#thought I stop being negative about season 2 for a while

[morning-coffee-brewed-it-forya]

Why am I kind of obsesses with Wylan wearing these goggles

[scoops-aboy86]

Secret Admirer

Steddie Week 2024, July 1: Mystery / secret relationship / One Night Alone by Vixen

wc: 2131 / rated: T / set between seasons 2 and 3 / also on ao3

cw: negative self talk (steve), allusions to unhealthy use of drugs and alcohol (eddie), and one horny paragraph

In the first few letters, Eddie had tried to disguise his handwriting. It occurred to him after a while, though, that there would be no reason for someone like Steve Harrington to recognize it, so he stopped. And he was right, nothing happened. 

Steve hasn’t figured out the secret admirer letters he kept answering were written by none other than the official Freak of Hawkins High. Hell, Steve hasn’t even worked out that he’s a he. Though a few vaguely worded sentences every now and then suggest that Steve might not be assuming she either, which is…interesting. Possibly nothing, but interesting all the same. And Eddie knows he’s probably just stringing himself along by doing this, but he’s about to repeat his senior year of high school for the third goddamn time and this is a better option than drinking or dipping into the harder stuff that Reefer Rick expects him to sell. Broken heart likely, but at least he doesn’t wake up with a headache or the shakes.

Now it’s well into summer, and the PO Box he’d had since he was sixteen (for Blueboys and other mags that would get him equally tarred and feathered if anyone finds out) gets mail every damn day.

Eddie looks down at the most recent letter, rereading it for the hundredth time with a joint in one hand, several empty beer cans littering the bedspread and floor of his room around him. 

Dear Secret Admirer, Hey, I’m sorry if I came on too strong in my last couple of letters. I get why you don’t want to tell me who you are. We probably went to high school together, right? You don’t write like a middle schooler and no one who graduates sticks around in this stupid town besides me. I guess that makes me stupid means you probably knew me when I was still a douchebag. Sorry about that. I hope I never said anything to you or let Tommy push you around. Except I don’t know why you would’ve started writing to me in the first place if I had? It’s not like I would’ve written back if I was still that popular guy who everyone talked to and thought was so cool. Yeah, I admit it, I thought I was hot shit back then too! But it turns out, they only give you the spotlight as long as you don’t put a toe out of line. Don’t point out when they’re being assholes. You wouldn’t believe the kind of shit some people will say when they think you already agree with them about everything.  Anyway, I’m trying to be better now. Genuinely, if I’m not, if I’ve been an asshole in these letters at all, please tell me. And it’s not like I’m tired of writing to you, I just. Wouldn’t getting to talk in person be even better? Or we don’t even have to talk, if you don’t want to, that’s okay! You can come by Scoops and tell me it’s you and I’ll give you a free ice cream cone or something, whatever you want. Because actions speak louder than words, right? You keep sending me all these nice letters, and I’m not the best with words so I want to give you something too. (I don’t mean that like That wasn’t a come-on, I swear. Shit, I should rewrite this again but this is already the fifth draft, it’s not getting any better than this. Sorry.) — Steve PS, I don’t know if you have been to Scoops already, but if you’ve seen my coworker’s whiteboard I swear I’m not interested just because I keep striking out. Turns out I don’t actually know how to talk to girls without being weird. It’s weird being done with high school and not have that stuff in common to talk about, and I used to be this cool guy that I’m really not anymore so I panic and all this bullshit (who am I kidding) bullshit comes out my mouth and it’s EMBARRASSING. Anyway. I really like your letters, it’s been great having someone to talk to even if it’s not really talking a face to face thing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m kind of a loser now. Anyway, have a nice day! Fuck, Robin is right, I SUCK

The first bullshit in the postscript is crossed out so hard there’s a tear in the paper. All the scribbled out bits are borderline illegible, like Steve really tried, but Eddie can still make out most of it and can guess the rest from context. The very last word, for example, is totally obscured, but he has seen the You Rule / You Suck board, so. Yeah.

It makes his heart ache, the way Steve talks about himself sometimes. The way his insecurities bleed through artlessly on the page like coffee stains. Eddie alternates between wanting to wrap him up in soft things to protect him from whatever sharpness left him so cut open, and wanting to smother him with kisses for the bravery in being so genuine with a nameless, faceless stranger. 

Except Steve isn’t his. Steve is straight, for all he’s apparently being kind enough not to make assumptions, and could never want Eddie in the same way. And it’s not fair, the hanging back that Eddie’s been doing, holding out now that Steve has come to look forward to his letters just because of a little (huge, massive, life-threatening) fear of rejection. 

He’s been dragging his heels so long that Steve is feeling rejected, and that just won’t do. 

Sighing, Eddie takes another long drag before stubbing the remaining nub of the joint out. Scrubs his hands across his face and considers getting another beer. Or maybe forgetting the corner he’s backed himself into, with Steve wanting to meet—not only to satisfy the curiosity of knowing who his secret admirer is, but because he actually seems to like the person writing to him. (Actually wrote that they didn’t have to talk if Eddie didn’t want to, Jesus H. Christ, why did he have to be such a fucking sweetheart about that?) 

It’s late, and he’s already stripped restlessly down to just his boxers for bed. He could push it all aside, push his hands down the front of his underwear and get lost in different thoughts about Steve for a while, for the trillionth time. God knows that always works to clear his head, sometimes twice if he’s ambitious about it, enough for sleep to take him. 

Instead, Eddie drops the letter on his bed and hunts around on his desk for a notebook he can stand to tear a few more pages out of. Once he has what he needs, he chews on the end of his pen for several minutes  before putting it to the paper.

Steve, my beloved, It has been some time since I’ve replied. My deepest apologies for that, as it seems like you’ve taken that to mean something I absolutely did not intend. I received all of your letters, and “too strong” is not how I would describe them. They were lovely, sweetheart. I have reread them many times, I have slept with them under my pillow, I have cried happy tears over them for the thought that you might actually share my affection enough to want so badly to know who I am.  Very quickly, to address some of your questions and concerns: One, we did share some years in high school, yes, and I’m pleased to read that you think my writing is at a level appropriate to someone approximately our age. (I wish more of my teachers shared that view, but alas, I’m pretty sure that most of them hate me. Except for the drama teacher, who would let me get away with murder as long as I didn’t stain or break any of his props with the act.) Two, Hagan was a dick, but more to my friends than me directly, and the worst you ever did was laugh when I dropped my books a few times, that sort of thing. Water under the bridge, fuck high school, etc. etc.. Three, you have not engaged in any assholery in your writing, or in any of your actions that I’ve seen in a long time.  And four… you should’ve left the double entendre (i.e. the “I want to give you something too”); I wouldn’t have minded.  Obviously I think of you as prime boyfriend material—thoughtful, good sense of humor and humility, and whenever those younger kids swing by to pester you at the mall you put up a good front of being exasperated and annoyed, but through all that I can tell you care about them. (They say never trust someone who would hurt an animal, it works for kids too.)  But you’re also a total smoke show, baby. The effortless way you moved around the basketball court, same as in the water when you were still on the swim team, and in those indecently tiny shorts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about running my fingers up the inside of those thighs. Or my mouth. Whichever you think you’d like best, baby, I’m not picky. And while I do like ice cream, particularly strawberry with rainbow sprinkles in a cone, I can think of something else I’d love to wrap my hand around and run my tongue over before any drips can escape. You just think about that, hmm? Maybe share some of those thoughts in your reply, if I haven’t scared you off with this paragraph.  It was a relief to write that, to be honest. I am not without my fantasies, you see; in a lot of ways, they’re all I have. The real reason I’ve been hesitant to respond to all of your heartfelt entreaties to meet, sweetheart, is that I’m afraid. I’ve been head over heels for you for so long—for your looks before anything else, I’ll admit, but the douchebag boy from high school that you mentioned is long gone. A man stands in his place, and what a man you are. In writing to you, I wanted to make clear first and foremost how ardently I admire and love you, lest my feelings be mistaken for mere tawdry teen lust.  And hopefully I’ve succeeded. If so, can you see now how actions can be carved in with the words? It is the intent that shines through, and I can read in between the lines, Steve, that you are being genuinely honest with yours. All those disparaging remarks you made about yourself in your last letter, both crossed out and not, are probably you being too hard on yourself, but they speak to the fact that you both understand you’ve made mistakes in the past and are trying to pay penance for them. That, along with your fantastic hair and magnificent ass, are just a few of the reasons I remain, as always— Your Secret Admirer P.S. I don’t mind weird. Like it, even. Bring it on, big boy.  P.P.S.  If all I could ever have with you is one night alone, I’d take it and be grateful.

Eddie’s letter is almost twice as long as Steve’s, but whatever. That’s par for the course; he never expected Steve to be much of a wordsmith, even though the guy is clearly putting in a lot of effort. Writes drafts, apparently. Unlike Eddie, who bangs all that out in pretty much one go and merely skims it before sliding it in an envelope, sealing it in, slapping on a stamp and address, and throwing it off the bed. 

Then he falls into bed and strips his dick to the thought of Steve reading the letter and thinking about his mouth, half in a hot anonymous way and half in some imaginary reality where Steve knows it’s him and wants this just as badly. Of Steve groaning out how good it feels and maybe wanting to hold him after, fall asleep together, like they’re…

The next morning (or afternoon, whatever, it’s summer vacation), Eddie reviews his slightly fuzzy memory of the letter after stepping on the envelope and realizing, oh, right. Overly verbose and dramatic, the way he always is but even more so when tipsy. And… fuck it. One horny paragraph, he decides, won’t be the end of the world. Maybe it will scare Steve off; maybe he’ll enjoy it. Let fate decide, just like at the dnd table. 

Eddie shoves the envelope into the mail drop box just outside the trailer park gate on his way into town and sends a prayer out to no god in particular that he hasn’t just rolled a nat one.

~

Permanent tag list: @hotluncheddie @lawrencebshoggoth @sofadofax @tangerinesteve

Tagging some folks who expressed interest about this story in my Wiggly Wednesday post last week, let me know if you don't want to be tagged going forward: @steviewashere @cryingglightningg @theresebelivett @sleepy-steve

@rozzieroos @lunaraindrop @just-my-latest-hyperfixation

[haphazardlyannotated]

So I was thinking about how Steven, Connie and Stevonnie all have a duet with one of the main Crystal Gems and I realised how masterfully these songs are deployed to tell us things about them.

First of all, On The Run for Steven and Amethyst.

Amethyst is the Crystal Gem who relates the most to Steven's experiences and vice versa. They're both the 'juniors' in their household, they've both been struggling with being respected by the older Crystal Gems for a while now, and though Amethyst is very much Steven's guardian when it comes down to it, she's also Steven's peer in a way that Garnet and Pearl just aren't even when they try to include Steven.

And now this song sets them up as parallels in other contexts, too. They're both from earth! They both don't wholly belong in one category (Steven as a half gem, half human, Amethyst as a Crystal Gem who never fought in the rebellion and whose existence runs against the Crystal Gems' original wishes for Earth), and as we are about to learn, they both came into existence at the cost of other life and might harbour guilt about it, even though they had literally no say in this.

And then later on they continue to be parallels, especially in season 3 (though they share the child of divorce energy during the Sardonyx Arc). They both compare themselves to impossible standards of what they 'should' be (Steven to the idea of Rose, Amethyst to Jasper) and it is their recognition of their own struggles in each other that allows them to at least partially overcome them. No wonder Smoky Quartz is Steven's first fusion with another gem!

Next up: Do It For Her, sung by Pearl and Connie.

Speaking of parallels! It's pretty obvious watching the episode that Pearl is spending some time in projection city regarding absolute devotion to a beloved, if not revered partner, but she might actually be closer to the truth in some respects than she realises.

Remember Lion 2: The Movie? When Connie said that she didn't understand why Steven would hang out with someone as normal as her? Doesn't this remind us of someone else who feels like she's objectively inferior to a special (in several ways) someone? Someone who stepped out of the predetermined role she was supposed to fill to join her loved one on their dangerous path? Who lived a double life to avoid retribution from controlling authority figures? Couldn't say.

Also, they're both the knowledgable planner to their all loving goofball partner.

With all of this, I think Do It For Her both draws parallels between Pearl and Connie as well as Pearlrose and Connverse, and shows us how the example of Pearl and Rose's unresolved dysfunction could stop Steven and Connie from falling into the same trap before it was too late. I think seeing Pearl demonstrate the end of the road they were beginning to walk was what enabled Steven to step in before they got to Pearlrose's point, where Pearl was to deep in her self sacrificing mindset for Rose to reach her.

And finally, Here Comes A Thought for Garnet and Stevonnie.

First of all, obviously, Garnet and Stevonnie as an embodiment of the love and harmony between Ruby and Sapphire and Steven and Connie respectively.

It also draws parallels between Ruby and Connie and Steven and Sapphire though. (I saw a great meta about that in my lurking days, which I will link here if someone could kindly direct me to it). Sapphire and Steven as people who would rather bury negative feelings, like Sapphire tries to in Keystone Motel and Steven in... the entirety of suf to name just the most prominent one. Which of course only leads to more problems in the long run, because they haven't processed the feelings at all.

On the other hand, the comparison with Ruby draws attention to a trait of Connie's we maybe wouldn't have noticed otherwise: She is, for the lack of a better term, much more confrontational about things that make her unhappy. Just look at The New Crystal Gems.

Also, letting Ruby and Sapphire demonstrate their conflict resolution for Steven and Connie gives us an insight into what goes into keeping Garnet together through everything. Love takes work indeed. It's also worth pointing out that Connverse have been paralleled with both Pearlrose, Rupphire and (a little bit in We Need To Talk) Gregrose this way.

This show has so many layers, I swear, I'll be on my deathbed and I'll still find new nuances to write an essay about. Well done, Crewniverse.

[mushroomwarning]

A sorta long post on why I believe Lightbulb SHOULDN’T win season 2 and instead, the other three should be the candidates for winners

Before I start this off, PLEASE DONT BE MEAN TO ME WAUGHHH I’m just respectfully sharing my thoughts as someone who loves writing and I don’t even hate Lightbulb. I just don’t think she would make a good winner to make the story feel satisfied! So this isn’t LB neg, okay? Also keep in mind, I haven’t seen S2 in a hot minute so maybe I might get SOME things wrong but I’ll try my best to go on with my side.

Lightbulb

To start off, I’ll say it, Lightbulb as the possible winner of II S2 will be the most predictable and bland of the four possible contenders. Out of the four, she’s the one who’s managed to get the most out of the show, new friends, enjoyable experiences, a new pet, etc. She also has gotten a lot of screen time ( I think? ) and is a fan favorite for her wackiness n such. Yeah, she’s a little sad her friends are gone but she could always go and be with them if she just quit.

Her friends are waiting for her, honestly I’d say that’s a prize enough For her story, being able to go back and be with her friends, enjoying her time with them without worrying about the game anymore. She’s shown to be distraught with TT leaves, just go and be with your friends to stop being in this game that’s made people way more miserable. She’s got the winner attitude but it’s just. Boring. Predictable. Something that would not be that fun by a story standpoint tbh, at least in my opinion

The other three, I feel would make great winners in their own ways.

Baseball

I’ll start with Baseball, definitely an underdog and a guy nobody expects to win. That’s why he would be a wild card as a possible winner! It would shatter people’s expectations completely, but here’s the twist…If Baseball were to win, it could possible tie back into his story with Nickel. with Baseball probably thinking Nickel would pressure him to share the prize with him and his thoughts of how much of a doormat he’s been for others, Baseball could make his own decision without others influencing him, giving up the prize and giving it to the second place winner, which could be Suitcase or Knife it doesn’t matter.

THAT WOULD BE COOL WOULDN’T IT? Something that ties together Baseballs story thematically eh eh?

Knife

Anyways, Now onto Knife. He’s different from the other three in that, while he hasn’t lost anything like Suitcase or Baseball ( if I remember correctly), unless you count his dignity, he hasn’t gained anything either, unlike Lightbulb. He’s very much a pretty intelligent and strategical person, very much someone who could easily win if it played his cards correctly. There’s also a bit of a lesson he learns from S1 to S2, due to Trophy.

He learns to become less rash, mellowing out after Trophy gave him a bit of a reality check to the way he acts, even if the way he showed him wasn’t the best in the slightest, Knife learns to control his temper, mellowing out and instead uses his smarts to advance more in the game without relying on others and even gives advice to people Like Suitcase, Pickle and Microphone as he goes on.

He learns to be a better person and would honestly make a good contender for first, to reward him for his growth and change, or maybe second place if you want to show his new found humbleness in regards to his emotions

Suitcase

As for suitcase, while she’s sort of predictable as well, she isn’t as predictable as Lightbulb due to the events that she’s gone through and honestly is sort of the most deserving thematically to win out of everyone. Unlike Lightbulb, she’s lost a lot, not really gaining many friends excluding Balloon and gained mental health issues due to the treatment Nickel was giving her. This game has not treated her well in the slightest and she gains growth as time goes on, learning to stand up for herself and speak on her own.

She very much deserves the prize but at the same time, I don’t think she would care if she won or lost. She’s lost a lot and learned from her experiences in the game

Conclusion!

BUT YES. these are my reasons for why Lightbulb should not win. The others have very nice thematic reasons for why they could win but Lightbulb basically gained way WAYY more then they have out of the experience

But yeah, my ranking would go

Lightbulb- not a winner, Fourth place

Baseball - First place ( gives up prize) or Third

Knife - First or Second place

Suitcase - First or Second place too

[nalyra-dreaming]

About DM, having read som theories and speculations of yours and others I would love to add some of my thoughts and hear what you and @virginiaisforvampires and @cbrownjc thinks - if you are interested :)

1. Armand clearly reacted to Louis offering Daniel the Dark Gift, and reacted even more strongly to Daniel basically saying “No, thanks”. On the surface it seems in the latter instance that he was just offended by Daniel’s verbal barb, but I’m sure this is actually clever obfuscation by the writer/director/actor, no?

2. Given 1) and the foreknowledge of DM, Daniel responding ”A cure for Parkinson’s” when Armand (as Rashid) asked if Danial has everything he needs could be an unfired Chekhov’s gun…?

3. What really is/will become Armand’s endgame? I actually believe that it is as it seems, that Louis is the driving force behind this second interview. And that Armand actually be still be somewhat angry/resentful following the (presumed) breakup of DM. I think you speculated that Daniel might have wanted to leave to live a life since Armand refused to make him a vampire? While Armand might have wanted to spend the rest od Daniel’s mortal life with him? This would explain the charade, it being a way for Armand to either try to stop Daniel’s memories from resurfacing (per his request?) as well as Armand’s attitude in season one (as he seems annoyed with Daniel at times). Daniel’s terminal illness might be changing Armand’s mind however (á la DM), as previously suggested. Honestly? A part of me want to see some sort of fucked up Dracula situation, where it becomes clear gradually in a terrifying manner to Daniel that he is trapped by this ‘monster’ who claims to know him better than he knows himself/knows what’s best for him. The latter seemingly being a version of the dynamic playing out between Armand and Louis currently.

4. How will Daniel feel about Armand following season two? I think Daniel’s view of life and of the vampires has been shown to be quite different than to back in the 70s. His view of Armand must surely also be influenced by hearing of Louis’ bloody history of him? As he will presumably get to know Armand chiefly from Louis’ story and be quite critical of him - even viewing him as quite sinister as he realizes and gets Louis to realize the part Armand has played in tampering with their memories and Claudia’s death. Of course Armand is participating in the interview so his perspective will also come to light, and Daniel seems according to the trailers at one point be talking to Armand one-on-one. So he’s open to listening. I believe that Daniel’s view of Armand will be quite negative - even following the return of his memories, at least initially. That putting these memories and feelings together with his current view of life and view of Armand will be anything but simple. I would guess at this point that the romantic nature of their relationship is something that will be revealed very late - maybe even be a cliffhanger for the next season (together with other stuff).

5. A more nuanced view of Armand. However it wouldn’t completely surprise me if Louis, and possibly Daniel, somewhat consensually agreed to have some of their memories tampered with. I think Louis on some level after Claudia’s death might, due to his intense grief, wanted to emotionally “run away” so to speak. And that this series basically began with him for some reason or another now feeling ready to confront the past. So Armand’s seeming malevolence as a mind-manipulator will potentially be tampered by these facts. However Daniel will now presumably together with Louis find out about the role Armand played in Claudia’s death. Daniel’s empathy for Claudia is somewhat limited though, understandably as he has the human perspective and does, quite rightly, not excuse her murderous ways. But he might dislike Armand due to the self-serving aspect of the trial? Or maybe not?

6. At this point, I don’t think Louis and Daniel have been in a serious romantic relationship. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hooked up or something similar but Louis seemed very genuine and definitive in welcoming Daniel as a friend he met once/or a few times years ago recording the tapes. If he was hiding a past history and/or romantic relationship from Daniel I think he would behaved differently. Of course he could also not remember, but I don’t think that’s the case here.

7. I guess what I’m most curious about is what kind of dynamic will take form between Daniel and Armand during and immediately following season two? I would love to hear your thoughts. Also the Dracula comparison was not my idea but something I’ve read somewhere here. So sorry for long post! Love your blog!

Hey!

Glad you like! <3

Sorry this took a moment (the answer is also a bit longer^^)

He did. And yes, it might contain obfuscation, but mostly… I think Armand was almost afraid that Daniel would accept the gift from Louis. Maybe Louis offered before, maybe he did not, but Armand surely didn’t. And… Armand loves Daniel. Ultimately Daniel will be his only fledgling. There is a level of possessiveness to that, of course, and also to the not-healed bite marks on Daniel’s throat, which more than likely did not just stem from Louis’ attack (because Armand would have needed to heal Daniel there at least a bit, and over the following 12 years he bit Daniel often). I think there are a lot of things at play. For the book readers it is a nice little easter egg on various levels (both Daniel’s and Armand’s past together and also Armand’s personal past being referenced), but also something more hinted at, something we have not been shown yet. Though, given the title of that music part (Alice is in her third trimester) a while back - maybe we will get to see it. Something must have happened to make Armand let Daniel go, and the repeated refusal in the books served to open a rift between them. I could easily see that happen here as well. That said, it would mean that we will get a LOT more DM in s2 than thought so far… and I’m not sure that will be the case. What I could easily see is Daniel reminiscing (or getting memories back) about the moment he “got his shit together” as he called it in s1 - but I do not think we will get all of what that entailed yet.

Most certainly :) I think he’s already getting it. Fareed is not there to play around after all^^.

I have speculated that the aforementioned rift that developed through Armand’s repeated refusal to turn Daniel will lead to Daniel seeking other … comforts. But I think it would actually need a big reason (like a baby…) to make him struggle for real - and I could see someone else then decide to end that struggle. Put an end to the hunt/relationship because it was not good for Daniel, ultimately, and because Armand could not be moved. As per Armand… I think Armand did acquiesce to Louis’ wishes to have Daniel redo the interview, and he likely was not happy about it. I mean, imagine how it would be to see the love of your life... and said love of your life does not remember you. Verbally throws things at you. It must be a wild mix of feelings for Armand, from annoyance over helpless love to utter devastation. No wonder he tried to literally hide from it. I do think Armand was already aware of Daniel’s sickness - the aforementioned medicine by Fareed he is getting - that had to be prepared. Planned, designed. Researched. Whatever it is they are giving him is not what they claim it to be (the side effects don’t match), and… given Daniel is not stupid he might hone in on that pretty soon. Now, in the books there is a pharmaceutical empire that is led by a powerful ancient vampire, Gregory, and he and Seth (who is Akasha’s son and Fareed’s lover/maker) are roughly on the same level. Seth, but mostly Fareed, builds whole research centers for the vampires. There is a LOT of potential for the show to hook into that, and I actually think both the more physical sex and the absent death sleep during the day are thanks to Fareed. If that will ever be spelled out? No idea, but the first is something Fareed already makes happen in the books and the second is something he plans to remove… so I do think that is connected. I think whoever is orchestrating behind the scenes (coughs prime minister coughs) wanted to help Daniel to live long enough to maybe reconcile Armand and Daniel. And for that Daniel needs his memories back. If that is Armand though… the show will tell :)

Well, I think it will be the same as in the book when the memories come back - Daniel will realize that he “loved this thing”, this monster, despite everything. Despite knowing what Armand has done. That is part of the horror, that the lover overshadows everything he knows, and that he is, in a way, helpless against that. Oh, I’m sure there will be a development of feeling, of course. But ultimately Daniel will realize that he loved Armand - absolutely, totally - and then eventually he will realize that he still does. And that will make him just as confused and vulnerable and hurt, and emotional as it makes Armand.

I can easily see Louis saying something like “I want the pain to stop” or something similar, and then Armand taking that as his cue to interfere. The thing is, Armand back then… is not the Armand in Dubai. DM happened in-between and it changed him. So when Armand likely “tinkered” with Louis’ mind back then it was more to serve himself - when he “tinkered” with Louis’ mind later on it was likely to help Louis. However he did and what that tinkering might entail. So yes, Daniel might challenge him on his part in it all, of course. I am counting on it, actually. Because Daniel is there to pull the truth out of Armand - that is (part of) why the interview is being redone. And of course that will shape Daniel’s view of him further - only the feelings won’t care for that view when they come back. Armand was quite the “villain” in the earlier books - that changed a bit with the later ones. But he is still a coven master, and Lestat calls him “ruthless” in the books. The show will present both Armands to us in direct confrontation - and I bet the emotions of the audience will be just as tumultuous as Armand’s and Louis’ and Daniel’s own are by this confrontation.

Oh, Daniel and Louis… probably got along really well and even intimately during those 12 years. I think Louis definitely has a personal connection to him, much more than in the book. It’s a weird relationship triangle they have there, and soon Lestat will be added to the mix - and I bet it will be revealed that Daniel has met Lestat before (as well).

I think after s2 Daniel will still be an old man, still be the interviewer, the chronicler. But remembering much, much more, and therefore challenging whoever else is on that couch then (I expect Lestat) a lot more as well. For example wrt episode 5. I would bet real money that we will get episode 5 in s3 from Lestat’s POV. Because by now I think there was nothing random, or unplanned about it. This show is a puzzle, and we have had only a few pieces. I think Armand and Daniel… will be very … raw with each other. Emotions are high, vulnerability as well. There will be intimate moments, but also rejection. Daniel’s view on eternity will change at some point, and probably rather rapidly with the memories coming back. There will be anger at the meddling. Daniel is no pushover. He will challenge them, and especially Armand. At some point he will realize that he does not need to ask - he can demand, to an extent at least. And that will change the dynamic once more.

It will be very, very interesting to watch^^.

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

All Stars rewrite ideas based on what I thought was going to happen when there was only 3 episodes out at the time (sorry for making this so long)

The biggest issue with Tom ghosting Jake and Miriam was going to be that when Miriam had to be taken to the hospital (whatever happened during their vacation together was going to be more serious than they let on), Jake had texted/called Tom about it only to be met with silence (hence why Miriam said to Tom that she thought he would call in episode 3). It would have been interesting if Jake and Miriam talked after this challenge and Jake agreeing with Miriam that if Tom can't even explain himself for not picking up or responding back after her medical scare then it's about time Jake stop having hopes that Tom will ever talk to them at all. Jake would feel some annoyance with Aiden and Tom quickly becoming friends but Jake's beef would solely be on Tom not Aiden. Jake will occasionally look/glare in Tom's direction but restrains himself from talking to him. Would have loved to see Jake blow up at Tom later that the reason why he kept reaching out was not just because of his lingering feelings but because of what happened to Miriam (tying back to how Jake lost both his grandparents and those fears resurfacing because of Miriam's recent medical scare). Jake could have felt hurt by Tom's silence as him not caring about Miriam despite being close during their season.

Grett and Yul were actually going to be a genuine couple. With the look that Yul gave to Grett when she hugged him in episode 2, I was convinced. I thought Yul's storyline would be that although he's still shitty, he is trying to be better not just for his reputation but also for Grett (the cliché that love makes you change) . Also we would have got to learn about Yul's time in the industry and possibly more info about him and his family being north korean defectors (since it was only mentioned once in season 2). For Grett, I thought her storyline would have been about after being on season 1, she faced a lot of negativity and lost weight because of it since Emily did mention that she was getting a lot of negative comments that targeted her appearance. Hell, I saw the potential of them of being one of the best couples we could have had in All Stars (the others being James and Aiden, and Ellie and Gabby). I also could have seen Yul helping Grett overcome the hate she gets by giving her tips on developing thicker skin since he's had more experience, while Grett would push Yul into being a better person and he listens because Yul cares about how Grett sees him.

A possible Jake and Fiore team up after James' elimination since she voted James as well while Hunter and Ally voted for her. I honestly think that it would have been an interesting team up. The two could have opened up to each other about their not so good relationships with their parents. Also with the two being a team, Fiore could have kept Jake focused on the game by easily pointing out any mind games that Alec or Ellie are trying to pull on him while Jake could help Fiore during the physical challenges and stand up for her from the rest of their team so Fiore can be listened to since she's the smartest person on their team and Fiore could come up with ways on how they could win (Fiore knew how to play the game in her season). The two could've had a naive older brother/genius little sister dynamic.

With Aiden and Riya, I had expected much more interaction. With what happened in season 2 it was obvious that Aiden and Riya were going to have tension between them and because of this Aiden would have a rivalry with Riya instead of being pitted against Jake.

Lake being a lesbian would have some focus since she's now free from her arranged marriage and her parents.

Possible breakup between Hunter and Ally. Or having Huntessally finally being canon.

-⚡

we all thought the season would pan out so differently i’m so sick of these people 😭 your ideas with jake and his dynamic with others are great, i wanted him to be mad at tom rather than others so badly, and him and fiore bonding? sign me up!!!

yul and grett being genuine YES!!! i was actually hopeful for their dynamic believe it or not, i thought yul would be redeemed and although the “love changes people” trope is so overdone, it would have suited him. but yul stays yul <//3

also huntessally canon is not a want but a need.

[billerak]

Bumble that Bee or something idk

I recently finished RWBY (catching up after years leaving it aside) and I have thoughts and feelings and, as I am me, a lot of those are about the canonical WLW couple (sans the secondary wives in V6). So I put my thoughts into a rant. It's not as negative as the word 'rant' would have you believe but I don't wanna call it an essay or whatever. It's still pretty negative tho, so be warned. Anyways on with it:

RWBY is a mess.

Sometimes, it's a wonderful mess. Others, it's a terrible one.

I could spend a few paragraphs explaining what I mean, but I think anyone who watches RWBY with a critical eye knows what I'm getting at. Love RWBY, hate RWBY, just don't try to tell me it's good.

So, once that's established, let's get to the meat of this rant: Bumblebee.

Or should I say Fumblebee? Eh? EH?

Alright you can stop reading, have a good day.

Let me start by making a sharing something about myself: I'm Agender and Bi/Pan. I make a living out of writing yuri/gl/wlw or however you wanna call it. I watch entire seasonal fucking anime on the off chance it may be yuri and most of the time I hate myself for it by the end because they never fucking deliver.

All of this is to say, I like the concept of Bumblebee, the problem is it was treated like shit.

In this rant or whatever the fuck I should call it, I'm just going to talk about the things this ship makes me feel. As established I make a living out of writing romances like the one this show tried to depict—and in case you're wondering, I have written slowburns so slow the first romantic interactions between characters didn't happen until 300k words into a fic. I did it twice, fyi—so I believe I have fair grounds to judge this.

So let's tackle this from the beginning. Was it planned from the start?

No, I don't take the writers word for it. It's painfully apparent it's not the case. I'm fairly certain BlackSun was gonna be a thing until they decided to write him out of the story in V6. Or perhaps they decided on Bumblebee and so they wrote him out of the story. Either way, everything prior to V6 I call into question.

Sure, Blake and Yang have their moments. But it's important to point out they're not romantically coded. RWBY isn't subtle about romance, and it starts pulling the same sort of obvious romantic tropes as all the het stuff going on in the show for Bumblebee going into V7. Prior to that? Nothing. Not a single blush or any explicit show of romantic attraction.

And before any disingenuous bastard tries to say something like "oh but blushes aren't always romantic" or "no you don't need blushes to show romantic attraction" allow me to say you are fucking wrong. Blushing is the universal language for embarrassment or love related things. And RWBY uses this shit all the time. INCLUDING Bumblebee past V7.

So yeah, while the writers probably did draw from previous material—and I think the VA's shipped them since the start?—I do not believe this ship was planned from the beginning.

But that's ok! I don't think it's a huge issue, really. Sure I'd have liked to see actual development but I don't need it to work retroactively if it makes sense from the moment they decide to go for it. So, 3 volumes and a half of development. Lots of time to put in the work, add the details, and-

Oh, no. Wait. They spend most of V8 separated. Hmm. K' so, 2 volumes and a half-

Wait. Oh. Oh they… they really have that little screentime together in V6, huh. Wow. Just. Huh.

Ok, the Adam fight is good. It's a strong setup! After fighting and making up for what Blake did after the Fall of Beacon, they finally come together to beat the demon that drew them apart in the first place. They hold each other close after beating him and it's good and I'm gonna say this is when they both actually fall for each other. We can argue about budding feelings or whatever, but I mean this is the moment they become aware of it one way or another.

So Volume 7 has them kinda being together? Honestly, they act like a new couple. Which is weird in retrospect. I think revealing they'd started dating after V6 would have made more sense than, uh... pretending this was a slowburn? Through V7 they stick to each other and fight in perfect synch and blush and all of that romantic stuff. It feels like… well, like they're kind of already an item but the show has other shit to worry about atm.

Then v8 is amazing really. Split the characters over an honestly kind of nonsensical ideological split, keep them apart most of the season, make Yang to be kiiind of an asshole in that one conversation with Kyle (<- my name for the post-v7 Generic McGenericus haircut Jaune. Yes this unironical, the friend I ranted to about this while watching the show can confirm).

To add insult to injury, the split doesn't even accomplish anything for the ship. The only two characters that get development out of being apart are Ren and Nora. These characters were CLEARLY in love last season why are they not having appropriate amounts of angst over this? Like, at this point we're not arguing whether they were planning on making Bumblebee canon or not, the point is asking why it feels like they weren't trying.

And then, Volume 9. For some context, I like V9. I think I'm in a minority, at least in the places I frequent about this stuff. Always comes with the caveat of 'it's still RWBY', of course, but I appreciate it. After the initial whiplash, I think making a fairy-tale season for a show that was born out of the concept of "what if Red Riding Hood had a sick scythe and used it to mow down hundreds of bad wolves" is actually a really fucking good idea.

That being said, the way they do Bumblebee is really strange.

They're basically back to their V7 selves. It feels like they're either already dating or on the verge of dating. I need to stress just how comfortable they seem to be around each other with the sole exception of that one time Blake didn't grab Yang's hand, but it didn't feel particularly awkward.

Then BOOM mind storm thing and while Ruby, Weiss and Jaune talk about like, actual issues, Jaune implies Blake and Yang had 'something more important to deal with'. And that something is RWBY's version of the room you can't leave unless you have sex.

Sans the sex I guess.

In the void, I think the scene(s?) is good. It's nice, the music is evocative, it's well framed and paced. In another story, it would really have been a perfect climax for a budding relationship.

The problem is this is not another story. These two have NOT seemed like two people awkwardly in love too scared to tell it to each other. In fact, it kinda felt like the exact opposite. If they kissed at the end of any episode for any reason, at this point, it would've felt correct. A simple quiet stare while sitting close and them just finally leaning in to take that final step would've been just as good if not better.

The bridge thing? It's the climax to an arc that didn't happen. Relationships don't need to be slowburns for me to like them, but if you're gonna pretend you were making a slowburn, at least do it right. Why did they need the bridge thing to finally get together? Come on! There was plenty of opportunity during V9 prior to this episode to at least make a show of them being awkward. Make it clear they were finally on the verge but were holding back on the final step. Make it actually cause some conflict, preferably between them as their fear grows into uncertainty and doubts.

Then the bridge would've felt cathartic. Force them to resolve said conflict, and the only way to do it is through admitting their feelings. Sure, it would've still been few episodes, but fuck man I'm sure they could've scraped a few minutes here and there to make it somewhat competent.

I like Bumblebee as a concept. I think the avid fans of this ship look at the concept, not at what the show did, and say "this is canon" and run with it. I don't blame anyone who is a big fan of this ship but… I just can't like it in its current state. I'm sure there's fanfics that fix it, I may give some a read.

Hell, just compare Bumblebee's development to Renora. Those guys have been kind of obviously in love from second one and Nora's entire character being focused on Ren was made into an actual plot point by the end.

Anyways that's about it for bumblebee. Here's some extra thoughts on shipping in RWBY in general.

If we look at the earlier seasons, I honestly think you'd have a stronger argument to make for White Rose being a couple. If we look at the later seasons, Nuts n' Dolts has a stronger impact. I already mentioned it but Blake/Sun had obviously a thing going on that didn't pan out. I hope chameleon girl whose name I don't remember gets a gf at some point tho.

I pray to fucking god they're not building up fucking Oscar and Ruby cuz they had a few awkward scenes here and there and they make me feel wrong in all sorts of ways.

Given how little interaction Ruby and Weiss have had despite how much time they've supposedly spent together, I think the writers are making an active effort to discourage White Rose. I'm not gonna get into the author's self insert being a love interest for Weiss at one point but let's just say the writers seem invested in making extra-sure Weiss stays het. I've made my peace with that. And Penny is fucking dead again so Nuts n' Dolts is a no go (canonically I mean I may read a fanfic or two about them they're very cute).

If they're gonna give Ruby a relationship by the end (which I kinda hope they don't at this point), I think it should be Kyle. They've had nice moments together and seriously shipping Oscar with Ruby just feels fucking weird. Like I assume Ozma's gonna be fucking gone from Oscar's body by the end of this story but even then idk that guy had a centuries old man is his head, it's fucked up.

Anyways that's enough. Why did you read to the end? Thanks for reading anyways.

[karliahs]

i finished season 6!! i have...many thoughts. arguably too many. and please be aware that unlike my last screaming session, there's a fair bit of discussion here that isn't wholly positive! if negativity/criticism of this show is going to bum you out (genuinely no judgement if so), please don't click this readmore!

organised into a numbered list to pretend i'm capable of coherency. okay.

i am extremely biased and you shouldn't listen to me probably

there is a sense in which this show cannot win with me once it starts changing the status quo beyond approx the cultural festival, because i'm in the weird position of having spent literal years living mentally in this space that's like vaguely post-kamino to just post-overhaul. that's my comfy cozy little status quo zone and i like it there a lot. so when this show necessarily, very legimately wants to move its plot and characters forward from that point, there is always a part of me that feels a little like someone just ripped a big wall off my favourite playhouse - it's a legitimate story development but also hey :/

that said! when i was looking ahead at the stuff i knew happened from the point after i stopped watching, i kind of thought "huh, it sure does seem to escalate pretty intensely and become Just All War after a certain point." and i kind of thought that perception might be a function of my knowledge being all from spoilers, bc naturally that will focus on big plot developments and leave out quieter in-between moments. but uh... nope! again i cannot be trusted with perceptions about pace but...my feeling when watching is very much that at a certain point horikoshi decided he was barreling this thing right to the finish line

and that's fair! a lot of what's going on here with this status quo shake-up is like the objectively competent storytelling move where you don't give the audience time to slow down so they're feeling the same sense of overwhelm and fear that the characters are. basically it's me not them but boy would i have liked...space. for characters to slow down and react and feel things.

2. midnight was fucking robbed

she was robbed!!! why even kill her if you aren't gonna give it...weight. i know she's a minor character but best jeanist is a minor character and i feel like his fakeout death was borderline given more screentime and gravity than midnight's real actual death. and i know this show isn't about aizawa but fuck!! she had a big big place in the young aizawa arc, she mattered! to mic and aizawa! they were friends for 15 years! and they just don't really...do anything with it. i feel like if they'd killed mic off there'd have been...something. something that wasn't here. and she's not that much more minor a character than mic

3. the dabi reveal ruled

we all knew but christ. dance with your son in hell! the wilder and more bloodthirsty he gets the more i'm here for it. go for it you funky little maniac. love that he was animated like a weird little marionette while talking about shouto being a puppet. it's genuinely impressive that even with 0% surprise factor this still hit so good. i'm rotating him in my head like a microwave

and i say often that this show is better at creating problems than solving them for me but it sure is good at creating problems like. that fucking house. the pressure cooker of misery. tiny little touya soaking it all in. harrowing

4. the thing where dabi is a foil for shouto does not hit for me

i know i just said a bunch of good things about the dabi stuff but. okay.

i was conceptually never here for the concept of endeavour redemption arc and i will say! i was at times pleasantly surprised. the ep that basically concludes that the best thing he can do for his family is to stay the fuck away from them had more maturity than i expected. and again i genuinely enjoy the drama! it's very good drama!

but there is just. something about the thing where dabi is specifically there to be like. this is what shouto needs to try not to turn into with his anger towards his father, this is the path that could lead him down that just... for me it rings too much like vilifying the anger of an abused child. after they went so hard and so explicit on the domestic abuse angle.

i'm not saying you can't tell good interesting and valuable stories about anger after abuse, and even about how it's easy to become consumed by hatred when you've been wronged and let that take away your future. probably this story is that for some people. it isn't for me.

5. i love mirio but the missed potential of his temporary quirklessness fucking haunts me

idk if i can even say more about this like. i love him. i was happy to see him again. i long ago accepted that this show will never dig into quirklessness in a way that would satisfy me (and yes i know about Future Events and will be pleasantly surprised if that proves me wrong). but i truly cannot get over the missed potential of doing nothingggggg with this character who explicitly had a power that only let him be an incredible hero because of WORK. and effort. and training. and then having him lose the power but not the work and effort and training, and then shoving him gently out of the narrative until he just gets the power back one day. when your protagonist grew up quirkless!!! the opportunity for reflection on that is so obvious!!

okay apparently i could say more about that. sorry. read pez dispenser debris

6. hawks man

i already yelled (positively) about the twice stuff last time but it's worth yelling again because fuck!! again it's wild to me that after actively encouraging and seeking out spoilers, i still managed not to know this. and it fucking hit. toga's line where she goes "if [heroes'] purpose is to save people, did they not think jin was a person?" hit so fucking hard i had to pause the episode and put my hand over my mouth and stare at the ceiling for a while. it's...genuinely damning

and i think they did a really incredible job building hawks' character to the point where he does this. like. it's one of those perfect tragedy things where you can see all the pieces spinning into place. make someone into a weapon and they're gonna draw blood.

and then as always. i just vibe way more with the creation of those problems than their solutions. i'm sure they will do at least a little more with hawks but. idk. i feel like horikoshi is so good at breaking stuff and then he kind of hastily glues it back together and i'm like wait please. the wreckage was so fascinating. fixing it would be so long and hard and also fascinating. this is what fanfiction is for probably

7. lady nagant!!

i knew nothing about her going in and i liked her a lot. the music worked so well, there's this one specific kind of circussy little riff that i liked almost as much as AFO's theme, my other fave piece of music from this show

and again it's like...genuinely damning! holy fuck! and i'm trying to just enjoy the parts where they launch extremely cutting criticisms of hero society without remembering that my vague amalgamation of spoiler knowledge suggests we will not be....doing a whole lot with that

8. iconic yellow scarf era of sadness! at last!

in some ways i am the ideal audience for this narrative and in other ways i am again hopelessly biased. bc i have been craving content that addresses the fact that my boy is like this for so long, but also it's so My Favourite Subject that i have seen done well so many times that i'm like...would anything ever really be enough for me, an addressing midoriya's self destruction guy for literally 5 years now

in my head i expected this arc to be izuku going fully rogue so i was surprised when this was like...a semi-sanctioned thing, at least at first. but makes sense so you can then build to him being basically totally rogue. and oof the build. i really liked the visuals! let my son be fucked up and scary and haunted

and god when he admits he can't go back because he is so scared. i feel like the mall scene hit way harder for me this rewatch because there are so many horrible aspects to it, but particularly the thing of looking at these people all around you and knowing if you cry out too loud they will all get hurt. and it will be your fault, if you can't bear it quietly enough. and you are fifteen fucking years old. so the moment at jaku when izuku looks around at all the evacuating civilians and you can see him realising that him being anywhere near them could doom them. because they're near you, and this person with impossibly destructive power wants You. you're next...that inversion. that pressure. i love him forever and ever...

9. i knew aizawa would not be in this arc but i felt his absence so keenly

like i know i know. he's a minor character. he was busy not having a leg anymore. but i would have killed a man for anyyyy kind of OFA reveal reaction/one of his kids running around the city with a target on his back from the world-ending villains reaction. please. please. i knew i wouldn't get it but i still wanted it very bad

[swimmingismywholelife]

Your Strength

Summary: After 2 losses in a row following a mediocre season, you become Kepa's source of strength when he finds he doesn't have any to spare.

Warning: Reminders of Chelsea's horrible game against Aston Villa, feelings of self doubt, slightly angsty but fluffy ending

Word Count: 1.1K

A/N: I don't wanna talk about Chelsea rn but at least Barcelona played my boy Pablo Torre

You and Kepa sat in silence as you drove the car back to your shared home. You knew there was nothing you could say that could make your boyfriend feel better.

Kepa hadn't had the easiest few years. Since his signing with Chelsea, he'd faced doubts, criticism, and negativity from all sorts of people. Even still, Kepa slowly rebuilt himself and it showed in his playing, regularly becoming a part of the starting XI and getting his first call up for the National Team in almost three years. His confidence was growing once more and he was becoming the player you knew he was always capable of being.

But just as quickly, things started to go downhill. Chelsea's season, quite frankly, had been shit. And although he'd managed a clean sheet against Norway in the European qualifiers, Spain lost to Scotland. 2-0. And tonight, Chelsea lost to Aston Villa. Another 2-0. It seemed like once again, the odds were against him, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"Do you wanna talk about it mi amor?" you asked as you parked the car in your driveway.

Kepa shook his head. He hadn't looked at you the whole ride, opting to stare out the window instead, afraid to see that you were disappointed in him too.

What Kepa didn't know was that he couldn't be more wrong. You'd always be proud of him regardless of whatever the outcome was. Tonight was no exception. He may not have kept a clean sheet, nor did he win the game, but he still went out there and gave it his all. And you were so proud of him.

You reached for his hand, which he gladly took in his. He intertwined your fingers, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb gently. He finally turned his head to look at you, trying his best to muster up a small smile. It broke your heart to see how upset he was.

"It's going to be okay Kepa. Even though it doesn't feel like it right now, it will be," you said softly.

Kepa held your hand tighter before kissing the back of your hand in thanks.

"Let's go inside okay? That way you can shower before going to bed."

Kepa knew that he hadn't been the best throughout the past few games. He made mistakes that cost his team the game. He should've communicated better. He should've trusted his gut more instead of hesitating so much. He should've done this. He should've done that. His brain was on a constant loop of "You should've been better. If you were better, your team would've won. This is on you." After all, he was the goalkeeper and it was his job to prevent the other team from scoring.

Kepa barely registered that you'd led him into the shower. He didn't even flinch as the hot water hit his face. He only blinked, getting lost in his thoughts and self-doubt.

"Amor? I'm right here," you said as you hugged him from behind. "Stay with me right here, right now. I know you're hurting and I know you're blaming yourself. But you don't have to do that right now. Just focus on me and let me take care of you okay?"

He turned around, holding you close to him. Kepa was always touchy with you, but he especially needed your touch in moments like these. He didn't know how you did it, but you always found a way to bring him back when his mind wandered off. He closed his eyes, focusing on the way your touch made him feel. He reveled in the way your fingertips lightly scratched his scalp as you shampooed his hair. He shivered as you ran your hands all along his body, being as gentle as you possibly could. He lost himself in the sensations you gave him, allowing his mind to stop for a little while.

"Kep? I'm all done. You can get dressed now," you said while handing him a towel, turning the shower off.

Once the two of you were dressed, you led him under the covers of your bed. He laid his head on your chest, laying an arm around your stomach and intertwining your legs together. You ran your fingers through his hair and holding him close to you.

The tears slowly started to fall from Kepa's eyes as the events of the day starting to creep up on him once more. Kepa's silent tears quickly turned to sobbing, turning his head to further hide into your chest. You felt his arm tighten around you as he desperately tried to anchor himself. You kissed his head gently, allowing him to cry his stress and anguish away. Kepa needed this, and you just held him against your chest.

Eventually, the sobbing returned to quiet sniffles. Kepa's grip didn't let up, but you could feel his body loosen up ever so slightly. Even though words wouldn't take away his negative emotions, you hoped you could fill him with the love and strength you had for him.

"I know what you're probably thinking Kep. But no matter what, I'm here for you. I will always be here for you. A few bad games don't define you or your self worth. I'm sorry these past few games haven't gone the way you wanted. But you tried your best with what you were given and that's absolutely more than enough."

Kepa pulled you even closer to him. You stroked his hair as you continued.

"You'll bounce back from this, mi amor. I know you will. You've trained so hard for this and I know you put your heart and soul into what you do every time you step onto that field. So while it hurts now, I promise your hard work will pay off. And when it does, I'll be right there in the crowd to cheer you on. It's okay to feel hurt. It's okay to feel disappointed. But tomorrow is another day to restart and try again. So you don't have to be strong tonight if you don't want to Kepa. I've got you."

Kepa truly didn't know how he managed to get someone like you. You were always so patient with him, especially when he was at his lowest and didn't know what to do. You understood him like no one else, not even himself. While his head was full of nothing but disappointment, his heart was full of love, and it was all thanks to you. And he knew that no matter what happened, whether it was yesterday, today, or tomorrow, you'd always be there with him.

Kepa brought his hand to your cheek, allowing you to rest your forehead on his. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. The way he gently kissed you spoke to how grateful he was to have you in his life.

Taglist: @neverinadream @pulisicsgirl @masonspulisic @lovelynikol16​ @chelseagirl98​ @bracedes​ @lizzypotter14​ @notsoattractivearenti​ @thoseboysinblue​ @pianoisland​

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

I mean, as per TCW canon, we know that Rex at least has THOUGHT about the inherent contradiction with the clones' relationship to the war, enough to have seemingly made his peace with it. So it seems reasonable to assume that the other clones around his age who've survived to this point, too, have at least thought about it (so this would be people like Jesse, Cody, Bly, Gree, Fox, Thire, etc, basically anyone we might've met within the first season or two of TCW that is clearly still around by Order 66). Cody has his line about how it's hard to be the one that survives in season 7. So yeah, I'd say it's fair to assume they have a complicated relationship with the war itself and that this is something every clone would have to come to their own conclusions about. Not all of them reach the same one, though. Cut chooses to desert peacefully and Slick chooses to betray them all for a chance to escape. So while someone like Rex (and probably Cody) has made his peace with being made to fight in a war, not necessarily everyone does.

As for their relationship with the JEDI, I imagine that's also going to vary from clone to clone, but what we know from higher canon is that they honestly DIDN'T feel all that complicated about the Jedi. Rex discusses his complex emotions about the WAR, but he never seems to feel that conflicted about the Jedi themselves. He's always pretty positive about his relationships with Anakin and Ahsoka, to the point that he can't fucking STOP gushing about Anakin in Rebels. He also doesn't show any discomfort around Kanan and Ezra (unlike the obvious discomfort we see on Kanan's end) and pretty happily starts to build up a friendship with Ezra. Wolffe on the other hand DOES seem more conflicted about it, but his primary issue is fear of the Empire and the attention that the rebels' presence could bring, not necessarily fear OF THE JEDI themselves. During the chip arc in season 6, Fives explicitly calls the Jedi the clones' best friends and seems equally as upset about the fact that the chips would make them kill the Jedi as he is about everything else.

Even if we look at Cut and Slick, ONLY Slick has a complicated relationship with the Jedi, while Cut never even brings them up as part of why he deserted. So that's one example among many many many examples of the clones loving their Jedi and considering the Jedi their best friends. While you can certainly use Slick to argue that it's possible not every clone loved the Jedi and that some of them might've seen them more negatively, there is OVERWHELMING evidence of that being an exception, not the rule.

As far as what's in TBB in terms of how the clones feel about Order 66, there is... very very little. TBB's main characters don't actually care about the Jedi really at all since, other than Echo, none of them served with Jedi all that much so far as we can tell and never built up any kind of relationship with the Jedi. And Echo's relationship with Anakin (and potentially Ahsoka, we never actually get to see them together outside of the Citadel arc, so I'm not sure how much time they would've actually served together canonically but it can't have been much) isn't touched on at all in TBB and doesn't seem to impact his reaction to Order 66 in any way. Hunter seems upset by Caleb's lack of trust during Order 66 and does go out of his way to protect him by lying to Crosshair about killing him, but after that moment, there's no real attention paid to the Jedi. We saw Cody in season 2 and he says a few very vague things about how maybe they made some bad choices because at this point we have to assume Cody still HAS a chip that might be making him feel like he'd CHOSEN to turn on the Jedi even if it's weakened enough to let him doubt his actions. But because he's speaking to Crosshair, he's not saying anything particularly explicit and he's in one episode before he disappears. Most of the other real clones we meet in TBB are either freed of the chip already (Rex, probably Gregor), didn't have Jedi to turn on (Howzer, Cut, Mayday, also probably Gregor), or seem to be fully under the chip's control still (Wilco). So what discussions ARE had about the impact of Order 66 don't really center on the Jedi much at all, leaving us a little in the dark about how the clones feel about that in the more immediate aftermath of it.

However, given the way we see Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe reacting in Rebels, the way Rex reacts in TCW season 7, and everything else we see about the clones in high canon during the war itself, it's pretty safe to say that while there might have been some clones who weren't that upset about killing the Jedi regardless of whether the chip was active or not, the VAST MAJORITY of the clones would never have turned on them at all and have to spend the rest of their lives either mourning the Jedi and feeling guilty about what they were forced to do, or struggling to figure out why they'd even done it in the first place when something in them is telling them it was wrong.

[miraculous-pyromaniac]

The Rooster miraculous wasn't intended for Marc

The vibe is just off, it doesn't make sense for Marc to have gotten this miraculous. Rooster Bold is awesome and his design is incredible, but what the fuck is Pretension? And why is this thing so crazy overpowered?

The word ‘Pretension’ has many meanings. Dictionary.com gives it’s noun form 8 different definitions and Merriam webster gives it 5. We’ll ignore the verb form of the word, which is somewhat architecture related and not relevant to it’s usage within Miraculous.

I think there’s 3 main things to consider when considering Pentensiont. 1- It’s a synonym for ambition, though it has a more negative implication. 2- It’s definition as a claim or assertion over something 3- It’s closely related to the word ‘pretentious’ A pretension is essentially a type of assertion or ambition that is rooted in pride or delusion. A desire for a goal without the knowledge or intention to work to get it. This interpretation of the word is clearly seen within Miraculous as the rooster’s power allows it to literally gain almost any kind of superpower immediately. The concept of the rooster miraculous is essentially the idea of privilege, the idea that you deserve to have something despite not working for it. That’s why the power seems so unbalanced. Just as privilege is unfair in the real world, the rooster’s power is unfair within the world because it’s user gets any power it wants while other users have to use what they have. It’s a perfect power to pair up with the idea of Pretension, in my opinion.

Now, obviously, privilege isn’t a concept that applies much to a boy like Marc Anciel, this shy queer writer kid, who has trouble making friends. He works hard on his comic with Nathaniel because he’s passionate about it. He had ambitions as a writer, sure, but he doesn’t believe he deserves success from it. Marc isn’t prideful or privileged, his personality doesn’t fit this idea of Pretension at all. So why choose Pretension as the concept? It’s definitely a more complicated idea than Subjection, yet the bee got reconned to fucking Action but the rooster got to keep it’s weird ass concept. Why not change it to ambition, or aspiration, or declaration, or whatever. Now I’m clearly putting more thought into this than any of the writers did, but to me the choice to use ‘Pretension’ specifically is strange. If they just wanted for Marc to have the ‘choose any power’ power due to him being a writer, there are many other concepts that could have been used to justify this sort of power. Here’s a list of alternate concepts I came up with after a few minutes of thought. Declaration Imagination Specification Assertion Decision Adaption Definition Ambition Aspiration Possession Dominion I-activate-my-trap-card-and-summon-my-blue-eyes-white-dragon-ion You get my point. The Rooster miraculous intentionally got a concept that has this negative implication of pride and privilege, yet was given to a queer side character who has self-esteem issues and is actively working hard for their comic book dream. It’s a strange disconnect between user and miraculous concept that is unlike any other miraculous wielder in the show. This concept is almost almost opposite of who the character of Marc Anciel is.

But then at the end of season 4, before we even saw Marc get to use the miraculous to any measure of it’s full potential, it and the rest of the miraculous are stolen by Gabriel. And as Monarch, miraculous is hardly used to great lengths by him. It was mostly used to grant himself flight or invisibility, though in the Miraculous Paris movie he uses it to travel to alternate dimensions. Now the mental gymnastics that had to be done to stop Gabriel from pulling instant win powers out of his ass every episode was… glaring, and also likely lies from the kwamis since they were never commanded to tell the truth and they let Xuppu explain things. When a being of Intuition allows the being of Derision to take the speaking roll, it betrays that there might be a specific goal there. It’s honestly one of my favorite scenes. I love Xuppu, but let’s not get off track. Clearly, the rules of this power weren’t well thought out. If a concept can’t exist twice, then why can the butterfly grant illusion powers, or grant Copycat a cataclysm power, or Volpina her illusion powers, Bubbler creates seemingly unbreakable bubbles that are similar to the Shellter power, Evilistrator has the exact same power as the Goat, Sapoties could multiply themselves, Style Queen and the dragon have basically the same power, Timetagger can time travel, Penalteam created a barrier, and Risk is just a frog-coded version of the Eagle’s power. Sentimosters also seem to be able to copy concepts, Fu’s sentimonster (AKA Feast) is immune to miraculous powers like the Ox, Mayura created Sentibug who could use ‘Senti-charm’, Lighteye could freeze people like the Bee’s power, Mega Leech does the exact same thing the mouse power does, Sentibubbler makes his bubble barriers, Strikeback is immune to miraculous powers like the Ox again, and Felix’s projector sentimonster creates their illusions. That ‘concept can only exist once’ thing is clearly hogwash, or it only applies to the Rooster and not the butterfly or peacock, which doesn’t seem likely.

To me, everything surrounding the rooster feels incomplete, disjointed from its place in the story in a way none of the other miraculous are. It’s power is this perfect compliment to the butterfly, the ability to grant powers to yourself rather than to others, that is just so underutilized in the show. It was one of the last miraculous to be revealed from the Motherbox and it was given to, I’m sorry to say, a not very relevant side character whose main plot relevance is being the romantic interest of one of the classmates. I love Marc, but of all the miraculous users, they are the least developed character. Marc just feels out of place with the rooster. It feels like it was given to them by popular demand from the fans. Given to him in the midst of Penalteam, where it wouldn’t get to shine as it had to share it’s spotlight with 2 other miraculous. Not to mention his hitherto unmentioned love and skill for football/soccer that justifies him being there. Rooster Bold, Caprikid, Miss Hound, and Minotourox were rushed and shoved into a single episode in order to quickly introduce them befor season 5.

Then at the end of season 4, Gabriel got hold of the rooster and other miraculous by means of Ladybug’s yoyo, and this powerful miraculous was heavily underutilized. Many fans have voiced grievances with this finale, mainly because it felt totally contrived. Gabriel being able to open the link to the miracle box doesn’t make sense since he’s not the guardian, the yoyo didn’t disappear when she de-transformed, Marinette had to retransform to get it back which gave Gabriel time to grab all the miraculous despite every other time we saw a de-transformation causing a miraculous tool to disappear(like the cane in s2 finale, Mayura.) The show broke it’s own rules to make this dramatic ending happen. The actions of the individual characters all make sense, but the rules are broken so it feels cheap. This seem off topic, but let’s move backwards and look at Risk. The idea of this akuma was amazing, a secret villain that makes everyone in paris take risks so that Shadowmoth can finally get an edge over Ladybug. A wonderful idea that leads to some crazy scenes during the episode, but what does it accomplish? It makes Marinette choose ‘Adrien’ to help her beat the villain by giving him, who is actually Felix, the dog miraculous, which was the used to steal Ladybug’s yoyo. Risk made Marinette feel the need to call a new Dog user, despite already having Sabrina. She had already called 7 established heroes to fight Strikeback, yet felt she she needed someone without the Risk mark, causing her to go to ‘Adrien’/Felix. Judging Marinette’s actions in Risk is difficult because her mind is literally affected by RIsk, and when she knows that she starts overthinking her actions and doubting herself at every step, all and all just a mess which is the point of Risk being created.

Let me lay my theory out. The Ox, goat, dog, and rooster miraculous were rushed into the show with Penalteam. Marc stands out in the hero team by both being a very minor character and not fitting the concept of his miraculous. Sabrina does fit her miraculous concept to a tee, Adoration is a perfect match for her, yet she was replaced by ‘Adrien’/Felix/Flaremidable in the s4 finale. The show breaks its own rules to give Gabriel all the miraculous for season 5. Throughout season 5, Gabriel heavily underutilized the Rooster despite it’s versatility. Season 5 sucked ass(In my opinion)

I think that there was a massive rewrite of reason 5, because everything about the use of the rooster and the writing of season 5 feels disjointed and badly written.

The whole point of the powers of the butterfly and peacock miraculous is that they can be used to grant basically any power, which makes it the perfect weapon for the villain of an episodic show like miraculous. Except, in season 4&5, the show becomes more narrative and less episodic, with badly executed plotlines running through the episodes. The Rooster’s ‘choose any power’ power fits the themes of the villains in this story way more than it does the heroes. In this show, our heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir fight an illusive, ever changing roster of villains with their unchanging and limited arsenal of powers, that's the entire premise of the fights of the show. Set limits versus constantly changing power. That idea completely breaks when Rooster Bold walks up and goes ‘I choose the power to always hit my mark’ and then chucks his pen which magically lasers in and breaks the akumatized object. It completely breaks the balance of the show. But, if the user of the Rooster was a villain, then it slots perfectly into the premise.

Pretension is ambition that is rooted in pride and privilege. It is assertions and claims that won’t be backed up or earned by action or skill. It’s the idea that one thinks they deserve something that they aren't going to put work into getting.

I think that the rooster was originally meant for Felix, and Rooster Bold was a relatively new idea.

I think the rushed nature of Penalteam was so that the 4 until then unused miraculous would be known about for this new version of season 5, which is the version we got. I think that season 5 was originally going to be more similar to season 4, with Caprikid, Miss Hound, and Minotourox being introduced in season 5’s episodes, and Shadowmoth still being the villain. I think that the original idea of Risk/Strikeback was that Marinette gave ‘Adrien’/Felix the Rooster instead of the Dog, and this choice would make sense since the rooster in this version would have yet to have had a holder and Marinette would be taking a risk by giving out this powerful miraculous. It's also a Risk because Adrien had failed as a hero before as Aspik. And after the battle, Felix would disappeared with the miraculous.

Now I can’t speak to what would happen after this, whether Felix would be an anti-hero or an anti-villain, which side he would be fighting on, or what his further intentions would be. Because the version of Felix’s story we got was likely very simplified for the season 5. Hell, I’m not even sure if the sentimonster plot would be the same. I hope it wouldn’t have been, that shit was stupid.

I think that this whole idea was taken out of the show in order to have the dramatic season of Gabriel having all the miraculous for season 5, an idea that I’m sure wasn’t the original intent of the series. I’m not sure if this change came from pressure from ZAG on the writers or from Astruc slamming his head into a brick wall at a few too many miles per hour. I can’t speak to how the original plot of season 5 would have gone because I’m just some random chucklefuck on the internet with too much time on their hands and this entire theory is based on the Rooster miraculous having the wrong vibes for a character i like.

TLDR My theory is that the original idea was for Felix to have the Rooster miraculous and that Penalteam rushed the other miraculous into the show in order to have the dramatic, badly written, season 5 that we got.

[ginger-snap-talkin-nonsense]

Why do the writers at King of the Hill expect us to see Cotton Hill as anything other than evil (and not in a "funny"/"love to hate him" way) when he sexually abuses Luanne and almost sexually abuses Bobby in the first episode that he's formally introduced? Shouldn't it reflect badly on Hank as a guardian that he allows Bobby to be alone with his abuser after that?

This can't even be blamed on the better writers leaving the show in the later seasons. This was in the first season, and Cotton never gets better considering that he tortures Bobby by putting him in solitary confinement for three days in season 7.

Okay, so just to clarify off the bat, the sexual abuse anon is referring to is in Cottons debut where he smacks Luanne's ass and then is immediately responded to with a threat if he tries it again, and a failed attempt at taking him to a place he remembers being a brothel, but I think this anon is getting at the heart of a bigger issue regarding how people think critically about character writing.

Cotton Hill is a bad person. Full stop. He was an abusive husband and father when Hank was a child and even in his shallowed love of his new wife and kid, he's still repugnant, misogynistic, bigoted, etc.

But that's a feature, not a bug because Cotton exists in relation to Hank.

You see, King of the Hill has a running theme (at least in the pre flash era) of change and how we confront trauma in the face of that change. Cotton as a character was abused himself-first by his military boarding school which the mere thought of puts him in the only tears we see him in in the series, then by enlisting in World War 2 at age 15 where he was physically disabled, watched his friends die, was ripped from the woman who he fell in love with, and then discharged and left broken and impoverished.

And Cotton does anything he can to run from accepting that he was traumatized by all of that. He treats it like it's made him strong and better, he wears his misery like a badge of honor and refuses kindness and sympathy as a result.

Thanks to this idea of what iteams to hurt, he turned those ideas onto Hank growing up. Cotton was a lot of things but he wasn't (as far as we know in the show) physically abusive, but he was mentally and emotionally abusive and that led to Hank believing a lot of negative things about sharing feelings or gender roles.

And then he meets Peggy who starts dismantling the stigmas about the gender binary and has Bobby who dismantles his feelings about feelings. A lot of Cotton episodes are in relation to how Hank is raising Bobby right by unpacking the unhealthy environment he grew up in with his wife and striving to be better. This happens with Peggy and her mother as well but to a far lesser extent.

Beyond that, Cotton represents how complicated emotions can be in regards to bad people you have sympathy for. Hank, despite learning to see the many flaws with his father, still wants a healthy and positive relationship with his dad. The show never knocks for wanting this or continuing to strive for it, rather it tells Hank that he can't force anyone else into his shit like his wife or son.

Meanwhile Peggy despises Cotton for all he's done to Hank and how he treats women, and the show never knocks her either. Peggy is entirely within her rights to hate him and the closest they ever get a mutual respect for how strong they've been while getting past their hardest moments.

Cotton may deserve sympathy for what he's been through, but does that mean you can forgive him for all the terrible things he did as a result of his unchecked trauma and the time he grew up in? The show doesn't have an answer, it's up to each individual person, and no answer is wrong.

That's why Cotton is a strong character. There's nuance to him and how he interacts with the other characters. He furthers the shows central theme and introduces his own.

A written bad person does not equate to bad character writing

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Hello, its me again, the ‘’long ask anon’’ i should totally stop being na anon, i’m too chatty to only show up once in a while, but being the kind of insane anon that shows up from time to time just to ramble is my true calling.

First off i’d like to thank you for being so sweet, i’m glad you enjoyed my feedback to this degree and took time to answer my questions, i really enjoy knowing your thought process in the creation of this fic and what it might become in the future. Anyway, onto your answer.

I totally agree with you on the importance of wintertime for the group, i think its really a shame how they didn’t show us any of it, though its understandable why they didn’t show us its like, come on, winter is prime apocalypse time, even normal winter is tough as we see in the comics. But here’s the thing, Rick in the comics doesn’t really grapple with Lori’s pregnancy at all like we see Daryl do in this fic, and i think its brilliant, sure everyone else is getting it rough too but reader and Daryl are in a constant state of worry, which makes the joyful moments that much more intimate and special and its portrayed perfectly, i get the sense that in the beginning Daryl deals very well with the negative stuff, but really doesn’t know how to behave during the good times (Like Birdie’s first kick etc.) and yea, that’s the essence of Daryl, a great caretaker, kind of self sabotages tho. Poor guy.

And omg i had no idea babies were capable of that sort of stuff, like recognizing who is who even in the womb?! Kind of amazing, i can barely recognize people through phone calls nowadays lol, and the fact you based it on your own little thumper? Ugh i could die from the cuteness.

And Merle, oh well, i know he hasn’t done anything in the story and i have the sense that he will ( leave birdie alone!!!) but wherever he is i hope he’s getting his ass beat right this instant, excited for him to show up tho! He better not start messing up Daryl’s head!!! Or he’ll suffer the consequences!!! I know our reader would not let it slide. :).

And about Lori, i’m still obsessed with the Lori Reader duo, recently rewatched season 2 which has, so many Lori scenes, So many, and it only makes me like her even more in the BT universe, and you really hit the nail on the head with your interpretation of her, she truly is mainly motivated by fear but strongly adheres to her sense of right and wrong. I also love her offering Daryl advice, the fact that most of the interactions between these two in the show are hostile never sat right with me and i’m glad that she is a trustworthy figure to Daryl, enough for him to take her advice to make our reader feel better. It really is sad that the burden she carries is not the baby (ITS RICK!) and that she tries to seek in others what she can’t have is tragic, but very noble in my opinion.

Carol is our perfect angel, best cheerleader ever, she’s Always there for backup even while she is working through her pain, i imagine her pregnancy wasn’t easy on her (cause Ed) and she wouldn’t want to see any other woman struggle with it, the fact that even in the show she tries to learn from Hershel about medicine to help Lori, and sticks next to her Always, and when Hershel is out of comission starts training her C-section technique thinking of Lori, Carol has Always deserved the world honestly. And she is such a great friend in the fic as well, one thing about her is that she really has the reader’s back no matter what, so sweet.

About chapter 30

After Reading it over and over for like an hour i can say, I’M OBSESSED. Daryl??? So cute??? Omg the fluff had me rotating in my room like a rotisserie chicken , You’ve done it again, It really shows that at this time Daryl is aprehensive, but still so in love with Birdie from moment one, that the first thing he does after making sure everything is ok is to make himself presentable for his daughter,OMGGGG, that he doesn’t really want her to see all of him yet and has to trust that his little Bird will accept him as he is (and she Always will!!) is just peak fluff to me, but also sad that it makes me think that he’s Always been afraid of his father, so much so that he believed it would be the first thing she would feel towards him too. I’m enjoying the hell out of the scenes of them both just hanging out and being cute with her and seeing as Daryl gains more confidence as the chapter progresses, when he realizes Birdie loves him as well, when they both hold onto each other, maybe i’m wrong but in my interpretation that’s when Daryl gained the confidence he needed to think of a name for her (who knows, maybe i’m dead wrong, but that’s how i interpreted his silence) And Carol too, being emotional over Birdie makes me wanna scream, what a bittersweet moment it must have been for her, i just know she’ll be the best aunt ever.

This chapter has really entered a new territory of Daryl’s development in my eyes, now that he is so passionate about birdie, he’s already trying to show service for her and reader in a way, i just know that serving his Family and making sure they are happy will be so good for him in the long term, he’s got it all to be happy now. And i’m eating it up.

Anyway, a Thousand words again who would’ve though, no objective analysis this time, just rambling non-stop, being an overly-chatty anon is my true calling fr.

The fact that some random person out there in the world can write more than a Thousand words about your work must make any author proud tho, so i sincerely hope its the same for you, from what i’ve read through it seems you’ve been having a few Hard days, so i hope to make it even a little better with my feedback and appreciation, better days will come for all of us even if the world is an ugly place right now, we still have beautiful things to look foward to and to keep working towards.

About the fanart i cited in the last text, it does indeed exist. Now it does .      

                              https://imgur.com/a/t9VdHC4

Since my last ask i’ve challenged myself to have it more or less ready by the time the next chapter was here, and though its not anything impressive i took a little of my day to work on it every day, i hope you enjoy knowing that ( and since copying and pasting a link from any anon is not safe, i recomment pasting it to VirusTotal if you feel the need, and i don't really know if the anon mode just gets rid of them completely, if yes let me know and i'll find another way to get it to you after i get over my embarrassment)

Bye bye <3

Okay! As you saw, I got a little distracted from doing this. Also, if my post affected you negatively in any way, I'd like to apologize to you too. It was in poor taste regardless of my intentions. I am so sorry. I really wish we could have seen more about their survival. What we saw, they were always on foot and barely had food. Well, we will get to that soon. Daryl is scared shitless but there's just that bond that was formed while reader was pregnant. That's his baby girl. And he's already wrapped around that tiny finger. I absolutely cannot WAIT to bring Merle into the mix. It might be a little different as far as timeline but it will be at the prison. So we have a ways to go. But it will be interesting. Oh, the plans I have!

Lori will play a more pivotal role in the next couple of chapters. Daryl is going hunting. Reader is alone with Birdie. "HELP!" I feel like Lori would have gotten along with Daryl if she didn't have so much on her plate and could really see him. Yeah, he could be an asshole but he was hiding behind his walls, deflecting. She just had way too much going on, no time to offer that chance. Well, goddamnit, I'm giving her that chance. I want to delve into the problems with her and Rick a little more too, with reader involved. Daryl is going to be a helicopter parent, absolutely no doubt. I think he will be more in tune with her feelings and how to handle them because he didn't have that growing up. He'll know the cues of anger or sadness. And she's his daughter. -squeal- I can't wait to write more of daddy Daryl and little Birdie.

I'm not sure if you noticed but at first, it was always reader suggesting the names and he stayed quiet other than to say nah. But every time he had Birdie, she had her little bird blanket. However, he's going to give an explanation of her name in the next chapter. He was too damn sleepy in this one, lol. Carol is my warrior queen! Forever and always! There will be a bond there that is unlike any other. Not just because of losing Sophia but because Carol has found best friends in Daryl (well, it's a work in progress, lol ) and reader. So Birdie is a product of two of the most important people in her life. She will absolutely fight tooth and nail, savagely to protect her.

I need to be careful or I'm going to spoil so much! But I love getting the chance to talk about it like this! Just to explore the thought process and where it's headed without too much detail, I hope.

OKAY. THAT ART. OMFG. I screeched, even half asleep! When I woke up properly, I was just in awe. It is SO beautiful and I would love to add it to the series Masterlist and share if you are comfortable with that. I mean I realize the link is right up there but I want it to be seen every single time someone goes to see the chapters. I cannot say thank you enough for that. It is GORGEOUS. Perfect. And captures them so well. My three favorite things are reader with the vest and that belly, Daryl holding onto her leg, and Caryl hovering in the background! But I also LOVE that you included the truck! Everything about it is just perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect! My heart was just so full. Thank you so much. 🩵🩵🩵🩵

[taiyaki-translations]

Intelligence - Epilogue 2

Season: Spring Characters: Kaoru, Yuzuru Translator: taiyaki-translations ENG Proofreader: verdantcrimson (Yuzuru)

Kaoru: So which café should we go to? I was thinking we could get something to eat while we talked…

Yuzuru: —Kaoru-sama, I have a confession to make.

Kaoru: …Huh?

I’d get what to do if it was from a girl instead, but this is the first time I’ve received a confession from a guy… Um, what is this all of a sudden?

Yuzuru: …I apologize if my wording was confusing, but that was not what I meant.

Kaoru: You surprised me~ Ah well, that should be a given, huh?

Yuzuru: Fufu. It is natural that you would misunderstand if you heard the word “confession.”

If I recall correctly, that was the way you marketed yourself towards women before. 

Kaoru: …Haha, well, that’s true.

I’d say that I’ve stopped that now. I’m trying to take my idol activities seriously, so I want to avoid doing things that would cause misunderstandings. 

Yuzuru: Yes. Actually, what I want to confess is related to that in a way. 

…To tell you the truth, Kaoru-sama, I had been trying to avoid you until now.

Kaoru: Eh, really!? Did I do something to offend you, Fushimi-kun?

Yuzuru: In a sense. The Kaoru-sama from before had little sense of propriety and liked to play around with girls, or so I thought… Most importantly, I believed you would be a negative influence on the young master.

As such, even though there were opportunities for me to greet you during social events, I tended to keep my distance and did not approach you outside of what was needed for work. 

Kaoru: Ah~... I see. Like I said earlier, don’t sweat it. 

I definitely wasn’t the most disciplined back at Yumenosaki. Actually, I even went through some painful experiences because of it… 

Yuzuru: I wasn’t aware something like that had happened.

However, it is also true that you have shed that undisciplined aspect of yourself to become the person that you are today. 

You have continued your idol work seriously to the point that you are one of the two main faces of “UNDEAD”, all while getting the management of the live house on track.  

I think that is wonderful. Such results could never have been achieved with just an ordinary amount of effort. 

Kaoru: Ahaha, I wasn’t expecting you to say all that. Yup, I can be pretty amazing when I get serious ♪

Yuzuru: I agree. And so, please forgive me for being so cynical, and having a prejudiced image of you as some kind of hellraiser.

Even during this commotion with the costumes, There was a moment I doubted you due to this prejudice.

Kaoru: Ahaha, it’s true that you suspected me for a bit. I see, so it was because of your image of me from before?

(The old me… I’m pretty sure that me from the past would have just ignored strange incidents like this and played around instead.) 

(It wasn’t a conscious change, but maybe the fact that I’m not like that anymore shows that I’ve recognized myself as an idol and I’m taking things seriously now.) 

…Fufu. I’m also happy if I’ve really grown that much.

Yuzuru: Is something the matter? I hope that I didn’t end up offending you after all. 

Kaoru: No, don’t worry about it. I just think it would be nice if I could dispel some of the negative image you’ve had of me this time, Fushimi-kun. 

From now on, you don’t need to hesitate to rely on me. I’ll help you as best as I can.

Yuzuru: Yes. For the time being, I would like to receive guidance from Kaoru-sama on business management.

Kaoru: You can count on me. I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be, but I have all the experience I’ve gained so far at your disposal.

I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations, Fushimi-kun ♪

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[roguelemon]

Iiiiits metaphor time!!!

So, it's been shown a few times that Crowley and Aziraphale are opposite but similar, different sides of the same coin, ect, etc.

One very important metaphor for this is the yin/yang. Its been mentioned in interviews multiple times and I think its very true "little bit of a nice person"/"just enough of a bastard" fit this SO well.

But those lines are s1, they fit together because they both represent one side and everything is balanced. They fit together, they dine at the Ritz.

In season 2 however, they don't. At all. Aziraphale makes a point to do more "good deeds" even if they arnet in line with heaven. The whole "very good at forgiveness" and him being visibly upset in the Edinburgh minisode where there are no solid lines to be drawn for morality indicate a bit of negative development on his part. Perhaps the fact that he no longer reports to heaven makes him feel like he has to do more good to make up for it. Hence why Az gets defensive about telling Crowley the good things he's done in the coffee shop scene.

I mean, he was almost about to get Crowley to kill a child in s1, his ability to bastard has decreased.

On the opposing side, Crowley is better this season. Infact I'd say he isn't good or bad. Bad for heaven sure but he is just entirely indifferent to the humans for the most part.

At least that's what I thought until I rewatched it. It's in the way he let's Maggie and nine out of the shop without hesitation, even when he could be mischievous. Its in the way he guides the shopowners out the bookshop trying desperately to stop people getting hurt. Hell, even in the minisodes (ESPECIALLY THE EDINBURGH ONE) he's just floating somewhere between chaotic neutral and chaotic good. (Possibly even neutral good).

While he does also do good in s1, he denies it much more strongly, so perhaps being distanced from hell has allowed crowley to just, do whatever he wants (which just so happens to be good).

There is a point here, let's get back to it.

So, using the colours black and white as in the yin/yang symbol. They both get more white. Obviously, this causes an imbalance. I reckon, crowley pretty much becomes his own symbol, having equal good and bad in him (lets be honest, the "bad" is just him beign a silly little guy). Now I'm deffinetly not saying he doesn't need Az at all, only that he functions as moraly independent. His biggest flaw is that he wants to get away from things instead of fixing them, probably becaue3 he's to scared to try.

Az on the other hand, still refuses he can be bad at all. He's an antihero at worst, doing bad things for perfectly good reason, (hiding Gabriel to PROTECT him). Its this inability to compromise that eventually leads to him blurring the lines between actual good and heaven good, causing him to be delusional and fall back into his old way of thinking at the end.

Pair this with the whole "they want the same thing but are going about it in diff ways", "they don't talk", ect.

They are no longer the yin and yang, they no longer fit together as a pair because Crowley is trying to make himself whole and Az is either ignoring the problem altogether, or trying to be only good. He is trying to have a calm life on earth without letting go of the divine good of heaven and its just not going to work.

I have a feeling that next season Crowley is going to be shifting between emotional and nilhistic (just because he's more moraly stable doesn't mean he is emotionally, bless). Az is going to have to struggle with trying to fix a system that is broken in the name of the one leading the system (god). HOPEFULLY these cause them both to reevaluate their flaws (crowleys running away, Az with his inability to do so) and just erase the moral obligations altogether.

[caffeine-clouds]

sorry to be negative but just looking back on things now I realize... I didn't really enjoy Sonic Prime season 2 that much.

like - don't get me wrong - Sonic Prime Shadow is the best Shadow we've had in ages. I'm not complaining about Shadow - I think s2e1 is literally the best episode in the series because of his and Sonic's dynamic.

But my issues with the season stem from, and maybe I shouldn't be complaining because Sonic is for kids - but jeeze for me there were just too many action scenes - and they were so long and drawn out, and in between all that the Eggmans got far too much screen time. Generational humour stopped being funny in- scratch that, it was never funny. All of them come off as annoying, I don't enjoy any of them - and I consider myself fucking easy to please lmao

The fight scenes are animated wonderfully don't get me wrong - but Sonic Prime seems to struggle, at least in this season, balancing developing character alongside the action. Did Sonic learn anything new about or develop his bonds with the Bozcage residents? No... not even Thorn Rose really. The pirates, aside from Dread, don't have anything unique about them to write home about.

The best parts of the season, for me, were Shadow (and by extension his dynamic with Sonic), Rusty Rose/Black Rose's friendship, Nine being... Nine (cuz he's cool and also has a great dynamic with Sonic), and Chaos Sonic. Why? Because they're one of the few interpersonal elements of the show that focus on characters and their relationships. We get Shadow being the pragmatic straight man to Sonic's recklessness. We see Rusty Rose change to the good side and form a connection with her counterpart. We explore something interesting when Sonic is forced to fight an even more obnoxious version of himself - and how Sonic hated seeing himself in Chaos Sonic, and then Nine's motivations are just plain good - and Sonic seeing him as real, while Shadow doesn't is just interesting philosophy.

But unfortunately- those were very small parts of a season that was mostly fight fight fight then eggmans bicker

Once again I feel like fans are doing the heavy lifting when finding the substance in these characters. I'll see posts that deconstruct the various versions of Knuckles and what that says about the Prime version - and like - yeah that's so cool! But I also think... you put way much more thought than the writers did. I genuinely think they said "Knuckles but jewel obsessed pirate" and called it a day. The show never tries to tie these versions back to exploring the original versions of these characters - Sonic isn't having any sort of introspection on his friends and what their strengths are and what they mean to him.

Also, again sorry for bringing this back to Dread but he was far less interesting in season 2. Tricking his crew was cool (since Prime Knuckles could never pull a move like that - which... again, would be nice for the show/Sonic to acknowledge in some way) but basically all his dialogue beyond that point becomes "me beauty" and just... eugh.

Anyways I hope season 3 just takes a breather to explore the characters more lol - because if anything happened to these counterparts - I wouldn't feel a damn thing unless it's Nine