i didnt know there was dialogue where astarion implies we’re together!!!!!

shadowheart: ur friends now with good people, arent u?

astarion: yes but actually i am also in an indescribably tender and fulfilling relationship with a WEIRDO

shadowheart: ok great.

MAILMAN - SOUNDGARDEN

BABYGIRL WHAT IF THE SINGLE PLANK PATH TURNED MY YOUTHFUL INNOCENCE INTO A TOXIC COCKTAIL OF HUBRIS AND MORBID RESIGNATION

yeah. follow for more of the character of all time XO

Tristen's place.. He likes collecting retro & not so retro music players, and he spends a lot of time in bed... 🎶💤

B'Elanna & Tuvok are unwittingly caught up in some kind of alien gameshow in which they are subjected to various challenges with potentially deadly punishments. This is treated as lighthearted fun for their captors as they're a species who can regenerate themselves and find their inability to do the same very novel and amusing. Tuvok continually volunteers himself instead of B'Elanna and attempts to shoulder the bulk of their team's responsibility which annoys B'Elanna because he's not trusting her and also their team is doing worse as a result as Tuvok is growing weaker the longer the games wear on. Eventually she snaps at him which leads to them having an actual conversation and they start using teamwork & cooperation to stay alive until Voyager can rescue them. The aliens are unphased by their escape, sending Voyager a threatening message that they'd be happy to have any one of their crewmembers on their show at any time. Patreon | Ko-fi

ミリオンズ・ナイブズ

They are disturbed by the post beneath them

jean’s sense of low self esteem Hurts me, especially in her final ascension voiceline… usually as a character ascends higher, they become increasingly confident in themselves and their abilities. but then with jean it’s just the complete opposite </3

I feel so sick to my stomach after what that finale did to Nate, I think the entire show might be ruined for me forever. I can forgive a lot, and have given a lot of benefit of the doubt. I cannot do it anymore. My god, that was awful.

you and me both, nonny. i know a lot of people enjoyed nate's arc this season but it just did not sit right with me. like. even taking out the fact that the season's pacing was fucked in general, and that we spent more time with nate at a taste of athens than at west ham, and that we didn't get to see nate quit (we barely got to see him being a coach at all!!), and that after quitting nate wasn't shown getting any offers from other premier league teams (i don't necessarily mind that he waited tables in the interim, it wasn't like he needed the money and i can understand him wanting a break, but for god's sake the man was a fucking amazing coach!! yes rupert hired him to fuck with rebecca but nate is genuinely amazing at his job!! why didn't we get to see teams falling over themselves to hire him!!), and that for some fucking reason the fact that he was the one who leaked ted's panic attacks was just. never mentioned again by anyone, the full character regression we got in the series finale was just insane. okay sure nate is dating jade and played the violin again and his dad said he was a genius and now he's more confident in himself, whatever. but you mean to tell me that nate expected to be brought back on as the assistant kitman when beard told him to come back to richmond?? that's what the team decided when they said they wanted nate back?? that nate was fine with this?? that nate didn't bring up the fact that he was the one who leaked ted's panic attacks in his apology to ted?? that nate didn't get to give the team a pep talk (or give any advice to ted and beard and roy) before they played the team that he spent the last several months coaching?? that we didn't get to see nate roast the greyhounds (but more kindly this time) in a callback to 1.07?? that in the flash forwards, it was roy - whose idea of coaching is tying the players' dicks together - who became the manager of afc richmond, and not the man whose strategy from all the way back in season one won the greyhounds the match against west ham and resulted in the team getting the closest they have ever come to winning the whole fucking thing??

in the words of roy kent: fucking hell.

Another writing wip… (:

the headcanons do, in fact, headcanon

(ayda aguefort with dermatographia)

If I’m Roman, I’m insulted by the Rock caring around that fake championship because why are you trying to pretend to be on my level? If I’m Roman I’m like ‘know your place’.

i was listening to a podcast about the 2002 movie “catch me if you can” (great movie. highly recommend it.) and on the podcast they talked about leo dicaprio and his career and his stardom and i was hit with a critique of leo that the hosts seemed intent on overlooking: when was the last time leonardo dicaprio, one of the few people in hollywood who can greenlight anything by attaching his face to it, lent his star power to a film director who was not already Quite Established?

it turns out that the last time he worked with someone who did not already have an oscar/nomination was r.d. robb’s “don’s plum” which came out in *2001* but was filmed before titanic even, leo and tobey maguire apparently fought against the film’s release, and it made zero money.

but, while talking about leo’s career on the podcast they also talk about other movie stars (toms hanks and cruise specifically) and what they’ve done with the past 20 years versus dicaprio and, yes, leo has consistently worked with seemingly The Best and, for the most part, only makes critical hits but, when you sit down and compare the filmographies of the three, To Me it’s far more interesting that the toms have been able to maintain their star power over the last two decades while still taking risks with their directors — giving new talent, talent in another field like tv or animation, or talent that has been stuck in movie jail — a shot at the big leagues (and people can quibble all they want but, between you and me, live action theatrical films are still the undisputed Big Leagues of hollywood). and, beyond just the films that get made, there are even more stories of the toms using their influence to help first-time directors find a distributor, or fight off over-reaching studio execs, or just being unofficial and uncredited script doctors and producing consultants, for pretty much anyone who asks. those stories just don’t exist with leo. with him there are actually more stories, straight from the mouths of writer/directors, about how leo will be interested in their script but flat out refuses to work with any director who isn’t a big brand name themselves. easier to have a somewhat perfect career when you refuse to take risks.

i’m not actually trying to pit the toms (or any other star — i just talked about the toms in this post because the podcast in question used them as comps) against leo — in the IP era, it’s good that there are still people who can get non comic book movies made. but, it felt disingenuous listening to a conversation about how great a star leo is that refused to confront how safe his career has been. because, if we really get down to it, he never really does what a movie star should. he never lends his face on a poster, his name above a title, to a movie that would not have been made otherwise, to someone who isn’t already in the club. he never does a movie for scale, with the potential for box office points if it does well financially, just so something can get made. maybe leo will change his tune as he ages. i hope so. but, he’s already 48 and by his age hanks and cruise were very much into their current eras of regularly working with new talent and imparting what they learned from the greats to a new generation. there are so few people with his power, his clout, his knowledge that we need people like him to pass it on. i hope he starts passing it on.

Wanna do a species sheet or two of the races/species that live in my ocverse, I literally have the world map drawn out all I'm doing now is putting down names and using the map to figure out the lore and shit.

Try list any Octo-Agents and think of an Episode you Think give them a Shining Moment

W O O F this took a while– I was thinking long and hard about this because there are SO MANY good moments and episodes 😅, and so many agents– it was difficult, but I’m happy with my answers 👀

Ranger Marsh’s Shine Episode is definitely The Monitor Lizards. I LOVE this episode, it’s one of my favourites in the whole series so far—not just because of the events in it, but as a concept. I LOVE the callback to the Great Swamp Search!! I watched the 2nd season blind, and seeing all these familiar faces was SUCH a fun surprise. It’s good for Ranger Marsh as a character, because it actually shows him doing his job as a Ranger, not as an Octo-Agent. It also reinforces the fact that he truly cares for and is friends with these creatures, even if they are invasive, and that he's willing to travel to check in on them. This is another episode that also proves (to me) that the writers know they’re dealing with an older audience for the show, and are more likely to delve into solid lore and continuity. This episode makes me really hopeful for more of that.

Natquik’s Shine Episode, WITHOUT QUESTION, is The Red Fox. Honestly I feel like I don’t need to explain why, but I will because I like talking ✨: Natquik is my favourite Octo-Agent, but overall we haven’t actually gotten that many episodes dedicated to him yet. The Red Fox gives us a close and personal look into what Natquik is like by himself (I love episodes where characters are alone 👀), how he deals with problems (by ignoring them until they get worse—which is interesting... *stares at Barnacles*...), and even hints toward his family, by showing us his family portraits, and leaving us wondering, “Where are they?” – There are so many moments I love in this episode, from when he first discovers the kits, decides to help them stay warm, rushes to protect Barnacles, to his bittersweet goodbye at the end. It’s all so perfect.

Tracker absolutely shines in The Missing Lake. Honestly, he shines a LOT in Above and Beyond, considering he never got his own episode in the main series, and was only in Operation Deep Freeze for two scenes. AnB has been really good to Tracker, and I’m so grateful they decided to make him an Agent. The Missing Lake sticks out to me the most, because for the most part he is by himself (and I’ve already mentioned my love for that <3), and unlike all his other episodes, we get to really see him be responsible and use his Polar Scout skills in action. He’s often portrayed as a follower, who just goes along with whatever he's told to do, but he takes charge twice in this episode: when he offers to help Rowan, and when he stays behind to save Buck. Love that for him.

Calico Jack. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Calico Jack....... I could talk forever about this funky old cat man. He doesn’t just shine, he GLOWS in every episode he’s in—but alas, for the sake of this post I will be focusing on The Harlequin Duck. I love the showing of his gentle parental instincts in this episode, and his singing; since we know he canonically has a theme song, that I headcanon he wrote himself. I think far too much, and often, about how he legit panicked when he realized the egg was missing. How his first instinct was to hide that fact from Captain Barnacles. He was terrified, having a full blown panic attack on screen. He apologizes to the mother duck with such genuine solace, and promises to get it back “On [his] honour as a pirate!” ...Which is extremely significant to me, considering Kwazii was the first character to EVER say the phrase: “On me honour as an Octonaut!” in The Flying Fish after Inkling’s book was lost – and of course as a final touch, I adore seeing him work with Pete to get the egg back. The way he tosses the egg in the air, fully trusting that Pete will catch it... they’re so in sync, just as pirate and parrot are meant to be ;)

Paani... I feel like there’s so much more to him than what we’ve seen so far, it almost feels unfair to assign him a “Shine Episode”. So, instead of highlighting a single episode, I’ll quickly talk about three that stick out (PS: you might sense a theme 🤣):

The Barnacle Geese - Uncle Paani. I like the “I’ll be my own uncle” joke, and the Edgar Allen Poe reference. I think Paani’s determination to help the chick (who doesn’t seem to want help) is nice to watch, and helps to prove his worthiness as an Agent—which is always fun considering his hesitance when Barnacles tried to recruit him in S1E1. In a way, this episode also makes Paani seem more like Barnacles. See my old post analyzing the show’s intro. (*Stares at the episode title* 👁️👁️)

The Arabian Camels - Take a shot of cocoa every time I mention my love for episodes where characters are forced to be by themselves. This one is especially interesting to me though, because we know that Paani was alone, for a very long time, before he met the Octonauts. He has no trouble working and getting by alone, and we get to see him exhibiting that, while being out of his element (a dry desert) at the same time; and that’s really cool.

The Lonely Frog - ...Y’know how they constantly make the Octonauts/Agents meet creatures with similar issues to them? Yeah. *Stares at the episode title.* *Stares at the end scene where he says “Kinda like when I met you guys!” before obnoxiously jumping into the lake, in response to Shellington+Peso saying “They never even knew each other existed before! [...] and now it’s like they’ve known each other all their lives!”* *STARES MORE AT THE EPISODE TITLE,,* *wonders how long Paani was actually alone before becoming an Agent...*

Pinto, where art thou? He wasn’t in S2 at all, which was a bit disappointing since we just saw him get an Octowatch in S1. I would’ve expected him to be pressing that button every chance he got, giving us a “Penguin who cried Octoalert” episode. But anyway,, The Curious Penguin is the PERFECT episode for Pinto. It shows his personality really well, and I love how his distractions and the things he learns and discovers help him to save the day in the end. I think Pinto (just like Kwazii) is a good portrayal of ADHD, and how he just needs to be in the right environment to succeed. Each time Pinto messes up or loses focus, isn’t because he was left alone and couldn’t be trusted—it’s because he was left alone and understimulated. So when he’s thrown into a sudden high-stakes situation, all of his focus hones in on the moment, and he’s able to save Dashi and Paani by himself.

AND, because you didn’t say it had to be an Above and Beyond moment, I want to throw some love at The Oarfish episode from the main series. In this episode, Pinto no longer views Peso as “less” than an Octonaut, and is so excited to watch him do his job—it’s really cute!! His impulsivity is once again a positive thing—granted, it seems to annoy Peso a little, but when you think about it he kinda saved the day by being impulsive. He sounded the Octoalert without permission, which let the captain know to come back before their radio signal cut out, and by being unafraid of the “monster” and swimming outside, he was able to discover what the problem was so that Peso could help. He did good.

Pearl.... I love Pearl a lot, but I can’t think of one specific episode that comes to mind for her. I love The Pupfish because it introduces Peri to AnB, and I love how he teaches her how to tie a knot, so she can save the algae (and Glen). I like The Bison episode because it’s interesting watching her not doing something with algae for once, and The Pink Glacier because her and Kwazii’s dynamic was something I didn’t know I needed, but now I want more of (/p).

Ryla. Possibly controversial opinion: I liked Ryla in The Caves of Sac Actun, more than I like her now in Above and Beyond. I know she’s only gotten 3 episodes so far, but she’s really missing something. Sac Actun gave us lore on her right off the bat: she’s old friends with Dashi, she’s a skilled cave explorer, she’s spunky, she’s purple. AnB hasn’t given us much yet. So far her only shtick is caves, and that’s getting a bit repetitive. Consider every moment she has in Sac Actun as her “Shining Moment”, because honestly that whole movie is a 10/10.

Koshi,,,, she hasn't gotten that much yet, but I'm gonna say The Longfin Eels is her Shine Episode. I like the way she narrates the whole episode, because it's very in-character. Plus we know she’s literally writing about this adventure in her diary as she's telling it, as if it were a mystery book. She reminds me of narrators from 1920s film noirs, and that’s cool. Also! Honorary mention of the scene when she gets her Octowatch: I loved that for her <3

Min is below the cut, because my answer for her includes some very heavy SEASON 5 SPOILERS, including SCREENSHOTS:

All of Min's appearances so far are dear to my heart. However, my favourite has to be her own introductory episode: The Giant Chinese Salamander.

The Rainforest Rescue is another amazing episode for Min—she’s a wonderful character on her own, of course—but I think we can all agree that she and Inkling are very adorable together (no matter how you interpret their relationship).

When Above and Beyond aired on Netflix, there was a lot of confusion around Min, from the younger audience and other fans who hadn’t seen S5. The Giant Chinese Salamander introduces Min with a 20-minute special; showing her in high-stakes action with Kwazii, bonding with the Octonauts, being an all-around Cool Person™, and a flashback of how she met Inkling when they were younger.

She saved his life. He was thrown far inland by a rough storm, and was trapped until she found him. I honestly headcanon that Min partially (if not outright) inspired Inkling to form the Octonauts, and this moment could have literally sealed the fate of EVERYTHING we know.

But! Until S5 comes out, that's all I've got to say~ 👋💝

Jadus lost his flesh long ago. He can take any form he so chooses, as long as it is warped by the Dark Side; shadow oozes out of the holes in his mask, his limbs elongating, his body a crack in the void. Fear changes him, and fear makes him different than he appears both before mortal eyes and in lasting memory. Fear makes him larger than life-- there is no corner of the psyche he cannot fill, no shape too terrifying he cannot become. He is fear itself, nebulous, changing, twisted, sticky and stinking as oil, a rot in the hive. Jadus is the man who walks among us. Jadus is the thing that walks among men. Jadus is Jadus.

Will your Rowan and cute Abel have babies too? Create a family? Adopt? 🥺🥺

ooo solid question- it's actually something i've thought about, esp. after writing my thoughts on ilw's finale (here's abel's for context)

i'll add my thoughts below the cut bc i'm known to ramble lmaoo

---

the short answer: no- here's the long one lol:

to sum things up from my original deep dive, i chose the mixed ending for abel x rowan. and in order to tell yall what i think will transpire between them- i gotta quote ro herself:

Rowan: “I... I can’t leave with you, Abel, not yet. Maybe not ever... I need to make sure people like Matthias don’t hurt it again... This is who I am, Abel, I think it always will be.”

i wanna focus on the language being used here, not because i believe ro is unsure of her motivations, but to highlight that she has only begun establishing who she really is + how this newly found sense of self will play out in her day-to-day life.

on the flip side, there's abel. someone who has simply lived more life and isn't going through the same type of growing pains we leave ro with by story's end. he's a career academic, a family man- someone who wants to set down roots and excel in his field of study.

logistically, it would take years before they'd be ready to take the plunge and become parents. for rowan, it's just not in the cards. (🎶 it's my hc, i can do what a i want to~ 🎶) and she doesn't want to.

her definition of family isn't bound by children, adopted or otherwise. before that picnic, rowan (again, my interpretation of her) has never expressed any interest in having kids. a bit of a nihilist in that regard, actually. the world is too fucked up as it is, why add to its collective misery?

post-picnic, there's a lingering fear that settles along with her feelings on children. the fear of losing what she has at any point. as a result, nothing truly feels like it's hers. a large reason why rowan falls for abel can be seen here:

Rowan: I have to go back... Abel: Of course. You know you can always stay here if you want. Rowan: Your siblings wouldn't mind? Abel: No. There's always room for one more person, no matter how small the house is. *You can't help but smile at him, your chest tight. This sort of close-knit family isn't something you're used to anymore. You've stayed with Amalia's family, but you haven't had one of your own, not since that day in the mountains.*

(and it's not even technically a 'romance' option 😉)

family isn't just having/adopting children. it's playing board games on amalia's bedroom floor. it's struggling to keep pace with jocelyn (and moss) on early morning runs. it's late night drinks at lincoln's favorite bar in vegas. and it's a shared life with abel- who got rowan to believe there is space in her heart for him and everything else life has to offer. and that's enough.

plus- it's so much more fun to be the cool, badass auntie 💅🏻