#I rewatched the movie a while ago and did a whole bunch of stuff

[coffebits]

Princess bride AU✨

[mariska]

hi queer friends in my phone i hope u have all been having an ok month so far 💖 im sorry i havent been online very much lately, its like 80% just me being forgetful except to hop on my phone app for like ten mins to browse my dash and reblog something and get distracted by another non phone related activity LOL. my bestie Eli is here still until the rest of the month and we finished our rewatch (their first watch, my like......who even knows the specific numbered rewatch) of Avatar The Last Airbender a couple days ago and that was very fun and exciting, it was wild getting to those last few episodes in the final season and just totally getting brought back to being a kid in my head when the show was actively airing on tv and i was sitting in my bedroom exploding from sheer special interest excitement watching the story wrap up on the super small box tv i used to have like 15+ years ago 😭🫡 we haven't started watching Legend Of Korra yet since we just finished ATLA and need to like. take a lil Avatar media break before jumping into another entire finished series fhdhdhsfsshhgd but excited for whenever we start that too!! Eli showed me a fav movie of theirs the other night called Thoroughbreds and i REALLY liked it, fellow toxic yuri enjoyers i truly cannot recommend that one enough those girls have Problems In Abundance and i love that for them and also me.

OH OH OH ALSO on my birthday after we got home from out of house activities we watched that Nic Cage movie 'Dream Scenario' that i've wanted to see so bad since the first trailer for it dropped online a while back, and i am truly not just being dramatic when i say i think that is my favorite movie i've seen this year and it will be Difficult for another movie to win over that 2024 Fav Spot in my mind, it was exactly what i wanted it to be and MUCH MORE LMAOO IT WAS SO GODDAMN FUNNY. very specifically Me And Eli's Kinda Stupid Sense Of Humor throughout the whole run time we were fuckin losing it at every other scene. that was a wonderful lil birthday treat.

also the antique mall we were gonna go to ended up being closed on the day of my birthday so we went to a big mall off-Cape that i like instead and have been to a few other times for past birthdays cus they actually have a bunch of different types of stores with stuff i actually enjoy unlike the more local mall we have here that is 100% dying a slow agonizing Mall Death lmao. went to Build-A-Bear and they had that one bear style in stock that literally just looks like a femme lesbian with the lesbian flag colors and perfect lil eyeliner so i made a Chappell Roan inspired pop star outfit wearing lesbian colored bear (saw someone else online do that a lil while back with the same style i chose so i couldn't resist doing it myself when i saw it was at the store hfsfgsvsgshshdg) and the ppl working there that day were all super chill and friendly and most likely around me and Eli's age or maybe a few yrs younger than us, the person who helped me make my bear specifically was really friendly and fun to talk with cus while we were in there it was pretty much just us and the employees for the majority of the time, he like immediately picked up on me being A Very Obvious Femme Lesbian on account of The Femme Lesbian Bear and also The Very Over The Top Femme Alt Outfit I Was Wearing and we chatted abt being gay and trans while he was stuffing the bear it was such a genuinely sweet and wonderful interaction, he was also autistic and we got to briefly bond over Build-A-Bear being mutual life long autistic special interests of ours and he seemed rly happy to hear that i was turning 27 that day and was still actively wanting to spend birthdays making custom stuffed animals there it was just really great all around 😭💕 also before the mall closed later on we did a quick stop at the FYE store that was there (i always get very excited when i see a still active FYE store anywhere cus it was a childhood fav place of mine to shop but our local mall closed ours when i was a teenager lol) and there was a small stand set up with some ATLA merch and i got a fully functional Momo backpack/crossbody style bag that i am so incredibly psyched about having fjdgedfdhsshfg it is very cute. and anyone who knows me knows i love adding a silly lil functional novelty bag to my collection of silly lil novelty bags. so it will be getting much use from me out in the world

anyways!!! thats pretty much what i've been up to, just figured i would hop on and write a mariska life update so everyone here knows i didnt just like. drop off the face of the earth lol

[jasntodds]

I really liked titans portrayal of Gotham city and the Gotham tv series portrayal of the city, and this may sound ridiculous to say but at least for my liking there is not enough Gotham in the batman movies I get that the focus is on batman and whatever loon he's facing but giving some deeper focus to the nitty gritty and utter strangeness of the city and 'average' Gotham citizens is something that I just require lol

I really did not know all that, oh my gosh you're telling me we are legit not gonna see that little bastard (said with such affection) Jason todd version ever ever again because one dude wants his universe to be the only one!?- that is some playground level nonsense and honestly with this many characters and this many storyline possibilities it is just unfair not to make a bunch of universes and that way fans can pick and choose which ones they wanna follow. Like I know some people didn't like the arrowverse (I fucking loved it) but if there's different options you don't have to watch the one you don't like cuz it's not the only one available y'know

Bruce killed the Joker for Jason (that is so huge) heaven above let titans live on for a little bit 😢 a redhood spin off with him attempting to clean up his own mental state and Gotham city with Barbara's help and we could've gotten to see more gotham villians heck Tim could have been included here and there in it cuz he's Robin now, bestie I wanna pull my hair out. And the fight scenes in titans was like near netflix Daredevil level beauty, the brutality shown in some characters (ahem dick and jason) contrasted with how you know that they're good inside that their heart is in the right place (esp dick) but you can visibly see the brokenness

I'm just getting back into titans now, it took forever where I am for season 4 to come on netflix and I still haven't watched s4 yet (I did skip all the way til nearly the end just to watch the episode with redhood lol but oh my seeing Tim be robin was cool)

I kinda really need to see Jason dealing with what he did to poor Hank (hank was one of my favs I cannot believe he didn't get to just nicely retire with dawn 😢)

Okay no but you're right!! I started rewatching Gotham like 2 weeks ago actually lmao and the pure joy the cutscenes bring me just because the city looks so GOOD is insane hjdgfkdh Both Gotham and Titans did a really good job at showing how gritty and gloomy Gotham is while also allowing it feel very organic and completely normal for everyone living there. (like the Titans being a little confused with Gotham stuff happening but you have Dick, Jason, and Babs just rolling with the punches). Tbh I think every Batman related movie/show needs to show the city more like Titans and Gotham because I think showing how Gotham IS explains a lot of why Bruce and the rest of the batfam and villains are the way they are

Nope!! I'm assuming we'll see a version of Jason and Dick (at the very least) at some point but they won't be Titans versions and won't be the same actors. LITERALLY WHAT I'M SAYING!!!! I physically do not care what his role is. He shouldn't be able to just be the only one (again same goes for Marvel). But yes exactly!!!!! Like if there are different universes with a bunch of content for all of them, then like................that's more money?? lmao At the end of the day, studios like making money and if there is only one universe and 1 version of the characters, like you said, some people won't want any part of it because they won't like it. But, if there's another universe for them to watch, they might like that one!!! I have NO desire to watch The Flash movie and it kind of ruins it because actor. But, the show?? It's one of my favorites and I loved Grant Gustin as Barry and Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally jkdfhgkdj (I mean the whole cast of the show tbh is so good). I know James Gunn probably thinks it'll work because he worked for Marvel and it worked for them but DC isn't Marvel lmao AND IT SHOULDN'T BE. DC should be different, that's what makes it fun but having to watch 30 fucking movies to understand shit is not fun when I don't like Miller or Momoa or the kid from Santa Clarita Diet who's gonna be in the Superman movie please I don't wanna watch THOSE to watch the shit I want to see (Blue Beetle, I will watch you soon). I wanna watch Titans lmao

OMG BUT TIM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE APART OF THE SPIN-OFF 😭😭😭 That's part of why I'm so angry. Jason is my favorite batfam member, immediately followed by Tim. And those two don't get along often in comics so ya know, the show was NICE and the spinoff could have been EVEN BETTER. (I also just adore Jay as Tim. He will also be MY Tim Drake). I could actually write a whole think piece of morality of Dick and Jason IN Titans lmao because yes the fight scenes were ALWAYS so good (I love the one in the alley in season 1 episode 1 with Dick as Robin idk and Dick and Jason's fight in the words in season 3 episode 4) but yeah no they did such a good job with showing how they can pull their punches but also fight to the death if they really need to but that doesn't make either of them bad. For both of them, it's about the greater good and they just have different viewpoints of what that means because they're both absolutely fucked up (which is also great because it goes the same in the comics and it makes them SO MUCH more interesting as characters). It shows no one is all good and no one is all bad.

jfghdfgfh omg it took so long!!!!! I hope you enjoy season 4!! It definitely wasn't as good as 2 or 3 imo but it was fun!! Episode 9 is really good!! I still smile like an idiot whenever I think about that episode with Jason lmao Tim finally gets his Robin suit thinking he's hot shit and Jason's like "Dude is gonna get his dumbass fucking killed LOL". Episode lives rent-free in my mind forever

Same though!! I need to know like what he did ?? Did he reach out to Dawn to offer an apology?? Did Tim tell Jason he met Hank when he died?? I don't know how he'd ever get over the guilt but I'd love to see the angst that could have brought us!! I wasn't a huge Hank fan but I was still jaw on the floor shocked when it happened and I felt so bad for him skdfh like poor Hank he didn't deserve to be exploded

[knifedog]

Lmao I can’t believe I missed you saying that you watched Kubo and the Two Strings last month - that was my MOVIE when it first came out!! I actually decided to rewatch it after seeing your post, and yeah that last shot of Kubo with his mom and dad’s human SPIRITS smiling at each other and then the audience after everything that happened was just plain mean of the movie makers, no way they didn’t know what they were doing with that XD

(Warning and apologies for the following movie rant that this rewatch awakened in me) What did you think of the Moon King and the Sisters? I thought they were AWESOME villains the first time I saw this in theaters, PLUS it turns out that they’ve got really good rewatch value. In the Sisters’ case, it makes total sense now why the chain-wielding Sister at the boat freaked out and lunged at Beetle when she first saw him. And then there’s the smoking, sword-wielding Sister rubbing him actually being Hanzo in his face at the fortress trap and waiting until he was sharing a tender moment with his son to get back up and kill him for good. These two have a GRUDGE™. In the Moon King’s case, him visiting Kubo’s dream pretending to be a blind seer was actually pretty smart; Kubo of course had no way of knowing what his grandfather looks like at that point, and the Moon King made their meeting spot out of origami paper and was playing his personal shamisen like Kubo always does to make him more comfortable and likely to trust the dream.

SPEAKING OF THE SECOND SISTER AND THE MOON KING, I completely forgot that these two both straight-up backhanded Kubo when he fought back against them?? Hard enough that he blacked out for at least a solid minute each time??? Like, after Kubo swipes at his Aunt’s face with his shamisen pick when she’s about to RIP HIS OTHER EYE OUT, she full-on screams in a rage before smacking him?? Like girl what did you think he was gonna do - you’re standing here GIGGLING about this eye horror shit you’re about to do to your 11-12 YEAR OLD NEPHEW like it’s a game, but all of a sudden there’s a huge problem just ‘cause he broke your mask and pipe in self-defense?? And then she just kinda looks at him on the ground for a moment right before Monkey Mom rushes over with the Sword Unbreakable - YEAH BITCH HE DID A WHOLE FLIP FROM HOW HARD YOU HIT HIM WHAT YOU DIDN’T THINK THAT WOULD HAPPEN OR YOU JUST REALIZED WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT WHAT’S THAT STUPID SORTA-STUNNED-BUT-STILL-ANGRY LOOK FOR!?!

AND WHEN THE MOON KING FINALLY SHOWS UP IN PERSON he’s all amicable and shit like Kubo didn’t lose both his parents all over again all at once and his veneer keeps cracking when Kubo brings up totally valid points that he doesn’t like and when Kubo’s fully fed up and full of rage and like “I’m legit gonna try to kill you now” he’s like “oh how mortal very well” before going literal beast mode and then SQUEEZING Kubo in his creepy tail-hand once he nabs him right before BACKHANDING HIM LITERALLY ACROSS THE WHOLE FOREST THANK GOODNESS KUBO’S A LITERAL DEMIGOD OR HE WOULD’VE BEEN KILLED RIGHT THEN. And SPEAKING OF KILLING I was SURE that the Moon Beast was trying to kill Kubo in return at this point but I misremembered that too?? Because when he corners Kubo as he’s letting go of his anger near the river where the Sisters first showed up he’s all “now take one last look with that lonely eye at this wretched place” and Kubo replies quote “I’m not leaving” with a bunch of stuff about how he can still see with one eye the beauty of the world despite the awful stuff just like his parents did and the Moon Beast replies quote “Then I’ll just have to rip it right out of your head again, won’t I?!” SO HE ACTUALLY STILL WANTS TO TAKE KUBO TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY IN THE HEAVENS EVEN WHILE DOING ALL THE SHIT HE DID NOT TWO MINUTES AGO, AND THEN HE’S ALL QUOTE “Everything you loved is gone! Everything you knew has been taken from you!” YEAH IT WAS TAKEN BY YOU AND YOUR TWO OTHER DAUGHTERS AND YET YOU’RE TRYING TO CONVINCE YOUR GRANDSON INTO GOING WITH YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO FORCE HIM BY PHYSICALLY ATTACKING HIM AND ARE UPSET IT’S NOT WORKING???

The first Sister isn’t even exempt from this behavior just because she doesn’t have any one-on-one interaction with Kubo since she was giggling right along with her twin when they first met him. The interesting thing is that SHE ALSO shows signs of personally wanting Kubo in the family since both her and her twin said quote “We’re here, Kubo. You’re family has come for you.” when he was running away and tripped at the bridge on top of having HER OWN moment of being pissed that he wasn’t cooperating when she found his drinking gourd in in the snow and said quote “He’s searching for the armor, just like his insolent father.” sounding all irritated/hurt/disappointed??

My thing with the three Moon Family members upon rewatch is that all three of them are obviously abusive and take sadistic joy in what they’re doing yet genuinely want Kubo to be part of their family, try to “comfort” and/or convince him in the middle of what they’re doing (the above example with both Sisters at the bridge plus the second Sister brushing Kubo’s cheek with her hand and shushing him when she’s about to take his other eye plus the Moon King trying to convince him with his words twice, calmly when they first meet and frustratedly near the end) and are pissed that he doesn’t want to go with them all at the EXACT same time?? I’m not bad-angry with it either as if it were bad writing since people like this honest-to-God exist in real life and the Laika writers consistently establish the Moon Family as being this way throughout the movie so you know that’s what they’re going for; I’m good-angry with the characters themselves because - once more with feeling - 👏 what 👏 did 👏 you 👏 think 👏 he 👏 was 👏 gonna 👏 do?? Like I totally get why Monkey Mom had to clarify to Kubo that the Moon King doesn’t hate him (I also misremembered that scene as Kubo asking her “Does Grandfather hate me?” when he actually asked “Why does Grandfather hate me?” like little boy had fully come to that conclusion all on his own at that point in the movie) as well as her comment to the second Sister saying quote “I think we have very different definitions of family” because the mixed signals are really something else?? I don’t know whether it’s because they’re actual malignant sociopaths or because they’re a literally immortal, human-looking godly species or both but I’m just gonna end this by saying kudos to Laika for looking at Even Evil Has Loved Ones, looking back at the movie they’re in the middle of making, and going “yeah, we’re gonna play this trope straight but in the exact opposite of the wholesome and heartwarming read of it 😈” for the SECOND time now.

oh! I love the enthusiasm! I really really really enjoyed the movie, I loved all the characters and character designs. The beats in the movie were great. All the fights were great. It really feels like a movie worth rewatching to notice the interactions now that you know the twist! i just wanted something from kubo mourning the loss of both his human family and his celestial family. he's like twelve? and he's lost everyone he's related to, even if they were trying to kill him. it sounds like he would've wanted all of them in his life if possible. and now he's left with nobody in the whole wide world, or at least he thinks so. I would've loved the finale scene of kubo being devastated of losing all his family and then the village seeing what happened basically adopt him. you know the whole 'your family doesnt have to be who you are born too. your family can be the people around you' the villlagers already like kubo the just never understood why he had to leave before sun down.

its just kinda weird that scene goes to the grandfather when he becomes human.

and I don't mind the darkness! i think it's good for kids to have that!! I just want some balance where it's ok to have loss there's always going to be people around you to help pick up the pieces!

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #620

Top Ten Challenge: Top Ten Action Movies 2023

Yet again I’m doing a list that’s looking back and talking about the year that’s been and gone. But wait! For this is the latest in my Film Challenges.

At the beginning of 2022 I decided to have a kind of annual challenge with myself, where I’d try to watch as many of a particular kind of film as possible. The idea behind this was to try to deepen my knowledge of film. For instance, I’ve not seen many Alfred Hitchcock films; only about three or four and some quite a while ago. So I want to be more knowledgeable, for a whole bunch of reasons. Anyway, in 2022 I picked Westerns as the first genre of film to tackle. And I don’t think I did very well, only managing to watch a piddly 17 of the buggers.

2023 was a lot better, but then I made life a lot easier for myself. Because while I was searching Netflix for Westerns the previous year, I kept bumping into action movies and thrillers that I quite fancied watching. So for 2023 I picked Action Movies as my genre of choice.

And last year I watched 62 of them. I don’t think that’s a bad number at all.

Now, when I’m doing these, I’m not necessarily looking for the best of the best; nor am I attempting to only watch new films (well, new-to-me). I’m just sort of trying to get as broad a range of films before my eyes as possible; to just see loads and loads of action movies. And, yes, there is some attempt to cover the classics. But this year, for instance, I didn’t go out of my way to rewatch The Matrix trilogy as I remembered them pretty well and didn’t have easy access to them (they’re not on streaming and my DVDs are boxed away somewhere). So this list isn’t categorical or my all-time favourites; there are definitely huge omissions simply because, well, I couldn’t see everything (although I really should have tried to watch The Matrix Resurrections, which I have on BD and I’ve never seen).

It was relatively easy to find action movies because between the various streamers available to me – Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, ITVx, BBC iPlayer – and the Blu-rays I have in my front room, there are quite a lot of action movies. In fact, services like Disney and Paramount are really good for older films; I don’t mean, of course, films from the 1950s or whatever, but those eighties and nineties actioners that old duffers like me remember from their youth. Whether it’s stuff I definitely watched as an actual child – Beverly Hill’s Cop – or stuff that was just genuinely, unequivocally of the era – The Presidio – there is a wealth of vintage action available online (and, incidentally, the eighties and early nineties were great for those sorts of basically-a-thriller-with-some-great-action types of film).

No, where the difficulty came this year was in deciding where the line is drawn for what is and isn’t an action movie. I know that there’s a huge crossover with Westerns – most big, popular Westerns are also action movies, really – but where does an actioner end and a thriller begin? For instance, The Fugitive; that’s not really an action movie, is it? Despite it having at least one incredible stunt. I watched the first three Jack Ryan movies last year, but I haven’t counted them for the same reason; they just don’t feel like action films, despite having some good action. The Mission: Impossible franchise caused a similar headache, one where I came down on the side of “action”; because, really, those are spy films, aren’t they? Conspiracy thrillers. But you cannot disqualify a film series increasingly based on Tom Cruise’s ability to run across anything, jump off anything, and climb literally everything. Ditto the Indiana Jones films; it seems really weird to me to put them in the same category as Die Hard or Enter the Dragon or John Wick, but that’s another film series built around elaborate stunt work and chase sequences.

Oh, and I deliberately didn’t include any comic book movies, despite the Captain America films having at least as much action as your average Mission. This also stretched to my rewatch of the Ninja Turtles films. Which, I dunno, is that a bit daft? Especially the first one, actually made by filmmakers experienced in martial arts movies and with stuntmen in the costumes. But anyway, it wouldn’t have made the Top Ten, and nor would any other superhero film I saw last year (if I’d rewatched The Winter Soldier that might; it might be the most “straight” action film in the MCU).

So we have a list that maybe doesn’t include some things you might have included (Cop Land?) and also includes some that maybe you’d have considered not sufficiently action-y (The Warriors?). And, obviously, is lacking some all-time classics because I didn’t happen to watch them in 2023. But I do feel pretty good about this; I feel like I watched a lot of great movies and Taken. I feel I’ve got an even better appreciation for, and understanding of, action cinema. I didn’t see nearly as many foreign language films as I wanted, but I watched a few older Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee flicks, and that was really cool.

Oh, and I’ve limited myself to one film per franchise, so we don’t end up with all four John Wicks on the list.

And that’s all there is to it! Now let’s crack some skulls.

Die Hard (1988): I genuinely think this film is probably as perfectly structured as you could wish for. Every beat is planned out, we know the geography of the building stunningly well, it’s so tightly, tautly directed, it’s damn funny, and incredibly well-acted across the board. Everyone involved with this is right at the top of their game. Just every aspect is top-notch. I’ve gone on about it loads in the past, so I’ll just say this: it’s good.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): very close behind. As an adventure spectacle and stunt-based romp, it’s unparalleled. It races along from set-piece to set-piece, all of them exquisitely directed, and our focus held not just by Ford being utterly iconic, but also Karen Allen as his romantic equal and foil, Marion. They hold the screen, our attention, and our emotion so the wild ride has heft and stakes. And it’s got a bit where Indy punches a Nazi.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): like Raiders, this is a near-perfect execution of stuntwork and action cinematography. One long chase scene, it’s frankly gobsmacking how perfectly composed it is. The flow of each scene, the composition of each frame, the lighting, the effects; it all combines to create this engine of propulsive action. Combined with the trippy apocalyptic story, wild fantastical villains, and a stellar star turn by Charlize Theron, and it’s a masterpiece.

RRR (2022): a very broad, bombastic, and melodramatic retelling of Indian legends that, frankly, I knew nothing about. The mismatched best friend dynamic adds drama and pathos to a stirring revolutionary epic; but it’s the combination of stunning stunt choreography, outrageous effects, and frankly fantastic musical numbers that creates something you need to see to believe.

Speed (1994): an exercise in sustained tension from Die Hard DOP-turned-director Jan de Bont, and the two films are great companion pieces. The slick brushed-steel look of Die Hard is retained, as is the sense of an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation. Because, like Die Hard, it’s the characters here that compel and sell the premise; and, like Die Hard, the action when it arrives is slick, explosive, and exhilarating. And there’s a bit where a bus jumps a gap in the road.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017): my favourite of the Wick movies, it takes the premise of the first film – retired super-assassin comes back into the game to exact revenge – and ups the ante, not just in terms of action, style, and stunning fight choreography, but in terms of the dense and fantastical lore of this world. Reeves channels all his cool, stoic charm into Wick, and the fight scenes are brutal and dynamic but also reveal loads about the characters taking part. The best new action franchise in, what, twenty or thirty years?

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018): the best Mission, just edging out the first film, which in its slower, more noir-y spy shenanigans, feels a touch out of step with the insane stunts that followed. Here we get everything firing on all cylinders as Christopher McQuarrie’s Switch-composition knits twists and turns together, threading a series of increasingly-audacious stunts and set-pieces through the middle. Cruise is never better, and we get the most out of Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa, and still have time for lots of cool planning-the-mission moments.

The Rock (1996): Michael Bay’s sepia-tinged, militaristic, OTT sensibilities have, I think, drifted out of style a wee bit, but I’m pleased to say his masterpiece here holds up perfectly. Maybe it’s the charm of Connery and Cage carrying us through the machismo with humour; they’re both supremely likeable as we move through an almost Die Hard-level of well-prepared baddies. The set-pieces are dramatic but fantastically exciting, from the crazy chase through San Francisco to “you’re the Rocket Man”. Daft but tremendous fun.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984): I guess another potentially-contentious entry, as it’s really more of a comedy than an action film; but this was the era of the comedy-actioner (Lethal Weapon, Tango and Cash, Big Trouble in Little China). And let’s not forget it was supposed to star Sylvester Stallone! Which is crazy, because this film is all Eddie Murphy; his charisma, his comedy, his – quite frankly – sexiness. But it’s still a compelling action movie, with some good set-pieces, stunts, and chases, and Murphy is totally credible as a tough action hero, too.

The Warriors (1979): just pipping Hard Boiled at the post (I had a long chat with myself) we have this incredibly tense and beautifully produced semi-fantastical action-thriller. A gang of, frankly, scummy criminals crosses a city, bedevilled by rival gangs of even scummier criminals; there’s something of sixties Batman or even A Clockwork Orange to the stylised droogs we meet, leading to some great set-piece battles, shocking deaths, and genuinely tender, empathetic moments of character. It’s lean and taut and utterly compelling.

I almost feel I should have put Hard Boiled up there because you could argue it’s a better action film than The Warriors. But it is what it is; let’s pretend they’re joint number ten.

Anyway this was an incredibly fun challenge this year, and I already miss it; I just find these sorts of films really, really easy to watch, and there were tons I didn’t get round to. Not just the biggies like the Matrix and Lethal Weapon movies; but I didn’t see a single Jean-Claude Van Damme film! I really wanted to see Sisu, which came out last year, but I missed it; and I was hoping it was my chance to finally watch Cobra, the movie Stallone made instead of Beverly Hill’s Cop. I’m almost tempted to revisit this whole genre. But there are a lot of other genres to cover, so I should probably move on.

In 2024 I’m going to be watching animated movies, which I’ve already decided includes performance-capture films like Tintin, although I’ve yet to come to a decision on live-action/animation hybrids like Roger Rabbit. As for how well I’ll do? I’m never going to top the sixty-odd action films I saw last year. Put it this way, by this point in January 2023 I’d already watched three action movies; so far, I’ve not seen a single animated film, unless you count Tabby McTat.

[blazehedgehog]

You see Sonic 2 yet? What did you think?

It's a very strange movie.

I saw it in the context of skimming a few reviews from people who didn't like it, and by and large it sounded like they were from old people who didn't really understand Sonic and were complaining that the movie wasn't for them.

But while watching it, it kind of dawned on me that it's a weird thing where, like, you kind of need to know the lore of Sonic games for it to make sense? Which is strange, because the movie totally makes up its own lore. Like, in this movie, Knuckles explicitly had parents. The Chaos Emeralds are handled differently. They make it clear over and over and over that Sonic and friends aren't from another dimension, they're space aliens, and the rings are merely portals between planets.

But the way the story is told, there are enough blanks left open that I feel like this lore only feels notable in the context of knowing how it's different from the games?

And the movie leans on that a lot. So much of Sonic 2 feels like a list of jumbled up references to other Sonic games read out of order. Characters say or do things just to make you point at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio like "omg, Knuckles just mentioned grapes! That's a thing!!" I'm not saying that can't be fun, but it can feel like its laid on a little thick, here.

Especially with the way the rest of the movie feels kind of... disjointed? Like, I mentioned that I thought the first movie had pacing problems. Those same problems are still in this movie, and I'd argue they're even worse. There's a lot of weird whiplash going on where the tone of the whole movie turns on a dime. Fantasy cartoon movie suddenly becomes wacky family sitcom suddenly becomes heist movie. At least as far as I'm concerned, it had trouble fitting together. I could see this being a bunch of stuff the studio wanted because it "tracks well with the demo."

But I also make no secret that I don't like the way modern movies are paced. They're always in a hurry to get to the next scene, they're always trying to cram 5 hours of plot in to 2 hours of movie, etc. There are problems I had with Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 are just problems I have with all modern blockbuster movies in general.

At the same time, Sonic 2 feels like a movie where things are always happening, but it never feels like it's going anywhere specific. It's just, oh, Sonic and Tails are in a lodge up in the Siberian alps. And they're having a life-or-death dance battle now. Okay. It sort of feels like its making it up as it goes along. A general vibe of "what does this have to do with anything?" Luckily, it's still fun, even if it doesn't flow well, but the movie is balancing on a thin wire.

Basically, I can see how somebody could watch this movie and be like, "I don't get it."

Maybe it'll be better on a rewatch. A few days ago I ended up rewatching the first Sonic movie and it's definitely a little more digestible the second time around. The pacing problems don't feel as glaring.

But yeah, in short, I enjoyed it, but I'd still classify it as a pretty messy movie. Definitely more confident this time around, more secure in itself. Better animated, too. Sonic is so much more expressive in the sequel than he was in the first movie.

How Knuckles develops over the course of the movie was pretty good, as well. I appreciate they don't make him comically stupid, he's more just focused and inexperienced with anything besides his duty. He lived a hard, but simple life.

And for better or worse, Jim Carrey finally cuts loose, and it doesn't feel as phoned in as it did last time.

Absolutely better than 99% of the game-to-movie adaptations, but still, just a little messy.

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

My new thoughts on Transformers Dark of the Moon

I have rewatched the full film after a long time. It’s been many minutes since then. Even though the film is eleven years old. But I want to warn ahead that I will mention there will be spoilers in this. But they will be under the keep reading option. This won’t be a full-on review. But a bunch of rambles in separate parts and...how would’ve changed the film. This is all just my opinion.

If you just want to hear my quick thoughts on the film. Here’s what I want to say.

I genuinely liked it...I still like it. Even though there are things I think could’ve changed. But I actually liked this film. This is maybe my favorite Bayformers film. But I still like the first one a lot.

That I recall a nice friend of mine from years ago, Cure4, a guy who did fake movie posters, and did review some movies. But he’s sadly gone from the internet. If I can recall what he said right...I agree with him that Dark of the Moon should’ve been the sequel that the 2007 film should’ve had. And I feel like this was the last Transformers film Michael Bay at least tried. Particularly with the fact this would’ve been his last...until shit changed.

Moving on.

-

- I’d just want to say that I think this film has the best CGI in the franchise. I’m being serious. The special effects and everything else are so good. It doesn’t feel cheap (Which sounds rude of me sorry). And I thought Revenge of the Fallen still had good effects. But this takes the cake along with the original 2007 film.

It just looks so real and professional.  The robots, the destruction, and many other things. It looks really damn good. And strangely...beautiful eye candy in a sense.

- The score from Steve Jablonsky is maybe my favorite in the Bayformers pentalogy. Along with the score from the 2007 film. This man always fuckin delivers. Honestly, all of the scores for these films are so good.

- This may sound strange but considering the runtime...I think the pacing is pretty fine. It’s long enough for the story it needs to be told, and it works for the film. 

- I honestly think out of all of the villains in the Bayformers pentalogy, Sentinel Prime is the best villain right to Megatron in the 2007 film. And an added bonus is that he’s voiced by Leonard Nimoy. Who voiced Galvatron in the 1986 Transformers film. He does a fantastic job.

Don’t worry, I’ll get into more of the criticisms. But I wanted to say some positive stuff first.

- Let me tell you this. I don’t hate Sam Witwicky as a character. But I think I’m more frustrated in a sense with him.

To be honest, I can understand his struggles with him and his arc. The whole job thing, and I get he wants to matter. But I think a problem with his character is that...again, I get he’s pissed, he’s frustrated with his place in life. But I feel like his character should’ve been more likable. While he does get better in the film. Maybe that’s the point. 

I feel like the problem with his character is that I guess he’s inconsistent. Or that he just seems...too rude at times. Which sounds so strange. Because this will lead into the next part. While I find his freakout with his car funny. This dude...he’s a mixed bag. But maybe that’s the point. 

Including I will admit, couldn’t he...treat Bumblebee more like a person or so? Sam is a weird mixed bag for me. Despite at times he does get better.

- Let me make this clear. I am aware of the situation with Megan Fox and they didn’t have time to rewrite Carly’s job...and the fact that Mikeala’s character arc is...kind of ruined when you hear she just dumped Sam and a new girlfriend comes into the picture. I do have an idea that...would’ve made more sense of her departure...but it’s fucking dark. And it would’ve been disrespectful to Megan. 

- I just want to admit this. I don’t care about Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s acting. I actually really didn’t mind Carly as a character. But here’s my problem.

She is supportive, and the fact she deals with Sam. Even when he’s frustrated. She has a good reason to be upset when Sam starts working with the Autobots again because her brother in the military died. She’s a genuinely likable person. And I feel like girl...why are you with this guy? Or the fact he’s acting...rude recently. And a part of me feels like I would rather have her as the main character, which may sound strange.

I will admit, I love her scene with Megatron. I actually like that. She has some major balls doing that. 

Again, I didn’t mind her character. But I was just wondering with how Sam was acting. The fact she is able to deal with him in that time...I’m talking a lot about the human characters, I know.

- I really liked the scenes with Optimus and Sentinel. But I wished there were more scenes or one more before Sentinel’s betrayal. Because it feels short and that could’ve been developed more.

- Soundwave is brilliant, despite being so underused. I do agree and wished he had some blue on him. Because I’m one of the many that feels like the Decepticons could’ve used more color. Because the silver/white thing just...he blends with others. Also, a reference to G1. Just making him blue. And there should’ve been more of him.

I remember being genuinely surprised when the Mercades transformed. Because I was literally expecting him to be an SUV like in the Dark of the Moon video game.

But I think what’s great about Soundwave is despite his short screentime. I love the fact that he’s been spying on the characters the whole time, and he was Carly’s vehicle. While not like the cassette player in G1. Soundwave as an espionage specialist is used in this, and I just wished we saw more of him. I think it’s just the idea of him working with Dylan that will always stick with me and that twist. Because I actually wasn’t expecting it. Despite Michael Bay tried so hard to keep that a secret.

- Before seeing this film again. I’ll just admit this. Patrick Dempsey’s role as Dylan Gould was the one that stood out to me the most. And I think that’s mainly because my memory of his performance seemed...more cartoonish. Yet still leaving a strong impression on me. That scene sticks with me.

My memory of Dylan as a character compared to how he was in the movie. The idea that despite he appears like a totally chill and cool boss. This guy is a big douchebag and him just fucking losing it over the course of the film. But it’s handled, more maturely than how I remembered it. More so the idea that despite he tries justifying in what he’s doing. The idea he secretly doesn’t care and likes what he’s doing. But that’s not part of the story.

But I do like him as a villain. Despite the...lore for these films is...difficult and the tie-in comics tried their best to make them work. But I think it’s maybe due to my head canons and shit in my head that made me think of his character as an even worse person. Like him being with Soundwave, and all that.

Yet I do think it’s still human, but still douchey that he tries to justify being on the “Winning side” so he can live and that he “Inherited” Soundwave. I do like the foreshadowing when he’s first introduced that he says he puts his bets on the winning side or something. It’s a small piece of dialogue. But it’s said there.

- You know, I am annoyed by the fact during behind the scenes with Wheeljack becoming Que...Que is fine...but still...

- You know, even as a kid, I am saddened we didn’t get any big stuff with Starscream later in these films. I remember being a kid and feeling like Starscream not betraying Megatron in this film was bothersome...because this would’ve been the “Last film”...but...yeah.

At least he had “Reign of Starscream” and I fucking love Charlie Alder as Starscream. He’s perfect as his voice. But even though he’s kissing Megatron’s ass to likely save his own ass. It’s still annoying we didn’t any big role for him. Which makes seeing his death...kind of annoying.

Even though I think it was badass of Sam to straight up jump onto Starscream’s face and stab a bomb into his other eye. A part of me feels like Starscream should’ve survived, but then you wonder what else would happen if they did that...I seriously feel like Starscream should’ve been seen in command more before Megatron was revived.

- Shockwave...

Listen, I love his design. But his portrayal in this film...is bothersome. It’s mainly because of the fact Shockwave is such a more “Logical” type of character. A scienist basically. Whether in the original Marvel comics he would betray Megatron because he believed it would be more logical if he was leader. Or that he was a loyal follower of Megatron who would do experiments on Autobots in Fall of Cybertron. Or even his Animated adaptation...

Shockwave acts more like a...somewhat mindless brute. I don’t mind him being as powerful as Megatron. But it’s so weird, and I remember being hyped hearing he was the main villain.

But the fact he lacks any screentime, and he acts more like a “Big CGI monster” than his own character. It also sucks this dude had a lot of promos on him. But again, it sucks. And I like his design. It would’ve been better if he was Lugnut. But then you would have to change his design and the driller worm may not be there. Yet I think Bay wouldn’t care looking into recent Transformers lore.

And yes, I’m aware of comic book tie-ins for the films. It’s still bothersome. In a way, it’s like how Lizzie was treated in Rampage 2018. But for Rampage, that worked with the story they were telling.

I’m rambling, Shockwave in this film is cool until you remember the cool shit he can do in other media. And you feel disappointed that used the most “Logical” of all the Decepticons.

- The ending...the fact the ending was changed because the studio did not want the adaptations ending the same as the movie...and Bay was pissed at the leaks. That he ordered an executive order to have no tie-ins or adaptations for the next two films...

And we got an ending that...really shows something dark with Optimus’s character. I would’ve preferred the original ending where Megatron and Optimus teamed up against Sentinel. And the fact they talked gave them more depth. Especially Megatron as a character.

I will admit, if they wanted to go with both endings in a way. Or a way that doesn’t showcase...Optimus...being so extreme. They could’ve had Megatron be the one who killed a begging Sentinel, with Optimus watches in horror at what happens. Giving Megatron something more note-worthy in the movie and giving Optimus more of a reason to kill Megatron.

But...I prefer the original ending. 

- I have a lot to say. You know...this is just a fan part here...I’m still disappointed that Bay doesn’t like the Dinobots, and they weren’t in the original trilogy.

Despite the fact these films don’t take continuity seriously or try certain shit...this is a fan suggestion...

I fucking wished the Dinobots were extra Autobots that were hidden along with Sentinel, and them going against him. Or even replace the Wreckers. That doesn’t make sense. But I just feel like with the epic set pieces in Chicago. It would’ve been perfect to put the Dinobots in there wrecking shit.

But I still love the irony that two of the smallest Autobots are the ones that took down a ship...

Still would’ve loved a Dinobot charge into Chicago. But I’m reminded that I recall being disappointed that Unicron wouldn’t be the next big villain in the third film. But I think it was for the best they didn’t do that. And considering how they treated his character or...what they were going to do with him.

- Last two updates because I forgot to mention these. Simmons is funny. I’m sorry, to me, he still is. I also like Dutch too.

- Okay, this is something that’s been on my mind for a long while. Because this movie is somewhat of a loose adaptation of “The Ultimate Doom” or more so, this story was inspired by it. I tried looking up any sort of logic about this.

If Cybertron in this movie was still that close to Earth? Wouldn’t there be drastic weather changes? Such as tornados, tidal waves, and earthquakes if I recall right? Would that happen if something like that were to happen in reality? 

But honestly...for some reason I would trust the cartoon much more. Because Ehren Kruger and Michael Bay sometimes don’t care about logic. Look, I’m no scientist, but I feel like there would be consequences if a planet like Cybertron was close to Earth. Yet, it wasn’t there for days or however how long. This is something that really makes me think.

- Final update, my apologies. I did question if I should talk about this. If it really mattered, because I had forgotten about it. As a Decepticon fan. I appreciate this film being a “The Decepticons Strike Back” kind of thing. The idea they almost win and using this old plan...but I think it depends on how you look at it considering the lore from the last two films.

-

I think I’ll just mention some shit I want to talk about. Watching this film, there needed to be more stuff of Optimus and Sentinel, even some more footage of the Decepticons. Including things like the Wreckers completing freeing Optimus, and the Autobots being taken prisoners. Because some of that shit is offscreen. I feel like characters like Dino/Mirage weren’t needed.

And I feel like with the parallel with Optimus & Sentinel to Sam and Dylan. I feel like to make the twist with Dylan could’ve been stronger if we got a bit more of Dylan before that. Maybe Sam could’ve accepted that job offer by Dylan. Instead of that job interview crap they were doing. Basically, take out John Malkovich’s character, yet you could retain elements of that place...and maybe when Sam is trying to get Carly out of that party and Sam decides to be rude and “Quits” which gets Dylan to stop fucking around and be honest about who he really is.

I didn’t want to change a majority of the story. Also, make Sam...less bothersome...and I feel like this dark idea I had long ago concerning Mikeala. I feel it doesn’t make sense that she just dumps him after everything they had gone through. I feel like what would’ve been better to explain her exit from the story was that a Decepticon killed her...yet I feel like that would’ve been like a middle finger to Megan. And it just feels...weird.

It’s like if you did the death of Gwen Stacy. But you only mention it. 

I think I’ve rambled long enough. I have been writing this for I think nearly or well...two hours.

Edit update basically my rewrite would involve Sam and Dylan being pretty alright with each other. But after Sentinel’s betrayal, Sam is just not having it, he’s not hiding his feelings about Dylan. Which leads into that twist. Something to kind of mirror Optimus and Sentinel’s relationship. But it’s not the same.

Also, like I said on Twitter. I think Sam should’ve gotten a similar gun like Cade got in Age of Extinction. While not the same and maybe not as strong. But Sam deserved something like that after all the shit he’s been through.

[guessimabasicnerdgirlnow]

I need to tell the whole story. It’s probably not that interesting to anyone but it’s always good for me to have this stuff saved on a blog

The story of how I acquired a new blorbo

It all started when I decided to rewatch Homecoming. I have been meaning to do so for a while because I couldn’t remember much of the movie, and mostly because I wanted to take a better look at the supporting cast. Back when I first watched it they didn’t mean much to me, but it’s apparently a side effect of becoming a Venom fan that I grew attached to some of Peter’s friends. I don’t even know them all that well I just love them. So I had to

But truth be told I have a bunch of movies I want to rewatch. Or watch for the first time. Look, when I watch things, I devote my whole mind to watching it. For the 2 or something hours of a movie’s length I will be entirely focused on it. It’s intense. I call it when I am watching a thing without being entirely focused “passive watching”, and I don’t passive watch something I want to watch. That is for telenovelas and whatever whichever family member has the remote control decides to watch when I am hanging in the living room. My stuff, I always actively watch. But actively watching is tiring so I can’t just do it any time. It’s an Event. It needs to be planned.

So, in short, I have this long ass list of things I want to watch and rewatch that I never get to. It’s why I prefer reading. In any format.

(I am very autistic, yes, in case I haven’t mentioned it)

But one fine night I had a dream. I don’t remember exactly what it was like but something in it made me decide “today I will rewatch Spider-Man Homecoming”. And I woke up with this thought. It’s not a thing that happen often, I think the mouse is using dark magic or something to advertise in my dreams. But I decided that day’s adventure would be it.

So there I went to the mouse’s streaming land and found out they don’t have it??? Apparently all Spider-Man’s movies are scattered across the services and there’s no logic but whatever. I did find it and I did rewatch it and I did catch some easter eggs and it was fun. But while in the mouse’s streaming land I took a look at what they had there and that’s where it all went downhill.

I have said before I play a bunch of phone games to satisfy the “gotta catch them all” instinct, right? They haven’t made a slime only of those, unfortunately, and Spider-Man Unlimited is dead rip. So while hunting my beloved slimes in them, I run across all these characters, some which I know or have heard of, some which I don’t. And there are some short bios, and sometimes I have to use them, and the card game has all those cool illustrations…

That was probably their plan all along.

I am not immune to hot characters with cool aesthetics and I’m at a point of my life that I seem to crave all the power fantasies (that’s part of why I ended up here after all) so

I may or may not have already had a vague crush on Black Bolt when I saw that the Inhumans show was in there and then I found out it had only 8 episodes which seemed manageable to actively watch…

It’s all Ultimate Spider-Man (cartoon)’s fault, really. All those crossover episodes bore me, so I could use the distraction from it.

I also can blame the postponing of the recent comics, you know. A long time ago when I followed ongoing manga I was used to living off of 20 pages a month or something, but I don’t remember how to do it. And some fics I followed ended recently, and I am having another writer’s block, and…

So here I am.

That’s the story, that’s the context. The actual post, what I wanted to share comes next.

So, uhm, I find googling stuff related to an hyperfixation embarrassing. So while I already learned that if I wanted to get into some new comic I should look for a curated list, from someone with similar interests to mine, I was not about to google it, so I counted on marvel complete reading order, aka the one that helped me get here (and half accidentally skip a bunch of stuff because I did not realize that Venom’s page referred specifically to Eddie and not the symbiote with anyone else, sorry Mac), even though I also already learned that it includes some useless cameos and other uninteresting stuff. But it feels less “judgemental” than google and its habit of trying to guess what I will type, and it conveniently links to the marvel reading app, so yeah.

Well, at least I thought so. Sometimes with older comics it doesn’t have a link, and I guessed that meant the app didn’t have them. Thank god for pinterest’s (usually dumb) algorithm to have picked up this new hyperfixation and giving me spoilers so that I realized I seemed to skip an event very relevant to my interests. And also for pirating sites, my beloved, for having the issues that the app lacked. Because the most interesting stuff so far was on these issues with no link! I feel so betrayed by everyone!

(And now I am wondering if I make a new blog or put this stuff here too. When I made this blog, I planned to dump any comic related stuff here, but I actually don’t like mixing stuff. But does it count as mixing when the stuff is in the same universe? Damn it)

Anyway. The reading order site pointed me to one issue of Planet of the Symbiotes. Because, as I said, it counts useless cameos, I try my best to filter those out when I can figure them out. I should probably reread pots anyway, it’s a five stars. But this time, it just pointed me to it for this panel:

which I loved because every time someone says “sonics” I inevitably think that my boy would be a nightmare for the slimes. Then again, his sonic powers can probably kill everyone, slime or not. Ah, those power fantasies…

[reallivegeekgirl]

StanQuest

Something clicked on in my brain a couple months ago and suddenly Sebastian Stan became the hottest man alive. So I decided to watch everything he’s ever been in. A friend and I called it StanQuest.

Here are my spoiler-free reviews for anyone considering something similar (in inverse chronological order starting with latest works and going back in time. The stars are an overall rating of the work, not of Sebastian’s performance.

This only lists things I could find streaming for free or a price I was willing to pay. It does not count after credits scenes, music videos, or works in which he was uncredited.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) - TV show - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This started it all. I very much enjoyed it. Good balance of humor and action, heart and heroics. I’ve watched it four times already, and will watch it again. Bucky Barnes is my favorite character of his and this is my favorite story of Bucky's so far. I can’t wait to see what he does next. (And I have a lot to say about how they treat his trauma in this show. I’ve definitely written about it before and may again.)

Monday (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one where he gets naked. If that’s all you’re looking for, enjoy. It was a very realistic portrayal of a relationship between two deeply flawed people. It can get depressing. But hey, penis.

The Devil All the Time (2020) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you think Monday is depressing, this movie says “hold my beer”. But something about it is just captivating. It’s really disturbing, and if you’ve ever been screwed over by American Evangelical Christianity it might be more disturbing. Still, I’ve watched it twice. And as much of a bastard as Lee Bodecker is, he also looks really cuddly. He’s just barely in it.

The Last Full Measure (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - You will cry. A lot. It’s based on a true story. Sebastian plays a man who cares more about his career than this weird quest dumped on his desk by his boss, but changes his mind and his heart as he investigates why a war hero was denied a medal of honor 34 years before. Definitely recommend.

Endings, Beginnings (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - One of two love interests in the complicated life of Shailene Woodley’s Daphne, Sebastian is an adorable mess. The editing is interesting and fresh feeling. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean. Fair amount of sex in this movie, and you see his butt. It’s a very nice butt. I’ve watched this one a few times so far.

Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Movie - ⭐⭐ - There is no reason to watch this movie if you’re not familiar with at least most of the rest of the MCU. It plays merry hob with the rules of time travel, and only makes sense if you don’t really think about it. In my opinion, the ending is really freaking stupid comsidering his character’s history, but at least it sets up TFatWS, which was amazing.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018) - Movie - ⭐ - If you’re into movies that are creepy but also almost nothing happens for most of the movie, this is the one for you. Sebastian is handsome as hell, but also a complete asshole. As fine as he is, I’m not gonna watch this again. I fucking hated it.

Destroyer (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- I had a hard time paying attention to the plot because it seemed like they made this movie just to get Nicole Kidman an Oscar nomination for wearing ugly makeup and playing a complete mess of a person. It’s a fine movie, and all of the performances are good. Sebastian looks surprisingly good with the short hair and goatee. Ultimately, the plot is depressing and the whole movie seems kind of pointless.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Again, no reason to watch this if you aren’t already familiar with all the movies leading up to it. It’s long and the villain looks like Grimace and a California Raisin had an evil baby. The ending made me scream with frustration that I had to wait until the next one came out. Now I just watch them back-to-back if I watch them at all. It’s not a good movie, but it is part of a long-form story that I enjoy in general.

I’m Not Here (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐- Another depressing one. Told over the course of one man’s terrible life, it’s a sad account of how much your parents can fuck you up. Sebastian portrays the middle part of the man’s life. J.K. Simmons plays the current day part and unreliable narrator.. Do not watch unless you are fully prepared to be sad for a really long time after.

I, Tonya (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- This movie is hilarious. I mean, the true story is insane and really stupid. The spousal abuse is hard to watch, and Sebastian’s mustache in this is a war crime. But the acting is great and it’s a very engaging movie. The parts that aren’t horrifying are pretty funny.

Logan Lucky (2017) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Watch. This. Movie. Sebastian Stan is only in it a little, but it’s a really fun, clever caper/heist movie and everyone in it is fantastic. I don’t want to say anything else about it if you’re going in fresh. I’ll be rewatching this one a lot

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you ignore how kind of silly the conflict over the Sokovia Accords is, this is a good Marvel movie. Sebastian gets a lot of screen time because Bucky is the more pressing concern/urgent point of contention than the Accords. Bucky is my favorite character of his partly because of this movie.

The Martian (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I’m watching it(again) as I’m typing this. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. Sebastian Stan isn’t in it very much, but he’s very cute and so is his little story arc. Mostly I watch it because Ridley Scott made a fantastic movie. If you can get your hands on the Blu-Ray, it comes with a ton of extras. They made a very complete story that isn’t all seen in the movie. A lot of it is stuff about Mars, but there are also extra “crew” interviews, so there’s another chance to see more of Sebastian’s character.

Ricki and the Flash (2015) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - He’s not in this very much, but he’s very cute when he does appear. It’s all about the relationship between Ricki and her daughter. Definitely rewatchable. Meryl Streep is fantastic, because she’s Meryl Streep.

The Bronze (2015) - Movie - ⭐ - This is not a good movie. It’s about Olympic gymnastics, so it might be slightly more interesting right now while the Olympics are happening. Sebastian isn’t in it a lot, but his performance is certainly… memorable. Weirdest sex scene I’ve ever seen. Worth watching just for that.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This is the one I can watch over and over. I bought a Winter Soldier face mask for when I need to feel like a badass. Bucky’s story is really sad, but he’s also extremely sexy with the metal arm and determined walk.

Once Upon a Time (2012-2013) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐ - This show is so stupid, but it’s also fun. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that fairy tale characters are real and live in another land. Snow White’s Evil Queen casts a spell to transport a bunch of them to a town she creates in Maine called Storybrooke, and gives them all fake memories so she can be mayor and watch them all not remember who they are. Sebastian plays Jefferson, a.k.a. The Mad Hatter. He’s in a few episodes in season 1 and 2, and doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he’s really cute and tragic as Jefferson. It probably helps to watch the whole first season just to understand his episodes, but that’s up to your tolerance for weird shit. Note: IMDB says he’s in an episode uncredited, but I’ve watched it and didn’t see him anywhere in that one.

Labyrinth (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐ - Two episodes that tell a complete story. Sebastian isn’t in this one a whole lot, but he is adorable. It’s a strange story about religious stuff and a sort of Holy Grail that’s three books. It’s hard to describe. It’s on Amazon Prime right now, but they’re taking it down August 8, 2021, so watch it while you can.

The Apparition (2012) - Movie - ⭐ - If you like horror movies, you might like this. I did not. From what I understand, it’s not a very good horror movie. Watch with caution and expect it to suck.

Political Animals (2012) - TV Mini-Series - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I had to buy this through Apple and watch it on a Mac, but it was worth it. Sebastian plays TJ Hammond, the out gay son of a former American president who is clearly based on Bill Clinton. Sigorney Weaver plays the former first lady and current secretary of state. TJ struggles with addiction and relationship problems. His performance is heart-wrenching. The whole show is pretty great. I wish there was more of it.

Gone (2012) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - More of a psychological thriller than a horror movie. Sebastian has a small amount of screen time as the worried boyfriend. Amanda Seyfried is good. She carries the film well on her own.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - If you haven’t seen this yet, I’d like to know what it’s like under your rock. This is a movie I can rewatch a lot, and have. I 100% cried in the theater. Sebastian looks fantastic in uniform as Bucky Barnes. This is his introduction and the start of his ultimately tragic story (before he’s saved by his best friend, again).

Black Swan (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Sebastian is barely in this. He’s basically just in one scene in a dance club. But I watched it to try to complete StanQuest, and I had seen it before. It’s a good movie, but might induce some nightmares, depending on what scares you. If Natalie Portman didn’t at least get a nomination for an award she was robbed.

Gossip Girl (2007-2010) - TV Show - ⭐⭐ - Carter Baizen is a little shit. The episodes with Sebastian in them might have made more sense if I watched the show from the beginning, but I didn’t want to. His character is an asshole, but a very cute one.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐- The people who made this movie are bad at math, and their rules of time travel are sketchy at best, but it is funny and entertaining. Sebastian plays a ski patrol bro who’s paranoid about the Russians, which is hilarious irony to me. Worth watching if you want to laugh at something dumb.

Kings (2009) - TV Show - ⭐⭐⭐- Sebastian plays Jack Benjamin, the closeted gay son of the king of a fictional place. It’s loosely based on the David and Goliath story from the Bible. Sebastian is so sad and so gay. His family makes his life a living hell. Ian McShane is a force of nature in this. It’s only one season. I’ve watched it twice. I will watch it again.

Spread (2009) - Movie - no stars - This movie was practically unwatchable. It stars Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche as a romantic couple, I guess? I ended up just skipping to Sebastian’s scenes and only watching those. Still painful.

The Covenant (2006) - Movie - ⭐⭐⭐ - This movie is so fuckig stupid, and I will watch it a ridiculous number of times. It’s about magic and teenagers, like The Craft for boys. Nothing about it makes sense. It’s terrible, almost irredeemable, but an evil Sebastian with magic powers is a siren song that will make me steer my boat right into the rocks.

And there you have it. There are a bunch of earlier things on IMDB that I just can’t find or don’t want to pay to rent. Maybe some day I’ll watch them and add them to this list.

[south-park-meta]

Stan's Growth since Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

A little while ago someone asked how Stan's grown/changed since the movie and I put off answering since I hadn't seen the movie in the last decade. I rewatched it last night though so here are some thoughts:

1. Stan was much happier in the earlier seasons of the show, in general and when it comes to his outlook on the town specifically. The movie opens and closes with him smiling, and notably with him saying how 'kick-ass' their little mountain town is. When it comes to his happiness, the opening to this movie is

There's a bunch of birds in the sky,

And some deers just went running by,

Ohhh, the snows pure and white on the earth rich

and brown, Just another Sunday morning

in my quiet mountain town.

The sun is shining and the grass is green,

Under the 3 feet of the snow I mean,

This is a day when its hard to wear a frooowwwwn,

All the happy people stop to say hello!

And throughout the movie he's smiling/laughing even WITH a major theme being his jealousy over Gregory. He's a genuinely happy kid here. This is hugely contrasted with episodes like YGO where he sees even nature, something he has always loved and been into, as literal shit.

But even prior to YGO Stan was smiling/laughing much less than he did movie-era and becoming much more critical of the town as a whole. In newer seasons he's still tied, or wants to be tied to the town, but it's because it's what he's known and it's what he sees as 'normal'. But it's been a recurrent theme in recent seasons (YGO/Ass Burgers/Dead Kids) that 'normal' isn't the same as 'good', and I think he's much more aware of the toxicity of the town now, and is starting to make clearer boundaries of why he likes the town (his friends, his connection to society) than just accepting everything about it at face value even if it's ''pissant, redneck, podunk, jerkwater, greenhorn, one-horse, mudhole, peckerwood, right-wing, whistle-stop, hobnail, truck-driving, old-fashioned, hayseed, inbred, unkempt, out-of-date, out-of-touch, white trash".

It's clear he was always aware of all these flaws, but they're starting to be actual problems instead of just...quirks, features of a small town that are more than balanced by it being 'kick ass'. Where he's at now he's latching on to specific THINGS or PEOPLE that are kick ass and is starting to see the town maybe not in a negative light, but in a much more realistic way.

2. Stan is less anxious/nervous and more outwardly confident. This one's a little tough to parse because a lot of Stan's confidence is (still) performative, but I do think Stan took the Clitoris' advice to heart. He's had a firmer voice in things, he's taken on stronger advocacy roles, he's been even more staunchly the leader of groups and has been more open about dorky/nerdy activities that he would've been very very embarrassed by in early seasons. I do think he still cares a lot about what people think of him which makes his confidence a bit for show to hide how he feels about himself, but he has been making strides in being actually confident. He has been less anxious, likely because of this 'fake it til you make it' approach to confidence. This can be seen most clearly in the fact he's stopped puking on Wendy, but it can also be seen in his activism roles. In the movie he 'uh' and 'um's and '...and stuff's a lot in his speeches when he tries to rally people. In more recent seasons he's more certain of what he's saying and says it with far fewer qualifiers.

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 12 rewatch thoughts

- I would like to thank them for keeping in din’s harried yet triumphant ‘hAH!!’ when he gets the explosives to stick to gideon’s ship in the ‘hey remember when this happened last season’ section, that was a nice gesture from the showrunners to me personally, I assume

- this episode actually helped me find more enjoyment in the last one, because it’s such a nice reassurance that even though they’re pulling in more stuff from other star wars media this show won’t suddenly stop being its own thing and mando won’t suddenly stop being himself and it’s very comforting to me somehow haha

- the small hesitation before din calls out “do you... do you have the wire?” lol lol lol he’s completely aware of the bizarreness of what he’s doing here but hey being alive is already so damn weird etc. 

the softness of his voice the whole way through and the fact that he never, never blames the baby for not being able to do what shouldn’t really be asked of him in the first place, tho... ;____;  

- the tiny exasperated head tilt din does when he realizes the hatch isn’t going to extend all the way fdslkfhasdlashfs  

- din is looking down at the baby the entire time while greef talks to the mechanics ❤️❤️❤️

(the baby seems pretty drawn to/excited to see greef again and mando seems to notice which is extremely cute. he’s becoming really good at tuning in with the kid) 

he also greets cara baby first in much the same way as he does peli, like he knows what the main attraction here is lol, they do a very sweet bro nod at each other. god I wish gina carano wasn’t so terrible imagine if we could just have this BrOTP without hesitations :( 

I think greef is actually a bit worried to begin with after seeing the ship, he sort of takes din in intently before he huffs a little laugh and grabs his arm. it must be a bit stressful to be his friend and not be able to see his expression right away when you worry something might be seriously wrong haha

- people are finally treating the baby like you would a real baby and it’s such a blessing, everyone talking and cooing at him and baby babbling back

(I wonder if greef has children of his own? he does have an undeniable air of experienced grandpa about him in this episode, it’s adorable)  

- din does so much talking -- unprompted, even! -- these days, it truly is an embarrassment of riches 

- capital E Emotional about this shot with IG-11 right behind din and cara inviting him into the school in front of him. some past carried with us into the future shit going on here  

IG-11′s legacy’s still got our back y’all :’) I swear to god if gideon blows up nevarro at some point I’m going to lose it 

the ‘oh yeah?/that so?’ way din leans his head back after she says “wait until you see inside” is also amazing

- baby reaching out his hand like ‘can have?’ is so polite ;______; he takes after his father (including in the ‘fool me twice, I’ll fuck you up’ department haha. listen you get one chance to be cool about it and then no more mr nice mando/baby)

-

go ahead, kid, make a fuss about it. who are you going to tell, huh? who’s going to believe you? you gonna tell them you got bested by a baby? a magic baby? no? that’s right. I took your dignity as easily as I took your macarons, there’s nothing you can do to change it, and now you gotta live with that. sweet dreams.

(this is a joke. the baby is not evil. I hate that I even have to specify this but I’ve seen some stupid shit in the tags in my time you guys haha) 

- I can’t work out what anything on greef’s desk is supposed to be, but if that’s a computer it’s got to be older than even the razor crest lol

- friends: din yes?

mando: din no, only repairs

friends: din yes please?

mando: ... [sigh] din yes 

he truly has next to no defense against people he actually likes asking him for something huh lol. well a self care co-op mission clearly did him a world of good in this one at least it’s all fine

- “I’m starting to dehydrate, Boss” is an excellent line and delivered perfectly, I cackle every time (”You park your gills right there until I say otherwise” is a good runner up too) 

- it’s so nice to see the small moments of communication between them in this one after mando was so out of sync with the team in the last one (and tbf those guys didn’t even try to give him any pointers at all, they really left him to flounder through the whole thing if you watch it carefully haha)

- the mythrol’s jacket still looks so comfy, I want one

- aaaaah the way din says “I don’t like this” is just so... hnnngh it’s perfect, there’s a vulnerability and openness to it for a moment. greef glances over at him like he hasn’t heard him sound like this before too, which just sells it even more

u ok bro?

you know shit’s fucked up when din djarin expresses an emotion without even being forced to by circumstance (I think what I mean is that it’s actually really rare for him to state how he feels about something just to do it, usually his communication is more practically oriented, more along ‘I think this is the best cause of action because of a and b’ lines, or like when he tells omera he’s grateful it’s... more to inform her of it and make sure she knows than to express himself? but he’s starting to do it more with people he trusts now and it gets me in the heart? man I’m finding this hard to articulate let’s move on lol)

- I really, really wonder about pershing’s position in all of this. his plea for the child’s life did sound genuine -- he did try to guard him with his own noodly scientist body when he thought din was out to hurt him, remember -- but is that only because he knows he’s in deep shit himself without the blood the baby can give? is he maybe not quite cool with whatever gideon has him doing? (he does sound quite strained when he talks about the ‘body’ rejecting the transfusion and the ‘volunteer’ potentially suffering the same fate... hm.)

idk why I want there to be something redeemable in him so bad, maybe it’s just my weird yet enduring attachment to ladon radim in stargate atlantis messing with me they’re kind of similar in some ways (yeah don’t ask me I don’t know either sometimes the heart wants what it wants in ways reason can’t explain)

- tfw ur literally launching yourself across a pool of boiling lava because you’re Dad and your baby’s in danger T__________T he just does not stop running towards that kid for even a single second help

- there’s something so innocently pure and... old fashioned? about the scene with mythrol and greef screaming the entire time they drive off the cliff, it feels like something out of a movie from like three decades ago. that whole segment feels a bit like that, it’s just there to be fun and that’s okay sometimes

- every dog fight in every movie should have a baby nonchalantly snacking on a cookie in them, it elevates the experience immeasurably (he squishes his nose a little bit with the macaron when he misses his mouth at one point, which is more than anyone should be expected to bear honestly)

I love that even all fixed up again the razor crest groans and creaks like an old tired thing when din makes it flip to dive, he 100% did take out a bunch of ferraris in his stalwart morris minor of a spaceship and I treasure him     

- there’s so much life and emotion in din’s voice here I can’t!!!! I simply can’t!!!! imagine if we get to hear him openly laugh one day, would I even survive it??!!!!

 also the kid makes such pitch perfect ‘having my lil nose wiped and whining about it’ baby noises when din uses his cape to clean him up (din does turn the autopilot on before he turns around to deal with it, for those who, like me, worry about these things) 

- between carson showing up and the stuff the droid talks about in the lesson they’re doing quite a bit of outer rim vs. core worlds theme building in this one, I wonder if this is going to ramp up more or what

- god but gideon’s theme SLAPS tho 

he’s probably going to try to fuck up everything I love but you can’t fault him on the tunes he’s going to do it to 

[mylifeiskara]

I made this thread on Twitter kind of comparing how The Mindy Project and The 100 seem to be handling their cast shake-ups, which might seem rather silly of me because they are different genres, but I’ve been rewatching The Mindy Project recently, and I remember how upset the writing and stuff made me while I was watching TMP, even though I knew that it was because Chris Messina had asked to be on the show less to pursue other projects. He was in like a million movies in 2016! But as I go back and rewatch, I’m realizing they actually handled it very well, and I thought I’d elaborate a little more on my thread where there is no character limit. So spoilers for TMP and what we’ve seen of season 7 of The 100 probably.

Tl;dr: I still think Bellarke is happening, and I don’t think what we’re seeing on screen would be that much different, even if Bob hadn’t asked for time off.

So season 3 of The Mindy Project ends with Mindy and Danny (played by Chris Messina) together and expecting a baby, though Danny has said he’s not sure he wants to get married again. He even travels all the way to India to visit Mindy’s parents and explain to them that he is in love with Mindy, but isn’t sure he wants to marry her. This is where the first episode of season 4 picks up, and at the end of this episode, after Danny talks to Mindy’s parents and comes to the realization that he wants to work past his hang-ups on marriage, he proposes to Mindy.

Now somewhere in between season 3 and the writing of season 4 Chris Messina asked to be on the show less because he was interested in pursuing other projects. So the writers had to navigate how to tell a story where Mindy’s fiance and the father of her child was not on the show as much. They first did this by setting up the conflict of Mindy realizing that she does not actually want to be a stay-at-home mom, like she initially agreed. She wants to still be a doctor and continue to grow her fertility practice. She has a hard time telling this to Danny, because since his mother was a single mom and always working, he felt alone during childhood, and he doesn’t want his kid to feel alone or unloved, though Mindy argues that just because they both work doesn’t mean that Leo will feel unloved. This argument and conflict gets put on pause when Danny’s father has a heart attack, and he goes to California to take care of him. While he’s gone, Mindy goes back to work and realizes for sure that she doesn’t want to stop working. When Danny returns this conflict continues, because Danny wants another kid soon, and Mindy realizes she’s not sure she wants another kid, because she’s committed to growing her fertility practice, especially now that her new business partner Jody is involved. They can’t work past this, and end up breaking up, which is told through an extremely well done montage if you’d like to watch season 4 ep. 14.

The next two seasons show Mindy as she handles being a working single mom, co-parenting with her ex, and even some of her dating adventures. She even ends up marrying someone else for a while, and Danny gets engaged again. So even though Chris Messina is no longer a series regular, he is very much still part of the story. Season 6 shows how Mindy and Danny grow back together in a way, as they realize that they’ve both grown and that they still love each other and want to work through their issues and be with each other again.

I then think about what TMP would have looked like had Chris Messina not asked to be on the show less, and I honestly think it makes sense for them to still have done something similar. Danny was always Mindy’s main love interest, and seasons 1 and 2 saw Mindy through many boyfriends, Danny and Mindy’s “will they, won’t they”, and their eventual decision to be together. Season 3 was them being together, and also navigating long distance for a period of time as Mindy went to do a fellowship at Stanford. Yeah, this is a rom-com, but I think it would have been pretty boring for seasons 4-6 to only be about the “happily ever after.” Even if Chris hadn’t asked for time off, I think conflicts still would have arisen between Mindy and Danny, because they are very different as people and they both had some growing to do, even if they do have to stay on somewhat decent terms because of their son. The whole point is that they never stopped loving each other through all of this.

So what, might you ask, does this have to do with The 100? Well I’m assuming a similar sit-down happened between season 6 and the writing of season 7 where Bob asked to take some time off. Obviously the situation is different, but Bob and Chris are both the second leads, so it’s definitely something the writers have to sit and think about in terms of how they’re going to handle it.

If your second lead asks to take time off in the last season of the show, it makes sense to write him missing for most of the beginning half of the season. So that when things wrap up at the end, Bellamy will be there as the story comes to a close. Now that we’ve seen six episodes, I’m assuming that we’re about to start wrapping up some of the side stories so that when Bellamy is back for real, the focus will then turn back to Bellamy and Clarke. People have been saying that Bellamy is the key and Clarke is the key to whatever this story unfolding is. Their stories are connected, and you can’t fully tell one without the other. I think it’s safe to say that later on we’ll see them reunited and learn more about what this means. But for now, we’re focusing on other characters, and I’m okay with that.

Since the story is coming to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about the overarching journey. We’ve seen Bellamy and Clarke go from adversaries to reluctant leaders, to best friends, and I’d still say we are most definitely on track for a Bellarke ending. I’m one of those people that actually loves when Bellamy and Clarke are separated, because I find their reunions to be incredibly meaningful. And I think the reunion that we’re being set up for is going to be great, though I don’t have much of an idea on how it’s going to happen. I’m just waiting to watch all the pieces fall into place.

I know a lot of us talk about what would have happened if Clarke made it up to the Ring in season 4 because it was pretty obvious there was such unspoken tension and love between the two of them, but honestly? I don’t think there would have been much reason to continue the show. They would have gotten together on the Ring, and then what? It’s always been about Clarke and Bellamy, and them being together leaves little story to tell, if we think about it. The whole conflict of season 5 was that they had spent so much time apart that Bellamy had to start thinking with his head (per Clarke’s advice) and they had grown without each other, so they had to take the time to recognize that and be on the same page again. Season 6, they are on the same page, but then Clarke “dies” and Bellamy’s entire story becomes how to get her back. And now in season 7 though it’s not just Bellamy missing, Clarke seems very focused on getting back Bellamy in particular. Sure there’s a lot going on at the same time, but Clarke’s main focus currently is getting back to Bellamy, especially after Bellamy did so much to save her last season (which was like a mere few days ago Sanctum time).

Had Bob not asked to take time off, I think the story would still play out similarly. Maybe we’d see Bellamy a bit more, the way that we saw Danny every now and again in season 4 of TMP and through voiceover text messages to Mindy. But I think this was always going to be what the story looked like. We also have to remember that storytelling on TV and storytelling in other forms are fairly different, since you can’t necessarily have a bunch of long scenes where people just sit and talk about their feelings. That’s boring to watch. I think that’s why we got that Princess Mechanic scene in 7x06 when Raven and Clarke were stuck in the body of that organism and Raven broke down, or the scene in 6x11 where Octavia and Bellamy had a heart-to-heart. Neither of those scenes were very long, but the characters were working towards another goal while also talking through some issues that they were having. There’s different time constraints and factors to consider when writing a scene for TV that you could handle differently in a novel or a fanfic.

None of this is to say that I’ve never taken issue with how the story is told, because that’s not true. I just think that the overarching narrative is about reuniting Bellamy and Clarke, similar to how The Mindy Project’s overarching narrative is about Danny and Mindy growing so that they can be together again. Unlike when I watched season 4 of The Mindy Project, I’m taking the time to watch how the story plays out here, because I spent a lot of time back in 2016 being needlessly angry over something that in retrospect was actually fairly well done given the circumstances. I’m watching what’s presented to me on screen, because that is the story that we’re working with. And I’ll see how I feel about the whole thing once it’s all over. I’m hoping I’ll be satisfied with the ending, but if not, there’s a whole lot of very talented content creators who I know are already geared up to write some fix-it fanfics.

[pinkyshy101]

So I got bored and decided to type out a list of the cartoons/tv shows I’ve watched, cause why not! I think this is all I’ve watched, or at least recent enough (I’m thinking like…. 2014/15 onward, when I actively started to watch more cartoons)

It’s kinda long, and I’m kinda rambley, so I’ll put it under a keep reading thing (if I can) so you don’t have to scroll through that if you don’t want to. Idk who will actually read this, but hey maybe it’s an idea of what kind of things I might reblog on here! I’m always taking any suggestions for shows to watch, I love learning about and watching more and more cartoons! So if there’s something I didn’t list as something I watched and you think of be interested, feel free to please recommend it! I may update this with a reblog or an edit or something at some point in the future, idk though. For now, its September 19, 2020, and here’s what I got for ya

This ended up way more rambley than I meant for it to be but I started writing it at maybe 12:30ish am and now its almost 2am when I’m getting ready to post it so oops 👀 I’m not really expecting anyone to read this but hey, it’s something! Read if you wanna know what shows and other stuff I watched lol idc

Cartoons I’ve watched in their entirety (or what’s all aired as of today 9/19/20):

(updated 12/2/20 as starting with ATLA)

Gravity Falls - watched since late 2014

Steven Universe (including the movie and Future) - watched since mid June 2015, right before the second stevenbomb/sworn to the sword (early season 2)

Over The Garden Wall - watched back around when it first came out, can’t remember exactly when but sometime in 2015

Star vs The Forces of Evil - watched the first 2 seasons as they aired, then stopped watching for a while and rewatched the whole show in June 2019

Hilda - watched for the first time in I think October 2018, rewatched in May quarantine

She-ra and the Princesses of Power - watched all 5 seasons about/not even a week after season 5 came out, idk why I waited so long to watch it

The Owl House - started watching it after the grom episode aired, idk why I waited so long to watch it but molly and noelle and everyone was screaming about grom on twitter, so of course I had to watch it then

Kipo and The Age of Wonderbeasts - watched it all in early August, right before I watched The Owl House

Infinity Train - watched the pilot back in 2016, then the first season when it came out, but then I started college and didn’t get the chance to watch the 2nd/3rd season until I decided to watch the whole series (s1 again, 2/3 for the first time) this past week

Ouran High School Host Club - ok I know it’s anime not a cartoon and I can’t see myself reblogging anything from it but it’s literally the only anime I’ve watched more than like 1 or 2 episodes of/the only one I’ve seen in its entirety so I figured eh I’ll mention it

Camp Camp - I almost forgot to mention this one! I started watching it when there was I think only 3 episodes of season 1, so back in 2016, and I’ve loved it since then! I guess this summer’s season couldn’t happen cause of covid.... But I’m still excited for when/if it does eventually come out!

Avatar the Last Airbender

Shows that I’ve partially watched but not completely:

We Bare Bears - I’ve seen the first 2 seasons, maybe some of the third I can’t remember, I watched it when it first came out but I haven’t watched it in a while, so I would probably need to rewatch a bunch of it (I did rewatch I think the first season sometime this year? But it was while working on school projects so I wasn’t giving it my full attention), apparently there’s also a movie now???

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic - I was huge into the brony fandom from roughly 2013ish-2017ish, I’ve seen up to season 8 and a few episodes of season 9, and the 4 equestria girls movies, and the mlp movie; I probably know seasons 1 - 4 the most, maybe a little of 5, 6 and 7 are kinda fuzzy but I’ve seen them, 8 I watched over quarantine (since it’d been a few years since I had watched any of it, I also rewatched bits of 5-7) as well as I think the first episode or so of season 9, but I don’t remember them too well. I watched the movie (the pony one, not eqg) when it came out in theaters, and not too long after that I drifted away from the mlp fandom (tbh I was drifting a little bit before it came out, but I knew I had to stick in there at least until it came out since I had been waiting for so long for it). The equestria girls movies, I saw them all when they first came out (I even saw rainbow rocks in the theater). I think there’s like, half hour shorts or episodes or something?? That’s in the eqg universe?? But I don’t think I’ve seen any of them, and if I have it was probably a really early one a long time ago because I haven’t really kept up with anything after Legend of Everfree came out

Animaniacs reboot - I’ve seen the first 5 episodes and it’s nice!

Shows that I’ve only seen an episode or few of that I (probably) intend on continuing to watch:

Glitch Techs - I saw the first episode! Definitely want to continue it

Rick and Morty - I watched a few episodes of the first season in like March/April quarantine, but I was still dealing with online school at home finishing out last semester then. I think I want to watch this eventually, but I have other shows that I want to catch up on/watch before I’d get to this one

Tangled the Series - idk if that’s the name I’ve seen multiple names but I hope you know what I’m talking about, I saw a handful of episodes from the first season I think sometime around fall 2019, but I’d probably have to rewatch the whole thing

Adventure Time - I’ve never had cable/cartoon network so I didn’t watch this growing up, but I’ve heard really good things about it and seen a bunch of stuff from it (I’d have to be living under a rock to have not seen anything lol) but it’s so long and I just haven’t gotten around to it yet! Well I’ve seen maybe a dozen or so episodes of the first season but it was a while ago so I’d have/want to start over probably

Shows I haven’t started

Amphibia - I’ve heard it’s good! I just haven’t gotten around to it yet

Avatar the Last Airbender - probably next on my list to watch, I’ve been meaning to watch it for years but I haven’t yet, its on Netflix now so that should make it easier to watch and a friend from school made me promise that this would be the next one I’d watch so that’s what I’m doing (I did watch the last 2 seasons of infinity train that night though, since I was really wanting to finish it first… But atla is next) watched it! (updated 12/2/20)

The Legend of Korra - obviously I’m waiting to watch it until after alta, and I’m probably going to watch it right after I finish atla

The Dragon Prince - idk really anything about it other than I think it’s on netflix? and apparently it’s good and maybe gay idk but I’ve heard it’s good thus why it’s on here lol

Black Horseman - idk too too much about this other than apparently it’s good but also kinda depressing. Similarly to rick and morty I want to watch it eventually but its not insanely high on my list

OK KO - don’t know a ton about it other than it’s decent, a step up from r+m/bojack on where I want to watch it but not urgently

Ducktales Reboot - similarly to OK KO, don’t know much about it other than it’s decent, same level of want to watch

Milo Murphy’s Law - saw a couple episodes when it came out, haven’t watched it in forever so if I ever do want to rewatch it I’d have to restart it, not super high on my priority list though

Bee and Puppycat - another one I almost forgot! I don’t know a ton about this but I’ve heard its nice! Plus from what I’ve seen I like the artstyle so  👀 maybe someday

Animaniacs (original) - I started to watch the reboot and I think I want to watch the original eventually! Just haven’t gotten around to it yet

Clone High - listen it’s not that I desperately WANT to watch this, I just have friends who are like, hey, watch this lol it’s apparently not super long so why not

Other non cartoon shows I’ve watched:

Brooklyn 99 - idk when I started watching it, maybe around season 4/5ish? I think sometime in 2018 so idk the season, idk, most of the episodes I’ve only seen once so I couldn’t tell you exactly what happens in every episode but I still like it

Rise - ugh I miss this show, I started watching it after/around when the 3rd episode came out (end of March 2018?), and I don’t think I’ve watched any of it since it ended (mid may 2018) cause its not on any streaming services anymore :/ at least not that I know of but I loved it and would love to rewatch it

Andi Mack - I’d heard it was good but hadn’t watched it after it ended (early august 2019 I think I watched it), haven’t rewatched it since then but it was decent, I mainly watched it cause I had seen clips of gay but yknow it was alright

Sex Education - watched 1st season sometime in 2019, when rewatched it/watched season 2 when it came out January 2020, this is like WAY more mature than like anything on this list but like it has an interesting story

Love Victor - watched first/currently only season when it came out mid june 2017 (how was June so long ago what)

Queer Eye - I’ve seen a couple seasons of it idk I figured why not add it lol

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist - I think I watched this around when there were maybe a few episodes of season 1 left (well there’s only one season now but still), idk I liked it cause like musicals and stuff idk

Idk what else to add to this section but if I think of anything (to any category on this list) I’ll probably update it later maybe idk (again I’m not necessarily going to be reblogging stuff from all/any of these but like, I figured I’d mention it cause idk)

Musicals:

Another thing I love is musicals, like I’m a design/tech major in college rn so yeah I like theatre lol so I’m going to list some I’ve seen (mostly watched bootlegs of, but I’ll list some professional/tour ones I’ve seen in person)(but if it doesn’t say anything special I probably just watched a bootleg, 2017 was a big year for me and my google drive being filled with bootlegs…) This might not be all of them and I won’t go into as much detail (I hope, I haven’t typed it yet) but we’ll see:

Broadway tours I’ve seen: (I swear this isn’t bragging they were cheap seats way up high lol)

Dear Evan Hansen (May 2019)

Wicked (first professional show I saw, October 2017, haven’t watched a bootleg or anything of it since then and I went in completely blind)

Mean Girls (November 2019, last professional show I saw before quarantine)

Come From Away (September 2019)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (November 2018)

The Book of Mormon (August 2018, was hoping to again this August but quarantine :( )

Non professional/high school/college/other shows I’ve seen in person/been on crew for (not all of them, but some) (assume I’ve also seen bootlegs/proshots if there are any)

Newsies

Spring Awakening (spot op)

Shrek (props)

Legally Blonde

I’ve seen done way more but I don’t feel like listing them or that they’re anything I’d want go reblog/actively look at fandom content for (that’s not saying it reblog stuff from shrek the musical but still lol)

Other shows I’ve seen only in proshot/bootleg form:

Basically every Starkid show

Spies are Forever

The Solve it Squad

Hamilton

Heathers

Be More Chill (yes I was in that big amalgamation of musical fandom stuff with these and deh in 2017 aaaa)

Falsettos

Beetlejuice

Spongebob

21 Chump Street

Les Mis

Phantom

(Again maybe not necessarily all but some there’s a slight chance I might reblog things about)

Musicals I still need/want to watch/listen to:

The Prom

Six

The Great Comet (not typing it all out)

Hadestown

Waitress

Bonnie and Clyde

Something Rotten

Tuck Everlasting

Again there’s more I want to see I’m sure but I haven’t really watched bootlegs in a while…. Idk feel free to suggest shows tho

Movies I’ve seen/like: obviously I’m not gonna just every single movie I’ve seen but heres a few I like:

The Sound of Music

The Wizard of Oz - these 2 have actually always been my favorite movies since I was little, I can’t dee myself reblogging much of anything about them but figured I’d mention them cause why not

Love Simon

Some but not all Disney movies (I grew up with no cable/mostly just pbs)

Most pixar movies?

I don’t think John Mulaney shows count as movies but eh whatever I’ve seen them on netflix

Idk what else lol I know I’ve seen more movies than this but eh

If anyone actually read all of this... Wow I’m surprised honestly lol have a free cookie or something for your struggles or smth, idk, thanks for reading this though lol I appreciate you (but also slightly worry, this was a lot of words and a lot of rambling)

[nvzblgrrl]

Part 1 Heyo man, I'm absolutely ecstatic that you have this whole One Piece Big Fic project in the works. I'm honestly p paranoid about interacting with words, but your works have been something I've continuously enjoyed going back to and rereading over all these years. And while you've grown and your earlier stuff feels cringe, there's a charm that Witt and Witticism and all of your earlier works have that is longlasting. And I, and apparently others, can't help but love.

Part 2 I've probably reread your fics a good thousand times by now. Like seriously I've got a good bunch of the fics you posted on AO3 saved as PDFs for my own personal reading when I feel the urge. Namely Luck of The Draw, Ultimate Symbiote, and a portion of your Chain Adventures. I've been here quietly reading for a long time and I'm gonna make sure to properly give feedback this time. Good luck in your absolutely bonkers endeavor!

Yeah, absolute mood on the ‘cringe’ part. I think the only excuse I can make for the really early stuff is that -

(this is gonna get loooong and reference child abuse + the 2000′s-2010′s meme culture, so pre-emptive apologies)

1. I had a really messed up upbringing. Not as bad as some people’s situations but still on the deeper end of bad by the ‘White American’ standard and still (albeit barely) within the bounds of Funny Sitcom Abuse Antics (at least for mid-2000′s and older stuff) most of the time. Most of it was neglect and social isolation - I pretty much left the property to go to school, church, and to visit relatives because of court-mandated visitation, the last of which probably kept me from going insane, and that was it aside from events where my dad needed an accessory to compliment his public mask - but there were some other shit mixed in that relied on the Trunchbull Rule (it has to sound too weird to be real so nobody believes it/takes it seriously) to happen.

So besides like, the PTSD from that (which has a habit of bleeding into all of my works, which you’ve probably noticed by now, lmao), I had like, zero experience on healthy relationships, social skills (well outside of a few variations on ‘messed up friendships’ and what I picked up from books, movies, and TV), and basic life skills outside of stuff like ‘boil water and follow the box directions’).

2. I got into the internet really late compared to my generation and everyone after. This was mostly because we had literally no semi-reliable internet access until I was about 11-13 and that was either the school internet or the dial-up at home (which of course was time-limited with the time shared with my brother and done on the family computer with observation in effect). Most of that was spent on like flash games or webcomics, many of which I have tried to reread only to find them gouging my soul because god what the hell was happening in 2007 - wait. Yeah.

It got better by the time we hit high school because by then we had our own computers (not scanners though, I had to pass art and passwords over to a friend of mine to get them on the internet for a couple years before we got one at home), a better internet connection, and high levels of parental disengagement as we proved to be disappointments despite our previous ‘potential’ (my dad was hoping for me to become a life-long cash cow for him, IDK what was going on with my brother and his mom), which meant I could spend more time on the internet... which at the time, meant DeviantArt and FF.net (tumblr came way, waaay at the end of my time in high school).

Yes, that’s where I started out. That should explain a good 90% of why the early stuff was Like That.

Also don’t look for my DeviantArt because I deleted the whole thing years ago, for cringe reasons - namely, a really, really stupid minor war over something I can’t even remember but it ran a lot like those old ‘Potterheads Get Your Wands’ posts, though the fact that 80% of my output towards the end were extremely banal and/or fucking insane One Piece (and occasionally Soul Eater) Demotivator Posters didn’t help.

Pictured: proof of my crimes against humanity (with some minor repeats - every single one of those demovitators are something I did and that’s not even all of them) despite my attempts to destroy the evidence, because the internet (and pinterest) never forget and often reposts without permission.

[Image description: a series of drawn images of a man. the first panel is of him looking at a computer with the subtitle ‘recognition’, the second is a close-up of him with sweat and a look of surprise on his face along with two exclamation points subtitled ‘realization’, the third and final image is an extreme close up of his intensely stressed expression subtitled ‘fear’.]

[Image description, but funny: me accidentally coming across one of those reposts a couple years ago.]

I personally can’t forget because I know my style at the time (it had a few variations, but all of them have been seared into my soul) and how inane/insane some of them read. My favorite was one that ended up turning into a word vomit about how cool Gol D. Roger was that ran so far that it didn’t fit inside the format anymore and ended up running off of the page repeatedly.

...and yes, I did make one edit that was ‘Dead or Alive? is that a trick question?’ for Brook. That one’s still circulating too.

3. While that covers a certain amount of the problems with the early work, Witt and Witticism stands out as a pinnacle because I was both using a reaction heavy style (I was pretty much doing a live-blog of my One Piece anime rewatch in fanfic form, using Witt as a mouth piece - a similar style was used with Ultimate Symbiote but fortified with a few original stories and actual non-canon stuff happening!) and going through the tail end an extreme manic period brought on by escaping (read: getting kicked out of because they were no longer socially or legally obligated to care for me anymore) my abusive childhood home + having money (from my dead mom’s social security).

Seriously, that year was bonkers. I got to go to Disneyworld, got a new cat, published an insane fic, and blew through so much money on some dumb fucking shit when my dad wasn’t stealing it because I didn’t realize he had access to my then-bank account.

Also I’m pretty sure that you can detect when my sanity/depression started reasserting itself in the last few chapters of Witt because he starts experiencing consequences, though I’m not saying you should reread it to try to locate that moment because I’m having to re-read it repeatedly for reference purposes and I don’t think anyone should have to suffer this unless they’re into that (which admittedly, might be the result of that ‘charm’ you mentioned, because I can’t otherwise account for how that fic got over a quarter of a million hits otherwise).

Not to say that all of my early stuff was bad (some of it was actually shockingly good once I found it again, even though it was flawed) but the most easily accessible stuff is... not great!

And thanks for the well-wishes. I’m gonna need that luck if I want to get through it. I look forward to the feedback!

[eldritchsurveys]

957.

5k Survey LIV

2751. What's the most interesting assignment you ever had in school? >> I’m not sure. I hope people realise that my last moment in any kind of school was in December of 2005 (and my last moment in high school was June of 2004). I can barely be arsed to remember anything from 15 years ago unless it’s trauma-related. 2752. What's the most interesting thing you ever had to do for work? >> I thought working as a merch seller for local bands was very interesting. I had a lot of fun. 2753. Do you feel: insignifigant? unable to evoke change? like one person can't change the world? like one life and one person's suffering doesn't mean very much? If you answered yes to any of those can you describe why in detail? >> I, personally, feel insignificant fairly often, but that doesn’t extend to thinking that other people are also equally insignificant.  2754. Do you feel like you could contribute as much to society as ____ has? Albert Einstein: Abe Lincoln: Franz Kafka: Jesus Christ: >> Just because I already have self-esteem problems doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and consciously make “do you have as much worth as these people” comparisons. 2755. Are you aware that your brain is the same size as Albert Einstein's brain? Do you realize that you have the same number of hours in a day as Abraham Lincoln? Did you know that Franz Kafka wrote all of his amazing litterature during his lunchbreaks at work? Did you know that we are all made of matter and that you are made of the Same Thing that Jesus was made of? Do you still believe that you couldn't contribute as much to society as they did? If yes than WHY? >> This is an immensely irritating line of questioning, I hope it’s over now.

2756. Is your mind in the gutter? >> My mind is not in the gutter. 2757. What do you have to complain about? >> Whatever I want to complain about. 2758. Do you remember rock n' roll radio? >> ... Yes? Pretty sure it still exists, regardless. 2759. Is there such a thing as a food that you burn more calories from digesting than you actually absorb from it? >> I don’t know, try google. 2760. Hey, if you've gotten this far than you and me go way back. We've been hanging out for a while now and I gotta know..do you like me? >> --- 2761. What are you doing, Dave? >> --- 2762. As far as love goes do you feel it is better to become complete before looking for someone or find someone who completes you? >> People are already complete, despite however they may feel about themselves. I don’t understand what it means to look for someone who “completes you”, that sounds immensely absurd to me. So I guess I can’t really answer this question except to say “I don’t think people should be thinking about relationships in these terms...” 2763. What attracts you about the opposite sex (or same sex, or both sexes)? >> --- 2764. Do you need people or do you not need anyone? >> Of course I need other people. The fact that I have an attachment disorder is a direct result of my inherent need for other people’s love and support going repeatedly ignored. Even besides that, I need other people to physically survive, because that’s how ecosystems work, and believe it or not, we are still part of nature and beholden to its cycles and systems. 2765. Is selfishness always bad? Is selflessness always good? >> No. 2766. Do you feel like your life is being controlled by a power structure? >> Of course certain elements of my life as a social creature are controlled by power structures. 2767. Can you name three things in society that send the message that being completely yourself and that looking inside yourself and contemplating what's within is a good thing? >> Sigh. 2768. Can you name three things in society that send the message that materialism and the accumulation of stuff is a good thing? >> The entirety of capitalism. 2769. What is more important, a picture or it's frame? What is more important, spirituality or religion? >> These questions truly do get more baffling as time goes on. 2770. How many definitions can you come up with for the wword 'fuck'? >> I don’t have to come up with definitions, google is right there. 2771. Is it less offensive when a black person says Nigger than when a white person says it? Why or why not? >> The context in which a Black person says it is often a far different context from the one in which a white person says it. So, yes. It usually is less offensive by default, unless the Black person being addressed is uncomfortable with the word even when used in a friendly context. 2772. Do you rationalize often? >> Rationalise what? 2773. Do you believe that america is an imperialist nation? >> I mean, yeah. 2774. Would you agree that: hot topic is the new abercrombie? pink is the new black: you are the new you? >> *stares dully* 2775. Do you have more internet or real life friends? >> I only have Internet friends. 2776. What IS the feeding of 5000? >> The what?? 2777. What's an easy way to make money? >> I don’t know. 2778. What's your favorite slang word and what does it mean? >> I don’t think I have a favourite slang word. 2779. Are you uncomfortable? >> Slightly, because of noise issues. 2780. Is anything definate besides death and taxes? >> Taxes aren’t definite for everyone, but death certainly is. I don’t know what else is that predictable. 2781. Would you rather live fast and die young or live slow and die old? >> Living slow sounds nice to me. However it ends. 2782. Can you name 4 people who have committed crimes against humanity? How do you think they live with themselves? >> Probably, but I don’t feel like it. I don’t care how they live with themselves. 2783. If you could imagine, pure fantasy, any God you could concieve, how would you want God to be? >> I can imagine any god I want to imagine. It’s really not that hard, there are already so many to choose from, even if just to use as a template. 2784. do you think the smashing pumpkins have a strong christian theme? >> I don’t know, I’ve never paid a whole lot of attention to their lyrics. Their songs just sound pretty. 2785. Do you think this survey has a strong christian theme? >> I didn’t think that. I hope I won’t have cause to think it in the future. 2786. Fill in the blank for yourself" Give me ____ or give me death! >> --- 2787. Have you ever heard of the USA patriotism act? Apparently they have passed laws making torture legal. Also the FBI can sneak and peek into ANYONE'S home. They don't have to ask or even tell you they were there. This is already the law. So, whaddaya think? >> I mean, yes, I know that. I live here. 2788. The people in power step all over the average citizen, trying to secure all the power and money for themselves and leave us with no rights and under their control. They have the audacity to do this because they know that we will not lift a finger to stop them. Are they right? >> I don’t know if they’re right or not. I’m also not sure what the fuck powerful-ass finger you think we common folk all have. 2789. The Free State Project is a plan in which 20,000 or more liberty-oriented people will move to a single state of the U.S. to secure there a free society. They will accomplish this by first reforming state law, opting out of federal mandates, and finally negotiating directly with the federal government for appropriate political autonomy. They want to be a community of freedom-loving individuals and families, and want to create a shining example of liberty for the rest of the nation and the world. What's your opinion? Could this work? Why or why not? >> Didn’t a bunch of libertarians want to do this at some point? Anyway, I don’t know if this could work or not. I don’t know nearly enough about any of the elements involved to have an informed opinion about the feasibility of this kind of project. It does sound plenty audacious, though (and way too vague). 2790. Have you ever seen the Neverending Story? Remember when Bastian has to prove his worth by looking in that mirror where you see yourself the way you really are with no pretenses, rationalizations or mental lying? Could you stand yourself if you looked into that mirror? >> I do remember that, vaguely. I wanted to rewatch this movie but then I didn’t get to it in time and HBO took it down :( Anyway, I don’t know if I could stand myself if I looked into a mirror like that. I can’t conceptualise what that experience would actually be like. 2791. What is soilent green? >> Oh, you know. (That’s another movie I’d like to rewatch, in fact.) 2792. What are you proud that you have never done? >> *shrug* 2793. What things are hopeless? >> *shrug* 2794. What Are People For? >> Making Soylent Green out of. 2795. What book do you feel could change someone's life? >> Any book could change someone’s life. 2796. Didja ever want to just walk up to the Bush administration and ask them, 'What the fuck?' >> No, I wasn’t really paying much attention to the administration during that time because I had a lot of personal issues taking up my immediate focus. But from what little I remember about it, it’d be a valid question to ask. 2797. How do you take your coffeee? >> Decaffeinated. 2798. Have you ever played: paintball? lazer tag? which is better? >> I’ve never played these. 2799. In what ways are you lucky? >> A lot of ways, I guess. A lot of fucked up shit has happened, but a fair amount of strangely fortuitous stuff has happened, too. Guess something has to even the other shit out. 2800. If Jesse Jackson wants reparations to be given to black people because he thinks that black people don't have equal opportunities in this country than why does he drive a Jaguar? >> “Black people don’t have equal opportunities in this country” is still a fact of life no matter what the fuck kind of car Jesse Jackson drives. Focusing on his personal “success” or whatever like that is just a diversion from the heart of the matter.

[purplesurveys]

688

Have you today?

Looked in a mirror? Not on purpose. We just have several mirrors in the house that I unavoidably pass by and look at.

Watered a plant? Not today, but my dad has asked me to do it a couple of times in the last week.

Worn denim? I haven’t worn outside clothes in almost a monthhhhh. And that includes denim.

Washed your hair? Technically yes. I took a shower at around 1 AM? before heading to bed.

Been in pain? Kind of. My left eye has been irritating me almost every night/morning since the year started; sometimes it gets incredibly swollen, sometimes it just feels like something is stuck in my eyelid. Either way it’s always uncomfortable and painful.

Had a nap? Haha, not yet. But since the lockdown started I’ve been having an afternoon siesta everyday. Brushed your teeth? Yeah, it came along with the ^ above 1 AM shower. Kissed someone? I haven’t been able to kiss my girlfriend in almost three weeks now and I’m miiiiiserable.  Used a cheese grater? Nah, I haven’t used one in a while.

Eaten something sweet? Not yet. I might eat a few pieces of chocnut later though. Spoken to a stranger? Not today, but we did have a village guard knock on our door earlier to give my dad a quarantine pass – it’s to confirm that he’ll be the only one in the family allowed to leave the house in case we need to go to the groceries or something. I peeked by the front door to listen to the interaction, but I didn’t speak with the guard myself. Dropped something? Sure. My bottle of eye drops. Felt upset in some way? You can say that. There’s a new trend on Facebook where groups are created so certain universities can just trashtalk one another as a joke. It was funny at first but there are some posts that have gone too far, personal, or both, and it obviously hasn’t been good for my mental health lol. Drank coffee? Not yet today. I usually have it in the evening. Walked for more than thirty minutes? I also haven’t walked much in three weeks. That’s kinda what’s supposed to happen when your entire city is put on lockdown. Signed up for something? No. I’ve logged in to certain sites, though. Travelled in a car? I also haven’t been in a car in the last couple of weeks. I was able to ride with my dad the night before they imposed the lockdown – we were visiting my grandpa in the columbary because it would’ve been his 80th birthday that day. Opened a can? Nope. Thought about doing something crazy? At the back of my head I always think of driving up to see Gab because I miss her a lot, but it just remains a crazy thought in my head. Listened to a new song? Yeah. I have a couple of saved playlists and I don’t know like 94% of the songs in both of them, so I’m always listening to a new song everyday. Written in a notebook? I haven’t. I’ve written on a piece of paper, though. Fed an animal? Yup, my dog needs his breakfast. Checked your emails? LOL NOPE, and I don’t plan to check them any time soon. Told someone you love them? Yeah, before we both turned in at like 3 AM lol. Made a phone call? Yeah I also called my girlfriend earlier.

Have you in the last week?

Update: I skipped this survey the whole day and now it’s 10:30 in the evening, and I’ve already done a bunch of stuff I said no ^ to earlier lmao but am too lazy to change. Let’s gooooooo

Travelled on a bus? Nah. The bus personally isn’t my main mode of transpo and I only get to ride them when I’m in a group and there’s no choice but to ride a bus, like for field trips or for group itineraries during vacations.

Washed your face? Yeah. I did this today because my face was feeling annoyingly oily. Put a face mask on for the first time in a long time.

Used a blender? No. I don’t think we even have a blender at home, cos no one ever makes stuff that needs to be blended.

Received a phone call? Sure. Gab and I called several times in the last week, and my grandma has also called from time to time to check up on us because the lockdown has kept us from seeing her regularly.

Talked to someone you dislike? I...don’t think so. If I did I’d definitely talk to Gabie about it, and I haven’t done that with her haha.

Consumed alcohol? Ugh, bleck. Yeah. I wanted to get buzzed last week and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s is the only thing we have in the house so I had a small sip and just... disgusting. Whiskey is just not my thing, so never again.

Eaten pasta? Spot on. We had spaghetti for dinner tonight.

Planned for an event? There is no event to plan, and it’ll stay like this for the next 3-4 months probs.

Asked someone for a favour? Sure, I asked Gab to be the one to write the write-up that’s going to be on my college yearbook.

Watched something funny? I’ve been watching tons of these to fight off boredom during the break.

Trimmed your nails? Yep, they were getting long and uncomfortable so I got rid of them.

Browsed Reddit? Also yep. School kept me busy for a couple of months and I wasn’t able to use Reddit then because I’d usually pass out by evening. But right now I have more than enough time to browse it, so I’ve been doing some catching up.

Talked to yourself? I guess? Not as much as before the lockdown though, because I’ve already been usually by myself throughout this break, and don’t feel the ~need to talk to myself.

Purchased tickets for something? Nah. They cancelled almost all future events up until May or June...there’s no tickets to be bought at all to begin with.

Felt like you were annoying someone? Meh, it happens every now and then.

Cleaned a toilet? I’ve never done this at all.

Reminisced about the past? LMAO yeah. Someone created a Facebook group that lets alumni from my high school just shit-talk the school and bring back (and reveal) old drama, scandals, and controversies. It’s hilarious, it hasn’t pissed me off, and past students exposing teachers who turned out to be trash and/or perverts is so satisfying.

Used headphones? I haven’t had headphones in a while.

Laughed with a friend? Yeah, but just virtually. I haven’t heard most of my friends’ voices in a while.

Cooked dinner and then didn't feel hungry? Nah. I HAVE helped my dad make dinner a few times this week, which is like huge baby steps for me in learning how to cook haha.

Written a list? I don’t think I have in the last week.

Played an instrument? Nope. Felt jealous or envious? It happens. Ignored a text message on purpose? Lol yeah I guess. There were times I got fed up with Gab being such a slow replier that when she replies, I stopped wanting to open my inbox. Congratulated someone? I just did! UP’s med school results were released a few hours ago and I congratulated my friend Michelle for passing. Her decision was super clutch – she initially passed med school as early as high school but she declined it so she can take journalism instead, because it’s what she thought she liked at the time. Four years into the course and she realizes she hated it, so she made the really clutch decision to review for med school exams and she ended up passing every single one she took, UP being the icing on the cake. Honestly I wish I had balls like her.

Have you in the last month?

Made a piece of art? I don’t think so.

Rewatched one of your favourite tv shows or movies? I rewatch Friends at least once or twice a month, so ya got me there.

Called a plumber? We haven’t needed to do this.

Been to a see a doctor? Yup, an optometrist. Something’s been going on with my left eye for a while, so I went in to have a checkup a couple of weeks ago.

Finished a book? I did :o I had to read an entire book to make an essay for my business news class. It’s an investigative piece on the fast food industry, which I honestly dig, so I didn’t have a hard time reading and finishing it.

Had a crush on someone? Sure.

Travelled on a train? Definitely haven’t done this at all, except for that one time three years ago when I had to do it with Jum to go to the House of Representatives in Manila.

Worn heels? I don’t think I did, no. Been to a friend's house? Yeah, I was at Gabie’s a couple times before the lockdown started. Shared a bed with someone? ^ Just her. Been to see a movie at the cinema? Haven’t been to since Knives Out last December. Paid attention to celebrity drama? Nah. High school drama though, I’ve been all over that the last couple of days lmao. Felt anxious? I feel it at least once a day. Taken an elevator? Sure. Given someone the cold shoulder? Only when I don’t reply to Gab because she takes too long to reply, lol yeah. It doesn’t last too long though; it’s just a playful tantrum thing. Purchased a new book/game/movie? Nah, I think I find most of my content on YouTube/Netflix anyway. Applied for a job? Hahahahahahahahahahhaha not yet don’t rush me. Used a printer? I don’t think so. Had lunch in a park? But do we have parks at all? Lmaooooooooo Gotten a manicure or pedicure? Definitely not into those. Made an appointment? Ish? If the one with the optometrist counts. Had a blood test done? Not since 2010. Suffered from a major bruise? Lol dude I haven’t moved a lot in the last few weeks, there’s absolutely no reason for me to get a bruise. Researched a topic in-depth? Yes. I am in school, after all.

Have you in the last year?

Been to the beach? Yep, but it’s been a literal year and not less than, and I am haaaaaardcore missing the beach. No idea when I’ll be coming back.

Visited someone in the hospital? No and I hope I won’t have to for now, given what’s been going on.

Played pinball? Ooh I just did earlier this month! Gab and I went to BGC for a whole night of partying, and when everyone went home we stayed so we can go bar-hopping, and there’s a place called Barcade that’s...well, you get the name. ANYWAY they had sooo many vintage arcade games and a couple of pinball machines, and we didn’t waste time playing each of them. It was sooooo fun.

Travelled on a plane? A couple of times.

Worn a costume? I was Dora for Halloween, so yup.

Been thrift shopping? I don’t...think so?

Thought about getting pregnant or got pregnant? Hell no.

Made a big life decision? Not really. Hasn’t everyone’s lives been put on hold because of this stupid virus?

Changed a lightbulb? Never had at all, really.

Framed something and put it on your wall? Nah. I’m not really that kind of person.

Been stargazing? I’ve been doing this a lot recently cos I’ve been staying at the rooftop at night more often. And with everyone at home, the light pollution has been clearing up and the stars have been so much easier to see.

Made a new friend? If the new applicants for our org count, then yes.

Added to a collection? I don’t have any.

Been to the dentist? Oh yeah. I had a really bad toothache throughout December but the dentist took it all away ahhdkjfhdjsfhsf I’m so grateful lmao.

Broken up with someone? Nope.

Held a baby? That’s a bigger nope.

Created a budget? Nah lmao I would never be able to follow it.

Confessed feelings for someone? Already did.

Had surgery of any kind? Nope and I hope I’ll never need one.

Quit a job? Never had a job,

Been in a car accident? NO thank god hahahahahahaha Purchased something worth over a grand? Yep, one of my Christmas gifts for Gabie was well around two grand. Pesos though, so that’s like roughly $40. Been on vacation at least 500km/300mi from home? Yeah, we always do at least one of these when my dad’s home. Applied for an academic course? Does enrolling count? I’m still in college lmao. Had your photo taken by a professional? I had my grad shoot taken last January.