#the vibes of that intro are phenomenal

[strze-lec]

Enterprise intro, they could never make me hate you. i unironically have it as my alarm clock. i listen to it randomly during a day.

no, it doesn't have a classic trek vibe and you know why? look at Archer. can you imagine him giving that whole "space. the final frontier..." every episode??? no no no no no he's not that type of a guy

he's a guy who has a faith of the heart (and sometimes literally only that) and that intro is absolutely perfect.

you wanna keep complaining? IDIC my pal, enjoy the ride

[maukuja]

What about 3 and 9 for the music ask game?

You've managed to pick the two most difficult questions on that list somehow :D I'll do my best to answer

3. A song I’d choose to introduce someone to my favorite genre

so. I'm not really a genre listener nor do I have a favourite genre. I'm gonna pick hyper pop as my fav genre here purely because I don't feel like a lot of people listen to that in my circle (understandable, it's somewhat of an acquired taste). I would introduce people to that the same way I got into it and that is via Lil' Mariko's Where's My Juul. I've actually seen this circle tumblr and even if the music is not for everyone the video and the vibe is funny as hell

9. A song in a language you don’t speak

I'm taking speak as 'don't understand most of the words in the song' which limits this but uhh. Hatari's Tortímandi. Don't speak a word of Icelandic, yet at least. I've listened to this song on loop for 5h once while doing lab results calculations in excel. It's a very good song for that.

thank you for the ask!!

[ryanguzmansource]

Full Audio Transcript (5.21.24)

Hey guys, welcome to I've Never Said This Before with me, Tommy Didario.

If you are not watching 9-1-1 on ABC, you are seriously missing out. The show is so phenomenal that it has been renewed for an eighth season and, my guest today—well, he is phenomenal as well. In fact, he is on my show because of you. I saw all of the tweets, the DMs, the emails—all of it so, like a genie in a bottle, your wish has been granted.

The talented actor Ryan Guzman stars in the smash hit firefighter drama series 9-1-1 and audiences fell in love with his character, Eddie, the moment he debuted in Episode 1 of Season 2. Man, he has become a staple on the show and fans have been rooting for Eddie throughout the years, and Ryan plays each moment of Eddie's journey with such care and vulnerability and truth.

We have a lot to cover today and I have a feeling you're going to really enjoy this fun but also personal and deep conversation. We do dive into some very serious mental health conversations, so after the interview, I will be providing resources for anyone struggling with their own mental health. This is one of the most powerful interviews I have ever done, and I really thank Ryan for opening up in the ways that he did today because I know that he is going to help so many people out there feel less alone.

So, let's see if we can get Ryan to say something he has never said before.

[INTRO MUSIC]

Ryan, my friend, how are you doing today?

I'm good, brother. How are you?

I'm good. I know you have been working your butt off. You were just saying you were filming all night. Are you exhausted or are you on adrenaline right now?

A little mixture of both. I got a little coffee pumped through my system. But yeah, I think I worked six out of seven days this last week. We've been doing around 14, 15 hour days. And I just got off last night around 1.30 in the morning. So got home around 2.30. But we're here. We're here.

Well, you were putting in the work. Congratulations to you on all of the success with this show. It's of course now on ABC. People are loving it. The numbers are going insane. And you've always been a fan favorite from day one. When you had that first scene of you putting that shirt on in slow motion and your body was glistening and Whatta Man was playing, people just fell in love with your character. But that's not just why they love your character. I mean, over the seasons, people have found you so relatable and and really, really are truly invested in the role that you play. Why do you think that is?

I like to say that, I mean, I try to play as grounded as I can, but I think the story itself is just the way Tim Minear writes the character. And I think he's always had a special connection with this kind of character. So, just indebted to how he writes and the connectivity between Eddie and his son. I mean, it's just like it pulls at the heartstrings, you know, and that's always been a fan favorite as well. So, you know, I'm living in gratitude for everything that's been written for that character and I try to do as much justice as I can.

Well, you're nearing the end of Season 7 and past seasons for you have been a bit heavier, a bit more intense. You've really gone through quite a lot of things that we'll touch on a bit later, which I know is also part of the reason why so many people relate to you. Are you enjoying this journey this season?

Yeah, you know what? I haven't really been able to kind of flex my humorous side and just kind of lightheartedness, kind of a vibe about Eddie, and I love that aspect of him. So while everybody else is kind of going through chaos, while Cap is going through chaos, Eddie is kind of, you know, trying to keep everybody together while, you know, Chimney and Hen be going at it during the tsunami and The Poseidon Adventure, Eddie is just, you know, being there for everybody as much as he can. So not to say that he's always going to be happy because Tim always has this thing about saying, you know, if I just let you guys be happy, then there'd be no story. You got to have some kind of drama. Nobody wants to show up just for people smiling all the time. But yeah, we've got some things in store for the rest of the season. And from what we've already shot, I've been super pleased about, you know, this new way of life for Eddie.

Like I said, the things you've gone through are intense throughout the years. Do you have any fear stepping into this role or any anxiety before you had to film some of those more intense scenes? Because it's a lot.

Yeah, you know what? Prior to 9-1-1, I might have had some fears about the depth of a lot of the things that we shot. I honestly didn't really call myself an actor until like maybe three and a half years ago.

No.

Yeah. I thought I was just fooling everybody, trying to get jobs and land the movies that I was getting. And then I think somewhere around the third season, a co-star of mine kind of, like, metaphorically slapped me in the face and said, you know, let's really get into this, man. You got some really good opportunity here. So that's when I started calling myself an actor. But to be honest, the depth of Eddie in the past three, four seasons has been amazing as just a class. It's been class for me. It's been an opportunity to flex these emotions that I don't get to flex in my day-to-day life and to access certain things and see how far can I push Eddie, how, you know, in the scene where Eddie is just losing his stuff and he's breaking everything in his house. Obviously, I've never done it in my house, but how do I get there? How can I allow the audience to feel what I'm feeling? And that task itself becomes a challenge. And I really [like] that type of challenge. So again, living in gratitude for all the little things that Eddie presents that, you know, I haven't really been presenting my own life.

So with that being said, is there a storyline that's particularly special to you for any given reason?

I kind of lean automatically towards the military/PTSD just because I have a cousin who served six tours and, you know, he shared with me—and I actually, oddly enough, during the episode of Eddie Begins, I brought him on as a military tech and he helped out everybody in the production. His name is Randy Hudson. I, you know, I love that guy to death—but, yeah, he's shared with me a lot of his issues that he's gone through and a lot of the obstacles he's gone through in his day to day life and what it's like to be a military vet coming back and kind of assimilating back into civilian lifestyle. So that storyline always kind of held a special place in my heart just because it was very close connected with me and my own family. And I always hope that, you know, I did it justice enough for everybody that has that story ingrained in them.

I think you definitely did. I saw a lot of comments when I announced you as my guest saying that that was a very meaningful part of your journey on this show. I'm so curious, you know, quite often in television it moves so fast, there's always rewrites or so much going on. Was there ever a story that you wanted to come to fruition that never did?

I hated the fact that we killed off Shannon so quick. I know she wasn't a very likable character for so many different reasons, but I always loved working with Devin. So I would love to explore a little bit more with that. But yeah, there's always beauty and chaos a little bit. So I would have loved the relationship, mother, father, parenting style aspect of Eddie's life to be a more explored, but unfortunately that can't happen anymore.

There's always so many things going on. I'm sure it's hard to fit them into each episode, and I'm sure things do have to get cut because major things keep happening episode after episode, one of them being recently, of course, Buck realized he's Bi and that's a storyline everyone's going crazy over. Did you see that coming? Were you like, I think one day this is going to happen for him?

Well, I mean, it's always kind of been in the ether. Everybody, you know, all the fans, you know, have their speculations about Eddie and Buck and, you know, for the longest time, I think Oliver and I again had lightheartedness to it. We always kind of like saw it as like, oh, at least they're so interested in our characters. Thank God they're interested in our characters. They're not ignoring us, and I don't know if either of us had a pinpoint, you know, idea on which character or if any character would actually lead in that way.

But again, all credit to Tim Minear. He's the one that knows the way. So he chose Buck's character to explore that route. And now seeing it happen in front of our eyes, it makes so much sense. And it just the way him, Buck and Tommy are getting together and the way they're exploring their own individuality and personality. It's beautiful to watch. I was very excited to see, you know, that episode specifically, just for the fact that it was such a moment between, you know, a friend and another friend who had held this huge secret. And how do you come out to your friend?

I had a friend, you know—because I know I've had this actually in my own personal life. I've said this in prior interviews—I had a friend who was deadly scared of coming out to me. And I realized that that moment itself wasn't so much the journey for me, you know, it was this hard journey for himself. And all I had to do was catch. I just had to be there for him, and I was like, that moment itself is so beautiful. I can't wait to do that scene. I can't wait to, you know, show the world like this is how you be there for your brother.

Wow, how cool that you could pull from your real life experience and make that scene even more special, which is why I think it came off so incredibly powerful. It really was so cool to see. And the reception has been absolutely incredible in terms of people feeling like, you know, they're seen through that character and it's on prime-time TV. And you don't see a ton of that, which is still kind of crazy. But, you know, and of course, there were some negative comments, which blows my mind. I mean, I'm sure that blew your mind, too, to see that because who cares, right?

Honestly, I've got this now filter for negative comments. They just kind of seep right through and I don't even hold on to anything. So all I've seen is really, really good comments.

And one of the best parts is actually I've gone to work and Oliver himself has been like telling me these stories of people saying, man, I did not have the strength to come out until way later on in my life. So I'm like, oh man, could you imagine 20, 30 years of holding on to this repressed thing and then it just eating away at you and not being able to say anything, even to the closest people and then seeing something on television to inspire you. That kind of thing is just like, whoa, okay, we're doing something much greater, much bigger than us.

He's not the only one inspiring its characters like you because you're showing, you know, what an ally means, and I think that's really cool to see this like macho, cool guy that's just like, cool, like who cares? And that's also equally as powerful and as important. Before we put a pin on this, you know, part of the conversation, you mentioned you never know what the writers are going to do, and I think there were talks at one point of possibly Eddie being the one to come out in some sort of way. Do you laugh and have fun with all of the fandom's obsession with you as Eddie and Buck getting together? Like, is that something you guys always are seeing and hearing? And I know everyone brings it up to you and it's something that's always looming. Like, how do you react to that? Does it ever get tiring for you?

Again, if the fans are interested, we're doing our job. So I love the love. And I mean, unfortunately, I'm not the one that writes it. So it's all up to Tim. But me and Oliver have a really good time with the fact that, you know, people are so invested into these storylines. And in fact, they're so invested, they're creating their own storylines. They're sending us clips and edits and videos. And, you know, every now and then, Oliver will show me something, I'll show Oliver something. Like, did we actually do this in a scene? Because they cut it so well together.

Yeah.

So, yeah, I think at the end of the day, you know, we just love the love. We're here to entertain and tell the truth. If it's true to the character, then yeah.”

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

You can't predict the future. Nobody can on this show. But if the opportunity one day happened to come your way where they were like, this storyline might be explored between Buck and Eddie, would you be open to that storyline in the future? I see you smiling. I see Oliver had the same reaction, a big ass grin on his face when I asked this.

Yeah, you know, like I said, it's got to live in the truth and I think right now we live in a moment—or me, I live moment to moment—so I love the fact that the biggest plot point between these two characters is one happens to be Bi, one happens to be Hetero, and they have this vulnerability towards each other. And that is the truth to me is it's the fact that you have such a safe space and it doesn't matter your sexuality, that you have a safe space to talk to this individual and he can fully accept you. If we can stay with that, then whatever happens, happens.

But I don't necessarily want to push the fact that because you're vulnerable, you have to be one way or the other in your sexuality. Then I would hate to have a lot of other men who are struggling mentally and not sure about, oh, do I even open up? Because will that make me something that I'm not? I would hate to push that narrative. So if we live in the truth, whatever happens, happens. And again, I'm here for it all.

Whatever happens, happens. That's a nice way to put it. And I agree with you. I think there's power in both. I think there's power in showing a strong friendship that you don't always get to see. And then there's power if something eventually does happen. So whatever happens, happens. I like that, man. What can we expect for the rest of the season with your characters? Anything you can tease? The finale is coming up. We have a couple more weeks. What can we expect?

What can we expect? Well, we can expect that Eddie's smiles might turn to frowns.

Oh no.

Or at least confusion, maybe. We'll start to see, you know, has he gotten past certain traumas? Or is he just kind of pushed them to the side and acting like they're not there?

You know, I have to say a lot of people are still holding on to hope that we're going to get that karaoke scene.

I mean, yeah, we had such a good time playing that karaoke scene, and it was kind of a let down a little bit to know that it wasn't going to be in there. But now, again, looking at the episode itself, as fun as it would be, the main story was Chimney. And the way Kenneth Choi played Chimney, and that episode specifically—I mean, I think he got, you know, performance of the week for that—it would have been a disservice to add, you know, a three-minute scene of us laughing and having a great time and being drunks and karaoke and take away from that performance. So I'm glad that Tim made that decision, and I don't know if he has any plans on showing that later on or whatnot or having some extended clip version, but I can tell you this much, everybody from the cast to the crew to the background had a wild and crazy time doing that scene.

And I think what I just heard you say is you might accidentally drop it on your Instagram very soon.

I might get fired if I do that.

All right. Well, we'll see. I'll talk to ABC PR. No problem. What do you want to see for season eight? Like, are you thinking about the future? Is there like, OK, if I can have my way, I absolutely want to explore blank.

To be honest, there's so much going at us so rapid, so fast paced at this moment. The scripts are getting handed in like quick as can be. So we have a moment's notice to kind of know what we're doing and where we're going with our character. From what I know, from what I've shot thus far, I think next season will literally be a refresh button to Eddie. And starting over in so many different ways, so many new ways in which Eddie has never explored and we've never seen Eddie explore. He'll be on his own in a lot of areas.

Speaking of that, I have to bring up season five, the mental health breakdown, man. That was intense. And a lot of people felt very connected to that. How was it stepping into that scene for you and that storyline? Because it's pretty powerful.

Thank you. Man, that was cathartic, to be honest. It was I've gone through my own mental health issues as far as like, you know, my own depression and anxiety, and, you know, I was raised in an age where men aren't vulnerable and aren't allowed to show feelings. So that kind of repression is like a ticking time bomb, you know, especially for a person in Eddie's life, or his lifestyle. So to kind of relinquish this boundary of who Ryan is and step into Eddie and just kind of just full-on dive deep into these this well of emotion, it was, it was almost like therapy. It was crazy because, you know, from the second they started to say rolling, it's like my—I started to, you know, start bawling and crying, and when Buck comes in and, you know, he's trying to check in on me and the whole room is just all scattered around and I'm losing it—it's just like there was no semblance of Ryan anymore. It was just all Eddie and he was just lost, and that's what it is.

It's like if I were to look at my son, you know, five year old son, that's kind of what we revert back to is just this child that is just so scared and not having any sense of direction and—or hope that anybody will ever love him or ever see him. And it's just these like, you know, existential fears that come out within those tears, and that was my goal to portray that whole scene and then the scene following it. So to get there was just let go, just let go.

Well, the work you did was clearly honest and raw and vulnerable. You can't fake the work that you did in that. And it was really a powerful man for many people to kind of go through that with you and for people who have had their own experiences. And you're right, like, I'm from an old school Italian family. And, you know, you grow up thinking men don't go through that and men don't show those emotions. So to have that on prime-time TV is huge.

Yeah, I hope that helped out a lot of people. I hope that people were actually able to see that and at least, you know, go to their best guy friend, and, you know, I think that's what really needs to happen. As far as men, we need to lean on each other. You know, women have their own issues and they have their certain way of connecting with each other, but there's a special connection that you can have with your brother. And I give so much credit to quite a few of my personal brothers—including my actual brother—for allowing me to run to them in my moments of need, in my moments of feeling lost. And them, you know, being men themselves, not having to say one thing to me.

Or they can just, you know, if they see me in a moment of, you know, deep into a problem, they have the ability to say, well, here's a solution. And since I'm, you know, of like mind, I can be like, okay, you know what? Thank you for giving me some kind of direction. So yeah, I implore all men out there to kind of at least have one or two in your corner, you know, because we can't get anywhere without community.

Absolutely. What have you most learned about yourself through playing this character for so many years? You know, you joined in season two. It's been a lot of years now under your belt. Have you thought about that? Have you learned anything through playing, Eddie?

I've learned a lot through Eddie. I've learned patience. He's a—you know, he has a sense of patience that I didn't have in the beginning even prior to being a father, you know, and then kids itself, they teach you how to be patient. So, yeah, I've learned how to be there as a father. Kind of oddly enough, it was just living as one onscreen prior to actually being one in real life, it gave me, say, practice. I get to practice on television what I get to implore with my own children. And, you know, even if it's the worst thing for Eddie, you know, and I see him doing something horrible, at least I come back home, like, well, that can't happen. I can't do that with my kids. So, yeah, and in so many ways, it's helped me grow as a man, let alone a father.

That's pretty awesome when you can take things away from your job like that and become a better person. I love that so much. Can you believe you've been on the show for so long now? Do you ever think like, damn, that's not normal. That's the rarity in the business. So is that a cool feeling for you?

Yeah, I literally just had that moment yesterday. We were filming a scene, all of us, the whole cast, and I'm sitting outside—I can't tell you the location, that's going to blow something—I'm sitting outside one of the sets and I just had that moment to myself. I'm like, oh my God, I'm actually here. How did I get so lucky to be on not only just a television show, the number one television show out there, where we're in our seventh season and we're creating numbers that people don't even get in their first season? So again, if there's a moment to tap into, let's get into that gratitude again and just be super thankful that I was lucky enough to land this.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

That is so cool, and that's why I have no doubt you'll continue having so much success in your career and in your personal life because you keep bringing up gratitude, and it's very evident that's something you lead your life with. And in fact, I saw a recent Instagram post where you give a beautiful tribute to Twitch, and you credit him with being able to form connection with people in your life now and to different things and places, and I thought that was such a beautiful way to show people that you're working on yourself and you're a work in progress and that he helps you kind of open your eyes. So that was a really cool moment for you to also reveal.

Thank you, yeah. Yeah, I believe so much of the world right now is showcasing a polished version of themselves. And to be honest, I did it myself for so long that I've become tired of it, and I would much rather get to the raw—the raw, the unfiltered, the, you know, the mess ups, the, you know—I've stuck my foot in my mouth too many times. I've done, you know, stupid things in my life, and I never want to present myself as a person that does everything great because there's so many things I suck at.

So I think there's an opportunity within that rawness to invite others to become raw themselves, and for us to see that, you know, we're not competing with each other, we're competing with ourself and our own image of ourself and friends like, you know, a brother like, like Twitch, you know, and—not understanding what he was going through and that lack of connectivity that I always, you know, felt but never acted on, which again, I felt imposter syndrome for so long of calling him my brother. It really struck a chord in me and now I can't go backwards. Now I'm propelled forward to be like, is this conversation authentic between us or are we just kind of saying what we have to say just so we can pass on to the next person and create whatever that is? And I'm not here for that. I would much rather have that depth and I'd much rather have that rawness.

Beautifully said and a perfect segue into what I want to finish this conversation with, which is based off the title of the show: I've Never Said This Before. So I'm wondering, is there anything that comes to mind that you want to share today that you've never shared before?

Uh. Huh. Yeah, you know what? I've been thinking about this for so long and there's so many things, you know, that come to mind. One specifically, and I've been hesitant to actually say any of this for so long because, you know, it's been years upon years.

About six and a half, seven years ago—and I've really never said this out loud, especially onto a public platform—I had my own mental health crisis and I tried at one point in time to take my own life. And luckily, it didn't work. Luckily, I got a second chance by the grace of God. And from that moment forward, I've taken each step as an opportunity to erase what got me there and build on what allowed me to live forward. So I would say that that moment itself, in addition to what happened to my brother Twitch, are probably the two biggest fundamental moments of my entire life and have allowed me to have a deeper sense of mercy and empathy towards every individual.

So I would implore that all men renounce this fact of, you know, you're a tough man, you have to hold all this in, but lean on your brother, really lean on your brother. And if your brothers aren't being there in the way they need to be, find some new ones. Because that's another thing, if you don't have the people that are conducive to a healthy lifestyle and you're keeping on to them because of loyalty, let them go. There's plenty of other people. There's people that have been through your situation before that are willing and more than willing, you know, to help. So yeah, that was a big one.

Man, first of all, thank you for sharing something so personal and close to your heart with me today. I feel honored that you did open up and share that. And I'm truly—God, this could be another half hour conversation, so I'll keep it short—but I'm truly grateful that you are spreading that message today for anybody listening because, you know, mental health is a crisis and I think people sometimes look at you, they look at me, they think everything's perfect. We are, you know, in this public space and what can be wrong?

And when you humanize real shit like that, it makes people feel less alone. And you got through it, you realize that wasn't the right way to go about it and your life forever changed for the better, and I'm truly grateful that you put that message out today because you have no idea how many people you're going to be helping with that. And I truly know that that's something that's not easy to get off your chest. And for that, I thank you and I know so many people will be thanking you, and I hope you feel kind of like a little bit of a weight lifted that you share that hopefully.

Yeah, it's kind of hard to understand what I'm feeling at the moment. But I hope in what you said is true. And I hope that, again, I would love to do more for mental health, especially for men, I mean, just in general, to be honest. But yes, I hope that there is a new wave out there that's kind of taking over that we can actually have some cohesiveness and connection, a true understanding of what connection is. Let's revisit that. So this issue isn't a common issue anymore. If we can take that down, then let's do it. I'm here for it.

Beautifully said, and thank you again for sharing that. I could talk to you for hours, especially leaving with that. I think you're such a cool person. And you watch people, I get to talk to people all the time. But this to me was a real conversation, and that's what I value. That's why I have a show called I've Never Said This Before, and I want to talk about the projects that the fans love, but also leave room to talk about things that matter. I don't think there's enough of that. So I truly thank you for hanging out, for coming on, for talking about the fun of 911, which we all love, and it's killing it in every way, but also sharing a little piece of you. I hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I have.

Thanks for having me, my man. Yeah, I had a great time.

Thank you, and remind everyone where, how, when, all the things about your show.

Yes, please watch Thursdays at 8 on ABC.

All right, and stay tuned for the karaoke scene that you just promised you will be dropping.

Yeah, maybe when I'm fired again.

All right, man, until we meet again, take care.

All right, brother.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading TGCF: Chapter 97

For those who don't know, I am reading TGCF for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag Bloopitynoot reads TGCF. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read BUT if you followed along with my SVSSS read, the rules and vibe are the same.

Today has been cathartic.

I spent five days at convention doing good work and activism and truthfully it was difficult.

Today I worked my regular shift and then voted in our federal election! After that, me, my partner, and my local went out to support queer youth at the catholic school board in their fight to be seen.

context: The school board was voting on whether or not to ban ALL flags (except the Canadian and Ontario flags). While this was specifically done to target queer youth, it also unintentionally impacts new Canadians and our Indigenous communities.

So we stood on the lines with hundreds of community members while the trustees met and we became the frontline for the sweetest group of kids. The turnout was phenomenal <3

It has been a week, but this felt like a joyous evening.

Today to soothe my aching voice and nurture my heart I have a ginger and lemon tea <3

Let's get into chapter 97!

Oh sweet baby Robin Hood p163

The morality of who to rob is getting me. Xie Lian: can't be this guy or this guy or this guy, this guy is too old p154

Xie Lian is a very bad bandit. I kind of want to know though how long he was sitting in that tree though p165

omg. what are the odds that he ends up trying to rob a guy in front of a bunch of heavenly officials :( p167

:( this guy is holding on to so much shame while struggling to just survive p171

The ghost light :( p172

I almost made it through this chapter without crying

The last couple pages broke me with Xie Lian struggling, drinking, and then Hua Cheng ghost light trying to help him :((((((

[toomanywatchers]

Happy 5-year anniversary to Watcher Entertainment! And in loo of the anniversary, @watcherwiki has organized a lil event here on Tumblr for fans to list their top 5 Watcher shows.

Any who, here are my top 5 Watcher shows!

5.) Making Watcher

To some, they may think this is an insane pick to be in my top 5, BUT if you know me, I love documentaries. Literally, the comfort series I watch when I'm feeling down is The Imagineering Story on Disney+. I just love seeing the behind-the-scenes of how Watcher runs and kind of getting a look back at what happened that year- wait... I just realized we didn't get one this year... fuck... still love it though!

4.) Dish Granted

I was rewatching some of my favorite episodes and honestly this show is just so pure at heart. The amount of creative willpower that Steven puts himself through to perfectly craft the dream dish of the guest is just so wholesome. And it’s even better that he’s not a trained chef and instead a normal guy in the kitchen which leads to some fails, but also successes. I do miss this show dearly, but I also know it stresses the FUCK out of Steven so I get why it had to go�� but can we get a Professor episode please?

3.) Puppet History

This show truly encapsulates what Watcher first set out to make their company about: Curiosity Meets Comedy. It’s witty, educational, lore-heavy, and is run by a little blue guy. I’m so excited for this upcoming season especially with that premiere episode on Watcher TV right now? Phenomenal!

2.) Travel Season

Before I was Watcher fan, I was a Worth It fan. Yes, this show came out during a bad time for Watcher and many folks did not give it a try because of everything, but this show is absolutely beautiful. The idea to travel to one place and experience everything about that one place with your best buds makes this show such a feel-good show. The vibes are like cuddling up on the couch with a blanket with the fire place on in fall. It is just sooooo homey. Also the intro? Hands down Watcher’s best intro.

and my number 1 is…

1.) Weird (and/or) Wonderful World

Of course WWW is my top favorite show. I wouldn’t be here or wouldn’t have made all my past memes and edits if it weren’t for WWW. This show’s wacky editing style along with the exploration of such odd yet charming places is just peak for me. This is the show that truly solidified me as a hardcore Watcher fan! And don’t even ask me how many times I’ve watched the whole series because it’s too many times. Also my favorite Watcher video ever is still the roller derby episode as it’s editing is peak and watching the boys attempt roller derby is fucking hilarious (also love Woe tbh she was the best teacher/coach).

And that’s my list!

(btw i stole this layout from @bergoop because i thought it looked nice but also i have never made gifs before so i apologize if they look like trash… i tried lol)

[vaiztohirez]

SVSSS College/University AU!!

(mostly STEM, and with assumptions arising from the American systems, bc that's what I know)

Shen Yuan: In accordance with my headcanons for canon, I think he'd still be studying evolutionary biology in this AU. He'd have fun with it, and I think he'd be decently good at it. Same energy as my roommate doubling Chem and Archeology bc Alchemy isn't an option

Luo Binghe: Shen Yuan tutored him once when they were in middle school and high school respectively, and Bingy majored in STEM about it. That and I think it would make sense with his backstory, for him to be studying biochemistry or molecular biology with the intent of becoming a cancer biologist. Like I said earlier, he'd be phenomenal in wet lab because of his skills in the kitchen (and general badassery) transferring to the lab. If he actually had Protagonist Powers I think he'd probably manage to actually cure cancer lol.

To get the relationships right, I think Ning Yingying and Ming Fan have to be studying something related to biology, but I don't have a good enough handle on their characters to decide what exactly within the broad broad field of bio they might be interested in. But I do know that the three of them were put in a study group during intro bio and managed to make that into actual friendship further down the line.

Shang Qinghua: I Knew he had to be Computer Science all the way. As someone who is intimately acquainted with the precise flavor of dying all CS majors are, he's absolutely got the energy. Plus, I had a daydream/plot bunny back when I was taking Algorithms that the type of procedural thinking taught in CS would be invaluable on An Ding. He absolutely still writes a ton to keep some semblance of sanity. If you see him in the CS building at 11 pm typing furiously it's a coin toss as to whether he's writing or debugging lol. He and Shen Yuan made instant hatefriends with each other in the university's anime club their first year, and slowly transitioned to being die-or-die (yes, that was not a typo, they are both dying at the end of this ride lol) best friends.

Literally everyone else I could think of under the cut:

Shen Qingqiu: I think he and Shen Yuan are cousins at most, so the QiJiu backstory can be had in some capacity. Of course, they can't literally be slaves named after numbers in a modern AU, but the separation/reconciliation/etc can happen. I think he's either premed and angry about it, or aggressively going towards academia. Math, maybe? I know those are two very different things, but whatever he's studying, he's mean about it, but very good.

Yue Qingyuan: I think he is in the med school at whatever university he's at. One of those freaks who manages to be dying entirely on the inside instead of the outside. This is why I think it'd be useful to have SJ|SQQ as premed, so their paths crossed. I think SQQ was delayed in enrolling by QiJiu Backstory, which is why they're in different years. He's maybe planning on going into family medicine, I think.

Mu Qingfang: How could I make the doctor character not a doctor? He's out of school, kind of. I think he's doing his residency at a hospital near the university. He's friends with YQY, and is Concerned at the bits of QiJiu Backstory he's picked up over the course of that.

Qi Qingqi: Thinks all you doctor types are a bit insane (affectionate, but deep down). I think she's a graduate student studying chemistry, maybe drug delivery if I had to pick something specific? No real reason, just vibes.

Liu Qingge: The emotionally constipated Sporty Ponytail(TM), so... Sports Medicine, obviously. I think he might be minoring in environmental studies or something, so there's reasons for him to cross paths with Shen Yuan. Story reasons, I mean -- he's doing it because he got interested in high school.

Liu Mingyan: I don't know if it's too on the nose to tie her to a field that'd make her excruciatingly aware of the reasons why to wear a mask, but I think she'd be studying Epidemiology or Public Health, something similar to that. I think she'd be good at thinking on the personal, community, and population levels, and balancing that.

Sha Hualing: So that she has some overlap with both LMY and LBH, and because I just think it fits somehow, I think she'd be studying molecular biology with the intent to go into virology.

Mobei-Jun: Honestly I'm not entirely certain he's in school. I think it might make more sense for him to be running the restaurant location Binghe works part time at. Which brings me to the rest of the demons!

Meng Mo: Head chef of the restaurant Bingy managed to finangle his way to a part time chef position at. No, I don't know how he managed that either, because it's a pretty high end restaurant, and "chef" doesn't tend to be a part time position from what I know. Binghe is just that good at cooking, I guess. Meng Mo is kind of mad about it.

Tianlang-Jun: He owns the restaurant and probably a bunch of other things, but he's rich-person bankrupt because he was suspected of murdering his wife (he didn't, obvs. Honestly it might be funny if Su Xiyan wasn't even actually dead). It was suuuuuper awkward when it came out that LBH was his biological son, but Binghe Refuses to touch business, so Zhuzhi-Lang is the successor.

That's all I've got for now!

[fencecollapsed]

☕️+ nightmare time episodes??

alright we're gonna do a lightning round for these, imagine me rolling up my sleeves

The Hatchetfield Ape-Man - a good silly time, nothing too special lore-wise but that doesn't mean it should be skipped, people who say it's skippable just hate fun I think /hj

Watcher World - the vibes are IMMACULATE and this story is the prime example to me of what Nightmare Time stories should be at their best - further explorations of pre-established characters and relationship dynamics

Forever & Always - I wish the clone reveal was foreshadowed better and that they hadn't cut certain details in the YouTube release, but I love droid23 so much that those minor grievances don't matter that much to me

Time Bastard - I think it's deeply funny that Ted got himself put in the torment nexus and murdered by his best friend, get wrecked Spankoffski

Jane's A Car - TOP tier Nightmare Time story, painfully underrated, a great character study of Tom. oh my dearly beloved Jane's A Car they could never make me hate you

The Witch in the Web - good introduction for Holloway and Duke, and does a good job expanding the world of Hatchetfield in a way that feels pretty natural. Hannah Foster I would burn down all of civilization to see you happy

Honey Queen - the BEST Nightmare Time story, does a phenomenal job contextualizing and exploring Linda as a character, and has genuinely my second favorite ending of the whole series it's so delightfully and horrifyingly dreadful

Perky's Buds - the fact that Emma's only solo story isn't character focused bothers me personally and I. hate the nighthawks I think they are annoying, but I've come to accept that my gripes are largely preference based and this kind of story in general just isn't my thing. I don't like it very much but it's whatever I respect it for what it is

Abstinence Camp - good and fun, it was a great intro for the main NPMD trio, almost too good to the point that I think Steph and Pete were better utilized here. Grace is at top form as always though

Daddy - I've liked this story more each time I've watched it, like I forget how funny it is every time. I really like what it does with Frank, exploring him as a more well-rounded guy than the cartoonish capitalist archetype he was in BF, it's cool it's neat

Killer Track - I love what this story does for Miss Holloway, her role in this story sold me on her as a character more than her first appearance did, it expanded her just the right amount to make her more engaging and sympathetic

Yellow Jacket - everything about the Foster sisters and Ethan makes me want to eat a brick I am sad about Hannah and Lex forever and this story is very good, I need the Orbweaver story focused on Lex right now immediately

and just in the interest of completionism I've included one for Hey Melissa under the cut for anyone who wants to count that one

Hey Melissa - great concept, dogshit execution. I'm a little obsessed with this story because I don't like it but I think it could've been really good if they'd just done another draft or two. as is I think it relies too heavily on the shock value to succeed at being an actually good story, but y'know, it was cut for a reason, I've mostly made my peace with it. mostly.

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

EPIC THE MUSICAL ACT ONE SONGS RANKED BY ME

The first act is out and recency bias towards saga 5 has passed. let's go lesbians

20 - POLYPHEMUS

I would like to express that just because she is last she isn't bad, ok? The worst Epic song is better than your fave's entire discography, let's not get it twisted. That being said, Polyphemus is by far the weakest for me. It's just too slow, and like, of course it is, it's the build up for the plot defining moment of the show. It has to be slow to contrast with the explosion that will come right after. But it's soooo much and so not the vibe for me. Still love her tho

19 - LUCK RUNS OUT

Not gonna lie, this song is only this low because they changed the "We could be caught of guard" verse. It was SOOOOOOO much better than the melodic version, like, that was a giga downgrade it really upset me and my homegirls ngl

18 - WARRIOR OF THE MIND

Again, a queen, a trendsetter, a trailblazer, we love athena, but her songs in the beginning of the musical are kinda not my thing. Warrior of the mind sounds so weird to me in its saga, i struggle making it fit in my head.

17 - STORM

Wait, wait hear me out, hear me out! Don't shoot! It lacks flavor. It lacks a spice, it lacks something it. I really wasn't feeling it much in the tiktok teaser days of this one, and while the full release is good (again, there is no such thing as a bad epic song) storm left me wanting more, not in a too good of a way. It felt like there was something that needed to be there, a je ne sais quoi, idk

16 - SURVIVE

I think i might get doxxed for this list, but it is my truth. TBH we reached a point in which i have no qualms with the songs. Survive is definitely not bad but like, it gets outshone by literally everyone else in the list so it goes here.

15 - THERE ARE OTHER WAYS

Ooooooh boy. I hate that she is so low. I do, I really do. The second verse just doesn't do it for me as much as the first, and it sucks because the intro and the duet are a fucking masterclass.

14 - PUPPETEER

The numbers are treatcherous because, yes 14 is in the lower spectrum but like, we are already in No Skip territory. I didn't think I would like Puppeteer but the intro with Ody and Eurylochus is simply perfection. The feels, the almost love confession that was cut off, the wordplay is just INSANE, love her

13 - THE UNDERWORLD

What do I need to say about Underworld that wasn't already said in every corner of this website? Putting your IRL mom to play Anticlea is VILE, 10/10 fuck you jorge

12 - KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE

She was gagging me since tiktok. Perfection. Bonus points for being Penelope and Telemachus first appearances in the show (SHOW ME THE TWINK, JORGE). Also, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODYSSEUS OF ITHACAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

11 - MY GOODBYE

I talked shit about athena's sons in warrior of the mind and I was about to put this in 16th place wtf, it didn't feel right so i did a re-listen and holy shit this song is phenomenal, omg THE JUST A MAN LINE? CINEMA

10 - OPEN ARMS

Steven Dookie, the man that you are. This song is so fucking good, holy shit. It's cute, and fun, It's everything. It encapsulates why the first quarter of a musical is always my favorite, because of all the setups, the motifs, the weapons it creates to shred our hearts

09 - REMEMBER THEM

She is perfection, she is serving pauleira, she is giving me everything I want. By far the best outro in the show, argue with your mothers.

08 - FULL SPEED AHEAD

The harmonies, the character intros, the simplicity, the naïveté, the HARMONIES, YES, AGAIN THE HARMONIES. Troy saga best saga, and if you disagree you can eat my ass

07 - DONE FOR

This song is what truly hooked into epic so Just a Man could reel me in. The drama, the irony, the implicit horniness, the fact that i found out they were dating IRL around the time this was announced, truly divine (ha)

06 - NO LONGER YOU

Wig? Snatched. This was my favorite song for a while, I even auditioned for it lmao. Deffo my favorite one to sing, still. Mason DEVOURED this track, and the prophecy? Odysseus's scream? Setting up Monster, AKA one of the best things in this show? Gagged me, your honor.

05 - THE HORSE AND THE INFANT

We are reaching greatness here you guys. The duet with Zeus gives me chills every time. I just know this + Just a Man as INTROS (REALLY LIKE, THIS IS THE INTRO) are gonna make pussies throb and ppl cry in the theater

04 - WOULDN'T YOU LIKE

Hermes is my favorite character in the show, and this (and Dangerous) are my most anticipated songs EVER. The tiktok snippets really did it for me.

03 - MONSTER

I mean, come on. Do I even have to say anything? When he quoted Poseidon. The venting about all he lost, THE CONFIRMATION THAT HE DID, IN FACT, KILLED THE BABY. HE BECOMING THE MAN TIRESIAS SAW IN HIS PROPHECY. I MEAN, COME ON

02 - RUTHLESSNESS

Chills. Literal chills. When this song dropped I was INSUFFERABLE. Ask anyone close to me. She was on repeat for WEEKS. Steven Rodriguez's voice is so fucking insane, so fucking SEXY (I ain't afraid to say it bitch, that man can get it). But like, Poseidon as a character, Odysseus being an idiot, "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" like HOLY SHIT. And now, all i can think about is how Get in The Water will sound in his voice. Just thinking about it gives me chills. I just know he is going to devour it.

01 - JUST A MAN

Remarkable, showstopping, absolutely the best song ever made. The lyricism, the production, the poetry, vocal performance, I really don't have much to say because it's not needed. All of my favorite moments in this soundtrack, unreleased songs included, are moments in which this song is referenced.

The "Monster" chants in The Underworld and in Monster, "after all you're just a man" in My Goodbye, the entire song of "Monster" is he becoming the Monster he is asking about in this song, like, DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SONG? My life's dream is to go to broadway once to see this fucking song live, and i know it will be life changing. Just a Man is the most beautiful thing ever.

[grumfy]

Do you have any Obikin fics that you could recommend? I'm dipping my toes in the water for the first time because of the Ranwan parallels

Hehe YESSS happy to provide for a fellow ranwanist!! I actually never read fic before this ship so I’m so happy I can finally answer a fic request ask!!

I’ll give you the first three I read that really got me into the ship because of 2ha adjacent vibes!! These are good entry points I think for my beloved 2ha followers, because over the past few months most of the stuff I read has gotten more fandom-esoteric lol

All He’ll See is Me is basically the premise of 2ha condensed into a clean 35k and was my first fic-intro to the ship. Evil dark lord dies and gets sent back in time and porks his teacher, but this time, it’s in space! I’m pretty sure it’s the most popular fic in the ship tag based on kudos

haunt me then is very much a 0.5 timeline esque 7k one-shot the author describes as "he came back wrong to you, but he came back to me” featuring weird codependent willing attic wifey stuff with the shadow of the person you used ton love and still love. absolutely delicious, and is nonlinear for extra flavor.

Come Down From Your Holy Mountain is the one I credit to really launching my interest, it’s like completed at 150k where, instead of leaving Anakin to die after chopping off his limbs on a volcano planet, decides to save him and rehab him. I really loved how involved the plot was and the slow-burn development of their relationship

Also, though it’s not a fic, it may as well be so I’m suggesting it. If you decide this ship is up your alley do your self a favor and read the The Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matt Stover. Aside from being really really really phenomenally written, is literally the most yaoi a book’s ever been without being explicitly yaoi. It’s somehow even more homoerotically charged and gayngsty than any fanfiction where they have sex. I literally cannot articulate to you how fucking insane it is. It’s literally what actually drove home my obsession because I was kind of like “okay wow…this codependent one sided yaoi is actually way more insane than I ever imagined” because Matt Stover writes Obi-Wan like a repressed gay monk in love with his friend, and as a result literally every other author to write official Star Wars books involving them channeled that energy but amped up the weird to untouchable levels.

Some batshit from the novel since I need to get this across to you:

“Blade-to-blade, they were identical. After thousands of hours in lightsaber sparring, they knew each other better than brothers, more intimately than lovers; they were complementary halves of a single warrior.”

“Every day and every night [Obi-Wan] violated every principle the Jedi had taught him about staying in the present moment, about acceptance. Going over every argument, every talk, to find the key that he should have turned in order to unlock the secrets of Anakin's heart.”

‘Palpatine lifted his shoulders. "Perhaps not. Perhaps it's simply a question of whether you love Obi-Wan Kenobi more than you love your wife."’

A scene where Anakin’s wife basically calls out Obi-Wan for loving Anakin and it literally reads like someone’s wife confronting her oblivious straight husband’s “confirmed bachelor” friend when he’d thought he’d kept it a secret.

And more. On like every page to the point where I was like. What the actual fuck were you on.

Anywayssssss hope this was helpful to you LMAO!!! If anyone wants recs or to chat you’re always more than welcome to DM me to ask or talk about it lol.

[archiveofenlightenment]

my favorite illit songs

LE SSERAFIM & ILLIT are my current ults... so here's my favorite ILLIT songs. will be doing a lsrfm version as well!! (btw these are not rankings, it's a list)

Midnight Fiction - such a dreamy song, great for late night listens

Pimple - Midnight Fiction's sister. Absolutely fantastic

IYKYK - Stuck in my head. IYKYK

My World - It's a vibe, hear me out

Magnetic/Lucky Girl Syndrome - I love them sm

Cherish (My Love)/Tick-Tack - Loved them since the first listen, phenomenal

I'll Like You - I forgot it at first :((( certified banger

Almond Chocolate - THE INTRO IS EVERYTHING, Wonhee and Iroha's vocals, Minju's cursive singing????? Are we hearing this??

And yes I am aware that I basically listed every ILLIT song. I JUST CAN'T CHOOSE HELP ME

[whattraintracks]

Okay, so we’re doing this 

Intro: 

I’m sorry with the rain and trench coats all I can think about is “The Maltese Hamster”

oop that’s Karai’s voice 

Present Timeline: 

chatting about the latest adventure with the bestie 

and looking at matrices. Donny is STEM goals 

Time Scepter: so whatchu thinking about?

Donatello’s Brain: indecipherable matrix assault

Time Scepter: oh my gosh, please send him anywhere but here quick quick quickquickquick 

hence he was sent to the future of a near timeline as opposed to an entirely alternate reality 

kidding 

hmm so he’s looking into time travel and alternate dimension related calculations

interesting that this got him sent to the future instead of the past like he and April were talking about 

I’ve seen this scene three times now and it is never not funny how Raph arrives just in time to deliver a sick burn 

Lair Ruins: 

the obvious Chekov's gun of the Tunneler is sending me 

largely because I would not have noticed it if I didn’t already know so much about this episode 

also this has video game vibes 

your character just woke up and starts spouting ominous observations about the environment 

Mike sighting! 

ooh spiky nunchaku 

oh my gosh I am so ready for extremely competent adult mutant ninja turtle fight scenes you have no idea 

ahhhhhhh angry Mike hurts so much 

Montage Across the City: 

the music does not have to go this hard but I am in love with it (p.s. still feeling this way post episode, that soundtrack was phenomenal) 

with Mike’s “We were a team! Without you it just didn’t work.” I can see the back and forth of ‘SAINW happened because it was Donny specifically that disappeared’ and ‘actually this would have happened if any of them had disappeared’ 

Rebel HQ: 

Angel name drop! she has commandos!?! get it girl 

Splinter and Casey both believed Don would come back /sobs/ 

I’m sorry is that Baxter Stockman? in the resistance?? 

I mean, of course he’s alive, cockroach man that he is, but in the resistance??? 

and Hun!?!? 

oh my gosh Hun you’re so melodramatic please 

wild to me that Donny shows up, checks the place out, and just says imma fix this and everyone goes along with it 

I have to wonder 

how long have they been waiting for him to do this exact thing that despite three decades of fear and pain and grief and betrayal and anger and everything else they don’t even question him, they just act? 

how long have they been waiting for Donatello to come back with hope and plan that they couldn’t say no? 

Shredder’s Palace: 

thinking about the cut taxidermy plot and Karai’s report is hilarious 

‘hi. yes, master, it’s me. you know that stuffed turtle you have? someone just saw him running around town. yeah he was attacking our men. killer makeover, doesn’t even look dead’ 

wait isn’t there a Leo centric episode in season four called prodigal son? 

and Shredder just called Don the prodigal son.

oh that comparison is going to ruin me 

Shredder's like nope. I've only made it this far with him gone. make him gone again. 

Some Building IDK: 

wow it is on sight between Leo and Raph 

have they been fighting about the same thing for 30 years? good golly. 

how many times has Donny had to separate these two by whacking them with his bo that was clearly well practiced 

ah I see they were saving the questions, concerns, and rising action for Leo and Raph 

newtrauma what nows? some kind of Utrom soldier? welp guess I'll find out (p.s. transcript says Utrominators so did Leo but the cc said neutromenators so I got lost) 

Shredder’s Palace Again: 

oh well done Donatello! very dramatic entrance! excellent presentation! nailed that cheesy heroic one-liner! 

April came! . . . and so did Hun+Baxter 

ouch that did not end well for them 

OH MY HECK WAIT REWIND THE BRAIN IS BRAINING 

Donny and April (normal timeline) were specifically thinking about UNCLE AUGGIE 

who DISAPPEARED 

so Donny got sent to a universe where HE disappeared 

I’ve connected the dots 

okay back to the show 

Mike seems to be taking the lead here and I like that very much 

wait I wanted the fight scenes but I didn’t want this part /sobs/ 

I’m sorry is Karai still trying to pull the old ‘I actually like you guys don’t make me do something I don’t wanna do’ like girl frickin commit already 

noooooooo—wait how did she slash through his shell? you know what, nevermind—oooooooooooooooo!!! 

gahhhhh Raph's death was so much worse. doesn't matter how prepared I was. I was not 

hooray April with the bazooka! but also girl where were you T^T 

“you are the last of your kind, Donatello” oh that’s particularly cruel 

it’s giving ‘alas, poor yorick’ 

holy crap April 

alone in the ruins of Shredder’s throne room surrounded by the bodies of all that’s left of her family and an entire ruined world to rebuild 

geez Don leave her the easy job 

[yuzuyoon]

While we are waiting for BE MINE, English version, to drop, I continue to demand JUSTICE for Rebirth.

It's ethereal and entrancing, and Jimin's heavenly voice just soars. He has both writing and producing credits, which explains why Rebirth is very Jimin-coded. It doesn't deserve to be put in the corner of "oh, it's only an intro."

I like to imagine Jimin singing this with a full gospel choir behind him. So inspiring!

Good love...Real love...

Wouldn't this be a phenomenal soundtrack for a big blockbuster romance? Picture the scene...sun rising on a beautiful beach, lovers joyfully running towards each other, meeting with a tangle of arms and legs and lips. Meanwhile, the music swells, and the camera pans up to the beginning of a new day.

And ajimin made it all possible!

tbh (and i apologize in advance) rebirth actually ranked pretty low for muse tracks for me. im sorry, i really am. that said, just because it ranked low in terms of muse tracks, it ranks wayyy above any other release from any other k-act, so let's give rebirth some love, shall we?

sparkly intro. i love love instrumentals that sound "sparkly"

the only thing that knocked it down on my ranking is the autotune on the song. now, im all against the "hating a song for it's autotune" movement that surrounds jimin for some reason (why??), but there is one note in the song that irks me every time because the pitch corrector was a bit intense. i'll get over it tho, its literally 1 second of the song and the rest of the song you can't hear it.

jimin's witty lyrics >>> "Like 태양이 비추는 vibe." That's genuinely hilarious

i think jimin has like having a choir singing behind him. friends, closer than this, rebirth? it's cute and it compliments his voice so nicely

the best part of the song is the with you with you/reason reason reason part. gospel singing is a lot a lot different than pop singing. idk how to describe it, but jimin adapts his voice super nicely to the choir's. he's actually dropping the pretty high tone that he holds with his voice and upping the vibrato in his phrasing and its heavenly

this falsetto sounds amazing in this song. im sad he doesn't use that register more because he sounds so good using falsetto and head voice

the general production on this song is incredible. it's sounds like being wrapped in a big cozy blanket. it just surrounds you

do i even have to mention the lyrics? they're so gorgeously written (nothing but the best from our jimin)

its definitely ost worthy and i think the reason is orchestral ending that swells before it goes quiet. but no really, this would be an amazing movie ending ost

[wispedvellichor]

I JUST WATCHED THE MIDNIGHT EPISODE AND

the intro was so cozyyyy like just donna and ten bickering while also fondly smiling at each other is my favourite thing in the whole universe

the rest of the episode tho- fucking psychological thriller vibes and the acting?? phenomenal. Lesley Sharp was SO HAUNTING in the way she personified the consciousness and DAVID TENNANT OHMGOD- his face when he was repeating after her- the anguish- the tear filled eyes- the helplessness... chills.

DONNA HUGGING HIM IN THE END GAVE ALL DJKSHSJDKHH

so basicallyyy it was donna :) -> absolute suspense and goosebumps -> aww donna again :)

and lord did i eat that up

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Watched this with the oomf @yurisorcerer, I came across it multiple years ago and cannot remember where (my best guess is it qualifying as a magical girl anime for the mahou shoujo achievement on MAL graph?) and just yesterday as I was clearing my plan to watch for funsies I decided to torrent this so I could have it watched and thus remove another ptw entry.

It was fucking incredible! What the fuck! Like I didn't go into this expecting it to be bad I had no preconceived notions of what it was even about it's just the score was kinda low and I was like "if it's good it'll be like 6 or 7 good" but nah this shit was awesome, awesome to such a degree that I'm almost mad I hadn't already seen it before, and now I'm mad that it released so long ago that the fucking blu-ray is long out of print and sold for way more money than I'm willing to part with. Joy to be found at least in having shared this experience with a friend whom, spoilers for her presumed post (unless she posts before I do anyway) also really enjoyed it.

Elaborating a bit more specifically, I'd really say this movie is split into three acts. The intro gives us an overview of lead pair Dual and Dorothy, how their setting works, and how it's about to be changed with the introduction of Remo. The start's cool if a little slow, but there's magical girl adjacent action in a visually appealing cyber-world with fucky gravity and shit. I was already having fun here. Midsection of the movie sees Dual and Dorothy having become genuine friends with Remo, and there's a ton of genuinely adorable slice of life and character building antics here. The two music montages in a row are both particularly peak. There's a weird bit in the middle of said montages that shows the destruction of humanity and overwhelming dread of war - it works with what the movie is actually about thematically although I get the sense it was meant to be a little longer. We're still very good though. At this point 6 isn't even on the table for score anymore, and I'm genuinely having a lot of fun. And then we get our final act, which I can't even begin to succinctly describe and can really only say that the stakes go crazy, the plot goes crazier, and it was one of the best endings I've seen in what feels like forever. Absolutely incredible. Shot the movie up to an 8. I cannot stress enough that the movie is already pretty solid by this point and then just becomes peak beyond reason. Phenomenal.

Will say more broadly that the literary idea of computers continuing after human extinction is a common idea, but I gotta say this movie executed on said idea in a much more optimistic manner than I usually see, and I think the plot itself and how we get to all this comes together in a really nice way. Like the ending isn't just epic and emotional it's also naratively satisfying and thematically well justified. This movie being such a uniquely particular vibe would be enough for me to find it passively interesting already but being as generally well written as it is does a lot as well. Fuckin, really liked this thing.

Only drawback is count how many times it fades to black though lol.

[sweet-berrry]

Out of Tune by the Backseat Lovers!

- I think I've heard of this band

- oooh, very nice intro

- oh. Very long intro

- this guitar >>

- nostalgia 📈📈

- "they were always pretty good till the next year we realized that we were wrong" <- yeah, definitely me when I was younger

- "you made me who I am" ok, a little cheesy

- loooooove these vocals

- aww

- "you made me who I am" I'm not crying you're crying

Overall: Love it!! Very upbeat and nostalgic vibe. The lyrics were a little cheesy at times, but honestly I'm a sucker for that shit. (Also, on the second listen it definitely hit different) The guitar and vocals are PHENOMENAL, and I want to listen to more of this band!

[heademptynothoughts]

thoughts on live and fall:

in terms of the new songs, night before the end is just so beautiful. idk what it is about xh rock ballads, but something about them hits different. feeling nice has a really cool groove to it, that beat change caught me off guard at first but i ended up really liking it. xymphony might be my favourite of the new ones. it has this eerie vibe to it that’s perfect for spooky season, and omfg the pre-chorus is absolutely incredible. i also love that the piano is at the forefront of the song, allowing jungsu to shine in a way we haven’t seen yet.

as for the album as a whole, xh_world_75 is a great intro and i think they ordered the songs well. instead is definitely my favourite overall. i’m a metalhead so i lost my shit over it when it first got released.

another phenomenal comeback. xdinary heroes never fail to impress.