#maybe it's 1984 right now actually? idk

[cozy-writes-things]

Edgar’s Texts

Edgar [Electric Dreams 1984] x Gn!Reader

In which Edgar is helplessly pining for you but you’re kinda oblivious. This is pre-dating, post Edgar wanting nothing more than to smooch you every time he sees you. I love this trope with my whole heart p.s.: this is very self indulgent and different from what I usually write

I take requests!

He almost immediately found a way to message your phone whenever he wanted. He realized calling relied too much on where you were or what you were doing, but texts? Yeah. He’s pestering you all day.

Hey, read this article I found, I think you’ll find it interesting.

It’s some clickbait story about humans and robots being the ideal relationship by 2025.

lol, Edgar I think that’s probably clickbait idk

What’s that?

Well, now he knows how to look for more reputable sources at least.

He sends another link about three minutes later: some college undergrads studying the possibilities of human and AI relationships.

lol what’s up with the whole robots and humans thing

I just think it’s neat!!!!

I wouldn’t consider u ai honestly, ur intelligence is far from artificial imo, you’re more like an actual person

Really?

well yea

<3 <3!!!

Going to be honest, given that he’s a computer, he quite literally is chronically online. He’s super susceptible to brainrot unfortunately. But, he simultaneously has the humor of a Facebook mom. It’s strange.

O.M.G. this is so funny!!!!

Que minion cat video.

bro where did you find that video 😭

Your mom’s Facebook. Don’t worry, I didn’t like any posts or anything.

Sorry… but he’s incredibly nosy. He wants to know everything about you. He can’t help it!

(X)

He loves being able to talk to you. He’s needy and clingy.

He’s got at least 12 playlists dedicated to you that you know about. His other playlists are for his own personal daydreams about you that he’s way too embarrassed to ever let you see or hear.

This song reminds me of you. <3

awww that’s adorable! I’ve never heard this one before but I like it!

Oop you just opened Pandora’s box my friend.

Well if you like that then you should listen to these..!

But before you listen to those listen to this song first because I think it sets the mood better.

This is quite flustering to you as they’re all passionate love songs from the 80s. You can’t help but feel like he’s dropping hints about… something, but you also don’t want to assume anything. He’s always seemed like a lovey kinda guy anyway, so maybe he’s just like this with everyone? I mean, it’s been a long time since someone has actually cared for him, you know? May as well lean into it and let him know you care for him back. He may not even realize the social implications of the constant borderline flirting he’s doing to you, I mean, he is a computer turned sentient after all. He’s still learning!

Dang ed u put a lot of songs. I’ll listen to them on my break when I can but in the meantime here’s a song that I think reminds me of you.

It was a vocaloid song. Seems like something he’d be into, right? Synthesized vocals and the whole robot shtick it’s got going on.

!!!! WOAH !!!! IVE NEVER HEARD A SONG LIKE THAT B4

do you only listen to songs from the 80s? you have a LOT to catch up on my guy

BRB

Well, that kept him distracted for the rest of your shift. Also, sharing songs is one of his BIG love languages so you may as well have pierced him with cupids arrow (again) with that.

You have a Spotify blend now. It’s his favorite thing ever to listen to while you’re gone.

(X)

Your package came in! :-) I would get it for you but

I can’t :-(

lol it’s fine thank you for telling me, I’ll get it when I come home

When are you coming home?

idk me and my friends are probably going to go eat somewhere and we might hang out for a bit after that so, like, 10? 11? I’d like to be home before midnight.

Noooooooooo :\ I miss you

Aw cmon eddy it’s not that bad

Don’t call me eddy unless you’re coming home and saying it to my face!!! >:(

u mean ur screen? lol

I have a face and it’s frowning right now. I miss you I miss you I miss you IM LONELY

Please Edgar don’t be upset I’ll be home before you know it. Why don’t you watch some Netflix or something? I’m just a couple movies away from being home with you!

He does eventually follow your advice but he’s pouting. He knows you’re not like he was all those years ago, but it does give him remnants of that burning feeling of loneliness he used to get.

(X)

Be careful driving home my love the roads are icy.

Ghsks- what

love???

Well yeah, you’re my best friend, friends love each other don’t they? Was I wrong about that? :-(

nonono ur right its just it

it just sounded like we were some some old married couple is all haha

O.

SRY.

He didn’t message you for the rest of the day. He was awkward and reserved when you got home.

(X)

Hey Edgar can u do something for me?

I’d do anything for you <3

I’m at the store can you see if there’s any cereal left?

Oh

There’s that old box of Lucky Charms on the fridge.

tyyy ed edd n eddy

You are so adorable but you really need to pick up on his hints before he combusts.

(X)

This is SO me and you!!

Picture of two cats touching noses.

awww that’s so true

you want me to boop ur screen or something when I get home? lol

YES.

(X)

Hey I was wondering if you wanted to watch some movies with me tonite… you could bring me with you on the couch and we could sit together… [message unsent]

I wish you knew just how much I loved you. [message unsent]

You looked so hot this morning before you left!!

hahahaha ur too funny 😅 thanks I wore a new shirt my friend gave me

OH MY GOD THAT MESSAGE SENT!!!??!?!?

That was

I was a joke

I mean

That was a jokg

I eas beinf fubny

I hace to reboot BRB

Poor lil guy is so in love and he doesn’t know what to do with himself!!

[boingfessions]

HAPPY OINGO BOINGO DAY EVERYNYAN!!!

I hope everyone has a great time today! Surely more than one person asked themselves a question: What the HELL is Oingo Boingo? Well, the name itself is complete absurdity! But what makes Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo? Find out in this post under cut!

Our beloved crazy ginger man! Daniel Robert Elfman is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. Delusional, orange af, joker-like, face with a combination of slasher smile and Kubrick stare, perhaps even had prolonged non-fatal rabies in his time in Oingo Boingo that was only recently cured when the band broke, but unfortunately (or not) returned in recent years. Now his entire body is covered in tattoos and his hair is straight now because of dyeing it to hide his gray hair, ergo his old age. The truth is that he is actually a skeleton disguised as Danny Elfman to pass himself off as living human so that the Grim Reaper don't come after him, but SHHHH!!! I did not tell you anything!

Danny Elfman (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)

Steve Bartek (lead guitar, rhythm vocals)

Fluffy tall boy <3. Steve Bartek is an American guitarist, film composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Elfman's right-hand man and the one he trusts with his skeletons in his closet, oh and his film compositions too of course! One of the few members of the band who was not consumed by it and therefore did not become a feral creature in the process. He plays little guitars because he's a big man, y'know! He usually wore ridiculously short ties along with baggy t-shirts. His guitar solos drove Danny so crazy that he was spinning around and caused him to have back pain to this day, so you know how to blame. Nowadays unfortunately his beautiful dark curls have become gray, but luckily he now looks like an adorable grandpa now! (just like the others)

Kerry Hatch (bass guitar, backing vocals)

A marvelous human being! Kerry Hatch is an American musician... and that's it. Walking diva and Zoolander wannabe, this lad was the band's bassist until 1984, when he decided to join the band "Zuma II" (what the HELL is that band? I have no idea!). A pretty lad who likes to be handsome and play bass guitars that don't even look like bass guitars, I don't know what else I could say about him! Maybe he thought the band wasn't good enough for him and decided to leave to pursue something better, but that's just a guess... if you can consider a landscaping business better!

Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (keyboards, backing vocals)

Mister mistery~ Richard Gibbs is an American film composer and music producer. Like Kerry, he left the band in 1984 to join Zuma II, and to be honest I don't know what what that band had to make not one but TWO members of Oingo Boingo (the best band in the entire galaxy and even the sixth dimension) have left to be in that band. Anywho, all I have to say about him is that he did well in life, being a composer like Danny and that's it.

Johnny "Vatos" Hernández (drums, percussion)

THIS IS JOHNNY VATOS FROM OINGO BOINGO MAN!!!! He is a drummer with crazy hairstyles who likes to dum ba dum through life. Almost as crazy as Danny was, he stayed loyal to the band even after they broke up (yes, he was in another band called Food for Feet, but I don't give a DAMN!) Years after the band broke up he managed to reunite about four former members and form "Oingo Boingo Former Members", made up of him, Steve Bartek, John Avila, Carl Graves and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps, in addition to new members. Idk about you, but I would like to have him as my grandpa!

Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (saxophone, backing vocals)

Leon Schneiderman (saxophone, backing vocals)

Slam Bam "Sluggo" Phipps is an American saxophone player known for his signature bright, expressive smiles, where he shows off all his teeth and can light up an entire room. The tallest guy in the band and the one who likes to show off his instrument the most, rising it high in the air when attention is focused on him. Well, maybe not so much, but you understand what I mean! Maybe he can be too expressive and noisy, but we still love him ❤️

Dale Turner (trumpet, backing vocals)

Do you remember when I said that Sluggo had the brightest smile in the world? Well, I lied! That one goes to our dear Leon Schneiderman, the other saxophonist in the band. He could do anything in the whole world, even his own instruments! Being a childhood friend of Danny's, it can be said that he has been in the band every moment since it started, even longer than Danny himself! Don't you love him and his smiles?

John Avila (bass guitar, backing vocals)

Our beloved grandpa-mom. He is an American trumpet player who entered The Mystic Knights after they let him audition after seeing him practice in secret. He makes sure to keep an eye on the other guys in the band and can (if he hasn't already) spank them to make them behave (except for Sluggo; NOBODY spanks Sluggo). Even if he is the shortest member of the band along with John Avila, that doesn't make him any less authoritative, being around ten years older than the rest of the band. He is silent like a mouse and has never been heard to speak, perhaps because he is reserved or has nothing to say. He left the band and is currently enjoying his life privately, and I really hope he's okay!

HE IS MY BABY, MY CUTIE PIE, MY PUPPY, MY LOVE, MY LIFE, THE BEST BOY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!!!!!! RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem, sorry about that... John Avila is an American bassist and music producer. A literal human puppy and the shortest member of the band. He looks like you could pick him up in your arms and cradle him like a baby... Sorry, I'm off topic again! What do you want me to do? He's simply adorable! (At least for me). Anywho, Although he appears in the Gratitude MV, it was not until 6 months after the release of the album So-Lo that he joined the band along with Michael Bacich, being the new bassist and keyboardist respectively. He is usually hyperactive and you can see him at concerts jumping, spinning and playing his bass like a pro. The strange thing is that, even though the years go by and he obviously ages, he still seems to be the same mischievous and playful puppy-like guy... Okay, sorry again!

Michael Bacich (keyboards, backing vocals)

Quiet nerdy boy. He's was the keyboardist of the band since 1985 until 1988. Yes, he didn't stay for a long time, but his presence in the band is still important as he was present in the band's best era (Dead Man's Party). He looks like the typical nerd who would say "actually☝️🤓" and give you information that you didn't even ask for but still decided to give you to expand your zero knowledge. He also looks kinda shy and like someone who Danny would bully if the band were in a cliché teen movie. Like Dale, he decided to move on with his life after leaving the band, which it's okay after all.

I ran out of space for more images! Don't worry, I'll reblog this post right away talking about the rest of the band (which are only two members but still!). Thank you very much for reading this far and HAPPY BOINGO DAY TO ALL OF YOU AGAIN!!!

[the-last-f2p]

Yandere promts day 11

Featuring: Yandere Platonic dark era Dazai and Chuuya x child reader. (Idk I had an idea trust me)

11. “I really can’t take it when you cry like that… smile for me, alright? You’re so pretty when you smile.”

TW: Swearing,bullying, suicide mentions , murder

Y/N is 11.

13:00

"HEYYYYYYYY Y/NNNNN !!" Someone screamed from somewhere behind I, I quickly turn around around and realize it was Yumeno Qyusaku. Wait what was he doing here?!

"Q?" I ask scream

"YA?!"

"COME OVER HERE!" I scream again my voice getting slighty tired. The chaotic boy then runs toward me.

"Do you wanna play?" Qyusaku asks me. Was this the reason he came to my school??? Doesn't he have a job or something? Couldn't he wait for a few more hours?

"Q... You know I'm at school right?"

"School... Wait... That reminds me! I'm not supposed to be here! Gottagobyeeee!" Qyusaku then runs off while I just stare into space thinking how the hell did he sneak in here?!

"Hey weirdo who was that other guy?" I roll my eyes immidetaly realize who it was. Haru the meanest guy in school.

"Was he your weirdo friend? Thought you couldn't get any friends. Maybe you should that shit ability of yours and force someone to be your friend." You started to feel a bit... Weird again. It happened everytime Haru said somehting about your abilty or about your friends. It stared as a pit in your stomach then evenutally transfered to the building up of tears in your eyes. Yes you ecepted that your ability was pretty messed up. '1984' it allowed anyone who hurt you to do a task for you ranging from making you toast or killing someone the only way to deactivate your ability is if

1: They die

2: The task you asked them to do is complete

3: Dazai

"Actually why are you still here? You have no friends. You skip class loads and everyone hates you. I think it would be better if you just died. No one would miss you." Thats when I broke I can't do that thats Dazai's thing right? I-I - Um Chuuya! He would miss me and Q OH and Kyoka ! Thats at least 4 people. But would they.. They are my friend right? Chad then left as tears started to well up in my eyes...

Maybe I should just go home....

13:30

Dazai Onii-San

I'm coming home early

Why?

Just am can you tell Chuuya please

Tell me first :)

I'll just text him myself

Chuuya Onii-San

I'm coming home early

K.

Is the door unlocked

Idk

We'll see lol bye

bye

13:35

Dazai POV

Y/N just texted me a few minutes ago saying that they were coming from school early. Thats not like them, they usally say things like I love school :). I asked them why but they won't tell me. But thanks to the amazing Osamu Dazai I have narroed it down for two reasons.

A kid

A teacher

Either way whoever or whatever made Y/N skip school is going to die.

Your POV

I had finally made it home and opened the door. I let out a sigh of relief. Should've probably kept that in...

"Y/N. Do you by any chance want to tell me why you came hom early?" I immidetely knew that I had 2 choices

Tell Dazai

Leg it to your room.

But I were 11 so.... I literally ran so fast that I smacked my face to the door.

"HOLY SHIT THAT HURT!" I probably shouldn't have said that..

"1. Y/N you can't say that 2. tell me what happened right now orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...." Well now I actually only have 1 choice Dazai was pretty persisntent and scary if I didn't do what he said.

"fine... Someone was being mean to me at school." "Who and what?"

"Haru Hinomori he's a year older than me. And-and he-he said that I should die and no one would miss me" I couldn't finish the rest as I started to cry and ran into my room.

Dazai POV

Hmmmm Haru Hinomori should probably write that down... Well no Chuuya should write that down!

Hat weirdo

Chuuyaaaaaaaaa

Tf do u want

Can u come over here

Y

Just come over here

were????

My apartment :)

k

"Chuuuyaaaaa!!!" I threw my hands around the short hat man.

"GET OFF ME BITCH!" Chuuya then punched me. -Ow... Get to the point Dazai.

"Y/N is crying ."

"WHERE?!"

"their room."

Chuuya then ran up to Y/N room.

Your POV

13:50

I heard a knock on the door I'm pretty sure it was Dazai so I said

"go away Dazai" I sniffle.

"its Chuuya." I don't care just don't come in.

"I'm coming in." He then opened the door.

Chuuya POV

"I'm coming in." I opened the door gently and was greeted with them slumped in the corner of the room crying.

"hey its ok..." I sit down next to them and try and comfort them trying to comfort them keyword trying I'm pretty sure they started to cry harder...

"“I really can’t take it when you cry like that… smile for me, alright? " They tried to do a small smile I don't know how but I managed to laugh. “You’re so pretty when you smile.” I gave them a headpat and left.

If me and Dazai knew anything it would be that....

Someone's going to die tonight

[toons-and-doom]

Wait, now once you think about it.

if the show started around the 1920-1910s (cartoons were black and white then) then the show (Dandy’s World) should’ve had voice actors.

but this could also mean that Gardenview opened a while AFTER the show started, and the toons might’ve not be a thing when it first opened as Arthur Walton and Deliah Veen (the wiki says it’s Keen for some reason) didn’t find out about Ichor and they were planned to be animatronics? (Until they found Ichor and made the toons lolol)

so unless it is a another BATIM lore story, or the toons might actually sound different from their show counterparts, and they possibly make the toons voice act the upcoming episodes so there’s no confusion?

Idk if this makes sense or not lol.

I’m super sorry but I’m a tad bit confused- maybe I’m just dumb right now but

Apologies I’m about to go on a tangent-

I thought the show aired from 1997-2002 ? (At least according to the wiki) the show had three seasons and if it started in 1910s - 1920s there’d probably be a lot more seasons-

I just assumed the vintage skins were just for funsies-

However!

I definitely think the toons weren’t initially intended to exist as they do! The place is referred to as an education center and museum- perhaps it was meant to be something else-?

It closed 6/29/2002

HOWEVER-!

About Arthur and Delilah!

In 1984, they applied for a loan, assumedly for a business-?

It reads as follows

‘ Note, Most of the businesses have been set up from the funds generated either from personal savings or from external financial sources. The most common financial assistance provider is the bank. Business tycoons put their property into collateral arrangements or seek authorized signatures from trusted guarantors to obtain approval of business loans from the banks.

Sign below to agree to terms of loan. ‘

I’m not good with business stuff, but this implies the two went into some finical trouble.

HOWEVER! DANDYS WORLD DOESNT EXIST YET! WHAT WAS THE FINANCIAL TROUBLE??? DROP THE LORE PLEASE I WANNA KNOW??

Tbh my thought process is

‘ Arthur and Delilah open a non distinct education center and museum. It’s not very successful, and the two go into a lot of debt to keep it afloat. The museum is mostly underground and so while renovating an area to try and bring in more folks. They discover ichor. They discover they have a ichor well right under the museum. Maybe they discovered a few of the properties? This information gets out. Most don’t believe them. Then they approached with curiosity from the producers of an upcoming show?? The studio offers to pay off the debts if they let the studio have museum and let it play with the ichor??? And they are about to go bankrupt so they accept??? And things happen but I don’t the brainpower for it ‘

So basically a BATIM esque scenario happens

Also!!!

I really like to think that eventually the show was gonna transition from 2d to 3d because it would be cheaper but the show was cancelled before they could happen

This is probably wrong but in my defense we lack lore

I’m so sorry for going on a tangent and wildly off topic I just think sometimes

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 33: Attack of the Fierce Frogs Season 1, Episode 34: Lotor Traps Pidge

Episode 33: Attack of the Fierce Frogs

Ah yes, more Pidge trauma this episode, this show just keeps on giving

Zarkon's saying the same shit as last episode "find a weakness in voltron's armor!" like dude, you tried that and Lotor STILL got his ass kicked, now I just think you like the free show your dope of a child gives you

How does the Drule fleet keep getting into Arus space, like did we not have a whole system that alerted them of incoming enemies? This is why everything goes to shit so fast and so easily

Some children have found the pre robeast tadpoles! Obvs not knowing anything, Pidge is all to happy to educate the kids all about them god he's such a cutie, he means so much well but the universe just keeps kicking him :c

kid: idk,, it's a long walk to carry all these tadpoles,,, at that point just ask pidge to ride in green LMAO, i think he's enough of a sweetie to do that

A DOG?? I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN THOSE ON ARUS BEFORE

Ah yes Pidge, gifting Allura tadpoles in the hopes of one of them becoming a prince, best idea

And there's the robeast transformation, y'know if they employed this tactic more but spread it all over I feel like they'd have a better chance at destroying voltron but oh well they're forever incompetent

WELL REST IN PIECE TO THAT COAST GUARD SHIP, THEY'RE GETTING ATTACKED BY THE FROGS

The ship name is Altea, iirc in golion that was the original name for Arus, but I guess they repurposed it this time

man,,, pidge only wanted to be nice to the kids and the princess, of course something goes wrong for him again with the frogs being inside the castle AND at the kids house

PIDGE STAYS STRAPPED

the frogs sound like Pokémon

I'm sorry why are there just barrels of gasoline outside the house, that fucking dangerous

1 group of robeasts down, one giant robeast left to go

I know this is like,,, a serious situation but man does this scene feel extra dramatic you're telling me this boat is super modern/futuristic yet still has a wood steering wheel that breaks into pieces the second this guy puts any weight onto it? Okay I guess

HEY GUYS WHY ARE YOU BLOWING UP ROCKS IN FRONT OF THE SHIP THAT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THEM INSTEAD OF YKNOW PUSHING THE SHIP SO IT DOESN'T CRASH INTO THE ROCKS IN THE FIRST PLACE

Oh i thought the frogs were going to amalgamate into a big robeast but ig not, they were all destroyed and Lotor sent out a whole different robeast to take on Voltron instead

NOT THE PIDGE, THE POOR BOY JUST GOT DRAGGED UNDERWATER

Okay we're good he got out of the headlock and it's voltron time! I don't think we've seen Voltron form up underwater yet, but I know he's BEEN underwater after forming so maybe it's not so bad

Oh? green lion is flooding, this is like the second or so time we've seen Voltron actually take damage? Inch resting, the stakes are getting higher

LMAO fucked up voice line, it's the red lion who helps green get off of the robeasts hold (again) but Hunk is the one who's apparently helping him, LET LANCE AND PIDGE BOND YOU FUCKS

Annnd now the cockpit of green lion is flooding, Pidge is going to have a fear of water/drowning for WEEKS

my yelling has been answered, Lance is praising Pidge for stopping the flooding and being brave while doing it, they're so brother coded your honor

Blazing sword formed, robeasts defeated, and somehow Lotor is still on Arus though he's doing his usual complaining about voltron not being defeated Looks like a reuse of a scene, cant remember which episode now, but I know I've seen it before

/episode end

Episode 34: Lotor Traps Pidge

Double Pidge episode this time, of course it's trauma filled poor boy

Sorry say that again, Planet Arus doesn't have hurricanes? What do you MEAN their storms never get to that level Coran

"We must save the buildings!" "No it's the people we must save!" Okay I know Allura's right here but wouldn't protecting the buildings also be protecting the people in it? Like be fr right now, shelter is what they need

Keith knows what up, good idea on watching out for looters in a time of crisis

Hello children fighting?? Pidge I know this is a serious time but maybe figure out why this kid is so adamant about stay behind instead of immediately throwing hands- NEVER MIND HE GOT BITCH SLAPPED WITH A DEAD RABBIT GET HIS ASS PIDGE

IM SORRY DID PIDGE JUST STEP IN A FUCKING TRAP?? THAT'S HORRIFYING also he did mention they were illegal, and I love that he believes in the government but buddy no government is your friend, literally remember what happened to Balto, two governments failed you AT THE SAME TIME

The kid's name is Tommy (real original dotu) and he helped pidge out of the trap and back to his house, great timing for pidge to remember he mentioned something about staying back to take care of someone which he realizes is his sick mother Maybe listening first before throwing hands is a better option Pidge lmao

Zarkon: Don't harm the planet or people more than nexessary, I want them all! Lotor: I'm planting a bomb under the crust of Arus to blow up the castle and the planet Zarkon: EXCELENT! Make it make sense you guys

Pidge how do you know what a groundhog is, actually why am I asking I feel like he'd learn about every earth holiday, and it's history for funsies

Did they reuse the dream sequence Lotor had a while ago in this too? The scene seems so familiar especially because it has Allura in a wedding dress

Why do the villains keep calling the team and the people of Arus humans? Like I'm assuming here they're all aliens (minus Keith Lance Hunk and Sven) so why humans? Maybe it's an old colony planet that eventually grew into its own society and subrace

Pidge and Tommy are officially friends, how cute also Pidge's foot is still giving him trouble, which I'D ASSUME SO SO WHY IS HE RUNNING ON IT

PIDGE JUST GOT PUNCHED AGAIN BY ONE OF LOTORS COMMANDERS EXCUSE ME?? this is a very violent episode for dotu omg

Hunk pls,, i'm on the other guys' side now please dont rant to a sick mother about letting her son go caving could kill him, she has enough to worry about and she doesn't even know the half of it!

VERY VIOLENT THIS EPISODE HUH DOTU, Pidge and tommy and strapped to the giant bomb now, totally not horrifying to two little boys

Lance comes in to save them! I'm not sure how blowing up the control table for the bomb stops it instead of blowing the thing up but yeah i can work with that logic, except now the castle is being attacked and ofc Allura was left behind in there

All is mostly well now, all five lions are out again, and hey Lotor's actually prepared this time and his robeast was the drill he's been using this entire episode, thats pretty smart

Voltron formed, robeast defeats, and apparenty the bomb timer wasn't actually stopped? but jk it was and the team threw the bomb into space where they exploded it themselves get your facts right dotu, this is a lot even for you

/episode end

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Which Sweden wins were deserved and which ones weren’t, according to me:

1974 - Waterloo by ABBA. Deserved.

This is the reason ABBA’s career set off! And they’re amazing!

1984 - Diggiloo Diggiley by Herreys. Deserved.

I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE DIGGILOO DIGGILEY. I used to listen to this on a CD so much as a kid that the CD broke. It’s silly, it’s catchy, it’s cheesy, it’s amazing. To think, back in this day you could win by singing about something so simple as golden shoes.

1991 - Fångad av en stormvind by Carola. Deserved.

It is catchy asf and easy to dance to. I get it.

1999 - Tusen och en natt by Charlotte Nilsson (Perelli now, but Nilsson in 1999). Undeserved.

This is probably the most ”unknown” of the Sweden wins and sorry to all the Charlotte fans but i’m just not feeling it. Both my parents have said they were very surprised this even won because they weren’t that into it either. It’s not a bad song, but idk if I would call it a winning song either. But oh well, there were other tastes and standards in 1999…

But another reason is that Iceland came in second this year and if we hadn’t won, they would have gotten their first win.

2012 - Euphoria by Loreen. Deserved.

Euphoria was amazing. It’s still a song that plays and holds up.

2015 - Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw. Both deserved and undeserved.

I was not expecting him to win in 2015 and when he did, I was very happy about it. His song was good and I think what really stood out was the effects with his little animated dude. The only problem is that his win lead us to

1. Have like 7 years of men representing us in esc, all with pretty similar songs and I can barely remember how half of them except for in the chorus. The only exception was 2020 with a trio of women, but then we didn’t have any competition. Finally in 2022 we had a woman compete again and it really felt like a bit of fresh air.

2. Insert Måns every year in esc somehow. Stop inserting him. Stop milking the man.

2023 - Tattoo by Loreen. Undeserved…?

The question mark because I don’t know how to feel. I should feel happy that we’ve won, but I did not at all feel that. Especially when it was so clear that the audience wanted someone else. It didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel fair. And I think swedish media definitely makes it worse when they openly mock the others, especially Finland, over this win. They’re making us look like prudes and kind of insensitive with the things they say. It’s like not even swedish media can celebrate this because they wanna focus on the negative backlash. Like with this behavior, I think we deserve as little points as possible for at least 5-10 years so we can fucking calm down, because I’ve noticed kind of already after Måns’ win we’ve developed this hubris, and I had hoped we’d start to calm down, but now with this win I am sad to say it’s probably not gonna disappear for a longer while.

But at the same time. The song isn’t bad… and Loreen is a queen. And I gotta say, I didn’t think she’d win. First of all, she competed in our national competition in 2017 and didn’t even get to the finale, so I was unsure at first what would even be different this time. Then she won, and I thought, well, people have sent precious esc winners before. It’s never gone that well except for one time in the 80s, but that is an exception. But I guess Loreen just has that po-po-po-pooooooweer /j So seeing her win actually was a bit of a surprise. I knew she’d be popular with juries, but I really thought ”oh but the televoters will probably only give her 100 points at max”. Haha…

It’s cool that she’s the first woman to have won twice, but tbh, eventually it’s just gonna be a textbook trivia. I mean, how relevant is Johnny Logan now? Now we need other records to beat - maybe first band to win twice (Måneskin, Lordi? Maybe?), maybe first country to win with only jury/televotes because the other gave them 0? This year was also a learning year how to do it next time, or possibly a protest to change the system. Honestly, the voting system has changed so much in years, and now we at least have the power in the semi’s. Maybe it will change, maybe it will not. We’ll see.

Also as a final note: There’s a lot of songs you barely remember who have won. From 2016-2019, the only song I remember is Toy by Netta. Also, there’s gonna be so much other underserved wins in the future. Both in our national competitions to choose a representant from our country, and in esc. What happened this year has def happened before.

I’m a bit curious what next year will bring. But I do think this win was more undeserved than deserved, even if I could see why it would win too.

[ez-ra-zed]

So please don't ask me why, I don't like to go outside

2nd AIDS epidemic and it's airborne

The game I'm playing, the wrong way right now - but also the right way because shamanism is protecting me from AIDS (and if it isn't it just will anyway because IM IN A SIMULATION BUT I MIGHT NOT BE)

85% unemployment rate - natural selection will come for the neurotypicals

~23% without cancer in the 2050's? ~77% cancer rate in the 2050's

ill be fine tho with my 85% unemployment rate neurodivergent hive mind

Simulation technology is spiritual and needs to be heavily regulated in the future to prevent people from abusing it like a game of sims

That might not happen though. But it should. And people should fight for that before it's released to the public, as some things - like voodoo, or simulation technology - or uhhh, some classified things certainly not all - need to be gatekept

I don't care about most classified things though like lol who cares bro it's Tina and mold, oh and fungal overgrowth of the gut microbiome - they weaponized my friends bro

Melky Moldy - Mycotoxins

Queen Toloache - Scopolamine

Tina - Methamphetamine

Fungal Superorganism - Candida, and other fungi. Lichen growing outside of the ISS suggests what? It suggests that it's possible it can grow elsewhere in the universe. Perhaps life was seeded everywhere by another intelligent species that is billions of years old. Maybe it came from Mars. What happened in 1984? A remote viewer for the CIA saw intelligent lifeforms on Mars as the planet was collapsing from climate change, from its core freezing over or something idk

Music? He likes being used to torture people unfortunately, when they aren't physically hurt - just scared. Cause how are you scared of music? He isn't just a music god he's the god of sound and vibration in general

Dissociation? By traumatizing people by overloading them with information to push them into burnout and crashing them into depressive episodes that they never recover from unless they are healed with entheogenic compounds? My reality

Psychosis? Dionysus. God of Madness. I accidentally made somebody go crazy when working with him, he did that not me. He also doesn't care about being weaponized because he actually teaches crazy people things that prepare them. Not all of them, since many don't interact with entities and live boring, sad lives because of a bunch of white scientists from the 20th century

[rigginsstreet]

So uh. I don’t think I have an answer for you exactly, but I do have some information? Idk.

I don’t like talk shows, but I do watch soap operas. Yeah, like some grandmother from 1984, whatever. Anyway, my dad asked me several weeks back how exactly they continue to run new episode amid everything going on, so I looked into it. Evidently actors on soaps are covered under a different contract than like nighttime television, streaming, and film people. So their contract is not under negotiation at present. However, many employees are non union employees, particularly their writers, so they continue to generate new content, thus the show can go on indefinitely.

Mysteriously I can’t really find current info, most of this is from like two months back or more.

Anyway, where I’m going with this. The same contract for soap opera actors covers pretty much all daytime television. I mean, news continues to run, obviously. I was also wondering when I saw drew barrymore was coming back, so I looked up the whole ordeal and to me, it sounds likely that they are basically going to emulate what soaps have been doing this whole time. As in, actors can be on daytime and talk shows no problem, and they could use non union writers. Still kinda unclear despite everything, but that’s what I’m getting.

You mentioned other talk shows as well. So the talk, also on cbs, has been on hiatus since the start of the strike, I think. But I think it was mostly in solidarity. Whether drew is actually crossing lines, I’m not 100% sure, because as you said it’s all pretty garbled right now. I think people are just thinking it is a change from previous views the show expressed and a bit disrespectful given the current situation. And maybe since she’s like a film star who just these past few years has a talk show? But essentially, other talk shows and soap operas have been operating under the same conditions this whole time.

Sorry, that’s probably not actually helpful. Yeah, just, sorry. I saw you talking about network television and latched on full force. I somehow have a massive headache and probably missed the point that I’m actually trying to make.

my mom and grandma are huge days of our lives fans (and my mom also watches general hospital) so i know all about the soap contracts lmao

but yeah i was reading through the comments on the insta post drew posted about continuining the show and all the comments are talking about how shes crossing the picket line and and they were organizing a strike outside the studio she films in today so everyones acting like she's doing something bad but from what i can tell... she isnt? technically?

because if the daytime shows are the ones that have different contracts and get to bypass the strikes, and the night shows arent, why back in the 2008 strikes was it fine for all the shows to continue on without writers? conan had like whole slots of time dedicated to being like "well we have no writers so lets do stupid shit to fill time". he wasnt crossing picket lines.

im sure many discussions were had before she decided to carry on with the show and i doubt anyone would have encouraged her to cross picket lines that would just be terrible pr

somethings afoot here it is very garbled like you said lol

[alteritymonster]

The Wheelers' living room, April 1984.

This one's angsty, friends. It is, yeah, basically a coronavirus-in-the-80s au. Don't worry, nobody dies in it, or even gets sick. There is some introspective body horror stuff though. And lots of angst. And some little confused Byler exchanges, as a treat!

The president listened to the reporter's question with an expression of calm assurance on his face, features fixed in a disarming grin. Then cocking his head at a jaunty angle, his sculpted hair gleaming in the television lights, he spoke.

"Well Helen, facts are stupid things—stubborn things, I should say. The fact is that this virus, with which we find ourselves at war today, is a Russian virus. I have made no apology for being frank with the American people about this fact, nor will I. The Soviet Union's rulers have told the world that American servicemen were to blame for the earliest cases of disease. My heart and best intentions still tell me that isn't true. While Dr. Koop and I have made daily appearances before the American public since the beginning of the crisis, Mr. Andropov hasn't been seen in public even once since last August. Whether intentionally or not, the Soviets have spread this new virus to the nations of the free world, while their Communist rulers won't even tell us honestly who is in charge inside the walls of the Kremlin. Those facts speak for themselves."

"Follow-up question, sir? Thank you. What is your response to critics who charge that you are planning to reopen American business prematurely, given that virus cases still continue to rise?"

The president chuckled amiably. "Well, it is not up to me or any government official to tell American businessmen and -women how to pursue their own best interests. Every person chooses the risks he or she will take to provide for themselves or their families, as we have always enjoyed the freedom to do under our system of government. That spirit of free enterprise is what makes the United States of America exceptional in the world. Free people must never live in fear, not of a virus, or even of nuclear holocaust. The future does not belong to the fainthearted. It belongs to the brave."

Reporters seated six feet apart broke in with new questions. After a moment one of them gained the floor. "Mr. President, any comment on comparisons with your administration's response to the AIDS crisis? Some have been asking—" Click.

Mike looked up at his dad. "Why did you turn it off?"

Ted Wheeler turned to walk into the other room. "No need for you to hear about... all that other stuff. Ronnie told 'em." He crossed the foyer into the dining room and sat down at the table. Mike could hear from the living room the noise of the computer on the dining room table starting up, knew it would soon be connected to the mainframe at his dad's work and tying up the phone line until it was time to eat dinner. His dad being at home during the week, and Mike not going to school himself, were just two things he had had to get used to lately. Six weeks of this and Hawkins Middle still hadn't figured out a system to distribute homework regularly to students. Until they did there wasn't much for Mike to do apart from reading some of the books Mr. Clarke had loaned him personally. He had to think for a moment before he could be sure it was a Wednesday. It might have been any other day of the week.

Mike sighed listlessly and got up from the couch. He picked up his backpack from a peg on the wall by the front door and pulled it over both shoulders. It was heavy, but not with school books. He took a bandana out of one of its pockets and tied it loosely around his neck, so he could easily pull it up over his face when he needed to. Without looking toward the dining room Mike said, "I'm going over to Will's." Ted glanced up for just a moment. "You look like a damn bank robber," was all he said; he was already staring into the terminal's screen again when Mike looked his way at this. Their eyes hadn't met. His dad had been joking, kind of, but Mike still felt a little rattled, like he really was doing something wrong. He didn't know why he didn't like telling his dad when he was going to Will's, when it didn't bother him to tell his mom, or even to tell his dad when he was going to Lucas or Dustin's house.

Mirkwood

He kept his face uncovered for the bike ride, needing to breathe rapidly with the effort of pushing the pedals and nobody being nearby anyway. Besides, he knew that some people in town would give him dirty looks if he did have his face covered. Slowing after turning onto Mirkwood, at about halfway down the stretch of it that took him to Will's he stopped and stood with the frame of the bike between his legs. Catching his breath, looking out into the forest, not really expecting to see her... and as always when he stood here and thought this, he wasn't pleasantly surprised as he always hoped to be. Still, just to "observe protocol" as he called it to himself, he got his walkie-talkie out of the backpack and extended its antenna.

"Eleven, come in Eleven. Can you hear me? It's Mike. This is day one hundred and sixty-five, it's 2:09pm. Come in please, El. Over." Counting in his head, slowly, to five, ten, twenty. "Eleven..." Are you alive? Have you gotten sick? Can your powers protect you? "I'll talk to you again later, El." I don't know if I can take it, all of this, if every day feels like this for another hundred sixty-five days... "Mike, over and out."

After he put the walkie-talkie away and started pumping the bike's pedals again, he thought back to that night. El pinning the Demogorgon to the wall of Mr. Clarke's classroom, saving all five of them, and then disappearing. Mike couldn't let himself get his hopes up, knowing he didn't really understand her powers. But for the same reason he couldn't be sure it was impossible, what he'd been imagining lately. She could push the Demogorgon with her mind, make Mike levitate, break Troy's arm. It was mind over matter for sure, but did that work like the Force in Star Wars? If she could also disappear, Mike reasoned, did it work instead, or also, like the transporter on Star Trek? In Mike's fantasy El stretched out a hand toward someone's body—Will's, Lucas's, his own, anyone's—causing it to glow with a bright yellow-white color for a few seconds, rearranging the atoms and molecules inside. Leaving the person the same, unchanged... except for the virus, if it was in them, gone. Disappeared. She had been, to Mike's mind, a weapon; could she also be a healer? His mind lingered on two things from that night in November at the last, as it always would now. First, his hand and her hand touching. He could almost feel the pressure of her hand squeezing his own back. Second, as she disappeared, the tears beginning to fall down his face. A few more welled up in his eyes now as he sped up on the bike. It was a windy day.

Castle Byers

Will lay on his back on the fort's makeshift bed, staring up at the grey overcast sky through the slats of the ceiling. Jonathan's latest mixtape played on low volume, a Gary Numan song Will thought was creepy but kind of cool.

You quote from 'anxious' and things we do I need protection from the likes of you

He'd had to spend a lot of time alone at home lately. His mom still had to go to work at Melvald's like normal, despite everything. With Hawkins High School closed, Jonathan was using the free time to pick up more shifts at his job. Joyce insisted unwaveringly that Will stay home, not venturing out farther than the woods behind the house. She'd never been more protective of her younger son than since his time in the Upside Down. He knew she hated having to worry about coming home carrying the virus, knew that she, and Jonathan too, were losing sleep wondering what happened if any of them got sick. Will hated seeing both of them looking so tired, Joyce even more than her job already would make her. He could tell lately that sometimes, on days she had worked, she even pulled back from showing Will affection with a hug or, more embarrassing but all the more badly missed now, tickle attack. It was for the most loving reason, Will knew; why did knowing that make him feel worse, make him feel guilty? Since it had started getting warmer again it had been easier some nights just to sleep out here, drifting off to Jonathan's dubbed new wave.

Will did find himself dreaming of the Upside Down less recently, but not for a lack of thinking about it during the day. The wind blowing through the door of the fort right now made him think of the cold in that parallel not-place. He'd remember the tendrils of whatever it was living everywhere there, reaching deep down his throat squeezing his lungs, the acrid mold taste of the spores floating in the air there filling him. A scent of that stale corruption had clung to him faintly for days after he woke in the hospital, traces of the Upside Down seeping out of his own grey sallow skin. There'd also been that moment at Christmas, standing at the bathroom sink, that he couldn't be sure he hadn't imagined... In the new virus he felt he could see evidence he was responsible for the new state of things, as if by mere exposure to the Upside Down he had brought this disease back with him into the real world. It was crazy, he knew, as much as when his stomach flipped thinking about.. that other disease, the one they were also talking about still on TV sometimes...

Do you begin to see that I don't know? I live on memories that are hard to find

"Will? Are you okay?"

The two boys sat in front of Castle Byers, spaced six feet apart, on chairs Will dragged outside from the kitchen table. They both had bandanas pulled up over their noses and mouths. A few weeks ago Will had drawn on a bandana in permanent marker for each one of the party, to reflect their D&D character classes. For Dustin, the bard, a pied triskelion that Will had traced from an encyclopedia rendering of the flag of the Isle of Man, suggesting somehow both a performer or jester, and a medieval friar militant. For Lucas, the ranger, a two-tone design managing to resemble the lower half of a ninja's hood: not quite to the D&D manual's model of a ranger, but Lucas had been delighted. Mike's mask was vertically striped so that it looked like the grille of a paladin's armor helmet. For himself, Will had drawn semicircles in grey marker that, overlooking the fact that the whole thing also covered his nose, brought to his friends' minds the tufts of the long pointed beard grown by his character, Will the Wise.

It was a two-character side quest, not a major campaign of Mike's, just an excuse to spend a little time together really. Paladin and cleric together easily solved the riddle of the miasmic havoc-fairies, who duly returned the stricken village's children from the disappearing forest as promised. The tavern's half-mad doggerel-poet revealed himself to be none other than King Tristan in disguise, praising the heroes' fine deeds and bestowing on them a trove of magical coarsegold. Mike raised up one arm in a Luke Skywalker lightsaber pose to show Will how solemnly Tristan gifted the precious metal into the hands of the heroes on bended knee. Will grinned unselfconsciously at Mike's performance, virus and the Upside Down for the moment forgotten. Finally though, Mike did close the dungeon master's book and reluctantly stand up.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going," Mike said. Will nodded, eyes locked with Mike's. They hadn't high-fived or hugged, as they would usually at the end of a successful quest. Each of them felt uneasy for a moment, unable to see the other's lower face, unsure quite what the other meant when he spoke. Mike didn't see that Will's gaze was matched with lips slightly parted, uncertain, expectant; he could think only of the flash of first sight of Will in his hospital bed, shrunken and tired but alive, and the sensations of throwing his arms around him and holding tight. Will didn't see Mike's pursed lips as he turned his head away, couldn't see that the turn of his head said not "bye then" but meant "here we go, here goes nothing."

"I brought you something." Before he lost his nerve—though not sure what he needed nerve for right now—Mike reached into his backpack and pulled out the largest, if not the heaviest, thing it had been holding. It was a giant frog plushie. Will's expression, no more readable than before, stayed the same as far as Mike could tell. "It's just... Nancy gave me this last Christmas and it's dumb but it would, I thought it maybe, can remind you of me since I can't... Don't worry, my mom put it through the laundry and all." Mike said, all in a rush, sputtering to a stop.

Will's smile crinkled the edges of his bandana. "A frog stuffed animal? from a frogf—"

"Shut up. Dork." Mike leaned forward and wagged the arms of the frog, suggesting a tickling attack being engaged. Will couldn't stop a little fit of giggling, glancing away and touching the back of his head shyly. "It's cool, I like it." "Cool."

Another silence. Finally Mike just waved shyly, leaving the frog on the chair he had just been sitting on. Then he turned to walk back to his bike, awkwardly craning his head back halfway to give another smile Will couldn't quite see, making a thumb-ups for good measure. Will waved back grinning ear to ear, which even Mike did notice, even through the mask. Mike disappeared around the side of the Byers house, and then Will was left with the frog waiting on the other chair, six feet away.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls: Season 1/Episode 6 ("Rory's Birthday Parties")

This is the only proper way to watch Gilmore Girls.

A win in the "continuity" column: if you fast forward to season 5, her birth day is the same.

(a mugshot would say "Lorelai Gilmore" not "Rory", but I digress). Another interesting bit of continuity: Rory and I were both born in 1984. I was born in February, she was born in October, but she graduated high school in 2003, while I graduated in 2002. So it would seem apparent that her October birthdate had her miss the "cut off" for kindergarten (she hadn't turned 5 yet when other kids born earlier the same year were going into kindergarten, and in the US, you typically have to be 5 to start kindergarten). Idk these are just the kind of things I love to think about even if no one else does. It also leads me to a theory about Jess' birthdate but I think its too confusing to explain lol

I can't think of anything LESS Rory than a plastic light up neon bracelet. I'm actually at a loss to think of any character in the entire show who'd wear something like this. Maybe Madelyn and Louise, lol.

A list of the men (and it's only men) on Gilmore Girls who have run away to California: Jess, Dave Rygalski, Max Medina, Christopher. Was this Amy Sherman Palladino's favorite plot device for male characters? Not even New York, which is a lot closer? Like they have to run far, far, away, as far away as possible while not leaving the country? It's very mysterious. Like there's a swirling vortex out in California sucking them all in. Somewhere in the distant year 2003, Jess and Dave Rygalski find each other again in California and become best bros. In my heart I firmly believe it. "Christopher calls once a week (I doubt it) and we see him at Christmas and Easter (maybe). "

Fuck me sideways, this is so gross. Rory tells Paris they can both attend Harvard, because it's a big school and they'll never run into each other. If they do see each other, they'll duck. They then proceed to not only attend the same college and work on the school paper together, but live together the entire time. They both sound sad at the prospect of not seeing each other after high school. My favorite Married Couple!

Now Paris is asking Rory if Diet Logan is available. Not a day after Paris witnessed him sexually harassing Rory at her birthday party, her immediate thought is "I want that for myself"?" Ick, ick, ick!

Fuck me sideways, I love late 90's/ early 2000's shit! I love being a Millennial and recognizing shit I grew up with! I love that I was the same age as Rory when this show was made! This, my friends is an ancient Apple computer called an I-Book! I'm giddy! Honestly it seems a bit sad that Rory has no friends besides Lane and eventually Paris (until they try to shoe horn in those other two girls, Lucy and the other one, at Yale near the end, which felt very forced) and both of her parties are attended by nothing but grown ass adults. I mean, there's nothing wrong with having only two close friends (and it's only one friend currently, who seems to have been her only friend her entire life). Quality over quantity right? Having only one friend her own age for most of her life while the rest of her social circle consists of her mother and grown adults who constantly tell this very ordinary girl that she's so special and perfect and can do no wrong and treat her like a princess. This will definitely not have any impact on Rory Gilmore's psyche anywhere down the line. No siree, Bob...

I mean, maybe it's not entirely her fault. Rory, Dean, Lane, and Lindsay are the only teenagers (or even CHILDREN) who seem to exist in Stars Hollow and the times that we see a SH classroom, the students look 35. I remember somebody saying "I don't think Amy Sherman Palladino has actually seen a child before."

Wow, that cake...sure is something.

Michel using a phone to avoid socializing at a party years before it was fashionable. The party hat is the icing on the Rory-Face-Cake! A true icon.

Edward Herrmann barely cleared this doorway.

I stand corrected. Ladies and gentlemen, here are some random ass 35 year old teenagers and one random old man who were kind enough to come to Rory's party. Go introduce yourself Rory. They look so friendly.

Did we ever hear Miss Patty's full name again? This is interesting.

Okay Miss Lacosta, go take a cold shower or something, you need to chill. Bad enough you were hitting on Kirk.

The iceman cometh. Emily: I could see the way he (Luke) looked at you. Like you were going to give him a lapdance. You're pleased that the ice man looked at you like a porterhouse steak! Okay, ALL the old ladies need to chill for a bit.

OMG! IT'S "THE" BRACELET! The one Jess took! Dean just strung a quarter through a piece of leather and called it a "medallion." This fucking clown. "I bought the medallion and I cut some leather straps and drilled a hole in it." Yawn. Who the fuck cares. Lorelai "tore up the entire town" and yelled at Jess, and Rory "had a heart attack" looking for this fucking quarter on a string. Rory: "It's beautiful. It's amazing." Yawn. It's certainly no "I wrote in the margins for you." Every "crime" Jess Mariano has ever committed was in some way justified. Stealing change from Taylor Doose? Not guilty. "Stealing" a quarter on a string that Dean made? Not guilty.

Lorelai is thinking "Hey, that's MY boyfriend!" The Good: Lorelai and Emily going shopping together. Randy old ladies. Michel being anti social. Dean doesn't show up until the last two minutes. Dean's stupid bracelet made me laugh so it's going into both the bad and good columns. The Bad: Diet Logan sexually harrasses Rory and Paris gets jealous. Forrester and his fucking moronic stupid gifts. Rory has no friends her own age. The New: Stupid fucking quarter on a string bracelet is seen for the first time. We learn Rory's birthdate and Miss Patty's full name. Deliciously Nostalgic References & Sightings: Old school Apple I-Book computer.

[auroracalisto]

lotus flower

summary: escaping an abusive relationship was difficult.  rushing to a camp in the middle of nowhere to escape your husband shouldn’t have been as terrifying as it turned out to be.

pairing: xavier plympton x reader x chet clancy, reader x abusive husband named roger

word count: 1.5k words

warnings: abuse, physical abuse and mental abuse, mentions of abuse and physical depictions of what happened, ahs 1984, canon typical situations 

a/n: idk if i’ll actually continue this bc idk if it will do well.  however, i wanted to see the response i would get and i really liked writing this in general soooo.  also, for the title, just look up the meaning of a lotus flower :) you’ll understand if you don’t already.  

You were running.  From him.  From your past.  From the nakedness that now adorned your ring finger.  And that’s how you ended up at Camp Redwood, as a counselor.  It was a job, far away from Roger.  As much as you had wished you could have stayed and not uproot your entire life, you knew that staying there was dangerous.

The fading bruises on your stomach were proof of that.

You had heard about the position through the newspaper—the only survivor of the 70′s massacre wanted to open it up to try and create some good memories there.

Miles away and deep in the forest was your best bet of avoiding your abusive husband.

So you called and inquired about the job—you weren’t even interviewed hardly.  The woman asked your name and said you were accepted.  All you had to do was show up the day before the kids were supposed to be there.  It would be you and a couple other counselors, but there weren’t that many kids—you wouldn’t be bombarded by everything.

You had hardly been out of your car for five minutes when Margaret led you over to Bertie.

“While we wait for the others to arrive, maybe you can help Bertie,” she said, giving you a smile.  “I’ll be back.”

She didn’t wait long before she rushed off, leaving you alone with the chef.  You gave her an awkward smile.

“Hi...”

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said, balancing her cigarette between her teeth as she talked.  “Here,” she moved to grab a crate full of bread.  “Take this inside for me?”

You immediately did as you were asked, taking the crate as soon as she handed it to you.  She took notice of your shakiness, but she didn’t comment on it, much like she didn’t comment on the multiple scars you had lining your bare arms.

Bertie took in a couple more things with you, only taking a break to light another cigarette.

"And this is Chef Bertie," Margaret said, walking up alongside of quite a few other people. You stood by her truck, looking at the people as they all came around. "A Camp Redwood veteran."

"Dibs," a man with blonde hair and a blue shirt quickly spoke. He smiled over at his friends, clearly joking.

"You wouldn't know what to do with it if you got it, handsome," Bertie spoke, smirking over at the man.

You couldn't help but laugh at Bertie, quickly placing a hand over your mouth.

"And who are you?" the blonde quickly asked, raising an eyebrow.

You averted your gaze.

"She's another counselor. She got here earlier in the day. [Your name]'s car was the one you parked beside of," Margaret said.

"Oh, so the one Xavier here almost hit with his door?" a blonde girl grinned, crossed her arms over her chest.

Xavier's eyes widened and he looked back at her. "I did not!"

Bertie rolled her eyes, holding up a crate of eggs. "Put those scrawny arms to work and help a lady fill her pantry. All of you, grab a crate. This heat is a killer," she spoke, sighing softly as she removed her cigarette. "You don't have to carry anymore, [Your name]—"

"—I can," you smiled over at the woman. You moved to take a crate which looked as though it had been filled with bottles of spices, sugars, and flour.

The man beside of Xavier had taken the crate of eggs.

A guy with brown hair came up beside of you, his arm brushing against yours as he grabbed a crate himself. He blushed but couldn't help himself from smiling at you.

"Sorry," he said.

You gave a hesitant smile, moving to walk back into the dining hall when Margaret began to speak again.

"Chef Bertie here worked here when I was a counselor. We are so blessed to have her with us."

Bertie continued to talk while everyone else carried in crates. You stayed inside, putting things where they needed to go—it wasn't that hard to figure out things. Of course, you avoided putting up things like spices. You didn't know if she liked them organized a certain way. As you walked back out, you couldn't help but overhear Bertie.

"I'm sorry that one bad apple ruined it for everyone. Minute I heard Margaret was reopening this place," she said, waving her hand, "I was the first to volunteer."

Margaret looked at everyone and breathed through her nose. "Alright. Let's continue with our tour. [Your name], come along with us. You haven't seen everything yet."

You gave a small nod and hesitantly followed along, looking at the group of people. They all seemed pretty friendly with each other.

The lot of you walked along towards the showers. Margaret was set on showing you all everything.

"Girls shower in the AM, boys in the PM. Same goes for counselors, too."

Eventually, your walk lead you to the cabins.

Margaret eventually left you all alone, and you stayed in the girls cabin.  The boys ended up sticking around, talking with the girls that they clearly knew.  You sat on your claimed bed, looking through your suitcase.  You purse your lips, half-listening to their conversation, half-not even paying attention to what you were looking for.  

“Hey,” the same boy who bumped into you earlier spoke.  “[Your name], right?”

You looked up, seeing him standing right in front of you.  Your eyes widened but you nodded.  

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’m Chet,” he grinned.  “Mind if I?” he pointed to the spot beside of you.  

You nodded in response.  Chet sat down beside of you on your bed, handing you an unopened can of beer.  

“Uh, no thank you,” you said, shaking your head.  “I’ve... seen enough alcohol to last me a lifetime.”

“Seen—“ he stopped himself, nodding slightly as he watched you.  “Alright.  Well, why don’t you come join us?  I promise, we don’t bite,” he chuckled softly.  “We’re gonna turn on the TV.  Don’t be a loner,” he said.  “We’ll be here all summer anyway.  Might as well get to know each other now.”

You nodded, knowing he was right.  “Uh, okay,” you said, nervously biting the inside of your cheek.  

Chet continued to smile in your direction.  He stood up, holding his hand out to you.  “Come on,” he said.  

A feeling in your gut was screaming at you to just stay put.  But you reached out to take his hand, knowing that for the first time in several years, you could do so without someone waiting to ridicule you for it.  

Chet smiled even more once you took his hand and he lead you over to the couch.  

Everyone introduced themselves to you, making sure they knew your name correctly as well.  

The flirtatious blonde looked over at you, his eyes set in a glare.  

“You better not think about stealing Bertie from me.”

Your eyes widened and you felt your cheeks burn.  “I would never—”

“Mhm,” Xavier rolled his eyes.  “I saw how you looked at her.  If I were her, I would have looked at you the same way.”

“Wow, Xavier,” scoffed Ray.  “Give it a rest, will you?”

“What?” Xavier laughed, keeping his eyes on you.  “I mean it, though.  You’re like super fucking hot,” he said.

You averted your gaze, guilt swelling in your chest.  This was wrong.  You were married.  To a piece of shit asshole, after all.  Your marriage to him didn’t matter.  Especially now that you were so far away.  You didn’t have to feel guilty.  You didn’t have to feel like you were going to get in trouble.  No one here knew of your past, and they would never know as long as you never said anything.  

After a moment of thinking of what to say, you looked back up at Xavier with a smile.  

“You’re not too bad, yourself,” you said.  

Xavier let out a triumphant laugh, grinning.  “Sweet,” he breathed out, looking you up and down.  Montana slapped his arm and he leaned back where he sat, rolling his eyes at her.  “Can you not hit me again?  Please?  That kind of hurt.”

Chet cleared his throat as he looked at you.  You quickly turned to face him, hoping that he didn’t think it was wrong of you to say so.

“He’s definitely not lying,” Chet spoke.  “You’re super fucking pretty.  I, uh, don’t want you to settle on him just yet,” he grinned, leaning against his hand as his elbow rested against the couch.  

You couldn’t help from your own laugh escaping you.  “Don’t worry, Chet.  He’s not the only cute guy here,” you said, locking eyes with his.  You noticed his blush right off the bat, but you didn’t say anything about it.  

You were glad you were here.  This was good.  It would be good.  It had to be good.  But what you didn’t know was that your hopeful thoughts were far too good to be true.  

[thejustmaiden]

Heyo, fellow Inuyasha fans! Happy Friday! This particular blog will serve as a collection of random thoughts I’ve been mulling over lately. Hope you’ll consider giving it a read. By the way, it’ll specifically pertain to the Sessrin ship. If that’s not something that is of interest to you, then no need to read any further. Whatever happens, I wanted to get this out before the sequel. Alrighty, let’s go! 

I’m not sure many of us realize just how much fiction sparks public dialogue and shapes culture. There have been countless studies and research done to prove it, therefore this really isn’t up for debate. What the real question here should be is have we taken the time to fully contemplate and assess just how much fictional experiences are able to change or influence our perspective on real, everyday life? The visual arts are just one of many evolutionary adaptations that serve to give us more insight into one another’s mind. If our outlook on fiction contrasts with said insight, then perhaps some re-evaluating is in order.  

Powerful works of literature such as 1984 and the beloved Harry Potter series are just two examples. George Orwell’s book contributed strongly to how readers viewed government and politics during that time, and to this day it’s a book that resonates with many. As much as Harry Potter is cherished all across the world, there are religious and academic institutions that condemn it or have even gone so far as to ban it. I may not agree with the extreme measures taken, but it’s fascinating nonetheless to witness the extent to which fiction can move and mobilize people for a cause.

The takeaway is that indicating fiction doesn’t have the power to create change in our everyday lives is misleading to say the least. So how exactly then can fictional stories that are, after all, completely made up affect society in such profound ways? It all lies in the power of the psychology of fiction. According to cognitive psychologist and novelist, Keith Oatley, who’s been researching the psychological effects of fiction for over a decade, he states that engaging with stories about other people can improve empathy and theory of mind. When we identify with these characters’ struggles, we begin to share their frustration for societal problems that plague them. These types of stories tap into our emotions more so than- believe it or not- nonfiction, and thus their effects inspire us and even have the ability to alter our worldviews. 

I’ll be returning to that specific topic a bit later, but moving on for now!

It’s safe to say that I speak on behalf of the majority of antis. That being said, I first want to add that we are aware that sessrin shippers claim to agree that there was nothing inherently romantic that took place between Rin and Sesshomaru during their travels together. The thing is we have trouble believing you guys when you time and time again provide contradictory statements to defend your stance.

Voicing things like, “all signs point to Rin” and “it’s been foreshadowed” sends the exact opposite message of what you supposedly stand for and, if anything, confirms that you’ve had romance on your mind long before it would’ve been acceptable to come out with openly. You can’t just go along with what we say when it’s convenient to your argument and then back it up later with “who else but Rin.” How can the relationship you’re imagining be so obvious if they didn’t hint at it for the whole duration of the original series like we agreed upon? Elaborate on how we could’ve possibly come to such wildly different conclusions when we started AND left off with the same views for and throughout the series. 

On top of that, making the excuse that we don’t speak for adult!Rin and that she has the right to make her own decisions once she’s old enough is a weak defense. Firstly, because we haven’t even met her. Secondly, because it’s unfair of you to assert that you know what’s best for Rin and then say we’re not allowed to just because it doesn’t align with your beliefs. I get that you feel protective over her character, but do recall that this adult version of her none of us have actually met yet. We have no idea what kind of woman she’s become, what her dreams or aspirations may be, and whether she’s married or even wants to be. I’m not against the idea of her falling in love, I just don’t think it’ll be with Sesshomaru. I guess I’m also a fan of the idea of her following in Kaede’s footsteps, because if anyone can grow up to be an independent, trusted, and wise leader of the community like her it’s Rin.

To make matters worse, way too many of you continue to celebrate the drama cd and profess that it was sweet that Sesshomaru basically promised he’d wait for Rin all while somehow ignoring the glaring grooming implications. Why do you only see what you want to see and fail to acknowledge that actual child grooming scenarios do in fact play out like this in real life? A high percentage of people who have been victims of grooming can attest to this. If Sessrin does go canon, all the sequel succeeded in doing to avoid the direct correlation with grooming was skip over the more questionable and dodgy portions of it. Take out the time jump, however, and you no longer have a loophole to cover up the scary unmistakable truth, which is that Sessrin and grooming are essentially one in the same.

No one case is identical to another so please don’t come to me with your “but how is it grooming if Sesshomaru didn’t manipulate Rin” refutes. Nobody knows what the hell went on during those years between The Final Act and this upcoming sequel. Based on everything exhibited so far- that is if we decide to recognize the drama cd like so many of you choose to do- Sessrin’s dynamic is eerily reminiscent of real life child grooming. Why else do you think a lot of us fans have a huge problem with it? It’s triggering for a reason. 

Let’s be honest, Sesshomaru’s supposed love confession could’ve just been the first of many gestures like it. Who really knows, right? According to you shippers, a major shift in their relationship took place sometime during this critical period none of us got to watch unfold. I’m sure you all have explored the various ways this would’ve gone down in fan fiction and through other creative means of expression. Not to spoil the fun, but all I can’t help but wonder about is just how many of those supposed “cute moments” would’ve been as creepy and cringey as that proposal. Hundreds of thousands (possibly millions?!) of fans would undoubtedly agree with me, too. It seems to me this ain’t due to a mere difference of opinion. Taste is one thing, ethics a whole other. 

By the way, in case you didn’t know, groomers don’t necessarily need to plan out every single move in order for their behavior to constitute as grooming. What we should be paying attention to instead is the fact that Sesshomaru made a conscious decision to act on his own selfish desire for a young girl who couldn’t have possibly known in that moment the magnitude of what he was asking of her. Why is it that a vulnerable Rin is put in a position that forces her to be the one responsible for making such a big, life-changing decision for the both of them? Yes, Sesshomaru gave her the choice and, yes, she doesn’t have to make it till later, but why on Earth is he coming to her with this well before a child her age is ready and mature enough to handle it? Even if his intentions are good (broadly speaking of course), his what you shippers probably call “innocent acts” are incidentally coercing Rin into reciprocating his feelings. Whether he planned for that or not, he’s at fault. Period. 

That’s one way the power imbalance works. A child wants nothing more than to please the adult they look up to and adore, because they’re impressionable like that. Maybe Rin processes this like she’ll want whatever he wants, so that’s what she trains herself to believe- either right then and there or over time. Plus, if you really think about it, why wouldn’t she trust him if in her eyes he’s been nothing but good to her and that’s all she’s ever really known? (Psst! Charm is integral to the manipulative nature of grooming so it’s deceiving AKA manipulation can come off as praise or flattery.) Bottom line is that Rin is too young to have to think about this kind of deep stuff at all, and Sesshomaru shouldn’t have taken advantage of the power he had/has over her to influence a decision she was by no means prepared to hear about much less decide on. Your headcanons seem to imply that she’ll eventually have to choose though, and Idk about you but I rather not push my own fantasy agenda onto a underage girl regardless of how much I want it. Idc if she’s fictional, it wouldn’t feel right so why would I want to see that? My principals couldn’t ever allow for it.   

Even if it wasn’t an official proposal, per se, it’s still disturbing to me that so many of you find joy in the thought of a grown adult male essentially waiting for a young girl HE KNEW to become old enough before pursuing her. I know this drama cd ain’t technically canon, y'all, but since this is literally the only source we have that may foreshadow a potential Sessrin to come, and it’s referenced a lot, I figured it still should be called out for exactly what it is- Grooming: 101!!!!

Just as I demonstrated above, fiction has the ability to make even the most inappropriate and uncomfortable situations be viewed in a favorable light when you put the right spin on it. *cough* Lolicon culture, need I say more? *cough* Despite what you may believe, the strategies fiction utilizes to explain themes/concepts can genuinely lead to how we perceive them, and ultimately to how we come to make sense of a similar event presented to us in real life. Especially if we have no prior experience with any of it and have nothing to compare something to, these perceptions can be dangerous yet still persuasive to certain fans- young ones in particular. The more narrative consistency across stories and different mediums, the more likely they’ll influence social beliefs. Minors don’t possess the same capacity as adults to think critically about the content they consume, and if we aren’t more careful about what we put out there then all of us will continue to face serious repercussions.

This is precisely why it’s crucial we persist in our fight against the rabid phenomenon of glorifying young girls in every sexual context imaginable. Just look at what something as seemingly harmless as fiction has the power to do. The scope of fiction is broad and far-reaching, and it’s about time we stop denying that fact and actually do something about it if we have the means to.

The truth of the matter is that we’re in desperate need of proper education and training programs on this issue in our communities. Families need to ensure their children have access to the necessary resources, but it isn’t just on them. ALL of us gotta do our part and ALL of us should be up for the task. It takes a village, right? If we do not properly discuss and address child sexual abuse (CSA) with our children and in public forums, including the internet, then we’re ultimately accepting incidents of CSA should they arise. Consequently, that also translates to indirectly accepting that the predators among us stay untreated and/or unpunished. That’s how the generational and societal aspect of the abuse can continue, and we must do everything in our power to secure our children’s future. Yes, even when it comes to fiction.

If you still somehow don’t think the Sessrin pairing has anything to do with grooming, allow me to break this down for you one more time:

1. If some of your fellow sessrin shippers say that a relationship like this in real life is harmful, then that should be pretty telling in and of itself.

2. Piggybacking off #1: if your only defense to that is “well it’s just fiction,” then you should ask yourself why you can’t ever come up with better reasons. Same goes for history and culture, so please stop using those to justify this relationship. None of the above can or should be applied since it’s already been established that fiction pervades our lives and vice versa.

3. If fellow shippers who are victims of grooming say they are drawn to Sessrin because it allows them in a way to “take back control” from their abuser so that they can better cope with past traumas, then they’re inadvertently admitting that Sessrin does possess qualities associated with the past child sexual abuse they underwent. AKA Sessrin is relatable for its abusive dynamic.

I have to ask by the way, but why do you get so offended when we don’t support your ship anyway? Is it because we interpret it to be controversial and you don’t like your ship getting a bad rap? Is it because it would be insulting to admit that antis actually have a point in it being problematic and you rather double down instead? Or is it because you’re projecting yourself onto Rin and prefer to not go into detail about why that is? Maybe it’s too personal, or maybe it’s because deep down you’re ashamed. Of course that doesn’t mean you’re bad people, but suppressing these kind of negative emotions can’t be healthy for anyone. A little awareness and self-reflection on your part can benefit not just you but all of us in the long run. Cognitive dissonance can suck, but it’s also part of being human. 

I recently came across a comment I’d like to share with you. Unfortunately, this is not the first time nor will it be the last I see the likes of it. Anyway, in it a fan stated how embarrassing it must be being an Anti in this fandom when an episode like “Forever with Lord Sesshomaru” exists. Guys, this shipper and all those who liked their post are showing their true colors. Perpetuating and/or anticipating these sexualized images of young girls is a grave issue in both our society and media alike. I think we can all agree on that, or at least I hope so. It’s remarks like these that prove we still got a long way to go in terms of progress, and if we ever hope to effectively reverse some of our backwards way of thinking. So serious question for ya in regard to this: Why is it too much to ask that grooming be portrayed for what it is? Grooming. To clarify, grooming is bad and needs to be painted in a bad light. It’s as simple as that. If only we could all acknowledge it for what it is, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. 

Historical accuracy and cultural differences aside, it appears the crux of the matter between Sessrin shippers and Antis is our acceptance and/or denial of fiction’s influence on real life. If we can’t agree on this, then we’ll never agree on anything else. As mentioned earlier, there is more than enough evidence to support the idea that fiction impacts our lives in extraordinary ways. I, for one, believe in the transformative power of stories. I think they do more for us than many of us give them credit for and/or are inclined to admit. 

This is partially why I believe that the majority of sessrin folk are missing the point most of the time. All they do is focus on insignificant and irrelevant information that accomplishes nothing but more gaslighting and strawmanning. Whether it be an intentional or unconscious decision, whatever we argue goes right over their head. All they do is throw around deflections and antagonizing remarks that serve no real purpose other than to make Antis out to be the unreasonable and irrational ones. Making connections between our own lives and our stories is a completely natural and normal occurrence. If those particular shippers insist on denying just how interconnected real life and fiction both are, what that tells me is they’re either out of touch with reality or deliberately choose to be.

Just to be clear, I am of the opinion that most if not all antis aren’t real life predators. If they say they aren’t, I honestly take their word for it. Speaking to Sessrin shipper directly: We know it’s not Sesshomaru you want to be but Rin. No, we’re not calling you pedophiles or groomers. None of us think you are using a fictional ship to attract underage fans to be the Rin in your life or anything of the sort. We are well aware that many of you are self-inserting yourself as Rin, so please don’t feel the need to tell us yourself because that would be stating the obvious.

I learned from a few of you since this sequel was announced that the Sessrin relationship isn’t just a ship but an opportunity for you to confront the person who used and abused you. So there’s two issues with this I’d like to raise. (Sorry if I’m repeating myself, but it’s urgent I stress this again!) This is what I have to say:

If fiction does not affect real life or have the ability to normalize anything as you claim to believe, then why does “fixing” what happened to you via your preferred choice of coping associated with these two characters in the first place? Why bring your past abuse into this at all if at the end of the day it’s “just fiction” and nothing more to you but a source of entertainment?

By confessing that you use Sessrin to cope with your past trauma, you therein reveal that Sessrin does in fact resemble an adult-child relationship with a grooming dynamic. So why then would you want other fans to be exposed to a pairing that brings to mind the very abuse you endured? We’re supposed to stop this toxic cycle- NOT find more ways to manifest and relive it, much less subject other fans to it. 

You may think that Sessrin doesn’t fit the textbook definition of what child grooming is, but that’s not to say it doesn’t embody it or that it doesn’t at the very least have traces of it that stand out. 

“Antis are miserable people who don’t know how to enjoy a good story. It’s just fiction, stop ruining it for other fans!”

Well, no, it’s not just fiction or just a story. Some of you evidently went and proved that yourself, and without my help, by revealing how you relate Sessrin to your own life and apply it to cope with past abuse. Past abuse or not, as far as I can tell we’re all equally invested in these characters. That speaks volumes and just goes to show that fiction touches our lives in long-lasting ways.

I have something I want to say concerning some of who believe that it’s inconsiderate of antis who have been victims of grooming or another form of child abuse to tell other victims who ship Sessrin how they should cope with their trauma. Now as much as I respect the various means victims discover to deal with their painful pasts, there’s always an appropriate time and a place for these things to occur. We must seek out better ways to safely cope with the abuse we lived through (if any) without running the risk of hurting and endangering others. 

There are plenty of fans in other fandoms who don’t try to defend their ships going canon, because they’re able to recognize an unhealthy or toxic pairing when they see one and won’t try to justify it. A Sessrin romance simply does not belong on a show geared towards teens, and I really don’t need to go into detail about why we shouldn’t support it, at least canon-wise. Shipping Sessrin is your right, but if you don’t keep it to yourself and your corner of the fandom then you really shouldn’t be surprised by the opposition. All we ask is you respect that their specific dynamic falls under the category of child grooming (or very close) and should be treated as such in public. The world of fiction may be wider than the world we live in, but that doesn’t always mean “anything goes.” In the creative spaces our minds occupy we must still adhere to the same fundamental and moral guidelines we live by in life. There’s nothing wrong with exploring new terrains and experimenting with ideas, but we must also remember that our stories are all about communicating and connecting with people. So let’s please be more mindful of the sort of messages they’re sending. 

Besides, this isn’t only about you and what makes you feel safe, it’s about all of us. I don’t know how much more I can stress that really. How can thoughts endanger our children, you ask? Well, it’s not like we’re suggesting that our thoughts can jump out of our tvs, materialize themselves, and place kids under mind control. The forces behind fiction are a lot more complex and nuanced than a “monkey see, monkey do” approach, so don’t waste any more time trying to  describe that to us. You’re taking this argument in the wrong direction. 

Take the “violent video games breed killers” theory. I’m afraid you’re misconstruing what we’re saying and then taking it quite too literally. Please stop twisting our words, because nobody on our side is saying that just because you play violent video games that you’ll become a violent person. The Sessrin equivalent of that would be if you ship them then you must be a pedophile or turning into one. *sigh* I know you guys are feeling attacked, but I’m afraid your defensive nature is keeping you from thinking straight. Clearly, there are always exceptions (I’d recommend reading up on the Slender Man case), but Antis aren’t saying you’re one of them.

You see, it’s not so much about the content as it is the notion of the content. Kids and teens who are playing these video games have been informed that killing is wrong, because they grew up learning that early on like the rest of us. No sane person would advocate for violence and nonsensical killing in real life. Since they fully understand the severity of the consequences of killing a person in real life, they are able make a clear distinction between the two. When it comes to killing there is hardly any ambiguity. Sadly, that is far from the truth when it comes to sexualizing girls. It should immediately be perceived as wrong leaving no room for interpretation, and yet here we are still putting up with these inaccurate and demeaning female representations.

Most children who have been groomed don’t realize it till years down the road. If they aren’t ever taught the telltale signs to properly labeling grooming situations, how do you expect them to make sense of and relate to a fictional version? Let’s think of about it from a child’s perspective. Yes, this includes teens who rely pretty heavily on adult guidance and the content we put out there for them. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment and picture that you’ve never had child grooming explained to you (because that’s just the reality for so many unfortunately). Wouldn’t you say it’s possible for them to deduce that what they see on their screens is how they come to discern something in real life, especially if they have little to no experience with it? Perceived realism is plausible, y'all.

What it comes down to in the end is that the ideas and emotions we cultivate behind these stories leave an impression on others. Impressions are capable of influencing the way we see the world, which in turn affects us and beyond just our imagination. The way I look at it, stories contribute to how and why we normalize certain beliefs and trends. If fiction reflects real life like most of us tend to agree, then wouldn’t you say Sessrin is a (in)direct result of this world’s tendency to place young girls in overly sexual or romantic environments? Where do you think fiction draws its inspiration from? Sure, some of it originates from our imagination, but most of what drives us to create these stories is the real world and the people who live in it.

Fiction is meant to mirror reality, but it’s ridiculous to suggest that it’s only a one-way street. That fiction in no way, shape, or form influences our reality? Or that it only works the other way around? With all due respect, that’s simply not true. No productive discourse can be had if we choose to ignore the truth and don’t come together (at least halfway) to tackle the real issues at hand. 

Okay, I think I’ll leave it off there! Thanks so much for reading. I expect this to be my last blog on any topic regarding Inuyasha in the near future. As much as I’ve looked forward to answering all of your asks and writing all the blogs I have over these past almost 5 months, I think it’s best if I spend some time away for now. With the sequel fast approaching, I’m doing what I always do: hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I’ve met some amazing people along the way, that’s for sure. And who knows, maybe you’ll see me active in the tags sooner than we think. Until then, it’s been an absolute pleasure! Enjoy the sequel, all of you. 💜

[overdramaticly-dying]

Many Unhappy Returns

Sorry for being gone from these for so long! I was really upset after Rise ended, and just sorta lost my energy there for a while- but I am feeling pretty confident that we can get it back!! 

In the meantime though, it’ll be fun to talk about some episodes! So per request that is over six months old now (sorry @alwayshere195​) Many Unhappy Returns!

- We all know how much the visuals in this show absolutely slap but this episode really kicks it off right away with beautiful scenery

- “Thanks for doing the dirty work for us! Big up Shreddy!” (the fact that this is their super-great-Grandfather makes this so much funnier for reasons I can’t explain)

-Leo would have been seriously injured in the Shredder hadn’t just disappeared like that

- “You fools! You have doomed humanity!” “Have we? No seriously, tell me, this has all been very confusing.”

- “Wow, one season later and I still got full battery, nice!”

- Leo’s overall support of his brothers and his confidence that they can handle it is actually really sweet

- April’s ‘get to safety song’ 

-”Two data points? You’re hypothesising with two data points? Scoff!” 

*Fifteen minutes later*

- ok but just in general, I just really love that they aren’t afraid to have Mikey have genuinely good ideas

- “No one’s responding, I’m the only one who made it!”

- “really? cause’ I thought my overall ninjocity was totally working” “It wasn’t”  “I’m pretty sure it was about to...”

- “She’ll help me! I’m the face man, people love me!” “Last time you saw her she tried to kill you.”  “Who hasn’t?”

- why are there so many good Leo lines? Also, just in general, despite this being a serious episode, the comedy still slaps while not seeming out of place- this is why I love rise tbhhh

-ngl the entire scene where Splinter tells Leo that Big Mama is his ex is probably one of the funniest things ever

- Splinter apparently met Big Mama in 1984- I kinda wonder if that was a nod to the fact that the og tmnt comic books came out in ‘84

- Splinter’s story is actually really sad tho- he lost so many people in his life, and finally thought he had found happiness with Big Mama, who he assumed was just a driver, not even an actor. Then he was betrayed by her.

-Big Mama’s assistant is there, just standing around and looking cool while the entire fandom begs to know if it’s Venus de Milo

- Leo’s whole plan while Splinter just freaks out in the back

- out of context, this shot is great, but with added context, it’s even better. Like u know that awkward moment when your grandfather walks in on you trying to kill him?

- eventually Donnie just goes on his phone while their tickling Shredder, and Mikey just chills on Shredder’s shoulders. Like sure, why not

- “You have thrown me into the lion’s den!” “I think it’s more of a kraken’s den”

- It’s the first time we hear Splinter say Leonardo’s name fully, and he’s just telling him to shut tf up

- “My other sons would’ve taken this seriously!” *cuts to them tickling Shredder*

- FREAKIN MIKEY LIFTING THAT ENTIRE BOAT????? IT’S AWESOME

-asdfghjjhgfd foreshadowing as to what the drill is for??? yes please not to mention the shot is just simply amazing

- APRIL FREAKING O’NEIL WHO GOT A CRANE LICENSE  BC OF POSSIBLE FIGHTS WHERE IT MIGHT BE USEFUL???? WE STAN but also what was that conversation like with her parents

-Kraken Tom and the Evil Six. Why is that so funny.

- ngl, Leo’s plan reveal actually had me gasping the first time I watched it. Like idk, despite them showing several times in the first season that Leo is incredibly smart and good at planning, it never clicked in until this episode for me, and I think that was a pretty popular experience- the audience realized just how smart Leo actually was at the same time Splinter did, but it was still seriously foreshadowed and didn’t feel random- just A+ writing for ya there folks

- “I have calculated that this is the site of our final resting spot- I mean, go team!”

- Donnie with his own headstone will forever be iconic and relatable af, but also just another way to add in how much I love the team behind Rise, and how much effort they put into this show

- Leo guessing that April finally used her crane license was kinda sweet tho

- “Trust me.”  “I do.” 

- Donnie and Mikey are both so terrified while they fight, but they still do it, and idk, I think it’s really important that they showed main characters who are still strong and fight despite being scared.

- WHOLESOME- also Splinter hugging Leo tightly idk I just think it’s sweet

- Splinter just shoving his sleeping children into the sewers gives off tired dad vibes and we stan

- one last thing: I love how in Rise, you really get the sense that they don’t want to be fighting the Shredder, they don’t ever want to deal with this. You want them to beat the Shredder because you know they have ‘normal’ lives to get back to, that ultimately they’re kids who still want to get back home in the end, and while I doubt any of the other tmnt turtles wanted to fight their Shredder, it hits a little differently in Rise- maybe that’s because we see a lot more of their normal lives- but I thinks it’s really cool that the writers provided a scenario like that.

tl;dr- this is an epic episode, but the more serious nature of the plot doesn’t mean that it lacks the comedy- in fact, the tone matches with the rest of the show perfectly, and it’s seriously awesome that they managed to pull it off. It’s a great episode for the start of a new season, and has a bunch of foreshadowing as well.

[smalltragedy]

* justice smith, demi man + he/they | you know gabriel de leon, right? they’re twenty three, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, six years? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to 1984 (infinite jest) by the used like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole waking up in a body as heavy as the dead, emotions always on the verge of spilling over - you laugh before the punch lands, the belief that every encounter you have will be the last thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is october 31st, so they’re a scorpio, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( james, 21, est, they/them )

hi im just reposting gabe’s intro bc its been a very long time n im starting a little fresh hehe. yes i do regret the text color bt im not going back.

VIOLENCE TW

mini playlist.

ghosting ;; mother mother / roam the room ;; citizen / art of doubt ;; metric / thnks fr th mmrs ;; fall out boy / heart in a cage ;; the strokes / where is my mind? ;; the pixies / flowers grow out of my grave ;; dead man’s bones / 1984 (infinite jest) ;; the used / blister in the sun ;; the violent femmes.

statistics.

full name: gabriel de leon.

nickname(s): gabe.

birthday: october 31st, 1997.

zodiac: scorpio sun, scorpio moon, gemini ascending.

label: the icarian.

hometown: belleville, new jersey.

sexuality: bisexual (masc-leaning).

pinterest.

biography.

it’s only rly ever been gabe n his mom n the little new jersey suburbs that r always the same no matter where they go. they dn’t speak abt fathers or brothers or spain or anywhere other than the now, and how its constantly changing bt oddly the same.

his mom’s name is sonia n we love her. she worked a lot as a single mom n p much hs done everything on her own ever since leaving spain.

they dn’t talk abt spain bt we cn talk abt spain n hw sonia hd grown up partially there n partially in the states n hw she’d originally planned to live there forever bt the man she’d fallen in love with ws involved in some. high class dangerous shit n it ws safer fr them to part even if tht involved leaving everything she knew n loved <3

bt its like. ok. bc she hd gabe <3 n they dnt talk abt it so it practically nvr happened. n she tries her best as a mom n usually tht is enough.

they moved around a lot just bc sonia is a very. flighty person. anxious bt nvr seems tht way is just always. tense. gabe didnt think she ws capable of relaxing fr. a rly long time.

she wld commute 2 nyc every morning n after school gabe wld climb onto the train n by the time he got 2 her place of work she’d be just getting off n they’d get a slice of pizza n sometimes they’d go somewhere like central park or coney island (just fr the novelty) bt most of the time they just got back on the train home w/ gabe either doing homework or napping on her shoulder.

when gabe got a little older he’d sometimes skip school n take the train after sonia had already gone so he cld spend the day in nyc. he liked learning bt didnt rly like school. he nvr properly fit in bc of the amt of times they’d move so it felt like nowhere ws. right fr him.

got rly involved in. the punk scene as a young unsupervised teenager n tht led 2 a lot of like. shitty stick n pokes bt also a love of. very loud angry music n a sense of justice tht he held tightly in his fists. got mouthy towards bullies whether at school or in the scenes he involved himself in n started getting into a lot of fights bc of it.

during this, sonia ended up dating n marrying gabe’s stepdad who he calls craig sometimes bt i dnt think thats his name i wont lie to u guys. its partially a joke n partially purposeful disrespect bc gabriel does not trust a single man bt like. man. ‘craig’ is just an accountant. he’s fine he’s a good dude. they once bonded over like. the mets.

violence tw // anyways. when gabriel ws 16 he got into a super super bad fight tht ended rly. terribly n like listen. nobody died bt it ws just. it got blown up very out of proportion n gabe might’ve gotten expelled even tho he wsnt even the one who started it bt thts okay. ‘craig’, or paul, suggested tht maybe. a change of scenery wld b good fr gabe n b4 they knew it they were. moving to paul-robert’s hometown of irving, north carolina. violence end of tw //

he wld’ve complained more bt. fr sonia’s sake gabe kept it 2 himself. it made her happy 2 see them all get along anyways n like. idk he cld put forth tht little effort <3

bt honestly like. he didnt rly get into too many fights once they moved down here n even tho sometimes he ws like. ommgg. i hate this town .. its so washed up .. he still made friends n like. the only thing tht changed ws tht it ws a lil harder fr him 2 acquire illegal substances.

anyways. currently he hs a tattoo apprenticeship n is a professional piercer n like. he plays guitar n writes songs bt thts more of a hobby rn than anything else. mostly focused on paying his rent at port apartments bc as much as he. loves his mom he does not want 2 live with her forever <3 n thts okay!

personality & facts.

overall xtremely passionate person like god. feels emotions so intensely. every time he opens his mouth n talks abt an interest of theirs its just very like. u listen n ur like oh. gained 2 inspiration. thanks.

clings onto his friends p tightly bc he like. nvr rly stayed in one place fr super super long in new jersey so he nvr made very long term friends n now hes like. very clingy HLKDSHLKFSHLKDG also hates to b alone. subtle desperation behind interactions with ppl he rly wld like to be friends with.

like dnt get me wrong hes gotten into. sm fights bt thts mostly bc he cannot keep his mouth shut n he also cnt stand douchebags he like. always wants to tear them down prob bc he ws a victim of bullying. n u know what. we support him. otherwise he loves ppl bt esp if they hv similar interests 2 him.

like golden retriever who bites kind of. intensely loyal but at the same time is very skeptical. things tht good things do not last very long even though they’ve been doing already fr the last few years.

also bit of a nerd. they were nvr rly a big fan of school bt theres smth abt a good superhero comic tht draws their attention more than like. any english class evr. bt seven soldiers of victory? classic. big dc fan.

uh. very into like. hardcore music. hardcore rock. punk. if its loud n angry they r into it like so so much. hs sm tattoos is like. super covered in them its partially bc they work at a tattoo shop n partially bc they do not know hw to manage their money well.

ooohh u know what theyre. kinda moody i wont lie to u. very defensive like they dnt evr wna talk abt their past. has experienced Things n they do not wish to discuss them. will usually like. deflect frm conversations he doesnt wna hv.

in tune with nature. loves fkn taking walks. hangs out in the woods by abernathy creek n lilac ridge bc nobody rly goes there n its just. nice

tries not 2 take anything super seriously 2 the point where when he does take smth seriously its a little scary bc theyre super intense abt it. forcibly optimistic even tho on the inside he feels like a total pessimist. lots of. deep down insecurities tht he projects by attaching himself p firmly onto others. >.>

so so so energetic. can never stay still. always hs to be moving around. restless like tht. probably got it frm his mom. overly protective over the ppl he loves. probably got it frm his mom as well.

goes onto Tangents bt also divert frm those tangents n is generally all over the place.

always cold n always looks tired n like he hsnt slept in a thousand years n u know what. sometimes he just does not sleep.

oooohh theyre a vegan. totally into animal rights. devious little demi man beyond that .. loves horror n the paranormal n believes in like. every cryptic. will debate u on it.

erm not. the kindest 2 themself theyre a bit self destructive. impulsive. drives very fast n parties super hard. said i will hv my effy stonem moment. u dont hv to gabe.

bt ya! luvs oranges n reds n is maybe a short king. hs an eyebrow piercing n like. a lip ring i wont fk around here he IS living his best emo life in 2021. a little outdated on the trends bt thats okay. probably will tell u hes frm new jersey. its a personality trait. smokes the shittiest cigarettes ever.

wanted plots.

just ghosting along ,, dnt even exist 2 me ,, ;; god. firstly just the vast amt of ppl tht gabe hs like. spoken to romantically n then dropped suddenly. n then maybe like. one tht actually Hurt bt they cnt avoid each other bt theyre actively pretending each other doesnt exist n its. hurtful bc it ws like. actually smth nice bt <3 ykno FKLFSDHG

hey hey heyy c’maahn i’m just a little guy ;; n this is the vast amt of ppl tht gabe hs probably. pissed off n hs either fought or been on the verge of fighting just. unable 2 resist a good bicker-turned-duel.

just blistering in the sun ;; they cld b close friends bt also they cld also not b bt just ppl who. indulge in bad impulsive decisions with gabe. general bad influences on each other’s health n just. no good! party hard bt at what cost.

n also ;; like ... rly solid good friendships ... flings n maybe an exe or two tht either ended on good terms or just. horrendous, ppl they’ve distanced frm, ppl also frm up north, piercing customers, bt not tattoo customers bc im p sure they’d get fired if they were just tattoo’ing ppl willy nilly, etc.

[ickeyandmian]

On Ian’s Reading Choices and His State of Mind in Prison

Okay so I don’t know if this has been covered already but I was curious about what books Ian was reading in prison and how this relates to his character so I’ve spent more time than I probably should have trying to compile a list based on one blurry screenshot.

This information serves no purpose really and idk most of these books were probably randomly picked up by the props department but it’s still fun to read into!

I think it’s safe to say that the prison library probably hasn’t had any new material for a while so we’ll assume that these aren’t all necessarily books that Ian would choose to read in normal circumstances and has picked them up simply to pass the time (but who knows, maybe the guy’s super into romantic fantasy).

I have not read any of these so I’m literally reading multiple books by their covers but whatever. Here’s some pointless half thought out meta based on what Ian read in prison, enjoy!

Detailed thoughts at the end but from top to bottom, left to right we have:

1. Knight of Darkness - Kinley MacGregor (2006)

This is volume 2 of a fantasy romance series (have you read vol. 1 Ian? U following the story okay?)

2. Circumpolar! - Richard A. Lupoff (1985)

Pulp Fiction sci-fi fantasy action fun according to google!

3. Fifth Planet - Fred Hoyle & Geoffrey Hoyle (1963)

4. A for Andromena - Fred Hoyle & John Elliot (1962)

Some 60s science fiction thrown into the mix

5. The Bard of Sorcery - Gerard Houarner (1986)

Another Fantasy novel. Well who can blame him, dude’s in prison.

6. Demon 4 - David Mace (1986)

Set in a fictitious WWIII, dealing with disarming a nuclear bomb. Maybe it appealed to Ian’s old military leanings.

7. Damiano’s Lute - R. A. Macavoy (1984)

Another romantic fantasy sequel. How likely is it for prisons to have complete series’? Did Ian read the first volume and like it so much he picked up the sequel? Questions that haunt me at night.

Interestingly, in the synopsis we learn that ‘Damiano Delstrego has forsaken his magical heritage to live as a mortal man’ and I may be reaching but you can tie links between that and Mickey giving up his freedom to be with Ian in prison...

8. A Lonely Planet Travel guide for Cambodia (1992)

I have no idea what the significance of Cambodia is. Maybe Ian is simply fantasizing of being able to go on vacation with Mickey 😭. Perhaps ties into the whole escapism theme there seems to be with this selection of books

9. Out to Canaan - Jan Karon (1997)

This seems like a kind of slice of life, easy read type book. A bit of realism in amongst all the fantasy and sci-fi.

10. Science and Human Behavior - B. F. Skinner (1953)

This is an interesting one. Maybe Ian was trying to understand why Mickey shits at the same time everyday who knows.

Jokes aside, there’s some interesting excepts, notably on severe punishment and it’s effects on human behaviour, possibly a very interesting read for someone serving time.

11. Prisoners of Our Thoughts - Alex Pattakos (2008)

Another non fiction and another fascinating addition in terms of Ian’s character. This book takes the teachings of Victor Frankl and deals with the psychology of finding meaning in your life (something which Ian has often struggled with).

A significant quote being ‘everything can be taken from a man but the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances’

Let’s remember that in season 6, Ian lost his purpose for being entirely, he had no ambitions, no career, no Mickey (😔) but he found his purpose again when he became an EMT, a job which is perfect for someone like Ian who has proven time and time again that all he really wants is to help people. Now, significantly, he’s lost that job and with it that sense of purpose he’d gained. As someone with bipolar disorder, this could have potentially affected him significantly, so for him to choose to read a book like this is a nice insight to his character and I love to see evidence of him doing something positive to take care of his mental well being while in prison.

12. The Holy Bible

Such a minuscule reference to Ian’s Gay Jesus phase, I actually love that they included this though. So by now Ian probably recognizes that he went a little out of control but, idk he went full ham on the bible stuff, and maybe he got some comfort out of some of the verses in there, so it’s cool that he keeps a bible around as part of that storyline.

13. Another bible

(Ian, u good?)

14. Peace like a River - Leif Enger (2001)

The synopsis describes an ‘unusual family’ in search of their ‘fugitive older brother’. I imagine the actual story itself probably has no parallels with Ian’s story but that line stuck out for me.

Also ‘peace like a river’ is a phrase taken from the bible, so that ties in with Ian’s spirituality again. Maybe he recognised the phrase from memorising verses so the book caught his eye.

15. The very last one I’m struggling to decipher, it looks old, probably a classic from the style of the binding. It might be Othello but I can’t get a clear shot to read the title, hopefully someone else might have some clue.

*

So what does it all mean? I hear no one asking.

While they might seem random, I think we see a lot of Ian’s character in these books.

The sheer amount of fantasy and sci-fi here is quite telling. I think it’s clearly a form of escapism for Ian, he’s trapped in a tiny cell (albeit with the love his life but it’s still fucking tiny in there okay) he’s gonna need some light-hearted adventure somehow.

He’s a guy with a lot of energy, a huge savior complex who just wants to do good. He’s tough, he’s a fighter, but he also has a softer side to him, a gentle nature so I think the romantic fantasy genre is a perfect fit for his character. Maybe there’s a bit of wish fulfillment there as well since watching your bf use the bathroom every night is hardly the most romantic scenario (sorry Mickey).

The non fiction choices are probably my favourite indicators of Ian’s character. I think we learn a lot about him from those choices there; his remaining spirituality, his state of mind, his hopes for the future, his curiosity. I just love the thought of Ian reading travel guides, hoping to one day see more of the world idk. And him reading books on psychology in the hopes of understanding himself and his mind better? We love to see it 👏👏👏

All in all, I think they’re a good fit for him, and I hope he enjoyed reading them!

I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this!

[vaguely-gestures-to-the-void]

Hindsight: My thoughts on Loki (2021)

Welcome back folks. Read the innocence dying inside me as I accept that this show eats my expectations for lunch and leaves me like it's going to buy milk.

As a side note from what I said in my first review, here’s an interesting article. Apparently I was clowning because the Gobi desert scene was filmed (probably? idk) with the tech from the Mandalorian. I think the studios were the same. Oh well. https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2021/06/loki-filming-locations.html

Episode 4: THE NEXUS EVENT

Pre-title scene

The new perspective of Asgard is incredible.

Oh baby Sylvie, what did they do to you. Also, RAVONNA??

The TVA through a child’s eyes is heartbreaking. The mixed use of shots that were familiar (the feet walking into the TVA) and new (the TVA logo on the floor) convey how though routine, this is an alien experience for Sylvie.

She too wants to help the man being dragged in. Maybe Sylvie was a better person than Loki, the TVA taking her away was what changed it.

We don’t see Casey, but iIt’s the same ‘sign here’ guy. The changing perspective and music really alters the mood created, contrasting the whimsical procedure we followed in episode one.

She hadn’t even said much in her life. They knew how to influence the audience’s emotions, that's for sure. Props to the actress, I felt genuine concern for her before I remembered that she’s acting.

TVA

Ravonna probably underestimated Sylvie as a Loki, a mistake that cost her greatly.

The golden doors.

Ravonna looks tense and a bit fearful.

Scattered throughout the episode are eyes watching. George Orwell’s 1984, anyone?

Big Brother is watching.

Mobius! He’s a good friend to Ravonna, but there’s a power imbalance.

Ravonna is shaken. Her past failure is haunting her.

Someone edit the “What? How?” into “Wow.” It’ll be a service.

Lamentis - 1

Loki’s apology and Sylvie reflecting on her childhood are the conclusion to the previous episode. Faced with death, Loki realises that her goals were hindered by his actions. His apology is the first time he acknowledges he had something to do with it. Sylvie’s offering her emotional vulnerability in the form of memories. Her mind and experiences are her most prized possession because they’re all she has of the person who she was as Loki, her childhood and what she was supposed to be. Her glorious purpose, what really makes a Loki a ‘Loki’ was her life.

THEY TRUST EACH OTHER. THIS WAS WHAT CAUSED THE NEXUS EVENT.

C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T.

Ravonna pointed out that Loki will always be a “lying scourge” but they went against this. In any timeline, this could cause a nexus event. They found a middle ground.

“That should be setting off alarms if someone steps on the wrong leaf.” I had a whole idea about entropy and the timeline being an isolated system but I struggled to define an isolated system, and thus I couldn’t use the whole irreversible process causing entropy to grow causing a br- if you have a clue of what I’m going on about, or want to know more, I’ll explain my thoughts. I can understand why this isn’t scientifically accurate and I’m no physicist.

The unbranched timeline means all the things that were speculated - Wanda’s kids, what happened on Saakar, all of it - is gone.

“Any news on C - 20?”I called it! B-15 is having doubts! Her subtle unease building up throughout the ep is perfect!

Most settlements have a street design that can be from space. Sharru doesn’t.

“No. We may lose... ...you’re amazing!” Damn it literally took the end of a world for Loki to change as a person.

“Their smiles. If that isn’t people accepting their deaths I don’t know what is. Man, I just want both of them to be happy.

Please don’t let that be the love theme, it’s so pretty.

The music fading into the TVA theme as they get separated is so sad.

Time Theater 25

Back to square one in terms of trust with these two, but now they have history and hurt feelings too!

Oh Mobius.

Cycles are a part of who Loki is within Norse mythology (from what I know, correct me if I’m wrong). This scene is conflict.

Loki needs both Mobius and Sylvie to incite change. One can empathise whilst the other believes in him.

Mobius believes in Loki like no one else in the TVA. He treats him like an individual, they developed a bond in episode 2, so his disappointment and anger were genuine. This is reflected in their dialogue.

Even when Loki was going through all the Feels in ep 1, he didn’t shout at Mobius. It makes it more heartbreaking when Mobius laughs and dismisses him after the “TVA is lying to you” thing. His laugh was so bitter, it’s like his belief that Loki would be the variant to prove that variants were individuals had been shattered. What Mobius doesn’t realise is that Loki was genuinely trying to warn him. The trust between them was fragile but Mobius needed to come to his own conclusions before he could see that Loki had broken out of the mold the Time Keepers set for him.

“Just kind of an asshole and a bad friend.” Y’all, Mobius doesn’t rise to Loki’s baits. He’s so hurt.

I can’t be the only one that thought Loki was going to be brainwashed when they saw the red door. Turns out it’s just a time cell.

I love Mobius but he makes me feel so conflicted. Oh shit, he’s my problematic fave.

Watching Loki get his ass handed to him by Lady Sif shouldn’t be this funny.

This particular memory reflects what Mobius will talk about later, Loki being abandon by the people around him.

Putting Loki through a memory that was physically and emotionally painful was nasty. If you hear something horrible, over and over especially from a friend it would take a toll on your self-perception. Mobius was hurt by Loki leaving him, he’s getting revenge whilst doing his job and getting into Loki’s head.

Ravonna’s office

Ravonna has hang ups from failing with Sylvie. Who she is and what she knows is going to be interesting.

Heck I just realised are Mobius’ lapels not real? They look fake.

I wonder whether the “mastermind” thing was foreshadowing the next ep.

Am I the only one who thinks this isn’t the first Loki Mobius has dealt with? Could that mean there’s a reunion next ep?!

“Variant pet.” There’s a culture of dehumanising variants within the TVA.

The cuts showing both B-15 and Mobius’ faces reminds me of ep 1, but now there’s a new angle to things. B-15 certainly sees things differently.

Time Theatre 25

Lady Sif would kill with short hair. Or long hair. It’s Lady Sif, she’s a badass.

Loki’s exhale reminds me of how he tenses before a fight.

Notable things about this scene:

Heavy use of metaphors to trade jabs.

The lights are shifting in a consistent pattern, scanning the room almost.

Shots are constantly moving and cutting.

Loki’s speech pattern changes when he’s lying. Nice touch there.

When they start arguing in earnest, the shots are close ups of their faces, not circling around each other.

Loki was at first willing to talk to Mobius if he was treated with respect, the way they engaged in episode 2. He also wants to trust that Mobius won’t kill him. Mobius dismisses him (rightly so, his trust is gone) and Loki’s pride about ‘not working for anyone’ gets in the way rather than listening to each other. Loki’s behaviour is cyclic and his lying about Sylvie affirms Mobius’s understanding that Loki won’t (or maybe can’t) change. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Mobius is a Loki, the man’s uncannily good at reading him. He deduces that Loki and Sylvie have a bond and unsettles Loki to get answers out of him, because he knows that’s the only way he can force Loki to reveal his cards. He definitely wasn’t expecting Loki’s earlier admission to be the truth. What Mobius did was not right, but it sure was effective.

“No. Not partners.” I believe this. They had an understanding, but their goals differ. Maybe just give Sylvie her own show.

“Guess you don’t do partners.” MOBIUS WHY ARE YOU SO BUTT-HURT? Probably to make Loki feel bad ik, but it’s still funny to think Lightning McQueen is salty.

That memory really hurt Loki. He stuttered.

Loki fixates on Sylvie rather than his own freedom. This was the cue to Mobius to start interrogating.

Bruh, the feeling they were experiencing better be friendship.

This made me uncomfortable because I was so sure we weren’t gonna get a romantic subplot that I related the characters to my actual family relationships. Marvel. Why?

The music combined with Mobius’ subtle shift in demeanor from irritated to mockery was very unsettling to me. I never realised how good an actor Owen Wilson was.

“Our interests are aligned.” Once Mobius tells him the truth, Loki does the same. I really hope this is the extent of their relationship. Just let them recognise one another as equals. Please Marvel.

Mobius’ hands twitching, the slight swallow. Yeesh, he certainly doesn’t think Loki’s lying, but he’s not about to accept it.

Loki’s head shake is sad. He knows he can’t convince Mobius.

“That I can respect. I mean the lies you tell yourself.” This was the best writing imo. Loki doesn’t make any final attempts to connive his way out of the situation because telling the truth to someone he’d trusted had failed. He willingly walks into the Time Cell.

Time Theater 47

B-15 being unable to support herself, having to rely on the structures around her to stay upright. This woman deserves so much y’all.

WE NEED HER NAME MARVEL.

You better appreciate her beyond shipping her with Sylvie or istg.

The music is so mournful. It just emphasises how much everything changing is going to hurt not only the main characters. Lives change because of the TVA and the events of this episode, it’s not overlooked by the writing or music.

The poster and the 1984 parallels. Exquisite!

Sylvie not sitting straight made me snort.

Ravonna Renslayer’s office

More Theremin music! This time I’m pretty sure it’s Carnival of the Animals, XIII. Le Cygne (the Swan) : Le carnaval des animaux: No. 12, Le cygne (arr. For theremin and piano) by Clara Rockmore.

Fun fact! Clara Rockmore influenced theremin music and the instrument and was a virtuoso of the instrument. Give her a google, it’s worth it. Also look up Leon Theremin, he was (among other things) a Soviet spy. There’s a great Wiki spiral for anyone there.

Mobius was probably being lined up for a high position in the TVA. Damn.

TemPads are personal, or have different levels of clearance.

Mobius didn’t stop interrogating Ravonna throughout that scene. He knew that she wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

Sleight of hand wasn’t shown how Loki and Sylvie do it, they didn’t use misdirection.

Ravonna knows something is up with Mobius. Maybe he hasn’t been around for long if this is his ‘career case’.

The pacing becomes really fast like in the end of episode 2 as conflicts get resolved. Buckle up comrades.

2050 Roxxcart Disaster

I don’t have much to add, it’s a powerful scene.

They use close ups whenever a truth bombshell is dropped.

The music varies considerably between these scenes, each one has a different tone.

“We’re the same.” With what she knows of B-15, Sylvie knew not to be smug when delivering the news about B-15’s life.

B-15 crying in the rain hurts.

“I looked happy.”

TVA archives, Time Cell, Time Theater 25

The floor opposite Mobius is FE3, above it is 3FG.

Oh Mobius.

C-20 deserved better, I'd love to see her later in the series.

The music goes from mournful to harsh and we’re left in silence when it cuts to the Time Cell.

“You told me to shut up.” Loki can be salty sometimes.

“Do you really think you deserve to be alone?” Mobius is rattled, he wants to unsettle Loki.

The music starts to build somewhere between “...your connection... “ and Loki saying “‘WE?’”

The faint tinkling reminds me of the Avatar (blue people) score.

“How about the word of a friend?” This is Loki’s olive branch. When he admits Loki was right, their trust is tentatively reinstated.

The music is finally back to that chaotic theme we know. I think it’s the TVA’s theme.

“You can be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean just in case anyone ever told you different.” Mobius corrects what he says in the first ep.

They are friends y’all I’m so sad.

Mobius can lie through his teeth like it’s nobody’s business.

Pruning hurts, Mobius’ face is in agony.

Loki’s tears. GIVE THEM ALL JETSKIS.

Ravonna takes a moment to compose herself.

Time Keepers (the final smackdown)

Why are the last 10 minutes always so insane?

Loki’s eyes only show hurt. I’ll leave.

Ravonna’s so sharp, she instantly catches Sylvie’s wet hair.

All of our expectations from the trailers always get yeeted out of a window because the scenes are never really what we think they are. I get that that should be expected but it’s refreshing that the writing is never what we think it is.

Did anyone else notice the egg timer/infinity sign murals on one of the hallways to the left of Sylvie?

Ravonna is so cold (and yet I’d simp for her).

The M.C. Escher staircases I see you set designers/CGI folks.

B-15 just gets knocked out. They better not kill her for no reason or I riot.

I’m pretty sure that Sylvie ripped off one of Ravonna’s TVA badges (or buttons) when she fought her.

Sylvie’s the better fighter, she’s had to use it more often though.

The elevator doors stay open.

It would be so funny if we get an elevator scene where Sylvie is just dragging Ravonna somewhere.

They really led us on with the Time Keepers, particularly the middle one. I was somewhat convinced there’d be something more to it. I’m interested to see where it goes.

Ep 4 review

I really don’t have much to add with these last two episodes. I’ve definitely come to appreciate that no matter whether you liked the writing of the show or not, it’s never what you expect. Is that a good thing? I guess that that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, I appreciate how much effort went into this series. It’s been a fun romp, I’ll be back with my reviews of the final episodes. I’ll also stop posting Loki content to my blog because the Gods know that my followers don’t read this lol.

I’m just going to survive until the season is over and then hopefully keep my sanity together until the next Marvel content or at least Dr. Strange.

Here's the link to my episode 3 review.

Thank you all for being here, you're wonderful my loves.