#i want to have the other two eps she's currently in done first

[noeasyisnoisy]

‼️TBB EP 10 & 11 SPOILERS BELOW CUT‼️

ep 10

who tf are these people

ykw good for you emerie

ARE WE FINALLY GONNA KNOW WHAT THE EMPIRE IS DOING

“YOUR responsibility” hemlock is setting her up for something 

kids?

OH MY FUCKING GOD ITS INQUISITORS I THINK

omg those poor kids :(

why is bro smirking like that HELP

oh my god they’re gonna take that child.

BANE AGAIN??

poor baby omg MY HEART

i have a soft spot for kids i’m sorry 

EVA IS ADORABLE

“when i’ll be going home.. can you find out for me?” IM IN PUBLIC IM GONNA START CRYING STOP

i don’t trust this green kid

CALLED IT

omg he just wants to go home IM GOING TO SOB

“i was following protocol” = “good soldiers follow orders”

why did i know his name would be jax

am i psychic or have we heard it before and i’m js forgetting

nala se 💔

“there is nothing i can do” YES THERE IS BE SO FR

NO NOT TARKIN 

ngl i’m kinda surprised tarkin doesn’t know abt the project

OH MY GOD

PHEE

NO

omg what if (if he’s tech) she snaps him out of it.

“how many others like this have you captured?” oh honey you have no idea

i can’t stop thinking about the baby and his mother and THIS IS REALLY SAD

DID THEY KILL JAX???

“we just wanna go home” STOP.

SHE KEPT THE HAY LULA

AND GAVE IT TO EVA

SHE KEPT THE HAY LULA AND GAVE IT TO EVA!!!!

i’m rooting for you emerie

ep 11

where are we

PHEE!!

oh my god phee. (i remembered the convo w maybe tech)

IS THIS A TRAP

ITS A TRAP

I CALLED IT

PHEE WATCH OUT

i’m trying so hard not to get up my hopes that it’s tech rn.

what did he grab 🤨

tbb’s location or smth maybe??

SHE KNOWS

sneaky bitch

maybe tech’s ship reminds me of padmé’s ship a bit

not exactly but kinda similar? maybe it’s js the general shape

PABU

NO

pabu’s gonna be gone

NO THE CADETS

oh god are they gonna leave right before pabu’s attacked 

TECHS GOGGLES.

GET OUT

STOP

AND LULA

OH MY GOD

i’m currently bawling my eyes out

notice how the island is completely in the dark

god i love lighting

HUNTER KNOWS

NO HE SEES HER

OMG NO

WRECKER KNOWS

holy fucking shit.

HOLY SHIT

HE BETTER BE ALIVE

IF THEY KILLED HIM ISTG

CAN I NOT CRY FOR TWO SECONDS

hunter knows

HOLY FUCK

I KNEW IT

PABUS GOING DOWN

ok this music slaps though

maybe tech feels like tech but the voice (accent, tone, everything) is SO different

my heart hurts omg

OMEGA SWEETIE NO ITS NOT YOUR FAULT

“i’ve barely done anything yet” first of all BE SO FR second yep oahu is a goner

ok but protective crosshair hits different every time

BATCHER STOP

if they kill batcher.

OH THANK GOD HES ALIVE

JENNIFER YOU SCARED ME.

why was hunter taking out that trooper kinda..

EAT HUNTER

GOD HES HOT

maybe tech no. 

STOP

omgomgomgogmogmg

HES ALIVE BUT IM STILL SOBBING JESUS

I NEED TO CALM DOWN

OMEGA YOU ARE NOT GETTING CAPTURED

STOP IT.

she’s smart but it’s too risky

she’s grown up so much holy shit

“then you never should’ve come here in the first place” I THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA KILL EVERYONE OMG

crosshair your hand better not start shaking.

HIS NOISE

HIS SIGNATURE NOISE

IN THE MUSIC

ITS BACK (it might’ve been back for a while but i didn’t notice it)

THANK GOD HUNTER

WET HAIR HUNTER⁉️⁉️⁉️

IM TOO HURT TO APPRECIATE FULLY THOUGH

update: i rewatched and that hair is NOT wet 😔

BATCHER!!!!!

oh my god hunter’s gonna be PISSED

i’m crying again

NONONO

HUNTER SAVE CROSS NOW.

NO

NO

NO

NO

omega what do you know

is she meditating

THE FORCE???

IS SHE GONNA TAP IN AND TELL THEM BC IDK WHAT ELSE THEYD DO

ok so my final thoughts are i am HURT and still crying WHAT THE FUCK JENNIFER

[booasaur]

Any new upcoming series with w/w?

Lol, I had a whole answer typed up and almost completed last night, I could only remember a few upcoming shows but added a bunch of ongoing and recent with descriptions and then the post editor hiccuped and removed most of it so I angrily went to sleep instead.

But maybe that was for the best, because this morning a video of upcoming f/f shows in April came out so now I can add a few more.

There's Dead Ringers, that show with Rachel Weisz playing twin gynecologists and since it's a genderbent adaptation of an existing movie we already know it's gonna be super messy. It would be pretty wild for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies to not have some wlw and luckily it does, the trailer itself reveals a couple. Tiny Beautiful Things, with Kathryn Hahn and Sarah Pidgeon (Leah in The Wilds) playing her younger self, apparently Kathryn Hahn's character's daughter is queer. Slip is a kinda scifi, where a bored wife cheats on her husband and realizes every time she has sex with someone, she wakes up married to them. The show's about her trying to get back to her original life, and there are a series of different husbands, but also a few wives (also, the first "replacement" husband is played by Boorman's actor from Willow!). There are also the upcoming Thai dramas Be Mine, Reverse 4 You, and 23.5, as previously mentioned.

In terms of returning series coming back, there's the Disney cartoon The Owl House, getting its final ep. Single Drunk Female's second season is returning soon. It has a bi lead, and she did have a female love interest but it was pretty temporary compared to the will they/won't she has with the main character male love interest. Her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, also a very main character, is a lesbian, and she's married but her wife's actress is a regular on another show now so I dunno if she'll be back.

Welcome to Eden, a Spanish thriller about people trapped on an island with a cult, ended the first season on a major cliffhanger so it'll be exciting to see what happens now, though it feels like anyone could die so that's a bit nerve-wracking. It has a lot of different kinds of rep, f/f, m/m, trans, one of the gay guys is deaf too and it's a plot point that his boyfriend won't learn sign even though his friends have.

The Epix series From is a pretty well done horror series about people trapped in a town and who get hunted at night, it's more ominous and suspenseful than outright gory. It actually has three wlw, though one is mostly with one guy, the one who's engaged to a woman outside the town seems to be about to start a romance with another guy, and one is a teen who's crushing on the first woman, feels unrequited. I didn't know about any of them when I started, so they're a bonus, the show itself is rather compelling.

As for current shows, The Power (lol, get it, current) started last night on Prime, it's nice that after the misreading of Class of '07, this new show about girls does immediately have a wlw. Gap's already finished but it made such a splash, if you haven't watched, I'll mention it again. The other Thai drama, Show Me Love, is still airing. Fantasy Island is honestly kind of sweet, it feels like one of those '90s shows, episodic, bright colors and optimism, and great guest stars. One of the two leads, I'd say, or at least the second billed main, is queer.

We got our three firefighter shows, 9-1-1 with a solid (now) established relationship, Fire Country, a lesbian character but not much screentime, and of course Station 19, which is honestly winning me back in a huge way with their current storyline (if they land it).

Cop wlw update (why are there so many of them!): NCIS Hawai'i remains super cute, especially when Lucy is on, looks like Ayanna on Law & Order: Organized Crime got herself a new gf with a super hot voice, The Rookie: Feds still has Niecy Nash playing a super likable and bi lead. I couldn't stand the egregious copaganda in FBI: Most Wanted, and like, imagine how bad it'd have to be, when I can still watch all the rest of these shows, but Sheryll's still there, so. Sin Huellas (No Traces) has already finished but gets another mention for being as funny as it was, with a cute, hot couple at the center. Rabbit Hole's just started, but the initial antagonist/probable grudging ally's an FBI lady who within the first 10 minutes of the first ep dropped that she had a wife. Van der Valk has started its third season and though I'm gonna keep hoping Lucienne's INCREDIBLY hot ex from 2x03 returns, Lucienne, second billed, is plenty hot by herself. Ariana Guerra, who played the novitiate in Helstrom, has joined the second season of CSI: Vegas. Her character's bi and has a main character boyfriend but he seems like he'll most likely end up with a different character.

I'm not really going through these in any particular order, except combining the above two types, but let me just blow through the rest of the ongoing shows: the Canadian family comedy Run the Burbs has been quite sweet in how it's written the teen daughter, How I Met Your Father comes across as an old fashioned sitcom, except one of the characters is a lesbian. It's kind of fun in its familiarity and low stakes. I didn't expect to be as drawn into The Watchful Eye as I did, the trailer felt quite soapy and it was, at times, but all the nannies were great, and I ended up quite liking the f/f side couple. It's amazing what actual personalities can do. :o A Million Little Things is winding down its final season and Grace Park's character is engaged to Cameron Esposito's character so it feels pretty endgame at this point.

If you didn't watch or stopped watching Carnival Row because the main m/f relationship seemed so especially trite, you maaaay want to give it another look. I'm not nearly caught up with Bel-Air, but in the first season they wrote Ashley's sexuality really well, especially since she's so young. I'm sure you can't have missed my Perry Mason gifsets by now, but I can only reiterate what a great character Della Street is. One of the kids in Gotham Knights is bi (and her brother is trans!) but I'm not sure it's worth getting invested before cancellation. Unless the CW is only going to keep projects involving the Supernatural trio?

At this point, hoping everyone who's into wlw has at least tried Yellowjackets or is aware enough of it to know they don't want to try it. Las Pelotaris 1926 is a Spanish language historical drama about female athletes playing--well, the sport is basque pelota but if you need a reference point, it's like squash or racquetball. If you haven't yet caught up with RWBY, now would be an okay time. Lastly, I've still never watched any of Riverdale or even Choni clips, but its final season has just started and you know, I gotta respect the longevity of whatever they've been doing with them, however up and down they seem to have been, and perhaps this final season will be an up. From what I've seen on SM, they seem to get endgame soulmatey treatment more than any of the other ships and I can respect that.

Aside from the Thai dramas that might air after April and a few of the other shows that ended their seasons in March (or February in Gap's case), all of these have eps airing this month. After this year of cancellations, I think it's worth enjoying what we can, even as we acknowledge how much lead/main character rep and longevity we're losing. :o

[rainchyna]

𓆩♡𓆪 episode two: The Torch.

first day on the job and y/n is already a needle mover??? icon behavior fr fr. i know it took a little for this ep to come out but i rly hope y’all like it 🫶🏽 it’s also kinda long my bad i got carried away lmao lmk what y’all think tho‼️

“i have an offer to make”

this couldn’t be bad. …well

it’s Vince McMahon. only so much can go wrong.

“surprise me” you challenge.

“so, one of our women, Alundra Blayze to be specific, she hasn’t been .. the most cooperative. we haven’t been seeing eye to eye exactly regarding her contract and we’ve decided to terminate it. that means tonight will be her last Raw” he said.

you could feel that he was pointing to something, but to be completely honest, you had no idea where this was going. again, this is Vince McMahon, anything can happen. you’ve heard of Alundra before and have seen some of her matches. she’s pretty damn good.

Vince leaned back in his chair, “I have no issue with her leaving the company, the only issue is that she’s currently the women’s champion, and she’s considering signing with WCW” he explained.

“okay..?” you mumbled, confused.

“I want you to become the women’s champion” he stated.

your eyes widened, and you aggressively blinked shocked at what he was saying. “you want me as champion?” you ask, he nods. “this quickly?” you ask again and he nods. he looked a bit angry and seemed quite pissed at the fact that Alundra is leaving.

“has anyone won a title on their debut match, like .. ever?” you ask

“why don’t you be the first one?” he suggests.

that sounded insane. it two ways.

you were concerned about how Alundra would react to being stripped off of her title. did she know this was going to happen? was she okay with it? not that it mattered really, it was her last day her anyways, but you couldn’t help but over think.

on the other hand, you felt giddy. excited. you were going to debut, and win the women’s title on the same night? sounds like absolute fun. hopefully the WWF crowd reacts well, you just needed their support and that’s all that matters.

“are you sure this is a good idea? i don’t want the crowd to turn on me on my first day” you hesitantly say. he shakes his head, “don’t worry about it, they’ll love you. i just need to know if you’re on board” he says.

“i’m in” you say, you can almost see the cogwheels turn in Vince’s head as he looks down at his desk.

“i have a lot planned for you, you know?” he says, half zoned out. you smile, “that’s great to know”.

2:37 pm, catering.

“so what did Vince want?” Lita asked. should you tell her? it’s not like she’s not going to know, everyone will at the end of the night.

but what if Vince was using this as an opportunity to know wether or not you’re the type to blab about plans publicly?

“Y/n?” Chyna asked noticing you zoned out, “oh, we just talked about my debut later” you answer, sipping on some orange juice. you weren’t exactly lying, but you also didn’t want to spoil the show.

“that’s cool” Chyna said, “i hope we work with each other a lot” she added. “yeahhh” Lita smiled. “is this what you’re wearing later?” Chyna asked. you look down at yourself, you completely forgot that you’re still wearing your unofficial gear.

“i’m still figuring it out” you fix your hat, “i want something that’ll scream ‘y/n is here!’ y’know” you say. Chyna hums, “i think you should get something custom made” she suggests.

“any ideas?” you ask, Lita sits up. “shorts! but leather, kinda like same design as my pants, but shorts, y'know. and a top like Chyna’s, keep the coat ‘cause it looks cool” Lita says.

“i think the top should be white instead of black, to make it resemble you New Japan gear” Chyna said. “oooh, what if i wrap a white ribbon around the hat and wear white boots with my name on them?” you propose. “see that sounds pretty!” Lita says.

the mental image of that looks really pretty. “how am i supposed to get those done quickly though?” you ask.

“i have someone that’ll do it, don’t worry about it” Chyna winked.

these two are the real ones.

all three of you continued chatting about random segments and matches Chyna and Lita had, until you were interrupted.

“excuse me Y/n?” a staff member approached you, “yeah?” you reply, “there’s someone who would like to see you” he stated.

you look back at the girls concerned and they mirror your look, “okay” you say getting up. you walk behind the staff member down the hallway, until you’re lead to the … rehearsals ring hall?

“there” he pointed towards one of the rings, “thanks..” you say slowly stepping in. you walk towards the ring the man pointed at, and you can see someone sitting there. they look at you, getting up and leaning against the top rope. is that…?

“you’re Y/n, right?” she asked.

Alundra Blayze.

the blonde had a smile on her face, but you can tell she looked tired. “yeah! nice to meet you!” you smile, stepping in between the ropes. she gave you a hug which took you by surprise a bit, but after all, you’re the one taking her spot as champion. you might as well warm up to each other.

“i’m assuming Vince told you..?” you say, you both sit down on the ring mat. she chuckled, “i wish he told me directly” she began. “overheard him discussing it with one of the producers” she explained. your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, if he can tell you directly, he can tell her too.

“well that’s rude” you say taking off your hat putting beside you. “and unprofessional” she adds. “i wanted to discuss with you our match later, ‘cause if i’m gonna go out, i wanna go out with a bang y’know?” she said. you nod, “oh yeah, i get it”.

you both began building your match. Alundra would go out and issue an open match to any who wished to get a shot at her title, then you’d come out. you were responsible for the highflying spots in the match and she would bring in some technical wrestling.

you both found yourself fantasizing about spots you’d like to do, it felt really good knowing that you both were on the same page before even meeting each other.

she seemed like such a sweet person, you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad about her leaving.

“Y/n” she said, she look very determined yet a bit upset. there was change in the air. everything felt very serious all of a sudden. “yeah?”

“i know we barely know each other, but i want you to promise me” she began, placing her hand on your shoulder. oh, this is that kind of serious.

she got up and jumped off of the ring, you couldn’t see what she was doing but she seemed to be grabbing something. as soon as she sat back down next to you, you knew where this was going.

she placed the women’s championship between you.

“do not let this belt lose it’s value” she said, looking deep into your eyes. “i’ve seen a lot of your work in Japan, and i know what you’re capable of. Vince never took women in wrestling seriously, and I want you to change that. I want you to be that change” she explained.

“there’s no place for women in this company” she sighed “but there soon will be, i trust you with the championship. I hope you can put some respect on our name in this industry”.

it felt like a lot of weight was placed on your shoulders, but she was right. you’re here to wrestle and to make a name for yourself. everyone deserves respect in this business, everyone. women deserved a chance, and it’s time to make some changes around here.

“I promise”.

9:00 pm, RAW.

“it’ll only be six minutes, and that’s the end of it!”

you and Alundra just left gorilla after arguing with Vince about your match. he wanted it to only be six minutes but the match you planned was twenty minutes long, now way will you have even began the match at the six minute mark.

you both were very fucking angry. this was Alundra’s last match was your debut match, the least he can do is be a little generous. but okay.

okay.

you knew what you were going to do, this match is twenty minutes and it will be twenty minutes, because you fucking said so.

“what are we gonna do now?” Alundra asked. it wasn’t looking good for you two, but what looked good was tonight’s card.

UNDERTAKER VS. GIANT GONZALES

THE HART FOUNDATION VS. THE ALLIED POWERS

*ALUNDRA BLAYZE VS. Y/N Y/L/N (women’s title)*

OWEN HART VS. THE RING MASTER.

1-2-3 KID VS. RAZOR RAMON

FAROOQ VS. GOLDUST

BIG VAN VADER VS. BAMBAM BIGELOW

D'LO BROWN VS. AHMED JOHNSON

SYCHO SID VS. SHAWN MICHAELS

your match was right after the Hart Foundation's and you knew you could get Bret to do something. now, you weren't going to ask him to talk to Vince about it, because if you're the one wrestling and he's doesn't want to listen to you, he obviously will not listen anyone else.

"stay here, I'll be back" you say. you quickly jog your way to the men's locker room as show had began and the first match was about to start. you knock on the door and Bret and Jimmy come out to. "I need y'alls help" you breathe out.

you explain the predicament that Vince put you in and they are both visibly agitated by Vince's decisions. "now, I may be asking for too much but is there anyway you guys can shorten your match?" you ask.

both men are quite for some time, and it feels like all it's over.

Bret hums, "how much time do you need?" Jimmy asks. you're a little surprised, "wait really?" you ask, "and don't worry about Davey and Lex, I'll tell them" Bret said, hand on your shoulder. "like ten, twelve minutes" you say.

"you got it" Jimmy said.

"I owe you one, big time" you sigh, "don't stress it" Bret pats your head.

both men make it back into the locker room and you can hear Bret call out to Lex and Davey. thank god for them.

you jog back to Alundra, who was anxiously standing where you left her playing with her hands. "I bought us time! we'll do it all" you smile and Alundra physically relaxes. "thank fuck, oh my god". you quickly run her down through what's going to happen, before hearing your name being called from down the hallway.

you look behind you and it was Chyna and Lita, "just another moment please'" you say. you head in their direction and they spot you. "what's up?" you ask, "your gear is ready!" Chyna says handing you some folded clothes, "c'mon, I need to see you in it" Lita enthusiastically said.

everything was going great.

9:20 RAW.

you and Alundra closely watch the boys' match, you look down at your watch. it's going to end any moment now, right now, come on...

Bret slipped through the ropes and landed outside the ring, the referee ran out to check on him, and almost immediately held up the 'X' sign. you both jump to your feet, "we should stand by gorilla, right?" Alundra asked, you didn't hear what she said. you were concerned that Bret was actually hurt, but a part of you wanted to believe that that was his way to end the match early.

"y/n?"

"h-huh? oh yeah, let's go"

as soon as you approached gorilla all you could hear is chaos. from doctor's rushing to check up on Bret, to Vince freaking out over the time that was going to be wasted.

you pass by Davey, Lex, and Jimmy who winks at you.

he must be okay.

"BRING ME Y/L/N AND BLAYZE!" Vince bellows, "WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY? WE CAN'T STOP HERE!" he screams. you smirk at each other, before entering gorilla with innocence as a halo above your heads.

"what happened?" you ask, lips in a barely visible pout and brows furrowed. "is he okay?" Alundra asks referring to Bret. "LISTEN, listen. I need you two to go out there right now" Vince explained, "the show can't stop." he adds.

it was so funny seeing him panic over an episode of RAW, what would he have done if this was a pay-per-view?

"can we use up the extra time?" you ask, Vince answers without thinking, "do whatever the fuck you want, just put on a goddamn show!" he says settling back into his seat.

"are you sure?" Alundra asks, "will you draw me money?" Vince asks. you quickly nod, "you got it" you say.

less than a minute later, Blayze was out in the ring. you fluffed you hair and adjusted your boots. 'Y/N' was written on them, on the waistband of your new shorts and the ribbon on your hat.

you breathed in, then out. you felt more excited than anything.

"to any woman back there, if you want to try to beat me for this championship, this is your chance. come at me, no disqualifications, so you can do whatever you want. this is an open challenge and any of you are welcome" she boasted.

the tips of your fingers began feeling tingly, and you couldn't contain your smile. you began fiddling with the microphone you were handed.

then your New Japan theme hit.

as you walked out onto the ramp, your pyro went off, and that was the loudest crowd pop you've ever heard. it was so loud, and they cheered for so long. the fireworks made for such an amazing visual, and your titantron displayed your standing at the top of the ramp with a huge smile.

it felt so good being in front of a crowd again.

you walk down towards the ring, and bring the microphone to your mouth. "you said anyone?" you smirk, and crowd cheers again.

"anyone." Alundra nods.

you both throw your microphones to the ground and you slide into the ring. you take off your coat and hat, and the referee rings the bell.

and to say that the fans were invested in every last thing you two did, would be an understatement.

from every kick, to every punch. every flying elbow to every submission hold. this was the first women's match to truly feel like one in a hot ass minute, and they way you were fighting each other made it feel like the title meant something to you both.

it was so fun. it was your first night here and the fans felt fully invested in your match.

and everything got more interesting when the fight moved outside of the ring. you picked Blayze up and put her right through that damned spanish announcement table, to a thunderous pop. Jim Ross and King Lawler's commentary made it all the better.

you threw her back into the ring and locked in and 'Bank Statement', and another pop deafened you. you were facing the main camera, and Alundra began reaching out to the lower ropes only for you to shift your weight on her and move your legs to stomp on her hand. the crowd cheered again.

she held on for as long as she could before tapping out.

and just when you thought the crowd couldn't get any louder, they did. you pull away from Blayze and the referee calls for the bell to be rung, the arena felt like it was on fire.

you stood up both hands in the air, and the referee announced you as the winner. Alundra stood up and asked for the referee to give her the belt.

you both stood in the middle of the ring as she handed you the belt, successfully passing the torch. you both hugged and by now the crowd was chanting your name.

you pull away from her, "thank you" you smile as you raise her arm up.

9:42 pm, backstage.

you knew you had gone over the time you had, even over the extra time you were given and you were ready to take the tongue lashing you were about to get for it.

you walk through the curtains into gorilla, and what you saw scared you a little more than it should've. Vince was sat in his seat in front of a monitor, with a smile that could've stretched from ear to ear. you and Alundra look at each other nervously.

"uhm.." you begin as you walk up to Vince, "was that alright?" you ask. "alright?" he asked, "that was fucking phenomenal!" he said, and the relief that washed over you was unmatched.

"that was hands-down the best women's match I've ever seen! it was so good, and all the spots - especially that table one - were fantastic and fans clearly loved it." he praised, he walked over to you and gave you a hug, then shook Alundra's hand. "I should've listened to you" he said, head a little low.

you smile, good. great.

you walk to your locker room, championship slung over you shoulder. you could pat yourself on the back right now. you saw something hang off of your door, it looked like... a paper? as you got closer, you realize it was note. you grab the little yellow paper and read what's written, it was a little hard to read since the handwriting was a little messy.

'I'd like to have a word with you' - Undertaker.

huh?

[babyspacebatclone]

I happened to find this interview transcript from ND Stevenson regarding a lot of his work while looking for something else.

And while scrolling down to find what I was looking for, I saw a gif of Catra with a captured Adora from “White Out,” and I had to read the paragraphs around it.

And just…. Stevenson is not a good showrunner. 😬

First of all…

Catradora being endgame???

I’m not sure the rest of the crew had been told that!!!!

ND: …But is also, I think, a good thing to see representation of characters making the wrong choices and doing the wrong thing. And Catra is defined by that. This was [something that] the crew [asked about as well]. People would come and they'd be like: "so, you told me that she's gonna join the good guys again, right? She'll be OK? When is that going to happen?" And people started to stop believing me that it was going to happen.

I’m sorry….

What the actual boiling salt???

The other people helping you make this series…

Started to stop believing you that Catra was ever going to be redeemed?????

I don’t care if that actually happened or not.

That’s not something you make up to sound cute!!!

There’s only two options: You didn’t tell the people helping you make the show what was happening in the show, or you don’t think acting like you would treat your fellow crew with that amount of disrespect and disregard for the product makes you look like anything but an idiot who can’t be trusted!

Either way: Bad showrunning!!!

This is not to talk against withholding plot points etc. on a limited basis: The Good Place did not tell most of the main cast a major plot twist until it was time to get ready to make the relevant ep:

(The article and enclosed video have spoilers for the first season of The Good Place)

But the season would not have worked if the writers didn’t know the twist the entire season was building towards. The audience wouldn’t have been able to watch it all again and say “Yes, this makes sense, I know why these background characters are doing this now.”

ND: AJ [Michalka], who voices the character, I would [tell her] "We have a big run for you today, Catra is going to do something new, but I promise that she's going to be OK in the end". And she'll be like: "yeah, sure, you say that every time".

Now, compare that to The Good Place cast reaction to learning they’d had enforced method acting:

In truth, the cast was forgiving after the deception. "It was good not to know until the very end," [William Jackson] Harper told EW earlier this summer. "It's just part of the character to not know. In a way, it's like Ted, Kristen, and Mike made me a Method actor against my will, which is great! Who knows what I would have done?"

Now, potentially, this is just a good PR lie for the press. Although the reactions show in the video support the cast being impressed with the twist, and understanding how it fit into the show, and their role in it.

But again: The Good Place example is not the same as ND withholding all the information relevant to the plot itself to themself. (apparently)

The actor playing the mastermind of The Good Place twist knew the plot, and could create a performance that worked towards that plot.

Michalka was, apparently, not told how Catra’s story was going to go. She had to take everything on Stevenson’s word.

And as someone currently working for a boss where I have to just accept whatever version of reality he’s decided is in play today - that’s fucked up.

(example of my boss: Apparently, we don’t need annual reviews. Except also apparently the sit down I had with him - the daycare owner - and my director after my surgery recovery time where we discussed how ready I felt to return to duties on schedule counted as my review. Except that was in May, and when I mentioned to my director in September I hadn’t had a review since the previous March she agreed with me. Since she was working literally two full time positions I didn’t want to push her to ask the owner about it then…. Anyway, just more of his bullshit.)

Also….

ND: And that, I think, in it's own way can be something that also tells us how to make decisions ourselves. So when you see somebody who we sometimes want to scream [at], sometimes we're compelled to do things that make us a bad friend or bad people. And it's important, I think, to know the consequences of those wrong decisions. [emphasis mine]

I agree.

It’s great to represent characters who make bad decisions, because of their personal traumas.

And if that happens, it’s necessary to show the consequences of those decisions.

I completely agree.

Why the boiling rain didn’t we see Catra suffer the consequences of her leading the war on Etheria?

The consequences of repeatedly placing Adora in deadly situations??

Trying to stop Adora from preventing the reality of Despondos from collapsing???

Edit: Oh, and actively blaming Adora for it, purposefully triggering Adora’s trauma??? The woman she later claims to have “loved the entire time”??????

Where were those consequences, Stevenson???

Can you fucking answer me there???

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

Alchemy of Souls Part 2 (Eps 29-30): Analysis, Theories, Critique, and Thoughts

Hello Readers,

Let me preface this post by saying thank you to all the cast and crew for all of their hard work and dedication to this rather ambitious project. As for the Hong Sisters, I want to give them my sincerest gratitude for trying to do what other Kdrama writers have not done before. I am sure writing a 30 episodes fantasy kdrama was no easy task! I also want to tell them that I understand their sadness, disappointment, anger, and frustration when it came to not being able to tell the story they had initially planned. I definitely sensed all of these sentiments while watching Part 2. It is ok, Hong Sisters. I hope that in the future, the conditions will be right for you two to be able to tell the story you had intended.

For those who were super invested in AOS as I was, I know many were left completely disappointed by the way Part 2 ended. I was left feeling disheartened just because I had never gotten the ending for a Kdrama completely wrong before. Adding to this, my theories for Part 2 were almost completely wrong. I kept asking myself repeatedly how was it possible for me to get so many theories correct in Part 1, but not Part 2? While talking to my boyfriend the other night, he told me I should not be so hard on myself and that I really should be proud of the many theories I had gotten correct in Part 1. He also told me maybe it was not me or my analytical brain, but other external factors which may have contributed to why my theories were incorrect (i.e script changes, budget issues, etc). This was the moment when everything clicked in my head!

At the end of Part 1, I had thought Part 2 would be a continuation of Naksu's journey to discovering her true identity which was Jin Bu Yeon. However, this was where I made my first mistake. Part 2 was not a continuation of the her story. Rather it was a continuation of Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's story after she returned to her OG body (GYJ body) and died in Ep 1. This was why everything felt so soulless and unsatisfactory in Part 2.Do I think the Hong Sisters had intended for this to happen? No, not at all. This is why their writing in Part 2 paled in comparison to Part 1. The Hong Sisters' heart and soul were not in it when it came to writing Part 2. What they tried to do was make the best out of a really bad situation and they were really not happy about it.

Originally, they meant for Part 2 to be about Naksu discovering her true identity (Jin Bu Yeon), but a bunch of things happened behind the scenes which ultimately forced the Hong Sisters to completely rewrite Part 2. Just to be clear, the soul we followed in Part 1 was not the same soul shown in Part 2. They were two different souls. Part 1 was about Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul and Part 2 was Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul. For those who were rooting for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's journey of self discovery, I would not bother watching Part 2 because her journey is currently in limbo.

And for those who have come here to argue with me by telling me I must be confused or lost, you can go elsewhere. No one is forcing you to read my post. I have proven time and again through my many correct theories for Part 1 that I did understand the Hong Sisters more so than most others.

Now for those who still want to stick around, good! Before we go down this rabbit hole, you all should be aware the events in Part 1 was still a soul switch not soul combination as others were led to believe in Part 2. I will explain more further down.

Anyways for those sticking around, it is time to put our thinking caps on! Time to analyze!

What Potentially Led To Part 2 Script Adjustments and FL Change?

Now, be aware that what I discuss here is highly speculative. So do not quote me or anything. This is just my impression and should not be taken as a matter of fact. Below is an AOS timeline. There may be some inaccuracies for the exact starting and ending date of Part 1 filming. However, everything else in red should be correct.

According to my Korean friend whose husband works in the Korean entertainment industry, the production budget is determined before filming starts and you are unable to request additional money later on. This means once the production budget is determined, the producers cannot exceed the initial budget. It works the same way in the US. Although in the US, exceptions can be made if a show or film holds great promise or if the producer is willing to receive less of their producer's fees.

Based on varying reports, the production cost for Part 1 (20 episodes) ranged from 35-40 billion won (28-32-million USD). For reference, the production cost for fantasy dramas like "Bulgasal" was around 31-40 billion won (25-32 million USD) for 16 episodes. From this, you can see the money for AOS was already stretched given there was a total of 20 episodes in Part 1. Something to point out is it is not clear whether the production budget was determined for all 30 episodes or broken up into two different production budgets (i.e 20 episodes and 10 episodes). I am thinking it was the former just because it would explain why the Hong Sisters had initially hired rookie actors/actresses over more seasoned actors/actresses. Rookies are usually paid less because they do not have as much experience in comparison to more senior actors/actresses. Therefore, by hiring rookies, they could save on money. Bear in mind this was a 30 episodes FANTASY drama so you have to save on money where you can so you can divert money towards CGI, set construction, costumes, larger filming crews, etc.

At the very beginning of AOS production there were a few very costly hiccups. Most notably, the OG FL rookie actress, Park Hae Eun, leaving at the very beginning of filming for Part 1. Luckily, the AOS production team managed to convince Jung So Min to play the FL role. Although this would eat into the production budget because Jung So Min was a seasoned actress, she would be able to give the show the stability it needed. And who knows, maybe the people who financed AOS would be more willing to provide additional money if the production team had hired a more seasoned actress.

I do want to point out that one of the production companies (High Quality; a CJ ENM subsidiary) left after Part 1. The reason for it is unknown. Was it because of this production company's departure that the AOS team were left unable to afford Jung So Min or was it because of Jung So Min's agency at the time did not allow her to sign onto Part 2 which led to High Quality's departure? I do not really know and can only speculate that it was the latter.

During the Part 1 press conference (June 14, 2022), the director said the Hong Sisters were currently working on Part 2 script (more like rewriting the entire script). Then on July 12th, rumors began to circulate the FL would be recasted for Part 2. Subsequently, Blossom Entertainment released the following two statements.

"We ask for your understanding that we arent able to tell you whether she'll be in part 2 or not because it would be a spoiler for Part 1." "She did not appear to get off, but originally signed a contract to appear in Part 1".

On August 2nd, it was announced Jung So Min would join a new agency. Following this announcement, AOS production team said on August 8th, there will be a one week hiatus "to enhance the level of completion for the second half" aka this means they needed time to edit Eps 17-20 so it could flow better with the narrative in Part 2. Who the hell knows what they had removed in those episodes. All I know is that Eps 18-19 felt weird.

Collectively, I think what ended up happening is that AOS production team was unable to get Jung So Min. They were forced to hire a rookie actress and not just any rookie actress, it had to be Go Youn Jung as to avoid even more controversy. This show did not need any more controversy. In turn, the Hong Sisters were forced to completely rewrite Part 2 while editing out things in Part 1.

If there is anyone to blame for the poor quality of Part 2, it's either Blossom or AOS production team and not the Hong Sisters nor Jung So Min herself. I am sure Jung So Min would have gladly sign onto Part 2 and taken a lesser fee, but was unable to because she was bound to whatever contract she signed with Blossom.

I am not even a screenwriter, but this just sounds super stressful. Like imagine if you had already planned to tell your story a certain way with the actress you want, but due to funding issues and actress availability, you had to completely rewrite your story in such a really short amount of time. The Hong Sisters were put in a difficult situation and were forced to make the best of it. Based on things were in Part 2, it seemed the Hong Sisters hated every minute of it. This was evident by the lack of pun filled and witty lines, double meanings, and tight writing. All the things that made Part 1 great and stereotypically Hong Sisters.

After reanalyzing everything from Part 2 and taking into consideration all the things that occurred outside of the show itself, I believe the Hong Sisters did manage to save the one character they intended to be the real star of this entire show which is Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu (meaning Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon). Continue reading below to see how the soul we saw in the majority of Part 2 was not Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon, but was actually Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, a soul I thought I though had gone back to her OG body and died.

Which Soul Did We See the Majority of Part 2?

Surprise surprise people..... it was "Mu Deok" whose real name was...drum roll please...Cho Yeong! Are you shocked? I mean this is what the majority of AOS fandom had been begging for during Part 1. Everyone was like OMG I want to know more about the real Mu Deok (because many thought she was the powerful Jin Bu Yeon lol) . And well, this is exactly what you got exactly in Part 2. As it turned out though, "Mu Deok" was really just Cho Yeong.... a damsel in distress who followed Jang Uk around like a lost puppy and a total superficial airhead. She was neither a powerful skillful mage nor a great shaman/divine priestess. Those qualities belonged to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who is currently a spirit lingering around waiting for Mu Deok/Cho Yeong to leave so she can finally have her own body, name, and face (JSM face) back.

A brief digression. In AOS where soul shifting is possible, names and their associated alternative names can get rather confusing when combined with bodies and souls. It is like do you call someone by their soul or body name? Imagine if my alternative name was "Honey" and my soul was in a body whose alternative name was "Biscuit". What would people call me? "Honey" or "Biscuit"? Well, people would just see your outside appearance and call you "Biscuit" even though you were "Honey". Then you find out the body's real name is “Sarah” and the name of the body you were previously in was “Taylor”. Essentially, this is what happened in AOS. In Part 1, the soul inside was called "Naksu" (alternative name) and she lived in a body whose alternative name was "Mu Deok". Everyone in Part 1, called that soul "Mu Deok" instead of "Naksu". People called that soul by a body name instead of the soul name. For me, I kept calling her by her soul alternative name which was "Naksu". As for the what Naksu's true identity was? I ended up figuring out back in Part 1 that her true soul identity was actually "Jin Bu Yeon". All that happened in Part 1 was that she had finally returned in her OG body (but did not know it yet) and was on the path to discovering her real identity which was Jin Bu Yeon (not "Cho Yeong" as many viewers were led to believe). In doing so, her soul, body, face, real name would have finally become one aka Naksu soul=Jin Bu Yeon soul back in her OG body (Jin Bu Yeon body) and finally being called by her real name "Jin Bu Yeon" with her real face (JSM face). This journey would have finally came to its conclusion in Part 2. However, this journey got sidetracked REAL QUICK because the story in Part 2 got switched to being about the real Mu Deok's soul journey to discovering she was "Cho Yeong".....the anger I feel right now. For everyone who felt duped and angry by Part 2, I want you all to know, your feelings were definitely valid. Just imagine being the Hong Sisters who were forced to write this....they were probably like 1000x more pissed because they had worked so hard in Part 1 to set up certain things up only to have it never fully being shown. In this aspect, I can totally relate to the Hong Sisters. After all, I did end up having to delete numerous pages of stuff I had worked really hard on because of shit like plagiarists.

Before I go any further, I want you all to understand that the soul in the picture to the left IS NOT THE SAME SOUL in the picture to the right. I know we cannot see souls so that is why I have placed different color hearts as a way to help you all see this and to understand things better. The left red heart is Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul and the right pink heart is Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul. Got it? If you do not understand this concept then you can simply exit out of this post because I am tired of explaining things repeatedly.

Now, recall that the Cho Yeong body (GYJ body) to the left was burnt and gone. The body to the right is the Jin Bu Yeon body (JSM body) except with the face of GYJ (think of this like a mask). The reason why it looks this way is because Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul/energy is inside Jin Bu Yeon's body and her energy is being used to help Jin Bu Yeon's body (JSM body) to heal. Therefore, this is why the Jin Bu Yeon body (JSM body) has the GYJ face. It is suppose to represent that the soul inside Jin Bu Yeon's body is not the same soul we followed back in Part 1.

So, why did Master Lee bring back such a useless soul (Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul)? Well, in an indirect way he was trying to help Naksu (whose soul was lingering around) to move on and become who she was all along which was Jin Bu Yeon, a mage/shaman/divine priestess tribrid. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon could never realize her destiny nor regain her shaman/divine powers if she could not discard her old life as "Naksu". Side note, Master Lee could have easily brought back Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's soul (since he had mastered Hwansu)....but like I said earlier, Hong Sisters had to completely rewrite Part 2 to somehow fit the appearance of Go Youn Jung.

A scene I want to revisit is the following below. Master Lee mentions two names during these scenes, "Jin Bu Yeon" and "Naksu". Keep in mind, Master Lee likes to change names to suit whoever he is speaking with. Often, characters and viewers tend to misinterpret what he means. For example, Mama Jin thinks Mu Deok=Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu=Cho Yeong. However, Master Lee knows it is Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok=Cho Yeong...but he does not tell Mama Jin this.

I know this can be confusing. Just every time you see Master Lee mentioning "Naksu", he means Mu Deok=Cho Yeong, but characters and viewers interpret this as meaning Naksu=Cho Yeong. Why does he do this? To keep everyone else in the dark about the real truth which is that before Naksu became Naksu, she was originally Jin Bu Yeon.

If we redid this dialogue to make it more understandable, it would go like this "Cho Yeong (Mu Deok) did not take over this body using the alchemy of souls. Her soul was actually locked up inside this body." This statement is true. Mu Deok/Cho Yeong did not perform the Alchemy of Souls spell. It was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who did it back in Ep 1.

After Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had performed the Alchemy of Souls spell (Ep 1) and returned to her OG body (JSM body), she left Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul to return to her now dead OG body (GYJ body). However, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul did not move onto the afterlife. Instead, she remained next to Jang Uk as an invisible spirit because they were fated for each other and were a pair. Master Lee saw Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's spirit lingering next to Jang Uk and this is why he told Kim Do Joon as much back in Ep 13. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon subconsciously trapped Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul and fed off of it until she had regained her full divine powers. Nom nom nom...soul food. Why did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon do this? Because she was a soul who was willing to do anything to survive and accomplish a goal.

I know many will ask me when exactly did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon swap with Mu Deok/Cho Yeong? I believe it was during the boat inccident. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had tried to destroy the Ice Stone, but she somehow inadvertently swapped hers and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's souls. Although, I would not doubt it was Master Lee who did it given how during that scene in Ep 19, it looked like there was someone watching from the shore. We may never find out if it was Master Lee or Jin Bu Yeon herself who did the swap just because the AOS team did edit those episodes.

Going back to Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, what did Master Lee erase from her? He erased Cho Yeong's memories from when she was a child to adult living in Jin Bu Yeon's body as "Mu Deok", the girl from Sari. Why did he do that? So that she would be willing to accept Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's memories as her own and not run wild. Side note, I still think Master Lee is probably Mage/Shaman Choi Cheol because he of how he was able to erase Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories. Who's to say he was not the same person who erased Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's childhood memories and changed it so she thought her childhood memories were Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories?

Although Master Lee was the one who erased Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's memories, it was actually Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (mage/shaman/divine priestess) who planted her own memories inside Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's head. As Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was remembering her real childhood memories (Jin Bu Yeon childhood memories; shown off screen because Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is an invisible spirit right now and AOS team could not show JSM as an astral projection because of other crap), she began to become gain back even more of shaman/divine priestess powers which included abilities like transmitting her memories and changing a soul's memories, opening portals, jumping in and out of her own body, etc. Why did Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon do this? To give back the life she took from Mu Deok/Cho Yeong. Y'all lets take a moment to appreciate how freaking selfless Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon really was!!

Jin Mu...The Man Who Finally Recognized Naksu's True Identity

Throughout this show, I had felt Jin Mu was a pretty useless character. However, the real purpose of his storyline was to reveal something pretty important to viewers. He was one of the selected few who finally realized Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon. Let's take a look at some of the scenes below. In Ep 22, Jin Mu is confused as to why the Naksu face was called Jin Bu Yeon. This was the Hong Sisters' subtle way to let viewers know that back in Ep 1, the soul that was in the body known as "Naksu" was Jin Bu Yeon not Cho Yeong.

In Ep 23, Jin Mu says that even though the girl has Naksu's face, her energy is different than from the Naksu he knew. What does this tell you? That the soul currently residing in that body with the "Naksu" face is not the same soul Jin Mu and viewers had knew back in Ep 1. Jin Mu thought he was raising Cho Yeong to become Naksu, but in reality he ended up raising Jin Bu Yeon who became Naksu except he did not know this until later on.

Now the the person who summoned Jang Uk and CP to Gwido was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's spirit. Recall from earlier, I did say that as Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon began to remember more of Jin Bu Yeon memories, the more divine powers she would have. Therefore, she was the one who opened the portal for Jang Uk and CP. Why did she do this? So they could come rescue the useless soul that is currently residing in her body aka Mu Deok/Cho Yeong.

The soul who entered that body after the wraiths scene was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Before that moment, it was just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul. How do I know this? Because of the personality differences. The main difference between Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong is that one soul fights back regardless if they are physically weak while the other soul runs, but does not fight back and waits for someone to save her. I do understand though that it can be difficult to differentiate between the real deal or just someone who has someone else's memories. Mu Deok/Cho Yeong deep down is like cotton candy while with Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is like hellfire!

It was during the scene below that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon regain nearly all of her Jin Bu Yeon childhood memories which allowed her to enter her own body once more to take revenge on Jin Mu. This is literally one of the most important scenes that many viewers had overlooked. Look at what Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon says to Jin Mu. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) tells him about finding the Ice Stone when she was a child as Jin Bu Yeon and then she called him "Danju" to indicate to him she was also his assassin...Naksu! It was at this fucking moment that Jin Mu knew he fucked up. Jin Mu finally realized that the soul he groom to become "Naksu" was not Cho Yeong, but was actually Jin Bu Yeon. BOOM LOOK WHO IS RIGHT! Me! Small victories! Collectively, this scene proved that Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon, not "Cho Yeong"!

Why Did Neither Seo Yul Nor Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon Never Tell Jang Uk About the Divination Bells?

After exiting Gwido, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon (not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) meets up with Seo Yul. At this point, best boy Seo Yul has finally figured out Naksu's real identity was Jin Bu Yeon and that the soul from earlier in Part 2 was just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong and not actually Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon herself. Seo Yul disclosed all of the information about the divination bells only to her because he knew he was talking to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon now and not Mu Deok/Cho Yeong. Seo Yul thought one of the biggest reasons Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon did not want to stay is because she felt guilty for killing her own father (Jin Woo Tak) and ruining her sister's wedding. And Seo Yul did not want her to feel guilty since it really was not her fault.

He also tells her all of this because he wanted her to stay.

However, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon said regardless of whether or not it was her fault, she still did perform the Alchemy of Souls spell which allowed her to be controlled by Jin Mu in the first place. If that was discovered, people would also eventually find out that she did kill an innocent person (Mu Deok/Cho Yeong) since she had forced Mu Deok/Cho Yeong to return to her OG body (GYJ body) to die in Ep 1. Anyways, both Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Seo Yul decide to not tell Jang Uk about the bells because they do not want to burst Jang Uk’s bubble of ignorance lol. They will continue to let him think he is married to the soul from Part 1 so he can be happy.

This is the thing about Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. She wanted the people she cared about to always remember her as Jin Bu Yeon, a kind and beautiful soul and not as someone who committed terrible acts while she was Naksu (soul shifter through using soul ejectors/AOS spell, forcing an innocent soul to return to their OG body and die, killing her own father, ruining her sister's wedding, killing her lover, etc.). I know this is not what the Hong Sisters had intended to happen to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon.....BUT THIS STILL HURTS Y'ALL. I still think originally everything was suppose to framed so that all the blamed would be placed on both Jin Mu and Jang Uk, but again crap happened behind the scenes so the Hong Sisters had to rewrite stuff so that all the blame was placed on Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon instead.

Another rant. It was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon who was suppose to get a happy ending not fucking Jang Uk. If Jang Uk had died (it would have added to his character growth arc), then Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon could have been reunited with her family and marry a man who truly loved her, Seo Yul. This could have acted as a connecting point to the past. A marriage between Seo Yul and Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's would have symbolized something that was suppose to happen 203 years ago between Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran. And she would finally get to fucking shine with all of her immense powers!!!! The reason why characters like Seo Yul, Mama Jin, Jin Cho Yeon, and Park Dang Gu had their stories either pushed to the side or made to be a villain is because their development had depended a lot on Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's story which I mean did not really happen in Part 2. Like the events of AOS story started with a Seo and Jin being torn apart so it would have made more sense that the story ended with a Seo and Jin finally being together (coming full circle). Instead, it ended with Jang/Cho being together and Seo/Jin still separated?! K...tell me the logic in that.

Who Did Jang Uk Marry In Part 2?

That idiot ended up marrying Mu Deok aka Cho Yeong. He really did not recognize that the soul he had fell in love with in Part 1 was not the same soul he met and married in Part 2. This is a marriage of two idiots honestly. All the while, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was an invisible spirit who had to witness this whole wedding...how painful is that?! Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon was unable to do anything except watch. This was almost as bad as when the Little Mermaid (non Disney version) had to watch the Prince marry the Princess and the Little Mermaid was helpless to stop it.

Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's Final Goodbye To Jang Uk

So who was Master Lee referring to when he said "her"? He was referring to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. What Master Lee meant was that he hoped Jang Uk and Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's love for each other would reach Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. And well, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon received that message loud and clear because she used her divine powers to summon Jang Uk through the yin and yang jade.

This was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's final attempt to get Jang Uk to recognize her. She allowed him to see her true self which is Jin Bu Yeon. And did he understand what she was communicating? Hell no. So then Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon went back into her body to literally spell it out for Jang Uk and motherfucker still did not understand. It was during this time that Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon finally realized that she and Jang Uk were never meant to be together from the start. It was really Mu Deok/Cho Yeong and Jang Uk who were meant to be together. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon severed this fate when she swapped back into her OG body (JSM body) and left the Mu Deok/Cho Yeong soul to swap back into her OG body (GYJ body) and die.

Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon tells Jang Uk he truly did not recognize her which is true. Jang Uk still thought she was Naksu as in Cho Yeong hence why he mentioned she killed him to avenge her father, Cho Chung. In reality, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's real father was Jin Woo Tak. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon chose to not tell Jang Uk about the bells because it would be futile. Jang Uk would have never believed she was Jin Bu Yeon regardless of what she showed or told him.

Jang Uk was seriously a lost cause. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon allowed him to see the innermost part of her soul AND HE STILL DID NOT FREAKING GET IT. What an idiot. Literally...how could he not tell the difference between the real soul and a soul who has someone else's memories. Good riddance Jang Uk, you truly did not deserve Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon to begin with. After witnessing how everything unfolded, Naksu chose to finally let go of Jang Uk so she could go on to becoming someone greater...her real authentic self....Jin Bu Yeon.

Naksu Finally Emerging as Her True Self..Jin Bu Yeon.. The Phoenix

Cue the entrance of Naksu now Jin Bu Yeon. The metaphorical egg had cracked wide open to reveal Jin Bu Yeon, the Phoenix. And next to Jin Bu Yeon is none other than loyal Seo Yul (the real man who saw Naksu for who she truly was....Jin Bu Yeon...a divine goddess). These scenes below of Seo Yul and Jin Bu Yeon are a call back to Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran. The OG fated lovers and pair before there was ever a Jang Uk and Cho Yeong. Two pure souls reunited! Side note, for continuity purposes, they should have had Jung So Min during these crucial last few scenes.

If you noticed in Ep 7, Jin Seol Ran was always in the light while Seo Gyeong remained in the shadows. And this theme is depicted once again in EP 30 through Seo Yul's dark colored clothing and Jin Bu Yeon's light colored clothing. Jin Seol Ran had a lot of darkness in her, but Seo Gyeong embraced it all so she could shine like the bright star she was. And for Jin Seol Ran, Seo Gyeong was her light in the darkness.

Seo Yul stuck by Jin Bu Yeon's side until the very end. You will also notice that during the following scenes below, Jin Bu Yeon did not directly talk to the other characters. Rather, it was Seo Yul who was the one communicating her thoughts for her to the others. It makes me wonder if one of Jin Bu Yeon's divine powers was telepathy.

Now, let's take a moment to appreciate Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. This girl had to endure so much pain and sadness and in the end, she saved all of her friends as well as all of Daeho. And no one with the exception of Master Lee and Seo Yul, would have known any better. Side note, they could have included Jung So Min without the blindfold to show that the soul from Part 1 was the one who saved everyone, but like I said earlier….there were problems behind the scenes. Anyways, I will say it again....NAKSU/JIN BU YEON DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!!!!! Once Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon remembered all of her memories (JBY childhood memories) and let go of her past life/pain/resentment, her energy changed from pink to white, symbolizing purity. Additionally, her powers could be glowing white because when she was Naksu, her powers did glow white, symbolizing mage powers. Point being, we got to see her mage and divine powers combined. I AM NOT CRYING RIGHT NOW...BUT REALLY I AM BAWLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hong Sisters if you are reading this (and I hope you are since I sent you a link to blog since early August), please have Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon come back for a Part 3. This time please have Jung So Min play her!!!

Naksu now Jin Bu Yeon's Final Gift to Jang Uk

So what was Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's final gift to the man who did not recognize nor really love her? The useless freaking idiot, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong, who could only see energy. Contrary to what Cho Yeong said, she does not have any other divine powers other than seeing energy. Meaning, she would not be able to cast spells nor Chisu, Tansu, or whatever else. The reason why Mu Deok/Cho Yeong would be unable to perform any divine acts of magic is because Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon only gave her the memories. Additionally, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong's soul is not a divine soul thus it does not have any divine powers whatsoever. If push came to shove, she would be flailing around screaming for Jang Uk to come save her.

Despite having Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's memories, some things could not properly be translated into Mu Deok/Cho Yeong such as the qualities which made Naksu/JIn Bu Yeon a truly unique soul (independence, motivation, ambition, fierceness, bravery, self sacrificing, etc). Mu Deok/Cho Yeong is like imitation crab meat of the real deal (Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon). As for Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's sword, she does not deserve it because she is not Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. She is just Mu Deok/Cho Yeong....a plain, stupid, superficial, foolishly kind, weak, and helpless soul. Additionally, did anyone notice how Mu Deok/Cho Yeong wore her hair in that ponytail hairstyle? This was similar to how she wore it as a child. In Part 1, Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon had ended up wearing her hair in a similar style as when she was a child (hair down with side braids).

If and when her and Jang Uk have kids, they would probably be powerless kids. Why? Because the King Star energy does not transfer to their offsprings. If it had, Seo Yul would have the King Star energy given that he is a descendant of the first King Star, Seo Gyeong. When it comes to Cho Yeong, she only has Cho clan energy so maybe at best their child would reach Chisu? Then again, their kids would have very lazy parents so maybe they would never ever make anything of themselves.

So yea...these two superficial and immature souls are definitely a match made in heaven! They were able to get the life they got due to others' hard work and sacrifice. And the truly sad part in all of this, is that they did not even realize it. Ignorance is bliss. That is the dark side to the seemingly bright "happy ending" of Alchemy of Souls Part 2.

Who Knew Naksu Was Really Jin Bu Yeon?

Not many. Literally there are only two people left alive who knows the real truth about Naksu and those people are feigning ignorance so that everyone else can heal and move on. The only reason why Jin Mu and Seo Yul knew the truth was because they had known Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon the longest in comparison to other characters. And Seo Yul had met Jin Bu Yeon before she even became “Naksu” in Danhyanggot.

Those who knew the real truth which is Naksu's soul=Jin Bu Yeon's soul:

Master Lee

Seo Yul

Jin Mu (right before he had the empty Ice Stone placed inside of him)

Those who think Naksu's soul=Cho Yeong's soul:

Mama Jin

Jang Uk

Those who think Jin Bu Yeon is just Jin Bu Yeon:

CP/The King

Park Jin

Kim Do Joon

Park Dang Gu

Heo Yun Ok

Jin Cho Yeon

What Happened to Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's Soul Afterwards?

Either she is in hibernation in her own body or lingering as a spirit next to her fated other half (Seo Yul) or back in the Ice Stone waiting to come out again. Do I think she is completely gone? Hell to the NO. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon is a survivor and a divine soul. She also still has unfinished business to attend to which is to destroy the Ice Stone. Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon should pluck out that damn Ice Stone out of Jang Uk’s chest. I will be patiently awaiting for that moment as well as when she retakes her sword!

And let's be real here, Mu Deok/Cho Yeong neither has the galls nor the powers to remove the Ice Stone out of Jang Uk's chest. That much is apparent. She does not have what it takes to do what is necessary for the greater good.

Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon also has the power of Hwansu (method of coming back to life..I just think of it as reaching nirvana or a full enlightenment). Meaning she could if she ever wanted to, float into a dead body. The Hong Sisters could then have that dead body have the face of Jin Bu Yeon (JSM) as to indicate the soul inside is Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. I mean that's the logic they used with the GYJ face anyways.

Let’s review all the things Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon managed to accomplish while she was around:

1. Discovered her real identity 2. Punished the man who ruined her life 3. Avenged her father 4. Gave her former lover someone else to love 5. Gave the soul whose life she stole a second chance filled with love, family, and friends....NO BUT REALLY FUCK MU DEOK/CHO YEONG. 6. Leave her real name untarnished by her horrible past

7. Save all of fucking Daeho because let’s be real here, without Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and her divine powers, Jang Uk would have never been able to wake up big bird himself.

FUCKING PROUD OF YOU NAKSU/JIN BU YEON!! YOU ARE A BADASS BIRDY!!

Final Thoughts on Part 2

I am brain dead. It has been an emotional roller coaster. Was Part 2 worth watching? No. Was it the Hong Sisters' best work? Hell nah. Did the Hong Sisters want you to love Part 2? Hell no they did not. I will say though, they could have express their frustrations in other ways rather than taking it out on some female characters. Although I get it haha. They had planned for Jang Uk to either die or marry Heo Yun Ok and since that did not get to happen, they made her into a petty bitch. And with Soi...do you guys know what her story ended beautifully? It was because her character's story had paralleled Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon's story. Meaning that Naksu had grew up in a dark filthy world and the only brightness she ever saw was when Seo Yul had visited her in Danhyanggot. Also, with the whole foresight thing and the firebird situation…..umm if Jin Seol Ran had foreseen this a long time ago, why did she not have Seo Gyeong destroy the firebird back then? Furthermore, if Jin Bu Yeon was Jin Seol Ran with the gift of foresight, why would she allow herself to be used by Jin Mu to find the Ice Stone in the first place? I smell lies haha. Maybe Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon and Master Lee had worked together to deceive others with their goal being to help others to move on from Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon. Therefore, maybe Jin Bu Yeon was just Jin Bu Yeon and not a reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran. The Hong Sisters had done something similar in Hotel Del Luna. For example, the old lady deity had tricked Man Wol into believing Chan Sang was the reincarnation of Chung Myung when in fact he was not. Therefore, I would not put it pass the Hong Sisters to not pull the same trick again in AOS.

Potential for Part 3?

Hong Sisters, if you're reading this, since you used some stuff from my blog, might I suggest some titles for Part 3? How about "Alchemy of Souls: Reincarnation" or "Alchemy of Souls: Resurrection"?

Now I do not want to get your hopes up, but I really do feel there is a lot of potential for a Part 3 plot wise. However, this is wholly dependent on certain factors such as actor/actresses schedule availability and funding. The Hong Sisters would not have to do much in terms of writing other than some minor tweaks. I think they would still want to tell the story they had worked so hard on in the first place. Alchemy of Souls was suppose to be the pinnacle of the Hong Sister's career as kdrama writers but it ended up crashing into flames. I can only imagine the disappointment they must have felt to see their story ending this way.

Maybe one of the reasons the Hong Sisters had left some major plot holes is because they are hoping to eventually produce a Part 3. For example, the Ice Stone in Jang Uk's chest or the unoccupied leader positions of Cheonbugwan and Seoho Fortress. Sure, some would say their other dramas had some plot holes, but I would argue and say those dramas only had at most 3-4 minor plot holes. While in Part 2, there were so many major plot holes that if this were a boat, the boat would have already sank within one second of being in the waters.

How could things go if Part 3 were to happen? Well, it could start with Jang Uk's death. Sorry to all of those who were hoping to see more Jang Uk. I have been done with his stupid ass of a character since Part 1. Anyways, through his death, the Ice Stone would be used to fuel Jin Bu Yeon/Naksu's resurrection. As for Mu Deok/Cho Yeong since she is his shadow, her soul can leave with him too. Since the Ice Stone is back in the world, a new King Star should also rise to destroy the Ice Stone once and for all. Although the King Star isn't so much new, but more like old haha.

Building off of the logic of how fated lovers are always born in pairs, it would not be farfetched to think that when Jin Bu Yeon (the reincarnation of Jin Seol Ran) was born, her other half Seo Gyeong was also born/reincarnated too. And who might that be? Seo Yul. Part 3 could be about how after Jin Bu Yeon is revived, she could help Seo Yul to remember his Seo Gyeong memories which could enable him to have his King Star powers again. In doing so, it would explain why Seo Yul had coincidentally ran into Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon in Danyanggot of all places as well as why he kept having weird visions throughout Parts 1 and 2. Seo Yul also seemed to be a real old soul from an early age just like Jin Bu Yeon was. Something random is Seo Yul's final outfit in Part 2, they were nearly the same colors of Jin Bu Yeon's outfit when she was performing the firebird awakening ritual. Could it be that Jin Bu Yeon gave Seo Yul his Seo Gyeong memories back and this is why he decided to take over the Songrim position? Hmmmm.

So why would these two need to be at their best? To stop whoever or whatever enemy the Seo's were fighting along the borders. Maybe the enemies at Seoho Fortress are like the equivalent of Ice Walkers from Game of Thrones who are controlled by the ruler of the country next to Daeho. This would require a group effort from all the other characters like Jin Cho Yeon, Park Dang Gu, the King (sorry I still want to call him CP), and whoever the new leader of Cheonbugwan is. And we would finally get to see Jin Bu Yeon at her finest in action....a mage/shaman/divine priestess tribrid fighting the enemies to the west of the Daeho. And there could more scenes of Park Danggu being a bad ass archer and Jin Cho Yeon using the relics to assist in the fight against the enemies along the border. Somewhere in between all of that craziness, it’ll be great to see Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon having some much needed sister time with Jin Cho Yeon. She could even help babysit Dan and Gang haha.

Also, it’ll be great to have a scene with Naksu/Jin Bu Yeon Chisu her way to the top of the tree and see the moon (she said in P1 how she used to love going up the tree to look at the moon). Seo Yul can Chisu his way up there too and join her haha. With regards to the relics in Jinyowon, they could further explain why Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran had created all these relics in the first place. I mean there was a mirror of longing, binding bracelet, fluffy, Gwiseo, and other countless relics. In Ep 7, they said the relics were created with sorcery….so did Seo Gyeong and Jin Seol Ran dabble in the dark arts or something? Why didn’t they destroy the relics in the first place if they knew they were dangerous? And remember Master Lee? They could even introduce the plot twist that he was really Master Choi Cheol, the first mage to perform the Alchemy of Souls and how he never really died inside of Gwido as many had thought.

And at the end of this long journey, Jin Bu Yeon/Jin Seol Ran would finally be reunited with her family and married to a man (Seo Yul/Seo Gyeong) who was as pure and kind as she was . A match some 200 years in the making! NOW THAT WOULD MAKE FOR AN EPIC ROMANCE.

OK THAT IS ALL I GOT OUT OF ME!! If you have any more questions, I will be more than happy to answer them. I am sure I have forgotten to talk about some things! Oh well!

[jerzwriter]

Much has been made about this statement by David, even by the show’s creators. The belief is Ellie does have a violent heart. That as effed up as David’s words are, there is truth in this statement. I am not sure I agree… even though agree.

Ellie has absolutely committed acts of violence. As time goes on, she is very comfortable doing so when warranted. Those last two words matter and help form my opinion. Ellie will do whatever is necessary to protect herself and Joel, but that is for survival, not a natural inclination to violence.

Had Ellie been born to the “old” world, I believe she would have been very different. Contrast her to Sarah in episode 1. After Joel kills their elderly neighbor, Sarah is shaken. It is the obvious to all that “something” has happened. It’s day 1 of the cordyceps outbreak, so they aren’t sure what, but she is attempting to harm/kill Sarah. Joel is merely acting in protection of his daughter, but it is still upsetting to her. (Yes, there is shock value, but still…)

Imagine Ellie in the same situation. She would have shrugged it off and moved on with her day. But I don’t think that means Ellie has a violent heart and Sarah didn’t, it is just that each child is a product of the world they live in. In the current world they inhabit, it is adapt or die. Given the spunk and fortitude Sarah showed in the brief time we saw her, I believe she would have adapted and done what was necessary had she survived.

One more note on this. When Ellie kills the man attacking Joel in Kansas City, after Joel expresses distress that Ellie, a mere child of 14, had to do that. At this point he hasn’t fully bonded with Ellie, but he still takes on a paternal role of wanting to protect “his child” and allow her to retain some semblance of innocence in such a vicious world. Ellie quickly dismisses the notion. It wasn’t her first time.

It is after this point where we see Joel begin to take a more active role in “training” Ellie, not merely protecting her. Earlier in the series, I saw that dynamic between Tess and Ellie. Had Tess survived, I believe she would have made Ellie a protégé in time, training her to be more of a badass than she already was. Joel, initially, doesn’t seem to follow suit. In my mind, this is because of Sarah. He wants to protect Ellie in some way, even if he has yet to care for her as more than cargo, because he would help reconcile (a tiny bit) for being unable to protect Sarah.

Eventually, Joel sees that failing to “train” Ellie to protect herself and it’s a detriment and, at that point, I believe a new level of bonding exists between the two.

Lastly, we have yet to see the ramifications of Ellie’s brutal, violent (and well deserved) murder of David. The disassociation and horror she displayed at the end if ep. 8 is not indicative of someone with a natural inclination to violence. But, this may have changed her…

I would live to know others’ thoughts.

[puffkins2000]



Get to know you - Sims Style

Thank you @bioniczombie for the tag! :D What’s your favorite Sims death? Absolutely, without a doubt: Death By Flies. I don't even know why, it was just so fun to watch in TS2. I don't kill Sims as much anymore, just because I have my favourites that I don't want to die--but every now and then, I still do. Honestly, if I don't like the Sim, I just delete them instead.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? Mostly Maxis Match, but I do have alpha content because I liked it enough. I like semi-realism; not too cartoony, but not TOO realistic. Do you cheat your sims weight? Usually no, unless it's for a character's purpose. I actually didn't know the weight could change in TS3, until I realized my one Sim was gaining weight and while on her third pregnancy. I was doing a generational challenge at the time, so absolutely no cheating was allowed. Let's just say.... her weight could never be altered, lol. Do you move objects? Like... using moo? If so, yes. If not... I mean, like redecorating? Because also yes. Do you move objects? Oh--too many to name. XD I was thinking about doing a mod post, after seeing one yesterday.... and unfortunately losing it. x__x; There were some I would have liked to have had.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? Well... I'm not sure how to answer this one, as the Sims 1 pack I got had two EPs that came with it, then I got the other 3 as a bundle as well. Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing? As aLIVE, as that made sense to me in my head. The other way just sounds so wrong. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Oh---this is GOING to be tough. So from TS2 (( because I don't think he translated as amazingly to TS3, but still okay enough )) is always going to be Timothy Blake. My other favourite Sims are always going to be my pirate couple: they were my favourites in TS2 and I've made them TWICE in TS3--and this current version of them in my absolute favourite pairing. I don't really have any currently in TS4. I should try to make my pirate pair in TS4. Have you made a simself? Uh, yes--for my friend for her HG Challenge. She made one of herself and her kitty, so I made one of myself. And she KILLED me. XD I'm so offended, but her Simself at least paid her respects to me, and I do apparently haunt the house, so... it's all good, lol.

Which is your favorite EA hair color? I'm not entirely sure. I've downloaded some hair colours as well, so I can' be 100% sure if I'm liking an EA one or another, but: red. If you haven't noticed, I put red hair on almost every Sim. XD

Favorite EA hair? I think it's either one from Supernatural or a Store hair, but I've used it on my female Sims a lot, because it's cute and elegant at the same time. Also the pointy one from Into The Future--the one with the braids. Favorite life stage? Young Adult Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? Well, I'm certainly NOT a builder, despite what you've seen. I'm more of a re-constructer. XD I like the gameplay, but, if I'm being honest, I love the CAS part more. I like fashion and designing things.

Are you a CC creator? ...yes? I don't have much, but I'm proud of what I have done. I wish I could do more, such as modding or at least getting my WIPs to work properly.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? I have very few friends in the Simblr/Sims community.

Do you have any sims merch? No, but it would be cool to see some stuff at Hot Topic or BoxLunch. Do you have a Youtube for sims? I wanted to, and I sort of have a few Sims vids up, but I really hate the sound of my voice, and I'm an introvert and even when doing private vids (( not for public-viewing, I should mention )) for my best friend when we exchange Christmas and birthday gifts, I'm usually the one NOT talking, lol. My friend chats away about everything, and I'm just "**unwraps gift carefully while being completely silent*". It took about fifty takes for me to do one Tik Tok dealing with my personal unexplained stories. How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? When it was TS2, I downloaded everything I saw that I liked. I tried not to do that in the beginning of playing TS3; only downloading some makeup, then it became shoes... then clothing.... and it just spiral after that. Now I really go for EA-only converted things (( build and buy-wise )) or something that is REALLY cute or truer to EA-lore (( or edited EA items )). CAS is another story. I have found clothing in my CAS that doesn't look good on Sims/is broken and I eventually take those out when I get the chance. I also realized I don't like non-Simlish words on my shirts, but I can't really do too much with those unfortunately. Who’s your favorite CC creator? This is going to be hard, because there are just too many: @mspoodle1 was probably the first one I ever followed on Tumblr because I liked her CC so much. I also really love @twinsimming, @pixelfrogslegs, @aroundthesims, @bioniczombie, @aisquaredchoco, @nectar-cellar, @simtanico, @aprilrainsimblr, @phoebejaysims, @ilvansims3conversion, @auroraeternal, @kotajose, @ninaaposts, @nightospheresims, and waaaaay too many more. How long have you had Simblr? I don't know... maybe 2013 or 2014? I made it to show off my Sims screenies to a coworker of mine who also played TS3.

How do you edit your pictures? Photoshop What expansion/gamepack is your favorite? I can't really choose with Sims 1--so I'll skip that. For Sims 2: Apartment Life or Bon Voyage. For Sims 3: Supernatural AND World Adventures. For Sims 4: I have very few expansions that I haven't tried everything out JUST yet (( just installed Jungle Adventures and I'm super excited to try it out!! I'm also seeing a pattern here, lol )), but the demo I did of Snowy Escape? LOVED. I don't know who to tag, but I'm just going to pick of a couple of Simmers I didn't mention at all: @ameriko-steelie, @bellakenobi, @camoflaage, @mainlyjustthesims, @deniisu-sims, and @polaesims

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Shadow and Bone 2x02 Review

Episode 2, done. Again there will be spoilers in this review so beware, book spoilers with be marked with * before and after so that you can skip over that bit, if you don’t want to see book spoilers don’t read anything between those two * and I suspect I am going to get very bored saying this line by the time I’ve gotten through all 8 episode reviews. But anyway this was another good episode and things are moving along at a good pace so far. A large part of this episode was taken up by the search for the sea whip. We also had a lot of drama going on with the crows, so lets dive in. 

Sturmhond’s Crew and The Sea Whip 

Ok I love Sturmhond and his crew they are just so entertaining to watch and you can see that they’ve all got a really strong bond. But I also really like the dynamic between Alina and Sturmhond. I like that she matched his energy and didn’t just bow down to him or let herself be intimidated by him and that lead to some really great scenes between them. 

One really great scene is when Alina comes to Sturmhond to confront him about changing cause and he picks up that she doesn’t trust him, I do feel like trust was a recurring theme in this episode. Trusting other people but also trusting yourself. As Sturmhond points out Alina, I think largely because of the betrayal she feels over Aleks, is already acting like she has been betrayed, this is likely a defence mechanism on her part and honestly can’t blame her. * Also as much as I appreciate the sentiment about trusting he doesn’t have ulterior motives, us book readers know that he isn’t really being truthful about who he really is and that’s going to suck for Alina later in the season, it certainly isn’t going to help with her trust issues either.* Similar to the scene with Aleks in ep 1 this question of whether Alina truly knows herself comes up. It seems like many characters are going to be questioning her over this, he points out that she doesn’t really understand why she is so valuable to so many people, that its not just about tearing down the fold or because she can summon light its because of that hope she represents, something that she has yet to believe herself. 

Ok I am about to be petty again so malina shippers look away, but I just have to say it Alina and Sturmhond have more chemistry than malina do. I’m sorry its the truth. I mean it still doesn’t match the same level that is darklina but its heaps better than malina. I just think at this point it is kind of embarrassing that the main couple you are supposed to root for is the one with the least amount of chemistry and appeal and that’s out of all of the ships on the show. 

But speaking of Mal I did think his interactions with Sturmhond were really funny, like poor mal felt so put out that Sturmhond wouldn’t even try to remember his name, I mean this is the sun summoner and sun summoner’s guest was kind of funny but I also thought Mal was really funny when he said it wasn’t even a long name to remember. But I also like that towards the end of the episode when he chooses a weapon that Sturmhond approves of that mal earns a bit of his respect and vice versa, they’ve still got a long way to go before they are buddy buddy but I still enjoyed the dynamic they had. 

I don’t know if I would call this a complaint but there was one line in this that made me wary, shall we say, and that is when Alina remarks on how Sturmhond’s crew is made up of both otkazat'sya and grisha and talks about how hey imagine if you combined first and second army. I saw this one coming a mile off, the whole lets unite the two armies rhetoric. Look I am usually all for unity and all that but the problem I have with it here is that thus far the only main first army character we have seen so far is mal. The rest of the time the first army are shown as antagonists to the grisha, they are the ones hunting Aleks and the grisha in the flashback of 1x07 and they are the ones locking grisha in cages currently. So we keep seeing the first army do horrible things to the grisha and then you’ve got alina going hey lets get the grisha to make friends with the first army. I get the sentiment behind it I really do but I also feel like the first army are going to have to put in a lot of work too. I also just know that they are going to use this as a way of showing that Aleks is bad because he didn’t unite the two armies, whilst also completely ignoring the fact that the King also wasn’t rushing to unite the two armies either and that of course Aleks isn’t going to trust the first army considering his past with them. 

But moving on lets talk about the sea whip. It looked as gorgeous as I thought it was going to from the trailers. But it was also alot more vicious than I expected it to be, though thinking about it more I don’t know why, maybe it was because of how calm and peaceful the stag seemed to be. But the Sea Whip was definitely playing with them and it did kill at least two people. Eventually it attacking mal does lead to Alina killing it and it is kind of ironic that Alina has this whole, we don’t need to kill the amplifiers to get there power thing going on and yet she has caused the death of two amplifiers now because she was protecting mal. *But I do suspect that they might be doing the whole you don’t have to kill an amplifier to get its power because of that plot twist with the third amplifier.* 

The scene when Alina takes the amplifier was stunning and loved how her powers looked and how you kind of hand that steady glow that was similar to the Stag but then there were these wisps of golden light that were slithering like the Sea Serpent. It just looked visually spectacular. I also loved how joyous Alina looked, she looked almost drunk on the power. I also thought it was interesting how the scene where the amplifier is being put on her was intercut with scenes of the darkling and that hot poker trying to heal the wound on his hand from the stag and then mal through the eyes of the sea whip. I definitely think this is foreshadowing, book readers will know.   

The Crows 

So much was going on with the crows this episode. We got more flashbacks of Kaz’s backstory and it turns out I was right in my previous review the older boy in the flashbacks is Kaz’s older brother. It looks like the connection to Rollins is that he offered them some kind of job which I am going to assume was actually a scam of some kind. I also do wonder if it is linked to the plague cemetery that the crows use as a meeting point as in ep 1 we did see what look like some kind of disease and now I am even more worried about Kaz’s brother. I am wondering if the job Rollins offers them somehow gets them exposed to the plague and his brother dies and that’s why Kaz wants to get revenge on Rollins so badly. 

As I mentioned before, trust is a theme that comes up a few times in this episode and this can be seen within the crows too. The crows seem to be struggling to trust Kaz because of how secretive he is being. It also seems like Kaz is struggling to completely open and trust the other crows. I really loved the scene on the rooftop between Kaz and Inej when she pushes to tell her his story with Rollins. It was interesting when he talked about secrecy being about survival and I do think on some level this is relatable. I mean I guess that is why people keep secrets, to protect themselves or others they love. But I also like what Inej said about trust being the opposite of secrecy, it was basically her saying he could trust her and she’d be there when he was ready to open up, at least that’s how I read it.  

I love Wylan, just wanted to point that out. I also really want to know the story of his connection with Jesper because they clearly have met before. Also maybe its my dirty mind get in the way here, but the fact that Jesper suddenly recalled that he had met Wylan before whilst lying on top of him, I mean, did these guys like sleep together at some point in the past? Or am I just reading too much into that. But it would explain why Wylan seemed kind of infatuated with Jesper in ep 1. Either way they do have some really good chemistry and I really so think these guys may have a romantic plot line this season. 

Speaking of couples I have to talk about Nina and Matthias because they are breaking my heart right now. I mean poor Matthias is locked up in hellgate. But there was that, well I don’t know what it was but it seemed like a flashback and it was a really steamy moment between him and Nina. Honestly my immediate reaction was hey up when did this happen? Which made me wonder if it was just him fantasising about Nina in that moment. But what makes me doubt it was just a fantasy is that right before the steamy scene Matthias’ cellmate says that their god will forgive his sins, then it shows the possible flashback, and then Matthias says the god could never forgive his sins. We also know from season 1 that Fjerdans have very different views on intimacy between a man and a woman and how its reserved for marriage so if he really did sleep with Nina offscreen in season 1 then his culture and upbringing could be resulting in him feeling some guilt about his relationship with Nina, especially as at the moment he believes she tricked and betrayed him. 

As for Nina she too is struggling with feelings of guilt and she is also thinking about Matthias but her guilt is wrapped up in the part she played in getting him sent to Hellgate and its clear that she is desperate to get him back and that really does tug at my heartstrings. 

The crows do get hit with some blows this episode and it is another one of those situations where their plan just does not go according to plan and yet somehow they still work their way out of it. The guy that Rollins sent after Inej, the Taxidermic, was really creepy, somehow I think we might end up seeing him again. I loved the scene where Jesper had a shoot out with Rollins guys, those gun tricks just look so cool. But once again I am very curious to see what their next steps are going to be but also what Rollins is going to do next. 

Aleksander and Darklina. 

So we got another dream, mind scene between darklina this episode and once again it was really great. They just have so much tension and angst in their scenes together and even when they are angry with each other they still have chemistry and sexual tension between them. 

I’ve said it before but darklina have this dynamic where even when they are arguing they are still communicating and I do think Aleks was spitting out some truths in this scene that Alina didn’t want to hear. He points out that she may think that she has found a family and love with Mal but that it will all fade away because mal will grow old but Alina will only grow more powerful. I do have to keep reminding myself that whilst as the audience we know Aleks’ past Alina does not. So when Aleks talks about knowing how she feels when she’s with Mal, Alina scoffs and I do think this is again a defence mechanism, she doesn’t want to believe that Aleks is capable of love or that he could love her because that would make things too complicated. There was a time when she thought he felt those things for her and she felt them for him, where she thought she might have found that family and future with him, she says it herself in 1x07, ‘we could have had this, all of it.’ But now she feels betrayed and hurt by him so it is easier to imagine that he is someone who is incapable of love. It make sit easy to make him her villain. 

I do think that when Aleks begins to describe the loneliness and the weight of their immortality, the ache that comes with it, that it strikes a nerve with Alina because deep down, despite her denying it, she does know exactly what he is talking about. I do think that Aleks feels very frustrated by Alina’s naivety because he has already experienced everything he is warning her about and despite his anger at her I also do think some part of him still cares about her and he can see that her denial will only lead to her getting hurt in the same way he was. 

Alina however is vey much in denial and she want’s to make it clear to him that they are not the same, that she doesn’t want to be like him, but at the same time I don’t think she can completely deny the truth, which is that she is more like him than she wants to admit. I said in last ep review that when she came to the mind palace in her blue kefta it might have been an act of defiance on her part to not wear his colours. Well in this one she is wearing the black kefta but she decides to take it off and this moment is really interesting because all though she is making a statement and saying I’m not like you and I won’t wear your colour again, she has to turn her back to him before taking it off, like she can’t look at him as she does it, and Aleks too has to look away and you can see that it is hurtful to him that she is doing this. What also interests me about it is that I’ve talked in the past about this metaphor of shredding their kefta, like Aleks does in 1x04 and how they come to each other without their keftas in their nightclothes and how this symbolises them shedding their armour in a way and how they usually have very open and vulnerable scenes. Well its the same here after she takes off the Kefta Aleks goes on this rant where he’s just letting all his feelings pour out, similar to that war room scene in ep 4, he talks about how he’s had to change his identity over and over and watch loved ones die from sickness, desperation, hate and time itself. This is what makes Aleks such a sympathetic character because of moments like this, you can’t help but feel bad for him, he’s been through so much pain and suffering. Ben also does a phenomenal job in these scenes and is so good at bringing that vulnerable side to the character and that humanity. You can see when he is giving this rant that Alina is feeling complicated feelings, its clear she hates to see his pain, you see her look away, but she also doesn't want to feel sympathy for him or care for him so she pushes it down and hides it behind her anger. What is interesting is next she kind of mocks him a bit, asking if that’s how he justifies his actions, her tone when talking about his loneliness and open wound is very mocking. But despite her mocking she still seems drawn towards him and moves closer. It’s like she is saying one thing but her body is communicating something else entirely.

Aleks doesn’t back down from this kind of challenge Alina is making and instead also moves closer until once again there is zero personal space between these guys. When he calls her ‘my Alina’ this does get a reaction out of her and she has to look away but as is par for the course with darklina she can’t keep her eyes from his for long. Throughout this whole scene I did wonder if Alina had figured out yet that Aleks was still alive but from the way she says ‘you’re already dead’ its made clear that she hasn’t so I’m guessing she thinks she’s just dreaming these conversations between them. 

Another subject that comes up in this conversation between them is this idea of the past being an open wound and Alina saying Aleks’ past is the cause of all ruin. In a way she is kind of right but unlike the audience she thinks his past was him deliberately creating the fold whereas we know the wound that won’t close is him and his people being hunted, Luda getting killed and him accidently creating the fold. Its his trauma from the past though that has made him the way he is now and why he is so desperate to safe the grisha at any cost.

This idea of a wound that won’t heal those is carried over into Aleks reality as he literally has wounds that won’t heal. Despite Genya trying the wounds left by the volcra and the stag antler won’t heal completely. It is obvious that he is in alot of pain as well and that the nichevo’ya are having a direct effect on his wellbeing. We see him go to a alchemist grisha looking for a cure for a splitting pain in his head and that alchemist suggests that they only thing that can heal merzost is more merzost. This leads to Aleks going and getting morozova’s journal and it is revealed that he has also hidden his mother in a cave, honestly that scene with baghra was funny the way she tsks him and pretty much tells him he looks like crap, but also what was with that smile Aleks gave after Baghra said he had kept her locked up there for weeks? He looked so damned pleased with himself. I am calling it now though Baghra is so totally stealing that journal and taking it to Alina.     

Anyway that’s another review done onto the next episode! 

Favourite lines of the episode. 

‘The past informs everything, its the wound that will not heal.’ 

‘Trust is the other side of secrecy.’ 

‘You’re not just sunshine, sunshine. You’re hope for the future.’ 

[invisiblegarters]

Be My Favorite Ep 11

Last Week: Pear was too decent for anyone in this show, Kwan finally figured out Not is the worst, Kawi and Pisaeng did the do.

This week: my frustration with tumblr is reaching a boiling point, I don't know why I'm even bothering with this when literally no one will even see it. But I truck on because at this point it's habit.

Joy.

Oh interesting, parent meeting about the kiddos. I wonder sometimes if the reason that PIsaeng and Pear were getting married in an alt timeline (at least one of them) is because of these two, but at least in the current one they both seem fairly willing to let their kids be.

And once again, Pear is way nicer than I would be. Mom was selfish. The end. I do get feeling trapped by a life you don't want, but did she not make the decision to be married and have a child? And then she made that child suffer so that she could go off and achieve her dreams, and then had the gall to thank her, to not apologize or appear to feel any remorse for just exiting her life.

But.

But it's probably better for Pear in the long run if she can let go of the bitterness. So for her sake, I'm glad.

Kwan just delete those pics and move on, babe. Not's not worth all this.

So I guess they were going for nerves last week. Clumsily done. So tired of the blushing maiden thing in general, honestly. Can we please retire it forever along with the crazy ex faen trope? Can we please, please, please stop sending the message that one person in the relationship has to be shy and reserved and scared of sex while the other pushes them forward? It's so fucking detrimental, and it just feeds into this idea that to be a "good" girl (or the bottom in BL, because it's always the bottom isn't it? sigh) you can't actually desire sex, can't want it, or you can want it but you also have to pretend not to because good girls don't (but I do). And I'm so so tired of it. SO tired. People have enough hang ups about sex all on their own without media reinforcing this bullshit.

Last week I said that I would hesitantly trust this show with an asexual storyline. I want to take that back now. My trust is revoked, you couldn't handle it properly, show. There's literally nothing wrong with being hesitant about sleeping with someone for the first time (or not wanting to sleep with anyone at all), but there's a way to do it and this show...did not.

Well that theory that the old man is future!Kawi is certainly looking more correct. How else would he know to show up and scold him.

I know how you can get rich, Kawi. Be Pisaeng's sugar baby.

Okay sir, hush your face about in-depth analysis. I am feeling very called out right now.

Yesss thank you dude. It's like with dad. Kawi couldn't prevent his death because he was always going to go. Dad's death is a fixed point. But what Kawi could do - what he finally did do - was fix his relationship with him. He opened up, he told his dad he loves him, he did the work.

Alrighty so we're flashbacking through the rest of college now? This is weird, especially after going through everything else so slowly (if they fast fowarded through a Not redemption I will throw the most massive fit (and for once be glad for this stupid shadowban, since then no one will see the massive tantrum)). If you've done all you meant to why are you not going back to the future (heh) Kawi?

Why is he still asking this question?

And now we're montaging through living together. This ep is turning into the Oprah of montages - and you get a montage! And you get a montage. This makes me more certain than ever that Pisaeng has been doing his own time traveling. The domesticity is cute though.

Pear and Kwan arrived to Christmas together! Still shipping it even though I know it won't come true. Sigh. At least Not isn't at the table. For a hot second I thought he was, that Pear was hugging him, and I almost lost it. But nope, it was Kawi lol. I was about to throw down with this show.

Do NOT test me show I am not in the mood.

Fifteenth time's the charm, eh, Pearmei? Granted it's not like you know that since you don't remember all the timelines, but still.

Me the second I see Pisaeng pulling out those pills: are they gonna kill him off? Would they do that?

Why is this where my brain goes? I mean, it was instant. Just, BOOM are they killing Pisaeng.

Ah, the good old wipe them down when they're sick trope. Good times.

"Do you think I'll die?" Pffft, me and Pisaeng are on the same wavelength. But also maybe don't tease Kawi like that the dude has several issues around his loved ones dying okay. Don't make him pull out that music box, Pisaeng.

HAHAHA is that the first grey hair oh noooo! Fun fact: my sis found her first one when she was like 22. She was not best pleased.

Oh no all this joking about Pisaeng dying but is it going to be Kawi instead? And why do I keep expecting death? People get ill, self.

Ugh, yes, the harsh realities of having no rights regarding the partner you've lived with for years - rights that would be given by default to a straight couple. God I hate it, but I'm happy to see this drum being banged. Because it should be.

Poor Pisaeng. So maybe he didn't travel in time before, but he sure as hell is going to now, because I think Kawi is actually going to die. Or Pisaeng is going to be so terrified of it happening that he can't help himself. But to change it or to make sure it never happens by cutting himself off from Kawi before it can? And then staying in the closet, going abroad, marrying Pear?

Because I truly think that he'd lock them all into a shitty future just to save Kawi's life.

Well at least he tells Kawi what happened.

Have to say, the end part saved this ep for me. I don't know if it's just that I'm already kind of pissed off (thanks tumblr!) or if this ep just started off rough, but I was not feeling it at the beginning. I really want to like this show all the way through. Please don't screw it up in the final hour. Please.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Dead City Ep 2 - Analysis

 Morning Everyone! I have so much to post! I'm really behind on posting about Dead City as well as our speculation about the sneak peek of the Daryl spinoff. I'm going to try and get caught up over the next few days. I've just been very busy at work and haven't had tons of time to finish the posts. Bear with me. This is mostly stuff about Dead City, episode 2. I'll get to more stuff from ep 3 tomorrow!

@galadrieljones:

Hey guys so I’m really loving catching up on all your thoughts. After watching the first two episodes of DC, beyond being just super stoked by the writing/acting/everything about it (it really feels like a very gritty, adult show, i love it), I have some stuff to add to your thoughts and tbh I still have some digging I want to do pertaining to certain of my observations, pertaining to DC and to the DD spin-off

@galadrieljones:

First, I want to directly just address my thoughts on a couple of the notes above. First, the question about where New Hill Top is. I have zero proof, but there are aesthetic and architectural qualities of New Hill Top that remind me of Meridian. I wonder if they migrated there? It would make a lot of sense, and also, Meridian, which is near Bethesda, MD and north of DC, is not as from from NYC as the original Hill Top, which is in like, Western Virginia.

@galadrieljones:

This is New Hill Top

Here are some screen shots of Meridian:

Like I said I have no proof, this is just my current speculation

I also observed Maggie's new fear of heights as something that I think they'll explore further. Surprisingly, Maggie has turned out to be a most mysterious character. The writers have done a great job of capitalizing on her mysterious hiatus and disappearance from TF

It's a rich opportunity to fill in the blanks with really interesting information that, I think, will tie together some of the seemingly disparate lore between the flagship, Fear, and World Beyond, as well as the current spin-offs.

I am also very interested in Hershel's coldness toward Maggie. I see it as a continuation of his brief but telling characterization in season 11, like when he tells the other kids about how he's eating weird animals before, like horse, to stay alive.

I think that Maggie left with Hershel thinking it's what was best for him, but really, it's what was best for her. She instilled in her a kind of PADRE-esque numbness and disposition toward family, friends, and living. He is aloof toward his training and seems to be rebelling against the idea that "living" is possible in this world. This is probably because of the really bad things he was exposed to while on the road with Maggie.

He is artistic, which seems to reflect some sensibility related to Beth, who writes songs and writes in her journal and likes aesthetic beauty.

Only he hides it because even as it is an instinct that lives deep inside of his DNA, he is ashamed, because it communicates that he is human with any sort of emotional vulnerability, which is something he has learned, via Maggie, to suppress at all costs.

I will say I am saddened by Maggie's disposition and how she still seems not to have settled up with Glenn's death. She still has trauma dreams about what happened the night he died. It's been what, like 11-12 years? I really can't tell how old Hershel is supposed to be or how long the time jump is. He seems to be about 12 years old.

This communicates to me though that the writers are acknowledging how one single moment can change a person's entire personality, their entire life and outlook and even their DNA. It's what happened to Daryl after Beth, without a question.

In terms of the scene with Marshal Armstrong in the apartment, I also felt WHAWGO throwbacks. The picture of the two men especially triggered that for me, and how he finds the body. I figured they were brothers, and that the Marshal had been meaning to check on him for a long time but had not had the courage nor the opportunity to do it before.

When he went looking for the gun, I thought it wasn't so much about the gun, but about what the absence of the gun would signal. This was before he found his brother's body. A missing gun would entail that his brother either escaped alive, or that he turned it on himself.

Mostly this scene communicated to me that Marshal is not a villain. They want us to sympathize with him in some way. I think he is doing things he doesn't want to do but thinks he has to in order to maintain order and survive. I think he will come around and help Maggie and Negan at some point, because he will learn what true cruelty is in the Croat.

(or else he'll fall pray to hubris and die in an unfortunate way, a la Wes in Fear, when he aligns with Strand)

I did see the spoon(s), @wdway, and they reminded me of Negan's pointed reference to "Lady Liberty" in the first episode. He talks about how his dad brought him back a souvenir, and that made me think of the D.C. spoon that Beth finds in Still, which is also a souvenir. Also I'm sure we've discussed how "Lady Liberty" is herself a symbol of France.

I also see coffee and pancake mix.

Pancakes are a return ultimately to Lori and the idea of living vs. survival, re: Rick's story about her in Indifference. They're also a callback to Grady. There also seems to be a crack vial on the stove here.

Something i want to point out that I am not sure whether or not it means something is the weird inverse references to fire. Remember in "No Other Way," during Maggie's fight with Carver, Negan rings that fire bell and throws sand in his face?

In the first episode, I noticed, in the hotel room where Negan is staying, the smoke detector is ripped off the wall. Then, in the second episode, when they're in the city, they pass by a cabinet with a missing fire extinguisher.

This is interesting to me, though I really don't know why. It seems to be some sort of reference to Consumed. This whole premise feels like a riff on Consumed, in which two people with a complicated history track and go searching for a missing loved one in a big, apocalyptic metropolis.

Only in Dead City, it's not fire. It's insects, it's guts, it's wetness. It seems like everything is dank and soaked with blood and like it's just moldy and rotten. The lighting is dark and it's perpetually night. In Atlanta, meanwhile, the episode mainly takes place during the day in the hot Georgia sun, beating down on them, and they're all sweaty, on the concrete, everything dry and dusty and there is fire.

The cockroaches felt like the fire in this episode. It's weird, too, because there are so many references to being "unclean." There's a protracted scene in a laundromat right after they're swarmed by roaches. Felt Biblical, then like this modern day reference to cleanliness, but ofc it's all corrupted.

The cockroaches also reminded me o 6.8 "Start to Finish," in which we see the ants marching in the window and swarming the cookie. It's a metaphor for walkers, but also just this idea of hidden dangers, and back to Morgan's instruction about how the dead aren't too dangerous one at a time, but when they all get together, they become very hard to escape.

The pigeon woman was interesting as pigeons are like corrupted doves. She is speaking Hebrew, which is very odd. Was she a Hasidic Jew? Her name is Esther, which is a common Hebrew name. She could also simply be Israeli. Either way, she was Jewish. I don't know that we have any other Jewish characters aside from the Rabbi in Fear named Jacob, who has mysteriously just disappeared.

(I mean, i don't think there's anything to the rabbi disappearing, like he just wasn't very interesting and they just left him in the dust which is fine lol)

But the rabbi shows up with his name, Jacob, and shows Charlie the Ner Tamid, then in the following season, Rachel shows up and has Mo. Within the context of TWDU of shows, Rachel dies right around the same time that Leah is introduced. I think that Rachel's appearance especially is formative of Leah's and meant to highlight the Jacob/Leah reference in TWD as being actually Biblical.

References to Hebrew and Judaism should be looked at closely because Gimple is a practicing Jew and he uses the Old Testament in meaningful ways. Basically I'm saying like, the Jewish references are important, especially when we think about Daryl's story, because clearly the Jacob/Leah/Rachel thing is in play for him. I really can't see any doubt to that at this point.

So I don't really know the point of Esther. She is a little bit like a good luck charm. She leads them to allies, and then she dies. Sort of like the man in the red poncho at the end of season 5.

I do not know what kind of animal is shown around the traps in NYC. It looks like some sort of wolf or fox, but its head reminds me of a Beaver or Otter

Ginny is a lot like Enid, right? Enid also didn't talk for a long time after arriving at ASZ.

We learn Enid's story in JSS, the episode in which the Wolves attack Alexandria. She eats a turtle. She uses the egg timer. There are a million ways in which Enid's story pans out to influence the world of TWD.

I wondered if maybe the story about Oceanside was a lie, though. Like, they just needed something to tell the Hilltop people that didn't sound so mysterious and suspicious.

I am super intrigued by who she might be.

I am also obviously wondering wtf happened to Annie and the baby. I wonder if they're dead or were taken by PADRE people.

I get the feeling we'll learn what happened to them at the end of this first season. It will open into season 2, in which Maggie "owes" Negan and the two go in search of Annie together.

They wouldn't astroturf his relationship with Annie and her pregnancy in season 11 if they didn't have a long term plan.

If it's been a couple of years, and Annie was taken when the baby was small or even when she was still pregnant, that would line up with the PADRE timeline; however, we know now that PADRE has been dismantled, so Annie and her kid might be separated or lost. We may meet them as a function of Madison's storyline or whatever comes after Fear.

Something I also plan to ruminate on a bit is the "Peter Lombardi" poster in the Marshal's brother's apartment. Peter Lombardi isn't a real basketball player. That's an invention. So like, wtf does that reference, i have no idea.

the tagline at the bottom of the poster seems to say "Once a player, always a player." He's #24.

The last name Lombardi is very recognizable as the same last name of the famous football coach Vince Lombardi. Like I said, I'm looking into it lol.

This was another "dead fire" reference, ie: the discarded mini blow torch on the table. I would assume it was used for smoking crack.

(re: the crack pipe on the stove)

@wdway:

I'm really enjoying reading your reviews of DC. There are a couple of comments that I want to make. On the stove in the apartment I noticed the spoon and the coffee can, but totally missed the pancake mix. Great catch. I want to add another pancake reference to the other two that you mentioned.

In Knotts Untie,, when everyone was in the RV headed back to Alexandra after their first visit to Hilltop Abraham made a comment to Glenn about, I can't remember if it was about Bisquick mixing or making the pancakes, same thing though. It was a typical strange comment from Abraham about Glenn impregnating Maggie. It was also where the sonogram picture of baby Herschel was passed around the group for everyone to see.

Daryl's reaction to the sonogram was so bittersweet. Happiness for Glenn and Maggie and heartbreak at how Beth had wanted Maggie and Glenn to have a child.

The other thing I want to say is that I also totally missed the missing fire extinguisher. Wow! I can't believe I didn't notice that. Fire extinguishersand and fire hydrants has always been a Beth symbol. We see them around her especially and also Daryl in Still. Beth is the one who lit the match and started the fire at the Still shack. She also used a mirror at the beginning of that episode to create fire, she is fire and water. The way I interpret the missing fire extinguisher is an obvious nod to Beth being missing.

@galadrieljones:

Good call on the Bisquick! I think he says something like, “When you poured the batter, were you hoping to make pancakes?” or something like that.

Yeah, and the fact they are searching for the source of the smoke. It’s like, the whole thing is this absence of light, absence of fire.

Negan lights the match at one point and the pigeon lady blows it out.

In “Consumed,” I also remember that it begins with Carol seeing the pillar of smoke, which leads her to the girls and Tyreese.

I have a couple other screenshots I want to share as well.

Here's the missing fire extinguisher

A "Dawn" reference. It says "Dawn Lincoln C Come Kill With Us."

Also a Lincoln reference in the same exact sentence

You can see "Macon, GA" clearly in this directory. A reference back to season 4 and Terminus.

It's on p. 270. Does that number ring a bell to anyone?

This shot is extremely dark, so sorry about that. It's the first shot we see of a mannequin at the laundromat. We will see several more after this. Maggie seems to run into mannequins a lot.

Maggie and Negan scale an elevator shaft. Always a fun callback.

One More reference

These are all from the credits.

In the first one, I find it ironic that the city looks like it's on fire, despite what it feels like in the show.

The second one features red gas canisters, and some sort of shopping cart reference.

There's then a rooftop garden, and a small plane.

I found a couple hidden things in the last two, I Spy style

If you look closely you can see that in the circled section it says, "Say Yes." ?

Here in the barb wire at first I just noticed the "A"; however, it could also be a clearly "USA"

These deer interested me

The credits sequence was awesome. I think there's probably more hidden stuff.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

I’m really loving this discussion! Just got all caught up. The idea that DC is just one big replay of Consumed (sort of) is really striking a cord for me. I loved everything you’ve said, and it’s got me thinking in a bunch of directions. It makes me wonder how this will turn out where Hershel is concerned.

As you said, it’s the opposite of Consumed in details—dark, wet vs dry, etc—so does that mean they WON’T find Hershel, because they actually did find Beth? Or will they find him, and he’ll remain alive and make it out in the audience’s minds, where Beth didn’t? I don’t know. But that smoking building is really intriguing when seen through the lens of Carol following various columns of smoke.

And I’ll have to think about this more because this is something they made a point about clear back in S4. Not only did Carol follow it to Tyreese and the girls (which suggests following the smoke leads to finding the people you’re looking for) but they did that whole thing where Mica taught Carol that black smoke meant it was still burning and white/gray smoke meant the fire was out.

And of course Daryl and Beth set that fire in S4, so Bethyl is ground zero for the pillar of smoke. Does that mean Maggie will literally find Beth in the smoking building? Or is Hershel just a stand-in/proxy for her? I also loved the insight that the cockroaches were like the ants on the cookie, representing walkers that will swarm them in the city. I hadn’t thought of that, though I should have.

I had to laugh at how Negan was just like, “Nope.” And they both noped right outta there. (Not that I wouldn’t have done the same. ;D) Anyway, great details about the Daryl clip as well. Great catch on the windows. I totally agree that this might not even be a chronological set of scenes. These may be taken from different parts and patched together. Nothing says a sneak peek has to be chronological. The other option is that they used different buildings for the interior and exterior shots, and they just don’t line up super well. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Really great finds and insights, though. Loving it!

@wdway:

In reading your comments about the smoke, it reminded me of something I wanted to say earlier today and forgot. Talking of smoke, in Home Sweet Home, when Maggie, Daryl and company were initially going out to look for Maggie's group that had Herschel with them they saw smoke from the burning building going up into the sky through the trees. It immediately reminded me of Carol and the girls in, The Grove, seeing the smoke from the Still shack still burning. By the way Gimple verify that the smoke that Carol and the girls saw was from the Still shack. It was to show how very close all the survivors really were to each other and didn't know it.

Just read this and thought it was a bit of a coincidence since you were just talking about this earlier today. The location of hilltop.

@galadrieljones:

This is pretty interesting. They speculate it’s somewhere in NY or New Jersey. The thing is we know that territories can be huge, and just because they touch a territory adjacent to NYC (New Babylon), that doesn’t mean it has to be right next to it. That said, Bethesda/DC (Meridian) is quite far from Manhattan, over 200 miles.

It’s not a lot considering how far the CW was from like, Alexandria, but idk, again that’s just speculation. Philadelphia IS squarely in the middle between DC and NYC. Maggie is really not far from Rick. But, the time jump is a bit confusing. Idk where Rick might be at this point. And idk what Philadelphia has to do with this. Lots of ppl have speculated the CR is in Philly but I’m not so sure I believe that yet.

Maggie is pretty distracted but you’d think if Rick were back, she’d mention it, or Negan would have maybe heard. They still seem really in the dark about the CRM. Maggie is also separate from the CW and ASZ. And yet, I also have to wonder why Maggie is alone. Why isn’t she with Daryl? Or Carol? Or both? I know Daryl doesn’t like Negan but he’d do anything to help Maggie find Hershel, and so would Carol. She knows this too.

I could see her in seasons past calling on them to help her with something like this. If she has the time to track down Negan then she has the time to call them on the radio and they’d be there in two seconds. That said, are Carol and Daryl in France in this moment? Are they missing? Will we get some mention of them and wtf is going on?

[throwaway-yandere]

(Nutjob anon)

Okay, I have yet to read the chapter, but based on the omake post...

...I NOMINATE FELIX AS THE NEXT UNDERBOSS-- *Wooden cane appears from one side of the stage and tugs her out of sight*

And dkrkir ANSY THAT ANIMATION??? SO COOL EJFKKTKRKE AND BY THE LOOKS OF IT, LEAVE ME ALONE FITS PERFECTLY. You out did yourself pal 😭 that was majestic.

See you later in the day when I'm done reading this novela! I want to suggest the secret secret ending were Hu Tao is involved. Only way to unlock her is killing one of the guys 😉 JWIDIFIGOFOD

MAJOR CHAPTER 3 SPOILERS

Oi PulcinELLA BRING HER BACK–

Trust me when (not if, when) one of the guys die Hu Tao will be there as "Wednesday's Garbage Pick Up" lmfaoooo. You know, there are routes that can only be unlocked with certain conditions, but you'll find that out soon by chapter 4 ehe. When you get to one character's route, the rest of the LIs are on thin ice. Hu Tao's business is booming–

Felix literally only has a few lines but him and Tartaglia are my "comfort characters". The former's just radiates tired dad energy while the latter's the sunshine bloodthirsty child in this fic. Those two (+ Dain) are the characters I don't want to be a love interest simply because they're the only light left in Capo!Reader's world. The rest are just going downhill while Tartaglia comically sobs about getting rejected–

And dhjJIwiaooa tHANK YOU!!! I had loads of fun with that animatic lmaoooo. My first thumbnail draft of that was wildly different compared to the final output (with Cyno being more prominent than the other characters due to poll related reasons, but that changed overnight–). Leave Me Alone is such a banger, I personally think that's the song that fits the first half of common route the most in Razzmatazz. It's been a long while since I listened to that album but after those asks I went "oh sht this is too perfect."

Honestly didn't expect Razzmatazz to fit Capo!Reader so well.

Nobody Likes The Opening band is kinda their vibes w/ Dain and Kaeya when they became immigrants, Modern Day Cain is the follow-up where they killed Rosaria ("then you conjured up a fiction, to get the pretty girls to listen"). Then they're the embodiment of Need You Here by chapter 2,

Sugar Pills is basically capo!reader's old addiction phase and Dottore's current one lmao,

Lights Go Down gives off Scaramouche's vibes, edit: @yostressedoutgirl mentioned it's also Capo's relationship with Alhaitham and she's so right ("Pardon me if I forget your name" "Is that any way to talk to me?" "What a shame if you misspeak now")

Clusterhug feels like a conversation between them and Tighnari (especially the first stanza), and Razzmatazz is their perspective after he joined the fascists,

Mad IQ is definitely Alhaitham's song ("I'm a voluntary victim"),

And Cyno's definitely singing New Invention. Ain't no way that's not his theme (and maybe Kaveh's as well),

(((I still stand my ground that From The Gallows is Visconti Diluc's theme ("you're beautiful and evil too, sinister and vile.") That creepy and rose-colored devotion fits too well with his character here, especially since he doesn't know that capo!reader's sick.)))

Edit: She also suggested these for 1981 EP:

Bleed Magic can be Tighnari's overall theme, especially the "you never know a single thing about me until it's far too late" line,

Social Climber as Capo!Reader's first few months/years joining the mafia (could also be Alhaitham's if you interpret the "when I'm with you." part as Capo!Reader),

Choke plays during Rosalyne's death (and I think this is also one of the secret route's theme but shhh),

Absinthe in relation to Capo!Reader's addiction (rehab), and I also think this can also relate to Kaveh but hmm we'll see in chapter 4,

And Do It All The Time is "their peak to Capo-hood lmao as they spiral to the reality of their mortality" and no truer words have ever been spoken (plus I think this also fits Tartaglia, but ironically. "Then I'm taking your girl, and I'm making her mine." He did not, in fact, take the girl lololol–.)

[girls-scenarios]

Girl Group Spotlight: IRRIS

(This post is also on Twitter!)

IRRIS is a four member girl group under JUSTICE RECORDS that debuted with their EP "Wanna Know" on July 6th. Three of the four members are former members of both Good Day and REDSQUARE, making this their third time debuting. All of the members are also adults, which is refreshing to see especially when so many groups are debuting with younger and younger idols. Their concept is mature and chic and really stands out in the industry.

Members:

I.L: I.L (Kim Jiwon) is the oldest member and leader, born in January of 1997. She was the first member of IRRIS to be revealed. You might recognize her from Good Day, REDSQUARE, and her time on The Unit. She was eliminated from The Unit on episode 7, unfortunately there isn't much focus on her though. Her previous stage names are Genie and Green. She's also an actress and has been in a handful of projects, including "I Can See Your MBTI" and "IDOL: The Coup." She's a bright person who likes coffee, and her role model is f(x)'s Krystal.

Liv: Liv (Kim Chaeyoung) is the second oldest member, born in July of 1997. She is the main dancer and rapper and was the last member of IRRIS to be revealed. You might recognize her from Good Day or REDSQUARE, her previous stage name was Cherry. She's a really good dancer and her specialty is dancing fast. She loves a lot of different colors and her role model is Lisa from BlackPink. She really wants to go on Running Man and take a drive with the other members, since she has a driver's license.

Yunseul: Yunseul (Hwang Nayoon) is the third oldest member, born in March of 1999. She is the main vocalist of the group and was the third member to be revealed. She is also a former member of Good Day and REDSQUARE and previously used her first name Nayoon as her stage name. Yunseul has also done some acting, you can see her in "I Can See Your MBTI." She's always loved singing and drama and was in choir when she was younger. She's a bright and bubbly person, and her nickname is Chick Ari. Her charming point is how positive she is. She loves animals and wants to start a shelter (?) for stray dogs. She does have a few cover videos, such as this cover of How Far I'll Go.

Nina: Nina (Nina Nadia Mateer) is the youngest member, born in March of 2003, and is the only member who wasn't part of Good Day or REDSQUARE. She is the lead dancer and a vocalist and was the second member to be revealed in the lineup. Nina was actually born in Australia, and she's said to be currently studying law there! She decided to become an idol after being scouted because she wants to experience lots of new things.

Songs:

IRRIS just made their debut with "Wanna Know," a uniquely bright song with powerful yet sweet vocals and a horn base. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of songs by Girls Day and feels very grown in a way we haven't seen in Kpop recently. There are two b-sides on the EP, "Bye Bye" and "Stay With Me." Alongside a lot of live stages, they also have a it's Live stage singing their song with a live band.

Since this group is very new, there isn't a ton of content for them yet. However, they did recently guest on Arirang Radio, where they sang their b-sides. They also did a short cover dance relay on genie's YouTube channel. You can also see them in a New Face video by TongTongCulture.

The best place to follow them is on their TikTok! IRRIS is super active on TikTok and they post dances, challenges, and other content. They aren't as active on other social media accounts, but they're also on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. It seems like their company is actually doing their best to promote them this time as this is more live stages than the members re-debuting have ever gotten to do, so I'm super hopeful for the future of this group! Go check them out and give the brave girls of IRRIS a listen!

[lonelier-version-of-you]

I’ve started catching up on this week’s Casualty episodes, and I’ve just watched the first of the two: “I.O.U.”, written by Becky Prestwich (her first episode of Casualty, though she’s written for Holby before).

Overall, I thought it was quite a good episode. The Rash and Ashok storyline was definitely the strongest part of it - absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Neet Mohan and Kriss Dosanjh were absolutely brilliant.

It didn’t click with me until the last... 15 minutes or so, I think, of the episode that this of course isn’t the first time Becky Prestwich has written about this subject matter. She did the storyline with David Hopkins and his wife Roxanna on Holby (S19E58 “It Has to Be Now” - a brilliant episode that I highly recommend for anyone who hasn’t seen it). I just thought that was interesting.

The special effects bordered on feeling overused to me, but ultimately I didn’t mind them (the use of the flashbacks at the end was brilliant). Also, I wasn’t expecting the plot twist with Nadeem spending Ashok’s money at all!

The final scene of the episode, with Rash and Ashok, almost made me cry. Ashok’s plea for Rash to remember for him - I just... ow. :((

This has been such a good storyline so far. I hope it continues being this good - it’s an important topic to get right.

The Stevie stuff was very interesting. She’s still one of my absolute favourites on the show at the moment - such a brilliant, complex character.

However... this is where Faith being Stevie’s basically only friend really becomes a problem. Obviously, Marcus trying to isolate Stevie is fucking cruel, and he’s a monster. But it’s very hard for me to feel anything other than relief and happiness when seeing Stevie finally snap at Faith, call her out on how awful she is, and break up her friendship with her. Because Faith is just as much of an abuser as Marcus!

This was a problem during the Tina storyline, and it’s a problem now: it’s hard to take any abusive relationship storyline on the show seriously, or rather, to believe the show is taking it seriously, when the narrative continues to sweep Faith’s actions under the rug and beg us to forget she tried to rape her husband. Faith is continuing to be portrayed as a nice, kind, good, helpful person.

In 2021, it was “Faith is the good abuser, Tina is the bad abuser” - currently, it’s “Faith is the good abuser, Marcus is the bad abuser”. Fuck that - Faith is just as monstrous as Tina or Marcus! The show’s refusal to acknowledge what Faith has done and take her abusive actions seriously is massively triggering for me, and I despise the insistence that she can do no wrong and that Lev, her victim, was the one really at fault.

I also felt like there weren’t enough patient storylines in this episode, but from what I’ve seen, the next ep is an improvement in that regard.

Dylan was lovely in this episode, btw. I have nothing more to say about that, really, just wanted to mention how great he is.

I’ll probably watch and review the second episode tomorrow. Then I can be all caught up for Max Cristie’s arrival in the upcoming episodes.

[kaiofhobbiton]

Spoilers for The Owl House up to season 2 ep 20 Clouds on the horizon! Also very much a rant about my theory that has minimal evidence to back it up—

Ok but I cannot be the only one who thinks raine is still acting off. They just seem so.. flat. Like hi. I’m here now. That’s cool. Maybe I’m just imagining things but they just don’t seem like themself. It’s like they know something that everyone else doesn’t. Kikimora did say “the emperor has eyes everywhere”, maybe raine is unintentionally getting the info back to belos because of what happened with that whole corrupted thing. But they also know about it? Or at least suspect it cause they’re acting sorta weird, like they’re trying just a bit too hard to pretend like everything’s ok. That could also be because they’re not ok with eda being this involved in the plan.

Belos definitely knows about everything that’s going on because he knows about the plan, but he hasn’t done anything obvious to stop it. He could be prepared for anything the CATTs might be able to do, but it would benefit him more to just get rid of them unless he’s plotting something more. I think them trying to corrupt the spell using eda is something belos has accounted for, meaning their plan to corrupt the draining spell won’t work as intended. Raine is trying to set something up where belos and everyone will think it’ll go down one way but they’re going to do something reckless and unexpected to throw belos off and keep eda out of danger.

I also remember back when we first found out raine wasn’t being brainwashed. They said they wouldn’t involve Eda and they wanted to keep her safe no matter what, but their current plan involves her getting a sigil, there’s no way she’d be ok with that normally and she’s in a lot of danger. She literally said “we’ll get to go on an adventure one last time” but I’m paraphrasing cause I’m dumb and I can’t remember exactly what she said. She might not even think she’s going to come out of this alive, that thought has to scare them more than anything. Combined with raine’s behavior, I don’t think raine is going to go along with this plan.

At the end of ep 20 Luz was being taken to the emperor, she’s also another thing belos might not have accounted for. That will also throw belos off, but if two people are trying to do something all on their own there’s no way this is going to go smoothly. Their two plans could clash and someone’s going to get hurt or killed. Crying internally at the thought of edas face if she lost her kid and raine in the same day. Also the collector possessing luz theory is scaring me.

I am definitely not as observant or knowledgeable about the show as so many other people who make theories so I’d like to know what other people think of this. Please prove me wrong. I need something to go right for once-

[oswlld]

Reveal Your Watch and Rewatch List

tagged by @jemmo & @talays-portkey ♥♥♥ (tyyy, was tagged all the way back in august, this has been a long time coming) having done this in apr and in july; i told myself that if i was tagged again, i would do my next update in october so ta-daa

watching

andor (eng, s1) — the only show i am currently keep up with week to week. it’s brilliant, utterly brilliant. the three-episode model keeps the writing/action/tension contained, keeping me in this welcoming chokehold until the very end of the season. that is how you keep your storyline moving, for a 12-ep season, without it feeling dragged out. and the story itself has a low, raging rumble against this very real world backdrop. i just want to exist in this world forever, peeling away all the layers of the rebellion and the empire. stripping all that we have known about the force and everything that the existing franchise builds on until all that’s left: empirical fascism and oppression. and we are being gifted this fantastic premise with a character that can’t narratively die. because we already know his fate. this description is in all lower case, but you best believe i am screaming this the whole way through.

somebody feed phil (eng, s4) — this and the below show are two that i have been watching slowly, splicing up all the episodes between when i started in the summer to the end of the year. i am tackling this show one season a month, which is always a breath of fresh air in between all the dramas i have scheduled. phil is an absolute delight to watch and the choice of locations are so well thought out. i already have a trip to plan for nyc in the near future due to this show. i dread the day i run out of episodes to watch…. oh no lol

guardian (cmn, s1) — as i said prev, this is also a show i have split up my time through the year, tackling this show 10 eps per month. I have seen 20/40 so far and it’s great so far! to me, its very reminiscent of shadowhunters (a prev jessi hyperfixation). if you give me mediocre vfx + found family trope, i will eat it all up i love it so. and the two leads go from 0 to work husbands by the second epsiode, i love that for them. they have such amazing chemistry and like somebody feed phil, i will mourn the day i finish this show.

planning to watch

glitch (kor, premiere) — as i write this, i will be starting this show in the evening. osmosis went HARD on my dash lol i mean, the premise and the vibes are all there. i am going into this blind, only with the knowledge of the two actresses having great chemistry together. the space/alien aesthetics are just a bonus. can’t wait to find out what it’s all about, stay tuned.

werewolf by night (eng, movie) — this is also a last min decision to do, esp for halloween night. when i heard about this show, i wasn’t sold on the concept until i saw that gael was the lead and directed by michael giacchino. the man who has gifted us with the ost for LOST and Up! directed a marvel movie????? i am all in. and this all before knowing anything about the plot.

sleep with me (fil, s1) — my first filipino show sched on my watchlist YAYYY!!! for me, it’s such a hard sell to make me watch a filipino series. but this one really peaked my interest, it also being the first gl for me to tackle this year. i know lovi from the one that got away, so im excited to see what she’s like here. hope there’s more filipino content on my radar in the future. the only other show i have on my deck is gaya sa pelikula but have not determined a date for it. maybe summer 2023??

after this show, i do not have any new bl/gl’s on the calendar for the rest of the year. I am waiting for osmosis to kick in for anything coming up. feel free to check out what i do have on deck, thru jan 2023.

rewatching

bad buddy (thai, s1) — i originally planned for a rewatch by myself at the last week of the year, marking the one year anniversary when i started watching this show. it always marked the beginning of my bl/asian drama journey, so it felt right to get this on the calendar for me. sometime ago, i was informed that the fandom was planning a rewatch in october, so i immediately reshuffled my entire rest of the year to accommodate for it lol. what else is there to say, im returning home.

vice versa (thai, s1) — and in replacing my original plan, of rewatching bad buddy at the end of dec, i have now scheduled vice versa. its my birthday week, ofc i want to see my son and my solemn face moonchild. i miss them. SO. MUCH. ugh

-

tagging @pranink (nice to finally meet you!), @suppaloscurse (for the emotional turmoil she put me thru this past weekend), and @casualavocados (what are you up to over there?)

[chlo3sevigny]

thoughts on antonoff's ubiquity in the pop music industry and 'midnights'

imo his synth and reverb obsession works perfectly with this album. to me the whole idea of sleepless nights spent on overthinking has the feeling of blurred perception of time and space, while the only sound you hear is your voice echoing inside your head with no release. so in my terms, this was the best stylistic choice for this album, but of course it's not the case with some music he's produced in the past.

like 'sling' and 'solar power'.

first of all, who even let him enter the production room? he should've stayed away from those projects and let other people guide clairo and lorde on those albums bc he just doesn't have the ability to work well within certain music genres. also i think he produced too much music in last 3 years – excluding 2022 – and got too repetitive with no room left for experimenation.

but from what i see, he didn't really do much last year and in 2022 we only got the minions soundtrack (lmao), 'midnights' and the 1975's album. imo all of them turned out great, so i'll just stick with the theory jack shouldn't produce too much within a certain period of time.

since i've mentioned 1975 i can't just leave it like that and i HAVE TO say jack's done an AMAZING work in reviving their old sound, without making it feel outdated. the 1975've been heavily influenced by the 80s since the first eps, so jack's input here is unquestionably appropriate. he helped them find the balance between the sound that essentially helped them get into mainstream and their following exploration of their own voice. imo this was the greatest move they could've pull rn – marketing- and music-wise.

current tumblr revival and 30-year-olds quarter-life crisis of og tumblr girlies is the perfect moment for bringing back the memories of carefree teenage days spent on the internet and listening to the 1975's self titled album. and i think it wasn't on accident – matty's too self aware to even think he didn't expect the new album to become fans' new favourite. he knows his listeners thanks to being chronically online. calling a song a continuation of 'robbers'? yeah it's no coincidence.

so did they do a right thing by bringing antonoff to this project? absolutely. i can't imagine anyone else helping them get back to their best.

but did taylor do a right thing? imo – yes. jack's one of her best friends, which probably helped her touch on so many triggering themes. all in all, the whole album is about topics that didn't let her sleep at night. is it repetitive? somehow. there are many melodies that bring to mind some of her older songs, but to me it's a good thing, because i feel like 'midnights' is not an era on its own, but more of a glue connecting her previous albums and kind of a closing chapter for taylor.

lyrically, themes on the albums are not new to us. musically, we can pinpoint to the specific album a song remind us of. and that's why i don't think any producer would work here. it had to be someone, who taylor trusts. someone who knows her and views her as more than just a music sensation, because this album wasn't meant to be a new era for taylor. she's happy, she's healing and she just wants to make music. and this time it felt like the music was supposed to serve as the closing door to her nightmares of the last 10+ years.

even though both the 1975's and taylor's album are filled with antonoff's synths and reverbs, it's not a bad thing. these exertions work great for both artists and their current music motifs. but should antonoff work with every single mainstream indie pop artist? obviously not. imo he should say no more often and focus on projects which would benefit from his distinctive music likings, and not just every mainstream pop albums that's trying to flirt with indie influences.

anyway. antonoff fed me good these last two weeks. i feel like i'm 17 again and never want to die.