangent!Wilbur Soot.

the backstory (that wilbur himself does not remember) is that he's Philza (prominent superhero in Aether City) son and like 5(?) years ago he was killed getting caught up in a supervillain plot. got completely blown up. Also Phil is a nonhuman entity- an angel by earth terms, but technically the High Host are an alien race (like the New Gods of DC). Phil came to Earth and eventually had Wilbur, who inherited most of but not all of his father's non-human traits. So. Yeah. Aliens.

And then he got resurrected in L'Manberg by Dream for yet to be revealed reasons

Wilbur chose the last name "Soot" for himself post-resurrection because the smoke and ash from the explosion that killed him is one of the only thing he remembers.

The rest of the current main cast of wilbur's year one / lmanberg arc is: Fundy, Tubbo, Quackity, and Schlatt.

Fundy is. Okay wait I wrote out bios for everyone in my notebook. Junior in high school, STEM kid, he's family friends with the Nihachu's and way way back when he was smaller Niki used to be his babysitter and then when he got older Niki was his friend and now Niki's at college but he still hangs out at the Nihachus' bakery where he meets Wilbur. he doesn't have a ton of friends outside of Tubbo and 5up on the robotics club. Hbomb too but H is also at college now. (rip). He lives with his mom, Sally, who is an ecologist and very busy but we don't fault her for that she's doing her best.

Schlatt is the leader of the biggest criminal faction of L'Manberg's underground. He's a powerful dude, with a lot of reach. Even in the city government. I think he gets a scary epithet but i haven't thought of it yet. He's got a plan to gain complete control of the city by creating a force of superpowered agents by activating dormant metahuman genes in regular people. That's. uh. blatantly ripped off from Young Justice but shhhh you don't know that haha. anyways i was gonna name the project Project Cadmus as a mythological reference but Cadmus is a DC thing of course it is so the current candidates are MYRMIDON, LYDIA, COLCHIS, or SPARTAE.

Tubbo and Quackity aren't as backstory heavy but they do have a lot to do when the plot ball starts rolling. Tubbo's a high school senior and Quackity's a law student who's back in L'Manberg for an internship with the city courts. Q walks in on the wrong thing at the wrong time and gets promptly disappeared. cough he may as well be dead as fuck and forcibly receives superpowers via the COLCHIS (name pending) program. Anyways both the nature of his superpower and all the trauma fucks Q up rlly bad and he becomes Chimera, a villain(not really?) with the power to take on the characteristics and capabilities of others except integration is painful and Q loses a bit of himself each time and his power always kills the other guy. and he struggles to control which aspects he takes.

yknow what it's kind of like elektra/the black sky in the defenders tv show. sorry that its becoming increasingly clear that i just tossed a bunch of cool things i liked into a blender to make this au. anyways q is set up to parallel wilbur in the respect that theyre both struggling to grasp their identity after post literal or metaphorical death and resurrection.

meanwhile Tubbo is understandably incredibly upset that his brother is gone and possibly dead? what? no he's not dead he can't be dead. he searches for Q really hard and ends up uncovering a lot about COLCHIS and Schlatt.

[koheletgirl]

hi shira happy monday shira<3 what are your thoughts on the cw’s crazy ex girlfriend?

hi vic oh well you see that post was a joke because i really do want to talk about it at all times but also i am incapable of. doing that.

so what i am going to do is write down my negative thoughts on the cw's crazy ex girlfriend. bc this blog is a very cxg-positive space and so i never really talk about the things i didnt like. and also bc i literally cant express how much this show means to me and how much i love it, so we'll talk about that instead. and also bc im a hater

so i think it's way too long. i think dividing the story into 4 seasons was a right choice, but whoever decided on the format (40 minutes per episode, at least 13 episodes a season) was wrong. i just noticed s1 and s4 are both 18 episodes each and s2+s3 are 13 episodes each, which. lovely, from a jewish perspective. but they did not need to have that many episodes.

Especially season 1. season 4 has some fillers (and some bad fillers. cats episode comes to mind), but at least it was at a point where rebecca was in a better place so they were a little less painful to watch. season 1 should have been the shortest imo, bc the main theme of it is denial, and you do not need 18 40 minutes episodes to talk about denial. and just in general, the whole pacing is off; if youre like me and you see yourself in rebecca and in the story (and you really love the songs), then sitting through the whole show will be worth it. but if youre not, and you don't, it could be an unnecessarily painful watch even if you do think the story all in all is beautiful and worth telling.

another thing i want to touch on really quickly is something shosh put into words for me - this show was very obviously written by straight women. and it does have some very very good queer rep (specifically, it has some of the best bi rep ive ever seen); but it also misses, especially when it comes to the female characters in the main cast (like, rebecca's "1.8 on the kinsey scale" comment. what is that). also yeah im a heather/valencia truther and the writers were dumb for not seeing that.

anyway.