#bro doomed himself with this line btw

[rystiel]

he wanted to grow old with jack 😐😐😐😐 even if jack couldn’t grow old with him 😐😐😐😐😐😐

[yeah-sure-amanda]

I have nothing of importance to add. This early release episode thing makes it harder to comment since everyone leaves a comment while I’m at work! 🤣

So all I have to say is:

Aaron’s words, while they hurt, weren’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I read it as, “I’m not your home. You need to go.” Also, Aaron is just parroting John and well…poor Aaron seems to be missing a backbone right now.

Also, Aaron threw a god damn wrench at Robert once. These words don’t and won’t matter down the line. Something to add to the angst because Aaron was soft with him at first. He can’t help it. His real husband is home and he had to fight it.

I’m now calling Aaron, Bigfoot, because he was staring at Robert as he stomped across that yard and everyone was oblivious. Bigfoot. Also, I agree. It was tragic, Aaron. It was tragic because he wasn’t kissing you. I get it sweetie. Your hands are tied (and not in a fun way) by the plot.

Ryan came back extra cute, no? Like adorable. Robert is at his lowest right now and fully open about it. I’m in the camp of “Robert is getting a special episode where he goes to therapy.” So he can start to settle his mind and get it back into shape or a better place. Btw, I have never seen the GA so pro-Robert. It’s a weird sight. I’m enjoying it. My heart hurt though that he got drugged and then stolen by crazy ass. The shot of his butt in the murder van of doom though was extra and I want to thank the director for that shot.

John is an asshole. I can’t stand him. This plot has a long way to go so got to get used to him on screen. As long as Aaron stops saying he loves him over and over and over and over. It’s annoying. He and his murder van of doom now with action syringes is making me angry.

So, California Dreaming will be a trigger for Robert, I assume. The song is about thinking of better places as you are stuck in the dark and cold. Could stand for a positive thought for Robert and a negative one for John. Robert just wants to get better and build a new life. John wants to keep his life by getting rid of the people who threaten it.

Victoria is doing well! Standing up for older bro! I’m glad she remembered that Robert was there with her since birth. John is a…Johnny come lately. Will it last? More tuna likely not. No one is safe from the plot so, I’m going to enjoy it. I love how she called John out. He is insecure. If the marriage started out healthy and strong, Robert showing up shouldn’t cause all this bother! Just saying…

I think I’ve been obsessively trying to figure out the plot because I’m rusty at it now and I just want to move it along. Get Robron back together. But it’s important to remember the journey is the point. Got to enjoy it. Aaron won’t be sour for long. Robert won’t always be down and out. It’s not a matter of if they get back together, it’s a matter of when.

I feel that we are getting a slight reverse on the Gordon era. Robron learning to be friends again but the feelings are way deeper because so much as happened since then. Also, a slight reverse of reunion 2.0? Aaron now feels like Robert. “You left me. I mean, I get it, you had to but you left me.”

I need Robert to get friends outside of Aaron. Caleb was fun with him. *sigh* I need Aaron to find his voice for himself. Remind John that it’s not just about him. Marriage is a partnership. Not the hero worship show. Robert gets it. So does Aaron. We will get back there. We just need to enjoy the ride back.

So, yeah. So far so soapy! Tomorrow should be interesting. Now that we have no spoilers to follow.

On a totally random note, I’m so excited to see everyone talking, joking, writing great fanfiction again. It’s keeping me sane in the middle of truly shitty times.I truly appreciate the Robron fandom (tumblr edition).

Oh and…fuck Bob. 🤣🤣🤣 (I’m still angry about his comment 🤣)

[moretapes]

okay i'll bite tell me about connor dwight

THIS GOT SO LONG IM SORRY PJH;GKLJKL

Sexuality Headcanon:

oh connor gay. connor homosexual gay. well in theory. i can’t actually see connor being attracted to anyone (expect for... well.) i feel ‘aromantic’ would be the wrong word choice here because connor’s just a dumb shithead who doesn’t have the sympathy in him to see other people.

connor only comes out of the closet when he realizes it gives him a pass to call stan a  f

Gender Headcanon:

i cannot see him as anything other than aggressively cis. connor’s gender is toxic masculinity.

A ship I have with said character:

my favorite specific relationship dynamic of "the only two people in the world who could understand what the other is going through, but they also can't stand each other"

i don’t really “ship” stan and connor romantically so much as i am just fascinated by their relationship. like. obviously stan and connor are extremely extremely toxic for each other in a way that you could not ‘fix’. connor doesn’t want to ‘get better’ and stan could never forgive him. even if, and that’s a strong if, he could forgive connor personally, he wouldn’t allow himself to because connor’s other victims don’t have the chance to and he needs to be held responsible for that.

but at the same time, in this brief, private universe between them, they were all each other had. it’s was horrible and toxic and unhealthy but. :( ??? :((((

the closest i can think of for a stanconnor Good Ending requires one or both of them still being completely fucking miserable because they’re so apposed to each other on a fundamental level. and that’s what i like! i like that they’re so tangled together the series itself kind of frames meeting connor as the moment that doomed stan for LIFE.

like ok!!! ok!.

...there’s also uh. kind of a scene in the old series that alludes connor had feelings for stan at one point? and it’s definitely just because of the series being written on the fly and not considering the implications very thoroughly but. it’s there. and. miserable angry teenage connor confusing his fierce possessiveness over stan for romantic feelings immediately before stan ditches him is. hm. hoo boy. i gotta sit down.

A BROTP I have with said character:

genuinely do not think connor is capable of extending an emotional connection to anyone to form a legitimate friendship. 

i guess in a real world setting, i do like playing connor as susan’s overprotective brother. i don’t think they’d be close exactly, but it’s... better terms than canon. (side note i personally see connor not having a good relationship w david or the rest of their family so it’s kind of a ‘susan is the only one willing to take his side out of pity, even though he’s probably wrong’)

A NOTP I have with said character:

honestly? anyone else. connor has extremely bad ideas on what a platonic relationship would involve, my brain shuts down trying to think about what he would be like dating. 

not to mention he only interacts with like, what, 3 people? who would you even ship him with lmao

A random headcanon:

oh god i’m so bad at these without a prompt.

uhh connor is a massive straight-edge because he hates feeling ‘out of control’ and applies that to everyone in his vicinity. 

connor is insistent on being referred to as the older sibling despite only being born 7 minutes before susan.

he’s a very light sleeper. he’s someone who is always awake before everyone else but also stays up past everyone else. very few people have actually seen him asleep.

General Opinion over said character:

maybe i like him, just a little bit. 

tbh a LOT of the reason i like connor so much is just that it is hard to separate his influence from who stan is. this isn’t a good thing in any capacity btw. 

oh god how do i contextualize this like YES he’s the WORST ever and i love him so much so fucking much. honestly the worst someone portrays connor as the more enamored i become. maybe i just have a specific hang-up that if i see a character die i immediately become more sympathetic towards them; and seeing connor die like 3 fucking times just caved my skull in. 

but godddd there’s these super tiny things he does that just crawl into my brain and die there like WHAT is this kid’s problem!!! is it the abandonment issues from being passed around foster homes since he was born. is it the paranoia from being constantly stalked by an otherwordly beast his entire life. is he just kind of a dick. WHO KNOWS!!!!! I LOVE HIM

plus i think he’s really fascinating in the context of the slenderverse as a whole. there are plenty of ‘proxies’ (i’d argue he doesn’t count but i’ve seen other people call him such so idk) who do bad things because they’re being controlled. but connor is just... some kid? he was a scared 17 year old with bad morals who only wanted to save himself, and became a monster in the process.

and that’s way more interesting for me to dig into!! he made the choice to harvest other people, he is the one that approached stan for help, he decided to kill people. slenderman was there, yes, and his influence obviously drove connor to desperation but connor was never without control. at any point he could’ve stepped away but didn’t. and it just got worse and worse and worse until it killed him. by the time stan stepped into the picture connor was probably already beyond help. and that just... fuckiening. bro that makes me SAD

and connor ceased to be connor. he’s lines. he’s a corruptleum. connor as a person doesn’t exist in the record. he’s the literal ghost of stan’s past.

it’s sooooooooooo auuuuuuuGHHHHHHHHHHHH *CLAWING AT THE WALLS*

BOY

[kbstories]

impression//expression

"It’s not like Kirishima had come all this way to U.A. to immediately break the promise he made to himself upon arrival.

It’s just that Bakugou is as feral as they come, and the moment Kirishima recognizes it’s fear he felt crawling up his spine that day, he makes it his personal mission to face it head-on until it’s gone."

(Or: Being friends with Bakugou Katsuki is anything but a linear experience. Kirishima Eijirou would have it no other way.)

Tags: Kirishima POV, Developing Friendships, Protective Kiri, Soft Baku, Chatting

Chapter 1. No additional content warnings apply. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9.

***

The routine goes as follows:

Bakugou waits for Kirishima at the front door, arms crossed and a varying degree of pissed off depending how late he's running. Kirishima complains about the train being postponed or too full or delayed in some way – which is true, damn it, it’s like the universe has doomed his train line and none other in all of Japan to be the statistical outlier in an otherwise spotless record of punctuality – and begs for forgiveness, usually by bribing Bakugou with some post-workout coffee.

It works surprisingly well. A month into this and Kirishima is about ready to join one of those conspiracy theory servers Kaminari is so fond of because Bakugou is actually pretty lenient, death threats and crackling palms aside.

(That being said, Kirishima enjoys life and living and chasing after his dreams, so he will never breathe a word about that particular observation to anyone, least of all Bakugou himself.)

They usually got the gym to themselves, the employees on the early shift always looking vaguely relieved that at least someone is making use of their opening hours. Kirishima’s never been a regular anywhere aside from perhaps the manga store a few blocks from his home, so it feels a bit special to have this implicit claim to the training area made for heat-based quirks every Saturday morning.

Bakugou snorted when Kirishima told him that, muttering what sounded like fucking nerd under his breath.

The rest is pretty straight-forward. Kirishima’s been on a daily workout schedule for a good year by this point, and it’s clear Bakugou is used to it too. They stretch, do some warm-ups (in Bakugou’s case, quite literally) and off they go.

The thing is: It’s fun. Like, really, really fun. Really loud, too, especially when Bakugou’s got his sweat on and comes at him point-blank and flashy like fireworks personified. By the first session, Kirishima already realized it’s a lost cause trying to talk during training because all Bakugou replies with is an exasperated “Hah?!” no matter what he says.

It’s not like Kirishima could’ve heard himself speak anyways, his ears always left ringing something fierce from all the close-quarter explosions. Bakugou is a stranger to the concept of holding back or taking things by half measures, that much hasn’t changed.

Elsewhere, it might’ve taken a while for Kirishima to push his quirk to the point where his skin breaks out in cracks and ridges, his arms and shoulders and hair turning unyielding and clear-cut like miniature mountains. Not here, though: Not when the choices are to put his best foot forward with every move, or have Bakugou tear his throat out for daring to waste his time. There’s something so freeing about letting loose like that – a thrill that sends Kirishima’s heart on a war path and his pulse soaring until all that’s left are his instincts and quick reflexes.

Like this, every time he gets a hit in or a blast manages to leave a mark on his body, Bakugou grins and Kirishima grins back. Like this, the bruises and lost hours of sleep pale in comparison to just how bright Bakugou’s eyes can shine.

*

Kirishima brushes off the last traces of carbon dust off his arms to start massaging the sore muscles there. With U.A.’s Sports Festival a mere handful of days away, both of them kept going until their quirks started to sputter.

A strange comfort, to sit in mutual exhaustion like this. It’s not even noon but Kirishima could totally go for a nap, right there on the black, fire-proof tiles. Leaning back on his hands, he hums and asks:

“So. What’s the deal with Midoriya?”

A few feet from him, Bakugou pauses in rolling his shoulders. The black tank top he’s wearing is positively plastered to his body with sweat, his track pants saved from the same fate by how bulky they are.

“What?”

Too late, it occurs to Kirishima to feel nervous. The sensation is dim against the warmth still clinging to his skin though, that minute ache that comes with becoming stone for too long. “Being around him pisses you off. What’s up with that?”

Bakugou stares at him. His expression is hard to read, firmly within the realm of his default frown. “The fuck, Shitty Hair. What’s it to you?”

Uh oh. Kirishima sits up, mostly to raise his hands in a placating gesture, palm-up. “Just curious, bro. Honest. Been wondering for a while so I thought I’d ask, y’know?”

As bold as Kirishima aims to be, lying Bakugou in the face when his gaze is sharp enough to cut a bitch would be a monumentally stupid move. Bakugou seems to come to the same conclusion, even if his scoff is plenty aggressive.

“None of your fucking business, that’s what’s up with it. Fucking… Deku, bah.”

To say the silence that follows is loaded is the understatement of the century. Kirishima chews on his tongue, about a thousand questions balancing on its tip; it’s like the Midoriya he sees is the polar opposite of the one Bakugou blows a fuse over on a regular basis, and the why behind it is kind of starting to haunt him. (It doesn’t help that everyone in 1-A treats him as some sort of expert in all things Bakugou instead of interacting with the guy directly.)

One glance at Bakugou and he swallows it all down. Only now, with any and all traces of it gone, does Kirishima realize how calm he had looked. “…Coffee?”

Bakugou picks himself off the ground and leaves without another word.

*

Baku 💣💥

it’s bullshit dude (sent 18:23)

u know that right? (sent 18:23)

right? (sent 18:48)

like the whole chains + muzzle thing was ass i’m still fuming (sent 19:10)

and the press can go duck themselves lol (sent 19:12)

fuck** (sent 19:12)

it’s ur right to refuse the thing if u don’t want it (sent 19:15)

idk man it just sucks (sent 19:20)

baku? (sent 19:35)

:( (sent 19:55)

-

i know (received 19:56)

stop blowing up my phone (received 19:57)

-

baku!! ❤️  (sent 19:57)

sry haha (sent 19:57)

u ok tho? (sent 20:00)

-

fuck off (received 20:01)

-

sry sry (sent 20:01)

(my moms say hi btw 💪🏻💪🏻) (sent 20:32)

((and congrats but i told em u don’t wanna hear it lmao)) (sent 20:33)

-

hi back (received 20:40)

 -

💪🏻  (sent 20:42)

*

Lord Explosion Murder?? (Baku 💣💥 )

so like (sent 6:20)

ur hero name (sent 6:20)

-

? (received 6:21)

-

oh! morning lol (sent 6:22)

ok so. it’s a bit of a mouthful (sent 6:24)

manly! (sent 6:24)

but y’know (sent 6:24)

-

k (received 6:25)

-

what about nitro? or smth (sent 6:30)

it’s snappy and cool! like u hehe (sent 6:33)

WAIT NO (sent 6:33)

LIKE (sent 6:33)

UM (sent 6:34)

 -

kirishima (received 6:34)

-

yea? (sent 6:34)

OH SHIT DID U JUST (sent 6:36)

pls don’t kill me (sent 6:36)

bro? (sent 6:40)

bakubro? (sent 6:48)

nitro? 👀  (sent 6:53)

… (sent 6:57)

at least lemme say bye to my dog man (sent 7:00)

-

no (received 7:00)

-

RIP in pieces me (sent 7:00)

*

Nitro!! (Baku 💣💥 )

oi dipshit (received 8:02)

-

?? 👀  (sent 8:02)

-

you owe me coffee (received 8:03)

-

!!! (sent 8:03)

[train_view.jpg] (sent 8:18)

omw 💪🏻  (sent 8:19)

-

k (received 8:19)

>>Chapter 3

[hedgefairy]

Well hello there. While I'm waiting for that breeches video I've been talking about to finally upload, here's

Bridgerton, Episode 4

Phew, half time!

If you've missed the other ones, the tag is Bridgerbore, btw.

Okay, so we start of with Dukey who's going home-ish because drama and heartbreak in the last episode. Stop pretending, nobody takes your pouting seriously! We all know it's twu wuv!

Erm. So, I know, I'm white and this is a delicate matter, but I gotta say I'm not super happy about the whole POC-justifying explanation here. I'd much rather have no explanation at all, it worked perfectly well in Merlin, and this is just as much historically inspired fantasy just with less magic, which I'm honestly quite upset about. I'd be far more okayer with the costumes and overall ugh-ness if there was magic.

But honestly, I'm not a fan of shoehorning that explanation in (it doesn't seem to come up in the books, either, where everyone is basically a baguette in terms of whiteness). The fact that the implications aren't discussed any further makes it even worse. We're talking about the British empire here, and while POC are apparently part of the society (but with more pressure, which... no, this is not how nobility works) the wealth and luxury of this age still stems from the exploitation of POC everywhere else. How isn't there a revolution going on? How is this not talked about? From all I see, Bridgerton is a fluffy, pastel, nice alternate version of the 1800s, and I don't get why anyone would put politics in there instead of just doing what TV tropes refers to as "colourblind casting" and be done with it. Either you do the alternate history thing thoroughly, or you just cast people for being pretty (and maybe good actors) instead of the idea the audience might have about a character's skin colour and have weird costumes and just roll with it.

Also the Queen's marriage seems to suck. I would have liked a deeper, more heartbreaking connection between George III and her, especially because I saw how my Grandmother suffered when she gradually lost my Grandfather to dementia, and it would have been a scene where we could see Charlotte as a person rather than a weird plot device in tafetta and bling, but no, she just seems as annoyed and bored and snappish as ever.

This is getting far too serious. Where's the snark?

We get some Tchaikovsky in the background, which is weird, tbh. Yes, I'm perfectly fine with them covering Top 40s hits and using waltzes from the 1950s, but I draw the line at something from the second half of the 19th century! It's not right! It screams its time of origin all over the place, and even worse, most of the characters would probably actually get to hear it later in their lives, it's not a decent anachronism, it just feels like bad research! This is serious business!

No really, where's the snark?

Oooh, I get it now. That was when I was really, really done with bingeing this show. Yes, I tried to get through as much of it as possible in one sitting. The notes read, in very shaky handwriting

I cannot possibly take more than that

in one day

, so let's continue a few days later when I felt like I could muster the courage to face it again.

So yes, I'm pretty sure this waltz is to young for this show.

Aww, look at that, flirting over cheese! I also like that one of the Featherington girls (I can't really tell the non-Pennys apart) has a suitor, they deserve nice things, too.

The musicians are a mood.

WTF with the hair and the strass. We don't like the strass. Make it go away.

I love Prince Freddy. The poor boy. It's doomed from the start!

Ah, Dukey (also at the ball, even though he was whining about things earlier) gets a heartbeat in the background, because twu wuv.

Middle Bridgerbro goes and meets with the Bohéme. I want more of that! That's finally interesting! That's my people! There's a cool bohemian lady with a pretty dress! People look interesting! Aaaah!

There's a random 18th century burlesque singer at this Regency ball, we need to talk about this. Oooh, it's Opera Girl! Cue Lord B turning into even more of an idiot while Ma Bridgerton tries to hook him up otherwise.

Of course Philippa (that's one of the Featherington Girls) can't possibly have anything nice. Thanks, Dad. You don't get to marry someone you like, that's the people across the street's thing! (by which I of course mean the Bridgertons, just in case anyone forgot the location layout here.)

Eloise is being weird to the housekeeper.

"Are you not supposed to be the smart one", the housekeeper retorts and I'm feeling it, followed by a "WTH, hero" about how servants are too busy to be Gossip Girl, you privileged prat. I think I actually snorted.

Penny gossips with Ducktail Colin, but he's more interested in Cousin, whose dress looks like it was made from the cheap curtains my ex best friend had in his first semester at uni, and God, I hate Daphne's kerchief.

Poor Prince Freddie is trying to propose to Protagonis Girl but of course there's Dukey in the background so she simply must run outside as dramatically as possible where he can find her as she equally dramatically rips the necklace Freddie gave her from her milky white throat. P&P-ish banter ensues. Yawn.

Dukey: * broods *

Daphne: * dramatically exits *

Dukey: * romantically follows her*, and oooh, snogging ensues, oooooh, instant second base, but Bridgerbro the Eldest (known also as Lord B) intervenes.

Lord B: "Marry her!"

Dukey: "I can't!"

Lord B: "Bitch!"

Dukey: "I can't!"

Lord B: "I want satisfaction!"

Me: "Don't we all"

Daphne: "You'd rather die than marry me?!"

(the fuck with her hair)

Middle Bridgerbro is still at the Bohéme-party, and still draws (naked people!). Gay vibes ensue, it's cute. This is Netflix after all, and it took four episodes to get some LGBTQ+ representation!

The Featherington's housekeeper looks a lot like O'Brien from Downton.

Cousin tells Penny about what a cutie Ducktail Colin is, also Penny's "night gown" is really cute (it's not a night gown. She's still wearing stays. It's also the only thing in the whole series that fits her well so far). Penny is super upset but gets interrupted by a hyperfocused Eloise. They fight, and Penny goes on about being mature and not being a "pretty Bridgerton", and that Eloise wouldn't understand. I get her, though, and really, having a perfect family and a "bad" family is such lazy writing.

Somber blah blah between Lord B and Daphne happens and Middle Bridgerbro gets dragged into it. He's informed that his life is pretty much over either way (either way being Lord B dying or being exiled for killing Dukey in the scheduled duel) because his oder bro basically just wants out of his duties. Sucks to be him.

Boxing Bro has to host a frustrated, possibly blueballed Dukey and offers himself up as a second for the duel.

Lord B goes and pleads with Opera Girl to get back with him (doooooon't) because of his little duelling plot and of course intercourse ensues. Girl, where's your self-respect?

Lord F comes into his dark study (we haven't seen much of him yet overall, he probably was too busy gambling) and hark, there's Lady F like the mafia boss I feel she should be, wo berates him about said gambling and that they're broke and how much he sucks. He starts crying, thumbs up for male vulnerability!, but it's kinda played for laughs via her awkward patting of him. Because of course (and I bet the late Daddy Bridgerton would never have lost his composure like that, but he didn't gamble, either, and these are the Featheringtons)

Lord B leaves Opera Girl for THE DUEL (I feel like this almost deserves a ™ by now).

We get gallopping horses! The drama! The panache! Daphne asks Ducktail Colin where it's going down because she wants to stop them, insert pandering feminist ranting about her choosing her own life but I don't really feel it and I wonde where her bangs go when she sleeps because her hair looks so different all of a sudden.

Lord B makes Middle Bridgerbro promise to care for Opera Girl in case he dies.

More gallopping horses! Daphne and her billowing cloak are pretty epic, to be honest, and there's Ducktail Colin on her heels. It's basically a family outing now!

Ugh, I like the seconds in this duel so much more. They should just off and go for a pint or something and leave Lord B and Dukey to their misery.

Duelling protocol ensues. Ten steps, blah blah, nice camera work, though.

Daphne full on rides into her brother's bullet, but she's fine (it would have been so dramatic, can you imagine? It would have been interesting!).

Oh no, they were seen (by her romantic rival, back when they had the dramatic make-outery in the park at the ball after the botched proposal. Sorry, Cressida is such a much better name than Daaaaphneeee. I have a RPG character called Cressida, I might be biased.), she's ruined if they don't marry!. and so she is basically emotionally blackmailing him into marrying her. But he can "never give [her] children!", and goes on how she deserves a household full of love like her family home because the Bridgertons are such a perfect family. God, they all annoy me so much.

Daphne ends the duel by saying that the Duke and her are to be married, with a pained facial expression, no less. I think I just wanna throw a pie in her face or something.

And that concludes Episode 4. That was a long one! Only four more to go! So this is

To be Continued!

Thank you for making it this far with me!

[book-o-scams]

Double Dee Weekend Analysis Challenge

This weekend, for Double Dee Appreciation Month, a bunch of EEnE blogs have been asked by @eene-fangirl​ to analyze the climactic swamp scene from Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show.  In this scene, Eddy tricks Edd into believing Edd has allowed Ed and Eddy to drown in quicksand.  This leaves Edd alone with the audience for about a minute, attempting to rescue them and then sobbing over survivor’s guilt. If you’re ready to deal with that, keep reading!

If you’re interested in how my opinion of this scene has evolved, here’s another analysis of it from a few years ago.  Hopefully I don’t repeat myself too much, I only gave myself a moment to gloss over it before I started this: http://book-o-scams.tumblr.com/post/128634520423/do-you-think-you-could-do-a-review-about-the

What if the last time you saw your best friends safe and happy before their tragic deaths, one of them was pretending to be an alligator-skin bag and the other was running away from him in half naked mock-terror?  This is Edd’s lot in life.

To be serious, I want to take a moment to say this swamp is beautifully designed.  The water is so much more detailed and colorful than the flat colors on the animated water we usually see, and the silhouette trees exist in a really surreal season 1-inspired style that I can’t put into words.  What are those stripes on the trees meant to be?  Just weird lighting?  Fumes?

“WAIT!” Love this little hand gesture.

I always wonder if Eddy was already planning the prank when he led Ed away. It IMMEDIATELY upsets Edd that Eddy is out of view.  Eddy’s prank seems like it could be a response to the argument Edd and Eddy were having prior to this scene about why Edd ISN’T on this road trip (”to impress your brother”).

Graceful Swamp Nymph Edd over here....

Whoa

How did he land that jump!?

This whole shot is great. 

 As much as I would love to watch close-ups of Edd slipping all over these platforms, the crane shot communicates the loneliness of the moment, the distance between Edd and his friends, the dread that makes Ed n Eddy’s deaths seem like a possibility, and all while giving us a moment to appreciate the background art.  

The decaying stagnant location could probably be taken as a metaphor for the state of the Eds’ friendship...

The small drawings are a little sloppy, but kinda charming.  They remind me of the EEnE comics that weren’t drawn by AKA artists.

This moment of isolation also feels like a parallel to shots from the previous prank in the movie....

I love the subtle extra detail in Eddy’s hand, and the grime is good and creepy.

Maybe it’s just because lately I’ve been listening to the music I listened to backwhen BPS came out in 2009, but I feel like there’s a metaphor for Edd’s friendship with Eddy and Ed behind this whole “quicksand” visual hook. I’ll let you psychoanalyze that yourselves, but here’s a song about quicksand to help you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo50Wv2A4uk

Gotta love that escalation from whispering to panicking!  In my previous analysis of this scene, I believe I considered the possibility that Eddy fell in this muck by accident and just ran with Edd’s suggestion that it was quicksand.  On the other hand, it’s pretty suspicious that Eddy ran off shirtless and then got dressed before jumping in here...  I think Eddy really does just know how to fake his own ignorance and predict Edd’s phobias.

I mean look at Ed in the very next shot!  He’s not even trying to make this convincing.  Very good dramatic touch on Eddy’s part to reach out for Edd, though.

I know I’m supposed to be analyzing Edd but I’m always taken by Eddy’s acting during these pranks.  In the Gag Factory, he just goes for horror movie shock value, but here it becomes clear that Eddy has thought through the dramatic potential of his own death. Look at this pageantry!

Ed’s comments, “In Manure” vs “Immature” and “to all the girls I’ve loved before,” also suggest the scriptedness of this prank.

But at least Ed’s choking here sounds genuine enough to make his other banter more believably sad that he’s going out with jokes.

More staging focused on isolating Edd from his friends.

Ed and Eddy dragging each other to their deaths, their voices fading out in the background, while Edd frantically races in the foreground to do what’s best for them.  Eddy really could not have set up a prank that conveyed the cracks in their friendship more VISUALLY, could he?

Suffocating close-ups. This anxiety is drowning Edd more than Ed and Eddy are drowning themselves!

Like tightening a noose, right, Edd?

BTW, don’t forget the significance of nooses to Bro, and by extension, Eddy!

So, seriously, what’s causing the bubbles here?  Are Ed and Eddy waiting out this prank with no oxygen or are they back in the bushes or something?

I’d like to mention how much I appreciate the subtle gritty spraypainty detail on the coloring of the quicksand, it definitely helps create the illusion that this may be more threatening than the show’s usual grimy environments.

Today on Ed, Edd n Eddy, Double Dee processes the existential horror of accidental death!

“No.”  Edd clutches his heart and attempts to restrain himself.

OOOH, good expression matching between shots!!!

“No!”  

This is such a goddamn sweaty movie.

“NO!!!!”

The very first frame of the next shot is Edd already digging and slathered in mud.  The urgency with which he throws away his germ phobia to save his friends makes his leap into the quicksand so fast it cannot be caught on film.

I love that the movie does not overstate Edd’s germ phobia and instead lets the grotesque thickness of this mud’s animation speak for itself.  Nobody would want to start wading in anything this gloppy, but Edd does it with so much energy, he is not kidding about how much he does not want Ed or Eddy to die no matter how they’ve mistreated each other in the past year.

OOH THEY FORGOT TO LINE SOME TEETH!!!

ah there they are

The first frame of Edd crying in this scene and the tears are already down his cheeks!  He’s sprung a leak now.

Edd demands to know where Ed and Eddy are.

AND WE’VE STRUCK GOLD WITH THIS FRAME-BY-FRAME ANALYSIS

to be clear I am skipping some frames.  sorry there isn’t more commentary but i think this glorious ugly-crying speaks for itself.

Edd begs them not to give up on him, the survivor’s guilt coming out full force.

“ANSWER ME!”

Edd whimpering after “...please...” is the part of this scene that breaks my heart the most.  That quiet acceptance that death is real, even in the Eds’ static world, definitely hits on the pain of losing someone close to you for the first time, a note that’s really important to land when this is so obviously (to the audience) a prank.

The tear animation on this particular expression is REALLY smooth.  Some of the dripping loops are kinda choppy but this one looks great, I love the touch with the darker eyelid skin being colored differently through the tears. It’s a perfect capper to a shot full of really incredible Edd drawings.

Again I’d like to point out that Edd’s perspective keeps switching between claustrophobic close-ups and devastating isolation.

I love how he SCREAMS and stomps around in a circle!

A little foreshadowing of the physical violence he’s going to bestow upon Eddy when they fight after the prank is revealed...

“WHY OH WHY DIDN’T YOU LISTEN TO ME!?”

I love that I can’t tell if Edd is referring to these swamp antics or the entire show. It feels a little underhanded for Edd to say this stuff out loud at what he believes to be the scene of their deaths, but that sort of darkness is necessary to justify this scene after the prank is revealed. Ed and Eddy don’t exactly deserve a better requiem, at this point they’ve brought almost nothing but despair to all the people they wanted love from, even if that’s not what they intended. 

In an ask earlier tonight, I interpreted a line Edd says after this scene that informs why he reacts to their “deaths” this way.  I just want to underline that: Ed and Eddy are officially more important to Edd than any member of his family, any acquaintance, anyone he’s ever met. And this is the way they treat him after ruining what little bit of a life he had accumulated through all his mistakes.  His reaction to their death and his reaction to them being alive but lying to him have a similar fury behind the expressions, fueled by how much Edd has lost over both the last year and the last 24 hours.

Edd finally faceplants in the mud, to punish himself for failing to steer Ed and Eddy away from their doomed quest, for failing to save their lives, and for insulting them at their graves.

This is the beginning of the last shot of the “Ed and Eddy are dead” sequence, but I want to savor it.  

This is the moment where their “death” has finally lingered long enough to feel like the new reality, to Edd as well as the audience.  A moment sooner would have rendered it meaningless, and possibly made Ed and Eddy seem nicer or at least more concerned with Edd’s heartbreak, while leaving our thoughts on Edd’s slight about Ed and Eddy ignoring him.  Keep the death going too long and it would DEFINITELY feel like a waste.  This feels like Ed, Edd n Eddy tugging at heartstrings with the exact balance of sweet and mean that defines the show.

“This is all my fault!”

“I should have never let you leave the cul-de-sac!”

I like that Edd’s thoughts would return to “the cul-de-sac” at their death. Even with the traumas we witnessed in Peach Creek, “the cul-de-sac” still sounds like a safe nostalgic place, the natural habitat of the Eds.

Is that a miscolored sleeve?

This shot was important it because it allowed Edd to show remorse and get more to the heart of what he meant with that slight.  

And I think Ed and Eddy quietly offering Edd a tissue is a really good beat to end the death sequence on as well.  Mean as they are and as rightfully angry as Edd is, we are still given the sense that they heard what Edd said, and want to return with a semi-caring gesture with a little of Ed’s personality mixed in to help restore normalcy.  It’s almost like they are saying “let us laugh right now and we won’t blame you at all for thinking so little of us at our deathbeds.”  It is specific and in character.  But it doesn’t make up for their actions as much as they think it does.

Edd initially complaining about Ed’s gross handkerchief and then drooping as the dots connect that this was a prank is also a pretty well-timed gag.

These shit-eating grins, Eddy looks like Norbert Beaver right now with that little beak.

Hmm, Ed’s face doesn’t match between these shots... I wonder if a line got cut out for time here.

Ridiculing Edd for caring, which probably reflects how little care Ed and Eddy receive from their families and peers.

Just like old times, huh Double Dee?

...Maybe too similar to old times... 

Thousand yard stare while tears stream down his cheeks...

“This muck’s only ankle deep, can’t sink in it!”   

Edd untethers himself.  Symbolism.

Ed starts making some stupid free-associative response to Eddy’s line.

And Edd spins around and stomps away with stifled anger.

In light of how deeply he just felt about these two, he cannot bring himself to give them the fight they deserve without Eddy dragging it out of him. But Edd can sure as hell walk away.

And with that Edd silently quits and Eddy makes a series of strange faces.

Also in this shot, tiny Eddy’s animation does not sync up with the dialogue at ALL, so I really want to know what line he was animated to...

Anyway, that’s it for this challenge.  I hope you enjoyed this mini-analysis grande-screenshot-gallery and have been enjoying these character appreciation months as much as I have!  Have a good night.

[crypticbeliever123]

Link to my fic on AO3. You can also read chapter 1 here below. Feel free to comment on what you thought of the fic! It’d be really appreciated.

It’s been 11 years since the mutation event, and 11 years since Splinter saw the man who was once his childhood friend rise to become the Shredder, the face of bigotry and hate directed against his kind. Though many people are accepting of mutants, he knows that there are also many who would fall in line with Oroku- no. Not Oroku Saki. Not anymore. Now he is only the Shredder, a villain who would see countless fall dead at his hands for simply being who they have become after Stockman’s experiment; a fate they could not control.

His old friend has grown quite powerful since he last saw him years before the event. Even in their youth Saki was a gifted Firebender, capable of using blue flame and lightning to great effect. Now he has found a new technique in his Bending. Firebenders have long been known to harness the power of their own chi to will fire into being. Now it seems that Shredder has managed to gain such control over chi that he can affect not only his own but that of others as well, severing the connection between spirit and chi within a person, cutting them off from their Bending permanently. Not even Splinter’s Energybending could restore their gifts.

Still, though Shredder has brought much pain and fear into this world Splinter has found small joys in it as well in the form of his four students, his adopted sons. Though they brought him joy as he has tried to do for them in return, he can’t help but feel pain in his heart for them and the sorrows that led to their union as a family.

First there was Leonardo, a Waterbender from the Foggy Swamp Tribe whose family left him behind in the chaos that erupted when the Shredder attacked. The great banyan-grove tree that resided there had caused a mass congregation of mutations through its connection to the Spirit Wilds just as had occurred at ground zero, Republic City itself. The Shredder had sought to bring about the end of all the mutants that had sprung up in the tribe by destroying the great banyan-grove tree using his new technique to kill the tree’s connection to the surrounding area and the Spirit Wilds. Though Splinter was unable to save the swamp from ruin at the Shredder’s hand, he was able to rescue the frightened Leo from death and take him in as his own.

Then, a year later Shredder laid siege to the city of Zaofu. Two Earthbenders, mutated into the forms of a female lizard and a male armadillo, did their best to hide their young son, Donatello, from the Shredder’s attack but sadly lost their lives in efforts to protect their child. Luckily, Splinter arrived just in time to save the young Donatello from being slaughtered as his parents had been. He still remembers holding the young turtle in his arms as he wept for the loss of his parents that night when they returned home to Republic City.

It was only a handful of months before Splinter found himself with yet another son; another turtle to his amusement. Michelangelo may not have been the Shredder’s target but he was still a victim of his nonetheless as Shredder’s attack on Republic City, in an effort to lure Splinter to his doom, led to much destruction that brought about the car accident that claimed the lives of Mikey’s parents. Splinter was called in to the Police Precinct after the incident, having informed the Police Chief that should any young mutants find themselves in need of a new home he was to be contacted at once. Mikey took to his new brothers almost immediately.

It was several years before he took in another son. This one he didn’t find through tragedy but rather by happenstance. Raphael was but 14 when Splinter found the turtle stealing food to survive. When confronted Raph attacked him with his Firebending, thinking he was in trouble with the Avatar. The fight ended quickly as Splinter used his own Bending to counter and offered to instead buy him a meal that they could talk over instead of fighting. Raphael told him about how in light of his mutation his father had attacked him and cast him from their home. Splinter felt sorry for the young Firebender and offered him a home. Though hesitant to trust him, Raphael agreed and was greeted by his three new brothers when they arrived at the Avatar’s Temple.

Over the years his sons have grown and become very capable Benders. Leonardo, who was now 17 was nothing short of a master, having trained to be skilled at not just natural Waterbending but also the arts of healing and Plantbending as well. Donatello, now 15, was as skilled at Bending metal as he was at bending other earthen materials and took full advantage of it in his inventing. Michelangelo, an energetic 14 year old, despite not having as wide a range with his Bending as his brothers did, was still gifted in his skills; enough so, that he frequently uses them in pranks around the temple. Raphael…

*sigh*

Raphael was different. No matter how hard he tried to teach him, the boy still could not even master the basics. It was as if he weren’t even trying. Raphael could create fire no problem, even large amounts of it if he lost his cool. It was simply controlling that fire that seemed difficult for him as he couldn’t direct flames very well and making precise movements with such fire was proving to be essentially impossible for the young Bender. His form and technique were both sloppy to say the least. Two years into his training and still no improvement.

“Again,” Splinter said with a sigh as Raphael failed in performing a basic Firebending technique once more.

Raph took a deep breath.

“Just relax and remember why you’re doing this,” the turtle whispered to himself as he drew in another breath only for his focus to be completely disrupted by Mikey bursting in with loud enthusiasm.

“MIKEY!”

The Airbender just ignored him and flew past on an air scooter before coming to a stop.

“Guys, guys, guys! Check this out!” Mikey exclaimed as he pulled out a poster for a Pro-Bending match that was being held downtown.

“It’s Pro-Bending. So? What’s so great about it?” Raph questioned with irritation at Mikey’s exuberance as they were joined by Leo and Donnie.

“So?! It’s a match between the Fire Ferrets and the Boar-q-pines! They’re the two best teams in the circuit! We have to go and see them play!”

“I don’t know Mikey, I’ve still got a lot of work I need to do on my latest inven-” Donnie said before being interrupted by the sound of an explosion coming from his lab.

“On second thought, I’d love to go.”

“Yes! What about you Leo?”

“Sure thing. Sounds like fun. Raph, are you in?”

“Pass,” Raph said before turning to leave.

“Pass?! How can you pass up the chance to see the Fire Ferrets play the Boar-q-pines, bro?”

“Because I’m not as big a fan of Pro-Bending as you are. Heck, I’m not even a fan!”

“Blasphemy! Pro-Bending is the single greatest thing in the world and it is impossible to not love it. You just say you don’t like it because you know you’re not good enough to make any of the teams.”

“Michelangelo!” Splinter warned.

“It’s fine, Master Splinter. Mikey’s little jabs about my bending haven’t upset me before, they ain’t gonna start now,” Raph replied as he headed off to his room.

Raph sighed, sliding down against his bedroom door. The weight of his secrets could really eat at him sometimes. Luckily his phone started buzzing to take his mind off it. Surprise, surprise, a text message from his best friend Casey. Good ole Casey, always there when he needed him even if it was a total coincidence that he was calling at the exact moment when he needed him the most.

Practice is @ 3. Think u can make it or is Splinter still trying 2 “teach u firebending”? lol

Oh I’ll make it alright. Just make sure April’s there & geared up. Last time she was late & still needed 2 get changed

Clearly you’ve never taken college classes. Just be there on time, kay?

Kay btw Mikey’s trying 2 get the fam 2 go 2 our match this Friday

XD what’d u say?

Said it was stupid and that I wasn’t going

Blasphemy!

That’s what Mikey said 2 is that word trending right now or something?

Make all the excuses u want dude but don’t u dare insult our beloved sport

Whatever see u @ practice

See u