#they're not gonna end it out of nowhere and i truly believe that

[min-kit]

https://www.tumblr.com/min-kit/747586253787217920/lol-yeah-tommy-is-absolutely-sticking-around-by

I’m not saying he’s not staying longer than planed but with Oliver you have to also take his interviews with many grains of salt. Like love him to death but he also says things like this about every possible LI he gets. Just look at the last few interviews from season 6 where he was going on about the future of Buck and Natalia and how excited he was is to see it play out in season 7 and explore their dynamic etc. and then we all saw what happened with that lol.

to be fair, when he said those things, Fox hadn't cancelled 9-1-1 yet & ABC hadn't picked it up. for all he figured, Buck & Natalia could've been something in s7 had it been on fox and things didn't play out the way they did. & I don't blame him for saying things like this about every LI cuz I'm sure he prob hopes at least 1 will stick around for some time. Buck has certainly drawn the short end of the stick as far as LI's go, but Tommy is incredibly different than any of his past LI's and, frankly, whether you like BuckTommy or not, it'd be stupid to just brush him aside when this pairing allows for a ton of new, rich storylines that they can tell.

And isn't getting Buck off that hamster wheel Kristen put him on in seasons 5 & 6 the entire point of this?

[lev1hei1chou]

Why i believe Gojo could come back

This chapter left us in a devastated state and was absolutely uncalled for, but I personally believe this isnt the end of the strongest sorcerer. There are several reasons as to why (These are just opinions, I could be wrong in certain areas AND personal feelings might make an occassional appearance.)

LEAKS:

This whole panel was obviously made for a reason. And we dont see gojo making a decision. Considering the fact that this is literally THE Gojo Satoru, he's more likely to choose north since there's numerous things left as plot holes. We'll get to that.

Here in this page, he mentions that Toji should've cut his head off to actually kill him. In the leaks, whats cut off is his upper body but not the head! I still can't quite wrap my head around RCT but lets say he's not able to heal himself. You know who can and who would? Yuta and Shoko

Now moving on

"Gojo then bids farewell to everyone." If hes truly gone then why would he be bidding farewell to the fallen comrades? If he's dead then isn't he supposed to stay in the afterlife with them?

Pretty self explanatory

What if Kashimo is going in to distract Sukuna while Shoko and Yuta can heal Gojo?

Now think about this. Gojo is gone, Shoko doesnt fight and who are all left? A bunch of sorcerers who are literally under 20, need guidance and we havent really seen any panel where they actually plan how they're going to go about in the whole battle. Gojo isnt a want, hes a NEED, a NECESSITY.

Remember, Toji who was dead long ago pretty much appeared out of nowhere in Shibuya Arc LMAO so- yes

WHAT IS THIS EVEN SUPPOSED TO MEAN

Theres no way Gojo would be left sealed for 3 whole years, brought him back just to kill him off in the most disrespectful way possible.

Besides, things that Gojo wanted to do haven't happened yet.

He wanted to tell megumi about his father

He wanted to see his students surpass the strongest sorcerer, aka him

He wanted to get rid of the higher ups

He wanted to properly mourn suguru (for which kenjaku has to be defeated but oh well)

He wanted to save Megumi

How'd we know what Gojo said here.

On to the other aspects of why killing off Gojo was a bad idea. We barely ever saw what happened to him, and an off screen death to the so called strongest sorcerer is just senseless. Gojo is a fan favourite. People started watching the show for Gojo (myself included) and there's a high possibility of multiple people dropping the manga since he isn't even there anymore.

The ending could take a turn for the worse considering the fact that Sukuna is just overpowered and Kenjaku hasn't done anything as of now. Unless there's some heavy plot armor I dont think the students even stand a chance against Sukuna and Kenjaku. Both outcomes- the students and others emerging as victors or sukuna emerging as a victor could make the ending absolutely terrible and this might as well top AOT for being the manga with the most disliked ending.

Gojo Satoru is the mentor for multiple; for Yuji, Nobara, Megumi, Yuta, Maki, Panda, Toge and the third years and its necessary for them to have someone to teach them. It is one of Satoru's wishes to see his students surpass him, which can happen only when he's there since there's nobody else who is actually capable of teaching them and leading them into the world as actual graduated sorcerers.

So Gojo dying will make the manga take a turn for the worse. Killing him off in the middle makes absolutely no sense and is just plain bad writing. People are prolly gonna kill me for this but lets admit the truth. Hyping this battle, building up tension just to finish him off screen is NOT good writing.

Anyways. There is factual proof of Gojo potentially making a return. Maybe at a cost, like him losing his power, losing his "strongest" title or anything else. He may not even be the same anymore but honestly as long as he's back, I'm fine.

It happened previously, and could happen again.

Satoru Gojo may not be the strongest and the honoured one, but may be reborn as a newer version of himself after getting humbled. Lotuses, as mentioned above symbolise rebirth, which is why i believe this is not the end.

A small bit of advice for gojo fans: Go watch haikyuu or highschool babysitters as a form of self care <3

[genericpuff]

bit out of nowhere but LO Hades reminds me so much to Bojack Horseman idk how to explain it

Oh we've talked about this extensively in the ULO chat circles n such, especially when it comes to the most climactic scene in the show, the second interview:

The entire tone of the show showcases a very bitter reality with a lot of celebrities and people in power. There are some messed up things that happen throughout the course of the show, but they always feel like they're being used for comedy or brushed under the rug with comedy, because the show is, after all, a comedy. But I feel like that was the point, because it's not until the final season that everything that happened throughout finally catches up to Bojack, and suddenly... it's not funny anymore. There's no punchline. It really reflects just how much people in power don't see their abuse or wrongdoings as "big deals", sometimes they even see it as "just some funny thing that happened", all while the onlookers and victims of their behavior and abuse either become so acquainted with it they don't even see it as abuse anymore until they finally break away from it (Diana, Todd, Princess Caroline, etc.) OR they fight to be heard while the media tries to snuff them out. So then when the consequences finally catch up to them, there are no laughs to be heard, as much as the perpetrator in question may try their best to pass it off as "not a big deal" or believe they shouldn't be held accountable because "it happened a long time ago".

Anyone who sees Biscuits Braxby as the villain here is missing the overall point - Bojack has been responsible for literally ruining people's lives on several occasions, and has never been held accountable.

And yeah, I see a lot of that in LO as well, but the issue is the framing of the story isn't making it clear if it's actually going to have its "Come to Jesus" moment with Hades and Persephone, or if it's just gonna keep celebrating them as the heroes.

There were no consequences for Hades pulling out Alex's eye. They played the resolution out for comedy.

There were no consequences for Persephone turning Minthe into a mint plant. They played the scenario out for comedy literally by the end of the very same episode and then well into the next one.

There were no consequences for Persephone cornering Tori at his job. The entire thing was played up for comedy.

There were no consequences for Persephone raiding Leuce's home. She was rewarded with sex from Hades and it was, you guessed it, played up for comedy.

Just like with Bojack Horseman, we don't see Hades or Persephone treat these situations as seriously as they ought to. They ultimately don't care how other people feel or how they may be affected by their own actions, they only care about themselves. Just like with Bojack, we see Hades enter sexual relationships with women who are in a much weaker position than him, women who stand to lose far more than he would if the relationship went south.

(I need you all to realize that Hades is literally blackmailing her. He is trying to pay her off with a management position or some kind of severance and framing it in such a way to manipulate her into thinking it's 'better' for her that she take the deal, all for the sake of getting her out of the picture because he's with Persephone now. This is blackmail. And the narrative wants us to root for Hades here.)

Shit, I would argue Bojack is still a better character than Hades and Persephone because we 1.) see how the consequences of his actions do affect him on a deeper level (through his anxiety and self-hatred which he spends a long time wallowing in, making his situation worse, rather than seeking help for) and 2.) he actually does eventually start to seek help, but unfortunately there's only so much one person can do to fix themselves when their actions still haven't been brought to justice and their mindset hasn't truly changed; which is what we see in the final part of the show when, despite Bojack's attempts to be a better person, the Sarah-Lynn case catches up to him, and in his final moments up on that stage with Biscuits Braxby, we see his true nature come out - he thinks being an addict should absolve him from what he's done to others.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Except replace "addict" with "traumatized" as many of Persephone and Hades' actions are swept under the rug with "they went through trauma so it's fine". Despite the fact that other characters who have also been through trauma aren't given that same grace (Thanatos, Demeter, Minthe, etc.)

You could also go a step further and call out how the fans themselves will defend their actions as "but they're gods!!! gods were terrible all the time in the myths!" but isn't it funny how myth accuracy only ever comes up when it comes to defending Hades and Persephone? Meanwhile you'll never see anyone bring it up when it comes to Apollo SA'ing Persephone, or Hades having an emotional affair with Persephone, or any of the other number of things that Rachel rewrote for her 'retelling'. It's not funny haha, it's funny yikes.

I can only imagine how the fans feel seeing Hades and Persephone called out must be similar to how first-time viewers like myself felt seeing Bojack be put on the cross by Biscuits Braxby - "you're being an asshole, he's working on himself!" "leave him alone!!!" "the media is making a monster out of him!" "he's really not THAT bad!"

But he is. They are. And unlike Bojack Horseman, I unfortunately can no longer have the good faith in believing Hades and Persephone will have their comeuppance, or the people they've hurt will get their retribution. I have no hope that Persephone will see that she's the Sarah-Lynn of the relationship, a girl who was groomed into an abuser at the hands of an abuser, who had no chance of doing better because the person she fell for pulled her down to his level. I don't have any faith in Rachel whatsoever that she'll manage to end this story with any message besides "it's fine for Persephone and Hades to be who they are, because they're rich and powerful and really horny for each other!"

And Hades doesn't think he has any power over women.

[lavenderbexlatte]

day 3: mirror sex

stray kids 1.5k words gender neutral reader insert Reader x Bang Chan NSFW

🖤 warnings: undernegotiated kink, implied consent, themes of negative body image🖤

🎂 happy bang chan day~

kinktober masterlist

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Truly, these are the dangers of not pre-booking a place to stay.

Last-minute travel isn't usually your thing, but an unexpectedly long weekend means that there's finally time in your favorite guy's backbreaking schedule for a little getaway.

But last-minute travel, with no hotel booked, means love motels.

They're not as creepy as they sound, not usually dirty or weird. Inexpensive, yes, and usually a little older than the resorts and boutiques that most people prefer. They get a bad rap just because of the connotations, but like, people have sex in all kinds of hotels.

You think it's kind of cool, honestly. Homey, in a weird way.

The person at the front desk is a nice older lady, and she doesn't even blink as she asks if the two of you have any plans this weekend.

"Plans outside the room, I mean."

She winks. She's not subtle, but it's sweet.

And now, in the elevator, Chan is looking around in unmasked horror. Taking in the garish burgundy interior, the thinly-veiled adverts for sex workers taped to the walls.

"It's not that bad," you say.

"It'll be fine for two nights," Chan replies, sounding as if he doesn't believe that at all. "Anyway, we're only sleeping here. We'll have stuff to do."

"Oh, come on. We might as well put the place to its intended use."

Chan scoffs, as if the idea of using the sex motel for sex is ridiculous.

"As long as the room's clean, that's all I care about," you continue. "It's a hotel. Whatever."

"Whatever," Chan agrees tentatively.

He's still lying to himself, but he does relax a little.

When you get to your floor, things are extremely normal. Nondescript hotel decor, the faint smell of carpet cleaning solution and lemon furniture polish. Cleaner than other places you've stayed for far more money, honestly.

The room itself is at the end of the hall, which you like, for the privacy, even though there are only five or six rooms on the floor.

You let yourself into the room, and it's as clean and fresh as the rest of the hall. Again, about as good as it gets in terms of a cheap hotel.

"See?" you say.

Chan looks at you, clearly unimpressed.

"What? It's clean. I'll check for bedbugs, but other than that..."

He points upward.

There is a giant mirror stuck to the ceiling above the bed, but nowhere is perfect.

"Even that's clean," you joke.

The surface of the glass is spotless, no fingerprints and not even any dust that you can see from down here. Chan still looks unhappy. Cleanliness is obviously not his concern.

"Don't be a downer," you say.

"Why do people like that?" he grumbles.

You've set your bag down on the armchair in the corner of the room, rifling through it for your toiletries to set out in the bathroom, but you humor him without looking. "Like what?"

"The mirrors."

"In the room?" you glance at him. "Isn't that, like, the sex motel cliche? The heart shaped bed, the red lights, the mirrors?"

This room only has one of the above. Pretty tame.

"It just means you have to - I mean, you can already see your partner, why would you need-"

"You're really thinking about this," you interrupt.

He is. He really is, standing beside the bed and staring up at his own reflection pensively.

"It's so you can see yourself," you add, walking past with your armload of cosmetics.

From in the bathroom, you hear his answer, still pouty.

"Why would I wanna do that?"

Oh, here we go.

"Some people get off on it," you say.

He scoffs a laugh, humorless. You're being generous by not calling him out, here, because he's being self-deprecating. You hate that.

"I'm gonna terrify myself in the middle of the night," he says.

That might be true. He's a little bit of a scaredy-cat. But that's beside the point.

"That's not your actual problem, though," you reply, as you come back into the room proper.

He shrugs.

"Haven't you ever been curious?" you ask.

"About what I look like?" he shoots back, glancing back up at the mirror. "Done. Wow."

"I mean during."

Immediately, like flipping a switch, his ears flame pink. "Not really."

"No? Never?"

He looks at you pointedly. He knows what you're doing. You're not subtle, so that's fine.

"We should find out," you say, grinning.

It's a challenge, now.

Your gorgeous, gorgeous boy hates how he looks. That's common knowledge for anyone who's tried to get him to take a photo together, or shop for clothes, or compliment him on a new haircut. Most of your mutual friends just ignore it. But sometimes you just can't stand it.

He would never be the type to want to see himself in the mirror in the throes of passion, uninhibited. Which is exactly why he needs to give it a try.

"How easy do you think I am?" he accuses, correctly.

"I dunno." Instead of bothering him more, you flop down onto the bed yourself, feet still on the floor, staring up at your reflection. "You tell me."

The bait is laid, and like always, his insatiable ass can't help it. You two haven't had proper alone time in what feels like forever. He nudges between your knees, standing over you as you lay there on your back. You already like the look of the scene in the mirror, the way that his reflected form looms, the way it makes you look small.

"You know," Chan says, "We could put this place to its intended use."

You grin at your own words recycled. Great minds and all that.

"What an idea."

"Just an idea," he assures you.

He drops onto his knees, nudging you up the mattress to make room for himself.

You almost lose track of your own plan, once he kisses you. Hands roam, clothes are lost, the ease and comfort of something you've done so many times. For a while, it's just an encounter like all the others. His hands that know you, his warmth and presence and attention.

And then you remember, suddenly, once you're nude and he is too, and he's asking you how you want it.

"You on your back," you say, trying not to smile at your own ingeniousness and reveal the plan.

"You got it, baby."

He flips over, and he's settled fully into the pillows with you halfway onto his lap before he looks up. He looks up at the ceiling, and he realizes.

"Wait-"

"Gotcha," you smirk, settling fully on top of him.

He could very easily just knock you over and change things up, or he could ask you to stop, and of course, you would. But he doesn't. He just flushes, red again down his ears, his neck, and he covers his face with his hands.

"That's not gonna work," you say, peeling his fingers away from his eyes.

"I can't believe you tricked me," he says pitifully.

"I did no such thing," you reply. "But now that we're here, why don't we play a game?"

"Something tells me I won't like this game."

"Here's the rules," you say.

You pause long enough to rise onto your knees, to seek out his length - desperately hard, revealing that you haven't freaked him out too badly - and line him up.

"I'm gonna make us feel good. And you...have to look."

Chan pouts, putting his full lips to good use. "I'd rather look at you. Don't you want me to look at you?"

He punctuates it by running his hands up your back, hips to shoulder blades, soothing attention from gentle fingertips.

"I think you should look at yourself," you tell him.

"But-"

"Actually, no. I think you have to look at yourself," you decide.

He peeks upward. His flush deepens.

You're not sure why he doesn't like what he sees. From where you are, it's stunning. His slim body lines, the sharp cut of his face and his dark eyes against the bleached-white hotel sheets. Distractibly, biteably pink and embarrassed.

"If you don't look at yourself," you add, dropping your hips just enough so that he can feel you, "I'll stop."

He looks overdramatically betrayed, like a dog when you take their toy away to throw it. It's cute enough that you reach down to squeeze his face in your hand.

"That's the game," you say.

"Fine."

His voice is an embarrassed squeak, but that's consent, baby. You trust him enough to know that although he hates losing, he's not going to yes you to death if things are actually feeling uncool.

Permission granted, and his eyes dutifully trained on the ceiling, you ease yourself down onto his waiting length.

Curiously, once you're seated and he's swearing through his teeth, you tilt your head up to look at yourself, too. The angle isn't as good to see you, but you've got the gist of it. Your spread thighs, your arched back, the little bit of motion as you grind on top of him.

Nice.

"Don't we look good?" you ask, sweet as can be.

He nods against the pillow. "You look-"

"Not me," you tut. "You're not supposed to be looking at me."

Chan swears. You wait.

"I...I look..."

After a second, he swallows, and squeezes his eyes shut.

Pity.

You pull back up onto your knees. His wet cock slips free.

"I told you the rules. Keep looking at you."

[eerna]

I came across one of your posts about tdp (they're great btw I really like reading them) and one of the tags talked about how the show writers treat Callum like a vile character whose done evil things when he hasn't. Can you elaborate on that? And do you think there's a huge difference between on how the show and fandom treat Callum and rayla?

Aww thanks~ Sure, I don't mind elaborating!

So Callum. This show has a problem where the characters have no logical progress, they just do whatever the plot needs them to do, and Callum is a great example of this. Callum is meant to be an awkward average guy who feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He's the adopted son of the royal family, which means he's not a peasant who is born into a career, but neither is he a real prince, since he is passed over in the inheritance line. He's not good at being a warrior, or a leader, or any other things that might guarantee him a place in court. Things change when he discovers he has a talent for magic, but since he is human and can't connect to an arcanum, he is forced to choose between letting this one useful thing he's good at go, or doing the "evil" dark magic. An interesting character setup: will he go against what he believes is right to realize his full potential? I wonder where this arc will go! The answer is nowhere, he becomes the first human in history to be able to connect to true arcanum magic the way magical creatures do. Okay, so here is his second character setup: the one and only creature in the world who can connect to EVERY arcanum at once! He will spend each season learning how to connect to different arcanums, and through him, we as the audience will understand the world better. That is exciting, as it's something the magical creatures can't do! Except THAT'S also abandoned right away, and his THIRD setup pretends it never happened and we return to a continuation of the first setup: will he join the dark side and become a vessel for the evil guys to use, will he fall into the same trap of "I would do anything for those I love" as the villains? This could be interesting, but it is now over halfway through the story, so the writers have to resort to cheap writing tricks to make the stakes higher and the tension more real. You see, Callum's "downward spiral" relies on him making bad choices for the right reason, but those bad choices aren't truly bad because the writers are scared of writing a hero who messes up for real. Those bad choices are using dark magic twice, but both times he used it out of selflessness, as a personal sacrifice to save Rayla. He used an already dead ingredient to turn some chains into snakes to save his friend... twice. Both times Rayla reacts as if he'd just slaughtered a whole herd of adorable magical baby deer in front of her. The Starscraper elves say his soul is dark and he has been consumed by evil. The only logical reprimand is given by Sol Regem, who just says "I can smell you've done dark magic before" and gets upset bc Sol Regem is a racist asshole character so it makes sense a single whiff of human magic would anger him. But these other characters are meant to be 100% correct in their assessment of Callum's morality. There is no discussion of whether the end justifies the means, there is no nuance or suggestion that maybe a dead bug is worth saving a life, Callum has done something objectively wrong and should never repeat it again. Here it all dissolves into the age old "is dark magic as presented in TDP morally ok" discourse, which I won't rehash here bc it is well discussed and the TL;DR is: no, TDP didn't do a good job setting dark magic up as an inflexible evil, but the story still acts as if it is one. And it is dumb, because Callum doesn't need to do dark magic to make mistakes! Several times throughout the season I thought they were gonna put him at odds with the rest of the cast, and maybe mess up and "fall into darkness" that way. For example, I thought that when everyone disagreed with him on the topic of destroying Aaravos' prison, he was going to defy everyone out of paranoia (since he is the most sensitive one about this subject) and accidently cause Aaravos' escape that way. But no, they don't even argue over it before finding a solution that makes everyone happy and it turns out that Aaravos was freed by a series of contrivances that tell us nothing new or interesting about any character involved in it, which is CLEARLY a much better story.

This third storyline gets even more muddled by Callum choosing to do the Starscraper Morality Challenge or whatever it's called to try and fix the damage dark magic did to his soul. Okay, so we've established that Callum's love for Rayla makes him act in morally questionable ways, which led to his soul deteriorating, and now this ritual will help him find his way back from it. And so the ritual reveals that he can redeem himself if he focuses on... wait. Am I reading this right? The answer to his issues is RAYLA????? So this means that somehow, loving Rayla is both the reason for his evil deeds, and a way for him not to do evil deeds??? I suppose the story could be saying that loving Rayla doesn't mean doing whatever it takes to save her, but listening to her advice and trusting her when she says she doesn't want to be saved by dark magic, but that is just such a dumb character arc that isn't about Callum or his character arc in the least. His way to deal with his issues has nothing to do with his realizing his potential, it has nothing to do with his journey of connecting to the arcanums. It is a "man needs a woman to act normal" story, and that is just plain dumb and boring and no proper character arc.

And here we transition into your second question. I am not sure what exactly you meant, so feel free to clarify, but I will do my best to answer as is. I think that Rayla and Callum are treated by the fandom EXACTLY the same way as by the show, but sadly this means they suck (it is no secret I was super duper into shipping them once upon a time, so no one is allowed to call me a hater over this opinion). The first two seasons were fine, but from s3 onwards their relationship also faces a lack of a proper arc. In the beginning it seemed like the emotional, gentle Callum was going to de-radicalize the cold, emotionally constipated Rayla and teach her the joys of having people who care for her as a person and not just a weapon. However, this was quickly abandoned for reasons listed in my Runaan family post - Rayla needed a quick escape from her emotional issues to remove any bad parenting responsibility from Runaan and Ethari's backs. From then on their writing problems are a mix of the previously mentioned "characters doing what the plot needs them to do" issue and playing into fan shipping expectations. And thus when they start dating in s3 it is in the blandest, most boring way possible. They are super happy together, they have no friction, Rayla is suddenly more than happy to be emotionally open. Then the plot needs them separated, so she remembers she is supposed to have emotional issues and leaves. Then the plot needs them back together so they start dating. None of this is supported by a logical arc. S3 and onwards reads like a fanfic in the most negative way possible. The "frozen ship" monologue from s6 made me feel like my brain was actively trying to escape my skull, so I KNOW the crew working on the show is aware of the fan perception and are actively playing into them on purpose. Fan tropes are perfect in the context of fanworks, but they also make canon material worse.

Whew. This was long. But Yeah that's basically what I have to say about that.

[todorroki]

HEY GIRLS........ I'M DEAD (love sea ep 2 thoughts)

do you think mame watched kp and nodded to herself like "yes... exactly..." while rubbing her hands together because that's the only reasoning i can come up with for what we got today. anyways nothing too coherent will be said this week sorry. my mind is still [metal bar crash] [car siren] [truck horn] [glass shattering]

let's just say when i started this ep i was sitting upright on the sofa and by the 8 minute mark i was sliding down my seat, and by the time they got to the SHOWER? clutching the armrest, practically parallel to the seat cushion, scandalized as though i haven't been filtering by E on ao3 for years now. MY EYES! no warning full on horny beam blast to the brain. and i was wondering how they were going to measure up to their nc scenes in LITA. me to my past self: u know nothing. fool.

first line in is rak wondering about sex with mut like LMAO talk about setting the tone. i love this episode because the direction said absolutely no nonsense we're gonna dial up the horny right away and they're so valid for that. the tension was Chef's Kiss. when rak just went ahead and sucked on mut's finger i screamed (silently). mut's expression here is ME

tongrak's resistance is weaker than wet paper! what happened to don't go for him LMAO even the cockblocking seashell wound was forgotten by the time mut started sucking on his arm.

and MY GOD there was so much Tongue. OPEN YOUR MOUTH?????? HELLO??????? as someone who has greater-than-anakin levels of hatred for sand, i was not even CLOSE to thinking about the sand in this scene so hats off to fortpeat. drove the surrounding setting completely out of my mind. then the nc back in rak's room afterwards?? i was mentally screaming HEELLP! shooting terrified glances at the closed door by the tv hoping no one else in the house was awake because jesus peat was Moaning.. tongrak took ride dick bicycle SERIOUSLY! and fort's low "im expensive" and "woof" line delivery is PEEAK I SAY. SO GOOD. they've truly outdone themselves with this one. im practically speechless. and BEST BELIEVE IM REWINDING IT LIKE A MADMAN!!

this is Not the horny speaking btw, peat's face is so cute here. when his eyes go a little wide ↓

nc aside, the motorcycle ride is so cute. rak clinging onto mut with both arms like OKAY!! I SEE! mhm mhm olivia wilde nod

tiny break from our main couple- we get vimook this week!! even a forehead kiss and the preview for next week asking mook out?? wow we're moving fast!! side note: are those chanya's real tattoos? because the small flower one on her arm is pretty. also enjoying palm just popping up constantly out of nowhere. he's simply a chill dude.

i liked that scene at the restaurant a lot. both the scenery And the food on the table looked great. i think that was the first time mutrak actually have a nice, proper conversation with each other. and they were very sweet! we get mut's backstory, and a bit of rak's thoughts on his job.

now i have No idea if anyone else has this error, but when i watched ep2 on the iq app on my tv, there was a line of subtitle here right before rak says because it's fun, though there was no actual dialogue:

it was something along the lines of 'actually, it's an escape' which would match rak's line of thought in the book. but it doesn't show when i watch the episode on the iq website. not sure if they forgot to put the audio into the scene or what.

similarly, when mut texts kom in the scene afterwards, the iq site only has the punctuation while the tv app showed the texts' translation. same thing with some of tongrak's flashbacks at the end. i don't know if it's just on my end or anyone else has this problem! not surprised tho the eye kew site n tv app both operate terribly imo :-) why are the subs placed so high on the website :-) ui and ux nightmare :-)

my hatred for this corp aside, WE GET DIVING AGAIN THIS WEEK!!!!! i'm so excited to see the behind the scenes for this part. i love seeing the logistics of filming underwater. and because this one involves a panic almost-drowning scene, it must've been hell to film, especially if they had to do it more than once. really looking forward to it. the visuals so far in both episodes are killing it.

shoutout to fort in the wetsuit... he's so hot

i really like how they're slowly dropping rak's trauma in bits and pieces in these 2 eps. (and i know we're supposed to focus on the trauma, but my brain went 'omg peat with his hair down so cute' during that scene with rak's sister sorry). compared to mut, who spells out his past with ease because he's made peace with it, rak outright avoids talking about his problems.

also, i LOVE mut's character when he's being serious. any time fort's tone drops to talk lowly or softly, i ASCEND. please give fort more serious roles!!! he deserves them!!

and we end with the title drop tongrak mahasamut!

the ending song changing from rak by himself in the first ep to mut sitting with him in this ep is a nice touch! it's the little details.

overall, pacing for this ep was good. i love it more than ep1, though idk if my opinion is influenced by the nc frying my brain. also, the boy next world poster!! just in time for their workshop starting this week whoop whoop

as always, if you found this post and read til this point, thank you so much for your time! anyways, if you'll excuse me, i have to rewatch some uh parts of this episode again haha. my screenshot folder is um. quite filled. just like tongrak. alright im out.

[lara635kookie]

My Ship Ranking:

Okay so a few warnings about this:

1-I added all the ships I could find. If there is any missing, let me know and I'll add later.

2-This is my opinion and it isn't meant to be offensive to anyone. You can agree or disagree and it's totally fine. If you wanna do your own rankings, I would love to read it.

3-It's a long post that I've been writing for weeks. I made revisions but if something passed through me and you guys notice, you can tell me.

1-Red Crackle:

Is that even a surprise to anyone? Red Crackle is my whole life and owns my entire soul lol. But jokes aside, these two are just so linked and have a foundation not even time and space can separate. Even when they're apart by circunstances, they meet again. They always comeback to one another. Duane Capizzi said in this interview Carmen and Gray "will definitely meet again":

https://youtu.be/PIjX9rGvUmk?si=4paV3k7alKrt-B4f

And I haven't seen other interviews yet but in this specific interview the person just says Duane said Carmen doesn't see Gray in a flirty light and brushes it off asking about Carulia. Then Duane just talks more about Julia's character and then says, "if it's there, it's intentional" which indicates, from what I got, that the double meaning is there, you can choose how you see and interpret it. They could have made the carulia interactions more clear and chose not to do so on purpose. So I imagine the same thing applies to Red Crackle, Carmivy, Jeantonio, etc. The show ended so now is up to us to interpretate with what we have. Even if Duane, and the whole crew of the show overall, ship something, we can ship something different. As the show is not romance focused, we can choose from what we have. And no way there's no people who ship Red Crackle among the show staff. Michael Goldsmith(Gray's voice actor) seemed to ship. This guy seems to as well(not sure tho) considering the way he directed the holy trinity of Red Crackle episodes:

Gray's character is fundamental for Carmen to be the person she is. Can you picture Carmen jumping from the plane with El Topo, Le Chevre or Tigress? She trusted only Gray enough to do that. Without him she wouldn't have jumped, and would not realize what V.I.L.E. truly is about. And if so, a lot later, maybe too late. And at the end, they could have chosen Devineaux, Zari, Julia, or even Ivy to save Carmen with the A.C.M.E. machine. I think it would be kinda nice if it were Ivy so she would have an interaction with evil Carmen, like Zack had at the ferris wheel, and would impress A.C.M.E. instead of just randomly joining it with Zack out of nowhere at the end. But I'm glad it was Gray and then Shadowsan finished the job. The thing that gets to me is that she looks to the crackle rod on the floor and screams:"Gray!". The person she always prioritized the safety of the most was "dead", by her. Then she asks what has she done and I think here she could have also shown some concern for Devineaux and Julia. Specially Julia. Because Devineaux was there, standing, and depending on the impact of the thing that fell on her head, she could have died. And she seemed to faint under a curtain that also could kill her by asphyxiation if she didn't wake up on time. But the only thing she cared about was Gray. She could have remembered on screen she hurt other people too by seeing the crackle rod, but she only remembered Gray and I was like:"But what about Julia? Aren't you worried about her? Carmen is not gonna care about her at all? Really?" "That's it? That's the ending?" I believe that if there was no red crackle shipper there, the show would be a lot different. Gray's character wouldn't be so important as it was if that was the case. Speaking of which, I want a red crackle week because I never participated in one and I want to write an AU about what would have happened if Gray decided do join Team Red on the train to Paris and on the Himalayans and red crackle week is the perfect excuse for that. Also one if Carmen decided to go back to V.I.L.E. on the train to Paris to destroy them from the inside. If we have a Red Crackle Week it could be in December with a Christmas-themed vibe, @redcrackle-week ? Christmas is my favorite holiday and Red Crackle is one of my favorite ships, perfect combination.

2-Carmivy:

Again, no surprises. I've got nothing to say about this two that I haven't said before. They are so in love and they have my heart. I'll never understand why they are so underrated, they deserve more appreciation.

3-Jeantonio:

It's almost a crime that they aren't first place, but they were so close. They are like, the only ship the whole entire fandom agrees it's canon and I got mad respect for them for being able to unite the shipers because everyone likes them and wants to protect them(specially El Topo). They were clearly dating and were romantic boyfriends and I would do pretty much almost anything for them.

4-Cleobellum:

The same thing with Jeantonio, they are just a little bit lower because they don't have the general consent and less moments but to me they are a married couple.

5-Chasari/Zarineaux:

I think they would be the greatest girlboss and malewife ever. Devineaux is a dumbass but he would be Zari's dumbass. The little they interacted I could tell they would be an amazing couple. I just can see it. I can picture all their interactions perfectly in my head. When Zari fell into his arms, and the way Devineaux held her. Zari telling Devineaux not to be in her way and slowly getting softer to him with time, like, they would be such a good storyline. I wanted them together so badly so they deserve this place at my top 5.

6-Chasulia:

These two are a little bit lower because I'm not sure about them. At the start, they are a definite no. But after the fourth season Devineaux was prasing Julia the way she deserves to be praised and treating her better, redeeming for his past actions towards her and actually listening to her. He admited that he was wrong with Julia and did better. They are such adorable dorks together and while I love them as a platonic ship, I feel like they could also work romantically. It would be an interesting plot. I feel like most people think romance and friendship can't coexist but it can and it should. These two combined are one of the factors that make a good and healthy relationship and I feel like Devineaux and Julia have potential to be that way. I would like to know more about their Interpol days like why they were partnered together and how did they got to Carmen Sandiego, etc. So because of their wholesome platonic relationship that may or may not be affected my romance, they are a little bit lower but they are amazing and I love them.

7-CarChase:

This one, I did not expect to be this high up. First, the ship name is just as funny as "Red Crackle". Carmen and Devineaux did have quite a few number of car chases. Second, I'm aware that they have a 12 years age gap but I have a pretty high tolerance for age gaps. While I would rather not have an age gap too big for romantic relationships, 17 years age gap or less I don't mind. It bothers me a little, but it's not that big of a deal. If it's 18 years or more, it bothers me because I go like:"They could be their dad/mom." I just think they would be so funny together. The idea of them is surprisingly good. It makes me laugh when I think of Coach Brunt calling him handsome and Carmen being so done and after maybe going like:"He ain't ugly"(Carmen Sandiego is that kind of show that the animation is so pretty nothing and no one is ugly). And Carmen not wanting to see Devineaux because it's "really not a good time" and then seeying him even more to the point she doesn't mind it and even starts appreciating it. They would be a hell of enemies to friends to lovers story. They interact more than Carulia, but not as much as Chasulia so seventh place sounds about right for them. Not my favorite but I approve.

8-SpinTrap/FlyKick:

I don't know what their official ship name is but they are assigned partners and that, by V.I.L.E. standards, for me, usually means they make out. I wanted more development for both of their characters, which we don't know much about, so eighth place sounds nice. They clearly work well together and have a great harmony so I would say they are a cheaper version of Red Crackle. Like: "Kid:Mom, I want Red Crackle. Mom:We have Red Crackle at home." And they are the Red Crackle at home in question. Still, it works. Of course they are nothing compared to Red Crackle, but they still work. In the, idk three times we saw Spin Kick and Flytrap, you can tell they have the chemestry to convince people they are a romantic couple so this place is well deserved for them.

9-Dokusan:

No, you haven't read wrong, it means Shadowsan and Lady Dokuso. Just hear me out:I can picture it perfectly:They meet at V.I.L.E. academy, they fall in love, they start dating. But then, Shadowsan is promoted to a member of the faculty, a position Lady Dokuso also wanted, but she was happy for her boyfriend anyway. Then, it ends up not working out a faculty member dating a mere operative and then they break up but still love each other, but their relationship was full of ups and downs and they are both bitter and salty about it. Then, Shadowsan backfires V.I.L.E. and joins Team Red and Lady Dokuso can finally have a chance as a faculty member but at the cost of destroying Shadowsan. The drama, the angst, the complexity of loving each other but being different and being in two sides that can't collide or meet in the middle. If you stop to think about it, they are basically a toxic version of Red Crackle that went wrong(Yes, I use Red Crackle as a parameter to measure other couples because they are the standard). So why are they so high up? Because a sad ending love story can also work. Representativity matters and tragic love stories deserve to have some spotlight sometimes.

10-PaperTiger:

It wouldn't be me if these two didn't make it to the top 10. I know Paper Star is a psycho so she can't actually feel love or empathy for anyone other then herself, but hooking up without commitment works for these two. It would also hold some drama like:Paper Star and Tigress start being passive aggressive to each other, then they start being assigned to even more and more missions together and get to know each other better, Tigress falls in love for Paper Star and Paper Star starts caring for her a little bit more than the others and they start confiding in each other and telling things about themselves they wouldn't tell anyone else, and they try a secret relationship because Tigress accepted Paper Star's condition, but they end up not working out because of the V.I.L.E. work and the missions that they put in first place other than the relationship because they aren't El Topo and Le Chevre, unlike them, Tigress and Paper Star have other priorities and other things to worry about than each other. As you can see, I really love some angst, and they had the chemestry for that. Their versatility could also hold some fluff and funny moments like:Tigress judging Jeantonio for cuddling then doing the exact same thing with Paper Star, Tigress saying Paper Star isn't that bad to them(she is bad to everyone else tho, she would only be "soft", in her strange way, for Tigress), them trying each other's clothes and weapons, them teaching each other stuff, going out on dates, they would be V.I.L.E.'s IT couple like evil Carmen and Crackle were people, there's no way around it.

[saline-coelacanth]

Since I have the Bad Endings Au on the brain, I wanna ramble a bit about Jay and Cole because every time I think about them I start to go feral (in a good way)

I'll put some of it under a cut since this gets pretty long

Jay and Cole parallel each other soo well that it's kind of crazy since it wasn't entirely intentional, it just sort of happened that way. So looking at their backstories, they're pretty similar. Both of them felt mistreated by the other ninja to the point where they wanted to take revenge on them. Both of them defeated the ninja when given the chance, but in the end they both handled it in completely different ways.

Cole very quickly was overcome with guilt. Morro called him out on what he did and it immediately hit him like a brick. He didn't feel good about what he did and it began to spiral into some self hatred and he eventually became very apathetic. He had killed his friends without thinking things through and now they were gone forever. Although to give him the benefit of the doubt, he was manipulated into doing so as he was in a very vulnerable mental state at the time and Yang took advantage of that to try and 'help' Cole be remembered. But that doesn't change the fact that Cole still did it and it haunts him every day of his life. He also ends up isolating himself afterwards, not wanting to face any of the family he has left even though he desperately doesn't want to be alone. That's the main reason he joins the other BE!Ninja in the first place, because for the first time in a long time, he isn't alone. And even though he doesn't want to go through with the others' plan, he stays with them since he has nowhere else to go because he thinks there's no way the normal ninja would accept him after what he's done.

And then we look at Jay who trapped the remaining ninja in his sword after he overthrew Nadakhan and became the new captain of Misfortune's Keep. Jay felt no remorse from trapping his friends. In fact, once he had finished the job, he smiled. He was happy about it. Jay truly believed the others didn't care about him, that they left him on Misfortune's Keep to rot for months. And by the time they had finally shown up to save him, he had gone through so much that no amount of explaining was gonna get him to change his mind. He had already saved himself, he didn't need the others to swoop him and save him after they treated him so terrible and abandoned him for months. And after everything was done, Jay didn't have anyone to tell him he had fucked up. Nobody on his crew would ever suggest anything like that, obviously none of the ninja were left to call him out, there was nobody to make him open his eyes to what he had become. And after living life as a pirate captain surrounded by people who would listen to him without question, people who were scared of him, he grew to love it. The ninja never took him seriously, but his crew HAD to take him seriously because they were terrified of the consequences. And when he met the BE!Ninja, he was mainly just uncomfortable seeing the other ninja again because he had grown so angry at them, but he was willing to help out with the plan to take out the other ninja because he was just that far gone.

And when the two of them meet each other for the first time, Cole is just completely shocked to see Jay at all since the Jay from his timeline is dead. And though he acts pretty cold towards him since that's just how Cole is now, he also doesn't want to leave his side because he misses Jay so much. And even though this isn't his Jay, it's still Jay. Meanwhile, Jay is angry and annoyed at having to deal with Cole. He wants nothing to do with him and turns down any offer Cole makes to help him since he doesn't need help from anyone, especially Cole. He eventually 'comes around', but that's really only because they team up with the other BE!Ninja. And yeah, over time Jay does genuinely grow closer to Cole and both of them open up about their pasts and what happened to them, but Jay always has more walls up than Cole does. He's more vague, he snaps more easily, he quickly shuts Cole down when he starts asking too many questions. Cole on the other hand lays everything down for Jay, (although he is still hesitant to open up) He lets his guard down and lets Jay realize just how lonely he's been in his timeline.

And the two of them realize just how similar they are, but they both end up going different paths. Cole realizes more and more that what he's doing is wrong, that he's just gonna end up making another terrible mistake if he continues down this path. He realizes just how messed but the other BE!Ninja are, he realizes that they must be hurting deep down, just like he is. But Jay just continues to spiral further and further. Once again he's with a group that doesn't take him seriously. The only one who seems to do that is Cole, but even then Cole still doesn't always treat him like the threat he is. Even worse is that Nya, the one he felt the most anger towards, isn't even helping. BE!Nya wants nothing to do with the others and actively treats Jay like he doesn't matter (though she treats everyone like that, her only real loyalty is to the Overlord). So Jay just gets more snappy, more violent, more determined to defeat their good counterparts because that'll prove to the others that he is a threat and that he should be taken seriously. Cole grows and slowly betters himself while Jay only gets worse.

God I just have so many thoughts about these two. I mean, I have a lot of thoughts about all the BE!Ninja, but Jay and Cole especially love to live in my head rent free. And there's one last little detail that I wanna point out with these two because I just think it's neat.

When Cole took out the other ninja in his timeline, the first one he went after was Jay. When Jay trapped the other ninja on his sword, the last one he trapped was Cole.

Idk I just think that's a neat detail. Anyway, I'm done rambling for now. Maybe I'll ramble about some of the other BE!Ninja in the future. I guess if there's anyone specific you want me to talk about let me know, but otherwise I'm just gonna end this post here.

[sevensoulmates]

i think buck and tommy is just a casual fling to get buck comfortable with the idea of being with a man. Also I think it's all but confirmed the wedding is in 6 considering JLH last BTS you can clearly see Maddie has two rings on her fingers which tells me they get married probably at the hospital. I suspect something is going to happen between Buck and Eddie at the bachelor party/wedding that's gonna change everything for them and then I think the back half is about finding out what happened and of course their journey to realizing their feelings for one another but I do believe we will absolutely get our first true indication of buddie canon this season.

I also think Tommy (if he does get involved with Buck) will be something casual. How casual? Idk. But I don't see it evolving into a full-blown relationship a la Taylor Kelly or Natalia.

I'm not sure that was really confirmed to be the wedding. Oliver and Ryan appear to be in their bachelor party outfits (as strongly hinted at by Kenny) and people don't usually have their bachelor parties the day of or before the wedding. And we know episodes 1-5 were filmed all at the same time, so who's to say just because they were filming episode 6 around the same time that they were shooting at the wedding venue means that footage *has* to be in episode 6? They could be filming ahead of time. We won't know for sure unless more bts pics come out, the actors say something or until the episodes themselves air. Same thing applies to the hospital scenes. Those don't necessarily have to be for episode 6. I'm open to being wrong about that because I don't have any inside knowledge of their filming process, but I don't think that the filming date always has to equal the air date.

I really don't think it would be a good idea to hard-launch the buddie relationship out of order, and then tell their journey to getting together after the fact. This is one of those things that (in my opinion) would not serve the story to be told out of linear order. At least, it's not what I would do if I was writing this story. All that would do is confuse the audience and disappoint the people who want to see their progression FIRST before seeing the culmination. Most of the time non-linear storytelling is used as a tactic to disorient the audience or to hide secrets, but I don't think that's the tactic to take when approaching buddie. There's already far too many people who claim they "don't see" buddie and if they aren't seeing the step by step progression of buddie leading to the culmination of their relationship, I worry that they'll call it fanservice or just giving in to the shippers demands if they're just suddenly kissing or confessing love out of nowhere.

I honestly don't have any idea what they could be planning for the last four episodes of the season. But if the wedding has already passed in episode 6, then I truly am drawing a blank on what to expect for the ending. In which case, I'm excited to be surprised!

Regardless, yes, I do think there will be a strong substantial hint towards buddie canon by the end of the season.

[quiveringdeer]

Okay, but hear me out. You're trying to compliment Reiner seriously, but he ends up saying, "Flattery will get you nowhere." in a scolding tone, thinking you're just saying things and being insincere in order to get on his good side. So you furrow your brows and begin to literally lecture him about what a great guy he is despite what he believes. And him not being able to take all those compliments, because no one has ever really been so observant or attentive to him in that way; so he does whatever he can, uses whatever means to shut you up because he can't take it. Feels like his chest would explode, thinking what he did to deserve this; deserve you.

I'm taking this as a personal fuckin attack Nonnie 😤 How dare you get me tearing up this damn early over by babiest of baby boys! 🥺

My determination and devotion to a cause has never been higher than my desire for the opportunity to help Reiner see how truly amazing and wonderful he is.

As much as I love Porco, I hate his comment about how all of the way Reiner acted on Paradis was him copying and manifesting Marcel. Like, he was inspired by Marcel yes, and maybe it started out with even Reiner just acting, but even outside of the implications of him developing DID it was Reiner reacting to people he came to care for. I think the being an extroverted leader is the big thing he took from Marcel. But all the things that made him a good leader, trusted companion and reliable friend were traits that Reiner already had.

Ugh, I just want to wrap him up in a bubble and tell the world to fuckoff and leave my mans alone! Hasn't he given enough! Let him have some vestiges of self esteem and self love damn it! 😭

But for real though, being Reiner's partner would involve patience and lots of energy and care to reassure him often of your --not just love, but even just liking him as a person.

And depending on the point in his life where you two become partners -canonverse or modern au- I think Reiner can objectively see and acknowledge that he's attractive by general societal standards, but his whole self-loathing and lack of self-esteem comes from him thinking he's a shitty person on the inside. Hella imposter syndrome (same baby boy). Probably thinks that he's some how manipulated you into thinking he's a decent person or something. Because how could he be when his dad wants nothing to do with him/reiner thinks himself being born is why his dad left his mom but really his dad is a deadbeat asshole 😒/ and also he thinks that his mom is never really proud of him cause she's never said as much, and has been a single mom dealing with her own heartache and self issues. Not an excuse but it is what it is. And he's constantly trying to "win/earn" her affection--of which he desires words and actions that prove that. But barely gets the later. And yes he has his friends. Mainly Bertholdt and Pieck--I'd say poooossibly Marcel but maybe moreso acquaintances? Like Marcel is valedictorian and captain of all the sports teams they both play on, and Reiner is always falling short behind him? Maybe even a few places behind? I dunno.

But anywho, obviously he's somehow manipulated you into thinking he's worth your time. And he's definitely a self sabotager in that regard. :/ Now I'm really curious about exploring how you'd actually finally get to be dating my interpretation of Reiner. I think it'd definitely have to be a good friends first situation. And you asking him out. So if you want this sad lovable Teddy Graham you're gonna have to make the moves first.

I think maybe he might end up in some random hookup situations outside this relationship. So maybe it's a repeat booty call catching feelings type deal? Like if he's at a party and someone comes onto him and they're flirting and they wanna hook up, he's not gonna turn it down. Especially with how much this man craves physical connection. Like the sex is great for sure, but he really is just wanting someone to hold on to and they hold him back. If that's while he's pounding them into the mattress or wall, then woop!

Wow this got rambly. I have so many feelings about this man 😩😩😩

[ectonurites]

mike and el for the ship thingy

hehe i assumed at least one person was gonna ask about this one.

so. i have so many thoughts about them. they FASCINATE me.

i know a lot of people who like byler subscribe to the 'this never should have happened and is an evil scourge on the world of stranger things' POV which is super not how I feel about it. like, don't get me wrong, i absolutely do not want them to be together by the end of the show, [to quote something i said to @faeriesfloss in a fb chat a few weeks ago: "miss Eleven Hopper is ending that show single or so help me god. like she did NOT re-hear max’s voice saying ‘theres more to life than stupid boys’ while tearfully reviving her for her to end up WITH the stupid boy"] BUT

i think their relationship playing out as this thing that wasn't based on actual romantic attraction but rather a messy combination of outside factors (societal pressures/'Mike's initial kindness towards El being misconstrued as romantic by multiple people bc heteronormativity', guilt over the circumstances around El's 'death' at the end of s1/the general fear of losing people you care about, El's longing for a normal life because of the situation she was forced to grow up in and projecting her limited movies-and-tv-based ideal of a relationship onto Mike, etc) is a really compelling and interesting storyline. But just... it's something destined to crash and burn as the characters get to the points in their respective arcs where they can recognize that they're incompatible romantically, and can recognize what was really going on.

And like, Mike in s4 trying to claim it was a 'love at first sight' situation during his monologue to her is a big part of what cements to me that it truly never was romantic from his POV, because we watched season one! We literally saw how things went when they found her in the rain, and that wasn't it (and the writers have said they don't believe in love at first sight, and the show outright parodies the concept with Argyle/Eden). If he had actually felt romantic attraction to her at some point, he would have been able to say the actual moment he started feeling it, instead of pulling something we know isn't true out of nowhere.

In general, it's sort of similar to what I was talking about irt Stancy—where I think that the relationship being this option/path that the characters are presented with that they get to realize doesn't actually fit for them and what they truly want/need out of life (so they get to choose something different for themselves) is like... an interesting part of creating conflict for them, for telling a meaningful story about self-discovery/breaking away from just what's expected.

So like, I absolutely don't ship it, I don't want them to end up together, but I DO consider it as a plot element that intrigues me.

[Send me a ship and I'll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it]

[halliescomut]

V Random SKZ post

I watched a TT, I'm not posting it here, because I already know this person is probably gonna get dogpiled by rabid Stays, and I won't contribute to that, but I have so many thoughts and nowhere to share them. Their TT was about how they feel like SKZ and 3Racha have been coasting the last couple of years and they're not doing anything innovative and that they're not using Seungmin to his full potential, nor IN. But everything they bring up regarding the last couple of years is just their title tracks. Saying that the songs always a have a formula, that they've become predictable, and I do agree with that point...however, I believe it's intentional. Since....I would say Go Live (or God's Menu), I think that their title tracks have followed a formula. It's something I talked about on my own SKZ TT when RockStar, and also maybe 5 Star came out, when I did a first thoughts on those albums. Their title tracks, very much in the last 2-3 years, have felt like they are SKZ sort of playing the KPop game. These are the songs that need to catch a general audience, that's their purpose. They're intended for radio play, they're intended to hopefully win on music shows, to bring in new listeners. That is their purpose. That is the purpose of every title track by every artist in the industry, both KPop and western. It feels, to me, disingenuous to almost write them off because their title tracks don't push the limits enough, while ignoring their B-sides.

You want to talk about how their first few albums were no skips, but it seems like you're not even listening to the full albums they've put out in the last 2 years. I would argue that I think Miroh is one of their most cohesive albums musically and tonally, and it is certainly a no skips album. But I'd say that Maxident is also no skips. And you say they aren't being innovative, when Case 143 is one the most experimental songs they've done in terms of concept. It's a song that was VERY MUCH not the expectation after albums like Thunderous and Oddinary. And setting aside the title track, to look at the B-sides, you have unit songs, some of the most well known and well liked songs of that album, with 3Racha, Taste, and Can't Stop, which also have three DRASTICALLY different tones. Give Me Your TMI is almost the yin to Case 143's yang. Instead of showcasing the disbelief and confusion of falling in love like Case 143, you're instead seeing this full acceptance and desperation. Then look at songs like Chill and Super Board. Super Board's lyrics read like a mad lib, but the point and the purpose are still clear, that if you're focused on chasing them, you'll eventually be left to watch them soar. Chill follows in the proud tradition SKZ is known for of songs whose upbeat tone doesn't match it's devastating lyrics, talking instead about ending a relationship that was already over. Leaving aside Super Board and 3Racha, all of the songs on the albums address and express the varying different aspects and feelings of love that people might experience, giving nearly every person listening an entry point into emotionally connecting with any of those songs. And even if you're not at the level of seeking out the translated lyrics, the songs are still definitely a bop.

In regards to the misuse...or lack of use for Seungmin and IN. They've certainly created opportunities to allow both vocalists to shine and show different aspects of their talent. The SKZ Players and Records offer a unique opportunity for all of the members to showcase they're abilities and to experiment musically in a way that doesn't have to be 'approved' by JYPE the way that album tracks do. Is this the perfect solution? No. Wouldn't it be better/preferable for them to be able to showcase their skills on their regular albums? Absolutely. But they still have to play the game. I truly feel that only NOW, like right now, has SKZ reached a level of success where they have the leverage to take risks creatively. I think after their Kingdom win the reins were loosened a smidge, but they still had to tread carefully, and toe the company line. Following the records they were able to break this year and the opportunities and recognition they've received globally, I think they're now in a position where they have the leverage to start taking more risks. They've proven themselves. I really think this coming year we'll start to see even more creative risks being taken. And I think we'll see a different utilization of their vocals. We've seen them disregard their established positions, essentially since Woojin left, and maintain that type of mindset ever since. And when given the opportunity they do work outside of the 'established norms' of KPop. Look at their most recent album, Rock Star. You have Cover Me, a song that fully utilizes and embraces Seungmin's vocal abilities, as well as showcasing rarely seen sides of Changbin and Felix's vocals. I could literally go on for hours about how well thought out and constructed that song is as a vehicle for showcasing all of the member's vocal abilities. Hyunjin created such an elaborate and seemingly simple song, that effortlessly blends together the voices of the members in a way we hadn't seen before, something I truly believe only Hyunjin could imagine. You have Megaverse, where Chan very particularly wanted to have IN to show a different vocal style than he's had before.

You have Leave, which not only offers a 'softer side' of the member's who normally would rap, even in slower/more heartfelt songs like Winter Falls or Scars, but also Comflex, which gives Seungmin a chance to do something in a melodic rap style. To hear Chan talk about the skills the IN and Seungmin have, while he may not be able to provide them with the perfect vehicle to show case that, I believe he's trying and he wants to. I do not doubt for a second that he's working on tracks that would showcase different sides of their voices in particular, but it takes time, and humans aren't a bottomless creative well.

I feel like it is easy to 'expect more' from SKZ because we know that they are self-produced, and that very little of their work is done by outside persons (and those that are credited appear over and over again in their discography, which indicates to me that their input and skill is respected by 3Racha), but they are still under one of the big 3 idol companies. The truth of it is that the larger the entertainment company, the less likely they are to take risks creatively, because they have more to lose. That's why you see indie artists able to take some of these bigger creative risks, they don't have a lot to lose. And if you're a big fish in a small pond, like Ateez under KQ, then you're gonna have more leverage because those corporations are smaller, and they won't risk their largest moneymaker choosing to break their contracts over creative differences. But SKZ isn't that under JYPE. While I can imagine them not choosing to renew their contract and separating as a group or 3Racha/Chan potentially starting their own production company once their contracts expire, it would take an egregious breach of trust on JYPE's part to make them leave that company now, when their contract is literally due to expire in March of 2025 at the latest. So it's also entirely plausible that at this point they're biding their time, especially if they do plan to continue as a group post enlistment. But circling back to my point, to believe that because they are self-produced and they write their own tracks (almost 100% at this point) does not mean that they have full creative control over every aspect of their work. They have a say, and a level of input, but they also still have to submit their albums for review and approval just like every other idol group under JYPE.

i don't know if I have a way to sum all of this up, but I guess the easiest way would be to say "Don't Judge a KPop Group By Their Title Track."

[acourtofthought]

I'm sorry but el/riel is just so damn bland. If Elain already found all the things she needs in her life such as a home, chosen family, love of her life, healing etc. Them I'm certainly not interested in Elain healing Azriel and helping him spy with the power of her pussy. It's unfair that 2 Archerons had to fight and suffer for their HEA but Elain only has to have some secret sex with Azriel and boom, she has everything. From what will she suffer and lern from if she already got over Grayson and is healing in the NC? Azriel pushing her away cuz he's a sad boy with a traumatic past? Suffering from the mating bond because she's too stupid to reject it as if Lucien's gonna explode? I thought Elain is the MC not Azriel, so why do they make it out to be like Azriel needs a healing journey instead of Elain?

They love to claim this series is only about the Archerons, yet they forget that when that is true, we need a whole story about Elain and how she lerns from certain things (that have nothing to do with boys) and find her HEA. Working for it just like Feyre and Nesta did.

They don't realize that the more they say Elain has already found all those things off page without effort, the less interesting Elain's story will be because I don't want to read about them having secret sex just for Lucien to find out and accept Elain's rejection.... like all that secret crap was for nothing in the end.

Really, what would be the point of Elain's book if she's truly happy and settled as they claim? She literally has nowhere to go, no growth to be had, no start of a relationship to experience. It's just her baking bread and gardening with a male who doesn't believe she should do anything dangerous and needs his protection as well as being surrounded by family who look to everyone but Elain to help out with IC business. Oh and two characters who say about 5 words to each other, words that have zero depth to them followed by sex where Azriel's inner monologue is nothing but how much he hates himself. Sounds so great (obvious sarcasm). I've got no issues with someone who's all about that 1950s life but it's got no place in an SJM fantasy novel and what they're envisioning is side character status, not the stuff a main character is made from. And yeah, who exactly is their supposed love forbidden from? RHYS?! Because Rhys is in any position to tell Elain who she can and can't date? What exactly is he going to hold over her head if she disobeys him? Cutting her off from working in his garden? It would be the most low stakes forbidden love I'd ever heard of my life. Rant over. 😂

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

i know this is long! so if you want to skip around (it’s marked) feel free too!! i just want to hear some of your thoughts on this video https://youtu.be/HGPM7306Ezw

Yep that was long! I didn't watch the video but I read the transcript 😜

I don't like a lot of the things he says (will get to that in a moment) but I do agree that Phase Four seems to be trying to do the same as the comics: bring a lot of new characters to the screen & the old ones are retconned and their personality and actions depend entirely on the director/writer who works on them...

That's probably the reason why the multiverse feels a little too much. Variants can be an interesting tool but everything is the same, the other universes vary on the most frivolous things ("red means go!") and the variants are one-dimensional, defined by one action and the OG characters don't ever truly learn anything from them.

The writers should take previous stories and characterizations into account because the MCU is a connected universe, or at the very least that's how it was sold to us. However that consistency is nowhere to be seen nowadays.

Also the last thing I agree with him on is regarding the Blip. It feels more as a stepping stone than a cataclysmic event that should affect every single character in these movies and series. It baffles me that they actively refuse to address it, they might say something in passing, but the characters we know from previous movies they're the same pre and post-Blip. That makes no sense.

Now, he has really, reeeeeeeeally bad takes on certain things and I'll talk about that after the cut because I can already feel it's gonna get long! Up ahead: Black Widow, WandaVision, TFATWS and Loki.

Black Widow

If I were to address every stupid thing he says about Black Widow I'd be here all day. Let me sum it up: this guy doesn't know the difference between "I didn't like it" vs "It was wrong".

The names he calls Yelena are... well, no need to repeat them here. I re-watched the prison scene again, she's not thinking of causing an avalanche, she's being shot at from that tower so she fires her weapon to kill that guy, she looks surprised when she realizes what that explosion had caused. Also, from what it's shown in the movie all the inmates and the guards made it safely back inside the prison so I don't know where he gets the idea that Yelena is a "psychopath".

WandaVision

OP complains that we never got to find out how Hayward got ahold of Vision's body. Hayward mentions the Accords several times throughout the series, like ep8 when he's trying to provoke Wanda by showing her what Sword is doing to Vision's body. Their exchange is:

Hayward: "We're dismantling the most sophisticated sentient weapon ever made" Wanda: "Vision is not a weapon, you can't do this" Hayward: "In fact, it is our legal and ethical obligation"

That's how they got him.

Then OP goes on to say stuff like "Wanda just wanted to play house with her dead boyfriend" or he mentions "her fake ass family, her dead ass husband, those two little shits that aren't even real". So... yeah, it doesn't surprise me he didn't understand the series.

As for the claims that Wanda is excused, forgiven, treated as a hero bla bla I'll just link to this.

TFATWS

Oh man, where do I start with this one?! OP is wrong on so many levels.

He claims Sam should have "related" to Walker instead of fighting him. Uh, that's what he and Buck did:

Bucky: "He didn't kill Lemar. Don't go down that road, believe me, it doesn't end well" Walker: "I'm not like you" Sam: "Listen, it was the heat of the battle, okay? If you explain what happened they might consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt. You made a mistake"

And then Walker attacks. They were trying to empathize with him, he's the one who refused to listen. But sure, blame Sam, why not 🙄

In fact, OP's claims to defend Walker are mind-blowing to me. He says Lemar died "on Sam and Bucky's watch", that they should have been cooperative with Walker from the start, he calls Bucky a "petty child" who is mad because someone "replaced his best friend" and that they were laughing when the Doras were trying to "kill him". The fuck?

Now, the shit he says about the Doras... big yikes. He says Walker was just trying to "cooperate" with them but the Doras were hyper-aggressive and tried to kill him "just for unwelcome touching". Oh and this line "it's funny when the African warrior women are needlessly aggressive". Yikes.

But OP of course goes on a rant to defend Walker's murder of Nico. "Cut him some slack" he says. Um, how about no. But the best line? "Besides, Steve killed way more people than Walker did" 😂😂 Sure thing, sweetheart, it's the same thing.

Everything that happens is Sam and Bucky's fault, Walker has no responsibility whatsoever for anything and if he makes a mistake is due to "bad writing", not because he's bad. I swear the Walker stans are unbelievable.

An easier picture is painted about OP when you keep watching and he starts talking about the Flagshmashers and the GRC.

He says the GRC were just trying to "accommodate" half the population and this thing about opening borders willy-nilly and people moving to other nations and crossing borders isn't all so good, that would cause bad, bad trouble! Damn, why do I get the feeling I've heard this anti-immigration bullshit before...

But he doesn't end there, he says Karli and the Flagsmashers were defending the same thing as Thanos. Because... of course they were! For some reason... wait what was it... oh yeah, they want immigrants and poor people to be treated as everyone else and be given safe housing and food and healthcare. Yep, it's the same as what Thanos wanted. Thanos was a socialist and a commie, you heard it here first, folks!

Was I surprised that after this OP claims the CW movie directly dealt with the collateral damage caused by the "recklessness of superheroes"? No, I wasn't 😂😂 Oh Stark stans loving Walker, a tale as old as time.

Loki

This one is short. He claims Loki had always wanted to rule -- eek! wrong. He claims it would make sense for Loki to take over the TVA because he just wants power -- eek! wrong again. Then he says they turned Loki into a good guy and that's wrong since in the past he wanted to blow up a whole planet, "why would he care?". Yeah, OP is not good with nuance, that much is clear.

"Loki is a dude who tried his bit at being an intergalactic conqueror". Sure thing, sweetie.

Well, that was long. I can't say I liked watching (I didn't watch it, I read it) this video, OP is pretty bad and has awful takes. I'm looking forward to never hearing from them again 😅🤷‍♀️

[the1975attheirverybest]

I am absolutely so baffled as to why anyone cares about who Matty or who Taylor or any celebrity for that matter is dating THAT MUCH. Like it get finding out who they’re dating being like ‘oh interesting’ and moving on. But how does anyone care further than that??? No body knows anything about these people further than what they want us to know and so many fans are just delusional with it. Just curious as to your take on this… personally it’s baffling.

I can't really explain fans on Taylor Swift's side, so I won't try to do that.

Speaking of myself, and I'm guess some others on the 1975 side, unless, of course, I'm weird and alone in this, lol, I think it started out as real confusion and shock. Cuz, for me anyway, it came out of nowhere. And the idea that it might be PR when he first flew out to see her was kinda irking me. So, I wanted to know enough in order to figure out if it was or wasn't PR. Cuz I hadn't thought of matty as the sort of person who would do PR relationships and stuff. So, I was like, wait, is this a thing? am I wrong? just wanted an answer.

After that settled down, now I'm not invested in stuff like how long they have been dating, whether Taylor cheated on Joe with Matty, if he's more in love with her or she's using him, etc. None of that really matters to me and I don't believe we will ever truly know. Now it's just normal gossip. Obviously, if a pap picture of him surfaces I'm gonna roast the shit out of him for still wearing the same fuckin shoes and stuff, cuz I'm a fan and thats what i do, lol.

But I think some of us are genuinely upset (and i do feel like im one of them but i try to distance myself from it) because of the way that Matty is being talked about online outside of the fandom and because we are seeing media outlets capitalize on it. It hurts to see one of your favorite artists, and, in my personal case, the sole person responsible for me not offing myself, be called these horrible things. so, it feels like every time we try to turn a blind eye, there is this reason to continue paying attention. And for a lot of fans, knowing the nature of the relationship is maybe a comfort to see if its worth battling it out with idiots online, if this is a fling that'll end soon and we can put it in the past, if this is even real, etc. cuz its taken over our fandom soooo much that it's alarming.

But, yeah. The bottom line is that we shouldn't be this intense about it. Our opinion doesn't matter to them, nor should it, and it's not productive to engage with the hate generating machines out there. So, for me, they're adults, they've made their choice, and thats that.

[polymousecoco]

my ex-boyfriend got a police report filed against him

Last year, I expressed interest in this guy, Marcel. We hit it off, hung out, had sex, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I reluctantly agreed. While I was his girlfriend, it only took me two weeks to realize that there was something incredibly off about him, so I dumped him.

Initially, I felt bad because that was the shortest relationship I had ever engaged in. However, it was actually a lot of growth on my end because I have stayed in relationships far longer than I wanted to in the past simply due to my personal stigma surrounding relationships that don't last long. (A long time ago, I dated a guy for 3 months even though I lost attraction to him after a week of dating, and I was also in a shitty/toxic on/off relationship with a guy for 6 years despite not being physically attracted to him).

I'm hesitant to call anyone "crazy" or "psycho" because I truly believe that people aren't bad, they just exhibit bad behavior; and I also believe that the reason why people hurt people is because they're hurt and haven't healed from their hurt.

HOWEVER, Marcel is a fucking psycho.

The most recent update I have about him was that he got a police report filed against him, his friends reported him to the Office of Institutional Equity, he got fired from his job, and he dropped out of university.

Idk how to format this blog post because I have so much to say and it's essentially going to be word vomit, but I'll try my best to have some semblance of structure/organization.

I actually wrote a list of things down before I broke up with this man baby so that if I ever had second thoughts, I could refer to this list and remind myself that it is A TERRIBLE IDEA to give him another chance.

Marcel was incredibly insecure.

He lied about having covid so that he could take exams later than the scheduled date.

He thought that polygamy and polyamory meant the same thing until I corrected him.

He changed his mind too quickly about things.

He's a pathological liar.

He self-diagnosed himself with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. I advised that he seek professional help with regards to those issues since I think it's dangerous to self diagnose (AND our school offers therapy/counseling services FOR FREE). Initially, he said he would make an appointment. A couple days later, he told me he was never going to go to therapy.

He said something like, "People think I'm a liar because I change my mind all the time." (He never thought that people think he's a liar because he lied all the time.)

He was obsessed with this one girl (Bella) for over two years. I had spent at least 2 hours on the phone with him trying to comfort/console him over some insecurities he had related to his crush on Bella. I realized the conversation was going nowhere and he kept saying that he was never going to tell Bella his feelings. I sighed over the frustration of this circular conversation and he got sensitive about me sighing. I tell him I need to go to sleep because I'm tired and I value my sleep. We hang up. The following day, I find out he confessed his feelings to Bella 30 minutes after I hung up on him. (I was not upset about him confessing his feelings to Bella. In fact, I was strongly encouraging him to pursue other relationships because I can't be with someone that's obsessed with me. The 2 hour phone convo was me basically asking why don't you tell her how you feel if it's stressing you out so much??? I was upset with him changing his mind after he told me he was "never gonna confess" and he wasted 2 hours of my time trying to get me to comfort him over an issue that he was gonna solve himself).

He was okay with his friend referring to me and Bella as "his bitches." When I told him how I was uncomfortable with his friends calling me and another girl "his bitches," he apparently told Bella the story and tried to pass it off as me being too sensitive (not realizing Bella agreed with me).

We were talking about sex and experiences we've had, and when I was telling him about stuff that I've done with my husband, he got incredibly insecure and told me he wasn't comfortable with me talking about sex. I never talked about sex after he told me that, but he told everyone that I overstepped his boundary by talking about sex when he was uncomfortable about it. (His misuse of the term "overstepping boundaries" and blatant character defamation of me was really frustrating)

His hygiene was questionable.

When I asked him about long term friendships/relationships, he told me, "Everybody always leaves me." Later, I realized that this was very telling of his lack of accountability.

He decided to blow off a networking opportunity where all his expenses were paid (plane ticket, hotel, conference fare, etc) and go to a comic convention instead. (I found it incredibly unattractive that he did not prioritize his career or his academics).

When he didn't get accepted to an academic program (that would have made him move to another country to pursue), he called me and started the conversation off with, "You're going to be stuck with me for another year." (This was the tipping point and made me realize I was no longer attracted to him. I am not STUCK with anyone. I CHOOSE to be with my partners. We were only dating for 2 weeks and he was already talking about being together for a year and it was too much for a person like me who tries to think "One Day at a Time."

I broke up with him and I thought we could be cordial. But he kept on attending club meetings that he did not regularly attend, but knew that I attended. I felt like he was purposely intruding on my spaces to get back at me, so I decided to not attend those meetings any more. I also decided that we could not stay friends so I blocked him on all social media we were connected on.

I recently had coffee with Bella and she told me that shit went downhill last year after I dumped him.

Apparently, he was telling everyone that he was the one that dumped me and that he didn't even want to be in a relationship with me. He framed it as though I was the one that really wanted to be his girlfriend and just tried to make me look pathetic.

Other than that, Marcel and Bella had a weird situationship going on between the two of them after I broke up with Marcel. Bella is also bisexual polyamorous like me. She and Marcel lived in the same apartment and Marcel confessed to her about 4 months after she had moved in and she also had some feelings for him at the time he confessed to her. However, she told him that they couldn't date because her parents wouldn't approve of her dating her roommate. So they just stayed in this interesting limbo of "we both like each other, but we're not dating." (I think later... Bella realized that she didn't like Marcel the same way, but they were still living together and being honest about that would make things really awkward? Idk, it's complicated)

Marcel tried to play things off as though he was fine with waiting until after they stopped living together to start dating each other, but we all know that Marcel is too insecure to really be cool with that shit.

Anyway, fast-forward to November of last year. Bella was changing in her room and in the corner of her eye, she sees a figure through the blinds of her window. She freaks out because she realizes someone is trying to watch her while she's changing. This happens multiple times and she gaslights herself into thinking that she's imagining things. UNTIL...

Sometime in December, she decides, "I'm going to test this theory." She waters her plants and places her phone next to them in a way that it's inconspicuous, but can record whoever is trying to watch her change. She starts recording. She then announces, "Hey guys, I'm going to change." Queue Marcel being a FUCKING CREEP and trying to watch her change. He does what he's been doing for the past month, but then he notices the phone and freaks the fuck out.

Anyway, Marcel is caught on camera trying to watch Bella change. Bella sends this video to her other roommates and friends. Marcel, Bella, and the other roommates have a group conversation to talk about what happened. Marcel tries to play it off as though Bella is crazy and that he wasn't doing what she thought he was doing. The video is CLEAR evidence that he is lying.

He later realizes that he fucked up and basically begs Bella not to do anything or else she's going to ruin his life. (As though he wasn't the one who ruined his life by committing the crime himself??? Again, this dude does not know how to hold himself accountable and needs to blame his misery on everyone else but himself)

Bella files a police report against him. Marcel checks himself into a mental hospital (to gain pity???). He also tells his friends what happened and tries to frame it in a way where he's not in the wrong. His friends report him to the Office of Institutional Equity. He gets fired from his job. He drops out of school.

I dodged a bullet, but I still feel incredibly bad for Bella and the shit she went through. When I had to report a guy to the Office of Institutional Equity for being a creep and harassing women/femme presenting people, the guy particularly favored Bella as well.

After this whole debacle, it's really made me hesitant to engage in relationships, but I'm really grateful for my husband and wife.