#more and more this season they seem on a similar level and that's what leads me to believe a shift in their dynamic

[gregoftom]

OUUURRRGHHHH both tom and greg offering for ceo spot even though it seems ridiculous from both of their positions but they both try anyway i see you both i see you. i seeee youuuu

#i like how similar they are being played as this season. #like the way tom babbles sometimes is so similar to greg its ridic #more and more this season they seem on a similar level and that's what leads me to believe a shift in their dynamic #as in they're fucking. like real nasty like #they're Partners. Married. they're working with each other and they have each other's backs. #hell they probably discussed it before arriving TOGETHER at the funeral #i know it's a long fucking shot and there's no way but i'm gonna throw in my gauntlet says tom #and greg says he will too and tom is like lmfao how. and greg is like idk.................. so he talks to the siblings to get a bead on #possibly who might be next ceo. he can't find out but lo!!! a call to find he's on a piece of paper!!! #time to try for that position! #all this while in bed after sex of course. #OOH I SENSE ANOTHER FIC I COULD WRITE... oooouuufhkqjlflqjf;lqkfwjqlwkfj

[0daylighthours0]

A Deep Dive into Milkvan and Byler's Development: If Milkvan Was Endgame All Along, Why Was it Written Like This???

SO. I've been rewatching st with my mother, who's never seen it before. And she was a fan of milkvan throughout seasons 1 and 2. Viewing those seasons again I could see why, they're cute. However, come season 3 and INSTANT distaste. And, listen, my mother is not the consciously shipping gal. She simply routes for main character pairings as writers intend, doesn't read between the lines, doesn't nothing. And she does NOT know my own opinions on the pairing. In other words, completely unbiased, uninternet drama influenced eyes. We've now reached season 3 and, after getting through a chunk of it, I asked her,

"so what do you think of Mike and El?"

and she expressed to me that they seem to be, quote:

"not very good together."

She said El's character doesn't suit the way she's acting now (in the first few episodes, concerning Mike), that Mike is more likeable and interesting when he's away from her. She doesn't like the way they ditched the party, and when it comes to their 'making out' the scenes are seen by her from Hopper's perspective (in other words, distasteful). She claimed that they'd be much better characters as friends.

And ya know what, she's right. And I mean like - duh, that's what we've been saying all this time, I'm not stating anything new here. But guys, wouldn't it be strange if the central couple of the show, pivotal that it is liked by audiences and is rooted for by them as they are THE pair, would be so dislikable like this? So uninteresting, so cliche.

I mean, okay, let's do a little mental experiment I like to do to test if I'm not just acting delulu. Let's play a game. In this game, milkvan ARE meant to be endgame. They are in love, they were all along, and they're here to draw in viewers and appease all El stans. Now, seasons 1 and 2 their relationship is honestly fine. Surface level, yeah, people will watch and appreciate them. They perfectly blend in with all the other neat pairings of the seasons, and have their own unique character traits to stand out as a main couple.

Just pretending our mate Will doesn't exist, we now get into season 3. Now, writers have nothing to lose here. If you've finished season 2, you probably like milkvan already. The issue is that they're already together now, so what's the conflict going to be? The arc? And every central couple needs that conflict to stay juicy.

Just take a look:

Jancy: quarrels, struggle to understand one another

Jopper: not yet together, one sided? will they won't they

Lumax: ...

Lumax? Lumax. Huh, guess they were simply together. Some loveable bickering, maintained a friendly dynamic while clearly in closer proximity. Well then, writers can do the same for milkvan right? Well, yes easily. But one might argue that since they are supposed to be THE pairing they need more going on between them than that. So what'll it be? Well, it seems that writers thought,

"hey, why not break them up?"

ok so.. that's a bit risky. I mean you want people to like this ship, if you break them up then that threats: 1. there being a disliking to one or both characters, 2. coming off generic if done incorrectly, 3. the break up might make no sense considering how in love they came off as just a season ago. But hey.. it could work, if done right. Some kind of misunderstanding, similar to Jancy. Maybe an argument leading to a sudden parting. I mean, yeah, Yeah! I can see that. Perhaps Mike is being too overprotective whilst El's trying to sacrifice herself for something, so she NEEDS to separate herself from him attempting to hurt him less. Or, I dunno, something akin. What's crucial is that us, AS THE AUDIENCE, still know them to be deeply in love. I mean, we have to still want them to be together. And we've seen couple trouble before. Just take a look at Lumax season 4 - did you or did you not want the best for both of them as a pair? You most likely did. See, it's doable. So did people like milkvan season 3 the same way, even after a separation plot? No.

Okay well, there are obviously those who'll always love milkvan no matter but, see, season 3 tainted it. "We need to write them like this cause it's more realistic to teenager behavior" my ars. You can make it messy without making it icky. Not only did it sour their unique dynamic, it flabbergastingly stomped on Mike as a character.

Honestly, I feel Mike has always been a mild struggle to write. Season 1 his motivations were 'find Will' (who still doesn't exist in our mind game yet shh) and 'protect El'. This worked well for him. Afterwards though, El and Will became more separate plots to him. But as a main character it remained integral that he be closely linked to them somehow. This sets him apart from Lucas and Dustin, who can easily be given any arc any season as their plots have the flexibility of a side quest nature. Since what Mike does is meant to matter more - with there probably being a better way of phrasing that but you know what I mean - it's harder knowing what he'll do when El and Will (who we'll GET to sh.) are their own separate people. And Mike is just a boy, he doesn't have super powers and he isn't a cop, which leaves there even less for him to do which is of significance. Season 2 writers decided upon having him support Will's arc, making himself of enough relevance by being able to take credit for some Will development in the story, and the plots that surrounded that, and then Mike was thrown a little bone by being the one to come up with the idea of burning those vines in the finale.

Truthfully, you don't really remember Mike's deeds much when reminiscing the series. It isn't like Dustin who's bond with Dart sticks to everyone, or Nancy and Jonathan responsible for kicking out Hawkins Lab. This is due to them, again, being able to traverse all sorts of adventures without limits. But my guy Mike can't do dat. Sadly, this kind of leads to him coming of as a little.. well... insignificant. And I know I know, the Mike truthers are gonna come at my throat. And hey! I love him too. I only want the best for my boy.

This makes season 3 a unique case cause it seems that, for the plot they decided they wanted, writers actually had to almost entirely change his character. I mean mate s2 Mike and s3 Mike are two different peoples, don't even. And I don't believe that the Duffers had their story and character turnouts completely drawn out from the very start at all. If I was to guess, I'd assume they have vague ideas of little plots they plan to include in future, but there is definitely a lot that has come unpredicted or changed throughout st's runtime. And one of those phenomenons are Michael Wheeler. So they decided to make this guy a di-

So they decided to make him more douchy, more movie typical teenage guy. It's not as if he wholly sucked, he didn't, but he didn't really do much. Whined about his girlfriend, separated the party. I mean what even was his arc? (UnLESS–)

You see, if milkvan is written to be loved, then season 3 was strike one. All of its charm was stripped away. It seems they had some cute scenes after their reconciliation, but it's not enough. It's just sort of

"oh, ok, so they're happy with eachother now. yayy."

and Stranger Things should want to be anything but boring. Sure they often enjoy indulging in tropes, but they always do something different with them. Something standoutish. And from this point on milkvan just got dull. Either writers ran out of ideas or lost interest, honestly (still with our mind game of telling ourselves they're meant to be).

But it's okay. Look, so season 3 was a bit rocky, maybe lost a couple of fans for the guys, but it is salvageable. Easily, easily. Looks like we want a plot of Mike struggling to tell El he loves her. Great! Much to work with.

So let's get into it. Season 4! Choices were... made. And, okay, now we can't go any further without bringing in our boy Will.

Mike is intrinsically tied to Will and El and has been from the start. Maybe Will was more of an accident. Maybe s1 Will was just a plot device for Mike, then s2 Will was a plot device again and Mike needed to be there as the main boy character. Come season 3 and it seems their relationship still matters. Will was sidelined - hard - so most of Mike's moments revolved around El. But as his bond with Mike is the only that's been properly built up, that's the only friend we'll get him interacting with in a way that matters. So the Mike and Will tie continues!

But that does not have to be the case for season 4. Now the writers have a chance.

They made Will gay.

Ok so.. ok so yeah that's fine. Yeah! I mean they didn't have to do that, might put them in hot water with the bylers since milkvan is their golden beauty but.. you know what no no that's okay. He's been hinted at being queer since episode 1, why not make it canon! Cool that works. Explore that, especially since we now have Vecna who can easily target Will for this. Give him a boyfriend! Or a guy crush. He's at a new school now? That's cool. Maybe we can explore some new male character Will's taken interest in. Hey maybe he meets someone who interests him which rises to surface his whole sexuality plot and-

he's in love with Mike.

Ok. No. No. What are you doing? What do you mean?? You didn't have to do that. Strike- strike EFING TWO mates! Strike. 👏 efing. 👏 2!

This was part 1. I am tired and gots to get my ars in bed. But ohohoh, do not worry. I am just getting started.

#anti milkvan #anti mileven #byler #byeler #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #byler is real #byler is endgame #byler analysis #byler nation #byler proof #byler is canon #byler endgame #byler tumblr #stranger things 4

[just-wrting]

Just My Type

Title: Just My Type

Pairing: Nanami Kento x Reader

Summary: Itadori helps you get closer to a man who is just your type and your opposite.

Word Count: 2126

Master List

A/N: I'm so sorry! I got a really bad string of migraines and started to sink into a slump. But here is the next prompt! I'll try to keep up, but I won't finish during October I guess. Also, NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I haven't seen season 2.

You tilt your head and study the young boy in front of you. Unsure of the reason, you wonder what sort of reason would lead the more powerful Nanami to leave a teenager in your care.

“Remind me again why I’m in charge.”

“I’m needed elsewhere and can’t leave him alone. He is to be supervised at all times.”

You frown and look over your shoulder at Nanami. He looks as stoic as ever, even getting ready to head out as he talks.

“Well, for being the vessel of the king of curses, he’s awfully adorable. Are they so sure he poses a threat?” 

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I am not qualified to speak on that. Just don’t get him killed in the process of whatever you are doing today.”

“You’re being so cold today, Nanami. A thank you wouldn’t hurt, but since you’re my favorite I’ll do you this favor.”

—-

The silence is overwhelming. You aren’t sure how to approach a conversation with Itadori.

“Despite your power level most likely being above mine, I’d like you to stay back when fighting curses today. I know you’d be fine, but if this whole thing with those special curses involves other sorcerers, you need to know more about them.”

It’s almost comical howhe tilts his head in response. “I need to know more about those sorcerers? We don’t even know who they are.”

You push down the urge to ruffle his hair like he’s a dog and shake your head. “You need to know more about other sorcerers in general. Cursed techniques vary between people even if they are similar. The more you see the better you’ll be able to pick up on things.”

You know that’s not one hundred percent true. Some sorcerers are good at keeping their technique hidden while others get benefits for telling their technique. Nanami is open about his technique and you often find yourself a bit jealous of it. The ability to create a weak point on your opponent is amazing.

“Then what’s your technique?”

You wave your hand, attempting to dismiss the question. “It’s nothing as cool as others. It’s not even that powerful.”

Despite you being dismissive, Itadori stares at you expectantly. He’s new to the world of curses, and seems to always be willing to learn a bit more about them. His willingness to put others first is also adorable, and you find it hard to tell him no.

“It’s easier to show than explain. If you want the simple answer, I can turn my cursed energy into flowers. Each does something different,” you say awkwardly. “If you want, there’s rumors about a curse near here. If there is one I’ll show you.”

“Let’s go! No point in waiting!”

—-

You know as soon as you enter the open space that the curse is going to give you trouble. It’s not stronger than you in fact, it's a little weaker. The issue is that you’ve been hiding an injury. That’s what will make it difficult.

“Like I said Itadori, stay back unless I say so. I’ll be able to handle it, it just might take me a bit.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but chooses not to. You’re stubborn and would make sure that he listens even if he protests. Keeping him safe is better than letting him get hurt. The poor kid has already died.

You analyze the area, trying to figure out the best place to start. The curse is too strong to be easily put to sleep with a blanket of lavender, but it would still disorient it. The problem is that you aren’t sure if, as a human, Itadori would be knocked out.

The first step is easy. You reach into a little orange pouch and pull out a few seeds. After imbuing them with your cursed energy, you place them across your side. Within seconds, bright orange blossoms appear and the soothing effect begins.

“Woah, what are those?” Itadori asks and reaches his hand out.

“Calendula blossoms. They’re used in rash and burn treatments but my cursed energy allows them to ease all my pain.”

Thankfully your cursed energy also means that they’re easy to remove. There’s no pain during the removal, the pain from the original injury returns soon after though. It’s something that you’ve never used on another person, but it’s very effective on yourself for pain management.

“If you start to feel tired, back up. The area of effect is larger than I’d like for this space,” you warn before stepping forward.

You hold your hand out, having dozens of fuzzy seeds appear. Pulling a fan out of your satchel, you keep your eyes peeled for the curse. The soft light causes shadows to flicker, and you make sure to glance in each direction to carefully inspect even the smallest of movements.

From above drops a misshapen dark blob. It lands in front of you, and you shield the seeds from the burst of air. Once the air stills again, you blow the seeds towards the curse. Each starts to take root in the curse’s face. The rapid growth of your curse causes the seeds to bloom within a few seconds. Dozens of dandelions pop out of their shells.

The curse howls and tries to pull out one of the flowers. With a massive tug, it pulls out a root at least eight inches long. This leaves a bleeding hole in the curse. As it writhes in pain, the other dandelions close up to turn into the fluffy seeds. The movement will cause them to spread all over the curse, so you tuck away your fan.

You duck and twist through the tentacles of the blob. You’re doing your best to avoid getting smashed as it squirms in pain. There’s no sympathy from you as you leap over it and land on the other side. Taking seeds from a purple pouch, you toss them along the ground.

A blanket of lavender spreads along the ground, engulfing the grimy concrete. As each flower blooms, the soothing scent of lavender hangs in the air and the curse starts to move slower. It won’t be put to sleep by the flowers as weaker curses might, but it will slow it down and relax it. You aren’t fully immune to this yet, and you feel the smell start to relax your body.

This slower reaction time causes you to stumble when the curse swats at you. It sends you flying into the field of lavender. Blood drips down your side as your injury reopens. The pain takes longer to subside this time.

“I need to wrap this up,” you mumble under your breath. “I’m going to make a fool out of myself.”

You pull three seeds out of the red pouch and clutch them in your fist. You set it ablaze with cursed energy, ready to punch through the curse. As you sprint towards it, you try to ignore the growing spot of blood on your side.

You let your body drop into a slide, coming to a stop under the blob. Despite the lack of momentum, you’re able to punch up into its center. You open your hand and deposit the seeds. As they start to poke through, you scramble back.

Three rose bushes burst out of the curse and start to climb up its body. The reddish-orange roses bloom as the thorny vines meld together. It takes no more than a minute or two for the whole curse to be covered in roses. You extend your hand out and light the bushes on fire with cursed energy.

With the large bleeding holes from the pulled dandelions and the spiky web of roses, the curse is exorcized. As it disappears, you let all of the flowers wither. The petals fall from the air, but turn into nothing before hitting the ground. You feel woozy, but suck it up.

“That was surprisingly cool!” Itadori yells as he rushes towards you. “I didn’t think flowers could kill curses.”

You ruffle his hair. “Thanks, I like to think I have some surprises. Be sure to tell Nanami how cool I am. Just don’t tell him I fought while injured, I don’t want it to impact my chances of a promotion.”

“I’ll make sure he thinks you’re cool too!”

—-

You’re staring at the displays in the shop window longfully. You’ve been good at limiting your spending, but the display of the stuffed animal cat is too cute to resist. It might be silly to see an adult fawning over how plush it looks, but you don’t really care.

As you make up your mind to head in, you feel a hand on your shoulder. You spin around and see Nanami. Itadori runs over to join the two of you.

“What are you doing here?” you ask.

“Gojo is coming back today and he agreed to meet in Tokyo! I wanted to look around so I got here early,” Itadori explains as he shows off a few shopping bags. “I think I see him over there!”

With the quickest goodbye you’ve ever heard, the boy rushes off. You’re not surprised by his actions since he acts lively all the time. It’s adorable how excited he is to visit the city.

“Isn’t he adorable? He’s like a puppy or a little brother,” you giggle. “It’s a good thing you’ve also taught him.”

“What makes you say that?”

You start to feel a little nervous. “Well, Gojo doesn’t have to worry about making rash decisions. He can practically fight however he wants with how strong he is. You and I have to make smart choices so we don’t die. Someone needs to teach him that he needs to make smart choices.”

“I suppose you’re correct. It would be a shame if you made a choice that led to your death,” he agrees.

“Not that Gojo can’t teach him important things. He has his own charms and abilities.”

Nanami gets a far-off look in his eyes. “Do you find Gojo charming?”

You’re taken aback. It never crossed your mind to talk about romance with your fellow sorcerers, for various reasons, let alone talk to someone as stoic as Nanami about it. Here he is, mentioning the topic to you.

“Not really. Sure I would complain about having a strong man loving me, but I wouldn’t classify Gojo as my type. If you’re considering me your friend now, I could indulge you by telling you my type,” you say with a cheeky grin. “I’m always down to talk about romance.”

Nanami sighs. “I suppose I can’t stop you.”

You giggle. “You could, but if I’m going to tell you my type, I want to hear yours. What could the type of such a secretive man be? It’s like a romantic mystery.”

He crosses his arms and gives a slight frown. Nothing is said, so you take it as an agreement to your condition.

“Well, my type of guy is someone who’s intelligent and calculating. Being strong isn’t a must, but it would be nice.” You press your lips together as you think. “As much as a man who is sweet would be amazing, I just want him to be nice to me at least, like a gentleman!”

As you list off traits, you realize that you’re describing the things you know about Nanami. However, you don’t share that fact. Why would a man who is so stoic and stern like someone who is emotional and soft?

“You wanted the cat in the window, correct?”

Nanami’s question catches you off guard. You don’t know when he turned to point at it, or how he figured out that you wanted the cat.

“Yeah, how did you know?” you sheepishly respond. “I can’t help but like cute things.”

His jaw is clenched, and you know he’s got something bothering him. Whatever it is, it doesn’t stop him from gently leading you into the shop.

“Since I can’t tell you my type right now, I’ll get you the cat. Consider it a sort of promise to tell you when I can. Besides, Itadori talked a lot about you, so I need to thank you for looking after him."

You feel your face heat up as he pulls one off the shelf. Trying to push the feeling in your chest down, you give him a big smile.

“Don’t worry! I’ll hold you to it,” you exclaim. “Besides, you know I wouldn’t judge you for what your type is. After all, I did sort of describe you.”

You’re too preoccupied with the other stuff in the store to notice that the composed look on Nanami’s face starts to slip.

For anyone curious, the roses are Warm Welcome Roses!

#reader insert #x reader #nanami kento #nanami x reader #jjk nanami #jjk fic #kento nanami

[cruciomione]

yin and yang: carmy and sydney's creative processes + menu planning

what i love about analyzing carmy and sydney is the way they mirror each other. their similarities and differences, and how they have the potential to complement each other well. truly make each other better at this.

this is most evident with the way they approach creating a dish.

sydney's creative process

evidenced by sheridan (s01e05) and sundae (s02e03), sydney is very imaginative when it comes to creating a dish. the editing in these episodes gives us an intimate view of her creative process. recipes often come to her in dreams/daydreams.

sydney gets inspired by her passion for cooking, her family history and her city/world around her (architecture, nature, other restaurants in Chicago). this really fits into sydney's motivations as a chef.

Sydney uses food to make people happy. She likes to take care of people. someone on here explained the significance of sydney wanting exactly one michelin star, which would signify affordable high quality food that normal everyday people have access to. in braciole she mentions to marcus that her dad and her didn't really go out to eat so when they did, they made it count and it was special. she wants to create an experience like that with her own spot (the Bear).

so naturally that is reflected in her food. its not simply a great meal, but a fabric/archive of her culture, history, worldview and entire character.

while sydney has a very imaginative creative process, she often just jots down her ideas in her little notebook(s), for later reflection.

carmy's creative process

carmy has a more tense relationship with cooking. while sydney and carmy are both amazing chefs, carmy seems to be more jaded and detached from his work.

for carmy he grew up in a household where food was a big part of his family. his mom, mikey, and nat can all cook well. he is naturally very great at it. he uses food to be closer to the people he loves. thats why in the face of rejection from his brother, he goes off and becomes one of the best chefs in the country out of spite. why he uses the beef to try and fix his relationship with mikey. why he was so devasted when syd quit and why he started his dream restaurant with her after she came back.

because we dont get an intimate look into carmys psyche when creating a dish, its harder to say but based off his monolouge in braciole (s01e8) and the way he uses food to connect with people he loves rather than having passion for it independently i can surmise that carmy isn't imaginative as sydney. food is more like a math equation (ironic)/a science.

“he’s the best bc he didn’t have any of the bullshit”, emotional ties/relationships of any kind. his career esp at EMP were isolating, rigid and cold. he was the best bc he was calculating, precise and competitive. which breeds excellence in his field while straying him further away from love and true passion.

i imagine carmy to be more pragmatic with creating a dish.

but carmy is a creative person at his core and while creating a dish might not be as colorful as when sydney does it. we do know that carmy can draw and visualize his ideas onto paper. "Sistine Chapel" level drawings according to syd.

sydney + carmy - potential true partnership

on my 3rd rewatch, i couldn't help but feel so dissatisfied with their partnership. granted this is on purpose since the show is only 2 seasons in and they are trying to do a slow burn in all aspects, not just romantic.

it really hit me that carmy and sydney have never - at least on screen - created a meal together. in s1, we never see the risotto come to fruition, we just get carmys input but never the finished product. in s2 finally, carmy and Sydney work together now that their dynamic has changed from boss and employee to partners. we get like what? 4 scenes of them creating the menu, and having this amazing professional chemistry but ultimately leads to two failed dishes, which would be ok if they worked together after that. but they dont...

instead for the rest of the season, we see them (mainly Syd) working on the menu separately. the menu is....alright. mainly has carmy written all over it (he has a the seven fishes + cannolis, weird homage to one of the worst nights of his life).

*putting on another pair of shipper goggles to say this makes the whole "you make me better at this" confession, even more mind-boggling bc better at what? you guys haven't even worked together all season. this = life , i rest my case*

in s3 and beyond, im excited for them to truly start working together as partners and actually see them create a dish together.

i want to see how their approaches to creating a dish can help the other.

how sydneys creative process can help carmy

besides the obvious romantic implications of the palette cleanser outing, the potential for them to understand each other on a deeper level in regards to food is something i mourn everyday.

after sydney goes on her trip solo, we see her ride the ferry and just take a look at her surroundings. shes thinking about the food she ate, shes looking at buildings, windows, looking at the snow. all inspiration for a dish.

imagine if carmy was there with her. he would be curious about what she's thinking about, get insight on how she creates and maybe want to learn to see food in a less practical way.

i mean he hadn't drawn in years it seems until he was inspired by sydney and the chaos menu to draw again....now imagine if he didn't ruin the moment by bringing up claire (LMFAO). the point is, sydney naturally sparks creativity and passion in him, even when they aren't together.

i know many people are theorizing that carmy will leave the culinary industry (and i agree most of the time) but i also think sydney is slowly but surely helping him discover/re-discover a passion for cooking. i think that carmy likes that sydney likes to take care of people because subconsciously he knows he does the same thing or has the potential for it (i.e making tiff sprite from scratch when she was experiencing morning sickness). evidenced by fishes (s02e6), care often feels like an obligation (he takes care of drunk donna when shes going through an episode) but it doesnt have to be this way. and now carmy wants to get a star for her....their interests are slowly aligning.

how carmys creative process can help sydney

this isn't as concrete as the one above but i found it interesting thinking about how carmys more pragmatic approach and sydneys idealistic approach can work in tandem.

first scene in pop (s02e5) shows sydney and tina late at night working on the tasting menu. later in the episode we find out that carmy has been pushing back menu planning leaving sydney on her own. she trying an elements concept which is extremly creative and impressive but even tina says, which sydney later agrees, that its a lot for a tasting menu.

im stretching maybe....but based on carmys comment on her risotto from the season before (needs acid) + his practical approach, it seems like he acts like a buffer when sydneys ideas get "a lot".

*in chemistry buffers are solutions added to resist pH changes when acidic and basic components are added*

so if carmy needs to be more creative and sometimes sydneys ambitions gets ahead of her....

sydney is the heart, while carmy is the brain (???)

one cannot work without the other. when they truly come together to create the menu, they both need to learn from one another to elevate the restaurant. not to mention with carmy's italian american roots and syd's Nigerian-Caribbean/southern roots, they have the potential for amazing fusion dishes and real partnership. i and others want the menu to physically reflect both of them.

conclusion

i literally dont know where im going with this. sorta kinda meta but its more like hopes and dreams for next season and me wanting to type my ideas down.

they complement each other well ok? and have potential for a great partnership once they communicate better. i like this part of the definition of yin and yang:  Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.

carmy and Sydney are the leaders of the bear, their relationship is foundational to the success of their restauarnt and team, once they work together truly, play to their strengths and weaknesses, then will come true harmony in their universe.

bonus

more sydcarm parallels/similaries/differences/yin yang moments:

carmys gold chain, syds silver earrings

carmys white t-shirts, syds white button ups

carmy is bad at math, syds great with numbers

carmy wasn't really great at school, this is sorta fanon but i can imagine syd excelled in school

both wear birkenstocks (more a chef thing but i still think its cute)

sunshine x grumpy trope but like better...usually the sunshine (syd) is more emotionally vulnerable making a space for grumpy (Carm), but they switch positions. carmy allows sydney to be more emotionally vulnerable often initiating deep conversations, while syd is more closed up/guarded

overall tho i think its cute that they are both shy/emotionally stunted but i do think purely aesthetic wise, sydney has a softer exterior ( doe eyes, colourful scarves, awkward) while carmy is more intimidating (tats, smokes, looks angry all the time)

both fight dirty - i.e their individual fights with richie (review, the bear)

carmy tho is more prone to outbrusts of anger/violence while sydney lets that shit shimmer until she explodes on you

both their passcode being 11111

carmy having dark mode on his phone, syd having light mode in s2

their matching clothes moments earlier in the second season and in bolognese

if theres more, pls comment/reblog, bc i always think of this shit and need more to cry about

fin!

credits: gif 1&2 , gif 3 and gif 4

#the bear #sydcarmy #the bear fx #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #sydcarmy meta #carmen x sydney #chefs kiss #its so late man i dont even care if this doesnt make sense im rambling #the bear meta

[volleypearlfan]

Where are the teenage/YA cartoons?

Recently, two cartoons that were slated to be on Cartoon Network, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman, are now going to be on Adult Swim.

To me, this move makes no sense. These shows could have diversified Cartoon Network’s very barebones lineup, but they were shoved to Adult Swim. I sorta understand Unicorn, as it is dark (but definitely not on the same level as Primal, one of Genndy Tartakovsky’s other shows), but My Adventures with Superman? That show seems pretty innocuous. It has a bright color palette and doesn’t seem similar to Harley Quinn or the later seasons of Young Justice.

This reminds me of the desperate need there is for teen/YA-oriented western cartoons. In western animation, there are three primary audiences:

Preschoolers; anything rated TV-Y, shown on PBS Kids, Nick Jr, Disney Junior, or Cartoonito. Example: Doc McStuffins.

Big kids/elementary school crowd; anything rated TV-Y7, can be seen on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel. Example: The Amazing World of Gumball.

Adult; anything rated TV-14 or TV-MA, seen on Adult Swim, Comedy Central, or the prime time Fox lineup. Example: Rick and Morty.

That’s it. Despite what the rating of TV-14 might lead you to believe, the stuff on Animation Domination or Adult Swim isn’t targeted to teenagers, obviously.

This leaves teenagers in a weird spot when it comes to watching cartoons (western ones, that is. They definitely watch anime). They tend to stick with big kids and/or adult cartoons, like Avatar. With all of the heavy subject matter it and Korra tackle, they definitely feel more like teenage cartoons, especially since they were inspired by anime.

I bring up anime because they have clearly defined demographics, including teenagers. They have manga/anime for teenage boys, shonen (Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z), and teenage girls, shojo (Fruits Basket, Kamisama Kiss, Yona of the Dawn).

Shojo anime (except Sailor Moon) pretty much never air on American TV, but when shonen anime are exported here, they end up on Adult Swim’s Toonami block. For example, Demon Slayer aired on Toonami (they had to stop airing it because it got too expensive), and in America, the Mugen Train movie was rated R. This despite Demon Slayer being aimed at teenagers, and also being enjoyed by small children in Japan. They even had a Japanese Happy Meal promotion that ran alongside Pretty Cure, a show that actually is aimed at small children (kodomomuke).

With America’s teenagers flocking to anime, I believe that the American animation industry should keep up with the times and try to capitalize on the teenage demographic instead of shoehorning shows to be for elementary schoolers or adults.

Here are some western cartoons I believe could be classified as YA/teenage shows:

Avatar and Korra, as mentioned above.

Most cartoons aired on MTV, such as Daria, Beavis and Butthead, and Clone High. It helps that MTV itself was aimed at teenagers. Aeon Flux is an exception however, as it is clearly for adults. They’re often shoehorned into the category of “adult animation,” but their subject matter is more appealing to teens.

6teen. It’s right there in the title! Canada knows what’s up.

Total Drama, another Canadian cartoon. I know that they made the younger-skewing DramaRama spin-off because teenagers weren’t watching cartoons anymore, but now that the main show is coming back, it will definitely be aimed at teenagers again.

Sym Bionic Titan, yet another Tartakovsky show, pretty much is a teen/YA show, minus swearing. If I remember correctly, it aired on Toonami for a little while.

Regular Show. The most obvious example of a YA cartoon disguised as a kids cartoon.

Infinity Train. Never forget that it was cancelled because “no child entry point.”

As Told By Ginger is essentially a teen drama in animated form.

Invader Zim - Nickelodeon asked Johnson Vasquez to make a show directed towards older audiences, got exactly what they wanted (most of the viewership was from teens and adults, especially of the shops-at-Hot Topic variety) and cancelled it anyway.

Arcane is technically an adult series, but League of Legends is rated T by the ESRB, so I’m putting it in the teen/YA category (there IS a distinction between ‘young adult’ and ‘adult’)

I highly doubt that the likes of Nickelodeon will add a teenage animation block to their lineup (and TeenNick is nothing but iCarly reruns), but I hope that streaming services will start capitalizing on the YA demographic for western animation. Bee and Puppycat is a good start, featuring relatable young adult situations while technically being watchable for all ages. At least Unicorn is gonna air on ACME Night, which isn’t too late in the evening (currently, the block starts at 5:30 EST). And with Clone High and the aforementioned Total Drama making a comeback, I’m holding out hope for more YA animation.

#long post #animation #western animation #cartoons #ya #my adventures with Superman #unicorn warriors eternal #adult swim #Toonami #6teen #daria #infinity train #as told by ginger #acme night #my animation essays

[marinerainbow]

Mermaids- and sea creatures in general- are some of my favorite creatures ever. So here are my thoughts/headcanons; what I imagine they'd be like in real life if they existed. I took inspiration from many sea animal facts, and I am in no way a professional biologist so these may not be the most accurate.

Biologically accurate Mermaids (probably)

There are many subspecies of mermaids, though the two main types are deep sea and surface types. We'll be looking at both of these types today, along with the general facts about all species.

Surface Mermaids:

The surface Mermaids are kind of like humans in length, interchanging between 5-7 feet (1.5-2.1 meters) in size, similar to sharks. They also range in bright colors to blend into coral reefs.

They travel in packs, referred to as pods. Pods usually contain 10-20 members, though there may be some groups that travel in smaller or larger groups. Some groups have designated leaders, while others don't.

As natural carnivores, they eat other sea life. From crustaceans to fish, big and small. There is very little that mermaids wouldn't hunt.

Since they live closer to the surface, these are the merfolk people would most often see. Surface-level merpeople don't feel fear for humans, and are actually curious about them. The way they see it, these odd, tailess creatures seem to resemble them the most. At least their upper halves do. So they want to know more about us.

Which can lead to a big problem with poachers; although some deep-sea mermaids have been caught, it's usually a surface level that a hunter would find.

Deep-Sea Mermaids

Deep sea mermaids are more drastic in size difference. They can range up to 10-15 feet (3.048-4.572 meters), though there could easily be bigger species we haven't found yet. They also have deeper, darker colors. Not muddy, just darker. And they also have bioluminesence.

Although these merfolk can travel in packs too, it's more common to see them on their own. Or in smaller packs. Why this is the case is unclear.

Deep sea mermaids that travel in packs will take whatever precaution necessary to ensure they don't lose each other in the darkness, without attracting predators in the process. They can be seen holding onto each other's hands and tail fins or moving as little as possible when they find a place to rest. Though if they need to, they'll call out to each other despite the risk.

Like their surface level cousins, the deeper level merfolk are also carnivores. But they are scavengers, too. You can easily find these guys around carcasses that fall to the ocean floor, either tearing apart the dead creature or hunting the other sea life that came for the free meal.

In General

The reason why groups are so diverse is that, like dolphins, mermaids are scarily intelligent. They are most likely on the human level of intelligence, and as such have the brain capacity to experience and understand complex emotions and thoughts. Resulting in each mermaid and pod having their own morals and ways.

Like whales and dolphins, merfolk communicate with clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls, along with using physical cues and body language to communicate.

Like humans, mermaids have complicated mating traditions, though for the most part, they mate for life. Some groups are more polygamous however.

During mating season, the females will all choose a cave or crevice to lay their eggs and, like octopuses, will stay beside their clutches to protect them. Since all the females tend to stick together, with some exceptions, they often take turns watching over each others eggs while one or two of them leave the cave to go find food. Also, while the females take care of the eggs, the males will stay and protect their mates and the nursery during this time, and at least one will follow the females when they go hunting to make sure no predator harms them.

Mermaids will often lay two to three eggs. Once the babies hatch, the whole pod works to protect all the children, at least until they are old enough to swim on their own. Some groups may choose to stay in the nursery spot for longer just to make sure the babies won't get lost or snatched up by predators.

Although they can be born male or female, if there are a shortage of females, some of the mermen will transition into female. Kind of like clownfish.

I hope you guys enjoyed these! Happy MerMay! ^^

#my whole account is marine themed yet this is probably my first marine post -_- #mermaids #mythology #folklore #biology #my own headcannons #MerMay #marine biology #ocean #sea life

[queenvhagar]

It seems like a lot of House of the Dragon's writing issues in the first season stem from the disastrous final season of Game of Thrones, specifically the rushed implementation of Daenerys' Mad Queen arc. It feels like the writers and HBO are hyper aware of Daenerys' ending being fumbled and the negative audience reaction it garnered, and now they're trying to correct the mistakes of the main series through the prequel series and specifically its characterization of Rhaenyra. Both Rhaenyra and Daenerys are Targaryen dragon riding queens motivated by their perceived birthright, but the similarities between the two characters are surface-level. In reality, Daenerys and Rhaenyra are not the same character, and the story of the Dance of the Dragons is not the story of the War of the Five Kings.

Daenerys is the last Targaryen (as she knows it), a former slave who seeks to use the power of her dragons to reclaim the throne and in the process abolish the institution of slavery as it exists in the world, a true revolutionary who seeks to transform society through fire and blood if need be (and if a Mad Queen arc appears in the books, it will undoubtedly be because the existing Lords in Westeros would likely oppose a restructure of society - after all, they are the primary beneficiaries of the feudalist society - and this could lead to conflict with Daenerys, which would escalate).

Rhaenyra is the named heir to the throne. Her position is "quite comfortable" - she enjoys her privileges (which is very fair of her). However, her privileged position above others leads her to act according only to her own desires and not her duty as heir. She fights only for herself and her own (although the show added the prophecy to obscure this motivation), and despite having the power and influence as the most powerful woman in the realm to promote "a new order" as she once envisioned a child, she repeatedly reinforces existing structures to further her own power (like defending Lucerys' illegitimate claim so her own looks stronger with her son as Lord of Driftmark instead of advocating for Baela to inherit as Laena's eldest daughter, something that ironically could have really supported her own claim of "eldest child inherits" in the process - and she could have sidestepped the bastard issue). Rhaenyra wants to be the exception to the rules; she doesn't seek to rewrite them for anyone else. Rhaenyra is a "rebel" only in the sense that she's breaking the law and then using her privilege to avoid facing the consequences of her actions at all costs.

You can argue that both Rhaenyra and Daenerys are breaking ground when it comes to becoming queen of Westeros, and both are motivated by their beliefs in Targaryen supremacy and their perceived birthrights to the throne. They might both be known as a "Mad Queen" - Rhaenyra's arc will come, and when it does, I'm really hoping it will be because of the reasons it was in the books: her suspicion and distrust leading her to isolate herself from her allies, eventually turning on them, and her disregard for the commonfolk leading to her being driven out of the city and the death of dragons (though I won't be surprised if the writers shy away from this, in fear of repeating any aspect of Daenerys' portrayal). But fundamentally, trying to write Rhaenyra to be Daenerys 2.0 so that they can fix the mistake of the Game of Thrones ending kind of ruins the Dance.

The Dance wasn't written as just the tragedy of a heroic girl taken down by sexism and misunderstandings, which is the story the show seems to be trying to tell. It's the tragedy of a family tearing itself apart, of the cultural conflict between Westeros and their Valyrian conquerors, of the desire for power and the lengths one will go to in order to get it.

But the writers are more interested in trying to tell a largely black and white story where they can make up for what they did with Daenerys' arc. Unfortunately for everyone, Rhaenyra is not Daenerys, and the Dance is not the War of the Five Kings.

#hotd critical #anti hotd #hotd meta #anti rhaenyra targaryen

[featherlikescartoons]

A brief-ish Analysis on the most important scene in For the Future lore: The Collector's Story

I needed a place to ramble, so here we go

To start off with, the cover of the actual book is much simpler and more childish than the symbol we've seen in the past:

So this book was probably made for this Collector specifically, or any young Collector to learn about their species. I'd also like to comment on the fact that while the book may look impossibly long, the stone pages coupled with the large font greatly shorten it. This doesn't mean it's not long, just not as long as it first appears.

This isn't important, just thought I'd point it out.

Moving on:

The contents of the book

This scene confirms something very important, there were other Collectors

and from the looks of it, they weren't very nice. More on that in a moment

The people depicted here are probably the ancestors of the Titan Trappers, seeming to worship the Collectors. But considering the Collector's tendency to wipe out anyone in their path, this isn't surprising. They seem to gain followers through fear, the type of fear they twist into awe and worship.

I find this especially interesting because Belos gained followers in a similar manner, fear turned to worship. First of all, I'd like to acknowledge they are still very different. Belos's rise to power came about through manipulation and making everyone believe he could lead them to a better future, while the Collectors probably scared everyone into submission with the idea they could take down any who go against them in an instant.

But while their origins are different, they grow into something very similar. By season 1 and 2, Belos was forcefully gripping at control and using his powerful position to either capture any who rebel, and to invoke worship in the rest. Maybe I'm reading too far into it, I don't know.

Additionally, each group were trying to destroy an opposing species. Belos with witches and The Collectors with Titans

Long story short, The Collectors inspired fear and turned it into worship. Belos did something kind of similar. Also, Boscha and Kikimora also established a tyranny in this episode. Just some food for thought

Back to the book, the section that the Collector crossed out hold some heavy implications.

("But should they meddle in our affairs, we'll clean the planet and scorch the air")

Not just the ones who opposed them, the planet itself.

The Boiling Isles would be an empty mass of boiling sea if it weren't for the titan's carcasses. Without them, there would be nothing there. What if this is because the Collectors reset the planet, burning away anything that once rose above the sea and raising the ocean's temperature to boiling levels in the fire.

Or at least that's my interpretation

So, based on the information we have, the Collectors may or may not have had the power to wipe out an entire planet. Yet, they seem to have been completely wiped out alongside the titans, except for just one of their young.

We know a titan was the one that sealed away our Collector, so we can assume that it was an evenly matched battle, the two species wiping each other out. (King and our Collector probably can't reproduce, so their as good as extinct)

Okay, at this point, we've figured out a rough theory on the Collector's history, but how does our Collector play into this?

It's made very clear that our Collector isn't fond of his predecessors. He's a kid with a lot of power and was probably bored by the other's ideas of doom and gloom and the tendency to destroy anything interesting.

So our Collector decided to start doing things his own way. It's clear he didn't decide to step away from the old ways out of sympathy, rather, it was because he's a bored, lonely kid who wants to do interesting stuff like play and make friends.

Does he have any role in the destruction of his species? We don't know. Personally, I think he was placed in the mirror when he was really young, leaving him with nothing but vague memories and a book to get to know his predecessors by.

I believe this because it would parallel him more with King, both of them not being able to remember their species.

I think if the Collector learned to listen to king, they could form a really nice, genuine friendship

#wow this got longer than I excpected #Not super long #but still long #feather says some stuff #I know I called this the most important scene #but I think we all know the TRUE most important scene #that's right #STRING BEAN #JSHDHSJKDJFDKDL #In all seriousness #I freaking loved this episode #I am definitely adressing all the other stuff later #the owl house #toh #the collector #toh the collector #Ramble/anlysis #for the future #The owl house #Feather says some stuff

[acedcoffee]

Not a meaningless crush: Ochako's crush on Izuku doesn't have much to do with Izuku at all

- Vague Manga Spoilers

Many people who watch My Hero Academia go through a similar process with Ochako Uraraka’s character: they think she’s the typical Female Lead That Could Be A Love Interest, then grow to like her when some of her motivations are revealed early in Season 1, and then get annoyed by her when the latter half of Season 2 – the Final Exam Arc – puts some focus on her crush on the main character, Izuku Midoriya.

While it seems like shallow and unnecessary fanservice, this crush of her serves an actual purpose in the plot and for her character, but not in the romantic sense. In fact, it doesn’t have much to do with Izuku at all.

Enter Himiko Toga. Here's a comment made by Horikoshi himself:

There's a lot of similaties between them, but here we're going to focus on the crush and romance aspect, to see why Ochako's crush on Izuku was just a way to establish her relationship with Toga.

Season 2: Final Exams

The first proper focus we have of Ochako’s crush on Izuku is during the second half of season 2 - first during her final exam, and later in the final episode at the shopping mall.

Toga is also properly introduced to us during these episodes, although we see a glimpses of her (and Dabi) earlier in the Season.

Season 3: The Training Camp

This is where it really starts, as Ochako and Toga meet for the first time.

Tsuyu is also at the scene, and Toga shows an interest in both of then, referring to both of them as “cute”,

But she focuses more on Ochako, saying something along the lines of her sensing that Ochako has a crush on someone, which of course, was shown to us in the earlier episodes.

Tsuyu doesn’t have a crush on anyone, and thus recieves a little less of Toga’s attention.

A major point established about Toga’s character is that when she likes someone, she doesn’t only want to become like that person, but actually become that person.

As shown to us before, Ochako has a pretty high level of respect and admiration towards Izuku.

Toga notices this, and coupled with the crush, she assumes that Ochako also wants to be like Izuku “You want to be the same as the person you like, right?”

At this point, we’ve also learnt that Toga also has a crush on Izuku, and wants to become him.

So, it’s easy to understand that Toga thought Ochako would understand her in regards to this. [this is then confirmed in Chapter 289 and 348]

A conversation: Chapter 342

Toga is a villain that has killed a lot of people, and has no qualms about bringing destruction to the city.

Ochako has fought her a couple times, but only as a hero vs. a villain.

Their conversations [chapter 289] consisted of Ochako saying things that was obvious to her with the way her life has been up until now.

In her conversation with Izuku in chapter 342, she mentions how she realizes now that Toga is just a person too, and that what’s obvious for her doesn’t apply to Toga.

Izuku mentions how he feels the same with Shigaraki and the cying child inside him.

Chapter 394: Ochako vs. Toga

Yes, Ochako explicitely states that she fell in love in Izuku Midoriya.

No, that is not the point of the chapter.

The point is that her love and admiration made her want to be more like him, to see people’s hearts like he does. [re: chapter 342, Izuku trying to save Shigaraki’s heart]

As stated before, Ochako has realized that she hasn’t been trying to see Toga as more than a villain she had to defeat, and now she is reaching out, trying to save Toga’s heart even if it’s too late.

Love and Smiles

“Smiling is why we live our lives”. - Dabi to Toga, Chapter 341

This has always been their thing.

Toga, who has been cast out of society due her “weird” and “creepy” quirk, and the way she shows her love,

Toga, who wants a place where she can exist just the way she is, loving who she loves, and smiling when she wants to

Ochako, whose parents always happily encouraged her and made time for her even when they were struggling with money and tired from work

Ochako, whose eyes were drawn to the smiling citizens when a hero saved someone and defeated a villain, and wanted to be the reason for those smiles

Also reminder that as much as they are made for each other they also exist as characters outside of that

In conclusion,

People who think Ochako is nothing more than a heroine that has a crush on the main character are stupid and have no reading comprehension.

People who say that Ochako’s character “fell off” after the romance was introduced only care to see their bias about female leads proven right have no patience for the actual story.

Her crush is a way to establish her story with Toga.

Horikoshi is a great storyteller and everything he does in the story is for a reason [except Mineta in the earlier chapters]. <33

#this was originally a ppt i made cause i saw one (1) negative post about ochako today #but honesty it was a long time coming #TOO MANY STUPID PEOPLE KEEP SLANDERING OCHAKO #THATS MY CHILD RIGHT THERE #another plus side of this is that now i have all the evidence at hand if anyone says anything #also chapter 394 and 395 made me cry #mha #bnha #my hero academia #uraraka ochacho #toga himiko #midoriya izuku

[zairene]

in sync, hobie brown x rock angel! roxxi-coded! black fem reader hcs

warnings: fluffy kinda, but none

author’s note: congrats on 3k juice !!! ilysm and u so so so deserve it <3 original event post here / creator: @mypimpademia

you and hobie are the ultimate rockstar couple.

it seemed to be a match made in heaven when you both clicked instantly, with the same passion for creating music and touring the world. it wasn’t hard talking music with him since both of your music taste was drastically similar. with both of you loving rock, you both always had new recommendations for each other.

and because of your broad taste of music, you’re always recommending him new songs that weren’t particularly rock. it could be 90s gangsta rap, r&b, neo-soul, just really anything. you weren’t afraid to try new things so maybe hobie could too!

he still has a keen ear for music. so due to how close you both are and how close he is with the group because of you, he’s often at rehearsals with you guys, helping with things you guys could make better but if you ask him, he just there to see his girl in action.

hobie never misses your concerts. like ever. the only way he’d miss it is if he had some big emergency that he couldn’t possibly pass up but not much is more important than you. you always find yourself sneaking him backstage passes as well, not because he asked but why not for your biggest supporter ever?

regarding being your biggest supporter, he always reposts things on his instagram story about your band—always congratulating you on new collaborations or award nominations. he’s always ready to talk about people needing to buy new tickets for your upcoming shows.

hobie is always in your dressing room and just won’t get out when he’s supposed to. at first, you just let him in for some quality time because that’s honestly rare when it’s the touring season for the band. however, once it’s time for him to get out, he’s making excuses for him to stay. “y’know what. ‘m not even ‘ere.” “hobie, get out!”

and when it’s time for you to go onstage, he’s checking you for any type of thing that looks out of place. fluffing whatever hairstyle you have in, making sure you look ready for the lights that’ll be shining on you for the next 10-15 minutes. and before you go, he never fails to give you a kiss and a smack on the ass for “extra good luck,” in his words, i may add. but you loved him either way so maybe you allowed it even though you would yell at him for it. he always laugh because he knew that you weren’t serious and that was just a way of you being flustered.

arguments and conversations with him were never a common thing. if it was anything about the band and your music, you always put that before your relationship because it was your passion. but that didn’t mean your relationship problems didn’t interfere sometimes and it led you to take breaks to talk things out with him because you were never one to yell or get angry with him. you thought that problems could be conquered with a heart-to-heart conversation, and that applied especially to you and him.

putting the band over him was never a personal thing with him because he knew how much you valued your friendships and music. he just was aware that if he did anything wrong to the point where it would lead to your breakup—you would never stop making music with the girls. and that’s what he loved about you, you never let things hinder your success. fortunately, things have never gotten to that level and you’ll always know that hobie will be there with you every step of the way.

#[♩] irene’s works. #mparockangelz #spiderman atsv fanfiction #spiderman atsv #spiderman atsv x reader #spiderman atsv x black reader #spiderman atsv x black fem reader #hobie brown fanfiction #hobie brown x reader #hobie brown x black reader #hobie brown x black fem reader

[amuseoffyre]

I was rewatching S1 the other day and remembered how much of it had struck me as "huh, that seems a very… specific thing to focus on" and my foreshadowing spidey-senses started tingling back when it first aired. And then more turned up while I was watching S2.

Ones that have come to fruition:

The nose jar It got a lot of focus for a one-scene moment. Why specify that someone causing trouble would get a nose cut off and then not show someone getting punished with their nose getting cut off? Chekov's nose-jar was used in 2x01 and is a trigger point for the entire villain arc for the second season.

The recurring threats to Lucius's life Honestly, the amount of times he was threatened and harangued and nearly killed by Jim. It really would have been bad for the vibe around there, so when they 'killed' him at the end, Naaaaaaah. Didn't believe it for a moment. (Speaking of, Izzy has a similar run of near-deaths all through S2, so HMMMMMMM)

"Captain Hornigold! There's a blast from the past!" The second they brought up his name, I was ears pricked up and staring and going oooooooo, because there's no way you mention a significant figure from both pirate history and Ed's department of backstory when we know he's Captain of the good ship Daddy Issues without having a plan for one of the major male influences in his life, especially knowing the history that Hornigold takes the act and turns hunter and is instrumental in tracking down Blackbeard.

The wait staff exchange in 2x06 It seemed like lot of dialogue to not be leading somewhere. Behold, the Revenge crew as Wait staff in 2x01:D

The escalation of the British enmity We started out with Captain Badminton and levelled up to Admiral Badminton with the British as recurring villains all through the season and the thread of royal influence popping up here and there, which got me thinking next stop would be either their elder brother or someone even further up the social pecking order. Enter Ricky.

Secret passages built into the ship So I, like many others, assumed Lucius would be the dead man hiding in the walls. We were halfway right XD There was a dead man hidden in there. Twice.

We'll go to China Was left with a "why China?" vibe from that and it wouldn't stop niggling me that there was some specific reason that the writers would have chosen China of all place. Turns out if you can't go to China with your boyfriend, China will come to you and kick your ass.

Still to come:

"You saved the clippings so we can make fake heads and escape" I maintain this is the big one for S3. We have no less than 10 separate references to heads/faces being removed and fake heads. Stede even uses three different fake heads as props (rowing boat, the skull in the fuckery and the corpse head in the triple-fuckery of his death) and given Blackbeard's death famously involves his head being strung from the mast of the ship, it feels prescient.

"I thought that when I did marry, it would be for love" "Peasants marry for love" Not. Subtle :D Our man has already made himself a peasant and has his boyfriend, so he's part of the way there.

"I always hated you" Ed saying this to imaginary Hornigold has me absolutely foaming at the mouth for what the real Hornigold is like and absolutely 100% certain this is the plan for S3. As mentioned earlier Hornigold became a pirate hunter but also it would tie in with the S1 foreshadowing as well - we've had him mentioned, we've seen what he looks like, we know what he's done so the second he shows up in S3, we need no introduction. Plus Ed's processing his history so having his history roll up to hunt him down? *chefkiss* YES. And if (as I'm convinced) Stede was in the Gravy Basket like Ed in 1x04, then based on how Mary and Father Teach behaved, the way Hornigold is acting in the Gravy Basket is completely out of character, which would track since he's being pally and nice and taking care of Ed at different points. The few facts we do know from Jack and Ed's recollections include stabbing them, beating them down, treating them like dogs, the Felix story and him threatening to flay Ed's skin off and feed it to him. This means that outside of the basket he's gonna be SO. MUCH. WORSE.

Crossing the Darien Gap We got the glimpse of Zheng's crews bringing ships through the jungles across the Darien Gap and saw the queue of ships lined up on the Pacific side on the map. Ricky may have taken out the ships that were in the Republic, but that wasn't all of Zheng's fleet and he has no idea more are on the way because everyone knows no one can cross the Darien Gap. He'll never see it coming ;)

A Royal Hostage Given how petty a little bitch Ricky is, I get powerful vibes that he would be the one to specifically unleash Hornigold on Stede and Ed. Stede especially, since he's the one who recommended taking him as a hostage, and he already blames Stede for leading him a) to the Republic and b) for his nose getting the chop. Him using Daddy's fortune to settle a vendetta by privately commission a famous pirate hunter doesn't seem like a stretch.

Our spirit will outlast your whole fucking empire Izzy's definitely not gone for good. He's gonna be back and he's going to be a glorious little bitch about it :D (Supporting foreshadowy evidence: shot in the left side, indestructible little fucker who has been shot-and-believed-dead twice before, existence of the gravy basket, canonical resurrections, a known seawitch with ties to purgatory at the grave)

There are some more, but it's getting late and I am sleeby, so will post 'em another day.

#ofmd #ofmd meta #ofmd foreshadowing

[whateverisbeautiful]

Hello, I love your "Ranking Richonne" series and all your writings on your blog. I thoroughly enjoy everything!

Since you write that the sparks where there between Rick and Michonne from the very beginning and the development of their relationship (which you've brilliantly explained) slowly healed their, for lack of a better term, "demons", I would like your take on that "Jessie thing". Richonne seemed like a family and then..BAM!.. Here's Jessie!

I've read PTSD and all that. I get it, but it's still bothers me! There is a good explanation for that I suppose, but the show never really approached it. I read a few fanfics that delved into it which gave me maybe 80% satisfaction.

I'm curious on how you feel about it and what you believe happened to Rick and what got him to that crazy mode. THank you.

Thanks so much 💖 And thank you for this question! You know my extra self had to elaborate on this one. (also I loved reading “here’s jessie!” like “here’s johnny!” 😋)

For me, I’ve always viewed the Jessie situation solely as a device to push Rick to finally confront his past and the lack of closure with Lori.

Everything in Season 5 leading up to tf’s arrival at Alexandria showed that Rick and Michonne were slowly but surely growing more aware that they’d fallen for each other. But then they get to Alexandria and it’s this jarringly ‘normal’ environment and a reminder of the world before - which forces all the characters to need a moment to individually wrestle between who they are now and who they were before. 

And the Rick from before was a man in a marriage that was not the healthiest and who felt guilt that he wasn’t able to be there for Lori like he feels he should have. Like when Rick tells Daryl how Lori always wanted to live in a community like ASZ - so much about Alexandria is a trigger for Rick to finally face the very sore Lori wound of his past and finally “make it right” although not in the best ways since he’s not in the best headspace. Where before he could bury the Lori-pain a bit, ASZ and the similarities between Lori and this woman, Jessie, who needs saving from a toxic marriage of her own, won’t let him run from those ‘demons’ anymore.

As Rick wrestles with who he is now and who he was before, I think part of what sent him into crazy mode is becoming an unhealthy hybrid of both. He’s the man of his past trying to protect a woman to make up for feeling like he couldn’t protect Lori, but he’s also the man he is now who is still in that "terminus train car" mindset and can be real feral if it means protecting people.

(Plus, I think the show wanted to explore a scenario where Rick has the potential to be the “Shane” in the situation by intervening in a marriage and wrestling with if there are parts of Shane he should adopt, only for Rick to ultimately realize he should return to himself.)

Basically, while overall PTSD absolutely plays a huge part in why Rick behaved the way he did during that arc, I think an added and important layer to why that Jessie situation went the way it did is because Rick was triggered by how much ASZ and Jessie reminded him of Lori and the collapse of his past marriage. I notice that in almost every Jessie-related scene, Lori is in some way alluded to, whether it be a shot focusing on Rick’s wedding ring or Lori being brought up directly, etc, just to further make Jessie's purpose in the show clear.

The way I see it, Rick was never actually pursuing Jessie - he was pursuing closure. And as much as I don't like Jessie, no one deserves to just be a surface-level stand-in which is what she was. So that whole dynamic would have just been bad for everyone involved. Also imo the Jessie arc continuing in 6A was where it got more forced because after Richonne’s season 5 arc, it was more than clear that Rick’s heart belonged to Michonne.

Even as he was understandably losing it in 5B and on edge in 6A, anytime Rick was with Michonne and not hiding things from her it was like he was experiencing clarity and one of the few times he could think straight because she’s always been able to center him. And once Rick regained clarity and found a more healthy balance of who he was and who he is, he was fully ready to be with Michonne, the one his heart was always leading him to. 🙌🏽

#richonne

[commenter2]

Charlie and Vaggie trailer quick breakdown

Just wanted to go over a few things about the latest "trailer" with Charlie and Vaggie. While making this I discovered another one for Angel Dust and Husk came out today, meaning it looks like we will get more over the next few days, but I won't be going over them unless something big is seen in it.

One thing I took notice was that scene of Vaggie suggesting Charlie should command more respect from people since she is the princess of Hell, only for Charlie to say that would be mean. Along with being another example/joke of how pure Charlie is, I feel like this shows that Charlie might not like being that royal.

I could see Charlie seeing her royal status being a burden (maybe its also connected how this is related to how she canonically doesn't like wearing dresses XD) like maybe she always just wanted to be treated like everyone else but for her it was hard to tell who liked her for who she was or if they were doing so out or obligation or using her for fame. That last part could be another good reason why she broke up with Seviathan von Eldritch. Another reason I bring this up is that we will likely see Charlie struggle with doing this until near the end of the season as seen with that makeshift army she makes of her friends and Rosie's people she recruited via singing which does seem to make Charlie a bit confident.

Another thing a lot of people are pointing out is how when Charlie introduces Vaggie to her father Lucifer, he is surprised. There have been many reason to explain what is going on there, so here is a list of what I hope/don't want it to mean.

Im hoping his reaction is due to him thinking something like "oh crap I forgot about Vaggie/her new girlfriend and what Charlie told me about her, just be cool and try not to show you forgot" or "Aw man this going to make things really awkward between me and Charlie when I suggest she stop her redemption plan".

I DON'T want it to be because he and Charlie haven't talked for so long that he never knew her daughter started dating Vaggie/broke up with Seviathan, or worse he never knew she was bi. I'm also hoping that Lucifer doesn't hate all humans/sinners, maybe in the past he did but over the past several millennia (and more so because of Lilith if she is part human/sinner in the show) he has become more okay with them as shown with the Overlords in Hell's hierarchy.

I sadly do feel like this is going to lead to a scene showing that Lucifer is a pretty bad parent, which I've been really against having him and Lilith being. However along with how it could still be at tolerable levels unlike what we've seen in Vivzie's other works, I keep forgetting that this is the first season of Hazbin Hotel so I could see Lucifer changing over the course of the series, same with Lilith if she turns out to be a similar chase. Keep your fingers crossed if you agree with me about Lucifer and Lilith NOT being bad parents like how Crimson, Paimon, or Cash are.

A small thing but it looks like Charlie and Vaggie go to get Angel when he goes back to Val during the Val debut episode. They'll tell Val to leave them alone, but it just leads to the fight in the episode as shown in the last trailer. Hopefully after all of that Angel does something that makes Charlie and Vaggie proud of him/accept an apology, while showing signs that Angel does truly want to change.

This trailer also makes me wonder if Charlie and Vaggie's relationship will go through some challenges at some point this season? Looking at this and past clips, their relationship looks like Vaggie gives up more to make Charlie happy while Charlie doesn't listen to her as much as she honestly should. Hopefully it's a kind of thing where just by having Charlie agree with Vaggie about punishing Angel after he does something wrong fixes it or reminds them that they are perfect together.

What are your thoughts in all of this?

#hazbin hotel #vivziepop #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel vaggie #chaggie #hazbin hotel lucifer

[sweetcloverheart]

Clover Rants Miraculously - Divisive Derision

Derision finally dropped, so now I can go ahead and complain (spoiler warning for those who haven’t watched the episode)

So, for a long time, the reveal of the Chloe induced “Date Trauma event” for Marinette in “Derision” that apparently is what causes her tongue tying around Adrien bothered me for a while - and not in the "Ugh, more ‘Please hate Chloe’ nonsense” sort of way, but in a “This is upsetting me a similar way the Marinette-Chloe-Audrey scene in “Style Queen” (not the “telling a child to keep pleasing their abusive parent” stuff, but the other part) did, but I can’t pinpoint why.” sort of way that sort of stuck in my head for a good while as I struggled to figure it out

And then I realized the issue - it was creating the same problem of involving a character in an issue that didn’t need them there.

Yeah, Chloe would 100% have done that prank (and be completely unapologetic about it too), but it didn’t need to happen because this should be about Marinette and her issues only. Why is an episode that’s supposed to be about why Marinette seems to have trouble telling her boyfriend she loves him involving her bully (who has been such a huge non-factor since the start of the new season and hasn’t even been involved in any attempts to wreck the relationship so far) when there are so many other currently involved and active recent events and parties (like Gabemoth) that could be used to trigger and facilitate the plot. There were 9999 different ways you could have lead up to and explained Marinette’s “dating trauma” without Chloe being the centerpiece of it - like say she’s constantly panicking about confessing to Adrien because Marinette’s overly shy and hasn’t gotten over that, or because Marinette hasn’t gotten over her celebrity worship of Adrien, or that Marinette’s still upset over Chat’s rejection, or because the last time she had a boyfriend and tried to say she loved him he got Akumatized, or because the infinite amount of failed schemes by her and the girl squad have made her develop a Pavlovian response to clam up in front of Adrien when she tries to tell him how she feels and “move on to the next level”, or because Gabriel threatened her in an attempt to end the relationship with the bonus of getting her akumatized (“Chat Blanc” parallels? More likely than you think!). And if it has to be a cut-and-pasted event, then maybe make it where Marinette once liked a guy but he rejected her in front of the class and she was super embarrassed over it, or someone (Who isn’t Chloe - like seriously, she can’t be the only awful kid in Francois Dupont, especially with how the teachers handle disputes? Come on Thomas, let the other bullies have their chance to shine!) tricked her into thinking a guy liked her when he didn’t and embarrassed her in front of everyone, or that a guy she liked led her on as a joke and it hurt her a lot, or maybe even that Marinette being bullied made a guy reject her because he didn’t want to be bullied too and that making her hesitant to actually pursue someone she like. Literally, you have so many options that are 100% Chloe-free so that we can focus on Marinette, her character, and the Adrienette relationship growth and not retread old ground with another “Chloe makes Marinette miserable because she’s evil and sucks” scene. The whole “Box of spiders and paint on the chair” thing just making what should be a simple story of why Marinette cannot spit it out more drastically complicated (and frankly, a bit overdramatic) than it should be.

“But Clover!” I hear you say “If Chloe isn’t involved, how will she and Adrien end their friendship? The whole point of the prank and what it did to Marinette is to make Adrien realize Chloe is evil and bad!”

Same solution - have Adrien end it for an active recent event as opposed to something that happened a year before (And you know, not make him look like such an awful dude that it took a prank that happened way before his transfer (that happens to be keeping him from smooching Marinette) to break from Chloe instead of *gestures vaguely to seasons 1 and 3-4*). Make him end things because Chloe tried to ruin a date between him and Marinette, or because Gabriel bribes/requests her to try and break them up and he finds out, or because he learns about her and Lila becoming friends and her helping out with the other girl’s lies, or because he’s finally taking notice of her bullying and how it’s hurting everyone else, or because he finds out what she tried to do in “Gabriel Agreste” and after she does something else mean/cruel realizes the girl who used to play with him and helped him finally attend school has long since died.

Or just not do it/put it off for a later date and have her not involved in the episode at all. Adrien already ignored the crappy stuff she does, so it wouldn’t be that different from usual - heck, you can use this time to build up to the friendship dissolution by having Adrien actually take note of Chloe’s behavior and how she treats Marinette

“...Okay, but what about Kim? How does he get Akumatized and allow us to salt on him if the prank doesn’t exist?”

Even easier - used the prank plot on him and Ondine. Kim tries to play a funny joke on her, she freaks out unexpectedly, Kim feels like a jerk and bad boyfriend - and then BOOM, Akuma time! Then afterwards she can explain that a person who used to bully her did a similar prank and that’s why she freaked out. The two of them kiss and make up, Adrien’s left to wonder about how Ondine’s old bully and Chloe seem really similar, Marinette swears to keep working on overcoming her fears to be a better girlfriend to Adrien. Roll credits! (Or again, if we have to use the OG scenario, use a different character for the flashback as Chloe’s assistant pranker! MLB’s no stranger to pilling on with new cast members - actually, weren’t there, like, two kids shown in one of the old class photos from “Refleckta” who aren’t part of the current one anyone? why not bring them back as Chloe’s old lackies or something)

#Clover Rants Miraculously #ML Salt

[blakbonnet]

I was under the impression that the first eps of the season imply that Ed has been personally killing during his Kraken era (like the shot of him shooting his gun etc), but I've seen quite a few people now say that the English navy guys in ep8 (before he got his leathers back) were the first ones he has personally killed since his Dad. I think some of the people who believe the latter have felt it didnt deal with the depth of the moment sufficiently (killing being a big deal for Ed) but through the lens of Ed having done active piracy the past weeks it doesnt seem so unusual. What do you think? :) on the meta level it differently intrigues me as it leads to different readings, though in the end the theme of "Ed accepts all parts of him even the ones he hates and goes to save his future husband" is true either way

Well, as someone who believes he did kill people first hand during ep 1 to 2, I do think that's the entire point tho isn't it. That he just didn't care about anything anymore. The active decision he'd made ages ago of not inflicting death directly was weirdly an act of self preservation and care - he is a pirate, saying you're not going to kill is kinda like saying you won't get sprayed with water lmao.

And then ep 1 and 2, he doesn't need any self preservation anymore, hes just done. The ep8 killings were a lot more visceral because they looked so similar to the way he killed his dad, the ringing in his ears, the call back to stede screaming for help inside his help, the element of disassociating - it was supposed to possibly show the mirroring of his childhood trauma and abuse at the hands of his father. Very important moment - because now he does care. He's not ep 1 and 2 ed anymore, he's repaired locks and gone fishing and been rejected by fishing but he's trying to build a new life.

I always felt like it was supposed to show us that your trauma and the awful life you're running from are always just around the corner like fucking slenderman and every single day you have to fight to keep it at bay.

And that love doesn't conquer all but it does conquer some. And that "some" is the reason everyone - Ed and others - keep going. Because life is shitty and horrible, and the people you love keep you sane and will always pull you out from the depths of insanity, if you let them.

#asks #anonymous #ofmd s2 spoilers #meow speaks

[the-not-so-dark-age]

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you"

CW: spoilers for ch. 236, 237 and S2 - Shibuya arc

Heaven/hell, enlightenment/darkness, life/death, good/evil, blue/red contrasts that all represent the contrast between Gojo/Geto that's been going on since the start of this season; but these images are interesting for one more reason imo.

It's as if Gojo is staring into Geto/Kenjaku's red soul, while also staring into the empty black hole that is himself - and Geto/Kenjaku is doing the same: staring into Gojo's eye, but empty darkness stares back at him. They look into their own reflections, but they only see an abyss staring back at them.

And this made me realise how similar Gojo and Kenjaku can actually be, because: who are they?

"Are you Gojo Satoru because you are the strongest or are you the strongest because you are Gojo Satoru?"

And, again:

"Who is Gojo Satoru?"

Gojo's curse (and ultimately what may have really brought him to his death), is the fact he never managed to find a definitive answer to Geto's terribly haunting questions: Gojo never created his own sense of self beyond being The Strongest Sorcerer and that's what always kept a certain degree of distance between him and the other people (even if he cared about them, and I'm not doubting this at all); Gojo remained as untouchable and unreachable inside his Infinite Void of loneliness, and he died alone on the battlefield just as he lived alone, being watched from afar by other "normal" sorcerers. The only real connection peer to peer he ever made was with Geto when they were still on the same level, and he kept that connection even after Geto's homicidal turn and death, and that's why Geto is so special to him, as he was the only one to breach through the barrier around Gojo and to eventually expose how Gojo always risked to be a sort of empty shell, an abyss, under the layers of strenght - and it seems Geto was right.

So now I'm asking: who is Kenjaku?

He too doesn't seem to have a real bond (aside from the old friendship with Tengen...which needs more explanation) a real partner he cares about genuinely, only ever using the temporary allies he makes (like Mahito&Co); not even Sukuna looks like this to me, since he regards Uraume as a valuable ally, even if far below his strenght level. Kenjaku kept changing bodies for centuries, living so many different lives while also keeping his own very specific personality and his very clear goal of human forced evolution...so it seems he's not an empty abyss like Gojo.

But who's beneath all of that?

If you take away the weird brain-exchanging technique, which is Kenjaku's strenght just like the Six Eyes+Limitless were to Gojo, what is left?

Is Kenjaku a real soul or the product of all those endless souls he got to know, see, appropriate, use during his very long life? What if by merging with the (apparently) only friend he has, Tengen, to then merge with humanity to force its evolution, he actually wants to experience the feeling of not being alone? (it would be a sort of Evangelion ending lol)

Gojo wore the mask of The Strongest, The Chosen One, The Honoured One for his whole life (except for the spring of his youth spent with Geto - and when he goes south, when he dies, he goes back to that time when he really felt he was someone), but there was nothing under the mask; so what if under all of these lives, these bodies which are masks too, Kenjaku is another empty, dark abyss? What if it could lead to his downfall, just like it did for Gojo?

One more thing: in ch 236, Gojo basically says he wasn't satisfied because Geto wasn't there with him too, meaning he still felt alone even in the company of his students and other allied sorcerers. I think another way to express this concept is to say Gojo's only regret is that he was alone, without Geto. Gojo regretted not having Geto, who was a symbol of a happier time outside that abyss of loneliness, but now they're together and Gojo has gone back to his old happier self.

And Kenjaku too speaks of regret, as he talks about not remembering anymore what even is regret...is he so deeply buried under all the masks he wore in his long life, he doesn't remember anymore what regret and loneliness are?

Is there a way to "go south" for Kenjaku? Is there even a south (and old self) he can go back to?

And the theme of identity, of being someone beyond mere strenght is brought into the story again by Kashimo basically asking Sukuna the same thing Geto asked Gojo in Shinjuku (even though Kashimo feels more like Sukuna, alone at the pinnacle of strenght, contrary to Geto who felt as if he was watching Gojo, the strongest alone, from below).

I'm very curious to see what these two characters will do in the next chapters, and if finding "love" will mean abandoning the status of The Strongest Alone for Sukuna, and a potential defeat, and maybe even "going south" (that little drop of possible Sukuna backstory ... Akutami feed us!!!)

#jjk spoilers #jjk 236 #jjk 237 #jjk s2 #shibuya arc #gojo satoru #kenjaku #sukuna #kashimo hajime #geto suguru #the shinjification of kenjaku. there. i said it #this whole thing probably doesnt make any sense. opsie. sometimes jjk brainrot hits me back