#its been an hour since i watched last episode but i still miss them

[afrognamedfizzarolli]

Helluva Boss Season 2 trailer break down: Pt 4 Mastermind!

The C.H.E.R.U.B.'s and D.H.O.R.K's are back bitches!

These two shots seem to be fairly face value. The C.H.E.R.U.B.'s have been stuck on earth since we saw them last, and apparently have been spending their time trying to find I.M.P. and settle the score. They are captured by the D.H.O.R.K.S, the two realizing they have a common enemy team up.

Also notable is that the portal Blitzø is peaking his head out of is that of an Asmodian crystal. Meaning he did accept it from Stolas.

I think these four shots are a direct sequence of the crew porting back to the office after a successful hit, only for another portal that the D.H.O.R.K.S and C.H.E.R.U.B.'s have developed to be able to traverse to hell, presumably to capture the main crew.

(they are Stolas' grimore to portal in the first shot. Which is kinda weird to me if Blitzø has the crystal.)

I said previously in my post on Apology Tour that I think these two sequences are most likely in Mastermind. I believe what we are seeing is Blitzø being held, and either him having another nightmare sequence, or the D.H.O.R.K.S have somehow found a way to extract his memories, and are forcing him to re-watch some of the worst parts of his life.

Regardless as to why Blitzø is seeing these, its very interesting with a few. We were lead to believe in Oops that when the accident happened Blitzø didn't see Fizzarolli crawling towards him, the first frame suggests he did see him, but chose to still run to his moms tent to try to help her.

The next is the first time we've seen anything of Fizz during the 15 years between the accident and Ozzie's. This is almost directly directly post accident, we see Cash stopping Blitzø from going to see Fizz. Confirming the popular belief that Cash was the one to come between and lie to Blitzø and Fizz (father of the fucking year right here)

The next two frames are Blitzø's perspective of Fizzarolli and Veronika from Ozzie's.

We have another flashback, this one not seen through the screen though a screen like the others. Blitzø is crying while Tilla holds him, hes wearing the same outfit as we see him in the night of the accident. I have 3 theories on what this is.

The least likely in my opinion: This is a flashback to that night, before the accident, Blitzø confiding in her that he planned to confess to Fizz that night

This is when Tilla told him how sick she was and explaining that she probably didn't have much time left.

But my personal belief is that this is not really a flashback at all, this is a dreamlike scene where Blitzø is taken back to being a teen and sees her again. She comforts him and tells him that she is proud of how he has grown, and encourages him that he needs to work to escape and save his family from the situation they are in.

Another shots that are tricky to me, I have a strong feeling these two are connected, but not completely sure where they fit. This is honestly kinda a process of elimination guess for me.

I want to included these two clips from the Hells Belles short which reference the C.H.E.R.U.B.s episode, i assume as a hint to them coming back soon.

Again I am sorry for the shit photo quality, and possible bad grammar and spelling. I currently have the posts for the rest of the episodes nearly done so expect those in the next few hours ♡ I'd love to hear any other ideas or theories about the upcoming episodes, or anything I missed/got wrong!

Pt. 1: The Full Moon | Pt. 2 :Apology Tour | Pt. 3: Ghostfuckers | Pt. 4: Mastermind | Pt. 5: Sinsmas

[xfactor7aurora]

Happy legend of vox machina day!!!

All the gay bitches love vex and Vax

[actual-changeling]

when gabriel/jim (jabriel?? gim?????) talks about his "one particular person", aziraphale's smile is such a blink and you will miss it moment but so incredibly precious and we don't pay enough attention to it.

so, welcome to another round of alex's unhinged meta corner where i over-analyse micro expressions while losing some more braincells.

firstly, here's a clip of that scene just so we are all on the same page since i don't know how much time everyone else spends watching that show. don't ask me it's probably at least 6 hours a day at this point

what i want to focus on is aziraphale's reaction to jabriel's words right after "person". did i slow the clip down and then go through it frame by frame to get the following screencaps? yes. yes i did.

there are two parts to this, the spaced-out smile and then his shock/fear. also before we start can i just say how fucking insane whoever made the trailer was for putting the 1941 dinner scene RIGHT THERE??? with THAT expression??????? yeah. no. i need therapy for that alone.

anyway.

while he is talking, aziraphale is looking at jabriel the entire time, but honestly, i don't think he is actually seeing him, he's neck-deep in his memories of crowley. he as that sparkle in his eyes he tends to get around crowley/looking at crowley and that smile appears rather slowly (or as slow as something can be while lasting less than a second).

personally, i'd call that expression "completely and utterly in love" or besotted if you wanna keep it simple. a content little smile meant for no one except himself, the kinda look he probably wears in private while calling crowley to ask him to come hang out. aziraphale loves him and in this short moment, he knows it - and so do we.

when jabriel (preferable over gim, in my opinion) trails off, aziraphale remembers that hey, wait a minute. that's my boss. that's the archangel fucking gabriel. he can't know about me and crowley.

at this point, neither we nor he know what exactly is up with jabriel, so there is a very real danger that everything aziraphale says or shows will be reported back to heaven. the shock sets in, the smile disappear and aziraphale falls from cloud 9 (pun intended) and lands face first back on earth.

while aziraphale does not have crowley's memory of what exactly went down in heaven when they tried to burn him to a crisp, he has always been incredibly anxious around gabriel and the other archangel. he is fidgeting, unable to stand still or even keep his gaze from flicking around. the only moment he calms is, you guessed it, when he is zoned out and thinking of crowley.

the very real fear that settles on his face is not just about himself, it is mostly about crowley. if heaven knows, hell will, too. everyone knows about the back channels, most just try and keep up plausible deniability. the fact that it is michael who seems to be directly in contact with hell for the most part and not gabriel is worthy of its own post at some point.

another thing worth mentioning is that aziraphale is so afraid, in fact, that he physically backs away from jabriel and gets as much distance between them as possible. jabriel looks like a lost toddler, very non-threatening, but the trauma runs so deep that it does not matter how much of a danger he really is right now. he has been a constant threat for over six thousand years, you cannot deconstruct your view of a person, especially your boss, that quickly. not even if they turn up with total amnesia on your doorstep. naked.

this was less unhinged than some of my other posts but i think this is a moment that gets overlooked a lot. at least i haven't seen anyone talking about it yet since we are all understandably focused on the ending of episode 6.

[heartfullofleeches]

[Toon Yan + G.N Babysitter Reader]

Word Count: 2.3k

-

"Jessie! Dinner!-"

"Five more minutes!"

You've been their age before. Five minutes will turn into twenty if you let them off so easily. Their obsession with that show is starting to become a bit of a problem, but you're glad they're finally leaving their room. Jessie had always been a shy kid according to their parents and what you'd seen yourself briefly before hire. The move to a new city had taken it's toll on the kid overtime and so they boarded themselves up in their room to cope.

Among the toys and old photos, one other relic of their past was able to withstand the test of distance. A cartoon centered around the adventures of a well intending yet mischievous main character of unknown species and origin. When interviewed by their parents the show had to be on for them to stay in the same room as you. You got them to slowly open up during the process by asking them about the show and the plush cradled in their arms. They went from hiding behind their mother's sleeve to speaking non-stop paused only by their parents informing them you'd be back next week to continue the conversation.

You grant them the spare time as you finish setting up the table - ready to call them as you walk over the living room entrance. Jessie sprints past you and climbs into the empty chair, arranging their doll in the seat next to them. You push both up to the table as Jessie pulls their plate closer.

"Hungry?"

Jessie tears the crust off their sandwich and shoves it in their mouth. "Cholly says I better listen to you since you're their best friend and I need to eat if I want to get bigger."

"Really? Well thank you, Cholly." Amused - you prevent the doll from falling when it tips over as you move its chair, patting its plush head in appreciation for the help. "Alright, Jess. Don't rush, but try to finish up before I come back. Your parents will be home in an hour and want you in bed by the time they get here."

You pick up the butter knife off the table to rinse it off when a small voice stops you.

"Y/n, can you make one for Cholly too?"

Their parents have told you about their recent chats with their favorite staring characters. They never did this before - even before the move. They figure Jessie was still struggling with the change plus the start of school being around the corner and asked you to just play along which you were glad to do without their asking.

"Cholly likes peanut butter and honey sandwiches?"

"They prefer orange jelly more than honey, but anything will do. They said watching you all day works up an appetite."

"....What are your parents letting you see when I'm not here?"

They shrug. "Same things I see when you're here."

You wait till the finish half of their sandwich before making another to make sure "Cholly" really wants it. You set it down in front of the doll as you head into the living room to clean up before their parents arrive. The television basks the room in a eerie blue shadow. You round the table and stare briefly at the puzzle you and Jessie had done earlier. Completed, it was a picture of the vaguely hare-like creature the kid adored wrapping their beloved scarf around a bundle of wild flower in a makeshift bouquet. A pulled frame from an episode where they'd done the same to artfully whoo their way into someone's heart to steal a telescope they saw from their window.

Picking apart the pieces, you note a few of them missing and already in the box. Jessie must've started taking it apart for you - but you can't find the absent piece making up their right eye between what few pieces filled the box and what was left on the table. You search the couch where you were sitting and the floor below with no luck. Running your hands through the fine carpet you find it at last - hiding beneath the TV stand.

"You're welcome, Gorgeous!"

Cholly, dressed as a mail carrier, passes off a large box to an equally as confused patron - standing straight as a pike and saluting customer once their hands are free of the package. You'd seen this episode with Jessie before. Didn't their sentence end with -

"Y/n, we're done!"

"Coming!"

You throw the puzzle piece into the box and place it on the top shelf of the book stand connected to the TV. Jessie shuts the dishwasher as you reenter the kitchen, Cholly tucked under arm. Left on the table is a napkin adorned with a crudely made heart drawn out with orange crayon - Cholly's alleged favor color and one missing from Jessie's pencil box. There was a C scribbled just below the drawing.

"Did you draw this?"

Jessie holds up the real culprit. "No, Cholly did it. They said that sandwich was better than any of dad's cooking and you'd be better as a chef, but we'd both miss you too much if you became one."

They squeeze Cholly to their chest, authenticating the truth of their statement as their voice shrinks behind the doll's fur. You gently grip their shoulder - offering a reassuring smile. "Well I guess the world's gonna have to miss out on another great chef because I don't plan on leaving either of you soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise, Jessie."

You usher them upstairs and into the bathroom as time ticks on, taking the Cholly doll to get them settled in bed while Jessie brushed their teeth. After sharing so much about the Cholly with you, you were the only one they allowed to take it from their sight. Their parents are too rough and nobody knows how to care for them better than their best friend. You tuck the doll into the sheets, pulling the appropriately themed blankets up to their chin as the bathroom lights flicker off. Just about everything in Jessie's room was themed after that show. The dedication was cute. They crawl into bed next to Cholly and get beneath the covers as you fit them around them both, freeing Cholly's hands and placing them on top as Jessie told you they liked.

"Y/n, how did you become Cholly's best friend?"

You turn off their lamp as you sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't know. You're the one who introduced us so I guess you're the one to thank for that. They're pretty funny too and who doesn't love a fun friend?.... You're not jealous, are you?"

Jessie shakes their head. "No, I'm happy that you get along. Cholly said they were lonely before they met and while playing with me is fun it's something different. Cholly hasn't smiled like they did when you promised to stay with us since they came out of the tv."

"Well it's a promise I intend to keep for as long as you both need me. Goodnight, Jess. Cholly."

You nod to them both, standing to leave. Jessie pokes their head momentarily under the covets before calling out.

"Can Cholly have a kiss before you go?"

"I think that can be arranged." You kiss the doll's furry head. It's warmer and softer than you remember, chalking it up to be the heat of the blanket and a recent wash. Smells like tangerines. You wish them both goodnight once as you exit the room, pulling the door shut behind you. Walking down the stairs, small steps join you as you reach the bottom.

"Jess? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Cholly wanted me to give their scarf. They said it's chilly outside tonight and you shouldn't leave without extra protection."

It's a miracle they hadn't tripped over the material in their decent. The burnt orange bundled in their small arms draped over their shoulders and around their torst like the body of constricting serpent. Even you would have some difficulty with its length less you wrapped it around your neck ten times over. The fabric was softer than silk and weighed like a feather in your hands. Amazed by the quality, your fingers run over a discrepancy in texture hard to ignore. The letter C drawn in black ink barring uncanny resemblance to one you had seen before."

"Jessie, this is so sweet, but I can't take something your parents obviously -"

"Mom's here. See you later, Y/n. Bye, Cholly!"

Jessie waves and runs back up stairs as the aggressive glint of a car's headlights bleed through the open curtains. You shove the scarf into your bag to save for another conversation as you open the front door. You step out into the blistering cold - arms bound to your chest to keep in the warmth of your body heat circulating through your jacket. Cholly was right. It's freezing out here.

You're sure Jessie's mother won't mind you using what was likely her scarf if you explained things to her. You take the scarf out as you walk, wrapping it snug while treading carefully down the driveway up to her car as she shuts the door. Jessie's mother dawns a smile through chattering teeth, pulling a hand from the deep pocket of her coat to bring you in for a hug as you near.

"So good to see you. Had to leave earlier than usual this morning so I wasn't around to see you come in. Love the new scarf. I assume Jessie had a good day and is on their way to bed?"

"From a good friend apparently." You excuse, too tired and cold to properly explain. "Glued to the TV as usual, but we played a few games and got a puzzle done to past the time until bed. I'll be sad to see them less when they start school."

"Well there's plenty of time before then. With our schedules I'm sure we'll still be needing your help with a few adjustments. Have a safe drive home, Y/n."

"Call when you need me." You bid their mother fair well as she walks up to the front door and you unlock your car door. Climbing in, a brief flash darts over the overhead mirror from the back seat. You adjust the lense and watch as the neighbor across the street pulls out of their driveway. You beat your exhaustion to the back of your mind temporarily as you insert the key into the engine.

-

Arriving home, you shed yourself of your belongings and outer clothing as you collapse on the couch. The scarf's impressive length allows it to cushion your body the same as any blanket it as you unwrap a few of its layers. You pick up the remote left on one of the couch pillows and surf through the channels for something to watch you as you fell asleep. Your eyelids weight heavier as that familiar show tune plays. As much as you loved the kid Jessie spoiled just about every bit of the cartoon when you watched it together, so you took the liberty of watching it at home to avoid spoilers and catch facts about their favorite toon. It had become a go to when you wanted to mindlessly unwind from a long day.

The title card reads the name of an episode engraved into mirror. "Looking Glass Lovers." The equincial episode in which Cholly flirts with a never seen home owner for access to the spy glass in their bedroom. The episode starts a little different than you remembered. For one, they already had the tool of such they sought after and strolled down the same street seen in the original run viewing the world from its lense. Pointing the lense directly at the screen their seeing eye bulges against glass - irises of both eyes forming pink love hearts as smaller ones float above their head as they drop the telescope and it rolls off screen.

Cholly approaches the house which the episode is based around and enter the scene of their brief love interest's yard, begins picking flower following the pattern of the original run. Another divergence to the plot is that they pick the array straight from the garden over the wild dandelions they'd plucked from the front of the house in other showings. Cholly goes to grab their scarf to complete the pocket only to find their neck exposed. They reach down their shirt, fishing out a stack of plates that clatter around them as they drop them, an actual fish, and a worn down orange crayon. They throw the crayon back down the hatch with a shrug.

"Huh, wonder where that old thing has gone. Wherever it is I'm positive it's in good hands."

Cholly gathers up the flowers and strides up to the porch. They brush their pointy ears flat with their hand, adjusts an invisible bow tie, and raises their hand to knock on the door. The credits roll as their hand meets the wood - three in rhythm taps drumming from your front door.

Hands swearing, you answer the door to find a fishbowl on your porch stuffed to the brim with bright red and pink roses. A note card with waxy ink sits next to it.

"Sorry, gorgeous! Despite all the time we spent together I still get cold feet at the very thought of ya seeing me. Glad to see you got home safe and that you like my little gift. Even mud would look good on a catch like you so to see my old rags on you fills me with joy. Promise I won't chicken out the next time we met. Thanks for keeping yours and being my sunshine at the end of the tunnel. You' never know how much you need someone to brighten those dark days when clouds are you see.

Stay warm - C."

Returning to the couch with more questions than your spent mind could process - a text message from Jessie's mother adding to your confusion.

"Sorry to bug you so late, but have you seen Jessie's fish tank??"

[chr0n1c-ag0ny]

Kunidazai reunion sparking them finally, actually, truly getting together (cause they're idiots who have essentially been and old married couple for years and were the last to notice)? I think yes.

kunikida offering his apartment to Dazai, as his partners was in no shape to be lived in, after all the time that had passed with no upkeep and the time it spent in police custody, being milled through for any potential evidence. there was no way he could let him go back to it, not now, not tonight. Kunikida needs him close tonight.

Dazai takes him up on his offer. he doesn't want to be alone. he won't admit it, but he can't be alone, he doesn't know what it would do to him, what he would do to himself if he was left unattended. so he gratefully, while making jabs and cracking jokes at his partner, follows him home.

their night proceeds as normal, as it had for years of Dazai crashing with him. Kunikida cooks while Dazai sits up on his counter, rambling on and on about anything he can think of. Kunikida never realized how much he missed Dazai's voice until the relief of not cooking in silence hit him.

when they eat Dazai drags his partner to sit on the couch, even though Kunikida hates eating on the couch, knowing he would make an exception for him, just for tonight. they sit too close to just be friends, coworkers, partners even. their arms touch, their knees lean into one another.

when Dazai's finished with his dinner he lays a head in Kunikida's lap, turning on the TV, flipping through all of his partners recorded media until he finds the show they had been watch together, every episode that aired since he was arrested is recorded and unwatched. with blurry eyes he hits play. Kunikida's hand is in his hair and it doesn't leave.

they don't talk, they don't have to, they've talked enough. for now they just want to sit and feel each other's touch and hear each other's breathing. it's all they need.

its nearly 3 in the morning when Dazai finally starts to doze, he'd curled up into a ball, halfway in Kunikida's lap at that point, holding onto one of his partner's hands. Kunikida knows he should get them both to bed, he should offer Dazai the room and take the couch, that he should have the man some space after all he'd been through. but he aches at the thought of leaving his side, at being separated again.

but he doesn't even have to say anything, should have known he never had to, Dazai's always been sharp as a tack, his intuition, almost terrifyingly, even sharper.

His partner turned lazily in his arms, looking up at him with tired but knowing eyes. let's go to bed, they say. you don't have to go, you can stay, they assure. please don't go, they beg.

Kunikida breathes a long, heavy, sigh of relief.

"ok," he answers, before finally getting up after hours laid up on the couch, watching as Dazai continues to doze.

his heart aches with feverish heat. he'd missed him so much he had begun to go mad, had gone mad really, and now his partner was back, he was back and alive and mostly well, and now he was so relieved it ached in its own right.

he went about making up his bed for two, for Dazai, knowing he needed enough pillows and blankets for half a dozen people, but kept stopping to look over the back of the couch to make sure he was still there, still with him, that he hadn't been taken away again. by the time he's done he's probably crossed his apartment two to three dozen times, from his room to the couch again and again, before he's finally decided the room was good enough, there were enough blankets for Dazai to cover himself with and pillows to hide in.

when he goes to Dazai this time around, he kneels in front of him, carding a hand through his hair, tracing a thumb over his brow, to his nose, and then his cheek. his partner's eyes flutter open, a smile graces his lips.

"come on," he whispers, worried too loud a voice would shatter the delicate air of safety and comfort around them, "time for bed."

Dazai hums, getting up with a stretch and a yawn, much like a cat, before gingerly hopping off the couch and into Kunikida's arms, a false smile and air of cheekiness to him, hiding the ache Kunikida knew all too well resided in his partner's heart as much as it did his own, if not more. he holds him for a moment, savoring the feeling of him in his arms, before taking his hand and leading him to their room.

Dazai knows the drill. he goes to the other man's dresser and picks out a pair of his own sweatpants, ones he kept here for nights like these, and as per usual, one of Kunikida's shirts, gliding across the room, out into the hall, and into the bathroom.

Kunikida crawls into bed, feeling like he's been hit by a bus by the days events, and ends up half asleep by the time he feels Dazai crawling into bed next to him.

he expects to see bandages peeking from the borrowed nightshirt, to watch Dazai shield himself from the world, from his partner's touch, with a swarm of blankets, for Dazai to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for him to fall asleep first.

but tonight's different, so different.

Dazai's skin is bare where the shirt doesn't cover, his scars on display, each and every one of them, the burns, the cuts, the bullet wounds, the ones Kunikida has never one been able to decipher the story of. they're all bared to him, with no visible hesitation on Dazai's end.

when his partner climbs into bed he neglects the pile of blankets laid out for him, the pillows too. instead he lifts the comforter that's draped over the entirety of the bed, Kunikida included, sliding beneath it like it's natural to him, like he'd done it every night for months, years even.

he looks at Kunikida for a moment, silently asking for permission, which Kunikida cannot give fast enough, and then Dazai's in his arms, his own wrapped around his neck, nothing between them but the clothes on their backs.

Dazai pulls away, just a bit, Kunikida almost cries out, almost pulls him back in, but knows better. he lets dazai go, but he never leaves. he's moved just far back enough so they could both look each other in the face.

"I missed you," he spoke softly, his hands shifting to hold the blonde's face.

"I missed you too,"

there's a moment of silence.

"I love you." the words are hesitant, skittish even, like he's unsure of how Kunikida would take it.

"I love you too," he replies without a second thought. he loves his partner, he loves him, more than he knows what to do with, so much it drives him mad and makes him ache.

Dazai nods. he's thinking, Kunikida can see it on his face, his mind is going a million miles a second. worry flashes on Dazai's face, and Kunikida panics, goes to pull away, goes to give Dazai space, even if his own skin burns at the thought of parting with Dazai's.

but Dazai doesn't let him, he clings to him, "Don't go, please don't go, please," he begs.

his voice is desperate, so Kunikida doesn't. he watches his partners face twist and turn, watches as fear spreads across his brow and tears gather in his eyes, and he doesn't know what to do because this has never happened.

but than Dazai leans in, slowly, tugging Kunikida closer so they can meet in the middle. Kunikida feels his partners lips on his. he kisses him back. he can't decide if that was a foolish decision or not. It's soft, softer than either of them knew they were capable of, it's gentle and earnest and good.

Dazai stops after a moment, lingers in Kunikida's space before looking him in the eye once more, he doesn't speak, they don't need to. Dazai looks at him, tears running down his face, but he's smiling, he's ok. his thumbs wipe away tears Kunikida hadn't realized he'd shed. they're ok.

"I love you," Dazai mutter's again, speaking again before the other man can answer "Kunikida?"

"yes, Dazai?"

"don't go."

"I won't."

"promise?"

"I promise." its a foolish thing to say, but Dazai needs to hear it, hell, he needs to hear it, "I'm not going anywhere, so long as you promise me the same."

he hesitates, his eyes avoid Kunikida's for a moment, before returning from their shared gaze, "I'll try, I promise, I'll really try this time"

Kunikida nods, slowly moving to kiss Dazai's forehead, the brunette leans into it.

"I know you will," he whispers into Dazai's skin, "and I'll always be here when it's too hard to manage on your own."

there's silence again, but it doesn't feel wrong or heavy, its soft and warm and it feels right.

"I love you," Kunikida finally returns.

there's more silence, Dazai just looks at him, just watches, fingers playing with Kunikida's hair and drifting over his face until something clicks into place in the other man's mind, something nobody but Dazai could ever understand.

he leans in once more to kiss his cheek before he settles against Kunikida's chest, letting out a pleased huff as he curls himself into a ball, "goodnight," he muttered, almost instantly going still with sleep.

"goodnight," Kunikida replied, knowing Dazai wasn't going to hear him, pressing his own goodnight kiss to the top of Dazai's head before burying his face in the other man's hair (Dazai doesn't smell like his shampoo anymore. it makes something in him cringe. he tries and fails to ignore it).

it takes Kunikida a while to fall asleep, he's too busy running the night over and over and over again in his mind. he holds Dazai close and lets his fingers trace over scars, feeling over his too-thin frame, feeling each bone beneath his skin. there's so many thoughts rushing through his mind, to many fears, worries, anxieties, what ifs. what if I hurt him? what if I break him? what if I ruin this?

his thoughts are only stopped when Dazai gently nudges his head into his jaw, hands pulling Kunikida's off of him, holding them gently in his own (he should have known sleep wouldn't come that easy to Dazai).

he takes a deep breath, steadying himself and his mind, his partner's hands squeeze his gently, good, they seem to say, and sleep finally starts to pull at him once more.

he lets it happen, let's his eyes close and his mind go blank, knowing Dazai is safe, he's safe in his arms, he won't be taken away again. he sleeps knowing Dazai loves him, that he kissed him, that tomorrow they'll wake up like this, and maybe, just fucking maybe they can finally have this one happy ending.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group H Round 1: #H3 vs #H6

#H3: Two guys time-travel through photos. Depression ensues.

Best friends, roommates, and business partners Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang run a photo studio, developing pictures and the like. But that’s not all they do. The Shiguang Photo Studio has a secret extra service—they can deliver messages you never got to send and find information you never got to learn, so long as you bring a photograph, or maybe several.

Their method? A clap of the hands, and Cheng Xiaoshi dives into the past and into the body of the photographer. Guided by Lu Guang, he has twelve hours to achieve his goal, whether that is finding a secret, saying goodbye, or winning a fight.

Assisted by their friend and landlady Qiao Ling, the duo navigates a gallery of corporate lies, interpersonal drama, old regrets, and crime. The recently released second season continues threads that begin in the first episode of season one, showcasing the same level of brilliant writing and even higher stakes for our beloved characters.

#H6: Cozy slice of life about a high school girl with a camera

In her last year of middle school, Fuu Sawatari had trouble dealing with her emotions following the sudden death of her father. Through the help of her brother and childhood friend, she rediscovered her love for photography, an activity she and her father often did together. In addition, she decided to attend high school in Takehara, her father's hometown and a place they often visited when she was younger.

It has been one month now since Fuu moved to Takehara and became close with her current group of friends: carefree Kaoru Hanawa, excitable Norie Okazaki, and quiet Maon Sakurada. Together with them and several acquaintances around town and abroad, Fuu continues her mission of capturing the joys of everyday life using her father's camera, while also helping her friends discover their own passions.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#H3: Link Click (Shiguang Dailiren)

Propaganda:

(Admin: Five people submitted different propagandas for this. Instead of posting each of them as they are and making this post even longer, I merged them altogether for coherence and brevity.)

Link Click is a show that is criminally underrated outside of China that it’s become a running meme in the fandom (i.e. Link Click fans to everyone they know: WATCH LINK CLICK!!!). Some people are just so resistant to watching anything Chinese that even others in the Link Click subreddit prefer its Japanese dub—which is sad because they don’t get to hear certain nuances in the original audio. It’s also just really frustrating how xenophobic people can get.

Anyways, the beauty of Link Click lies in its simplicity. For a time-travel show, you’d expect our characters to tackle on tasks that involve the fate of the world or something, but no. In Link Click, it’s all about the ordinary person. All the people Cheng Xiaoshi dived into have been your everyday person—an office woman who gets harassed at work, a restaurant owner who’s grown estranged from her best friend, a man who misses his first love and his old friends, a man who wants to gain the approval of his girlfriend’s family, etc. Even when the stakes go high in season 2, the core of the conflicts still lie in the personal problems that the characters face—which may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but they are not any less important.

And I think that’s beautiful. It’s hard to relate to grand plots of saving the world or facing an apocalypse and whatnot, but it’s easy to relate to the day-to-day struggles that humans face. 

But it’s also depressing, in a way. Link Click is very adamant that the past remain unchanged. Cheng Xiaoshi has to go there, do his mission, and then leave the past as it is—which is difficult when he gets to feel the emotions of the person he’s possessing. Many times he wants to change things for the better, but Lu Guang always pulls him back. 

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s relationship is also really nice. Cheng Xiaoshi is the empathic and reckless type, while Lu Guang is the rational and cold (but inwardly a dork) type. They balance each other out, and when they have conflicts, they face it maturely. They also care for each other so so much that the moment the other is in danger, all their personal philosophies get thrown out the window just to ensure the other person’s safety.

The male characters also cry without getting emasculated. They have mental breakdowns that are done so well and feel like a real reaction instead of just the solitary tear down one’s cheek. 

Link Click… is not a gentle show. It will strongly grab your heartstrings and make you cry several times. It doesn’t pull its punches, and it’s always happy to hit you with the “past or future, just let them be” beam. It is cruel, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lastly, Link Click is really about friends being there for each other in hard times, and knowing that while it’s impossible to take all those painful memories back, it is possible to take them with you in the future and turn them into something beautiful.

On Soundtrack: The soundtrack of this show is just amazing. The s1 opening song may seem all fun and games with the finger-tutting, but after s2, you’ll realize how meaningful the lyrics are. The s1 ending is also iconic for us fans. It starts playing before the episode ends, and the ominous start of the song always sends chills down our spines because it signals that something has gone wrong.

The s2 soundtrack gets even better. The s2 opening’s second chorus is basically just the first chorus played in reverse. The director specifically requested for a song that would sound good even when played in reverse, and it’s amazing how the band managed to pull off something so difficult. The s2 ending, like the s1 ed, continues the Link Click style of playing before the episode actually ends, making the last few moments of the episode even more emotional.

Trigger Warnings:

S1: Flashing lights in the opening, attempted and implied sexual harassment, slight panic attack, death, kidnapping, drugging, suicide, blood. Complete list of TW’s for s1 can be found here (it may be spoilery)

S2: Fast-changing images in the opening, domestic abuse, child abuse, emotional abuse, violence, blood, murder.

#H6: Tamayura: Hitotose

Propaganda:

No stakes, only warmth. Tamayura: Hitotose is the single coziest anime I have ever watched. It is like Moomins or Studio Ghibli (without all the excitement), in that after watching it you feel like the greatest magic the world has ever known is a home-made bowl of soup, a trip to the mountains, a photograph of a memory. Which is all true. Animes like this teach you to live right, and that's why we need them. Also to teach us to be "more aggressivu!" If you ever have a really rough day/week/month/year/decade, let your soul be soothed and watch Tamayura: Hitotose.

Trigger Warnings: Unknown.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

[byoldervine]

Writing Tips - The Dos And Don’ts Of Writing Foils (with examples from Miraculous Ladybug)

TL;DR at the bottom for those who don’t wanna listen to my rambles first

A writing foil is when two characters are compared and contrasted in order to highlight the qualities of one of them, usually done to highlight the positive traits of the protagonist against the negative traits of the antagonist. But there are times when foils can miss their mark, and I can’t think of more blatant examples than in the show Miraculous Ladybug to show the difference between good and bad use of foils with protagonist Marinette and antagonist Chloé

I’m a firm believer in analysing bad examples of writing as well as good ones, and as much as I can enjoy watching MLB it’s good to acknowledge its weaker points when they come up

Comparison 1 - Evillustrator

Episode Summary:

The titular villain-of-the-week, aka Nathaniel, wants to get revenge on Chloé after she outed and mocked his crush on Marinette - and at the same time, Chloé’s undervalued friend/lackey Sabrina latches onto Marinette as a new friend now that she realises how toxic and manipulative Chloé is

Foil 1 - What Chloé Did:

At the start of the episode, Chloé, Sabrina and Marinette are made partners for a class project, much to Marinette’s dismay. Chloé starts insisting that Sabrina and Marinette do all the work, and when Marinette says this isn’t fair, she’s assured by both girls that this is the way it’s always been since they started school and that if Chloé presents the work that Sabrina and Marinette produce then it’ll all be fair. Marinette again refutes this and says Sabrina is being used by Chloé, not treated like a real friend, especially when Chloé tries to bribe Sabrina with a hat. Sabrina is incredibly touched and inspired when Marinette stands up for her and quickly rejects Chloé, instead latching on to Marinette

Foil 1 - What Marinette Did:

A couple of hours later at most, Sabrina shows up at Marinette’s house to work on their project. Sabrina also did Marinette’s geography homework for her since that’s what was expected of her during her friendship with Chloé, which Marinette initially tries to politely refuse, but reluctantly accepts just this once when she sees how upset the refusal makes Sabrina. She then apologises to Sabrina but says she won’t be able to work on the project as something important just came up (a supervillain had just broken into her house) but offers to meet up with her later to get the work done. Sabrina responds by yelling at her that she’s making excuses to get out of doing work ‘just like Chloé’ always does. She takes back the homework and storms off to do the project on her own, fully done with Marinette, and later goes back to Chloé, who she believes was her real friend all along

Foil 1 - Assessment:

Chloé’s unapologetic history of dumping all the work on Sabrina, which has gone back years, is not the same as Marinette cancelling last-minute one single time. It’s frustrating, absolutely, but even if Chloé had genuinely good excuses and Marinette was just blowing her off, Marinette still didn’t have a habit of it and even offered to reschedule, which Chloé didn’t do. If memory serves Chloé didn’t even apologise, just said she wouldn’t do it and expected Sabrina to work it out. And not only does the comparison not work, it also drags Marinette down rather than building either character up; it makes out that our protagonist is manipulative without rectifying it or presenting it as a skewed perspective by Sabrina as she struggles to fully break away from Chloé. With this being all the foil achieves, I’m gonna say it’s a bad use of foil

Foil 2 - What Chloé Did:

At the start of the episode, Chloé discovers Nathaniel’s crush on Marinette and starts showing the whole class his art that depicts his crush, loudly mocking both his artwork and his taste in women. This is what leads Nathaniel to be turned into the titular villain Evillustrator, with the power to make anything he draws come to life, by our main superpower-dispensing supervillain

Foil 2 - What Marinette Did:

While working with one of the superheroes to try and defeat Evillustrator, which would turn him back into Nathaniel, Marinette agrees to go on a date with Evillustrator in order to steal the cursed object that gives him his superpowers. The plan is briefly successful, and when Evillustrator catches on, he laments that Marinette is just like Chloé because she was ‘teasing him, mocking him and leading him on’. Marinette even follows this up by complaining about the fact that people keep comparing her to Chloé tonight

Foil 2 - Assessment:

At no point did Marinette tease or mock Evillustrator, these were all things Chloé did but it’s shown multiple times that Marinette is genuinely impressed by Evillustrator and enjoying his company despite the situation. Moreover, at no point did Chloé lead Nathaniel on; she was purely insulting towards him, and only Marinette lead him on. The comparison falls very flat when all the reasons the two girls are apparently ‘just like one another’ weren’t mutually inclusive at any point. It’s like saying that Batman and Superman are just the same because they both live in ice fortresses and wear masks to fight crime

Comparison Summary:

Both attempts at foils drag Marinette down rather than building her or Chloé up, so why are we supposed to root for her over Chloé? I didn’t gloss over any narrative contrast where these comparisons are framed as wrong, these are supposed to be lessons that Marinette learns from, which supports the idea that these views are correct. Not to mention that both foils ignore the difference in intentions; Chloé is very blatantly bullying and using people, whereas Marinette was only trying to do what was right, even if someone felt hurt in the process there was always an intention to do good. These differences are never brought up, the foils are purely to make Marinette look bad with no nuance attached, and that alone is the mark of a failed foil in my opinion

Comparison 2 - Despair Bear

Episode Summary:

Chloé calls the fire department to the school in order to interrupt a special class, coincidentally taught by Marinette’s dad, and Marinette spots her in the act. Chloé blackmails the principal into letting her out of the school-wide punishment for this action, but this is the last straw for her childhood friend and crush, which results in Chloé hosting an extravagant party for the whole school in order to prove that she can be a good person and win her friend’s approval back

Foil 1 - What Chloé Did:

Chloé isn’t interested in the peasant work of a one-off baking class, and after complaining about it to all her classmates, she steps outside to call the fire department, informing them that there’s a fire at the school. Once the FD arrive, the whole school is gathered while the principal demands to know who called them. After nobody fesses up, the principal calls for the entire school to clean the premesis for the rest of the day as punishment - but Chloé threatens to call her father, the mayor, to complain about being punished for ‘someone else’s’ actions, and so she’s the only one who doesn’t have to clean

Foil 1 - What Marinette Did:

Marinette knew Chloé had been complaining about the class and wanting to get out of it, and she saw Chloé making a phone call a few minutes before the FD arrived. She was going to say this when the principal asked who had called the FD, but her friends told her to ‘not stoop to Chloé’s level’ and that it would make them just as bad as each other. At very least the class were all confident that Chloé did it, and she didn’t deny this afterwards, but the whole school was still punished regardless because Marinette didn’t speak up

Foil 1 - Assessment:

How is providing evidence that someone may have done something equivalent to abusing emergency services and blackmailing people? Genuinely don’t understand this. I have no idea what the comparison is supposed to be and that’s a pretty good sign of a bad use of foil

Foil 2 - What Chloé Did

Chloé and Marinette share a friend/crush, Adrien, who threatens to no longer be friends with Chloé if she can’t prove to him that she can be nice to people. This friendship means a huge deal to Chloé, so she throws an over-the-top, extravagant party and invites the entire school so that Adrien can see how nice she really is. She frequently starts to be mean to people again, but her butler helps encourage her to be nice by basically saying “Your teddy bear wouldn’t approve” and it actually works for a bit until this tactic is exposed and she fires the butler. She later helps the heroes defeat a supervillain and is deemed a good enough person for Adrien to forgive her and remain friends with her - which leads her to instantly start being mean to all her guests again, to which Adrien chuckles fondly about how she’ll never change

Foil 2 - What Marinette Did:

Marinette, like literally everyone else in the whole school, attended Chloé’s party, with Marinette only going after finding out that Adrien was going so that she could spend time with him. Despite also attending, Marinette’s friend remarks multiple times that Marinette attending the party makes her no better than Chloé because both are using this party as an excuse to improve their relationships with Adrien. She does make unkind remarks about Chloé during the episode, such as calling her a bratty snob and a faker for the ‘BFF act’ she’s putting on with her guests, but she never insults Chloé to her face or makes any baseless accusations all things considered, and she’s hardly the only one making these comments. She’s no more or less guilty in that regard than the majority of Chloé’s guests

Foil 2 - Assessment:

This one really frustrates me because they definitely could’ve gone somewhere with the whole ‘they’re only hosting/attending the party to improve their relationship with Adrien’ thing, but once again they failed to provide any nuance or divergence of intent/results. Marinette only going to the party because a guy she liked would be there is framed as a bad thing because it makes her ‘just like Chloé’ and drags Marinette down to Chloé’s level, but then Chloé is later rewarded for her efforts and praised as ‘a nice person deep down’ despite her frequently insulting her guests. Not to mention the context to this; Chloé is only throwing this party so she looks good, and admits as much, but of course Marinette wouldn’t want to attend the party of the biggest bully in the school who ruined her dad’s class and got her and all her friends in trouble for it just that same morning. Is it such a morally questionable thing to say “I won’t attend this party unless I’ll be in good company”?

Comparison Summary:

The comparisons are mostly fabricated and baseless, with circumstances once again being ignored. Like many aspects of this show, there’s some interesting setup and potential that is sadly either not followed through on or poorly executed, and it hurts the writing. And once more, the foils focus more on dragging our protagonist down and not building either character up, yet Marinette is still the hero while Chloé is still the villain

✨ TL;DR: ✨

So what can we learn from two of Miraculous Ladybug’s most prominent foil episodes when it comes to writing foils?

Remember the surrounding context. Looking into why your characters think and act the way they do is often key for comparing them

Consider intentions, executions and outcomes individually. Just because characters had the same intentions or performed the same actions doesn’t mean that they’re ’just the same’; similar intentions may be executed differently and similar executions may have been inspired through different intentions, and of course the outcomes should reflect both of these

Recognise the purpose of your foil. Do you want to build someone up? Drag someone down? Both at once? It helps to know what you’re aiming to achieve to ensure that the foil has the desired impact on your reader

Assess the validity of your comparison. If a character in-universe is making the comparison, it has to be understandable why they would see things that way, even if it’s not wholly accurate. The narrative should generally try to take a truthful perspective on it as well, rather than agreeing with the unreliable narrator that two actions or intentions are just the same regardless of context. Especially avoid making a comparison where your examples don’t apply to both characters unless to highlight them as different

[wonjns]

their flower ❀

pairing; lee seokmin x male reader x xu minghao 

genre; smut & fluff

summary; despite being so busy with their schedules, your two boyfriends always made time for their complete puzzle piece. they lived for the moments they got to see you blossom beneath (or between) them.

includes; bottom!male reader, poly!seventeen, praise kink, teasing, nipple play, unprotected sex ( don’t irl !! ), finger sucking, blowjob (reader receiving), reader is youngest.  

wc; 2.6k

notes; was a lil nervie about this one tbh bc i never written a poly before x_x but im obsessed w/ these two, they’re so sweet & sexy & cute especially this era and hsdhdsabs i just had to~ it’s not super explicitly smutty i just had to get my seokhao fix :(( hope its not terrible

you lied curled up on the couch of the Seventeen dorms, hugging a pillow in your embrace. a blanket covered you while watching the netflix series that played on the flat screen before you. you had received a text from minghao an hour prior, telling you to head to the dorms and make yourself comfy since him and dokyeom were currently heading back home from their last schedule. your boyfriend’s text claimed that only a few other members would be home for the night considering they were given the weekend off, not that you would mind seeing the other guys anyways. 

it seemed you were faster than the two idols, because now you found yourself snuggled up in the furniture in one of dokyeom’s hoodies, hao’s basketball shorts, and already halfway into an episode of your show. they still hadn’t arrived at their own place. 

you picked up your phone, it reading 11:36 pm, and you began wondering if they were ever gonna come home. you understood the amount of hold ups and imbalances within the music industry there were, so you did your best to not nag them about it. however, as if right on cue, you were pulled out of your thoughts by the sound of the door opening and low mumbling. you picked your head up to see your two tall scarlet red and jet black halves rounding the corner, both carrying quite a few bags, a few of which were groceries.  

the smile on your face grew quickly upon seeing them, but dokyeom’s doubled the size of yours upon seeing your frame resting on their couch.

“y/n!!” he coo’d cutely, immediately dropping everything in his hands - long legs hastily strutting up to you. 

you sat up criss-crossed as minghao went to drop the bags off in the kicthen and dokyeom paces over to you. once he reached you he squatted down, meeting your eye level from your seat. his large hands then encased yours and he began rubbing his thumbs over your smooth knuckles. 

“I’m happy to see you, babe. thanks for coming over.” dokyeom continued, staring at you with the brightest glow that shined through his orbs.

his gaze was strong and passionate as your eyes locked into one another. you felt yourself already blushing, your tummy lighting aflame with butterflies at the eye contact. he looked extremely handsome, the light from the tv reflecting off of his gorgeously tanned skin, and his dark hair still looking professionally styled. you took notice of his outfit, undoubtedly his wardrobe from the last day of their music video shooting.

“I-I missed you guys, it’s been like a week and a half.” you responded, eyes flitting down to his hands softly tracing patterns into yours. 

all you heard was a giggle from the older male before your lips were instantly enveloped in a cloud-like, sugary kiss. you were caught off guard, but your eyelids slowly closed as you hummed, his cologne invading your senses. dokyeom broke the kiss apart to speak, much too soon for your liking. 

“I know, we’re sorry prince.” he mumbled before reaching a hand up to cup your jaw and connecting your lips again. “it was a long day... but... everything’s wrapped.... director’s happy..... and now.... we’re all yours.....” he continued in between his kisses, growing in strength each time. 

you hummed in agreement, trying to show you were listening, but you found it difficult to follow along the more his pillowy lips overrode your senses.

like you said, it had been a week - a seemingly never ending week of neediness. you felt sensitive to even just a few solid pecks, and your body was clearly responsive to finally receiving some attention. 

as if on instinct, your hands shot out to hold the back of his neck and pulled him into you to maintain a longer lasting kiss. still being kneeled, dokyeom’s hand shot down to catch himself to avoid toppling completely over you, and he giggled into your lips. fully understanding your attempt for more, dokyeom gently pushed his tongue into your cavern, seeking out its favorite wrestling partner. you complied all too easily, groaning slightly when you felt the taller male’s pink muscle move against yours. your mouths continued their sultry dance and you tugged on the hairs on the base of his neck, causing him to work your lips with more force. 

when you could feel your boner slowly growing harder, you ran your hands along the singer’s broad shoulders before cupping both sides of his face, his lips picked up in momentum, groaning quietly into each others mouths. 

just as things were increasing in heat, you heard a voice wantonly call out from behind the couch.

“...am I being left out?” minghao chimed in.

you and dokyeom paused in the mingling of your lips to turn and see the red headed boy standing with an eyebrow raised and hands on his hips.

his annoyed expression quickly turned into a mischievous grin, causing you to giggle before he pounced onto the couch as if he were a graceful cat. he playfully nudged dokyeom out of the way before pushing you flat on your back, instantly connecting to your lips himself.

unlike dokyeom’s, minghaos kisses were immediately intense and filled with power. he released a deep moan as he worked your lips continuously, shamelessly grinding your cores together - it seemed hao was even more worked up than you were. you gasped at the sudden pleasure, causing both him and dokyeom to chuckle. you tangle your fingers into minghao’s unnaturally soft locks as dokyeom leaned in to place a kiss on your temple and minghaos cheeks.

you were then let free to catch some air, the intensity of minghaos lips leaving you breathless. your blush swiftly reappeared when you caught how focused minghaos eyes were watching you as well, smirking as he studied the way you tried to compose yourself.

“..why do you guys keep doing that?” you pouted, averting your own gaze.

“doing what?” minghao responded, tilting his head a bit in attempt to catch your eyes again.

“s-staring like that....”

minghao giggled again, not answering you before pecking your lips a couple more times. dokyeom reached out to stroke your hair, his nails feeling euphoric as they ran over your scalp.

“we just haven’t seen our favorite boy in a while, that’s all. we even brought you some of your favorites.” dokyeom spoke, finally standing from his kneeling position.

he walked over to the tables where minghao had dropped the groceries, and your eyes tried to follow him before being cut short of hao himself still trapping you beneath him. he still wore a big grin on his face, which then dove in to litter more kisses over your face.

the quick pecks caused you to giggle, but even that was cut short as he reattached those very lips to yours once again. you could hear dokyeom still talking to you while rummaging through the bags at the counter, but your senses were quickly being overwhelmed as your second boyfriend started licking his way into the roof of your mouth.

minghao reached down to cup your hard-on from outside your shorts, and it wasn’t until dokyeom heard a loud moan come from your that he figured no one was listening to him anymore. he dropped the large bags of chips dramatically and loomed over the couch. he did his best to feign an angry facial expression, but seeing his two love bugs giggling back at him while doing what they did best caused his signature grin to make an appearance. he couldn’t help but wonder how he got so lucky.

“so we really are leaving people out now, hm.” he blabbed, making his way around the furniture.

“sorry hyung,” you chuckled, leaning up to move minghao off of you. “but hey, at least you two had each other the past two weeks, i’ve only had my books to cuddle.”

although your statement was made as a joke, it couldn’t help but actually bear some weight on dokyeom’s heart as he said next to you, sandwiching you between the two older boys. he gently pat the top of your head, looking at you with a somewhat serious gaze.

“i know, we’re sorry, again. you know we were dying everyday until we saw our baby again.” he replied sweetly. minghao couldnt help but hum along in agreement before leaning to kiss your cheek.

the two males hated when you felt lonely or separated from them, and always did their best to prevent those feelings from ever coming to fruition in your pretty little mind. tonight would be no different. with a quick exchange of mischievous looks over your unsuspecting head, the two of them snuggled even closer to you. the three of your faces were only mere inches apart.

the ever-so-familiar redness crept back up on your face as you squeezed minghaos hand in embarrassment, but before you could speak up to ask what they were doing, they both started attacking you with a flurry of kisses. dokyeom covered the region of your face with innocent pecks, while minghao dove into your neck, leaving nips and sucks onto your delicate skin.

“well the great thing about being gone for so long means that we can make nights like these all... about.... you.” minghao spoke lowly, running his tongue over a sensitive spot on your column.

your response was somewhere between a whine and a giggle, your neediness from minghao’s actions building as dokyeom continued to relentlessly cover your face. you fiddled with minghaos elegant fingers, unable to comprehend how shameless he was, but unspokenly asking for more. he smirked, moving his hand to cover your still hardening member gently.... a little too gently. dokyeom noticed this, pulling back to admire your reaction.

“you’re so cute when you’re scared to ask.” he teased.

without another word, dokyeom’s large hands effortlessly removed his hoodie from your torso. the slightly chilled hair hitting your skin caused you to almost complain, until you quickly felt his warm mouth over one of your buds.

you gasped, gripping his dark locks once more which caused him to groan while running his tongue over your nipple. your sounds caused minghao’s cock to twitch, ripping him from his concentration on your throat. his eyes flitted down to see dokyeom’s actions, and he bore that wicked smile once more before dipping his own head further down to pleasure your other exposed bud. the red head also started to stroke your upper thigh as he sucked on you, making you grow dizzy.

“a-ah, you guys...” you exhaled, eyes rolling back from the stimulation you were receiving from both sides. your arms draped around both bodies on your sides, sliding your hands up and down their backs in order to keep your sanity.

“mmm, what’s the matter, prince?” dokyeom mumbled before returning to your bud, taking it between his teeth. minghao didn’t even bother answering you, his brazen moans not helping your case of near-paralyzation.

“m-more.... I can’t take this.” you huffed, trying to keep your eyesight stable. 

“hmm... feeling greedy tonight, baby?” minghao teased, gently running his hand along the skin of your back. 

he nipped your earlobe while chuckling lowly, his free hand dancing gently around your embarrassingly hard member already. you started to squirm, parting your lips to plea once more until dokyeom caught them between his, swallowing your whines. he brought his hand up to your jaw, holding you in place while he began ravaging your mouth. his sudden spark caught you off guard as it contrasted his gentle demeanor just moments ago. 

you kissed back with more force, powered by your growing frustration that neither of them would touch you exactly how you wanted. while dokyeom kept your lips occupied, minghao continued leaving marks on your neck. and when you felt his hand that was resting on your boner come up to twirl one of your nipples in between his long fingers, you groaned. you dragged your hands from dokyeom’s face down to palm his own growing erection, hoping it would somehow work him up enough to have mercy on you. he broke the kiss, allowing you to catch some air and showing you his bright smile. 

“wow, someone really did miss us.” 

you were convinced your blush wasn’t ever going to fade when dokyeom pulled you on to his lap, leaving minghao staring blankly. the former’s hands continued to strip you of minghao’s basketball shorts until you were left in your boxers before doing the same to himself. your mouth couldn’t help but water once you caught glimpse of dokyeom’s thick, tanned thighs. 

before you could reach out to lower the band of his boxers, he strongly pulled you back down onto his lap. your waist fit perfectly in his grasp, and he began rolling your hips over his, the friction from your bulges meeting causing you to throw your head back. the mix of your sounds and the stimulation had dokyeom rolling his eyes back, causing minghao to smirk. the red head scoot closer, his hands reaching around your throat and pulling you into a heated make out. 

holding on to dokyeom’s shoulders for stability, you continued grinding yourself on to the tall brunette while you and minghao’s tongues mingled. dokyeom’s moans were as pretty as his singing voice, and it seems he were more on edge than he lead on, because before you knew it you were once again being lifted off his thighs so that he could rid both of you of your boxers. 

a smirk danced its way across your face, you reaching out to pump his large member a couple more times. he groaned notably deeper before turning you around, slowly sinking you down on to him. you squealed, the stretch being something you weren’t prepared for, but your extreme desire caused the the discomfort to quickly transform into pleasure - he filled you up so perfectly. 

“k-kyeomie... you feel so good... you’re so big.” you moaned, your head dropping back on to his broad shoulders. he gripped your waist again tightly, forcing himself to stay still and ignore the urges to just rail you - that’s what your praises did to him. 

this time you held tightly on to minghao’s arms, your eyes squeezing shut. this only caused the mischievous red head to kneel down in front of you and dokyeom. he spread your legs wide before his face, his eyes lighting up when seeing your throbbing cock. 

“that’s right baby boy,” he whispered. “i love when our flower blooms for us.” 

minghao then surged forth to place strong kisses to the under side of your shaft, occasionally dragging his tongue up and down its length. mewls instantly flowing out of your mouth like a river dam. you tangled your fingers in his hair and tugged, causing his plump lips to finally wrap around you fully. 

when you finally dropped your head on dokyeom’s shoulder, he took this as motive start rolling his hips from under you, gently thrusting upwards while holding your hips still. minghao continued bobbing his head on your length while massaging your thighs, causing you to tremble.

noticing your shaking, dokyeom began to coo praises in your ear and lifted his hands to your mouth. you immediately accepted to fingers into your mouth, sucking and swirling your tongue around his long digits while he left kisses on your shoulder. you only lasted like this a couple minutes before both you and dokyeom released your love liquids, panting. 

minghao smirked with amusement and wiped his lips before standing, gently oozing you off of dokyeom’s lap. you started to whimper at the loss of warmth, but hadn’t had time to fully register it before you were lied on your back on the other side of the couch, minghao hovering over you with his shirtless figure. he pecked your nose before lifting and adjusting both of your legs around his hips. 

“we’ll clean you up in a second, love, but you know how I feel about being left out.”

© 𝐟𝐥𝐰𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐢 — all rights reserved

[englishstrawbie]

I've been thinking about Station 19 since the news broke yesterday that the show has been cancelled and season 7 will be its last. I said the other day that I feel disconnected from the ship and the fandom, so I haven't been overwhelmed with sadness. I wonder if that will come once the show comes back and I remember how much I love these characters, like I did in season 6?

But I am bummed and I am disappointed that the show has been cancelled because it's a show that means a lot to me. Marina came along just at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. During that first lockdown, we got to watch them fall in love; and all throughout the ups and downs of the pandemic, they were there. It's a show and a ship that made me fall in love with writing fanfic again, that has brought some wonderful people into my life, that has brought us hours of fun and conversation and creativity. I'm grateful to the show for all that.

Maya and Carina are also one of the few wlw couples on television and it sucks that we're losing yet another one. I know the news is still breaking, but I hope when all those initial feelings pass and the show returns in March, we can come together as a fandom to celebrate the characters and the actors, to celebrate the show, and enjoy these last 10 episodes. Let it go out with an almighty bang!

I do wish it was more than 10 episodes. There are a lot of stories that we will miss out on because of the short season - but I'm grateful that the decision has been made in time for the writers to incorporate the end of the show into how they write the story arcs this season. We have a good chance of Maya and Carina having a happy ending, and that is going to mean a lot.

Finally (because I'm a little hungover and in no mood for fuckwittery), if you're the kind of person who intentionally tags your posts either here or on twitter to gloat about the show being cancelled, knowing that people are sad and knowing that the characters, the stories and the representation mean a lot to people... kindly fuck off.

[beardisable]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD okay.

so i watched the 8 hour jack stream(jesus) aka watched genloss top to bottom again and listened to his theories and stuff(i really vibe with the "kidnapped as kids" angle more now) and started thinking about some theories he and chat mentioned and.

now im thinking with like. ok its probably a pretty common theory, this post was what prompted this additional idea of mine actually, but ill explain it a bit: the theory that, since sneeg and charlie can come back over and over again, and they have referenced like, refusing to do the cooking challenge in ep 1, and how charlie was playing the mouse trap but ate the cage, they have obviously done the same kind of scenes we saw ranboo do, right. and then in the Announcement video we see the same kind of "missing poster" type headshots of them, with the caption "Found them!"

i dont remember exactly where it was confirmed that showfall made the missing person posters, but like. yeah. these images are for missing posters like ranboo had. and with sneeg being caught by the security in ep 3, he had tried to escape, just like ranboo and charlie. and i feel like this wasnt the first or last time they have tried this!

also, during that screenshot the announcer says "our hero will meet a cast of crazy characters, who you may recognize", aka the audience has seen these "actors" before in other things! this is their first live show but what have they made before...?

then, with one of the Very first lines Ranboo says in the first episode, "it wasn't supposed to be like this"... showfall/hetch made it seem like this is ranboos first show and he's being tested for how well he does as The Hero.

I dont think what we saw is Ranboos first time starring in a showfall production.

its the first live thing like the announcement video said but i think hetch lied when he talked about how its a test, i think Ranboo's been here at least a few go arounds, if not tens/hundreds/thousands of times. WHICH MEANS in the end when he gets his memories back... theres an infinite amount of possibility of things they could remember for what they have been made to do in the past :) Bc remember, while this is comedy->horror, it was still relatively tame and non-explicit (at least by my personal standards?) so it is quite possible they have been in more R rated horror stuff, slashers, gore, actual saw, some kind of even worse psychological horror things, but also that they might have had incredibly good experiences like love and joy and community and anything positive too, and to remember all that in a rush... oh boy so i believe it is a circular reproduction, maybe they run through scenes repeatedly over and over while perfecting every little detail and getting different takes of genuine emotion but every time Real and a First experience... some kind of purgatory(omg christian hell reference) or endless torture or such...

ok that got really maybe unneccessarily angsty so heres my other thought:

i love me a fucking colour theory and colour symbolism! it bothered me a bit how like. in the promo game we get ranboo, then green friend/the villain(obviously charlie, tho the villain part still confuses me a Bit since its not quite true?), the blue friend/the taken(obvs sneeg) and then the red stranger/the saviour. and like it would logically follow that the red is hetch right?

jack when theorising said the titles are self descriptive, which i buy into, at least for the first episode context, charlie is the villain role, sneeg was taken(put in a cage and later snatched by the sharkciclester), and hetch was trying to help and save ranboo from this situation! but then in the second ep we also have red puzzler, and red niki? i WISH niki had. any kind of bigger role to build a Saviour type off of her but i dont think she does :( the puzzler is an option, since they make it seem like the puzzler tries to save ranboo? and thats actually a whole other thought like. since we know hetch was not actually helping ranboo, was the puzzler Genuinely helping them, and somehow showfall found out and killed him?? idk ANYWAYS that colour coding falling apart a bit made me think about how ranboo is also red!! rgb trio yknow??

if the titles are self descriptive... well i dont think Ranboo really felt like The Hero much, especcially not in the end...

I think Ranboo is actually meant to be the Saviour.

Esp with the jesus coding! I believe this kind of thing has happened many times before, with sneeg/charlie/ranboo/others realizing that shits fucked, and trying to escape, only to be caught and put back in the production. I think Ranboo(main character syndrome) was in a previous iteration the Saviour, who tried to help sneeg and charlie and others get out of there, to save them, save everyone. but they failed. got captured. once again waking up again with a "it wasn't supposed to be like this..."

and so the cycle continues, and the content wheel keeps spinning.

(ive only been in tumblr tags so feel free to link me any other ppl who arrived at the same conclusion)

[breakerwhiskey]

185 - ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY FIVE

Please visit breakerwhiskey.com for more information or to send a message to Whiskey's radio. Breaker Whiskey is an Atypical Artists production created by Lauren Shippen. If you'd like to support the show, please visit patreon.com/breakerwhiskey.

Transcript under the cut. For more episodes, click here.

[click, static]

I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I’ll be quick, I promise.

I came back to the house. I staked it out for a good three hours first, to be sure that no one else was here, but it’s clear that someone has been here. The house is torn apart since I was last here—I don’t know what Junior is looking for…maybe nothing. Maybe his father’s watch. Maybe he heard my broadcast the other day. Maybe he just wanted to break anything and everything in his path, just because he could.

A lot of our supplies are gone too—I don’t know if Harry took some when she left or if he’s taken them, but I just hope they’re being used by someone. I’m still not sure how to feel about the whole Junior thing—I’m mostly trying to not think about it at all if I’m entirely honest—but I’d be happy to inadvertently be feeding him or helping him survive somehow. Mi casa es su casa, I guess.

I’m not thrilled about my Carhartt jacket though—that seems to be missing as well. I’d been hoping to…I don’t know, I didn’t really pack all that many sentimental objects when I left but I wanted to—I don’t know. I liked that coat. And coming back here made me realize how much I missed—

[click, static]

Well, I fucking miss cigarettes that’s for sure. If I ever have a garden again, I wonder if I can figure out how to grow tobacco and roll my own. Though, at this point, with everything I’ve been dealing with, I might have to resort to smoking the seven year old packs lying around.

Anyway, the jacket is gone. It wasn’t on its usual hook and I searched the whole house and its…gone. I’m assuming Junior didn’t take it, but I can’t remember if it was here last week when I came back to the house for the first time. Maybe Harry threw it out the day I left. Maybe she took it with her when—

(scoffs) Probably not that. More likely she just tossed it. Or cut it up into scraps to line the chicken coop.

I should get going, I think. It’s not good to linger. But I—well, I left Harry a note. On the off chance that she does come back here. It’s got the same info I’ve said on the radio, with a new meeting place in case…

Well, in case. I also—well, I wrote—I know he probably wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say, so maybe I’ll just keep it and—

[click, static]

(sigh) I don’t know. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know if there’s anything I should be taking with me from the house. Any other bits of sentiment, any remaining supplies.

I have this feeling…I don’t think I’ll ever be back here after this. I think—

[a creak of the door opening behind her]

(gasps) Wh—

[click, static]

[cinewhore]

while we’re on the subject on people not coming back right a la Miguel O’Hara..

I am thinking about Marcus Pike (as I always do I’m sorry I see him and instantly want to put him in the worst situations known to man). In this instance, as I listen to an audiobook about people going missing in the wilderness: 

Marcus is in college, green behind the ears and in love. Mallory wasn’t like any of his previous relationships. This is real and he wants to do it. He wants to take the big step.

He proposes to her without thought and to his disbelief (and excitement), she says yes! The engagement holds through their last year of university and they make plans to get hitched during the summer, before things pick up for the both of them. Mallory wants to do grad school and Marcus has his sight set on Quantico. 

It never happens. 

Mallory goes back home to Oregon and Marcus is set to join her a few days later, flying in from Texas. 

He gets a concerning call stating that Mallory went out to run errands and never returned. He says he hasn’t heard from her either and takes the next flight out. 

After the designated 48 hours, Mallory is declared missing. 

Nothing made sense. The facts didn’t add up, the police were less than thrilled to investigate and a recent rainstorm cleansed the grounds she was last seen around. Mallory had vanished without a trace. 

Marcus spends the next three years of his life searching high and low for his beloved, coming up empty handed and angry. Why is that when one really good thing happens to him, the universe was so quick to take away? 

He becomes someone he doesn’t know and his mother pleads for him to let Mallory go. Reluctantly, he agrees. 

Fast forward nearly two decades later and Marcus is doing well. Cookie cutter Boy Scout has become head of the art crime division in the FBI, secured a white picket fence home and a wife, you. 

It took a lot of emotional work to get to where he is but he never takes it for granted. You know about Mallory, of course, doing your best to tread that line carefully. He sees a therapist faithfully and you work with one as well to help support him. 

It happens on Wednesday night. You two finished dinner and lounged in the living room, catching up on the week in between grays anatomy episodes. 

His phone rings, number unknown. he doesn’t answer, figured its spam. The number calls three more times before he finally answers. 

“Hello? Marcus? It’s Mallory.” 

You notice his rigid composure right away and questions him, trying to figure out what's going on. He puts the phone on mute, abruptly goes to the bathroom and vomits. 

Apparently she had been kidnapped by a man and held hostage, finally gaining freedom when the man dies of a heart attack. She tracked down the police, later her family and now, Marcus. 

He doesn’t know what to make of it. Here she was, standing in front of him. In the flesh. Face older, a few grey hairs popping out among her natural hair color but still looked the same. His Mal-Mal. 

You didn’t dare say it out loud but you weren’t sure you were too happy about this. You were happy that she was alive, yes, but just showing back up randomly expecting to pick things up? It didn’t sit right with you. 

So when Marcus mentions that she was working out personal details and needed a place to stay since her family was away and she was nervous to be alone, you agree through gritted teeth. 

You watched her every move critically, from her wide smiles and boisterous laughter that didn’t quite fit a normal cadence. 

This is the story of how your husband’s ex-fianceé went missing, returned alive twenty years later and was now setting your table for dinner. 

[blodreina-noumou]

#Stacked100 - Day 1

Today we're watching 2x01: "The 48"

Positives:

+ The title alone! In a show called "The 100," coming back to season two with an episode called "The 48" immediately reminds us of the massacre at the end of the first season, and of just how many of the kids sent to the ground have already been lost. And this was still early on, when there wasn't a new group of hundreds of people either dying or coming very close to dying every other episode. I do remember how effective that number reduction was when I first watched this episode, though, and I think that reminder pairs nicely with Clarke's desperation when she wakes up in the white room.

+ The first scene is an intense way to start the season - and this rewatch! Maya in her hazmat suit + Clarke immediately losing her shit and injuring herself + taking Maya hostage... all ending with that shockingly peaceful, community breakfast scene. If there was one thing the early seasons were especially good at, it was raising the stakes and changing the status quo in a surprising way. This scene is a great example of that.

+ This season in particular is one that I think Clarke's single-minded intensity towards a specific goal works really well for her character. She immediately distrusts everyone at Mt Weather and wants only to get out of the shelter and back to her people. And since she ends up being absolutely right, her determination and drive to protect people is at its most noble and justified.

+ TRIGEDASLENG TRIGEDASLENG TRIGEDASLENG!! This is the first time we ever hear it and it comes straight from Octavia's mouth and I love that. In later seasons, she's one of the people who speaks it the most and keeps it alive, long after it probably should have died out, so it's very fitting that she's the first person to speak it on screen.

+ Raven and Murphy on the dropship floor, (nearly) dying together. The beginning of a beautiful friendship and they don't even know it yet. Raven literally would've killed him if she wasn't out of bullets. He shot her like, only a few hours before this. But they talk and they come to a sort of uneasy truce. She saves his life at the end, by telling the adults that she "got shot" instead of saying "Murphy shot me." Another thing this show was very, very good at was putting adversaries in the same situation and that letting them find the beginning of a positive relationship there. This wasn't the first time and won't be the last, but it is one of the best.

+ Monroe and that other kid trying to psych themselves up to go save Bellamy and Finn by going "we're warriors. we're warriors!!!"- that kind of made me tear up! They were just kiiiiids!

+ Lincoln carrying Octavia on his shoulders and supporting her tiny head with one huge hand while she's sick from the poison. Lincoln making Octavia repeat that same Trigedasleng phrase over and over again so her pronunciation sounds natural and his people might accept her without him. Lincoln going back to his village and risking a very painful death for treason to get Octavia the antidote. And that doesn't even touch what Octavia is going to do for him in next week's episode. Linctavia really was THAT ship.

+ The late episode pop/rock/indie/alternative/vaguely mid-2010s song montage! Another CW classic. Especially common on The 100 in the first three seasons. I had a playlist of all of them during the peak of my obsession of this show. I genuinely love how on the nose they are, it cracks me up. Clarke settling into Mt Weather (to the extent that her paranoid ass can,) interposed with Skaikru making their way to the Ark to settle there, all while the lyrics "we are coming home" play in the background. So specific. Gotta love it.

+ Monty and his magic tricks! Jasper and Monty play-fighting over chocolate cake! Jasper meeting Maya for the first time! Jasper and Monty well-fed and wearing clean clothes!! I really miss Monty and Jasper. They brought so much heart to this show. And as much hardship as they're going to face later on in this season, it's so nice to see scenes of them relatively happy and carefree in this episode.

Negatives:

- Lincoln says "our warriors speak English," implying non-warrior Grounders don't. They gave up on that one really really quick, didn't they?? I don't think we ever met a grounder that didn't actually speak English.

- The Mountain Men probably would've discovered nightbloods and it should've been a thing, but of course nightblood wasn't a thing at all in the written story at this point, because it clearly wasn't thought of until the writing for s3 began. Just a fun little plothole, classic CW writing.

- "I saw a man. No, it was a - it was a monster!" and then it cuts to an actual deformed human who *doesn't* look anything like the Reapers we'll meet later in the season. I might be wrong - someone please correct me if I am, this has bothered me for years - but I don't think this ever gets addressed. I guess it could just be an especially irradiated Reaper but we never see anyone else deformed to that level. Most people who get radiation poisoning in this show die quickly. I hate this scene.

- "I know she's intense but Clarke's the only reason we survived." One, it's just not true, and totally dismisses everything Raven, Bellamy, Finn, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, and even the nameless kids in the background doing basic (and hard) labor did. Two, Clarke is gonna use that mentality to continue a series-long downward spiral into that "intensity," making some truly awful decisions, many of which will not be for the good of her people, despite what she says. Despite what so many of them say, unfortunately.

- "When you pulled that lever, you saved lives. Don't throw that away by pulling this one." THE GODDAMN LEVERS. IT BEGINS.

- Occasionally this show could be subtle. The heavy-handed comparison between Clarke and Dante Wallace was not one of those occasions.

Miscellaneous:

~ I fully forgot how brutal this show is??? The Grounder just executing that kid that couldn't keep up?? Woof. And they don't really hold back on the violence/gore, at least for a YA/teen show on The CW.

~ The Mtn Men put together a whole welcome packet and orientation for these kids with surprising efficiency. But I don't think anything like this has happened before?? Like they've never had unexpected new arrivals that they didn't just immediately turn into Reapers or blood bags??? How did they know to do that in such an organized way??? The mysteries of Mt Weather continue to baffle me.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think this is a good episode. It clearly sets up the stakes and positions of everyone for the season. It gives us our first hints at some later plot points in season two, like with mentions of The Commander and Finn's first darkly uttered "The Grounders took them." It's a great season premiere, and a good place for us to begin - it reminded me a lot of what I liked about this show.

I'm not gonna lie, I had a hard time stopping! Season two has always been one of my favorites, and it's so tempting to just binge the rest of it, like I always have. But I'm also excited to stretch it out a little, and slowly reintroduce this beautiful, corny, well-written, horribly written, funny, sad, charming, heart-breaking, annoying, confusingly enjoyable show back into my life. It was one of my absolute favorites once. It'll be nice to keep rediscovering why!

Next week we have 2x02, "Inclement Weather" - see you then!

Tagging some mutuals: @laufire @bombshellsandbluebells @lucerants @murphystartedthefire (and anyone else who's doing this rewatch! please let me know if you want to be tagged in these posts going forward!)

[the-yuri-librarian]

Love Thy Neighbor Episode 41 reaction

So I haven't talked about it here because it has been in hiatus, but Love Thy Neighbor is one of my absolute favorite yuri stories, and this week the official English translation of Season 2 began to release. With that being said, I am going to be posting week to week reactions as the chapters come out (Bloom Into You analysis series starts this Monday). These will be less craft analysis and more reacting to what is happening in the chapters and talking about where I think the season is headed

I am so glad that S2 is finally coming out, and I am excited to go on this journey. If you want to catch up, or read along, you can find this series on, well, the internet (DM me if you want to know where I read it, I won't say here). But, as always, please support the official release if you can. This series is pretty toxic on multiple fronts, and it is high in psychological drama, so read with caution.

With all that being said, lets start! Spoilers beneath the cut

so, lets say first and foremost that I DO NOT trust Jin Joo's husband. this asshole disappears for months, lets his wife be tormented by loan sharks and then what....everything is suddenly fine?

especially since the loan sharks are still threatening Doyeon. they literally whispered to her "watch your back," but this guy fixed everything?

I am absolutely convinced he still owes them money, without a doubt. I'm sort of wondering if his way out of debt was to sell his wife to them so they could take sell her organs on the black market or whatever (as they suggested to Doyeon when they were pretending to be the police), and then he found out Doyeon was in the picture and told them "take her instead."

meanwhile, the toxicity between Doyeon and Jin Joo continues to grow....

(this are Doyeon's thoughts if that isn't clear)

so hours after Jin Joo makes Doyeon swear to God that she (Doyeon) belongs to her (Jin Joo) in a church, Doyeon is reflecting on the fact that she is so scared Jin Joo is going to abandon her that she is in a constant state of anxiety and also missing Jin Joo. I think we're building up to a spiral and it isn't going to be a happy one. This is of course made worse that the final panel seems to be implying that Doyeon's concern over Jin Joo burning her hand is suspicious to her husband

all in all, things are not good.

But, where do we go from here? I think the real mystery is Jin Joo. I absolutely expect (as Doyeon herself thinks outright earlier in the chapter) that she has not only been expecting his return, but planning for it. I expect she is going to have a way for her and Jin Joo to see each other. The real question is: does Jin Joo even want that? In Season 1, it was shown over and over again that Jin Joo does not love Doyeon, and that she is doing this because she doesn't know what else to do. Not only that, but there has been several times where Jin Joo has realized/thought that her relationship with Doyeon may have been an instance of biting off more than she can chew, like the bathroom sex scene in the last season (which is also the relationship at its most toxic, as we found out later). I can definitely see Jin Joo trying to cut Doyeon out at this point. It would be incredibly in character, especially since Jin Joo thinks her marriage is all she has (and she doesn't seem to see Doyeon as a way to get out yet). And Doyeon, being head over heels in love but still reasonable, will try to respect this. The question is, will Jin Joo be able to stick to it? When and where will they run into each other again?

I could totally see Doyeon showing up at Jin Joo's church later because she can't stand not seeing her anymore. Or, they leave their apartments at the same time and have an awkward encounter maybe? both?

The idea that Doyeon could be a way out for Jin Joo, especially consider what Doyeon said in the church at the end of last season (we'll move, find a new place, I'll take care of you, etc.) is an interesting one, but I don't think thats what Jin Joo needs. Jin Joo needs freedom, the ability to be her own person and pay for herself, autonomy that she hasn't had in a long time, and, depending on how bad her parents were, maybe never had.

And Doyeon....I am not entirely sure what Doyeon needs. Someone to love her unconditionally, and not see her as a way to get in life, probably? we don't know what happened to her original parents, but it definitely seems like her adopted parents adopted her mainly for the social capital that comes with doing such a good deed.

Side note: I really love this shot of Doyeon

all of last season, we were shown that Doyeon scratches at the back of her neck when she is stressed, and when Jin Joo went missing at the end of last season, she was doing so incessantly, like multiple times a chapter. Its just a nice detail that the damage she has done to her skin is there, just below her hair

[raayllum]

I've seen a few people say the time jump is lazy or just an excuse to skip over two years and "start fresh". I personally disagree (maybe I'm biased and or desperate) but how do you feel about the time skip?

Oh I always assumed TDP would have one since... S2, I think? The fact that the show hadn't laid down a firm timeline of "Plot thing must be resolved by [X Date]" (think defeating the Firelord by the end of summer for ATLA, which we learn eight episodes into the series) meant that it had a lot of room to maneuver, time wise. Here's an older post detailing why (aka April 2019, woof). I thought we'd get like a 6 months to 1 year timeskip now and a 3 year timeskip post-end of Arc 2 (which used to be S5 but is now S6, bless)

RN not much as happened over the past two years that couldn't have also happened in six months (aka Janai and Amaya are still trying to help Lux Aurea, Claudia has resurrected Viren, the broyals are in Katolis and Callum is missing Rayla) except to age the characters up and give the world more room to breathe, since s1-s3 was just about a month. It also shows that the world is more complicated politically, since issues are still here and it's been as long a time period as it has been

The main complaint I've seen has been about the relationships happening off screen, mainly Claudia/Terry and Janai/Amaya. I expect we'll get flashbacks or references to how Claudia and Terry met and developed their dynamic (possibly 4x02, as I think it'll possibly help us play catch up in general and TDP typically has 2ish flashback focused eps a season, so one could be here and another could be for Aaravos). For Janai and Amaya, as soon as I saw the timeskip had been that long, I wasn't surprised at all they were getting engaged, as they're adults and were already flirting by the end of season three. I could buy them dancing around it for six months maybe, but probably not longer. Again, I'd love to see flashbacks, but I'm not bothered!

Like hell I spent the last two years dreaming up scenarios of Rayla coming back, Callum being in denial, too, but mostly of Callum following Rayla into Xadia right away, and you don't see me bitching about it, because I can recognize when the show hasn't actually promised me anything. It's all just speculation and expectations and until a show is breaking its lore or themes (which TDP is not) you'll be hard pressed to find me butt-hurt about it

But if people wanted to see a week by week play through with little plot and watching Callum learn two new sky spells every season on screen, and nitty-gritty political meetings, and long hours of Janai learning ASL, that's their prerogative. It's just not mine, and clearly not the actual Plot's, either

Basically as always:

[explosionshark]

Okay so bs4/as1 has been a bit hit and miss for me so far (I've generally been watching one Buffy episode followed by one Angel episode whenever I sit down to watch and I've not often had a double bill of hits, but also never gotten a double miss so far so it's not I'm not having a good time even the misses have some stuff I like) but I watched I Will Remember You last night and it was such a banger I loooove the Bangel tragedy and it was such a good one. I watched Pangs right before and I was thinking wow they brought back Angel for this episode (this had so much baggage there was stuff I liked in it but oof)? But it was worth it I guess to get Buffy into Angel for the following one. I kinda wish In the Dark hadn't happened though cause it kinda cheapens the Angel being human in the sun thing by having him be in the sun already just four or five episodes ago and its way better in this one. I thought it was gonna just be hallucinations for a bit when he and Buffy hooked back up, there was no way that could be allowed in the timeline even if Angel vamped up again, but resetting the clock is way better, should've realised from all the clocks they were showing. It was just a real good Angel/Buffy power hour played all the hits, doing what they do best. I ship Bangel primarily in the sense that I love to see that tragedy aspect of it, no desire to see them together long term just burn bright, fast and break each other's hearts. And since it was a heavy crossover episode Buffy and Angel can share the crown of favourite episode yet across Buffy's s4 and Angel's s1.

Spike being fully into his loser era is great I can really get behind that. The Initiative at first glance I thought this is a bit goofy dunno if I'll buy this and then Walsh was the director of it as well as Buffy's psychology lecturer and I decided yes this is just goofy enough to get behind. Riley's alright he's not really got enough meat yet to get me into him yet but the duelling secret identities thing he'll have going with Buffy should be fun, I do find it kinda funny that now that we know who they are the Initiative goons just never wear masks anymore.

I thought Wild at Heart was real good but its wild to me that this feels like the first actual episode about Oz and its about him cheating on his girlfriend, killing the person he cheated on her with and then leaving forever (there's extenuating circumstances but still), wild, also kinda sad there's no more werewolf episodes cause somehow those costumes were getting even more ropey and I was interested to see how much worse they'd get. This was also a day where I got two hits with the Bachelor Party being just a really a fun Doyle episode.

Other hits I've had Room with a Vu, great Cordy episode her insisting to the ghost that she can't scare her cause she's from Sunnydale and refusing to give up on such a good place to live was incredible, and that scene with her talking about how she wants to stop being punished great stuff, and I Fall To Pieces, psychic limb detaching surgeon was wild and unsettling, I also really enjoyed Melissa's work as the victim. Admittedly, Angel is leaning very heavy into the damsel trope now that they don't have to write a show with a female lead. Oh yeah also it does feel a bit like they're playing fast and loose with the whole sunlight thing I feel like Angel's been in sunlight a fair few times this show.

Honourable mention to Fear, Itself, it's got some good stuff but largely it suffered from me thinking its not on the level of the s1 fear episode "Nightmares" and not as fun as the s2 "Halloween", but I didn't hate it by any means just didn't quite hit. And also its not fair to it but I thought going towards the climax it was either gonna be a that the Demon didn't want to be there either (hence saying "Release me" all the time) or that it was gonna be an Anya knowing him from her demon days thing so when it got to oh the demon's just tiny while fun felt like a bit of an anticlimax to what I wanted which isn't really the episode's fault.

Now Pangs, Sense and Sensitivity and Beer Bad those were hard misses. Pangs and Sense and Sensitivity, Pangs at least felt more like a fumble (Buffy sideplot about wanting a good Thanksgiving was also fun) while Sense and Sensitivity felt more intentional with it going hard into if only lawyers didn't get in the way of us beating suspects we could catch so many more criminals. Beer Bad on the other hand just not good (I was admittedly primed for this though I had my vague recollections of that great Sarah Z video essay on that time Buffy made government propaganda, so I knew going in it was not a well received episode) "My brother in law is a warlock" and then just moving past it is a GOAT explanation behind a plot and it was at least goofy and Buffy got to beat Parker with a stick.

Other minor things, Anya's just solid gold she's in the same vague area Cordy was for most of her Buffy run time (which is fitting considering she was introduced as someone who could steal Cordy's life and is now dating her ex) where she can just show up say anything, and its a winner. And I love the infrequent appearances of Harmony just redecorating in her lair she's basically inherited. Also feel like there's not been many cold opens of just slaying Vampires, which I guess fits with the Initiative capturing a bunch of them and storing them under the university. Also also I saw there's episode coming up where Cordelia is magically pregnant and I remember that Angel does not do well when its cast get pregnant so I'm filled with a sense of looming dread.

YESSSS okay. i will remember you is a great episode for folks who ship bangel in that particular way. for me - i love what they mean for each other and the role they play in each other's lives. i think they're just a fun, dramatic, supernatural version of the classic great first love. someone you outgrow, but you'll always love somehow. and i will remember you nails that so well because like - it shows them at their best, their passion and devotion to each other, and also why that's not enough to keep them together.

i'm definitely sympathetic to angel's choice at the end, his reason for undoing things and giving buffy up, but it's precisely why they don't work for me as a long term ship. his decision to protect her by making this choice for her, by taking the memories from her is just classic angel. it's something buffy would hate if she knew. for him, it's duty and selflessness. for her it would be a betrayal. it lays bare a kind of unavoidable paternalism that infects their dynamic from the beginning.

hard agree re: spike i always like him best when he's fully being the show's resident buttmonkey. put him in silly clothes! have him be a little pathetic and snarky! make him run around with that smoking blanket pulled over his head!

glad you're having fun so far and getting through it! the initiative will remain kind of weak, but there's still some really great stuff coming up in s4. hush, this years girl, and who are you remain series highlights imo.