#it would be the perfect way to end the collective season that is 4/5 with s4 beginning with Oda and now ending with Oda

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Chapter 110 is 13 pages long welcome to hell!!! so in a lot of ways this is just more fuel for a theory that I've had for a few weeks now, that's only gotten stronger with each recent season 5 episode, which is that the last episode of the season is gonna end on 110, and that Asagiri/Harukawa and Bones have been collaborating to make this happen, specifically because it's a major turning point that would be the only good place to end the season on.

When we started getting especially long chapters again (like from 25-35ish pages, with the exception of 107.5, the last two being some of the longest we've ever had), at first I just assumed that Asagiri/Harukawa got freed up from some other obligations they'd been having to cause the extremely short/half chapters, like promotional stuff for the anime/Beast movie, or working on light novels. But then 109 happened, with the "supposed" death of Dazai, and heavy emphasis at the end on how literally everyone is at their lowest point right now, and I got to thinking. 11 episodes is a strangely specific number for an anime season -- why not 12, or 13, or even 10, like you'd usually see? Why have we gotten suddenly gotten two 35 page chapters out of nowhere, that's almost unheard of at this point? They're both beautiful chapters, don't get me wrong (as always), and maybe A/H simply just didn't want to cut them in halves because they felt like the full emotional impact wouldn't hit/that there were no good cutoff points in them, but you can't deny that it's surprising, after all the shorter chapters we've been getting. Why has the anime been going at such insanely breakneck pacing for the most part ever since around the Sunday Tragedy chapters, even more so than it has in the past? So much so that it feels dangerously close to overtaking the manga?

Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because..... Asagiri decided a long time ago that whatever happens in 110 is the only point that feels "season finale"-worthy enough, in an arc that still isn't anywhere close to being completely wrapped up, and so both the manga and the anime have been specifically coordinated to reach that part within 2 and a half weeks of each other?

I've seen a lot of people now think season 5 will end with 109, and as much as my sadistic side would find that hilarious, I honestly don't think they'd do that and realistically don't want it to happen; it'd be so cruel to cliffhanger the anime for years like that, and just doesn't feel like a season cliffhanger BSD would do, a series that is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. Seasons 2 and 3 had a positive, conclusive ending; the only reasons seasons 1 and 4 didn't was because they're technically not really full seasons of their own, and are more like the first cour of another "season" that also came out that same year (seasons 1 and 2 both aired in 2016, so they're more like one big season, and seasons 4 and 5 have both aired this year, so they're also more like one big season, again taking into account how episodes 12 and 50 are not satisfying finales like episodes 24, 37, and hypothetically, 61, are). I really can't see season 5 ending with Dazai and Fukuzawa's supposed deaths, Sigma being unconscious and maybe close to death, Atsushi being vulnerable and limbless again, everyone we love still vampires, and the entire world being basically doomed; that's just too depressing and not like BSD at all. However, having said that, if it doesn't end there, there really isn't any good place to end the season before that, either, that feels in any way satisfying or like a finale at all. And so, to me, that only leaves after 109: chapter 110.

I think things are really gonna turn around next chapter. Like I said, everyone is at their lowest point right now, it cannot possibly get any worse, the framing of Dazai, Fukuzawa, and sskk at the end of 109 is telling us that; this is the time for the heroes to finally start winning again, with Aya being so close to pulling out the sword, and for all the thematic reasons other people have talked about to death that I don't need to go into here again. This upcoming chapter being so short again makes a part of me wary of 110 being "the one", so to speak, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's very possible that it needs to be that short because that's all the final episode of the season will be able to reasonably fit in, since it's already gonna be VERY close if they do make it all the way to 109. And at the end of the day, I don't doubt at all that Asagiri and Harukawa can make these the most monumental and game-changing mere 13 pages ever if they wanted to; a chapter does not at all need to be extremely long in order to be an important and impactful one, even if short ones we've gotten in the past haven't felt the most important.

An additional thought I've had, though this is much more crack territory than all this already is, is that since we know from Anime Expo that a Stormbringer movie at some point is highly likely (judging from Asagiri's reaction when someone brought it up), it's possible that chapter 110 and thus the final episode will involve the long-anticipated return of Verlaine and/or Adam, or at least some other major reference to Stormbringer, that would naturally and smoothly lead into a Stormbringer movie to explain things to people who haven't read the novel. It would make a lot of sense, especially since the s4 OP has the Old World sign behind Chuuya, which might be a hint that this has been in the works ever since seasons 4/5 were first in planning with Asagiri. We also know that Dazai and Chuuya's voice actors apparently struggled to record their lines together this season, which probably relates to 101 and possibly 109, but it could be 110 too.... I could be very wrong, as I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I kinda doubt they would bring Chuuya's actor in for just the vampire growls, and Asagiri placing heavy emphasis on Chuuya's importance this season in that one interview gives me the impression that he's talking about much more than just 101/109. But that's the least solid evidence I have, that's just mostly based on vibes I get.

So basically, I think a lot of factors -- the unusual episode count, how close the anime is to catching up to the manga with three whole episodes left, the seemingly arbitrary recent chapter lengths, and the climactic events of 109 -- can tell us that 110 might be a very, VERY big deal. Again, there's of course no way this arc is anywhere near close to being finished, with so much left to address and resolve, but since it is currently incomplete in the manga, unlike the previously adapted arcs, if the anime was going to adapt it at all, they'd have to find a place that feels satisfying enough to end this season, knowing there won't be more anime for a long time after this, and so I think they specifically planned for that, from both Bones' and A/H's sides. 10 episodes might not have been enough to reach that point, but 12 or 13 might have been too many it wouldn't have been if Bones actually decided to slow down and let the story breathe the way it needs to, but this post isn't meant to criticize the anime, so maybe 11 was just right. And maybe Asagiri and Harukawa specifically pushed to make recent chapters longer than usual, in order to make sure that the manga reached the story content in 110 the monthly release right before season 5 was to end.

Is this just copium? Absolutely. Am I going to look like an absolute clown in two days when this post ages like milk? Probably. But the evidence is There, so let me just enjoy my delusions until Sunday, okay 🥂🫡

#bungou stray dogs #seriously call me a clown and point and laugh at me if I'm proven wrong all you want #but I really feel like there's solid evidence for this #either s5 isn't gonna reach 109 at all (but I seriously cannot fathom where you would want to stop before then) or they'll go beyond it #if they really do end it with 109....... well i'll give Bones kudos for having the balls to do that ig lol #maybe i'm underestimating (overestimating???) them idk #also just to clarify I don't wanna make it sound like I think Asagiri let the anime/Bones dictate the manga's pacing #like I'm sure these were his/their (him and Harukawa's) own decisions first and foremost #not that (if this theory is true) the anime had a major impact on how the chapters were split and that it- #-would have been extremely different otherwise #i'm pretty confident in that Asagiri does not do anything with BSD he isn't comfortable with #and he doesn't let anyone tell him how to write his story #I just feel like he worked with Bones to make this near-simultaneous release happen #BUT if this is the case I don't feel like it had any major effect on the writing/final product that is the manga #like the last handful of chapters have been so incredible #so I at least am still perfectly happy lol #(i mean i'm devastated and a nervous wreck but u know 🫡 in a good way lmao) #anyway 110 in two days please let this theory be true because I need some fucking hope already #please let Oda show up as Dazai's guardian angel to help (see what I did there-) #it would be the perfect way to end the collective season that is 4/5 with s4 beginning with Oda and now ending with Oda #Asagiri are you reading me are you picking up what I'm putting down please please a ghost Oda is long overdue please- #Oda Verlaine Adam just GIVE ME SOMEONE ALREADY 😭😭😭 #MAYBE EVEN A TASTE OF THE FYODOR BACKSTORY TO TIE INTO HIM BEING IN ANIME UNTOLD ORIGINS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

[theteasetwrites]

The Dixon Problem

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader ❧ Era: Season 1 (The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning series) ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: swearing, mild violence ❧ Word Count: 5k

❧ Summary: Not everyone is happy with the Dixons’ presence in the camp, especially Shane. When things go haywire, the only solution is a compromise, and to let Daryl know you care.

❧ A/N: I realize I’m posting this after a weird little argument over the ethics of zooming in on a man’s crotch but here we are. This is a fanfiction blog, believe it or not. Anyway, here’s another fic set in the same universe as The Beginning (I really like doing these ok), and this one takes place between Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. I really wanted to do some oneshots that would’ve happened before they got together because idk it just seems to cool to read about them before they kissed at the CDC and sort of build up to that. I find it fun to hint at their burgeoning attraction to one another, and how they’re both kind of in denial about their little crushes lol. We all know it was love at first sight. Also I loved writing Daryl fighting with Shane it was so fun. Daryl should’ve punched Shane in the show don’t @ me.

A deep huff escaped your lips as the back of your hand wiped the dripping sweat from your brow. The sun was a few hours from setting, but Georgia summers were unforgiving, and even a setting sun would prove to be dangerous if you didn’t hydrate.

Taking a sip of water from the crinkly plastic bottle, you watched Lori skillfully sew up the rips in one of Shane’s shirts. It was a skill you had neglected, but at one point, you were pretty good with a machine. Hand sewing was something else entirely.

“You’re so good at that,” you said. “How’d you learn?”

Lori smiled as she looked at you, staring in awe. “My mom sewed, my granny sewed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my great granny sewed, too.”

“That’s sweet… Maybe you could teach me sometime?”

“Sure, but I thought you were trying to get Mr. Crossbow to teach you how to hunt?” She spoke with a crooked smile, on the verge of laughing. You failed to see what was so funny, frankly.

But mostly, you were embarrassed. The warm blush on your cheeks and the butterflies doing somersaults in your belly betrayed you, though you just pretended none of it was there.

“Well, he, uh, said I should learn how to fight first. He said he’d teach me that, though.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm… Why are you laughing?”

Lori lowered her head until her hair covered her face, but you heard a few snorts and giggles from beneath the dark curtain.

“You’re so cute,” she said. “That’s all.”

“Cute? Why am I cute?”

“You just are…” She leaned closer to speak in a quiet voice. “I bet Daryl thinks you’re really cute.”

You scoffed, trying to laugh it off as you awkwardly nudged her shoulder with yours. “Stop. That’s not funny. Not true, either. I think he finds me annoying.”

“Oh, really?” she asked. “What about the little rock he cracked open for you? That doesn’t sound like the actions of a man who’s annoyed.”

That “little rock” was now your prized possession. You had one half, and you’d let Daryl keep the other. It was a simple gesture, but it meant the world to you. That rock was a geode, something your father would’ve added to his extensive collection. Maybe you were thinking too much into it, and maybe it was cliché, but you liked to think that it represented the last beautiful thing in the world. You kept it by your cot, on full display so it was the first thing you saw each morning. Sometimes, the translucent purple shards would catch the new light that streamed through your tent in just the most perfect way.

“He was just being nice,” you said. “Daryl’s… really nice. I mean, he’s a little… grumpy, but he’s got a good heart. I can tell. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t think so.”

Before Lori could respond with another teasing quip, you both flinched at the sound of Daryl, the man you were just talking, and thinking a little too deeply, about. His voice was raised, one decibel away from being a yell. It sounded like it was coming from the center of camp, near Dale’s RV, so you both jogged over, anxious to see whatever was causing Daryl to yell a series of curse words and a few other words you couldn’t yet make out.

“Stupid cop!” you heard, now getting closer. “Who the hell do ya think you are?! This ain’t Miami Vice.”

You stumbled upon Daryl, with his chest puffed up and his hands moving vigorously along with his hostile words, in some kind of argument with Shane, who only shook his head with his hands on his waist as the bowman hurled insults his way.

“Listen, Dixon,” replied Shane, who was visibly also beginning to lose his temper, “we gotta maintain some order ‘round here. Now, I don’t give a shit ‘bout what you and your white trash redneck brother used to get up to in bumfuck nowhere, but there’s women and kids here, and I don’t want this shit ‘round ‘em.”

Oh, noble Shane, you thought to yourself, but then again, you still had no idea what the men were arguing about, so maybe he had a point. Still, you did take some issue to being compared to a child, but you weren’t about to jump in the middle of a fight between two burly, hotheaded men for the sake of feminism.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?! It ain’t nothin’, Merle goes off into the woods to do it! Ain’t no women or children gonna get hurt. You’re just as stupid as you look, Columbo.”

“It ain’t them seein’ the drugs I’m worried about,” Shane replied, getting closer to Daryl until their chests were nearly touching. “It’s you and your ugly ass brother.”

Drugs? You knew Merle had a stash of drugs, including crystal meth, and most others figured it based on, well, everything about him, but you didn’t think Shane would pick a fight with Daryl over it. Maybe Merle himself, but not Daryl. Merle wasn’t even there that day, having taken his turn to go hunting, though he never brought back nearly as much as his brother. You weren’t sure if it was because Merle wasn’t a very good hunter, or because he just didn’t care enough to bring back food for your group, but either way, it was clear which brother was better.

“Man, that’s bullshit,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at Shane. “You wanna see a threat then look in the mirror. There’ll be a big arrogant prick starin’ back at ya.” Daryl punctuated his sentence by shoving the other man backwards, but before Daryl could strut away as he planned, Shane shoved him back.

“Watch yourself,” Daryl warned, voice low and raspy. “I don’t want your pig blood on my hands.”

He tried to brush past Shane, but the man was fuming. He shoved Daryl back once more, knocking him to the ground.

A puff of dirt swallowed his body as you let out a small gasp of disbelief. No one in the group had gotten physical with anyone like this yet. Maybe it was only a matter of time before it happened. After all, a group of several strangers under incredible physical and mental stress in the middle of the end of the world was a recipe for disaster, but you’d hoped it wouldn’t happen so soon.

All you could register was the sound of Daryl’s grunting before he sprung back up to sock Shane across the face, disorienting him. He soon struck back, but Daryl ducked and delivered a blow to Shane’s stomach.

Shane had managed to deliver a few blows of his own, but at this point, all you could focus on was thinking of a way to break them up without getting hurt yourself.

“H-hey!” you shouted out, along with Lori and several other women who’d gathered around, yelling to the men to stop. “Stop it!”

Dale was frantically climbing down the ladder of the RV, then greeted the scene with wide eyes. “Hey, hey! Break it up!” He managed to get his arms between the two of them, but he could only keep Shane back. Daryl even tried to get around Dale so he could deliver one last blow to Shane’s face, but T-Dog came up behind and pinned the enraged man’s arms back.

“Get offa me!” he yelled to T-Dog, then turned his attention back to Shane. “I’m gonna beat your ass, you hear me, bacon bits?!”

Dale stood between them, holding his hands out to keep them both at bay. Their chests swelled with heavy, panting breaths as their faces molded into their own unique scowls. Shane’s was terrifying, much more than Daryl’s. His dark brown eyes didn’t need to narrow at all, they were just as terrifying in their wideness. His mouth wasn’t agape, it was sealed shut as the breaths pumped out of his flared nostrils. He stood completely still, like a ticking time bomb. You’d never been more terrified of the man.

Daryl paced back and forth for a few feet on each side of him, his face much more natural looking, but still enraged. At least you could make some sense of Daryl in his anger. He didn’t send a shiver down your spine like Shane did. Well, and maybe you were a little partial to Daryl now, since he’d shown you kindness. In any case, the awkward silence that permeated the stiff, humid air was excruciating.

“Just calm down,” panted Dale, arms still outstretched between them. “What the hell is going on here?”

Shane huffed before speaking. “I was just tryin’ to have a civil conversation about the drug use goin’ on in this camp.”

“Drug use?” questioned Lori. “No, no way. No drugs, not around the kids. That’s the last thing we need right now.”

Daryl turned to look at Lori, not with anger, but confusion. He seemed troubled, unable to reconcile something in his head. His eyes squinted shut as he wiped his nose, which had just begun to bleed from the punch. He spat a glob of pinkish saliva onto the dirt ground, then turned back to face Shane.

“Talk to Merle,” was all he said. His voice was quieter now, almost timid, but still with an air of defensiveness.

He turned back again, in the direction of his tent. You met his glance for a moment, at which point he seemed to stop in his tracks. His foot backstepped, flashes of blue still on you until they averted to the ground. When he regained his focus, he moved quicker, more determined. Still, his confidence seemed drained after he looked your way, but all you could pay attention to now was Shane, who was walking directly towards you, huffing and puffing.

“What the hell were you thinkin’, bringin’ those meth heads here, huh? You stupid or somethin’? I thought you were some kinda… librarian.” He ended his sentence with a sarcastic chuckle.

Before you could respond, Lori spoke up, and thank God she did. You were still petrified by Shane’s aggression, and Lori knew him from before the fall. Maybe he’d actually listen to her.

“Stop it, Shane,” she scolded in an almost motherly tone. Fitting, since the argument between him and Daryl seemed more like that of children than two grown men in their thirties. “It’s done. No point in arguing about it.”

For your part, you took a moment to collect your thoughts, then spoke to Shane with as much bravado as you could muster. “It’s because of Daryl that we’re not starving to death,” you said.

Dale stepped forward, hand outstretched slightly to gesture towards you. “That’s a good point, but what about the drugs?”

You shook your head profusely. “I don’t know anything about any drugs.” That wasn’t true, you knew Merle was getting high, and that he was a dealer, but that honestly didn’t matter to you much at this point. As far as you were concerned, everything that had ever separated the human race from each other was out the window. Drug addicts were no different from Mormons now. Granted, Merle could be unpredictable, and you hated him, frankly, but Daryl and Merle seemed like a package deal, so you’d have to deal with both of them if your group was to reap the benefits of having a skilled hunter.

Plus, you might’ve fostered a bit of admiration for him. Friendly admiration, of course.

“Well, I just ain’t havin’ no crystal meth in this camp,” replied Shane. “And I’m about this close to killin’ your buddy, so’s as far as I’m concerned, this is your problem to solve if you wanna keep them here.”

Diplomacy wasn’t your strong suit, but if it kept Shane from kicking out the Dixon’s, you’d try your best to find some common ground.

“Compromise,” Dale said with a nod. “(Y/N), you should talk to Daryl, ask him to talk some sense into Merle when he gets back to camp. We give them shelter, they get rid of the drugs.”

It sounded more like an ultimatum than a compromise, but you were perhaps the only person who’d had any meaningful contact with the slightly more tolerable brother, so you put aside your reservations to head to the Dixons’ camp, several yards away from the rest of the group.

He was on one knee as he chopped the head off a squirrel on the sawed log he was using as a butcher block. The sound of the axe slicing through the flesh and digging into the wood was so powerful that you flinched, alerting the hunter to your presence.

Though he didn’t look your way. He simply set aside the axe and continued skinning the creature as if you weren’t there.

“You want a piece of me, too, woman?” he asked. “Whatever you gotta say, I ain’t in the mood.”

You bit your lip as you stood still, thinking of what to say. Daryl was tricky, you knew that. Sometimes he was nice to you, and sometimes he wanted nothing to do with you. No one in the camp knew how to deal with him, really. You only knew a little because you somehow found yourself trying to ingratiate yourself with him, but why? You still weren’t exactly sure.

“May I sit down?” you blurted out, thinking that might be the first step to talking to him.

He looked up at you then, with a suspicious glare.

“Why?”

Just as you were still trying to get used to talking to him, he was still trying to get used to your desire to talk to him in the first place. Why would a woman like you want anything to do with a man like him, anyway? Surely you had an ulterior motive, though he couldn’t deny there was something genuinely kind and soft about your face. Maybe even, dare he say, pretty? Not just physically, though he was painfully aware of that, but through and through, you were quite lovely. Well, that’s how it seemed, anyway.

Merle always said that women couldn’t be trusted, that if they weren’t childlike and dumb, they were manipulative and cunning. Nothing else, nothing in between. Of course, Daryl had a hard time believing that. People weren’t that simple, and Merle’s authority on the topic of women was questionable at best. Still, old habits die hard, and maybe he was just a little skeptical of your intentions. After all, no woman or man had ever shown this much interest in talking to him.

Daryl was, for all intents and purposes, a loser. He still felt like one, though he had to admit, when you brought him to your camp, insisting that your group needed him, he did feel a small sense of real, genuine pride, for the first time in his life. Maybe he had something to offer, something good he could do. Maybe you really wanted him there, and he wasn’t just a loser with a bad temper and a meth head brother.

His deeply ingrained insecurity, though, told him otherwise, and that you were only kind to him because of what he could offer your group, not because you actually appreciated him. But then again, the rest of the group had all but ignored him since he arrived, and you were the one who’d spoken more than five words to him at a time. That had to mean something, right?

“I want to talk to you,” you said simply. “So, can I?”

He chewed his lip as he looked you up and down, as if inspecting you. Wordlessly, he nodded, then lowered his head again to focus on the mutilated squirrel.

As you cleared your throat, you sat yourself on a dinky camping chair across from the fire pit. Both of you were silent for a little while, with only the sounds of flesh tearing from the muscle of the little furry critters Daryl was skinning. You watched with furrowed brows, though at a certain point, you had to stop looking, otherwise you’d get a little woozy, so you lifted your gaze to the top of Daryl’s head, covered in short, choppy brown hair.

Surprisingly, just before you were about to say something, Daryl spoke first. “I ain’t no meth head,” he said abruptly. “I don’t touch that shit.” Not anymore, he thought, but something stopped him. Could it be… embarrassment? Maybe shame. All he knew was there was a part of him that cared what you thought, for some odd reason. He’d trained himself not to give a damn about anything, though it was in his nature to. Why was your presence bringing out his sensitivity? It was a blessing and a curse. It hurts to care, he’d always thought. Nothing good could come of it. He cared once, before he knew how cruel people could be.

“I never said you did.”

“S’what you all think,” he replied. “Y’all think I’m some kinda… stupid redneck bastard.” Wouldn’t be wrong, a voice inside him retorted.

“I don’t think that.”

He finally raised his eyes again, glowering at you. “You will.”

It shouldn’t have hurt you, but it did, just a little bit. “I bet you I won’t.”

He shook his head and stood up to retrieve the red rag that was often dangling from his back pocket. Wiping his hands, he nodded towards you. “What’d ya really come over ‘ere for? They send ya over to kick me out?”

You shook your head immediately. “No, no. Not at all. Just… You need to tell Merle to quit with the drugs.”

Daryl scoffed, almost a laugh. “Askin’ Merle to give up crystal’s like askin’ him to cut off his own hand. ‘Sides, ya don’t think I’ve tried? Ain’t no use in it. Might as well jus’ kick us to the curb ‘cause it ain’t gonna happen.”

His apathy frustrated you, and you let out an exasperated, now quite irritated, puff of air. “So you’d rather live out in the woods by yourselves than in a group, with people who will look out for you?”

“None of these people will look out for me,” he scoffed.

“Well, I would.”

He looked your way again, this time not suspicious, but confused. “Why’d ya bring me and Merle here in the first place? All ya got to show for it is bein’ yelled at and bossed around by that asshole Shane.” He spat the man’s name out in obvious distaste.

“I told you,” you said, “I thought you would be able to help us… And you saved me. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you.”

He lowered his head again, busying himself by cleaning between his fingers with the rag in the hopes of distracting you from the obvious blush on his cheeks. When he didn’t respond, you realized you hadn’t asked him a similar question.

“Why’d you save me, anyway?” you asked, your voice a little more quiet, as if afraid of him even hearing it.

After all, you were a complete stranger, why should he have helped you? What you knew from human nature was that people often only helped others if they knew there was something in it for them. True altruism was hard to come by, and often not evolutionarily beneficial. Those who helped others and put themselves in danger often died out before their lineage could carry on. Well, that was your vague memories of anthropology class resurfacing, but it still applied.

Indeed, you yourself hadn’t been acting out of true altruism. You had decided to bring Merle and Daryl into the fold because they were hunters, and they could benefit your group by providing your people sustenance. But Daryl’s motivations were less clear.

He swallowed hard as thought for a moment, himself now forced with the reality of facing that question. Why did he help you?

For the next several moments, he transported himself to that day just a month ago, when he was trudging around in the woods outside Atlanta, listening to Merle ramble on about some drunken memory, a relic of his “glory days” that he seemed unable to forget about. They had no destination, no idea where they were going. They’d tried the refugee center in the city, but that had been overrun about as soon as it was set up. Merle was quite content to rough it, and so was Daryl, so long as there weren’t flesh-eating monsters roaming around.

When he heard the rather faint sound of a woman screaming, somewhere ahead in the maze of aspen trees dotting the humid forest, something in him switched, and though he remembered the muffled sound of Merle’s protesting, all he could hear at the time was the scream getting closer and closer.

Soon he was in a small clearing, setting sight on a decrepit creature. Below it were two squirming legs, belonging to the screaming woman who was just inches away from becoming something’s lunch.

Without hesitation, he lifted his bow to shoot, snagging the creature in the head until it fell less than gracefully onto your chest. Pushing the body off, you faced him, mouth panting and eyes hazy with tears.

He tried to think of what he thought then, but it was difficult to put himself in that position again. He only remembered your face, how scared you were. You seemed so fragile, and yet somehow brave enough to look him in the eye. Most of all, you were peculiar to him, different from anyone or anything he’d seen before. Of course, there was nothing particularly strange looking about you, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. You were just… special, with a calming aura of warmth around you, something he was instinctively drawn to for whatever reason.

So, how was he supposed to explain that? You seemed special, important, warm… Creepy. He knew that would’ve sounded creepy. He was already embarrassed from Shane’s display earlier, and his stomach stung to think of you seeing that cop strike him across the face, to appear weak. Once again, he wondered why he cared in the first place.

He finally settled for a somewhat satisfactory explanation. “S’just what people do.”

Indeed, he would’ve done it for anyone. That wasn’t the issue Daryl struggled with, he knew right from wrong, for the most part. He struggled with understanding why you looked at him the way you did, and why he found himself wanting to keep you safe even after the creature attacking you was long dead.

At least you seemed happy with that answer, as one corner of your lips upturned into a small smile. “Well, I am sure some people wouldn’t have done anything. I’m really grateful… And I really don’t want you to go. Merle… I will put up with him if it means you stay here, but if you could please talk to him, try to get him to at least hide the drugs better and maybe go further away from camp to do it, I’d be even more grateful.”

Though he had no idea how he was going to get Merle to agree to changing anything about himself, he couldn’t deny that you were convincing. Something about your wide, almost pleading eyes. Somehow, making you happy seemed to make him happy, too.

“I’ll try,” he said. “But I ain’t promisin’ anything. Merle don’t care ‘bout what I got to say.”

“Well, he should,” you said as you stood to your feet. “He’s your brother… I have a brother, too. We used to talk all the time, though we sort of lost touch before all this.” You gestured around vaguely, ending your sentence with a small nervous chuckle.

Daryl almost didn’t speak, didn’t want to ask what he was thinking, but the look on your face as your lips began to droop and your eyes became vague made him wonder if maybe you needed to talk about it.

“Where is he?” he asked simply, though he immediately began to regret it when he noticed you shifting awkwardly where you stood. “I mean… I, uh… Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you replied with a shake of your head. “No, it’s fine. He’s, well… I don’t know where he is. Last time we talked he was in Atlanta. Actually, that’s why I was headed there when it happened.”

“It’s okay,” you replied with a shake of your head. “No, it’s fine. He’s, well… I don’t know where he is. Last time we talked he was in Atlanta. Actually, that’s why I was headed there when it happened.”

It seemed to be a universally agreed upon signifier. The fall, the turn, the apocalypse, the plague… Everyone called it something different, but what it all came down to was The End, or The Beginning, depending on who you asked.

“Sorry,” was all he could reply, though he found himself going further, speaking more than he normally would’ve. “Hope he’s all right.”

That meant more to you than anything anyone had ever said to you since the world turned. You hadn’t told anyone about your brother, and you weren’t sure why you decided to tell Daryl, but it felt right. In a world where everything was suddenly wrong, lots of things still felt right, all of which had to do with him. Strange.

“Thank you. I do too. He means a lot to me… I’m sure your brother means a lot to you, too, so I understand why you care so much about him. He’s lucky to have you as a brother.”

If Daryl wasn’t so strangely calmed by your presence in this moment, he might’ve protested to the assertion that Merle meant a lot to him, but he supposed he really did, whether or not Daryl liked it.

As he shifted his shoulders, he raised his hand to scratch his neck, chewing the inside of his bottom lip all the while. The unique little nervous mannerisms he had were already becoming part of your ever-growing encyclopedia of quirks Daryl displayed, and you had to say you found that quite endearing. Indeed, you truly felt that Daryl could become a friend. You wanted him to be a friend.

It reminded you that Daryl spent almost all of his time alone. Whenever Merle was gone or at the edge of camp getting up to his illicit activities, Daryl was by himself. You figured he had to get lonely, and surely the sole company of a man like Merle would eventually drive him insane, even if he was his brother.

“Daryl?” you asked, moving closer as you tried to telepathically direct his gaze up at you.

He did, and a flash of silvery blue eyes that caught little sparkles of light from the sun looked up at you. His eyes were quite deep set and narrow, making them seem at first glance to be cold and uninviting, but that wasn’t really the case at all. Now that you saw them in full view, there was mystery there, something waiting to be revealed. You had a feeling whatever it was, it was something lovely. Your curiosity made you eager to get to the bottom of it.

“Yeah?”

Even the strange softness of his often rough, gravelly voice struck you. As he licked his chapped lips, you found yourself trailing your eyes to his light stubble, sparse on his cheeks but more concentrated around his lips, which weren’t particularly full, but beautifully sculpted as if by delicate, intentional little hands. You found his face much more tolerable than his brother’s. Handsome, even. Perhaps not an A-list Hollywood movie star (certainly no one so clean-cut as Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, both of whom you had at one point hung posters of on your closet door in the mid-nineties) but he had been blessed with good proportions and a pleasant visage that you only dwelled on for a moment until your subconsciousness took the image into its darkest recesses. The last thing you needed to do today was to admire a man’s physical appearance, though it did tempt you for just a few seconds. Maybe a few more.

“You should really join us for dinner tonight,” you said. “You know, around the fire… Dale’s going to make something special. I have no idea what, he says it’s a surprise.”

When his breath seemed to hitch and his muscles flexed in seemingly anxious response, you quickly tried to explain yourself. “I mean, I know it’s awkward, with the Shane thing… but Shane has watch during dinner tonight. Maybe you can just… talk to me, and Dale, Andrea, Amy, Glenn, Jacqui… We all sort of congregate, talk a little bit. I’m sure they’d like to get to know you more.”

He found himself wondering how to respond, how to tell you that he hated talking, especially to people he hardly knew. Then again, he liked talking to you. That was clear to him.

“Maybe… I dunno.”

Though you didn’t want to pressure him, it was hard not to try to convince him. You were shy sometimes, too, but the older you got, the more you realized that you needed people, and that couldn’t be more evident than right now, when people were hard to come by.

“All we have is each other,” you said. “You told me that the world’s never gonna be like how it was, and you’re right. We should never take people for granted anymore.”

He’d never wrap his head around the way you spoke sometimes, how you could be so articulate and intelligent, and at other times, so high-strung or bubbly or aloof… You were about as hard to read to him as he was to you.

“I’ll try,” was all he replied.

“That’s all that matters.”

When he briefly lurked around the fire that night, exchanging a few brief words with Dale and Andrea (and you, of course), you felt like you’d gotten somewhere further with the temperamental hunter.

He didn’t stay for long, and hardly ate any of Dale’s “mushroom mash,” but it was something, and though the day started with a fight between Shane and Daryl, it ended with the latter feeling just a little more welcome.

Most of all, you had no regrets about bringing Daryl Dixon to your camp. You had a feeling it was the right thing to do.

~

Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, and comments of any kind are always appreciated!

Masterlist

#the walking dead #the beginning series #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon #twd #the walking dead fanfic #daryl dixon fanfic #twd fanfic #norman reedus #norman reedus x reader #norman reedus fanfiction #the beginning oneshot #theteasetwrites oneshot #theteasetwrites fanfiction #theteasetwrites series

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP6: AKA LORELAI GILMORE HAS FINALLY LOST HER FEW REMAINING MARBLES (PART 5)

This is going to be a short one because I need as much room as possible for the next scene (if you don't know what it is, you'll know soon) so let's get this out of the way. Lorelai begins to stew in a jealous rage over Sherry and Crusty's Relation-Shit. . So she escapes to the bathroom, where she opens Sherry's medicine cabinet, tilts her picture frames and yanks some towels off the wall.

Okay Lorelai but that was the only thing Sherry got right about the little scheme she hatched to kidnap Rory (again).

A custody battle has broken out out between Sherry and Lorelai as they fight over who gets custody of Rory on weekends, like she's 4 years old or the class hamster. ( as if Rory isn't 18 years old and as if this Creepy Sherry person has any say in absolutely anything ever on Earth). Mini Lorelai Jr. here is a pathological people pleaser and it's pretty much 95% Lorelai Senior's fault she ended up this way, that's why she agrees to everything. Wait, why is Lorelai suddenly taking her anger out on Rory? What is happening? But on the other hand, please, Rory... GROW A SPINE. I'm begging you.

Okay, NOW what crazy nonsense baloney are you on about, woman? Please. Enlighten us on why you wished this unborn child who is not biologically related to you in any way and holds aboslutely no fucking signifiance in your life should have been a boy.

Jesus Christ, Lor. Rory: She couldn't choose the sex of her baby. Lorelai: Well if Ms Mani Pedi can schedule her birth then she could do that! In 2002 the year of our Lord Lorelai has never heard of scheduled c-sections. But "I have to do GiGi at 5" is still one of the great unexpected one liners of this season that got a genuine laugh out of me, figures it would have to come from someone so unimportant as Creepy Sherry. I'm just going to quickly summarize Lorelai's break from reality (which she only had an extremely tenuous grasp on to begin with before this point) and why she's mad at Sherry: -Sherry's baby is a girl -Sherry's baby is a scheduled c-section -Sherry enjoys manicures and pedicures (something that is hardly out of reach for middle class peasants like Lorelai, you can even get a manicure at Walmart for Pete’s sake) -Rory and GiGi sound "identical" (Ror-Ee/ Gee-Gee) so Sherry is stealing her baby’s name from 18 years ago -Sherry referred to Gigi as a "ballerina" -Sherry has a personal preference for the color green instead of pink for her infant girl --Lorelai hates the jazz music being played at the baby shower; she's also upset imainging that Sherry is forcing her poor Crusty to listen to boring jazz against his will, tainting his apparently perfect taste in CrustyMusic (and I wish Sherry would force Crusty listen to so much boring jazz that he falls asleep and starts sleepwalking and walks through a plate glass window, but we can't always get what we want can we Lorelai) -Sherry had the unmitigated gall to pick up Crusty's cd collection from piles on the floor and organize the cds neatly onto a shelf (this one really upset her) -Lorelai is laboring under not one but two simulatenous insane delusions, one being that Sherry is desperate to copy her right down to her (ADULT) child's (not choose-able) sex and name, but at the same time Sherry is also sticking her nose up at Lorelai’s unremarkable middle class-ish motherhood with her trim pregnancy figure, fancy scheduled birth, organized home, sophisticated taste in music and pedicures -Lorelai wants to "mess up her bed" and "rearrange her whole house" and "un color coordinate her sheets" as if poor Sherry's bed hasn't already been tainted by having sex with Crusty on those sheets -Lorelai wasted her day because she could have been out shoe shopping instead of attending this baby shower (who's fault is this? I thought Rory had a driver's license? What ever happened to that? Why couldn't Rory drive up to Boston alone? You offered to take her). -Lorelai asks Rory if she could set Sherry's house on fire.

#gilmore girls #denise rewatches gilmore #tdde #take the deviled eggs #gilmore girls season 3 #rory gilmore #lorelai gilmore #insanity #creepy sherry

[lightwise]

If Hunter were to start a scarf collection, what kind of scarf would you get him to add to his collection that currently measures one (1) scarf? (what color(s), patterns, fabric types, etc.)

Well well well… *rubs hands together gleefully*

This could not have come at a better time, my friend. I am currently pulling all of my clothes out of my bedroom closet in order to wash them and get them stored elsewhere in my house…I have a roof leak, probable mold problems, my bedroom and closet stay almost pitch dark all day which makes things even worse—let’s just say my house is a never ending source of most of my frustration in life. Okay, now let me get back on track.

Soooo, last night I washed all of my scarves and was reminded of how much I love them even though I don’t wear them very often 🫣 so I am going to use some of them as examples and/or inspiration of what I would dress Hunter in…I mean gift him, I mean, I totally wouldn’t be imagining any of these around his neck or watching a soft smile on his face as he realized I had gotten a gift especially for him…okay okay I’m back I swear.

Disclaimer, I did not look up proper scarf terms so I just winged it on trying to describe them.

1. Grey floral pashmina

If Hunter still had his season 1 armor, I think this scarf would be beautiful with his colors and the pop of red from his armor underneath. It’s soft and thick, and wide enough to wrap around like a shawl but still narrow enough to be a nice scarf as well. I think he would love it. It can be very dressy as well so a perfect fit for a night out or an event.

2. Striped wrap

In a similar vein to the above, this scarf is soft and extremely wide, it’s almost too thick for me to wrap comfortably around my neck. It can be used as a blanket, shawl, scarf, head wrap, a sling for carrying things (maybe even a very sleepy Omega??). It has his old and new colors, has infinite uses, and would honestly look very good on him.

Both of these scarves are brushed cotton but can I emphasize again just how soft they are??

3. Silk bandana/tie/belt

(This is nylon but let’s pretend it’s a nicer material). I might change the colors up a little bit from what I have, but these still work pretty well for Hunter. This long strip of fabric never wrinkles, has a really good flow to it while feeling completely weightless, and could be used as a nicer bandana to keep hair out of his face, tied up around his neck as a tie or bow tie or cravat situation, or even maybe tied around his eyes or wrists for, um…reasons.

4. Chunky knit infinity scarf

And of course, Hunter deserves a super soft, warm, chunky knit infinity scarf that he can just throw on and wrap himself up in when it’s cold. Similar to what he already has but much cozier for winter. I bet Crosshair or Wrecker would get bored one day and make it for him.

However, I’m not sure what color I would choose for him, actually. Probably red or maybe a burnt orange or even a darker greenish teal. Whatever accents his outfit underneath.

5. Lace triangle scarf

Okay, this isn’t self-indulgent at all 👀. I think Hunter would look super sexy amazing with some kind of lacy, delicate scarf that he could wear the way a bandana is traditionally worn. Whether it peeks out from under his armor and shirt or he wears it draping over the front of his cuirass just to look nicer or with nothing else he would look even more dashing and handsome in this. Navy would be a good color for him but he could also do a darker orange or red of course.

#the bad batch #hunter headcanons #scarves #Hunter bad batch #tbb #tbb hunter #sergeant hunter #hunter #somelightramblings #some light ramblings

[terrible-titles]

A Hodepodge of Older Shows to Watch During the Strike

We support the writer’s strike here, and in a Culture of New, TV execs are going to use the “impact” to currently running shows in order to try to shift your support to them. But here in Tumblr we have revived century-old novels and put them firmly in the mainstream by having a Tumblr-wide bookclub, so I think we can do the same to older shows--not only to keep ourselves entertained, but to remind us all why writers are so important to begin with. Now that AI is coming dangerously close to replacing writers’ work (and is indeed one of the issues the writers are striking over), I think it’s important to remember that our favorite lines (one of mine is “Everything is confetti” from Haunting of Hill House) couldn’t have happened without a writer creating and then fighting for it. Writers deserve healthy workplaces, fair compensation, and recognition for their talent.

Disclaimers: 1. As with all shows, but especially older ones, there will be problematic content. 2. I will try to avoid obvious recs that still have an active fanbase like Star Trek or Buffy, but I don’t have my finger on the pulse of pop culture so maybe I rec something that’s still pretty popular and I don’t realize it. I’m also not necessarily going for “obscure” or “you’ve never heard of this,” but just shows people might have overlooked. Yes, I’m from the US (sorry!) and yes, I would love to hear from non-US people about the best shows from your country that I’m missing out on! Please feel free to reblog and add your favorites to this!   3. Maybe my taste doesn’t align with yours and you disagree. Maybe I missed something because I didn’t want this to be 500 pages long. That’s fine! Again, reblog with your own recs. The more, the better! 4. Genres are weird. I tried. 5. I chose not to add where you could find these series because it can vary country to country, but if all else fails, check your local library’s media collection! (And if that fails, you might sail the seas...) 6. Please be cool... please. 

Comedies

Better Off Ted (2009, 2 seasons) A workplace comedy in an evil corporation. Perfect for fans of The Office or Arrested Development. Happy Endings (2011, 3 seasons) It’s like if Friends was just every so slightly more diverse. Takes place in Chicago, which is cool.

M*A*S*H (1972, 11 seasons) You’ve probably heard of this comedy/drama that stars cultural icon Alan Alda as a cynical army medic just trying to survive the Korean War, but have you watched it yet? You should.

NewsRadio (1995, 5 seasons) A workplace comedy in a news radio station starring Phil Hartman. A less cringy Office and a less sophisticated Frasier. Vicar of Dibley (1994, 3 series + specials) Dawn French plays the first-ever female vicar in a small English village. Watch out for an utterly amazing Spice Girls reference and Richard Armitage. Keeping Up Appearances (1990, 5 series) A British woman from a lower class family attempts to social climb to predictably hilarious results. Was apparently one of the Queen Mother’s favorite shows though I can’t for the life of me figure out what she got from it.

You’re the Worst (2014, 5 seasons) Just two really toxic people in a relationship trying to make it work. Definitely has dramatic undertones in addition to being pretty funny.

Side note: If you like comedy, get a subscription to Dropout TV. I’m not a shill. Nobody’s paying me to say this. I just really love it and they’re a great company to support.  Science Fiction/Supernatural

Babylon 5 (1994, 5 seasons) Was Deep Space Nine your favorite Star Trek series? Watch this. (Watch it even if it wasn’t.)

Sliders (1995, 5 seasons) An updated Quantum Leap. Jerry O’Connell and John Rhys-Davies star. A couple of scientists and their unfortunate friends are stuck sliding between alternate universes trying to find their way home.

Wynonna Earp (2016, 4 seasons) The great-great granddaughter of Wyatt Earp is tasked with sending reincarnated outlaws back to Hell. Often called the spiritual successor to Buffy, this is a real campy adventure in the Wild West and everything Supernatural wished it could be. 

Lost Girl (2010, 5 seasons) This show is about a bisexual succubus named Bo. I don’t know what else you need to watch this.

Drama

The Darling Buds of May (1991, 3 series) The British Little House on the Prairie if Pa were a con man you like to root for. An early Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as the oldest daughter who kidnaps and marries a tax inspector in order to avoid paying taxes. Incredible. Icon.  

Midsomer Murders (1997, 24+ series) Technically, this one is still going (and I’m sure everyone’s heard of it), but there’s so many back episodes to get through, I still feel okay recommending it because it’s great for binge-watching when you’re sick. You’ll never run out of episodes. Cozy murder mysteries that take place in England’s most deadly village. Joyce deserves better.

In the Heat of the Night (1988, 7 seasons + films) A crime procedural in the Deep South in the US, a big city Black detective is hired as the head detective in a small town in rural Mississippi. Progressive (for its time), this show dealt with racial issues, police corruption, poverty, and more.

Six Feet Under (2001, 5 seasons) Two brothers work together to run the family business, a funeral home, in the wake of their father’s death. The show’s finale is considered one of the greatest of all time, so you can go in having confidence in a satisfying conclusion.

Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Rome (2005, 2 seasons) A collaboration between HBO and BBC, one of the most expensive series of its time. Has so many incredible character actors. You will constantly be on your phone asking where you recognize That Guy from. Polly Walker was instrumental in my discovering my sexuality. 

Xena: Warrior Princess (1995, 6 seasons) Okay, I know this is another popular one, but it also feels like a show people have heard of and never watched, so this is your reminder to do so. Brideshead Revisited (1981, 1 series) British schoolboys doing what schoolboys do best (falling in love with each other). Adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel by the same name. Galavant (2015, 2 seasons) Hilarious musical comedy about a downtrodden knight trying to rescue his girlfriend from King Richard, even though she is actually pretty happy being Queen. Catchiest theme ever. SUPPORT WRITERS.

#wga strike #writers strike #tv recommendations #what to watch #long post

[sonkitty]

Threshold Tricks (Good Omens 2)

FOR QUICK REFERENCE START:

The Perfect Entrance Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

The Bigger Thresholds Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

The Pocket Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

The Sunglasses Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

The Door Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

The Window Trick Visual Representation (GIFs)

FOR QUICK REFERENCE END.

...

(For reference: The Earthly Objects Game | The Sideburns Scheme)

...

This post was last updated 03/17/2024.

...

While much of this post is based on a lot of theorizing, I am confident that these Tricks really do exist and deliberately have the multiplicative traits they do. I am likely wrong on the finer details, but for the basic core idea, I am as sure as I can be.

...

Introduction

Earthly Objects is already a hidden game in Good Omens 2. Even when found, it actually has a hidden higher tier of play on thresholds that only Crowley is shown to be capable of doing. He does not work alone, but he is still the main featured character performing these Tricks. These are 6 special advanced moves compared to the standard level of play.

I used to call these Threshold Tricks, "Multiplicative Threshold Tricks" because that's what they are, but I've gotten into the habit of dropping the first word all the time and suspect that if season 3 ever admits these things exist, that is what they will be called. As such, I'll drop that part of the name and simply note that component is one of the rules.

Each Threshold Trick is based on a simple idea and has layers of complexity added into how the Trick is done. Each one also manages to somehow be rather special on its own, even with a total of six altogether.

Before you go any further, I want to say something here and now, in case you skim or do not finish reading this post. I believe The Pocket Trick is intended to be the most important Threshold Trick because it has a huge impact on many things once an audience player understands certain parts of how that one works.

The Pocket Trick is a giant pain. It is an absurd, infuriatingly difficult collection of puzzles. I cannot fully solve The Pocket Trick, or even enough of it to my own satisfaction. Such a thing is beyond my ability. Even so, I have picked up enough to believe in its significance.

...

Requirements

1. There should be at least one primary Single, one primary Double, and one primary Triple element in the trick. These are called multiplicative adjectives and distinctly different from the standard set of 3 points earned regularly in Earthly Objects. This part means a minimum of 6 points, and that such points must be earned in this particular format.

2. Trick the thresholds. Often, the structures of the thresholds themselves are involved, as what is, in a way, being tricked. Crowley himself has to take specific actions to perform the Trick though he can receive assistance from other characters. Neither he nor his assistants are going to acknowledge they are tricking a threshold.

3. Never do the same trick twice.

4. Threshold-only touches are heavily involved and favored, but earthly object touches on other things during tricks that expand over more than one episode are allowed. Those are the complex tricks with their own set of requirements for each one.

5. Minimize overlap. Threshold Tricks can happen at the same time, but there must be some effort to ensuring the touches are being handled properly for the different Tricks as they happen. In the music shop, there are two complex Threshold Tricks happening at the same time. They are the The Bigger Thresholds Trick and The Pocket Trick. It is quite likely that both use fingers on parts of the door, so then there should be some indication of which fingers were for which Trick. Before Crowley puts his left thumb in his pocket, the middle and ring fingers are hiding their fingertips. My guess would be those were for The Pocket Trick since they touched edges. The index finger touched the panel itself and is one of the tips shown, which would favor The Bigger Thresholds Trick since that part of the Trick is based on "never letting go of the door".

6. Maintain continuity. While the overall story of Good Omens 2 has intentionally obvious continuity errors, the Tricks must maintain continuity of the relevant touch or action even though some things are allowed to be done off-camera. Again, in the music shop, Crowley looks like he has shifted position sometimes due to the camera work, yet even so, he is still always seen as touching the door with his back once his back is on it. That way, he is going to get credit for The Bigger Thresholds Trick. When Crowley's lower body is shown for The Pocket Trick, once those thumbs went into the pockets, they stayed there with the fingers remaining on the front area of the pockets for the rest of the scene.

7. Pockets must be related to every Threshold Trick in some form. I don't know how the pockets work in these things, but I do believe a challenge from the game is for an audience player to try and figure that out. Again, it's something I can't do. My understanding is limited, but that understanding includes a firm belief that pockets are meant to be so important, that their involvement is a requirement.

...

Multipliers

Multipliers are for when the primary multiplicative element actually has yet another multiplicative component inside it.

If this game is a game and is scoring points in a way other games tend to do, the multipliers are increasing the score for Crowley's tricks through even more multiplication.

...

The Threshold Tricks

Here are the Threshold Tricks I've found. I decided to give them names. The names I came up with sound like part of the puzzle, as if they should have these names.

Of the six, 3 are simple and take place during an episode, then the other 3 are more complex and take place over multiple episodes.

Simple Tricks:

1. The Perfect Entrance Trick

2. The Door Trick

3. The Window Trick

Complex Tricks:

4. The Bigger Thresholds Trick

5. The Pocket Trick

6. The Sunglasses Trick

I have put them in that order based on personal preference because The Sunglasses Trick is my favorite. I am intentionally saving the best for last in this post. Conveniently, it all works out anyway since The Sunglasses Trick is the chronologically last complex trick anyway.

...

The Perfect Entrance Trick (Episode 1)

Core concept: Make a Perfect Entrance while making an entrance.

This Threshold Trick is based on entering the coffee shop with Aziraphale's invitation. The camera work and music is all quite well done and add all the more to this concept, in my own opinion.

Threshold-only touch #1: One foot to the edge of the sidewalk. Single.

Threshold-only touch #2: Four fingers on the car door panel and window frame. That is two thresholds touched at the same time. Double.

Threshold-only touch #3: Three digits on the door panel to the door of the coffee shop. Triple.

The Triple was not three different thresholds at the same time like the Double was. Instead, the Triple element was due to the digits of two fingers and one thumb, making 3 digits total. So, a big sticking point is to have multiplicative aspects within a given Trick while making sure they are not all too similar.

In touch #3, complex pocket mechanics are involved to get that one done.

The number 6 is a perfect number because 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. To start us off with the first Threshold Trick, the game gave us The Perfect Entrance.

Here is a visual representation:

The Perfect Entrance Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Perfect Entrance Trick GIFs

More details can be found in text form here with more on my limited pockets info:

Crowley S2 Hair Post #4 Redone (The Perfect Entrance Trick)

All that aside, genera, reminder:

One Single.

One Double.

One Triple.

...

The Door Trick (Episode 6)

Core concept: Touch the door while touching the door.

This Trick is done by Crowley for Aziraphale. It happens close to the end of episode 6 when Crowley is standing at the door to the car. He is not just waiting despite how it looks.

Read what comes after! I will bold part of it for you.

I will describe the touches first. Due to the structure of the Trick itself, I believe they are all supposed to be considered as done simultaneously.

Threshold-only touch #1: Single accessory touch with the watch to the door.

Threshold-only touch #2: Double clothing touch with the jacket and the pants to the door. Double multiplier on the pants due to the legs being crossed.

Threshold-only touch #3: Triple skin contact touch with with the wrist, the pinky side of the palm, and three fingers collectively together. The watch allowed for a separation between the wrist and the side of the palm, which is the skin around the small metacarpal. The palm side and fingers made a small pocket between themselves. Triple multiplier for the fingers collectively together, which are the middle, ring, index, and pinky finger together.

The Door Trick uses a pocket touch. One key mechanic of The Pocket Trick is the use of word play. Another mechanic is that it has a Pocket Chain so that the touches themselves are linked together. That link extends into The Door Trick. As such, The Door Trick is actually the first part of a Double Door Act with Aziraphale. Once The Door Trick is done, The Door Catch officially starts. There is a cut of Aziraphale before the end of The Door Trick that I consider Ground Zero of The Door Catch.

Here is a visual representation:

The Door Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Door Trick GIFs

While I do not have a dedicated post for The Door Catch only, besides its Ground Zero cut, I do have one about the Pocket Chain's Rainbow Connection that discusses a good amount of it. That can be found here:

The Pocket Chain Rainbow Connection Part 4 - The Door Trick and The Door Catch

All that aside, just to clear up from the mess:

One Single.

One Double with a Double multiplier.

One Triple with a Triple multiplier.

...

The Window Trick (Episode 6)

Core concept: Look through a window while looking through a window.

This Trick is done by Crowley for humanity. It is the last Threshold Trick of the entire season.

Complex window scenes feature 3 steps:

(1) The looker looks.

(2) The window sees.

(3) The looker is seen clearly behind the window pane with at least some of its window frame visible.

Double Part 1:

The looker looks. The window sees Nina. Step 3 is averted.

Single:

The looker touches the edge of the door panel meeting the roof for the outer layer window that will be used in the Triple. The touch is done with a solitary middle finger while ensuring all other digits and a watch are visible. Also, something magical is probably happening with lens flares, partial rainbows, and an eventual rainbow.

Double Part 2:

The looker looks. The window sees Maggie. Step 3 is averted.

The Double is done.

Triple:

Step 1:

Most likely due to precise framing of the right sunglasses lens and everything else of Crowley's body in relation to Nina's window and its frame behind him, he is allowed to still continue with his own Step 1 to start looking.

Crowley's sight is special. He senses with his eyes in a way that is almost identical to seeing but still isn't quite seeing as many humans understand it to be. This characteristic of his is demonstrated through what is not reflected in his sunglasses during the story. The most common reflection in his sunglasses is light.

With the Double of the Trick done, there are two tiny white dots of light that signify the Double finished and that Triple Step 1 is starting.

Crowley's sunglasses are his own double door set for himself, and the lenses are the windows to those doors.

Step 2:

Crowley crosses the threshold of the door touched in the Single. The window is open. Once he has started to cross, reflections of the people passing by that car window are shown in his sunglasses. They actually are there before he closes the door. Clues are given to show that what those windows are seeing are only that which could be seen through the open car window, especially thanks to Crowley turning off the song during the Trick. A mix of light and darkness is reflected in the process that is not what the car window sees to the show difference in seeing through the windows and seeing as Crowley himself usually does.

Another trait of the Trick that makes it special is that the nightingale song is almost certainly from Aziraphale to confirm Aziraphale's success at The Door Catch and further meaning Aziraphale played a part, in some way, in every Threshold Trick.

So, after all of that we get:

One Double.

One Single.

One Triple.

Here is a visual representation:

The Window Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Window Trick GIFs

Here is more in text form: The Window Trick

For complex pocket mechanics, there is at least something going on with lens flares and partial rainbows to make a rainbow. If you're wondering what pockets have to do with rainbows, it starts from The Pocket Trick's use of word play and the Elvis Presley song, "A Pocketful of Rainbows."

...

The Bigger Thresholds Trick (Episodes 2, 5-6)

There are three special locations with thresholds bigger than Crowley. As such, they allow for a complex Threshold Trick. Due to their size, Crowley (probably) maintains long sideburns while inside the locations by manipulating specific aspects of the thresholds themselves. On some level, his actions are like a broad touch to these locations.

Each of these three thresholds has distinguishing visual markers about them that help align them with the desired component.

The Pub. Double. Two Posts. Switched Lanes.

The pub has 2 doors with 2 windows and 2 doorknobs. On entry, there is a panel to the right of the right door that ends with a post attached to it. There is yet another post parallel to that one against the wall, which would be to the left of the left door. That gives the threshold two lanes. The two posts are the Double distinguishing visual marker of the threshold. When Crowley entered, the right door was opened inward to the pub. While I am actively making an assumption, based on how this threshold is presented, I am led to believe he switched lanes toward the left for the threshold to allow him in and maintain long sideburns before his eventual exit where they shorten. Crowley walks along a rug as yet another he is in the left lane whereas Aziraphale does not to occupy the right lane.

If one wishes to link his action more closely with the Double, it would be that he used both lanes at different times or has to pass both posts twice.

The blocking and framing of both Crowley and Aziraphale on exit may further contribute. Aziraphale's head is shown as being to Crowley's right, then blocks Crowley's face, then is shown to Crowley's left as Aziraphale himself is shown near and eventually in front of the doorknob. He then moves to Crowley's right again after Aziraphale himself has cleared the way out of the door frame.

The Music Shop. Single. One Sign. Never Let Go of the Door.

The music shop has 1 door with 1 window and 1 doorknob. It also has 1 sign on the window. That sign is the Single distinguishing visual marker of the threshold.

There is a hole in the wall without a door that leads further into an area with the door the music shop itself. So far as the threshold itself is concerned, Crowley never let go of the door.

When arriving at the music shop, Aziraphale opens the door for both of them. When Crowley enters, he places parts of his left hand on different parts of the door, including the panel and frames on the door itself. While his body covers his hand, the camera never sees him remove the touch. He is the one who closes the door instead of Aziraphale. In the next cut of Crowley, he has his back to the door as he starts to use pockets. Every cut of the scene then makes sure that it is known he has his back to the door from that point onward.

Since the camera always saw him touching the door—or at least not removing the touch, Crowley is read as still being in the threshold. He touches the sign by brushing against it with part of his upper back. Generally, the touch is shown near where the back meets the neck, the right shoulder, and ensures to leave off part of the left shoulder. It might be avoiding the left shoulder because the left jacket sleeve is busy with The Pocket Trick. The music shop is the Single of The Bigger Thresholds trick.

Heaven. Triple. Three Buttons.

Since the other two thresholds have a simplified way to say how the threshold was tricked, this one should have such a thing too. I don't know what it is. I am still confident that this part is part of this Threshold Trick.

The Heaven threshold is an elevator. It does not have 3 doors or 3 windows or 3 doorknobs, but it does have 3 buttons. Those buttons are the Triple distinguishing visual marker of the threshold. In this case, Crowley does not touch them.

Avoiding the doors on entrance, in addition to avoiding the buttons, probably helped too.

Something more complicated is happening involving lighting, shadows, pockets, and the required framing when pockets are involved.

Muriel is Crowley's assistant for this part of the Trick. I have not fully solved this Trick in this further complicated part. I doubt I ever will, sadly. When trying to figure it out again recently, I did eventually pick up on the following piece of information: Crowley trusts Muriel.

Muriel is helping with the required framing, whatever it is.

The elevator is the Triple of the trick.

Here is a visual representation:

The Bigger Thresholds Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Bigger Thresholds Trick GIFs

...

Multipliers in the Heaven Elevator (Episode 6)

The Triple element of the Bigger Thresholds is the buttons in the elevator. Those buttons are most plainly shown with Crowley alone when the Heaven elevator goes down.

As such, we shall assume we are inside the Triple and not actually going for a full Threshold Trick. Instead, we are witnessing some new multipliers added into to the Triple of the overall Bigger Thresholds trick.

The story took the time to do the following, so that's why I'm taking the time to say it. I'm basing my interpretation what ends up most dominantly featured within the scene and aligns with how these tricks tend to work.

One Crowley against two doors is a Double touch deeper within the already existing Triple of being in a bigger threshold.

Two different appearances for one Crowley against these doors is yet another Double.

Three angels are featured heavily together but since the other multipliers and actions have been based on what Crowley touched or did or the threshold structure, I focused on what he touched or did or the threshold structure.

So, just another Double or two here within the Triple, perhaps.

The Bigger Thresholds Trick without multipliers:

One Double.

One Single.

One Triple.

The Bigger Thresholds Trick with added multipliers if correct:

One Double.

One Single.

One Triple with two Double multipliers.

...

The Pocket Trick (Episodes 2, 5-6)

Core concept: Think outside the pocket.

From there, you can then say "Pocket while pocketing," and grasp that these touches are puzzles that use assorted word play.

The Pocket Trick's special trait is that it is a giant pain over something so small. I do not fully understand it, and I doubt I ever will. I have progressed enough to recognize that the puzzles exist and the touches themselves. As stated, it looks to be quite important.

The whole matter is overwhelming so please start from the post on the basics if you wish to see more:

The Pocket Trick - Basics

Action #1 (Episode 2; Short sideburns; Triple Part 1)

Crowley walking alone before encountering Nina. The pocket frame is Between Building Windows.

Action #2 (Episode 2; Short sideburns; Triple Part 2)

Crowley walking alone after encountering Nina and encountering Aziraphale. He says, "Do you need a lift somewhere?" The pocket frame is Between Cars.

Action #3 (Episode 5; Two pockets; Double)

Crowley standing against the door of the music shop. This touch is notably different in nature because of using two pockets and the thumbs being inside the pockets instead of four fingers on one hand being in one pocket. The pocket frame is Between Door Frames and Papers.

Action #4 (Episode 5; Short sideburns; Triple Part 3 that has its own two parts)

Crowley standing and watching Aziraphale invite Justine. The pocket frame is Between Car Windows.

Action #5 (Episode 6; Astragal; Single)

Crowley walking into the bookshop after escorting Maggie and Nina out. He has a potential two Triple multipliers on the door panel for shifting the fingers and whatever else was necessary at the right times. The pocket frame is Between Door Windows.

The Pocket Trick without multipliers:

One Double.

One Triple.

One Single.

The Pocket Trick with added multipliers if correct:

One Double.

One Triple.

One Single with two Triple multipliers.

Here is a visual representation:

The Pocket Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Pocket Trick GIFs

...

The Sunglasses Trick (Episodes 1-2, 5-6)

Core concept: Crowley's sunglasses are his door to himself.

It is done by Crowley for Crowley, based on touching the thresholds of his own threshold. It is my favorite one and beautifully layered. The door is actually a double door set.

The end pieces are the thresholds. The edges of those end pieces are the thresholds of the thresholds. The Trick starts with opening both doors and ends with closing both doors.

Double #1 of the eventual primary Double (Episode 1):

Crowley removes his sunglasses touching two end pieces with one end. Both doors are opened. He puts the sunglasses on the dark horse statue and is not touching anything else.

Triple Part 1 of the eventual primary Single (Episode 1; Not Hissing):

Crowley removes his sunglasses before being summoned to Hell by touching the right end piece. He did not have a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect. His left hand eventually puts the sunglasses on a blurry mirror.

Triple Part 2 of the eventual primary Single (Episode 1; Not Hissing):

Crowley removes his sunglasses before throwing them on a desk by touching the left end piece. Soon after, he rings a bell. He did not have a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect.

Single #1 for the eventual primary Triple (Episode 2; Different Sunglasses and Hissing)

Crowley removes the first set of present day sunglasses while holding a Jane Austen book by touching the right end piece. He had a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect.

It is a Single because the next two demonic hisses will have different sunglasses.

For these demonic hisses, though I do not know why, I suspect he is actually required to be holding an earthly object.

Single #2 for the eventual primary Triple (Episode 2; Different Sunglasses and Hissing):

Crawley removes his Job era sunglasses by touching the right end piece. He had a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect.

While he does not appear to be holding an earthly object, crows are eventually turned into goats. These goats are what he initially transformed through his own power earlier in the story. As such, they are likely to be considered the earthly object he was holding.

Single #3 for the eventual primary Triple (Episode 5; Different Sunglasses and Hissing):

Crowley removes the second set of present day sunglasses by touching the left end piece. He had a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect. He is understood to be holding a glass of wine in his hand and later confirmed to still be doing so.

At last, the three Singles are done. Now they can become the primary Triple of the trick. Time to finish up the primary Double and the primary Single started earlier.

Triple Part 3 of the eventual primary Single (Episode 6; Not Hissing)

Crowley removes his sunglasses and holds them. When removing them, his right hand did so on the right end piece. He did not have a subtle demonic hiss as an added sound effect.

At last, there are three not hissing touches where no earthly objects were touched during the present day. That is a Triple to make the primary Single. The Trick is almost done.

Double #2 of the eventual primary Double (Episode 6)

Crowley puts his sunglasses back on. He touches the thresholds of his thresholds with both hands. Note that on the front view, two sets of fingers are touching each other as one of the fingers of each pair touches each edge. From the back view, there are two visible digit tips with the thumb and index finger.

No earthly objects were touched the entire time before they were put on. That finally gives the primary Double for the trick.

So, in the end, there are:

Two Doubles to make a primary Double (beginning and end; opening and closing both doors).

One Triple to make a primary Single (not hissing).

Three Singles to make a primary Triple (hissing with different sunglasses).

A past draft had the Triple and Single swapped because I didn't properly consider that the distinct sunglasses are what help determine which set was made up of Singles. I was stuck on the order of the hisses instead.

One could also consider "present day" and "not touching earthly objects when removed" as two extra commonalities in the Triple parts that became the Single.

I suspect this Trick has a certain word meant to be found to match with "Perfect," and my best guess is that the desired phrase is Perfect Reversal.

The potential pocket trickery is well beyond me, but I can at least see the touches have a Double to start and a Double to end—which in this game is a pocket.

Here is a visual representation:

The Sunglasses Trick Visual Representation

GIFs only form:

The Sunglasses Trick GIFs

...

The Threshold Tricks Structure

Only one Threshold Trick starts and finishes in episode 1.

The other five all finish in episode 6 with three of them saved for The Final Fifteen.

The three saved for The Final Fifteen go 1 for Crowley (demon/Hell), 1 for Aziraphale (angel/Heaven), and 1 for humanity (Earth).

The Sunglasses Trick starts in episode 1 and the other two complex tricks start in episode 2.

None of the tricks are having their touches happening in episodes 3 and 4.

All of the complex tricks happen partly in episodes 5 and 6.

Longest-length sideburns are not present on the first three that are completed. They are present during the last three that are completed, provided you look all the way back to Episode 1 for the first touch in The Sunglasses Trick.

They have a reversal structure when lined up against the ball invitations. These go 1 + 5 based on the episode completion. The ball invitations go 5 + 1 based on the humans getting their invitations and then Crowley getting his invitation.

Every Trick has at least one Muriel scene as a bookend to it with The Pocket Trick specifically having Muriel pocketed as part of its last touch since Muriel was in the scene before it started and after it finished. I consider this trait part of a game called Bookend Buddies to suggest Crowley and Muriel are actually good friends. They may have altered their own memories but managed to maintain their trust in each other.

The order by completion:

The Perfect Entrance Trick

The Bigger Thresholds Trick

The Pocket Trick

The Sunglasses Trick

The Door Trick

The Window Trick

...

Never Do the Same Trick Twice

The Threshold Tricks always have a different format.

The Perfect Entrance Trick is three in a row with a Single, a Double, and a Triple in a sequence.

The Door Trick is done simultaneously with multipliers on the Double and the Triple.

The Window Trick splits the sequence as Double Part 1, Single, Double Part 2, Triple.

The Bigger Thresholds trick expands across multiple episodes as part of Crowley's own sideburns scheme. If put in as a sequence of what the story shows, they would go Double, then Single, then Triple with potential multipliers on the Triple.

The Pocket Trick goes Triple Part 1, Triple Part 2, Double, Triple Part 3 with its own two parts, Single with potential Triple multipliers.

The Sunglasses Trick goes Double Part 1, Triple Part 1, Triple Part 2, Single 1, Single 2, Single 3, three Singles become a primary Triple, Triple Part 3, a Triple becomes a primary Single, and ends with Double Part 2 to become a primary Double.

There are six possible combinations of Single, Double, and Triple put in an order, and I was concerned each one is supposed to somehow match a given combination. However, some of them have a sequence that is too similar if I try to do something like that, whether I go by when a multiplicative adjective starts or ends. The Door Trick does not have a sequence since so much of it is done at the same time. At least, I think it's supposed to be considered at the same time.

There might still be an intended combination to match based on proper factors, but if so, I don't know what they are. In the meantime, I go with figuring it's more important that they are done differently to begin with.

...

Conclusion

Well, that was fun.

A prior draft remarked that Crowley should be earning multipliers, if you asked me, which is really funny upon finding out how badly I needed that "multiplicative" word for the nature of these tricks.

As such, I'd like to thank that little mishap and the video game franchise, Tekken, for leading me to look up if the word "perfect" was what I really needed to describe the Sunglasses Trick.

If this Earthly Objects game is a game, that Sunglasses Trick should receive the best score, in my opinion.

I am curious to see what Season 3 is going to do with these things. They look meant to be found, so one would hope that they matter, especially with the effort required to find The Door Catch, the headaches endured through The Pocket Trick, and how much The Pocket Trick affects so much else. Still, we have to wait and see.

That's all.

I have a tendency to update my posts, FYI.

#crowley #good omens 2 #good omens s2 #good omens #david tennant #good omens season 2 #good omens analysis #good omens crowley #good omens meta #good omens earthly objects #crowley sunglasses

[adickaboutspoons]

The Curse of "The Curse of the Seafaring Life"

So now that I've had some time to come down from the euphoria of watching two middle-aged men kissing in the moonlight, I've got to admit episode 5 is... bad. Like the kiss is divine and perfect and I love it with all my heart and soul, but the rest of it doesn't make a lick of sense, within the context of what we've seen this season, or within the themes of the show as a whole. And it's not just a matter of inserting a couple of lines of dialogue to fix it as with episode 4. To me, it requires a full tear-down to the very studs.

I understand that for future plot purposes implied by the trailers, it will become important that Stede knows how to do fighty pirate-y stuff, but the way they get there challenges credulity. Stede states that he "hasn't really felt [that he is the captain]" since they got back on the ship. But... why? He's called and led at least two all-hands meetings in the past two episodes (letting the crew know Ed was not dead after all, and mediating the non-pology sesh), collected votes for the decision to exile Ed (and stayed with the crew rather than going with Ed, even though finding Ed was, like, supposedly his entire motivation, god that still makes me so angry writers I am in your walls!), and convinced the crew to, at least temporarily, let Ed be un-banished. No one is challenging him for his position. No one is questioning his authority. No one is being insubordinate or any less respectful to him than they generally are, considering he encourages open and honest dialogue (which sometimes invites less-than-respectful expressions of ideas with this crew.) No one is even suggesting that his feelings for Ed might negatively impact his objectivity or his ability to perform his captainly duties. For heaven's sake, half of the crew (eventually) followed him in applauding Ed's feeble scrabble at an apology. And quite aside from all that - how many times, exactly, does he need to prove himself? He JUST orchestrated a successful escape plan using fucking TOWELS. He's ALREADY captain material! So why would he have that less-than-captain feeling?

And the only thing that I can think of is that they needed to get him to train with Izzy somehow (why did it have to be Izzy, though? More on that in a moment). So how to get him there? Well, Izzy's mean, right? So maybe Stede needs to think that he needs to get mean, so he'll go to be trained at the foot of the master. But why would Stede suddenly think he needs to be mean? Especially considering how delighted he was when Yi Sao clocked his energy as soft? Well, maybe Ed tells him the way to Feel More Captain-y is to be more assertive.

But as much as Ed-in-a-collar asking Stede to order him around is going to find a forever home in my fanfic plotbunny document, that just... doesn't make any sense. Ed LOVES that Stede is out here doing things completely different from anyone else. One of the main theses of the show is that Stede's people-positive management style is CORRECT, actually, and another is that living life as your authentic self is more important than duty or obligation. Stede needing to "butch up" to be a proper captain runs antithetical to both those ideas AND to the established dynamic between Ed and Stede. Honestly, it reads a lot more like validation of Stede's insecurities about not being enough for Ed, and that whole dream sequence that opened the season. Which would be fine if Stede was going through an arc where he thinks he needs to be more manly and learns in the end that he's fine just the way he is, but that doesn't seem to be the case? As such, it's frankly pure contrivance, and just sloppy writing.

So taking out that pin about training with Izzy. I'm gonna be real, this feels like pure fanservice to me, and I'm not just talking about Con O'Neil's magnificently sculpted tits. Izzy's "redemption arc" (and, yes, I'm putting it in scare quotes) feels completely unearned to me. What - he's absolved in his suffering? Even though we've seen not one hint of remorse for what he's done to others (only for how the repercussions of his actions actually impacted him)? Not even the barest scrap of a non-pology? Then Why Isn't Ed? Ed who has suffered too. Ed who was so fucked up he made MORE THAN ONE attempts at suicide by proxy in episode 2? Ed who keeps getting kicked when he's already down and NOT extended the same sympathy and understanding from the crew? It's a real bad look, y'all. In fact, it looks a lot more like Izzy is not going through a "redemption arc" so much as an "he's already redeemed, trust us" arc, and training Stede is more about him proving that he's part of the community by offering support and expertise, and resolving his personality crisis ("who am I to you?" and "what even are you?") - roles which, by all rights, would be better filled by Jim (who had JUST given up on their vengeance quest to try and see what being part of a family might be like, only to be caught up in the Kraken's shit and having to fight for survival, and could now have an opportunity to work through their trauma by using their skills to HELP someone rather than hurt, and learning how to be soft - like the flesh of someone becoming human after so recently being someone's puppet) or Ed (who needs to learn to reconcile the various aspects of his personality, and that violence doesn't have to come coupled with the baggage of being unlovable, and who needs to relearn how to trust and be trusted by Stede, and how to earn the crew's forgiveness). Because the fact of the matter is? Stede MUST be lying when he tells Izzy that Ed attributes "everything he knows" to Izzy's teaching. The whole point of the escape from the Spanish relies upon the premise that there is knowledge that Ed possesses that Izzy doesn't and can't. Look at Stede's face when he says "More specifically, he said you taught him everything he knows.":

(corporate needs you to find the difference between these 2 pictures) It's giving very "Stark Revelations" vibes. I'm thinking Stede is getting Izzy to buy in to his training by using a little of that weaponized empathy he picked up studying at the feet of the master: Yi Sao. I don’t love Stede pandering to the ego of a mediocre white dude by conferring upon him the responsibility for Ed’s achievements and brilliance in order to get what Stede wants out of him, but it’s immeasurably better than the suggestion that Ed’s achievements and brilliance actually ARE down to Izzy. Neither way of interpreting the implications of the scene are great, though, which is uncharacteristically sloppy writing from this show. All the more reason why Stede’s training should be in the hands of anyone else EXCEPT Izzy.

The training montage itself is… not a training montage. It’s a cringe compilation. Just scene after scene of Stede being bad at things and no follow-up scenes that show him improving. The line about him just letting his body take over in the field and it working out for him is just bad and wrong. First, it conveys Plot Armor on Stede, and obviates the NEED for training. Second, really, Stede? How about the time you almost stabbed Doug for the crime of *checks notes* putting his hand on your shoulder? Or the time you blacked out and walked barefoot to Bridgetown after Chauncy shot himself? Like, let's please not suggest trauma-induced fugue states are Stede's super-power. Third, that's really not how we have seen Stede earn his victories up until this point, and it really undercuts the fact that Stede is VERY smart, clever, and resourceful, great at improvisation and using his environment to overcome mightier or more skilled opponents (think of the way he bested Izzy at their first encounter, or even, more recently, how he used his habit of putting scent on his towels and how everyone inevitably wanted to breath it in deeply to knock out the prison guards and orchestrate their escape - again, using towels as a zip-line). One of the things about Stede that I think gets under-acknowledged is that he's actually kind of low-key a master of seeing a thing once and figuring out how to do it. In spite of what my Advanced Maneuvers  fic would have you believe, the Unhand Me Or Bleed move actually comes from him observing the bar brawl in ep 2, and then there’s all the stuff with the duel with Izzy and the butt swat and taking it on the left that Ed had shown him only once and only a few nights previously. But what does any of that matter if he’s just going to Dead Zone it and let his body do what it will?

It also bothered me that, when his training is “complete” and he’s going on raids, he's just brute forcing things? Like, his plan was the same every time - run in shouting and waving your blade around. Where’s the clever planning? Where’s the distraction? Where’s the style and finesse? What happened to his rapture over fuckeries?

The resolution of the curse storyline/training montage is bothering me in a way that I feel is emblematic of the bigger problems with the season as a whole so far. The whole point of a training montage is either to payoff with a scene SHOWING the use of all the accumulated skills, or a subversion of that; why they CAN'T use those skills (like in Galavant where he over-trained for the joust and therefore couldn't move when it came time to actually participate). But instead, we get exposition fairies. "Wow - that sure was an epic battle we just did! With us fighting back-to-back and Archie swinging from a rope!" All the interesting and important stuff is happening off-camera, and we're just being asked to accept that it happened. Just like we’re asked to accept that the Swede’s time with Jackie is more fulfilling in some way that his time with the Revenge was not. Just like we’re asked to accept that everyone’s just cool with Izzy now - even the people who last saw him when he was marooning them, even to the point of working together to make him a peg leg and calling him their new unicorn. Just like we’re asked to accept that Black Pete or Olu missed their SOs, even to the point of “crying every night” for the former, but never seeing them actually mention it/crying about it.

And about that - although I was initially overjoyed by it, now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I'm not sure I'm so happy about the Proposal. Like, Lucius is still clearly in a v. vulnerable and traumatized state, and it's maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe not the BEST time to be making big life choices? Juxtapose with Ed finally learning to maybe not charge full-speed-ahead. Maybe handing the U-haul keys to another couple isn’t all that great an idea, actually?

Now on to the Curse. What the dying priest literally says when Stede and Jim enter the room is "We were voyaging to the Vatican to seek an exorcism." My auditory processing is sub-par, especially when more than one person is speaking at the same time, so I can't really make out most of what he says after that because Jim keeps babbling about curses (which? I’m sure Vico had lines they were written for them to be saying, but it to present as a translation something that is v. much NOT what the person is actually saying in the mouth of a native speaker of the language is SO weird to me), and maybe it's me splitting hairs, but exorcism is v. much a casting demons out of a PERSON thing - not a "cursed artifact" thing. But fuck it. Let’s go with the “translation” Jim gives us and stick with cursed items instead of bedeviled people. There’s a real missed opportunity here to have done something extremely clever linking the "curse" and the crew's trauma and, through the process of coming together to formulate a plan for how to free themselves from the curse, managing to take the first steps toward exorcising their own demons. I mean, this is just surface-level metaphor stuff, and it's troubling to me that instead we got Stede the Rational White Dude pandering to the superstitions of his mostly POC crew.

I LOVE that Fang reached out to Ed, and that he brought to Ed’s attention the fact that Ed often defaults to problem-solving mode, trying to FIX problems. Which is great when you need to make an impromptu lighthouse to escape the Spanish, but is not necessarily the best approach for emotional problems, where the better answer is sometimes listening rather than talking, or even just actually sitting and dealing with negative feels (though I am not loving the implication that Ed's a non-stop chatterbox. Sometimes he is, but there are plenty of examples of him being introspective - like literally any time he stims with his silk - and also, sometimes soundboarding is an effective tool for processing complicated or painful concepts, too. And also, we see MULTIPLE scenes of Ed crying alone. He’s clearly sitting with his feels. Admittedly there is a huge difference between wallowing/indulging and PROCESSING, but Ed sitting alone in silence with his feels is v. much NOT the problem). But I HATE the messaging about retributive justice in that scene.

So retributive justice - the idea that a person who has caused damage has to be punished to an appropriately equivalent degree in order for 1) justice to be meted to the wronged party, & 2) the wrong-doer to be redeemed for their wrongdoing - is all kinds of problematic to begin with, but especially when seemingly exclusively applied to a MOC. And we have two examples of that in this episode - we have Ed offering to let Lucius to knock him over the rail so that they're squaresies (v. eye-for-an-eye, that), and we have Fang explaining that he's cool with Ed because he brutalized Ed's unconscious body after Jim knocked him out with a cannonball, so that makes them square for all the shit that Ed did to him.

With Lucius, we see that it DOESN'T actually make things square. Lucius is still traumatized, and just as obsessed with Ed as ever, possibly even moreso. With Fang, we see the exact opposite. He and Ed ARE cool, and Fang doesn't seem to have any lingering issues.

So not only is the scene with Fang kind of gross and reductionist, and reinforces the "broken people do broken things" idea that's been uncritically floated earlier in the season, instead of recognizing that sometimes people have maladaptive behaviors in response to suboptimal circumstances and insufficient support systems, but also, when juxtaposed with the scene with Lucius, the show is refusing to come down one way or another on the topic, and I think that's pretty cowardly on the "toxic masculinity and racism are unequivocally wrong" show.

So how would I fix it?

1) Frame Stede’s practical pirate training urges as Stede self-enriching by re-taking up the reigns of his pirate lessons, not as him needing to learn how to captain

2) Make Ed his teacher, and thereby allow for a gradual rebuilding of trust and strengthening of their relationship (and also some flirtatious banter and UST because they're both trying to hold back and re-figure things out, but also that undeniable chemistry is still there. For me. As a treat)

3) I guess Izzy can help. But HE has to ask. As a "trying to find my place now that so much has changed for me" kind of thing, and also expressing some fucking gratitude to Stede for saving his rat ass

4) My training montage would be an ACTUAL training montage with the comedy failboating at the beginning, and showing actual progress until they're ready to do the Curse raid (which sets up the subversion of payoff for the training montage because they ARE ready, but there's nothing to fight on a ship of the dead). Nix the second raid altogether so I don't have to get cranky about expositing the action sequence. Also that line about blacking out and just letting things happen would be erased from history, too. 

5) Ed's participation in the "exorcizing the demons" plot is what starts to mend bridges with the crew and starts to bring him back into the community. (Also, I want Ed to be able to see Stede feeling himself in his red suit, and it is a CRIME that we were denied that.)

6) It’s my drastic re-write, so in my version, we’re gonna nix the Fang line supporting retributive justice, but we’re KEEPING the Lucius interaction. Maybe in the 'exorcize the demons' brainstorm sesh, Ed proposes that he dress in the devil suit and Lucius be allowed to push him overboard (a 2-for-1 expurgation. Also, there would be a line where Ed goes up to Stede and is all "I really need to get you out of those clothes", and Stede breathlessly replying, "Oh, Ed!" and then Ed awkwardly having to walk it back with hasty explanations, and Stede apologizing for making assumptions, and Ed having to beat a hasty, flustered retreat, because even though he has 100% seen Stede naked before, there’s an unbearable tension to the idea of seeing him like that now). But the overboard plan doesn’t work on EITHER front. Once Ed is back on board, still wearing the devil suit, something goes wrong that convinces the crew the curse is still there (maybe it's Stede doing target practice in the background with Izzy, and THAT'S when the sail falls on everyone's head), and Lucius' can still have his "That didn't actually give me the closure I thought it would have" mini-arc. Ed can start in again, pitching more ideas and talking over people, and Fang can gently suggest that Ed doesn't have to be the one to come up with all the plans. Sometimes it's ok to just sit back and listen, and realize that sometimes your input is doing more harm than good, and it's ok to take a step back.

7) Lucius and Pete aren’t getting engaged. Sorry. Maybe Lucius can propose, but Pete would gently tell him that, while he absolutely wants to and plans to spend the rest of his life with Lucius, he’s concerned that Lucius is moving a little fast, and maybe flailing for something to make him feel better immediately rather than taking the time to work through his trauma, and as much as Pete loves him, he’s not going anywhere; Lucius can take all the time he needs to come to terms with what happened to him, and then, when he asks again, Pete will say yes.

8) After the Curse plot is resolved Ed has been sitting and stewing with the bad feelings that your input can be deletory and unwelcomed. THEN Fang can impart the "sometimes you just have to sit with your feels and let it be uncomfortable" wisdom. Maybe Ed shares what he’s been going through on his own and hiding from the crew. But knowing how to process your emotions instead of just ruminating on them is a learned skill. I don’t know if Fang is the person to teach that to Ed, but honestly I don’t know who IS since Lucius would NORMALLY be the emotional intelligence guy, so I guess Fang can be the one with emotional insight since he is quite the softy under it all.

But also I still want moonlit middle-aged men kisses, so maybe Fang also suggests that just because your input isn't needed in some places doesn't mean it would be unwelcome in all - and sometimes it's a matter of redirecting your energy, and him indicating Stede (in his shirt) brooding over the rail at the loss of his awesome (I am only saying this word for Stede’s sake, because I actually fucking hate the hideous cutaway tailcoat with its tacky, poorly applied appliques) suit. And things are better between them because of training montage, but still awkward, and Ed is now the one taking the initiative to meet Stede where HE'S at and complimenting the shirt, "wear fine things well," etc.

(And, hell, since this is essentially a fix-it fic in essay form, there may or may not be a plotbunny brewing in my head about them agreeing to "take it slow" and then sloooooowly walking together to the captain's cabin and Whoops! they forgot there's only one bed now. Should one of them maybe take the pile of furs on the floor? No! they can totally share a bed platonically. Yup. Just two platonic buds sleeping and nothing else at all in the same bed. Except Stede DESPERATELY has to masturbate about what just transpired between them. He is not as stealth as he thinks he is. And maybe when he wakes in the morning, Ed informs him that he was moaning Ed's name in his sleep all night…)

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd s2e5 #I've now said “exorcize their demons” so frequently that “Exercise the Demons” by LVCFT is now running on an endless loop in my head

[kidflashimpulse]

Lmao I really feel your "sure 1 second" *deletes 1000 pics*

Also in a perfect world we would've gotten a post-credit scene at the end of S4 where Bart goes home with Jay and Ed as they fill him in on what he's missed/he tells them about the kidnapping as Ed holds his hand and Jay pats him on the shoulder

I also highly HC that if any future time shenenigans ensue, the first thing the Outsiders + Jay will do is keep an eye on Bart at ALL TIMES before our boi deep dives into the past again

in a perfect world we would have gotten a lot of things 😔 apologies for the totally unasked for rambles coming: 1. characters wear different clothes every now and then (lol) 2. we would see his meeting with legion and the ensuing months 3. bart wouldn’t be nerfed like that (my villain origin story reverse flash get out of the way) 4. jay bart scenes specifically more of how flash fam was affected by his disappearance 5. ZETAFLASH MOMENTS 6. more outsiders content (specifically of founding members) in general 7. more outsiders missions

and this is all just to name a few the list is honestly infinite 😭 and in no particular order lol

ur scene is very cute and has my heart in its grips lol personally maybe it’s because i’m more drama prone i just see him heading back home with jay and they don’t say much because jay sees that bart needs like a bath and sleep asap LOL but it’s a very mixed feeling atmosphere of massive relief that bart is OK and BACK HOME WITH HIM but also “what the hell just happened and where the hell has he been”

ALSO i’m undecided of when (if?) bart goes back to the arctic to collect the cosmic treadmill immediately or if he does that later down the line (after a couple of days), personally i’m side eyeing the treadmill as being built to exist in the current E16 timeline as a Chekovs Gun for future seasons (ideally S5 lol)

and 100%% agreed! i HC that too, I feel like Flash fam at the very least would be on high alert with him for a very long time, much to Barts incredible frustration LOL

basically……. yes lol

edit: later on mgann dick who saw bioship spit out the treadmill, clark, jeff who saw Bart using it, one of them (probably dick if we r keeping it real) is like “ what happened to it ?? “ and bart is like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i think LOSH took it back with them meanwhile it’s hidden in the basement of the flash museum or something 😂

#yj asks #bart allen #young justice #impulse #kid flash #yj #dc #young justice phantoms #jay garrick #eduardo dorado jr #zetaflash #flash family #the flash #cosmic treadmill

[gothamslostboy]

📁 for Micheal tlb!!

A/N: I’m in a Michael mood rn so I figured I’d do this request first, but to the person who requested it, I will do the Jervis fic soon I promise

My boy has perfect pitch

Sam just walks up to him and hits random things together and is like “what note was that”

Michael put a lock on his door bc one night sam did rt his at 4:00am

He loves Disney movies

I’ve said this so many times but he LOVES cooking

Especially for ppl he cares about

His favorite season is summer

It would be spring but he’s allergic to flowers

Still buys Star flowers every week

His favorite fruit is cantaloupe

Likes the look of button up shirts but cant stand actually wearing them

Solid B+ student

Does well in math tho

Has 5 pairs of shoes: 1 set of foot flops, 1 set of dress shoes, 1 pair of boots, 2 sets of tennis shoes

Looks identical to his grandpa on his dads side

Prefers quilts over blankets

Decent singing voice but thinks it’s awful

Mamas boy, but in the good way

Normally his room is pretty neat, but around important tests it gets messy

Always wanted brown eyes

Used to help grandpa Emerson with his taxidermy when little until he realized it was actual animals

Nanook was originally his dog, but gave her to Sam after realizing he didn’t want the responsibility

Still lays on the floor with Nanook’s head on his chest like they did when she was a puppy occasionally

Learned piano for a couple years but dropped it for guitar

Has a tiny scar just below his hairline on the back of his neck bc Sam threw a pencil at him in elementary school

Collects quarters

Favorite candy is pop rocks

When he was a toddler he was a dance machine and Lucy constantly brings it up and accidentally embarrassed him

Michael and Lucy have had special nights just for them since he was 2 where they watch their favorite kids movies together curled up on the couch

He saved up money from his first job in Santa Carla and bought a tv so they could continue this

At some point in life he gets a chicken named Julian

I Like @persephone-s-moon ‘s Rat Series so even though they aren’t they boys, laddie, and Star, he gets 6 rats to help with anxiety after the night in the house

Names are Joey, Bobby, Danny, Chloe, Rosie, & Frankie

Yes all their names had to end with an “e” sound on purpose

He and Star end up dating for a couple years, but decided to be friends after a while

Michael ends up dating a bleach blonde guy who he just can’t figure out why he looks so familiar no it’s not actually david

Kinda regrets not turning when he reaches his 30s

Would never tell anyone that tho

His favorite Disney movie as of 1987 was The Fox and The Hound

But adored the Little Mermaid when it came out and took Laddie to see it all the time

Also was the one who went with Star to return laddie to his parents after everything, and the pair became his official babysitters

He gets a little creeped out whenever laddie acts like the boys tho

Still bought laddie a new jacket when he outgrew his old one, and it looked a lot like Dwayne’s

Becomes a music teacher in 50s, but was a producer before that

Ends up married to a girl named Susan, and has a son- Gabriel David Emerson

Yes Sam and everyone besides Laddie gave him hell for the middle name

Ends up being a great dad

Favorite shape is a trapezoid

Listens to Queen a ton

He and Star end up life long besties

#the lost boys michael emerson #michael emerson the lost boys #michael the lost boys #tlb #the lost boys michael #tlb 1987 #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys #dbb post #tlb michael emerson #michael emerson headcanons #tlb michael #michael tlb

[offbrand-deltatraveler]

Okay so I have to make this post really fast because the episode literally drops in a few hours

—————————————————————————————————————

So

First of all, ✨IT IS WEDNESDAY MY DUDES✨

SEASON 6 KICKIN OFF WITH A 3-PARTER

WOOOOOOO

But as exciting as that announcement is, there’s also something interesting to note about it too; The premise and the time

This three part episode is about My Melody being in a bad mood, and Hello Kitty and Kuromi trying to cheer her up

A normal Supercute Adventures episode is 3-4 minutes at max. Maybe 5 if we’re lucky. This episode is 3 parts. That’s, at max, 15 minute, and at minimum 9 minutes. Not counting seconds

What put My Melody in so bad of a mood that it took 3x the length of a normal episode for her best friends to make it go away

We could take the obvious “Just wait for the episode to come out” route and say that it’s probably something specific to that episode since that’s. Probably the case

But this is actually an opportunity to address something that’s been on the back-burner for a really long time. And I’m still holding out on the hope that they’ll get to it eventually

“What is this problem that’s been left to fester for so long?”, you ask

Well, to understand that, we first have to understand the root of the problem

Bare with me

Adventures In Pochi-Sitting is one of my favorite episodes, because it sheds light on something really important: Hello Kitty bares the burden of very high expectations

Ever since she cane to Sanrio Town, she’s been making a name for herself. Being a very active, driving member of the community, giving people life advice, being able to handle anything that’s been thrown at her so far (Or at least it seems that way), etc. She’s understanding. She’s dependable. She remains calm, cool, and collected at all times. She’s everyone’s best friend. She’s just. Perfect™️

Or at least that’s what everyone else is used to

And Adventures In Pochi-Sitting highlights this with it’s brightest marker with all the “You’re ✨Hello Kitty✨” it throws around every two seconds

However, it’s shown in the episode that she’s not handling things the way ✨Hello Kitty✨ is expected to at all. She screwed up basically everything. It just all managed to work out in the end somehow

But the way she just struggled it out and agreed to do it all again without hesitation says a lot. And so does the way she acts in the episodes going forward. She’s scared to have something as simple as an overdue book (Hello Kitty’s Overdue), would rether give herself double the work to do than tell people she can’t be in two places at once (Hello Kitty’s Ramen Round-Up), just randomly offers everyone free lattes to quell their disappointment (Kuromi’s Super Spooky Special),

And the list will probably go on as we continue into Season 6

Point is, she hates letting people down. And will do anything necessary to meet their expectations

Now, back to Adventures In Pochi-Sitting (This is the part where it all ties back into today’s episode)

Remember this scene?

It’s a scene of Hello Kitty apparently sacrificing something she and My Melody had planned for that day, in favor of refusing her help so she doesn’t think that she needs any

You know what that implies to me?

Sometimes, to make people think higher of you, you need to push them away

And I think whatever’s got My Melody so upset, whether it be directly referring to this scene or some other instance of Hello Kitty pushing people away that we’ve yet to find out about, has something to do with that

My Melody is a person that requires attention from those who are important to her. Like a child asking for someone to play with them. And nobody is more important to her than Hello Kitty and Kuromi

—————————————————————————————————————

I was gonna write something down here, but it’d probably be better to put somewhere else

Also for the record I don’t think the overall problem is gonna be solved in this episode, as long as it is. I just think it could be the first step in a new direction

#hello kitty and friends: supercute adventures #sanrio #hello kitty #my melody #sanrio analysis post

[referrix]

So during my several month long attempt to catalogue the Park of Gardenia there were some... interesting features spotted within the presumed area of “the Park”

like that GIANT HILL that could be called a small mountain that seems to be smack dab in the middle when they’re on the ground.

I’d be more willing to accept that the hill is actually part of the mountains surrounding Gardenia if, you know, I could see ANY of the city that would theoretically be between them!!! 

I have spent Far Too Long trying to figure out how big this park is, most of that time was lost because I didn’t do my area conversions properly, but still!

The sparse tree coverage from the overhead shots of Gardenia make the park look far smaller than it realistically is, but at the same time, it’s really not that large either.

Let me lay out the maths

(under the cut because I got a little... rambly)

or tldr: the park is probably? just under 18 acres (17.796 acres roughly estimated.)

VERY ROUGHLY

I'm going to start with some inches before I swap to centimeters because it (centimeters and such) is just easier for me personally.

According to a quick google, the average width of an external door for American housing is 36 inches.

36” = 91.44 cm by the way.

And that was all the inches we needed~

Giving it a bit of an eyeball, the external entryway (the door and the columns/frame around it) seems to be 2 and a half times the width of the door.

91.44cm x 2.5 = 228.6 cm = 2.286 meters

A further eyeballing suggests the length of one of the townhouses from the Peters' block is 5 entryways wide (in season 4 onward, this is not the case with the season 1 dimensions, but since I'm using the season 4 park for this calculation, I'll use the season 4 housing too. It'll also make the park a little bigger~)

228.6cm x 5 = 1,143cm = 11.43 meters (this might not sound very big for a house, but remember, this is a town house and this is only the side to side width, it doesn't take the depth into account or the fact that each townhouse has 2 and a half above ground floors. Season 1 version also had a possible basement area.)

times by 3 to get the width of the entire townhouse block

1,143cm x 3 = 3,429 cm = 34.29 meters

Now we start getting into the rougher ends of estimation, because we don't get a square view of the townhouses and the park, we get a more isometric view, because it shows off the area more, but this does mean that eyeballing the numbers and lengths gets a lot less accurate, and we weren't super accurate to begin with. ^.^'

The park looks to be roughly seven times the length of the townhouse collective so

3,429cm x 7 = 24,003cm = 240.03 meters

We'll be swapping to meters here because I said so. (It's a little easier for me to conceptualise meters than centimeters when we start getting up to this kind of sizing.)

The park's area can be divided up into to conjoined shapes, a square, and a right angle triangle. They may or may not be perfect shapes, but for the sake of my sanity, we're going to say that they are.

The square is easy enough to calculate (especially when you have human history to give you the greatest gift of maths since the abacus: the calculator!)

240.03 x 240.03 = 57,614.4009 meters squared. (where did the extra decimals come from? I've been using a calculator so we don't lose too much space by rounding.)

The triangle looks to be half the length of the square along the sides (the non-slopey/non-hypotenuse sides)

240.03m / 2 = 120.015m 120.015m x 120.15m = 14,403.600255 meters squared

now to smoosh the pieces back together to get the total area of the park

57,614.4009 meters squared + 14,403.600255 meters squared = 72,018.001125 meters squared

And now we get to trim the digits down nice and low, when converting meters square to Hectares, you divide by 10,000

72,018.001125 meters squared/10,000 = 7.201 Hectares

(for acres it's divide by 4046.85642, and for square miles you divide by 2.5900E+6, which I didn't have to do because there are calculators for this online. = 17.796 acres = 0.0278 miles square)

For a point of comparison, New York's famous Central Park, which is only the city's 5th largest is 341 hectares or 843 acres, which makes it too small for wikipedia's list of 168 Largest Urban Parks in the World, but more than 47 time larger than Gardenia's Park.

That said, Gardenia’s Park has bout the same area as 12 American Football Fields (according to numbers from (again) wikipedia), so it’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Could it feasably fit a tiny mountain/large hill in the middle of it?  Hhhhmmmm, 

Maybe if it sits around here?

The cg version really doesn’t do the park any favours with the incredibly sparce vegetation. The cartoon/more traditional style shots of the park all show far denser tree coverage.

IN CONCLUSION:

THE GEOGRAPHY OF WINX CLUB IS LIKE IT’S CONTINUITY - subject to change even on the occasion they’re actually using it.

#winx #winx club #gardenia #gardenia park #lost in the maths' sauce #season 4 reference screenshots #regrets were had this night

[angelasscribbles]

Bad Romance Continues: A Collection of One Shots, Drabbles and Mini Series

Bad Romance the series is marked as complete, but the one shots and miniseries seem to be never ending. So I thought they needed their own master list. New chapters will be placed in order they occurred in the timeline, not order they were written.

To read the original series click here: Bad Romance

For all my other stuff click here: Main Master List

Before the events of Bad Romance:

Beginnings: A Max and Riley story. Beginning of the social season with a flashback to the night they met. Takes place before the events in Bad Romance. Features Liam. 🍋🍋🍋

First Impressions, Max: This is Max's POV from the same night Riley remembers in Beginnings, the night they met. Six months prior to the events of Bad Romance, in New York. 🍋🍋🍋

Concurrent with the events of Bad Romance:

Siobhan: Riley seduces the palace kitchen supervisor and uses her against Liam. Takes place at some point prior to chapter 6, "Busted".🍋🍋🍋

Solace: A Liam and Max story. Their first sexual encounter with each other without Riley present. Concurrent with Chapter 26, "An Audacious Proposal". 🍋🍋🍋

The King's Punishment: A Three Shot. Completely gratuitous sex to be honest, but there is an emotional pay off at the end. Takes place before Chapter 29, Valtoria. 🍋🍋🍋

After the end of Bad Romance:

Birthday Spanking: Riley delivers a little something extra for Max's birthday. 🍋🍋🍋

United Front: What happens when an old flame shows up claiming Drake is the father of her child? A Drabble Me This Story.

Coming to Terms: Liam and Drake work together to get Bradshaw to open the palace doors.

Progress: Takes place just after Ellie's birth.

Max's Room: Written for Maxwell Beaumont Appreciation Week 2023. Riley helps Max clean out his junk room at Ramsford.

Homerun: Roughly nine months after the events in Progress. Ellie would be around eleven months old. 🍋🍋🍋

Thro(n)es of Passion: The follow up to Homerun. Takes place later that night when Liam, Max, and Drake comply with Riley's request for a foursome. 🍋🍋🍋

Thro(n)es of Passion Part 2: Riley's request is granted.

Unlikely Alliances Part 1: Three years after the end of Bad Romance. Ellie is two and still an only child. Liam's indiscretions come to light in a contrived way. Who is out to sabotage the king? 🍋🍋🍋

Unlikely Alliances Part 2 (Closure): Drake travels to New York to uncover the saboteur.

Interview: Madeleine tries to prep Riley and Liam for an interview with the press. They keep getting side tracked.

Run Away: Riley is having a hell of a week. Rashad wants her to take a break and run away with him.

San Antonio: A Drake and Riley story. Precise placement in the timeline is ambiguous. I don't even know. 🍋🍋🍋

Disney Adventure: A six chapter miniseries. The gang gets stuck in LA and decided to take an ill advised trip to Disneyland. Nine years after the end of Bad Romance. Ellie is 8, Xander 5, Jax 2 and Riley is pregnant with Jace.

Wild Ride: Disney Adventure follow-up, so technically is before the events of Bad Romance, but I felt it belonged here since Disney Adventure spawned it. Here is the beginning of Leo's weekend with Riley. 🍋🍋🍋

Drake's Amazon Cart: A hopefully funny little drabble about what's in Drake Walker's amazon cart. Placement in timeline is ambiguous but Jax is at least old enough to fish.

Drake's Perfect Day: This takes place immediately after Drake's Amazon Cart, grounding them both in the timeline when Jace is nine months old. Just days or weeks before the beginning of Bad Parenting.

Dads on the Edge: Riley is down with the flu and the guys have to step up and wrangle the kids without her at a very public event. This was written for @txemrn Father's Day fic idea 2022. Ellie is 12, Xander 9, Jax 6, Jace 4 and Charlotte 2. Leo's son Hudson is 16.

Whose Your Daddy: The answer to Charlottes paternity. Takes places within a few months of Dad's on the Edge.

Thankful: The first Thanksgiving after the paternity test.

Drabbles:

Blocked: A woman Drake met in a bar decides to message him.

Group Chat: Max sends a picture into the wrong chat.

Spider Drake: Riley and Max are scared of a spider.

Extras:

Baseball pants: A companion piece to Homerun. Lots of men in baseball pants. You're welcome.

Thanksgiving Ask: What the BR gang is thankful for.

#bad romance #angelasscribbles #trr #choices #liam rys #drake walker #the royal romance fanfic #maxwell beaumont #rashad #rashad faheem #riley brooks #bad romance riley #why choose #reverse harem #the royal romance #choices stories you play #throuple #poly #poly relationship #trr poly

[bereft-of-frogs]

Ok but like here is how I would have adapted this series as someone who really loved the changes and additions in season 1 and am really puzzled about their choices in season 2:

(See some people can enjoy changes from the books but also still have problems with the story, so super fans you don’t have to strawman literally every single person with a complaint as an ‘ungrateful book purist’)

(I also fully recognize that this would be in a world with unlimited money and Netflix not breathing down their necks forcing them to be universally marketable but anyway. Onwards!)

- season 1 - shadow and bone* + original crow storyline

This was perfect no notes.

- season 2 - siege and storm* + conclusion of the original crow storyline

Crows deal with the fallout of the season 1 stuff. Dreesen still matters. We see them get to be friends with Nina and in their proper context a bit, so the emotionally charged scenes actually make sense. End with a tease to the SoC book plot. The Siege and Storm stuff has time to breathe rather than just racing from one event to another.

- season 3 - ruin and rising* + just the hellgate sections of six of crows

Conclude the shadow and bone storyline which would take the focus, just the first half of soc so it doesn’t overpower the trilogy conclusion. Maybe ending with a bit of a cliffhanger, on the ship to the heist.

*I also didn’t necessarily mind the changes to this storyline I just don’t think it should have been so compressed because it was way too fast paced. But I sense the Netflix cancel hammer looming above them…

- season 4 - the ice court heist

This is definitely tricky from a marketing standpoint because I think they should mostly focus on the heist. So I get dropping a set of characters would lose some of your audience. But you could advertise this as the six of crows spin-off season, or even have it be the shadow and bone characters’ turn for an original storyline that doesn’t have any bearing on the main plot of the season. Especially if they make changes to the trilogy’s ending like they did in the actual season 2, you could fit in some foreshadowing for future events and the early parts of king of scars. Or just have a completely unrelated adventure.

- season 5 - crooked kingdom

Yes the separation of the storylines from seasons 2-4 is a rough sell but just imagine the hype when they finally connect again! After all this time! Reuniting with Zoya after last seeing her in the ruins of Novokribirsk!?! It would be great. And all of those stellar performances would be rewarded with the context they deserve. (Because literally, those isolated scenes CK scenes were perfect, they just had no buildup. Props to the actors and their chemistry because I felt it but also in context a lot of it didn’t really make sense and we lost a lot of the best bits to the compressed timeline, like Kaz and Jesper fighting and making up and the understanding of what it means for Kaz to supplant Per Haskell.)

[- season 6 - king of scars

- season 7 - rule of wolves ]

Admittedly I wasn’t the biggest fan of the last duology so there would definitely be a lot of ironing out. Wouldn’t be opposed to massive changes there. As an audience member I might stop at season 5 (I’m good at that…), but damn necromancer Nina always pulls me back in. No further comments on the plot of these last two seasons because I would have to reread those books as I don’t know them as well as the middle duology, and I’m not going to do that.

So that’s how I would adapt the narrative. Just my personal opinion I already know not everyone would like it you don’t have to come for me.

I also would not have (apparently) burned our entire collection of linen shirts and wool trousers and embroidered keftas from season 1 and hit up a local TJ Maxx and Pittsburgh Penguins arena shop for costumes. Or forgotten how to edit and color grade a tv show. But that’s just me.

#long post #shadow and bone netflix #shadow and bone spoilers

[tipsycad147]

15 Of The Best Tools & Ingredients For The Broke Witch

BY AVERY HART

Getting started as a witch can be truly daunting, even more so now that we have access to thousands of blogs and photos that show us how other witches are practicing. It can be hard to look at these more experienced witches and not feel discouraged. After all, many of us have been collecting tools, supplies, and books for years! It seems like there’s a list a mile long of things you need or want to practice witchcraft, and many of them come with a hefty price tag.

For lots of new witches, you may not have the extra cash lying around to drop on these items (or maybe you do and just aren’t ready for that much of a commitment!). Whatever your reasons for keeping your practice money-light, witchcraft doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are 15 tools and ingredients that are perfect for the witch on a budget!

1. Bulk spices

Herbs and spices purchased in the bulk section of grocery stores can be dirt cheap. You can get very small amounts of what you need and have it add up to only pennies. Just the other day, I bought three bay leaves for a spell. The price tag? $0.04. Talk about budget-friendly.

Stick to the cheaper options to keep the price down. Cinnamon, bay leaves, basil, coriander, ginger, and red pepper are good options. In a very well-stocked bulk section, you may even be able to find lavender, rose-hips, and jasmine over with the bulk tea.

2. Sticks

It may seem silly to suggest sticks as a tool, but a good stick can be a lovely addition to your witchy toolkit. Sticks can be turned into wands or wall hangings. They can have spells carved into them and be burned or hung over doorways. Sticks can even be made into brooms! A good stick has a multitude of uses and is completely free. All you have to do is go for a nature walk and see what you can find.

3. Leaves and flowers

Much like sticks, leaves and flowers can be used in many ways and they are entirely free. I would suggest either cutting (not picking, this can kill the plant!) fresh leaves and flowers to use immediately or collecting leaves and flowers to press so that they will keep and can be used regardless of the season.

Drying the petals of any flowers you receive as gifts is also a great option! Rose petals are used in many spells and can last for a very long time if stored properly. The only caveat with this method is that these flowers are often sprayed with pesticides and chemicals to keep them fresh, so they should not be used for any topical or internal use. This means no teas, no baths, and no oils to be placed on the body.

4. Hand-me-downs

Hand-me-down items can be great for witchcraft! Even if you’re not in love with the item itself, with a bit of altering many used items can be super useful in the craft. Old dishes? Paint them and use them as altar pieces. Old clothes? Use the fabric to make spell bags, tarot card wraps, and altar cloths.

And if you don’t typically get hand-me-downs, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of used items. Hold a clothing swap with your friends, or check out yard sales, thrift stores, and flea markets.

5. Recycled jars

Ahh, jars. It’s no wonder that witches are always joking about how much we all love jars. It seems like I’ve never got enough of them lying around. They’re amazing for everything from storing ingredients to casting spells and when you reuse jars instead of buying new ones, it’s good for the planet too!

Just remove the labels (a good soak in hot soapy water and a stiff-bristled brush helps) and paint the lid if you like and you’re good to go! One of my favorite ways to prep my jars is painting the lid with chalkboard paint. It makes labeling jars a snap!

6. Odds and ends from the craft drawer

Your craft drawer is a treasure trove. Pretty much everything in your craft drawer can be used for witchcraft. Fabric can be made into spell bags, pouches, tarot wraps, altar cloths, ritual clothing, and more. Yarn, thread, and twine can all be used for knot spells and tying off spell bags. Needles are useful for banishing and baneful magic. Thimbles can be used for protection. Clay can be made into amulets, talismans, poppets, and containers. Pretty scraps of paper can be used for sigils and written spells. The possibilities are endless. Crack open that craft drawer and see what kinds of ideas you can come up with!

7. Dirt

Dirt may not be the most exciting ingredient for your craft, but it has about a million uses. My witchcraft kit is never without a jar of dirt. Dirt can be used in spells ranging from protection to healing to prosperity and baneful magic. If you think about it, it makes total sense! That’s a bit of the earth that you can incorporate right into your magic. A tiny amount of dirt is teeming with living organisms that have the capacity to both spark the life that keeps our planet functioning and decay those things which are no longer living. If that’s not powerful magic, then I don’t know what is.

8. Dollar store candles

Dollar store candles are a lifesaver. I’ve almost always got a box of emergency candles, colored birthday candles, and white pillar candles in glass jars lying around because they’re just so damn cheap. Instead of spending a lot of money on candles, I can get away with only spending a few bucks for a ton of them, and then I’m set for candles for a month.

To keep costs down, I typically stick to white candles. Colored candles are fun, but keeping a bunch of colors around is more expensive and, to be honest, I don’t notice much of an effect on my spell casting. If you really want to use a colored candle, that’s where the birthday candles come in. They give a little pop of color when you really want something other than white to work with.

9. Moon water

Moon water (and really any charged water) is a budget witch’s dream. You can make it with plain old drinking water and a glass jar. If you take the moon phase into account, you can make charged waters for each phase of the moon to boost your magic when you need a spell but don’t have the time to wait for the right moon phase.

Not into lunar magic? There are TONS of other options for charged waters like solar water, color-infused water (just put the water in colored glass bottles!), water charged with herbs, rainwater, and snow water. The possibilities are endless and the supplies are easy to come by.

10. Grow your own herbs

Growing your own herbs is an easy way to connect with the earth and save a little money in the long run on supplies. Often, you can root cuttings from fresh culinary herbs to plant and have your own supply growing in a windowsill year-round. Herbs typically don’t require much space, so they can be grown in recycled jars and tea tins.

My favorite herbs to keep on hand for my craft are mint, sage, bay leaves, and rosemary. Check and see if any of your friends or family members are growing herbs already! You may be able to snag cuttings for your own garden from them.

Do you struggle with getting results from your herbal magic? You’ve probably used herbs in your craft dozens of times, almost every spell involves herbs, but for a lot of witches, herbal magic just seems to fall flat. Or maybe your spells work ok but it still feels like something is missing. You’ve been told that plants and herbs can be incredibly powerful magic but you just never seem to be able to experience that for yourself. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone and my Magical Herbalism class is designed to help you to uncover the secrets of magical herbalism with ease. The truth is, you’re missing crucial pieces of information! If you’re ready to start feeling confident and getting results from your herbal magic, click here to learn more about my Magical Herbalism course.

11. Salt

What witchy supply kit is complete without salt? Salt is useful for all manner of magic, including cleansing and banishing. It’s also typically quite cheap. While it may be more aesthetically appealing to go for the Himalayan pink salt, regular table salt is far more readily available and works just as well, I promise. Salt is another item that may be available for much cheaper in the bulk section of your local store, but if you don’t have bulk goods available near you, you can often find a box of salt for just a few dollars.

12. Your makeup drawer

Your makeup can do double duty and serve as a perfect way to expand your craft. Enchant your lipsticks to sweeten your words, your eyeliner to help you see the truth, and your foundation to help you appear more favorably to other people. You won’t have to spend any extra money to incorporate makeup magic into your current routine, and it’s a lovely way to add a little more magic into your day-to-day life.

13. Loose change

I used to hate having loose change. It seemed to sneak into everything, my pockets, my purse, on my counters, between the couch cushions, under car seats. These days I look a little more favorably on my change. Anytime I find a coin, I pick it up and take it to my prosperity bowl. This bowl sits near the entrance to my house and is enchanted so that every time I drop change into it, it attracts more money to my household. It also charges the coins so that when I need a little financial boost, I can take them and use them to buy something, releasing a little burst of wealth-attracting magic.

14. Dollar store journal

Dollar store journals may not be fancy, but you can often get them in a variety of sizes for a dollar or less apiece, meaning you can get one for home and one to carry with you. These notebooks can be decorated and personalized however you like and then used to record your witchy doings. The thing I really love about using cheap journals is that I don’t have to be concerned about messing them up. I can write and rewrite spells, make notes in margins, spill potions on the pages, and rip pages out without feeling bad. Use these journals as a catch-all for information and when you’re ready to create a more carefully made grimoire later, you’ll have all the information you need at your fingertips.

15. DIY Pendulum

Do you have a necklace with a pendant that you wear a lot? Congratulations, it’s now a pendulum. Any object, pendant, or stone on a chain or string can serve as a divination tool in a pinch. Fancy crystal pendulums might be nice, but you may find that a necklace you wear close to your heart all the time speaks truer and is more readily available when you need a quick answer.

So there you have it! It’s entirely possible to have a wide array of witchy supplies available without having to spend a lot of money. You just have to get a little creative and work with what’s easily available to you.

Remember, while having tools and ingredients is great, they’re not necessary to practice witchcraft. It’s entirely possible to be a witch and never use a single herb, or crystal, or altar. I frequently do magic without any accompaniments and it works just as well as magic that I do with a full altar and all the spices in my cabinet. The important thing is that your craft works for you.

https://averyhart.co/blog/2018/1/2/15-of-the-best-tools-and-ingredients-for-the-broke-witch

[harmonyfr]

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