#oh my god i have so many episodes ahead of me until i get to wano

[evilpenguinrika]

had to google what episode is the beginning of Wano arc and--

WDYM IT'S EP 890

I'M STILL ON EP 726 😭

[fatallyaddictedtofiction]

Im just gonna allow myself to yap about supernatural and see where destiny takes me. SIDENOTE IF U WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS WITH ME LITERALLY PLEASE I WANT TO PLEASE INTERACT WITH ME.

Okay first of all im starting with the start (s1+2). BEST LIGHTING TO MOOD EVER EVER EVER. Like you want dark scary monsters??? ITS THERE. I remember there being a reason they changed the lighting (smugly: yes i listen to the podcast) but i CANT REMEMBER. The characterisation of the macho eldest son coded scared eldest daughter Dean is unreal and parallel in epicness to repressed queer allegory something is inherently wrong with him little brother. The brief moments of emotional vulnerability. Dont get me STARTED on Dean's monologue in the s2 finale i'll start crying. It's crazy how rude john is to Dean like excuse me he raised your kid and now ur bitching about him? Try saying thank you for once. I think the only reason john actually said im proud of you was because he realised when azazel said it dean was like "ur not my dad" and to john it was a little "oh shit" moment. Sam has every right to be angry but every time he gets angry at dean something in me shatters a little because deans trying so hard for himself and sam and sam doesnt know who or how to lash out (emotional dysregulation baybee) so aims for deans jugular like nooo honeyyyy noooooo. This era was the best sam in my opinion.

Rest of the show down here:

Onto S3-5. Cant remember jack about season 3. Season 4 CASTIEL MY BELOVED MY LIGHT MY LIFE MY REASON FOR LIVING. Absolutely loved everything about Weird Cas and i wanted more of him why did they have to domesticate him. His and Deans dynamic was impeccable and yk something??? I wanted to see Dean in hell torturing people i wanted to see it on his face how much he hated that he enjoyed it and i wanted to see Cas' face at watching the righteous man lose. Like the best we got was Yellow Fever GOD I LOVED THAT bit when he was hallucinating the book and it said "you gonna cry?" Like so many people think thats a funny episode but it makes me so sad because he is DYING and from such a young age hes been told to stow it away, lock it down to the point hes HALLUCINATING IT. Cas falling for dean. Im sorry i just. They are the best love story. LUCIFER. He was scarier back then, but i do love later seasons lucy too. Something about the peeling skin and the "we will always end up right here" just slapped. ENDVERSE EPSIODE god so good can we just take a moment to think about it. Okay cool thanks okay. Demon blood Sam arc was fun but had unfulfilled potential. Cant give you specifcs rn its late and my brain needs to get this all out so if you know you know. The whole meta stuff with Chuck was eh until he was confirmed as god and then i was like duuude the faint strings of marionettes are glistening in the sunrise like how do we know --- im getting ahead of myself.

S6-11. I know, its a big chunk. But basically the whole thing could be renamed "Crowley's unrequited love story". Cas and crowley were the best duo i almost forgot like they are genuinely so funny together and i bet it would be great to be tortured by them UMM THE BETRAYAL i honestly loved Cas' episode the only thing i didn't like was how the reveal itself was done like... Idk just a bit... Kryptonite???? Anywho i Loved the tension between Dean and Cas DEAN LOOKED BACK. Um leviathans were my favourite monster but they became so dumbbbb after washing up liquid killed them. BOBBYS EPISODE ALWAYS MAKES ME SOB MY EYES OUT "i raised two boys and they became heroes" allow me to DIE. Also damn impressed a shot to the head didnt take him down but it was lovely to see Deans first world, first solid rock properly crumble around him (forgetting john okay he wasnt a healthy rock) . PURGATORY DEAN JDJSJDJDJD kill me please his fight or flight mode was SO. So sad we didnt get more of purgatory like i would pay to see more i would kill probably but we'll overlook that. Benny my beloved. They definitely all got together Cas included like who wouldnt at that point. Smth i didnt like is how wheneer they went back to purgatory, unlike how dean described it "360 battle 24/7" or some shit like that it was EMPTY. Like please,, i know the plot needs convenience BUT PURGATORY ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE CONVENIENT. But dean recrafting his own memories to make himself believe that he failed to save Cas rather than what he perceived as Cas giving up on him- hang on i dropped my jaw somewhere, gimme a sec i need to go find it-- LIKE. HHHH. The whole mind control shit going on with Cas because his ties to Dean had been severed (saw a post about that and loved it but cant rmb it) and HIM BEING THE ONE TO BREAK IT. The crypt scene mmmm i love. Want more. Mark of Cain dean was literally my favourite. A violent, mentally unstable man who also has bad mental health and is often covered in blood? Yes pls. Cas being with him every step of the way. I havent mentioned Sam in a while. Hes just kind of been there. Hate that he slowly became 2D. Far away in the background hes got his worried expression and is rocking, saying "Dean? Dean? Cas? Jack? Dean?" Like writers why did u strip his personality except for worry. Do Not get me started on the whole Amelia thing ill stab someone. But yeah cas saying he'll watch dean murder the world is my universe :). If someone said that to me id say "omg really?" And develop a huge fat crush (somehow). CHARLIE DYING WAS AN ABOMINATION When they brought back Eileen why not charlie like. Dont bring characters back at this point because theres all sorts of issues grr. Amara was cool af but i didnt like the whole amara x dean stuff because it was just weird. Luciferrrrr hes so girlypop i love him DEAN DIDNT KNOW IT WASNT CAS but thats only because lucy purposefully wore less clothes around him to distract him.

S12-14. Im running out of steam. MARYYY. It hurt to see Sam get along with Mary becsuse he never knew her as anything else while all dean wanted was a mom and that wasnt who she really was anymore. He loved her so much but couldnt break through that barrier of "it wasnt the perfect marriage until after she died" vibes. God that scene in s5 where its suggested dean saw +/ smelled what happened to Mary and he was literally backing himself into a corner BROKE me. Havent mentioned the Wayward sisters but please know they are so important to me they are my everything. Jack is also. Loved Kelly, very sad she had to die. Wanted Jack to be a baby but thats not good for television is it. But i love Jack so much hes such a sweetie who can kill with a thought. Alternate universe michael and Michael!Dean was epic af but michael dying like that was so anticlimactic gonna be honest i think they were just reaching for ways to lose Jacks soul. Garth GARTH!!! Hes so cute. I loved all those "hand recorded" episodes btw like ghostfacers and that one teen wolf type stuff. Dean hiding in his room is so me. Free Will Theory is so fucked up at this point ur sat there saying gods been pulling the strings this whole time and i supposed to be okay with it?? I so get why deans angry but i definitely think thats something Chuck emphasised (crappy excuse for crappy writing) to an extreme level because WHAT. Like dude. I cant even describe how out of character he felt at some times.

S15. Currently rewatching and cant rmb much of it. 3 characters dead in the first 3 episodes. They either kill off all side characters or we dont hear from them at all to tie up or shove away loose ends. I cant even talk abiut the finale please i cant rn im way too tired. It straight up didnt need to exist, it could've only been 19 eps. Cas. Castiel. He did want you my darling.

[n7punk]

i know probably no one here gives a shit about it or listening to me specifically talking about it but i watched a great video on the watcher situation and i have thoughtsssssss so im going to spew them into the ether

tldr watcher (the former buzzfeed unsolved + worth it boys after they split from bz) did a big hype countdown for their fans... to them announcing they were launching a "streaming service" and paywalling all their content - present and PAST - behind it for 6$ a month. they totally shit on their fans saying anyone could afford it (i cant - or at least i wont for the value to me) and then they gaslit us and said it was never the plan to remove the past content even though they say it in the video and it was in the fucking variety article that launched along with the announcement.

anyway, what kind of surprises me is everyone comparing this to dropout (and now try guys) when there's another example of this that is even more relevant right now and it's roosterteeth, which is only relevant right now because they just went bankrupt. and imo, there's absolutely no comparison in value (however you feel about the content) between dropout/roosterteeth and watcher.

size: rt had a massive cast, dropout seems to have a decent amount too (only familiar with game changer, sorry). try guys has a few core members, true, but over the last few years they've been trying to diversify, bring more people in over a few videos to test the waters, and then they invested into new shows with those faces when creating their lineup for the streaming service. watcher is three guys. oh sorry four now they brought andrew on for the worth it clone 🙄 i hated that guy at buzzfeed and i hate him now lol

bloat: try guys started with a few employees working out of ned's old house and grew organically. dropout cut down significantly when they broke from college humor and budgeted until they could afford to hire more. roosterteeth started in a spare bedroom and then slowly grew into larger and larger offices over time. watcher immediately bought a massive office space in LA and then jumped to an even larger one, with 25 employees when most shows could probably be done with half as many people that end up credited! 25 employees and you upload once or twice a week if that?? that means one video has to pay for 25 people to live that week, in addition to business expenses. they want to be a large production company, so they're acting like they are without making the output or doing the research.

youtube presence: rt still uploaded most things to youtube, my understanding is dropout still posts as well, and try guys is planning to keep all their current shows on youtube, just on a schedule delay like rt did. all services have stuff exclusive to their service, but that's new, extra stuff that serves as a value-add. watcher was just going to abandon every fan that didn't pay for their service, and even after the backlash the delay is a MONTH? for rt it was just a week!

platforms: try guys is launching with the site, phone apps, and even a roku tv app! roosterteeth had an app too and dropout has phone/roku apps. watcher is launching with a single website in beta. it's a money-hungry patreon, not a streaming service with a diverse lineup of shows. calling it a streaming service is ludicrous to me.

(apparently the fan theory is that watcher caught wind of the try guys launching their own streaming service and tried to jump the gun to get ahead of them, but by god did they fumble that)

frequency: if you were a fan of one person at roosterteeth, as long as they were the main cast member of something, it was likely you could tune in to a new episode of something with them in it twice a week, sometimes every day, multiple times. like, it's insane watcher thinks they have the amount of content to justify this. and remember, roosterteeth failed! obvs it worked for a long time and there's warner bros being eager to pull the plug to contend with (not to mention the alleged embezzlement?) but youtubers should be really fucking cautious right now. try guys is launching with a catalogue of new shows they've been silently producing alongside their usual content for a year! that's the way to do it right

paid events availability: try guys used to have ticketed flagship liveshows that are all being added to the new streaming service. if you were the kind of fan who wants to go to all those, you might even save money. roosterteeth also had events like this that were exclusive to paid subscribers. watcher doesn't have anything comparable.

goodwill: i would argue this was a big contributor to why roosterteeth finally went bankrupt with all the trust (and good memories too!) lost in the scandals. dropout fans seem to be really proud of the company and how its run (i heard they're like, the only streaming service to offer residuals? thats so cool). the try guys went through their own scandal and only came out with a stronger bond with their fans for how quickly they acted (a few were lost, but my final impression in the end was we all gained respect for how they handled it). the try guys have talked about taking paycuts as the ceo to fund all this production! meanwhile watcher brags about how large their production is without ever justifying why they need it. related:

tonedeafness: supposedly the streaming service is to pay for high production value. no one is really buying that. the company is bloated and mismanaged, but the real thing was them launching a worth it clone. don't get it twisted, every ceo, part-owner, etc is to blame for this, not just the face of worth it, but no fan who is bankrolling the show themselves wants to watch someone else eat luxury food. people liked that when it was a grift on buzzfeed, not on them.

this is completely subjective but i watch three shows on watcher (unsolved, puppet history, and mystery files) and i'd have to be making 4x my salary for me to be willing to pay 6$ a month for three shows no matter how much i like them. like, i'm not paying 6$ for try guys either, but watcher being so focused on having "shows" and "seasons" makes it really easy to point to how little i really watch there versus try guys which has a big variety of stuff not tied to a specific show name. i never think about "which shows" i watch on try guys.

idk i just think roosterteeth's goliath cast and output still burning out should be brought up more when talking about (the comparatively) little 3 million subscribers watcher trying to launch their own "streaming service" when there's a pretty good cautionary tale right now - well, two when you consider how this went down lol

[bigdsgirl]

Thoughts on LND Episode 8

spoilers ahead! and screams! because ya know. this damn show.

"do you really not know? from morning until night, from child hood until now, it's been my fate and my task" - bye, i am going to combust now

the piano music has me rolling, i'm sorry lol

love that he is giving her time, especially after just shocking her with that announcement lol

the birthday card with no note. jfc. and the REPEAT GIFT??? omfg. i have so many feelings. and he goes back to the hospital!! oh it hurts!

the flashback at the pool -- oh she liked him first. "the feelings are still so vivid" - hate to say it but i think they never left babe.

his panic has me fucking cackling. "it was good, I did great" YES YOU DID BABY!!!!!!

alright the knife to head transition was kind of sick. i loved it.

throw the rock queen i dare you. NO YOU GO DO IT!!!!

I am just going feral waiting for them to open them at the same time - PUHLEAAASE! ugh boo.

aw momma & son moment - oh shit you are pretending to FORGET. SIR. oh this some bullshit. just communicate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE TIE! THE TIE! AHHHHHHHHH. no don't give it back, just keep it <3 let's start our shrine to him.

oh god mom thinks it's the ex but you would be WRONG!

HE WANTED TOI BE BURIED IN IT?????????????? WITH THE BLOOD??? BYEALKDKJAGKDFGJALFKGJAG

this girl just does not know how to respond, she is flustered as fuck and i love it

pick an expiration date to decide how much time she has lol and he is like PERISHABLE GOODS PLEASE I WANT YOU NOW!

hearts thumping let's gooooooooooooooo (and of course she bolts)

bahah this man gets sassed by the staff (i love it! you tell him!)

okay sir let's do the special! lets go! and of course we gotta start with his fave paramedic <3

the push ups oh girl, I am the same, we are just poor girls weak for our man

not the showing how they met please nooooooooo (or how mama imagines it?? lol)

i want this ex to GO AWAY PLEASE. idc what's happening, leave them alone! now!

her dad just standing right in front the CLEAR DOOR, in front of her and she doesn't see, god i love kdramas

ONLY 11 DAYS???? Girl, it's 11 days too many, just kiss him, <3

oh goodness, mom and dad got things to say. and i am sat for it!

"I don't want her to be a failure and live like me" well fuck that's a sucker punch. yikes.

these two men are hilarious i love that they are just such a mess together <3

"soaked in my feelings of inferiority" well holy fuck sir. "well mine is bone dry" OP--

dad acting like a 3-year old with his "why"

awww shit, i was hoping to see him be drunk with her. ugh instead we just got hung over.

teeeheee flash back of the drunk daddios! hehe!!

the mountain stfu, this is the humor i need in life -- phenomenal, oscar worthy performance

the way this son rolls is just like my middle brother lol, the amount of times he has tried to get family members to try crypto, oh sirrr. i am with you seok-ryu!

oh the hole in the heart, the babying. my goodness. "see if you can treat your sick child that way" --> look i know what's coming and fuck that hurts.

seung-hyo you DOG, "there are 10 days left"

also sir, where do you get your work bag from? I need it <3

tae-hui!!!! baby girl!!! ily.

ugh ruined. freaking ex-poophead is here.

look i get it, they were cute its all cute. but it's the wrong person, so I don't care.

okay they be laying it on thick with the digestive health shit - i know what's happening and i do not like it.

omfg her shock that he told her! he told seok-ryu how he felt!

okay look sir, the way your hands be clasped? the suit? the watch? it is a felony and you need to be taken to jail. it looks too damn good.

tae-hui, her outfit. ma'am the woman you are.

wait shit. i just realized -- she said she doesn't drink if I remember right? or am I wrong.

oh babe while are you pulling out so much cash. oh no oh no. mom is finding out about the cooking class. i am not excited for this.

WAIT BABE DONT TRASH EM!!! give them to me. no don't waste them!

omg the bag, not the bag. oh no. not mom.

omg yay! they are interacting <3 i love it! NO WAIT NO ITS A RUSE WHY IS MOM DOING THIS.

the eldest daughter in me is fucking quaking. I hated this growing up. the expectations. the disappointment for finding out something she loves that isn't what they want. omg.

oh i am so glad he is here stepping up for her. thank god.

this fucking hurts. oh lord. my heart is shattering for her.

he immediately goes after her, my heart, my heart. oh it's breaking.

he has a spot to comfort someone in case something happened. STOP IT WAS FOR HER.

I am having worries. every time he is a few steps behind, i worry that he has to follow her in death too (i don't want this to happen but fuck the gut is so sure)

he offered his kitchen for her!!!! ah!!!!!! hell yeah hell yeah!

he just cannot take his eyes off of her. and the nine days left, you TURD I LOVE IT.

it's observation day!!! me when I see them together like this:

oh my man look good in the uniform! <3 and they gave him a locker too??? how nice of them!!!

i freaking love the alarm music they use. the best thing ever.

oh wait. oh wait girl you gonna eat the side dishes??? hehe i love that. ope moment over. wait. he is being nice ish..... ish............ the joys of marriage lol.

oh no, oh no. is he asking for a divorce???? oh NO.

oh goodie, i hope the man is not allergic to bees. HAHAHAHAHAHAH. oh he might be. oh he is lol.

paramedics are the backbone, i always have such immense respect for them.

i also need to get this off my chest working in healthcare/public health -- never in a MILLION YEARS would a hospital actually allow the possible legal risk of having the man help with these calls. okay, now im back to la la land.

love the posters in the background of all the dramas 😭

the popcorn -- omfg. no no sir don't you dare. i will combust.

fuck he did.

girl why you pause. why you be like this what is happening. oh god it's him. and of course he is a new client. of course!

the way my man seung-hyo be acting like a child with the ex here. i am eating this shit up.

LOL of course he needs to leave leaving the two together.

THAT'S RIGHT YOU TELL HIM THAT HE HAS COMPETITION!!!!

lol me - both get out, leave my girl to cook. these two are too much, i'm cackling.

THE POPCORN YES GIRL. he is so happy about this, he is just lapping it up. and same king. same. "have some" you MENACE.

lol this man is gonna faint it's so much work. YAY CELEBRATORY DINNER! lol the bladder infection, brother TMI!!!!

"we end up dating each other" man is gonna become a paramedic to make sure he and mo-eum are gonna be together forever and no one can come between them 🤭🤭🤭

BAHAHAHAHA THE MUDFLATS MAN RETURNS!!!!!!!! I am SCREAMING!!!!!! they both just panic. wait no hold hands down there, pls <3

wait shit girl, you don't look good. girly no.

oh damn oh damn. seok-ryu. i get it but oh. oh it hurts so bad.

oh sweetie no. oh i get it, my hear hurts for you.

the WAY I KNEW - his and her secret. oh my.

now i must wait FOR MY BABIES TO RETURN.

and i will be sobbing <3

[aprillikesthings]

s5 ep8 Shot in the dark

woohooo

Off topic but while looking for fan art of Catra from the portal (ugh I need to try different tags) I instead saw a bunch of anti-Catra and anti-Catradora and anti-spop blogs and jfc people need to get a life and touch some grass and if I'm saying that--

(I mean, I did leave the house today with Saer and their mom, we went to Powell's books where I spent too much money but I got a couple of wlw manga and a Judith Butler book among a few other things, and also we went to a vintage clothing store that seemed to have NO END but I bought one thing there, a lavender satin bathrobe, the short kind; the only thing wrong with it was that it's a bit faded in some places and it's a little small on me but it's a bathrobe, and it was like $26 AND 100% SILK)

a question many astronauts have surely asked as well!

these two squabbling but not actually fighting always sounds like flirting, it doesn't help that a split second after that screenshot, Catra actually smiles for a second

Look. I love them.

Bow: "Adora, Catra's right" Everyone's eyes: go wide Bow: "...that felt weird to say"

the startled noise they all make when he starts talking lolol

but Catra has some flashes (from when she was in the hive mind) and says Krytis is a planet, nice. There's something there Horde Prime doesn't want them to know--so they head for Krytis, roll intro theme

:O

oh man they really did start changing this up every episode. Look at poor Perfuma's face.

Anyway on Krytis they find an old Horde ship and everyone else is trying to figure out what happened but poor Catra is remembering what it was like to be chipped :(

there's a cute moment when she notices her tail is all fluffy from fear and smooths it out before joining the others

there's a "crack" video where Entrapta's little walk here is dubbed with a clip from an ancient Spiderman show's theme song

ahaha

LOOK AT HER the way Bow says this is so great

POOR CATRA

Adora laughs longer than anyone else after Catra gets the helmet off and Catra blushes and smiles and everyone stands around not wanting the ruin the moment--and then Entrapta finds something and squeals and startles the shit out of everyone and it's SO GREAT

Catra: "So, wait, the plan is to barge ahead into the structurally unsound building to find some mystery person that we know nothing about, in hopes that they somehow know how to defeat Horde Prime?"

Bow: "You know, we were just gonna recklessly blast our way through that blockade until you stopped us. So this whole thing is basically your idea."

Catra's starting to realize what DORKS they all are and that good-natured teasing is just part of the deal

the GLEE with which they are including her

I didn't mean to get a screenshot that makes it look like Adora is staring at Catra's butt, but(t) I'm not mad about it

Meanwhile, on Etheria:

yikes

"and yet we're still stuck with you?"

HAH

Back on Krytis Wrong Hordak is having an existential crisis as he realizes Horde Prime is not perfect

Catra fuckin' slices a door into the wall

Bow: dunno if that's safe Glimmer: yeah I'm not sure about this either Adora: MY GIRLFRIEND IS STRONK and has v sharp claws isn't she perfect

seriously tho Adora is BLUSHING

Catra's face

Glimmer's too, actually

oh god it's the bit where Catra keeps sneezing at the spore things in the air and Bow is just like 🥺

Adora's reaction to this conversation is also priceless

Anyway a second later, Catra leans on the wall and sinks into it, she shrieks and Adora yells "CATRA!!" and when they pull her out the wall starts sending out HUGE MURDER SPIKES

Back on Etheria:

Castaspella: "You said you had a plan. The only reason I'm following you is because if anyone would know about mind control, it's you." Shadow Weaver: "Mind control? Is that what they told you? No. My gifts were always far subtler."

I dunno, I think torturing kids is hardly "subtle." But abuse is often hard to spot while it's happening to you.

y'know, like this shit

Okay in fairness she says she was less powerful as well and now he's chipped he's under control by the enemy and they're not strong enough to fight him

On Krytis, the Squad realizes they've gotten confused/turned around in the abandoned ship--"Isn't this where we started?!" There's a growling noise. The hallway somehow gets longer while they're walking in it. Creepy as fuck.

Oh and also it turns out Horde Prime and the First Ones fought over Krytis ages ago and Prime won but then abandoned the place anyway.

Entrapta: also there's someone right behind you

yay i know who this is lol

ALSO Catra insisting on protecting everyone is v cute

also it took me three times to get this screenshot ahahaha

and when she tackles it they both disappear

the audible PANIC

OH HEY i hit the image limit okay hold on

[et-cant-phone-home-no-signal]

The Last of Us HBO - Episode 1 thoughts

Warning: Pure yapping ahead, just my thoughts and things I've noticed whilst watching, it's not serious and I don't invite arguments (fellow yappers however are more than welcome)

(these make sense in the way that i wrote this as i watched so it's all chronological, this is my bday gift to all of you lol. spoilers under the cut)

Love the opening, gives a lot of the context you'd get from the opening credits of the game in a way that's easy to follow and understand for a new audience (using my mum as an example, she knows nothing about this show other than me telling her it's a zombie show - her only experience with that is the walking dead vaguely so her expectations were mid, but even she told me it's easy to understand and actually makes more sense irl compared to TWD)

The whole pandemic stuff really just hits different after COVID doesn't it

The whole climate change thing mentioned is so real, and I know this is written for modern times by modern writers, but for them to set that idea up in a 60s show is very eye-opening

The silence + stillness of the host and audience, the camera angles chosen, it's so good and unsettling in a very inconspicuous way, bravo

I wonder why they chose to change it from 2013 to 2003. Don't get me wrong I'm okay with it, and it's fun to relate to seeing a bunch of familiar things from my own childhood (lack of smartphones, older decor, easy clothing style etc), but it's a decade difference and I wonder why? Is it to make it more relatable for us that the majority of the show is set in 2023? Are we meant to connect to that more, as we've just had our own pandemic and this is a more intense fallout that we could have had if the nature of COVID had been slightly different? Maybe I'm overthinking it

The details in Sarah's room 👌 the posters, the box TV (such nostalgia), the pictures of her and friends, of her and Joel, ribbons and trophies from winning soccer tournaments, the hung up doodle paper, fairy lights, soft pink walls, it's so comfy and lived in, girly but completely her own space :') reminds me a bit of my childhood bedroom tbh, messy but comfortably so

I love that she knows her dad won't wake up so she knocks and calls because yeah, that's what you do when your dad is a deep sleeper

The contrast with Joel's room immediately after, the details there too - the old boombox cd player, fan up and running, messy dresser with slightly open drawers, the most Texas art on the walls (come on, music, deer and a tacos and beer poster?), blue walls, a hamper filled to the brim, a fucking treadmill?? Joel, your plant on the bedside table is long deceased I'm begging you to chuck it and release it from its misery 💀

(Something my mum noted, was that Sarah is wearing her natural curly hair, which mum said "it's rare to see that, in 2003 at least", to which I replied "maybe not in America?" because fr we are European and there's many cultural differences between the USA and other countries. Mum noticed it and she grew up in the Netherlands as a 60s kid. Me personally, I didn't think too much on it because it didn't click that might be odd to see someone wear natural hair, but I also admit I grew up in small villages and towns in more rural areas of Scotland and the Netherlands, so I didn't see much diversity in people growing up until like high school, but I consumed an insane amount of media such as Doctor Who and that's always been a very diverse show. Anyway, just a little thing that was noticed, I love Sarah's hair)

The domesticity :') Joel forgetting the pancake mix (good thing too), going straight for coffee, Sarah insisting on orange juice, his utter disgust at drinking it

"Gonna have to wear diapers soon." "Who says I don't already?" 💀

IS THAT DIDO PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND??? ULTIMATE WIN (I fucking love Dido, the song playing is White Flag)

"Shell." "Calcium." *pushes egg through teeth* "Lovely." stop it oh my god

Family banter, I'm eating this shit up so bad y'all, uncle Tommy <3

The Jakarta detail 👌👌

Pedro with a Texan accent is mwah

I like the detail of Sarah's name being on her bag, I had the same as a kid but my mum would sew it into the top of my bag instead, sometimes on the outside sometimes on the inside. I feel like that's not a safe thing to do anymore but it was so normal when I was a kid

Wish I could write an essay on Joel's drawer but instead I'll just say I love that Sarah is comfortable enough at home to just, go into her dad's room and grab stuff from his dresser, and know Joel won't be mad about it :) healthy home relationship

I wonder if the knife has any crazy significance? I don't remember seeing that knife ever again, unless it's just foreshadowing to Ellie's knife

I swear, them constantly avoiding baked goods is so genius (no pancakes, no cake, no biscuits, they don't eat the cookies later, it's small and clever)

Joel throwing Sarah under the bus like that to the neighbours had both me and mum cackling

Joel "no smoking in the truck" Miller

The desert storm detail is an interesting addition to Tommy's character, and at this stage, it's open whether this is about Joel or Tommy since we don't know who's truck it is (just because Tommy is driving doesn't mean it's his, after all, Joel has a garage)

The details in the school are fun, but idk if that's a normal American school thing to have pictures of the presidents and founding father up or not, I honestly will assume it is since there's also a big ass USA flag in the corner

THE PAPERMATE INKJOY PEN!!! I USED TO HAVE THOSE!!! Damn the small details are so fucking popping

This part is wonderful - where the fuck did they source that many different and fun clocks from and where can I get them?

"20." "That's it?" "Okay, 30." "20's good."

The build up is fantastic, it works for fans and for newcomers alike - all these things like the police all day and other things previously mentioned, the lady ushering her out as quickly as possible, all the people that were outside eating and enjoying the food stands are suddenly gone and the street is silent

The whole Jesus spiel, good lord, feels very Texas in the 2000s (and still tbh, let's be real)

Sarah's face when Mrs Adler says "raisin" is SUCH a fat mood my god this kid is funny

Nanna no 💀 (that fucking grandma is FREAKY as FUCK, outstanding detail)

Mercy knows. Animals always know.

Thank god Joel forgot the cake

Pedros funny little facial expression absolutely kill me, adds such dimension to Joel as a father

Super satisfying to hear the game dialogue ngl, especially that funny little bit with the watch

It's so interesting to see Joel has always struggled with his emotions and verbalising them - the small "thank you", not looking at her, rather looking down at the watch itself, fiddling with it - he's trying but he's never been good with feelings

Joel SNATCHING that dvd like, damn son, it's not going anywhere 😭😂 it's cute to see him so excited about it though, Sarah knows what he likes, even if she's not interested in it at all

The instant sofa snuggle :')

"Don't fall asleep." "Of course I won't, it's too riveting." *Cuts to Sarah fast asleep*

The phone 💀 I remember us having a phone like that, whole ass protection sleeve and all

This extra detail of Joel having to bail Tommy out just adds so much more depth to the dynamic and I'm here for it, also explains why the fuck Joel wasn't in the house at 2am (that always bothered me a bit about the game)

Joel loves his daughter so much,,,, the gentle way he puts her in bed, shoes and all, covering her up with her blanket, little kiss on the head,,,,, I'm already in pain for what's to come

Mercy my sweet baby <3 what a good dog, so scared :(

The show really captured that out of sync feeling when something like this happens - nothing crazy yet, just utter confusion and mild panic creeping in because this isn't normal but nothing seems to be happening yet

Mercy said "peace ✌️ I'm out"

This girl is braver than me, I wouldn't have walked through the door - but that being said I haven't had close neighbours like this in years so maybe it's just that they're very close and she feels comfortable doing so

Oh that's fucked UP dude, Sarah downright walking into cannibal town that's so disturbing (fantastic acting and special effects all around)

The cordyceps special effects are so fucking visceral and disgusting, that out of the mouth?? Grim!! Love how they did this

Love the amount of game dialogue and referencing we get in this particular part - "You take 71-" "71, I know.", the whole car conversation, "That's Jimmy's place" (I know in the game Jimmy is the neighbour and it's Louis'farm that's on fire but the reference stands), most of the camera work being fixed on Sarah or from Sarah's perspective in the back, "They got a kid Joel." "So do we, keep driving. Somebody else'll come along.", just a fucking well done scene tbh

This whole part in the car from Sarah's POV absolutely invokes the same anxiety I felt when playing this bit of the game, totally made me feel like I'm in the truck with them and it's scary (scary good)

I was so thrown off by the fact that they avoided the car crash that I wasn't expecting the alternative that they chose instead 💀 like shit??? A whole ass plane??? Love that they did the eerie music to black thing though that was great

Nico honestly just stole my whole heart as Sarah she got all the fucking expressions down, the panic, the way she talks, the pained sounds, love it 10/10 casting imo

The instant reaction time on Joel and getting Sarah out of the way of that car was NUTS like, I rewatched that part multiple times just to see how quickly he switched them around goddamn

Pedro and Nico are a fantastic father daughter duo 👌

Joel pushing Sarah's head under his chin more so she doesn't look 🥺

The infected actors are fucking amazing, terrifying dedication to the role

Oh no I'm about to cry so hard guys

Sarah 😭😭😭 her whimpers make me so fucking upset this scene is so fucking sad

On a genuine note, Nico did an outstanding job of channeling the desperation from the game, and so did Pedro and Gabriel - Tommy's choked up "Joel" and look of utter defeat and grief is absolutely heartbreaking

Joel holding his dead daughter in his arms, rocking her like a baby, crying out for her to please please be okay...... Yeah

The set for the front of the Boston QZ 🙌

It's so telling that the first thing we see FEDRA do is lie to a child and kill her when they promised she was gonna be okay. They promised they were gonna feed her and get her toys, and that the medicine would help her. They told her that she was safe. And they killed her.

Having Joel be the one to throw her into the fire, holding her the same way he held Sarah, was such poignant choice - how a man can change over 20 years

The Boston details - the set itself, the extras, the shoelaces for ration cards, the covering up of the firefly logo, the sheer amount of FEDRA guards everywhere

Ah yes, the return of public hangings, my favourite 🫠

Interesting to see Joel "smuggler and dealer" Miller, something we didn't get much of in the game tbh

Tess <3

Robert is so slimy eugh

I love that we get to see more of Tess outside of her and Joel, it builds more of a picture of who she is besides just Joel's smuggle partner - also love the amazing bruise makeup they did for her, looks super real and painful

The fireflies actively causing mayhem in the QZ is also a great added detail! We see it a bit in game but I enjoy the constant references to it as well

Bella as Ellie is god tier damn they're so good - snarky as FUCK

Joel just, skipping the fucking line without giving a shit, no one stopping him

"When I'm sleeping, Gabriela listens, or my son. The smart one, not the other one, god bless him." 💀😂😭

I love that Joel has a secret stash in his apartment

Ah yes, drugs and alcohol, the remedy to all

The watch 😭

Liking the music and camera usage in this scene, makes me feel like I'm high myself

Tess just coming in, scooting Joel over in bed and being the big spoon 🙌 the tender way in which she slides her arm over his waist and he grabs her hand in his 😭

The jarring cut to it being day and him lying down alone, pheww

The way Joel is instantly awake and ready to fucking go when he sees Tess' face 🫠

Enjoy how we get Tess saying how absolutely terrified Robert is of Joel, that he needs to take a breath and go slow, but reassures him she still wants to fuck him up - Tess is handling Joel like an spooked animal, gently and with care

Marlene's casting is fantastic 👌 - JUST CLOCKED THAT THE REASON WHY I FELT THAT IMMEDIATELY IS BECAUSE MERLE VOICED MARLENE IN GAME, NO WONDER I INSTANTLY FELT SHE WAS RIGHT!! I recognised her voice without clocking it

I enjoy the changes made to Marlene from the game, she feels more real here, more brutal, this is a rebellion leader who is aware shit isn't going well, it's refreshing - we're seeing more of the inner workings of the firefly situation in Boston

I think it's cute that they still have shitty bars and stuff, humans desire connection and community so much they'll make the best out of whatever they got

"You tell me to 'look for the light' and I'll break your jaw." SLAY LOL

This insight into Ellie's treatment and her relationship with Marlene is really interesting - it's more context which I always enjoy

"You my fucking mom or something?" "Do I look like your mom?" "Nooo, you do not." 😂

First Riley mention, time to feel sad!

With more thought, the "he's here" is probably about Robert! Didn't think much on that before

Detail notice - love how hair and makeup department did Tess and Joel's graying hairs, it looks really good and natural. I read some comments ages ago that Joel's hair is too silver in some spots, but I raise to you my mum in defence, who went grey quite early (she started in her late 30s) and has beautiful silver highlights naturally between the darker hairs. If my mum ever finds out I've posted that online, she'll probably kill me, but then she shouldn't have genetically given me her terrible eyesight 😌 consider it retaliation

The wall body is so grotesque and beautiful, it reminds me a bit of Annihilation (if you haven't seen that movie, I recommend! Fantastic music and visual effects)

*Joel rambles about the building structure* "This has been 'Construction Corner' with Joel Miller." got me creasing lmao they're so snarky and funny

Man I wonder wtf happened, like, did Robert try to scam them so bad they had a shootout?? Crazy

"So this is who Robert screwed us over with? The Che Guevara of Boston?" tells me everything I need to know about Marlene

The shootout stance oooooohhsggsg

Kim and her missing ear 💀

I like the way they get the Ellie job in the show, it works really well

"Really? That fast?" crying lmao

There's clearly more history between Tommy, Marlene and Joel and I know it's because Tommy was a firefly but man what I wouldn't give for a series on the 20 years between this and 2003!!! I'd play a whole game of that!!! I wanna know what happened, in detail!!

Something that bothers me: they're soaked, their shoes are squelching, yet the floor is bone dry after they walk in 😭

I love how smart and inquisitive Ellie is, all the small things she notices and picks up on

Love the same dialogue but different way of delivering it from the game, refreshing as fuck

Ellie's a sassy little shit ain't she (I love her)

I find it constantly funny that cars and shit are still used after 20 years because y'all, gasoline has a shelf life of like 3-6 months and diesel about a year if they're stored correctly with stabilisers, so, why are vehicles used so much?? Where are they getting their gasoline from?? Yes I am aware you can make bio-gas out of plants but it's a complicated process and do you really think FEDRA is out here with greenhouses for gasoline? No me neither

Tess is actually so fucking lovely in regards to Ellie, like, mom mode detected - also love how it's Tess that takes the lead

I can feel my own back protesting at seeing them squat walk, yikes

Ellie gripping Tess' hand for support 😭💕

Joel's flashback due to the light - him beating that guy to fucking death because he's already lost one daughter to a soldier before, and he may not even like Ellie yet but he'll be damned if he lets another little girl die at the barrel of a gun like that

Ellie's face, like she wants to be scared of Joel but shit, that guy just killed a FEDRA soldier to protect her and you can see the admiration in her eyes, but the fear is there too

The radio at the end - we know Bill and Frank aren't alright but at this stage we don't know what exactly that means

The final shot of the iconic towers at the end, an infected screaming on the roof - fucking poetry

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading!! It's literally just my running thought process whilst watching!! Do you agree with some of my notes, was there anything you noticed that i didn't? Comments and reblogs welcome <3

Episode 2 thoughts:

Episode 3 thoughts:

[fizziepopangel]

A Fizziepop Take: Let's talk about when they saw each other and Stolas’ new look at himself

I have so many fucking feelings about this new episode, so let’ts get into it right now before I explode!!! Because... Oh. My. God.

Warning, potential spoilers ahead!

The duet in the beginning had me screaming. The music was amazing and so much was said within this 2 minute 40 second musical snippet of the show. First of all, the fact that this is the first Stolitz duet we’ve gotten in the series is absolutely amazing because there’s usually so much emotion in the undertones of the Helluva Boss songs, and this one is no different. “When I See Him” definitely is one of the best songs we’ve gotten in the show so far, and I loved seeing the difference in Blitz and Stolas as they prepare to see each other again since it seems as though this is the first time our impish little lovebirds have really seen each other for quite some time. There’s nerves on both ends… But while both men are worried that the other getting tired of each other since they view themselves as unloveable, we see two very different methods of handling the anxiety that is surrounding their usual full moon meeting. Stolas, in his usual dramatic fashion ends up hiding in the fridge at one point as he wrestles with the weight of what he plans to do, while Blitz does what he does best and tries to ignore the heaviness of the situation that he knows will be there by essentially saying that if he focuses on the sex stuff enough, everything else will just fade into the background for the time being.

Now, sometime around the first time I started falling down the tumblr rabbit hole as a writer, I responded to a post about how toxic the Stolitz relationship is, because no matter how you spin it, Stolitz is pretty freaking toxic as they were before the most recent episode. As the person I responded to all that time ago pointed out, this contractual agreement they have revolving around the full moon is an abuse of power on Stolas’ part…. And , I believe, emotional manipulation on Blitz’s part. The full moon agreement binds the two men, but somewhere along the line, both men actually developed feelings for one another and the full moon agreement was, in a way, a formality that made it less taboo to be together since Blitz is a lower class demon in comparison to the Goetia prince, and it gave both men something to blame in the event that one of them didn’t want the other. While the entire thing was fucked and toxic and hauntingly unhealthy for the both of them, the agreement did benefit both Stolas and Blitz….  But, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, the events of Ozzie’s was a real turning point for the couple

Their date at Ozzie’s really changed everything because when the two are alone together, Blitz tends to feel more in control of things and he feels genuinely desirable and needed in a way… But after seeing the owl prince actually hide his face in embarrassment when attention is drawn to him being with the imp, that illusion of being on a somewhat even playing field in all of this shatters abruptly. In the same token, Stolas never realized just how badly their agreement affected the imp until he attempted to salvage the night at the end by inviting Blitz over to spend time with him only to have Blitz tell him that he wasn’t in the mood to have sex that night and he knows that that’s all Stolas really keeps him around for. Seeing Blitz in pain that way hurt Stolas in a way that he wasn’t prepared for because he knows what it’s like to feel as unloveable as Blitz seemed to feel in that moment, prompting him to try to give Blitz his freedom back in the hopes of starting a genuine relationship.

This brings us to Stolas’s gift to Blitz: an asmodian crystal.

We see Blitz putting forth a genuine effort with Stolas in a few scenes, leading Stolas to believe that Blitz would genuinely choose to be with him even if he broke the tether of IMP needing him in order to access the human world. And we as an audience see the glimpses of Blitz caring for the prince and even being excited to see him in the beginning of “Full Moon”, but Blitz doesn’t take well to change and I think he values the comfortability and structure of the routine that they’ve built in a way…. Stolas on the other hand is starting to realize the wrong in what he’s been doing to the other man and his already fractured self image is going from “I don’t really like myself” to “I’m a straight up monster”, and I think this way of thinking is going to stick after hearing Blitz break and snap at him about how everyone tends to treat imps like him (and himself) like they don’t matter in any sense, meaning he inadvertently admits that Stolas has made him feel that in some sense within their time together. After being in a loveless marriage with an abusive partner (I use this term very loosely for Stella), I think Stolas felt as though he sank down to her level with Blitz… Although Blitz says that in the heat of the moment as his volcano of unfelt feelings erupts, and he does try to apologize, I don’t think Stolas will forgive himself for that for a long time, and I don’t think that he’s going to stop seeing himself as a monster for even longer.

After “Full Moon”, I am a little worried for Stolitz… But if I’m honest, Stolas and Blitz actually remind me of Ian and Mickey from Shameless. I think Blitz and Stolas are destined to be endgame the same way I always felt Mickey and Ian were. I also think that with both men having time apart after this breakdown, they’ll have an easier time healing from the trauma that the full moon agreement has put them both through… At least I hope that’ll be the case, cause ya know, this is just a humble Fizziepop Take.

[ivysangel]

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who was raging at the massive ass time skips in yj cuz the 5 year skip had me ready to knock out my own teeth!! I used to watch this show when I was in grade 6-8 and it first came out so revisiting it and seeing the skips had me ready to rage at what I missed out. That and a few other things as well like how we keep getting new characters that we see for an episode and maybe see like a season later or way later. But mostly the time skips cuz wow they really could’ve paced themselves and maybe stretched out the og yj team for another season or so before jumping ahead to when everyone’s in their 20’s and had dated half the team at that point but only making mentions of it.

Like in the later seasons when Rocket showed up I was asking myself who tf this was only cuz there were so many time skips and so many characters being introduced every 2 or so episodes. So when I realized who she was I was like oh shit, and then when she had a kid and a husband? Ex husband? Idk man I’m a kid of divorce so they looked like a divorced couple sharing custody of their kid. And the one second where it was mentioned that Rocket used to date Dick????? It was one single line and then it was back to talking about how Conner is probably still alive. But I was so confused and lost and so mad that we did have such a huge time skip between seasons cuz I like seeing the animated relationship drama! And honestly I’d take seeing anyone else’s relationship instead of Conner and M’gaan considering I started to dislike the pairing at the end of s1 and it’s just been downhill from there. I got so tired of Conner and M’gaan being pushed so hard in the last season I would’ve taken anything else since they’re not the only couple around. Maybe even an episode of that one dude from the wedding who didn’t find out until the wedding day that so many of his friends are members of the Justice league only because they thought he knew already cuz I would’ve loved to see how that went down

HELLOOOO????? i'm so sorry that this got lost in my inbox for almost two months nonnie 😭😭😭 i literally just can't keep up angel, please accept my apology!!!

i 10000% agree with everything you said. i fully believe that the time skips contributed to how little we saw certain characters because the skips occurred so often and with each skip new characters were introduced so i think that they couldn't keep up with their own show. ykwim? and the way i also couldn't recognize rocket when she showed up?? i was trying to use context clues or smth but they really left me hanging. i think i found out who she was through fucking wiki 😭.

i actually loved m'gann and conner during season 1, it was actually during season two that i was getting annoyed with their relationship because of that time jump. i think that i just really enjoyed seeing their relationship unfold and then boom. time jump. now she's dating a fish guy and also she's got a fuck ass bob.

god. they need to let me in that writers room so i can do seasons 2-4 over from scratch!!! like they fucked us over soooooo badddddd

[hughungrybear]

Me while watching Dangerous Romance Ep 11

1. Before we start, if Name did sacrifice Saifah and set him up to the police, I would advocate skinning Name alive - not only for Saifah but also for the effect of what he did to Sailom 🤬

2. When I grow up, I want to have a bff like Guy (and Auto, as a bonus 😅😅).

3. Again, Kang why were you in that hotel room in the first place? Why were you calling Sailom's phone before the attempted r*pe happened? Why the fvck do you say "it's none of your concern" but still show some care????

4. Oh, no. Looks like Sailom will be forced to withdraw from school 😭😭😭😭 Who can blame him? Poor baby can't catch a break.

5. Sailom!!!! C'mon, forget your pride and use your rich friends (specifically Pimfah) for their money. They are willing to help anyway. You need to graduate to get out of poverty 😭😭😭😭

(Side note: Yes, Asians do value education a lot because it opens doors to opportunities that are firmly shut to those who did not go to uni. It's one of the many reasons why "poor" remains poor, because nobody would give anybody without a diploma a chance to prove and improve themselves.)

Okay, now I'm crying for all the opportunities Sailom will lose as he officially resigns from school.

6. Oooh, Nava is still visiting Guy in the hospital? C'mon, sail already 😭😭😭

7. Saifah!!!! Just tell the truth. Look what your actions have done to your poor brother 😭😭😭 <After 5 seconds> The fvck you doing Name??? Oh my gods, the boss is following Sailom. What more does he want? Saifah is already in jail. Name is not talking. Why do you want to kill Sailom???

8. Oh, look. Kang-"doesn't give a damn about Sailom anymore"-han to the rescue at the exact moment that Sailom needs him 😅. What's your excuse this time? Also, apologies to those who are related to (or are) real ones, but police in drama are rarely useful. Unless they are the effing main character. The universal portrayal of the useleness of police officers in drama and in literature is quite disheartening. Especially when you are reminded that there are police officers who act like this in real life.

9. So, where is Name in all this mess??? Just when he promised to Saifah that he'll take care of Sailom, Sailom gets shot.

10. Sailom asking the right questions 😂😂😂 Also, what's up with that motel room having a huge picture of boobies at the bedside table???? Not to be that person, but shouldn't it be strategically located like at the opposite side of bed? Or the ceiling? You know, for it to properly do its job? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

11. Looks like half of the episode is just flashbacks. <after 5 seconds> Oh, but Kang, you clearly said you are abandoning him. You should have made things clearer much earlier. Sailom, my poor baby 😭😭😭😭 Now I'm crying again. The fvck.

12. Name, use your effing brain. That dude is bound to double cross you and Saifah. You need to plan ahead and get them out of the trouble you put them in 🤬🤬🤬🤬

13. Again, not to be that person but I doubt having Kang by Sailom's side would intimidate the bad guys 😅

14. My GuyNava ship 😭😭😭 Also, it wouldn't hurt for Guy to have a backup plan. Just in case.

15. Shut up with these utterly sweet lines already 😭😭😭

16. Okay, looks like robbery is not the reason why Kang's dad was shot. Seems the motive is political. Also, Name's conscience should be bothering the heck out of him if he is even a halfway decent person. 🤬🤬🤬

17. Ah, Name. That's just stupid. You didn't even have a plan??? The fvck. Also, did Name call Sailom before Big Boss bashed his head in or after (which means, he is still alive)?

18. Ah yes, Name is still alive. Still don't get Big Boss's motivation for wanting to kill Kang's dad.

AAAAAARGH. THE PREVIEW!!!! WHY DID THEY WAIT UNTIL THE LAST EPISODE FOR GUY AND NAVA TO FINALLY KISS???? WHYYYY????

[dafukdidiwatch]

One Piece - Episode One

Yo Ho Ho yall (fuck that's cheesy lol) Well the Live Action One Piece came out a few weeks ago and I've only just started to watch it. I love One Piece. I 100% believe that One Piece is Classical Literature and Classical Story Telling. Like it will stand the test of time it is that good. And since I'm in love with the anime and watching the new series, I've decided to give like a mini review of each episode I watch.

Major Spoilers Ahead: I haven't caught up with the anime (like holy shit no I haven't) but I have rewatched the beginning seasons/arcs many many times. So this is honestly might be more of a comparison between the adaptation and the original source material. So I'm going to go over a lot of plot points of, well, everything.

Here we go!

Overview: Episode One follows Monkey D. Luffy on the start of his journey to become the King Of The Pirates on the open ocean. He faces against The Alvida Pirates and takes rescues the Cabin Boy Koby from her iron clutches. There they travel together to a nearby Marine Base to take find a map of the Grand Line, and we get the introduction of Zoro the Pirate Bounty Hunter and Nami the Thief and Catburgler. Shenanigans force the group together where they face off against Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan and retrieve the map together. Leaving Koby behind to follow his own dream, the trio sets off on a stolen boat and sails onto the next episode.

Initial Thoughts: I feel like I have to break up my review into so many categories because My God, they cram packed SO many things into this episode. Every minute there's anyone easter egg, another name drop, another scene where I go "Oh! It's That Part from the Anime!" I don't think it's going to be possible for me to look at it strictly on it's own merit, because a lot of what I like about it is going to be colored by the anime. Specifically what they kept, changed, and adapted to fit a live action setting. Because honestly, I'm blown away. They did an insanely good job with this series.

Plot:

I have to start with some of the plot here. Not just the overview I mean like a Deep Dive into how this is a lot of people's first introduction to One Piece.

I like how they have the first scene be the Gol D. Rodgers backstory. His death and final words, as stated in every episode, "drove countless souls to the sea." His legacy is the driving point for the show, so having it at the beginning is a great way to set up the exposition and expectation for the series. This is Pirates. Government vs Pirates. The King Of Pirates Treasure created more Pirates.

I also like how at every Pirate's Introduction we see a wanted poster fly by and cover his face. The bounties are used as a "power level" marker in a way. Higher Bounty = More Dangerous. It's a nice visual cue to show they are key players.

They also kept a lot of the iconic scenes and moments from the anime too. Nami drifting in the boat. Shanks getting beer smashed onto him by the bandits. They actually kept in some manga only moments too: Luffy stabbing himself in the eye for example and the reveal of his Gum Gum Powers. Not shown in the anime. So the Live Action series is faithful to both anime and manga.

Then the show even expands on some moments that were sort of glanced over. It actually shows Zoro being recruited for Baroque Works instead of Zoro mentioning it one that happened off screen. Which was a really cool badass visual to show rather than tell why Zoro is epic. Leave the myth/legacy/stories for Gol D. Rodgers. If the guy is on our crew, we gotta see why he's cool enough to be on the crew.

They also added in a lot of new mashups in here too. It makes since, Episode One covers about the first 5ish episodes of the anime. So you have to smash what you can when you can. Nami never interacted with Luffy or Zoro until the next island. They never were all together in a bar/tavern (which, ha, classic bar meet up). And there were new combinations of how other characters interact with each other. Morgan and Zoro never met prior to Luffy's bullshit. But damn, that was a pretty interesting interaction to just flex on their characters.

Speaking of...

Characters:

I'll get into main cast specifics afterwards, but I have to say that the show is perfect with capturing the essence of each character. No matter what actions they take or how the story changed, the show stayed true to the core of the characters. Luffy's childlike wonder went everywhere he went asking questions about everything. Zoro's sassy to everyone and honorable in battle. Nami self-reliant and sneaky and can handle her own. Morgan's self importance was shown with self-portraits. And this is for Everyone. Even the background mooks and randos. The crowd immediately going to sea as soon as Rodgers gives his Pirate Blessing for his treasure. Nothing is missed. Everything is well, exactly how and why we love these characters.

Luffy, well, I wasn't sure if I could like at first. It's the voice. I have a thing where if I know a character for a while, sometimes I can't vibe with another iteration because I am too invested in the first version. The voice was still high pitch and casual, but it just felt different. Between that and just how calm he was acting I wasn't sure if I liked Luffy. But the more I saw him the more perfect he was. He is happy, go-lucky, a gentle airy voice with a tinge of excitement. Terrible liar, a little bit more clever perhaps but still a well rounded dumbass. He's really the perfect Luffy.

Zoro was a bit of the same way too. I don't know if it was just the monotone but he was a bit like the same with Luffy. But then he opened his mouth and was just as so flipping sassy and snarky. Then we see him fight and kill a man on screen which yeah, he does that. And wow he's still super bad ass. I'm just sort of waiting to see more of his flaws in the next episode, and I'm actually surprised that Zoro had embraced the "Pirate Hunter" moniker when he couldn't give less of a shit is still serious and stoic, can't tell if he's more competent or not just yet.

A little surprise that Zoro wasn't on the crew yet. But I think they changed it so it would feel more like Zoro was willing to join rather than a "choose: join up or you'll get killed"

Nami was also as badass as I hoped. We see her on the job. On the clock. Taking one problem at a time. She would give Lupin a run for his money. Like her scoping out marines in the bar to steal the clothes, that was a brilliant move! A lot better to show the lengths she would go than just tricking some rando pirates. And we get her animosity immediately with Luffy. She really is super clever.

Shanks actually feels more parental here. Like a dedicated dad type. He felt easy going, but more in a mature adult way. He still cared for luffy in the anime don't get me wrong. But Anime Shanks absolutely laughed and teased Luffy. For example: Live Action Shanks was concerned and worried when Luffy showed his devil fruit powers for the first time. Anime Shanks was worried and called Luffy a dumbass for doing a stupid thing like eating random fruit. I get why they wanted him to be a more serious parental figure in the live action, just a bit different.

It actually is interesting because there is a distinctive change with Shanks and Buggy. Shanks as noted above went a cool older cousin to a parental figure. Buggy is cloaked in insanity and danger. He is menacing, which is important. He's the first major main antagonist. But his goofiness has been pulled back a bit and turned into crazy. He's still ruthless but it's more like Joker Crazy instead of just wacky clown. Granted he's only just introduced at the end of the show so there was no time to flesh it out. So we might have more silly wackiness coming our way. But it isn't a bad change.

Setting:

I can't believe how accurate the setting is to One Piece. Like, first they kept all of the weirdo gadgets like the Transponder Snails and those goofy looking seagulls. And yeah the CGI isn't like technically the best or detailed, but it feels like it was pulled straight from the manga.

Speaking of being pulled straight from the manga, the costumes are insane. How long did the costume department just stare into the anime and just bring it to life. Everyone's outfits are colorful, iconic, it perfectly fits the character and their designs. Same with the island, the ships, every location it just felt so real. So vibrant. It just breathes life!

And there's Violence! Honest to god Violence! In One Piece! Oh sure we have fights and battles and deaths in the show and manga. And it isn't shied away from at all. But now there's Blood. There's actual Canon Death. Point Blank from the beginning this is the Pirate Era and they are Ruthless by just killing a man off screen and forcing the wimpy boy to clean the mace. The show is not playing around.

Vibes: It's weird to say but overall, the vibes I got from the Live Action One Piece is the same as a Bollywood Movie. Bollywood is Big, Bombastic. It's silly and exaggerated but open and honest with everything. No matter how crazy or ludicrous it is, it's played straight in the movie. There is no lampshading or "jk" moments. The story is earnest in what it's doing.

That vibe 100% fits perfectly with the One Piece World. EVERYONE is a weirdo! That's the point of how the characters are introduced or treated or act. If they were written as weird, then they are more memorable by the audience. Not only that but everything is played straight no matter how goofy it is. Luffy's Rubber Devil Fruit is a useful power to have! He also can stretch his face and dodge like a 1920s cartoon. It's weird but it works. Mr. 7 and Buggy the Clown are dressed like madmen crazy people. But they are still set up as dangerous. Their villainy is still threatening no matter what the getup is. And it works because the show doesn't make fun of them for it. It isn't trying to wink at the camera and go "Take a look at this clown boy am I right?". We aren't taken out of that immersion of the world to mock the characters regardless of how ridiculous they are.

But importantly, it captures the central themes of One Piece: Adventure, Freedom, Dreams. The show doesn't try to tone down these things, it embellishes it. It is honest with the determination of the cast, their dreams and plans. I keep coming back to the word earnest because it fits so well with One Piece and Bollywood. No matter what happens, they both keep the sincerity of these themes and that's why it works. It is faithful not just in storytelling and plot points, but in spirit too.

Overall I really need to stop gushing over this one episode lol. Because it was just ONE Episode. I still have 7 more to go! What the Shit! This show is just already amazing. It's faithful to the source material. Faithful to the characters, the plot, the story. It puts in future plot points for the live action audience to pick up on that doesn't feel rushed or forced. It's just, a wholesome adventure story when it comes down to it. 100% 10/10 will watch everything

[outrunningthedark]

I know people like to discredit the interviews but if you take of the shipper glasses and actually read them objectively, its very easy to tell how episodes will go. They say it straight up and once I accepted that , I’m never really surprised anymore. It sucks but it is what it is.

Okay, you know what. Let's talk about this because people need to see how the (current) "truth" was right there all along. OS post-lightning strike when asked if it was "intentional" for Eddie to scream for Buck the way he did: "Eddie, as we've seen over the years, has been more of a stoic character, and it's nice to see that broken when Buck is put in this position. But I don't think that's necessarily something that we have purposely played into here, it's just the nature of the scene that this is literally life and death." The guy was as direct as could be without calling anyone delulu and STILL this fandom was coming up with ways for the accident to lead to canon!Buddie. Kristen addressing how the firefam would handle the coma: How is the rest of the 118 going to be dealing with what happens to Buck in the next episode? Other than his parents and Maddie, who’s the most affected?

Everybody’s affected, I should say that. Obviously, for Bobby, it’s a lot. He’s there. Buck is, in a lot of ways, his kid, and seeing him in a hospital bed and not knowing if he’s going to live or die is triggering, especially having just lost a very dear friend in his AA sponsor. For Chimney he’s a bit shaken by it because he was the one who was going to go up that ladder, and Buck took his place. And it’s not that Chimney feels guilty because he didn’t send Buck up there, but it’s more of an “oh God, that could have been me. It could be me in that bed fighting for my life.”

(The fandom: "How do we make this about Eddie's feelings, because he's obviously gonna have a scene of his own with Buck?") The fandom during the poker game: "Captain Mehta coming back HAS to mean something! And why were Buck and Eddie looking at each other like that???" (For the latter: You mean the way Ryan and Oliver usually look at each other when they're on break because they're good friends? Uh. Okay.) Kristen explaining the thought process: "We talked about different abilities that he could have, and we came up with math because it just seemed so the opposite of the Buck we know and love. We did not want to give him a super ability that would positively or negatively impact his job, if that makes sense. You give Buck the inability to feel pain, and that just feels like a different story. We wanted to keep it fun." (And wow. It was, in fact, brought up again for a laugh with Ravi.) Oliver applauding the fans for picking up on the symbolism of Buck equating relationships with couches: "I love that the fans have picked up on the symbolism of the couch. Buck is attached to this symbolism of couches being related to relationships, and that's not something that's actually going away anytime soon. Up until Buck's very last scene of the season, we'll see that symbolism at play." Where...where did he say anything about *who*, specifically, the couch might be connected to? Where did he boil it down to one single relationship, even? Oh, and here's a fun one that doesn't get much attention because it must feel like a knife to the chest: Oliver after the lightning strike, discussing the bond between Buck and Eddie: “They’ve both become quite embedded in each other’s lives. I think they’ve kind of bonded and connected on so many levels, whether it be work, their personal lives and then add in that kind of fun dynamic where they clearly do just get on well. I think it’s just a nice recipe for a good relationship, however you choose to see it.” Idk what most of this fandom was reading, because everything I came across was saying "CAUTION: DISAPPOINTMENT AHEAD"

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 4 ("The Road Trip To Harvard") Aka JessMas Eve This episode makes my list of favorite episodes. On that list of episodes, only two of them don't include Jess (the other being Rory & Paris' super gay spring break trip). So I guess you could say I enjoy the episodes where the characters manage to escape The Hollow for a bit and visit The Real World™. I already reviewed Jess' debut in the next episode ahead of schedule (which you can read here), so next time you see me post it will be Season 2, Episode 6. You can read the rest of my reviews here. I'm going to enjoy these last gasps of breath before Jess shows up and the agonies begin. Until then, let's pack our shit, print out our Mapquest directions, drag out the giant binder of compact discs, and get on with the road trip. Let me just say I admire Lorelai's ability to self reflect and admit to herself that she wasn't ready to get married and that Max wasn't the right person for her.

Rory: What did that sign say? Don't? Or Death? We're doomed. Lorelai: Wrong. We're being guided by fate.

Same things I'm saying as I await Jess Mariano's arrival.

I love Rory's disdain for all the late 90's pop music that I cherish so dearly.

Is that the name of the local asulym in The Hollow?

Debatable. Lorelai: I hope you didn't get too far on that cake. I know the kind of work you were gonna put into that cake and I'd just kill myself if you went crazy for nothing.

"Oh sure, don't worry about it Lorelai. It's not like I poured blood, sweat and tears, dozens of man-hours, and expensive ingredients into this god damn monstrosity just for you. I'm not going put you in a chokehold the next time I see you or anything. I'm Sookie! I'm too cute and quirky for that!"

"Here's what I think about your cold feet, Lorelai. " *grabs knife*

Awww Sookie, you're too kind. Thank you. I... don't understand Lorelai putting down Bed and Breakfasts. Doesn't she literally manage one? I suppose there is some minute difference between a charming, small town, New England "inn" run by quirky characters, and a charming, small town, New England "Bed and breakfast" run by quirky characters? Lorelai at the Cheshire Cat B&B: We can't stay here. Rory: Where are we going to sleep then? Dying of exposure in a car is my worst nightmare. Rory when she saw Jess dying of exposure in a car:

Lorelai: We found the only room that would have made Liberace step back and say "Wow, step back, no one's that gay!" Early 2000's tv writing, everyone! Lorelai: Are you hungry enough to risk having to answer 100 questions about Chilton, your life in a small town, and your hunky hunky boyfriend? No matter how far from home she strays, Lorelai's's thoughts are never far from Dean. Handsome, tall, beautiful, hunky hunky, 16 year old bag-boy Dean Forrester.

Rory: What do we do now? Lorelai: Go to sleep? Rory: It's only 8:30. How about we talk?

"Please say Dean, please say Dean, please say Dean..."

"...Damn it."

This screen shot has so many potential uses for future reviews! I will be stealing it. Thanks Lorelai! #Yoink Lorelai calls Sookie again, who is just chilling at Luke's instead of at the Inn for once, honestly kind of an unusual sight that threw me off. Earlier in the episode, on her first call to Sookie, Lorelai asked her to have Miss Patty spread the gossip that the engagement was kaput, but we learn that news has not yet reached Luke, who is in the middle of trying to throw Kirk out of the diner for ordering 8 refills of his coffee and occupying a table for too long. Kirk: I've been trying to figure out the tip, I'm not good at math. What's 6% of $4.43? 8 cups of coffee for under $5? 55 cents a cup? Good deal. See that Gilly Girls? Someone who pays Luke for their food and even leaves a tip! Granted, he's only about to leave 26 cents but at least it's something. Learn from this man. I know Lorelai eventually begins to pay Luke back with Nature's Credit Card (booty) but that's still a few years off. Sookie breaks the news to Luke, and the Grinch's heart grew 4 sizes that day. In light of the bad news, he decides he won't charge Kirk for his (now 9) cups of coffee, forgoing his 25 cent tip, and also gives free coffee to everyone else in the diner, plunging himself even deeper into debt. Anyone else ever think about poor Jess waiting tables, depending on tips but knowing that R&L never tipped him? And Rory would never even tip him with Nature's Credit Card. Shame, that.

I recognize the woman on the left from an episode of The Golden Girls and the guy in the middle from an episode of Seinfeld (Fun bit of trivia: Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson both made appearances on Seinfeld!)

Sorta kinda. And now for easily the best thing ever spotted in the background of a tv show.

Wanted: SAT Instructors? No, that's not it. Conference on Voting Modernization. Hmm, not quite...just move up a skosh there... Affordable Spanish tutoring? No..

Rory, you desperately need a job and I notice you're not jumping to sign up for this easy gig. I think this would look impressive and really stand out on your college application and you may learn a thing or two. Dean and Jess would be very appreciative. Sadly, even with my good vision I can't make out what the rest of the tiny writing says except "Gay and straight" and that the last line is some pervy perv's email address.

"Hey baby, you signing up for the Porn Watching job too?"

Sounds like a good place for getting paid to watch porn. I think Jess would have loved college, and in my headcanon he definitely gets his GED and goes to college in his 20's. The WB network basically made a show about it. It's called The Bedford Diaries. Or as I affectionately call it "Jess Goes To College". The GillyGirls commit some light breaking and entering and walk into an open dorm room.

I just wrote a song, want to hear it? Here goes: Vintage computers, oh so cute, early 2000's I love youuuu!

I know this was 2001, but Lorelai thinks it costs $100 to take a class at Harvard.

How do you know you're really at Harvard? Everyone wears sweatshirts that say "Harvard" on them. Rory tries to sneak into the class unnoticed but drops her coffee which causes every single person in the room to turn around and angrily glare at her and she gets reprimanded by the professor for not sitting in a seat. My heart breaks for her pathetic self. But if it's any comfort to Rory, in The Real World ™ I can promise you nobody in that class would give a shit about you or your coffee.

♫ I'm at a payphone, tryin to call Luke, I never pay him for his food ♫

The two women next to Rory are rolling their eyes so far back in their heads they're going to make a full rotation and come back out the other side.

Oh hey I know that guy in the red shirt! A time traveler from the distant year 2006. He didn't stick the landing, had to re-live 9/11 a month earlier and now he's being forced to listen to Rory Gilmore's thoughts on philosophy. That was a Heroes joke. That's the guy who played Hiro on the tv show Heroes. He could travel through time.

My man in plaid here has fallen into a coma.

Out of Context Gilly Girls Lorelai comes home and forces her mother to watch slides of their trip. Emily to Lorelai: Why would you go out of town right before your wedding? Wouldn't your fiance mind?

Heh heh, woopsie daisy! Emily thinks Lorelai eloped and flies into a rage but Lorelai tells her what happened. Emily's only response is that she's returning Lorelai's wedding gift. Lorelai once again swallows and represses her ongoing trauma and instead grills her mother on what the gift was, but she won't say. Doesn't Lorelai recieve an ice cream making machine in the mail with no return address a short time later, or was that just a fever dream? Ah, I suppose we shall soon find out. And now for the Relevant Stuff That Happens In The Last Three Minutes: Lorelai & Luke have a very sweet conversation where she decides to keep the chuppah and turn it into a positive instead of a painful reminder. Lorelai asks Luke if he will give her guidance on owning a business and he accepts. She wants to begin the process of opening an Inn with Sookie. Lorelai opens her flip phone and thank god she's just calling Sookie again and not Christopher. And Lane escaped from Korea. Good for her.

Tomatos Sign: Spotted.

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Before I get any further, let me just get this out of the way. There will be screaming and fangirling ahead. Lots of it. This is your only warning. Proceed with caution. Oh, and there will be a few spoilers.

Now that that's done, let me just say-

AHHHHHHHHHNHHHH

I JUST FINISHED BINGING KINNPORSCHE AND OH MY FUCKING GODS, MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS 😭😭😭

THE LOVE THE SEXUAL TENSION THE EYE CANDY- I AM LITERALLY SQUEALING, LIKE I DID THROUGHOUT THE SERIES-

*exhales*

I WILL KEEP KINNPORSCHE ON A FUCKING PEDESTAL. IT IS NOW MY OTP FOR LIFE. I WILL SHOOT ANYONE WHO GETS IN THE WAY OF MY LITTLE BABIES

AND I WILL SMACK KIM OVER THE HEAD FOR HURTING CHAY BUT THEN HUG HIM BECAUSE I FEEL HIM AND THEN LOCK THEM TOGETHER IN A FUCKING CLOSET UNTIL THEY KISS THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF EACH OTHER.

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON VEGASPETE. DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM AGAIN VEGAS, OR ISTG-

(Side note: this is a textbook case of stockholm syndrome)

AND PORSCHE AS THE HEAD OF THE MINOR FAMILY JUST WALKING THERE WITH PEOPLE BOWING LIKE YES I'M THAT IMPORTANT, AND THE SCENE ON THE SOFA WITH THE RINGS-

ALSO THE CHANGE- LIKE IT'S SO EVIDENT HOW MUCH HE'S CHANGED SINCE THE FIRST TIME THEY MET, NOW HE'S ALL CONFIDENT AND SEXY AND SLAPPING KINN'S BUTT-

AND TANKHUN JUST HAVING FUN AND BEING THE SUPPORTIVE BROTHER-

In 14 episodes, my heart went through so much, I'm gonna give it a rest. . .(as if. I just came here to scream into the void before I go and read too many fanfics).

So yes, I think that's about it.

Also, I have seen a lot of gifs from the series, and I thank all the people who posted them, because that's what encouraged me to watch the series. So, as a thank you gif(t), I give to you:

The Underwater Kiss

Sorry for the video quality, I had to screen record then put it through a gif maker, so- (because Tumblr wouldn't let me upload my original video *glares at the screen*)

I thought percabeth was the best underwater kiss, but oh gods. I have never been more happy to have been proven wrong. (Yes, I know I might be biased).

I'm seriously getting goosebumps right now.

Anyways that's all for today. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[miss-bluerose]

TDI23 Season 2 ep 9-12 thoughts and theories. Spoilers ahead.

*This is a really long post, fair warning.*

Ep 9: Find something big on the island only to then break it apart to fit through a small window on a wooden door. I liked the twist in the challenge and the funny moments but the elimination was crap imo.

Ep 10: Memory game where they have to memorize a grid of eliminated contestants faces while standing on a punishment pod and then use their tablets to pick the right square when that person pops up. Guess wrong and suffer a punishment related to the person they chose somehow. I liked this challenge except for the fact that they could see who picked which square for some reason and the punishment for picking Chase was ridiculous 🙄. Also, the elimination was crap, AGAIN.

Ep 11: Get chased by one of "five" fierce police dogs and try to avoid being dragged back to the carpet. Three chances each, the dogs are tracking them by the smell of their socks. It was cool to see MacArthur again and I liked four of the five dogs (Edward Scissormouth, Beartrap, Chainsaw and Bloodhunter) but Booger looks very off/gross and reminds me of every tiny, annoying dog I've ever seen in my life.

Ep 12: Wearing a harness that has a hookable part on the front and each armed with a hook attached to a crane, they must hook each other until they are the last one standing in the pit. Hooked contestants get dropped into their tank of terror and must face their greatest fear to get out of the tank. Wouldn't it make more sense for each of them to start in their tank and have to fight their way out first? Idk, it's a weird challenge. We also got to see cameos of the tennis pros from RR and Leshawna's grandma from Dramarama apparently.

Chris:

He enjoyed Chef's misery way too much. Added shared immunity in the memory game since no one was going to get to 10 points quickly enough. Seemed pretty forced imo. It was BS that he kept not giving the contestants 2 minutes to hide from the dogs. Seems to enjoy sending the dogs after them WAY too much. At least he won't abuse their allergies I suppose. Him calling Caleb basic was fantastic! And I actually liked that he combined his fears. I don't like how he put poisonous spiders inside the Snow Owls mascot costume and hurt the purple haired intern in the process. Says that he's had no work done and I instantly thought of that one Pahkitew episode and shuddered.

Chef:

His kitten and tortoise video was super cute. I felt so bad for him watching his car get destroyed. 😞 Seems to ship Caleb/Priya which is a little weird but ok. "Yeah, we got a runner." Made me laugh a little. "You have the wooing skills of a dumpster fire." Killed me, oh my god. 🤣 He thinks Julia is more shallow than a kiddy pool and he's absolutely right. I laughed when he asked Priya if she could see the future because of how many times she was electrocuted.

Eliminated contestants:

16th: Lauren/Scary Girl - RIP my Damien vs SG in the fear challenge theory, he didn't even make it that far. 💀

15th: Chase

14th: Millie

13th: Emma

12th: Nichelle

11th: Bowie

10th/9th: Axel/Ripper

8th: Zee 👑

7th: MK - She stole Chef's car and burned it to ashes AND lost the challenge so he lost his car for nothing. There is no way the others would vote for her over Julia who is CLEARLY the bigger threat in every way. The hug between them was cute I guess.

6th: Damien - I liked him trying to comfort Priya but I did say out loud "Yeah, you should feel bad" when he admitted to feeling a little bad for voting for Zee. I laughed at him translating Priya's feelings to Julia with emojis. Him trying to get the sheep to lose a little weight was funny.

Stop moving the idol around and just keep it on you dude, the pickpocket was just eliminated. Has memorized the periodic table and has an edge in this challenge but accidentally keeps picking the same squares as Julia earning her wrath for some dumb reason. Gets brutalized by a wrecking ball that looks like the skull Lauren took from last season. Good on him for giving Julia a taste of her own medicine. Landed in honey and then carried away by bees, forcing him out of the challenge... how is that fair? Oh wait, it's not! 😡 Total crap is what it is. Oh wow, his idol was stolen, who would have seen that coming? Not me hur dur. 🤪 Rest in peace, he was so robbed.

5th: Raj - 🕸️🍑💨 lol. Eating food that old probably should have killed him oh my god. 😱 Took a number of different punishments and then got beat up by a goose. It's nice that he and Wayne miss Damien. Dressing up the mannequin with his clothes was a brilliant plan. I loved how mature he was about his elimination, him shouting out the Snow Owls and Bowie was sweet to see. His final words to Wayne and the hug were very heartwarming.

4th: Priya - She seems to have gone off the deep end with how angry at Caleb she was. I laughed at her hugging the rock but wasn't the catapult a lot bigger than the rock? Got called out for attempted murder but that's pretty much a staple of the show by now so...🤷

WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO JULIA??? She can't be trusted and you KNOW this! Got blasted by farts, ew. Death by a thousand paper cuts, jfc. She accepts Caleb's confession and they make up. Finally realized that Julia was messing with them and decided to get back at her by attacking her during the final round. Stupidly picks up a tablet and picks right for Julia, allowing her to win immunity. 🙄 Probably should of gone home instead of Damien but oh no can't have that! Need to drag out the drama with Caleb for the rest of the season instead because she's mad at him again. 🤦

Decides to give an alliance with Caleb another shot. Gets mad at him for tackling her off a cliff into the water and away from her attack dog. 🤨 Loses the challenge thanks to Julia's infinite plot armor but survives the elimination ceremony. Seems to be back together with Caleb despite his questionable choices.

I don't approve of her physically hurting his hand like she did and bossing him around. Is afraid of thunder and lightning which I never would have guessed. Got hooked by the back of her pants and apparently doesn't wear underwear or the animators forgot to add them. Actually told Caleb to hook himself like wtf. She should have just eaten the marshmallow instead of gloating, it wouldn't have saved her but still. She wants to see Julia crushed into the dirt and so do I. "Avenge me! Avenge meeeeee!" Made me laugh a little. 😆 I still don't think she should have made it this far but this basically confirms that no contestant can be a finalist more than once.

Final Three

Caleb:

Is trying to fix things with Priya but keeps messing up. At least he's smart enough to avoid an alliance with Julia and MK. Dragged back a yacht and broke it down to win the challenge and stay on the island for another day.

He almost made up with Priya and then ran out of time, oof. Why would he ever listen to Julia's advice about anything, wtf is this 180 from last episode? Landed in trash and attacked by raccoons. Successfully fought off a goose but his tablet got knocked away right next to Julia and she decided to activate the punishments on him because he decided to confess to Priya at that moment thanks to Chef's speech. His confession was kinda sweet and they make up. Picks the wrong square and suffers a mini version of the death boot slide with Priya. Imo, he chooses the game over Priya by accepting Julia's agreement to vote how she wants him to and I can't believe this is happening, what the hell is this nightmare. 💀

Says that he accepted immunity from Julia so that he could spend more time with Priya but if she was voted off instead of Damien then he would be stuck on the island without her so idk, seems like a stretch to me. Gets outmatched by Booger, the smallest of the dogs and the craziest apparently, who can also drive a jet ski somehow. Got back into Priya's good graces despite everything.

Wants to not betray the agreement he has with Julia because his grandmother taught him to be truthful or something but his plan at the start of the season contradicts that imo. Actually hooks Priya because Julia told him to, damn dude that's just sad. His greatest fear is snakes and clowns which are both kinda basic so Chris combined them into a clown snake! 🤣 Is trapped by the snake's body and tries to escape by pulling on its tongue but it turns out to be just a bunch of cloths tied together and he passes out. "It'll all be over soon", he says as he's being swallowed by the snake made me laugh. Has to decide whether to hook Priya or Julia but he decided to hook both of them to win the challenge. Promised to win the final challenge for Priya but is frightened of her aggressiveness towards seeing Julia lose.

Wayne:

I liked him trying to defend Priya even if Caleb had already walked away. Him vs the outhouse killed me. 🤣 I've lost track how many times he's been hit in the crotch.

Him trying to feed Raj was funny. They don't study or take tests in school because of a tutor they have and to focus on hockey...oh my god. 🤦 Kept picking the same squares as Raj and kept getting punished for it. Got attacked by a goose as well.

Eating your socks was a bad idea. Climbing the tree was a good plan until the dog started chomping the tree but he actually managed to get away from him. I laughed when he cried over the destroyed mannequin. 😂 Flips a coin about who to vote off, saying he let the moose decide lol. Seeing him cry about Raj's elimination was sad to see, probably one of the saddest moments in the season, if not the saddest.

When the sad song started I thought it was him singing, kinda sounds like him a bit. Goes along with Julia's plan but "So you want to get married?!?!" got me lol. It takes him way too long to realize that Julia is playing him but I shouldn't be surprised. His greatest fear is Raj playing for a different hockey team but he overcomes it in no time at all. Hooks Caleb and is then hooked by Julia again. His second greatest fear is his own team's mascot: the Snow Owl! He also overcomes this fear and patches up the intern inside the costume which is nice to see. Gets hooked for a third time and is dropped into Caleb's tank, landing on the snake and freeing him in the process. Along with everyone else, he also never thought he'd make the finale lol.

Julia:

She has zero tack I swear to god, at least MK faked being concerned for Priya for a few minutes. Cut down a tree and then proceeds to hack it apart. I laughed when the squirrel attacked her. Didn't win immunity but managed to avoid elimination thanks to a BS ploy that only worked because the rest of the contestants forgot that she is a manipulative challenge beast that has no standards whatsoever. 🙄

Oh look, she's successfully manipulating people who already know her game and somehow they believe her without much convincing, what an amazing plan! 🙄 Says that the others have no chance against her memory and is then surprised when Damien picks the same square as her, like what did you expect? Even if it wasn't on purpose she's still dumb for getting mad at him. Honestly, they all should have done the same thing to drive her insane lol. I laughed at her getting shoved by him and then getting blown high up in the air. Got hit by the wrecking ball skull too. Gets in a fight with Priya but still gets immunity of course. Made an agreement with Caleb and now has him under her thumb for the rest of the god damn season fml.

The cabin doors definitely don't lock and dogs can swim you idiot. Masking her sent with dumpster trash made sense but where the hell did she get a bucket of bacon grease from? Same day delivery my ass. FAKE NAILS ARE NOT STRONG! Get out of here with that crap.

Just in case Caleb betrays her, she goes to Wayne as a backup plan, acting like a hockey bro and he grosses her out lol. Has no problem betraying him multiple times. Finally gets hooked and her greatest fear is old people because they are a reminder that youth doesn't last forever, what a narcissist. Pulled out the immunity idol to save herself from elimination which wasn't a shock at all because of how obvious it was that she was the one who stole it. Karma is coming for you, bitch.

My motivation to write this was at an all time low thanks to the really wack writing in these episodes, what were they thinking??? At least the finale is a bit better than them but still, just wow.

Just one more post to go! 😄

[harmcityherald]

my mood tonight is so shit. Im sure not feeling good contributes. I ate nothing today. coffee and cigars. go ahead and say it, I deserve what I get. I can not afford to have an episode while my artemesia is sick too. I see the improvement in her after that 2 day course of ivermectin so thats absolutely fabulous. but theres no room right now as caregiver to go off the bend in my now infamous episodes. sometimes I feel like Paul Atreides and his uncontrollable visions. I have no control when they come when they go, or what they mean in the larger sense of my broken consciousness. At least the Improvement of not having hallucinations is a gift from whatever the universe may be. But of course I still carry that stigma within the family and if I say something out of the way or demonstrate some excessive Behavior I get that look which says are you going crazy again, are you in one of your episodes? Which I wholly understand and do not resent in any way I imagine if I was on the receiving end I would feel exactly the same way. So truth be told I have never actually talked to anyone seriously on the nature of the things that actually do trigger me and cause me to go into these episodes which they have labeled psychotic, which is a wonderful thing to show up on your medical records because each doctor has a oh your psychotic I see I guess I shouldn't have to listen to your complaints and diagnosis with any real interest. They wipe you right off. Even I myself could not fully explain to you in a thousand words or less what it is that is actually wrong with me. Many other people go through the simple little traumas that I went through and they didn't turn out half as bad as me. Of course some of them turned out to be serial killers. That doesn't mean that I have to. We control our own destiny and we have our own choices. But in some kind of morbid way I understand the emptiness in the chest and the emotions so strong like a tumultuous storm and Visions flashing before your eyes until you feel like you're not even a part of the human race anymore you somehow transcended them into what I like to call Super species. It says if you could walk through a crowded room and be able to pick out the other super species entities like yourself as if you can see each other over top of the heads of all the regular neurotypical party goers. Yes we are The Crazy Ones. The Quiet Ones. The artists, the musicians, the sculptors and even some of the scientists and more likely than not one of the serving help bringing you your gin on the rocks. Super species usually existing in every employ and Walk of Life. I fell in love and married one. What else was I supposed to do? Marry a neurotypical who can't even begin to discuss the sociological problems facing our modern society and keep up with me on my astrophysical been on everything I see in the night sky. Someone who our main argument for years running now is weather eto demerzell IS R. Deneel Otivlaw in disguise. You know she's a keeper right ther

Maybe these are delusions of grandeur. Because I know there's no way of course that I am better than anyone else. But really I think it is a good way to spot the people who are, as so many hate to say, woke. If being woke means seeing systemic racism what it is, and seeing homophobia as the disease that it is, or seeing how we as the simple workers in this wage driven slavery economy are trampled upon by the bankers and glorified railroad barons of the present day, to see the military power of this country as the devastating, colonizing force of Empire being internationally forced or coerced into communities and societies around the world. The American flag has become a symbol of Terror. So you're absolutely God damn right I'm woke. Only people filled with deceit and have more greed in their bloodstream than human compassion don't know what woke is or vehemently fight anything called woke. As I myself protest against our crumbling society I must always remember that I am a product of this dystopia and perhaps only by sheer luck I was born privileged. white boy heaven. Im as sorry for that as I can be. I remember my fist message of this was in 5th grade. I was going to lakeland and in home economics sitting across from me was this beautiful, charming wonderful girl. I really liked her and we started passing notes. home ec was right before lunch where I sat with the white boy clique. I decided to open the letter, no one was paying any mind so I gingerly unwrapped it and began to read it. she was just lovely. I loved her long sexy hair and her perfectly aquiline facial features with gorgeous full red inviting lips Valerie was incredible but I was young and stupid. I never had a black girlfriend and the exotic nature of her whole being was calling to me. I was in love with Valerie and her newest letter was her expressing her love for me.

enter David motherfucking Mckommas. My supposed best friend who felt the freedom to read my letter over my shoulder, then snatching it and standing up saying "ValErie lOves gReg" like a fucking kindergartener. I tried to get it back but the whole table plays keep away and proceeds to read out Valerie's words. she was sat three tables away. she looked at me with saddest eyes I've ever seen. we were both crying. Valerie ran. She never believed that I had not given over the letter on purpose. She never spoke to me again.

I beat mckommas's ass good and a few others from the incident. it didn't make me feel any better. I carried a flame for Valerie all my life. the episode makes my stomach turn. due to my failure to act sooner. my guilt.

my powerlessness. my fear to stand up to the crowd. my privilege. I had no friends after that. friends are a liability.

where ever you are Valerie, I am sorry and I love you.

[tailsrevane]

[tv review] tos 1x02 "charlie x" (1966)

the early days of tos see two episodes about captain kirk and crew having to deal with humans that have gained godlike powers. the other one is “where no man has gone before,” which aired right after this but was actually tos’s second pilot. since i’ll have more to talk about regarding this episode’s status as the show’s second pilot (a rarity in television), i’ll go ahead and talk about the episodes’ similar theming here.

we kind of held off on watching this episode until we could do so while slightly intoxicated (high in my and my fiancx’s case, drunk in my boyfriend’s case), and it really did help get through it. i… also might’ve ended up put in a bondage harness by my boyfriend just a few minutes into it, which also helped. ahem.

what’s interesting about these two episodes is that they’re… kind of equally bad? but they’re also bad in completely different ways. “where no man has gone before” is heavy and boring. “charlie x” is… a lot of things, but “boring” is most certainly not one of them. whereas “where no man has gone before” is liable to put me to sleep, “charlie x” is bad in a much louder, messier way and just super, super cringey.

(quick but important sidenote: i don’t use that last word lightly, and i especially am not ever going to use it towards people to police their innocent enthusiasm for things i’m not into as has become increasingly in vogue. i kind of super hate that trend. okay back to your regularly scheduled review.)

whereas “where no man has gone before” threatens to put me to sleep every time i watch it, “charlie x” hits me in more of a “oh gods please make it stop” kind of place.

a big culprit in this is one of the many rapey subplots involving yeomen janice rand. the show sure did love putting her in that position, which is even more uncomfortable when you consider what she went through behind the scenes. (and was almost certainly not unrelated to that, so, uh, yeah. yikes?)

a lot of the episode’s conflict actually stems from this, with captain kirk doing an exceptionally bad job of trying to be a father figure to charlie. there’s actually some pretty great acting by shatner here, and he does come surprisingly close to telling charlie he has to respect women and consent, but he doesn’t quite get there and also says some things that totally undermine any good he might have done. it’s also just thoroughly 60s and awkward.

i find myself wanting to say that i would rather revisit this one than “where no man has gone before” because at least it isn’t boring, but i actually think we have found the exact level of this kind of messier, more interesting bad that turns me off just as much as something being boring.

d-rank