#they keep changing the order of the last few episodes and the titles

[rutilation]

This opening is replete with symbolism. 

Flower language has been a recent fascination of mine.

Do you want to make my new hyperfixation your problem? If so, then let's take a deep dive into the first opening before the new one airs tomorrow.

Before I start, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

While the use of flower language in this show mostly lines up with Japanese hanakotoba, there are still a number of flowers here that hold particular significance within Chinese culture, and thus have additional meanings that don't line up with those from Japan.  I’ll be mentioning them alongside the Japanese meanings where I deem it relevant.

The following will contain light spoilers of content from the novels/manga which has not been animated at the time of writing. I'll try to be vague and sparing with it, but there are a few flowers I can't discuss without them.

Past the title card, the opening begins with eight blooming flowers dancing through the frame in rapid succession.  These represent the storylines covered by the first cour of the anime in order of appearance, and each can be found in the episode(s) they signify.  From the top:

Rhododendron: This plant is all over the first two episodes, so I'm going to cover its appearances before delving into its meaning. In episode one, there are two shots of the buds of this plant, one as Lihua gives birth, and then again as the doctor examines her baby. They're finally shown in full bloom as one of her ladies disregards the branch Maomao used to warn of the toxic makeup. In the following episode, Gyokuyou has seemingly taken a liking to the flower that saved her daughter's life, and a few clusters can be seen in a vase during several shots before Maomao uses them as an example of a seemingly innocuous plant that could cause accidental poisoning, and indeed, if you look closely at the background during the scene with the soldiers, you can see what appear to be rhododendron shrubs. There are actually quite a few different possible meanings for the many granular varieties of Rhododendrons/azaleas.  Luckily, the characters said the name of the plant out loud for me: shakunage.  So, this is Rhododendron subg. Hymenanthes.  In hanakotoba it means dignity and majesty, but also, on account of its poison, danger and caution. Those last two meanings clearly line up with its ominous usage in these first episodes, growing and maturing as the babies grew sicker. But in addition to their function as a warning of danger, I think there's a case to be made that they also represent Gyokuyou herself. As I stated earlier, she starts keeping them after the first episode, and Hongniang later starts growing the closely-related azaleas in the jade pavilion as well. As for how its meanings apply to her, Gyokuyou is regal, magnanimous, and never loses her composure (unless it's at Jinshi's expense lol,) but she's also described by Gaoshun as shrewd and cautious, being unwilling to hire any lady she doesn't absolutely trust, and constantly gleaning information to send back to her family. These all fit with the dual meanings of rhododendron. In Chinese culture, rhododendrons and azaleas represent womanhood and passion, as well as home and a desire for homecoming.

Cotton rose: A type of hibiscus, this represents Fuyou, decorating both her person and her chambers in episode 3.  It means 'delicate beauty' and 'graceful lover.' I think these are referring to both her skill in dancing, as well as her affectation of frailty and neuroticism. As far as I could dig up, its unique tendency to change color based on the time of day doesn't have particular bearing on its meaning in either Chinese or Japanese culture, but the story itself uses it as a metaphor for Fuyou hiding her passion, will, and cunning behind a wallflower exterior.

Balloon flower:  In hanakotoba, it represents undying love, sincerity, and grace. These grow in the crystal pavilion, adorn the iconography of Lihua's furniture, and likely inform her blue and violet color scheme. Its last two descriptors gesture towards Lihua's style and personality. She's elegant and staid, but she also takes everything quite seriously, and wears her heart on her sleeve. As for the undying love element, I see that as alluding to her love for her son, her agony at his passing, and her hopes of reclaiming that love again through having another child.

Violet: This one actually tripped me up for the longest time.  The flowers in the opening looked like hostas to me, but no matter how closely I looked at the backgrounds in this show, I couldn’t find anything along those lines.  Eventually though, I caught on that these must be the violets from episode five, even if they’re a different color from those shown in the episode.  And also droopier.  Anyway, violets mean humility, sincerity, and ‘a little bit of happiness.’  In the episode proper, they are crushed underfoot as Maomao narrates about the lengths she had to go to keep herself safe while growing up in the red-light district, illustrating how even the modest aspirations of an ordinary peasant are in perpetual danger in such a cutthroat environment.

Chinese aster: Daisies and asters are my least favorite flowers to identify.  They all look the same.  As such, I’m a little less confident about this one, but I think it’s a Chinese aster.  The leaves and buds look similar, and the context in which it appears in episode six suits its meaning.  As Lishu’s ladies disparage her so-called pickiness, a shot of this flower opens the episode.  While the Chinese aster’s meaning changes based on color, white in particular means ‘please believe me.’ I think that speaks for itself

Toad lily:  This appears twice during episode eight, where Maomao gets drawn into the mystery of an attempted murder during her vacation.  Toad lilies symbolize hidden thoughts and intentions, alluding both to the possible conspiracy on the part of the women of the brothel, and to the fact that Maomao will never really know the truth of the incident, having to content herself with speculation.

Sacred bamboo: This one is easy to miss, because while the plant is in full bloom in the opening, it’s laden with berries in the show proper.  This is Nandina, a.k.a. the sacred bamboo, a mainstay of autumn and winter floral arrangements in both China and Japan.  It’s considered auspicious, symbolizing a reversal of ill fortune into prosperity--the precise opposite of how it’s presented in episode nine of the show.  There, Maomao fiddles with the plant as she contemplates all the instances she’s seen of good fortune being struck down by tragedy, and the prospect of that same sword of Damocles falling upon her head as well, a harbinger of eucatasrophe being used to symbolize straight catastrophe.  Also worth noting is the fact that the plant is very poisonous, so much so that it has a reputation for killing any birds which try to eat its berries; I think that bit of trivia might be the inspiration behind the decision to ironically invert its lucky image.  In addition to its central appearance in episode nine, it can also be seen in Lishu’s chambers in episode ten, mixed in among the vases of white camellias.

Japanese azalea: These mean passion and steadfastness, alluding, in my view, to Fengming’s devotion towards Ah-duo.  Fun fact: did you know that honey made from toxic azaleas, termed ‘mad honey,’ is sometimes manufactured on purpose?  It’s not super legal in most of the world, but apparently it can be used as a psychedelic.

After this, we see a panning shot of seven flowers, with the top four representing the high-ranking concubines, and the bottom three representing the high-ranking courtesans. While the first set of flowers grew from buds and flew across the screen, this set consists of still images. If I were to hazard a guess as to why, I'd say that it's because those previous flowers were conveying the movement of emergent stories, while these upcoming flowers portray the relatively static personality traits of individual characters. I'm going to tackle these in reverse order, as the first three flowers to appear are somewhat tricky to talk about.

Peony: This flower represents Gyokuyou, and in addition to appearing in her non-diegetic floral backgrounds, it also decorates the tapestries of the jade pavilion. In Chinese culture, peonies are one of, if not the most, important flowers. They represent feminine beauty, pride, honor, renown, wealth, prosperity, high-status, opulence, and a nobility of spirit. They are considered to be the king of flowers, and were historically only permitted to be grown by nobility. All of these superlatives are likely alluding towards Gyokuyou's status as the emperor's favorite consort, with the best shot at becoming empress.

Balloon flower: See above.

Lily-of-the-valley: This means purity, chastity, humility, and 'happiness will come again.' While the first three all seem to fit Lishu on their face, I find myself curious about the fourth meaning. I'm only partway through the third novel, but if this indicates that, at some point in the future, Lishu finally catches a break, then I'll certainly be happy to see it.

Dendrobium: In China, orchids in general are associated with elegance, refinement, and good taste, which fits with Maomao's description of the garnet pavilion as being beautiful in a minimalist sort of way. They also represent the virtues of an ideal gentleman-scholar: integrity, humility, temperance, and nobility. Furthermore, they are considered emblematic of spring; it, along with bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom, represent the four seasons. Returning to Japanese symbolism, the flower associated with Ah-duo seems to specifically be Dendrobium nobile. Nobile in particular means 'honest and to-the-point' in hanakotoba, likely alluding to Ah-duo's candid personality, and the fact that she is on casual terms with the emperor.

Regarding the final three flowers, the show itself doesn't explicitly tie any one of them to a particular courtesan--their flowers only appear as a group in episode twelve. But, by contemplating their meanings, and with some help from the characters' wiki pages, we can make some educated guesses.

Yulan Magnolia: This one, I'm guessing, represents Joka. On one hand, I'm kind of dumping her with this because the other two flowers just seem to fit the other two courtesans better, but its attributes nonetheless seem to accord what we know of her character--which admittedly isn't very much. In hanakotoba the yulan magnolia means nobility, sublimity and a love of nature. In China, its pretty similar: purity, nobility, dignity. It's also worth noting that they're commonly planted around Buddhist temples in China, and have been for many centuries, granting them an air of spiritual profundity. Joka is said to be aloof and cold, which is part of her appeal as a courtesan. While chrysanthemums and plum blossoms have a warmer aspect to their meanings, the loftiness of magnolia hews more closely to her characterization. Then there's the matter of her name, which is apparently a stage name. It translates to 'Lady Ka' (or 'Hua,' if you want to go with the Mandarin pronunciation.) Now, the 'ka' in her name is written as 華, and in the story, that character is only permitted to be used by the emperor and his family. So, for her to use it, even as a stage name, is a pretty bold pretense to nobility.

Chrysanthemum: In Japan, chrysanthemums are associated with nobility and the imperial family. In China, they are associated with longevity, endurance, and vitality, on account of their long-lasting blooms that persist late into autumn. I think this is most likely to be Pairin's flower. She's one of the few courtesans who's in her line of work because she wants to be, and is flourishing in an environment where others are desperate and debt-ridden. That covers 'vitality,' and Lihaku can attest to her endurance, if you know what I mean... Moving on, its mentioned in the novels that she's actually in her thirties, but still looks quite young, again harkening to the chrysanthemum's persistence.

As far as symbolism is concerned, chrysanthemums do seem to fit her character better than magnolias. But, something that gives me pause is her name, which means 'white bell,' on account of yulan magnolias being white and having a bell-like shape. I still think it's most likely that the chrysanthemum, and not the magnolia, belongs to her, but it was too notable a coincidence to not at least mention.

Plum Blossom: We can safely assume this one refers to Meimei, as her name is written with the character for plum. As plum trees are among the earliest to bloom each year, and will even bloom while snow still covers their branches, both China and Japan associate them with resilience, hope, inner-strength, and renewal. We don't know much about Meimei either, but my impression of her is that she seems to be the nicest and most even-keeled of Maomao's sisters.

Following this parade of showy flowers, we finally glimpse the emblem of our protagonist, Oxalis corniculata, the creeping wood sorrel, downcast and huddled amidst the underbrush of a forest. Whereas the other flowers we've seen thus far are primarily ornamental (even if some are also edible/medicinal,) wood sorrel is herbaceous and weedy, and is unlikely to grace any vases, wreaths, or arrangements. If it were spotted in a noble's garden, it would likely be uprooted, but to the peasant who finds it growing in a ditch, it's a tasty snack.

In hanakotoba, wood sorrel means joy, 'shining heart,' and 'a mother's love.' All three descriptors, I believe, are relevant to Maomao's character. Despite her flat affect, Maomao has a strong passion and sense of joie de vivre driving her through life. Those further along in either the novels or the manga will recognize 'a mother's love' as (somewhat ironically) gesturing towards her complicated relationship with her mother. As for 'shining heart,' I think that will become apparent as we go further through the opening.

But, before we do that, I'd like to take a moment to examine the moments when wood sorrel appears in the show itself. Thus far, by my recollection, it has appeared in episodes one, three, and twelve. The opening shot of the first episode is of a wood sorrel, informing the viewer in no uncertain terms that this is Maomao's flower, (in case the opening was too subtle.) In the third episode, several wood sorrels dot the field where Fuyou sits with her lover, symbolizing how Maomao has aided and protected them. In episode twelve, a single wood sorrel is tucked inside a lavish bouquet of her sister's flowers, a visual gag paralleling them fussing and fawning over her.

Returning to the opening, Maomao is shown contemplating a subtle glow in her closed hands while a reflected, sunlit version of herself glances back at her. Then, as all the previous flowers fall away, as Maomao casts the light up into the air, its glow illuminating her face, the wood sorrel finally stands upright, and blooms in full.

Now is a good time to mention a relevant characteristic of creeping wood sorrel: it only blooms in direct sunlight. When crowded by other plants, it curls in on itself, closing both its flower and leaves. This serves as a clear metaphor for Maomao's personality; under most circumstances, she seeks to be invisible and unobtrusive, but when she's in her element, she commands attention and respect.

Following this, we have her magical girl-esque transformation sequence, with her outstretched hands forming the shape of a blooming flower as she dances through a whirl of yellow wood sorrel petals. She then bows down in imitation of the flower, taking the light back into her chest (there's that shining heart I mentioned earlier,) as she dissolves into the stoic, unassuming version of herself once more, closing out the opening. (Jinshi who?)

I'd like to end this analysis with an observation. While the real wood sorrel exists at the perpetual mercy of outside forces, Maomao is not merely reacting to a light source that exists beyond her control. The light exists within her, and she chooses when it will shine down for all to see, and when she will hide it away in the depths of her heart. To those who've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading.

[yannaryartside]

THE NEW 'MENU" IS GONNA BE HELL FOR SYD

I have been reading Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line –by Michael Gibney because I wanted to understand more about Sydney's future responsibilities. I know next to nothing about the cooking industry, and this show particularly doesn't want to waste time explaining the context to the untrained eye (which is fair, we are here for the drama).

Man, this book was so awesome. It is literally like experiencing a The Bear episode in book format. It takes you through the whole routine, explaining who does what, the expectations, skillsets, and the emotional burden of each position. The protagonist is, of course, the sous chef, and what I have read made me feel scared for Sydney next season. So, every fact I display here is because the book presented it as the expected.

THE BEAR'S CASE

Now, a clarification: As I understand, the CDC supervises the whole kitchen, which is Syd's official title. But Carmy will technically still act as CDC since most executives don't move a finger; they are supposed to be there only to ensure rules and quality standards are followed.

The CDC is the person in the kitchen that everyone answers "yes chef/Oui chef too. The one that calls the orders and keeps everyone in line. The one who has the final say about what goes out of the kitchen. Under them, there is the sous, making sure all the operations are in order.

So you will technically have two CDCs; just one of them will have the final say, and you will have Tina as the sous. But that puts Sydney in a position to act both as CDC and a Sous, so I am using the book to guide what we may expect her to endure. This as a report made last minute with only two sources (pretty good, but still only two). Now, lets begin.

A very inexperienced staff: The author created a fictional restaurant based on his experiences, merging people he has met over the years to give you an idea of the most common in the industry. But it made something very clear to me: the staff of the bear, especially the line cooks, do not possess the training to operate at the level that Carmy is requesting. They better send them to culinary school before officially opening. I don't know why (I actually blame Carmy for this), but they haven't prioritized hiring certified staff since the beginning. They should have never had an opening day without knowing their staff and, if they were as green as Syd described them, sent their asses to culinary school right away. The fact they only bothered to send Tina and Ebra is baffling. And even when training is essential, experience is what can make the difference in unprecedented scenarios, and everything that Carmy is asking is pretty unprecedented by definition.

With the menu changing every day, Sydney's job as a cook herself and as the captain of many cooks is going to be darm near impossible.

Actually, in the book, there were two sous chefs, one for opening and one for closing. Even if you delegate the administrative task normally reserved for the morning sous chef to someone like Natalie (managing schedules and callouts, checking deliveries, and inspecting the state of the food before opening), it would still leave a lot of things on Sydney's plate. I am gonna be quoting this article:

"Few are the kitchens I’ve worked or sta’aged in where the Sous Chef wasn’t doing all the work that the general public thinks the Chef is doing.  And don’t get me wrong, such is the natural progression of things and not without good reason.  But more often than not, while the Chef is the General, with his/her name on the line, the Sous Chef is the lieutenant, seeing to it that the work gets done in the trenches".

During service, the chef (CDC) plates the dishes in the pass, but before that, the sous has to check the food the line cook brings; they need to be aware of how the executive chef likes a particular dish, the consistency, temperature, and other culinary details. Again, Carmy will act as CDC here and Syd as sous. Even though I didn't see them do this in f&f, it will likely be necessary for the future. Carmy changing the recipes constantly is gonna make it virtually impossible for Sydney to keep up, with their particular preparation, and since they are gonna be the final portal after the food gets to be presented to the client, it could cause a lot of friction between them.

Not only that, the sous chef normally leads the preparation of the specials (since in most restaurants, the ordinary menu has been established, only the specials can change every day) For both sous chefs in the book, leading prep consumed most of their time before opening, since, again, the executive has already trained them in how he prefers certain parts of the recipe. Again, in the Bear's circumstances, this will probably also be Sydney's job.

Replacing staff. The book even includes a scenario when a line cook fails, and the sous has to cover that station. Sydney is kind of destined to experience this, too, considering how unreliable their staff could be. If that happens, Carmy will be alone at the pass, checking every element before plating, which will obviously cause a delay.

Tina is the sous, and it will be interesting to see how she manages that; she definitely doesn't have the experience, and these expectations are definitely no industry standard. It hurts me that Sydney may suggest hiring another sous to work next to her or another cook who actually has experience operating in the industry to level up her workload. That is where I think Luca's role will be next season, if he goes to work for them. He probably has the skill set to do it. There is no point in having two people manage desserts.

Evidently, with a menu changing every day, it also means that Carmy has to make Syd come early every day to explain this recipe to her and make sure she can lead the rest of the kitchen in making them. Most of their dynamic is gonna rely on how much Syd can actually fulfill Carmy's expectations; she came here to work for him, running away from psycho chefs, and yet Carmy's expectations are going to be the most reckless the industry has ever seen.

The closing sous has to prepare everything for the next day long after the executive and the other sous are gone, revising the mistakes that were made, and preventing the ones they could make tomorrow.

Regardless of the title and responsibilities that may go on Sydney for being the only other experienced chef in the kitchen, we are talking about a 15-hour day. And I know it can be expected in this industry, but the layout for having two sous made plenty of sense. I don't know if Carmy will take part of the workload. I hope that is the case.

But yeah, the line "so you can push me, and I can push you" is taking a new connotation in my mind. What Carmy is creating doesn't make any logistical sense, with an untrained/inexperienced staff and with a sous chef that he trusts and cares about, but he is basically asking to perform to a level that defeats reason.

It is not even the level that made him "the bear" in his years as the best CDC in the world. Because even if Carmy's past executive was abusive and cruel, their expectations had to obey certain logistic logic that Carmy was completely abandoning. Carmy is not gonna be abusive, but all of this is a whole orchestra he is creating for self-punishment because even he won't be able to keep up with it, he may push everyone away because there is nobody who can. All of this is his version of self-harming. And Sydney and everyone he loves will witness, it until he asks for help.

Edit: I had to make a correction, explaining Carmy's and Syd's will technically both do the job of CDCs. Again, please do let me know more about that or feel free to correct me.

[duelbraids]

Death Rattle Dazzle Plot EXPLAINED (not clickbait)

Other title ideas: So None of the Picwick Triplets Did It?, Theatre Professional Unravels the Plot of In-Universe Musical for No Reason.

This is a list of my thoughts about the plot of the in universe musical Death Rattle Dazzle from Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. This will contain no spoilers for the plot of the show proper, or the mystery, but will spoil all the songs written and theorize about their placement in an actual, two act musical. It'll also reference a few of the gags from the final episode, and this metafiction article by Playbill, which was done in collaboration with OMITB. Maxine's in universe review is bloody funny, and it contains a Playbill, which reveals some plot details about the original play. This practically is fan fiction, I will admit, but its fun, damn it, and I did my research!

Death Rattle Dazzle has the distinction of being the adaption of what is called a "classic play" by Oliver (who, despite his kookiness, is clearly well versed in theatre.) Maxine's review says that "Anyone with more culture than a vanilla yogurt has probably encountered the play in some form—if not by starring in it at the local elementary school, then in the form of a spoof on television, in film, or by Cate Blanchett opening the Tonys in 2012." This is hilarious, basically making the play a straight play version of Little Shop of Horrors. Everyone's done it, especially regional or amateur companies.*

*By amateur, I do not mean bad or unpolished. Many local, amateur companies put on fantastic plays. I simply mean the definition of amateur used in theatre: unpaid.

To me, that means Death Rattle must be old enough to be in the public domain, or was willed to be public domain after the playwright's death, et cetera. We also meet the original director of the play in 3.10, though all we know is that his version was "Weirder." This adaptation element mostly comes up in the aesthetic changes from straight play to musical, because we do not see much of the original play. However it's clear to me that Oliver knows his chops, and knows how to reference original material (keeping 'Creature of the Night' as Act One's opener to replace the opening monologue, for instance.)

Now, I want to write a mock up of the plot, and then justify my decisions. I also had the idea to name random songs to fill out a 12 song tracklist - pretty short for a 2 Act Play, but I'm just doing this part for fun. Maybe they're the songs on the cast album. Made up songs are going to marked in Red.

Players The Detective The Nanny The Constable The Godmother The Father The Boatman The Pickwick Triplets Chorus

Act One

The Detective introduces the audience to the situation at hand - a murder that is driving him to madness. (Creature of the Night) The plot follows the Detective as he and the Constable begin to try and unravel the crime. The Constable admits he has had trouble keeping law and order, thus calling in the Detective. (Private Dick) The Chorus has a song about their own suspicions, including wondering about the parentage of the children (Is It You?) The investigative duo, along with the Chorus, lay out the details of the crime, woman murdered, only her triplets in the room, found tossed from the cliff with a rattle down her throat. (Death Rattle, DAZZLE!) We see more into the mental state of the Detective, who clearly is manic about this case. They go to interview The Godmother, who tells them about her final day with her best friend, casting blame on the "Children's Father," then the Nanny (Last Light / Only Duty) This leads into the Nanny at the top of the lighthouse, closing out the act as she expresses her devotion to the triplets. (Look for the Light)

Act Two

The Chorus brings us back in, summarizing the events of Act One using crab mating as a metaphor (Entr'acte / Nova Scotia Nightfall) The Father is questioned by the Detective, who reveals he knows the children are not his own, because he had been sleeping with the Godmother, not his own wife. However, he could not have killed her, as he was at his post all night, and his wife was inside. (Private Dick Reprise) The Boatman, who had been lurking since the beginning, is finally cornered by the Constable, and reveals that he not only ferried someone over the night of the murder, but couldn't see their face. (Deadest Night) Then, the Boatman tells the Constable that he saw no one enter or leave the lighthouse, which is where the Mother was killed. This leads to the Constable realizing he may have to charge one of the Pickwick Triplets to restore order to his island. He locks himself in the lighthouse, and tries to solve the crime. (Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?) As the Detective enters with a copied key, the Constable realizes it must be he who murdered the Mother. The Detective admits this, though doesn't reveal why. (Confrontation, Dear Constable) The Nanny finds the Constable dead against the rocks, and challenges the Detective. He reveals that he is the father of the children, as well as confessing his guilt. The Nanny pushes him to his death, in order to protect herself. (For The Sake of a Child)

Okay, Justification Time.

The original play is described as "Agatha Christie" like, so casting suspicion on every character is basically a must. The actual placement of songs is based on how they were shown in the show, along with my own knowledge of theatre. Creature of the Night is a quintessential opening number: we start with our main character, before introducing every major character as they enter the stage. Look for the Light is a clear reference to Memory. A lullaby-like song to end the first act, the emotional core of the musical. Thus, similar to Cats, I structured the show to be mostly ensemble, framed by the two investigators. Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It? made me immediately think of plot twist patter songs ( ala Your Fault ) that come in at the 11th hour. And, of course, ending on that spoken For the Sake of a Child is the right level of dramatic.

While some of the plot in between the lines is inferred from the show, a lot of it comes from that metafiction article I mentioned - there's a Playbill with descriptions of the characters, and dear god, did it give me a goldmine of ideas. Seriously, I highly recommend that article. Marketing that's actually fun and engages the viewer in the show? Wow, who could've thunk it.

My original mock up included more people dying, but decided to cut that, since we have no evidence for that aside from the Nanny referring to the Detective "Serial Killing" which could have been about him killing the Constable, since we know he dies. If you want to know, they would've been: The Godmother murdered at the end of Act One, then the Father murdered in Private Dick Reprise, though not revealed until Confrontation, Dear Constable. BTW, that song is basically the only one with any basis in the show's script, as we hear a confrontation between the Detective and the Constable as cross talk near the end of 3.10.

Some scattered thoughts:

Both Private Dick and Only Duty are songs that I expect would have Ironic Echoes later in the show. Private Dick originally introducing the charming Detective in a mostly positive light, and then in the second act, used to insinuate that the Father knows the Detective used his, uh, private dick elsewhere. Only Duty, meanwhile, would be used by the Godmother to say that a Nanny's love is only because it's her paid duty, as opposed to the Mother or Godmother, and of course, later we have A nanny's only duty is to the children.

Finally, I had to include a reference that crab people breeding bit they couldn't drop in the show, lol. In my head it's a dream ballet during the entr'acte, each of the crabs wearing the character's they represent headpiece, and of course, three eggs.

EDIT: I can't believe I didn't mention this, but I believe the motive of the Detective to be a simple matter of custody; he wants the triplets, and got into a fight with the Mother when he tried to take them, leading to him murdering her. Then, he returns to the island when called by the Constable, and plans to either kill everyone in his way of getting the triplets, or to accuse someone other than him, to get out of trouble.

[natlacentral]

As ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Debuts To Strong Audience On Netflix, Creative Team Looks Ahead To Expanding Live-Action Adaptation

The results are in, and Netflix‘s Avatar: The Last Airbender seems to be a hit. 

The live action adaptation topped the streamer’s weekly English-language TV list with 21.2M views in its opening weekend. According to Netflix, it reached the Top 10 in 92 countries. It was edged out as most-watched title of the week by the Swedish natural disaster film The Abyss.

That’s a strong showing for the eight-episode series, which was another big swing for Netflix as it continues to dip its toes into anime-inspired content. In fact, Avatar managed to surpass One Piece in its debut weekend.

As with One Piece, Netflix was firing on all cylinders to launch the series, partnering with Serena Williams and even taking over the Las Vegas Sphere. So far, the Avatar global social campaign has reached 1.53B impressions, which is on par with both One Piece as well as Netflix’s hit series Wednesday. The main trailer alone has amassed 85M views to-date, while the #AvatarTheLastAirbender hashtag has generated 1B global views on TikTok in the past week.

Avatar marks Netflix’s second successful live-action anime adaptation, after a rocky start in the genre with its adaptation Shinichirō Watanabe‘s anime classic Cowboy Bebop. While die-hard fans of any animated series are likely to have a few things to say about their live-action counterparts, the streamer appears to be finding a groove when it comes to how to bring these stories to life on the small screen. 

“We’re trying to make a show for the most viewers possible. That doesn’t mean that there’s anything we’re gonna leave behind from the animated series. There’s not more purposeful deviations in order to make it acceptable for a broader audience,” Avatar executive producer and director Jabbar Raisani told Deadline. “I think it’s really attempting to be as faithful as humanly possible to the animated series, but also knowing that we have to fit it into this eight-episode, driving narrative that keeps us streaming.”

Other than missing story elements, which are obviously necessary when adapting from a 20-episode animated season of TV, one of the larger changes audiences might notice is the tone. 

“There inherently has to be a tonal shift as you’re moving towards live action, because things that work in anime won’t necessarily work with real people,” Raisani explained.

While animation can often boast a more exaggerated tone, that isn’t as possible when it comes to live action. 

“One of the things I did, specifically thinking of directing, was just working with the actors on different versions of the take. So with Sokka, with his humor, for example, we would do a version that was the flattest read, and then we would get more and more big and campy and over the top,” Raisani said. “Ian was great at giving a range. That allowed us in post to say, ‘Okay, let’s go funny’ or ‘We can go bigger’ or ‘Oh, man is now starting to break the tone and it feels cartoony. It doesn’t feel like he’s in the same show as everybody else.'”

Something viewers may notice remains faithful to the animated series is the dynamic camera movements, many of which came directly from the source material. 

Raisani described an Episode 4 scene where Aang backflips over a boulder. Not only does the scene come from the animated series, so does the shot used to capture it. 

“I literally just looked at the animated frame [and said], ‘Okay, we want to make this literal frame but with real people,” he said. 

It’s a bit preemptive to say whether the series will end up among Netflix’s most popular, since the series will have a 91-day premiere window and would need more than 83M views to achieve the feat. However, it certainly bodes well for a renewal. The good news is that the creative team appears to be chomping at the bit to expand the story and address anything that might have been missing from Season 1. 

“There’s stuff that we filmed that I love that isn’t in the show. There’s stuff that I love the idea of that we filmed and it just didn’t fit,” Raisani said. As a fan of the original animated series himself, he knows that audiences might be yearning for more than what they were able to fit into the first season.

“If we get another season, then we will certainly have those things, because I know what we missed now and I know how to do better the second time around,” he said, adding: “The animated series is a really good guide…for where the show can go.”

More specifically, Raisani said he’s already exploring new ways to shoot scenes that involve bending that would give the actor more agency on set and, in turn, make the final product feel more organic. He pointed to fire bending as one of the trickier elements to master, explaining that each actor had a light on their hands to emulate the fire, but they weren’t able to manipulate it themselves, which presented some restrictions. 

“If they could trigger their own bending… I think we would have a more seamless product,” he mused. “So stuff like that you’ve just got to try it and then you learn and then you do it again, but better than last time.”

[fellthemarvelous]

The Jedi got their own Doctor as well.

I haven't written fanfic in years but I might actually write this.

The unhinged, slightly incoherent Doctor Who/Star Wars crossover meta-ish long post no one asked for

Ahsoka season 2 needs to give me the backstory between Ahsoka and Huyang. How did they find each other? Was it after Ezra rescued her on Malachor? Was it before that? We have no idea what she was doing leading up to those events because she only showed up on Rebels for a handful of episodes.

And the last time we saw Huyang, he and Ahsoka and the younglings were having to deal with space pirates (HONDOOOOOO) and then General Grievous. Ahsoka was much younger in that time and we never saw Huyang again after that.

At what point in canon did they run into each other again? I think he's the only one who knows that Anakin = Vader based on a cryptic reply he gave to Hera when she asked him what Ahsoka's master was like. All he said was intense.

He's so used to Ahsoka's chaotic nature that every time she's like "I'm gonna do the thing" he's just like yeah okay because he's been dealing with the Jedi for 25,000 years and they are going to yeet themselves into the unknown whether he thinks it's a good idea or not. He remembers what Anakin Skywalker was like, after all.

This is one of my favorite things about Huyang's "history" though.

The idea that even the Jedi have their own version of the 10th Doctor is hilarious to me, and that rumor started somewhere.

But I also love what another droid says about Huyang in this passage.

Huyang is 25,000 years old so he's had plenty of time to become the one the Jedi go to when it comes to lightsaber construction. He helps the Jedi build weapons that are meant to be used as tools of self-defense because lightsabers are, in fact, extremely dangerous. This sounds like something the Doctor would do because the Jedi were peacekeepers and not soldiers, and it makes you sad when you realize that Huyang had to watch as the order he had devoted himself to for 25,000 years to were killed in a genocide that turned the Jedi's closest allies against them by removing their free will and forcing them to kill their Jedi generals, and it was all planned over centuries by the Sith who intentionally kept their numbers small.

When he ran into Ahsoka again, what was it like for him? She was one of the few survivors of the Jedi Purge. He remembers her as a child and now she's in her 40s. She was one of the few who was able to grow up because she survived.

What was going on in his head when he handed Ezra the emitter he was looking for because he somehow knew Ezra was looking for one like Kanan's? Huyang somehow knew it would be important to keep a second identical part around when he watched Caleb Dume (Kanan Jarrus) construct his very first lightsaber.

How much does Kanan's death weigh on him? Kanan was another child who survived the Purge. He met Kanan as Caleb not many years before the war ended and the Jedi were wiped out. Caleb had to change his name because he watched the clones gun down his master and he ran away exactly like she told him to before she died. Running away is what lead him to sacrificing his life so the rebellion would survive. Kanan fell in love with Hera, fathered a child he never got to meet, and now Huyang is getting to know Kanan's son (and will absolutely not be teaching Jacen how to construct a lightsaber "thank you very much your mom already said no" and the Tenth Doctor is used to angry moms slapping him in the face.)

Huyang spent 25,000 years living in one galaxy and teaching generation after generation of Jedi how to construct lightsabers. He was given the title of Professor because of the wealth of knowledge he carries around inside of him, and he only uses it for good, and he shares insightful wisdom and knowledge with the Jedi Order century after century after century.

And because he followed Ahsoka into the mouth of a space whale so they could travel to a completely different galaxy altogether, he is now stuck in another galaxy far, far away with Ahsoka (present), Sabine (future), Baylon Skoll (past), Shin Hati (new), a bunch of pacifist turtles, the force ghost of Anakin Skywalker, and the images of the Father, Daughter and Son that are carved into the mountains somewhere (and for some reason the Daughter's head is missing).

Now he can pass the tale of the Jedi across the universe. On the same planet where the Mortis gods are worshipped. It's going to link directly to the fact that Ahsoka is connected to the Daughter, both of whom were killed by the Son on Mortis, but Daughter allowed Anakin to use her remaining life force to bring Ahsoka back to life.

Is this going to turn into the story of how Huyang has to say goodbye to Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi and survivor who became a dear friend and travel buddy?

Is Seatos calling her back home? She possesses a gift that comes from an actual god. It's the only reason she's alive. And why Ezra had to reach into the past and save her from dying on Malachor at the hands of Vader. It would have tied the light side of the Force to a Sith temple.

There is only one other person Ahsoka shares such a strong bond with, and that's Captain Rex (is he alive, is he dead, if he died offscreen I am going to fucking sue Disney). Yeah I know he's old now, but he deserves a proper send-off. The Clone Wars was, as Dave Filoni has said, a story about Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. Captain Rex is her best friend and the one who was standing by her side when the Clone Wars ended. Neither of them would have survived without the other.

Ahsoka knew there was no way she would be able to save the other clones, but she refused to be the one who killed them. She couldn't do it. They might have all shared a face but all of them were unique and important to her, and she could never ask Rex to save her life by killing them. It made getting out a lot more difficult because the clones were able to just get back up again and start fighting a few minutes later since Rex was only stunning them. (Interesting how that happened on Seatos too but this time because the troopers were zombies.)

Ezra was able to escape Seatos in Thrawn's ship but Ahsoka, Sabine and Huyang got left behind.

Did Rex even find out Ahsoka was alive after she came back from Malachor? If so, this means he's losing her yet again. For the fourth time in their lives. If not, then he's still on his third time (which was Malachor).

Also interesting how he was found on a planet in the Seelos system, and it was just a barren wasteland like Tatooine. Seatos and Seelos sound alike. Satine and Sabine sound alike and were both Mandalorian. How Sabine built a deadly weapon called The Duchess when she was being trained by the Empire that was able to disintegrate soldiers wearing Mandalorian armor, and it was named after Satine, the pacifist who turned Mandalore into a peaceful planet. And ironically now it's at peace because the Mandalorians were wiped out after the fall of the Empire. And think about how the clones all came from the DNA of Jango Fett, a Mandalorian bounty hunter with blue and silver armor (and described as genetically perfect specimen by the Kaminoans).

Huyang is watching all of this unfold, but he's so old that it's just one of countless adventures he's been on, only this time he bonded with a former Jedi after a war that devastated their order completely. He might be a droid, but he's also more than that. He's ancient and wise and found a friend in Ahsoka Tano, the one who is imbued with the life force of a god and comes from a lineage that stands out above the others because it's the lineage of the Sith as well.

And as Huyang has now famously said...

How is it all going to end? If he is the Doctor, how did he become a droid too?

One day I might write a long ass fic about this if I ever have the energy to do so.

[multi-fandom-peep]

Mini-AU(s) time!

What would’ve happened if it were one of the other hero’s stones that Big.M decided to keep?

By technicality, he could’ve picked any one of them to use as a weapon for a season. It just so happened that Careful’s stone was the only one left.

So first and foremost, let’s look at our source material!

When Careful’s stone is placed on a machine, it brings it back to life and gives it typically destructive abilities. There’s a trend among the machines; most of them are upset with something, mainly how they were used. Because of that… they all throw tantrums and destroy everything— unless the remote’s controlling them.

Our other four heroes were absolute idiots together. When Careful joined them at the end of season one, the heroes were fascinated by a new face. Technically his love of puzzle cubes stemmed from the gift the others gave him as a sort of "welcome to the group" thing? I think he'd still have the obsession if he were activated with everyone else so that it could still be played off for laughs. Just like Sweet's cooking, Careless's memory, or Smarts superiority complex.

Happy

So starting with our title character, what if his stone was kept? Sweet, Smart, Careless, and Careful’s stones were shot into space and landed on Star so that Doctor could fix them. I’d think that Careful is a bit more open than he’s written because he was born with the others instead of having to integrate a year later. (Side note, would that make Sweet the title character? I don't really know how that order was decided, especially since the earlier seasons- before the order was established- had her and Smart interchange. However, I think Smart would be a funnier main-main character because oh my god he's not wrong.)

So Happy. How would machines brought to life by his stone act? Well they’d still be upset with their lives, but instead of being mad about it, they’d try to fix their problems. This is Happy we’re talking about, though, so they’re destructive by accident.

Now, on the other side, heroes’ dynamic without Happy? Well, we’ve kind of already seen that, but this time we’ve got a much lighter tone. The dynamics they have with each other would be more clearly defined, such as Smart and Careful’s rivalry. I can't get the idea out of my head of Sweet and Careless being geek-out buddies and Smart and Careful's reactions being "...what," and "Just let them do it," respectively.

Last but not least, what happens when he joins them? Happy would be super excited and curious for the first few days. He is super energetic, and I think that would overwhelm our first four for a while. He would definitely be the most angsty about trying to fit in with the others, but he can't, simply because he wasn't born with them.

Sweet

So Sweet. Without her the heroes would be entirely male.

… Yeah anyways

Sweet canonically represents kindness, so how would you turn that into a monster you could fight once an episode? Well, going off her other character traits, she is stubborn and not hard to imagine as a perfectionist. So each machine she'd bring to life would be a bit of a control freak, and it's up to the other heroes to convince them there's more than one solution to each problem.

Now, without Sweet, the other heroes' dynamics would be considerably different. The kiddos would be way more focused on fighting and protecting the city, as Sweet was the one with the most casual hobbies. Biases are something everyone has, so Doctor's trying his best, but I think he would raise the kiddos more like superheroes than children without Sweet to help him realize they're just kids.

Having her join them would be interesting. Again, I really hate the fact she's the only girl on the team, but at this point it's too late to change. I still think Happy would have a harder time adjusting, but Sweet definitely has her own struggles due to her gender. Whispers about her being weaker than the boys would definitely spring up quicker than season six.

Also. Sweet's cooking gag. It was kind of just established that she was horrible in canon, but here, everyone gets a nice slap to the face about how bad it is. However, it's also an opportunity to play it for a little more than comedy. I read somewhere, god knows where, that Sweet loves cooking because she loves the idea of making things for everyone. That's why nobody has the heart to tell her how bad she is; she's just trying to impress them.

Smart

Oh boy. If a machine influenced by Smart was brought to life and given powers, things would work pretty differently. Yes, Careful’s monsters were used to take over the planet, but the monster itself’s goal was simple revenge and distruction. If Smart’s thought they were wronged, their answer would be to make everyone bow down. Much more in line with Big M’s goal of taking over. But even the antagonists would occasionally go “dude, calm down.”

Honestly if the heroes were to be born without Smart I think they’d be less in touch with the planet? Like Smart was the one with all the connections. Sure, Careful has his popularity too, but he doesn’t like it. So the heroes would be a little less aware of what’s going on in the city, and creating a way for the citizens to call for help would probably be developed sooner.

Now, if Smart already has an inflated ego, imagine how much more insufferable he’d be if he had actual reason to believe that. He was born differently, he was special.

Y’know the old argument between the heroes about who was the leader? I just realized that without Smart, exactly 50% of the team would actually want to be lead. Rivalry between Happy and Sweet? Yes please. This would also make Smart fight even harder for that role once he joins because who would be more deserving to lead than the fated one?

Okay but the heroes are probably less willing to put up with all the self-centredness if he weren’t born with them. They’d likely just leave him alone when he starts acting all deluded. You know what that makes him? Lonely.

Careless

Y’know he’d be an interesting one. There’s more loose ideas bouncing around like how his monsters would probably get enraged when they think they’re losing like the second stage of a boss fight. That, and the monsters would be a little more generalized instead of having skill sets specific to them.

It’s funny, even though Careful was born with everyone else here, this world would still make him stick out, since without Careless, he’s the only calm one. Without Careless’s chill and laid back attitude, they would be a lot more hyperactive.

It’s already my headcanon that his memory is caused by the vehicle he bonded with being poorly made, but you know what I haven’t talked about yet? The crack that’s supposed to appear in episode 50. In the canon, it was forgotten and back to normal by the next episode, which is also what I assumed for the other AUs. But what if that crack was the reason Careless didn’t have powers? It doesn’t make sense, lore-wise, for the Energy Stone of tolerance to be powerless. Now, we can get a little more angst about it.

Adjusting to the other heroes would already be challenging, but the memory and lack of superpowers would make it extra hard for Careless, especially now that there is something objectively wrong with him. Here, he would learn to supplement that with mechanical weapons instead of it being automatically established. Sprinkle a little extra bonding with Doctor when he finds out one of the heroes is taking after him. Can’t be all angst now can we

[alcalavicci]

Dean impressions from Dancing on the Edge:

When Russ met Dean on the set of The Boy with Green Hair, Dean was a high-energy kid who hated attention and was learning how to play the drums

Dean asked Russ if he could bring Wallace Berman and his wife to a party he was having. Thinking he meant the comedian Alice Berman, Russ said yes but was shocked by this weird mute guy who didn't say a word at his party.

One time, Russ was hanging out with four other former child actors (Dean, Billy Gray, Bobby Driscoll and Robert Blake). Talking about that day years later, Blake said they were a bunch of drowning puppies going down the rapids while hanging onto a lifeboat together. Says a lot, doesn't it?

Russ described Dean as intelligent, intuitive and practical- Jack Hirschman said as much too. Both said that Dean would help other people out as well. It's interesting that Russ says Dean was dedicated to his career and never dropped out unlike Russ, but that's not how Dean saw his career during this time, according to interviews. I think Russ was more significantly dropped out than Dean, however.

The Last Movie: Russ and Dean, along with Billy Gray, got to see Machu Picchu on their days off, but poor Billy got lost and missed the last scenes to be filmed.

Dean invited Russ to be in Another Day at the Races (which was apparently a spoof of the Marx Brothers classic A Day at the Races), but the title was changed to Win, Place or Steal. Apparently the movie was already kind of darkly lit in the original print too and got bad reviews at the time.

Jack, Russ and Dean all liked puns - that came from Wallace.

Russ' second wife, Elizabeth, had major problems with drinking and he eventually left her because she refused to get help for her problem. Dean was incredibly supportive to Russ during this time. Elizabeth ended up drinking herself to death five years after they got divorced. Must've been so heartbreaking to Russ to see Dean struggling like Elizabeth did near the end of his life.

Between Dennis, Dean and Russ, Russ could be trusted to come back with a full order of cocaine because he was allergic to it. So Dennis would ask him to pick up cocaine for him.

Russ says Dean was dating this woman in summer 1980. Interesting, Dean must've been just friends with Joy until the year or so before they got married. But this woman, Valerie Valente, is important because she invited Dean and Russ to her friend Bonnie's show, and Russ ended up married to Bonnie.

Russ does mention Dean meeting Joy and falling in love fast but I get the impression Russ didn't know about them keeping in touch for a few years. Russ said he needed to move out fast so Joy could move in after they got engaged (? my impression). I wonder if there was any overlap between Valerie and Joy...

Dean was the one who recommended Russ to the producers for his Quantum Leap episode- he didn't even have to audition!

The Wallace stories in this are also amazing so I'd definitely recommend reading this book for them as well.

[sunnytrivia]

have you studied your bird law? kept your psychological dossiers updated?

@emodennis and @sunnyontheside present: THE ALWAYS SUNNY TRIVIA CHALLENGE

put your highly specific knowledge to the test with our made-for-sunnyblr always sunny trivia competition! megan's questions were too easy, so we've cranked up our hot plate to present you with a real challenge.

we'll keep all trivia information and updates on this shared blog so be sure to follow and turn on notifications (if you'd like). please message or DM us here with any questions, ideas, or requests. feel free to use the tag #sunny trivia challenge on posts you make about the competition!

Signing Up

we will be using the platform quizizz to host the competition.

you must sign up and create an account to make sure you only take each quiz once.

enter your url as your name. you'll have to split it between the first and last name sections. if your URL has dashes in it, please send us a message letting us know so we can tag you properly in the leaderboards. dashes are not allowed in your name on quizziz.

Rounds

there will be 3 rounds: easy (1), medium (2), and difficult (3)

the difficulty is relative. these aren’t trivia questions for any casual jabroni fan. these are for the sunny fans. sunny fans are brutal.

points are doubled in round 2 and tripled in round 3.

each round will have 30 trivia questions.

once you start each quiz, it will take you 10-20 minutes to finish it (must be completed in one sitting).

you will have 6 days to complete each round.

there will be 4 days between each round for us to score your answers.

Timeline

round 1: Dec 3rd-Dec 8th.

round 2: Dec 13th-Dec 18th.

round 3: Dec 23rd-Dec 28th.

final results posted: Jan 3rd.

anyone can participate! the only requirement is that you have a tumblr account. no troll toll required.

no working with others.

no googling.

Content

most questions ask about content from an episode of the show, which will be provided [example: In The World Series Defense, for how many days was the gang stuck in the linen closet?].

there are also some meta questions about the show as a whole [example: Which five episodes contain "Mac and Charlie" in the title?].

content warning: some questions use canon-typical adult language and/or reference drugs, alcohol, or sex.

Types

almost all questions are open-ended, similar to the format of the podcast trivia questions.

there are also a few fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, and re-order questions.

Time

you will have 20-30s to answer most questions. for questions with longer answers, you will have 45s-1 min. this is to avoid potential googling.

you do not gain/lose any points for taking less/more time, as long as you answer within the allotted time frame.

questions will be auto-scored by the system when there is a limited amount of correct answers. your answer only has to contain the correct answer to be marked correct. extra words will not impact scoring.

questions are manually scored by us after you submit the quiz if they have many possible correct answers or have multiple answers.

questions that ask you to list multiple items will either be "all or nothing" (you must get all answers correct to get any/all points) or "point for each" (you get a point for each correct answer).

IMPORTANT: if you make a spelling or formatting error that auto-scores a correct answer as incorrect, you will have a chance to let us know at the end of the quiz. please keep note of these questions as you go along. if you forget to include any, you can message or DM us (sunnytrivia) with additional questions for review. we will change your score if we agree that you got the answer correct.

we will post leaderboards after each round.

the person with the most combined points at the end of round 3 wins!!!

again, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, and most importantly, have fun!!

[emperor-peach-sensation]

Hello, hullo,

I have just recently got into Lee Junho (thanks to KTL) and 2PM. While I have a general idea I want to do a deep dive starting from their earliest survival shows to debut, to their concerts and variety. And I wanted to keep a journal of my journey.

I will also be honest about my thoughts and feelings.

I had known of 2PM and heard a few of their songs in passing (tho never listened to the full songs to be honest). I had stayed away from 2PM as I thought they were not for me, the stsge outfits, ripping of shirts on stage performances was off-putting - I was never a big fan of hypermasculinity (I had only seen a few scenes here and there at this point).

I was also not a big fan of kpop since the popular tracks I checked out back in the day was not to my liking. But I started to find songs that are more my taste later on, which were more 3rd/4th gen groups. Since I didn't have much fun on my earlier checks I didn't think of diving into older groups.

Oh but of course that changed.

One fine sunday on June I decided to check this new drama everyone was hyping about: King the Land. The 2nd episode had just aired and Ibsaw one of the leads was an actor on my radar: Lee Junho.

I kept hearing about Junho since 2021, all praises how hood of an idol-actor he is and so on. Whenever I see these kind of comments I note the names down to check later. I noted Junho's name down, I kept hearing how hoid he was and how great this historical drama Red Sleeve was. And on top of it he swept all the awards for TRS. Now I was curious, but not being a big fan of historical dramas I waited for his next project.

Yes I could have watched his earlier works but I wasnt feeling like it and had other hyperfixations going on.

So, KTL... I decided to check it out for a few episodes. Since I'm not a big romcom drama fan my prediction was to drop it in 4 to 6 eps in (because of the premise I was expecting a rich asshole abusing the FL in work environment with the drama romanticising it).

The moment I saw Junho acting I was gone, it didn't even take me a minute. Man's micro expressions are crazy. Instantly obsessed. So between KTL episodes I started watching his filmography, 'accidentally' expanding these watchs to his idol works. And 1.5 month later I have watched everthing (about to finish memory, which was the last on my list) have a general idea of 2PM, know their title songs, watched a few stages & squeezed in a concert. I have discovered I love their stages more than the recorded versions. They give so much energy, I wish I could watch them live, at least once...

A few of my favourites of them are: make it, hot, merry go round, Go crazy, I'm your man, adtoy, this is love, kimi ga ireba...

Now as the 15th anniversary concert is approaching I wanted to start my deep dive into 2PM. I have been gathering links to contents and putting them in a chronological order. 15 years is a long time and there are a lot of vids out there. I am scouring different youtube channels and putting the links on my excel - it feels like this is never ending but yay to hyeprfixations (I have over 4K links saved but it's still missing a lot).

As I start to watch everything in order, starting from 2006, I will also share my thoughts here. It will be a looooong journey but it will also be fun one as it lasts.

So, let's go!

[ofwraithsandwords]

s y n o p s i s // ❖ More Hellsing short fics featuring, but not limited to: platonic relationships, the 30 year time skip, original characters, Sertegra (Seras x Integra), and/or Alucard's struggle with the Cat's powers ❖ The slow, but steady continuation of my Hellsing long fic, Plutonian Sun ❖ New Witcher long fic to come some time this year inspired by Sapkowski's book series and CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 3, NOT the Netflix series ❖ Possible Interview With The Vampire short fics exploring the characterization/pasts of Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and Armand. ❖ Possible Dracula short fic featuring a male reader/character of sorts.

Happy New Year's, everyone!

In hopes of keeping things fresh and different, I'll be tackling a few writing projects this year.

h e l l s i n g //

For better of for worse, Hellsing (specifically Hellsing Ultimate) has always been my biggest guilty pleasure and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. As such, I will still be making content for it. I'm especially interested in exploring the (mostly platonic) relationship dynamics in the Hellsing Organization, such as Integra's relationship with her staff and soldiers, that we don't get to see very often.

I'm also interested in exploring Alucard's newfound powers that he unwillingly received from Schrödinger. I don't typically see a lot of people theorizing how it effects him upon his return or how he navigates it, so this will be something I'll be exploring in Plutonian Sun and possibly in shorter writing pieces.

Speaking of the long fic, I am still plotting and writing it, chapter by chapter. I'm not fast at uploading by any means, but I still intend on continuing it. I know it's not everyone's favorite since it doesn't feature any of the most prominent fanon ships and includes original characters, but I am writing for a more specific audience, anyway. I always appreciate it very much whenever someone leaves a comment of a kudos—it helps me know that maybe I'm doing something right!

t h e w i t c h e r //

Probably to come later on in the year, but I am brainstorming a Witcher long fic. Even though I've had thoughts about doing this anyway, I became motivated to put this project to paper after watching Netflix's The Witcher: Blood Origin. I didn't actually watch the whole thing—I could barely stand to sit through a single episode. It's bad. Really bad. And I figured, "well, I can probably do better than this." So here we are.

Once I am done reading my current book, I will be reading The Last Wish, at least for a start. I may also take inspiration from CD Projekt RED's "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"—I played the full game with DLC a few years ago. Unfortunately, with how old my laptop is getting, the new gen update has made playing "The Witcher 3" less possible, though not impossible.

Though the story will include many well-loved (and hated) characters from the books, the main protagonists (Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri) will not be present for at least the majority of it. In order to usher the forth a new perspective, I will be making original characters of my own. Such characters include: — an old bruxa who makes a living as an alchemist in Toussaint — a good-natured halfling who's prone to bar fights and loves to cook — a soldier-turned-merchant from Ofir with "extraordinary" luck . . . and likely many more.

I'm still trying to think of a good title, but once I figure that out and the general theme/plot for the fic, I will start giving updates on its progress.

i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e v a m p i r e //

I've seen the first season of Interview With The Vampire on AMC+ and I absolutely love it. Admittedly I've never read any of Anne Rice's books, but that may change some time in the foreseeable future. For now though, my interpretations and works will be influenced by the AMC+ series. Stories will include the exploration of Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and Armand's personalities/relationships and possibly their pasts. There will especially be an emphasis on how delightfully toxic these blood suckers are to each other.

d r a c u l a //

I've briefly mentioned this a while ago, but I've been thinking about making a fic with a male reader/character who meets Count Dracula (or "Mr. De Ville") shortly after he reaches England. Though Van Helsing and the others likely won't be present in this work, perhaps I will include other side characters from Dracula. I may even have Djamilah (or Ibrahima at that time) make a short cameo. A self-indulgence, if you will.

If anything comes up or there are any changes, I'll be sure to make an announcement. Until then, this is what I have on the roster for this year.

Cheers. ✭

[unchataparis]

A Review of Multiplication (Part 1)

Félix look like he’s wearing wicked eye-liner in this shot.

The lyrics of the opening are "In the daytime, I’m Marinette", which implies that she’s someone different in the nighttime. But she’s still Marinette in the nighttime. In fact, most of her battles take place during the day.

These title cards hasn’t appeared in the previous seasons, did they? If they did, I do not remember. I like them, they look very solemn, ceremonious. You can tell from the title along that this season is going to be serious.

The video of the late Miraculous Team all together looks very cool, intimidating. Some of their most well-dressed members are here – Rena Furtive, Coq Courage, Vesperia, Chat Noir –  adding a strong air of fearlessness and style.

Adrien needs to star in more campaigns. The same material has been recycled since Season 1.

Félix has a Wikipage? He’s a famous person then. His last name is Fathom now? Seeing that neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir, Marinette and Adrien, reacted to this change as if it’s new news, I assume that’s the name Félix was always supposed to have.

It’s always heartbreaking when siblings don’t get along in media, that’s one of my most hated tropes. Especially if the parent is abusive in some way, and one sibling decide to betray the rest of his brethren in order to maintain that parent’s false love. I know Adrien and Félix are cousins, but the same sentiment stands. Great portrayals of sibling relations are Claire and Fleabag in Fleabag, and Evangeline and Ptolemus in The Red Queen.

What a shot.

And where were you for the last few episodes?

I don’t really blame Su-Han for not being a mentor to Ladybug. Technically, he never came to Paris to be her supervisor, he went there to take the Miraculous Box away from her. Ladybug and Chat Noir managed to convince Su-Han to let Ladybug keep the Miraculous Box, and she was meant to prove herself while he watches from afar. He stepped in during moments such as Éphémère when clearly there’s been some significant faults in Ladybug’s management. What could be criticised of Su-Han is, that, clearly, Ladybug is a child, she never would 've been able to properly look after the Miraculous on her own either way, especially in the state of her stress and no proper guidance from Wang Fu in the first place. Su-Han was setting her up for failure. Since he allowed her to keep the Miraculous, Su-Han should've remained with Ladybug and taught her how to keep it properly. It’s much more interesting to watch Marinette do her own thing without someone crowding over her throughout Season 4, but realistically, Marinette eventually losing the Miraculous Box was always going to happen.

Either the animation ran out of budget, or Stompp is really unimpressed by Gabriel.

Props to Ladybug and Chat Noir for ending the conversation with Su-Han so quickly. There was no need to drag that tedious argument out. Pointing fingers right now, punishing each other under some mythic court, isn’t going to help the solution at all. Wise words: in times of urgent difficulty, don’t put too much effort into anything that doesn’t contribute to the solution.

I don’t mind seeing Adrien’s face all over Paris, but he desperately needs some new material.

Again the decision to immediately find Félix rather than chasing some roundabout ploy is very impressive. Adore that this season has been going for the throat of issues rather than beating around the bush.

It possibly couldn’t have taken that much effort to replace these nonsense filler with an actual description. Seriously, how much effort could it’ve taken? It reminds me of Adrien’s cover issue of Style Queen in Season 4. It’s just the title, his picture, and a bunch nonsense Latin headlines. Little touches like actually writing a description would've really shown the dedication the creative team has towards Miraculous; they could’ve also included fun little tidbits or Easter Eggs here. Like – Félix was born in Oxfordshire, or that his great-grandfather is of Irish descent, or something. Some of the information seems to be accurate even if their category are gibberish. Félix’s birthday (?) is apparently the second of December, his nationality is British, and for some reason, his closet relative is listed as Gabriel Agreste.

Félix and Adrien are both aristocrats, aristocratic descents, officially confirmed. Nice.

And Félix’s father is an American billionaire! Interesting. That’ll provide a lot of material for additional shenanigans. Being American-British suits Félix, Mr Worldwide, just like how being Anglo-French suits Adrien very well. Also, Félix a chess, equestrian, and kung fu prodigy! The child is a genius. "England’s youngest graduate", no mentions on a graduate of what, but I’m guessing university. I knew it! Félix seems like the kind of person to be studious and attached to his academic works, so the fact that he’s constantly out of school, I deduced that he probably didn’t need to attend because he already fulfilled the requirements. I was right! Félix is an adept!

Their penthouse suite is so nice. Very modern and luxurious, yet warm. Someplace you can really live in. It’s sweet that Amélie thought that Félix was visiting Adrien, points to the fact that the two cousins are supposed to have a close relationship. I really hope Adrien and Félix patches their relationship in Season 5. I want Adrien to have something that’s not always tied back to Ladybug. Although, knowing the temperament of the show, I’m going to end up disappointed but not surprised.

Obligatory Big Ben shot. The Big Ben to England is the Eiffel Tower to France.

That is stunning.

Also realising that Astro Cat has aerodynamic fins on his calves.

Her suit is so glittery. It resembles the foil space shuttles are wrapped in to reflect UV rays.

I like that Marinette immediately contacts her support system, Alya, literally the only person who knows that she’s Ladybug who can offer her support rather than more problems. Just easily asking her best friend to come over and stay.

Adrien’s line "I should’ve never listened to Félix, I should’ve listened to Marinette" – I don’t like it. I don’t like the suggested narrative that Marinette is the one person in Adrien’s life that will never do him wrong and treat him nice. Don’t get me wrong, Marinette is nice and all, but a person need more in their life than just a single pillar, a single person. Adrien should have other interests and other fixations to be attached to.

This man is a terrible father, he really is. At this point, there’s no way any feasible defence can be risen for him. What are you doing, Gabriel? This is honestly pathetic, even for you.

"I don’t want to be a model anymore." "Fine." Well, that was easy.

I am very cruel. She has all rights to be upset, but the many times Marinette needs reassurance is starting to be grating. This is not a true criticism on her, it has everything to do with me. I’m just that kind of person.

"Miraculous and there Kwami?" Shouldn’t it be the other way around? The Kwami came before the Miraculous.

Marinette decides to abandon her passion for Adrien because it has been messing up her head, disrupting her duties as Guardian. Wise choice. But trying to cut oneself completely off, cold turkey, like that is bound to have suppressed and explosive consequences.

The perspective is so good? Why this random impressive shot?

Completely irrelevant detail, but I characterise Adrien’s nails as being quite long. Chat Noir powers bleeding into his human side with prolonged use of Miraculous resulting in certain anomalies such as increased sense of sight, smell, and longer nails. That’s not canon.

Aw, she’s so happy for him.

Maybe it’s my bias, but I never honestly thought Adrien and Marinette had a 'special' connection. They do have a lot of 'intimate' moments on screen, and Adrien is probably the closet to Marinette outside of any female classmate that isn’t Chloé or Alya, but there just wasn’t a foundation for a romantic relationship to me. A lot of platonic brushes, sure, but nothing that really seem to spell out the route for a once-in-a-life romance. I think it’s because Marinette and Adrien have so much similarities, not enough contrast. It’s difficult to determine what they may see in each other that they don’t already see in themselves. I’m going to be honest, and know that this is coming from a place of love because Adrien is my favourite character, but Adrien is quite a dull love interest. Literal damsel-in-distress, he doesn’t offer anything on his own. Throughout the show, he’s the pretty prize that the protagonist get whenever she sufficiently completes a certain set of tasks (only for him to get snatched from right under her nose every time due to the plot).

Adrien’s pyjamas are killing me. They look exactly like the kind of entry-level products high-end brands sell to entice low-income customers. Y’all ever seen those three-hundred-dollar sweatshirts with no embellishments other than a giant Gucci logo stamped across the chest? Yeah, like that. This child is a walking advertisement. Gabriel, let your kid wear clothes.

This is the funniest way I’ve seen someone fall asleep for some time. Instantly conked out, the lights just turn off on their own, lying over the sheets. lmao.

Today on the list of things LAURENT dislikes: Adrien’s room. Marinette’s room has her colour scheme and personality, Adrien’s room – it looks like what a distant and wealthy parent would give to their only child in lieu for being unable to spend with them. That’s exactly what it is.

The first thing Nathalie does when she comes back to the Agreste Manor is to check on Adrien, not confront Gabriel. That’s so sweet. It really shows how much Nathalie’s priorities has changed.

Madame Bustier is finally showing the pregnancy she announced two years ago. And she changed outfits, a teal sweater in replacement of her signature cyan shirt.

They just – straight out announced that Alix is Bunnix? That sounds risky. But I suppose there’s not much else they could’ve done, the secret would’ve been out eventually. By announcing it themselves, it gives Ladybug and Chat Noir a chance to manipulate an uncontrollable situation. And I suppose that if Monarch is inspiring to trying something against Alix’s family, he has to do it with the knowledge that Alix can really screw up his past and future in pre-retaliation.

Max states that Monarch has 78.95% of the Miraculous – that’s not right? There are nineteen Miraculous and Monarch has 16 of them, excluding the Ladybug, Black Cat, and Peafowl, making him the proud owner of 84.21%. What is this random statistic? Did someone in the writing room not bother to calculate it or am I missing something?

Chloé coming in with the caustic criticism as she always does, that it was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s fault for losing the Miraculous. Just like with Nathalie, I’m surprised Chat Noir is mentioned, Chloé usually treats him like he doesn’t exist. This season is really cracking down on the Ladybug and Chat Noir part of the synopsis. Queen Bee was a great hero, for the short time she had the Miraculous. She was fierce, deadly, and flamboyant. I prefer Queen Bee over Vesperia, as I feel that a Bee Hero should be full of sting and venom, quick to act, but furiously protective of her hive (team). Vesperia is like a drone worker rather than a Queen, a follower rather than a leader. Another weapon in Ladybug’s arsenal. The only two people that has ever challenged Ladybug’s rule is Chat Noir and Queen Bee, at various time, for reasons of various validity. Whether or not they were right, Ladybug does need people around her to pose other plans and disagree with her at times. A team can’t function if it’s only consisting of one person and their yes-man appendages. The whole point of having the team is to utilise different skills together and combine perspectives, rather than adhere to one view. That being said, my solution for the Chloé vs Zoé deal is for them to share the Bee Miraculous. When Ladybug needs support, send in Vesperia. When Ladybug needs sting, send in Queen Bee. They’re both good Bees in their own respective styles.

Lila coming in with a sweet, calm, and elegant defence of Ladybug. Making this argument reinforces Lila’s 'good girl' façade, and paints her as the heroine compared to Chloé’s villainy. But notice what words Lila uses: "she [Ladybug] was bound to make a few mistakes. We have to find the strength to forgive her." Very insidious, Lila doesn’t argue that it wasn’t Ladybug’s fault, and places herself as a moral centre, "we have to find the strength to forgive her." I feel like somewhere later in the season, as Lila has established herself now as Ladybug’s supporter, when she eventually 'turns against' the heroine, the rest of Paris might be compelled to follow.

Also, Lila looks really pretty here. Dimpled smile, feathery lashes. Her romper is very dark in this image. It’s usually a medium grey. I hope they keep the black. Grey is a great colour, but using it incorrectly makes a mannequin look tired, and unstylish. Ariana Grande's 2021 Grammy gown was peak ballgown fashion, I am willing to physically fight anyone that disagrees.

She mad.

Adrien looks really good here.

The music for this montage is so enchanting.

I did not expect Gabriel to make a deal with Tomoe; no, I did not see that coming at all. It makes sense, she’s just as ruthlessly ambitious as he is, and they do have professional contracts between their companies. But I just didn’t expect Gabriel to ever let someone else into his secrets. Nathalie wouldn't bother, but Tomoe seems like the kind of person to backstab Gabriel if something ever goes wrong.

Nino’s face, lmao.

Yoga is not calming for me, personally. In fact, one might say yoga stresses me out.

Part 2 here.

[regenderate-fic]

Calling Into the Void

Fandom: Doctor Who Ships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Characters: Rose Tyler, Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor Rating: General Series: Stay With Me. Hold My Hand. Word Count: 11,676 Other Tags: Episode: Doomsday, Episode: The Runaway Bride, Rose Stays, Bad Wolf Rose, Bad Wolf as Disability, Canon Divergence

Read on AO3

Summary: The Doctor falls into the void at the end of Doomsday. Rose Tyler immediately begins searching for a way to get him back. She manages to make one jump in the TARDIS before Donna Noble, transported from her own wedding, appears in front of her. Navigating her newly awakened connection to time itself, Rose has to figure out what happened to Donna and how to keep her and her family safe, all while desperate to find the Doctor (and battling a massive headache to boot).

First in a (planned) series.

NOTES: so ages ago i was like "so i really like the idea of aus where rose stays on the show, but i don't often like the execution. i wonder if i could do it in a way that i liked." and that is the birth of this au. i'm planning on making it a series, and i'll probably write bits and pieces out of order-- but my main goal is to really consider how each episode and as such the canon of the entire show would be different if rose had been there. in runaway bride, i've also changed a few plot details. series title from mitski i will because. surprise! of course it is. also in future fics i AM going to let rose kiss women just so you all know. doctor who is all about polycules so jot that down.

Rose was clinging to the handle, her hair blowing around her face, her own grip the only thing between herself and what might as well have been Hell. She squinted across the hall to the Doctor, whose lips were pulled back in a grimace as he struggled against the void. He caught Rose’s eye, and for a second his grimace became a grin. Rose tried her best to return it. Even here, in the heart of danger, the Doctor’s smile made Rose feel just the tiniest bit safer.

But it didn’t last. Over the roar of the wind and the Cybermen and Daleks screaming, the sound of electricity sparking.  “Offline.” The detached voice came from speakers in the ceiling, filling the room Eyes wide, Rose followed the Doctor’s gaze to— 

Her heart sank.

The lever on the Doctor’s side of the room had come loose. It was no longer locked, and now it drifted towards its “off” position. 

The suction from the void was already dying down, the flow of Cybermen and Daleks slowing, and there was only one way to fix it. 

“Doctor, no!” Rose yelled, but she was too late. The Doctor was already reaching towards the lever, straining with the effort. He caught it, leaping from the clamp to the lever, and yelled something Rose couldn’t quite make out over all the other noises. She watched, horrified, as he wrestled the lever back to its upright position.

“Online and locked.” The voice’s pleasant tone mocked Rose. The void continued to be open, the suction returning to full force, but now the Doctor wasn’t safely attached to a Magnaclamp; he was clutching at the thin metal lever, his body parallel to the ground as he struggled to regain his grip.

“No!” Rose yelled again.

“Rose!” She heard him loud and clear this time, yelling her name. It took everything in her to not let go of her own Magnaclamp in a desperate attempt at rescue: it wouldn’t do any good for them both to get sucked into the void, but Rose felt a part of herself break as she watched one of the Doctor’s hands fly off the lever, then the other. She could only watch as he flew through the air, calling out to her, disappearing into the white expanse.

“No!” Rose yelled one more time. She stared at the empty spot where the Doctor had just been. There had to be a mistake— he couldn’t just be gone . It wasn’t possible. He was the Doctor, her Doctor. He was nine hundred years old. He’d survived the Time War, outlived his species, regenerated time and time again— and now he was gone?

It couldn’t be. And yet as the wind died down, as the last few Daleks were sucked into the void, the Doctor continued to not be there. The shimmering, shifting hole at the end of the room crumpled in onitself, and then there was silence. 

For a second, the moment played out in Rose’s mind as if the Doctor had been there. He would’ve pushed off the wall and loped over to her with a huge grin on his face, pulled her into a huge hug, and she would’ve returned the hug in full force, and then they would’ve gone back to the TARDIS together, ready for their next adventure. She wanted that so badly she could feel it—

But it wasn’t like that. It was much, much lonelier. 

Rose’s footsteps echoed as she stepped away from her Magnaclamp, wobbling a little as she regained her balance. It was hard to believe that a moment ago a million Daleks and Cybermen had passed through here: as Rose approached the wall they had gone through, she kept expecting it to change, to shift back into the void and suck her in. But it didn’t, not even when she laid a hand on it. It was solid as ever, painted a glossy white and smooth to the touch. 

Rose took a deep breath, and suddenly she was sobbing. She collapsed into the wall as tears flowed down her face, tears not only for the Doctor but also for her mum and Mickey, still alive but still lost to Rose forever. And her parallel dad, too, even though she wasn’t his daughter, not really— she had lost everyone who mattered to her in one fell swoop. Where was she supposed to go from here?

She didn’t know how long she spent slumped against the wall. It felt like hours, but when she heard footsteps behind her, it was too soon. She straightened up and made an attempt at wiping away her tears. Her makeup was sure to be horribly smudged, but there was nothing she could do about that. She turned around to see a Torchwood scientist walking towards her. He was a gangly young thing— but then again, he was probably older than Rose. It was just that she felt so, so old. 

“Is it safe now?” he asked. 

Rose nodded. “Should be,” she said. “Void’s closed.”

The scientist looked around the room. Rose took stock: the back wall was completely gone. Sunlight was streaming in, and the papers strewn all over the floor were blowing in the summer breeze. The glass that had once been dividing the main space from an observation area had shattered, and as the scientist stepped closer, he had to walk carefully to avoid the sharp pieces.

“What happened to the man you were with?” he asked. “The Doctor?”

Rose shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “He’s gone. Got sucked in.” 

“Oh.” The scientist hesitated. “Is there anything we can—”

“I’m all right.” Rose tried to force a smile. “We should probably get out of here, yeah? Place seems about to crumble.” 

For a moment, the scientist was still, indecision on his face, and Rose was sure he was about to ask her more questions. But he didn’t. He just nodded and said, “The Doctor’s ship is still downstairs, I think.”

“Thanks.” Rose walked past the scientist and into the stairwell. She still didn’t feel entirely real, like maybe she was just dreaming and soon she’d wake up in the TARDIS and wander into the kitchen to see the Doctor fiddling with something he found in his pockets. 

But she wouldn’t. This was real. 

Rose had made it out, and the Doctor hadn’t.

The stairs were mostly empty. A few Torchwood employees were going up and down, and as Rose got closer to the bottom, she saw paramedics in bright green vests: they had just started to arrive and spread through the building. Two were standing in the hall outside the stairwell, and one of them waved Rose over.

“Miss, are you hurt?” he asked.

“I’m all right,” Rose heard herself say. She felt so separate from this— these people, doing their jobs. They could never know what she had lost. The Doctor wouldn’t even come up on lists of the missing— he wasn’t, strictly speaking, a citizen.

The paramedic looked her up and down. “You sure?”

“Yeah, promise.” Rose tried to force a smile. “Bad day, is all.” Her hair was still a mess, and the tears on her face had barely dried. But she hadn’t broken any bones, and what had been broken wasn’t anything the rescue team was going to fix. 

“Can we get your name?” his colleague asked. She was holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, looking at Rose expectantly.

“Oh, it’s Rose.” Rose hesitated. “Rose Tyler.”

“That’s spelled T-Y-L-E-R?” the paramedic asked. Rose nodded, and the paramedic marked it down. 

“You ought to get out of here,” said the one who’d first spoken. “This building isn’t safe. Do you need an escort?”

“No, I’m all right,” Rose said, trying not to think what would happen once the list of the survivors was out and Jackie Tyler’s name wasn’t on it. She tilted her head towards the door behind which she knew the TARDIS was waiting. “Just got to get back to my— car. Thanks, though.”

It was only a few steps from there until Rose opened the door to the storage room that held the TARDIS. She spotted it immediately, sitting exactly where she’d left it, a soft glow behind the windows. Seeing it almost brought her to tears again, but she managed to hold off until she actually stepped into the console room. It was like nothing had changed: she was still bathed in a warm amber light, the central column bobbing up and down like always with the TARDIS gurgling in the background. She had expected something to be different: everything was wrong , after all, and surely the TARDIS had picked up on it. But everything was the same. Right down to her shirt on the rail, exactly where she’d tossed it days before. Rose walked to the console, trying not to think about how strange it was to be in the console room without the Doctor next to her, babbling about something or other, suggesting places to go next. 

“What am I going to do now?” she wondered aloud, looking up at the central column. The TARDIS gurgled. Rose sighed. “Silly of me, really, to talk to you.” She laid a hand on the console. “Although, I don’t know, the Doctor always talked like you were alive. I’d believe it. You know, if you were.” The TARDIS didn’t respond, and Rose shook her head. “Suppose I’ll have to figure out how to get him back. Can’t leave him in the void, after all.” She stared at the console. The Doctor had taught her some of the basics when it came to piloting, but he’d always been there , guiding her through the movements, pointing out which buttons to press, helping her find her footing. Co-piloting the TARDIS with him had always been exuberant and warm. And now the memory just ached in Rose’s chest. 

“What would you do, Doctor?” she whispered to herself. Of course, the Doctor wouldn’t have been in this situation, because he knew how to pilot the TARDIS— he would’ve found forty-two different ways to rescue Rose before she’d even had a chance to blink. Rose sighed. Well, she was stuck on Earth with no Doctor, no mum, and next to no hope. All she had was the TARDIS— and all the time in the world to figure out how to pilot it. And once she figured that out, she could figure out how to get the Doctor back.

Rose straightened up, looking at the console with a new focus. She had a goal now: that was a step in the right direction. She was grateful now for the Doctor’s TARDIS piloting lessons; nothing he told her even came close to “how to get the man you love out of the void between universes,” of course, but he’d covered the basic navigational principles (and a few cheap tricks). And there had to be some kind of manual somewhere, or even just a book about time and space and parallel universes… if Rose gathered some knowledge and experimented a little, surely she could figure out how to get the Doctor back. She’d done it before, after all. 

She left the console room. She would start in the library: that’s where most of the books were, after all, and Rose knew the Doctor well enough to know that if a TARDIS manual existed, he would’ve lost it years ago, and it was likely to be shoved on a random shelf in between a book about farming and a book about custard. 

At least, that’s what she assumed. But when she wound through the corridors, trusting the TARDIS to lead her where she wanted to go, the library kept evading her. She passed a lab, a workshop, an indoor garden, an outdoor garden (how had the TARDIS managed that?), and at least six different closets until she finally came upon an open door.

This wasn’t the library, though. Rose peeked in. The room was small and warmly lit, with wood-paneled walls. There was just enough space for a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. The bed was neatly made, with blue curtains drawn closed next to it— Rose had similar in her own room, where the TARDIS had simulated a window for her. The desk was cluttered with papers, and the bookshelf was absolutely overflowing, with books stacked and shoved in every which way. And when Rose looked up, she saw a ceiling full of stars.

“What is this?” she wondered aloud. “Why did you bring me here?” 

And then it hit her. 

“This is the Doctor’s room, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be here.” 

She tried to step back, but the hallway lights flashed white. 

“All right, all right!” Rose shook her head. “Fine.” She moved to the bookshelf. “Just going to find what I need, and then I’m gone.” She scanned the titles. Many of them were in the strange circular language she recognized from the TARDIS’s monitor: she’d asked the Doctor about it once. He’d gotten very quiet for a moment, but then he’d explained that it was Gallifreyan, the language he’d grown up with, before promptly changing the subject. Rose didn’t know how to read it. She skimmed past the Gallifreyan titles, her eyes resting on the English— or more likely, the ones in languages the TARDIS translation circuits were equipped for. Most didn’t look useful, but there was one about the idea of a multiverse that looked promising, and another about relativity and time. Rose was no physicist, but she’d picked up a certain amount of know-how traveling with the Doctor: she could figure it out. And if she couldn’t— well, there was no “couldn’t.” She would learn. She pulled those two books out of the shelf and scanned the titles again, looking for anything she might’ve missed.

“No manual, then?” she asked the TARDIS. “Suppose that’s to be expected. I’ll have to play it by ear.” She straightened up and tucked the books under her arm. “Anything else I need to see?” 

A light flashed on above the desk.

“That’s his stuff,” Rose protested. But— desperate times called for desperate measures, and the TARDIS was showing her exactly where to go. She’d be sure to apologize profusely to the Doctor if— when— she got him back. She took a step towards the desk and bent down, examining the papers scattered across. A few were written in Gallifreyan, and a few others in messily scrawled English script. Rose shifted the Gallifreyan ones aside and found what she was looking for: diagrams of the TARDIS console. They appeared to be plans for maintenance, repair, and upgrade, some labeled in Gallifreyan, but some in English, laden with phrases like “dimensional storage calibration” and “vortex shield repair.” Rose gathered together all the diagrams and tucked them between the two books she was already holding. There was a cup of pens sitting at the edge of the desk, and Rose clipped two into the pocket of her jeans, just in case she needed to take notes. And then she was done: she had everything she needed. 

She took one last look at the room and tried not to think too much about the Doctor spending his nights at the desk, scribbling away at plans for the TARDIS, reading his books in the dim lamplight… Rose felt a pang of sadness. It had only been an hour, and she already missed the Doctor an unbearable amount. 

She stepped out and wound her way back to the console room, where she sat right down on the floor and spread the papers out around her in order to examine them by the cool light of the central column. She knew there was a wheel the Doctor spun to select a specific time— she could manage that, she thought. And she knew the lever to pull to launch the TARDIS into the vortex, as well as a few of the controls that would decide where they landed. She also knew the Doctor had a telepathic link to the TARDIS, which she had long suspected was what he really used to pilot it, but she didn’t have that advantage: she would have to make do with mechanics. 

She shuffled the papers. What she really needed was a way to get into the void between universes— which she was sure she could find a hint to in one of the two very thick books she’d pulled from the Doctor’s room. She sighed. She’d never been much of a reader. But still, she picked up the book on the multiverse and stretched herself across the console room bench to read, trying not to think about the way a mere few hours earlier she’d been sitting in the same spot with the Doctor’s arm around her shoulder. 

The next thing she knew, she was waking up, her face smashed against the book. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what she was doing: for a full moment, she was in a world where the Doctor had never fallen into the void, a world where he would come bounding into the console room any second, suggesting faraway places for their next trip. 

And then she remembered. 

She dragged herself off the bench, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Every movement was difficult: she felt like somebody had carved a hole inside her, like where once she had had lungs and a heart and a stomach she now had nothing. But she couldn’t dwell on that. She couldn’t let it stop her. Somewhere, the Doctor was suffering, and Rose had to get him back. She needed a plan. She needed to learn how to pilot the TARDIS, and she needed to learn as much as she could about what had happened to the Doctor. 

Piloting the TARDIS seemed like the best place to start, Rose decided, stumbling to the console— if only to stop lingering Torchwood employees from getting any ideas. First she could try a short jump, maybe just a day or two into the future, to test out her abilities. After all, she had never tried to fly the TARDIS without the Doctor, and she wasn’t exactly keen on her first trip being across universes. Tentative, she rested a hand on the wheel that set the time. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed it slightly upwards: just enough, she hoped, to put her a day in the future. And then she walked around the console, took a deep breath, and threw the lever to launch the ship.

The effect was immediate. The TARDIS started its groaning noise, and the room tilted, sending the Doctor’s papers scattering. Rose yelped in surprise, scrambling to stay on her feet, until the room tilted the other way and she fell. When she managed to stand again, she grabbed the console to hold her up. Suddenly, piloting the TARDIS by herself seemed like a huge mistake: who could say where she would end up? She shuddered as the room tilted again, slamming her hip into the console. She ignored the pain, racking her brain to think what might help. Stabilizers. Weren’t there stabilizers? She stared at the controls. There it was! A button flashing white. Hoping against hope that this was the TARDIS’s way of helping her out, Rose slammed it— and the room righted itself. Rose nearly fell to the ground in relief. 

“Thank you,” she whispered to the TARDIS. The Doctor always talked to the TARDIS like it was a human, like it could really understand, and Rose was beginning to get why. 

She looked around. The papers were scattered all over the console room. She kicked herself for not thinking to gather them up before taking off. Everything else looked blessedly normal: the huge coral supports reaching up to the ceiling, the dingy metal walls, the central column bobbing up and down. 

“All right, then,” she murmured. “Suppose I’d better go outside and see the damage, yeah?” 

The TARDIS made a gurgling noise. Rose almost smiled. 

“I’ll be back soon, promise. Just want to see where we wound up.” She patted the console— another one of the Doctor’s habits she was starting to understand— and walked outside.

The first thing she noticed was that it was cold. The day she’d left had been in July, but unless Britain was seeing the coldest summer on record, this was definitely not July. The second thing she noticed was that the TARDIS had moved in space as well as time, albeit not by much: she was surrounded by the gray concrete of the Powell Estate. Her old home, and her mum’s. She glanced back at the TARDIS. It looked so unassuming. Just a little blue phone booth at the edge of a patch of concrete. But it had to have brought her here on purpose: what were the odds that out of all of London, all of England, all of Earth , she would’ve wound up here?

Rose moved towards her building, shoving her hands in her pockets to keep them warm. She didn’t know how long it had been, in Earth time, since the battle at Torchwood— everything could have changed since she was last here, or it could all have stayed exactly the same. She tried to remember how she’d left her bedroom: her bed messy, probably, with clothes strewn all over the place. They’d only been back a half hour or so before leaving again to go to Torchwood. Rose had thought they’d have more time after. She hadn’t expected to be the only one of her, her mum, and the Doctor to remain in the universe after all was said and done. 

As she climbed the steps to her flat, she noticed festive wreaths on a couple doors. Was it Christmastime? She shuddered, remembering the previous Christmas: the new Doctor, the Sycorax, the spaceship. It felt like so long ago now, even though in Rose’s personal timeline it had only been six or seven months. She’d never thought, standing next to the TARDIS with the Doctor’s hand in hers as they decided which star to visit next, that she would ever be separate from him, and yet here she was without him, without her mum, without anyone . 

She was at the landing before her flat before she heard someone calling out, “Is that Rose Tyler?” 

Rose jumped: she’d been lost in thought. She turned around to see her neighbor Doris, an older woman with a puffy coat and a cane in one hand, coming up the stairs behind her.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Rose tried a friendly smile, but it felt stilted. “Nice to see you.”

“What are you doing here?” Doris had reached the landing and was now standing next to Rose. “I thought you left when your poor mum died, rest her soul.”

“She didn’t—” Rose stopped herself. Of course her mum had been written off as dead. “Yeah. Couldn’t bear to come back until now.”

“Oh, you poor dear.” That was Doris— she had always been the mother hen type. “Your mum was a good woman.”

Rose nodded, unsure of what to say. There wasn’t really a social script for, You think my mother is dead, but she’s alive, but I can never see her again, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?

“The family in your flat now isn’t nearly as friendly,” Doris added. 

“Yeah?” Suddenly there was a lump in Rose’s throat. She swallowed. “There’s a new family?”

“Well, your mum was dead, and you were nowhere to be found! Disappeared, didn’t you?” Doris shook her head. “They had to move someone else in.”

Rose gave a humorless chuckle. “Suppose I did disappear.” She shifted her weight. “I’d better go, then— say hi to Bill for me?” Bill was Doris’s husband. He was always at home watching telly while Doris went on her walks around London, and somehow that seemed to work out for the both of them. 

“Of course I will.” Doris patted Rose on the arm, clumsy in her mittens. “You take good care of yourself now, will you? And don’t be a stranger!”

“‘Course.” Rose gave another empty smile. “See you around.”

Doris moved past Rose and continued up the stairs, and Rose turned and leaned against the railing. She could see it all from here, her entire world growing up: the other Powell Estate building, the walkway where some kids were running around. Rose had been one of those kids once, playing tag and crying for her mum when she fell and scraped her knees on the concrete, and then later a teenager loitering with her school friends, slouching against the wall in a clump. 

She wondered what had happened to her things when the new people moved in. Probably they’d been thrown away, or maybe donated to a charity shop— her pink bedspread she’d gotten when she was fifteen and immediately gotten hair bleach on, the pictures she’d taped all over her walls, the alarm clock she’d gotten when she was a little kid: all gone. Rose hadn’t really been living at home for a while now, but home had always been there , a place for her to go back to if she needed it, with everything she’d had since she was a child.

Well. Everyone had to grow up eventually. 

Rose pushed off the railing. There was no sense in lingering: every second she spent here was a second she wasn’t spending trying to get the Doctor back, and a second longer he would suffer in the void. She turned to go.

And then suddenly Rose felt an itchy warmth all across her skin. It felt— not quite like her skin was on fire, but like maybe she had a rash. She glanced at her hands: there was no redness. She took a step forward, but a gold light flashed in front of her and she stumbled back. She blinked, and the gold light cleared to reveal— a woman? In a wedding dress? 

“Who the hell are you?” Rose asked, startled into rudeness.

“Who the hell are you ?” the woman snarled. “And where the hell am I?”

Rose took a moment to regain her composure. “You’re at the Powell Estate.”

“The what ?”

“The Powell Estate. In London, England, on Earth.” 

“Of course I’m on Earth!” the woman snarled. “Why wouldn’t I be on Earth?” 

Rose shrugged. “Dunno. Stranger things have happened.” She looked the woman up and down. “Real question is, how did you get here?”

“You tell me.” The woman was glaring at Rose. “I was just walking down the aisle, as one does , and all of a sudden I find myself in a totally different part of London, kidnapped !” Every word was pointed. 

Rose put her hands up. “Hey, I’m not kidnapping you. Promise.” She nodded towards the stairwell. “We’re outside. If you want to go, just go. But I know a thing or two about stuff like this.” Not as much as she would’ve liked, but she didn’t say that. “If you stick with me, I can help you figure out why it happened.”

The woman looked at her like she was crazy. “ Why ? I don’t care why! I just want to get back to my wedding!” She shook her head. “I swear, if Nerys put you up to this—”

“No one put me up to anything,” Rose said. “Trust me. I don’t have anything like what it would’ve taken to teleport you like that.”

“ Teleport ? Like some kind of sci-fi novel ?” The woman shook her head. “Nah, I’m leaving. I’m getting married, whatever you say.” She turned and began stomping down the stairs.

“How’re you going to get there?” Rose called after her. 

“No thanks to you!” the woman yelled over her shoulder.

Rose shook her head. “If you need help,” she called, “I’ll be in the blue box across the way.”

She didn’t get a response. Instead, she watched as the woman strode across the cement walkway and disappeared around the corner. Still baffled, Rose took her time walking down the stairs. What had she just witnessed? The woman had just appeared out of nowhere, in a state of total confusion— and what was with Rose’s skin itching? 

It still wasn’t fully making sense when Rose stepped into the TARDIS— but then something shifted. 

Nothing was different about the TARDIS, exactly. The interior was exactly as Rose had left it, right down to the papers all over the floor. But there was something else— an added dimension— and Rose blinked, and suddenly she could feel a sort of thrum coming from all sides, and new emotions— emotions that didn’t quite seem like hers— were surging in the back of her mind. Welcome, love, sorrow, care — Rose closed her eyes against the intensity. 

And then the timelines hit her. She could feel— she could feel everything. Too much. She couldn’t even put words to it: all she had was that some of what she was feeling was related to the exact time and place the TARDIS was parked, the Powell Estate in the 21st century, and some of it was totally separate, related to— the past, maybe, or the future. She opened her eyes, but the feeling didn’t go away. If anything, it intensified: she could feel branches, erasures, shifts. It was a sensation she’d never felt before. Or— she’d never felt it except—

Except.

A long time ago, Rose Tyler had opened the heart of the TARDIS and become the Bad Wolf. She had taken all of time and space into her. She had used it to rewrite a story: she had killed the Daleks, resurrected Jack Harkness, and saved the Doctor’s life.

And then the Doctor kissed her, and the Bad Wolf left Rose Tyler behind. 

Until— 

Rose closed her eyes again. She was coming to a conclusion, but it was slippery, so slippery, powerless against the wave of new sensations taking over her mind. 

The Bad Wolf had never quite left.

Rose pressed her palms against her eyelids. It couldn’t be— she was just Rose Tyler. A regular human. But there was no other explanation. The Bad Wolf had never left her, and now whatever had just happened had triggered— something— and now Rose Tyler could feel time.

She could feel it, but she couldn’t make sense of it. It was all occupying her brain, giving her a bit of a headache, really, with no rhyme or reason. Was this how babies felt, opening their eyes for the first time? No wonder they cried, Rose thought ruefully. 

She opened her eyes again. The console room looked exactly the same, and yet somehow so, so different. Those new emotions— the love, sorrow, care— hadn’t left her mind, and with a start she realized that those emotions came from the TARDIS. She could feel what the TARDIS felt. The Doctor had talked about a telepathic link— was this what it felt like? A rush of warmth appeared in her mind, and she took that for a yes. Well, that was one positive of this situation, then— she was sure to have an easier time getting the Doctor back if she was telepathically connected to the TARDIS. Even with everything else that was going on.

And then she heard a knock on the door.

It was all too much. Time was still swirling in Rose’s head, steadfastly refusing to coalesce into something that made sense, and she was still missing the Doctor, and she knew her hair and face probably looked a mess— but… she’d told the strange woman that she’d be in the blue box. And whoever the woman was, she clearly needed help, and Rose liked to make a habit of helping people. She turned and cracked the door open, sticking her head out.

“D’you really shut yourself in that little box?” the woman asked. 

“It’s bigger than it looks,” Rose said. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Er, I thought you’d gone?”

“Couldn’t pay the cab fare,” the woman griped. “Didn’t think I’d need it, on my wedding day . I mean, who has pockets in their wedding dress ?” 

“Beats me.” Rose cracked the door a little wider. “Look, um, what’s your name?”

“Donna Noble.”

“Look, Donna, why don’t you come in here for a second.” Rose glanced back into the TARDIS. She could probably get Donna to the wedding hall, right? With her newfound telepathic TARDIS link? She closed her eyes. She didn’t even want to think about that right now, much less use it under pressure. 

“You want me to come into that box?” Donna asked, her eyebrows dangerously close to her hairline. “With you? What, is this some kind of— thing for you?”

“It’s not—” Rose shook her head. “Just look.” She pulled the door open all the way, revealing the full extent of the console room. 

Donna stared. “What?” She stepped back, then ran out of Rose’s view before reappearing seconds later from the other side. “How’d you do that?” she demanded, peering into the TARDIS. “Is this some sort of— magic trick? If I go in there, am I going to get sawn in half?”

“It’s sort of a magic trick.” Rose hesitated. How did the Doctor always explain the TARDIS? She couldn’t think of it. “Not the kind that saws you in half.” 

Donna didn’t look convinced. 

Rose took a few steps towards the console. “See?” she prodded. “Bigger on the inside.” She paused. “It’s sort of a spaceship.”

“A spaceship,” Donna scoffed. “Really.”

“You don’t have to believe it,” Rose said. “If you don’t want to take your chances with me, I’m sure I’ve got a few pounds somewhere that you could have for a taxi.” She shrugged. “It’s not even my ship, really. I’m sort of borrowing it.”

“How do you borrow a space ship ?” Donna shook her head. “You’re mad, I swear.”

“It’s my friend’s— he—” Rose couldn’t finish the sentence. She fished her wallet out of her back pocket and took out a ten-pound note. She held it out to Donna. “This should cover you a cab to the wedding, then.” She hesitated, backing up. “And hold on a second, I’ll give you my number.” She plucked one of the Doctor’s diagrams off the floor and tore off a bit from the bottom. 

“Oh, ‘cause you’re so sure you can help me.” Rose could practically hear Donna rolling her eyes. 

“I’ve no clue whether I can help you,” Rose said distractedly, feeling in her front pocket for one of the pens she’d taken from the Doctor’s desk. “Honestly. If my friend were here—” She trailed off again as she braced the scrap of paper against her palm and used her mouth to uncap the pen. “But if something weird is going on, you’ve got a better chance with me than without,” she continued, speaking around the cap in her mouth as she scrawled out her number. She capped the pen and continued, “And I don’t think it’s a coincidence you showed up right where I was, either.” She tried to think what it could all mean, but nothing came up, so she handed the scrap of paper to Donna instead of trying to explain further. 

“How am I supposed to keep this?” Donna asked, waving the scrap in Rose’s face. “No pockets!” 

“Oh.” Rose stared for a moment, trying to push past the chaos in her mind. “Didn’t think of that.”

“Never mind.” Donna tucked the paper into her neckline. “This bra’ll just have to prove its worth.”

That startled a laugh out of Rose. “Looks secure enough.” She nodded at the door. “Go on, then, you’ve got a wedding to get to!”

“Yeah, if they haven’t finished it without me.” Donna’s tone was bitter. She held up the ten pound note. “Thanks for the cab fare, er—” She tilted her head to the side. “Sorry, did I get your name?”

“Oh, it’s Rose. Rose Tyler.” 

“Thanks for the cab fare, Rose.” 

“Anytime.”

And with that, Donna turned and walked away. Rose watched until Donna rounded the corner and disappeared, and then she moved back to the console, her head spinning. Some part of her was worried that she’d handled the interaction badly, that she’d missed something, that Donna was going off into grave danger— but she couldn’t hold the train of thought. Just having the conversation with Donna had taken all of her focus, and now she had no choice but to curl up on the console room bench with her eyes closed, trying to make sense of everything.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when her cell phone rang. Her head had settled a bit— not nearly enough, but at least she was able to sit up and pick up the phone. 

“Hello?” 

She was met with an ear-splitting scream. 

“Donna, is that you?” Rose was already up and at the TARDIS console. “Where are you?”

“How’m I supposed to know?” Donna yelled. “I’ve been kidnapped!” 

“Well, look!” Rose was staring at the console, trying to push past the fog in her head to comprehend the controls. “Any landmarks?”

“We’re on a road—”

“That’s helpful—”

“Shut up!” 

Rose rolled her eyes. “What about the landmarks? Does anything stick out? Literally anything.” 

“I don’t know!” 

Rose looked around wildly. There had to be something in the TARDIS that could help. What would the Doctor do, in this situation? And then she saw it.

“Don’t hang up!” she yelled into the phone. She ripped it from her ear and slammed it into a slot in the TARDIS console. “Please work,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and running a hand along the console. 

There was a zap of warmth amidst her headache, and the TARDIS gurgled. Rose took that as a good sign. She threw the lever for takeoff, and sure enough, the central column rose and fell, the sound of the TARDIS reverberating in Rose’s skull. She lurched to the side, clinging to the console— her head was spinning, all of a sudden, forcing her to lean on the console or risk falling to the floor. 

The TARDIS sound stopped, but the tilting and rocking of the floor didn’t: Rose stumbled to the door anyway, pulling it open, stopping short when she felt wind whipping at her hair.

The TARDIS was flying.

Rose hadn’t known it could do that.

She’d have to marvel at it later. Right now, she had a job to do. The TARDIS was bucking and lurching in the air, keeping pace with a black taxi, and through the window Rose could see Donna Noble’s terrified face. 

“Donna!” she yelled. “Get the door open!”

“What?” Donna’s shouts were muffled through the window. 

“The door!” Rose shouted, louder this time. 

“I can’t!” Donna yelled back. “It’s locked!”

Rose sighed. Of course it was. “Hang on!” This would’ve been when the Doctor brought out his sonic screwdriver, but Rose didn’t have a sonic screwdriver, nor would she have known how to use one. So she ran back into the TARDIS, desperately hoping that there would be something that could help. She made it halfway to the console before she remembered that the floor panels lifted, and then she spent precious seconds prying one up. She was rewarded, though, when she reached in and her hand instantly wrapped around the handle of a hefty axe. She took it in both hands, careful to keep the sharp bits facing away from her, and ran back to the open door.

“Cover your head!” she yelled.

“What?” 

“ Cover your head! ” Rose raised the axe, and she saw Donna slide away from the door, her hands coming up to cover her face. Rose lifted the axe over her head, ignoring her arms’ protests, and flung it right at the crack between the door and body of the car.

It was a lucky shot. 

The axe hit the crack. It bounced off, falling to the pavement, but not before leaving a dent in the car. The door popped open.

“All right,” Rose called, ignoring how weak her arms felt from the throw. “Now jump!”

Donna had moved closer to the open door, but now she was staring at Rose in shock.

“I’m not jumping on a motorway!”

“Oh, so you’d rather get kidnapped?” Rose shook her head. Her headache worsened. “There aren’t exactly any good options here!”

“I’m in my wedding dress!”

“I know! Come on!” Rose reached out. Her arms still felt weak, but she was sure she could keep herself together long enough to get Donna safely into the TARDIS. She was close enough now that she could lower her voice a bit, inject some empathy into it. “Donna, I’m sorry. But you’ve got to jump.”

She could see the moment Donna started to believe her. She could see in Donna’s eyes as she steeled herself, gained resolve— Rose stepped back, her arms out, bracing herself to catch— and when Donna jumped, Rose grabbed her around the waist, wedding dress and all, and they both fell to the ground of the TARDIS.

Donna rolled off Rose and got up right away, but Rose stayed on the ground for a moment. Everything hurt: her head, her arms, her back. She let herself lie with her eyes shut for one second, then two, and then she forced herself to get up and go over to the console. 

“Where was that church again?” she asked.

Donna gave her the address, and Rose plugged it into the TARDIS. She was fairly sure she heard something popping and breaking, but she didn’t care: she just needed the TARDIS to do this one jump, and then she could figure out what was wrong, and how she was going to fix it, and how she could get the Doctor back.

Just thinking about it all overwhelmed her. She forced herself to focus on just the one jump. It was a little one, simple— except the Doctor had said to her once that the little jumps were actually the hardest for the TARDIS to make. Something about the precision required for such a temporally vast ship to shift so minutely within the fabric of spacetime. 

Still. It was just one jump.

She set the coordinates, pulled the lever, listened as the TARDIS launched itself into the void. 

There was a thud as it landed, flinging Rose to the ground.

Everything was quiet.

Rose took a deep breath. It didn’t feel like it filled her lungs— she tried again, deeper, longer, and this one went in. She tried to assess her physical sensations: her head still throbbed, and now her arms and legs hurt too. She was still dazed, disoriented, and she felt like she could sleep for months on end. 

But she couldn’t do that. 

For one thing, Donna was still there. For another, she was dimly aware of flames at the edge of her field of vision, which meant something really had broken within the TARDIS, and Donna wasn’t going to know where the fire extinguisher was. 

Thank goodness the floor panel was still open from when Rose had gotten the axe. 

She dragged herself to the edge and reached in, hefting the fire extinguisher and managing to get to her feet so she could spray the console.

“We’d better get out of here,” she said over her shoulder, distinctly grateful the words came out coherently and in the right order. She stumbled to the door, and Donna followed.

They emerged onto a quiet street. Too quiet, for a place that was meant to be hosting a wedding.

“Did we miss it?” Rose asked. 

“Yeah.” Donna stared at the church. 

“I’m sorry.” Rose swallowed. “Still don’t really know what I’m doing.” She glanced at Donna. “You all right?”

“Doesn’t matter.” 

“‘Course it does.” 

Donna looked at her. “Are you all right? Looked half-dead in there.”

Rose looked down. “Didn’t realize you were paying attention.”

Donna didn’t respond.

“I—” Rose shook her head. “I’m having a bit of a bad day, I suppose.” She sighed. “We probably shouldn’t try to get back into the TARDIS for a bit. She usually fixes herself, but it’ll take time.”

“Right.” Donna was staring at the church again. “Wish we had a time machine. Could go back and get it right.”

“Nah,” Rose said. She still had timelines swirling in her head, pounding at the walls of her skull. “Can’t go back on things that have already happened. Found that out the hard way.”

“What?”

Rose tilted her head back towards the TARDIS. “It’s not just a spaceship.”

Donna’s eyes became wide. “No way.”

Rose nodded. “But it’s not much use to us now. We’d be better off trying to find where your family’s gone.” Although her head was still pounding, and her body still hurt, and the longer she was standing up, the dizzier she got. She felt herself sway. 

“Yeah, I’m not sure you’re going anywhere,” Donna said, looking her up and down. 

“You go on, then,” Rose said. “Honestly. I’ll be fine.” 

“Not a chance. Someone’s going to have to get you to the A&E if you pass out.”

“Not sure they can help me,” Rose replied. She took a deep breath, willing the dizziness to settle. “Suppose we should probably figure out why the pilotfish are trying to kidnap you, anyway.”

“Pilotfish?” Donna asked.

Rose shook her head. “Don’t think it’s what they’re actually called. Just what we called them last Christmas. The Santa robots.”

“Last Christmas?”

“Er—” Rose closed her eyes. The pain in her head was building again. “Sorry, can we find somewhere to sit down? My head is killing me.”

“Yeah, all right. Think there’s a bus stop down this way.” Donna led Rose half a block down the street. Every step felt like a marathon, but eventually Rose was sitting on a bench, her knees drawn up to her chest, Donna sitting next to her.

“Sorry,” Rose said again. “Wish the Doctor was here. He knows more about— well, all of this. He’d know what questions to ask.” 

“The Doctor,” Donna repeated. “Is that— your friend?”

Rose nodded. “He—” She swallowed. “I’m looking for him,” she finally said. “He’s—” She broke off. “It’s his ship. And he would understand what happened earlier, with the teleport, and why people are after you.” She took a deep breath. “I really want to help you, Donna. Whatever’s going on— if the Doctor were here, he’d help. We both would. But I don’t have all the information he does. I can stay with you, deal with anything that comes up, but—” She shook her head. “I dunno. I’m so limited.”

“That’s all right,” Donna said. “You’ve already saved me from that creepy robot cab driver. That’s more than enough.”

Rose managed a laugh. “Yeah, suppose so.” She glanced at Donna. “Tell me about this guy you’re marrying. What’s he like?”

Donna launched into an explanation of how she and her husband— Lance— had met at work. Rose tried her hardest to pay attention. It was difficult, with everything else going on inside her head, but she got the gist of it. Sounded like a pretty simple office love story, although you never knew for sure, once you got teleportation and robot aliens involved. 

“And then,” Donna finished, “we were supposed to get married, and instead I find myself on some council estate with you.”

“Sorry about that,” Rose said. “Still not sure why that happened.” She frowned. “Although—” New thoughts were coming together, rising to the top of the cloud of pain and confusion in her mind. “Suppose whatever did that to you could be connected to the TARDIS, somehow.”

“How do you mean?” 

“The TARDIS runs on all this energy,” Rose explained. “Artron energy. Vortex energy. It’s— oh, I don’t understand it. Not sure even the Doctor does. But at the center of the TARDIS, there’s all this— time energy, I guess. And I looked into it, a while back, trying to save the Doctor. I guess some of it must’ve been left over.” She glanced at Donna. “So if you’ve got some of the same energy, it might’ve— I don’t know. Come to me, I guess. When I landed at the Powell Estate.”

“That’s mad,” Donna said. “Honestly. Is your whole life like this?”

Rose considered. “Sort of. A lot of weird stuff happens around the Doctor.” She shrugged. “Guess it’s rubbed off on me.”

“No kidding.” Donna shook her head. “Right. Suppose I probably should go find everyone.” She glanced at Rose. “I’d say I’d be making you explain it, but I’m not sure I could bear to do that to you.”

Rose laughed. “Nah, I’ll come with you. Still got a bit until the TARDIS is ready, anyway.” She raised her eyebrows at Donna. “Just don’t call an ambulance if I keel over.”

“You’d better not keel over, then,” Donna replied. “‘Cause I am not equipped for that situation.”

“All right, deal.” 

Donna and Rose walked together to the reception hall. It was a block away from the church, but in the other direction, so they walked a block and a half to get there, Rose’s head pounding more with every step. 

She didn’t know what to expect when they stepped inside, but it wasn’t this. The room was dim, with a disco ball scattering patches of light across a crowd of dancing people. A Christmas song was blasting through the speakers. People around the edges of the dance floor were talking and laughing. None of it did anything positive for Rose’s headache.

And then the music stopped, and the dancers stilled, and everyone was staring at Donna.

“You had the reception without me?” Donna yelled. 

A tall man in a suit stepped forward. Donna’s groom, Rose assumed. 

“Donna, what happened to you?” he asked.

“You had the reception without me?” Donna repeated. She looked at Rose. “They had the reception without me!”

“Er—” Rose wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“Well, it was all paid for,” said a blonde woman just behind the groom.

Donna gave her a look that would have killed a lesser mortal. “Thank you, Nerys.”

And then an older woman with a blonde bob stepped forward. “Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end. I’m in London . Very funny. What the hell happened?”

Rose didn’t let her finish. She grabbed Donna’s arm.

“Come on,” she said into Donna’s ear. “You can do better than this lot.” She marched out of the reception hall, pulling Donna with her. They got back out onto the street.

“What are you doing?” Donna asked.

“Sorry,” Rose said. “You can go back in there if you want. Just—” She shook her head. “The way they talk to you. D’you really want the people in your life talking to you like that?”

“Suppose not.” Donna shrugged. “But they’re my family, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Rose said. “But that doesn’t mean you’ve got to put up with it.” She glanced at the door of the reception hall. “And I’d guess you’ve got about two seconds before they start coming after you again. But if you want, we can go back to the TARDIS and figure out what to do from there.”

There was only half a second of hesitation. 

“Yeah,” Donna said. “All right. Suppose we can do that.”

They started walking. But they barely made it halfway down the block before Rose heard metallic footsteps. 

She stopped cold.

“Donna,” she hissed. 

“What?”

Rose shut her eyes. She wasn’t sure she could run. But— Donna definitely could. She pulled the key to the TARDIS from around her neck. 

“Get to the TARDIS. This key should open it. Run . I’ll come after.”

“What? Not a chance.” 

Rose looked Donna in the eyes. “You've got to. Please.”

Donna hesitated for another moment. Rose could hear the footsteps coming closer. Internally, she prayed: Please. Just take the key .

Donna took it. 

“Thank you,” she said, her voice low and urgent. 

And then she ran.

For half a second, Rose tried to follow— but then she stumbled, and she decided she would do better to turn around. If she was going to go down, she was going to go down swinging. With whatever energy she could muster.

It wasn't much. Even at full strength, she wouldn't have had a chance against these robots. Not in these numbers, obstinately marching towards her. As it was, she was spending most of her focus on remaining standing. But she managed to keep her head up, jutting out her chin as the robots approached. 

They came closer, a squadron of shining metal. 

And closer. 

One of them reached out a hand. 

Cool metal pressed against Rose’s neck. 

Everything went dark. 

She woke up trapped.

Her arms were pinned to her body, her legs stuck together. She was wrapped up in something, a too-warm casing: she could already feel the sweat gathering on her skin, rolling down her forehead. There was an unpleasant sticky quality to whatever was holding her, too, dragging at the bare skin on her hands and ankles. She seemed to be suspended in the air, too: she was face-down, her head attached by that same sticky substance to whatever was above her, and there was nothing underneath her face, no cushion or floor. Just warm air moving past her, and the clanging echoes of metal against metal. 

And of course her head was still killing her.

All she wanted was to go back to the TARDIS and curl up on the jump seat, maybe with a mug of tea, definitely with the Doctor. She wanted to sleep for about a week, letting chamomile and paracetamol chase away the headache, never to return. She wanted to get back reading in the safety of the console room, trying to figure out how to get the Doctor out of the void.

That wasn’t an option. Instead, she forced herself to open her eyes.

She was in some kind of basement. Or, it felt like a basement, with its lack of windows and utilitarian appearance. It sort of reminded her of her old job, actually, the basement where she’d met the Doctor to begin with. Except the basement at her old job hadn’t been covered in giant spiderwebs, nor had it had a giant glowing hole in the floor.

There was a creature next to the hole, a giant spider, her face and torso oddly humanoid. Her skin was red, and on her head was a multi-pointed crest, featuring more eyes than any creature rightly should have. She was staring into the glowing pit, clicking and hissing: she didn’t seem to have noticed Rose yet.

“What the hell is this?” came a voice right next to Rose, and that was when the spider-creature looked up. 

Rose turned her head. “Donna?” Sure enough, Donna was hanging next to her, entangled in the same sticky spiderweb. 

“I’m sorry,” Donna said. “I didn’t get back in time. These robots came up, and they grabbed me—”

“It’s all right.” It wasn’t, really, but it wasn’t Donna’s fault. Rose scanned the room, looking for a way out.

The spider-creature had advanced to stand right underneath them, staring up with menace in her eyes. “Ah, yes,” she said. “You are awake.”

“Where are we?” Rose called down, injecting as much anger into her voice as she could manage. “Why have you brought us here?”

“All in good time.” Her eyes seemed to glitter as she stared up. She extended one long pincer towards Rose. “You… you are the key.”

“The key to what?” Rose asked, hurling down her words. “C’mon, it’s not like we’re going anywhere. You might as well tell us.”

The spider-creature hissed. She might’ve been about to say something else, but Rose didn’t hear it: something in her headache had just changed, become sharper, pulling her attention to—

The pit. Its glow had increased, intensified— it seemed to be beckoning Rose, calling to her.

“Rose?” It was Donna’s voice, next to her.

Rose turned her head. Donna seemed far away, viewed through a strange gold tint—

“You’re glowing,” Donna said. 

Oh.

Rose blinked. The gold tint— for a second, she was stepping out of the TARDIS on a space station thousands of years in the future, waving a hand and rearranging the universe. She blinked again, and she was back here, on Earth, in the 21st century, trying to push through a massive headache and a haze of golden light. 

“I think—” she said, and then lost the thread. She fumbled for it again, amidst her swirling and churning thoughts. “I think I’ve got to go down there.”

“You’ve what ?” 

Rose yelled down to the spider-creature. “Is that right? Am I meant to go down there? What’s in there?”

“My people!” the spider-creature screeched. “Lost to the void for so long, but recently… I have had an opportunity I could never dream of. You, golden child, you will rescue my people.” 

“You’re not half dramatic,” Rose muttered. But— the void. The void . That pit— it went to the void. Where the Doctor was trapped. Where Rose had thought she had barely a chance at penetrating. Her heart leapt. She tried to keep the hope off her face.

“I thought I would have to settle for a human ,” the spider-creature hissed. She snarled up at Donna. “Thought I was going to have to grow the key myself. But no…” Her head turned mechanically to look once again at Rose. “She led me right to you . And now I have a key and a snack.”

“No!” Rose yelled. She hadn’t thought to be afraid: there had been too much else going on. But now, now she knew she was supposed to jump into the void between universes with Donna’s life on the line, now she was afraid. “No, you can’t—” She took a deep breath. “Look. I’ll go into the void for you. I’ll get back your people or— or whatever.” She paused. “But you can’t kill Donna. All right? I want her here when I get back. Or else—” She floundered, searching for a threat. “Or else I’m going to use all my time powers to make it like you never even existed. Got it?” She probably wasn’t actually capable of destroying anyone so completely, but the spider-creature didn’t need to know that. She also wasn’t sure what she was going to do about the new race of humanoid person-eating spider-creatures that she was about to bring to Earth, but that was a bridge she would cross when she got to it. This was, of course, how she and the Doctor got into high-stakes predicaments every three minutes, but at least they usually managed to get out of them. 

The spider-creature drew back, her teeth bared. For a moment, Rose feared an attack, but when the creature raised her arms, it was not to slash at Donna or Rose, but to slice through the silk trapping Rose. Slowly, some of the silk came away from the ceiling, unrolling, lowering Rose to the floor. 

“Not doing much for the headache,” she muttered, climbing to her feet. The silk still clung to her clothes, draping her in white strings. She glanced at the glowing pit next to her. “Right. If I’m going in there, I’m going to need a way back.”

The spider-creature clicked. “Already done.” She walked past Rose, eight legs moving her powerfully across the room, until she lifted up what Rose realized was a thick cord of silk. “This will keep you anchored.”

Rose eyed the cord. It looked sturdy enough— she had no doubts that the silk could hold, considering how well it had held her to the ceiling. But— “Is that thing going to stay anchored? What’s stopping me from falling in?”” She saw too vividly in her mind’s eye herself, being lowered slowly into the void on the silk rope, only to lose her grip and be sucked in forever. 

Well. At least she’d be with the Doctor. 

“It has been charged with Huon particles,” the spider-creature hissed. “It will hold.”

“Right.” Rose stepped closer. She picked up the cord and grimaced: it was the same unnervingly sticky substance as the rest of the silk. Still, the stickiness would work in her favor. She wrapped the end of the cord around her waist, fumbling to tie a knot with the thick and sticky rope. Once secure, she wrapped the rope around one of her arms, grabbing it in her hand. She’d seen how easy it had been for the Doctor to fall into the void. She was trying for a reversal of that fate, not a repetition.

“Right,” she said. “What am I looking for?”

“You’ll know it when you see it,” hissed the spider-creature. 

“Big spider-people?” Rose guessed. “Yeah, I probably will.” She stepped up to the edge of the pit. The feeling in her head intensified— it had shifted away from pain and more to an indescribable and instinctive wrongness. “Right,” she said again. “No snacking while I’m gone.” She stepped back, away from the pit, both hands on the rope— and with a running start— she leapt into the light.

The world shifted.

Nothing—

and everything.

Rose, scattered 

across

time

space

universes

a screaming

wind

and—

and—

there he is.

The Doctor.

Her Doctor.

Calling out—

Rose.

Rose crashed against the concrete floor, a warm weight falling on top of her. She blinked, trying to remember what had just happened. It all felt like a haze. Her mind couldn’t process it— couldn’t fold it up into the ordinary range of human experience, and now Rose was left on the floor, confused, strangely empty. Her headache was still there, pulsing away, but less, like she was further from it. 

And then she stopped trying to process what had just happened, and she started trying to process what was happening now , and she realized—

“Doctor!” she cried, flinging her arms around him. One arm was still tangled in the spider silk, but Rose didn’t care, because it was him , he was back, after she was worried she’d never see him again— she could’ve cried. She would’ve cried, if she’d had time. She managed to pull them both into a sitting position, next to each other on the ground, and a moment later his arm was around her waist.

“Rose,” he said. “We— what— where are we?”

Rose looked around. “I’m not sure, actually.” She turned back to look at him, properly now she’d gotten her excitement out of the way. His face was inches from hers, looking completely lost. He looked so young, with that look in his eyes: Rose couldn’t stand it. “Basement somewhere, probably. I don’t know. You sort of missed a lot.”

“Oh.” He still looked lost. “Er—”

“You did not bring me my people!” 

Rose turned, breaking away from the Doctor. The spider-creature was advancing, menacing clicks and all. 

“You tricked me,” the spider-creature added. “Now I will eat you and your friends!”

“Like hell you will!” Donna yelled. 

Rose looked up. Donna . “You all right?” she yelled. 

“As long as no one eats me!” Donna yelled back.

Right. Rose looked around. The spider-creature was still advancing, clicking her pincers— the Doctor was still on the ground— Donna was still hanging from the ceiling— and the pit was still open, sending bright light into the room.

Slowly, Rose formulated a plan.

She got to her feet, backing away from the spider-creature. There was a set of stairs to the exit— that could work in her favor. She turned and ran, ignoring the spider-creature’s sibilant laugh behind her: “You run,” she cackled, “but you forget! You are still tethered to my creation! You won’t get far.”

Rose was too out of breath to respond. But if she could pull this off— she ran up the stairs, the spider-creature still charging after her. And then she turned— scanned the room, with the position of the spider-creature, the pit, the Doctor, Donna. 

She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. 

She jumped.

The spider silk held fast, and Rose swung straight into the spider-creature, feet-first. She screwed her eyes shut as she kicked, and the sound of the creature’s yells cutting off abruptly was all the evidence she needed that her blow had landed. The rope swung across the pit and then back, depositing Rose right in front of the stairs, and for a moment, she stumbled. By the time she’d regained her balance, the light in the pit had died.

“Is she gone?” Rose asked, taking a wobbly step forward. 

“Yeah,” Donna called down. “You sent the spider to the Underworld. Now can someone get me down from here?” 

“Er—” Rose looked around wildly for something that could help cut Donna down. There was an axe, lying on the ground— maybe if she stood at the top of the stairs and reached, the axe would reach Donna. But that was too risky. The chances of it hurting Donna were too high.

Rose was so busy trying to find another option that she almost didn’t notice the familiar buzzing sound coming from across the room.

The Doctor, still sitting on the floor, was holding up the sonic, its blue glow pointed towards Donna. He was smart: he broke all the threads but one, and Donna swung towards the ground. Rose stepped in the path of her swing, and Donna barrelled into her, sending them both to the ground.

“Right,” Rose muttered. “Think all of us could do with a good bath.” She got to her feet, cataloguing every ache and pain until she realized there were too many to count. She made her way slowly over to the Doctor, who had lowered the screwdriver and was now turning it over in his hands, looking at it as if he’d never seen it before. “Doctor,” she said quietly, kneeling next to him. “Are you all right?”

The Doctor looked up at her, that same lost confusion in his eyes. “Rose, I— I don’t know what happened.”

“Let’s get you back to the TARDIS,” Rose said. “C’mon, up you get.” 

She helped the Doctor to his feet, and they leaned on each other as they made their way back to Donna.

“Now, are you going to explain anything that just happened?” Donna asked.

“I—” Rose glanced at the Doctor. “I’m not sure I understand it myself.” She hesitated. “Where are we, even?”

“Only one way to know, I think,” Donna replied.

Together, painstakingly slowly, the three of them walked up the stairs: Rose’s entire body still hurt, and the Doctor was in no shape to move, and Donna didn’t really seem to be either.

“I can call my grandad to drive us back to your ship,” Donna offered as they got to the basement’s exit. “He’ll believe me.”

“Soon as we figure out where we are,” Rose noted. 

They stepped out into a hallway. It was mostly dim and empty, barring a few doors, but then Rose noticed a familiar logo.

She stopped in her tracks, pointing to the offending door. “Is that— the Torchwood logo?” It was on a laminated bit of paper that had been attached to the door, with text underneath it. 

Donna glanced over. “Oh, you know Torchwood? They own my company, technically.”

“Yeah,” Rose murmured. 

Donna looked around. “Actually, this might be my company. Looks bloody familiar, doesn’t it?”

“Might explain how you got mixed up in all this,” Rose added. 

Sure enough, as they climbed up to the ground floor, Donna recognized more and more— until finally they were in an expansive lobby with a sign behind the reception desk featuring the logo for a company called HC Clements. 

“At least we know where we are,” Donna said. “Rose, can I borrow your mobile?”

Rose passed it over. Donna dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, and Rose turned back to the Doctor. 

“We’ll be back to the TARDIS in a second, all right?”

He nodded. “Was that— a Racnoss, back there?”

“I’ve absolutely no idea,” Rose said, completely honestly.

“Looked like a Racnoss.”

Donna turned back to them, passing the mobile back to Rose. “Ten minutes.” 

“Thanks.” Rose dropped the phone in her pocket. She took the Doctor’s hand, comforted by its solid warmth. It felt just the same as always: so familiar, so completely Doctor. 

They spent the ten minutes in relative silence, peppered with mutters from the Doctor and concerned questions from Rose. Donna’s grandad pulled up to the entrance, his headlights flashing through the windows, and Donna, Rose, and the Doctor piled into the car, Donna in front, Rose and the Doctor in the back. Rose kept her hand in the Doctor’s as Donna directed her grandad to the TARDIS; he tried to ask what had happened and where Donna had met Rose and the Doctor, but Donna managed to give him clipped answers that invited no further questioning.

When they got to the TARDIS, Donna got out of the car with Rose and the Doctor to say her goodbye. 

“If you need anything,” Rose said to her, her voice quiet, “you’ve got my number, yeah? Or even if you just want to go on an outer space adventure.” She glanced at the Doctor. “When we’ve got our strength back, anyway.”

Donna nodded. “Thank you,” she said. 

“Thank you ,” Rose replied. She pulled Donna in for a hug. “Stay in touch, all right?”

Donna nodded again.

“We’ll be seeing you.” 

“Goodbye, then.” Donna slid back into the car, gathering up her dress. Rose watched for a moment as Donna’s grandad pulled away, and then she turned to the Doctor. 

“C’mon,” she said, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Let’s get you inside.”

Together once more, they entered the TARDIS.

[khakilike]

Just thinking out loud, trying to get my Mandalorian thoughts in order before the finale ... 

Who is the other spy? So much evidence points to the Armorer, but maybe there’s *too much* evidence, don’t you think? I figure the characters will see the same clues the viewers are seeing, and they’ll accuse the Armorer of working for Gideon---so she’ll prove her innocence by removing her helmet to reveal that she’s someone who would never betray Bo-Katan: her sister Satine. But isn’t Satine dead? Yeah, but she was killed by Maul, and Maul was supposed to be dead himself, so maybe Satine survived somehow, too. It’s a stretch, but it would explain why the show spent an episode introducing Lizzo as “The Duchess,” because who else in Star Wars is famous for having that title? Yup. Duchess Satine Kryze. And if the “Never remove your helmet” thing is a tradition she hid behind to keep her identity secret, Din Djarin can start showing his Pedro Pascal’s face again once the truth comes out, which should make everyone happy.

(And if the Armorer isn’t Satine, I hope she’s grown-up Omega. I don’t know what that would look like or if the timeline even makes sense, but it’s a fun idea.)

So who’s the spy actually? I think it’s Axe Woves. If it’s suspicious that the Armorer left the party just before the shit hit the fan, then it’s *really* suspicious that Axe Woves left the party just before the shit *really* hit the fan. There are strong storytelling reasons to have him present for the end of “The Spies”---after establishing the rivalry between Axe and Paz Vizsla early in the episode, it’s only fitting for Axe to save Paz from certain death at the end (or to die alongside him, as Mandalorian brothers)---so there must be equally strong storytelling reasons to take him out of the equation. Therefore, he’s probably the spy.

My theories are shaky, but until now they haven’t been ridiculous. Let’s change that. What narrative sense does it make to establish that Paz Vizsla is a father, only to have him die a few episodes later? Well, one way it makes sense is if you want to introduce his child’s mother. Ragnar Vizsla might be a foundling, but he could also be Paz Vizsla’s biological son---and if I follow this train of thought far enough, isn’t it possible that Ragnar’s mother might be the Armorer? Combine that with my theory that the Armorer is Satine Kryze, and Ragnar becomes a character who links the creator of the Darksaber with the Darksaber’s current wielder. Suddenly, Bo-Katan is no longer the last of her line. Questions about the Darksaber’s true ownership are made irrelevant. And Mandalore shall rise again.

Now, how dumb am I going to feel when I’ve seen how everything really plays out? I don’t care, as long as the finale’s good! 

[brick1458]

Destiny falls in love

( description)my first 101 dalmatian street story

includes adventure, romance and much more

I've already seen the ships I've noticed through the series so I thought I'd try something new this book takes place after the series where the Dalmatian family goes on vacation because their last one had complete peril in it and after defeating Cruella they all decided to take a trip to a beachy resort in Paris but what happens when destiny of the triple d falls in love with a German shepherd with a French accent? find out in 101 Dalmatian Street a real vacation

here's what I have so far for my story also I decided to change the title so instead of just a single episode or one parter I decided to change it into one big episode kind of like a movie but anyway here's the new preview and I will add more to it )

It was a normal and tiring early morning as the pups had just come back home from being locked up by cruella de vil as Doug had pressed the paw scanner to unlock the door as a few of the pups let out a few yawns as dolly and Dylan tierdly went into the door

Dolly" man I am so glad we're back home and not have to worry about those or any other de vil's " she said yawning as Dylan came in after her

Dylan" your telling me I think may have sprained my back a little from that jump" he groaned as he hears a Crack popping sound as he panicked as he checked behind him" oh no I think I just heard my back pop out of place and pulled a muscle cramp

Dolly smirked as she decided to playfully tease her brother as she rolled her eyes before snickering " oh bro please you ? Pulling a muscle cramp uh I think you'd at least need a bit of muscle in order to pull one" she said laughing getting a few of the others laughing including triple d

Digby" oh uh sorry about that Dylan t that was me " he said chuckling as he had popped out of another hole he dug as he had a stick in his mouth as he snapped it in half causing Dylan to jump as his other siblings kept laughing

Dylan" hey that's not funny dolly" he said groaning at his sister's laughter " I could end up in the hospital and when I get home you'd have to take care of me " he smirked as dolly quickly stopped laughing

Dolly" ok this isn't fun for me anymore " she said as she panicked a bit" but if you did hurt yourself of course I'd look after you " she said as the last 3 pups came in which was triple d

Destiny " so glad to be out of those disgusting cages and back home now we can finally get some beauty sleep

Dallas" Ugh ikr you totes said it Destiny

Deja vu" we could like totally use a vacation and hopefully it doesn't end like our last one" she said as the pups all went to get some sleep as their parents over heard as they looked at each other

Doug" hmm you know deja vu has a point maybe we should have another vacation it would certainly give the pups a surprise and let them relax after what we've all been through for the past two days

Delilah " hmm your right Doug the pups deserve a break after they've been so dramatized but our budget's a little short right now it could take weeks before we have enough money to surprise them with a trip

Doug" then why Don't we start giving the kids allowances to help with paying for our vacation

Delilah " oohhh excellent idea and I know just the place" she said smiling as the two went off to bed

( few weeks later)

It was 7:35 in the morning as Dj had woken up a bit earlier as he couldn't sleep as he went to plug in his turn tables " Time to get the perfect song started to get these pups up" he smirked as he flipped a disk in as he cranked the volume up a bit as the music was blasting out of the amplifiers waking up the other pups as dj had his headphones connected to the table

Get yourself on the dance floor right now

Get your music on I know you know how

Let the rhythm take over your two feet

There's nothing like a fine fresh beat (Come on)

Just grab a friend and go

Let's play

[Chorus: All]

Music, it really keeps me movin'

Let's get going, all right

Our smiles are showing

Music, it puts the groove in what you're doin'

Let's get excited, all right

Don't try to fight it

We play in harmony, in the key of you and me, it's music

Dallas suddenly woke up as she and the other pups felt the room shake as they all groaned as they were all on the floor as Dallas blew her ears out her face marching up to dj" dj " she said calling to him as he couldn't hear her over the music " dj ! " she yelled as she took his head set off his ears

Dj was to busy in the groove playing his mix tapes until the record scratched to a stop as his head set was taken off" hey what happened I was right in the middle of a great groove

Deja vu" yeah well your groove" she said sounding sarcastically " woke us all up after it shook the house up what were you even doing playing music this early anyway?

Dj" oh didn't you guys know I over heard mom and dad last night saying something about a trip I don't know where we're going but wherever it is it could be exciting and I didn't want you guys to over sleep so I decided to play one of my new albums that I've made with the perfect song to wake you guys up

Meanwhile Delgado was up siting in the living room playing his video games as his eyes were turning red from lack of sleep as he was talking to himself " I've been up for over 22 hours but that isn't going to stop me from beating the game

Meanwhile Destiny had just gotten up as she went to the living room and sat with him as she watched him" need some help bro?" She asked as she continued watching him" what video game is this anyway?

Delgado turned to her , his eyes red and dry as they were cracking a bit from dehydration and from lack of sleep " rail riders toughest game there is

Destiny " woah bro hold it did you not get any sleep?" She asked holding a mirror" look at you if you ever want to get a girlfriend someday you do not want to be like that why don't you go and freshen up a bit you look like a zombie the way you are now

Delgado " oh my dog" he said looking in the mirror seeing his eyes cracking " how long was I up" he asked in shock

Destiny " about almost more than 3 days and no one shoube able to go up than 3 days with no sleep trust me - I usually get 15 hours of beauty

sleep everyday

Delgado sat there wide eyes as he saw the horror in what he has done and grabbed Destiny by the shoulders and started shaking her"...call Delilah, she may be my Mom too , but ask her if she has any eyedrops.

Diesel: "Hey Delgado hi triple D" he said as he came in panting as he looked at Delgado " ooohhh looks like you've been playing a lot of games

Destiny " ok 1st let go of me and calm down before you start being like dontae " she said calmly as he put her down" and second don't worry 1 got them right

here" she said holding a small bottle

now if I were you I'd first put water in my eyes then gently dab them with a towel then the eye drops and finally getting some sleep " she said saving and

quiting his game before shutting it down besides your battery's almost low" she said as she went to charge his controller

Delgado "well im going to go say hi to her." He said standing up but walking into the wall.

"Ow, also hi diesel.'

Destiny " actually I haven't seen Dallas

or deja vu anywhere all-day

Delgado was rubbing his eyes I know, just wanna leave the room *walks out but still stumbling a little*

Diesel : "strange where are they?

Destiny "I don't know " she said looking at Delgado " here bro let me help you she said wrapping a paw around him to help him get to mom

Meanwhile after a few hours of waiting after helping Delgado

destiny decided to try out Delgado 's game as she decided to help him get past a few of the extra hard levels as she started giggling " nothing wrong with helping a tired soul our while their getting some sleep

Delgado" woah woah not so fast little sis" he said taking the controller holding up a paw" "Gaming is serious business destiny." He stated as he looked at her" one slip up and I'll have to start from level one

Destiny "I know that cause whenever my sisters and 1 aren't shooting action shot ads I usually play video games and always get the high score who knows might be better then you big brother

she smirked confidently

Delgado's eyes widen hearing about thisshock as he turnedaway waving his paw as a record scratched to a stop "whoa whoa hold up. Delgado said. A are you seriously thinking you can take me in any game?

Destiny " what's the matter scared of a challenge or are you afraid to lose to your little sister " she smirked as Dallas and deja vu came in with the others

Dallas" tell him you can take him on in the ultimate smash arena video game

Delgado "are you challenging the pup that has beaten countless records? I mean come on dallas is talking about the ultimate fighting game and i doubt a cute princess like you knows anything about fighting " Delgado said grabbing another controller glaring at his sister

Destiny " oh you know I am bring it on" she smirked as she grabbed the second controller as she inserted a fighting game as she chose a wolf warrior with a Cresent blade for a weapon with a special move

Delgado 's eyes widen when he saw destiny's avatar as he looked at her with a shocked look"i did not expect an avatar like that." Delgado said as he looked at her" where did you even get an avatar like that from?

Destiny " oh its simple I actually unlocked him after many battles working my way up and here's another thing you should always expect the unexpected now who are you going to be as ? she smirked as she pressed a button locking her character in as she had also created a team of 3

Delgado " hmm let's see what characters do I want to use" he asked himself as he started getting a little worried that his sister had already chosen a scary avatar as he nervously looked at her as he looked back at the screen choosing a red character for his team's leader and a green samurai character and a yellow ninja character as he locked his team in

Destiny " prepare to lose" she started pressing a few buttons as her character used a quick attack slicing his character multiple times as she moved her character back as her character started spinning his weapon creating a wave of Cresent moons causing more critical damage as she blocked one of his attacks" that all you got bro ?

Delgado was amazed at how much damage she was doing to him as this was her first time battling him " w what the you have all these incredible moves w what moves do I have? " He asked as he started pressing a few buttons as his ninja character pulled out a hammer of some sort as it caused an earthquake as his leader character placed his weapon sticking from the ground as his leader grabbed on and spun around it as destiny 's character started taking more damage

Destiny " not bad but check it" she pressed a button as the screen showed a full moon with a wolf howling as her character 's eyes were glowing giving him more power as her character turned into a dark black and purple streak tossing his character into the air as her character repeatedly sliced through him taking more hits on him til his health was nearly empty

Meanwhile Dylan was getting everyone's bowls ready for breakfast as he then saw his mom and dad coming in

Delilah" oh Dylan there you are can you get the others to gather in the kitchen we have big news we want to share with you all in a family meeting

Dylan " oh sure thing mom" he said as he cleared his throat calling out one of their trigger words BREAKFAST!

( background pups) breakfast breakfast breakfast breakfast " they all chanted as a massive tidal wave of white with spots came running running down the stairs as all the pups were gathered in the kitchen

Meanwhile after a few hours of driving to the airport Dallas was struggling and strangling cause she was hot, the seat belt started feeling too tight around her as she tried sitting in different directions before finally groaning

Dallas " uuuggghhhh I'm so bored there's got to be something we can do on this boring trip to the airport besides I have to get out of this thing" she said stretching the seat belt before looking at her paw" I'm totes getting a paw cramp from sitting here so long

Delilah " hmm maybe you kids should try doing something to keep your minds entertained? I mean look at your brother dj" she said as the screen zoomed up into the back row as dj was laying on his back next to Deepak who was meditating as dj was sitting back listening to music on his phone with ear buds " sitting quietly and minding his business it's like he and Deepak ar in their own little worlds in different ways

Little did anyone know that while dj was listening to his music he was also overhearing his mother's conversation with Dallas as he smiled , pulled out his ear buds while pausing his music " ohhh does singing or listening to music count as a road trip activity?

Delilah " actually dj it does playing music is a great thing to do on road trips or vacation

Dawkins " in fact there's a highly 99.8% that some people consider music and songs to be quite important in their lives as they see it as a kind of medical aroma therapy that calms and relaxes the body and mind

Destiny " sounds like Deepak when he's meditating" she said jokingly as she rolled her eyes as a few of the other pups started laughing and giggling

Deepak on the other hand looked quite annoyed that his brothers and sisters were laughing at one of his many quirks he looked at Destiny " you know I can hear you right?" He said with his eyes closed as he was still mediating

Dj then it's a good thing I had Dawkins make some upgrades " he said smirking

Delilah " Wait? What! " she asked in concern as she turned around and saw dj running to the very back where no one was sitting as he turned a dial as the whole empty back row flipped and turned into a massive dj station as a big radio tower emerged from the second level of the bus much to the other pups shock especially Dolly's amazement and Dylan's concern

Dylan " dj w w wh what is this thing? A bus shouldn't have a dj system in the back row hooked to a giant radio tower do you have any idea how dangerous that could be

Dj" woah chill bro I got it all under control besides I thought we might get bored either during a long trip or with using it as a plain old London decor bus so I had Dawkins make some serious upgrades to it and now we have our own dj party broadcasted by a high voltage radio tower so everyone can hear my mixes

Dolly " totally awesome little bro " she said impressed by giving a little whistle to his work" Look at you mr rhythm master you and Dawkins must have been up all night working on this

Dylan " yeah when exactly did you and Dawkins go to bed?

Dj well Dawkins went to bed early said he needed to rest his brain so I kept working on this beauty til like 3:30 in the morning and then woke up by 7:30 what can I say I'm an early wake up kind of pup

Dolly " then let's take this to the lab and what this thing is made of hit it dj" she said excitedly as dj pressed a button on his turn table as two giant amplifiers came popping up out of no where much to Dawkins concern as he pulled a playlist mix tape in the tape section

Dj" awww yeah let's get this party big, loud and crazy up in here" he said smiling

Dawkins " now easy on the power dj we've never had this much electrical equipment in the back of the bus before and" he soon found himself interrupted as he was blasted up to the front by a powerful Soundwave from the amplifiers as the music began playing loudly as Dawkins sighed" awww kibbles he said groaning as the music started going into the other pup's ears as it was like they were instantly in a trance as triple d came up as one of them felt like they heard this type of music before

Meanwhile in the park of Paris there was a German shepherd who didn't really have a home as he went wherever his soul and the wind took him as he sat in the middle of of a flower bed looking at the clouds this dog's name was hunter( I decided to change the name if your confused) he had an empty heart waiting for a sign of true love as he picked up a guitar and started strumming hoping his voice would be heard

( Instrumental)

Hunter" I have a dream I hope comes true let’s  me sing my songs for you, I know one day  my voice will soar  a Destiny  that I'm  meant  for  wish upon a star  one night  your hopes will be your guiding light dream the dreams and fight the fight  hold them in your heart so tight

Meanwhile  Destiny, Dallas, and Deja vu  were out walking along  the streets of Paris enjoying the fabulous  sights until  Destiny's ears  perked up as she heard a beautiful melody as it made her heart flutter

Destiny " oh my dog where is that beautiful music coming from it's absolutely beautiful

Dallas  then lifted one of her ears trying to detect the signal" hmm I think it's coming from  the park

Deja vu " then let's go see what we can  see

Destiny " who knows  maybe I'll find  my  soulmate" she said  excited as she and the others went to the park and  spread out looking in a different   area

Hunter was still strumming his guitar as he was starting to hum to the song as he was about to finish as he had moved to a bench before hoping down getting into the rhythm as he started playing louder and singing louder

Hunter" dream the dreams and fight the fight   hold them in your heart so tight I had a dream  I made come true now I'm singing my songs for  you  wish upon a star one night your hopes will be your guiding light  dream the dreams and fight the fight hold them in your heart so tight

Meanwhile Destiny was still searching as she heard the same music as she had bumped right into a German shepherd not paying attention as he started  growling her for knocking him over as he slowly approached her

Hunter" who are you pup" he said still growling as he then got confused when she was avoiding him and not speaking " what are you doing?

Destiny " my father says to never talk to strangers

Hunter" you always do what daddy tells you " he smirked teasingly at her as he started angering her

Destiny "No!

Hunter " bet you do " he said as he was smiling " bet your daddy's little girl " he said  laughing  as he walked off and was being  followed  by Destiny  as he hopped onto a bench before doing a backflip landing on a tree branch a little higher from the ground " an outsider pup like me doesn't need anyone  I  take care of myself

Destiny " really!? Cool" she said impressed  as she was sitting there not knowing a dog catcher was about  to   grab her with a net until  Hunter turned around and screamed as Destiny  slowly turned around and screamed as well as Hunter  pushed her to the side saving her as they started running off as they  ended up stranded on a little Rock in the lake as they noticed  a gator getting closer to them As they jumped  from stone to stone  reaching a branch in the middle as Destiny  and Hunter were catching  their breath  panting

Hunter" that was a close one

Destiny " y yeah" she said giggling  as the rocks they were sitting on happened to be more gators as they started screaming as Destiny started  climbing up the branch as she saw  Hunter running off" Uh h hey what about me?

Hunter " I'll distract them . Run! " he said running on top of multiple  gators  avoiding their jaws until he ran on another one to the end of it's tail as he fell in  as he reached the surface coughing  as the others started   coming at him

Destiny " look out!" She yelled as  she saw Hunter get cornered trying to  climb onto another tree branch about to get eaten  as she jumped off the branch and onto the gator's snout closing it" Move it " she said as Hunter started climbing  as she jumped on after him  as she took another  few jumps further onto the branch as they both made it back onto dry land  as they looked up almost getting caught  by the dog catcher as they quickly ran off out from the park as they were catching their breath as they started giggling

Destiny " oh man did you see the size of those teeth? And the way you  saved me from that dog catcher? We make such a great team  and you... you were really brave out there

Hunter " hey no problem little lady" he said giving off a charming smile causing Destiny to blush" and hey You were  pretty brave too the name's Hunter

Destiny " I I'm Destiny " she said feeling her heart beat faster as there were heart's in her eyes as she happily sighed as she was having her first crush as she snapped back to reality " a anyway again I'm sorry for bumping into you

Hunter chuckled as he felt himself soften up more" happens around me all the time" he said as he stared into her eyes as Destiny slightly turned away to his confusion " h hey are you ok ? Something seems to be on your mind is there something you want to talk about " he asked as he gently lifted her chin up

Destiny blush deepened as he lifted her chin as she felt her legs getting more weak as she stared into his eyes " o oh y yeah I I'm fine fine just just something on my mind about looking for a lover on my own I mean my sister has a crush on both spike and Hansel my brother has one on summer and this goth poodle but me I don't have anyone to have feelings for yet that's why I'm hoping to find my soul mate while I'm here on vacation with my family

Hunter's eyes widen as he heard destiny's hopes as he smiled brightly at her as he found out they were after the same dream as the two of them looked at each other and then turned their heads away blushing as he cleared his throat " really?" He said letting out a chuckle as he looked back at her as he walked up to her" you know it's funny

Destiny " excuse me?" She said as she was confused as she thought he was laughing at her for chasing a dream and she didn't find it funny at all

Hunter " o oh uh I meant it's funny cause I kind of hope to someday meet my true lover" he said surprising her as she looked back at him as he looked up at the stars above them as he looked down at his guitar " I mean I didn't really have much of a home as a pup I've been kind of a street dog to live by instinct that's why I'm by myself and then I heard from others that music is the way of passion so that's why I sing and play my guitar so I can find my true soulmate

Destiny's eyes widen as she smiled as she didn't know he was after the same dream she was as she chuckled " you know that is funny " she giggled until she heard why he was after the dream as she felt herself softening up more as she had tears coming from her eyes " awww poor hunter" she said as she stepped closer as she nuzzle against him" I I'm so sorry I I had no idea" she said as she continued nuzzling up against him as she took out her phone and realized how late it was" ohh man is it that late" she said in a panic as she started running off

Hunter " h hey whats wrong where are you going?" He asked as he was confused why she was running off in a hurry as he followed her

Destiny " no time to explain I gotta make my way to the hotel we're staying at before my parents worry" she said as she took a pause" huh guess there was Time to explain " she said before halting to a stop seeing Hunter in front of her as she started blushing

Hunter " well then malady until we meet again " he said holding her paw and kissing it making Destiny blush deeper as he moved out of the way as he looked back at her sighing as he felt his heart beating as he felt himself like he was smiling for the first time as he started singing

Hunter"

it's been a while since I smiled and meant it

Lately I guess I've just been " he sang as he started walking off along the streets as he continued " searching for purpose for any incentive

To show me just where I fit in " he sang as he continued walking while dancing to himself along the bridge" then suddenly I'm flying through the night sky the city lit up below " he sang as he grabbed onto a lamp post and spun himself halfway " watching and wondering and wanting to know how far this adventure will go" he sang as he let go as he hopped up a tree branch singing into the night sky" then she appears like a dream in a dream and everything seems to slow down" he sang as he then walked and climbed up a fire escape " she looks at me smiles could this be what it seems? My feet haven't yet touched the ground " he sang as he started leaping from rooftop to rooftop " and suddenly I feel so free leaping through the city I'm leaving all the pain far behind so strong I can't ignore it and as I'm sleeping for her will she be there by my side?" He sang as he got himself down as he sat on a bench still smiling " its been a while since I smiled and meant it those who know me would agree maybe I finally found my incentive tonight in Paris my lady!

Meanwhile Destiny finally made it to the hotel as she ran through the halls to find the room they were staying in as she entered the room getting a shocked look from her two sister's Dallas and deja vu

Dallas " where have you been?

Destiny " uhhh n no where" she said blushing

Deja vu " yeah somethings different about you" she said as she noticed her red cheeks" ooohhh are you blushing?

Dallas gasped in shock" that can only mean one thing

Dallas and deja vu " you have a crush !!!!

Destiny " w what n no don't be ridiculous

Dallas " I bet I know who it is you've been spending time with that dog from the park haven't you

Destiny " ok ok yes I've been hanging with Hunter ok but I don't have a crush on him he just has" destiny's ears soon perked up as she went to the window and heard Hunter singing as she sighed " a really dreamy singing voice

Dallas " rrright sure you don't have a crush " she smirked as deja vu giggled as the two went to get ready for bed as Destiny laid on the window bed staring at the stars while listening to Hunter's music wondering what tomorrow will bring them

[consumeronionbulletin]

Inspector Koo (2021)

I didn't know what to expect from this show. It's kind of a quirky remix of Killing Eve crossed with a video game. But after a few minutes of watching Lee Young-ae on screen I was completely sold.

What Worked

This show is hard to explain, visually. The title credits look like some kind of anime tribute. They like to throw in weird flashbacks that aren't flashbacks, characters talking to each other in some kind of liminal space that doesn't exist, and cuts to cheap (though not necessarily bad) video game effects. This makes the show feel like a live action adaptation for a comic book that did not, in fact, exist (though I would totally read it if it did). As a way to keep the show fresh and interesting (while keeping the budget low), I'd say it mostly works, but YMMV.

What Didn't Work

The last 4 episodes kind of felt flat. It was mostly a writing problem (and maybe a budget problem). They had a chaotic energy running through the show that ended up being abandoned in favor of the more standard K-drama ending where everything gets put back in order and justice (of a sort) prevails. I don't think it completely ruined the drama, but they should definitely have let the chaos run for a few more episodes before trying to setup the ending.

Also (*spoiler*) the "battle of wits" in the last episode was just not interesting. What makes Inspector Koo great as a character is that she manages to use chaos to her advantage. She's not a Holmesian detective, they shouldn't try and put her into that role.

The Performances

Lee Young-ae as Inspector Koo. This actress is a legend in K-film and I had no idea who she was going into the show, but her performance in this was still magnetic. Throughout the show she's a complete wreck—she quit the police, and spends her days and nights playing video games (a pretty cool looking MMO) and drinking herself into a stupor. Basically, she's a total trash goblin and I love her for it!

She ends up in a better place at the end of the show, but manages to still have this chaotic goblin energy that is great. 10/10 no notes. We need more trash goblin detectives on television!

Kim Hye-jun as K. / Song Yi-kyun. She did a great job taking on (roughly) the same role as Jodie Comer in Killing Eve, but with her own spin. Everything up to episode 7 or so (the big election announcement episode) was great. Then the writers kind of didn't know how to resolve her arc. Her character needed to change in some fashion, IMO, and I'm not sure if they really did that. Still a great performance overall.

Kim Hae-sook as Yong Sook (Director Yong). She did a pretty good job as the "true villain" of the show, in a sense, and a big departure from her role in Hospital Playlist. I think the writers decided to play it a little safe with her character in the last few episodes, they could have made her more of an equal of the two leads and upped the stakes, but overall it was still a good performance.

Kwak Sun-young as Na Ja-hee. This was a slight disappointment compared to other roles I've seen her in. When the writers gave her good stuff to work with, she did well, but there were other times when they made her a bit bland and I think her performance got lost a bit. If you want to see her in a much better role, just watch the first season of Hospital Playlist.

Bae Hae-sun as Jung-yeon (K.'s Aunt). She started out as kind of a sleeper character, but as the writers made her more interesting, Bae Hae-sun started to wake up and by the end of her time on the show, you really felt for her. I've seen her in maybe a half dozen other shows, but this was the first one that was really memorable for me, for whatever reason.

Baek Sung-chul as Santa / Han Kwang-wook. I wouldn't say this was a complete standout performance, but I still really enjoyed watching him. Again, I think the writers were a little lazy with the character in a few places, but still a good performance and an interesting side character.

Everyone else. Most of the side characters / villains were fun to watch. I liked the guy that played K.'s sidekick (Lee Hong-nae) and Director Yong's family and lackeys had a number of good character actors. The guy who played the annoying rival team lead did an especially good job at being hateable without being evil. The other "trash" characters that were victims / potential victims of K. were also pretty good.

TL; DR:

I had alot of fun with the show. The title character is especially fun to watch, but there were alot of interesting characters and performances. I felt a bit of a let down in the final stretch of shows, but it was never bad, just not as fun / chaotic as the first eight episodes. Just one of those shows that peaks in the middle of the run, and that's okay.

[jasonblaze72]

Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1: Streaming Guide & Release Date

Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 release date is right around the corner and fans are pretty excited for the same. This is an American live music television show. Austin PBS records the show and produces it. It was because of this series that Austin, Texas, became the Live Music Capital of the World in the United States. This is also the only television series that has won the National Medal of Arts. Other than this, it also won a Peabody Award for more than three decades of presenting and preserving American musical genres. Bill Archos and Bruce Scafe along with Paul Bosner created the show back in 1974. The format of the series is pretty simple. We see every episode starting off with a small preview. It gives us an insight into what the musical genre is going to be and a brief introduction to the artist. Then the artist would come on stage to perform. Then after this, an interview takes place. This series of events occur for a few artists before we see the end credits rolling out. Each episode runs for about 30 minutes. We generally witness two artists per episode. Now, throughout the years, it has been noted that there were several changes in the series and new segments were introduced as well. Back in 1980 from season 5, Austin City Limits came up with a brand new segment for its show. It only ran till the 34th season though. It was called Songwriters Special. Now, before we talk about the future of the series, let us have a look at how the recap has shaped up until this time. Austin City Limits Season 47 Episode 13 Recap Back in Austin City Limits Season 47, Episode 13 titled The Best of Nanci Griffith, we saw the artist come up on stage and perform the Austin City Limits. She is a guitarist as well as a songwriter. Throughout the show, since it started, we have seen Nanci appear on the stage many times. It helps the music fans to keep up with her work as well as her personal life. Back in 1994, you guys should know, Nanci won a Grammy for her album called Other Voices, Other Rooms. Nanci has her origins in Texas itself as she was born there. To end the last season with her amazing performance only made sense to honor the series once again for the closing season. Coming back to the future of the series, here is what we have in store for the same. Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 Release Date Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 release date is on the 1st of October 2022. The episode is titled, Brandi Carlile. It is supposed to drop out at 9 PM Eastern Time on PBS. New episodes are slated to release every week on Saturdays since here. You can keep a track of the same through Otakukart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOqPNOGrslA Streaming Guide: How to Watch Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 can be watched easily when it airs on PBS at the date and time that we have mentioned above. Other than that, new episodes will be available to watch from the official website of PBS. These episodes will only be available through valid cable login credentials. In order to stream the episodes later, they will be available on the official website of ACL TV. Now, the episodes can also be streamed later through a Spectrum TV bundle with Roku devices. Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 Spoilers Austin City Limits Season 48 Episode 1 is titled, Brandi Carlile. This means the episode will feature her as the artist on TV this week. No information is provided about the second artist which will witness the episode. Brandi has a whopping collection of 7 studio albums. She creates music in a variety of genres such as pop as well as rock and folk. Also read: Murdertown Season 4 Episode 4 Release Date: The Witness! Read the full article