#still. wanna give credit where it's due lol

[lightwise]

TBB S3 E10 Reaction

Life has been a bit busier the last few weeks so I am finally catching up on my episode reactions (I’m determined to do all of them this season!) And I apologize y’all, this episode made me very snarky apparently.

I’ll be honest. When this episode first came out I was nowhere near as surprised by it or horrified by it as reviewers seemed to be. Nothing about Palpatine hunting down force sensitive children as experiments and using Cad Bane to do it is a surprise, and the Vault feels so much like Andor. But even on a rewatch this episode holds up so well and honestly just starts to give a cold chill under the skin as the quiet horror of it sinks in.

- Cute kid. And the Batch nowhere to be seen. This is going to be a different episode isn’t it

- Oh no. He’s force sensitive 😫😫😫 hmmm how could that possibly go wrong

- This is giving Andor vibes 👀

- It’s always interesting seeing “regular people” in Star Wars and little markets and how they’re just trying to go about their daily lives.

- Don’t go around snitching people! Nothing good ever comes of it!!!

- Yeah this guy is worse than Timm from Andor. Wtf dude. You’re turning in a baby!!

- Also is it just me or typical Star Wars “houses” end up being pretty dark and depressing?

- Wait okay okay. So this is the CX chamber. Why can’t we see any of them yet 😩😩 what is this red fog? What are these weird conditioning pods? What kind of armor is on this datapad?? *trying to crawl inside my screen* I NEED ANSWERS JENNIFER!!

- “Do you trust me?” Ooooh why do I think that’s going to come back around

- But also, babygirl, I don’t think you actually know what you’re signing up for

- “I could be more useful” “you wish to be the new chief scientist Dr. Karr?” “I believe I’ve earned it.” Alright. This. This is interesting. This fully encapsulates the dynamic that these two have shared. Emerie knows that Hemlock only values things that are useful, and probably only sees her own value in the light of what she can contribute, due to how she was raised and the circumstances she has been trapped in. Hemlock’s tone of voice implies that he has never considered her as being the new chief scientist, and yet he acquiesces quite quickly, almost as though he’s just too busy to think about it and if it means things are brought back up to production standard then he’s fine with it. His utter disregard for Emerie as an actual human and someone with merit is disgusting though.

- But I get it, the man’s busy, he’s got a lot of evil shit he’s trying to do all at the same time 🙄

- So we have “the assets”, which is the area that Hemlock took Palpatine in the first episodes, where the orange containment pods are and the zillo beast is being kept. We still don’t know what those assets are. The Vault is something different.

- Well. Shit. It’s Andor and Narkina 5 for kids. Lovely 😳💀

- “There are few adults left with such characteristics” I WONDER IN THE NAME OF ONE EMPEROR PALPATINE WHY

- Okay so this entire exchange is awful. The kids are so cute! Hemlock is so cold. “Specimens. Assets” ughhh Emerie what are you getting yourself into!!

- Is this the first time we’ve heard the word glasses in Star Wars?

- Oh no. So THIS is why Cad Bane was brought back 🥺🥺

- The score in this episode is perfectly eerie

- Lol Todo is not good with kids huh 🤣

- That poor mama when she wakes up and finds her baby is gone

- I hope that dude has his entire life flash before his eyes as he’s trying to pick all of those credits up

- “My name’s Eva” 🥹🥹🥹 Emerie has no idea how to handle this 😂

- I still wanna know what’s happened with these commandos. No way a clone of Jango Fett is able to look a child in the eyes, call them a “specimen” and not have even an ounce of remorse as they stun them point blank.

- “Jax?” And Eva just points. The power in knowing someone’s name vs a dehumanizing number

- It’s also interesting that these kids are species that are red, blue, and green, and when they get Bayrn in, he’s white. RGB colors make up white light when put together.

- The little peeks of Emerie’s backstory we keep getting are so interesting. She was abandoned by Nala Se. She knows that these children don’t belong here, the same way that Omega told both her and Crosshair that they didn’t belong here either. Nala Se says that the Empire will hold these kids to control them. Emerie feels like she has no power to do anything differently. So much to unpack here.

- Why is Tarkin’s holo so large?

- Lol I honestly love getting to see the backbiting politics of how the Empire functions. It’s so bad and so funny

- Also love that Project Necromancer is so secret that even Tarkin doesn’t know what it is. He’s so nosy

- Okay why does he bring up the CX schematic again and why is it so different than the one we saw earlier??

- Whoa Cid was tortured???

- “The other operatives aren’t ready to join you in the field” why????

- We’re visiting a lot of space stations this season

- Man I wish Emerie had fudged this test

- Nooo let the poor baby go home 🥺

- Oh and now we’re putting kids in solitary confinement. Great.

- C’mon Emerie. Keep clicking that moral compass until it points north

- She kept the straw Lula. She’s giving it to Eva 😭. There’s hope for her yet

#the bad batch #tbb #tbb spoilers #star wars #the bad batch spoilers #Emerie karr #tbb s3 #the bad batch season 3

[risingsunresistance]

blood god techno... drippy :]

#ough i have So Much to say about what's going on here #first of all the bone wing thing is about dragon techno so you can ignore that. that's for me JDHKFH #nether star included in the halo bc hehe nether creature #the eyes represent the voices. they usually either mimic him or just stare at him :0 #they are inspired by yuker bc i loved seeing the eyes always hover around text boxes n stuff in their comics #i would @ them but. well they deactivated. and also plenty of ppl use eyes so feels unnecessary to say ONE person inspired me #still. wanna give credit where it's due lol #THE BLOOD it just kinda generates. it's just Like That. it's not coming from anywhere and it isnt going anywhere #think of it like splatoon ink. just evaporates after a while #''why didnt you color this goat'' he literally just looks like that. think of it like a ghost. or a literal 2d image #casts himself onto walls JHFKFH #this all came from a bunch of different stuff but mostly the fact that everyone started calling him THE blood god #some hypixel lore had me convinved he was a worshipper but some admins and stuff have said things that make me think that's changed #so. the halo was handed down to him. title passed on :] #and SOMEONE forgot to tell a certain pig what he can actually do with his powers. so he has no idea how to be a god KHDKFH #i've rambled abt this a lot on priv. might repost them here if i feel like it #just to explain better #if you couldnt tell this is pary to do with his passing but im trying to avoid mentioning it too much #bc i dont want this to come off as a vent #technoblade #my art #rising sun #this is like 50% skyblock fanart i swear you gotta believe me

[peachiejeongin]

Taste | Lee Felix

Synopsis: You were the nosiest human Felix had ever met in his entire life. Though, he can’t resist that annoying curiosity of yours in one aspect... Pairing: Felix x fem!Reader (Reader has breasts and a vagina !) Genre: Smut, Crack Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content (18+ recommended), PROTECTED sex (not mentioned outright, however reader is on birth control), oral (m!receiving), fingering, choking, degradation (reader is called a slut once or twice), pet names (Hon, Angel, etc.), not really proofread, probably a bit cringe lol [Please let me know if any were missed!]

Notice: Hello, darlings! I must give credit where credit is due! This fiction is heavily inspired by multiple others, the primary being ‘make it fit’ ! I strongly recommend checking out that story before reading this one :)

---

“You want to what?” Felix nearly choked on his water, his fingers somehow still managing to keep a firm grasp on the controller. His eyes were focused intently on the screen, too flustered to even attempt eye contact with you.

“I want to see it. I don’t believe you.” You are not exactly sure how the topic of Felix’s dick had come into conversation in the middle of a Mortal Kombat match. However, you could not bring yourself to be persuaded by the bragging of his self-titled ‘large package.’ 

“Hearing is believing in this case, y/n, trust me,” he argued back in a rather annoyed tone as his fingers mashed against every controller button imaginable.

In Felix’s eyes, you were the nosiest human known to mankind. You wanted to know any and every detail about any and everything, whether it was where he was going, who he was hanging out with, etc. In the beginning of your friendship, Felix did not mind the curiosity in the slightest; however, as time went on, he found it less endearing and more invasive. ‘TMI,’ he’d cheekily say each time he found your questions too prying. ‘Give it to me,’ you’d always respond. There was no ceasing your constant train of thought.

Yet, in this moment, he was somehow intrigued by the newfound subject you had directed your curiosity to. He had never considered you a sexual person by any means. So, what was causing the interest in his private life all of a sudden?

“Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear, Lix,” you retort, hitting a combo move in the ongoing match. “I’ll take my chances with the former.” 

“Stop being so nosy and trust me for once in your life,” he spits out, finishing the round in a final fatality. He stands up abruptly from his place on the couch. “Besides, I don’t think your busybody ass would be able to handle it,” he adds on, looming over you and poking at your chest.

“I-...Excuse me?” Felix chuckles at your flustered state, leaving the room and mentioning something about grabbing colas for the both of you. As he departs, you can’t help but catch yourself staring at one particular area of his sweats.

‘There’s no way he’s that big, right?’

Felix comes back to the living room with two soda pops in hand, tossing one your way. You nearly miss the catch, your eyes wandering once again to the boy’s sweatpants. They were a soft shade of blue, accentuating his legs nicely. You catch yourself staring too intently, however, particularly when Felix makes cheeky note of it.

“Sorry,” you mutter the quick apology in response to the boy’s teasing. “It’s just...are you seriously that big? I don’t mean to pry if it’s making you uncomfortable.”

“You? Not meaning to pry? Damn, that’s a first,” Felix chuckles out before taking a gulp of soda. Somehow, that catches your attention as well, as you watch his throat bob up and down with the sip. “Nah, I don’t mind the questions,” his words bring you back to reality. “I’m just wondering what’s sparking the sudden curiosity. Do you seriously wanna see it?”

Your hand squeezed around the cola can, nearly crushing it from anxiety. You focused on the rim of it, attempting to divert your eyes from both Felix and his groin. 

“Depends. What’s the catch?” you inquire suspiciously. You knew Felix; he was not one to just whip out his penis like that.

“What makes you think there is one?” he chuckles again with another sip. “I don’t know, I’ll figure that out afterwards.” 

“Afterwards? So you’re actually willingly gonna do this?” you chuckle nervously in contrast to Felix’s confident optimism.

“Eh, I don’t see why not. I don’t have anything better to do,” his seriousness was taking you for a spin. He set his soda can down, reaching the hand previously holding it into his blue sweats. Without warning you stop him, taking his hand and dragging him a bit closer to you.

“Up close and personal view, eh?” he teased, smirking down at your, seemingly, already blown out eyes. “Do I have the go-ahead?” he questions and you nod desperately. “Someone’s dire.”

You ignore his last comment, mind blank as he slowly pulls his cock out in a teasing manner. Everything seemed to come into view all at once. ‘God,’ was all you could think. Felix was long, and holy heavens was he thick. Thoughts of taking him right then and there flooded your mind, and that flood soon became a physical embodiment of arousal.

“Do you believe me now?” You did not respond, instead choosing to continue staring at him in awe. You could not care less how or where, but you needed him inside of you right here, right now. “You look like you need more proof, angel.” The pet name in combination with the low rasp of Felix’s deep voice sparked a need in you that you did not know you had. 

Absent-mindledy, you replied, “Maybe I do.” You attempted to match Felix’s confident and straight-forward demeanor. “Fuck, you’re huge,” you whisper lowly, eliciting a smirk from Felix.

“You know, that makes me wonder how long you’ve been wanting this,” he smirks once more, now looming over you slightly.

“Too long.”

“TMI,” he teasingly chuckles.

“Give it to me.” Your usual joke was more serious than ever.

“Where do you wanna start?”

---

Felix’s dick was deep in your mouth, the tip of it lighting flicking against the back of your throat as you kneeled in front of him. You hollow your cheeks in attempts to take more of him in, your hands beginning to work up what you cannot reach.

“Oh my God,” he coos at your state, his cock shoved deep in your throat. “Look at you, Baby. Doing, mm, so well.” Felix could not explain it in the slightest, but you were so fucking hot like this. He did his best to keep his composure; however, it was difficult. He had the overwhelming urge to pull out of your mouth and ram it back in again, to use your mouth as his own and fuck it like it was his last day on Earth. 

Your hands move from the base of Felix’s dick to his hips, pulling yourself off of him for a gasp of air before taking him back in. 

You had never seen him in such a vulnerable state. The beautiful sounds eliciting from his mouth -- moans, whines, whimpers -- fueled your determination to give Felix the best head of his twenty-two years. The aforementioned sounds traveled straight to your core in shocking waves of pleasure. Your thighs absent-mindedly rub together for any sort of friction.

The tip of your noses is every-so-often rubbing against his balls, evoking the slightest yet most effective feelings from the male. He was crumbling, teetering on the edge of release. Knowing so, you push his hips more into your face (if that was even possible), but you moved at a slower pace, relishing every moment of this new experience.

“M’close,” he whimpers. You could not feel more accomplished at how you had Felix crumbling from your actions. Usually, he would be one to tease you back; however, in this very moment, the boy was putty in your hands. Proudly, you guide him through gentle thrusts as you sucked him. Another string of low growls and groans coarse through him. You ignore your own desire, which was nearly fogging your mind, and concentrate on finishing Felix off as if your life depended on it.

His legs began to tremble. His moans become frequent and slightly higher pitched. He’s practically begging for you to let him release at this point. As such, you accelerate your movements, bobbing and sucking at an inhumane pace. Your cheeks and throat began to ache a little from all the pressure.

“Cum,” you attempt to hum around Felix. That alone is enough to push him over the edge. Curses fall from Lix’s mouth as white ropes shoot into your mouth, coating the entirety and lining the back of your throat. You swallow every drop, relishing in his taste. At last, you let him go, a visible string of saliva connecting your lips to his cock.

Felix lets out one last groan that audibly is more like a sigh. You are still trying to calm down as well. In addition, you are also trying to process that you just gave head to your best friend and that you never thought you would think that aloud. 

You muster the energy to lift your head up, offering him a tired smile as you do so. You go to say something cheeky, as you are sure Felix would have done in this situation; however, time is not allotted for you to. Before you could blink, Felix has you pulled onto his lap, his grip tight on your thighs.

“Fuck,” is all he can manage to spit out. His lips are on yours before you can even begin to think of a response. Your mind became foggy, only focusing on how his lips tasted in combination with his cum. Felix slowly pulls away, taking hold of your waist and softly rolling you underneath him. His hands fiddle with the hem of your shorts, teasing the band of fabric as well as the skin directly below it.

“I think it’s time for me to return the favor, yeah?” he asks, both as a way to tease and as a way to ask for consent. You nod desperately, the throbbing in your core almost becoming too much to bear. The need in your actions elicits a chuckle from Felix. He pulls down the waistband of your shorts, dragging your underwear down with it.

“Oh my God,” he whispers once you are fully on display to him. “Look at you, Baby...” Felix’s eyes looked as if they had just seen Heaven for the first time. His gaze scanned over every glorious feature of you, whether it be your glistening folds or the wetness leaking out of you. He could not explain it, but he loved the sight. 

You feel your face getting hotter and your mind getting shyer. Unconsciously, you squeeze your thighs together, slightly embarrassed from being on full view to your best friend. Felix gently pries them back open, his gaze turning soft in contrast to the hunger present.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do,” he reassures you, and you give him the go ahead. He moves one hand from your thigh to your pussy, toying with your clit in a teasing manner. The slightest touch from him is enough to elicit a hearty chorus of whines from your end, begging him to go inside you. Felix eventually obliges, slipping his middle and ring fingers in you with ease. The diminutive stretch is initially painful, yet an incredibly delicious feeling. Your hand immediately reaches for Felix’s thigh, clawing it unintentionally. Your eyes flutter shut as every sense of your body is overtaken with euphoria.

His fingers manage to brush ever-so-slightly near that sweet spot inside of you, while his other hand makes its way back to your clit, rubbing small circles around the bundle of sensitivity. You struggle to keep your legs held apart as Felix is completely preoccupied in your pleasure.

He pushes his fingers deeper, curling them and, without warning, brushing up against your g-spot. You gasp, automatically switching your direction of sound to high pitched whines and bucking your hips up absent-mindly. He knows the effect his movements have on you, so he sets a rhythm to his reason, skillfully thrusting and curling at a steady pace.

You shake, grasping at the slippery leather of the couch for any sort of closure. You clench around him frequently without even knowing. He leans down to your ear, his hot breath fanning over it.

“You close, Hon?” he asks, which you let out a pathetic whimper in response to. Your eyes become lustful as his lips brush over yours, quickly engulfing them in a brief yet passionate kiss. The intensity of the kiss in combination with Felix’s talented fingers is enough to make you crumble within seconds. Before you can even comprehend it, you are at your climax, your body convulsing and reacting to every stimuli around you. Felix does not stop until he has every bit of you on his fingers. He licks them clean, letting out an ‘ahh’ as if he had taken a fresh sip of water.

He leans up to admire how blown out you look. Your mouth is still somewhat coated with his cum and your pussy is glistening with your own. Nearly every bit of you is beginning to feel sore from intensity; however, Felix, as usual, does not allow time for pain.

You are quickly manhandled into a new position, a simpler one at that. You’re straddling Felix’s lap with your thighs on either side of him. He leans back slightly, his head now resting comfortable on the head of the couch. His hands find their way to your waist, bringing you impossibly closer. A new hunger had taken over Felix, the same one that had plagued you and caused this newfound experience in the first place. He was not sure if he could end the night with simply finger-fucking you. Therefore, he had a desire to bring you to one final orgasm.

A faint smirk plays on his lips as he admires how you look on top of him. With hooded eyes, you watch his every movement, his hands sliding up your waist to your clothed breasts. He fondles them generously giving one no more attention than the other. The tiny sensation alone elicits multiple whimpers and whines in every pitch and rhythm from you.

You are not sure when or even how he manages it, but Felix eventually unclips your bra, throwing it to only Heaven knows where in the room. He admires them for a brief moment before going back to kneading them gently. 

He decides his hands are not enough, however; therefore, he dives in with his mouth instead, kissing down your chest all the way to the top of your stomach. His gaze on your body lingers from where he has kissed all the way down to your pussy. It’s inviting him, in a sense, to give you the proof he had claimed you needed.

“Oh, Baby,” he mutters once again, one hand slowly making its way up to your neck and squeezing gently. “You’re gorgeous. God designed you specifically for me...” he trails off, his focus turned to your body. “You alright with going further?” he asks in assurance. You let out another needy, unintelligible noise in response.

“Words, Hon. I need a ‘yes’ or a ‘no,’” he calmly states. You whimper out a breathy ‘yes’ as he nods in response. Both of you sharply inhale as Felix sinks your body softly onto his own. As if by instinct, you clutch around him tightly. God: he was huge. Of course, you already know that, but feeling it was entirely different story. 

He was right: God did make you just for him. He filled you up near perfectly. He reached unimaginable places inside of you that no other man or even a puny sex toy could. His thrusts had a certain gentleness to them, causing you to bounce on top of him with every move he made. He hit your g-spot with every swift movement, aiding you in raising up and slamming back down again.

“F-faster. M-move me faster,” you spit out. Felix’s eyes widened in response. “Please. I can t-take it.” His blank expression soon morphed into the seductive smirk you were becoming familiar with.

“Awe,” he cooed. “One night and I’ve already got you so cock-drunk it’s not even funny. You’re becoming my little slut, aren’t you, Hon, wanting me just to use your body for my own?” There’s a slight giddy to his degradation, and although you know it’s just for play, you cannot help but agree. Felix tilts his head to the side slightly, and an unexpected gasp that you did not know was inside of you erupted as the boy began to rail into you, moving and bouncing you up and down at an inhumane pace. It did not take long before you were nearing a second orgasm.

His hand once again finds purchase on your neck, squeezing it a bit harder than last time. Your hands seem to forget how to function as they fall limp around Felix’s neck. Your head finds rest there as well, the overwhelming feelings mixing together as you hit the relief of release. It’s so intense, in fact, that you have not even noticed the tears welling in your eyes.

“I can’t believe you’re crying over my dick, Hon.” Felix’s tone is cheeky as he pulls slowly out of you. He manually brings himself to his second orgasm of the night, opting to cum on your stomach rather than inside of you.

“Be quiet,” you pant out. “It’s not my fault it was so...so...” words escape your mind.

“Large? I warned you!” He smirks once more, though this one was more playful than seductive. You slowly climb off of him, and there is a stutter to your walk as you try and make your way to the bathroom.

“Hon...how about I run the bath, yeah?” he chuckles, helping you upstairs.

---

After a relaxing, warm bath with just the two of you, you find yourself cuddled in his embrace whilst also in his hoodie. You have decided on watching Disney movies in contrast to the intensity of Mortal Kombat. Your mind, however, is still focused on the events from earlier in the night.

“We need to do that again,” you mutter, your thoughts unintentionally becoming reality. Felix smiles down at you.

“Hmm, we can if you want to. But, I think there will be a catch this time, Hon.”

“I knew it. What is it?”

“The catch is,” he paused the movie and took a dramatic gasp, “you have to be my girlfriend.” You smiled, not exactly expecting that type of twist.

“I think I can work with that...as long as I get you for myself again.”

“Woah, woah! TMI!” he playfully yells.

“You gave it to me...finally,” you mutter in playful annoyance.

All Felix can do is sigh, un-pause the movie, and thanks Heavens he somehow got a busybody like you in his life.

#stray kids #stray kids imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids smut #stray kids crack #stray kids felix #lee felix #felix smut #felix fluff #felix crack #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #kpop crack #kpop smut

[quinloki]

"I think that's a great fic idea" good news, it is, or something very similar. Inspiration is very clearly taken from @/turtletaubwrites series Numbers Game. The reader is a financial advisor who worked for Buggy, who then ends up under Croc and Mihawk because Buggy gets in trouble for ignoring her advice and fucking up the financials. Not trying to start anything, I don't think it's stealing to riff on smth but people should maybe be a bit more up front abt where they take inspiration from. At least give the OG a shout out lol

This is one of those things where there’s not an easy cut and dry answer I can give you or agree with, and I’m going to do my best to lay out why that is.

Is it possible the idea came from the person you’re referencing, but looking at the interactions for the first chapter I don’t see Alexa anywhere, not in the likes or comments.

I don’t even see anyone I follow in there either - which is to say that fandoms are HUGE and we don’t actually all know one another. (And that’s not to say there isn’t overlap in moots, just not with that particular story.)

Now, it’s possible there’s proof somewhere, but my point is that it is statistically just as possible that it’s just a similar idea. I wrote Quicksand’s reader as being a good office worker and coordinator - they weren’t specifically the accountant, but that could also be where the idea came from.

Reader being a competent and useful person makes sense when you’re talking about the Cross Guild. Neither Crocodile nor Mihawk are particularly patient people, and Buggy is enough frustration/comedic relief on his own.

If I shouted out to everyone who had inspired every part of what I write I’d hit tumblr’s post character limit before I got to the story itself. There’s a balance in there somewhere but it can honestly be case by case.

Despite your claim of not trying to start something it very much feels like you are, and while I appreciate you wanting to see credit given where it’s due, inspiration is so interwoven and complex, it’s hard to say exactly where an idea comes from for someone. So I’m going to assume that the vibes are unintentional - I’m sure you very much mean well. (If clarification is needed I’m not experiencing any negative emotions as I say this. I’m worried the vibes are there, but I will believe they were not meant.)

Heck, I had a story idea for a Eustass kid story I was (still am) excited about and when I shared it with my friends someone mentioned it was similar to something Mombat on Wattpad had wrote. And they’re right! The setup of the reader was similar - but I didn’t scrap the story idea because the story itself is going to be different.

And I know it is gonna be different, cause I had read that story by Mombat with my own eyes! And honestly it’s very likely where the inspiration sparked, even though I didn’t consciously make the connection until someone said something.

But there’s bound to be a lot of similar ideas in a singular fandom, because we’re all working with the same source material.

Now, I appreciate the intent, cause we all wanna look out for one another and such, but calling out possible sources of inspiration is maybe a bit much. Though I will say if there’s a dozen points of commonality, then it’s probably worth the mention.

here’s a bit of food for thought - Eustass Kid calling the reader Mouse is something I’m fairly well known for, and it wasn’t even my idea - and the friend I picked it up from had picked it up from someone else. Kaku calls reader Filly in most my one-shots but that’s from another friend. Penguin and Shachi calling reader lil’ Shoal was all my idea, but also I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else thought it up too.

Now, my long and exhausting reply aside, I do want to thank you for putting turtleaub on my radar. Her writing looks wonderful and I love how organized the blog and posts are. I am delighted to have something new to read even if my to read list is painfully long already. And there’s a possibility of making a new friend somewhere in there too \o/

#quin answers #anon asks #this got longer than I meant #and I’m behind on making breakfast xD #things are complex though #almost always #those knee jerk reactions can be rough #stay kind out there #the key phrase in your ask that made me nervous was #Very Clearly #it’s a strong assumption to come in with #and then say you’re not trying to start anything ^^;

[egg-emperor]

The scene where Sage had the flashback montage and cried is actually genius to me now as much as it's still super funny to me for it being hard for me and many others to take the kinda awkward singing seriously and the contents of the montage - but specifically because of the fact. Because it works as a recap that very clearly shows and proves that Eggman didn't genuinely contribute to the dynamic and her character development like we saw Sonic and friends actually do.

It just shows a moment where he gave her the tiniest bit of praise by casually mumbling that her work is "commendable" but then angrily asserts urgency to get out of Cyber Space so it's not good enough, the part where he says she's going to be useful to him as a better replacement to Orbot and Cubot so he's integrating her into his system to take control of the Eggnet because she can be more trusted and efficient with it as he specifically praises. And it also shows HER doing something for HIM by saving him and him specifically praising her for that because he literally created her to do so and she's once again performing efficiently in that, which isn't as common for his creations than he'd like so he finally praises that more highly but still only on the level of how he's praised creations like Gamma before.

It's harder for me to tell unless I pull up two screen to compare for the smaller shots where Sage alone is on screen (because I remember all of Eggman's on screen moments perfectly but don't do the same for any other characters LOL) so I hope I'm not missing anything else notable but I think there's also tiny shots of her asking if Orb and Cube are like her brothers to which he's just like "sure Ig if that's how you wanna look at it". Also his mention of calling his place home which it just factually is and she's like "oh so I could call it home too?" I suppose she's remembering that as stuff she can associate her feeling of love and family to, along with the circumstances of her being his creation making him like her father because it's literally all she actually can apply it to, not based on things Eggman has actually done or even said for the most part.

So I like the montage because it literally shows that Eggman doesn't actually do anything to earn her loyalty and protection because she was already created with intentions and hopes of loyalty and efficiency, shown in the prequel comic and how they're the two ways he decides to describe and praise her in the memos, and they remain the two things he actually takes pride in and values her for understandably. He didn't do anything aside from praise her for what she was created to do and she just applied love that she learned from watching Sonic and friends to those initiatives of loyalty and protection she was already programmed with and also any likeness to family like him as her creator and Orbot and Cubot as his too, the idea of having a home, etc.

Meanwhile on Eggman's side of things it's just like go girl give us nothing!!!! because he doesn't show any type of genuine selfless praise let alone genuinely fatherly affection lol. Because it shows his ass is just sat there, getting mad, and praising her only where he feels credit is due when she does something for him and serves him well, as we also see that anything below his expectations or beyond his specific desires and instructions makes him furious like his reaction to the suggestion to team up with Sonic.

Eggman's side really is shown to be as shallow, self-centered, and with his own interests and benefits in mind all along as both the way Eggman himself talks about it in the memos and as Flynn describes it to be in his Bumblekast, while Sage's is more professional at first but eventually becomes much more sincere and deep and meaningful over time lol I love it

#my post #dr. eggman #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #sonic frontiers #eggdad #sage the ai #analysis

[jungle-angel]

Bad Words at the El Royale (Miles Miller x Reader)

Summary: Miles knows Benny is the most precious thing that has ever come into his and (y/n)’s life......and then he picks up something Miles never expected

Note: So this little gem was inspired by a post where someone’s two year old was running around saying “Cinnamon Bitch” when she meant to say something completely different. Honey, I’m giving credit where credit where credit is due but I unfortunately can’t find the original post (lol).

Tagging: @nobody7102​

“Alright Benny, go play,” Miles said as soon as he had helped Benny off with his hat, scarf, boots and jacket. 

The two year old ran right behind the desk and pulled out the basket full of branch blocks Otis had cut from an old tree, the bark still on them and the rings inside smoothed and sanded for Benny’s little hands. 

Miles went straight back to business when a young hippie couple and two small children, neither one much older than Benny, entered the building and asked for a California room. Miles signed them in and gave them the key and hoped that they wouldn’t be snowed in before reaching San Diego. Already, Lake Tahoe was due to get snow and more families had come to stay at the hotel for an extended period of time. 

“Listen man, thanks a ton for this,” the young hippie man said to Miles. “I don’t know if we’re gonna get to Diego on time man, this snow’s really coming down hard.” 

“Well, if you guys need to stay put, then I have no qualms about it,” Miles told him. 

“Thanks man, I’m just worried because my brother’s in the service and he’s due home in a week,” the man told him. “But in the meantime if it’s ok by you, maybe our little guy and your little guy might wanna play together?” 

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Miles said as a smile broke out on his face. “And Chase, tell your brother, Private Miles Miller sends his regards.” 

“Will do man, we’ll be by later once we’re all settled,” Chase answered, shaking Miles’s hand.

Miles waited until they went to their respective rooms in California before he handed Benny the little red solo cup full of his crayons and a few copies of the hotel map to scribble on when two more guests checked in before the slow hours began to set in with most of the hotel going quiet. 

“Hey handsome,” you said, making your way up to the desk in the green and red plaid holiday dress you had made just a few weeks before December had hit. “How’s little man doing back there?” 

“Better than ever,” Miles answered before he gave you a kiss. “Chase and his family are gonna bring their son down here so he can play with Benny for a while. I think they’re gonna be here longer than expected.” 

“The hippie family in Room Two?” 

Miles nodded. 

“I’ll be in the kitchens most of the day, but when they come by, let me know and Dana and I can stay with them.” 

“Oh baby thank you,” Miles sighed before he kissed you again. 

You gave him a flirty sort of look before trailing off to the kitchens and leaving Miles with Benny until the hour when Chase and Dana would be back with their son, Arlo.

All was completely quiet with Benny scribbling away and the slow hours dragging on and on. Miles kept looking at the window every now and again, watching the gentle snowfall outside, daydreaming about a long winter’s walk with you and Benny and curling up under a blanket afterwards. 

A quiet little *SNAP!* of a crayon reached his ears along with something he definitely didn’t expect. 

“CINNAMON BITCH!!!!!” Benny exclaimed loudly. 

“Um excuse me?!” Miles exclaimed, taken aback as he tried not to laugh. “Good sir, where did we learn that?” 

“Papa,” Benny chortled, looking up at his father with his giant blue eyes. 

“Of course,” Miles sighed. “Who else but Papa?” 

Otis came traipsing down the hall, kicking the snow off his steel toed boots a minute later and singing a horridly off kilter rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,”, almost as though Miles had summoned him from outside. 

“Dad? Oh Dad?” Miles called to him. “Might I have a word with you?” 

“What’s up?” Otis asked him. “Something crazy?” 

“You’re never gonna guess what just came out of your grandson’s mouth,” Miles said flatly, barely looking up from the leger he had been flipping through. 

“Do I even wanna know?” Otis said with a shit eating grin. 

“Three dirty words you don’t say on TV,” Miles answered. 

“Well what is it?” Otis questioned. 

“Benny?” Miles said. “You wanna tell Papa what you just said?” 

“Cinnamon bitch,” Benny’s tiny little voice answered. 

Otis snorted and suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh that’s rich,” Otis said in between bursts of laughter. “That’s real fuckin rich.” 

“Dad,” Miles hissed between his clenched teeth. “Little ears are three feet in front of you.” 

“C’mon, that’s nothing compared to what you did as a kid,” Otis told him before Benny ran right to him and scooped him right off the ground and onto his hip. “Remember in the winter of sixty-one, you and your dumb little weasel friends dared each other to run outside naked and roll in the snow? You should’ve heard the shit that was coming out of your mother’s mouth that night, she put George Carlin to shame, that’s for sure.” 

Miles groaned and ran his hands over his face. “Dad,” he said. “Did I ever tell you how embarrassing you are?” 

“I love you too son,” Otis laughed. 

#miles miller #miles miller x reader #bad times at the el royale #lewis pullman #lewis pullman x reader

[genericpuff]

Oh, so that's where the whole "Lolita" thing came from... Uh. I can understand the whole tiredness that going down that rabbit whole provoked you, so it's okay if you wanna rest for a while.

On another note, can I say this whole "Dr. Pepper show" comic reeks of mid 2000s weirdly disturbing content? Like, I'm not trying to say all those things back then were bad, but I think you get what I mean when I say that... Yeah, the 2000s were wild times and tons of stuff that shouldn't be normalized or publicly exposed as "okay" were, well, alright.

And I mean, there's nothing wrong with liking or making content with dark topics. But there's just something about the whole "Gothic lolitas" that make me feel uncomfortable. Like, yeah, I know is a fashion style on some areas. But, like, knowing RS particular interpretation of what it is doesn't make me feel any better.

So, uh, when you feel better (and if it's okay), any theories on what the webcomic could have been about? I personally think it may have been straight-up nsfw of, well, whatever the plot of it was. Or maybe another one of those "purity culture deconstructs", idk.

Anywho, thanks for the info from where "usedbandaid" originates. Have a nice rest of the day. And i'm so sorry for whatever horrors you may have witnessed.

haha I'm okay, honestly, it wasn't so much horrifying in the sense of being like, legitimately triggered, it was more so just like ... whoof. I gotta ease up on my own habits because there's nothing here that I need to be seeing LMAO Just kinda makes me feel sorry for myself a little bit for getting sucked into it in the first place but I know it's just my ADHD tendencies to be like "OOH, STUFF??? I WANNA ABSORB ALL THE STUFF" (instead of doing the things I'm supposed to be doing).

Man, if people go on this many rabbitholes to find my old art some day... let me know because I'd genuinely love to see LOL I've lost so many of my old pieces over the years. But I'm sure there's also still plenty of cringe that would make me (⊙x⊙;) So I'll give RS credit there, a lot of that old stuff - especially The Doctor Pepper Show - was made when she was like, 18. I can understand her maybe wanting to disconnect herself from both that comic and her old usernames affiliated with more more fetish-y art. But that's the Internet for you. It's true what they say - anything you post on the Internet is there forever. Even stuff from 20 years ago.

Oh god 2004 was nearly 20 years ago-

As for The Doctor Pepper Show, there are still pages out there for it that you can find, along with summaries. I think she got about 3 chapters in before she quit doing it (seemed to be due to her going to college around the same time which is like, yeah, valid). Unfortunately so far it seems there isn't a way to get entire chapters to read it at length, but there are some spare pages floating around.

I believe it was about a woman in a neo-Victorian society trying to become a doctor ? (from what I've been told) which is interesting but you can still tell there was a lot of RS' own personal kink stuff going into it. Which is like, fine, more power to her, at the VERY least she was right to put it behind an 18+/R rating back then. But it's wild that she's still doing that sort of thing in a comic that's being marketed to children (LO). Makes me wonder if she'd ever return to it after LO is done, god knows when that day will come though.

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #antiloreolympus #anti lore olympus #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[taylor]

If the following situation happened to you, how would you feel? Because I’m really hurt and pissed but maybe I’m missing something obvious?

- Last Tuesday, my friend Jordyn invited me and another friend to a bar this weekend on Saturday (last night).

- Saturday morning (yesterday) she texts the group chat and verifies we’re still down for the night - the plan at this point is meet at Jordyn’s house at 7 to leave together to the bar.

- It’s 6:30 PM and I’ve been cleaning the house and realize I’m going to be late, so I call Jordyn to let her know I’ll just meet her at the bar. She doesn’t answer, so I check my texts and see that I missed where she said at 3:40 PM in the group text: “Change of plans no bar tonight the vibe is weird”. I reply back asking about the vibe being weird and she texts me one on one saying she’ll call me in 10 minutes and I’m like sweet cool that’s fine - that’s at 6:30 PM. (for context, she was at a friend’s graduation, and had to see a girl she’s been in a semi-fight and big misunderstanding with, so my assumption is the “vibe” being off was due to this other girl and her boyfriend, who Jordyn had been somewhat involved with at some point.)

- I’m not the kind of person who thinks 10 minutes HAS to always mean 10 minutes, so I continue cleaning and an hour and 20 minutes go by and I decide to text her like bestie what’s the tea i’m so curious (this is at like 7:50 PM i think?) and right after i send it I open my find my friends app and I see Jordyn literally pull up at the bar, like the timing was insane to actually see her pull up like that.

- So she’s at the bar, that she said earlier tonight wasn’t happening anymore. I’m pissed because I feel like somewhere along the line she lied to me and I don’t understand why. Either she lied about me being invited to the bar in the first place, which doesn’t make sense, or she lied about it being cancelled, or just lied by omission. I ended up checking her location like 4 hours later and she was still at the bar (she’s home now so she didn’t leave her phone there like she’s done before lol).

…would y’all feel the same anger/resentment/sadness/etc that I feel? Because Jordyn and I recently got into a huge argument where I told her I felt she didn’t value our friendship because she kept cancelling plans last minute and I just wanted to hang out with her and it felt like I didn’t matter enough to her for her to always come up with an excuse for why today wouldn’t work - to her credit, though, when we finally talked things through 2 weeks later, she apologized for always cancelling or changing plans and said she’d try to be better about it (which is all anyone can ask for, for someone to TRY, and the result is MORE time with my bestie, which I always want). Then this happens not even a week after we reconciled over her CANCELLING AND CHANGING PLANS ALL THE TIME? like maybe i’m just an idiot but it seems to me like maybe not ideal to cancel plans with someone only to keep those same plans actually and just lol never reply to them?

Also, I texted her a few minutes later after I saw her get to the bar and I suggested seeing a movie or going to the bar anyway - I didn’t wanna be the weirdo who’s like I SEE YOURE AT THE BAR WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT but honestly i was hoping she’d just say “omg come on by, the plans are back on!!” bc i was literally ready to go out and have fun, and i wanted to even try to give her an “out” where she could see i was still trying to make something happen, but wasn’t calling her out (even tho i probably rightfully could have). so anyway, i did text her at 8 pm with that idea and then at like 12:45 she’s still at the fucking bar and has yet to text me back, which will probably happen tomorrow but until then i’m just left to sit here and wonder what the fuck just happened and maybe she just doesn’t want me around? am i oblivious to this and maybe i’ve been recently annoying her and she felt like she had no option but to not re-invite me? or had no option but to lie? she’s like my best friend irl and so i don’t want to lose her but i don’t like this icky feeling i’ve got going on

#personal #i’m just idk maybe i have no right to be sad about this but i am #and i’m just confused #why not text me back

[childofaura]

Anyt thoughts you have regarding Kirk Thornton? He did Dorcas, Surtur and Yen’fay.

AH YES, I LIKE THIS ONE. THIS WILL BE FUN.

Ok I wanna start off this review with an obligatory statement I usually make whenever I open my mouth about Kirk Thornton:

Kirk Thornton catches seriously unfair flak for voicing Shadow the Hedgehog. Now Jason Griffith and David Humphrey are definitely THE Shadows for me, but Kirk actually does a great Shadow voice, he just gets constantly and horribly fucked over by outside issues, namely either the cringe-ass writing we’ve had since Colors, or the horrible audio mixing they had in Forces. But he IS a good Shadow voice.

In FEH, he does play Yen’Fay, Dorcas, Iago (under a pseudonym of Ron Allen), and Surtr. I think I’ve heard that he was only just recently credited for playing Surtr, but I’m not sure. Outside of FEH, he’s Shadow (and Orbot), Askeladd from Vinland Saga, Saix from Kingdom Hearts (haven’t played that series though), and Jubei from BlazBlue. Plus many others.

His performances are SOLID. While his role as Dorcas is pretty casual and laid-back (but still good), his other roles are absolutely outstanding in how much he gets to emote. Yen’Fay’s voice is quiet and cold while simultaneously being smooth as butter, it’s absolutely mesmerizing to listen to him talk. And his line about Say’ri is full of such denial, especially when you hear him talk about her finding good company with Chrom. Makes me think that this Yen’fay is actually the one who died in the battle with Chrom, rather than the one from the other world where he killed Say’ri instead. Iago is so much fun to listen to, his voice is just as greasy as his hair is, lol. Each line has such a high level of inflection that really drives home how narcissistic and dishonest he is; even if I don’t much care for him, he was definitely handled with good care in his art and voice. But man, SURTR. That role is the crown jewel of his performances. The raw energy he brings to the lines while he roars about burning everything in his grasp is just phenomenal, and honestly it’s so criminal how slow FEH is to give the male book villains (or any male book characters) any kind of good seasonal alt outside of the obligatory New Years alts. Pirate Surtr was probably the coolest fucking alt we had for any of the book characters; definitely not the only good one but certainly the coolest. Unfortunately the only book villain who gets any attention is Freyja, and we all know it’s only because of her big breasts. Where’s my ninja/Halloween Hel, IS? Where’s my Christmas Fafnir? Or my Valentine’s Embla? But I’ll settle for now with Surtr finally getting a much deserved alt and Resplendent, especially when the new lines and art are so badass.

I think he fits all these characters perfectly like a glove, and I would like to see more alts for Yen’fay and Surtr. And like I mentioned before, if FEH were ever going to replace Joe J. Thomas for any reason, I think Kirk would be a good replacement simply due to sounding decently similar and having not lost his energy like Joe did.

I would definitely say he has amazing range. Between his roles, almost none of them sound like he’s using the same voice, even if they all sound pretty recognizable. They’re very vastly different characters and he does an amazing job giving them different qualities to their lines.

I actually feel comfortable giving Kirk a 10/10. He’s a fantastic actor who got the perception of his acting skills screwed over by how badly his Shadow was handled. He’s definitely an actor whom I’m always happy to hear in media.

#Fire Emblem Heroes #FEH #ask game #Kirk Thornton #With how well the Frontiers games were handled with both character depictions (besides Amy) and voice direction I’m hoping we see Shadow

[awesomenessg]

‼️SPOILER ALERT FOR HELLUVA BOSS S2 E3 EXES AND OOHS‼️

I know this post is pretty late considering that the episode came out last Saturday and I apologize for that, but I still wanted to just make a nice quick and easy recap giving my overall thoughts.

But in short, omg this episode was fantastic! The entire time I felt like I was on a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions. I went from laughing, to crying, to laughing again, to being on the edge of my seat, and so much more. The deep emotional moments hit so hard for me. And it feels like the animation keeps getting better and better with every new episode. The fight scene near the end where Millie went off on a full-blown killing spree was the top tier highlight of the entire show's animation for me, even topping the fight scene from S1 E6 Truth Seekers imo, and that's saying a lot. What I also loved about that scene was that it shows just how powerful and a badass Millie can become when you anger her enough. You do not wanna be messing with her! >:) She is so protective of her husband, and you do not dare touch him or she will unleash her full fury out on you. And that scene really drove the point of the whole episode home that Millie and Moxxie's relationship is just so healthy and strong and not a force to be reckoned with. Not a single thing in Hell can tear them apart from each other.

And don't even get me started on this episode touching on Moxxie's backstory! When I said I was crying at one point in this I was not joking. I already had a feeling that his dad Crimson was not somebody to be trusted before this episode came out, but holy shit, I was not at all prepared to see just how evil and vile this character truly is. He is not only homophobic, sexist, and abusive to his own child, but the fact that he had the gall to straight up murder his own wife??!! Yeah... he's officially at the top of my list for worst Helluva Boss character now. Geez and I thought Stella was horrible, but Crimson has got even Stella beat at this point. And poor Moxxie did not deserve having to grow up in such a hostile environment and go through all that trauma. By the looks of the very end of the episode it seems like this won't be the last time we'll be seeing Crimson. This seems to be a set up for him to be a returning villain and I am all here for it.

As much as I didn't like Chaz because of him being an f-boy who sleeps around and just a really cringy character overall, I have to give credit where it's due and say that he was written very well and I do love his design and voice actor. Though I'm gonna be completely honest, part of me was kinda relieved that he got killed off at the end lol I just did not enjoy watching this selfish arrogant horny dude who was all talk and no show try to interfere with M&M's precious marriage.

Oh yeah and one other thing, why is nobody else talking about how Moxxie is such perfect bisexual representation? 💗💜💙 Being bi myself I just couldn't help but feel so seen the moment he confirmed it. Loona has always been my favorite character since the very beginning, but after this episode, I think Moxxie might just be a close second (and also because he's voiced by my all-time favorite voice actor Richard Horvitz).

Now the only thing that disappointed me about this episode was that Loona was barely in it at all. I was really hoping for more Loona moments, I missed seeing my baby wolf girl so much! 😢

So to sum this all up, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. It was definitely worth the long wait. This show has not yet once failed to impress me. I hope it continues to head in the right direction and I cannot wait for the next episode! ❤️🖤🤍😈

#helluva boss #helluva boss season two #helluva boss s2 ep3 #exes and oohs #helluva boss exes and oohs #vivziepop #moxxie #helluva boss moxxie #helluva boss millie #helluva boss crimson #chazwick thurman #chaz #chaz thurman #helluva boss chaz

[eddiediaaz]

you know what? i think being unemployed/on EI benefits for a few months during winter (starting in early december), while things go back to normal in the vfx world, is not the end of the world. in fact, i think i'm gonna try to see it as a break that i need and i'll try to make the most of it.

just some rambling incoming lol i feel like writing in a journal. used to do that more on my previous account but here i think it's a first

i am frustrated that i have no control over my career, as it currently hangs in the hands of a few millionnaires in the states (mine and thousands of people, i know). i'm frustrated that i had only started finally putting money aside for projects after cclearing my credit debt. i'm frustrated i've "lost/wasted" my summer doing overtime.

but. but i've also never had a work or school break for longer than 3 weeks since i've been like 15. half my entire life i've spent going to school full time and working part time and during the school breaks, and then to working full time without any kind of break. i never had a long nice vacation. the only break i've had was in 2021 i went 3 weeks on medical leave due to my depression and i couldn't afford to take more time off, so i went back to work against the doctor's recommendations. i know it's like that for a lot of people lol, it's a regular thing to work all the time, especially in north america's tiring work culture, but still. so it's... nice? to think about being unemployed for a few months. i'm trying to see it in a positive light.

i think it'll be nice to have a few months to myself and not having to work. i'm incredibly privileged and grateful that my current salary is good enough to give me comfortableish benefits while on EI. which is another insane thing to even think about?? and rather new too, i've only had this salary for less than 2 years and it's the only reason i was able to clear my credit debt quicker than expected. it's not even that much money but as someone who grew up pretty poor and has always been living paycheck to paycheck, it feels insane that i can be on EI and still be able to pay my bills comfortably, you know?

anyway. i think i'm okay with it. frustrated that i have to press pause on my life projects, again, but thankful that at least i won't have to, like, get the first minimum wage job that comes just to pay my bills (not sure minimum wage could cover that lol). i've been there before, having to get whatever job to make it one month to the other, multiple times, and i'm thankful that, at least, it's happening while i'm in a better financial position. and by better financial position i just mean that i only have a portion of my college debt to pay back, no other kind of debt. i don't have any kind of savings or placements or whatever "regular adults" have tho.

one thing i am scared of is boredom. what the fuck am i gonna do for 3 to 5 months without working full time lol??? like. i've never been there!!! and i don't even have a car to like, go places! i'm already thinking of where i could go volunteer in the city, of cheap projects i could do in my apartments and stuff like that. i'll stir crazy after the first month i think, not gonna lie. or maybe i'll just play the sims a lot

ultimately, i need to keep in mind this will most likely only be temporary. my employer said they wanna keep in touch with me for when things go back to normal, so i am hopeful that, at least, i may have a job to go back to? of course i definitely am losing this job in december, but there is hope i can get hired again at that place. because i do love this company and i was proud to have made it there.

#no one has to read that btw i'm just rambling and putting my thoughts into words

[sisisimss]

What is this blog for?

This is my main simblr where i just post my sims and reblog others’ sims/lookbooks etc. For mod and cc finds, check out my sideblog.

Will you ever update your cc folder?

Hell naw. You tryna get me in trouble?? Wowwww that’s crazy.

But fr, i have 350+ gb of cc and mods, about 50k files. I would rather die than try to upload all those files. Also it’s against alot of creators’ tou to reupload their content and ion want no problems. Sorry boo

What cc do you use?

Baby i use everything. Its so hard to answer this bc i use….HELLA cc. So, refer to my masterlist, lookbooks, patreon and resource posts where i link the cc i use! You can find all of these linked in my navigation post pinned on my profile. (Masterlists and resources coming very soon)

Where can i download your sims?

I upload them free on patreon <3

How do i download your sims?

On my patreon, i have a step-by-step walkthrough on each post. If you still have trouble, watch this tutorial before sending me an ask! It seems complicated but i promise it isn’t.

How do you get your sims to look that nice?

A combination of srwe, gshade, and cas lighting mods (linked in resources post) My favorite gshade preset is A Little Sweet Life by WakaWakaOngOng

Why don’t my sims look like yours?

My sims will look different than yours because it’s like art, we all have our own particular style. Also, you may have different sliders, lighting mods or skin details than i do. If you feel like your sims are funny looking, just keep making them. If you wanna get better at anything, you practice. They’ll get cuter and cuter. My sims used to be fugly n boring okay! Trust the process

Can i use your sims for my gameplay?

Yes! Just please don’t claim them as your own and give credit when it is due. That would be really sucky to claim them as yours, and trust me i know one of my sims when i see em lol. All i ask is that you tag me when you use them bc it would make me so happy to see other ppl use them.

Where can i reach you or talk to you!

I'm most active on twitter right now, but i also post semi often on tiktok. If you need to send me a message, tumblr or twitter is best. Here’s my linktree with all my social media. Come say what’s up!

youtube tiktok instagram patreon twitter

#faq

[striveattemptfail]

so i took this screencap after i read the latest ep and—

hn. (=_=)

idt i'll liveblog this week but i'll put my Thoughts under the cut

(tl;dr jason's Moobs and artemis' arms are the only thing getting me through this webtoon and unfortunately i am near hitting the point where that can no longer sustain me 😔😔)

(also pls heed the tags on this post bc there is a lot of Wank And Bitching. if you don't wanna read the meandering negativity, pls move along ᕕ(ಠ_ಠ)ᕗ)

okay so Thoughts™️:

i said i'd stick around to make sure lobo was done well but considering he folded and fucked off in <5 panels i can't even judge that

and idr if i mentioned it on my blog but i told some friends i'd stick around for the first season of rho and likely drop it after that

but idek if i can keep to that anymore

i've read a lot of really crappy comics, superhero issues and webcomics alike. i've had my fair share of whiplash pacing and wildly ooc canon

i'm not saying i'm an expert at judging comics, but i'll give myself enough credit to say at the very least that this webtoon is Just Not Good

while i'm personally not bothered by changing the art style—

(actually, it's one of the few things i appreciate in traditional publishing for superhero comics, so introducing it to the webcomic medium has been really interesting to me)

(but that's a whole other post lol)

—they're not using the change to its full potential, or even for its intended purpose

i get that the webtoon weekly schedule is brutal and borderline inhumane for a lot of asian artists, so it's probably hell on earth for western artists having to switch to that kind of scheduling

nico offloading all the inking to another artist so he can get a break makes sense

but if that's the case, the art should be more polished—and it just isn't

it's still abundantly clear to me that corners were cut to get eps out on time with the same kind of length

i'm not an illustrator, and my eye for perspective is already pretty awful with my glasses on, but i think it still says something that my half-blind ass can still see errors

if the art has to change to give the regular artist a break, why isn't any of the art (both from the original artist and the fill-in artist) not up to par?

and this isn't even considering that the art just changes in the middle of an arc, which makes everything hella confusing for a reader who can seamlessly read episode after episode due to the nature of the webtoons platform and the webcomic medium in general

at least if there's an art switch in most traditional comics, it's introducing a new arc or volume to that series, and it's physically broken up into multiple comic books/issues

the changes in rho thus far have just been ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at best, and (to me) without any thought about how the style could affect the overall story

to be clear: wayne family adventures also does this. but at least toby succeeds in emulating starbite's art style enough not to break immersion. and because it's been toby every time, the changes in art style is usually only noticeable when scrutinized

unlike with rho thus far, who's had different artists with similar but still distinctly different styles

so the abrupt art change is not only impacting the immersion of a reader but the effectiveness of the storytelling

and i don't even wanna get into patrick young's abysmal writing thus far. i know better than to yell on the internet about comic writers after namedropping them lol

i love jason. i genuinely like his rebirth outlaws team. for all the flack i give lobdell for rhato (2011) and in general, he did some actually decent things for all three outlaws during their 2016 run onwards

(some things. i'm still not forgiving him for rhato (2016) #25, or the fact that willis todd was apparently gd wingman, or for a lot of other things, but that is a discussion for yet another post lol)

i honestly cannot say the same for patrick young's writing

aside from the (fucked up) storyline happening to bizarro, i stand by my point that the highlight of every arc thus far has been the villains

which would be a compliment if it weren't for the fact that the series is supposed to be about the titular (anti) heroes of the story, or if the heroes were just written half as well

and yet?? i've been disappointed by every development for jason, and the mostly lack thereof for artemis, much less the downright disrespectful treatment for all the other characters introduced thus far

bizz really is the best boy, not only for his kind nature but for being the only decently written character out of the three

i get that superhero comics allows for different characterizations and the webtoon is continuing that tradition

doesn't mean i like what's happened to most of the characters

it's just........it's been really disappointing reading this webtoon

and i honestly feel bad for those who've spent hard earned coins unlocking any of this webtoon's fastpass eps

verdict: am i gonna drop this sooner than i thought? likely so

unfortunately for me i am a stubborn masochist of a stan so i'll be testing how long i can hold on just out of love for these characters 🥴🥴🥴

#anti red hood: outlaws #anti rho #anti-red hood: outlaws #anti-rho #jercy speaks #jercy liveblogs things #rho #iight i've been ranting about my disappointment for an hour now i'm going back to the fic i was reading before the update dropped LOL

[stylesunchained]

i think if i hadn’t started following him from his one direction career, i wouldn’t know much about him.

he's always been my favorite in the band and i think that’s why now he’s the one i stan the most, i feel very attached to him but i realize that this "bond" is due to the one direction years.

probably if i started following him after the band, i wouldn't like him so much? sure, i would have liked his music but, that would be it. I wouldn't stan him like i do rn.

i’m not saying he has to share every detail of his life with us, but idk a little explanation of the songs he writes? He literally just put songs out and expect us to not have questions about them?

and a little more social media presence wouldn’t hurt... just enough to let his fans know he’s grateful for us?

i compare him to louis a lot (and i know it’s wrong because they are two very different people but i can't help it since they both come from one direction and i stan louis too) but for example louis shows so much interest in us, both through social medias and in person.

And i’d like harry to be a little more like him? like i'd like to see him more interested in US, the reason why he's so famous? Because you can be as good as a musician as you want but if you don't have a fanbase then .. and his fanbase is HUGE

like sometimes he makes me so doubtful that i think he doesn't care at all and just wants our money......... like he just wants SUCCESS and MONEY. i know it's a bad thing to say BUT GOSHHH THIS MAN LITERALLY MAKE ME CRAZY I WANNA GIVE HIM A KISS ON THE FOREHEAD AND STRANGLE HIM AT THE SAME TIME

(sorry if i made any mistakes but english is not my first language...)

Don’t you worry, English is not my first language either!

Listen, this is where I disagree with you a little bit. Where I do agree that most of his fans know more about him from the 1D years, I don’t agree that he should be anything like Louis or that he should be compared to him.

I might get hate for this - I always do lol - but Harry’s fame and success is his own achievement. Fans do play a big part in it but he did the work. He did a lot of the heavy lifting to get to where he is and he did get help but the credit is his. It doesn’t sit right with me when people say “he owes his career to us”, cause no, he doesn’t. Not saying he’s as big as Beyoncé but… have you ever seen anyone saying her success is because her fans did that to/for her? No, you don’t.

The only reason people say this about Harry is because they reinforced the idea that HE CAN ONLY DO WHAT HE DOES because THE FANS LET HIM. They started this discourse in 1D and it’s followed him *to this day*. It’s impostor syndrome. But the credit is his. He made the music, he traveled, he worked on learning how to play guitar and piano, he worked on his voice, his performances and everything else that came with it. It’s his doing. We helped, yes, of course we did, but he worked for it.

And as for being like Louis… TW: I do not like him or his music so I will be brutal. If you guys read this and don’t like it, don’t come at me. Louis only has a career because he has fans from the 1D era. He never managed to expand beyond that and he never will, because he lacks the appeal of talent necessary for it. He’s a wonderful lyricist, a decent producer but a terrible performer and singer. What Louis has for him is fan interaction and he leans *heavily* on it. That’s why he can do music still. I don’t like the kind of relationship he has with his fans cause I think it’s a bit … too much. But that’s MY opinion.

What I think Harry needs is to find an in between. A balance. A give and take that works for him and for fans, that doesn’t blur his boundaries but also doesn’t completely shut everyone out. That’s what I think.

[jazz-miester]

You spoke my name like it was holy.

Burn then.

Pairing: N/A ish

Characters: Mtmte Megatron. Y/n.

Reader type: Gender Neutral bot reader

Song: Kill me with your love -One true God.

Warnings: Angst

An: My dude I legit wrote this because of an old discarded paragraph I wrote lol

Tags:@rawmeknockout I hope this is cool lol. This is based off of a post you made about a bot being like. An advisor to Megatron and really loyal but megs overlooks them or something like that. If I can find it I'll definitely link it to this post lol. But I wanna give credit where it's due.

A millennia of him forgetting you. A wars worth of broken sparks. A single frame burned and used. Everything. He took everything from you.

You had nothing to show. Nothing but the cracks on you frame. The scaring and welds. A lifetime of tiredness on your shoulders. It was old. But still it served you. Carried you when you were tired. Gave you strength when you thought you would fail.

It harbored a broken spark you hid well.

Or did.

Until now.

Why was He on board the Lost Light? Called "Captain" by many? He was no Captain. No leader. He was not a mech on blindly followed.

He showed you as such.

Yet here Rodimus was. Conversing with him as if he were an equal. As if he was deserving of some type of faith. It turned you tanks and left a sour taste in your intake.

You didn't speak. Didn't acknowledge his existence. Despite his best efforts. Clearly He wished to speak.

You saw it in the way his optics rove over you. Crimson depths the same color of an eclipsing moon. Shadowing over passed wrongs he has delt you.

You knew better though. Knew his poets glossa like the back of your servo. Knew of the ways He manipulated and persuaded.

Not again. Primus. Not again.

He first saw you within the Captains office. Delivering a report to Rodimus. It made you uneasy. Put you in edge. You saw his face fall before a fond smile tugged at his lips. Optics brightening as he spoke.

"Y/n?" He breathed.

You dropped the data pad on Rodimus's desk. Turned on heel and left.

You would get the signature later. Hopefully Ultra Magnus would understand.

.

You saw Him again at Swerve's bar while having a drink with Cyclonus and and Tailgate.

The glass perched on you lips. The barest taste of the sweet high grade on your glossa. You optics followed him. Watched as He glanced around the bar. As if He were looking for somebot.

Cyclonus followed you line of sight. Gave you a knowing look. Tailgate was oblivious. Or chose not to care. Maybe he was a little more than drunk though. Having gotten to the bar well before you and the former Deception.

"Speak with him. It will do you you good." Cyclonus rumbles out. He pulled Tailgates drink away as the mini bot begins to fall into recharge.

You scoff. "After what he did? No fraggin way. I'd sooner let him burn than speak to him." You glance back up. Lock optics with Him.

"Still. You should. Even if it ends with yelling. Or whatever manner of curses you have for the mech. Speak to him. End the heaviness in your spark." Cyclonus was one of the only not who knew. You spilled more than you wanted on one drunken night.

"And risk telling the truth? As the humans say. Fuck no." With that you rise from the table. Through down a few more shanix than the drink is worth. Then leave. Optics locked on Him until you pass the threshold of the door.

You begin to make you way to your habsuite. Think better of it. Then head off to Drifts. Maybe he could help more than "speak with him."

.

"You really should talk to Megatron. It might help."

You scowl.

Drift you traitor.

"You know better than anybot here about what he did to me. I was loyal to him. I cared. He didn't. Primus damn me I don't think he ever did." Drift lays a servo on your shoulder. Gives jt a small shake and you a stern look.

"You forget I was loyal to him once to. But I didn't love him. Not like you did anyways."

Your servos shake. Your tank turns.

"That. That wasn't love. It was blind stupidity. Something I'm still paying for to this day." You shake you helm. "Primus Drift. I don't think I can ever come back from that. Not as long as he's still here." The servo fell. Drift places a single pink crystal on the palm of your servo. Curls your digits around it.

"Still. Y/n. I think you should. It doesn't do you any good to carry this around. It leaves your field feeling really off."

You sigh. "Ya. Maybe. Just. Don't count on it. Not anytime soon."

.

Not any time soon became three weeks later. Three whole weeks of not seeing him. As grateful as you were you couldn't help but feel some sort of guilt. Why you'll never know. But it was there. A little seed planted in your tanks. Left them feeling something awful the longer you thought on it.

You figited with the crystal. Passing it from one servo to the other. Just something to do to pass the time.

The stars were bright at this sector of space. Large and giant. Hues of yellow and red. It filled every inch of the glass of the observation room. Left gleaming streaks against your armor.

The doors slide open behind you and you thought nothing of it. Thinking that it was Drift coming to meditate. To tell you about Rodimus's latest shenanigans.

But those pedd falls were to heavy.

The whir of vents sounding just this side of off.

And they definitely were Drifts usual swish swish of air.

"Who are you and what do you want?" A throaty chuckle.

"You haven't changed very much. I just came to say hi." Grey legs come to the left of you. "To figure out why you've been avoiding me."

You quickly find yourself on your pedds. Taking a few steps away from him. Moving as if though he burned you.

His optics widen. Something falls on his face then. Remorse? Guilt?

Good. Let him suffer.

"I don't have anything to say to you. Not now. Not ever." The words stick in your intake.

He looks to you. The floor. To the stars outside the glass. A smile.

"You always did enjoy the stars. I remember how you use to get excited everytime the smog rolled away. Opened up the skies." He doesn't look at you as he says this.

You clench the crystal in your servo. Almost crush it in your growing anger.

"After everything. All you have to talk about are the stars?" You step closer to Him. Press a digit to his chassis. "No 'Sorry I completely ignored you.' No 'Despite you being my best advisor and closest friend I regret pushing you away.'!" You smack your servo against His chassis. Barely he moves. Still that unmovable giant he was when you first met.

"Megatron. I have you everything and it didn't mean a damn thing to you." He grabs your wrist. Gentle but firm. And. For a moment. You panic. He held that same look in his optics. The one he reserved for Starscream.

It leaves just as quickly. Leaves him looking older than he truly is.

"You ment everything to me. Y/n. You were one of the few who truly new what it was like. In the mines. As a slave." He opens your servo. Thumb trailing over the scar on your palm. "You were one of the only left who still held a better Cybertron in mind."

You pull your servo back. Scowl.

"Not once. Not once did you every say. Every show I meant more to you than the data I gave you." Your tanks turned. Flipped.

"And for that I'm sorry. Truly. I should have done more. Helped you. This rift between the two of us. I wish it were gone. I wish I knew what to do."

"That rift is there because you put it there Megatron!" Your voice rises. Echoes against the walls. A nearby star bathes the room in red. That same crimson of his optics.

"And I want to know if I can fix it. Us." The unspoken you hung there. In the air.

"That's all I am to you then? A tragedy?" You scoff. Bare your denta. "Im not some broken thing you can cover in guilded gold and say you fixed, Megatron!" You smack your servo against your chest.

"Guess what! Despite everything you did to me. Despite the fact that I loved you! That it broke me to see you fall as far as you did." You step towards him. "I fixed myself! Without your fragging help! I didn't need it then and I don't need it now."

Your vents whirled. Cycling cool air to your overheated frame.

Three words echoed in your helm. The ones that now fall from his lips.

"You loved me?" You shake your helm.

"I did. Not anymore. And I certainly don't love who you became." You turn to leave. His servo in your shoulder stops you. Barely you turn.

"Is there any chance? Anything. Even as friends?" You brush his shoulder off. Feel hurt at the quiet tone his voice took. Hardly a whisper.

"As of now? No. It hurts. Even still."

You leave and it's all to similar.

Reminiscent of another time. A different argument.

A different hurt.

#maccadam #mtmte megatron x reader #gender neutral reader #mtmte megatron

[miraculouscontent]

*rubs hands together*

The first thing to talk about with this episode is the pacing, and I think this might contribute to why people think it’s the best/least bad of Season 4 (personally, I’d rather watch “Furious Fu” but that’s just me; also, this isn’t the only contributing factor as to why I think people might feel this way, but I’ll get there later).

The episode has a very serious pacing issue, particularly with its more intense scenes. There’s only one minute of time dedicated to Ladybug landing on her bed, de-transforming, and her snapping at her friends plus them leaving. More time was spent on Chat Noir and Ladybug in the movie theater and Ladybug storming out.

I particularly remember watching the episode and getting eighteen minutes in, at which point I had the realization of, “It feels like nothing’s happened?”

This episode is supposed to be a big gut punch, but the season has been going by at the speed of sound, like they’re trying desperately to play all their cards at once (Lukanette break-up, Adrimi break-up, then Alya is told Marinette’s secret identity). Instead of letting things build and play out for a while in the interest of suspense, the show just throws whatever will get a big reaction out of the fandom (whether positive or negative) and it doesn’t care how shoddily put together everything is. The first two episodes feel like hastily put together drafts, and while this one is technically more put together, it still feels like a draft.

Let’s just start with Chat Noir, who feels completely out of place in the episode. Not only does he imply that he intentionally calls Ladybug “Bugaboo” (which she has told him to stop doing) in order to get a reaction out of her, but when Ladybug insists that she doesn’t want to talk, he tricks her into thinking that he has a good location to do so (and my heart breaks a little at how readily she trusts him) only to then take her to a romantic movie, then shush her when she calls him out for it because she “said she didn’t want to talk.”

Gee, and people wonder why she didn’t tell him her secret (even outside of “Chat Blanc” existing)?

And... look, I know it’s a joke, but I do not find it funny. The “joke” is basically that Chat Noir is taking advantage of the situation to flirt with Ladybug, and though I find it at least mildly cathartic that Ladybug is unaffected by all the people staring at them while Chat Noir is embarrassed, this episode is coming right after the one where Kagami broke up with Adrien, and here Chat Noir is getting his flirt game on. I already talked about all my problems with “Lies” so I won’t do it again, but I’ll just say that it’s not a mystery why Ladybug doesn’t want to talk to him and would rather avoid her problems.

(Not to mention that Ladybug knows that Chat Noir likes her, so talking about her romantic problems with him is awkward to say the least and would come off as insensitive.)

Honestly, at this point I feel like they must be building to something with Chat, like Ladybug finally going off of him with no mercy and that forces him to give up/fall out of love for her because reverse love square, but if that’s what they intend to go for, then that means Marinette is going to fall for this guy who’s repeatedly disrespected her feelings for multiple seasons, almost abandoned her and let Paris drown because she wouldn’t tell him a secret that wasn’t hers to tell, and just generally all the other things he did????

Ugh, I don’t wanna think about it. Let’s just move on.

Talking about Ladybug and her rant next, it basically summarizes the whole show in a nutshell, but simultaneously casts a shadow of sorts over “Truth” for people who maybe missed the episode entirely (which is also sort of the show in a nutshell). I mean, Ladybug confirming to the audience that she was genuinely in love and happy with Luka (you can’t watch how depressed she was over the break-up and not think that) was great, but Ladybug’s dialog implies that Luka “hated secrets” and that’s why they broke up, when Luka was more just... hurt that she couldn’t be honest with him, and he didn’t actively hate secrets. Marinette broke up with him because she felt like she had to; because she had to keep ditching and lie to him.

In addition, what she says also hints to the audience that they’ve both held and kissed each other, which not only indicates cowardice on the part of the staff (”yeah this happened but--um--off-screen; we’d still like credit tho plz”), but may perhaps go back to the theory I had about how Adrimi and Lukanette were supposed to last longer in Season 4 but their arcs got cut (based on the Adrimi kiss having supposed to have gone off). This could mean that Ladybug’s statement was originally accurate to canon but the scenes got cut and the scriptwriters just awkwardly left it in, which is made more awkward by the cinema scene in “Truth” that felt like Luka and Marinette were kissing for the first time (again, alluding to the whole, “this entire season has been a draft” thing).

Also, if you think about what that actually means - that Luka and Marinette did have successful dates and kisses but they were off-screen - then all it adds up to is that showing Marinette happy and comfortable was something that the series didn’t deem as “interesting/fun enough” to show, because Marinette being happy isn’t something they want to see; only watching her be miserable, which is exactly what Ladybug says, along with how everything was “almost too simple, too easy,” because Marinette isn’t allowed to have nice things without being jammed through the wringer first.

And... sure, let’s say that Chat Noir thought the movie was genuinely a good idea; let’s assume that it could be a joke, him wanting to flirt, and him believing that it’d make her feel better somehow.

If that’s the case, then where’s the apology when it fails miserably? Ladybug goes from her semi-anxious state at the start of the episode (a little scatterbrained but ultimately just looking for a distraction), to outright enraged by the movie, and then to this upon leaving the cinema.

She just got her heart broken from being forced to break up with a boy she genuinely wanted to be with and there’s not a single, “Okay, maybe coming here was a bad idea, I’m sorry,” (which could’ve been seen as another joke with the audience like “lol no duh Chat Noir” so there’s no excuse not to have it) or, “My bad, that was insensitive of me. I really thought this would’ve helped but I wasn’t thinking about what you would’ve wanted.”

No. The only people Chat apologizes to are the other people at the theater because he’s embarrassed by Ladybug’s reactions, yet he himself feels no remorse for taking her there and has the gall to go on now about how he’s “there for her if she wants to talk.”

Again, it’s no wonder Ladybug doesn’t want to open up to him.

And I’m sorry, I just don’t buy that Marinette suddenly has all this free time. It’s one thing for her to have a little more time now that she’s broken up with her boyfriend (likely avoiding spending time with him altogether now), but “Truth” went out of its way to talk about all of the emergencies she had to deal with and how she doesn’t have any spare time. which is causing her to become forgetful and lose track of certain events (patrols with Chat, dates with Luka, etcetera), yet Marinette spends most of “Gang of Secrets” simply sulking on her bed. It’s so jarring to go from “Truth” where she was doing “too much” (which I called them out on for not describing what the “too much” she was doing was) and now “Gang of Secrets” where she’s not doing anything.

It’s almost like they invented that plot point to break Lukanette up and it served no purpose outside of it.

Furthermore, the scenes of her finally talking to Tikki and then deciding to live as Ladybug does nothing outside of making the plot more predictable, the latter because of the “Alya almost sees Ladybug” moment (an obvious indicator that Marinette is losing control and is struggling to maintain her secret identity due to her emotionally breaking down) and the former because of Tikki herself and what she doesn’t say.

Because, really, think about what actually goes on in the scene. Marinette (eyes rimmed red and filled with unshed tears, as she is for a good chunk of the episode) is venting to Tikki about - yes - her love life, but also that she has to lie to everyone in order to keep her identity a secret. The fact that Tikki focuses solely on the note of Marinette’s love life and not say a word about the identity/lying issue or even consider telling Marinette, “hey, this is clearly too much for you, you should tell someone, I think the benefits outweigh the risks right now,” really proves that the episode tried to avoid the topic altogether to try and make the ending more shocking (which ironically made it more predictable).

So yeah, not only does Tikki’s dialog with Marinette provide nothing except for a line about how she can’t help Marinette with love issues due to kwami not falling in love (alright, I guess aros can’t give good love advice then or have any input whatsoever), but Marinette’s line about lying to everyone being why she can’t pursue Adrien nor Luka is repeated in the very last scene of the episode. The only reason that scene and the scene after exist is because the writers needed Marinette to be emotionally devastated enough to leave for her balcony as Ladybug for the almost-reveal to Alya and so Rose would get close enough to the dollhouse to have an almost-reveal with the Miracle Box, making the scene feel further contrived because the emotional punch of Marinette wanting to live as Ladybug lasts for barely any time at all.

And it could’ve served a purpose, like if Ladybug had genuinely left and Alya finds her goggles and towel, recognizing them from a news story about how Ladybug had gone to the swimming pool after losing her temper at the cinema, which could’ve led to Shadow Moth making the girls believe that Ladybug was no longer heroic and had kidnapped Marinette, or... heck, Ladybug coming back inside would’ve been so much less jarring if she came back because she heard the girls’ voices talking about the dollhouse and had to hurry (but of course, then they’d have to point out the ridiculousness of Ladybug not hearing Alya calling her and the girls not hearing Ladybug literally shouting for Shadow Moth to come fight her, even though the kwami heard the girls calling for Marinette from the balcony).

But instead, the entire scene feels off and unnatural, forcing every part of it in order to get to where Marinette has to snap at the girls to make them leave.

(Oh, by the way, just a little detail to add to the annoyance: they bothered putting Tom and Sabine in the episode when the girls are leaving, clearly saddened by something that happened, and neither parent even bothers to go and check on Marinette to see if she’s upset or just to see what might’ve happened. They’re such a “blink-and-you’ll-miss it” moment in the episode and it’s not like I’m surprised because they’ve done this multiple times by now but really?)

As for the girls themselves... oof, where do I even begin?

Alright, first off is the annoyance that they assume Marinette’s problems relate only to lovesickness. Marinette has been an anxiety-prone mess throughout the entire series, and suddenly now the girls care about Marinette’s love problems on an emotional level rather than “we’ll meddle sometimes unless we don’t feel like it and be wholly inconsistent on how much we push for it.”? It’s not that I don’t see how they came to the conclusion (hearing that Luka and Marinette broke up and now seeing Marinette is depressed, it checks out), but considering they bothered noting that Marinette hadn’t told them anything, one would think they’d come to the conclusion of, “okay, we haven’t talked to her, we have no idea of what’s going on, maybe we don’t know her as well as we thought then and shouldn’t make guesses.”

Secondly is the “eternal friendship bracelet,” which comes off as a copy of the “Secrets” game from “Syren” extremely manipulative. Mylene goes on to explain that one is supposed to give a secret to the pearl “mentally,” yet when the girls actually show up to see Marinette, they expect to be told the secret directly. I’ve already talked at length about peer pressure and the mental stress Marinette goes through when they mock her and/or meddle for her, but this idea of, “well we all used this friendship bracelet after we mutually agreed to it so now it’s your turn because we said so!” just comes off really bad. I know the episode is going for this idea that their hearts are in the right place, but they’re really not. It feels like they’re the ones in denial and are trying to compensate by forcing Marinette to prove that they’re friends, unable to handle the idea that they might not be as close to her as they thought.

Thirdly, the show acts as if the girl squad are her only friends when we know that’s not true because we’ve seen episodes like “Befana” (the guys in the class), “Reverser” (Marc), “Ikari Gozen” (Kagami), and “Silencer” (Ivan) that all established Marinette having more friends than just them, but for the sake of “drama” and the depressing line of, “at least I don’t have any more friends to lie to,” the episode just pretends like Marinette’s friends are limited to Luka (who she had to break up with) and the girl squad (who she forced to leave and refuse the friendship of).

Fourthly is the actual set-up and the sheer grossness of it all. The girls call Marinette and leave a message about how they much they love her and how she can talk to them “where and when” she wants, and then - immediately afterwards - decide that they’re going to go straight to Marinette’s house completely unannounced, go into her room completely unannounced (not even knocking, by the way), and when Marinette begs them to leave, Alya basically tells her that she’s overreacting. When Marinette demands that they leave, Alya refuses and makes demands right back that they won’t leave until she tells them what’s wrong.

So much for “where and when” she wanted, right? It’s already one thing for the girls to invade Marinette’s privacy and demand/guilt-trip answers out of her, but it’s another thing to give the illusion of respecting her feelings and personal space only to actively plan to go back on it. I can’t tell if it’s a bad draft that they didn’t catch in quality check (you know, the quality check that they definitely don’t have) or just an intentional way to make them seem more sympathetic so Marinette looks worse for driving them out, but either way, it’s awful and I hate it. I would’ve rather had them be all in on invading Marinette’s privacy and learn a lesson in the end than outright contradict themselves.

There are also little nitpicks I could make (like Juleka’s constant mumbling despite Luka’s crush on Marinette playing a role in the episode, Horrificator getting sidelined due to being mute, and the girls’ akumatization ultimately being for spectacle and nothing else, serving no purpose to the plot and being furthered by the fact that Timebreaker goes after Marinette despite it being a bad idea and Reflekta’s power clearly not lining up with any sort of plan), but the real issue issue here comes down to the fact that these are Marinette’s so-called “friends” and the episode refuses to address their actual issues.

Alix, who is known for making rude comments at Marinette (”Gigantitan,” “Chat Blanc,” “Miraculous New York”) and then gives mixed messages by going along with meddling anyway.

Mylene, who is the closest thing to a background character in the girl squad but nevertheless finds her way into being definite voice against Marinette in “Chameleon.”

Juleka, who blamed Marinette for things she didn’t do in “Reflekdoll” and got huffy with her until Marinette apologized for said things.

Rose, who outright screamed at Marinette in “Chat Blanc” over a freaking stuffed animal, which pressured Marinette enough that she snuck into Adrien’s room to deliver her gift which nearly led to the end of the world.

And, of course, Alya; freaking Alya. I don’t even have to go into every single thing she’s ever done because I have a history of giving her absolutely no mercy.

...But let’s go through some anyway because I want to.

“Copycat” - Alya gives Marinette a script and tells her to memorize it, then immediately pushes the “call” button when Marinette hesitates after Marinette had just told Alya that she’s awful at improv.

“Darkblade” - Alya takes a jab at Marinette when Marinette says that she’s too busy to be class representative, implying that Alya thinks that Marinette does absolutely nothing with her time.

“Gamer” - Alya is busy recording the gaming competition when she and Marinette were supposed to be researching for a term paper. Alya then scolds Marinette for wanting to use the competition to get close to Adrien only to do a 180 and put up a fight about it when Marinette decides to quit.

“Animan” and how “The Puppeteer 2″ follows up on it - oh, I’m not going to touch that particular point right now, but keep those in the back of your mind, because I am going to absolutely go off later

“Simon Says” - Similarly to Marinette’s parents, Alya gives zero damns about whatever might be going on in Marinette’s life that's causing her to miss classes.

"Despair Bear” - Alya laughs at Marinette being forced to kiss Chloe’s cheek and then outright compares Marinette to Chloe after knocking Chloe multiple times during the episode (sure, just compare your “best friend” to her multi-year bully, how "hilarious” of you).

“Gigantitan” - Alya has no qualms about mocking Marinette’s over her failures, even if it embarrasses her and she’s been through enough already.

“Frozer” - Alya tries to find ways for Marinette to prevent herself from third-wheeling for Adrien, but when Marinette tries to show character growth by wanting to go, Alya gets into a shouting match with the other girls over how Marinette has “liked Adrien forever and isn’t going to give up now”.

“Catalyst” - Alya claims that Marinette is only salty over Lila out of jealousy when “Frozer” exists and literally is the prime evidence of Adrien liking another girl and Marinette telling Alya outright and very genuinely that she’s not jealous.

“Chameleon” - Alya doesn’t care about her best friend sitting in the back by herself while Alya herself get to sit next to her boyfriend and everyone else in general gets to sit where they want (Alya even acting confused at the mere suggestion that she’d tried to engineer things to let Marinette sit next to Adrien), then not only believes Lila over Marinette but contradicts herself twice (asking Marinette for proof when she has none herself, then claiming that she wouldn’t let her best friend sit by herself).

“Christmaster” - Alya leaves Marinette to babysit so she and Nino can go out on a date.

“Desperada” - Alya suddenly is for Lukanette for literally one episode and doesn’t know how/doesn’t even try to cover for Marinette’s Adrien blindness despite mocking her for multiple seasons over it.

“Reflekdoll” - Alya invites Adrien to something that’s crucial for Marinette to focus on after Marinette has already told her not to and continues meddling to the point where it gets Juleka akumatized (she also doesn’t get punished for it and the blame gets thrown onto Marinette).

“The Puppeteer 2″ - Alya pushes her luck with Nathalie to try and get Marinette to come with her, Nino, Adrien, and Manon to the museum, then traps Marinette in a room with Adrien to force her to spent alone time with him, even abandoning and forgetting about the child that she offered to watch for Marinette so she and her boyfriend can go off alone.

“Miraculous New York” - Alya is told directly by Marinette that she needs help seeing Adrien as a friend, which leads Alya to do the exact opposite throughout the entire special, at one point shouting at Marinette and pressuring her to chase after a car, in the rain, while there’s a supervillain rampaging through Paris, and all of this right after the scheme that Alya had set up caused both Marinette and Adrien to go missing.

And just saying, as Marinette’s supposed “best friend,” Alya sure doesn’t know how to handle her. It was acceptable back in “The Bubbler” when she asked Marinette about signing the gift too late and the same goes for “Dark Cupid,” but by the time we get to late Season 2/3 and Alya refuses to learn Marinette’s weak spots (unless it’s to mock her) and adjust accordingly (like if she’d already made sure the gift was signed in “Chat Blanc,” which would’ve prevented Adrien seeing Ladybug at all due to the time difference), it starts getting infuriating.

A best friend is supposed to cover for their friend’s weaknesses. Alya doesn’t do that; she meddles and often drives Marinette’s anxiety even further up a wall with absolutely no consideration for Marinette’s feelings (”Dark Cupid,” “The Puppeteer 2,” “Reflekdoll,” “Miraculous New York”).

And here, she and the other girls are rewarded for it. Luka actively resisted his akumatization whereas the girls gave in immediately, yet Marinette still opens up to them in the end, likely because they had pressured her and made her feel bad for the secrets she was keeping while Luka was willing to actually wait for her to be ready to talk to him. I can’t put into words how frustrating it is watching these girls trample all over Marinette’s feelings, not have their worst actions called out, and then jump cut post-deakumatization to Marinette telling them exactly what they wanted to know about her love life.

You know what this entire episode is really missing, outside of a coherent plot, properly-paced development, and a basic understanding of rewarding a character for things they’ve held firmly to?

It’s missing the apology. Chat Noir apologizes to a bunch of moviegoers and Rose apologizes for the broken dollhouse, but no one apologizes to Marinette for how they treated her, especially not the “friends” who got rewarded in the end.

“Sorry, we shouldn’t have told you that we’d respect your feelings and then showed up unannounced to make you talk about them.”

“We’re sorry we came into your room and invaded your privacy. You were right to be mad at us.”

“Oh my gosh, Marinette, we got akumatized and we’re so sorry for literally all five of us going after you and probably scaring the living daylights out of you.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, guess what else this is missing? It’s kind of important and brought up directly in the episode, yet the episode simultaneously goes out of its way not to bring it up again.

It’s the reason why Marinette didn’t tell the girls about her relationship with Luka. It’s not there - it’s missing - and the girls never try to pursue the subject. They talk about how Marinette didn’t tell them but don’t think for a second that maybe it’s them who have failed as friends. Instead, they don’t guess anything about why Marinette wouldn’t tell them (which is already strange considering how much they already assume about her) and jump straight to, “well clearly we just need to push for her to talk to us.”

Gonna just go out on a limb here and say that maybe - just maybe - Marinette didn’t tell them because they are habitually pushy in everything they do.

Because they would’ve teased her relentlessly about, “ohhhh you’ve got eyes for Luka? what about Aaaaaadrien~? aren’t you sooo tooorn between both of these cute guys?”

Because they would’ve meddled to force her and Luka together and gotten on her case when/if she ever had to bail on him.

Because their intrusion on her feelings for Adrien had caused her nothing but problems and she just wanted to be with Luka in peace without them forcing their way into things.

Because--hey, wild thought--maybe they’re not really friends???

But the episode completely avoids it, because that would’ve meant addressing it; it would’ve meant acknowledging that they messed up, which - fun fact - they actually don’t do in the episode.

They invaded Marinette’s privacy, insisted that she tell them how she feels (not about them of course because that would imply that they felt like they screwed up), and in the end it’s Marinette who gives them exactly what they asked of her, and the closest thing we get to acknowledging anything is Alix telling her/joking with her that they’ll help her confess to whoever she likes as soon as she tells them she’s ready.

That’s not an apology. That’s not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Even when the five of them are about to get akumatized, it’s not a circle of them saying, “here’s how I screwed up, I could’ve done better but I didn’t and I lost Marinette because of it.”

No. It’s just them talking about how sad the situation is. Mylene has the closest thing to remorse in saying, “I hoped it would work,” but where does it go? A grand total of nowhere, especially because Marinette still takes the bracelet in the end instead of the girls mutually deciding, “okay, maybe the bracelet was a bad idea; how about we all agree on making something together instead, no requirements attached?”

And then the episode has the gall to act as if Alya has gone through character growth when all they did was put Alya through the same thing that Chloe did. I’ll explain that last bit momentarily, but first let’s talk about the whole “growth” thing.

Because there’s no apology or acknowledgement of wrongdoing, all Alya does when she’s finally alone with Marinette is do a 180 from where she was at the start of the episode, going from, “friends have to tell each other everything,” to, “hey, if you don’t want to tell me, then that’s your right.”

The crucial part that’s supposed to go in the middle is missing. Instead of acknowledging her failures, Alya just cuts straight to “””being a better friend,”““ but storytelling doesn’t work that way.

It literally would have taken zero effort to fit an acknowledgement into that scene. “You don’t have to tell me everything, I get that now. All my meddling’s done is hurt you and I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t trust me.”

In a world where Marinette has to apologize for everything, has to learn lessons and suffer because the narrative says so, I will not accept anything less from other characters who are trying to develop and improve. That’s not fair to Marinette, nor has it ever been.

Instead of properly developing Alya, the show does whatever it can to get its audience to root for her as Marinette’s “best friend” (ugh) without having to put in the effort of admitting that Alya hasn’t been Marinette’s “best” friend.

Remember when I brought up Chloe? Yeah, “Malediktator” did a similar thing, showing Chloe doing something awful, then being sad (while not actually acknowledging the thing she did wrong), and in the end she was rewarded with a miraculous prematurely.

One show of character from Chloe and Marinette gave her a miraculous. One show of character from Alya and Marinette told her that she was Ladybug.

(Also, for the record, I think Chloe is far worse than Alya character-wise and I’m not comparing their characters; this is just the simplest comparison I can draw here from a narrative standpoint.)

“Miraculer” is another apt comparison, perhaps even more so. Chloe got Hawk Moth in her head after an akuma landed in her photo of her and Ladybug, but Chloe resisted and fought back, ultimately forcing the akuma out of her and freeing herself from Hawk Moth’s control.

But it wasn’t to develop her character; no, it was to convince the audience of Chloe and Sabrina’s friendship so they’d feel something during Sabrina’s happy flashbacks, then lay the foundation of tricking viewers into believing that Chloe might not go to Hawk Moth’s side.

At the end of the day, it was doing something that’s “never been done before” in order for the character to earn brownie points for something that the writers can just have them do because willpower is an easy thing to just write in. “Gang of Secrets” does the exact same thing when Lady Wifi breaks free from Shadow Moth, with Ladybug even hammering it home by talking about how no one’s ever done it before.

And the pacing is - again - awful. Not only is Ladybug banking on this working when she herself says that it’s never been done, but the conversation between her and Lady Wifi where Ladybug tries to convince her doesn’t even take a minute.

It also has nothing to do with Marinette herself; Ladybug relies on Alya’s adoration/friendship with her as Ladybug (you know, after Alya took a photo of LadyNoir kissing and posted it online without Ladybug’s consent, betrayed her by putting information on the LadyBlog that Hawk Moth was able to take advantage of, and is the only hero outside of Chloe to resist returning a miraculous) in order to break from Hawk Moth’s control, because talking about Marinette with Lady Wifi didn’t even work.

(Ladybug also uses her yoyo as a portal to the Miracle Box when this has never been pre-established to be a thing despite Ladybug acting as if she knew it was; further proof that this episode was rushed.)

And of course talking about Marinette didn’t work, because that would’ve meant convincing Alya that her reason for getting akumatized was “wrong” and the episode didn’t want to do that. It didn’t want someone else actually learning something and feeling bad; surely, this is just Alya being manipulated by Shadow Moth and having the power to break free because Ladybug “needs Rena Rouge” and not because Lady Wifi and her friends are chasing after their supposed best friend and that’s--you know--wrong???

Rena Rouge’s reappearance is also yet another thing the episode refuses to address because it avoids the topic of “but my identity--”. At least “Heart Hunter” had the tact to have Kagami question why Ladybug was giving her the dragon again, but “Gang of Secrets” treads as lightly as possible on any discussion of identities outside of Marinette saying that she can’t, as if it were Marinette who made the choice of concealing her identity and not the basic idea of heroing that has been stressed over and over for the whole show.

Even Plagg of all kwami stated back in “Origins” that no one is supposed to know about secret identities, a rule that continues becoming flaky and muddled with each passing season, almost like they kept attempting to retcon and make the audience dulled to the idea so that the reveal in “Gang of Secrets” would be more acceptable.

But now, with the way they did it and how they don’t even have Tikki comment on the matter, it once again has it look like they’re making it - say it with me, everyone - Marinette’s fault.

Alya says that Marinette has a choice in telling her secret, Marinette insists that she doesn’t and goes on and on about how it’ll change everything, and then just... tells Alya her secret in the end.

And remember all the way back in Season 2? “Sapotis”?

Alya: What were you saying about her secret identity?

Marinette: Ladybug needs it to protect her family and friends. Otherwise the villains could use them to get to her.

Alya: Well, if I knew who Ladybug really was, I'd keep it a secret. I would even help her! Like say, if you were Ladybug, I'd cover for you — when you needed to transform in school, go fight the "baddies", you know?

Marinette: Oh yeah? Well, if I was Ladybug I wouldn't even tell you, to protect you from the "baddies", you know?

Alya: You serious? If I was Ladybug, I'd totally tell you! Because I tell my best friend everything.

And now here we are in “Gang of Secrets,” as if the narrative is saying, “See, Marinette? Alya was right all along, you were just being ridiculous and making yourself suffer for no reason!”

Yet Marinette had a right to keep her secrets. When Alya and Nino learned each other’s identities, Alya took a hit for Nino in “Catalyst” and both of them fell to Scarlet Moth’s akumas. Chloe was a mess and a half because of Hawk Moth knowing her identity. Fu had told Marinette that her miraculous would get taken if she and Chat Noir learned each other’s identities.

The only ones who received no consequences due to someone knowing their identity were Pegase (who Chat Noir and Markov knew), Ryuko (who Chat Noir, Ikari Gozen, and Hawk Moth knew), and Viperion (who Adrien knew). “Chat Blanc” also exists where Marinette got the impression that people discovering her identity would be a disaster, and even all the way back in “Lady Wifi” insisted that not telling anyone her identity was “listening to her head and not her heart,” and the narrative has relentlessly humiliated her for going with her heart, so yeah, probably for the best.

I hate that the episode avoids talking about anything identity-related outside of what comes out of Marinette’s mouth to make it appear like it was her choice all along. I hate that they had Tikki fixate on Marinette’s love problems instead of having her actually support Marinette and admit that Marinette should tell someone before she has a mental breakdown. I hate that the episode inserts Rena Rouge into the plot as if to brush all identity issues away so as to make Marinette’s identity reveal seem less jarring.

Now, of course I’m glad Marinette told someone. Of course I want her to get love and support from someone. Of course I think the benefits outweigh the risks, or I wouldn’t have written multiple fix-its where her identity gets revealed in some way or someone already knows.

But I didn’t want it to be Alya, because I knew how they’d do it. I knew they’d do it wrong and I knew that they wouldn’t have the courage to address Alya’s issues properly.

Those familiar with my blog will know that I’d been taking negative predictions for future seasons for a while and adding them to cards whenever they were proven right. Does anyone remember the Season 4 predictions that were proven correct for “Gang of Secrets,” specifically these ones?

- “Alya will suddenly be portrayed as a good/worthy friend to Marinette in/if there's an episode where Marinette tells her that she's Ladybug”

- “Alya resisting Shadow Moth/fighting back against him will be used to excuse telling Alya Marinette's secret identity“

- “Alya will know that Marinette is Ladybug first because "BFFs" despite being one of the worst candidates for it“

- “The secret that broke Lukanette up will be resolved in episode 3 when Marinette tells Alya“

Each and every one of those were mine, because I knew that whether Season 4 had a proper chronological order or not, the writers would not have the guts to develop Alya first and then have Marinette tell her in a future episode after Alya has properly earned it.

I knew that they wouldn’t take time to develop Alya. I knew that they would have Alya resist Shadow Moth to make Alya look “worthy” of the secret. I knew that Alya would swoop in during the last minute and a half of an episode, insisting that Marinette “didn’t have to tell her anything” when Alya had been pushy and insistent for the entire rest of the episode and the whole series in general, and would ultimately be rewarded with the big secret simply because she’s “the best friend” and that’s it.

The Alya at the end of the episode isn’t the Alya I’ve known for the entire rest of the series before this, or at the very least they turned her into an Alya I don’t recognize.

Alya claims during the ending scene that she knows that Marinette is hiding something beyond her love problems because she - as a reporter and “her best friend” - can sense such things, and all I’m left wondering is

w h e r e ?

Where and when has Alya been suspicious or worried about Marinette keeping a secret from her? What, back in “The Pharoah” where she didn’t immediately disregard Marinette for the role of Ladybug, or “Simon Says” where she vaguely teased Marinette about having a double life, both Season 1 episodes?

Where was Alya in “Truth” saying that she didn’t know Marinette’s secret but knew that she was keeping one? Where was Alya anywhere in Season 3 being concerned that Marinette hasn’t told her something? Where was this “supposedly very observant” Alya when Marinette needed her to out Lila because Lila got her expelled--oh wait, Alya “observed” that Lila did nothing and Marinette was just jealous.

What, is it only now that Alya suddenly “knows” that Marinette is hiding something else? Now, after Alya has already not known that Marinette was literally dating someone, even when Alya had multiples pictures of Marinette and said someone giving each other heart eyes and saw Marinette leaving school with said someone riding on the same bike together, you know, like normal, typical, average friends would?

Where’s the line where Alya acknowledges the problem? Where’s Alya sitting down with Marinette and admitting, “hey, I’m sorry I haven’t noticed this stuff, but I promise I’ll do better starting right now, and that’s how I know now that you’re hiding something else, and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that it’s been hurting you”?

I can’t tell you where it is, but I can say that it’s certainly not in this episode. 60% of the episode features the Alya we knew from the rest of the series and then switches her out the second she’s de-akumatized for another Alya who hasn’t done anything that the old one has because she pretends like it didn’t happen.

You know how I know? Because of this absolute gut punch of a line that showed that the series wanted to handwave everything away.

“I know how to keep a secret.”

...Really? Does she now? Well, I hope everyone remembered my point about “Animan” and “The Puppeteer 2,” because I’m bringing it right back.

Considering that “Truth” has been burned into all of our memories, we all definitely remember when Truth shoots Alya and questions her on Marinette’s secret, to which Alya states that Marinette’s secret is, “She’s in love with Adrien Agreste.” Now, at the time of Season 4′s airing, this is very much not a secret, as most characters already knew about Marinette’s crush, to the point where it’d been broadcast on television during Season 2.

But do you know when it was actually a secret? Back in Season 1, specifically in the episode “Animan” where Alya told Nino.

And not only did she tell Nino, but she lied to Marinette by claiming that she didn’t, acting as if Nino knew that Marinette had a crush but didn’t know who she was crushing on, which is then directly proven false as Nino accidentally implies that he does know who it is. This is also after Alya had gotten on Marinette’s case for trying to set her up with Nino, and then she had the gall to say that she wouldn’t spill Marinette’s secret because she, and I quote, “doesn't go around making decisions for other people,“ a statement that is directly contradicted by this little thing known as everything Alya has ever said and done in the entire series.

And while Marinette meddling in Alya’s love life actually ended up working out for Alya, Alya meddling in Marinette’s by telling Nino who Marinette is crushing on comes back to bite Marinette - not Alya (because of course) - in the infamous episode of “The Puppeteer 2,” where Marinette realizes that Alya really did tell Nino that she was crushing on Adrien.

Marinette: You told me you wouldn't tell Nino!

Alya: I haven't told him. Right, Nino? I didn't tell you anything. (elbows him)

Nino: She didn't tell me. And besides, I told her I wouldn't tell.

Then, when she’s called out on it, Alya lies again, and shamelessly so.

Marinette: Why did you tell Nino everything? You promised you wouldn't!

Alya: I didn't, I swear! Besides, even if I had told him everything, he would still be clueless. Ugh, who cares anyway? I've set everything up with Nino, who doesn't know a thing, so you can finally pour your heart out to Adrien, girl!

And now, here we are one season later - and not even half of a season if you go by production code order - and Alya claims that she knows how to keep a secret.

No. No, she does not. In fact, she does even worse because she won’t even admit when she’s spilled said secret. I absolutely refuse to accept that Alya is “worthy” or “deserving” of learning that Marinette is Ladybug when she couldn’t even keep a basic secret like who her friend was crushing on.

And no, it didn’t matter that Nino was her boyfriend, or that maybe she thought it would work out because Nino was friends with Adrien. By that logic, Alya would tell Adrien that Marinette is Ladybug if she heard that Ladybug is who Adrien was crushing on and we all know how that would’ve gone.

Marinette has a right to tell her secret to whoever she wants and I’m glad that a burden has been lifted from her, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy that it’s Alya. That doesn’t mean I have to be happy that, after so many moments of Alya disrespecting Marinette’s feelings, she is the one who gets to hear the big secret that the fandom has been waiting for someone to find out about since the very start of the series.

Luka said it best in “Truth” that the truth is meant to be shared, not taken by force, but Marinette was forced to tell Alya by the narrative because Alya is her supposed “best friend.” It pushed Marinette to her breaking point, forced her to break up with the guy who has respected her agency and feelings since the day they met, and gave her a version of her “best friend” with the same name and face but with none of the responsibility from previous events so that said version was there at the right time and the right place to hear what had to be heard.

And in the end, I end up feeling nothing. Marinette doesn’t even have a “Marinette” reaction to saying it as one would expect; for her to blurt it out and then immediately start panicking until Alya hugs her to calm her down. Instead, Marinette just says it and stares silently at Alya - after blabbing this huge, very big deal of a secret - until Alya goes in for a hug (the “happy/hopeful” ending of which is why I feel like this episode also gets less flak, as the previous two ended off rather depressing/upsetting).

It’s off. Everything is off. The pacing, the delivery, and the logic that the episode uses. The emotion in Marinette’s voice when she’s rambling about how hard it is to keep her secret is so powerful, but then the ending hits and she just says it, breaking the momentum they had going. They pulled the card of Alya walking away too soon when they could’ve saved it, having Marinette go quiet and letting Alya take a few steps away in order to let the moment build before Marinette finally blurts out the secret she’s been painfully holding in.

But they didn’t, and I’m so many levels of dissatisfied. I wasn’t against the idea of Alya learning Marinette’s secret at some point (though honestly, Alix would’ve been a better pick considering that Bunnyx will know eventually anyway, and I say that not even liking Alix!), but not now; not when Alya had so much to work towards.

And now what? What happens now? Now Alya will turn against Lila, not because she learned to have faith and believe in Marinette, but because Marinette is Ladybug, which disproves Lila’s ultimate lie that got Alya’s attention in the first place? Now Alya will be supportive and less teasing/mocking whenever Marinette will be late, not because she understands that Marinette isn’t perfect and has so many other things on her mind, but because she’s Ladybug and has “hero stuff” to take care of? Now Alya will be careful about what she puts on the LadyBlog, not because she respected Ladybug and what Ladybug would want, but because Ladybug is now her best friend and that changes everything?

Because now, Alya has a free pass to all of that, the show making her spontaneously “developed” now so they won’t have to develop her later, and disappointing doesn’t even begin to describe it.

#category: salt #episode: Gang of Secrets #other: ml spoilers #category: long post #word count: over 7000 #other: ask and answer #((I know this is long so I did what I did in ''The Puppeteer 2'' where I had pictures to break it up.))