#no special episode(s) would be enough i need new season.

[aprilblossomgirl]

i know. i know my school president is about a high-school life. but, for ourskyy2, i really really wish the show would go into their first-year campus life. transitioning from high school to university on different schools or faculties or departments. but, always, always, still manage to find time once a week, or every two weeks, or even a month, to meet and play music together and having bbq pork, or any other dish, afterward. or just simply having a day out together. of course, the dating life too, of tinn and gun, and sound and win. and, please, please, also a bit, no, a lot of tiw and por on their talking stage, or maybe already unknowingly dating. and finally, one (or two) performance of chinzhilla needs to be there. 

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Who from the ghosts pasts would it be fun to meet

We get some good episodes of ghosts (Metaphorical or literal) from the main 8's past coming back. We have met some... interesting characters, and there are some more it would still be cool to meet. So I thought I would make a list of the ghosts and who from their pasts it would be fun meet. Note I do not necessarily know how this person/ghost would come back, I just think it would be fun to see them.

Thorfinn: I do not want anybody else from Thor's past. The arc with Bjorn was sweet, and I do want it revisited in season four. But seriously Thor's old crew were jerks who left him behind. Thor hasn't once mentioned Bjorn's mother (Thor's wife???) and given that he has canonically had at least three serious relationships since becoming a ghost, it is pretty clear he has moved on from her. if hey had to they could maybe do an episode where Bjorn is able to bring his deceased wife back for a day, and introduce her to Thor. That would maybe be fun since it forces Thor to be pleasant to a danish person.... But I also think it is pretty fun that Bjorn is with Judy (50's Hetty) now, and she has expressed that she is not cool with poly life... Hopefully one day would not upset her enough to break up with Bjorn.

Sasappis: Okay anyone who we meet from Sass's life needs to be in a situation like him and Shiki, i.e. haunting some part of the Hutson sally for 500 and something years. Because otherwise 1.) It has been pointed out to me that Lenape Native Americans of their time did not speak English, so we would not be able to understand them. 2.) Dragging one of his people back from the afterlife to show them how completely settlers paved over their homes and wiped out their culture would be to cruel a thing to do.

Oh bonus because I thought of it after making my Season 4 wish list. If travel based ghost powers can be extended to other ghosts, then I would like Pete to take Sass to see Shiki again, and for afterwards Sass to return the favor by taking Pete inside of Jay's dreams and all three of them to shoot some hoops together.

Issac: I really really want to meet someone from when Issac was a living. He also curently has the most options of the ghosts. Beatrice, of course. We see in the season 2 Christmas special how great a person she was and how much she and Issac meant to each other, regardless of their less than ideal circumstances. Also given that in season 4 Issac will have to once again come to terms with a failed romantic relationship (Nigel), and a female friend whom he wronged/hurt (Patience). Well Beatrice is implied to view him with no ill will, so it could be really therapeutic for him to reconnect and further reconcile with her. If she told him she did not view Issac as a bad man, then that would help him not see himself as a bad man

In addition to Beatrice, I would also like to meet Issac's best friend Edmund. The unnamed brother Issac mentioned who had a wife and at least 5 sons, at least 2 of which died as children. We do not know if Issac was ever a father, but I imagine he was a really caring uncle. Hamilton! Please, please, can we get an episode where Hamilton's ghost shows up for a night and Issac is once again faced with his more successful rival. Bonus points if Hamilton does not know who Issac is, or have any recollection of ever meeting him.

Hetty: So far every time a new ghost has shown up for 1 episode it has been one Hetty knew. Which I guess is understandable since the house is her families, and a lot of the old junk in it belong to people she knew. But honestly episodes of them are hit or miss. The two episodes we got of Elias were one to many, and he does not need another episode. I know some fans really liked the episode with the maid; but I did not like her trying to blame Hetty for things that went down between her and Elias. It is clearly implied that she and her husband were Elias's employees and that they were hooking up before Elias and Hetty's marriage. Also it seems like the pair where hooking up many years, so why wasn't her son grown up?

For People from Hetty's life that we haven't met yet, but could meet in the future: I would really like to meet her sister, Margret. Show me what their relationship was like. How did Margret's life turn out? How did she react to Hetty's death? It also would be really cool to meet that stable boy that she and Issac both found hot. In that case though he has to be bisexual, or maybe just gay. I said in another post I wanted Thomas to have become a ghost after dying at a neighbors. But that I also wanted him to turn out to be as dumb and childlike as Lenny from "oMaM". Basically please only introduce Thomas if their is going to be a distinct difference between him and Elias. If he is just a gay version of his Hellish father, than there is no point.

Alberta: Well if Thomas is a ghost she deserves to get to rip into him for poisoning her. On that note please bring Earl back for one day so she can do the same to him. Forgetting the fact that he cheated on her with the guy that went on to murder her. It is cannon that Earl cheated on Alberta multiple times and she knew it. But he was her manager, and she could not break up with him without being dropped, so she felt she had to keep looking the other way and forgiving him. But that is not true now, and Alberta deserves a chance to tell him off like Hetty did to Elias in his debut episode. On a nicer note it would be sweet if they could resurrect Alberta's father. She could tell him about how people are still listening to her songs to this day, and he could maybe recite some recipes for Sam to write down, and Jay to start cooking for visitors. As far as Alberta's sister, well the only thing I have ever wondered about her was if Thomas ever did anything to hurt her too, since she was Earl's next girlfriend. If we see Alberta's x-times great niece again she had better be a successful web singer, taking a trip to where she first got the inspiration to follow in Alberta's foot steps.

Flower: I do want to see her brother Robby, and her ex Ira, who are still livings. If Robby has children/grand children they should come too. For ghosts she has other brothers who we do not knows current status, also if possible it would be cool to meet someone else whom she maybe knew during her time in the cult and the commune. It'd be weird to bring Michael back, since she is trying to move on from him with Thor. I have considered the ghost of the bear that killed her. The issues with a apex predator would be wild, but also I am not sure how you would wrap that up, and it would need to be wrapped up. Where do you go with a ghost bear guys?

Pete: Please no more people from Pete's past. Carol sucked. Jerry sucked. Pete's dad sucked. He is implied to have been an only child. I do not know why Laura and little Pete would ever want to again visit the place where both her parents/ his grandparents died. Lastly I found it cruel and disgusting that Sam and Jay brought over one of Pete's former scouts and made her recount watching a trusted adult die the way Pete did. All because Pete wasn't willing to suck it up and help Sam&Jay the way he told Flower to. No more people Pete used to know. He can visit Laura and Petey himself off screen.

Trevor: So it seems like everyone from Trevor's life is still alive. Okay He died young, and has only been dead for 20 years. We have met Arty and learned about their Friend group: except for Pinkus they all sucked. I want to to hold off on meeting Pinkus again though, because I largely suspect Trevor will be sucked off after that and I am not ready to lose him. In season 1 Trevor mentioned a Nicki Fisher, a friend with benefits he had then , who he kinda wanted to be in an actual exclusive relationship with (Like he wanted with Hetty). But, later in that same episode, we learned she had a baby with another guy she had been hooking up with at the same time, so he likely would not have gotten what he wanted with her. No need for us to meet Nicki. I have seen some people suggest that Jeremy could come back and work on the lightening at Woodstone/Jays restaurant. One person even suggested he could meet Bela. I have no objections to either of those. One final thing I was thinking is that maybe one of Trevor's parents got engaged again, and want to have their wedding at the B&B. Then we could explore Trevor going through his feelings on one of his parents finding love again, and trying to come to terms with it to support them at their wedding... Maybe we could even have Hetty offer to attend with him as friends. If it is Trevor's mom I want both her boys to walk her down the isle.

Crash, Nigel, Nancy, Stephanie: If a secondary ghost has someone from their past show up it will almost certainly end in them being sucked off. Crash is more a seasonal gag than a character, and while the show can certainly get by without him, it would be really cheep to tease a character getting sucked off again and for it to just be Crash. Especially after pulling the same stint with Ralph in the season 2 finale-season three. With Nigel I have admitted in other posts that he is my least favorite character. He is a cheater, a gas-lighter, and an asshole. But I also know he and Issac are endgame. This split between them is temporary: they need to grow as people, and will eventually (season 5 hopefully) get back together and (again hopefully) have a healthier, more equal, and caring relationship the next time around. That's what is being set up. So give Nigel the improvement he needs and do not touch him otherwise. For Nancy 1.) I would hate to lose her. She is the best secondary ghost on the show. 2.) before we get into people from her past we need to learn more about her relationships with the other basement ghosts.

Stephanie is different though. She was just a teenager when she died. The fact that she needs to sleep most of the year means she can rarely take part in house shenanigans. All the other ghosts are way older than her, and largely ignore her when she is awake. While most of the other ghosts are revealed to have had really depressing lives as livings and it could be argued ghost-hood is their second chance; Stephanie potentially had a fun life and has a lonely and really depressing afterlife. If her boyfriend from when she was alive, or maybe somehow her mom, came back and took her with them to the afterlife... well that sounds like one of the more heartwarming stories of the show

[dwreader]

Interview with the Vampire Episode 2 Podcast Transcript

Special Guests: Sam Reid and Jewelle Gomez

"Being a vampire is hard, its very difficult to endure and exist forever basically and you need to have quite a lot of strength and internal power to endure and Lestat recognizes that in Louis. When he sees him on the street and thinks that very very very beautiful man just pulled a knife on his brother in the middle of the street to look powerful to save his own skin and he has enough strength to do that and Lestat thinks this guy has enough strength to endure. And he's also got the hots for him really badly..." -Sam Reid

Sam Reid Interview

N: Sam Reid, thank you so much.

S: Thank you for having me.

N: Don't you be nice, I'm coming in here and I'm mad at you. My question is this- how dare you?

S: What are you referring to exactly?

N: Here's what I think of Lestat, I think Lestat is a messy bitch who lives for drama. What did you know about Lestat coming into the audition?

S: I know the books, I've known them for a very long time. I heard they were making it and I said I hoped I would get the chance to an audition for it. The thing that freaked me about the auditon was the majority of it was in French. It had all the lines in English but it said in paranthesis in French. I studied French in school and my sister speaks fluent French but I am not fluent so that was a bit stressful.

N: You and Jacob did your chemistry tests over Zoom, I mean does anyone have chemistry over Zoom? That must've been so tough.

S: Yeah,. I don't know what they were looking for or how to gauge chemistry from that cause it was really glitchy and speaking over each other and trying really hard to act into the camera which just wasn't really working. Jacob is such a lovely person and a fantastic actor and just an easy person to be around so I could tell he was gonna be a very easy person to fall in love with. It was fun, in fact I just came with having ice cream with Jacob. And he says hello

N: Omg I'm obsessed, give me this footage, I want ice cream footage, I want strolling the streets of downtown New Orleans footage.

S: And we hang out all the time, we've become very good friends. Cause it is a crazy journery we're on and its a crazy job so it's nice have a very good friend.

N: So Lestat has a life well before the show starts and he's been on this journey and you have the different versions of Lestat from the book and you have this amalgation. What sort of conversations did you have w/ the showrunner Rolin Jones about your version of Lestat?

S: The premise is for Louis to revisit the interview so Louis has a more nuanced way of describing Lestat so my question was how much of this is the real Lestat and how much of is Louis' version of Lestat? Because obviously this is a memory. This is all through Louis's eyes so is this actually how Lestat is like or is he different? and I think we play with that on and off. What's really important about this season is you're playing a character seen through somebody else's eyes.

N: Right right right, Gordian knot. It's a bit of a layer.

S: And everyone kept telling me stop thinking about it too much don't think about it and I didn't and I don't think about it too much when I'm doing. There will come a day when I think Lestat turns around and goes actually this is how it fucking happend.

N: Okay well Sam, you're just making me so mad cause you're too kind and too funny. cause I was coming in with hard hitting questions and I was livid at Lestat. This is what's so fun about the show and what its doing so right as a genre story, is the humor and the personality. [coffin scene plays] I mean Lestat is out here, it's such a funny monent for Lestat its like OK you wanna own a club? I was like Louis you have unlimited power and you want a club? Dream bigger!

S: I think it goes to show how in love Lestat is with Louis that he's gonna give him these things that mean absolutely nothing in the context of vampire world. But what Lestat doesn't understand is that what Louis needs is that power and is control over his life. There's a lesson for both of them and in this moment, Lestat doesn't understand.

N: Here's another question I have.. I just need you to tell me, where is Lestat's money coming from??

S: He's got investments and he's got bankers and lawyers in France. When he got turned into a vampire, he was given like the most ginormous amount of money like an entire room of treat.

N: You're giving us so much backstory, I didn't even know that.

S: If you think about inflation over the years  its just like an obscene obscene amount of money. And if you've lived through the centuries you're able to follow the trends of markets..

N: That's why I would be a vampire or travel through time, like people say they would kill Hitler and yes I would do that too but I would also get some good property, like get some good spaces like I'd go back to like 1899 when its cheap and buy it all up. One Park Ave apartment!

S: Thats why all vampires are pretty damn rich, like Louis in 2022 in Dubai he is really mega rich, he's got Francis Bacons.

N: I didn't even clock it. You also know he's rich cause his penthouse is so cold. Rich people really love stone floors and sharp edges, you know they want you to know if you're poor  you could die in here.

S: Exactly, and you're never comfortable..

N: Why do you think Lestat chose Louis cause as a viewer there's a question from moment one - do these men really love each other, are they just entangled, the whole time you're watching.. do I want them to be together?

S: Being a vampire is hard, its very difficult to endure and exist forever basically and you need to have quite a lot of strength and internal power to endure and Lestat recognizes that in Louis. When he sees him on the street and thinks that very very very beautiful man just pulled a knife on his brother in the middle of the street to look powerful to save his own skin and he has enough strength to do that and Lestat thinks this guy has enough strength to endure. And he's also got the hots for him really badly. He tries really hard to be a good normal guy as best as he can and I think when he has dinner with his familiy and he screws up, he does actually feel quite bad that he's made a mess of that cause he was trying really hard to be on his best behavior. Instead he hypnotizes his brother and makes a big scene. He's starts making innuendos and brings up God, which is never a good thing with Lestat. So he does his absolute best to pretend he's drinking wine and eating food.

N: What was it like to go from covid isolation to sex scenes?

S: Um, hmm. The sex scenes were kind of the easier part and we were all in the same bubble together and we were getting tested all the time like daily. It was a funny time cause we had these mad contacts on and they're quite cloudy. Jacob and I really clung to each other a lot of the time cause we couldn't really see, everyone else had masks on and you could only the person just in front of you. So it was this very comedic languid dream like place.

N: Can we talk more about the contacts, the makeup.. I cannot take the nails, the long nails, the cutting everyone.

S: The nails were a real process, originally they were press on / stick on nails and I had so many action I was always grabbing stuff and they were constantly popping off and so they said you should get acryllic. It took me a long long time to get used to acryllic nails and a lot of people would just come up and talk to me, like I would be in a restaurant and someone would just be like hey I love your nails. it was free reign for people to come up and chat so I became a nicer looking person with the nails.

N: It's like nails and hair. You always had short hair right?

S: Yeah it's usually always short. My hair was short when I first arrived in and it grew out over the course of the show, so we extended it with extensions and then it was my own hair. At first Rolin was like you know I think you could have short hair your hair looks good, I was like no no no no.. I think if you're gonna play a character like Lestat you kind of  have to have the nails and the hair. And he likes to accentuate things if he's really pissed off he'll flip it all the way back you know.

N: And there are time we are almost getting drag queen level drama from Lestat,  he wants you and everyone in a 10 mile radius to know when he's mad.

S: It's drama, he loves drama. I love him very dearly so I don't want to say anything bad about him but he wants to create a bit of drama he'll create a bit of drama. And if he wants to be really seductive in a moment and flip it and be really ugly, he will. He does what he wants whenever he wants and he'll make sure everyone's watching him do it cause he know he looks great doing it. He's a super vain guy but his heart is in the right place I would say.

N: Nope Sam, nope. Okay. Sam. I'm gonna have to push back. I know you played him but I'm saying you're wrong. .. One thing I think Rolin does so well that you and Jacob capture is this is now an interracial relationship, it charges these questions Anne was already asking - what is it to be human, what is power, what are relationships. [incinerator argument scene plays] Do you think that being a vampire being hundreds of years old, that Lestat think of himself as above race?

S: I don't know if he thinks of it like that, I think he definitely acknowledges the prejudices that exist, he acknolwedges it as soon as he meets Louis and I think once you become a vampire, that you can transcend that, thats what Lestat fully misunderstands about Louis' situation. I think he has a lot to learn in that regard.

N: Lestat is kinda like humans are trifles, we don't have time for it. Louis believes humanity is worthwhile and still wants to be apart of it.

S: I think he just doesn't understand yet, I think Louis at this point doesn't understand the enormity of living forever. He's just become a vampire, his family is still around, I think once you see everyone around you grow old die you see wars break outriots break out, you see the ages through the century, you see humanity is in this fucked up cycle that continues on the same hamster wheel. You're this fantastic creature that exists outside of humanity, why do you need to bother engaging with the small little fancies of these human beings. Then Lestat, there's his choice, I'm gonna live it up and have a good time and make a joke about it find it funny. He is very oscillating though so sometimes the joke is at his expense and sometimes the joke is at everyone else's expensve but he is the one who's always laughing. But what I will say is what Lestat feels about humanity is through art, like there is a beautiful pure expression and he really repsects and admires that and love musicians and artists. [opera scene plays] I mean what an amazing gift to read a scene like that I couldn't believe it when I was reading it and then it dawned on me that I would have to play the piano, sing, and speak Italian and kill somebody. Yeah, don't screw it up or you will die. But if you're a good musician in his eyes, he will make sure you're fully appreciated. If you're bad, yes you will die.

N: So the stakes are pretty chill. Either you're good and have a patron for life or you're bad and you die.

[teasing future episodes]

Jewelle Gomez Interview Highlights

N: In this episode, we learn a lot about vampires. I'm wondering how common these are in other vampire stories, like are they things Anne codified or have they been around. First, Lestat saying he had been so lonely, he says there are only about 100 other vampires in the world. What? I thought there were so many more?

J: I think the general idea has been vampires don't create much in the way of community that tehy are individualists in a great sense. No one ever really talks about the numbers but they seem to be very small so I think the tendency is to be inviduals.

N: They said the vampires can't drink the blood of the dead?

J: Yeah, thats a no no. You just don't be doing that. The heart has still got to be beating while you're taking the blood. Cause the blood from a dead person will draw you into death. That's pretty common, everyone knows that.

N: I thought maybe it was a taste issue like its a little sticky its a little coagulated that its not as good. But okay. Another tidbit we get is vampires can't read the minds of someone they've made. So like lestat can't read louis' mind?

J: I dont know if that is a general rule about makers. In general, vampires can read anybody's thoughts based on my extensive research/

N: Vampires live in coffins but do they need to sleep in coffins. I thought that was an old school idea like if you were a modern vampire you'd be like this is my studio apartment.

J: Every novel you read they sleep in coffins, although when I was writing a black lesbian vampire moving into the 20th century having escaped from slavery, she would not be sleeping in no coffin! I was like no no no no no. The big thing about coffin is the security, if you can get in there and lock it. In Dracula he carries his home soil so his coffin is lined with. In my books, I put her on a futon and its pretty uncomfortable but so is a coffin, behind a very thick door and she's good to go.

N: Alright thats the end of our lightning round, okay now Jewelle, what is your relationship with TVC and Anne Rice in general?

J: I read IWTV certainly when it first came out and I had written a single story a vampire story that got published in the Village Voice and then I thought I could write more of these cause people really liked it. Anne Rice's writing made me realize how sensual the vampire story could be and that meant the texture to a lot of my own writing of vampire stories.

N: What is it about vampires for you that you feel like lends itself to exploring queerness and sexuality more so than other monsters?

J: I think vampires have a natural sensuality. I mean the very act of taking blood is skin against skin, touching. The way that vampire interactions are set up is like a seduction in most cases. Bringing someone into vampire life involves an exchange of liquids, the lips touching, parts of the body, its sensual by its very nature. It draws in anyone who is interested in any sensual writing, queer writers allows us to create an outsider figure who's also the hero of the story. For we as queer people, being an outside being at the center our of own story.

N: Certainly this version of IWTV is doing its own thing but very much rooted in Anne's books. Before it was a little implicit, it was coded that Louis and Lestat had something going on. Here it's like this is what its about.

J: I think Louis and Lestat's relationship is core to the story and what moves the story and because its the 21st century we can now look at how two men come together and can find each other. What's really moving about this particular version is when Lestat talks about how lonely he has been for so long and I think he's giving voice to what a lot of queer people feel before they find their queer lover. So its very very moving to be able to experience that loneliness before he's able to find the lover he's been looking for.

N: There's so many ethical questions about being a vampire, like you're a vampire that doesn't wanna kill people. Do you think a vampire has to kill people in order to be really powerful?

J: I don't think so. A vampire has the power to take blood and not kill. To take small amounts from lots of people and not kill. And that's the way I wanted my character to go cause she's creating community, I think the idea that Louis could take blood and not kill, he does finally get to that when we see the interview w/ the older Molloy. I also know that all of us donate blood to the Red Cross we don't die when we give a pint of blood. So I think its possible to donate that amount of blood to a vampire and still live. That made more sense to me, that's how I created my vampires.

N: I love the idea that a vampire would take your blood and give you Orange Juice and cookies. Like here's a couple dried biscuits, take a seat for 10 minutes.

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 11

Link for Seasons  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10

You know the drill by now, I’ll judge whether an episode has all the qualities of a canon one, or is it just shameless filler. S11E1 With Apologies to Jesse Jackson is LORE

N-word for white people gets banned instantly. Again, a major character in this one will return as a henchman later, but that's a minor role with one line. S11E2 Cartman Sucks is FILLER

Butters goes to camp. Eric gets himself in a tricky situation that will be forgotten by next time. S11E3 Lice Capades is FILLER

The boys have lice. Clyde's lice moves on. S11E4 The Snuke is FILLER

Bahir moves in, he moves out, a bomb doesn't even do anything in the end. S11E5 Fantastic Easter Special is CANON

Because Jesus is shown to resurrect himself time and time again, which explains his future appearances, otherwise his S6 death and later returns would be pretty much unexplained. S11E6 D-Yikes! is CANON

Janet has an interesting change when she realizes her attraction to women, a part of her character journey of self-discovery. S11E7 Night of The Living Homeless is FILLER

Eric breaks record of jumping over homeless people. While I consider this as filler content in South Park, remind me if I ever do a Happy Days filler guide to include this one as canon! S11E8 Le Petit Tourette is LORE

As with South Park is Gay from season 7, this one helps to establish Craig Tucker's interest in boys, and this one even foreshadows what's his type is like! S11E9 More Crap is CANON

In my mind, when I started writing about this season it started like: Can you imagine the world where I would say this one's canon? And then I would make a joke and advise everyone to skip it. However reading through the transcript of the banned episode 200 of Emmy Award winning series South Park just to make sure, I found Bono making a very specific reference to this one episode, unlike Sally Struthers for instance, who says very basic things about South Park that made her episode only important enough to count as LORE, as did many other celebrities. Thanks Bono, you have a new record now, interfering with my calculations and gaining the longest paragraph in my guide. S11E10 & S11E11 & S11E12 Imaginationland is FILLER

I know, I know, everyone wanted these to be canon, including myself at one point. And don't worry, my step-sister is going to beat me up over this one so it's already taken care of. My bottom line is that these episodes (also once retconned into a second movie) are somewhat a separate entity from the rest of the series, knowing the characters is needed to it, but the world-building is vastly different from the rest of the show, so this is where it ends up. Imagination is real. Filler is real too. That's the main takeaway. S11E13 Guitar Queer-O is FILLER

After what just happened I can't even take this one seriously. It's like robbing a bank and then jaywalking. S11E14 The List is CANON

Stan and Wendy make up. That's a spectacular episode anyway, but for our intents and purposes for inspecting a continuous story, unlike imagination territory, or a random terrorist attacks, relationship drama is exactly the kind of stuff that gets a pass.

SPOILER-FREE RUNDOWN

Again, CANON means you should watch it, FILLER means you can skip it, LORE is somewhere in-between, any episode with the LORE label will have an explanation that helps you decide if you should include it or not. S11E1 With Apologies to Jesse Jackson is LORE* S11E2 Cartman Sucks is FILLER S11E3 Lice Capades is FILLER S11E4 The Snuke is FILLER S11E5 Fantastic Easter Special is CANON S11E6 D-Yikes! is CANON S11E7 Night of The Living Homeless is FILLER S11E8 Le Petit Tourette is LORE** S11E9 More Crap is CANON S11E10 & S11E11 & S11E12 Imaginationland is FILLER S11E13 Guitar Queer-O is FILLER S11E14 The List is CANON *Two minor members of a later organization gain their motives here **If you want to learn about Craig's type in dating

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14 S10: 4 out of 14 S11: 4 out of 14

Overall: 73 out of 168

[haemosexuality]

This wedding story took years to become a reality.

Initially, when we introduced Ruby and Sapphire in "Jail Break" [S1E49], we were told they could not be in a romantic relationship. I was told by Cartoon Network's Standards and Practices that they could not kiss on the mouth. When I was asked internally by my executive at the time if they were e couple, I said absolutely yes-of course-they sing an entire song about how they're in love! I wanted them to be an absolutely iconic cartoon couple, the queer, interracial, gender-expansive answer to Mickey and Minnie Mouse. But this was 2014, and same-sex marriage was not yet legal in the United States. There was a huge stigma against LGBTQIA+ content in children's media.

[...]

I wanted everything for Ruby and Sapphire, every genre of romantic story. Their romantic reunion, a dramatic fight episode, their romantic fairy-tale origin story, the rom-com baseball episode it only made sense to top it all off with a big animated wedding, so we pitched the first version of the wedding in 2015. It was called "If You Love Yourself So Much," and at that point it was only one episode, about Garnet marrying herself. I was told at the time that "International S&P may object to some of the more direct language about Garnet as a committed relationship, so we may need to be more subtle when approaching her identity through the lens of a wedding."

But I didn't want to be subtle anymore. After the suggestions of changing it to some sort of Gem celebration, I put the story on hold to try to figure out how to do it in a more direct way. Then, in June 2016, lan [Jones-Quartey] proposed to me! Garnet had always been based on our relationship, so that was it. It wasn't going to be honest now, if Ruby and Sapphire didn't get married.

We decided it would be an inexorable part of the story. And then the back-and-forth started, and no one wanted to say the real concerns, so instead it was, "Will this appeal to our demographic of six-to-eleven-year-old boys?" But Ben 10 had an alien wedding, Powerpuff Girls had a wedding-there was no question that the Cartoon Network audience would definitely watch a wedding. Arguments were made that it was "out of character" for Steven to want a wedding, but we'd covered our bases there with the episode "Open Book" [S1E51], which had already aired ages ago. It's old news that Steven loves weddings. I wouldn't bend on the story, and every time there was a concern about it not being entertaining enough, I would add more: A big musical number! A huge fight! A half-hour special! This thing will be so entertaining it'll blow kids' hair back!

"But if Steven Universe gets a gay wedding, then every show is going to want a gay wedding!" "YES!" I said. "GOOD! WHY NOT???"

Eventually the decision came down from on high: We could have the wedding. I knew that was an extremely difficult call to make, and that we were going to be censored heavily and pulled in many countries because of it. And we didn't know at that time if this would mean the end of the show. It looked as if the writing was on the wall, and we were working toward the end.

I had been told this would be the final pickup for us, and I campaigned for an additional six episodes on the end of the season in order to wrap up the story-this became the Era 3 arc.

(Rebecca Sugar, in "Steven Universe: End of an Era)

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 20/09/2023

Vote Responsibly!!

Season 4 Episode 1 Featured on: SECOND WIND ~ SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day Tournament Original Soundtrack VOL. 2

Ripped by Smoky

Requested by @youtubepoopmusicvideo!

This is a big one, and one that's been pretty hotly anticipated by the requestee. Lauren, otherwise "Yhenestik" on Twitter and other platforms, is unquestionably the biggest devotee toward a SiIvaGunner character that I've ever seen, and is in general a face I see a lot in the community's small social media presence such as here on Tumblr. The character of his affection is a really fascinating one, and one I'll devote some time to talking about today: John Notwoodman.

John is pretty much a pitch-perfect demonstration on how SiIva lore typically operates and evolves - a joke suddenly growing its roots into something we become attached to. The joke this time was pretty easy to understand - Season 3's King for a Day tournament needed a host, and the team thought it'd be funny to present this host as nothing but fan-favorite character Wood Man in a gameshow-esque bow tie, top hat and curly mustache. The fanbase, of course, went along with this sort of kayfabe during the tournament's running, and John Notwoodman was treated as his own character, despite only really existing to host this temporary, made-to-give-the-channel-something-to-do event.

Funny enough, though, the idea of there being multiple incarnations of the channel's defacto mascot was actually something that Wood Man himself jokingly hinted at back during his initial channel takeover at the prelude to Season 2. As Season 2 progressed, we got further confirmation that Wood Man indeed has the power to transcent dimensions and timelines, due to his status as a hybrid between a Figment and a computer virus. Us loreheads were already aware that John Notwoodman being a seperate character from normal Wood Man was a genuine possibility for the team to pursue - which is what ended up occuring during Season 4 Episode 1. It started with Unusual Circumstances - A SiIvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story, a lore video that lightheartedly depicts the context and resolution behind how the SiIvaGunner channel nearly got terminated at the end of Season 3. This video, beyond being an all-time favorite of mine on the channel, mostly just added fuel to the fire on whether or not John Notwoodman was truly a seperate character from Wood Man himself - if nothing else, it confirmed that the two were absolutely intertwined with one another and didn't just exist separately. Nevertheless, this brought new eyes to the character, and would result in their inclusion as a major character in both the third SilvaGunner Spooktacular Halloween Horror Special, and the legendary King for Another Day Tournament. Through Spooktacular III in particular, we now both had confirmation of John's status as his own character and a canon voice for him - the voice of the Announcer as to later be used in KFAD2. KFAD2, then, not only gave him plenty of relevance as the event's announcer and overall CEO, but gave him tons of time to expand as a character through the event's extensive back cover - the King for Another Day MOJO website, which has written dialogues between all of the event's characters. It's something I myself am still lagging behind on in terms of required reading, yet just from the pieces I've read its easy to understand how the event gave John Notwoodman even more life than he had before, as a lover of the dramatic,theatrical, and overall just having a good time.

Both of these appearances suddenly grounded the character in SiIva's canon with relations to Wood Man, Unregistered Hypercam 2, Meowth, and the various KFAD contestants - he became a character with a distinctly different set of priorities and goals than the Wood Man we know. Priorities that, as shown in KFAD2's finale, showed just how long Wood Man himself had left to go as a person. Wood Man may once have been averse to the idea of there being multiple incarnations of himself, yet he's able to see that their existence shows all the possible ways his own life may one day end up. Three seasons later, and we're still unsure just what path Wood Man will end up walking down.

Though John hasn't had much to do recently on the channel, his theme - Vote Responsibly!! - is, too, emblematic of his progression as a character. He started out as nothing but a jokey facade for a familiar face, and the original Vote Responsibly theme as featured in Season 3 reflected that. But a year later, as second contest began - John Notwoodman was now a person all of their own, with a theme proudly arranged by the character's creator, Smoky. Smoky is broadly speaking in charge of the entire channel's lore and most of its characters, and its been immensely interesting seeing how she's grown both him and Wood Man himself outward as two differing people, working within the loose constraints of SiIva's lore to create a genuinely fascinating dichotomy between such similar-appearing characters. All of that, whilst still putting in the elbow grease to make genuinely excellent arrangements and compositions such as Vote Responsibly!!. Though its a theme I mostly love for what it symbolizes -as you've likely been able to tell through this incoherent rambling - it remains a banger all on its own.

[rsa-everything]

FRIEREN - a mockery of an anime review

(Anime only perspective) *Although, I am aware of many things in the manga*

----

Can an anime be 10/10 perfect score? Possibility, says yes! But time, says no! With time there will always be something better.

9.99.../10

Should you give it a try: 99 % Yes - ( 1% no if you can't control your attention)

Done.

----

I finished the first season and I'm amazed at how well this story follows its main theme so well. Starting at the end of what would be the common resolution of most fantasy animes, the victory over the demon lord, Frieren delivers a storyline of how life really works, despite reaching the end of one story, another continues. And in the grand scheme of all life, the story really never ends.

You really need to watch this anime past it's opening prologue (roughly eps 1- 2)

The audience is thrown into abrupt point in the story, you don't see the party of heroes take down the demon lord or any action really. You find your hero party in it's victory parade and you are left with piecing together of what happened and how will this story continue.

Initially, what you get is an at leisure fantasy, slice of life, and a mundane world exploration But it's really an overwhelmingly spacious world building experience. Frieren, the last great mage, is roughly over a 1000 years old in the story we begin and that really correlates with her pace of life and her emotionless outlook. The story starts after 10 years of journeying with the hero's party. Frieren leaves to explore the world, but for every moment or event we watch-time easily passes by. So quickly that we reach the death of main hero of her party, Himmel. This is point where Frieren's sense of time really slows down for the audience and constant event flags stick to the story. She suddenly self realizes what she missed in a blink of an eye, because sudden rush of feelings that are resonating within her for once (IMO regret, sadness and determination *in that order*)

She decides to leave the remaining members to change herself mentally and actually live in the world before her. Of course, her habits of constant leisure are still a foundation of her deminer, but changes are subtle. Eventually the changes pick up when she reunites 20 years later with Heiter, one of her party members, again.

As I would enjoy to retell the story, I shouldn't. it's for ppl to enjoy.

Just stop reading and enjoy watching the anime. It's a masterclass of new perspective in an anime genre riddled with Isekai plot armor. (I personally enjoy that still) But if you already did watch Freiren, watch it in another language. You might find it refreshing for slight changes of context.

For the people that would like to continue:

Feieren explores the idea of what shapes your decisions currently are the actions and events from the past. Simply put, everything is a reflection of the past. I believe this is the main plot driving force of our main cast of characters. Whatever happens, no matter how small it's eventually reflected on future events. If you stop and rewatch episode(s) before the main event(s) you'll realize there's more meaning in what they do. Sure, this anime uses flash backs to explain how this came to be, but the actions are explained often with actions and dialogue from previous episodes. Frieren, the mage, is an odd ball and is questioned often as to why she does things and audience often will understand before the people she speaks with. The amount of layers of this is ridiculous and are splendid tidbits along the way for the audience. (like specific spells for really specific things that wouldn't be really that special or "useful")

Besides the superb story, the animation really doesn't get enough credit. For some reason ppl often bring up the dance scene being amazing with all it's movement in fabric, hair etc. But, looking back at previous episodes, watching the characters hair, earrings, fabric etc..., everything is so subtle that it mirrors reality. The director really knows how to make the audience focus, from cinematic angles to the unusual poses. People will joke feet *cough cough* and armpits *cough cough* but they just make a common conversion or fight more interesting. Speaking of fight scenes, the animation is also highly praised for good reason. They are just pure enjoyment and a nice refreshing change of pace when it arrives. The scenes are not only a spectacle in their own rights, but emphasize the importance of experience and skill development for both the characters and the audience. Even the dialogue during the fights really means something and everything seems to have purpose. It's wonderful that the the dialogue is calm and subdued as if the opponents are using the weight of their experience to dominate the fight.

to be continued...

maybe

[jokerislandgirl32]

New Beginnings: A Wild Violet One Shot

Okay so I’m super behind in the game, but I wanted to complete at least a couple pieces for the Drabblecember challenge, and even though it’s the 29th of December, I decided to go ahead and share this piece with you all. It became more of a one shot than a Drabble, I hope that it okay! It is a very important piece to me because it signifies a very special moment in the relationship between my f/o Zach and s/i Violet. And this is the first fanfic piece I’ve posted in forever, so yeah! I can write again!

The prompt I am using for this piece is Day 1: Winter Weather.

Word Count: 1,662

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Mentions of loss of child, mentions of pregnancy, morning sickness, light angst, one mild curse word, kissing/makeout session, a few suggestive comments (but nothing explicit/nsfw). If any of this triggers you please do not read! I don’t want to hurt anyone!

Placing the story below a cut, there is a second part, so I may update this post/link it at another time! Enjoy!

Selfship Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed 😊):

@snailchans-imaginarium @crunch-crunch-eat-a-bunch @changingcore @bitchywitchheart @stoatsapphic @3qu1us-main @kittycatkissez @benreillyswife @creativegenius22 @genderqueer-bithing @serenitytodd1234 @mailiow @celestetheseaunicorn

POV: This takes place during the Under Frozen Pond Episode, so here are some Zach screenshots from said episode 🥰!

The cold weather of the winter season enveloped me as I lay in the snow. I wore my husband’s scarf and trench coat, my own gray gloves, and a lilac hat that once belonged to my mother. I looked up to the bright blue sky, and breathed deeply, closing my eyes as I exhaled.

I’d run away from Zach after we’d had an argument about my recent health concerns. Zach was bound and determined to keep me confined to the plane until we returned to the city for me to see my doctor, but I was tired of being cooped up all day.

To be fair he’d gotten his way most days for nearly two weeks because I’d been too sick to even leave our bedroom, but today I’d felt well enough to join him while he surveyed the location for the Annual Villain’s Meeting.

As Zach was wrapping his former winter coat and scarf around me my hopes of breaking free from my confinement to enjoy the cold weather were crushed when I’d gotten sick to my stomach yet again. I narrowly avoided becoming sick all over his shiny winter boots, and Zach grimaced and gagged for a few minutes until my sick spell subsided. He composed himself after I’d come up for air from the trash can he’d ordered Tan to bring to me while Cro cleaned up the mess.

Zach pulled a box of mints out of his pocket and emptied a few in my palm, something he’d started doing nearly two weeks before when I’d first started getting sick, “We’re going to have to get you to the doctor, Vi, you should’ve been over the virus by now, I was over it after a day….this isn’t normal.”

“I know,” I whispered, itching to tell him my suspicions, but I just couldn’t face it, not yet, not after what had happened in July.

I opened my eyes, looking to the sky again, wondering if she was looking down on me with those green eyes so like her father’s, the red hair like her grandmother’s, and my face with the freckles Zach and I both had during childhood.

If she was here things would’ve been very different…but I knew it was best not to dwell on that, it would just depress me again. I tried to focus on the positive: she was now our guardian angel. And if what I suspected was happening, I knew we needed her protection now more than ever.

Zach’s shrill voice met my ears as he called out my name. I lifted my head up far enough to see him slipping and sliding his way toward me over the ice. I laughed and sat up, not wanting to miss the opportunity to see him fall flat on his ass. It reminded me so much of when we’d gone skating the first time a couple years before. I’d never skated in my life and Zach had very little experience himself so it was quite a comical sight.

While he wobbled his way toward me, his curses becoming louder by the second, I thought how much I’d like to go skating with him right then, but I knew with what was happening to me that it probably was not the safest option.

Zach finally reached me, and I flopped back down on the snow, exhausted from my uncontrollable laughter. Zach loomed over me, his legs spread so that my legs were between his, if I’d reached up and pulled him down it would have been a very compromising position.

Zach didn’t seem to notice because he was so absorbed in his own anger, he planted his hands on his hips and took the opportunity to yell at me, “what’s so funny?”

“You trying to walk on the ice, you’re as graceful as a hippopotamus,” I laughed, trying to catch my breath and wiping tears from my eyes.

“I am far more graceful than a hippo platter mouth or whatever,” he hissed, not amused by my comments. Zach turned away and walked in the direction of the plane motioning for me to follow him, “come on and get up, it’s freezing out here…”

I sat up with the full intention of following him, but a wave of nausea stopped me in my tracks. I slowly lowered my head back to the ground taking calming breaths, Zach had turned back to yell at me, “VIO…Vi?”

“I need a minute,” I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand.

Zach crunched his way back over to me through the snow and sat down beside me, his brows knitted in concern, “are you okay?”

I shook my head and he took my free hand in his, wrapping our gloved fingers tightly together, he laid down on his back beside me and we held hands, looking at each other silently until I was able to speak again.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, smiling weakly at him.

Zach lifted his head, and pulled his hand free of mine, “no you’re not, we have to get you to the doctor and find out what’s going on, Violet…I’ll call Donita and Gourmand and we’ll reschedule….”

“No, Zach…” I whined, I covered my face with my hands to hide the tears that threatened to escape, “I’m fine…I’m just sick is all, it’s because, well…Zach…I think we’re pre…”

I pulled my hands away and looked at his face, etched with confusion and curiosity, I couldn’t tell him here, not yet…I had to be sure…so I quickly changed the conversation, “do you remember when we first went ice skating a couple years ago?”

Zach’s face went slack for a minute, and his eyes widened, he lowered his head to the snow again, staring at the sky in confusion before he looked back at me, “uhhh, yeah?”

I quickly covered my near omission, “I think we’re perfectly happy like we were then…yes we’ve had sickness come our way, but we’re not going to let that stop us from being happy and doing what we need to do, right? We’ll just get up and try again after falling down, we can’t let this sickness stop us from enjoying our day…”

Zach’s face contorted with bewilderment again, “so…uhhh, you wanna go skating?”

I giggled, pulling his gloved hand into mine and kissing the top of his hand, “No, that’s not what I meant…even if I wanted to I can’t, but no, no, no…Zach, that’s not my point, my point is, we can’t let me being sick ruin our day, I’m just a little sick that’s all, after today I’ll get a doctors appointment, and we’ll take it from there…one step at a time.”

Zach, nodded his head slowly, still looking unsettled by our situation and conversation, “okay…then….”

I released his hand and grinned, waving my arms around me in the snow, “that’s settled!”

Zach snickered, “are you making a snow angel?”

I stopped moving my arms and glanced to either side of me, I hadn’t done it intentionally, but I indeed had a pair of snow angel wings started, “I guess so…wanna join me?”

“Join you?” Zach scoffed, moving to stand up, he rolled his eyes, “it’s childish, frivolous…”

I resumed waving my arms and moving my legs to complete the angel, “it’s fun…one of my favorite cold weather activities…”

Zach huffed and grabbed my hand, plopping into the snow beside me, he reluctantly started making his own snow angel, “this is humiliating…if Donita and Gourmand see us…”

“They’ll think it’s cute,” I giggled, and I sat up long enough to give him a peck on the cheek.

I peered out of the corner of my eyes and snickered as a blush crept across his pale features that were already tinted red from the cold, “oh no you don’t,” he hissed, moving from beside me to straddling me within seconds.

I could not stop giggling as Zach’s flustered face hovered inches from mine, his hands on either side of my head, “think you can just tease me and get away with it, do ya?”

“N-no!” I gasped between laughs, Zach smirked and closed the space between us, kissing me. My giggles subsided as he deepened the kiss, I reached my hands up and grasped either side of his face, pulling his face closer to me, earning a moan from him, “minx,” he mumbled against my lips. He then trailed his lips across mine and from my nose to my chin. He gave me one quick kiss on my nose and sighed. I opened my eyes and saw him looking at me.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” He whispered, a grin spreading across his face, he shook his head and stood up, “come on, let’s get you back to the plane, laying in this cold weather can’t be good for you.”

I relented and sat up, I held my hands to him and he helped me to my feet, I bounced slightly as I stood up, earning a laugh from Zach, “always enthusiastic…”

Zach released my hands and offered his arm to me, I giggled and wrapped my arms around his bicep, “such a gentleman,” I teased.

He smirked, “I try.”

We started walking back to the plane, and I abruptly stopped. I untangled myself from Zach’s arm and walked back to our snow angels, Zach called out, “what’s wrong?”

I stood in front of the snow angels and whispered a quiet prayer, “please protect this one,” I placed my hands into the middle of my snow angel, fanned out to look somewhat like a butterfly, I felt a tear trickling from my eye, and I brushed it away.

I quickly rejoined Zach who’d raised an eyebrow at me, “was that for Alexandria?”

“Maybe,” I whispered, biting my lip, Zach continued giving me an awkward stare, but he wrapped his arm around my waist, resting his hand on my stomach, unknowingly answering his own question with the simple yet touching gesture.

[27emailsicantsend]

Season 4 Thoughts

To My Followers

This rest of this debrief will be wordy and I wanted to make sure I got what I felt was the most important part of this posted here first, before I move onto my thoughts of season 4. In case you read nothing else, I hope you read this: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this amazing ride we have went on the past four years. Especially thank you to the 2019 Rina’s, who saw our little crack ship and believed in it’s potential every step of the way. I am floored by the amazing community I feel we have built on my page.

Something I haven’t shared about on here is I have dealt with some pretty bad on and off depression since 2019. I’ve had a hard time maintaining friends due to natural circumstances that have come with just being an adult. When I got lonely, I was always able to turn to Tumblr and answer a new ask or read a positive comment. I remember one time one of my posts on Tumblr got semi-big on Twitter and it was during one of my darkest depression phases. It truly made me feel like I had something… special to offer when I felt like I was nothing. I’ve been on Tumblr for a long time, but the HSMTMTS fandom truly changed my life. I am not only mourning a show that brought me comfort and felt like the friendships I was craving, but also the community we have built.

If nothing else comes of the show (no movie, spin-off, etc.) I just want you all to know from the bottom of my heart, I genuinely appreciate you. You were my light in my darkest tunnels and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. I don’t plan on leaving Tumblr, not even close and I am sure I will have a lot more to say as I rewatch the season, but I know some of you might be gone after this. So, whether you stay or you leave, please know you have “changed my life for the better, I have been changed for good”.

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Now who is ready for my season 4 thoughts?

Instead of going episode by episode, I figured it would be easier to talk about the season in general themes. Overall, I loved this season. It is my favorite season, which I knew would be so hard to beat s3 but this one did. I cried, laughed, cried, sang along in my head, and cried some more. Tim and the cast truly outdid themselves this season and I don’t think I have ever seen a better final season to a show. Ever. Honestly, I hesitate rewatching the season because of how much it impacted me the first time and I know it won’t feel the same the second time around, but that just means it did what it needed to do. If anyone on the show is seeing this, please know that I appreciate everything you’ve done!

Music

The music this season was incredible. I know a lot of people didn’t like season 3’s soundtrack, but honestly, I did. But I really feel like this season outshined in a lot of ways musically. Stripping down to raw vocals made the scenes feel much more emotional and connected. And the changes and tracking to the songs we already knew made them feel fresh again. The original songs were all crafted carefully to give meaning and purpose to the scenes and characters, making each one feel like a progressive step in the episode, rather than just filler. The music was always an important part to this show, but this season it really felt the most intentional. I don’t have enough good things to say about it.

I’m having a hard time picking a favorite because they were all so meaningful in their own ways, but if I had to pick one (for now), I would probably say “Maybe this Time” is my favorite. Watching Ricky and Gina talk about how they feel like this time around their relationship is different from their other relationships- and before with each other- really encompasses everything Tim was trying to portray with the ship. They had to go through their ups and downs, had to see other relationships, in order to give and appreciate each other’s authentic love. Not only this, but the proof was in the pudding with Ricky’s feelings. Watching each iconic Rina scene as they sang about feeling like their relationship with each other is different than others, shows that those moments were reciprocated feelings between the two of them. And while I never had a doubt Ricky had feelings since the beginning, this really solidified the idea for even the most casual of viewers.

Cinematography

I had to pause myself several times and remember I was watching a tv show and not a movie because the budget was budgeting! I am amazed at the detail and stylistic choices the show chose depending on what we were watching. From the opening scene literally feeling like I was watching HSM again, to certain scenes making me feel like I was back to previous seasons, to other scenes where the lens would change depending on if we were watching HSM4 being filmed directly or through the directors chair. It was creative and stylistic, using different camera techniques like the steady camera or being shot more like a music video for the Halloween song. In the most meta way, you could literally see the enhancements to the shots with coloring and lighting, making this season feel like the same upgrade HSM3 was from HSM2. I am just so, beyond impressed.

Humor

Oh my gosh, this season did not miss with the jokes and facial expressions! I will say, I think season 3 did have me laughing a little more frequently, whereas this season had me crying a lot more, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny. They weren’t kidding saying it was “pg-13”, because I was really surprised with some of the jokes they put into this season (like the one between Ricky and his dad episode 1 or the amount of bleeped swear words). Emmy had the most heinous lines, so you never quite knew what to expect with her. I loved seeing Ricky make his “Jim Halpert eyes” at the camera or Ricky and Jet tease each other about their girls. I think one or two more jokes would have bode well within this season, but I am also very happy with what we got!

Friendships

EJ and Ricky- this was probably one of the more shocking things to happen in the season. I knew from stills we were going to get something with EJ and Ricky, but I remember when they were first dropped I was very confused about why they were together. There are a lot of things EJ has done wrong and a lot of things he’s done right, but I really think his relationship with Ricky was redeemed after episode five. I was so impressed by his monologue at the end of their time together and the raw emotion Ricky had to hearing the things EJ was saying. Ricky needed to know that it was on him to change, even if he couldn’t change the outcome, he could change his view. I loved knowing that EJ had moved on and even if it was hard, he still supported rina at the end of the day. I think this gave Ricky some relief too. And then watching Ricky call on EJ a couple more times when he was stressed and have that parallel scene of throwing the basketball back and forth… it was just a very satisfying ending for them that I didn’t know needed to happen until it did. (Also their song?? Was so good??? It was really nice to hear EJ sing something serious and his vocals worked well with Ricky’s).

Gina and Mack- I really thought I was going to hate Mack and the first couple of episodes set him up to look that way too. But then he shows up in the trailer asking to pretend to date Gina and for some reason that scene I knew he wasn’t harmful? I know that might sound backwards but it came across really… friendly? Ricky’s worries were more comedic than an actual threat to their relationship which I appreciated. Tim really meant it when he said no more love triangles for them… because it was never actually a triangle. Mack and Gina didn’t actually have those romantic feelings for each other. Mack grew on me throughout the season and watching him drop out after his conversation with Ricky really shed a light on his character. I just wish Ricky would have replaced Mack as Romeo… and kind of shocked he didn’t?

Kourtney and Gina- If there is one thing I was certain on and was completely wrong about, it was these two. I genuinely thought Kourtney’s “diva-ness” was going to mimmick Sharpay’s because Sharpay was jealous of Gabriella and tried to take her role HSM3. The doc set up Kourtney and Gina to look like they hated each other and I really thought things were going to get messy between them. Honestly… that was the only thing from the doc that wasn’t mentioned, so I kind of wonder if Tim had plans for it but dropped it in the end? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy they stayed close this season; I’m just confused, is all.

Ricky and Nini- Another name I did not expect to hear at all this season, but in the context it happened in, I’m glad I did. I think Nini giving Ricky that lotto ticket helped to heal any remaining wounds from their break up and show they would always still be friends. And while we never saw them as friends in the show, I feel like with their set up as a couple s1 they really were good friends, but dating kind of wrecked it for them. Knowing she sent those opening night cards again (a fun tradition I’m glad they kept even with her off the show), was a sweet nod that they were ok again.

Gina and EJ- Much like Nini and Ricky, I was shocked to see these two interact again and the context they did. I love Gina Porter and would defend her in court, no questions asked, but it was really interesting watching her recognize maybe a little of the hypocrisy of her keeping that secret from Ricky, which was the whole reason she got mad at EJ. I think having her go through the same thing in her relationship, helped her to recognize why it was so hard for EJ to bring it up. However, Gina seemed to try a lot harder to say it to Ricky in a short time period after finding out about the offer, whereas EJ kind of seemed like he was going to put it off as long as he could s3- that’s the difference between them. I really did love EJ and Gina as friends and you can find other posts of me saying this- and with him being friends with Ricky now too- I think there was something really healing for all of them in Gina and EJ’s conversation. I also found Ricky’s reaction to knowing Gina confided in EJ first interesting because I genuinely thought he was going to get really angry, but instead EJ pushed Ricky to go fight for Gina. It was a nice conclusion for all of them.

Miss Jenn and Emmy/Carlos- At first I was going to be really sad they cut Carlos out from being a helped with Miss Jenn, but I loved the role Emmy played with her. Emmy was obviously looking for a place where she felt wanted/needed, especially after getting kicked off the movie, so seeing her feel that by assisting Miss Jenn was sweet. I also loved that Carlos was still connected to Miss Jenn but in very different ways. They seemed more like friends and it made me think a lot about what their relationship would look like after Carlos graduated. Knowing Miss Jenn helped Carlos when he was first getting bullied was a very touching twist to their arc… in fact, that entire episode (4x06) is making me rethink everything that has happened since the beginning of the series. Just when I thought I was done finding new things, Tim has managed to make it so I can go back and rewatch and probably find MORE new things. That is what real writing looks like and it can’t be mimicked.

Family

Ricky- Watching Ricky say “I Love You” to every person he considered family was such a touching storyline. Ricky’s whole premise from season one was about how he felt isolated from those who cared about him and how he struggled to say how he feels. We watch Ricky slowly overcome this as he tells those he loves that he loves them over and over, while simultaneously wrapping several of their storylines with him. It was his way of thanking them and saying good bye and I couldn’t think of a better way for Ricky to demonstrate who has become family to him.

Gina and Terri- “Don’t get me started” is the only way I can start this, ironically. I have nasty words for this woman. I am so proud of Ricky and Gina standing up to her, pointing out how malicious she was all season. How she couldn’t be bothered to even spend two seconds with things that were important to Gina, but could easily make Gina be everything Terri wanted her to be. I knew in the Thanksgiving episode something was off about Gina’s mom. Of course, we had a couple pieces of the puzzle like Gina talking about how her mom pushes her too hard in other episodes, but specifically during this episode I got weird vibes from Terri and couldn’t quite put my finger on it. This season answered it for me. When Gina called to tell her mom about how she won the “Choosical”, it was something so small but so important to her, her mom immediately made Gina take her off speaker and then dropped that bomb while Gina was out with her friends. Like Terri couldn’t have waited until she got home? It’s very obvious that Terri’s needs are above all else and it makes Gina feel like she has to cater to her mom’s every whim. I have always said I felt a really close tie to Gina and without going into too much detail, her home life molding who she has become, makes a lot of sense why I feel so much like her. So yes, I do take Terri a bit personally.

Ricky and his parents- I have seen a lot of mixed opinions on Mike and Lynne getting back together and I get why. Honestly, I really liked Mike and Jenn. I liked the idea of Miss Jenn being the mother figure Ricky didn’t really have and literally stepping into that role. They seemed good and happy, but I get why she chose Mozzarella Stick after this season. Miss Jenn does seem a bit happier with him so I’ll let it slide. But with Mike and Lynne, it’s kind of got two sides for me. On one hand, maybe it was good for Ricky to see his parents get back together. He got this second chance and being Troy and seeing them happy in the audience was all he wanted, so it came full circle. It also proves more of the love Ricky has for Gina, because his parents represented Nini and him. He could have easily saw them get back together and thought “man if they can, I can get back with Nini too!” But he was so far removed from Nini because of his relationship for Gina, he could see that and not have it shake him back to S1 Ricky. On the other hand, it also defeats Lynne’s whole conversation that led Gina to Ricky. Because Mike and she paralleled R*ni, seeing her give Ricky permission to let Nini go (“sometimes two people aren’t always meant to be”), but then come back to Mike, makes it kind of be like “well, what was the point of that conversation because we were proving that Ricky could be more without her?” I guess you could maybe even argue that his parents reflected he and Gina instead, falling apart but then getting back together because of unresolved feelings. I’m not sure… I’d be curious to see what everyone else thinks about this.

EJ and his dad (+Kourtney and her mom)- I was happy to see EJ finally separate himself from his dad. Even though EJ was struggling financially, he was happier figuring it out on his own. This show really embodied a lot of different parent/child dynamics and I think it gives kids permission to stand up to their parents, even when it’s scary. To do what is best for you, even if your parents disagree. I think maybe EJ’s arc could have been explored a bit more and I would have loved to see more on him and Val (which I totally called it btw), but I feel like that would have been reserved for s5, had we gotten one. In the same breath, it was nice seeing Kourtney have such a good relationship with her mom as a juxtaposition to EJ and his dad this episode. She had a parent who wanted her to explore her options for college and supported her unconditionally. It showed what a good parent is like too. I really enjoyed those two storylines flipping back and forth in episode 5.

Jet and Maddox- it was so good to see their relationship healed this season. To watch them encourage each other in their roles and dreams (like Jet wanting to possibly go with her to New Zealand) was such a massive contrast from last season. You could tell a couple of times they were still working a little through the kinks, but it really seemed like they had found their rhythm again as siblings. I also have to give a huge shout out to the Halloween episode for Jet getting to help Maddox reclaim her scary story that he had “ruined” in s3. It was like the last unresolved thing for them and it was such a sweet callback for them to do again.

Relationships

Carlos and Seb- Man I don’t know how to feel about them this season. Rina’s predicted the cheating from a mile away and with Red, but even watching it on screen seemed so out of character for both of them? And the angry phase seemed to last several episodes more than the “make up” phase which was a bit frustrating. I love Seblos, but this was such an interesting plot to go down, especially with Seb accusing Carlos of cheating the whole time. And it wasn’t like that insecurity was because Seb was the cheater the whole time? It only happened once. I don’t know, I think they could have made it so Seblos fought over something else or if they had to go down the cheating storyline, showed Seb getting more and more feelings for Red through the seasons. Then when he got insecure, it makes sense because he was projecting. Then we could have had a whole arc about Seb’s insecurities.

I also had a hard time with the Seb not coming out storyline and that’s why they couldn’t travel? It just seemed like such a random “we need a C-plot” storyline for the last two episodes? I think there are better ways this relationship could have been executed this season, but I am happy to see them still as endgame.

Seb and Natalie- *blinks profusely*

Ashlyn, Maddox, Big Red, Antoine- I’ve mentioned this several times on here, I was really happy with Ashlyn being with Red or Maddox. She seemed happy with both, but I think with an entire season of Red missing, it did help to create some of that separation so the break up didn’t seem so abrupt between Ashlyn and him. I absolutely died seeing him get with Antoine though. That was the exact plot twist I needed!

I appreciated Madlyn getting together in the end because I think there was a natural progression of feelings we were able to see since S3. Maddox needed a way to move on from Madison and Ashlyn was able to figure out her sexuality through Val, but place herself in the right heart through Maddox. I think Julia had talked about how good it was for kids to see queer storylines that are positive and cute, rather than how they might get portrayed otherwise. That being queer was just… accepted for Ashlyn. If we do see gay storylines on TV, it still tends to lean toward MLM, so it was a breath of fresh air seeing a WLW on a teen show like this. I have female friends who are queer that I could see really resonating with a storyline like this.

Jet and Kourtney- This relationship is the prime example of the show runner being mostly positive the show was getting cancelled, but holding out hope for more. I think if he knew for sure when they were filming, we probably would have seen a Jetney kiss or something a little more… solid between them? They were really cute and I loved seeing Jet get flustered every time he was around her (especially when he would be acting normal 3 seconds earlier), but their romance fell just a teeny bit flat for me this season and I think it’s because Tim was trying to leave the door open for more. I think they were supposed to be more of a “slow burn”, so we got that comment from Gina about Jet asking her out, but then nothing else really happened from there. If we get a spin-off (and I PRAY we get a rina one), I would hope to see more between Jet and Kourt (imagine one with them being the core four!).

Ricky and Gina- I don’t even know how I am going to write this without crying. These two hold such a special place in my heart and watching them finally succeed was everything I could have asked for and more. We got everything with them: duets, Ricky saying “I love you” first, flashbacks, a rain kiss, “Can I Have This Dance”, spin hug, secret dating and more. Val was right when she said that they were the “love each other needed”. From the beginning, we watched Gina feel isolated from East High. She had no friends, a bad family life, and apparently had gotten in a lot of trouble in her previous schools. With Ricky, we saw him navigating this need to be loved so desperately, he ended up pushing those he cared about away even further. If he felt like a mistake or a failure to them, he hid because how could he be anything else but happy around them? He believed the sad parts of him made him unlovable, and that’s where Gina proved him wrong. When everyone else reminded him that he wasn’t wanted at the first show, he never showed up as a good student, he was “in the way”… Gina reminded him he did belong. She reminded him that he had good things to offer, even if it was as simple as just listening to him play a song.

And Ricky did the same for Gina. She was completely isolated and felt like it wasn’t worth getting close to people because she might have to “move again”. She felt like her only business was causing problems and being the number one competition. But Ricky stepped in as a friend, showing her that someone cared enough about her to just ask why she was causing trouble in the first place- and not to get her in trouble, but to let her know someone saw something soft beneath the surface and that he just wanted to pull that side of her out. “Why are you making it your business?” “You’re not that scary”. And he did.

Both of these characters shifted after their first conversation at the dance. They both continued to grow and adapt together, even when they were a part. I loved the flashback in 4x06, as well as the tag in the hat, because it proves that the stars were always aligned in their favor. It was a good lesson to us as the audience that even when all seems lost, there might be better things in the future. “Sometimes the really good stuff begins only when something else ends”. And to enjoy what we have now because it might be a part of the best part of our life. “It’s about the journey, not the destination”.

Time and time again, Rina proved that they were made for each other this season and that they improved each other in the best ways. Ricky told Gina he remembered the things she said (someone who felt forgotten after moving so much) and that he always wants to hear what she has to say (after being pushed aside by EJ all summer). Gina rearranged her life to stay in Salt Lake, rather than making Ricky figure it out (she wasn’t going to leave him like everyone else and not because he told her to stay, but because she genuinely wanted to). She reminded Ricky of his value to her in her good bye speech (saying that he saw her like no one else did and saying that he was the hardest one to talk about, which probably made Ricky feel like a priority and not an after-thought). I have never seen a couple be such a complete and whole puzzle piece like these two.

They were destined to be together because they are each other’s best parts. Their love story is serendipitous.

Things Missing

As much as I loved this season, I felt like there were a lot of elements still missing that I hadn’t already mentioned and I would have loved to have seen fleshed out more. I wish we would have gotten more on Ashlyn’s and Carlos’ body image storylines. I think it’s important to have that representation on screen and the storylines seemed to end as quickly as they started. We also don’t know much about Emmy still. We know that this opportunity felt big for her and she was let down, but that was about all we got. I really, really banked on a chocolates confession and as much as I loved that rain kiss, I think it would have been perfect if Gina would have ran out saying, “you were the one who got me the chocolates” and THEN told Ricky about her mom. I get for the audience it works because now we have confirmation of Ricky getting her them (it’s literally the exact same design of bows), but it would have been nice to see Gina learn about it. I wish we would have seen more of Kourtney and Carlos being the “Ryan and Sharpay” with their need for wanting everything/sassiness- it just seemed to show up a little in the beginning of the series and then wasn’t revisited until the last episode. Lastly, the OG wildcats really still felt like they were missing from this season. I was convinced we were getting guest appearances from Zac, Vanessa, and Ashley, but I guess this is what you get for living in delulu land. And when Monique or Bart showed back up (or anyone else) later in the series I was just like, “oh yeah! They’re in this season”. I just wish they would have been shown a bit more throughout so I didn’t completely forget they were a part of the season (it kind of reminds me of S3 where halfway through I completely forgot Nini even had a storyline- it wasn’t until the last episode I remembered her being around).

The song placements were a bit off for me too. “Just Wanna Be with You” was completely missing and we didn’t get to watch “The Boys are Back” at all… I honestly felt really deprived! I think “The Boys are Back” would have made a great reacquainting song for Ricky and Jet, “Just Wanna Be with You” would have solidified not only rina endgame a bit more but they could have even had jetney sing it to show their endgame more. I don’t think the placement of “Scream” was bad by any means, but I think it might have been better around the time of Ricky visiting EJ because I believe that was when he was truly at his lowest this season. Things were kind of working out for Ricky a little more when he actually sang it, which doesn’t parallel Troy as much (Troy sang it at his absolute lowest of lows). And as much as I wanted to love “I Want it All”, there was something about either the instrumentals or the vocals that made the song not hit as hard for me as the movie. I think Kourtney and Carlos are absolute powerhouses and could have really knocked it out of the park, so I’m not sure what happened there.

Spin-Off

I desperately want a rina spin-off or even one with rina and jetney. I’ve seen some people want a Kourtney spin-off, but I’m not sure how much I would enjoy it because I’m so emotionally tied to Gina/rina. I think a rina college spin-off could be great with other characters coming in and out, as well as a whole new cast. I am sure Tim has more ideas up his sleeve and he could show us rina getting married at the end of the show. It could be about balancing this relationship and college, as well as all of the pressures that come with that. It could be about them figuring out their life together as adults (which would be amazing to see because there really aren’t enough shows based on your 20’s and most of the fan base for this show is in their 20’s!) It could be more mature and hit harder topics, but still in a way that fits the essence of the show we already know. If a spin-off is too much, I would even be happy with a movie. I just want to know what happens after high school for these characters and I really believe we could have gotten that in a season 5, had the show not gotten cancelled what feels to be… a little premature. Tim said he wanted this show to go on for a long time with multiple seasons and/or spin-offs, he has said that he has floated the idea of a rina: college spin-off around, and Josh and Sofia don’t seem to hate the idea. Of course, we’d have to wait on the strikes, but hopefully by the time they are done we’ll hear some news one way or another.

What’s Next?

So, Wildcats, what’s next for me? Well, I’ll still be here. I’ve had these character asks lingering in my inbox but I was gone all last week (literally from morning until night) so I just haven’t had a chance to do them. It might be kind of fun to finish them up now that I’ve seen season 4, but it also makes me sad because I didn’t wait for the other characters… so maybe I might keep the character asks for seasons 1-3 only to keep the playing field even.

Please keep sending me asks and discussion prompts. I love talking to all of you and just because the show is done (for now) doesn’t mean we can’t keep talking about it. I have a lot of drafts of other thoughts and theories etc. relating to the show that have come to mind and I never got a chance to post. But now I feel like I’ve got more time to post them, so be expecting to hear more from me on that front too.

I will also try to keep you guys updated if I hear anymore about spin-offs, movies, etc. and since this is technically a multi-fandom blog (just lately it’s been dedicated to HSMTMTS) you might see me post about some other shows too. If you have any recommendations, let me know.

Well, I guess it’s off to go rewatch the season… and probably a million more times after this. Thanks for everything you guys have given me so far and I pray our adventures will continue.

You’re not a maybe. You’re a yes.

[fauxkaren]

I Watched All of Doctor Who Series 1/Series 14 Today

I kinda thought it'd be fun to watch the entire series in one day instead of watching weekly AND I WAS RIGHT. IT WAS FUN. I muted lots of words across social media and managed to remain unspoiled so I got to just experience the series without any expectations. Would recommend as a way to experience the show, free of fandom nonsense and having no idea what might happen. OK SO. BRIEF THOUGHTS ON EACH EPISODE BELOW THE CUT. (Also for the record, I dropped off Doctor Who in Peter Capaldi's early episodes and then only tuned back in for David Tennant's specials last year. So I might be missing some stuff that is important? idk.)

Gonna assign each episode a letter grade because why not?

Space Babies (C) - The way things were explained made it SO obvious that they wanted this episode to serve as an introduction to completely new viewers. Which... fair enough. As a whole the episode was meh. I did like the Bogeyman made of literal bogeys, but "Babies Can Talk!" humor is not my cup of tea. Wouldn't choose to rewatch this any time soon.

The Devil's Chord (B) - A solid Monster of the Week type episode. The fashion was ON POINT and I like the idea of the importance of music to humanity. But the musical finale number was cringe and just not a good song so... docking points.

Boom (D) - I swear I tried to not have my pre-conceived Moffat hating influence me, but like this was a bad episode? It just WAS. SORRY. It was boring and SO heavy handed and the episode's pacing felt glacial. Only saving grace was Ncuti's acting, tbh.

73 Yards (A+) - UM WOW. I think the last time I felt this way about an episode of Doctor Who was like... Midnight? And I think the vibes of Midnight and 73 Yards are similar in that it's a simple thing that is VERY creepy. (The repeating voice vs a figure that stays exactly 73 yards away, always.) And the way Ruby used her to end the evil PM. AMAZING. Can I explain the time travel/time loop/time lines of it all? No. Do I care? Also no.

Dot and Bubble (A) - I LOVED the way this episode played against expectations. You expect it to be like: Lindy is a shallow person wrapped up in the virtual world but learns to engage with reality and become a hero. But like, no. She manages to survive, but she sucks, lmao. And all the people in her world suck. It was a twist that didn't feel unearned (I think the whiteness of everyone on the social media platform is a giant neon sign pointing to the ending) and also made the episode memorable.

Rogue (A-) -What a FUN episode. Absolutely CLASSIC episodic monster story. Also a 'single episode romance that ends tragically' for the Doctor isn't new, but the romance being a man was a good change to make it feel fresh. My only complaint is that it felt like Ruby was a bit too sidelined and in such a short season it feels like every moment she's not on screen is wasting the limited time we have to get to know her.

The Legend of Ruby Sunday (B+) - A decent episode and it was fun to see Rose, Kate and Mel again. The S Triad mystery was also pretty intriguing. (I was convinced for a while that Susan was actually a anthromorphized TARDIS who somehow went evil.) However, the episode relied way too much on handwaving technology stuff with the Time Window that I just did not get.

Empire of Death (A-) - Satisfying conclusion to the Sutekh stuff anchored by a really great performance from Ncuti. The reveal of Ruby's mom just being... an ordinary person was great. She was only significant because people imbued her with significance. We create meaning out of things that maybe don't have meaning. Also nice change of pace from characters needing to be The Most Special Being Ever.

Overall thoughts: The shortened season was a major bummer. I think it robbed us of more of the filler type episodes that can do a lot to build the Doctor and Companion characters and also develop the bond between them. So like... only having 8 episodes with them made the final episode feel kinda unearned?? I think we needed more time seeing them being bestie for their goodbye scene to feel believable. In spite of that, Millie was completely charming as Ruby and Ncuti was a powerhouse of an actor. An excellent Doctor!

WELCOME BACK RTD DOCTOR WHO!

[the-suicidal-lizard]

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Why Season 3 Would Be A Bad Idea… Nerd Time.

First look at those nerds, those dweebs, those goofs. I love them and want to squeeze them. Okay onward!

I’m gonna get hate for this… and I accept that. But, please hear me out. For personal reasons first of all, I’m happy how it ended because if Venus was introduced as fans theorised I’d be disappointed because Venus is my LEAST favourite character. (Probably because I really disliked the Next Mutation.) Now my personal reasons are out of the way with, let’s get technical.

Have any of you watched a TMNT show where it was consistently good? And I mean, up until the last seasons? Because I haven’t.

The 1987 version was non-linear, much like Rise is, HOWEVER Rise has a beginning and ending. 1987 didn’t, but that was from the 80’s and it was bound to be silly. It was made to sell toys and the episodes were made around the toys, so obviously it wasn’t going to be linear. Then it was cancelled without an actual ending (no shock).

Okay, so! 2003! They actually had a good arc! Season 5 was meant to be the last season, but they were in demand and made Season 6 (Fast Forward) and Season 7 (Back to the Sewers) in which it became ridiculous, repetitive and just boring. The designs were less dark and rough, and more childish and bright. Not to mention even the future ideas were dumb. Like, you offed Shredder plenty of times you don’t need him back! (Thought Season 6 has a soft spot in my heart due to the Dark Turtles.) So it was cancelled without a solid ending.

How about 2012? A similar thing happened. Half way through Season 3 it was already getting a bit silly, I mean they were to space, then there was Dracula, and it was just… so much… like they turned emo at one point! It was insane! (Again, the space arc is special to me due to the Journey into the Centre of Mikey’s Mind.) So again, this was cancelled with a sad excuse of a final episode.

Even the 1990’s Movies! By the third movie, it is agreed upon that that movie is the worst. And The Next Mutation didn’t get a second season, but the again it is generally agreed upon that The Next Mutation is a poor TMNT adaptation. (2007 never got that sequel with the focus on Mikey due to layoffs and the director leaving, and Astro Boy bombed, thus causing the studio to go bankrupt.)

So, what would have happened with Rise? The same thing. By Season whatever, it would become ridiculous, and stupid, maybe repetitive and it would be cancelled without enough time to make a good, solid ending. Rise got Character Development (something 1987 and 2012 didn’t get), a plot with goofy episodes showing the bond in brotherhood (something 2012 didn’t get), a final where everything’s resolved (something none of the previous shows got), and a movie which had a solid story, character development and it didn’t feel like it was for nostalgia sake or even a cash grab. (Something 2012 didn’t get.)

Turtles Forever is a crossover movie with 1987 and 2003, but the marketing was handled poorly and was released for TV rather than a full length movie in the cinema and it was poor due to the style changes for the 2003 gang. Though it is considered to be non-canon, unlike the Rise Movie, and again, unlike the Rise Movie, it wasn’t given a theatrical release.

Now, could there have been more character development for the Rise Gang? Oh definitely! Leo could show his leadership skills developing, Mikey could show his skills developing, Donnie could develop his emotional skills and Raph could help Leo co-lead and develop his skills to relax. Casandra could be given more screen time and character development, as could Draxum and Big Mama. But don’t forget, you guys got a theatrical release movie (at least in China) and the movie never had problems with that release like Turtles Forever (such as ratio problems and cutting time down), you guys got an actual ending to the series, with decent character development and story arcs, and new characters and places. And don’t forget, the seasons always got ridiculous after the first few seasons…

That being said I would still watch Season 3-however many seasons they would do of Rise TMNT, because I like TMNT… I’m just being technical.

[coraniaid]

🔥🔥🔥 May I have a BtVS unpopular opinion please? :)

Going with something positive for a change: I think Season 2’s Bad Eggs is actually quite a good episode.  

Bad Eggs is an episode that pops up regularly on lists of worst BtVS episodes: it’s the fourth lowest user rated episode on IMDB, ranked as ninth worst on this list by Vox from 2017, listed as one of the show’s six worst episodes by Looper in 2023, to name just a handful of examples.  And honestly I think this reputation is entirely undeserved.   

Sure, it’s not a classic.  If you were watching it live as the show first aired, I imagine it was a bit of a let down from the heights of Lie To Me or What’s My Line?. And it’s a little overshadowed by the upcoming Surprise/Innocence two-parter.  The show had already proved it could do better, and would soon do so again. 

There are lots of (much) better episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But equally I can certainly think of lots of episodes of Buffy I’d want to rewatch less. 

It’s not one of the show’s best efforts, but it’s very far from its worst.  It doesn’t suffer from the overt racism of episodes like Pangs or Lies My Parents Told Me.  It doesn’t play sexual assault for laughs, like Teacher’s Pet or Go Fish or Him.  It doesn’t force Buffy’s friends to act entirely out of character just because the script has reached the point where conflict needs to happen, like Dead Man’s Party or Empty Places.  It doesn’t feature Riley Finn.

(For that matter, it's a Buffyverse episode about pregnancy which doesn't even hint at killing off one of its female regulars! Which should be such a low bar to cross, and yet...)

The worst thing I can bring myself to say about it is that it’s a bit unfocused.  A bit underdeveloped, with too many ideas that don’t really go anyway and could probably have been edited out.  The special effect work with the hatching eggs is a bit dodgy at times.  It’s not clear what, exactly, the Gorch brothers actually bring to the episode.  Why does everyone suddenly forget that the egg-raising project is meant to be done by a partnership, and start taking their eggs home with them overnight? For that matter, why does Buffy know she’s meant to have a partner before anyone tells her?  (Okay, yes, the answer to both those questions is that it’s only a joint project to set up Buffy’s reaction to learning she’s now a “single mother” like her own mom, but the writing could’ve bothered to disguise that fact a little.)

But there’s lots of really good stuff in this episode too.  By this point in the show’s history, all the characters have settled into recognizable versions of themselves, and it’s just nice to watch them all interact before the tragedy of the next few episodes hits them. There are some actually amusing jokes, some of which even involve Xander. (“That was a rhetorical question, Mr. Harris, not a poll.”) I like the scenes with Buffy and her mom, highlighting how hard it is for Buffy to be the Slayer while at the same time trying to be somebody her mother can be proud of. We get an early cameo appearance from Jonathan.  There’s some nice foreshadowing for the second half of the season (“Angel and I are just helpless slaves to passion”).  And the shot of Buffy crawling up from the ground having killed the Mother Bezoar was iconic enough to make it to the opening credits for the season.

More than that, this feels like exactly the sort of fairly light, disposable filler episode that people on here are always claiming they miss from modern television and streaming services.  It’s an episode that trusts that the audience already knows and cares about the people who appear in it, and are happy to mostly just watch them hanging out.  It doesn’t introduce any new recurring characters (I mean, except Lyle Gorch I guess?); it doesn’t advance the main arc of the season (although it is certainly very aware of the metaphorical theme of this season: that’s why we have a whole scene where Buffy’s health class teacher writes down SEX on the blackboard).  It doesn’t really have any sort of big philosophical message to impart.  It’s exactly the sort of episode that wouldn't exist if the show was being made today. 

And, for a lot of people, apparently, it's one of the worst episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever produced.

[goatsandgangsters]

I’m doing shadow and bone ep 5 on a Monday like some kind of rebel

bc I’m always like ~~ooooh I have to make an Occasion out of things, I have to make it Special, I can’t watch new things on just any old Monday. OR, I COULD STOP NOT DOING THINGS I WANT TO DO AND DO THEM. anyway, let’s proceed, I Want More Content Goddammit

previous liveblogs

AND A SHARP HORNY INHALE WAS HEARD ROUND THE WORLD FROM THE DARKOLAI CONTINGENT AT “LITTLE PRINCE”

I’m fine. it’s fine. I’m fine. I can cope. I can deal. I’m fine.

“we have to keep our demons at bay” WELL GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. I did cackle out loud like the dramatic-irony-loving bitch I am

also how come every time Alina gets a new boyfriend, one his family members tries to kill Mal? (I sense that this is more a. a plot-required relocating of the Mal and also b. Vasily is an idiot, but personally if I was a conniving little weasel I’d have gone with the angle of “oh look my bastard brother is going to have more bastard children because his fiancee is already having an affair” instead of like, relocating the evidence. just my two cents there, Vasya)

….this was NOT the bed that Wylan and Jesper were in last night, where the hell did they wake up

“Ravka needs saving” is the funniest possible way to intrude. like, there are characters that would DEFINITELY WORK on, but poor Wesper just like “and why the fuck do we care!!”

That’s a bold statement, Tamar, when you absolutely know he IS going to start reciting epic poetry to Zoya. it’s not even a question. it’s GOING to happen

sdkjkhsdkjghsdkg Baghra like “oh you’re all pathetic, nvm maybe my son should kill you”

LIKE. IS IT THAT DOMINIK? IS HE?? ALIVE???? OR IS HE JUST SOME RANDO NAMED AFTER NIKOLAI’S DEAD CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART?? I mean, happy for you Nikolai if your boyfriend’s alive, but him dying in your arms was kind of a formative moment for you so—oh. oh no. is it that dominik but he’s not DEAD YET?? are we about to have some nikolai’s-boyfriend on nikolai’s-boyfriend violence?

“THE PUPPY PRINCE” okay so we got one sobachka from his mother, and one sobachka from his mother-in-law

oh you’ll hammer him will you ;)

look, I know it’s a tense scene, but Baghra and Nikolai SNARKING at each other was my favorite scene in Ruin & Rising, so if I don’t get some quips between these two later on, I will be sad about it

(they’re not..... letting Paddy quip enough? which is really surprising, because my concern going in was that they’d reduce nikolai to “charming funny guy” and ignore his depth. and they’re doing depth in SPADES which I’m grateful about, but they’re not actually letting him do the Showmanship Exterior enough?) (I know this episode is A Particularly Tough Day For Him, Given Events, but just sort of overall) 

I don't hate it, but why is Jesper in a kilt

oh good, I’m glad they kept it in that Tatiana KNEW what the king was doing the whole time and Simply Did Not Care. don’t absolve her. fuck her. 

Daisy and Luke are SO good :3333 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I Am Softe

Tolya Jesper Relationship Advice is so funny

Wylan you can’t just run away holding merchandise, I don’t think you paid for it

Kaz really said “it’s just hot leaf juice” didn’t he

W A F F L E S

this entire cast is extraordinarily talented, but Freddy really is The Absolute Stand Out this season, he’s just incredible

APT!!! PUPIL!!!!!!

oh I see what Jessie meant when they said they borrowed some of Ben’s mannerisms, YOU DO LOVE TO SEE IT

“I’ve feared everything there is to fear,” yes we know, we’re all watching you get hit with the broken dam of 800 years of totally unprocessed trauma and Making It Everyone’s Problem

/KICKING MY FEET AND GO TEEHEEHEE aahhuuhhhhh fuuuuuuuuck we got an apt pupil scene we got an alina making that man’s sub hindbrain kick on the second alina showed him some attention we got a “problem with wanting” we got a version(™) of my faaaave sceeeeeeene

……I love that Mal just like. had this ENTIRE sidequest adventure of being kidnapped and court martialed and escaping, and we never saw a single second of it. it’s. like. a little funny. it wasn’t even plot relevant the way I thought it was going to be. like, all that just happened, off screen 

“You’re barreling through this” you SURE are, season 2. Mal like “I can barely keep up [with what book we’re in] *looks directly into the camera*”

“You just keep eating your walnuts” AND TOLYA LAUGHS awwwwwww he’s fond of Zoyaaaaa

I’m on Zoya’s side in the Nina argument, I’m just ambivalent towards Matthias, I’m sorry

………though Matthias Pekka Hellgate Drama might make things more interesting

Excuse me, I don’t think HE left the wound on the country. Just Fucking Saying. Maybe otkazat’sya should stop committing genocide, idk, how about that. how about that otkazat’sya fix their shit first. like, I’m sorry, your king’s a rapist, you have serfs, everyone lives in squalor while wealth and excess is concentrated in the extreme on just a few, you’ve got a two-front war going with countries that want to see an entire portion of your population eradicated and enslaved via magic drugs and medical experimentation. but sure! it’s the shadow wall that’s the wound in need of healing. okay. sure. I mean I don’t think trying to keep all your friends and your mom from getting murdered when your back is against the wall is like, a wound on your country, I think your country putting your pack to the wall in the first place is the wound, but anyway— 

whatever, I’ll just be over here hoping there’s some Grisha Theorist out there writing a piece called My Words to the Black Heretic Above the Fold: Performing Grisha Rage

iiiif you’re trying to make a metaphor for interpersonal abuse don’t use genocide as a backstory clap your hands. if you’re trying to make a metaphor for interpersonal abuse don’t use genocide as a backstory clap your hands! if you’re trying to make a metaphor, and you want it just about interpersonal shit, if you want to make a metaphor, don’t use sociopolitics-you-aren’t-equipped-to-handle clap your hands (okay, my syllables don’t line up, but you get my melody)

Jack is REALLY good and I’m glad they’re letting Jesper have depth this season and not just reducing him to the comedic sidekick

this is the first episode where I’ve been like eeeeeeeeh. so. season 1 had a rough front half, great back half? don’t tell me season 2 has a great front half, rough back half?

[wulfhalls]

“To see the performances that you have from this cast, and specifically Riley and Sam, and be willing to walk away from that without asking yourself whether you could give them another opportunity to dig into these characters would be very silly,” she says with a laugh. “I’m not so stupid as to not recognize what we have in the two of them. So it’s definitely on my mind.”

https://twitter.com/variety/status/1639250846281261057?s=46

I think a season two could be interesting. They could keep the documentary style. Only this time it's for the band doing a reunion tour (something Fleetwood mac did a few times) so they have it being documented to be released as a special later. Then we can get flashbacks of the 80s and 90s showing what the band members did between the breakup and reunion. I honestly think they could make a great show from that.

i feel like a small update episode would be good but what does a whole new season need 😭😭 the band reuniting maybe? im curious but it’s not needed. for more daisybilly i’ll take it though. i still think a 1 ep thing is enough.

u know what I've changed my mind entirely s2 is actually the best idea anyone's ever had. like lets go samriley chemistry display vehicle who gives a fuck about the plot or other characters s1 had hardly anything going either its just about the vibes and two people making eyes at each other and yearn while being apart for 20 years

[pinkninja236]

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

okay but so true bestie 😭 13 is NOT the longest running doctor (counting eps) but yaz IS the longest running companion (counting series) im fine being a hypocrite about this

wait but. shes been there from 13's first until 13's last episode thats like. must be a record. at least in new who. like only rose did that and 9 only had one series. anyway even if it's not a record it still feels special <3 there hasnt been a companion doctor duo who was together the entire time in new who

yeah! so my source is tardis wiki:

(note the clara one is stories not episodes, so while yaz has been in 31 episodes that only counts as 25 (? if I counted right) stories, because spyfall 1&2 count as 1 and flux only counts as 1, which is bullshit)

so for calendar time yaz is the undisputed longest, and for modern companions she is the only one with 3 complete seasons (I believe clara would be the runner up here, 2.5 seasons)

In terms of calendar time counting for companions but not doctors, it somehow feels different? idk why, it just Is. vibes

I do believe yaz is the only companion (other than rose&nine) to be with the doctor from first to last episode, and even that is somehow different as we dont know how long 9 was alone between regenerating in the 50th and meeting rose, while yaz is certifiably there from just after one regeneration to just before the next

18 notes - Posted October 17, 2022

#4

#okay Im pretty sure I had Thoughts(tm) while watching this but 'you are loved' with tecteun at the end broke me and now they're all gone

✌ that was my evil intention im glad it worked. also: 😭

because thats the thing isnt it? river telling them "i asked for help for you" and the doctor going "THATS SO STUPID"

amy and rory setting out a place for them. "but you didnt know i was coming, why would you set me a place?" "because we always do"

the doctor disappears and you dont know if or when they'll ever be back but i dont know if they expect you to wait for them. so many people throughout time who have told them "i waited for you" and it never seems to sink in that they wait for them. that they miss them.

the doctor quietly removing themself from people's lives bc they only bring chaos and destruction anyway. it's better like this. theyre saving them by leaving.

clara going "i mean it's not like im never gonna see you again" "isnt it?" "is it?" "i thought thats what you wanted" "but youre gonna come around for dinner or something arent you? do you do that? come around peoples houses for dinner?" "of course" they lie because they dont "thought you mind find it boring"

"do you want to come for tea at mine?"

maybe they do find it boring. or maybe thats an easier sentiment to express, an easier idea to grapple with, than the fact that there are people who care about them enough to spend time with them when nothing particularly exciting is happening, spend time with them just doing human maintenance things, when they dont need them. because theyre not necessary when there is no danger. theyre not needed, just wanted. because theyre not loved by the people who love them for being The Doctor, theyre loved for being the doctor.

river voice: but thats not the sort of thing you could ever understand, is it?

and maybe it’s easier to say it’s boring, that they dont do that sort of thing, than to say they want to, but they dont know how, because it’s never quite right, because their big blue box breaks chairs in the living room, and whats missing from them is so much more evident when theyre surrounded by people who are connected, who have a place they belong and each other and a shared history

“have you got family?”

AWSOK: It's over, Doctor. It has been ever since we let a virus into the experiment. DOCTOR: What sort of virus? AWSOK: You.

so they just leave, because youve got your own good safe human life to lead, because they cant fathom the idea that you will miss them, because it hurts to try to make connections on top of the gaping craters of broken ones, because they cant quite fix themself to anything, because theyre out of place everywhere, because it hurts less to swoop in, save the day, be unknown but adored for a day, every day.

......i got carried away. sorry for being depressing in your inbox 😭

no no don't apologize, this is excellent!

so many people love and wait and miss the doctor and they don't get it! But then to contrast that with their mother, someone who is supposed to love you, and maybe even does in some weird twisted way, but never in a way that compares to the people the doctor finds themselves, is ugh. how do you do this. please keep making me sad with your videos

20 notes - Posted April 26, 2022

#3

latest Thing that won't leave my head

See the full post

29 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

#2

69 notes - Posted January 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

fuck.

FUCK

117 notes - Posted September 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[analyzingadventure]

You think the digital world is gonna appear this seadon?

I think... that really depends on the "future" of Ghost Game. Like...

If Ghost Game is a normal 55~ish episode kids anime, then it'd be way too late at this point, since we'd only have like 6 episodes left at this point.

If Ghost Game is like Psi though and is like, a near 70~episode series, then I think there'd be a higher chance we might see a few episode worth of the DW possibly

But these are both relying on the idea that GG is ending in like 6-20 episodes, there is a third option where GG ends but we get a second season much like Zero Two and Hunters (though maybe without a new protagonist). And although it's theoretically possible, I kind of doubt it.

So TL:DR; no I don't think we're gonna see the DW in this series, mainly because I don't think it'd actually add anything to the story.

And to elaborate a bit more on that;

So what I've been getting from GG is that Gammamon is a reincarnation of his previous life as GulusGammamon (or a higher evo form, I know there's new evolutions in the VB but I did not look at those on purpose), the Dark Conqueror. Somehow he died and turned into a Digiegg with no memory of his past life (as the series has been building up to that, explaining and establishing the cycle of death and rebirth, memory, etc), and now in his reborn form Hokuto shipped Gammamon off to be Hiro's baby brother, giving Gammamon a second chance at life. And that's what GG is about.

GG is Gammamon's second chance at life, it's about us witnessing what kind of a person he grows up into, if his past sins will be inescapable and if he's doomed to become a corrupt, cruel entity once more*, and if so, should he be given another chance again, and again, or if he should face total deletion (if that's even an option in this series) for the greater good, including himself.

*Interesting sidenote; the Shadra/Nanomon episode went really hard on establishing and Digimon can not retain memories of their past lives, but Gulus seems to Know Things. So, Gulus is special somehow in that regard, and it's going to be interesting to find out why and how

So, since that's what I'm currently getting from GG, I don't think Hiro and co going into the DW would actually help with telling that story. Like it could be a cool backdrop for a final battle, but I don't think it'd add anything to the story. The battle could happen in Hiro's dorm room, it wouldn't make much of a difference really.

Really all we "need" from the DW is to maybe get Hiro's dad back if he can even be brought back (like he could also be totally dead and can only exist as a ghost in the DW or something, IDK), and we don't even have to really go to the DW for that, just open a gate and make sure Hokuto's at the right place at the right time and boom, he's been brought back.

I will say, let's say GG does go on for like 70 episodes or gets a sequel, if GG takes a turn where Gulus goes on a rampage and flees into the DW, forcing Hiro and co to go on a grand quest to fetch him, Espimon and Ryudamon replacing Gammamon as Hiro's partner(s), THEN I think we could get to experience this series' DW in more detail, but I kind of doubt it.

There was a recent interview with the staff where one of the GG staff members (can't remember who but you can find the interview on WtW) explicitly stated they didn't want GG to focus too much on an overarching story, just to keep the show more fun and make kids more likely to tune in, thus the heavy emphasis of the MotW formula in GG. And, knowing that, although the scenario I suggested above could be something you'd see in another season of the franchise, with GG, I don't think it'd actually happen, since it'd just go entirely against the goals of the staff and what they want to achieve with GG.

I've rambled on enough now but I think you get what I've been trying to say, so, yeah. Don't think we'll see the kids go to the DW in GG. There's no reason in the narrative for them to do so right now at least), and little time left for them to create a reason.