#sly 1 episodes: DONE

[whyohwhydoris]

Perrin through the looking glass - why Mon's husbands might be more than he seems

Before I begin: SPOILERS!

For both Season 1 and more importantly SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 OF ANDOR! Are we all adequately warned? Neat, let's proceed.

It seems to be the popular consensus that Perrin is a wastrel and a tool. That he's some looser that Mon got saddled with then she was 15 and now she's stuck with this vacuous man-child.

And, maybe? I can't dismiss it. Sometimes, a thing is what it looks like at first blush.

But I have a sneaking suspicion he isn't that simple.

Let me roll this back to when we first actually meet Perrin, in the fourth episode of Season 1 - Aldhani. Dinner Plans

Aldhani introduces Mon. Mon is visiting Luthen to inform him that she is under increased security scrutiny. Her cover is buying a birthday gift for Perrin. She then returns home, and is surprised by Perrin preparing a dinner table for guests.

During the conversation that follows, Mon acts blindsided by Perrin, but it is vital to note several things:

Perrin booked this dinner into Mon's calendar. It was added a month in advance, and after discussing it with Mon. Mon accuses Perrin of wearing her down, Perrin replies he didn't think anyone could do that.

Perrin is hosting the governor of Hanna, a former regimental pal of his. He is also hosting Sly Moore and other senior officials in the Imperial Administration. When Mon protests this on account of their political enmity, Perrin suggest the dinner may lead to them thinking twice in future about opposing her.

When Mon protests that Perrin didn't inform her of his guests, he says it's late to cancel, but ultimately will if she demands it. Mon replies "well played Perrin" as though he has won a duel with her, but doesn't make him cancel.

Mon demands not to be sat with her opponents. Perrin says this has already been taken care of - she is at the opposite end of the table. He jokingly says she is at the boring end of the table, while these guests will be with him at the fun end.

Mon, who is under direct personal stress about her rebel activities, goes off at him. He suggests she rests.

Perrin pivots to the rumor of a present. Mon says it is going back, and Perrin doesn't question this, but does ask whether everything must be boring and sad.

Okay, so that's a lot to unpack, but I feel like this interaction is where everybody gets their opinion of Perrin cemented. Because we're introduced to Mon first, and know her more from other Star Wars, we sympathize with her. But let's look at what we learned here:

Perrin talked to Mon in advance. He scheduled, managed, and arranged this entire dinner. Mon is busy - very busy - and so he has done all the work. Mon implies Perrin wore her down, but does that really sound like Mon? In the same conversation, she says "Don't make me pay attention or I will" - basically, don't get political or I will voice my stance and make a scene. That is not 'gets worn down' behaviour.

Perrin was in the military, and he was friends with the kind of people that are subsequently governors, and people like Sly Moore - Palpatine's chief of staff! Perrin is, on his own, well connected and could be engaged in a private career in the military or civil administration. But he isn't.

When challenged about his guests, Perrin's first reply is political. Perrin is saying that, by wining and dining these people, Mon may be able to butter them up and make them less hostile on policy. This is an astute observation given by how much of galactic politics isn't actually about policy, but instead about lining the various player's own pockets.

Perrin offers, if somewhat tongue in cheek, to cancel. Mon sees this as a barb, but he is actually making this offer. It's clear he'll be upset, but he says he will do it, but it is her decision.

Perrin has anticipated and accommodated Mon's protest regarding seating. He is keeping her as separated as possible from her opponents.

Mon isn't actually reacting rationally. She has a lot dropped on her, but she forgot the dinner. She is also the busy senator, while Perrin has arranged all this. While this is at one level dismissive of her, it is also the correct call to ensure she is fit to deal with the politically fraught dinner.

While his present comment feels petty, Mon has just stormed in, trashed his efforts, treated him as hostile from the first, and is now continuing to be petty. And Perrin's question - "Why must everything be boring and sad?" - implies that he lives a sad existence without levity, one somewhat imposed by Mon.

Mon is not a bad person. But, if we remove our pro-Mon bias, this was not a good interaction by her. We know why. But Perrin literally can't. She has closed that off from him.

The other part of this is that we're looking at this from the perspective of Mon The Rebel and not Mon The Politician. If we look at it from the political perspective, Perrin has used his birthday to leverage his personal connections to give Mon potential access to political rivals who she may be able to soften up using a personal connection to counter their notional "policy" differences. He has invited senior individuals and at least one Imperial governor. These are tools that The Politician could use. But Mon is reacting as The Rebel instead.

Other interactions need less direct and in-depth analysis, fortunately. But it feels important to dive in to that first scene and pick it apart a bit. Family Breakfast 1

The next meeting is the breakfast scene. In this scene, we see Leida and Mon argue. But first, Leida tries to fob Mon off, and pivots to ask Perrin to cover for her. Perrin tells her to talk to Mon. It culminates in Leida saying that Mon doesn't have to pretend to be a good mother.

Mon is hurt by this, but she is actually not a great parent. Between her political and rebel activities, we know that she is spread incredibly thin. Leida is Mon's daughter and feels unloved because of a lack of attention for her. Perrin cannot address that.

As the arguement progresses, Mon asks Perrin if he is enjoying the argument. He clearly isn't. Mon will then complain about Perrin's lack of support. The problem is, Mon is laying into Perrin here and blaming him. But Perrin cannot address the issue of Leida feeling unloved by her own mother. Perrin already forced Leida to confront Mon, but he cannot fix this for the two of them.

In fact, Perrin's reactions are a seeming gladness that Leida's feeling are finally getting an airing. He brought what is clearly a serious underlying upset for Leida to Mon's attention directly, and given Leida agency to address Mon without de-legitimizing Leida's feelings by taking Mon's side on a basis of parental authority. Mon is hurt by Leida's words. But Leida is being hurt by Mon's inability to be a mother.

That isn't a crime. Again, Mon isn't evil. But this is something she is failing at. If we look at this from Perrin's perspective: Leida is embracing conservative traditions he does not like, but he has to be her available parent because Mon isn't present. This is causing Leida emotional distress and anger, and Perrin encourages Leida to confront her mother about this. While we can argue parenting, this is not a bad way to Parent a 14/15 year old girl. He is providing Leida agency and autonomy to deal with a personal grievance. He can't discipline her, because she is already slipping away from him and Mon with her turn to ultra-conservatism. He can't take this to Mon because she doesn't engage in her home life - like, we literally just saw her forget her own Husband's birthday dinner!

A lot of people see it as Perrin and Leida ganging up on Mon, but this is again a very biased read if we remember that Perrin is the stay-at-home dad and Mon is always too busy for her family life. Car Ride 1

Perrin and Mon are in their car, returning from some occasion. Perrin mentions that Mon saw him talking to someone. He also mentions that person knew more about Mon's work than he did.

Mon says that must be embarrassing. Again, she is making this personally about Perrin. But this misses the reverse implication: Mon isn't sharing herself with Perrin. And now, when he asks why Mon thinks he wouldn't care about her foundations, she insults him by saying "It's charitable". Perrin engages with Mon's political profession. He is an ambassador for her policies. But he can't do that if he is getting blindsided.

I know this risks sounding like Mon bashing - it really isn't. The problem is that Perrin exists entirely within the context of Mon, and so we have to remove ourself from our enhanced knowledge of Mon and the bias that introduces when we assess Perrin. Mon clearly upsets him, as he asks Kloris - their driver - to take a faster route home. But, he also asks Mon for Kloris's name before addressing him. This calls back to Mon chiding him for not knowing Kloris's name earlier - it is a sign that he is being deferential to her - and doesn't argue with her or get confrontational - because he has read her as not being in a space to engage with that. Cocktails 1

Leida approaches Perrin asking to be excused. Perrin tells her to check with Mon. Again, Perrin is not cutting Mon out. We know he is acutely aware of the political. Leida dipping out on Mon is a bad look politically. Perrin knows that. And so he is letting Mon manage that, which instead bolsters her image by making her the engaged mother.

During Mon's conversation with Tay, Perrin is socializing and watching her. We are invited to read Perrin's regard as a suspicion of Mon and Tay sharing in infidelity. The second episode of season 2 might suggest otherwise - but we'll get there.

And, what we do see is Mon acting furtively in public. Watch her face. She isn't as subtle as she thinks. And Perrin clocks this. But, notably, so does one of the women he is talking with at the bar. She looks directly at Tay and Mon, only to be drawn back to Perrin by conversation. When Perrin finished with the women he intercedes with Mon - he knows Mon is up to something, and that people are noticing it. He also intervenes with the justification that there are guests requiring special handling. Again, a political justification. And he does so loudly enough for people to see that he, Tay, and Mon are all talking together. Cocktails 2

The scene starts with Perrin asking what Mon's objective is for the night. When Tay arrives - very jovially and with a very personal attitude - Perrin stresses that Mon is working. He says Tay is not on the menu - again implying he sees infidelity (Again, back to this later). But he also says she is pitching politics and not charity. Combined with a few later moment, I think Perrin has a strong suspicion about the fact that Mon isn't actually engaging in conventional charity.

Perrin is sarcastic about how Mon is "saving the empire from the Emperor." In response, Mon asks Tay if he remembers Perrin at 15. Perrin says "let's not" and Mon goes on, calling him "The academy firebrand".

The implication is that Perrin used to be every bit as political as Mon herself.

When Tay says that the PORD is having an effect, Perrin says the Rebels should have thought about that before blowing up Aldhani. This is, again, a political observation. The Aldhani attack is a direct threat to Mon's stated policies. And Perrin has already established he is helping Mon with that when he asks for the agenda.

The other interesting thing is that Leida comments about Tay always being around - and seems to be uncomfortable about how close Tay and Mon are. This needs revisiting in a moment.

Finally Perrin has sent a seemingly friendly Senator to find Mon, who is trying to capture votes. He is supporting her politics here. Later He is shown to be being a gracious host to her guests, to be encouraging people to talk to Mon about inconsequential questions - a way to get conversations started. He also seem to be unhappy when he describes his marriage to Mon as "traditional". Family Breakfast 2

Auntie Vel is here! We open on Perrin asking if Vel is going to find a husband. While we as viewers enjoy the joke that Vel is in fact a lesbian, it is worth noting that Perrin is acutely aware of the rising conservatism in the empire (via his own daughter, but also his pointed comments about the repercussions of Aldhani) and is image conscious. Vel is conspicuous in her lack of a marriage and embrace of her station in life. And Mon herself will say much the same when she says people have been asking about Vel, and that Vel needs to go play the spoiled rich girl. On the surface, Perrin's comment seems shallow and patriarchal, but we know he rejects Chandrillan marriage customs, and we've seen him viewing things with a political lens - so I think there is a possibility that he thinks Vel is putting her self at risk in the current political climate.

Perrin also informs Vel that Tay is present - he is keeping her in the loop, and letting her know a prominent Chandrillan is spending a lot of time with Mon. What happens if Vel is ambushed with that information on Chandrilla and doesn't have prior knowledge with which to respond? I think Perrin is managing image here, too.

Leida also describes Tay as "mum's old boyfriend". Mon asks if Perrin told her that, and Perrin stresses that he said "old". Leida is uncomfortable about Tay's presence. We don't know when Perrin told her, but it is fair for Leida to ask about a man who is very friendly with her mother, and who her mother has been talking to secretively during at least two major social functions - Watch Mon and Tay's body language in scenes without sound or subtitles; they could be flirting. So Perrin has answered Leida's question about her mother. That Mon feels uncomfortable seems odd. But our bias in this scene will lead us to assume that Mon's reaction is normal, when what is normal is her Daughter asking about her close friend, and her husband assuring said daughter. TradWife School

Perrin isn't in this scene. But Vel and Mon talk about Leida's turn. Vel asks if it's Perrin's influence. Mon says it isn't and that he is "strangely open-minded on this topic". It's also notable that Perrin was sad about him and Mon sharing a "traditional" - i.e. arranged - marriage. This is important for later. Car Ride 2

Mon throws Perrin under the bus. She accuses him of gambling (which we know he hasn't been) to cover her financial misadventures. This is the first time Mon says something that Perrin directly confronts or denies. It is also notable that Mon says Perrin promised not to gamble. This implies that Perrin has kept that promise, and that the accusation that he has betrayed his promise to her is something he cannot stand. In fact, the only time he ever raises his voice to Mon is when she accuses him of breaking his promise.

Notably, Perrin doesn't attack Mon. He doesn't accuse her of lying. He doesn't accuse her of making things up.

What does he say? "This is wrong, Mon. This is people trying to take you down by coming after me. You tell me who's saying this, and I'll tell you why."

His first reaction is to think of Mon's political situation and how he is a vulnerability to her objective. When Mon acts like he is lying, he starts the rational argument: "Where would I get the money?"

When Mon keeps acting like he has been gambling and loosing mountains of money, what does Perrin say? "Someone is lying to you." He is looking out for her. He knows he is innocent. He knows that Mon doesn't accuse him out of no-where. He "knows" someone is lying to Mon. Season 1 Coda

There are some other things that we know about Perrin:

He knows and has done business with Davo Sculdun (though it's implied to have been some time). This again shows that Perrin is prominently connected and could have a successful career of his own that he has chosen not to.

He is not shown to fight Mon when Mon is suddenly advocating for supporting Leida's TradWife ambitions. This is despite us knowing concretely that he doesn't approve of it. Instead he seems to follow Mon's lead when Mon decided to make a pact with Sculdun - someone that Perrin knows, which would include knowing Mon would never willingly make a deal with Sculden.

People focus on Mon's emotions in the Leida-Stekan scene. But look at Perrin. He looks like a thunderhead. He almost looks angry, in fact.

Season 1, in aggregate, has a lot of little threads which I think could point to Perrin being a loyal and politically intelligent husband whose biggest struggle is that Mon is freezing him out.

I also think, in light of his "academy firebrand" days as well as his comments about "saving the empire from the emperor" sparking that observation, he may have been sympathetic to the Separatists. While this seems unlikely on the surface, Mon directly says to Tay that "The Grand Vizier has infiltrated my Separatist Coalition meetings." - And she is notable for her support for separatist sympathizers. It is hard to believe that She and Perrin have fond memories of their youth if that youth wasn't somewhat aligned on issues like that.

I think there is a very real possibility that Perrin harbours Rebel sympathies, but feels unable to act on them - especially as he seems to criticize the Rebel attack on Aldhani because it had the effect of encouraging imperial overreach. And also because he seems to support Mon politically, and to try and build capital she can cash in for votes. Forced Weddings and a Funeral

I'm dealing with this as one, big event.

We open on Perrin schmoozing guests with Mon. When an issue with parking arrangements is mentioned, he correctly identifies the cause, and goes off to address it. We again are seeing Perrin act as Mon's soft-power counterpart.

We also see him talk to Davo Sculden about the Bride and Groom to be. He shows a far more caustic attitude about Leida than he is implied to have had the year prior. The implication the year prior is that Perrin dotes on Leida. But here, he is directly asking whether Stekan will be able to manage Leida's impulses. It is worth remembering that Perrin was part of an arranged marriage at the age of 15 - a year younger than Stekan. He is saying Stekan will either learn of be led. And it suggests that Perrin might have had his life kicked out from underneath him by Mon's ascent to the senate. But it also suggests that Perrin has deep wounds from it all. Again, this is deeper than him just being a spoiled upper-eschelon lay-about.

The next morning, Mon and Perrin are managing their ballroom for a dinner and a dance to come. In fact, Perrin is very closely watching Luthen and Kleya. When talking about the Chandi Merle, he says it's a bit gross - "probably worth more than the house" - as though it is a crudely extravagant display of wealth. This is also at odd with the idea that he's a party boy.

He and Mon share a cup of tea. A single cup. They seem more at ease. He says the previous night was a success. This is again a case of him being actively involved in managing major events for the family - all of which are inherently political events.

And then he says to Mon "You should tell your boyfriend to back off the nog." - notably, he isn't actually accusing Mon of infidelity. He isn't being angry at her. He was, in fact, very cordial a moment before. What he is doing is telling Mon what people are saying about her. He's being a little mean about it, but he's telling her that people think she is cheating with Tay. He is telling her that Tay is acting erratically - in fact that Tay is not just getting drunk but that he should know the customs well enough to not to be getting drunk from experience. That Tay's home life has fallen apart, and he seems to be spiraling. And interestingly, has one serious dig at Tay. Tied in to the moments in Season 1, this makes me think he has never suspected Mon to be cheating, but has haboured suspicions about Tay's reliability and his motivations, which Season 2 appear to justify. Perrin might actually be a good judge of character.

Perrin, with a much more serious and personal tone, say of Tay: "He was always weak". We will immediately see this proven true, as Tay folds under his life pressures and extorts Mon, leading to his assassination by Luthen (well, by Cinta on Luthen's orders).

Again, it is Perrin informing Mon of something that could sideswipe her. It's him managing her image and directly spelling out the implications of the circulating rumor. It's him identifying a serious potential problem and flagging it for her.

Next is the wedding hike, and we get a suggestion of how Sculdun and Perrin may know each other. Perrin says that the estate used to be closed as a private hunting reserve. That there used to be signs to keep the poachers out. Sculdun says he remembers the signs. Perrin says they didn't keep Sculdun out, and that his willingness to ignore such signs has suited his business well. It sounds like a criticism. Like Perrin dislikes Sculdun - again notable in light of his willingness (as far as we see) to let Mon push this wedding.

Next is Perrin's speech. He says that anxieties and sad tidings are an inevitability of life, but that we must look to find and cultivate the joy in life in the face of that - joys big or small. Interestingly, this parallels with Cinta's comments that she and Vel share "what's left" after the fight. It parallels the positive parts of the life we see Brasso, Bix, and Wilmon enjoying on the run, and particularly that Brasso and Wilmon are finding happiness in Mina Rau. He speaks of "hope" and of "trying". His speech, perhaps in the context of a child wedding, is giving voice to to themes that are important to the Rebellion, and which this series in particular embraces. It suggests that Perrin sees what is happening in the galaxy, and may feel helpless to do anything, including because his wife is one of the few voices trying to do good, and is always defeated.

His speech also addresses directly Leida and Stekan - Sculdun's is about how he acquired the Chandi Merle and had an adventure and is now giving this gift to the couple; it's an interesting contrast.

Finally, when Mon is having her absolute implosion and trying to dance through it as she spirals, Perrin correctly clocks what is happening and stops dancing when he notices her. He is clearly worried about her. Bringing It All Home

So, what am I saying? I think, when we look at Perrin, it is very easy to fall into a surface level assumption. And I think it is very possible that is who he is.

But I also think that his seemingly constant political awareness, support for Mon's political efforts even in the face of his own apparent sense of hopelessness, his desire for finding happiness and joy amidst the growing darkness, his apparent history of political activity, the fact he is well enough connected to have pursued a very illustrious personal career that he has forgone, his apparently keen observation, and his distaste for people like Sculdun and Tay who he seems to identify as self-serving could point to something much deeper which has been buried as a result of his marriage to Mon, and which she is not seeing because of her own flaws when it comes to her private life.

Perrin has been taken away from his homeworld, and lives a life in which he has very little autonomy. Despite that, he seems to be loyal to Mon, though not a total push over. He seems to have a degree of personal honour and ethics as the only things we see him speak about with meaningful emotion are Mon's accusation he broke his promise to her, Sculden's acquisition of the Chandi Merle, and Tay's apparent lack of personal moral fibre.

Maybe I'm being wishful. But especially now we see Tay - who was very likable in Season 1 - extorting Mon, it would feel thematically appropriate, and be the kind of twist I could see Gilroy & Co. pursuing, for Perrin to reveal himself as supporting the Rebellion or being unfavourable of the Empire.

[mooshlovely]

Nein Again Episode 14

A little late on this one cause I was busy graduating lol

"You're like a bad penny" Caleb's disinterest and vague dislike of Yasha is so funny to me (16)

Molly: "I'll explain later" You mean you will explain that you can't explain (17)

To Molly's credit, he does do a good job of both gaining information and hiding how little he actually knows with Cree

Why the fuck does the Gentleman know about them? They haven't really done anything to gain a reputation, unless Kara talked about them (29) Oh it was the spider in the sewers AND Kara

I love Beau continuing to throw Demedan under the bus. It's a great cover story and also unnecessarily continues to fuck him over (30) Again, I would love to know all the ways Demedan's life suddenly implodes

Fjord is being so ballsy taking the bet with the gentlemen and its very attractive (35) Also Caleb's face when he says 'deal', very much a 'the fuck are you doing'

Fjord is being so hot here. That sly grin when he says "Don't you want to bet again?"

This is also another situation where Fjord unconsciously takes the spotlight for the group. Not necessarily acting as the leader but definitely acting as the voice of the group

Nott is so bold for this, I love it so much. It's a great idea for a test and even just demanding him pass a test in return is perfect. Also the Gentleman's response is equally ballsy and impressive. Still can't believe he just straight up drank acid (49)

Beau: "Are you scared of geometry?" (1:01)

"the city" OH you mean the FLESH CITY (1:05)

" 'I watched you walk on water' kind of into you" Beau describing Cree's reaction to Molly. Honestly that is a super accurate description of their relationship. Beau is scarily perceptive sometimes (all the time) (1:11)

Molly to Nott: "Why do you need to know so many things?" Actually its more interesting that Molly doesn't want to know things. Everyone else in this group is so fucking nosey (1:12)

Oh Nott is hardcore projecting right now. Everything about being transformed and losing the life he had before, except Molly wants nothing to do with it and Nott would do anything to get back to hers (2:08)

Similarly, I forgot that Beau has super big reasons for hating fortune tellers that she projects onto Molly

[slycooperconfessions]

We've done polls for favorite Sly 1 and Sly 2 episode. Time for Sly 3!

Maybe eventually we'll poll for Sly 4, then pit all of the winners against each other for a final showdown!

[sahara-solaris-solace]

Hydra FC Club General HeadCanons

An accurate definition of wild cards.

They are not malicious evil but are not merciful either.

Many players are from Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Columbia and Italy.

The club is supposed to originate from Australia but the shareholders and Coach Del Aqua originated from France so that's where the Floating Stadium takes place.

Always win the fastest players awards of the Super League, as well as greatest stamina awards every year.

The stadium is actually an underwater research facility in order to look after the ocean life, observe the nature and acted as mercenary ( Hydra Players ) to stop illegal poachers.

Del Aqua is actually a lead researcher who used to work as a Professor as he earned a Doctorate in Sea Life.

The players stipulation aside from knowing football, is good in swimming, ocean activities and sea lover.

Their diet and personal hygiene are two core rules by Coach Del Aqua and the players took those rules to their heart due to his strictness. The punishment is severe.

Liquido is the current player, such as Ninja from Cosmos FC that made his fame in Season 1 as during that time, Skipper is the star player for that season. Liquido worked hard and managed to garner his fame around Season 2.

All are laid back and surfer guys during off days.

They each have cabins like in Snowpiercer TV series ( Second Class Cabin ) in one corridor far away from the match and the visitors team so they won't be violated in privacy.

The crew and players have weekly meeting just for team building.

In the comics, One Super League Under the Sea, the players have some girls they hooked up for fun while watching TV in the lounge but in tv series, Coach Del Aqua forbid them to bring strangers in the living lounge as to prevent any robbery or intrusion so any hook ups or one night stands have to be done outside the stadium.

Most of them are single and childfree ( Thankfully 2000's era the topic of childfree being tackle and to prevent any unwanted neglected children that will turn to monsters ). I see possibly Skipper and White Ripples being taken as others prefer single.

They are all reluctant about Liquido leaving North stranded in the ocean in Season 3 episode so when North made it out alive, they decided Liquido's intention is too malicious so they no longer affiliated with Liquido's sly gesture, hence why Liquido being scolded without anyone in his side in Season 5.

They taunt rival teams but purely for football rivalry. They draw line as they have heart and to avoid real conflict.

At night, they like to gather outside for stargazing with cokes and barbecue.

Since Liquido is the newest in the group, most of them are wary of his hyperactive vibe but soon became accustomed with his.

Most of them knew Liquido has a crush on North, not that he will admit it.

Coach Del Aqua and Ursula are basically in charge with Ursula acted as a discreet Assistant Coach/ Manager, as well as the brain cells of the club.

[jinksyweirdo]

Small art to the...faceless smiley guy in the new Broomtail episode.

Now. I have some theories(Thoughts?) about the new episode and its brief flashbacks to Genzou's past.

1) The involvement of the Faceless Smiley Guy.

In this panel, there's a text that says; "I must perform a thorough examination". I'm assuming that it was the smiley guy that told Genzou that because afterwards, Genzou (I assumed) replied; "what did you do?"

The mysterious man seems to either be a 'doctor' or some 'scientist' or, what I like to call, false healers(people who lies about one's health for money and sells false medicine.)

In the background though, it seems like that Genzou had confronted the man either outside another place or his house(or maybe his mother's?).

2) The involvement of the Mystery Man of Genzou's Mother's death(?)

In this Panel. It seems that the 'examination' the Smiling man did was a downer. Maybe he didn't bother helping Genzou's mother, maybe the smiling guy did something to Genzou's mother to increase whatever illness she was going through, or something far worse that I don't want to write it on here.

But obviously, whatever the Smiling Guy done. Genzou was forced/felt the need to put his own mother out of her suffering. I'm guessing that Genzou mercy-killed his own Mother. In the panel below the imagery of the brief image of his mother, Genzou seemed hesitant. Was it Genzou's mother begging her own son to kill her? Maybe.

3). Is the Smiley Guy a Top Hat person.

I mean. Come on. Doesn't that guy gives off Top Hat vibes? The crazy smile, the small silk hair and the shirt collar??

I have a feeling that this mystery guy has a cocky personality due to that grin. I mean, I "studied" a few characters with grins/smirk/smiles on their face (constantly) and they end up to be that one cocky, sly, bastardly character.

But hey.

That's just a theory.

A Game Theory‼️

Ahem...uhm. My thumb slipped.

My predictions may be wrong but eh. :]

[thevaudevilledemon]

Five More Death Battle Match-Ups I'd like to see

So, the Death Battle Independent Era has been happening along, and frankly, I think it's been pretty good so far. Bowser vs Eggman and Ghost Rider vs Spawn are already shooting up my top 10 (Bowser vs Eggman is already my new favourite Death Battle), and even ones that I haven't been too hot about are still not bad, they're like a Stitch vs Rocket Raccoon at worst.

And I also had some fun writing about Match-Ups I'd really like to see, and try to justify my... admittedly weird taste in Match-Ups. I have found that my preference leans more towards obscurer characters and less likely match-ups. Don't get me wrong, I have a few MUs that don't fall under those descriptions, but looking at my list, there are a lot more Cybersix vs Jack's than Katara vs lapis Lazuli's.

Really, I'm doing this to see if anyone else is interested in some of my most wanted MUs, though admittedly this selection is probably more plausible than my first list was. Well, without further ado, five more Death Battle MUs I'd like to see.

#5. Lena vs Hunter (Owl House vs DuckTales 2017)

So... a while back, a long while back, I did a series of Polls called "Disney Duels", where I pit two Disney characters together and let people vote on who would win a fight. I had a lot of fun doing it, and seeing a lot of the reactions, especially for Season 2 Round 10; Lena vs Hunter; Created for Evil, Made for Good.

This was the most voted on Match-up for Disney Duels, at 373 votes, and I can see why, this was admittedly one of the better match-ups of Disney Duels, and Tumblr is absolutely crazy for Owl House and DuckTales 2017, and all the votes and reactions got me thinking, this would make a really good episode of Death Battle. Like we're probably gonna get Anne vs Luz or Luz vs Akko first, but keep this one in mind, it would be pretty awesome.

#4. Ruby Rose vs Tucker (RWBY vs Red vs Blue)

Admittedly, this one is kind of... strange, I'm sure there are better RWBY vs Red vs Blue Match-Ups, and I'm sure people are going to tell me them here. Ruby vs Tucker has always vibed with me though, and I think it has to do with the theme. I haven't watched a lot of RWBY, and from everything I hear that may be a good thing, but from what I did watch, the theme of "Thrust into leadership roles" works pretty alright here.

I do feel like this is a fight that could work, and a RWBY/RVB MU seems pretty over-due. I wonder if the guys are a little tentative about doing Red vs Blue Match-Ups in general, it wouldn't surprise me if they were. Still, I think there is some merit to this Match-Up.

#3. Stan Smith vs Sterling Archer (American Dad vs Archer)

Adult Animation Secret Agents, I feel like everyone has that one MU on their list that just feels too obvious, like this is a fight they would have done in season 2 or 3 kind of obvious.

I mean, I almost don't want to include this one here, again it just feels like a battle they would have done before, but I'd rather be honest and predictable than dishonest and unique, so here is one of my obvious Match-Ups for this list.

#2. Saxton Hale vs Brock Samson (Team Fortress 2 vs Venture Brothers)

I don't care if this one is a stomp... actually the last list I did had a total stomp MU at the second place as well... weird coincidence. Team Fortress 2 needs another episode, and Brock Samson has been aching for an episode of Death Battle for a long time.

I think Saxton Hale would be perfect for a Death Battle episode, the kind of Over the Top violence that the show is good at is practically his bread and butter. It would also be fun to see a non-mercenary TF2 character in DB, even if their are only three who would make decent DB episodes.

#1. Sly Cooper vs Rouge the Bat (Sly Cooper vs Sonic the Hedgehog)

When it comes to Match-Ups in the category of "How has this not happened yet" I feel like this is one of the big ones. Two anthropomorphic thief characters, like this Match-Up just screams season 4 at the very least.

I feel like this battle is more or less a victim of "Algorithmic Thinking", where the guys have to think about what Match-Up would be good for the YouTube algorithm rather than what would be fun to make. That's the entire reason Cole MacGrath vs Alex Mercer didn't happen until Season 10, and probably why we still haven't got Travis Touchdown vs Jack Cayman or any representation from BioShock, Dead Space or Creepypasta as of yet, though an SCP battle may be coming soon, hoping that happens.

Admittedly, the reasoning is pretty debatable, Sonic the Hedgehog is an absurdly popular franchise, so any Sonic battle, I think, would do pretty well viewership wise, but I'll never know, maybe they're just waiting for the right person to write or animate it. Still, if this battle gets announced, I know people would be hyped.

[independent-fics]

Inde Watches Leverage: Redemption

S01EP— The Rest of Season 1 because I told myself to stop reviewing each episode and just enjoy watching it because I was making myself anxious trying to analyze it to compare it to the original and had to take a break but now wanted to get back to it because I have two weeks to watch it before season 3 but ended up making a bit of a live reaction post anyways.

TLDR: I enjoyed the second half of season 1 immensely! I think I just became annoyed with some of the growing pains I noticed in the first half of the season combined with many out of character moments and cinematic choices (I know the characters are different years later but there were some moments that they felt like they were caricatures of themselves/or writers were highlighting fan favorite traits of them and emphasizing them) like Eliot exploding over Parker eating his carrot cake in “The Rollin on the River Job” felt overdone? Like yeah he gets grumpy but I can’t think of moments where he growled or huffed off that dramatically except in fanfic. Even genuinely angry he’s a controlled guy or used sly words and targeted insults and occasionally gets huffy. There were a couple moments with Parker but I can’t remember rn. Also cinematically honestly the only thing that bothered me was in “The Bucket Job” when Eliot is having his flashback at RIZ. Im sorry we can do flashbacks better than this we have done them better. The rapid head shake gave looney toons and I never wanna see it again. But honestly the beginning was rough but I did love the ending as I think the character interactions smoothed out writing wise, and I’m excited to finally start season 2 (finally inde goodness!) which everyone and their mother has told me gets even better.

Now the rest of this post is just my live reactions from the rest of the season which I did NOT want to do but ended up in this post anyways so if you care to read it’s under the cut. But come scream at me about leverage I love to talk about it especially now that I’m finally making myself sit down a catch up with redemption!

Spoilers I guess under the cut? But if you’re like me and behind on Redemption go watch it!

S01EP11 The Jackal Job

I knew I was gonna love this one because I hate the mark so much and also more grifters! Also broke my heart to see her losing her memories. And I also love Parker and Eliot’s Emerson/Aerosmith quote moment.(I just love all their little moments this episode actually) And Eliot’s “I don’t use guns but I still know about em” he’s so grumpy I love him.

Also it said London but the cars were on the wrong side for London. BUT ALSO HISTORICAL EPISODE WITH SOPHIE AHHHH. AND WOMEN IN LOVE. Also Breanna’s “we needed used crap that looked expensive. And boring. Like you.” And Parker’s “this is better than Disneyland. A box is basically a vent that moves” and now I have to see the ot3 at Disneyland.

Absoloutly love her pouring Eliot a beer and saying he’ll kick the marks teeth in and basically going yes maam.

“Never define a love by its length only its depth” MY HEART.

Parker only having to use her name to cut a deal I love to see it.

S01EP12 The Golf Job

Okay ngl golf episode opening up with human trafficking nail salons not what I expected but this tells me it’s gonna be good. But hellooooo James Marsters.

Also loving Hurley being back hello and how he is obsessed with Eliot I love it. And Parker and his crazy hug. Also Korean leverage reference! And Eliot the dog hehehe.

Also I just see Hardison as a camp counselor. I need this missing episode.

Eliot please golf or not you know you’re not gonna leave a kid.

Hurley you’re a really good grifter convincing Eliot to do this I cannot this was so funny. But I cannot Eliot actually saying the GOAT. (Also did Eliot throw the shirt on the floor in the golf shop??? Who is this man) and I’m sorry the upside down backwards visor how is that working for him rn.

Sophie dressed as a priest?? Taking a call with southern accent I cannot.

Eliot managing to get a dart into his drink is amazing.

I nearly screamed at Hurley figuring out how to help Eliot play amazingly. And then when he posted his chili recipe Eliot nearly said “damnit Hardison” I did scream hahaha. Hurley being like he’s missing chaos (aka Hardison rambling in his ear the whole time my heart)

Harry you are shining in this episode. Love a bomb bluff.

S01EP13 The Hurricane Job

Aka the episode everyone has told me about and that I have been waiting for.

I am loving Parker in this episode like yes she is uncomfortable and give her time she’ll explain Eliot. And he’s being as patient as possible while trying to figure out why she’s being the way she is about Maria. Also Eliot you cannot tell me that you don’t know how to work a ham radio are you fr.

I do love Maria’s sass though. Eliot you’re usually so good with imitations you cannot think that was anywhere close to that guys voice.

Harry is so proud of himself for that doctor grift I love him for it and the reference.

The way every partnership always splits with one guy telling the other one they’re weak. Like yall gotta have more loyalty than this. Also smart gun wtf. And Parker you being sad about giving back the lottery ticket ahhhh I love you.

Ahhh I loved Parker’s facial expressions in the last moment with her and Eliot because you could tell she was trying to be honest even if she didn’t like the feelings she was expressing. Wished it lasted a beat longer before the comedic touch was added but still cute hahah I love them.

S01EP14 The Great Train Job

Oh goodness give me farmers or miners (the underground job) and you’ve got me I know this is gonna be good and small town and heartfelt and im going to love it.

NOOOO I HOPE HANDLEBAR MUSTACHES EVERYTHING BREAKS.

Directed by Beth Riesgraf I love it!

Breanna’s total offense at Harry for thinking things just disappeared from the internet hahaha.

It’s okay Parker I would be so excited to rob a special safe in a train.

I too fear bachelorette parties.

Gosh of course it’s Nazis.

I love Sophie having 30 characters in her bag. But ugh Eliot looking out for Breanna oh goodness this episode might scare me no one touch my baby.

Breanna scandalized that Sophie wants her to turn her into royalty immediately. It’s giving Hardison’s “I have to wait for her to finish making it [her backstory] up.”

I love the convo between Eliot and Harry I do but all I can think is the tik tok audio “I’m tired grandpa” “you keep diggin.”

I knew it was battery waste! I love the rise of electrical things but as we advance we don’t have proper ways of disposing electric car batteries and things like that. (At least not ways a lot of places are doing properly. So many places think it’s just easier to dump tech). It’s leading to a potential for so much waste as more and more companies create electric cars. (I blame Elon musk so much for buying Tesla and just mass producing it just to be first).

I’m loving Breanna attempting to flirt so much. I love them.

I love the Canadian Mounties fear. And the fact that they’re all wanted there hahahah. I want to see all these cons they did to get wanted by them.

“I think I am gonna hurl.” “Rub some dirt on it.” Eliot that is not how that works.

The wired reference I can’t. Also I love Parker’s excitement pushing a guy off a train.

AHHHHHH TAKEDOWN. AND THEN KISSING. I LOVE THEM. Taking down a corrupt business man who is also a white supremacist is such a fun first date.

Low key though they missed out on a potential historical episode with that title and handlebar mustache guy. Still loved it though but I need Sophie in a train murder mystery Orient Express style.

S01EP15 The Muddy Waters Job

Ah Eliot I have missed your commitment to whatever the headquarters is at the time. And the doctor who references.

Ahhh finally get to meet Harry’s daughter!

“Bad guy side part” I can’t I love you Breanna.

“I didn’t even know we could go on strike.” “It doesn’t come up a lot.”

Omg Parker I love you “I’m gonna call the us Marshall I know”

You right Maria he is very cute when he’s grumpy.

“A haunted baby doll” I love you Parker.

Ah the efficiency expert con. I have missed you from “The Inside Job.”

“I’ll find it, Eliot’ll keep us safe, and Breanna can hack into the computers” ahhh I love it. Beautiful Parker.

I love Eliot’s dramatic planning and Breanna completely ruining his moment. And Eliot desperately trying not to squint his eyes and twitch his eyebrows.

Eliot I saw the smile you love Parker’s relationship advice. I love Parker and her relationship advice.

Eliot getting a baby shower instead of getting to fight 12 guys I love it.

Gosh dang okay Harry’s ex wife.

GOSH DANG WTF OF AN ENDING NO

Wait DOUBLE WTF.

S01EP16 The Harry Wilson Job

“Fire fixes everything” yes it does Parker. “I wanna kill a lot of people all the time” same. I love how it’s Eliot no (wouldn’t kill) and Parker is a maybe. (I know someone made a post about this recently).

Okay weirdly animated R.I.Z. building.

Dang calling Harry Sophie’s project is wild.

“112 days without an incident. They’re due” what a wild statement Parker.

AHHHHHHH I KNEW HE WAS COMING BUT AHHHHH HARDISON MY BELOVED. You know he’s gonna hold that KO over Eliot. Love him tossing the wrench not even looking and Eliot catches it. Same vibe as Parker and Eliot in “The Hurricane Job.”

Please debate the coolness of the entrance (still my fav gifset for this episode from @246bce that I saw the other day).

“Guilt ruined my family I wasn’t going to let it ruin yours” ahhhh Harry. Yes once again the don’t con your team talk love it coming from Sophie the first one who did it.

The epic side eye Hardison. But Eliot and Hardison’s smiles when they hug I love it. And Sophie being like yeah did he apologize yet hehehe.

The level of this RIZ conspiracy is crazy and will give me nightmares once again because I think about these types of risks all the time with our digital age. Also Eliot I love your random knowledge.

Oo Parker back to masterminding. “Harry. Don’t die. I need you around to make me look good.” I love them and Harry completely accepts that he’s the novice at everything here but at the same time he’s so brave about it all.

Low key for a US Marshall she should have been asking these questions a long time ago.

Mcsweetin and Taggert love that for them.

Always wanted to be a US Marshall? Of all things how does a kid decide that? Oop breakup but got the codes anyways okay then.

Goodness yes I’ve been waiting for this grift. And the breakup talk with Eliot. “You can make a puppet out of anything you can stick your hand in” Parker please. “Hey skipper negative words” stroking his shoulder omg. I really want to know when they measured his head.

Gosh dang it Bligh. I know like it’s for the plot and all but she’s not really a good private contractor otherwise she would have killed him right there probably.

Such a secure building that lets someone they are looking out for walk right in? I love you Sophie.

Why that photo of all things for Eliot omg.

BREANNA MY BABY WITH THE VENT TRAINING.

SLAY HARRY WITH THE FANCY DESK.

I love to see Bligh suffer here go Sophie.

I love how the theme of this episode is the old fashioned way works.

I also love that Hardison unintentionally gave Parker a really good con date. Like she gets to work with everyone, take down a major bad guy, jump from a building, push him off a building. She’s having the time of her life.

The fact that he made it through the building to get to Sophie in that 60 seconds. And gave Harry the punch I love it!

IN SO PROUD OF YOU TOO BREANNA.

Dang Aldis those arms.

Harry getting his daughter back? I love that for him. Yes Harry a little bit of everything.

Honestly don’t know how I feel about Sophie taking off that ring ugh my heart.

Ahhhh what an ending. Who gets reimbursed for the drone how does that work when Breanna’s the one crashing em hahaha. And Eliot please which hair got cut that it was a $300 haircut I cannot hahaha.

[teambyler]

"Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time" - s5e4

Plot beats and scenes leading to a Byler endgame, one episode at a time, for Season 5 of Stranger Things. (This is just for fun! I have no insider knowledge!)

Also see Part 0, where I explain what I think a Byler Endgame has to address. Link to the previous episode.

s5e4

Will has a nightmare: it is November 1983 again and he is in the Upside Down. He’s in Castle Byers and gets captured by the Demogorgon. This time we see him get taken to the library and implanted. Will wakes up.*

It’s clear that Vecna is going after Will. When Mike sees him, he immediately senses something’s wrong. Will tells him.*

The party gathers at Hopper’s cabin. Will has a Walkman with “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” to try to fend off Vecna. They try to figure out what to do. The party needs to strike a blow against Vecna (something like a power source), but like in the s4 finale the vines and the hivemind are in the way. Will says he can be the distraction, just as Max was in s4. The group is mortified; Max insists: “No.” Will understands. The party discusses some other way to distract Vecna. Suddenly Will is targeted by Vecna again. Will is back in 1983 in the library and stuck to the wall. Vecna himself comes and says, “Will…” We cut to the group, Joyce is desperately pleading with Will to stay strong. We are not with Will as this all happens. El finds it in her power to piggyback by holding on to Will’s hand. For some reason, Will deliberately takes off the headphones. Joyce puts them back on as others hold down his arms so he doesn’t do it again. El backs off Vecna. Joyce takes a needle and sedates Will.

While Will sleeps, El plumbs into Will’s thoughts to find out what’s wrong. We see what Vecna was telling Will. Vecna wants Will’s powers and has always been trying to find a way to get them (since s1). He wants Will to give himself up, or else Vecna will kill people close to him, those he can reach, those who also have pain... "Like Max, like Mike..." Will reacts to Mike's name. Vecna knows and gives a sly smile. “Ah… you love your best friend?” Will protests. Cut to El, who suddenly sees Will's memories and that he is madly in love with Mike. (Flashbacks: Mike: “I said yes… It was the best thing I’ve ever done” [possessed Will desperately trying to break through] Mike: “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” Will tearing the picture of him and Mike, Will’s pain when Mike told El “My life started the day I found you.”) El is in shock. Vecna sees through Will’s denials. “Michael will be the first, and you will watch... He will be in pain… If you give in, there will be no pain... There is nothing for you. Not Michael, no one. You will always be a monster to them. You can end it now…” Will then takes off the headphones. El realizes why he did it and leaves Will’s mind.

El reports to the group that Vecna is singularly focused on Will, and wants some power of his. (She leaves out Will’s feelings for Mike and Vecna’s threat to Mike.) The only way to distract Vecna enough for the party to be able to attack his power source, is for Will to offer himself again. Mike says absolutely not; there’s got to be another way. They come up with an alternate plan of setting a large fire to the vines, so that they can avoid putting Will in danger. Joyce and Jonathan stay with Will as the rest head out.

As the party gets there, the bullies get in the way, this time with weapons. Nancy and Steve came prepared with a gun and nailed bat, and together they teach them a lesson. Mike in particular goes after Bully #1. After the melee, Nancy has a gun trained on Bully #1. Mike gets in his face, “If you touch Will again, I’m gonna kill you.” Bully #1 is all contempt. “What? You're a f****t, too?” Nancy fires a warning shot. Bully #1 jumps up and lunges at her and knocks the pistol out of her hand. In the struggle Mike is all tears and rage. He picks up the gun and is about to shoot him. El whips the gun out of Mike’s hand, and Bully #1 gets away. Mike is shaking. El runs up and hugs him. She has a realization…

Meanwhile, the party has FAILED at their task: they have to use Will.

*In retrospect, I should have put these at the start of s1e1, as we were teased about the first scene and it could be exactly this!

FOLLOW ME for the next part of “Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time”!

Part 0 (what a Byler endgame needs to address) Previous episode Next episode

-teambyler

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

It's so annoying to see people in the tag comparing Byler to other queer ships that didn't happen like no Byler is unique and wasn't made by bad writers. Idk if you were in one of those fandoms but it would be amazing if you could explain to all those people why Byler was written differently because I am tired of the classic: "they are queerbaiting you,deal with it". I am like :" wow they queerbaited the Lgbt+ community and the heterosexuals too then because a huge majority of the GA audiences who see Byler aren't from the Lgbt+ community". They also made the "main" ship do unlikeable that it lost at least 40% of their supporters between season 3 and season 4.

Well, I can see where they're coming from, even if I don't agree.

I have never been involved in a fandom before, but I have been a fan of shows/movies where I thought "so and so would make a good couple" only for nothing to come of it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, though. This is the first time I've ever thought it was going to happen, and I've felt that way since season 2. Each season since has left me disappointed, as I don't want it to be a final episode "twist" in order to avoid losing fans, but it's still only become more and more obvious to me that it's inevitable.

I think a lot of fans get caught up in headcanons, particularly between seasons. As a result, they end up forgetting what is actually canon, and they create elaborate predictions that just don't fit the reality.

Yes, queerbaiting is a thing. I'm not familiar with many of the fandoms that this is used with, but I'll give the fans the benefit of the doubt on it. If a show hints at a queer couple, that's not enough for it to be queerbaiting. But if they continually build it up, only for it to go nowhere, then it might be. If they actively use it as a means to market the show, then it definitely is.

Without knowing more about specific fandoms, it's hard for me to make any direct comparisons. I suppose, should, somehow, Byler not be endgame, then I'll probably understand a lot better. However, I will also be extremely confused and will have lost considerable respect for the Duffers as writers.

However, Byler is a unique animals, as far as I can tell. It's something that has had seeds planted to it from the very beginning of the show. It's not some response to fans that the producers felt they could then exploit for marketing/merchandising purposes. It may not have been obvious back in season 1, but the clues were there. There was no retconning done to make Byler fit. There was no sly stoking of the flames in the fandom to get fans excited about it. That all happened organically as more and more people caught on.

I don't think the Duffers are dumb. They built a slowburn same-sex romance between main characters over the course of an entire top-tier series. As much as it annoyed me that it's taken this long, it does make the most sense, both in-universe and as a matter of mass appeal. Both the fans and the characters themselves had to come to terms with teen boys falling in love in the 80s. That's not something to be rushed if it's to be taken seriously.

Will, the one we've been told was gay, has come to terms with his feelings, only to come to the conclusion that it's not meant to be.

Mike, the one we've seen to have more-than-friendly feelings for Will, is still not ready, yet.

Season 5 will be the catalyst for Mike to realize what his deep feelings for Will really mean, so he can show Will that love is something for him to experience.

[jenna12381]

Thieves In Time Redux: Rewriting the tutorial

Listen to Musée Champignon while you read this.

Episode 1: Here

You guys likely already know how Thieves In Time Redux begins. Penelope gets dragged into the events of the game against her will. Let's go over how she does during the story's opening...

We open near the museum, same as in canon. The only difference? There's four figures instead of three. The opening exchange now includes Penelope.

I'll just go ahead and show you the entire thing...

"Okay, you three remember the plan, right?"

"Of course! My mind is like a steel cap!"

"Uh, that's 'trap', Big Guy. And everybody relax! We've been over it a million times. What could possibly go wrong?''

"Famous last words! Look, we're only going to get one shot at this, so we can't mess up!"

"Alright, no messing up allowed. Now stop worrying! This is gonna be a piece of cake!"

"Question. Is it too late for me to back out?"

"I'm afraid so. You're coming with me, remember?"

"...Fine."

"We won't be out here forever, Sis! All we gotta do is take that dagger, do our thing, and clobber some fools into next week!"

"...Right. I'll keep that in mind."

"And with that, I'll see you all inside. Now let's get going!"

Penelope will be joining Bentley in the sewers. Before the opening, she had been targeted by kidnappers. She told Bentley about them in a panic, and... that's why she's here. She doesn't get enough time to vanish without a trace. Oh, and her blueprints for Le Paradox's blimp went missing.

Spoiler alert: They were stolen.

Sly's section is identical to canon, save for a few new lines. Same deal for Murray.

Bentley's section is changed up to accommodate Penelope. She'll only be following him for now... at least until her segment begins.

Just like in canon, Bentley falls deeper in the sewers... and gets separated from Penelope.

"How's that security system coming, Bentley?"

" Uh... Great! Perfect! I'll be done in a jiffy! *moves forward, only to realize he didn't land where he was supposed to* H--how did I...?"

"I thought you said 'no messing up allowed', old friend."

"I'm... taking the scenic route tonight!"

"Uh-huh... *short pause* You haven't forgotten Penelope, have you? Aren't you supposed to be watching her?"

This leads to a tutorial section for our favorite mouse girl. Her objective is finding Bentley. She's also given a title: The Wild Card.

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous. Nearly losing you to kidnappers does that."

"'A little', you say? You've been a nervous wreck ever since we left HQ."

Since this happens to be Penelope's very first solo outing, poor Bentley is freaking out. Penelope, meanwhile, isn't nearly as uneasy. She's just annoyed that she's been dragged into this adventure against her will. Not that she can tell Bentley why...

She instead tries to reassure him that yes, she can take care of herself... only to immediately follow that up by trying to run off. Bentley, of course, thinks she got lost and turns her around. She plays along and evades suspicion.

Since running off is no longer an option, Penelope goes off to find Bentley... When she does, he's in the process of almost getting jumped by a guard. She responds by knocking said guard out... because nobody touches that turtle except her.

Now reunited, they move onward to the same control room from canon.

Everything after that is nearly identical to vanilla. Yes, even Murray's segment. And yes, even Carmelita catching Sly in the act of thieving around.

The only difference is Penelope now being in the van with the boys as they all drive into a time portal.

Not a bad intro, huh? I've already talked about everyone's character arcs in previous posts, so here's a quick recap...

Sly learns that maybe ditching his friends on Kaine Island wasn't the best idea.

Bentley learns that he needs to not be overprotective of Penelope, but rather supportive.

Murray... doesn't go through much of a arc. He's focused on being a good older brother towards Penelope.

And Penelope? She's got a lot to learn about friendship. I bet you can't wait to see how she goes from distant and not wanting to be here to willing to take responsibility for what she's done. Because yes, she is still responsible for the Le Paradox incident in this rewrite.

I won't be writing Penelope as a sociopath, but rather as someone disconnected from her friends and what she actually needs.

I kind of neglected to mention that since Penelope is still behind the events of this game, she's going to be a bit confused about how Le Paradox's evil plan has gone ahead without her.

Lastly, I want to address how long it's been since the end of Sly 3. It's been roughly 19 months since Sly started faking amnesia.

At the beginning of this rewrite, Sly and Bentley are 22, Murray is 23, Penelope is 21, and Carmelita is 25. No clue about Dimitri or the villains.

[phatburd]

Title: The Marshal’s Court

Genre: Romantic Dramedy (In the style of Bridgerton)

Setting: The First French Empire, Napoleon’s Marshals as the central characters

Season 1, Episode 4: “Manners and Macarons”

Episode Synopsis:

The fourth episode of The Marshal’s Court turns the chaos dial up to eleven. Napoleon, fed up with his Marshals’ blunders at diplomatic functions and balls, decides to hire an etiquette instructor. The results are so disastrous they aren’t even shown on screen, but it’s implied that after two days of trying to civilize the group, the instructor quits and takes up drinking. Desperate, Napoleon asks Josephine to give them lessons herself. The A-plot focuses on Josephine attempting to teach basic etiquette and dancing to a group of very resistant (and occasionally hopeless) Marshals, including Lannes, Ney, Murat, Davout, Berthier, Augereau, and Bessières. Eugène is there too—no one’s really sure why, and even he looks confused.

Meanwhile, in the B-plot, Soult indulges his secret passion for baking, and we learn more about his hidden dream of opening a bakery.

The episode is a hilarious mix of historical fact, drama, and absurd comedy, with Bessimu shippers getting more hints, Murat struggling with his two left feet, and Augereau channeling his past as a dance instructor.

Opening Scene: Josephine’s Intervention

The episode opens with Napoleon pacing in his study, fuming as reports of his Marshals’ social blunders reach him. He bangs his fist on the desk and calls for an etiquette instructor, only for a footman to announce that the poor man has quit and left Paris altogether after two days with the Marshals.

Napoleon, ever the pragmatist, grumbles to himself and declares, “If I want something done right, I’ll have to bring in the only one who can control them—Josephine.” A quick cut shows Josephine arriving at the Tuileries Palace looking elegant and composed, ready to take on the impossible task of teaching the Marshals how to behave in polite society.

Fan Reactions:

Fans immediately buzz over the instructor quitting. The phrase “Two days with Lannes and Ney will break anyone” becomes a popular meme. Social media theorizes that Josephine’s entrance is about to elevate the dynamic even further, with some fans already anticipating a showdown between Josephine and Murat (who is clearly dreading the dance lessons).

The Dance Lessons: Murat’s Nightmare

Murat, as we know from historical accounts, never learned how to dance, and the writers make full use of this fact. The scene cuts to the grand ballroom, where Josephine begins her lesson by teaching the Marshals basic courtly manners, such as how to bow without knocking over chairs (a clear reference to a previous unseen disaster involving Lannes).

Josephine then turns to dancing. The camera zooms in on Murat, who visibly pales at the thought. “I’ve never had the time for this nonsense,” he mutters, but Josephine gives him a sly look. “You’ll need to learn how to waltz if you want to keep impressing European royalty.”

Murat reluctantly steps onto the dance floor, and the camera pans to Bessières, who watches with a mix of amusement and concern. As Murat fumbles his way through the steps, tripping over his feet more than once, Bessières steps in to help, offering him quiet, reassuring instructions. The tension between them is palpable, and Josephine watches this interaction with a knowing smile, but says nothing.

Fan Reactions:

#Bessimu shippers are fed in this scene. The quiet assistance from Bessières as Murat struggles creates waves across social media, with fans swooning over the subtle affection between the two. One fan creates a viral meme with the caption, “Bessières: Secret dance teacher, secret lover?” Another popular meme shows Murat tripping over his own feet with Bessières catching him, captioned “It’s called grace, look it up, Murat.” The fandom goes wild, convinced that Josephine is in on the secret.

Augereau: Dance Master and Former Pirate

Augereau, who historically worked as both a dance instructor and a fencing master, jumps into the lesson with gusto. He takes the floor confidently and starts demonstrating some more advanced moves, pirouetting and swirling dramatically. The other Marshals look bewildered, but Josephine gives him a bemused nod of approval.

At one point, Lannes and Ney share a glance and mutter to each other, “Wasn’t he a pirate once? Or was that just another of his tall tales?” The camera cuts to Augereau, who overhears them and gives a cheeky grin, saying, “I’ve worn many hats, but dancing is where the true art lies.”

Fan Reactions:

Fans adore Augereau as the unexpectedly graceful Marshal. A viral meme shows Augereau mid-pirouette, captioned “When you’ve defeated armies AND know how to nail a perfect twirl.” Fans also joke about his mysterious past, with some theories emerging about whether Augereau was, in fact, a pirate. The hashtag #PirateAugereau trends briefly as fans debate his murky background.

Berthier: Barely Conscious, But Competent

Berthier, as expected, looks absolutely exhausted throughout the lesson. Historically, Berthier was known to have worked for days with almost no sleep, and this is hilariously exaggerated in the episode. At one point, Josephine asks him to demonstrate a simple bow, but he stumbles forward, barely awake.

Despite his exhaustion, Berthier does have a clue about etiquette, having been raised at Versailles before the Revolution. When pressed, he manages to execute a perfect bow and a few elegant dance steps, but it’s clear he’s running on fumes.

Fan Reactions:

The fandom immediately takes to Berthier’s near-comatose state. Memes of him barely standing but still pulling off a dance move circulate, with captions like “When you haven’t slept in 72 hours but still have to look fabulous.” Fans appreciate the historical nod to his notorious work ethic and speculate that Berthier might actually need to sleep for once.

B-Plot: Soult the Baker

While the Marshals are stumbling through dance lessons, Soult is in the kitchen, indulging his passion for baking. Historically, Soult almost quit the military to become a baker before Napoleon’s Italian campaigns, and the writers take full advantage of this.

In a series of comedic scenes, Soult is seen meticulously preparing dough for macarons, explaining the delicate balance required for perfect pastry as if he’s planning a military maneuver. He refers to the kitchen as “his true battlefield,” and even Lefebvre drops in, raising an eyebrow and asking, “Why didn’t you become a chef instead of a Marshal?”

Soult replies, “Precision is key in both. You just don’t lose as many men in the kitchen.”

In the final moments of the B-plot, Napoleon himself walks into the kitchen, sampling one of Soult’s perfectly baked macarons. With a raised brow, he says, “I should send you to Austria with these. They’re practically a weapon.”

Fan Reactions:

Fans love the Soult subplot, and #SoultBakes trends for a second week in a row. Memes circulate with Soult in his uniform, meticulously icing macarons with captions like, “Conqueror of pastries, master of the battlefield.” Fans start clamoring for Soult to have his own cooking spin-off, half-jokingly demanding that the showrunners create a baking competition featuring all the Marshals.

Eugène: The Mystery

Eugène’s role in the etiquette lesson is puzzling to everyone, including the Marshals. He’s present, attempting to be helpful, but most of the time he stands off to the side, clearly out of his depth. Lannes and Ney keep exchanging looks, silently questioning why Eugène is even there.

At one point, Josephine catches him fumbling through a quadrille and sighs, “You’ll need to work on that, Eugène.”

Fan Reactions:

Fans are mystified by Eugène’s presence in this episode, echoing the characters’ confusion. Memes flood social media with captions like, “Why is Eugène here?” and “Eugène: The forgotten child.” Some fans jokingly speculate that Napoleon keeps Eugène around as a way to test his patience, while others are convinced he’ll have a bigger role later.

Closing Scene:

The episode ends with the Marshals lined up, bowing to Josephine one by one, each with varying degrees of success. Murat still stumbles slightly, but Bessières steps in to offer him a quiet word of encouragement. The scene cuts to Josephine watching them all with an amused smile, while Napoleon, lurking in the background, looks like he’s barely restraining his laughter.

Fan Reactions:

The Bessimu moment at the end is fuel for the shippers, with #Bessimu once again trending. One fan tweets, “Bessières: Here to rescue Murat from himself, one waltz at a time.” Fans are loving Josephine’s role as the Marshals’ etiquette tutor, with memes captioning her as “the real leader of the Empire.”

Teasers for Episode 5:

• Davout and Bernadotte’s rivalry reaches a new height, with tensions brewing over who will take charge of an upcoming campaign.

• Junot makes a surprise reappearance after being notably absent in Episode 4, sparking concern among the other Marshals about his mental state.

• The Bessimu ship gets another tease as Murat and Bessières find themselves in a compromising position during a royal banquet.

• Soult prepares a grand feast for Napoleon’s next big event, but will the stress of both military planning and perfecting his pastries be too much for him?

Fans are left eagerly awaiting the next episode, with social media flooded with theories about Davout and Bernadotte, Junot’s arc, and, of course, more Bessimu content.

[legobiwan]

Whumptober Salvage: Episode 2

Two days in a row of writing! I just made the deadline on this one, although I can't vouch for its quality.

Today's theme: “I’ll (They’ll) call out your name, but you won’t call back.”

Today's author commentary: Not much to say here.

Warnings: I feel like Dimentio is his own warning, but nothing graphic occurs in this one.

Index: Episode 1

~~~~~~~~~

The tall, lanky man is flanked on either side by two former members of the monster’s army. 

Koopas, they’re called. Short, beaked-faced creatures whose lack of stature is more than made up for by their sheer density of muscle mass, each striation etched into biceps and deltoids in painstaking detail, a contour map of strength writ on a leather-like epidermis. 

Not that they would recall their former allegiances, if she had done her job right. 

She always did her job right.

The sunglasses were a nice touch, though. An uncharacteristic hint of whimsy, but he was never one to look down on a bit of improvisatory fun. It was character development, in his mind. The smallest crack in a stone-walled dam, just enough space for him to wriggle through to some real answers, if he played his cards right.

“My, my, Nassy!” Dimentio floats over to the short, severe woman, coming to hover just over her left shoulder. Nastasia pays him no heed, giving a perfectly symmetrical frown as she scribbles notes on her ever-present clipboard, angular letters carved with an elegant, restrained precision. 

Dimentio peers over her shoulder, pointing to the scene below. “Who is this tattered man who appears as if he has been pulled from the whirling center of a tumultuous cyclone?” As he speaks, the man stumbles forward, tripping on some invisible crack on the surface of Bleck’s smooth, pristine floors. 

He recovers quickly enough, grabbing onto his ash-stained hat with one hand, holding out the other arm for balance as he staggers forward, his momentum hurtling him right into the hard-shelled back of one of the guards.  

“Come on. Move,” the guard orders, neither harsh nor conciliatory. A perfect foot soldier, wholly loyal to the Count and his directives. The Koopa takes the man by the bicep, guiding him towards the tall, dark doors at the end of the corridor. 

Curious.

“I wasn’t aware we were now in the business of taking prisoners,” Dimentio hums, eyeing the dazed, green-clad man who is now trailing the twin set of Koopa guards as if he were a child who mistook strangers as his parents. “My, my," he tuts, "how the Count’s morals have slid since the sham nuptials of the beast and the princess.” A sly smile slants across the jester’s features. “However do you cope, Nassy?”

Nastasia growls, brushing Dimentio away with a sour look, taking a moment to adjust the perfectly-wrapped bun atop her head. “The Count is only doing what is necessary, okay?" she says, waspish. “Restoring order to the universe is his priority.”

A prisoner, then. Leverage? A bit of entertainment while the Count awaited the apotheosis of the Chaos Heart? Poor Nassy wouldn't like any of those options.

Or perhaps was he something more? Whatever the Count’s goals, taking prisoners had never been a part of their standing orders. Either get with the program, or get out, as Nastasia would say.  

“Ah yes, our perfect worlds!” Dimentio exclaims in a half-whisper, waving his arm in a florid motion. “All orchestrated by our dear Count Bleck. Regrettable this lofty goal seems to come at the price of the Count’s high moral standing.”

Nastasia turns her head, shooting him a nasty look. “You’re not one to give opinions on another man’s morals, Dimentio.”

Dimentio gives a toothy smile in response. “Touché.”

Below, the human has fallen further behind his escorts, apparently distracted by some piece of machinery or appliance bolted to the hallway wall. He takes his chin in hand, contemplating the silver grating, somehow finding meaning in the rhythmless alternation of flickering red and green lights.

“Hey!” The guard calls. “Get moving!”

“One second,” the man replies with a sharp edge of impatience. His voice is deeper than Dimentio had imagined, a sonorous thing straddling between tenor and baritone. He absently wonders if the man can sing. 

The man in green bends over to give the mechanism a closer inspection. “You know you’ve got an issue here - “

“Save it for the Count, Mr. L.”

This gives the man pause as he straightens to face the Koopa, his features crinkling in question. 

“Mr….L?”

The Koopa grabs the man’s hat in one swift motion, dangling the item from a long claw. “That’s what it says on your hat, right?” He motions to the green “L” embossed in the center of a white circle. “Your name’s L. Or something like that.”

The man’s jaw works soundlessly around an answer. “I don’t…know…” He runs a hand through a distressed, thick mane of dark hair. “I guess that seems right?”

“You guess,” the Koopa mutters, shoving the hat back into the man’s hands. 

Perhaps he had difficulty remembering his name prior to Nastasia's intervention, if he needed to wear a hat with his initials sewn on. 

“Come on, Nassy, spill the beans. Who is he? Mr. Tall, Dark, and Green who gazes wide-eyed at the world like a kitten beneath an ornamented tree.” There had to be a reason they were keeping him. Not only keeping him, but leading him there.

“Just another loyal soldier to the Count.”

Dimentio wags his finger. “I don’t think so. New grunts don’t get a personal escort, no less an escort leading to an entrance to the Count’s chambers.” Dimentio adopts his best wheedling tone, floating to Nastasia’s other side. “What did he do?” he asks, stretching out the vowel to the point of absurdity.

“You know gossip is not tolerated among the minions,” Nastasia bites, scribbling furiously on her clipboard. Dimentio doesn’t move an inch, doesn’t say a word as he continues to float just behind Nastasia, the pale-white side of his mask a mere breath from her pointed ear. After a long moment, she lets out an aggrieved sigh, smacking her pen against the surface of the clipboard before hugging it to her abdomen.

”He interrupted the wedding.”

“Ah,” Dimentio breathes. “And now the Count seeks a more personal form of retribution for such an offense?” The jester wrinkles his nose. “How deliciously bloodthirsty of him!”

The accusation doesn’t elicit the response he hopes for. Nastasia’s face puckers as if she has sucked on a bag of lemons, but any further information is not forthcoming. Instead, she turns her attention again to the scene below, wordless as she observes the movements of the man, who has somehow eluded the grasp of the two guards yet again, wandering back to the silver mechanism he had been inspecting earlier. 

With a practiced hand, he plucks some kind of wrench from his pocket, rotating a series of bolts and nuts a few degrees to the left and right with meticulous movements, the adjustments seemingly amounting to nothing if not for the immediate change in the flashing lights on the nearby panel. 

“What the hell are you doing?” The taller of the guards grunts, pulling the man roughly by the arm. 

He frowns, an expression whose slanted line creeps towards the very beginnings of a sneer. “You were running a signal line into a conduit that relays contact leads. Rookie mistake,” he scoffs, shaking his head, as he gestures at the tall, shadowy ceiling of the atrium. “No wonder the lighting in here is so terrible.” 

“What?” the guard snaps, his features twisting into a mask of almost comical confusion. “What are you talking about? Don’t - “ He growls, shoving the man away from the now-humming metal apparatus. “Don’t mess with the Count’s things.”

“Then tell this Count of yours to hire better engineers.”

Well, then. He was certainly more fiesty than he looked. With a bit of practice, he might even...

“Given this display,” Dimentio begins, breaking the stony silence between the two minions, feeling out his best path towards further information. “It’s hardly a surprise he interrupted the wedding. Perhaps something to do with substandard chandeliers,” he sighs, holding out his hand to inspect invisible nails hidden by long, black gloves. “Tell me, Nassy, is this charming personality your work or did he come this way?”

Nastasia says nothing, the only hint to her increasing irritation found in the sharpening line running down the side of her jaw. 

Dimentio leans forward, perching his chin on Nastasia's shoulder. “As he seems to be headed towards the same door you and I were not so long ago, am I to assume we will have to contend with these churlish home improvement suggestions on a regular and intimate basis in the near future?” Dimentio gives a long, pleading look. “For me, Nassy. You do know how much I despise surprises." Dimentio throws back his head in melodramatic fashion.

"One day we’re a team of four, and suddenly the wrench falls from the sky like an unexpected meteorite on a flock of dinosaurs. And when the dust settles, we are now five, all camaraderie and trust broken by a new and insufferable interloper. If I am to humor this man in service of the Count’s glorious purpose, at least tell me his true name.”

He receives nothing for his performance, and for a horrible moment, Dimentio almost believes Nastasia will remain stone-faced and unyielding, another one of the Count’s marblesque statues of the dead haunting the inner corridors of his chambers. 

The long sigh she finally gives is as refreshing as a summer breeze. “His name,” she relents, her voice monotone, “is - was - Luigi.” Nastasia pushes her opaque-lensed glasses up her nose, turning to face Dimentio. “Like I said, he interrupted the wedding.”

“Doubtless he wasn’t the only one to object to the abrupt ceremony.”

“No,” Nastasia answers. “But…” she trails off, closing her eyes. “He was the only one who stomped on the Chaos Heart to try and do so.”

Oh. Oh.

Dimentio’s features brighten, his mouth drawing out into an elongated grin. “And he lived?”

Annoyance peppers Nastasia’s response. ”Managed to send half the wedding party through a dimensional gateway. We’ve been hunting down the scattered remains of Bowser’s army for the past three days.”

A logistics problem turned tantalizing opportunity.

”Those you’ve located have pledged allegiance to the Count, I assume?”

Nastasia clicks her pen off, sliding it through the center of her perfectly-coiffed bun. “They got with the program,” she says, curt, gesturing in Luigi’s direction. “And so will he.” 

With no further comment, Nastasia slides one loose lock of fuschia hair behind her ear, the click-click of her heels fading as she disappears down a long, dark corridor. 

Dimentio puts a long finger to his lips, tilting his head in renewed curiosity at the trio below.

”Well, well, well. Luigi.” He rolls the name around on his tongue, tasting each syllable. An idea occurs to him, a test, a bit of a science experiment. Cupping his hand around his mouth purely for theatrics, Dimentio draws on a touch of magic to amplify his voice just above the threshold of audibility. “Oh, Luigi?” he calls downward, drawing out the name in a melismatic sing-song. 

Luigi turns, first confused, then scowling. When no explanation or source is apparent, he shakes his head, shoving his hands into his pockets with an annoyed huff.

“Ah. So I call your name, but you do not call back. Mr. L, I suppose it is now.” Dimentio chuckles as the two tall doors open with a silent, crisp draft, Luigi and the guards vanishing into Bleck’s gloomy antechambers. 

“Welcome to our little club, my friend,” Dimentio purrs, his thoughts already turned to new sets of intricate, woven plans.

Survived stomping on the Chaos Heart, did you? And now an honored guest of the Count?

 “Yes, my ill-tempered man in green." Dimentio smiles to an imaginary audience. "You and I will have a most fruitful collaboration, indeed.”

[voiceofthesilly]

1, 10, and 11 for the SH ask game? :D

Now this made me realise I haven't really done a full playthrough for a while excluding Sly's rerun... And i straight up do not rember shit so its him again

What are your mc’s traits? What’s their hardcore mode trait (Or if they are primarily a hardcore mode mc, what trait could they do without)?

His base traits are Keen Eye and Street Smart! Now it might be character bias but this has so far turned out to be my favourite combo (he is so good at reading people it makes him such a good manipulator if you ignoe the fact that I apparently don't know how to take advantage of it)

I actually ran him in hardcore mode, and there the third trait was book smart! Just bc he's a lawyer and yeah he couldn't win the haunted turnabout anyway but ykniw

10. Which of the game events got to them the most?

I could say it was the mine collapse and the matricide. I could. It wouldn't be incorrect. But i think the much more fun answer is the miner's strike. Don't get me wrong, shit's scary, but have you ever been hit with a full weight of the fact that you are a terrible person? Not just an ass, not rough around the edges, no, the reason why some people are wasting away in their stupid jobs. And what you've been calling 'just a job' is the same as what Enoch did.

11. How are they coping with the horrors?

Not great! He's had a habit of biting around nails and fingers some ways ago - amd baby its back in full force by episode 3. He's trying so hard to say it's a gas leak. Thursday night he's basically convinced he made up the whole afternoon (as long as it's night and he's sleep deprived and alone)

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 25/03/2024

The Life and Times of Wade L.D.

Season 3 Part of: The SiIvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis

Directed by Smoky, Chaze the Chat Music by dante Full list of credits on Wiki

Requested by Jiko Music! (Request Form)

Five years. It's been five whole years since the third season of SiIvaGunner came to an end. Five whole years since, in some ways, the channel began charting a course that would change it's direction forever. Season 4 Episode 1's mission statement was incredibly concise - to return the channel's chaotic, unpredictable nature of the Season 1 days, and to deliver on the absolute titan of an event that was the King for Another Day Tournament. After various production woes in the Christmas Comeback Crisis' main storyline and a newfound interest in other ventures through the King for a Day Tournament, it became evident that there simply wouldn't be much room left over in the itinerary for the channel's ongoing storyline in 2019. And so, in a way, Season 3's finale marked the day that the channel's storyline bowed out to a backseat position - yet with The Life and Times of Wade L.D., they did so with utmost splendor.

I've said before on here, at least way back on 時の回廊 ＜ver. CCC＞, that I don't wish to get too hung up on dissecting the Christmas Comeback Crisis storyline in particular - compared to most other lore on the channel, the form it takes is one that any average viewer is well able to dissect and watch on their own without much added context needed. I adore the series and wish to celebrate it - particularly its later endeavours - with my whole heart, but if I did I feel as if I'd inevitably be writing up to pages in the triple digits. Yet even if you're not all too familiar with the Christmas Comeback Crisis, be it as a newer fan or just plainly someone uninterested in the lore, it's pretty immediately noticeable that The Life and Times of Wade L.D. has a far different feel to it than other endeavors in the series. For one, the story told doesn't follow a character like Wood Man or Smol Nozomi or Haltmann, but an entirely new character - one who is created and (seemingly) ceases to exist entirely within this storyline. It is in some ways a standalone story - one that, perhaps more noticeably, is presented in an incredibly unique fashion - through an chronological archive of various recordings, emails, receipts, logs and photographs all centered around the titular Wade L.D. character. A character who, for the first time in the Christmas Comeback Crisis story, depicts the life of the everyman in Grandiose City - those who are not heroes nor villains, but are simply trying to exist within this strife-filled world that The Voice Inside Your Head unleashed at the series' beginning. Three years deep into this storyline, and it's officially become so much more than just the fun Kirby: Planet Robobot spoof that Patched Plains Fusion Collab, Mother's・Caption (We Paused The Channel For HOW Long?! Mix), The Noble Haltmann and so many more rips were all themed around. With Season 3 in particular, we'd gotten so many deeper insights into how this universe's world and operations were undergoing, small little peeks behind the curtain - it only makes it all the more befitting for the season to end with a full-on investigation of the truth. "Trust Nobody. Doubt Everything."

I believe its fair to say that The Life and Times of Wade L.D. was one of the most ambitious individual videos the team had made at the point of its release. Throughout its entire, gargantuan 30-minute runtime, we're spoiled with quality in so many different areas, from the fantastic artwork that maintains the story's mysterious atmosphere perfectly, to Smoky's remarkable writing being able to effortlessly ping-pong between seriousness and sly comedic jabs and references, to the soundtrack done entirely by the CCC series' sound director and certified GOAT, dante. Before the King for Another Day Tournament had the world floored, it was The Life and Times of Wade L.D. that kept impressing me with every turn - the commitment the team still had to this story, despite the clear signs to move on from it that they would eventually take in the years to come, was awe inspiring.

All of this is punctuated by what perhaps sets the story apart the most from other CCC productions - the full voice acting of all spoken and/or recorded dialogue. Season 3 was still a time where the voice acting the channel would have was typically in jest, either through sentence-mixing, text-to-speech, or through jokey rips altogether such as Haltmanna feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. Before Season 4 Episode 1 and onward would bring proper voice-acted performances for characters like John NotWoodman, DJ Professor K, and Joke-Explainer 7000, we had this. And perhaps unsurprisingly, it is that titular character, Wade L.D. himself, voiced by ripper CaptainComedy, who through my every rewatch still impresses me most in his performance. At once, CaptainComedy's performance feels tired, fed up, exhausted, yet also like someone no more different than you or I - a true everyman, a cog in the machine, yet one with pent-up anger and frustration building up inside of him, anger that comes out as events unfold.

Its hard to not get excited, as a big lorehead, to have the narrative in question focus so much on loose ends set up by prior CCC events and Haltmann's Archives videos. The presence of 2B from Nier Automata as a prominent character, the direct callbacks to the first-ever side story in Waluigi's Tacostand and establishing its bizarrely critical plot importance, the building drama between Haltmann and The Voice, the investigation onto SiIvaGunner's empty house and the traces of Woodman's presence there from the very start of Season 2...there is such an overarching feeling of satisfaction throughout all of The Life and Times of Wade L.D., as if I'm being genuinely rewarded for having paid attention to all of the channel's workings ever so extensively. All capped off by a genuinely touching narrative about the gradual collapse of a man's life.

Yet more than that satisfaction, what I love most about The Life and Times of Wade L.D. - above the music, the story, the artwork, the lore, or whatever else - is how much it still truly feels like a SiIvaGunner production. CaptainComedy's performance is incredible, yes - but right alongside him, you have channel founder Chaze the Chat playing a literal self-insert of himself, dubbed by only the most modest amount of investment into the role, althewhile making references to Maroon 5 and Kara's Flowers. There's references and nods to prior CCC episodes, an ongoing bait-and-switch joke that sees "Dr. P", set up to be a reference to the Dr. Piccolo meme, actually turn out to be referencing Dr. Pavel of Baneposting (Maskettaman - Dr. Pavel's Fly​-​So​-​Good) fame. There's just this subtle cheekiness to it all - never any sign that the episode and the storyline aren't being sincere, yet with countless signs to remind you of just how much fun the team are having in producing this story. A beating heart. A passion.

There are so many readings one could make of the storyline, that I don't know where to - or even if I should - begin. In our real world, the SiIvaGunner channel is a passion project driven entirely by voluntary contributors, a group of people contributing to a greater whole as a hobby out of love for the channel, their craft, and one another. It stands in stark contrast to the version of SiIvaGunner that The Voice Inside Your Head seeks to create, a symbol of the whiniest of fans of the channel's early days, and it stands in even starker contrast to what Haltmann further wishes for it to be - to produce rips as content, as products, as a job to attend just like Wade L.D. himself does. Wade's journey is one of excessive overwork, of burnout - perhaps not of making rips, yet with work pertaining to SiIvaGunner itself althesame. The environment Haltmann has created necessitates that Wade finds escapes from his job in order to feel relieved from it, that his work offers him no relief or fun - that the act of contributing to SiIvaGunner's growth is, at this stage, no longer something done out of passion. The Christmas Comeback Crisis, as meme-filled as it and the entire channel its hosted on is, is a form of a dystopia, if a subtle one, and the insight we get into Wade's life shows just how dire a project like SiIvaGunner could, in a far-worse world, be.

I could, really, as I said before, go on forever about this, about any Christmas Comeback Crisis episode. The series means the world to me, the CHANNEL of SiIvaGunner of course means the world to me as well - but it was, as I've said many a time before, through Season 2 that I unabashedly fell in love with the project. The Life and Times of Wade L.D. was everything I could have ever wanted a side story of the Christmas Comeback Crisis to be, and it warms my heart to see so many people from the team still cherish it. Be it dante reminiscing on how important of a project it was for him as a composer, or indeed this post's requestee, Jiko Music, arranging the episode's main theme for RIP^2 just last year with the beautiful LD. Its clear that it's so much more than just another piece to the SiIvaGunner lore - as perhaps SiIvaGunner's best Season finale second only to the one Season 7 just provided us, The Life and Times of Wade L.D. is downright incredible.

[matt00794]

I've never seen the movie so I have no idea that is going to happen but Cruel Intentions 2024 episode 1 was really good. I feel like it's hard to make me like greek life so it's fun having something where you are supposed to hate them. Everyone on the cast is doing a great job, even a couple of more cameo parts were well done, the show has a fun sly, sexy but also funny vibe taking itself just serious enough but there's some good laughs but while you are intrigued by everyone you only really like a few of them.

There's some interesting set up like it seems like the vp's daughter is going to uncover everything that is going on and destroy them with out having to be in a sorority. main sorority girl I feel like is going to be called evil for the wrong reasons and then truly be taken down by cc and vp's daughter. I don't know anyones names and the imdb side thing on amazon isn't saying names. the brother sister thing is really gross and the guy sucks but it seems like he actually really is starting to like vp's daughter. Poor dumb dude that got hurt somethign is going on their and I hope he becomes something in this show. the side guy who sleeps with dumb guy and helps orchastrate his friend/sister's boyfriend take down as blame for hitting dumb guy is interesting, Blaze is his name. Blaze seems odd and in it for himself and I hope he grows a bit or at least gets out and isn't just the worst it seems like he's smart and somewhat doing the right thing but who knows.

I'm going to keep watching the whole show is out but I want to spread it out and not just binge the whole thing and then maybe watch the movie.