#s02e11 “Need to Know”

[thankstothe]

Exs

[fallloverfic]

TGCF donghua Season 2, Episode 7 thoughts

More screaming about TGCF. As usual, very good ep. Spoilers for the show and the book below.

T-T Hua Cheng is so mean to E-Ming/himself.

Mu Qing is so happy he made his dice T-T And Feng Xin stole them!!!!

The crocodile monsters are really neat looking. I'm wondering why the creative team didn't just stick with designing monsters instead of what they did in that one episode.

Splash war alkdjaldkjalj This episode is for the FengQing lovers, truly. They're the best/worst. Love them.

Meanwhile Hualian:

Hua Cheng to Xie Lian: Whenever you need me, baby, call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me

Xie Lian being the typical "dude you didn't specify it had to be swords and being weird about it is stupid" is my jam. I love him.

Xie Lian to Lang Qianqiu: "I have always been like this." -gazes into the distance sadly- "You just didn't know."

This makes me T-T T-T T-T I just love like the central message about how much of our perceptions of people we know informs what we "know" about them. And how it's very easy to let other people draw their own conclusions, and how dangerous that can be. And how people will blame the gap between their perceived reality and reality on the subject of their perceptions, and how dangerous that is.

Xie Lian to Lang Qianqiu: "Don't make an inviolable monument to me in your heart without my consent. -camera focuses on San Lang- I am not the person you imagined. And in the end, it's your own disappointment."

T-T Central message hereeee. Hua Cheng this gonna bite you in the butt next ep.

Sorry, distracted by how Lang Qianqiu's hair crown looks like a cat.

(I'm sure I'm not the first to point that out but here I am pointing it out cause :3).

Hua Cheng stepping forward to stand next to Xie Lian -heart eyes- It takes very little to make me Emotional about them okay???

Lang Qianqiu to Xie Lian: "If you want to force me into self-destruction like you, I absolutely won't! No matter how you treat me, I will never become like you!"

Xie Lian: -terrifying laughter-

Hua Cheng: -not pleased with this-

Qianqiu doll!!! He's so cute!!!

SCREAMS

HE'S HERE!!!!! XD My beloved awful man is HERE XD

Demon Hualian is so cute tho

Wonderful episode :3 Can't wait to see more of favorite awful man and how disastrous Hua Cheng's decision will be.

Subs weren't as noticeably bad this week (some awkward phrasing in places but mostly nothing egregious). Though why Qi Rong is the "Green Immor" is anyone's guess. Wouldn't be as terrible if they didn't repeat it so much.

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04

S02E05

S02E06

S02E07 (you are here)

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10

S02E11

S02E12

[therighthandofvengeance]

Just Some of Ivanova & Sheridan’s Peak Sibling Moments in The Coming of Shadows

POINTS OF DEPARTURE [S02E01]:

“You were never worried about being diplomatic before. Don’t disappoint me by starting now.”

REVELATIONS [S02E02]:

“He’s [President Clark] on Gold Channel One; wants to speak to you. Unless you’d like me to have him call you back later—” “Ivanova.”

A DISTANT STAR [S02E04]:

“Why don’t you take a break?” “Why don’t you? …Sir.”

THE LONG DARK [S02E05]:

“You got a plan?” “Just try not to get killed.” “Brilliant.”

SPIDER IN THE WEB [S02E06]:

“You know how I feel about telepaths.” “[Scoffing] Do I ever. You threw one out of a third-story window on Io.” “There was an ample pool below the window.” “I’ll assume you knew that.”

SOUL MATES [S02E07]:

“And lastly, the party honoring Ambassador Mollari’s day of ascension is tonight. All attendees must be barefoot.” “Barefoot?” “Barefoot.”

A RACE THROUGH DARK PLACES [S02E08]:

“Were you like this when you were married?” “Huh? Yeah.” “The woman was a saint.” “Well, at least I’m an intelligent life form, according to the Minbari.”

“You snore.” “No, I don’t.” “Yes, you do.” “No, I don’t.” “Captain, either you snore or last night we had a hell of a breach in the hull.”

THE COMING OF SHADOWS [S02E09]:

“If it’s true, they won’t want that information to get out.” “What information? All we have here is supposition.” “Sheridan’s rule #29: Always make your opponent think you know more than you really know.”

ALL ALONE IN THE NIGHT [S02E11]:

“Now, this is more like it.” “Now, Captain—” “Yes, Commander?” “If you continue this behavior, you’ll just make the other pilots feel inadequate.” “Spoilsport.” “What was that, Captain? You’re breaking up.” “Nothing, Commander.”

THERE ALL THE HONOR LIES [S02E14]:

“That’s why I’m putting you in charge to oversee this gift shop— which, I might add, is only a test at this point.” “Why me? I hate this whole idea!” “Exactly! I’m counting on you to focus that hostility with your typical diligence to make sure that this station and its inhabitants are in no way, as you so correctly put it, demeaned.”

“—And the Centauri government will not tolerate such insults!” [Ivanova grabs the doll.] “Well, it’s just a doll. It wasn’t even made by us. Look at the tag, it’s probably been made by somebody down in the bazaar.” “It’s a mockery. It doesn’t even have any, uh— attributes.” “Attributes?” [Sheridan stands up and grabs the doll from Ivanova.] “Do I have to spell it out for you?” “I see, so you feel like you’re being symbolically cast… in a bad light.” “Well put. Ivanova, have all of these dolls removed at once, please.” “Yes, sir.”

“Uh, Commander— how goes the Babylon 5 store?” “Most interesting.” “Aha! You know, I was thinking this might work out after all. We could use the extra money to defray operating expenses.” [Sheridan looks down at the teddy bear Ivanova is holding.] “What is that?” “Hmm. Take a look.” [Sheridan chuckles.] “Bab-bear-lon 5? Oh, he’s a cutie, isn’t he?” “Oh, yeah.” “J.S.?” “John Sheridan.” “Jo— oh. This is supposed to be me?” “Yeah.” “Ah! I want it off my station. I want them all off my station. I want the whole store yanked out, boxed up, and shipped out by 0800 tomorrow. Is that clear?” “I’ll get right on it.” “Um…” [Sheridan takes the stuffed animal back.]

KNIVES [S02E17]:

“Commander. Everything in order?” “Remarkably so. It’s beginning to worry me.” “Oh, you always worry when things are going well?” “I don’t have time to worry about them when they’re not.”

“Delta I, why are you prepping for launch? Delta I, please respond. This is Commander Ivanova.” “Ivanova, this is Sheridan.” “Captain? What are you doing?” “Just going out for a little spin. There is no need to worry. I’ll be back before you know it. [To himself] I hope.”

DIVIDED LOYALTIES [S02E19]:

“Comments, anyone?” “Does the phrase ‘No way in hell,’ ring a bell?”

[walker-extended-universe]

Just For One Night- Liam has a dark secret that no one can ever know. After making a scene at his wedding, he’s closer than ever to revealing it. (1/2) Last Updated 10/20/21

Cry For Help- Cordell knows something is off about how his wife died but he's not quite sure why. He turns to the internet in his time of need and finds an unexpected source of help. (3/?) Last Updated 10/29/21

Dead Weight- Alternative version of Walker s01e11: Freedom and Prodigal Son s02e11: You Can Run. Martin Whitly made it out of the state with Hector but the plan only had enough fuel to get them to Texas. After their forced landing, they come across a couple of teenagers in a summer cabin with a duffle bag full of money. One of these teenagers is Stella Walker, daughter of a Texas Ranger. Martin would be stupid not to take advantage of this opportunity. (1/?) Last Updated 10/30/21

Stay With Me- Cordell takes care of his baby boy after the traumatic events on the Walker ranch. Then, August discovers the real reason Hoyt was at the ranch in the first place and Cordell has to prove how much he really loves him. (1/2) Last Updated 11/01/21

The Proposal- Todd an August have become friends since their escape room funtime. After Ruby comes back and rejects Todd's early prom-posal, August attempts to help Todd feel better. It's what any good friend would do. (1/?) Last Updated 11/18/2021

Save A Horse....- Things have been going really well for our throuple. So well, it may well be time to take the next step. (2/?) Last Updated 12/07/21

Romeo And Juliet: Walker Edition- Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale about two young lovers caught between warring families. If the death and tradgedy of the original are too sad (or perhaos too corny) for your taste, enjoy this verison with a lot less death and the joys of modern technology. (1/?) Last Updated 12/12/21

A Queen and her Knight- A collection of stories regarding the rising Queen of Austin and her second in command (1/?) Last Updated 12/21/21

Foundlings- The driver of the car was long gone as far as he could see, but that wasn’t the most concerning part. Nor was the thick envelope that felt stuffed with paper. No, the most concerning part was the two children left sleeping in the backseat. (1/2) Last Updated 01/12/22

Undercover 101- When Cordell Walker lost his head after Emily's death, Liam had to come back to Texas to handle the family business, putting any and all plans of expansion on hold for now. With Cordell's return, the FBI sees a new opportunity to slip up the Walker family and put someone behind bars. Enter Micki Ramirez and Trey Barnett, a "couple" sent in to observe and deliver intel on the family. How will this affect the family business and, more importantly, how will this affect their current lives? (1/?) Last Updated 02/27/22

[adultswim2021]

Metalocalypse #31: “Dethrace” | June 16, 2008 - 12:00AM | S02E11

NOTE: I wrote this last night, but accidentally saved it as a draft instead of scheduling it to post. Sorry, bros.

Hey, I’m going easy on myself tonight. I deserve it after that last gigantic post. The Venture Bros. can take a lot out of me. Gosh, it’s a lot!

This one is a bit slight, and hardly excellent, but it's a nice hang with my personal close friends, the men from Metalocalypse Rock Band. In this one, Murderface is miffed that Toki and Skwisgaar have undermined his command performance of the Star Spangled Banner using nothing more than his dick and a bass guitar. They undermined Murderface by being in a high speed police chase, which interrupts the broadcast of Murderface rockin with his brain out. 

Speaking of brain out, the best scene in this episode are Toki and Skwisgaar at traffic school, watching an ultra violent educational video about how being irresponsible with your car can get your body all wet and in pieces. It is wet from your blood getting escaped from your body. Good lines, gruesome drawings, it’s the good shit of the episode. 

Murderface wants to do a convoluted event that’s a race and also a concert. Toki and Skwisgaar get involved by way of their community service. And Nathan Explosion and Pickles not only have nothing to do with the plot, but they make a point to just always be reading the paper whenever they are referred to. This is a funny meta-joke about how frustrating it must be to have a show like this and constantly have to come up with individual plots for each character. At least, I assume that’s what this is.

MAIL BAG

Hi this is Gabe Teplen the original voice of Moltar. I just want to say you are doing a great job and maybe give the original Space Ghost a spin sometimes. My granddaughters say it's just as funny as Coast to Coast.

Hi, my name is Mayor Giuliani, and I'm gay

I have a blog where I cover Adult Swim's original comedy shows in chronological order from the first stealth pilot premieres onward. every episode of every adult swim original program reviewed by a middle-aged dipshit. go here if you wanna start at the start

Hey, fuck you man, don't copy and paste stuff I say on other websites and then combine it with stuff I say on this website and send it to me anonymously. That is really fucking rude and it pisses me off. I'm actually pissed off about this. EAT SHIT MOTHER FUCKER

Should I go see Barbie or Oppenheimer? Let's date these blog posts. Which one are you more willing to see? Provided you get a big hamburger and fries with your movie either way.

You should watch any other movie. But if I had to pick between those two I'd watch Barbie. Oppenheimer just seems too boring, sorry. How big is the hamburger

Lesbian porno was like really good in the 80s but as time went on it just became so bad. Sure there are still hot women fucking but there is no sensuality. You can tell they are doing it contractually and have no love in licking pussy, ect. What do you think?

I don't like discussing sexual stuff because it's alienating, but I disagree. We are living in a golden age of sapphic erotica, and you need look no further than two girls I call Angela & Strawberry. Look them up. They lick, they suck, they finger, and they ... FUCK?????

You're supreme hatred of pitbulls is so funny. My aunt had a pitbull. She died.

I'm sorry to hear about your Aunt that got eatten by her own pitbull :(

I would prefer if you just said nothing than do the AI bit. I have to deal with my favorite fast food reviewer outsourcing his titles/descriptions to ChatGPT and it's quite frankly distasteful. The shit doesn't know anything about anything.

FUCK YOU! FREEDOM OF GENERATED SPEECH BITCH!! But by coincidence I've decided to retire the bit, but not because of you. It's my choice and I'm the boss and I'm the one that says how the rules goes.

[specialability]

House MD S02E11 "Need to Know" (2006)

The polycule is in shambles!

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Run, Go, Save Yourself From Me, I'm Your Downfall

by phociian

Set in S02 episode 11-12: A Better World and after J'onn's confession in 'The Days Pass and I Don't Have You'

Bruce is absolutely struggling to come to terms with his feelings for J'onn, despite knowing J'onn's feelings for him. Before he can even BEGIN to sort them out, the Justice Lords make a mess of things in both of their worlds. But, before the Justice Lords existed in the other world, the separate members of the League had their own issues to sort through.

Words: 12645, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Series: Part 12 of Batman and the Justice League (MartianBats)

Fandoms: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Superman (Comics), DCU (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: M/M

Characters: J'onn J'onzz, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Hawkgirl (DCU), Shayera Hol, Diana (Wonder Woman), John Stewart (DCU), Green Lantern, Flash (DCU), Wally West, Lord Superman (Justice Lords Universe), Lord Batman (Justice Lords Universe), Lord Martian Manhunter (Justice Lords Universe), Lord Green Lantern (Justice Lords Universe), Lady Wonder Woman (Justice Lords Universe), Lady Hawkgirl (Justice Lords Universe), Alfred Pennyworth, Don Allen, Dawn Allen, Jason Todd

Relationships: J'onn J'onzz/Bruce Wayne, J'onn J'onzz & Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne, Justice League & Bruce Wayne, J'onn J'onzz & Justice League, Justice League & Wally West

Additional Tags: Justice Lords Universe, pov lord batman, in the second chapter only, wally's death isn't graphic but his funeral is, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Protective Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Hurt Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent is Superman, Dark Clark Kent, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Hurt Jason Todd, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd is Robin, Batman: A Death in the Family, there are like three deaths, Episode: s02e11-12 A Better World, Post Confession, Developing Relationship, Feelings Realization

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/42779832

[timelesstimesgoneby]

EPISODE SEASON 1 DISC 1 S01E01 PLEASE DON'T EAT THE SNOW IN HAWAII S01E02 CHINA DOLL S01E03 THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS AND BIG ONES TOO DISC 2 S01E04 NO NEED TO KNOW S01E05 SKIN DEEP S01E06 NEVER AGAIN... NEVER AGAIN S01E07 THE UGLIEST DOG IN HAWAII DISC 3 S01E08 MISSING IN ACTION S01E09 LEST WE FORGET S01E10 THE CURSE OF THE KING KAMEHAMEHA CLUB S01E11 THICKER THAN BLOOD S01E12 ALL ROADS LEAD TO FLOYD DISC 4 S01E13 ADELAIDE S01E14 DON'T SAY GOODBYE S01E15 THE BLACK ORCHID S01E16 J "DIGGER" DOYLE S01E17 BEAUTY KNOWS NO PAIN SEASON 2 DISC 1 S02E01 BILLY JOE BOB S02E02 DEAD MAN'S CHANNEL S02E03 THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH S02E04 FROM MOSCOW TO MAUI DISC 2 S02E05 MEMORIES ARE FOREVER S02E06 TROPICAL MADNESS S02E07 WAVE GOODBYE S02E08 MAD BUCK GIBSON DISC 3 S02E09 THE TAKING OF DICK MCWILLIAMS S02E10 THE SIXTH POSITION S02E11 GHOST WRITER S02E12 THE JORORO KILL S02E13 COMPUTER DATE DISC 4 S02E14 TRY TO REMEMBER S02E15 ITALIAN ICE S02E16 ONE MORE SUMMER S02E17 TEXAS LIGHTNING DISC 5 S02E18 DOUBLE JEOPARDY S02E19 THE LAST PAGE S02E20 THE ELMO ZILLER STORY S02E21 THREE MINUS TWO SEASON 3 DISC 1 S03E01 DID YOU SEE THE SUNRISE? S03E02 KI'L'S DON'T LIE S03E03 THE EIGHTH PART OF THE VILLAGE S03E04 PAST TENSE DISC 2 S03E05 BLACK ON WHITE S03E06 FLASHBACK S03E07 FOILED AGAIN S03E08 MR. WHITE DEATH S03E09 MIXED DOUBLES DISC 3 S03E10 ALMOST HOME S03E11 HEAL THYSELF S03E12 OF SOUND MIND S03E13 THE ARROW THAT IS NOT AIMED S03E14 BASKET CASE DISC 4 S03E15 BIRDMAN OF BUDAPEST S03E16 I DO? S03E17 FORTY YEARS FROM SAND ISLAND S03E18 LEGACY FROM A FRIEND DISC 5 S03E19 TWO BIRDS OF A FEATHER S03E20 ...BY ITS COVER S03E21 THE BIG BLOW S03E22 FAITH AND BEGORRAH SEASON 4 DISC 1 S04E01 HOME FROM THE SEA S04E02 LUTHER GILLIS: FILE 521 S04E03 SMALLER THAN LIFE S04E04 DISTANT RELATIVE S04E05 LIMITED ENGAGEMENT DISC 2 S04E06 LETTER TO A DUCHESS S04E07 SQUEEZE PLAY S04E08 A SENSE OF DEBT S04E09 THE LOOK DISC 3 S04E10 OPERATION: SILENT NIGHT S04E11 JORORO FAREWELL S04E12 THE CASE OF THE RED FACED THESPIAN S04E13 NO MORE MR. NICE GUY DISC 4 S04E14 REMBRANDT'S GIRL S04E15 PARADISE BLUES S04E16 THE RETURN OF LUTHER GILLIS S04E17 LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME DISC 5 S04E18 HOLMES IS WHERE THE HEART IS S04E19 ON FACE VALUE S04E20 DREAM A LITTLE DREAM S04E21 I WITNESS SEASON 5 DISC 1 S05E01 ECHOES OF THE MIND: PT1 S05E02 ECHOES OF THE MIND: PT2 S05E03 MAC'S BACK S05E04 E LEGACY OF GARWOOD HUDDLE S05E05 UNDER WORLD DISC 2 S05E06 FRAGMENTS S05E07 BLIND JUSTICE S05E08 MURDER 101 S05E09 TRAN QUOC JONES S05E10 LUTHER GILLIS: FILE 001 DISC 3 S05E11 KISS OF THE SABRE S05E12 LITTLE GAMES S05E13 PROFESSOR JONATHAN HIGGINS S05E14 COMPULSION DISC 4 S05E15 ALL FOR ONE: PT1 S05E16 ALL FOR ONE: PT2 S05E17 THE LOVE-FOR-SALE BOAT S05E18 LET ME HEAR THE MUSIC DISC 5 S05E19 MS. JONES S05E20 THE MAN FROM MARSEILLES S05E21 TORAH, TORAH, TORAH S05E22 A PRETTY GOOD DANCING CHICKEN SEASON 6 DISC 1 S06E01 DEJA VU S06E02 OLD AQUAINTANCE S06E03 THE KONA WINDS S06E04 THE HOTEL DICK DISC 2 S06E05 ROUND AND ROUND S06E06 GOING HOME S06E07 PANIOLO S06E08 THE TREASURE OF KALANIOPU'U DISC 3 S06E09 BLOOD AND HONOR S06E10 RAPTURE S06E11 I NEVER WANTED TO GO TO FRANCE, ANYWAY... S06E12 SUMMER SCHOOL DISC 4 S06E13 MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN S06E14 ALL THIEVES ON DECK S06E15 THIS ISLAND ISN'T BIG ENOUGH S06E16 WAY OF THE STALKING HORSE DISC 5 S06E17 FIND ME A RAINBOW S06E18 WHO IS DON LUIS HIGGINS..AND WHY IS HE DOING THESE TERRIBLE THINGS TO ME? S06E19 A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK... A LITTLE BIT OF GRIEF S06E20 PHOTO PLAY SEASON 7 DISC 1 S07E01 L.A. S07E02 ONE PICTURE IS WORTH S07E03 STRAIGHT AND NARROW S07E04 A.A.P.L. DISC 2 S07E05 DEATH AND TAXES S07E06 LITTLE GIRL WHO S07E07 PAPER WAR S07E08 NOVEL CONNECTION S07E09 KAPU DISC 3 S07E10 MISSING MELODY S07E11 DEATH OF THE FLOWERS S07E12 AUTUMN WARRIOR S07E13 MURDER BY NIGHT DISC 4 S07E14 ON THE FLY S07E15 SOLO FLIGHT S07E16 FORTY S07E17 LAURA DISC 5 S07E18 OUT OF SYNC S07E19 THE AUNT WHO CAME TO DINNER S07E20 THE PEOPLE VS. ORVILLE WRIGHT S07E21 LIMBO SEASON 8 DISC 1 S08E01 INFINITY AND JELLY DOUGHNUTS S08E02 PLEASURE PRINCIPLE S08E03 INNOCENCE... A BROAD S08E04 TIGERS FAN S08E05 FOREVER IN TIME DISC 2 S08E06 THE LOVE THAT LIES S08E07 A GIRL NAMED SUE S08E08 UNFINISHED BUSINESS S08E09 THE GREAT HAWAIIAN ADVENTURE COMPANY S08E10 LEGEND OF THE LOST ART DISC 3 S08E11 TRANSITIONS S08E12 RESOLUTIONS: PT1 S08E13 RESOLUTIONS: PT2

[charmedcwconfessions]

tag drop } season 2 episodes

s02e01 Safe Space

s02e02 Things To Do In Seattle When You’re Dead

s02e03 Careful What You Witch For

s02e04 Deconstructing Harry

s02e05 The Truth About Kat and Dogs

s02e06 When Sparks Fly

s02e07 Past Is Present

s02e08 The Rules of Engagement

s02e09 Guess Who’s Coming to SafeSpace Seattle

s02e10 Curse Words

s02e11 Dance Like No One is Witching

s02e12 Needs to Know

s02e13 Breaking the Cycle

s02e14 Sudden Death

s02e15 Third Time’s the Charm

s02e16 The Enemy of My Frenemy

s02e17 Search Party

s02e18 Don’t Look Back in Anger

s02e19 Unsafe Space

[dcbicki]

I need to know something... before I get any more confused. And every time I kiss you, I’m always left even more confused than I ever was. But before I get on a plane and go anywhere, before I discover what it actually feels like to be in the same room with you, before I know what it really feels like to have these lips against mine and not just in my head... something I might be imagining... I need to know something. What? Something true. I’ve never lied to you. But you haven’t told me the whole truth either. — SENSE8, S02E11

[taggedmemes]

SENTENCE MEME ⟶ VAN HELSING / S02E11 + S02E12 +  S02E13 always feel free to tweak the sentence to fit your muse.

'he’s got a death wish or something.’

‘my grandmother was deaf. she taught me.’

‘i need help. i need a doctor.’

‘you don’t want me to die.’

‘he told me to take care of you.’

‘your stitches burst days ago.’

‘death’s an okay choice.’

‘what did i do to deserve a son like you?’

‘you wanna be a shit lonely loser, huh?’

‘no one loves you. no one ever will.’

‘out of darkness comes light.’

‘haven’t seen a cow in years.’

‘here i was hoping for a mochaccino.’

‘so you just left him to die?’

‘i tried to save him, i swear i did.’

‘you don’t give a shit about anybody but yourself. you never have.’

‘you wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me.’

‘what’re you gonna do? you gonna hit me?’

‘this altitude’s making me queasy.’

‘i walked away from something that mattered.’

‘the dying don’t judge.’

‘why does it feel like we’re being trapped in another cage?’

‘well, there’s no cuts, no bruising, and your internal organs seem fine.’

‘hey there, kiddo. how’re you doin’?’

‘it’s amazing, the resilience of kids.’

‘i never took you for the maternal type.’

‘you don’t know a whole lot about me.’

‘look, i just haven’t been feeling myself these past few days.’

‘what if i’m pregnant?’

‘you didn’t strike me as very... scientific.’

‘you judge every book by its cover?’

‘you wanna take a look? i’m assuming you’re a doctor.’

‘don’t. i’d rather not know. it’s easier that way.’

‘i think the failsafe just tailed.’

‘do you have night vision goggles?’

‘if you get a clear shot, take it.’

‘this isn’t quite the right time, don’t you think?’

‘don’t do anything until we have a chance to talk, alright?’

‘you guys see me as some kid, but i know things.’

‘there’s no more luck in the world. not anymore.’

‘you’re someone who risked everything to save a friend.’

‘we need to put the genie back in the bottle before it’s too late.’

‘you know i’m never good at talking things out.’

‘she tried to save me. she risked her life for mine.’

‘we’re not going back. we have something else we have to do first.’

‘this is nothing more than an old crone who can barely stand on her own two feet.’

‘she’s tired from the long walk all the way to me.’

‘you have to stay hydrated at this altitude.’

‘you’re a little late on the mothering thing.’

‘we need to rest.’

‘so that’s why we’re a couple of freaks.’

‘i don’t know. you know what? i’ve been wrong with a lot of shit lately.’

‘shit. they beat us here.’

‘i am so sorry for everything that’s happened.’

‘at some point you’re gonna have to trust me.’

‘there’s so many crazy stories about this place.’

‘i heard stories about hallucinations and traps so we need to be strong.’

‘i know, i was raised to be strong and everything, but i cannot stand being trapped.’

‘okay. shit’s gonna get real weird, huh?’

‘it would allow me to look after your children should something happen to you.’

‘you look well, my friend. the travel suits you.’

‘i can’t imagine what he would have done to you.’

‘once a scab, always a scab.’

‘your ways will damn you to hell.’

‘i’ve brought someone very special here to meet you.’

‘yeah, i was about to lose it if i was gonna be in there one more minute.’

‘i... i’m very claustrophobic.’

‘wait! there’s something i have to tell you.’

‘i knew i could count on you.’

‘i do hope something horrible has happened to her.’

‘let’s just kill him and get it over with.’

‘there’s more than enough of me to go around.’

‘i will never forgive you for this.’

‘i’m okay with that. you do what you have to do.’

‘what else haven’t you told me?’

[three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat]

Buffy rewatch: S02E11

Oh. Wow. This episode is way stronger than I remembered. Even if it’s maybe a bit overambitious for a single episode.

Let start with saying how funny Buffy is at times. Ted was a serious episode, but the first part when Buffy was beating that vampire with a trash lid had me laughing out loud. These first two seasons, the writing isn’t always a hundred percent there, but it still manages to be really funny at times.

And now for the serious part. Ted. I felt that minigolf scene in my guts. Buffy’s face when she realises who he is. Not what he is, but who. Someone who threatens a seventeen year old girl over cheating at minigolf. And when she realises he’s got everyone else fooled.

This season will delve more deeply into the topic of abuse, but this is different. This is different because next time the show revisits the topic, it will be a lot more overt. This time, for the first half of the episode, only Buffy knows what’s going on. This is also a lot more down-to-earth. Ted could very well be a real person. I think all of us have met a few Teds. And because it’s so down-to-earth, within a show with fantastic element, we get to see one thing: the insignificance of power.

Later it turns out that Ted is a machine who can deal some serious damage. At this time, at the minigolf scene, neither the audience, nor Buffy knows that. In her mind, Ted poses no serious threat to Buffy. And it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter, because in your own home, you don’t want people you could overpower; you want people you don’t have to fight. It doesn’t matter because based on everything she’s seen so far, Buffy can correctly assume that if she ever hit back, it would be her treated as the aggressor, her being punished. That she’d either have to tolerate him threatening and possibly hurting her, or risk being blamed for defending herself.

And that is what happens. And here comes a shortfalling of the episode: the cookies. Did we really need them? I mean, what’s their purpose? In his first scene, Ted could conceivably woo Willow with his gadgets and Xander with his cooking, and Joyce is of course already on his side. And after he threatens Buffy, Joyce dismissing her is very in-character, Willow agrees to help her anyway, and Xander’s attitude towards Ted at that point is irrelevant. Yeah, the cookies will be the first evidence against him later, but they would probably have still gone to Ted’s house, and there’s more than enough incriminating stuff there already.

And now, for the third part. The confrontation between Ted and Buffy. That is brutal. And I forgot so much. I remembered that they were struggling and Ted fell down the stairs, but that’s not what happened. Ted hit her twice. One of those must’ve been really hard, because he knocked her down, but still, twice. And she went to town on him. It wasn’t a slip. It was deliberate. Buffy lost her temper, and she went ballistic. She wasn’t even aiming to subdue; she was aiming to hurt.

And she did. Which is honestly a very, very bold thing to do, and maybe a little bit too much for an episode in the middle of a season. Buffy killed a man. Alright, she didn’t really, but she thought she did, and even the end of the episode doesn’t change much. Ted could’ve been a human. Maybe some part of her knew he wasn’t, because she felt his strength, but still, she can’t be sure that if he was some just regular guy, she wouldn’t have done the same.

And when I say Buffy Summers is a hero, I mean a lot of things, but part of it is that at seventeen, she took responsibility for killing someone when she had a very clear way out. I have no idea if I could’ve done that. At seventeen. She’s the slayer, she’s been told she was special for years now, and still, she takes one look at things and says no, it doesn’t matter who she is, she can’t be allowed to take a life without facing up to the consequences.

Again, I think the consequences part is brushed to the side, which is what happens when you need to wrap up the whole story in forty-five minutes. Ted should’ve been brought up in later episodes. A lot. All the way up to season seven. It’s a shame that while Buffy usually doesn’t shy away from the consequences of its plot, it rarely explores the effects of all these traumatic events on Buffy’s life. We get a few glimpses of the really big ones, and the whole of season six of course, but Buffy taking a human life should be way more influential.

Anyway. The scene when Buffy goes back to school is chilling. And bless the heart of all her friends who immediately rush to dig up anything on Ted to help Buffy. Cordelia of all people stayed in late to do research, and then the three of them went to the house of a suspected serial killer alone, because they were worried about their friend. Bless them.

All in all, I don’t hate the Ted is a robot twist. I get that you have to take away the edge. And since we only find out in the last few minutes, it doesn’t really take away the impact of the episode for me. It could’ve been better, sure. A lot better. But what could’ve made it better is if it had left an impact on the show going forward. If we could’ve seen the shadow of Ted looming over Buffy in later seasons.

(PS: Buffy asking Willow very nicely trumps Ted’s tranquilizer cookie. Possible (3), as far as I’m concerned.)

[fallloverfic]

TGCF donghua season 2, episode 4 thoughts

Overall a really fun episode :3 Spoilers below (also book spoilers for folks coming solely from the donghua)

Another five seconds of Yin Yu (via reference) and my boi Quan Yizhen getting a shout out, love them. Quanyin fans thirsty but we push on in the desert.

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian playing the gambling game together is so cute T-T Hua Cheng holding Xie Lian's shoulderrrrr

This was so cute T-T He comfort his gege T-T

And then this shotttt ahhhhh (Hua Cheng's hand is so much larger alkdjladaj bless, Xie Lian needs the big hands to cradle him)

(Hua Cheng trying to keep his cool SO HARD. Hua Cheng @ Hua Cheng: BE COOL, BE COOL, WE GOT TWO TOUCHES TODAY BE COOL -screaming-)

This was everything. Hua Cheng: everything for you gege (in or out of bed)

T-T I cry over them. I'm totally normal about them T-T

(Also considering in this episode that the official English subs are still ass and there's a point where they don't even bother subbing an ENTIRE Xie Lian line, that we get stuff as good as the above is a miracle).

I know it was there before, but it was interesting to see how much taller Shi Qingxuan's male form is than Xie Lian. It was really cute. Their friendship is so adorable! When Xie Lian helps Shi Qingxuan up off the floor T-T When Shi Qingxuan was like "you're not the one making trouble for me/you're not a burden/you're not the problem" because Xie Lian is so used to thinking of himself as being the one to drag others (Feng Xin, Mu Qing, everyone he cares about) down, I just T-T Their friendship ends me. Also Shi Qingxuan clasping Xie Lian's hands to toss the dice to encourage him I am T-T I cry over them T-T So much T-T

Shi Qingxuan carrying Ming Yi ends me alkdjalj BEEFLEAF FANS FEASTING TODAY!!! Beat up Ming Yi -eye sparkle- that head snuggle. Shi Qingxuan's >:3 face.

Ahh this is gonna hurt bad later.

Overall a wonderful episode with some nice art :3

...Excepting one particular part of the episode that was a whole on what the fuck in a bad way, and this person and this person did a better job dealing with that than I could.

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04 (you are here)

S02E05

S02E06

S02E07

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10

S02E11

S02E12

[bytheangell]

I Just Want to Feel Something Today

(A s02e11 inspired fic) (Read on AO3)

“Emotions serve a purpose. You don’t go through what you just went through, witnessing all that death and not feel something, Jace! It’s not good for you! Just feel something. Whether you think it clouds your judgment or not.”

Clary’s words catch Jace by surprise. He expects anger, denial, frustration… and he supposes, in a way, that’s exactly what he gets. Except instead of being aimed at him, those emotions come from Clary on behalf of himself. She’s upset, but she’s upset because he keeps pushing away anything that would make him actually stop and deal with everything that’s happening. She’s not mad at him, but at the way he is thanks to years of careful conditioning to push his emotions aside and lock them away so they aren’t a distraction.

And she’s right. It isn’t that he hasn’t felt anything, it’s that he’s buried every feeling he gets the moment it starts to form. He’s ignored every negative emotion because he hasn’t had time to deal with any of them, and he’s pushed away any remotely positive emotion he’s felt because he doesn’t deserve to feel anything good, not now, not after everything he’s done.

How long has it been since he let himself actually feel something, good or bad, all the way through? He certainly has plenty of emotions to choose from. Plenty of moments and events to focus on.

Not here, though. Not now. There’s still work to be done and plans to be made. He’s done enough damage already that a few more hours of keeping everything neatly tucked away won’t hurt. So he waits until he’s certain Clary is long gone and calls the elevator to face the rest of his day.

---

It isn’t long before Jace finds himself on the rooftop of the Institute, thankful for the solitude it provides him. He hadn’t realized how stifling the walls of the Institute felt until he’s outside of them, breathing in the fresh air, letting the slight breeze run through his hair the closer he walks to the edge of the roof overlooking the city.

It’s easier here, he thinks, to try and let go. This isn’t the first time he’s escaped to the roof to be alone and process things, and he’s sure it won’t be the last. It’s been so long that he wonders if he remembers how to let it all go… no, not go. How to let it all in.

“You’re hurting,” Alec had said as they sparred earlier. And Jace was - he still is. The hurt never stops, not now, not when there’s evidence of the pain he’s caused at every turn. It’s in the stress lines on Alec’s face, in the way the other Shadowhunters won’t meet his gaze, and the way the Downworlders would meet his gaze - but with nothing but hatred in their eyes. The pain is the easiest thing to let himself feel because it’s what he thinks he deserves the most - the disappointment, the anger, the despair.

He feels his chest tighten with emotion, too many to pick apart and name, and does his best to fight the urge to swallow it all back down and walk away, back inside where he can justify putting back on the mask of Being Okay.

Instead, Jace allows his mind to move on to something else he’s been effectively ignoring. Because after the Soul Sword his next biggest problem is Simon and the fact that he’s a Daylighter now, with all signs pointing to Jace’s blood being the catalyst.

Jace feels nothing but dread at the idea of this being true. There was so much going on at the time that he hadn’t considered the possibility that his blood is the reason Simon can walk in the daylight now. If that’s true it doesn’t just put him at risk, it puts Clary at risk, too. And not just from the other vampires but from the Clave. The Clave would hate this revelation. Worse, the clave would fear it, fear the possibility that Nephilim blood could be used to rid the vampires of their biggest weakness. There’s no telling what they’d do to him and Clary if they found out, and that’s a thought that genuinely worries him in a way that not much else does.

“No matter what, your secret’s safe with me. (...) You have nothing to worry about, I got your back.”

Loath as Jace is to admit it, even just to himself, he does trust Simon and believes when Simon swears that he isn’t going to say anything. If it were anyone else Jace would be worried they’d use the knowledge for blackmail later, to hold it over his head as leverage, but it isn’t anyone else. It’s Simon. And yeah, Jace trusts him, for whatever that’s worth.

Somewhere between the jealousy and the nearly dying to save Simon’s life, there’s witty banter and mutual appreciation. Simon has nothing to lose and everything to gain from sharing their secret with the other vampires, but he won’t. Jace thinks of Simon’s attempts to hug him, of casually affectionate touches and warm smiles and the fact that he’s… hell, they’re friends, aren’t they?

Clary stood by him out of perceived sibling loyalty. Izzy and Alec would always do the same. But Simon? Jace has so few people on his side that Simon’s loyalty isn’t something he takes lightly. Surprisingly, the idea of having Simon so resolutely in his corner is such an overwhelming realization that the relief of it brings the first tears to Jace’s eyes. Once they start they don’t stop, especially not as his thoughts turn to Clary.

“What else are you hiding from me?” Jace wishes he could blame Valentine for his fallout with Clary, but he knows that wouldn’t be true. It’s Jace’s fault he didn’t tell Clary sooner - he had plenty of opportunities, plenty of time, but more than that: she deserved to know. He’d just been too scared, too selfish to do it. He said he didn’t want to ruin things with her and Simon but that was just another lie. He wasn’t afraid she’d leave Simon for him once she knew, he was afraid that she wouldn’t. That he could have her now, and she could have him, but she wouldn’t want him the way he still wants her.

Because deep down he’s still just a scared, insecure boy, using that carefully crafted bravado to cover up the truth of what he’s actually afraid of: not being good enough. He knew it couldn’t last forever, but as long as Clary didn’t know she had a choice he could avoid the reality of her not choosing him.

Except now he may have lost her for good, and not just to Simon.

Of course, she doesn’t trust him now. She may never trust him again, and he wouldn’t blame her. He let her down, not for the first time, but arguably the worst time since they met… and that’s saying something, considering everything they’ve been through.

Jace remembers how hurt she looked at the realization that he kept something so important from her, and the tears fall steadily now. He lets that pain in, he lets it mean something. She practically begged him to feel something so it seems only fitting that he feels this the most. Jace closes his eyes against the tears, only to see the image of Clary walking away from him in his mind’s eye. The ache of it knots his stomach, the fear that she may not come back to him, not as a lover or as a friend, is paralyzing.

He lets it in. He feels it, all of it.

The tears continue to fall and Jace continues to feel everything from the past few hours, the past day, the past week. Everything he pushed away. Everything he buried, finally allowed to break through the surface.

Regret. Anger. Relief. Sorrow. Loss. Hope. Fear. Sadness. Love. Pain. Loss.

He feels all of it.

There’s a sound behind him and Jace knows it’s Alec behind him on the rooftop before he ever hears his parabatai speak. He reckons he could take a minute to collect himself and brush this off without Alec pushing it - he already silenced the sobs that shook his entire body only moments before. Another thirty seconds and he could give some bullshit excuse about being upset over Clary and move on to whatever Alec came looking for him to talk about. Alec knows when Jace wants to talk and when he doesn’t, knows when he can push and get something out of Jace and when it was a lost cause. It’s why Alec asked him about the Downworlders and about Clary while they sparred earlier, knowing that Jace needs a side of distraction with his honest conversation. It’s easier to talk between punches, to discuss emotions while simultaneously having a physical release for them.

This? Crying, with no singular reason or cause, just because... just because he tried to face his emotions and became immediately overwhelmed by the weight of it all? He doesn’t do this. They don’t do this. They do eye-rolls and thinly veiled admissions of not being fine - but also not wanting to talk about it - in between hits with a staff. They do brief moments of serious conversation while literally pinned to the ground and unable to escape.

They don’t do falling into each other’s arms in tears... and yet that’s exactly what Jace wants to do right now.

“Jace, you okay?”

No. He isn’t okay, and no amount of sparring is going to fix it this time around. There aren’t enough distractions in the world, which is unfortunate, because they’re about to summon a Greater Demon to the Institute and Jace can’t get his fucking shit together. At least, not on his own. It took Clary’s influence to get him to this point, and he knows what he needs to move further. Maybe not to closure, but to something close.

So he turns around, eyes bloodshot and face streaked with tears, and gives Alec what is probably the most lost, helpless look he’s ever willingly allowed anyone to witness.

Alec doesn’t say he’s sorry, or ask what’s wrong - he simply moves to close the space between them and wraps his arms around Jace, pulling him close. Jace allows himself to be pulled, to be tucked into the firm but gentle embrace of his parabatai.

After a moment Jace tries to pull away, to shrug off Alec’s comfort as the guilt of not deserving it settles again, but Alec holds firm. Jace came up here to be alone, but maybe being alone isn’t what he needs just then. Just like keeping everything bottled up wasn’t what he needed, either. It took Clary to realize that, and it takes Alec’s insistent presence for him to realize that he needs these moments of comfort from his brother that he’d never allow himself otherwise.

They stay this way, silent except for the slowly quieting sobs from Jace until the tears stop completely. Only then does Alec finally loosen his grip around him enough for Jace to pull back.

“Feeling things is overrated,” Jace manages, and the words startle a laugh out of Alec despite the situation.

“Clary?” Alec hazards a guess, not that it’s a difficult conclusion to reach.

“Clary,” Jace confirms. “Among other things.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Alec offers, sounding as uncertain in asking as Jace is in his answer.

“No,” Jace admits. Except he’s starting to realize what he wants isn’t always what he needs.

Jace sighs.

“But maybe I should.”

[sidigtal-anim]

AMPHIBIA: SEASON 2B SPECULATION

So! Since ‘tis the season to be jolly, we have new confirmation from the creator of Amphibia himself, Matt Braly!!! He’s given out the Episode titles for all of Season 2B as a Christmas gift, and has confirmed that the episodes aren’t done enough for a trailer. You can find the video link here. 

Now I’m giving you a warning! These will contain spoilers and discussion for Season 2B. If you are trying to avoid spoilers, I suggest leaving now! If you’re cool with spoilers and speculation, stay for the ride! 

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AMPHIBIA: SEASON 2A!!!

END OF SEASON 2A - WHERE ARE WE IN THE SHOW?!

Currently, the last episode of Season 2 we’ve had was “A Day at the Aquarium,” with Anne and the Planters are heading to Wartwood for the Harvest and to collect the Calamity Box to take to the Temples. Marcy has a sketchy deal with King Andrias offered, and Sasha and Grimes haven’t been checked up on since “Toadcatcher” where they said they’re going to storm Newtopia. 

We have new information on the Calamity Box with the three temples, and even more information on the colours representing the three girls. The Robot following Anne and the Planters to Newtopia (revealed as “Frobo” by Disney Amphibia promotional game) is still stuck at the edge of Newtopian Land, not entering the water as seen in the first minute of “Lost in Newtopia”. It’s still unknown what the glowing coloured eyes represent, since we’ve only seen them twice: Anne’s eyes with “Handy Anne,” and Marcy’s with “Marcy at the Gates” when she saved Sprig.

The Season 2 opening with the new animated sequence of the Sasha vs. Anne sword fight seems to take place in the location of one of the temples. In the end credits, the temple in the leftmost corner with the fallen pillars seem to be where Sasha and Anne are fighting as the sequence zooms out to Marcy holding the Music Box.

This means that Sasha and Anne are going to have a altercation at one of the temples, seemingly at the Third temple, since that location is the closest one to the Volcano temple. It could even be during the return to Newtopia, and Sasha and Grimes try to seize Newtopia like the Fire Nation did with Omashu. And we know the order of the temples from King Andrias’ book from “A Day at the Aquarium.”

It’s unclear which temple represents what jewel, but from the image above seems to infer that it goes in the order of green, blue, and finally pink. Meaning Marcy, Anne and Sasha. From a visual perspective with shape language, that correlation of people with the temples would make sense! Since the first temple seems more like a pyramid which usually has booby traps and requires wit (Marcy) to solve it. The Second Temple is represented by an arch, giving a sense of safety and welcoming. (Heart) 

The Volcano...? Definitely Sasha.

No more information on Sprig’s mom or the things in the Castle’s basement (the Jelly Ghosts, the Chained Moss Men, or even the torn painting of young Andrias’ with the Toad and Frog).

That’s where we are in the hiatus. So now let’s dive into the episode titles.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AMPHIBIA: SEASON 2B!!!

EPISODE TITLE SPECULATION

These are all my ideas and speculation based off of the episode titles. These are not confirmed summaries, loglines or events of the episodes.

S02E11 - Night Drivers/Return to Wartwood

211A - Night Drivers: This episode seems to mainly be a returning travel episode. I don’t know what we’re getting here, maybe a nightmare creature? Or perhaps an actual nightmare? My guess is something with Anne and Hop Pop since they’re the only "Riders” who know how to drive Bessie. I do expect some talk or at least mention of Frobo since it’s outside the Newtopian area.

211B - Return to Wartwood: It’s here! The return to Wartwood! I don’t think Hop Pop will immediately unearth the Music Box and show it to the kids to give an exposition dump. I think this will talk more about people catching up with the Planters and asking how is Newtopia. Some shenanigans happen, maybe a monster, but I see this being kinda lowkey too. Perhaps the Calamity Box plot at the end as a short stinger, but nothing more really.

S02E12 - The Shut-In!: Halloween Special

212 - The Shut-In!: This episode is already out. It doesn’t fit in continuity-wise and could be placed anywhere in the season. There’s not really much to speculate upon, especially within the season. The only real speculation I see is that Hop Pop probably hasn’t told the kids yet, because I don’t think they would be as calm as they were in this episode if Hop Pop explained.

S02E13 - Ivy on the Run/After the Rain

213A - Ivy on the Run: We haven’t seen Ivy this season. The only episodes the audience is reminded of her are “Hopping Mall,” where Sprig bought that ninja pole for her that broke; and, the Halloween special. I think this episode is a follow up episode to Sprig and Ivy’s relationship, perhaps she feels as though Sprig is leaving her again for the Temples arc and is upset by that. Or some shenanigans with her mom and a new suitor for her, since that’s what originally happened for Sprivy in her Intro episodes. I see the resolution being about long distance relationships and how it can be difficult, but they trust each other and they’ll work through it.

213B - After the Rain: This. This seems like the perfect episode for Hop Pop to talk about the music box. Stormy nights are perfect impeticis for reveals and exposition dumps. I see this as an episode where Hop Pop is trying to say his “sources” can’t seem to get the box back because of the rain, or something. Anne freaks out and is constantly bothering Hop Pop. She pushes him to a point where he cracks, and explains everything about the Music Box. Or he just tells them because he thinks that if they know what they’re doing, they should know. 

Or a third idea is that it is more like “The Storm” from Avatar: The Last Airbender where Hop Pop explains the horrors of the Music Box to the kids, while King Andrias’ explains to Marcy how he utilised the Music Box and how he’s lied about his age and he’s actually centuries of centuries older than he says. Then King Andrias’ reveals his deal for Marcy, which I believe is stealing the music box from Anne, so he can rescue the people trapped within the portrait from the other worlds.  She may not actually steal the Music Box until the Third Temple, where all the gemstones have been recharged. How does Marcy benefit from this? I have no clue. But he’s telling Marcy this because he has to stay to help Newtopia, or because he wants an ally in a time of need.

And Anne ends up saying, “We have to tell Marcy, and warn her!.” But Hop Pop says that they can’t since she may follow the King. A new reversal of Anne having to choose to use her head instead of her heart, which we see her struggle with in “A Day at the Aquarium.” This perhaps starts an arc where she’s acting similarly to Sasha in terms of peer pressure tactics and gaslighting to avoid Marcy learning the truth.

S02E14 - The First Temple

214 - The First Temple: This episode is a freaking two-parter! An introduction to the mythology of the Temples. Discussing the location, Act One is travelling there. Marcy talks to Anne about Wartwood, and maybe a bit more into her own family life. I see Sasha, I think we’ll get hints of Marcy’s conflict from her deal with the King, their only way home. But at the same time, Anne is having her conflict about telling Marcy the Frog side of the Music Box, after learning the secrets Hop Pop reveals.

Act Two is arriving at the Temple, and entering the Temple using Marcy’s big brain skills. Act Three is recharging the Green Gemstone and learning the location of the Second Temple. Something I do find interesting about this is the glowing eyes subplot adjacent to the Music Box. Will it somehow affect Marcy? Will she lose her “Wit”? Or does this unlock a new power within her or something? We’ll see!

S02E15 - New Wartwood/Friend or Frobo?

215A - New Wartwood: I do think this has been a while coming. Wartwood has had issues with accepting change and differences. Like in “Toad Tax,” where Hop Pop makes an off-hand joke that the town’s Motto is “Slow to accept, and even slower to respect.” Even though that is not okay, there have been plants for a change to Wartwood. Redoing and improving on themselves. Or it could just be a plot where the Mayor has to redo everything in Wartwood and making it fancy hotel, and the Plantars have to stop him. Then creates a moral of change is within, not outside.

215B - Friend or Frobo?: Okay, a Frobo episode! We haven’t talked about Frobo, and don’t even know its name from the show itself. This is probably a big mythology reveal. In case anyone doesn’t know, this robot is seemingly inspired by the one from Hayao Miyazaki’s “Laputa: Castle in the Sky.” There are a lot of theories, but I think Marcy’s curiosity would want them to follow Frobo, but her head will say something against that. Anne’s “Heart” will tell her to follow the Frog Robot and lead them to a new area of knowledge unknown previous.

S02E16 - Toad to Redemption/Maddie and Marcy

216A - Toad to Redemption: A possible Sasha episode???? Whomst? Whenst?? Since Season 1, I basically expect minimal Sasha episodes. Sasha and Grimes having two episodes in one season?? What?! 

But “Toad to Redemption” is an interesting title. Perhaps Grimes or one of his remaining soldiers of Wanda and Percy change their minds? Or perhaps Anne and Marcy encounter one of the Toads that split up with Grimes post-Reunion. And they’re trying to learn to combat their racist beliefs of Frogs being less than Toads. A bit more of a Hop Pop episode since it deals with moving on from traditions that hinder you, but also realising the things that are necessary. I think the latter is more likely, but a Sasha and Grimes episode would work really well, especially this deep into the season.

If this is a Sasha and Grimes episode, I do believe that Yunnan will come back and try to get payback for them defeating her. And getting Grimes would be her “Toad to Redemption.”

216B - Maddie and Marcy: Yas! Creepy goth-like girl with a sunshine klutz. I think this is going to be a more fun episode after the heavy stuff in the previous segment.

S02E17 - The Second Temple/Barrel’s Warhammer

217A - The Second Temple: Temple Number Two!! The one for Heart. I think this one deals more with the idea of “Pure Hearted”. Therefore, I think that Anne is holding in the secrets of the Music Box, not making her “Pure of Heart” and therefore will have to tell Marcy. She reveals the information here, and Marcy tells her she can trust her, but she doesn’t reveal her deal with the King.

217B - Barrel’s Warhammer: Who is “Barrel”??? Seems like a new side gag character like The Curator or The Theatre Troupe. I have no idea what Warhammer means, either a literal Hammer for War, or it’s the game with the miniature objects.

S02E18 - Bessie and MicroAngelo/The Third Temple

218A - Bessie and MicroAngelo: I haven’t even watched the episode or seen the descriptor, but I know that this is going to be the cutest episode to ever exist on television and I absolutely am here for it. Perhaps on their way to the Third Temple, MicroAngelo is feeling down on his accomplishments as a snail, and sees Bessie as a mentor. I think the episode last season “Children of the Spore” will come back, since the mushroom still lives on that bug. So Bessie and MicroAngelo will save the day!

218B - The Third Temple: I am absolutely terrified for this episode. Much like with Infinity Train: Book 1 with two very specific episodes, and just as a general rule of writing, when you begin with a segment that is happier, it highlights and accents the horror and angst. Especially because this seems to be an episode where Sasha is necessary since she’s the last colour/gemstone.

S02E19 - The Dinner/Battle of the Bands

219A - The Dinner: This episode would make sense. Immediately upon seeing the title I thought of an Adventure Time episode, S10E05 - Seventeen, where a group of characters thought to be gone return at a party. Upon further development, I believe this would be a banquet to celebrate the recharging of the Music Box and returning Anne and Marcy home. Unsure about where Sasha is at this point, but she exists and they’ll most likely find her to get her home as well.

219B - Battle of the Bands: Now this is absolutely bonkers level of random. The penultimate episode of Season 2 is a Battle of the Bands???? The only person that can play an instrument is Sprig, and the only one that has really been seen dancing is Anne. 

The only real idea I have for this is that it does what “Anne of the Year” did last season, where it wrapped up the character arc, and the plot surrounding that, but the actual plot is what will get touched upon in the finale. “Anne of the Year” resolved the plot of Anne being a stranger to Wartwood, which was the whole season’s conflict. While the finale, “Reunion” dealt with Sasha and the Toads. So I think “Battle of the Bands” will resolve Anne’s arc of being the Heart, and the finale will deal with the plot.

S02E20 - True Colors: 24-Minute Finale

220 - True Colors: This is a very interesting title. Since we know that the three girls represent three colours, that probably would mean a clash of them. This is probably where the full culmination of all the plot threads come into play. (The Music Box, King Andrias, the stuff in the basement, Sasha and Grimes, Sprig’s Mom, Marcy, and even Frobo) The title could also refer to a truth being revealed, with someone speaking their true colours.

I have no thoughts on the season finale so far, but I do hope this will be as satisfying as “Reunion” or more so. My expectations are super high! I’ll probably update more on my thoughts either when the trailer releases for 2B or the week of the finale airing.

END OF SPOILERS AND SPECULATION!!

That ends the speculation for 211 to 220 of Amphibia! Who knows when the episodes are releasing! (Matt says around February or March 2021! Which is a couple of months away!!!)

Let me know what you think and if you have any thoughts, ideas, responses to the speculation! I’m more than happy to hear you out!

[adultswim2021]

The Venture Bros. #26: “¡Viva los Muertos!” | October 1, 2006 – 10:30PM | S02E11

Last week's episode was the first episode that caused me to become a regular Venture Bros. viewer, so this was the first episode I actually treated like appointment television. And boy, was I punished for that.

Okay, this episode was a huge disappointment at the time; partially because it had the daunting task of following-up I Know Why The Caged Bird Kills. But this won't be a negative write-up, I promise. In this episode: Dr. Venture uses a freshly killed henchman corpse to turn into a Frankenstein (or Venturestein as they call it). Brock, confronted with the cruel mockery of human life that he himself snuffed out, starts to feel remorse for his actions, eventually seeking the help of Dr. Orpheus who is having an ayahuasca party basically with various mystics and spiritual types. This leads him to having a breakthrough where he dreams that he's fucking a dolphin and then Hunter Gathers shows up and tells him he's a killing machine and that he's going to government agent heaven when he dies, snapping Brock out of his funk. Also: Dr. Venture has landed a big government contract for this new Frankenstein tech and needs to come up with hundreds of undead military soldiers to fulfill the big order.

Meanwhile, a van full of dirty hippies, whom obviously resemble the Scooby-Doo gang, decide that there must be a mystery in the old Venture manufacturing wing, so they get out and poke around. The big difference here is that Fred seems to be a cult leader of some kind who is manipulating them into this mystery-seeking lifestyle. They are all much older than their Hanna-Barbera counterparts. Also their Shaggy is the only one that can hear their Scooby, who speaks eloquently. It's like Scooby-Doo but NASTY! This specifically is why I was so disappointed at the time of watching this. I was basically like, really? They're gonna parody Scooby-Doo? Haven't we already solved this mystery?

This portion of the show is a little more jokey and broad, but the parody clouds the characterization as parody often does. Their Velma is a hardened radical feminist whose political outlook involves eradicating men from the planet. She's based on the woman who shot Andy Warhol and wrote The SCUM Manifesto. The DVD commentary reveals that a lot of her dialogue is just quotes from said book. Shaggy and Scoob's relationship seems to have root in Son-of-Sam. Their Daphne is named Patty, and I'm guessing that's a Patty Hearst reference.

This portion of the show actually uses sound effects and (I'm guessing) music cues from the original Scooby-Doo, making everything feel extra-cartoony despite the fact that the show still maintains it's baseline level of slightly-heightened but never outlandish sense of reality. This show doesn't typically break the fourth wall outside of a dramatic storytelling flourish.

Outside of the use of sound effects, I don't think it truly breaks the rules of the show as far as I understand them. These characters can very easily have a place in this reality and I think the thing that proves that is “Action Jonny”. Season 3 would take greater lengths to make it clear that Dr. Venture's current relevancy comes from a cartoon series inspired by his super-science childhood. That's why Action Jonny, who's clearly an adult version of Jonny Quest, exists int his universe as well. I can't specifically pull a moment from the show that makes it explicit that Action Jonny's life became the basis of a cartoon series called Jonny Quest*. What I'm saying is that in a similar vein these creepy van guys could be the originators of the Scooby-Doo franchise in this universe. No explanation for how the dog lived so long, though.

*Also on a more meta note: I believe that during the first couple Venture Bros. seasons Jonny Quest was a little more “fair game” as far as being used for subversive parodies on other Turner-owned properties. I sorta recall reading or hearing about there being a mandate from the network to no longer use Jonny Quest because there was some kind of effort to reboot it or reclaim the canon or something like that going on. So it probably made sense both logistically and creatively to distance themselves from making explicit Jonny Quest references.

This story concludes by having the Shaggy character meet the Venture Bros, and he freaks out because he remembers freaking out and killing them in a mineshaft years earlier, and ditching the bodies in a pit before their dad discovered that they were dead. This is of course, established series lore; the boys are clones and they've died several times before, and this is just one we didn't know about. For as much Jackson and Doc talk about how much they wanted to get away from the whole “the boys are clones” plot, you'd think they'd resist calling it back. Well that's because this particular episode was actually written by Ben Edlund, the creator of The Tick! SURPRISE! Jackson and Doc actually point out that it took an outside writer to actually call back the clone thing.

The episode is a little jarring for other reasons; the convention of having the prologue and first scenes take place from the POV of a murdered henchman is certainly different, and then cutting to a straight up spoof of Scooby Doo will likely make most Venture viewers wonder what the exact hell are we even watching anymore? But this is a worthy episode in the Venture canon, and is in fact fairly essential: a later season episode brings back Venturestein, and the season three finale has a line that doesn't make too much sense unless you've seen this episode. This one may have put it’s worst foot forward, and it may have left me cold the first time around, but it grows on me more and more every time I see it. It’s good, actually.