#The best view TV

[khruschevshoe]

You know, it's rather interesting to me that Taylor Swift's parasocial relationship with her fans is honestly more akin to a YouTuber than a writer's. When I scroll through her tag on tumblr/Twitter, it's far more regarding the connection to her personal life/relationship developments than the actual metaphors/fictional story she might be telling. Everything comes back to how her songs reflect back on her relationships with Joe/Matty/Travis/Jake/insert ex-boyfriend here. And what fascinates me about it is that even though she complains about it, she leans into that very perception because it strengthens the parasocial bond.

The marketing for TTPD so clearly being about Joe Alwyn and the songs to Matty Healy. The marketing/video for Red TV so CLEARLY being about Jake Gyllenhaal, with so many of the new lines in All Too Well specifically being digs at him (I'll get older but your lovers stay my age, casting an actor that looks like him for the video, specific lines in I Bet You Think About Me). The fact that songs like Getaway Car and Bejeweled and Gorgeous and London Boy and Lavender Haze being picked apart at time of release and long after for signs of relationships crumbling. The way she uses surprise songs in relation to her relationship development with Joe/Matty/Travis. The damn TTPD "stages of grief" playlists where she deliberately undid/changed the meanings of old songs just to keep her audience speculating on her love life.

It's not sexist to point out that her wielding her love life is a marketing tool and that the strongest connection to her audience isn't the strength of her writing/the composition of her music- it's her deliberate crafting of a connection between her music and her personal life, leaving the audience invested in her music as an extension of Taylor the Person/Girlfriend rather than Taylor the Artist.

[cargopantsprentiss]

family 🩵 been working on this for what feels like forever

[necrotic-nephilim]

If you want to be bothered. Maybe this for dick and Bruce???

i ALWAYS want to be bothered these are always the highlight of my day tbh you're a delight for letting me just yap <3

Dick. For the canon isn't real square I am Specifically talking about the Tom Taylor Nightwing run. Usually I ignore bad runs but given this one is ongoing (though about to end THANK GOD and get replaced by Dan Watters who i have high hopes for since i adored his Sword of Azrael (2022) run but i digress) so I counted it. Especially since it's so debated if that run is bad or not, for some reason. I'm a 90s Nightwing truther. I love Dick so dearly and tbh recently I've been more enamored with him the more I read his Discowing era, I didn't used to be as big of a Dick stan as I am these days.

Bruce. Honestly where do you even start with Bruce. I want to fist fight him and also patch him up. He got me into comics and superheroes as a whole but I roll my eyes whenever he shows up in a story. He's a bastard and usually not a good father but also complex and should be dissected under a magnifying glass. I love him dearly. He's also just the worst. I think that's why I love him. I'm always a fan of unabashedly Complicated Asshole Bruce who's generally not always the best person, particularly not to the Batfamily and that being the driving force of his relationships with them, especially in shipping.

And for bonus points, Tim. Because know above all else, I'm a Tim Drake kinnie /deg. He's been my number one for a decade and I've yet to uproot him from my brain. He's literally the Worst half the time and I love him for it. And the canon isn't real refers to Tim Drake: Robin because... that sure was a comic. And that's about all I can say about it. Pre-Flashpoint Tim I miss you so dearly. I think it's fun that I want to put him in a blender and drink the juice but also want Nothing Ever to happen to him.

[il-predestinato]

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TV director: fails to show you the real action.

RB18 & F1-75: we got you covered.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen debrief with each other after Qualifying at the 2022 British Grand Prix.

🎥 credit: the hottest couple on the grid... RB18 & F1-75

[dirty-bear-rick-sanchez]

Episode thoughts under the cut

I loved Morty knowing Rick so well that he just straight up lies about the coffee lmao. Also the way he says 'hey buddy' like he's a dad entering his kid's room when they're in a depressive episode is so funny to me

Rick just literally saying 'family' to address the family

I thought the ghost/unfinished business joke was funny

I also love Rick being so petty (and Summer being petty back about the portal). It's so funny that he just calls the family 'stupids' as well. Devastating insult bro

Interesting that Gearhead was the first person he went to? He definitely needed someone to give him the courage to get the rest of his friends for an intervention (especially BP)

'Told you he wasn't dead' killed me

BIRDDAUGHTER. Funny name, love her being an emo teenage edgelord who just goes round killing Gromflomites. 'This is worse than prison'? Love it

Also I really liked that we got to see this side of BP's character this episode? He's so funny and I love getting to see him be a shit. Him trying to parent his daughter and just drinking wine? We love another alcoholic girldad

I really liked getting to see Rick/BP/Squanchy actually hanging out as well? I feel like it's a good insight into how they probably were back in the Flesh Curtains days

I like the 'birthday, birthday, birthday' gag

Also Rick immediately being like 'fuck this we're getting wrecked'

The honey scene was definitely for the Rickfuckers

Can we talk about the fact that Rick was definitely trying to impress BP by bringing up the fact that he hosted the Oscars? Which is definitely why he wanted that gig in the first place

Once again I love getting to see this side of Birdperson. Definitely makes sense why he and Rick get on so well

I liked the visual gag of Rick being high

Also BP and Squanchy playing the knife game lmao

Rick sits so fucking dramatically

Look at BP's face, he definitely wants to fuck that Predator guy

Son heist

I love that Rick can immediately identify Squanchy's shit based on the smell? Like he knows it's his and no one else's

BIRDPERSON PUTTING HIS HAND OVER RICK'S MOUTH

(You know Rick is gonna be thinking about that forever)

I like the recurring Squanchy tooth thing

'Why is this my thing' lmao

Poor poopy child

WAYNE

Them all just chilling together waiting for their drunk food? love it

I love BP leaving to collect his daughter from attacking a Federation outpost with the exact same energy as a parent collecting their child from school after they got suspended. It's so funny to imagine the GF having the same sort of vibe as they do with Rick and just texting BP like 'yo we got your daughter here' (I know that's not what happened but it's a funny mental image)

Lmao Squanchy

I did like the fading pill bit

Poor Gene

Overall I liked getting to explore this aspect of the dynamic between Rick/BP/Squanchy/Gearhead (+ the others of course but they're the OGs yk?) and also the concept of intervention/alcoholism. I think it's interesting to see that Rick does want to help but his support system is so fucked that this ends up happening and it makes a lot of sense when it comes to his own issues. I really like the way they handle Rick trying to get better and do the right thing but struggling so much to break out of unhealthy behaviours/habits. He's painfully aware of how fucked up he is and how much of a bad influence he is but he doesn't know how to fix the issue/be a positive influence and he definitely views abandonment as a good thing because he's removing himself from the situation. Very interesting way to explore this aspect of his issues, especially since all his friends are also alcoholics with that level of denial/refusal to get better

I had this discussion with @hazelnut-u-out before the episode aired but I do like that they're showing Mr PB directly suffering as a result of Rick's actions in canon? Considering that he started as a joke/meta character it's very interesting to show him actually shifting to more of a serious character who appears in the actual show and experiences real issues, especially since the show becomes less and less sitcom-y as Rick becomes more aware of the reality of how fucked up all of these things are.

[rainbowskittle]

If you Greek and lgbtq+ hiii! Can we be friends ?? Your food is delicious and country is beautiful!! Haha.

[charlieconwayy]

Shameless Celebration ● [5/10] episodes ↳ The Sins of My Caretaker [3x05]

[alfhildr-the-word-weaver]

I got thinking too much about Marwa from What We Do in the Shadows again and how she was canonically making observations of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1200s. Then I thought about how Elena took Damon to go watch a meteor shower, and I decided that Marwa and Elena should get away from all the vampire drama B.S. in their lives and go nerd out about astronomy together, and this moodboard sort of happened. I also thought about how Elena becomes a doctor and went ah, they are both women in STEM! So I ran with that as a theme too.

But yeah, Marwa needs a friend who will actually support her interests and engage with her intellectually (no shade to Nadja and the Guide, I'm glad they had a fun weekend watching Mamma Mia together which was literally the only time we got to actually see Marwa happy onscreen, but they have never demonstrated much interest in science that I can recall and I want Marwa to have an astronomy buddy), and I think Elena would be fascinated by her and her perspectives on astronomy from centuries ago, and they could learn about modern astronomical advances together. If I find the time and energy I might even write fic about it, but for now, here is a moodboard so that we can all bask in the vibes of my beautiful crossover vision together.

Image sources: x x x / x (the first frame of x gif + a screenshot from x) x / x + x x x

[lunawings]

Apologies in advance to everyone who looks to me for new King of Prism news and info, but I may not be posting much about the new project. Actually, I may actively be avoiding it for a while after this.

King of Prism to me, and to many others, is largely about the theater experience. So I feel like I wouldn't want to spoil it too much for myself until I get to experience it fully, whenever that is.

The Love Live Series started doing a lot of streaming during the pandemic, making things more accessible online and overseas. Even after the pandemic ended they've continued with this, and still haven't returned to theater live viewings. King of Prism will not be going in this direction however, judging by how you had to go to a theater viewing just to see the new series announcement.

But as someone who lived through it in Japan, I do understand. There really is something magical about the live experience with King of Prism specifically. The whole series is designed with that in mind.

There was something special going on with the PriZooms for a while, but with the fairly low-quality screening and embarrassing technical problems, I do understand why it didn't pan out.

Well, I will play the game though. Or at least I will try it.

Honestly it's hard to imagine myself sitting at a computer to play a rhythm game, if that is what it is. I play rhythm games on busses, in bed, kicked back in a chair... So I hope it works on mobile too. I dunno.

Hooray but also kinda... bleh.

[knickynoo]

Okay, so, I've made a handful of Family Ties posts in the past examining some of my favorite Alex and Elyse scenes, but there's one between Alex and Steven that I've always wanted to write about. It's such a good scene—so well acted and so in line with the relationship that Steven and Alex have with each other.

I haven't done a post breaking down a scene (from either FT or BTTF) in a while, and the itch to take a look at this particular scene struck me today. Will put under a read more on account of I'm sure it'll end up being kind of lengthy.

The Steven and Alex dynamic. Great, right? My favorite father and son duo in all of TV.

They're so different from each other! Opposites in many aspects. Yet, at the same time, they share a ton of similarities. When you really look at who Steven is, the things that make him tic, his quirks, etc., you realize that someone like Alex didn't come out of nowhere. See the post all about that, here.

They have a lot more in common than it appears, but one area where there's a very clear difference is the way they process and express emotions. If you know the show well, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't (because I do have several people who read my FT posts but have never seen an episode, hehehe) it basically boils down to this: Steven is super open about his emotions and expresses them in "big" ways. When he feels something, he can't hold it back, and he feels it all very intensely.

Alex, on the other hand, has a near-constant wall up that prevents his emotions from escaping. He feels deeply as well; it's just that he has no clue what to do with them most of the time and is afraid to really let himself feel them. The Keatons know this. They have an unspoken understanding that every so often, things are going to temporarily grind to a halt because Alex is spiraling and someone needs to help him sort his life out. Normal day.

One of the BEST examples of this is a flashback scene between Alex and Steven from the "Heartstrings" three-parter. A huge chunk of Alex's plot deals with him struggling to process a very serious situation surrounding the family. He's terrified but can't properly express it, so it comes out in a way that makes him seem uncaring and self-centered. The flashback is inserted there to remind us of a few things: 1. Alex does feel things 2. He needs help to get there 3. He loves his father, and Steven knows exactly what to do to help Alex in these moments

To set the scene: the flashback begins with Alex and Steven on the couch, watching TV together. They're having a great time. Steven gets a phone call and leaves the room, and when he returns, his demeanor has totally shifted. Alex asks what's wrong, and Steven tells him what happened. Steven's just found out his father has died. Right away, Alex goes straight to shoving the emotions away and trying to rationalize it all in his head. Talking and looking at it logically is his immediate coping method.

And you can see. You can see that Alex is teetering. His breathing is heavy, and his voice is shaky, but he keeps going—unable to do anything other than try to talk himself out of the emotions that are trying to take root.

"I mean, he worked hard. Did the work of two men—three men. And yet, he was with you, you know? Every step of the way, guiding you until you were ready to go out into the world and start your own family, which you did. But time, as we know, marches on—"

He is babbling. Spewing a hurried, frantic stream of words until Steven interrupts him with a soft, "Alex. Stop." But Alex KEEPS GOING. And Steven is just sitting there, watching his son jump through all these hoops to keep from actually emotionally processing the situation. Keep in mind that Steven himself is reeling from this information, but he immediately sets it aside to focus his attention on Alex instead.

"Not to mention the house," Alex continues, "which, if my sense of the Buffalo real estate market is accurate—and, you know, I have no reason to believe that it's not—"

Yes, Alex pivots right to what he knows: numbers, market information, and facts. Alex himself mentions in a past episode that these things comfort him. It's concrete information that he can rely on without the mess of emotions or complicated relationships with others.

And it's one thing for people to have different ways of coping with tragedy. People deal with things in unique ways, which is fine. The difference here is that Steven knows that unless he intervenes, it's unlikely that Alex will ever reach the point of being able to process this loss on his own. He's going to bury it and pretend it didn't happen (or that it doesn't impact him), and that's not healthy. Steven tries again to reach him.

And it's at this point that Steven takes an interesting approach to handling this. If Alex isn't going to give himself permission to feel his feelings, Steven is going to push him until he has no choice to. Might seem to be an odd method—maybe even a little mean to force your kid to break—but it's important to remember that Steven knows Alex inside and out. He knows Alex will put this neatly into a box in his mind, hide it away, and pretend he isn't hurting. And it'll either turn into a painful memory that he simply never deals with, or it'll eat away at him until he runs the risk of reaching the point of meltdown, a la "A, My Name is Alex."

Alex needs to cry, and Steven needs to get him to the point where he can do it. But Steven's going to bring him there in his usual gentle, loving way.

"Alex, my father died," he says. "Your grandfather."

Alex knows this, of course. But Steven is drilling it in. Trying to shove aside the talk of insurance settlements and the housing market and focus on the reality of it all. We flip back to Alex, who is quite literally trembling with the effort of trying to keep those walls up.

Steven goes on, his own voice breaking with emotion, "You can cry. We love him very much. You can grieve."

This moment! Alex's response says so much, and it's another one of those "THIS SHOW! MJF'S ACTING!" moments. He's still fighting it, but not quite as strongly. He leans back into his father's embrace, moving from where he was previously perched on the edge of the couch, trying to "distance himself" as much as possible from facing Steven. He takes a breath finally.

"Your grandpa died; you can cry," Steven tells him, to which Alex reacts in another poignant way.

There's the briefest flash of eye contact, something Alex has not done since before he was told about his grandfather's passing. Soon after the information was delivered, he moved to the edge of the couch, gaze straight ahead, rocking himself ever so slightly as he went through his rambling. He has not turned to look at his father once during this whole thing until this point, and this little exchange has meaning. Alex is checking in—making sure it's okay. He sees the emotion on Steven's own face and really absorbs that he's safe, and he can cry. And he does.

The flashback ends with their embrace, and we return to present-day Alex as he continues to deal with the new, serious situation that's befallen him and the family. (I won't get into that, but the Heartstrings episodes are phenomenal)

It's a very well-done scene and a relatively short one! But it does so much to encapsulate the relationship that Steven and Alex have. There's really such a good balance to this show, because these two can get so silly at times. Lots of fun, light-hearted and ridiculous scenes between them. However, they're interspersed with more serious moments like this. You get a really nice look at the type of man Steven is—someone with a quiet sort of strength, who consistently puts his family before himself and loves his son fiercely. (Steven even tells Alex in the very first episode that there are no other fathers who love their sons as much as he loves Alex. I mean, COME ON. This guy is a gem.)

When it comes down to it, I just really like that this show gave us a character like Alex, who we see struggle so much in the area of emotional connection, and then gave him someone as kind and attentive as Steven to help guide him and love him through everything.

[self-spaghettification]

they/themavos real

[themidnightcircusshow]

@heartofstanding tagged me in this meme months ago and unfortunately it took me this long to get to it because I had a mild crisis over how long it's been since I've read a novel, let alone one that I loved 😅 so this is nine of my favourite novels (not books, because if I included manga/short stories/comics/etc this would be giant)

0The Picture of Dorian Gray -- Oscar Wilde// Pyrrhus-- Mark Merlis//The Scarecrow--Ronald Hugh Morrieson//Unnatural History--Kate Osman//Tunnels of Blood--Darren Shan//The Coffin Dancer--Jeffery Deaver//Hero--Perry Moore//Frankenstein--Mary Shelley//One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-- Ken Kasey

[coffeeallaloneandlord]

I dated a guy once who liked movies a lot but was unfamiliar with typical nerdy stuff like had never seen Harry Potter. he wanted to watch all the movies with me even tho at the time (2018) I was really meh on them like I'd seen them a million times and don't think most of them are that good lmao but I sat thru them one more time for him. and then for the rest of the relationship he would tell people that I made him watch them lol. like he would say it an affectionate way like "yeah my gf made me watch them 😍" or whatever but I fucking hated it I was like please do not portray me as the kind of person who would force you to do anything let alone watch the Harry Potter movies when I spent the whole time telling u how they're not as good as the books and I don't enjoy watching them lol. this was maybe the 5th biggest annoyance in the relationship bc there were def things that were way worse (he read my journal once). but I always remember this one like I am not your nerd girl stereotype. just admit you wanted to watch them yourself without throwing me under the bus for it lol.

[suckinitup]

i dont think that dakota would get into fiber arts on his own but i DO think that knitting could fix him

[successionsunday]

happy one year to the end of succession sunday

[jekyllnahyena]

sometimes I remember bojack horseman and get reminded how much that cartoon horse has made me cry and question life