#the tour just started and they're already overworked..

[moonbinu]

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[joyswonderland1108]

JK deserves better.

I can't believe i keep on coming back to talk about shitty subjects because this damn fandom can't give the boys a rest.

Feel free to disagree, feel free to fucking block me if you do strongly disagree but a gentle reminder, i am here for the tannies and the tannies only. With that being said, FUCK , and i mean this with all disrespect, them JK solos. Fuck all solos but this post is about JK so imma focus on what is going on.

Honestly i have a lot of shit to say but so little organisation in my head that this post might end up becoming a whole ass mess but bear with me. Now if you really do love JK this post will make a lot of sense for you.

Do i start off again by talking about the "world tour" rumors? Yes, let's do that.

World Tour

I guess i've already mentioned this in previous posts but i also want to add a small detail that JK himself talked about. I feel like there's this obsession with JK doing a world tour that is turning into an entitlement uncaring about JK really.. Army want JK to do a world tour, JK himself talked about it, said many times before that if he was to do a world tour it wouldn't be now, not enough songs, not enough time, he also talked not ONCE not TWICE about wanting to reunite with the boys in 2025.

Now the other detail that i wanted to add was the pressure, whether you like it or not, JK WAS pressured, he was supposed to release an EP but somehow in the process he was pressured to take more and that boy had to fucking record 5 songs in the span of a week, he also had a very condensed time frame to get everything ready to release a full length album, well what turned out to be a full length album. We've all seen it, his schedules were hectic AF to the point where JK looked sick at times in the airport, that boy was so fucking tired, Jimin also expressed concern over his health, and who are we to know better than them? The boys see him and know about him more than we will ever do and even they saw how it was fucking tiring for him.

In Suchwita JK mentioned that while yes a world tour is great but FOR NOW he wants to wrap it up with music shows (You'll have to excuse me i'm a whole mess so i'm not sure where to look for ss of exact moments i'm talking about my files are all messy but you know what i'm talking about.. hopefully) Now.. If and i say IF somehow there is a world tour announcement just know that this is part of the whole pressure. I don't even know how to explain it but if JK was pressured into releasing a full length album when he himself said WAY BEFORE that it would be an EP, then don't be surprised that he'd be pressured to do that damn world tour cause some ARMY can't shut the fuck up for the life of them.

Y'all seem to not give two fucks about this man's health, a world tour means even more hectic schedules for JK, instead of wanting that man to fucking rest, get healthy again, and actually wait for him, give him time to be ready physically and mentally, y'all want to rush him into giving you everything all at once because of your own enjoyment forgetting that he is not a machine, that he is a human being that is bound to break at some point.

You would think that after seeing how Yoongi looked tired af during his tour these people would have mercy on JK but no. And whether we like it or not, JK will have to enlist too and at the very least he should be well rested before starting his MS, burning him out and making him overwork himself just for him to have to do his military service next is actually cruel but let me guess, Army don't give a fuck about this now do they? They're still keeping in mind that baseless theory about JK enlisting way later.

Which takes us to the second point, MS.

Military Service

Just how many fucking times does JK have to tell y'all that he WANTS to reunite with the boys in 2025 for y'all to fucking understand that this is not about YOU it's about JK and his willingness to be with the other members. People just don't seem to realize how freeing it is to put MS behind your back, it's not just for Queer people, even if you're straight MS is very restricting for you so why on earth would JK want to be bound by a restriction for even longer?

And let's just go by these solos logic, JK is still young and doesn't have to enlist now, okay. By the time all the members will be done with their MS, JK will be of an age where he won't be able to postpone his anymore, and the result? All 6 members will be out ready to resume their group activities BUT JK. And then everybody will complain "How dare they resume their activities without their golden maknae" or they'll have to yet again set a hiatus and i don't think a hiatus is the first thing a group is looking for after their MS, a hiatus is the very last thing they think about when planning for a come back after MS.

I don't know if people see any logic in their very selfish thinking or..? Like please, do y'all even listen to JK? Do his words to you mean nothing? Is he just talking in an empty barrel? He has been telling us, not anyone else but US, he wants US to understand but somehow some people just can't seem to grasp at the reality of things. Is it that hard to support him on what he wants?

Moving on to the third point, and again i believe i did talk about this in a previous post or posts too but, those very disgusting song interpretations that for some damn reason is always coming from the hets (with all due respect to the respectful hets out there)

Song Interpretations

When he told Zane that the songs didn't reflect his real life i was wondering.. Did he perhaps see all those disgusting and disturbing interpretations of his previous songs aka Seven and 3D by het Army on Tiktok? It really had me thinking whether he just wanted to mention that because.. or did he really see those damned interpretations and he felt the need to put that in there just in case.

I mean when JK decided to show a more mature side of him, i'm pretty sure his intentions weren't for us to see him as your typical het fuckboy and exactly how is someone singing about sex making him a fuckboy? Since when does having a sex life makes you a fuckboy? Can't people committed to one person not have a sex life or..? Why does this boys always have to come here to clarify things?

Like can't y'all just be normal and at the very least do cute and funny interpretations instead of making it absolutely horrifying and i'm not even going to talk again about the photocards during Music Bank that fucking Tiktok Army gave a vile interpretation to..

The thing is, it doesn't stop at just ARMY there are other people who are as disgusting as some Army really.. Which takes me to my last point and i'm not even gonna say much about it cause this is worthy of a whole ass post that honestly i don't feel too much dedication for to make..

The Acquaintances

Do i have to say again that i'm here for the tannies and the tannies only? Well not just me but many of us are actually, so can some of you PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! Stop hyping up every single person that in a way or another has had a connection to the boys?

Seeing a damn journalist ditch professionalism and acting like a 12yo stan in the name of JK is just so.. WTF? You know things? Good for you but how about you shut the fuck up and let JK or the company do the announcement. I'm tired of seeing JK come to us everytime looking disappointed that we already know about what he might've been excited to announce to us HIMSELF. It's just so sad to see him go like "Oh i guess you already know.." Like.. No baby we do not please tell us, like PLEASE stop taking the excitement away from him, i would absolutely hate it to want to announce something related to ME just for a damn stranger to do it in my place.

You got the opportunity to work with JK, or as a professional to know things about JK? Amazing! Good for you, but please, it is not your place to be acting like those fake tea accounts on the tl.. Keep it to yourself or at the very least make one good post about it and shut the fucking fuck up until whatever is supposed to come out does then you can hype it up all you want.

Same for anyone who is working with JK, y'all need to stop giving them too much clout because the moment they end up being problematic, know that it is your own damn fault that haters end up coming for JK because y'all can't seem to put a difference between JK and the people who work with him, you always link them together and put them in the same box which ends up being a green light for haters to lump him into the same category as those problematic people.

Yes it is decent to have respect for the people working with the tannies as long as they do deserve that respect, once they show their true colors we do NOT have to keep that respect, now i'm not saying we should fight them but simply there is no need to hype them up. JK is not the people who are working with him and the people who are working with JK are not JK. Stop putting a label on what are those people to JK, Scooter is a whole ass dick but just because he is involved in JK's album it doesn't mean JK is the same as him, this and that are two different things and same for any single person who is working with any member.

We do not have to bootlick people just because they are working with BTS because i repeat the moment these people show their true colors it becomes a whole mess and our boys end up being dragged into a hell fest of hate, UNPROVOKED.

With that being said, please have some respect for JK, hype HIM up, show HIM support and please respect his own decisions, HIS DECISIONS, not someone else's but his.

AND STREAM GOLDEN!!!

[raytorosaurus]

i've been so curious about this 'unofficial therapist' that thursday had???? which member is he? how did they find him?? could he always play an instrument or did they ask him to learn so they could keep him around? did he actually help that much? how did it change thursday's writing? i don't expect you to have the answer to all of these things but you seem to know a lot about them and if nothing else i need to know who their therapist is and what 'unofficial' means in this case if you can help at all!

oh lol haha unofficial in the very literal sense so my guy andrew everding of the "no one ever expects it" chest hair fame from my chemical romance in the studio 2002 (@3:10) is like...the y/n of thursday.

he's just a nice dude who hangs around and everyone likes, good friend of the guys in thursday, and then his house burns down and he has nowhere to stay so thursday were like yo just come tour with us and he did. because he's also a very talented (multi?-)instrumentalist and, as it turns out, a great composer too. also at some stage he lived with geoff's mom? it is unclear if this is before or after the fire and/or joining thursday as a touring member. he also photographed their first west coast tour in 2002?

so like anyway by 2003 he's playing keys for the watt tour which is like.....I'd say the darkest point of thursday's history but that would be a fucking lie lol. let's say the darkest point of thursday's history so far. the guys are super stressed, super overworked, super depressed, and under loads of pressure from their label who's saying they're underperforming the expectations they had for them. geoff in particular is copping a lottt of criticism for his singing which he really internalised, and basically everyone in the band is miserable. they were also. not fucking talking to each other. like at all. they would just all constantly bitch about each other behind everyone's back and never say shit to their face. andrew, as a touring member but not official member, and as a Nice Guy, ends up becoming like...the intermediary to whom everyone in the band went to vent. so he's like trying to fix their shit and be positive and he puts his foot down and is like guys you NEED to learn to COMMUNICATE. (spoilers they didn't) but anyway the band after a particularly nasty and conflict-laden tour of australia in 2004 are like fuck this we're breaking up! but then as soon as they agreed to breaking up they were like wait. so much of the pressure is gone now. actually we're good we just need a break :) but media has kind of already picked up on the story of them breakup up so it was all dreadfully will they/won't they. this is also right as three cheers is blowing the fuck up btw 😭😭 #we'retwosidesofthesamecoin #he'smyvillain.

oh shit and then they go on warped 04 as what would have been kinda their last thing but they're like hey look at this we're sorta starting to work on our problems! oh and then at the vegas date 24yo geoff gets shotgun married to a woman he'd been dating for two years with mcr, tbs, and the bouncing souls as the wedding party 😭😭😭😭😭.

ANYWAY. they end up not breaking up but take a break from touring and then all move in together for a while? i think bc they were a little scattered at that point and geoff might have been living in sydney (his wife was australian) at the time idk so when he came over to do thursday shit they just like lived together apparently. and they write city by the light divided (so titled bc the band, naturally, was totally divided on how they wanted the album to sound lol). anyway the main difference now is this time round they've invited andrew to join as an official member!! :DDD

...unfortunately for andrew, this is also the time thursday stops being even slightly commercially viable lol so he's like technically im earning less money now than i had been on a tour salary lolz. anyway he becomes a big part of the writing process, especially for that album and no devolucion, the instrumentals if which were apparently driven pretty heavily by him!

then in 2008 onwards thursday were all broke as fuck and needed to get day jobs to pay rent. most of them went into like...food service or painting houses, but tucker drummed for mcr for a bit and andrew worked as.....a guitar tech? for patd????? (also after the break up, tucker was in boy band the wanted for a while as their touring drummer. he loved it lol <3)

anyway tragically, andrew hasn't appeared at any of the reunion shows 😔. he's private so no details but he was dealing with some health issues towards the end of thursday that contributed to the band deciding to break up and has a baby and shit now. but he did continue touring as a musician a bit, like with neil finn in 2014!!!!!! playing some wacky fancy midi/synth electronic instrument iirc? epic collision of my childhood fave and new-adulthood fave.

anyway lol this is all typed out in bed on my phone off the top of my head so there might be some chronology errors in there, but a lot of this is from their documentary, kill the house lights! it's a comedy. dark comedy.

#andrewnation <3

[coffeeastronaut]

midnight analysis hand it over

i desperately wish i had anything coherent to say about it.

it's just got it all. like it's a budget cheapo ep of the season for SURE and in my opinion that made it soooo much better. the small cast, the small set, never seeing the creature, all of it makes it an incredibly intimate episode.

this got so long. im so sorry.

let's start with the characters:

the show under rtdavis often uses quick and efficient dialogue to establish side characters and re-enforce the leads, and this episode is the masterclass of that concept. before anything crazy starts happening we already have a pretty firm grasp on the characters and their relationships to one another- the cane family consists of val, biff and jethro, a nuclear middle-class family with the out of touch parents of a loner child, professor hobbs and deedee are a somewhat bumbling professor with far too high an opinion of himself and his apprentice/assistant who's wildly underappreciated and very overlooked, the hostess is overworked and underpaid and somewhat a stickler for protocal, the driver joe and the mechanic claude are good at their jobs and cheerful to do them, and finally we have sky- a lonely woman traveling by herself who's nice enough, but a little shy. And of course, we have the doctor, immediately socializing and asking questions, because that's what he does. he asks questions.

this cast of characters is pretty small, and it lets us get attached and invested very quickly- later, when things go off the rails, the characters stay true to where they started. However the traits that started as 'bumbling' or 'out of touch' become far more sinister as everyone is pushed to the limit in a situation none of them asked for. professor hobbs's tendency to speak over deedee and look down on her becomes outright dismissal of her ideas and thoughts, even if they're good. val and biff's distant relationship to their son results in the same for jethro. the hostess's dedication to protocol leads the others to dismiss her as useless, since all she's done is call for help (ironic. considering.) sky's loner status means that no one, bar the doctor, have really spoken to her, giving them no reason to trust her. the doctor's constant questions mean he can't take his own advice and leave well enough alone- he just has to talk to the creature inside sky.

sidenote: while not previously established in this specific episode, 10's internal surety of his own superiority also takes a very frightening role here, revealed in the way he speaks to the other passengers, the ways he attempts to take control of the situation, and of course the 'because i'm CLEVER' line. beyond his initial 'i guess we'll have to ~talk~ to each other' line, he's mostly presenting himself as an average joe here, something he doesn't normally do. this is potentially because he doesn't have a companion with him- donna (or whoever is with him) usually backs up his demeanor (or excuses it) and takes the role of 'normal person who's okay with this,' which makes other people more comfortable with him. anyway i digress.

These traits end up amplifying past the relationships that they're tied to. the professor, val, and biff all end up bouncing off of one another and making each other worse, completely writing off any thoughts that aren't their own- they dismiss the hostess, the doctor, deedee, and jethro, despite the actual expertise or input any of them might have. this new force of nature pulls characters like deedee and jethro under the tide, making them 'agree' under pressure from their respective authority figures. The hostess is too, to a degree, but her position of authority as the tour guide makes her more ready to keep her head under pressure as well has holding her own opinions more strongly, without getting steamrolled.

that doesn't mean that the other characters are free of negative traits by any means. deedee's othering of sky with the goblin men poem, jethro's inability to stand up for himself or others, and the hostess's instant turn to murder when presented with it as an option (by val, so not an original thought, but still. she latches on very very quickly. possibly this is because the thing has already killed joe and claude, the driver and mechanic, who she likely knew personally.) all of which is brought forward by fear and stress, like the others.

the doctor, who is a steamroller in his own right, is incapable of it here. the people who he's with here are all strongly individual and refuse to be lead. It's a myriad of reasons for this, with the professor feeling he's intellectually superior, biff feeling he's more manly, and val feeling that she's more moral (her response to the doctor saying he's a traveler is to accusingly say 'like an immigrant?' implying she's one of Those people) (racist). Jethro and deedee already have people in charge of them, and the hostess is, technically, actually in charge. these are the people who are going to question him at every turn, especially since, until it hit the fan, he was presenting himself as just some guy.

the mob mentality of the cast ties in perfectly with the isolation of the bus (no contact with the outside world! can't leave because you'll be vaporized!). it means that they get no breaks from each other, no breaks from the situation, and no outside opinions- they're on their own. look how small the bus is!

it creates this island afloat on a sea of morality, where their decisions are only witnessed by themselves, and the gravity of the situation justifies it. The fear involved amplifies this by tenfold. the bus is small, too, and made smaller by the loss of the cockpit. if they were somewhere like, say, the library from the forest of the dead- there, they can have privacy, even if it's just standing around a corner. here, no such luck. we're all stuck here together. Running tangent on lighting will be at the bottom of this post.

moving on. the doctor getting taken (possessed? lets stick with taken) by the creature is incendiary, to say the least. he's let his curiosity get the better of him, and in going about it in the way that he does he's also othered himself from the riders. calling them humans, saying he's clever, showing genuine excitement. small things, but enough. when jethro calls him on it, he doubles down, further othering himself. it also outs him as genuinely being the smartest in the room, and the creature takes his voice. you can almost see the rpg 'no one liked that.' notification pop up in the corner.

his chattyness, while dooming him, is also what saves him. speaking with the hostess in the beginning is what ends up tipping her off. when deedee notices that sky is still the creature, she's overwritten by her authority figure, the professor, as well as the voices of val and biff:

[the doctor is repeating sky] VAL: Stop. Oh, my God, make him stop. Someone make him stop. DEE DEE: But she's saying it. VAL: And you can shut up. DEE DEE: But it's not him, it's her. He's just repeating. BIFF: But that's what the thing does, it repeats. HOSTESS: Just let her talk. BIFF: What do you know? Fat lot of good you've been. HOSTESS: Just let her explain. DEE DEE: I think. I mean, from what I've seen, it repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what the Doctor said would happen. BIFF: What, and you're on his side? DEE DEE: No. JETHRO: The voice is the thing. DEE DEE: And she's the voice. She stole it. Look at her. It's not possessing him, it's draining him. HOSTESS: She's got his voice. VAL: But that's not true, because it can't. Because I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes. [...] BIFF: Everyone saw it. Everyone. DEE DEE: You didn't. You're just making it up. I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing his voice. VAL: She's as bad as him. Someone shut her up. HOBBES: I think you should be quiet, Dee. DEE DEE: Well, I'm only saying- HOBBES: And that's an order! You're making a fool of yourself, pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics, when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average at best. Now shut up.

but the hostess listens! she uses what deedee is saying and she uses her own knowledge of the doctor's speech patterns to decide he is not possessed. unlike deedee, she's got her own authority and is more sure of herself. she's also far more aware of her duty to protect others, as both a person and as her job.

she's also faster. she grabs sky, and out they go- none of the yelling and cajoling it took to get biff and the professor to try to kill the doctor, she just does it. she's so sure! and she's right.

and then! and THEN! no one. knows. her name.

no one knows her name!

we dont even know her name!

in an episode where i can tell you everyones names. i cant tell you hers. no one spoke to her much, no one listened to her. she did her duty as a hostess, and died for it, and that's all she's known as to these people. the hostess. it's heartbreaking, and awful, and doesn't rtd just love a noble and trampled working class hero.

RACE

So, i genuinely don't think this stuff was intentional. um. because it's russel 'casual racism' davies. but let's get into it anyway because it's done very well for once, intentional or not.

everyone on this stupid bus is white, except for deedee, the hostess, and the mechanic (or maybe the driver- i don't think they specify which is which). deedee and the hostess (and jethro) are the three people most ignored and looked down on. in jethro's case this is due to age, so i'll be ignoring him mostly, but even that is all tied up in privilege. anyway.

the hostess, a black woman, is talked down to by everyone, and often outright ignored or dismissed. the doctor especially dismisses her input very quickly, despite the fact that . this is her literal actual job. (10 the racist strikes again! good job rtd - i definitely dont have bitterness in my heart!)

deedee is also constantly talked down to by the professor, and later by biff and val, despite the fact that she seems to be the only one who has actual professional level knowledge of how the bus works. it feels like val (who is, textually, racist), biff, and the professor all look down on her, as a black woman.

it's notable that the hostess, the only other black woman on the bus, is the one who listens to her! this is a really small detail, and again i'm really not sure that it was intentional, but i still love it.

COMPANION

i talked a little earlier about donna being gone, and how it makes it much easier for the doctor to make stupid decisions and be off-putting. this is just like. textually canon in that rose, martha, and donna all explicitly stop him from making stupid and cruel decisions, as well as sort of.. softening his impact on normal people. rose often apologizes to people for him being rude, martha is constantly snapping him into responsibility (i will not talk about the racism involved here or i will Explode.), and donna is literally standing over his shoulder sometimes going 'hey. dont kill that guy. that's jacked up.'

the episode isn't really ABOUT this, but it definitely ties in, i think. every time 10 is alone, he does some stupid and horrific stuff (waters of mars, anyone?). later in this season we actually have something that mirrors this- in Turn Left, donna never meets the doctor, and so butterfly effects him dying and also the world ending or something. sorry it's been a minute since i've seen that one. donna is also a whole lot more miserable. neither of them can really Be without the other (bestie moment)! we're explicitly told a lot of times that the doctor just does not function without a companion, and i think that theme shows up in this episode for sure.

PEOPLE

so everyone agrees that doctor who is about the power of love and friendship and humanity being good right? yeah? yeah.

this episode is not that.

in midnight, everyone's worst sides come out. we usually see one or two people like this in any given episode- the one guy who's such a huge capitalist he doesn't care about the motw, or the chick who's put her own life above everyone elses and gets someone killed. but we never see the entire cast do this! midnight paints a very bleak picture of humans under pressure. and here's the thing. that's not doctor who! like at allll. doctor who just adores people, just really cherishes them. but here... not so much. the story still ends with the hostess sacrificing her self for everyone else, and it's all very nobel. but it's a very interesting leap from normal.

i would argue that this isn't necessarily done to say that humans suck. i think it's to more effectively show off a reoccurring theme in doctor who about how the actions of just one person can make a huge difference, no matter how small they may feel. we see a great example of this with gwyn the maid in season 1, who saves everyone from the gelth, giving up her life in the process.

this episode takes a very different path to it. especially since the other riders weren't portrayed as evil before they started panicking! they were just normal people. it's definitely a far more somber approach to the theme then usual, though.

LIGHTING AND SET

the bus is so small that no one is quite far enough to be properly alone.

but they're all trying to be- see how the canes are all split across the bus? jethro is up front, biff is on the right, and val is in the back. deedee and the professor have taken up on opposite sides of the bus. and of course, the doctor on the floor, alone. he's visually a lot lower then the rest of them, pushing the narrative on his powerlessness this episode. it also implies that after they let him go he just. didn't move. girl me too. it's also worth noting that no one is sitting directly in the center light - everyone is in the dark.

the lighting in the bus is frequently used to make it seem even smaller then it is:

note the dark lighting in the rest of the bus, but the bright halo around sky's head. she's several rows back, but the light is pulling her forward, right into the doctor's (and the audience's) space.

This trick is used several times. here, the doctor and sky are talking right after she's been possessed and the lights have gone off. the flashlights bring the other riders directly into the space- no privacy and no isolation for something that should probably have both.

Here, the doctor is talking about sky to the other riders. see how the light pulls her forward into his space? it’s impossible to not look at her, for both the audience and for the other riders.

in other scenes, the opposite is used. here, the emergency lights have come back on. the doctor and sky are talking again. the other riders are gone from the shot, and the lighting is casting both in a halo. it creates an isolated and intimate scene, and puts the doctor and sky into the same spot. for the audience, this is scary (he is alone with the creature) and for the riders it ties him with her. 

not about lighting, but relevant: the doctor does this unintentionally several times in the episode. when he speaks with her at the beginning, it’s alone. when he goes to help her, he makes everyone back off except for him. when he talks to her, he tells everyone else to shut up. even after he decides that it’s a bad idea to talk to her, he repeatedly tells everyone else to stop and then immediately goes and does it himself. we watch him become the only person properly tied to sky- two loners, two travelers, two non-humans, and two unknown elements.

back to lighting. sky is often lit up in a spotlight. people point flashlights at her, she stands Just So under a bus light, ect.

it's an interesting parallel to the creature's life before the bus, under the bright, hot, toxic light of midnight. interestingly, the creature does not describe it that way:

SKY: He's waited so long. DOCTOR: He's waited so long. SKY: In the dark. DOCTOR: In the dark. SKY: And the cold. DOCTOR: And the cold. SKY: And the diamonds. DOCTOR: And the diamonds. SKY: Until you came. DOCTOR: Until you came. SKY: Bodies so hot. DOCTOR: Bodies so hot. SKY: With blood. DOCTOR: With blood. SKY: And pain. DOCTOR: And pain.

it's instead the opposite: dark and cold. but it's definitly talking about midnight, from the way it mentions the diamonds. this isn't really relevent, just interesting. maybe the creature is blind, or has no sensation at all until it takes on a host. who knows! anyway.

back to lighting: sky's spotlights. it's a great way to other her, and to really foster that sense of unease for the audience. (sidenote. her actress really put her whole back into this. she's so unsettling.)

another interesting lighting tidbit is the colors. the lighting inside the bus is all warm and yellow and a bit dim, even when things get scary.

versus the light from outside on midnight:

it's cold, bright, and blue. it's a great way to denote that the light is dangerous and different. and sometimes:

it comes inside! before the creature gets settled into sky, and really starts making strides towards possessing her, and before the emergency lights come on. the cold blue light of the flashlights (the first things used by the riders to other sky!) mimic the light of midnight. fantastic! even later, when the creature is fully ingratiated with sky, you ca see subtle light differences:

the inside lights are warm still, but far brighter on her. and more importantly: look at that tiny tinge of blue on the doctor! midnight is getting him now! it's so cool like it's so cool. woohoo!

i would just love to get my hands on whoever was in charge of the set design and the lighting design for this episode and pick their brain for few hours.

SOME OTHER RANDOM STUFF:

i recommend everyone read goblin market! it's the poem that deedee quotes. while not really tying fully into the themes of the episode, it's a wonderful poem, and the choice of lines for deedee to use was great.

the rose screen in the bg gets me every time!!! as does deedee's mention of the lost moon of poosh! yes GOD. i love when they sprinkle in stuff like that all season. like sooo much. the impact bad wolf had on my psyche as a kid is immeasurable LOL.

the acting in this ep is just phenominal. -lesley sharp (sky) is AMAAAAZING, she's so scary and i cannot imagine how hard it was to sync all those lines up! sharp's use of expression and body language is so very dead on, and so delightfully scary without ever dipping into corny effects or silly faces. -tennant is also on fire here. again with the syncing. like how much did they have to practice all that. he's great with expressions as usual. you know the drill. great actor, swag expressions, let's go white boy! -deedee and the professor do a great job of selling themselves as a student/professor duo. the ways deedee reacts to the professor's worse moments are especially masterful! -val and biff and jethro also do a wonderful job and being a messy luttle family. val's actress especially feels so real- i have met that woman 100000 times.

obligatory shout out to the merlin guy (sorry)

the scene at the end of the episode, between donna and the doctor is just... it's so much. they're both very reliant on each other as friends, and it's sweet. the acknowledgement that the doctor is taking this more seriously (like straight up i'd say it's truama) then usual when donna repeats him and he tells her not to? and that's the final line of the episode. CRAZY! we normally get something chipper and upbeat, even on sad episodes.

this is just interesting to me, but: we never see the tardis! not even once, in the whole episode.

i also think setting all of this in a spa ('luxury planet"), of all things, is really fun. it's a nice way to imply that they do, like, actually do stuff off screen. he really IS taking his companions to see nice things, like spas in space. it's like the time rose is telling micky about all the places she's been with the doctor, and it's nothing we've seen on screen. just a nice detail. also, access to all time and space, and she chooses a SPA? it's VERY donna.

TLDR:

episode good. the use of mob mentality and isolation make for a great episode. the lighting and set are fantastic. the acting is top-notch. doctor who should have a budget of $3 again i think it would fix me.

[realpapaemeritusiv]

🔫 Tell everyone about gianni rn or I’ll shoot (it’s full of water) (just regular water but it’s like just slightly cold)

damn guess i gotta tell the world about my main boy gianni. it'll be under a cut bc its long as shit

okay so this right here

is gianni (technically gianni copia emeritus if we're going by full legal names here). we've made our own lore and i hope eventually you'll make a masterpost of it so if i write stuff later on i can include the link as a reference for anyone that might choose to read it bc honestly i think the lore that we've altered and made up is really interesting and i think people might enjoy reading it one day. anyway, onto the meat and potatoes of this.

so, with the lore that we've created, gianni is the twin brother of copia (named giorgio/gio in our lore bc honestly he needed a name and that name slaps) born to nihil and lucifer (i am 100% down to answer more questions on this bc this slaps also ik owen will def be down to answer questions about that little tidbit or it might be in the headcanon tag on their blog).

there's a bit of a branching path with him because i go back and forth between having them be raised together until they're both 10 or until they're both 5, but the constant is nihil having to send away one son to keep them safe from imperator (named cirice in our lore and will be called that for the duration of this post just to keep things streamlined). from 5/10 until his mid to late 30s, gianni worked his way up in the ranks of an abbey in italy that i think i made up. honestly, he was completely taken advantage of in that abbey, being worked to near death by the cardinals and siblings of sin (fun fact this man is a people pleaser to the max and also physically cannot take a single day off and has actually almost died from it). while literally being overworked by pure luck he managed to meet a special someone (you'll shit when you find out who it is) and starts a little sneaky relationship with them.

the person? temptesa, aka our own rain ghoul. (i'm sure owen's posted lore about it so go check it for more deets). they probably get a good year or two together and exchange rings before his beloved is sent away without his knowledge (to Linköping by pure luck where they're later reunited and i'll def expand on that if anyone wants to know more)

so he's eventually asked to return to the abbey as a cardinal (that we placed in Linköping just for simplicities sake and to have one cohesive area anytime the abbey's mentioned) and arrives back home after 25-30 years to one of 2 things

the previous papas already having been executed by cirice and prepared for the veneration of relics and everyone in the abbey absolutely depressed

or

during anti christmas :)

i haven't really taken the time to build the lore on everything that happens immediately after he's returned home, but he does continue his work as a cardinal and watching as his twin becomes papa and tours the world spreading the word of the church

UNTIL

he gets to play papa one time because his brother's way too sick to perform the ritual/show and he's the only one available who can fill the role. he literally crams learning all the songs in like 11 hours and is such a nervous wreck before that first show and he def barfs at least once before he goes on stage for the first time.

this man is a whole ass natural at being on that stage. talks to the crowd, puts his whole self into every song, and literally stays a few hours after that first show just to talk to anyone who stays after bc this man loves the fans, adores them tbh.

he finally gets his chance to be papa when gio wants to step down and focus on starting a family with his wife (who i am also 100% down to talk about later, not rn tho this is gianni time) and this man puts his entire being into being a good papa. he doesn't take a salary, pushes for the ghouls to be equal to him, defends the ghouls (and there's a ton of stuff i could talk about when it comes to him with the ghouls bc this man is lowkey a whore), and just pretty much revamps the church from the ground up and has the ghouls finally be equals to everyone else.

that's just a lil taste of gianni tbh bc there's so much more i could talk about but i gotta workshop some of it still

[yesyourstalker]

Ikkan: I have to go back to the recording studio. I need to redo a baseline for new album. *Sigh* One of my strings popped and the microphone caught it, they're not able to edit it out. On top of that I was apparently out of tune so I had to just redo everything and-

Neta: oh....we had a date planned. I made a reservation for your favorite restaurant. Do you need to do the whole album in one day?

Ikkan: we're going to have to reschedule the date tonight. I was really hoping we could do something.... It's fine we can try again

Neta: It's not fine. You finally get back to Inkopolis after a tour and you're already busy. You have no time for your relationships, we have no time to spend together, you have no time for yourself. You can't even stop and think. The second you get any peace you have producers telling you to get back to work and you just comply. I mean Cod ikkan look at you, you've barely sat down. When was the last time you slept on a bed that wasn't on a bus or in a random hotel?

Ikkan: well what am I supposed to do! This isn't some hobby Neta this is my job, it's my life. I can't just stop because I'm tired, I just can't leave.

Neta: that didn't stop you leaving squid-

Ikkan: that was different. It wasn't just because I was tired, I was just-

Neta: you weren't connecting with the music you made and you needed a challenge. Yeah I know ikkan, there's a difference in being challenged and being overworked. I mean come on, what does Warabal or who ever feels, I'm sure he has to be tired?

Ikkan: it's Warabi,you know his name. No he's young and so ...... Out there. He's like one of those toddlers who acts really hyper when they're tired....heh.

Neta: *humph* you seem to spend more time with him than with your partner.

Ikkan: it's not like that Neta and you know it's not like that!

Neta: I didn't mean -

Ikkan: then what did you mean? I never expected you to be the jealous type. Is that what this is all about? you don't like me sending time with another guy? I'm not cheating! You think I would do that!?

Neta: NO! Ikkan I'm sorry.-

Ikkan: (cracked voice) then what Neta?! I can't read your mind. You have a problem with me doing my job, I told you I can't just abruptly stop doing it! What do you want me to do?! You want me to just break up another band?! Be the biggest asshole in the music industry?! Ruining opportunities for everyone again?!

Neta: no! Ikkan please calm down. I just want you-

Ikkan: *angry tears* TO WHAT!? I finally got back to some form of normacy! Doing what I enjoy, making music. Music that I like, that everyone likes! I don't understand what you want me to do!?

Neta: babe....

Ikkan: *more angry tears* what?! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! I'm asking a legitimate question Neta! What is that you want me to do!? I know we haven't had time together! I know I don't answer your phone calls and I leave you on read all the time! You don't think I feel shitty about it?! You don't think I miss you?! because I do!

Neta: ikkan........you need to breathe-

Ikkan: *tears more and more tears* Ok fine I admit it! I'm tired, I'm stressed I feel overwhelmed! I barely slept during the tour I haven't had a decent meal in weeks! Ok?! Are you happy, you were right all along! I just started a huge fight for nothing like the fucking ass hole that I am, right?! Because that's what I do, everything good In my life I have to ruin! My old band, this relationship, probably diss-pair in a couple years too! Everything I touch goes to shit! Because I'm a self destructive asshole!!

*silence*

Neta:................ Are you done?

Ikkan..... *Sigh* mumbling and crying

Neta: .....ok come here babe, bring it in. Let's wipe your face and get you to bed. You want something to eat first we can still make the reservation?

Ikkan:..........but I have to-

Neta: Ikkan! Do you want something to eat first before you go to bed?

Ikkan:...........yeah.. yeah...I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to unload all of that on you. You shouldn't have to-

Neta: it's ok babe, I can tell you really needed it. I've been yelled at for a lot less. Plus you're hungry and tired, you tend to get really grumpy when that happens. Let's get you some grub and put you to bed, a real bed. not those crappy hotel beds with the shitty pillows

Ikkan: *heh* *sniff* it's just-

Neta: we'll talk about when you're in a better headspace..... Ok. But I will say this, what I want you to do and what you need to do is stop trying to do everything at once. I know your music is important to you, I understand you want to make right with your past mistakes. I understand all of that, but the way you're going at it is only going to hurt you in the long run. You take care of everyone inky, your family, squid squad, Warb.

Ikkan: Warabi

Neta: yeah ...Warabi...you take care of everyone but you forget to take care of yourself. Your music is your voice, it's your way to express yourself to the world and it's important to you but so should your health physical and mental. You understand what I'm saying?

Ikkan: yeah I understand

Neta: Also you're not an asshole and everything you touch doesn't go to shit.

Ikkan: hmmm

Neta: ........It either breaks or dies.....

Ikkan: Neta! Stop.

Neta: *laughter* remember that house plant You had? *Laughter* it died in a week.

Ikkan: I'm being serious. It's not like you took care of it. *chuckling*

Neta: and then you knocked it over *wheeze*

Ikkan: Neta!

Neta: awww I know, I know. I'm sorry, I just needed to lighten the mood. Wanted to make you laugh a little inky. Wanted to see the ulta rar, never before seen! ikkan smile.

Ikkan: *soft smile*

Neta: there it is, there's the face I love so much. *Kiss* now let's get something to eat I think we still have time for the reservation

Fin.

[i-luvsang]

i'm doing good, thank you for asking :)! and yeah catching up with content can be hard, especially as a multi stan trying to catch up with old and newer content :,). i've caught up with some of the stuff i wanted to watch but not all. but i have more than enough time since i have vacation now. i watched their last stage and argh the ending :,). yeosang is so cute the way he just kept looking at woo ahhdh what a cutie :,) ALSO i noticed that yeosang sings the beginning in django and when he sings 'dangerous' you can hear his lisp shdhs

i don't rlly remember how i found out abt ateez, i think it was because of kingdom? but what made me want to get into them was coming across a clip of ateez on jessi's show when they did the close-up? idk i just fell in love with both hwa and yeo and i remember saying i thought one of them would end up being my bias. and here i am, still biasing them both :,). they're just so ahshsh, also my bias wrecker changes so much it's basically the other 6 members. like the past few weeks it has changed a few times, i think rn it's woo?? but it used to be mingi and san like 2 days ago. ALSO JONGHO'S PURPLE HAIR??? it suits him sm but also omg when it started fading it kinda looked greyish and i feel like grey would suit him so much, just like hongjoongs grey hair it's so pretty!! i can't believe this cb is already over too it went by so fast it's unreal, and their tour in asia is starting really soon?? i'm so proud of them but i also hope they get rest after this because i can't imagine how exhausted they must be :(. — 🎧

so glad you’re good !! <33 yeah don’t be afraid to take ur time being a multistan is hard work LOL

nO BC ITS SO SO CUTE I CANNOT IM NEVER GONNA STOP WATCHING THAT CLIP OF HIM 😭 and omg one of my favorite things is hearing yeo’s lisp when he sings, really when he does anything i love his lisp so so so so much it’s so endearing i cry

YOU ARE SO TRUE FOR THAT LMAO honestly i cannot pinpoint when i really got into them i liked them since predebut/debut but i don’t remember which era i actually started learning HAHAJSJS i think one of the moments that solidified yeo as my bias was his iconic acrostic poem “emma watson,.. nekkeo” IDK IT JUST MADE ME LAUGH SO MUCH AT THAT TIME. i remember being like “yep that one’s mine” tho again i cant actually remember if he was already my vais before then lmao

BUT NO IM THE SAME WAY WITH BUAS WRECKERS IT JUST CHANGES ALL THE TIME HSHSJ but GODDDD THE PURPLE HAIR ??? i cannot get him out of my head since then and yeah the way it’s faded to look more like joong’s grey is SO SCRUMPTIOUS

i knowwww it’s been such a lovely comeback it has gone by so fast :,) i agree tho kq has definitely been overworking them with this tour is been going on for so long and they’ve had two comebacks during it, it’s crazy. i hope after they finish this tour they can catch a break <33

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 5

"Bloody Mary"

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes? Unequivocally yes. One: My friends growing up were a bunch of girls in Catholic school who wouldn't even do "light as a feather, stiff as a board" let alone Bloody Mary! I think the most that any of us did was tell really cliche ghost stories. Two: I am a notorious scaredy cat and would have just answered the question in Truth or Dare instead of switching to dare. AND Three: Since it was actually the dad that suffered the consequences and I don't have kids, I still survive. 5/5. I'm doing SO. WELL.

Hell yeah, our first Ohio based episode! Dean looks soooooo pleased to be here. Thanks, Dean...

Why are "Ohio State med students" in Toledo to look at a body for a paper?

I was gonna applaud the lab guy for standing his ground not letting them in until he was so easily bribed. Okay...now he's just extorting them, and I kinda like him again. Get that bread.

As someone who was a teen in Ohio in 2005, the hair, makeup, and wardrobe for these girls is VERY Ohio teen in 2005.

Oof. The writers...like, it's believable that a teenage girl would blame herself for her ex's death,...and I am glad Dean had the sense to say that it wasn't her fault when going over it with Sam.

(I'm back on my Todobros AU bullshit for a sec. Sorry if you're here strictly for superwholock, my main fandom these days IS My Hero Academia. So, the monster today is a ghost of a girl named Mary who kills people who have kept the secret of their involvement, however slight, in someone else's death. Sam wants to be used as bait via Jessica's death, and he says that there's stuff about that night he hasn't told Dean. IMAGINING a future scenario where Shoto would feel the need to keep a secret about guilt he's feeling from Touya is hitting me in the feels...I don't like it)

I can't wait til Sam does tell Dean the secret about what happened the night of Jessica's death. Maybe then we'll stop getting so many flashbacks to it/we can move on from Sam's nightmares (though, I don't think we'll be done with them for a while, if I'm honest).

Why didn't they cover more of the mirrors in this place??

Another Dean lie that horribly backfired. You love to see it.

OH SHIT. I forgot a lot about these seasons. I definitely forgot his nightmares started before she died.

Did Dean just UNO Reverse a fuckin' ghost??

"Been On My Mind" Tracker: No action for either of the Winchesters in this episode (Guess I might as well track this til Castiel shows up.)

"The Unquiet Dead"

WOULD I SURVIVE THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE? Actually, probably. I don't think that we'll be on that particular rift when the time comes for that situation. But, like, say we were on A rift that would cause whatever's going on (it's been a while, you're lucky I'm remembering it's a rift) to happen, it would take the tired, overworked mortician to save me.

Ok, the staff at this funeral home in 1860 London is an absolute delight in a most morbid way. They're so over the dead coming to life again. Can't they just stay in place?? I can't believe we have to go body snatching AGAIN

I need a TARDIS wardrobe.

I no longer like the funeral home guy. How dare you threaten her job when she's the only one who CAN help you in these cases.

Why does Rose have to change, but the Doctor can wear *checks notes* jeans and a modern leather jacket??

As much as I like episodes where the Doctor is already friends with historical figures, him coming to the realization that he's just stolen Charles Dickens's carriage and brought the man himself along for the ride is every bit as good.

Nine getting all smiley over this dude using the house's reputation to his advantage is adorable.

Every time Rose finds a way to connect with a character who no one in their time or place would hardly pay any attention to, my heart swells. When she spoke to the maintenance worker last episode and the woman working for the undertaker. She really is the "let's talk about labor rights" companion.

... are the ghosts in the rift the Cybermen? Am I remembering that correctly? (I don't actually want an answer right now, but I feel like I'm right)

Took me forever to figure out where I knew the actor playing Charles Dickens from, but he also played Monsieur Andre in the Phantom of the Opera movie...and he also had a role in Galavant, but I'm having a hard time remembering right now

A recurring theme I love in Doctor Who is the Doctor reassuring artists that their life’s work matters

Tomorrow's my first real episode of Sherlock, and I feel like it's going to be better than when I watched the unaired pilot. We'll get Mycroft back, for one. And 221b will be decorated the way it SHOULD BE.

Wanna know one of my least favorite facts about me? Omg. This should have been my random fun fact in that 15 question post...(though it has changed a little over the years) when i set out to decorate my living room in 2014 (TWENTY FOURTEEN), I took most of my inspiration from the living room at 221b. There's so much London themed decor, I have a pillow that bears the famous wallpaper INCLUDING the smiley face Sherlock paints on it. My grandma gave me this owl bank and I put headphones on it like the the one animal skull. These things have not changed. Now, no one would look at my living room and go "yes, this looks exactly like the Sherlock set," but it has just enough touches that I know...and now YOU know.

I had no business making fun of Dracula being a teaboo last year when my own sins are still very much present in my house.

[twelvedaysinaugust]

I know Harry and Louis both spend a lot of time MIA, but I just don't see where or how they're spending time together or engaging in couple-y activities.//

Honestly if this year is leading to where I think it's leading, Louis and Harry not spending time together isn't putting me off of Larry. With the new H dates, he's being overworked like crazy. But like I said, the optimistic part of me wants to believe that this residency tour of touring fine line and Harry's house together, in America mostly, is because he's finishing off his tour obligations for sony. I know everyone says Harry loves Jeff and management and whatever their reasoning is but frankly his interview "I felt free" this new rebellious Harry that seems to be going off the rails and doing random things. Hell even him storming into Sony last year with that pink beanie and this whole holivia mess. If holivia isn't real I can't imagine a world where Harry is on good terms with his team and they're all willingly in on this when Harry looks pissed off in every pic. That's not the face of someone who's in on it with Jeff to sell that relationship. And Louis is touring and this tour is also his last obligation with syco before he's done and dusted and can move on to his new label.

All this chaos that's been happening this past year, it's all adding up to the timeline a lot of larries have been talking about. Sure some are far fetched theories but I will survive and the interview where he mentioned cleanliness contracts, this whole Rebecca thing saying they're just now starting to speak up, so many things can't be connected unless it's all happening together.

So Louis and Harry spending no time together this year isn't really a red flag because if it's cause of what we're thinking, they're fighting for their freedom. Fighting to move on with their lives. I think spending time apart for that seems reasonable. And all the previous years, yes all the time that they're Mia but also they've been to the concerts. Maybe H couldn't go to Louis' as much this year cause he's been busy but Houston was very compelling for me. And we obviously know of the mysterious vip figure that's been following H on his tour when Louis wasn't on tour and maybe had more freedom of time to go see his shows. Who else was Harry looking up with so much love when Camille or whoever is always on the ground?

I'm optimistic. I think there's a lot of things in motion. Maybe it's not the fairytale we're picturing with them both being out by next year or them being together but I know in their individual stance, they're fighting to be artists free from the abuse of their managements. Louis has already done it. The tour is his last obligation. I'm not sure why else Harry would be doing a residency tour and a tour for HS3 a month after it's coming out? He'll be done with tour by next march for Harry's house too. Why is everything being rushed, especially for an album he loves so much and has felt the happiest making? Not to mention the promo has been so off for this album. There's something different about this album and nothing's adding up.

I wish I was this optimistic, anon. But I just feel like we've gotten too excited too many times. (Remember the coming out we thought was in the works in 2014/2015? I still don't know what happened with that...) Let's just see what happens.

[koreandragon]

twitter is literally so toxic though ppl on there make you feel guilty for everything its like they cant breathe if there's no drama. you're right about fans being able to do something if they actually tried but it's so smart of companies to target younger girls too, most fans are younger women that are already insecure about themselves that find comfort in their artists and that's the only source of their happiness which is too risky to put on the line for a bigger cause. capitalism plays with fear so well, it thrives on people taking things personally and then holding the things that matter to them like bait hanging on a hook. and the kpop industry is so big at this point that if fans really do start banding together to boycott a group or smth (which they've tried multiple times before already) companies are just gonna stop investing in them and debut a new group. companies don't give a crap about their artists as people, they're all commodities that are put on display only until they bring them profit. fans are probably gonna have to stop supporting kpop as a whole for this injustice to stop, which will eventually happen because everything has a downfall, but it's too big of a goal for fans to reach right now, with the current hallyu wave and political connections sk is making through it's entertainment industry atm.

i agree a 100%. i did think about it afterwards that fans who bulk buy or zombie stream or whatever are mostly under the age of 18 which is like...i bought youtuber books when i was 15 and i have no use for anymore, they could sell me anything when i was younger, like i specifically have this one memory when one of my favorite disney channel shows was nominated for kids choice and i got tweetdeck to auto tweet the hashtag that got them the votes. every time i tweeted (which i did a lot) i added the hashtag too it was actually so crazy i still remember it. 

the recent thing with the rose too (i cry every day) is so enraging, they couldn’t even win the lawsuit against their company, they can’t do anything because of their contract, the company even deleted the song they made for their fans after all this went down from every platform they could. they didn’t care that the members weren’t paid for years, or were overworked as long as they went on their tour and filled the venues and got their songs streamed. 

when you’re a kpop fan you have to face the reality every day that you are supporting an exploitative industry when all you wanna do is enjoy good music. you want to support your artists but you can’t do that without supporting the company behind it. there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.

also i don’t know how much i’m contributing to this conversation rn it’s 1:30am and i don’t know what else to say other than this shit is fucked up