#but honestly fucking KILL OWEN HUNT ON SCENE

[queers-anatomy]

sometimes I wonder why I hate men so much and then I remember I grew up watching derek shepherd and owen hunt on tv

[panic-and-procrastinate]

honestly i love the jurassic movies, but i do have to say i hate that they got the carnivores and herbivores behaviour the wrong way around. most of the time predators don't rlly attack you unless their either a. hungry or b. threated. herbivores however? hippos will mow you down for sport. they'll crush you and rip you up for looking at them funny. and all they do is eat grass!!! they can't eat you at all but they'll still rip you to shreds. because people often percieve herbivours as less dangerous bc they wont eat you, people get too close and disrespect animals boundries. the same should happen with the herbivour dinosaurs. they should kill far more people than the carnivorous ones.

the t rex honestly had pretty good reasons. the first movie explained they had been in captivity and the dinosaurs were spoon fed, so they wanted to hunt, and this is expanded upon in jurassic world when owen says animals raised in captivity without social interaction makes them want to find out their place on the food chain. so the t rex killing everything in sight when it first gets out is sensible. and it killing people in the second movie bc its baby was taken in also sensible.

the third movie with the spinosaurus is curious tho. the spinosaurus' behaviour is never expanded upon, and is just a continuous antagonist with no real reason other than "big scar dino" that needs to kill people and specifically fuck with these guys. i don't like that.

but the raptors... i'm forever mad about the way raptors are portrayed. they really should have been like wolves more, they wouldn't have just attacked or hunted for no reason. in the first movie i understand, it was explained above. kept in captivity blah blah blah. but the second movie??? unless they were really hungry, they had no reason!!! they wouldn't have expanded that much energy on humans who are tricky to catch, they would have found easier prey bc saving your energy is super duper important in the wild.

not to mention they have a sense of EMPATHY bc they are PACK creatures. pack creatures (LIKE HUMANS) have a sense of empathy and care toward each other bc thats how they SURVIVE. in the third movie, they show this. Their incesant chasing makes sense, they want their eggs back.

IN JURASSIC WORLD HOWEVER

oh boy oh boy. they should NEVER have attacked owen or anyone who raised them. pack creatures that have a bond would not eat someone the moment they turn their back. (im talking about that introductory scene to owens character and relationship with the raptors when that guy fell in the pen.) you know how there are sanctuaries with wolves and lions an those animals are super happy and cuddly with their handlers bc they KNOW thats their friend? yeah it should have been the same. and not to mention they wouldn't just TURN on owen if the indominatable rex had a little chat with them, these guys are smart and know that owen doesn't want to hurt them, why would they do the same to the guy WHO RAISED THEM. THATS NOT PACK BEHAHIOUR. they would be wary of the bigger and more scarier version of them that wants to kill everything for sport. the animals would be afraid.

i'm sorry for the rant im just so mad about the way raptors were portrayed, i'm very passionate about pack behaviours an they did such a disservice to them.

[otometrashqueen]

The Last of Us Part 1 and 2 Musings *Spoilers abound*

I finished up watching playthroughs of The Last of Us Part 1 & 2 this week and holy hell! SO good. So many feels.

I totally sympathize with Joel for not wanting to lose Ellie, but I also understand that Ellie felt robbed of her purpose for not dying in order to create a cure.

But honestly, what were the odds that her death would actually result in a vaccine?? She would die and they would have a starting place for immunity maybe? or understand how Ellie developed her immunity perhaps, but I feel like it would have taken more than just Ellie's sacrifice to develop a cure. I could definitely be wrong, but those are my thoughts. SO I'm probably more in the Joel camp as far as the ending of Part 1 goes.

Part 2 was, wow, A LOT. There is so much unpack there.

I was glad that Ellie eventually found out the truth and Joel was finally honest with her.

Joel teaching Ellie to play guitar was everything.

Also, Ellie having her own place and space was really good to me. I assumed that she would stay with Joel, but I liked that she had her own independence, but Joel was always close by if needed.

I liked that Joel was finally living near Tommy, I have a special relationship with my brothers, and we live pretty separated from each other so I liked that Joel got to have his brother nearby finally.

It seemed that Joel was more at peace in Jackson, for all the terrible things he did, he's our special boi and it was nice to seem him looking a little more relaxed and play the dad role to Ellie, whether she wanted him to or not.

LOOK AT HIM, HE DESERVES EVERYTHING <33

AND THEN THEY KILLED MY BOI :((((

I honestly was so shocked, that even when the next scene happened and Tommy comes to see Ellie. I was like, "Oh ok this where he says Joel is in a coma or something." BUT NOPE. T.T

It was a great and terrible thing that they did. A really bold piece of story telling and much respect for that, but I was screaming at the screen much like Ellie here.

This beautiful, flawed man, I was so upset, like for a whole day I was mad about it. I moved onto acceptance and I was very satisfied that Ellie hunted them down one by one.

Tommy going by himself before Ellie and Dina was dumb, especially after he had tried to talk Ellie out of it. The girls were going regardless of what anyone said. Tommy should have owned up to that and they could have helped taken care of each other especially having a singulair purpose to avenge Joel's murder.

What's incredible about this game is that it made me not care about the group that came after Joel, they killed my post apocalypse father, a daddy if you will. You don't mess with my daddies >:)

I found satisfaction in each of their deaths, even when we were forced to switch perspective to Abby, which I hated BTW, I HATED IT, but that's why it was so good right?! But even then, and I'll probably get in trouble for this, but I really didn't care when Owen and Mel died, I know, I'm a terrible person, but like fuck them for real. Fuck that stupid love triangle with Abby and Mel and Owen. I didn't care. I was too invested in Ellie, even though her story mirrored Abby's a bit.

I had mixed feelings about the ending as many did. I think Ellie should have either stayed with Dina or finish her revenge journey. The fact that she settled down just to pick up Abby's trail again later seemed a little wishy washy to me well then when she found Abby, she couldn't finish the job and lost her guitar playing fingers in the process.

So she had effectively lost Dina for nothing and did not avenge Joel and lost her only means of connecting with him, the guitar.

Now I can see her returning to Jackson to look for Dina, if she's even there, effectively leaving behind Joel's guitar and her revenge. And Dina could take her back, but like they what's the point of her going back after Abby???

Just to let her go, which at that point I was ok with because she had Lev and I was more invested in the Lev than Abby and I wanted Lev to survive for real.

What I was hoping was maybe Abby and Lev convincing Ellie to go with them to the Fireflies and maybe devise a way to find a cure that DOESN'T murder Ellie, if that's even possible. She fulfills her purpose, doesn't die which also preserves what Joel did to keep her alive and Ellie breaks the cycle of revenge. It would have made her losing Dina still shitty, but make more sense.

Ah well, what the hell do I know? It was a great and terrible journey and I'm happy I made it through. It makes me even more excited for what the show is going to come up for us. :)))))

Me too Joel, me too <333

[annes-andromeda]

Nah fuck volume 2 tbh. Catch me with my rewrite:

• Eddie gets to live because his death was literally for no reason and he gets to be the party’s cool uncle and he has his badass guitar moment while being a hero (basically being a bard like Dustin)

• The whole j*ncy vs st*ncy thing is finally laid to rest with Nancy breaking up with Jonathan and being an independent woman

• Brenner, Owens, Enzo, Murray, and Yuri die cause I can honestly live without their existence (and fuck the writers for trying to make us sympathize for Brenner)

• Tbh I don’t know what to do with Karen so maybe have her find out about the whole upside down stuff. Oh and kill off Ted so she’s finally free of her loveless marriage.

• Robin asks Vickie out but Vickie says that she’s dated a few boys and that causes Robin to loose hope. Only for Vickie to say that she’s eyed some girls too, revealing herself to be bisexual. Robin gets to be happy and have the girl of her dreams all while being a badass goofball.

• Jonathan gets to be a badass monster hunter and teams up with Steve, Nancy, Robin, Eddie, Argyle, and maybe even Vickie, and they form the monster hunting squad. #LetJonathanBreakSomeonesKneecaps

• Mike gets Vecna’d and we find out about his internalized homophobia and his massive crush on Will. And his monologue is about how he’s been forced to conform his whole life and how he doesn’t know how to accept himself for who he is and he’s literally having a gay crisis.

• El has a mutual break up with Mike and she ends being an independent woman and Hopper’s love is what gives her the power to fight Vecna. She still has her emotional reunion with Hopper but she also gets it with the rest of the party cause we need more party moments.

And the most important things of all:

• Wil gets a proper coming out scene and Jonathan accepts him and loves him. Will actually says out loud that he likes boys and is gay and it’s not subtext or whatever.

• Will gets to give Mike the painting and it’s of them on the swings on the day they met. Will says the “without heart…” line and Mike notes that’s it corny and they both laugh about and it’s a cute scene.

• Mike gives Will a bunch of letters all signed “Love, Mike” and a mixtape signed “For Will”, revealing byler to be requited.

• Will also gets Vecna’d and we get a Lonnie flashback. It’s this big emotional moment where Mike openly confesses his feelings and says I love you. This is what causes wills powers to emerge. Before getting his powers though, he gets to use a shotgun and blow demobats up or something. As a treat

• Its actually revealed that the reason why Vecna is targeting people now is that due to Will and El moving, his two biggest adversaries are out of the picture and he can regain power once more. And yes, Dustin was right and Vecna is working for the Mind Flayer.

• Eleven isn’t enough to stop Vecna, so she teams up with Will and the Wonder Twins save the day. However, this victory is at a cost. It turns out that Hawkins and the Upside Down have merged together, bringing about the return of the Mind Flayer. That is the cliffhanger of the season.

• With byler requited, Mike and Will get together (miss me with that waiting another season bullshit) and they have their big kiss. We see Lucas and Dustin walk in and Dustin mutters a “finally…” under his breath, all the while Lucas is shook. El and Mike end off on good terms and El is happy for her brother, but she will snap Mikes neck if he even thinks of hurting Will.

• Byler have their forehead touch and they hold hands tightly as they watch Hawkins become a literal hell on earth. But they’ll face it together. Because the rest of the party stands with them. The monster hunting squad stands with them. Hopper and Joyce stand with them. The last shot is the whole cast standing together, looking over Hawkins, ready to face the apocalypse, face Vecna, and face the Mind Flayer.

Crazy together

Alright deadass who wants me to write this and who wants to help??

[childrenofthelab]

ok now that i've napped and had a little time to process, spoilers for volume 2 under the cut

Part of me had kinda called Brenner's death the moment I saw that episode 8 was called Papa. Still I honestly found it pretty satisfying, and Brenner as a character still intrigues me for just how entrenched he is in believing he's in the right

uh...where is Owens? They just kind of...abandoned the whole military subplot for the final episode so I can only presume they'll be back next season?

The moment Jason appeared on screen I was like "oh god, he's really lost it now." Like you could very much see he'd just snapped completely

I will say it repeatedly, they can go fuck themselves for Eddie's death. Did I know it was probably coming? Yeah, I knew either way it probably wasn't going to be good given there was still a witch hunt out for him but jesus christ we need to stop this trend of introducing a character that's clearly going to be a fan favourite only to kill them off because they're too much of a coward to kill one of the actual mains and instead we must make them suffer adjacently. Needless to say I'll be going canon divergent on that aspect here

(The whole guitar scene was fucking sick though)

Don't get me wrong, I'm soft for Stancy but...idk, it just feels like it's being really shoehorned in this season, only for the heelface turn at the very end

Jonathan is a good big brother and I will die on this hell (also how fucking difficult was it to just have an actual coming out scene rather than constant alluding? like we all know it at this point)

Also fun that my thought of Henry being/controlling the mind flayer rather than the other way round turned out to be true, and that likewise he'd stick around for next season

I'm not gonna lie I...completely missed Jason's death? I was running on 23 hours awake at that point though. Seeing Lucas beat the shit out of him was very satisfying. More satisfying though was Erica beating up his attack dog friend though

jesus christ did they really need to pretzel max like i'm sorry it feels like a cop out max deserves better

You're telling me they decked themselves out with shotguns and shit to make spears and molotovs but no one thought to get THE GUY PLAYING BAIT some sort of body armour when we've literally just had Steve play chew toy? i'm sorry they are not that stupid

I fully refuse to believe that Dustin Henderson would leave Eddie's body in the Upside Down. He wouldn't. What's more, NANCY WHEELER sure as hell wouldn't, not after what happened with Barb

Are they just...not gonna tell us how Dmitri ended up? Like sure he escaped with them but like...he's still counted as a traitor, did he come to the US? Did he go back to try and get his family? Anything?

I also feel like the whole suggestion of a time skip to try and match the actors ages now...doesn't really work? Like it very much feels like something that needs to continue straight on from where it left off?

Anyway i'm still angy

[finished-ink]

The Last of Us Part II RANT

I’m normally a “moblie user only” person myself, but Part II took the fattest, nastiest shit on me I’ve ever had the displeasure and feeling through game, that I had to hop on my computer and type this. But before I get in to all the bad, let me start off with the little good in the game.

PROS: The Sound Design, the Animation and Graphics, and the Voice Work

Sound Design: The songs and music in this game were extremely well done. It had me moved to tears to sitting on the edge of my seat anxious about what was going to happen next.

Animation and Graphics: The animation truly seemed like a TON of time, energy, and love went into designing the characters and their surroundings.The graphics were just as awesome and truly made you feel immersed in the world of tlou.

Voice Work: Great work done my all voice actors involved. They, along with the graphics, made the characters really come to life.

OK, now done with the good, time for the fucking bullshit. I am mostly going to focus an the story and the characters. Because holy fuck, I know GOT season 8 was like a milestone in bad storytelling, but the goal wasn’t to do worse than that shitty ass season.

The Shitty Story:  I think the first thing that set this story up to be the fuck up that it is, was this lesson of “Violence isn’t the answer”. I think if the lesson was, “Your actions and choices have consequences” would have been a better theme to go along with this story. So, lets begin with Joel’s death.

I was honestly not surprised at all when I got to Abby at the beginning and someone was there to kill Joel. To think he would be able to evade the effects of what he did to the Fireflies would have been a bit ridiculous. I was even semi-fine with the torture of Joel, because I could see how that decision would force the player to really want to get back at Abby. Was it needed? Absolutely not because just killing Joel would of accomplished this. But if the torture of Joel was something Naught Dog really wanted to include then OK fine. We then come to the next extremely shitty part in the story, killing members of WLF and the game making the player feel guilty for it.

Now I know this is kinda a game play issue, but the issue being solved with a simple change in the game play would effect the story. And that is allowing the players to choose what the fuck they want to do. Do you want to just going in and slaughter everybody while their friends scream about their friends dying. That’s completely your choice. Do you want to quietly and tactically knock them out and leave them to live? Let that also be a choice. The could of even done it to where the more people you kill the more ammo and weapons you could collect, but it’ll be harder to travel because WLF will be sending out more brutes and harder enemies in an attempt to stop you. On the flip side, the more people you knock out, the less ammo and weapons you have, but the less WLFs there are to try and hunt you down because you’re not a bigger threat than the Scars. Then they could use dialogue said by the npcs to give the player an idea of how much of a threat they are to WLF. In a game where its trying to teach this lesson of “Violence isn’t the answer”, it sure forces you to resort to violence at every opportunity. You can even keep the intended message because in the game, violence isn’t always truly the answer. Bouncing off of this is my next change to the story, having the players make the choice about whether or not they want to kill Nora, Mel, and Owen.

Let’s get one thing straight, Ellie beating the shit out of Nora was not needed. An alternative to getting the info about where Abby was staying at could of been done through a series of little puzzle quests to give Ellie clues on where Abby was. This would be longer, but would not of had the same effect on Ellie’s mental state as beating the fuck out of Nora did. However, they could of kept the original scene as it played out. You get the info fast and you don’t lose out on anything major. Maybe some ammo and some pills but not enough to where it feels like you’ve lost out. But the choice now falls on the players to decide what they should do. The same applies with Mel and Owen. When you arrive at the aquarium, the player can decide to shot Owen to get Mel to talk, kill Mel to get Owen to talk, or grab Mel to threaten Owen to talk. The two kill options would be semi-bad because what played out originally with Abby would happen. But if the player decided to threaten Mel, Owen would talk, Ellie would release Mel but still holding them at gun point, and leave. However this would happen after another choice I think should of been implemented in the game. The choice to travel with Jesse to go and find Tommy.

When this happened even I wanted Ellie to just go with Jesse. It seemed like a great point to give the players a chance to decide what they wanted Ellie to do. Here’s how I would of wanted it to go: The player can either make Ellie continue to the aquarium, and the story would follow along as normal, or the player makes Ellie go with Jesse to find Tommy and leave. They leave and find Tommy after his encounter with Abby. You could even make another choice here where Tommy wants to try and go back to hunt down Abby, or go back to Dina with Jesse after he argues that they need to leave. If you go back with Jesse, Tommy follows with you, upset she gets to live, but moves on. From this they return to the theater, grab Dina and travel back to Jackson. This can then branch off to the future we see with Ellie and Dina, but there’s a scene where they travel to Jackson with J.J to see Jesse and his family. While there, Tommy approaches Ellie and says that he found Abby, and the player can decide what to do here as well. Go after Abby or stay. If the player goes after Abby, Ellie does find her and kills her, but it leaves Ellie feeling a bit conflicted because she doesn’t feel the fulfillment she thought she would feel. Cut to her traveling back to Jackson, visiting Joel’s grave and cue heart wrenching scene of her playing the guitar at his grave.

Now circling back, if the player decided to travel with Tommy to hunt Abby down in Seattle, Jesse reluctantly agrees, but tells them if they don’t find her by tomorrow afternoon, they all leave. This would then lead to the player finding Abby and Lev (because in my head Lev does run off but the boat he takes in the aquarium isn’t there and heard talk about the other boats the WLF’s use and takes off there, but Abby catches him in time to stop him from traveling to the island. This would happen after her encounter with Tommy) and Abby would tell Lev to run back to the aquarium with Yara. So its Ellie, Jesse, and Tommy holding Abby at gun point. Knowing a 3v1 isn’t winnable, she lays down her weapons and thus, another decision is allowed for the player. Kill Abby or let her live. Killing Abby has an effect on Ellie’s mental state and that can effect the game at the end. Not too bad that it ruins the ending, but bad enough that maybe there’s a cut scene of her having nightmares about killing her. If the player decides to not kill her, Ellie lets her go, she runs off, Tommy and her argue and Jesse tells them to drop it and get back to the theater. They do and cue to the ending I talked about earlier with everyone going back to Jackson. Now this leads me to my leads final story issue I would change about the game, Abby’s portion would be significantly cut down.

While the player would still play as Abby, the only flash back that would be included is the one about her and her father. Narratively, I don’t hate it. It allows for the player to understand why Abby wanted to kill Joel and drive home the new theme of “Your choices and actions have consequences”. However playing as Abby for, what, 12 hours of the game wasn’t needed. If the excuse was to pad for time, everything I said above would not have only extended the time, but would of allowed for players to want to replay the game. The player would still play as Abby with Lev and Yara so it can set up the players for how all the characters got to where they are by the time the player is given the choice to Kill or Let Abby Go. I’m on the fence about if the player would still be Abby and the theater scene would play as normal if you kill Mel or Owen. Kinda up in the air but what can you do. Anyways, while this would humanize the character to extent, it wouldn’t try to wash down her deeds like Naught Dogs tried to do. In my creation of this story, what happened in Santa Barbara would not take place at all.

All in all, there was some much they could of done with this story that could of made it worth playing. I have no more words for this grotesque torture p*rn game Neil and Naught Dogs decided to create. I wish I could fucking wipe my brain and get back to two days I wasted on this game. Fuck them and I hope Naughty Dogs fucking falls apart. I will finish my little essay with asking y’all to please not harass or go after the voice actors and the people who tried to make this game. Go after Neil , because ultimately this falls on him.

[earthnashes]

LAST OF UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

I started playing the very second it was made available to play and just finished it last night at like 4 in the morning. And of course it destroyed me. I love this series man so much man. ;w;

SO! I don’t usually do this but I’m like, fuckin’ dyin’ to talk about it a lil bit so if ya have plans to play it, SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT. <:

-Aight so lemme just say right off the bat that this game is fucking. Gorgeous. The environments, lighting, visual design, the level design, everything was spot on. And don’t get me started on the CHARACTER MODELS. AND ANIMATION. Like bro that shit was lifelike in not just appearance, the characters emoted and carried themselves with so much life they felt legitimately real. They were all so unique too; characters had unique special ticks to just them (Like Ellie pinching her fingers when nervous or upset, or Joel standing taller and squaring himself when talking about hard subjects like he’s bracing himself for it, or Jesse giving his stunted headtilt when he talks) and expressed in a way that was just. Bruh. Aight I’mma stop but fuckin hell what they pull off with the characters in specific in LoU (both part 1 and 2) is just somethin’ outta this world.

-For anyone interested in playing it, the game is roughly 22-30 hours long if you’re just focused on the story, and much longer still if you take the time to explore and find all the little secrets. Some secrets include unique cutscenes and dialogue that are well worth the look; I haven’t found all of ‘em yet but I’m considering trying a completionist playthrough.

-Joel’s death fucking destroyed me. I’m in no way surprised he died, but it hurt regardless, just how quickly things went south for him and Tommy there. And ELLIE. FINDING HIM AND WATCHING HIM GET REKT WAS PAIN INCARNATE. Set the tone hella hard and I’m fuckin’ here for it.

-I’m not gonna lie I fully expected to dislike Abby given she rekt Joel, even though I figured it was for a pretty good reason before it was revealed her pops was the doc Joel killed. But damn. I really enjoyed Abby, a lot actually. From a gameplay standpoint I dare say I enjoyed her section more than Ellie’s since you were BLASTING ENEMIES with those fuckin’ GUNS of hers. And by guns I mean her arms’, jesus she was shredded. As a character, she felt a lot like Ellie from a different perspective and mindset, and I really appreciated the reflection the two of them had. Two sides of the same coin, basically. Also I really, really liked how killin’ Joel brought absolutely no peace to Abby at all, and you caught her beginning to regret it. And it kinda sorta acted as the catalyst to her shift in how she viewed the world. I think that’s a good portion why she latched onto Yara and Lev so hard. Perspective is everything, and there is always more than just one side of a story.

-In the same vein I had a blast learning more about Abby’s friend group, dynamics, how she lived, who she worked for and her past and everything. Of them all I think I liked Nora the most, but Mel and Manny were both reaaaalll close seconds. O:

-Speaking of, DOGS. DOGS DOGS DOGS. So many dogs man and you got to play with and pet them! Fuck yeah. That should be a rule in gaming; if you have a cat or a dog in the game, you should have a button to pet it. Also good gorl Alice is best doggy don’t fight me on this. uwu

-Jesse and Dina were the beez knees I fuckin loved them man. They were exactly the sort of folks I can see Ellie being best friends with. ALSO, this one isn’t major, but I really appreciated that there was no love-triangle here? Dina and Jesse dated, smashed, didn’t work out but they still remained good friends. Ellie’s first reaction to seeing Jesse is to confess that she and Dina kissed, and Jesse readily accepted the fact that Dina moved on (and he had too). It’s just refreshing. No bullshit love triangle there, just three people who really understood each other. Also jesus christ, I really didn’t want Jesse to die. Goddamnit. But I’m so glad they didn’t kill Dina too like, I was fully prepared to see her get fucked up. Base rule of LoU: anyone you like has a high probability of dying. ;w;

-BRO THINKING OF JESSE, ELLIE, AND DINA MADE ME REALIZE THE PARALLEL OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO MEL, ABBY, AND OWEN. Ellie’s triangle was essentially non-existent; no feelings of betrayal or anger, just understanding and love, like there was a deep-seated bond here that would weather anything. If Jesse had lived, I wouldn’t doubt he, Ellie, and Dina would have lived together to raise the baby together. Meanwhile Abby’s triangle had Owen seeming to unable to let go of the past he and Abby had together, that poor bastard was still in love with her, and how that supplemented the slow deterioration of all three’s friendship. I was sad to see Mel turn on Abby the way she did but like. I mean.  Dude was ready to leave Mel in the dust for Abby despite HIM GETTING MEL PREGNANT. Abby also kinda did drag everyone into this, even if it was of their own violation. Oof. Though it did feel like she was angry at both Abby and Owen equally, not just blaming Abby for everything there... or at least the romantic relationship part. Honestly probably one of the few times I actually enjoyed a love triangle in a story, or at least of this caliber.

-Isaac, the leader of the WLF? He was cool as fuck. I love how much character they packed into him without even showing him too much. Like there was a scene where Nora mentions she tried to question Isaac about Owen and she said “he gave her that fucking look and told her to drop it”. Hell, when he was talking to Abby, he isn’t that much taller than her but he felt like he outright dwarfed her with the way he carried himself and how they reacted to him. I love shit like that man. But anyway fuck Isaac. uwu

-Not gonna lie I kinda wish I got to see the leader of the Seraphites, but it was hella cool to learn that she had been dead already and how the Seraphites operated with and without her. I don’t think I found everything regarding that specific point in game, but it sounded a lot like a peaceful religious leader who’s words and teachings were twisted to suit the goals of corrupt members of the tribe. She was essentially an equivalent to Jesus, at least to the Seraphites.

-I honestly really loved all of the characters introduced but I have to admit that Lev and Yara were standouts. Yara’s one hell of a big sister, lemme tell you, and the lengths she went through to make sure Lev was safe really shooketh me. AND LEV. MY CHILD. MY SON. To those of you who are familiar with the LGBT+ controversy around the game, he and Ellie are what people are complaining about. Ellie because she’s gay, Lev because he’s trans.

Lev in particular was heartbreaking. His tribe were outright hunting him for who he was, as well as Yara because she chose to protect him. The mindset the tribe had was pretty much isolated to them though.

And jesus. That scene with him and his mother? Fuck.

-YARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :( BRUH that scene pissed me off, fuck you Isaac, you bastard.

-THE SCENE. WHEN YOU PLAY AS ABBY. AND YOU FIGHT ELLIE. WAS SO FUCKING COOL. AND SCARY. Ellie man, that section really showed how efficient and smart she is. She legit tricked me a few times not gonna lie, like I thought she didn’t see me but she’d pretend she wouldn’t, only to ambush me with a FUCKING MOLY. Also the fact that the game outright says “hey uhhhhh you can’t actually take her head on, she’ll fuck you up in a heartbeat bro”. Welp. A really strange mix of horror and sadness and pride there. Hm. :/

-Mom!Ellie was so fucking sweet to see. And it made me catch a glimpse of hope that Ellie actively tried to soldier through for her fam’s sake. But she clearly had demons she had to confront and I’m angry at Tommy for disrupting her and Dina’s life, but it felt necessary. Still made me sick to my stomach to watch her go after Dina fucking BEGS HER TO STAY. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

-Speaking of Tommy, it was so sad to see how much he fell after Joel’s death. It really showed just how much he was like his brother though; underneath a gentle man is someone you best not trifle with, and is very familiar with doing horrific things to reach a goal. Because fuckin hell, Tommy is legit a badass. That sniper part was SO. COOL. Aaaaand terrifying. RIP Manny. :/

-Bro, I’m very curious to see more about the Rattlers but. They were fucked up in a special kind of way. There’s no telling what they did to those people they captured and enslaved. Seeing Abby in the state she was in after seeing her throughout all the game in tip-top shape was painful. That poor girl was literally skin and bones and... just beaten down.

-ELLIE AND ABBY’S FINAL FIGHT WAS SO SAD. I HATED (but I loved) EVERY SECOND OF IT. I was so scared Ellie had fully lost herself there, when she threatens an unconscious Lev to force Abby to fight, who at that point, very clearly didn’t want to. Honestly. Ellie clearly didn’t either, far as I could tell, but it felt like it was the only way she knew how to confront everything. Fight it, until you kill it, or you die. It also felt like Abby understood that since she was in Ellie’s shoes once upon a time.

-I don’t care what anyone else says I’m so happy Ellie let Abby go. I’m so glad she chose not to go through with it. For so long Ellie has been angry and resentful about a lot of things, and she never got a choice once throughout the majority of her journey. As much as I will 100% agree with Joel sayin “fuck this supposed cure, fuck the Fireflies”, it’s not fair of him, or the Fireflies, to just outright take that choice from her, that she didn’t really have one to begin with. She was justifiably angry with Joel and the moment she chooses to try and forgive him, he dies. Another choice stolen away from her. The fact that she chose mercy despite everything, and it was prompted by a memory of Joel, the very reason she was doing this, is profound to me. Like she finally understood why he did what he did, and why he said he’d absolutely do it all over again. Hell, she probably even reached the understanding that her and Abby really aren’t that different from one another in that aspect.

-Ellie returning to an empty home, with Dina and JJ gone, was heartwrenching. I fully understand why Dina left and she honestly had every right to, but it still hurt man. :C AND ELLIE. PLAYING THE SONG JOEL MADE/SUNG FOR HER. ALWAYS KILLED ME. But this instance in particular was something else man like fuck I balled like a baby. Especially when it was followed by the fact that Ellie and Joel were on the cusp of mending their broken relationship only for it to be ripped away man. Goddamnit.

-ELLIE AND JOEL DUET NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. FUCKIN HELL I love this game.

-----------------------------------------

So, this isn’t really a review more than it is me just sharing some of my thoughts on the game, but if ya want me to give it a rating? 10/10. If not a perfect score? At least a 9/10.

The Last Of Us as a series is one that’s moved me more than any other game I can think of honestly (outside of Telltale’s The Walking Dead), and just like the first one, LoU2 left me thinking about it for hours after. It’s thought-provoking, it’s compelling, it’s fun as fuck, aaaaand it’s made me cry like a baby a good number of times. I also really appreciate the fact that, in this game, they actually show the consequences of your actions. Like, they made you consider the fact that you aren’t just killing grunts to get to the next enemy or mowing through mindless drones. You’re killing people, who have lives, and friends, and families.

We got to see Joel for who he was: a very broken man, with a very dark past, who has done very horrible things in this shitty post apocalyptic world, but he is a father, and protective, and loving and thoughtful, who will do anything, anything, to protect Ellie. Blood or not, Ellie is through and through his child. But Abby only saw a monster, and could you blame her? He killed her father, and countless others, and she never got the full story. Just that a man came in and killed the entire hospital, put an end to even the smallest possibility of finding a cure, killed her dad in cold blood, and walked away no problem. And then it cycles right back to Ellie, where Abby becomes her monster.

It’s just some grade-A storytelling as far as I’m concerned, and I’m someone who usually prefers happy endings. LoU always leaves me feeling bittersweet but goddamn do I love this series. I’m kinda hoping for a DLC, to be honest? Like LoU part one, where you found out about Ellie and Riley. I wanna see what happens to Ellie; I get the distinct feeling she returns to Jackson and hopefully scrounges out some semblance of a decent life there, after confronting Tommy and (hopefully) making peace with Dina. But we’ll see! uwu

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: Snowblind (16x15)

I don't know what to even think at this point?

Cons:

I've gone on record saying that Tom Koracick is better than Owen Hunt in every conceivable way, but especially as regards Teddy Altman. But come on. This whole love triangle/quadrangle/pentangle or whatever is getting seriously out of hand. You've got Teddy and Owen, and then Owen and Amelia, Amelia and Link, Teddy and Tom... it's a freakin' mess, and I wish all of these people would get over their bullshit and just sort out their lives. I know that this kind of thing is par for the course on a show like this, but it just goes to show that there's a right way and a wrong way to write trope-filled stories. I've enjoyed plenty of love triangles and messy situations on this show in the past, but this is one that I cannot abide. Teddy is going to feel guilty as shit, Owen is going to find out Amelia's baby might be his, Link is going to cry about it some more... I'm already so exhausted.

Nico has been deflecting with Levi, not addressing the issue about him not being out to his parents. I've got to say, I really like Levi, but I'm feeling frustrated about Nico. They haven't given him as much time to develop, so when he basically gives Levi an ultimatum, telling Levi to stop trying to change him by forcing him to talk about his feelings... it's really hard to see both sides here. I honestly think that's a writing issue. I like Nico. I want to keep liking him, and I want to learn more about him whether or not he and Levi stay together. I just wish their story was being handled with a bit more care, especially after so many great Levi-centric story-lines in recent weeks.

Are they going to kill off Alex? This isn't a complaint about the episode, just a - what the fuck? My guess is maybe he found out he was terminally ill or something, and wanted to leave so Jo and Meredith wouldn't have to watch him die. I know the actor bailed out, and maybe there was drama there, who knows? But from a story-telling standpoint, Alex's exit has so far been very bizarre, and troubling to say the least. This guy has sixteen seasons' worth of development under his belt. It's completely bonkers that he would run off and abandon his wife. It doesn't track with reality at all.

Pros:

Teddy going over to Tom's and kissing him is really annoying, but I loved their silly snowball fight earlier on. Tom's speech about how he's been trying to get in the club for two years really broke my heart. I think a lot of people have maybe felt that way in their lifetime, at some point. I know I feel it where I work, and I used to feel it doing theatre as a kid - like I was never quite in the center of things. Tom is a good man, and Teddy liking him is so sweet. It's just... clearly I'm supposed to think that Teddy kissing Tom is a bad thing, the kind of thing that is going to backfire on her. And here I am, wishing she'd just kick Owen to the curb!

As frustrating as the Alex situation is, I do like Jo and Link's friendship getting more screen-time. Great acting from them both in that final scene, where Jo talks about how she's pretty sure Alex left her, and Link rushes over to offer comfort. They have such good energy as friends who support each other no matter what. I'm glad to finally see that come through.

Bailey essentially adopts Joey, the foster kid who recently turned eighteen. I am actually all about this. Of course it's partially something she's doing in reaction to her recent miscarriage, but also it's built out of several episodes of buildup and trust. And it's like Bailey says - she has extra room, extra food, extra money, extra love to give. (She probably should have discussed it with Ben first, but I suppose that they do have a tradition in their marriage of making big life decisions without talking it over!)

Richard's story-line offered a couple of big surprises. He bonds with a resident and offers to let her do a surgery, only for Levi to stop them just in time - turns out, the woman is not a resident, but his missing patient who he has been tracking all through the hospital. This woman, Tess, has been sick throughout her whole life, and her repeated diagnoses meant that she couldn't finish med school. She just wanted a chance at following her dream. Richard ends up telling her that she still has that chance - she has more obstacles than most people, but she can still make it. And then Richard confesses that his hands have been shaking, and that his days of surgery are over.

This is a lot to process. I really liked Tess' story, and hope she does find a way to make it as a doctor. It's absolutely insane that she was about to cut someone open, but it worked within the confines of the story. And then there's Richard. He has been through hell recently, what with his marriage falling apart, getting fired, etc... and now this. He has a great speech about how his career defined his life more so than any of his relationships, and how he's not sure who he is without it. But he also knows that he got to do what he loved for a long time, and that he's still got a lot of life left to live. Richard is such a natural teacher and nurturer; it seems clear that he still has a future working in the medical field in that capacity, even if his time in the operating room has come to an end.

Then there's the DeLuca situation. He is rightfully and naturally quite upset with Meredith for saying he might be sick like his father, and even points out that he doesn't throw alzheimer's in her face every time she forgets something. And yet, as much as I want to be on Andrew's side here, there's the fact that he went out in a blizzard and walked several miles to fetch a liver for a patient, since the roads outside are all blocked off. He walks three miles both ways without gloves, saving a little girl's life but also doing damage to his hands. Jackson is adamant that Andrew needs to follow instructions or he could lose his hands, so this is clearly serious business. I'm worried for him, and I can totally understand why Meredith and Carina would be concerned.

Cormac and Meredith continue to bond over their dead spouses - I could definitely see this going in a romance direction, and it seems like that's where it's headed, but at the same time, they are also just good for each other because of their shared life experience. Cormac confesses to being lonely - he hasn't been with anyone since his wife's death. Meredith talks about the complexities of that first kiss, first "I love you" after her husband's death. I don't know if Meredith and Andrew are done for good, but Meredith's behavior here felt kind of... wistful, like maybe she can be grateful for what they had and know that it's not meant to last. I don't know if that's where we're headed, but I'm totally pulled in to the story. (Thus proving that a well-developed love triangle is possible!)

Also - the mentions of Cristina were delightful as always. She feels a lot closer to the core of the story this season than she has in a good while. And we even got a Twisted Sister reference!

There are probably details I've missed here - like Maggie confirming Teddy's suspicions, showing once again that she can never be trusted. Or Jackson making up from a fight with Vic that probably happened over on Station 19. I liked this episode, for the most part - I liked that for once, the big "disaster" of a snow storm didn't actually cause most of the drama of the episode. It was more contained, more character driven.

And next week, we get to find out whatever sort of ending they've cobbled together for Alex. I am... dreading it, y'all.

7.5/10

[blueincandescence]

Clawen: Totally Did It

Jurassic World (2015): Claire and Owen had one (1) date

Me, a Perv: That 👏 Doesn’t 👏 Mean 👏 They 👏 Didn’t 👏 Fuck.

Ahem. This is a treatise on why I 1000% believe that Owen and Claire went to Poundtown at least once, probably more times, before their disaster date. 

I believe it went something like this: Claire and Owen are put in close proximity due to a project, attraction ensues, they give in, they catch feelings they won’t admit, they try to go on a date about it, it fails when they both feel disrespected, they avoid each other like the plague ever after.

For evidence, I will draw on their first meeting scene. 

Arrival:

Claire drives over to Owen’s bungalow herself. She doesn’t ask an underling to fetch him to the very spot she leaves and returns to.

No navigation, no call-ahead required. She knows exactly where Owen lives. She knows he’ll be there. 

Claire checks her appearance in the car window.

“What do they want now?” At this point, Owen knows Claire is only there in a professional context.

“Mr. Grady.” It’s strange to Owen that he’s Mr. Grady. That means he was “Owen” for awhile leading up to the Disaster Date (Datesaster™). Hyper professional Claire would not have let a random park employee be just Owen to her after one date. More to the point, she would not have said yes to a date with Mr. Grady. The date came after something brewed between them. 

Banter:

“We have an attraction.” “That’s not what you said last time I saw you.” Emphasis on you said, not what he thinks. You could take this as Claire denying ever being attracted to him (kinda silly considering there was a date) or that Claire has called off their attraction, unilaterally. 

“Mr. Misrani asked me to consult with you.” That rings a bell. Lights up his life. Suddenly, he’s DTF (Down to Flirt). My shipper brain immediately went Code Red. “Consult” is the verb she used when she was DTF (Down to Fuck). I know this in my bones.

“You wanna consult here...or in my bungalow?” Ladies and gentlemen, they have fucked consulted in Owen’s bungalow before. I cannot be dissuaded from this. The alternative to that reading is to think Owen is a leering fratboy who insinuates sex out of nowhere. Taken with his clear crush on Claire (more on that later), that reading does not suit.

 “That’s not funny.” You guys. I have used that line on a former FWB. Absolutely. Just a wrinkle of the nose. She’s past all that. No apologies, but she doesn’t want to hear it. If it was out of nowhere, I think Claire would be admonishing Owen, dressing him down. But, since they both know she’s seen him undressed, she lets it slides on by.

“Ha, ha. A little funny.” Poor baby boy. He’s got no defenses for her poise, except to be the obnoxious neanderthal she expects from him and try to enjoy it.

Insight:

“See, it’s all about control with you. I don’t control the raptors, it’s a relationship.” This is the part where it becomes crystal clear for those paying attention that Owen is not the emotionally stunted man-boy we’re so used to seeing Chris Pratt play so well. And it totally makes sense! An animal behavioralist would have to be attuned to emotion.

“It’s based on mutual respect.” Owen Grady has a Chip on His Shoulder and that chip is Not Being Respected. I...love that. He’s an alpha, sure, but it’s not about control it’s about mutual respect. Claire made it clear with her actions that she does not respect him and it turned him right the hell off. The matter-of-fact regret in his eyes kills me.

“That’s why you and I never had a second date.” LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OWEN GRADY WANTED A RELATIONSHIP BUT WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT CLAIRE DIDN’T SEEM EMOTIONALLY AVAILABLE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Honestly, such a great subversion of expectations.

Grievances 

“Excuse me! I never wanted a second date.” Oh, Claire. Her understanding of this situation lacks nuance. And this totally fits with her character! She likes people, she’s great at focus groups. But she’s uncomfortable with the one-on-one. 

“Who prints out an itinerary for a night out?” Owen sees the itinerary and maybe it offends him because it’s all things she likes to do. Or all generic. Or maybe she’s pushing him into her world, expecting to be wooed like he’s one of her trust fund exes. Or maybe she’s carefully choosing places on this tiny island to make sure no one sees them together. 

“What kind of a diet doesn’t allow tequila?” He goes along or suggests something else, but she refuses to losen up and have a good time. She is stiff. (It feels like an interview, which is weird because he knows what her fingernails feel like on his back.)

“And what kind of a man shows up to a date in board shorts?” Oh, Claire. I love you. I identify with you. This is the kind of woman who will cut her losses at the slightest provocation. Boardshorts? Clearly, he’s not trying. He’s not taking her seriously. He doesn’t suit the lifestyle. Hard pass. What was she thinking, anyway?

Back to Work

“The asset? Look, I get it...” Owen, demonstrating his emotional intelligence again, shows that he can see things from her perspective and offers his. Claire takes it as him being a know-it-all, but he’s actually trying to have a conversation.

“I gotta eat. I gotta hunt. I gotta...You can relate to at least one of those things, can’t you?” Claire does not seem like a huntress. She’s on a diet. So what could Owen possibly know she likes to do...WE GET IT. YOU’VE FUCKED. 

And Claire just rolls her eyes, like, yes. This is a tiny island, and I’ve lived here for seven years. I have needs. But you are not going to get to me, I am a grown-ass woman and you are acting like a boy. She tells herself, if he had put in some effort to become Boyfriend Material, she might have kept him. She didn’t like cutting short the good thing they had going. She had no choice, because clearly he was a wasted time investment.

The saunter she puts on. She knows he’s still attracted to her. She takes over his space. Look at his face. They were Co-Workers With Benefits (CWWB) and she called all the shots (at least until they were in bed, against the wall, etc. Then it’s a struggle for dominance and he loved it.)

“You might want to change your shirt. They’re very sensitive to smell.” What a put-down. She goes right for the jugular. We know from a deleted scene that she’s been thinking of him like a Neanderthal and probably berating herself for Going There after some dick from corporate cheated on her or something. He knows he was just supposed to be a roll in the hay for her. Classic rich woman sleeping with the help. A bungalow bunny for Dirty Dancing Johnny Castle! For her, putdowns are a defense mechanism. Claire is bad at emotional vulnerability, so she Ice Queens and disappears from her family and gives up after one bad date.

But Owen likes her! And she must have liked him enough to agree to a date. That’s a look of what could have been on his face.

Whew, okay, so that was a lot. But! I thought this scene deserved some unpacking. There’s a lot going on under the surface. I think because there’s some juvenile humor, people went right to sexist OMG!!! And forgot to see that the trope is being subverted. He’s carrying a torch. She tries to tell herself she never wanted anything more. Super interesting place to start, with the end goal of the film being to build up that respect between them.

[oflockwolves]

reign, greys anatomy

REIGN (I am sorry but I have a lot of unpopular opinions with this show!!!)

my all-time ultimate fave character: Louis Conde

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: Narcisse

a character I used to like but now don’t: Francis

a character I’m indifferent about: Kenna, Greer

a character who deserved better: Conde and Bash

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: Frary. I mean i was a bit into it long ago but then it became a big nope. I like Frola better.

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: Monde

a cute, low-key ship: Mash, Julien and Lola, Cleith

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: Monde lol. Also Elizabeth and Gideon. 

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: A lot of ships tbh, esp Mary’s ships after leaving France.

my favourite storyline/moment: Most of S1 and S2. Mary and Elizabeth’s very powerful queen af moments in later seasons.

a storyline that never should have been written: Mary’s rape story line I guess? Honestly the show is a blur in my head after S2.  

my first thoughts on the show: I thought it was very interesting and dramatic and intriguing. I thought the clothes were fucking fabulous. 

my thoughts now: Why?!

GREYS ANATOMY

my all-time ultimate fave character: Alex Karev

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: April Kepner

a character I used to like but now don’t: Owen Hunt? More like indifferent towards him rn coz he doesn’t have much of a story line atm. 

a character I’m indifferent about: Meredith Grey, oops?

a character who deserved better: UM. I HAVE HUGE LIST? But mostly Mark and Lexie and Henry and George and AHH. LET’S NOT GO THERE.

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: Jackson and Maggie. 

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: Slexie. Always Slexie. Also Japril. 

a cute, low-key ship: Jolex

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: Henry and Teddy

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: Nothing I feel that strongly about but maybe Izzy and George lol. 

my favourite storyline/moment: That scene where Jackson and Christina are operating on Derek in that shooting episode if a forever fav tbh. And as of recently, Meredith being supportive of Jo in the episode with Paul and all of Jo’s scenes in that episode + Alex worrying abt her + Jenny! And the whole police brutality talk was just powerful. I have a lot of feelings about this show. And oh, kudos for bringing in a new trans and hijabi intern!!

a storyline that never should have been written: Spoilersss!! BUT UM SLEXIE DYING? AND REALLY ALL THE DEATH TBH. 

my first thoughts on the show: Wtf why are they killing everyone?????!!!

my thoughts now: WTF WHY ARE THEY KILLING EVERYONE?????!!!!!!!!!!

send me a tv series and I’ll tell you

( meme )