#imo the creepiest moment in the show

[dreamartv]

Holy crap, I've rewatched Murder Drones again after 7th episode dropped with my friend and looked what we've found

Tessa has appeared in 4th episode this is insane She even glitches there

And second later you can see a hand behind the wall

HOW DID WE MISS IT SHE WAS RIGHT THERE ALL ALONG

[wingamy24]

heeeeeey its me, the one who complains about characters from a 15 yr old show. let's talk about annie edison.

"annie's pretty young, we try not to sexualize her."

first of all, i'm going to clarify that i absolutely ADORE annie. the thing is that i've seen a lot of people here here talk about britta and how her character's broken from S2-S6 (i think its more of S3-S6) but i've never seen anyone talk about annie. even though she's a more complex character than britta, i can't help but feel like she's a little broken too.

first of all, i think we all notice that a LOT of times, annie is for the male gaze. she constantly gets hypersexualized AND infantilized at the same time when she does her rage moments, which are actually really funny... until it starts getting weirdly sexual. watching annie do the "teach me how to understand christmas" song was worse than watching MORBIUS. what was that. i genuinely believe that annie WOULDN'T do that. also, the song was, once again, both hypersexualized AND infantilized at the same time, making it the creepiest scene on community IMO.

i already talked about this a bit on my britta/annie broken chemistry essay, but annie was also very different on S1. the fact that she's basically a highschool girl and very innocent wasn't ignored then, and it made some really funny interactions and episodes. after jeff/annie on S1 though, it's like they suddenly tried to make her more mature, so jeffannie doesn't seem AS creepy. news flash, it is. some weeks ago i've seen a post that had a tag that basically said that britta's traits on S1 where given to annie on S2-S6, and while i feel like that's a bit generalizing, it's also pretty true in a lot of aspects. britta definitely was the smart one of the group on S1, while annie was smart and nerdy but also "dumb" when it came to her innocence. after S1, annie suddenly is oh wow so smart and mature while britta behaves like a 5 year old. it just doesn't seem fair to me.

neither britta nor annie deserved that, and it's just proof that dan harmon is incapable of writing a female character that doesn't revolve around a man.

and, seriously, out of all men you chose jeff winger? your self insert? interesting.

guess who had to go through a hundred jeffannie gifs or gifs sexualizing annie to find a gif of her. this is one of the first ones that popped up, i was too scared to go deeper onto that gif page.

[laufire]

top five favorite Yellowjackets dynamics?

(thank you for sending it again! I think I intended to delete one ask and then I did. idek what xDD)

IIRC @legendsofamultishipper also asked me about my favourite dynamics in her ask.

If I were to pick a true number one, it'd be "the team". The group dynamic itself and how it's progressing due to the complications of their stay in the wilderness is absolutely fascinating. The pull and push of the embryos of "factions" building, the tension, the mutations or distance or deepening of past dynamics, the slow build (kind of wish it was even SLOWER, I like that xD) to the cult we've been hinted at... I'm into that shit xDD

Small aside: someone else has probably raised the possibility, but I've wondered whether there will be just one (1) antler queen (Lottie as the favourite, Shauna as the spoiler, IMO XD), OR if it'll be a rotating position so everyone is "equally" to blame, iykwim? Idk, I think if there'd been just one (1) girl in charge the dynamics among them in the future would be different (although I'd have to see more of the others vis a vis Lottie to be sure. Natalie is hostile towards her but that's not as clear-cut, and I think if Lottie had been Completely In Charge it'd make more sense for her to be waaaaaaaaay beyond hostile and snarky lol). I mean, unless my half-joke theory turns to be true and it was Mari until there was an uprising against her xDD

(not so small after all asñdlfkajsf)

After that... I must go with Jackie and Shauna. I find it really engaging, everything I could've asked for in terms of messy toxic teen girlfriendship LOL. The only caveat it's that Jackie's death and the consequent stagnation of their relationship is a double-edged sword: yes, it adds a fascinating component, especially in the future when you see how NOT OVER IT Shauna remains... but it means there's no advancement, no possible deeper exploration from half of the relationship (barring the show going full supernatural and resurrecting Jackie I guess xD, but it's doubtful). Jackie's doomed by the narrative and that's part of what I like about her, but it also means that Jackie-the-person, instead of Jackie-the-construct, has little to contribute from now on. All of this is to say: right now these two occupy the second position, but other relationships have more possibilities to grow in my esteem going forward.

For number three, I'm choosing Misty and Natalie. It's hilarious and weirdly heartwarming in the creepiest of ways xD, and I simply enjoy every second of them on my screen. Misty's fixation and admiration of Natalie could be enough to write an essay, and I also love wondering about how much their moments in 1x09-1x10 were Natalie genuinely warming up a little to Misty and how much it was Natalie needing her help LOL.

Positions four and five could vary going forward (there are so many dynamics that have gone underexplored for now but that I'm IMMENSELY curious about). But as of now, I'm going to pick Taissa and Van. This interview was an eye-opener. I already like them from what we've seen, but I'm really banking on their potential as exes in the present timeline because you guys all know I loooooove a good exes plot. Add that whatever is going on with mirror!Tai wanting to see Van again... I'm Looking 👀

I'd say either Lottie and Laura Lee or Lottie and Natalie. The first has that prophet/disciple flavour going on that I find superb, but we run into a similar problem as Jackie-Shauna (even more, given how comparatively little we have of Laura Lee vs. Jackie). Lottie and Nat still have a lot to say, IMO. I feel like we've barely scratched the surface in comparison, and I want to see more, but I'm not quite there. Shauna and Tai are a good pair too, but they've given me less in the last few episodes.

Since I already tagged her: @legendsofamultishipper also asked me about my favourite and least favourite characters.

My favourites could also be encompassed by "the team", although I obviously have preferences lol. Misty and Lottie are likely at the very top (Misty is unhinged and I can't look away from the crash, Lottie has the heretic messiah thing going for her), with Taissa and Natalie not far behind, Shauna as the !!!!! option, Jackie as a great Dead Girl TM, Vanessa has a lot of potential, and Mari and Crystal are simply hilarious...

As for "least favourite"... I don't hate anybody, but I reiterate that I don't care for the normies AT ALL. Like, nothing. "Oh this character is having a Rough Time" were they in the crash? Did they have to survive in the wilderness? No? Then I'm not paying any attention to them. My empathy is fully turned off, trust me xDD. My hierarchy is girls in the crash >>> boys in the crash >>>>>>> normies. But I'm mainly neutral about (and sometimes amused by) them. The ones I'd say I dislike the most are the cop characters, especially that moustache one, or Randy, or Adam... but it's a ~mute dislike, iykwim. They're unlikeable people, I just don't care about them as characters.

[transbian-technoblade]

I have so many Thoughts about the love-hate relationship between Dream and Tommy rn. It’s always been there, but now that Tommy is completely alone - Dream being one of his only connections to his old life and (probably high on some egotistical kick feeling like he’s finally “won” with Tommy gone and Tubbo/L’Manberg under his thumb, as far as he’s concerned) having no problem abusing and harassing Tommy on a regular basis - Dream now has a much greater ability to manipulate Tommy and distort his perceptions of his friends, surroundings, and circumstances. But the creepiest thing imo is just how willing Dream is to be friendly with him. That whole “throw it in the pit” thing where he blows up Tommy’s armor? He laughed with Lazarbeam like he was showing off a pet doing a trick. Again I think this relaxed and even cheerful demeanor he’s had lately is largely the result of feeling like he’s won the long game over L’Manberg and everyone who he feels deserves to be punished for ever going against him. But I also think it’s more than that. I mean think about it, Dream was helping Tommy throughout most of today’s stream. And he doesn’t even really think twice about it. He calls himself Tommy’s friend.

Now granted, for a large portion of this stream the roleplay took a backseat, so I’m sure plenty of the friendly interactions we saw weren’t meant to be seen as having an affect on the story. It really is as simple as two friends joking around and taking the piss out of each other on Minecraft without anything subtextual going on.

But as for the moments where they were in character, it really felt like Dream was trying to make Tommy feel comfortable around him. And there are a couple reasons I can imagine why he would want this: to make it easier to manipulate him by gaining his trust, to convince him he doesn’t need his friends back in L’Manberg, to be able to deny the idea that he’s abusing or was ever abusive toward Tommy (“I’m your friend, I came here to visit you. Don’t you want visitors, Tommy?”). But the ultimate reason I think is that Dream wants Tommy to be dependent on him. Dream lies about L’Manberg - about Tubbo - being better off without him. He doesn’t want Tommy to try to go back home, he doesn’t want Tommy to give Dream a reason to kill him once and for all. Within the story, Dream has absolutely no reason to care for Tommy, and I don’t believe he has ever or will ever feel remorse for his actions. What’s the use in keeping him alive? What’s the use in constantly visiting him to torment him a couple times, only to then act like they’re old buddies? I think Dream wants Tommy completely isolated both physically and mentally, to genuinely believe that Dream is the only person left who gives a shit about him. He wants Tommy to lie down and take it as he makes him suffer as much as humanly possible for as long as possible. He wants Tommy to self-destruct.

/roleplay

[laalaaangel]

All BFU Episodes sorted into categories + additional comments by ✨me✨

Disclaimer: I’m a Shaniac, but i still get scared because i don‘t like darkness. I also think the Spirit Box is baloney.

So basically I sorted all Buzzfeed Unsolved episodes (with Ryan and Shane) into categories by how scary/depressing they are. I didn't know where to put some of them, so maybe this won’t make any sense to some of you. It is entirely subjective.

The additional comments are either thoughts I had while watching the episodes or what I actually think about the case btw.

To celebrate the show, Ryan and Shane, i had spaghetti and an apple (i couldn‘t actually make apple taters unfortunately) while watching the series finale.

Well, let’s get this started, shall we?

The creepiest episodes, I only watch these when i have a lot of light around me and it’s daytime

Annelise Michel: Very creepy, very depressing as well since she didn’t get the treatment she needed, the recordings sent a shiver down my spine, maybe i’d be less creeped out if it wasn’t for how she knew details about this valentin fleischmann dude 

3 Horrifying Cases of Ghosts and Demons: Winchester House isn’t really scary but i hate dolls so the Island of the Dolls was a big no for me, the Sallie House remains one of the scariest places they’ve visited

Waverly Hills Hospital: The body chute is pretty much the creepiest place they’ve ever visited, also i feel sorry for the homeless man and the dog. The idea of ghost children creeps me out.

Keddie Cabin: Pretty much the creepiest True Crime Case of the Series, there‘s just something about woods, cabins and knives, also it really seems like the whole town was just… in on it? It‘s weird and disturbing (and why the fuck did they demolish the fucking crime scene when the case is still being worked on today i don‘t get it)

Eastern State Penitentiary: In terms of evidence this episode is definitely one of the most compelling ones. I still don‘t believe in ghosts tho.

Hannah Williams: Shane looks so done with everything lmao. This is one of my fav episodes, so many good moments but i always get really creeped out. It’s really admirable how brave Ryan got.

Old City Jail: Hands down, this is one of the best episodes imo but that evidence isn’t compelling at all to me. Ryans manical mental breakdown is the scariest thing about this episode.

Conjuring House: Those fucking dolls i swear to god, one day imma die of a heart attack when watching these. Shane is above the devil confirmed! I absolutely DETEST the placing of the fucking mannequin this season... i did not just witness them pretending to be cats💀 i‘m ngl this episodes i really creepy af- SHANE DRANK THE FUCKING HOLY WATER! ok but honestly even without the « it’s haunted » bs who would willingly live on this farm?

Pythian Castle: I actually think this castle is really nice tbh. APPLE TATER IT SAID APPLE TATER!!! ... i didn‘t hear spaghetti tbh but i love seeing them so excited. oh PLEASE let Shane destroy the spirit box at the end of the series! 

Sallie House: „who knows“ Shaneee I'm surprised!😲 Well five minutes in and ryan is already going mad, I wouldn't have expected anything else. The scariest thing about this place is the ugly kitchen interior tbh. That animated bit of the little girl turning into this ugly whatever this is gonna haunt me in my nightmares and the reason why this episode is in this category. I swear Father Thomas looks like one of my old teachers! They ARE the best ghost hunters to ever live! ...imagine walking past the house, not knowing they‘re filming and hearing Ryans laugh...YES SHANE DESTROY THE SPIRIT SHIT BOX! Ryan stop making me cry😭 A DOCUMENTARY AIRS ON NOVEMBER 24TH???

I definitely wouldn’t watch these at night because they’re either scary (but not the scariest) or depress me too much

Queen Mary

Whaley House

Bobby Mackey’s

Lizzie Borden: Yeah i can’t believe people wrote fanfics about them but the conspiracy theory does make sense in a way I guess, also the pics of the corpses are gruesome and not something I ever wished to see.

Dauphine Orleans Hotel: The drawing of the lost bride haunts me in my dreams, otherwise this episode would be in another category.

Voodoo World of New Orleans: fucking DOLLS again

Axeman of New Orleans: Yeah no one wants to get murdered with an axe and the idea of this dude is creepy as hell even if he’s incapable of actually killing all of his victims like how hard can it be to murder someone with an axe when they’re asleep

Murder in Room 1046: Very strange case, creepy to imagine, also the birth episode of Ricky Goldsworth! I think the Mafia did it but yeah, overall just a very creepy case.

Vulture Mine: If it weren‘t for the school building scene then this would be one category below because… glory hole

Goatmans Bridge: Goatman and the bridge don‘t scare me but the idea of cultists in woods does. Definitely one of my fav episodes, if not my favourite, a lot of iconic moments in this one

Pennhurst Asylum: Shane being Shane keeps this episode from joining the scariest category. And no front to Ryan but the audio recorder „evidence“ is the absolute least compelling ghost evidence i‘ve ever heard lmao (this is also the first BFU supernatural episode i‘ve ever watched)

Roanoke Colony: Look it‘s really just the moving mannequin, i could not watch that at night at all, the episode itself isn’t that creepy. Mainly because two of Ryans theories were aliens and zombies.

London Tombs: ...Shane predicted the pandemic💀 I know I said it already but dolls are just creepy as fuck but it‘s funny bc they‘re essentially just yelling at toys. Scary is maybe not the right word to describe this episode but it certainly is disturbing.

Jack the Ripper: I feel like it was either Barnett or an unknown police officer, but to quote Shane: „let it be a mystery“.

Cleveland Torso Murders: Gruesome, but the real mystery here is which beheaded british royal Ryan was referring to (I love history ok) because there are several that would qualify (and no it can‘t be Anne Boleyn, i think he was referring to Mary, Queen of Scots)

Texarkana Phantom Killer: i hate this case, i feel like this dude just got away with it and i hate it

Jamison Family: woods again and I think the reenactment is creepy as hell

Rolling Hills Asylum: I don’t believe in ghosts but i like to think that if they were real, the ghoul boys made Roy really happy by playing opera music

Bellaire House: “Spaghetti” “Apple Tater”

Ohio State Penitentiary: I absolutely love Shane in this episode and i love Ryan forgetting the spirit box and having to go back after insulting the air ghosts on his way out

Moon River Brewing: „His mind is his own worst enemy. And it‘s my greatest Ally.“ <- Demon Shane really came out here. This place is so so not haunted lmao i almost always feel like they‘re talking to air but this time it was just so clear like… but i hate it when they edit the eyes of anything red, it‘s so creepy, especially when you‘re half asleep when watching it (Note after watching the Houdini episode: i wrote that it wasn‘t haunted before Ryan said that it isn‘t so my guts were right haha)

Sorrel-Weed Haunted Mansion: What a shame Ryans camera didn’t actually catch anything but darkness, i love how the suspense music just leads up to absolutely nothing.

Black Dahlia Murder Revisited: This case makes me physically sick, George Hodel is definitely guilty, i fucking hate this dude and the fact that he was able to live his life after all the shit he did

Annabelle the Doll: I fucking hate dolls- Ryan: basically you just have to respect her *cut to shane* i will say, i do not respect you💀 one of my absolute favourite BFU scenes ever

St. Augustine Lighthouse: “not to say he’s like my daddy or something… “ is Ryan aware that some people write fanfics about them lol

USS Yorktown: is Shane having an existential crisis? Also am i the only one who doesn’t see shit? Like where does Ryan see a shadowy figure please I really want to see it

Villisca Ax Murder House: Being murdered like that is like one of my biggest fears ngl. I’m kinda surprised Ryan doesn’t believe in unicorns and Shane reaction to that is exactly the same as mine! Also if Shane actually checks every room before he goes to sleep to make Sara feel safe that’s so adorable!

Loey Lane: I love Loeys collection of Minnie Mouse ears! Shane acting possessed gets me every time... Shane teaching Ryan how to floss💀

Farnsworth House Inn: I am SO here for them insulting confederate ghosts! I can’t with them trying to be babies😂 Well if it wasn’t haunted before… Shane might have made it haunted tbh. Also manic Ryan is back.

Morris-Jumel Mansion: …how is that one of their best pieces of evidence😭 there are literally several possible explanations as to what could have caused the whistling sounds before it‘s a ghost 

A bit scary and/or depressing, i wouldn’t watch these at night 

OJ Simpson: Just depressing, i personally think OJ did it and got away with it and it’s a prime example of how everything that could’ve gone wrong in the process went wrong, in every aspect.

Illuminati: I  don’t believe in it but the idea is creepy.

Michelle von Emster: That poem is a fucking atrocity and drowning is one of my biggest fears.

Sodder Children: Sad as fuck, the salesman dude was definitely in on it, i hope the family and children found peace.

Salem Witch Trials: The misogyny of this time period makes me furious ngl

Boy in the Box: It’s not really creepy (well the picture of the boy kinda is) but i feel so sorry for the boy.

JonBenét Ramsey: Sad case. It’s sick how many old men were obsessed with her. I think it was the brother btw, he accidentally killed her and the family covered it up. But then again this episode also brought us the “i’ve connected the dots” meme. Oh and it‘s the first BFU episode i‘ve ever watched btw

Colchester Castle

William Desmond Taylor: The reenactment is kinda creepy ngl but  we have the most iconic Ricky Goldsworth appearance in this episode!

Louis Le Prince: Thomas Edinson sucks this guy is guilty as fuck, if not of murder then of being a terrible human being and a thief. Very sad case.

Villa Montezuma Mansion: ...but did he poop himself?

Collar Bomb Bank Robbery: i hate  e v e r y t h i n g  about this case

Bobby Dunbar: I feel bad for Julia Anderson, strange  that they didn‘t compare the DNA to an Anderson DNA sample as well

Winchester Mansion Revisited: I love the flashbacks to the first episode, Shane is such a mood in this episode lol

Mission Solano: The alarm going off will never not be funny💀 i love Shane in this episode so much

Yuma Territorial Prison: Shane really isn‘t having it with the ghosts this season lol also what do you mean you shut the terrified part of your brain off like how😀

Town of Tombstone: „It has been an honor to meet you, sir“ „HORSESHOES“ Shane you are KILLING me💀 can I just say that I think this episode is criminally underrated

The Watcher: Shane and me have a similar way of thinking, two seconds after i thought the whole neighbourhood could be in on it like in Hot Fuzz Shane  mentions it lmao also i wonder what Ryans dad thinks about the running gag of him cutting someones head off and yes Ryan, i‘d be scared too if i saw your face smiling like that in my window

Florida Machete Murder: Being murdered like that is one of my biggest fears, this is the episode Ryan realised that Shane is a demon

Walter Collins: The  movie based on this case is really good, fucked a bit with my mind though (it’s called Changeling!) anyways FUCK JJ Jones and the police and FUCK Gordon Northcott, that guy can rot in hell

Viper Room: That is not how you pronounce Schwarzenegger, Ryan. Am i the only one who wants to go clubbing there? "now i’m in your hole”Ryan honestly💀 Shane is really on a new level of done with ghost hunting in this season lol

Thelma Todd: she sounds so cool i would love to be able to talk to her and i HATE to say it but Lucky Luciano could get it

Who put Bella in the Whych Elm?: Ryans lack of science knowledge is the scariest part about this episode although the story is creepy

Marilyn and Sam Sheppard: good movie.

Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers: their scottish accent💀 I just know that Ryan only mentioned the aliens to annoy Shane... isn’t there a Brothers Grimm tale about men turning into birds? 

Cynthia Anderson: I just feel so bad for her, i hope she just ran away (like what if she ran away and left that particular page in the book open to suggest otherwise?)

Mary Celeste: I just love the music they used in this episode. Shane is right, why feminize a ship like even in german it‘s neutral and not female (das schiff, das boot…)! Shanes impression of a german pirate💀 „or it‘s a zooboat and the monkeys got out“ literally what?- I just love it when Ryan starts with the aliens and then doesn‘t elaborate. I don‘t like this case it‘s so fucking weird

Princess Diana: I‘m not even into the british royal family but i love Diana, she seemed really nice and i hope she‘s in a better place now. „Princess Dianas future husband“ the shade💀Honestly Charles is just a walking red flag

Not extremely scary but I wouldn't watch these at night

Gloria Ramirez: The only thing that spooked me a little bit is how affected the staff seemed to be.

Mary Reeser: The possibility of dying like that is unsettling.

3 Cases of Ancient Aliens

Bizzarre Road Trip of a Missing Family

Amelia Earhart: “Let me spin you a yarn that you shan‘t soon forget. i‘m being eaten alive by crabs right now.”

Natalie Wood: Drowning is a fear of mine as well. I don’t know what to think of this case, my guts say Wagner is guilty but my head says it was probably just a very unfortunate accident since they were all drunk as fuck. Also Shoutout to Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran.

Poisoned Pill Murders: new fear unlocked

3 Cases of Alien Abduction

Viaduct Tavern: Shanes laughing fit at the execution breakfast is really relatable, I think it’s great.

Isdal Woman: Yeah my brother almost killed me when i watched this; he opened my closed door very quietly and just stared at me through the small space between door and wall until i noticed. I almost had a heart attack

Mothman: I mean a good chunk of this video is them being tourists and screeching like possessed people, it’s iconic

Phoenix Lights Phenomenon

Jimmy Hoffa: I think Sheeran killed Hoffa… maybe i should finally watch The Irishman but it’s so looooong!

Eight Day Bride: I love Shane saying „heteronormative bullshit“ and him thinking like Christina in the beginning, this is one of my fav episodes

Poisoning of an Ex-Russian Spy: I constantly switched between „what‘s wrong with Shane“ and „Shane is a mood“ during those 21 minutes

Charles C. Morgan: The Hot Daga finally made it into the main show! Also the police is sus af

Reykjavík Confessions: Almost missed this one bc it‘s not in the all episodes playlist smh i should start watching them by seasons, I don’t even know which episode belongs to which season tbh. Anyway, i don‘t like this case one bit.

Australian Shark Arm Murders: Did anyone count the puns? The shark is the real victim here. I love australian Shane ngl

Bugsy Siegel: Love me some unsolved mob cases. Did you know that the character of Moe Greene in “The Godfather” was inspired by Bugsy Siegel?

Vincent Van Gogh: I really just feel bad for him tbh, i adore his art style.

Dorothy Arnold: YOU’RE MY FRIEND but make it threatening. No but Shane wanting to go to Antarctica is actually a mood! THE JOHN GALVIN STORY💀

Edgar Allan Poe: I feel a little bit sorry for him, i’d feel more sorry if he didn’t marry his 13 year old cousin

Lady of the Dunes: WHAT DO U MEAN YOU DON’T LIKE DOGS SHANE and damn yes we on tumblr are supportive as hell of your show

Somerton Man Revisited: Well now, if i ever have children, i’ll make them believe i’m a spy. All jokes aside tho i’d love to see this case get solved but then again which case wouldn't we like to see get solved

Harry Houdini: Damn i would‘ve loved to see him perform live!

George Reeves: Yeah i actually hope Shane and Ryan won’t ever do cameo bc cameo kinda weirds me out tbh (don’t come at me pls) but hey! as long as everyone is happy. Every time Ryan mentions his katana it adds ten years to my life span. This is a strange case and i doubt it was suicide tbh

Monster with 21 Faces: Look i‘m not rooting for then but i love the police bashing

Judge Joseph F. Crater: „I’ve never worn a bow tie, i will never wear a bow tie“ Shane your twitter profile pic used to be you wearing a bow tie

Alfred Loewenstein: wait that Brussel sprout pun was actually funny😭It must‘ve been murder, i‘m 99% sure! Shane why, aliens really 😶

I’d probably be able to watch this late at night (but that doesn’t mean i would try)

DB Cooper: iconic episode, interesting and also kinda funny case we all know Loki is DB Cooper

Bigfoot

Bermuda Triangle: atlantis go brrrrr aReA 51

JFK: I mean, it‘s just really not a creepy episode and we all know governments and such are sus af

Roswell‘s Bizzare UFO Crash

Legend of Krampus: lol yes i included this, i love the references to other cases

Gardner Museum Heist

Killing of Ken Rec McElroy: fuck this guy, this episode is so satisfying

Alcatraz Prison Break: i love this one because the plan is just so good and possibly no one got hurt? idk i like to imagine they made it

Treasure Hunt of Forrest Fenn: I envy Forrest Fenn, i love history and archaeology but tbh I have to agree with Shane, it is stealing (unless it was fairly traded or paid for), love how Shane is ready to fight the lawyer lol he‘s so enthusiastic about all of this, i love the research montage, the way Shane looked at Ryan when he came out in the Indiana Jones outfit, i just love this episode so much

3 Videos from the Pentagon‘s Secret UFO Program: Honestly if more people were like Shane we‘d have a lot less problems in the world. „there are people crazier than me-„ are you sure about that Ryan

Hidden Secrets of Area 51: Ryan really likes touching his nipples apparently. What in the anarchy is Shanes thought process like, i’d love to know- licking the case file😭

Pink Panthers: They kinda remind me of the La Casa de Papel gang tbh

Agatha Christie: well now i wanna reread murder on the orient express

Unsolved Almost 70th Episode Retrospective:

Jack the Ripper is a pretty good episode but i don‘t think i‘d place it in my top five

i love the deleted bits so much

agreed, Waverly is one of the, if not THE creepiest place they‘ve visited

oh yes DB Cooper would definitely be in my top five (now even more after watching Loki)

oh here we go top five evidence…

hmm yeah i liked the dog but i‘ll only believe in ghosts if i see a full body apparition in front of me when i‘m in a normal state of mind

nah the spirit box just doesn‘t do it for me

the footsteps? really?

the ball was coincidence imo but imma give them that: it was creepy

not the flashlights- ryan the diagram doesn‘t help you lmao

i have to be honest: i haven‘t watched the episodes with Brent

Waverly is a great episode, probably also in my top five (at least if it‘s only supernatural)

FATHER THOMASSSSSS! he sounds like a disappointed dad

Goatman episode is definitely in my top five

First episode it’s understandable that this is in the fans favourite, i love it too but i‘m not sure if it would be in my top five, top ten yeah, but top five? idk

it‘s weird seeing this last scene in a pandemic

Well it‘s been a ride. I haven‘t been part of their journey since the beginning unfortunately, but i got into Buzzfeed Unsolved in 2018, so i‘m not a complete newbie either. This show got me through a time when i wasn‘t doing well mentally and i can‘t thank Ryan, Shane and everyone who was involved in the making of Buzzfeed Unsolved enough for this. It’s truly the end of an era. Ryan & Shane, i‘ll see you on Watcher! @wearewatcher

And to answer the question „Are ghosts real?“ …i‘m still gonna have to go with no. But since my opinion on this isn‘t the only one that matters, the question will remain… Unsolved.

[ieatmypizzawithaforkandknife]

TMA: Episode 13, “Alone”

Summary: Naomi Herne dictates her statement regarding “the events following the funeral of my fiancé, Evan Lukas.”

Our first in-person statement! So exciting! Not as exciting as the ones towards the end of this season for sure, but it makes sense to introduce the idea prior to them being necessary, and it was a nice change of pace.

That being said, I really didn’t like the voice actor in this one. There were a few moments that felt stilted or where it felt like she was over-acting, and it bugged me. At the beginning of the series, I didn’t like how Jonathan seemed to be speaking dramatically on purpose, and my annoyance here was for similar reasons. Since I’m more or less neutral towards the character herself, I’m kind of glad this was her only episode this season, and I’m hoping she’s not in future seasons either.

Because this was recorded “live”, we finally get confirmation of how the in-universe date relates to the real-life date. Naomi gives the date as January 13th, 2016, and this episode was aired on April 20th, 2016. It’s close, which is nice, but not exact, which would have been cooler IMO, but it makes sense that they might not have known the air date when they recorded it. It doesn’t throw any huge wrenches into the timeline I have going though, which is all I care about in the end.

First off, it’s a little suspicious how quickly she goes head over heels for Evan. They meet while waiting for a job interview, and when he had to go in to the interview, she “felt a pang of loss like nothing I’d known before, all for a stranger who I’d met barely ten minutes ago”? When she was always pretty content on her own in life? On its own, I could chalk it up to an extreme loneliness that she’d underestimated or was in denial about. But she says that “he was so unlike anyone I had ever met before”, and his family was some of the creepiest people in any of these stories yet that weren’t explicitly monsters. I don’t know whether the family isn’t human or if it’s something else, but there’s definitely something not right about them, and I’m really expecting them to show up again at some point.

Naomi never gives us any real impression of Evan’s personality either. She talks about him enough at the beginning of the episode that by the end of her rambling we should have had some kind of idea of who he is, but all that we really know is that he seemed perfect for her. It’s like he’s this blank slate, and whatever she needed, he was. (For any Animorphs fans who might be reading this, her starry-eyed description of their relationship reminded me a lot of the way Peter describes the last year or so of his marriage before Eva “died” in book 10. So you can understand my concern.) Their relationship is too perfect and harmonious. It’s not real. And when she conveniently decides not to contact any of his friends after he died? The paranoid part of me wonders how real any of it was.

It is interesting that the reason he gives for his apparent schism with his family is religion - specifically, that they were religious and he wasn’t. In and of itself this is normal enough - a common occurrence, even. But I am officially suspicious any time religion (especially Christianity or Christian-coded religion) is mentioned in these statements. Naomi mentions towards the beginning of her statement something that a pastor told her about humans being “creatures of community by nature”. This same pastor told her he was “worried I’d get lost” - which, if you recall, is exactly what almost happened in that foggy field after she crashed her car. She was lost for a time, and, we’re led to believe, was almost lost forever.

She describes the mist in the field as seeming malicious, and that it made her feel “utterly forsaken”, and although she didn’t think there was any particular presence in it, it seemed to swirl around her deliberately and eventually tried to pull her into an open grave. But Jonathan says at the end that there couldn’t have been any fog where she was, “given the incredibly high winds during the storm that night.” And he couldn’t find any graveyard/chapel matching the description she gave anywhere in the area. So where was she, and how did she get there? And who or what was controlling that mist? The field, the mist, the chapel, and the graveyard are all obviously Not Quite Right, but then again neither was the Lukas family earlier that night. So when and what was her first supernatural interaction that night?

I think it’s obvious by now that I don’t like the Lukas family at all and I think they’re up to no good. But it’s worth noting that Evan apparently somehow helped Naomi out of that mist (despite being dead) by his disembodied voice telling her to turn left. It was a small thing, but without that direction she might never have gotten out. So is he really not evil like I got the impression the rest of his family is?

On a completely unrelated note...someone needs to talk to Jonathan about his bedside manner. Between his condescending tone and him telling her to her face that she should probably see a shrink, I’m only surprised that she didn’t storm out on him sooner. Whose bright idea was it to let this guy interact with the public? I love him but he is not a people person at all lol.

Fortunately, before she left, Jonathan asked her to leave the broken piece of stone from the graveyard with them - although I wonder if anyone even gave it a second glance after that, or if it was just shoved into a corner somewhere and itself forgotten. The word “FORGOTTEN” on the stone was of course supposed to be creepy to us the listeners, and is almost certainly some kind of clue in the bigger mystery, but as someone who has come to frequent cemeteries (as part of an interest in genealogy, not with any involvement in the supernatural, thank you very much), it was probably just the end of a very common phrase on headstones: “GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.” Which is, ironically, the exact opposite in meaning to “FORGOTTEN.”

One last thing. This is either a complete coincidence, or a very big clue, and I can’t decide which. In episode 11, “Antonio Blake” first sees his father in one of his “death dreams” 10 days before his father actually dies. In that same statement, “Antonio” says that he first saw Gertrude Robinson in a “death dream” on March 12th, 2015. Evan Lukas died on March 22nd, 2015 - exactly 10 days after “Antonio” first saw Gertrude Robinson in one of those dreams. I have no idea how the deaths of Evan Lukas and Gertrude Robinson could possibly be related, but the timing is a little too perfect for me to dismiss it out of hand.

This post is part of a series where I write my thoughts about each episode and obsessively connect dots in an effort to figure out The Big Mysteries of the series. All posts in this series are tagged “is this liveblogging?” Comments and messages are welcome but I have only listened to season 1, so I ask that you not spoil me for anything beyond episode 40. In the words of Jonny Sims…thanks for listening!

[atopearth]

Subarashiki Hibi (Wonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Hole) Part 6 - Jabberwocky II & Hill of Sunflowers, Wonderful Everyday and End Sky II Endings + Overall Review

Jabberwocky II Oh..so we actually get to see the past!! Lmao at Hasaki being scared of Tomosane at their “first meeting” since they lived separately. Although it’s kinda crappy to think about how Takuji and Hasaki lived with the mother that betrayed the dad and it seems like they don’t treat Hasaki well. In Takuji’s case, I assume he treats her badly because the mother forces the most strict teachings etc on him? I guess it was “lucky” for Tomosane to be able to live in Sawaimura and become friends with Yuki (the real one, not the personality!) etc. And I guess the father is too stressed and sick to really be able to take care of them all… I see… Tomosane had to come here because he had no qualms with hitting his mother back whenever she hit him for fighting with Takuji. And Tomosane has no respect for her after what she did to betray the family, he doesn’t even think of her as his mum. Omggg the incident that led to Tomosane having to live here isn’t his fault at all! Takuji and his mother were consumed by their religion and thoughts that Takuji would be the saviour, so they bullied Hasaki for being “nothing” I guess? And the dad couldn’t stop them since he probably wasn’t always home and he didn’t want to treat his wife and kid badly I guess. But then every time Hasaki was bullied, Tomosane would protect her, except one time, the crazy mother took out a knife and she ended up getting a stab wound when Tomosane tried to stop her. Omggg, seriously, they were such a crazy family before Takuji even died yet… I’m such an idiot…lol I should have known that the most probable reason for them to bully Hasaki was actually because she’s the illegitimate child, not Tomosane. Her mother probably looks at her and thinks about all the mistakes and pain she had to go through because of her existence.

Just like the Yuki personality said though, Yuki-nee really is older than Tomosane huh? She really is practically his big sister haha. Yuki teases Tomosane so much, it’s hilarious. I think I can see how deep Hasaki’s feelings went when she told Tomosane/Yuki how she wanted to stay like that with them forever now, they were such good buddies in the past. Lmaoo at Tomosane picking a swimsuit with man-eating rabbits for Hasaki hahahaha, Hasaki is so adorable to say she thinks it’s cute and that she’ll take it since she likes Tomosane, and likes that he still remembers who she is and what she likes. The rabbit in the shop isn’t as cute as the one Tomosane made for her~~ but omg, the reason why Hasaki is fond of rabbits is so saddening… It’s because rabbits die when they get too lonely, so she thinks that even if she’s useless, she can at least stay beside it forever (since she’s always alone), that’s why she always carries the rabbit around when she’s older… It was so nice to see them making a sandcastle together~ As expected, the father died and we get to see an extension of Hasaki’s memory of her looking for the edge of the world and Tomosane coming to find her. So that’s where Wakatsuki came from huh? Wakatsuki is the name of the shop that sells the big rabbit. And Hasaki gave Tomosane her little twin rabbit dolls that their father initially gave to her and Takuji (but he didn’t want it) because Tomosane said he’d get her the big one, so she said she’d become the big one’s twin so it won’t be lonely. It’s really cute and heartwarming, but at the same time pretty devastating since you know what happens in their future. It was hard to watch Tomosane and Hasaki cry over their father’s death though, it was heart wrenching to think about how he was the one keeping everything together, but it also made me think whether he died because of all the stress from the betrayal, the current family situation etc since he’s such a nice person, it was probably difficult for him to have to experience all this…

I guess it’s not surprising that Takuji is basically what the Tomosane personality looked like, he probably swapped the appearances in his mind because he thought of himself as the “evil” one. It’s so cute how Yuki is now treating him more like a guy than a kid now, especially when she blushed at him seeing her underwear, if it was before, she would have instead teased him for blushing at seeing it lol. I think it would have been so nice if they really did get the chance to be together, it’s just saddening that it won’t happen. I never thought I’d hear about Footprints in the Sand in this game hahaha! But wow, it really seems like Yuki made up Tomosane’s whole world, I feel like his whole three personalities, his philosophy and his knowledge all stemmed from Yuki and he only expanded his knowledge on these things due to her existence, but I guess that’s normal, she’s a big part of his childhood, a big part of himself before he “broke”. Ohh, so the reason they’re obsessed with trying to kill Hasaki is because they think that she stole Takuji’s powers from him since they’re “twins”. Yuki is so strong and brave, Takuji pushed Hasaki off the cliff and she didn’t even hesitate to jump and hold her to take all the damage from the fall to save Hasaki… Although Takuji is terrible, the mother is the worst. She’s the one who brainwashed him since he was a child about this whole saviour thing after she got thrown away by that pastor that took advantage of her and made up stuff. If it wasn’t for her, nothing would have gone wrong! I can’t believe she would make her child kill her other child, it’s just crazy and disgusting, I don’t care how delusional she is, it’s absolutely unforgivable. I wonder if they were ever able to take her to a psychiatrist or something tbh… But I can see why Hasaki blames herself so much, since it was her existence that made everyone suffer. But at the same time, I’m sure they would have made up some other delusion for his lack of powers even if she didn’t exist, so she really isn’t to blame at all, what’s to blame is the mother that couldn’t accept her wrecked life. Wow, Takuji staring into Tomosane’s eyes saying even if he dies, he’ll just take Tomosane’s body must have been the creepiest thought and moment ever, I’m so not surprised Tomosane became how he was with Yuki’s death accompanied with this… It’s also no wonder why in the previous chapters, both Takuji and Tomosane wanted Yuki to always be the one personality to “survive”, I’m sure Tomosane loved her so much, he wanted her to keep existing even if it was in this way. I’m glad that in his last moments (most likely), Yuki was able to call Tomosane back, and he could talk to Hasaki and protect her again (since she refused to let go of him when he was about to fall so they ended up falling together).

Wonderful Everyday Ending So…the reason why Kotomi (their mother) ended up getting tricked by that pastor was because she was trying her best (in her own way) to find a way to save Hiroo (their father) since they knew about his illness? Is that why no matter what, Hiroo wasn’t able to leave her? Because he felt that he drove her to this and caused her to get tricked? He understood how much of a victim she was so he couldn’t blame her regardless of what she did? Honestly, that probably just made his condition worse though. I don’t blame her for getting tricked because it’s not like she wanted to, but the fact is, Kotomi caused everything by continuing to believe her delusions that everyone would be saved if Takuji became the saviour that can then revive Hasaki and Hiroo. The moment she believed the pastor’s words was when she should have realised this was a mistake and that she shouldn’t continue, but she refused to believe it could possibly be a lie when she already sacrificed her body to someone she didn’t love, and what happened? It only caused Hiroo to probably die even earlier, and with so many regrets as well. And then she destroyed Takuji’s life by brainwashing him. She also made him turn against his siblings and nearly kill them both, all because she chose to believe in this delusion that everything would be okay once he killed Hasaki and everyone, she didn’t want to accept that everything was all for naught even when Hiroo became a journalist to show her evidence that the pastor was a fraud that took advantage of heaps of other women! He was so sick already and he still had to try and help her come to her senses! She was supposed to support him and help him for everything he had done for her (eloping from the village, caring for her when others persecuted her), and yet she made his last moments to be full of worry and regret because he had to leave behind his young children! Hasaki can say all she wants about understanding her and empathising with her feelings, but that doesn’t mean you can destroy everyone around you to keep your “dream” that everything will be okay if you did something like this alive. I don’t think I could ever forgive her tbh. She also caused Tomosane to become who he was and practically ruin his life alongside all those “believers” at school, her actions caused such a big chain reaction and such repercussions that even if everything was done in good intentions (which I honestly find rather meh as a “conclusion”), it’s just…terrible.

Honestly, I’m surprised Tomosane was not guilty of anything. I like Tomosane and I want him to be happy, but really as an outsider, if I were to know about everything “Takuji” did, who can really prove he is really okay now and is really just Tomosane? It’s rather shocking that he didn’t need to go to rehab or anything etc. Overall, the chapter was nice but also unnecessarily long winded imo, however, I do think that the long winded slice of life stuff did add to the story since it shows how happy their childhood was despite their problems, so it was important. It can just get kinda tiring though haha. Especially when they tried to kinda like “redeem” the mother’s actions. Not too fond of the ending either since it felt rather lacklustre compared to everything else, but I guess achieving a wonderful everyday is probably a boring thing to be happy about haha.

Hill of Sunflowers Ending Ooh, so Takuji does go to see a psychiatrist every week or so and he’s kinda been forced to live in Sawaimura to “recover” with the doctors here, which in a sense doesn’t feel like a punishment or anything at all since I’m sure he’d be glad to stay here. Although it’s where most things happened, it’s also a happy place after all. And it’s nice to see that in this ending, Yuki is still here! I think it’s wonderful for Yuki to still be “alive”. Oh and lol, so many CGs for their H-scene but I guess that was to be expected, since it’s Yuki, but dang, if you think about it from an outside perspective, he’s practically doing it with himself (or a ghost?) hahaha, so it’s weird but at the same time not weird since Yuki feels like such an individual by herself lol. Oooh, she’s separate from him!? She’s a ghost or a hallucination? But Hasaki can see her…so maybe she is a ghost hahaha. Either way, it doesn’t really matter I guess, since it means that the three of them really can live together forever. I loved that they went to visit the hill of sunflowers together and Yuki joked about disappearing loll. But it is true that she could disappear at any time without any warning since it’s not like she’s “real”, but as they say, humans can die/disappear at any moment as well, so it’s fine for them to just enjoy their everyday lives. I definitely prefer this ending tbh hahhaha, I feel like it felt more personal and more like a happy ending haha.

End Sky II Ending Hmm I guess this ending was to round up all the inner world, outer world mysterious stuff that Down the Rabbit Hole etc kinda showed. I’m not sure what to think of it since it kinda just tells you that whatever you think it could be is what it is, so rather than giving an explanation of what exactly went on and all the mystery, it kinda leaves you to interpret it yourself. Whether it be something like Yuki has a soul that transcends everything and basically appears as different people to reach the ending she wants for her or Tomosane, or that this world is really just her and every single thing and person in this world was her and her dream, and it repeats until she gets the conclusion she wants etc, as Ayana says, there’s more than one hypothesis and who knows what is true~ But I do feel more like it’s something she repeats until she’s satisfied at the wonderful everyday achieved and that doesn’t mean there’s only one ending, there’s many different wonderful everyday scenarios and that’s why there’s Tsukasa and Kagami endings etc. In those, Zakuro never interfered with whatever Yuki did because she was happy and satisfied with “her life”, so I think it’s just kinda like that? It’s just that for the Yuki in Tomosane’s life, it was a bit more complicated so there needed more to be done to achieve that life?

Overall Review

Hahaha, oh well, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, I’m not too fascinated about that part anymore because I honestly thought the whole Tomosane, Yuki and Takuji thing was the most interesting thing about this novel. Although I wouldn’t say it’s a masterpiece for me, I did enjoy it more than I thought I would when I read the first chapter. Honestly, the fact that Steam only has the first chapter is ridiculous and useless because if I only read that chapter, I would have instantly just dropped this novel as this silly confusing thing that I didn’t care about. After It’s My Own Invention, my impression of the novel vastly improved because I really liked how it presented a different perspective but also kept to the storyline. It never really deviates, it focuses on the different thoughts and feelings of each character’s perspective and what they came to learn about what happened, and in this way, it helped you as the reader to slowly unravel the mystery of the story itself alongside the scenarios. The story explains to you what it implies and gives you answers bit by bit on what questions you would have whilst reading it and I really enjoyed that it did that. It slowly gives you answers through the story and the characters and it really makes the experience fulfilling because what you thought was right, mainly because the story gives lots of hints and everything to lead up to what it does.

Aside from the philosophical stuff about the world and everything, even if you just enjoy the story for what it is, it’s great because it depicts people’s emotions very well imo. I felt like I could really understand each character’s thoughts and feelings because of how detailed things were (to the point that it was such a long novel lol! I took ~59 hours to finish it all!). Honestly, I felt like a lot of things could be cut shorter such as the Kiyokawa stuff etc because they weren’t “necessary” to the novel and it made it unnecessarily long imo, especially a lot of the H-scenes loll, but I guess if it has a market, it’s understandable, I just skim through them lol. For me, Tomosane’s perspective in Jabberwocky I was my favourite chapter because I felt that it really showed how great of a character he was. I went from knowing nothing about him (aside from being violent) to him becoming my favourite character because you get to see his whole growth, his whole experience and how he handled his relationships and in fights with being a “personality” etc. It was really interesting, really fun and very emotional, it also answered the most important question of the existence of Hasaki. The bullying was so terrible that I’m not sure I want to feel all that again tbh because it really pained me and it was so uncomfortable to have to witness, but I do agree that it’s important to the whole experience of the characters. But yeah, I definitely liked the novel more than I thought and I would recommend it for people who don’t mind quite a bit of graphic stuff, it’s more to do with the imagination and thought of these things happening but there are some CGs accompanied with it that make it more disturbing though lol. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the story of how one person with multiple personalities could create such a complicated situation and cause such repercussions, yet make you want them to be happy haha.

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 2: Thoughts on The 100 2x05, Human Trials

Thoughts on Human Trials

They set up an electronic gate really fast, didn’t they? An efficient people. I think of the big Arkadia wall as really being a S3 thing, but they had to specifically unlock the entrance to get Clarke in.

Clarke & Abby was another relationship they really destroyed, huh? “That’s not a prisoner. That’s my daughter.”

Omg, Clarke thought Abby was dead this whole time. I completely forgot about that. I mean, I remember that she saw the Exodus ship explode, but I forgot that she had no way of knowing up until now that Abby wasn’t on it. Technically, Abby should have been a bit of a surprise to Bellamy and Finn, too, but I guess they had bigger surprises to deal with at the time.

I kind of miss Byrne tbh.

Six people made it to Camp Jaha. That’s Bellamy, Finn, Monroe, Sterling (RIP), Raven, and I guess Murphy is the last one, although as far as I can remember, the last Clarke saw him he was blasting a hole in the dropship and running away into the woods. So she probably wouldn’t guess he was one.

Jasper looking for Clarke 3-4 times a day in medical just tears me up inside. He’s so loyal. He feels all emotions on such a large scale. And his disbelief that Clarke would abandon them.... Who was it who theorized that Jasper was more upset about Clarke abandoning them in Mount Weather than abandoning them in 2x16 because I’ve never been certain I agree but I am intrigued.

Raymond J. Berry is so underrated.

I tend to think that Dante is sincere in offering Jasper the chance to leave and come back but I also think that this is a perhaps unintentionally cruel test because of all of the 48, Jasper is the one for whom it would be hardest to step back outside the bunker even on a mission of great personal importance.

“I have to believe they didn’t survive here all this time by fighting.” But like, actually.... didn’t they? RIP to my mom’s theory that ALIE kept the Grounders in a constant state of war to discourage population growth.

“In Grounder Creole.” I mean I guess that’s one word for it.

Clarke’s incredulousness that her mother is Chancellor is semi-hllarious.

She keeps on mentioning Finn and Bellamy as the most important people--were they among the six who made it? Where are they?

And yet RAVEN was the one who was waiting outside for her all night. Outside that shitty little medical tent. With her little tablet, reading. RIP Princess Mechanic.

Too bad Clarke put on pants before The Hug or think how much better it could have been lol.

I could watch them hug all day. Just this scene man. The best. I’m such a simple person. This is all I want. People smiling and being fond of each other.

Bellamy’s face when Clarke says she’s the only one who came back.

That Mount Weather/Reaper stuff is fully fucked up and I don’t think the show ever did anything more outrageous than this season. Which is why it should have stepped back from trying to be outrageous.

I really like scenes like this one with Bellarke and Abby, the tension in the power structure being so uncertain. Kane is the Chancellor, but Abby is also, and there are multiple groups of people out there with different levels of information, working toward different ends, and different ideas about who should be prioritized, and why, and Bellamy and Clarke are used to having the power to make those decision but now they don’t--just the intricacy of the plot at this point in the narrative. I love it. I love power dynamics and stuff like that. Also, while I get why Abby doesn’t want Clarke to leave, Bellamy is 100% right that she owes aid to Murphy and Finn, and Clarke is 100% right that, tactically speaking, cutting them loose is dumb, because they could easily create problems with the Grounders--which, in fact, they do.

Clarke’s “We’re gonna need guns” is so hot.

Adventure Squad to the rescue!

Electric fence. And Wick helping them out. I love Octavia actually looks younger than them here even though objectively speaking Marie is not. ALSO the massacre happens at Lincoln’s village but isn’t he from TonDC, which also had that bomb drop on it? Or am I confusing things? Because if so, damn, that’s a lot of bad luck lol.

So Monty would have left immediately to go after Clarke and Jasper wouldn’t--in part because he’s afraid but I also think he does feel betrayed that she left them, which Monty really doesn’t seem to care about. Interesting. And then of course the containment breach, organized to distract them and keep them from leaving. Not sure how to fully unpack that. I will note that Monty sees Maya being irradiated, which is to say that when he opens the vents in 2x16, he knows what that will do, down to the details, what it looks like, everything, and Jasper does too. Also interesting that Maya doesn’t want Jasper to leave, thinks it’s “smart” to stay. Because she doesn’t like Clarke? Because she fears the outsiders? Yet isn’t the greatest wish of her people to see the ground?

Also looks like they’re already prisoners given that you need a keycard to get out of the dorms.

I find it intensely suspicious that the Grounder blood didn’t work on Maya, since I’m sure they���ve seen radiation that bad before--the guy Clarke saw was pretty well covered if I remember correctly. I think they just weren’t doing anything, to try to get Jasper to volunteer as a subject. But is this done with or without Dante’s knowledge? I am going to say without personally.

“I know that look.” Monty knows Jasper’s ‘I’m gonna do something stupid’ look lol. Also, he is brave! He is!!

Bellamy looking at Clarke by the fire is so capital-R Romantic. They’re so efficient at comforting each other that he literally does the entire conversation re: guilt over closing the dropship door on him by himself. Don’t worry babe, I got this forgiveness narrative down.

Finn... is such a weird character. I don’t actually dislike his arc but it’s so hard to tell, for example, how smart he is, the details of him. He’s certainly very weak. Cracks under pressure, loses whatever moral compass he had at the first convenience. And what of Murphy? He’s uncomfortable with what is happening but for whatever reason seems to find himself unable to stop Finn even as he inches closer and closer to something terrible.

Is their leader... Indra?

Jasper’s “heavily sedated” face and Monty’s reaction lol. “Nothing, I feel nice.” And Monty’s eye roll. Bitch why are you so judgemental? Like you haven’t heavily sedated yourself for fun. And the classic ‘no, not going anywhere’ Monty gesture. Truly an Icon.

Ooh, I like this little outdoor cafeteria/bar. Forgot about that. Forgot about how much in S2 was outdoors or in tents.

I remember when Doctor Mechanic was a significant rare pair/side ship and you know what, I rather miss it. I was never really on board but I can see the appeal.

Minus the slapping, obviously. Which doesn’t even really fit in this scene imo.

“She stopped being a kid the day you sent her down here to die” is of course an iconic line but tbh it’s not really fair. More fair since Abby just slapped her but like--it’s a little late to be pulling that card. If they’d stayed on the Ark, more of them would have died than died in S1 on the ground, imo. And at this point that’s basically already known.

I wonder what all the ‘warning radiation area’ signs are from. Was there a post-bomb period where survivors lived on the ground and divided the worst radiation sites from the more habitable areas? Also the “no weapons beyond this point” sign clearly pre-dates the Grounders. And it’s in English.

Kane’s optimism/pacifism is really halfway and to that extent, what does he expect. Also is there prison a subway station? What a ridiculous but great way to bring Kane and Jaha back together again.

Yet again floored by this set design at the Grounder village.

Tbh I find it highly unrealistic that that amount of forest could have grown up on the National Mall in 100 years. And where are the other monuments?

Bellamy’s handdddddddddddddddddds.

Or maybe they just made Maya extra sick. So the treatment of circulating her blood through Jasper’s system is the same one they use with the Grounders, so it isn’t so much taking Grounder blood, as I tended to think of it, as using the Grounder circulatory system. But obviously this can be done without kiillng the person--so do they just use each body repeatedly until it... dies? I realize trying to find order in this is futile but I’m curious anyway.

“We all have jobs to do. Mine is to be obeyed” should have gone down in the canon of great lines. It’s certainly much better than some others I can think of.

I don’t believe Dante took the kids to experiment on them, what with his intense aversion to the experiments, and the way he gets attached first to Clarke and then to Jasper. But then, truly, as Tsing says, why take them? What was the endgame here?

“We have no choice but to move ahead with the 47″ is truly one of the weakest forms of ‘no choice’ on this show. Because, I mean, you do have a choice. You’ve discovered that they’re useful to you, but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to do the useful but completely immoral thing, that’s quite an obvious example of wanting, not needing.

No one can convince me that Dante is straight with scarves like that.

So in other words, Delano, of one-eyed Delano fame, was like the Murphy of TonDC. Don’t cast people out, nothing good comes of exile.

Finn’s “I found you” at the end is top 5 creepiest moments in this series and no I am not taking criticism on this post.

[jira-chii]

Thoughts on the Shoumetsu Toshi Anime before it even airs

The Shoumetsu Toshi anime will air in April 2019, which fills me with both excitement and trepidation... 

Warning for long post. And a bit of language. I may have spoiled the bare minimum of the game in order to explain why it is awesome. There are no spoilers for the anime because it doesn't air until April 2019. 

NB: This whole post is my own personal opinion. I don’t claim to be an expert in anything anime or game related. In fact, I don't play many mobile games at all, and usually steer clear of anime adaptations of such games because I know how shit they can be. I sincerely hope Shoumetsu Toshi will be different because of the quality of the writing. Also yes I am very biased. And passionate. And this whole thing is written on the assumption the producers actually want to make this anime good and worthwhile, rather than just a quick money-grab. I just have a lot of feelings about this ok. 

During Shoumetsu Toshi’s fourth year anniversary, one of the projects announced was an anime! I'm sure everyone playing knew this was going to happen eventually. After all, the game has an all star cast of seiyuu, an amazing storyline, and has been marketing itself for quite a while now (collabs, live concerts, CDs, keychains and more). I have no doubt Shoumetsu Toshi has the potential to become an amazing anime if done correctly, but it will face many challenges on the path to adaptation. Here are some of them.

Too many tamashii

One of the game’s greatest strengths also becomes one of its greatest barriers to adaptation. Shoumetsu Toshi has done an amazing job at creating a huge community of characters (like, an actual city). We get to see their stories unfold and their characters develop bit by bit through various events and quest stages. Within the game, we meet characters that are strong and inspiring, characters with complex relationships, characters that are good-natured and goofy, characters with tragic pasts and so much more. There are characters with stories in this game that will tear your heart to shreds, stories with plot twists nobody saw coming until years later, and stories that were so impactful I had to write a 3000 word essay on it before I was satisfied.

Unfortunately, the anime cannot afford to invest the same amount of time and effort in its characters as the game does. Though we love them, including too many would be detrimental because 1. It wouldn’t fit the tone the anime is going for, 2. There's actually no point because the majority of these don't affect the main story whatsoever and 3. They won't be developed enough for first timers to become invested in them. Especially the ones with more serious stories.

The producers will need to carefully choose which characters to include: characters that are not only distinct and easy to invest in, but will actually contribute to the plot and make the time getting to know them worthwhile. Because one of the worst things an anime can do imo, is bring in a character nobody is invested in, who contributes nothing to the story, has zero character development (i.e. their character is based completely on cliches and tropes) but also gets about 200% more screen time than any other side character, because there is the assumption that they’ll be popular based on their character design alone. That is just lazy writing and is disrespectful not only to the audience, but also the character (I don’t care if they’re fictional, good characters deserve respect too).

I fear there is a very real danger SPR5 could become that. The in-game idol group got a real world debut, and, while I don’t mind seeing promotion in an anime (we live in a capitalist society after all), they shouldn’t contribute much to the overall story, and I will be very disappointed if the anime give them more screen time than they need purely for the sake of marketing.  

Complex storyline

If there is one thing I absolutely don't want this anime to get wrong, it’s the story. The Shoumetsu Toshi main storyline is frickin’ amazing. It is an epic quest that spans four worlds, involves characters literally jumping through space and time, and breaks the fourth wall in the creepiest way possible. The creativity that comes with that is my absolute favourite thing about the game, however I acknowledge some heavy changes would need to be made to make it fit the traditional anime format…

I have heard the anime will be an original story, however the PV suggests it will still retain key plot points from the game. Contrary to my general opinions regarding anime-original content, I think this is the right way to go. I think fans innately despise original stories in anime adaptations for one of two reasons: the story will either be too complex for non-fans to enjoy, ruining the reputation of the series, or the story will be too watered down in order to appeal to said non-fans and consequently lose much of what made the original actually great. Achieving harmony is an incredibly difficult balancing act, and part of this involves the series living up to its own greatness. Which very rarely happens. If Shoumetsu Toshi goes for a retelling of say, World 1, it is invariably going to be compared to the original. Also it becomes predictable for anyone far enough into the game. If the producers do want to go the extra mile and make it worthwhile for the OG fans (which is nice in theory but, admittedly, unlikely), they would need to add some meaningful original content that still retains the essence of what makes Shoumetsu Toshi, Shoumetsu Toshi. That is, it retains the same themes and atmosphere, conveys a similar message, keeps all the characters appropriately in character...basically anything that would not feel out of place if it were to be inserted into the original. Luckily for us, Shoumetsu Toshi writers have loads of experience with this. I am talking, of course, about the mountain of ranking quests, side stories and events.

I will admit not every single minor story in Shoumetsu Toshi is fantastic, particularly many of the ranking events, which usually only allow about three stages to tell a story focused on one character. However, what I think the game does do very well in respect to these short ranking stories (and many other events and side stories open to lower level players), is make them accommodating to both old and new players. This is usually achieved by including Easter eggs and hints to a greater plot for the former, while keeping the actual main story for that particular quest straightforward and accessible for the latter. This strategy avoids alienating newcomers and will be absolutely vital if the anime is aiming to appeal to a larger audience, namely the international one who are mostly not even aware of the game. Failure to adhere to this strategy is also partially why many anime adaptations of games have such a shitty track record. They try to pack in too much, usually by explaining multiple complex concepts without devoting enough time to see them properly work in action. The story might take a backburner in favour of the more technical stuff, leaving newcomers confused and bored. Then when it’s time for the climax, nobody actually understands what is happening on screen. “Just play the source material”, actual fans will say, but really, unless the premise or characters appealed to me, how likely am I to invest even more time into a game if I thought the anime was boring as hell?

I do not think Shoumetsu Toshi will be able to showcase its full potential in one anime season. But if the goal of the anime is just to promote the game, there is no need to. If the goal of the anime were to be an actual good anime though, I think the creators would need to take the same approach as the game does for its stories.

Shoumetsu Toshi’s most epic moments are its unpredictable and creative plot twists. The amazing thing is, they don’t just come out of nowhere. This game’s strongest stories are the long ones that build up gradually to spectacular and emotional climaxes, which are possible because characters are given ample time to establish their values and motivations. This helps us as an audience better understand important plot points without the story having to beat us over the head about it, allowing the game to weave a subtle yet sophisticated narrative that actually makes total sense by the end. This means the story needs to be planned out from the very beginning, and will need some time for setup. Which means it won’t truly shine until the metaphorical ‘late-game’.

Stories like these are at a disadvantage these days because, especially with the Internet giving us so much more choice, a lot of anime watchers now tend to drop a show if it fails to impress them from the very start. After about three episodes, the audience should have a good feel for the anime’s main characters, setting and a hint of the main plot. If by then, absolutely nothing about the series appeals to you, you would start to think there are better things you could be doing with your time. Unfortunately, sometimes a show just needs a long time to set up a good story (or sometimes producers dick around too much with filler episodes).  

On top of probably needing a slow start, the Shoumetsu Toshi anime is at another disadvantage in respect to one type of audience, because the game does not have an English version. Which means a lot of the Western anime audience will have had no prior interaction with it and don’t know what to expect. They have no idea who the characters are, what the story is, and why its fanbase considers it so much more than just another gacha game. We just have to hope the anime is compelling enough in the beginning to ‘hook’ these newcomers, and make them stay on board long enough to make their time worth it...

A good Shoumetsu Toshi story needs to take risks. I hope to God nobody at that studio makes the executive decision to ‘play it safe’, because the last thing any fan wants is a disappointing anime adaptation with a mundane story even a non-fan wouldn’t be able to enjoy.The writers need to be given complete autonomy and trust to fully realise their creative vision, because that is exactly what is needed if this adaptation wants to use Shoumetsu Toshi’s biggest drawcard to its full advantage.

Animating exposition

This is a pretty minor thing compared to the other two I mentioned previously, but the most iconic thing that sets an anime adaptation apart from the source material is, well, the animation. Visuals and animation are probably the biggest things influencing a new audience’s first impression. Unfortunately, the PV portrayed some pretty lacklustre animation for Madhouse standards and I don’t think people were that impressed.

Good animation is time-consuming and can actually take quite a lot of effort on the part of the director (not that I have that much experience to speak to). Where to place characters in the shot composition, when and how far to zoom in for a close-up, how to best direct movement for maximum impact, but also keeping the scene direction consistent enough that the audience can still understand what is happening on screen. Dynamic scenes are hard enough, but on the other end of the spectrum, how do you animate a static character reciting an information dump in an interesting way?

Shoumetsu Toshi has a lot of talking. It's just something that comes part and parcel with a game of this format. In the game it's alright because you can read at your own pace, and it's important information. Plus they usually keep you engaged by switching up characters’ facial expressions (Shoumetsu Toshi 0 does this in spades) or by distracting you with the stellar soundtrack. I expect the anime is also gonna have a heap of exposition. I mean, from the PV alone I already see at least three expositional characters: Geek, Eiji and Kikyou.

Personally I think expositions are the hardest things to animate. And I don't mean difficult to actually draw and turn into animation, but to actually direct something like that in a satisfying way takes brain power. There are an infinite number of ways to animate characters talking, ranging from the super boring still-image-with-moving-mouth-flap, to using dynamic camera angles to keep the composition interesting, or overlaying a montage of some sort to visually convey the message without having to look at a static character. The game provides only a generic idea of how the scene might play out when animated. While this opens the door to a heap of creative possibilities, I’m concerned that if it comes down to time and budget, or if someone gets lazy, it is very likely we could end up with one hella boring sequence of exposition. Which could be a serious problem if the action scenes aren’t able to impress.

Ahh, you guys have no idea how much I want this anime to do well. There's just so much potential there.

In my opinion, traditional anime can be seen as an incredibly limited medium that must, in the span of about 12 episodes, tell a good story to its audience, invest them in its characters, and keep them engaged for half an hour each episode through pretty visuals/cool animation. If they can’t do that the audience will probably drop the series because they a) get bored, b) don’t care, and/or c) fall asleep. This also means a good anime can’t afford to sacrifice story for character development or vice versa. They need to happen concurrently.

It is not easy to make a good anime, and even more difficult to make one that lives up to the hype of its very amazing source material. As a general rule of thumb, I keep my expectations of game adaptations low, and that is what I said to myself when the Shoumetsu Toshi anime was announced. But then one day I got linked a Shoumetsu Toshi drama CD, and I was blown away by how well they did it. The title is The Vanished Elephant, a literary reference to Murakami's short story of the same name. I'm trying not to spoil but basically, the CD fully utilised the fact we can't see the characters (but can hear them) to craft a mysterious original story with a wonderful plot twist. It works just as a stand alone story, but actual players who are familiar with the characters and motifs immediately get that sense of unease at the very beginning, which is finally paid off with the reveal at the end.

Thanks to that, I can't help but be excited for the anime. If they do fuck it up, I won't be surprised but I will be very, very, sad.

If you have read this far, thank you so much for your time. If you are unfamiliar with Shoumetsu Toshi, could I ask you to please give this anime a chance? And if after its run, it does turn out shit, by all means, complain to your heart’s content (because I will be doing the same).