#instead it is not only boring and disappointing and forgettable but it doesn't even make sense? so Rewrite!

[invisible-pink-toast]

not so normal again

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Buffy Summers & Dawn Summers, Spike & Dawn Summers, Tara Maclay & Buffy Summers Additional Tags: Canon Rewrite, Rewrite, Episode: s06e17 Normal Again, Missing Scene, Dawn has powers, because of course she should she's an ancient mystical energy!!! why would they never expand on that??, tara to the rescue, mostly pretty canon compliant, but just with More because the whole second half of the episode is so rushed, and the ending is different Summary:

“Don’t you knock?”

Buffy just stands in the doorway. “I called for you.”

Dawn glances at her. Buffy’s voice is faint and her eyes are glazed. She still looks sick, like she shouldn’t even be up. “Buffy, are you okay?”

“I will be."

~

Rewrite of "Normal Again" with some Spike & Dawn friendship, a different Summers Sister fight and bamf Tara Maclay

Read on AO3

[izziessogay]

I am really sad about how Eurovision turned out this year. honestly I thought I was being dramatic last night, so I just went to bed, but man... usually I stay obsessed with it for weeks after the finale, rewatching my favourite parts etc. and I was really excited for this year because all the acts were great. what kinda ruined it for me wasn't even Loreen winning (at least not completely) because there have been years where I hated the winning act and I didn't even dislike the song that much. here's my reasons though

Loreen winning with a song that was definitely not a fan favourite

it being clear that she won already halfway through the jury vote

jury votes being extra bland this year

audience votes disappointing as well with most countries

the hosting being pretty boring

intermissions being either forgettable or showing off the UK's savior complex

almost no Ukrainian intermission artists, and only tiny snippets being given to the few

no Ukrainian culture to be found anywhere

the best intermission show being put in the semi final with the least fan favourites

sweden choosing loreen as a safe option to win instead of choosing a newcomer and actually trying to win fairly

an already famous artist winning, who would've easily been on radio stations without being on the contest and taking the win from an unknown act just so sweden could have a safe win

so yes I am pissed at the awful jury votes, making sure sweden can have their 50 year abba fest next year, but I am also pissed that the audience votes didn't come through with anything. austria was robbed so much, Slovenia was robbed, Germany too (and that's coming from a german), Norway, PORTUGAL, Australia and Croatia too. Even Finland didn't get as many as I expected and Sweden got so many more than I expected. This year it doesn't even feel right to blame the jury as we do every year, because yeah Finland would've won, but so many other countries that were supposedly fan favourites would've gotten nul. The hosting couldn't save anything either, because even though I loved the hosts they did nothing to make this memorable (I miss mika and Laura). The intermissions were quite frankly horrible for the most part and it was way too UK focused, especially in the final. Ukraine couldn't show off anything of their country or get any sort of message through besides 'omg thank you UK for hosting you're the best' and then the UK going 'that's right we are the best'. so yeah, I am sad for all that made this year so unenjoyable and I am sorry to all the amazing acts, y'all did nothing wrong. let's hope sweden does something with their undeserved win and has a great show next year. see you then

[redheadlesbianfreak]

What did you think about the Michael Bay TMNT movie? I haven't seen it and don't follow TMNT in general, but I'm curious about what you thought because his movies can be pretty divisive.

This is an interesting ask, because I definitely have a lot to say about these two movies! I'll start with the designs of the turtles. I think these are one of my least favorite designs for the turtles, and I'll explain why. For one, the TMNT have always been very short and stocky. This is because they are usually mutated from tiny turtles you would find in pet shops (such as box turtles or red-eared sliders). The turtles themselves are generally around 5 feet or even 4 feet depending on the adaptation.

((I'll go ahead and list a few examples. Here are the heights of the turtles tallest to shortest in 2012: Donatello is 5'6, Leonardo is 5'1, Raphael is 5'0, and Michelangelo is 4'11. In the 2003 series, the turtles are roughly the same height at about 5 feet. The adult human characters tower over them. The original turtles depicted in the Mirage comics are even shorter! Donatello is 5'1, Leonardo is 5'0, Michelangelo is 4'8, and Raphael is the smallest at 4'6!))

This is a bit silly, but I care a great deal about the turtles being small! I think it's cool to have a group of guy superheroes who are short and stocky, rather than massive, muscular dudes. It subverts expectations and gender roles. And it really adds to the idea that these guys are underdogs, as you have these short kings going against giant mutants. It's something I've always appreciated. The designs of the turtles in the Bay movies really feels like it's trying to appeal to this weird male fantasy by making them huge monsters.

But it seriously backfired. Most die-hard fans were creeped out by the designs, and trying to make them look "realistic" made them look awful. They aren't very expressive and they do NOT look like teens--more like 40-year-old men. The only people I've seen who like these designs are middle aged women who think the Bay turtles are hot. Given the... specific camera angles they use for the movies, I guess I don't blame them. It feels like they accidentally sexualized the turtles in trying to make them fit this male fantasy ideal.

Onto the characters. I think that Donnie and Raph are the best. Raph is the most likable turtle by far, leading me to think that Raph is Michael Bay's favorite. Leo is pretty awful and it feels like he hates his brothers in the second movie. Mikey is also terrible, constantly flirting with and harassing April, which feels out of character for him. I don't feel a brotherly dynamic like in the other iterations. Raph and Leo act like divorced parents who are fighting over the custody of their children, Mikey and Donnie. Mikey and Donnie don't feel like they have a lot of agency at all.

Master Splinter is okay. I don't remember much about this version of Splinter and his design is way too realistic. They decided to have this version of Splinter start out as a rat, and I prefer it as him starting as a human who mutated into a rat. April is oversexualized in a pretty dehumanizing way. Megan Fox stated that she was treated poorly by Michael Bay, so it's uncomfortable watching her in this film. This version of Casey Jones is one of my least favorites; they made him a cop instead of a vigilante, which is super anti-Casey.

The villains are very forgettable. Karai doesn't do anything in the first or second movie, and I can't believe they did her dirty twice. The Shredder is equally boring and unmemorable. I usually enjoy the Shredder a lot, so the fact that this version doesn't stand out isn't great. I liked Bebop and Rocksteady just fine for the second movie, and I also liked Baxter Stockman as well. Overall, the villains were far too generic, which is disappointing given TMNT's history of super iconic villains.

Now for the plot. The first movie's plot is super weak, and it doesn't feel like there's a main character. I think Raph is supposed to be the main character, but I can't tell. I don't remember much about the plot itself, aside from a few key moments. One moment that stuck with me was a scene where Donnie says that he licks the frosting off poptarts and puts them back in the box. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the 2014 movie, not even the famous elevator scene. Do what you will with that information.

The second movie's plot is a huge improvement. It looks nicer and it does a better job with the characterization. There is a clear main character in Leonardo and he does have an identifiable character arc. They recycled the tired "Leo vs Raph" plotline, which is disappointing. But that's an issue I have with most TMNT movies, so I try not to hold it against this one too much. Mikey is also less awful to April in this one, so that's neat I guess. They still have a scene where April dresses up as a "hot schoolgirl" for no reason, which is embarrassing.

They do come up with a cool concept: Donnie finds out how to make a substance that will turn the turtles into humans, and they can live on the surface. Leo tells Donnie to keep this from Mikey and Raph, who are hurt that Leo made that decision for THEM when they do find out. The whole thing causes Mikey and Raph to split from the team to work together, and it's honestly a really cool idea. In the end, all four decide to remain mutants. I do wish they did more with this concept, as it's super cool and adds nice tension to the plot.

I do have some issues with this movie. Remember how I said they made Casey Jones a cop? This movie has a bunch of bizarre military and police propaganda. The TMNT franchise is generally pretty critical the military and government (see the way the President of the US is depicted in TMNT 2003). But the military is depicted as not only the Good Guys, but they also accept the TMNT as heroes. In most other versions, the turtles are seen as monsters by the government and general public, and are essentially vigilantes as a result.

I would like to end with talking about the production of these two movies. Mainly the elephant in the room: Michael Bay. Many of the actors who've worked on this movie (notably Megan Fox) have stated that they were abused by Michael Bay. The working conditions were horrible. Even though the sequel improved some things writing-wise, it doesn't matter if the people working on this movie were abused. I don't want to see Michael Bay working on this franchise ever again, or frankly, working in film at all. They could easily give the job to a director/writer who would not abuse those working on the movie.

[cyrillean]

today, in "things literally no one asked for": all of sasara's verses in every song and drama track, ranked from worst to best

disclaimer that if you know enough about rap to be able to actually discuss and compare this sort of thing, uh, i have to warn you i don't so you might take psychic damage from reading this. but I TRIED

(also, this does not include the stage plays songs, sorry about that. it also does not include the curry thing, because i refuse to acknowledge it, thank you.)

ALSO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS JUST MY OPINION and if you disagree id love to hear why. this is just for fun and because the funnyman lives rent free in my head

14. sasara's verse with rosho in Aikata: deep sigh... im holding myself back from ranting for 10 paragraphs about this, but i genuinely think this showcases all their flaws as partners. it's not atrocious or anything, it's just. their styles cancel out in a way that reflects all their fears come true. it's cute tho

13. Survival of the Illest: Maybe I just didn't like the live performance, so I won't be able to rank it for sure until we get the official version of this and the BAT ones, but given Dotsuhon live performances tend to be even better than the studio versions, I'm inclined to say I straight up don't like his verse here lol?

12. Wara Osaka: ......yeah this is just thoroughly meh to me. Gives me the same vibes as his verse with Rosho in Aikata. Just not interesting. At least the song itself is really fun for something to vibe with without demanding that much attention.

11. Summit of Divisions (the bit from the leaders section in the trailer): Literally the most forgettable verse in this part of the song. Not bad, just thoroughly unremarkable both in the context of Sasara's verses and in the fact that all the other leaders have STELLAR verses here. Structure wise it makes sense going into Kuko's final verse, which probably only hits AS hard BECAUSE sasara's bit passes right by you, but still.

10. his parts in N☆PS: This song is fantastic, but Sasara is really just here as the glue to tie things together- the real standouts in this one are Rei and Rosho. Still, special shotout to him counting down in a speech.

9. sasara's solo verse in Aikata: perfectly standard sasara rap. this is like the baseline of what should be expected from this clown imo. the lyrics are kinda toothless but the way he delivers it doesn't disappoint

8. Joy for Struggle: It's only just a bit above The Sasara Standard Of Quality. Real good, real fun, takes advantage of the fantastic instrumentals of the song, and his confidence carries him a long way- but let's be honest, Ichiro sort of wiped the floor with him on this one

7. His first verse in Summit of Divisions: Judged solely as rap his bit here is nothing special, but in the context of the song itself, it's one of the most fun parts, he really leans into the vibe of the song by giving a little breather that's still genuinely fun and keeps the energy going into Rosho's verse.

6. Helter Skelter: much like everything else about sasara in helter skelter, his verse here is INTERESTING... he drops a lot of his usual flair and instead delivers a very, hm, i don't know enough about rap to describe it; it's very technically impressive compared to his usual stuff? I wouldn't be surprised if this is a peek at what he sounded like in Ikebukuro. If he'd carried this energy into Joy for Struggle it would have at least been a more interesting fight

5. Division Battle Anthem +: ...I think Sasara may well be the ONLY person who perfomed BETTER in Rap Battle than in Battle Anthem. I still prefer his verse here, but it's very style over sustance. That in no way means it's bad tho because absolutely NO ONE has a bad or even mediocre verse in this song, and I appreciate his kanto-ben joke its cute

4. Division Rap Battle +: I don't actually like his verse here much, but relistening I have to admit it's actually very, hmm... it's sasara going all out with style, he does SO much in just 20 seconds. In Tragic Transistor he calls himself a southpaw rapper, and I don't know enough about rap to know if he's bullshitting or not, but this verse makes it hard to argue with him.

3. Tragic Transistor: He does not shut up for a single SECOND in this entire song, and lets none of that time go to waste. The song itself barely changes at all, and the choruses are relatively speaking very short, so he carries the whole entire three minutes by himself without it EVER getting boring. He manages to rap for a whole song about himself, without actually SAYING anything meaningful about himself, and yet STILL asserting dominance WHILE being a clown. this song is a joy to rap

2. Aikata(s): Unironically fantastic, which goes for rosho's parts as well. in many shonen Fights Between Allies (tm), i feel like even if they SAY they're not holding back, they end up being like "oh it doesnt matter who wins, what matters is that we're enjoying the battle and giving it our all" etc. well this is NOT the case here, they are HONEST TO GOD BOTH FIGHTING TO WIN, and sasara genuinely throws out some lines i wouldn't have thought he'd say to rosho. just a great battle imo

Tragic Comedy #1. Osaka Dreamin Night: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, COME ON EVERY PART OF HIS VERSE HERE IS ICONIC. HAI DOMO DOTSUITARE HOMPO DESU. TAMUKETARO KA HIGANBANA. IM A TRAGIC COMEDY NUMBER 1. THE BIT WHERE HE PUNS AROUND HIS NAME FOR LIKE FOUR FULL LINES. this is such an addictive verse to rap it's just so fun and bouncy with just a dash of threathening. HONA NEEEE

[demonlullaby]

Road to Kingdom ep.1

SPOILERS AHEAD

This is my unbiased review of the performances. It's entirely my own opinion.

Premise: I'm watching the show because I stan Pentagon but I also follow Oneus and The Boyz. I occasionally listen to ONF and Golden Child as well, TOO is the only group I know nothing of. I'm only reviewing tonight's performances according to MY taste, not the group as a whole, so please take this as the unbiased review it is instead of an attack of sorts. I wish all groups the best of luck!

My ranking

7. Oneus

I was overall kind of disappointed with the performance. The singing wasn't live, or at least the back track was very loud, and the concept was pretty but bland. Oneus are really good dancers and have good vocals as well so I wish they'd done something that represented their colors and uniqueness better. Overall they looked handsome, danced well, it was nice to watch, but forgettable. Sorry babies, better luck next time 🥺

OFFICIAL RANKING: #6

6. TOO

Their performance felt very fresh to me. I don't know them, so I don't know their usual style, but it was nice to watch if, again, a little bland. I liked the styling because the all black and leather from the others got boring very fast, but it seemed more like a music show performance. They're rookies, and they're probably playing it safe. I hope they don't get eliminated because I think they have potential.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #7

5. Golden Child

The beginning of the performance was very eye catching but I quickly lost interest. They're clearly extremely skilled dancers, which we love to see in this house, but I *HATED* the music choice. To me it was their biggest downfall. It was so loud and confusing which combined with the lighting made it impossible to focus on the performance. I wanna see them on stage again because I think their dancing was incredible, but I wish they would show more of their personal colors next time.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #4

4. ONF

I thought they put together a really good stage! I feel like the stylists need to coordinate better because GC, ONF and VV were wearing basically the same outfit lol But I liked that they sang and I think I could hear some live vocals in there which is admirable! I wish they would have gone a little further and made it a crazier performance, but they're clearly skilled, and very good dancers too. I think they deserved to place higher, they did a great job!

OFFICIAL RANKING: #5

3. VERIVERY

What a pleasant surprise. I don't know this group that well but their stage was gorgeous. Caught my attention from the beginning, and it was impossible to look away. It also showcased that not only they have great dance technique but also good synchronization and I like that they switched it up a little in the middle, slowed it down and then fast again. However, like all the groups placed below, I wish the stage had been a little more personal, which is why I think the other two groups deserved second and first place. Either way, good job Verivery! I'll be on the lookout for these boys.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #3

2. The Boyz

I have to say that second and first place were on a whole another level compared to everyone else, at least tonight. The Boyz had an unique concept, they pulled it off well, they showed their strengths and chemistry as a group and put on a damn good stage. I would have liked to see more of an unexpected twist though, something unpredictable to make the stage even more interesting, but nonetheless, hats off. I really liked them already and expected them to do well, they deserved their first place, so well done.

OFFICIAL RANKING: #1

1. Pentagon

Ah, where to start... I went into the episode unbiased because I just genuinely wanted to enjoy the performances, which I did. But not only Pentagon's experience showed on stage, they showed that uniqueness I was desperately looking for. They acted, they danced, they played that stage like their own personal instrument and it genuinely felt like watching an intro performance at MAMA. My first round of applause goes to Wooseok, when he was left alone on stage I KNEW he was going to deliver and boy did he. Also very proud of how Hui and Kino stood out with their unbelievable charisma and damnnnn those facial expressions always on point. The styling was a great touch too, I loved how the whole performance was orchestrated from start to finish, and that CONFIDENCE! *chef's kiss*

OFFICIAL RANKING: #2

I'm gonna watch the full episode once subs come out. I hope SnakeNet doesn't eliminate TOO just because of an intro performance because if so, I will FIGHT.

It's been Lia, now back to the scheduled programs ✨