#rewatch is great and all but the first time i watched i remember getting goosebumps

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

the way midnight was more human nature than human nature itself

[thegreatstupidity]

How I got out of QAnon and more

I was 10 when the presidential election of 2016 happened, first time I thought about politics. Up till that point I had only thought that politics was about tax’s and how would it effect us going on vacation or Disneyland. Before I knew that I was bisexual, before I knew I was gender-fluid. There was Trump.

. . .

I was told this man would make American great again. I believed it, because I had no reference to say if this was true or not. I believed my mom because I thought she hadn’t lied to me before. What’s funny was I booed trump at first because I wanted Obama to run again (I didn’t know that he couldn’t) then I was told that we wanted Trump in so I praised him like a dummy npc. (I would like to note that I’m high functioning autistic). Trump as we know had won the election. . . .

And things changed in that time. I could remember after trump won, my mom told me “when you get to college that to be careful of who you lay with because the liberals will say you raped them and will destroy your kids ability to have their own kids because they will be turned trans”. Now what she said was stupid and was idiotic but back then I was scared and would stay up all night to scared to sleep, scared that my life would be gone in a snap just like that. . . .

Now I feel stupid about that but what else was I post to think. I was moved to the right even more and more over those two years. And then my mom showed me this documentary which I believe it was called the 10 part cobalt or something I can’t remember what the full name was but it was like 3 hours of QANON/conspiracy junk that sounded believable to 12 year old me.

. . .

And again I believe it. It talked about pizza gate, pedos, why immigration was wrong or like it was all made up or photoshopped or something to that that effect, their thing about a Disney shop that said sweet and sexy kids or some shit like that (which I think that was photoshopped as well). It also went over pizza gate with Obama and Hillary Clinton having emails about how many kids they had and how they were going to use them for blood sacrifices or like sex slaves I think. I don’t exactly remember but it made me have goosebumps and shit. . . .

I believe in QANON until after a year after Jan 6 and I rewatched it and realizing that they were all trump supporters and I started my way to the left. Trying to figure out more of what happened before all of QAnon and such. I didn’t ask for help when getting out of qanon. I got out of it mostly by myself. . . .

What got me out all the way is when I started to watch Vaush. Which helped me truly get out of the far right. (I forgot to say that when I was in middle school I figured out that I was bi and I thought I could tell my mom, she freaked the fuck out and had a mental breakdown about it and I couldn’t do the pride event in my school). . . .

After getting out I thought I was non-binary then I realized that I was gender-fluid a year later. How I found out my Gender was not the same was when I fell deep in love with a trans man and I didn’t talk to for ever so far and I’m not in love with them no more since they have their own partner. I still live with my parents so I just got to wait to get to college.

[shewholovestoread]

Fear Street Trilogy Review

Beware, spoilers ahead.

I love horror movies but good horror movies are so hard to come by. Fear Street grabbed my attention as soon as they released the first trailer, it looked like a call-back to the slasher films of old, back when they were still good. And the best part was the apparent presence of lesbians, count me in!

Fear Street is based on the books by the same name by R. L. Stine, a lot of us remember Stine for another horror classic, Goosebumps. The Fear Street novels were aimed at older audiences and were way more bloody than Goosebumps- lots of teenagers dying. The films don’t adapt any particular book but rather the tone and rough setting and I think that works to its advantage.

The Setting:

Fear Street is based on the fictional town of Shadyside, the poorer and more unfortunate twin of its sister-town Sunnyside. Sunnyside is sunny, wealthy and where nothing bad ever happens. Shadyside in contrast is poorer, the homes more run-down and where, every few years, some resident snaps and goes on a murderous rampage, killing their own friends, family or whoever they can get their hands on. There are those who believe that Shadyside is cursed by Sarah Fier, a witch who was hanged in the 1600s when she cut off her hand and used it to curse the town.

Fear Street Part 1:

1994 functions like the introduction and set-up for the trilogy. It introduces us to the characters, Deena (Kiana Madeira), Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger). They unwittingly trigger the curse when they stumble across the bones of Sarah Fiers, soon killers are chasing them, killing-machines powered by the curse and who can’t be killed. Deena, Sam, Josh, Kate and Simon have to put aside their differences and work together to survive the night.

Fear Street Part 2: 1978

1978 opens with the survivors of 1994 going to C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), the lone survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre. It provides insight into the massacre that saw dozens of Shadyside kids being killed. 1978 takes us back to the day leading up to the bloody night. We meet the Berman sisters, Ziggy and Cindy (Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd respectively), Alice (Ryan Simpkins) and Tommy (McCabe Syle) When an axe-wielding murderer starts butchering the camp residents, Cindy and Alice, while trying to escape, stumble into the cave system that runs under the camp and discover Sarah’s hand and that the only way to break the curse is to reunite the hand with her body. However, they are unable to break the curse when they realise that the body is not buried where they thought it would be. Alice, Cindy and Ziggy are killed by the cursed murderers with only Ziggy being revived thus being labeled the lone survivor. In the present day, Deena and Josh dig out the hand from where Ziggy and Cindy left it, when Deena reunites the hand with the body, she sees visions of Sarah Fiers, leading us into the third and final film.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666

1666, the year it all started. We see the events play out leading up to the hanging. Deena is inside Sarah’s body, seeing and experiencing her life as if it were own. We learn that it was never Sarah’s curse, but in fact it was the Goodes who had made a deal with the devil, securing power for themselves (their descendants are the mayor and sheriff in 1994) Sarah Fiers was just the scapegoat. Every time someone saw a vision of Sarah, she was trying to show them the truth and un-dead killers hunted them to keep them from exposing it.

The films work individually but their impact really hits home once you’ve watched all 3. Leigh Janiak crafts such an intricate story and links 3 time periods, weaving them through each other seamlessly. With 3 films, she also has the time to invest in these different time periods and the characters that inhabit them.

The story, both in terms of individual films as well as the trilogy as a whole, is engaging and engrossing. It keeps the audience on their toes and the edge of their seats, waiting and dreading as the bodies pile up. Janiak also grounds the story so that it feels real even as the characters are fighting off un-dead killers, adding to the nail-biting tension.

There’s plenty to admire for a horror film buff, from the Scream reference in 1994, to Friday the 13th in 1978 and The Witch (or VVitch) in 1666. There’s also a good amount of gore to be found along with some really inventive ways of killing, who knew bread cutters/slicers could be so menacing.

There’s so much attention to detail in terms of costume and production design that you really feel like you’re in 1994, 1978 or even 1666. All of these work to draw you in as the viewer, adding to the authenticity on screen. The clothes and places feel lived-in. The song choices are amazing with popular hits from 1994 and 1978, the soundtrack definitely elevates the visuals. The original score in 1666 was absolutely gorgeous, especially Deena and Sam’s theme.

The sequence of the films with 1994 being the first, followed by 1978 and finally 1666 was a great choice with each film revealing a little more of the puzzle till all the pieces are revealed in 1666. It keeps the tension alive and keeps the characters and the audience constantly guessing. It also allows Janiak to sprinkle just enough subtle clues that become apparent when rewatching the films.

The characters are one of the best things in the trilogy, they are so well written, and I mean that for almost all of the main cast which is rare. One of the best things that Janiak does is repeat actors, especially the principle cast. For instance, a lot of actors we see in 1994 and 1978 appear in 1666 playing different roles but with a similar dynamic. It helps tell the story without worrying about too many new faces and worrying about whether or not the audience will be able to keep track of them. The return of old faces also ensures that the audience is already a little invested in them and their well-being.

Small side-note: I really appreciated that there was no sexual violence. It always worries me when I start a horror show/film and it was such a relief that they did not go that route. There is a lot of violence and a lot of people and kids die but it’s always just slightly campy enough that keeps it from being genuinely disturbing.

One of the things that always irk me with slasher films (especially the old ones) are how white they were, no characters of colour and if there were any, they always died. There were also no queer characters. Fear Street undoes that beautifully, all of our main characters are outsiders, they are people of colour, they are queer. In another film, they would have been nameless characters, among the first to die. Here they are the heroes. I loved all of them and I hated that Alice, Kate and Simon died, to be honest, I expected the core group to survive, Kate especially.

Fear Street is also unapologetically feminist and Janiak does this without it being too obvious. The central conflicts in the story are between women (sister/ friends/ ex-girlfriends) but they also band together and fight for each other. It’s worth noting that most of the core relationships are between women (Deena-Sam, Ziggy-Cindy-Alice, Sarah-Hannah) and those are not coincidences.

I loved how gay this trilogy was, Deena and Sam’s love for each other was the driving force and was at the heart of the story. Even in 1666, Sarah’s crime was not so much witchcraft as it was daring to love someone you’re not supposed to and fighting back against the proprietary nature of the men who sought to control them. Sarah and Hannah loved each other fiercely and we see that same love reflected hundreds of years later in Deena and Sam who fight for each other relentlessly. I also appreciated that Deena and Sam were exes instead of a new relationship. It meant that they already had history, they shared a familiarity and comfort with each other that a new relationship would have had to build onscreen.

The Fear Street Trilogy is one of the best horror trilogies I’ve seen in a while, each film is consistently great and delivers gore and violence coupled with immense heart. It has one of the best queer relationships I’ve seen on screen and spoiler alert, they get a happy ending. I’m sick and tired of lesbian women dying or separating because of realism. Damn realism, give me happy women loving women and who live through their traumatic ordeal. Watch Fear Street for them if for nothing else. Now excuse me as I prepare to rewatch the trilogy.

[evak-elu-nicotino]

Every Even and Isak version (up to May 2020)

Soooo...just finished season 3 of Druck. 

I’m officially up to date on every remake who made it past Even & Isak’s season...Which means I can officially declare a favorite haha !

Actually, I won’t, because they’re all very different...But I wanna write something about them, just because now I can. I hadn’t watch WTFock neither Druck before Friday, so I went and did just that. 

PART ONE - 

OG SKAM : I’ll always love the original version, of course, and I think that Even and Isak are the best of the best. Their chemistry is great, and the actors are really great. I hear a lot of people say that Tarjei Sandvik Moe has a rather unexpressive face, but I disagree. He’s shown emotions all throughout season 3, and the fact that by the end of the season we can witness the fact that Isak is actually way happier than he was in episode 1, proves that he’s a good actor. Henrik Holm is literally a ray of sunshine : every time he laughs on screen I smile, just because his emotions are that contagious. He’s gorgeous, and he portrayed Even soooo well, I’m amazed every time I rewatch SKAM. There are literally not enough words to try and convey every single feeling I get every time I watch season 3. I remember being happy, sad, feeling down for Noora or Eva during the first two seasons, but wow that third season was something else entirely. And maybe I relate to it because I know that’s like, to fall in love with a person from the same gender, and to have all of these questions running through your head while you’re figuring out all of this other stuff. High school is hard enough without having to figure out your sexuality...And I think that Tarjei portrayed that so well, honestly. I completely felt for Isak, and I still do every time I rewatch it, whether it’s the original version or any other remake. (Sorry I rambled on a lot here !) So yeah, anyway. That first kiss in the pool is iconic, clearly. The party scene where Even kisses Sonja while looking at Isak...That look, THOSE EYES. Gives me CHILLS every time.

And I loved the 5 fine frøkner scene in the kitchen, and the fact that Isak dares to call Even the man of his dreams.

Every single time I watch that scene I get so happy. They make me happy. 

But the scene that did it for me, was O Helga Natt. Wow. Their acting on its own is just stellar in this episode, but when you add the music, and the freakin’ montage...I just cry every. single. time, it’s ridiculous. By now I know how the story’s gonna unfold, I know they get together at the end, but still, OMG.

I teared up while making this screenshots, that’s saying something. The feelings and the music, dammit. That was EVERYTHING.

So kudos to you both, Tarjei Sanvik Moe and Henrik Holm, because I didn’t think that I could love a teen drama show that much !

SKAM France : OK, first of all, I wanna say this : I’m French, and I HATE French TV shows with a passion. They’re boring, and the acting is SO BAD ! So the first time I heard that they were gonna make a French remake of SKAM, I remember groaning in desperation, and thinking OMG, be prepared, it’s gonna be terrible. They’re gonna go all soft and censored, maybe showing a few kisses here and there, and that’s it. Then I heard that France Televisions (which is like, the main French group of channels here) was gonna broadcast it, and I really thought that this was gonna be the worst SKAM remake EVER. And then, I gave in, because curiosity definitely got the best of me. I watched the first two seasons, thinking OK, it’s really not that great, but not that awful, so let’s go for the third one. And when I saw Axel Auriant and Maxence Danet-Fauvel’s chemistry on screen, I was like, wow. Okay, so this could actually be a good French TV show, ‘cause we don’t have a lot of those here, to be honest. And those looks, wow. HELLO CHEMISTRY, FUCK.

And then, THE FUCKING PIANO SCENE HAPPENED. 

I actually was stunned for two whole minutes, and I remember thinking, wow, those two are...incredible.

 Hoping and praying that they weren’t gonna fuck this up. And the famous party scene, and eyefucking gave me GOOSEBUMPS.

And the “not necessarily a girl though” made me scream in delight. I swear, Lucas and Eliott have an out-of-this-world chemistry.

I was blown away every freakin’ time they LOOK at each other. 

Part two is here !

[zozophoenixxx]

Friendly reminders about The Flash⚡️

Things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Season 3✨

Flashpoint... oh gosh I used to hate this episode, I literally always skipped it but this time I'm gonna watch it you guys I promise😂

Nvm this episode might not be so bad, we get to see Barry all happy and with his mom and Dad and i-🥺

Omg do y'all remember in season 2 when Barry, Cisco and Harry went to E-2 to stop Zoom and Cisco said that he thought his doppelganger would be like a rich tech genius or sum like that... Not Cisco from flashpoint being a rich tech genius 🤭😃😂

Caitlin... She's a pediatric eye doctor🤭🥲😂 (flashpoint)

Wow wtf I had completely forgotten about Julian 😳

I swear I hate it when they mess so much with the timeline, I just can't keep up

West-Allen kiss count (approximately): 30😘

⬆️ approximately bc I might have messed up 😅

Wow I thought season 3 was all savitar, I did not remember alchemy

Rival, Magenta (portrayed by Joey King, we love her),ɹǝʇsɐɯ ɹoɹɹıɯ and top, monster, shade, plunder, abra cadabra

OK Y'ALL I JUST NOTICED THAT IN THE MAGENTA EPISODE *breathes in* Barry and Iris go on their first date and electric love was playing... The fact that that's the song used in the trend where you kiss your best friend seems rights

Jesse got her powers 😃 we stan Jesse Quick⚡️

CECILE AND JOE I-🥺

Bro HR 🥺

Julian really was a b*tch at the beginning of this season, but his accent tho🥴🤤🥵

That height difference between Cecile and Joe is what I need in life I love them 🥰

Iris is such a badass bro I love her

Savitar is apparently the Hindu god of motion 🤭

Killer frost episode 🤭😃 I love the fact that Caitlin got powers but I still felt so bad for her like she didn't want that, she didn't want to hurt anyone 🥺

She really said some pretty hurtful things to Barry, he messed up everyone makes mistakes 🥺

Barry tricking Killer Frost into turning back into Caitlin was 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 and then when she wanted to apologize and Cisco just hugged her and Joe too i- 🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺 I think that was the first time when we saw Joe And Caitlin hug 🥺

Julian's such an ass bro he really forced Barry to quit and he really did just to protect Caitlin

Y'all ever get chills or just overall goosebumps whenever the music from the other shows start playing in the crossovers? No? Just me? Cool just wanted to know 😅

Felicity fangirling is me

Also Diggle throwing up every time Barry takes him from somewhere is hilarious or just him being done with anything that's not normal 😂

Bro supergirl I- 🥴🤩

NO AND THEN SARAH AHDHAHHAHAA she really said "it's kinda hot" (referring to Supergirl being a bad ass) when they were training lmao I cantttt

Cisco was getting visions of Dante, who was actually Savitar, and was manipulated into opening the box which brought Savitar out and really if it hadn't been for Caitlin, Barry and Wally would've been killed

DANG CECILE AND JOE JUST KISSED WOWWW😁

Their apartment i-

HR really got them a turtle named McSnurtle y'all i-

GYPSY

That scene where they told Joe that Iris was meant to die in the future was so🥺😞😩 I don't even know how to describe it

wally and Jesse were cute 🥺🥰🤌

Cisco and Harry were kinda mean to HR🥺

Grodd just tried to kill Joe and Harry and Cisco came up with a way to see into Grodd's memory through Joe and Istg Joe's face lmao, he's just so done with everything 😂

Dang Grodd's plan really was to kill everyone with nuclear missiles by controlling that military guy and Barry had to try every password combination to stop it just like he did in season 1 or 2 (idk lmao) when he was helping Snart and his father with a robbery

Y'ALL BAHSHHHAHAHA I love GYPSY she really just straight up kissed Cisco and went like "even if I did [like you] you couldn't handle me"

AND CISCO was all like "I'll marry that woman"😩😳😂💀

BARRY DID NOT JUST PROPOSE

Y'ALL WHAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS WAY LATER

I love that scene where they tell everyone 🥺

Bro why was Barry always so mean to Wally like I know he was stressed out about Iris but bro it wasn't Wally's fault 🥺

OMG JULIAN JUST KISSED CAITLIN🥺 they're adorable

Wally did watch Iris die

Jesse moved to E-1 when she was dating Wally for a bit and she stayed at Joe's house with the both of them

Savitar used The Greek myth of Atla to explain why he needed Wally to get out of the speed force ➡️ Atla can't let go of the sky without having someone take it from him.

Ok so by taking a part of the philosopher stone before it was thrown into the speed force, Caitlin technically kept Savitar from coming back. So if Wally hadn't had those visions where Savitar manipulated him into throwing that little piece of rock into the speed force... He wouldn't have been able to escape

That was kinda hard to explain. Idek if it made sense I'm sorry y'all I'm not good with words 😂

I love Harry 🥺

NOT EDDIE IN THE SPEED FORCE 😳

Ok y'all but whenever y'all watch it or rewatch it, there's this very cute and funny scene in S3 E16 min 17:00 between Caitlin And HR where she takes away his drumstick and he just takes out another one but it's very adorable because they keep messing around🥺

Bro the speed force was really being b*tch to Barry when he was trying his best to save everyone and change the future 😩😞

And Jesse was so mean to HR on Ep16🥺

Jay saved them 🥺

Ok relationships are so confusing wtf

THE MUSICAL EPISODE, MON-EL, SUPERGIRL OMG ITS BEEN A WHILE WTH!! Imma rewatch supergirl too😃

Melissa Benoist is so gorgeous 🥴🤩

The way Barry looked at her when she was singing I-

I love their friendship but I kinda ship them too🥺

OH I REMEMBER! this guy was trying to teach them a lesson about love, because they were both having relationship problems

He was also on glee. THE 3 OF THEM! I-

Darren Criss, I didn't know his name

I love this episode

Cisco and Winn And Malcolm singing and dancing, this couldn't get better

Omg I would love to see a Winn-Cisco-Felicity trio. I feel like they would work so great together 😁

IRIS AND MON-EL well actually Tommy Moran and Millie

Their fathers being gangsters is hilarious and their accents 😂

Everyone's facial expressions when John revealed that he was also an Alien 😂

Millie having 2 dads and those being Stein and Joe is great lmao although I never knew if it was because they were hay or it was more like Barry's situation 😂

JOE AND STEIN SINGING AND BARRY IN THE BACK Y'ALL IM🤭🤩🥺

I never thought I needed this 🥰

THEIR DUET IS COMING VDXHSBFVDHA

THEY'RE DANCING 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

This is officially one of my favorite episodes 😃

When they got shot they were very worried for each other and I just love their friendship

HE'S ABOUT TO PROPOSE, HE'S SINGING AHHHHH

COME RUNNIN HOME TO YOUUU 🎶🥺

I really liked how in the episode where Caitlin gets hurt when Abra Kadabra throws a bomb, Julian's the one to operate on her and Iris is right there with him trying to help out, even though they weren't truly friends until later on it shows that they're all really a family

And also Wally and Barry carrying her to the room 🥺

Also the fact that it was Caitlin guiding Julian through her own surgery shows how strong and amazing she is I love her 🤩

Caitlin (killer frost actually) is the 1st to know who Savitar is

BRO CECILE JUST TOLD JOE SHE LOVES HIM AND HE DIDNT- this got too ~umconfy~

Bro killer frost's outfit is pretty hot 🤩

Cisco was afraid of killing Caitlin on accident and that's why he didn't shoot her whenever they were trying to get her🥺

"She's my best friend... And I'd rather it be me than her"

I love him. And I love their friendship.🥺😞

BAHSHAHHA do y'all remember when they erased Barry's memories?

He's hilarious

JAHSHAHAJAJ and now they left him alone with Wally who told him they're basically brothers AND BARRY STRAIGHT UP GOT HIS HAND OUT OF HIS POCKET AND LOOKED AT HIS SKIN COLOR I-

Barry loved anime

He's so happy without his memories, he's gone through so much 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Snart prevented Barry from killing King Shark

HR and Tracy 🥺

The way HR blamed himself after he told Savitar where Iris was and the fact that he does end up saving her at the end is...🥺

Bro I felt really bad for Savitar later

But then he betrayed and 🙂

And now Barry just left

I swear I hated this cliffhanger sm

Cause whenever I started watching it this was the last season and I-

Also Iris killed Savitar

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 1

Razz tells Adora not to look for others to tell her what to do and asks her what she thinks. Adora decides she must fight the Horde. It's poetic that Adora gets so hung up on destiny and fulfilling her goal, when the final message she needed to learn was said in the third episode. Razz is the wisest of us all.

Angella repeats what she heard in the legends of She-Ra, notably that she is meant to "bring balance to Etheria". From Angella's perspective this seems like a good thing, but it's so much more sinister knowing that basically means "to turn the death star on".

Catra was pissed at Adora, but seemed willing to leave the Horde until Hordak elects her as Force Captain. This is the start of her conclusion that Adora was only holding her back, and so the decent of her madness. That little smirk kills me, because that face will shed a lot of tears from this point on.

Season 5 showed us what Adora's She-Ra looks like, without the First One's influence. It might be a bit blasphemous, but I think that reveal would have worked better if this early season She-Ra was the mini-skirt, cleavage design of the 80s. Have a bit of symbolism about societal beauty standards. Love the muscles though that part is perfect.

The first time Catra and Adora meet back up after their falling out is a little unremarkable, the wounds are still fresh and they're still angry at each other but I think both still don't understand how big this schism between them will be.

I just realized Entrapta's castle has a picture of a Tyrannosaurus rex with a unicorn horn and Pegasus wings. Is that what Mara's dragon was!? 😂

God I love Entrapta, even when I first watched this I was excited to see the purple Hatsune Miku in the intro. She always cared about people since the beginning, she just doesn't understand politics.

Castaspella and Angella were shipping Glimbow from the start lol.

The show gives us a full view of how Shadow Weaver's abuse affected Adora. Being constantly pressured to be the best and strongest at the threat of Catra's health has left Adora a jittering wreck. Call me sadistic, but I love that it wasn't resolved in this episode. Adora wins the battle against SW today, but all the way up to the series finale we see SW's dirty fingers clawing away at her conscious. It takes more than 20 minutes to escape a life of manipulation.

Princess Prom! This is when the show goes from a 7 to a 10. Not only the prom being a fun venue, but this is where Catra begins to get some agency. This is the first time she really feels like a main character, which is great because I love her more than anything. Also the first time we see Double Trouble and the Star sisters, which I guess are different from the Star Siblings in season 5? A bit of a continuity error.

Aww, Glimmer is jealous. I can relate to her fears of being pushed out, but the fact that she's pretty madly in love with him adds a whole new layer. Bow is right but he's being a bit insensitive here.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. Remember when this was the gayest thing in the show?

It's fun watching the princess alliance so early in their friendships, they obviously care enough to go with Adora on this mission to save Glimmer, but I love how annoyed and distracted they get with each other.

This episode is also really big for Catra, realizing she will never get Shadow Weaver's approval, that longing look at Adora, "this is not because I like you".

The Beacon is sandwiched between two great episodes that make it feel like filler, but a lot actually happens. We see more of Adora's insecurities, especially how she starts to take it out on herself when she runs into a problem out of her control. We got the formation of the super pal trio, a short lived group with an amazing dynamic. And we also have a huge moment with Angella that basically defines her entire character.

Entrapta's insecurities are revealed. She wants friends, she loves people, but they're complicated and hard and always seem to leave her. It's heartbreaking and something that comes to a head on Beast Island.

I love this scene with Catra and Shadow Weaver. It's clear she still loves her evil mom, and we see how SW has abandoned the idea of Adora for now and is now beginning to manipulate Catra. We also see another Catradora parallel, both of them tell straight to SW face that she has no power over them anymore, something we continue to see is not true.

Promise! 18 months later and it's still my favorite episode of the show. I like how it starts off with the anger they've been feeling up until now, but through the mind melting manipulation by skynet Light Hope, it's multiplied a thousand fold. Before this Catra was pissed at her friend, now Catra wants to murder the person she thinks destroyed her life. After this Catra isn't a cute tsundere, she's completely homicidal. She still loves Adora obviously, but Light Hope has corrupted that love into the most vitriol hate on the planet. It's wild to think they both love each other so much, and yet the abuse that have scarred them prevents that love from breaking free. This is the true moment where the show starts, this is where it became the best cartoon I have ever seen.

Also this is the only time since the first episode and Catra's redemption in season 5 where their chemistry is in full play. They just love each other so much, god I'm fucking tearing up again.

An important thing people forget about the Catradora dynamic is Catra's inferiority complex. She has been told since the day she was born that she is worthless, below Adora in every way. She loves and looks up to Adora, but her existing in Adora's shadow blackens that love. Which is why her joining the rebellion isn't a good ending for her. She needed time on her own, away from Adora, to carve out her own identity. It was her struggles as Force Captain that finally pushed her to start doing good, that realization that she is unhappy in that role. If she had left with Adora in episode 1, she would still be bitter and cruel and toxic, because she'd still be standing behind Adora.

Shadow Weaver's abuse goes both ways, as now Adora feels like she needs to protect Catra like a helpless kitten. That dynamic was not healthy, and it would not have lasted. Catradora can only exist now because they both accept each other as equals.

That final "you promise?", probably the most important words in the show. I've seen this episode a dozen times, but after seeing the finale the tears are running down my face again. Adora was the light of Catra's light, nothing mattered as long as Adora was there with her. She loved her so much. The Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver, her own insecurities, they all impacted Catra. But in that moment, them cuddling on their bunk, it didn't matter. Little did she know Adora loved her back just as much. Fuck I'm crying again.

Catra took that memory, tainted by Light Hope, and saw Adora as a monster. Someone who manipulated her like everyone else and abandoned her at the first opportunity. Someone who broke her most important promise, someone who broke her heart. Catra is probably the best written character in fiction, no I am not exaggerating.

It's a hard follow up after that episode, but the amazing juxtaposition of Entrapta and Light Hope telling the same story with different information is bone chilling and goosebumps giving.

Knowing the whole story of Mara, Light Hope's speeches are terrifying. Her manipulation makes Shadow Weaver look soft. Luckily we have an Alicorn to help, like all other abuse in the show it isn't over in a single dialog exchange, but Swift Wind is speaking the truths Adora needs to hear. The thing about Adora though is one of her main character flaws, she gives in to the doubt her abusers seed her. Her friends constantly tell her she has worth and deserves love, but she has it in her head that she must sacrifice herself for the greater good. That's another reason why Catradora works in the end, Catra helps bring out the selfishness she needs.

Battle of Brightmoon isn't a great finale, my time in the MLP fandom has soured me on "then all the friends came together and shot the villain with a rainbow" conclusion. Luckily, the show would knock the next three out of the park.

Catra starting the new season strong, I love the juxtaposition of the horde soldiers fearing her while the super pal trio doesn't. I love that little smirk, she thinks it's the first she wants yet we all know it's the later.

Frosta got a character change, I understand what they're doing where the other princesses are bringing her out of her shell, but it all happened off-screen so she just seems out of character. The little moment with her and Glimmer is great, and a little bit of forshadowing for Glimmer's queenly role.

Every Shadow Weaver and Catra interaction is fantastic, I love how SW gets so easily under her skin and how Catra pretends to brush it off. Those black tenticles still have a hold on the Kitty's heart.

Ties that Bind is a fantastic episode, especially seeing Catra's interactions with Bow and Glimmer. I love how this contrasts with the season 5 episode A shot in the Dark, here Catra is bullying the best friend squad with malice while the later has Glimmer and Bow playfully making fun of her with love.

Glimmer's actions here are also great forshadowing for her role as queen, especially how desperate she is to destroy the horde and how it affects her morals. Makes her decision to use the heart in season 4 very believable.

I love how Adora keeps referencing ghost stories she heard as a kid. I love the idea of her and Catra under the covers telling scary stories to each other until they'd both end up cuddling while insisting they aren't scared.

Entrapdak! Entrapta's love of science, complete lack of fear, and unending kindness can turn even a dictator cute. They have fantastic chemistry.

I love this little moment with Catra, Shadow Weaver correctly assumes that she's being pushed out and left behind by Hordak, and sure enough she finds Entrapta standing next to him in the lab she was almost killed just for stepping in. Her fears are repeating.

Ah! Goosebumps! The show is slowly moving to be more and more Sci-Fi, and that little shot of Mara's crashed ship with the fantastic music is just a hint to what's to come.

Roll With It is an absolutely adorable low stakes slice of life episode that shows how fun these characters are even when they aren't fighting a war. It's probably the funniest episode in the series, the 80s She-Ra segment is my favorite. There's also the wonderful moment of Adora's breakdown, the pressures of being the world's savior takes a toll on her.

White Out! One of my favorite episodes. The mostly self contained story, the new setting and outfits, great Super Pal Trio bonding, Scorpia being a lesbian, Sea Hawk, and the only time we see the corrupted She-Ra. It's a fantastic microcosm of the show itself, and it's really funny. The Scorpatra stuff is a bit sad knowing how it ends, but it is nice seeing how Scorpia can have a crush while still realizing the toxicity of her relationship later on.

Shadow Weaver's backstory and the biggest window into her head. She believes what she is doing is right, but her methods are full on psychotic, and she was power hungry from the start. I love her so much, she's so deliciously evil. The Eldritch horror that is the spell of obtainment is a treat, and SW's arrival at the Fright Zone is beautifully terrifying. This episode also has the best scenes with her and Catra, it's devastating to watch Catra continue to pine for SW's approval and how, after all this time, SW still only sees her as a tool.

Shadow Weaver is one of my favorite characters, literally every scene with her a amazing. "I can tell by how your voice turns shrill when you scream" what a bitch I love her. I also really like how you can tell Catra and Adora still love her, even after all this abuse. She's a monster, but she's also a mom, and both of those identities conflict in their heads.

Shadow Weaver's and Light Hope's reveal of Adora's origin is goosebumps giving. The revelation that there is a universe beyond Despondos is amazing, but I especially love Light Hope continuing to withhold information and effectively lie to Adora. Razz, Swift Wind, Angella, Catra, they all tell her to make her own decisions but this moment with Light Hope where she is told she doesn't have a choice is what Adora latches on to.

There's also the deal with Hordak, when Light Hope tells the story, she paints it as Hordak ripping the poor baby away from her family. We later learn that's wrong, Hordak saves Adora, he finds a tiny baby and even as a heartless destroyer he knows he can't leave her out there to die. He steals her away, but he does so from Light Hope, the original kidnapper. If Adora was raised by Light Hope, she probably would have fired the heart without question. The Horde was not a good environment to grow up in, but it was an important part in making her the hero the universe needed.

I love Hordak's monologue, the art style and music are fantastic and the whole thing is terrifying. To imagine the big bad horde of the show is just a tiny sliver of what is out there. It also shows Hordak's motivations, which don't excuse his actions but do explain them. This show does a fantastic job at letting us sympathize with the evil-doers, and that has only grown now that Wrong Hordak has shown what it's like to be disconnected from the hive-mind. Bonus points for explaining Imp's origin and showing how Entrapta is exactly the person that he needs right now.

Catra is being embarrassingly edgy here, but it is funny that she's talking about "lost it all" and she seems to think this is rock bottom, oh girl you are in for a ride awakening with how much farther you can fall.

Promise plays again as Adora has another break down. We finally see Mara, and as with everything to do with the First Ones it is chilling. I love this slowly unraveling storyline of Light Hope's true intentions. At this point it is clear she is not to be fully trusted, but we have yet to see how truly sinister her intentions are.

Catra, again, being one of the best characters ever written. She finds a minimum amount of happiness in the wastes, and immediately it all comes crashing down when her trauma resurfaces. That scene of the anger taking over is a masterpiece. I have said a million times that she'd never be truly happy in the wastes, and the later seasons confirm it, but it is heartbreaking to see how even the slightest hint of a smile is ripped off her face.

The Glimmer Angella arguments hurt, they're both right but it's sad to see them fight and how Angella takes Glimmer's advice while Glimmer doubles down on her faults.

Shadow Weaver back on her bullshit, manipulating teenagers to give her power. Noelle mentioned how she truly believes she's on the good side, and obviously she doesn't want the Horde to win, but you can't deny she has some selfish motivations behind recruiting Glimmer. That lust for power remains with her until the very end.

We see Adora getting to Entrapta here, people I think really didn't get their impressions of her right. Entrapta loves tech and science, and sometimes it blinds her, but she isn't immoral, she does care about the safety of her friends.

"You made me this way, and you get to be the good guy" "you couldn't wait to get away from here, from me. But you came back for Adora". You can see how SW's betrayal not only reaffirmed Catra's fears, but was probably just as much a force behind her decent into madness as Adora was.

There's also something beautiful about the symbolism of Shadow Weaver using her new victim like a battery to crush her old.

And Catra betrays Entrapta and Scorpia, this is officially the worst she gets, at this point her hatred of Adora is taking over her. We see more of it in season 4, but her desire to hurt Adora as much as Adora has hurt her causes her to crack like an egg. Scorpia's face says it all.

I love getting to see Catra and Adora in their element, completely in love with each other. None of the complexity of the world at large, just them two together. Even Shadow Weaver's approval of Catra, this is her dream world.

It's funny how Scorpia's first instinct upon seeing Catra is to hug her while her first reaction to Adora is to insult her. She has terrible judgement of character lol

Everyone's insistence that it's "perfect", watching the world shift and fall apart, the confusion, the panic, the show masterfully shows Adora's emotions in this mind-melding episode.

"Soon the two of us will be ruling Etheria together just like we always planned" "Is that what you really want, to rule the world?" "I mean, yeah, obviously. Isn't that what you want too?" God this little moment is perfect, it shows how much they're wavelengths differ. Catra focuses on the "together" while Adora focuses on the "rule the world". Like DT says later, Catra's heart was never truly in it. This thirst for power is just the world's most destructive coping mechanism.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE SERIES: My Favorite One Piece Arc with Maffew

  I love One Piece and I love talking to people who love One Piece. And with the series going on 23 years now, there is a whole lot to talk about. As the series is about to publish its 1000th chapter, a true feat in and of itself, we thought we should reflect upon the high-seas adventure and sit down with some notable names in the One Piece fan community and chat about the arcs they found to be especially important, or just ones they really, really liked.

  Welcome to the next article in the series "My Favorite One Piece Arc!"

  My next guest in this series is Maffew, creator of the popular pro wrestling web series Botchamania. For my chat with him, he chose the Alabasta Arc, in which Luffy and his crew not only have to save a desert kingdom but also topple Baroque Works and its powerful leader Crocodile.

  A note on spoilers: If you haven't seen the Alabasta arc yet, this interview does contain major plot points. Watch the Alabasta arc starting RIGHT HERE if you'd like to catch up or rewatch!

    Dan Dockery: So I guess my first basic question is, let’s say for some reason, I got to the end of Drum Island and I said “Well, One Piece ends here for me. This seems like a good finale.” What would you tell me to keep me going into the Alabasta Arc in one sentence?

  Maffew: Well, after Chopper has made all the kids cry, you’ll need pickin’ up.

  That’s pretty good! What was the impetus for you getting into One Piece? What made you want to jump into an anime that’s nearly one thousand episodes long at this point?

  I think I tried watching it on YouTube back in 2009, and I just couldn’t get into it. At that point in my life, I wasn’t ready for a character like Luffy and his adventures, and I couldn’t wait for the villains he fought to kill him. So I dropped it. A year later, I’m in Germany and this wrestler ACH was doing a Q&A panel for this German wrestling organization called WXW. And ACH is a REALLY big One Piece fan, and even dresses up as Luffy in New Japan and Ring of Honor. And I was like “Hey, you watching JoJo?” because that was my thing at the time, and he was like “No, no. Just One Piece.” I said, “What else are you watching?” “Just One Piece.” And I’m like “Wait, what? Just the one?” But he was sellin’ it to me like he was a One Piece ad on QVC. And guys like Steve Yurko are so passionate about it, and if one person tells ya to watch something, you’re like “Eh, whatever,” but if five people tell you, you start to pay attention. So I’m gonna blame ACH and my good friend Steve Yurko for this.

    What do you like about this arc in particular?

  You get so much wonderful worldbuilding. They go to Alabasta, meet up with Mr. 2, and it’s one of those cool interactions where they’re meeting, but they don’t know who they are meeting exactly, like when they meet Blackbeard in Jaya. So later on, they’re like “Oh, it’s THEM!” There’s a real sense of everything not being really pre-determined at this point. It’s building everything through a bunch of pirates just doing stuff. Ace shows up, knocks out some assassins so he can get his royalty checks.

  That’s such a funny way to put it.

  Then we get Kung-Fu Dugongs, and they’re a pretty pure expression of One Piece. They’re all synchronized, they’re adorable, they play their part amid all the serious stuff, and they’re completely ridiculous, but they work anyway. And it’s with Alabasta that Eiichiro Oda starts to perfect the tropes that he puts into place throughout, with the new islands, the new leader who everyone loves but is actually a bad person, the crew having to deal with him and the Navy, them having to help put someone back in their position, etc. And even though, on paper, it reads like “Well, he’s gotta beat this dude and this dude and this dude,” it’s so much more chaotic and less formulaic than you’d expect. It keeps things interesting. 

  I agree. I like how he takes all of these pieces and he’s consistent with them, but Oda always plays around with how he sets them up.

    But it’s all a foot massage before the real reason to watch Alabasta: Sir Croc. 

  Are you a big fan of him? That dude is so cool, conniving and powerful. He’s kinda the perfect villain. 

  Back when I was being miserable and first watching One Piece, I really liked him. I like the design, the sand powers that could actually pose a threat. I always appreciate it when a villain provides actual tension. It’s like why I think Goldeneye is still the best James Bond film. Because Alec Trevelyan is constantly reminding Bond “Remember, I could kill you. I’m from the same place as you. I can take your exploding watch and just, eh, I’ll stop that then. Thank you.” And Luffy loses twice to him in the three-match structure that really works here as it did for wrestling in the 70s.

  How so?

  So you’d have somebody like champion Bruno Sammartino and someone like Ivan Koloff or one of the Wild Samoans or Stan Stasiak. They’d have one match where the hero would beat Bruno by disqualification. Bruno’s still around to fight, but he’s lost. Luffy survives being thrown in the sand, but he’s been beaten. Then they have the second match, where Bruno would win because the villain would just give up and leave and get counted out. Luffy attacks Crocodile with water, but it’s not enough, and Crocodile just kinda leaves Luffy thinking it’s all done. And then Bruno would be like “Oh no ya don’t. Next time, you won’t be able to escape, because we’re gonna be in a cage match.” And then Bruno wins, just like Luffy wins by punching Crocodile up through that giant enclosed space. He escapes the cage.

      It’s just so satisfying and that’s a great way to describe it. So, villains in the series have had extensive crew members before, but they haven’t been as recognizable and colorful as Croc’s crew, Baroque Works. Do you have a favorite member?

  They’re all good in their own way, but at this point, I’m gonna go with Mr. 2. Eh, that’s probably too obvious an answer…

  Mr. 2 is a lot of people’s favorite member. 

  Oh, who cares. I’ll go with Mr. 2. I like how Mr. 2 interacts with everyone, having fun with the boys and fighting Sanji with kicks but respecting him. 

  So, in this arc, there’s a lot of government intrigue and a revolution is about to happen, and everyone’s dissatisfied with their perception of the monarchy. How did you react to all of this political drama in One Piece? 

  Well, it’s great because you have Vivi, and you get to learn her motivations and because she’s on the crew, it gives you a reason to care for the crew and how all of the political intrigue affects them. Without her, you’d just hear about a war and say “Oh, sorry about that. Hope it goes well.” And with all this lore being thrown at you because you have Vivi and that connection, it’s adding to the main conflict, rather than distracting.

  Yeah, Vivi really grounds it all with a personal attachment. Because otherwise it’s just savin’ the kingdom, which is cool and they’re good for it, but it doesn’t have the same impact. So, they did this back in the Arlong Park arc, but what returns here is the kind of 1 vs 1 match structure, where a member or members of the enemy crew are matched up against a Straw Hat or Hats. Mr. 1 has knife body parts, so he’s obviously gonna fight Zoro. Mr. 2 kicks and Sanji kicks, etc. What do you think about that kind of matchmaking, because it’s also a little wrestling-esque.

    Yeah, right, like if you have D-Generation X fighting the Nation of Domination, you can’t just have The Rock fighting Triple H. Ya gotta have D’Lo Brown vs X-Pac and The Godfather vs Billy Gunn. I like it because the characters feel like they have to prove themselves, like Zoro’s a swordsman, and he’s gotta test himself against another swordsman. And Usopp does it when he fights Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas with Chopper, because they have a weird dynamic and they’re fighting two people and they have no clue what they’re up against. 

  So, at the end of the arc, they do the iconic “We can’t let Vivi become associated with pirates so we’ll hold up the X symbols on our arms in solidarity” pose. What did you think about that? Because it’s one of the most famous images in One Piece, and it’s hard to avoid it, even if you’ve never watched the series. Was that your first time seeing it?

  It actually was. And I’m glad you brought this up because I was watching it and I thought “Wait, they’re just going? They’re not even keeping the duck?” And then they do that with the X and the original opening starts playing and I get goosebumps just remembering it. That really hit me. Because it finally got me really emotionally invested in the series. Made me feel a bit cheeky. 

      ONE PIECE LIGHTNING ROUND!

  So, considering you’re such a huge pro wrestling fan, your lightning round is gonna be a bit different. I’m gonna say a Straw Hat that’s in the crew at this point and you tell me which wrestler they’re the most like. You can also tell me what time period they’d fit the most in, since wrestler personalities tend to change. So, Luffy?

  Gotta be Cena. Specifically? With Luffy’s attitude? Probably 2015 defending-the-United States-Championship John Cena.

  Zoro?

  He’s all business, he likes to fight. So I gotta go with Cesaro.

  Sanji?

  Going with Eddie Guerrero.

  Usopp?

  That character is all over wrestling - the underdog who isn’t very good and uses every trick in the book to win. Gonna go with MJF. He had one of my favorite matches of this year against Cody Rhodes and he just had to use EVERYTHING to beat him - brass knuckles, distraction, chairs, everything he could to get that win. But he could be MJF, could be The Miz, could be Mikey Whipwreck from ECW, take your pick.

  Nami?

  Hmmm. Becky Lynch. 

  Chopper?

  KeMonito 

  Robin?

  Oh, she shows up after being booed for ages and you’re supposed to like her, so 2019 Charlotte Flair.

      Stay tuned for the next installment of "My Favorite One Piece Arc" as we speak with One Piece's official English manga translator Stephen Paul on his favorite One Piece arc: Skypiea!!

      Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Daniel Dockery

[themackenzies]

Thoughts on Outlander 5.05 - ‘Perpetual Adoration’

Time is a lot of the things people say that God is. There’s the always preexisting, and having no end. There’s the notion of being all powerful—because nothing can stand against time, can it? Not mountains, not armies. And time is, of course, all-healing. Give anything enough time, and everything is taken care of: all pain encompassed, all hardship erased, all loss subsumed. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Remember, man, that thou art dust; and unto dust thou shalt return. And if Time is anything akin to God, I suppose that Memory must be the Devil. — Prologue, A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Wow, I loved this episode, and for the first time this season I’m excited to sit down and write about Outlander.  The 1960′s flashbacks, Roger and Bree hashing things out, adorable Adso (I am a dog person, but geez that’s a cute kitten)...this episode felt nostalgic, and good, and right.  Material from the books was adapted really well and didn’t feel shoehorned in.  To be honest, after last week’s ‘The Company We Keep’, I was considering abandoning the show because I was so disappointed by the writing and characterization of Roger.  But, after Episode 5?  I’m excited to see the rest of the season!

There’s a lot to unpack from this episode, so I won’t touch on everything, or this will get too long, but here are my thoughts.

Since the title card for this episode is taken from the flashbacks, I’ll start my episode review by talking about Claire, Joe, and Bree in the 1960′s.  Claire’s voice over of the prologue from A Breath of Snow and Ashes gave me goosebumps, as did Bree’s line, “Man, I guess you never really know what’s coming, do you?”

It’s so great seeing Joe again, even though it makes me sad that we never got to see Roger or adult Bree interact with him on the show.  I smiled at the reference to the romance novel The Impetuous Pirate from Voyager.

The lounge wasn’t empty. Joseph Abernathy sat in one of the rump-sprung stuffed chairs, apparently absorbed in a copy of U.S. News & World Report. He looked up as I entered, and nodded briefly to me before returning to his reading. The lounge was equipped with stacks of magazines— salvaged from the waiting rooms— and a number of tattered paperbacks, abandoned by departing patients. Seeking distraction, I thumbed past a six-month-old copy of Studies in Gastroenterology, a ragged copy of Time magazine, and a neat stack of Watchtower tracts. Finally picking up one of the books, I sat down with it. It had no cover, but the title page read The Impetuous Pirate. “A sensuous, compelling love story, boundless as the Spanish Main!” said the line beneath the title. The Spanish Main, eh? If escape was what I wanted, I couldn’t do much better, I thought, and opened the book at random. — Chapter 18, Voyager

The 60′s costumes, sets, and hair were on point.  Man, I really miss the 60′s-70′s stuff (and wish there had been more of Roger and Bree in that time in Season 4 - flashes back and forth like they did with Claire and Jamie in Season 3 would have been awesome).  I also liked how the flashbacks connected with the 1700′s story lines.  It wasn’t until I rewatched that I even really listened to and absorbed Claire’s voice over throughout the episode about God and the spiderweb:

“I wonder, is time God’s eternal web, silk strands stretching through time, the mildest touch setting off vibrations that echo through the eons? ... Is God the spider, embracing us through our death and resurrection, or is he simply the spinner of the web, watching as the silk shimmers and vibrates through the cosmos, awakening the real spiders, the ones lurking deep within the recesses of our own natures? ... God the infinite, God the merciful, God the eternal.  Someday, I will stand before God and I will receive answers to all my questions about everything in his universe, and I do have many questions.  But I won’t ask about the nature of time. I’ve lived it.”

There was something about the spiderweb metaphor that sounded really familiar, but I couldn’t recall if it was taken from any of the books or not.  So, I did a search for “spiderweb” in The Fiery Cross, and found a couple of passages that I’m still mulling over.  There’s this bit from Chapter 37:

“Brianna. What do you want? Do you want Stephen Bonnet dead?” She glanced at me, then away, looking out the window while she patted Jemmy’s back. She didn’t blink. Finally, her eyes closed briefly, then opened to meet mine. “I can’t,” she said, low-voiced. “I’m afraid if I ever let that thought in my mind … I’d never be able to think about anything else, I’d want it so much. And I will be damned if I’ll let … him … ruin my life that way.” Jemmy gave a resounding belch, and spit up a little milk. Bree had an old linen towel across her shoulder, and deftly wiped his chin with it. Calmer now, he had lost his look of vexed incomprehension, and was concentrating intently on something over his mother’s shoulder. Following the direction of his clear blue gaze, I saw the shadow of a spiderweb, high up in the corner of the window. A gust of wind shook the window frame, and a tiny spot moved in the center of the web, very slightly. “Yeah,” Brianna said, very softly. “I do want him dead. But I want Da and Roger alive, more.”

And also this bit from Chapter 73:

She had begun to realize, listening to the talk in the Sherstons’ parlor over the last few weeks, that the Colony was a vast spiderweb. There were innumerable strands of commerce along which a few large spiders—and a number of smaller ones—made their delicate way, always listening for the faint hum of distress made by a fly that had blundered in, always testing for a thinning strand, a broken link. The smaller entities glided warily along the margins of the web, with an eye out always for the movements of the bigger ones—for spiders were cannibals—and so, she thought, were ambitious men. Her father’s position was prominent—but by no means so secure as to resist the undermining effects of gossip and suspicion. She and Roger had talked about it before, privately, speculating; the fracture-lines were already there, plain enough to someone who knew what was coming; the strains and tensions that would deepen into sudden chasm—one deep enough to sunder the colonies from England. Let the strain grow too great, too quickly, let the strands between Fraser’s Ridge and the rest of the Colony fray too far … and they might snap, wrapping sticky ends in a thick cocoon round her family and leaving them suspended by a thread—alone, and prey to those who would suck their blood.  

Back on Fraser’s Ridge...

That pillow talk scene between Roger and Bree is the best romantic chemistry I’ve seen between them this season (yes, even better than their wedding).  Sophie and Richard acted their scenes, most of which were adapted from Chapter 6 of The Fiery Cross, extremely well.

She was an only child, as he was; she knew the yearning for connection and closeness—but hers had been gratified. She had had not one loving father but two. A mother who had loved her beyond the bounds of space and time. The Murrays of Lallybroch, that unexpected gift of family. And most of all, her son, her flesh, her blood, a small and trusting weight that anchored her firmly to the universe. But Roger was an orphan, alone in the world for such a long time. His parents gone before he knew them, his old uncle dead—he had no one to claim him, no one to love him for the sake only of his flesh and bone—no one save her. Little wonder if he hungered for the certainty she held in her arms when she nursed her child.

My one complaint is that I wish Bree hadn’t stayed silent after Roger asked, about Jemmy’s paternity, "In your heart, what do you truly believe?”  That discussion was very heartbreaking.

Thankfully, Roger returns to Bree in the morning, apologetic, after his heart to heart with Claire.  

“Oh I wish I had a bit of a husband’s intuition.”  “You haven’t been married very long. Intuition comes with listening and time.”  “I have time in spades.” [...] “Roger, don’t be careless with the time you have together.”

Perhaps Roger is remembering what he told Jocasta in Episode 1: “I may not have any property or money, but I have time.  And I will give it all to Brianna and Jeremiah.”  

Everything comes full circle at the end of the episode when Jamie returns home, and Claire shares what’s on her mind:

“Do you know what I finally realized after all these years? Just how much I owe him. His death had a profound effect on me, so much so that I took a leave of absence from work, and went to London with Brianna, and that was where I learned of Reverend Wakefield’s passing.  Had we not attended that funeral, we would never have crossed paths with Roger or...or found you.”  

A few final, stray thoughts:

I know the priest’s line, “No one’s lost who’s not forgotten” is about Claire remembering Jamie...but, Stephen Bonnet haunting Brianna is what popped into my mind.  Brianna has forgiven Bonnet, but hasn’t forgotten him.

Lizzie being present during Kezzie’s surgery and blushing/smiling when he had to drop his britches was funny and cute.  They’re clearly laying groundwork for Season 6 (or maybe Season 5?).

I love the sunshine and verdant trees in this episode.  It was pretty and refreshing.

Even though I loved Roger in this episode, I haven’t forgotten how poorly he was written in the first 4 episodes and in ‘The Company We Keep’ in particular.  I’ll leave that rant for another post, though.

I’m still puzzled by Roger and (maybe?) Bree wanting to back through the stones.  On thelitforum.com, Diana said something about the writers, in the first episode, establishing that Bree promised Roger they would go back.  But, if Bree made a promise like that, we haven’t heard about it on screen.  I don’t understand why that would be cut, because it’s important context to have.

I don’t really have anything to say about Jamie in this episode.  I’m bored by the Regulator story line, and am anxious for us to get to Alamance, so all of that can finally be put to bed.  

Based on the preview for Episode 6...it looks like Jamie and Claire will be going to Jocasta’s wedding by themselves, while Roger and Bree stay on the Ridge.  Interesting.

Roger’s scruff was perfect.  Crossing my fingers he stops shaving for the remainder of the season.

“Women will do anything for trinkets, coins, jewels. Anything at all.  They’re yours for a pretty penny, or a diamond, or a ring.”  “My lass is more concerned with words and deeds.”  Bonnet makes me want to vomit, but I loved Roger’s response about pragmatic Bree.

I love how naturally God and religion are being woven into this season.  It makes me wish the show runners had the guts to do it in earlier seasons.

[vvivacious101]

Re-rewatching S04E01 - Lazarus Rising

It’s here!

Dean’s back!

And look who’s starring in this one.

This episode is just overwhelming, I have stopped it so many times at this point because my head is just burst with thought so I’m giving myself an intermission to just jot this overwhelming amount of information that my brain insists on spouting out as I watch this episode.

Dean’s back and he is looking good besides that handprint on his left upper arm, when this screeching sound blows out the windows of the Fill-up Joint he is at. I read a meta at some point way back which specifically pointed out how the entire set design points to the fact that the thing at the end of this episode is supposed to be good and I don’t remember most of it but I wanted to highlight this one scene that kind of stuck with me.

As you can see on the left side, it says Wing because Angel and on the bottom right corner you have a sign that says “No Smoking” though it’s partly cut out it’s a safe assumption that this is infact what it says and the person who deserves all the credit for this observation and I’m sorry I don’t know who you are, pointed out that in Supernatural demons smoke out. So, the no smoking sign is a hint that whats coming isn’t a demon. Also, there was so much more in that meta so if anyone knows what I’m talking about just give me a link so I can credit this to the person who deserves all the appreciation for this.

The entire Dean and Bobby reunion scene is so funny because Dean’s back from the dead and Bobby is eliminating every supernatural possibility which results in this.

I was waiting for that!

Then we finally get to Dean and Sam but before that we have a girl who opens up the door to Sam’s room when Dean and Bobby knock. Now, we know this girl is Ruby (okay, well I know it nobody watching this for the first time knew it because the viewer isn’t supposed to know her identity till it is later revealed) but the thing I wanted to point out is that Ruby knows Dean and Bobby she knows who they are and she had no idea that Dean was coming back so the moment she sees Dean, she lies which is not great but well Demon. What is weirder is that Sam goes along with it, like this isn’t something they discussed because they have no idea Dean’s coming but they play it. They lie to Dean and Bobby which in hindsight is just wrong. Sam doesn’t instinctively do stuff like this and even when you don’t know this as you watch this scene, in hindsight it really struck me as how weird this was for Sam because what is even the point. Dean’s back sooner rather than later he is going to find out about Ruby and everything they did last summer.

Anyhow Sam’s not the only one who is lying just before this scene we have Dean lying to Bobby as he tells him that he doesn’t remember a moment of Hell.

This episodes to a great start already and did I emntion this is the first episode. Oh boy! this season’s off to a great start.

We got a pile of questions ‘n’ no shovel.

is my new favourite Sam quote.

In under five minutes, Sam and Dean have just doubled the number of lies they have told others and each other. Dean tells Sam he doesn’t remember Hell, Sam tells Dean he doesn’t know where Ruby is and that he isn’t using any of his freaky ESP stuff. But, we do discuss Lilith, so apprently that blast of light she fires of was supposed to kill Sam but he is apparently immune. But, Sam doesn’t know what we know and that is that he needs to kill Lilith and that’s what Lilith wants so the finale of season three is actually just set dressing.

We have a name.

Castiel.

I just realised this episode has so many new faces, we get new Ruby who isn’t exactly a new character but she counts, we have Pamela and we have Cas.

Also, Sam and Dean are off the hook in this one, the amount of lies these two have told each other just tripled.

Bobby: This is a bad idea.

Dean: Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?

Bobby: We could choose life. 

This episode has so much happening and it has so many funny scenes, we get the Bobby and Dean reunion, we get Dean and Sam in Baby and Dean’s pissed and we get Dean and Pamela. Among all the scenes in this episode the very last one is iconic and literally, I don’t know if this is bad but the only reason I have always loved this episode is because of those last 5 minutes which just blew the ball out of the ball park.

Ahhhhh!!!! Can I just scream! This is what I mean, I loved this show before Cas because that’s why I saw all those episodes but God, the moment he came on screen I fell a whole lot more, to the extent that I wonder if I really loved this show before he was on it. Not because I didn’t love it before but the depth of feelings that arose in me after this episode made that love seem so shallow that I started doubting it was even there and this is what I mean, I loved the show before but after Cas I loved it a whole lot more, my love just got as deep as the Pacific Ocean while before it was like a pond. They are both ‘love’ but it just got more impressive. I don’t know how anybody didn’t just fall in love with Cas in that scene and with the show, because it’s so good. I still haven’t forgotten it. I remember all the dialogues and oh it was so good and that’s just Cas.

We aren’t even going to talk about the ship that sailed that day. But, those dialogues are so good.

I’m the one who gripped you tight and rasied you from perdition.

The one line I remember word for word and the one I will never forget which is also Castiel’s first dialogue on the show which is soemthing I didn’t know. Not only is this his most iconic dialogue it is also the first.

Also, let’s talk about the fact that Cas is just so impressive. I love all the expressions he gives in the beginning when Dean stabs him and he pulls out that knife with that smile

and then when Bobby is getting ready to take a swing, he gets this pissed expression as he turn around to deal with Bobby

because man at this point, he has said one dialogue and I’m already so far gone.

Dean: Who are you?

Cas: I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition.

Dean: Yeah, thanks for that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas: We need to talk, Dean. Alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cas: Your friend’s alive.

Dean: Who are you?

Cas: Castiel.

Dean: Yeah, I figured that much. I mean *what* are you?

Cas: I'm an angel of the Lord.

Dean: Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing.

Cas: This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean: Some angel you are. You burnt out that poor woman’s eyes.

Cas: I warned her not to spy on my true from. It can be overwhelming to humans and so can my real voice, but you already knew that.

Dean: You mean the gas station and the motel? That was you talking? Buddy, next time, lower the volume.

Cas: That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong.

Dean: And what visage are you in now, huh? What holy tax accountant?

Cas: This? This is... a vessel.

Dean: You’re posessing some poor bastard?

Cas: He’s a devout man. He actually prayed for this.

Dean: Look, pal, I'm not buying what you're selling. So, who are you really?

Cas: I told you.

Dean: Right. And why would an angel rescue me from hell?

Cas: Good things do happen, Dean.

Dean: Not in my experience.

Cas: What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved.

Dean: Why'd you do it?

Cas: Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you.

The tune playing as Cas says his last line is sacred. It’s so good. It gave me goosebumps and I might have only rewatched this episode fully like three times but that scene I have watched that a million times, so it has no business giving me goosebumps.

Also, let’s talk about Cas’ last line “we have work for you”. I didn’t really put it together till like Season 15 aired and I realised the last scene of “Back and to the Future” is the same as the last scene from “The Pilot”. They make a point of telling you that as in “15x01 - Back and to the Future” the scene snaps to the very last scene from “1x01 - The Pilot” as the trunk closes but there is this dialogue Sam says both times which I now realise is pretty iconic not only because they replicated that scene for season 15 but because that line has been repeated before at iconic moments to kind of stress on the significance of that moment. So Sam, says it as 1x01 ends and Dean says it as 2x22 ends and now Cas says something similar.

The original line is “we got work to do” and we have Cas saying “we have work for you”. That line is already pretty impressive because of the background music that compliments it so much but now from experience I can tell that the show also wanted to kind of stress on this moment being a big deal.

And it is. They definitely got the message across.

[aikainkauna]

Movie meeeehm

Thanks to @nitrateglow for these!

1: A movie you enjoyed as a kid that you don't now

-Probs some comedy I'd find awfully sexist/racist/homophobic etc. now. But of course, I can't recall a specific one, probs because the experience is so deeply squicky and traumatic. Oh, wait, I know. I adored The Great Mouse Detective as a kid, but have heard so many "bleh" comments about it later that I don't want to ruin it by rewatching it as an adult. Why take a happy, cherished, pure and joyous memory away, especially as there are so few of those in my life anyway in proportion to the bad memories?

2: A movie you disliked as a kid that you like/love now

-Not a movie, but I was literally too fucking terrified to watch Doctor Who as a kid on cable, because the Tom Baker repeats they were showing terrified me with the title sequence alone. That empty stare and howling, diddly-duming music were enough to give me nightmares. So I only got into Who in my late teens!

3: Your favorite movie as a kid

-Define "kid." I went through several. I loved the Disney Robin Hood, of course, and at puberty, Wayne's World (yes) and The Princess Bride were my own cult movies, before I had anyone to fangirl them with. Ah, the pre-Internet era.

4: An actor/actress it took you time to warm up to

I remember being weirdly terrified and disturbed by Jeremy Brett as a kid, but then I felt the same about Bowie, and... well. Clearly it was my baby self not knowing WTF to do with all this stirring, restless energy that later turned out to be my skinnyandrogynousbisexualguy orientation thingy. And while I'd first seen Caligari and Casablanca as a teen in the early 90s, I wasn't ready for Connie until he pounced me in 2012. I would not have "got" him the same way and as hard until I was a grown-up, with a wide variety of experiences from many areas of life and a boatload of books/learning behind me. Just... no way.

5: A director it took you time to warm up to

-If anything, I've cooled off various directors I was impressed by when younger. So much of the auteur stuff gets wanky and self-imposing, in this Arrogant Artist Guy "look at my GENIUS big VISION and also insecurity about my penis size" kind of way. I like directors who can be warm and have fun and who show some real humanity (not wanky anvilly/kitchen sink-y sort of "humanity" either). Maybe Branagh? I found him a bit annoying as a kid, but now fap all over his stuff because now I'm old enough to Get It. He is the best kind of fanboy director; his geekiness is catching. Listening to his Thor commentary was a real eye-opener into my realising just how massive a nerd he is, and in a good, "one of us" kind of way.

6: Top five favorite soundtracks of your favorite movie composer

-There isn't just one! But Clint Mansell and Debbie Wiseman turn to gold everything they touch. Debbie especially is hugely unknown still, but she has this most amazing, swellingly Romantic music full of sweeping emotion that I just can't rec her enough. Do check her out; she'll give you goosebumps.

7: Three movies that defined your teen/childhood years

-I think I mentioned those already! But as a teenager, Bram Stoker's Dracula, La Reine Margot and Heavenly Creatures were formative. There were others I obsessed about way more than those, but they weren't as influential--it's more like they were massaging buttons I already had.

8: Sci-fi or westerns?

-Blake's 7! AKA "The Dirty Dozen in Space."

9: Are there any movies you own more than one copy of?

-Ahhahaha. AAAHHAHAHAHA! Of The Thief of Bagdad, I own: The Criterion clusterfuck with the awful clumsy cover someone had their 5-year-old draw, the Nordic DVD, the German Blu-Ray because I live on the edge (what with those Veidt Eye Closeups in HD being a hazard to any uterus) and at least three different digital copies. Because I'm me. I also own two digital copies and one DVD of Casablanca, three digital and one DVD of A Woman's Face and don't get me started on the British telefantasy I have on both DVD and VHS. I have spare copies of both the Caligari Masters of Cinema release and the ITV DVD of The Spy In Black, so I guess I should throw them at somebody.

10: Physical media or streaming?

-Neither. Video files firmly saved onto and run from my hard drive. Fuck streaming with its choppiness (ruins the viewing experience for me) and physical media are usually beyond my budget (unless I save up for a Connie DVD). Besides, I rip my favourite movie discs onto my HD anyway. I want to be able to gif that shit, dammit!

11: Are there any movies you watch on special occasions every year (Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, your mother's aunt's wedding anniversary, etc.)

-Used to do Nightmare Before Christmas on Halloween, but not any more. I still attempt ToB every Christmas. And I used to do All Through The Night with wine on my birthday, but as I can't tolerate alcohol anymore, the experience of Watching ATTN Drunk is no more. Someone start a Halloween tradition with me where we watch either The Student of Prague or Eerie Tales (or both) every year?

12: What movie do you most associate with your best friend(s)?

-Gosh, so few have stayed, so it's more like "movie that reminds you of a broken friendship," yay...?! I've learned to try and not associate movies with people that way any more, because it's more painful than it's worth. Connie is my best friend. He's like Krishna that way.

13: Name a movie adaptation you thought was better than or equal to its source material.

-LOTR put in more facial features and characterisation than Tolkien ever did, and did the tales far less fucking tediously. Imagine if you'd had to sit and watch hobbits walking through the countryside for 6 hours with barely anything happening?! Yeah...

14: What genres do your favorite movies tend to be?

-Historical, fantasy, Gothic Romantic, just Romantic stuff on the whole. More old than new movies these days. Why watch shitty modern chick flicks when I have far better characterisation and far less narrowly defined female lives in old-timey "women's pictures?" And guys who actually fucking shaved, dressed in clothes that were tailored for them instead of rented and saggy, whose bodily expressions weren't frozen for fear of "fagginess," and who weren't pumped full of 'roids.

15: Are you a fan of period dramas and if so, what era do you enjoy best?

-Yes. I love me some costume dramas, but I am seriously picky about them--most post-90s ones have been fucking awful and tend to feature shitty costumes and unkempt hair that would've sent real historical people to Bedlam, wobblycam from hell, vomit-inducingly excessive modernisation to be "edgy", and that one painfully skeletal bint they shove into every period drama ever these days, so it's... slim pickings for a history nerd, these days. There aren't many good ones set in the 17th century/Baroque era, which I love the most: the two Baroque dramas I wholeheartedly love are both series. (The Devil's Whore and By The Sword Divided.) The Angeliques and Musketeer adaptations are riddled with flaws, but there are some glowing bits within. As for The Golden Age of Islam... bloody hell, there really aren't that many good ones out there, are there?! ToB and Jodhaa Akbar and Disney's Aladdin, obviously. La Reine Margot isn't "my" period but it's great, as is Dangerous Liaisons (also not my period)--those are so fucking perfect. And the Connie period dramas, well... I think of them as primarily "silent movies" or "old movies," actually. Of those, The Student of Prague, ToB and The Wandering Jew are the best "costume" ones, IMHO. (I'd probs enjoy Lucrezia Borgia and Carlos and Elisabeth way more, were the copies we have not so smudgy.)

16: Name a movie you love that you would recommend to just about everyone.

-Ah, but we know there are always cynical cunts out there who'd give even Casablanca two stars, so what's the point? I'd still recommend it, though. And The Lion King, I guess.

17: Name a movie you love that you consider an acquired taste.

-Honestly, I'm thinking of telly rather than movies again. You will pry my cherished copy of The Time Monster from my cold, dead hands. Does The Devil of Winterborne count as a movie or TV? That's how far back my love for Mark Gatiss goes. Um... Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood makes me fucking cry with laughter (the comedic timing is what does it. *beat* "Ain't dat some shit!"). Of Connie's oeuvre, yes, I know Bella Donna is rubbish, but Connie and Mary are SIZZLING and horny and juicy and it's Valid as a BDSM porn movie. And the novel is actually good.

18: Name a film you like directed by/starring a filmmaker/actor you normally don't care for.

-Not so much actor/director, but I did *not* expect to love Thor as much as I did, because I expected a dumb popcorn movie but got great adventure cinema with a touch of Shakespeare instead. I really am not the right audience for regular Marvel features at all, before or after. Fuck Marvel up its dumb macho Republican ass. But Thor is fucking beautiful and operatic and poetic and majestic and Pagan and shit. Branagh knows what I like.

19: Name a movie that blew your mind.

-A Woman's Face (1941). Because. Holy. Fuck. How can I keep on finding yet more details in it six years after first watching it, having watched it countless times by now?! And obvs all the other stuff, like the shockingly good female POV, amazing and complex woman protagonist, amazing writing, amazing ensemble cast, amazing direction, amazing lighting, amazing evil Torsten Slinkypussy Barring and The. Goddamn. Attic. Scene.

20: What genre mash-up would you most love to see that either hasn't been done yet or hasn't been done enough?

-Feminist-savvy historical romance with fantasy elements and hot explicit sex that's not shit. Basically, like the stuff you see in my fics, but better paced and woven into coherent adventure movies.

21: The coolest movie you've ever seen

-Too, too many. But Bogie was the coolest. And Claude Rains had the best acting skills. And Conrad Veidt was Conrad motherfucking Veidt. So what with those three mountains of coolness all converging under the Moroccan sky, I'm sure it's safe to say "Casablanca."

[redroseredemption]

My Top 15 Best Sentai Openings

I love sentai.  I know, shocking. I’ll give you a moment to pick up your jaw. Super Sentai is filled with action, a surprising amount of drama and men and women in colorful spandex! But for all of that, there are things we as fans tend to sometimes overlook. One of them being music. Toei, the owners of the Super Sentai franchise, make some great music. For this post, I’ll be looking at the opening themes to Super Sentai  The opening to a show isn’t there to just show the title card and credits. It’s to show what the series is about with its theme song and visuals hoping to get you hyped up for it. Sometimes, we tend to remember the opening to a show more than the actual show itself.  I will say, most if not all Sentai openings are very memorable and catchy, even the truly terrible ones...unfortunately, but that’s for another list.  Before I start, I just wanna let everyone know that if you hate or like any of these, more power to you. Just please don’t harass me over it is all. With that said let’s head on into...

MY TOP 15 BEST SENTAI OPENINGS! Why top 15? Because there were too many good sentai openings to leave out! --- #15: Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8x5ea9f3rs)  This opening is definitely not everyone’s cup and I can see why. The person who sings it sounds like he smokes 3 packs of cigarettes a day, but for an opening about a team of animal rangers, I think it fits well. However, I will admit it does get kind of old after binge watching for more than two hours.  #14: Kyukyu Sentai GogoV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87BBbm5Q-KI)  A sentai about a team of firefighters, a pilot, a policeman and an EMT ( all of whom are siblings) deserves an epic opening and that’s what this song brings. The song has a sense of urgency to it that I think fits well with the show, even in the lyrics  “Save the Earth! Save the Life(?)”  It just fits well with the theme of the show. #13: Tensou Sentai Goseiger  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nUT9Lr39pA)  Goseiger is the most disappointing sentai ever, but that rant is for a whole other thread. Here, I’m actually going to say something good about Goseigers. The theme song is great. I love the instrumental at the beginning, I love how after that it becomes quit somber and then cheerful, with children cheering “Tensou” during the chorus. It’s a good song.  #12: Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ntnX6wEkg) The 70 sentai’s had very disco sounding openings. Even in Denjiman’s theme, you can hear the disco influence in the guitar riff, but starting with Sun Vulcan it seemed like there was a clear jump. I don’t know how to describe it since I’m not an expert on music, but you can clearly hear the difference. This opening to me signifies the change sentai would go through over the years.  #11: Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKcEvrOWhBc) Ah, Dynaman. The Michael Bay of Sentai. I swear, there are more explosions in the opening then some sentai’s have in their whole show! Anyways, its theme is extremely catchy. I mean almost all sentai themes are catchy but this one, in particular, will have you singing “Dy-dy-dy-dy-dynaman” ALL DAY. I also love the epic violin part at the beginning. It’s a solid 80′s sentai theme #10: Doubutsu Sentai Zyouhger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQa4P7b2NCA) Zyouhger is...meh. I only got 20 episodes in before dropping it. It wasn’t terrible, but it could be better. Maybe one day I’ll rewatch it and finish it, but for now, I’m putting on the back burner to watch other sentai seasons. It’s theme song, on the other hand, is fantastic. It has a very jungle feel to it which matches the theme of the show. My favorite part is when they do the call out to the rangers animals “EAGLE, SHARK, LION, ELEPHANT, TIGER” it honestly gives me goosebumps almost every time.  #9: Chouriki Sentai Ohranger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iWRNAW6N1E)

Ohranger has the best theme song out of all the 90′s sentai in my opinion. Other than GogoV, the other 90′s Sentai theme songs range from ok to god awful.  This was the season Toei and Super Sentai was going to go all out and you can hear that in the theme. Every time I listen to it, it gets me pumped! The chorus is honestly me my favorite part of the song (starts at the 1:00 mark in the video) Not much else to say other than it’s a great song and the best 90′s sentai theme.  #8: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kqFVvyKr6Q) Dekaranger was the first sentai I ever watched so there’s bit more bias in this one than just the theme is good. Like with the others before the music matches the theme of Dekaranger well. It has a sense of urgency to it like GogoV’s. The rangers are raring to go without a moment's hesitation. My fav parts have to be the beginning and the countdown. It might be a bit Engirshy, but its fun.  #7: Choushinsei Flashman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzKTRJsoyvo) When I first heard the beginning of this theme, I knew I’d love it. The trumpets combined with the guitar just work so well. It’s also the first sentai theme on the list that actually makes me want to dance! It’s a shame this season isn’t fully subbed yet. Maybe one day.  #6: Tokumei Sentai Gobuster (1st theme)  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V-u08pynXs&t=104s)  BUSTERS READY GO!  Why did they have to change this theme? Seriously it was fine! The 2nd theme is...ok I guess. I know it was an attempt to rebrand the show due to declining ratings and toy sales, but to me, the first theme has way more impact and emotion.  #5: Ressha Sentai Toqger:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW9q06Z9O1M) Want to make Trains seem cool? Put it to an awesome pop/punk song about imagination, and that’s exactly what they did here. No other sentai theme makes me want to headbang to it like this one.  Everything about this theme is just fun! I hope in the near future, Toei brings in more rock themes to Super Sentai #4: Kosoku Sentai Turboranger: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTj4Ho4dQJY) I feel like I love this theme more than I should, but I really don’t care. This theme to me is the best 80′s-90′s sentai theme. Everything just works. From the trumpets to the double pedal, every instrument and sound just adds to the song, nothing feels like filler and nothing feels like it shouldn’t be there. Also, I think I like songs with the word “dash” in them because this is the second theme with it. 

#3: Juuken Sentai Gekiranger: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIuvq0-XrJg) Now we’re getting into the hard part of this list. Honestly, I wish I could give this and the next two theme’s the number one spot, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a top 10, or 15 in this case, list if I just put multiple songs in one spot.  Right off the bat, Gekirangers theme hits you with the classic Japanese instruments and then hits with a sort of modernization of those instruments and it’s like a beautiful explosion of martial arts. Makes me want to punch and kick my TV screen! (I suggest you don’t that)   #2: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vToLwIEuI8) This is probably cheating, but I’ve never watched Shinkenger. I know! I know! Blasphemy! It was never that high on my “must watch” list...but that might have changed since after hearing the opening theme, because oh my god. To say that I was floored would be an understatement. This theme captures everything I want in a children's theme song. Catchy, high energy, fits well with the themes of the show and actually makes me want to watch it. The ONLY complaint I have is that the part before the chorus is a little too slow for my liking. Other than that this is almost a perfect theme.    Before I continue to my #1. Here are a few HONORABLE MENTIONS: Chojin Sentai Jetman:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvwKKYUCwQk) It’s a good theme and will get stuck in your head all day long as you sing “Jeto, Jeto-Jetoman!” over and over again!  Also, the dance exercise video of the song is a thing of beauty and must be seen!  Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6aDs8cvReI) It’s such a fun and happy theme. It makes me feel all bubbly inside. The only problem? This theme is for a sentai about thieving PIRATES! While it’s a great song on its own, it just doesn’t fit with Gokaiger in my opinion. Chikyu Sentai Fiveman:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmF6wqCtRug) Even though this was the series that almost killed super sentai, doesn’t mean it didn’t have a pretty good theme song. The first part is really good. The chorus, on the other hand, is a little weak, but it hangs in just enough to get on the honorable mentions list.  Dengeki Sentai Changeman:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7MzNRs4CY) I don’t think any theme song makes me want to shake my finger around like the swing dancers do like Changeman theme does. This and Jetman’s theme would be tied for the 16th spot. And now. My number 1 sentai theme song is!... #1: Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67dQUTP3Has) Is this a cop-out? Maybe, but I don’t care I love this song SO MUCH! Everything is nearly perfect about it. The vocals, instruments, the way it builds up,  and the sense of hope it brings, that just because the universe is ruled by an evil tyrant doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there fighting it. A tiny flickering light in the void of darkness. That’s what this song fills me with and it’s the reason it’s my favorite sentai theme! Thank you guys! I hope you enjoyed this list! Let me know what you think and what are your favorite sentai theme songs!

[thebigmick284]

Thoughts on OUAT ending.

Big messy post and quick thoughts ahead!

It’s long past time (5 years IMO) that it should have ended. I have never seen a show nose-dive in quality so much... yet I kept watching and will till the end. Maybe Adam and Eddy’s message of ‘hope’ got to me, haha...

I still remember watching the Australian premiere of the pilot back in early 2012. Curious but unsure. I was only a casual watcher in S1, it didn’t fully grab me. I don’t really have too many memories of S1 apart from being invested in the Rumple/Bae storyline. These two really sold the papa/son relationship. Nowadays I do think it’s overall the best season although the fandom overrates it to the extreme at times.

Come the announcement of Captain Hook in that S2 comic con promo and I became more intrigued as the story of Peter Pan has been with me for as long as I can remember. I slowly became more hooked (ha) during 2A and remember not actually being too impressed with Hook at first. I wanted Captain James Hook, what was this Killain Jones BS? This is was where I first started looking around at the Tumblr fandom and it was still a shit storm back then so I kept to myself.

I remember being excited we would finally see adult Bae.... and then disappointment as he went underutilised. I actually remember being happy Neal and Emma admitted their love because I thought the SQers would realize that SQ isn’t the story they are telling and stop their bullying. I was really enjoying myself with the show, it was really great escapism. It made me believe that there could be parallel fairy tale worlds out there, haha. Especially as I was going through a lot of personal things. Again, I tried to stay out of the fandom drama but was disappointed people I found only really wanted to talk about shipping.

 But my fanboying reached overdrive when this promo came out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihi_5gXAMOU

Holy crap that shadow! Wendy Darling! Neverland! I actually dared and interacted with the fandom after that. In combination with that fantastic goosebump inducing ending of S2 here, ‘Peter Pan Never Fails’-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbG42dmGCw

I was ecstatic. I started liking O’Donoghue’s Hook too at this point. He had all the elements of Barrie’s Hook with OUAT’s own twist and when I rewatched his scenes, I found I enjoyed him so much more.

My excitement for S3 was probably the most invested I was in the show. I even started a blog where I posted reviews and stuff- Storybrooke Clock Tower and I think I had 1000 followers. I even sent and received a message from Parker Croft who played Felix. I could NOT wait for S3 to start.

Season 3 was just pure joy for me. They delivered by large and beyond what I had hoped for with their promise of a darker Neverland arc. Robbie Kay, again, someone I was worried about, blew me away. I just remember my thoughts after that final scene of 3x01 and then that ELECTRIFYING sneak peak of 3x02 with Pan sizing up Emma. Holy shit! This kid was sooooo good as Peter Pan, his intensity, that child like charm, having a British accent, his cocky confidence. I was in Pan heaven!

I even love 3B and it reminded me of how much I used to love the 30′s Wizard of Oz movie. I still maintain this was a great arc, it had the best visuals of the series- look at the Oz sets, how good the flying monkeys looked, all the characters still felt like themselves and had things to do, the missing year instead of tired flashbacks and the CS movie at the end.  Lots of fantastic material 

Oh and how could I forget OUATIW which also aired at this time. Starting off a little shaky (I remember the fan complaints) it just went from strength to strength and was a hugely enjoyable spin-off. Again, It reminded me of how much I loved Jafar as a kid and all that Aladdin mythology.

S3 was just a fantastic time to be a Oncer. But after the CS movie I had a funny feeling. It felt like it should have ended right there. With that final montage, with Rumple and Belle’s vows echoing the character arcs of the whole cast...It really felt concluded.

Still I watched on, nervous with the Frozen arc because it felt more like a financial decision rather then creative. I remember coming home after the CS movie aired and wanting to spoil myself so I checked FB and saw ‘Frozen is coming to OUAT’ and I was like... really? really?

Around 4A I shut down my old OUAT blog and just used my Bigmick284 one. I started not being afraid of interacting with fandom and used to reblog a lot of confession posts. I was really active on the FB OUAT page too. I fought with a lot of BAs, lol, and was bullied off the site even...

 People I remember getting along with include.

@mrs-emma-swan-jones-  I mention this a lot but...Anyway... You had a different username but I remember chatting with you a lot during early 4A. I still remember watching and smiling to your fangirling CS reaction videos on Youtube and smiling at all your excitement. Holy crap was that was really 4 years ago...

@lessawildmoon- in my quest to find people who loved to discuss CS intelligently and without resulting to bullying I found you. I remember thinking, I wish she would follow me, lol. And then you did! I always love your level headed posts. And for defending me more than once (ha).

@i-will-move-on-in-life- I remember you because you were always positive and someway down the line we found we liked a lot of things and had a lot in common other than OUAT and here we are still chatting and potentially even planning things! 

@seethem-dancing​- I just remember loving your deep and intricate essays which I always enjoyed reading.

To others who I don’t think are here any more such as FIO who I interacted with a lot over the bullying and hypocritical to downright disgusting ways of the fandom.

I’ve probably forgotten people so I am sorry if IhHave.

Fighting BAs and dealing with FB invasions, I felt stronger because I had friends here. Even with things drove me mad and I got personally attacked... I also learnt and researched many important issues such as rape culture. I learnt a lot and changed a lot about my own beliefs.

Even though I think S1-S3 and OUATIW was best, 4A was probably the last time I think OUAT was really enjoyable and I still couldn’t wait to get home and watch. They did a great job with the Frozen cast, I loved all the Emma focus and it was fun. Something sorely missing with 4B onwards which became a chore to watch.

I think the best thing post S4 was the interactions and friends I made with people who still also had hope in the show. People such as

@myst-l-vie​- fellow Aussie and someone who is very passionate about people and her interests.

@stormynoon​- not sure if we talked OUAT I think that’s how we met (but we love\ TWD!)

@zumpie​- helped me enormously when I was bullied off the site and dealing with that.

@chrissascorner- helped me recover after I was bullied

@ deliriumdecadence- not just for OUAT chats but lots of great personal chats.

To you guys who are always around, friendly, and awesome to chat to-

@newyearsswifts​

@ultraericthered​

@awesomechocolatesauce​

@marvelouswhovianfairytales​

@zannereid27​

@fraddit​

@epona610​

@v-jolt

@rubbady-pubbady

@kereeachan

I’ve probably and likely forgot numerous others.

In the end you guys are what was most important during this time. I’ll never forget it!

And I’ll always treasure the first three seasons, OUATIW and bits and pieces from 4-6. It’s taught me a lot of what to do and most certainly not to do in creating a story.

Cheers!

-Mike

[allisonswrittenwords]

Science is fun when the Children’s Television Workshop gets involved!

Hey, we learned basic concepts of everyday math the Disney way a short time ago, so why not…SCIENCE the Public Broadcasting way?

“Did I Tell You About The Time…”

The reason everything happens was, believe it or not, the subject of a long-running television show created by the Children’s Television Workshop, based on an Australian television show called The Curiosity Show.  That program began in 1972, and taught children basic concepts of science.  Its hosts, Australian scientists Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton, served as consultants in the early planning stages of 3-2-1 Contact.  But rather than have middle-aged scientists host the program, the American version would have more relatable – read: younger – hosts.

This would work well later for PBS, but in 1980, we needed younger hosts!

3-2-1 Contact aired on select PBS member stations, with a first season of 65 episodes, beginning on January 14, 1980, and concluding three months later, on April 11th.  The reruns continued after that, with a second season premiering on October 17, 1983.  The second season set the standard by which the rest of the series would be based.

In the beginning, college students Marc, Trini, and Lisa (Leon W. Grant, Ginny Ortiz, and Liz Moses, respectively) were the show’s original hosts, and the setting was an on campus room called “The Workshop.”

When the series returned in 1983, there was a new cast of hosts who met in a suburban basement.  The hosts would change, and the series itself ran until November 1988, for a total of 225 episodes and eight specials.

During the 1991-1992 academic year, an edited series for school viewing, 3-2-1 Classroom Contact was created using segments from previously aired episodes.

But if you don’t remember anything else about the show, you remember…

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I’m not gonna lie, I get goosebumps over that.  It is the version of the theme I remember the best.

I grew up watching 3-2-1 Contact, as it was a regular part of my PBS-watching life that revolved around Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, and Square One TV.  I was very young at the time – the first season premiered over two years before  I was born, and the second season didn’t start until I was about a year old. The original run of the series only went until I was six years old (felt longer than that!), but I have memories of watching the show, even if I don’t remember any of the episodes.  Again, it all goes back to that theme song.  Later on in life, after 3-2-1 Contact was long gone, another science show – featuring a slightly older guy in a bowtie – made practical everyday science fun all over again.

Before that though, a few “friends” taught us science through their experiences and adventures.  Let’s just say they knew how to make “CONTACT!” with their audience.

🙂

QUIIIIIIIIIIIET!!

Each week revolved around a different topic, with each episode (five per week) focusing on an aspect of that topic.  During the first week, Noisy/Quiet was the theme, and in the pilot episode (Episode 101 – January 14, 1980), production and processing of sound was the aspect explored.

After an awesome introduction on what this amazing new show is, we are shown the process of creating a theme song for this amazing new show.

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Oooooh, isn’t that incredible?!

Anyway, after that happens, we jump right into the action of the show – the “meat” of the concept, as you will.  We’re immediately thrown into noise, and the opposite of noise…quiet.  There’s a demonstration of sound, as done by “Bowser from Sha-Na-Na”…

We watch a demonstration of how phone lines – and even the good old-fashioned “tin cans with a string” work…

Is this my friend Mary?

…Meet Trini’s new “friend,” Stan the Robot, who is actually Guinness Book of World Records holder for “World’s Loudest Man” Stanley Lemkuil, who is in fact, not a robot, but a man of over 300 vocal sound effects and 100 vocal impressions…

…we watch a demonstration of a voiceprint machine, which deciphers real versus imitated noise.  For example, the sound of a bell, compared to Stan’s impersonation of a bell.

There’s a short a demonstrative cartoon from a “smart person” on how we talk.

And Marc works visits Bell Laboratories to watch a computer learning how to talk.

Wrapping up the the show is a segment that became a continuing series within the world of 3-2-1 Contact, The Bloodhound Gang.

They’re a group of kids who solve mysteries with science!

The Bloodhound Gang are on the case of Rosie, a “very educated” pig whose owner is trying to swindle a potential purchaser.  The purchaser is looking to make the pig part of an act, and rename her to “Empress Antoinette, The Pig with A College Education.”  His daughter calls the Bloodhound Gang to help get to the bottom of this, as her father is easily pliable, and the pig hasn’t spoken a word yet.

This segment usually was not solved in one episode, and would be spread out throughout the week.  Like the hosts of the show, the members of the gang changed over time.

By the time the Bloodhound Gang solves their mystery, it is the end of the program, but the beginning of a great concept that would last for seven seasons.

And it all started here, two years and nine months before I was born.

Reaction

Even though I would never have seen this episode in its original airing, I did watch this show regularly starting in the mid 1980s. I loved it, probably for the theme song, back then.  As an adult, I appreciate the topics, and how the show explains science in a simple and everyday use kind of way.  Nothing is overly difficult to understand, and it is hosted by relatable characters.  I wish I had been a little older when this was on, since I loved it as a kid, without really understanding what they discussed.

We watched an episode in my Chemistry class in eleventh grade (1999-2000), and for me, this is the kind of science I like.  This was always a subject area I was never good with, but when taught on a practical, everyday level, I get it.

And again, the theme song.  Who doesn’t love that.

Everything Happens…In This Video!

So, earlier in the article, I shared the “part one” video of the pilot episode.  The “part two” of this episode is everything after the theme song.  That part really did deserve its own video.

This part is the rest of the episode, roughly 21 minutes.  It goes by fast!

So go on, make CONTACT!, with the play button!

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And Now, You?

Do you remember 3-2-1 Contact, or the classroom version?  Did you watch it at home on your local PBS station, or in the classroom?  Any lessons stick with you, so many years later?  Were you a Bloodhound Gang fan?  Tell me your stories of making CONTACT!

And admit it, the theme…it gets you!

Have a great day!

  Let's Make Contact! - Retro Rewatch: "3-2-1 Contact" Pilot Episode - Science is fun when the Children's Television Workshop gets involved! Science is fun when the Children's Television Workshop gets involved!

[ookamitsu]

50 more interesting questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

tagged by @acrispyapple​ this was very long 

1. What kind of food can’t you stand? really spicy food, tho recently i’ve been getting better at handling spices. Also food that has cauliflower or cilantro

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick? I’d love it if my fish tanks could magically clean themselves and feed the fish, that’d be great

3. Have you got any useless talents? is not being affected by the caffeine in coffee a talent? 

4. If you were really really good at one thing, what would it be? Probably drawing. I have soo many ideas but hardly any artistic talent lol. 

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking gdragon and top from bigbang

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid? I wasn’t allowed to go outside really when I was younger so all I did was read books, watch tv, rewatch disney movies and harry potter movies over and over. 

7. What is something you’re proud of? eh, I don’t think i’ve done anything worth being proud about yet...ask me again when I have a career

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate? I hate when people don’t have proper manners, it’s so annoying. 

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower? oh a follower for sure. I am but a humble, shy sheep~ leading requires effort lol and it just isn’t interesting for me. Although, if i’m forced into a leadership position I’ll do well, it’s just that I do want to do it. 

10. What kind of student are/were you? a pretty good kiddo. Never gto into trouble, and besides my ap physics grade back in junior year I never had low grades. Had to stay in tip top shape academically in order to get anything I wanted and not be disowned by my mom lol. 

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life? eh I don’t really think so but maybe

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion SPIDERS, they’re the devil’s animal haha. so that and most most insects ughhh 

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable? hmmm...maybe the mc from kiss him, not me? She’s into weeb shit, I’m into weeb shit. She likes yaoi, I like yaoi lol but she is way more into it than I will ever be. Also she’s surrounded by hot guys, which I am not and that is the ultimate tragedy. 

kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties? I’m still underage so i dunno. Ask me again in January when my bff turns 21, I’ll let you know. At parties I’m super awkward so I’ll either just stand around looking really awkward or follow my friends around. 

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone? it’ll take a loooong while. I don’t trust guys (or most people). you can’t unlock my tragic backstory that easily if  you date me. 

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends? one. I love having close bonds with people because then I won’t feel lonely. Also who needs that many friends. 

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak? I like to have things clean for the most part. Though I might get really lazy and just throw things down and not put them away for a few hours lol. Also my desk can get pretty messy sometimes and becomes a sort of organized chaos, but I’ll always fix it anyway since the mess will eventually bother me. 

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy. Somewhere where the weather isn’t terribly hot or cold in their respective seasons and is overcast  most of the time. Or Loches, France. I freaking love that place it’s really nice.

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday? I’d love to have kids, at least 3. 

20. What was your favorite book as a child? I used to read the goosebumps and fear street series a lot. Also harry potter, a series of unfortunate events and the chronicles of narnia (Though fo some reason I couldn’t remember the books in that series at all but luckily @acrispyapple​ told me to reread it and now I have renewed love for it) 

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about yeah fidget spinners are pretty dumb and I see them wherever I go. 

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated learning how to type properly? I think a lot of people barely know how to type and it upsets me to no end. I hate when people finger peck at the keys, they’re so slow.

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose? hmm, maybe natsume takashi from natsume yuujinchou. Mostly becuase I really like him. Also being attached to him means I can cuddle nyanko-senesei. Or Nikkari Aoe from touken ranbu because I love him too. 

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday? travel all over! 

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat? I don’t like confrontation so I keep my mouth shut usually. 

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in? hmm, not sure

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for? *war flashbacks of being emo*

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable? I admire people who can speak their minds without fear, of course they also have to have tact. Also the kind of people who are so good at leading that you’ll naturally want to follow them.

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.) people like to give me things with cats bc cat’s are God’s greatest gift to humanity. I appreciate money just a little more though lol. 

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones? Yup. English, French, and Japanese. I really want to learn Korean, German and Spanish but I usually spend half of my free time on continuing japanese studies so we’ll see. 

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside? Neither. I like the suburbs. Either that or smaller cities at least. 

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving? sarada uchiha. When I first saw her at the end of naruto i kinda automaically hated her because I hate sakura. But ever since gaiden and the boruto movie I saw her personality and realized that I lover her haha. So whenever I see her in a boruto ep I’m pretty happy. 

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else? nope, I get so uncomfortable. I’m happy enough to not be noticed. 

34. Favorite holiday? Christmas! I’m so obnoxious about it haha. I love singing Christmas songs and I’ll gladly sing along to the Christmas music that plays in stores and stuff. 

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously? a bit of both. For the most part I’m go with the flow but for most important things that happens outside of home life having some kind of plan is logical and for the best .

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.) the dragon age series and mass effect series. 

37. What hobbies do you have? reading, running this crap blog, doodling, studying, video games

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have? the ability to make things clean themselves. 

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you I’m super lazy! I give off the impression that i would never ever be lazy which is just a lie lmao. That doesn’t mean I won’t do the work that I have to do. One can’t be remiss about those things you know, you’ll set yourself up for failure that way. I just hate wasting energy  

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out  I can’t work @cyniccat​‘s sewing machine properly for the life of me.

41. Worst injury you’ve had? I accidentally ripped the skin off of one of my toes with a door. 

42. Any morbid fascinations? idk

43. Describe your sense of humor eh idk, I like sarcasm since I have such rapier wit. I also love really lame jokes lol. but I usually find most things 

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose? well I wouldn’t want to live in another era because they weren’t such fun times for poc’s. But If I could live in another place, I’d rather live in either Canada or France. Maybe Japan. 

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at I can’t summarize that well without rambling. 

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through school. Even though it made my cry and my workload stressed me out I met my best friends there and more importantly I got an education. 

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.) I don’t want a tattoo ever, so the ugly one but like what’s so offensive about it??

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist? for a pessimist i’m pretty optimistic 

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you? “you fight good”. uh i’m not sure. I don’t take compliments well so even if it was the most flattering thing I probably wouldn’t believe whoever said it and just awkwardly laugh and say thanks. 

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you hmm people who don’t know me think I like talking irl. I’m more of a listener. 

i’m only tagging two people bc I like to see them suffer with me but this is open to anyone who wants to do it

@krazy19kat @dicksoutforzarkon

[winterune]

SAO: Ordinal Scale

First of all: Wagnaria!!!

Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to say, Kawahara Reki really likes to tackle heavy subjects, doesn’t he? Yet, he can’t really write heavy subjects.

The Aincrad arc of SAO was amazing. I loved it. The thought that you’re stuck in a game that’s not really a game anymore, where you’ll really die in real life if you die in-game--the emotional impact it had, the fights everyone underwent to free everyone from the death game... seriously, if they had developed it well into a 2-cour anime instead of using the second half as the ALO arc, it would’ve been amazing. Though... that is, if the writing was good. Because I decided to rewatch the series again (had only gotten to episode 5 or so) and I realize how the writing lacks so much in a lot of area--but the premise and concept was cool. 

I’m not going to talk about the series (I’ve probably forgotten about most of it. Heck, I don’t even remember what happened in the second season except for some of the major plot points). I’m going to talk about the movie Ordinal Scale. 

I’m not great at writing reviews, but here’s the thing--I loved Ordinal Scale’s premise. The thing that Eiji mentioned about people who didn’t fight not getting mentioned in the book? That’s exactly what history is. I mean, history only tells us about prominent figures and what these prominent figures did. Heck, sometimes people even distort history so it’ll tell people what they want people to know. That concept--I loved it! But the execution! It was just...okay. 

You don’t really need a great concept to make a great story, hence a great movie.  You can make a great movie out of a simple concept. Write it well, create deep and moving characters, and you’ll have your great story. But I think SAO has always been about great concepts without good writing so in the end, we’re given just a good series that could’ve been better.

Well, what did I expect? I entered the cinema with no expectation whatsoever but to have a good time watching the movie, especially since some reviews I read said the action and visuals were top-notch. In that aspect, the anime did not disappoint. 

Another part I loved about the anime: the music. I’ve loved Kajiura Yuki’s music for a while and I loved SAO’s music. Hearing the main theme right at the beginning just brought me goosebumps! haha. I seriously love her music! And I think I love every one of Yuna’s songs!

Things I don’t really like: the villains lack depth, some of the side characters were only there just for the sake of it. For some reason, the world doesn’t feel alive. the side characters were very 2-dimensional, though maybe you could argue that they were already given backstories in the series, but still... I don’t know... it just felt empty. 

And then the story. I like it, to some extent. SAO’s stories were already quite fun, though it can be cliche, cheesy, and cringe-worthy. Good thing though that Ordinal Scale didn’t dwell too long on the conflicts and instead move on to the fast-paced battles immediately. So it was good and fun and wasn’t boring at all. Not that the story itself is boring. I like the idea of the Augma. And I agree with someone who said that it’s like playing Pokemon Go but different. And there were some plot holes I found, which I didn’t really find annoying. And some fanservices that were a bit awkward to watch in the big screen with lots of people watching together hahaha. 

Oh! And the last battle at the end! I just wanted to say-- What the hell??!! HAHAHAHA Does a sword like that really exist xDDDD The ultimate weapon!! xDDD And the last battle too! It just... wasn’t as exiting as the other battles. 

So all in all, Ordinal Scale was a fun movie to watch with beautiful music, despite its flaws and plotholes and other things I’m irritated about. It was cool and at least I like it better than the second season lol.

[antialiasis]

Billy Elliot

So in the wee hours of the morning of my birthday, I rewatched Billy Elliot, the original 2000 film, with Shadey.

It’s a good movie in its own right, but it also gave me a lot of added appreciation for the musical, which is a really good adaptation. I originally saw the movie sometime in maybe 2003 when it was on TV; then, in 2015, my aunt invited me along to see the Icelandic production of the musical adaptation, and sometime last year I watched the 2014 anniversary DVD recording of the musical with Shadey. By that point, I didn’t remember too much about the original movie, beyond the basic beats; I couldn’t tell exactly what had been changed or cut or expanded. Rewatching the movie after getting familiar with the musical was really interesting just to compare and contrast the two.

First of all, simply by its nature this was a really good story to adapt into a musical. The original movie already has Billy dancing as an emotional release on various occasions; since that’s not really a thing people do in real life in quite this way, these scenes feel a little weird and quirky, a touch of something almost like magical realism in an otherwise pretty gritty and down-to-earth film set during a specific historical event. It’s definitely a neat effect in the movie, emphasizing both how clearly Billy is born to be a dancer and the contrast between him and everyone else in the miner town. But in a musical, it becomes a completely seamless, natural emotional reaction. In the movie, the “angry dance” scene is interesting and works great, but it’s inevitably kind of goofy; in the musical, though, it’s a deeply powerful emotional gut-punch that is able to play itself completely straight because the musical context removes the quirkiness of it. The build-up is stronger, too: “Mum would’ve let us -” “Well, your mum’s dead!” And we go straight from that to the way darker, more rocked-out instrumental song playing and Billy helplessly screaming his rage and frustration and step-dancing furiously, to his agonized dance blending chaotically into the conflict between the police and the miners, sirens blaring, Billy screaming at the cops - it’s such a great, goosebumps-inducing scene and overall it blows the original movie out of the water.

Similarly, in the movie, Billy has a little, slightly awkward but resonant answer to “What does it feel like when you’re dancing?”, which concludes it feels like electricity, and it’s a nice moment of a bit of insight into how Billy feels about dancing. But in the musical, as Billy explains the same in the song “Electricity”, he suddenly throws his bag to his dad and starts to dance as Jackie stares, perhaps for the first time fully appreciating his son’s immense talent. Instead of a question asked after the end of his audition, his answer sort of seamlessly becomes part of the audition, actually showing off his skill and passion in a way that implies it’s what actually gets him admitted, and whereas Jackie couldn’t watch the actual audition, he can be a participant in this scene, which I think does a lot for the emotional journey of his acceptance and understanding of Billy’s passion for dance. In a scene that couldn’t originally include a dance in the same way - it wouldn’t have made sense - the musical can, and it creates a whole new interesting effect to it.

In terms of the actual story, the musical is really very faithful, more so than I thought. I didn’t remember Michael crossdressing or being psyched about tutus (only the later rooftop moment where he kisses Billy), so I had wondered if they’d sort of ‘gayed him up’ for the musical, but nope, that was totally in there (although of course, it’s a short scene in the movie and doesn’t lead to a major song and dance number about self-expression). Lots of the dialogue and lyrics are verbatim, or close to verbatim, from the movie. The musical streamlines things a bit, cutting out little tangential bits like Billy’s visits to the Wilkinsons’ house and Tony being outright arrested and replacing them with expansions of other elements: Grandma gets to be a bit more present and has a backstory expanding upon her simple, wistful “I could have been a professional dancer” from the movie, and the letter from Billy’s mom (another thing I didn’t remember being in the original movie, but it’s there and almost identical) is given a more prominent role, which it totally deserves, because man, does that play the heartstrings like a harp.

When I first saw the movie, I didn’t really understand the plot about the miners at all. I was a kid, I didn’t really get politics, I didn’t know anything about the history involved, and I’m pretty sure I missed the first maybe 15-20 minutes of the movie too; all in all, I didn’t remember much about that part of the movie, just sort of vaguely that there was this strike going on in the background and that Billy’s dad was a miner. When I saw the musical I was struck by how prominent that aspect of the plot was, and I assumed my brain simply hadn’t retained it originally, but actually, on a rewatch, the miner plot is mostly just the background to Billy’s story in the movie, whereas the musical is less fixated on Billy’s point of view and thus pays more attention to the struggles of the miners and their solidarity in the strike, lending poignancy to the sad, crushing moment at the end where we’re told the strike is over and they all have to go back to work. And I think the musical’s version of this balance works better on the whole - the kids’ limited understanding of what’s going on in the adults’ world still gets across, but it gives a bit more attention and sympathy to the characters of Jackie and Tony, and I think the musical does a more interesting job of deliberately juxtaposing and playing with the contrast between the vulgar, violent, hypermasculine world of the striking miners and the graceful, stereotypically feminine ballet. (See: the entire song “Solidarity”, which is the best song and plays these contrasts so well. Admittedly I’m not such a huge fan of how it’s staged in at least the 2014 live recording; I really dug the staging in the Icelandic version, which unless my brain is making things up had the police/miner confrontation parts being a lot more aggressive and violent (if stylized), then had the same actors seamlessly switch to ballet during the parts with Mrs. Wilkinson’s class. The staging in the 2014 recording makes more of a solid block of exaggerated over-the-top group choreography spectacle out of it, which I don’t think is nearly as effective at playing up the contrasts that are so beautifully conveyed by the actual song.)

There is one thing I think I do definitely like better in the original movie, though: I think the moment between Tony and Jackie after Jackie decides to cross the picket line to get money for Billy’s audition is more powerful there than it is in the song “He Could Be a Star”. In the musical Jackie starts off saying they’re finished and then repeats over and over that maybe Billy could be a star and they need to give him a chance while Tony talks about the strike and everything they’ve been through, while in the original movie Jackie starts off with Billy and only admits he’s lost hope in the strike as a counter to Tony, and the way he breaks down there is just stronger for me emotionally than the song is. I think I get what they were trying to do there, shifting the focus a bit and letting Tony articulate more of how important the strike was to them, but I think this may also just be one of those cases where saying something in song reduces the impact rather than enhancing it.

(I do think the musical proceeds better from there, though - the original movie kind of skips over how they ultimately obtain the money, but showing all the miners pulling together to help him is another good aspect of the added focus on their solidarity, and the way they ultimately end up having to swallow their pride and accept money from one of the strikebreakers for the sake of Billy’s future also has a sad poignancy to it.)

Also, the movie ends with an epilogue set fourteen years later, showing Jackie and Tony attending Billy’s professional debut in The Swan Lake. I’d completely forgotten about this part until the rewatch, but they meet Michael at the show, with a man implied to be his boyfriend, showing that as an adult he’s happy and out. In the musical, this epilogue is cut; instead, there’s a scene earlier on where Billy dances to The Swan Lake alongside an adult version of himself, implying that Billy does indeed go on to become a professional ballet dancer starring in The Swan Lake, and in some ways I think this is a more elegant way to convey that. However, this means that the musical doesn’t have the closure for Michael’s story that the original movie has; it simply closes with Michael heartbroken as Billy leaves town. That’s a bit sad, and I wish they’d found some other way to give him the same kind of closure.

But aside from those niggles, it’s a really good musical adaptation that in many ways refines and does a better job of telling the same story. Which, again, is not to diminish the original film, which was already good and does a whole lot of its own interesting things. But I find it fascinating to study how and why this adaptation works so well, hence this lengthy ramble.

(I may also have developed this weird characterization-crush on Tony. The scene just before "Angry Dance" may be my favorite scene in the musical. Tony is so incredibly, aggressivey, horrifically mean in it that it hurts to watch, and yet it's also so achingly clear that he's just lashing out because the strike is breaking him. He's just been in a brutal fight, the police are after him, his mind's been nothing but picket lines and scabs and an increasingly fanatical spiral of violence for months. The last thing he wants to hear about is that some people's biggest concerns are fucking ballet auditions. The way he uses Billy as a prop to beat Mrs. Wilkinson with while accusing her of being some kind of pervert titillated by watching little boys dance, only to simply redirect that anger straight towards Billy when he defends her, and engineering a 'victory' in the argument through transparent bullying, is so, so terrible and so utterly human. And meanwhile there's Mrs. Wilkinson being great and standing up to him, calling him a sanctimonious little shit and "Don't you lecture me about the British fucking class system, comrade." They're such real people in this scene. It's an expanded version of a scene from the movie and the expansion just nails it, but perhaps even more than that I like that it's recontextualized to be even more brutal and stressful for everyone involved, which makes it hurt so much more - Billy was actively trying to get to his audition, Tony’s just taken a beating and his face is bleeding, the police are coming after him right now instead of it happening after he's released, even Mrs. Wilkinson almost gives up on Billy after seeing what his family’s like. My heart.)