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kayetra-spade-queen · 2 months

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Time for another ramble.

This time, it's about Arjun, Prince of Bali. Some things that bothered me as an Indo.

Look, I know the show had long ended (with only 3 years of runtime and it has been 7 years since it had ended), but the show is surprisingly underwhelming, and I'm saying this as someone who used to watch some of the episodes that showed on TV (dubbed in Indo obv) when I was younger, and also as someone who's taken the time to watch the episodes in order or not.

Keep in mind, I'm not here to bash the show. I liked this show, because it's actually interesting if you actually took the time to enjoy it. It's just that my overanalyzing ass couldn't stfu, so that's why I'm whipping this up out of my ass. It's my job dawg- ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Names

They lack Indo names. Like, ok. Aci and Ayu are there, and ig Wangi is also there. But like how their names are pronounced are butchered, especially the twins, they're so Americanized in terms of their name pronunciation.

Tanya is questionable cuz that's not even an Indo name. Tanya in Indo means question, and idk wtf came over the king and queen's head thinking naming their child Question is a good idea.

Everyone else had Hindi names.

I'd propose alternative names for Wangi and Tanya (personally, the name Wangi, wrongly pronounced or otherwise is weird, just saying-).

Funnily enough, I've searched up Balinese names, and I read names are supposed to be given depending on their birth order.

Meaning, if Arjun isn't name the way he is, his name could be Wayan due to being a firstborn child.

Tanya could be named Ni Luh, as a firstborn daughter. Yes, she's a second born, which also give her the option of Ni Made. Honestly it depends, it could be either of them, but my point still stands.

And for Wangi, I'd give her the name Bunga instead, meaning flower.

Lack of Indo Language Overall

Look, I know it's an Indian cartoon, but if you're going to put a set in other places other than India, might as well do proper research.

Like, I get it, Balinese is especially a difficult language, and I understand as a Javanese and Maduranese who doesn't understand squat of Java at the slightest.

But at the very least, you could use normal Indo. But then again, I think they'll butcher pronunciation regardless if they did or not, looking how they ruined Aci and Ayu's name.

All I'm saying is that, yes, although the overall language use is Hindi, at the very least, use some Indo words in there, even if it's just a little bit. Music, clothing, and architecture isn't the only thing that should be shown, our language, the local or the country-wide one should be represented as well. But I guess it's hard given that there's literally no Indo person in their team.

I get that Arjun and Tanya are biracial, and Hindi also had the right to be represented even if the setting isn't at India. But my point still stands.

Arjun's Lack of Hair Care

Listen, Arjun probably had the most flawless hair known to mankind, and I think he knows it, so that's why he's embracing it. But the point is, similar way of how Bheem's dhoti never got in the way of his fighting, Arjun's hair also never got in the way of training and fighting.

Realistically, he'd tie it up so his hair won't block his view. But god forbid that times of he did get his eyes blocked from view, it won't because of his hair, more like it's from other things like blowing leaves and flying papers.

I would personally love to see more of Arjun looking like this more.

That hairstyle is equally gorgeous as his free hair. He'd still look girly either way lmfao.

Khojo

Look, he deserve his own column due to reasons.

First and foremost; he's a ginger, so are his father. Having a hair color other than black and brown in Asia is rather unusual unless his father had like a foreign lineage. Not to mention they're weirdly pale as well. I have red on my hair naturally, but he's literally just straight up ginger dawg-

And what is this obsession over getting rid of Arjun so Khojo could become prince instead? Like, I get that Arjun is an heir, but isn't usually if the heir couldn't take over or just no more at all, shouldn't the other borns took over instead? If in the events Arjun is to be eliminated, Tanya would be successor instead. Why would a Minister's kid be appointed as prince instead? Like, I don't know if it works like in other countries (I'm not familiar with Indo royal hierarchy system, much less Bali), but just saying that appointing someone who's not even part of the family as an heir when there's clearly someone else other than the initial heir who could take over and is part of the family.

Take is from Bheem for example; sure, he's not royalty and not even part of the royal family. But he was appointed as a substitute king for a while because both the king and the princess are absent. Bheem is appointed to be king because he's trusted and can protect the kingdom just fine.

Khojo is different, and even if scenario plays in a similar manner but still differs; like if the king and queen ceased to exist anymore, Arjun would assume the throne from the get-go despite how still very young he is. If Arjun is also ceased to exist, Tanya would assume the throne. There's literally no place for Khojo at all, and even if Tanya is also gone, I don't think Khojo or even any of the Ministers are gonna assume the throne regardless, especially Khojo's father. Khojo's father literally once planned of Arjun and Zimmbu's kidnapping and tiger-napping all for the sake of getting his son to the seat of prince, yet that is literally not how it works. Who would even trust the throne to him dawg?? Arjun isn't the only child royalty in the family, Tanya is still there. If Arjun is killed after he got kidnapped, she'll assume to be heir right away.

Oh, and he's trying so hard for Tanya, even though she's not interested. He's so desperate for what?

Now I'm moving onto something I don't really wanna bitch off of, just wanted to point things out and maybe throw some scenarios here and there because I think it's neat.

Arjun As A Girl In Disguise

Tell me if you see this pic out of context, you'd tell me whether this kid is a girl or a boy;

Anyways, my point is, if you give him more feminine clothes and he wears it, 100% he'd be mistaken as a girl. And if situation requires it, he'd effortlessly lie that he is a girl, and no one will suspect shit.

He's not even just androgynous anymore, he's straight up feminine, and I liked it that not all men should all look broad and jacked. They could be feminine asf and still look badass.

Both Arjun and Tanya Represents Arjuna of Mahabarata

Now, what do I mean by that?

We all know Arjuna's personality. Arjun had the exact same personality as Arjuna (hence literally being a spinoff version of Arjuna himself). From enjoying attention, how girls fall for them, even as wielding the same weapons (bow and arrow). I think Arjun represents Arjuna in the warfare aspect.

And where do Tanya fit into this?

See, Tanya is more artistic; she danced and done more things in the arts compared to when she actually did anything relating with combat (mentioning the times she once did archery and another episode where broke into Arjun's room with Wangi to get his weapons to train while Arjun is away). Tanya represents Arjuna who were taught and enjoys dancing and music aspect during the exile.

Now I just want answers to my questions;

Who tf is Sankat? Ik he's also a prince, but I can't tell if he's related to Arjun in some way (I don't understand Hindi)

Why is Wangi even in the forest?

Why is Wangi blue?

That's probably all. If there's more I want to talk about, I'll add it in a reblog.

#arjun prince of bali #Kayetra Spade Queen #Kayetra Rambles #i went insane on this one you could tell #thinking of many scenarios of arjun wearing dresses and fooling everyone everywhere and rocking the dress overall #also thinking about modern au where arjun and tanya moved somewhere fkr studies cuz yes #found a description somewhere in TikTok that someone named Arjun is aiming to be a doctor #and that description came from the arjun prince of bali tag #ik that's prob a diff arjun altogether but it's quite a neat scenario where arjun secretly wanted to be a doctor #but couldn't because he'd feel guilty for his duties #live laugh love arjun in tied up hair #srs tho arjun with tied up hair looked so pretty omfg-#also saying if the show showcased more of the indo or Balinese language low-key arjun would throw some heavy insults with heavy accents

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accirax · 4 months

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Disventure Camp All Stars Power Rankings (Round 10)

It's time for a very special episode of the DCAS Power Rankings! Previewheads know what's up.

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings ( 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9), the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Ashley's Elimination

Current Point Total: 41 acquired / 63 total

Even though I didn't particularly claim a points victory on this one, I am absolutely claiming a moral victory here. Because, I was totally right on the reasoning behind an Ashley boot! Ashley was a challenge threat, a conflict negotiator, and, overall, the most heroic hero. (Alec even said something really similar to that descriptor directly; that filled me with pride.)

As I said, if the villains had a free shot at any one in the heroes "alliance"-- if you could even call it that-- it 100% made sense for them to take out Ashley. And, given the emotional state of our would-be protagonists, they got that without even having to try.

I think Ashley served her purpose in the narrative pretty well, all things considered. Sure, she was mostly playing second fiddle to Jake. But, honestly, who isn't in this season...? She stuck around for long enough to tie up her loose ends from last season-- AKA, eliminating Fiore-- as well as establishing some iconic new relationships with Jake and Ally. And, losing such a likeable compatriot at this midpoint of the game is sure to kick the heroes (especially Jake) into high gear, reminding them just how precarious their position is. They did about as well as they could have with Ashley's character going into this season, in my opinion. I'm happy to lose her in this way.

Trailer Analysis

Another big one out of the way-- we're finally getting our returning camper this episode!!! Gosh, watching the trailer and seeing everyone back and at it again made me so happy. Why do we have to keep eliminating people again? Ah, right-- the drama. And oh, what a dramatic trailer it is.

"I ain't no quitter!" "Ugh, I'm about to... to throw up...!" "This could decide my streaming career..." "Nothing's in our way." "What happened here?" "Do I look like I give a shit?" "Are you okay, Jake?!" "Loser!" "You BITCH!"

We got some bonus dialogue for this episode's preview! I used the color coding to attribute characters as best I could, but for the sake of clarity, the people speaking were Miriam, Gabby, Ally, Fiore, Lake, Riya, Ashley, Yul, and... someone. I couldn't really tell who was saying the last quote; sorry. It sounded like a feminine voice to me, but I couldn't place exactly who. Thoughts on each quote individually: Miriam's quote is pretty standard "get back in the game" type stuff. Gabby could be experiencing nerves or a harrowing physical experience. I assume that Ally is talking about Hunter in some capacity-- we saw in Episode 1 that Hunter has joined Ally on her streams, so if they broke up or something, that would change the trajectory of Ally's career. It could also just be about winning $3 million, though. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that Fiore is talking to Alec, trying to reignite their alliance, although the jury's out on how well Alec will respond to that pitch. Lake could be talking about a physical environment here, but, honestly, I think that quote will relate to how the Cyan Team's social connections imploded after Lake's departure. Riya is being Riya. With this quote from Ashley, I'm more inclined to think that Gabby's nausea was caused by something physically difficult/threatening, to pair with Jake being in danger. Yul is being Yul. That's what I got so far.

Finally, Trevor and Derek are going to talk to each other again! I feel like they haven't actually had a conversation with each other since Episode 1. However, between Derek's smugness and Trevor's surprise, I'm worried that things won't go well for Trevor here. Specifically, I'm theorizing that, before Trevor can confess his feelings for Derek, Derek is going to tell Trevor about his crush on/"date" with Kristal, and Trevor will have to pretend to be supportive. Classic romance trope type stuff.

I missed these guys so much :,)

This entire trailer definitely supports the idea that the eliminated contestants and the surviving contestants will be participating in a challenge together, not just that the eliminated people will be fighting for themselves. Based on this screenshot (and other parts of the trailer), I think they divided themselves into pairs: Ellie and Gabby, James and Yul, Lake and Aiden, Tess and Ally, Connor and Riya, Fiore and Alec, Ashley and Jake, Miriam and Tom, and Hunter and... Grett??? Hunter and Grett being paired together makes the least amount of sense, but I think it's still viable. Let's say that the teams are decided via a schoolyard pick. If, for whatever reason, Grett gets to pick last, Hunter could be the only one left (after Ally picks Tess). I think that the surviving contestants getting to sponsor an eliminated contestant makes sense rather than the other way around because of James winding up with Yul instead of Aiden. And, of course, there's the potential for additional TomJake drama if Tom chooses Miriam before Jake can. We can't live without more TomJake drama. (/s)

THE TEAM EVER!!!! Please don't be smirking because you're about to intentionally screw Fiore over, Alec. She's literally eight (and your daughter).

We need Miriam back for one episode so that she can smack some sense into Jake and Tom. Specifically Tom, it seems.

Oh, hey, I was right about Hunter and Grett being paired together. I forgot this scene was in the trailer when I wrote that other part. Yeah, those pairs are definitely correct.

The girls are fightinggggggg. Forget Alec intentionally screwing over Fiore; I wonder if Riya will be attempting to do that to Connor so that she doesn't have to confront her relationship with him again. Probably not, though-- this is more likely that Riya is going to suggest, like, cheating or something, and Connor will tell her off for it.

So, these teams are going to come into contact at some point. Makes sense, given how close Alec and Riya are.

What the hell is going on in this challenge? We've got running, wrenches, motorcycles, and cliff diving. I've got nothing, honestly. Seems like a pretty physical challenge, though.

"There's no honor among thieves." "Are we stealing something?"

Sounds like Ellie is probably trying to convince Gabby to not continue working with the villains alliance. It makes sense: working with the villains was what led to her own corruption/downfall, she still harbors annoyance towards Alec, and probably doesn't appreciate how Grett treated her girlfriend back in S1. The question that I (and possibly Gabby) have to ask, though, is... what else would Gabby be meant to do at this point? I guess it partially depends on who's coming back.

Power Ranking...?

So, obviously the Power Ranking is going to be a little bit different this week, given that, as far as I'm aware, no one is actually being eliminated. Instead, someone will be coming back into the competition. Whatever happens this episode, I don't think I'm going to score any points for it. If it so happens that someone is eliminated as well, then, so be it.

However, I am going to rank how likely I think it is that each eliminated contestant will be returning to the show! It won't affect my score at all, but I think it'll be fun. I'm going to go backwards, from least likely to return to most likely to return, this time in order to keep up suspense. So, who do I think is least likely to return...?

#9: Ashley

Yeah, I just really don't see this one. Obviously, in a real life reality TV show, sometimes the person who was just eliminated is the one who manages to come back into the game. But, when you control the script of a complete fiction, is reversing the move you just made really the best decision? In this situation, at least. It'd be one thing if, like, Gabby was eliminated and then came back swearing revenge on everyone again, but I would have to imagine that Ashley would behave much of the same. That's not very compelling TV, imo.

Along those lines (but even more importantly), I wouldn't want Ashley to come back because it would likely undermine the emotional moment that she and Jake just shared due to her elimination. The appeal of Ashley's exit was that, now, as a repercussion of his actions, Jake will be truly alone. If Ashley immediately came back, that just wouldn't be true any more. And that would really suck! So, I think that, like she said, Ashley will have to save her farm on another season, and not this one.

#8: Miriam

Although Miriam has the appeal of being one of the earlier boots of the season, meaning that we didn't get to see much of her before she went, she shares the same problem as Ashley of giving Jake a decided ally back in the game. No matter how much farther Jake goes from here, I think a satisfying ending for him will be ultimately succumbing to or conquering his problems on his own, without guidance from Ashley or Miriam or whoever. I fear that Miriam would simply solve too many problems if she were to re-enter the game now.

Also, while it's not a death sentence, it really seems like Miriam wasn't always planned to be in this season. Silly Billy (a DC YouTuber and the voice of Trevor) said in this video that (paraphrased) "there was a point where the first boot of one of the seasons was considered to be included as an All Star, but the winner wasn't." Given that the first boot of S2, Oliver, was almost certainly never considered as a competitor for All Stars, it seems pretty likely Silly Billy was talking about Will, and therefore Miriam. Obviously, plans could have shifted to both put Miriam into the season as well as giving her a larger role in it. However, it likely implies that Miriam was chosen to be included as a minor character in All Stars, especially after the focus she received in S1. I'm just hoping that all that talk about her medical issues doesn't suddenly become relevant in this episode.

#7: Hunter

After receiving a bit more context about what exactly happened to Hunter between S2 and All Stars, I feel pretty confident in saying that they wouldn't want to bring him back. Like, if his and Tess' eliminations were meant to more or less bury that trio of characters, why would they suddenly choose to unearth the most problematic one at this critical juncture? It just seems strange.

Still, I put Hunter above Ashley and Miriam because I don't think his return would bring about any genuine narrative problems. Now that he and Ally have had some time apart, and Ally has developed some other enemies, it could be interesting to see them come back together. Would they grow closer again when faced with external pressures, or would they find that the rough situation only further exacerbates the problems they're having?

Hunter's skill in immunity challenges could also be relevant in preventing members of the villains alliance from gaining immunity at certain points in time. At the very least, it could be an in-universe explanation for why the returning player wouldn't be immediately eliminated again.

There's a lot that I wish the DC writers would do with Hunter, because I like him, but I understand why they might not. I don't think that being paired with Grett is a great sign for his return, either. Not that Grett is terrible or anything, just that it's a signifier of Hunter not having a ton of important relationships (or at least ones that they choose to directly focus on) in this season.

#6: Ellie

Honestly, I'm surprising myself with how low I'm putting Ellie here. The fact that she didn't do a patron reading isn't doing her as many favors as I'd initially assumed. She also still definitely has beef with Jake and Alec which haven't gotten a ton of particular focus this season, which could be expanded upon if she were to come back. Why not Ellie, then?

The thing is, I just feel like Ellie had such a nice sendoff that it'd be really sad to undo it. We came to the conclusion that Disventure Camp is bad for Ellie. In that case, why are we meant to root for her of all competitors to come back?

Having Ellie suddenly re-enter the game would also probably be weird for Gabby's character arc. Somewhat like Jake, I think that Gabby needs to be the one in charge of her own fate at this point. If Ellie came back, there could be an interesting conflict of where the girls would land as a duo (stick with the villains or flip and work with the heroes to get revenge). But, in either case, Ellie would probably become the main decision maker again. Gabby's personal vows to eliminate Tom and Aiden would go unfulfilled-- either the situation would likely read as Ellie seizing revenge for herself, or, with Ellie back in the game, the need for revenge would be diminished.

I'm glad that we have Ellie back for this episode because, much like Miriam with Tom/Jake, I think that this is a good time for Gabby to be able to check in with Ellie and have a trusted companion to confide in. However, I don't think that that moment needs to last much longer than this one episode. Gabby needs to continue to face her fear of being alone.

#5: Lake

I really don't know how to feel about Lake.

On one hand, I understand why they'd bring her back. Lake was eliminated pretty early into the season, so it would be nice to give her some more screen time. She's also really close with Aiden, and could therefore be a useful addition to any moves in which Aiden is looking for numbers (like in a Jake or Riya elimination). Also, she's a definite physical threat. That could give her an advantage in simply winning this challenge to get back in, to the extent that matters.

However... I don't know, the more I think about it, the more it just feels wrong to me. Lake finished her character arc in S2. Other than Aiden (and I guess kind of Gabby), she doesn't have much of any other relationships to further new plotlines with. What would she be doing in this season, really?

Yeah. I don't have much else to say, which I'm taking as a bad sign for Lake's odds. I'm excited to check in with her in this episode, though!

#4: Tess

As the outcry rang following episode 9, there's definitely still more potential to be had with Tess' character. The contestants pointed out that all Tess wanted to do on this season was reconnect with Ally and Hunter, which she didn't get to do. If she got to re-enter the game, she'd get that opportunity, which would be nice. With Ashley gone, Ally is also potentially in need of someone to align herself with (god knows it will not be Jake). Giving her Tess as a partner could be useful in that sense.

Another thing that I haven't discussed much until now is the impact of inserting another person into the current 5 villain/4 hero divide. If you add another hero, you go back to the 5-5 faceoff, whereas adding another villain could cause the villains to further steamroll. The reason why I hadn't brought it up until now is because I think it's a hard metric to determine. Giving the villains even more power seems unnecessary and unfair, but it could also be a good inciting incident for the villains turning on each other. Putting the tally back to 5-5 seems repetitive and therefore silly, but it could be giving the heroes a chance to right the record and eliminate a villain this time.

Tess would certainly be returning to the game as a hero, and a pretty loyal one. She'd be close to Ally, and has a past history of working with Aiden and Tom. Therefore, I think she could be a good addition in terms of unifying the heroes as a group. As a quick possible-but-unlikely Episode 12 pitch, let's say Tess is back, and, I don't know, Tom wins immunity. Alec, Riya, Yul, Grett, and Gabby are all going to vote for Aiden, and Tess, Ally, Aiden, and Tom are all going to vote for Yul. Jake then has to decide on whether he's going to be petty, side with the villains, and vote for Aiden, or take a stand with the heroes and join them in a Yul vote. Then Jake could be heroic and Aiden could take out Yul in a tiebreaker or something like that. As I said, unlikely, but possible. And, Tess could be a key player in bringing that about... even if it wouldn't have much to do with Tess as a character herself.

However, I don't think that Tess will come back, partially because of the whole huntessally debacle. But, more than that, it's Tess' contentment at her elimination that makes me think it wouldn't be her. She was so chill with being eliminated! I know that there are other characters with more of a passion to be back in the game than Tess, so, personally, if she was the one to return, I'd just be, like, "oh." That's probably not the reaction they want. Plus, even though she wasn't literally the last boot, she still got eliminated fairly recently. It could be more interesting to pull from someone who got eliminated a little earlier on.

#3: James

I'm fully willing to acknowledge that I might be biased here just because I miss James so goddamn much. HE DIDN'T GET TO DO THE PATRON READINGS, ALRIGHT?! IT'S A SIGN!!!!

I definitely think that there's some appeal to having the literal first boot be the one to return to the competition. Both in the sense that James has gotten to appear in the fewest amount of DCAS episodes thus far, but also just that it's satisfying to have the competitor that (placement-wise) you would least expect to return be the one who manages to do it. James got a pretty bad tribe draw landing on Magenta, so landing in the merge could be a better way to test his skills on this new season.

Pretty much any positives that Lake was bringing to the table, James could do better. On top of having a stronger relationship to Aiden, he also has connections to Yul and Riya that he could cash in on, as well as this season's animosity towards Jake. I also think it would be interesting to see Tom and James interact after everything that's happened with Tom and Aiden this season. Even if James was generally cool with Tom and Aiden kissing, there've gotta be some weird yet interesting vibes going on there, right? James is also a fan favorite that I think audiences would generally be happy to see come back. Especially if there are jaiden moments in tow. Please, let there be jaiden moments. Even if they're cringe as fuck (affectionate).

However... I don't really know what James would bring from a gameplay perspective. He, too, would be another number to the heroes alliance, and be down to work with Aiden and Ally, at least. But, James would draw an even bigger schism between Jake and the rest of the heroes, which would be... interesting. Would James be re-entering the game just to get voted out again almost immediately afterward? That doesn't seem worth it. There are also still those oddities about elimination order regarding Aiden and James that I described back in Round 7 that I still don't know the answer to. And the looming threat of James' voice actor being too busy to record too many lines for the show.

So, maybe the prospect of bringing James back into the show is too good to be true. I want him back, though. I miss my boy.

#2: Fiore

If my ranking of James was biased, my ranking of Fiore is probably even more so. It's really hard for me to tell how much this placement is an attempted manifestation as opposed to a genuine prediction. I think there are real reasons why it would make sense to have her back, though, so let me explain them.

As a big fan of Alec and Fiore's dynamic, I would be remiss to not mention how this season feels like it's lacking a true, proper conclusion to the conflict that began at the S1 semifinals. Letting them finally be at the same camp again would allow for them to definitively choose whether they're ending their DC experience on positive terms or negative ones. Additionally, Fiore has a lot of potential to develop further plotlines with other contestants! It would be nice to see more of her reactions to what's happened with Grett since S1, and reuniting with fellow Magenta teammates Jake and Ally could certainly bring some spice. Fiore also barely interacted with anyone from S2 other than Hunter and Ally, so seeing further animosity between her and Yul, for example, could be really fun.

Speaking of Yul, Fiore would also be a good choice of returnee from the villains department. I've described how Tess or Lake could make narrative sense as a heroic addition, but I think Fiore would be a perfect choice for the option where they decide to establish 6 villains instead. Namely, this is because Fiore has the potential to possibly break up the villains in a number of ways.

Scenario #1, Alec, securely having Fiore and Riya on his side, feels confident enough to slim down the villains alliance to get rid of some of the extra weight. The ramifications of sending home, say, Yul, could give the heroes an opening to exploit further weaknesses. Scenario #2, Fiore and Riya start fighting over who Alec's number one ally is, causing a schism in the alliance. They refuse to work together, so Alec has to choose whether he wants to return to Fiore or stick with Riya. Scenario #3, Fiore nominally joins the villains alliance, but hates being on the bottom. Thus, she double crosses them to work with the heroes, giving them a secret additional number to work with (maybe alongside Gabby or Alec to flip it to 4 villains/6 "heroes").

In terms of negatives, Fiore has already had a lot of time in the spotlight, so you could argue that other characters deserve that boost in screen time more. However, I would say that the biggest problem with Fiore coming back would be the indirect effect it would have on Ashley. It's a lot easier to feel good about Ashley's elimination when we know that, even if she didn't win, she got to accomplish her goal of getting revenge on Fiore. If Fiore returned to the competition literally immediately after Ashley left, it would make that victory feel a little hollow. If I were an Ashley stan, that would probably upset me. So, in that sense, I'm sort of rooting against Fiore here.

However, I am a Fiore stan, so in that sense, I absolutely want her to return. C'mon! She can weasel her way out of elimination again!!!

#1: Connor

When compiling this list, I kinda divided the contestants into three tiers of three. Ashley, Miriam, and Hunter were my "unlikely" tier; Ellie, Lake, and Tess were my "possible" tier; and James, Fiore, and Connor were my "likely" tier. There was really only one issue with those tiers for me. It was that, if I could, I would put Connor in his own tier for (in my opinion) being way more likely than anybody else.

Let's run through all of the reasons why it would totally make sense for Connor to be the one that comes back into the game. Number one: he was an early boot in All Stars and S2. I wouldn't be surprised if, out of all the DCAS contestants, he has the least amount of overall screen time thus far. Therefore, Connor would merit returning far more than, say, Fiore or James, who were both finalists on their original seasons.

Number two: Connor's elimination feels somewhat unresolved. While he isn't the only one this is true for, it is still the case. Tess accepted her elimination with contentment. Ellie learned to care more about her priceless girlfriend than the three million dollar prize. Fiore might've been mad, but, hey, at least she was a villain! She deserved what was coming to her. Connor was just... sad. He got betrayed by both the person he cared for most from S2 and the new friend he made this season. Giving him a second chance could be a good opportunity for him to turn his story around and achieve some kind of happy ending (even if I doubt it would be winning).

Number three: Connor creates possibly the most interesting camp dynamic out of any contestant that could come back. 'Cause, like, he's a hero, right? He's a nice and friendly guy, and he wants to play the game with integrity. But, also, his closest allies are both parts of the villains alliance. Hell, literally his entire former tribe is in the villains alliance, so if he wants to go back to them, he'd have to join their ranks. ...Does he want to go back to them? They voted him out!

I think that Connor is the closest we can get to a neutral party being injected into the show, which makes him unique and therefore exciting. He could also accomplish a similar thing to what I described in Scenario #1 with Fiore.

Number four: Connor is a fan favorite, in his own weird way. People seem to really like him, even if I don't totally get it. (I didn't love Connor in S2; I thought the "adultescent" thing was kinda overdone and the dynamic of "rich old white guy hits on/saves struggling young POC woman" was a little icky, but I harbor no ill will towards Connor fans. All Stars made me like him a lot more, anyways.) I've seen multiple people cite the moment that Connor was sent home as the moment DCAS "started to go downhill." I'm sure many people would be thrilled to see him come back, and maybe even regain some faith in the show's writing.

Connor coming back has character reasoning, strategic intrigue, and fan support, which is why I think it would by far make the most sense for him to be the one that's coming back at this point. Although, that's not to say that there's no evidence that he isn't. He did already do the patron reads, obviously. If he's paired with Riya for this challenge, I'm not sure what about their teamwork would propel them to the top-- if anything, I feel like working with Riya would decrease Connor's chances of winning the challenge. I do also think there are ways to give Connor a satisfying ending without having him re-enter the competition. One scenario I've been mulling over is if he could be the teammate that helps Alec to win in the finale, getting redemption for how he and Riya flamed out in S2. Things to think about, I guess.

So, those are my predictions! Lower stakes this time because we won't be scoring any points, but also higher stakes because the person that returns can really set the tone for how the latter half of the season will pan out. I can't believe All Stars is already halfway over... or, at least, it will be on Thursday. See you then!

#disventure camp #dcas #dcas power rankings #disventure camp spoilers #every day i stray further from god's light (posting before patrons get the episode)#look man i can't help it that i was doodlin instead. i got that doodle in me #it was nice to share some of my thoughts on characters who got eliminated before i was caught up #maybe for one of them i'll get to talk about them even more after this!!!!! :D (james)#ashley disventure camp #miriam disventure camp #hunter disventure camp #ellie disventure camp #lake disventure camp #tess disventure camp #james disventure camp #fiore disventure camp #connor disventure camp

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yurisorcerer · 7 months

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A friend said yesterday that I seem like I have a complicated relationship with Ishura. This is untrue, I think Ishura sucks but has a few bright spots; that's not complicated. If there's a show I have a complicated relationship with this season it's Metallic Fucking Rouge. What, like, IS this show? Actually? When you strip away all the minutiae and all attempts at allegory, political or otherwise, what is this story *about*? Like, at its core?

With three episodes left on the clock (assuming this isn't a secret two-cour show, but I'd be very surprised if that we the case) I'm still not sure I could tell you.

Metallic Rouge has all these big-brain classic sci-fi influences that it very clearly wants to integrate into its sense of storytelling. That's why there are two competing factions of aliens who we don't really see much of until this episode, that's why there's this whole human oppressor / humanoid robot oppressed class dynamic that the show doesn't quite know what to do with, that's probably a good chunk of why it hops between planets at all. At the same time, this is also a 12-episode anime that needs to deliver solid fundamentals to actually keep people invested. Most people are not me, and will not watch an entire 12-episode series just to figure out what the fuck it's trying to do. I think a lot of people, given how willfully opaque Metallic Rouge is, would / will / have just found it frustrating. The action sequences have been good at staving that off, and I think this episode's was maybe the best yet, but I'm not sure it's enough.

That aside, yeah, this is a series that's worn a lot of hats. It's been a toku-inspired action series, a story about the aftermath of war and the mechanics of oppression, a trippy dream sequence, a whodunnit, etc. Now, in its last leg, it's become like....I don't even know, one of those 90s sci fi movies with CGI aliens? It's been better at some of those than others and I actually think this new turn fits it surprisingly well, but I am left with a frustration and I kind of wish the show would just stick to something.

That said; I can see the counterargument, right? You know, compared to most bad anime that have aired or will air this year, Rouge's problem is not that it has NO ideas, it's that it has TOO MANY, and doesn't execute them well enough. In my head, I've kind of been comparing the series to Lycoris Recoil, but they actually have opposite problems; LycoReco couldn't find enough solid ground to stretch for a full 12 episode cour, and ended up showing its ass when its underlying politics turned out to be embarrassingly basic. Metallic Rouge by comparison is hyperactive and unable to follow through on any of its ideas. I wouldn't be surprised if, rather than turning out to have *basic* politics as I've previously wondered, it just turns out to have none. Who needs themes when you have giant spaceships and can reveal your main character is an alien?

Or is it, right? That's the obvious thing, there are still three more episodes. Maybe, somehow, someway, it will find a way to tie all of these disparate elements together in its final quarter and I'll look like a fucking idiot for having ever doubted it. I would honestly love that, I can count on my hands the number of times a show I was frustrated with turned out BETTER than I thought it would, but it's always a really lovely and cathartic thing. But I'm pretty skeptical, I don't know, the fact that the series used so much charged imagery early on and has largely just chosen to discard it makes the entire thing feel poorly thought-out. I am still, in spite of myself, mostly enjoying the show for what it is; I love the action sequences, the incredibly strange bits of hyper-expressive and overfluid animation (seriously, look at this)

and I even kind of love how up its own ass it is, but I think there's a distinction to be drawn there between something being *entertaining* and being *good.* Metallic Rouge is very entertaining, but it's also hugely frustrating and at this point I would be VERY surprised if my main takeaway from it once it's over isn't just that it had a lot of potential it didn't live up to.

I guess we'll see! Who knows.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I saw someone else mention this in the tag but credit to this show for being fairly normal about a plural system. I hope they survive the rest of the show, Alice/Aes are honestly some of my favorite characters.

#metallic rouge #spoilers #yurisorcerer talks about media #once again if you like the show and see this in the tag like. Sorry. I am not trying to annoy anybody I mostly tag this for my own benefit #also they are mostly just hot-reads of my immediate thoughts after finishing an episode and I generally need to sit with something for a #while to really know how I feel about it so like pls don't take this stuff seriously #pls

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troglobite · 1 year

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t/d l/sso THOUGHTS for tonight's ep

OKAY SO.

more of ted and roy complimenting men's appearances. roy actively "hating" the fact that ted has rubbed off on him and he now makes silly jokes (ass-squatch, etc.)

"look at that head'a hair. god had to take it away just to make things fair"

[stares]

but also

I LOVE HOW MUCH TRENT WAS IN THIS EPISODE

and my THOUGHTS are mainly this:

the fourth thing. what is the fourth thing. why are they harping on that. TRENT even got stuck on it.

possible attachments/meanings/etc.

they don't need a fourth season, quite literally it's a three act structure, the fourth thing is the end and who knows what comes next

nate's storyline was right up against everyone else's in an episode called the strings that bind us (and that WASN'T just referring to the literal strings that roy had them tie around their dicks, which also--ROY. WHAT KIND OF SHIT ARE YOU INTO.)

so is NATE that "missing" fourth thing?

or is the conclusion w trent getting all dorky and excited abt "it's gonna work!" meant to imply that they DON'T need nate?

alternatively

"leave the door open for god to walk in" so to speak

the trio of them

the open door that trent comes through

him making four.

WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, SHOW????

i'm ESPECIALLY intrigued bc the whole thing w total football is TRIANGLES. which are mathematically and structurally VERY sound. jokes are in threes, etc. three three three. three seasons.

but then also "what a fucking dork" (most loving compliment ever given by roy kent) and "yeah but he's our dork" WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!

also!!!!

i saw someone point out on twitter that ted's talking abt all of them getting out of the boxes that have been assigned to them

and not only do they manage to figure it out

jamie steps out of his box--and is SAD he couldn't be someone else, when he started saying "why would i wanna be anyone else but me?" in season one--and takes the lead!

they all swap spots and understand things, they have a breakthrough

sam steps out of "line" out of his "box" that society puts him in as a footballer and entertainer to take a stand abt the state of the world--and he gets punished for it, but then his team helps him rebuild bc that's what they do

but then nate literally makes a box and puts himself in it and then it gets smashed and he asks jade out anyway

do you have ANY idea how proud i was of him for NOT spitting in the mirror before going to ask jade out???

PROGRESS!!!!

PROGRESSSSKASFJ LKSJDLFAJSDF!!!!

i literally said, when he ran to the bathroom, DON'T DO IT YOU DON'T NEED TO DO IT

and he didn't

then he tried to be a version of his dad

and then fuck that, just be yourself. be a little awkward, a little weird. but be sincere.

i love that.

i ALSO love the comeback of his arts and crafts time w his niece. literally the sweetest little callback.

and also the decision to not be like his dad. to be his own person. LAJSLDKFJ ALSDKFJ DLS v proud of him.

also trent's dressing EVEN MORE GAY if that were possible for the man

as if colin knowing made it even more okay

ALSO the mug was back

ALSO ALSO

ted's whole thing abt facial hair.........

"as a straight man in sports in kansas who's afraid of needles, my ways of expressing individuality were limited"

and then going on and on abt fucking that blue collar comedy foursome, jfc. lol

but i'm just.

INTERESTING.

that he has to pointedly say that he's straight.

and yet

he and trent did a LOT of talking. and he claims trent as theirs.

OKAY LISTEN.

i don't actually 100% believe that that's where they're going.

i'm not even 100% sure that roy and/or ted are actually gonna be confirmed queer (although i stg, roy riding in a little rickshaw COVERED IN LITERAL PRIDE FLAG TYPE RAINBOWS WHILE QUOTING ROMCOMS BACK AND FORTH WITH OTHER MEN)

but it's just like--

i'm having to play catch up, basically

for two seasons, i just presumed that they weren't gonna go there. that they were gonna be throwaway silly little jokes from Straight Characters that weren't offensive, but did kinda normalize queerness in casual convos.

BUT NO

WE NOW HAVE FOUR QUEER MAIN CHARACTERS!

not including their partners! (michael, jack, and will's couple from the threesome)

so i'm truly over here like Holy Fucking Shit.

and that romcommunism/rainbow episode--i just.

it feels really interesting and sweet that the episode that was quoting all these romcoms--NOTORIOUSLY HETEROSEXUAL--was also VERY FUCKING GAY BUT WE DIDN'T REALIZE IT. or at least i didn't! lol

and that's the episode that implies that things will work out, but not the way you expect or want or think you need.

and i am FASCINATED.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!

also trent is truly loosening up around all of them

"hey trent"

"hi ted"

FASCINATING.

ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THIS FUCKING SHOW MATTER AND I AM ENTHRALLED THAT AFTER AMSTERDAM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING WITH TRENT

my brain is ON FIRE and while i'm excited the show's not over yet, i also desperately need ANSWERS. lol

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indynerdgirl · 2 years

Text

Every once in a while I remember the 2016 show Pitch and then get angry all over again about how Fox canceled it after only 10 episodes AND how the show ended on several massive, unresolved cliffhangers.

#pitch #i was this close to becoming a baseball fan because of this show #fucking fox #they never know what to do with good shows #they fuck around with the airing schedule and then wonder why views on a new show go down #why couldn't they have given us just one more episode to tie up all the loose ends?????#i think i love hannix so much because it reminds me of bawson #anybody else remember this show and want to commiserate with me?#bawson #now i want to go dig up some bawson fanfics to reread #and maybe see if there happens to be anything new on AO3 #even though it's technically a dead fandom

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jamieedlund · 3 years

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I can imagine their in canon first meeting like this:

The two are stuck together for a while (could be a cave in, could be prison), and Callum is initially on guard and hostile towards Aaravos. That is until Aaravos does a casual act of magic, and Callum forgets to be on alert to fan boy about magic.

What's your take on their in canon first meeting?

I've been thinking about that for a while, I'm working on explaining that whole front with a long post that will tie into how I'm portraying their relationship right now, but here's the summary of how I see it happening. All of these checkpoints have to be ticked off in their first meeting order for them to even have a remotely functional relationship. I will only use the information given to me IN THE SHOW (and maybe the wiki) up until season 3.

TLDR : read the in bold texts only.

1. Aaravos can not escaped the mirror with the dark magic metamorphosis spell

Let's start at the end of season 3.

This cocoon right? It's foreshadowing that Aaravos is breaking himself outa jail. But what if - he couldn't cheat his way out like this?As soon as he emerges, he will disintegrate (insert graphic vaporizing in agony sketch here) Why i would write it this way?

2. Callum holds the key of Aaravos (aka the cube thing) foreshadowing that he himself holds the true key to Aaravos's freedom. Assuming that is what the key of Aaravos is supposed to do; amongst other things? please I need the lore.

Season 2, in Callum's near death experience, Callum threw away the "key of aaravos" that has turned into all the dark magic symbols.

This meant that he rejected dark magic and is incorruptible, but to me personally I also interpreted this as the show foreshadowing Aaravos did not use the right key, instead used dark magic through Viren to try and escape his prison, his attempt was unsuccessful. Also the episode is named "the book of destiny" so y'know no BIG foreshadowing at play here haha.

3. Callum has been rejected to be taught magic by literally every Xadian elven mages even though he has proven himself to be able to connect to the sky. Because let's face it prejudice cannot be erased that easily. So he went looking for Aaravos in hopes that he will be the one teaching him magic; along with there is a possibility that there is another mirror connecting to the prison(but not necessarily) ok so I've always wondered this and I'm gonna go on a tangent if I talk more about this but why keep contact with the prisoner if your purpose is to cut him off from literally everyone like hello? Thunder? big brain much?? why keep mirror when can - idk man DESTROY MIRROR? is mirror unbreakable???if that's the case more lore on the stupid mirror please?

This is pretty self-explanatory and plausible.

4. Callum broke Aaravos out of jail. They have to hash it out as soon as he got him out. Aaravos must tell Callum everything, including the Viren incident. Callum has to witness the tragedy of war through Aaravos's eyes(seeing human gets slaughtered by elves and dragons in the good old days before his very eyes) and came to the conclusion that Aaravos lived in a very different time(shouldn't be hard because he himself is also became orphan because of the war) Callum does not forgive Aaravos for what he did but he suggested Aaravos chose peace this time around since war did him no good.

5.EVRYONE was not chill about Callum breaking Aaravos out of jail(for obvious reasons). Aaravos did not manipulate Callum into running away with him. Callum CHOSE him because they now have a mutual understanding of each other.

So now that I've had the stage set, let play a scenario shall we?

Callum went on a journey as his last resort to finding Aaravos, the so called "Master of all primal sources" that Harrow mentioned in his letter, hoping that he can learn magic and finally find a way to end the need to use dark magic for good. (Rayla Ez and Soren can accompany him, just to make this plot extra spicy) Unfortunately, because of the censorship happening to the all of Aaravos' literary mentions, Callum still have no clue to what is the deal with this man.

Callum finally was told Aaravos' story (this could be done through many ways like the Dragon queen could just tell him and/or some exposition character he found on his journey can tell him idk but either way he found out what Aaravos' deal was) but the stories are just propaganda of him as this source of corruption and evil etc (insert the lore that we don't know about Aaravos yet here)

This prompted very pissed off Callum. Let's say he is at Aaravos's study room and that is where he found out about his story. He would ask everyone to leave him alone for a minute. After they reluctantly did, Callum used magic out of frustrations, messing up the room and accidentally destroyed the over headlight. He cried and yelled at the very conveniently placed mirror about how he thought if anyone could- or would understand his wish for peace and to be a mage without prejudice, it would have been Aaravos, but nooo~ he just- HAD TO BE this evil deity that was banished and labeled something worst than death. He rested his head and hand on the mirror with the key in his hand and sulked when suddenly--

let's switch to Aaravos's perspective. After he was evaporated as soon as he stepped out of that cocoon, he was sent back to the mirror through this timey whiney void between life and death where he had a brief conversation with the ghost of Avizandum. They mocked each other for being arrogant with Aaravos remarking the Dragon that he is now dead and Thunder reminding the elf that only an incorruptible soul with the key could release him from his prison and that because Aaravos is rotten to the core-his words not mine, he can NEVER escape. Aaravos waking up back at the mirror world, stating that was an unpleasant experience, only to hear a thumping at the mirror as he caught a glimpse of Callum just crying and yelling. Although the boy couldn't see Aaravos, he felt like the boy's dismay was directed at him. So he came closer, placing his hand on the mirror, thinking it wouldn't connect but, he did it anyway, maybe he just wanted to comfort him in his own way. Aaravos is complicated. but it did connect They both stepped back, exchanged a look. They had an understanding that words cannot express. Callum mouthed "I'll help you." to Aaravos's surprise, pulled him out of the mirror while all sides of the cube glowed.

They talked, Callum exploded at Aaravos for (insert the plot we just got here), demanding him to tell him everything he has done. Aaravos showed Callum his memory of the war, of how the elves and dragon also slaughtered countless humans in front of his eyes. Callum is visibly sick witnessing this, now knowing that Aaravos lived in a very different time. Aaravos also disclosed that he helped Viren because he really just wanted to get out after THREE CENTURIES. Callum, obviously is still mad because cool motive still murder sir. But he also sympathize with Aaravos. He exchanged his own story about how Thunder also killed his mom and his gf's dad killed his step dad, but he implored the elf man to try peace this time anyway since all the time Aaravos chose war it always ended up backfire on him. Aaravos stayed quiet but he is actually considering the boy's offer cause CALLUM'S RIGHT. and Aaravos knows this.

Some more small talk and Aaravos finally asked why Callum came looking for him, Callum told him his wish, Aaravos just laughs and says 'ok'. Because - says Aaravos - It's either this (teaching Callum magic) or genocide

and frankly, Aaravos probably doesn't feel like the latter after the events that transpired the last 3 seasons. Callum showed Aaravos to his friends, it did NOT go well for obvious reasons and the authorities showed up to round up Aaravos. In the deciding moment, Rayla begged Callum that there will be someone else to teach him magic and extended her hand, even Aaravos told him he that should go with her, but Callum has already made up his mind. Cue Callum casting Aspiro to stir up dirt as cover and grabbing Aaravos's hand to both of their surprises like 'I can't believe I'm doing this but I have a feeling that we can understand each other so let's bail!' THAT. Ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, is how I would create this neutral party in canon. That is how the star met the sky. And the rest is history: just them being wholesome for 2 seasons: helping people(and elves...and dragons....and pretty much anyone in need), doing magic and running away from the law

(imagine the entirety of ss4 and 5 is just this but even more shenanigans with "not the runaway prince" and "not a war criminal"™ trying to make good life choices while being the best master/student duo the series have to offer)

#ask jamie #this is a long post #i just needed to get this out #tdp #thank you for coming to my ted talk #aaravos #callum #ok Imma need a drink #head canon #the dragon prince #sorry for any grammar mistakes that i made #if anyone made it this far #thank you #i love you #please prolong my agenda

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kestrel-of-herran · 2 years

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Throughout the series we have been misled a couple of times. Like how some of us thought that Yurim would come in between Yijin and Heedo. Or a possible second lead (cutie pie) but turned out to be insignificant. Don't even mention the death theories.

Even the most discussed topic, the conflict of having a relationship between an athlete and a reporter. We expected that to happen to Yijin and Heedo since they have been warned left and right by everyone. And then out of the blue it was actually between Yijin and Yurim.

But there have also been warnings that came true. Like Yurim and Heedo discussing changing nationality once they graduate for a higher salary a few episodes back, and then Yurim did just that in the latest episode.

The "Congratulations on your wedding" line is purposely used to mislead us once again into thinking they would not end up together. From the hints and clues I've noticed, the possible conflict in the next episode is the exposure of their relationship to the public.

My theory is that Yijin and Heedo are hiding their relationship from the public for privacy reason. We have seen this before with Heedo's mother. They may have also hinted it in the preview where Yijin and Heedo are at the same restaurant but were sitting at a different table.

Just like Yijin's father divorcing his mother to protect her from his debts, Yijin could have decided to legally change his name to protect Heedo. From the preview, Yijin said "I don't want to be an embarrassment to Heedo." Since if they get married, people could possibly tie Heedo to his father's debt. Remember how his coworkers knew about his family's bankruptcy even though I'm sure that Yijin would never bring that up himself. Maybe he decided to change his name to KIM DOHEE and that would explain Kim Minchae's name. When he became a news anchor, he may have decided to keep using Baek Yijin since he is already known with that name.

I think Heedo's mother could have also used her influence to help Yijin transfer to a different department. I'm not sure if she is the one that Yijin was talking to in the preview but it is possible that he asked for her help. If he did get transfer, that is probably why he cleared up in the 2009 interview that Heedo knows him from when he was a sports reporter. People may not be familiar with his previous work anymore and only knows him as a news anchor.

Now let's talk about that 2009 interview. Since Minchae couldn't find the next diary, she opted to search for more info online. I don't blame her, I would have been frustrated too. From the search result we could see several articles and only one video. The most recent article about Na Heedo was published in 2019, while the most recent article about Baek Yijin was published in 2009. The title of the video itself was suspicious, it was "Na Heedo - Baek Yijin (anchor) Special Relationship". I think people became suspicious about their relationship during the interview. I mean it was so obvious just from their eyes. And when Heedo asked him "Anchor-nim, have you been doing well?" with misty, longing eyes, we could hear a faint child-like voice coming from inside the studio saying "appa" right before Yijin answered "Yes". Based on the year, Minchae would have been 2 years old at the time and it wouldn't make sense for Heedo to bring her overseas with her while she was busy competing. Yijin or Heedo's mother is probably taking care of Minchae while Heedo is competing and they would bring her to work or in the studio. If that was supposed to be a red herring I feel like it would be a lot more noticeable. And the possibility of it as an audio error is nonexistent in my opinion given that they have been very meticulous when it comes to the tiniest details all throughout the series. Because of the growing suspicion, Yijin could have decided to step down as a news anchor.

He may have finally decided to pursue his dream to work with NASA, which would explain the reason as to why it was mentioned in the present time that he was overseas. Or he could also went back to being a reporter and now used the name KIM DOHEE (hint from the poster).

That is the reason why Minchae is not familiar with the name Baek Yijin. Heedo's mother could possibly have dementia and that would explain why she still referred to him as Baek Yijin when Minchae ask who he was in in the photo and Heedo's expression when she said that she met him not long ago. Heedo could also be experiencing early on set symptoms of dementia that's why she could not remember the beach trip.

adding to the happy theories pile without comment, just heart eyes

#thank you for the ask!!!#twenty five twenty one #lilly gets an ask

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flightfoot · 3 years

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any thoughts on why Luka doesn't seem to be in the strike back trailer so far? of course there are other miraculous that didn't appear, but I think it's curious how he's absent despite being one of the most powerful ones.

it's very unlikely but my theory is that he's out of the trailers for a huge plot twist; he knows both LB & CN's identities, and I know everyone is taking "heroes will become villains" means Felix (and while I do think Felix is going to do something drastic, he was never really a hero, nor was he presented to be one), but with how Luka is suspiciously absent, there might be a possibility that it's actually about him.

I kind of hope there's something planned for Luka, so far him knowing Ladybug's and Chat Noir's identities hasn't had any narrative impact, even in Ephemeral when it would've been relevant, it didn't seem to change his actions in a meaningful way. It's certainly possible that his absence is to conceal a plot twist, but I dunno whether the episode will have room for it, with all the other plot threads it has to tie up.

I can't see Luka becoming a villain. It's not his personality at all. I don't understand his actions and motivations these days - I'm still shocked that when Ladybug asked him directly whether he'd found out hers and Chat's identities, he lied to her - but there's nothing in his demeanor or the way he's been presented that makes me think he has ill intent, or would purposely put his friends in harm's way.

I'd love some sort of explanation for why Luka lied to Ladybug about not knowing hers or Chat's identities though. The most common guess I've heard is that he didn't want to worry Marinette, even if it's information she asked for. Which... I mean, I can see that from a character standpoint, but I don't think that she's likely to be very happy about it. She's not used to being the one kept in the dark. If it comes up in Strike Back then I think she'll have higher priorities, but will probably ask Luka to tell her relevant information from now on when she asks for it, even if it's likely to upset her.

As for possible speculation about what Luka might get up to... right now he's the only human (aside from Adrien) who knows that Adrien is Chat Noir. Which means that he's in a prime position to out Felix as being an impostor. I think that he's more likely to play an important role in the first episode of next season, than in the last episode of this season. It's been widely speculated - and I think this is likely - that the scene of Ladybug collapsing in Adrien's bathroom, devastated, is because she believes that Felix is Adrien, and Felix just betrayed her somehow. If she lets this onto Luka in some vague capacity, then he could do something to try and persuade Marinette that there must be something she didn't understand, that Adrien couldn't and wouldn't possibly betray her, betray Paris and his friends - something that I'm sure Tikki would also tell her, but I think she'd be more willing to listen to it coming from Luka.

Luka's the only one who knows who both Ladybug and Chat Noir are, so he's the one best-positioned to help resolve any conflict between them arising from secret identity shenanigans. Whether he'll be willing to, I dunno - I expected him to interfere in some way in Ephemeral, and he didn't - but he's been given the most power to do so.

#ask #miraculous ladybug #ml risk #ml spoilers #luka couffaine #ml speculation #ml strike back

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stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years

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I feel like I might need to stay off tumblr all week because I can already picture the freak outs lol. "Ryan is leaving the show so thats why they are having him make up with his dad so he can move to Texas ". "There wasn't enough canon Eddie queerness". Ext ext.

I think this episode was the perfect example of why its fun to speculate but manage what will actually happen. Sure I would have loved Chris with Buck, and maybe more angst with him in Texas. But logically I was like its probably more about parenting and not queer Eddie because that wasnt his issue with his parents. In fact I was the original anon who posted that to you.

But the thing was there so many clues and this was an amazing episode. And honestly I kind of figured Chris wouldn't be with Buck because this episode needed to be the Buck and Taylor breaking point you know.

But again to anyone who will send you freak outs, unfortunately its not all fanfiction though we would love it. Your probably not gonna get Eddie say I'm gay in the finale. I would bet on lingering looks and at least a ending scene of Buddie together in whatever form. If we are lucky Buck crashing on his couch. And if I'm wrong I will be happy to be wrong. But shipping is always 95% faith and I still have a ton of faith because what else is happening other then 6A being devoted to the romcom of Eddie.

On a side note... I couldn't get into the original Eddie and his dad scene because I was like Helena tie your hair back your cooking for 50. Sorry not sorry!!

Hey Nonnie

Thankfully I have avoided all of the 'Ryan is leaving the show so Eddie is going to move back to Texas' nonsense that I am sure is happening elsewhere so lets keep it that way and not entertain the crazy theories some parts of fandom seem to come up with!!! And I also don't seem to have had many freak outs (fingers crossed that it stays that way!)

it really is a good example of why speculation is just that - speculation and if you forget that you are only setting yourself up for heartbreak!! I've had a great time exploring the various possibilites around Chris being in LA or in Texas (in the end it didn't really matter because we never actually saw him!!) and looking at the queer v parenting of it all. I never expect 95% of what I ramble about to actually come true it's some fun and I know that so I'm rarely left disappointed by what the show actually puts out (the one exception is the fact Taylor is still hanging around like a bad smell but there we go!!)

I personally feel we did get a huge amount of Queer Eddie undertones, and like i've said in many of my ask replies, I never expected Eddie to come out dressed in a rainbow and proclaiming his queerness from the rooftops. We got more or less what I expected, it was maybe a little more subtle than I would have liked, but I'm not mad about it because the parenting aspect is important to Eddies Queer storyline. I said I expected that Eddie and his father would find some common ground from which to go forward - which is what we got, and I expected us to get some insight into young Eddie - which again we got - I would have like more - to have seen it built on and explored further in the episode, but I get why we didn't and actually think it sets up 6a perfectly.

The 911 writers are always careful with the language they choose to write into the script and what we got from that script, from the set, props, costumes etc has plenty to explore in terms of signposting where Eddie is headed. To me us hearing how Eddie was pushed into 'manhood' at such an early age shows exactly why he would have buried any queer feelings and thoughts he was having - the assumption that he would perform the role of man of the house in his fathers absence, not have a present father figure and being given so much responsibility are all clear indicators that Eddie was pushed into a certain box and not given the freedom to explore who he actually was/is. We are now seeing that he is going to be able to have the freedom to explore what he didn't get to as a child and part of that will continue to revolve around his parents.

It sets up 6a having a visit from Helena and Ramon - as Eddie continues to have his queer awakening and if we do maybe we'll get to see Buck parenting Christopher thrown into the mix and witness the reactions of Eddies parents to it all - it would be a great and interesting thing to look at. I would love for them to see Buck coparenting Chris and see how he is thriving and ho Eddie is also thriving and figure it out and be happy - is that something we'll get - who knows but its entirely possible and we'll only find out when 6a airs!

As for Helenas hair - I get where you are coming from, but totally get why they styled it that way - it was about her being in control, but also a way of hiding her from the conversation - so she was there, but also not there- her hair was a curtain - a bit like a church confessional!!

#kym answers things #nonnie asks #911 on fox #911 spoilers #911onfox #911 fox #911 #eddie diaz #eddie #911 speculation

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lovecolibri · 3 years

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Can I just say "HELL YES" to your tags on my anti Taylor post? BECAUSE HELL YES!

Thank you! I do tend to tag-ramble so it's nice to know people see and appreciate them. Your post was on point and that's also something that irritates me. This show has so many different, amazing, badass women who fight to better themselves and to help other people which is what the whole show is about. So I personally couldn't care less about a character who purposefully throws other people under the bus, knowing full well what it feels like to be in that position, for personal gain.

And maybe if this was a different show with a different tone, a character like that might play better but given the overall tone and message of 911 and the way her character was introduced, it just doesn't work. I tried to make my peace with her character in season 4 because a) I honestly didn't think Buck, with all his character growth and therapy would want to date someone like her again (not that it ever made since in the first place given what he found out about her wanting to run the story about Bobby but no show is perfect), and b) because m/f friendships with two straight (at least as far as canon has shown us for the most part) characters is something I'd like to see more of. I thought she'd pop in and out to pull shenanigans with Buck and that would be it. But after 4x14 and the kiss ('you didn't chase after me' wft kind of line is that?! I still hold we were never meant to actually like her character, especially after the things she said to Buck RIGHT after the audience watched Buck Beings and knows all the buttons she's pushing there), and after going back and doing a full re-watch, I was just fully done with her character. And then of course this season was short on main cast so there were some gaps to fill but I cannot for the life of me understand why so much focus was on her instead of on more important and established characters! I know everyone wants more Karen (though the actress is, rightfully, very busy with various other projects so I try to keep that in mind), and with David and Michael leaving, we could have seen more of them and David in particular in 5x07. I also don't think I will ever forgive the show for cutting the fun ghost call/firefam interactions to focus on something that had nothing to do with ANY of the main characters (that story never connected back to the 118 in any way, which easily could have happened had Eddie been in the episode), and that ultimately would have played out exactly the same way with or without the reporter's interference. Lou thought the husband was fishy from the get-go, he made the connection to the hardware store and found the motel room, and while he may not have had the whole story right, once he caught the guy and found the wife, the guy told him everything. That entire case could have been an email. There was no reason for us to see any of it. If they wanted to tie it into Eddie and his past traumas popping up at work, or Buck and the mountain of shared trauma with Eddie that they aren't talking about, that could have worked, but they didn't do anything with that! It's just so frustrating because in a year when the reporter is gone and people are going back and re-watching episodes, no one is going to care about her and another side character investigating something that has nothing to do with and no ties to the main characters or storylines. But everyone would still enjoy something like the ghost roommate call, and firefam discussions about ghosts, and Ravi scaring Buck. Same with her 'backstory' episode, which was otherwise a great episode.

I know they are doing Something with Buck and this is all leading to a character growth moment for him, but it could have been accomplished with 90% less screentime for her character (it worked for the eddieana relationship just fine and that breakup scene was iconic television), and maybe a little more focus on Buck's state of mind and what's going on in his head, as well as Eddie's state of mind. What they have given us for those two is great, but we could have had more and maybe a little more clear buildup, instead of focusing so much on a side character that even the GA doesn't like and is beyond tired of. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#my sweet no so anonymous friends #911 #oh this got long...#i just have a lot of feelings.gif #anti taylor kelly #anti bucktaylor #anti eddieana #because it's mentioned #thanks for giving me an excuse to ramble outside the tags for once!

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darling-i-read-it · 4 years

Text

Hassun

2x03

Hannibal Lecter x reader x Will Graham

Hannibal Re-Write Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: spoilers for hannibal, murder, mental health problems, jail, dead bodies

Author’s Note: It is 2am. Second wrench has been thrown.

I used some direct quotes from the script so some things may seem familiar

Official Episode Summary : As Will's trial begins, his colleagues have to pick a side. The case takes a chilling turn when someone starts recreating the crimes he's accused of.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director

Tag List: @llperfectsymmetryll

(not my gif)

@/theladyaysha made most of these gifs

You stared in the mirror of your home. Your hair wasn’t working with you but with the music in the bathroom you felt a sense of calm. You fixed the bracelet you were wearing and adjusted the jacket you had put on over one of your more formal dresses.

Hannibal looked in his mirror, buttoning up his shirt. This was a day he had presented himself to attend for a while. Although he wasn’t quite sure how it would turn out he was prepared for it. Perhaps.

Will had to look at the bars in his cell and hope that his tie was on correctly. You did his ties and he had never actually properly learned. But he was more worried about how the day was going to go.

The three of you took a deep breath at seemingly the same time in three different places.

The courtroom was cold. You walked inside and caught the eye of Hannibal who had an empty seat beside him. You wanted to sit next to Alana or someone but you couldn't’ see her. You just didn’t want to sit alone.

You weren’t sure if it was appropriate but you walked over to him and sat down wordlessly. Hannibal glanced at you but you just held your clutch in your lap, looking forward. You could feel Hannibal look over at you.

“I hope you don't' mind,” you whispered. He shook his head.

“I understand.”

One of the side doors opened and Will walked in. His eyes looked elsewhere and you wouldn’t blame him if he was off fishing somewhere. He caught your eye and Hannibal’s. He gave you no emotion but you gave him a small reassuring smile.

By the time the trail began you were already on edge. Hearing words come out of a ladies mouth, speaking the worst of your boyfriend was something you never imagined you’d do.

Eventually Jack came out and you leaned against Hannibal, almost involuntarily. Hannibal turned to you a bit but didn’t say anything, perhaps just reading your emotions.

“Rather than being tormented by the work he did, Will Graham enjoyed the cover his role at the FBI gave him to commit his terrible crimes,” Marion Vega, the lawyer said to the courtroom. You tensed but Will didn’t seem to react. Granted you couldn’t really see his face.

“I don’t believe that to be true,” Jack said. You raised an eyebrow. You turned to Hannibal and he looked equally surprised.

“Did Jack just say something...sane?” you whispered so only he could hear. Hannibal scoffed quietly.

“Agent Crawford?” Vega asked.

“Will hated every second of the work. Didn’t fake that. His girlfriend harped on me for weeks and continues to do so. She didn’t fake that. He hated it and I kept making him do it,” Jack stated. You nodded, agreeing despite no one looking at you.

“Why then, when you gave him the opportunity to quit, did he refuse?” she asked.

“Because he was saving lives. I was warned by more than one person if I pushed Will, I would break him. I put checks and balances in place, then ignored them. And here we are.” You were astonished.

“Looks like he did hear you,” Hannibal muttered.

After Jack stepped down everyone started to file out. You weren’t sure if you were allowed to talk to Will but when his lawyer ushered you over you came happily.

“Leonard Brauer, you’re the girlfriend yes?”

“Last I checked.”

“She’s the girlfriend,” Will said, rather stoically.

“I want you to be prepared to testify. I don’t have you on right now but I’m hoping to get you in to testify for character,” he said. You nodded quickly.

“Anything I can do. I’m working with Alana as best I can,” you said honestly and Brauer nodded as well.

“That’s much appreciated.” You turned to Will and he met your eyes. You gave him a kind smile.

“I like your hair,” you said. He laughed quietly.

“Thanks. I like your dress.”

“Thank you.”

Brauer got handed a package and he started to open it. He dumped it out on the table as you and Will stared at each other and an ear fell out. You were barely surprised.

“You know, if I had a dollar for everytime I saw a severed ear…” you said quietly.

The ear laid in front of you. You were standing beside Hannibal, Bev, Price, Zeller and Jack who all were looking at the ear curiously.

“One thing’s for sure. Will Graham didn’t do it,” Beverly said. You nodded although no one expected anything else.

“Although, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Zeller said. You let out a stiff sigh and Hannibal nudged you a little.

“The timing is deliberate, choreographed to drop the ear at the start of Will’s trail,” Jack observed.

“Such a gift has great significance,” Hannibal observed.

“A gift,” you muttered. “Interesting way to put it.”

“From who?” Jack asked.

“Wil claimed someone else committed the crimes he’s accused of,” Hannibal suggested. “It’s what Y/N believes.”

“Will said that someone was you,” Jack whispered.

“Perhaps he was half right,” Hannibal said and you turned to him, glad to hear that. You and Hannibal were not in the best speaking terms right now but you understood you had a common goal. Zeller looked annoyed.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

Hannibal sat across from Will at a table.

“It seems you have an admirer,” Hannibal suggested.

“It seems you kissed my girlfriend and suggested she love us both,” Will said, his voice monotone.

“Yes.”

“You aren’t going to deny it?”

“I care deeply about you and Y/N. I believe that someone else may have committed these crimes and I believe we may have aligned wishes.”

“That gives you no right to kiss my girlfriend.”

The two of them stared at each other. Hannibal noticed that Will did not seem to be angry. He seemed more confused, perhaps even amused.

“That is not the priority here,” Hannibal stated simply. “You got an ear in the mail.” Will nodded.

“Are you assuming I’ve given you permission to continue to pursue Y/N?”

“Are you?”

Will was caught off guard a bit but bounced back quickly.

“I don’t know.”

A beat of silence.

“How far would you go to help me?” Will asked.

“It hadn’t occurred to me to send you an ear,” Hannibal said quietly. “But I’m grateful and intrigued that someone has.”

“Gratitude has a short half-life.”

You walked with Hannibal into a charred house.

“Wanted to give us a warm welcome and still leave something to find,” Jack said as you looked over the dead charred body over antlers. It heavily resembled the pictures that you had seen on your kitchen table, just after the copycat killer stuck. The murder that presumabley Will had done

“An arresting piece of theater,” Hannibal said.

“It’s Will Graham’s greatest hits,” Zeller said.

“Are we addressing the elephant in the room? The charred, mutilated elephant right over there,” Price said.

“Could we have been that wrong?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” you whispered.

“No. We couldn't,” Zeller countered.

“The evidence we found was immediate and almost presentational. May as well have been gift-wrapped,” Bev said.

“That’s what Will said about Cassie Boyle when she was found in that field. “Field kabuki.””. Jack was having doubts. You could feel it.

“There wasn’t any evidence before Will was apprehended and there hasn’t been any since,” Bev muttered.

“What impact could this have on Will’s trial?” you questioned. Jack took this and thought about it before a moment.

“Hopefully a lot of impact.”

You stood in the room with Alana, Will and Brauer.

“I’m confused,” Alana said. “We are-”

“We are heading one direction and now, we are heading another,” Brauer said.

“You’re going to abandon your defense strategy, the entire case you’ve built...mid-trail,” Alana muttered. She turned to you. “You’re okay with this?”

“It makes sense to me.”

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Brauer said, walking over to the table that you were all sitting around. “Not only reasonable, fashionable. There’s a killer on the loose, demonstrating all the hallmarks of Will Graham’s alleged murders. Somebody out there likes you,” he said to Will.

“This is just because you honestly don't think he did it,” Alana said, only to you.

“I am a woman of my word,” you said.

“She somehow got it where she wanted, which she does often enough,” Will said and you nodded happily.

“Did you kill someone to do it?” Alana asked sarcastically.

“No but someone did. Someone who likes Will enough,” you muttered.

“I won’t have to call you in the stand,” Brauer said.

“Who will be taking the stand in my place?”

Hannibal took the stand. You watched the hope crash and fall before your eyes. The defense was ruled inadmissible and you felt an anger in your heart that you hadn’t felt in a while, if ever.

You stood up as the court was dismissed for the day. You walked up to the judge as Will was taken out.

“May I talk with you?” you asked. You put on your best girl smile.

“About this case?”

“Perhaps?” He let out a sigh. He wasn’t supposed to but you were pretty. Perhaps this would go in his way. You tried to look as ditzy as you could as he nodded a little.

“Come to my chambers.”

You couldn’t think. Your hands were bloody and you were shaking. The door behind you swung open and Hannibal stopped in his tracks at the sight he was looking at.

You, blood on your hands and the bashed in head of the judge. You shook your head and continued to shake, the blood staining your clothes.

“I..I didn’t…” you started but you were such in shock you couldn’t say anything. Hannibal walked forward. He wasn’t going to say that he wasn’t coming to kill this man but seeing you with his dead body was something he was not prepared to think about this afternoon.

“I’m surprised it isn’t Jack Crawford,” he said quietly. You had enough heart to scoff at him.

“He was gonna kill Will,” you said very quietly. Hannibal nodded and looked down at the body.

“I’m going to clean this. The BAU are going to come and look over a crime scene that I made for this and I’m going to make it look like the man who is recently trying to help Will out. You will not come with me to see the body.”

“I have to. You can’t go without me,” you whispered. Your eyes seemed elsewhere. Hannibal took off his coat and put it over you.

“Wait in my car.”

Forty five minutes later you were in Hannibal’s home, freshly showered and wearing his clothes. You were staring at your hands, trying to figure out how you had killed somebody. Your anger had gotten the best of you but how? Bashing someone’s brain in...you could barely think about it now.

“I want Will,” you pouted, voice breaking. Hannibal walked up to you and sat beside you on the couch.

“You can’t tell him.”

“I have to. I tell him everything,” you said, looking at Hannibal.

“Don’t tell him this.”

You shook your head and looked over at Hannibal, still feeling like you were shaking. Hannibal put his arms around you and you put your head on his chest. He held you until you fell asleep.

2x04

#hannibal lecter x reader #will graham x reader #will graham imagines #hannibal lecter imagines #hannibal lecter x reader x will graham #will graham x reader x hannibal lecter

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nealiios · 3 years

Text

The Supernatural 70s: Part I - Corruption of An Innocent

"We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers writers."

-- with apologies to the screenwriter of "Stripes"

Dear reader, I have the darkest of revelations to make to you, a truth when fully and wholly disclosed shall most assuredly chill you to the bone, a tale that shall make you question all that you hold to be true and good and holy about my personal history. While you may have come in search of that narrative designer best known for his works of interactive high fantasy, you should know that he is also a crafter of a darker art, a scribbler of twisted tales filled with ghosts, and ghouls, and gargoyles. I am, dear innocent, a devotee of horrors! Mwahahahaha!

[cue thunderclap, lightning, pipe organ music]

Given the genre of writing for which most of you know me, I forgive you if you think of me principally as a fantasy writer. I don't object to that classification because I do enjoy mucking about with magic and dark woods and mysterious ancient civilizations. But if you are to truly know who I am as a writer, you must realize that the image I hold of myself is principally as a creator of weird tales.

To understand how and why I came to be drawn to this sub-genre of fantastic fiction, you first must understand that I come from peculiar folks. Maybe I don't have the Ipswich look, or I didn't grow up in a castle, but my pedigree for oddity has been there from the start. My mother was declared dead at birth by her doctor, and often heard voices calling to her in the dead of night that no one else could hear. Her mother would periodically ring us up to discuss events in our lives about which she couldn't possibly have known. My father's people still share ghost stories about a family homestead that burned down mysteriously in the 1960s. Even my older brother has outré memories about events he says cannot possibly be true, and as a kid was kicked off the Tulsa city bookmobile for attempting to check out books about UFOs, bigfoot, and ESP. It's fair to say I was doomed - or destined - for weirdness from the start.

If the above listed circumstances had not been enough, I grew up in an area where neighbors whispered stories about a horrifically deformed Bulldog Man who stalked kids who "parked" on the Old North Road near my house. The state in which I was raised was rife with legends of bigfoots, deer women, and devil men. Even in my childhood household there existed a pantheon of mythological entities invented explicitly to keep me in line. If I was a good boy, The Repairman would leave me little gifts of Hot Wheels cars or candy. If I was being terrible, however, my father would dress in a skeleton costume, rise from the basement and threaten to drag me down into everlasting hellfire (evidently there was a secret portal in our basement.) There were monsters, monsters EVERYWHERE I looked in my childhood world. Given that I was told as a fledgling writer to write what I knew, how could anyone have been surprised that the first stories I wrote were filled with the supernatural?

"The Nightmare" by John Henry Fuseli (1781)

My formative years during the late sixties and early seventies took place at a strange juncture in our American cultural history. At the same time that we were loudly proclaiming the supremacy of scientific thought because we'd landed men on the moon, we were also in the midst of a counter cultural explosion of interest in astrology, witchcraft, ghosts, extra sensory perception, and flying saucers. Occult-related books were flying off the shelves as sales surged by more than 100% between 1966 and 1969. Cultural historians would come to refer to this is as the "occult boom," and its aftershocks would impact popular cultural for decades to come.

My first contact with tales of the supernatural were innocuous, largely sanitized for consumption by children. I vividly remember watching Casper the Friendly Ghost and the Disney version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I read to shreds numerous copies of both Where the Wild Things Are and Gus the Ghost. Likely the most important exposure for me was to the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? cartoon which attempted to inoculate us from our fears of ghosts and aliens by convincing us that ultimately the monster was always just a bad man in a mask. (It's fascinating to me that modern incarnations of Scooby Doo seem to have completely lost this point and instead make all the monsters real.)

ABOVE: Although the original cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You? ran only for one season from 1969 to 1970, it remained in heavy reruns and syndication for decades. It is notable for having been a program that perfectly embodied the conflict between reason and superstition in popular culture, and was originally intended to provide children with critical thinking skills so they would reject the idea of monsters, ghosts, and the like. Ironically, modern takes on Scooby Doo have almost entirely subverted this idea and usually present the culprits of their mysteries as real monsters.

During that same time, television also introduced me to my first onscreen crush in the form of the beautiful and charming Samantha Stevens, a witch who struggles to not to use her powers while married to a frequently intolerant mortal advertising executive in Bewitched. The Munsters and The Addams Family gave me my first taste for "goth" living even before it would become all the rage in the dance clubs of the 1980s. Late night movies on TV would bring all the important horror classics of the past in my living room as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Godzilla all became childhood friends. Over time the darkened castles, creaking doors, foggy graveyards, howling wolves, and ever present witches and vampires became so engrained in my psyche that today they remain the "comfort viewing" to which I retreat when I'm sick or in need of other distractions from modern life.

ABOVE: Elizabeth Montgomery starred in Bewitched (1964 - 1972) as Samantha Stephens, a witch who married "mortal" advertising executive Darren Stephens (played for the first five seasons by actor Dick York). Inspired by movies like I Married a Witch (1942) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958), it was a long running series that explored the complex relationship dynamics between those who possess magic and those who don't. Social commentators have referred to it as an allegory both for mixed marriages and also about the challenges faced by minorities, homosexuals, cultural deviants, or generally creative folks in a non heterogeneous community. It was also one of the first American television programs to portray witches not as worshippers of Satan, but simply as a group of people ostracized for their culture and their supernatural skills.

Even before I began elementary school, there was one piece of must-see gothic horror programming that I went out of my way to catch every day. Dark Shadows aired at 3:30 p.m. on our local ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma which usually allowed me to catch most of it if I ran home from school (or even more if my mom or brother picked me up.) In theory it was a soap opera, but the show featured a regular parade of supernatural characters and themes. The lead was a 175 year old vampire named Barnabas Collins (played by Johnathan Frid), and the show revolved around his timeless pursuit of his lost love, Josette. It was also a program that regularly dealt with reincarnation, precognition, werewolves, time travel, witchcraft, and other occult themes. Though it regularly provoked criticism from religious groups about its content, it ran from June of 1966 until it's final cancellation in April of 1971. (I would discover it in the early 1970s as it ran in syndication.) Dark Shadows would spin off two feature-length movies based on the original, a series of tie-in novels, an excellent reboot series in 1991 (starring Ben Cross as Barnabas), and a positively embarrassingly awful movie directed by Tim Burton in 1991.

ABOVE: Johnathan Frid starred as Barnabas Collins, one of the leading characters of the original Dark Shadows television series. The influence of the series cannot be understated. In many ways Dark Shadows paved the way for the inclusion of supernatural elements in other soap operas of the 1970s and the 1980s, and was largely responsible for the explosion of romance novels featuring supernatural themes over the same time period.

While Dark Shadows was a favorite early television program for me, another show would prove not only to be a borderline obsession, but also a major influence on my career as a storyteller. Night Gallery (1969-1973) was a weekly anthology television show from Rod Serling, better known as the creator and host of the original Twilight Zone. Like Twilight Zone before it, Night Gallery was a deep and complex commentary on the human condition, but unlike its predecessor the outcomes for the characters almost always skewed towards the horrific and the truly outré. In "The Painted Mirror," an antiques dealer uses a magic painting to trap an enemy in the prehistoric past. Jack Cassidy plots to use astral projection to kill his romantic rival in "The Last Laurel" but accidentally ends up killing himself. In "Eyes" a young Stephen Spielberg directs Joan Crawford in a story about an entitled rich woman who plots to take the sight of a poor man. Week after week it delivered some of the best-written horror television of the early 1970s.

In retrospect I find it surprising that I was allowed to watch Night Gallery at all. I was very young while it was airing, and some of the content was dark and often quite shocking for its time. Nevertheless, I was so attached to the show that I'd throw a literal temper tantrum if I missed a single, solitary episode. If our family needed to go somewhere on an evening that Night Gallery was scheduled, either my parents would either have to wait until after it had aired before we left, or they'd make arrangements in advance with whomever we were visiting to make sure it was okay that I could watch Night Gallery there. I was, in a word, a fanatic.

ABOVE: Every segment of Night Gallery was introduced by series creator Rod Serling standing before a painting created explicitly for the series. Director Guillermo del Toro credits Serling's series as being the most important and influential show on his own work, even more so than the more famous Twilight Zone.

#horror #70s #occult #supernatural #television #writing

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