#i am so so gutted that we never got a second season

[theyarebothgunshot]

am i about to rewatch crashing (uk) for the 2747 time? yes. yes i am.

[andsomemaniacgotridofthewheel]

David Jenkins was not a Big Name Showrunner before OFMD. In fact, I had never heard of him before. I am not even sure what he did before OFMD, according to IMDB he wrote exactly one other show and it is one I have never even heard of before.

And he somehow got HBO to make his weird little show about gay pirates, and he got Taika Waititi to help with it, and while nobody was expecting anything of it - I mean come on guys, remember when OFMD dropped and everyone only gradually realised what it was - it became The Little Show That Could. With almost no advertising. No marketing. HBO did clearly did not expect this show to be anything, to make any real money or to go beyond one season.

But then it blew up.

Because David Jenkins was so insightful, he was so good, he brought so much fresh wind into a business where we usually can tell how the next three steps of how any show is going to go (and to be fair, a lot of us feared that Izzy's death in season 2 was coming, because all the signs fit), that we put him on a pedestal.

THE FUCKING PEDESTAL.

Yes he is brilliant. He has done stuff with OFMD that you never ever see somewhere else. He has understood that historical accuracy, as well as physics and geography, are merely backdrop for plot and characters. Completely irrelevant if you need them to be, but then suddenly important if you have a bit of story that won't work without. He understood that queer relationships deserve to be told, and when confronted with skeptic fans he learned about queerbaiting.

He took a lot of tropes and put them on their head. He structured his show like fanfic. He put thought into his stories instead of following the beaten track. He single-handedly raised the bar for every showrunner out there.

But it is still only his second show.

If he didn't shine so brightly during OFMD's first season, nobody would have expected so much of him.

And yes. He dropped the ball on Izzy.

I loved Izzy to pieces ever since season 1, I wanted to pin him to a board like a bug and study him and take him apart and put him in a blender and in situations, I loved to hate him and in season 2 I loved to love him. He is such a brilliant, complex character, so well written and so well played by Con O'Neill; the options for character analysis, relationship analysis, various interpretations of everything he has done, are simply limitless. 🤯 That is due to David Jenkins & Con O'Neill.

And David Jenkins, standing in the spotlight of all of our exaggerated expectations, decided it would have the greatest emotional impact if he killed him. He made him a symbol, for the end of The Golden Age of Piracy™, and he killed him.

He was right.

He was not original.

He fell for one of the very tropes he so successfully fought in season 1, and for the most part of season 2.

Procuring an emotional response by having a beloved character, who was just starting to embark on an exciting new journey, die tragically and emotionally, providing motivation for the remaining characters.

It was a cheap move.

It is not a Bury Your Gays. Everyone is queer on this show, you can't call something a Bury Your Gays if that would be true for every character death.

But Izzy was also old, and disabled, and he had survived a suicide attempt (that he was driven into, not chose for himself), and had just had an arc of growth and character development that could have gone on for such a long time after this. He had just learned to trust and be vulnerable and experience (gender)queer joy. God, there were so many places his character could have gone.

I loved Izzy as a character, I didn't relate much to him. But Your Mileage May Vary, and I am so, so sorry for everyone who did. You didn't deserve this.

But David Jenkins? Is still sooo much better than any generic bland showrunner that is going places in Hollywood. You want to boycott anything, boycott the big streaming services that don't have the guts to make their main characters queer, to think that "a bit of both" is inclusive or bold, and who drive out any creatives that object and try to sneak in inclusiveness. They are the enemy. They are systemic discrimination and injustice.

David Jenkins is just starting out. And he did so much better on his very first successful show than anyone who has been in the business for years. If anyone deserves a chance to prove that he can do better, it's him.

I'm sure he'll come to regret his decision. I'm sure he'll see where he went wrong, how he could have done better, and fix it in any show he might do after this. I, for one, would much rather see any show he is involved in than most of the crap that the AMPTP is putting out, now or in the future. He can only get better. And he did do a lot of things right. Never forget that. Because the majority of showrunners can't even do the minimum, and David Jenkins went above and beyond.

I think he deserves a little slack. If anyone in the streaming industry does, it's him.

It's the fucking pedestal that is the problem. It makes people who do good but are not perfect suddenly look worse than the most cowardice, opportunistic mediocre guy. But they are not and they deserve a leg up, or we are stuck with the worse option who gets support from all the wrong places. Don't fall for it.

[goodnightmemes]

SUPERNATURAL SENTENCE STARTERS / SEASONS 4 - 5

❛ What’s the matter? You don’t think you deserve to be saved? ❜

❛ You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in. ❜

❛ Destiny can’t be changed. All roads lead to the same destination. ❜

❛ I have questions. I have doubts. I don’t know what is right and what is wrong anymore. ❜

❛ The only reason you’re still alive is because you’ve been useful. But the moment that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you’re worth, one word, one, and I will turn you to dust. ❜

❛ Who do I have to kill to get some French fries around here? ❜

❛ How I feel, this… inside me, I wish I couldn’t feel anything. I wish I couldn’t feel a damn thing. ❜

❛ We’re all scared. That’s the big secret… We’re all scared. ❜

❛ If you think you have good intentions, think again. ❜

❛ It’s not blame that falls on you. It’s fate. ❜

❛ I’m tired of burying friends. ❜

❛ You ask me to open that door and walk through it…? You will not like what walks back out. ❜

❛ I’m sorry. This is a very serious, very emotional situation for you. I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just that, I mean, are they serious? They sent you to torture me? ❜

❛ Oh, you’ll spill your guts, one way or the other. I just didn’t want to ruin my shoes. ❜

❛ Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things. Save people. ❜

❛ I can’t see your face, but those are definitely your brooding and pensive shoulders. ❜

❛ You promised me my family would be okay! You promised you were gonna take care of them! ❜

❛ I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? ❜

❛ Now for the punch line. Everybody dies. ❜

❛ Now I’m asking you, for once, trust me. ❜

❛ Maybe you’re right. Maybe there’s, no escape. After all, how can you run from what’s inside you? ❜

❛ You don’t know me. You never did. And you never will. ❜

❛ Well, boo hoo! I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! ❜

❛ Are you under the impression that family’s supposed to make you feel good, make you an apple pie, maybe? They’re supposed to make you miserable! That’s why they’re family! ❜

❛ We’ve been through much together, you and I. And I just wanted… to say, I’m sorry it ended like this. ❜

❛ What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here! ❜

❛ No more crap about being a good soldier, there is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it! ❜

❛ If there is anything worth dying for, this is it. ❜

❛ Well, can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case, truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. ❜

❛ Oh God. Is that a molar? I have a molar in my hair? This has been a really stressful day. ❜

❛ I’ve got no idea, but what I do have is a GED and a give-em hell attitude, and I’ll figure it out. ❜

❛ I’m hunted, I rebelled, and I did it, all of it, for you, and you failed. ❜

❛ I lost everything… for nothing. ❜

❛ You feel bad now? Wait ‘till you’re thigh-deep in warm corpses. 'Cause my friend, I’m just getting started. ❜

❛ We’ve talked about this. Personal space? ❜

❛ I was dead from the moment we said hello. ❜

❛ Don’t you get it? You can’t run from yourself. ❜

❛ Same song, different verse. Things are never gonna change with you. Ever. ❜

❛ My heart breaks for you. The weight on your shoulders, what you’ve done, what you still have to do. It is more than anyone could bear. ❜

❛ You’re not fooling me, you know that? With this sympathy for the Devil crap? I know what you are. ❜

❛ Whatever you do, you will always end up here. No matter what choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up…here. ❜

❛ Maybe we are each other’s Achilles’ Heel. Maybe they’ll find a way to use us against each other, I don’t know. I just know we’re all we’ve got. ❜

❛ You can do the right thing. You’ve got choices. But if you make the wrong ones, it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. ❜

❛ I have to believe someone can make the right choice, even if I couldn’t. ❜

❛ You know, I’m starting to get why parents lie to their kids. You want them to believe that the worst thing out there is mixing Pop Rocks and Coke - protect them from the real evil. You want them going to bed feeling safe. If that means lying to them, so be it. ❜

❛ I wish this were a TV show. Easy answers, endings wrapped up in a bow. But this is real. And it’s gonna end bloody for all of us. That’s just how it’s gotta be. ❜

❛ Now listen very closely. Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play the roles that destiny has chosen for you! ❜

❛ Are you giving me the 'Last Night on Earth’ speech? ❜

❛ What a peculiar thing you are. ❜

❛ I still love him. But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to. ❜

❛ Think of the million random choices that you make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it’s not random. It’s not chance. It’s a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will’s an illusion. ❜

❛ I can see how broken you are, how defeated; you can’t win and you know it, but you just keep fighting, just keep going through the motions. You’re not hungry, because inside, you’re already dead. ❜

❛ We’re supposed to be a team, it’s supposed to be you and me against the world, right? ❜

❛ Not for nothing, but the last person who looked at me like that… I got laid. ❜

❛ Well, we’re working on the power of love. ❜

❛ I love you, but you are a great big bag of dicks. ❜

❛ No one gives us the right. We take it. ❜

❛ If anyone gets to end this world, it’s me. ❜

❛ Before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules: No slaughtering each other, curb your wrath. Oh, and keep your hands off the local virgins. We’re trying to keep a low profile here. ❜

❛ Get the hell off my property before I blast you so full of rock salt, you crap margaritas. ❜

❛ I don’t understand your definition of good news. ❜

❛ You are not the burnt and broken shell of a man that I believed you to be. ❜

❛ You have an inflated sense of your importance. ❜

❛ To a thing like me, a thing like you, well… Think how you’d feel if a bacterium sat at your table and started to get snarky. ❜

❛ I’m old. Very old. So, I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you. ❜

❛ However you feel now, it’s only gonna get so very, very much worse… questions? ❜

❛ I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol. ❜

❛ You’re not a kid anymore, and I can’t keep treating you like one. Maybe I gotta grow up a little, too. ❜

❛ Come on, I’ve never lied to you, you could at least pay me the same respect. ❜

❛ We’re going to kill each other. And for what? We don’t even know the answer. Let’s just walk off the chessboard. ❜

❛ What would you rather have: peace or freedom? ❜

[unadulteratedkr]

OFMD~a letter

This show has changed my life. It's unlocked creativity and love I didn't know I had, it's introduced me to people I adore more than the breath I have in my body, and it's opened up a world of acceptance of who I am and who I could be like I'd never imagined.

I wish I could show Our Flag Means Death to that scared little girl who thought the way she loved someone was wrong and tell her it was going to be a revolution in her heart. I wish I could show this to the confused 20-something college kid that was traveling unknown waters without a compass and tell her that there's gonna be something beautiful to navigate with in her future. I'm so fucking grateful that a 30-something me got to see a man reach out to the love of his life when he thought that man was dead and wake him up with loving words and his hand reaching out. That scared little girl finally got to see that happen, and I'm never going to lose how beautiful that was.

I'm gutted to see it go before those men get to navigate the world of being happy together. So so gutted. And so monumentally thankful for what we did get to see.

Thank you to all the cast and crew for pouring love into each frame. Thank you to @davidjenks (and your cool as fuck wife!!!!) for seeing this story as an honest love story that deserved to be told with earnest whimsy and sincerity. Thank you for fighting to give us a second season. Thank you for documenting each moment of creation for us to giggle over after the Revenge sailed off to the horizon. Thank you for showing queer kids that love is worth fighting for, and love is worth giving up the fight for.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[seafearing]

@palmviolet this question was just too good (and difficult bcos of it) which is why i have been thinking about it for like six days. so sorry for this absolutely unhinged essay you are getting, feel free to. ignore lol

1 in the bleak midwinter, season 2, episode 6

this takes the number one spot because it's one i really remember hitting me upon watching it for the first time. his grave that's been dug out for him for the whole episode without him realizing it, then the acceptance in the mud and the field, the sequence where he actually falls into the grave with the dead bodies on top, i did fucking think he had died for a second there. and then he has to crawl out of it, and. then the realization that he has to keep going is what breaks him, and how that tells so much about his character and how it gets built up on and mirrored constantly the coming years.

oops this got long sorry i am entirely normal about this television series

2 did polly send you, season 6 episode 6

i can't not have this scene high up here. the symbolism throughout, with the crow, the fire, and the horse, his hallucination of his daughter and at this moment, imagining polly as well despite saying that polly would never visit him in his dreams again, that torn ugly heart of family, love and brutality, betrayal

and the sentimentality of spreading all these mementos of his loved ones in the caravan where he intends to die, like a kind of perverted version of him saying to campbell "i have my family". and alfie asking him, when will he stop, and "when i find the man i can't defeat", and that turned on its head and being manipulated into becoming the man he can't defeat, myself talking to myself about myself truly, as well as, most glaringly, the whole mental illness of it all. and, just i don't know i found it good storytelling not to have the main character that's struggled with mental health and suicidal ideation for the entirety of the series, die of suicide at the end for a shock ending of sorts. like i am so very glad that wasn't the twist in it all.

and then the continuation of this scene to the end. him with the gun in his hand once again, that addiction where he feels like god. and this time he doesn't pull the trigger, but it was never about pulling the trigger, it was having the power of being the one to choose. and they end it with him riding away with the white horse encased in fire. the obvious symbolism with how everything started with him arriving on the black horse, and also the mirror of how he blew up his house and walked away from it, repeated at the end. like sorry but this is poetry to me.

3 now you've seen me, season 1 episode 5

this was such a brutal and haunting scene that i really remember well from those early seasons. one of the few times we really see tommy lose it like this. used by the police much like he was used in the war, and then he snaps. and that betrayal, again. they were supposed to come, but they didn't come, the cavalry. and the vulnerability that he has afterwards, you see that it breaks him. that unavailable, closed off man he's become after the war, and you feel like, this is what was hiding underneath it all, these raw guts, the splattered, caved in skull. "now you've seen me," he says to grace, but he's also saying that to the audience. i do really like that their romance as well is always marked by them seeing this violence, the brutality in one another. "this one looks like it was killed by a wild fucking animal," and she marries him.

4 what fucking line am i supposed to have crossed, season 3 episode 6

i can't also not-mention this. i really enjoy pretty much all the characters in peaky blinders, but alfie is truly a wild one. he's sold tommy out again, and this huge rant he goes on after being confronted about it, it's just simply beautiful and so multi-layered that i feel too stupid to analyze it. just something about him unleashing this self-justified anger at tommy thinking he's above it all, and then to go, more softly: "i did not know about your boy, though." also the propensity of tommy always going back to him for more betrayal, just like he went back to grace after she betrayed him. this season, it doesn't even occur to him that alfie might have betrayed him (again): he interrogates his family, first. insane.

5 he just listened. and now he has no face, season 5 episode 4

god i love season 5, and this episode in particular. this whole sequence where the swan dies, in this episode where tommy keeps seeing his dead wife. the whole sequence is just, encapsulating love, betrayal and violence. lizzie going to hold tommy's hand as they watch the ballet, aberama proposing to polly, the reveal of linda and her raw confrontation of the violence and control, fuck. and then polly being the one to pull the trigger, and the swan, she does die. and the whole sequence that unravels afterwards with linda on the table is like something! out of a fucking renaissance painting!! it makes me unhinged!!

nooo and i didn't even include that sequence at the dinner table in s6 where the camera swiwels between the participants, just the cinematography and decisions they make in this show. prove it with your body. wait let me redo this whole thing i'm not doing it justice nooo who cares about season 1 (i do)

[echobx]

I love JJ but how do we know he didn't treat girls like that last post says? A lot of ppl write him like that anyway(no hate)

I agree we should look at this more closely and see why I and op of that post agree with the statement they made

to address what you said, (and I'm never gonna assume hate bc this let's me write a lowkey think piece or wtv it's called lol) because deep in my heart I have always felt that those ways of writing him is very ooc imo, but I'm not gonna police ppl on what they write (especially considering that I know that every Rafe thing I write is just ooc when we look at canon very strictly)

so to answer the question, why would it be ooc of JJ to treat girls the way Kiara treated the boys, there's a quick and a not so quick answer.

the quick one, we (definitively) don't know how he acts around random girls, but this are his friends and if roles were reversed he's still loyal af and wouldn't hurt his friends in such a way. full stop. he's not the person to do that.

now, let's look at it in a little more detail.

1. Loyalty

season 1: he went to jail for Pope. he helped his best friend get away from the cops by stealing from his father, who we know is abusive. do you know how much guts it takes to actually stand up to your abuser in that way? and we know even though he started to act up, there's still an inate fear that Luke will hurt him way worse again. he put himself in front of barry to save his friends from being shot.

season 2: he was ready to have a shoot of with the cops to protect John B from going to jail. he was ready to die for him! he tried to bust him out of jail, and if no one had interfered and the other guy hadn't also needed to go to the hospital, the plan would've worked (I'm so sure of that) then he tried his best to protect Pope from Limbry and her brother.

season 3: even though they butchered him, he was still somewhat loyal, I just refuse to acknowledge that he saved Kie bc he was in love with her and not because she's also his best friend. again, no one told him to, he just did it because he can't imagine a life where his friends (his family) aren't all with him when shit goes down. which is also why he was so distraught when Sarah told him to go instead of wait and search for John B when they left Barbados.

there's a clear line of loyalty and he's not crossing it. he's always got their back and if he can't because they don't let him, it causes him mental distress (1. he looked in pain when Sarah made him drive off. 2. he went back home after taking Barry's money and having the fight with his friends although he knew jis dad was there, although he knew of the risk)

2. Girls

we have little to no information on how JJ treats random girls. the only real info we have is coming from the Pilot episode and one timy line in season 2

pilot: his introduction shows him bent over a girl in an attempt to make out with her, it's like 2 seconds max before John B closes the door and moves on. then later we get JB commenting on JJ's behavior by basically saying he can't keep away from any girl because he always wants to fuck them. which tbh, is a common thing for a teenage boy.

season 2: when they are back at school, John B gets the note from the girl to go to the bonfire. JJ takes the note and remarks "she meant to give that to me" in a clear attempt to make it seem like girls are simply fawning over him and it's impossible for anyone to find John B more attractive than him (I'm not gonna comment on the truth of this bc Chase is just not my type at all, so for me to say he's right would be immensely more biased than I already am)

HOWEVER these are the only views we have into his whole dating life. there's no other mention of it ever.

so let's look at the girls in the group.

3. Sarah

JJ is from the start on friendly to her. he's supportive of John B and Sarah and their whole relationship from the get go. and as the story progresses, we can see that he clearly cares a lot about her. he values her opinion on a lot of things. he didn't directly judge her for her cheating (which idk if he did because he gives her the benefit of the doubt or because he thinks it's 100% Topper's fault)

he's even somewhat protective of her, especially in season 2 when everything with her dad goes down, and then at the end of season 3 when he was ready machete a guy with a gun (very dumb idea, but he's impulsive enough to might've actually done that if Ward hadn't stepped in)

he's got respect for her and acts like a true friend towards her, even though they technically only know each other for a few months at that point.

4. Cleo

there's not much to say because we didn't get to see them interact much, but I believe there's a strong mutual respect between the two especially with JJ saying "glad you're part of my team" on the airstrip in season 3

he sees her independence and doesn't try to dismiss it or tell her to do anything she doesn't want to (he never does that with any of the girls tbh which is part of the point I'm trying to make)

5. Kiara

season 1: in the pilot episode he says tp John B "I've tried that door already and it's locked" meaning he tried to get with her, Kie shut him down and he let it go. that's what should happen when a friend approaches you and you don't reciprocate the feelings. it shouldn't destroy a friendship.

then we get to see them interact more, and you can clearly see that he see her as an equal, even though they disagree on some things especially when it comes to money but in the end they'll always stick together.

season 2: we see him be supportive of Kie and Pope's relationship, he has no interest in being with her, if he had he wouldn't give Pope advice on how to win her over. he talks to her about him, maybe in a way of connecting to her and try and help from both sides. again he's being respectful in a rather clumsy way, but he's tentative to not cross a line and doesn't pressure her to answer any of his weird questions.

what we don't get to see is his reaction to Kie doing what she did to Pope, bc we only know that Kie told Sarah and Pope told John B, we can't know if JJ knows exactly what happened pr how he reacted. although it would give a little more insight.

season 3: (let's assume jiara makes sense without butchering character development)

he feels true remorse when it comes to his shown feelings towards her and knowing it's gonna hurt Pope. he doesn't want to cross a line she isn't read to cross yet.

he pushes her away from him because he doesn't see himself good enough to be with a rich girl like Kiara, because all he can see himself as is the person everyone thinks he is. the fuck up. just "Luke's kid". and not the person he really is.

he saves her from the camp because first of all she's his friend and second of all he knows she will be miserable there and that she deserves better.

Kiara initiated the kiss. she initiated the "i love you"s. he didn't want to cross the line without being sure that she wanted it too.

6. his mom

we know nothing about his mom. but from context clues we can assume that she left him when he was a baby, or toddler.

from context clues we can assume that Luke was just as much abusive to her as he is towards JJ. knowing that it's very clear that JJ would never actively hurt someone, especially a woman, in a way like that. if it's physically or mentally

7. other older women

Mrs. Heyward: he's got the utmost respect for her, probably sees her like a mother he wish he had.

Mrs. Carrera: even when she was mean to him, he stayed respectful. not even saying a mean thing behind her back.

Rose: we know he flirted with her in the og script to get better tips, but the scene was cut. I still think it's important to add tho because it adds a layer to his infamous player attitude

Mrs. Limbry: again, even though she was the enemy that point in the story, he still didn't say a bad word about her unlike some of the men they went against.

what it comes down to here is that he has too much respect for the women in his life, to treat even just random girls, in the way that would hurt them.

when it comes to what Kie did and if JJ would do it too? never, because he puts his friends above all else. he would never.

[gojuo]

Gojo has his head. In season 2 he tells toji he failed to kill him because he didn't cut off his head. Sukuna didn't cut off his head. He can still heal his body.

Plus we see Nanami tell gojo that there are two paths. One to change you or one to stay who you are. Gojo says goodbye to his dead friends and we see him walk away showing he's taking the second path. We also see a lotus then.

Which symbols strength and renewal.

Gojo is not dying. He may be gone a few chapters but everything his hunting he will heal his body and be back.

Gojo will live.

i wish i had your hopium but i gotta correct a few things here ... 1) it was said by i think kashimo (i dont even remember) that cursed energy comes from the gut, and gojo has been split into two from his stomach. toji never bisected him, even if he managed to stab him through the cranium. 2) gojo didn't say goodbye to his friends in the afterlife, that was a mistranslation. 3) he's not walking away from anything either ?? 4) the chapter title is called "going south" bruh...

listen. i so badly want him to come back. i really fucking do. i read jjk 0 when it came out in jump giga in 2017 and when it wasn't called jjk yet (it was called tokyo metropolitan curse technical school btw). i've been with gojo since mfing 2017... 2017!!! i've loved him for over 6 years now i can't even believe it's been so long.. i never expected that silly oneshot manga to become this popular 🥹 kinda makes me happy how loved jjk is currently :')))) but the fact of the matter is that gege has stated numerous times that he wants to finish jjk soon. he actually stated in late 2022 that he was planning on finishing it in 2023. gege's editor has come out and said that the manga will not be ending this year though, so my guess is somewhere around spring 2024 everything will be wrapped and and be donezo so that gege can move on to that goddamn idol manga he's been yapping about for a while now. so what am i trying to say with this tangent? i'm saying that jjk is ending soon and that gege has stated multiple times how difficult it was for him to write around the powerhouse that is gojo (which is just an admission of his own shitty writing/planning because mf YOU 🫵 are the writer like you are the one that created him!!! learn how to plan out your story and how to utilize the characters you yourself have created for it you stupid fucking cat i swear to god....). this all just screams to me that it's over. it's finished. gojo already died once and came back enlightened, he's not gonna have it a second time. not this close to the end. not after having been removed from the narrative for over a hundred chapters. not after seeing sukuna back at full health in his heian era form, something gege didn't even have gojo force out of him. like gege really got him out of the box so that he could be done with him unarguably and conclude his character arc because he wants to finish jjk.

gojo is dead, nobara is for sure dead, megumi is basically done for (we'll see him once more within the mind once yuuji does his soul cursed technique whatever bullshit on sukuna to have a talk but he's not coming back no more), and yuuji, the kid whose execution started this story, will be the only one left alive. gege said in an interview a while ago that he wanted to end jjk with either 1 of the main 4 dead, or only 1 of the main 4 alive. i think it's pretty obvious that person is supposed to be yuuji. "die surrounded by your friends" from the first chapter is going to turn into "all your dead friends will surround you". i am wholeheartedly convinced of this. i'm sorry, but after 3 years of having to sit through that worthless culling game arc leading to absolutely nowhere for our heroes, after realizing that there will never be a pay off for the last 100+ chapters because the whole point of the arc is now fucking dead just like that, i do not have it in me to have any faith nor hope in gege's writing skills. it's become painfully clear to me how mid that guy is at writing and how hard he is rushing towards the end. i have lost all faith and goodwill i used to hold for gege.

[theysangastheyslew]

Hey!!!

I want to share more suffering with you, homie haha *crying*

What do you think of the episode? Especially 132 part ofc!

Hi friend! :'))))))))) Ooooooh honey that gif is such a mood XD I’ve been trying to collect my thoughts and this is the best I can do atm. Sorry it’s kind of wordy but here we go 🥲

Ok! So ever-present pacing issues aside, the overarching story made for a solid episode and the animation was incredible. Hell, even the things I disliked objectively looked well-done out of context. Overall, that was no small feat to pull off, especially in such harsh working conditions. I truly do want to acknowledge that.

But in regards to 132, you guys already put into words how I feel better than I could. I may not have anything new to add, but I’ll say what I liked first and then put my issues under a cut.

As someone who actually really likes Yams’ art style, I loved that they consistently kept Hange’s face accurate to the manga. It was really inconsistent throughout the final season and they struggled to not make it too short a lot of times. Hange was always still stunning of course but the difference always stuck out to me. Here everyone was drawn well, but you can tell she got some extra attention.

The way they inched Levi closer to where Hange was sitting while talking with Yelena. Insignificant yeah but consistent with their past behavior. Also I’m glad they tweaked the position of his bandages so it looked less like they were painfully tugging upwards on his nose.

The pained expressions of the kids and Hange watching Levi struggle to even hold his gear

The “unrequited love” exchange. It had most of the softness and emotion from the manga even though the weight of that line will never be realized in non-written form. The camera lingered on each frame in a way that conveyed the sentiment. This is what got my hopes up that they would stay truer to the source material with DYH.

I'm so glad they left in Hange's lines to Flochroach about not giving up. Helps show—once again—that they wanted to live

The choked way Levi said “Devote your heart” + Hange’s widened eye and soft gasp at his words. Though not tearing up like in the manga, the shot still looked lovely for the half second it lasted. He doesn't pause halfway through saying it though so this one I'm still wrestling with.

Of course, the last stand. Onscreen, Hange took out at least 16 colossals (including the ones we see trip and get trampled) and definitely more offscreen (when they cut away to show other characters) and for the last few, did it while in the most pain a human body can feel. 7/10 for combat, my ass. Idk about y’all but I can’t stop hearing Romi Park’s screams in my head. I knew it would be nauseating and brutal but dear God. At the same time I cannot put into words how proud I am of them. That's my commander 💜

Ok “like” is definitely not the right word for this but I had wondered when I first read 132 how Hange’s gas tank was so well-insulated that it didn’t ignite, and.. well I got my answer.

I’m thankful that they didn’t show a glimpse of Hange’s bloody, crushed remains the way you see in the og panel. That at least felt respectful to me. This is wishful thinking I know but the defined charred outline makes me choose hope they fell more off to the side from where the titans were walking so at least there was maybe still a body left to recover someday.

The afterlife scene, the kids all sobbing their hearts out, Levi holding his own hand in the aftermath trying to process what just happened, and Onyankopon confirming the plane’s significance all really were appropriately gut-wrenching.

I really recommend taking a little break between The Rumbling and Sinners. It definitely makes the shift in emotion less jarring and less

When I did that with my rewatch it helped with the flow of things.

Ok, now twist me up and call me a pretzel bc here there be some salt :|

I’ll try to leave out my og issues with the manga chapter itself (like how painfully obvious it was all just to make Armin commander and how unnecessary Hange dying was IN THE FIRST PLACE and IF it had to happen at all how it could have been done at the final boss skelepalooza showdown, etc.) and just focus on the episode.

Goes without saying but it bears repeating: pacing. 75% of my issues with the execution of DYH would be gone if they just slowed down a bit. Just let the weight of it sink in a little. That this moment —all shreds of shipping aside— is the end of the line for these two heroes who have been supporting each other for ten years while bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders. But Mappa completely reversed the timing of the sequence of events. In the manga we had a longer, more intimate farewell followed by a last stand that was so short even when you knew it was coming it left you reeling from how fast it was from start to finish. Whereas here they hurried it along to get to the “main event”. Hell, it flows better in gif sets than it does in the actual show.

To me, it felt like Hange’s demeanor didn’t really change from talking with the kids to speaking with Levi, making their false bravado seem like less of a front. I know their tone was meant to sound like they were keeping up appearances, but with how often Hange just gets reduced solely to being a titan freak the way they had Romi say the lines made it sound like actual excitement, especially with the way they drew Hange's facial expressions (more on that next)

Hange’s little smirk after the salute. I kinda get what they were trying to do here but to me it came off as very flippant and dismissive of Levi’s choice of words, especially since they all but got rid of their lips trembling and eye beginning to well up with tears. I wish we’d gotten the big fake smile and laugh because that would have shown better that Hange was overcompensating by trying to put their brave face back on after starting to lose their composure. Their fear is obvious in the manga but it just simply didn’t come through as well throughout this entire exchange.

Sooo Hange almost tears up when Pieck said their words inspired her yet minutes later when their Best Friend tries to say goodbye there’s nowhere near that kind of reaction? Sure, Jan

Levi’s face. Ok look. It’s not a lack of emotion on his part that bothers me. It’s that it’s an entirely different one to begin with. He looks bummed at first yes, but then that changes to what I’m guessing is supposed to be determination which comes off as anger or annoyance (kinda like what changed with his scene with Armin on the stairs). They removed what made this parting different from previous ones, which was the sense of open vulnerability and the dawning realization that now he’s going to have to let Hans go too. See it's not like they were in the middle of the battle just yet. This situation came on suddenly and unexpectedly; it wasn't "supposed" to happen. One second they were on track and the next Hange is being torn away by fate. And yes, the highlights play a part in that transition. Anyone who draws eyes knows the importance of placement and intensity and the major impact they have over the final expression. And when drawing a comic you certainly don’t take up valuable page space with three panels focusing on the hope draining out of someone’s eyes if it wasn’t supposed to be the focus. I mean for fuck's sake, even the Final Season!Nendoroid Levi got it right. Plus, if they could make a point of getting Eren's eyes right during the raid on Liberio they could have gotten it here.

When the camera cuts to the kids watching the titans fall the angle doesn’t let you see that Levi can’t bring himself to watch for more than just a second

NOT MAPPA’s FAULT but since I’m being whiny right now I’m going to add that while ACWNR is a mixed bag to begin with, WIT’s adaptation not including Levihan’s introduction saddens me bc Levi asking Hange to keep watching loses a bit of extra oomph.

Really it just comes down to the fact that there was nothing wrong with the original page. It wasn’t overdone or dragged out by any means but considering many other scenes got shot-for-shot depictions I don’t think we were asking for anything outrageous by wanting a faithful adaptation. The couple frames we got that were almost perfect were so freakin fast you barely had time to process them before it cut away.

I wanted to like it, I really did. Especially since MAPPA did so many things so incredibly well as a whole. My expectations weren’t high, and I did want to give it the benefit of the doubt. But when it came to DYH, it felt both watered down and disjointed, like a completely different scene.

But so it goes. At the end of the day, Hange still dies a horrifying death for plot convenience, and Levi is left behind to suffer once again. It was always going to hurt and I was never going to be ready for it, no matter how it was done.

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

my friend just got me into Ted lasso earlier this month. slightly before 3×10 came out. it's already one of my favorite shows, which took me by surprise. the only sports shows I've ever liked before have been anime. technically i am half way through season 2 but I'm online so ive seen a lot of spoilers. including how they just handled the ot3 in the finale. and i have a couple thoughts.

before we started the first episode, one of my friends selling points was "there is an ot3 that might actually have a shot at going canon by the end and the end is soon" and before seeing any of it my answer was "you already sold me but don't get your hopes up. it's still made by two massive studios and studios are pussies. and then i watched the first episode and she showed me some clips of Roy and Jamie later in the series and some actor interview clips to explain the ot3 better and i said "I'll tell you exactly what is going to happen. they are going to pull a korrasami. it looks like the writers are writing towards it and the actors and everyone wants it to go that way, but they are at best going to get an episode close to the end where their 'friendship' develops with a few hints and then at the very end of the last episode they will throw an ambiguous bone that could go either way. because that is as far as those studios will allow" and i was exactly right. exactly fucking right.

and I'm happy we got as much as we did with them. it feels like the type of representation you get from a Hollywood movie in the 50s. subtextual but easily readable with a trained eye. and it feels natural for their development. even with the backslide of the fistfight. because real growth isn't linear and theirs has never been either. this feels like a very natural place for them to end and it feels like they are at the start of something that they as characters don't quite understand yet.

but there is a part of me that is still disappointed. the same way part of me was disappointed when i finished leverage and got korrasami'd by that ot3. it's always left ambiguous with polyamory. it's either an ambiguous ending that will go under the studios radar or it's basically a porn from the start (not that there is anything wrong with that side of it either, i just want more variety) Dani got to have 2 girlfriends. and they looked happy. and they were there for a few seconds and they were gone. and we don't know them. Roy and Jamie and Keeley have been at the center of the show since the start and they have been growing towards it the whole time. they deserve something more than being happy together at a celebration. something concrete. something that acknowledges where they are with each other properly.

I'm elated that we weren't told no. I'm elated that Keeley didn't let them make her choose. I'm elated that they looked happy in the end. that they were close. that something that would have been several episodes of drama in season 1 was solved with "fuck we're stupid".

but I'm devastated that it's happened again. that the comfort of the cishet target audience was valued over the narrative value of their growth together. that it's entirely my decision what the ending means yet again. that even in a show that has been bold with it's queer representation, polyamory with actual narrative strength and value is a step too far. that i fell into the same trap I've been falling into since i was a little kid watching avatar. that i saw it coming and was still hit with the full force of it. and I'm so tired.

but i can't wait to get properly caught up. i know it will be a gut punch, but i still love every second with these three. and with everyone else. this show has taken me by surprise in so many ways

[snorkling-in-sodasea]

My Thoughts on Oops

Well, I guess I wanna give my thoughts over the newest Helluva Boss episode, Oops. At least on some things, I either won't go over every single detail or just summerize. At the very least, I'll go over big things. Also, yes, I read other posts on this site. Because that's what I do with every single episode of Helluva Boss (which seems to be some of the only reasons I even bother with this show anymore; it's more enjoyable to hear what other people think of the show than watching the show)

Anyways, I think I'll drop to Blitz's defense on something here, before getting mad at him. (I'll get mad at Stolas right from the get-go, though, so when I bring him up, well, you've been warned right here). Getting on with it, Blitz's defense is when he's skeptical of Stolas's affection. He says that Stolas asks about Blitz's day, comments on his drawings, and laughs at his jokes. Well, the first two things happened OFF-screen. Seriously, I should have seen this shit ON-screen if I'm supposed to even begin rooting for this relationship. As much as some people claim it's not horrid, or toxic as others would say, Stolitz is definitely problematic as all fuck and I can't with it. Seriously, I can't even care about Blitz and Stolas as individual characters. How am I supposed to care about their not-yet relationship or even just the two of them when they're together?

But yeah, Fizz makes it sound like Blitz is just being his usual paranoid-of-love self when the latter refuses to believe that. The episode in general depicts it that way. But I at least don't blame Fizz for being judgmental like that. After all, it's been established at the start of the episode that they only met twice in fifteen years. And Stolas is no doubt a complete stranger to Fizzarolli prior to the episode Ozzie's. How the fuck is Fizzarolli supposed to know how Stolas is like on a normal basis, let alone how he's like with Blitz? It's a complete outsider's perspective. Not to mention, Fizz still hated Blitz at the time so he's bound to not have a lot of patience or understanding for Blitz's problems.

Not to mention, even if Stolas is one of the good ones, that's just it. He's one of the good ones. It's like when you accidentally botch in baking a batch of cookies but then you find one that's not so burnt compared to the others. It's not that hard to like that cookie over the others. Except if we were to think about that metaphor again, then that means that Stolas is still burnt. Thanks to the kind of environment and background he comes from, Stolas still got negatively affected by it all; it's just not to the same extent as the other Geotia. (Not that I'm thinking Stolas is really a good person when it comes down to it. Remember that cookie metaphor I just made, please) So yeah, that not I really care about Blitz and I'm bound to never do so, but he's right to be skeptical of a doting and/or attentive streak that's coming from someone who never acted that way before.

Now here comes the starting paragraph where I thoroughly don't give a shit about him and will likely make that perfectly clear for the remainder of this post. Just so you know. And I think I'll start by the fact that, as right as he is in this episode, he's still a insecure jackass who keeps bringing others down just to prop himself up. It's been established in my head since the end of season 1, like second to last episode for sure, and that opinion has only been going strong throughout season 2. Granted, not my only problem with Helluva Boss but I'm sure you can take some guesses. I'm bound to have the common opinions as anyone who dislikes or even hates the show within logical reason.

But yeah, Blitz actually spills his guts to someone, voluntarily, and it's to someone who wouldn't give a shit about his personal problems. Fuck, is he inept with feelings. How he became that emotionally constipated is one thing but it pisses me off that he's just lived his life like this. If he was an antagonist character, a side character, or (most preferably) a minor character, then I wouldn't have to care. Instead, I gotta get fucking angry since, for all my personal reasons for continuing to watch this show, I'm usually stuck watching this grown-up little boy who fully embraces the sex part of adult life because he apparently thinks it's all you need to be grown up like real grown ups.

Then there's the fact that Blitz is all 'you got no idea what I lost in the fire'. Maybe that line would have worked better for Barbie. Maybe. If only because, since she's female Blitz, she's bound to be so full of herself to not realize it's all about her. Except Blitz is making it all about him because he's saying it to a guy who fucking LOST HIS LIMBS. And since Fizz lost his limbs, he lost along with those limbs his agency, his future, his very way of life... That's not even getting into the fact that Fizz is bound to have lost people he cared about. Seriously, it's super unlikely that Blitz is the only imp at the circus who lost someone to that fire and I'm not just talking about the fact that Tilla was supposed to be Barbie's mother, too. Seriously, 'you got no idea what I lost in the fire' has got to be one of the most insensitive things ever to say to someone like Fizz.

Speaking of, Tilla. I didn't feel it as strongly as Moxxie's mother but I felt instantly positive that the implications of Tilla's death was just for the sake of feeling more bad to Blitz. Well, guess what? I got a dead mom, too, and I felt shit for Blitz because he's shit. And the poor woman, Tilla. I can't feel bad that she died, too. I mean, she's the opposite to Moxxie's mom. Moxxie's mom showed up on-screen and we see her do things, even if they are just centered around males. Yet the lady was never given a name; Viv gives so many names to background characters I would never think about otherwise but she couldn't be bothered to give the mother to one of the main characters a fucking name. As for Tilla, though, she was name dropped but never made any appearances. So I can't feel bad that Tilla died because I never even got to see her. And since Viv and the other members of her crew are relying on me to give a fuck about Blitz to give a fuck about Tilla's death, then anyone who reads my posts know just how well that worked.

Stolas is a funny story. I'm happy to see that Stolas is an awful character now because, otherwise, I wouldn't be giving hate to a character who really deserves it. Especially since the show won't do it anymore... In any case, I didn't like Stolas's appearance here. The confession meant nothing; I knew it's just shipping bait. I got annoyed over him going over the contract; I felt like it was just some attempt to make Stolas look badass. Stolas says that last line; I think 'just go away already'

Striker and Crimson were a surprise but the episode seems to just treat them like mooks. Seriously, Exes and Oohs made a big fucking deal over how menacing Crimson was. (Sure, he's not actually a threat because his gang sure wasn't and, given Crimson's hiring criteria, sure isn't now) And if Crimson actually dies via collapsing building, then Moxxie got cheated of getting the last stand over his FUCKING FATHER. And yeah, Crimson really isn't that different from our protagonists in terms of vileness, but I could at least tell he was an antagonist character so you'd think you want Moxxie, the SON, to get the last stand, not a guy Crimson just remembered meeting once and someone Crimson never met before. And rest in peace, Norman Reedus Striker, I don't think we'll ever get you again... which makes me wonder why Edward Bosco couldn't just have voiced Striker from the fucking start. At least we wouldn't know that we'd miss Norman Reedus Striker.

Really, my only enjoyment from the episode was Ozzie and Fizz, especially when they were together. The banter, the antics, the communication, the nickname Fizzie Frog... the sex-related stuff was even tolerable with those two. I'd want the show to be about these two instead of Stolas and Blitz, especially in how that relationship got got formed, but then that probably means letting Viv and her crew be in charge of the writing. So I think I'll stick to fanfics, especially ones made from more passionate writers who at least try making a good story

[gallifreyanwriter]

In Which Henry Spencer is possessed by Castiel

A little bit of Psychnatural for yall. Not ready to put this on AO3 yet but I will put it here. Exactly what it says on the tin--Henry gets possessed by season 4 Cas.

“I just don’t believe it,” Shawn said, finality in his voice.

“Shawn, we have him on video tape,” Juliet said, voice breaking with sorrow, “It was definitely him.” 

“No, no no no, he wouldn’t-he wouldn’t, Jules, you know my dad, how could you-how could you believe he could commit MURDER like that??” Shawn rambled, pleading desperately to her sad eyes.

“I still don’t believe how he actually committed those murders, and I saw  ‘em,” Lassie mumbled.

“NotthetimeCarlton,” Juliet hissed, slapping him on the arm.

“Alright,” Shawn said, flopping down in the chair, “Let’s see this so-called evidence. Let me train my psychic gift upon it, and see what the spirits’ opinion is.”

He lifted a finger to his temple.

“Preliminary vibes are…skeptical,” Shawn informed, “Just so you all are aware.” 

Chief Vick sighed, pushed the tape into the VCR, and shakily hit play.

The security footage played out.

First, a brawl breaking out inside some sushi restaurant on De La Vina Street. 

Then enter Henry Spencer, his father, moving fluidly with the agility of a man half his age, wading into the crowd and slaughtering everyone within his reach, with something that was blasting light into each one of their skulls.

He looked down at the coroner’s report, which reported the eyes being burned out of each one of the victims.

He looked back up at the bodies, clearly lying dead on the ground. “I don’t believe it,” Shawn said numbly.

“I couldn’t believe it either,” the Chief said, sounding just as tired and defeated as him, “But we have footage, witnesses…even a confession, Shawn. Your dad could go to jail for a very, very long time.”

-

Henry sat rigidly, in the interrogation room, staring blankly ahead at the wall.

He didn’t look well. He looked catatonic, but…not with fear. He just looked like a statue. An object.

God, Shawn couldn’t even see him breathing.

Something was definitely wrong with him. Shawn just hoped that what was wrong with him wasn’t the cause of murders.

“Can I have a minute alone with my dad, please?” Shawn asked, brittle.

Lassie and Juliet looked at each other, and nodded.

Shawn entered the room, and shut the door. He had to get to the bottom of this.

“Shawn Spencer,” rumbled Henry, straining the limits of his lower register.

“Dad?” Shawn squeaked, clearing his throat. “What just-”

“No,” Henry said, heavily sighing, “I am not your father.”

Pause.

Blink blink.

“Dad, this isn’t funny,” Shawn said, warning in his voice, “I just-I just watched you kill all those peopl-”

“I am not Henry Spencer,” said Henry Spencer. 

“Then who are you?” Shawn asked, throwing his hands up into the air, “Your alter-ego, Countess Boochie Flagrante?? This is seriou-”

“Castiel,” interrupted Henry, cool as ice.

Shawn blinked. Some sort of gut feeling, that something wasn’t right here, was the only thing that gave him that split second of pause to listen to his dad.

 “I am Castiel,” his dad insisted, “Angel of the lord.”

Shawn tried not to let his jaw drop, and only partially succeeded by turning it into a bit of a disbelieving grin.

“What? No,” he said, huffing a bit of a nervous laugh, “Dad. Dad, drop the voice, you-you got me. I fell for it, nice job, you got me. Well, you didn’t really get me, but I was about fifteen to twenty percent got if that makes you feel better, I’ll even give you twenty-five if you stop this right n-”

Then his dad’s shadow grew wings on the wall behind him, and Shawn’s jaw dropped for real.

But it wasn’t just the puppet show up against the wall, it was…the crackle. Shawn could feel every hair on his body stand up as the shadowy wings unfurled, like lightning was about to strike him–but it never came. He was sure, deep down in his bones, that the power that was oppressing Shawn was coming from…whatever was creating that wing-shaped pattern.

Then he looked his dad in the eyes, and it was not his dad.

His eyes were glowing, bright and crackling blue.

Then he sat back, exhausted, eyes fading back to their usual blue-grey.

“Wh-what-” Shawn garbled, speechless.

“This is not my true vessel,” Castiel said gently, lowly, with a smooth cadence that Henry never, ever possessed, “I should not remain inside for very long. But it will be long enough to do what needs to be done, to save this place.”

This was not his fucking dad.

“What have you done with my dad?” Shawn whispered, stock still in mortal terror.

Castiel touched his-Henry’s-chest. 

“He is still here,” he said, “He allowed me in. He consented.”

“Ohh, that’s one thing you don’t know about my dad,” Shawn said, mirthlessly laughing, shaking his head, “He-he would never agree to this.”

Castiel cocked his head to the side, regarding Shawn as if he were a caged animal.

“Henry was right,” he simply said, leaning back in the interrogation chair, “He said you wouldn’t believe.”

“Why would I?” Shawn hissed.

“Before he surrendered his mortal form to me, Henry had a message for you, Shawn,” Castiel said, “In the case that you didn’t believe, he assured me that this would solve your lack of faith.”

“What could he have possibly said, that would make me believe he was on board?” Shawn asked.

Henr-no, Castiel, leaned across the interrogation table and looked Shawn Spencer right in the eyes.

Shawn felt that uncomfortable power again, pressing in around him, choking the air out of the room.

“Henry said, and I quote,” Castiel said deliberately, “Check your goddamned mail, for once in your life.”

The voice was all wrong, still, but it did sound like Dad.

Shawn thought back to the pile of mail on his kitchen table, that he hadn’t opened yet. 

He saw, in his mind’s eye, the corner of a return address, the letters H-E-N and the letters 4 2 C-A-B-R-I-

Oh god, his dad had sent him a letter days ago!

Shawn stood up in a haste, and gave this-this thing that was wearing his dad one more backward glance before he rushed out of the room, past a sorrowful Juliet, and out the door back to his house.

-

He sorted through the pile of unread mail, finding the one from his dad, and tearing it open.

Shawn,

The angel’s telling the truth. I gave the okay. And I’m still in there, jackass, so don’t you dare plan my funeral. I’ll be back.

Sometimes, when things get tough, you have to offer up whatever you got to get the job done. I hope you, of all people, understand that. 

Dad

[midnightcreator12]

Hi there! I just got into your au, and usually I really, really genuinely do not like oc's that are in canon. And it always takes me so many tries to get into it because it just seems so fun, however there's smth about it that I just never like and nothing ever works out? Came across your au, read first chapter and I was already in it. Read everything in one night, EXACTLY my cup of tea and I just don't understand? You added something, I don't exactly know what but I sure am loving it!

And the one-shots are my second favourite part! Nice to read, have a fun adventure in it (or gut-wrenching angst) and it's just so well written, having zero problems with following along. On the last chapter, in the comment section, you mentioned that you were gonna do a one-shot next. So if I may, could we get a small preview? Nothing big and if you don't want to or it's meant to be more surprise-like then, no need, no pressure!

Have a great day and night, drink some water and get plenty of rest, byeee!!

Happy you like my AU, fic and Chula!

I don't think I added anything so much as...took something away. See, what a lot of people do with OC insert fics is that they essicially make their OC the main character. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but the issue is that you're going to have a lot of people not want to read it within a few paragraph.

Because, simply put, we read fanfiction to read about an established cast and world. Even if a fic isn't focused on the main characters we still see that main cast as a large part of the plot and, thus, if a fic is focused on a minor character, it's like watching a sidekicks filler episode. It's why I only have 4 out of 54 chapter from Chula POV in the main story of Hunter and Turtles. I wanted to keep her as a side character so I could keep the feeling of the fic being like another season from the show....but with more bloodshed and angst exploration.

That isn't a hard rule, of course. The One-Shot Series starts with a Chula POV chapter and most of those one-shots are from her POV but I always intended that one to be mostly for me to write whatever I wanted and to roll with it (notice the number of non-canon shots in that). And I wrote my Mutant Mayhem fic from an OC's POV because I tried with a few other perspective and his was the best choice. Even then, I tried to keep him as an outsider to the main cast instead of front loading the fic with his life story or something like that.

As for the One-Shot thing. I want to do some Canon One-Shots with Leo and Chula before I start posting the third Arc for the series. Mostly because Arc Three is going to be....quite a shift and there are some one-shots that a few readers have been excited to see. It's a lot easier to crank out some short, single chapter stories when I don't have to juggle all the heavy main plot stuff at the same time.

And since you've left such a wonderful ask in my Inbox....yeah, I can do a lil preview for one of the one-shots under construction.

Warning; this preview is not edited yet so the sentence structure, spelling and grammar may be a little wack.

You have an awesome day/night as well! And remeber to sleep when binge reading fanfiction! And enjoy!

Chula had been gone too long.

The thought had flitted through his a few times over that last couple of hours but when the sun started to go down, it became a mantra.

When they landed on this planet, Chula had passively mention that she was going to find some work for a few extra cdit while the ship refueled and cooled down. And Leo hadn’t bat an eye at that because Chula did that a lot, ventured onto planets for some day-labor for some extra cash in her pocket.

Leo didn’t mind staying on the ship to wait for her to come back….and since she hadn’t called him out for occasionally sneaking off she didn’t know he’d sometimes explore a little.

But she didn’t ever stay gone the entire day. The longest she’d ever been gone was nine hours and even that time she’d stomped into the ship grumbling about contractors underselling the job to try and give her less money.

But it had been easily past that at this point and Leo was worried. And she wasn’t answering her comm. Either. Sure, she didn’t always have time or signal but Leo was pretty sure she’d find a way to reassure him if he tried to call ten times.

But he hadn’t heard a peep.

So he grabbed his hood, opened a picture of Chula on his tablet and ventured into the settlement.

[lovemewednesdays]

my two cents.

I finished the second season of The Bear. Here are my big thoughts.

I'm really glad a lot of the older cast got to thrive, like Tina and Richie. It's a perfect example of how it's never too late. Which I think is needed in a society that puts a lot of stock into succeeding while you're young.

The new restaurant is fine. Lovely. I'm glad they have a sandwich window to keep the OG stuff, but I will miss the rizz, as the kids say, of The Beef. It had personality, history. I feel like I would be able to go into The Beef and feel completely at home. The Bear? I'm not sure. The word "gentrification" bounced around in my head a lot, and I don't know how to feel about it. Maybe they'll touch on that in later seasons?

WATCHING TINA KILL IT ALL SEASON WAS LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY. SHE FOUND HER GROOVE, BABY.

Richie was the season for me. Tina was great, of course, but the growth that Richie went through, the fact that he found something to care about, and he was good at it. Ugh. A+ all around. "Forks" was my favorite episode of the whole season.

I wrote a post about the Christmas episode. Wow. Stellar. Gut-wrenching. Hard to fucking watch. I was screaming, "Everyone needs therapy!" the entire time. Definitely one of the best TV episodes of all time. Emmy winner for sure. I'd bet my life on it.

The Richie/Sugar mended relationship arc was all I needed.

The Richie/Sydney mended relationship arc was all I needed.

I just really loved Richie this season, okay? My boy is learning how to respect women and not say the R-word. We love to see it.

I don't eat omelets usually. I've eaten two in the past 12 hours.

The Carmy x Claire arc, for me, was annoying. Not because I didn't like Claire – I didn't love her, but I did like her, especially her relationship with the family – but because it was just so...not needed? Of course, you don't start a brand-new relationship when you're trying to open a restaurant. CARMY KNOWS THAT SHIT. WHY? WHY? Being a chef is one of the hardest jobs to have a work/life balance with. Even I know that, and I'm nowhere near the hospitality industry! I feel like the team could've come up with more creative emotional obstacles for Carm, is all I'm saying.

I knew they were gonna do something with Marcus and Sydney. I knew it, and I couldn't watch my babies go through that. I love their friendship, and I think they'd be cute, but if that's the way the story's going, I'm going to need a little more convincing.

Favorite cameos: Bernthal (obvi), Colman, and Poulter.

The Donna/Pete scene in the last episode was...so good. So, so good. I love Pete.

And finally:

I am surprised to say this, but I am completely neutral about the Syd x Carmy situation. I can see it going either way, and I'd be fine with it either way. As a recovering Tedbecca fan, I thought if I didn't see it, I'd just be protecting myself from another cruel showrunner (I am actually very mad at Sudeikis for the obvious trolling), but I was just neutral. I'm not going to say I don't see it, I totally do. The Chef Kiss (cute ship name!) fans have some valid points, and I hate that the antis make them feel bad. It's unnecessary. And I hate that romance is seen as Less Than in movies and TV shows nowadays, and I will write my thoughts on that later. Because I have a lot of them.

[jvstheworld]

My Ted Lasso Re-watch: S1E6 (part 3)

Two Aces

Keeley makes a Pavlov's Dogs reference. But if the only good thing about her relationship with Jamie was the sex, then I can understand why she ended the relationship.

Keeley dropping truth bombs on Jamie. Because he doesn't recognise people genuinely helping him because his dad was always pushing him to dominate. He's thinks it all manipulation because that's probably what his dad does.

1st proper conversation between Sam and Rebecca. Sam just wants to do good and earn his fame and money legitimately. And Rebecca only considers joining midnight bonding session because how much of a sweetheart Sam is. I mean you try and say no to him, it's impossible and why the hell would you?

Roy is secretly a softie. And leaving home at 9 to move to a new city, yeah that's scary. I like hearing stories about Roy and his Grandad, he's seemed like a good figure in Roy's life.

Sam wanting to join the Nigerian team. He'll get there but isn't helped by one annoying, rich prick.

Richard kept sand from the beach where he first slept with a supermodel? Okay, you do you, buddy.

Nate values something because a girl was nice to him once. Something that probably does not happen all that much.

Rebecca putting in that day's newspaper because she is trying (and failing) to move on from her marriage. I say failing because people who do successfully move on don't plot revenge against their ex that involves a whole business being destroyed and a lot of innocence people getting caught up in it as collateral. That's not moving on, that's being a fucking bitch. It's all well and good saying fuck the haters when it comes to the press, but if her plan worked she would be even more despised by the press.

Cindy Clawford is a fantastic name for a cat. Sorry for your loss, Higgins.

Isaac and his duck pen is fucking adorable. Please can he have a new one?

They speed through the rest of the background actors, though I am interested in all the stuff they put in and why.

Colin putting the keys to his current car in, is peak himbo. Beard's question is valid. How did he get home?

Jamie joins in. His mum is wonderful, as we find out in season 3 and a better influence on Jamie than his dad. Jamie is the way he is because of his dad's need to look good in front of other people. He's not trying to get Jamie to win because he cares about him, he's doing it so he can look good and claim Jamie's accomplishments as his own. His dad's abuse towards him over shadowed his love for the game.

We never got to see what Ted and Beard put in? We were robbed.

Yeah, don't burn stuff inside, do it outside, and safely. Don't need anymore forest fires in the world, because I know that's been a fucking thing.

Higgins cares more about the team the longer he spends time with Ted. He might have been hesitant to go along with Rebecca's palm in the beginning, but after spending time with the team and Ted and Beard, he genuinely cares about them.

Dani is back and he's fine. Good, because I would go full Dean Winchester on any ghost who hurts Dani.

Jamie being the one to start the chant shows him wanting to be apart of the team. Ted was getting through to him, with Keeley's help.

Rebecca shrugging off the coat because she doesn't want to be associated with the team in anyway, and is off to get rid of Jamie.

The team is happy and and all seems well until Ted finds out what Rebecca did. And he is pissed off for the second time this episode.

Ted let's slip that he bakes the biscuits for Rebecca. I think we should have gotten a more shocked reaction from her. She went to lengths to find out where the biscuits came from and finding out that the man you've been trying to ruin has been baking them for you all along, that's got to be a bit of gut punch. All I'm saying is we needed a couple more seconds on Rebecca's reaction.

Everyone is devastated that Jamie is gone, because the team needed him, despite his shitty behaviour. And Dani is a sweet cinnamon roll to try and cheer up Ted, Beard and Nate.

[thenightling]

My review of The Sandman Netflix series

 My review of The Sandman Netflix series season 1:

         (Contains some spoilers)   

     I have finally finished watching all of the first season of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. This was the TV adaptation of the story that has fascinated me for the last five years.  I gave myself a few days to sit on it and stew on what I thought of the show.

    I loved most of it.  I will give it an 8 out of 10.  There were a few things I disliked but I mostly loved it.  I loved Patton Oswalt as Matthew.  I loved how Cain and Abel were portrayed.  Any scene in The Dreaming was a delight. The special effects are excellent, as is the music.  

     Thought I loved the show I will acknowledge some flaws.  Episode six is probably the best episode of the series and most people loved it for Death’s story, The Sound of her Wings.  But I loved it for the second half, which adapted the story Men of Good Fortune (chapter 10 of The Sandman audio drama, issue 13 in the comic book version). I love Men of Good Fortune so much that I wish it had gotten its own episode instead of just half of one.  The character of the immortal Hob Gadling was done extremely well here.  I love that he is the opposite of the popular trope of the brooding immortal.  Instead he loves life.  No matter how bad things get he never wants to die. There’s too many new things to experience and enjoy and ways things can get better. I adore his optimism and endurance and I think Morpheus needs that in a friend.  The ending of the episode is also very sweet.

     Episodes 7 through 10 tell the story of The Doll’s House and I’m afraid I did not like this portion of the show as much as the first half. I do actually like the new character of Gault used to replace the now absent Brute and Glob.  Gault is a much more interesting character and helps to teach Morpheus about the way entities can change.  She reminds me a lot of Ruin from The Dreaming: Waking Hours.  I hope we see more of her later but even if we don’t get more content with her, her story got a satisfying and endearing ending.

      The Seral Killer convention was as dark and as brutal as the original version, if not more so.  I was disappointed that Morpheus did not get to rescue Rose Walker from Funland but instead she was “rescued” by The Corinthian who wanted to use her power instead.       

    My complaints are relatively small.  I happened to love the original version of Imperfect hosts where Morpheus convalesced in The House of Mystery, nursed back to health by the spooky, horror loving, Cain and Abel.  Instead he comes to them to ask to take their Gargoyle (who was always more like a dog) and re-absorb the entity he had created in order to regain some power. This scene is gut wrenching, especially since Gregory does NOT die in the source material. He’s an adorable recurring character along with Goldie the baby gargoyle.     I also didn’t like that the show kind of thumbed its nose at the idea of Cain being apologetic or giving Goldie’s egg to Abel, almost like it was a dig at the original story.  I liked that moment of sweetness. Now it is Morpheus who gives them the egg that contains baby Goldie.    

      I do suspect that Morpheus giving them Goldie to make up for the loss of Gregory is meant to foreshadow the ultimate end of the series but Gregory and Goldie were always meant to co-exist with each other and their interactions were adorable. I hope I am right in that I thought I saw an unfinished re-created Gregory to the right of Morpheus at the end of episode 10.  I also kind of hope that the series, itself, has a different ending from the original books.  As blasphemous as this may sound I would prefer an ending that focusses on duality and change instead of “Change or die.”  

      I was also a little disappointed that it was Lucienne who apparently made Matthew into a raven instead of Morpheus.  I know Morpheus was still grieving Jessamy but it gave them more of a connection if Morpheus was who recruited the dying man to be his familiar.  It was sort of funny that Matthew mentions not having thumbs anymore but I always had the impression that Matthew (in the books) preferred being a raven to a man so having him lament no longer having thumbs felt a little off to me.

       Some of the changes were for the better.  I am glad that John Dee spared Rosemary instead of killing her.  I am glad Morpheus’s “battle” with ”The Oldest Game” was against Lucifer instead of the demon Choronzon.  I am glad none of The Corinthian’s victims were left alive for long, drawing out their mutilation and suffering. I am not a fan of torture or gore in horror. I like atmosphere more than anything. And The Sandman is both Gothic horror and fantasy and full of atmosphere.  

    In general I loved the show.  I think I would have more of a grudge if Morpheus had not set things right with Gault in episode 10.  What nearly became of her really bothered me even though she is a new character.  And part of me still hopes that Alexander Burgess gets free of his curse much sooner than he did in the original version. The poor man had been through enough.   

      In general I was very happy with how the show turned out. I sincerely hope The Sandman gets a second season.      

[reversemoon255]

Ultraman Decker Toy Roundup

Well, Decker just ended at the time of me writing this. Time to talk about the two toys I got while it was airing, and give my overall thoughts on the show.

I will say, I mostly bought Carmeara because I was kinda sad she and Darrgon died at the end of Trigger. I felt like there was a lot of potential for her and Trigger to both return to the Eternity Core, in the few years they’re stuck there that spark reignites, and at the end of Episode Z we get the reveal of Ultrwoman Carmeara. And in the meantime Darrgon acts as GUTS Selects’ new powerhouse to replace Trigger while he’s diffusing. Considering Grigio is one of the more popular characters Ultraman has introduced, introducing a second Ultrawoman with a very different personality (because I’m not sure Dinas will be different enough from Grigio) has a lot of potential.

I am glad she was brought back during Decker, and that Darrgon might come back, too, and that she’s reconciled with Trigger somewhat. It’s just there were way more interesting things you could have done with the character.

S.H.Figuarts Carmeara: As for her figure, it’s pretty good. I’d say she’s slightly better than Trigger, with slightly better balance and ease of posability. Her hanging adornments have enough weight to them that they don’t look weird or lighter than they should be, but I do wish there was a bit more weight at the ends. She comes with her whip effect, which has a posable wire inside, and Trigger’s Zeperion Beam, so she is meant to be a companion to him. If only the show thought so as well...

DX GUTS Hawk: I love this thing. This improves my opinions on the GUTS Falcon significantly. While it doesn’t have a robot mode, it has very posable arms, and the transformation is so satisfying. It’s just fun to transform, and there are plenty of fan-mode things you can do with it as well. If you can find them both at a good price, I’d highly recommend as a desk toy.

Ultraman Decker (Series): I like Decker more than Trigger, but not as much as Z. From what I know of Dyna, it does a good job of not retreading things like Trigger did, but it’s weirdly the most serious Ultraman I’ve watched, and I’m not sure I like that, or perhaps I just don’t like how this particular season handled it. It’s not that the series didn’t try to be humorous on occasion, because it felt like there were plenty of set-ups and punchlines, but either the editing or the scoring always undermined it, so it never felt funny. I think this unbalance is what hurts it the most.

Anyway, I do think the plot was at least interesting, and I do think the characters were pretty good, even if they didn’t feel as filled out as Trigger.

Overall, a decent set of toys that are meant to (successfully) bolster existing figures, and a decent show to go with them. Ultra Galaxy Fight is also ongoing at the moment, and I’ve been super enjoying that one with just how fun and cheesy it is. As I’m still somewhat new to Ultraman, I’m still working out what it is I like about the series. Hopefully I’ll figure it out sooner rather than later.