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the5n00k · 11 months

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Character analysis essay: (kind of, it's mostly me just rambling)

The Ghost and Molly McGee and the concept of unconditional love and acceptance

‼️Spoilers ahead for both seasons 1 and 2!‼️

The Ghost and Molly McGee is one of the most special animated tv shows I've ever seen for several reasons but none quite as special to me as this. A ton of shows, especially on Disney channel, boast of their friendships between the main characters and their hijinks they get into but none have quite impacted me like the friendship between the two titular characters Molly and Scratch. I mean when I first watched this series in July after the season 1 finale, I expected to have a brief period of obsession, a few drawings, and then I'd move on. As you can tell by my blog, that did not happen. (For better and for worse)

People dismiss this show because of the more grounded slice of life episodic approach it takes but honestly I feel like that's it's strongest aspect. It allows the characters to have more moments where they can just slow down and connect. There's no urgent threat (save for a few episodes) that needs to be addressed or the world will end. The characters get to talk, react, and grow because of its slower pace. I say slower loosely because this show will also throw jokes at you harder and faster than an automatic tennis ball server but it knows when to take a moment seriously when it needs to. (This is also why season 1 Amphibia is my favorite and y'all can fight me for it.)

Now onto my main point; Molly and Scratch's relationship.

They start out rough. REALLY rough. They're not good for each other in the slightest. Scratch is mean and constantly trying to sabotage Molly and Molly is controlling, dragging Scratch along on her daily tasks even if he expresses how much he does not want to come along. But no matter how terrible they treat each other, there's still a level of care.

Take First Day Frights or The Unnatural for example. Scratch is more than willing to watch Molly fail until he sees her getting picked on, something he's experienced almost every day of his afterlife, possibly his living one too. He has this connection to her early on, he has this empathy. He'd never expressly admit it and he still tries his hardest to make her give up MANY times throughout season 1 either for his own amusement, thinking the effort isn't worth both of their time, or simply because he has to keep Brighton miserable. But seeing her upset always sets something off in him. And while he doesn't verbally admit he cares about her until the season finale, he does eventually acknowledge her as his best friend (although in that instance it was more to spite Libby) and acknowledge himself as part of her family. The most notable episodes that highlight their more stable relationship are season 1, 18-20 (for those unaware, that would be Out of House and Home/Home is Where the Haunt is, Scaring is Caring/All Night Plight, and The Jig is Up/Molly Vs the Ghost World)

Moving onto season 1 Molly now, she was controlling and seemed to enjoy annoying Scratch in almost a sibling-like behavior, poking him, teasing him, playing with his "hair" but the further you get into the series, the less annoying these feel and the more endearing they become. She also begins to respect his boundaries more, summoning him less and kind of letting him do his own thing in the general area while she has her own plot going on. (Goat Your Own Way and gags ... The Internship) And even after the curse is broken, she seems willing to let him move on away from her if that's what he really wants. She's more interested in his happiness now than her own. Letting go of that control is HUGE for her considering how much emphasis she put on him being her first forever friend. She didn't even expose him to Libby until she got his permission. I brought it up once and I'm bringing it up again dammit.

These two broken, mistreated, flawed people who found each other by complete coincidence would do anything and go to the ends of the earth for each other. And they did.

Moving onto season 2 I was terrified they would regress in some way from this. It was such a high note and a perfect end to their arc all throughout season 1, but now there was this new status quo. They were used to each other now. They could feel like completely different characters at this point. But they weren't, in fact they're even better.

They fight, they argue, they disagree on A LOT of things, but at the end of the day they're even more supportive and loving of each other than ever before.

They're not tearing each other down anymore, they're actively building each other up. Making the other a better person. Cheering them on. This even extends to the B characters like Libby and Darryl, they feel like a close-knit family. Even when they argue, the first thing they see when they say each other again is "I'm sorry" which is HUGE for Scratch, acknowledging fault was (and still is to some degree) really hard for him. They love each other no matter what. They've still got their issues, Molly still feels like she needs to burn herself out to make others happy and Scratch is still calloused and mean towards new additions to his social circle but that just makes them feel more authentic. I don't want them to be perfect. Watching them improve yet still struggle with the same issues they had at the start of the series makes them feel so real. For being a show that's mostly episodic with loose continuity, the development its characters go through is so slow burn sometimes you don't even notice it just binging the series. But if you jump back and forth between an early season 1 episode to a late/season 2 episode, it is STAGGERING.

Molly doesn't love Scratch because he stopped being mean. Scratch doesn't love Molly because she stopped being an overbearing ball of energy. They've loved each other in spite of that. They see past these flaws to their source and relate to the feelings they stem from. At their core, Molly and Scratch are exactly the same; social outcasts seemingly doomed to never having lasting connections. They just responded differently to what they had to go through, their two extremes are even similar in some ways with over possessiveness and insecurity. When Scratch was defending himself to Libby, he couldn't even name any of his redeeming qualities. And Molly still thought Scratch wanted to leave her in spite of everything. They're so torn from their experiences and that drives them closer together. I'm tearing up writing this.

They're broken but they're healing. They're best friends forever. One without the other would not be the same person. Although they aren't codependent, they've gotten along fine on solo adventures without the other needing to step in and solve their problem. They're healthy in their toxic behaviors because they call each other out. I don't consider a relationship toxic if there's noticeable improvement and growth. They're mature in their immaturity, their friendship is so simple and sincere. They enjoy each other's company and don't care who knows it. They're weirdos and so is everyone else they're friends with. Save for maybe Geoff. I don't think a single soul hates Geoff. I'm getting off topic but their friendship is something I always wanted.

They know they're broken, they know they're flawed and selfish at times. But they're trying. And that effort is sometimes all that one can ask for. The dream team for all eternity.

#the ghost and molly mcgee #tgamm #tgamm spoilers #character analysis #i cried writing this #legitimately i almost started violently sobbing over these cartoon characters #that's what thinking about their relationship does to me #they're such besties #i hope they never change but also change for the better #if that makes any sense #my poor broken meow meows #i want to hug them so hard all their trauma goes away

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rottingraisins · 1 year

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Iris for the ask game?

HAHA YES!! This ones getting long sorry in advance

fav thing: shes such a succinct representation of the question at the core of a lot of foundation writing, which is whether maintaining the veil is really worth all of the harm that's done in the process, and rlly gets into where humanoids/sapient scps specifically fall in that discussion. chief among my fav iris interps is ofc the resurrection canon where as the lone survivor of omega-7, the one who didnt go rogue, she unwillingly becomes a sort of golden child of the emerging alpha-9 project , paraded around for her "loyalty" to the foundation while she doesnt even really want to be here in the first place. its good stuff!

least fav thing: resurrection is perpetually unfinished and very meandering, it loses track of iris pretty bad in act 2 even though to me her relationship to the foundation is easily the most compelling part of the canon. all her rlly interesting character potential is forever unresolved by the main res storyline not having updated in over 3 years and she lacks any like. standalone tales that ever hit in quite the same way i think

favorite line: I've spent the last seven years in a box. It's a fancy box, but it's not the real world. And then suddenly you need my help with something, I get dragged out and get to see the real world again, and… it feels like somewhere fictional. A movie set. The moon.

brOTP: Her and adams are rlly rlly fun and as a tragedy liker im ofc fascinated by the looming shadow of their work relationship (tav-666 being the cleanup crew in case alpha-9 goes rogue) hanging over their budding friendship. Also in the silly fluff timeline where kondraki lives i like to think shes very close to both him and draven

OTP: irismeri again... saddest girls in the world

nOTP: iris/able bad

random headcanon: ik its all i talk about but i have so many thoughts about iris presenting more butch coinciding with her like. finally reclaiming her personhood. i think bc of watching her 13 y/o comphet middle school boyfriend get straight up murdered in front of her and getting contained and functionally stripped of her identity beyond her scp designation right after shes got a lot of complicated feelings and latent guilt about any queer feelings she may or may not harbor and it takes until adams, an older wlw whos very confident in her own attraction to women that iris starts to Realize.

unpopular opinion: /

songs: one of two characters to have a designated playlist on my mobile phone actually. no reptiles everything everything, blindness metric, maybe sprout wings tmg are all on there

fav pic: this one its so simple yet so heartbreaking. I have it downloaded onto my computer

#not art #ask game

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denimbex1986 · 5 months

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'The Doctor finds themself wearing a familiar face for the first time in their 2,000+ years of existence. Donna Noble and her family are suddenly in the middle of a world of aliens and spaceships for the first time since her memories were wiped by the Doctor fifteen years ago. Despite Donna’s lack of memory and the Doctor’s best efforts coincidence or destiny has thrust these two one-time best friends back together. This is where Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Trilogy of Specials – “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder,” and “The Giggle” – begin. Russell T Davies has returned as showrunner! David Tennant is back as the Doctor! Catherine Tate is back as Donna! Not having to wait for the Blu-ray release to rewatch episodes for the first time since Jodie Whittaker debuted in “The Woman Who Fell To Earth” has me basically living on Disney+. And what’s struck me most as I’ve watched these specials again and again is how beautifully they present the mirror of friendship using two characters, two best friends, who find themselves at existential crossroads with their identities...

Theresa used to have a little poster hanging in her classroom which said, “You become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” And wow has my analytical part spent a lot of time thinking about that! Our friendships certainly shape us. Our friends also serve as a mirror which reflect who we are in a very intimate way, both in whom we connect with and how we are within those relationships. The Doctor and Donna share such a relationship and for all the Meeps, Wrath Warriors, Not-Things, and Toymakers, watching them reconnect across this trilogy of specials was my favorite part of the 60th anniversary experience :).

As Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary was a trilogy, I’m going to address these themes with each in turn! So feel free to read this as one unified piece or just read about the specials you’ve seen or are most interested in exploring.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast

If friendship is a mirror, to lose our memories of and/or connection to a best friend means our reflection is incomplete. We struggle to see ourselves as we once did. When we first meet Donna in “The Star Beast” with her mother Sylvia (Jaqueline King), and meet her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney) and husband Shaun (Karl Collins) for the first time (okay, yes, Shaun was in “The End of Time Part Two” but it was just for a moment and we only see him from a distance), she is still very much Donna. Though it’s clear she feels the shape of something missing in her life.

Sitting at her kitchen table, Donna tells Sylvia, “Sometimes I think there’s something missing. Like I had something lovely, and it’s gone. And I, I kinda look to the side like something should be there but it’s not. And I know I’ve got Rose and Sean and you and the biggest sausage roll I’ve ever seen and frankly I should be happy. I should be really happy. But some nights I lie in bed thinking…what have I lost?” We are the sum total of our memories. Without one or some (or all?) we’d still be ourselves…but undeniably different. And having a sense of the something you lost would have to be a restless way to live.

But the Doctor can remember and, when I think about it, I imagine that would be harder. He knows he lost this brilliant, beautiful best friend. All the feelings he had for her live on in his hearts, surrounded by the dull ache of loss. For me, that one seems worse. Donna longs for something she lost but the Doctor knows who and what he lost.

The Doctor, having regenerated into a familiar form, is also anxious and unsettled. Though he is clearly happy to be back in his old body again! Many people online have pointed out how he emerges from the TARDIS in London with an energy very reminiscent of the opening of the 2008 Christmas special, “The Next Doctor.” It feels so happy! He’s smiling as he wanders through the street. At this moment, those anxious and unsettled parts are unblended and he’s able to enjoy the beginning of this new life, a half hour or so after his regeneration. But when the Doctor meets UNIT’s new scientific advisor, Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley), he beings to speak openly about the confusing nature of his regeneration:

The Doctor – “Eh, it’s all a bit mad, don’t you think? I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Shirley – “Well, you look like the Doctor to me.”

The Doctor – “Well, exactly, the one in the skinny suit. After that I wear a bowtie. After that I’m a Scotsman. And after that I’m a woman.”

Shirley – “But that’s your future. You can’t know that. It’s forbidden.”

The Doctor – “I regenerated. And she became me.”

Shirley – “You got your old face back?”

The Doctor – “Yep.”

Shirley – “But why?”

The Doctor – “Eh, that’s what I’m worried about. Because I’ve got this friend, called Donna Noble. And she was my best friend in the whole wide universe, I absolutely love her. Oh! Um, do I say things like that now?”

Shirley – “Sounds like a good thing to say.”

The Doctor – “But Donna took the mind of a Time Lord into her head. I had to wipe her memory to save her life. If she ever remembers me she will die. So what happens next? I get this face back and the TARDIS lands right next to her. I turn around and there’s her husband. Then a spaceship crashes right in front of her. It’s like she’s drawing us in….the universe is turning around her again. I don’t believe in destiny but if destiny exists, it’s heading for Donna Noble right now.”

The Doctor doesn’t understand who he is anymore but he instinctively begins to try and sort the question of his identity through Donna. He is wearing his old face. The “universe is turning around her again.” There must be a connection. And it’s because of Donna he realizes he’s the sort of person who says things like, “I absolutely love her.” He says much the same about Wilf: “I loved that man.” For the notoriously closed off Time Lord, this willingness to be open and vulnerable is remarkable growth. And I’d wager that Dan (John Bishop)’s gently yet insistently pushing both the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz (Mandip Gill) to own and voice their feelings for each other plays a role in the Fourteenth Doctor’s newfound openness :). And that makes me so happy!

Uncertainty aside, the Doctor and Donna quickly fall into familiar rhythms. As the Meep threatens all of London, the Doctor does what the Doctor does and Donna instinctively springs into action beside him. With the lives of nine million people at stake, Donna freely volunteers her life to save the others and the Doctor, with great pain and frustration, allows her to do so. They each make their own ultimate sacrifice – Donna in giving up her life and the Doctor in killing his best friend – to save Rose and all of London. This is who they are.

But Donna lives! Because the Meta-Crisis was passed down to Rose! What was too much for one human to hold becomes a shared inheritance. Donna’s survival also brings the dawning of greater comprehension:

The Doctor – “We’re binary.”

Donna – “She’s not. Because the Doctor’s…”

The Doctor – “…male…”

Donna – “…and female.”

Rose – “And neither. And more.”

Rose’s role in the Meta-Crisis allows the Doctor and Donna to articulate the full nature of the Doctor’s identity with greater clarity than ever before. In a beautiful moment, Donna and Rose chose to “just let it go.” Donna has her memories back (and she lived! (yay!)). Rose is finally herself. But the Doctor is still uncertain as to why his old face returned.

Onboard the TARDIS he brushes that question off but tells Donna, “I really do remember though, every second with you. And I’m so glad you’re back ‘cause it killed me Donna. It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” Donna ask, “We can have more days, can’t we? I mean why is it such a big goodbye with you? Why is it one last trip? ‘Cause you visit, with my family. We could do outrageous things like have tea, dinner, and a laugh. And Rose’s school play, well maybe not that, she can’t act, she’s terrible, I don’t know how to tell her. But the point is, you’ve been given a second chance. You can do things different this time. So why don’t you do something completely new – and have some friends?” Tentatively the Doctor replies, “Yeah. Maybe. Yeah.”

To me this feels like the key to the entire special. Similarly to his saying he loves Donna and Wilf, the Doctor is being open and vulnerable in telling Donna, “I’m so glad you’re back ‘cause it killed me Donna. It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” Donna, comfortably settling into her new old self – restored memories alongside the person she’s become with her family – notes the Doctor has been given a second chance to do things differently with this face. While the Eleventh Doctor visited with Amy and Rory and the Twelfth Doctor did with Clara, it’s not the Doctor’s usual m.o. and you can see the reluctance on the his face. Fear of the Twelfth Doctor’s weariness, expressed at the end of his life – “A life this long, do you understand what it is? It’s a battlefield, like this one, and it’s empty. Because everyone else has fallen”[1] – is evident. But he doesn’t give a hard no! Perhaps the Doctor is willing to change, at least for Donna, his best friend in the whole, wide universe.

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder:

The reflection friendship shows includes our deepest fears, anxieties, and insecurities. Beside a friend with whom we feel safe we find a place to open, be with, share, and – sometimes, eventually – heal the wounds and traumas which fuel those fears. When a seemingly out of control TARDIS drops the Doctor and Donna on an abandoned spaceship at the very literal edge of creation before dematerializing on its own, they are forced to see this reflection of themselves through a glass, darkly, in a horror-tinged version of friendship’s mirror.

The Doctor – “I’m sorry, Donna. The TARDIS was out of control. It’s taken us to the edge of the universe.”

Donna – “So what’s out there?”

The Doctor – “Well, that’s difficult – for you – because if the universe is everything than the concept of an everything having an edge is kind if impossible. But that’s the language of 21st century Earth and you don’t know anything yet. I’m not being rude, you just don’t. When you discover Cambodian flat mathematics, you’ll discover it’s possible.”

Donna – “What?”

The Doctor – “That. Nothing. The edge of creation. Absolute nothingness.”

What’s funny is I think about this all the time! Theresa tells her students the Big Bang left the universe hurtling outward as it literally expands into nothing. She explains we can’t conceive of nothing because we’re things so we’ve evolved the ability to understand other things. We can conceive of darkness or emptiness or vastness or space but we literally can’t wrap our heads around nothing. We’re not wired that way. The first time I heard her say that I fell in love with it! I even use her example as the frame for talking to my students about how we can never fully conceive of God as infinite transcendence.

All this is to say, I think about the literal edge of creation and absolute nothingness A LOT. And I love it as the setting for an existentialist horror look into who and what we are. Both the Doctor and Donna have their own sense of self shaken, just as its taking a more solid shape, and they need to find strength and security in the other.

This is so human and I love it. Just yesterday, Lauren took a half day and we got lunch, hung out, and ran errands all afternoon. My last two weeks have been hard (work is still taking more from me every day and my emotional exhaustion is overwhelming) so Lauren wanted to be sure we had some time together. I was eager to see her – I always am – but a part of me felt bad because she was taking off work because I’m a mess. I was talking about this part with Kalie when she smiled and reminded me, “That’s what people who love you do. It’s what friends are for.” My day with Lauren was so beautiful and so restorative. It filled me back up! Pushed to the brink of existential despair, hunted and haunted throughout this ship, the Doctor and Donna can only do the same, regrounding themselves in each other – something the Not-Things intentionally try to destabilize.

The Not-Things take their shape so the Doctor and Donna never know if they are talking to each other or the Not-Things. Sometimes they are near perfect copies, others a ghastly perversion. When the Doctor asks them, “Where did you come from? You’re not part of the ship, are you? Did you come from outside?” The Not-Thing Donna says, “We came from the Nothing.” The Not-Thing Doctor says, “We are not things.” Then with malicious intrigue the Not-Thing Donna adds, “But you, you are not nothing.”

I love the different levels of fear here! First you have these dark, twisted, and at times monstrously disproportioned copies of the Doctor and Donna chasing them. Then the Doctor and Donna have the fear and anxiety of never being sure who they are talking to – their best friend or the Not-Thing. Then you have (what I would argue is) the more disquieting and disturbing fear of your best friend not being able to recognize you. Thinking of yesterday, one of the things that makes Lauren such an important friend is she’s safe – I can share anything with her and I know it will be received, honored, and cared for. There is nothing I can’t tell her. I get all sorts of anxious, as it affects that safety, if I imagine talking to Lauren but not knowing if it is Lauren. And that deep, pervasive anxiety turns into an almost painful fear to imagine Lauren not recognizing me as it seems to imply (even though it’s all a result of the Not-Things machinations) the friendship, the closeness and security we share, isn’t what we thought it was.

Dancing between that anxiety and fear, the Not-Things attack. The Not-Thing Donna rips open the trauma of the Doctor learning they are the Timeless Child and the destruction caused by the Flux.

Not-Thing Donna – “So where are you from?”

The Doctor – “No, we’ve done that. We talked about that, back there out loud. All four of us know it’s Gallifrey.”

Not-Thing Donna – “Except…it’s not.”

The Doctor – [pause] “What d’you mean?”

Not-Thing Donna – “You don’t know where you’re from.”

The Doctor – “How d’you know that? How does anyone know? How does Donna know?”

Not-Thing Donna – “Back on Earth, when I was the Doctor Donna, I saw your mind. I’ve had fifteen years without you and I saw everything that’s happened to you since and oh my God, it hurt.”

The Doctor – [tears in his eyes] “You’re saying this to break me down.”

Not-Thing Donna – “We haven’t stopped. To talk. We haven’t had a chance. It’s always like that with you, running from one thing to the next but I saw it. In your head. The Flux.”

The Doctor – [voice shaking] “It destroyed half the universe because of me. We stand here now, on the edge of creation, a creation which I devastated, so yes I keep running – of course I do! How am I supposed to look back on that??”

Not-Thing Donna – “It wasn’t your fault!”

The Doctor – “I KNOW!”

Not-Thing Donna – “I’m sorry.”

The Doctor – [plaintive] “Donna, is that you?”

Not-Thing Donna – “Yeah.”

The Doctor – “All those years, I missed you.”

On the one hand, the Doctor’s guarded. He knows the Not-Thing Donna would work to break him. On the other, he desperately hopes it is Donna so she knows but he doesn’t have to say it and he can be vulnerable with her without the struggle to get past those protector parts which hold his trauma close. With tears in his eyes and his voice breaking, he goes to hug her and the Not-Thing Donna dissolves into a puddle and laughs at him.

The Not-Thing Donna twists a knife in the trauma of his loneliness, insecurity around his identity, and guilt of all those he couldn’t save. While the Not-Thing Doctor strikes at Donna’s sense of self-worth.

Trying to prove she’s really her, Donna says, “I was born in South Hampton ‘cause my mum and dad where there for the weekend visiting my Auntie Iris. My mum was nine months pregnant but would Iris come to her? No she would not. So I arrived in South Hampton which allowed my mother to say I was a problem from the day I was born. And I’ve now come to the edge of the universe to discover I’m still dealing with that. So you can copy my memory but there’s only one person who can understand my family like that and that is me. I’m definitely Donna.” When Donna notices the tie the Not-Thing Doctor took off to prove he was the Doctor had disappeared he says, “Oh, I see. When something is gone it keeps existing. [bending over backwards to crab walk in the creepiest way possible.] Auntie Iris! Mummy and Daddy! Ya-da-da-da-da-da-dah! Why does he travel with someone as stupid as you?” And he chases her out of the room.

Beautifully, it’s the existence of our polarized parts that allow the Doctor to cut through the Not-Things’ deception. As someone who spends a lot of time aware of and being with my own polarized parts, this warmed my heart :).

The Doctor –“You think you’re stupid?’

Not-Thing Donna – “Of course I do.”

The Doctor – “That’s very Donna.”

Not-Thing Doctor – “That’s so Donna. That’s my Donna.”

The Doctor – “Except Donna does not think she’s stupid.”

Donna and Not-Thing Donna – “Oh I do.”

The Doctor – “No, Donna thinks she’s stupid and, sometimes, she thinks she’s brilliant. She thinks both. Because that’s the astonishing thing about people from our planet – they can believe two completely different things at exactly the same time.”

For a moment, the Not-Things freeze and the Doctor and Donna run into each other’s arms. Once they are sure who’s who, the Not-Things begin to strike at humanity’s nature to shake their faith in what they are as they attacked their sense of who they are.

Not-Thing Doctor – “We drifted here, in the lack of light, passing no time. But we would feel it – from so far away – your noisy, boiling universe. We wanted to travel there, to play your vicious games, and win.”

The Doctor – “If you existed here, no shape, no form, no purpose, then what’s made you so…bad?”

Not-Thing Doctor – “The things we felt, they shaped us. Carrying across the dark. We could hear your lives of war. Blood and fury and hate. They made us like this.”

Donna – “We’re more than that.”

Not-Thing Donna – “Love letters don’t travel very far.”

Oh, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this scene. Is it real? Or rather, are the Not-Things telling the truth? Donna overtly rejects it and it undercuts everything the Doctor is always saying about humanity. Soooo, did the violence and hate of our universe shape them as they moved from the nothing into existence? Or are they trying to get in Donna and the Doctor’s heads to break them down? Or is it both?

Ultimately Donna and the Doctor realize the Not-Things need them to be afraid so their bodies and brains move faster which is essential for the Not-Things to copy them. I think that’s an interesting commentary too, on how our fears shape us and reveal our identity. Donna is shaped by a lifetime of insecurity her mother helped cultivate just as the Doctor is shaped by not knowing who he is and his guilt over what he couldn’t stop.

Despite all the head games of existential horror, Donna and the Doctor stop the Not-Things, leaving them to die in the fiery furnace of the exploding ship. Back on the TARDIS the Doctor tentatively, nervously, and trying to project an aura of casual indifference, asks if Donna could remember what the Not-Thing Donna knew. She doesn’t. Donna says it’s too much, like looking into a furnace. So the Doctor pulls inward again, desperate to talk about it all but unable yet to voice his trauma out loud. Lovingly, Donna presses the issue, “C’mon. Where have you been since I last saw you? What’s happened?” The Doctor brushes it off, “Eh, you know, the usual. Robots, chases, waterfalls.” But Donna keeps the invitation open, “Oh, okay. But what really happened?” The Doctor takes a long pause before simply saying, “A lot.” Donna asks if he’s okay before another long pause when the Doctor assures her, “I will be.” Donna asks when and the Doctor tells her, “A million years.”

With “The Star Beast” the Doctor and Donna joyously reconnect, finding there fuller sense of self in their reflection with the other. In “Wild Blue Yonder,’ they seek the safety friendship provides as they are forced to face their deep insecurities under the terrifying spotlight of the Not-Things. Though, given the horror vibes of the special, I’d say it’s key scene is the moment the Doctor incorrectly chooses the Not-Thing Donna to take onboard the TARDIS. As it dematerializes Donna screams, desperate for the Doctor to come back. With tears falling down her face she stares at her own death, knowing she’ll never see her family again, and feels the gut-wrenching, soul-shaking pain of not being recognized – of not being seen – by someone she loves so much and is so loved by in return. When the Doctor realizes his mistake and returns for her, they embrace in the safety of the TARDIS. The traumatized looks on their faces show what they endured. In that moment they desperately need to be held by someone with whom they feel safe, someone who understands, someone who sees and loves them as they are.

Doctor Who: The Giggle:

The reflection of ourselves we see in the mirror of friendship is a fuller reflection of who we are than we are able (or willing) to see on our own. Our friends often see when we’re hurting and when we need help before we are willing to own and admit it. They often see who we really are when we hold ourselves in guilt and shame we needn’t carry. The beauty of this is our friends can help us see all that, too. And this is exactly what Donna does for the Doctor when the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) escapes his exile outside of existence and returns to this realm looking to destroy humanity with the most malevolent of games.

With violence erupting all over the globe as every human being on the planet suddenly believes they are right and won’t be told otherwise, UNIT comes to collect the Doctor and Donna. At UNIT HQ in central London, they are greeted by Shirley Ann Bingham, Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), and Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford), who travelled with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors. They realize a giggle imbedded in every screen since the very first television broadcast is what’s unleashing all of humanity’s darkest impulses.

The Doctor and Donna head back to 1925, the date of the first recording of the puppet Stooky Bill, to try and find answers. Leaving the TARDIS in 1920s New York, Donna tries yet again to get the Doctor to open up.

Donna – “So, what about Mel?!”

The Doctor – “Haha, she’s brilliant, isn’t she?”

Donna – “Yeah but I just keep thinking, all this time, you’ve never mentioned her.”

The Doctor – “Donna, I’m a billion years old. If I stopped and talked about everyone I’ve ever met we’d still be in the TARDIS yapping.”

Donna – “So you talk about no one ever. You just keep charging on.”

The Doctor – “Yes because I’m busy, like now.”

Donna – “Of course you’re busy every second of every day. I mean look at us now, we haven’t stopped. I saw you Doctor. I got a glimpse inside your mind. And it’s like you’re staggering. You are staggering along. Maybe that’s why your old face came back. You’re wearing yourself down.”

The Doctor pauses, decides to ignore her point, and redirects the conversation to finding the shop which sold the Stooky Bill John Logie Baird used in his first television transmission.

Much like Lauren did for me yesterday, Donna can see the Doctor’s hurting. She sees he’s exhausted, burn out, and run down. Though, unlike my response to Lauren, the Doctor is unwilling to acknowledge what Donna sees. The reflection is too clear, too accurate for the Doctor’s comfort. So instead he chooses to look away from the mirror Donna provides and instead focus on their mission.

Following the Toymaker into his realm, the Doctor’s desperation becomes more and more apparent as he and Donna race down endless identical hallways lined with endless identical doors. The Doctor’s façade begins to break a bit. The fear and the vulnerability begin to show. While he’d rather not own this (as evident by their conversation on the street outside the Toymaker’s shop), the Doctor can hold it back no longer. Donna is safe so he’s honest.

Donna – “Yeah but, you always say…”

The Doctor – “Oh, what do I say? What do I say?? What do I say?? ‘Cause I’m always so certain. I’m all sonic and TARDIS and Time Lord, take that away. [with tears in his eyes and doubt on his face] Take away the toys…what am I? What am I now? [with fearful resignation] I don’t know…if I can save your life this time.”

Donna – “It’s not about me.”

The Doctor – “Oh yes it is.”

Donna – “Well, maybe I’ll save you. You big idiot.”

With all these vulnerabilities, insecurities, and fear shining back at the Doctor, Donna gives him a place to be safe. She reassures him that protecting her isn’t what it’s about and she may just save him this time. Often our closest friends, the ones we love the most and are loved the most by in return, aren’t “just” the ones who can see when we’re hurting and need to be saved but they are the ones who we’ll let save us. This is the relationship Donna and the Doctor share.

They find the Toymaker and the Doctor challenges him to a game, a game he loses. This leaves the score at 1-1 as the First Doctor beat the Toymaker when they met and the Fourteenth Doctor just lost to the Toymaker. Back in 2023, they prepare for their final round at UNIT HQ. The Doctor – and this is such a Doctor thing to do – asks the Toymaker why he’s “so small.” Then he invites the Toymaker to leave this planet and these games behind to travel the cosmos with him so they can be “celestial” together, playing infinite games across the universe for all eternity.

The Toymaker considers…before blasting the Doctor through the chest and saying, “I played the first game with one Doctor. I played the second game with this Doctor. Therefore your own rules have decreed I play the third game with the next Doctor!” Donna comes forward telling the Toymaker, “He’s not dying alone. You can do what you like with me, I’m gonna be with him.” Mel agrees, “And so am I.”

Donna – [taking his hand] “It’s okay.”

The Doctor – “It’s not dying.”

Donna – “I know, but…”

Mel – “You’re gonna be someone else. It doesn’t matter who. ‘Cause every single one of you is fantastic.”

The Doctor – “It’s time. Here we go again. [several deep breaths] Allons-y…”

This is such a different attitude than the last time this face regenerated! It shows all the growth the Doctor went through in his Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth incarnations. And it shows the place he was able to get to with Donna by his side, creating a safe place for his fears and guilt, pressing him in loving ways to open up, and always reminding him of who he really is. Instead of seeing it as dying, now he assures them he isn’t dying. He is serene instead of angry. He says allons-y (“lets go”) instead of I don’t want to go.

As regenerations go, it was a beautiful one. Or it would have been. Instead the Doctor bigenerated.

With regeneration energy flickering around him, Donna and Mel, under the Doctor’s instructions, each grab an arm and pull…and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctor split in two! My head is already spinning with thoughts here but I don’t want to lose the thread. That’s the story for another post.

Like Theresa’s sign said, we become like the people we spend the most time with so we much choose carefully. Reunited with Donna, who has consistently urged the Doctor to open up and talk with her – always insistent but always lovingly – we see the new Doctor bearing Donna’s imprint. This Doctor, the Fifteenth Doctor, seems to have finally healed from all the trauma of the Time War. He has finally learned a lesson the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors hadn’t learned even after the Eleventh Doctor changed their actions in the Time War and saved Gallifrey. As the Fourteenth Doctor glumly looks out over London, the Fifteenth Doctor and Donna come up on either side of him.

Fifteenth Doctor – [putting his arm around the Fourteenth Doctor] “Hey, we did it.”

Fourteenth Doctor – “But how many died down there?”

Donna – “It’s not your fault.”

Fifteenth Doctor – “You can’t save everyone.”

Fourteenth Doctor – “Why not?”

Fifteenth Doctor – “Come here. [pulling the Fourteenth Doctor into his arms] I’ve got you, yeah? It’s okay. I’m here.”

The Fifteenth Doctor kisses the Fourteenth Doctor’s forehead and looks him in the eye. Then he puts his arm around him again, as does Donna. They all walk away, arms around each other. With Donna’s influence (and carrying the echoes of everyone they’ve loved and everything they’ve learned over the last 1,100 years since they wore that face) the Doctor can finally hold their wounded part (or, as the case may be here, regenerated self) carrying all that trauma and tell them I’ve got you, yeah? It’s okay. I’m here. They can now comfort and hold themselves alongside Donna as they heal in the way they’ve needed Donna to do for them.

The key scene here comes back in the TARDIS, as the Fourteenth Doctor assures Donna and his new self he’ll be alright. The Fifteenth Doctor corrects him, “No, you’re thin as a pin, love. You’re running on fumes.” Donna agrees, “That’s what I keep saying.” The Fourteenth Doctor protests, pointing to the Fifteenth Doctor, “But you’re fine.”

Fifteenth Doctor – “I’m fine because you fix yourself. We’re Time Lords. We’re doing rehab out of order.”

Donna – “He’s saying you need to stop.”

Fourteenth Doctor – “But I don’t know how.”

Donna – “Well, I can tell you. Do you know what I did, when you went flying off in your blue box, space man? I stayed in one place. And I lived. Day after day after day.”

Fourteenth Doctor – [rolling his eyes] “That would drive me mad.”

Donna – “Haha, yeah, it does. But you keep on going. And that’s the adventure. The one adventure you’ve never had. ‘Cause I’ve worked out what happened. You changed your face and then you found me. Do you know why?”

Fourteenth Doctor – [quietly] “No.”

Donna – “To come home.”

Reflecting something the Doctor is not quite able to see himself yet, Donna finally pieces together the reason the Doctor’s old face came back. This face – the one whose final, heartbreaking words were, “I don’t want to go” – is the one the Doctor returns to when they are finally – finally! – ready to let go of the trauma of their past. And they return to their best friend in the whole wide universe and restore her memories. She then takes those memories and she, along with her daughter, sorts how to solve the Meta-Crisis problem on their own. And now, after Meeps and Wrath Warriors and Not-Things and Toymakers and a historic bigeneration, the Doctor is finally ready to come home.

Russell T Davies, the man who created the Time War and brought Doctor Who back in 2005 with a Doctor suffering PTSD and wrapped in survivor’s guilt – a Doctor who has been on a long, slow journey of healing over their last six incarnations – is finally ready to hold and heal their wounds so they can let go of their trauma. One incarnation goes home, surrounded by their family, to do just that. The other incarnation, the future one that’s already benefited from that work, is off to adventure in the sort of carefree and devil-may-care way the Doctor hasn’t felt since the Eighth Doctor entered the Time War! And the Doctor never could’ve gotten here without Donna, just as she never could’ve found her way back to her full self, memories and all, without the Doctor. What a beautiful note to end Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary on! It’s a beautiful reminder of the power and importance of our friendships, too.'

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ladyluscinia · 1 year

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Idk if it's just a coincidence, but all of the sudden I keep seeing those "Izzy stans are so obsessed with this random white guy that they ignore or flatten every other character (especially poc)" takes all over and it's annoying me so much. So:

First, I'm going to link bromelads most recent attempt to get some actually constructive dialogue going about fandom racism because it has a whole section on this point. Technically two sections if you count the linked drive file as separate.

And then I'm going to ask all my fellow Izzy Hands lovers to add on to this post their favorite deep thoughts / burning questions / fun headcanons / etc. about your favorite non-Izzy characters. I know you all have a bunch of them. Bonus points for other side characters instead of Edward or Stede.

I'll start.

---

So I'm fascinated by the glimpses we get of pirate culture / the Queen Anne / the general environment that Edward is coming from and still half enmeshed in because I personally find the narrative push and pull there a lot more interesting than the whole running from one world to another that Stede (and to a lesser extent his crew) has going on. Which naturally leads to me finding Fang and Ivan so fucking interesting.

(Mandatory moment of sadness that Ivan won't be in season 2, because I was really hoping to see where his story was going 😭)

Not sure if I can really hypothesize many "hidden" depths to Fang because the show openly hit a pretty wide range. He cries over his dog and nude models for Lucius, but also skins a man with a snail fork and seems shockingly chill about Edward making an abrupt 180 to "maroon all your new friends to die". He's an obedient henchman in 1x02 and 1x04, but he also takes basically no prompting to go for the jugular on humiliating gossip the moment Edward seems disinclined to enforce Izzy's authority. The man contains multitudes already, minimal sleuthing required.

I am really looking forward to how S2 addresses his loyalty to Edward over the crew. Like at the end of 1x10 Fang and Ivan don't even really look that conflicted??? They were buddy buddy with these guys yesterday - moreso Fang than Ivan - but also seemed fully aware that Blackbeard could decide he was done playing around at any moment and then he did. Whoo boy. I mean, one genre of fic I'm usually not interested in is "Lucius in the walls" fic (I know he's alive, I just don't really care for that approach), but I will make an exception if it really explores Fang specifically hiding him because that's a big thing given he is openly afraid of defying Edward.

Like... Fang is a pretty friendly dude, and I can't imagine someone to fool around with was that impossible to find on Blackbeard's leatherman express. So it's really cool that despite very much not being, like, his true love or whatever, Lucius is apparently offering Fang something novel on the acceptance and connection front but maybe not something that wildly diverges from what he's had before. And I do think it's interesting to rotate how that tension could be playing out in his mind. He's got to be used to the whole flow of making and losing connections - that's just pirate life, nbd - except this time it's supposed to just be whatever, only... it's not? He actually misses Lucius and those other fun guys??? Maybe even enough to stand up to Edward over it?!

And Ivan! Man, Ivan has all kinds of potential stuff going on that I feel like people could talk about. I would probably talk about it more, only with the news he won't be in S2 it always makes me wonder how they are going to get rid of him and what that's going to imply about him (which might be contradictory to what they were intending). Which makes me sad.

Probably the biggest thing is like... I don't think Ivan actually likes Stede or the Revenge crew much? I mean on a personal level. Like, his only real friendship bond appears to be Fang, he's not noticeably trying to make new ones, and he's kinda fed up with Stede's people a few times? I'm thinking of rooting to kill them after 1x02, and scoffing at them during the raid in 1x05. And to me this is a really cool trait. I love it when "good" side characters have independent personalities enough to find the protagonist mildly annoying or something, instead of every single one of them perfectly correlating "good person" and "protagonist's friend". It prevents protagonist POV from becoming tunnel vision and accidentally making them seem like the center of the universe. (This is part of why the spn fandom loves Kevin.)

Not liking Stede isn't a character flaw, you know? And if you analyze Ivan's POV with just kinda not being impressed with these guys as an option, that leads to some really interesting places. Because in 1x06 he's actively encouraging Edward to just kill Stede like he said he would, not just following Izzy's lead, and then in 1x07 and 1x08 Ivan and Fang disappear. They don't show up again until Izzy does, but they also aren't seen leaving with Izzy or showing up in scenes like Jackie's bar like you would expect if they were just his loyal henchmen or whatever. So what are they doing in that gap???

I've said before that the adventures of Fang and Ivan is a completely wild story squeezed into the background and gaps of this show with two fascinatingly insane guys at the center of it, and I still think that's true. Fang goes right into becoming besties with the crew while still definitely thinking Edward is going to have him murder all of them in a few weeks. Ivan watches Izzy get banished, sleeps on it, and then fucking bounces with his buddy to go meet up with him... And then they praise Edward's punch and mutiny Izzy later! It's fun to think about!

...but I suppose my interest in Fang and Ivan does connect back up with my Izzyposting fairly often (since I like analyzing how characters interact and relate, and these two interact with Izzy), so how about another character?

Oluwande.

Now obviously the well trodden path here is TealOranges thoughts and feels. Plenty of drama, development, struggles, etc. But actually what I most want to know about Oluwande is how he and Spanish Jackie know each other???

Like what was up with that??? 👀👀👀

Their interaction gives off sorta inner circle vibes to me. Jackie clearly suspects / knows he betrayed her, but she calls him over to chat like old friends and Oluwande is expected to play along to act normal. So like... Was that normal? Did he regularly sit at Jackie's table and chat about life with her? Jackie does not have the time of day for her own husbands' problems most of the time - she seems to reprimand Geraldo for expecting more attention than the others - but immediately asking after Oluwande's life doesn't ping "oh she's definitely onto us" for him???

I don't think he's a husband (feels like it would have been addressed) and them being related seems unlikely. He's got a good head on his shoulders but he's clearly not some notorious pirate or outlaw of great skill. Like Oluwande is just some guy! But also some guy that Jackie was personally invested in!

And then bringing Jim into this... So Oluwande is just some guy in Jackie's inner circle, finds out the new barmaid is out to kill Jackie's favorite husband, and just helps them out??? My dude??? He doesn't even get whirlwind romance privileges. He did all that for a mysterious yet compelling stranger and no shit is this man crazy enough for the Revenge.

My headcanon re: the murder is that Alfeo was universally loathed and literally only Jackie and his gang liked him. So when people (and let's be honest Jim is not the most subtle of assassins so probably more than just Oluwande) realized someone was legit after him, they pretty much shrugged and sent them good thoughts. Also I think Oluwande and Jim had a solid plan to get away with killing Alfeo that went completely sideways, which is how they ended up hiding on a pirate ship pretending they knew how to sail. Oluwande didn't actually intend to completely ruin his status with Jackie and he does lowkey regret it in some ways, so he's gonna be thrilled when Jim tells him all about how they are cool with Jackie now and he can go back to the bar to hang next time they are in Nassau.

Anyway that's another big thing I want from S2 Jackie is Oluwande backstory, because that would be such a treat.

#our flag means death #people add your stuff!#(also i find it bitterly amusing that people use the passion with which izzy takes are defended as proof of bias)#(like i will argue izzy can read way harder than anyone argues the frenchie is just faking being illiterate headcanon)#(but that's because frenchie takes get 'lol awesome' and izzy takes get 'how dare you imply he's better than everyone else like this?!?')#(and i fight for my life every day to give edward the same or greater depth i give izzy 😔)#anyway my compelling side characters are #fang ofmd #ivan ofmd #spanish jackie ofmd #ladyluscinia #oluwande boodhari ofmd

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mandaloresson · 3 months

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Asks for Cats:

1) Who is stronger, Mistoffolees or Macavity and what kinds of magic do they specialize in?

2) Who do you ship, if any, and why? Any friendships you like best?

3) How old is the oldest cat and how young is the youngest cat? Who are they?

4) Any headcanons on where the Jellicles are based? Are there any humans dropping by the junkyard to deposit stuff?

5) Which cats are strays and which aren't?

6) Favorite female cat? Favorite male cat? Favorite background character?

7) Do any of the cats have a favorite food? How do they go about getting it? Do any have a least favorite smell?

8) What time of year does the Jellicle Ball occur? Does it coincide with any notable date or is it just a night like many others?

9) What happens if the weather doesn't permit a Jellicle Ball? Are there consequences?

hiii thank you so much for sending me this lovely ask!! I'm really excited to answer all questions, it'll be a lot of fun!

I'm just gonna put it behind keep reading because this turned out much longer than I anticipated :')

1) Who is stronger, Mistoffelees or Macavity and what kinds of magic do they specialize in?

so for who's stronger, the answer is a bit complicated: if we're talking sheer power I'd say Macavity. I think that he fuels his powers with rage and that he's pretty erratic, so in terms of power alone, he's stronger than the inexperienced Misto.

in terms of skill, I think they're kind of on the same level, because Misto's been described as inexperienced and just learning to control his powers, meanwhile I don't think Mac had anyone to learn from and had to figure out a lot by himself.

HOWEVER, Misto has one thing Mac doesn't and this is going to sound like a stupid H*rry P*tter quote but bear with me: Misto has the jellicle cats. He has the confidence, morale and numbers of someone backed by a whole community.

so, do I think that Mac would defeat Misto in a one on one power-off in a situation when it was just the two of them? sure, but I also think that Misto would NEVER end up in a situation where he'd have to face Mac alone.

what kind of magic do they specialize in? I base this mostly on what's seen in the show but I think Misto has telekinetic powers, is capable of manipulating light and lightning, and I think he's at least partially clairvoyant. as for Mac, I've seen people hc him as a hypnotist and someone who can create illusions, which is all fun but I personally prefer this idea that he can manipulate people without the use of magic. when it comes to the magic I like the idea of him being a shapeshifter, I know that in the show the Old Deut thing was just a disguise, but I think it'd be fun if he could shapeshift. I think he can also manipulate light and lightning, but that's just my vibes.

2) Who do you ship, if any, and why? Any friendships you like best?

here are my main ships in no particular order:

Tugger x Mistoffelees

Demeter x Bombalurina

Munkustrap x Macavity

Macavity x Mistoffelees

Macavity x Tugger

Victoria x Rumpleteazer

and more

I don't have a friendship preference I think? pretty much anyone I don't ship, I like them as friends. though I do particularly like the friendship between Victoria and Jemima.

3) How old is the oldest cat and how young is the youngest cat? Who are they?

hmm honestly I wouldn't like to speculate on the exact ages of the characters? I don't have a specific reason for it. but I will say that I think Gus is the oldest and that Jemima is the youngest.

4) Any headcanons on where the Jellicles are based? Are there any humans dropping by the junkyard to deposit stuff?

I don't have a specific place in mind! I think the beauty of Cats is that it could take place anywhere and even when I write fanfics, I like to keep it very vague as to where the characters are located.

I'm sure they encounter humans, but I think the jellicles would avoid them, especially the strays. I'm kinda conflicted on this because maybe the non-strays wouldn't want to avoid humans, like if they're used to them already? but at the same time I feel like it's a collective thing that at least while they're at the junkyard, it's a no human space.

5) Which cats are strays and which aren't?

oh I love this, so I'm not gonna list every single character, just the ones I have an opinion on:

obviously I think that Bustopher Jones isn't a stray, this one's easy.

I think Demeter and Bombalurina are strays, but there's space for Bomba not to be.

I think Grizabella may have been kicked out or otherwise lost her home.

Jemima has stray vibes, but Victoria has non-stray vibes. she actually seems pretty shielded idk.

Jennyanydots isn't a stray.

Jerrie and Teazer are strays in my eyes, despite their song referencing a family.

I think Old Deut was a stray but was taken in later in life.

Macavity is either fully a stray or as a kitten was in a home that didn't take care of him, so he either ran away or was kicked out (I really like giving my faves tragic backstories totally understandable if people disagree with this interpretation, it's literally just my vibes).

Skimble is my favorite for this question because I think he's a stray only to an extent. Skimble is a stray in the sense that he doesn't have permanent residence, but isn't in the sense that he's being taken care of by a community. he sleeps at the station and gets food more or less regularly, but like he doesn't have a home per se and he's free to go wherever he wants.

I think Munk works well as both a stray and not: if he's a stray it makes sense because he has street smarts and is very protective due to his rough life, or if not, he's nurturing due to the care he knew at his home.

I think Tugger isn't a stray and is actually beloved in his home.

again despite Mr. Mistoffelees the song referencing a house, I see Misto as a stray. at best he's a neighborhood cat, but not really like Skimble, in Misto's case he'd get food more inconsistently for example.

6) Favorite female cat? Favorite male cat? Favorite background character?

ohhhh that's tough man ummmmmmm my favorite female cat has is either Jemima or Demeter, and my favorite male cat is either Tugger, Misto or Mac. Alonzo is my favorite background character.

7) Do any of the cats have a favorite food? How do they go about getting it? Do any have a least favorite smell?

I'm not really sure about what anyone's favorite food could be and sorry to change the topic, but I have been thinking about how picky certain characters may be:

naturally it would depend on whether someone is a stray or not, but with some exceptions. I think that Tugger and Bustopher Jones are the most picky from the non-strays, but from the strays I thin Skimble would be pretty picky too cus he would be used to getting good food from the community that takes care of him. I think Misto is also a bit picky as a stray, he just knows that he doesn't have much choice so he gets over it.

I'm not really sure about their least favorite smells either...

8) What time of year does the Jellicle Ball occur? Does it coincide with any notable date or is it just a night like many others?

my personal headcanon is that the Jellicle Ball is a Midsummer celebration that takes place between the 20th and 25th June every year.

9) What happens if the weather doesn't permit a Jellicle Ball? Are there consequences?

I think the setting of the junkyard allows for the weather not to be a problem, they can always fashion some kind of cover from the rain (because in my hc it's in summer so they would pretty much only have the rain to worry about, but I guess that also depends on where they are geographically).

#cats 1998 #cats (1998)#cats headcanons #cats musical #cats the musical #I can't tag everything mentioned in these responses #headcanons #jax answers

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the-sinful-voice-witch · 2 years

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Well well well is time to talk about one of my favorite underrated friendships, i already mentioned that Rouge and Sonic should be menaces together and join forces to mess with Knuckles 😂😂😂👌 but there's another character who in my opinion is the best suited to be Rouge actual best friend and that is...

AMY ROSE 🌹💓

And I call this friendship the ROUGEROSE! or ROSEROUGE, whatever you like more

Even though we didn't see much of these 2 in videogames interacting in my opinion there's a lot of potential in their relationship, honestly they might look like polar opposites and still have a lot in common and compatible personalities... (As long as they don't portray them as their worst personalities showed in some games and comics that are totally wrong and don't represent their true selves 😤😤😤, you know: the whiny loud pushy stalker and cruel mean selfish bitch excuse you writers?, Scroll down to see my other analysis and you'll see examples of that 🤮)

As i see them they're are both hot tempered, strong but femenine, they have obvious crushes, they like fashion, they have fun banter and also they are two of the first female characters introduced in the sonic universe first being Amy and followed by Rouge.

I know that maybe this is an unpopular opinion since usually Amy is seen more often with Cream and Blaze and they look totally as besties but... You see... Rouge is often only seen with Shadow and Omega... For missions 😔 and I wondered since Rouge is the only friendly one of the team Dark that actually is seem attending parties and stuff with who she would spend free fun time as girl time quality and the only one who crosses my mind is Amy also talking about Amy i know Cream might look like her best friend (sonic and tails style) but given she is even younger than Tails, she actually has a mom and lives with that mom and probably that mom wouldn't want her little girl to be in unnecessary danger and also spend more time with her... And then Blaze is a kick ass girl but she is a princess from other dimension with a lot of responsibilities... I don't know, to me it makes more sense that Rouge and Amy would spend more girl time together than with the other 2 🤷

Things i saw in the last games that increase this mindset: in Sonic forces the only female characters we see are Rouge and Amy and in that last racing game i heard voice clips of Amy calling rouge Girlfriend and saying : "where's the Rouge i know and I love" OMG Rouge! How many people told you that they love you! Amy is first 🥺🤭

Another thing they are the principal girls that are shipped with Shadow, this not a coincidence 😂😂 there's a reason Shadow is rival of both knuckles and Sonic I'm just saying 🙂

Also they kind of remind me of some Anime girl friendships, the one i recall right now is Lucy and Cana from fairy tail don't you think?

And I want to praise the evolution they had in the comics, in other posts i showed examples of they antagonizing each other but finally they saw their wrong ways and compensate us with this kind of interaction at their best if their personalities

Rouge all physical friendly with Amy hooking arms and fighting alongside her and Rouge appreciating her and telling shadow she had to rely in other hedgehog this time 👌👌👌

The two queens calming down their brothers and preventing them to fight their respective boyfriend 😏😏😏😏😏😏 👌👌👌👌 interpret that as you wish fellas 🤭🤭🤭

And this!!👆👆👆 THEY WORK GREAT TOGETHER, fighting together i love it as much as I love when Rouge teams up with Knuckles!😭👌

But like... Seriously they deserve to have quality girlfriend time together, i love them both so much 🥰🥰🥰, if they both appear in the third movie I'm sure they will want to hang out as the only furry alien residents in earth 😁😁

And a curious information i found... Turns out that at the beginning of Sonic Heroes development Rouge was going to be originally part of the team Rose 😱😱😱 but well, it turned out just fine anyway.

Come on SEGA show us how much you love us and give us more girlfriend time RougeRose!

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic idw #sonic the hedghog movie #amy rose #rouge the bat #sonic prime #sonamy #knouge #shadow the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #sonic frontiers #knuxouge #team rose #team dark

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originalwinnercheesecake · 21 days

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Pokemon Teams for adult Owl House Characters.

So last year one of the big things I liked to do on Tumblr was take characters from Fantasy cartoons, think about, and design pokemon teams for them. With how big The Owl House cast is I was able to spend so much time coming up with teams for and got multiple lists. While scrolling through my posts I found that I had never actually posted my adult characters poke list. Luckily I still have the pokemon I picked, also I have started making collages of pokemon teams and adding them to the lists for visuals. Time to make and post my late list.

Rules for my lists

1.) Six pokemon is my max for a character... actually though for this list since many of the adult characters kinda got their screen time/story lines shafted I did 6 for the most important three, and gave remaining adults 2-5 depending on how much we saw of them and their personalities. If viewers can think of other pokemon that suit the smaller teams feel free to put them in the comments.

2.) I do not give any trainers legendary pokemon. They are in my opinion to powerful to own. Mythical pokemon very rarely appear on my lists (None will appear on this one). I also purposely try to avoid giving trainers fully evolved teams, as a personal preference. Even for adult characters I like to imagine their Pokemon potentially growing and evolving with them.

3.) For character with really close relationships (rivalry, friendship, family, romance) I sometimes like to give them similar pokemon, branch evolution, a special type, or parallel pokemon to show that relationship. So that is taken into account in these lists

4.) This list is compiled from what I know based on the anime and pokedex research I did myself. I might not match the games or manga

5.) These are of course my own opinions. If you have differentiating ideas than mine, or think a character is more suited to different typing's feel free to tell me. I actually love reading those comments

Now that that is out of the way teams below.

Eda(lyn) Clawthorne a.k.a Eda The Owl Lady

Hoothoot: Represent's Owlbert. I mentioned it on Luz's team, saying how it's technically Eda's pokemon, Hoothoot is also close with Luz, and frequently joins Luz's team in an effort to help Eda watch over her.

Noctowl: This represents Hooty. Since it is now cannon that Post final pre epilouge Hooty moves out of the Owl house and in with Lilith I will say the sisters made a trade and Lilith gave Eda her an Omastar.

Cubone: This is to represent King. Dana and the crew did base King's design off of Cubone, so How could I not give Eda a Cubone? (Fun coincidence Stanley Pines also has a Cubone on my GF list)

Gasty, Haunter, and Gangar: Okay so obviously Eda would have to have a cubone and a couple owls (Owl Lady), but the obvious aside you cannot tell me that "Ghost type" would not be her favorite type. As far as ghost types go these three are and will always be the Kings. Their designs rock, all three are super powerful, they are clever. If that's not enough they're all three mischievous pranksters. If Eda were ever to have pokemon minions, those minions would be a Gastly, Haunter, and a Ganger.

One finale thing is that I have learned Gangar is a trade evolution pokemon. At first I was going to say Eda had two Haunter's and just did quick exchange with Mortin or someone... but I changed my mind and decided that Eda already had a Haunter, but tricked a stupider Emperor's Coven Scout or bounty hunter for trading her their Haunter (evolved into Gangar) for a rock that she stuck in a pokeball and convinced then was a very rare pokemon. In her diffance they clearly weren't smart enough to in charge of anything beyond an actual rock.

Eda's team: Hoothoot, Noctowl (traded for a Omastar during Time skip), Cubone, Gastly, Haunter, Gangar.

Lilith Clawthorne

Phantump and Trevenant: I decided to give Lilith three ghost type pokemon, liek I did for Eda (Spooky Sisters). At first I was gonna give her the licklit line, since its also a trilogy but well they really are not that impressive looking, especially when compared to Eda's three. In the end I when with the Phantump line. They are pretty cool looking, Are scary at first, but it turns out they just want friends. That is similar to Lilith's arc in the show... Also they have a move unique to them called "forest Curse". (The show wanted the fans to forget come season 2, but we all remembered). Trevenant requires a trade to evolve, so I gave Steve a pokemon that did too, and am just saying that her and Steve did a quick trade and trade back.

Bannette: Here's one Lilith had to have due to her... deep-seated unresolved/partially resolved family issues/sister complex. Bannette is also the evolved forum of Shuppet, which is one of Amity's pokemon, and I do like them having similar pokemon given that the epilogue implies that they became much closer after Amity cut Odalia from her life. Plus they both do work through complex issues in similar ways: getting a new hairstyle. (Another fun coincidence Stanford Pines also has a bannett on my GF list)

Murrkrow: This one is to represent her palisman Mike Socks. I picked it over a more similar colored bird because Murrkrow steal something it is bad to do, but are doing so to placate a higher up Honchkrow. This can represent Lilith's relationship with Belos and how he was able to manipulate her to do bad things.

Omanyte and Omaster: Lilith is a historian who absolutely loves history so she would want fossil pokemon, and being a part of the Emperor's coven likely had access to the means to revive a pair. I picked these two, well because they look similar to barnicles which Lilith canonically likes to make into crowns and wear on her head. For real though while this pair are smaller and not as colorful or powerful looking as the big Dino fossil pokemon, I could easily see Lilith easily loving them. As mentioned above Eda eventually comes around to see the pair as pretty cool too, and the sisters make a trade: Omastar for Noctowl. (Lilith seems to like to trading in this universe)

Lilith's Team: Phantump, Trevenant, Banette, Murrkrow, Omanyte, Omaster (traded for Noctowl in the time skip) .

Raine Whispers

small note here that Raine will be the last one to get 6, as they are the list adult who felt fully explored to me, and I cannot exactly think of any story lines with them that feel missing.

Noviern & Crobat: Now there is a handful of music based pokemon and it would have been an easy thing to just grab six of pokemon with musical inspiration and call that the team. But This is Raine Whispers! In a show filled with bards and other types of Witches They Stand out as the Most powerful Bard and on of the Most powerful over all. They deserve a much more thought out team than just basic music pokemon. So I thought deeper.

Raine's abilities don't really center around one particular type of music or even instrument. They are shown to study and be knowledgeable with sound waves. Noviern and Crobat are both sound wave pokemon. One a fierce dragon and flying type who is very strong in battle and a perfect Ace for Raine. The second one is a flying and poison type that's sonar can be used to detect medical issues and dangers. Plus both of them are Bat pokemon, and we all know about Raine and BATT's .

Zorua: this is representative of Raine's palisman Fiddlesticks. I origianlly was going to use Fennekin given that it is a wizard themed fox. But I decided Zorua was a better representative since it is able to transfom and hide its identity to protect itself. Raine was able to keep Fiddlesticks safe for decades by disguising them as an ornament on top of their violins. So fiddlesticks is represented by Zorua

A male & female Meowstic team: This is actually meant to be a reference/representation to Raine being gender queer and using "they/them" pronouns. Originally they may have both been refereed to singularly as "he" and "her"... just as Raine may have been once refereed to as before they became old enough to inform others that they are actually "they". Likewise since Raine has a pair that fight together they would now be refereed to as "they and them" when referenced or spoken about using pronouns, just like Raine is. I could have technically used any pokemon where the genders look different. I picked Meowstic because I liked its design, power stats, and being able to add Psychic types.

Drizzile: I had to give Raine a full team of six. Its what they deserve. Drizzile felt like the perfect pokemon to round out their team. It is super smart and a stealth pokemon, can camouflage itself into its surroundings like Raine had to. It's trap laying skills could be really useful for protecting the rebel base and helping thwart the capture of wild witches. I put it at its second stage of the sobble line because it is meant to be a "Moody, emo teenager", and I figure caring for it could help make Raine a better/ more empathetic teacher, which was their original job in the bard coven.

Raine's team; noviern, Crobat, Zorua, Male & Female Meowstic, Drizzile.

At first I was slightly unhappy with this team because none of Raine's pokemon were similar to Eda's and rule 3 has been my most important rule for THL lists. But after I was done I noticed that both Eda and Raine's teams are comprised mostly of nocturnal pokemon, which works great because both of them have such active night lives.

Steve Tholomule

Steve gets five as I consider him to be one of the most important side characters

Sandslash & Umbreon: So I mentioned these two on his brother Matt''s list. That Steve has had them for a while, and Matt likes them so much he caught baby version of them to raise himself (I also said on that list that in this world Steve probably got mixed up in Team Rockett, before leaving it to join the Pokemon rangers) At that time I didn't really think to deeply as to why Steve had them. Dark and ground types seemed like they would suit him. These two iconic enough I could see them being recurring pokemon for a recurring character. All in all they are just some pretty cool pokemon for a character who turned out to be a pretty cool guy.

Gourgeist: Once again not one I thought much about. It's a parallel to Lilith's Treevant, and the pokemon Steve used in his and Lilith's Trade to evolve it then trade back exchange. This also kinda makes it a representative of their relationship: How Lilith is implied to be the one superior who gave Steve praise and treated him well. Remembering that Kindness Steve refused to turn his back on her when she left the coven, and was even willing to recommend her a "good therapist" when he learned she was having trouble breaking some of her learned responses.

Pom-pom style Oricorio: This one is because of Steve. It is a cheerleader pokemon. Steve's original depiction is as a guy who likes to loudly cheer for people he believes in. Originally Steve anf Oricorio cheared for the Emperor. Then they learned better, and now cheer for the recovery of the Emperors abuse victims (themselves and the others).

Nidorena: Steve's final pokemon, whom he caught around the time he left the Emperor's coven. It is very protective of children, and Steve's breaking point with the coven's was when they sent him to capture and forcibly apply sigil's to children. No no, that is not what Steve and Nidorena want for there lives or the lives of those they meet.

Steve's team: Sandsladh, Umbreon, Gourgeist, Pom-pom style Oricorio, Niorena.

Eberwolf the Huntsman

Eberwolf (like his bro Darius) is clearly a character the show wanted to do much more with, but he was introduced to late and the cut seasons meant they ran out of time. I have come up with 4 pokemon for him, and really wish I could have done 6 (this is the most powerful beast keeper in the isles!). so if anybody can think of two more please put them in the comments

Steelix: Eberwolf's ace. It is representative of the Eber's pet Ratworm, whom frequently aided him on missions.

Venipede: representative of the red-biting bugs he fought with on the day of unity

Pignite and a Midnight Lycanroc: a strong fire pig and scary werewolf for the character who's name is a combination of "Boar" and "wolf"

Eberwolf's team: Steelix, Venipede, Pignite, Midnight Lycanroc.

Darius Deamonne

Darius is another character with 4 pokemon

Shiny Muk: Giving Muk or Grimer to Amity and Jerbo who started off the show still learning their craft was a no brainer, as raising/training those pokemon could help them figure out how to craft abominations and how they should move. But I also figured that even adult/master abomination specialist still keep muk's for compainionship and as muses for their craft (maybe Darius's trains him too, when he is in his second form). I gave Darius a shiny Muk because it fits his vanity/ pretentious side. That to him even goop monsters should be pretty. ( Afterwards I remembered that Hunter and Luz are the two children I gave shines to on my childrens list, and Darius is also close to Hunter).

Servine: A pokemon that Eberwolf found for Darius/ pushed him to catch, telling him what a strong pokemon it is and how it shares Darius's attitude and dislike of being dirty. It finds itself stuck spending a lot of time with Eberwolf's dirt loving Pignite, and the two's realtionship mirrors that of their trainers.

Delcatty: Another one I chose for Darius based on its fancy stylized appearence (to be real I had to give him at least 1 sorta purple pokemon) and more indifferent 'Leave-me-to-my-peace-and-me-time-please" additude. Also it is popular in contests and Darius would likely be a retired big star among those

Impidimp: Among Darius's multiple high class, pretty snoots, he has Impidimp who is a hyperactive, crazy, board line feral... well Imp. How Darius came to own such a pokemon? Well that is elementary: It just kinda showed up one day and made a habit of messing with him. Darius would yell at it to go away or try to leave himself, but Impidimp decided teasing and annoying Darius was a lot of fun and filling; so it frequently went looking for him. This initially caused Darius a lot of frustration and prompted him to eventually Scream at it "Stop following me. I am not and do not want to be your friend"... After that he did not see Impy for a few days got a tad bit worried about it. Then he heard that sever weather was coming and rushed out into the woods to look for it. He claims he had to catch it in a pokeball because it is just to ridiculous to look after itself. No one believes this Lie. Darius loves Impidimp.

Darius's Team: Shiny Muk, Severine, Delcatty, Impidimp

Alador Blight

I settled on three pokemon For Alador

Female muk: I swear I saw an episode of the anime where female muk's were depicted as having rosy cheek's, but according to what I found on pokedex sights they actually look exactly the same as the males. Regardless Alador's muk being female is an important detail, because it is in fact the mother of Amity's muk. Hence how he was able to gift her a baby grimer when she became interested in abominations.

Pikachu: Meant to represent Ratador, Alador's little rat palisman. I went with pikachu over say Rattata becasue it is a pokemon that evolved with high friendship, and as Alador does not fly or fight with a Staff, I am assuming that Alador primarly needed Ratador for a buddy.

Volcarona: Don't even try to argue with me that a giant fire breathing moth isn't something Alador would be head over heals For. It's a flying insect, with destructive powers and potential, and its Alador. enough said... it actually gets along petty good with, and enjoys flying around with the twins Butterfree and Masquerin.

Alador's Pokemon: Female Muk, Pikachu, Volcarona

Principal Hieronymus Bump

And three pokemon for everybody's favorite principal

Indeedee (male): Indeedee is actually the pokemon I picked to represent Frewin. Now I know Impidimp is the closest to him in appearance, but Frewin is unique among pasliman in that he provides a really specific, physical, aid to Bump: he is Bump's seeing eye palisman. So I googled what pokemon would be the best at that, and Indeedee (male) is what I got. It is a psychic type, can sense other's emotions using its horns, and is super protective and caring towards its trainer.

Bastion: an ancient and powerful shield dinosaur, I picked to represent Bump's bond with his students, how protective he is of them, and his desire to shield them from the worst evils of their corrupt system.

Comfrey: We know Bump actually does really like flowers. But more than that Comfrey's helps people relax, Something Bump is shown to not do nearly as much he would like to. Also Comfrey would probably be a big help in calming down stressed out or fighting students.

Odalia Blight

Odalia only gets two pokemon

Abra: It is cute and sleepy looking pokemon, that Odalia will publicly dote on. It gives the impression that both it and Odalia are such sweet individuals... No one knows that behind the scene Abra is Odalia's spy, who reports anything her family or employee's do that she can use as an excuse to manipulate or punish them for.

Spiritomb: This one is representative of the mummy spirit she fights Alador and the hexsquad with at the end of season two. In otherwords it helps her deal out punishments

Camilia Noceda

I would have loved to give Camilia more than two pokemon (She totally deserves more pokemon than Odalia) but she was only in 3 epsidoes, and there is no sandal pokemon. So this was all I could come up with on my own

Wigglytuff: Camilia is a vet. By the time I got to her I had already used all three of Chancey's evolutionary forms on teens from this show. So I looked up alternate pokemon Nurse Joy's have owned. On that list I found Wigglytuff. Its a great pokemon, and a cute little critter, so I picked it. It helps Camilia out at her vet center, and at home has taken a shine to Vee and her baby Happiny, whom it helps Vee teach new moves.

Shiny Elgyem: For Camilia's second pokemon because it is all Alieney and Sy-fy, which are two genre's Camila is shown to love. Also is it a Shiny. IF Darius gets a shiny pokemon, then so does Camilia. Luz has a shiny pokemon too, and this is not a "who adopted Hunter post show post".

#eda the owl lady #edalyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #raine whispers #reda #darius deamonne #eberwolf the huntsman #toh steve #steve tholomule #alador blight #principal Bump #Hieronymus Bump #camila noceda #odalia blight #clawthorn siblings #pokemon #what if the owl house characters were pokemon trainers #dana terrace

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annabellelux · 1 year

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Favorite Books of 2022📚

I had so much fun doing this for 2021–so I’m back at it with a list of my favorite books of 2022!

I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t have a great reading year. I read significantly less than last year and a lot more mindless books since this year I was overwhelmed with graduating law school, taking (and passing!!!) the bar exam, and starting a full time job at a busy (but amazing) law firm. BUT I did find some diamonds in the rough:

Without further ado, the 5 books I read this year that I would ABSOLUTELY recommend under the cut:

5. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

a bunch of sociopaths cross paths and the result is lots of murder

the characters were all amoral and all SO INTERESTING

i weirdly have a crush on the MC. i want whatever she wants, even if that’s blood on her hands. like i don’t care how many people she’s killed she’s hot

lots of twists and turns you don’t see coming. the one halfway through the book absolutely FLOORED me

lots of really good Plotting from literally every character

the improbability of some of the coincidences is made real by the authenticity of the characters. like (hopefully) no one actually relates to them but you get them and why they’re so amoral

the last line took my breath away

read when you wanna believe you could get away with murder

4. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

fantasy You’ve Got Mail with a sunshine undertaker and a grumpy demi-god

enemies to lovers!!! you know that I’m always here for that

Hart is so fucking morose that I physically cannot. King of angst. He’s so lonely and prickly but also a sweetheart

Mercy has got true eldest daughter syndrome and I, for one, get it

the relationship progression was perfection!!! the book keeps the tension really really well

the cafe scene was so heart-breaking. you will get that lurching feeling in your gut when you read it

I actually loved all the side plots. there’s a LOT going on in this book but it all weaves together really well

there’s this interesting juxtaposition between a kinda terrifying world and the mundane reality of small-town life. it’s weirdly heavy and light-hearted at the same time???

this book is doing a lot but i loved everything it did

read when you want your small town romance to have a bit of blood & magic in it

3. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

two women pretend casual will work for them. however, they are absolutely useless sapphics. so you know where this is going

Delilah is honestly a whole fucking mood. queen of peaking AFTER high school

Claire is a sweet angel. I would have fallen in love with her too tbh

honestly i would kill for Delilah’s experience of having her step-sister (who she hates)’s best friend unknowingly hitting on her in the bar and not recognizing her. it’s icon moves

but seriously Claire and Delilah are adorable. and hot

my parents were having a party while i was upstairs in my bedroom listening to this audiobook. I was washing my face in the bathroom hallway listening to a SEX SCENE, and a 50 year old woman came up to use my bathroom. i cannot describe in words what we felt in that moment.

despite that mortifying context, the sex scenes were passionate and hot and well-written

there’s really good girl group representation here that i’m super into. the friendship is just as strong as the romance here, which I LOVE

i haven’t gotten to book 2 yet but this is gunna be a sapphic trilogy!! gods bless

read when you wanna feel sapphic euphoria

2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

two colleagues who previously disliked one another keep running into each other in the small town they’re in for the summer and find out they’re actually the same person

the prologue is so hilarious and genius and well-written that i knew instantly this book would be a favorite of the year

Nora is the Hallmark Christmas Movie Villain Girlfriend. The foil to the doe-eyed, small town girl that always gets the guy. She’s the one who keeps getting DUMPED by that guy. And honestly? I’ve ALWAYS related more to that girl. Seeing her get her happy ending is what I needed for my own career driven, type A soul

Charlie is a brooding book lover. Need I say more? (I was in love within 50 pages)

childfree rep!!! not at all common in romance books, and i love to see it

miscommunication actually well-done. it all feels reasonable given the circumstances and doesn’t make you want to punch them. rare

i really, really enjoy Emily Henry’s adult romances. they’ve just got a depth to them that romances can easily lack. and her Emily metaphors REALLY get me. she’s an instant-tbr author for me now

read when you want to feel the mortifying ordeal of being known

1. Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales

A bisexual disaster goes on a reality television show to re-date her ex in order to destroy him, but ends up falling in love with her ex-boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend

John Tucker Must Die but make it sapphic

A little bit of Charm Offensive vibes (which was a 2021 top favorite!)

Maya’s revenge plot is so fucking poorly planned but hilarious

Skye’s mommy issues and refusal to open herself hit a little too close to home but in the best way

Jordy is such a perfect awful ex. It was so much fun to pray on his downfall

Isaac is my hero. I will not elaborate if you know you know

After Perfect on Paper, I knew Sophie could write GOOD bisexual rep. This book confirms that she knows what she’s about — she gave me not ONE but TWO amazing bisexuals.

Reading this will make you laugh and blush and blast Taylor Swift songs on repeat

Read when you wanna light your ex’s house on fire and then make out at red lights with a hot girl in the getaway car

And that's the best five out of the 110 books I read. See you in 2023 (hopefully with a top ten!) Cheers to another year of reading too much!

#Book recs #Favorite books of 2022 #read these books for the vibes

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byebyler · 2 years

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SO I’m absolutely eating up everyone’s Byler posts and loving the unbridled optimism everyone is exhibiting towards our ship becoming canon

but

I just can’t get on board like some people. Because a lot of their reasoning hinges on “if the Duffers were smart, they’d...” and that is reason enough to say oh, no, then it’s not going to happen. Bc the Duffers aren’t smart. How can they be dropping all these hints and crafting a narrative so subtly, masterfully poignant when they literally forgot Will’s birthday this season. At this point, any stroke of genius found in the narrative seems to me to be a complete accidental coincidence

Which is why I’m bracing myself for the absolute Worst Case Scenario when it comes to Will being gay, coming out, Byler, etc etc. And the WCS for me would be...

Will dies at the end of the season

It turns into another “bury your gays” trope and we’re all let down

My personal opinion on this season being split up is that there’s something completely and totally status quo breaking at the end. They want to give everyone a chance to sit with part one, digest it, and start all the crazy theorizing so everyone is primed for part two. And there’s something in part two that’s going to have everyone shocked and freaking out. I think the death of a main character would fit that bill

The hints for Byler are all there. The aversion to girls, the painting, El saying she thinks he’s interested in someone, all the awkwardness between him and Mike, the heart to hearts, [tender music playing], the whisperings of a love triangle in reviews, etc etc. It’s there, so I think it’s safe enough to say that yes, Will is gay. Yes, he’s into Mike. And honestly yes I do also think Mike is having a sexuality crisis, or at least a relationship crisis with El, so who really knows how that will go?? Whether the crush is requited or not, it would still hurt like hell if Will died as a conclusion to that story

My main reasoning for this WCS is the harness pic. That tells us Will gets snatched at some point, and the most obvious answer is that he gets picked up by Vecna. Same as Chrissy, same as Fred, same as Patrick, plus Max and Nancy

Now Max already had a daring escape, and Nancy has to be freed as well because there are still shots of her in the trailer that weren’t in part one, so they must be in part two. Plus we’ve yet to see the shot of Eddie playing guitar on top of his trailer in the upside down. What else could that be, if it’s not to play Nancy’s favorite song and save her?

So are we really going to have three close calls with no real deaths? Is Will going to be another fake out who gets snatched but eventually freed via the power of love and music and friendship? Is Vecna really only going to be 3 for 6?? I don’t know, I just can’t see them pulling the same fake out stunt three times in a row with main characters like that. Especially when it seems like they’re all resolved in similar ways (as far as we can guess, at least). So I don’t know, it just seems like lazy writing if they pull the same stunt three times. But then again... who knows?

And of course all the actors’ hints towards Will’s journey this season, saying there’s romance but also that it’s sad/emotional? I can’t remember their phrasing exactly but it was something like that. And of course any coming out scene would be emotional for us, but having it end in death would be unambiguously sad for everyone watching

And then Will’s painting would be used much like Hopper’s letter at the end of the last season. Mike is mourning Will’s death on his own, spots the painting, unrolls it to see something even more emotional and something that spells out how Will always felt about him. But by now, it’s too late

But of course, that could all be bullshit. I sincerely hope it’s bullshit. Like I said, this is the Worst Case Scenario that I can think of. And why I think it COULD be a possibility

But I could be (and hope I’m) wrong about all of this. I think Steve is another big possibility for a main character that might die. And if he dies, I don’t think they’d kill two main characters like that. Will might not even be getting lifted up by Vecna. There’s a whole host of bullshit that could happen to him tbh. Or maybe the writers are lazy and will do the same fake out just to scare people three separate times. I just don’t know

My main reasoning AGAINST the “Will dies” theory would just be that the cast has been very coy and giggly whenever dancing around the subject of Will’s love life. And if Will died, and Finn and David were still acting like that in interviews... Well, they’d kind of be assholes, wouldn’t they? So that’s why I think this theory isn’t true

But like I said, I’m just lowering my expectations as much as I possibly can. Will dying would be the worst case scenario for me, both as a Byler shipper and just a big stan of Will in general. And I know if I let myself get too sucked into the positive theories then I’ll just end up being disappointed in the end. Most likely. Here’s hoping I’m super stupid and wrong. I’ll check back in in ~a month and we’ll see if I was right or wrong! xx

#stranger things #stranger things spoilers #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #my thoughts #season 4 #stranger things season 4

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finniestoncrane · 1 year

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congrats on 1k Finnie!!! u deserve all the hype!! I’m gonna throw myself in the ring for the event, respectfully requesting number 9

a little bit about me is that I’m 4’10 (pun intended), I have brown eyes, reaaallly long curly brown hair, I wear glasses (the dano riddler kind LMAO), my fashion sense basically Bella Swan from Twilight, I’m questioning my sexuality/bordering on unlabeled so I’m fine with anyone, I’m an INTP 5w6, and a Leo (I don’t know shit about astrology lol.)

my hobbies include:

- acting, which is ironic bc I can’t stand theater kids lmao

- writing, whether it be my cringe ass fanfics, or to my feelings (or lack there of), or to the dreams I have at night, I gotta always have it documented

- watching movies, specifically horror or comedy. If I have any free time, u can GUARANTEE u that I’m going to being at home watching a movie, or at the theater with my friends. If I could legally marry my favorite movie, I would.

personality wise, I come off as very blunt and have a really dry sense of humor to everyone I meet. When I’m in my element, I can’t help but let my wit get the better of me. I am legitimately confident in my capabilities and myself. I can almost always talk my way in or out of situations. I love cracking jokes at any given moment and I always enjoy making anyone laugh, I’ve been told that I have good comedic timing so obviously, I gotta keep going with it. I also curse a lot, like I need a censor bar around my mouth at all times lol. I’m not afraid to stand up for myself or my friends and honestly, I kinda enjoy to. I absolutely value humor and friendship the most, and they are what keep me going. If I could describe myself as 5 fictional characters, I’d be Mickey Milkovich (Shameless), MJ (MCU), Ruth Langmore (Ozark), Louise Belcher (Bob’s Burgers), and Beth Harmon (The Queen’s Gambit). My positive traits are humorous, competitive, straight-forward, creative, and quick-witted

on the flip side, when I’m in a newish setting or a setting where I’m off my game/ not feeling myself, I’m ice cold, rarely speaking to anyone and if I do, it’s venomous. I tend to isolate myself and obsessively throw myself into whatever it is I need to do and just be done with it. I try to maintain a high level of professionalism and confidence and hold myself to a high standard, becoming wildly competitive and forcing myself to be better than everyone, basically faking it till I make it (and it always works). I tend to hide and bottle up my emotions, and I’m scared of/ hate being emotionally vulnerable. My negative traits are obsessive, indecisive, aggressive, sadistic, and emotionally detached

…and I just realized I went on for waaay too long lmao sorry. congrats again on 1k!!!

🎀 No.9: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone 🎀

tell me a little bit about yourself and i'll give you a rogue pairing a/n: thank you!! it's funny, with this one i thought of several rogues and then suddenly it came to me in a moment of sheer inspiration and i was like "oh shit yeah that's the one" 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

i swear to you the height thing is a coincidence but i think a short couple are strong vibes. and he's a mama's boy, so the fact that your hair is long and curly like hers would probably be one of the first things that drew him in

we know he feels about glasses wearers, so... yeah

(side note: i feel you on the theatre kids one, i studied theatre at university and it made me realise i couldn't be a playwrite, because i cannot cope with actors)

ok so oswald has an absolute flair for the dramatics, and don't tell me he wouldn't make an excellent actor. you two could reenact scenes together and write your own plays or movies just for you two!

he strikes me as a diarist, so spending time together writing whatever you're writing while he catches up on his comings and goings in his little unpublished and just for him (for now) autobiography would be one of his favourite wind-down activities at the end of the day

oswald lives his entire life with main character energy and you can't convince me he didn't pick that up from obsessively watching movies about underdogs rising to the top and film noirs. he loves gore and brutality too, so a thriller or a horror would be perfect viewing material for you, and he'd definitely take you to the theatre on a date

ok so, it might be a nightmare putting the two of you together, but it could also potentially be the most fun. both of you are dry, humorous, experts in wit and sarcasm. charming enough to talk your way out of disaster, and into opportunity. together, you'd be a dynamic duo, perfect partners in crime. the confidence you would have separately and together would be insurmountable and intimidating, which oswald would find deeply romantic

little comments and sneaky jokes with the right timing are his forte too, i'm beginning to wonder if you aren't just the same person?

and the aggressive protection of yourself and others? come on, that's just him all over. and he might not swear frequently (although he might have if gotham was more risque) he does yell. a lot. and what extreme screaming match isn't complete without a few good fuck shit cock ass bastards in the mix?

speaking of friends, the loyalty and fierce protection of them would make it easy for him to trust you, which is so important to him. you're obviously a valuable asset in a friendship, and he would treat you as such

it's funny, i always think of oswald (specificalyl in gotham) as louise belcher! very much quick-witted and humorous, which you both are, and he's obviously extremely competitive, with high self-esteem and a belief he can conquer anything. he's not always straight-froward though, but that's something you can bring to the relationship that he can benefit from

he would understand the isolation and the cold attitude also though. it's a good facade to maintain when you're around new people, especially if you find it difficult to trust or open yourself up to them. a safety mechanism almost. it ties in with the holding yourself to a high-standard. he's dead set on being the king of gotham, a position he would gladly share with you if you could assist him in that professional and personable journey, which by the way, faking it till you make it? he's very familiar with it, umbrella boy to mayor after all

i doubt he'd feel the need to hide his emotions around someone like you who was so similar to him and so trustworthy, but he does that around others and wouldn't blame you for a second for trying not to be vulnerable around him, though he'd hope you'd warm up eventually

and please, your negative traits are all ones he holds in high-esteem within himself so get ready to have your ego boosted by him constantly praising you

#finnie1k #finnie writes

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