#Does that mean I'm sacrificing my sleep for movie?

[shoulderscars]

[panlight]

Breaking Dawn has always read like a fanfiction to me. I'm aware this has probably to do with the fact, that Forever Dawn was written before New Moon and Eclipse, and SMeyer just rewrote some pieces of it.

But this made me think - most fans probably have an idea of how they would have liked the story of Bella and Edward to end and those endings might all be a little, or even very different. What would your perfect ending for the Saga look like? You can place it after any point of the story - just after the first book, in the middle of New Moon, around the end of Eclipse, wherever you want.

It really does have a lot of fanfic-y tropes. The big wedding. The over-the-top tropical honeymoon. This is an 18-year-old middle class girl getting married here. Sure the Cullens are rich but she's not an actual princess or something, this always felt hugely over the top to me in a fanfic-y way. And then the baby, of course. It does tick a lot of boxes of the sort of fanfic that imagines what happens after the book/movie/show where the main couple get married and have a kid.

For me, vampirism without consequences is just completely uninteresting. Bella getting to have her cake and eat it too not only undermines all the themes in the earlier books and makes Edward's brooding about being a vampire seem like unnecessary whining, it's also just boring.

So my ideal ending is an actual follow up to Eclipse. Bella and Edward follow through on their compromise plan: wedding, sex, and vampirism in that order. There's no baby; Bella is turned on Isle Esme and spends a few months there on a secluded island with no people (the groundskeepers are given time off FFS Edward can clean the house) eating wildlife and adjusting to vampirism.

But she actually has to like, adjust. It IS has hard as people told her it was. She can still do well at it, but with struggle. I mean, Carlisle never killed anyone either but he did it by banishing himself to the woods and starving to the point that he unthinkingly attacked some deer. I believe it was hard and he struggled and so his triumph feels earned. Bella can still control herself better than average but I wanna see her struggle with it, versus like, one tense afternoon with Charlie and then totally being fine around humans and going to see lawyers in a sexy outfit, no problem. That felt anticlimactic.

Also there should be some fallout with Jake, and she should probably have to cut ties with Charlie and Renee. She MADE this choice to become a vampire knowing she was giving these things up, so for Breaking Dawn to be like "Nevermind! Haha!" about it was deeply unsatisfying. It killed the conflict and tension for Jacob and Charlie to still be part of her life and accepting of the weirdness of it.

For me, the whole point was Bella was sacrificing a lot to be with Edward. That is where the romance and angst lies. Getting to be beautiful and immortal and rich and powerful AND with the person you love AND keep your father and best friend AND get a perfect baby who never cries and sleeps through the night AND conquer the bloodlust in like 2 seconds was just . . . boring. All the stuff I had been interested in seeing how it would resolve was resolved in just the easiest, least interesting way possible. A perfect example: the wedding. We're told that Renee is going to freak out about this early marriage and even THAT relatively unimportant conflict is just instantly resolved with "actually, Renee's totally on board!!!!" Snore!

So yeah. Bella is turned on the honeymoon. It's hard. She cuts off ties with Charlie; maybe she fakes her death, maybe she just disappears. Jacob refuses to talk to her, but Sam is like "whatever she made her choice we're not going to start a war over this." And in this way Bella is actually cut off from her human life and has to start over with the new family and new life she chose. We probably have to resolve the Volturi situation somehow; maybe a trip to Volterra to prove she's been turned and some conflict with the Volturi comes into play.

But ultimately I just want an epilogue where she comes back to Forks with Edward to check in on Charlie and Jacob from a distance. She watches Charlie with Sue (or someone else) playing with step-grandbabies, she sees Jacob, who has stopped phasing and is aging and married with kids of his own, and it's hard. It's sad to see them going on without her. And Edward looks at her like he's about to apologize for the 239470242th time for robbing her of a human life and she's like, "No, the life I have with you is worth it," because THAT's the vibe! That's where the romance is! Her being happy in BD means nothing because it was all so easy for her! Her being happy despite the downsides of vampirism is where the romance lies!

[chocolatebageltje]

I've just finished watching the Fear Street trilogy and I'm. I am living for these movies omg they've been spinning in my head like a hamster in a wheel for the past few days. They're so good, I haven't had a movie that kept me so fully engaged all throughout in a while and especially the sound design is what does it for me. I will be watching them all over again soon just to see if I didn't pick up on some things that were concluded later. Despite being a pretty rounded whole I'd almost wish they'd make more sequels about the individual Shadyside killers just to get more content out of the universe. The series is going into my favorite movie catalog for sure.

Also, I deadass need someone to do a thorough character analysis on Nick Goode specifically lol. @ me if you're that person bc I need to DISCUSS. (Spoilers below)

I found him sus on so many occasions throughout the series but every time I ended up letting my guard down regardless because he was just portrayed as so likable to me?? After he turned his back on Ziggy at the end of part 2 I felt he might've known something and that it was a dick move, but I also kinda felt that there might've been a good reason for it and that he'd get a redemption arc. But BOI that turned out...different. Deadass though, as evil as he ended up being, I kinda felt there had been some shreds of good left in there as well, just heavily overpowered by all of the rest.

Idk if this is supposed to be the actual meaning of it but, to me it seemed that as it was said the Goode's were able to get whatever they wanted through the deal with the devil, Nick desperately wanted Ziggy survive her injuries and so she did. (Like deadass the chick got stabbed big time how tf does one survive that??) And if that was the case, that they could technically wish for whatever they wanted, couldn't he technically also wish for Ziggy to stick with him regardless? But that could blow his cover so... But when they met again at the mall, I found his expression quite hard to read. I felt maybe he had a moment of guilt maybe? Feelings coming back to the surface? But then he deadass tried to human sacrifice her right after so even if so it was pretty meaningless in the end 💀 Maybe his ego was just too big to be fully real with himself? Am I giving this man too much credit?

Also what I found interesting is that it seemed like the dudes could pick the name of the sacrificed person themselves. Did they just pick at random given the killers ended up so random or was it deliberate in some way? Would they know when it'd happen? (Bc if so it'd be kinda stupid of Nick to choose Tommy, the boyfriend of the sister of the girl he crushed on, with a camp coming up where said girls both would be at. 😂)

I'll probably have more to rant about after I get some sleep, but his character was something that I found particularly interesting. Every character honestly was so layered to me with both bad and good perspectives to them and how they behaved. I'm gonna stop so this won't become endless lol, but pls tap in if you too want to gush about these movies!

[haljathefangirlcat]

Have you looked into the song of Hurnen Seyfrid? It's a later medieval retelling of the Siegfried legend. In it, Kriemhild is kidnapped by a cursed dragon man who wants to marry her, but instead of taking the Beauty and Beast route, she simply waits for Siegfried to come kill the dragon and rescue her.

And come to think of it, this makes it so Kriemhild's first romantic entanglement is a literal dragon, Siegfried/Sigurd slays a dragon and gains draconic traits via bathing in its blood or eating its heart, and Dietrich, who is her best platonic pal in Norse myth to the point that the two have to brave an accusation of adultery, is literally half dragon from birth. Does this mean she has a TYPE?

(And honestly, my guilty pleasure ship since finding out about that poem has been Kriemhild/Dragon, partly because I'm a Sigurd/Brynhild shipper but I want Kriemhild (or Gudrun) t have someone who one-sidedly loves and obsesses over her as well. Well, aside from Etzel.)

I do know about it! I always found it funny how in the Nordic sources you have Sigurd awakening Sigrdrifa/Brynhild and falling in love with her, à la Sleeping Beauty, while here you have a "knight saves princess from a dragon" motif.

I have to say I never actually considered how often dragons seem to reoccur in Kriemhild/Gudrun's stories! And... Kriemhild/Dragon, you say? Might be worthy considering, as I have shipped things for much less... and I do love Dragon by Indar Dzhendubaev, a Russian fantasy/romance movie that takes the typical "beautiful young virgin kidnapped by/sacrificed to dragon needs to be rescued by a gallant prince" story and subverts it... ;)))

[purplesurveys]

1712

Would you ever work at a movie theater?  Probably not at this point of my life, no.

Do you have a phone charger in your car?  Yeah we have the adaptor that's specifically built for cars – it's just your typical Apple gatekeepy shit that makes me unable to charge my phone in the car because iPhone chargers have different cable requirements. I just bring a power bank to solve the problem.

Do you live far from your parents?  I live with them.

What was the last type of smoothie you drank?  I have never had a smoothie because I don't like fruits. The closest I ever got to having one was buying something from Jamba Juice once, but I got one of their non-smoothie items (a chocolate shake) HAHAHA.

Do you think you have a wide vocabulary?  I like to think so. The thing that is limiting, though, about PR and even journalism as a whole is the general rule that you must be able to write just well enough for a 4th grader to understand. That means I'm constantly sacrificing the vocabulary I do know because I'm kind of required to dumb everything down (I once got told off for using 'plethora' and I've stopped using it since lol).

Anyway, I try to compensate by just writing A LOT on here (i.e. overexplaining in my answers haha) and reading articles so I get to expand my vocab further and to learn more writing styles.

Describe your current position:  I just have my legs propped up. My laptop is balanced between my tummy and thighs.

Have you used a microwave today?  I have not.

What is your favorite mobile app?  Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, Facebook.

Have you ever slept through an alarm?  Many times. I'm a terrible waker-upper(??).

Do you have lactose intolerance or know anyone who does? I am lactose intolerant but it has never stopped me before.

Can you go see a doctor alone or do you like to take someone with you?  I can.

Which household chore do you hate the most?  Folding laundry, particularly someone else's. I'm a bit of a germaphobe when it comes to other people's clothes, even if they are fresh out the washing machine.

Do you like pineapple on pizza?  No.

Do you like to hold hands?  Only with a significant other. I feel squeamish if a non-SO does it, even if they mean to be sweet/affectionate.

Will you sleep alone tonight?  Yes.

How do you feel right now? Relaxed and content. But omg my lower back and shoulders hurt. Nothing Katinko can't fix though hahaha.

What are your plans for tonight?  Eat all the shit I ordered from Dunkin' and maybe watch an episode of Run BTS to help lull me to sleep.

Do you want a tattoo?  I want them, but I'm not willing to get them.

Have you ever kissed the last person you text messaged?  Nopes.

Who was the last person you cried in front of?  Technically it was Celeste and Pau but I didn't show it. It was last Tuesday when PH won against New Zealand in the Women's World Cup. Who knew I'd be this invested in football??? LOL

Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?  Yes.

Have you smoked a cigarette in the past 24 hours?  Nope.

Are you the youngest?  In the family? No.

What’s your favourite type of cake?  Cheesecake with a graham crust is just to die for.

Do you have any life changing plans within the next 6 months?  I wouldn't say so, no.

When’s the last time you played the board game Clue? I have never played it.

[writerfae]

Yes, please tell me more about your story! What do you mean about frozen 2 lining up with Henry and Aiden? I've seen the beginning of Frozen 2, but never finished it, so I'm curious about this.

As for me, I have a new-ish WIP that I've described as "Six of Crows meets a DnD campaign", and I'm really excited about it, hoping that I can get it somewhat put together and actually go somewhere with it.

~Morri🗡 (@memento-morri-writes)

@memento-morri-writes

Hello there :D I’m sorry for the belated reply, I was suddenly too tired to write coherent sentences yesterday 🙈

Well my Frozen 2 parallel is less of a plot thing but rather the sibling dynamic of Anna and Elsa somewhat matching with that of Aiden and Henry. Which is due to the fact that Elsa and Henry do have similarities, in a way. Which shows in both Frozen movies, btw.

Both Elsa and Henry are the eldest child who want to protect their younger sibling by hiding their true identity from them (which kinda backfires in both cases if we’re honest).

While Henry doesn’t have a strong magic like Elsa does, his secret is that he’s a fae (which means he kind of has magic but let’s ignore that for a second). Henry also doesn’t isolate himself from Aiden completely, but one day he leaves him alone still by going to the faerie realm.

But both are very unhappy with their situation and finally escape it, but not without having to leave behind their siblings. Who are both stubborn and trying to get their older sibling back.

I always joke that Into the unknown is the perfect song for Henry, because after his mother dies all he really wants is to go and find a place he belongs to and hopefully an answer to his questions.

And maybe the song really does fit perfectly, because I think it really shows all that restlessness and longing both characters have. I’m not gonna overanalyze frozen 2, but the search for your true self is a strong theme there I think and that just fits with Henry as well.

And Aiden would go the same length for his brother that Anna goes for her sister. He’s someone who just wants to be loved and to be happy and he hates that his own brother has secrets he keeps from him. Aiden is braver than most others, but he’s not aware of it, instead he’s looking for his brother’s guidance.

And I’m having a hard time to explain it, but this unconditional yet complicated relationship between siblings is portrayed in the movie and bits of it you can find in my story as well. It’s the dynamic of the dreamer and the wild one that reminds me of my boys too.

I feel like I did a bad job explaining this, I’m sorry 🙈

But since we’re already at the topic of Henry and Aiden and you asked to know some more about my story I offer you three cute brother facts and one (tiny) spoiler! To make up for it

Three facts:

Aiden doesn’t know that his brother is a fae. But when he was still little, so little he can’t remember it anymore, Henry would use small magic tricks to entertain his baby brother

the two were taught a lullaby by their mother and whenever one of them was feeling down they would (cuddle up and) sing it together as kids. Both still sing the song to themselves when they need to calm their nerves and both think of the other when they do

Henry has that special ability to calm his own heartbeat and calm others through that and when Aiden was a baby Henry used it to rock him to sleep whenever he woke up upset so that he wouldn’t wake their parents

Aaannd a spoiler:

I recently made the decision that the villains will offer Aiden to join them and save his own life by sacrificing his brother (they had a fight and Morena knows that), but though he’s mad and disappointed in Henry at this point of course he refuses. Even more so, since he knows then that one of them has to die, he decides that that person will be him.

Oh and that wip of yours sounds very exciting! Right up my alley! I’d definitely love to know more if you ever feel like talking about it ^^ I wish you all the best for working on it!

Thanks for your ask :)

[scatterpatter]

"Where's the essay OP" Said no one, and yet here I am

Lampy isn't stupid, he's neruodivergent: a rushed-together masterpost

Disclaimer: I'm not a liscened medical professional but I'm neurodivergent who's close to many neurodivergent people so I know when certain traits strike me as very familiar... Also tblt is my comfort movie I've seen it probably over 100 times, not exaggerating, so if anyone here's an expert on it, it's me.

I'm only going by the first movie because while To The Rescue and Goes To Mars probably have evidence to back me up, I don't feel like sitting down to watch them as I don't have them as memorized as the original

Point #1: Lampy is arguably the most intelligent appliance in the movie

Honestly it apalls me that so many are convinced that Lampy is an idiot when he displays some of the most intelligent traits in the movie. I'll just list off some of the most important scenes that show this

1: When discussing a way to get to the city, Lampy comes up with plans that end up failing, true. But we should also consider that not only did Radio and Toaster come up with bad plans before deciding on the swivel chair, but 2/3 of Lampy's ideas involved the same mechanic: on something with wheels(yes the mattress had wheels for some reason) being powered by Kirby

2: "From here you can see the really big lamp!" This scene is simply due to the appliances being sheltered from the outside world. Lampy displays the same level of naive-ness as everyone else: Radio seems earnest in calling the sun a "really big lamp", and Kirby calls the grass "shag carpet". Lampy is not at a lower intelligence in this scene, he's exactly at the same level as everyone else

3: The scene with the storm really sells his intelligence. The appliances have a rudimentary understanding of electricity, most likely from being appliances, but Lampy displays an excelled level of understanding by sacrificing himself for the battery. He understands that batteries are powered by electricity, lightning is electricity, and by using himself as a lightning rod, he acts as the conductive metal to easily transfer this energy from the bolt to the battery. Technically this should have overcharged and fried the battery but we'll suspend disbelief for the sake of this movie.

4: He knew that stacking the appliances to roughly human height, creating a dark environment with ominous sounds, and putting Toaster at eye-level to scare the human with his own reflection... Again, this is an intelligent understanding of how to scare a human

5: It's unclear on whose idea it was to look up Rob in a phone book, however this shows that not only can Lampy read(most likely picked up from being Rob's reading light), ESPECIALLY when Toaster struggles to read, but also has an understanding of phone books, addresses, and finding humans based on family names. I cannot stress how intelligent this is for a sentient desk lamp

There's a few more minor examples, but these are the biggest cases. Lampy is intelligent.

Point #2: Lampy struggles with social cues and doesn't empathize as easily as others

My biggest point here is when people think neruodivergents are "dumb" for having trouble picking up on things like sarcasm when that just... isn't the case. A few notable examples include:

1: When Air Conditioner says "You're a real bright little lamp", Lampy doesn't pick up the sarcasm and thinks he's being complimented. Though he definitely shows a level of emotional intelligence because he looks to Toaster to confirm "hey I was complimented", sees they're still looking angry, and gets the hint that he was insulted without someone needing to explicitly tell him that, to which he then responds with "Heyyy >:("

2: Sometimes he's able to read the room and pick up on tones, but other times he shows a level of emotional density. Legitimately not knowing if Rob had returned even when seeing Blanky disappointed to the point of near tears... But then knowing "brains wouldnt hurt either" was a jab at their intelligence and reacting with appropriate annoyance... But also when Radio says "Things could be worse!", doesn't realize he's just saying that to make Toaster feel better and asks "How could they be worse?"

3: He bullies Blanky alongside Radio and the others, unclear if he's actually being a jerk or just "oh this is what everyone else is doing so this is the normal way to act", but he's legitimately confused when Toaster tries to explain why they're suddenly being nice to him. He doesn't get the "now I feel better" argument because his argument was "Well you were never this nice to him before". Even when Toaster tries to explain why it feels nice, it just doesn't click... until Toaster finds a way to explain that connects personally to Lampy's own emotional state. He has trouble empathizing until realizing "oh this is like this thing that I feel sometimes"

4: Something I've noticed when gathering evidence is that more than once, Lampy goes "Wow..." After someone gloats about themself(Twice with Radio, once with the Computer). It's clear by the third time, when Radio goes "What does that mean?" And Lampy responds "I don't know. [To Computer] What does that mean?" That he doesn't even know what's being gloated about, let alone why he should be impressed. He has the emotional intelligence to recognize when someone's gloating and the "appropriate" response of amazement, but it seems like it never comes from a place of earnest. (While Neurotypicals can and do engage in "performative" behavior, I tend to notice this way more commonly with neurodivergents)

Also the "wow..." Performative thing is VERY reminiscent of Peridot from Steven Universe(a characters who many autistic fans see themselves in and the creator herself saying she doesn't consider Peridot or any of the gems to be neurotypical) going "wow thanks" as her default "this is how I've been taught to show gratitude" response

Point #3: Miscellaneous traits that could be neurodivergent

These traits COULD be interpreted as neurodivergent, but I will admit they could also be interpreted as something else so like take these with a grain of salt

1: Lampy appears to have sensory needs. When sleeping, he needs to tap a rock a few times(presumably to make sure it's "right") before clonking his head on it. It's interesting because rocks aren't a very "lamp" thing whatsoever, and none of the other appliances look for pillow-ish objects to rest on, so this could be a sensory thing.

2: Lampy has an interesting vocal quirk: repetition of phrases at the beginning and end of a sentence. Instances include "How exactly do you propose we do that, exactly?" "All of a sudden you're being so darn nice to him all of a sudden" "The fact is there's just not enough facts" The third one is a bit of a stretch but the first two seem to indicate a possible pattern of speech. Part of me wants to say this could be a verbal tic or some type of verbal stimming, but I've never met anyone who has a tic or stim like this so I can't say it's a neurodivergent thing with confidence, but I wanted to mention this quirk regardless.

3: Physically saying how he feels. Two instances where multiple characters are laughing, Lampy speaks while laughing "That's funny - I'm dying!" "I'm aching with joy!". It's just interesting that no one else speaks while laughing and for whatever reason, Lampy needs to verbalize "Yes I find this very funny" as if simply laughing along isn't enough. I've seen somewhat similar stuff in neurodivergents who have issues expressing emotions implicitly so they state them explicitly instead.

4: I've noticed Lampy isn't touchy... except with Radio. Some neurodivergent people can have issues with physical contact, which could explain that. But I've also noticed that Radio also gives me huge neurodivergent vibes... But more importantly Radio is extremely touchy with everyone, Lampy included, hence them often getting into physical fights but also just- tapping them or wrapping a cord around the other and pulling him close(they're so in love but that's a post on its own). A possible explanation is Lampy having issues with touching others, but either feels comfortable being touchy with Radio(due to emotional bonds and trust) or simply recognizes "Radio likes being touchy so I should be touchy back". A stretch of an argument, I'll admit, but I think the interpretation is there and valid.

In conclusion

I mean idk if Lampy was written to be neurodivergent or if the writers just wanted him to be "quirky" and accidentally gave him a lot of neurodivergent traits, but he reads as very neurodivergent to me(probably autistic or adhd but I'm not a professional and can't diagnose him). But while I can chalk up neruodivergency being one of many possible interpretations of his character, I WILL argue that he's not "stupid" given the evidence we see throughout the movie

Tl;Dr: Lampy is evidently intelligent, but sometimes struggles with social cues, empathy, and overall shows numerous traits of neurodivergency

[omegangrins]

A Rant on the End of Tremors 7: Shrieker Island

As the main man said,

Throwing caution to the wind because this blew up elsewhere.

If you can do it with Justice League, fuck it, let's do it for every shitty movie we've got.

While we're at it, can we change the ending of the 7th Tremors movie so *MAJOR FUCKING SPOILERS* Burt Gummer doesn't die or at least bring Jamie Kennedy back, or Marvel style recast Jon Heder, so he dies saving his son instead of a random-ass person who could have easily saved themselves. Or cut the forced montage of Burt clips at the end so his death is at least ambiguous. Seriously beyond pissed about that one. THAT is no way for him to go.

I would also like to point out that the next Tremors *HAS* to be titled Tremors 8: Ouroboros and bring everyone back for Burt's funeral . Otherwise, what's the fucking point?

I have feelings about it, people. *FEELINGS!!!*

One of my favourite childhood memories is picking out Tremors 2 from the local gas station's movie rentals and forcing my parents to watch it. I was probably 5-6 at the time.

Let's say that it's been a lifelong love affair ever since. It took me another 10 years before I even watched the 1st. Probably why I hold good sequels in such high regard.

I didn't even know about the 1st until it played as a trailer in front of 2 and never thought to watch until years later. That's a testament to its filmmaking if I ever knew one.

So seriously, that's how they chose to kill off one of the most well known and prolific characters in a movie/TV series known around the globe? With an unnecessaryily needed death and a montage of clips from all the other movies that are obviously better than this one.

And I'm saying that as someone who defends Chibnall/13th Doctor...

...and I'm fucking fuming because THIS is how you *actually* destroy something people love and hold dear to their hearts. It's like the ending of Game of Thrones. His shitty ass death has made it a loooooot harder to rewatch. And they are one of my favourite series!!! Not flawless but fun. But I will defend every other movie and all the episodes except this. Honestly I'll still defend 7/8ths of this one as well.

Like I said, it's easily fixed too. Fucking vice versa swap out Jon Heder for Jamie Kennedy, who the movies have been building up for the last two, and have Burt save his son in front of his old flame. Boom, you won't even need the montage of clips cause you can just have Travis and his mom reminisce about Burt instead. Show not tell. I don't even care he died by Graboid (although in all honesty, I've allways wanted El Blanco to take him down or Burt kills himself from the PTSD. It would have AT LEAST MADE SENSE. Hell, the best would be a heart attack to callback Val's "Yeah, Burt, the way you worry, you're gonna have a heart attack before you get a chance to survive World War Three.". But none of us ever get the best death.). And it's not even about Burt sacrificing himself to save a nobody. Cause that could work too. BUT YOU NEED TO BUILD THAT SHIT UP. Not just fucking drop it like it's hot.

Like I said too, the first 7/8ths ain't bad but it's an entirely different story than a swansong for a hero.

It's all about some billionaire scientist/cowboy hunter dude who likes to get his jollies off hunting the biggest and the baddest who ends up inviting people to this island so they can hunt down Super-Graboids he designed for shits and giggles. But then some Shrieker-fy....

And the pretentious douches come and die one by beautiful one while Burt tries to save them anyway and it's all spectacularly dumb fun until it comes crashing down in the final 10 minutes. Fuck, they should just cut the last 10 minutes. Then it's a perfect little Tremors ditty.

#RELEASETHE7THTREMORSWITH10MINUTESFROMTHEENDCUT

This isn't even about Jon Heder either. He's just doing his job. Hell, do what /u/VoiceofRonHoward pointed out.

"It is clear that Jon's character was just pasted in over Jamie's, the artifacts of the father-son relationship are all over it. They should have gone full Marvel and just replaced Jamie with Jon and acted like nothing happened."

CAUSE FUCK YES!! The only time a story sucks is when they don't commit. Commitment makes all the difference. Now, I'm pissed double-pissed they didn't do that instead since Heder and Kennedy are similar in terms of white-boy-ness.

Even Michael Gross agrees:

"Yes, yes. Now I can't presume to speak for Jamie [Kennedy]. My understanding was they asked him and he said no. And so that's why they went with somebody else. So I had nothing to do with that decision. I just heard the stories. I missed him for that reason. You begin a relationship with the character, and you want to continue it....

...As you build a relationship with this son, we had two, it would've been nice to have three, but that was the hand I was dealt."

One of my favourite bits of Tremors lore comes from the 5th too so it's not like I hate sequel changes out of hand:

"This is a warrior dance. Our ancestors hunting the lnkanyamba and the Impundulu.

"What's that?

"Impundulu. It's what you call the Ass Blaster.

"Ass Blaster.

"Yes.

"Yes.

"Hey, you know, you make Ass Blaster sound good.

Primitive cultures fighting Graboids, Shriekers and Assblasters. I just love that thought.

Hilariously, my meta opening to the 8th movie would be a flashback to 10,000 years ago and a Neanderthal-like Burt Gummer teaching others how to drive Graboids off cliffs like they did with mammoths.

Thank you for giving me the space to rant. Cause fuuuuuuhhhhhhhhuuccck!!!

Here's Michael Gross' own words from his AMA that prove the people making Shrieker Island didn't know their shit.

"The Tremors series is one very close to my heart and I want you to know how appreciated your continued effort is for your core fan base.

My only question would be were there ever any studio decisions made for Burt that you refused to comply with? Or was everybody pretty much always on the same page on what to do with the character?

Thanks again for your dedication.

- Josh"

"Thanks for the kind words, Josh. As regards the first four films, with Wilson and Maddock as the writers, we were very much on the same page. 5,6, and 7 were a bit different, because there was a 13-year hiatus between 4 and 5, and we had to refresh our memories while "reinventing" the franchise for a new audience. I will give you one example: in an early draft of Shrieker Island, a new writer wrote a draft where Burt threatened to shoot one of the bad dudes, and I had to tell him—this is true—"Burt never intentionally points his gun at another human being."

And his own thoughts on Burt's "death" and how to bring it all back together again.

Universal and the director [came] to me with this idea, and they said, 'This could be emotionally very powerful, if we have to say goodbye to this man after 30 years. And I hemmed and hawed, and I thought about it a little bit. And I said, 'You're absolutely right about the emotional gut punch this can be.' And I said, 'You're going to hurt a lot of people's feelings.' And I said, 'But I thought this franchise was over after four. So I could certainly live with it being over after seven.'

"What we negotiated -- well, it wasn't really a negotiation, we all agreed on this -- is that we kind of left the door open. >!Because although Burt is gone, we never see a corpse. We never see his remains. Everybody assumes he's gone. Is he buried somewhere? Is he unconscious somewhere? We never see Burt dead. We see Burt gone. We see Burt not returning. What does that mean? Has he been knocked out? Does he have amnesia somewhere? Does he wander off? Is he in a kind of coma? So yes, the way it ends is pretty profound."

"As regards to the end of Tremors 7, let me just say that while people ASSUME Burt is gone, we never see his remains, do we? Just sayin.'

"The only reason he has become the main character is that everyone else in the original cast moved on to other things. I NEVER thought of him as the central figure, but it just worked out that Michael Gross, like Burt Gummer, was a "survivor." :0) "

"No one would like to see it more than I!!! One of my greatest regrets is that so many other cast members fell away over time. Reba was on to other things, Kevin said no to a second, Fred said no to a third. I would LOVE one last go with all of them, but it is not up to me. :0( "

"There are no guarantees, but for those who wonder aloud if this is the final film, I will say what I have said before: SALES drive sequels, Show biz is 5% show and 95% business, so if this latest addition to the Tremors franchise, sells well, [Universal] will follow the money, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment may will be back for more."

/u/ActorMichaelGross, the bell has been rung and the song sung. Get the producers on this ASAP!!

I was also the first person to discover the symbolic foreshadowing of Stumpy's end with Earl's sleeping bag in the original movie.

Let's just say, I really *really* love these movies. So if anyone knows anyone, hook me up to the producers of this series and I'll Justin Lin in the Fast and Furious out of this shit.

Since I don't think it's good to critique without proposing either, I say we can make up for this fuck up with the next movie. We'll call it Tremors 8: Ouroboros. After the snake which eats its own tail.

We find out Burt faked his death to get the Proudfoot Corporation to let down their guard and when everyone from the previous series comes back for Burt's fake funeral they give him ever loving shit for being such a paranoid whack-job that he would fake his death to fool a government agency. Why would he do this? He found an old photo of Hiram Gummer with a Graboid warning on the back and asks himself why this valley, why these things, why allways me? And we find out, it's not Burt. It's that lifestyles of extremes will end up in places of extremes. Burt and the Graboids are survivors of different species. Sure the Proudfoot Corporation IS using Mixmaster to combine Graboids, Shriekers, and Ass-Blasters into one super creature for the military but it pales in comparison to Burt looking at his life and wondering in shame how many ancient giants like himself he has killed. And with that, he actually dies, and we keep the ball rolling with the rest of the characters trying to stop what they allways thought was just another one of Burt's crazy conspiracies.

That's why it's Ouroboros. Everything comes back around. We could end/start the movie with Grady, Earl, and Jodi opening a Monster World in Perfection Valley a la Desert Jack's Graboid Adventure. I don't know. I'm fucking trying harder than the people they paid to do this already.

It ain't perfect but I'm building on sand here so changes are gonna get made.

Like if the makers of Tremors notice this,

Then DM me because fucking A you guys need some help.

[qqueenofhades]

(1/2) Honestly, Hilary, you are a blessing. I want to scream about your amazing Fic, how I love Immortal Husbands and the whole Immortal Family and how I had more fun learning history from your writing than in my whole damn school. But I also want to appreciate your TOG answers and meta. All the more because my friends outside the internet saw TOG as some boring movie with shitty plot and I'm just here in the corner, wanting to scream at someone who will understand about FINALLY seeing...

"(2/2) ...some GOOD queer representation, without throwing stereotypes in our faces, and I can't even begin with the found family trope because THE FEELS. Anyway, what I was trying to say with this rambling: thank you. <3"

....I’m sorry what. Who. Who is saying this. Straight people? I feel like the answer is definitely straight people. Because they have had EIGHTY FUCKING THOUSAND shitty action movies with the Boring White Man Hero, the disposable Muslim-coded (or actually Muslim) villains, the equally disposable eye-candy female love interest who either gets fridged or is secretly evil, Grimdark Everyone Is Secretly Bad And Nothing Matters crap philosophy, Moral Hand Wringing Over Superhero Violence, on and on. So of course they can moan and whine about “iT’s nOt OrIGinAL” and apparently not sufficiently Grimdark and Amoral, and how the dynamics of the team are completely reshuffled in a way that actually doesn’t prioritize THEM, and like.... this is why I never trust media only beloved by straight people, and only ever watch anything after it’s been recommended to me by a trusted queer friend. Because sometimes I remember the difference, and WHOOF.

Because: the gays and people of color DESERVE formulaic action/superhero movies as much as the Generic White Bro (in fact, we can all agree, far more than the Generic White Bro). This is the trap where every piece of media that’s not made by a Mediocre White Man has to be the best all-time of its genre, apparently, rather than using some of the same well-loved storytelling tropes but recoding them and re-deploying them for a more diverse audience. Instead of the Hard Bitten White Man Action Hero, we have Andy and Nile (two women, and Nile as a young Black woman who literally cannot be shot to death, in the year 2020, is fucking revolutionary on its own don’t @ me). As I said in my first meta, even Booker, who comes closest to fulfilling that trope, is made the closest thing to a “villain” there is on the team and even then for entirely sympathetic motives that rest on him having teary-eyed conversations with Nile about how he misses his family and feels like he failed them. His emotions help drive the story in an actually GOOD and useful way, rather than sacrificing everyone else to coddle him through his feeble heterosexual manchildness (why yes, I AM staring directly at the Abomination without blinking). Nobody in the story is EVER penalized or made a fool of for loving their found family (itself an intensely queer trope, even before the queerness of the individual characters) or trying to do the right thing even in the middle of the horrors, and frankly, I just want to consume more media with that as the main message. I’M SO FREAKING TIRED OF GRIMDARK. GOD. IF I WANTED THAT I COULD JUST TURN ON THE NEWS.

And of course, my BELOVED Joe and Nicky: an interracial, interreligious gay couple that has been wildly in love for literal CENTURIES and gives me the opportunity to do things like write the most self-indulgent historical romance backstory fic ever with DVLA. They met in the embodiment of religious conflict and have transcended that, there are never any cruel jokes or expectation for you to congratulate the narrative for being so beneficent as to give you “an exclusively gay moment” (fuck you Disney!). Joe and Nicky’s love story is central both to who they are as characters, doesn’t revolve around them being suffering or being Tormented over being gay (when the cops pull them apart for kissing, they beat the cops the fuck up, WE STAN), gets to unfold naturally in the background of the story with these beautiful little beats of casual intimacy (the SPOONING /clutches heart) and since THEY LITERALLY CANNOT DIE, no chance of the “burying your gays” bullshit. Even when they’re captured first by the bad guys, and I briefly, upon first viewing, worried that they were going the Gay Pain route just for cheap emotional points, they remain constantly united and fighting together and able to do stupid things like flirt when they’re strapped to gurneys by a mad scientist. Then the rest of the team ends up right there with them, so it’s not something that happens to them alone, and Nile comes in to save everyone’s asses, and Joe and Nicky get ANOTHER beautiful moment of fighting the bad guys and being worried about each other and tender even in the middle of this chaos and GOD! MY HEART! MY WHOLE ASS HEART! I LOVE THEM!

And just the fact that it’s not the Evul Mooslim Turrorists or Boilerplate Scary Eastern Europeans or whoever else who are the bad guys, but Big Pharma, nasty white men with too much money and not enough ethics, the CIA (at least tangentially; they could have pushed a lot harder on that but I’ll give Copley individually a pass), and the very forces that want to stop the Old Guard and discount what they do (helping the little people) as worthless... GOD. That is fucking POWERFUL. They literally take the time to explain with Copley’s Conspiracy Wall that even the little things the team does, when they can’t see it themselves, spiral out through centuries and have positive effects down the line. And it’s NOT just in the Western world (no scene in the movie takes place in America, none of the main four characters/heroes are American, and they only go to England when the English villains capture them). They’re in Africa, in Asia, in South America, in all these places where the Western/imperial world order has harmed people the most and in a way that Euro/American audience often gets to forget. On the surface this might be an action movie with Charlize Theron beating up men (which I mean, that alone is fine if you ask me) but there are SO MANY WAYS in which it achieves these deeper moments of meaning and subversion of the narrative that we are so often fed and the ways it could have done this (i.e. the same old Mediocre White Man ways).

I love the fact that the team unabashedly LOVES each other as their family members (I will never get over them all liking to sleep in one room even in their safe house in France), even when they struggle, and that they continue trying to make it right and never consider leaving Booker behind, because he screwed up but they still love him (and he them). I LOVE LOVE LOVE that this movie gave me not just Joe and Nicky but Andy and Quynh: two completely badass queer couples who kick tons of ass and have romance and Drama and rich and well-realized lives outside being used as emotional manipulation or suffering porn for straight people. (I realise it’s only been two weeks since the first one released, but where is my sequel, I have Needs. Especially Andy/Quynh and Quynh/Joe/Nicky needs). I was disappointed that they’d gotten rid of Quynh in a Bad Medieval Way to cause pain for Andy and then shocked and DELIGHTED when she turned up alive in Booker’s apartment at the end of the film. I LOVE that this movie gave me Nile Freeman and everything that she represents in the middle of this hellish year. I even love Booker! BOOKER! When he’s usually the character type I can’t stand and have the least patience with!

So yes. I have watched it three times already. I am sure I am going to watch it several times more. It just makes me so happy.

[justadram]

I'm so sorry to bother, but do you have any more parenting advices? And maybe how not to lose yourself into your new role and new life?

No bother! Becoming a mom is huge and I honestly didn’t know what to ask for going in the first time and was really struggling by about 6 months. Like on the couch consumed with intrusive thoughts level struggling. Out of control anxiety and depression. The second time around, I knew what I needed and asked for it loudly.

I think moms lose themselves for a variety of reasons, including lack of sleep, isolation, losing their sense of self from their job, and lives revolving around the kids.

Number one, you need a support system. Have a plan before the baby comes. Be ready to expand that support if need be. Maybe that means daycare, babysitters, a nanny, extended family, a partner. I’m an only child and my parents are elderly and raising a teenager, so I can’t depend on them for childcare or date nights. I had a nanny 15 hours a week, when I was working days, and when that semester ended and I had a toddler and was pregnant, we kept her on. IDGAF if someone wants to judge me. Having her focus on Wesley three days a week for a few hours, while I focused on a newborn and recovered from a c-section, allowed me to sleep and kept me from slipping into that depression and anxiety that plagued me the first time.

Our family situation means my husband is gone from about 5am - 7pm M-F and often for a good portion of the weekend. I’m alone. A LOT. So, my husband and I had a system. He was the one that got up with the baby. Our babies were good sleepers, so that only meant about 6 weeks of middle of the night feedings, but even though I was home and he went to work, I had to be 100% present during the day, emotionally and physically, so he sacrificed the sleep and napped in his car if need be during lunch. Once he got home at night, he was the diaper changer, and on vacations, he totally took over that stuff to give me a break. That’s what worked for us, and honestly big side-eye to uninvolved partners. Now that the boys are a little older, after dinner is over, I go do my thing, while he hangs out with the boys for the hour before bedtime. Maybe I write, maybe I stare at Netflix, maybe I soak in the tub, but I get some alone time.

Isolation is really common, especially with a newborn. I’m an introvert, so mom groups or newborn yoga sounded like a nightmare to me, but that is a great resource for some new moms! Our hospital had tons of groups to join, and as they get older, preschools and elementary schools often have groups that you can get involved in, which are either social or volunteer based. I asked my mom to come walk with me every day for 15 - 30 minutes. I kid you not that we had Wesley out in the snow all bundled up, so as to not miss our walk. Maybe you have a sister or a friend, someone, who you can meet up with pushing the stroller around or to grab a coffee with. Something consistent. An adult to talk to, complain to, laugh with. I talk on the phone a lot to my mom too, now that we’re living that sweet pandemic life.

Meet ups also give you a reason to get dressed, and I’m a big believer in feeling better when you’re put together. Dirty hair don’t care, but I get dressed.

Get out period. Fresh air and sunshine. It doesn’t have to cost money. Stroll around the park with the kiddos. Our zoo is free, and I used to take Charlie every morning to ride the zoo train around and around and around, which he loved and I loved too. Do something that gets you out that you can enjoy at least as much as your kid does.

If your identity is tied up in a hobby or your job, be sure your plan involves still doing that thing. Even if it’s reduced timewise, you shouldn’t have to give everything up. Is your partner giving everything up?? And if you don’t have a hobby, now is a good time to develop one. It sounds trite, but when I was struggling, I couldn’t write, but I could make a wreath or embroider or work on a coloring book, and that really helped my mood. I don’t particularly base my worth on being a professor, BUT I kept teaching, one night class a week, and getting dressed, speaking to adults, doing the thing I know I’m good at, and being alone in the car were all really good for me. Shout out to my fellow stay at home tumblr friend, who used to take every Tuesday night as her Starbucks fanfic writing night. Do what fulfills you.

Finally, find ways to still get out with your partner or friends. Find a good sitter and go out to dinner, a concert, a movie, a game, or whatever. Footloose and fancy free! Or find a restaurant where you feel comfortable bringing the whole family and make it a habit to go. Last year, pre-pandemic, we established a Sunday dinner out tradition with my family, and that was such a good mental reset.

This is all to say that you have to still be a human outside of being a person who keeps babies and little ones alive. The modern world isolates women in a very unnatural way, depriving us of a network of support that historically we always had access to. Build it for yourself and fiercely protect your right as a human to have your own needs met beyond just getting a shower in. It’s hard. My family situation is a challenge made more difficult by the pandemic, but with all things, this too shall pass: both the pandemic and this stage of life. <3 <3 <3

[claymorecut]

Journey of a shipper: Kontae and how I fell for this ship?

OKAY! SO I'M FINALLY DOING THIS. Writing a long ass meta about this ship because hell, I love them and this ship is beautiful and I just need more content for this ship, so I'm making some myself! Before I start, it's just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anybody and second, I'm not a great analyst. I'm just going to ramble about stuff here and it's pretty long. So, enjoy!

I remember making this post about gintama ships back when I first started watching Gintama and I remember mentioning Kontae there. The sweet and kind guy falls for the hard-core and strong willed woman. A ship dynamic I really love. And their interactions, so damn funny I can't even say! And the 10 years gap didn't look like a big issue to me; they are both adults so I was okay with it. This ship looked funny to me, Kondou blushing, asking her to marry him, butt hair and all xD but also made me feel like "it may not get too far". But Idk why, I decided to stick with it. Because i was just so much in love with Kondou and Otae's characters. But in between all that, I really didn't see any kind of romance happening between these two and I was like maybe in an AU, they'd make a really good couple. It's not happening in Gintama 'cause I really don't see any kind of romance happening in this universe (and yet, I continued shipping xD)

But, I was wrong.

When the Yagyuu arc came and I watched episode 81. And my faith in this ship was restored. I know there were some ship-tease moments for gintae in the benizakura arc and the yagyuu arc but then this scene came:

I know, I know, it wasn't literal but what if it was? Well, that's not the question here. I was pretty surprised to hear this myself. Gintoki saying "She'll make it up to him" and Hijikata saying "She loves him. She's just playing hard to get" and all then Otae comes and saves Kondou from his Gorilla marriage. I got the verdict here tho. Maybe it was just for comedic purpose, maybe not. But still, it was enough for me to continue shipping them coz they looked hella cute and I just thought I'd just stick to it. Maybe, I'm gonna find something big soon. I found other ships like Hijimitsu and Gintsu! But that's a topic for another day.

AND, YES. I DID!

The pool arc came, which is like ep 217 and yes, nothing huge happened but remember how Gintoki was a making fun of Otae's breasts and how he wasn't interested in looking at her flat chest but Kondou, who was, like always, stalking her, then says he's ready to explore every part of her to find the nipple xD and Otae just punches him. Yeah that was funny. And then Tae later again comments that she can see right through Gintoki's actions and Gintoki retorts again by saying that he's not interested in her camel toe. Then this scene happens:

Kondou says he has no interest in camel toe and Tae again punches him while yelling "YOU DON'T?!"

Weird, right?

I know, it was weird for me too! But what can I say, these short details were what made me feel like maybe, JUST MAYBE, Tae has a thing for Kondou. Just look how offended she is. I know Kondou didn't mean to disrespect her neither was he rejecting her but I think Tae feels like he is. And so she goes like "what do u mean u don't?! Don't you love me!?" Even if it was just a sexual reference, it made me think that maybe, Hijikata was right. She does try to play hard and that there is something.

Then came the love choriss arc and I got a major hint.

How Sayaka-chan was Kondou's virtual girlfriend and how he introduced her to everyone in the Shimura residence. Yup then this happens.

This was stupid and weird and funny and my Kontae heart screamed "YER JEALOUS TAE!"

Just look at her going all dramatic while getting worried about Shinpachi. Well, of course she'll be worried about Shinpachi's well being and how her brother is just drowing into his own virtual world but Why. Throw. Kondou's. Game? If she really doesn't feel anything for him then there's no reason for her to throw Kondou's game. Why not let him stay in his own virtual world with his own virtual girlfriend? What were you planning, Sorachi-sama?

It was the very first time when it looked very evident to me that Tae has something for Kondou deep inside. That whole dramatic scream "THIS CAN'T BE!" just after Kondou introduced Sayaka-chan. I listened to that dialogue very closely and it first started with Kondo introducing her then Gintoki saying something like you're in this shit too? And soon was followed by Tae's dramatic "this can't be! Is Shin-chan going to be like this too!?" while throwing Kondou's game out and Kondou screaming "Sayaka-chan!!"

Tae's jealousy is still a mystery here but I still feel like, somewhere she was.

Moving on!

They went out on a date, which was a disaster and then alongside Kyubei in the Beam Saber arc, how Kondou fought for Otae I started to feel a lot more from Kondou's side. Yes. The stalking is a running gag but Kondou's feelings were given more comedic effect rather than highlighting it in a very serious tone. But that's how Sensei does his work. Gintama is supposed to be funny and this ship is supposed to be funny and I really wasn't expecting any intense and serious Kontae moment in the series.

Well, Sorachi-sama proved me wrong. AND I THANK HIM SO, SO VERY MUCH!

The Genderbender arc came, Kyubei is now this handsome hunk and Tae is blushing furiously and Kondou is this blond bombshell which is his too good! It's been shown over and over again that even if Kondou is a stalker, he just wants to see Otae happy. That's what he always wanted even if he isn't the reason for her happiness. When Jyubei and Tae starts meeting frequently, Kondou comes and encourages Jyubei to stop worrying about other and enjoy himself with Tae. He even says that he's happy with just being her friend and I think this proves how much he cares for her. He gives them those movie tickets telling he actually wanted to ask her out but now that he's like this, can't be with her like the way he always wanted to and now Jyubei is the only one who can take care of her. He was genuinely hurting but what matters most to him is Otae and so he leaves them while saying "if you make her cry, I'll arrest you". Even Kyubei later mentions it that it was him who was hurting and crying and he just happily sacrificed Otae so that she can be happy.

Then came the roach motel arc and OTAE WEARS THE KIMONO THAT KONDOU GAVE! Yes, not in the episode but in opening 15 she does and even in the manga cover! Ah..the feels. Well, coming back to the point, this episode was basically everybody bullying Kondou but the good part here was the ending of this episode. Kondou knowing that he was getting bullied and that Tae was a part of all this but he still says "that's how Otae-san is. This is what makes her, her." That was beautiful; he accepts her for who she is. He knows that she's brash and manipulative and even abusive but she's also kind and strong and beautiful; even after all her flaws he still continues to accept and love her. That's true love. And then comes Otae's part. She slowly starts to learn more and more about him, I think she knew he wasn't stalking her. And then she finally admits that she actually had fun with Kondou and that she got to see a new side of him while hugging that roach mask. She was happy to discover a new side of him, no stalking attached. I was so amazed to see this happening coz like I said, I wasn't expecting all these serious Kontae moments but these were actually happening. It was a breath of fresh air and I was really happy to see a developed relationship between these two characters which just made me ship them even more.

Then comes the love incense arc which was just....bizarre. What was Sensei thinking while writing this arc? Why would you do that to my poor kokoro!? But whatever, nothing is properly explained here, everybody is falling in love with everybody, Kondou turns gay, Gintoki just loses his senses and is sleeping with practically everybody, Tsukuyo's feelings for Gintoki starts to go havoc. But then, Tae and Kyubei comes in the picture. And they're in love with Gintoki too. But then, things change. Take turns out to be in love with Kondou! Hell, she was actually JEALOUS! Yes, it was the love incense and yes, this arc is just too crazy to explain anything properly but hear me out. What if, the love incense actually triggered some of Tae's hidden feelings for Kondou? Just like Tsukuyo's. Coz she actually saw Gintoki's dick first when she inhaled that smoke. Not him. But she ended up discovering her own feelings towards him. So what if this was the same case with Tae? We all saw that she was under the effect of that drug and was in love with Gintoki so Sensei, why this change of plans?

No answers, right? I don't have them either. It's just the little theory I came up with. What was Tae's real feelings? But soon the Shogun Assassination and the Farwell Shinsengumi arcs are followed after this.

And GOOD LORD! Sensei actually proved me wrong! By giving one of the most beautifully written scenes between these two characters.

It isn't always when Sorachi-sama actually decides to go for the romantic plot but in Kontae's case, I felt like he actually hinted a LOT. The very first ship in Gintama where I felt like no, this isn't just one-sided but actually, feelings were shown from both the sides, especially Tae. Like everyone, she misses him. But Tae remembering him like this and crying when she's about to get her neck slashed:

"A real man, a real samurai would never do something like this. That man, would never do something like this."

She knows him, she knows what kind of a man Kondou really is. And even at a time like this, Kondou is the man who comes in her mind. A true man, true police, a true samurai who not for once tried to force himself upon her. Not for once showed any kind of disgrace towards any other people or her. All this time, she comes to learn more and more about him and you know, it was worth the time.

Even Shinpachi sees it.

"I'll bring that man, and everyone, back to you for sure. So wait for us with the same old smile on your face, Sis."

Why exclude him from everybody? There has a meaning behind this and a deep one and tbh, I see a romantic meaning behind this. Shinpachi addressing Kondou like this, it was new. It's not always when Sensei uses such points to evoke a romantic gesture but when he does, it sure leaves an impact.

And this is not the last time he used such implications for KonTae. Fast forward to ep 316, Tae is at Kozenigata's place and she's now leaving. Haji and Konzenigata both tries to stop her because it was dangerous outside and the police organisation isn't working properly and she replies,

"That's exactly why police need to go back to their jobs, and cabaret girls have to go back to their job."

It's like foreshadowing their relationship- the police and the cabaret girl. And then Kozenigata just simply puts a cherry on top.

"They must have come back. Her police."

And Kondou pops out of that dustbin!

FREAKIN' POETIC CINEMA!

And then come the dialogues.

"Don't you think it's high time you stop doing this....You'll catch a cold."

"Why did you have to say that out of all days? I wish you had acted like always, called me a perverted stalker and hit me like you always do. You're....making it hard to say goodbye."

The voice acting, the dialogues, the animation, honestly everything screams romantic here. And yeah, the close-up happy-sad faces, if you've seen/read romantic anime/manga, you should know it's a shoujo trope used to display romantic feelings between two characters. And if I'm just making speculations, they're sharing the same umbrella...

Two people, especially a man and a woman, sharing an umbrella in rain is considered as a symbol of romance in Japan.

This kinda proves that romance is present in this scene.

And then finally this.

ANOTHER SHOUJO TROPE. THE CLOSE-UP EYES!

These eyes literally says it all. It's like Tae saying I'll wait for you and when you come back, I'll happily welcome you and then we can go back to those old days. Just like how Shinpachi said.

And I think, this is the very first and the only time, Sensei used this gesture. And this is just too much for me to not ignore it!

The way Kondou looks at Tae while talking to her, it almost feels like he's telling her to not look so sad. Like I've mentioned before, Kondou wants to see her smile. And i think, in this scene it's crushing for him to see her with such a sad smile on her face. That is the last thing he wants to see. That's why he said he wanted to see her react the way she always did. And Tae not acting like that and instead showing such emotions towards him, it's too overwhelming. Just think how Kondou would be feeling there. Tae seeing him off, her eyes glistening while she sees him walk away but also waits for his arrival in the near future, its simply poetic.

The reunion between these two is as funny as ever, Kontae was back in its own color. When Okita said Kondou was always okay with their usual type of setting, he meant to say that Kondou was happy in those old days. That's what he said in the FS arc, he wanted to see her in her usual self, no sad face, no crying, just a happy Otae who loves to beat the crap outta him but also respects him. Things really were pretty intense in the SA and FS arcs but I don't think Sensei wanted to continue this for long. It was like Sensei saying, we're back to the old days, happy days. The Silver Soul arc and the ongoing arc isn't as intense as these two arcs and that's what Sensei wants to say "we're back to those good ol' day". But that doesn't mean he threw away all those meaningful moments between these two; it was so heavily implied. Just because of a troll scene, one cannot disregard the whole development and say "it was never there" because of course there was something which was very much visible to the viewers/readers, even if it isn't present now doesn't mean it was all a joke or just some i-just-wrote-it-but-now-it-doesnt-mean-anything bullshit. Yeah, the ship isn't canon but that also doesn't mean it sank. I mean, Kondou is not gonna marry that gorilla anymore so....

Imo, KonTae is the only ship in Gintama where romantic feelings are implied from both the sides. It really didnt look unrequited. It's not only Kondou or Tae, it's both of them and both of them have actually shown interest in each other in a way which I won't say is completely ambiguous. The FS arc was the part where it is shown how far their relationship has come and how they have come to learn and respect each other, maybe even love each other. I'm not forcing these ideas on anybody, these are facts and I'm sure even non-shippers must have noticed these moments as well. Honestly, the romantic implications were heavy here, the scenes, the dialogues, the "Take care" which is just too beautiful to not to be ignored. Even if I don't see canon pairings happening here, I still somehow hope for this ship.

My love for Gintsu is eternal but Kontae, this is the only ship where I feel like has come a lot far. And even other characters have mentioned their relationship and in a serious note. Check all those subtle hints, pick up the whole FS arc, it's there. A relationship that started with a gag but now is fully developed where I can see loads of potential. It's a ship that's been here from the very beginning of the series and it didn't look rushed at all. Another universe of how I met your mother lol.

People can ship whatever they like and I'm really not trying to push my thoughts onto anybody here.

But KonTae, this ship is no gag or joke and it deserves more love.

It's stupid, it's hilarious, it's beautiful and it's properly developed and that's why I fell for this ship so hard.

[roloko-karlstein]

Sending you your boy rolo for character bingo

My son yas!!!

His character is just as interesting as Totsuka's. Rolo never knew love cause since he was at least 5 (going by his appearance in episode 4 and in background panels in the Oz manga) he grew up a an assassin. Lelouch was the first person who was ever kind to him,but he knew this was only temporary. He craved his love and affection to the point that when someone would try to become in between his relationship with his brother he would resort to murder cause he never knew how to cope with feelings of jealousy aside from that. He probably caught on that Lelouch was just using him not too long after he got his memories back cause of how much Lelouch loves Nunnally that he murmurs in his sleep. Rolo didn't care cause the bond they shared while Lelouch's memories were locked away was real to him that it made him feel like a human instead of just a tool. He sacrificed himself even after Lelouch told him how much he hated him and wanted him dead. He was one of the most loyal characters in Code Geass along with Jeremiah and Guilford.

I usually am afraid to say how much I love Rolo outside of the internet cause most of the western fanbase seems to hate him cause he killed Shirley which when they tell me that in my mind I'm like " She is the worst character in the series and one of the worst anime females I ever had the displeasure or watching in general", but my mouth says "He is too cute for me to hate" followed by a nervous laugh and changing topics real fucking quick. I just do not want to draw attention to myself in public or nerd rage over fictional character in front of non anime fans.

Rolo has far too less screen time and wasted potential its been 10+ years and not novel or manga adaption about the geass cult? Also Taniguchi degrading him to just Shirley's murderer and that is why he didn't want to add him to the movies and I was like so you just accidently wrote a deep character? Have you turned senile the pass 10 years? Also the Code Geass committee made him add Rolo so at least we know that some people on the staff still has his back after all this time.

I'm just really happy he is still getting merch sure its always badges or straps, but I think it means he is popular enough to still make a profit off. You don't see much of any other supporting character as much a him.

Also I was depressed while watching R2 it was one of the couple times where I hit rock bottom and was starving myself and crying and feeling helpless a lot. Its just when I saw Rolo smile in the first episode and I was like who is his kid and why do I love him while I do not even know him. So I stay tuned each week to hope he would have some screen time and when he died I was crushed and I wanted to drop the show, but I changed my mind cause I felt like it would be a disservice to Rolo so I watched the rest of the show and the last 4ish episodes were really good. So he kinda gave me something to look forward to and I got out of that current slump and started eating more for a good few months. So in a way he did kinda save my life so he is very special to me and I get personally offended when people mindlessly bash him even though I know that I shouldn't care, but I do.

I used to be a yaoi fan girl at the time so my OTP was in fact Leloch x Rolo, but after I got out of that phase I was like what was wrong with me? I didn't even like the way he treated him in the first place and I still do this day have never done a complete watchthrough of R2 since its first airing back in 2008. My main ships with Rolo are with Nunnally,Gino, and Suzaku. I just find Lelouch's and Rolo's relationship to be very toxic with Lelouch manipulating Rolo and trying to kill him while Rolo would kill anyone who come in his way of his relationship with Lelouch. I guess I just want to bury myself in lighthearted Rolo content and Nunnally and Gino fanart does just that. Rolo x Nunnally will be my OTP of all OTPS no one will take my dead cold ass hands off this ship instead of the writers coming out and officially 100% say they are in fact half or full siblings.

I'm really hoping for Rolo to return in the new series somehow he deserves to come back also the series is the sequel to the movies so he doesn't really need to redeem himself for Shirley's death since she is alive in this universe so come on lets go! bring him back to us!