#criticisms aside i still love episode 2

[goingbuggy]

Although I absolutely loved episode 2 because of how Jeff Ward and the writers portrayed a different side of Buggy, if there's one thing that I didn't like, it's this line:

In Orange Town, Buggy's reasons for why he wants to enter the Grand Line are kept purposefully vague. It is clear that he wants the "world's treasure/all the treasure in the world," but not once does Buggy outright state that he wants A.) the One Piece, and B.) to be Pirate King.

Of course, after 1082, we know that being Pirate King has been his dream all along, and these manga panels do let readers form their own conclusions. (i.e. If Buggy wants "all the treasure in the world," does that mean he knows and wants to find the One Piece, too? Oda encourages us to ask these questions.)

I don't believe the live action adaptation will reach as far as 1082, unfortunately; it would be nice if it did, but there is a lot getting in the way. However, the writing decision to jump the gun and just have Buggy claim to want to be king.... totally undermines the impact of 1082. Buggy never believed in himself. Even though he desperately wanted to be king, it was the one thing he could not bring himself to say explicitly until 1082.

There are so many throwaway lines in Orange Town which imply Buggy sees himself as incapable/inferior. Take his "Pirate God" comment, for example. He underestimates Luffy, yes, but the impact of that line -- "If you are the next Pirate King, then I must be Pirate God" -- also serves to underestimate himself. Of course he's not a god; he's not claiming to be. He is belittling them both. "If someone as little as you can become king, then I can be god," is what he's really saying, which implies that he, too, is lesser. Buggy talks himself down in subtleties because he needs to maintain his facade, for his crew's sake and his own.

That is why it is so inspiring and emotional to see Buggy finally admit his real dream in 1082 -- one, because it was only ever (at most) implied before, and two, because as a character, we realize he was too insecure to achieve that dream before this point in the story. Buggy talks a big game, but it was not until he recognized he was on equal footing with Shanks that he realized he could finally go after his own dream. By 1082, he is not just a former warlord, but a man with massive influence. He's a goddamn emperor! For an insecure character, realizing you have power is a hell of a motivator.

Buggy has no real reason to outright claim the title of king yet. It just... doesn't work from a narrative standpoint, given where we are in East Blue. And for that, I am a little disappointed. Feel free to give your own thoughts, though!

[shiny-alpaca7991]

I'm saying this cause some people really need to hear it. Saying you don't like the show because you think it's an unpopular opinion that will make you sound edgy and better than everyone else is super lame.

The show isn't perfect but some of you are really out here hating on the show just for the sake of it. Aside from ep 6 I genuinely think all of the other episodes were well done. I would agree that it's a bit dialogue heavy but I think they were saving on the action so that they could build up to the Ares sword fight. And let's not forget that this is just the first season. I'm sure with the success of the show, season 2 will have an even bigger budget which will allow them to do cooler things. First seasons are always a bit rocky cause shows are still trying to find their footing. I have loved this story since I was a kid and I know it's not a 100% faithful adaptation but I think the show has a lot of potential. The characters are true to the books. The story beats are all there. And most importantly, you can tell that a lot of love and care went into making it. I know it's not what a lot of fans were expecting but if you go into the show wanting to hate it, all you're going to see are flaws. It's so funny to me how people who spent the past decade complaining about the movie are now singing its praises just so that they can talk shit about the show. Please put personal biases aside and give the show a fair shot. Constructive criticism is always appreciated but let's be reasonable with our takes.

[utilitycaster]

As someone who started with campaign 3 who isn’t too far into campaign 1 or 2 (and who just finished EXU Prime and hasn’t seen Kymal) I was a bit lost, which is genuinely a first for me in this campaign. Context and cast cues have really gone a long way with previous PCs and lore drops. But here I watched the first 20 minutes of the 2nd half or so before going “yeah, I should watch Kymal first” which is really not what you want a viewer to do. I get that they want to honor those established PCs and their choices and treat EXU as just as important to the lore, but I don't think Arabia didn’t do a great job of onboarding viewers to this group and what they’ve been up to - and I don’t think the answer here can be “well, you should’ve watched EXU!” You want viewers to be excited to go back and watch those sessions, not feel like they are obligated to watch them to understand what’s happening. Anyway, I was baffled as someone who is not fully caught up and would love to know the creative reasoning. It's only one episode essentially, but still!

This is also valid. I will note: I have seen both EXU Prime and EXU Kymal, and, criticisms aside, I enjoyed them well enough at the time. But also, EXU Kymal aired over two years ago and EXU Prime before that. I've forgotten a LOT. I don't think it's bad to do an in medias res thing and let people figure it out - honestly, I don't think you're missing too much info without Kymal other than "Morrighan was sent to Exandria by Morri, she worked at the casino they were doing a heist on and destroyed a bust that had the true name of the Raven Queen but they couldn't read it" but it's just. overwhelmingly, my criticism is "NOW'S NOT THE TIME." Even if this were something everyone was familiar with, or a totally new group that didn't require any background, and even if the episode was 100% flawless in every aspect, I want to see Bells Hells dealing with FCG's death. That is what I want to see. This isn't saying that's what you must or should do; it's just like. I want to see that. I think many people want to say that. I'd even say most people like to say that. I suppose given that I often say creators should be more hostile to their audiences I do not really have a leg to stand on here, but unfortunately wants are not terribly logical.

[pheonix-inside]

After watching the new Hazbin episodes I gotta say

1) I'm totally gonna have to rewatch them to get past the internet-brained critic that is my mind whenever I first watch something

And 2) I really wish Hazbin got more episodes per season, because - even setting aside the overly critical part of me that's purely fueled by self consciousness caused by the hate the show gets - I really do think that for the story they're telling, it needs more room to grow.

They've only got eight episodes, so I understand why things are going fast and, say, emotional payoff is happening so early. Like that's not the fault of the writers. But I wish that they had more episodes. I honestly think that double the amount would be best. Then they'd have more room to introduce concepts and really explore them before having to conclude them to move to the next point in the story.

I'm not shitting on the story itself, but the timeframe they're given. Shorter seasons like that work in shows like Helluva Boss that are meant to be episodic, with mostly disconnected episodes. But Hazbin isn't like that, and so they're having to rush through some of the plot points so that there'll still be enough episodes to really get to the main plot without having to completely put the character arcs in the backseat. And the whole story suffers for it.

Don't get me wrong, I still really like it and I still think it's good. But so many shows in the past that I love and have held as a standard for my own writing had the space to grow, with at least 20-something episodes per season, if not more. Steven Universe had 52 in its first season!

The problem is whoever is in charge of deciding the number of episodes. I won't pretend I know much about how tv shows are made - I've been honing my writing skills to create books, not shows - but I know enough to figure out that the episode count is not the writer's choice. And that makes me sad, because Hazbin is already really fun and interesting and GOOD, and it would be so much better if it had more room to breathe.

I'm really enjoying watching Hazbin, but I do wonder how it could be even more enjoyable if we really got time to see the characters' relationships grow. Get some more buildup of things like Angel's whole breakdown in episode 4, or Charlie and Lucifer's heart to heart in episode 5. Or Vaggie's reveal in episode 6!

I could go on about this for a while, but it's late and I need to go shower. I just have thoughts on the new season, the majority of them good, but a select few of them disappointed. Not in the show, but for it.

[vendettasfanfictioning]

Sam-coded: Analyzing the parallels between Destiel and Sam's arcs with his love interests.

PART 1: JESSICA MOORE

FOREWORD & DISCLAIMER

With a fan community as enormous as Supernatural's, it is fair to assume that most, if not everything, stated here has already been pointed out or dissected multiple times before—especially considering the long span of time that the show has aired and the three years thereafter. The goal of this post is not to claim these ideas as my own but rather to compile and expand on them.

I also want to add that regarding Jessica, specifically, the canon facts about her are incredibly limited what with her only "real" appearance being at the Pilot episode (though she is referenced and alluded to in multiple episodes all throughout).

That said, she had a critical role in shaping Sam's goals, with emphasis on earlier seasons' Sam's development so it felt fitting to start this series off with her.

There are many instances that the fandom has pointed out cinematic parallels between Sam and Jessica & Dean and Castiel. In this post, I would be elaborating on all of the key points I have found, namely: 1. The scripted meeting, 2. Grieving a lover, and other random findings.

1. IN THE BEGINNING (WITH REGARDS TO GOD'S PLAN)

To start, both Sam/Jess and Dean/Cas were fated to meet to serve a higher narrative purpose.

Frankly, I think that is fucking beautiful, but not only that; it can be argued that, if we were to speculate that Sam met Jessica right after he ran away from Dean and John, then Jessica and Castiel did the same thing. They pulled their respective Winchester brother out of hell/a dark place. (That may just be me talking out of my ass, but it's such a poetic concept, isn't it?)

Most importantly though, both parties were doomed by the narrative, but in polar opposite ways.

(Screenshots taken from 5x20)

Sam was destined to love and then lose Jessica for two reasons: to start the story, and to make Sam go down the "dark" path i.e. adjacent to Lucifer, demon blood, evil. Their story was scripted from the get-go, even before Supernatural decided to go metatextual with God.

(Screenshots taken from 15x17)

On the other hand, Dean and Castiel were never meant to be anything more. God himself says that Castiel was supposed to continue obeying heaven, do what he was told, and it is one of (if not the one) that completely separated the Supernatural storyline from any of Chuck's other drafts.

(GIFs from 15x18 and 15x19)

Furthermore, Castiel's love for Dean and Dean's loss of him marks the end of the story and makes Dean defy the role that God made for him. Admittedly, it's a flawed parallel, as Dean has already moved on from being Michael's Sword and the Righteous Man. To that, I say it only further proves the point; their unscripted "profound bond" directly opposed God's word. It was what should have broken the cycle.

And still, both ended in tragedy. It's just that one was written to end that way and the other wrote itself.

2. THE WINCHESTER BROTHERS ON GRIEF

(GIFs are from 1x01 and 12x23)

This segment can't start any other way than with these iconic shots of the Winchesters holding their brother back from running towards the love of their life (as the lover, in question, dies/walks to their death). These shots are the very reason I started this whole analysis, and they speak for themselves.

Even their clothes are inverted here, because Sam and Dean are experiencing the exact same thing. The grief, pain, and helplessness that comes with losing a partner.

(While compiling these, I stumbled upon the eerie realization that the shots attached above and the ones below have swapped color palettes in a way? Granted, that may just be some editing thing. Technology and video quality aside though, you can't deny that the vibrance of the fire vs. the bleakness of Apocalypse World juxtapose aesthetically well with the shots below. Just another one of those, "is it intentional or did Supernatural just run out of options from the sheer breadth of it?")

(Screenshots taken from 1x05 and 8x07)

This parallel in particular is what makes me believe that Supernatural either has amazing writing or just a terrible retention for continuity and reflection. Because, again, Sam and Dean are going through the same damn thing here: guilt. Specifically, the guilt of their lover's death—how both had reasons to believe they could've prevented it.

Also, these are cinematically shot the same way: Jessica and Castiel by the road, a deadpan stare at the Impala as the brothers drive by, then disappearing from sight at a second glance. How else are we to take this other than Dean grieving a lover the same way Sam grieved for his girlfriend? Did they just forget this scene from 1x05 when they filmed 8x07? (Most likely, yeah, but that doesn't disprove its contribution to the narrative.)

The premise is also similar, damningly so, the only notable difference being the formatting, with season 1's monster-of-the-week almost-standalones and season 8's continuous, over-arcing conflict with hell and the tablets.

(Screenshots taken from 1x05 and 8x07)

At the very core, though, is Sam and Dean with their, "I could have—" statements. Sam had visions about Jessica dying, he could have warned her. Dean had Castiel right there at the portal to exit Purgatory, he could have pulled him out. It is that guilt they must carry around and that burden they must bear.

(Screenshots taken from 1x05 and 8x07)

They even give one another the same damn pep talk. Dean saw that Jessica's death was slowly killing Sam, the same way Sam saw that Dean's return from Purgatory without Castiel was tearing Dean apart.

(Screenshots taken from 1x05 and 8x07)

Lastly, here are the verbal acknowledgements of their grief. Because hey, who am I to try to explain subtext and nonverbatim connections.

2.1. TO BE JOHN WINCHESTER'S SON

In this segment, I would like to point out two of the instances that Sam and Dean accepted being compared to John Winchester, both in regards to losing Jessica and Castiel respectively.

(Screenshots taken from 1x20)

Again, this is what the story was all about. Sam and John could or at least find solidarity in this, as was intended for the plot. (They even mirror God and Lucifer here, which is an entirely different can of worms I am not opening today.)

Keep in mind, Sam's always hated how John raised them, but it is evident that he found some comfort with John given their undeniably specific situations.

(Screenshots taken from 13x04 I talked a little more about this arc here)

Sam openly calls Dean out on his John-esque behavior; an irony in itself given that the brothers have long since established that Sam was the one who resembled John the most whereas Dean was always, "yes, sir!" until the very end.

In this very same arc, there is a concerning increase Dean's alcohol consumption—and the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism in itself, rather than the leisurely treat it recurringly was in the show—which are telling signs for the headspace Dean was in.

They both lashed out in John Winchester ways they've internalized over the years growing up. Sam went down the path of self-destructive revenge-seeking, while Dean lashed out by rejecting being a father role to Jack, becoming the "drill sergeant," instead. These traits were what hurt them as children and were the crux of John's grief over Mary's murder. Round and round the cycle goes.

2.2. TO BE LUCIFER'S VICTIM

(GIFs from 5x03 (a) and (b))

Again, another iconic parallel considering Lucifer's go-to trick to getting what he wants was to pose as the person his victims want the most. Another example of this exact same scenario is when Lucifer appears to rock star Vince Vicente as his dead girlfriend (and Vince ended up saying yes.)

In the earlier seasons, the most obvious choice for Sam was of course Jessica, as Lucifer was desperate to get ahold of Sam as a vessel. That was narratively sound, right? Even though 5 seasons (so about 5 years in canon) have passed since Jessica died, Sam hadn't forgotten her and she remained his greatest weakness.

(GIFs from 15x19)

Then on the flip side, during a time the story's well past the Script and God's most definitely free-styling, Lucifer appears again—and it is on God's orders. The devil chose Dean's weakness (Castiel) to blindside him, so Dean ends up running on emotions instead of questioning it.

This happened right after the episode Castiel confessed, and before the episode that Should Not Be Named... That also speaks for itself, doesn't it? Insane, absolute insanity to me.

3. MISCELLANEOUS: SYMBOLISMS & OTHER COINCIDENCES

(Screenshots taken from 1x01 and 14x12)

This is where I might be reaching, but it's a small observation I noticed while bingeing the Pilot episode. Of course, at the time, production likely didn't even put much thought into Jessica's costume, but it's a funny thing to point out all the same. (I screamed a little about Cas' healer motifs here in comparison to Cesar/Jesse if you're interested.)

(Screenshots taken from 1x01 and 10x09)

They both have the same Look when their boyfriend is talking down on himself, I can't even make this shit up.

+ I'm so frickin' tired I cannot look for screenshots anymore but Jessica's cookies plus Castiel's "you don't understand, I need pie," moment in the convenience store resonate with me.

+ Might edit and add more to this later, for now I sleepge.

REFERENCES

1x01: Pilot 1x05: Bloody Mary 1x20: Dead Man's Blood 5x03: Free to be You and Me 5x20: The Devil You Know 8x07: A Little Slice of Kevin 10x09: The Things We Left Behind 12x23: All Along the Watchtower 13x04: The Big Empty 14x12: Prophet and Loss 15x17: Unity 15x18: Despair 15x19: Inherit the Earth

UP NEXT: SARAH BLAKE

[sapphicteaparty]

g witch ending spoilers

g witch is over. i don't have any criticism that isn't nitpicking and i don't care about nitpicking. to me this was a 10/10 show with zero filler episodes and i'm very happy with the conclusion of this story.

some thoughts about the ending:

calibarn's gay rainbow permet colors were so cool. no notes.

all the gay rainbow permet effects were cool. i don't even care about how ridiculous they were.

miorine dissolved the benerit group. i am so glad she doesn't have to continue the corporate legacy that delling created and it seems like she is working with gund-arm like she wanted, developing the medical uses of gund tech. living her best life.

nobody could end spacian capitalism but the space/earth power balance seems to be disrupted. that's not nothing.

delling, sarius etc are actually held accountable for benerit's crimes. good.

earth probably welcomed prospera after what she did to that SAL fleet IF they knew that she was behind it. i doubt earth even has a seat at the SAL table at all so someone like prospera could be a hero to them. or maybe she's just a refugee now, who knows. earth is probably the one place where she won't get arrested and where she can live in peace. either way i'm glad she lived. that scene in the data storm with nadim got to me. 😭

everything about Peil in this episode was so funny.

both miorine and suletta have some sort of gund-tech implants on the backs of their head. i assume this tech is for establishing connection to eri?

eri in the keychain??? so fucking stupid i love it. sometimes a family is you, your wife, your shitty dad, your mother-in-law and your sister-in-law inside a keychain mascot.

…what if you lose the keychain?? what then?? i'm not going to think about this any further. it's fine. she's fine.

sulemio is married. they should have kissed on screen (that's one nitpick) but i'll take this. i'm not disappointed at all in the way their relationship was portrayed throughout the show and i liked that they avoided so many common romance tropes. sulemio is canon (always was) and they get a happy ending which is what i wanted.

i knew she wouldn't die but suletta was still hurt by all of that gundam action. the permet scars, becoming disabled - details like that are a nice touch to show that suletta (and by extension anyone else) piloting giant death robots can't come out of it unharmed. and she didn't just survive, she's thriving and she's so happy!!!!

gund-arm's medical tech really is a ray of hope for many (like petra).

suletta's dreams came true 😭😭😭😭😭😭

actually nobody died??? after ep 23 i had the feeling that this would be the case because g witch seemed to be making the point that redemption through death is not helpful to those who are alive. killing off characters is such an easy way resolve conflicts and to drive stories forward and g witch examines if there can be a different way without violence.

…the downside to that is that it could go to the other extreme and be full on pacifist and excuse all those who had committed horrible acts (delling, prospera, shaddiq etc) but aside from prospera they're all held accountable and suffering the consequences.

prospera was right to want revenge and to want to create a place in the world for eri but her means were not justified. one of the thematic throughlines in season 2 was that how you do something matters just as much as what you do (like sameen shaw said). prospera admitting that she couldn't forgive herself for the things she'd done was just the perfect way of ending her story. i didn't need her to succeed in her revenge plot or to go to jail or die, i just wanted her to see that how she did things was wrong and that's the biggest payoff her story could have had.

and when she was like "my legs will be paralyzed soon anyway" and suletta just refused to leave her behind, and she got to be part of their family.... g witch really said disabled ppl deserve to be happy 😭

can't believe this show gave me everything i wanted???

[empyreanromantic]

Suuuper long rant about The Cleaning Lady and armony because I'm sorry, but I'm just really disappointed with the energy this season had. But hey, if you enjoyed season 2, then that's amazing! I'm genuinely happy for you and I hope you can continue to enjoy the show!! These are just my thoughts:

So I haven't watch episodes 2x10-12 because 1) I wanted to focus on finals, and 2) after 2x09 I just wasn't feeling it anymore. And after seeing the mixed reactions to the finale, I'm not sure I want to catch up on the show after all. I tried to enjoy this season, I really did. I normally hate love triangles with a passion but I thought hey, if the writers are having a fun back-and-forth seesaw motion with it as they put it, maybe I can have fun with it too.

The thing about season 1 that really got me hooked was that it was SO DIFFERENT. The story, the characters, the entire atmosphere and aesthetic was so unique compared to other shows I had seen. And most of all, it had SPICE to it. A mother who will risk it all for her son and a gangster who learns to open up his heart and falls hard for this woman. Incredible concept. Classic beauty and the beast story and enemies-to-lovers trope that I will never get tired of.

Thony and Arman's chemistry was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. There was a passion and fire there since the very beginning, and the fact that these two went through all those different stages of "please don't kill me" to "maybe you're not so bad" to "you're not the man I thought you were" to "how could you betray me" to "I trust you with my life" and finally "we're in this together" was just ugh. It was so good!!

I rewatched armony scenes from season 1 so many times, I listened to Thony singing "Someone to Watch Over Me" on repeat. I'm sure it was the same for a lot of viewers as well. I loved the soundtrack composed by Mark Isham.

I loved the progression of looks Arman gave Thony throughout the season. I loved their teamwork. I loved them finessing the FBI. I loved that Arman cried in 1x05 because he thought Thony betrayed him and in 1x06 when he cried FOR her. I loved that 1x07 opened with a freaking musical number. I never expected that from this kind of show and it surprised me in the best way! I loved the vulnerable and earnest dance scene in 1x08. I loved Arman tapping out the numbers in 1x10. The tension was palpable. This show had me hooked. It made me feel things and I was so happy to have found something new to obsess over. I LOVED season 1.

And went it comes to sequels, of course it's never going to be the exact same because the writers have had a lot more time to work on the first installment, to really polish it up and make it the best version it can be before it even gets pitched to a company who will invest in their idea. So I understand that for season 2, the showrunners didn't have as much time to develop it. That being said, it is no excuse for the mediocrity that was season 2.

Whereas season 1 was unique and fresh and spicy and heartfelt, season 2 was monotonous at best and downright stressful at worst. The fast-pacing was them trying something different. I get it. But I stopped enjoying it because it got real old real fast.

I've seen a lot of criticisms that the passion between Thony and Arman doesn't seem to be there anymore, and I agree to some extent. I wasn't expecting them to kiss and have sex or confess their love for each other, because there were still a lot of obstacles in their way and that's realistic! But the pacing of their relationship was so odd that at times I was wondering why they even tolerated each other's presence. There were moments where you could still sense the chemistry, but those moments were few and far in between. Where did all of that magic from season 1 go?

I liked that Thony and Arman didn't get together at the end of season 1, because even when you put the whole infidelity part aside (which never bothered me because come on this is fiction), despite the chemistry, attraction and tension between the two of them, there was still a power imbalance there. Arman was Thony's boss, and Thony was very much dependent on him, most obviously financially. Their conversations were mostly about money and Luca. I feel that 1x02 and 1x03 did the best job in exploring Arman's past and his relationship with Thony as a man rather than as her savior. And yes Arman came to rely on Thony and trust her as well, but I never got the sense that they were truly equals until the end of the season.

Season 2 came around, and Arman was at his lowest point, working for Kamdar who treated him like dirt, and he was more and more ashamed of who he was becoming. I thought, "ah I can see where they're going with this! Arman and Thony are now on the same level and they're going to build each other back up!" But no. They just end up running drugs and spend the entire season trying to pay off Kamdar. Maybe I was just interpreting it all wrong and was picking up on the wrong things, but hey, the viewers picked up on the concept back in season 1 that maybe Nadia and Arman never truly loved each other, which would have been really interesting to explore and we could see how their marriage starts to fall apart. But it turns out they do love each other and they have problems because... *squints at smudged writing on hand* Nadia's possessive ex suddenly wants her back??

And despite the showrunners insisting that Arman and Thony's relationship is never going to be a full on romance, I call bullshit. You cannot deny that people were watching the show for the romance, filled with all the angst and sexual tension. Whenever I see the showrunners talking about how armony is platonic or that their bond is deeper than love, I cannot help but think that they feel bitter that people are not watching their show for anything else besides armony. Like Jesus Christ it's okay that people started watching because of the romance. It means you were doing at least one thing right, you should take it as a compliment.

I'm getting way too heated about this lol, but if this show ends up getting greenlit for season 3, I'm not even worried about Thony and Arman getting together at this point. I don't think I even care anymore. Who knows if the writers are actually going for a slow burn, because they seem to have a different idea of their relationship than the viewers do.

What I'm worried about is the writers getting into their heads thinking that their storytelling is amazing and the choices they made in season 2 were justified, therefore they're on the right track for a third season. Because honestly that is the impression I'm getting from them. I have only read snippets from interviews that people have been posting online, because I personally don't care to read interviews. If the writers need to explain OUTSIDE THE SHOW the decisions they made, that's a big red flag to me. I've seen it before too many times from my favorite media. I really hoped The Cleaning Lady showrunners would be different.

And it just boggles my mind that they're patting themselves on the back and thinking they've delivered the most mind-blowing season with all their twists and turns and high stakes, because they haven't. Season 1 to me was mind-blowing. Season 2 turned into your average crime drama with drug trafficking and using the same plot elements over and over again. Every week I just ended up rolling my eyes thinking "oh boy, Luca is in trouble AGAIN. Thony is asking Arman for help AGAIN. Marriage problems AGAIN. Working with the FBI AGAIN."

Naveen Andrews and Eva De Dominici were both really charismatic and brought a lot of fun energy to the season, and I'm happy that Eva De Dominici got more screen time because Nadia is just a really fun and interesting character. No hate to Elodie Yung and Adan Canto in the slightest. But only a few episodes into the season and I ended up watching the show for Nadia and for Kamdar. How can that be? When in season 1 I was on the edge my seat, glued to the screen, watching the show solely for the two main leads? I'm sorry but I'm just not feeling it anymore.

Again, if you liked this season, I am super happy for you that you were able to get joy out of it! I sincerely hope you will continue to feel that joy if they announce season 3. Maybe my opinion will change over time, maybe the writers will get back on track. In the meantime, I'll probably just stick to rewatching season 1 and make up my own story of what happens after in my head.

[good-beans]

1, 2, 10 for Haruka and 3, 4, 12 for Muu, if you don't mind ♡

Ahh thank you so much!! Love them ;----;

1. favorite song lyrics?

I’m between two:

You praised me by saying “You’re crazy.”/Thank you, I’ll do my best

First of all it’s just such a telling line that drives home how the (negative) attention he was receiving only encouraged him to do more harm, and really puts his situation into perspective. It’s also a common painful neurodivergent experience to not realize you’re being bullied/criticized, and really makes my heart ache for him…

But I’m always incredibly insane about the entire “mama, look” section. There’s something so heartbreaking about him crying out to her in pride and desperately imagining her kind response. Plus I love wordplay!!! The Muu pun is very cool. Not to mention Shun Horie ripping my heart out and stomping on it when he performed live…

2. favorite mv moment/frame?

This expression combined with the “ah” makes for such a perfect and painful emotion – even though he’s shown bloody and dangerous, the moment manages to paint him more distressed than anything :( It really got me when I first watched it, and still can get me emotional now.

10. is the answer to the previous question different from your vote(s) on the character themselves (do you vote them based on anything else aside from the crime)?

I do forgive his crime, and I would have voted accordingly :’) I joined right before INMF so I missed both his voting periods so far, but I both forgive him and want him to be safe ;-----; Yamanaka please… I beg you…

3. favorite non-mv official illustration?

I really like her door art!! She looks so pretty and confident and just a lil sneaky but that’s what she deserves! I also just love whenever they draw her with chubby lil cheeks in the minigrams… WAIT I forgot the karaoke art -- I love her in that one too!!

4. favorite minigram episode/moment?

Speaking of, I love this one where she refuses to go on the walk but then immediately gets jealous – it’s such a mood and I love her little “muu” pouting adsfsdf. Another big mood is her imagining herself as a sad wet little dog when facing someone intimidating LMAO I think of this panel all the time 😂 (eng versions from thinkin-bout-milgram)

12. what do you wish would be discussed more often about them in the fandom?

That she is just as needy/easy to be manipulated as Haruka! :( It’s hard enough to get people to realize she’s not really doing any malicious manipulating, so it never gets around to any discussion about how she’s equally starved for attention and love. Even though it seems like she’s had friends and he hasn’t, they’ve had the same trouble with connecting to others. They both have no clue what a healthy friendship looks like, and they’re doing their best! Like Kotoko, I think people fall for the front she puts up that hides how much she really doesn’t have her shit together inside :( Someone give her a hug!

[iamadequate1]

Black Pete vs Izzy (Pt 3)

This is a continuing meta where I am listing out similarities (and differences) that I see between Black Pete and Izzy. Again, mind the "Izzy Critical" tag as I do not engage with canyon fanon. If this bothers you.... to block tags: Blog Options > Account > Content you see > Filtered tags.

Part 1, Part 2, Buttons tangent

#4: Pete and Izzy both romanticize the Legend of Blackbeard and overstate their importance to it

Pete is our beginning hype machine in the series for Blackbeard as he introduces the second episode.

Pete: But it was too late. Blackbeard was upon 'em. History's greatest pirate, and my former boss.

Did Pete actually meet Ed before he came aboard The Revenge? Who's to say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Pete's actual involvement with Blackbeard, we don't know. It was a joke (from Jenkins?) that he was on the crew for just one morning, but we all know how Pete represented it from his story in this beginning hype monologue:

Pete: And then Blackbeard was like... Blackbeard: You saved my hide, Pete. I am forever in your debt. Pete: Just happy to be on the team, Blackbeard. Blackbeard: From this day onward, you'll be known as the Dread Black Pete, my right-hand man.

In his story, he's a one man killing machine! He's so spectacular that Ed instantly promotes him. (Aside: Calico Jack saved Ed's life. Did he get to be right-hand man for a day??)

When Ed first comes aboard The Revenge and any of Pete's lies can easily be uncovered, Pete still keeps talking Blackbeard up. He's committed to the bit.

Pete: I bet he's saying something genius. He's history's most brilliant tactician. I wonder if he'll recognize me. Lucius: You know, I thought he'd be taller.

For Izzy, I'm going to start with his frustrated outburst in 1x4 (after Ed and Stede come on to deck with their Clothes Swap) since it has the most interesting things I can point back to.

The first line I am going to look at:

Izzy: When you tasked me with trackin' that absolute idiot, I did that, no questions asked. And when we traced him to a Spanish warship, I attacked that ship, losin' several of our men by the way.

Seriously, bro? We saw your response to tracking Stede in the previous episode.

Izzy: Captain, we're a few hundred yards out from The Revenge. Ed: Nice. Very good. Love that. Izzy: Honestly, I really don't think this Bonnet is worth your time. Ed: Hm. So, he's a fancy man with a fancy ship, and he travels with a brigade of imbeciles. Do I have that right? Izzy: Yes, I suppose you could put it -- Ed: And he bested you at swordplay. Izzy: They tricked us. It was an ambush. Completely unprofessional. So what's the plan, sir? Do we open fire, or would you rather we just attack them, kill them, thrown them out to the sharks, sir? Ed: Wait 'til they make landfall, then invite them aboard the ship, and Izzy, I want you to handle this personally. Izzy: Oh, Edward, can't I just send the boys? Ed: Mm, no, I want this done right. After all, he is a gentleman. We want to make a good impression. Izzy: Stupid fuckin' Stede Bonnet.

See, "no questions asked" implies just carrying out the order with no questions or offering up some thoughtful and respectful counsel first and then carrying out the order. What Izzy did instead: said the plan wasn't worth doing, asked leading questions to get what he wanted which he knew was the opposite of what Ed wanted, and complained that the task was beneath him. We don't know what happened just before the Spanish ship attack, but I doubt Izzy went quietly.

Moving on to a second point of Izzy's 1x4 speech:

Izzy: For years, I've followed your every whim, I've managed your increasingly erratic moods, and I've massaged this crew when they were worried about your judgment.

We don't know what "every whim" or "erratic moods" mean. With this episode, we know that Ed is bored and wants more out of life (as he says directly to Izzy) and has death ideation (as he says to Izzy that it's something new to try, and as he tells Stede that he's going to pack it all in before knowing that retirement was an option), but we don't know what incidents Izzy is referring to. Since Izzy rarely tells the truth, this can't be taken at face value.

The "massaged this crew" part is very strange, though, since this is what we got in Izzy's first episode (1x2):

Izzy: Captain says follow that ship. Fang: Oh, really, why? Izzy: How should I know? The man's half insane.

"Massaged this crew" certainly is a choice spin on "The man's half insane." Izzy is on some middle management (or rock star manager, if you prefer that spin) Dunning-Kruger curve: low ability, but high confidence. He's not very good at this "massaging this crew" thing, but he doesn't have enough experience to know he sucks at it. This "stressful" job for Blackbeard he's taken on seems to not be needed or is not handled well. Blackbeard's crew was likely on maintenance mode by the time Izzy came along, and Izzy is like modern day middle management, making up tasks to justify his job.

The third piece of this 1x4 speech I want to comment on:

Izzy: I was honored to work for the legendary Blackbeard, the most brilliant sailor I had ever met.

From what I remember, this is the only backstory in onscreen canon we get on Izzy. It is more than we get from the other side characters, and it is interesting. It situates the lens of how to look at his later comments. In particular, Ed was already Blackbeard, already legendary, and already an obviously proven brilliant sailor before Izzy entered the picture. Izzy wasn't there to build the spectacle and reputation of Blackbeard, and he's just a middle manager put in place to maintain it. As Ed says to Stede, there is no challenge, and they're cruising the Caribbean on easy mode.

The fourth and final piece I want to comment on his 1x4 outburst:

Izzy: I'm gonna devise a plan.

As we see later in the episode, the only contribution to the plan he makes is staring dumfounded, contemplating mortality, as Lucius talks about never having seen the world, and more importantly, he's not even in the ending lighthouse scene. The only "plan" we ever see Izzy make in series is sending Calico Jack and the British after Stede, and it seems most likely Spanish Jackie and Chauncey did most of that planning.

He says it confidently, though, and confident misinformation like this is why Minor Prince Ricky could say in 2x8:

Ricky: Can't believe I have an audience with the great Israel Hands. That's absolutely astounding. I've always thought you were underrated. I mean, it's absurd, isn't it? Isn't it? That Blackbeard gets all this praise when you are quite clearly the brains of his operation?

In modern AUs, Ricky is someone's weird uncle at the holiday dinner table who is sharing the totally true "facts" they picked up from Facebook memes. Pete doesn't even believe this stuff.

I mean, 1x5, we see Fang laughing about Izzy the Spewer, and 1x9, we see Izzy is almost immediately mutinied against when left in charge (Remember: the same crew tolerated fumbling newbie Stede for weeks before Pete brought up mutiny and not everyone was interested.) Izzy is terrible at management, and no one on the crews respects him. His only pirate skill seems to be flouncing around the Republic of Pirates and acting like he's menacing (RIP, Geraldo and Steaky, you didn't know better), but he thinks he's indispensable to the most brilliant sailor he'd ever met. I honestly think 1x6 is projection because I think it's Izzy that Ed's keeping around as a pet.

But on Izzy and Blackbeard (from 1x9)...

Izzy: This, this is Blackbeard. Not some namby-pamby in a silk gown pining for his boyfriend. Ed: Choose your next words wisely, dog. Izzy: There he is... Blackbeard is my captain. I serve Blackbeard. Not Edward.

Look! Izzy's captain is Blackbeard! Blackbeard is who was already a thing when Izzy came along! Remember:

Izzy: I was honored to work for the legendary Blackbeard, the most brilliant sailor I had ever met.

Meanwhile, in 2x8...

Izzy: I fed your darkness... Blackbeard. For years, I egged him on, even though I knew you'd outgrown him, but the truth is... Ed: Hey... Izzy: I needed him. Blackbeard... it was us. You, me.

Then he peaces out before he can be corrected. What is this "us" nonsense? Izzy, you brought nothing to the table, and Blackbeard was already a thing before you came along because...

Izzy: I was honored to work for the legendary Blackbeard, the most brilliant sailor I had ever met.

Izzy coming in late is reinforced by Calico Jack in 1x8. At the beginning breakfast with Ed, Stede, and Jack:

Stede: Hornigold, yes, yes. Who's Hornigold? Ed: That's where me and Jack first met, on Hornigold's ship, where we first became outlaws.

At Stede and Jack's pee off:

Jack: Yeah, we got a lot in common, me and him. In lots of ways, we're the same man. So, what's goin' on between you two? You buggerin' each other or what? Stede: Don't know what you're talking about. Jack: Nothin' to be ashamed of. Anything goes at sea. God knows, Blackie and I have had our dalliances. Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a nerve? Stede: No. Ed's past is Ed's business, and I respect that. Jack: "Ed." Blackie I knew woulda snapped your neck for callin' him that. Stede: Well, perhaps he's not the Blackie you knew. Jack: And maybe you don't know him at all.

Where does Ed pick up these tailcoat riding losers? Jack "we're the same man" Rackham and Izzy "Blackbeard, it was us" Hands. Yeah, OK. Point of this snippet is certainly-a-choice nickname of "Blackie" that Jack is using, which makes the "Blackbeard" name seem to be from very early days.

At the end of the episode:

Jack: The old Blackbeard woulda seen me comin' a mile away. No, Izzy Hands sent me.

Again, Jack talks about "Blackbeard" as someone from the early days, "Blackie I knew", "the old Blackbeard", and all, the days from when they first became outlaws. The standout here is that Jack says Izzy's full name: Izzy Hands. This is way too formal, and points to Izzy not being around in the old days with "the old Blackbeard." If there were more familiarity there, Jack would have just said "Izzy." Jack knew the beginning days of Blackbeard, and again, back to Izzy's comment, Izzy came in after the development of Blackbeard, and there is no "Blackbeard, it was us."

So, looking more at bland S2 Izzy is strange. During Ed's attempt to get Izzy to kill him in 2x2:

Izzy: Ohh, ohh, you scared, Eddie? Too s- too scared to do it yourself, eh? Go on, clean up your own fuckin' mess. I'm not doin' it. I've been doin' it all my fuckin' life.

"All my ... life"? What? Izzy, you're older than Ed, and you came to him after Ed was a captain with a well established Blackbeard persona. Did his life begin when he joined the QAR? We also see the bulk of Izzy's use to Ed: doing the crap Ed didn't want to do, as a middle manager should. Also, I still think Izzy is Ed's pet. (See, I'm not entertaining any type of S2 retcon excuses because Izzy being a liar who overinflates his importance is just a continuing character trait.)

But it gets stranger. In 2x1:

Izzy: Who am I to you? Ed: What? Izzy: We've worked together for years. You know me better than anyone has ever known me, and I dare say the same is true for me about you.

Why does he think he knows Ed at all? The world may never know. In 2x3, he hobbles in on Stede, bringing the ghost of Calico "and maybe you don't know him at all" Jack with him:

Stede: What'd you do with him? I know he wouldn't have left by choice Izzy: I know you think you understand him -- Stede: He was either going to watch the world burn or die trying, so which was it?

Perhaps he's not the Blackbeard you know, Izzy?

I've been avoiding dipping into the 90s scifi nerd in me, but I can take it no more since this speech is perfect in this context ("the ship" being the Blackbeard legend -- Izzy is still responsible for all the dumb crap he does on his own).

Kryten: The mind-probe was created to detect guilt. Yet, in the case of Arnold Judas Rimmer, the guilt it detected attaches to no crime. He held a position of little or no importance on Red Dwarf. (...) Yet he could never come to terms with a lifetime of underachievement. His absurdly inflated ego would never permit it. He's like the security guard on the front gate who considers himself head of the corporation. (...) An incompetent vending machine repairman with a Napoleon complex who commanded as much respect and affection from his fellow crew members as Long John Silver's parrot. (...) He is only guilty of being Arnold J. Rimmer. That is his crime. That is also his punishment. - Red Dwarf, Series 4, Episode 3, "Justice", end of scene here

Pete just posed himself as Blackbeard's right-hand man, but Izzy posed himself as the legend of Blackbeard himself. What?? See, again, Pete does A Thing, and Izzy takes the A Thing to an extreme.

Also, lord, Izzy is dull in S2. I'm so happy that S2 Pete is still funny and got to be happy. 🥰

To be continued in Part 4!

Preview of coming up: They both are terrible pirates! But they want to be captains anyway! They're both also compulsive liars! Stede pets them on the head like children and says "yes, dear" anyway!

Series: Part 1, Part 2, Buttons tangent, Part 3, S2 Izzy reaction GIF

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"Ahsoka" Review

Lars and Eman were perfect as Thrawn and Ezra. They are those characters and I will not take criticism. More of my thoughts below.

Overall, I give this show an 7.5/10. I enjoyed it more than Mando S3, BoBF, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but not as much as Andor or the first 2 seasons of Mando. As a Rebels fan, I was overjoyed to see my fave characters like Hera and Sabine return. Just seeing them warmed my heart. When Thrawn showed up, my heart leaped out of my chest. I could not believe that I was seeing Mitth'raw'nuruodo himself in live-action.

Okay, I'm just going to put my Thrawn takes out there (please do not come after me. This is my opinion and I respect anyone who disagrees):

I love Canon Book Thrawn so much. I admire him. I relate to him. I love him. Thrawn in the Canon books is amazing. I enjoy his relationships with Thalias, Eli, and Ar'alani. I love how he mentors Che'ri and Eli. I love that he seeks to protect his people. I love how he is an art nerd and has the craziest plans.

But in "Ahsoka," every time he said "long, live the empire," I wanted to toss my screen. I understand he was closer to his Legends counterpart and I am still excited to see where his character goes I just miss his canon book version.

That being said, I LOVED Lars as Thrawn. There is no doubt in my mind that he IS Thrawn. Voice aside, everything from his mannerisms to composure was perfect. I can't picture anyone else in this role nor do I want anyone else. Lars is able to capture Thrawn's subtle expressions so perfectly and I had a blast watching him every time when he was on screen.

Moving on

Of the new characters, Baylan Skoll was my favorite. Ray Stevenson portrayed him with such grace and elegance. He was mysterious and much welcomed addition to Star Wars. I thought his philosophy was unique and I appreciated that he wasn't an all-out bad guy. I do hope they continue his story and not drop it completely. Rest in peace Ray.

Honestly, I felt that Shin wasn't explored enough for me to really enjoy her. I think she is interesting and there's a lot of potential regarding her inner conflict. I hope season 2 really delves into that. Why did she join Baylon? What power does she seek?

Morgan and the Nightsisters were just really cool to me. The magic they utilized was awesome and the rise of the zombie troopers was spooky.

Also, the music! The Kiners really popped off. I genuinely loved the end credits theme so much. That and the integration of themes were great.

However, I am not a fan of Sabine being force-sensitive. It doesn't make sense in my opinion. It was never hinted at in Rebels and her relationship with Ahsoka feels kinda shoehorned in. I wish we saw what led to her becoming Ahsoka's apprentice. Sabine is already a cool character. Why does she need the force?

Ahsoka in the earlier episodes also was kinda bland. But after episode 5, she felt more like herself. I get that she's not going to be the same as her younger self, but she always had a warmth to her, even when she was serious and I missed that. Rosario still killed it though. I really enjoyed episode 5 with the Clone Wars live-action representation. I know some people really want that but I think it should stay animated.

The lore with the new galaxy was also really cool. It opens the doors to so much storytelling and I love the impact it will have on our heroes. It seems that the Nightsisters and the Mortis gods came from there.

Action was cool, I miss my space husbands, Mon Mothma was cool, and I do think they should stop using the dome for many shots.

Overall, a fun time and I'm excited for what comes next.

[stinkyracoon]

I headcanon Kokomi Teruhashi as aroace and neurodivergent and here’s why

Disclaimer: I am not saying that other opinions on her aren’t valid and deserve respect, this is just the one that makes the most sense to me.

1. Her color scheme

This is the least important argument in this, but still worth mentioning to me. Teruhashi‘s colorscheme consists largely of blue and yellow, blue for her hair and eyes, yellow for her glow. These are also the main colors of the aroace flag.

Yes, the shades are different, but to be honest, I don’t care.

2. Her behavior around romance

When it comes to dating, Teruhashi has impossibly high standards. Though she she never actually lists any preferred traits, it’s clear by how whenever a guy asks her out or shows interest she mentions how she would never go out like a guy like that and that none of those guys even have a chance with her.

In season 1 episode 2 when Saiki is showing how he sees her she says, or rather thinks, “His annual income should be at least 40 million yen!” And the only time she considers going out with a guy (aside from Saiki) it’s because he’s loaded, of course I’m talking about Saiko Metori, however this clearly does not count as genuine romantic interest. This shows that she values money in a partner over anything else and because this is the only ‘qualification’ a guy needs to date her, you could say that the only reason she would go out with someone is for their money.

3. Her crush on Saiki and Rejection sensitive dysphoria

The only reason Teruhashi likes Saiki is because he doesn’t like her. He is the only man, the only person, and the only creature who doesn’t love her (aside from children). Obviously this would be an issue for her, her whole life people have loved her the moment they met. Everybody has always loved her, why doesn’t he?

Not just that, but she also lives for others. In season _ episode _ we see Teruhashi become so obsessed and so worried about being perfectly perfect she literally works herself to exhaustion, she straight up passes out in the middle of the hallway from the stress and exhaustion. We also know she often worries about disillusioning the entire world, if she isn’t perfect, the entire world will suffer. She holds herself to very high standards, which she has always been able to meet her entire life, and so, when Saiki ‘rejected’ her, her entire world shattered. It wasn’t possible to her that she wasn’t perfect, so she made excuses, that Saiki was too nervous to say anything, that he thought she was an illusion. Then, he disappeared. She just went through the most stressful experience in her life

4. Why she’s neurodivergent

The things mentioned in 3, as mentioned in the title of 3, point toward Teruhashi having what is called “rejection sensitive dysphoria”. For those who don’t know, healthline (a reliable source for such things) defines RSD as so:

“Rejection sensitive dysphoria occurs when you experience an intense or overwhelming emotional sensitivity to criticism or rejection. It can be a learned emotional response or you may be genetically predisposed to it.”

In the context of the aforementioned arguments, it can be said that in Teruhashi’s case it is a learned emotional response, however, one does not have to exclude the other.

[tuiyla]

What’s your favorite seasons for Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Rachel, Tina and Mercedes?

Ohh this is such a fun question! Thank you Anon xx There's such an urge to choose a different one for each because six seasons six girlies but I shan't. At least not with that intention.

Brittany - Season 6

Starting with her because it's sooooo easy to choose. Gosh, how I wish we could have had season 6 Brittany for longer. If only she could have always been here, blessing us with her confidence. I cannot overstate how much this is my favourite version of Brittany. I also think it's a good albeit brief season for her plot-wise, and though I hear the criticism that she set Santana up for failure by pulling that Alma shit, she meant well and goddam did she do it in a fun way. Don't tell me the Brittany who tells Santana's homophobic grandma that sex with her granddaughter is great isn't the best version of herself.

Tina - Season 5

It was that or season 4. Listen, listen, I know a lot of people prefer her in the earlier seasons but they're wrong because diva Tina who has stuff to do is superior. It felt like season 5 finally allowed her to not only be part of the club but honestly be the de facto female lead. And it's a bummer that she's but a guest star in season 5B but season 5A has some of her very best vocal moments and is generally when I think she gets her dues. There's Tina in the Sky With Diamonds, of course, but even beyond that. Frenemies, Trio! The girl is actually getting plot! So yeah I guess you could argue for season 4 but iirc she sings the most this season and is still sort of the butt of the joke but it feels less disrespectful because she is actually being featured. She's beloved.

Santana - Season 4

I swear I'm not doing the season countdown thing on purpose. Obviously I love Santana in every season and I'm a firm believer that if you don't love her at her season 3A you don't deserve her at her season 4. And I reject the notion that she peaked in season 4 in that she didn't continue to be beautiful breathtaking brilliant never been done before afterward. But with all that you don't love my fave like I do talk aside, yeah season 4 is probably my favourite for Santana. Ironic because she actually misses a lot of episodes but she just has such an Arc and goes through such a journey. I love how lost she feels and how vulnerable she is after the breakup and how hard she tries to be a good friend but how much she sucks at acting like a normal person. The writers should have gotten her to New York sooner and my god do I have other notes for improvement in terms of writing but Santana herself? Beautiful perfect baby girl. She goes through your bags and drawers and hugs and holds you while you cry. Season 2 is also a contender.

Mercedes - Season 3

Oh poor Mercedes gets such a chaotic season. Unfortunately I don't think she has a standout season because she never gets enough of a story but season 3 feels the closest to having an arc. There's a bit there in season 1 but it's lowkey and in B plots, and season 2 similarly feels like they mostly forget she's there. Now I very much do not appreciate the way season 3A frames her because season 3A SUCKS but she gets to take a stand and shine. She gets shit done, stands by her principles and herself, gets The Troubletones going, demands the respect she deserves. And then season 3B sees the love triangle thing with Sam which I'm not a huge fan of but it does give Mercedes character drama and even then she stays so principled. She ultimately gets many happy moments and her stardom gets kicked off. So yeah I just love to see her stand up for herself and work towards her goals while also not being left out of the romance drama, which on Glee equals screentime.

Quinn - Season 2 I guess

I simply refuse to consider season 1 her best. I think people who only like Quinn in that season must not like Quinn very much at all because she's constantly decentered during her own pregnancy and has so little agency in it all. It also feels, just, sadistic to say all that horrible shit happening to her was the best. Then again horrible things always do be happening when she's around. And I think my latest Quinn ask was exactly about the messiness of season 2 so clearly this season isn't perfect, either. But she has stuff to do, you know? It's fascinating to see her completely reject the pregnancy. She refuses to be the teen mom people want to perceive her as. She clings desperately to a sense of normalcy, nay, superiority, and it leads to tensions with Santana and a messy dating life and Quinn ultimately crumbling at the end of the season. So, you know, still sad shit, but my god at least it's not You're Having My Baby. My other choice would be season 4 but she's in the grand total of two and a half episodes and I just happen to project a lot into it.

Damn it's really hard to choose for Rachel. I'm going to sound like such a hypocrite because I explicitly said I won't just do the girl-a-season thing but here goes:

Rachel - Season 1

Like with Santana, I would once again like to note that if you don't love Rachel at her season 5 maybe you don't deserve her at her season 1. And I do really like season 6 for her, for example, but it's been so long since I've seen that season that it wouldn't feel right to say it's my fav for her. Season 1 Rachel is just such a delight. Again, I think there's good in her (and for her) in every season and it feels too mainstream to say season 1 but goddam. It's the popular answer for a reason. Rachel is so earnest and so over the top and so hilarious. But then she has these come-down-to-earth moments and especially when Shelby the devil comes around we see how she's just a lonely girl desperate for love. She's so so precious I just wanna wrap her in a blanket. And I hugely dislike the Finchel stuff but unfortunately, that is what it is. Lots of other great moments.

Again great question, hopefully good answers too.

[agartumsaathoe]

Things I wish they had shown in Brooklyn 99

I love, love, love B99. It’s better than friends and no I don’t take constructive criticism. They don’t need sexism to show humor and there is so much character development what’s not to love?

Anyways, I am in the phase where I make lists for every thing so here goes my list of things I wish they had shown as a compulsive B99 binge watcher:

1. Holt and Rosa doing pride month things : Holt and Rosa are an amazing team and both of them are part of LGBTQ+ community. I loved when they showed Rosa coming out and them talking about it and the whole acceptance thing with her parents. But I wish there was more Holt and Rosa content where they act like they hate taking part in the pride and doing all those things but they secretly love it and like maybe Rosa catches Holt doing something pride related or he catches Rosa during pride month and they are like yeah okay lets do it together. And maybe they dress their dogs together for pride too. SO CUTE UGH 

2. Showing us all seven brothers of Amy: SO we got Amy and Jake thanksgiving episode with their families at Peralta’s. It would have been awesome  if we got thanksgivings  part 2 at Santiago’s and got to see the photos of the Santiago children at the mantel, piano and stairs. And then all the seven brother and Amy being hella competitive. Like alll Boyle cousins wear tan that’s their weird family thing. I  wanted to see Santiago siblings weird family thing.

3. Mlepnos” backstory: They brought back Mlepnos in the wedding episode of Peraltiago. I don't know about you all but that generated hell lot of curiosity about him for me. I wanted mlepnos backstory. Is he a criminal somehow? But like really small really ridiculous crime he had done but he's still afraid so he pretends he doesn't know Jake and Amy. Or he's not a legal citizen of the country and he's afraid They would turn him in. I JUST NEEDED MORE MLEPNOS, JAKE AND AMY CONTENT WITH SATISFYING ENDING.

4. More Nutriboom content: They did us so dirty with that man. They made a whole ass episode about nutriboom and the criminal CEO I definitely thought they would continue it. I mean at the very least they could have shown us that nutriboom guy following Jake with such intensity that Jake isn't able to capture some criminal or something. Basically nutriboom is coming in his way to be a good cop. They even show up at Shaw's bar and stuff too annoying Jake into finally making a plan to take them down or something.

5. Rosa content: I loved how they showed Jake’s arc after jail. Actually I really liked the whole jail plot. Showing him in jail and how he had had survive there and that the system is very cruel and not black and white as he thought it wasm and then when he comes back he isn't that chill cool guy anymore. He really thinks before taking a guy to jail. I really loved all that stuff. But excuse me guys there was this one poc character who also went jail with her or did you forget that? She was a women of color, queer and a cop. That has to be hard for her too. Just because she's portrayed as a badass doesn't mean jail was easy for her. I wanted to see that representation so bad.

6. Gina's pregnancy: okay so I know there's a lot of people who don't like Gina. I too have a love-hate relationship with her. But that aside, I definitely think there should have been a whole episode on Gina's pregnancy like something very chaotic happening. The way they did with Sergeant's kid and Amy's pregnancy. Gina deserved that. Also the Boyle she loved, he just disappeared? I mean the guy was shown to be in love with her and they were talking about names and then he's just gone? Give us some backstory atleast.

7. CHARLES DESERVED BETTER: He was so nice and genuine and sweet and fantastic person. I get that he was intense sometimes and also a bit annoying but he was a person who really had his heart on his sleeves. But because he was nice, they all underestimated him. I didn’t like that. I can write literally 10 essays about it. Like how Gina acted disgusted about their fwb situation every single time it came up like it was her own decision to continue that relationship. Or how everybody in the team thought Charles wasn't as smart as them. Or how Jake really didn't treat Charles good enough. He literally cared about every single one of them and held so much compassion. He deserved to be treated like a king man. HE DESERVED BETTER.

So for time being this is my hella arbitrary list on things I  wish they would have shown in B99 which you all bet would keep on extending over time 

[honoringthehorrific]

I watched Junji Ito Maniac: Tales of the macabre and here's what I thought of each episode 2/3

Here's Part 2 to my review on Junji Ito's new netflix anime! As always Spoilers under the cut Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Review

Continuing on with what i thought of each episode...

Episode 5: Long Hair In the attic Cont. Long hair in the attic, I remember this story and it's always felt sorta...Sad to me? From the way the episode starts and we see them interact it's really depressing...She obviously cared about this man but he seems to toss her out like there's no issue at all. One thing I really noticed was how they draw blood in this one, It looks really nice. However I think Chiemi's head isn't as pretty when depicted in the anime as it was in the manga however the scraping sounds are definitely more cringe-worthy when you actually get to hear them. Episode 7: Tomb Town I believe this one is actually based on the new translation from VIZ Media, Which as of writing this isn't out yet. I haven't read an online scantlation of it but I was fairly excited to see what it was about going in! The story is actually really interesting to me? I thought it would be sort of boring but...It was really enthralling. The twist was wild to me! The use of 3D for the corpse was actually more interesting to me than the use of it for scenery like cars!

Episode 8: Layers of Fear; The Thing That Drifted Ashore A story I've not read. Surprised yet? I'm not. One thing I thought was neat was seeing the iconic layered image in the doctors office! I've seen images of this manga online. I think the concept of someone having skin line a tree or an onion is kinda cool! The image of the peel was sort of cool but at the same time the thought is painful. I remember i had skin on my foot one time that peeled up but it was so deep...It made me think of that time and it made me cringe. the image of her dragging the blade down her skin...This whole scene was vile and made my skin crawl and my stomach turn I think this was one of the best moments of the series so far. Again with the thing that drifted ashore i felt i had read this one before? However that may have just been the feeling of gyo. Another interesting thing is Tadashi is the name of the protagonist from gyo. Nothing else interested me much aside from the idea of human beings potentially being like parasites.

Episode 9: Tomie: Photo I was most ecstatic for this episode! Tomie is a special interest of mine. My wife loves Tsukiko's character so we were both highly critical coming into this episode. They were worried about Tsukiko's voice as they had seen Demon Slayer and heard her voice actress play Nezuko but we were both surprised by the deeper voice acting the actress did for the character as it was always the sort of manner we imagined the character would speak in. Another thing I'm happy about is how this series seems to be taking Tomie almost in order (Skipping the chapter Basement)! First Tomie, then Morita hospital and now we get chapter 4 Photograph! I can't help but hope for another part or even Tomie to get its own anime but for now I was thrilled with this chapter of Tomie's animated story given both My wife and I had qualms with Tsukiko's strange redesign? Her grown out buzz/pixie cut is swapped with a side swept one? As well as her eyebrows being much thicker than remembered initially... I was also mildly off put by how Tomie's voice changed between series? It's still Monica Rial but she's changed how she speaks for the character. It's deeper for some reason? Which while not a bad change still a strange one to me. One of the most disappointing changes in my wife's opinion was the lack of a willy wonka shirt. (RIP tsukiko's willy wonka t-shirt) I also kind of hated that they seemed to cut certain parts or lines? I know that they have to mind time but they miss the scuffle at the door when tsukiko goes to join her mother. They also miss getting to see tsukiko's mother's face as well as learning her father is in the military and at his post. Small details that feel..Like they just flesh out tomie's universe more. While the episode is very nearly shot for shot there's a lot that changed (To someone like me who is...a little obsessed <3) There's almost too many changes to over look.

Part 1 / Part 3 / Review

[unrequited-fantasies]

Figured I'd make a post addressing some of the critiques in this video since about half of them rubbed me the wrong way. If I don't address something, I either agreed or felt it was worthwhile. Ok, onto my major criticisms. 2:26 | "The message of fighting for love rather than blood fills hollow as it pertains to Vaggie" I see this as audience bias. We're led to believe that this is Carmilla and Vaggie's first meeting. This means that Carmilla probably only knows 3 things max about Vaggie. 1) she was an exorcist 2) she's Charlie's girlfriend and 3) needs weapons to defeat the exorcists. Carmilla only knows exorcists to be bloodthirsty so it tracks for her to assume that about Vaggie too. She doesn't know Vaggie like we do after all. That said, I agree it doesn't fit Vaggie.

Up next, his Alastor critiques. To preface, Alastor is one of my favs and it physically pains me to see ppl completely misunderstand him time and time again. So if I sound harsher here, that's why. SC's main criticism is "Alastor bounces between a clearly antagonistic force to a loyal hotel member that believes in Charlie".

5:50 | "just as often as the show tries to make him sketchy, it gives him moments that show he cares about the hotel" No examples are stated outright so I'm led to assume the clips used are meant to be examples of Alastor flip flopping. However the context of the clips disprove that claim. 6:43 Alastor helped Charlie get an army to protect the hotel through Rosie. Alastor agreed to do this because it was part of the *blatantly sketchy deal* he made with Charlie beforehand. 6:49 I don't see how Alastor getting rid of egg boys via Vaggie's request says anything about anything. He was going to leave to attend the overlord meeting anyway so it wasn't an inconvenient. Plus Viv did say that Alastor has a lighter view on women so this is character consistency if anything. (On that note it's nice to see character info from Viv's livestreams actually depicted in the show)

7:14 | "the writers love Alastor too much to make him do truly heinous acts" What are you smoking and where can I get some? Jokes aside, Alastor is a know serial killer and cannibal, both of which I put on full display at least once. Heck why even point out? I could just mention the Husk scene. We see Alastor abuse Husk in 4K. He threatened physical abuse, and while he didn't go through with it at that very moment, it's still verbal abuse which shouldn't be looked over when talking about Alastor's evil actions. This scene alone caused an uproar among Alastor fans when the episode dropped. It comes off as a bad faith criticism to not include it let alone mention it.

7: 52 | "all of Alastor's cool is a loan that only works it they can pay it off later. like i love the dude but if we keep hinting at things and not delivering we're gonna have to put him on fraud watch". This is one of the few instances where the pacing slows down to properly build up to something. This should be complimented not criticized. Yeah if Alastor's overhyped then we can say this build up didn't pay off. Feels like we're putting the cart from the horse here.

10:39 | "Vox's running commentary is hilarious until it isn't"

Vox is perfect and all criticism against him is invalid. Seeing his rolled up sleeves made me feels things. Next!

10: 50 | "what they're saying doesn't track outside of Alastor being missing and he immediately shows up right after" Same critique as the first, audience bias. We see Alastor come back to the hotel, THEY don't. They see Alastor flee fight after nearly dying, then move away from the monitors to celebrate. Other than that I agree, the alleged power vacuum was poorly executed.

Aaaand that's about it really. Let leave things oof on something we can all agree on.

17:40 | "I can chalk up a lot of this season's mistakes with needing more time to write the season"

[sapphicscholar]

Hacks 2.03 and 2.04 Thoughts

Like Ava, I’m trusting the process even when it’s painful, and I’m still watching with an eye toward critical generosity. That being said, some (though certainly not all!) of my thoughts verge on the critical this week as a heads up. Thoughts are below the cut for spoilers (because I had to get this word vomit out so I could start my actual workday haha)

1. I’ve seen a few other people say this already, but the episodes feel a little more disjointed this season with the episodic nature of being on the road and on tour. I don’t mind that in and of itself, but I think it’s also led to this season’s feeling less cohesive in the overarching narrative at least in part because we’re being told more things this season vs. last season when we actually saw most of the action (e.g., we keep hearing that Deborah’s bombing, but, until ep 4, we were largely seeing her get laughs and punchlines in, even if they weren’t the best). So rather than *seeing* the process, we’re often hearing about it via meta commentary for better or worse (again, I think you do what you can with 8 episodes and what seems like an ambitious story to tell and tour to take the characters on)

2. I really loved the scene where Deborah steps in and makes Weed stop the bus to let Ava go look for her dad’s ashes, and the final “fuck it” moment of shedding her fur coat to climb into a literal dumpster to help look was exactly the kind of narrative payoff and emotional catharsis I know and love from this show!

3. Deborah’s always had the capacity for meanness and real cruelty toward others, but this season I feel like we’re seeing more of it directed at strangers, people in the workplace, and even fans--all of whom in S1 we saw Deborah being fairly collegial and even downright friendly with (which set her up from the start, imo, as different from, say, a Miranda Priestly, even though she could be just as cutting). Again, I think part of it is the seeing vs telling thing - I know theoretically that Deb’s frustrated about the tour going poorly, so it would make sense for her to be lashing out more. But because we’re seeing so little of it, I’m not feeling it as much

4. On the other hand, Deborah’s deliberately making Ava jealous (sometimes using and tossing aside others to do it) feels exactly the right amount of petty, and the way she’s doing it, MY GOD, it’s fucking L Word levels of gay 

5. Curious to see what we do with all of Ava’s very vocal pledges to clean living and very visible backsliding (largely encouraged by those around her, which makes sense! The entertainment business is a hard place for sobriety, as are a lot of the most visible spaces for queer life)

6. Look...I could write a whole separate post on ep 4 alone, but bulleted thoughts:

I get that it’s necessary for Deborah’s growth (comedic and personal) both to bomb in this painful obvious way AND ALSO to have some of the really shitty ways she’s talked about whole groups of people drawn out into the open, not for laughs but for scorn. THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT LESS PAINFUL TO WATCH. Holy shit an entire childhood spent in comedy clubs and bar basements, and that’s still in the top 3 worst things I’ve seen go down on a stage

The first 10 minutes or so...idk. I get that we’ve got a queer cast and not totally straight writing staff and all, but a lot of the jokes felt less like we were having a good in-on-the-joke kind of time and more of a laugh at the expense of queer women (like c’mon, why does the first woman to approach Ava have to be creepy about it?) Going into it (esp after having heard so much about how queer fans would LOVE this ep), I think I wanted The L Word Olivia Cruise episode vibes, and instead, it felt like I was watching Friends at first

BUT by the end, the episode felt like it had swung around enough so we could see that Deborah was the problem (the internalized misogyny, the way that she has such deep-rooted problems with a lesbian audience, the doubling down on it all), but I don’t think I personally ever shook my unease from the beginning of the episode

I really, deeply appreciated Ava’s conversation with Deborah during the manicure (so many thoughts about hands and queer erotics...). It gives a lot more nuance to conversations about sexuality than we generally get on screen. Esp after Ava’s brash comments in early S1, this felt like a chance for Ava to be serious with Deborah; she isn’t trying to shock Deborah to get the upper hand anymore, but is instead talking through a lot of things she’s had to process and think through herself, and I SO, SO appreciated it. 

I do hope we return to some of this because I think Ava can and should have a chance to talk to Deborah after that set... echoing a brief conversation I had with @softdeb, the molly-fueled awkward dancing at sea was, um, a choice, and I hope it’s not the last we’ll see of that arc

Also the question of Deborah’s relationship to desire and intimacy felt not nearly so settled as some comments in interviews made it out to be! It feels live and open to me. This isn’t an argument for canonicity or anything, but I do think there’s still much to be interrogated after that meltdown at sea

Oh Marcus... I can and will not talk about the puppy who deserves better 

Deborah’s phone call to Marcus was also so very good. I have a lot of care for both of these two deeply flawed, human characters--and a lot of thoughts about their history--and seeing them have this moment of being able to see each other/be seen while sitting amidst the rubble of all the ways they’ve fucked up was gorgeous. It’s what I’m here for in this show, and ending on that note was enough to make me hopeful