#[ meanwhile vivian is pretty much the opposite ]

[spacehostilityy]

rewatching the OVAs (netflix s2)

low key one of my fave intros art wise (we all know howling by granrodeo is my fave intro song lol) like the suits !! are so !! cute!!!

and this frame is adorable !!

I love the search for hawk sm theyre all so fucking cute

Meliodas casually dropping “you are my purpose in life” to Elizabeth like a month after they met is INSANE. Bc from his side, makes sense. Fell in love when they were young from opposite sides of a war, risked everything to be together, have been finding and losing each other for 3000 years. But from her side, he is a cool guy she has a crush on (who is at least 15ish years older than her) who she might have known as a child. He also just described her as his entire life’s purpose. Like bro THATS CRAZYYY

Seeing Meliodas destroy the horn of cernunos is such a badass moment to me. The way he responds to her taunting with direct action and violence rather than his usual merciful beating around the bush. My favorite Mel moments are when he is using his silly goofy little guy façade and suddenly has to drop it. This is when we see a glimpse of who he was when leading the 10 commandments: arrogant, powerful, and constantly full of rage

it just so happens that arrogant, powerful, and constantly full of rage are my most prized qualities in any character

WAIT HOLY SHIT IS THE “HEINOUS SIN” MELIODAS IS CONSIDERING THAT THE GODDESS SAYS WILL DRIVE EVERYONE HE LOVES AWAY REFERRING TO HIS PLAN TO BECOME THE DEMON KING ?!?!?!?

THAT WOULD MAKE SO MUCH SENSE AND ADDS LOWKEY A TON CHARACTER MOTIVATION TO EVERYTHING ELSE MEL DOES FROM HERE ON OUT

maybe everyone knew this and im late to the game but damn that would be so cool

im pretty sure ban switches out his red leather for the long burgundy coat is bc he keeps getting stabbed front to back and the coat has a hole in the back so the weapon wont tear it lolll😭

i feel like their faces (esp meliodas’s) look a tiny bit janky in the OVAs

once again appreciating the intro 😌

They’re so fucking cute !!

Merlin and Ban clearly don’t rlly like each other much yet and it’s so funny to me

Like these are Meliodas’s closest friends and they just kinda annoy each other a lot

it’s like fuckin icarly

Gustav: the captain and one of his fellow sins going one on one? We might neve see something like this again!

hahahahaha nooo. i mean gustav didn’t, he’s dead. but the rest will el ol el

Gil is the biggest dork to ever live and howzer is concerned. Mans is crying at watching them fight and howzer is just like … ok ??

Bartra: where the fuck is my daughter

his daughter: literally watching a cage fight

MELIODAS RIPS OFF BAN’S FUCKING ARM AND SMACKS HIM WITH IT AHSDBFKSKFSDHFFK LOLLLL

theyre literally the cutest

bestiesss (boyfriends)

every one of these bitches is a fucking alcoholic

ban’s whole character is that he’s a depressed, violent alcoholic and I love him

my horrible secret is that im skipping through a lot of ova 3 bc im just not a kiane girlie😔

i do love diane tho she so babygirl

nakaba’s not even thinly veiled size kink strikes again. Seriously, i can fuck with it, but its so funny that every single main ship has a significant/abnormal height difference

hendy and dreyfus are so gay for each other im genuinely surprised it’s not canon

like look at this scene and tell me something lgbt is not happening here

omg my pfp !!

Howzer’s dad is such a dick i love it

Meliodas using the sugar spoon to full counter is literally so fucking cute, i love when they have to use dumb weapons

but also vivian lost to a tiny spoon hehe

bet gil regrets not killing vivian after she kidnaps and permanently fucks up his son ahaha🥲

Merlin being fucking terrifying saying that vivian should have realized that she is a monster is why im gay

Meanwhile Meliodas:

I love when his face does that he’s so baby

KASDBFKLHDFNWDKF GIL, HOWZER, AND GRIAMOR ALL BEGING HORNY ABT “MATURE WOMAN” MERLIN

anyway time to start season 2!!

[xensergal]

Xen "Octavia" Sergal Goes On A Very Stupid And Long Rant About Her Favourite Show Helluva Boss Because She Needs To Get This Shit Off Her Chest ASAP™: The Movie.

This is a long, long ass fucking rant about this show. i will type shit as it comes up in my head. i dont care if my takes are "trash" or "shit" or whatever. its my tumblr and i get to choose whats posted here. ok.

its actually fucking insane how my 2 favourite shows are on near complete opposites to each other on the surface. you have an impossibly perfectly written show with 0 bad episodes and the greatest characters to ever be on TV (Breaking Bad), and then you have a 15-20m per episode comedy/musical/drama on youtube (Helluva Boss). but this isnt about me comparing BrBa to HB, its just about HB.

i have a lot to say about this show. a lot i really, REALLY couldnt get out due to twitter character limits/not really having many friends who watch helluva boss, so tumblr gets my full thoughts, straight from the top of my head. right as theyre being produced. enjoy.

Stuff

the premise of this show is pretty damn cool. a comedy/musical/drama about a bunch of imps in hell who start up an assassination business to make ends meet, while also yknow shenanigans n other shit happens like complicated love trigonometry, bc hey its a show you cant 1 thing forever bc thatd be stale *cough* SITCOMS *cough* and repetitive and would be a shit show, this isnt a shit show. its one of the best ive ever seen. but back to what i was saying. the show has a fantastic premise with good plot and cool characters i will get to in just a moment. i rewatched all of whats been uploaded for this post. to refresh my thoughts and finally, get all this shit off my chest which ive been needing to for all this time.

O YEA OBV SPOILERS FOR ALLLL OF HELLUVA BOSS DUHHHHHHHHHH

Pilot

this is 3 years old and damn does it show. the animation is very stiff (but still, well made) compared to later episodes, and especially 1 which ill get into later. but the pilot does a great job and introducing the viewer to the main characters of the show, those being Blitzo (Brandon Rogers), Moxxie (Richard Horvitz), Millie, and Loona (both Erica Lindbeck). all with weird, and fucked up relationships with eachother. M&M are a married couple (gross), Loona is a complete whore with syphilis, and Blitzo is her adoptive Father whos also a complete perv who stalks M&M at their house. its fun! its a good plot with good characters and its pretty damn funny. theres also a major supporting character introduced in this episode, Stolas (Brock Baker). i love him, youll see why very soon.

the pilot isnt without its issues tho, the pacing is complete ass with flashbacks inside of flash backs and its just, man idk its fucked up dude i dont like it. weird shit.

7.5/10, good shit, good opening to HB

Murder Family // S1: Episode 1

good episode! damn after a year of waiting after the pilot for something new people surely had high expectations and id say E1 followed, its pretty good.

plot wise it follows I.M.P on a job to kill some bitch n yknow shenanigans n whatnot moxxie fucks it up because hes a bitch and people almost die but moxxie saves em in the end its good and i like it!

some stuff changed from the pilot, mainly voice actors. Erica Lindbeck no longer plays both Millie and Loona, just Loona. meanwhile Millies new VA is Vivian Nixon and shes pretty good! Millie has more of a southern accent now which will make sense in a future episode. however Stolas also had a VA change, Bryce Pinkham. its flawless and makes me love Stolas even more, you will see why.

8/10 episode, great shit. much better than the pilot.

Loo Loo Land // S1: Episode 2

words cannot describe how much i love this episode. its flawless.

saying something is flawless is big, really big, but i do feel like this one is. and its all thanks to the opening sequence. the opening sequence makes the audience do a complete 180 about what they thought of a character, no longer is stolas just "a rich, important figure in hell who is extemely gay for blitzo" hes that, plus a loving and devoted father. and the music, its perfection. its the highlight of the whole moment alongside the beautiful visuals and deep character development. and on the subject of characters. Stolas #1 comfort character.

this episode introduces quite a few, the first 2 youll see are Octavia (Barrett Wilbert Weed), Stolas' daughter and Literally Me™, and also Stella (Georgina Leahy), Stolas' arranged wife who wants him dead as hell with NO shoes on in the casket for fucking blitzo. shes hot. very hot. girlboss. shes mean to Stolas tho :(

this episodes plot is cool too. I.M.P make an exception for Stolas and are hired to be bodyguards for the day at a theme park oh joy a theme park how whimsical and fun loving! oh goody! everything is on fire by the end of the episode! splendid!

but like yeaa dude this episode slaps, great plot great characters great shit, O YEA CHARACTERS i forgot about Fizzarolli (Alex Brightman) hes in this episode too, at least a robot version of him. Blitzo and Octavia hate him, thats cool.

10/10, i think this is the best episode of HB released so far. it also has Wally Wackford (Don Darryl Rivera)

Wally Wackford Counter: 1

Spring Broken // S1: Episode 3

oh damn! another banger! lets keep this good episode streak going!

this episodes also great. not as great as E2, but still great.

I.M.P get their parking spot stole by Verosika Mayday (Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela) whos a famous popstar in hell (thats why theyre in hell because they listen to pop and pop sucks listen to metal instead youll also go to hell but for a much cooler reason) and just happens to be Blitzo's ex girlfriend. so Blitzo challenges her to a duel where he bets I.M.P can kill more people than Verosika can fuck by the end of the day an who wins gets the parking spot (spoiler alert blitzo wins bc ofc, plot demands it) and then shenanigans lol.

i really dont have much to say about this one other than i like it, verosika is hot, drunk moxxie is funny, and that hehehoo sex joke. O YEA the musics good too its very good

9/10. banger

C.H.E.R.U.B // S1: Episode 4

i hate this episode. i really really hate it.

nearly everything which couldve went poorly, did. and i dont like that. let me explain.

the plot is okay, I.M.P go to kill a trillionaire. good! thats cool! fuck billionaires and especially fuck trillionaires. meanwhile a competitor, C.H.E.R.U.B, is trying to stop this guy from ending his life. and I.M.P cant have that so they convince him to fuckin die already lol. its fine but how the episode executes this is atrocious. you could easily skip through this one and go onto E5 anyway, this plot adds nothing to the current overarching storyline. yet.

for comedy, pacing and the actual joke is everything. especially if your main writer for this episode (at least by order of appearance in credits) has been doing comedy skits on youtube for many, many years now. no offense to Brandon Rogers, hes phenomenal, but this episodes pacing and jokes are trash. the pacing goes as follows:

Beginning plot development/jokes - meeting the competitors/jokes - joke - joke - joke - fight - joke - end joke. its trash and doesnt work at all imo. the jokes fall flat and its not well paced at all.

however there is 1 more point i want to bring up about not just the episode, but the show in general. regarding moxxie and the things which happen to him. moxxie in this show is essentially a less depressed Squidward Tentacles. this sounds fucking insane but Let Me Explain. the writing has him treated like a fucking punching bag for jokes and/or plot development. in E3, this was for plot development. he got stuffed in a beer keg and nearly got ate by a monster fish. this episode it was for no reason whatsoever. he just, got hurt and thats the joke. the joke is moxxie got hurt. thats it. next episode does it worse, ill get to it.

but anyway, this episode was shit but i liked the fight scene in it, that was cool.

4/10, trash but the fight was good. it also has wally wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 2

The Harvest Moon Festival // S1: Episode 5

wow.

when this episode first released, i didnt think much of it. i believe i said it was about an 8/10ish or something like that. rewatching it, i couldnt have been more wrong.

this episode has some fan-fucking-tastic plot. and it just might be the best plot driven episode to date. maybe E7 gives it a run for its money, maybe.

the plot is as follows, Stolas invites I.M.P to the wrath ring for a day off for the harvest moon festival. here we get to meet Millies parents Lin (Su Jan Chase) and Joe (Edward Bosco), but also Striker, whos played by Norman Fucking Reedus from video game kojima. and my GOD he fucking slays the role. besides Bryce Pinkham as Stolas, Norman Reedus as Striker has to be my personal favourite Voice in the show. its fucking fantastic.

however there is 1 character i do have to mention in particular, Sallie May (Morgana Ignis).

Why her in particular? she only has a few lines! yea true, however it gives me an opportunity to talk about the shows flawless LGBTQ+ representation. In Sallie's case, shes Transgender. you can tell the gender of an Imp by the pattern on the horns, millie for example has mostly black horns with thin white stripes, a sign of being AFAB. Moxxie and Sallie however have even sized black and white horn stripes, a sign of being AMAB. but what about other characters?

(these are all from memory so forgive me if any are wrong)

Blitzo is Pansexual

Moxxie and Millie are both Bisexual

Stolas is Gay

Stella and Octavia are currently unconfirmed (i think) tho i headcanon them both as Lesbian because i can.

Striker is also probably Gay i mean have you seen him talking to blitzo like cmon

(also funny side note i should add the VA's for Stella and Sallie, Georgina and Morgana respectively, both ship their characters together i think thats pretty fuckin cool i feel like i just have to mention that somewhere)

theres def a lot more ive missed, however these are the ones which come to mind. their sexuality/gender identity is never forced in your face, its never too painfully obvious that theyre gay for the sake of it, its pretty much flawless representation and i feel more shows should take a thing or 2 from HB in this aspect

Gushing over Norman Reedus amd LGBTQ+ rep aside, the plot revolves around a yearly game of strength in the harvest festival where blitzo and striker (among many others) compete in together. also tangent time

LETS COUNT HOW MANY TIMES MOXXIE GETS FUCKED BY A SHARK

3. thats 3 times. again, punching bad. what did moxxie do to you, anyway tangent over.

anyway striker competes in the games to gain the trust of I.M.P to stab them in the back by killing their gateway into the living world, Stolas. and you wouldnt believe who hired him (at least i didnt when first watching), Stella. anyway moxxie finds out, shit goes down, they fight, striker gets away. moxxie finally gains the trust of millies parents, big reveal, episode end. banger fucking plot and its just so damn good.

remember how i said the animation in this show gets really gooood,,this is the episode i was thinkin about when writing that. this episode has hands down the best animation (aside maybe the finale of E6) overall of any episode. with cool panorama shots which go around the whole charaters, n shit like that its great.

banger song too, striker did a sing and its good.

10/10, a great episode, but still a weaker 10/10 than E2. it also has Wally Wackford

Wally Wackford Counter: 3

Truth Seekers // S1: Episode 6

I barely remember anything from this episode, and at the time of writing, i only watched it five minutes ago.

so the plot is like, blitzo and moxxie get captured by crazy conspiracy guys called D.H.O.R.K.S (haha dorks) and its up to Da Girlz™ to save em meanwhile Da Boyz™ get truth gassed and spill a bunch of plot shit and its good i dont remember what exactly they said but its a fuckin good scene the animation is great with a unique visual style bc theyre hallucinating and OOOOOOOH the hallucination song its a fucking bop i love it (This is a good time to mention for anyone who yet doesnt know Sam Haft has put a bunch of the songs hes wrote for HB on Spotify, they may be just covers, but theyre still fucking great.) but anyway the fuckin, fight scene when millie and loona catch up to moxxie and blitzo is gahhdamn fuckin beautiful its so well animated n shit and then ya just got

Demon Stolas.

because fuck yes.

anyway yea good episode i guess plots good everythings good its just, i forget about this episode so often im convinced its not real

6/10, banger, just wish it wasnt so forgettable

OZZIE'S // S1: Episode 7 - FINALE PART I

rewatching this episode hurts. i cant put it into words how, its just a lot of fucked up shit to take in at once and i really do not want to write about this because its late and im tired so ill keep it fucking simple

Blitzo fucks everything up by using a fake date with Stolas as a cover to stalk M&M on their 1 year anniversary of their wedding, but then moxxie breaks into song and Asmodeus (James Monroe Iglehart) does not like that one bit so he and fizzarolli fuckin rip him a new asshole meanwhile blitzo interferes and gets both him and stolas into shit and my GOD this is where it gets depressing.

this song, despite it being a banger, is depressing as shit. i cant stand it, i cant stand how it treats blitzo and stolas

the shitty choices theyve made...

the people theyve thrown away...

its all coming back to them in song form. and it fucking sucks for them.

but m&m are doin okay ig they fuckin, hit fizz over the head and continued their song after that shit its all good for them tho ig or smthn idk im tired.

10/10, a phenomenal ending to the 1st season of one of the greatest adult animated shows ever written. it also has Wally Wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 4

THE CIRCUS // S2: Episode 1

damn i like this episode

i like the blitzo backstory with how he and fizz used to be before they now hate eachother, with how he met stolas and became his first friend. with everything really. its a great episode and like

damn its good idk what to say im tired its just a good episode.

Johnathan Freeman does a good job as Paimon, stolas' dad too even tho hes a shitty dad.

ok yea plot tho, it takes place like ~25 years before the pilot which is neat i like backstories. but like, paimon literally bought blitzo just so stolas could have a friend so he didnt need to be a father to him thats just. man i dont like that. blitzo and stolas are so cute tho i like them. uuuh fuckin, more stella content too shes back still a girlboss still hot, still mean to stolas :( you can tell im tired cant you lemme just say a thing

WAIT I FORGOT THE SONG AT THE END the song at the end is so goood i love it. idk if i like it more than You Will Be Okay but i like it its good i like it thats all i can really say rn. i could say more if i wasnt tired but im tired.

9/10, good shit, good backstory, good good good good episode.

SEEING STARS // S2: Episode 2

i have. so much to say about this. too many words to fit into tumblrs infinite character limit. but ill keep it brief because i want to

you have no idea, how long, i have waited for this to happen. just one scene between Octavia and Loona. just one, and now i have it. i am complete.

i saw this post which talked about star and moon symbolism between octavia and loona and it made me realise, holy shit, there is gonna be so much more octavia and loona content in future episodes if all this isnt a coincidence. and i am ready for it all.

i could talk about the rest of the episode if i wanted too, but i dont. i only want to talk about these perfect 2 minutes between these characters. i do think this is the best moment in the entire show so far. seeing a headcanon that youve had for so long (in this case loona and via being friends) become true, it connects with you in a way that not much else can.

and i dont care about the rest of the episode. not one bit. not right now anyway. i just want this moment, forever.

10/10. a good episode all around, and a truly, perfect moment. it also has Wally Wackford.

Wally Wackford Counter: 5

and damn thats like, all of helluva boss so far. ive been writing this for like 7h now becasue tumblr keeps breaking for me and i keep having to write anything all over again. god im tired. but im so glad to finally get all this off my chest after years of not really having anywhere to gush about this show. it means a lot to me, more than what people think. and i dont know where i would be without it, literally.

"but whats with the wally wackford counter" its there because its funny and hes a funny character.

[randomikemendegen]

The current "leaders" of the 3 Great Yokai factions:

Shir-Kani of the [Oni]

Leviotan of the [Kitsune] (though he actually co-leads with his younger sister, Viviane)

Berebis of the [Tengu] -- due to reasons, however, he has personally not been involved in any of the affairs between the three races in so long, thus leading to the [White Plume] (Fuyume) to step in as acting-leader.

Extra Info about the 3 Great Yokai Races:

Originally, they didn't get along great. Like, at all. It was only thanks to the effort and the amount of blood shed by countless Kitsune, Oni, and Tengu-- along with the "3 Calamities"-- that this semblance of peace and friendliness among the three races exists along with humanity.

Oni usually have around a minimum of a pair of horns up to a maximum of 3 sets of horns on their head. The amount of horns are usually an indicator of how powerful of an Oni they are, but more often than not they're just decorations on the head of an Oni.

For the Tengu, the most common color of wings they can have is black. It's not uncommon though to see Tengu with wing colors of (dark shades of) red, blue, purple, etc.-- however, having white wings is EXTREMELY rare. It is also customary to wear masks reminiscent to that of birds whenever they leave their village.

Kitsune are able to have a maximum amount of 9 tails, with how many number of tails indicating how powerful a Kitsune is; the more tails one has, the stronger they are. There has been only one instance of a Kitsune reaching up to 10 tails, but any and all records of whomever that was are a tightly-guarded secret by the current Chief of the Kitsunes.

The Tengu live in secrecy within high up the mountains in one big community, usually where there is a lot of foliage. Even then, their village is hidden behind a veil of mysticism and an illusionary wall that separates the two realities. They prefer to not ever get involved with the dealings of humankind or even get dragged into the mess of the other two Yokais-- it's precisely because of this attitude that they are the only ones able to act as the "impartial ones" in case either the Onis or the Kitsunes do anything that would jeopardize the delicate balance they have with the humans.

The Oni on the other hand, are in complete opposite situation as they live out in the open and practically everyone knows where their city is. The main reason why no one ever even dares to try and invade them is because they have never once failed to drive off invaders from their land and have quite the fearsome reputation in regards to cruelty, intimidation, and inhumanity-- they don't bother much in regards to fixing this reputation since they all pretty much agree that it's convenient.

The Kitsunes, meanwhile, freely mingle and love among and/or together with humans but they are also very much welcome to return to their original Kitsune villages any time. Despite coming across as the most friendly of the 3 Great Yokai races, however, it is still widely advised to be on one's guard when you KNOW you're dealing with a Kitsune because they have a long-standing reputation of either being a [curse] or a [blessing] for anyone that comes across them.

[papermoonloveslucy]

‘MY GOOD WIFE’ v ‘MY FAVORITE HUSBAND’

June 23, 1949

"My Good Wife," an added starter on KNBC, 6:30 p.m. PST Fridays, is another comedy about a young married couple, as if we needed another one. I must admit this one is a little different. This married couple, Steve and Kay Emerson, are not nearly so fast with a wisecrack as, say, Lucille Ball and her husband on "My Favorite Husband," 9:00 p.m. PST the same night on KCBS. Great night for matrimony, Fridays, and if those two programs don't provide enough for you, tune in Dorothy Dix at 1:45 pm. (not broadcast in west). She'll tell you how to win back an erring husband. 

I haven't yet made up my mind whether the Emerson's ineptness at repartee is deliberate - after all, not every young wife talks like Groucho Marx - or whether the script writer isn't very good at it either. Anyhow, whether by accident or design, the Emersons are a very restful young couple, possibly a little too restful to get anywhere in the entertainment world. In radio, they're a real novelty. 

As a wife Arlene Francis who plays Kay Emerson, wins out on points over Lucille Ball In other regards - talent and looks, for example - Miss Ball is way out front. But how long could you live with a girl who says: "Oh, we don't miss television. I climb in the Bendix and sing and George looks at me through the little window." Imagine having a girl around the house who said things like that before breakfast. It'd curdle the milk. 

STARTS OFF FAST 

“My Good Wife" started out at a gallop two weeks ago, NBC deciding to set the stage and get everything out of the way all at once. The first program resembled one at those synopses of previous in installments in the popular magazines. Steve met Kay, quarreled with her, married her, taught her how to drive, learned he was about to become a father, and became one - all in 15 minutes. One minute later, the dialogue went like this: 

"It doesn't seem like we've been married 12 years." 

"We've been married 10 years." 

"Well, that's why it doesn't seem like 12." 

That, incidentally, Is a little brighter than the conversation around the Emerson household generally gets. 

On the second show of the series, the pace settled down to a walk. During the first few minutes the Emersons and their neighbors lay lazily on the grass, not  even talking very much. This may be taking realism too far. I mean there ought to be some crickets chirping or something. Things quickened a bit later when Mrs. Emerson decided she was going to help her husband out with his law practice and, of course, messed things up. 

YALE, NO LESS 

The Emersons are quite upper middlebrow as radio's young married folk go. He went to Yale, for heaven's sake, and she not only went to Vassar but led the daisy chain or whatever they do with that daisy chain. What is this - counter revolution? Oh, yes, they live in Larchmont up to their ears in other upper middlebrows. I don't know what else to tell you about the Emersons except they sound like a nice young couple to have over for a drink some time but conceivably a little mild to entertain you much on the air. 

My favorite young married couple is still Ozzie and Harriet Nelson - I put Goodman and Jane Ace off in another category entirely - and while we're chatting about this sort of thing, I ought to point out Ricky and David Nelson, Ozzie and Harriet's children, are now playing themselves on that program which solves a lot of problems. I have a spy in the Nelson household, named - in case any congressional ears are pricking - Harriet Nelson, nee Harriet Hilliard, and she is not now and has never been a Communist nor worked on the atom bomb nor designed the B-36. 

Anyhow, my spy informed the Nelsons had a little trouble with the kids. The real Ricky and David I listened to the radio Ricky and David and discovered them doing things they weren't allowed to do or wouldn't do voluntarily if they were allowed. Being children, they got confused over their own identities. Well now the real Ricky and David are the radio Ricky and David and the split personalities in the kids has been averted. You run into a lot of funny problems in radio.

#  #  #  

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

It seems pretty clear that NBC was counter-programming CBS’s “My Favorite Husband”.  Not only are the names very similar, they were scheduled on the same night, as critic Crosby points out.  

The episode of “My Favorite Husband” described above might apply to any domestic sitcom, but was actually titled “Budget - Mr. Atterbury” broadcast June 3, 1949.  However, this newspaper is still calling Lucille Ball’s character Liz Cugat, when her name had changed to Liz Cooper in January 1949, to avoid comparison with the well-known bandleader (no, not Desi Arnaz).  

Counter-programming by NBC would not stop on radio.  When “I Love Lucy” was a juggernaut hit for CBS TV, NBC created a similar show titled “I Married Joan” for star Joan Davis.  It was billed as “The adventures of the scatterbrained wife of a respected city judge.”  Substitute “bandleader” for “Judge” (played by Jim Backus) - and you’ve got “I Love Lucy.”  Like Ball, Davis was a film star of the ‘30s and ‘40s getting aboard the TV bandwagon.  Like Lucy, Joan wanted to be in showbusiness. Many of the same situations that Lucy got into, Joan did too. The series even featured a few “I Love Lucy” refugees:  Jerry Hausner, Elvia Allman, Bob Jellison, Margie Liszt, Shirley Mitchell, Ross Elliott, and many others. "Lucy” and “Joan” even employed the same director in each show's first season, Marc Daniels. "Joan” lasted three seasons, from 1952 to 1955 and is all but forgotten today. 

Kay Emerson was not the first domestic radio role for Arlene Francis. In 1940, she took over the role of Betty on “Betty and Bob”, which had been the first successful soap opera. She was one of the hosts of the quiz show “What’s My Name?” beginning in 1938. The show was seen as a model for TV’s “What’s My Line?” which premiered in 1950. Francis would stay with the show for its entire run, including six mystery guest appearances by Lucille Ball.  

The husband to “My Good Wife” was played by John Conte.  From 1944 to 1946 he was married to Marilyn Maxwell (1944-46) who would later appear with Lucille Ball in the 1963 film Critic’s Choice.  He had also been seen with Ball (and Maxwell) in As Thousands Cheer (1943). In 1960 he would work for Desilu in an episode of “The Untouchables” (1960).

Unlike “My Favorite Husband’s” mythical mid-Western Sheridan Falls, the Emerson’s livid in the real New York suburb of Larchmont, an affluent village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately 18 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan.  Nearby was the town of New Rochelle, whose most famous fictional resident was Rob Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (filmed at Desilu Studios).  Danfield, New York, another fictional town in the area, was the residence of Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley for the first three seasons of “The Lucy Show.” 

“My Good Wife” began airing in June 1949, and by April 1950 was nowhere to be found. In October 1949, Billboard reported on a new NBC Gallup Poll that placed the show dead last - with 32 stations voting it poor and only 8 saying it was excellent.  The future of “Wife” was bleak. The sitcom was cancelled after 18 weeks to make room for the new Jimmy Durante show. Meanwhile, Ball’s “Husband” (on CBS), thrived.  Coincidentally, the show was initially a replacement for Red Skelton’s show. Skelton and Durante had both worked with Ball on films.  

Crosby’s quote from “My Favorite Husband”  

"Oh, we don't miss television. I climb in the Bendix and sing and George looks at me through the little window."

was spoken by Lucille Ball in the episode titled “Television” on June 17, 1949.  A Bendix is a brand of front-loading washing machine. The porthole-like window was similar to the size screen of early television sets.  

Crosby’s observation that Liz talks like Groucho Marx is attributable to the show’s writers Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and Jess Oppenheimer.  And let’s not forget that Lucille Ball acted opposite Groucho Marx in Room Service (1938)!      

After making the obvious comparison to “My Favorite Husband,” Crosby lets readers know that neither “Husband” nor “Wife” will ever displace “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett” in his domestic dome. The show launched October 8, 1944 and a total 402 radio episodes were produced. When it was optioned for television, it was upstart network ABC that made the sweetest deal to the Nelsons. 

As Crosby alludes to, their real-life sons, David and Ricky, did not join the cast until the radio show's fifth year. The two boys were played by professional actors prior to their joining because both were too young to perform. Crosby’s allegations of possible identity crisis due to watching their parents with other sons on television, might easily apply to “I Love Lucy”, where the real-life Desi Arnaz often lived in the shadow of the young actors playing Little Ricky on television. Mrs. Ricardo and Mrs. Arnaz giving birth to both boys on the same day only added to the confusion - one that still lingers today. 

Crosby declines to compare the aforementioned shows with the popular Goodman and Jane Ace. The real-life marrieds had a show titled “Easy Aces”  Goodman Ace cast himself as a harried real estate salesman and the exasperated but loving husband of the scatterbrained, malaprop-prone Jane ("Time wounds all heels"). “Easy Aces” became a long-running serial comedy (1930–1945) but did not make a graceful transition to television, lasting only a few months on the ill-fated DuMont Network. Coincidentally, Martin Gabel, who married Arlene Francis in 1946, had a recurring role on “Easy Aces” during the 1930s. 

In a more sarcastic shout-out, Crosby mentions capping off this slew of domestic dithering by listening to Dorothy Dix.  Author Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer (1861-1951) was widely known by the pen name Dorothy Dix. As the forerunner of today’s popular advice columnists, Dix was America’s highest paid and most widely read female journalist at the time of her death. Her advice on marriage was syndicated in newspapers around the world with an estimated audience of 60 million readers.  Naturally, radio was not neglected, getting their Dix fix when her column took to the airwaves.  Due to Lucy’s insistence on interfering in the Mertz’s personal affairs, Ricky compares Lucy to Dorothy Dix in “Fred and Ethel Fight” (ILL S1;E22) on March 10, 1952. 

We haven’t yet mentioned this 1940 gem, but we’ll save that for another time!  

[molsno]

I’m skipping the middleman on that trans ask game and just answering all the questions myself <3

this is long so it’s under a read more

1. How did you choose your name?

in senior year of high school, while I was in french class, I was thinking about the word vivre, to live, and how it conjugated. I forget what tense it is, but one way of conjugating it is “nous vivions”, and it dawned on me that the name vivian is based on the word vivre (or its latin origin). of course, I already liked the name due to the character from paper mario ttyd, but knowing that it means life really spoke to me, as I think the ability to live is a precious thing that shouldn’t be wasted. I decided pretty much then and there that I would name my daughter vivian some day. well... then I got the chance to play a character in my friend’s danganronpa killing game, and I thought playing a girl would be interesting. granted, I also already knew I was an egg and saw this as an opportunity to try out my favorite name, so I created vivian tamochi. as you might have guessed, I loved being her so much that I made vivian my actual name

2. What gives you the most dysphoria?

um, hearing recordings of my own voice probably. I always think that I sound very feminine but then I hear a recording of myself and it sounds like a bad impression

3. Do you have more physical dysphoria or more social dysphoria?

more social I guess? actually yeah I think all of the dysphoria-induced breakdowns I’ve had have been because of social things

4. What do you do to perform self-care when you’re feeling dysphoric?

something that helps a lot is shaving, especially when it’s a fullbody shave

5. What was the first time you suspected you were transgender?

this is a bit embarrassing but it was honestly christmas eve 2018. I saw my little cousin (I think she was 8 at the time) wearing a pretty dress and I felt sort of jealous that I never got to do that when I was her age. I was so confused about this feeling that I told my trans friend kyra about it and after asking me to clarify what I meant she linked me to the egg_irl subreddit. that was the first time I seriously considered it

6. When did you realize you were transgender?

I told my friend amanda how I’d been confused about my gender and she offered to take me to goodwill to try on some clothes. I was extremely nervous about it while we were there and I really had to work up the courage to not only pick out some clothes to try, but also take them to the fitting room with me. but once I put on a skirt for the first time I stood there for like a solid 5 minutes just looking at myself in the mirror with the biggest happiest smile on my face. in that moment I finally understood what gender euphoria was. I couldn’t deny I was trans any longer, it was just a matter of working up the courage to tell people

7. What is your favorite part of being transgender?

um, probably that I feel like a person now. also the little things, like seeing my hips get bigger or looking at how long my hair has gotten. just little things to smile about!

8. How would you explain your gender identity to others?

um, I’m girl <3

9. How did you come out? If you didn’t come out, why do you stay in the closet? Or what happened when you were outed?

I mean it depends on who, but I decided to do it on national coming out day 2019, in my discord server with friends. basically I commented on it being national coming out day and reposted my intro in the introductions channel with my new name and pronouns. everyone there sorta saw it coming I’m pretty sure

10. What have your experiences been with packing or tucking?

I’ve tucked a few times in public. it’s uncomfortable for sure, but not terrible once you get used to it. the idea of it made me squeamish at first, I’ll admit. but since I haven’t had much excuse to go out in girlmode the past year or so, I haven’t tucked much

11. What are your experiences with binding or wearing breast forms?

the closest I’ve ever gotten to wearing breast forms is wearing a bra every day for..... almost a year now? it doesn’t serve much purpose other than letting me feel something there, though that is changing since I’ve been on hrt for several months

12. Do you pass?

I mean... probably not? I feel like I’m very visibly trans. there have been like two times where I’ve been gendered correctly in public (one in girlmode, one not) but those are extremely rare

13. What (if any) steps do you want to take to medically transition?

well I’ve been on hrt for 8 months now so that’s one thing. I want to get laser hair removal for my facial hair because that’s one of the biggest sources of dysphoria for me, but yknow. that’s expensive! according to my understanding my insurance supposedly should cover bottom surgery, but I’m honestly in no rush to get that. I don’t really have much bottom dysphoria, but it would be nice to get surgery some day

14. How long have you been out?

it’s been about a year and two months now...... time flies

15. What labels have you used before you’ve settled on your current set?

up until I was like 17 I was incredibly insistent on being cis and straight despite very obvious (in retrospect) signs to the contrary. around 18 I was very confused why all my friends were lgbt in some form and also I kinda started realizing I don’t mind dick, and I thought it would all make sense if I was bi. I identified as cis and bi for like 4 years or so but the longer it went on the more wrong it felt considering I had never once during that time been attracted to a man

16. Have you ever experienced transphobia?

surprisingly not really? the most transphobia I’ve experienced has been a result of automated processes like proctored testing or emails. of course, I’ve seen all the nasty shit that terfs say about people like me, but I’ve never been a victim of it directly

17. What do you do when you have to go to the bathroom in public?

if there is a universal restroom that I can lock from inside then I use that. if not, I sigh dramatically and sadly use the men’s room

18. How does your family feel about your trans identity?

truthfully I don’t know. my mom seems accepting enough, but with the pandemic going on I haven’t talked to her much. I know my sister is aware, and shockingly she seems supportive too, but we haven’t talked about it in depth

19. Would you ever go stealth, and if you are stealth, why do you choose to be stealth?

if I could go stealth I would. I’m sorry but I don’t want to be visibly trans

20. What do you wish you could have shared with your younger self about being trans?

the sooner you start transitioning the happier you’ll be. by denying this part of yourself you’re just making yourself miserable

21. Why do you use the pronouns you use?

she/her makes me happiest. I’ve (against my will, mind you) used they/them and been called molsno in a group that I wasn’t out in, and..... it made me feel..... distant, I guess? it was better than he/him, but it felt much less personal

22. Do your neurodivergencies and/or disabilities affect your gender?

I mean...... yeah? as a trans lesbian it’s very easy for me to hate masculinity given how it’s instilled nothing but negative feelings in me literally my entire life, and being autistic makes it harder to understand how the things I say about gender negatively impact the people around me

23. What’s your biggest trans-related fear?

the fear that I may never be able to believe I can be loved as a woman, probably

24. What medical, social, or personal steps have you already taken to start your transition?

coming out nearly everywhere and getting on hrt!

25. What do you wish cis people understood?

I desperately wish cis people understood even the basics of trans issues. still to this day many cis people don’t even know the right terminology to use for trans people. they think “trans man” and “trans woman” mean the opposite of what they actually mean and that’s just so goddamn frustrating. many of them think transitioning is just bottom surgery and that’s it. like, they don’t know anything about hrt. cis people please educate yourselves on trans issues I’m begging you

26. What impact has being trans had on your life?

it’s affected many aspects of my life but I think the biggest one is that I feel like a person now. I always felt like a robot, or like someone putting on a performance before, but I feel like a human being now

27. What do you do to validate yourself?

ummm... not much really. I guess one thing that has helped is making my character astrid trans? because if I ever think something bad about myself I can stop myself and ask if I would think the same thing about her, and of course the answer is no.

28. How do you feel about trans representation in media?

it’s bad. trans women very rarely get any positive representation. like the only transfem characters that come to mind that I think were handled well were lily hoshikawa from zombieland saga and vivian from paper mario (although even that’s debatable given the english censorship about her gender and the way beldam abuses her in japanese). meanwhile nonbinary representation consists almost exclusively of aliens, shapeshifters, robots, etc. and trans men get literally nothing. like. trans representation is just so abysmal it’s not even funny

29. Who is your favorite trans celebrity?

umm....... I don’t really care about celebrities lol. if I were to answer this question it would be “oh yes I’ve heard of these people”

30. Who is the transgender person who has influenced you the most?

gosh, how could I ever decide? most of my friends are trans so it’s hard to say but if I had to answer.... my friends kyra and modeus were probably the most helpful when I was figuring myself out

31. How are you involved with the trans community, IRL or online?

mostly online

32. How do you see yourself identifying and presenting in 5 years?

I’ll almost certainly still be a woman, and hopefully my transition will have gone well enough that I’ll be able to pass

33. What trans issue are you most passionate about?

healthcare. the difficulty so many people face with getting access to trans healthcare is ridiculous and discriminatory. I’ve written essays for school about this topic and they were the easiest essays I’ve had to write because of how passionate I am about this

34. What advice would you give to other trans people, or what message would you like to share with them?

pick your head up queen/king/royal, your cat ears are falling down

35. How do you feel your gender interacts with your race, disability, class, weight, etc. from the perspective of intersectionality?

well I’m white, able bodied, average weight, and I’m about to get a degree in computer science, so I have a lot of privilege that other trans people don’t have. I fully recognize that. it breaks my heart that so many less privileged trans people, particularly trans women of color, are murdered and never even get the justice they deserve. I wish there was more I could do to stop it, but privileged as I am, I’m only one person. I want everyone to be aware of who the major victims of transphobia are. look out for black trans women especially, they need your protection and support most of all

36. What, if any, is the difference between your gender identity and your gender expression?

not much. I’m a woman with a very feminine gender expression, when I’m free to be. the biggest feminine thing that I don’t do is makeup, but that’s more due to dysphoria rather than a distaste for it

37. Do you feel more masculine, feminine, or neither?

feminine uwu

38. What is your sexual and romantic orientation, and what are your thoughts on it?

I am a lesbian and that is very epic of me. I love girls and seeing girls in love makes me happy and imagining myself as a girl in love with another girl makes me even happier

39. Is your ideal partner also trans, or do you not have a preference?

I always hate admitting this, but due to personal reasons, my ideal partner is cis. this is mostly because I very much want to have biological children, and that’s simply not possible with another trans woman. I wouldn’t rule out an afab nonbinary person entirely, it just really depends on how comfortable said person is with femininity and also how they feel about dating a lesbian. if not for my desire to have kids (which is not something I’m willing to compromise on since it has been my lifelong dream) I would have a lot more options. truth be told, cis women kind of scare me, and it would be so much easier to date someone who fundamentally understands what it’s like to be trans. but biology is cruel unfortunately

40. How did/do you manage waiting to transition?

it was incredibly difficult. thankfully, it didn’t last very long. I only had to wait about 6 months, and most of that time was spent waiting until I was able to bank sperm because I didn’t want to risk becoming permanently infertile after starting hrt

41. What is the place (blog, website, forum, IRL space) you get most of your info on being trans or on trans related things?

ngl...... reddit. the trans boards have many, many helpful resources for transfem people. I don’t really go there anymore but it was immensely helpful in the early stages

42. Do you interact with other trans people IRL?

I mean..... yeah, but not very much anymore on account of the pandemic. I made a few trans friends junior year of college and we still talk occasionally, but it’s been several months since I last saw them all

43. Are you involved in any trans-related activism?

not really 😔

44. Free space! Answer any question you want, or make up your own question to answer.

“Wow Vivi how come you’re so epic?”

I was born this way <3

[adenhamcreations]

WIP Questions!

Tagged by the awesome @fatal-blow! Thanks so much! This one really got me thinking deeply about my characters.

Under the cut since it’s 20 questions and kinda long.  :) 

1: Describe the plot in one sentence

A fresh out of high school girl discovers that she has the supernatural ability to erase memories and is blackmailed into starting a shady business using them. 

2: Pick one sight, smell, sound, feel, and taste to describe the aesthetic for your WIP.

Sight: A small, familiar childhood town. Little businesses lined up in the center, with residential areas sprawling from them. 

Smell: The smell of burning paper.

Sound: The voice of an old friend echoing through your head.

Feel: A person’s skin that you know well.

Taste: Bitterness from unspoken words. 

3: Which 3+ songs would make a playlist for your novel?

Yellowcard - “Paper Walls.”  Anberlin - “Paperthin Hymn.” Panic at the Disco - “House of Memories.” 

4: What’s the time period and location in which your novel takes place?

Present day, a small town in Alabama (name pending).  

5: Are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

Not at all. It’s always been Sin Eater. 

6: What’s the first line of your novel?

“The first time I knew something was wrong with me was when I was eighteen.”

7: What’s a line of dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

A little long, but I really enjoyed writing this particular chapter/conversation:

“Sorry, thanks. I guess it can be hard not to get a little lost in the memories. I know that’s probably silly,” he chuckles bashfully. “No,” I shake my head quickly. “It makes perfect sense to me.” We come to another clearing. The grass is lush and tall here, an ocean of green. It scrapes the bottom of Aiden’s Jeep as we drive over it. The spot he stops at is another lovely view: you can see for miles. The city’s lights look like tiny dots from here. They must be switching on since the sun is going down. “This is really pretty,” I say as we exit the Jeep.“Yeah, it’s a little secret spot that I found. At least I think it’s a secret, since I’ve never seen anyone up here.” “Well, I like it.”“Yeah? I thought it might be kind of lame compared to the epic sunset yesterday.”“No way. I never did this kind of stuff growing up,” I admit. “You missed out,” he says, grinning. “Amber and I always liked exploring. We called them our ‘Adventures.’”“That….is freakin’ adorable,” I grin back. “Amber came up with it. She said it felt like we found stuff that nobody else ever did.” Aiden picks up a stick and throws it over the edge. We watch it but don’t see where it lands. “That probably wasn’t true, but as a kid...it feels like the whole world is yours, you know?”“I definitely understand that.”

8: Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

“I will face everything that I’ve been avoiding and move on with my life, no matter how hard or painful, no matter what comes my way.”

9: Who are your character(s) face claims?

I’m not sure I quite understand this question. Does it mean what we based our characters’ looks on?  If so: Probably a mix of people I know, to be honest. For instance, I had crushes on a lot of guys with brown hair and brown eyes back in high school, so Parker being Jayde’s high school crush, that’s how he looks. I also wanted Jayde and Jenny to look a little bit opposite of each other, so I based their looks on that criteria. 

10: Sort your characters into Hogwarts houses

I actually know NOTHING about Harry Potter... XD 

11: Which character’s name do you like the most?

I loved the name Aiden and just had to use it... and after I picked it, one of my best friends named their son that (only spelled differently)! She didn’t even know about my book yet. Meant to be. 

12: Describe each character’s daily outfit

Jayde - She likes skirts and wears them frequently, even in the winter I’ve drawn her a lot in jean skirts, because I used to wear them back in high school. To top it off, maybe a V-neck shirt in some bright color, I’d say yellow.

Jenny - Jeans too long for her legs, a hoodie if it’s cold. A t-shirt if it’s hot. She isn’t into showing off her skin or body.

Parker- A nice polo with stripes, ironed jeans and super clean tennis shoes.

Aiden - Nothing too flashy - A t-shirt and jeans, usually torn or with mud, oil, or some other stain on them.

Amber - Tank top and capris.

13: Do any characters have any distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Amber has a nasty scar on her right shoulder from her father. 

14: Which character most fits a character trope?

Probably Aiden. He’s the classic guy with a dark past who hides it with sarcasm and general jerkiness. 

15: Which character is the best writer? Worst?

I haven’t thought much of it, but i’d like to imagine that Jenny is the best writer. She’s quiet, but she’s also wise. Her recovery through her lost memories made her strong, capable, and unafraid. i could see her writing an amazing book about that.  As for the worst... maybe Amber? I don’t see her enjoying sitting at a desk typing away or writing in a notebook.

16: Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Jayde is the best liar. She becomes practiced at it due to her secretive job and when she’s hiding her true feelings from Jenny and Parker throughout the book. Amber is definitely the worst liar. She’s usually too honest and unafraid to say what she’s thinking.

17: Which character swears the most? Least?

Aiden definitely swears the most. Meanwhile, Jayde’s two best friends, Jenny and Parker, rarely do (probably due to their strict upbringings). 

18: Which character has the best writing? Worst?

Jayde may by default just because she’s my main character and gets the most spotlight. Not sure about the worst. 

19: Which character is the most like you? Least like you?

I think a mix of Jayde and Aiden are most like me. Jayde in the beginning was my younger self - not a care in the world, loved attention, was loud and silly and loved to laugh. But as she ages and reality hits, she becomes more somber and shy. She isn’t as boisterous and tries to accept herself as she is now (which I’ve had issues with). As for Aiden, he hides hurt and hard times by using jokes and a sunny attitude, which I’ve done so much before. As for least like me, I’d have to go with Vivian, Jenny’s (Jayde’s best friend) mother. She’s tightly wound and is usually passive aggressive towards everyone. She also can’t accept her daughter for being bisexual, which I couldn’t ever understand feeling that way. She tends to think she’s of a higher social standing than everyone else and wants her family to “look” a certain way to everyone outside. 

20: Which character would you most like to be?

They all kind of have sad backstories, so I don’t think I’d want to BE them necessarily. But I’d most want to be more like my OC Amber. She has a lot of crap happen to her and is silently strong in many ways. She accepts what happened to her, isn’t ashamed of it, but also doesn’t pity herself. She takes kickboxing to become physically stronger so the same thing won’t happen to her in the future, and she’s still trusting and open to making new friends. 

Tagging for my babes on my Sin Eater WIP tag: @metaphors-and-melodrama @snowdropwrites @drist-n-dither @jeeanmoreau

And any others! I wanted to tag some new followers too so that they can join the fun.  :)  @artsyclusterfuck @lgbtqiauthor @the-real-rg @agent-me @ren-c-leyn @jeteveux-siempre @toboldlywrite @jessawriter

[paperpeachy]

so um... you posted that cool pic of vivi and doo_liss and said they parallel each other, maybe its really obvious and i'm just dumb but could you like explain? how they parallel

sure thing anon, i don’t mind! i do take a lot of liberties when i write these characters, but most of my hcs are based off the few times we see of each other, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant those moments are. and with Doopliss in particular, it’s interesting! i’ll try explaining as best as i can, anon!

((this does get super long though;; so i had to put it under a read more :’3))

okay, so Doopliss is a fun boss because, like Grubba and Cortez, he’s independent in his own story (for a while). He doesn’t have any affiliation to the Shadow Queen/Grodus, and his motivations are purely personal. that in itself makes Doopliss a very self sufficient character, yeah? especially since his whole shtick is “I do what makes me happy!”meanwhile, at the start of the game, Vivian is stuck chain and ball to Beldam. constantly dragged around and the target of most of her sister’s abuse. she barely stands up for herself and just…doesn’t find herself worthy enough to. i think it’s safe to say that Beldam was the most responsible for how weak and inferior she felt. there may have been other factors growing up effecting Vivi, like her super duper evil mother, but based on how out of touch both her and Marilyn were with Beldam’s plans, i’d say they were the most dependent on their older sister.so at that point, we can say Doopliss and Vivian lived in two very opposite lifestyles. Doopliss was in his element and Vivian wasn’t. Doopliss lived independently and Vivian didn’t. this starts to change the moment Vivian joins your party, and it eventually domino effects onto Doopliss.Mario doesn’t push or guilt-trip Vivian when joining his party, and when she realises how starved she is to be treated like an actual person, she finally takes the first step opposing Beldam and does what she herself wants. her change after that is pretty obvious too, but there are small lines here and there that slowly become more sure of herself and even sarcastic! she faces so many different circumstances with a rag-tag team of totally unique characters, and starts meshing into a girl that can face her sister and confidently tell her, “Today, Sis…I’m going to punish YOU, you hear me?”now Doopliss…here’s where he does the exact opposite of what Vivian’s going through. well, actually it starts when he runs into Beldam and Marilyn. the game never tells us how or even why he joins the Shadow Sirens; Goombella herself says it’s weird! i like to think while Doopliss definitely found the idea of ‘getting back at Mario’ fun and exciting, Beldam didn’t have to be very persuasive to get him on her side either.remember! Doopliss was entirely independent and had 0 connections to any bigger power. at any other point before, Doopliss would’ve just laughed at Beldam’s face for attempting an alliance with him- an alliance where he’s simply tagging along can’t be that fun. but with the secret of his name now shattered, he didn’t have much to lose.whereas Vivian couldn’t break free from her sister because no one had since reached out for her, Doopliss chose to accept Beldam because his name wasn’t holding him back anymore. He’s already unique and a lot more dangerous than other Duplighosts because of his name-nabbing powers, so having that somewhat nullified by Mario really served as a demotivator to him. Vivian gives in to self-love and Doopliss gives up his individuality. I would call both of their resolves ‘parallels’. a better way to describe the two here would be ‘foils’.this interaction is never shown on screen and is barely elaborated on, but seeing Doopliss’ attitude slowly change from then on leads me to that conclusion! after running away from the steeple, he only yields more and more into submission, and it’s clear from the get-go that it has something to do with Beldam. when Pennington’s leading him away in chapter 6, he says, “You think you can hold me? No way! Beldam would flip if I let that happen!”  and he goes on about how this was Beldam’s plan and how he’ll leave it to her, and it’s already pretty clear that Doopliss is no longer in charge of his own fun. he’s leashed onto her, similarly to how Vivian was, and his speech pattern derails into something more pitiful than we’re used to from him- if his stuttering around her is anything to go off. this lasts until the end of the game.so maybe, the proper term would be ‘opposite parallels’? what i meant when i called them parallels, was that while the two were constantly going through completely different paths and decisions in the game, they both had encountered each other’s problems before. they both cave under a demanding voice (Beldam’s), and come to their own resolves in chapter 4 at similar times.they went through similar experiences at the exact opposite times, and the two have the potential to finally meet at the end and understand each other’s weaknesses and how Doopliss could go back to doing what makes him happy (with necessary reservations now, of course). at the same time, Doopliss could bring out a more relaxed and fun-loving part of Vivian, which is a reason why i think their relationship as friends makes so much sense- they complement each other!TLDR: doopliss parallels vivian because of how similarly he reacts like vivian when under beldam’s control. vivian parallels doopliss because of how much more independent she is without beldam. it’s not hyper-focused on, but it’s still there!anywho, i hope my point reached you, anon! and to any other reader who braved on this ALMOST 1k lengthed ramble ehehe…w..wow i… had a lot to say abt these two jdkjksfjksdj i’m sorry if i derailed too much there! hope it was worth the read!! this was definitely very fun to write and i’ve wanted to talk about both Vivi and Doopy like this for a long time! i tried my best to cover the basics as nicely as i could, so i hope it was fun to read 💖

[lpwarwick]

In essence, what endears romantic comedies to their most ardent supporters also is what bothers a lot of critics. Rom-coms, on the whole, are formulaic fantasies about everyday people who behave unrealistically in exceptional (and exceptionally well-lit) situations. The films usually adhere to a simplistic three-act structure that hinges on the viewer's emotional catharsis. The lovebirds meet and get to know each other in a montage scored to an upbeat pop song; clash, separate, and miss each other in a montage scored to a melancholy pop song; and ultimately reunite, with a coda scored to a cathartic pop song.

In Long Shot, the upbeat song is Blondie's "One Way or Another," the melancholy song is Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack, and the cathartic song is Robyn's "Dancing on My Own," which is odd, given that the couple ends up together. By the way, given the genre, that's not a spoiler.

Pedestrian song choices aside, Long Shot is hit-and-miss. What works about it also is what works in all the good rom-coms: fundamentally, it's a story about two likable people putting in the time and effort to understand each other. As critic Wesley Morris wrote in a recent New York Times Magazine article about the dearth of modern rom-coms and why that's unfortunate: "Romantic comedy is the only genre committed to letting relatively ordinary people—no capes, no spaceships, no infinite sequels—figure out how to deal meaningfully with another human being." It's a fair point, and one that explains why Long Shot warrants a fair shake.

The more ordinary half of this movie's duo is a Brooklyn-based reporter named Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen, playing the raunchy/cuddly version of himself that he honed in Knocked Up and perfected in This Is the End). The object of Fred's affection is Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), who was Fred's babysitter when she was 16 and he was 13. Now, Charlotte is the U.S. secretary of state—celebrated, of course, for being the youngest and hottest person to hold the office—and she plans to run for president in 2020.

Like Harry and Sally, Edward and Vivian, Joe and Kathleen, and other exalted rom-com pairs, Fred and Charlotte represent a case of supposed opposites attracting. Fred, who writes for a local rag that evokes a mash-up of Vice and the Village Voice, is brash, unkempt, judgmental, and uncompromising. Charlotte, in her ambitious quest to actually save the world while climbing a slippery political ladder, is tactful, chic, open-minded, and persuadable. These two are idealistic humanitarians at heart; they bonded in adolescence over how deeply they cared about issues that most Americans ignored, like recycling and global warming. When they bump into each other as adults at a Manhattan charity event, one can almost see their kindred sparks. Obviously, it is unlikely that a guy who looks and acts like Rogen's character would enchant Theron's—and even more unlikely that she would hire him to punch up her speeches after watching him pillory a media mogul and then nosedive down a staircase. But common sense matters little in the pursuit of feel-good, against-all-odds, shoot-for-the-stars romance.

Director Jonathan Levine, who previously teamed with Rogen on 50/50 and The Night Before, works some glimmers of political satire and ribaldry into Long Shot's cavalcade of tropes. Many of the jokes are weak, eliciting light chuckles if anything; but the few knee-slappers that emerge from the film's most outrageous situations will likely be the moments for which Long Shot is best remembered, like when Charlotte negotiates the release of a hostage while high on MDMA.

Long Shot's strongest asset, though—which, upon reflection, also exposes the movie's greatest flaw—is Theron. For years she has excelled at dark comedy, evidenced by her prickly turns in the Jason Reitman-Diablo Cody films Young Adult and Tully, not to mention her off-kilter guest spot on Arrested Development. She's funny here, but only when the script gives her some edge to chew on, which doesn't happen enough.

Many critics have already categorized Long Shot as more like Veep meets Notting Hill than The American President. I, however, longed for Charlotte to be as acerbic, outré, and uproarious as Veep's Selina Meyer. I also bristled at Long Shot's conclusion: that the woman has to change for her man while he basically stays the same. (I guess he learned how to be less judgmental, or at least that's what the screenwriters want me to think.) In one of several explanation-laden scenes, Fred's best friend (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) tells him that he judges people too much in the name of white-knight liberalism. Meanwhile, Charlotte jeopardizes what she has wanted and worked for her entire life in the name of integrity, but also to publicly endorse and hold on to her man. It's a huge sacrifice that Fred does not reciprocate; but they're cute together, so the outcome is less offensive than it is disappointing.

Still, the movie ticks its post-Trump, post-MeToo feminist boxes in other ways, like showing how Charlotte and her advisers' concern with optics is justified. As a woman in politics, Charlotte knows full well that the general public will view her anger as hysterics, her assertiveness as bitchiness, and any misstep as more damning than one made by a man. Cowriters Dan Sterling (The Interview) and Liz Hannah (The Post) handle this material and the romantic side of Charlotte and Fred's relationship best, though neither element is as daring or clever as it could have been.

But here's the thing: rom-coms, probably more than films of any other genre, are supposed to be vehicles for escapism. Rom-com fans rely on them for this, too, especially when the current climate—both the political and literal—is inflamed. Ergo, Long Shot accomplishes what any decent romantic comedy sets out to do: induce some laughs, awwws, and sighs of relief at a tidy, happy ending.