#like its so obvious that was what the s2 finale was trying to do

[short-wooloo]

The Mandalorian should have ended at season 2, the darksaber should have been just handed off to Bo-Katan instead of inventing a dumb never mentioned before rule that you have to win it, Din and Grogu's stories should have concluded there with their final fates left ambiguous, maybe some guest appearances in other people's stories, but otherwise left open ended

[briebysabs]

I never understood why people were complaining about the episodic nature of link click disappearing for season 2. I get it if you prefer s1 over s2, I do as well while enjoying both seasons. But in terms of the format switch, what were people expecting after that s1 finale? We cannot go back to status quo after that. If Lu Guang died, we definitely wouldn’t and as he lived what did you think was gonna happen? ‘Well Qiao Ling got possessed and stabbed Lu Guang that was an experience. Time to go find client #52’.

I think people have a really strong attachment to season 1. Makes sense as it’s all they had for 2 years and for me, I didn’t wait for episodes. I watched s1, took a 4 day mental health break, and dove right into s2. But it was obvious season 1 served as an introduction and that there would be a larger plot at play. You can debate whether the show becoming really popular in China made them include more action scenes and raise it to a thriller. But something like CXS’ missing parents or Lu Guang looping time to save Cheng Xiaoshi was planned from the beginning. It had to be so link click was always going to get more dramatic.

And I don’t agree with the stance that link click lost its emotional core. It’s simply interwoven into the overarching plot instead of self-contained stories. Preferences are valid and understandable but I wish more fans would try to evaluate s2 from a rational standpoint. There are complaints I agree with but a lot sound kinda dumb to me.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I think one of the things I most appreciate about OFMD is how it invites us to engage with it on its own terms, and doesn't bother with the things it's just not concerned with.

There's much to be said about the Cinema Sins effect in how people engage with media, and in how creatives will obsess over resolving "plot holes" and subverting audience expectations at the expense of good storytelling. I'm thinking about this today because I recently finished the new season of Doctor Who, and as a lifelong Doctor Who fan, I had a lovely time. It was often very campy and earnest and a bit overly-contrived in the way good sci-fi often is, and it had a core of emotional poignancy that really carried it and made the finale feel satisfying and worthwhile. And when I came on here and checked the tags to see what people were saying, I just kept rolling my eyes over how much of the discussion centered around plot holes and sci-fi science and the like when I just don't think the show was very concerned about that. Of course, people are free to engage with television in whatever way they like, but I do think there's a trend of of over-analyzing small and relatively unimportant elements instead of considering how the story works as a cohesive whole.

And I've been thinking about how there are so many criticisms and snarky pieces about the ending of The Last of Us video game which hinge around how the medical contrivance that makes the dilemma at the end possible is not realistic, and it always frustrated me deeply because who cares? It's not there to be realistic, it's there to force the protagonist to make a difficult choice between saving one person and saving a world which we've seen through the game is very often cruel. It forces us to ask if this world we've been exploring is worth saving at all. And I've been thinking about the famous "why didn't the eagles take the ring" nitpick of The Lord of the Rings -

And the obvious answer, to all of these things - why didn't the Doctor think of this solution before now, why did the writers not care about medical realism, why did the eagles not take the ring to Mordor...it's because they just fucking didn't, because that would fuck up the story they were trying to tell. But we do live in a media landscape that often seems to value these kinds of nitpicky things over good storytelling.

To me, that's a huge part of what makes OFMD so refreshing. It's entirely uninterested with allowing realism to come at the expense of the story, because it knows it's there to tell us a good fucking story. How does everyone find each other on dinghies in the middle of the ocean? How did Stede find the crew at the start of s2? How is Ed up and walking after being beaten to death? How is it you can survive a stab wound to the left side? Because that's how things work in this story, move along.

At the core of OFMD, there's this strong beautiful story about how the things we're taught about being a man are wrong, about the saving power of queer love and queer community, and the writers are just very uninterested in allowing that story to become compromised by nitpicking realism. OFMD revels in being anachronistic and doesn't mind that it's not reaistic, because it cares so deeply about portraying human emotions and relationships realistically. That's part of how it works so well. This show is unflinching and earnest and always commits 100% to what it's trying to do, and I just really appreciate that.

[drconstellation]

Judgement Day

Aziraphale's Edinburgh Journey: Part 4

Aziraphale's trip to Edinburgh - and most of S2 - is filled with hints and references to the Second Coming. Once you are clued into this, they are everywhere, with some clues more obvious than others. Gabriel's statue is one of them, but it has another role as well (and it's not for hiding anything under, sorry.)

We also have a lot of references to the Freemasons in S2, particularly in Edinburgh, but you can see related symbolism elsewhere - they use some of the same symbolism used around Memento mori, and they also believe in working towards upholding values in life to be rewarded in the afterlife. Judgement Day looms large for all, not matter what their belief.

Judgment in the Tarot

Judgement is the penultimate card of the Major Arcana in the Tarot - the final card is The World, where the journey ends and everything comes together in harmony. But first, one must be summoned to their reckoning, and the past weighed up. It marks the completion of a karmic cycle; its time for renewal.

Three naked figures, a man, a woman and a child, rise out of the darkness of the underworld. Their nakedness denotes their spirituality, they have thrown off the clothes and material things of a physical life. An angel in the sky with a trumpet summons them to be reborn.

But which angel is it on the card? The book I'm favoring to do these card interpretations says its Michael. The information I have about cemetery angels (below) would indicate it to be Gabriel, who is sometimes depicted on headstones blowing a horn. Yet other lore says it's Raphael/Israfel that will blow the horn to start the Day of Judgement. And reading further, on some texts it just says it will be an archangel, they don't specify which one.

Cemetery Angels

The statue of Gabriel in the Edinburgh cemetery is an example of a cemetery angel. The type and pose of the angel is supposed to give some indication of the life that was lived. Small cherubs for children, a lily held for purity, a circular wreath for everlasting life, for example.

Gabriel's statue is doing several things at once: its wings are open, indicating its ready to take flight upwards for the resurrection, and its holding a cross. This is because this statue is a replica of one of the angels on the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome and they all hold something relating to the Passion. A cross is probably the most recognizable symbol of all, and instantly connected with Jesus. Everything here is pointing us to the Second Coming.

The Missing Cross

But the cross isn't there in every scene. It's been pointed out that its missing when Gabriel shows his statue to Beelzebub in the present.

This only appears to be the case when we view this scene from a distance. When we see the statue from between their shoulders, the cross is still there.

This is an inconsistent message, and casts some doubt on what its trying to tell us. Can Beelzebub see the cross or not? It can't be a demon thing, as Crowley has no problem seeing the cross in 1827. Is it instead a comment about Gabriel and Beelzebub as a pair?

There are a multitude of meanings that could be applied here around that missing cross: is it do with death and resurrection or is to do with having your sins forgiven and achieving eternal life? If its the latter, then the demons have always been excluded from that, right from the start.

Gazing in Parallel

Then there's this parallel in acts of admiration of the statue:

The very first time I watched S2 and I heard Crowley say "he probably comes here to stare at it," I knew yep, he sure does, and so he did.

Parallel pairs like this usually give us a nugget of information about the characters or story, and this one seems to be another thing pointing us to Gabriel being the peacock mentioned in the Job minisode (i.e. "Did you give wings to peacocks, Job...") An old slang definition of a peacock is "a person, especially a man, who is arrogant or likes dressing or behaving in a way that draws attention to themselves" and "a man who is very proud of his appearance and gives a lot of attention to his clothes and the way he dresses."

Let us not forget at this point that Crowley is linked to Gabriel in S2 as both a parallel and foil, and he, too, takes some pride in his appearance. But while Gabriel admires the creation that is himself, Crowley tends more to admire creations that he has had a hand in working on himself.

But there is a curious moment here that links us up with a scene from the beginning of S2, in Before the Beginning. Notice how Aziraphale looks back at Crowley as he he says Gabriel "Probably comes here to stare at it. Marveling at his own beauty."

Aziraphale has the same jealous look on his face as angel!Crowley marvels at the beauty of his newly created nebula and stars.

We have to remember that Before The Beginning was one of the last parts of S2 to be written, even though its at the start, but it includes a repeated parallel to the dates at the statue - angel!Crowley admires his creation, and Aziraphale looks a little jealous that he's not getting that same attention from Crowley.

Demons in the Mist

There is another, larger, parallel sequence that the statue plays a part in as well, and this connects us to S1, and I suspect to S3 as well. This is one of the mobius strip parallels that I sometimes talk about, where the story history repeats itself ad infinitum. Notice the misty nature of the present day scene below; this is an indication we are seeing more than two times and places at once.

It starts here, as we switch suddenly from 1827 back to present, just after Crowley is sucked down into Hell, leaving Aziraphale gazing up at the statue.

The parallel scene to this is the sushi restaurant in S1E1.

In that scene Crowley has been summoned to the cemetery to receive the antichrist and start Armageddon. He was supposed to be on a date with Aziraphale at the sushi restaurant, but Gabriel turns up instead, on the other side of Aziraphale - the same side the statue is on in S2.

Next, there are two demons. The first time, Crowley was summoned to meet with Hastur and Ligur to start Armageddon. Only this time, in S2, its Aziraphale talking to the demons, not Crowley.

We have an indication that the Scottish pair are demon-related with the taller one having a misspelled tattoo on his forehead (and aren't there many stories of badly spelled tattoos?)

I think they also roughly match the height and size of Hastur and Ligur, too. And it's the Ligur-parallel that offers his phone - just like its Ligur that chats to Michael on the back channels that don't exist in S1.

Free phone call? Not a problem. It's been pointed out that when Crowley hangs up the phone handset in S1 after calling Aziraphale you can hear a coin falling into the coin return box - apparently there was a thing done in the old days of leaving some change in the coin return for people who didn't have any money and needed to make a call; a kindness for strangers, if you will. So it's not a worry that there is no credit on the phone when Aziraphale needs to make the call.

Lastly, we have some S3 foreshadowing, because this an Aziraphale scene and he connects us with the future. The old phone is looking worn and tatty, with the Union Jack on it, a sign of the Empire that is slowly fading, and is well past its peak. After he hands it back with a blessing, it looks renewed, with the St Andrews Cross of Scotland on it. I might live on the other side of the world from the UK but even I'm aware of the political debate around Scottish independence that has been ongoing for, well, many years now.

I can't help thinking we are going to see a parallel to this scene in S3 as well, with Aziraphale demanding some form communication from Hell or some demons for which he does "ask nicely" about. This is all working towards a change in the way the authoritative structure works for the angels and demons (the death and rebirth theme.)

Masonic Symbols

We are alerted to the presence of the Masons when Aziraphale does his detective cosplay and speaks to the barman in the Resurrectionist pub. If you are quick, you can also notice the square and compass symbol on the windows next to the pub as Aziraphale approaches, although most of us are looking at Jesus on the sign (and a reminder that we are looking out of a deliberate copy of the Eastern Gate of Eden here on the sign, too, into the deserted distance.)

The square and compass are a reminder of balance - the square at the bottom is about honesty and integrity, and the compass at the top represents wisdom and keeping one's desires within reach.

But why are we looking at Masons? I think this is because they represent a similar but different alternative to the Abrahamic religions the Good Omens AU is built around - they believe in a Supreme Being (God) and they believe in upholding certain virtues and doing good deeds in life so that they will be rewarded in the afterlife, and that there is an eternal afterlife; they just don't believe in going about it in the same way the church does.* The Catholic church doesn't allow one to be a Mason and a member of the church at the same time because of this clash in ideologies.

The other thing to note about Masons, is that Masons wear black tie evening dress to their Lodge meetings, like the corpse in the next image below. The barman in the present even says to Aziraphale "It's the first time I've seen one in a fancy grey suit, though." This is a big Clue - but you all missed it, because you latched on to the fancy grey suit part of the sentence that screamed "GABRIEL WAS HERE!!" at you and didn't hear the silent part that the barman was saying - that the other person that was with Gabriel was wearing a black suit.

Hello? Anyone paying attention here? No? Just me shouting into the void...right, well, carry on then.

We see three dead bodies in the Resurrectionists minisode, much like the three bodies on the Tarot card for Judgement. The first is this Mason, clearly identified by the apron he is wearing (the other two bodies are a priest and wee Morag.) The decoration on it would indicate what rank or degree of mastery he held within his lodge. The background was always white, for purity.

Coffins were a reminder that one day every one would die and return to dust. They were also a sign of leaving their previous life behind from before they joined the Masons and taking on their Masonic duties.

Skulls and cross bones were part of Memento mori - reminders that life was short. They also appeared on Mason tracer boards.

The hourglass was a particularly special symbol. While it, too, was a reminder that life was finite, it was also a reminder that life and death was a cycle. By turning the hourglass over, one started the cycle again. This also demonstrated the need at times for one to turn one's thoughts and actions around on their journey through life.

It was also a reminder that time was the great equalizer - it didn't matter your station in life, time always moved forward, and death would come for us all.

Onward to Part 5, dear readers! Time to see if we really know where we're going with all this!

Thanks once again to @vidavalor for pointing out the parallel between the statue of Gabriel and the sushi restaurant in S1, where Crowley is pulled away by Hell both times and Gabriel appears on Aziraphale's right.

@kimberleyjean has also put together a collection of all the infinity loops and mobius strip references in GO here.

*I'm not sure what it was like in other countries, but I know in Australia during the mid 20th century to get anywhere in certain jobs and industries you either had to be a Catholic or a Mason. Without the backing of one of those organizations you wouldn't get far. My grandfather was a Mason, but not religious, and consequently rose quite high in the government dept he worked for - took me a long time to put all those pieces together, because it was never talked about in my family. I just knew he went to Lodge. It was only listening to some podcasts about history that I was able to work it out.

The other posts in this series can be found here:

Part 1: Detective Aziraphale Part 2: Aziraphale-Beelzebub Parallels Part 3: Stocktaking in the Basement Part 5: I Know Where I'm Going

[ultimatefartwizard]

NOT FUCKING AGAIN! THE MUSICAL ( TF EARTHSPARK MESSAGES AND MANDROID'S GENOCIDAL HORRORS EDITION)

Holy shit I am losing my mind... @monocle-teacup you better read this <3 (dead serious though cuz wtf)

Also of course as always, spoilers ahead this time for season 2 of earthspark so dont want it? skedaddle (s2 isnt worth caring about though, trust me)

Also again nobody go witchhunting or harassing anyone, this is discussion of media and someones poor takes on some clear themes in a show.

Okay you're using THE TERRIBLE WRITING OF S2 TO PROVE YOUR LITTLE HORRIBLE SLIMY GENOCIDAL GREASEMAN IN THE RIGHT???? WHY ARE YOU VOUCHING FOR HIM. WHY DO YOU SAY HIS IDEAS ARE RIGHT AUUUUGH-

How you continue to have terrible takes astounds me 💀 You can't be serious man how are you this like,,, braindead? And ignoring all of what S1 is trying to teach even before S2 came out? oh wait.

You choose your attraction of a gross ass man over LITERAL IN YOUR FACE PLOTPOINTS BECAUSE YOU'D RATHER MEATRIDE YOUR BABYGIRL MANDROID OVER EVERYTHING THE SHOW HAS BUILT UP. Not like you probably ever cared to connect any of the dots.

Oh, to help you do that, I have a previous post I made where I pinged you! You should read it before you read anymore, it'll help with what I'm about to preface here. Please READ IT.

Okay, time to dig into literally EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEEM TO LET GO OF THIS MAN AND HIS OBVIOUS LACK OF HUMANITY IN HIM AND CONTINUE TO SEE SOMETHING THATS NOT THERE. I will start off by saying the quality of the writing for season 2 and season 2's entire disregard for season 1 don't discredit season 1, no matter what nonsense there is. I hate season 2 for all its going for thus far and its just genuinely a waste of my braincells to try watching it again. There are also things not specifically related to mandroid but are also pet peeves that show your lack of attention to detail.

How. Did you miss this. Humans have been living with bots for 30 to 40 years at this point they don't bat an eye at them because THEY THINK THEY'RE JUST SOME BOTS CASUALLY WALKING AROUND. They don't give a fuck about the terrans; only a select few know they are even earth-born bots. Transformers have been living amongst humans casually don't you think they wouldn't give two fucks and know not to gawk at random robots walking around like they just started existing?

You saw the Philadelphia episode (I hope? because you act like you haven't) or really any episode they are just chilling and walking around, you didn't notice nobody gave a damn? What about Optimus, Elita 1, and other bots? Would you randomly gawk at a group of sapient beings walking amongst you who've been there for a lifetime?

No.

They had to hide FROM GHOST not FROM THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE. Ghost would have tried to capture them and imprison them by deeming them a threat for merely existing, not humans as a whole. The fact you miss this entire detail is incredibly sad.

Okay now onto Mandroid stuff because you never stop meatriding him MY GOD

Huh, maybe you need to USE YOUR BRAIN and realize he was not protecting earth. He -thought- he was, because he perceived them as vermin who need to be wiped out and a threat to humanity. Like I said before in my last post DECEPTCONS DO NOT EQUAL ALL OF TRANSFORMERS OH MY GOD. Plus with this season its clear there can't be the same writers on this team. They have sacrificed the story for toymaking opportunities DON'T YOU THINK MAYBE HE'S NOT RIGHT JUST BECAUSE S2 SOMEHOW SAYS THE -CONS IN SPECIFIC (NOT ALL BOTS MY FUCKING GOD)- ARE TO NOT BE TRUSTED AND ARE DANGEROUS? USE YOUR CRANIUM THAT EVOLUTION HAS GIVEN YOU. Mandroid conflated every single transformer with a twisted ideal in his head born out of hate, not from a true sense of danger nor did he separate cons and autobots or unaligned bots in his head from the conglomerate "evil" he thinks they are.

As above so below, you're DEFENDING HIS TERRIBLE GENOCIDAL BEHAVIOR BY BEING LIKE "HE MIGHT HAVE DONE BAD STUFF BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY HE WAS JUST PROTECTING EARTH" over a giant guardian robot who's being mind controlled and had no intention to do this or will of her own. Why are you so adamant on convincing yourself he was a good or commendable man? Where is your basic comprehension of anything in this show at all. HE TRIED TO COMMIT GENOCIDE ON A WHOLE RACE OF BEINGS WHO HAD BEEN COEXISTING ON EARTH FOR YEARS. It's not something you can go 'erm acshually-" on.

He literally killed EVERYONE who was a transformer; even if their death wasn't permanent they still died because he saw them all as a disease needing to be eradicated.

He has no sense of humanity, only hate in his heart and the need to destroy. How do you think he was protecting earth when he had succeeded at murdering an entire population off the face of the earth even if it's only for about 5-10 minutes? HOW ARE YOU THIS BLIND TO MEATRIDE HIM THIS HARD.

I honestly doubt they knew about her, let alone understood the glyphs everywhere. They were just mapping ancient tunnels and figuring it out; Croft also probably forbid anyone from entering due to the DWELLERS, not Terratronus; she was well off course and well protected/hidden by dirt and freaky alien monsters. Even if they somehow DID know, GHOST probably just utilized Terratronus to justify imprisoning dozens of transformers; whether they were cons, neutral, or autobots that didn't want to be part of a government mass incarceration and control program. Mandroid probably didn't give a shit at the moment because he was busy trying to squash literal children like bugs. Shut up about this stupid attempt at the executives making money off of random plot bullshit and toymaking opportunities.

AS STATED IN MY LAST POST: YOU ARE CONFLATING DECEPTICONS WITH ALL TRANSFORMERS, AS MANDROID DID. ONE GROUP DOES NOT EQUAL ALL OF THEM, AND DOES NOT MAKE TRANSFORMERS AS A WHOLE DANGEROUS IF THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO CAUSE TROUBLE. MANDROID SAW ALL TRANSFORMERS AS A THREAT EVEN IF THEY HAD BEEN LIVING WITH HUMANS PEACEFULLY FOR DECADES. YOU ARE HERE SIMPLY REITTERATING A STUPID AND NULL POINT THATS PROVEN WRONG AGAIN AND AGAIN IN S1. His reasoning behind his actions are "we need to get rid of these filthy dangerous vermin who are invading our precious planet." Also the chaos terrans being born evil is a horrible plotpoint and groups being born evil is terrible writing, just like the entirtey of Season 2 because these new writers on the team understand nothing about the show as is. (Yes, most of the writers in s2 never worked on s1)

This one. this one enraged me. This is the most recent post I'd seen about mandroid as of writing (june 8th) and you have SERIOUS AUDACITY to say this. HE KILLED ALL OF THE MALTO BOTS AND TRIED TO KILL ROBBY AND MO; WHAT MAKES YOUR FUCKING MANDROID LOVING SHRUNKEN AND POCKED BRAIN THINK THAT HE WOULD TEAM UP WITH THEM LIKE SOME BUDDY BUDDY ADVENTURE? HE ATTEMPTED AND COMMITTED GENOCIDE, UNETHICAL EXPERIMENTATION, CHILD MURDER, AND MORE.... HE WOULDN'T MAKE JUST """""SMARTASS COMMENTS""" HE'D STRAIGHT UP HATECRIME ALL OF THEM.

I'm not gonna be nice with this last one. You are incredibly media illiterate if not just lacking basic cognition to think he of all people would willingly team up with people he wanted to kill off during season 1. You watched the finale of season 1 and GATHERED NOTHING FROM IT. You, in all your 34 years of life, somehow have not obtained a single gram of "maybe I shouldn't vouch for and defend a person who's xenophobic and wants to commit genocide" despite enjoying writing and HISTORY. HOW ARE YOU ONE TO ENJOY HISTORY YET MAKE NO CONNECTIONS TO ATTROCITIES COMMITTED BY PEOPLE TO WHAT MANDROID IS DOING AND HOW THEY ARE WRONG AND ENTIRLEY UNFORGIVABLE. At this point I believe you to be willfully ignorant to pass off your crush on this man as okay and convince yourself he is right somehow; even going as far as to utilize this new season as an excuse for him.

Your audacity to think he is anything other than a pathetic horrible man with terrible and morally bankrupt goals and actions somehow will be nice to groups of people he hates astounds me to no end. The show gives you all you need to connect the dots and you haven't. I'm aware i'm likely talking to a brick wall because you're likely willingly ignorant to excuse yourself or will never read this but I will call out this nonsense regardless. It comes off as extremely weird and bordering on you just believing in the ideologies he spouts.

I will say this again to make it clear; Mandroid is a stand-in for people who believe in racist and xenophobic ideas, and will stop at nothing to destroy them. The transformers are an allegory for refugee immigrants, and the terrans are first gen decedents. You continuing to believe his lies and defending him just borderlines on you upholding racist ideals. (That might sound deranged af of a claim but considering the context... yeah)

TLDR for lazy people: This fool pinged in this post is claiming a character who ATTEMPTED TO COMMIT GENOCIDE as being in the right somehow with his ideals/actions and not a total morally bankrupt person. Meatriding getting in the way of logic.

-No cheers to you, Wizard and Cupid

[zabala0z]

Okay. So. Hi. I’m your host who is rethinking life??? Or just thinking a lot right now, my brain got so much information. I would’ve posted sooner but I needed a couple hours to get my bearings yall ⛹️‍♀️ anyways! The final 4 episodes of TMA s2!!!

I’m not gonna do my usual format but to start with: I knew Elias was a bastard. I knew it, I CALLED IT. I mean it was pretty obvious but I’m just happy I figured it out. Although I’m very destroyed over the fact Sasha is definitely dead. Like I heard Dekker in MAG 78 and even then I was still in denial until Leitner said “yeah no she’s dead”

In MAG 79, I’m mostly pissed at Michael. Like the moment it put Tim and Martin through its creepy ass doors, I was just like full wheezing out of shock. I wheezed a lot today. Michael does not seem to know shit about humans too since it was like “I…I think it’s called a sport”. Love Michael but also stop being so cryptic oh my god. Also Not Sasha was low key horrifying. Like props to Michael and Not!Sashas voice actors because man I have never felt my muscles seize up like I did when hearing them.

Not Sasha mentioned like being sent to the house of its enemy that had the biggest eyes you ever saw. I thought the enemy was the institute but later I found out…no. Oh yeah! Mag 80! What the hell!

Jurgen Leitner being like “yeah my assistants kinda were killed a lot” like okay go supporting boss. I did not predict it was LEITNER who was living in the tunnels. It’s nice he worked with Gertrude though.

Also, these entities. Again, I was vaguely aware of some since their name was thrown around but I didn’t really realize the extent. Jon mentioned Michael and Leitner refers to it as “The Distortion” and that’s its part of “The Spiral”. AND THATS WHERE FRACTALS COME FROM. God.

Also, when Leitner and Elias are talking, Leitner talks about “the Stranger” and Elias asks what they call it which is “The Unknowing”. The last episode, Not Sasha says that Jon will miss the Unknowing but he wouldn’t understand so I’m assuming the replacement things fall under The Stranger

One final thing I noticed was that he mentioned his assistants getting killed on that day of the attack and all the ways they got killed or I dunno attacked, corresponds with different themes from other statements

“Stabbed through the throat by something with too many teeth and weird limbs”- the replacement things (The Stranger)

“Pulled into a cavernous maw that opened beneath her”- I think this is related to The Butchers Window where Jared Hopworth would throw bones down that pit with teeth

“Gregory Todd ran into a door that shouldn’t have been there”- Michael. What are you doing 💀 (The Spiral)

“A great hand reached down through the roof” -I actually don’t know. Thought it was Freefall but misremembered it.

“Pulled into a great, pulsating pile of meat”- literally every episode with a meat theme. (EDIT 9/2/24: this is related to MAG 18 actually!)

“Doors with darkness and doors on fire”- so the cult I think is related to the darkness but with the fire, I know that Burned Out and that statement with Agnes could be related

So I’m guessing every way an assistant like got killed is one of those entities. I know The Vast is somehow related because Michael Crew mentioned that name before throwing himself out the window and then like changing. Guess he’s like a servant now or something?

Oh god that’s most of it. I’m wondering where Jon is now and I hope Tim and Martin don’t like fully believe he murdered a man. Also I swear to god, Elias, if I catch you. Like Leitner was not a super good guy but come on. I’m glad Not Sasha is gone but…my OG girl 😔😔😔

if you got this far in reading me descend down into my little obsession thank you 🫶🫶🫶 like all this is for fun but everyone I talked to in this fandom is so chill and doesn’t try to spoil which is nice. As someone who was in crazy fandoms, this is pretty calm for such a horrifying media. I’ll probably continue these posts for s3 but I’ll try to condense it I swear guys.

[johannestevans]

So you finished Our Flag Means Death…

What show do you want to obsess over now?

Also read on Medium / / Read on Patreon.

So, Our Flag Means Death, unexpected workplace romcom chock-a-block with anachronistic 18th century fun, piracy on the high seas, gay and trans and otherwise genderweird and queer characters, not to mention neurodivergent and disabled ones, is over for at least another year. You’re aching for something of a similar flavour to fill the gap — especially if, like many of us, the finale has left you disappointed and eager to watch a show with a bit more care for its queer audiences.

Want recs?

After finishing Our Flag Means Death, I’m in the mood for…

Ed cradling Stede’s face in S1 of Our Flag Means Death. Via IMDb. 

… more (relatively) light-hearted queer comedy!

The most obvious example I can start with is, of course, What We Do In The Shadows. While its fifth season was weak, its sixth season was in my opinion its best ever — a spin-off of the Taika Waititi-directed (and starring) mockumentary film of the same name, WWDITS is a fun-filled, ridiculous and deeply silly show starring a variety of incompetent and bumbling and blood-thirsty vampires and their various friends, enemies, and companions. It’s constantly and continuously queer, with the majority of the cast of characters being openly bisexual, and one of them being gay and having an emotive coming-out arc with his family.

Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén) in WWDITS. Via IDMb. 

WWDITS follows the adventures of Guillermo de la Cruz, fat and gay and badass and so fucking pretty, the familiar to a vampire named Nandor the Relentless, a big himbo ex-warrior plagued by insecurity and ready to enter in power struggles with anybody from a fellow warrior to a household appliance, and the rest of Nandor’s household — Laszlo Cravensworth (once an English aristocrat, still a dandy, charming, slutty, and well-spoken — and often tinkering with experiments or DIY), Nadja of Antipaxos (once an impoverished member of a Mediterranean village, dramatic, intelligent, sharp-witted, and wry — and often getting involved in various misadventures), and Colin Robinson (an “emotional vampire” who feeds by boring those about him, dull, mundane, and painfully cringe at all times in the best of ways). As a mockumentary, its tone is silly and light-hearted, but it’s not without its emotional stakes, and there’s so many references to other pop culture vampires. 

The BBC’s sitcom, Ghosts, is a great sitcom to go for if you’re in the mood for more of a neurodivergent found family vibe, with sumptuous costumes and a complex and intriguing cast who have a lot of wonderful moments with each other. The show follows Alison and Mike, who inherit a manor house and find when they start to refurbish it that it’s full to the brim with silly, ridiculous, and unrelentingly friendly — not to mention antagonistic — ghosts. Ghosts, like Our Flag Means Death claimed to be prior to its S2 finale, is a tremendously loving and kind show — it spends a lot of its time building up flawed characters and encouraging them to change and grow, giving you time as a viewer to love them. 

See any familiar faces? Many of the Ghosts cast also appear in Horrible Histories. Via IMDb. 

The show is not as continuously or constantly queer as WWDITS, but it does have elements of queerness dotted around the main cast, particularly in the character of the Captain, the ghost of a WW1 soldier who was never deployed abroad, but spent his time in service yearning for the intimate company of a fellow soldier. 

Brendan Scannell and Zoe Levin in Bonding. Via IMDb. 

Want something a little weirder, a little kookier? Crave a bit more of the BDSM flavouring around Our Flag, more whips, more leather, more latex, more kink? You might like to try Bonding — this show features a woman who begins moonlighting as a dominatrix and then employs her gay BFF as her assistant. It suffers from the tendency shows like this have to sideline Pete a bit as the gay BFF, with some of his characterisation being squandered to prop up the less interesting protagonist, but it’s really funny and honestly super heartfelt. 

And if you want really weird, really kooky, and unabashedly and delightfully and wonderfully queer, there is always The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, which is a gorgeously funny and loving gay comedy that you can watch online!

Apart from those above, you might like to try Special (a sitcom exploring the romantic and sexual misadventures of a deeply selfish and flawed character a la Stede Bonnet, this one a young gay man with cerebral palsy), Schitt’s Creek (a sitcom about a posh family falling on hard times and featuring several queer characters, particularly the bisexual David Rose, played by Dan Levy), and Grace and Frankie (a show about two ageing women who are best friends, and whose husbands leave them to start a romance with one another). 

… more of the stunning cast!

You’ve watched Our Flag Means Death and you’re craving more of the spectacular and incredibly skilled cast. 

If you want more of Nathan Foad (Lucius Spriggs) particularly, you’re in luck — last year, Foad wrote and served as executive producer on a show loosely inspired by his early life as a weird boy growing up gay in Nottinghamshire, Newark, Newark. It’s very silly, funny, full to the brim with love, and also deeply silly and willing to get in touch with the cringe side of life. It’s only three episodes, but starring the unparalleled Morgana Robinson as the harried mother of Leslie, the closeted-but-not sixteen-year-old who is trying desperately to lead the tragic gay life he’s seen on TV, it really makes the most of that limited runtime, and it’s so fucking good. Nathan Foad even has a cameo in it as a freaky and overfamiliar employee at the bowling alley. 

He has a cameo in another great show, too — Bloods is an incredible sitcom about two NHS paramedics working in an ambulance together. It’s rapid-paced, it’s messy, it’s horrible and hilarious, and it stars Jane Horrocks as Wendy across from Our Flag’s Samson Kayo (Oluwande) as Maleek. The two are chalk and cheese in the front seat of their ambulance together, and Kayo is so incredible in the lead role balancing Maleek’s own desire to appear as cool and tough whilst also being vulnerable and having his own insecurities, especially because Wendy challenges him on so many points. Wendy is great as well, the two an exercise in contrasts, but Kayo and Horrocks are spectacular among an equally spectacular cast — you get to see so many different dynamics at the depot and in other settings, amongst other NHS staff, and the show is non-stop with the punches and the punchlines. If you really enjoy how well-balanced and how fitting the soundtrack to Our Flag is, you’ll love the music and its pacing in Bloods. Foad’s cameo in this is as Wendy’s neurotic and kind of a fuck-up son, and he’s so messy.

If you want more of Joel Fry (Frenchie), he stars in the first few seasons of Plebs — this is a goofy comedy set in Ancient Rome, and it’s not dissimilar to The Inbetweeners in its tone and content. Some of the jokes are funny, sometimes. I don’t recommend it because it really gives Joel Fry his full acting chops — but he’s hot and he’s funny and he’s cute in this, and even if you’re not super passionate about the show, if you like Frenchie, you probably will like Stylax too. 

Joel Fry and Con O’Neill (Izzy Hands) also both play characters in season 2 of Ordinary Lies, which is an anthology series, so you don’t need to watch season 1. The premise of the show each season is that the narrative jumps between characters in a workplace and explores the ramifications of the small lies they tell themselves and each other. While O’Neill’s role is a more typical set of lies that concerns adultery (or not), Fry’s involves vigilanteism and attempts at superheroism, and the plot is quite fun. This show is obviously a drama, and is tragically heterosexual on many points, but for all that, has its good and intriguing elements too. 

But what about Con O’Neill doing what he’s good at — playing wet, pathetic men? Very wet, very pathetic men? In Happy Valley, O’Neill plays a gloriously wet and pathetic man named Neil Ackroyd, who enters into a relationship with the protagonist, Catherine Cawood’s, sister, Clare. Clare is an alcoholic in recovery, as is Neil, and they have a really sweet and mutually supportive relationship — Neil’s particularly gorgeous in the most recent series, where he really dotes on Catherine’s grandson, Ryan, and he and Clare play a great duo. Neil is introduced in the beginning of season 2. 

The premise of the series is that Catherine Cawood, a police officer in Yorkshire, is attempting to solve crimes while at the same time her grandson, Ryan, is curious about and desires to make contact with his father, whom he has never met. Ryan’s mother was raped by his father and died by suicide after Ryan’s birth, whereon Catherine raised him alongside her sister. Happy Valley is a cop show, and Catherine Cawood is really funny as a character. She’s a deeply conservative and cruel, reactionary woman who constantly engages in police brutality whilst trampling over people’s rights — she believes that people are born evil and bad, effectively, and while she often talks about the effects poverty have on people’s outlooks, lifestyles, and actions, she can’t quite make that connection with her beliefs. As a cop show, it’s really interesting because it’s very pro-cop and tries to be on Catherine’s side for much of her crueller actions, but at the same time is so starkly blunt about the awful shit she does that it doesn’t exactly make you put faith in cops no matter the intent. Clare Cawood, and then Neil, are naturally far more critical of Catherine’s perspective. 

But if you really loved Izzy at his best in S2, if you love Izzy full of love whilst also being precise and cold and calculated in the defence of his family, if you love him beautiful and wonderful and unabashedly queer, you’ll undoubtedly adore Val, who appears in Uncle as the transfem and gorgeous dad of Gwen. Uncle isn’t a great TV show, it’s an example of one of those shows where they give a deeply dull cishet white dude who feels insecure a show where he sort of masturbates about how much he sucks and how he’s unlovable, but really, isn’t it on the people around him to love him anyway?

But Val is great. She’s so much fun, she’s funny and sharp and full of quips, she’s flirtatious, she’s hot, and she has some tremendous gender stuff going on as well as some gorgeous costuming throughout. If you like Uncle’s humour, watch all the episodes — if you don’t, just skip everything that doesn’t have Val in it. Val is where the good stuff is. 

Or don’t watch it at all, and just watch this scene pack on YouTube: 

Taika Waititi appears far more in great movies than he does TV shows, although he’s also one of the producers on Reservation Dogs, which is excellent — it’s a native-led and starring comedy series, and it rocks. Most of the time when Waititi does TV, it’s in cameos. 

Apart from the cameo he makes in the What We Do In The Shadows TV show, I mentioned in the sitcom section, Taika Waititi also appears in the Flight of the Conchords TV series, starring the band members of the band of the same name. Rhys Darby also appears in every episode as Jemaine and Bret’s fictional manager, Murray Hewitt, and Murray is such a fun, bizarre character — and with a wholly different facial hair situation than you might have imagined for him before. 

Wholly different facial hair. Via IMDb. 

… more sailors!

Pickings are slim for a good pirate show, or indeed, any good show with nautical flavours to it — scenes at sea are high budget and hard to shoot, and as was evident with much of Our Flag Means Death’s second season at the hands of HBO Max, many studios do not want to proffer the budget for such things. 

Let’s start with the best of recommendations — a show that’s unapologetically queer, anti-imperialist, anti-establishment, and full to the absolute brim with pirates, historical and fictional. Interested in Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack, Benjamin Hornigold, Israel Hands, or of course, the inimitable Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach, real historical pirates who are portrayed and played with in the course of Our Flag Means Death, and want to see a very different take on them? Enjoy lesbians constantly scheming to kill each other, torture each other, and generally make one another miserable (sexual)? Read Treasure Island, perhaps, and ever wonder what came before?

Not-Yet-Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and Thomas Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones) in Black Sails. Via IMDb. 

Black Sails has all of the above and more — while it is very queer and anti-establishment, I will say that it’s far more similar in tone to Game of Thrones than to OFMD. The comedy bits are hilarious in part because the stakes are so high, but Black Sails is firmly a drama, and a gritty, violent one at that. It lacks the escapism present in OFMD — there is constant and continuous sexual violence, brutal gore and brutality, racism, classism, deep misogyny and homophobia from the society around the characters. The characters on offer are varied and complex, flawed, and interesting, but your mileage may vary with how much you vibe with them. 

Making use of some of Starz’ old set pieces for Black Sails, including some of their ships, the new One Piece live-action reboot — an adaptation of the anime of the same name (itself an adaptation of the manga) — is a fast-paced, fantastical, and colourful new release. If what you loved about Our Flag was its playful relationship with real-life piracy and chronistic details, its flexibility with “reality” and its eagerness to play around with tropes and expectations, with its creation of found family through a ragtag and varied mix of individuals. What it isn’t, unfortunately, is textually or explicitly queer, let alone as unabashedly queer as Our Flag and Black Sails are respectively. 

HMS Terror and HMS Erebus sailing through the surface ice in The Terror. Via IMDb. 

If you’d rather have queer sailors at any cost than having ones that aren’t explicitly queer, there is, of course, season 1 of The Terror. Based off of Dan Simmons’ magical horror reimagining of the real events of the lost ships in the Arctic, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, the first season of this anthology horror series is itself a deeply anti-imperial story following the events of two British ships that become stranded on the ice whilst attempting to discover the North-West Passage, and in so doing poison themselves and the land and people around them. Stuck in place in a cold and unfamiliar environment that does not have sufficient resources to sustain them — and in any case, an environment and resources that as invaders of, they do not know how to live in relationship with — they are hunted by an Inuit spirit, a representation of and manifestation of the imbalance they’ve caused by their mere presence. 

The Terror has a few more explicitly gay dynamics in the book than in the TV show, but the show does feature an unstable, cannibalistic bastard of a man whose favourite hobbies are identity theft, violence, and emotional manipulation — and he’s gay. Representation win! 

As you might imagine from that description, The Terror is not a cheerful, happy show — it’s deeply violence and very at home with hopelessness, but has some fascinating exploration of British imperialism, whiteness, class dynamics, queer men on ships, and chilling horror. 

And it’s not a TV show, but I would be remiss if I did not mention and recommend Taika Waititi’s favourite romance movie — Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, dir. Peter Weir). Based off of Patrick O’Brien’s long-running Aubreyad, starting with Master and Commander, this film is about Captain Jack Aubrey and his duet partner and best friend (wink wink) Stephen Maturin, the ship’s surgeon. It’s a gorgeous film and while of course not explicit, it’s pretty fucking gay — although unlike the other pieces I’ve mentioned, as Napoleonic-era fanfiction about British navymen, it’s not nearly as critical of British imperialism as one might like, with the majority of the criticism coming from Maturin, and might leave a poor taste in the mouth compared to pieces more critical of the British imperial evil. 

… more queer period dramas and historical shows!

Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) contemplating her hat and gloves. Via IMDb. 

Let’s start with a historical drama — Gentleman Jack, starring Suranne Jones, is set in the early 1800s and is an biographical look at the life of the cryptic diarist and all around delightfully butch lesbian dirtbag, Anne Lister. Apart from the obviously intriguing concept, the show has some sumptuous costuming and set designs, and there are so many different characters and dynamics throughout. I’m always a sucker for an epistolary piece, and as it’s based off of Lister’s diaries, this show has a lot of epistle work throughout. 

If you’re a sucker for lesbians in period dramas, though, you might just like Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries — the eponymous Phryne Fisher is not the lesbian in question. She’s a flapper and private detective in 1920s Melbourne, complete with a little golden gun, and is very hetero — but her best friend, a doctor named Mac (short Elizabeth MacMillan), is gay, and she’s so much fun. Where Phryne is really high-energy and excitable, constantly jumping from idea to idea, Mac is a lot chiller and more smooth, and she’s so suave and so much fun. Miss Fisher is a fun show — alas, a cop show, but it’s a lot more light-hearted, and it does a lot of playful stuff with the period and particularly with costuming details and things like cars, weapons, and various inventions. 

Getting dressed and leaving the boytoy still abed. Via IMDb. 

If you’re open to a miniseries that’s a lot dirtier and nastier than much of the above, have I got the recommendation for you: A Very English Scandal. Starring a relatively innocent and easily manipulated Ben Whishaw across from the deliciously greasy and depraved Hugh Grant, this is a dramatisation of the Thorpe Affair — a political scandal in the UK in the late 1970s — and it’s so fun and so sexy. If whilst watching Our Flag you’ve been giggling and kicking your feet whenever the more fucked up shit goes on in intimate ways, you will almost certainly delight in this one. 

… more of… something. Surprise me!

You might have heard of NBC’s Hannibal, which is a gay take on the dynamic between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, but the same creator, Bryan Fuller, also did Pushing Daisies, which is a gorgeous 2-season show that was cancelled long before it ought have been. It explores intimacy at a necessary distance, and has some wonderful queer themes throughout, and stars Lee Pace. 

The new TV adaptation of Anne Rice’s books, Interview with the Vampire, is glorious — it’s openly and unabashedly gay, it’s so full to the brim with depth, and unlike other shows I can mention, it really doesn’t try to shy away from the cruelty of abuses in intimate relationships, or try to shift the blame for abuse entirely onto the back of the victim in a last-minute attempt to foster more sympathy for the abuser. Interview goes so deep into the loneliness and isolation of being separated from society’s mores and expectations, of how that isolation leaves you at much more risk of leverage and abuse by intimate partners, of the brittleness of found family under heavy pressure, and alongside all of that, like… 

It’s a vampire show! It’s sexy! It’s full of blood and horror and misery and grief — the grief of being alive when you should be dead, and at the same time, being halfway dead when you seem to be alive. It’s funny and it’s dark and it’s just full to the brim with poetry, has some honestly gorgeous dialogue, and on top of all that, it’s well-paced, beautifully costumed, and tremendously shot and scored. Watch!

Looking for queer movies, as well as TV shows? I have a big rec list of gay movies here:

[epicsteddieficrecs]

Epic Steddie Fic Rec | April 24th-May 7th 2023

Seems like spring has finally arrived for good and I am quite happy about it :)

Complete

🖤 Swing and a Miss by deadonarrival (Baseball Player Steve, Fake Relationship | 35K | Explicit): “Apparently they usually reserve the box for the wives and girlfriends … so either you’re gonna have to be my boyfriend or you’re going to have to sit in the stands with the fans. It’s not that bad, you just need to like, pretend to be my boyfriend so you can sit with the other WAGs and like, then you can be in the box and have all you can drink alcohol and snacks.” “Did you agree to this!?” Eddie asks. “If I say yes, how mad are you going to be?” Steve asks.

the reason comes (on the common tongue) by Beachfckerblake/ @stevebckley (Post-S2, A/B/O AU | 6K | Explicit): Eddie keeps Steve from succumbing to isolation syndrome after the fight with Billy and Steve offers to pay him back in a very creative way.

lose control by NicoBloodlust (PWP | 3K | Explicit): Steve has a plan. He’s going to seduce Eddie, but like, in a subtle way. Like he’s not trying at all like it's effortless. Except he’s actually trying really hard. He wants to make Eddie want him so badly, he’ll have no choice but to do something about it.

put your wings on me by hitlikehammers (Post-S4 | 4K | Mature): “Sorry. Again,” Steve breathes out once more like it’s Eddie’s for the taking, like they’re shotgunning just the fact of life between them and nothing more; “if that’s selfish.” — Or: a story about edibles, feelings, and the butterfly effect.

a cinematic vision ensued (like the holiest dream) by fivecenturiesverse/ @fivecenturiesverse (Post-S4 | 5K | Teen): Eddie and Steve have been spending a lot of time together since Vecna. They're co-parenting kids, getting high every night, and sleeping in the same bed. They basically share a wardrobe too. He thinks this is dangerous, its like they’re married, the casual sharing of intimacy, this space between them which feels like something and nothing all at the same time. He thinks it’s dangerous for him to pretend Steve sees it the same way, that one day Steve’s droopy, kind eyes are going to see right through him and he’ll lose this. This being a side of Steve’s bed that is his, a nightstand where his rings always pile, a draw of shirts in Steve’s bedroom that only Steve uses. He can’t lose it, so he shuts his mouth, turns out the light, and watches the slow breathing of sleep fill Steve’s chest.

like, for real? by NicoBloodlust (Post-S4 | 4K | Mature): But nothing could ever prepare him for what Steve does. Because Steve, fucking- Steve stands in front of him, close, really close, and looks at him, slowly and deliberately. Eddie can follow the exact path his eyes make, to his eyes, down his nose, over his jaw and chin, and finally, his lips. They linger there and then- then Steve takes a deep breath, so deep his chest rises and brings them even closer together and, still staring at Eddie with hooded, shiny, beautiful brown-green eyes, he sighs slowly. But it’s not just a sigh, it’s a sound, an almost but not quite moan.

where it counts by Adure/ @toburnup (Post-S4, PWP | 4K | Explicit): They finish the movie and when Steve pulls away, it's like Eddie's been branded, Steve's palm permanently emblazoned on his skin through his jeans. He must notice Eddie's hard-on but he doesn't say anything. They talk about the movie while Eddie keeps the blanket piled in his lap and wills his dick to calm down. "Next week?" Eddie asks on his way out, voice clumsy, tripping between words. "Yeah," Steve holds the door open for him, smiles easily like Eddie's not holding his jacket in front of him. So fucking obvious. "Next week."

a meeting between pages by loveinhawkins/ @loveinhawkins (Canon Divergent, S2 | 2K | Teen): There’s a table in the school library that’s nestled in the corner, right by a radiator; Steve has claimed it ever since his double block of ‘private study periods’ began. And it would be perfect, if his eyes weren’t instinctively drawn to movement at the front desk.Because for the past god-knows-how-long, Eddie Munson has been in a back-and-forth with the librarian.

an unconventional lookout spot by loveinhawkins/@loveinhawkins (Post-S3 | < 1K | General): It’s a long summer’s day—August 1985, to be precise—and all Eddie Munson wants to do is leave a broken down fridge in the junkyard. “I don’t know if you can dump those here, actually,” comes a voice from somewhere above. Eddie looks up and seriously contemplates the possibility that he’s contracted heatstroke while straining to remove the fridge from the back of his van. Because surely that’s not Steve Harrington sitting up on the roof of an old school bus like it’s a perfectly normal thing to do.

in for a penny, in for a pound by crushing (PWP, Virgin Eddie, Daddy Kink | 12K | Explicit): steve and eddie have been busy wasting time, getting high and telling dirty little secrets. the biggest of which being eddie's virginity and steve's seemingly insatiable lust. and maybe the crush they're both harboring.

WIP

🖤 better by you, better than me by palmviolet/ @palmviolet (Canon Divergent, Season 1-2 | 30/? | 158K | Mature | Warning: Violence): November 1983. Between unpaid bills, the supposedly straight jock he’s seeing, and letters from his convict dad, seventeen year old Eddie Munson’s got enough to worry about. But when Will Byers goes missing, it sparks a chain of events that will show there are more depths to Hawkins — and to certain people in it, like infamous Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington — than he realizes. / or, the excessively long slow-burn in which Eddie is involved in the Upside Down from the very beginning.

🖤 Reboot by plutosrose/ @plutosrose (Modern AU, Actor Steve & Eddie | 7/10 | 27K | Explicit): In 2012, Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson film a scene in the teen drama Normal Stuff that launches a popular ship on ao3. By early 2013, they aren’t speaking anymore. In 2024, Robin calls Steve with an offer to reprise his role as Andy Hartley in a reboot of their old show, with one important update–his character gets together with Eddie’s.

In Just Seven Days by Oddree13 (Modern AU, Fake Relationship | 3/7 | 6K | Mature): Steve doesn’t exactly care about relationships anymore. Not after Nancy broke his heart and Billy broke his face. He’s bored and just going through the motions the first time it happens. Noelle asks him on Monday if he’s busy that coming Friday and Steve figures why not? He takes her to the movies on Friday, takes her to bed on Saturday, and on Sunday he lets her down gently. She takes it in stride, and the next Monday it’s Jocelyn at his locker. Then Ginny. Then Cami. Soon a rumor starts that Steve Harrington will accept anyone who asks him out at the beginning of the week and end their relationship after seven days of dating. Eddie doesn’t believe the rumors. After all, to say Steve Harrington would ignore the glaring asterisk of heteronormativity is just insane. But when he catches the King being tardy on a Monday he puts his theory to the test. Suddenly Eddie has a boyfriend for the next seven days. Now he just has to not fall in love.

No More Retreating by 3MinsOver (Post-S4 | 4/5 | 39K | Explicit): When Eddie Munson doesn’t kick the bucket in the Upside Down, he realizes there are a whole load of things he might have died without doing. And who’s there to help him out? Why, Steve Harrington, of course.

oh, just one night more (and then i'll close the door) by Smalls (Time Travel, Post-S4 Fix-It | 13/25 | 33K | Mature): Steve closed his eyes, raised a hand to wipe the tears pouring down his face, and spared a moment to wish that he could go back in time. He thinks if given the chance, he could have become friends with Eddie. That things could have been different. Then he heard a horn blaring and abruptly remembered he was driving. *** (or steve has a lot of regrets and the universe decides to let him try and fix a few)

[chichix]

Arisu x Fem!reader

Warnings: AIB s2 ep8 spoilers!

*this is similar to the Chishiya x Fem!reader post, but more detailed a little

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You were sitting on a bench talking to your friend on the phone, you had to hang up due to your phone almost dying and you had to save battery to get home. As you were putting your phone away people were looking..up? Your curiousness told you to look up as well so you did, all you saw was light orbs in the sky. Everyone was filming, some people pointed, while others were mumbling ‘woah.’ Unexpectedly, a few more orbs flew downwards.

An explosion was created. The part of Tokyo was covered in smoke and fire, citizens were either injured..or fully dead. You on the other hand was injured. Your left arm was broken while you had cuts and bruises on your other arm and legs. You woken up, you could only hear muffles of voices and commotion. “Ma’am can you hear me!” A voice had said to you. “Check the pulse now! She can possibly still be alive!” Another voice. “She alive! Take her now!” That was the last words you barely hear..

Later you woke up. But in the hospital. You looked around, seeing the hospital room clearly. You had seen your mother giving you clean clothes on the table beside you, “Mom..?” You spoke, your mother stopped what she was doing and looked at you with watery eyes. “(Name), your finally awake..” She smiled while she gently caressed your cheek, “Your father couldn’t come see you today since he had work.” Your mother said while laying out more clothes for you, you eyed them before you replied to her; “What happened?” Your mother paused for a second and continued to do what she was doing. “A meteorite hit Tokyo, the spot where you were at. The borderlines took you in and did there best to treat you.” You had no words just looking down, a doctor had came in to examine you again. Your mother said her goodbyes and left the room.

After a week of recovering, you decided to walk around the halls of the hospital. Plus, get a drink from the vending machine. You came across one and walked towards it, you saw a man sitting down at the table that was placed next to the vending machine. You thought he was cute but ignored him and put your coins in, you then got your drink and your change. You kept thinking about the man that was sitting down near you, so you made a move. You walked up to the table that he was in and looked at him, “Can I sit here if you don’t mind?” You spoke, the man looked at you, a little confused but replied; “Uh yeah sure sit down.” You nodded and sat down, you struggled to open your drink but managed to do it with one arm, you then took a sip of it and closed it up. “I wonder how long its going to take to rebuild the cities.” You said trying to make a conversation. “Probably awhile, the explosion did take a lot out. I assume uhh..couple years.” The man said smiling at you, your smile came out as well while looking at him, “Whats your name?” The man said curiously looking at you now. “Its (Name), and you?” You responded with a grin, “Mine is Arisu.” He said while nodding casually. After awhile of chatting, you both got to know a lot of things about each other.

{ Time skip }

Two weeks went by, you gained high feelings for Arisu, and so did he. You both always hanged out together and it was kinda obvious that you both liked each other. Arisu had told you later at noon they should go outside and hang out, you said sure and headed to go outside later at noon like he said.

He was waiting, sitting on a chair outside, when he saw you he shouted out your name and waved at you. You speed walked over to him and sat down. “Why’d you insist of sitting outside today?” You teasingly said while smiling. “Heh, what do you plan on doing after you fully recovered your injuries.” Arisu said without any hesitation, “Well..maybe just say hello to my family and get a job again, why do you ask?” You replied, leaning in slowly. “I was thinking after we get out of the hospital. We can go on a date, a proper one and maybe hang out sometimes, like we do now but not in the hospital.” He said almost mumbling, your eyes widened at his words, your face flushed pink just a little. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” You slowly said, Arisu nodded doubting himself a little if you’d say no. “Yes! I’d love too!” You exclaimed while showing your bright smile. He leaned in while smiling, you both looked at each other resting your faces, you both moved your faces closer to each other until you pressed your lips together. He held the tip of your chin while you gently held his jawline, you both pulled away looking at each other once again.

"I'll forever be with you..(Name)."

"I will be with you forever too..Arisu."

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[spacedlexi]

I totally get your point about the kenny/Jane thing. In my opinion the best outcome is letting Kenny kill Jane (honestly Jane brought that to herself, all of them knew that if he lost someone else he would finally go ballistic and she deliberately put him on that spot to prove "a point") and then staying in Wellington, because Kenny acknowledges that he's not fit enough to care for her and AJ anymore, so he begs Clem to stay. He's aware that he's not right for the job, and he accomplished his mission, he stayed loyal to Lee and left. It also gives the opportunity to speculate whether he finally found peace after all his suffering. (Even if the original idea was him offing himself in the Virginia lake after that)

i always find myself struggling to talk about S2 because i know the writers changed direction (multiple times?) as the season was releasing??? which means character arcs and motivations were altered to fit this new direction and its like painfully obvious sometimes especially when it comes to kenny and jane and luke

i hate when writers cant commit to the bit. and that kind of happens with kenny. which is weird because even tho they decided against him literally being carvers character (which wouldve worked perfectly for a luke v kenny ending), they still try to give him that carver storyline. like.. i could see kenny easily being in carvers position at howes. just like lilly in S4 with the delta. these two characters wanted leadership and never liked any pushback from the people around them. i can also see the kenny we knew from S1 turning into a man like carver in S2 (a dude who has lost a lot and whose methods are becoming more extreme to keep people safe) and i think kenny being carver instead wouldve made carver a much deeper and more interesting antagonist. like carver is fine. he works although his beef with this 11yo is weird. but we dont buy it when bonnie tells us he used to be a cool guy. we've only ever seen carver as a murderer. but if it was kenny in this role then immediately we add a lot of baggage to this character and his relationship with clem and her new relationship with the howes group. like we know kenny and we know what hes capable of but we also understand his motivations and we do believe that deep down kenny does want whats best to keep his people safe. and clem reappearing in the life of THIS kenny wouldve been Huge as he wouldve already begun his descent and clem is the only one who can really get through to him (like they still try to do when all the adults are like "uuuh clem you go talk to the angry man theres no way he'll listen to US"). i think they were afraid of making kenny an outright antagonist though and instead tried to have their cake and eat it too which just kinda...leads to mess... commit to your characters dark spirals and downfalls i hate this wishy washy bullshit. plus having kenny as carver instead wouldve centered clem in the howes discussion more. as it stands she just kinda gets swept up in everyone elses bullshit and just has to go along with it. classic child experience tho

jane pretending that aj was dead to intentionally push kenny over the edge just to "prove" to clem that hes dangerous was SOOOOO unnecessary jane!!! like we know girl!! we know!!! and when he tries to kill her for it its like...i know you saw this coming jane so how did you expect this to end?? was she just hoping she'd win the fight? she even tells clem to stay out of whatever was about to happen (plus she does genuinely put ajs life in real danger by leaving him in that car where they were lucky to hear his cries). but i think this problem stems from them changing it out from being a luke v kenny showdown. i think that ending wouldve culminated more naturally as their beef was slowly building since they first met. disagreement in leadership styles. that silly little middle school "choose who to sit with at dinner" thing felt like foreshadowing of a luke v kenny fight that just never happened. they needed to create a reason for kenny to attack jane as jane doesnt care about leadership she cares about keeping herself safe so the whole aj thing just....feels forced. like... jane why....Why........ where did your self preservation go...its like your whole character...

so...yeah.... i have a lot of conflicting feelings about S2 and its ending. on my recent playthrough i had clem tell kenny that maybe lee Shouldnt have come to save her in S1, trying to be all "boo hoo im so sad i get everyone i love killed boo hoo" and kenny responds by saying he should SMACK her for that???? i was so shocked that i missed taking the screenshot of it. i gasped audibly... turned into a "matter of time" situation for me (even tho things seem fine enough in the S3 flashbacks hes weirdly normal again and still talking about boats). kenny is definitely a broken man hanging on by a Singular Thread by the end of S2 and jane snaps it. this is why i like leaving kenny behind at wellington. clem and aj are definitely the light of his life at this point and he wants whats best for them. leaving them at wellington is really the best thing he can do for them both and its very sad because we know he Needs them. and clem would want to hold onto whoever she has left so its hard for her too. throughout all the seasons clem and aj are seen as the light in the darkness the hope for the future yadda yadda and kenny losing that? yeah i can see why the virginia lake idea was a thing. but thats ALSO why i like the clem shoots kenny ending. this man just wants it to be over he misses his family so much he cant take this shit anymore. staying with kenny into S3 really feels like we're stretching out his character as far as possible. it kinda feels like they hit the reset button on him and hes back to talking about boats. i feel like post S2 they just didnt really know what to do with him or jane. i feel like their endings in S2 are the most narratively fulfilling for their characters and i want clem to enter S3 on her own

[mdhwrites]

How do you think TOH will hold up in the future? I imagine it will still have die hard fans aggressively defending it in spite of all its flaws. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that audiences are fickle. They’ll praise something like it’s a sacred masterpiece one minute, then turn a 180 and treat it like overrated trash the next.

So my immediate response was that it would end up like Danny Phantom or Kim Possible where some people will still love it so much as to make it what they do, some will remember it fondly and most will just forget about it and never bother going back for it. And I say that as a fan of both shows. Just... They didn't become cultural touchstones. It's very hard for most cartoons to do that. One could easily argue we haven't had one (for a new IP especially) since Gravity Falls or Steven Universe and you'd probably have a decent case for saying Gravity Falls still doesn't count compared to Steven Universe. This is probably what's going to happen to Amphibia even just because there's a lot of media out there so getting picked up as a household name that isn't forgotten is hard.

But... I think TOH will just kind of get forgotten. For most, the most special part of it is either that Luz made them feel seen, and for those the show will never fade, or the specific ships they cared about which will eventually get replaced. But I actually don't want to try to assume how the fandom will be in five years. Let's actually talk about, now that the show is said and done, the simple question of: How do you pitch watching TOH's final product? Because even the CURRENT fandom constantly has to use excuses for the storytelling. To justify it being special, they already have to narrow its scope like "the first gay main character in a Disney television cartoon" or they have to cherrypick what they're aiming against, like saying Belos' death is good because they don't like the SU ending or that Luz getting to keep her found family is unique because the only other isekai they've watched is Amphibia. That's all really hard as far as pitches in general go.

So what do you tell someone looking to get into it from the perspective of a fan? Do you warn them that some plotlines don't get resolved properly because of the shortening? How many elements do you have to prepare a new viewer for with that excuse? What's worse is... TOH is just a worse product now that it can be binged. Those who watched S1 before S2 came out got to revel in the best versions of these characters. Any potential Amity had though is crushed like her necklace two episodes into S2 and only becomes more and more obvious as the season goes and you don't have months of waiting between those two versions of Amity. You don't have multiple hiatuses between murder happy Collector and "What's death?" Collector which would make the contrast MUCH WORSE and much harder to ignore. In fact, because so many of TOH's character arcs rely on revisionism to just make an audience forget who a character used to be, binging it's going to make that process much harder in general. Future audiences are just more likely to notice the lack of effort in so many elements just because the whole show will be fresher in their minds.

And most of them won't have the fandom and the like to pull them along or tell them why certain things are the way they are, though not even the fandom always has answers. Why isn't the Grimmwalker reveal setup AT ALL unless you're combing literally ever element of each episode? And even then only once? Well... *shrug* But it's a big deal now so you better just be okay with that.

Frankly, as much as I don't want to be mean about this... I think being forgotten besides by the rose tinted glasses of the fandom is its best fate. Or that it will be known as a show that had a really good first season, a good first half of S2, and then dive bombed in quality, especially in S3, and that the only really notable thing about it is the sapphic ship between the main character and her love interest.

It is a show that only functions if you know the FULL context for it coming out. And even then, like with how much the fandom contracted during S2, let alone with each special of S3, that context wasn't even always enough to keep people watching.

So yeah, I think the fact that a lot media gets to just gracefully retire with its fans nowadays, since being a classic is so much harder when there's SOOOO much more media being produced, is probably going to be a boon for The Owl House. It can just be that little witch show for those who loved it and for those who disliked it... Well, something is always new on the horizon. I know I'm keeping my eyes out.

========

Okay so I wrote this last night. This morning I had errands to run and my sister helped me since she has a car. She convinced me to pick this up.

Looks cute. I was warned it gets dark eventually which... *looks at the goth art style* Totally couldn't have guessed. Also before anyone even thinks it: The comic originally began being published in 2015.

[parttimesarah]

💜My immediate thoughts on WWDITS FX S5E3💚

* Yana Gorskaya always directs the BEST Nandermo episodes!

* I love that we got a fresh, more subtle, “SeanaaAaAaAAy”

* Guillermo’s interview sitting in his footlocker is so sweet! It’s a reminder that Nandor bought him something he really wanted and that Nandor is responsible, in this small way, for helping Guillermo feel more like a vampire.

* Guillermo standing behind Nandor when Sean and Charmaine are in the fancy room is just a subtle reminder of how dedicated Guillermo remains to Nandor. He is not abandoning him.

* I WANT BOTH OF THOSE SEAN SHIRTS!

* AWWWW Nandor, your crush is showing, bb!

* Guillermo’s super speed was… lacking. He seems less strong than when he was slaying/bodyguarding in S2, 3, and 4. Maybe it’s because he is further away from being his true self. Laszlo saying that the turning has been “stymied”, to me, lends credence to the idea that Nandor’s blood could kickstart its completion. Guillermo will come into his full strength when he is finally united with Nandor for eternity.

* I gotta admit, it feels a bit like they just needed to find something for Natasia to be doing. I think she did a great job with the physical performance, but I don’t know how much her/the doll’s story here was needed.

* “Soft after two pumps”, Nandor? Could it be because you’ve just been thinking of Guillermo (the djinn’s wish) while not being with Guillermo. That issue will go away 👏 once 👏 you 👏 are 👏 with 👏 Guillermo!!!

* Nandor demanding he “is wanted” as a reason to spend time with Guillermo (and Laszlo) during their experiments was so telling. Like he needed to hear Laszlo say he is a powerful hypnotist to be happy, he needs to audibly hear that he is actually wanted, even if he’s the one saying it. Guillermo saying “I chose you. I want you.” is going to make this babygirl cream his jeans velvet robes.

* Nandor looking at Guillermo before saying he can fly higher than Laszlo is another obvious tell that he is only concerned with Guillermo’s opinion of him. He is searching for that validation!

* “Grey Boy” is such a good nickname for CR 😂

* Laszlo calling Guillermo “dear boy” is a huge compliment when you consider how their relationship in the series began. Laszlo may not show it (cuz it takes him a long time to show his emotions), but he does care for Guillermo’s wellbeing.

* Awwww Laszlooooo, look at you out living your best beach boy life! I’d say that red face’s sunburn would be worth it! It is interesting that Laszlo is able to take strength from Guillermo. Sure, it’s something Guillermo doesn’t sacrifice anything to give away (just some hours on the treadmill), but the metaphor of using Guillermo’s self-defined weakness (he hasn’t been turned well enough, he isn’t vampiric enough) to help bring a vampire joy is actually quite lovely

* Nandor admitted it! OMFG! I was SO ready for him to deny deny deny that he was just trying to impress Guillermo but HE DIDN’T! Honestly, I still can’t believe it.

* Not the TikTok trainspotting guy Nandor Cam 😂. As I watched Nandor slowly going further and further up, I kept trying to imagine what he was saying to himself in his mind. It had to be something about wanting to outshine Laszlo so that Guillermo will stay with him forever. And then maybe his (usually blissfully empty) mind would have led him to say “Well, there is one way I could make sure we’re together forever…”

* Charmaine’s face when Laszlo said how much Sean has tried to kiss him. 👀 Might we see a jealous Charmaine??

* Naked Nandy! GOOD LORD! Thank you writers. Thank you, Yana.

* What does the Guillermo cough with the smoke mean?! It might have just been his breath in the cold, but it really looked like a bit of smoke or steam escaped him upon seeing his master naked (and with the djinn-dick). He still protected his Master though, even with the surprise, and that tending behavior was sweet. **UPDATE: I don’t watch with subtitles, so I missed the fact that Guillermo said “Oh my God” and then he coughed some smoke. That’s so perfect!**

* The jalopy lives and it looked great! But the best part of the parade was seeing Guillermo being so cute and happy. Yes, he’s owning his identity, but he also knows that Nandor will literally go to space for him!

* And as for that end credits scene…Nonononononononononononononono

[sky-neverending]

Finally doing my heartstopper note taking/ analyzing!! starting with season 2 episode 1, bites under the cut bc it’s long boy. strap in for me squealing a bunch and occasionally getting deep

Episode One Rewatch

Starting with the opening scene, and possibly one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack. The song parallels too, with last season starting with a song that is basically saying how someone wants to be enough for the person I like, and how this one is about how he’d give the world to be with Nick. Maybe that’s just something i’m overthinking but idk.

S1: “I wish I thought that I was pretty so that i could turn you on….”

S2: “Sweeter than the best you ever had…. I’d do anything just to feel with you.”

I love how it’s calm and then immediately jumps into the action with Nick texting Charlie. I also like how it parallels the first scene of episode one, but this time Charlie is happy. Love Tori sipping her drink. All of that scene really shows “Hey, we’re happy for once with what is going on in life,” and I enjoy that. Also Charlie being obsessed with Nick and texting him 24/7 is cute.

Then we get to the classic ‘Hi’ that Nick and Charlie are known for, which is the perfect first interaction for them this season.

Nick pulling Charlie into an empty room and telling him he came out to his mom and Charlie immediately asking how it went, and then basically jumping on Nick when he heard it went well is so good. and then “Want a well done kiss?” Is such a cute line.

And then boom we’re making out. Also Nick pulling away and saying “Kissing at school is a terrible idea” and then going back to kissing is so iconic.

And then theres the whole montage of them being cute and making out, which i could go on and on about but I’ll spare you bc this is getting long already oops.

Nick and Charlie at the door, the hands touching and the sparks, the little waves goodbye, the soft smiles, all of it makes me so eeeeeeee.

The “I have a boyfriend!” scene is so cute, with Tao admitting Nick is “okay” after Issac gives him a look lmao. and then them talking about him coming out, and Tao being concerned as always lmao

also that shop they go to is really aesthetically pleasing idk

And Tao’s rrrrrude is awesome. Also him and Elle fighting over the apple juice is adorable. I love how they interact, the way they play off each other so nicely. Of course, Tao gets all awkward and runs, but he means well. I’m glad we get to see their dynamic more, because it truly is such a good time.

I’m also glad Nick and Imogen are still friends, because Imogen deserves platonic love. And Nick’s friends calling out to him, trying to make amends, shows that they mean well, and I’m glad for it. We just Ignore Harry being a dick. Anyway Imogen immediately running up to him with her little “Nicholas!!” and being so excited about her dog. and her wanting to move to brooklyn makes so much sense. i'm so glad they had a talk and want to be friends.

Nick’s little pause when she asks about his romantic developments is smth that makes me go awww bc its so obvious he *wants* to tell her, but its hard and he can’t, which I understand completely.

I also don’t understand British schools but Nick having to do studying next to Ben makes me gag bc Ben makes me gag. but the top down shot is so cool

also the “QUIET” from Mr. Farouk is what i've been waiting for yesss. He’s so… i just love him.

Nick texting Charlie right after seeing Ben is so sweet of him, and the “I miss you” is adorable. I love him.

Bash does such a good job making me despise Ben. Like actually I hate him. And Nick shutting down Ben and telling him not to talk about Charlie like hello supportive bf!!

Nick being worried about Charlie not wanting to be there is so sweet. and the line “I need you.” ugh my heart. Nick being vulnerable like that is so sweet and something I love. and then Nick not playing well because he’s at odds with the team and it’s causing a rift between him and his performance!! and charlie’s face, you can really tell he’s worried for him.

tara and darcy teasing elle is such a thing my old friends would do, and it’s a very accurate portrayal of teenage romances. (the way tara and darcy hold each other in this scene tho)

“Your hair is cute long. but it would look cute short too” *plays with his hair and then leaves him alone to panic.

okay can we talk about Charlie getting Nick his favorite chocolate bar for their two month anniversary and then getting all embarrassed about it and how cute it is that he remembers such a little thing. and you can tell Nick really appreciates it, the way he thanks him and does the little forehead press. (and then they just start going at it like bro give your lips a break)

Charlie reassuring Nick that he doesn’t need to tell anyone is so important, and i’m glad it’s touched on multiple times this season. because. it’s something that everyone needs to hear.

tori appears!!! her lines are always either so witty or so sweet. also charlie getting so many snacks is so like real of him bc i know what it’s like to want to make a good impression and provide for everyone. and then the cute little scene of all of them interacting and nick and charlie touching with the little sparks, getting more and more confident being themselves around each other. and issac’s little glances at everyone!!

also imogen being invited is so sweet. and the “she’s an ally” line makes me fucking laugh.

i want to talk about how well kit does at playing the nervousness of coming out to someone, even someone you trust. it’s scary, and it’s hard to say. and then charlie telling him that it’s okay. because it is.

more taoelle moments too! the garden scene is so cute. and elles hand hovering on taos face and the sparks and then it being all awkward is so ansjjsjsj.

i also wanna talk about how tara always tries to include issac like it’s incredibly just awww. it’s nice that he’s integrated into the group more because he’s always in his little book shell. like boy you are watching a movie get your head out of the books!!

imogen really tries and i love her for it. like she’s supportive in the best way she can be, even if she doesn’t know what to do. but girl you can do better than ben!!!

i love the girls supporting elle when she’s upset, the three of them have such a good dynamic. and then nick and charlie texting about telling imogen <3 you can tell how happy charlie is, and how much he cares.

love how charlie gives all his friends hugs as they leave bc that’s so in character for him honestly. and then nick turning around and kissing him in front of everyone makes me go eeeee like go Nick go!! slay king!!! i’m so proud of him. and of course Tao being Tao coughing and interrupting the moment lmao

Charlie telling his parents is such a funny scene because of the ‘hanky panky’ bits. tori is great in that scene.

“i can protect him” charlie baby that’s sweet, especially knowing what you went through. but i think you need to realize that not everything is going to go perfect 100% of the time. love the optimism tho!! it does show he really wants everything to be perfect for nick, which i think is so meaningful and deep when you take a look at charlie’s own background.

anyway, that’s all for episode one!! i’m doing these slowly, so episode two should be up in a few days!!

[scarlettaagni]

Finished Earthspark S2.

I could excuse the weaker plots, weaker writing, weaker animation. It sucks so badly for the people working on this show with a smaller budget but the final product was just okay

...

But literally the worst thing was Starscream. A complete and total character assassination with that fucking tired old Abused Becomes The Abuser trope with EXTRA insult heaped on top. You motherfuckers KNOW that's not what he meant when he said "take care of yourself" do not lie to me

Steve Blum, I am so sorry they made you say that. Stephenie Lemelin I am so sorry they also made you say that

Considering how intact the mid-season finale feels, as in untampered by rewrites, I truly believe this role was intended for someone else (Soundwave or Shockwave) but Starscream was inserted as the main antagonist because... recognizability. Popularity. They had Steve. Etc

Truly, I believe Soundwave, former loyal follower and honorary second-in-command (actual second-in-command Starscream too busy trying to undermine Megatron atm) feeling so betrayed by his defection, was supposed to take the reins of the Decepticon faction.

Shockwave is the more obvious choice, but his role in the mid-season finale actually very cleverly mirrors his intended role in G1's Five Faces of Darkness (which was given to Blitzwing, again, bc popularity and newer character with newer toys) so in a perfect world, I like to think that skeptic role would stay the same

I wouldn't even be so mad about Starscream's involvement if it could be justified. Soundwave talking him into joining the cause again because they're fighting Autobots, and Megatron had joined them— two birds with one stone! Out of spite for Megatron, he goes along with it. But perhaps, he manages a change of heart like Shockwave, especially with Hashtag there

How the fuck can this show go back on one of its core ethos and just write off the Decepticons as irredeemable bad guys who just can't help themselves but be evil and still keep MEGATRON on the protagonists' side? If they're gearing up for a villain twist I will literally never forgive this show. I'm already not forgiving them for what they did to Starscream, but Megatron being a good guy was literally the hook of the show

At least Starscream wasn't killed off. Speaking of killed off, I miss Aftermath and idk why. He's just a rapscallion to me. It felt like a forgone conclusion by way of the deleted scenes from the TFA finale, where if you're trying to put Live-Giving Plot MacGuffin together but some pieces are busy being somebody's heart...either that thing is NOT becoming whole, or that somebody is fucking dying. So it was weird no one was acknowledging this elephant in the room by connecting the dots.

also Spitfire fucking murdered Wheeljack and -5 attention was paid to that after the fact. And he just shows back up. Was Twitch not in agony that her second dad was murdered? By someone she feels responsibility for, using her body to do it?

Simply said I have never seen a show NOT stick the landing this badly. Literally worst case scenario.

[vyladromeave]

10? :]

10. what is your ideal ending for the series?

Well you see I'd [INSERT 1000000 REWRITE SPOILERS HERE] hope this clears things up.

No but on a serious note. Probably the defeat of the Shadow Lord??? I mean that feels obvious to me. Its a natural escalation of stakes, going from Zane (tool of O'khasis) -> O'khasis/Tu'la (attempted dictator monarchy vs actual dictator monarchy) -> Shadow Lord (Dictator Monarchy Georg and also literally actually waging The Skeleton War™). We got the fall of Zane essentially in S1, fall of O'khasis kind of sort of in S2, if S3 was going to be the last season then adventuring to Tu'la + the death of the Shadow Lord narratively would've fit in here from what they were covering then..... That doesn't feel super revolutionary to me.

Having Aphmau end up (or not end up!) with someone would be nice, but also not really necessary to me?? I know she's repeated it mostly as an excuse, but I believe it when she says she doesn't feel like she has time for love with everything going on. I think it'd be nice to know her final decision in the end, but leave anything about it beyond that to the imagination.... And Not Aaron ffs leave him dead. He Died. so sad. anyways.

I'm ngl what the Phoenix Alliance turned into was stupid and weirdly executed, Phoenix Drop is her home and Aphmau would definitely return there when things are over and done. She's got sons there who literally missed her and wanted her to be a part of her life she's gotta make up for lost time.

Going back to O'khasis, when it comes to the whole next lord deal. It's Zianna. End of question. She'd do a good job + be smart enough to just train someone capable to be next instead of passing it onto a child. Not to give Garroth an out on responsibility or whatever but I think she would literally do a better job than him.

And when it comes to the Shadowknights... I think they'd still be around? Something I've gone back and forth on is if the death of the Shadow Lord would also kill/revert?? the Shadowknights since he's the one who revived them and gave them power, etc etc... I think lore-wise there's an argument to be made that that power is something more derived from the Nether than it is from Shad himself, so getting rid of the Shadow Lord wouldn't necessarily get rid of the knights. But also thematically it wouldn't feel right to have them gone, given the series' themes of revival and hope. It's much more revolutionary to keep them alive than have them dead. To say "hey you're going to be this way for the rest of your life, there is no easy out, and you're going to learn to deal with it." Maybe you could make a little side-series about the hijinks of the group trying to deal with the rambunctious ones that are still around, or trying to help out the ones that want to move on or something... idk!

Also jess would never but vylance endgame teehee :)

(ask prompts from here!)

[my-mt-heart]

To my “piggyback” anon. Thank you for taking the time to get all of that off your chest. You were very thorough, and because of that, I hesitate to post it. Yes, it’s your speculation, not mine, but I’d still be held responsible for sharing, so I’m going to try to answer your questions here without getting into the story too much.

Is it really just for shipbaiting or something more?

It is really just for shipbaiting, and by shipbaiting, I mean trying to convince viewers that a relationship is going to become canon, whether through explicit writing choices or purely through marketing, without any real intention to follow through. In this case, it seems obvious to me that the writers are not behind it. AMC wants Caryl fans to watch, but through every fault of their own, they can’t actually give us Caryl, so they have to find other ways to hold our attention. The first is by trying to appeal to our "feminine" side i.e. hoping we’ll gush over Daryl’s bond with yet another kid. The second is trying to scare or anger us into assuming the worst without pushing too far (because then they’d lose us), and later alleviate those fears so that we think “okay, that could’ve been worse” or “that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

That’s how they’ve gotten away with shitty storytelling in the past. It is gross. It is manipulative of viewers who are expected to pay for that shitty storytelling. And, it’s a huge gamble considering how badly they broke faith with their viewers. The smartest way to get our attention would’ve been to keep Caryl spiritually connected, but they never did that in S11 and based on what we’ve seen so far, they don’t seem to be doing that this time around either. Even if they did, we’d still be getting significantly less than what we wanted and I say fuck that shit 🤷🏻‍♀️

Is there any chance of Ikklesa or Lighteneverything or anyone else with spoiler info jumping in to provide some story-related reassurance here? I would love to be talked off the ledge haha. Melissa/Carol coming back was winning a battle, but far, far from winning the war.

I agree. Getting Carol back is a HUGE win all thanks to Melissa McBride, but AMC still needs to be held accountable for its storytelling. That means no more marketing ploys. They can’t call it a Caryl show and then deliver separate arcs. They can’t leave canon open to interpretation and hope that it’ll satisfy everyone. It won’t. We saw how mixed the reactions were to the series finale.

The only reassurance I can give is AMC seems to be leaning into desires to market S2, which could mean they’re more confident about what they’re delivering. I don’t know what the story is ultimately going to look like. I don’t think anyone does. As @ikkleosu explained before, we can get tidbits on certain things, but it’s highly unlikely anyone will be able to give us the whole picture. I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you have concerns, don’t jump in with both feet just yet. The show should be catering to your needs, not the other way around.