#home is the most fucked up but i also will watch that episode due to the impact it had on television in the 90's and how grotesque it is

[kinardscoffee]

Do you think Tommy is here to stay for a while? How do you think is going to evolve his relationship with Buck? Will we get another kiss next episode?

I would love for him to stay forever!! Love him!!

Hey, Anon! Thanks for stopping by! I love talking about anything related to bucktommy, so you've basically made my day with your ask!

This turned into a long ass post, so I'm putting the rest under the cut.

Yes, I really do think Tommy is here to stay for a while because, honestly, he's the perfect LI to become Buck's endgame.

And I know that that thought is the biggest issue with certain stans right now, but like, he can easily have little storylines weaved throughout the series with the main and guest stars. And, if you actually read the interviews that the actors and Tim are doing, it's clear that's the goal. In fact, I was actually going to make a post for that idea, but I'll just add it here:

Hen, Chim, Bobby

Tommy clearly has a connection to Hen, Chim, and Bobby from his days at the 118. We've seen it in S2, so it's a canon fact. Chim saved his life, so that's a strong fucking bond right there. Not to mention they clearly enjoy quoting movies and probably discussing the plot of movies together. (Thank you, Bobby begins for the bar scene) Tommy was there when Kevin died, too, so he understands the loss that Chim has experienced through the job. And let's not forget that he had the opportunity to watch Chim become an amazing paramedic.

When it comes to Hen, he helped get rid of Captian Gerrard when Hen was being put through hell. (And yes, I do believe he said something to the higher ups. He is a military guy, and following the chain of command is very important to them, so I'm not surprised he never voiced his opinions outloud. Add that with the idea that he was very deep in the closet, he was probably terrified of that man.) And he knows that when it comes to Hen, she will never give up to do what's right and I like to think Tommy took a page from her book and applied that to his life on his journey to accept himself.

Then Bobby. Probably the first man in a leadership position that treated him with kindness and respect. When Bobby comes to the 118, there's some resistance, mostly from Sal, but even through all that, Tommy sees that Bobby is fair (transferring Sal to another station instead of fully firing him) and welcoming (by incorporating family dinners).

Athena

I was struggling with how he'd be connected to Athena, but then I remembered: trivia night!

Athena and Bobby used to have game night with Michael and David. Can you IMAGINE Bobby and Athena inviting Buck and Tommy over for dinner and game night??? I can. And I am so here for it!

Teams would absolutely be: Bobby and Buck. Athena and Tommy.

And let's face it. Athena sees Buck as Bobby's un-adopted son, so if Tommy makes Buck happy, Athena is good.

Karen

This one is interesting and maybe a tiny bit of a stretch, but I really believe that Tommy and Karen could connect through their interest for aviation/aerospace. She's a rocket scientist for crying out loud. He'd be like a little kid at the place where she works.

I also like to think that maybe, due to his childhood and being constantly between homes, he can help discuss the trauma that Mara might feel.

Maddie

I mean, the most important thing to her is that Tommy obviously makes her little brother happy and giddy. She wants to meet him, which is something I can't recall Buck or Maddie ever saying before about one of Buck's LI. Maybe Abby, but Buck was living in her apartment soooo... yeah.

I know Lou has revealed the backstory he has set up in his mind for Tommy and after saying his father was an alcoholic, I can't stop thinking that maybe little Tommy unfortunately experienced abuse from his father or witnessed it happening to his mom. Tommy, having a childhood connected to domestic violence, while not in the exact same way that Maddie experienced it, gives them something in common on a deeper level. An understanding of how important it is to accept love and open yourself up to the possibility.

Eddie

Eddie's friendship with Tommy is actually so interesting to me too because I have this crazy "invisible string" theory that includes him.(Platonically) But, moving on...

Clearly, they share a love of the same things. Muay Thai, watching fights, cars, Buck, basketball, the military.

For me, the military is their real connection because of Eddie's breakdown. No one else in Eddie's life can really understand what he's gone through and how it feels to maybe be the only one of your unit to survive. I'm pretty sure Tommy has already gone through therapy, and since Eddie had no one to reach out to with shared trauma like Frank suggested, he found that second chance in Tommy.

Buck

I mean... they connected lips and soon hearts. 🥺 Sooo....

Next question...

I really hope their relationship evolves in the cutest, sweetest, sometimes naughty, way!

I want to see nervousness. I want to see them learning things about each other. I want them to cuddle and laugh and go on double dates.

I want them to worry about the other one during a dangerous call or rush to each other at a moments notice.

I want to see them fall so in love with each other that I can sue ABC for giving me cavities from all the sweetness.

Having said that... I also want to see disagreements. Arguments and vulnerability and then the process of apologizing and making up.

So, basically, I want them to evolve into a healthy, stable, loving relationship.

And hell yeah! There will be a kiss on Thursday. I'd like to believe we'll see more than one just because of Oliver's interview, but for sure, we're getting one initiated by Buck and honestly I cannot fucking wait!!!!

I want him to stay forever, too. You're not alone 🩵

#911 spoilers #911 abc #911 fandom #evan buckley #bucktommy #tommy kinard #911 speculation #tevan #kinley #buck x tommy #tommy x buck #anon 🩵

[medicaldoctordana]

I do love Glen Morgan and James Wong's team writing. Their last episode was Never again before their return in season 10...

Not me typing this post and wanting to fact check myself and listing all of their episodes that the two of them wrote and finding they are actually some of the most fucked up and absolute wild x-files episodes that exist. Yes a couple are hits but holy heck these two guys wrote all THOSE episodes!!!!!

Never Again

TFWID

Home

Die Hand Die Verletzt

One Breath

Little Green Men

Tooms

E.B.E.

Beyond the Sea

Ice

Shadows

Squeeze

Blood

3

Musings of CSM

Home Again

This

Founder's Mutation

Ghouli

(Nothing Lasts Forever)

#glen morgan #james wong #it makes sense now why no one voted for them lol #the x files #some of these episodes ARE very good episodes but they are also very out there and out of the box episodes #which to me is classic x files so i love and accept them #i know some of you have ur attachments to tfwid but that episode is not for me at all #home is the most fucked up but i also will watch that episode due to the impact it had on television in the 90's and how grotesque it is #DHDV is the snake one right the snake lady with the cult thing? #one breath... need i say anything? what was that #LGM yes sexy cute mulder but also wtf guys that ep threw a huge wrench in the mythology #Squeeze & tooms okay Eugene a legend but very fucked up! In a good fun way! #e.b.e. is just silly fun from what i remember might just be the bts footage for filming that ep that i love sm #beyond the sea another well loved ep that is simply not for me i do not care for it #ice <3 #shadows <3 #blood was bad?? I think??? #3 we dont need to talk about i find it to be very boring #musings of csm.... no thanks #and im no expert on season 10 or 11 but i think only this and nlf were good of those ones.

[metalandmagi]

Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess). 

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a  (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

#yuri on ice #kaguya sama: love is war #fruits basket #ore monogatari #bloom into you #sasaki to miyano #snow white with the red hair #yamada kun to lv999 no koi wo suru #horimiya #recovery of an mmo junkie #taisho maiden fairy tale #skip to loafer #unfortunately not much bl or gl since a lot that I've seen is too...out there for this list... #now bl manga on the other hand... #why did i make this lol? #because i finally got to the confession scene in akatsuki no yona of course and now i'm dead #I kinda want to include doukyuusei too but it's just a little bit steamier than what I was going for with this 😅

[cup1dt3a]

Do you still accept requests?

How would it be if the human reader has a little brother or sister who watches Wally's show, and well the reader like a good big brother the reader takes care of them and watches along with them, well what if Yandere wally falls in love with the reader, what would happen?

Tysm for the request this is the first one I’ve ever had for a story! And ofc! My request are always open unless stated otherwise. Also I mainly just do gender neutral!readers so the reader will be gender neutral!

” It’s starting! It’s starting! It’s starting! Come on you slow poke!”

“ Ow! Ok ok! Geez how you so strong for a seven year old?”

You muttered as your younger sister tugged you towards the Tv. Eyes gleaming with pure enchantment as the cheesy theme song of the puppet show they loved to watch. You being the good older sibling you were would watch it with them since your parents were too busy most of the time to watch the show with her.

“ Eeeeee! Look it’s Wally!” You cheered as the colorful puppet appeared on the screen.

“ Yup they’re your favorite huh?” You asked them with a chuckle to how excited they got.

“ Of course they paint very well and they look so cool!” They exclaimed while the puppets talked away.

As the show went on you just watched away with your little sibling. Sure it was just another little kids show but you had to admit the character designs were just so well done and amazing.

“Now what should I paint today?” Wally asked on the big screen looking towards the audience.

“ A rainbow rose!” They jumped.

“ A DANCING BLUE FLAMINGO!” You shouted just to mess with them seeing them angrily huff.

“ As if he’d paint that. Wally is so much more mature than that!” They crossed their arms as you giggled.

“ What an excellent decision! A dancing blue flamingo!” He cheered.

Your sibling ate their words with a pitiful glare as they looked up at you sticking your tongue out at them. You both watched the episode making a few jokes here and there to upset them. It was all fun in games for you two. It’s not really like your parents were ever around either. Sure it sucked but at least you weren’t alone as much as you wished but fuck it they’re fun to be around so why not.

You had put your little sister to bed a while ago. At least 2 hours ago and decided it was time to check on them due to their nightmares they have. As you went to their room you had heart their voice outside the room along with another’s voice it sounded familiar but you knew it wasn’t one of your parents. As you hurriedly walked over to where you heard the voices your heart beat fast. Rushing as faster than you ran to check on who the hell was talking to your seven year old sister.

“ Yeah! _____ loves that too!” You happily said as you turned to corner in a panic.

“ Mhm! You’re so helpful little one but I think it’s off to bed with you now. Go on sweet dreams little dreamer.” Wally said on the big screen with a smile and tilt to his head.

“ Oh geez. What are you doing up watching TV?” You sighed in relief.

“ Wally wanted to talk with me. And I didn’t want to be rude!” They replied looking up at you while you took them to bed holding their small hand.

“ Ok but next time Wally wants to “talk” with you tell him ____ said no.” You told them playing into their little fantasy.

“ Fine…Can you watch Welcome Home with me tomorrow still?” They sad with puppy dog eyes.

“ Yes yes. How about after work we go have a little sleep over in my room sound good?” You asked as they nodded with excitement.

As you went back into the living room you had noticed the TV was still on with Wally staring at you. Well it looked that way but as he silently stared you hadn’t noticed how much larger his smile got before you shut it off with a big yawn.

You had been having to take your younger sibling to work with you. It’s not like you wanted to but it’s not like you had a choice either. Because your parents were never home and your sister was to you get to be alone either way. Plus your boss was ok with it since they would bring their own kid to work. They would play together with each other a lot and we’re friends so it was a win win either way.

“ You having fun with charley?” You asked as they nodded playing with the other’s action figures.

It was getting late so you had to remind them to start wrapping things up. They sadly agreed upset it was the end of your shift before they remembered about your sleep over with them. They had said their goodbyes and hugged any other friends they had before you had left. They had skipped as they held your hand back to the apartment. You then came upon a display case of old TV’s they all displayed Wally.

“ Look! Loook! It’s Wally he’s waving at us! Hiiii Wally!” They jumped with glee waving at the puppet on screen.

Indulging your younger sister you also waved greeting the puppet before walking away with your younger sibling. Not noticing the out of order signs or the way the puppet had followed you both with its head.

” Sleep Over! Sleep Over! SLEEP OVER!” They chanted as you popped the popcorn and got a few apples for them too.

You both went back to your room rolling your eyes as they dashed over towards your room. You also has a TV in there to watch your own shows other than Welcome Home. Such as more horror shows and adult shows because you didn’t want to accidentally influence them with inappropriate things or have to answer the embarrassing questions of theirs.

“ So let me guess Welcome Home?” You guessed without a doubt as they exclaimed a gleeful yes.

You then set the Tv up to play the show as they started to munch on some popcorn. She then started to try and aim it at your mouth every time missing but you still encouraged them to keep trying until one lucky shot they finally got it in your mouth.

“ Wooo! I did it!” The cheered bounced up and down.

“ Good job little dreamer!” Wally clapped on point as if he was congratulating your sister with you.

“ Thanks Wally it was so cool right?” They asked expecting an answer.

“Oh why it was very cool! You think you can do it again?” He asked with a tilt to his head.

You sat there in concern as the two talked observing as they spoke to each other.

“ How are you doing that?” You asked them with a slight shake to your voice.

“ Doing what…Omg you’re so dumb just talk to him like any other person ____! ____ can be so dumb sometimes right Wally?” They asked looking over to the puppet.

“ Now that wasn’t nice? You should apologize to ____ they must feel very sad now.” He told the small child.

They hurriedly apologize just as the puppet asked. He was a puppet. He couldn’t have known your name. Your little sister isn’t smart enough to even think of a prank like this. They’ve been doing this. This has been going on for weeks! Finding them in front of the TV talking to the puppet with glee.

“ ____? You ok?” She asked you tugging on your sleeve with concern for your silence.

“ Yes, Yes I’m fine…So wally how long have you two been talking.” You asked in disbelief still pale.

“ I think the second day you both watched the show! You’re such a good sibling always going on with the little dreamers antics you almost make me envy you with how cute of a sister you have.” They replied.

That’s not part of any script. This wasn’t normal!

“ Yeah! Wally would ask me to go and talk to him about you!” they said with a smile on your face while yours remained pale.

“ Yes I couldn’t help myself and they always sneaked up late at night for a snack and mischievous little thing they are started to just talk to me. I couldn’t help but ask about you. Always so hard working and kind to the little one.” You dreamily sighed.

“ Uh huh.” You said.

You felt sick. How could you not have noticed this!? How did you let this slide for months? Are you that neglectful? God you’re almost as bad as your parents! Your little sibling has been talking with some puppet who sounds obsessed with you as they go on and on about how perfect you are. You had noticed your sister start to yawn cuddling up on the bed. You took her to her room as soon as she passed out wanting to have your own conversation with the puppet. As you came back there he stood int the dark screen with that sinister smile peering into your soul.

“ What exactly have you been asking of my little sister?” You asked him with a slight grit to your teeth.

“ Just about you. Your likes, interests, hobbies, insecurities…. Everything about you really!” He stated.

“ Why though?” You asked feeling insane for doing this.

“ Because you’re all I can think about. All I ever dream about! All I ever want. Just look at yourself. So perfect so free like a song bird.” He sighed looking as if he was drooling.

“ You’re just so perfect. I love and want everything to do with….Why are you trying to turn the TV off?” He pouted with a tilt as you tried to turn your Tv off.

“ No No! My sweet dreamer you’re finally acknowledging me! I won’t let you stop now! We’ll be together forever! Just me you and your sister!” He gasped getting closer to the Tv.

“ YOU CANT LEAVE ME! I LOVE YOU! I LIVE FOR YOU! I BREATHE FOR YOU! YOU CANT LEAVE ME NOT AGAIN!” He cried out smooshing his face to the TV.

The screen then constantly displayed love me on it over and over again while the puppets eyes shook. “ Please love me! I need you!!I promise I won’t harm them at all just please keep listening to me! I need you!” He yelled banging onto the screen.

You had no idea what to do or to listen to him as he constantly cried out of any ounce of your attention. Almost like a touch starved animal.

“You…promise?” You asked as he nodded smile growling bigger by the second. What have you done?

Tysm again for the request they are open! Hope you’re all having a good day/night or that it gets better!

Part 2 ( Enjoy<333)

Sincerely- Cup1dT3A💌

#wally darling #welcome home #yandere wally darling #welcome home wally #wally darling x reader #welcome home x reader

[tubbytarchia]

Actually I'm gonna need a little insanity thread for all the rancher things I love as I watch their POV for the first time. I'll publicize this when I'm done with ep5

TLDR: Heavens, it is a long list. I cannot tldr this

Them running around in circles, completely lost after their first deaths whilst also not expressing even the slightest bit of anger (esp Jimmy because you know)

Them expecting the other to know how to build but neither of them can

Tango building a box of a house and Jimmy being absolutely smitten by it continuously

Tango praising Jimmy with full genuinity for bringing back... a bucket of water

Them cradling one little chicken like its their offspring before they can get more

Jimmy standing behind the door, calling for Tango in order to surprise him with cows.... god help my heart

Tango declaring them as team ranchers to immediately admit he might not be a very good rancher. This is good and cute because I love to see them struggle yet have unbridled support towards each other

Jimmy being cornered by Joel and Etho so Tango leaves to save him (or so he says at least!)

Jimmy ushering Tango into their house as Tango yells for help due to his hunger and being chased by mobs, and then Jimmy giving him two melon slices because that's all he has (They are so pathetically poor which only accentuates the wholesome and cute factor)

Jimmy accidentally picking up Tango's baked potato and then handing it back to him so they can eat together while Tango basically foams out the mouth because he's so hungry

"Welcome home honey"

Them celebrating being able to feed themselves to any degree

Tango all "I built that wall, it's ugly, continuing the trend" only for Jimmy to immediately proclaim that he likes it

Jimmy catching on that Tango can be a great builder actually and confronting him about it like he's just been cheated on

Tango blocking their entrance to prevent more cows from leaving for Jimmy to then admit that he was the one that broke the door, oops

Tango watching Jimmy escort two goats from a distance "he's doing great"

Them in total confusion wasting way too much time trying to figure out how to get goat horns as they're huddled in their house with said goats strolling around (and them continuing to get butted casually as they go about their normal activities) before eventually choosing to waste much more time by trying to do the same thing outside

Unrelated but Pearl of all people being the first person to come to them with genuine help rather than to fuck with them like everyone else

In the face of all their struggles, the thing that seems to bring the absolute most joy to Tango and Jimmy by this point is obtaining a silly little goat horn

The fact that they both got the exact same goat horn!!!

"I need stuff for tools, and I need stuff for Jimmy"

Tango defending their base's looks despite proclaiming to be a bad builder, because god, I want him to be doing that just because of how much Jimmy praised it

Nobody replying to their goat horns, but THEM replying to each other!! (They also toot at each other later when frantically looking for each other agh!!)

This time Tango interrogating Jimmy as if he's been cheated on because Jimmy went into the deep dark without his approval

"The R survived"

"Tango snap out of it; Tango's having a moment" *Tango yelling and groaning and grunting and laughing continuously*

"Tango, Tango, let's think about this. Let's think about this!" "Hold me back" "Tango, listen to the horn" Jimmy calming his deranged husband aw

Tango burying his head in a corner refusing to look at his beautiful ranch in complete ruin even as Jimmy coaxes him

Jimmy and Tango kind of begrudgingly accepting Scar trying to be nice but Jimmy still valiantly defending the foot tower before it burned to the ground

Their son/daughter :( (Tango refers to the Warden as a she one episode and a he in another. Their child was an icon...)

Tango expressing that he's proud of Jimmy for having stayed alive so long and Jimmy replying "It's all down to to you. Hey, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you"

Maybe Jimmy really didn't have a water bucket on him but it was so funny of him to casually turn to Tango whilst on fire and go "can you put me out?"

Jimmy being comically kidnapped??? (Actually being put into gay baby jail instead) And asking Tango to help save him

"You're still here? It's over. Go home. Go." (insert a bunch of crying emojis)

Other stuff: I think by virtue of Jimmy being a real tall guy, his character is usually depicted as taller than Tango's if not significantly so. As such... Tango calling Jimmy "little man" tickles me greatly and sounds like a very fond pet name

Briefly brought it up earlier but goddd. I will absolutely hc that Tango only became proud and defendant of his work because of how much Jimmy liked what he built. And Jimmy always being there and calming Tango in his crazed outbursts <3 Tango is such a goddamn creature isn't he

And the uhh... Tango dying quickest out of anyone because of a creeper, to then express that he was proud of Jimmy for doing well even though he got them killed the first time around, and then Jimmy unceremoniously dying to an Enderman to end their series for good... As funny and poetic as it is, god, the canary curse fuckin hurts!! And yet there were hardly times that Tango showed disdain towards Jimmy, and then never genuinely. He knew their series could end quick with Jimmy as his soulmate and even when their positivity faltered, their support towards one another never did

For having read all this (or maybe just glancing and scrolling)... some unfinished rancher doodles just for you that I made while watching their POV

:)

#team rancher #rancher duo #I am not okay #trafficshipping #blabber

[hopefulromances]

can you do 37. “Is that my shirt?” with jamie? also love your writing <3

Thank you so much dear! Thank you for the ask!

37. “Is that my shirt?”

You stretched out on the sofa, feeling the stretch all the way from your fingers down to your toes. Jamie was out at some away game. You wanted to come but it didn't match up quite right with your work schedule, so you had to stay behind this time.

You missed Jamie so much, you really did. But man was it nice to have some alone time. All day everyday you were constantly bombareded with social interactions. From work, colleagues, after work activites, then going to pick Jamie up from training, you rarely had a moments peace.

Jamie was due back the next day, and you were excited to have him home. You couldn't wait for him to walk through the door, excitedly telling you about the city they had visit, what rom com Ted had forced them to watch, and the exciting play-by-play of the game. After about an hour of listening to him, he would ask you how you had managed the weekend without him to which you would respond with telling him your exciting weekend plans (which mainly contained lots of baths and New Girl marathons).

Which was exactly what you were up to at this moment. You laid out on your couch, an episode of New Girl that you'd seen a million times playing on the TV that you weren't really watching, while you played a mindless app game on your phone. Tomorrow night you'd most likely be doing the same thing except Jamie would be there.

To mimic that, you'd gone over into his single drawer that he had at your place and stolen one of his shirts. As much as you loved your alone time, Jamie's presence was one that you needed in your life. His upbeat yet laidback energy helped you to relax and wearing his clothes when he wasn't around helped you to find that energy.

Not that he knew that, of course. You weren't sure how he'd feel about you stealing his clothes just yet. Having just passed the 8 month mark in your relationship.

You felt yourself just start to nod off, when you vaguely heard the door open and close. At first it seemed like the dreaming part of your brain making it up. Jamie wasn't meant back until tomorrow and no one else had a key to your place. But then a voice confirmed that someone was indeed in your apartment.

"Is that my shirt?"

Your eyes flew open as you looked up to see Jamie smiling at you from the doorway.

"Jamie!" you exclaimed, scrambling up from your spot on the couch.

He opened his arms to welcome you in as you embraced him hastily. The shirt was no match for the real presence of Jamie Tartt. He chuckled as he pulled back breifly to look down at you.

"That's my shirt." He repeated, looking down at the Manchester City shirt you were wearing.

Your cheeks began to burn as you realized your situation. No pants, wearing Jamie's shirt, and nothing else. You pulled on the bottom of the shirt. "Oh... yeah it is."

"Aww, you missed me, did ya?" He teased, pinching your cheek. You batted away his hand and frowned.

"No! I just... liked the fit is all!" You denied, though you knew he was completely right.

Jamie couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by his affection for you. He pulled you into another embrace, his arms keeping you tight against him.

"Well, I'm home now, sweetheart, no need to steal my clohtes anymore." But he was quick to add. "But you're free to if you want cause you look fit as fuck in my shirt." He reached down and pinched your ass, pulling a squeak from you before you dissolved into laughter.

"You want to know what looks even better?" You asked, releasing him from the hug.

"What?" He cocked his head at you. God, he was so cute.

"Me without the shirt."

"I have to agree with you there."

Let's just say you weren't wearing Jamie's shirt for much longer after that.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt x y/n #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fluff #drabble night

[ghostcathedrals]

totally didnt write this after watching an initial d episode (i stop every now and then because it's weird for me)

// use of the adjective 'pretty', nsfw???

former street racer toji who's now encouraging his son, megumi, to join street races if he wants to. the car toji used before is an heirloom passed down to his soon. megumi's pretty new to the business, but he's already showing great potential, especially as someone who's already competing with people older than him. he's planning to rope his friends into racing.

you're just a passerby at the time, decided to stop by a shed with two vending machines somewhere where, well, everyone in the neighborhood knows is turned into a racing circuit for street racers. you know that the races are often at night for obvious reasons, and because this is a popular circuit due to its location, some racers go all the way to this place to compete.

all these racers and audience who love racing are engrossed in the atmosphere. despite being completely not into racing, you get sucked in their energy. you can tell some of them are not locals, but everyone knows them.

finest of the finest.

undefeated.

fastest and most up-to-date models.

to be honest, you don't even have a car to begin with. all their terminologies seem so alien to you. when you've finished your snacks, you pick up your bicycle and kick up side stand. as much as you want to camouflage behind the tall spectators, some of them notice you. you're not exactly popular in the city, but they happen to be the people you know. they call your name, causing attention to shift to you. fuck my life. you appreciate attention, but not when pairs of eyes dart at you.

one of them happens to be fushiguro megumi. you sort of know him. your brother works part-time at the high school where megumi is studying. you try to avoid the unwanted whispers and gazes as you walk up to him. he's leaning against the door of his car with his arms crossed under his chest. "hi, megumi. didn't know you race," you say, small smile plastered on your face. since he also knows you and your relation to his teacher, he bows in respect.

"hello," he greets you. "are you here to watch?"

you shake your head. "felt hungry on my way home so i stopped by at the shed over there." you cock your head to your left to gesture at the green-lit shed. "good luck, megumi." you pat his shoulder. he shows you a small smile as he bows, but his attention shifts to the men who aren't ashamed of talking about you, wondering who you might be, guessing if they've seen you somewhere because your resemblance to your brother can mistake you as twins.

"don't mind them," he tells you. "are you sure you can go home? your bike's front light is broken."

you peer down to look at your front light, then you set your eyes back to him. "streetlights. i'll stay as close to the sides—"

"no," he's gotten used to using honorifics in addressing you, and you already gave up on correcting him. "my dad's here. he can take you home. he brought his pickup, so you can put your—"

the race is about to start. they call megumi's name and he turns. "time's up for chitchats. and megumi, enough talking with that pretty person over there," the guy winks at you. stunned, you don't react. "i'll keep this pretty one company if you'd like—"

"no need," you wave it off. "good night."

as much as you've shown nonchalance and calmness (to which most of the marvel at and may have been more attracted to you), you can feel your organs shivering in your body.

the pickup megumi mentioned is hidden behind the crowd because of the wide distance between streetlights, not to mention how little their areas of illumination are. the warm light in the vehicle, however, lights up, and you see megumi's father, whom you've never actually seen in person. he's his father because of the uncanny resemblance. his eyes are boring holes in your head, like a predator eyeing his prey, or a hunter aiming his arrow at his target.

the lump in your throat is a heavy one and you struggle to gulp it down. not only is his stare intimidating, he's attractive. way too attractive. the scar slashed on the side of his lips is the cherry on top. your gut is burning, rendering your legs too heavy to move. you power through regardless, forcing yourself to walk past his car.

as you're about to hop on your bike, you hear the thud of a car door closing and nearly lose your balance as you turn behind you, other leg folded midair.

"careful." his voice isn't deep like a sound deep in the ocean, yet you feel the chill rise from your feet to your hair. the distance closes between you two, and that's the only time you process how tall he is. he leans against the open, elongated trunk, arm resting on the rubbered edge. "now i wonder why you'll ride your bike in a dark road and no front light."

if i don't call the gods to give me strength, i will fall down and die. he makes you weak and you barely know him.

you don't have enough brain power to answer considering the aura of this man beside you and your strong will to go home. just in time ⎯ the race starts, and it's loud as hell. both of you turn to look at them, and then back to each other. "race started. if you don't wanna get hit by a car and thrown into a ditch, you should stay here and wait for it to end."

a heavy sigh leaves your mouth as your shoulders sag. even when megumi's dad, fushiguro toji (your brother said), doesn't stop you from going further, you really won't make it home. now both of you are leaning against the car, looking at the uproar. "um," you want to say something, and the moment a sound leaves your throat, he instantly shifts his eyes to you, and that then adds pressure and hinders you from continuing. his eyebrows rise up, as if waiting for you to continue speaking.

"i hope it isn't going to be troublesome for you to drive me home⎯"

"it will be more troublesome if i let you go home by yourself. you'll get into an accident." then he diverts his eye contact from you again, arms crossing under his chest. "i'd be damned if i let you get into an accident and scar your pretty face." he says this with a confident grin, in contrast with your stunned expression and tomato-red cheeks. he chuckles when he sees your face. "just stay and watch the race. megumi won't disappoint you."

so you do.

you're hearing it ⎯ megumi's ahead, stunning everyone. toji's smirk doesn't leave his face, even as he occasionally looks at his wrist to check the time. the thing is, you're already quite tired before this, so you shift your weight to your right. you wince though, because the ball of your right feet already hurts. you crouch, avoiding the tire of the car. then he notices.

"get in." two words, but you don't need more to follow him. when you stand up and reach for the handle of the backseat's car door, his hand catches yours, moving it away. "passenger seat."

"why?"

"because you're pretty."

you're furrowing your eyebrows in confusion but it doesn't divert his attention from your blushing cheeks. "...okay?" he grins again, probably knowing the way his expression is attracting you to him.

it's loud outside but silent in the car. toji turns on the radio and an old r&b song plays, filling the silent area of the car. he doesn't shift in his position except for just putting his left hand ⎯ well, wrist, specifically ⎯ on the steering wheel, naturally used to just looking at out despite the scenery unchanging. from your peripheral vision, you stare at his features just to brush off the awkwardness and inner tension you feel. when he rolls down the window, slightly leaning over. because of this, you see the sharpness of his jawline. actually, no, it's a perfectly blend of soft and sharp, perhaps from age. peaking out from his round collar is a tattoo. it's probably not maintained as the black ink is not prominent anymore. he's wearing a long-sleeved shirt that's trying its best not to pop. his chest is not protruding intentionally, it's just that his chest is... big.

peripheral vision doesn't help you that much and you inadvertently turn your head to look (stare) at him. arms almost ripping the sleeve fabric apart, the big ass chest, and then down to his thighs. he's wearing sweatpants that matches his sweatshirt. his thighs are toned from working out, and the sculpt of it molds the fabric, thus making it visible. you honestly didn't know how attractive in all areas megumi's dad was, and if you did, you probably would've replaced your brother.

"you plan on just staring at me the whole time, pretty?"

you flush at this, despite knowing he would be able to tell if you're staring at him. you couldn't help it, and toji seems to not see this in vain. in fact, he's enjoying it. he doesn't care about attention, and doesn't even go to parent-teacher conferences anyway. your brother has already given up on making him go, but on your part, there has to be a way for him to even show up and make himself available for his son's academics and not just racing.

"i mean," you shrug, "you seem to like it."

one mere reply has drained every bit of confident you have left. you're surprised you even that much stored after this socially disastrous night. he turns his head, looking at you with a smirk (default expression? perhaps). eventually, he rolls up the window, but never moves his eyes away from you. "not seem, pretty. i do enjoy it when your eyes are only focused on me."

"you just met me and you're already flirt⎯"

he raises an eyebrow as if you're wrong. "you think? sometimes i pick up megumi while i'm parking at a fast food chain across his school. you walk him out sometimes along with his friends. i know who you are," then drawls the syllables of your name. as much as i'd like to say that's lowkey creepy, your gut says otherwise. "hmm, if it means i'll get to see you more often, i might to go to the PTCs after all."

your brother will be eternally grateful to you.

you can't control the grin on your face as you look away.

"aww, getting all bashful?" he teases you, then poking his finger in your waist, and when you jolt, he realizes that you have a tickle spot there. he laughs when you glare at him. "you're getting cuter," he says and you hate how you react to the way he says your name. "you really are so cute," he adds as your cheeks burn.

as if by instinct, his eyes go down to your thighs. pajamas yes, its flowy fabric doesn't show the figure of your thighs that much, but you can't really stop squeezing your hand in between your thighs. no seem ⎯ he's enjoying the way you react to him. but he doesn't have to say anything else. congratulations, you've regained your confidence! it does look like you won't be able to sleep when you get home. and don't worry about home ⎯ your brother is dead from all the papers on his desk and is probably asleep on the floor next to his swivel chair.

"where are you going with this flirting, mr. fushiguro? care to share it with the rest?"

oh, he loves it, especially when you slowly move your hand out of the friction between your thighs, then gripping the side of the cushioned seat.

"you really want to know, baby?"

you shrug, smiling confidently. "i'm quite eager to learn from you."

he pokes his tongue in his cheek in amusement. "sit on my lap then."

while that really catches you off guard, you follow him anyway. you carefully move to his lap, not wanting to accidentally move the shifting gear. you shift in your position as you try to saddle your legs in between him. already experienced with this, you hold onto his shoulder while adjusting yourself to fit perfectly on his lap. he makes raspy sound, instinctively and slightly bucking his hips from your movement. your body is scalding from the sexual tension and it's fogging your mind with all sorts of sexual fantasies, completely crushing your rationality.

neither of you say anything at all. you just dip into his scent and kiss. it's a sweet kiss at first, but as you both keep pressing yourself into each other, it gets sloppy. your mouths open to move your tongues, spit streaming down your chin. you let out a moan from the pleasure of being in his bubble, no privacy left between you. but you both move away, staring at each other, facial expressions unchanging. slowly, you pull up your shirt, as if telling him to play with your nipples as you make out. he obliges, one hand on your chest, the other on your lower back, beckoning you to move closer. from the action itself, you can feel something pocking your crotch. he only grins at you before you both kiss again.

"you've kissed a lot with those lips, haven't you?"

you innocently (wow!) smile at him. "yes, but i don't bother remembering their names." that gives him an idea.

"i'll make sure you won't ever forget this one," he says, cocksure. "that when you see me, you'll instantly remember this, and you'll think about it while you're mind is drifting somewhere else." you moan at his declaration, and the sound itself causes him to buck his hips again. "guess i'm quite attractive to you, aren't i, baby?"

you let your chest but pushed against his own when he moves his hands to your ass, letting you grind against his clothed erection, building more tension that both of you are struggling to handle. for leverage, you place one hand on the shoulder of his seat. he starts moaning into kiss as you start whimpering from the overwhelming pleasure. his lips then trail kisses until he reaches your neck. you arch your back to give him leverage, sucking on your skin, bruising it. he chuckles at his work, but it chokes in his throat when you grind too hard and his precum is already dampening his boxers too much.

to thank him for such a lovely mark on your neck, pepper his neck with your kisses as you grind, oh my god, he loves it so much. the sounds he makes motivate you to keep getting him on his high. you're doing too well with this that he's enjoying it so much. but then you start whimpering and whining and mewling against his neck as your nipples are too hard and sensitive. your inner thighs are just as sensitive, shaking from the increasing sensitivity.

"wait, toji, i⎯"

he then whispers into your ear, attempting to be soft but rasps his words instead. "you wanna take off your pants—"

"wait, i-i can't m-move."

"hm? how so?"

as much as your pride is telling you not to make it obvious that despite making out with people in the past, you've never fucked or got fucked. this is why this is too overwhelming for you, but toji is experienced to know that it's your first time. your sounds keep trailing after the other, so one of his hands move up to your waist as though he were guiding you. "what do you feel right now?"

"something's dripping but i can't⎯"

he grins. "too much for you, baby?"

you hum in response, burying your head in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. you're trying to catch your breath as your body fails to keep itself sane and together. "i-i don't know." toji's emotions are all over the place. he saw this one coming, but he didn't know how pleasing this would be. "g-gonna..."

"gonna what, baby?"

"c-cum."

"you want to come?" he's gotten soft especially as your grinds become consistent but lazy. "haven't even got my cock in your hole yet, pretty baby. you've got me too excited to find out how fucked out you'll look when you get the real thing."

"s-stop it, toji, i can't hold it back anymore."

"then say it," he grips your ass and waist harder. "tell me what you want to do and what you want me to do."

"let me come, toji, please."

"and your pajamas?" he laughs.

"and your sweatpants?" you giggle.

toji hums and bucks his hips again to tease you. you let out the most high-pitched, salacious moan as you finally throw your head back in overwhelming pleasure. your heart has forgotten how many beats it has to beat in a second. he moans, too, as a response, you both can feel the damp in each other's pants. you then realize that the strain in his voice meant he was trying to suppress his own declaration of pleasure just to surprise you. your pants are mixing together as you both try to catch your breath.

his hand moves up from your ass to your waist, intertwin his hands together against your back, forming an embrace. your shirt is pulled down now, and you're about to fall asleep (i thought you're not sleepy!) against his shoulder.

"wanna do it again, pretty baby?"

you hum in response.

"say it. i used my words, didn't !"

you gulp. "yes. i wanna do it again."

"good, my pretty baby. it'll be far better next time." you hum because you're really just tired already. "try to cycle more so you can keep up with the pace when i fuck you, 'kay?"

since he's just as sleepy, you both don't nice megumi walking up to the pickup. with his two cupped hands, he sees you and his dad in such a ridiculous position. he almost bangs the window, then realizes the door isn't even bothered to be locked. he opens the door and sees the ridiculous position clearer than earlier.

"what the actual fuck."

smut is so hard to write like how do i write about people fucking and they didn't even fuck other than clothed sex erm.... i'm so sorry megumi btw

#jujutsu kaisen #toji fushiguro #toji #toji x reader #fanfiction #fushiguro toji #toji headcanons #race au #racing au #street racing

[microraptorreactor]

No shade at Devsis (for this, specifically) but seriously there are a lot of characters in this game who are a) female, b) have a relationship with another woman that is VERY easy to interpret as queer, and c) are deeply traumatized. Don't get me wrong I love 5/6 of these character's episodes (I only dislike Ice Queen's because Icicle Yetti's voice got really grating on me very quickly) but is everything good at Devsis?

(explanations for my non-cookie run moots under the cut. Cookie Run lore is wild, y'all.)

from top to bottom, left to right.

Frost Queen is a god of frost who froze to death in the arms of her 'best friend' in a past life. She goes on to use blizzards to balance out life and death. (I think. I watched a breakdown and some cutscenes. in order to get this information you have to play an hour with the most annoying cookie available)(I do not like Icicle Yeti)

Moonlight Cookie was created to observe the dreams of mortals/watch over the city of wizards. She has a close relationship with the god of the ocean but can't leave the city to kiss her girl. Eventually, all the wizards leave the city and Moonlight is left to watch over it on her own.

Black Pearl Cookie was a gem mermaid who had a close relationship with a 'maid', Frilled Jellyfish Cookie (second from the right on the bottom row). She is bisexual however, and falls for the worst possible man after running away from home because she didn't get magic powers during the sea magic ceremony thing. The dude steals her kingdom's magic pearl (or maybe he gives it to her? I don't remember the specifics) which starts a war and kinda just fucks everything up. Black Pearl goes to Sea Fairy for help, but Sea Fairy starts a space program instead of helping so Black Pearl turns emo. Also, Frilled Jellyfish dies due to the war. (I said Cookie Run lore was wild)

Sea Fairy Cookie is really down bad for Moonlight Cookie and (unintentionally) makes it everyone's problem. She ignores the sea cookies while they are actively fucking dying and sorta just sits around for the entire plot. She is one of my favorite characters. Like go off girl make your lesbian pining an actual threat to everyone's safety.

Frilled Jellyfish Cookie has been mentioned already but she's just the sweetest little thing. She just wants to see BP happy, man. She does everything in her power to try to console BP and it just gets her killed in the end. Her dying words are her telling BP to leave her and get to safety, and that she will be fine. BP should have just kissed the jellyfish girl why'd she have to fuck around with Oyster :(

Golden Cheese Cookie. She's my favorite character. So for the sapphic part, she's weirdly flirty with Black Rasine Cookie (another desert-themed cookie with bird motifs) and I'm team 'the ancient heroes were poly' so if you ask me she was smooching White Lily and Hollyberry at some point in the past. For the tragic part, here's one of the wildest backstories this game has! Basically, GCC founded and ruled the Golden Cheese Kingdom, which I'm gonna call Cheeseypt because that's what it is. Cheeseypt is a relatively secluded kingdom, mostly interacting with the wider world through trading. At one point, Golden Cheese leaves her kingdom to fight in the Dark Flour War alongside the other Ancient Heros. What happens while she's out? Dark ENchantress (who happens to be GC's ex-close-friend) FUCKING NUKES ALL OF CHEESEYPT. Not even a 'oh they had to flee and they are still rebuilding :(' no ALL OF GOLDEN CHEESE'S FRIENDS ARE DEAD. Consumed by grief, because you know, everyone she loves is dead, GC buries them all under the kingdom and connects their souls to a digital city before entombing herself with them. She tunes the digital city so that everyone's wishes are granted, and all her citizens live lives of comfort and wealth because, for as much as she values her gold, her real treasure is her friends.

I would stop it here but the way the game ends GC's ark is also just fucking insane? so one of her close friends betrays her (for good reason tbh) and destabilizes the entire city. Faced with leaving everyone she loves behind, GC breaks down because there's nothing for her in the real world. Black Raisen cookie comforts her but explains that this eternal dream is going to end someday anyway. So what does GC do? She explains to her citizens that it'll feel like falling asleep, and shuts down digital Cheeseypt. The characters we met in Cheeseypt don't come back, by the way. There's no loophole. They are just possibly dead for real. (or definitely dead in Burnt and Cheesenburg's cases.)

#cookie run kingdom #cookie run comic creator #cookie run #sea fairy cookie #golden cheese cookie #black pearl cookie #moonlight cookie #frost queen cookie #frilled jellyfish cookie #cookie run fans might get enjoyment out of the extended text of me trying to summarize three of the wildest arks in cookie run

[spacerangersam]

Been thinking about how I would've handled the ending of ghosts if it absolutely had to end with Alison and Mike moving out, and it was going to be bug unless I wrote it all down, so here it is:

Firstly,  I think up there needs to be more build up to it during season five, it can't just come out of nowhere in the final episode. There needs to be a bit more tension between the ghosts and the Coopers (preferably with the Coopers sometimes being the ones to upset the ghosts so it's not all one sided, or else it kind of just makes the ghosts look like terrible people), and a bit more hopelessness each time their money-making attempts fail. Not enough that there's no funny or happy moments, just enough that it's clear something has to give.

I think that episode where the ghosts really upset Alison and they spend the entire time trying to make it up to her should be the final episode before the xmas special, and it shouldn't end with them giving her a good review. Instead, they tell her that she can leave. If it's too much, of they're too much, if it'll be better for her and Mike, if it'll be better for the baby, she can go. They'll understand, and they'll love her regardless.

They all leave her to think on it and the season (almost) ends on Alison, just absolutely gobsmacked, alone on her bed.

Cut to the Xmas episode. The baby hasn't come just yet, but she's due soon and the Coopers have to make a choice on the manor. Alison and Mike actually talk about leaving, the pros and cons, and Alison is obviously reluctant to leave, even if she won't admit it. But, when Mike makes an off hand comment about it being a shame they can't all spontaneously move on, Alison gets an idea. While the ghosts have their own b plot (maybe about how they'll handle life after the Coopers leave, with some flashbacks to xmases before the Coopers came), she tries to find a way to help them all move on. She tries fulfilling their last wishes (most of which she can't do because they're impossible), she tries bringing in the priest, she tries everything she can think of, but nothing seems to work.

Finally, just as she's about to give up, she finds a blog written by someone who can also see ghosts. They suggest holding a seance of sorts, and say some ghosts will move on if encouraged/given explicit permission.

It's a long shot, but they try it. Her and Mike sit in a circle holding hands, the ghosts around her, and she closes her. One by one, the ghosts steps into the circle  and Alison tells them how weird and wonderful they are, how much they've changed and grown, how much she loves them, and then that it's time for them to move.

When she's gone through every last ghosts, she finally opens her eyes. Miraculously, it worked. They're all gone. And she immediately breaks down. She clings to Mike, sobbing, and he hugs her back, a bit teary eyed too. They were her ghosts, but he still cared for them too, in his own little way.

The final moments of the episode are a montage (preferably accompanied by an acoustic cover of an upbeat song to really kick in the misery), showing them: driving away from the manor, them moving into their new home (the ghost board hanging in on the wall), the baby arriving etc etc

The very last second though, while her and Mike are sitting down, watching TV, Alison sits up and goes "Oh fuck I forgot about the plagues!" Cut to the plague ghosts, just chilling in the sauna of Button Hotel. End scene.

Obviously this isn't perfect or anything and won't be for everyone, but I think it's the kind of ending I would have preferred.

#do we still have to tag spoilers? idk if we still have to tag spoilers #bbc ghosts #ghosts spoilers #just in case #queue you

[ghl-osty]

wow one thing i love so Much about the Guys is that they’re all aware of their situation, one way or another. it’s such a cool little detail.

Red guy is the most obvious, being aware that he’s stuck. he wants out, he wants change. he might be the most aware of just how bad things are. he is constantly associated with testing things, even in the web series. in Love, when Yellow runs off, he says,

“He seems upset about something. I wonder what will happen.”

and again in Dreams, when he pulls the plug on the Computer,

“I wonder what will happen”

so right from the beginning, Red is associated with change. and in the tv series, he begins to start fighting back agains the Loop and the House, claiming several times that he wants to leave, that he wants a change.

we get to see this a lot in Transportation, pretty much through the whole episode. but when he’s telling Yellow about the neighbors, he makes a comment (though severely muffled due to Yellow’s daydream) about how their stuff won’t come to life anymore when they escape. and during his breakdown, he starts yelling at Duck that Groton and Hovris always end up back at home at the start of the next episode. it’s pretty clear that he’s actually talking about their life. and Red is desperate to get out of there.

he is aware, to some degree, that he is caught in a Loop.

Duck is different. Duck is aware that he is being watched. he knows to some extent that his actions are being documented. Duck is constantly associated with screens, and you can see more in this post and this post as well about how he breaks the fourth wall quite a few times, and is evidently the most accepting of their world, almost to an unhealthy extent.

so Duck is aware of an audience’s presence.

Yellow guy is aware of missing.

he doesn’t know what- probably a side effect of his old batteries. but he makes so many off handed comments through the show that truly make so much sense… he totally has a better grasp at what’s going on above the Guys then Duck and Red do. in Electricity, when Duck asks for help finding ‘the opposite of down. two letters.’ (which is clearly up) Yellow says,

“it’s when you can’t remember that over the top of you, there are… bigger ones, that are bigger, and bigger, and over the top of it there’s a smaller one and all of it, at the top of that.”

which is an exact description of what you find if you go up the stairs.

we know he’s done it before. based on the photo on the stairwell and Leslie’s comment about waiting for him, this obviously happens frequently. and i’m assuming that Yellow’s batteries get taken in most Loops, too. that’s why the other Guys haven’t read the Book yet.

Smart Yellow also makes it clear that he’s aware of his memory being messed with, and starts questioning the Loop and the Teachers (which Duck hates)

but Regular Yellow retains the memory of climbing the stairs. not by much, but enough to connect it with the word ‘up’ when he’s got no batteries and is already being controlled by whatever is keeping them in the House.

so Yellow is aware of the bigger picture, and of missing memories.

i just think it’s really cool to make all of them know that something is Wrong, but they’re too stubborn to just fucking talk to each other and maybe even escape

#dhmis #dont hug me im scared #dhmis red guy #duck dhmis #dhmis yellow guy #yellow guy #duck guy #red guy dhmis #duck #red guy #dhmis post #dhmis theory #dhmis analysis #dhmis spoilers #dont hug me #its so very late #but i can’t stop thinking about it #the guys #its them #theyre so neurodivergent #and gay too #can’t forget the gays #anyways #leslie dhmis #the big boys #tired

[lucky-peoqle]

when the truth comes out - tory nichols

request: hello :) i was so excited to see that you take requests for tory, could i please request s5 tory x fem!reader (either an imagine or headcanons) where reader is a member of miyagi do/eagle fang and maybe she tells reader the truth about cobra kai and being forced to break the stone because terry and kim brought up reader? honestly whatever you’d like to write is totally fine with me 💖 thanks so much!

warning(s): swearing, blood(?), scars, angst and fluff hah

word count: n/a

pairing: tory nichols x fem!reader

a/n: finally writing these, sorry schools kinda pushing back schedules due to me missing a few days :/ i had to rewatch this episode but i absolutely love this idea !! also new dividers for fall !! woohoo 💗💗💗 this also feels so rushed im sorry, not proof read btw

it was late, like really late. sensei larusso, chozen, and lawrence had made classes go way over then they were supposed to and then hawk and miguel just needed you to go grab something to eat with them.

you didn’t mind though, you loved spending time with those goofs, but they wore you out.

you joined the miyagi-do/eagle fang dojo with robby earlier in the summer. he had convinced you since you weren’t going to deal with silver’s bullshit. you didn’t miss cobra kai one bit, but there was someone you missed.

that person? was tory.

due to going to separate dojos, you had a falling out and it lead you to break up. it hit you hard, you wouldn’t talk to anyone do anything for days on end until robby checked up on you. you missed her a lot, and you hadn’t see her since miguel’s party where her and sam got into an argument. you tried to chase after her, but she had gotten away before you could.

you had just gotten out of the shower, putting on a clean pair of pajamas shorts and one of tory’s old t-shirts you never gave back. you wouldn’t dare give it back, it’s one of the only things you have left of hers.

walking into your room, drying your h/c hair with an extra towel, you let out a sigh. practice today was tiring, most had been recently. thank goodness your parent’s weren’t home for the weekend so you could have to whole house to yourself.

you almost didn’t hear the frantic knocking at your door, but you did. it made you jump a little, who in the world would be knocking at this hour?

you slowly crept downstairs, the knocking still going. “i’m coming, i’m coming,” you mumble to no one really.

making your way to the front door, you let out a slightly shaky breathe, reaching out to turn the knob and slowly open the door. you opened the door excessively slow, peaking out until you released who was standing in your doorway.

“tory…?” you muttered.

she looked up at you, slightly teary eyed. “hey.”

“tory! what are you- uh. what are you doing here?”

the blonde let’s out a sigh, looking around outside before looking back at you, “can i come in?” she asked.

“yeah, of course-,” you start, before noticing her knuckles, which she had been rubbing gently. “oh my god, what happened to your hand?”

“that’s what i came here for.”

“okay, uh… follow me.” you say, getting out of her way to let her in, shutting the door and leading her to the kitchen.

she sits at the counter, watching you grab an ice pack from the freezer and hand it to her. she rests it on her knuckles.

“so…,” you rock back and forth on your heels, “what’s up?”

tory let’s out a shaky breathe, “my whole life is a fucking lie.”

you quirk an eyebrow, “what.”

“everything is a lie. i’m living a lie. silver paid off the refs at the all-valley last year. cobra kai cheated so i could win against sam.”

“tory- slow down, i can’t keep up. silver paid off the refs?”

“yes! and it’s been eating me alive for months. i wanted to get back at him so bad. i’ve been visiting kreese in prison and all he’s been telling me is lies! i’ve been telling him everything for nothing! i feel like a fraud. my life is a living hell, i’ve lost all of my friends, and more importantly; you.”

you walk up to her and kneel in front of her, looking up at her. “hey, hey, hey, you haven’t lost me,” you say, “i’m not going away at all. we, miyagi-go and eagle fang, can help you. they went to stingray earlier. he basically admitted that silver assaulted him. he’s too afraid to go to the police.

“i knew silver was involved, i just didn’t think he did it with his own hands,” she said quietly.

“yeah, but we don’t have anything to prove it.”

“if it happened at the old dojo, maybe we can..”

“really? are you sure?”

“yeah, but can we not talk about this right now. i need a break for at least a night. can i stay here tonight? i don’t want to be alone.”

you nod, “of course, you don’t even have to ask. just tell me one thing; what happened to your hand?”

“they made me break pure stone, y/n, but i couldn’t. until they brought up our break up… then bam! instant break,” she said, voice breaking at the end of her sentence. “i regret breaking up with you so much. i miss you.”

your heart broke at the sight of her sounding so weak and broken. “hey, it’s okay. it’s okay. those people are sick. i miss you too, and maybe once we go through with out plan, we can try again okay? when we broke up i was broken, but i want us to try again, please.”

tory nodded, “yeah, i’d like that a lot. the worst thing about cobra kai was losing you and i refuse to let you go that easy.”

she placed a chaste kiss to your forehead before you giggled, standing up. “we’ve gotta keep this a secret for a bit, how romantic.”

“this is why i won’t let you get away too easy, juilet,” tory gave you a smile.

“come on, let’s go upstairs romeo. we’ve got quality cuddle time to make up for.”

#tory nichols x reader #cobra kai #cobra kai imagine #cobra kai x reader #tory nichols #peyton list #peyton list x reader

[spacedlexi]

Have you read the new clementine book? I'd like to hear your thoughts on it :D

i hate being reminded that it even exists 😭 out of grim curiosity i usually check to see whats going on at each release but its just..........................................its just so bad...............................................................................................

like its so out of character that i cant consider it canon even if i wanted to......... and its so BORING too!!! its so lame...........its So lame...

it doesnt make me sad anymore at least it just makes me laugh now (especially now after book 2) but like....darkly...just like... Oof...... oof......... but yeah the way clem is written specifically is actually laughable im sorry but that really is tangerine

i hate when characters get reverted just to retell the same story. like its doubly insulting. and its pretty much what tillie did with clem. and its BORING!!! and i just have to reiterate again that its also laughable. its just....painful honestly 💀 the plot is boring the characters are boring clem is a mess and her pre-existing (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) relationships to characters from the game are basically non-existent. and we're not having any INTERESTING discussions!!! what are the themes what are the messages what is tillie trying to say here? im getting a big load of reused character arcs and what feels new falls flat on its face. clem isnt even a shadow of her former self shes a different character entirely. and she is crying waaaay too much. shes got the anger of S3 clem and not even a Fraction of the emotional regulation S1 clem had. and she was 8 then....

and her naming her prosthetic 'kenny' is fucking stupid

ive seen some people say that it would actually be an interesting comic if clem was removed from the story but i dont agree. its fucking lame and boring. i love the zombie setting for the stories it allows a writer to tell. for the emphasis on character it allows. and this is probably the most boring piece of zombie related media ive ever laid my eyes on. this definitely feels like it was written by a romance writer trying to figure out how the zombie setting Works as a storytelling device. with a beloved preexisting character that theyre Also trying to find the voice of. and we're watching it in real time. and its Painful.....

S4 will Always be the True end to clementines story. its too perfect. and it also marked the end of telltale. it was a love letter to the series. its very fitting for both clem as a character but also as a last goodbye from a beloved studio. the still not bitten teams signatures on the hallway walls always gets a sob outta me. that final goodbye... clem was meant to spend the rest of her days at ericsons with the community she helped cultivate. ive said it a million times but her losing her leg is Symbolic. the first episode isnt titled "done running" for no reason. clem never Liked being on the road. all she ever wanted was a safe place to call home. with people she trusted and loved. and now the comics are retconning all of that just to retell the same story but Badly. why should i give a shit about that?

whats unfortunate is that i DO think there are still things that could be explored with a post S4 clem. shes got what she wanted: a home. (relative) safety. community. however she has new limitations due to her injury. how would she adjust to this? after spending so many years on the road? after having to do so much independently? only having herself to rely on for the most part? these are the goals im trying to achieve with my own short little fic (that ive been working on for too long):

she would never Want to leave ericsons. home is what shes been looking for since S1. but now that shes Safe. now that she can turn off survival mode a little bit and actually Relax for once. shes going to begin Processing EVERYTHING shes been through up until this point. the true healing starts Now. but she cant run from it. so how would she reconcile these things? the whole point of ericsons was that they were a community of traumatized kids who found love and support in each other when they had nothing else. aj says it himself (S4 is Very clear in its messaging). THAT is the perfect setting for clem to ALSO have this grieving/acceptance process that she Desperately needs. everything shes been through up until this point is going to hit her like a truck. the true healing starts NOW. shes no longer fighting for her life 25/8. and when the brain can get out of survival mode it begins True processing mode.

one of the issues with the comics is that it puts her BACK into survival mode. but of clems own choosing! no matter how much her processing hurts and no matter how much she could want to run from those feelings, she has always wanted True Community more than Anything. having to reconcile those feelings is interesting! i Do think tillie is trying to have some of these conversations. but they all fall flat. her understanding of clem as a character is weak. and the environment shes in is not conducive to the healing process she wants clem to have. its a mess. i will always stand firmly in the camp that these comics should have taken place in the gap between seasons 3 and 4. that change alone wouldve boosted the comic. but unfortunately they chose.....This

anyway. back to my own post S4 adventures :)

#every so often someone asks me how i feel about the comics and im like.............what comics #sorry clem is telltales baby no matter what you say skybound you dont UNDERSTAND HER!!!!! #replies with lexi #incognito #twdg #skybound x #skybound x yeah fuckin X on these comics amirite? #long post

[look-how-they-massacred-them]

Preliminary Poll

Richard "Dick" Simmons

Submission reason:

I apologize in advance for the amount of autism youre gonna have to read. Red team, the team that Simmons is on, has been the comedic butt of every joke for *years,* while blue team carries most of the plot. In recent seasons, individual members of red team have been given their own development. I won't get into detail about it, but almost every member of red team was given their own lore, motives, character growth, etc. Everyone except Simmons. Every opportunity to give Simmons his own individual depth as a character that didn't ALSO INVOLVE GRIF had been used as a joke. During an episode covering worst fears, Grif faces his own trauma from boot camp training, while his sister watches their childhood home burn down (I'm pretty sure, anyways. Its been a while since ive seen the season and you'd have to pay me to watch it again). When they get to Simmons' worst fear, it's used as a throwaway joke about penises (this part i am sure about. I remember being so mad i had to pause the video and sit there for a second). The writer of those seasons one time shared snippets of script that was cut from final production that supposedly featured an arc where simmons is tortured for information, but then after being asked about it, the same writer revealed that the ""torture"" was actually gonna be a joke about him getting his nails filed. With the series stuck in perpetual limbo due to Rooster Teeth's inability to write RvB well AND their constant scandals (unsurprising, honestly), Simmons has been stuck a boring, depthless character for the last 5 or so years, give or take.

Propaganda:

The writing in the newer seasons has been so tremendously bad that there existed a trend for a good year where the RvB fanbase made memes reacting to fake situations that they WISHED happened instead of what actually happened in the new seasons. I have read fanfiction of potential Simmons backstories since I was 11 (for reference, I'll be 20 in a few days) that are better written than actual official writing for Simmons. Simmons has referenced an abusive home life on more than one occassion (again, mostly used for jokes, but this dates back to the early seasons where everything is a joke for red team) that could easily be used as a backstory for him, but has since been ignored. Which is strange, because Grif's exact same joke comments about a tough home life in the early seasons WERE utilized to further his backstory in the new seasons. Another extremely often under-utilized fact about simmons is that he's a CYBORG he has CYBORG BODY PARTS and they are NEVER REFERENCED. NEVER UTILIZED. I HAVE MET PEOPLE THAT FORGOT HE WAS EVEN A CYBORG AND ASKED ME WHY I WAS DRAWING HIM LIKE THAT IN MY VIDEOS. Also, I don't really like throwing around the word queer-baiting, especially when it comes to fandom spaces, so this is more like... queer-teasing??? But Rooster Teeth loves playing along with their fanbase with Grif and Simmons potentially being a couple (social media posts putting them into couples posts, using them for valentines cards, having the characters use the ship name to address themselves in spin-off non-canon episodes), but then tiptoe around the idea of actually making them a couple in any of their canon media. Like it's not slowburn at this point it's been 20 years and we've gotten vague jokes about fucking in a broom closet and beating someone up for asking them to kiss. Im so tired of the will-they-wont-they i dont even want them canon anymore i just want to know if theyre actually gonna do it or not for the love of god. Tldr rvb writers love using simmons as the ""haha nerd thinks hes smart but hes actually stupid and embarrassing"" trope and keep only writing him like that despite every other character around him getting developed, and with the series in limbo he's now stuck like that. Free my boy, Rooster Teeth. Let me write him I promise I'll do a good job.

#look how they massacred them poll #look how they massacred my boy #richard simmons #simmons rvb #rvb #rvb simmons #red vs blue

[blurban-form]

This is a summary of the article that appeared in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, April 3, 2024. I summarized it a fair bit to focus on what was interesting to me in the article. That said, this is still a long read.

Watch out, a couple of swear words in here.

Bluey may be acquired by Disney which would help Disney: 20% of all TV views on the streaming service Disney+ are “Bluey”. In the fourth quarter of 2023 (excluding movies). Americans watched 731 million hours of “Bluey”.

Brumm accepts an award for best children’s program from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts in 2019.Photographer: Brendon Thorne/AFI/Getty Images

Joe Brumm is 46, likes sports and surfing, and is brash and unpolished; he seems a little like James Dean in that he’s talented but uncomfortable with fame and having to follow Hollywood conventions and rules… It was noted that Joe Brumm had public relations minders/handlers with him from Disney and the BBC to watch what he said when he was interviewed.

Brumm’s influences include Simpsons, South Park, Peanuts, and Calvin and Hobbes. “Peanuts just meant so much to me growing up” said Brumm. He studied animation in the 2000s at the University of Brisbane and worked in London for the BBC before returning to Australia in 2010 to start Ludo animation.

He came up with Bluey himself, and it was a hard sell initially that the show would be targeting adults and children. He used a lot of his own experiences with his kids to come up with story ideas.

For a while there was the idea of making the show something like an R-rated version of “Peppa Pig”, but that idea was dropped because there was already a similar adult Australian sitcom about raising kids being piloted.

The Australian Broadcasting Company liked the concept of “Bluey” and provided Brumm with A$20,000 ($13,000 US) to create a pilot, which became “The Weekend” episode of Season 1, which was screened at the Asian Animation Summit in November 2016.

Bluey is created at Ludo’s headquarters in Brisbane rather than contracting out the animation overseas, which allows Brumm to continue to tweak episodes up until the last minute. If there’s something he doesn’t like them. He also uses local vocal talent.

The ABC and BBC put up A$6 million to complete the first season of “Bluey”. The BBC made it possible to do this, providing the lion’s share of funding in exchange for distribution and merchandising rights. Australia didn’t have the resources to make the show happen otherwise.

Brumm was very angry when an early critique of Bluey in 2018 said the show made fun of stay-at-home dads; Blumm said he thought to himself “go fuck yourself”.

Within seven months, Bluey was the most watched series ever on the ABC streaming service with 75 million plays of episodes, which led to the BBC commissioning a second season of the show.

Ludo was able to retain control the show, and Brumm was entitled to a share of the revenue.

By 2019, networks in the US were interested in Bluey: Nickelodeon wanted “Bluey”, but they were worried about the name, because it was too close to “Blue’s Clues”. Other networks wanted to change the accents of the characters, and this was a dealbreaker for Ludo and Brumm.

This created an opening for Jane Gould, who was at the time the executive vice president of research and scheduling at Disney’s general entertainment division, who had a comfort level with Bluey because she hailed from Brisbane, and she understood the desire of Brumm and Ludo to keep the show Australian. She didn’t think this was a problem, and she borrowed two episodes to test screen in the US; the kids and parents didn’t have a problem with the Australian aspects of the show. Disney acquired the rights from BBC Studios to air Bluey everywhere except Australia, New Zealand and China.

“Bluey” didn’t get the same marketing push as shows like “The Mandalorian” when Disney+ began broadcasting "Bluey" in June 2020, but soon begin to dominate viewership numbers, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (There was a lot of families spending time watching television and they watched a lot of Bluey.)

The ABC didn’t have a problem with the off-colour humour in “Bluey”, like the use of the word “poo”, and seeing a pony poop in “Markets” and this had to be edited out. Brumm said he hated making these edits... Disney defended these edits saying they were trying to be respectful of different cultural sensitivities, and it’s noted that Disney has since released the uncensored versions of the episodes.

Brumm likes to control his creation. He was upset with some of the early prototypes of Bluey toys because Bandit didn’t look right, he looked like a fridge. He was also concerned that at the beginning that there was too much of a focus on Bluey herself and there weren’t enough toys of all the characters. This concern turned out to be accurate; people wanted toys of all of the characters in the show.

Brumm originally was not sure he wanted to do a second season of “Bluey”, fearing it might not be as good as the first. Brumm doesn’t want to repeat himself in terms of episodes. He wants to make sure that each season is better than the previous one. He was also worried that Bluey would have to stop when Brisbane shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the show continued, with staff working from home.

The “Rain” episode was dialogue-free because Brumm wanted to take a break from writing dialogue at the time.

In Australia, the public and the media have publicly questioned why the ABC didn’t try harder to retain control of the profits from "Bluey" merchandise sales. There was an article in the “Australian Financial Review” that lamented that the ABC had let a gold mine slip through its fingers. It was thought that this decision was shortsighted, but the ABC responded saying they made the best deal at the time that they could. Disney has also been said to have made an error in passing on theme park rights and allowing BBC Studios to retain those rights; people go to Disney parks and ask why they can’t see Bluey there.

Disney isn’t releasing details on whether it’s explored buying “Bluey”, but Ludo says Bluey isn’t for sale, but this could change.

It is noted that there hasn’t been a clear announcement of a fourth season. Brumm has stated previously there will be a hiatus and he’s concerned about the children’s voices changing. His preference not to have to replace the voice actors, and he knows he can’t continue to draw upon his own kids experiences because they’ve grown up.

During the interview, Brumm’s handlers interjected and couldn’t said he couldn’t discuss the final episode.

Speaking anonymously, someone familiar with Disney’s “Bluey” dealings said that Brumm is trying to decide whether he’s comfortable letting other people write for the show, which would make it easier to continue to create episodes, and possibly smooth the way for a Disney acquisition in the future, as Disney would be reluctant to spend billions on a show with only three seasons of episodes.

Brumm said over email that he’s already collaborated on writing some additional episodes and ultimately it isn’t his decision who writes Bluey as he doesn’t own the show.

He thinks the final episode is magical and it sums up everything Bluey has tried to do in the last few years.

#Bluey long reads #Imagine an R-rated Bluey. Wow! #Interesting stuff #Bluey

[oswinsdolma]

bbc merlin is a tragedy. it's not a new take by any stretch, but a lot of analysis (mine included) often seems to gloss over what i think is one of the most interesting roles in tragedy. we have the tragic hero, and the fucked up symbiosis of merlin and arthur in that role. we have the battle of fate against free will, humanity against god, all that good shit. but we never really discuss the role of the audience, and the part we play in the story.

in ancient greece, tragedies were about learning a lesson, reflecting on the past. you could argue that it wasn't even necessarily about the story and the characters themselves, they were just vehicles to get across something to an audience in a human way, rather than in a torrent of philosophy or law. and because they are stories, we take them and transform them into metaphors that tell us what we need to know. and in a lot of plays, that's the end of it. we see the play and think about what it means, but there is catharsis at the end; the story is over, and we go about our lives, perhaps changed, but apart from the story itself. ultimately, we are helpless to the fate of the characters within story, but we can take control of our own.

but the thing is with merlin, is that we're not helpless. yes, we sit and watch as merlin makes choice after choice that leads him down a darker path. yes, we see the irony in characters' mistakes and can do nothing about it. but the key thing about the story of merlin and arthur is that it isn't over. arthur has not risen, and merlin still waits for him. we cannot bring him from the lake, nor can we ease merlin's pain, but what we can do is remember. and the more you look for it, the clearer our role becomes: "a boy who would, in time, father a legend" in 1.01 and "the story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men" in 5.13. yet i think the point that really hammers this home isn't one of the obvious ones, but what merlin says to arthur in the disiir episode: "as if the world were so much more than itself". because yes, it's about magic but it's also about stories. about transcendence and legend and dreams, metaphysical and half fabricated and a shared collective that is so much more than the original story on its own. we, those who live after arthur died, take his name and we make it into a thousand more things: a king, a traitor, a christ figure, the best of our humanity. he, and the others in the story, become metaphors for us in the same way the ancient poets crafted their tragedy, but in merlin, we don't get catharsis: we get perpetuity. because in merlin, the story is never over. in merlin, our role is not to mourn, but to hold vigil. to remember all that was in the hope that what died will rise from the ashes anew.

the beauty of the story of merlin and arthur is not that they were doomed by the narrative, but they get to live. that tragedy can befall the greatest of men, but it is not always the end of the story, not always the absence of hope. and no small part of that is due to us, as the audience, breathing life into the legend by passing it on, by holding the torch as something important to us and learning from it, arthur both a beacon of tragedy and of hope. there are few stories where this lies hand in hand, and besides the obvious two-sided-coin stuff going on, that is because of the refusal to let the story go. i said we make stories into metaphors, and i think this is arthur's: tragedy is inevitable, but not inhuman. and when you can hold on no longer, those who love you will guard you until you are ready to rise again.

#i'm so tired #but i know if i don't write this now i never will #terrible midnight analysis #bbc merlin #merlin #SLEEPY #watch me read this back in the morning and realise it's basically all gibberish

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 17

"A solar eclipse. The cosmic ballet... goes on."

"Sir, the eclipse was last week."

"No, you're supposed to say 'Does anyone want to switch seats?'"

"I ask that every time we take the train, sir."

"No, it's a Simpsons bit. How have you never seen the monorail episode?"

"No one ever wants to switch seats with me..."

This one opens with the council of crappy old men questioning Misato about the events of the previous episode. They wanted to talk to Shinji directly, but Misato refuses to allow this due to his precarious mental state. I accidentally watched this scene early, because I thought it was Episode 16 and I clicked the wrong thing. So these guys are asking about Shinji getting swallowed up, Eva and all, by an Angel, and they want to know if it was trying to communicate with him telepathically. "What the fuck happened?" I asked, and then I realized I was on the wrong one.

So I guess I can relate to these old farts desperately trying to make sense of what's happening in this show. For them it's real life, and NERV isn't exactly forthcoming about the details. Hell, a lot of NERV personnel don't even understand any of this. Shinji was inside that Angel, maybe talking to it, and he has no idea what happened to him. The old men question Misato by proxy, and they ask some good questions. But Misato's answers mostly boil down to "I don't know, and neither could anyone else."

Like, the Angel probably contacted Shinji's mind. I think that's as valid a theory as any. Maybe the Eva was the one talking to him, but if so, it picked a strange time to do it. But I'm just speculating about what might have happened in a fictional cartoon. For the characters, this all actually happened, and they have no idea if the Angels are intelligent, if they recognize humans as intelligent, if they have the means or motivation to communicate, etc. The old man council that talks to Gendo is made up of the most powerful bigwigs in the world, from what I gather. And they only know just enough to be terrified. I can understand how they desperately wish they could just talk to Shinji and ask him what he knows, but then they'd be even more terrified to learn he's even more confused than they are.

All Gendo will say about the matter is that the Angels appear to be getting smarter, which was something I picked up on a while back. The Third Angel just rampaged its way into Tokyo-3. The Fifth Angel had a more coherent plan, and it seemed to know exactly where to point that big drill. The 11th Angel actually made it inside the NERV base and nearly won. But the 12th didn't actually attack. It's like it waited for the Evas to come to it, just so it could trap them inside itself and... do whatever it did. It seems likely that it sacrificed itself just to complete that task. If that's true, then it isn't just acting independently, as some of the characters believe. If I'm right, the 12th Angel was setting up a strategy that will be carried on by the 13th, and so on.

Speaking of the 13th Angel, did you know NERV has a second branch in Nevada? No? Well, it doesn't matter, because it's not there anymore. It mysteriously vanished, along with thousands of staff, a new Eva, Unit-04, and everything else in an 89km radius. This wasn't an explosion, so Ritsuko theorizes that this was accomplished by the same "Sea of Dirac" effect the 12th Angel used to swallow up Shinji. So it's a safe bet that an Angel took out NERV-02 in a single stroke.

There was also another Eva being built in the United States, Unit 03, and I guess that one was already completed, so they're shipping it to NERV's home office in Japan. But Unit 04 was special, I guess. They were installing some new engine in it, and that's all gone now. Ritsuko begins to despair, like she's worried that anything less than five Evas won't be enough to survive what's coming.

Gendo, however, seems confident that the NERV base in Tokyo-3 is all they need, and Unit 01 is the only Eva they need. Unit 04 and the second branch were unexpected losses, to be sure, but he sees them as being of no consequence. So why did NERV bother building them in the first place?

I think I'm starting to get the picture here. I don't know what they're talking about when they refer to the "Dead Sea Scrolls", but it sounds like a set of predictions about future events, and NERV's mission is to navigate humanity through some predicted crisis. But Gendo seems to be the only one who really understands how any of this works. Ritsuko and Clownshoes seem to have some vague grasp of his plan, and maybe Rei knows a thing or two, since she seems to be an important part of it, but I doubt any of them have the complete picture. Then you have characters like the crappy old men, Misato, and Kaji, who know just enough to be concerned.

So I think the NERV branch in the U.S., plus whatever facility they had in Europe, were originally set up as failsafes, in case Tokyo-3 ever failed. But as the plan has progressed, it's become clear that those foreign offices only continue to exist to placate frightened governments. The U.S. insisted on being involved in building Units 03 and 04, and Gendo let the baby have their bottle. He doesn't even need those American Evas, he just let them work on it so they'd have something to do while he handled the important work.

That S2 engine was somewhat important, but this doesn't bother Gendo either, since the designs are still on record in Germany, so they can always build another.

Gendo and Ritsuko discuss the arrival of Eva Unit 03 while they look at a "dummy plug". Basically they built an entry plug with a computer recording of Rei's brain patterns. The idea is to load this thing, empty, into an Eva, and it will activate without a pilot. Ritsuko is skeptical that the Eva will be of much use without a human to operate it, but Gendo doesn't care. As long as it merely activates, that'll be enough for him.

However, the Dummy Plug isn't ready for use just yet, so they still need a pilot for Unit 03, which means they have to recruit the Fourth Child. So is this what Rei's been doing inside this contraption they're looking at? Is it recording her brainwaves to upload into the dummy plug?

But how can they locate the Fourth Child in time? After all, there are very few humans with the right parameters to be compatible Eva pilots. That's why the Marduk Institute was created, to carefully screen potential candidates from all over the world-- ha ha just kidding, there is no Marduk Institute. They put all the likely pilots in the same school in Tokyo-3. And they already have a guy picked out, it's Toji Suzuhara.

I'm skipping around a little, but Misato finds the whole thing fishy, because they just happened to get a Fourth Child lined up right when Unit 03 was ready to be delivered, so she asked Ritsuko about it and Ritsuko was evasive, saying the official paperwork from Marduk would be delivered tomorrow. So Misato asks Kaji what he knows, since he's secretly working for the Japanese government to spy on NERV, and he tells her there never was Marduk Institute or whatever. NERV identifies and selects the Eva pilots themselves, and they use "Marduk" to make it look like there's some convoluted process to it.

I think it probably also struck Misato suspicious that the Fourth Child just happens to be living in Tokyo-3, attending the same classes as the First, Second, and Third Chidren. It's like they already knew he was pilot material from the beginning, and they've been keeping him close by just in case the need arose.

A bunch of people moved out of Tokyo-3 after the battle in episode 2. But Suzuhara and Big Rigg Mahoney stayed, and I'm pretty sure that was because they had family who couldn't leave the city. It's very likely that NERV quietly arranged for certain families to be tied to the city, so that their children would be here when needed.

Ha ha! Look at Ritsuko's coffee mug! That's adorable! Cat cat cat cat!

Anyway, there's a scene where Suzuhara has to deliver papers from the school to Rei, since she's been absent for a while. He doesn't want to go alone, so he asks Shinji to accompany him, although I think that one girl with the pigtails was hoping he'd ask her to join him. Suzuhara is amazed to see a girl's apartment look so dirty, but Shinji's been here before, so he's probably just relieved to see she threw out all the bloody bandages. He cleans up her trash, and when Rei finally comes in, she seems genuinely touched by this gesture. She even thanks Shinji, then later reflects on her words of gratitude. She never even said thank you to Gendo before, and she actually likes and respects him.

Also, Kaji reveals his secret hobby to Shinji: growing watermelons. I have no idea what the point of this is, except that gardening is both a source of pleasure and toil, and while Kaji finds the experience rewarding, Shinji can only think of the pain involved. Well, pain and hardship have some value in the grand scheme of things. As Kaji says, suffering can make it easier for you to be kinder to others.

So you might be wondering where Big Rigg Mahoney's been this whole time? Well, he was off on a trip. I think he toured some old battleship or something. Anyway, as soon as he comes back, Suzuharu gets summoned to the principal's office, and Big Rigg Mahoney's like "What'd you do now?" Ha ha! It's funny because he doesn't know his friend is getting drafted to fight in the robot war!

See, this episode doesn't actually come out and say Suzuhara's the Fourth Child. I mean, it's pretty obvious from the way they keep cutting to Suzuhara after conversations about the new pilot. But they never spell it out. I already know, though, becuase when I was looking up these guys' names so I could tag them on this blog, I ended up finding out Suzuhara is not only chosen to be the Unit 03 pilot, but he also dies later on. So that's why I didn't want to go any further to look up the other kid's names, and that's why I started calling him Big Rigg Mahoney.

Ironically, Big Rigg Mahoney wishes he could be the next Eva pilot. He asks Shinji to recommend him to Misato, but Shinji doesn't have that kind of pull. Neither of them know Suzuhara got the job yet, but when they do find out, Big Rigg Mahoney would probably be kind of envious. Hell, for all we know, Big Rigg Mahoney might actually get the job later on. I refuse to look it up and find out! But I do know there's going to be an opening soon...

But Suzuhara does know he got the job, and the look on his face says it all.

He's still sitting there hours later, and the school rep, who tried to go with him to Rei's place earlier, asks him to finish up his afterschool duties, but he's too bummed out. She mentions how he buys school lunches because he has no one to cook for him, and she says she cooks for her sisters and always makes too much, so...

Suzuhara offers to help her dispose of her leftovers, which is kind of this weird thing where she's doing him a favor, but neither of them want to make it look like a favor. This is powerful stuff, very subtle. Suzuhara's not looking forward to this Eva stuff, maybe because he's sat in the plugsuit with Shinji during a battle, and because his sister is still in the hospital from the Third Angel battle. Oh, right, he visits her twice a week because the rest of his family can't get out there as often, so if he gets killed (ha ha! "if".) there's be no one to visit her at all. I think he's seeing Pigtails here as though for the first time. Before, Suzuhara had his whole life ahead of him, but now he realizes he needs to make whatever connections he can in life, while there's still time to do it.

Meanwhile, Asuka tries to bug Kaji while he's working, and she find out about the new Eva Pilot. She doesn't take this well at all, which... I mean, Asuka never takes anything well, but I think in this case she's upset because Suzuhara being the next pilot just proves there's nothing exceptional about the job. In Germany, she probably believed--and might have been told-- that her compatibility with Unit 02 was a product of her skills and intellect. And she gradually came to recognize Rei and Shinji as peers, albeit begrudgingly. I mean, Rei was the first, and Shinji has the combat experience and stats to back him up.

But to Asuka, Suzuhara is just Some Guy. He didn't go to a fancy school; he's not a savant True Believer like Rei, and he's not the miraculous son of the NERV Director like Shinji. Suzuhara is just some dude she goes to school with, so how does he rate? Well, it's Episode 17, and I still don't know how Eva pilots are chosen, but I'm pretty sure it's just some sort of brainwave pattern that only so many people have. As long as the readouts are in-spec, they could slap anyone in there. Shinji had never seen an Eva before and he survived. Hell, NERV even has plans to run Evas with no pilot, save for a computer simulation of Rei's brain. It really doesn't matter who they put in there as long as it runs.

So naturally, this is huge blow to Asuka's pride. She doesn't understand. What is there to understand, Asuka? You thought you were a pilot, but all you really are is an ignition key.

And that's the episode. Once again, a real tour-de-force, which makes me wonder what the hell was going on with those first 13 episodes. At least now I understand why they've been doing that Rebuild of Evangelion thing. As popular as NGE is, it's an uneven production at best.

And the next episode looks like it's gonna be bleak as fuck. Ha ha! Misato promising fan service in that same cheery voice gets darker and darker every time she says it! This is gonna be terrible! Now this is what I signed up for!

#neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #shinji ikari #toji suzuhara #rei ayanami #asuka langley soryu #big rigg mahoney #misato katsuragi #ritsuko akagi #clownshoes #gendo ikari #kaji ryoji