#got two more episode of shit to watch so I'm gonna be at this longer than I planned

[respectthepetty]

Pride Petty Watch - LiTA (Sky/Prapai) 2/3

It took me much longer than expected to make it through the first two episodes of Sky x Prapai's arc in Love in the Air, but Prapai called Sky his boyfriend out of nowhere, so now I understand that he is Manifest Destiny-ing his way to love, and for the non-Americans, that's bad. Like real bad.

Let me be like Prapai and keep marching forward even though all the signs are telling me to stop.

In my first year of teaching, I was told I couldn't want the grade more the student did. I was reminded that some students don't want A's. Some students just want to pass the course, and that's fine. I need to take that approach with Prapai because he held Sky while he clung to him and cried for the nightmares to leave him in peace, yet in the morning, Prapai slings it back in Sky's face and makes it callously sexual. Clearly, Prapai doesn't want points for Slytherin. He does not want an A in decency. He does not want to pass "Go" on the board. Whatever he wants is between him and the demons he is fighting because obviously this ho does not want to be saved.

"Let me help you" - Look at that! As soon as you let men go, they wanna come back correct. Asking to help instead of forcibly inserting himself. Wow! So you are capable of not making everything aggressively sexual?

I'm watching you like a fucking hawk, Slytherin, which if you want to pass this course, you will note that hawks eat snakes, so basically I'm telling you I will devour you whole if you make another wrong move.

"That's all I ask," he says as he asks for EVERYTHING. "I will not restrain myself next time." "You cannot escape me." "Has he blocked this number?" Sky, babe, hon, bestie, rob this fucking man in his sleep. Take the watch off his wrist, the money from his wallet, and the audacity out of his mouth. These are the queer wrongs I'm trying to support this month.

"You should be spanked" - So 🙃 . . . IGNORING THAT! As a lifelong member and advisor of Greek life (fraternities and sororities are different for BIPOC), every time I see these university rituals, I always wonder what is the equivalent of a compliance officer in other countries because This. Is. Hazing.

And now Payu and Prapai are just hanging out at university activities like THEY DON'T GOT JOBS! Payu has a room in a garage, a room at his house with a toy car collection, and a terrified mechanic hiding under cars, so the man has got bills. Prapai has companies (plural) to run, and an overworked and rightfully annoyed (always in red) secretary holding down the fort, yet he is on a little vacay. Women in GLs - big bosses and screwing at work on company time. Men in BLs - FORGETTING THEY HAVE JOBS!

*Regina George has entered the chat* So you agree? You think you're a bad guy to Sky?

Every time Payu or Prapai mentions getting a reward (for not assaulting the boy they are chasing after especially when that boy is in a vulnerable position), I think of the conversation between Uea and King in episode five (part one) of Bed Friend when King asked for a reward and Uea said "The fuck you just say? Get outta here with that noise" then he left. Uea would eat these men alive.

The thinnest of ice, Prapai. I can see the freezing water rushing underneath. That's how thin the ice is that you are on, sir.

Because Prapai is confessing to sleeping with three other people since he began stalking Sky (no shame, as one slut to another, I'm actually very proud he admitted to it), can we get a STI test? We got condoms, so miracles can happen.

*squints* Is that a heart on your chest, Sky? No, I'm not angry. No, you're not in trouble. No, you're perfect. I'm just working through my own stuff, so I'm gonna need a minute to process this.

If you wanna live that chismosa life, you gotta be aware of your surroundings. Amateur.

Yeah yeah yeah, the wind needs the windmill or whatever dumb shit Dangerous Romance said. Now go make the lapel pin of it, and GET BACK TO WORK! This reeks of nepotism because there is no other way you would still have a job.

Prapai calls Sky by his name, no honorifics. Prapai sleeps on the floor. Prapai asks his mom for advice on how to care for someone. *squints* This is sus af.

And now he is swerving advances and doing his job. *squints even harder* Are you actually trying to pass this course now?

I, too, would be sad if rope was spewing out of my shirt like that.

Prapai just swindled a key to Sky's apartment without asking Sky for it. WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO FUCKING PASS THIS COURSE?! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUR ASS AGAIN NEXT SEMESTER!

I play with my ears when I get tired, so now I feel even more connected to you Sky, and PRAPAI IS KISSING YOU?! NOOOOO! STOP!!!!! HE'S TIRED! LEAVE MY BOY ALONE!

"I can't guarantee your safety if I stay" - It was a fake out, and I have lost years off my life because of this show. YEARS!

The first step is admitting you have a problem are the problem. *growth*

I'm not going to question the aerodynamics of riding with that project on a bike, but I will state that Prapai is the prefect example of the MAME Extremes I wrote about in the previous post because when he is good, he is really fucking good, but when he is bad, he is The Worst™ so can't we just find an in-between?

Don't you go pointing your scrawny finger at my boy like that! You're lucky he even still speaks to you. Shut up, five! A ten is thinking!

Prapai spending all his money on Sky. Prapai deleting all the numbers from his phone. Prapai getting the lapel pin. Prapai cleaning Sky's apartment. Prapai being honest about wanting Sky without being aggressive or crass. *squints so hard my head hurts* This is how Joe must feel with Ming in My Stand-In because I want to trust your ass, but my God, do you make it so fucking hard. I'm begging you to not screw up after this. PLEASE!

I've seen this scene eighty different ways from my dash, but hearing Sky tell Prapai to get bored with him quickly so he can move on while internally begging for Prapai not to get bored knowing what I know about his ex . . . it is salt in the wounds, poison in the wells, and the phone call from within the house. It is painful, deadly, and terrifying.

Prapai listening tentatively as Sky finally tells him what he actually likes to eat. Prapai responding with little tidbits he has learned about Sky along the way. Prapai giving shoulder kisses. Prapai asking about the ex. To quote RuPaul, "don't fuck it up"

Sig is the realest of all these boys, and I would give him the softest ear bites, the best thigh kisses, and the most amazing blowjob because that's what he deserves!

Prapai - Claim me. Own me. Mark me!

Sky - Gross.

While all of Payu's after scenes only made him look worse as he embraced the Manipulate-Mansplain-Malewife way into Rain's heart, all of Prapai's scenes make him seem like the biggest simp, and I am, once again, pleading for balance!

So now on to the next episo - - -

Wait a minute . . . I know this scene

This is where Sky gets in his head and distances himself, so Prapai breaks in and reads the journal. Oh no. Oh no no no.

*lays face first in a field of lavender*

I need liquor, ice, and a blender. They are all needed for different reasons. No, I will not elaborate.

[witchinatree]

magnus protocol episode 26 ramble

the academic victim era continues. i like putting my lil personal bits at the beginning of these i think it humanizes me

ok. i have to pause mid intro song. i just hit my bowl of snap pea crisps and spilled them everywhere and i'm going to tweak

3 of them fell on the floor.. but they're kinda expensive so we don't get to have them very often.. is it worth it..

i ate them i don't care

this has become more about me than the episode i'm gonna unpause it now

we're so back

celia at work core!! she dgaf!!!

MEET HELEN. pls don't be a tory in this universe pls pls pls pls. i didn't fw human helen at all i am less excited than i was about basira but also basira was one of my all time favs forever

hiii aliceeee <333

magnusing is so me tbh if you think about it

so does alice's voice have a slight hint of that effect they use for chester and norris to anyone else or.. like she sounds computer-y and i don't know if it's just the microphone or something real

"take protection" "jesus christ!" "LIKE A BIG KNIFE OR SOMETHING" CRYING. see my mind didn't go there sam so what's up with that sam huh sam

the hell does celia have in her workbag wtf. queen what. it's the trauma "are you sure that thing is legal?" LMFAOOOOOO

ok i don't like you saying nauseas because i'm on TWO medications that make me nauseas and i just ate pls don't be gross

DAMN. i was gonna be like JARED? HOPWORTH? but it's jared 'smith.' gerard jared is kind of like michael

P.E. teachers creep me out but probably because the only one my high school has ever officially had got fired my freshman year for spanking girls in the locker room and they never actually replaced him they just had various sports coaches take over

yea this is freaking me out already i don't like it

oh that's so sad the dad fucking died poor kid omg

wtf was he possessed by the soul of cross country. what is the horror here. ohh running for his life ok thanks

oh so the horror isn't mr jared it's what happens to him i guess. sorry man i shouldn't have called you creepy

this is just how my friends describe morning cross country practice

yeah so i was right to quit cross country in 5th grade then!!! running IS the horror!!!!

NOT THE TAPE RECORDER WTFFFFF IS THIS ERROR. ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN ARCHIVIST.............................................................................................................................................................................................

AT A LOSS AT A LOSS AT A LOSS AT AT AT. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

we were right guyss it's an archivist...

IT SAID ARCHIVIST ALICE YES LOCK IN QUEEN LOCK IN SHE'S SOOOOOOOO HEHEHE SHE'S SO SMART I'M IN LOVE WITH U

yes alice connect those dots!!! connect them babe!!!!! i'm scared though to be honest with you

SHE DOESN'T THINK SHE KNOWS DUMBASS. PLEASE LISTEN TO HER OR I'M WRITING ANOTHER HATE POST ABOUT YOU. oh thank you sam i don't hate you

HOW I WOULD'VE EXPECTED HOW I WOULD'VE EXPECTED hey helen

has celia shut down. oh my god she sounds really scared. probably because helen tried to eat her in another universe.

CELIA'S SO SCARED HONEYYYYYYY. wait now she's bringing up the magnus institute LMAOO

bloody big basement lmao it's where they keep the bodies

at least 20 years? it burned down 20 years ago? who's reaching out after it burned what

HELEN'S LAUGH MADE ME JUMP LMFAOOOOO HELP

SAM MEETING JACK???? SAM MEETING JACK??????? THEY'RE SO CUTE WTF OMG ur baby's a tory HAHA

celia you are being watched honeyyy you are you need to connect some dots. alice style. obsessed with her.

calling her baby goblin after that baby episode that celia was mentioned by name in hello. hello.

ok sam let's go no longer being as selfish thanks sam.

awe that's adorable i actually think he's been really nice lately holy shit.

LMAOOO WHY DID WE GET AN AUDIBLE KISS ON EPISODE 26 I THOUGHT THEY DIDN'T LIKE THOSE

[levyfiles]

Hi there! Unfortunately the OP made their post nonrebloggable, but I wanted to thank you for adding that fact check on Watcher vs Try Guys. I'm so tired of seeing everyone shit on them based on bad faith takes and not keeping up to date with the changes they immediately introduced. It wasn't an ideal situation but this constant hate campaign over nothing is starting to grate. So thank you for stepping up! I guess the fact that the post is no longer rebloggable shows the OP was afraid people would agree with you.

It has been such a week. The Try Guys launch happened and my job immediately got more demanding for the rest of the week I only had the most minimal time for fandom and I honestly only had the energy for the more positive aspects like this week's episode of Survival Mode. Anyway, it's Sunday night; I'm geared up for work tomorrow so what I'm gonna do for this post is repost the original post without the OP identified seeing as how they don't want to be held accountable for spreading lies and I'll also repost my reply

1. Watcher didn't call anyone poor. They called $6 affordable and people inferred that from the statement.

2. Watcher did the same. The website isn't region locked where do you get your info?

3. Watchertv will be posting everything they already have on the streamer for free in a YouTube friendly format a month after.

4. They are not and were never removing their backlog. This was a myth started by the variety article.

The misinformation that caused most of this attitude is really so telling. The only thing the try guys did different is watch their old colleagues get harassed, bullied, and reamed across the drama channels on YouTube, delayed their own announcement which was supposed to be not long after Watcher's, adopt rhetoric to make fun of what their colleagues went through, and pivoted the focus of their video to butter up their audience so they forget that people were telling Watcher to lay people off, to fire their cofounder, to go back to making Buzzfeed limited budget crap, to continue to slave over ad specific parameters to get paid when that is the one thing Watcher And the Try Guys are trying to escape.

The concept of "spin" has never been so hilariously in practice. All you guys need is for the video to "feel good" in order to comprehend that two different companies said the exact same thing, are both valid for making the move, and that controlling their content is supposed to be a beautiful thing on this shit plain of a platform.

It just so happens one party didn't spin it right, so people are acting like the endgame isn't meant to be the same on different scales.

@ THE GENERAL PUBLIC: STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION TO MAKE YOURSELVES FEEL JUSTIFIED FOR HARRASSING THESE CREATORS.

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

MAC HI don't mind me i just finished the genloss founders cut and im putting my ful lreview in ur inbox bc u said u weren't gonna watch it i think but i want 2 share my thoughts with someone who will not rip me to shreds for criticizing it even slightly <3

OK. I'M NOT GONNA LIE. IT KINDA SLAPPED. maybe i just think it was really good in comparison to the original four hours of streams that dragged on. i honestly thought the original streams of genloss were longer but NO all three streams add up to about four hours???? it just felt so much longer when i originally watched it i guess!!! u can understand why i am sure. but the founders cut was like two and a half and oh my goddddd cutting out a lot of it made such a huge difference. holy shit. like i definitely did get bored and skip through a little bit but honestly i didn't skip through much!! every time i got to a part where i was like "oh fuck not THIS bit that goes on for 30-45 minutes god dammit" it ended up being like maybe ten minutes at most which was SUCH A GODSEND. i am delighted to report that they cut the half hour cooking bit in the first episode down to like 7-8 minutes <3 the best surprise ranboo could have given me tbh. like with the way things were cut down and framed differently i actually laughed at a couple points????? WILD. did not think i would find any genuine comedy here. lowkey there were points that were funny. insane

honestly with the unfunny bits being cut down, it actually let the slightly more serious lore bits shine more, and the payoff for when it got to the third episode felt SO much more deserved. like. the original streams i'd probably give a 3/10 collectively and that's being generous but i would unironically say the founder's cut deserves like a 7/10. maybe a 7.5 if i found it in myself to ignore the bad special effects. (there was still plenty of bad comedy ngl i still don't know why charlie slimecicle's face was superimposed on a towel. that scene was nothing. it was literally nothing. they could have removed it and it would change nothing but they kept it in idk why)

ANYWAY. if they had released genloss like this first maybe i would unironically be a fan of it now. tbh. i would still be making fun of the bad comedy and the horror that was barely horror but i think i would actually be like participating in the fandom a lil and i would probably find it in me to find some charm in the bad special effects. all in all Not Bad!! not good, but not like actively bad. ofc im still running on the adrenaline of the ending because episode 3 was objectively the best out of them all so maybe my perception is skewed but. kinda decent. 7/10 👍 anyway i hope ur havin a good day i hope to finish pd season one soon over the next couple days!!!!!

taking the cowards route and putting my thoughts under the cut bc a lot of my mutuals these days really enjoy genloss and i don't want them to be mad at me

(genloss crit/neg/whatever under the cut)

dude this makes me so unironically sad . why the FUCK was genloss what it was the first time around when this was obviously the better route to go from the very beginning. I am still staunchly in my "I don't like genloss" position but. I DID WATCH IT. i sat through ALL of the original streams and it was so miserable for me. im not going 2 watxh the directors cut or whatever bc i dont hate myself enough to sit through all of that again but i trust your opinion!! if only it would've been planned out thought out prerecorded videos from the start I also probably would not hate it as much as I do!!! maybe I even would've liked it !!! (<< not likely bc i do have Other Issues with it than just the fact that it was too long too unfunny too unfocused etc whatever im getting into hater territory sorry. always welcome 2 genloss fans to try to explain to my why its Good Actually so i can recommend them actual horror media)

like . the streams added absolutely NOTHING to it other than that final choice scene or whatever. and even if they wanted to do that still u know what would've been an awesome smart choice??? prerecord and edit the whole thing and then premiere THAT video on twitch- then when it comes time for the final choice you can still have people vote!! then you can have two separate endings prepared based on which way the vote was swaying. like. its that easy. it would've made the whole experience so much more enjoyable . ughhghghg the fucking wasted potential on HOURS of unfunny badly improvved bits is so devastating

personally I still cant excuse the bad effects considering the amount of times ranboo bragged about the genloss budget like. maybe you should've used your resources better and also if it would've just been prerecorded from the start things wouldn't look as rushed as they did but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what do I know !!

anyway I'm so glad this version was better but for me it will always ALWAYS be tainted by the . misery I felt while watching the streams lmaoooo . I wanted to like genloss so bad. I tried so hard. head in hands !!!!!!!!!!!

[slayerkitty]

5 Blorbos From BL That Will Make Me Protect Them At Any Cost

Ahhh, @elizabethsebestianhedgehog tagged me in this and I thought it was a super cute idea and I'm curious to see if I can limit it to ten.

Pharm from Until We Meet Again

This boy went through some seriously traumatic shit. His PTSD from his past life was so much worse for him than it was for Dean and watching him suffer nearly ripped my heart out. I cried for 17 episodes because of this boy and I will murder anyone who hurts him.

2. Uea from Bed Friend

So as a group, we're all gonna go just do away with Uea's mother, right? Because this boy has been through too much and most of it at her hands.

3. Babe from Pit Babe

He's being violated by two of the people he trusts most, someone just tried to kill him, and he's in love for the first time. Someone protect him. The defense squad lines up behind me.

4. Bai Zong Yi from Kiseki: Dear to Me

Bai Zong Yi fell in love, got rejected, finally got his man and then suffered a horrible beating by his lover's enemy. His lover nearly died and sadly suffered a brain injury causing amnesia (or so he thought) and he went to jail for his lover for a murder he didn't commit. He was attacked again in jail which left him with a permanent brain injury meaning he could no longer be a doctor. So when he got out he opened a bakery to make strawberry cakes and wait for his lover to remember him.

I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING. Also anyone else comes near him, they die.

5. Zouey from Playboyy

Zouey, my precious muffin. He is sweet and kind (so far the only one of his friends who's not been a dick to someone), he desperately misses Nant and he's got issues with sex. If something happens to him, I will kill everyone. EVERYONE.

These five immediately came to mind. I thought I'd have more, but at the moment, these are the ones I'd risk it all/do anything for in the name of protecting them.

Not gonna tag anyone, but if you want to do this, feel free. Tag me so I can see your list of blorbos and what you would do in their name, lol.

[you-fuckin-judas]

Young Royals : The importance of physical touch [P2]

The first part of this was very well received, and for that thank you!

I've been reading everyone's responses and the tags and I'm very happy that so many people enjoyed what I had to say? You're all very kind and for that I thank you 💜

If you want to read that first part you can find it here

OKAY I couldn't fit all my favorite moments in the last post, so let's continue on!

Consensual physical touch [continued]

What are we going to do? [ Season 1 Episode 6 ]

They have just been HIT by a HUGE amount of stress and trauma, and the first thing they do when they are alone is break the barrier of space. They are both more at ease and willing to figure things out if they can have the comfort of touch from the other.

This season they had been lit with a lot of soft golden ambient light, and this is one of the scenes when shit gets real and scary. To have the lighting change also, really sets the mood for what is going on.

But we never lose the feeling of the touch we got when we did have the golden light, even though things are getting intense their love is still the same.

are you..are you okay? [ Season 1 Episode 2 ]

OKAY there's a lot to discuss here because it's a back and forth test between the two of them.

We have first, the jump scare which walks us RIGHT into the first touch of their hands. Which Simon is leading, and really trying to figure out if things are going the way he thinks they are.

Which starts well, until they get spotted by Sara, causing Wille to straight up panic and run, which causes Simon to also panic and follow.

I've heard quite a few people say the first kiss was awkward and uncomfortable to watch, and I'll tell you what if you've never tried to kiss someone when you aren't sure? It's terrifying. and awkward.

You're jumping into the ocean and it's pitch black and you aren't sure if the other person is gonna help you swim or if they are gonna drown you.

In this case Wille takes a little too long to respond and Simon tries one more time, really REALLY trying to see if he's right or not.

Once Simon realizes, hey this doesn't feel like a two way road, he panics and tries to leave. He doesn't push Wille, he understands that he isn't responding so he immediately tries to fix it. But Wille grabs him and begs him to stay, realizing finally at that point what is happening.

Again, breaking the separation of space between them trying to communicate that he essentially messed up.

He brings Simon closer, not immediately, but slowly to show him that he does understand now and that he is willing to see where it goes. He doesn't say it. He's showing it.

This is where our beautiful unspoken language of consensual physical touch is at, they have broken the barrier of space and stay in this INTIMATE tight space for a decent amount of time to get their bearings.

To understand that yes this is something both of them want, even if it took Wille just a bit longer to figure out.

AGAIN shout out the intimacy coordinator because I could feel the heat of embarrassment and anxiety off this scene and it was so real it made me need to take a lap around my house.

Simon let's Wille initiate the kiss, he's already tried initiating twice and failed he's not about to push it. He stays exactly where he's at, he wants Wille to communicate physically that it is in fact actually a two way road.

jag älskar dig [ Season 2 Episode 6 ]

This scene is so INTIMATE and personal again, I feel like we shouldn't be allowed in the hall with them. Simon is finally telling Wille he wants to be with him, regardless of if he's a secret or not at this point.

That he loves Wille. AND HE SAYS IT. This is a rare occurrence where Wille has felt Simon love him but for once he actually needed to hear it.

This is also a rare occurrence where we get a very physical emotional reaction out of Wille : the breath of relief, the glossy eyes, the clinging to Simon.

We still have people who can see them from the hall, so we aren't going to get what we assume would be the most wholesome kiss we would ever see.

But the build up to it is there, it's very similar to the scene in season 1 episode 5 when they are in Simon's room. They aren't ever breaking physical contact, regardless of who's watching because that is how special this moment is to them. They are communicating without speaking.

That this is all they want, bringing themselves back in again to this really tight intimate space.

Sharing breath.

Faces mere inches apart.

Just for the sake of being together. It's beautiful. And I absolutely wept watching it.

Thank you for not leaving me alone with this. [ Season 1 Episode 6 ]

This is their first real intense test of their relationship and they know it, and it's scary.

The scarier part being they each have to go fight their part of it on their own, but we get this really beautiful scene between them before they part.

Simon is there trying to keep Wille calm and under control, and tells him that he's brave for doing what he needs to for the sake of their relationship.

Again, Simon is really good with words of affirmation but he knows sometimes Wille won't respond to hearing something like that as much as a physical touch.

So it's important he uses not only his love language but Wille's in this instance as well, so he breaks the space and gives a kiss of reassurance, while resting his head against Wille's. Once again bringing us back to that tight intimate space, which has become a safe space for them.

Which Wille immediately responds to pulling him in for a TIGHT embrace, his arms wrapped fully around Simon. I mean he's scared there might be a chance he could lose Simon, and he's literally clinging to the hope that doesn't happen.

This is also different then the hugs we've seen before from them. Usually Simon wraps his arms around Wille's neck, and Wille will wrap his around Simon's waist.

However we have what I like to call an X hug here, which is exactly what it sounds like. We have one arm over one shoulder and the other around the waist and the other person does the same just mirrored.

I personally usually associate this type of embrace with really intense emotions, like wanting to be as close to the other person as humanely possible and TIGHT, and this embrace is a good way for that to be possible.

[for instance if you see someone you haven't seen for a really long time, or if something really horrible has just happened and someone is consoling you]

The stroke of his thumb on Simon's shoulder is also something very tender in this moment I want to point out.

Thank you again for all the kind words on my analysis! I'm really enjoying making them! 😁

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

i have this silly little undeveloped au in my brain that's just like. tedependent but it's the sarah jane adventures. sort of. not literally in the doctor who universe necessarily but like. local intrepid reporter trent crimm investigating weird shit except the local neighborhood kids will not leave him alone.

i have so many thoughts about this but none of them are coherent enough for a proper fic i think:

i just think trent being good with kids, generally. go mentor figure trent! (what this has nothing to do with my thesis what do you mean)

trent, like sarah jane pre-series, having a sort of reputation in the neighborhood (or in general, since i'm also incorporating his actual canon vibes/story) as to being standoffish, aloof, cold, etc., and generally anti-social, keeping to himself. and as the kids keep dragging him into things kicking and screaming he might also be dragged kicking and screaming into a community <3

if his daughter is essentially luke does that mean he adopted her under Strange Alien-Related Circumstances? absolutely it does, yes.

see i've got two great ideas for ted/tedependent. on one hand, although in the context of SJA/nuwho i'm not so much one for sarah jane and the doctor as a Thing, ted playing the role of like. someone from trent's Mysterious Past who he won't talk about who set him on this path? someone who was kind and wonderful and changed his life but then--at least it feels like to him--abandoned him? someone who made him a better person--from doing whatever journalism he used to do to this--someone who he's still kinda in love with... but trent can no longer even really talk to......until he shows up again? that's some good shit, not gonna lie. although i'm jimmying that into a happy ending somehow, goddamn it.

ALTERNATIVELY. henry being one of the Neighborhood Kids (as if we're using "canon" kids, we've got limited options) and ted being an oblivious parent. trent is trying to get these kids to STOP POKING INTO DANGEROUS ALIEN NONSENSE PLEASE THIS IS HIS JOB PLEASE STOP BREAKING INTO HIS HOUSE but they're stubborn and smart and they may or may not have saved his life once or twice and oh GOD THIS IS SO IRRESPONSIBLE but he can't just TELL THESE RANDOM NEIGHBORS about ALIENS. but like anyway this just painful secret identity-esque nonsense where ted knows henry's taken a shine to that nice journalist down the street and his daughter but does NOT know that henry is getting into Shenanigans(TM). this could lead into all sorts of drama about, you know, his kid being in danger... or, alternatively, ted has worked with some unit/torchwood-esque place before and is like OHH you know what? this explains that time i thought i heard you speaking an alien language. cool, cool. and trents like. .....WHAT

etc. i'm not wording this well but i think you get the idea.

if you really really wanted to make it complicated you could do both, considering the doctor's whole thing--either a fob watch or a regeneration--but honestly, i don't want to do that, so i won't

some of the adults do definitely get involved though. keeley either clocks that shit right away or thinks she's clocked it but she's actually clocked something entirely different. she's like i know you're mi6 babe ;) and he. is not. meanwhile roy having ten freakouts in a row and then being like nvm i'm fine with this. (is not fine with this, but will be eventually). jamies like yeah aliens. everyone knows about those. and they're like what?? no they dont?? and so on.

is beard an alien? genuinely no one's sure. he's not telling.

HOLD ON can i give trent k-9???? can trent crimm get a robot dog?????? yes please i think he deserves a robot dog

also see the trickster episodes? bet you could do something real fucked up with those.

i feel like i had more when i started this post but i don't remember

this not well thought out at all and i have no idea where everyone would fit in

anyway my point is. trent crimm, intrepid journalist, running around trying to stop alien shenanigans while Those Meddling Kids keep following him around. trent crimm doin a little Breaking And Entering. scooby doo shit. and he has such an interesting mix of seeming suave and badass and then immediately doing something embarrassing. trent crimm--via shenanigans and also Those Meddling Kids dragging him into their lives (aka he tries to keep his distance SO badly and only is involved when dangerous shit is going down but like then it's all. child knocking on his door like IT'S AN EMERGENCY OPEN UP and hes like WHAT WHAT IS IT and theyre like can you help me with my homework :( and hes like. fuck. yeah fine what do you want help with. (some subjects he's very helpful on others he's VERY not) until they're like okay but you're coming to this bbq right. and he's like? no? and they're like you're coming to this bbq right. and so on) ANYWAY the point is they keep dragging him into their lives and now oops! trent actually knows his neighbors and has to go through the mortifying ordeal of being known. but that also means that when he gets badly hurt or sick he's used to the empty hospital room but now he actually gets people showing up and forcing baked goods on him and shit and i'm just feeling a lot of things about this extremely hypothetical au based on my already existing feelings about trent gaining a community in s3/post-canon,

wait does this mean trent gets sonic lipstick? HELL YEAH IT DOES

[kiss-my-freckle]

Full Episode Commentary

2x16: The House Guest

Even though there's a lot of Datherine in this episode, it focuses on the death of Emily Bennett because Elijah has been looking for the location of their witch burial ground.

They open with Stelena having a romantic moment. Elena refuses to be late for school. Now there's a difference between Damon and Stefan. It's because Katherine is good at what she does that Stefan can no longer tell who's who. He's choking Elena because he believes she's Katherine.

Katherine is a great liar because she gets to know her victims.

They have this Damon/Katherine parallel with the feather. Katherine should've given them reason to trust her rather than expect them to. She had every piece in place for Klaus' ritual before Damon put her in the tomb. Werewolf Tyler, vampire Caroline, human doppelganger and the moonstone. Her getting out of the tomb is just her getting out of the tomb. I love how Elena is completely refusing her help. Damon knows how to read between the lines. That's how he knew Elijah was looking for the witch burial. "If you know something, say it or get out." He's completely done with Katherine's mind games.

I'm already tired of Matt and Caroline because this whole lying crap annoys the hell out of me. Everyone just needs to hurry up and find out about these vampires so they can find something new to lie about. Shit gets old real fast. I was expecting more from Caroline with her "You suck" anti Damon campaign. She compelled Matt, now she's gonna try to continue as they were. "Just make a decision or leave me alone." Should've just compelled him to move on like Isobel did Alaric. She's basically holding him back.

Elena has a jealous moment with Stefan, and I don't blame her. He spent an entire day with Katherine without so much as a phone call. "It's kind of a girls' night. Maybe Katherine can join us." Hilarious, but I honestly think Caroline has a certain feel for Katherine because she did her a favor turning her, and she knows it. Damon is getting down to business, hoping he can keep Elijah down AND drop Klaus with the same dagger. It's fun to watch him with the flame thrower. He has no idea those daggers won't work on Klaus because he's half wolf.

Damon wants to know if Katherine knew the dagger would kill him. She deflects, which is not a good sign. He'll ask it again because it matters to him even though she doesn't particularly matter to him. Part of me thinks Damon is testing that thin line between love and hate to see if he can hate her. I don't think he has it in him. Katherine is more of an annoyance, like a gnat flitting around his face. "I wanted out of the tomb. Didn't matter who paid the price. Of course I knew that you'd die." Damon threatens Katherine with the flame thrower. She talks him into lowering it, then gets so close to him that he can't use it without hurting himself. That's when she tells him she knew the dagger would kill him if he used it. This hits deeper for Damon. She basically told him he was expendable so long as she got free from the tomb… that which he spent 145 years waiting to open just to free her. Damon might as well have died in 1864 for all that it mattered to her, that's how real it gets between him and Katherine.

Stefan isn't all that smart. The two man-witches aren't gonna help them. They're gonna choose an Original that can't die to take out an Original that can't die. Jeremy tries to kiss Bonnie in the hallway at school. She's quick with it because she has yet to talk to Elena about their relationship. He's adorable, I just don't like him with Bonnie. "John's going to end up dead on the kitchen floor if he's not careful." lol… Elena telling it like it is. She and Alaric both know how dangerous Damon can be, and she knows John tried to kill him - again. However, Elena is being more specific in her comment. She remembers John nearly dying on the kitchen floor because of Katherine.

Alaric basically begs Elena to let him be honest with Jenna about vampires, which I think is ridiculous. The honesty in everyone elses relationship shouldn't be left up to Elena. Alaric is having a hard time carrying on a relationship while having to lie. More respectful than Stefan in the fact that he ends it with Jenna until he can be honest with her. "And even then, how do we tell someone what we know? How does someone hear that?" This comment is ridiculous to me. Even more ridiculous that Elena is supporting dishonest ships. Clear that she has no problem with Jenna and Matt dating liars. I suppose when you're dating a dishonest person, supporting dishonest ships is what you do. Elena acts like Jenna can't handle knowing vampires exist. That's why her comment is ridiculous. Elena is the child and Jenna is the adult, so I'm annoyed with the bs she spins just to keep Stefan's secret. I'm totally ready for these witches to die because I think they're both worthless dicks, but I hate Jonas more than Luka. I honestly don't know what made Stefan think he's worth more to the witches than Elijah. He's only pissing off Jonas. They had a plan and he's getting in the way of it. But it's not just Stefan, it's Jonas. Had he mentioned the witch elixir Elijah has planned for Elena, Stefan would've considered it.

Damon is doing some research. He wants to know why Elijah is looking for Emily's burial ground. Rather than tell Katherine he's looking for the why, he tells her he's looking for the where. Two can play the pretend game. Katherine continues to annoy him, so he swats her like a gnat and chokes the hell out of her. Much like their scene in 2x1, until she tries to manipulate him. That's when he snaps up. Luka is very much like Elena, trying to reason with a father that won't listen. He believes the Salvatores can help them find the burial ground, and they can because Damon knows exactly where it is. Jonas doesn't believe they will. His mistake is not knowing who he's been protecting. If he did, he'd know they're the ones likely to know where it is. Emily was the last to die on that ground.

Jonas gave Stefan the information Damon was looking for. Why Elijah is looking for Emily's burial ground. It can turn his witches into weapons that can kill Klaus. Damon is thrilled to hear this. So when a witch dies violently, they release a mystical energy marking the place of their death with power. Multiply that by 100 witches, and you get that much power. Understandably, this will be too much power for Bonnie to survive because she has to use ALL of it. Unfortunately for them, Damon wasn't the one that met with Jonas. If he were, Jonas wouldn't be looking to take that dagger out of Elijah. Damon is always the game changer. Jonas sounds just as bad as John. I don't like him, but I do like John. He has to send Luka because Luka isn't strong enough to send him. Time for a child to die.

As weird as this may sound, I believe their witch spell is a nod to Damon and his crow. He was locked up in the cellar, yet he went to see Caroline at the high school. I don't think he knows what he's sensing, but I think it feels... familiar to him.

Luka believes Katherine is Elena because she dressed up like Elena at the open of the episode. To be fair, it's because Damon can't see him that he has no idea which witch he's killing with the flame thrower. "You're the unwanted house guest. Go feed yourself." The way this sounds, it's so funny. It's like he's saying go fuck yourself. It's a good thing Katherine got hungry. She's gotta hit the blood bag supply near the cellar. This entire scene of Katherine and Luka is written like Stelena's argument in 2x5. That's why Damon is talking to Stefan the way he does... Katherine can hear them. Have some parallels.

I think it's hilarious that Katherina is screaming for Damon. Like when does Katherine ever scream for help. It's too bad Luka sucks at killing vampires because at least she'd be dead. Damon pulls out the flame thrower. omg he's so fun. Stefan asks him what he's doing. Damon sends him after the witches. This is what happens when you don't know your enemy... Jonas underestimated the Salvatores. He tries to save Luka with magic, but it's totally not happening. Resuscitation seems to be a problem for witches, which makes me question the validity of Elijah's witch elixir.

So much awkward stuff at the Grill, but I love this here. I wonder if it's her real voice because it's great. I don't undertand the fascination with Matt, and… honesty or not, he will never be cool with vampires. He's too pure. Kinda feel bad for Caroline too because she suffers a lot of rejection. Stefan in the beginning. Her mom and Matt this season. Her father in season 3.

Just follow the cheerleader. Jonas is doing a locator spell. Ego and testosterone. He blames Stefan for killing Luka. I'm like... bitch, you put your own son in the Salvatore house. Don't play if you don't wanna pay.

"That's for not telling me the dagger would kill me. Next time, it goes in your heart." This is why Alaric and Elena talk about John. Damon takes threats seriously, and he's being honest when he tells her next time it goes in her heart. He has no problem killing Katherine. She claims to wanna help. Damon basically demands she talk about the dagger because helping him requires a certain level of trust. I mean, she just admitted to knowing the dagger would kill him, so yeah. He's basically wanting the details as to why. Similar to the scene when he offers her vervain, he basically wants the truth of her betrayal.

This is the problem I have with the writing. Katherine's claim that she and John made a deal doesn't make sense. She expected Isobel to show up at the tomb because that's who she told Stefan to call. John gave the dagger to Damon before he so much as met with Katherine at the tomb. It would make sense had John met with Katherine first, but he didn't. It would make sense if Katherine had a cell phone in the tomb with her, but I didn't see her with one. Either it's a continuity error, or they want fans to believe she chose Stefan just in telling him to call Isobel in 2x10. Not the least bit reasonable to me.

"So you chose Stefan." Damon is bothered by this, but not for long because it's not like she didn't tell him about her love for Stefan in 2x1. More to the fact that he realizes Katherine is a bigger fool than he is. The dagger was all about her freedom from the tomb. It's best not to forget this was a love triangle, so you have to look at it from Damon's perspective. He was the one that spent 145 years waiting to rescue her from the tomb. She chose Stefan, while having no idea that it was his intention to keep her sealed in the tomb for eternity. I'm talking 1x12 - 1x14. Elena is the only reason the tomb was opened. "She's not worth it!" Stefan's words, now Damon's body language. He's literally telling Katherine she's not worth it.

Everyone seems to like making out in the Grill bathroom. Matt and Caroline, Jeremy and Anna, Elena feeding on Damon. Elena walks in on Matt and Caroline making out. I love how she responds to Bonnie wanting to date her brother. "I'm thinking that… My brother has had more pain in his life than a hundred people's worth of pain, and… He deserves to be with someone as amazing as you." Bonnie and Elena are gold. This Katherine-Elena switch with Jonas is written opposite the open. Katherine fooling Damon and Stefan, now Damon and Katherine fooling everyone. Jonas is at the Grill, looking to kill Elena. It's insane to me that Matt could've died in this scene, and all because he felt the need to protect a vampire from a witch. That's how much he's been lied to.

Bonnie: You didn't have to kill him! Katherine: Yes, we did.

Katherine knows. Jonas wasn't just a witch, he was a father. He wouldn't have stopped.

This is hot af to me. Jonas returns Bonnie's powers and tells her how to kill Klaus. Katherine gets nasty with Elena because she didn't bother to thank her for saving her life. I feel bad for Alaric and Jenna, but they're so boring. Dr. Fell is the only woman I liked with Alaric.

"You know what I can't figure out? How the town knew Emily Bennett was a witch. I mean, because according to Johnathan Gilbert, he was the only one who knew. I know he didn't turn her in. Mmm, I should have figured as much."

The more he sees of Katherine, the less he cares for her. He knows that Johnathon wouldn't have turned her in because she's the witch responsible for all of his "Gilbert" inventions. The pocket watch Damon took from Logan. The Gilbert rings. The device John used on the tomb vampires. They were created by Emily for Johnathon. So the moment Damon read that Johnathon was the only person who knew she was a witch, he knew it was Katherine who turned her in. At the same time, Katherine knows Damon is lying. She knows that he knows where Emily died.

Refer back to 1x13 to see what I see...

"Katherine. Katherine, there are six other bedrooms in this house. Go find one."

This scene is perfection, and I love the soundtrack. Katherine might as well be dead at this point. They've got this dagger and tomb thing going on in the episode, along with Emily's death. Not forgetting the fact that Emily was the one that protected the vampires in the tomb to begin with, and made this deal with Damon to protect Katherine. It's as if Damon and Emily pulled a full circle back to 1x9.

"I woke up last night. I didn't know where I was. I went to the church. And I watched them drag her inside. Then they set fire to it. And the whole church went up into flames. They killed her, Stefan. She's gone."

When you see how Damon turned, you understand why she might as well be dead to him in this scene. The "Katherine" he fell in love with doesn't exist. She appeared to him one way, now he's seeing her another. This is where they cut to Matt and Caroline because Matt parallels Damon. Just as Katherine died, Caroline died. "I feel like she died."

Yeah… I don't think Caroline thought this through. Damon killed Vicki, like hello. Caroline should've compelled Matt immediately instead of trying to talk her way around it. He's now flipping over Vicki's death, so no… she's not gonna get through to him. Isobel rings the doorbell. Jenna answers. She'll soon find out how Isobel can be dead… but not dead. It's insane to me, the level of lies in this show. Damon is so refreshing.

[aprillikesthings]

LAST EPISODE

s5 ep13 heart pt 2

LET'S GOOOOOOO

it's 1:21pm and I have laundry to do AND Easter Vigil service starts at 8pm, can I get this all watched before 7pm?

Or am I gonna sit there in church vibrating in place for two hours knowing I have three minutes left on the episode or some bullshit lol

(That's longer than usual, yes. Easter Vigil is actually one of my fave services of the year--we start outside lighting candles (the ones inside have been out since Thursday night, even the one we otherwise never put out), then walk into the dark church, then sorta speedrun bits of the old testament (with a hymn after every reading) and then we decide OKAY IT'S EASTER NOW :D and turn on the lights and make a lot of noise and sing a few more hymns--we don't sing or say alleluia during Lent so all the hymns have that in it. There's often MASSIVE amounts of church incense, too. Anyway by the end it's a bit of a party. Apparently some churches have an actual party after the service.)(side note if you're new-ish to these posts that I'm Episcopalian, like, the priests at my church are a gay man and a woman, we're cool people mostly I promise)

See this is why these posts take forever. Why do I keep infodumping shit. This is what it's like to watch things with me in person, though.

If I get through this episode before Easter Vigil my reward is gonna be coming home and taking an edible and rewatching the last two episodes without screenshots so I can just cry over them.

oKAY

eh? that's new. like putting that on screen like that in dead silence. No intro sequence.

oh right Adora is injured. :( And it's some kind of magical monster thing that did it--a security thing put into the Crystal Castle by the First Ones

when she touches her wound the Failsafe glows, and it's making static-y noises and looking glitchy, that can't be good

the nasty tentacle monster thing is still there buT SO IS CATRA YAYYYY she shatters at least one of its eyeballs? I think?

my brain: this is like Caitlyn helping Vi after she got stabbed by Sevika, the wound is even in the same place :D me: wrong person has the red jacket on also Catra isn't going to buy some illegal potion thing to dose Adora with

(you should watch Arcane)

DOES SHE EVER SAY IT LIKE THAT BEFORE THIS?? oh god she sounds so breathless and relieved

Adora: "You can't be here! It's too dangerous"

And she stands up and starts to fall over and fucking Shadow Weaver helps her stand up, uGH

LOOK AT MY BB KICKING ASS

oh god so Shadow Weaver basically drags off Adora, Catra's like "I'll catch up, okay?" and Adora's like "no no Catraaaaa" her voice is cracking and everything, she doesn't want to do this without her and also worries about Catra and that tentacle monster thing

I'm not gonna screenshot it but poor Glimmer is fighting her dad, who is still chipped and Evil.

Bow is fighting Scorpia, also chipped and Evil. Oh hey Melog shows up and makes Bow invisible.

Micah is MEAN when chipped. He calls Glimmer a failure.

Glimmer: "My mother raised me to be brave. My friends taught me to be kind. And I'm stubborn. I get that from you. I will never stop fighting! And I won't lose another parent! I love you, dad."

She blasts him with enough magic that he collapses.

Bow, invisible, types away on Entrapta's computer she set up in the Horde thing, but when he gets it to start to do its thing he gets excited and says "I've got it!!" and Scorpia hears it and blasts him and is standing over him about to get him.

Bow: "Prime may have made you do a lot of things, but he can't turn you into something you're not. So, right now, all I need you to do is trust me."

Her eyes get normal for a second and she yells, and Bow slams a button on Entrapta's computer. There's a bright light.

Where Sea Hawk is holding Mermista, her chip goes dead and falls off. We get a lovely montage of other characters from all over Etheria, like Huntara and the folks at Elberon, who'd been chipped having their eyes go back to normal!

Scorpia: "oh my gosh I am so sorry!!"

yeah she's definitely back to normal lol

up on Horde Prime's ship:

lol

"My device worked! I knew it would!"

Bow: "Hey, everyone. I'm Bow."

(lol there's so much story in just this frame alone)

But yeah they show people from all over Etheria stopping to watch him speak, including his dads.

"Right now, we're the only thing standing in the way of him controlling it forever. You might be feeling hopeless. You might be thinking "We don't stand a chance." And maybe we don't. Prime's too strong. His army is too powerful. But that's not gonna stop us. We need to show Prime we're not afraid of him, because we have each other. And we have love. We can't give up. And if we go down, we go down together. We need you. All of you."

"It's time to fight. For She-Ra, for our homes, for each other!"

Broadcast over, back to Horde Prime. "Put an end to this mockery."

Catra injures the tentacle monster thing, but now that green is spreading into the room, and as Catra runs down the hall towards the Heart, she stops as Horde Prime shows up in hologram form

"I had such high hopes for you." like what, dude. keeping her around and chipped like a fucking puppet as an example? eugh. (something something about how her speeches to Adora while chipped were an obvious reference to people proselytizing high-control faiths)

the moment of distraction is enough for the tentacle monster to grab one of Catra's legs and she screams in pain D:

also there's still a bunch of earthquakes happening as these two limp towards the Heart

Poor Adora is just weakly going "No...no...wait" Shadow Weaver: "Don't lose your focus. We're so close."

What's this WE shit.

But also damn one thing Shadow Weaver and Horde Prime (and Light Hope!) have in common is they both believe love and affection and "attachments" are weaknesses. Shadow Weaver just cannot seem to get it through her head that Adora's love for Catra (and vice versa) is helpful here. Not a detriment. Love isn't a distraction!!! It gives us a stable ground of security and safety from which to do hard things!!

Meanwhile poor Angella told Adora "take care of each other."

This is pulsating, and so is the Failsafe on Adora's chest

OH NO oh god Okay being near that much hardcore magic is making Shadow Weaver powerful--her hair does the floaty thing for the first time since, what, s2? And she starts reaching for it, but THEN--

Adora yells Catra's name and starts walking back towards her, and Shadow Weaver's hair falls down again and she says the most weirdly desperate-sounding "Adora, wait!"

Prime's hologram is still torturing Catra along with the actual tentacle monster

(someone has drawn rule 34 of that thing but I'm not looking for it. I am content to know it exists.)

AND THEN THE MONSTER GETS BLASTED BY SHADOW WEAVER AHAHA NICE

about time she was useful amiright

okay so is this Shadow Weaver actually realizing she's been wrong about The Power of Love, or is this just her begrudgingly accepting that these two are Sold as A Set, Do Not Separate, and unless Catra's there Adora won't be able to use the Failsafe because she'll be looking for Catra the whole time???

Like is this an emotional epiphany or just pragmatism?

oh god so she magically shoves Catra away (towards Adora), but Catra runs back to Shadow Weaver

And y'all I know I talked about this a LOT way back in earlier seasons but I cannot tell you how accurate this keeps being in regards to dealing with an abusive parent. Like if you'd asked me, even after I cut off contact, if I wanted my dad to die, I would've said No! Of course not! At that point I didn't know whether the no-contact thing was temporary or not. I just knew I needed time and space to not be constantly stressed and anxious, for a notification on my phone to not immediately fill me with so much adrenaline my hands shook.

Anyway Shadow Weaver puts up a magical shield to keep Catra back

Shadow Weaver's response is amazingly calm and quiet. "Please, Catra. You need to make sure Adora reaches the Heart. The magic must be set free."

Her fight with Tentacle Monster isn't going well.

Catra's voice is heartbreaking here. "Stop it! It's going to kill you!"

"But you, this is only the beginning for you."

;_;

STICK THAT KNIFE IN AND TWIST IT! YEAH!

Catra's crying "no...no..." and a hand reaches out and grabs hers

LOL FINALLY HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT okay going to reblog

what a moment for it pfft

[silverquillsideas]

Thai BL Favorite List

I have been tagged by @littleragondin thank you so much!

Credit to @thatgirl4815 for the original.

Favorite Thai BL:

I've watched a pretty decent number of thai bls over the years, but none have given me as much joy and laughter and butterflies as My School President :D I didn't expect it to take the top spot from A Tale of a Thousand Stars, but here we are :P

Favorite Pairing:

tbh this keeps changing for me everytime I get hyperfixated on a new show, but currently, it's both mileapo and geminifourth :3

Most underrated actor:

I don't know nearly enough about a lot of other thai bl actors in general, I confess T-T but I'd still say Mark Pakin! he's a really really talented guy, and he needs to be in more shows, and in main roles. He's for sure gonna kill it in a rom-com type of show, in a comedic main character role. dude is naturally hilarious lmao

Favorite Character:

toughest question HOW CAN YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE? UNFAIR!!!

I'm gonna pick two, because it'll be cruel to separate them, even in a tumblr ask game TT_TT

and they are : heartliming!!! my babies! my two little sunshines! I adore them both so much!! *sobs in the corner* altho I know MLC technically isn't a bl, but I'll still pick them <3

 Favorite Side Character:

Tiwson from MSP XD what can I say this show and its characters got me GOOD laskgskalsfs

Favorite Scene in a BL:

oh hands down the rooftop kiss from bad buddy the series!!! :D shit makes me feral even now, literal goosebumps T-T

Favorite Line in a BL:

oh I absolutely don't remember dialogs until it's something truly life altering asjhaskfsfs I'm genuinely drawing a blank here :")

Most Anticipated BL (and why):

tbh none currently. I'm not keeping up with new shows atm, so I don't really know that many upcoming shows rn

Healthiest Relationship in BL:

I'm glad we are getting so many more of these in recent bls! but my faves are (unsurprisingly) tinngun and heartliming!! it's really not an exaggeration when I say they healed my soul TT-TT

Most Toxic Relationship in BL:

tbh I mostly selectively forgot the plots and characters of most of the awful bls in the past. but it'll probably be th*ntyp* skgsjfsfs

Guilty Pleasure Series:

none??? If I do end up liking something cringey and awful by popular standards, you can bet I'll still scream abt it with as much enthusiasm as any other show I liked lol :D

Most Underrated Series:

I'd say He's Coming to Me and Moonlight Chicken. both deserved so much more hype than they got. MLC deserved a longer runtime with more fleshed out storylines (but P'Aof did a stellar job, as always) and HCTM was way ahead of its time in terms of the themes and messages it tackled. Thun's coming out scene to his mom still haunts me T-T

+BONUS

Favorite Setting/Location:

with this one, I'm the most basic b*tch ever, so I absolutely jump with joy whenever the thai bl staple emotional support BEACH SCENE comes along !!!! :D so many magical moments come out of that single beach episode, literally nothing beats this trope lol

I'm pretty sure everyone in the thai bl circles has already done it, but still : @solana-ceae @watchingblsnowandforever @bevioletskies @trilliastra @purple-worm and anyone else who wants to!! :)

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

I think part of why most people I've talked to like Hazbin Hotel better then Helluva Boss, and why most of the writing problems in Helluva aren't as present in Hazbin, are because Hazbin is an ensemble show that treats all it's characters as EQUALLY IMPORTANT, while Helluva Boss is an ensemble show that just. Really wants to be the Blitzø and Stolas show.

Like oh my god that show wants to be about only Blitzø and Stolas so bad. It's why Moxxie gets more focus then Millie(he's closer to Blitzø), it's why the Stolitz drama gets dragged out the way it does, it's why Fizz has been getting more attention then the rest of the supposed main cast lately. Viv and Brandon(who doesn't get brought up very often when discussing the writing in Helluva Boss despite being the main cowriter?) CLEARLY just wanna focus on Blitzø and Stolas' backstories and relationship, despite marketing Helluva as an ensemble show. Moxxie gets some time as an individual, but I think that's more of a biproduct of him being around for longer then the other side characters tbh. Like they were initially concieved FOR Hazbin, and I'm not really sure where production went from there, but I believe they were originally just supposed to be an assassin duo that showed up in Hazbin a couple times? Idk details are fuzzy so if anybody knows more and feels like sharing feel free to rb/comment with your knowledge. Anyways Moxxie has more depth because he's been in development for longer, and as season 2 progresses it really feels like they're running out of shit to talk about with him. Everybody else is secondary to those two, which would be FINE if the show was PRESENTED as being about Stolitz, but it's kinda. Not. The show, especially if your going off of the pilot, is presented more like "the Office but in Hell". That is the concept most people are drawn in by. So when the people who signed up for a funny ensemble show in Hell start watching and end up with just a bunch of relationship drama and some occasional focus on like 1 or 2 other characters, they get confused and put off. It's like trying to watch the Office but getting Bojack Horseman(I think. I don't know much abt BJH-) instead.

Meanwhile Hazbin is advertised as an ensemble show and, so far, has fulfilled that promise. All 4 of the episodes we've gotten so far have focused on different characters and, between them, given an equal amount of focus to everyone except maybe Niffty. Episode 1 had Charlie and Vaggie leading the subplots, episode 2 had weirdly Vox and Sir Pentious as the focuses?, episode 3 was about. Pretty much everyone really but Velvette, Carmilla and Vaggie got especially highlighted because of their songs, and episode 4 was focused entirely on Angel and his relationships with the rest of the cast. Like. That's how ensemble shows are supposed to work. And while Charlie is still the main focus of the show, and I'm sure we'll see her get highlighted a whole lot more in coming episodes, Hazbin is still at it's core about EVERYBODY. Even characters that aren't even close to mains are getting attention! And aside from some uh. Very obvious pacing issues, the show handles the ensemble cast surprisingly well! And like, I think the main complaint I've seen(that isn't a straight up controversy) is that the Hotel isn't the main focus of the show? Which like. To be fair we're only like four episodes in? And also fits into my false advertising argument about Helluva but honestly this post is getting long and my brain is kinda melting and it's almost 2am and I have school tomorrow so I'm gonna cut this off here.

In conclusion Hazbin Hotel is generally more well liked than Helluva Boss because it's a true ensemble show, while Helluva is actually the Blitzø show PRETENDING to be an ensemble show. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk :)

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Loki Episode 1 Reactions (Less Coherent Edition)

It's been two and a half years, y'all, and what a start to the new season it was. (I've seen mixed reviews in the tag, but personally the initial reaction is I loved it.) What I apparently forgot in those two years, however, is that my in-the-moment reactions notes are not very coherent. So I apologize in advance if you aren't sure what part the note refers to. I'm going to make another post tomorrow with some more coherent thoughts around the episode and some predictions about the season in general (I'm also going to be rewatching the episode later so that might lend more clarity to the next post as well). I also cut out a chunk of my reactions that were just me screaming a character's name when they showed up, unless it makes sense for the next note to leave it in (and there were a lot of these, since it's been two and a half years since I've seen my friends).

Obligatory spoiler warning if you weren't already expecting them. Prepare for some wildness. I've bracketed [ ] some brief clarifying post-ep notes (not everywhere though).

I'm obnoxious, I'm watching the entire recap.

The editing of this recap is interesting.

The bleak theme is worrying. I don't like it. But I do love the color scheme of the logo.

SYLVIE???!!!

CASEY!!!

Okay hopefully that wasn't Sylvie.

Someone give this boi [Loki] a nap. He's had a very very very long day and it's only getting longer.

What the fuck is happening.

X-5 you've got the haircut of a cop, I've decided I don't like you.

Man, I hope we fix this time-slipping in this episode, it's stressing me out too fucking much.

Oh motherfuck. This is driving me insane. This is Sisyphean torture. [I don't remember what specifically I was referring to, so I don't remember if this is an accurate description.]

OH MY GOD I LOVE LIZ CARR I HOPE SHE STICKS AROUND [Man, Liz Carr is just hopping from franchise to franchise this summer. She's in Loki, Good Omens, The Witcher)

OH SHIT. Renslayer and Kang. If they kiss on tape I'm marking it on the Bingo.

I DESPERATELY want to know what B-15's backstory is. She's a fantastic character and I want to know how she used this personality on the timeline.

Keep that Hitler youth-looking fuck away from my girl!

Oh my god, I'm going to be watching this conversation in the hall between Loki and Mobius over and over, because I love every part of it. The panicking, the teasing, the touching, the making each other feel better. Just the entire debriefing, reuniting conversation is EVERYTHING to me right now.

"In order to do that I need a Loki Who Remains." I love this

"I have no memory of having my memory wiped." Mobius. This is Catherine Tate on Nevermind the Buzzcocks telling David Tennant "I don't know songs I've never heard of" solidarity [I understand I'm making obscure 13+ year old references but this quote lives in my head rent free]

Ugh I HATE time travel. But it makes sense why his name is OB now. Also his door is a circle.

OB IF YOU KILL LOKI I WILL END YOUR CUTE BESPECTACLED FACE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY "No...wait."

OB IF YOU KILL MOBIUS I WILL PERSONALLY FLAY THE SKIN FROM YOUR OWN BONES

Mobius writing "skin" into the dust on the computer lololololol

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING JUST LET LOKI CONFESS

OB I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS IF ONE OF THESE BOYS EVEN SEEMS TO DIE AT THE END OF THIS EP

HOW IS HE GONNA HOOF IT BACK IF HE CAN BARELY CRAWL [I started getting really stressed at this point. It's pretty much caps lock from here on out.]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA END THIS EPISODE WITH MO BITING IT AND THEN LOKI FIXES IT IN EP TWO AND BRINGS HIM BACK

OR LOKI BITES IT AND THE OTHER WAY HAPPENS

THERE'S ELEVEN MINUTES LEFT BUT I DON'T TRUST MARVEL NOT TO MAKE ELEVEN MINUTES OF CREDITS

MARVEL DON'T MAKE ME CHECK OFF THE CRYING BOX [on the Bingo Card] ON EPISODE ONE

MARVEL

I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP

MARVEL

LOKI

MOBIUS

LOKI

MOBIUS

SYLVIE MY DARLING MY PERFECT LOVE THANK YOU OH MY GOD

How wild is it that Loki comes flying back from the jaws of death itself and saves Mobius from getting his skin ripped off and they land on the floor of the TVA in each other's arms, and the first thing Loki does is bring up his ex-girlfriend [I wouldn't classify Sylvie as this, but I'm being tongue-in-cheek, and Mobius did accuse Loki of falling for himself in season 1, so]

OKAY BUT I WAS RIGHT THAT WAS SYLVIE AT THE BEGINNING [Before you reply, remember I can't respond to those, and also I forgot that was the past and at the end Loki's in the future. HOWEVER, I do still think that was Sylvie at the beginning.]

SHE IS IN BROXTON HELL YEAH WHOEVER FIGURED THAT OUT (I don't remember who that was) FOUR FOR YOU HOLY SHIT

Oh Sylvie :(((

[nono-bunny]

Thoghts from watching the ATLA live action!

Episode 4:

Holy shit Iroh and Aang are cellmates this is such a fun scenario!! Gives some strong Crossroads of Destiny vibes, ngl. Also, the crytals look cool!!!

Oh I'm genuinely so glad they didn't just... Move on from Sai working for the Fire Nation, I was genuinely doubtful they were gonna adress it tbh! Now I just need a Sokka and Jet confrontation and I'll be happy, though, that isn't likely to happen unfortunately.

I really do like what they did with Sai and Sokka though- this kinda feels like him starting a pattern of trying to look for replacement father figures tbh, which really fits with how much more visibly he's fixated on being like Hakoda here. It's sad and sweet at the same time, and I'm really interested to see how they'll write Hakoda!

Fuck yes, spy Zuko!!!

Smh kid Bumi isn't crazy enough, is it really THAT hard to find just. A completely unhinged looking kid?? Nah obviously I'm joking, he's cute haha it obviously wouldn't have been possible to have the visual similarities we see in the og so just having his unique laugh to identify him by works!

Idk what was up with Iroh's writing in the first episodes, he felt really foreign to me but over time he genuinely finally starts feeling like Iroh so I'm glad they got into the groove with his writing! He's still a bit too open which feels weird, but he uses more veiled language now while doing it so it works better. Also? I heard they used Leaves From The Vine, but damn it still got me!!

Haha YES, this was genuinely a change I always wanted: Sokka and Katara in the tunnels instead of Aang and Katara!! Not for shipping reasons, because that's gross, but because I always felt it would've been real funny haha

Wait are they fr sending Iroh to face punishment? I was sure he was next to Aang as part of a White Lotus thing or just until Bumi heard he was there!! I'm guessing he... Still doesn't know? I'm guessing this whole thing is a spin on when Iroh gets taken from the hot springs, but Bumi being directly in charge only works if it's all a ploy or if he hasn't been informed that they have the Dragon of the West in captivity- which would be wild!! Unless he's busy constructing puzzles for Aang lmao idk

So like. Given that the siblings are going to the tunnels, Aang is meeting Bumi, and Zuko is rescuing Iroh... I guess we just drop the Jet plot until next season??? Man, what a bummer. That was too short and didn't even hit all the high point of meeting him in the original. Like, they honestly could've had him try to appear and try to atone by trying to help and getting rejected and yelled at, but instead he just confirms his evil plans and is never seen again? Like, literally, what did he even do here? Despite being on screen for longer, his betrayal somehow doesn't seem as impactful because there's no time for Katara to process it last episode, like. Again, I hope to god this is a thing she has to kinda wrestle with a lot next season- I also kinda hope Sokka somehow independently meets him with Aang again and doesn't realize that the guy from the cart is the same guy Katara talked about, and that these two get to have their own Jet disappointment because again!! So far taking Sokka out of the Jet plot is genuinely the biggest issue I have with this show. Katara's arc seems to be headed to the same place albeit in a very different pace, but this is something that would be INCREDIBLY hard to fix. Like? I get it, I understand that what Sokka learns in that episode doesn't have to happen there, but. It's genuinely one of my favorite episodes because of how both of the water tribe siblings get to learn something from interacting with this charming duplicitous guy, and taking out Sokka's growth kinda just? Leaves us with Katara getting betrayed while bottling it up (likely until either they meet again or until Zuko's actions remind her of it- it'll probably also be important with Hama), it kinda just becomes "Katara gets a crush on a bad boy and gets hurt" which? Idk it feels weird, it was presented differently here and she feels much less silly and willfully blind because for the longest time no one tells her to be wary of Jet but. I still don't like how ultimately Jet was just there to disappoint Katara and interact with literally no one else. I mean!! I love Jet, of course I too had a crush on him, he's iconic and important and of course he had to be a part of this, but. Truly, they minimized the hurt he causes so much that I just kinda feel like he might as well not have appeared with how little he ultimately impacted things, at least for right now. I'm really hoping he gets an expanded role next season that helps to make up for how much his appearance was minimized, or that we see this have a tangible impact on Katara, because as it stands... It was just kind of a disappointing cameo appearance rather than something that felt like it needed to be there. Anyway this is all more about last episode but I still held out a bit of hope for it to be resolved better so. To see that Sai and Teo get to face a bit of emotional fallout set up last episode because they get to further the plot, while Jet just vanishes... It sucks, and it hurts, and I hate it. Anyway, onwards, I guess!

Teo has genuinely been changed so much he straight up isn't the same character anymore, and it's... Strange. I don't really like it too much, tbh. He's like, EXTREMELY cynical and eager to fight, and it's such a strange change from a character whose entire purpose originally was to kind of mirror Aang and help nudge him along on his journey. I genuinely can't tell if they just thought that living in a city under constant threat rather than literally amongst the clouds would mean he would kind of have to be different, or if it was an attempt to make him cooler or whatever. Regardless, I don't like it, tbh he kinda pisses me off a bit? He's SO serious and angry all the time and it just. Feels weird when he only resembles his original counterpart through his name and use of a wheelchair. Everything else about him is nowhere to be seen! If you compare his situation to Katara, it might seem similar on the surface- except, Katara is a main character who clearly still has a character arc ahead of her (and also all of her defining traits are still there), while Teo shows up like twice. It's kinda vital that he isn't too complex and keeps his original personality because he doesn't have the same leeway to grow that a main character does, otherwise he risks just becoming someone else entirely... And that's what happened. The thoughtful and cheerful boy with an interest in Air Nomad culture is all but gone, replaced with yet another angry warrior, and? While I get how it's probably more likely for him to become the latter, I also very much miss and lament the loss of the former. Sai is very much the stronger adaptational character of the two, and he's the only one of the two to get to have a real impact on one of the Gaang. It... Sucks.

Lmao Flopsy my beloved what have they done to you?? Guess they ran out of CG budget haha

Oh, this Bumi has a very strange and uncomfortable vibe, so like... Perfect! He was always gonna be hard to translate to live action, and I saw a lot of people dislike how they portray him here, and I kind of get it? He's not very likeable, he feels like kind of a bad ruler and a bit cruel... And that actually tracks? I read the showrunner said he wanted to focus a bit more on how upset Bumi is about Aang disappearing and reappearing in his life, and that underlying anger absolutely comes through. Bumi is... Kind of scary, and as someone that has a rep for being The Crazy King or whatever, I feel like that perfectly fits!

Jet!!!! He's here!! Kinda feels like it might be a dream ngl, it just has that vibe? Or maybe that's just how happy I am to see they didn't abandon him haha. He's... Still only gonna interact with Katara though, isn't he? :(

Uh? So, I'm gonna have to be filled in on when Katara learned physical self defense. It was very cool, but it felt like nothing I've ever seen her to do before. Anyway real cool moment for Katara there overall, it was great! It in particular really stands out against the cartoon in the way she manifests her anger. She's like. Definitely angry here, and it's very clear she's also just once again tempering it and moving on- no time for this, no time for Jet, no time for fighting... And at some point all of those repressed feelings are gonna have to overflow. It was a very cool scene, but it was, once again, sorely lacking Sokka's presence. More than anything, I just. Wish for these two to meet independent of Katara and get to have their own clash. Honestly? I feel like they could potentially catch two birds with one stone by having the Gaang split up earlier next season, specifically, have Suki help them get to Ba Sing Se earlier so get to meet Jet or something. Idk, the idea isn't fully formed, but it definitely feels like the most likely point for them to get to meet and it would make me really happy for everyone to have a bit more interaction with Suki before she formally joins them in the last season. Like? Maybe Jet and Sokka meeting could be Sokka's story in a Tales of Ba Sing Se sort of episode? As much as I love the haiku club... It's almost certainly getting the chop- also, I heard that the biggest and most important plotpoint of that episode already gets revealed in this first season so? It's likely just not gonna happen, or if it does it might just be like, a bonus one for fun idk. Regardless that season has a lot of "filler" that can easily be dropped, and Jet and Sokka meeting feels to important to just. Never happen, and!! I want it so badly, fuck!!

Yo ngl Zuko's helmet do be making him look like Melonlord

Lol prompting a conflicted Zuko with "well? Are you just gonna stand there? What are you gonna do?" Is fucking hysterical

Bumi is fr so pathetic, fucking no one likes his jokes but his the king and having people have to laugh this time is genuinely hilarious. It also makes everything so much more menacing!! I get why people didn't like what they did with him, but I think it's an interesting direction to go with his character and I think they handle it really well. If anything? Having to stick to some of the original characteristics and reusing the jokes really hurt his momentum imo

The Omashu story looks beautiful!! Ngl I don't really understand why they changed it to a lesbian couple? It literally changes nothing, their genders doesn't matter to the story, so I genuinely don't care one way or the other, it's just... A strange choice to make haha

The singing nomads are always fun, though in my ideal Secret Tunnel scenario they go in with Sokka and Katara and annoy the shit out of Sokka. Miss them already. Also, I do miss Dee Bradley Baker- just. In general, but also, can't help but think of him when I see these guys- it's his song after all!

Forgot to comment on Iroh taking the Lotus tile last episode, so I'm happy to see it back in action here! Do kinda wonder how June will track him in the last season without his smelly sandal though haha

Really cool scene with the rock candy!! Obviously the original way it's presented is off the table, and they instead made it into a really beautiful little action scene!

Ngl something about seeing Zuko pick up a White Lotus got me choked up a bit. The hesitation with Zuko between Aang and Iroh didn't really feel like that big a deal here given the different circumstances behind Iroh's capture, I mean? Obviously Zuko was never gonna abandon Iroh after he sacrificed himself, so not going after Aang here wasn't really that much of a sacrifice on his part in comparison, just... Basic decency to return the favor, which kinda lessened the impact and you might as well miss there was even a conflict with how little of the episode he spends thinking of Aang, but. I like it, it's sweet to see their connection here anyway. Definitely does feel like Zuko is a bit too close to redemption at all times during this season though, Iroh is being WAY too obvious about his true allegiances imo, but tbf... I doubt anyone could go into ATLA blind nowadays, and maybe making Iroh more transparent and Zuko more sympathetic is a way to later drop the shoe ever harder during Crossroads of Destiny- like, THAT'S how much of a wrong choice he makes there, it goes against his entire characterization thus far... But the bait Azula used was too alluring. Or something like that, idk, maybe it's just. Tough to write such a beloved character back into his worst version? Idk, I kinda get why people wish he was less obviously on a path to redemption but frankly? I think it's just an Iroh issue again, they really seem to struggle with writing him to appear silly or without depth as the first season kinda necessitates, and his unwavering support and pushing for sure make Zuko a lot less lost here. I wish he got to be a bit more, but again: this show was the first time in a long time, maybe ever, that ATLA managed to make me be afraid of Zuko, so. Idk. Mixed feelings- he's not all sugar here AT ALL, but he definitely still is a bit too much for this point. I genuinely do think that Iroh's ability to reach him and be straight to the point needed to be heavily nerfed tbh, I think that's the main issue with Zuko's appearing too sympathetic here

Okay, so. Genuinely not exaggerating here when I say: Sokka saying he has a hunch stole my breath away, made me choke up, and tears welled up in my eyes. Like! THAT'S how taken off guard I was with them bringing back my favorite underrated Sokka trait: his instincts. The time it took me to write this was enough for me to genuinely just start crying while thinking about it, like. Genuinely I'm so happy and relieved this managed to find its way into the show, I'm. A bit overwhelmed rn and I don't know that I can put my feelings about it into words rn so I'll be back when I have something else to say, for now: I am RIDICULOUSLY happy with this development, it means a lot to me personally.

Wait I'm immediately back: this is strange, right? The initial utter joy blinded me but this is like... The exact opposite of what Sokka initially does in this episode, this is kinda funny lmao

I think I can pretty confidently say by now that Sokka and Katara's relationship is my favorite part of this adaptation. They always bring out both the best and the worst in each other, their scenes are always bot fun and also just... Cathartic to me in a personal way because they always manage to hit everything that feels missing until they go at each other. It's genuinely perfect, I love them so much. Like? Yeah Ian Ousley is possibly a stinky liar, but he and Kiawentiio have a great rapport and work really well as the unique twists of their characters that this LA is going for. I really, really enjoy them.

Istg Sokka in the cave is just spitting out one pop culture reference after another and it's genuinely bizarre

So, Iroh was provoking that guy to let him take out his anger, right? That's genuinely the only way I can read that scene for it to make sense. Sympathizing with the guy wouldn't have helped, he wouldn't care that Iroh knows he was wrong and that he only realized it when he lost someone too, so he just let him vent by playing the bad guy ig? Idk what I think of that scene tbh- Iroh being a hated general is something that needed a bit more fleshing out for Zuko taking the throne to make sense, so I don't hate it, but. It was weird to see Iroh be so obstinate in the face of someone who was clearly hurting because of his actions. The expected Iroh move would have been some wise words any sympathy that leads to bonding and healing, and it felt SO weird that it just. Didn't happen, and yet... At the same time, I kinda got it, and I do really appreciate this scene, even if the characterization feels off in a way- which, tbh, most Iroh scenes do. It wasn't a bad one, it just felt really strange to keep expecting him to do something and for him to just... Not. Iroh is definitely both the same and yet feels really different and I just. I can't get used to him tbh.

The flashback mourning scene immediately after was also nice, although it was a bit funny how Dallas just looked exactly the same age when it should've been more than three years in the past. Once again Zuko is slightly too sympathetic too early, but at this point I kinda think that's just what they're going for- they're doubling down on showing him as misguided and wilfully blind rather than cruel, which is a realization you do come to during the first season of the original to be fair... It's just a lot less subtle about it here, with much less time where you just view Zuko as The Enemy. It's very clearly from very early on that this is also his journey, and as that gives me more Zuko... I don't even necessarily hate it lmao, it's just different. I think that so long as they keep being consistent about why Zuko is still refusing to "turn good" it can work really well, and ig with Azula coming early... They increased the pressure on him from both sides, which is actually kinda interesting and something i didn't realize until literally just now. Honestly I think half of the point of me writing these is just... To help me get my thoughts in order, to help me see the show for itself rather than just as a cut down version of the story, and honestly? So far it's actually working really well in terms of helping me come to terms and appreciating some of the weirder/bigger changes they make. Still the one unforgivable change is no Jet and Sokka confrontation- I'm glad they didn't entirely drop what Sokka learns there, but. I just love that episode so much that it being changed so severely really hurts in a way I can't reasonably reconcile. Everything they did and all the reasons for it makes sense, and it all works really well in the end but. It's still just a terrible personal loss haha

I do think that ultimately Katara was right and said something Sokka needed to hear (he's not his dad) and I don't like how it was brushed under the rug a bit but I guess he's not really ready to confront that quite yet- that'll probably come when he reunites with Hakoda, huh?

Oh my god it's happening again!!! Istg it feels like some characters just. Straight up accidentally exist in the wrong universe- Bumi and Kyoshi both chide Aang for traits he doesn't have here, and he never gets called out for the in the original. Genuinely it feels so bizarre, like these characters come from another world where what they're saying is true. More than ever this show feels like it was made by fans who loved the show so much they wanted to see it be better, and when given the opportunity they just kinda... Went ham on both fixing the flaws while also directly acknowledging and trying to fix them, except it doesn't make sense because they don't exist here. It's so disorienting and, frankly, super funny and personally validating to realize the writers also probably had screaming meltdowns over Aang being a bad main character, and feeling so strong about it that they just had to include it still. It feels like the biggest callout post possible, it's genuinely so funny, and as nonsensical as it is... I love it, and for me it makes the show feel like it was written by like mined people- I get it, y'all, I too would both fix and yell at Aang if given the opportunity! It's genuinely such a mood and so relatable of them, so even if it's kind of a mess... I love it, because I get it.

I think it's a really cute and fun twist to have the crystals not be the way, but rather, the badgermoles. It gives both aspects of the cave a chance to show up, and even though I do kinda wish we got to see a disgruntled Sokka strumming his way out of the cave... This was a really sweet resolution. Also, spending most of the time they're in the cave be in the dark and thus under the light of the crystal made for a much more visually interesting episode than it would be otherwise, while also being a nod to them originally being trapped in crystal in Aang's Bumi Adventure. Tbh THESE are two episodes that work great when separating the cast- Sokka and Katara literally did nothing in Bumi's episode, while Aang being there in Cave of Two Lovers did more harm than good in my humble opinion. As I thought I would, I like Sokka and Katara going through the cave together MUCH more- it allowed for a more organic conflict, had more potential for funny moments (that wasn't really utilized because for the most part this adaptation doesn't really do or seem to get comedy- I mean, the funny Bumi moments absolutely bombed here!), and just... Wasn't Kataang focused, which is always a plus!!

Ngl it's kinda embarrassing how much I cared about Sokka's instincts to the point that it made me THAT emotional- btw I don't like that it wasn't followed up on like originally, here it was just brought up and he turned out to be wrong which sucked a bit- unless the crystals were meant to lead them to the badgermole? Idk, wish this was a stronger through line because now he just looks like a fool- which the original episode made sure he wasn't, that was like, the whole point there!!

Genuinely WHERE was this Bumi in the original show,,,,, Anyway this Bumi fight kinda feels like the first cool earthbending we see, which. Ngl, checks out with the original lmao.

My god do I wish Katara and Sokka were able to actually do anything in the original episode with Bumi after seeing this, this was fantastic!!! I'm tearing up, genuinely, this was fantastic!! It really feels like what Aang could've become originally if he was challenged more. I really do appreciate and feel for Bumi here, and for once in a very long time.... I'm also rooting for Aang. That's genuinely not a small thing to accomplish for me! As much as I think what Bumi is saying here has merit, I also believe that this is an Aang that can learn to mediate and make the hard choices when he must- so long as he considers other perspectives, allows his friends to help him, and does the same for them in return. And for how distant Aang feels from Sokka and Katara right now? I believe they genuinely can and will grow closer to a degree they can be this for each other. This was an awesome moment and. Idk. Having genuine faith in Aang feels so foreign to me at this point, almost novel, and I hope to god they don't squander this later on. Watching this episode was actually so healing? Idk if it was just that it took me like, literal hours because I kept pausing to write a lot here so it felt like a long journey to get here, but. I'm really happy with where things ended up, generally!

Uhhh so. Zuko's lot in life is being on water, is it, Iroh? Lmao I know that's absolutely not what he meant but of course my brain IMMEDIATELY started barking "Zutara! Zutara? ZUTARA!" like a rabid dog- that is MY lot in life. Anyway I do think the two Iroh and Zuko scenes at the end here were probably the best ones of the two of them so far! And closing with Zuko having another "Aang vs Iroh" moment just to cement the message here was probably a wise choice especially given how brief the first one was. This one worked a lot better, and it was also really pretty visually!! Actually, for whatever reason I think this show generally looks the best when it's working with blue tones for whatever reason, and as this episode had a lot of them it was one I was constantly really impressed by visually! The green here was a bit hit or miss, but the blue scenes kinda always look really good!! Actually, Wolf Cove looked cool too, and it was pretty blue as well! Hmm. Something to try and pay attention to from now on and if I do a rewatch ig?

This episode honestly did a much better job at adapting two storylines simultaneously, and it was just... Overall better for the most part than the previous one. Bumi was a bit questionable in that he initally leaned too heavily on his original personality and gags rather than embrace this new version (ironically, the opposite of what they should've done with Teo), but for the most part I like the changes they made here! Iroh remains the shakiest and most immersion breaking part of this show- due to no fault of the actor, by the way, he does a good job, the writing is just really inconsistent with him- but if I ignore how uncanny and ooc at times he feels to me, I did generally like his scenes here and what they were meant to do. Genuinely don't know if Iroh is an issue for other people or if for some reason I'm just fixated on him feeling off tbh? Anyway Katara and Sokka were in top form this episode, as I came to expect from scenes that focus on their bond! It was definitely brought down a bit by having to resolve the weaker previous episode and its weird adapations of Jet, Sai and Teo right at the start but it managed to pick itself back up really well- and the Sokka and Katara fight put a nice little bow on it for now, so I'm relatively satisfied with how they wrapped it up. Still hope for a big Sokka and Jet fight though, and still don't really appreciate what they did with Teo. But the bulk of this episode was great- if not in execution, at least in the ideas it portrayed, so I'm happy enough with it tbh.

This post was, once again, a mess as it's just me writing down my thoughts as they occur to me with very minimal editing, if I bother with it at all, but. Yeah it's pretty funny that I'm constantly just lamenting how they remove something and then they still include it later haha, it's becoming kind of a pattern!

[screechthemighty]

Okay I'm gonna get this off my chest for the five people who follow me for Star Wars content and then go back to Trigun Hell to soothe my pain but like

It's not, necessarily, that Din gave up the Darksaber. I know and agree that Din doesn't want that kind of leadership role, at least not long-term. Personally when I wrote him as having been Mandalore in that one fic, I was very much picturing it as a short-term thing where he got the job done and peace'd out the second he wasn't needed anymore. He definitely isn't looking to be in charge of anything for longer than strictly necessary. So that's not the issue. THE ACTUAL ISSUE is threefold (and under a cut for length, obvi).

One: Twice now the writing has thrown something at Din that could lead to really interesting plotting and done nothing with it.

Seriously, both of the potentially interesting develops of the s2 finale are just out the damn window. He loses Grogu, he gets him back in 1.5 episodes in ANOTHER GUY'S SHOW, the separation doesn't amount to anything for EITHER character. He gets the Darksaber, a chance for him to really connect with his culture, reclaim it for his people AND himself, even if he doesn't stay in the role long-term (because again, I don't think he would!!). Din Djarin's faith in the Creed and his adherence to it, even when he had to break it for legitimate reasons is one of his primary character traits, and him reuniting the Mandalorian people and bringing them home would've been SUCH a good story for him, ESPECIALLY when he's demonstrated all the right traits of a Mandalorian on top of great diplomatic skills and a unique ability to bring disparate people together (HE EVEN DID IT THIS EPISODE). But no, he just. Gives it to Bo-Katan? After NOT giving it to Paz when that was ALSO a chance for him to get rid of it?? If the end goal was to not be a leader, why not Paz?? Because...

Two: The writing is now fully centering around Bo-Katan

Okay, I'll admit bias here: I've had beef with the Kryze clan ever since the writing ruined Mandalorians in The Clone Wars back in the day. I also never finished Clone Wars and never watched Rebels because Echo's "death" bummed me out so bad that I stopped caring about the animated side of Star Wars. But you wanna look me in the eyes, dangle a show about one of my favorite father-son duos in front of me, and then yank it all away to be about...BO-KATAN'S journey?? After she spent Clone Wars a terrorist? After she was so horrifically rude to Din last season and spent the first chunk of her episodes in this season just blatantly not giving a shit about HER OWN CULTURE?? She's had a what, two episode heel-face turn that served less as a humbling rediscovery of herself and more as a reaffirmation of how special and perfect she is??? It's insulting. So much of the writing is just shoving her back into the forefront as being the Manda's Specialist Princess, right down to the Armorer giving her a special pass to break their interpretation of the Creed for her and throwing out that "walks both paths" bullshit. And SPEAKING OF how rude she was to Din!!!

Three: Okay this is. This is racist-flavored, I'm sorry, this is just blatantly flavored like racism I'm sorry I hate to have to say this but -

Disclaimer I am, myself, white, so I'm LESS of an authority on this than a lot of other people, but like. The context of Din giving up the Darksaber made it actually worse than I was thinking when I first saw that spoiler. That rat bastard Woves saying that Din isn't real Mandalorian in part because of his bloodlines, that he SHOULDN'T carry the Darksaber because of that, and then the writing having Din reaffirm that by giving up the Darksaber WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF HAVING HIS HERITAGE QUESTIONED, is. That's gross!!! I'm sorry, that's really freaking gross. That's nasty. They couldn't even give him the dignity of giving it up because he genuinely doesn't want it. They had to throw out there that no, actually, he HAS to give it back, because a bunch of purists within the Mandalorians will never take him seriously, they will ONLY take our perfect pure-blooded princess seriously. Did seriously NO ONE see how that comes across?? Did no one see how icky that is?? And I'm super pressed about this one because I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, okay, but no, they're just back to doubling down on "Din is in a cult and it's bad" with their WHOLE chests. I hate it. I hate it here. I miss Andor.

tl;dr it's not that I think Din should've been Mandalore forever, it's that the context around why he gave up the Darksaber is shit. They could've done this any other way, but no. No! They chose the worst way. Seriously, I miss Andor so bad.

[dissonantdreamer]

rewatching both ep 4 and 5 for a longer post, ND could have easily done a whole episode dedicated to Sam and Henry if they wanted to. We could have watched them grow up, see the last few weeks/months they endured before getting to the point in the story where they run into Joel and Ellie. Instead they wrote in a poorly executed white character that effectively took so much narrative screen time from them. There was a whole other story happening that we didn't get to see in the game that ND decided to not tell here. One that the could have easily been worked into another story of love and shown how fucking hard these two fought for each other. I don't feel at all like I got to know them as deeply as I did Bill and Frank. Their deaths felt cruel, more so than the games. In game it felt hopeless, here it just felt empty after the first watch. They could have had a whole episode dedicated to them that took inspiration from the game yet was still unique and it's own story and the directors really said, nah we're not gonna show that. I'm so tired of them choosing this shit. when they've shown they can change the story up if they wanted to.

[falloutcoys]

longer thoughts on the first 3 episodes of w.bg, but not more coherently organized

I went in mostly blind, only knowing there were timeline shenanigans and what was in the description on the podcatcher and honestly glad, because I'm loving even just the few twists we've had so far!

Love love love the fucked up games horror subgenre, maybe because I watched Saw played Heavy Rain way too much as a kid but I digress. So when you combine that with time shenanigans, well, it's literally my dream come true.

Mike is so right that if you have this type of time altering tech you should have language to speak about it in a better way than we can. Another tense and a way to say 'now' that implies something deeper than your place in time are necessary. I think I'm gonna run into these problems during my writeup haha

At first Mike's affect was not meshing well with me but that went away by episode two. That's when I really got hooked. Hearing the voicemail was the first "oh shit" moment and I was on the edge of my seat. Then hearing his whole deathbox he built and that it ONLY TOOK HIM 3 DAYS TO WORK UP TO IT!!! I was so glad to have that reaction vindicated later by Cannonball because Mike acting like that was soooo long to deliberate made me thinking I was overly squeamish.

Speaking of squeamish, I have never had a podcast give me suck a visceral reaction. I was driving and I thought I might have to pull over because I was feeling sick. I kept squirming and curled my left arm up without even realizing at first lmao. I think it was just the... coldness in which he spoke about the gory details of doing it to himself?

So interested in the scoreboard and what's going on there. What's Mike gonna choose as a codename, or will he? How many people are playing? If Mike is #1 after two games and Cannonball has only done three (if he's telling the truth, which I don't think he is about everything), how many games are there and how far has any one person gotten? In fact, how long has the game been running (if that is even a meaningful question considering time shenanigans)?

So many more questions and with how many episodes there are, I'm sure not all will be answered and those I get answered will only lead to further questions.

I feel like having our main character be... a slightly shitty guy (by his own words) is a really good perspective we don't see too often. He isn't particularly cool, at least so far, so it isn't that edgy sort of anti-hero. He's just a dude who can be an ass sometimes. And is kind of wildly okay with chopping his own limb off, but not as chill with cop killing I guess. I think my line in the sand would go the other way but, okay Mike.

I definitely should have called the challenge being cop killing but I was still pretty icky feeling from the arm chop, and for some reason when I read the title and saw pig my brain kept thinking of that episode of Black Mirror

God I'm hooked. I should write but I think I will listen to episode four instead