#currently on season two episode 8 of breaking bad

[peachpubby]

my brain do be working like those tiktoks with the subway surfer gameplay but I switch between watching an episode of breaking bad and episodes of bluey every 10 minutes

[drvscarlett]

GRENADE (MV01)

EPISODE 1. Who is getting Checo's seat?

Grenade Series

Taglist. @spideybv28 @randomcuboidshape @mehrmonga @casperlikej @itsjustkhaos @stampiej

The newest episode of the documentary series starts in a studio with the camera crews focusing their camera to the Red Bull drivers. Aubrey Vaughn and Max Verstappen has conducted the interviews separately but they were showcased side-by-side. Max was in his usual Red Bull gear while Aubrey was dressed to kill. Right here there were words floating down the screen.

'Max Verstappen and Aubrey Vaughn, the two Red Bull drivers embroiled in intense rivalry finally sits down to talk to us' Max held the clapper indicating the Red Bull documentary is currently in-session. His usual blank face plastered on his face. Aubrey was flashed to the screen with a candid shot of her fixing her microphone. Then the camera angle shifted to a front view where she smiled and looked directly at the camera. "Aubrey are you ready to start this interview?" the interviewer was not in sight and Aubrey nodded to the camera "Can you first tell us how did you get your Red Bull seat?" "Honestly I owe everything to Checo"

Sergio "Checo" Perez has already had his fair shares of victories in Formula 1. It wasn't always sunshines and rainbows, for sure there were times where it was a really really bad weekend. There is a lot of experiences, teams, and stories for him to tell. He wasn't getting any younger and the calendar has just got a bit hectic. The kids are also growing up and he doesn't want to miss more milestones. He knew that it was a very perfect time for him to retire.

Of course,the first person he discussed it with is his teammate Max then the rest of the Red Bull crew. Christian made an offer to increase his benefits to convince Checo to stay but alas the driver wanted to retire.

It was a mess to pick which driver could work best with Max. Checo told about his retirement during the Shanghai GP and now its the summer break so the team is scouting for their second driver. Of course, Checo offered that he will join in the quest of finding the other driver for Red Bull which is why he is here in Spain.

"Are you here to look for a retirement plan?" Fernando greeted with a joke

Fernando Alonso, two time world champion and a good friend of Checo. He was also the first person outside Red Bull that Checo told about his retirement.

"Not planning to retire soon?"

"I'm doing okay"Fernando answered "I can still beat the kids"

The two glanced at the track. It was filled with children and teens practicing. Checo smiled as he remembers how he used to be like one of them.

At the corner of his eyes, he catches a bright pink go kart. His eyes followed as she moved gracefully and with precision around the track. By the end of it, Checo's eyes widened as the helmet was lifted up.

"Is that Vaughn?" Checo recognized her.

"Oh you know Aubrey, she's one of my pride and joys"Fernando proudly acknowledges.

Fernando was quite proud of Aubrey Vaughn like a father would be to their daughter. He have mentored Aubrey ever since he saw her frequent the track in 2015. He would always look into her races whenever he could andd offer advices about how to survive.

As for Checo, he knows all about her due to the Red Bull garage talking about Aubrey Vaughn.

He has gotten acquainted with the name when the garage buzzed about the rising star of the F1 academy. Then he soon found out that it was a sore topic for Max because the 8 year old Aubrey has beaten him twice when he was still karting.

Although from what Checo has heard, Aubrey wasn't able to win the championship. Plus she hasn't been seen ever since her crash so he was pretty surprised to see her here.

"How is she? Its been a while since I last saw her" Checo wondered

Frankly, Fernando remembered how broken Aubrey was after the whole F1 Academy shenanigans. It was even more unfortunate when she was not picked to race for F1 Academy for 2024 and even for the 2025 season.

"She's been resting here and teaching in my academy" Fernando admitted "I think she has far more potential than just staying here"

Checo nods his head in agreement. If Aubrey was as good as the stories that he heard then she should have been competing even in Formula 1.

It was like a lightbulb moment for him.

"She's not yet signed with anyone?" Checo clarifies.

"Not yet" Fernando looked at him skeptically "What's on your mind? You look like you have some grand elaborate plan"

"Well Red Bull is looking for my replacement, why not have Aubrey take a shot at my seat"

"I still send gifts every month to Checo because of that." Aubrey concludes "I think by month 3 he told me that I didn't have to but I was really appreciative of the whole thing so I decided to give gifts to his kids instead." The camera cuts back to Max. "What was your reaction to Aubrey being your teammate? Were you happy to know that a familiar face will be joining you? We heard you crossed paths in karting before" "Well I was pretty chill about it" Max replied

"WHO IS REPLACING CHECO?"

It was a good call for Christian to talk to Max first in a one-on-one set-up before announcing it with the whole team. Christian knew Max like the back of his hand and he will not be happy about the decision that he made but Christian knows that she is the best option to replace Checo.

"Aubrey Vaughn is replacing Checo" Christian repeated "I would rather you hear it from me than the media"

"What about Daniel? What about Carlos? Why are we putting a rookie as the second driver?" Max asked, completely in disraught.

"You know Daniel is not doing well, Carlos is signed with Mercedes, and she is the best option" Christian answered.

Max sat down as he rethinks his decision in life. He can never forget how a menace Vaughn was when they were kids. He was actually happy that he hasn't heard of her for the past few years ever but her F1 academy stint brought her back to the picture. As far as Max knows, she hasn't been up to a lot.

But now she will be his teammate? Hell no.

"How can she be allowed to go back?"Max's frustration was evident in his tone.

"She is really good Max, I have a clip of her testing the car" Christian pushed a tablet with the Visa Cash App RB car on track.

For a second, Max was taken a back with how well she performs on track. There were moments that he thinks that Aubrey lost control the car but then she handles it smoothly as if it was on purpose.

It reminded of Max that Aubrey is a driver that pushes everything to the limits.

"This will not work, she will be a pain as a team mate" Max groans

"Now stop being dramatic Max" Christian smiles "I'm sure you will enjoy having someone to challenge you during the races."

It was true that he wanted to be challenged, he expressed it multiple times that the only time he felt the competition was in Singapore 2023. Max should have made his wish clear that he wanted a challenge but not someone like Aubrey to challenge him. Now, he felt like he wants to run into a wall over and over again so he will be disqualified instead of having Aubrey as a team mate for a whole season.

"I'm telling you Christian that we will be a pain in your head" Max warns.

"This is a development that you have been asking for Max." Christian has a very convincing argument "Didn't you say that you're not crossing out the possibility of a female driver in Formula 1? And bringing Aubrey into the picture will help more female drivers to enter the sports"

Max really hates it when his words comes haunting him back. He remembered that interview well when he criticized the F1 academy for not making fast cars and delaying opportunities for female drivers.

"Okay but this one is on you if you have another multi 21 moment" Max says before leaving the room

"Oh Max said he was very chill about the news of me joining the team?" Aubrey stifles a laugh "I'm sorry but that's the craziest lie he said" "Really? What happened" "Well, this is crazy but we never saw each other until the testing season. Its like he is avoiding me like the plague" Aubrey recounts.

Aubrey knew that entering a new team requires her to be friendly with everyone so she spent a lot of time at Milton Keynes. She went to meet every engineers, mechanics, and the whole Red Bull crew to catch up with everyone.

It was quite funny because she almost met every single employee of Red Bull except for Max Verstappen.

"Aubrey Vaughn, its nice to finally meet you"

Now she is face-to-face with Gianpiero Lambiase, Max's engineer.

"So you are Max's race engineer"Aubrey grins, shaking his hands "So should I start bribing you to mess up Max's race strategy so I could win?"

"I'm not sure if you're joking.."

GP has heard of Max's crazy theories that Aubrey was out to get him. At first he thinks that Max is crazy but seeing Aubrey now, he definitely knows why Max is thinking of such things.

"Of course I'm just kidding" Aubrey laughs "Not unless you wanna join forces"

Immediately, GP relaxed in Aubrey's presence. There was something light and silly about Aubrey, that's for sure. GP thinks that maybe Max just misunderstands Aubrey's humor.

"Max seems to be missing in action lately" Aubrey pointed out "I hope he feels better"

"I'm sure he is okay"GP confusedly answer.

"That's good, Christian told me that Max called in sick because he had some food poisoning" Aubrey added

There was a scrunch in the face of the race engineer. As far as he knows, Max is doing some sim testing in floor 12. He immediately fixes his expression so that Max won't be caught in a lie.

Meanwhile, on the 12th floor, Max was on the lookout before going out to the corridor.

"Where is the devil?" Max texted Aubrey's trainer.

He wasn't scared of her. He just didn't want to meet her as much as he could because he knows that once the season starts then he is required to see her every weekend. It was even worse that the races this 2025 season is so close to one another.

"She is with GP at 4th floor"

Max felt really relieved that Aubrey was out of his way. He started walking towards the elevator when the door dinged open and he suddenly had a thought that maybe its her on the other side of the door.

"So basically I didn't know how to break and I crashed"

It was an unfamiliar female voice but it immediately triggered Max's fight or flight senses.

"fuck fuck fuck" Max muttered as he immediately hid behind a pillar.

He was not seen by those coming out of the elevator but he can see those going out of the elevator. He wanted to thank the heavens for his quick thinking and reaction skills because it was Aubrey coming out of the elevator.

It was the first time that Max got a good look at the devil's spawn. He haven't seen her ever since their karting days and the first thing he noticed was gone was the dark locks. It was replaced with a more blonde color like the barbie dolls.

She looked tall but Max thinks he is a couple of inches taller. She still had that grin on her face that she used to give him when she finishes ahead. Max absolutely hated it.

"She is exaggerating, I was not avoiding her" Max complains "I was just busy doing... things.....yes things"

There was laughter from the crew. Obviously they know it was bullshit but no one would dare tell the World Champion that.

"Okay max so how does it feel when you worked with each other on track"

"When you put two competitive drivers on one team, what do you think would happen?" Max asked.

"You already started racing during testing?" the interviewer clarifies.

"We weren't even on track and we started racing already"Max confirms.

Aubrey made it her mission to see Max on the first day of testing. She was waiting at the hotel lobby when she saw a familiar Red Bull cladded man eating at the hotel buffet. She sprinted her way to the table.

"Finally! The elusive Max Verstappen is in the flesh now" Aubrey grins as she sat down at the empty seat.

Max looked like a deer caught in headlights. He knew it was a bad idea to eat here for breakfast as there is 60% possibility to meet her here. But here goes nothing.

"What do you want from me?"Max grumbled.

"Just wanna meet my team mate"Aubrey said "You're just as grumpy as the first day that I met you"

Its been years but Max could still remember why he was so mad to meet Aubrey.

"You took my helmet and I have been disqualified because I did not have a helmet"Max pointed at her accussingly.

"Oh cmon Max that was years ago,would you let that go" Aubrey groans "Plus I said I was sorry and that it was all an accident"

"How is it an accident,it has a lion on it and you knew it was mine"

In Aubrey's defense, she was tired of people making fun of her because she is a girl. So she decided to take a random boy's helmet to wear to make them think that she isn't a girl.

Fortunately,it worked wonders because she was finally taken seriously. Unfortunately, the helmet she stole belongs to Max.

"It was a childhood mistake"

"Childhood mistake my ass" Max grunted.

He stood up to leave as he no longer has any appetite. Plus, he really needs to get away before this goes to a full screaming match.

"Oh cmon Max, were supposed to be team mates"Aubrey complained as she follows him.

The two Red Bull drivers earned looks from hotel guests as they bicker all the way to the parking lot. With Max telling her to go away while Aubrey keeps on pestering him to forgive her.

"Okay fine, lets settle this with a competition then dumbass" Aubrey challenged "What if the first person who arrives at the circuit gets what they want"

Max seems to think for a bit but then his face cracks to a smirk.

"Okay bring it on"

And so the cars started racing through the streets. Aubrey swears she can hear Tokyo Drift playing in her head as she drives her car throughout the highways. Max felt very determined to win so he could ask Aubrey to leave him alone.

The two were not mindful of their speed limits which is why sirens started following them.

"And that's the story why we got delayed to our first testing because we got speeding tickets" Max wrapped up. "So who got to the circuit first?" "There were no winners" Max answered "We were both at the police station" "I firmly believe that Max called the police because he knew that he would lose" Aubrey's interview replaced Max. "It was really interesting to be picked up at the police station by a fuming Christian Horner wondering where his two drivers are"Aubrey added.

[verosvault]

🚨 SPOILER FOR EPISODE 8 OF BURROW'S END!!!🚨

‼️POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR WHEEZING SOUNDS, FLESH TEAR SOUNDS, SCREAMING/CHITTERING SOUNDS AMONG OTHER UNGRATEFUL NOISES‼️

Dimension20 "Burrow's End"

Episode 8

Timestamp: 1:30:19

Video Length: 3min. & 47sec.

THE TAPESSSS!!! OMGGG!!! WHO WAS THE FIRST TO ATTACK!!! IT SEEMS LIKE THE STOATS WERE FIRST TO ATTACK?!!! THIS IS SO COOL BECAUSE THESE STOATS ARE NOW REALIZING THAT THEY'VE BEEN ON THE BAD GUYS TEAM THIS WHOLE ENTIRE TIME!!! AHHH!!! 😱😱😭😭✋✋

I can't believe Brennan just WALKED OUT AFTER THAT! I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO TULA AFTER THAT! BUT NOPE! IT WAS JUST BRENNAN BEING SHOOK AFTER AABRIA'S DISPLAY AND FEELING BEATEN BY HER AND HER AMAZING PRODUCTION!!! 😂😂🤣🤣💀💀✋✋ THIS IS TRUE FEAR FR!!! EVEN BRENNAN HIMSELF CALLED THIS SCARY!!! 😭😭✋✋ OOF! "NEVERAFTER" WAS A WALK-IN-THE-PARK COMPARED TO THIS SEASON FR! 😭✋ THE TRUE HORROR SEASON LITERALLY!! 😭😭✋✋

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1st Tape: [Wenabocker] "I've actually never used one of these before. How does it- just gotta- Hello, my name is Robert Wenabocker. I'm the lead engineer here at Warren Peace Memorial Nuclear Power Plant. Hey guys, give me five minutes. I just got to log it. The time is currently 18:48, and at approximately 5:17 today, this facility registered a Loss of Coolant Accident in Reactor Charlie. At 11:20, all plant personnel were notified via intercom, and of course- (tape clicks)

2nd Tape: [Wenabocker] Hello, this is Dr. Wenabocker. It is 4/21/62 at 8:11. (repeating alarm sounding) The LOC logged on the 18th has proven difficult. Our structural engineers have noted significant integrity loss surrounding Reactor Charlie. Now, this integrity loss may result in repeated incidents of increased severity if left untreated. We are not doing that. We are handling things now with the repair materials on hand, and we should have this remedied within the we-. (tape clicks)

3rd Tape: [Wenabocker] (alarm continues, even louder) I don't care, I want two teams down there right now! Following on the official urgent materials request submitted. All signs, all signs are pointing to sabotage. This is a matter of national security! If we can't fix this- (tape clicks)

4th tape: [Wenabocker] It is 2:22, two hours post order of a full evacuation of Peace Plant by Director Simms. I stayed behind, since I'd already been um...I stayed in hopes we'd get a call from the outside with some idea on how to avoid a full core meltdown. But the cables on our comms are destroyed. Chewed through. You know, earlier this week, my team joked that evil spirits were behind all of this. As a man of science, you know, I...Hello? (creatures chittering) The facility has been evacuated. You need to- (tape clicks)

5th tape: [Wenabocker] (Wenabocker hyperventilating) (creatures chittering) There are five weasels. I don't know how they're doing it. I don't know what's happening. (glass breaking) No! No! (creatures chittering) (flesh tearing) (Wenabocker wheezing) (Wenabocker gasping for air) They're all so sneaky...

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THIS IS CRAZY INSANE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE ALL THE WORK THAT WAS PUT INTO THIS AMAZING SEASON! CARLOS LUNA DID SUCH A GREAT JOB! AABRIA SLAYS! THIS IS CRAZY AND FANTASTIC!!! DIMENSION20 HAS SUCH A PHENOMENAL CAST AND CREW!!! THEY CAN DO ANYTHING!!! THE SKY'S THE LIMIT HERE FR!!! ✋✋🫶🫶❤️❤️

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 8)

It's yet again time to round up some power rankings. Will I slip at the start or slide my way to a perfect score?

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings ( 5 | 6 | 7 ), the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Ellie's Elimination

Current Point Total: 28 acquired/42 total

I should've stuck to my guns, dammit! Why couldn't this exact scenario have played out, like, two weeks ago, when I would've been totally right? Just another failing of my self doubts, I suppose. This time, I'll be sure to doubt those doubts.

Anyways, given that I've anticipated it for so long, Ellie's elimination is as unsurprising as it is understandable (which is "highly"). As I mentioned in my initial thoughts, I really like how they explained her elimination as the game being bad for her, because, it's true! It made it extra surprising that Ellie wasn't there for the Patreon readings-- more or less increasing her odds of rejoining the game later-- but, who knows what'll happen there. For now, I think this season will be fine without Ellie there to add her particular brand of spice, even if it helped to flesh out the season's palette while she was there.

Also, I finally put the boot in 10th place instead of 9th place :D I'm improving!

Trailer Analysis

Tom and Aiden will do... whatever the hell this is. My guess is that Tom is (lightheartedly) teasing Aiden about something regarding James. Maybe it's some kind of pivot after Aiden tries to press Tom further about his mysterious boyfriend?

Alec and Grett will join Riya sunning herself on the beach. This may be important if it's showing Yul being on the outs.

Gabby will yell at Tess, presumably confronting her over Ellie's elimination.

The way the shots before this one were cut together, it seems like Ashley and Riya (and, by extension, Magenta and Yellow) will argue with each other.

The challenge will be something involving a slip n slide track where contestants shoot a ball at the end. Notably, it seems that they don't start off holding the balls at the beginning of the track. Also, some contestants are shown sitting, while others are shown standing. Maybe there's a break point in the middle where they acquire the balls, and can switch between sitting and standing?

The thumbnail shot, which shows Tess and Ally arguing with someone. Based on the earlier content, my guess is Riya/the Yellow Team.

Jake, at least, will also attempt to throw a ball before the stop at the end illustrated by Grett. Some theories: 1) this is a desperate hail mary at the end of the challenge that Jake throws early to prevent Magenta from losing, 2) this is a desperate pass to either Ashley or Ally, who are standing ahead of Jake, at the end of the challenge to prevent Magenta from losing, or 3) this is Jake choosing to enable PvP and throw the ball at probably Aiden or Tom. Honestly, leaning towards #3.

"You think saying you're gay is something huge? Look what show we're on."

Trevor and Emily will continue their conversation regarding Trevor's feelings for Derek, and Trevor will (presumably) come to outwardly acknowledge those feelings as romantic, coming out to Emily as gay/bi. (Bi is the canon one as far as we last heard.) Emily is sitting on a picnic blanket, which implies that she decided to eat the picnic herself after Yul chose to abandon it. She's an icon for that and the quote itself.

There's a lot more camp life shown in this trailer than the last one. This definitely seems like it could be a short challenge, with more focus on interpersonal relationships and the fallout of last episode's elimination. That definitely gives me some material to work with, although, as always, it's gonna be at least a partial shot in the dark.

Power Ranking

#1: Ashley

I still think Ashley is totally safe. Why would Ally and Jake work together to eliminate her? It just doesn't make sense. Barring, like... a medical evacuation, Ashley will live to see another day. And, based on the trailer, it even seems like Ally would be the more likely medevac.

#2: Alec

I also still think that Alec is very likely to survive, because, similar to Ashley, it doesn't make any sense for Riya, Yul, and Grett to work together to eliminate him. I think the most likely path to an Alec boot would be if he and Riya try to vote for probably Yul, and Yul and Grett decide to vote for Alec, sending Alec home in whatever the tiebreaker would be this time. However, even in that fringe situation, I think that Yul and Grett would choose to vote for Riya over Alec, and that, narratively, Yul would probably lose the tiebreaker challenge. There's no way he'd win a tiebreaker twice, right? Especially with an injured foot?

I also want to draw attention to the fact that the three boots from S1 thus far have been Miriam, Fiore, and Ellie, in that order. First place, then second place, then third place. I do wonder if Alec, as S1's fourth place finisher, will pick up on that pattern and worry about it at all.

#3: Ally

An Ally boot would definitely be surprising. It's still possible that Ashley could choose to side with Jake over her, but I don't think that's the direction the story will take. Like, the intended message could be, "true friends will stick with you through thick and thin, so there's no reason to worry." However, I think that a better and probably more accurate moral to learn would be "if you always assume the worst in people, you'll drive even those who want the best for you away." AKA, I don't think that the narrative would want to reward Jake for slipping back into those old insecure habits by having Ashley cave under his whining.

The way that the writers have fleshed Ally out this season has been really nice, and I hope that her story doesn't end before the merge. Despite her placing sixth in S2 (the same place as, uh, Tom), I always forget that she made it late into the game. Probably because she wasn't bringing a whole lot to the table. Now she is, so let's hope that table doesn't fold under the weight of Jake bias.

#4: Grett

Y'know, I still don't really know what to do with Grett. The narrative as it stands could function without her-- the main plot line she's involved in at the moment is pretty self-contained, and could naturally disappear with her elimination-- but the Yellow Team really doesn't seem like they'd be gearing up to vote her out. Right now, she's a loyal and somewhat naive/subservient henchman, which is exactly what characters like Alec or Yul are looking for.

Due to that logic, I wound up being fairly confident that she won't be the next elimination. I hope she won't, because I really like Grett, both in S1 and DCAS. Then again, I really like pretty much everyone in DCAS, but the show just has to keep eliminating people! Why do we keep putting ourselves through this...?!

#5: Tom

The state of Cyan up until their next elimination is quite the interesting situation, indeed. Given that Aiden, Tom, and Tess already voted against Gabby last time, and Gabby made it clear to us that she doesn't plan on legitimately working with any of them anymore, Gabby is the obvious next elimination from that tribe. So, when considering the others, my main criteria is, "who would Gabby be the most likely to vote for in the case of her finding a totem?"

Given Gabby's character, I imagine that her vote would be decided by who she feels the most betrayed by/is the most angry at, as opposed to being a huge strategic play. All three of Aiden, Tom, and Tess have their arguments for being Gabby's biggest target, which I'll elaborate on in each of their individual sections.

For Tom, the argument is that Gabby would feel the most betrayed by him because he was actually one of her friends on S1, as opposed to Aiden and Tess, who she didn't know super well. She thought they were genuine friends, yet he was out there cackling over Ellie's elimination with the rest of them.

However, despite that personal element, I think that targeting Tom would be Gabby's least likely decision. I'd attribute Ellie's elimination as Aiden's move, and Tess was the facilitator that made it happen. Tom was just along for the ride. Although that hasn't stopped Gabby from holding a grudge in the past (pour one out for Dan), to me it seems like she'd have bigger fish to fry.

Additionally, I think that (other than possibly Gabby) Tom would be the worst Cyan character to lose at the moment, narratively speaking. If Tom is going to be eliminated, it would be much more satisfying for it to be the result of his own poor decisions (like what just happened to Ellie) than Gabby's random silver bullet. Between Jake, Aiden, and the lie Tom trapped himself in, it feels to me like the writers have more that they want to do with Tom yet.

#6: Tess

Alright, so, why would Gabby want to eliminate Tess? Well, Tess was the deciding vote between whether Ellie or Aiden would go home, and, by Gabby's reaction, she was pretty surprised by Tess' verdict. Therefore, Gabby could see Tess as having committed the greatest betrayal.

There is also a possibility that Gabby could manage to eliminate Tess without needing some sort of idol or advantage. At the very least, I'm sure it would be far easier for Gabby to convince Aiden and Tom to work together to eliminate Tess than to get either of Aiden and Tom to flip on each other. Aiden and Tom might go along with it if they were worried about Tess flipping on Cyan to vote with Magenta at the merge because of Ally, or something.

However, I still don't really think that Tess would be eliminated in this fashion. You could argue that her character arc is now complete upon her making the decision to side with the boys over Ellie, but personally, I don't think that's all they'd want to do with her. Down to this next episode's thumbnail, recent episodes have been rekindling the relationship between Tess and Ally, and making us look forward to seeing more happen between them (romantic or platonic). I want to believe that they'll make the merge together, so I hope Tess isn't eliminated here.

#7: Aiden

The answer as to why Gabby would choose to get Aiden out is obvious: he's the one that spearheaded the movement to eliminate Ellie. Out of everyone who is or even has been on the Cyan Team, Aiden is the one who Gabby has bonded with the least. Plus, Gabby could adopt the mentality of "I'll fulfill Ellie's dying wish (eliminating Aiden) or get eliminated trying." It's my gut feeling that if Gabby were to idol someone out this episode, Aiden would be her target of choice.

And, as I wrote about last episode, if James doesn't become a returning player, the writers have less of a direct reason to keep Aiden around. He's still a fan favorite as always, but, like... the name of the game this season is sending fan favorites home. Unless he makes the final 3 again (which, granted, is possible), he will be eliminated at some point. So, why not now?

Well, the reason is still his relationships with other characters, even the ones that aren't James. The last episode also drew attention back to Aiden's relationship with Riya, and heightened the animosity between him and Jake. While having his relationship with Ellie lead to his downfall would make sense, leaving his rivalries with Jake and especially Riya unfinished would be a waste, in my opinion. Those three are dying to have beef with each other at the merge. Now that Ellie's out, maybe Aiden can be my new merge boot, in a synthesized move between Riya and her allies and Jake and his allies. Boy, would that make Tom mad. Honestly, seems pretty legit...

#8: Gabby

I know I kinda promised @/thefandomenchantress that Gabby wouldn't be at the bottom of my power rankings anymore, and, well, she isn't! ... But she's still at the bottom of Cyan. Sorry! Let me explain myself.

Let's be clear: I don't actually think Gabby is going anywhere this episode. While it is possible, I think it would be pretty lame to get the audience all hyped up over a potential Gabby villain arc only to cut it short prematurely. I find it far more likely that she'll be in this game for the long haul, now.

However, if the Connor... and Fiore... and Ellie... boots have told me anything, it's that, if it seems like the entire tribe would really obviously send their votes towards one person, it's probably that person who would be going home. Given that no totem has yet been announced for this season, and Ellie already scoured the entire Cyan camp looking for one, I find it unlikely that Gabby would be able to suddenly produce an idol with which to save herself. Therefore, if Cyan goes to tribal again, Gabby would probably be eliminated. I just find it more likely that they won't.

But even beyond that, you can tell how much I feel like the writers wouldn't want to send Gabby home right now by how I stacked all of the Cyan team members on top of each other. If Cyan does go to tribal, somehow, maybe the writers would be planning some sort of trick to keep Gabby in the game and eliminate... one of the others. I'm pretty confident that everyone Gabby and upward will be safe in the upcoming episode, and that there are only three people at real risk of elimination. So, let's talk about them.

#9: Jake

If Magenta goes to tribal, I think Jake would be eliminated. He made a lot of enemies last episode, which is worrisome. Even beyond the direct implications of potentially making Ashley like him less, by making enemies on other teams, Jake has made it more likely that other contestants would be less likely to work with him come the merge. If Ashley could realize that, she would see that picking Jake over Ally would be bad gameplay.

Leaving Jake's relationships with Aiden and Tom somewhat unresolved would be unfortunate, but viable. I'm working a lot with that shot of Jake shooting the ball while seated, here. Let's say that, in a fit of jealousy, Jake does wind up shooting that ball at Aiden's head, but not in a way that makes Magenta win. That childish display causes Ashley to reevaluate Jake's character, and choose to vote with Ally. In that way, Aiden and Jake's hostility could still contribute to Jake's elimination without Aiden actually casting a vote for Jake. It would be really similar to how they used Jake and Ellie's relationship this season, honestly. Jake didn't get to directly vote Ellie out, but the way that Ellie obsessed over tearing the man down became part of Tess' logic.

Still, Jake is in ninth instead of lower down because he is so entrenched in plot lines and relationships. As I alluded to back in Ally's section, I do definitely get the sense that the writers have a lot of bias towards Jake as a character, given how much focus he's gotten in both S1 and DCAS. He's their special little blorbo. They can't just get rid of him now!

Much like Gabby, though, I'm not going to let my personal sense of narrative override what actually seems to be going down at the camps anymore. I wanted to put one representative from each tribe pretty close to the bottom in case of emergencies, and I think Jake is by far the easiest boot from that team if they do lose. There's a definite gulf between how likely I think it is that Gabby will be eliminated versus that Jake will be eliminated. However, there's a pretty big gulf between Jake and our last two for me, as well...

#10: Riya

and

#11: Yul

I feel like I kind of have to talk about these two together this time because of how I believe the episode is going to play out. So, what do I think will happen?

Well, basically, I think that this episode will result in a big decision point for Alec. At the beginning of the episode, we'll see that scene of him, Riya, and Grett all sunning themselves together, while Yul is off doing whatever Yul does. Then, we'll go to the challenge, where Riya will rile up the other teams and get them mad at her. The challenge will play out as it does, and, in some combination of Riya's tactics and Yul's injury, Yellow will lose. Thus, it'll be up for Alec to decide: is it time to get rid of Riya, or Yul?

Riya is a potential liability to Alec because of how her plans often result in the team losing. She's also very clearly in it for herself, and wouldn't hesitate to screw him over (just like Fiore did in S1). She represents the unfortunate blend of being dumb enough to play the game recklessly while also being smart enough that she might not blindly follow the leader with the same level of obedience that Yul or this iteration of Grett would. Working with her is dangerous. And yet, Alec seems to genuinely enjoy her company. With Fiore, Connor, and even Ellie now eliminated, friends are a commodity Alec is running low on. Would he really want to axe Riya, too? But, would he really let the notion of friendship stop him from doing what's best for his game?

Yul is the exact opposite. Alec has made it clear again and again that he thinks that Yul is a cruel and self-absorbed idiot. I'm sure he doesn't want to work with Yul more than he has to. But, does he have to? Yul and Grett currently have the advantage of coming as a pair, so if Alec wants any prayer of keeping his villains' alliance alive, he should probably keep around two allies instead of one. Yul himself nominated Alec as the leader last episode, unprompted. That level of power is hard to deny.

Despite Grett's connection to Yul, I think that Yul would be the more likely boot from this episode. 'Cause, guess what? Yul's rule of threes with Emily is over now! He fired her from that position, essentially ending that plot thread, which may be a hint that we might let him go soon. Without his earpiece, I could even see Yul saying something cruel to Grett in this episode that makes her decide to flip on him and potentially break up with him. Meanwhile, Riya still has her relationship with Aiden to provide intrigue if they ever meet up again.

It's also possible that Yul and Grett could vote for Riya, while Riya and Alec vote for Yul, resulting in a tie. However, as I said, I think that Yul would be set up to lose the tiebreaker this time around, thus making him this episode's boot anyways.

I've really enjoyed Yul's jokes this season, so I would definitely be sad to see him eliminated. I had been thinking about him as a potential (LOSING) finalist, so, if he doesn't go home this episode, maybe that could still happen. However, it feels to me that the writing is on the wall. If not for him, then, most likely for Riya.

Somehow, these power rankings keep getting shorter to write every time. It's almost like there are fewer variables to consider with each episode. I feel fairly confident that it's going to be Yul or Riya this time, so, hopefully that's another 10 or 11 points in the bag. See you next time!

[soulerflaire]

Felt like rating more anime I've watched recently or am currently watching.

Skip and Loafer

Summary: Mitsumi, a girl growing up in the country, moves to Tokyo to attend a prestigious high school. Her first day, she runs into Sousuke, the most popular guy in school, and they become friends.

Sounds like fairly standard high school romance anime, which I usually am not particularly interested in, but the writing in this one is far better than most. The characters act like real people with complicated, messy emotions that they are still learning to deal with. Also notably, Mitsumi doesn't immediately fall head over heels for Sousuke, nor does he immediately fall for her. Even by the end of the season, they're just good friends, though it's clear feelings are developing on both sides. The focus of the show is less on the romance and more on the characters themselves. Mitsumi's ambition mixed with uncertainty and anxiety in a new environment, Sousuke's past weighing him down and his popularity affecting his interactions with people, Mika's realization of her own jealous and petty nature and her attempts to break free from it, Makoto and Yuzuki overcoming their preconceptions about each other.

But even without all of that, I still very much like the show for something major it did: it included a trans character and treated her with respect. I've talked about this before, but the inclusion of Nao as a character is so well done. She's never once the butt of a joke, or made out to be creepy or bad. Mitsumi lives with Nao in Tokyo, and Nao's a loving and caring aunt who offers advice and support to Mitsumi whenever she needs it. Most animes that include trans characters either make them "guy in a dress" jokes or demonize them as unstable or dangerous (even some of my favorite shows are guilty of this). But Skip and Loafer puts Nao into the position of a caring mentor figure (not just to Mitsumi, but to Mika too) as well as a competent and successful stylist. And even beyond that, the show doesn't make a big deal out of her being trans. Rather than Nao being "the trans character", she is just a character who happens to be trans. I hope this is the beginning of a trend of anime treating trans people better. 8/10.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Summary: Usato and his two classmates Inukami and Ryusen are summoned to another world on their way home from school. In typical isekai fashion, they were summoned to defeat the Demon Lord, and are granted magical powers. However, once the large and imposing Rose, leader of the kingdom's team of healers, learns that Usato has an affinity for healing magic, she grabs him and hauls him over to the healer team's base for intensive training.

I love the general premise of how Rose teaches Usato to use healing magic. Rather than allow him to become a physically weak caster, she puts him through hellish physical training and forces him to use his healing magic to instantly recover so that he can train more, pushing him harder and harder until he learns to constantly cast healing magic on himself to reinforce his body, allowing him to perform inhuman feats of strength and endurance. I also love that pretty much everyone else in the world thinks Rose is completely insane for using healing magic this way and slowly goes from pitying Usato to wondering about his sanity as he progresses in his training.

The show generally has a very light tone, poking fun at some isekai tropes, but there is a heavy undertone about the horrors of war. There's a reason Rose is training Usato so hard. And when the time comes for Usato to step onto the battlefield as a member of the Rescue Team, the show almost completely drops the light tone, only bringing it fully back after the battle ends.

I thoroughly enjoyed every episode, and I like all of the characters a lot. I am a little worried about the potential harem forming, with both Inukami and Felm clearly crushing on Usato, but I'm hoping it's just a love triangle and doesn't develop into a full blown harem. I have so little patience for those these days. 8/10, if the show doesn't continue I will absolutely have to read the manga.

Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World

Summary: Four adventurers, Nick, Tiana, Zem, and Curran, have all been betrayed by people they trusted completely and have become disillusioned with the world. They happen to meet at a tavern and drown their sorrows together. The following morning, they decide to form an adventuring party, promising to never trust each other and to never interfere with each others' personal lives.

What I love most about this show is that, of course, they all immediately begin trusting each other and become a found family. They constantly talk about distrust, but their actions say otherwise. I love their interactions so much, I could watch entire episodes of them bantering.

I think it's also interesting the way the show handles their trauma. All four of them have unhealthy coping mechanisms that cost a lot of money: Nick has become an idol otaku, blowing all his money on merch. Tiana is addicted to gambling and, despite being quite good at it, still gambles too much and always loses money in the end. Zem spends almost every night drinking at a hostess club. And Curran is obsessed with food, using all her money to eat at fancy restaurants. All four of their addictions are clearly coping mechanisms filling the holes their betrayals left, and while these habits are unhealthy for all of them, the habits also keep them from falling into despair. They're both distractions from the group's pasts and goals to strive for: keep working, keep earning money, keep living, so they can keep enjoying their vices.

It's a found family show that focuses a lot on trust, trauma, and the complex lives everyone has. Even antagonist characters get backstories that explain (but don't excuse) their actions. And it balances the heavy subject matter very well with humor, so the show never feels like a downer. 8/10.

Kaiju No. 8

Summary: In a world where monstrous kaiju regularly attack civilization, Kafka Hibino works as part of the cleanup crew that handles the aftermath of kaiju attacks. He once aspired to join the Kaiju Defense Force, but gave up after failing the exam repeatedly. He meets Reno Ichikawa, a young man who plans to enlist and who encourages Kafka to take another try at the exam. Before that happens, however, they are caught in a kaiju attack and end up in the hospital. While there, Kafka is infected by a small kaiju, and is transformed into a new type of kaiju.

Despite having a similar premise of kaiju attacking humanity, Pacific Rim is not a good comparison for the show. The Kaiju Defense Force doesn't use giant robots, they use special combat suits created from materials harvested from kaiju corpses. The kaiju themselves have specific types (seven known types, leading Kafka to be designated as a new eighth type, hence the name of the show) with a range of sizes (though all still much larger than humans).

This show is fantastic. The humor, the action, the animation, it's all top quality. It's also a wild ride and I have absolutely no idea where it's going, to be honest. It's on episode 7 right now and they just keep throwing curve balls left and right. I think my favorite aspect is that, when not in his kaiju form, Kafka is just a regular dude surrounded by typical OP anime characters. Despite weeks of training, he is unable to perform the superhuman feats the rest of the Defense Force trainees can. Initially, he can't even use the power suit properly, which makes him unable to use most of the anti-kaiju weapons because they're too heavy. That, combined with his cheerful personality, makes Kafka a relatable and endearing main character.

Also, it's nice to have a main character in his 30s, even if it's physically painful for me to hear other characters call him old. Tentative 10/10, we'll see how the rest of the season holds up.

Tonari no Yokai-san

Summary: In an alternate reality where myths and legends are normal, everyday things, the small town of Fuchigamori is home to numerous supernatural beings living alongside humans.

This show has got some feels. It starts out as very heartwarming slice of life, focusing mostly on Buchio, a recently reborn nekomata, and Mutsumi, a young human girl who idolizes Jiro, the crow tengu who watches over the town. The stories are mostly separate, though they deal with some common themes from different perspectives.

As the show goes on, it starts hitting on heavy topics about love, loss, and family, the three major themes of the show. There are still heartwarming moments to be had, but they are outnumbered by the heavy emotional moments. To me, the main message of the show so far has been "Relationships of all kinds are painful, but the good ones are worth every moment of that pain."

I love Buchio, he's such a good character. He's trying his best, and he messes up, but he keeps trying; the lil' guy just needs so many hugs. And the exploration of Jiro as a character is fascinating to me. At first he seems like this calm, confident guy who always knows the right thing to say, always knows what to do, a steadfast guardian for the town. But in time we learn that he's a person like everyone else, suffering from fear, doubt, and loss just as much as anyone, and all he can do is try his best, just like Buchio.

Also there's at least one queer couple in the show, Wagen and Kazuhiko. The show refers to them as "partners" and doesn't elaborate further, but to me at least, it's pretty clear they're a couple.

The downside to the show for me is that it is a little slow. I love the characters and their interactions, but that is literally all the show has. It's 95% people sitting around talking and having emotional moments, so it can feel kinda dull at times. I would not recommend binging it, tbh; I'm watching it weekly as it updates on Crunchyroll, and I think that's probably the best way to watch it. 7/10.

A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics

Summary: A reverse isekai where young princess Sara da Odin and her faithful knight Livia de Udis teleport to modern day Japan to escape the rebellion that overthrew their kingdom and killed Sara's parents, the king and queen. Sara meets Sosuke Kaburaya, a private investigator, and convinces him to take her in off the street.

This show definitely does not start off with a bang. It very much gives off "weak story for the purpose of jokes and fanservice" vibes, and for several episodes, it looks like that's all it has to it. But episode 7 was a turning point where I realized how well they were actually writing the characters of Sara and Sosuke.

The show basically follows two stories. One is about Livia's attempts to make a living in this world, and is mostly just jokes and fanservice. The other is Sara and Sosuke, and this one focuses much more on their character growth and dynamic. I didn't even notice how their interactions smoothly changed over time from "Guy forced to take care of child from another world" to "father and daughter" until episode 7. The episode begins with Sosuke trying to figure out how to enroll Sara into school, something she expressed interest in previously. She has no citizenship, no form of ID, and no birth certificate with which to get said ID or citizenship, and she can't be enrolled in school without those. There's a scene where they calmly discuss options, and that was the first moment that I noticed their dynamic had changed. They don't throw blame around or get mad at each other, they just discuss options, realize they can't figure out a solution, and decide to set the issue aside for the day. Even when Sosuke comments that Sara's not good enough at acting to pretend to be his daughter, Sara doesn't get defensive; she agrees with him. She realizes Sosuke is trying his best to figure it out, and Sosuke genuinely wants to find a way for Sara to go to school.

They then spend the day on a case, following a guy around to see if he's cheating on his wife. It turns out he's just dropping a bit of spare money on horse races for fun, and Sosuke and Sara end up enjoying the day together instead. At the end of it, as they're walking back to the car, Sosuke stops and says "Hey, Sara. Do you want to be my daughter for real?" and Sara says yes.

That's the point that it hit me, that these two had already become a father-daughter duo, and I just hadn't realized it. Sosuke, a man who previously hated the idea of being responsible for the well-being of this random girl, casually suggests adopting her, and Sara, a proud princess who previously considered Sosuke just a useful peon, happily agrees.

To be honest, if the show was just about Sosuke and Sara's story, I would give it a 7/10. But so much of the show is devoted to the Livia story's jokes and fanservice, it's like they're afraid their audience would get bored of a serious plot. For that, I have to knock it down to 5/10.

[moamidzyism]

WAITT i need more shos to watch

but watching bad shows is a guilty pleasure of mine icl...

I do love bad shows too!!

I was talking about the perfect match game -- netflix has an app where you can play like episode type games of some of their shows.

but recently I have been watching a lot of reality tv lol, I just finished real housewives of potomac and owning new york. I love those real estate reality shows so much they're like my guilty pleasure. I'm taking a reality tv break to watch a bunch of scripted because I binged all 8 seasons of rhop in like 3 months. when I come back though, I'm going to watch buying london and real housewives of either dc, dallas, dubai, or salt lake city

in terms of scripted, I've been looking for light hearted dramas. I recently finished the last season of the other two which is on HBO max. it's about these two millennial siblings and their life after their little brother becomes famous over night. it's really funny and quick to get through if you're into that.

I'm currently watching the girls on the bus. it's a political drama also on HBO max. it's light hearted compared to the other political dramas I've seen. it follows four female journalists as they go through a campaign for one of the democratic candidates through the primaries.

when I'm done with these, I have a lot of shows on the backlog that I've been wanting to watch -- the bear season 3, bridgerton season 3, heartstopper season 2, pretty little liars: original sin season 2, abbott elementary (I don't remember what season I stopped on I think but I need to catch up), outer banks season 3, succession (I was binging it when the last season was airing but then it got too much and I stopped) black cake, the other black girl, ugly betty, everything now I need to finish good trouble, I also started rewatching greek and I want to rewatch one tree hill and chilling adventures of aabrina (my two favorite shows ever) and I've been prepping myself to rewatch gossip girl for like 3 years and I also want to rewatch the reboot

[aphel1on]

tag someone you want to get to know better

tagged by @woobifiedvillain a few days ago and finally remembered to do it!!

Favorite color: Yellow, but not an overwhelming yellow, like that soft warm yellow? I love it. People tend to not expect this answer, I think I give off more of a blue or grey vibe. Honestly a pretty grey/silver is probably my second favorite color, but a buttery yellow is just so good for the soul.

Last song: You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi. Danced to it in the kitchen, got consumed by the guitar riffs, nearly knocked a chair over. Before this morning it would've been the Genshin OST... I've been listening to it a lot while I write or do chores recently.

Last movie: An exceedingly mediocre romcom on Netflix that I watched with my sick mom to be nice. Genuinely couldn't tell you the title or more than like, two or three plot points. Last movie that I watched bc I wanted to was the Barbie movie, which was genuinely better than I expected. Enjoyable but would still give it, like, a mixed review. I'm not getting into two months' ago Barbie Movie Discourse on this post

Currently watching: I'M STILL TRYING TO FINISH THE UNTAMED!!!! woobifiedvillain i'm speaking directly to you and quoting you: i too am "chronically incapable of paying attention to visual media, even the good shit" and when i try to explain this to people irl they act like i am insane!!! I haven't watched Good Omens season 2 yet even tho I am reblogging posts about it rn. I think it's mostly adhd, or really just a part of the larger Neurodivergence Soup (tm) that makes it nearly impossible for me to learn something from a YouTube video. I mean, sometimes for a hands-on task a video is essential, but can't there be a written list of instructions to go with it too, bc that sticks in my mind way better sobs... ANYWAY i'm currently on episode 43 of The Untamed, so I should be able to finish it by, like. The end of the year at least lol?

Currently reading: I started reading SVSSS recently because, like. The mxtx mania is in full throttle. I just got here a little later than most people lmao. I'm also currently "reading" like seven different books that I bought or pirated this year and have on hold. One of my Unfortunate Skills is bingereading like 200 pages of something in 1-2 days and then not finishing the rest of it for 8 months.

Currently working on: Keep My Shadow Alive, my big xue yang-centric fix it fic!!! Well, more like a fix it, and then break it more, and then eventually actually fix it fic. Starting from the canon divergence of "Add Pre-Teen Xue Yang to the Burial Mounds Fam" and going from there. I read every fic like that that's on ao3 and was still being eaten alive by the brainworms so I started writing my own take on it and ~6 months later it's the longest fic I've ever written and only 25% of the way through its outline???? So. Who knows if it will get finished (my track record is admittedly not great)- but I've had such a blast writing it so far. Xue Yang is just SO fun to write. Yes it has a plot and character arcs and I could even go full English Major* and start telling you about its Themes, but also it's just an excuse to write Xue Yang interacting with every member of the MDZS cast. Going to STOP talking now bc I fully am the type of writer who will get carried away talking about their wips.

*i am not an english major, but spiritually i am an english major.

Current obsession: Yeah uh, MDZS. My friend convinced me to finally read it in January of this year, and the hyperfixation train has simply not stopped since then. Genshin Impact also dragged me back in with the Fontaine update and I've been having a lot of fun playing it. But MDZS is still mostly the thing that's eating up my RAM. Particularly the Yi City crew, but 3zun is rotating in there too. Sometimes even The Man WWX Himself, i talk about him less but i do love him a lot also lol

Tagging: I'm honestly too shy to do this!!! But thank you for tagging me anyway<3

[damelucyjo]

Let’s spend some time with Little Lasso!

Episode 8 - We'll Never Have Paris

Oooh this is a cool montage

Haha angry Rupert 🖕🏼

Yeah, that’s not a happy Ted 😕

How are neither Jake nor Michelle incredibly awkward over this?? I feel awkward just watching them!

It’s nice that Ted & Michelle can joke and pretend he’s not there ✌🏼😂

Uh oh, awkward. Again.

Okay, so the red & blue magnets are gonna mean something, right? Because we’re sure the matchbook does

Prince Henry 🫡 Nice one, Mae

(They are some sad English Breakfasts, I’m sorry)

He doesn’t need to know, nor care, what you are, Jake!

Big piece of cereal making a come back! Does Ted know there are 100s of other cereals available or…?

Ted, why would they bring Henry to you for the weekend if they were just going to fly back to America?? Come on, dude

Oh poor Ted 🥺

YYEEEAAAHHH!!!!

Of course Keeley thought she’d have to play 😂

Show off your ‘girlfriend’. Sure, Jan 🫠

‘Does he need another fake niece’ 😂 Keeley, please never change!

Nate, keeping tabs on Richmond 🥺

Okay, I’ll say it again and again but JADE & NATE ARE CUTE!!

Of course he shaved and showered 😂

Fiona Apple 😍

Oh poor Keeley 🥺🥺 Juno making me want to climb into the TV and give her a big hug

Will making a game out of getting Henry to do his work for him 😂 well done, king!

The guys at the window 😂

I like how none of them ask him why he’s asking where they’d propose. They just answer 😂

Also Beard’s answer made me audibly say ‘aww’ 🥹

ROY KENT ASKING IF HE WANTS TO TALK?! My baby’s come so far 🥰

Or maybe not 😂

Jeremy’s run 😂😂 oh that got me!

Welcome new pup, Trent 🫡

“I’m her ex-husband, not her current father. So, no” 😂

Roy wanting nothing to do with these meetings but always listening from his desk and getting involved anyway 😂 love to see it!

Beard is done with your bullshit, Ted. So is Higgins! The guy ran down and up stairs for you! HE’S GONNA HAVE LEG CRAMPS IN HIS SLEEP, TED! DO YOU NOT CARE?!

The pointing 👉🏻👈🏻 😂

‘You should find out before you flip out’ sound advice there from Higgybottom! 👍🏼

‘Woof’ PROTECT TRENT CRIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!!!!

Nate trying to have his own diamond dogs meeting 🫣 The poor boy really thought Rupert would show up 🫣

‘Love Hounds’ 🫠

‘Never let them know how you feel. It’s very expensive’ Disco, you’re fun 😂

‘Are we in trouble now’ poor Roger 😂 he must get ‘told off’ a lot 😂

BISCUITS!! BISCUITS!! This is not a drill 🚨 🚨🚨

Rebecca, channeling her inner Hannah 👀😂

The boys playing with Henry is too adorable! (I wish she’d gone to the window to see it, though)

Look at these two, talking like a married couple🫠

‘The Eiffel Tower is just a lamppost with a publicist’ 😂😂

Oh, he pulled out a ‘Rebecca’. That means he’s serious. And she knows it with how quick she agreed to help 🥹🥰

There’s a whole discussion to be has here over whether she really did call a PI like he asked, or she just said she would because she knew it’d calm him down enough that he wouldn’t continue to spiral so bad 🤔

That smile at the Oscar Wilde line was totally Hannah trying not to laugh 😂

His sad little high-five to the tree 🥺 (you can’t convince me Jason didn’t do that because he knew how much Hannah loved his ‘high-five tree!’ from season 1)

I want to believe Barbra wishes she could say more to Keeley but feels like she can’t. I think they’d have a great friendship if they allowed themselves.

Juno is absolutely breaking my heart with all this. Just give her the awards now 🥺🥰

Jamie’s Lynx collection 😂

The fucking Sun 🖕🏼

Colin with another ‘joke’. In reality he’d be called out and accused of being gay for how much he makes these jokes

Rebecca deleted Candy Crush from his phone, for sure 😂

‘Fuck yeah, 24601’ 😂 I love how varied these boys are! Of course they’re fans of Les Mis

All these guys questions are brilliant, but O’Brien’s got me 😂 that’s gross, mate!!

It’s absolutely wonderful how they all completely switch as soon as they find out Keeley was one of them 🥰 Like it didn’t seem like a real thing until they found out how close to home it hits (but Issac only wants them to protect themselves, even though we all know it wouldn’t even be a thing the other way around because they’re guys and Keeley is a girl 🫠)

Will, what kind of picture you got to get a reaction like that from Jamie?! 😂

(I know story wise it had to happen like this, but why did Issac follow Colin out of the room? As close friends he surely should have trusted that he’d do what he asked??)

Listen here 📢📢📢THAT IS NOT A MAN WHO IS ANGRY HIS FRIEND IS GAY. THAT IS A MAN WHO IS ANGRY HIS FRIEND DIDN’T FEEL LIKE HE COULD TELL HIM 📢 📢📢

Keeley, baby, why were you taking topless photos for your teacher at 15?? 🤔 Rebecca’s reaction is exactly right

This whole plot point for Keeley is coming directly from Keeley Hazell and the line about choice solidifies that for me.

If anyone could change society it’d be Rebecca Welton ✌🏼

Just the fact she has to ask if she should be ashamed or embarrassed is heartbreaking 🥺

Alright Nanna, put your glasses on 😂

‘Just think of how many young women you are going to teach how to masterbate properly’ 😂😂😂 Oh, Rebecca. We all need someone who praises us instead of making us feel like we should be ashamed 🥰

Queen Rebecca humping her parents furniture to the point it had to be reupholstered 😂 I’d expect nothing different! Then blaming a non-existent dog is just *chef’s kiss*

‘I’ve got you’ 🥹🥹🥹 this woman is so maternal it actually hurts my heart she does t have a child

Poor Richard 🫡 😂

It was going so well Roy! Why did you have to ask her that?? 🫣 I’m disappointed in you, grandad 😕

Jack is all over the place. Having already watched the episode I know what is coming up, which makes this scene very important. I like her less and less every time I see her now 🫤

Of course Barbra is a party animal! Now I need a girls night between Barbra, Keeley & Rebecca 👍🏼😂

A Marcus Rashford book 😍

Totally unrelated but TED’S FLAT HAS AN UPSTAIRS?! I’m so confused 😂😂

Another cute call back to the kid Henry was bullying with them now being friends and starting a band 👍🏼 And a lovely little nod to Jason with the drums. Well done

Ted delicately trying to ask Henry questions about Michelle & Jake only for him to be asleep. Happens every time! 😂

Aww, they text each other goodnight and good morning 🥰 ADORABLE!

(I wonder who else does that 👀)

Fair enough for cancelling it, but why do these people never communicate?! Drives me crazy

So Jack doesn’t really care about Keeley. Am I the only one getting those vibes??

Fuck yes, uncle Beard! Love to see his & Henry’s relationship.

Okay but why do I want to see Beard, Ted & Henry at a rave now 😂

It’s actually incredibly sweet that he wants to go watch football. That’s his dads life that he doesn’t really get to see properly for himself. Of course he wants to actually witness it 🥹 Henry, you’re a good egg

Angry Beard having to stop at home first because of course there’s no question that they’re not going to that match. I LOVE THIS LITTLE FAMILY 🥰🥰🥰

Beard being at a West Ham match is full Richmond gear. YOU, SIR, ARE AMAZING!

So is this showing that Henry probably spent a fair amount of time with Nate when he was there the first time?? Or is he just a sneaky little shit who wants to mess with him!! 😂

These two would be incredibly cute if I weren’t so suspicious of Jack 🫣

Yes, be all over her until someone you know is around. Then refer to her as your ‘friend’ 🖕🏼 RUN KEELEY!

(I also recognise this Alyssa girl and a quick search shows she was in Downton, so maybe it’s from that 😂)

That’s a little strange for Rupert to text that to Nate 🤔 Surely he wouldn’t actually care???

I love Mae’s commitment to hating West Ham 🫡

‘You think I wanted to fucking be there’ 😂 of course not, but you’d do anything for your nephew and we love you for it, sir 🫡😂

Sidebar: Rebecca’s kitchen is gorgeous. Just like it’s owner 🥵

At home, comfy Rebecca is delicious, too

Unconsciously correcting his mispronunciation is terribly wifey behaviour, Rebecca 👀 You two aren’t fooling anyone anymore

IT’S NOISY!! TISH CALLBACK 🤔

‘You think I’m nuts’ as she’s munching on nuts, I mean…

He likes The Beatles because Ted does 🥹🥹

Uncle Beard is amazing 🥰🥰

I challenge anyone to listen to this song and not ‘ na na na na Hey Jude’ along 😂

It’s important that Ted has this conversation with someone, but I think it’s incredibly important that it’s with Rebecca. Yea, it is my Tedbecca loving heart saying this but whatever

‘You need to stop letting yesterday get in the way of today, Ted’ just like I’ve learnt to do! Yes, we’ll done, Rebecca 😂

She told you she couldn’t do it so why are you still going on about the statement, Jack. Put your listening ears on, woman!!

I’m so proud of Keeley for sticking up for herself! She shouldn’t feel ashamed for it and it’s disgusting that another woman is telling her that she should! And she’s telling her to her face that she cares more about what people think than her ‘girlfriend’s feeling. Bitch, bye! 🖕🏼

You don’t need her Keeley! You need to spend some time alone for a change!!

Subtlety showing Nathan doesn’t care about winning anymore. Nicely done 👍🏼

He’s evolving, guys! I’m excited!! I need him to rip into Rupert before he leaves, though

‘I love your smile. I like to see my boyfriend happy’ THEY’RE SO BLOODY CUTE!!

Baby boy Jamie’s grown up so much. I’m so proud of him!!

Of course he thought password only had 1 ‘s’ 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 so wise yet so dumb

He didn’t need to hold onto the bag that long 😂 that was weird

No fist bump 😂 FUCK YOU, JAKE!

He’s got the army guys in his window 🥹

Well that was another wonderful episode! A great one for Juno, especially. Fingers crossed for more Rebecca & Keeley besties moving forward 🤞🏼

I think Keeley Hazell did a great job on this one. Seems like a lot of her personal experience, and being the blueprint for Miss Jones especially, worked really well here.

[raisinchallah]

i think i am simply a bit tired of current tv storytelling i feel like its kinda lost some of tvs unique strengths and a lot of shows simply feel like a bad mid point between movies and novels with the weaknesses of both and none of the strengths like i love a good mini series that simply says what its gotta say and gets on with it but thats gotta be like sub 8 episodes for a whole thing beginning to end and then everything thats hovering in this weird 13 episode situation like too many of them have cast off the old scaffolding of tv genre stylings and is just a long meandering mess unable to commit to being trashy or highbrow but kind of humiliated and embarrassed it might be seen as trashy like idk i feel myself yearning for something like season 1 of how to get away with murder which made its complex insane soap opera-esque long running background mystery plots seamlessly drip fed over the course of more standard legal procedurals that told their own interesting short stories and at least the first season managed to give you a well paced overarching plot that tied in with the interesting individual episode plots that idk all tied back into various themes and mysteries being explored like it wasnt trying to not be a television show i mean it went totally off the fucking rails later on and probably should have just been a two season affair but damn when it was good it was good like being able to tell both long form stories and single episode short stories that feel unique and showcase different writers tastes and strengths rather than everything feeling like an unending samey mess like i feel like if u go in with no clear end point and simply want to tell a long serialized story as long as u can go its a lot more enjoyable to break it up with idk different stuff experiment more try new things new formats new combinations of characters etc truly what streaming has wrought upon the world

[tm-trx]

currents.05

weekly round-up in media [29 jan-4 feb 2023]

~ sp*ilers for 609 Bedtime Story, A League of Nobleman, The New Employee, and Never Let Me Go ~

[listening]

Monsta X’s “The Dreaming” album - new discovery and I’ve had it on repeat

[reading]

Imago series by NR Walker - short and sweet adult contemporary mlm romance set in Australia; come for the romance, stay for the butterfly conservation and near-death experiences - reread

Pocketful of Soul by @jenroses - Mo Xuanyu-centric MDZS time travel fix-it and one of my 2022 favorites - reread

Dawn Will Break by ca_pierson and darkmoore - Stargate Atlantis AU - Written for the 2010 Big Bang, this is one of my favorites. A bare bones summary: After dying, John Sheppard dimension hops into multiple versions of himself to fix whatever is wrong there, at the behest of the Ancients. - reread

[watching]

609 Bedtime Story - Well that was a way to end it I guess. I did like how they resolved things with Mint, but I was hoping she’d figured out the connection between Mum and Dew. But that would mean talking about the parallel world again and they apparently decided that the entire conceit of the show didn’t matter anymore after ep 9. I’m so annoyed. (Edit: I just found out there is an alternate ending airing next week; most likely an ‘unhappy’ ending. What are you doing, show? I’m not even mad about it, just more confused.)

A League of Nobleman - The show I’m enjoying the most this week. I didn’t expect such gorgeous visuals in a historical mystery that isn’t a fantasy. There’ve been two mysteries so far and the second one involved a serial killer. I enjoyed the heck out of that arc. I have affectionately nicknamed Zhang Ping ‘Eyebrows’ in my head because those are some fantastic ones he’s sporting. Kudos to the makeup team.

The Lost Tomb (2015) - Binged most of season one last night and I’m hooked. This is amazing. Also, surprise Yang Yang! (I’d forgotten why it was on my watchlist, so he must be why.) The quality level is about late 90s/early 2000s but that was early fandom in my life, so nostalgia is hitting me hard. I’m having a great time with this one.

The New Employee - Seven episodes feels like a weird episode count for a series, but okay - I watched the last two episodes back to back and loved how they ended it. I do find it interesting however, that we never saw the ex/crush again after he was the trigger for the main relationship blip. It felt like they were going to take that further. I probably should have waited to binge this in one go, because I had completely forgotten that there was a manager who could cause trouble until he caused trouble. These short form dramas are generally pretty frustrating to watch because I can clearly see a longer (usually better) show around them. This one did feel complete, but I’m hoping they release a movie version.

[anticipating]

SHINee - Key’s album repackage is this month! Onew finished recording something! Minho is too tall! Taemin D-57!

[random notes from my tv journal]

609 Bedtime Story, ep 11 - “The kissing sounds don’t match the video?!” (This show botched the ending so bad, in multiple ways. This particular way made me laugh though.)

A League of Nobleman, ep 6 - “Surprise serial killer! Neat!”

My School President, ep 9 - “Gun and Tinn’s little scene on the beach while spying on Sound gave me major ‘future old married couple’ feelings.” (And now I want to read that future fic where Gun is home on break from touring and teasing his doctor husband into relaxing after a stressful shift.)

Never Let Me Go, ep 8 - “That was an extremely ominous music cue to tag the bathroom confrontation scene with.” (Up until that last moment it felt like any other scene in this show, but the music change elevated it and made it seem like Ben was going to come back and murder the kid. It threw me out of the scene it was such a jarring escalation. I may go back and watch it again, to see how it feels on rewatch.)

previous Currents posts

[fictionthorn]

I posted 65 times in 2022

That's 65 more posts than 2021!

18 posts created (28%)

47 posts reblogged (72%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@swampstew

@showandtelltime

@childofblackmaria

@queer-coded-camaro-driver

@electric-skillet

I tagged 44 of my posts in 2022

Only 32% of my posts had no tags

#one piece - 10 posts

#stranger things - 8 posts

#eddie munson - 6 posts

#lord of the rings - 6 posts

#love - 6 posts

#black butler - 6 posts

#marvel - 6 posts

#ask games - 4 posts

#criminal minds - 4 posts

#the diary of cassie and eddie - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 29 characters

#the diary of cassie and eddie

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I’ve been playing through Pokemon Scarlet almost all day. So, far I’m really enjoying it. What’s everyone else's thoughts on the new games? 

4 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#4

Looking for blogs to follow!

If you post about any of the following:

One Piece

Supernatural

Stranger Things

TFIL/Sam & Colby

Criminal Minds

House MD

Black Butler

The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings

The MCU

Like/reblog so I can follow you!

4 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

#3

Just watched the first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution. I think this season is going to be so intense, but I’m so excited for it!

8 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

#2

Loving You For You

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warning(s): None

Word Count: 321

~

I woke up to the sound of footsteps coming toward the bed. I rolled over just as Bucky sat back down.

"What are you doing up?" I asked.

"Just getting some water," Bucky said. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Is that the only reason you're up?" I asked.

He was quiet as he took a sip of his water.

"It's okay to tell me if it's the nightmares again," I said.

"I don't want you to worry," Bucky said.

I sat up and moved so I was sitting next to him on the edge of the bed.

"Look, I know it's not something you like to talk about but maybe it would do you some good," I said. "You keep telling me not to worry every time you have a nightmare but your not talking is what makes me worry."

Again he was quiet.

"Fine. Whatever," I said. "I'm going back to sleep."

I went to lay back down but Bucky grabbed my hand.

"I'm sorry," Bucky said. "It's not that I don't want to talk with you. It's just..."

He trailed off.

"Just what?" I asked.

"It's just I'm worried if I tell you about some of the things I've done you won't look at me the same way," Bucky said. "And I couldn't even be upset about it because I wouldn't blame you. I haven't always been a good person, (Y/N)."

"Listen to me," I said as I took both his hands in mine. "Nothing in your past will ever stop me caring about you and loving you for who you are."

"You say that now but-" Bucky said.

"But nothing. You are not that person now. All I care about is who and how you are now," I said. "And I couldn't ask for a better man."

"You know, I'll never know what I did to get lucky enough to find someone like you," Bucky said.

57 notes - Posted June 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Every Reality

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader

Warning(s): None

Word Count: 164

~

"I've never been so happy to be home," I said as I sat down on the couch.

"You said the same thing after Thanos," Stephen said as he joined me.

"But this was on a different level," I said. "That was a fairly basic stop the bad guy with a little bit of time travel situation. This was full on multiverse breaking."

"I know," Stephen said. "It's a whole new territory."

I moved so I was laying down with my head in Stephen's lap.

"What do you know about the multiverse?" I asked.

"Currently not that much," Stephen admitted.

"Do you think there are other us out there?" I asked.

"I'm sure it's a possibility," Stephen said.

"I wonder if our other selves are a couple too," I said. "Or if they even know each other."

"Honestly, I bet in every reality, I still find you," Stephen said with a smile.

"That's a nice thought," I said as I sat up to kiss him.

211 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[averyintrovertedfangirl]

so real and true supernatural really is thee most show ever. absolutely insane viewing experience, 10/10

and like i watched the entire series in 3 months the first time, but i've been rewatching it for the last like two years and i keep ignoring wherever i am on my rewatch and going and watching random early seasons episodes too so i feel that. you're rewatching some GREAT episodes too, i've seen mystery spot sooo many times as well, it slaps every single time

after s5 it definitely goes downhill like. objectively speaking. but the later seasons introduce some really good characters and some very enjoyable plotlines and it's all definitely a worthwhile part of the experience (except for the finale. the finale has no redeeming qualities it's very bad. you would not be missing anything if you never watched the finale lmao)

but yeah every single one of the things you listed did technically happen and. yeah. some of it is great, but it sure is wild. my favourite pastime is telling my friends who've never seen spn increasingly wild plot points and seeing what breaks their brain

anyways please never apologize for rambling about supernatural, i am obsessed with supernatural the rambling is great <33 what season are you on currently?

haha oh i'm glad i wasn't annoying! i'm on season 8 right now, up to episode 13 Everybody Hates Hitler (it's been about 3 months since i watched the one before it XD), and yeah as you said i really do think it went downhill after season 5 and seeing sam and dean change their point of view on so many things that make NO SENSE (like sam in season 2 almost immediately making an exception for some nice vampires and trying to get dean to see reason and then in season 7-8 just randomly deciding "no, they are MONSTERS and they WILL kill again that's final", only for DEAN to this time be the vampire apologist) is driving me bananas. it feels like they just ran out of arguments for the two to be having and decided to throw darts at a wall about it.

i'm glad to know that my jigsaw puzzle of information about the last few seasons is correct(ish) though, like i wasn't going to google it in case i was wrong and accidentally found out MORE spoilers but like. thank you for confirming. i'll find out the details... atttt some point i'm sure :D

i got my friend into it (they haven't finished it either), and it is so much fun telling them about stuff they haven't seen yet, also i hyped up both lucifer and cas so much i think the expectations for them are a little high now lmao. on the plus side my friend saw cas in 4x01 one (1) time and decided he's the most precious special little guy in the whole show though, so that's fun :))

[italeteller]

Ok, so you've told us what you think the best anime were last year. What are the anime you've been most disappointed by the last few years then, if you don't mind me asking?

Oooh a spicy ask, and a chance to complain about anime? Don't mind if I do!

This got long so I'm gonna put it under a readmore

First of all, gotta kill my darlings and go for Undead Unluck. Because like. The animation, the voice acting, the soundtrack, the sound effects, the little anime original things they add to filler some episodes, they're all amazing, and as someone who deeply loves the manga I am genuinely So Glad we've gotten an adaptation, even if it hasn't boosted the manga sales

But!

THAT. FUCKING. PACING! IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

WE HAVE COVERED 28 AND A HALF MANGA CHAPTERS IN 14 ANIME EPISODES! THAT'S 2 MANGA CHAPTERS PER EPISODE! THAT'S "ANIME'S CURRENTLY RELEASING AND WE NEED TO FILLER THIS BITCH UP TO BURST LEST WE CATCH UP" PACING, NOT "WE HAVE LITERALLY MORE THAN 150 CHAPTERS LEFT TO COVER" PACING!

THERE'S SO MANY FLASHBACKS! WHY'S THERE SO MANY FLASHBACKS!? SHIT'S WAY TOO SLOW, WHICH MEANS SEASON 1'S LIKELY GONNA END ON CHAPTER 53 WHICH MEANS CHAPTER 132 IS LIKELY NOT GONNA COME UNTIL SEASON 3 WHICH MEANS THE MOMENT WHERE UU GOES FROM GOOD TO TOP 3 CURRENTLY AIRING SHONEN IS LIKELY TWO WHOLE ASS SEASONS AWAY!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!

I have a theory about why they're doing the pacing so slow, but honestly at this point I wish the season had been 20 episodes like To Your Eternity instead of 24, because this pacing's unbearable

Anyways, enough complaining on a full stomach, time to shit on My Hero Academia. The manga's gone to shit, and the anime's following the story which means it's also gone to shit, but additionally the anime feels less quality than it used to be. While there are some impressive battle scenes and high-speed movement scenes every now and then, there's also some noticeable lower quality moments, characters speaking facing away from the camera so they don't have to animate their mouths, repetitive scenes with moving camerawork to disguise the lack of animation... maybe it's because BONES has been doing the mha movies at the same time as the series, but you compare stuff from seasons 2 and 3 with stuff from seasons 5 and 6 and it's a really bad difference. I used to be really hype about this series, and it breaks my heart to see how far it's fallen

Kimetsu no Yaiba's secret village arc was also pretty meh. It might be the only time the manga's better than the anime, which felt unnecessarily padded and killed a lot of the tension of the fight scenes

The second season of My Next Life as the Villainess was pretty mediocre, flanderizing characters and bouncing aimlessly around with the plot. Here's hoping the movie raises the quality back up

Beastars season 2 was. Not as good as season 1. I don't remember exactly what ticked me off, but I remember I didn't like how Haru got sidelines, and I found Legosi very annoying this time around

The second season of Reincarnated as a Slime was also pretty mediocre. The first half was full of filler which killed the pacing, and when the main character's village was raided and some important characters killed, he conveniently met an elven princess who knew the secret to unlock resurrection magic, which meant that from there on out there are no stakes. Honestly a shame, I loved the first season, tho I gotta admit it peaked at the Orc Disaster arc

Sakugan began with incredible promise and a super straightforward plot premise, and then meandered away on meaningless, boring sidequests from episode 3 onwards, wasting a perfectly good plot, setting and characters

A very similar thing happened with Giant Beasts of Ars, which looked like a great fantasy series and then just... did nothing with anything

And the same with Synduality: Noir, a really high value tie in anime to an upcoming game with a postapocalyptic setting and the most insufferably boring main duo I've ever seen in anime. I gave it like 8 episodes and it's like that shit was allergic to moving the plot or the characters forward. It dedicated a whole episode to the obligatory tsundere character working up the courage to confess, and then she didn't

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko could've been great if it had been 24 episodes, instead of hypercondensing the whole ass series into 13. I had to stop watching because I was getting mad with all the stuff they were skipping

Cells at Work Black was a pretty good drama until literally the last moment where the main cells, whose host body has finally started improving his health, thus giving them a better work and life environment, are sucked into a blood transfussion and taken to a body that's in an even worse state. So like, fuck you and abandon all hopes of things getting better I guess

And speaking of saying "fuck you!" to your audience, we can't forget about Science Fell in Love, the romcom that decided to end it's season 2 with an attempted gang rape of one of the main girls, intercut with the main guy putting on a powerpoint presentation on why she didn't deserve it. I would like to know what the fuck the mangaka was thinking

And if we're speaking about disasters, we can't not talk about the absolute trash fire clusterfuck that was Wonder Egg Priority

WEP, for those who don't know, was a delightfully dark original series about four girls who lost someone to suicide, entering their dreams to fight monsters to save the souls of girls who killed themselves, with the promise that one day they'd find those they'd lost and bring them to life. Lots of action, lots of kickass animation, very interesting character drama and mystery both human and magical

In the last three episodes (this was a 13 episode series btw), the series added the concepts of the multiverse, multiversal travel, syntetic humans, none of which it could do justice. And then the final episode breaks off the main group. All their goals are revived, but they're girls from other universes which means they had no bonds with the main characters. One of the girls dissappears into another dimension, another gets traumatized and leaves, another is implied to be looking for excuses to kill herself, and the MC spirals into depression before ending the series with a hopeful scene of her going back into the dreamworld, which would never happen because the series ended there and then, and there were never any plans to continue. A dissappointment on all fronts the likes you had to see to believe

Another series that shat the bed during the last three episodes was Takt Op Destiny. It wasn't as dramatic because the series wasn't as good as WEP, but still. Absolute disaster of an ending

Annnnd yeah, I think that's it for the last five years. Sure have been a lot of disappointments huh

[mother-snake]

my review on what ive seen on netflix, having never had it before

so far on the completed netflix list i have: race to the edge, tales of arcadia, daniel spellbound, voltron, ninjago

spoiler warning

race to the edge: Growing up with httyd, i was bound to fall in love with it. ive only seen clips on youtube and im still pissed that they killed grimborne. dagur is still my favourite and snotlout still for no reason makes me mildly angry, for no reason. (riders of berk is slowly being bought. i got most of the two seasons. just need part two of s1 i think)

tales of arcadia: Holy shit. i love this. the only one i couldnt connect with really was 3below, wasnt too keen on the first few episodes, but it quickly picked up. trollhunters is still the best, wizards is amazing, rise of the titans could have done without steves sublot. if you know...well. you know :/ (will be getting the books using any christmas money one gets)

daniel spellbound: was a bit hard to get into at first. the pie witch was....mmm. no. but after that it was fucking amazing. currently in the midst of getting fanfiction outta my system for this one. daniel and the sea queen absolutely have the, oh fuck. ive adopted a child that thrives on adrenaline, better give him a fucking weapon energy and i fully intend to use that.

voltron: everything was going smoothly, until season 8 attacked. what the absolute fuckery was that shit. anyways. rewatching cause its been years and i miss lotor.

ninjago: having grown up with it and keeping up to date, i was sad to see it end. but am happy with the 'reboot' netflix is doing. the budget clearly shows and it looks so stunning. cant wait to buy this months ninjago magazines.

going to finnish up kipo and the wonderbeasts, lego dreamzzzz (started buying the magazines), sweet tooth will happen soon. watching umbrella acadamey, stranger things and breaking bad with the family once we get our shit together and have some time to do so. (im paying for the netflix and i intend to let them use it as i do like disney from my mums account :P)

any suggestions

[badasshybridqueen]

Wanted Plots By Muse

plots Hayley definitely needs organized by muse !

Hope Plots !

#1 - Freaky Friday verse where they switch bodies and there’s so much confusion at first because wtf how did this happen and how do we change back? 

#2 -  17-year-old Hope travels back in time to Season 1 of The Originals in an attempt to change her fate and rewrite history. Determined not to lose either of her parents she surprises them and as she gets to know her parents she secretly works to change the future. [ loosely Based on the S5 plot of The Flash where Nora comes to the present to prevent her fathers death ]  

#3 - A play date gone wrong with Hope, the twins and Caroline

#4 - Give me moments between Hope and Hayley set between S3 and S4. Hope asking about her family, Hayley telling her stories about them. All the moving, the birthdays that are just them, development on how close they are and all the stuff that happened to them while they were on the run. The good stuff, the bad stuff, the breakdowns

#5 - Give me moments between Hope and Hayley set between S4 and S5. A discussion after Hope see’s Klaus killing people - give me her becoming a teenager - give me fights between her and Hayley because she can’t see her dad [ like in S5 ] give me angst and fluff and just everything.

#6 - Hayley and Klaus work so hard to be good for Hope.To show her there’s another way than how they lived. What I want is a thing where something happens that push both Klaus and Hayley over the edge and Hope witnesses just how destructively violent her parents can actually be…

Elijah Plots !

#1 - Hayley goes into labor at the compound

#2 - A hitman is hired to stalk and kill a woman without explanation. He embeds himself into her life waiting for the call knowing eventually it will come and his job will be done. But before the call can come the hitman winds up falling in love with her.

#3 - Give me a scene after the first time they have sex in S2 at that house

#4 - We never really got to see these two go on any dates or anything. Give me something circa S3 with datesss

#5 - No memory Elijah things?

#6 - Elijah married Antoinette - but now has his memories back and comes back to NOLA where Klaus, Hope and Hayley are living all together. Drama, angst and more? 

Klaus Plots !

#1 - Hayley goes into labor at the compound

#2 - Klaus seeing/hearing about Freya using magic on Hayley in S4

#3 - A thread where Davina really is Klaus & Hayley’s daughter from the future.

#4 - AU S5 things where Klaus helps Hayley find a way to break the binding ritual

#5 - Hayley was brought back to life but she was brought back without her memory. Klaus searches for her and when he finds her he needs to bring her home and has to help her remember her life

#6 - Klaus coming to check in on Hope in that scene at the end of the episode, and her asking him to stay with her and Hayley and tell her stories about Marcel. Because he’s her new BFF and BIG BROTHER. omfg [ Season 4 based ]

#7 - Hayley and Klaus ripping apart everyone who came into the compound together because they wanted to hurt Hope…Marcel shaking his head at the mess and making sure Hope doesn’t see. Because He’s #TeamProtectHopesInnocence just like her parents. [ Season 4 based ]

#8 - Haylye telling Klaus she wants to take Hope away from NOLA and she thinks he should go with them. To keep their family together and to make sure Hope doesn’t live the kind of life they’ve had to.  [ Season 4 based ]

Jackson Plots !

#1 - I want a plot where Muse A and Muse B have been married for 15 years (they got married at 16 because Muse A got pregnant) They have 2 kids and are currently going through a divorce. But there are so many feelings still there and they keep falling into the same routine with each other because they’re still in love but they’ve grown into different people. Muse B wants to work things out but Muse A isn’t sure how with how they’ve both changed. [ Semi based on the movie The Story of Us ]

#2 - Jackson is somehow brought back to life without his memory. [ Or with his memory and it’s 5 years later - Hayley is with someone new - angst ]

Girl/Friendship Plots !

#1 - Working Mom’s AU

#2 - Good Girls AU

#3 - Plot based on A Simple Favor 

#4 - Girls night with Hayley, Freya and Rebekah, Cami, Davina or any combination 

#5 - Freya and Hayley things set between S4 & S5. They spent all those years together I’d love to get some bonding

#6 - Freya and Haley family feels after they “kill” The Hollow

General Plots !

#1 - A plot based on the movie Safe Haven 

#2 - give me a thread where Hayley finds a baby after they give Hope to Rebekah and brings it back to the compound like – Uh I’m going to keep it guys K?

#3 - But like I want No Humanity Steroline to come hang out with Dark Klayley. Just saying.

#4 - AU based on Life Unexpected 

#5 - Girl gets pregnant and her boyfriend (the love of her life) marries her, but two months into the marriage he decides he doesn’t want the responsibility of a child so he takes off. But his brother who’s been secretly in love with said girl all through along helps her through the pregnancy and once the baby is born. Cut to 2-3 years later and her husband walks back into their lives to find things are a bit different.

#6 - I want a plot where some witchy thing happens and Hayley wakes up to find her daughter gone and not a single person knows who she is. It’s like she never existed - Hope either. And in order to break the spell she needs to get at least 1 person to actually remember who she is.

[mishasminions]

Here’s why the Supernatural Series Finale Sucked

(AND IT REALLY ISN’T JUST BECAUSE CAS/MISHA WASN’T IN IT)

First of all, I’d like to state, that this perspective is coming from someone who has watched, invested in, and dissected this show for 15 years. I’ve tried to rationalize and justify every single decision each of the main characters made throughout the years, and I’ve always tried to make sense of each of their story arcs from a “bigger picture” standpoint as each season progressed.

Anyway, before I can properly explain why the finale sucked, let me quickly take you through 15 seasons by segregating them into 3 eras, because you can’t really comprehend what Supernatural is about and what it’s become without going through how it tried to expand its universe.

SEASONS 1-5: THE KRIPKE ERA

Now, we all know that Kripke was always set in wrapping up Sam and Dean’s story in 5 seasons, and he did just that.

So, in this era, Supernatural is about two brothers who set out on a journey to fulfill “the family business”. They hunt mythical monsters that terrorize the world, while battling the monsters within themselves. Their ultimate “big bad” is an apocalypse.

Towards the end of this era, we find out that Sam and Dean are actually a parallel to Biblical characters who are brothers turned rivals. And that Sam and Dean’s destiny is to go up against each other.

However, as a dynamic, they have always been about making their own choices, choosing free will, and having a brotherly bond that can power through against any obstacle at any given day.

So, this era is neatly wrapped up with its finale. The characters grow, and get justified endings.

Dean, a man who thinks of himself as two things: 1. Sam’s older brother and protector; and 2. Daddy’s blunt little instrument.

He’s spent his whole life believing that that was his only purpose, and he knew that the only ending he’ll get would either be a bloody death fulfilling his duty to the family business; or laying his life on the line to save his brother.

Dean gets the ending he thought was never possible for him, something he thought he could never deserve. After years of living and dying for his family, he gets a shot at having an apple pie life--to settle down with a nice girl, raise a kid in a house with a white picket fence. With Sam gone, Dean’s responsibility now is to himself.

Sam, on the other hand, never wanted any part of it, because he wasn’t groomed the way Dean was, and because thanks to Dean, Sam wasn’t traumatized or forced into growing up too quickly the way Dean was.

So Sam aspires for a normal life, and works the cases with Dean so he can maybe get some semblance of it, when everything they set out to kill are laid to rest.

Ultimately, Sam performs a selfless act for his brother, who has given up everything for him, and for their cause--to save the world.

The journey is this: Dean sacrifices everything to save Sam, and Sam sacrifices himself so Dean could live.

Apart from being Dean’s “savior” and guardian angel, Castiel’s role in this era is to serve as a mirror to Dean’s journey. Castiel goes from being heaven’s foot soldier, following “God’s orders”; to an angel who learns to choose and feel for the first time in his existence.

After they realize that they’re both daddy’s blunt instruments, Dean starts choosing his own path for himself, and convinces Castiel to join him. Castiel stops following heaven, and starts following Dean.

In the end, with his newfound understanding of the world thanks to Dean, Castiel goes back to heaven to reform it.

We’ve resolved the biblical arc, and the character journeys.

SEASONS 6-10: THE SPIN-OFF ERA

So this is where the show realizes how vast its universe can be, so it tries to expand it by tapping into uncharted lands and experimenting with it.

They take on heaven, reform hell, explore purgatory, have the angels fall, turn Dean into a demon, and kill Death.

Dean and Sam recognize their codependency, and try to rise above it.

They go back and forth between which brother will risk it all for the greater good every other season.

Dean and Cas strengthen their relationship by recognizing the impact they have on each other’s lives.

Cas structures his life and decisions around Dean (Seasons 6-7), and Dean learns to trust and fight for Cas (Seasons 8-9).

Sam and Cas bond (mostly over Dean) because of their shared rationales in decision-making.

Dean, Sam, and even Cas also forge relationships with the people they work with. The concept of “found family” is introduced here.

This era was heavy on the plot while establishing, reinforcing, and solidifying relationships and dynamics.

At this point, it wasn’t just about the brothers anymore.

If Supernatural had ended in Season 10, the logical finale would’ve been Team Free Will, along with the family that they’ve found, going up against the latest big bad (Death or whoever). Maybe they lose them along the way, maybe they all make it out alive, or maybe they go down swinging, but at least the show recognizes and supports the message they keep saying, “Family don’t end with blood”

SEASONS 11-15: THE REWRITE ERA

This is where the show runs out of ideas and decides to invalidate the seasons that came before it.

From bringing Mary back (basically rendering their whole journey pointless because they’ve literally started hunting because of her death), to changing the stipulations in being Michael and Lucifer’s vessels (another character struggle rendered useless), to God himself breaking the fourth wall by saying that the Winchesters get away with everything because “they’re the main characters in his story and everything they’ve been through was just part of a badly written narrative”.

But what we’re getting from this era is that Sam and Dean, along with Cas (who has also deviated from the story) ARE trying to escape a badly written narrative.

That’s the “big bad” in this era. The writer.

At this point, the characters have picked up so many strays (including those from alternate universes), and have settled into their roles in their “found family”. Dean, Sam, and Cas all become surrogate dads and uncles.

They’ve also graduated from the whole “we’re on different sides” and “going behind each other’s backs” drama. And they just want the whole family together.

They’ve all resigned themselves to the cause, but they’re also tired. Dean allows himself to contemplate about wanting more out of life or at least getting a vacation. Sam, on the other hand, realizes his capabilities as an effective leader. Castiel learns to love another being that isn’t Dean (spoiler: it’s Jack).

However, they also realize that they’ve just been puppets on a string all this time.

So what they want now, is to write their own story, and make their own choices knowing that God/the writer isn’t the one fueling their narrative.

So here’s why the finale sucks:

Andrew Dabb, the current showrunner, said that there would be two finales.

15x19 - The finale to wrap up Season 15, and 15x20 - The finale to wrap up the series by “resolving the characters’ journey”

In 15x19 the boys find a way to de-power God/the writer. For the first time in their whole lives, they are free from the story. Their lives are completely theirs now. They can make their own decisions. There are no more “big bads” to fight

And here’s what happens in 15x20:

Immediately after being freed from their story arc, Dean and Sam go back to hunting the monster of the week.

Dean eats pie, gets nailed (literally), makes a 10-minute speech to Sam because he knows he’s dying, then he goes to heaven.

Dean is greeted by Bobby, his surrogate Dad who he hasn’t seen (fully alive) since Season 7. Bobby’s expository dialogue comprises of him explaining that he got out of heaven’s jail, that John and Mary are next door, and that Jack and Cas fixed the dynamics of heaven off-screen.

The first thing Dean decides to do is go for a long drive in his Impala (as if he hasn’t done enough of that already).

Meanwhile, Sam decides to stop hunting after Dean dies, he gets the apple pie life he hadn’t wanted since Season 8 (while Dean was in Purgatory), and names his kid “Dean” for effect. He grows old and dies.

Dean drove around in heaven for so long that Sam catches up to him.

They hug. The end.

Great, right?

After 15 years of struggling to battle their own respective destinies, going up against big bads and even bigger bads, then finally being able to take charge of their own stories, Dean and Sam regress to hunting the monster of the week, and get killed off by a nail and old age. Okay.

Sam gets to retire and have a family, sure, but they still focus on him and the kid he named after his dead brother. Still just “Sam and Dean” through and through. Nothing to do with found family. Just lineage. Just blood. And it ends there.

See, the problem here is that this ending would’ve been passable in The Kripke Era. But we’re 10 years down the road since, and while Sam and Dean are the original main characters, the show isn’t just about them and their codependent relationship anymore.

So you see, even if you take out the whole “Castiel deserves to be in the finale because he’s also a main character with an unfinished story arc” argument, the finale still does no justice to the series it tried to “wrap up”.

But anyway, now I’ll make the case for the problem with Castiel not being in the finale:

In 15x18, we get a 5-minute rushed confession from Castiel to Dean. The context of which are as follows:

1. Earlier in the episode, Dean had wounded Death with her scythe. We later find out that this wound is fatal.

2. Their friends start to “blip out” in a Thanos-like snap, and Dean thinks that Death is causing it, so Dean seeks her out, and Cas goes with him.

3. Dean and Cas anger Death, apparently for no reason because she didn’t even do the thing they thought she did. She chases them to try to kill them

4. Dean and Cas lock themselves in a room. Dean starts a pity party.

5. As Dean goes through hating himself out loud, Cas decides to inform Dean of the deal he made with The Empty. He then proceeds to explain the stipulation of the deal (that he would get taken once he experiences a moment of true happiness), then discusses his newfound happiness philosophy. Dean is getting whiplash.

6. Cas goes on to imply that the one thing that he wanted that he knew he couldn’t have is Dean Winchester reciprocating his romantic feelings for him. (Don’t even try to fight me on this because Cas already has Dean’s platonic love, and he knows that Dean thinks of him as a brother, so if he really meant this in a “familial” way, then why would he think that he couldn’t have the thing that would make him happy?) So Cas’ realization is that telling Dean about his feelings is enough to make him happy.

7. Cas tells Dean all the reasons why he loves him (thereby combating Dean’s self-deprecation tirade), and all the reasons why he’s worthy of his love. Meanwhile, Dean is still winded from the fact that Cas is about to sacrifice himself for him again.

8. Dean never gets to process anything, because Cas is shoving him out of the way, as he and Death (who busts through the door) get taken by The Empty.

After this episode, Dean never speaks of it. Misha Collins supposes that Dean doesn’t reciprocate. Jensen Ackles says that Dean didn’t really get to process it because it was too much, too fast, and that Dean, still dense as ever, thinks that Cas, a celestial being, doesn’t interpret human feelings the same way.

So what was the point of this confession?

Politics and sensitivities of a 2005 network television aside, what does this do for the story?

Cas proclaims his romantic feelings to Dean, but Dean never acknowledges it, doesn’t even give it a passing thought afterwards. So Cas’ big declaration goes unheard.

Cas cashes in on his Empty deal to kill Death (who was dying anyway), in order to save Dean who dies two episodes after.

Dean makes no effort to save Cas (despite being really broken up about his previous deaths, or even spending a whole year in Purgatory looking for him), even after they’ve beaten God, not even asking Jack (who has all the power in the universe) to bring him back (when Jack has already done it before, with less mojo).

Dean moves on to fight the monster of the week. Somewhere off-screen, Jack rescues Cas from The Empty, but Cas uncharacteristically doesn’t even bother to go to Dean? (Every single time he comes back, Dean’s always the first person he goes to)

And Cas, who apparently helped craft and reform the new heaven, isn’t the one who welcomes Dean and explains the new dynamics of it?

Sure, Jan.

Supernatural, you’ve created a finale that only your casual viewers and people who dipped out after Season 5 can appreciate.

Just goes to show how much you actually valued the people who actually invested in your story and characters, and consistently helped keep your show on the air.

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