#the comedic timing is unreal

[lesbiangiratina]

30 minutes into jerma among us this is the funniest shit ive ever seen

[frankiesmeow-blog]

Last month I was fortunate enough to finally make a pilgrimage to The Volcano National Park in Hawaii.

Mauna Loa was unfortunately inaccessible due to recent volcanic activity, and mostly shrouded in clouds due to the on and off rain that is typical in the Winter months, so no chance to see her, but that did mean I got to spend my whole visit on Kīlauea.

Imagine me, life long lover of volcanos, staring into the maw of the most active volcano on earth and absolutely melting with happiness.

Imagine me, having waited 25 years to visit this sacred place, traversing the rim to touch the earth and smell the fumes and bear witness to a literal rainbow developing in the caldera not even 100 feet in front of my face.

Imagine me, misty eyed as I wander through the visitors center and art museum and Volcano House. Imagine me basking in the glory of the power of the Earth.

Now imagine all of this to the soundtrack of a 12 year old boy singing the Jurassic Park main theme. On repeat. For three hours.

I have genuinely never experienced something so unique in my life. Every where I went across the entirety of VNP, five notes from the theme song of a movie about dinosaurs followed me.

Reading plaques about the creation of the Hawaiian islands?

~ doo doo doo doo doo ~

Crossing the street?

a distant ~ doo doo doo doo doo ~

Pondering merchandise in three different gift shops?

~ doo doo doo doo doo ~

Standing in the rain to look out across the island?

~ doo doo doo doo doo ~

Listening to a tour guide discuss the importance of Pele to the native Hawaiians?

~ doo doo doo doo doo ~

For three hours I experienced my own personal soundtrack to a once in a lifetime experience. That 12 year old boy, probably just bored out of his mind or maybe vocally stimming to deal with the large crowds, gave me a memory that will bring me joy for the rest of my days.

Magical experiences are everywhere you go if you are brave enough to accept them.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Monday fandom :) I love these episodes for them. I know they’re not always a fan favorite but I adore them. Just for the Chenford content alone. The married moments, the touching, the sassy banter. What’s not to love? Just like I did for 3x07 I’ll just be analyzing their moments in this ep. Since they’re disconnected from rest of group for most part. Let's get going shall we?

4x16 Real Crime

Sunshine x Grumpy at it's absolute finest kicking this episode off. Lucy is so jazzed to be back. Her little foot kick after she asks how they are? I cannot. She’s so cute. Tim is already over it from the moment his sexy ass hits that chair. It’s so friggin funny. Our king of expressions is on one in this ep. Tim judges Lucy the entire time with serious sass throw in. Their banter mode is on right away and never turns off. We start off with them asking Tim if he saw the last one? Of course he didn't...

Why would he? The only way he would watch it is if Lucy forced him to. haha Lucy rolling her eyes at his answer but with a hint of fondness. She loves her grumpy old man so much. The married train has officially left the station. All aboard. The ride is gonna be hilarious. Tim gets them back on track saying they were first responders to the scene. Tim notes how frustrating it was with all the cameras and coverage nobody saw anything. Nothing useful for the investigation. I mean that is ridiculous tbh. I'm with him on that one.

Lucy tries to add colorful sound bites and Tim is judging her so damn hard. The amount of sass in that second gif. He was not about that line at all. Like who are you right now? Their mini fight in front of the interviewer I’m dying. ‘Why are you SO happy?’ 'I'm being colorful!' LMFAO Lucy defends why she’s doing this and Tim can’t believe it. The bickering in hushed tones is too funny. Like a true couple. Lucy imitating a wife scolding her husband while defending herself.

God I love these idiots sfm. Naturally this is the last thing Tim wants to be doing. The shake of his head above is one of many to come. We all know he would much rather be out on the streets than dealing with this circus. Lucy going the opposite direction. Wanting to get them as many segments as possible We all know the less he's in this the better for him. He barely wants to be in the amount he's in now. heh

This next section is one of my faves. First off I love and commend Lucy’s confidence to just rap in public. I adore her so very much. She couldn’t be cuter in this episode if she tried. Of course she has a karaoke jam I adore her. She is more than happy to share this info. We’ve talked about Eric’s comedic timing. He is absolute gold in this.

His reactions from start to finish are what make this portion so amusing. Goes from 'Huh?' to 'WTF is happening?' It's so funny every time I watch it. Tim doesn't need to say anything. His facial expressions say it all. The sheer amount of judgement he is throwing her way is immense. This is the woman you’ve chosen to love Timothy LOL

Lucy is in her own world as she jams this out. Tim is next her with all the judgment he can muster. These moments are one of the many reasons why he loves her though. Just being 100 percent herself no shame in the game. We know it’s these types of goobery scenes that he actually enjoys from her. She looks so joyful and happy when she turns to sing at him. Then she see's his reaction.... Prompting the iconic line below that always makes me laugh.

Tim’s confusion of her rapping is everything I have to say. I think she’s partly trying to impress him with her rapping skills. He doesn’t give her anything though. LOL They’re so cute I might burst. The marriage moment to end this scene is the best. ‘Can I be interviewed alone? ‘ LMFAO. She is already over his grumpy ass and I’m laughing so hard. Eric and Melissa play off each other so well. It’s a delight to watch them. They have so much chemistry just sitting next to one another. It''s unreal.

We flit back to them talking about Aaron’s father’s musical partner. Tim delivers a ‘colorful’ sound bit of his own. Lucy is beaming with pride. So much so she has to say to make sure it's noted. Interrupting to heap on that praise. Then casually touches his arm. Not a short touch either. It's 4 seconds. Yes I counted heh She lingers. I love watching Tim get all fidgety and hot under the collar after she does this.

Wringing his hands to shake off the feelings washing over him. Trying not to have his feelings recorded for this documentary. Too late... It’s so cute because one he clearly got a little contact high off that touch. Two she just complimented him publicly with the proudest look on her face. He is riding high ha Look at her. That is proud wifey mode right there. Especially after he thanks her for the compliment.

She tries to put herself back in check but is brimming with giddiness. It's adorable. I cannot with these two. *heart clutch* Be more in love please. It's one of those 'Everyone knows but them moments.' He’s also just so cute when he says ‘Thanks..’ haha Oh my Timothy you are so out of your depth with this documentary. But so adorable I wanna squeeze you. Part me of thinks he was trying to get into this for Lucy. Impress her a little with his quote. Mission accomplished sir. Your girl was very proud. Love these idiots in love so much.

Their chemistry is so palpable in these scenes. They're asked a question about the knife in Aaron's kitchen. Saying his DNA was all over the murder weapon. Well duh....Lucy slams the interviewer hard with some solid logic and sass. They're trying to implicate Aaron for having DNA all over the knife in his kitchen... Lucy absolutely destroys this guy's stupid question. Then starts to feel bad afterwards. Checks in with hubby and asks if that was too mean?

Lucy couldn't be cuter turning to her person for feedback. Her immediate reaction to do so getting me all in the feels. I adore him backing her like he does. She looks to him for reassurance and he gives it to her in spades. Saying no that it actually felt good. To be able to stick it to them a bit. You know he is proud of her for doing so. Instead of doing an evocative soundbite she knocked them down a peg. He didn't need to help her in the dept. But the support one? Nailed it.

I love her proud and smug face when he says it was a dumb question. Careful Lucy your feelings are showing my love. Look at her in that first gif. She a ten but crap at hiding her feelings. The second gif is that same look she always gets when he compliments her. *sigh* I just love them. He backs her so fiercely here and Lucy is so ecstatic with his reply. It’s all over her face especially in the last one. That smug smile when he validates her is everything fo her. Basically saying my hubby says I'm right so that means I am haha

Tag team of smug righteousness and it’s amazing. He is oozing proudness in this moment for her. He followed it up with having her back and she’s a happy girl. Let’s not forget the gloriousness that is Tim’s biceps and forearms out on display. Mmm defending his girl and his arms are crossed? Pass the ice water imma need it. This man is deliciously fit and I too am a happy girl in this moment.

The case leads them to a woman named Colette who was brought home to their apt that same night. She had a controlling BF that was never questioned. Cue back to Lucy and Tim. Lucy explaining how a group of internet sleuths found him. How they spent countless hours investigating Aaron’s case. Tim notes this group also pointed the finger at a lot of innocent people ruining their lives… Lucy comments some of the members went little too far.... That's putting it lightly. lol

It’s here the interviewer reveals a prominent poster named ‘truecrimejunkie.’ Implying it’s Lucy who posts under that name. The amount of sass Tim is throwing her way is hysterical. I'm laughing so very hard. Tim’s reaction is the best part of this whole scene. It’s the intense stare down he does. This episode has me laughing from beginning to end. The way he fully turns to her is hilarious. Making fun of his wife with just a look. Lucy stumbling around for words and coming up short.

That moment when your husband finds out about your secret internet life LOL Lucy could not be more embarrassed. Stuttering trying to defend herself to Tim. It’s so funny. It finishes off with Tim’s ‘Seriously?’ Eric and Melissa are a god damn treasure. We are so lucky to have them. It's truly mind blowing the chemistry these two have just with their banter alone. What makes these episodes so very good with their segments. They are the best part with their back and forth. I love this episode for them. I defy you not to laugh or smile with this one.

It comes out Aaron’s mom was in Paris the day Patrick was murdered. Lucy gets all hyped up when they ask what they thought of this? The true crime junkie in her coming out. Saying what a game changer it was. Tim brings her back down to earth with his reply. Lucy doing her cute ‘Well yeah…’

Tim shaking his head. Not at her but this whole documentary. He hates the feelings/people being exploited in this whole thing. Doesn’t sit well with him at all. Once again proving Tim is just a good man on the daily. Not trying to impress anyone with it. It's just who he is as person. His integrity deeply ingrained in him.

Unlike the clown. He's not even in this one but I had to point this out and take a shot. lol Also let's not ignore the GLORIOUS forearm/bicep porn here. My god it's a miracle his work shirt contains those guns of his. Bursting at the seams with muscled goodness. I’m here for it. He could bench press me any day. I'm available is all I'm saying...

We cut back to Tim and Lucy talking about the case being closed. They have their killer finally. Aaron has been exonerated in the process. She starts on another ‘colorful’ bit and stops herself. Rubbing her tattoo feeling how wrong this is. The way she stops herself mid sentence knowing this. Tim jumping in saying ‘Feels gross doesn’t it?’ She agrees and says 'Yeah.'

Look at Lucy growing in this documentary at the end. No longer wanting to do 'colorful' sound bites to get them more time. Being much more focused on respecting those involved. Her ending statement is much better than her potential ‘juicy sound bite’ Look at our babies still growing. I love this episode. So nice to have after a clown fueled previous ep.

~~~

Side notes non-Chenford

Everyone is funny on these types of episodes. Always enjoy their bits. Especially Harper haha

Patrick’s dad coming to apologize to Aaron was a really nice way to close that chapter of his life. Was very sweet.

Thank you as always to those who like, comment and reblog. I appreciate you all more than you’ll ever know. See you all in 4x17 :)

[felassan]

Some more snippets of interest and insight from Mark Darrah, from some older Mark Darrah on Games YouTube videos where he was livestreaming playing Dragon Age: Origins some months ago. (The source of each snippet is linked after each point.)

"I would be incredibly surprised if we did see Desire Demons [in future games], but possibly. I saw some updated concept art." [source]

Chat asked "Do you think we are going to be able to spend points on attributes again in DA4 or nah?" and Mark replied "I don't know if they'll do attribute points, I suspect not...?" [source]

Chat asked "Do you think DA4 would be able to read DA:I saves since they're both using Frostbite?" and Mark replied "Oh, it doesn't matter, the reading the save games is nothing to do with Frostbite. The reason why Inquisition uses the Keep instead of save game reading is because of cross-generational stuff, we didn't want people locked to a platform. So I think it's quite possible that DA4 will use the Keep. I don't think they'll do save game reading, because the Keep exists already". Chat followed up, "I wonder if DA:I was made to even create plot flag data at all, what with the Keep already being a cross-game option" and Mark said "DA:I does store plot-flags in their save games, but yes, the intention was always to store them in the Keep, not to mine them out of save games". [source]

Chat asked "Would Oghren be done differently today?" Mark replied, "I do think Oghren would be done differently. He either needs to be more serious, as he's always treating his trauma with alcohol, or he needs to be somehow made more comedic. But I don't know that BioWare would make a character like Oghren again". [source]

They won't drop the name Dragon Age even if they switch in-world ages. Chat asked "DA5 should wrap up the Dragon Age series, and then any new game should be set centuries ahead of the Dragon Age". Mark replied "I mean if you wanted a massive reboot you could set it a long time in the future, have a new Dragon Age, that they've called it that for some reason, but I don't think there's a need for that." [source]

He also talked more generally about DA:O and the franchise in general. These bits are collected under a cut due to length.

One of the reasons why Dragon Age hasn't kept the same protagonist and has moved around the world a lot is because DA:O wasn't originally really intended to have a sequel, so it leaves a lot of dangling things depending on the choices you make (different rulers, many different states for some characters like Alistair, etc) [source]

What happened to Dragon Age Journeys? Facebook gaming died [source]

Game of Thrones was floating around in the studio during the time of the development of Baldur's Gate 2. "I do think it was at least consulted, it was read. What GoT did to fantasy in its moment was sort've show you could have a bit more politics, a bit more human-human conflict" [source]

On a hypothetical DA:O remaster: Tech-wise, there aren't that many people who know how to work with the engine, although it's a relatively simple engine. If they used a different engine it wouldn't be a remaster but a remake. For a remaster, you'd keep the same engine and turn the knobs as far as they could go, which would limit how far you could take it. Chat said "the Aurora [DA:O] engine isn't really being maintained, there's nothing to actually remaster there" and Mark replied "the code exists, it's in EA's repositories, you could get it running, updated DirectX version, remaster all the textures, you could do that" [source]

On this he also said "it's not gonna happen unless they can get the money from EA to do it as an external project and bring in external people, because otherwise you're just taking people from other things. Or unless EA suddenly decides that BioWare can hire 50 people, which seems...". "If you took something like Mass Effect and updated its Unreal version, that would be a massive amount of work just to do that. You don't really get anything for just doing that, particularly. You might be able to have it run at a higher resolution" [source]

The fact that MELE actually did well means that the chance of a remaster for DA is significantly higher than it was before. But EA doesn't like spending money. The devs had been trying to do a ME remaster since shortly after the last gen started, so basically since 2014 [source]

If they ever did a remaster of DA:O you would definitely see an improvement in textures on the consoles, even if you did nothing else, simply by including the "things that already exist" (as the original 360 version had its textures smooshed down from hi-res). DA:I you could make look better just by turning the knobs up further, as most of its stuff is already authored at higher resolutions [source]

Chat asked "'This might be better answered in a video, but what are your thoughts on remakes?''. Mark replied "I think it really depends on the game, some games are very much a product of their moment so they don't, a remake is always gonna fall a little flat. Remaster, you're just kind've re-establishing that. I think you can remaster anything. Remakes, some things should just be allowed to be a product of their time" [source]

Chat asked "Was there ever interest in making games like Diamondback and Wicked Grace playable minigames like Lodestone in Fable or Gwent for example?" There was a design for a dwarven chess game that the devs were thinking about doing for DA:I, "but no, time is time". Mark thinks that they may have had the rules for Wicked Grace at one point but "I don't know that there was ever much desire for it" [source]

The art direction in DAII is much more intentional than it was in DA:O. In DA:O and other fantasy games from that time period, it wasn't very intentional, and was more just 'generic English countryside from a certain time period' [source]

Chat commented about wanting a Dragon Age MMO in future. Mark replied "I don't think you're gonna see a Dragon Age MMO. MMOs are incredibly expensive to create and maintain. It was very interesting to watch Bethesda make an MMO of Elder Scrolls and make pretty much the same statements and mistakes as were made on SW:TOR just years later" [source]

Chat commented about wanting a Dragon Age RTS game in future. Mark replied "You could certainly see, especially like a DA:O RTS, but there aren't as many RTS devs around as there were once upon a time." When chat mentioned that a Mass Effect RTS could succeed, he added "I think if you were gonna do a Mass Effect RTS you'd definitely want space combat to be part of the game" [source]

Chat asked "What DA game would you remake?" Mark replied "I don't know, that's hard to say, some of the older ones are too a product of their time to easily be remade" [source]

Chat asked "How complex was Origins to make in terms of gameplay?" Mark replied, "I'm not sure what you're asking in terms of complexity of gameplay, it's a very long game with a lot of abilities. The underlying rules are not, it's not as intricate in terms of individual bits of balance as something like a shooter, lootershooter or fighting game is. RPGs are more about, sort've piling enough stuff on it so that it kind've gets balanced through volume as opposed to balanced through individual bits of, through the actual core mechanic. Honestly one of the issues with Anthem is that I think that a lot of the people on the team weren't familiar with that style of development, and so the inner most core of that game isn't tuned to the same degree that potentially a shooter company like Bungee would do" [source]

"Lyrium [potions] restore mana, I think. Which we have never explained"

Chat asked "Why are party members auto-levelled to the same level as the party/main character when you get them in Origins? I.e. in Knights of the Old Republic they were always level 6." Mark replied "the reason they're odd levelled is exactly because of KOTOR. If they're not odd levelled, what was happening was a lot of people just never levelled them up, so you ended up taking a character and they were Level 6 and they just died [source]

"The Leliana thing [Leliana coming back in DA:I if she was killed in DA:O], it's pretty weak but an explanation was given. A lot of the other ones are.. not even bothered to be given" [source]

On-screen Leliana had dialogue telling the Chantry's version of the story of how the Golden City became Black and the Magisters released the Taint. "I don't think the Chantry is lying so much as applying an argument on top of something they don't really understand" [source]

(pls note that in places there is a bit of paraphrasing of the info, the best source is always the primary source with full quotes in their original context)

[yuenthevoices]

Hanzo Shimada x (former) Servant!Reader

ok so- we all know the Shimada family was like, rich rich, right? imagine being a worker at shimada castle - just this average person working as a servant (probably with great pay ngl) when they were younger, and many years later seeing the heir of the family you used to work for being the hanamura equivalent of batman.

Younger Hanzo would be both easier yet harder to interact with, given your position.

Physically, it wouldn't be much of a problem to find him. Working at Shimada Castle would make it much easier, that's for sure.

On the other hand, he'd be harder to reach emotionally. Both because of clan expectations he'd no doubt be constantly trying and training to live up to, as well as the fact that he isn't naturally a social person.

Easiest solution? Don't try to interact with him. At least, don't try too hard.

If you work at the castle for long enough, being a consistent enough presence to become simply a familiar part part of Shimada Castle, he'll grow more open to you. As open as he knows how to be, anyway.

Hanzo strikes me as the type to favor routines, or at least the familiarity that comes with it.

Say you were the one assigned to bring him tea every so often. Maybe you knew enough about tea to be able to recommend blends to his preference, or you simply were assigned the role.

Overtime, he'd subtly begin to open up - asking about the tea blend you've decided on this time, perhaps even complimenting your choice of tea to serve.

If you work for the Shimada Clan long enough, he'd probably even notice if you were gone for a day, asking you the next time you bring him his tea.

However, despite this familiarity, I'm not sure if he would ever consider you a friend T-T. He'd most likely still see you as a staff member, maybe an acquaintance? Perhaps unrealized crush as well.

If you ever did develop a crush on Hanzo while working for the Shimada Clan, fully expect Genji to find out, regardless of if you've ever even talked to him.

Genji would tease either you or Hanzo no matter if you had a crush or not - nudging Hanzo whenever you walked within eyesight and pointing you out to him as 'his favorite servant', or following you around asking you questions while you were just trying to do your job.

After the Shimada Clan falls however, that would be...interesting.

Years after leaving your job as a servant to the Shimada Clan, just trying to make your way home through the streets at night, you'd run into him again.

Your reunion could vary from watching him take out a bunch of thugs from a rooftop to meeting again at a teashop or cafe.

Regardless of how you meet, you two do meet again. I'd imagine for Hanzo it'd be a bit bittersweet - seeing someone from his past, from before he lost everything, yet who's also a familiar face who he felt at least somewhat comfortable with.

He wouldn't open up immediately of course, but it'd be a bit easier to connect with him before, now that there wasn't a social class dynamic-thing happening anymore.

You'd most likely be the one to have to work to maintain contact between the two of you. Being the first to ask him things, message him, etc.

If you take that time however, he'd certainly become closer than you. Perhaps even realizing his unrealized crush from his youth.

If he were to develop/redevelop a crush on you, he'd certainly have to go to either Genji or Kiriko, both of which would most likely give him some version of - 'wow, you just realized?' - as a response, before giving varying advice, but none of which he finds helpful.

I'm not quite sure if he'd ever have the courage to ask you out. If he did however, it'd either be the most romantic scene every, or on accident with pure comedic timing.

anyways this is all i've got for now, maybe i'll write a proper one shot with this scenario later!

[darkangel1791]

Random Thoughts on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier:

I am aware that every line in every scene is there for dramatic and/or comedic purposes. So there's no need to point that out. It isn't that I didn't get the point or the joke. This is also nothing against Amy Aquino, who plays Dr. Raynor. This is just an opinion piece based on the reality that the show wants us to accept.

Trigger warnings for mental health and mental health treatment, and power dynamics.

From an actual standpoint of mental health and therapy, in 2024, Dr. Raynor is a terrible therapist.

So many reasons! Let's start with when she said to Bucky "The government wants to make sure you aren't gonna (mimes stabbing people)". A therapist, of all people, would always use their words! Always! Bucky communicates verbally, so the therapist must also. If she was afraid to say it to Bucky then she shouldn't have brought it up. Also, if she hasn't caught on yet that Bucky's major problem is that he was a killer and that haunts him, Bucky should have a different therapist. So she shouldn't have approached such a sensitive topic in such a flippant way. That would just make him shut down.

I think this plan about making a list and making amends with the 3 rules was something she put in place as part of his treatment plan. Doesn't seem like the sort of thing Bucky would come up with on his own, and I doubt that the government would condone him making contact with former Hydra members or families of his victims unless it was part of a sanctioned treatment plan, at least. That shows that as a therapist, she is results driven. If a results driven therapist asks if you're having nightmares, they will next want to know what you are doing to alleviate the problem. So Bucky most likely says no because he knows she doesn't actually care about the nightmares. They have probably already had that conversation once. When Sam asks the same question, Bucky says "All the time," without hesitation. Also, if she was any kind of a therapist, she would have asked enough questions to know that Bucky isn't having nightmares, he is having flashbacks, which is a different mental process.

"Give me your phone." No, absolutely not! That tramples on so many privacy boundaries, it is unreal! It is also a misuse of power, and the power dynamic, because what if he says no? She has the power to tell the government that he is a dangerous psychopath and get him locked away forever.

But, after invading his privacy in this way, she uses the information she gets to criticize and mock him? No. That is doubling down on the abuse of the power dynamic.

"What do you want now?"

"Peace."

"THAT IS UTTER BULLSHIT!"

Ummmmm, no. If a client is lying to the therapist, or to themselves, you deal with it in a completely different way. Yelling is never okay. Telling a person with mental health problems that you don't believe what they are saying, calling them a liar, is not treatment. She gives no context for why she thinks that is a lie, or why she thinks Bucky would lie to her. Or why she thinks that he would lie about that subject.

Finally, the notebook thing is absolutely passive aggressive. "You don't talk, I write." That is psychological manipulation. I can only imagine that whatever she writes is used in the weekly report she sends to the government. What if she writes that he is being uncooperative? The parole is revoked, he gets locked up. So she is putting him in a situation where he is forced to say something. But not about his true problems, nor will it be truthful information. We see that he lies to her when describing what he did to cross the most recent name off of the list. Which, of course he does! Along with that, step 3, being forced to identify yourself as the Winter Soldier and by name as who you are now, is incredibly dangerous and puts him in a very vulnerable position. That entire thing is completely out of whack with good, safe, mental health treatment.

I'm sure I have left things out, but this is long enough already. I'll do another post on the second session that we see.

Again ymmv, your mileage may vary. Meaning that these opinions are mine alone. They do not invalidate yours, or anyone else's who has written or spoken on the subject. No offense is meant. Your view of the subject is valid and I am not trying to negate that view by expressing my own.

In closing, when you first enter the office of a therapist, take pictures of, or write down, the information on the credentials they have displayed. If there are no credentials displayed, ask why and what their credentials are. If your therapist ever makes you feel threatened or ridiculed, don't go back! Ever! And report them to whatever organization their displayed licenses are from.

Dr. Raynor was a terrible therapist pt. 2

[bogleech]

what is awful hospital ?

I was gonna write a short little answer but then two more people asked and this ballooned into a bigger summary, so: Awful Hospital is an ongoing interactive webseries I make that begins here, its events guided in variable ways by reader comments! I'm told there should be warnings for elements of gore, body horror, contamination, delusion, unreality, death and violence but it's heavily comedic and visually cartoonish; I personally think the closest thing to its style of "horror" would be Courage the Cowardly Dog.

The story focuses on a single mother, Fern, who wakes up alone in a surreal, dreamlike hospital full of equally odd entities - just one "zone" of reality's true abstract form - where she learns that her infant son has been taken in for the treatment of an unknown illness that may threaten the entire stability of existence. Unfortunately, the Hospital zone is already in an advanced state of deterioration by Fern's arrival, and the vast alien minds of its staff have lost much of their grip on logic. It quickly becomes evident that almost all hope rests on "simpler" beings with more "limited" perceptions of existence, like Fern's own human self.

The challenge faced by Fern (and the audience along with her) is that she has no frame of reference for what's actually supposed to be "normal" or "abnormal" in her surroundings, and most of the beings she encounters are just as lost, all experiencing their own subjective simultaneous realities even before those realities began to unravel and bleed together. Her worst enemy is culture shock, having to extrapolate a context for everything she encounters on the fly if she's to piece together any shaky understanding of what went wrong or how it can be fixed.

Much of the story progresses through roleplay-style dialog sessions with different sentient creatures, hostile monster encounters, and puzzles based on dream logic, cartoon physics or even dumb puns (like a literal mouse working as a computer mouse, as long as enough commenters believe it should) all while avoiding doctors and nurses who mean well but have lost too much of their senses to the ongoing corruptive anomaly.

Some things that influenced Awful Hospital include Silent Hill, Eraserhead, Gregory Horror Show, The Phantom Tollbooth, Hitchhiker's Guide and James and the Giant Peach, but I think what goes into it the most is just an extreme exaggeration of how confusing everyday life can be with neurodivergence. Nothing around her is currently making any sense to Fern or the same sense to anyone else she encounters, but if she doesn't convincingly react as if it does then there's an above-zero chance that one single incorrect choice might irreversibly and catastrophically ruin everything forever. It's about the most disastrous day you could ever possibly have adapting to an unfamiliar situation, and the day never ends because space-time itself isn't what you thought it was and everyone thinks you're an idiot for not already knowing something so basic. Worse still, you're the only one who notices or cares how dirty everything is.

[smytherines]

for the character ask game, owen carvour (no surprises there) and 25?

Oooohhh, first impressions of Owen.

Well, going into SAF for the first time, literally all I knew was that it starred perpetual wet cat Ted Spankoffski (and the Sniggle who was always doing the most in the background of the Sniggle jingle). That's it. I thought Ted was funny, and I was very into TGWDLM at the time, but I didn't really think of Joey Richter beyond comedic relief at that point (oh what a fool I was).

And I am an absolute sucker for a British accent and beautiful hair, so I remember several times saying "oh wow, I can't believe this is a universe where Ted Spankoffski is cool as hell. This guy fucks for sure." He came across as cool and competent and beautiful and very in line with the Pierce Brosnan James Bond to me.

Which is so funny to me now, because Owen Carvour might be one of the most pathetic down bad losers of all time. He is competent and cool in A1P1, but post-fall Owen is the sloppiest, messiest bitch possible, it's just unreal. He's constantly dropping his big plans in front of Curt and then dramatically bending over to pick them up. He's constantly like "notice me notice me notice me please god notice me" and Curt just does not.

He wants to playact at being a villain who is playing 12 dimensional chess, but has to outright feed his plan to Curt and actively bait him to get Curt to follow him. He has like 40 chances to easily kill Curt, but just can't make it happen. Like... he is so, soooo pathetic. He's wretched.

I mean that's catnip to me, I love a pathetic beautiful man, but I don't really think of Owen as the hypercompetent Bond archetype anymore, because oof he is absolutely cringe for most of the show.

So I guess my opinions on him changed in a big way, but maybe not the way people would expect?

[marciabrady]

TAGGED: TEN CHARACTERS YOU IDENTIFY WITH (&&&either add what you admire about each, or what it is that connects you to them!)

Ilene Woods' Cinderella: I love how humble, fun-loving, and enduring she is. I identify with her concentrated efforts to put her best foot forward and to try to keep from succumbing to her environment. While she sometimes feels she falls short at leading by example, frayed from everyday wear, she ultimately triumphs against all odds, alighted by her sense of worth, her steadfast industriousness, and prospers in turning the tide and creating a successful counterculture, all of which is inspiring to me. Marcia Brady: The personification of Leo energy; every notable actress who's ever played her is a Leo, and for good reason. She's magnetic, radiant, moral- without being sanctimonious- and a natural leader. Adriana Caselotti's Snow White: Her buoyant joy, resiliency, and never-ending humor create a beacon of light wherever she goes. I love how much a complete individual she is and how resourceful she is in forging a new life for herself, even when she's left with nothing. She never allows her misfortunes to change who she is, and I wish I had more of her compassion, purity, strength, and unaffected kindness. Blanche Devereaux: Blanche turns the act of living into a performance. The simplest run at the grocery store or day at work is suddenly a gripping, page-turning adventure, complete with anticipation, glamour, and a glossy lexicon. She's riveting and, while she has the same insecurities that many of us do, I admire the way she shows up for her friends. Katrina Van Tassel: This character is pure vibes for me. I love how mysterious and to-herself she is, while very clearly exhibiting motivations, a personality, and wants and needs. She isn't gauche in any way, tasteful in everything, and she practically invented the word coquette. Gilda: I think most everyone has a lot of Gilda in them. Someone who's easy touched and still influenced by many of their past haunts, but does their best to keep it from surfacing and letting their emotions get the best of them. I love the glamour and energy that exudes from Gilda effortlessly, and how layered she is. Ethel Mertz: I always think about that quote, "Lucy threw pies while Ethel threw shade." I love Lucy, but Ethel was always the standout for me. Her comedic timing was impeccable, her singing voice was unreal, and she represented so much of what I love about the older women in my life. Her sense of self is fixed, she's comfortable about her place in the world and has discovered who she is. She's such a loyal friend and has the type of talent that comes only from a lifetime of concentrated effort. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's fire, passion, and complicated nature is something I've continued to revisit from the first time that I've met her. She's messy, flawed, but so vulnerable, authentic, and likable that you can't help but root for her. I think anyone who's LGBTQIA+ can identify with her struggles but, beyond that, I love how true to herself she is, refusing to be tainted by the prejudices of others. She's just generally a very active, restless character with so many ebbs and tides of thoughts, feelings, and desires. Rapunzel (from the original Brothers Grimm fairytale): Out of the fairytale princesses, Rapunzel always spoke to me the most. I always loved the princess in the tower archetype and her hair being such a central point of the plot- and harkening back to the sun- is a very Leo quality, in my opinion. I think the fairytale Rapunzel has a lot of the same spirit and energy that Aurora in the animated Sleeping Beauty carries. Mary Costa's Aurora: This character changed my life in so many ways. She brought my best friends to me, started me down the path of writing, and has enriched my life in so many ways. I'm mesmerized by her enchanted, romantic quality, the all-encompassing way she loves, her sense of duty, obligation, and loyalty to those around her, her keen sense of humor, how she wants to give the best of herself to everyone, the unending source of love that springs from her...I could go on forever.

tagged by: @drinksattheendoftheworld (thank you!!!)

tagging: everyone!! but, off the top of my head in no particular order other than alphabetical - @arthina @bettedavis @deforest @deliachase @disneydayandnight @gavillain @magistera @margotfonteyns @muzikalsiren @oozmart @peasantbarbie @princessnostalgia @royalhans @sparklejamesysparkle @the-blue-fairie

[ystrike1]

Tsurenai Hodo Aokute Azatoi Kurai ni Akai - by Tomomi (9/10)

The best yandere stories do not have the label on them. A story has to be a story to be engaging. Seeing obsession develop is a million times more fun than watching some guy with a knife say the same cliche lines. This one is different. It deals with gender identity and sexuality. It's about a non-binary person (?) and a young man who is insatiably curious.

Arata is annoying. He's "too much". When he gets interested in something he rips it apart. He's the kind of guy that believes in local legends. He's the weird kid down the street that believes in ghosts. He will eat weird things like bugs, because he wants to know what buggy foreign dishes taste like. He's an adventurous guy at heart, and everybody knows he's weird.

He can't hide it. He doesn't even try to.

He's obsessively curious. He doesn't care about things like consequences or danger. I think he is a "problem child", but he's not violent. He is just very Not Normal. Is he evil? No. Definitely not. His obsession with learning and knowing things is kind of innocent when you think about it, but he is way too passionate. He is a very unique protagonist.

I thought this was going to be funny. The comedic timing in this panel is unreal. It made me laugh twice, but then I got punched. This is a very dark series. It's not something you should read if you're not ready to think. I had to grapple with some of the tough ideas the author presented.

Arata starts obsessing about a person, not a thing, for the first time. That person is Hayami. Hayami is the school beauty, but they wear pants sometimes. Their "true gender" is a secret. Everybody wants to sleep with Hayami. Men and women have been lured in by Hayami's undeniable beauty. Usually, this would be a joke. Sexy crossdressing characters are sort of common in manga. Hayami is supposed to be a temptress that Arata fixates on, but that doesn't really happen.

Hayami invites Arata into a bathroom. A couple of boys notice how weird Arata looks. Hayami is his current target. He can't look away. Hayami is The Thing he is Obsessed With, and he doesn't know how to deal with that feeling. Hayami isn't a thing that can be researched, and Hayami is very secretive. Arata loves tearing into secrets.

Hayami makes a deal with Arata. Hayami is also interested in Arata, but in a different way. Arata sees Hayami as a challenge to unravel and study. Hayami seems to sort of have a crush on Arata, but they are very reserved. It's clear that Hayami's status as an exotic sex symbol has affected the way they view themself.

Hayami offers sex. Arata almost has sex with Hayami, but he stops. He realizes that this is some sort of test. If he really wants to learn about Hayami he has to resist. He has to be patient. Hayami is pleased. They kind of start dating. Hayami basically tells Arata they can't have sex for a whole year. If Arata is willing to wait that long they can be together, and Hayami will tell Arata everything he wants to know.

Arata's feelings for Hayami are not very healthy, but everyone else treats Hayami like a sex object. If they do become a couple after a year I think that would be nice. Arata doesn't seem to explicitly care about Hayami's gender. He has just found "a person" that he's curious about, instead of an object or a local legend. Arata's unhinged curiosity is better...than being a fetish treat for one of their admirers. Arata is kind of Hayami's best option.

It's pretty clear that the other students in school fetishize Hayami. That has really affected Hayami. It's implied that Hayami doesn't care about their own gender, but everyone else does. Hayami is even willing to date Arata as a man or a woman if they make it through one sexless year.

Arata is new to love. He can't differentiate between obsession and a crush. He's shocked when Hayami appears in his house. His current obsession is now mutually obsessed with him.

That was unexpected.

It's hard to tell who the yandere is, but it doesn't matter. Obsession is the core theme here.

There's some (totally consensual) blood kink stuff in this because yes of course Arata wants to taste Hayami.

Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you're curious, and you want an answer?

(Hayami's gender identity may not be genderfluid or non-binary. They have not come out, even though they do crossdress in public. We may find out by the end, but we may not.)

[fatestayyuri]

Finished Ward Act 2.

thoughts under cut.

I live in hell, lament.

I don't mean to be a hater more than like, what's comedic in the liveblogs to sell the bit. but also whenever i give this fucking serial an inch it throws sand in my eyes and spits on my face. when i go "oh this interaction with children is sweet, i'm glad that Vicky is at least to get some measure of comfort vicariously" they hit me with the "actually one of them might be powered so we have to funnel them into the paramiltary death squad fasttrack" and "Victoria is now going to be a freelance strikebreaker, but this time with Less Oversight". she also wants to fuck her therapist so like, sure. fuck it. i guess we're at that point now.

it's so fucked up very clearly seeing the artifice surrounding the actual genuine compelling core of the story of someone with terminal copbrain due to her trauma and upbringing learning to heal get fucking, impaled fourteen hundred times over by Wildbow moments. There's nascent themes here! of healing! of loss! of taking uneasy, shaky steps forward and trying to mesh the inherent hypocrisy of knowing your abuser deserves a second chance but feeling like that you'd rather kill both of you than be the one to give it to them. I Get It. i really do. but also please stop framing the strikebreaking like it's a good thing.

Sorry i just need to go on here to say that it's supremely funny to me that throwing cars in front of people during a panicked evacuation because they disrespected her Special Baby Girl authority is AFTER all of the conflict counselling is so fucking good. Like??? this is after, huh. it's okay since civies aren't people i suppose, just cargo and luggage

I'm not actually sure if wildbow knows what a strike is. "they're not striking, the two construction groups have just banded together to withhold labor", you say? I don't know maybe it's an intentional oversight on the character's part but at least mention that, goddamn. was he really that proud of the insult Glory Hole to use it twice, too? every time he tries to be witty i genuinely sink into my seat and start boiling alive in second-hand shame. that flirting scene was fucking terrible and the "wow so witty" he gave himself was fucking terrible.

^Wild thing to put slip in there, by the way. "yeah they acted like a union, y'know, making sure the kids were educated, sane, not being SLUTS, not being abused, etc etc"

These writeups aren't edited or like cohesive or coherent at all almost entirely because if wildbow doesn't feel the need to why should i. fuck off, it's ward.

oh right! the therapy group! the therapy group pisses me off so much dude I hate that i love them all i hate that their dynamics are good i hate that they have good chemistry and play off each other and that they feel believable and I hate that i'm gonna read more of this just to see them. Fuck me

uhhh lemme just go down the list... I haven't been given enough information on Chris but I'm liking what i'm seeing tbh, he's cagey and kind of idealistic but also he's like. 13. that's just how they are it's very convincing

Kenzie is good! i like her! she[realises i'm gonna write "is very convincing and compelling for all of these] uhhhhh mirrors a lot of the hangups i had as a kid but also I do in fact completely understand why everyone else wanted me Not In Danger back then

Ashley is too good and hot for Victoria "Cop" Dallon. that is all.

Byron and Tristan are a really interesting character concept to me actually; I have cogent thoughts whirling around in my brain but the only joke i have is that what if they starred in a variant of All or Nothing wouldn't that be fucked up

Rain O' Fire Frazier. She's so trans-coded it's unreal. I love her and how fucked up she is and how she's literally just in this to not get Murderized by her metaphorical family. Girl Same. It is really funny that she gets introduced with a functional kanji pun,

shows up with all her shit fucked up and cracked,

and then leaves with the closest thing of explicit lesbianism that Wildbow has written other than Victoria Dallon's weird thing with the milf therapist.

but from what i hear of Wildbow i'm pretty sure he'll add in a passage about her wanting to settle down with a nice Decidedly Male guy and get pregnant or whatever.

the main thing about Sveta is that she goes "well i *see* myself as disabled" while being like. a quadruple amputee. girl if you are not disabled who is

god. i love these characters. it's such a shame that they're gonna become cops. i hate it here. i hate that i'm gonna read like 1.8 million more words of this. fuck me. fuuuuuuuuuuck.

all in all 7/10 so far

[spookspark]

The Kindness of Bocchi the Rock

Reposted from my blog over here. Spoilers for the whole show.

Seasonal sensation anime Bocchi the Rock! draws most of its comedic material from its severely socially disfunctional titular lead. It would’ve been easy for BTR to fall into mean-spirited jokes at the expense of her personality, but no matter how much a disaster Bocchi ends up being at a given time the comedy never actually feels like it is punching down on her, and instead serves to make her all the more endearing and relatable to the audience, a character one can feel themselves rooting for without question. BTR achieves this by the multi-faceted nature of its narrative and characters, expertly blending expressionist comedy and realist seriousness to tell its story about personal growth and the meaning of expression in niche art.

Across BTR’s twelve episode runtime Bocchi will explode, glitch out in real life, cause Drakengard ending E and be hurled through unrendered 3D space into a pile of white cubes. The immense creativity the anime staff displayed in depicting Bocchi’s frequent neurotic outbursts is a big part of what makes the show so continuously fun and engaging. But this highly imaginative approach to animation is contrasted by the dead seriousness of the technical mastery with which the show’s performances and more important moments are animated; Scenes like episode 8’s impressive performance and posterior intimate exchange between Bocchi and Nijika are animated in a wholly non-comedic, realistic manner that respects the characters’ serious attitude in those moments.

This contrast between expressionism and realism are what makes BTR’s comedy never feel mean. The audience is not simply laughing at Bocchi having a meltdown, but rather at the entirely unreal manner in which they are depicted: The onus of the comedy is not in Bocchi’s anxiety, but rather in the subjetivization of the experience for the audience. We see Bocchi’s anxiety in first-person, immersing ourselves in her own struggle, the result being a show in which any comedy born from her lack of social ability is one that is not laughing *at* her, but rather *with* her, in a manner in which the audience can relate to her experiences and find laughter not on her anxiety, but on the imaginative ways in which she feels it.

But this wouldn’t work on its own; were BTR only a full-blown comedy and anxiety was everything Bocchi was, the show might’ve still come out as mean-spirited. But anxiety is not everything that characterizes Bocchi: She might not see it herself, but the show depicts her as an incredibly driven person who, despite her difficulty to do so, is nevertheless trying to change for the better. BTR’s comedy is often found in these attempts, but not so much in the failure of them. The show might laugh at the bizarre ideas she comes up with to fit in, but has nothing but respect for the willpower she displays in learning music and in her desire to better herself. And it ultimately pays off: Bocchi at last finds in Kessoku Band and the other characters she meets along the way friendship and support, and people willing to love her anxiety-ridden self as is.

This wouldn’t really be anything special if the rest of Kessoku Band weren’t so remarkably independent compared to other kirara-type shows of the kind. This type of slice of life depends heavily on the group chemistry that develops between its protagonist group and, as is natural, screentime tends to be heavily devoted to their interactions with each other, and the development of a cast comprised mainly of kind people who like each other. Bocchi follows this trend too, of course, and most of the time we’ll be made witness to the time our pink friend spends with the rest of Kessoku. But while Bocchi is naturally the focal point of the show she gives her name to, BTR smartly sets aside enough time to provide glimpses into the individual lives of the other members: Nijika is shown doing housework and even practicing while cooking, hinting at the absence of her parents prior to the episode 8 reveal; Kita is shown spending time with her other nameless friends, and chronic loner Ryo often ditches any companionship whatsoever to spend time alone with her music, while possibly coming up with new ideas on how to mooch off Bocchi the next time she sees her. 

And while Bocchi is certainly the protagonist of the show, she is by no means the protagonist of Kessoku Band. The band does not center around her, but is one where all members have their own place, and the relationships between the characters echo this: Nijika’s banter with Ryo is distinct from the kindness with which treats Bocchi and Kita, displaying a tsukkomi attitude to the antics of the bassist with a naturality that speaks to the confidence they have in each other as friends who have known each other for a longer time. Ryo started the band with Nijika to get to play the music she wanted, and Kita just wanted to get in the pants of the aforementioned.

The reasons for everyone to play in the band are different, and no matter how skilled she is, Bocchi’s presence is one more of the bunch, what she brings to the band being not a higher contribution than the others’. It was even the opposite initially, with Bocchi’s first performance with Nijika and Ryo being a failure due to her own inexperience playing in a group.

And yet they both stuck with her, and happily welcomed to the band, quickly becoming friends and improving together. Because, in spite of her total lack of social skills and initial apparently lackluster musicianship, Bocchi is still a fundamentally kind and likeable person who, while she might think of it as her being unable to say no, still remained in the band to repay them the kindness they showed her by giving her the little slice of Earth to belong to that she so strongly craved. It is this willingness to stand by her new friends, and to coach Kita, that in turn leads them to develop genuine affection and friendship with her. And as these characters have been repeatedly established as having lives of their own both in and outside the band, this love they hold for Bocchi is not simply a narrative contrivance to keep the story going, but rather comes across as a choice these characters conciously make not for the skilled guitarist “guitarhero”, but for the socially anxious mess who nevertheless made the effort to help and stand by them.

The duality between Bocchi’s online persona and her real self speaks to her growth as a character, and to what the show has to say about self expression. As “guitarhero” Bocchi displays a high level of skill and substantial popularity, but this fame came through the covering of already popular songs; her internet persona is a faceless entity who plays others’ already popular music just for the sake of achieving fame, sending these skilled but hollow renditions into the equally faceless masses of the net. As Hitori Gotoh the newly minted Kessoku guitarist, however, she is completely unknown and needs to work on her skills, but for the first time in her life is playing her own songs with her own lyrics, gloomy and depressing as they might be. And it is easy to see which of these personas earns her more fulfillment.

Because, ultimately, Bocchi the Rock! is a rejection of the idealized rose-tinted life experience of the mainstream seishun rock Bocchi can’t stand, and a wish to remain deep in the trenches together with the little unkown niche bands and artists that might never make it big, but nevertheless put their heart and soul in the music they make, no matter how commercially undesirable it might be. Guitarhero’s music is popular, but Bocchi’s music is genuine, art that is born from who she is and what she has experienced.

Episode six brings a cathartic moment to Bocchi’s journey as she plays a street performance to a small audience. These performances too are an expression of a deeply niche art, existing only as one-off instances that are gone in the wind once the music ends, never to return again. But as we all know, this kind of performer will always have an attentive audience listening to their music. For Bocchi, this leads her to realizing that she never had any enemies in the audience, that music listeners aren’t people who she need comply to mainstream tastes to make interested, but people who want to listen to her sound. Bocchi the Rock! believes that as long you sing from the heart, there will always be someone willing to listen to you.

The climactic performance of episode 8 marks another step in her growth as a person. Bocchi had already come to the realization that someone will listen to her, but what about the band she belongs to? The people who had given her a home, friendship, and the possibility of change? Bocchi’s stellar guitar solo intro to “That Band” isn’t simply a wish for the audience to love them, to love her, but an expression of the love she feels for her fellow bandmates: To give them the motivation to display their musicianship, their art, their expression, their goals, to the best extent of their capabilities, in the same manner they had given her the possibility to do the same.

Episode 11 ends with a cliffhanger showing a rapid cut of the spaces previously inhabited by Bocchi. Spaces that once boxed her in but were nevertheless important for her growth as a musician are now recontextualized by her absence: The concert hall is giving her the green light to go, Jimihen faithfully awaits the return of his family, and the closet she spent so much time confined to is now open without her inside, the light shining on her room through the open curtains. The couple of songs they perform for the school festival still keep the fairly gloomy lyricism of before, but at the same time hold a more optimistic outlook on her present and a recognition of the people important to her. The guitar she had borrowed from her father breaks, prompting her to buy a new one that would be now be truly her own, playing no longer the music of others but hers.

Bocchi the Rock! is ultimately a very kind-hearted show. Bocchi’s growth is enabled by the network of supportive friends and acquaintances she unwittingly makes by pure happenstance, people who love and accept her for who she is, and wish to stand by her even in her worst moments. And that is what Bocchi the Rock! is saying: That when it comes down to it, there really is nothing inherently wrong or unlikable about her. Bocchi must change, wants to change, but this change does not mean to the conforming of a socially appropriate existence, to the living of the idealized youth life of seishun rock, but a change that would have her accept the love she receives from those who care about her just the way she is, and to achieve the willingness to return that love and express herself. Shine on, you crazy tsuchinoko.

[mineonmain]

Thai QL Favorites Tag Game

Tagged by @telomeke ^u^ slay

Credit: this game was created by @thatgirl4815 as Thai BL Favorites Tag Game.

Favorite Thai QL: Bad Buddy was my first and probably till date my fav. What a way to start. Very few BLs overall have lived up to the unreal standard that this show set, and no matter what all has happened IRL since the airing of the show, this show has a place in my heart that nothing is going to ever replace. It's the show that revived my love and passion for TV shows after years. This show (ep 5 4/4 👀) changed my brain chemistry, without exaggeration. P'Aof i'm chewing on your furniture until you pay for my therapy. [Other favs are MLC, ATOTS, UWMA, Between Us, MSP]

Favorite Pairing: I guess i'll talk about actor pairings but onscreen, not how they are offscreen. EarthMix is absolutely one of my favs, they bring a maturity, natural-ness, and intensity to their acting that I've rarely found in other GMMTV pairings. I'm also gonna mention FourthGem because they're the GMM young blood and I think they've got an incredible amount of potential. We've already seen their range in MLC and MSP, and I think they're going to be huge. I have a huge soft spot for BounPrem (but I may be biased lol), and this may be a lukewarm take but I really enjoyed BillySeng, I thought they had some incredible onscreen chemistry.

Most underrated actor: Oh jeez where do I start. Gotta mention Fourth - he's not really underrated but he's just starting out, but I can already see he's got the chops and with the right training and right directors he's absolutely Going Placed. Shout out to Fluke Natouch, that boy does emotional scenes like no one else. Special shoutout to Tonnam - he's supposed to be starring in his first BL as a main character this year, idk if that's still on schedule or not, but every character he's ever played so far has been a hit in my book. His comedic timing is unparalleled for me, it never fails to hit.

Favorite Character: How do I choose!! Pat Napat is so dear to me??? As is Ae from LBC???? Tutor from Why R U???? Team from Between Us?? I've got so many different little blorbos it's impossible to choose. They're all pocket sized to me. Making me choose is a crime.

Favorite Side Character: Idk why but the first one that comes to mind is View from Between Us. He's absolutely Little Bro, but he's also so sweet and genuine and full of love??? He's annoying bc all little brothers are genetically coded to be annoying but he's impossible not to love. His smile is healing. You can't take him away from me.

Favorite scene in a QL: Bad Buddy Ep 5 4/4. This was the scene that actually broke me. The lead up to the scene, the subtle but deliberate choices that both the characters made. Pat gritting himself to go talk to Pran bc if there's one thing he doesn't do it's avoid people and situations. Pran resigning himself to the conversation bc he can't avoid it any longer. Pat finally saying exactly how he's been feeling less than a business day after he had the realisation himself, bc the moment he feels something and decides it he has to act on it. The music swelling in the background. Pran realising that he's been projecting his fears onto Pat this entire time, that Pat has always feel differently about him too. Pran asking the question to break it all, wording in one way where he was expecting one kind of answer, not expecting that it would be interpreted in an entirely different way and would rock the foundation of their already teetering relationship. Pran asking if they want to be friends, because the alternative would be to be enemies. Pat hearing 'do you want to be only friends', and realising that that would never be enough for the both of them. Pat seeing that Pran is scared, and realising that he has to have courage enough for the both of them. Pat taking the deepest and shakiest breath of his life, swallowing down his fear and trepidation, voice trembling saying 'no'. This is the scariest thing that Pat has ever had to do, but how he'd rather do this than lose Pran again. Them both taking a step towards each other, because this is a decision not of one but of equals, mutual as they have always been. Pat treating this like his first kiss, like a relief of finally knowing the answer to a question that has long plagued him, like the start of something, going into it with utter joy and coming out of it with complete bliss, because the world finally makes sense. Pran treating this like his last kiss, like the end of everything they had ever been or ever could be, like he was going to milk this for everything it was worth because he was never going to get a chance to do this ever again, going into it with fear and desperation, and coming out of it with heartache and resignation, because they had lost everything they had and couldn't get it back. Pat crying tears of joy because he finally found what he was looking for, and Pran crying tears of pain because he got to experience for the first and last time what he would never be allowed to have but had longed for all of his life. Yeah I'm so normal about this show.

Favorite line in a QL: I mean. I literally said it all above, but yeah. 'If we're not enemies, could we be friends?' 'Do you want to be friends?' 'No.'

Most Anticipated QL (& why): I don't honestly know?? But I do wanna see the Thai remake of Cherry Magic, I'm interested in seeing how they're gonna treat it differently from the source show, esp since Thai shows have a tendency to bit more high heat and the original show was all about the tenderness of falling for someone because of their goodness.

Healthiest relationship in a QL: oooh i gotta go for TinnGun from MSP, they're just so lovable. Yes it's a highschool relationship but it was presented so sweetly without coming across as childish, and my boy Tinn is the ultimate green flag. Also even tho I'm not personally a SaifahZon fan (they're not my cup of tea) I think they're incredibly healthy.

Most toxic relationship in a QL: TharnType (i'm mostly looking at you Tharn), most of the KP pairings (the T in Theerapanyakuls stands for needs Therapy), early RainPhayu (i'm sorry but pigtail-pulling on the playground to show you like someone is very kindergarten behavior Phayu), LianKuea (go ahead girlbosses who gaslight and gatekeep).

Guilty pleasure series: I honestly don't know if anything I like counts as a guilty pleasure. Maybe SCOY?? Because I know there's a lot of people who don't like it and find it cringe but I think they're all kind of missing the point. I could write a mini-essay about this show too but i'll save that for another day.

Most underrated series: Ingredients (Baby Jeff!!), My Only 12% (It absolutely deserved more love and hype).

Tagging: @antisocial-burrito @liyazaki @webetterlove @bisexualhedgehog @shortpplfedup @whatisgodtoanonbeliever @onstoryladders @respectthepetty @heesulovebot @gunsatthaphan @incandescentflower @rythyme @elevatormusic @vegaspetesupremicy

[lonesomedotmp3]

I have deeply urgent things to do so clearly it's time for the final lost rankings of season one

1. kate - she's so crazy... you always want to run away katie!!

2. sayid... 🫶 when he was the first one to speak at boone's funeral graugh

3. jack. he's been serving like crazy lately it's insane. do no harm was just unreal. and I won't spoil for beth but that thing he did in exodus. his beautiful stupid hero complex <3 literally if he had absolute power he would keep it really niceys!!

4. sun. I don't have much to say she makes me feel a lot of things I really like her

5. shannon. every time she does something I find compelling she does something irritating like right after but of course I'm a feminist and I'm working on it. she's had some really good scenes though like her and walt... ugh 😿

6. jin. literally went from wanting him dead to here look how far we've come... he's been slaying sorry. but frankly I DON'TTTT care that he was in the mafia or whatever like to be honest dude I could not give less of a fuck. him just being a guy who can't communicate with the rest of them is inherently compelling and he can have this conflict with sun without it being like. oh well he's just so stressed because he's a contract killer. or whatever he does it's all the same stupid shit. I don't care! on a nicer note I'm obsessed with his little marital odd couple dynamic with micheal where micheal is one of the only ppl who can sort of understand him... they were in love here. or something.

7. boone. he will not be on this list after this and of course he's dead so I'm letting him be this high. his death was devastating lowkey and him dying desperately trying to save them all... whatever 😐 I'm letting you off the hook 😐 WHATEVER!

8. walt. henry mills swag! freaky little kid swag!

9. oh my god I forgot charlie. well if I'm being real he's been flopping lately. am I really gonna make him lower than jin... yeah I am. sorry. he'll win me back soon it won't be hard.

10. hurley. he's fine. him being the comedic side character is kind of getting grating though like I get it we need the silly but. come on...

11. locke. BOOOOOO! he's getting soooooo cocky like sit down bro you literally killed that kid because you're insane... and then calling it * ********* ********* GET OUT!!! he's obviously going to be the main part of a crazyyyy arc next season but he is irritating the hell out of me currently. and an enemy of jack is an enemy of mine...

12. micheal. also fine he has had a few good moments with jin but mostly he's kind of boring and whatever

13. sawyer. I like him much more than I used to! but he still pisses me off. ESPECIALLY after born to run before that I was like ok he can be kinda silly but oh my god keep kate's name out of your mouth she should've poisoned your ass...

whoaaaa I literally forgot about claire. sorry girl you are kind of nothing to me... I'd put her above hurley probably

and while I'm here. best episodes of season one - pilot/the moth/do no harm/exodus part one. <3 ok bye xoxo tee

[t0ast-ghost]

Started watching severance last night with my mom and HOLY WOW every single shot of that is fucking beautiful, THE CINEMATOGRAPHERS, SET DESIGNERS, AND COSTUME DESIGNERS ARE INSANE LIKE WOW BRO

I point at every camera angle and just freak out. I state this with no insincerity: every single shot of this show is amazing.

The seemingly 80s/90s aesthetic but mixed with so many modern things is jarring in such an amazing way

Minor Spoilers for Severance under the line but nothing past the first episode and not much plot description (mostly just adoring the cinematography)

THESE ESTABLISHING SHOTS!!!

SCREAMING

THE USE OF ORANGES AND BLUES IN NOT ONLY MARKS HOUSE BUT ALSO HIS SISTERS (couldn't find a picture of marks house inside but I recommend watching it)

ALSO the fact that mark's work life and home life is not only mentally separated but physically since his house in on the other side of the river from his work.

the dinner party scene is so interesting because of how weird it is, but also it's use of rule of thirds, but whenever it head on focuses on characters it uses the offset symmetry with the lights and the characters head might be tilted or they might be skewed

The way they act in the office almost sometimes seeming comedic or at least carefree violently contracting with the sadness of their home life (also the interesting almost unreal tint to the office)

She scares me but she's got some coolass shots and also HIM he's cool

It's not fair how captivated I was watching this

Okay I'm done for now but I don't expect this show to get worse so there might be another dump at some point in the future. Also I didn't even rant about the story which is also amazing, but that's for another time...

I'd highly recommend this show just after watching the first episode.

[connoisseursdecomfort]

Sorry I still need to rant

I think I am still willing to defend Endo, because he likes things to be extra subtle. Sometimes he likes to add extra details and deliberately does not place the focus of the whole panel on the things he wants you to find.

He plays with allusions and metaphors and hints. He deliberately makes all of his characters unreliable narrators by mixing in exaggerated facts and lies. He doesn’t go for the easy way. He refuses to give his readers an easy answer.

He makes fun of the darkest things, and still succeeds to make you laugh - he is so successful in making fun of the STASI the whole society just feels absurd and unreal, and that’s really exactly what he’s trying to do - the people who were under so much pressure and were so scared, they literally would tell on the ones who were the closest to them, and it does feel absurd. It should not feel real for us.

He tries. Even for the stupidest chapter you can still see him trying. Like why the heck are you drawing so many clothes for Anya in her shopping trip with Becky? That's why I really feel for him. He was just chatting with a bunch of friends who were making fun of him, and because he’s just being his tsundere self, his words have been twisted - no one cared enough to even read that interview.

Sometimes you know he’s making an attempt and that attempt isn’t necessarily a success. And yes, it is disappointing for readers at times. People would be blaming him for “not knowing how to write”.

It takes that much to create something he can enjoy with his readers, and it takes that little for others to just step on what he’s been trying to build for 4 years. That Yor is not mentally strong enough. That Anya is not realistic and good enough. That Loid isn’t interesting or hot enough. That character developments are not character developments because they aren’t what someone on twitter has expected. That his story is too comedic hence superficial.

But I still trust Endo and his editor. I still hope he’s having fun - he does look like he’s having a little bit too much fun on this:

I hope Endo can find a friend in some of his readers.