#favorite episode mystery spot

[hurricanejane]

human wreckage

Under a cut because I became a bloodfreak for this week's @wincestwednesdays and also I couldn't wait.

Theme: Favorite episode, Theme: Blood

CW: for blood consumption (to be safe), purging, choking

Title: Human Wreckage (from MCR's song Blood)

Sam hit a breaking point in those six months. He’d been crazed and sick and obsessed, but he’d stopped crying. He didn’t need to cry. Dean would be back soon. Sam would find the trickster and get Dean back. He would be back. He was already there. He was there in the car. Sam couldn’t listen to the tapes, but he tried the radio and bit his lips to shreds. Dean was in every song. He drove in silence.

Dean was in the food Sam ordered for him. Every meal. More often than not, after tipping it into the trash can, he went to the toilet and purged his own meal. But he didn’t cry. He didn’t need to. Dean was there. He was in the Samulet. Sometimes Sam would put it on and choke himself with it, imagining it was Dean’s hands, punishing him. Sam couldn’t save Dean. But he would. Sam would get Dean back and let him punish Sam all he wanted. He didn’t have that now, so he punished himself. But Dean was there.

He was there in his clothes. Sometimes Sam would lay his clothes out on the other side of the bed. He would shove his face into the pits of Dean’s shirts, the only place where his smell still lingered after so many months. He chased the smell. The taste. He took Dean’s crusty, bloody shirts and sucked, hard, and he knew it was sick and unhealthy, but he needed to keep Dean alive. In his guts, in his veins, Dean was there. He could keep him there, get him there, get him back, if he tried hard enough, hurt hard enough, sucked hard enough. Dean would be back. He didn’t need to cry. Not when Dean would be back soon. Not when he was already there.

#wincest #wincest fic #wincest wednesday #wincest wednesdays event #theme: blood #theme: favorite episodes #favorite episode mystery spot #cw blood #cw purging #cw choking

[preseriesdean]

You know, we made a hell of a team back there. ⤷ 1.01, “PILOT”

for @wincestwednesdays week two: favorite episode

#spnedit #samdeanedit #wincest #wincest wednesday #supernatural #whatever it is #1x01 #* #i had 2 change the color of the tablecloth i hate this show #i joke. it's the love of my life #also yes yes mystery spot is technically my favorite episode BUT #the pilot transcends all. it is not an episode to me but a holy religious experience #*fav

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Dude, Asia?!

#these sweet summer children have no idea what's about to hit them #spn #3x11 #mystery spot #dean winchester #jensen ackles #sam winchester #jared padalecki #favorite episodes #winchester woes #supernatural

[typicalopposite]

Aaaand another scene that will live in my brain rent free… forever

#supernatural #spn #dean winchester #heat of the moment #mystery spot #one of my favorite episodes #he is just too cute

[rochenn]

The year is 2034. Disney announces the production of the show "Resistance: Dooku of Serenno", set during the early days of the Empire, starring CG Christopher Lee.

We begin with a flashback to Revenge of the Sith. After Dooku is beheaded, we learn that he used the Force to supply his brain with blood and oxygen. The movie is visibly retconned - as Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine flee the Invisible Hand, four human parts can be spotted stealthily floating after them.

Dooku, being Dooku, survives the crash and manages to steal away. His head is surgically reattached. Don't ask why nobody else ever stitched their lightsaber-chopped limbs back on. He ends up getting prosthetic hands, anyway. David Filoni said in a behind-the-scenes interview that he thought they were cool.

Previously established canon prevents Dooku from doing anything in-character until Order 66. He lets loose in Coruscant's undercity and becomes the local kooky old man who couldn't possibly be public enemy number one until Mace Windu, freshly fried and unhanded, crashes down in front of him. What a coincidence.

Mace is still played by Sam L. Jackson. He is So Old. He is only there for the paycheck. Disney didn't know how to recast him. He is acting alongside the shell of a man who has been dead for two decades.

After a joke about missing hands that is very funny, the two get along swimmingly. They don't really talk about Dooku's various war crimes. "My droid army would never traumatize a young child," Dooku says with a wink into the camera. Remember to buy your Mandalorian merch.

Mace and Dooku organize an underground resistance on Coruscant in the spirit of the Confederacy. Mace is okay with this. Choice aspects of this arc are compelling, like the fight against fascism under the yoke of cruel state suppression, but tone-deaf allusions to the work of Sophie Scholl cause controversy abroad. Andor did it better. Critics on YouTube who thus far lauded the return of fan favorites and 'faithful casting' tear into the show for pushing the woke agenda.

Nothing Mace and Dooku accomplish has any impact on the Original Trilogy. What were you expecting? The end of the show teases a second season with the arrival of a mysterious woman. Dooku's secret wife. You never knew of her because she was never relevant before. As the final credit music slowly creeps in, she says: "Don't you want to see your son?"

The music swells and we cut to Serenno. The planet has never been mentioned throughout all 15 episodes of the show. Standing in the ruins of Dooku's castle is Dooku's son: back turned to the viewer, gazing into the sunset. Dooku II of Serenno, proud heir, turns his head. He is played by Harry Styles.

Roll credits.

#count dooku #i #I'm actually so sorry I don't know what overcame me #i wrote this in a trance #shitpost

[soimafreaknow]

Damn it! I just ate my best snack and mystery spot is on!

Well, I guess I need to put a shirt on that actually covers my midriff and go to the store! This deserves candy!

#lore watches spn 2022 #mystery spot is so fucked up I have been waiting for it since the trickster episode! #Sam angst and dean dies! a lot! #good shit! #I promise I’m not actually anti-dean. #mostly #I acknowledge dean has his own issues and I’m sorry about that for him but I have a favorite and it’s Sam

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

something that makes sokka extremely adhd relatable is that he's constantly looking for his Thing, the one Thing he's good at or useful for that makes up for any failings or flaws or ways he just can't measure up to others. at the beginning of the show he defines himself by being the oldest boy in the village & best warrior, but then he gets his ass kicked by zuko and suki and sees aang's raw power and he can't exactly think fighting is his special skill anymore. but he still thinks he has to be defined by fighting ('man of the house' daddy issues) so he calls himself the guy with the boomerang bc that's turned out to be his most useful and versatile and unique weapon, the one that other people can't outclass him at (after all, it's his most successful attack in his fight with zuko). when he loses it in "avatar day" he explicitly says it's like losing a key part of his identity and the moment katara goes "hey you're good at solving mysteries" he's like "yeah! i'm a detective! that's my new thing! and gets a new set of objects to signify it ("i believe in the power of stuff"). but detective sokka doesn't last bc throughout the entire episode he and katara are pretty equally matched in detective skills and he gets his boomerang back anyway. failed experiment.

and throughout all of this, he's figured out that people find his insistance on getting them fed & his grumpy comments funny and so he begins defining himself as the meat and sarcasm guy, and when he's a tough spot in "bitter work", bargaining with the universe to get him help, he offers that up as all he's got to give. it's obviously a Joke that he immediately asks for meat after telling the universe he'll give it up but it's also pretty indicative of how much he clings to these identities. it's all he's got (he thinks), of COURSE he can't actually give it up. they stuck that boy in a hole for 22 minutes and it revealed so much about how he sees himself.

at some point (likely around "the library" when he takes initiative to come up with a fire nation invasion plan) he also becomes the plan guy, the idea guy, and the gaang find themselves looking to him for leadership. this is perhaps the closest to fully encompassing sokka that any of his "[blank] guy" labels get, since coming up with plans involves planning when and how to fight (boomerang guy) & how to get everyone fed (meat), and people not following his plans is a major source of frustration (sarcasm).

this all culminates in "sokka's master", where the show finally names the underlying insecurity driving this quest - that he's a nonbender. katara being the last waterbender meant she was in danger and that keeping her safe was top priority, and even though hakoda and kya wouldn't have played favorites sokka probably felt a little like the unfavorite child for not being special like her. he lacks an ability, and believes his life has less value bc of it. almost like somebody with a disability and internalized ableism

(interesting, one of the people who most consistently mocks sokka for being a nonbender is toph, early on. toph has a lot of internalized ableism herself, a fear of vulnerability bc she doesn't want to perceived as weak like her parents thought she was. her bending is her disability aid, the thing that allows her to be stronger than people think, so she dismisses a nonbender until she learns better.)

piandao's response to sokka's lack of self-worth is not to train him to be great at one thing, but to introduce him to a variety of different arts, show him that his value lies not in having any one skill but in his capacity to learn and grow. there's no single thing that makes him worthy. it isn't even the combination of all of them that makes him worthy. he simply is worthy.

and i don't know if this is a unique narrative in fiction or anything but it really means a lot to me that sokka doesn't have One Thing that "makes up" for him not being a bender. he's of course extremely skilled and prodigious at many things he does in the show but there's no one savant talent that "justifies" him being in the group and i feel like so many disability narratives - especially for kids - go that route and i really appreciate that atla doesn't and simply says people are valuable because they are valuable, not because of their special abilities

#nina's personal log #sokka #seeing 'avatar day' again reminded me i had this in the drafts #ALSO i think toph is a different disability narrative than sokka but also more nuanced than typical this is NOT saying hers is bad #it's very good #nd atla tag

[spngirlpolls]

this is based on tumblr fave episodes/imdb ratings not my personal opinions. feel free to add suggestions in the tags!

#spngirlpolls #spn polls #spn #supernatural #supernatural polls

[betterpollsnatural]

*Favorite measured by IMDB rankings.

#spn #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #jensen ackles #jared padalecki #misha collins #spn polls #polls

[rabbit-surfboard]

Fictional podcast recs

One of my friends got into audio drama and I just sent them a whole list of recommendations to go through, I thought someone who follows these tags might also appreciate it and perhaps have some more to throw in. I resisted the urge to throw in the little blurb about audio dramas as a weird little medium and their tropes that I wrote up. It was something to the effect of nodding at how the medium has rapidly been improving since Welcome to Nightvale started, also how a lot of the tropes that tie the medium together are products of the indie podcast scene being accessible and primarily based in audio. Also at how well horror works in the format. Those paragraphs went unsaved but writing first about the medium in general helped me to reflect on a lot of the things that make audiodramas appealing or repulsive to me for discussing each show in brief beyond just explaining what they're about.

All recommendations are tagged for the tldr.

Fiction podcast recommendations in no particular order:

The Magnus Archives

Horror

The biggest criticism I ever had of this podcast’s voice acting from episode 1 turned out to be a relevant plot point. This thing is probably the best of the best, but I would never recommend it to someone unfamiliar with podcasts because the listener only notices a plot hook somewhere between episodes 20-40 and that’s daunting in the face of a 200 episode show. Getting sucked in rewards you with 200 episodes of thoughtful content and a great explanation for most of the weird things this show chooses to incorporate.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Horror

Fantastic production quality on this ongoing show. Many seasons with interconnected lore and a hell of a narrator. It’s not my personal favorite but it’s quite excellent.

Red Valley

Found footage mystery

One of the newer shows I’ve gotten into, Red Valley is well-crafted. It becomes compelling very quickly with a rapid pace that slows down to land in a neat spot for a while so you can savor the cool parts. The production quality is excellent and the two main voice actors have excellent chemistry. The third and final season is currently being produced.

The Silt Verses

Horror

Often compared to American Gods, this newer podcast made by an experienced team is doing a lot of creative and fresh things at once. The magnificently fucked up religious system of The Silt Verses is both a neat plot vehicle and cleanly works as a criticism of late stage capitalism, where many podcasts like to jab at capitalism this one is much more pointed in its commentary. Episodes are long and very well produced. All the credits in the third season have been mostly diegetic and add flavor to the world.

Archive 81

Found footage horror

Slow to start but by season 2 the production quality and plot are among the best in the game. Unfortunately, on an extended hiatus.

Ars Paradoxica

Science fiction, historical

Very well produced considering its age, this is a highly regarded show among people who follow the medium. Excellent time travel mechanics here. The plot drags a bit by the end because time travel stories must violently contort themselves into a conclusion, but the first season or two are fantastic and it’s always nice to have an ending instead of interminable hiatus.

Caravan

Gay demons n stuff

Showed up, did magic and gay shit, disappeared and went on hiatus probably with some kinda unsatisfying cliffhanger seeing as I don’t remember the plot. Could I recommend it in good faith? Not until they at least cough up season 2. I don’t remember it being bad and that alone is notable for the medium.

Mabel

Gothic horror

This is the deepest cut on the list except for maybe Caravan. Lesbians pine at each other for increasingly complicated reasons, eventually devolving into them doing datura and then spewing cryptic poetry together for the rest of their days. The production quality is fair. The slow windup and creepy house are American-gothic af. This show has had a few hiatuses, but each time it comes back significantly more intriguing.

Welcome to Nightvale

Goofy spooky news broadcast

Old and iconic, not very consistent. Sometimes explores emotional, tense, spooky, or funny scenes well, but the show is really focused on being local news for an ooky spooky desert town because Cecil is damn good at his job. Don’t come here looking for plot, it’s a fun vibe and I don’t know that anybody’s ripped it off and notably improved on this classic. Above average production quality for its time which improved through the years.

Alice isn’t Dead

USA road trip, horror

Made by at least one of the Nightvale writers, totally different show with a lesbian trucker making wry observations of some magnificently twisted shit seen around the United States. The producers know how to run a show, so the production is pretty good.

Tanis

Found footage horror

Tanis is not good. However, it was the first fiction podcast to make me ask “Is this real?” and hesitantly believe it for a frankly embarrassing number of episodes. The stories in the first season were interesting and the lore is just some big-tent conspiracy style of cramming a bunch of fun Wikipedia research into what turns out to be an increasingly nonsensical plot. Every season after the second, I return to hate-listen and am gaslit into thinking the show might low-key rock a few episodes before the finale, which is routinely frustrating and makes sure to throw out any good plot points Terry Miles comes up with. The acting is routinely terrible, and the frame narrative allows lazy and frequent retcons, ruining what I think is a good premise. Also it’s incomplete.

The Black Tapes

Horror

Terry Miles started this show before Tanis began releasing about 5 months later. I think of it as one of his earlier works because it behaves like Tanis with an added layer of cringe from a time waster of an awkward romance(?) between the two main characters. I couldn’t finish this show. You won’t see this recommended as often as it used to be online because there’s many better shows now, but this used to be a big deal. There’s a bunch of memes making fun of the annoying cadence of the characters’ speech and iconic sponsorship reads in both this and Tanis. If you’re interested in some cringe atop your creepypasta podcast, the two are interchangeable.  

Rabbits

ARG investigation

Not as horror focused as Terry Miles’ other shows, the cringe is dialed down and the show is better for it. Tanis and The Black Tapes are more well known, I think the only reason more people don’t think about this one is because the first two don’t inspire trust in the production or narrative quality of this show, but I remember it being fine for a season. I have not gone back to catch up now that more is out.

Malevolent

Horror

Inspired by The King in Yellow, one man performs two voices and verbally abuses himself with aplomb. Having a blind main character with an extra voice in his head is a frame story I haven’t heard yet (unless it came up in the magnus archives and I don’t remember), the concept works out great for the frame of a podcast to deploy the environmental imagery that foley cannot communicate. It also prevents the podcast trope of lengthy exposition about visual surroundings from sounding awkward or potentially impacting someone’s character development to show setting.

Wolf 359

Comedy, science fiction

A crew of whacky characters is stuck in deep space, hanging out and researching a star. Since that’s not actually very interesting they crack jokes and fuck around for a slow burn until interesting stuff happens. Good but not great, this one is long and satisfying and a bit less heavy than all the horror this medium often focuses on. Decent production quality.

The White Vault

Found footage horror

I lost patience with this podcast even though the overarching story seemed very cool – it progresses very slowly yet appears to grow bigger and more confusing instead of deigning to answer basic questions for a frustratingly long drag through the first four seasons. I worry that this frustration may be the point and the Patreon gated stories are the drivers for this tendency towards the confusing patchwork of ideas this show communicates. The production quality is good though.

The Left Right Game

Found footage horror

Genuinely great reddit creepypasta got turned into an overproduced podcast – I say “over” in comparison to the voice acting quality because it’s kind of impossible to sell some of the lines, which makes sense considering the source. Brief, complete, punchy, interesting, and just a little odd to hear such a clean production but a creepypasta this fun deserves the effort.

Wooden Overcoats

Comedy

Surprisingly good production quality for its age, and also a refresher from the usual tropes of the medium. Just a chill sitcom about a funeral parlor in a small town. I haven’t finished this 4 season show yet but its good.

The Black List Table Reads

Movie script readings

Some movie scripts just short of making the cut to be turned into a full Hollywood production were well liked enough by a group of film nerds that sat down to act them out as a podcast. Half of the episodes are interviews with screenwriters, and the other half see a script read all the way through by actors. They’re all rejected for different reasons so there’s a pretty broad spread of genres. My favorites were Blood From a Stone and Balls Out.

#podcasts #podcast #audio horror #audio drama #the magnus archives #old gods of appalachia #red valley #the silt verses #archive 81 #ars paradoxica #caravan #mabel #mabel podcast #welcome to night vale #alice isn't dead #tanis podcast #the black tapes podcast #rabbits #malevolent #wolf 359 #the white vault #the left right game #wooden overcoats #the black list table reads #consumption

[hurricanejane]

I love Mystery Spot because it seems like a very silly, light episode with the coloring and ridiculousness of Dean's deaths, when in theme it's really one of the darkest episodes up to that point. It highlights the desperation and dark obsession within Sam in such a juicy way. Sam is insane about Dean in season 3, maybe even moreso than Dean was about him in season 1. It's delicious.

#sometimes i feel some type of way about it being one of my favorite episodes #because it's everyone's favorite #but it's everyone's favorite for a reason #it gets at the core of the show #sam and dean #erotically codependent #3x11 Mystery Spot #supernatural season 3 #unhinged sammy

[deanspunchingbag]

i know i definitely missed some

#supernatural #dean winchester #spn #sam winchester #castiel #destiel #spn shitposts #shitpostnatural #salmon dean #spn poll #supernatural poll #supernatural polls #fandom polls #polls #spn polls #the french mistake #scoobynatural #dog dean afternoon #changing channels

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

That came completely out of the blue when I watched it for the first time, and I was utterly 😨. And although the rest of the episode turned into something darkly hilarious, the idea of Dean dying and Sam having to witness (and remember) it over a hundred times still gives me chills. What an endless nightmare! And just imagine - what if Dean had remembered each time he died, too? He probably still would've been more worried about leaving Sam alone than about himself going to hell prematurely.

The longer I think about this episode, the more ramifications I find. So much more to it than Groundhog Day Supernatural style...

#spn #3x11 #mystery spot #supernatural #dean winchester #jensen ackles #sam winchester #jared padalecki #favorite episodes #winchester woes #death tw

[anonymousboxcar]

TTTE Headcanons: Engines’ TV Habits

This is pretty goofy, but I’m thinking about what sorts of TV the engines might watch if they had a TV or a streaming device in their sheds. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!

—————————————

Henry loves nature shows, of course. In addition, after his fireman lamented his spilt hot cocoa, he wanted to understand why humans care so much about food. This led him to cooking shows, which he found very relaxing. He likes to watch raw, disparate ingredients become something beautiful and complete.

Edward goes for mysteries — lighter, cozier shows like Midsomer Murders, Rosemary & Thyme, and Murder, She Wrote. He’s also a fan of Granada Studios’ 1984 Sherlock Holmes. It tickles the same part of him that enjoys ghost stories, giving him a slight thrill alongside a pleasing mind-teaser.

Gordon watches the news every morning and evening. He likes to feel up-to-date on important events, expounding on them to his colleagues. Any program about opera and orchestral performances also appeals to him. There’s some snobbery involved, but he does enjoy hearing and learning about musical genres.

James likes game and talent shows, often shouting answers and opinions at the TV. He’s so attuned to these shows’ editing that he’ll guess a season winner, set up a betting pool, and rake in all the favors after the finale with a smug grin. (Gordon and Henry only keep placing bets because they want to show him up someday.)

All three big engines indulge in the guilty pleasure of soap operas. They think nobody else knows about this. Pip and Emma “obliviously” intrude on their watch parties to make them squirm.

Thomas and Percy watch ghost hunting shows together. They scoff at the idea of ghosts, accuse each other of being ‘fraidy-cats, and huddle close in fear as an episode progresses. They also watch late-night airings of schlocky films with Toby, whose sly commentary cracks them all up.

On his own, Thomas watches motorsport broadcasts. Bertie hooked him on it not long after they started racing each other. He’s a fan of some F1 drivers and their cars, often comparing notes with Bertie in serious (and sometimes heated) discussions.

Percy has a soft spot for period dramas. He’ll laugh at historical inaccuracies, get invested in all the characters, and ponder common tropes. He’s not afraid to ask about the servants who have to endure the wealthy protagonists’ dramatics.

Toby doesn’t watch much TV outside of what he sees with Thomas and Percy. However, he and Henrietta are partial to some late-night talk shows. If the show’s interviewing someone they’re interested in, or if they think the host is funny, they’ll give an episode a try.

Duck adores How It’s Made. It’s very satisfying for him to watch a bunch of moving parts at work, slotting pieces into their rightful places to assemble something. Other nights, he watches travel shows. They explore locations all around the world, scratching his itch to see what’s beyond his horizon.

Donald watches stand-up comedy specials, going for a good laugh at the end of the day to decompress. Ever since Duck “gifted” him Dilly, he also watches nature programs and shows about training/caring for pets. (He and Dilly are working on some tricks.)

Oliver picks sci-fi shows, with Star Trek and Doctor Who as his favorites. He’s drawn in by the pulpy adventures, moral dilemmas, and complex protagonists. It all makes him feel better about himself: you can mess up on an astronomical scale, but still be capable of good things. You don’t have to be a perfect hero to be a good person.

Douglas enjoys shows about antiques and vintage items — things in the vein of Antique Roadshow, or American Pickers. He’s a sucker for knickknacks that meant something to someone, for all the stories behind each one, and for their loving restorations.

Bill and Ben think fitness shows are hysterical. They’re forever amused by the odd ways the instructors contort their bodies. But they also scheme for their crews to watch these shows, hoping they’ll participate and stay healthy for years to come.

Daisy’ll watch any program about fashion or body art (tattoos, piercings, etc). Being so attentive to her swerves, she’s curious about the ways that humans adorn themselves. She’ll sometimes take inspiration from what she sees, but she’ll always argue that fashion is an art form, pointing to these shows for examples.

——————————————

What are your guys’ thoughts/headcanons? I’d love to hear them!

#ttte #rws #ttte headcanon #rws headcanon #my headcanons #ttte henry #ttte edward #ttte gordon #ttte james #ttte pip and emma #rws pip and emma #ttte thomas #ttte percy #ttte toby #ttte duck #ttte bill and ben #ttte douglas #ttte donald #ttte oliver #ttte daisy

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 19-22 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Obligatory ShB spoiler warning.

First off, the two panels that took a silly amount of time just because I wanted to reflect Vivi’s impressions on the city.

Episodes 18, 19, 20 open up with Vivi being concerned with the most pressing matters:

Can’t fight if you ain’t pretty (or got just 1-2 outfits to be pretty in, that won’t do either)

I still really like the panel above, especially their pose. Episodes 19-22 show how they gradually get rid of physical boundaries. They didn’t even touch back when they first met (episode 15).

Vivi’s casual about physical affection with friends, just one of his core things.

Of course Vivi would trust and choose the company of a pixie, a supernatural being, over a (presumably) human who only reinforces Vivi’s worst opinions on humanity at that point in time, concealing himself and swimming in secrets. Get rekt nerd.

At least Vivi isn’t openly hostile, just.. Dismissive? I saw some other WoLs who outright hate Exarch for abducting the Scions and almost getting themselves, the WoL, killed at Ghimlyt Dark. Vivi, however, just wants to be left alone.

Tfw the love of your life is being stolen by your dear friend. Or vice versa? Or both at the same time? Anyway, Vivi and Feo Ul form a new cool kids' club and Exarch isn't invited.

Can't relax in your favorite secluded spot for a godsdamned moment without some pesky dragoon randomly popping out of nowhere.

While I hc Exarch being able to sense living presence around the Tower, imagine doing that 24/7 for every person. I like to think that he learned to filter it out, turn off/on at will. And while he's in a public place, with his glamour up, he doesn't need to upkeep the "radar", he's just chilling and is possibly lost in thoughts, and that's why Vivi startles him.

This scene bears more symbolic meaning than plot importance. And, uh, some foreshadowing? Forelighting? x'D While Vivi doesn’t fall (heh) for his savior, he’ll reflect upon this at a later time.

Vivi’s normally careful and stately. Yes he’s an elf but he do be carryin’ himself like a cat. There’s a lot of control and assertion behind his trademark nonchalant posture. So, NORMALLY, this wouldn’t happen. Maybe he got distracted by the shiny? And where’s Feo Ul?

Exarch, however, the man that chokes on air unprompted, in a moment like this acts before he could think. As some people correctly noted, the old man’s QUICK. The “screentime” stretches out as Vivi’s life almost begins flashing before his eyes, while for Exarch it's gotta be a mere second or two.

I’m extra proud of the colorwork here. As if blood’s gone from Vivi’s face, as if his entire body went cold, but life slowly returns to him, starting with that hand. You bet this’s brimming with subtext.

Exarch uses his left hand over the right, for better friction and probably because he doesn’t like the attention to his right hand.

I like that this panel’s caused confusion, it worked as intended :9 An all too vague dark joke that almost cost Vivi his life. In his head it went like “yeah anyone can fly once, when they’re about to go splat”, but he wasn’t only preoccupied with the jumps, but also didn’t KNOW yet that he HAS TO speak with a fae like almost with a child, or a lawyer. Simplest terms. No ambiguity. EVER. They’ll misinterpret you unwittingly, or on purpose.

And so they did. Or didn’t? Feo Ul’s spent a long time offscreen, but whether they chose not to help, or even gave Vivi a little push, will forever stay a mystery because why not.

Lesson learned.. On both sides.. Hopefully. Also, fret not, Exarch WILL say fuck one day, one day~

Vivi's lucky. Incredibly so. He's aware of it, doesn't see it as anything special, like you don't see anything special in being able to read this. Perhaps jumping up an unknown structure while being accompanied by an exceedingly curious and mischievous creature is risky even for his kind, but Vivi's so used to getting away with so many things that he doesn't stop to consider it for the tiniest moment.

The first genuine exchange of smiles.

Silver lining: now they have better chances at getting along and returning to that world-saving duty.

Update from January 2024: I came back here to tell you something that took me so long to realize about episode 20′s description:

And all he saw was the Light, and then he knew that Death wore white in this world.

I randomly popped off with this prose, which on itself is a cool thing, but now I realize the extra meanings it could take on. Thinking about 5.x and Elidibus has me feeling unwell in the best way. THAT VIVI ALSO WEARS WHITE HERE IS UH. A coincidence. But it also kinda works as the Warrior of Darkness becomes somewhat of a local Reaper in the First, and then, well, then we have that Light corruption arc :3c

Vivi's calm and tender enough for a pixie to trust him with their wings.

Feo Ul ate and drank several times their size, and all that hero talk.. Ugh. Time for a nap.

Drawing this made me yawn at least 3 times. You’re not immune either.

He’s activating his scanners :>

Vivi's definition of nice is "not nagging, begging or preaching, and using bare facts and logic to convince the hero to do the hero thing".

Literally the next page if you’re reading in order :’> Riiiiiiiiight. That hero thing.

We don’t question whether Vivi invited his loveliest branch, or if they invited themselves. The fact is, they’re there and Vivi’s totally cool with it.

Exarch must be watching. And probably foaming at mouth as Feo Ul keeps leading in the race for Vivi’s heart. They don’t only earn the hero’s trust, but get in his bed and, gasp, brush his hair.

Vivi's getting comfy in his role somewhere between a disney princess and Feo Ul’s pet.

A writing-related tangent incoming, but, since you’re here, I assume you’re already somewhat interested in this kinda stuff.

So, there’s the script, the plain text that waits to get illustrated. The screenplay, if you will. I don’t just sit down and draw enough random things to fill a few pages, I approach this as an actual cohesive serialized story.

I changed a good half of this episode when I began storyboarding it. In the initial script from some months ago, Vivi said "I slept so well". Something about this didn't sit right with me. It’s the most basic mistake of telling instead of showing. I asked myself, would he, a person who takes good sleep and dreams for granted, say that out loud? Nah. I removed that bit, and drew him stretching deliciously. He also asked Feo Ul if they guarded his dreams, they smiled vaguely but warmly just like in the finalized version, but then Vivi simply muttered "I could get used to this" and gave them headpats. I decided to elevate this scene by adding this tiny rollercoaster, which brought Feo Ul's greyness to the forefront, and thickly hinted that Vivi doesn't only sleep well, but has nice dreams that he probably starts cherishing after this.

To be fair, this isn’t super important for the main plot, I just wanted to highlight the difference between Vivi and Exarch, the latter being in a hate-hate relationship with sleep. Vivi’s affinity with dreams is a door I like to keep open for the possible future story (talking post-EW events).

Now you know this’s the face they make before going apeshit.

Imagine if this prank didn't exist and instead Vivi simply said "I slept so well, this's so important to me". I’m proud of the writing muscle I’m growing on the fly ;w;

Ardbert's chance to act and feel normal, thwarted in the next few seconds.

I'm so glad that people are picking up on this!! “Hey man” is Vivi’s way of providing whatever comfort he could. An illusion of normalcy. He’s emotionally intelligent when it matters.

..But he should’ve also considered that Feo Ul can and will ruin the vibe :’>

Another screenwriting thing: this episode lacks an establishing shot, i.e. the obligatory zoomed out view on everyone in the room, but I think this’s a rare case of “less is more”. Along with the light vs shadow, it reinforces the feeling of separation. Vivi and Feo Ul are shown together, interacting, doing cute stuff, while Ardbert’s alone. Sorry not sorry for the hurty :’>

This’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks for reading and paying so much attention! People start to notice and analyze the things I’m weaving in, and it’s the best kinda interaction I as a creator could wish for.

#shb spoilers #ffxiv #ffxiv: fragments #fragment ii: new world old friend #fragments talk

[thebroccolination]

BE MY FAVORITE - Novel vs. Series

Chapter 1 | Episodes 1 & 2

SPOILERS - SO. MANY. SPOILERS.

It's widely known by now that the Be My Favorite series is not a faithful adaptation of Jittirain's "You Are My Favorite" but instead an “inspired by” situation. So, I decided to read the novel, and I’m having a delightful time playing spot-the-difference because it’s clear already from one chapter and two episodes that our intrepid director Waa has made some major changes for the series.

Let's dive in!

KAWI'S FATHER

To start off, Kawi has one living parent in the series: his father. He explains to the audience that his father died a year after his graduation from university, and when he goes to the past, the first decision he makes is to go see, hug, and tell his father he loves him.

It's one of the strongest moments of the first episode for me, and it's made clear that Kawi's father was one of the only stabilizing influences on his life. As he says when he's thirty, his life went into an irreversible tailspin after his father died.

Meanwhile, in the novel, both of Kawi’s parents are dead and he was raised by his uncle. (Also, his father was half Italian. Just, y'know. As a bonus.)

So right off the bat, that's a major character and parental influence removed from the series narrative.

INVITED GUEST | WEDDING CRASHER

About ten minutes into the first episode, Kawi sulks over his invitation to Pear and Pisaeng's wedding. (Which then launches the whole "Pisaeng is death"/Gawin Glamor Shot sequence.)

But in the novel, Kawi wasn’t invited to their wedding. The first thing we see him doing is shopping for flowers to give the bride anonymously. And he also, like? Isn’t in contact with her? At all? She’s also his crush from high school, not university, and the translation I'm reading seems to be implying that he hasn’t seen her in over a decade. He has to ask “connections of distant friends” to get his information about the wedding.

This creates a major distance that makes him look wildly creepy to me. Like, you weren't invited, but you're still going to buy her flowers, crash the wedding, and give them to her anonymously? To what end? Right away, his motivation just feels sort of self-serving and pointless. (At least if he put his name on it he'd be creepy but manipulative, something active and dynamic rather than passive.)

THE CRYSTAL BALL

Now for our time-travel McGuffin! This is the by far the most significant difference as far as the plot goes, I think.

The series begins by introducing a secret buddy gift exchange during which Kawi picks the name of his crush, Pear. The story establishes Kawi as broke, and he's insecure about the cost of the gift he can get Pear, so he picks a crystal ball music box from the discount bin.

This sets up a lot of things very neatly: Kawi's financial situation, his struggle with making friends, and his crush on Pear.

In the novel, the first flower shop he tries is closed, so he goes to a rickety, creepy one next door. The mysterious old man inside says he hasn’t had a customer in years, so he gives the crystal ball to Kawi as a “gift”.

(It’s also not a glass sphere with a dandelion inside, but a kind of snow globe with a bride and groom instead.)

Kawi seems to be as unreliable a narrator in the novel as he is in the series. Kawi claims in the narrative to have seen Pisaeng with another woman the day before the wedding to Pear, but I assume it’s one of those “what Kawi saw wasn’t what was actually happening” things.

TIME TRAVEL

The “going to the past” mechanic is completely different, too.

In episode one of the series, Kawi runs into someone, drops the ball (ha), and ends up missing the gift exchange. Twelve years later, he gets the crystal ball fixed by a mysterious old man who strikes up a conversation on a park bench and asks him for directions to the bus terminal. (My guess for this is that our mysterious character used Kawi's written directions in whatever spell or what-have-you that he put into the crystal ball, so it'll give Kawi who what he most desires.)

Later, when Kawi turns the base of the fixed crystal ball, he's transported into the past, but he believes it's a dream. So we see our introverted, downtrodden, sulky mess of a trash raccoon that we've gotten to know for the first half of the episode let loose and act on his wildest, weirdest impulses, ostensibly in pursuit of Pear.

Then, in episode two, Kawi realizes this isn't a dream he's in. We also find out that Kawi has full agency over his ability to travel through time. By turning the base of the crystal ball, he goes back and forth twice in the span of a few minutes, and this both 1) shows the audience some initial rules of the McGuffin (he can use it to go back and forth at will) and 2) demonstrates for Kawi that he can travel through time. He'll soon discover that his choices in the past will affect and change the present, and what he did when he thought everything was a dream has had major influences on the present.

Meanwhile, in the novel, after Kawi returns to his apartment from the wedding where he didn’t bother talking to anyone, Kawi just goes to sleep, and as he's falling asleep, he hears music from the crystal ball. When he wakes up, he's in the past, and he figures it out pretty quickly. He chats with Pear and Pisaeng in class, and at the end of the day, he goes to sleep and wakes up back in the changed present.

He has no control the way he does in the series; he just gets a day in the past. So he's a more active protagonist in the series by virtue of this major change to the premise.

PISAENG THE MENACE

By episode two of the series, it's very, very clear that Pisaeng has been carrying a torch for the quiet kid in class.

My guess for how this may play out in future episodes is that: we could find out that Pisaeng in the original timeline was willing to marry Pear because it's an arranged marriage situation between their families and neither one of them was romantically committed to it. Pisaeng had a crush on Kawi back in university, but because Kawi never talked to anyone and needed to work while everyone else was socializing, Pisaeng never got to know him in any real way, so it was just a superficial crush based on looks (which would tie in nicely with Kawi's fixation on how hot Pisaeng is and his own insecurities about how he feels he doesn't measure up). Now that Pisaeng's seen and talked to Kawi more, the plot may basically become "you're soulmates no matter what you do lolol now let this woman be in peace with her wife".

In the novel, though, Pisaeng isn’t just flirtatious and obviously pining, he’s teeth-on-the-jugular obvious from the word "go".

AND THEN THERE'S THIS

In chapter one of the novel, Kawi goes back in time, chats with Pear, gets egregiously hit on by Pisaeng, wakes up back in the future the next morning to Pisaeng knocking on his door, and finds out that oops, Pear is dead.

Meanwhile, in the series, Kawi goes back and forth about three times by episode two, and by the end, Pisaeng shows up drunk and does this:

(Director Waa is my hero.)

I've only read chapter one so far, and episode two just aired, so it's entirely possible that one of the future episodes might do the "oops we killed someone" thing, but for now, Pear is safe from both of these idiots. <3

IN CONCLUSION

None of this exists in the premise or first chapter of the Jittirain's novel:

Kawi's father, the secret buddy gift exchange, the signature thing that was probably a SOTUS callback because Krist, the dandelion crystal ball, the whole "it's a dream!" character study bit, Pisaeng's mating three-pointer, the club, the gang boss, the iconic running and holding hands, DJ Pisaeng, etc.

The stuff that's the same:

Pisaeng and Pear getting married, the AI, Kawi being an introverted and underpaid subber, time travel, and…I think that's all the major stuff.

So it seems to me like they mean it when they say "inspired by" rather than "adapted from" Jittirain's novel. I think they just took the premise and maybe borrowed a few major events from the novel, but they definitely haven't shied away from making it their own so far!

I'll keep reading the novel and I'll add a new note to this if I see anything else majorly different in future episodes/chapters!

#be my favorite the series #be my favorite #kawi x pisaeng #pisaengkawi #be my favorite meta #kiranokira meta