#in conclusion this season and show was great and we should get another season

[ihearth0rror]

(spoilers for s2 of aib !!)

omfg…i am literally hyperventilating right now bcos of the joy i am experiencing on ep8 of s2 is insane. karubae and chota 🥹🥹. ik they aren’t alive but atleast i get that one wholesome little scene. i’m actually crying happy tears rn :DD also kuina??? 26:50 ep8 s2??? um i’m a sucker for hand holding and that was adorableeee. and not to mention kota and when he gets to see his parent again was really wholesome. and tatta… babe i love u and you deserve the world, i hope u r ok. this show should honestly be more popular than squid game was, i mean damn… anyway bye <33

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

The case of live-action atla zutara.

First of all, the scarf scene. I won't be repeating myself, here are some main points - there was absolutely no reason for Zuko to act the way he did and for the scene to be shot this dramatically. Even if they did the shipbaiting in this scene - it means there's a ship which is much more than live-action kataang has at this point. Also I don't really think these guys are shipbaiting type but that's just the impression I got.

Then - the second obvious one - Oma and Shu's visuals. We have star-crossed lovers from two towns at war, basically the local equivalent of Romeo and Juliet (as in legendary lovers who are known above all for their love) wearing coincidentally colors that are primarily associated with two of our characters (who shared this dramatically shot scene in the previous episode).

And I know, it may seem so insignificant - but but but but! - you have to think about this. Of course there are creators, writers and showrunners that are unaware of some non-canon ships or don't care about them. But it's not the case for atla. No, creators of atla were so aware of zutara - they wrote a parody scene in a in-world trashy play to mock this fan pairing and it still proved absolutely nothing and just gave zutara more content. The creators and writers of this adaptation clearly had the discussion "what we should do with kataang" - because there is no trace of kataang in the 1st season. So it was a conscious decision to omit that - but where would the romantic subplot go? Well, I don't know, but they are showrunners, they most certainly discussed options. They are clearly very, very, very much aware of zutara. And they still do this? They still show us Oma and Shu wearing red and blue? All they had to do is to give at least one of them any different color. Any. But they didn't. (for fuck sake, it is the Earth Kingdom - yellow and green would do it)

There were zero, no, nada Kataang interactions, implications or those scenes that are filmed just a little bit too dramatically like the scarf one. I don't know, there's still a chance that they will wait for season 3 to make Aang's crush on Katara happen. I'm also not so sure what will happen to Aang failing to open seventh chakra, I mean - his love for Katara has a huge purpose in series, so it still doesn't look very good. But you can't even imagine how glad I am that they didn't do this secret tunnel thing. It was very uncomfortable.

So it was the more fact-based part of my case, let's get to the irrational, almost delusional part, tin foil hat probably needed.

Almost all the scenes Zuko and Katara shared in the first season kept reminding me of another famous enemies-to-lovers ship that actually became canon in the infamous final episode - Reylo, the way it was filmed in The Force Awakens. I mean - the first fight in the woods where she looses, the intensity of him staring at her, the final fight in snowy location where she kicks his ass and shows her mastering this superpower, him trying to talk to her during this fight and mentioning her learning/having to learn...Zuko calling Katara a peasant reminded me of this "Rey is no one" discourse. I don't know man, I haven't thought about The Force Awakens reylo for a very long time and it just kept popping in my head.

All of this - it's like a blueprint for enemies to lovers.

Also I actually think that the look they shared in the 2nd episode was also shot kinda weirdly and dramatically. It's not to the extent of the scarf scene but I do remember thinking that "why did they film it they way? it's too intense".

In the conclusion I'd like to say that as much as I like all the season 1 zutara stuff they left out in the adaptation - necklace subplot and implications, pirates and the famous "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" - I think I actually prefer the scarf scene. Yes, it would be so great to see those things in adaptation but in the end of the day they would still be just the things they kept from the original and probably noting more. Like the cabbages or the secret tunnel song or anything else, just things from the source material that implicate nothing. While the scarf scene, the Oma and Shu's clothes - it means they made a conscious decision to make it that way. It means they put some thought into that and some meaning. And this gives me hope there's a chance for Zutara in this adaptation.

P.S. I told about this my sister who hasn't watch the series yet and she said "I think people who made this show are just shipping zutara in secret". I do not necessarily imply she might be right - but creators of animated series (the very same people that made kataang canon, not zutara) DID leave because of some creative differences and because they couldn't control creative decision. Might as well be THAT kind of decision.

[actual-changeling]

Welcome back to a meta post that was not supposed to exist, but I fucking love answering questions, so here we are.

i got an ask (the answer contains a tl;dr) about why I think Crowley has unstable relationship patterns, and the following will be a detailed look at why this is the case, how Aziraphale plays into it, and what it ultimately means for the two of them.

This won't be as unhinged as my usual analyses, so consider this a special edition of Alex's unhinged meta corner - now hinged.

As always, please remember that this is my personal interpretation—not a generalization—and that genuine questions are welcome, either here on the post or in my inbox!

Everything I will say is based on research I have done, books & studies, and many, many conversations with my therapist (and at points my psychiatrist too); just so you know I'm not making shit up as I go.

Now, in the context of trauma-related/based disorders, what exactly does it mean to have unstable relationship patterns, and how does it apply to Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship?

Canonically, heaven does not care about what Aziraphale is doing and they are not keeping an eye on him. We know this both from references in the script and their dialogue and what we see throughout the show as a whole. That "fear" of being found out should he openly commit to Crowley is, for the most part, self-fabricated.

Yes, hell would potentially punish him (that potentially is another long post), but that is not something Aziraphale gets to take and use against Crowley, and the fact that does it anyway to 'prove' that he is not behaving incorrectly is a big issue.

What that leaves them with is a very common and well-known relationship pattern that requires a lot of self-awareness, control, and work to break it.

Aziraphale and Crowley get closer, spend more time together, their relationship grows and the intimacy increases, resulting in their behaviour changing to reflect that. They go on more romantic-coded dates (e.g. 1827, whatever the fuck 1941 was), eat together more frequently, drink together and feel comfortable enough to get drunk drunk while in each other's company—which always carries the inherent risk of doing something 'forbidden' while their impulse control is lowered.

I think the second episode of season one is actually a great example for all of this. When they drive to Tadfield, there's a mutually respectful conversation, they tease each other, they bicker like an old married couple, and don't fall into blaming the other for the situation they're in. At the manor, they are openly flirting from the start, laughing about the paintball guns and blowing kisses to miracle away stains, and the wall slam scene honestly speaks for itself.

I wrote a detailed analysis of it right here, which contains the conclusion that the entire interaction was intentional and orchestrated by the two of them.

They are doing great, they're comfortable, intimate—both physically and emotionally—and their sides are already on their asses about the apocalypse, so why not commit to the relationship?

Because Aziraphale gets scared, scared of intimacy, scared of what it would mean for his life, scared of what it would force him to confront (his faith, mostly, which is another gigantic topic), scared of the changes it would bring to their relationship, scared of breaking out of the pattern they have been moving in since the very beginning.

So he pushes, hard. He insults and denies and hurts Crowley to get as far away from all of that as possible. Push & pull, no matter when, no matter why, it's always the same.

At this point you might be thinking Alex, this is all on Aziraphale, how is this also Crowley's unstable relationship pattern? The answer to that question can be roughly summarized in one sentence:

He does not punish or discourage Aziraphale's behaviour.

There are NEVER lasting—if any—negative consequences for Aziraphale when he forces them into the push/pull dynamic, when he insults him, denies their relationship, calls him evil, you name it. No matter what Aziraphale does, Crowley always forgives and forgets and comes back to him, essentially resetting their loop. That way there cannot be any progress because they're not moving a single inch in either direction that isn't carefully organized and controlled by Aziraphale.

Why does Crowley not confront him? Because he is scared too.

Now, THIS is the part where I explain why I said Crowley has unstable relationship patterns. It is important to understand that Aziraphale's kind of instability is only one possible manifestation, and that they are—broadly speaking—on opposite ends of the spectrum, which not only makes them incredibly compatible, but also makes them worse.

Crowley is terrified of losing Aziraphale permanently and being on his own. God rejected him, heaven rejected him, hell rejected him—his life as been one traumatic incident after the other with a strong focus on abandonment and neglect, especially from people he cared about.

He says himself that Aziraphale is his only friend, he doesn't have anyone or anything else. The bookshop is Aziraphale's anchor, but Crowley has nothing except the Bentley and whatever Aziraphale allows him to partake in. Hell can take his job, his flat, punish and torture him as they please, and make his life, well, hell.

With the Bentley only appearing in the early 20th century, for 99% of his life he had nothing except for Aziraphale, his best friend, the person he loves.

So what does he do? He clings, he circles him and tries to push his orbit just a tiny bit closer whenever there's a gap he can use, trying to solidify their relationship. Terrified of being abandoned again, he swallows and ignores everything and anything negative.

The final fifteen are the FIRST TIME that Aziraphale asked him for something and he said no without changing his mind later—and it was literally the worst case scenario, the one boundary he has that he is not willing to cross for him, literally the barest minimum.

Every other time he relented, gave in, apologized for something that wasn't his fault, have Aziraphale everything he wanted from Hamlet over shooting a gun at his face to giving him the Bentley. Crowley's primary objective is to do whatever it takes to avoid being abandoned, so whenever Aziraphale DOES push back and abandons him/says that he will, he panics. He panics even more when there is an outside source threatening Aziraphale's presence in his life.

Look at how frantic he is when he finds Aziraphale after the bandstand, trying to say whatever it takes to get him to come with him. He does the apology dance, gives in when it comes to Gabriel, and never reacts to Aziraphale in a way that would prompt him to re-think the choices he is making, let alone stop doing the push/pull.

His identity revolves around Aziraphale, his only relationship is with Aziraphale, he allows him to shape him to his liking as far as he can take and then some, he needs him to be happy, to enjoy himself, to live a life worth living—and Aziraphale needs him to be and do all of those things so he can keep up his behaviour.

They are dangerously co-dependent and just spiral deeper and deeper until they hit rock bottom and are forced to separate.

Look, I have BPD on top of everything else, I have been in a relationship with this exact pattern in Crowley's role, and it is fucking horrible. Absolutely unbearable. My ex-partner was like Aziraphale, pulling and pushing and pulling and pushing but on a daily basis, every few hours. No amount of talking or begging could get them to not behave in a way that would hurt me, and I was so emotionally tied to them and terrified of being alone that just like Crowley, I relented every. single. time. A year and a half and they never, not ONCE, apologized for anything. Ever. Not for hurting me, not for being an asshole, nothing.

The only way I got out was with a lot of therapy, support, and so much emotional work I was having several panic attacks a day because I was so fucking exhausted. Crowley and Aziraphale separating was the best thing that ever happened to their relationship.

Now, Aziraphale is facing negative consequences for his behaviour and is forced to examine himself and deal with all those fears causing him to behave the way he does. Crowley on the other hand is now forced to learn how to exist without Aziraphale to orbit around—he needs to develop an identity that exists outside of Aziraphale, so he can have boundaries and stick to them.

[anonymooseforever007]

This is Malcolm:

I think you might like Malcom. Why? ....Well:

Malcom is a funny guy. He has a bird called Sunshine! He use to work for the FBI, but now he consults with the NYPD on murder cases. He's very good at it! Look how much fun he has:

Wow so fun!

Malcolm also has friends! Wanna meet them? Here:

Such good friends (he can't make many)

Oh! Malcom also has a family! Wanna Meet them too:

Wait what's that? Why does Dr. Whitly cause problems? He looks so nice! And he's saved many people's lives. Dr. Whitly loves his family too, he would do anything for them and raised Malcolm with a loving hand! So why is he the reason Malcolm literally ties himself to his bed at night? *whisper whisper* OHHH THATS RIGHT!! We forgot to mention. Dr Whitly is a....

Bum Bum Bummmmmm!!!! Yep! He's a pretty bad guy! Killed 27 people! Brutally! And documented his "findings" too, Malcolm doesn't get his art skills from his mama! And guess who turned him in??......

That's right!! Baby (Ten year old) Malcolm!! Go Malcolm! Congrats on your first case! And Meeting Gil your future boss!!! That event is gonna emotionally stunt you forever! (That's why he can't make many friends)

Especially since his sneakily little papa wormed himself out of multiple death sentences and into a nice little mental institution, smack dab in the middle of New York City. Because like who wouldn't want a man who killed 27 people via surgical methods to consult on actual surgeries anymore? He may be a pycho, but he's got that PHd! He's also got phone privileges.....

Which is a terrible thing for Malcolm, but also a great one. After all, who better to help on a serial killer case, than another serial killer! It'll be like father son bonding time.....only the bonding really isn't helping anyone...

In conclusion:

All of Y'all should totally watch Prodigal Son on HBO (not free:() or the CW (Free!:)) and totally possibly hyperfixate on Malcolm like I sometimes do too because even though there's only like two seasons it's absolutely worth it! It's an interesting twist on the typical crime show with a lot of psychological innerturmoil drama. Ok thanks for coming to my ramble bye!!!!!❤️❤️❤️

[duckielover151]

The End of 911 Lone Star

Well, guys. The announcement has been made. Season five is, indeed, going to be the end.

I'm not gonna say I'm not sad... But I do think there's a silver lining here.

This has been a fantastic show with amazing characters and representation the likes of which I've never seen. (Which somehow miraculously even managed to never feel forced, even though half the premise of this show was "hey, this station needs more diversity; come cherry-pick some firefighters from across the country to fix that.")

Of course I'd love to see this go on indefinitely... but within reason. Yes, we're living in an era of TV shows getting canceled far too soon... But I've also seen plenty of shows burn out and keep dragging along the dead horse of their popularity long after it should have just given its fans a real conclusion they could have been proud of and been done with it.

I'm already super on the fence about how they're possibly going to explain away Grace's absence in a way that works. I'm not totally convinced it can be done.

I don't want this show to get to that point, where half the most beloved characters are all dead or absent for one reason or another, and I'm only sticking around out of a sense of obligation to something I once loved. (You want a good example? I loved Criminal Minds back in the day. But it absolutely should have ended after, like, season 10. It's only been over for 2 years, and they're already Frankenstein-ing a reboot to life! Listen, it was great while it lasted. Now let this thing rest in peace!)

We had some low moments. There were a couple dumb plot points and shaky writing decisions... But overall, I want this to be a series we can all look back on fondly. Here's to a great final season.

[charles-leclerc-official]

2 questions occurred to me while reading your monza analysis:

1. In your opinion, is there enough data to draw conclusions/hopes about the performance in the remaining races? Or is monza an odd one out type of track and we can't really predict how the car will do in any of the others?

2. You highlighted mclaren's failure to anticipate Ferrari's strategy on more than one occasion this season. Do you think that they are likely to finally take a lesson from this and be more prepared in the future? Or is the fact that their machinery/lack of drivers' skill is another factor here will be enough to allow Ferrari to keep capitalising on the few strengths of sf-24?

It was a great read by the way, thank you for taking the time to share it!

I think that Baku and the remaining races are looking good for us. Baku and Singapore should be suited for our car and drivers so I am expecting competitive results. I think that as far as Ferrari VS Mclaren goes this is going to get tight. The fact the car is on the right track again and the performance at Monza really showed a lot of promise as well as bringing home the results. I am predicting at least one more Ferrari win this season. In short this wasn't a one-off and I think this brought Ferrari back toward the front for the remainder of the season (assuming the success of future upgrades)

Not really. They have been saying all year that they will learn from their strategic mistakes and they are still making the same ones and came up with new mistakes on top of that. At this point Mclaren have given me no reason to believe they will change anything in the final 8 races. We could all be shocked and they magically get their act together, but I highly doubt that will be the case. In some cases strategy can't get you around issues when the other team's car and driver is just better that weekend.

As far as Baku this weekend. It's one of Charles' best tracks. It's also suited to the Ferrari as it stands. On top of that it isn't a stand out strong track for either Lando or Oscar. With the field being so close that will make the difference. This race however will likely be determined in qualifying, as similar to Monaco it's difficult to overtake. The differences between the cars is getting narrow so the quali performance will come down to nailing the car setup for the track, and skill over the single lap.

[rahuratna]

Hi! I have a one am musing 🥹

I was rewatching jjk season one (I still haven’t finished season two but I need to cope LOL) and now I’m able to pick up all the little details we talked about before. *heart melts*

It’s so crazy to me how in the very beginning Nanami didn’t acknowledge Yuji as a sorcerer, and by the end, he told Yuji to be the one to take over from here. It’s so bittersweet…

Tbh, the very first time I watched that episode, I was super shocked and thought Nanami was patronizing Yuji. And then I learned that wasn’t the case. He was being very matter-of-fact about it and knows Yuji has a lot of room to grow 🥹💕💕

Yuji was super eager to prove himself to Nanami, and then Nanami was like “frankly I don’t give a shit.” But in reality, he really does as he gets to learn more about Yuji, and so while I was terribly upset with s2 ep 18, his last words were the perfect conclusion.

(This is just a side note but I like it more when writers show off Nanami’s practical-minded nature more. How it may seem cold and standoffish at first but it wasn’t intended that way. I wish I got to see more of Nanami being blunt with criticism since different people could react differently to it and it’s who he is!)

———-

I also realized that Gojo got new glasses LMAO. Didn’t see it before, but his high school ones were circular and his newer ones are more oval. I kinda glossed over it when he shops for new glasses in the “Lost in Paradise” ending. I personally like his high school sunglasses better. What about you?

Hi! And thanks for these lovely 1 am musings. It always makes my day to see one waiting for me 🤭 I also needed to take a moment to cope before moving on with season 2 (didn't help much, but necessary).

Nanami initially struck me as very contradictory, because there he was, taking a jab at the system (in his capacity as both a salaryman and as a sorcerer), saying that "work is shit", but also bowing formally to a teenager when he introduced himself and wearing a full business suit to kill curses!

I saw his lack of acknowledgement of Yuuji as another "fuck you" to the system. Here was Yuuji, a vessel to one of the most powerful curse users to ever exist, and he was essentially treating him as just another kid. I didn't necessarily see it in a good or bad light, it just struck me as a very deliberate choice on Nanami's part.

Of course, his later actions and his background showcased these things in a completely new way. Like you said, he cares a great deal for Yuuji and the younger generation of sorcerers. The fact that his last words to Yuuji were "you take it from here" is such a fitting culmination to his character arc.

He saw his duty as a guardian and protector of the young and the weak finally coming to an end, because they were now able to protect themselves better than he could. He saw Yuuji as completely fitting of carrying his legacy forward, and so let him know that he could now pass in peace.

I, also, wish we could have seen more of Nanami's interactions with others. The way Ijichi is actually more terrified of Nanami scolding him than anything else, describing him as the 'ultimate adult' or something along those lines, will never not be funny to me. Especially since Nanami is the type of man to never raise his voice in a professional setting. His pragmatic nature would probably have given us many more moments of misunderstandings, sweetness and humour, should it have been explored in greater detail.

------------

As to Gojo's sunglasses, I do like the older style better! They reflected a lot of his irreverent, cheeky and offbeat personality. I suppose the oval shape is a style choice that changed as he grew older and matured, but yeah, I definitely preferred round lenses better!

[lemotmo]

I agree with what you said to that other anon about KR being back.

My question is though, season 7 was she listed as co show runner or just as a writer? I thought Tim was the only listed show runner last season so if she’s been bumped up to join him in it again then…that does not bode well.

Since last time that happened was when he ended up leaving OG for LS and as we know now it was due to the network stepping in and stopping Bi Buck and buddie 😭

Hi nonnies! So, I got two asks about Kristen Reidel being listed as showrunner next to Tim. I wanted to answer these together.

First of all, just to get the confusion out of the way, she was listed as showrunner as well last year. Here's the proof:

season 7

Season 8

Okay, I have to admit that I don't understand why everyone is so up in arms about Kristen still being listed as showrunner. When Tim left a few seasons ago, she had the difficult task of 'avoiding' Buddie because the network (FOX) said so. She did what she was asked to do by the people who employ her. We don't know for certain if it is what she really wanted to do. But she had to, because it was her job. I have been there in my job. I have had to make some decisions or follow intructions that I didn't fully agree with. But ultimately, I'm not in charge. Just like she wasn't in charge back then.

But now the show is on a more open minded network: ABC. Tim is back and he is the first and most important showrunner. He has said time and time again that he tries to incorporate Buddie in every single episode. He knows how popular Buck and Eddie are.

Ask yourself this? Did we get Buddie in season 7? YES! So much Buddie in so many episodes. It's insane just how much we got of them together on screen. Kristen was still listed as showrunner in season 7, but we still got Buddie. So why do you think that her being a showrunner again for season 8 will stop Buddie from possible happening? She hasn't stopped it in season 7, so why would she stop it in season 8. She doesn't have that kind of power.

As the stage is set right now? I'm of the opinion that Tim has decided that Buddie will happen somewhere down the line. The plan is set in motion for real this time. Kristen doesn't have the authority to just swoop in and undo everything.

So ultimately, Kristen as a showrunner is okay.

Now, Kristen as a writer however? That is another thing altogether. She has proven on many occasions, but none of those as blatant as that terrible season 7 finale, that she is not that good of a writer for 911. I'm sure she has written for other shows and I'm sure she has great qualities and for anyone to make it at that level in the television industry? I'm absolutely certain that this woman is good at what she does. She just isn't good for 911. She keeps mischaracterising a lot of the characters we love. She doesn't seem to fully get them or their motivations to do something. So in that sense it is frustrating to watch the episodes she writes.

As for Tim approving that finale? Listen, he is the guy that came up with that awful Vertigo arc for Eddie in the first place. So, don't give him too much credit here. He may have great ideas and visions for 911 sometimes. But he does miss the ball quite often when it comes to this show. He set up that Vertigo arc and Kristen had to write an ending to that, probably with a lot of his input. So I do think they are both to blame for that lackluster season 7 finale episode.

TLDR, in conclusion, I really don't think anyone should panic over this. I'm fully convinced that ABC gave the green light for Buddie. No one is going to stop it at this level. Certainly not Kristen.

[squib-2006]

Dr pt2 spoiler warning

This was a fantastic set of episodes

• Kai and wyldfire are everything. Kai having to deal with someone who acts like he did in the earlier seasons is poetic justice and funny as hell.

• I also like how they kinda tried to explain why Kai seemed calm after sea bound and nyas seaifcation. I guess Kai meditating with wu would make him calmer. At least it confirms that Kai was upset (even if they didn’t show it)

•I am kinda upset that nothing from skybound was brought up with the Djinn. I personally don’t really like skybound but I still find that it could be used more than just oh yah that happened right wink wink. I mean we had to suffer through skybound for something right?

• I actually really liked sora and nyas whole plot with the Djinns curse. It was fun and had a nice conclusion.

• Coles return is great I love his little gang in the land of forgotten things. My favorite has to be the skeleton girl (I forgot her name probably cuz they only say it like 2 times) she’s funny.

• I do wish there was a scene where nyas like btw I found Cole and the other ninja react. I mean she does mention it at the end but no one except Zane has any real reaction.

• Beatrix going off the rails was really funny. It felt like someone gave a teen with daddy issues an insta death weapon.

• rapton switching sides kinda came out of left field for me. Like the guy isn’t the brightest bulb in the box I think it would be more likely for other characters to switch sides. Also how did he recover from being tased so quickly? Man was out cold and not two minutes later he was up and walking around.

• kinda felt that the whole being sucked into non existence should have had more lasting effects (totally not because I want to traumatize or brutally injure Kai no why would I want that /s) tho fake out deaths are pretty par for the course with ninjago, this one actually didn’t make me feel all that much cuz I knew the moment wyldfire got pulled in that this was a fake out. They wouldn’t kill one of there new characters that quickly.

•so wus just legitimately fudging dead. Never thought we would see the day when this old mad would just peace out. Also ghost wu legit looks like he’s slowly loosing his form or something cuz in the first half he appears with his full body but in the last scene he’s in he’s just a chest and a head. It might have just been a stylistic thing tho.

•I’m not mad jay only showed up for around 30 seconds (this just might be my bias tho cuz jays probably the ninja I care the least about, not that I hate him or anything he’s just not that interesting to me) it’s kinda refreshing for me cuz nya gets to be her own character for a bit and not be completely attached to Jay and Jay gets to take up less screen time (if I am being honest Jay had so much focus in the wild brain seasons it kinda got annoying to me personally) idk if he’s actually lost his memories or if that leak is wrong cuz it would make sense cuz he has not searched for the ninja (specifically nya cuz that man is a simp for his gf) Arin missing him by a second is hilarious to me.

•not sure about how I feel about Lloyd being the linchpin for the entire thing. Part of me thinks that it would have fit the shows themes better if all of them used their elemental powers or something else to power the cores to fix everything. But another part of me understands that Lloyd get main character privileges cuz he’s the son of ninjago god.

•still kinda frustrated that they are changing how elemental powers work. Originally they were from the first spinjitzu master, but the whole source dragon being the source (for lack of a better word) of the elemental powers, it completely retcons and nerfs the first spinjitzu master. It would have made more sense if they still came from the powers of the fsm and were gifted through the source dragons to people.

•the implication of the cursed realm merging with the rest of the realms brings up the question if the departed realm merged to? Does that mean no one can die??? Or is there some sort of force that still keeps the departed realm separated from the rest (like how the people in the land of the forgotten can’t leave) or can some dude just wander in to the departed realm and see like there dead grandma chilling with the fsm having tea or some crap like that.

•Lloyd going I forgot there are two of them now towards Kai and wyldfires antics is peak writing. And all the arson and explosions the two created is just beautiful.

•I think the Kai and wyldfire duo should be called like the arsonist or the kaboom duo

•THE HUGGG!!!! My boi was so happy looking when the tackle hug was done.

•I just cant get my brain to shut up about these two. They give off tired dad who sometimes gives in to his old chaotic ways he’s sworn he’s grown out of and living embodiment of chaos and fun daughter who drags her dad into crazy things.

Tdlr I loved this second half and had a few issues with it but it was still really good.

[littlewestern]

I must inquire about your feelings on douglas and oliver 👀

(Tags by @mean-scarlet-deceiver)

Absolutely! These tags are fantastic, and I think this is a great time to talk about a phenomenon I've noticed in certain fandoms. I don't have a word for it yet, but something that can happen, especially in cases like this where a ship is sort of a foregone conclusion (either for lack of options for the characters or - in this case - because there's one really compelling point of shared development), is that it can often feel like we are *supposed* to ship something, and that there aren't any other options.

I think 10x11 is absolutely one of those ships, and I can totally understand why it might not work for some the same way it does for others. It's easy to fall into the trap of complacency or to feel like there's not actually anything there and the rest of the fandom is just shipping cardboard cutouts. And because everyone treats the ship as default, there's no one out here really up on their soapbox for it or making any groundbreaking content. It runs the risk of feeling stale.

Luckily, I'm here, and I do this shit for free. In point of fact, you couldn't pay me to stop. So let me make the case. Hopefully by the end of this we'll all come away with a better understanding of the characters, their relationship, and ourselves. (I like to aim high.)

So there are a few major pitfalls that this ship can succumb to right out of the gate that I think can frequently make this a harder sell as a romance specifically:

First, the rescue. The foundational text. Everyone loves Escape!, and for good reason. It's an extremely rich vein to mine for drama and feelings and having these characters bond in a way that feels complex and authentic and real... And it also can make a relationship founded on romantic love between them feel compulsory on the part of Oliver. This is not at all cool or fun or sexy or even really in-character, and I expect it's one of the reasons this ship can be hard to work with at times. To put them in a romantic context without any kind of examination of what is desired vs. what is owed feels rushed and disingenuous to me. If your only reason for shipping Oliver and Douglas is that one of them saved the others' life - full stop, no further examination required - this ship is going to be quite boring and a little iffy besides. This is a fantastic foundation, but it can't be the only thing holding them together, or else you've just reinvented the booktok romance novel.

The second pitfall is one that isn't the fandom's fault but is definitely worsened by years of fandom dilution: Oliver lacks a lot of direct and explicit characterization as a result of showing up late to the RWS party. He has this great origin story, fucks up once, gets a few funny scenes, and then about drops off the page. This leave shippers in a bit of a predicament, because really compelling character romance needs really compelling characters in the first place. Oliver has such a great backstory and that immediate bond we talked about with another well-developed character who also has a great backstory. It feels like it should be very easy to make this work, but it just... doesn't. Because Oliver in-canon is often a role-fill character. He's great, but no one (least of all the later season TVS writers) can seem to agree what his personality actually is, so he ends up being written to slot wherever he's needed or to achieve a specific narrative beat. The resultant 10x11 content which is informed by this feels flat and boring because if the only goal is for them to end up together, you simply have to write that happening and it occurs. Fandom Oliver often has no desires or wants outside of getting together with Douglas, his knight in shining paintwork, and it makes for dry reading.

So how do we reconcile this? What can we do with this information to make it work in favor of our desired outcome instead of as a hindrance to it? How do we use the facts to enhance our fiction?

The first key is remembering that Oliver is actually a little badass who, for 95% of his time on the run, did not actually need any help. The only reason he got to the point at which Douglas could come rescue him was because he fled under his own power from the southern part of the country all the way up to Barrow. His journey only ended there because they ran out of coal, which probably wouldn't have happened if Oliver hadn't also elected to take a coach and an unrelated break van along with him. Because, again, he's a badass. When the big engines say that Oliver has "resource and sagacity", they're absolutely correct. There's material to work with here, we just need to spin it out.

So let's start there. Let's give Oliver that plucky spark back, and have him be a wee bit peppery as a treat. A guy doesn't outrun packs of rabid diesels only to come out the other side a meek and obedient little bore. Let's really lean into his loyalty and bravery too, since an engine willing to risk his own life to save the lives of some lowly rolling stock must be both. And finally, let's also have him really appreciate that second chance he's been given! My favorite Oliver characterization is one that swings at every wild pitch just for the joy of feeling and moving and being alive.

What Douglas has given him isn't a debt, it is a gift, and paying him back doesn't mean feeling like he owes him anything, it means hitting the rails every day with as much enthusiasm and excitement and verve as a little engine possibly can. I like an Oliver that works hard and plays hard and - crucially to the relationship in question - I think Douglas likes this too. Here's a pair of guys who are both brave, loyal, adventurous, quick-thinking, generous, and god damned happy to be alive. Their experiences in Escape! shouldn't make them rescuer/rescuee, it should make them some of the only guys on the railway who know what it's like to look death in the face and laugh. They're equals, and more importantly, friends.

And maybe I buried the lede a little bit there, but I think this really is the crux of it. To me, this relationship is one that starts as a very long, very close friendship with that little bit of extra complexity always simmering below the surface and the little bit of weirdness of falling in love with the guy who saved your life isn't something that should be swept under the rug, it should be an active part of the core relationship conflict.

Oliver looks at Douglas and thinks: He's my best friend. I love him. He saved my life. I don't know whether that last thing is influencing the other two and I'm worried that trying to find out will ruin everything.

and Douglas looks at Oliver and thinks: He's my best friend. I love him. I saved his life. But I don't want him to think he owes me anything just because I did.

So Douglas is waiting on Oliver, and Oliver is waiting on his complicated feelings to resolve themselves. In the meantime, in Ray world, I like to imagine them carrying on a very raucous and boisterous friendship/working relationship involving a lot of pranks and good-natured ribbing, because I think the Little Western being the most efficient branch line while also being the one comprised nearly entirely of chucklefucks is hilarious.

I also like the idea that during all of this, Oliver is constantly going through romantic partners because, again, just happy to be alive here! But also because maybe if he finds the right engine those sticky feelings he has towards his bestie will go away. And all the while Douglas looks on and smiles and plays his cards very close to the chest.

Maybe even gets himself a girlfriend in the meantime.

I have this whole arc plotted out for a story I will never write where Douglas and Emily become an item and everyone else loses their minds because oohh it's just so cute and they look so great together.

Very suddenly Douglas has a girlfriend and also very suddenly Oliver does not have a best friend anymore. And (much to Oliver’s surprise) he’s kinda upset about it!

At first he thinks it has to be jealousy, because like... On one hand, he’s over the moon for Douglas. Douglas seems happier now, quicker to laugh and more easygoing (not that he wasn’t always). But on the other hand, they’re not hanging out as often anymore and it’s not really fair that Douglas lands the perfect partner on what is ostensibly his first attempt when Oliver’s been trying and failing at it for so long. He writes it off as him being jealous of Douglas and tries to put it out of his mind.

Except he sees them together, and he sees how happy Douglas is in-person and how Emily is nice enough but all wrong for him. For one thing, she’s the *safety* engine, which– ha! Douglas? Not the most risk-averse engine to ever grace Sir Topham Hatt’s Railway. For another thing, she’s not willing to go on any of Douglas’s more adventurous errands. Too, her more staid nature doesn’t seem to be rubbing off on Douglas at all, so it’s a source of friction in their relationship. Oliver delights a little bit at that, and goes out of his way to tell Douglas he’d be happy to see how fast they can get the goods train to the harbor, speed limits be damned, just because Emily won't like it.

When Oliver explains this to Mavis later (the third time they’ve rehashed this subject this week) she pauses to fix Ollie with a Look.

“Are you sure you’re not jealous of *Emily*?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Oliver scoffs, dismissing it before the words have really sunk in. “If I were jealous of… of her, I’d– I’d be–”

And then the other shoe drops.

“Oh.” “Mhmm.” “Oh no.” “MmHMM.”

Oliver has fucked another of his relationships, the only one that actually mattered in his estimation. And now he’s stuck, because this is the happiest Oliver’s ever seen his best friend. And a real best friend wouldn’t try to sabotage that just because he was too stupid to see what was plainly obvious to everyone. No, he has to be cool about this, and it’s going to nearly kill him.

But hey, look who else in the yard is single and pining over a Caledonian engine. You wanna have a Great Western Time about it?

Again, because I am a sucker for true romance, this sorts itself out in time. Douglas and Emily realize they're not actually that great a fit for one another, Oliver and Duck get as much out of their time together as they like before moving on, and Douglas and Oliver get to have a long overdue conversation about what they mean to each other - no jokes, no bullshit. I'm sure it would all be very cute and romantic, if I were the type to write that sort of thing.

In the meantime, I hope I've at least made a case for why this ship tickles me and where I think everyone can improve in their writing of it. Thanks for the ask, sorry it was so long!

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko’s stealing habits: Additional observation 

I have already talked about Zuko’s stealing habits in second Book and came to the conclusion that, narrative and visually speaking, he stole food and money primarily for Iroh’s sake. Even stealing the ostrich horse from the kind Earth family that fed Zuko and Iroh seen at the beginning of the season (something I did not include in the previous part) was done for pragmatic reasons rather than out of spite or for fun. As in, the ostrich horse gave them additional advantage to avoid or run away from pursuit. Iroh was not happy about Zuko’s choice but he ultimately accepted it and never again scorned his nephew for taking that animal - the later episode showed the ostrich horse was vital for their escape from Rough Rhinos. 

Interestingly, Zuko wasn’t that much prone to stealing and/or appropriating someone’s property in the previous season either. Especially not for a petty reason. The three examples (or as close to stealing it could be) that comes to my mind happened in:

Avatar Return, when Zuko took Aang’s staff that the young airbender used in fight against him and then offered willingly as a token of his surrender in exchange for leaving Katara and Sokka’s people in peace.

On his ship, the Banished Prince said:

This staff will make an excellent gift for my father.

What A) shows he didn’t think of keeping the last airbender’s weapon for himself and B) is a similar gesture done by Iroh, who sent little Zuko a knife of an Earth Kingdom's General that surrendered to him during the siege of Ba Sing Sai.

The Waterbender Scroll, during confrontation between captured Katara and Zuko:

Zuko: Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother. Katara: Go jump in the river! Zuko: Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost. Katara: My mother's necklace! How did you get that? Zuko: I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is.

And yes, Zuko did not steal the necklace, as Katara lost it when she helped imprisoned earthbenders to free themselves and Zuko found it in ruins of the workcamp. But he was willing to use it as a bargain chip and later, to track Aang with the help of June. From this episode he knew the necklace meant a great deal to Katara but for him it was a tool to fulfill his mission. 

The Blue Spirit, we can assume Zuko, as the Blue Spirit, was infiltrating Fire Natin’s stronghold to steal information about Avatar and/or Zhao’s plans, as said knowledge was denied to the banished prince. And mind you, the first time we saw Blue Spirit at the fortress was long before Zhao’s people managed to capture Aang. 

During the first season, Zuko may not have a strong moral opposition to destroying other people’s villages or pursuing Aang from one end of the world to another, or keeping Katara’s necklace but in general he does not steal unless it is necessary. He does not even take trophies from defeated enemies and/or attacked villages (Water Tribe and Kyoshi Island were left immediately once Aang either surrender or escape) with the exception of Aang’s staff that Zuko wished to give his father, no doubt to earn his respect. Which is something fitting the theme of the second Book.  

But the most ironic thing about Zuko’s stealing habits? Iroh’s reaction. Our dear uncle Iroh was not happy that his nephew has no problem stealing - and is stealing to either provide them food and comfort to the level Iroh was used to (book II) or to fulfill his mission of capturing Avatar (book I). I mean, that is a reaction we should expect from a responsible adult and the fatherly figure, right?  However in "Bato of the Water Tribe", Iroh himself was shown stealing perfumes while everyone was busy fighting

just because it smelled nice and there was no one to stop him. And from “Waterbender Scroll” episode we know Iroh had money to buy himself nice things on whim.

But nope, stealing from people that he helped Zuko and June to attack is all right yet he will be upset that his nephew is desperately trying to please his father by capturing Avatar by any means AND Iroh, by providing him food and comfort the older man was used to.

[ebisul]

TCW Rewatch: Season 3 Episodes 5-8

More Satine episodes. I don’t even disagree with her like goals and motivations I just personally dont like her personality and methodology.

Tbf i also really dont like the portrayal of Mandalore in general in this series. These notes i think explain my issues with this portrayal fairly well tho.

Episode 5: Corruption

* More Satine episodes oh boy…

* Satine wins neutrality for Mandalore but this brands her an outsider from the Republic and makes it difficult to aid the mandalorians

* Padme goes to Mandalore for a diplomatic visit hoping to alleviate tension as Mandalore is consumed with greed

* In the masses of the Mandalorian people is spotted one (1) person of color in the swathes of blonde or red haired, white people

* Arguing about trade routes and smuggling supplies

* Discussions of war, neutrality, and corruption between padme and satine, padme says she sometimes wishes she could follow mandalore in becoming a neutral planet, she also says she works to overcome the corruption of the republic and that she believes it is possible to do so

* Children are getting poisoned

* She says the terrorist attacks have only been targeted at her and her administration as if they didnt plant a bomb in a populated area and harm innocents if im remembering correctly

* The sterility of Mandalore irks me, I know it’s probably meant to be this like “ooh look how clean and peaceful” but it just looks offputting this is supposed to be a school for children and it looks like a stereotypical mental institution. Theres no color, the children where drab grey uniforms, its so strange

* And again there are only blonde white children in that entire cafeteria

* It took children getting poisoned to admit to corruption? Not the multiple traitors youve had to deal with?

* Greed kills

* Padmes such a badass i love her

* Ah… That Scene… this is another example of what i dislike about Satine bc shes being totally unreasonable her, she wants to destroy evidence for her own investigation, and when someone says “but you’re destroying evidence thats not a good idea” she threatens to arrest him for something he didnt do, effectively framing him for what? Having the audacity to point out the flawed logic?

* Also coming back to the “we sent all of our warriors to the moon” thing, what about your literal police force?

* She understands that her government is corrupt but what is she really doing to root out the corruption?

* Almec says he will investigate

* It is a good idea to take this to the Jedi directly as opposed to taking it to the Republic bc they would just send the Jedi anyway and the Republic will just turn them away for their neutrality

Episode 6: The Academy

* Love that it recognizes that Mandalore is deeply corrupt, instead of doubling down on the whole idyllic peace bullshit facade they have

* Also did they ever actually come to a conclusion on the trade issues? I dont think so but like thats hella important

* Im saying this now but i do not subscribe to the Korkie is a Kenobi theory and actively dislike it for so many reasons

* Ahsoka explains corruption very well, i especially like the “its every citizens duty to challenge their leaders” although Satine probably would disagree all things considered

* Shes accidentally radicalizing the students its great

* Who are these goat guys? They keep showing up

* Ofc the police are corrupt, theyre police

* He totally couldve lost his leg there

* What a surprise… the prime minister is the traitor…

* So was Satine aware of Almec? I assume she was already investigating

* Ok that’s torture

* And coercion but i dont think thats a war crime

Episode 7: Assassin

* Aurra Sing is DEAD??? Since when???

* Do you think someone should explain to her that learning more on the field than at the temple is not a jedi thing? This is another example of Ahsoka being trained as a soldier and commander rather than a jedi padawan

* Is she worried about Anakin? If so thats sweet

* Oh shes traumatized

* “Troubled” Yoda its called trauma

* Or its just a nightmare

* Baby you are a Padawan, a Student, you are meant to study and learn. You arent a soldier

* So Aurra Sing is alive supposedly and targeting Padme

* Bail and Padme are meant to lead a conference on Alderaan concerning refugees from the war. It is nice to see some of the senators genuinely care for the people.

* Padme and Ahsoka have a cute relationship very older sister, or rather older sister in law

* They really dont seem to be teaching visions very well at Jedi school even though it doesn’t seem to be liek that uncommon

* All these bitches got visions why are you not teaching them about said visions? The children are glimpsing the horrors, Yoda!!

* An almost successful assassination attempt

* I do love when padmes allowed to be badass, i totally get why Anakin would be in love with her even if theyre both so toxic

* Oh wait its ziro?? I wasn’t expecting that i swear i watched this show before

* Whats the deal with ziro??

* Wait is it bc of the hostage situation at the end of season 1? I dont remember how that ended

Episode 8: Evil Plans

* Is this the cad bane torturing droids episode?

* I just love to see Todo and Bane

* R2 is such a diva i love it

* I know coruscant is meant to be like epitome of corruption in the GFFA but goddamn is it ugly hidden behind the pretty lights

* Does that make sense or is it just the ADHD brain talking

* Bane knows R2 by name? Ok ig

* I actually still havent picked up on what Bane is looking for

* In my defense my brain fog makes my ADHD worse and i dont wanna rewatch the episode

* Why does Jabba need the Senate floor plans?

* Does this episode take place pre- season 1 episode 22? I still have no idea if Ziro was recaptured or not

* Wait why does R2 even have the senate floor plans?

War Crime Counter:

Separatists: 13

Republic: 7

No new war crimes this time only because idk if i should count them considering the guilty parties arent on the board

[jennagrinsoverml]

hey if it’s not too much to ask, what are some of your recs for longer fics, as in like over 10k words? i tend to enjoy them more than shorter ones but they’re a bit rare, and vary vastly in quality, too. btw i loved your fic Love Is Blind!!!

[image description: Do you have any recs for long fics? Not super picky on which corner of the love square but I’d be super pumped to get some fresh fics (I’ve reread Back To Us, Happiness, and TLBATB one too many times lol)]

Thank you 💖🥰💖 (Love is Blind for anyone else who wants to read it)

I love long fics too, although I don't read as many of them as the short little one-shots due to the time commitment required. (There’s probably another dozen fics sitting in my marked for later list that would be great additions to this list.) 

I contributed to a rec list of long fics previously, and I’ve tried to avoid duplication, so I recommend you check those out as well! I actually had trouble narrowing these down. Here are my recs of fics that are over 30k. (Also, in case people aren’t aware, you can search by word count on AO3. Here’s an example searching for complete works over 30k sorted by kudos.)

The Unintended Consequences of Being a Superhero's Boyfriend by @karkalicious769​

"Adrien Agreste, is it true that you're Chat Noir?"

The world fell out from under him.

"The two of you do look remarkably similar." A second microphone was shoved into Adrien's hands and he took it instinctively. "And what do you have to say about the footage that showed Chat Noir going to your home after a successful akuma battle?"

"Yes, Chat Noir did come to my house. But not because we're the same person. See, ah—" His tongue stuck in his throat. And then, either by good luck or bad, Adrien thought of Ladybug. "We're dating!"

Or — With his back against the wall and his secret identity about to be revealed, Adrien blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind. Now, he has to manage the consequences.

129k. Once I started reading this fic, it was hard to stop! It’s just such a ride with a lot of ups and downs. This fic starts out kinda crack-y with Adrien blurting out that he’s dating himself to protect his identity. But things quickly spiral out of control from there and, while it’s still fun, there are a lot of serious bits too, and it’s all handled so well with a satisfying ending. I really loved this!

When The Morning Comes by @into-september​

Gabriel Agreste has been unmasked as Hawkmoth, and the girl who was fighting him all these years turns out to be Tom Dupain's daughter. And standing between them is Adrien Agreste with his life in shatters that Tom Dupain has no way of piecing together.

But baking is at least a place to start.

42k. This fic detailing the fallout, especially for Adrien, of a Hawkmoth defeat is so well done and has such an air of realism to it. The whole thing is told through Tom’s perspective, and it’s so interesting both because of the insight we get into his character, as well as all the things he sees--and all the things he doesn’t. He doesn’t know what happened between Adrien and Marinette, so neither do we, but we all see the ripples, and have to wonder. The relationships here are all so well done, especially relationships that haven’t gotten much (or any) development in canon. This one hurts, but it’s worth it, both for the journey and for its conclusion.

The Five Minute Adventures of Snake Noir by @kasienda​ 

After Ladybug admits to Chat Noir that she told someone her identity, she insists that he do the same. He wants it to be her. She insists it has to be anyone else. He suggests they use the snake. She finds this to be a reasonable compromise.

After many heartfelt five minute conversations that Ladybug doesn't remember, she decides he should keep the snake. That way he can always confide in her if he needs to. He also realizes it means he can talk to anyone… for five minutes... on repeat.

Contains many Season 4 Spoilers.

40k. This is one of those fics that I come back to over and over again because it’s just so good. The use of the snake miraculous here is different from any other use of it I’ve seen and it’s BRILLIANT. The way we get reveals over and over again, only for them to be taken back, and the development that happens. There’s amazing love square, but also platonic adrino, djwifi, and incisive and heartbreaking Gabriel and Adrien scenes. The heart and the angst and the development are all so well done. The concept is amazing and there’s so much emotion and the entire fic is intense af. This is seriously one of my favourites.

Imbalance by @thelibraryloser

Chat Noir is fighting evil all on his own, not aware he’s supposed to be half of a whole. Hawkmoth is desperate to get his hands on the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, knowing that if he causes enough destruction the world will demand balance and the Ladybug will have to appear. And when she does, she's not what anyone expected. Chat thought having a partner would feel different- maybe like how he feels talking to the girl on the balcony.

42k.  This is a great AU where Adrien not only never went to school, but got his miraculous under different circumstances. Instead of Chat Noir and Ladybug meeting as fellow superheroes, we have Chat operating on his own for years before the story starts. I don’t want to give away too much and spoil it (though Marichat fans will especially enjoy this one). The writing is fantastic, and the storyline is unique.

Heroes and Lullabies by @botherkupo​

"There is something you can do," he says, mouth dry and his heart thumping faster and faster. "But I … I'm not sure if I should ask you."

Adrien risks everything when he reveals his identity to Sabine. Now, he has to deal with the consequences.

40k (but it’s the fourth in a series after 3 short fics which you should really read first). When Chat is badly injured in battle, he asks Sabine to take his place, resulting in his identity being revealed to her. And then Master Fu takes the ring and ahhhh there’s a lot of pain but also a lot of beauty and found family (the relationship between Adrien and Sabine is so beautiful) and a brilliant ending that really, really worked for me.

Maintaining a Professional Distance by @buggachat​

“I mean, how dumb does the mayor think we are? Offering us a permanent hotel room as a ‘gesture of gratitude for all our work for Paris’, like it isn’t clearly just some half-baked political ploy to place him more in the public’s favor after the whole school funding scandal, like we’ll allow ourselves to sleep in a hotel that we were publicly offered, making ourselves sitting ducks for Hawkmo—”

“It’s a pretty big building,” he countered, and at least he seemed amused, because she certainly wasn’t, “Nobody knows which room we were given but us.”

“It doesn’t matter!” she scoffed, “It’s still a security risk that he can narrow our location down at all! Also,” she jutted her arms out towards the bed a second time, “May I remind you? ONE. BED. ONE!”

———

Or, Ladybug and Chat Noir receive a hotel room from the city, which they most certainly will not use. After all, that wouldn't be very professional, would it?

Yes, it's a Ladynoir bed sharing fic.

43k. Immediately after finishing this fic for the first time, I did a speed read through because I wanted to experience it again 🙈 I loved the way the boundaries slowly shifted and blurred between ladynoir until cuddling was just a normal thing they do every night. I’m obsessed with Chat being so completely thoughtful, Ladybug being jealous (of herself!!), and the inevitable conflict with all of its hurt and beautiful resolution. Just absolutely love.

A Cat of Their Own by @sariahsue

Tom and Sabine have learned Ladybug's secret identity, it's obvious their relationship It's also obvious to them that Cat Noir adores their daughter. How deep do those feelings go? And how far are they willing to go to mother the boy underneath the mask?

30k. (Okay it’s a little under but rounding rules!)  This fic is so great! Once Tom and Sabine figure out Marinette is Ladybug, they want to be involved in that part of her life, and that means reaching out to her partner. And I am absolutely soft for Adrien finally getting loving parents in Tom and Sabine, with "Tim" and "Serena" taking Chat under their wing, even if they can't exactly meet. I love the way this impacts his relationship with Ladybug and the way Marinette feels about him and it all builds to a beautiful happy ending and identity reveal!

Can I Steal You for a Second? by AsAlwaysMir

Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she'll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn't know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

156k. This is an AU where Adrien and Marinette never met before, so ladynoir are in love. When Gabriel forces Adrien to go on the Bachelorette, Marinette decides to compete so they have a chance to be together. The catch is that, eve though she now knows Chat’s identity, she won’t reveal herself to him in order to be “fair” to the other contestants. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, but really what’s reality tv without that? It’s a fun and crazy read that should definitely keep you entertained for a while!

[autumnoficarus]

i can't stop listening to the 'purpose is glorious' track from this season's ost and thinking about how lovely the title and its meaning are. it's just such an amazing underlying theme in this show, and - while i do have criticisms about some of the choices made for the series finale - i really do feel the writers wholeheartedly delivered in sending that message home. for me personally, loki's ending is so gratifying and a large part of that is solely from viewing their arc's conclusion with the perspective of this theme in mind. to have spent years watching this character i hold very dear to my heart struggle to find belonging, to feel as though they matter and there is reason in their existence, finally get a chance to show - and recognize - their worth was so, so rewarding. and honestly, i think the message behind the phrasing of 'purpose is glorious' is all the more meaningful because of how loki's arc finished. yes, the outcome was bittersweet; yes, we're left knowing loki didn't get the happiness they undeniably earned after everything they'd gone through. it smarts something fierce to know their journey up until they deviated from their timeline and became a variant, as well as seen their eventual intended fate. the ache is only worsened after witnessing everything that happens within the TVA and the entirety of loki's character growth leading up to a redefining moment where they willingly choose to undergo a nightmarish amount of time in the endeavor to do the right thing. of course we want them to emerge victorious when they've struggled for so long, but that's not the point. loki's final moments are them forfeiting their right to a happy ending to preserve the stories of others because all stories matter and should inherently reserve the free will to be written; as sylvie says, loki makes their choice so their loved ones and life across the multiverse still have a chance to belong somewhere and embrace their place in the world. the take away is that even burden can be glorious. even with all the hardships of life - all the inevitable heartache, disappointment, and grief we encounter just by being alive - we have meaning in our existence. there is meaning in the trials we face, and the suffering we endure in order to overcome them. our pain gives us purpose; it gives us the ability to love, to grow from and for each other, and choose to sacrifice our happiness for the benefit of another. loki's purpose was forged in the bonds of those they met in their time at the TVA and the sense of value they gained from their companionship. their sacrifice perfectly conveys how the human capacity to love is one of cosmic greatness, which can ultimately surpass our instinctual desire to preserve one's self. we can move immovable mountains and challenge insurmountable adversity in behalf of the ones we love and their welfare. if that isn't an act deserving of glory, I don't know what is.

tldr; loki's purpose is the friends they made along the way = as the saying goes, 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'. or: our own lives have purpose because of the connections we share with others, even when we are met with great loss.

[juniperhillpatient]

no one asked but I will talk more anyway - the comedy of sunny derives from the characters & their tragedy mixed with their own awful choices. it’s not an overtly political show like South Park although early sunny has some decent political episodes like “gun fever” & Charlie wants an abortion.”

ultimately, this is a comedy about the worst people you know. the loudest, most obnoxious, nasty people you can imagine who are still people with trauma & baggage & feelings - “big feelings” even 😉 - & it works great when it’s this shitbag bunch of losers agains some clearly innocent or neutral outsider. it’s villains as protagonists & tragedy as comedy & character driven humor about wacky situations that these idiots get themselves into. that’s why episodes like “the gang inflates” & “Frank Vs Russia” work. it’s the gang in a stupid ass situation they’ve gotten themselves into being absolutely idiotic or freakish about it & working together as a dysfunctional team. these episodes reminded me of episodes like “the gang solved the gas crisis” & “paddy’s pub the worst bar in philadelphia.” not in terms of specifics, just in terms of the gang being an evil team scheming away.

It’s not that the gang can’t fight. If they’re not arguing they’re not the gang. It’s not even that they can’t have more significant conflict between them - “the gang misses the boat” is one of my favorite episodes & it involves the gang breaking up! but the comedy of that episode - the heart of episodes like that or “mac & Dennis break up” - is that these stupid assholes couldn’t escape one another if their lives depended on it! the other time conflict within the gang is funny is when they’re operating by their own insane internal rules & we get to see that at play such as the Chardee macdennis games or their many bizarre trials. those are great & only serve to strengthen the group dynamic by showing their bizarre & toxic rules that nevertheless work for them.

the show stops working when we the audience stop giving a shit about the gang or stop understanding the complexities of these relationships & why they always go back to each other in the end no matter what. imo season 15 at least tried to solve some of that (because the show absolutely lost sight of that in later seasons & I think the creators know it, & seem to want to remedy it) but the execution left a lot to be desired & the characters still didn’t always feel like themselves & and we still got a lot of crappy & unnecessary ham fisted jokes & forced plot lines & I have extremely mixed feelings on the drama because I do like some of it & I acknowledge Charlie Day’s incredible talent but it just did not feel like the sunny I know & love.

but all this to say I actually really feel that season 16 felt more like sunny than it has in years! & that’s because they leaned less than ever into misogynist jokes against dee & homophobic jokes against Mac & just the gang hating each other & instead let them be the wacky friends we know & love getting into hijinks! that’s what the show should be! in conclusion season 16 was mostly good & it’s because it let the gang be friends again

[makeitastrength]

Invading your ask box!

I suck at coming up with questions, so in light of manifesting season 7, what are your hopes for when we hopefully get a full season 7?

Go as wild and unrealistic as you want!

So here's the thing... it took me so long to get around to answering this that I've already seen everyone else's answers and I feel like mine is just gonna be some version of the same list. But I'm still gonna answer anyway.

Next steps for chenford, whether that's moving in together or proposal (or both). These two have been all in since day 1. While I think those things happening this season feels a little rushed, season 7 feels like a good timeline. Season 5 was the honeymoon phase. Season 6 is about growing together and learning how to communicate and navigate difficulty. Season 7 seems like a good time to be on solid footing and take those next steps.

Next steps for Lucy, professionally. Personally, I'm hoping the UC storyline will play out this season and she can move on to whatever is next for her in season 7. She would be good at so many things within the LAPD and it would be so great to see her explore her options and find her niche. Bonus points if Primm faces consequences for being a dick.

More of a support system for Lucy, and just more interaction overall between the characters. Don't get me wrong, obviously I'm excited for all the chenford scenes we get, but give me some Tim x Angela and Lucy x Angela x Nyla or Lucy x Aaron or whatever else. We need to flesh out more of those relationships between the characters rather than pairing the same people up repeatedly. I know there's only so much screentime and they have a big cast, but it would be nice to have a few eps where they shake things up a bit.

Aaron and Celina remaining friends. I just really love their friendship and don't want it to turn romantic. It's nice to have that male x female friendship represented, and it's also frankly unrealistic to have every character coupled up.

More of Tim and Lucy away from the job, with Genny, Kojo, and/or Tamara.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but please no more pregnancies. It's been done three times now, and all of them have been accidental. And as someone who is childless by choice, lets have some representation of that on screen as well. Nolan and Bailey should not have kids, and I hope that's the conclusion they come to in 6x06.

Speaking of Nolan, can we please see him face some actual consequences? He's a terrible TO and that needs to be acknowledged, and Celina needs some actual training.

And honestly, just more of what they've been doing this season. I feel like, so far, this is the most cohesive season we've had in a while. Storylines are actually carried from one episode to another and the stakes are higher, the angst is productive, and I'm just really enjoying it! It's always nice to have some humor thrown in, but I also like when they show the fallout and keep the intensity rather than passing things off as a joke.

And lastly, more of this wonderful fandom here on tumblr! The questions, the positivity, the support, the incoherent rambling in the tags, the fic, the gifs, all the other amazing art and episode analyses. Just... all of it!

I'm sure there's more and I definitely failed at being wild and unrealistic but I'm sleepy and this is all my brain can think of right now.

Thank you for the question :)