#i rewatched the show and am shocked by how cute these two are and that i didn't really notice on first watch

[gloomsday]

neil fak & richie jerimovich | the bear, season two

(kiss please!)

[forever-rogue]

hello miss bee! 🐝💛

if you're in the mood for a mando fic, id love to request something that involves gifting din a new cape and him falling in love w reader more and deciding he wants to give her something special too 🫶 lord knows he needs a new one bc i was rewatching s1 and i noticed it didn't always look so battered like the current state it's in bc it has has a bunch of holes in it and maybe more grogu puke 😭✋

thank you lovely!! 🫶

AN | Imagine the day Din finally gets some style. Softness ahead 🥰

Warnings | None

Pairing | Din x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2k

Masterlist | Din, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You’re staring,” you could hear the teasing lilt in his voice. You brought your gaze up to his eye level and gave him a small smile that you could just feel him returning from under the helmet. 

“I am not,” you stuck out your tongue, but felt the heat rising in your face, “I just happened to be looking in that direction and you happen to take up a lot of room.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed in content as the two of you turned your attention to Grogu, who was running through the flower field, chasing butterflies. He was just too cute and you couldn’t help the small sound that escaped your lips. Din studied you for a moment, watching your face light up with joy, “Grogu.”

The small creature stopped for a moment and looked at the Mandalorian before cooing happily and waddling over to him. You watched as he came closer and plucked a flower and held it out to him. He made a sound of wonder before gently taking it from you.

“Grogu,” he turned towards the sound of his father’s voice, “show her the butterflies.”

He reached for your hand in a clear attempt to get you to follow him. You did so without hesitation and followed after him, laughing as he tried to run as best as he could. He was just so innocent, free, and happy that it made you happy too. 

The two of them had been in your life for a few months now, since they’d stopped on Nevarro and decided to take some rest and respite. You were out, going to a cafe with some friends, when you stopped the little guy, distressed and looking for who you learned was his father. You’d reunited them and the rest was history. 

You always knew that their presence in your life wasn’t permanent, but you weren’t sure as to its temporariness either. You’d decided that all you could was be there with them and take in all the moments and experiences. The rest would fall into place, one way or another. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Din?” you stopped washing the dishes and turned to the broad man next to you. He stopped drying the dish in his hand and turned to you, motioning for you to continue on, “I have a stupid question.”

“No such thing,” he insisted and then paused for a moment, “there are stupid questions, but none from you.”

“I could easily change that,” you snorted in amusement, “so I guess you’ll have to give me your opinion after.”

“Okay,” you liked the sound of his soft laugh, and you liked knowing you were the source of it. 

“Have you ever considered getting a new cape?” it sounded so incredibly stupid as soon as you said it out loud. Din remained silent for a moment and you felt like you had just asked the dumbed question in the galaxy. You fumbled around for a moment, waving your hands nervously, “you know what? That sounded so stupid even just saying it out loud, so let’s just forget it.”

It was then that he reached over and put his hand on your face, brushing his thumb over your cheek, “it wasn’t a stupid question. It’s just not something I’ve ever been asked before.”

“Really?” the shock on your face was evident - his cape had definitely seen better days. It had permanent stains, rips and tears, and some of the ends were singed. It was more of a tattered piece of fabric than anything. 

“Really,” he liked the look of surprise on your face, how your eyes grew wide and lips pulled into a pretty pout, “It’s not really a big deal when you’re…”

“Running around the galaxy and saving everyone?”

“I wouldn't necessarily say everyone,” his cheeks warmed up and he was glad that you couldn’t see his face, or you would have seen his bright red face, “but something like that. Any particular reason why you’re asking?”

“Not really,” you shrugged it off, “just curious.”

“Curiosity is good,” he promised as you nodded shyly and turned back to the dishes, “just ask Grogu.”

As if on cue, the little one looked up from where he was playing on the floor and babbled happily at the two of you. The way Din looked back at him made your ache with realization that you wouldn’t have them in your life anymore.

You pushed it all to the side and reminded yourself not to worry about it. There was no reason to ruin the moment.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You were walking through the markets, Grogu in tow as you picked up some fresh fruits and vegetables…and a little treat for him of course. You kept your pace slow so he could keep up and it was almost too precious. 

About halfway through the market, you came across a stall boasting beautiful fabrics and silks. You stopped so suddenly that your companion almost walked into your leg. Reaching down and picking him up, you held him up so he could look at everything along with you.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ you touched some of the soft looking fabrics, trying to picture them with what you had in mind. He reached towards one of the darker looking fabrics and you nodded in agreement, “I think that’s the one too. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

He cooed happily as you waved down the vendor and asked for several bolts. You watched him wrap up the fabric and paid for it before slipping it gently into your bag. You knew exactly what you were going to do with it as soon as you got home. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You were practically giddy throughout the entire night and Din could tell that something was up. Just when you almost couldn’t take it anymore, Din unintentionally sped up your little plan.

“Alright, what’s up, Sunshine?” you almost jumped up from your seat as you ran to your room, leaving him watching you in surprise. He exchanged a look with his foundling before they heard running back down the stairs, a small package in your hand. 

“This is for you,” you almost shoved the parcel in his hands, practically vibrating with excitement, “it’s nothing much, but I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be great, but you didn’t have to get me anything,” he opened the present slowly and meticulously, making sure not to tear any of the paper or potentially ruin whatever was inside. As soon as he realized what it was, “oh.”

You felt like the life force was draining from your body as your heart plummeted into your stomach. He hated it. You shouldn’t have done this and you really just wanted to slink away and hide. 

“D-Din, I’m sorry,” you swallowed thickly, “I didn’t mean to overstep or anything, I just thought it would be nice.”

“What are you sorry for?” he asked, his voice low and soft, “this is…beautiful. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to,” you promised, relief flooding your body when you realized that he wasn’t upset, “I saw the fabric at the market and thought it was perfect - Grogu agreed.”

“I…thank you,” you could hear the touch of motion in his voice that made your stomach flutter happily, “it’s a really nice gesture. No one’s done this kind of thing for me in a long time.”

“Well,” you tried to play off the rush of emotions and nervously raked your hand through your hair, “you really needed a new cape, so now you have a new one. Just make sure not to ruin it this time, yeah?”

“I promise to do my best,” and you could practically feel the smile that was on his face.

“You haven’t seen the best part,” you reached for Grogu and motioned for him to climb into your lap. Once he did, you pointed to his little back where you’d draped a matching little cap over his shoulders, “ta-da!”

“It’s the same,” you nodded as he reached over and touched it softly, “it’s amazing.”

“I couldn’t just make one for you,” you said in a teasing no duh tone, “the clan of two is a package duo.”

“Yes,” he agreed. There wasn’t a world where he couldn’t imagine the little one being a part of his life - he was his son. Part of him also couldn’t imagine a life without you in it either. He’d never expected that much, but now he was going to have to figure it all out, “you’re wonderful.”

“You aren’t so bad either,” you grinned, beaming and lovely and magic, “kinda like you two a lot.”

Yeah. You were going to make things very difficult.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The Mandalorian was practically sweating bullets, hot and warm in his suit as he watched you play with the kid. You could tell that something had been off with him all day, but your mind had been going to the fact that he was going to tell you about his plan to leave. But you didn’t want to face that reality, not yet, and instead focused on being happy with the boys. 

Little did you know that it was something entirely different.

“Can we talk?” Din’s voice was gruff as he approached the two of you, causing you to freeze. Uh oh. You didn’t like the sound of this at all. 

“Of course,” you stood up and straightened yourself out as you trailed after him. You could see his fist clenching and unclenching as he walked towards the house. He reached into his bag and pulled out a slender wrapped object but didn’t quite hand it to you, “we have to go. There’s some things I still need to do.”

“Oh,” and it felt like your world was crashing around you, “right. Of course. That makes sense.”

“But,” you perked up at the sound of his but, “I won’t ask you to come because I don’t know what it all holds or how dangerous it will get. But if you wanted to, or just wanted to tag along for a little bit I wouldn’t say no-”

“Yes,” there wasn’t a moment of hesitation or questioning behind your answer, “yes.”

He froze for a moment, surprised by your enthusiastic response, but nodded. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He handed you the object that he was holding and you took it gingerly. 

When you slowly unwrapped it, you almost laughed at what it was. A vibro-knife, beautifully and intricately carved. It seemed so very on point for it to come from Din. You grinned at him before laughing softly, “a knife?”

“You never know when you’re going to need to protect yourself,” he said sheepishly, “I will try my best to make sure you never have to use it. But just in case.”

“Just in case,” you repeated, “I can handle that.”

“I know you can, Sunshine,” he gently touched your cheek, “you’re sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

Things were going to be just fine.

[richonnesbitch]

Oooh ok now we know your fav TOWL kiss(es) so the logical next question is what is/are you favorite TWD kiss(es) ???

And between your fav TOWL and fav TWD kiss… which one wins 😈

Just wanna start this off by saying I'm sorry I took so long to get to this! I've been busy lately but I wanted to give this question the time it deserved because I could really go on and on about every richonne kiss. But I am going to limit myself to my top 3. I would do more but currently I'm not in the hest headspace so its hard for me to think! This is in no particular order because it's hard as hell to pick favorites! Anywayyyy let's get started.

1. Have Your Mints

Okay so before richonne I wasn't really one of those people that shipped couples, okay? Of course I loved the chemistry between richonne but I wasn't as hardcore about it as I am now. I remember where I was when this moment happened. When I say it changed my life, it changed my entire DAMN life. Like, I was shell-shocked in the most amazing way possible. Never have I felt such euphoria in my life than I did when Rick and Michonne finally happened! I immediately became a VERY hard-core shipper. I would literally rewatch this kiss on repeat for HOURS for MONTHS straight. Obsessed was not even the word. Like it was straight up addiction the way I would watch it. Naturally it would have to be my favorite kiss! It's just so beautiful and romantic and sensual and tender, etc, etc, etc. I've never seen anything else like it. To quote Scott Gimple, "These are two people who have found kindred spirits in each other, strength, respect, support, loyalty. But the world has been screaming in their faces and clawing at them for a good part of their acquaintance. For all they’ve been through, when the world stopped screaming and clawing for them, they realized what they had." Wooooo! What a gorgeous quote. Basically, this kiss invented romance for me and changed the entire course of my life. I had to give it the #1 spot, I had to. I had to!!!

2. The Triple Kiss

This kiss is just too damn cute. If I'm not mistaken, it's the only casual kiss we ever get between richonne. Most of the time they're making out lmao! But it just goes to show how life has slowed down a lot for them and now they're fully able to enjoy their time together and they can take time with their kisses. It's so domestic. Also find it cute how Rick knows Michonne likes too work hard but kinda softly tells her to take it easy for the night because he wants to cuddle her to sleep. This whole scene is too good.

3. Hearts Still Beating

Well, this kiss was almost too dark to see but from what I did see it was sexy as fuck! And also very loving at the same time. Richonne is so good at that. I love love love LOVE Michonne's speech. She has such a way with words, her thinking about becoming a writer at one point in her life makes SO much sense. The way she talks about how she doesn't wanna do things her way. she wants to do it her AND Rick's way. She doesn't wanna do anything without her man by her side. The way she not only convines Rick to fight the saviors but also uplifts him in the process.... she is so one of a kind. And the way Rick listens intensely and values each and every word. This scene is also extra sweet because not only does it drive the narrative forward but it's also a makeup scene for Rick and Michonne who have been at odds! Whenever she starts crying and he cups her face and kisses her.... ughhhh you can just FEEL the yearning they've been experiencing over each other. They missed each other so bad and it feels so good for both of them to be back on the same page. This isn't an actual picture of the kiss but a still from the same scene. WHY IS THE STILL BRIGHTER THAN THE SCENE IN THE EPISODE!?!?! Lowkey I feel like someone on set was trying to sabotage them.

Now.... how do these compare to TOWL kisses? Well, this is kind of like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. How can I choose when they're all so perfect?!?!?!?! But seriously if you really want me to choose.....I have to go with the "have your mints" scene. I'm sorry! I just do. I mean... it's where we all started. It's what turned me into a shipper and kicked off the greatest love story of all time. Did I mention it was all done in one take and Danai and Andy essentially took their own direction for the scene? Meaning everything they did was unscripted and yet it still came off as the most natural thing in the world.... how can it not win?!?!

[happyocelot]

Since it's still the 6th where I am, I decided to rewatch the Last today

It was such a cute and charming movie, so extremely heartwarming ahhhh I loved it so much. 😍😍😍

Some random minute things I noticed upon a rewatch:

Sai seems to enjoy moon-watching as a hobby. Or maybe just watching nature in general. It must give him artistic inspiration.

Sai calls Hanabi "Hanabi-chan", which is very cute. He's improving in social skills!

Konohamaru's house is BIG. At least as big as Hinata's house. He also seems to have a cat, or at least stray cats live in their big complex. When he gives Naruto the scarf, you can see one just hanging out, cleaning itself.

Naruto is constantly paying for people's meals, whether it's those Academy students he was teaching at the beginning of the movie, or just his friends...He does it gladly. It's a very gentlemanly quality. You can really see how he's matured over the years.

I love how half of Naruto and Hinata's friends keep trying to play Cupid for them.

Someone made a Naruto snowman. It was in that corner of the street that Sakura and Hinata were walking by.

Toneri is SO jealous of Naruto and his scarf that it's actually funny.

In light of him no longer wanting to blow up the earth, I have developed a fun crack AU headcanon. Naruto and Toneri exchanging cordial but very icy Rinne Festival greeting cards with the new tech they all have. Naruto being ostentatious and EXTREMELY annoying and Toneri constantly having second thoughts about world peace after reading card after card of Naruto describing in graphic detail how he and Hinata spend their holidays haha. It's just a crack AU headcanon don't take it seriously.

Hanabi is so lovely and bright in the movie. I love how she, in all her 14-year-old wisdom, says "I'm not a kid! My Byakugan's perception is as good as a grown-up's!" and shows off her toy kunai, a trapping of childhood. She's such a realistic picture of how kids are at that age and she goes through so much in the movie. I love the protectiveness and care that everyone shows towards her, not just Hinata, but even Naruto, Sai, and Sakura. When they rescue her, and see her unconscious with her eyes ripped out, Sai remarks that, yeah, she is actually just a kid, who suffered far too much. But she's still so vibrant and beaming at the end of the movie, and you can tell how much resilience she has.

I loved the gentjutsu flashback memory traps. I love how Pain literally body slams Naruto into Hinata's memories. It was such a cool effect.

Naruto is actually bathed in golden rays of light in Hinata's memories of Pain's attack. Like the moments when she says "You changed me! You smile saved me!" it flashbacks to him grinning and the lighting is so pretty. You can tell how important those memories were to her.

She REALLY loves his smile.

Throughout, Naruto just keeps asking so many questions related to Hinata. Why does she need someone to walk her home when she's so strong? Why doesn't she wear the scarf since it's so cold? Why does she fight against Pain when she's no match for him? He finally gets the answers that have been evading him for so long, and when he does, he's so quiet and awestruck, like he can't believe what she really meant. Like "Wut. Hinata likes me? Me? Brain. Does not compute. Blue screen. Blue screen. Error 404 Not Found."

Hinata is the exact same way. You could tell that she really didn't know that he loved her until he confessed to her and we get wonderful close-ups of her eyes widening, her eyebrows raised, her jaw dropping. The movie really dwells on her shock. They both have such funny times to confess lol.

There were so many pretty explosions in the movie. I loved them all. The battles were done well.

When Naruto accepts the scarf, everyone's so happy. Like, "Finally, my OTP is canon."

The finale was so 😍😍😍.

I'm so happy that there was an entire movie dedicated to these two ahhhh.

[kwonzoshi]

Hi! I’m not sure if you’ve been asked this before but, what are your top 5 BL’s that you watched this year?

Hi Nonnie, I have NOT been asked this before! So Thank you!

It's going to be hard to pick JUST 5, but here we go:

5.) Big Dragon The Series

This makes it to my top 5 because I really found myself loving the series. The more I learned about it and got into it, the more I got excited for it and didn't want it to end. It IS a bit on the chaotic side story wise but it was surprising for me how much I enjoyed it. The complexities of these characters and their feelings for each other, just how DEEP they were, I am total sucker for it. I am so ready for season 2!

4.) Secret Crush on You

Of COURSE these lovable dorks are going to be in this list. This was one of the BEST series to come out this year. Honestly truly. NueaToh was absolutely incredible and so was SkyJao. I loved the entire story and the pace they took it. They showed 2 sides of a story that could've EASILY gone so wrong but the fact everything lined up the way it did just made me adore it even more.

3.) KinnPorsche

Of course KP has to be in the top 3. This series had me on the edge of my seat, ready for the next episode to air. It was complicated, romantic, funny and just overall so good. I loved the darker themes that were involved and it was so refreshing to see the characters being real and making mistakes and just doing HUMAN shit. The tumbl app was unbearable but I also think that's what makes this series so great. It started conversations and had EVERYONE tuning in.

2.1) Light On Me

One thing about me, I'm a SLUT for the cutesy shit. I mean seriously I had zero criticism for this series other than that it was too short. It was cute and sweet, and the 'conflict' was minimal. It was an easy watch and one of my comfort BLs for sure. I rewatch it all the time and I LOVE it every single time.

2.2) Semantic Error

Yes, yes there is a tie for number 2. But these two really are just SO FANTASTIC. Just like Light On Me this was such an easy watch for me. Cute as hell and the 'conflict' was also minimal. I rewatch this one constantly and it's just one of the BLs that I truly 100% enjoyed this year. I already LOVED Park Seoham, and this was just another reason to add to the list.

1.) Love In The Air

Let's pretend to be shocked. Of course my #1 series is LITA. I mean, it had EVERYTHING I could have wanted. And while I do feel that each story should've either had their own series or happened simultaneously, it's still a solid mf series. It gave us plot, it gave us emotion, it gave us sex, it gave us comedy.. I mean what more can we ask for?! To think I wasn't even going to watch it... that's crazy.

It takes a lot for me to dislike a series so this is just the ones that stood out to me the most, personally. I have loved every series I have finished so far, and them not being on this list doesn't take away that they're good too!

[andonutty]

my first draft of this post had me sounding like an utter maniac, so this is take two, where i’m going to attempt to not sound as absolutely insane as i am actually on the inside. so the as dusk falls promo trailer took over my life a few weeks back and i managed to stop myself from obsessively (and i mean obsessively) rewatching it for a while, but then i rewatched it twice in the last few minutes and barely resisted the urge to start open-mouth sobbing. because it makes me emotional! and so as not to repeat the mistakes of my last draft i will end that line of thought right here.

there are a lot of things that make me scream cry throw up etc about this trailer, but i am going to talk specifically in this post about the thing that i am MOST composed about and LEAST prone to start vomiting about. which is jim.

it feels wrong to start out with this post, since i haven’t actually talked yet about how masterfully composed this trailer actually is. but tl;dr: everything about this promo is fucking phenomenal and it makes me violently ill (mentally physically spiritually etc). but the one thing that’s really relevant about the composition of the trailer here is the shots they chose for it. and again there’s a lot to say here, but let me just put it this way:

the promo trailer is for whatever game was being advertised in this poster. the only character on this poster that is not featured prominently in the trailer is joyce, and i can kind of get why that is. but it’s important and striking to me that bear and jim are neither on this poster nor are they ANYWHERE to be seen in this trailer. (sidenote & tangent i’m so relieved that bear is not present in any promo materials that i know of, since his inclusion in the story is one that i think was always meant to be shocking and jarring, and having bear in the promo stuff would sort of cheapen that impact. people should not be going into this game going omg sam douglas!! they should be entering this game invested in the story and the characters and then sam douglas jumpscare like a freight train) this is especially true for jim, since there are a lot of scenes in the promo where we know that he’s supposed to be there, but he’s purposely obscured from us. when zoe’s voiceover says “we were on our way to start a new life”, it shows her and her parents in the car, with no indication that there is a whole ass joe biden behind vince.

then, in the trailer, when the family’s approaching the motel, we get this shot:

vs. in the game, where that shot is actually...

... cutely including jim’s ass. and then here, we get:

where the trailer frames it like vince is alone, when in reality, dale’s already knocked jim to the floor. in the scenes where we see vince’s family, it’s always heavily focusing on vince, michelle, and zoe, who seem to be the three main characters of the walker family. (similarly, and this is why i wanted to make the main characters post before this one, but we live and we learn, the holt boys are shown in the promo trailer to be the three main characters of the holt family.)

so jim is just like casually missing. he’s just not there. and that is intentional, imo. because i remember the heart attack this man gave me when vince and zoe are going back to the car and we just see THIS:

jim FUCKING jumpscare. now okay, let me backtrack a little because this is IMPORTANT. when i was first obsessively watching this trailer, obviously the first thing i noticed was this little ditty, set to jay’s voiceover of “it was a long-forgotten secret buried in the dark”:

now obviously my first reaction is (beyonce meme) JIM1?!?!?!??!?!?! because i’ve already played this game and i know that jim admits to being the reason why the desert dream happens. jim clearly has a history with the desert dream and with two rock in general: paul recognizes him right off the bat and slowly remembers him as being a “travelling salesman” that went to sharon’s bar fifteen to twenty years ago. jim also, when he hears jay say that his mother is coming inside, immediately reaches for a cap to obscure his face. if the player chooses to send jim out instead of zoe, jim also stumbles to the ambulance specifically because he doesn’t want dante to see him. and when jim is concussed, if you ask him where he is, he calls the desert dream by its former name. so it’s made really clear that jim’s been to two rock before and that he’s interacted with these characters before. and he’s clearly afraid of being recognized by these people, always dodging questions about him looking familiar and doing everything in his power not to interact with key players like sharon and dante.

and something i have always noticed about jim is that whenever he’s outside, the shots he has usually include the water tower. and i noticed this because... well <3 the sniper that shoots at dale is on the water tower. so it was interesting and important to me, so seeing it in the background of, like, every jim shot was a little interesting. they are not really subtle with it! like, we see it in a bunch of different places for jim. we obviously see it in the jim jumpscare, and then we see it again when he’s approaching the desert dream:

and then if you decide to go talk to jim instead of michelle, you get this shot right after vince and jim walk out of the motel room:

and i can’t find a playthrough on youtube where someone lets jim go, but i have a feeling they include a shot of the water tower there too. so when im seeing that person digging something and they’re kind of tall and lanky and the water tower is in the background, i am like. that has to be jim walker right. like it has to be. but then im looking at this picture and i’m like ... no wait that TREE. i recognize that TREE too. and what do you know! right after zoe finishes her opening monologue in book one, what is the FIRST shot we get?

TREE.

WATER TOWER.

i’m like oh my GOD. the rest stop. the FUCKING rest stop on route 66 that weird ass abandoned little rest stop.

in the GROUND?!?!?!? under a TRE???e?!?

JUST TOT THE THErEE?!?!?!

and then. and t. AND. look at this. these are the shots from the trailer.

tell me why the tree is so emphasized. tell me why the water tower is there. do you know what we get in-game? do you KNOW?!?!?!?!

NOTHING. NOTHING. THEY PURPOSELY PUT THE TREE AND WATER TOWER IN THERE TO SIGNAL TO YOU THAT THE TREE AND WATER TOWER ARE A WALKER CURSE. AND THEN THE FUCKING WATER TOWER CAN KILL DALE. THE WATER TOWER IS LITERALLY A DEATH OMEN. IT IS L.

like my personal theory is that jim killed someone and he is digging a grave in the trailer. like he does offhandedly mention to zoe that he had a car he really loved and he just got rid of it one day, and as dusk falls experts (aka bluffmotel dot tumblr dot com) have theorized like okay maybe he moved the body in it so he had to scrap it. and it would make sense since it parallels jim to bear, since bear um ... killed someone! and then buried him alive! or at least tried to. like idk it says something TO ME that the only two characters who must die in every playthrough of as dusk falls are dale and jim, and both of them are heavily defined by the water tower. IDK! i think jim killed someone. and that something related to them is buried under the tree in two rock by the rest stop. and idk who the stalker is. maybe it’s eddie.

[payattentiontothescreen]

Bridgerton Rewatch S1E2 - Shock and Delight (Part 1)

Hey y'all. I'm back with episode 2 of my Bridgerton rewatch.

Every time a birth scene happens in Bridgerton I am reminded of why I don’t want kids. This one is the worst, I think.

I know Sarah and Lady Danbury are said to be close friends and Lady Danbury is the Queen’s closest confidant, which explains why she was there for those births. I get that. But I have this stupid little headcanon that Lady Danbury was present for the birth of every kid on “their side” after they were given titles and peerage.

Sarah’s last words being “I finally gave him a son” fucking haunts me. It hammers home that, even in her dying breath, she has been living and breathing for her shitty husband. Like, the second she fulfilled her duty, she was wiped from the Earth.

Rege-Jean Page is such an amazing comedic actor. The disdain in his voice when he says “promenade” has me cracking up every time.

Violet is beaming about how she has prepared Daphne for everything married life has to offer. Violet, my girl, you haven’t prepared Daphne for ANYTHING.

More acting praise. Phoebe Deynover and Rege-Jean Page have such easy chemistry. They flow together so well.

If there’s anything this show gets right, it’s shitty siblings. Philippa and Prudence are the archetypical bitchy older sisters.

The Baroness Lady Portia Featherington looked her daughters straight in the eyes and told them that pregnancy is contagious. Hilarious, iconic, I love it.

The whole “birds and bees” plot line in the first season intrigues me. I didn’t know a lot about the show when I watched it the first time other than it being steamy and taking place in an alternate regency era where racism is solved. I wasn’t expecting this close examination of the importance of comprehensive sex education, especially in regard to hard conversations between mothers and daughters.

The scene in the parlor when Eloise comes in and asks how women get pregnant lives rent-free in my brain. I can quote along with it at this point and I feel no shame.

Anthony Slander is back. The way that Anthony treats Daphne is so indicative of how he almost ruins his relationships in the next season. This happens a lot but I am specifically referencing when Daphne (with the signature Bridgerton Sass™) reminds Anthony that Berbrooke never actually proposed to her. Anthony immediately equates that playful jab with disrespect. To him, this ADULT(ish) woman having thoughts about who she is being promised to is disrespectful. He drives me nuts in this season, holy shit.

Quick sidebar, the look on Daphne’s face when Anthony says “Colin’s [danced a couple of times together at a ball] with Penelope Featherington” is so great. It’s almost like she’s putting the pieces together of “oh, they’d actually be really cute together” and I love it.

I love the texture the bare-knuckle boxing scenes give to the show. It doesn’t feel out of place. It all belongs in the show. The scenes with Will/in the ring add depth both to the world and the characters. 

Speaking of Will, I don’t know how much he was in the books, if at all, but he is such a good character. His position in society adds layers to the world, especially with the way his story has been developing.

Something that Shonda Rhimes does really well is quick wit. That is on full display when Anthony gets into the ring with Simon. The dialogue in that scene is so punchy (no pun intended) and shows a lot about how these two characters feel about each other. Also, I think it’s very interesting that the only way Anthony can land a blow on Simon at all is when he distracts him. From what I can tell/remember, that’s the only time Anthony hits Simon.

Minor thing, there was a lot more swearing in season 1 than there was in season 2. That was kind of disappointing.

I’d like to take this time to shout out the casting director. Beyond the main cast (which is fantastic, don’t get me wrong), the kids who play the younger versions of Simon are incredible. They’re all so adorable that it makes all the shit he goes through even harder to watch, which is impressive given we’re watching a child with a neurological disorder be abused by his shitty father.

Penelope is such a complicated character and I love that for her. She does care for the people she loves and is very kind. But she has been abused and neglected for so long that the only way she can think to regain any power is by becoming Lady Whistledown. This isn’t excusing her behavior, she does truly vile things with the power she has. But it makes her so much more than just another sweet wallflower, which is a really flat character on its own.

It would be so funny if the Bridgertons just stopped being surprised when Queen Charlotte invites Violet for tea at some point later in the series.

Again, this will come in 2 parts because I talk to much for Tumblr.

[elytrafemme]

my thoughts on "we're all doomed" (by THE daniel howell <333)

warning this is a little critical but altogether written with love <3

i never gave my We're All Doomed takes i'm realizing. okay so i love daniel howell and i'm really glad that this show was healing from him, i could definitely see dystopia daily and the pieces he's discussed of his scrapped (via YouTube's fuck ups) comedy special within the show itself. i thought that the set design/music/lights was fucking INCREDIBLE and i adored the opening segment, the ending of act 1 monologue, and the ending of the show overall.

that being said, i think the show was not like... narratively cohesive? it was a lot of segments that didn't really logically follow from one another, and they would range from being genuinely funny to going on for entirely too long (the judge segment being his favorite shocked me because... Uh). the ending of act one didn't really roll over into the start of act two in a way that made sense to me-- it set me up for an entirely different direction of act two that i think i would have maybe preferred? similar with the wardrobe change, it was gorg and i understood what he was going for but it didn't really hit as well as it could because i think it was mistimed.

my main complaint, which will not be well-received for anyone who cares deeply about this due to the fact that WAD was distinctly a comedy special, is the fact that i'm like... a leftist? and i know daniel howell is in his own rich-British-white-man way, but a lot of the "takes" confused me because i couldn't tell if he was genuinely trying to make a strong argument as a left-wing person (in which case i think i'm allowed to have respectful criticism of it) or if it was supposed to lean heavy on the satire (in which case ???). obviously this is no critical commentary/cancellation of him as a person, he's great and has done SO much good in the world, i'm not trying to imply he's the worst or whatever. it was just funny because me and my friend (also a leftist) kept squinting at the camera being like... okay dan this is an... interesting argument. this majorly happened in the last segment, when he just did the costume change and tried to talk about global events and he made a VERY good argument but gave us hell along the way because at several points it almost became the worst take ever (trying to relate global events to things in his personal life was definitely like... a decision. for sure.)

in any case, i did adore it, if only for the segments i listed above that i liked. the fan reacts were cute (we couldnt' get ours to work :( ), i fucking LOVED the orange carpet before the show and the Q&A after. me and my friend had a really good time, and i can't wait for what he works on next. also i might cave and buy merch but that depends on how unwise my other purchases this month are.

overall: i have 48 hr access to it but i don't intend to rewatch any part of it, i am glad i watched it at all though and i am left with fond feelings about daniel howell knowing how much the show meant to him-- i've been in that dark place and having that hope means SO much. ultimately though, i didn't love the political commentaries sprinkled throughout, but the show was good. proud of him.

[snuggleupagus]

My 2 cents

Ok -

Overall, I really enjoyed season 2. It was kinda crazy to binge it so hard, and I think I am going to cool off and rewatch the whole series again later in August. I think I may have overall enjoyed season 2 more than season 1 simply because it gave me more of what I wanted, not necessarily because it was better television.

I enjoyed the first two episodes, IMMENSELY, and they got me very hype. 3 and 4 were a bit of a dip, the pacing admittedly wasn't great - and Neil had said he liked the shorter episodes because there is no fat. But I think the minisodes in those two episodes could have certainly been shorter. I felt the minisode in episode 3 taught its lesson clumsily, and the extension of the 1941 scene took away from some of that beautiful sincerity from season 1.

I'm not the first person to point out that the Maggie / Nina thing was... an odd choice. Nina clearly being in an abusive relationship and then going through a breakup was not a great time to be pushing romance on her. I'm still trying to understand how this may tie in to what the story is trying to say about how even Aziraphale and Crowley don't fully understand themselves, or humans, or how to translate big complicated feelings into words.

Additionally, while I did find Gabriel and Beelzebub's relationship in episode 6 surprisingly cute, it just made me so mad at the same time. I was seriously in disbelief that their happy ending was so... quick and easy, and then Aziraphale and Crowley got THAT.

Despite my complaints, every modern moment between our two leads was just wonderful. I don't think I have to mention Aziraphale gleefully grabbing Crowley for a dance or the moments with the Bentley... and my god. When Crowley laid into Jim!Gabriel about what he said when they tried to kill Aziraphale with hellfire at the end of season 1, when he FINALLY told someone how much it hurt him... that was so GOOD.

That kiss, though...

I feel so foolish for seeing [EVERY] and assuming it was all going to work out. I mean, I am glad we got it! David and Michael's performances in that scene really truly ripped my heart out. Aziraphale's utter shock and horror at the moment gutted me. I can't imagine how Crowley felt to be let go of like that, after everything he's done across the two seasons to show his love.

Intellectually, I know season 3 will come - who knows when, 2026? if things go well with the strike, but possibly even later - and when it does, we'll get a good Aziraphale apology and a happy ending. But...

Its a hard adjustment. Reading Good Omens fanfic has actually become something I do when I'm feeling really depressed and up for nothing else. It's the only fic I read, I don't read OFMD or WWDITS or even Megamind fic anymore. It's just GO. And after the ending of season 1, angsty fics were fun treats and all the happy endings felt earned.

Now, the happy ending is back to not feeling earned at all yet.

Everything will be ok. I'm not ok yet, but I will be! And they will be, too.

[catty-words]

Oh! The mustache thing and David. Okay, okay. It still feels kinda weird to say someone is racist over this, but yeah, now that you point it out I see it. I had a childhood friend who got in a foreign exchange student program for a year in high school and when she came back she told us how since the gringos couldnt say her name properly they just defaulted to calling her "Brazil" 😑

I feel a bit called out about twitter, even if its true and I'm only there cuz I'm an addict being held hostage. I've also curated my fandom experience, but I was really needing more info and saw stuff that bummed me out while researching 🥲🥲 I dont mind seeing people criticize characters cuz like we are all entitled to our opinion even if I disagree, but I guess it kinda shocked me still. I guess I forgot about how in some ship wars I participated in when I was 13 some people would call the other characters rapists and stuff after being away from typical fandom toxicity for so long lol.

About the tone shift: yeah I did, but it didnt feel "drastic", just different. In a bad way. Like one of the first metas I read talked about how Devi lacked autonomy in season two and I was like YES THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING even thought not really I was just "wait why is this feeling a bit off... weird... let me play the next episode and just hope is merely a vibe" I dont hate season 2 as much as you seem to, however season 1 and 3 are indeed superior. Season 3 is my favorite out of the three because I really like how the characters matured. A favorite episode is probably 1x10, like the scene of Nalini with dr. Ryan moves me, then Ben driving cackles me up, then I back to being moved by them spreading Mohan ashes with beautiful day playing, then boys like you as "you stayed" and benvi kiss and paxton calling and back to the kiss and I'm like OMG WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO I HAVE CLASS TOMORROW AND ITS ALMOST TWO BUT FUCK I NEED TO KEEP WATCHING THIS. I always feel like that when I'm rewatching even if it's not two am and I dont have class the next day lmao

You are going to think I'm super horny but probably "why don’t you show me the bitty spark you’ve been saving for his mattress?". It's the one I reread the most after all. The awkwardness of the situation?? Their great characterization??? Devi having no idea of what to do with Ben of all people making her feel like that??? Fab and Eleanor still unsure about him at school and being cutely protective of Devi??? Ugh, just kill me already (please dont)

"you're gonna fall (but i'll catch you)" is also great! I love to read adults au for shows about hs characters and hs aus for shows about adult characters idk why but there are not enough adult aus for nhie in my opinion and yours is my fave!!! Plus Ben being so into stories is adorable as someone who really sees herself in Abed Nadir. Plus the way is not just about their romance but also Devi dealing with grief and her complicated relationship with her mother and self destructive tendencies and... ugh I just love it.

It still feels kinda weird to say someone is racist over this, but yeah, now that you point it out I see it. - i think the disconnect comes from the way fandom uses words like 'racist' to build cases about how it's Objectively Wrong for anyone to like a certain character, whereas the word itself applies to a whole spectrum of behavior and morality. like, it shouldn't actually be that uncomfortable to admit that ben can be and is sometimes racist, he is a walking definition of privilege. him internalizing racist sentiment should hardly be surprising. but it also doesn't make him irredeemable scum. he's obviously a really caring character, as well.

on a related note, yikes @ those students who committed micro-aggressions to your childhood friend. as they get further and further into their life, may they reflect and do better rather than double-down.

I dont mind seeing people criticize characters cuz like we are all entitled to our opinion even if I disagree, but I guess it kinda shocked me still. I guess I forgot about how in some ship wars I participated in when I was 13 some people would call the other characters rapists and stuff after being away from typical fandom toxicity for so long lol. - i get it, i get it. for me, there need exist a gaping divide between exposing myself to critical or even harsh reads of characters i love and/or identify with for the sake of refining my own read of the text and giving the time of day to people who aren't engaging sincerely with the text. protect yourself in the echo-chamber!

About the tone shift: yeah I did, but it didnt feel "drastic", just different. In a bad way. - VINDICATION

but jfgdf - I dont hate season 2 as much as you seem to - i feel compelled to clarify that it's not that i hate season two, not really. it's more that the season let me down and then, by nature of netflix shows' release schedules being what they are, forced me to sit with that disappointment for over a year. it's that i love season one SO MUCH, i couldn't reconcile how much i didn't vibe with season two. on paper, you're right, the tone difference is not drastic, but the emotional response it elicited in me definitely was.

and I'm like OMG WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO I HAVE CLASS TOMORROW AND ITS ALMOST TWO BUT FUCK I NEED TO KEEP WATCHING THIS. I always feel like that when I'm rewatching even if it's not two am and I dont have class the next day lmao - i love you for this, and 1.10 is such a valid choice she really is That Bitch

You are going to think I'm super horny but probably "why don’t you show me the bitty spark you’ve been saving for his mattress?". - first of all, embrace the horny within. it's important to the show that you do, we're in the spirit of the source material here! second of all, this choice makes me really happy because i love that fic and generally speaking, people are a little shier about giving feedback on smut but, like, that's hands down some of my best writing (both for d/b and more generally). so. thank you.

Fab and Eleanor still unsure about him at school and being cutely protective of Devi??? - you may already know that i'm writing a long-form follow-up with 'bitty spark' acting as the prologue since it sounds like you picked through my blog a bit and i feel like i never shut up about the sequel BUT ANYWAY one of the best parts about it is ben finding himself enmeshed in the girl squad, if i do say so myself. (x)

I love to read adults au for shows about hs characters and hs aus for shows about adult characters idk why but there are not enough adult aus for nhie in my opinion and yours is my fave!!! - okay, well now i'm going to think about you every time i read an adult AU for a high school show or a high school AU for an adult show.

thank you for fueling my vanity and for stopping by my askbox in the first place!

[stormyoceans]

I love your response about the friend group splitting up and I have decided to rewatch.... but lowkey I do better with breakup scenes than friend split up scenes so we'll see how that goes.

Also, I only watched this once when it aired so omg I forgot how literally instant it is for them. Puen was sold ASAP like yep, I will date this boy.

But I have to skip the stupid snowcone scene even though it's also my favourite thing with how utter NONSENSE it is like omg no that's not how snow works

AAAAAAAAAAA im really glad my answer made sense and im SO SO SOOOOO HAPPY that you decided to rewatch vice versa!!!!

i personally find all kind of separations incredibly hard to witness, because even when things end badly and the characters themselves choose to leave, there’s still all this history, all this care that there once was, and it’s painful to think that it will only get to exist in memories now. however, the reason why i can deal with the separations in vice versa, as heartbreaking as they are, is that they’re not done for shock value or the result of bad writing, but they make sense in the worldbuilding of the show: we know since the beginning that they’re inevitable, that at some point puen and talay are gonna have to leave all the people they met in the alternate universe behind, so we come to appreciate those bonds even more, and even if we won’t ever get full closure we can at least be thankful that puen and talay got to say their goodbyes

so yeah, i do hope that it won’t be so upsetting as to ruin your enjoyment of the show!!!

moving on to more pleasant topics, THEY REALLY DO HAVE SUCH AN INSTANT CONNECTION!!!!! it's not love at first sight because they don't even know what they look like, but they do click with each other right off the bat like it often happens in real life too and it's just so incredible to see!!!! and then talay drunkenly kisses him and puen speedruns all the stages of falling in love and goes from 'hope this doesn't awaken anything in me' to 'BY CHOICE AND INTENTIONALLY IM GONNA LOVE HIM ON PURPOSE THIS IS THE MAN IM GOING TO MARRY' in the span of two episodes

also as ridiculous as it is, i actually find the snow cone scene kinda cute, but it’s probably because you can literally see puen being like ‘hehehe im so smart, he's gonna be so impressed <3' when he's just giving talay food poisoning at best sfjksgfj i am, however, coming out as a mini musical impromptu session using oishi in the middle of a crowded park in episode 2 hater IT JUST GIVES ME TOO MUCH SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT

[watchingspnagain]

Rewatching All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1

Welcome to “Yeah, AVA: A Supernatural Rewatch Blog” with Lor and Mace!”

 Up today, s2e21: All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1

  Sam gets disappeared away to a ghost town along with a handful of other people on the Azazel's Kids roster, and while Dean and Bobby frantically look for him, he and his demon-blood siblings frantically try to figure out how they got there and why they're dying off one by one. It turns out that Yellow Eyes has pitted them against each other in a Last Man Standing type contest to see who is best suited to be his general in the upcoming war. Also, we find out that Ava is a bit of a turd. Oh, and Ellen's bar gets asploded with Ash still inside. Dean and Bobby finally find Sam, just in time to watch him get well and truly ganked in the back and then die in Dean's arms. Then comes one of the most agonizing "SAMMY!"s Dean ever utters.

Below is a log of our real-time reactions as we watched. Remember that there may be spoilers for any part of SPN’s 15-season run here. Note also that the nature of our conversation is adult and thus it may contain adult language and themes.

 [and we begin:]

  Lor:

oh The Road So Far with the WRONG MUSIC

 Mace:

 RIGHT?!

 Lor:

this is the only genuine two-parter in the whole run, I think?

 Mace:

I have no idea. Maybe?

Mace:

 PIE

 Lor:

PIE

 Lor:

YES

  Mace:

 Dean just sitting in the car = gorgeous

 Lor:

YES

 Lor:

mmmm baby door creak LOVE IT

 Mace:

YAS

 Mace:

 his stupid ripped jeans and his stupid bowed legs and how he holds that stupid gun (*@&^#(*@&^)#(*&

 Lor:

RIGHT?!

 Mace:

 the scared little boy look on his face with that last SAM

 Lor:

oooo that SAM! reminded me so much this time of the SAM! he yells at the end of S3 when he's in hell

 Mace:

 Ooooh YES

 Lor:

YES

 Mace:

 this is one of my favorite Sammy shirts

 Lor:

ooo it is a good one

  Lor:

this has never occurred to me before, but do you think we're supposed to wonder for a second (or wonder if Dean is wondering) if Sam DID that?

  Mace:

 (my god, there’s blood and dead people and sammy’s god knows where and we’re just lowkey chatting about how adorable they are)

 Lor:

(I mean yes. that's the show)

 Mace:

 oh SHIT. No, I never thought of that!!

 Lor:

okay, I know that's the wrong cobbler but now I WANT COBBLER

 Mace:

 I bet it’s there under the surface, at least

 Lor:

yeah

 Mace:

i was just thinking about how Dean is really pretty calm when it’s just dead people and lots of blood but he only panics when he finds the sulfur, so yeah, very definitely maybe

 Mace:

(I, too, want cobbler)

 Mace:

 (but that’s just sort of a general MO for me)

 Lor:

(YES)

 Lor:

"Andy. also freaking out"

 Mace:

omg the little head tilt and the “…well"

 Mace:

HAHAHA

 Mace:

 I do enjoy Andy

 Lor:

YES

 Mace:

oh HELLO ARMY MAN

 Mace:

 I forgot how cute he is

 Lor:

he is so LOVELY

 Mace:

YAS

 Mace:

 the uniform doesn’t hurt either

 Lor:

it does not

 Lor:

what IS it with uniforms?

 Mace:

 no idea but it’s real

 Lor:

aw Andy has ear cuffs. adorable

 Mace:

OMG ANDY

 Mace:

omg he DOES

 Mace:

 these people do not appreciate Andy’s Andyness

 Lor:

they do not

 Lor:

it's okay I do

 Mace:

ME TOO

 Mace:

 pats his head from a slight distance because I suspect he smells heavily of pachouli

 Lor:

LOLOLOL YES

 Mace:

 ASH!

 Lor:

aw Dean and Bobby working together. I just love their father/son relationship so much

 Mace:

oh HELLO RANDO COWBOY HOTTIE

 Mace:

 YES

 Lor:

lol

 Lor:

there's a lot of background water in this episode

 Mace:

LOR

 Mace:

 I WAS JUST THINKING THAT

 Lor:

YAAAAAAAS

 Lor:

becuase US

 Mace:

 YAS

 Lor:

"are you lost?" I love him

 Mace:

 YES

 Lor:

(too bad he turns out to be a murderer)

 Mace:

 how many times has he done something similar in Afghanistan I wonder

 Lor:

RIGHT?

 Lor:

I was thinking that

 Mace:

of course you were

 Mace:

 #us

 Lor:

that very cautious because of course but also trying to help

 Lor:

YES

 Mace:

 YES

 Lor:

nice casual queer rep....

 Mace:

 ope the gay girl is gonna die I AM SHOCKED

 Lor:

....and in three minutes she's gonna die horribly

 Mace:

 HAAAAHAHAHAHA

 Lor:

I'd like to say "welcome to 2007" but it's not like they didn't do exactly the same thing in 2020, so

 Lor:

oh RIGHT. the roadhouse gets torched

 Mace:

YUP

 Mace:

just, Welcome to SPN

 Mace:

 oh dang i forgot about the roadhouse thing

 Lor:

welp, bye cowboy

 Mace:

OH NO

 Mace:

 poor little hottie

 Lor:

lolol

 Mace:

 oh ASH DAMMIT

 Lor:

poor Ash

 Lor:

he lived up to his name

 Lor:

runs away

 Mace:

 OH NO YOU DIDNT JUST

 Lor:

am just little

 Mace:

a little shit, I think you mean

 Mace:

 i love the twist in this ep so much

 Lor:

YES

 Lor:

it also just occurred to me that it's the queer person whose "gift" is that she killed the person she loved by touching them

 Mace:

 YUP that awful little point was not lost on me either

 Lor:

oh Dean in pain mmmmrrrrggg

 Mace:

 YAS

 Lor:

BOBBY. with the info

 Mace:

YES

 Mace:

he’s the best

 Mace:

 god, i love this guy

 Lor:

YES

 Mace:

 but he’s black, so of course he won’t last either

 Lor:

and he can see what's really up with Sam

 Lor:

RIGHT?

 Mace:

 YES

 Lor:

"doesn't matter if we believe it. only matters if they do"

 Mace:

 YEP

 Lor:

he knows all kinds of things you don't AVA

 Mace:

 YEAH, AVA

 Lor:

aw lookit Sammy all puffed up

 Mace:

YES

 Mace:

adorable

 Mace:

 to lead WHOM, Sam. COME ON

 Lor:

lololololol

 Lor:

it's all that Latin in there crowding out his English grammar

 Mace:

 yeah i love him but i really don’t think that’s it

 Lor:

HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA

 Lor:

poor Stringbean

 Mace:

 he has other qualities so it’s all good

 Lor:

I forgot this is where we learn THAT twist

 Mace:

ME TOO

 Mace:

 poor Sammy

 Lor:

yeah

 Lor:

he also doesn't know how digestion works, poor little muffin

 Mace:

 HAHAHA

 Lor:

"does this mean i have demon blood in me" makes me NUTS

 Lor:

I know it's a handwave we're supposed to roll with but HONESTLY

 Mace:

agreed

 Mace:

 she’s pretty good here

 Lor:

the SWITCH on her face. really very good

 Mace:

that switch

 Mace:

 omg YES

 Lor:

haaaahahahaha

 Mace:

 oh Ava, don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re not a heavyweight

 Lor:

haaaaaaahaha

 Mace:

i forgot exactly how she gets killed

 Mace:

 i like that Sam doesn’t do it

 Lor:

yeah I'd forgotten too

 Lor:

agreed

 Lor:

oh Sam

 Mace:

 yeah

 Lor:

HE CAN BENCH PRESS 800 POUNDS YOU IDJIT

 Mace:

 HAHAHA

 Lor:

oh Sam

 Lor:

at least tie him up COME ON

 Mace:

RIGHT?!

 Mace:

 how is it that it’s sam who gets ganked but its dean who makes us cry here?!?!

 Lor:

it KILLS me that the last thing we get before this episode is the djinn episode where we see JUST how much Dean cares about Sam

 Mace:

 YUP

 Lor:

because it's starting to be Dean's story

 Mace:

YES

 Mace:

oh god LOOKIT HIM

 Mace:

 I CANNOT

 Lor:

which is ironic given he's barely IN this episode

 Lor:

yeah. slays me

 Mace:

 and another "SAM!!"

 Lor:

YES

[emblazons]

how long did it take you to watch the van scene the first time? about how many times did you rewind? did you catch the lip glance right away? did you think it was heading in a byler positive direction when mike was talking? how about when will was talking? were you happy/disappointed by the painting? how did you feel by the end of it? how devastated were you by will's crying?

this was intense af to come back to in the ask box LMAO

Anyway—the first time I watched the van scene through was the day after vol ii dropped, because I started watching it at midnight (right when Netflix US crashed) and skipped to it with expectancy only to have my heart drop when I realized what was happening.

Like almost everyone else, I’d gotten my hopes up for a quicker (like, faster paced in the plot) version of byler endgame than what happened, so seeing Will sob after breaking his own heart to save Mike & El’s relationship made me deeply sad, but also extremely angry? I feel like I’d made up a way it should go in my head, and when it didn’t meet those expectations…I wasn’t convinced they had ruined byler entirely, but I was certainly not happy at how it was going LMAO

Honestly I’d say it took me about 4 tries before I could get through it without having to leave it alone like. Halfway through. I skipped it a few times during rewatches because I over-identified with Will so much in vol i that seeing his heart crack in half was too much, even though I started catching on that Mike was open to the prospect…fairly quickly? He seemed too pleased and open even though he wasn’t saying anything—I didn’t even notice the lip glance until like the 3rd watch, but once I got over my initial shock of Will’s words and tears, there was no missing Mike’s heart eyes, or the way he was hanging off every word Will said.

—I do fully admit I was deeply irritated at Mike for being so blind despite seeming so pleased at Will for sharing it / coded-confessing (I felt like his character was being flat out assassinated for not catching the pain Will was going through), but I dunno. It wasn’t until I rewatched the two parts of the season over together that I started to piece together what was happening on Mike’s part. Not viewing them as two separate parts but a cohesive season & then seeing how El responded to him at the end was kinda the glue that made me reassess Mike as a character (and dig deeper into the show as a whole, since I was GA before S4 and then only passively fandom-minded because of how cute I thought Byler was during the month between volumes lol)

Anyway. To the latter part of your question: I loved the painting even the first time through even though a bunch of people were convinced it would be the swings 😂 I loved that it was literally the most “I am a 15 year old trying to tell another 15 year old I am in love with them in the most nerdy way possible” thing ever, and it incorporated the thing they’d bonded over / that was basically an metaphor for their bond and the state of it from like, the minute we saw them on screen together.

Honestly the van scene is still kinda the most emotionally raw moment for me to watch even though I’ve seen it 1.5M times at this point. Like. I can watch the monologue and only roll my eyes, but watching Mike make those heart eyes still gets me to this day 🤣

this got long so quick omg. still—thanks for the ask! 💕

[pop-punklouis]

speaking on strangers things; i am happy hop is alive, but they way the wrote him surviving was too obvious of plot armor. oh he just jump onto the lower level, no major injuries or burns??? Like there was always another level below the machine, in the season 3 finale you literally see like 4 of the bad guys in hazzmat suits on that lower level be turned to dust. Also it would been more interesting to see him stuck in the upside down instead. But i did enoy that plotline over all, specially the prison breakout, betrayal, and monster fighting. The hawkings crew had the strongest arc, but i did genuinely enjoy all of them. the Bullyying though...... that was fcking extreme man and hard to watch ngl. Like who on earth bullies someone for grieving their dead father 😭 the skating rink...... like i dont condone violence but like somebody had to put her down. Also the van and dinner scene right after that were so fcking funny to me. also least favorite character this season is that one dude thats basically the archice andrews of hawkings. i know they want me to find him cute, but he just bothers me ksjdhfhdh. Also i liked vecna as a villian more when we didnt know who he actually was, like idk i just like itd be better if he originated from the upside down, but i do see why the connected it the way they did. My adhd brain doesnt mind the 294848 different plots tbh and long episodes, but i do hope the last two episodes is everybody coming together and staying together for more than that one group scene they have every season. Also i know its likely someone will die, i just hope none of the kids, i cant handle that, srry to the adults but yeah... anways i rewatched the first three season after finishing the 4th and season 2 remains my favorite

i agree. i think it would've been more interesting to have him stuck in the upside down, but I'm not sure how good the CGI would've been able to hold up having him there practically the entire time. but his plot was one of the more interesting, in my opinion! i liked it a lot, and as I've said previously, i still think the prison break where he fights the demagorgen is one of the best scenes in the whole season.

the bullying was SUPER extreme like it made me hate angela with a burning passion of course lmao and i did not feel bad one bit when she finally got knocked in the face with the skate but the dramatic reaction from the cops? it was almost funny because it felt so absurd to me after everyone saw what was happening to her on that rink. like talk shit you get hit sorry :/

NOT ARCHIE ANDREWS pls its so real. every time he was on screen (that poor actor... his line deliveries were so bad) my mom and i cracked up lmao

and yes?? i was way more intrigued with vecna as a character when i assumed he was just another monster. not a great villain, in my opinion, as his presence did not rock me the same way the demagorgen, the demadogs, and the mind flayer did in seasons past, but he was alright. him being a human who morphed into this demon/monster hybrid that... preys on teens regrets and trauma or some shit is so dumb I'm sorry like what's the point. i wanted more also i wanted a better monster design he kinda just looks like a similar design to Predator

people keep speculating that steve might die, but unless joe keery wants to leave the show and pursue other opportunities, i don't see that happening. the blowback from fans would be unreal, so i think it might be a main character that isn't as present (like jonathan jesus he doesn't even exist here anymore tbh) but i don't think it will be one that's TOO beloved just for the shock factor idk

i actually was planning on going back and watching the first three seasons as well! season 2 will always reign supreme in my mind, but I haven't watched the seasons back since I did the very first time so it will be cool to watch it all over again knowing where the story is in S4

[hay1ock]

Now the initial shock of seeing only one of the new wave of main couples in a show from these upcoming projects, I decided to go back and rewatch the GMMTV trailers. And to be honest, now I’m not sat here going ‘Who are you? And who the frick are you? Wait, you, I know, hurrah.’ I did come out thinking there were a number of shows I’ll likely give a chance, or at least check out the first episode.

Ploy’s Yearbook - looks cute and yay girls, but not for me I feel. Next!

We Are - mixed feelings for this one, but I’ll give it a chance. I’ve not really gotten into anything that’s a simple fluffy uni romance in what seems like forever, which is what this is giving, so it’s going to have to charm the pants off me, have something about it & excellent characters/chemistry to keep me invested beyond 3 episodes. Happy to see PondPhuwin again, as well as MarcPawin. Not been super interested in the other two couples as of yet, but that’s mainly down to the few things I’ve seen them in, or shows I’ve skipped so maybe missed out on chances to get attached to them. 4 couples though, that’s a lot of cast to juggle but not impossible, and I guess it depends which are maybe main vs side couples and how complex their stories/relationships are. Fingers crossed their stories can be woven together well.

The Trainee - I’ll give it 1 episode to win me over. OffGun is an odd one for me. Theory of Love really didn’t endear them to me as a couple. I wasn’t keen on Off’s character and to me the story just felt so drawn out. I was so put off that I couldn’t bring myself to watch the absolute masterpiece that is Not Me until much later, after realising First was in it. Not Me was a serious drama and OffGun were amazing. I’m waiting to see how they fair in something more recent that is on the lighter side so am planning to check out Cooking Crush when it finally gets here. If CC wins me over then I might go into The Trainee more excited. Though I’ve been enjoying the more serious shows recently, I still enjoy lighter stuff so if it’s fun and can hook me with something, then I’ll maybe tune in past the first episode.

Only Boo - I’m glad I watched these trailers again as my first impression of this one was very much a nope. But I dunno, on a second watch it did seem far more charming than I’d given it credit for. I’m definitely going to watch the first episode, because I feel like maybe it’ll pull a My School President on me where I wasn’t going to bother watching but then I did and it was one of the cutest and most fun things I’d ever watched and fell in love with the characters. So, though I still feel that it might not be my thing, if it brings the fun and charm in the first episode, then I’ll keep tuning in.

Pluto - definitely will be checking this one out. I’ve been waiting on 23.5 for forever (give it to me already) so I’m glad that a second GL is in the works. The plot looks pretty interesting so unless they somehow manage to mess everything up and make it terrible, I plan to be watching every week.

On Sale/Peaceful Property - haven’t looked up what the actual title is lol. Is this just bromancy? Again haven’t gone looking for an answer but it looks fun and ridiculous and TayNew are here (this gives me OTT New like he was in Warp Effect and I’m living for it) and Janhae who is my queen 😍. So yeah, I think this one could be really fun and spooky so shall be checking this one out for sure.

Ossan’s Love - yay, a new EarthMix show. Really excited as enjoyed the original office-based season. (I mean the airport setting was cool and all but I missed my Maki in season 2🙁) Anyway, this could be pretty fun and EarthMix are my first loves. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes to get the project going, but it’s definitely one I’ll be watching when it comes out.

My Golden Blood - *narrows eyes* okay being a huge Buffy/Angel and Vampire Diaries fan back in the day I’m cautiously interested as do enjoy vampire stuff. Now having seen the trailer, this could be great or it could be kinda cringe. I guess it depends how the show is presented as I do love some campy horror fun but I imagine this is more on the serious side so we’ll have to see how they balance things and how much flying and vampire hissing they do at each other come the proper thing. Joss and Gawin was not a pairing I was expecting but I could see it working. Also, with the special blood mention, kinda got me thinking about Kissable Lips. Anyway, shall be giving it an episode to win me over.

Kidnap - again, not gone looking but is this a BL or is it bromance/gonna look after you cos you’re like my little bro type thing? Either way, it looks kinda cool and shall be giving it a shot as love the bromance buddy action movie aesthetic. So the more competent protector and his hapless partner lol.

Summer Night - I know I’m not alone in thinking we had a DunkPhuwin series for a whole 5 seconds lol. Not my kind of show so… next!

Wandee Goodday - this one I’m definitely interested in checking out. Seems a solid, on the mature side drama so hopefully it’ll turn out great. Nothing much to add, just looking forward to this one.

High School Frenemy - never been a fan of this kind of enemy schools/classes in anime and manga so not planning on watching this at all. Enjoy if it’s your kind of thing.

My Love Mix-up - I love the Japanese adaption, but like for Cherry Magic I have no knowledge of the manga or how close the live action versions were to the source material. As tv shows/stories I really like them, so will be interesting to see what differences there might be with these new versions. I think Gemini and Fourth were a great pick for this. Definitely watching this one.

Enigma 2 - didn’t watch Enigma 1 so until/if I ever get to that, this one will have to wait.

And there we have it. A few that interest me so definitely want to give a watch, and most of the others I’m willing to give a chance. Looking forward to hopefully seeing more of the ‘merchandise’ couples in the 2nd part.

[amtrak12]

Lucifer Rewatch Liveblog: 1.02

We’re doing it again! And again I am so nervous about it. And also trying to stop myself out of embarrassment -- not the liveblogging part. No, just watching the episode in general. Who are you embarrassed by, Amber? Who’s going to judge you for what you’re watching in your own home? NO ONE! GET OVER YOURSELF!

Anyway. Ep 2. The paparazzi ep, which I only know because I’ve already rewatched it once. But after this, I don’t remember anything about S1 so we’ll get to be surprised together about what plot pops up next. :P

And.... *plays*

All evangelical street preachers are terrible. But I hate this faker just as much as the real ones. I'm on Lucifer's side here. He deserves the Devil face.

It's so cute when Linda thinks this Devil stuff is all a metaphor. Simpler times, right, Linda? ;)

Healed from feelings of humanity -- *Marcia Brady face* Sure, Lucifer.

OMG that was a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend billboard in the background! CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND SIGHTING!!! :D :D :D

Chloe is the absolute worst at being sneaky ROTFL

Aw. Give it a year and Maze and Chloe will be roomies :) Tell them that here and they'll both threaten to punch you lol

Lucifer once again completely fails to register that Chloe is playing him. Such a dumb-dumb (affectionately mocking)

(Chloe is just as ridiculous, though, thinking Lucifer would be wearing a bullet proof vest as part of his everyday wear. Granted, I’m sure she’s down to the dregs as far as plausible explanations go for how Lucifer could walk away unharmed after being shot multiple times. But also we saw Chloe get shot while wearing a bullet proof vest in S3 and she still got knocked back and knocked out for several minutes, which, through internet osmosis, I’m fairly certain is realistic with how bullet proof vests work in real life? So are you even still in the dregs, there, Chloe or are you now pulling straws out of your butt just to grasp at them?)

I was curious about who on the force would still call Chloe with a tip, but then I realized it was Dan lol. That makes sense.

Chloe easily follows Lucifer's lead even after telling him no. She only pretends to have self control. :P

*snorts* That look from Dan is 20% annoyed Lucifer is hanging out with Chloe and 80% pissed because he had to listen to Trixie talk for hours the other night about a two minute run-in with Lucifer where she gushed on and on about how awesome Lucifer is. ROTFL

"Is this the fight you want to pick?" -- It'll be nice when Dan gets a new refrain cause repeating himself two eps in a row is both annoying and very 'in case you missed the pilot, here's a quick recap' which is equally annoying.

Hi Amenadiel! (said with Trixie cheer) It will be nice when you get a new refrain too. Which happens sooner than I remembered because I rewatched the finale too last month for fic research and he was pretty much regular Amenadiel already which was... shocking. I could’ve sworn that took longer.

(Speaking of shocking, let me tell you, my first time through the early eps, I was FLOORED to realize Chloe and Dan were only separated in S1. I was under the assumption they were divorced the entire run of the show! I didn’t realize they were still married in the beginning. Fucking wild.)

The hilarious part is God probably isn't saying shit about any of this. This is all Amenadiel thinking he knows what Absentee Dad wants just like Uriel did in S2. (and look where that got Uriel....)

I know it hasn't come up yet, but they really didn't do the praying thing to contact angels after S1, did they? I mean they showed angels answering human prayers (very badly lol) in S5, but never prayers to contact another angel. Probably because Amenadiel and Lucifer had cell phones and no other angels were on earth. But still, I wish they had kept it. I like it.

Ninja chemist by night -- damn this girl is both imaginative and smart. And obsessed with ninjas even before befriending Maze. Excellent. No wonder they became instant besties.

CHLOE YOU ASKED ABOUT THE EIFFEL TOWER WHEN YOUR DAUGHTER WAS IN EARSHOT! THAT'S ON YOU! lmao

This whole conversation with the paparazzo is just Lucifer being all 'I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked (by pesky human empathy) :(' I like it. Good shit.

Back to ‘just S1 things’, I'm fine with this weird Hell coin being a pilot season one-off though. It doesn't make any kind of world-building sense to me but if it's just for a season, I can roll with it.

'Are you coming or what?' -- :D Let the partnership begin!!!

Man, being a kid in LA must suck being right on top of Hollywood. The gossip mill must be out of control! And the brutal bullying about which parent has the more famous job. Or do the kids in LA bully each other about other things and consciously roll their eyes and shove the Hollywood stuff away because it’s so mundane and boring? I don’t know how school cliques work outside of the small ass Illinois town I grew up in.

How do these people always remember license plate numbers after seeing them for two seconds? Can't relate.

Maze just glaring and slicing an apple in the corner is perfection. Love my girl <3

But Dan, if Chloe isn't following him and you (allegedly *side eyes*) aren't following him, then how do you know the perp is missing? o_O

It's also cute when Lucifer was so convinced humans couldn't change cause he had spent too many eons in Hell where no one managed to stop running from their guilt. They're all so naive and innocent in S1, aren't they? :)

Leverage did this gun showdown better. But Leverage is as close to a perfect show as I've ever seen and this is Lucifer’s second episode ever so that's not really a fair comparison.

'Luci... you should've taken the offer.' -- Amenadiel... you shouldn't bring dead humans back to life so they can kill your brother for you. (See? Two can play the blame game :P)

Trixie already knowing about Hot Tub High School is reason #3 that I accept the fan theory that Trixie has always believed Lucifer is really the Devil. The girl understands things like reality and the truth.

(Trixie already knowing about the movie is also evidence #8 that Chloe and Dan are :S as parents. How does a 7/8 year old have that kind of unfettered access to the internet? What is happening with my niblings' generation??? MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN'S INTERNET SO YOU CAN TEACH THEM HOW TO PROPERLY USE IT! ffs)

No comment on the Jimmy scene. His freakout and Lucifer disappearing and popping back up somewhere else in the blink of an eye only weigh on Chloe's mind enough for her to shoot Lucifer later in the season, but not enough for her to believe he's really the Devil until S4. I’ve also seen it a few too many times in fan vids. Oops!

IT’S OVER! \0/ I’ve successfully liveblogged two whole episodes!! WHOO!! It definitely worked better to let the episode roll and take quick notes on the side that I went back and fleshed out after the episode finished. I’m going to stick with that method of liveblogging.

Catch you in the next one!