#how did such an insane episode move me so emotionally

[scoups4lyfe]

Finally! Episode 5 of Donbrothers is one of my favorites because it has some great lines from the characters and things to laugh about. Also some really cute stuff with the donbrothers, also another Taro Flashback, be prepared (Every single flashback hits like a Train).

Wish I had seen this before

hit me in the face like a train

[hisnie]

I hate the way people treat Katara in The Southern Raiders.

The way that people put Aang on a pedestal of someone who can do no wrong makes me hate discussing the show with ATLA fans. I like Aang, but he isn’t the morally good character that he says he is and the fans only prove this.

In TSR, Katara is given the opportunity by Zuko to get revenge against the man who killed her mother.

First I want to start off with Katara’s exchange with Sokka.

Katara asks Aang for Appa to go on the journey with Zuko, he tries to persuade her otherwise and then Sokka tells Katara, “Katara, she was my mother too but I think Aang is right”.

And so Katara says the infamous line, “Well you didn’t love her the way I did.”

This is when people go insane but what Katara’s says is somewhat reasonable. Katara and Sokka have different versions of love for their mother, you can be siblings but still love your parents differently from your sibling. People also never put in perspective that Katara has the view of a child with survivors guilt while Sokka is able to move on from his mother’s death because he is a kid who understands war. From a young child, even in TSR episode, it shows him wanting to fight back against the Fire Nation and him wanting to be involved in the war between his people and the Fire Nation. I also believe that Sokka does feel sorrow for Yue’s death, but isn’t hung up on it like Katara is with their mothers death because he understands that at the end of the day, Yue’s sacrifice was her duty and a product of war. Their mother’s death was an outcome of war.

I love Sokka, but when he says this line:

He’s dismissing her feelings. It’s like he’s saying, “We both lost our mother, but because I don’t want revenge, you shouldn’t either” which isn’t fair to Katara at all. Ofc I don’t believe Sokka meant for it to come out like that but that’s what it sounded like.

But you can also use the fact that Sokka grew up in a sort of toxic masculinity mentality. You can also use the fact that Sokka held his emotions in too about their mother’s death and that was also damaging to him. Which is true, I could support that too.

And my response to that is that you shouldn’t force others to grieve how you grieve.

Katara can’t just forgive Yon Rha like Aang can when it comes to the genocide of his people because they are fundamentally different people with different backgrounds and settings.

Obviously they don’t force Katara to stay on the island and not go on the quest, but they do admonish her and compare her to Jet (which is a lil finicky because Jet did do bad things but also changed towards the end of his life to do good and also help the gang) which is demeaning to who she is. She even defends herself by saying she isn’t like Jet, she isn’t attacking an innocent person, she’s attacking the man who led the raids against her people and killed her mother.

This brings me to my gripe with Aang in this episode and previous episodes. I can’t recall a single episode where Aang acknowledges what happens to her and comforts her. It’s always Katara comforting Aang when he is emotionally distressed. When he learned about the death of his people, when Appa was taken, and when he was questioning his honor of being the Avatar. It’s always Katara comforting him but it’s never really reciprocated back to her.

In this scene, Aang tells Katara that she should forgive Yon Rha and she says, “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

Because Aang never tries to. It’s either his way or no way. Aang is a pacifist and I respect that, Aang wants to preserve the culture of his people and I also respect that. However, Katara doesn’t have the same views as him. Katara never stated to be a pacifist, Katara never stated to believe in the views of the Air Nomads, so obviously there would be a disconnect between the two of them because they grew up with a different culture and different world views. They also grew up in the different times, Aang grew up in peace while Katara was born during a war.

It’s honestly disingenuous to ask Katara to forgive the man who killed her mother, just because Aang can forgive the fire nation for their atrocities to his people, doesn’t mean she can too. People grieve differently. Katara outburst was bound to happen because no one in the group ever acknowledges her pain. Only person who does is Zuko and although people like to call him a manipulator, he isn’t. He realized that Katara’s hatred for Yon Rha was being directed at him because he is a personification of the Fire Nation in her image. So he stops, learns about what happened, and tries to understand her pain.

It’s also extremely hypocritical for people to get mad at Katara for her outburst against Sokka when Aang yelled at Toph when she chose to save them over saving Appa from the Sandbenders.

People even defend it by saying

Can’t that be the same thing said for Katara?

Also, Aang never apologizes to Toph about his outburst btw. He even yells at the rest of the gang later on during the desert and also yells at Katara, “claiming that she isn’t helping” when she is the only one keeping the group together.

What also gets me is how no one realized that Katara wasn’t going to kill Yon Rha. After rewatching the series a bit, Katara was never going to kill that man. It’s not in her character to and this episode tests her character and makes her better for it.

And the lessons of the episode isn’t “revenge isn’t the way” or smth similar to that, if anything, it’s the fact that you don’t have to forgive your abusers. It’s shown through Zuko, Aang, and Katara. Zuko doesn’t enact revenge against Ozai but he also doesn’t forgive him. Aang has the right to kill Ozai for the death of his people and for the war, but doesn’t. Aang never forgave him though. And most importantly is Katara, she can’t bring herself to kill Yon Rha but at the end of the episode she tells Aang that she can’t forgive him. Aang was wrong, forgiveness can be impossible.

[schmirius]

okay but what if... a different ofmd s2

I tried several times to make a less tl;dr version of this post, but it's not happening. BEHOLD: a season I just like better. It fixes things that I personally didn't like (and I have a strong Ed and Izzy bias). I wanted to do a few major things:

Keep 2x01-2x03, because I love them so damn much. this unfortunately sets the stakes *really high* for the rest of the season, so...

Rework the characters that canon s2 introduced, to be able to focus more tightly on the Revenge's response to the 2x01-2x03 atom bomb.

Give Ed and Stede more focused arcs (individually and as a couple). Ed and Stede were, emotionally, at completely opposite poles in 2x01-2x03, and in canon I think they didn't connect much after that. So in my version, they'll do basic work to understand why their s1 meet-cute failed and how they can move on to having a real relationship.

Address Ed's very vividly depicted violence from 2x01-2x02. I found the amends depicted in canon somewhere between "unsatisfying" and "horrifying." Jesus did I need to fuck around with that!

the three major acts in the season:

ACT 1 (2x01-2x03) – Trauma! These episodes remain largely the same as in canon.

ACT 2 (2x04-2x06) – Recovery I've edited these episodes so Ed + Stede are entirely separated from Izzy + the Crew. This gives the OTP space to work on themselves and their relationship. Likewise, Izzy has space away from Ed to go through his arc of self-discovery and consider if he wants to reconcile with Ed. Izzy and the Crew all get a chance to recover from The Trauma on their own, together as a community. ACT 3 (2x07-2x08) – Reconciliation Act 2 has given everybody time to process Act 1 and how they might come out of it as better versions of themselves and a stronger community. Now the OTP and the Crew reintegrate and, in the 2x08 climax, prove all their work has been worth it by fighting together against an external menace. (It's Hornigold. It's got to be Hornigold. This is so obvious to me.)

* * * THE CHARACTERS:

Each crew member is talented brilliant incredible showstopping spectacular, but in the interest of brevity, the characters in the imaginary episodes are going to be:

Ed and Stede → The OTP – Ed and Stede as a couple. Color-coded red so you can follow their arc.

Izzy

The Crew, who begin in Act 1 as three separate crews:  → the Castaways (everybody Ed marooned/tossed overboard at the end of s1) → the Breakup Boat (everybody from canon s2 on the Revenge with Truly Insane Ed → the Girls (introduced below)

THE BOATS:

Most episodes are going to have two plots running, taking place on two ships:

The Revenge

The Pearl Diver (again, below)

Last terminology note: I'm going to be comparing "canon episodes" vs. "imaginary episodes" or "new episodes" a bunch.

Ready? Alright, let's kick it.

* * *

ACT 1 – 2x01-2x03 – TRAUMAAA

Ed + the Breakup Boat: The action on the Revenge remains basically the same, with the torture and the murder-suicides and all the crimes. Stede + the Castaways: I'd cut the Republic of Pirates in 2x01. Instead, I'd start with everyone at sea on the ship that rescued them (which also creates an atmosphere of everyone still being trapped by the awful shit that happened in 1x10). What ship? I think introducing Zheng the historical pirate is a really cool idea, but I also think it's one idea too many. Zheng's objectively cooler and more successful ship is always, implausibly, overshadowed by the lovable misfits on the Revenge, since the Revenge is the workplace that the show is about. This is annoying to me (and probably Zheng). Instead I'd make the rescue ship one of equal goofiness: Mary and Anne's ship. I'll call it the Pearl Diver, just because I can. We can lift the formula from Ed's ship in s1:

s1: gay men // s2: lesbians!

s1 power couple on the ship is Ed+Izzy // s2 is Mary/Anne

s1 crew members who later join Revenge are The Boys, Fang+Ivan // s2 will have the Girls, a surgeon and her competent sailor girlfriend. one of them is a trans woman, I said so

the set is just the Revenge with different props on, lol

Okay, that's our lesbian ship set up. It'll last five episodes and be a very easy foil for the Revenge. Stede: His 2x01-2x02 bit seemed to be "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter." I'd push that harder. New s2 will open with Stede as a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into true love (the same way he was a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into piracy in s1). So: "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter, and the force of our newfound love will be what straightens this all out." The OTP:  Ed and Stede are both hopeless romantics, of course, but they're coming at it from opposing genres. Ed thinks he's the doomed villain in a big-R Romantic novel. Stede thinks he's the little-r romantic hero in a bodice-ripper. Their job in new s2 is to shift ideas of self & genre to meet somewhere in the middle.

ACT 2 – 2x04-2x06 – RECOVERY

I think a lot of what s2 tried in mid-season succeeded, but it didn't really add up to anything. In order to advance Ed and Stede's arc(s), I'd isolate them from the Crew. This gives everyone space to start clearing up the Act 1 wreckage.

(quick 2x03 note:) The major change I'd make here here would be moving the Breakup Boat crew off of the Revenge sometime mid-episode so they can recuperate on the Pearl Diver instead. They get to leave the trauma boat, which gives them and us the audience some breathing room as we transition out of the murder-suicide portion of the season. In the Pearl's infirmary they meet the Girls – surgeon and girlfriend – and reunite with the Castaways. There's a palpable sense of each group feeling isolated from the others.

2x04 – really intense cleanup

Time skip: The Breakup Boat crew have been declared physically recovered enough to start repairing the Revenge (and therefore prepared to grit their teeth and return to the scene of their trauma). The Castaways offer to help; the Girls come along in solidarity with their new friends. The Revenge: (this is also 2x04 in canon) Izzy never left the wrecked ship, is doing Bad. The three separate crews do ship repairs, but then come together as one Crew to declare Izzy their unicorn.

The Pearl Diver: (this story has no equivalent in canon)

Ed: never leaves the Pearl's infirmary, is doing Bad. He's trying to come to grips with the fact that he did all that shit, the kind that his dad and Hornigold used to. Stede: is focused on telling Ed about their true love rather than trying to understand how awful Ed feels, to the point that he's telling his newfound love~ story super loudly to avoid talking about Ed's pain.

The OTP: They have a moment where they stop talking past each other.

Ed hears Stede when he says that he really does love Ed. (Ed doesn't necessarily believe it, but he's willing to listen.)

Stede hears Ed when Ed says he feels trapped worse than ever (though he's weirded out Ed thinks he's a doomed villain). (Stede, our favorite Ed stan, literally doesn't care what Ed did except as far as how Ed feels about it.)

2x05 – letting loose

Time skip! Again, everyone looks slightly less haggard. The Revenge: (this is 2x06 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The Crew: have Calypso's birthday, paid for with the treasure they wouldn't throw overboard in 2x01 because it's their treasure and not Ed's, ffs. Joyful, queer, "we're surviving, we're getting through this together." Izzy+Ed: I'm aiming to untangle the shitty parts of their codependency and eliminate Ed's outright domestic abuse. I read canon s2 as Izzy fully untangling himself from Ed and then presenting Ed as a gift to Stede, and I did not like that for anyone. I'm aiming to conclude new s2 with Izzy+Ed acknowledging how bad it was at the end (with a little more emotional insight than they might have been able to do in s1 – maybe this huge event in their lives leads to self-reflection and growth!) and how they could move forward maybe as very complicated friends. Izzy's going to be taking the lead on this one, because the codependency very much ended in Ed doing violence to him. He gets to decide what the fuck happens. So: Izzy: is finally somewhere without Ed, first time in 30 years. Now that he's been unicorn'd (feels supported), he has room to unwind and start discovering what he might like to do. So he does drag. And also sings about his complicated feelings for Ed, come on, Izzy has love for him. In new s2, Izzy still gets to bloom, but he remains closer in personality to his grumpy cunty s1 self, not quite consciously understanding how he's changing. The Pearl Diver: (this is 2x04 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The OTP: have the bonkers Mary/Anne dinner party (their f/f co-captain counterparts). They do their awkward exes bit. In canon s2, they see Mary/Anne as "these guys are so weird, wtf"; in new s2, they're more like "these guys are so weird, omg. remember how weird we were last year? that was so fucking great." Conclusions:

Ed and Stede have more in common than they'd feared (since, like, 1x10)

They see they can be dramatic assholes in love like these bitches and that's great.

But also: maybe they need to be less self-centered than "burn down your ship which is your entire livelihood without considering that this might kill your crew." Maybe Mary/Anne rowing off cackling in a boat together (to, say, China) isn't the W they thought it was.

also also: caught up in the adrenaline of understanding they're mad lads, Ed/Stede do the impulsive "taking it too fast" (canon: 2x06) and BONE.

Lastly: The OTP ask to reboard the Revenge now that there's no Pearl Diver, mentioning hopefully that they've learned a lesson. The Crew are not convinced. They maroon Ed/Stede on land at close of ep.

2x06 – restucturing

The Revenge: (this plot is similar to Izzy+Stede's story in canon's 2x05)

Haven't thought of a frame story I like here, honestly. But the point of the episode is that Izzy helps Crew to be better pirates. This does two things:

Izzy's getting a chance to choose to manage people for himself, rather than as Ed's minder or Ed's goon.

Crew are getting competent advice from someone who genuinely gives a shit (Stede or Ed do not fit the bill). This allows them to keep running things in a fairly democratic structure where they do make decisions based on actually, for real, Talking Things Through.

Crew: consider what they're going to do about Ed and Stede – who maybe have had time to sort themselves out a bit? – replete with silly company restructuring metaphors.

Izzy: probably does shirtless swordplay considers how he wants to deal with Ed. Talking to Crew he decides that he, too, can try airing grievances with Ed in workplace metaphors. (It doesn't take much to convince him. Izzy will always love being a professional.)

On Land: (this episode has no equivalent in canon)

The OTP: in true OFMD style, they attend a modern couples retreat that has 18th c trappings. It is run by the straightest dude ever (Steve Carell levels of Kinsey 1 in 18th c khakis).

This dude is obnoxious, but he does remind them to strike a balance between demonstrating their love by talking through their needs (e.g. 2x04 infirmary, 2x05 dinner party) and by taking action (which will always be bonkers for them, like 1x09 act of grace, 2x05 impulsive boning). I'm thinking of it like: Ed/Stede realize they're whim-prone (as in canon 2x04), and also there's this tool nearby.

They're like, hey, actually I really love you, and make out sappily for a while then wonder, bemusedly, why they didn't do that before fucking a bunch. ("but the fucking was still good?" "oh yeah mate, we should definitely always be fucking")

Unfortunately: The retreat ends abruptly when they spot pirate hunters closing in on the B&B and have to make a run for it.

ACT 3 – 2x07-2x08 – RECONCILIATION

I really couldn't tell what canon was going for at season's end, starting from about "Stede kills Lowe" at the end of 2x06. I found a lot of it contradictory and kind of ass-pull-y. Major divergences to follow.

2x07 – reintegration

(this episode is similar to canon episode 2x05)

The Revenge: Having spent 2x06 thinking about what they want to do next, the Crew decide they can take on Stede + Ed on their flight from pirate hunters. Everyone's back on the boat. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like the Cursed Red Suit. Everyone can mingle in groups that are different from the ones they started out in during Act 1 – permutations of people from the three distinct crews, Stede and Izzy and Ed thrown together with people they haven't seen in a while. These different groups can brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like The Cursed Red Suit. Everybody can mingle in different groups and brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. Ed/Stede: Crucially, Stede and Ed aren't together in any of these groups. They separate and see everyone and understand that they're not, actually, in charge of Crew anymore. It's weird but okay. They both have to legitimately listen like they've been practicing all season. Ed doesn't apologize but he at least doesn't fuck with anyone, so that's... fine. Izzy+Ed: They haven't seen each other since the murder-suicide farrago in 2x02.

Izzy: "You can do the big gestures but you're a shit captain, Ed. You can't be there on the everyday stuff." (with subtext: you need to give a shit about me all the time, not just when I can be convenient to you.) It's not any kind of forgiveness, and Ed can't offer an apology because he still doesn't understand them. But this is Izzy saying he'll talk to Ed (with more pushback than canon's 2x06 "oh look it's scowly face").

Lastly: This has been a monster of the week ep where the first five minutes were like, there's a problem which will affect us in the future! and then the middle of the episode is, but it's not affecting us right now so let's do interpersonal stuff! Sadly, whoever they dump the Suit on at the end of the episode reminds them the problem still exists: the pirate hunters are worse than they thought. Hornigold is on their trail.

2x08 – IT'S REAL PERSONAL

(this episode has no equivalent in canon.) And here we reach the locus of all my frustrations!

Nose Guy doesn't exist in new s2, so we don't need to blow up the Republic with no foreshadowing as in canon 2x08

Zheng's awesome fleet doesn't exist in new s2. The foreshadowing that she was planning something incredible doesn't have to come to nothing like it did in canon 2x08, when her fleet also blew up with no foreshadowing. (what was that badass montage from canon 2x02 of her crew portaging ships thru the jungle even for ;_;)

Canon s2's sudden decision to make the stakes of the entire season "oh, uh, everyone wants to destroy piracy?" and completely ignore all the interpersonal problems set up in Act 1 – that doesn't happen!

Probably nothing in imaginary s2 will be as intense as 2x01-2x03 were. But new 2x08 will be a claustrophobic, high-pressure situation where everyone will have the resolutions they made in Act 2 tested, in a situation as dangerous as the worst of Act 1.

HERE WE GOOOOO Cold open on the Revenge:

A scene that looks about as bad as Ed's storm in 2x02: Izzy is dead from a headshot, Crew are panicking, Stede is alone and can only shout to Ed that he loves him from far away.

Ed is kitted out as Blackbeard at his worst – makeup and all – and seems ready to, again, blow the whole ship up. Viewer is perhaps worried that Ed has, again, lost it. We balance on the precipice!!

TITLE CARD!

Chronological start of ep:

Wind back the action!

Time skip from 2x07: The Revenge has been running from Hornigold for weeks, hiding themselves in ever smaller spaces as they get jumpier and jumpier about the pursuit. (Think on deck → main cabin → galley → the secret fucking deathbed under the galley.)

Ed, off by himself, is beside himself at the thought of meeting Hornigold for real once more. He failed to kill him all those years ago – what must he do now to solve the problem for good?

Intercut with Hornigold's ship:

Hornigold is chasing them, being a dick in his sumptious cabin. It's light on the action, heavy on letting us know who he is.

He's cruel and violent, like Act 1 Ed, except (a) he's less concerned about covering up his awfulness with charm and (b) he's perfectly open about "I hate this guy I used to own and I want to kill him" (about Ed) in contrast to Act 1 Ed not being able to say anything of the sort about Stede or Izzy.

We already know what kind of evil shit Hornigold used to pull because mostly-dead Ed told us in 2x03, so, you know, good enough.

Ed has to kill himself and also his dad again, lol, we get it

Climactic stuff on the Revenge!

Hornigold catches up to them; there's some fighting or whatever; it leads us up to the cold open. But then it pushes through to: it was all a fuckery!!

(do not ASK me what kind of fuckery. they are hard to write, they are both deeply psychological and incredibly goofy. This is just an outline of a fake season LEAVE ME ALONE)

Ed was a distraction, acting how Hornigold expected him to act! It works: Stede kills Hornigold!

The OTP: The murder addresses how each wants to deal with violence in their respective genres:

Ed, when he did patricide on behalf of someone he loved (mum) got caught up the cycle of dreadful murder and trauma he wanted to escape. And now he sees that he can – he's not the doomed Romantic villain!

Stede, in doing step-patricide on behalf of someone he loves (Ed), commits in a real way to ruthlessly murdering bullies. He's a swashbuckler! He definitely likes it! Finally, he's found a way to express romantic love in a grounded* way. (*by OFMD standards.)

It's a deranged pirate sitcom way of turning their tentative courtship into a healthy adult relationship.

Ed + Izzy:

During the fuckery: Izzy is playing murdered-by-Ed, so he's "dead" on deck (vulnerable) amidst the chaos.

Ed throws himself over Izzy to save him from getting shot.

This doesn't erase all the shitty things Ed did! It's a big gesture instead of an everyday thing, just like Izzy was complaining about! But it's definitely an indicator that Ed would prefer not to drive Izzy to suicide and Ed does, even, ask if Izzy's okay afterwards, checking him over, before someone else points out that Ed got shot.

Lastly:

With final approval from Izzy – after a lengthy pause where Izzy looks at Edward panting and bleeding on the deck – the Crew decide to journey forth to find Super Good Medicine to save Ed.

THERE ARE HINTS THAT s3 MIGHT SHOW US:

Blackbeard's historic raid on Charleston (who is playing Blackbeard at that point? who knows!)

Ed and Izzy working on being weird-ass friends again, but without so much murder-suicide

Stede and Ed finally talking about how they want to spend their life together: what's between retirement and piracy?

This is all pretty okay because new s2 ends in a hopeful place where nobody FUCKING DIED jfc where everyone's grown a bit but, as always, still has room to grow more.

the end!

[morethansky]

***TBB SPOILERS***

But on last week's episode, "Flash Strike," because my mind is currently racing in circles and I'll explode if I don't do anything for the next hour. Less coherent than usual probably, because I feel like I'm about to vibrate into the stratosphere.

Immediate Crosshunt frame within the first five seconds. Perfection. And notice Hunter and Crosshair once again leave the scene together—because Crosshair is Hunter's copilot, Crosshair is Hunter's copilot!!! Also they're so obsessed with each other, during the piloting scenes they are constantly looking at each other. Crosshair popping out of his seat to tell Hunter things when he should be watching the screens, Hunter turning around when he should be looking out the viewport?? Are the two of you going to die if you don't make eye contact every ten seconds??? Focus!

"He'll find a way." And boy does he!!! Echo, the man you are. Like in the last episode, the infiltration scene is simple but cleverly choreographed but moves at a good pace.

Bro I'm so mad that it was so easy for Echo to nab a hand and he hasn't before this point wtf

I always like when the Imperials being full of themselves wastes each other's time and allows the protagonists to elude them, while also saying something about the enemy characters. A+ Star Wars plot device.

Please let Scorch make it out and not just die as an easter egg they didn't do anything with!!!

OH NO Scalder is hot

I really like Omega being able to distinguish the rumble of the laser cannons. Everyone who was all worked up about her imitating Crosshair, there you have it. Even without the enhancements, Omega has learned to sense things like Hunter does.

"My brothers" made my siblings > parents heart full. And the line is particularly kickass because she's no longer helpless. She's not waiting for the Batch to come for her. She already has an escape plan. But now she has the reassurance that they'll be working the same mission from opposite ends.

Noshir Dalal's work this episode is ACES. Every single scream he does is so different! And each of them have so much texture.

I love Hunter shooting the rappel line mechanism to save Rampart and it risking his life being a mirror for Tech shooting the mechanism to save the Batch and it risking his life. A much more graceful reminder than just someone awkwardly saying one line about Tech every episode.

Crosshair being 100% confident about which move Hunter will make and how he'll find his way back to them, WHAT IF I CRIED. Hunter, what did you track to find Crosshair, I have to know. Was it his scent? The sound of his footsteps? The flutter of his heartbeat? No matter what it was, it was gay.

Crosswrecker crumbs!!! I can't believe we got TWO emotional conversations in this episode, this is the content I've been starving for. I love the duo of Crosshair and Wrecker so much, and Crosshair being emotionally vulnerable with him specifically is so telling about the depth of their connection.

Love the mirror of Crosshair saying he's here because he owes Omega, mirroring the S1 finale. And you can just feel the ghost of Mayday lingering over this bit. Crosshair's arc in the finale will have to be about him taking an action that shows him growing out of this mentality.

"Cover you?" "What does that mean?" I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. My headcanon for the clones is that they use so much military slang and hand signs to communicate that it's often incomprehensible to outsiders.

This moment during Crosshair's conversation with Rampart!!! And I love the way the light casts them in darkness and light during this conversation, and the way Crosshair appears to be emerging from it. Crosshair carrying Hunter's words with him makes me so emotional.

"Depends on who's giving them." SUB CROSSHAIR SUPREMACY. God this line makes me insane. Crosshair stating both his disdain for the Empire and his allegiance to Hunter in so few words. This show has once again decided to pretend the inhibitor chips don't exist, but I'll trade it for what amounts to an emotional confession / oath of loyalty from Crosshair.

I've watched the scene where Hunter is facing down the beast and Crosshair is standing literally RIGHT behind him so many times oh my god. If he leaned down he could press their cheeks together. I can't believe my prediction that they would just move closer and closer on screen every episode was right. The next logical step for them is to kiss in the finale, obviously.

Also this moment where Crosshair and Hunter help Wrecker up!!!

And this one!!! Echo representing the heroic standard I've been desperate for!!!

Echo going undercover in blank armor to save all his brothers... Fives going undercover in blank armor to save the galaxy... I am unwell. If the Echo feature these past couple episodes has been to set up his death, I will go knock down LFL offices myself.

Every time they play the clone theme for Echo or Rex I start almost crying. The soft rendition in the scene with Emerie made me so emotional, and then the dark fanfare version at the end is so sick!!!

Okay, off I go to lose the rest of my sanity...

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x02 *chanting* clois clois clois cloisss

Why are they psychoanalyzing each other already lmaoooo

that's some quality yeeting😌

First of all, MOTHER. Second, imagine being able to pull off that orange jacket, I could never

"Lois!!😳😨" The queen doing queen shit while Clark is just standing there clutching his pearls, THEE DYNAMIC

Why is her dad so extra tho💀

I'm having so much fun right nowwww🤗 Have I mentioned that I love Lois? Because I love her a lot

Clark being super upfront with his parents never stops warming my heart🥹

name a more entertaining duo I'll wait

both Lana and Clark seem quite different from season 3, it's almost jarring

PLSSS imagine if he was wrong💀💀

Women supporting women, we love to see it😌

an understatement if I've ever heard one💀

"The awkward tension is just getting started." Lois I love you

I'm memeing the hell out of this episode just so you know

"I can see why you're in love with her." *the bisexual Lois agenda*

Clark: "Look you're really not the person I wanna talk to about this."

Clark, 5 seconds later: "So here's what happened-"

she looks so pretty here it's insane actually

"To keep an eye on me, is that it, boss?" ugh the way she says that is so hot don't ask me why

"My heart isn't exactly what it used to be." They keep reminding me and I hate it😭😭

Clark is having some unpleasant flashbacks right now🤡

watching Lionel get stabbed like whatever, he'll survive🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway, back to what I was saying-

askajskajsak the old geezer💀😭

the love of my life everyone

"I don't know how you ever survived without me." I feel like she's saying that to me but also YES, Lois saving Clark since day one👏👏 (flash forward to Loisidiedwhenyouleft he literally CANNOT survive without her I'm-)

bless🥹

He's like gimme credit I did good work too Lois acknowledge meeee🥺

Chloe's like can y'all stop making prolonged eye contact I almost got murdered and I wanna go home👀

🙏🕯Manifesting Lionel in prison and out of commission for as many episodes as possible🕯🙏

Jonathan defending Lex while Clark won't have it? Oh, how the turntables...

"It's funny isn't it? After everything we've been through, I thought it would take us longer to get over it." OOUCH

"Us?" He's like in what universe-

"Yeah, you and Lois."

"Lois? She's bossy. She's stuck up, she's rude. I can't stand her."

Clark Kent, you beautiful beautiful clown🤡 Look at the face this mf made when he said the first part, "she's bossy😍😏😍"

"Do you believe in destiny?" "I don't want to."

yeaaah he really doesn't😬

The more Lex emotionally controls the situation when he's with Lionel, the less threatening Lionel is. Really makes you realize that he only has as much power as Lex allows him to have, if Lex stops caring (which I don't think he ever fully will but I digress), Lionel becomes irrelevant. Even if he still managed to outsmart Lex in whatever way, as long as Lex just shrugs it off like "Whatever old man, smart move I guess." any victory on Lionel's end really loses its impact🤷🏻‍♀️

I still want to know how old Jason is btw👀

[theeio]

What got you into livio? Was it fic, art, another friend, or did you just see him and go: “wowza.”

HI IM BLOWING A KISS TO U CHRIS

there are…. SEVERAL factors to why i fixated on livio so here it is. ive written this elsewhere before but HERE IT IS AND HERE IT GOES:

Livio was a pivotal character in my absolute favourite episodes in Tristamp. Episodes 5-7 is one of the most breathtaking things I’ve seen in anime in a while. It’s not often you see such *strong* visual storytelling and show not tell in an anime, the BEAUTIFUL score and sound design, and seeing the tragedy of the blessing children, with the wonderfully done 2d animation, having one of the best action sequences in the season (Vash vs Livio), and how meaningful every moment was and how it aids in seeing the character’s motivations (especially Wolfwood). I could go on.

The found family between Livio and Wolfwood got to me. YES I KNOW. IM PREDICTABLE. Their moments, both in their backstory and when Wolfwood wakes him up...was so warm and tender it was unbelievable. How gentle they were as children, vs how the Eye of Michael made them to be now. Man that hurt. Also the bit in their childhood friendship montage including bonding by trying to smoke worm legs was INCREDIBLY FUNNY

And on that note. I think part of why love Livio is also because episode 7 was one of the FUNNIEST viewing experiences of anything in my LIFE. So story time I was watching this show for the first time with my older sister and mom, and when Vash was telling Wolfwood that in order to save Livio he needed to Make him remember (“There has to be something he cant forget") I joked offhandedly "lol wolfwood revives livio with weed" and then??? half a minute later THEY ACTUALLY WENT THERE?2?1?1?1?11?1?11?? WOLFWOOD ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY REVIVED LIVIO WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND WEED AND WE WERE LOSING OUR SHITS AND SCREAMINGGGG and then right after that Livio [REDACTED]s and then we were like

4. DVDJDBDJDJDKDJDKDFHKDDK but anyway yeah like, conceptually the episodes Livio in was RIDICULOUS but bro. I am UTTERLYYY OBSESSED with how they Made made it work???? So well??? Somehow those were the moments hit hardest emotionally for me. It was so, SO good.

5. Also Tristamp Livio relatable to me on an insanely specific level….like can’t move on from the best friend you made before you were 12 who had to leave from life circumstances, whose name also starts with “Nico” specific? Yeah me too Livio

6. And finally just. Knowing that Livio has SO MUCH MORE going for him in the source material? I haven’t read the manga yet but I’m so unbelievably excited to see more of this character, be it in Trimax or the next season of Tristamp. I love him and Razlo’s design and he intrigues me greatly from what I’ve seen and heard from manga readers. I’m vibrating at the idea of seeing him rigged up and animated in his full buff cowboy glory

OKAY IM DONE HDDJJDDJDJDK THIS GOT TOO LONG AND SILLY DHSKSHSKS have a livio scribble as a thanks🥰BYE

[rocketrouquine]

Random thoughts on my second viewing of episode 2 :

The « you wear fine things well » replay : Taika hasn’t the same expression, when I tell you this is a different take, I’ll bet my script supervisor ass on it. If they did that, it’s for underlining the fact that they weren’t seeing the same thing in the relationship…

Stede, my sweet angel… maybe don’t tell everyone you meet (even your lovely towel collegues Maggie, Jane and Tiff) about your heart trouble with fucking Blackbeard.

The way he’s saying « they draw him to look like a ghoul » is so sooooo gay. Like disgusted sassy sista level.

Fuck you that’s how I am may or may not become a motto of mine.

Actually this whole scene, Lucius is in a fucking telenovela. The stop in the doorframe, talking across your shoulder without turning and the little disappointed head nod at the end. « oh, yeah. Now you care ? » (it just missed an hairflip) He came to ham and I’m here for it.

Sea witch again. I mean we actually saw him talking with birds last season so why the surprise.

Ed behind Frenchie in every room like a fucking dead child jumpscare in leather.

He’s actually terrifying all calm and smiling. You can sense that he can turn at every second. Like a MF snake (you know the ones, fuck yuuuuu)

Sir when you approach me like that, all analytical and stuff, I don’t think there’s anything I won’t let you do to me (imagine Ed turning this on Stede in the bedroom pffffiouuu)

*Wheeze « A panto ? » (give this man an Oscar)

I really have trouble with « he’s our dick ».. you are aware that this is the man who had absolutely no problem stranding your love on an island ? Who pushed for it, even ? That in the memory you evoke, he’s the only one not sitting with you all, all alone in the background sulking ? I guess if you consider him like the nasty old dog who bites everyone and barks all the time, I can see it…

You have hope, it’s cute . Archie is actually really interesting because she represents the classic pirate (like Ed’s crew before being Stedefied), being put amongst the crew of what she thinks is probably the rockstar of captains but they do things all weird and emotional (between bloodbaths). You can see that she’s tempted but also don’t hesitate to throw the first punch in the battle to the death because that’s how stuff goes.

Take the fucking leg (« …bitch » very much implied)

The little ships were all over the place. They kinda treat Olu like a himbo this season which if my memories serve me right was the opposite of what he was last season. (He’s still emotionally intelligent but the logical sense seems to have gone. In this scene anyway)

Every time a new character says China, I cannot take out of my mind that they are mocking Trump. (Roach’s one in particular was spot on)

Awwww Olu’s all bashful and shit, I’m sure he’s moving his shoe on the ground, like a little shy child.

Stede, All happy about the soup : So wild it’s insane ! Lucius, eyes rolling to the back of his head : Jesus Christ, Stede, keep your pants on. * gets up and go drag on his cigaret like an old nihilist prostitute. * Ahahaha! Lucius is so done with Stede, I can’t ! He reminds me of me with my mom when I was a teenager. (I was horrible)

shitty pathetic incompetent captain  Holy shit, this burn must have dried up the ocean and that’s why they have to drag the boat on land.

The Oookay of Black Pete must be studied.

I had a dream about you last night  and with that phrase, all Blackhands shippers burst into flames. To then die a horrible death for the next minutes and being turned to dust at … best I could. (Also, If I had told you about « good for you » « it was good for me » I don’t think this is how you would have envision it)

But seriously the acting in this scene was INSANE. (I mean more than good, I mean stellar)his laugh is haunting me.

Wait… wait.. is he doing the romcom trope of being horrible to him so that he would leave, to protect him ? but instead he tortures him until he has no choice but to kill him ? Ed, darling, you basic trope girl.

Yeah I guess we could call it closure. Hum.

Yeah, I am ! And I’m alone ! Don’t be like me. Stede has evolved SO MUCH. I’m actually very much hopeful about the discussion he’s going to have with Ed. It won’t be miscommunication bullshit.

The puppet game… Something tells me Lucius won’t like to listen to Pinocchio anymore. Don’t even ask him to make any voice. Stede! The hand went where you think!

Well, Hello back little black scarf which goes with everything ! Especially with the ultimate descent into the pitts of madness and despair.

Stede is choosing « alive » on Blackbeard old poster : thank you, magic of belief, for saving Ed’s life !

There’s a drawing, I repeat, he doodled Ed’s face amongst little bouts of emo poetry… oh stede.

Beheading, arsoning, just a little bit of a dick love of his life.

HE’S NOT BROKEN. SHUT UP !

calm down, you two, with the head against head : you kissed once. In the words of spicy rat boy « Jesus Christ keep your pants on »

Romance novel cover one legged indestructible little fucker Izzy under the rain.

IZZY’S HEAD ON FANG’S SHOULDER AS THEY ARE KILLING ED, WHAT !

After the pyramid scheme, Olu being the get away text.

Okay, on to the next. It will be a fucking novel.

[legionofpotatoes]

extremely bad faith mandalorian takes, do not engage please i cannot stop hysterically laughing at this season and thus am incapable of level-headed discourse. these are just words I want to write down to see if they look as unbelievable as they sound in my head

my favorite telltale sign of the embarrassing s3 story optics is their like. genuinely hilarious ostrich-neck-in-the-sand rehash of past story arcs down to the aesthetic fucking beats. that's the shit sandwich that really gets me in this whole stank buffet. It is astonishing. Like there was genuinely nothing else they could come up with as to not upset the status quo of their fickle, marketable story limbo, and so they, and I cannot stress this part enough, ignored established character progression beats and just did them again. they just did them again. from the top, using shockingly similar payoffs, right in front of our own eyes. and I just sat there and ate it!!

din has to re-love his toxic death cult after clearly progressing away from their value systems cause he's cooler with that helmet always on. gotta keep the limbo going. his main north star, set up as his way out of said cult, gets recruited into it instead, completely defanging the possibility of interrogating the entire bedrock of trauma and insecurity that kept uncomfortably clashing with his expressions of love and humanity in the past. now they're all one big happy gel of a Cool Dude With Gun and Kid. gotta keep the limbo going.

at some point he also has to re-learn his droid prejudices to then re-unlearn them again, a couple of times even, for no discernible thematic reason other than to make him act like an ass to some type of botched working class allegories (??? the fuck is going on with droids this season in general??). gotta keep the limbo going.

grogu, meanwhile, has to re-earn a mandalorian piece of armor to re-reinforce his allegiance (and here I was thinking the rond would be a pulpy setup for some shot-dead-fake-out but how can chekov's anything exist in this mangled mess), cause mandalorian culture is a live service videogame of tiered ranks now, so the potential upgrades are conveniently endless. gotta keep the limbo going. speaking of their culture, he also, hilariously, has to then be re-adopted by din to re-reveal their paternal bond and re-dramatize their love. cause he's not a foundling anymore, see; he's an apprentice now! the words are different. that makes the emotional meaning reset also. I know this from film school. audiences have no object permanence, right? they're all fish? we're writing this show for fucking fish, right? like in the aquariums? gotta keep the limbo going.

and they just keep doing this. they will dress it all up with technicalities and loud Plot Noise but it is all emotionally the same exact shit that has already happened and it is making me feel insane. same exact payoffs for backpedaled setups that were already, for all storytelling purposes, finished and done away with. it is comical. they're telling nothing. non-stories and recursive sisyphean plotlines that reset primitive character arcs every five episodes like it's the most unmoored bermuda triangle-ass time loop in space. you cannot even really twist it into some type of harmless expression in lieu of episodic TV, or even something more campy, cause like. it does have a rapidly progressing plotline about big and overarching stuff, stuff that is holistic, linear, and goal-oriented, like retaking homeworlds and reforging their broken nation and fighting mr gideon man. it's not a weekly detective romp with B plots galore, not anymore at least. but the characters somehow start and end in the same spots they always were. like the big ole smoking fucking gun that that is.

it feels like the most clear-cut example of plot moving forward - at breakneck speed sometimes - while characters progress either backwards or just. like. sideways and then back again?? almost like dropping a teabag into an empty mug and calling it a beverage. I see the pretty taste-making ingredient sitting sadly at the bottom there, but where's the substance? what is this all for? to wank it to how cool mandalorians look when they fly? I mean they can be pretty cool, no argument there. but some of them could be cooler if they felt things deeply and that changed them, fundamentally. you know, how A-to-B storytelling does sometimes.

and I am achingly aware that I am aging out of this show's target audience, I know that. but the death by comparison within the same bloody show's adjacent seasons is just as harrowing. what happened. it just worked too good is what. a corporation responsible for telling a myth will never allow it to finish if it suddenly starts hemorrhaging this much money. grogu and din can't progress, even aesthetically, past their season 1 selves, no matter how much that same season's story was setting them up to. cause inscrutable sad dad and cute doll baby combo. we'll either throw away those story hooks or keep resetting them. keep the limbo going.

groundhog day-ass show. it's hysterical. I can't be normal about how mask-off blatant this all is now.

and to follow this up to andor of all things. really clinches it, you know. no notes. just no notes, disney. tens across the board

[purpleponder]

Hi purple. Sliding into your inbox once again. I just finished rewatching the entirety of kj and I think I need to sit down. Every single emotion I have ever felt back in 2017 is coming in full force like a slap to the face with a wet fish. Yes I mean ep51 specifically. I cannot. I cannot. I CANNOT. 7 YEARS LATER AND IM STILL OBSESSED WITH HOW MUCH JOKER AND HACHI CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER 😭😭 FOUND FAMILY BEFORE I EVEN KNEW WHAT WAS FOUND FAMILY 😭😭😭😭

THE TWO OF THEM MAKE ME SO ILL.... It's been years since I saw the scene again so now I'm looking through every line with fresh eyes and I and I and I 😭😭😭😭😭 I FORGOT HACHI RUSHES IN TO SAVE JOKER FIRST 😭😭😭 I FORGOT THE CALLBAVK TO EP1 I FORGOT HOW JOKER LITERALLY SPENDS HACHIS LAST MOMENTS TELLING HIM ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THEYLL DO AFTER THIS 😭😭😭😭 I FUXKING FORGOT "I COULDN'T MAKE A MIRACLE HAPPEN"................

I'm so normal about this I swear. I already went insane on my own post about this but I'm still not fucking over it. He couldn't make a miracle happen. Kaitou fucking joker. The fucking miracle maker. HE COULDN'T MAKE IT HAPPEN! HIS OWN FUCKING APPRENTICE! HIS LITTLE BROTHER! BLEEDING OUT IN HIS ARMS!!! A BULLET WENT THROUGH HIS FUCKING HEART AND HES HOLDING HIM TIGHT AND HE COULDNT DO ANYTHING TO SAVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!! THATS SO FUCKED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did his mind just go blank? Was he actually out of trump cards? Who the fuck knows! All he fucking knows is that hachi just took a fucking bullet tot the chest and now there's blood all over his fucking hands!!! What the fuck was he supposed to do!!!!!

(Hi purple. I'm so normal about this you can tell. It's midnight and I'm evidently supposed to be asleep. Enjoy your day. It's 2024 and I'm still analysing the same damn episode I obsessed over as an 11 year old. )

Oh dude I haven’t watched the series in it’s entirety in FOREVER but you’re so fucking right about that episode. The fact that Joker had to watch someone, that was essentially his little brother, die in his arms as he could do nothing but watch because he actually fucking failed. He literally lost the will to do anything other than grieve his loss because he couldn’t do fucking more to save someone—like, I am also absolutely normal about this even if I haven’t watched it in years…

I bet he actually blanked when Spade warned them, like he was hurt and tired and Hachi just moved on fucking instinct. 12 year old me was not ready emotionally and you are so right to be so normal rn 😭. The horror on their faces when they realized what happened, when Joker slowly turned to see Hachi’s body, he probably wished he could’ve done more in that moment…

God now I gotta watch that episode again…

(Also don’t mind me that I saw this ask last night but I was just eepy :), now I can’t english properly and am only running on memories and emotions that I can recall but you are so so fucking right about that episode. Probably what introduced into angst or hurt/comfort now that I think about it…)

[herestoburiedsecrets]

I just finished the new season and HOLY COW!!!!

I honestly loved this season so much!! Literally so many moments were absolutely fantastic but it also brought a whole new level of pain

- CAP IN EP 2 - a) of course he likes bugs (and birds) this is practically confirmation of my autistic Cap hc, b) him and kitty bonding is literally the best thing ever i am always down for it and c) THAT ENDING!!!! He took his jacket off!!!!! I love him so much and I genuinely screamed a bit at that moment

- I loved the deep dive they did into Mary’s backstory and her and Annie’s friendship. I also do kind of appreciate how they don’t actually go into the specifics of Mary’s death aside from the initial motive of the accusation, because i feel like that it very respectful of Mary’s trauma that they have been portraying throughout the show. I really love that they focused on how both Annie and Mary have only ever been forced into the strict religious roles that society has imposed on them (obviously similarly seen with Fanny, altho slightly different, which also makes sense because they are women) and how death and friendship offered them a liberation they were never afforded in life.

- the theme of liberation in death is actually very interesting because it could also be applicable to the Captain, as well as all of the women (altho less evident with Kitty), and how now in death he is free to express himself and his sexuality, which was something he could never do in life. Just thinking about it….

- MARY BEING SUCKED OFF literally hurt me so much. Throughout this whole show i have rarely thought about the idea of the ghosts being sucked off, because while the idea of being stuck in a weird limbo indefinitely unable to make an impact on the living world is a terrifying yet interesting concept that i love exploring, the idea of any ghost just completely disappearing forever pains me so much. Mary’s gone…. I genuinely don’t know if I have accepted that yet. Watching all of the ghosts’ deal with the grief was so difficult - especially the Captain and Kitty - but was also very interesting. While i do know the inevitable fate of each ghost is being sucked off, I don’t think i am quite ready to face this fact yet. I think this episode was beautifully done tho, and made me even sadder than the specific ghost backstory episodes do (and all of them make me really really sad). It just hits on another level.

- following on from that point I am happy that out of all the ghosts it was Mary who was sucked off, especially with the way they executed it within the show and the rounding out of her story. It makes me feel better knowing that Annie already moved on, as she was Mary’s best friend and existing without your best friend for so long would be difficult for her. I love Mary, but I am not as insanely emotionally attached to her as I am to the Captain and Pat and Kitty. I genuinely would be inconsolable if either of them got sucked off.

- two brief funny moments that I loved were literally everything with Cap (he was amazing this season) but specifically when he goes to apologise to Alison, & Fanny grooming Robin like her pets

- I do think this season was a little slow to start but once it picked up it didn’t stop and i loved it so much

- I do love that they focused on some more unusual pairings (like Julian and Fanny (which was excellent, and Thomas and Kitty I am surprised they haven’t paired together more often) but I also love that they gave us more of my favourites (Cap and Kitty, Robin and Julian). However, I am sad that there wasn’t more Pat and Cap because I feel like their friendship was really developed in season 3 and while I guess there was less need for the leadership duo in s4, I feel like we got barely any interactions between them and they are one of my favourite pairings (if not my actual favourite), and not just because I ship them, but also because I really love their dynamic.

- ROBIN DIED BY LIGHTENING STRIKE!! I know it was a popular fan theory but I am still so happy I headcanoned it and it is actually true!!

- I actually really loved Julian this season. I like Julian a lot but this season in particular i really liked him.

- I definitely feel like there was a different vibe this season (as to be expected with new seasons, and this could just be down to the direction of it, as I believe they changed directors for this season) and while i loved pretty much all the episodes, the new vibe will take some getting used to.

- I LOVE MIKE AND ALISON SO MUCH!! Literally Mike is such a supportive husband and that episode where Mike tries to get Alison to relax is so cute, and yeah I just really love them.

There is so much more I love about this season but those are my immediate thoughts and I think I will rewatch it tomorrow to fully collect my thoughts about it!

[donnerpartyofone]

I am not handling anxiety well. I may be experiencing a protracted spike due to (my circumstances and) this new asthma medication I'm still experimenting with, which at the recommended dosage gave me a panic attack so bad it took me out for an entire day. Antidepressants and anxiety meds all make me sick or make my ears ring so bad it makes me want to [redacted]. I don't like being stoned during the day or socially or while working on anything (even creative things), and I wouldn't say it always makes me less anxious anyway. I took a course in transcendental meditation but I could never get to a point with it where it really affected me. I've found other kinds of meditation I like more, but they also don't do much for my general state, they're more fun and interesting to me than therapeutic. Regular exercise doesn't make a noticeable difference in my daily mood (besides which we're out of space, which is why we're moving). I most often just reach for a drink when I can't handle something (unless I'm having a major depressive episode, then I don't want food or drink or drugs or anything). Alcohol is the only thing that depresses my nervous system enough for me to get through certain things. This is pretty dysfunctional. Based on the frequency and intensity of my drinking no one would say I have a "problem", but I know I'm doing something maladaptive. If I had stayed at my old job I would surely have drunk myself to death. I have to spend today going over these really complicated document notes and comparing them to a couple of older drafts to prepare my statements (defenses) for a really difficult meeting tomorrow. I don't know how I'm going to get through the preparations or the meeting itself. I mean I'll do it, I have an often tyrannical sense of responsibility and I practically never just flake on things like this or do them half-assedly (which would scare me). Besides which the project has kinda been my life's work and I won't give up on it even if I absolutely feel like it. But I'm suffering under the worries of not knowing whether I can do the task successfully or whether I am Being Insane. I spent an hour and a half last night working on this email to my project partner, who is also a close friend, trying to explain what I'm anticipating with this, and also excusing the fact that I am possibly Being Insane. I got it as short and emotionally controlled as I could, and I'm sure he wouldn't be mad at me for such a thing, but I'm still worried that I can't really tell how acceptable my behavior is. Hilariously, I only convinced myself to write the email because my fucking horoscope told me not to be ashamed of making use of my relationships. In doing so I realized that in all my years of indulging, to varying degrees, in magical thinking, I never did anything specifically because my horoscope said it was a good idea. So, that's something. Maybe I'm not as far gone as I thought. Or maybe I'm only getting there NOW! Anyway I wish I had an Adderall. I am not a person who NEEDS Adderall, but I would really appreciate the intense focus and artificial confidence in completing tasks that it gave me when I tried it. If you're in my general area and you wanna give me an Adderall, I'll buy yuz a beer, or something. Fair warning though, I am possibly Being Insane!

[magicalyaku]

Finally the month of summer I've been waiting to have: Just sit back and read. That's all I've done. Or all I remember. I'm pretty sure I was kinda exhausted inbetween but I'm opting to ignore that.

Because I read so many gay boys the month prior, I started off with a YA fantasy adventure, The Song that moves the Sun by Anna Bright and it reminded me why I started reading gay boys in the first place. I have no patience for these girls! 8D Throughout the book I kept wondering "Is it just me or is it the book?" I'm not even sure why. One girl was smart after all, the other one overcame her trauma. Nice! But why do the two girls have to fall for the boys who happen to be two as well? I can see one pair, but why both? Also the pacing was terrible, especially towards the end. The chapters switched viewpoints each and were so short later on I had hardly time to adjust to the scene. How are you supposed to get emotionally invested when you don't even get a minute with these guys before being thrown somewhere else? I hate that in movies too. D: Also this:

He smells like the beach somehow, like sweat and boy.

(Emphasis as in original.) What. Who thought this would be a good thing to write? I'm aware that not every sweat smells bad and I assume not every boy does either. But sorry, that line just does not sound good! What is boy-smell anyway? Is there girl-smell too? (The one distinct smell that comes to mind is not a good one ...) They also cuddle a few chapters later after explicitely telling me that they washed their clothes but not themselves. Why would you tell me?! I don't want to knowww!! I don't think the book is a bad one. I just got frustrated. 8D

The next bunch was more fun: Icebreaker (R.L. Graziadei): Not quite what I expected but in a good way! 40 pages to the end I wondered whether they would really wrap it up or need another volume. Thinking about it now I would not mind a 2nd book. uAu Thanks a lot, Universe (Chad Lucas): The wildest Middle grade book I read so far! You know that when the first episode of an anime series is all nice and dandy and then there's that insane after-credits-scene? The beginning of this felt a little bit like that. And it just continued! And it was so nice. The Loophole (Kaz Kutub): I liked it. Felt a bit different from usual. Reggie was a handful and is was glorious. But f*** that "I thought about it for months but I'm upset with you because you cannot decide within three seconds"-Farouk. uAu Boyfriend Material (Alexis Hall): Good characters and that humour that actually reminded me of Earnest by Oscar Wilde (must be because both involve British nobility). 8D Looking forward to volume 2! (I read the German edition, so vol2 will be in January!) Der Heilige Fisch (Dia Lane): A detective novel by a German selfpublishing author with illustrations by Livanya. I bought the book at her artist alley table at Dokomi this year. :D I usually don't read mystery and I could never write any, so my respect to the author. A solid read, I'd say. uAu Small Town Pride (Phil Stamper): More Middle grade! Nice and sweet. I believe this would be a good read for parents as well, because the adults in this have just as much growing up to do as the kids and it'd probably provide a good insight into the perspective of a queer kid. A Little Bit Country (Brian D. Kennedy): I know nothing about country music and I would never have listenend to it by my own free will before but the nice thing about good books is how they can give you a reason to like something you never knew before, right? Not that I actually went and listened to single song but I did open my mind and will be benevolent when I ever come across one. uAub The book was solid and I liked how it all came together (and yes, I bought it for the cover). The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried (Shaun David Hutchinson): The Past was my SDH book of the month and it was that book about friendship I've been screaming to read these past months. That's why I feel a little bad I didn't like it as much as some of his other works. 8D But I did like July. Much like Jenny from A Complicated Love Story. They are probably not girls I would like to engage in real life but reading about them is so much better than these boring whiny emotional soft girls. /D I probably said it before, but I just like how Mr. Hutchinson wraps his serious thoughts in these weird ideas and just goes with them. Last was another one by SDH, The State of Us, which I borrowed from the library. I was hesistant about this because the “Red White & Royal Blue” comparison and such, but as you can figure I like the author's other books so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I don't care about US politics so that might've made it easier for me to enjoy. It was far from groundbreaking, but I had fun. I also liked that Dean was on the ace spectrum. uAub

And ... I guess tumblr does do brainwashing after all. I just borrowed The Foxhole Court from the library. We'll be going to Seoul in a few days and it will be a very long flight, sooo ... uAu~ (I also have “A Far Wilder Magic” und “A Taste of Gold and Iron”.)

[bklynmusicnerd]

They really did segregation today segregation tomorrow on this episode. They really separated Trina and all the other black characters at home while everyone else was at Wyndemere for the repass. They also had the audacity to have Esme have a grave in the same cemetery as Spencer and had Liz of all people grieving her?!? Had Trina and Cam interact for like 1 minute but the rest of the episode he and Joss were sharing memories instead of all three of them?!? Trina had 30 second scenes, but the rest of the family, who didn’t give a fuck about him, had more scenes. Spencer’s funeral wasn’t even the focus because it went right back to Sonny and his shit and Gregory/Finn’s shit😑

Yeah I just got done watching it and I'm disappointed at all the missed opportunities that are occurring but I'm not surprised. Before I get into it, I wanna credit TA again for playing the physicality of Trina's grief/depression so consistently. Grief isn't always loud tears. Losing someone is exhausting. It makes you weary. And as much as the script is falling short, TA's acting isn't. That's what's making the storytelling choices so frustrating.

C&D allowing Lucky Gold on breakdown (who is also credited on the infamous cabin episode) and Kate Hall on script to effectively disappear the black mourners once the memorial moved to Wyndemere is a pretty egregious legacy to leave behind. Again, this racial segregation in the storytelling is not just bad optics, IT'S BAD STORYTELLING. Emotional beats were missed because of this idea that Trina's family and Spencer's family cannot interact for longer than two minutes.

The problem isn't the writing for Trina's depression. It actually makes total sense for her character and the way she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, to perceive Spencer's death as a personal failure of hers and punish herself for it. The problem is there's no way Cam, Joss and Ava wouldn't be spending a lot of that time at Wyndemere concerned about Trina? I mean, they had Laura, Joss, and Cam looking at this scrapbook of Spencer pictures that Nik allegedly collected and the majority of them feature Trina.

It actually looked insane how hard they had to work to give these people dialogue discussing Spencer's journey that didn't mention Trina. Honestly the fact that they prioritized punishing Nik over that Esme bullshit so much that he wasn't even allowed to attend his son's fake funeral is a testament to how badly they're handling this presumed death arc.

Even the eulogy that Alexis gave made me laugh because she said something about how in the blink of an eye he became this confident young man who took responsibility for his choices. Uh, yeah, no, Spencer came back to town a bitter and angry young man who was stunted emotionally. Trina entering his life is what inspired Spencer to become the man that Alexis described. And Spencer himself said that many, many times.

Yes, he admired Cam and wanted to be like him, but those two didn't really bond until Spencer needed someone to confide in about his stupid hero plan to save Trina. It's the only reason Cam stood by him. The HS trio should have been the emotional center of this memorial. Instead, Spencer's family honored him by barely acknowledging the girl he loved so much he "died" for her. Because the writers decided maintaining their Generally White Hospital tradition (thank you to VA for that fitting title) was more important.

Trina and Spencer's story (and the sheer buzz around it) should be inspiring an integration of the canvas. Instead, it's being told poorly so they can enforce some pretty archaic storytelling politics. I really hope PM brings an end to that shit because it genuinely does mess up the flow of the story, disregards existing relationships and makes me uncomfortable when it comes to watching this soap.

There are shows from the sixties that aren't as strictly racially segregated as GH was today. I shouldn't even have to explain why that's not sustainable for a show trying to carve a future for itself. The writing culture under C&D's leadership was truly fucked up.

That said, this would have been a much stronger episode if we had SP or CG on script. They keep assigning these key aftermath episodes to writers who are clearly not comfortable writing long or in-depth pov for Trina. It's a poor choice, especially when we know it's a fake death and Trina is going to be key to his return. It's just unforced error after unforced error and that is why you don't see anyone seriously mourning the loss of C&D.

[obsidiancreates]

Plz tell me more about your au

I'm assuming this is about Don't Hug Them (The List Of Don'ts) but friend I need you to know I always have 100 AUs rattling around in my brain and on this blog at all times so if you meant another one I am sorry

ANYWAY there's not a ton to tell that won't be covered in the fic but here's a big piece: Lesley and Roy are not the Big Bads. They're both sort of distractions and obstacles put on place to prevent The Guys from ever escaping. Their families were only able to get them put because they came from outside. The Guys could never have escaped on their own, ever.

They all went missing on the day the original Don't Hug Me I'm Scared YouTube episode was uploaded, from all different towns. They had no connections to each other at all.

The Being that took them had no goals. It had no reasoning for why it took these specific three. And there will be no unraveling if that mystery for them, or their families. It is an eldrich being, a Nothingness that claimed them, warped them, tormented them, and exists in no definitive manner. It planned so carefully, yet had no consciousness of its own. It is something Unknowable, and thus, it will Never Be Known.

Which is to say, there will never be any real closure. Their families have no-one to influct justice on, no-one to look at and say "You did this to them!" The Guys themselves will never have any confrontation with the source of their broken minds and bodies. They will simply all have to figure out how to move on, when there's no real resolution.

They're all a little like... I guess not Inhuman because they're not humans, but they're Different than they should be. They weren't just mentally an physically scarred, they were Altered. Obviously the original post goes into how their colors are too bright now and how when they're all together there's a strange air to the area.

In Chapter 2 of the fic it's established that Red Guy is now way taller than he used to be, and taller than most of his kind. It's established that he used to be a rather soothing, muted shade of red. His teeth and mouth didn't exist before he went missing, but they're still there after his rescue. He used to have a tail, and now it's gone. And his eyes don't focus anymore, not all the way.

Duck's voice carries a strange quality now, a pitch like autotune, and it's not always there but it tends to become obvious when he's emotionally distraught. He doesn't seem to totally understand Cooking anymore, specifically when it comes to Chicken (a meal he'd never even dare to sniff before he went missing). And his scar, of course, and the way the doctors were horrified and baffled by how he was still alive because he's missing several important organs, including a heart, and they have him on a transplant list but somehow he's walking around like nothing is wrong.

Yellow Guy doesn't have space for batteries anymore but when he does things like stick a fork in a socket (because he no longer understands basic safety) his eyes will go green for a few seconds before going back to normal. He doesn't flinch much at injury anymore, like he doesn't feel it unless it's something truly horrible and mangling (so a bad whack on the head just brings a laugh, and luckily he hasn't hurt himself badly enough for for his family to find out what his limit is. Yet.) Oh he'll say "Ow," and "Ouch," but that's about it, even when it's something like a big cut from mishandling a knife. He still says things that make no sense but feel like they mean something Important, and his family wishes desperately they could understand it because it's clear he has all this knowledge and no way to process it, but it sounds like it could be the answer to everything (it's not, just more Red Herrings and endless riddles meant to drive him to the depths of desperate insanity as he seeks answers More and More).

The Being won't get them back. It'll move on to someone else. But they'll never really escape. They carry some of That Place with them now, forever changed in a way that might never be reconciled with the lives they now lead.

[kiekiecarrera]

I finally got around to watching season 4 (I procrastinated on it for too long, lol)

Anyway..... WHAT HAPPENED THIS SEASON?!?! JIARA IS REAL?!? I did not expect us to get that much and akghskghagkskg it's too perfect!!! The ANGST and then KITTY HAWK?!?!?!?! I've watched that episode at least 3 times! I did not think we'd get a kiss this season, especially after watching the first couple of episodes and I'm just sobbing now.

On another notes, I was shocked with how hard Big John's and Ward's deaths hit. Like, they were both pretty bad fathers in their own rights yet their deaths were still handled emotionally. I think that just goes to show how well the show did at developing the characters because as an audience we can still feel something when their dads die just as they grieved despite having been put through so much shit because of them

JJ definitely needed a hug this season. Those scenes with him going "home" to an evicted house that was left in a mess. And he didn't have anyone aside from the Pogues. It was just heartbreaking.

Also JIAIRA!!!

Sorry for yelling about this in your asks, I know you've probably already gone through the feels but I need to throw my thoughts someplace.

Anon ngl that season 4 typo made my heart fall out of my ass but we move. Anyway. JIARA IS CANON. Every time I think about how much we got this season and their growth and storyline I feel even more feral than before. The fic-level angst was actually insane and KITTY HAWK WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY.

I was leaning more towards kiss, but I did not think it would be like this. I loved how sweet it was, and the relief they both felt when they did it, like it was the literally manifestation of FINALLY.

The dads' death hit, but honestly by that point Big John had taken too much screentime for me and he was mostly unlikable, so I had a hard time feeling anything more than relief. Like, I was sad for JB, but not that the character was gone. Ward's was a little bit more impactful because we spent 3 seasons with that character, but he's done so much bad shit that it was hard to be too sad about it. But the kids did such a wonderful job playing those scenes, and that's where the emotions hit.

JJ definitely needed a hug and more attention from his friends this season. So did Kiara. I hope they both get that in season 4 (FROM EACHOTHER!!!!! and also from the other pogues, they're both very underrated within the friend group).

Never be sorry for yelling in my asks, sorry it took so long to reply tho!!!!

[ma-lark-ey]

Lark Liveblogs Lit episode 4(?): The Mortal Instruments

Here’s what I know going into it;

Magnus & Alec are endgame, Alec walks away from his marriage???? Very dramatically to kiss Magnus. I, originally, thought these two were reversed but my mate corrected me.

It’s (roughly???) inspired by her old Draco Trilogy (which I did track down and download, will read eventually) and shares the name with a Ron/Ginny fic (which I read. Mortal Instrument was a very fitting title)

And that’s literally all I know before hand;

Unlike the Harry Potter post, I’ll add my thoughts whilst reading and not just completely after finishing. I will still do the entire series post-mortum on each book, though.

City of Bones; (3/11/23)

Alec is EASILY my favorite. I figured it’d be Simon or Magnus because my blorbo history favors Simons and Magnuses, but Alec has CAPTURED my heart and when he almost died to Abbadon I literally cried even though I KNEW he survived.

Clary, on the contrary, is only slightly less boring than Isabelle. I think Isabelle is badass because she’s got a whip but both of these women is like. Go girl! Give us NOTHING! Especially weird because Clary is primarily our perspective character??

Jace & Simon’s weird little dynamic is interesting. I’m not. Its whatever. I don’t hate it, I’m not intrigued. I DO think Alec/Jace is a far superior romance to Jace/Clary. But also maybe my opinion will change. The little kiss in the garden WAS very cute. Jace thinks he’s so cool and he’s literally not. He’s literally so cringe. His snarky sass is so fun as well, obsessed with whatevers going on there.

The cup being IN the Tarot cards was SO cool. I’m obsessed with THAT.

How old is Magnus. Can I be condoning Malec. Is it like, a Calypso situation. Emotionally he act around 19-20, we’re going with that. He feels like a shitty frat boy. How did this man name Magnus Chase he’s so cool and Magnus Chase is the most pathetic meow meow I’ve ever seen.

UMMM??? HODGE??? WHAT THE A C T U A L FUCK. HELLO. NO. NO. I REFUSE. THIS IS SO FUCKED UP WHAT. SO THAT WAS A FUCKING LIE???? Hodge.

Pov you’re my actually mildly hyperventilating at the end of chapter 22.

JACE IS VALENTINES SON??? THEY’RE SIBLINGS??? Really living up to stealing that name from Ron/Ginny fic huh 😭😭 oh god. Cassie… cassie clare… bbg….

So. The Johnathon reveal fr had me set the book down and walk away because I was in HYSTERICS. congrats, Simon! New chance with your girl because the other part of your love triangle was her BROTHER. so—

Newly finished City of Bones. There’s so much going on here. I’ve thoroughly exhausted my thoughts already. Uhm.

All I have left to say is I adore Luke. He’s perfect. And Magnus Bane RUSHING to Alec like that??? OKAY. HOMOSEXUAL MUCH??? Yes sir go get your man. I see you.

2.) City of Ashes (02/05/23-8/17/23)

Simon and Clary are a MESS i love them. Theyre IDIOTS.

Luke is still my beloved

The complex ass dynamic of Jace and Valentine,,, EAT. love it.

Im gonna be so fr i have updated this in six months and dont remember 90% of book teo anymore actually but Vampire Simon was a slay

Wait that didnt happen in this book.

OH. OH. THE SEELIE COURT? INSANE. INSANO FUCKING CRAZY THAT WAS WILD.

this book took me forever to read because second installments are always weak af (Son of Neptune is an exception) and i struggle so bad

Dont remember if it was this book or book three but him almost dying and Jace giving him blood was the GAYEST thing I’ve ever seen and they should make out. Like that was so horny and for what.

YES THAT WAS TEO IM CORRECT because two was the boar fight and three was the city where sebastian whatever the fuck killed max

Moving on.

3.) City of Glass (8/19/23-8/23/23)

THEYRE NOT. SIBLINGS. WIN FOR EVERYONE INVOLED.

Magnus & Alec appeared like twice but im obsessed with Magnus every time he appears im flirting with him hey bb howzit going.

Maya is my FAVORITE ever i love a wolf girl. Also love a fear demon.

The Max death was UNNECESSARY and UNCALLED FOR he was a BABY BOY. what did he ever do to deserve this. He died HOLDING JACE’S SOLDIER. devastating. Awful.

The mark of Kane for Simon was real as shit im obsessed with that.

The Angel reviving Jace was literally so funny silly goofy. He went “god. What the fuck. At least give this kid a chance at being normal” and thats so funny.

I want to study Jace like a bug. Hes so babygirl.

(I’ll reblog with updates as I read the last half of the series 🙏 it’s taking longer bc ~ school ~)

However!

My best mate & I watched the first season of the show & the City of Bones movie and;

Okay we only watched the first like. 45 minutes of City of Bones because we wanted to watch something genuinely bad and it was doing too well. Obsessed with the cast on that, though. We didnt even get to Magnus or Alec because every casting on the movie was good until Isabelle and it was so bad I made my mate turn it off because I Could Not.

I’m on episode ten of season one of Shadowhunters and its not good but it is fun so I’m thriving. Like this show is bad but also its a fun time so we’re thriving.