#robby would die without them

[tellingoldstories]

Some Jack Abbot headcanons for your consideration...

Some Jack Abbot headcanons for your consideration –

His wife was called Sarah. She was his first kiss in high school in whatever small town they grew up in and they broke up as soon as he left for college. They met again and a mutual friend’s wedding in their early thirties and fell hard

Drove his youngest sister across three state lines so she could get an abortion without needing parental consent. She works in tech in San Francisco now, a wife and a dog and a hundred other things she’d never have gotten if he’d had a baby at sixteen. Every year she makes a frankly obscene donation to planned parenthood in his name

Whatever the truth about his relationship with Walsh (and believe you me, I have theories) it is the subject of an unhinged amount of ER/Surgery gossip and you better believe they are both feeding that rumour mill.

Has a cabin upstate that’s, like, fully ADA compliant but also barely has electricity. The first time he goes there for a week after starting at the Pitt he very seriously hands Robby his neighbours landline number in case of emergency and absolutely neglects to tell him that said neighbour lives 4 miles away.

Worlds shittiest rustbox of a car. The nightshift have a bet on when its finally going to die on him and if he was ever late for work they would 100% assume he was parked on the side of the road somewhere, smoke coming out of the bonnet.

Once treated his own therapist in the ER and the two of them pretended not to know each other so studiously that Princess and Perlah assumed they were sleeping together

[velmalav]

The Giver - Frank Langdon pt. III

masterlist

day one // night one

day two - f.l.

synopsis: being the selfless person you are, you agree to travel to a 3-day conference with your biggest competition - dr. langdon. part 3 of I don't know how many yet :-)

warnings: cursing, oops there's only one bed, enemies to lovers, angst

The first thing I notice the next morning is the intense ache in my back. I moan into my pillow only for it to slide onto the floor. Eyes flash open to see a disaster. Our makeshift pillow barrier is everywhere, on the floor, on top of each of us, underneath one of Langdon’s arms. He’s completely out. At least he looks comfortable.

For a moment, I watch him, and – to my dismay – notice he is much more attractive when he’s not conscious. Typically, he sports just a single strand of hair in his face (one of the only tolerable things about him), but now his forehead is completely covered in dark hair. If I could just reach over and brush it out of the way-

Stop. This is what he wants, and you’re not going to let him have this one.

I rub circles in my eyes with my palms, cracking my shoulders as I sit up. Langdon has a knee placed into my back, other leg straight as a board. Of course, of course it was him who caused my backache. Another example of why these intrusive thoughts need to die.  I abandon the ship and tiptoe into the bathroom, excited to at least have first dibs. I get ready for the second day conference swiftly and without sound. The first day is typically just introductions and with our flight being delayed, we thankfully had no choice but to skip it. I wonder how Gloria will feel about that.

I check my messages and notice several from my other coworkers. Robby checking to make sure we made it and to be vigilant about the schedule, Collins sending a quick prayer for me, and Mel asking me to send any notes I take during sessions. I’m responding to the last one when Langdon shifts in bed. His eyes flutter open, confusion about the bed situation settling in.

“What time is it?” he grumbles, rolling onto his stomach to shove his face into a pillow.

“Fifteen until our first session,” I say nonchalantly, sliding my phone in the back pocket of my dress pants.

Langdon’s eyes fly open, a blur of dark hair and tanned skin suddenly moving around the room. In the midst of his panic, he finds time to shoot daggers at me, “Were you even going to fucking wake me?”

“I tried,” I shrug, trying to convince myself that being a bitch is the only way to avoid all the adjectives I’m thinking to describe him. This is foreign, all of it. My usual first thought seeing him flustered would be pride, like a warrior watching a dragon stumble before its untimely death, but now all I can focus on is his hair and his hands and the way his shirt is laying on him to reveal just a small sliver of his stomach.

I have to give it to him, he’s pretty good at slinging together curse words in a way I’ve never heard. I take a gentle seat on the edge of the bed while I watch him stumble into dress clothes. He spends significantly less time in the bathroom than he did last night and within five minutes is tugging on his dress shoes.

“Why do I get the feeling you didn’t try at all?” he asks, but he doesn’t wait for the answer, just rushes through the door without looking back. I sigh, grab the key card off the TV stand, and saunter out after him.

.

Upon arrival at the conference building, it’s clear Langdon wants nothing to do with me. He’s still bitter about how late we are, and I find myself feeling guilty about it. His career is technically riding on this, the least I could do is not sabotage that any further. He’s not incompetent at his job, and like I said earlier, he’s – as much as I hate to continue to admit this – one of the reasons I’ve excelled in the way I have.

I flip through the variety of sessions laid out for the day, realizing some of them are congruent with each other. Langdon is hanging around the lobby, watching others check in. He seems anxious, and I can’t tell if it’s the adrenaline or something else.

“There’s a lecture in ten on pharmacology in Room 112 and another on Speed Mentoring at the same time in 207,” I read out, attempting to soften his edges by making this easier on him.

Langdon does a quick raise of his eyebrows, frowns, and without looking at me, walks off to the staircase. He mutters. “Meet you back at the hotel,” right before he’s out of earshot.

As I watch him go, the guilt in my stomach triples. I sigh, using my free hand to rub my eyebrow. I fucked up big time, and I deserve it. For someone who is always putting other people before myself, I finally remember what it feels like to be selfish.

.

Langdon

At 5:20 on the dot, Langdon’s murmuring quick excuses through the crowd of medical professionals, not even stopping to take a breath until he’s outside of the conference building. He can’t help but to catastrophize everything right now. Every glance his way is a dirty look, every poster and pamphlet about ‘patient care’ is a warning. And he just can’t believe he gets to spend the next few months doing this over and over, being faced with consequences any of his other coworkers could’ve faced had they been as unlucky.

Everyone has their days, and everyone absolutely has a moment where they break in front of patients. They say it’s never supposed to happen, but it happens all the time. And most times, there’s never a warning, it just happens. Like in the cartoons where a piano crushes an unsuspecting passerby.

The day he nearly got fired, there were no signs. One minute he was calm, drowning out the patient’s family as they shouted, knowing it would only rattle his concentration. And the next he pivoted to directly face them and said – more like spat - every single word rushing through his mind. It was like a tsunami, like a livewire snapped inside him. Looking back, he can’t even remember what the last straw was, it just was.

What he did remember was Robby grasping the back of his scrub top and hauling him out of the room, barking orders at Mohan to take over. And in most tense situations, he wasn’t one to back down, but the words he said to that family – it was inexcusable. There was no salvaging the situation at that moment so he ran off, as if running from it would make it stop. Make it cease to exist.

And he found himself doing that now. Because the guilt of his words, of the consequences that followed, were eating him alive. He felt like he’d been punished enough by the sheer embarrassment, so these patient care seminars only revived those feelings and stifled his ability to give a shit about what the speakers were teaching him.

But he could breathe now. Take a quick shower and crawl into bed. Forget everything about this day. Especially Y/N and the stunt she pulled this morning.

But alas, the world is against him. Because the goddamn hotel double booked Y/N’s room, they were forced to share his room and were only given one fucking keycard. Which she had. So Langdon found himself staring at his hotel door, realization dawning on him that the night was, in fact, not over.

Thankfully he knew where she was, because despite his very obvious efforts to avoid her, she texted to let him know she was going to the mixer after the conference. A place that to him felt like the ninth level of hell in the state he was currently in. But she wasn’t responding to his pleas to bring the key, and he wasn’t about to wait in the hall all night. He needed something to do, something to avoid the pounding thoughts in his head.

Langdon solemnly enters the hotel bar across the street, where the mixer was in full swing. He expected something classier, much like the conference itself, only to walk headfirst into a full-on party. Loud music, open bar, dancing bodies. Even a fucking disco ball was fastened to the ceiling.

In any other headspace, Langdon would’ve dived full force into a scene like this. Any excuse to lose himself for a while. But he was tired, frustrated, ready to bash that goddamn disco ball into shards, and feeling as sorry for himself as he ever has.

It takes plenty of sifting through the crowd to find her. She’s standing at a table near the dance floor, glass in hand, leaning into some guy while he talks in her ear. They seem like they’re getting along, and she looks like her usual self. The self he never gets to see because she hides that version from him. Wearing a genuine smile, eyes wistful, full of unbridled happiness. Though he’s still pissed at her, he catches himself thinking about how pretty she looks. Deep inside, he wishes she would look at him with those wistful eyes, wish that smile was aimed at him. And not laced with the usual disdain she throws his way at work.

Langdon gets so stuck on studying them he forgets the entire reason he even came. He slides into a quiet part of the bar where he can still see her. His fingers tap against his lips, eyebrows furrowed.

Y/N and the man chat for a few more minutes and then he leans into her. Langdon can’t help but imagine what he must be saying. Flirting? Making fun of him? Inviting her to his hotel room? In the midst of his bitter inner dialogue, he almost misses the man take Y/N’s hand and lead her to the dance floor. Blending into the hoards of people, Langdon can just barely make out her arms snaking around the man’s shoulders. It’s enough for him. The last straw.

Fuck the keycard.

He takes one last look at them before they disappear into bodies, and he feels a twinge of something he can’t place in his chest. It’s knife-like, violent.

And then he does the one thing he’s best at when things get hard, he leaves.

night two

[quandledlngle69]

🍡🍡🍡🍡🍡🍡

im here… again…(*^‿^*)

BUT TODAY… in here to request something special, that for once doesnt include michael kaiser… because today… the march of the 24th… is my bday yayayayya

but anyways HIHIHI MY FAVORITE!!!! THE VAMP KAISER ONE WAS DELICIOUS AS USUAL THANK YEWWWW!!!!

today im switching it up im here for an alexis ness fic pretty please (>ᴗ•)

give me uhhhh another very desperate ness one where uhhhhh he sort of did something without thinking twice to reader that annoyed them and uuhhhh idk maybe uhhhh make it like that scene from wolf of wall street where uhmmmm margot robbie has her heel on his head and he just begs for her to stop being all mad and to just let him kiss her 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝓉ℯ𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓂 𝒶 𝒻𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓀 𝒻ℴ𝓇 𝓅𝒶𝓉𝒽ℯ𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝓂ℯ𝓃 𝒷𝓉𝓌 but uhhh yeah THANK YEEEWWW!!!! (^‿^✿)

・. ★ HII PRETTY (˶ˆᗜˆ˵).ᐟ OMGGGGG HAPPY BIRTHDAY I HOPE YOU HAD ALL THE CAKE AND THE PRESENTS YOU WANTED AND I HOPE YOU HAD A REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD DAY AHHHH Also sorry if this seems a little rushed and fast paced i wanted to get this out for you anon before the end of the day :P

☆ CONTENT: Ness leaves your regular movie night to deal with the aftermath of his teammates unruly unclean habits. He comes back to his apartment two hours later then he said, neglecting to update you. He finds you sulking on the couch, upset and displeased. But he knows if he begs ever so sweetly at your feet, you'll forgive him in no time. ☆ GENRE/THEMES/WARNING: Ness being pathetic and literally physically ill every time reader is upset with him, neglect, slight manipulation and enjoyment of begging from Ness by reader, mention of kaiser having anger issues, idk anymore so lmk if I missed any. ☆ W.C. 0.8K

Ness feels like he’s going to die.

He internally beats himself up for not being more attentive of your concealed sulking expression when he headed out the door.

It was a rookie mistake, informing you that your regular rom–com movie night wasn’t happening, as his team collectively decided to spring clean up duty in the training room on Ness. Oh how could he have missed it, when your overly–sweet words told him it was okay, an up–curved smile that didn’t reach your eyes and casual but stiff hand gestures. It's okay, you would wait for him to come back in an hour or two. 

But in fact, everything was not okay.

Not only did he not pick up the disappointment in your eyes, he was two hours later than the time he told you he would be home by, as stupid Isagi decided to open a can of shaken soda by the training equipment. 

He called out your name as he shut the apartment door behind him gingerly, kicking off his shoes when he only got a reply of pure silence. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t gut–wrenched with anxiety. He hadn’t even messaged you to let you know he’d be delayed–it completely slipped his mind, and he knew how upset you got when he didn’t update you about these things. 

All the above lights are off, casting only a dull pitch darkness in the rooms. There was a faint mumble of sound coming from the living room. He followed the only illuminating lightsource, the artificial glow coming from none other than the TV. 

And there you were, stretched out flat on your back, your cherry–red baby tee riding up your ribcage, a matching thong cupping over and tight around your hips. A tub of your favourite chocolate fudge ice cream sat on your stomach, a flicker of a silver spoon stuck straight up in the gelato. Your hair was tucked away in your silky pink bonnet, the bow knotted limply at the side of your hairline. You were watching Wild Child, your eyes seemingly fixated on the particular scene, but Ness can tell by the way your lips thinned and your eyelids narrowed–you knew he was there, just blanking his presence. 

His eyes watched you intensely as the ice cream tub was placed onto the wooden floor below. “Alexis.” You say his name as if it's a stain on your tongue, a simple acknowledgement, your eyebrows raised and a sigh falls from your lips. It makes him feel ill.  

He immediately goes into damage control mode–a habit he got from trying to make peace with an aggravated or irritated Kaiser. Hushed apologises tumble from his lips, instinctively dipping down to ensnare you in his arms; but it's quickly cut short as your bare leg extends out, the pad of your foot pressed against his forehead. “No,–no touching.” 

His lip quivers, and you tilt your head to see him looking up at you with the biggest begging eyes you’ve ever seen. He resembled a kicked puppy, and you would giggle at his desperate expression if you weren't so displeased at the fact he neglected to call or text you. You dug your heel in his nose at the thought, a pout forming on your face as you crossed your arms defiantly. His hands tremble as they tenderly wrap around your ankle, slowly repositioning your foot onto his collar bone. 

“I'm sorry, Kleines Mädchen, please–bitte…” His voice trailed off miserably, itching to reach out and touch you, but all that would give him is silent treatment, his eyes darted from your plump lips to your eyes.

Your lips went even more into a pout, and swore his heart travelled up to his throat. “How sorry are you?”

“Really sorry, schatz.”

“Really?” you whispered, but there was almost a teasing tone in your voice, the corner of your lips twitching as if they were threatening to curve up.

“Really.” 

Ness thinks if you don’t forgive him in the next five seconds he might actually go crazy. But his prayers are answered when you finally smile, seemingly pleased with his response and undignified pleading. He let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he had been holding, almost jumping on you when you pulled him towards you by the collar of his shirt. He latches onto you like a koala, almost scary how much grip he had on you. His nose nuzzles into your neck, peppering lazy kisses on the side of your throat, making you shiver as your hands carded through the hair on the nape of his neck. You throw a bent leg over his hip, tapping his muscular leg with your foot. 

Your heavy lidded eyes drifted back to the TV screen, your voice a soft murmur, “You’re so pathetic.”

His grip tightens around you, his breathing softer. “I'm so pathetic,” He hums submissively, agreeing. You bite back a smile, melting into his hold as your eyes flutter shut, your mind following not too long after.

Quandaledlngle69 © 2025

・. ★ Credit for divider.ᐟ: @.strangergraphics

[repressionmd]

santos + langdon predictions/hcs for s2

she doesn't directly defend langdon in the 10 month break but definitely is part of the rumour mill on the downlow but throws in completely random ones. she's definitely said 'oh i saw him in the park with his kids the other day' and 'oh he's not in today? i could've sworn i saw him in his car outside?' because i really don't believe that she would be contemptuous towards him if she finds out from robby that he's in rehab

when he gets back she gives him like a 5ft radius minimum which infuriates him i think but is also weirdly welcome. she's completely professional and does what she needs to do but doesn't really talk to him otherwise

one day she brings in loads of extra food because she got carried away stress-cooking and he's one of or the first to find her with it in the breakroom and its an awkward 'oh hi. i.. made way too much food. want some?' and he's like 'oh. uh, sure. thanks.' and she's like 'yep. :]" and then its less cold but still just odd

till they end up working together on an OD case and when they're done (idk if the pt would die or not. maybe not. maybe santos does a crazy thing that she read about or listened to on a podcast … and langdon is like 👀 when it saves their life. bc why are you aware of specifically OD-related treatment) and then he's like oh that was. cool. and she's like its whatever. were you ok with that case? and he's like yeah. no. yeah, im ok. thanks though.

basically its AWKWARD. but i think over 10 months away from her in rehab and presumably therapy he'd have realised that like. he needed someone to spot him. maybe he realises that there's people who are in much worse situations than him because no one noticed till they got found out in rly deep water. or people who didn't have the benefit of a boss who wouldn't report them and are in rehab without medical licenses anymore (bc probably he'd go to a support group for healthcare workers?).

i don't think he would resent her and i don't think she would hate him. i think she would be worried that he does hate her but when no outburst comes and he seems overall ok i think she'd relax (or whatever equivalent of hers is to 'relaxing'). and she definitely still has her issues around men in general but specifically around his drug use i don't think she's going to hold that over his head or make it obvious that that was why he was gone

[fluidstatick]

Balloon SMP is like a baby alligator clamped onto my brain stem, and the more I watch of it the more heartwrenching it gets. This shit is Rashomon from thirty six different angles and I'm sick with grief over these characters, man.

I've gotten to the part of Kuu's perspective of the SMP that's just completely smashed my heart. Having seen Sophie and Robby's VODs already, I wasn't expecting this angle to hurt Even More, but "This is not happening" (the first day of the final week) is so frustrating and sad.

Robby's angle of this day annoyed me, because they left Bee and Char at the citadel and went to fetch Kuu, who explicitly had been shut out of the meeting, then fucked off to work on milk automation. I kept muttering "come on, bro, this shit is important."

Seeing Kuu's perspective wasn't irritating; it just crushed me emotionally. Bailey talking about the dubious power of mob spawners until Kuu walks into the citadel. Swindy, Katy, Claire and Marc gently and repeatedly saying that everyone should treat the blue balloon with respect and compassion. Bee trying to bolster their message of compassion and respect, getting repeatedly interrupted, her face growing sadder and sadder until she can't find words anymore. Gandalf hinting, not so subtly, that he's an avatar of the blue balloon. Jame harping on weapons and armor and preparedness. Gibson scolding people for trying to be diplomatic and humane. Beepers and Buggle giggling and sniping and arguing with everyone. Through all this, the desperate recognition between Kuu and Gandalf builds and tapers off - They're brothers in this struggle, and they're fighting for Love World, but nobody trusts either of them.

Someone in Kuu's chat wrote "Heal-ium" at one point. I mentioned that in a previous post; Sophie was wrong. The red stuff isn't death, it's rejuvenation, recuperation, respite. When players die, they return with fewer hearts - not because they're being punished, but because they're being asked to rest. "You're fragile, mortal creatures. protect one another, avoid violence, feed each other." All of Gandalf's mini quests involved telling people to bring him food, and he would often give people food in return if they indulged him. If everyone had gathered in the same place, and let Kuu place the healium above a high traffic, comfortable area - the roof of the citadel, Socks' poker den / tv hole, Normie's kitchen, Frog Village - the red balloons could feed the blue balloon and nurse it back to health while everyone enjoys each other's company.

Bee kept returning from death with ten hearts partially because their first few deaths were glitches, but I imagine it was also a message - Bee was never the aggressor in conflicts, and trusted the people around them to be gentle and humane. I imagine Headless!Bee was a hint to protect the vulnerable and confused, and Miku!Bee with four hearts was a huge neon sign - You humanoida creatures like this Miku, don't you? We've made your RenoBee into Miku. Listen to them, love them, protect them, let them lead you.

Wherever the most players were gathered, a huge influx of balloons showed up. When people had spawner parties, and didn't crouch in fear, nothing bad happened - everyone got stronger. Sophie being strong didn't give her an advantage. She could solo dungeons without a problem, but her solitude made her suspicious. She hated Gandalf, and hated the balloons, but the doppelgangers were peaceful. Not!Bailey was kind until Sophie expressed fear and agression. Her own doppelganger warned her that she didn't have much time, but she needed to learn to trust. Sophie doubled down on fear and agression, so balloons stopped showing up at Team E.

We could've had love world.

It pisses me off how deeply moved I am by the archives of a damn rtvs adjacent hardcore minecraft server. I was expecting shenanigans and bits and silly improv decisions, and I got those, but I wasn't expecting anger, fear, despair, hope, tenderness, and Real Tears.

Sophie cried. Robby cried. Kuu cried. Ausk and Bee and Socks and I can only imagine how many others. This shit is Sad, and it didn't need to be, and it's a frustrating mirror of how the world works, how it could work if humanity understood how interconnected we are.

[deskraven]

Thoughts on how the Terrans will cope with Human Family Member Death

(Inspired by @wiltyard's post)

I would assume the Terrans are aware of the life expectancy difference between them and their human family right now. They have witness human death twice, and transformer "death" twice. It would be weird if the parents haven't yet talked to them on the topic of death. In addition, Jawbreaker was well aware that transformer life expectancy is longer than "10 thousand years".

Thoughts on their reactions:

Nightshade takes it really well. They are probably aware of the fact even before they started regarding Alex and Dot as their parents. (I'm going down the path of S1E13's early storyboard, where Nightshade took some time to actually accept the human Maltos as family.) They would continue to take it really well throughout the next 100 years. They would be prepared for their human family's aging and take good care of them. They would do their best on researching human medical problems but at the same time respect their medical decisions. They would be present at all the funerals, probably even giving an eulogy if Twitch and Thrash are not present. They would be sad to lose them but they won't break - at least at first. They feel more like the type to break years/decades after the funerals.

Hashtag also realized this fact really early. She kinda just brushed the unpleasant thought away, unwilling to think too deep into it. When her family is talking about the topic, she would pretend she's taking it well but is actually quite terrified. She might feel more comfortable talking to non-family members about this. Eventually someone (Twitch?) will notice and approach her. But when the time actually comes she might still need a while to process the loss. I can imagine the grandkids / great grandkids of Robby and Mo asking their parents "Why does great aunt Hashtag stop visiting?" because she kinda just disappeared for years/decades after Robby and Mo passed away.

Twitch would be aware of this early too. She would feel obliged to be mature, thinking that she needs to stay emotionally strong for her family. Her stress is obvious thought - she's hyperactive, overworking herself during trainings, helping too much with the family chores, etc. Robby would talk to her about this, express his own insecurities on the faraway future, and they will figure things out. When death is actually approaching, Twitch would be quite stressed again. She would push all her important work aside to take care of her parents (even though they already have more care than they need). She would try to stay with them all the time, saying she's more suited for the job because she's about human height and doesn't get tired. And she would really, really want her human family to stay, to the point that it might be a little bit unhealthy.

Thrash is aware of the life expectancy difference, but it would take him a while to realize what this actually implies. The moment of realization would be a shock for him, then he would be in denial. Mo might actually fuel in with the denial, saying they might have a longer life expectancy due to Quintus power. He would be quite angered by the time they realize Quintus power doesn't work this way / or when one of his human family express the desire to live a normal life and die naturally. It's a quite standard 5 stages of grief except that he would be stuck in an endless loop of denial and anger and bargaining. I think he would be the one who harbors the strongest negative feelings over this, and it will be a recurring thing throughout his life. He would snap if someone outside the family brings up the topic. And he might not be present at the funerals. Losing Mo would definitely be a devasting thing for him - the bond between them is just too important and too special. He's her Rocinante and he feels incomplete without her.

Jawbreaker would be very obvious about not taking it well. He probably wouldn't realize the life expectancy problem on his own and needs to be informed, then he just starts bawling his eyes out, which is honestly a relief for Dot and Alex because this is the same reaction Robby and Mo had when they were first introduced to the concept of death (at the age of 5 or something). This is a recurring thing for him too - for a few years, whenever someone brings up this problem he just starts crying. I think he would say some innocent disturbing things like "I would die with you! 🥹" He would probably accept a religious/spiritual explanation like "We will still be with you even though you won't be able to see us or interact with us. / We will meet again in afterlife." He might become religious solely for this reason. But which religion? Can he still "join the Matrix" or "join the AllSpark" if he was born from the Emberstone? But then can humans join the AllSpark/Emberstone? Should he pick a human religion instead? Can a terran join human heaven in afterlife? How does reincarnation work? Can he reincarnate into a human? Could he be the reincarnation of a human? His family would need to deal with questions like these for a good while (which is actually really helpful for all of them).

[virginmiri99]

TOMMYINNIT IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN THE PROBLEM.

I'm off my anti psychotics and I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of tommy hate. first of all, I cant name a more depressing person to be around than someone who consistently tries to center the sympathy on them during a conversation. theres a huge difference between sharing your story and wallowing in it. as a public figure tommy is currently pulling a 2021 RANBOO... yeah thats right tommy is RANBOO by constantly trauma dumping his feelings on his audience: depression, parents divorce, loss of creativity... at a certain point it feels like a hostage situation and he wears the diagnosis of depression like a badge. Have I watched any tommy content recently? No. and not for like 3 years, and thats because his insufferable life habits seep into everything he touches, he has become that person who makes 'I wanna die' jokes that everyone has to uncomfortably laugh at while also parroting humor from middle school. Which is just why his career at "comedy" is failing, and is only doomed to fail. What is his audience? if it WAS all middle schoolers, why do shows that cost money and spew nonsense sexual humor that no parent in their right mind would accept sitting through? if he sees his audience that supports him financially being queer young adults (lesbians) why spend much of his time acting like a nasty middle school boy that turns his aging fans against him on their private twitters? does he ever look around at his peers such as tubbo and wonder why his best friend is much more loved by the overall streaming community--why tubbo is seen as an equal to other streamers while tommy is "that kid tommyinnit?" tommy cant sit at the table with larger streamers without sticking out as "the minecraft kid" and he cant sit at the table with long run minecrafters without sticking out as "inappropriate child", he recevce so respect as a real adult or creator from either side. I truly believe ludwig still things tommy is like 16. does he not feel the imposter syndrome of digging himself into a hole of his own doing? he claims to not want to do "gen z" humor any longer but I dont see the change being put in to expand his audience past the dsmp kids the way, say, tubbo or purpled have (sorry purpled for even speaking your name in presence of the devil. and you have issues too btw. but youre being mostly fine abt them). hell, even ranboo has fought tooth and nail to break away from it (but is cringe and annoying in a different way) my only conclusion from this is that tommyinnit was never talented, funny, or special in any grand way with zero clue of his core identity and now can only live in a false existence as its all hes ever known. he sees himself as bo burnham or robbie williams but he doesnt even know who he is in the first place. which is why he has no swag. he clings to the idea of being the minecraft funnyman, the good to dreams evil, the annoying kid who scored (and lost) a hot girlfriend, but he is failing at all of those things which makes him look desperate and pathetic and using the only thing he currently has: depression. he released a book filled with tweets that only a middle schooler could make to fill up pages (a la gabbie hanna poetry) with ai art and a lack of care for genuine creativity. tommyinnit is nothing more than a washed up 20 yo at the start of his life. at this point he just needs to stop being an online figure as its painful to watch even from a distance.

post this on reddit

[astridthevalkyrie]

not ship in ck has good writing or good development because the writers are not good with romance or plot consistency - they’re only good at making references to the old movies and the win of the show goes to the ones making the fight choreographies.

but let’s be honest robby/tory happened because they needed a way to go back to sam/miguel without creating a love triangle or drama. the writers wanted the legacy kids dating, got it, then changed their minds about it and needed an easy way out. and tory was right there.

the way samrobby was handled was very unfair considering is canon robby was in love with sam. & sam had genuine feelings for robby. it wasn’t a tory and miguel situation because sam wasn’t using robby as a rebound. they were build on a mutual friendship and interest (miyagi-do) first. the relationship between sam and robby was way different than the one between tory and miguel. and should’ve not been treated as if it was.

but as I said, the writers backed out and needed a reason to further the rivalry’s.

tory/robby S3 arc was a very odd because their only interactions were tory trying to blame the school fight on sam and her privilege “for walking out of it” and while robby did call her out for hurting sam - the writers never gave a damn about sam and her issues & would actually prop tory up when it came to trashing sam. but most of their S3 arc was just her using robby’s hate for the larusso’s to her gain. and i genuinely couldn’t even imagine robby being ok w tory after what she did to sam/larussos in s3.

the writers also never allowed sam and robby to have closure. sam was still emailing robby during juvie that summer but the narrative never brings it up. they wanted you to believe she never cared and was only after miguel’s wellbeing. even when you see sam clearly heartbroken and hurt over what happened with robby, the writers just never allow her that moment. the fact they never got to sit down and talk it out and that robby thought sam never liked him is crazy work. a good writer would’ve given them that closure.

in the start of s4, it was pretty evident robby was still in love with sam. & even in the skating rank where he was trying to be mean you can still tell he was hurt by having to shut her down. the prom fight scene has more levity to sam & robby that it did for tory and miguel who didn’t even talk. robby was shocked to find out that sam was just as heartbroken by him and it wasn’t some one way situation. they even had miguel react to their moment. but i guess since tory & robby kissed now that’s over? the fact they were harboring feelings for miguel & sam respectfully is forgotten by the narrative? the writers seem to think a big fight is the end of it all lol it’s funny because tanner himself says he did not like robby on S4 because he thinks he wasn’t acting like himself.

then came S5 and i guess the established couples is all that matters? i do think it’s very unfortunate how the writers fumbled what sam and robby’s relationships could’ve been even as a non-romantic dynamic because mary and tanner arguelly had the most natural chemistry and the fact they didn’t get to have legitimate scenes until S6 Part II feels like the writers just didn’t want any of their potential dynamic to overshadow the “couples” they wanted endgame.

robby vs sam fight at the all valley plus them having a conversation about their relationship should’ve happen and i will forever die on this hill.

yeah that first thing you said right there. not a single canon ship in ck is good. they all have potential but they also all fall flat. and i love samrobby! i just think their relationship and every other relationship with the teens suffers from boy meets girl so boy and girl must like each other because they are boy and girl.

i haaaaaate the narrative that sam was using robby as a rebound. nothing about their relationship suggests that! she pursues him (which is also why it's refreshing compared to the other ships), clearly likes spending time with him, works well with him, cares about him. it's not tory and miguel, where miguel was talking about sam in the same scene he and tory kiss. and sure, i can accept that sam had lingering feelings for miguel that she didn't realize until she saw him again, but that doesn't make her feelings for robby any less real. UGH. anyways.

it's so ooc for robby to be friends with tory. even more ooc of him to be with her. and like i said about keenry before too, robby doesn't get anything out of the relationship, aside maybe from being understood by someone who also comes from a low income home? and it's not enough for me.

it's also crazy that sam is suspended for the school fight at all. the only thing you can say against her there is that she should have tried to leave the school instead of engaging with tory but that's more on the teachers because how the hell did the teacher allow her to leave that classroom 😭 but yeah they never really talk about how unfair it is that she was suspended and i think it's because the show accepts that sam shares the blame for the school fight as canon. which, i'm sorry. she doesn't. tory telling robby about how sam got off scot free and has him wrapped around her finger......yeah okay cobra kai. realistically not even tory should actually believe sam got to "go back to normal."

there's so much they should've talked about during season 4 or after. how sam did not use him as a rebound. how sam had already known about the medal of honor before robby confessed. what robby went through in juvie. what sam went through in school after the fight. her writing him emails and going to his skateboard park every day. him defending her twice while he's actively mad at her. THE YOU BROKE MY HEART TOO LINE ARE YOU KIDDING ME.

and yeah after prom samrobby and toriguel are nonexistent they may as well have never happened. i'm also a firm believer of no gender divisions and sam should've fought robby during the all valley thank you. but at least they get that little conversation in season 5 lmfao. toriguel never speaks to each other again after season 3. which is insane. INSANE! quick note ck writers, people of the opposite gender should not become irrelevant to you just because you're not dating them!

[donnatroia]

I really really wanna know more about Donna Troyyy, so far I love her so much but I don't wanna be the type of person who claims they love a character then can't name 5 things about them. I wanna do her justice and really understand her character and purpose. I also don't wanna read something that completely mischaracterizes her because I'm aware that there's a LOT of that these days. I was hoping you could give me some recommendations to read after my tests?

Thank you so much if you do, and have a wonderful day! <3

I think I can help with that! Luckily donna's characterization is pretty solid & consistent in any comic up to around 2006. i would be wary of more modern interpretations of her but for most of her older appearances you don't really have to worry about bad writing.

The number 1 rec for donna is always New Teen Titans, that's where pretty much the majority of her appearances and character development take place in the 80s and 90s. The whole series is very long though so if you want more specific recommendations that focus on her I would definitely read ntt vol 1 #38, vol 2 #7-9, #18-21, #47, and #50-55. Issues 18-21 especially are probably my number one rec for donna if you're interested in seeing her flaws and struggles; those four issues took place when the titans were kind of falling apart, donna had to step up and call the shots, and it's a really neat insight into her character that i don't think gets quite as much attention as arcs like her origin stories. You'll probably honestly get a good feel for her if you pick any couple of arcs from NTT and read them through.

Wonder Woman (1987) #126-136 is a very important arc that reiterates donna's borderline horror dimension-bending origin weirdness. Titans '99 is a must-read for her, and jumping off that the Return of Donna Troy miniseries is like... Thee donna comic of all time so i would definitely recommend that. In between ntt and titans 99 she was in things like green lantern and darkstars but honestly the biggest things for her character you have to know from that time are that she and terry got divorced, she was dating kyle rayner, terry tried to take custody away from her, and terry & robbie died in a car accident.

There are way more detailed and comprehensive rec lists you can find in my donna tag if you're interested- I left out arcs like total chaos which are narratively very important for her but i don't think are quite as good a showcase for her as a character- but I think if you just want to get a feel for her character these are a good place to start. if you want like a primer on some of her major character traits i can definitely provide that lol:

donna is an incredibly emotionally intelligent and kind person who is a very good listener and always ready to help, which is why she's pretty much the #1 trusted person every single titan goes to when they need to vent. unfortunately being the appointed Fixer of All Problems Mom Friend when you're like barely an adult gets pretty overwhelming and is a very unfair weight to put a person; you can see this start to grate on her in titans 99 especially. something I like about donna is how open and honest she is with people about her struggles. most characters in the superhero genre would rather die than admit they need help and will never ever talk about their problems without being forced to, but donna isn't like that. if you ask her what's wrong she's going to be honest and tell you what's bothering her. she struggles a LOT with trying to appear 'perfect' in everyone else's eyes, and is really motivated by seeming to have it all together even when she doesn't. this is fueled a lot by her not being born an amazon and not knowing where she came from; the fact that for a lot of ntt she doesn't know her own history really gets under her skin. donna's identity issues are a HUGE part of her character especially later on as retcons and reboots get folded into her story. her past doesn't make sense. she has like nine competing backstories. she's one of the only people to remember the world pre-crisis on infinite earths and has literally been been forced out of existence and remade through pure memories, not to mention all the times dark angel forced her to live different lives until she reached rock bottom as a punishment for diana lol. in one origin she literally is not a real person and was just a mirror twin of diana. the main tagline associated with her is 'who is donna troy?' lol. which i think is fascinating and a very fucked up existence.

Anyway! I can talk about my girl all day. I hope this was at least a little bit helpful!

[stupidvillainousposts]

Trust When I Say That Wendy's Friends (They're Still Friends, Though Wendy Doesn't Spend as Much Time with Them Since They Mostly Spend Time Asking Her About Stan) Definitely Hang Around the Shack Daring Each Other to Get Closer Without Chickening Out

Robbie got scared once after seeing Stan stretch and bare his fangs, then ran into the woods like he was being chased

Robbie, running deep into the forest: Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit! Oh, fuck! I'm gonna die!

Hawk: *Watches Robbie Pass and Screeches*

Robbie: *Screams* What was that?!?!?!?

Unicorn: Wow, you're a bit of a wuss, huh?

Robbie, tensing and staring at the unicorn: You... you're a-

Unicorn, dismissively: Yeah, yeah, I am. Now, what are you running from, Wuss?

Robbie, regaining himself: I'm not a wuss! And the name's Robbie!

Unicorn: Okay, Wuss. What were you running from?

Robbie: Why should I tell you?

Unicorn: I'm a horse with a giant horn on my head. Do the math.

Robbie: And why would you help me?

Unicorn: Because I like it when humans owe me favors.

Robbie: *Scoffs* Like I'm gonna- *Hears Rustling Nearby* HE'S HERE! THE WOLFMAN IS HERE!

Unicorn: "Wolfman"? Oh! Do you mean Stanley?

Robbie: I don't know his name! I just know he's evil!

Unicorn: *Whinnies with Amusement* Oh, please! Stanley Pines is the farthest thing from evil!

Robbie: He ate a kid's face!

Unicorn: *Huffs in Annoyance* He bit a human who threatened him. Do you expect a random dog to just let you slap it, hit it with stones and bricks, or wrap a rope around its neck?

Robbie, horrified: Obviously not!

Unicorn: Then why expect Stanley to let the same happen to him? He may be half human, but, like all creatures in this forest, he will fight back if needed. Even if it... draws a little blood.

Robbie: The kid's face is gone.

Unicorn: Eye for an eye. Beyond that, however, I suggest you get to know him. Stanley could use a few more humans in his corner.

Robbie: I'll "get to know him" when he stops being dangerous.

Unicorn: Good! Then you'll start now.

[delta-pavonis]

'allo! may i have a bit of Friend Like Me? ;)

Absolutely! I have posted some of this before, but once again Tumblr's search function is failing me and apparently I can't organize my own tags for shit so... This is Matthew + Hob used to be partners in crime (literally) and Hob may or may not have started the crew from Leverage. 😂

100% G-rated fluff over here.

Hob has to do this every few decades otherwise he would be up to his eyeballs in storage units. It isn't fun, but neither is having too many moving parts to keep track of and potentially getting caught by another asshat with a hard-on for immortality. 

What was that quote he had read? "No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style." 

Not to mention the myriad other enemies he had accumulated via his network of grifters, hitters, and hackers. 

(What? The current state of technological advancements meant that Hob needed to get better at tracking and erasing his digital presence back in the late nineties. Was it his fault that while he was living in the States he had accidentally amassed a highly skilled group of "criminals" who were all connected to him like spokes to the hub on a carriage wheel? And that it turned out that they were, as a team, really great at liberating funds and removing items from billionaire idiots who didn't need a fraction of their accumulated wealth and power? That they did it so well that Hob had to fake his own death earlier than expected to get out from under a particularly angry arms dealer? Was that really all because of him?)

(Yes. Yes it was.)

Yeah, anyway, Hob didn't leave the house without at least one blade on his person anymore. 

This is why, when Hob is interrupted by a large black mass swerving into his storage unit through the crack in the door that should be far too small to admit such a creature, he pulls the nearest throwing knife (he was crouching, so he went for the one concealed in a sheath on the outside ankle of his black leather chelseas), clocks the intruder's movement in his peripheral vision, and wings it directly at them. It hits the wall with a satisfying kthud, which is promptly followed by a very avian squawking.

"FUCKING CAWCHRIST MY DUDE WAS THAT A KNIFE!?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS, THE IDES OF FUCKING MARCH?!"

That voice! Hob's head snaps up to see a sizable black bird falling in a tumble. It hits the concrete floor with a sound not unlike a briefcase hitting pavement from a story up (what? It is a very distinctive sound), leaving three large feathers tacked into the wall by the knife.

"Fuck me sideways that HURTS. Note to self, birds no likey losing butt feathers." The bird (A raven? Like this is the bloody Tower of London?) walks out from around a cardboard box with a bit of a waddle in its step, trying to look back at his tail while he moves. "I guess the Boss didn't tell you I was coming then?"

Hob sits back on his heels. That voice is still hauntingly familiar. But he would damned well remember meeting a talking bird. "Well, perhaps if you told me who your Boss is..."

The raven leaps a solid four feet into the air with a screech. He lands on top of a small writing desk, scrabbles against the smooth surface to balance himself, and then looks down at Hob with one glass-black eye. "I can't believe... no fucking way... Robbie? Is that you? Didn't you die in 2017?"

"Mattie?!" Hob's ass hits the cool floor as he is blown back by the revelation. "Didn't you die in 2020?"

Matthew Cable had been one of Hob's favorite grifters. Not because he was absolutely perfect at his job (oh no, Mattie had fucked up spectacularly more times then Hob’s blood pressure wants to recall), but because they had quickly become "let's get absolutely toasted and MST3K bad horror movies while we bitch about our love lives" buddies. Hob had missed Mattie immediately upon his own faked death and had mourned when he heard, through various channels he still kept an ear to, that Mattie had died in his sleep not too long ago.

"Yeah, but when I died I was given, like, a choice? Apparently the King of Dreams needed a new Raven and I decided to give it a go. Sounded much more interesting to work for him than actual death. There must be some mistake because I was sent here with a message for Hhh..." Mattie freezes.

"Dream sent you?" Hob tilts his head in interest. This was the Matthew he had often mentioned? A raven that carried his messages? Hob had been jealous over a bird?! (Oh Christ, how embarrassing.)

"Wait... what the fuck are you doing in Hob GaaaaAAHHHH!" Mattie the Raven starts hopping around frantically. "YOU ARE NOT JUST IN HOB GADLING'S STORAGE UNIT. YOU ARE HOB GADLING! FRIEND OF THE LORD MORPHEUS, KING OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES!"

Hob can't help his laughter. "Oh, he told you I was his friend, did he?" That Dream had called him friend to someone else shouldn't feel as good as it did. Hob tamps that useless bit of emotion down hard. (No good can come of that, better to put it away.) "Only took him six centuries to get there, stubborn wanker that he is." He fails to keep the fondness from his voice. 

"Christ you have no idea how much of a wanker sometimes..." Mattie shuffles his feathers. "Look, I gotta know the story here, man. How did you meet the King of Dreams?"

Hob stands, brushing off his jeans. "That... is a rather long story." He considers for a minute, barely that, rubbing at the back of his neck, before coming to a decision. "Look, it isn't like I get my close friends back from the dead every day... how about we head back to my flat, pull up something ridiculous like Slenderman, and I will fill you in on my story? Like old times?"

Mattie flaps over and lands on Hob's shoulder. "Hells to the yes. Especially if we can find out if ravens respond to THC. Shit, you ever get more of that Amnesia shit the team picked up in Amsterdam during that art heist job?"

Hob's belly laugh echoes in the small room. "I think I still have some squirreled away from my last trip to the continent." 

He locks the storage unit behind them. All the spring cleaning can happen another day. 

___________________________________

They did not, upon making it back to Hob’s flat above The New Inn, actually end up watching their intended horror movie. Instead, as they were flipping through options, they stumbled upon the live-action remake of Aladdin and Mattie had been so damned adamant that he wanted to see it while high that Hob had allowed the deviation from their established pattern.��

“That bird is a fucking useless sidekick. I will show you how to do it!” Matthew stands, wobbles, and falls off where he had been balanced on the arm of Hob’s couch.

Hob cackles, slouching back into the cushions. “Well, that’s your answer to the question about birds and THC, innit?” 

Matthew flapped his way up onto the space next to Hob. “Hey, I am still getting used to this stupid body without any fucking thumbs.” 

“Fair enough.” He shrugs, sinking even further back and letting the movie drift into the background, a gentle blanket of familiar songs. “So I can feel you trying to not ask questions. Ask away, Mattie. I owe you that much, at least.”

“Fucking right you do, faking your death like that caw.” The raven shakes his head. “Where even to start… Oh! I got it! When and how did you meet the King of Dreams and Nightmares? That must have been a trip and a half.”

The memory makes Hob even warmer and he feels himself grinning as he looks at the ceiling. “I was drinking with my pals at a tavern, the White Horse, in the year of our lord thirteen hundred and eighty nine…”

“Wait. The fuck? You are…” Mattie clearly stops to count for a blink, “almost seven hundred years old?”

“That I am, now let me finish… I rather loudly proclaimed that I had decided not to die. Just wasn’t going to fucking do it. And that was when he approached the table,” Hob closes his eyes, the swooping feeling of seeing Dream for the first time still razor sharp in his memory. Should he tell Mattie? Well, he had never been dishonest with the man before, no reason to start now. So Hob let all his emotional walls down. “And I swear to God, Mattie, it was like seeing a meteor shower for the first time. It was like discovering a second moon. I was absolutely dumbstruck by the beauty of this cocky young Lordling, all standing before me like he owned half the country. Looked it too, with that giant fucking ruby around his neck and his fine clothing.” Hob shakes his head, grin widening. “He offered me a deal. If I wanted unending life, then I could come back to that tavern on the same day at the same time one hundred years hence and tell him of my experiences of life so long-lasting. And here I am.” When Mattie doesn't immediately respond, Hob opens his eyes and turns his head. “What?”

The raven was studying him intently. When he spoke it was carefully metered and very much not in jest. “Robbie. I might be a bird now, but I would know that expression on your face anywhere. Do you… Are you…”

He didn’t need to put words to it, Hob knew exactly what his friend meant. He shrugged. “Aye, I probably am. But you have to understand, Mattie, he has been the only constant in my whole long life. Hundreds of relationships. Thousands of friendships. Centuries of life. And he was my only anchor.” Hob lets himself drift on that thought for a moment before coming back. “Did you know that I didn’t know his name until a few months ago when he showed up at the New Inn?”

“What?! What kind of asshole doesn’t give his – oh, wait, this is Dream I am talking about, isn’t it…”

Hob laughs. “You are very correct. Dream’s stubbornness is only surpassed by his beauty.”

“Wow. You’ve got it bad.”

“Most likely.” Hob inclines his head. “But I am happy with whatever type of relationship he is capable of with me."

The raven whistles. "Got it baaaad."

____________________________

And so it happens that Hob and Mattie are stonedly bickering over if Will Smith’s portrayal of the Genie was a good homage or a bad mockery (all while A Whole New World starts up in the background) when the King of Dreams and Nightmares steps out of nothingness and into Hob’s living room.

“Matthew! You were told to deliver a message, not spend an entire day-”

Hob cuts Dream off with an overdramatic, “OoooOOOOoooh, Mattie, you are in trooooouble.” Dream’s stern face snaps to Hob’s and he slaps a hand over his mouth while he giggles none-too-loudly, “OooooOOOh, now I am in trooooouble.”

That makes Mattie burst into giggles and let it be known that the giggle of a raven is not actually a pleasant sound to take in.

So it makes Hob laugh harder.

Then he sees Dream’s absolutely bewildered expression.

And that makes Hob laugh even harder.

Sobbing as he laughs, collapsed to the floor (having initially fallen clear off the couch in surprise at Dream’s entrance), clutching his belly, Hob can’t even bring himself to worry that Dream might actually be angry with him. Fuck, Hob just got Mattie back. This is fucking great.

Hob wipes at his face as his hysterics subside, trying to keep his voice steady as he addresses Dream from his place on the floor. “I’m sorry, m’love, I didn’t mean to patronize you, I just-” He cuts himself off when he sees, for the first time, a petal-pink blush color his Stranger’s cheeks.

“You called him your love!” Mattie cackles. Hob feels himself blush now, too. That was a slip. That shouldn’t have happened. (Ah, bollocks.) “You are so in for it now. The Boss hates pet names! Once I tried to call him Lord Mew-mew because he was acting like a wet fucking cat and-”

“Enough.” Dream waves his hand to his Raven and the bird is immediately silenced. “Matthew, leave us. I am not asking.”

“Aww, maannn.” Mattie shakes himself off and seems to become shockingly sober with just a ruffle of feathers. “Roger that, Boss. See you back at home.” Then he nods to Hob. “We should do this again sometime.” 

Before Hob can respond Mattie has taken wing and flown out a window that definitely was not open a moment ago. When he looks back up it is to have Dream’s hand in front of his face, gently offering to help him stand. Hob takes it, if only for the excuse to touch his Stranger’s skin for the first time. (His touch is cool, his fingers long and uncalloused, his skin smooth. Hob memorizes every sensation greedily.)

Dream seems to realize this once Hob is on his feet because the blush deepens slightly and he retracts his hand with a jerky motion. 

“I am sorry if I offended you, Dream.” Hob takes a step to the side and tries to catch his friend’s eye. Dream keeps purposefully looking away. “It is just a silly human endearment. I am rather high on some excellent weed and I didn’t mean-”

“Ah.” Dream interrupts and Hob’s jaw clicks shut. Dream is still not looking at him and so Hob can see the way the muscles in his jaw flex with tension. “Just a silly endearment. You did not mean it.” 

Something fiery swoops inside Hob. Dream has never acted like this. Never avoided Hob’s eyes. Never interrupted him. And all because Hob had accidentally called him love.

See, thing is, Hob does mean it. More than he has words for. But never did he think… Dream couldn’t possibly. Fuck. Hob is too high to think clearly about this.

Hob steps into Dream’s line of sight, forces the slightly taller anthropomorphic personification to meet his eyes. Why it comes out a whisper when Hob speaks he will never know. “Dream. Do you want me to mean it? Do you want me to call you,” he hesitates for a moment because this could ruin everything. (But look at him! Look at the hurt in his expression, the tension in his shoulders. He does not hide it well, now that Hob knows what to look for - thanks, Sophie.) “my love?”

It is answer enough to see Dream’s pupils dilate and his nostrils flare. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. 

He is shaking when he goes to take Dream’s hand, brings it up to press a kiss to those beautiful fingers. “If I am reading this wrong then please please let’s just chalk it up to the THC and pretend this never happened. But…” Hob takes the last step in and now they are almost chest-to-chest, “I thought you would have figured it out after 1689… you are my guiding star. It is you who I wait decades for. You who I hope to impress with my experiences. You who I have yearned to touch with every fiber of my being for literal centuries.” Dream is blinking wide eyes at him now, confusion and surprise and hope all written there. “And if your friendship is all I can have, then so be it. But, Dream. If I had three wishes I would spend them all just to be able to call you love.”

[karatekels]

WARNING: SPOILERS WILL BE COMING! 🚨

So, as we all know, part 1 of season 6 is dropping tonight! It's looking like midnight my time, and because I am a large baby, that is past my bedtime.

I'm going to be binging the episodes early tomorrow morning, and posting my ranting rambling thoughts here - maybe I'll just use this post? - the way I did for the first five episodes of my rewatch.

I will hide them under a cut, and I don't plan on posting anything about the new season outside of this post for a week or so.

Basically, if you want to avoid spoilers: read with caution!

Episode 1: Peacetime in the Valley

…God I really love how they do music on this show.

Okay this peace better die real fucking quick because I’m annoyed.

CHOZEN IN A SHORT ROBE, NOW WE’RE TALKING.

Looking at this newspaper clipping, I wonder if we’re supposed to care about little details or if they just didn’t really care and it’s completely random. If it’s NOT random, I have thoughts:

Why is the photographer who took Terry’s mugshot only named by their initials. Anyone know a B.T.?

…okay, looking at the column on the left, this had better be a joke. CLOWN MURDER?!

And then the article itself is cobbled together. Unless this is just a fake newspaper as a plant, then this is pretty week bud.

Coincidentally, if you or any other showrunner would like to hire me to write fake newspaper articles for your show or movie so that people like me don’t tear you apart online, I am available!

Okay so Tory and Robby are clearly still together, and the only thing that isn’t complete peace is Kenny and Anthony only looking at each other from a distance?

DANIEL’S SMUG SMILE AS THE COBRA KAI LOGO GETS THROWN AWAY GO FUCK YOURSELF SIR.

Amanda YES, bring up Terry getting the charges dropped!

Kreese vs. US Marshals eh?

Stop talking about my man without showing him, Daniel.

Oh good, already tension between Daniel and Johnny’s views on things.

OH JOHNNY LOOKS GENUINELY DEVASTATED THAT THEY DEMOLISHED THE ABANDONED WAREHOUSE.

…wow we really are just forgiving Benedict Penis Breath for some reason, huh?

IT DID NOT TAKE AWHILE FOR YOU TWO TO TALK AGAIN, ROBBY. YOU LITERALLY JUST HAD A FIGHT AND THAT SEEMED TO FIX EVERYTHING??

…Johnny wants to use fire on the children? I can think of a couple that can be guinea pigs *cough*KYLER*cough*

Ohhhhhh… Daniel picking Chozen over Johnny isn’t gonna end well. What if instead we got rid of Daniel and Johnny and Chozen hung out.

– insert Sekai Taikai exposition here –

And the new name of the dojo iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis… I MEAN, WE’VE ALL BEEN CALLING IT MIYAGI-FANG FOREVER.

Of course Daniel is angry (I mean it is a stupid picture of Mr. Miyagi but still)

…Chozen going against Johnny here really doesn’t check out. But I am here for a Chozen vs. Johnny fight.

The worst double-date in history! WHO CARES IF SHE DOESN’T WANT TO LEARN MIYAGI-DO??

Robby, don’t you dare speak ill of the precious Kenny/Silver mentorship dynamic you JERK.

Daniel (and Chozen) being so dismissive of Johnny’s feelings makes me sad

Oh DIP OMINOUS TEXT MESSAGE GOOD THING YOU BOUGHT THAT AXE.

Tory looks so sad and I hate it. Eat your waffle cone, Miguel.

Robby why in the hell would interrupting the game make Kenny want to listen to you? Also lmao look who’s taller now Kenny grew like 2 feet.

HI SHAWN. …Being ominous in an arcade is great.

Daniel preaching balance when he’s simultaneously…Daniel is infuriating.

…Chozen alcoholism subplot? ANDNO KUMIKO?! BUT I SHIP IT SO HARD!

Oh Johnny really brought the axe huh?

OH MY GOD STINGRAY I’M DYING.

Shawn your child brother is starting high school please do not take him to a strip club.

ROBBY WHY WOULD YOU APPROACH WHILE THEY HAVE BATS.

WE DON’T WANT TO FIGHT, he says while joining the fight!

…am I Stingray? “Because it’s awesome” – I WILL BELIEVE IN COBRA KAI FOREVER.

And he appreciates that Amanda is a smokeshow.

Don’t you dare disrespect ponytail dude, Shawn Payne.

Did the prison system actually help Shawn? SHOCKING.

Daniel being the bigger person? Only took HOW MANY DECADES?!

…so we’re calling it Miyagi-Do? Even though it’s not just Miyagi-Do? THIS IS DUMB.

We don’t get to see how Kreese got to Korea? REALLY?!

Episode 2: The Prize

NICK! YAY TERRY BACKSTORY! (Also Barrett yay but I mean… TERRY)

Kreese defending her is so cute OH MY GOD SHE’S IN THE AIR CHILL OUT GRAMPS.

Oh good, sewage in the cooking pots.

Not a real talk about money on this show! Oh, we’re cutting away?

…Why did we linger on that one student when Kim said “Silver is gone now”? Am I just looking for hope where there isn’t any?

I’m sorry, how old is this man going to be now? HE LOOKED 80 IN THE LATE 60S.

Does Amanda just dress like that everyday? Daniel is a lucky man.

I would watch an entire YouTube series in the vein of Trixie & Katya’s “I Like to Watch” that’s just Chozen watching reality shows.

“Your incompetence is why I must stay alive” is a brutal fucking line.

Kyler and his gaggle of 45 year old college freshmen. Or just Brucks.

…please think Chozen and Johnny are a gay couple, Mr. Realtor. Okay no, but Johnny blowing this up pretty spectacularly is pretty great.

Why do I feel like this is going to culminate in Kreese stabbing Immortal Kim because he’s “worthy of taking control”?

OR THE SNAKE COULD BITE HIM UMMMM.

As someone who has been in university in some capacity for like a decade, this… was not my experience. Though watching Kyler get shit on is kind of fun.

OH NO DUTCH REFERENCE. HE’S STILL IN PRISON THOUGH THAT’S GOOD.

Deus ex Johnny-fan ftw!

NOT HALLUCINATION NICK MARINI!

…Okay, so we are just gonna double down on the homoeroticism with men being each other’s weaknesses? I mean I’m here for it.

Frats have always seemed so stupid to me, with hazing and shit. Even for morons like Kyler. Never thought I’d see the day where I’m rooting for Kyler but I guess here we are. DESTROY THE DOUCHEBAGS. (Though how is anyone getting into college with this ASSAULT)

American tourist loses mind in cave, talks to snake. Film at 11.

Kyler acknowledging he’s a moron? I’m here for it. NO NOT ANOTHER FRAT COME ON.

LMAO Johnny insisting he has a job – AND IT WORKS HE JUST STARTS SELLING CARS.

Amanda is right though, what’s in the briefcase, Johnny?

Kim Da-Eun is gonna JUMP Kreese’s bones istg

Episode 3: Sleeper

Chozen freeloading is hilarious

“Chicks dig me” as a response to possibly having a daughter is crazy.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!

…the cobra is still in your dealership, Daniel?

“I’m a girl dad” – Johnny Lawrence, 2024 (or whatever year this is supposed to be I can’t remember)

…okay this episode is called Sleeper and we’re seeing that same student we did in the last episode when they said “Silver is gone now” DID TERRY HAVE A BASTARD CHILD AND NOT KNOW ABOUT IT?!

You tell ‘em, Devon.

Lol “LEE, CALL YOUR DAD, YOU’RE HANDLING THIS PROBLEM AT YOUR HOUSE.”

Please don’t be a stupid retcon of Miyagi’s character please don’t be a stupid retcon of Miyagi’s character please don’t be a stupid retcon of Miyagi’s character please don’t be a stupid retcon of Miyagi’s character please don’t be a stupid retcon of Miyagi’s character

Got a lot of mystery boxes in this episode, huh?

…”we can have a girls’ night,” says the 50-something year old man to the 3 teenaged girls he isn’t related to. I do love his relationship with Devon though. It’s a shame she’s going to die in a freak karate accident so that Johnny can name his daughter after her.

THE HORRORS LOCKED AWAY IN A HIDDEN COMPARTMENT ARE THAT HE WAS A BOXER?!

…oh and he beat the shit out of people.

AND HE CHANGED HIS NAME?! OKAY SHIT’S GETTING INTERESTING.

Lmao the Ouija board fakeout

Yeah good Daniel, leave your dolled-up wife in the shady gym.

OH MY GOD JOHNNY PLEASE STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING.

Kreese is really just trying to make a bunch of killing machines (or at least one, anyway), huh?

The Big 3 weren’t lying when they said they were going all out this season with the fights.

Also is Kreese just fine with the snake bite? He’s fine?

Oh noooo, Mr. Miyagi wasn’t a perfect human I’m SHOCKED.

Johnny is SO happy they’re fighting I love it – OH NO BOOOOOOOOOO PEACE. Go get matching tattoos or something you dorks.

Oh no Daniel, is your perfect worldview crumbling? Was surrogate daddy not as perfect as you thought?

YES, CHOZEN. WHAT DID HAPPEN IN CANCUN?

Nooo Chozen don’t leave even if it is for Kumiko I’LL MISS YOU.

Yes, let’s end the episode on “girls are easy”

Oh no wait, more Daniel mourning the loss of his innocence

Were the rumours right? We’re going to Spain? LET’S GOOOOOOO – wait how are they going to afford everyone going?

And we’re down to six – Miguel, Robby, Hawk, Sam, Tory… Kenny/Demetri/Devon?

Episode 4: Underdogs

Hawk thinks patriotism will earn him a spot? God I hate that mohawk.

“Each and every one of you has a shot, even though many of you are either our children, close enough to be our children, or are our clear favourites”

SHUT UP DEVON IF ANTHONY GETS PICKED I’M GOING TO KILL SOMEONE.

Johnny assuming he’s as good as a partner at the dealership is KILLING me

THANK YOU FOR TELLING HIM NO ABOUT ANTHONY, JOHNNY.

Why is Daniel so against them… actually earning their spots?

Hi Mike!

Lol flashback – but why not show Terry?

YES DEVON MY QUEEN.

AWWW, Penis Breath is so happy with his new name.

SERIOUSLY? ANTHONY?

If Anthony makes it I’m killing myself.

Devon speaking up for all neglected minor characters everywhere.

What in the actual fuck is going on. Go away Yasmine you suck. OKAY BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF DEMETRI’S HAPPINESS. …maybe her dumping him would’ve been better she is the WORST.

Binary Bros. will be the couple with the drama this season.

This capture the flag game seems fun but Mike can’t look at everyone at once…

I mean your son IS going to bleed and get the shit kicked out of him, Daniel. Wake up. No? Gonna keep feeding him your bs? Cool.

Barnes has quite the craftsmanship.

JOHNNY VS MIKE LET’S GOOOOOOOO… but away from the saw please.

HEY HE SAID THE THING.

…we’re really just gonna call each other bad boys with a straight face?

Okay Devon, enough with the negative self-talk. You’re sounding like me.

NOOOOOO Binary Bros. are fighting!

Kenny is kind of cocky af and I hope he doesn’t get it.

Smart move would’ve been to go up top and see if you can spot the flag…

OH WE TOOK KENNY OUT WITH A CHEAP TRICK…that’s not funny.

Oh SHIT Demetri is being an asshat. Why is NO ONE asking bout Hawk?

MAN now Devon has to feel bad because someone else chea– OH MY GOD IT WAS HER.

Episode 5: Best of the Best

Why does Tory’s mom healing feel so ominous why does Tory’s mom healing feel so ominous why does Tory’s mom healing feel so ominous why does Tory’s mom healing feel so ominous

Oh look Kreese has come for a visit.

And yet another blonde champion has turned against Kreese.

OH MY GOD, DEMETRI SHUT UP.

Robby you lovestruck little fool it’s adorable.

I really love Terry (duh) but Johnny is 100% my favourite Sensei.

HEY LEAVE THAT CANADIAN DUMMY ALONE, EH?

What about your worst impulses, Danny Boy?  S H U T    U P   and appreciate your hot wife for once, Jesus!

…Carmen is going to go into labour in this episode isn’t she.

AND there it is! Nope wait, false alarm. Everybody go hug Miguel.

NO NO NO DON’T BE DEAD NO NO NO

GOD FUCKING DAMNIT

HER FIST WAS CLENCHED – WAS IT KREESE?

Why does Sam and Miguel’s relationship seem so focused on beating Robby and Tory? While Robby and Tory seem actually into each other?

Daniel you suck, you hypocritical, self-righteous twat.

This is some mighty fine acting, Miss Peyton List. Best crier on the show since Xolo!

JOHNNY YOU HAVE A BABY ON THE WAY CAN YOU NOT YANK THE STEERING WHEEL.

…he’s right though. SHUT UP DANIEL.

Okay but Johnny this is really stupid you’ve sold cars for four minutes.

LMAO “YOU’RE FINALLY LEAVING HIM” GOD AMANDA LISTEN TO JOHNNY HE’S RIGHT.

Johnny gonna embrace boxing with the students? Daniel can’t really say anything about it not being about Mr. Miyagi then.

She kept… the bottlecap… I AM NOT OKAY.

You did not try, Daniel. Shut the fuck up. I’m mad at you. Go away. Get your head outta your ass.

You don’t get to know everything about anyone, Daniel. Especially when you’ve got your head so far in the sand you can’t even come to grips with who YOU are.

Amanda go find Tory. GO FIND TORY, AMANDA.

Okay there’s Tory. USE THAT MOTIVATION, ROBBY.

Can Robby get a decent haircut for once please? He’s a cute kid, his head deserves better.

Good for you, Robby. (Also why do I feel like he’s going to change his last name to Lawrence once the baby is born and then they’ll all just be one big happy sappy family)

I’m sure that Tory seeing both of Sam’s living and supportive parents there won’t screw her up at all.

Oh that’s gonna be Tory’s therapist or something for Amanda isn’t it UH OH.

YEAH YOU NEED TO STOP THE FIGHT.

OH SHIT. Not Danny striking first.

FUCKING GOOD ENOUGH WITH THIS KUMBAYA SHIT.

…Kenny’s gonna be mad about that – oh wait he’s not there and I’m sure it’s going well for him.

Not the bloodstained headband.

…Hawk really kept the dumb mohawk for the tournament huh?

Tory and Kenny gonna be fighting for Korea with Kreese?

(Why is Kreese there? This is televised? The police??)

LET’S FUCKING GO TORY.

[msfbgraves]

One of the worst things CK did was not having Terry and Daniel have a moment to reconcile. Or—not reconcile exactly, but rather Daniel forgive Terry for all he did. There is something really distasteful and out of character for me that Daniel did not forgive Terry.

He is kind, he is compassionate, he is loving—those are his core personality traits. He forgave his deadbeat, high school bully who used to gang up and beat the shit out of him. He forgave an attempted murderer and the world champ who terrified him. But no forgiveness for Terry?

Daniel doesn’t have to like him. He doesn’t even have to speak to him ever again. But a scene between the two of them perhaps at the hospital would have been so good. TIG and Ralph both convey so much with their eyes, their gestures, their movements. This could have been a tremendous scene instead of the forced and artificial nonsense we got with ancient, embarrassing Kreese who suddenly decides to martyr himself and become Grandpa Bear for Johnny after having one of the most badly written and portrayed character redemption arcs of all time. Garbage.

A scene with Terry and Daniel alone, without Johnny as the third-wheel mediator could have been an emotional high. Terry knowing that he leaves this world with nothing—no legacy, no family, no friends, no love. And Daniel right there, a symbol of all those things he could have had if only…

They would part, Daniel to life and love, Terry to regret and death. And then Terry’s story ends, with finality and conclusion and Daniel’s forgiveness. Tragic and bittersweet, but respectful. At the end, maybe he didn’t find honor, but he got as close to it as a man like him could.

The greatest dissonance in S6 is between what they were given and what they were playing, in my view. I actually think that the writers wanted to give Daniel a moment of triumph over Terry. A final mic drop. A "real", "badass" verbal victory. But first of all, that was redundant, because Daniel had already had it. And what they had him say was simply - small. You see, I think that TIG and Ralph were actually playing a very tentative inkling of a reconcilliation. In S6 part 2, they made known to the audience that Terry was genuinely shocked by Kwon's death. And Daniel can't not have seen that, with how these two are always watching each other. And then, Terry shows up at Daniel's house and Daniel lets him in. And it's a very gnarly conversation, but nevertheless, his kitchen might as well be Daniel's heart. All his most intimate moments with his family are centered on food and nearly always at his kitchen table. And Daniel gives Terry what he wants and needs. That's a huge concession. Then most of what they communicate is nonverbal, but what I read between Terry and Daniel after Robby's injury is huge disappointment on Daniel's part. "I trusted you. And you've broken my trust. Again." Just like when he was training him, Terry got carried away. Daniel was extremely happy that night after he'd broken the dummy, and if Terry had stayed away, he would have happily entered the tournament for him. But Terry overplayed his hand, then and now. If Daniel had simply called him out later. He's done that before in S4. "I trusted you, Terry. And it always ends like this. What the fuck is wrong with you?" If Terry had walked away, that could have been a resolution in itself, showing him to be, at his core, a small man. But he likely would have answered: "Don't be a hypocrite. People die here, and you still returned."

"To help you!"

"Then why would you resent me for doing what needs to be done?"

To which Daniel could have sighed: "Good luck in the fight, Terry," and walked, which would have made Terry call: "Wait!" which would finally have prompted a very angry Daniel to reference their past. Which they really need to do, and which would have led to some kind of love confession from Terry. There's simply no other way this could play! It's not so much a question of forgiveness, to me, other than that this still isn't resolved. It could have been, with the crane kick, only that the writers brought Terry back for yet another round... but they leave us on a low point. Because for Daniel, that so called "Cobra Kai never dies" win... Is not a win. He is lowering himself to a level unworthy of him and now Terry is the one who is rightly disappointed. And with that explosion later, this is suddenly all we get. A bonus round of Terry and Daniel in which they disappoint each other. Imagine a last meeting between Batman and the Joker ending with Batman being an asshole and the Joker going "bruh" after which the Joker is taken out by the Penguin. That is NOT a resolution. And sure, sometimes people die without resolving anything. But Cobra Kai's whole premise is about resolving everything. They brought back Dennis, for crying out loud, and explicitly told us what had happened to Snake, as if anyone had been lying awake about that. But Daniel and Terry we leave hanging? Daniel gets another nonending with that Miyagi plotline they cooked up and is like "Meh, you can't know everything?" They're turning me into Gayle Waters-Waters here!

Look, if you don't want to acknowledge they rewrote Dangerous Liaisons with Silverusso - and boy did Valmont have an emotional outburst about his love for Mme de Tourvel - you should have left it at the crane kick. At least that fit the tone of the series. This last conversation that may feel like an ultimate win to the Trio and the Cobros, is beneath Daniel and Terry notices. Even Daniel notices. Ralph knew, Thomas knew. Hayden is probably congratulating himself. But again the Trio took on a story they didn't start with a complexicity they don't have the emotional depth for, and left us with a nonending.

And in the Trio's defense: the words they put in Terry and Daniel's mouths were only ever about karate. No way in Hell did they write: 'Terry is so desperate to keep Daniel in his life that he will refinance the whole Sekai Taikai. Scratch that. Terry is so desperate to tell Daniel he's ill and lonely that he will enlist Johnny Lawrence to speak for him. Because he is desperate. And Daniel opens his heart the tiniest amount only to be disappointed again and Terry is dying a thousand deaths because this is their 1980's breakup all over again. And just like after that, Terry goes completely insane.' But that is what they conveyed, at least to me, and in that story, Daniel's "Cobra Kai never dies" has no place.

But that is the story Ralph and Thomas were telling. In looks. Like wut. Like Sirs. You're doing the thing where you take a 5/10 story and making it a 12 at each other. In Cobra Kai. That is like hiding the secret to world peace in The LEGO movie. Not that it isn't appreciated, but is it really the right medium? The writers had no clue what was going on even if the directors did. Just look at the gifs. They are SO GOOD and for what?

[icyrambles]

hi friendly reminder that everything said in this post is my personal opinion. i actually really enjoyed earthspark season 1 and i was really really excited for season 2. i do not expect a piece of children’s media to be a perfectly written masterpiece but good lord was the bar low. anyways extreme spoilers below the cut. proceed with caution :3

i do not think it an untrue statement to say that the writing quality went down significantly between seasons. the plot, while not perfect in season 1, was far more fleshed out and actually took a whole season's worth to complete. meanwhile we had a plotline with much higher stakes get finished within the span of about a third of what the first season got. additionally while many of the episodes had some sort of connection to the wider goal of this batch of episodes, that being reclaiming the emberstone shards, many of the episodes did not focus specifically on the emberstone itself, instead sidelining it to a background plot or merely having characters randomly finding bits and pieces of it just lying about.

i would not think this a bad thing had the episodes not felt so rushed. starscream's plotline of obtaining all the emberstone shards should've taken the whole season, not just 9 episodes. the rushed writing reeks of corporate interference and slashed budgets and i have nothing but praise for the writers who scrambled to try and salvage a story that should've gotten 1, if not 2 seasons for a well rounded plot. however this does not stop me from wishing that they had tried to focus on creating a plotline that felt at least marginally more connected and tonally sound

it's an issue that i noticed throughout the first season where the dialogue and general morals of the show seem to be marketed towards a much younger audience and then the actual content of the show is not at all suited for children. obviously rampant child endangerment is a common theme in a lot of children's media (steven universe, she-ra, literally every tf show to ever feature a child character, etc...) but it's very strange to me that so few of the adult characters seem to care or understand how much danger mo and robby are in whenever they are part of an active combat scene.

neither dot nor alex seem all that concerned that their literal children are fighting alien robots who are more than twice their size and could easily maim or kill them without much trouble. obviously they have plot armour because they are the main characters but even then that's not a very good excuse when it's been established within the show that the characters are in highly dangerous situations that could get them killed and yet mo and robby's parents simply stand by and let their very young, elementary/middle school aged kids throw themselves into the line of danger.

and it's specifically the tone issue when it comes to the violence. if the combat in earthspark was treated as though no one could get hurt seriously and everyone would be okay, like it is in many prior transformers shows (like G1, TFA, and cyberverse) then i wouldn't have any issues with this. but it's not. fighting the decepticons is treated like it's a majour risk and that mo and robby could die every single time they leave the house to go on patrol. but their parents, beyond a few verbal warnings, do not do anything to keep their kids out of the way. they do not question why their children must be the ones to fight the decepticons, instead of leaving it up to the much more capable autobots.

it was bad in the last season but at the very least most of the fights then were simply due to the maltos being caught up in combat they weren't actively seeking out. but now, they are actively hunting down and searching for pieces of the emberstone that frequently lead them into situations that could risk their lives.

another issue i have with the tones of the show is how it treats injuries. hashtag seemingly gets very badly injured in the first episode because of aftermath and we, as the audience, are supposed to be very worried for her. however this lasts for all of about 10 minutes before she's back on her pedes and rolling around just fine, which once again leads to the confusing question of whether we're supposed to care if characters get injured. 

in transformers animated as an example, i was never particularly worried when characters got injured because of the allspark key. it was functionally a fix all tool used to repair any cybertronian character who got injured. therefore, whenever there was a majour battle, i never was in disbelief when a character would get seriously injured because it was previously established that the characters have a tool that can fix them should they require such drastic medical care. and it even tied into ratchet’s character arc and him learning to trust newer forms of technology.

wheeljack is another example of tonal dissonance when it comes to injuries. he gets stabbed in the face by a weapon called the cyberslayer. he then passes out and his optics turn completely black. we see dot grabbing him and looking very worried and then we don't get to see him again until the very last episode (which takes place two episodes after when he first gets injured) where he only appears for a split second fighting nova storm. no one mentions the fact that he got grievously injured, not even characters who saw him get hurt, like twitch, who has a strong emotional attachment to him and should likely care about him getting injured. 

mind you beyond a cybertronian’s frame going completely grey, their optics are how their physical and emotional state are often portrayed to most animated audiences. it’s not like in the comics where they can be covered in gore and lose limbs without consequence of scaring a young child. so seeing wheeljack’s optics go completely black and having people be worried about him and then never mentioning him again for two fucking episodes is really poor writing. 

and speaking of characters getting grievously injured. let me talk about spitfire and aftermath.

i do not enjoy the fact that they were killed. in fact i am appalled that they took two characters who were maybe less than a month old and then had them killed in what is to be implied to be an extremely painful manner. i’m unsure as to why the terrans are treated as though they are fully grown cybertronians when they are clearly not. they may have fully developed frames but they have the minds and personalities of children. additionally the way the chaos terrans are treated makes me deeply uncomfortable considering their age and the way they were brought into the world.

it is implied that the emberstone brings terrans into existence depending on the situation and in both cases of a chaos terran being created, that situation is combat. aftermath was created when breakdown fumbled an emberstone shard and it landed in a puddle of water. he was then immediately hit by a truck and began attacking the rest of the terrans. spitfire is much the same, being created when a shard of the emberstone was tossed into a thunderstorm while twitch was being chased by laserbeak. 

the way that the maltos talk about the chaos terrans, addressing them as evil and corrupted versions of the other terrans is deeply unsettling to me considering season 1’s themes of acceptance and understanding for those around you. it’s very weird to have jawbreaker go from being buddy-buddy with aftermath in one episode and then upon meeting spitfire in the next episode, distrusting her. obviously aftermath did betray jawbreaker’s trust by stealing the supply of cave water, but it feels incredibly out of character to see jawbreaker, who is friendly, kind, and unrelentingly positive, suddenly stick his nose up at spitfire, an individual he has never met before in his life. 

i’m aware that the terrans are proven right about aftermath and spitfire but it’s so gross to see characters who are less than a year old get thrown under the same bus as the decepticons who have committed literal war crimes. 

and then there’s the fact that they were killed by starscream. now to be clear, i did not expect starscream to be a good person in this season. i was tentatively hopeful that he would get a redemption arc of some kind considering megatron’s whole deal, but i was fully expecting him to be the main antagonist of season 2. however… it feels bizarrely out of place to see starscream quite literally murder two newborn babies and then not have said babies get revived at the end of the season. 

aftermath and spitfire are dead. just straight up gone. and it’s a waste of potential in my opinion. 

these are two characters who could have gone from side antagonists to genuine fan favourites given enough time and proper development. that’s what i though their plotline would be to be honest; i assumed that we were going to see them grow and develop over the course of the season (not just the first nine episodes) with the two of them eventually leaving the decepticons to join the autobot side. 

instead they are murdered in front of four main characters and banished the realm of never having had existed once again. there is the possibility of them being revived but i am highly unsure of that being the case considering how their existence sort of depends on the emberstone being shattered into several pieces. 

additionally, going back to starscream, i honestly do not want him to get a redemption arc now. there is no way in my mind that the writers can make him a good guy after he murdered two children. like, zero chance. unless they just bumped it under the rug, it’s fucking impossible to go “yeah starscream, the guy who killed two babies and then tried to destroy an entire town full of people, yeah he’s a good guy now!” 

that just would be tone deaf.

okay i’m moving on to the various plotholes and open ended questions that have been left on the floor now because if i keep thinking about how the chaos terrans were treated it’ll make me sadder

so first big question. why are the cons bad now? no genuinely, i would like to know why exactly the decepticons suddenly turned evil. the excuse of “oh that’s just how cons are” is not an excuse, it’s a fucking shame explanation that goes entirely against the themes of the first season. like even a fucking line of just “oh we tried peace but like many of our past ceasefires our ideologies just clashed too much” or something along those lines. 

and it’s been a whole year since season 1. something must have happened for the decepticons to have suddenly flipped sides on a dime. it’s so weird to me seeing a character like breakdown finally have the opportunity for something tangentially related to peace and then become a con once again despite having zero reason to actually stay with them. 

like ghost is gone (which is another thing i’ll bring up later) so why wouldn’t he chill with the autobots where he’s not in active combat and being starved for resources. like i can understand soundwave, shockwave, and starscream leaving considering their ties to megatron, and novastorm and skywarp leaving because of starscream seems about right. 

but swindle? hardtop? the insecticons? why the fuck do they care about the decepticons? surely those individuals don’t have the same loyalty to the cons as the others? and it doesn’t help that the insecticons get no lines this season and swindle and hardtop get like 6 collectively. we don’t learn anything about them or their motives. we can’t deduce anything because the narrative doesn’t care enough about them to actually explain or show why they’d choose to stick with the decepticons over the autobots. 

and starscream’s motives are another really weird thing. we’re told it’s because he wants to build a new cybertron but that feels so wildly out of character when he’s shown to generally just dislike megatron and his rule. why would he want anything to do with earth? 

“oh well shockwave hasn’t found anything that says cybertron is still around” 

well he hasn’t found anything that says cybertron is gone either. like one blown up spacebridge would not fucking explode an entire planet. and it would make far more sense for starscream to be building a new spacebridge powered by the emberstone instead. and the decepticons being the antagonists instead because of them wanting to go home quicker and not wanting to be patient and resorting to violence. 

like you’re telling me that shockwave couldn’t build a fucking space bridge when agent croft and mandroid could. pathetic. he would probably do it faster and with better materials because he knows what he’s doing. 

additionally if we got a space bridge up and working that would mean getting to see cybertron which would provide a lot of really good character building for the terrans! like it would be very fun to see them getting to explore and grapple with their cybertronian side!

ignoring the whole mess that is decepticons are the bad guys again because of “reasons”, i wanna talk about the carnival episode

now overall i actually enjoyed this episode. like beyond the whole crush plot not really being my thing (which is more a result of me not enjoying romantic subplots within kids media to begin with which is in it of itself just a result of me being aroace and disliking unnecessary romance in media) i actually really liked this episode! i enjoyed seeing the terrans interacting in an environment that isn’t a fight scene. and the use of their bond in regards to robby’s crush is actually a really cute concept that i felt was well executed. 

absolutely zero thoughts on robby’s crush. other than they both deserve jail for that food crime abomination of a funnel cake. but to each their own i suppose. 

but now comes the questions… what the fuck was up with cosmos man?!

from his dialogue about not knowing that megatron was an autobot we can assume that he’s been trapped there for minimum of like… 40 years give or take. and that’s a fucking horrifying thing to think about. he’s trapped in his altmode for decades without any way to communicate with his allies all while this random human uses him as a method of making money. 

i don’t particularly know how those altmode devices work, but surely his spark signature would still be recognisable correct? did the other autobots just assume that he was dead? did they not care? were ghost preventing the autobots from rescuing him? 

so many questions that will probably not get answered because having weird al voice him probably increased his budget several times over. 

oh and also are we going to learn where fairemestro got his tech from? did he just get it all from swindle over the years, that would seem the most logical, but also maybe he was working with ghost, that could be an interesting plot threat if the writers decide to bring him back. 

the quintessons are another group that leaves me with a lot of questions. like clearly they’re being set up as the main villains of the rest of the season but it’s so weird to me that they’re not set up earlier than that. 

why on earth make starscream the villain if you’re going to just get rid of him nine episodes in. surely it would’ve been easier to simply dedicate the time and energy into building up the quintessons in the first batch of episodes, with the decepticons as minour supporting characters along with the autobots and then have the rest of the season be about fighting the quints. 

it feels so oddly structured and rushed. 

i understand that time constraints and budget cuts most likely caused them to cram everything into season 2 because season 3 might not be a guarantee but considering how big of a threat the quintessons are likely going to be, having them get their own season to fully realise their goals and/or plans is a better writing decision than a singular episode of setup that immediately got forgotten for the rest of the episode batch. 

and okay, personal bias here. the quintesson executioner model was ugly. it was weird and it was gross and it’s fucking limbs made of jelly energon was just not it man. like give that thing some tentacles with blades on the end. not whatever the fuck that creature was. 

and also small tangent, i don’t like quintus prime. i do not like the fact that he enlisted two literal children to do his bidding and then having the writing team puppet said children around saying “yes quintus prime is our friend :)” while he has done nothing to earn their respect or trust. he’s a fucking dick who is leaving his mess for two kids to clean up. 

mo saying to the executioner “but quintus is my friend” pisses me off so much because he’s really not. he appeared in one vision for about 3 minutes and in that time he got angry at mo for being scared about her brother being in mortal danger. that’s not friend behaviour. 

additionally alex’s nonchalance about the quintesson executioner is so strange to me. he literally saw his probably 9-10 year old daughter getting hunted down and just doesn’t do anything afterwards to ensure that it won’t happen again. no sitting down with dot and saying “honey maybe we shouldn’t let our children do this anymore. it’s clearly dangerous.” nothing of that sort??? really??? do neither of these parents care about their children now???

season one dorothy malto would never do this. she would be furious that her children are regularly throwing themselves into life or death situations. 

not to mention the fact that these kids are still in school, actively!!! mo finding the quintus temple is literally only because she has to do a history project on witwicky, meaning she’s actively in school during the season. so that means that not only are these kids in school during the day, but they’re also training, going on patrol, and fighting beings roughly 2-3x their size on the daily????

how are they not exhausted physically and mentally? how have their teachers not noticed something is off? do they just not have any connections with their classmates? do they merely just go to school, go home, work, and then repeat?

this problem could be easily fixed by just saying they’re homeschooled or that it’s the summer. but nope, they’re in public school. 

okay end tangent. moving onto characters. 

i’ve already talked about the assassination of characters like dot, who is suddenly a background mom who seemingly doesn’t give a shit about her seven kids throwing themselves into life and death situations and the same goes for alex, but there was a noticeable lack of character time from pretty much every majour character from season 1. 

like bumblebee, someone who lives with the malto family and was their teacher and mentor in season 1. he’s just fucking gone for 90% of the season. he has like three total scenes and most of those are dedicated to him being comic relief. it baffles me that he’s just missing. everything from season one, his silly moments with alex, his awkward dynamic with optimus and megatron, his love and dedication with the kids is just gone. 

it breaks my heart because bumblebee was one of the highlights of season 1. he was silly, kind, caring, strong, and the perfect mix between the bumblebee’s of tfa, g1, and cyberverse. 

megatron, arcee, and grimlock also got almost no screentime. arcee and grimlock i can sort of understand because even in season 1 they were relatively minour background characters who featured in only one or two episodes… but megatron, fucking megatron, mr. i’m an autobot now. mr. i’ve changed for the better???? why is he not more prominently featured as a potential mentor for the chaos terrans. 

he of all bots would understand what they’re going through? why does he just brush off spitfire? why is he not more concerned when the chaos terrans are merely left to the side and dehumanised like the rest of the decepticons?

it’s so strange to see him become this random guy who says almost nothing and is mostly in the background when he played such a prominent role in season 1. and it’s especially weird that he’s also just okay with the terrans and malto kids collecting the emberstones by themselves. like he was very clearly protective and caring towards them in season 1 so why the sudden shift in character in season 2?

starscream is also such 180 from season 1. like did i expect him to be a perfect little angel who can do no wrong? fuck no. i was fully expecting him to be mean, ornery, and snippish when he interacted with megatron and the autobots. but to have him go from “look out for yourself” to hashtag and then straight up murder two children for a plot point that barely makes any sense is just so fucking out of line. 

i’m a firm hater of most starscream’s that are just evil guy for the sake of evil. i fucking hate what skybound did to him good lord. so to see him suddenly flip from being relatively sympathetic (i say relatively because he’s not like a good person. i fully understand that he was actively part of the group that invaded earth and probably killed a lot of humans) but having him just straight up kill two children… no man. i will not accept a redemption arc after that. 

he had so much potential to be a good character, who actively struggled with becoming a good person and dealing with his trauma in a healthy way and to see that potential get tossing into the trash just makes my blood boil. 

zero thoughts on soundwave and his team. he got like three lines and was mostly just a cardboard cutout of his season 1 self. weird that we never got to see frenzy considering laserbeak and ravage got scenes. is she just dead now? 

shockwave betraying (or at least not listening to starscream’s orders) was pretty interesting. i’m ready to see what he’s going to do in the rest of the season. then again there’s a good chance that he’ll just be cardboard cutout later on. 

skywarp and novastorm. nothing much. they’re fine. i like the few interactions they got. i enjoy the fact that skywarp is allowed to be a little stupid like her g1 counterpart and her fight scene with elita-1 was pretty nice. i’ve seen people complain that they didn’t change enough about her to justify the pronouns change but i subscribe to the notion that cybertronians do not use pronouns in the same way that humans do, so like, i don’t really give a fuck about the she/her usage. it’s a silly thing to get hung up over in my opinion. 

insecticons are nothing burger characters. swindle and hardtop are boring as hell. also someone get hardtop a new arm for fucks sake. it’s been a year. surely they could manage that. 

another dropped plot was the combining concept. like it gets put into an episode and then it gets dropped only one episode later. i honestly did not like how jawbreaker was portrayed in the episode that he features more prominently in. he’s upbeat and happy sure, but even he isn’t that emotionally dense. you’re telling me that while combined with aftermath he really couldn’t figure out why aftermath was so pissy. or that he was going to end up stealing all the cave water? really man?

additionally i’m not a massive fan of combination as a concept in tf to begin with. it feels very much like a toy marketing scheme and after idw1 i just cannot bring myself to give enough of a fuck about such things considering how massive combination was in the comics. it especially feels out of place in earthspark. i did like the scene where mo and robby devour like three plates of food after combining, that was really cute!

quite literally zero thoughts on hashtag picking out a new altmode. it was cute but it felt highly unnecessary to be perfectly honest. also i genuinely hope that her ai doesn’t turn evil like i’ve seen some people saying that it will. i prefer the interpretation that hashtag is now plural and the ai is simply her headmate. hashtag’s new model is just fine. i don’t like her helm though, it feels too naked for me. but the colours and everything else. fine. no notes. 

in terms of animation i honestly don’t have too much to say. most of the models felt oddly stiff. like the people in charge of animation didn’t get paid enough to properly emote them during scenes beyond moving their mouths and maybe stretching their eyes. (this is a gross exaggeration. there is a lot of time and effort that goes into rigging and creating 3d models and i understand that on a tight budget it’s probably very hard to try and make every character as expressive as possible.)

the fight scenes felt so weirdly rushed and/or oddly choreographed. like it might just be a me thing but most of the scenes felt either too slow or too fast with the rare exception (i like spitfire and twitch’s scenes. they were good)

aftermath’s model is overall pretty good. besides his helm. it feels a bit too small. 

already stated my opinions on the quintesson executioner model above. it’s shit. i don’t like it. 

terratronus is honestly pretty good. the detailing is nice. don’t like her glorification of quintus prime though. like it’s in character but that doesn’t mean i have to like it. she wasn’t around long enough to make a big enough impression on me. she feels like a lore exposition dump and that’s about it. 

alright this thing is getting too long. like 4k words long. before i go, let me say something. 

i did actually enjoy watching season 2. despite my paragraphs and paragraphs of criticism and questions and annoyances with so much of the season, i think it’s perfectly fine by itself. but in comparison to season 1, it’s a poor fucking sequel. it fails on almost every level and i think more people should be more comfortable with admitting that it’s just very bad. that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, that doesn’t mean you can’t like what it did. i just think that people shouldn’t sweep the massive issues these episodes have with pacing, dialogue, and animation simply because some parts of it were decent. 

i’m probably going to watch the rest of the season when the episodes drop (purely because prowl is there tbh. if he’s there at all.)

[moeblob]

I normally don't repost my art like this but since most of these are just posted as one picture I also don't wanna reblog a lot of posts. So! Please look at my Dream Wardens. I love them so much.

For the outfit meme thing btw, I would like to point out they don't really need sleep and they exist to work so no need for fun outfits. HOWEVER! Marcus and Colette's ties are the other's eye colors. Sil and Luce have gray ties because Luce was more recent (still a hundred years of partnership) so it's pretty much "you're being scored to make sure you can keep the job" and they eventually would get ties to match the other's eyes color.

The basic premise is! They live in a realm filled with dreams which they have to keep watch over to make sure don't escape. Whether dreams or nightmares, they must be contained. So it's kind of like a prison - each person has a cell that contains their dreams. There are.... a lot of wardens. But each "floor" has eight wardens and it's a circle where the wardens work in pairs. So Marcus and Colette are the focused pair and then they make rounds, they'll end the shift in a rest area where they either hang out with Luce and Sil or Sophia and Ruby. Those are the four they interact with while those four have another duo that they meet on their rounds.

The wardens cannot die. Literally impossble. They can get injured but it heals really quickly. So while Marcus would prefer to not be impaled (again) it wouldn't actually kill him. He'd just be sore.

They also just do not age. So they're centuries old. That said, for a while Colette had a different partner who retired and she got Marcus... and Marcus was incredibly quiet and reserved and scared of messing up for like 10 years before he started to warm up to her. (Time do be feelin' different there) And then he opens up a bit to Sil and Robert who was his partner at the time. And then hundreds of years pass and Marcus is super comfy with them (Sophia and Ruby still intimidate him a bit but that's different) and suddenly! No more Robert. Now it's Luce. And Marcus spends five years avoiding any and all conversations with him because oh no he's hot. Sil gets interrogated by Luce because "have I offended him in some way? he won't even look at me" and Sil is just "dude's shy. took him ages to warm up to me and my previous partner" and eventually Marcus laughs at something Colette says and Luce is like "ohhhhh nooooo I'm doomed he's so cute". While the entire time Marcus has been refusing to attempt conversation because "no he's handsome I'm doomed since I'm bad at conversations".

And they mention Robert sometimes (Colette, Marcus, and Sil) around Luce and Marcus seems chill about it. But then Marcus gets a serious injury that will recover but it would impact his job too much to patrol without a head so they send a temp replacement and it's Robert. And Sil is like "oh oh trade you Luce for my old partner give him" and Colette "are you kidding? you had him for sooooo long I wanna patrol with Robert now! it's only gonna be a little while!" and Robert just .... doesn't wanna be there. And when Marcus is fit to return he begs the people in charge of their routes to NOT LET ROBERT LEAVE until he can say hi and they let him. Unfortunately it involves Marcus busting into the break room saying "ROBBIE ROB!" and Robert sighing but standing up and extending his arms for a hug. Two pats on Marcus' back. and "okay bye". Luce is left in absolute despair cause he's never seen Marcus that happy oh boy.

Anyway my dream wardens mean a lot to me and I really miss them now.

[aamy2100982]

I need someone to help me. About Spiderman Reign 2

Is the way Mary Jane got the symbiote ever really explained and I skipped it or is it true that it happened almost randomly?

Because events happen like this:

Eddie helps Mary Jane against some pickpockets. From here we know at least that Eddie exists in this universe, and that he also has the symbiote

Then Mary Jane finds Peter's body

And she mourns his death for an indefinite amount of time, but we can assume it's months or years.

So... Where did the symbiote come from??

☆ Who are these "heroes"? Are they Peter? Or do they mean in general? Is Eddie part of these "heroes"? Did he hurt the symbiote and that's why they separated?

☆ Maybe Eddie and the symbiote separated after Peter died because there was no more Spider-Man to kill and they didn't have to be together anymore. But the fact that Mary Jane acted so friendly and natural around Eddie makes me think that they had stopped hunting Spider-Man for a while now. Unless Mary Jane befriends Peter's enemies, that's a little cruel xd

☆ Or I guess the symbiote fell into depression after Peter died? Because from what I understand what happens between Eddie and the symbiote is not serious, they are casual (if you know what I mean)

Because later we see the symbiote happy to be back with Peter

And we have this in Reign 1, but I don't know if that symbiote and the one in Reign 2 are the same.

A shame that Peter didn't think the same and let them die to get back with Mary Jane

So they(Symby) joined Mary Jane to suffer together or whatever.

☆ Another theory is that old!Peter killed Eddie. Because we are told that every time he came back he messed things up more and killed more people than necessary.

We're not sure how many times old!Peter came back and how many of those times were before or after Peter's death. Because some of the olds faked Peter's suicide, but the one we see in the comic came after Peter's death. (so many Peters, damn, I hate time jumps)

This explain why Mary Jane and Symby are angry at Peter, instead of just mourning his death. Because we see that they are blaming him, as if dying was his fault

And also because Mary Jane doesn't refer to old!Peter as her Peter, so when she says "The pain you brought us" she could be referring to the old!Peters who came in the past and killed people they shouldn't have (In this case Eddie)

and we know that Peter is capable of killing because he killed the Vulture

I don't want to give him all the credit for Robbie's death, but... you know, what happened, happened.

But in that case we would only return to the previous theory in which Symby goes Mary Jane to complement her sadness and half thirst for revenge.

I'm not saying that the symbiote is seeking revenge because Peter killed Eddie (because as I said before, that doesn't seem to be a big concern for the symbiote), but it is the reason why it is alone and looking for Mary Jane.

☆ I think this would all be easier if Eddie hadn't been introduced in the first place. Then we can assume that maybe there never was an Eddie that the symbiote would have been attached to. That perhaps his story just ended when he shot himself in the church, or any other event that could have killed him. Or just assume he was never born, I don't know! My baby appeared and disappeared without explanation, where is he? Where did they leave him!?

Anyway tell me which theory seems more appropriate, or if I made theories about it and if there was an answer that I didn't see in the comic

Also, the symbiote looks great on Mary Jane :b