#this is the first thing I thought of after I finished ep 7/8

[dragonfollies]

How the last few episodes of Fionna and Cake have been

(No text version under cut)

[ciaonicole85]

ESCAPING INTO A SHIP

So what exactly made me latch onto the Sydcarmy ship like a leech on a water buffalo?

It was unexpected (for me)! Yes, the very first meeting between Syd and Carm did make an impact. I thought "Oooh, what's this?!" However, Carmy was/is such a mess that I quickly dismissed it. And Sydney just seemed to want his professional approval and a partner in making something great after the soul-crushing failure of Sheridan. So, the first season I personally didn't feel a mutual sexual/romantic tension, more like an automatic respect and shared goals/passions. Sydney nor Carm were obviously trying to flirt. Most slow burns on TV are 100% obvious like a Jeanine and Gregory (Abbott Elementary), Nick and Jess (New Girl), Jake and Amy (Brooklyn 99), Jim and Pam (The Office)...Until Braciole Ep. 8 that is.

S. 1 Episode 8- I won't get into everything but Carmy was desolate. Yes, he became a psycho chef and two people quit in Ep.7. However, he mourned Sydney more than Marcus. She was in his flashback/nightmare (?), then the way he told Tina that she looked like Syd (the poor pup), him texting her before opening the note from Mikey, and finally the most gorgeous locked gaze scene since Pride and Prejudice (2005). The soft lighting, the music, the colors, the mind-reading...magical. I still didn't get it initially. Silly, blind me.

Mentorship where??? Season 2 Carm and Syd's "mentorship" dynamic is pretty much over. They are true partners and spending more time together. They're dressing alike even when not in uniform, finishing each other's sentences or talking in unison. Sydney is opening up more of herself and Carm is asking to know more. They use the ASL sign for sorry with each other and no one else until ep 10. Then there's that locker scene in ep. 1 or 2, when they almost hang out just cause. However, Carmy misses the moment and there's the return of the kicked pup face. Before being on the ship I was delighted with all of their scenes and was looking forward to the food tour. They just ROCK together on screen.

Classic Love Triangle- Who's Claire? She's "Claire Bear", the prototypical "cool girl", who is willing to chase an socially awkward, wrong-number-giving man, despite being a pretty ER resident with no shortage of options. Did a CW writer get hired? Anyways, why was her presence used almost exclusively to put strain on Carmy and Sydney's relationship instead of The Bear generally? We could have had scenes with Nat, Richie, and Marcus arguing with Carmy about him being distracted due to Claire. They saved 99% of that for Sydney. They CHOSE to insert her in between or just after scenes with him and Claire. Showing Sydney's tattoos and her getting dressed with the stained chef's coat juxtaposed with them was WILD.

I LOVE that both believe their interpersonal problems are solely about The Bear/business partnership. In most "slowburns" the characters are far more conscious and actively work to keep things platonic. Jeremy might be a smidge aware that Sydney means more to him after the panic attack, but I bet he's shoved it down. All he knows afterward is that being with Claire feels wrong hence ignoring her call and recommitting to SYDNEY. He could of said "You all/This/The Bear deserve my full focus etc..." He was also nagged into greeting Claire at Friends and Family, seemed anxious when Fak brought her up right before The Table scene, and also while explaining that "she's great" to Sydney. He was at peace when focused on Sydney in the moment below.

The actors: Jeremy and Ayo's real life friendship is warms my soul and their chemistry onscreen is amazing. DON'T WASTE IT!!!

Jeremy smolders on screen. I want to see Carmy continue to stare, yearn, fall, then eventually confess and for Sydney to reciprocate his feelings. Anyhoo, does anyone else melt when Carm means business?! They do this twice in season one and it's not good for me. Whew, I need to clean my whole house or run a few miles.

Finally, there's so many other parallels between these two. They are fearful avoidants, have a missing or dead parent, jacked up stomachs, use sarcasm, but are generally very earnest, they struggle with anxiety, are compassionate, are perfectionists, peace-makers, give people multiple chances, are workaholics...so much more. A lot of that is also ME, lol.

Sydcarmy is my Roman Empire. I love them as much as you can fictional characters and they deserve the most tender, angsty, triumphant, romantic best-friends to more love story.

[silviakundera]

DRAMA REC: So I feel like any real review of Thai drama Moonlight Chicken is hard without heavy spoilers because honestly I don't know how to talk about what makes me passionate about it without discussing all the character relevations that occur over the course of its 8 episodes. I'll try to be generic as much as I can.

The thing about why it's hard to discuss without spoilers is that the characters and their full baggage are revealed slowly episode by episode, because like in real life you often learn about new friends & love interests slowly as intimacy deepens...

But from what I can see online, it's very subjective for viewers - depends on the person if they find these themes and personal challenges compelling or not. This doesn't fit with the typical "BL asian drama" format.

My personal viewing stake: There's an otp that has TAKEN OVER MY BRAIN. I have been searching for this energy ever since finishing Lighter & Princess. Gotta confess that I couldn't care less about the second couple who are teenagers. Apparently MDL and a lot of tumblr only liked the teen couple (valid!), but I just skipped over them mostly because when my brain locks in on Real Adults with Adult Problems I often cease to connect to high school student storylines. But the age gap couple with a 39 year old character who is FEELING his age... Jim & Wen. I've watched all 8 episodes now and they are like cocaine to me.

Ep 1 setup: We're not in Bangkok! (gasp) Jim is almost-40 and runs a late night diner in the less upscale part of town. Wen, about 10 years younger, is drunk at his diner as he's trying to close for the night. They pick up on the unspoken signals, instant electric connection, and end up wandering back to Jim's place and having what looks like fantastic sex together (without exchanging names).

But then after that first night, in the remaining 7 ep of the show you get a slowburn build up from zero as Jim doesn't want a relationship - with anyone. This is truly, sincerely a 'it's not you, it's me" situation. He is mired in baggage and the angst is SO DELICIOUS to me. Angst and soft hand touches and late night conversation. There's YEARNING. SO MUCH YEARNING.

And then my darling Wen! Who brings almost the same energy as the Lighter and Princess FL. @dangermousie I never thought I'd see this irrepressible determination and tender, good humored patience again! He is deeply sure that there is something special here with Jim and is unrelenting about trying to scale Jim's walls. I know that sounds like psychotic SML material lmao but it's all about the tone and context. It's very clear that Jim is allowing Wen in his life and doesn't, deep down, want Wen to give up on him. He's damaged and scared but I always felt he wants Wen to be right - that they are falling in love and can build something real together. He just can't make himself take that step. I mean, in their 2nd meeting he is EQUALLY INSANE to agree that it's v normal and hinged behavior to let his 1 night stand start randomly showing up to work shifts at his diner as 'temp staff' he can't afford to pay because... um. Basically to stalk him? idk I don't think it's stalking when u have a mutual agreement?? 🤔

Wen falling deeper into Jim and KNOWING the feeling is mutual no matter how many times he's (so gently!) pushed back... can be sooooo personal. 😭😭😭 The vibes of this "we're Not Together™" but it's inevitable, I'm just waiting for the timing to be right... reminiscent of the last 10 episodes of Lighter & Princess. This building intimacy and tenderness that stretches on until as a viewer you feel like... They ARE in love, they're together but just without the sex. They just have to stabilize their lives first before committing whole-heartedly. THE BITTERSWEET PINGING. (screams)

One thing I've observed is many people seem to struggle to connect with Jim's character. The closest thing we have to a protagonist (?) Maybe. Anyway, I suspect it might be a generational thing. I found the drama incredibly compelling, but I grew up queer in the 80s and 90s. I'm well into my 40s, a bit older than Jim, but I think the generational queer experience overlaps pretty well considering the sociopolitical differences btw us/thailand.

The screenwriter is an older out gay man, so I presume that's also a factor in how he did a pitch-perfect depiction of Jim's struggles to find home.

Wen has his own baggage that feels very real and raw. I loved his storyline because I could personally relate to it also from my queer relationship experience.

I've blabbered on here before about how I feel like there's something different about queer stories being told to other queers, not targeted to straight viewers primarily - I'm not saying it's better than the big brands and popular international media including lgbt rep. It's just different imo and I do think it's valuable. I want to see stories about the complexities of the experience & about the gay community that can't just be mapped to straight people. Where the story would not feel the same if you flipped the sexualities. That's what Midnight Chicken was to me: the characters of Jim and Wen and their personal development & slow love story together felt very queer and the age gap was a relevant part of this. And that called to me. I could recognize parts of myself in them and my personal experiences as a gay woman.

I was impressed by the writing. Strong acting. The directing of individual scenes is excellent BUT the 1 big flaw is the editing. Very amateur, super abrupt scene changes! Just jarring. But whatever, I've seen some terrible editing in cdramas too. Also note the storytelling tactic is to show a series of meaningful moments & interactions over like 6-8 months of time. Events progress in ways we don't always see and it's not always spelled out to the audience, everything that happened since we last saw them. That may or may not work for the viewer.

[Plus there's a very sweet & wholesome teen love story that also gets a happy ending, if you're into that. One of the teens is deaf and there's no "cure the disability" nonsense, don't worry. I was adult-focused but I did appreciate the complicated family relationship subplot with Jim trying to caretake his nephew and their relationship to the mostly-absent sister.]

ok so now into spoiler territory. Letting the relevations come out organically would be a much better viewing experience BUT...

SPOILERS ON JIM & WEN BACKSTORY

Jim's whole deal is he had a big love in his late 20s-early 30s that fucked him up good. He grew up being told gay love isn't real, leaves his rural farming town with his sister in their teens, disconnected from his family... But even his sister, who loves him, had the perspective that it's Just A Phase. Jim expects to Prove Them Wrong. Then his boyfriend cheats on him.... With a woman. Activate that generation's internalized homophobia and self-doubt. And then before he gets to truly confront his partner, his partner dies in an accident. So he never gets resolution.

And he's stuck under a mountain of debt, on the edge of poverty because he didn't get any of the guy's assets when he died of course. No rights under Thai law. Partner's family takes it all but the old car & the cat. All he has is the small chicken rice shop they had bought and ran together and it's killing him, he both hates and loves it. He's this amazing member of the local community but doesn't see himself and his own worth clearly.

Wen is working through the guilt of falling out of love from his 1st gay relationship that lasted 5 years of his 20s. Broken up but still living together. Trying to stay in each other's lives (I've seen this a lot, because in small gay communities you don't just cut ties with good people you care about). But living together is toxic for both of them, despite the real care that's there.

He also feels disconnected from a community at the start. He has work collegues, all straight friends, and his now-ex boyfriend. But you get the subtle sense that his local ties are all with the boyfriend Alan's family and mutual friends with Alan who don't all know about the breakup yet and he doesn't know how to interface with them anymore now that he and Alan aren't the same. He's the one who fell out of love, so he's "the bad guy" here and the straight friend he tries to talk to about trying to co-habititate with his ex and stay close friends doesn't really get it, because that's just way more typical behavior for older generation queers - it's notable that when the situation is fully explained to Jim, he doesn't seem to find it bizarre at all (as said, I've gone through that myself, and known friends in that situation; found that subplot to be very well done.) (I read that many viewers were disappointed this wasn't a standard infidelity situation where Wen is just regular cheating on Alan, but I have to say that I feel the opposite. The subplot and how it played out felt very relatable to me. I didn't need a cheating angst plotline in this drama that could be transplanted into a straight drama. I wanted more stories that represented my lived experience as an adult lesbian, and Wen's narrative gave me that.)

Wen keeps searching for a home even while living with Alan and having loved him in the past. Which to me was a sign that he'd moved to this smaller city, living in Alan's condo and in Alan's life with Alan's extended family... He started eating beef because Alan did and following along. He doesn't know where HE feels at home, what Wen needs to be comfortable and happy. When he more & more starts to believe he can make this home with Jim, he's determined to make it happen.

[iamadequate1717]

Some thoughts nearly a month later: OFMD S2 flows together nicely after the first watch. Yes, I would like more room between certain milestones, but I also remember that Ed and Stede were besties about 20 minutes after meeting and were going to run away to China together like 3-4 weeks after meeting. I also remember the first time I watched this show and the style of it.

I first watched it the second week it was out, and I watched 1x1-6 in one go, knowing nothing of it. Like I do with fanfic, I then waited for it to finish before going back in (and was in no fanspace to see the speculation), so I watched 1x7-10 two weeks later. Let me tell you, I did NOT see the romance coming! First watch, I tried to get a feel for the humor and "voice" of the show while lazily trying to figure out the overarching story and what they were building toward; I thought it was going to a bigger emphasis on the English threat (and Spanish Jackie coming back in for a larger role!). Eps 4-6, Ed had the whole "I'm gonna burn off Stede's face and steal his identity" thing going on which made every action a bit sinister and Ed/Stede interaction seemingly tied to how that was going to resolve.

Now, 7-10... ep 7 is nice. Not sure how I didn't connect Lucius' "die alone" comment to a story romance, but I'm aroace and didn't have time to think about it much as I barreled into 8-10! Ed was a fratbro in 8, but he renounced his ways, and 20 audience minutes later, he's kissing Stede and starting this whole go to China thing! Whaaaa? It is absolute whiplash on first viewing if you came in not hearing this called "the gay pirate show." (Don't get me wrong! I liked it!) They just met, they got over that whole face burning thing, and ep 7 was the only breathing room on first run to see their relationship as one more as equals, and they're just immediately going off on a gay wedding honeymoon together?

However, if you go back and watch it, you can see all the details they put into the show and how they were setting up the season payoff. It was brilliant. The show was always breakneck and had things happen offscreen (ex: how hard Ed fell, the early early flirtation of Lucius and Pete), I think. If you need reflection time for S2 events, that is what the pause button (and S3) is for.

S2, the audience really had to adjust to the more "real pirate" tone and jettison the fanon (you know, in theory!) while also absorbing the story direction and payoffs. It is a lot to take in on first watch, like S1 was. Like S1, S2 improves on rewatch, and pacing and whiplash aren't so bad.

[gillianthecat]

I have Not been doing what I should have been doing this week, which is Not Great. BUT. I have been feeling the urge to watch BL again, so I been flittering around streaming services and binging some and dropping others. Here's the list of the 18, in the order I watched them, with brief thoughts on each. My rating (out of 10) are in [blue]. Feel free to ask me to say more about any of them!

Pit Babe (2 eps) [7]

Fun, enjoyed the tropiness of it, intrigued by Jeff/Alan, whatever secrets Charlie and Jeff are keeping, and that drifting competition which was hella sexy. I like my omegaverse fics "non traditional" so i appreciated that the first BL out there was alpha/alpha. I wasn't engaged enough to keep going, but would like eventually to pick it up again. One of the few shows I'm not filtering the tag for, so I'm enjoying other people's reactions and gifs.

My Personal Weatherman (finished) [8]

I wanted to love it more than I did, many aspects were wonderful, but the leads never felt like real characters to me, just seme/uke tropes fulfilling their roles. Actors very pretty though. I have a bunch of notes I may finish and post eventually.

Laws of Attraction (finished) [9]

10% of it was terrible, 10% was completely nonsensical (instagram live-ing your date while on the lam? really??), 10% was mediocre, 50% was good, and 20% was sublime. Film was phenomenal as the complicated lawyer with his thousands of smiles, and I now have a crush on him. I started watching a het lakorn for him afterwards (Lucky Star, free on Viki, very soap opera, he and his costar are great). I loved grandma and the batshit ex. I've already forgotten parts of the plot. Wish it could have been higher heat, the restrictions kinda fucked with Charn and Tinn's chemistry in the second half, after they got together, but Film made it work with his coy blushing maiden routine. And their chemistry pre-dating was fire. Second leads were cute and I do love me a pining bodyguard, but sadly the actors were kinda eh.

I Became the Main Role of a BL (1 ep) [9]

I am very excited about this, doing so many things well, balancing slapstick and humanity, all the little details are great. I like how the "real world" is still tropey and absurd but also noticibku more grounded than the "drama" world. I'm invested in the managers' stories. I have hopes for its sexiness, given how Aoyagi was touching Akufuji's arm in their rehearsal. Love love love Akufuji stanning.

Double Mints (finished) [5]

um. I didn't hate it. I didn't like it exactly, but there were some poignant moments. My first actually dark BL (I know Pornographer is classified as dark, but it didn't feel that way to me). Possibly there's some profundity in it, but it didn't grab me enough that I want to spend the time thinking about it. Also many plot things that didn't make sense to me. Perhaps just translation issues? Unlike the next on my list, this wasn't porn, it was a violent yakuza story. Not actually very explicit given that it's supposed to be high heat, with the significant exception of a rape scene.

The Shortest Distance is Round (Noir) (finished) [5]

I mean this is literally softcore porn with a weird dark plot around it. I think most of the actors are actual porn actors; I know the lead is. I could have thoughts on the story, but I feel like I'd need to know more about Japanese cinema to say anything meaningful. Just saying, the sexual harassment at the beginning is the tamest bit. Also a hilarious misdirect with the dead fish sleep kiss (at least for me who was going in blind). Some of the sex was hilarious (goat boy!) some of it was creepy and rapey, and some was genuinely hot.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss (3.5 eps) [7.5]

Fun and fluffy, like the premise, the seme character has charm, but soon lost interest in that level of slapstick and tropiness. May eventually finish.

Love Stage Japan 2018 (half an ep or so) [6]

Liked it more than the Thai version, which I saw a few episodes of. The set up makes more sense. Soon lost interest in that slapstick style. Wouldn't avoid it, but no current urge to return.

Utsukushii Kare 2 (My Beautiful Man 2) (finished) [9]

I love them so much! As the middle section, it didn't work as well on its own as season one (a hothouse masterpiece) or the movie (their blossoming), but it was an important bridge in their journey.

Utsukushii Kare Eternal (My Beautiful Man Eternal) (finished) [10]

So amazing. I wasn't sure that they could make a good ending of this story but they knocked it out of the park. Managed the tricky balancing act of having Hira and Koyoi grow up and learn to have a healthy relationship while still remaining their kinky weird selves. Echoed season one in so many beautiful and meaningful ways. I may eventually write more about it.

Long Time No See (movie) (finished) [7]

I didn't recognize the title so o started it without knowing anything about genre or plot. I wanted to like this much more than I did. Theoretically I am into all the elements. But somehow it didn't work for me. It felt hollow, or rather like the outline of a movie rather than the movie itself. Nothing really felt real to me. Perhaps just my mood, perhaps because I didn't recognize the name and so went in to it completely lost and confused. And the sex scenes all felt a little off, a little fake to me. Like the actors were kinda uncomfortable with it. It was very low budget for its concept, and I think needed to either be full kdrama length (maybe 8 full episodes) of get somehow even artier about it to be an atmospheric film. Which it should have been, and all indicators pointed to it, but somehow wasn't. I think I needed to know the characters better to care about. Which may or may not have required learning more about them; there are characters I've felt deeply that I knew very little about, but somehow not with these two. Also I couldn't get the sister's deal. It felt like she was hinting she knew the assassin secrets? But also not. Anyways, the leads were very pretty. And the shot of them stumbling out of the final fight was moving. I may write more later.

Dom (a Strongberry short) (dnf) [4]

Only 13 minutes long and I couldn't finish it, even with 1.5x speed in parts. Experimental little short about anthropomorphized condom boxes, and there's some sort of human plot about a virgin and his cheating boyfriend that I lost track of. It's not bad, just not what I was in the mood for.

Bake Me Please (like 10 minutes of ep 1) [5.5]

When I was talking about not being into cooking themed shows this is the kind of show I mean. It already had a bunch of tropes that are not for me, particularly random normal people treated like celebrities, and people on tumblr seem frustrated with it so it didn't feel worth pursuing.

Ossan's Love (2018 Japan) (2 of 7 eps) [8]

Seems very well constructed to be exactly what they wanted it to be. My enjoyment of that sort of slapstick and yelling style show depend on my mood, and I lost interest, but want to return eventually because it's a foundational show.

Love Mate (less than 1 ep) [7]

Some appealing elements, but got annoyed at the employee's negging and pushiness. I guess I'm too particular about realism, but in what company would it be acceptable to turn a meeting about their product into a psychoanalytical critique of why your boss can't love. Also I es confused by the bosses dating strategy. He just regularly meets up with men 1 time for awkward meals that he seems to hate and then doesn't even have sex with them? Or were we supposed to infer the sex was just censored out? Not the biggest deals but both together indicated that this show was going to play loose with logic in a way that would irritate me. And the seme was being a pushy ass.

Naked Dining (Zenra Meshi) (finished) [8.5]

Loved it overall, though had flaws. Loveblogged it so many thoughts in the tags.

My Ride (4 out of 10 eps) [7]

See today's liveblogging for my thoughts. I like many aspects, but lost interest after four eps. Didn't catch me up enough to want to binge it. I think I'm in an actor centric mode, and unfortunately none of the actors are that good in it.

Every Moment That I Think of You (finished) [8.5]

Randomly found on Gaga, 2 very short episodes from China 2021. Very appealing leads, censored, high school romance/intense friendship, partially through the pandemic. Fit a year's worth of story into 28 minutes. Surprisingly solid, though made me want to see the full length uncensored version of their love story, same actors. Ending confused me. Subtitles of voiceover implied that was their last night together but didn't say what happened, but nothing and was shown. Perhaps just a bad translation? Very low budget (sound mixing was amateur) but did a lot with what they had. Chaotic adolescent boy camera work and editing style, always moving, which fit story very well. Recommend if ok with censored stories.

[mywifeleftme]

364: Various Artists // Israfel

Israfel Various Artists 1997, Ape

A 1997 vinyl benefit compilation of mostly Middle American grindcore / powerviolence / emo acts, assembled in an edition of about 1000 by Bloomington-based DIY label Ape Records (active 1995 to 2002), in handmade sleeve with a recent release catalogue, a substantial zine, and a few priceless gag inserts (incl. YOUR HARDCORE SELL OUT DECODER RING). I’m not an aficionado of any of the genres Israfel covers by any means, but you’d have to be a real head to know most of these: in terms of notoriety, the Locust (who contribute a 47 second blast of lo-fi outrage) are basically Led Zeppelin compared to the rest of the acts, most of whom topped out with a couple of EPs and compilation appearances.

Of course, hearing music that would otherwise be basically lost to time is the appeal of taking a flyer on a comp like this. One of my favourite tracks is “Untitled” by Roanoke, VA’s the Weak Link Breaks, supposedly the first thing the band ever wrote (and, judging from their discography, nearly the last too). It begins with a very, very quiet spacy-Fugazi-style amble (the vocal harmonies couldn’t be more Ian and Guy) that explodes into a brief screamo-style D-beat section, and then some big heaving riffs that make me want to exaggeratedly lift and stomp my feet like a giant trying to keep his balance. I also dig Murfreesboro, TN’s Serotonin, an emo / post-hardcore act with a steely '80s shred band guitar tone who play like they want people in the pit to twirl around ecstatically instead of slam dancing. A lot of the other nasty yowling cat speedballs on Israfel don’t really catch my ear, but that’s okay—I’m weirdly proud of them 27 years after the fact for being themselves and getting out whatever they needed to get out through this violence.

The package’s tone is all over the place. The zine opens with a haunting description of the compilation’s beneficiaries, the family of a pair of little girls with spinal muscular atrophy (a common birth defect) whose condition worsened until they perished, leaving their parents distraught and financially ruined—and the 21-year-old compiler racked with guilt that he didn’t somehow do more to help. From there, it whips through his heterodox thoughts about the hardcore scene (despicably self-absorbed; unresponsive to requests from label operators); the state of emo (too abstract); the best way to bring about change (working within the capitalist system); rape (it’s bad; consent is black and white; can we stop litigating this in the scene?); calling the cops (fine to do); disrespecting the American flag (played out; tacky); and drinking/drug use (“when did self-destruction become rebellion?”). After he finishes up, each band (that got their artwork in on time anyway) gets a page to talk about themselves. This section is full of old school punk zine/leaflet treasures, with designs that mimic motel newspaper ads, postcards, messy handwritten perzines, and Xeroxed 7” grindcore sleeves.

It's funny reading his scornful words about pseudo-rebellious drunkards stumbling toward “the day when punk rock is shelved for an 8 hour workday, Budweiser, and television” and then finding his LinkedIn, where he describes himself as “driving omnichannel excellence” and as “whimsical (after coffee).” You wouldn’t believe it from the splenetic angst of the Israfel zine, but the guy seems like he turned out happy and normal, with a few kids and a successful career. I wonder how the 21-year-old would see the 48-year-old, if he’d call him a sell-out or feel relieved that things worked out; if the 48-year-old would pity his former self, or feel ashamed about losing his edge. More one-time zinesters and hardcore kids end up looking square from a distance than you’d think (I certainly do if you catch me during the workday), because you usually stop hearing about them when they drop out of the scene. For most, the quiet part of life is the larger portion by far. It’s your choice whether to embrace that, mourn it, or seek your own alternative. But if Israfel reminds us of nothing else, it’s the importance of having a good scream at least once in your life.

364/365

[anoray]

Quick thoughts after first two episodes of Ahsoka

I am determined to keep my expectations low and refrain from any pre-judging until I finish watching all the episodes. So these are just a few thoughts and questions that popped into my mind during Eps. 1 & 2.

Love the music score, it is wonderful so far. Although space rock always kind of takes me out of the space fantasy setting for some reason.

2. So we still have no idea where the heck Ahsoka was all those years before showing up to become Sabine's master? And why did Sabine put away her armor and helmet? I'm guessing/hoping we'll learn more about both of these things.

3. Meanwhile, I don't quite get the heavy emphasis on the Ahsoka/Sabine master and padawan thing when these two had zero interaction during Rebels, but I'll just stay neutral for now. It is a relief they made it clear Sabine is not suddenly and inexplicably talented with the Force. I do appreciate how they made the way Sabine cut her hair a nod to Kanan's own ceremony.

4. Are they saying Hera really thought Ezra was dead so that's why she has apparently never bothered to search for him all these years? BTW, where is Jacen? I do hope he and Zeb make more than cameo appearances.

5. Okay, this is just me being grumpy, but it would've been kind of nice if Ryder had included Kanan's name when talking about the dedication to the heroes of Lothal. He did help destroy Thrawn's Defender project after all.

6. Enjoying all the ancient lore, star maps, and puzzle pieces. Totally up my alley.

7. Thrawn was banished to another galaxy??? Did the Force tell the purrgil to take him there?

8. I love that Morgan Elsbeth has been revealed to be a Nightsister. (shades of Morgan le Fey?). But kinda scratching my head because I don't remember her appearing in any of the Thrawn novels and the show is implying there is a strong connection between them.

9. Not sure what to think of the fallen Jedi peeps or Inquisitor yet. Does Luke have any idea these guys are running around?

10. Chopper, you are perfect. If we get to see AP-5 and you argue, I will be most pleased.

11. Nothing against the live action actors, but I sure do miss Vanessa Marshall's voice as Hera and Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka.

12. Last, but definitely not least, thank the Maker this show looks, sounds, and feels like Star Wars aka fun, plus it definitely honors the look of Rebels and TCW animation in many respects. I feel rather sorry for anyone who hasn't watched these shows because they missed a lot of back story. Loving all the droids, lightsabers, aliens, starships, clunky technology, and how about another round of applause for Kevin Kiner's music :)

[manhwa-reader]

#50 List of 10 favourite manhwa ><

Hello ^^

Oh my god this time it's really been a very long time since I last wrote 😭. Yesterday I finished the last thing I had left to do from my degree. Now I'm officially graduated!! I'm so happy ><

Also this is post #50 and it's been a whole year since I started this tumblr. So I thought I should make something special. After thinking a bit I thought that I could do a 10 favourite manhwa list. I hope you enjoy it ☺️

First I would like to say that I've had a rough semester so I couldn't read many manhwas. Also, the website I used to read them had some problems and it doesn't update like it used to, so many manhwas that I would have read I couldn't read them.

Most of these manhwas are webtoon, let's start with the overview of the list:

After school for unrippen apples

Act like you love me!

The spark in your eyes

Romance 101

'Til debt do us part

A stepmother's märchen

Carrier falcon princess

Maybe meant to be

A whirlwind campus affair

Twilight poem

And now we'll do a quick review of every manhwa:

1.After school for unrippen apples

It's been several months since I started this manhwa and it has never disappointed me. There is comedy, romance and friendship. The story is set in the 80s and the emotions descripted by all the characters are sublime. If you haven't read it yet, trust me when I say it's wonderful ☺️

2.Act like you love me!

Okay now I bring you a great romcom ! We have a handsome and cute actor and a hardworking woman. Guess what? He falls for her first !! I love that 🥰 It's a very funny manhwa and the story only gets better and better with each chapter.

3.The spark in your eyes

Surprisingly I didn't post about this historical manhwa. The male lead is pharmacist who looks very big but actually has a very good heart. The female lead is the sun witch and as the name sounds she is very powerful. The plot is very interesting and it shows us the point of view and backstory of each character. I really recommend it !

4.Romance 101

It's such a cute and wholesome manhwa ! There are already more than a 100 chapters and yes it is so much worth it ! The romance builds up slowly but it doesn't get boring at all. The main character is very relatable which makes you loving her a lot. Without realizing you get to see the development of all the characters.

5.'Til debt do us part

When I read the manhwa it hadn't been officially translated yet to webtoon. It's a typical "from enemies to lovers". It's not really enemies, it's just that the characters didn't like each other much at first but when they get to really know each other they start catching feelings. I honestly enjoyed reading it a lot ><

6.A stepmother's märchen

This historical manhwa is so beautiful ! The main character is smart and strong. Even if she is young she is able to take care of all the children and give them all the love that they deserve. I can't wait to see how the story will develop. I root for her happiness and love ☺️

7.Cavier falcon princess

This historical manhwa is different but very nice. Lately there hasn't been many updates but the current chapters are great. It focuses more on the war but there is still romance. And I'm sure the romance will be worth the wait !

The next ones that I bring you are newer ones so I'm not sure if I'll keep liking them but for now I'm loving them :)

8.Maybe meant to be

I'm not sure what it is, if the plot, the characters or the art but it I've really taken a liking to it. The female lead is a tomboy but relatable woman. The male lead is a geek but sweet man. And they marry on the first episodes ! It awaits us so much fun 😂. At first I thought that they didn't look very good together but after they start getting to know each other you realize they make a great couple. So give it shot.

9.A whirlwind campus affair

This webtoon has a drama set but oh there is a lot of comedy too. The main character seems weird at first but you realize that she is a strong and nice girl. The art is very beautiful and the characters have secrets that with time they will help solve the mystery that surrounds the story.

10.Twilight poem

This pretty new historical manhwa is absolutely stunning ! The female lead is pitiful and the male lead for now is a jerk. But I'm sure he will end up being a good man. There is also supernatural stuff which makes it pretty cool. I can't wait to see more of this story and to finally see the female lead happy.

These are all the manhwa that I currently love.

Now that I have more free time I'll try to post a bit more.

I hope that you are alright ☺️

Bye bye ❤️

PS. I spent hours making the post and it got deleted so I had to do it all over again 😟. It was hard but anyway I hope you enjoy it ☺️

[tiktaalic]

what do you like most about supernatural and what are your favorite seasons and episodes?

Really good. Question. I love that they jump the shark I really do. Over and over again. Parody of itself. I love that shark jumping necessitates that they hop tone switches. I love that they do things badly. My favorite thing about season one is that. The John dean sam dynamic feels like getting walloped in the teeth. And season one dean haunts the narrative forever you see forty year old dean and you see 26 year old dean beneath him completely unrecognizable and you want to die. 2 is just a fun motw show that’s interesting and has you engaged in the plot until again. Dean wallops you in the teeth. I would describe 4 as the first major shift because suddenly Real Consequences show up. The Big Plan shows up. Cas is there and it is genuinely so moving to watch him struggle through defecting from everything he’s ever known to become a softer more human thing. 4.01 genuinely really engaging episode even when you know what’s coming it’s fun to watch! It’s fun to go oh ho ho they’re trying to solve the Mystery of what’s powerful enough to Raise Dean From Hell! This Mystery Entity is pulling out all the stops! Doing things we’ve never seen before! What could it be! It’s cas :-). Six mostly sucks but then there man who would be king. Seven mostly sucks but there’s godstiel and born again identity. Eight is. Epic highs and lows for sure. There are some god awful episodes in there. Unwatchable episodes. Skip every time I remember they’re coming up episodes. But. There’s goodbye stranger. There’s the finale. There’s purgatory. Hunter heroci. Cas lobotomies. Naomi. Season 8 is the easiest one for me to romanticize because there’s a heaping pile of shining elements in it. Dean has a spray tan cas is getting brainwashed for caring too much sam is dying of consumption it’s all really quite good except for the episodes that are bad. After that it gets good again in s13. Except for the bad parts zksidnejc. Jack really shook up the show in a good way imo! Stakes ballooned out starting. Season 9 ish? And I think he grounds the show a bit so that interpersonal stakes are the ones that you’re invested in. 14 GREAT season stellar season the best season of supernatural in ages. Start to finish. Jack has a great little plot he wrestles with the entire time about his own development. And there’s the god reveal!!!! Wonderful season. Definitely a favorite. And I know people have mixed feelings on 15 but I think it’s a fun romp until it’s not.

Favorite seasons chronologically: 1 4 8 14

Favorite episodes: oh. Skin. What is and what should never be. All hell breaks loose. Lazarus rising. Monster at the end of this book. That episode in season 4 where cas kills himself by archangel with chuck. Free to be you and me. Head of a pin. Endverse. Man who would be king. Season 7 opener. The purgatory flashbacks are scattered between a few different eps so I just watch the compilation on YouTube. I like the eps with Linda and Kevin. Goodbye stranger. S8 finale. S9 is fucking. Dire. But 9.01 is fine. 9.06 for cas with a baby. Meta fiction. Fan. Fiction. Season 12 opener. Oh that casifer episode where they’re on a submarine that’s fun. That episode where dean yells at Mary in her head. Season 12 finale. The future. The first six episodes of s13 back to back to back to back. I like scorpion and the frog. I like stuck in the middle with you. I like mint condition. Asa fox. Lily sunder. Twigs and twine. Season 14 honestly all bangers once you get past the first 3 eps. INCLUDING! Lebanon. Ouroboros is included in this but I am mentioning it by name because today when I drove to work it was all. That I thought about. Coffin ocean done. Byzantine? I think is the one with Naomi. But again 14 all bangers. 15 I have to say the rupture and the trap. Legally. Belphagor eps those too. Atomic monsters. I liked. I think it was the gamblers? . FRENCH MISTAKE. Um. End of the list from the top of my head.

[westleywithatea]

My thoughts on American Born Chinese (TV series)

My sister and I recently finished American Born Chinese, the TV series. Now I share my thoughts. I'll try to keep them in chronological order.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

So...

After watching the first 2 episodes, my dad believed that the writers were racist towards Caucasians because the principal character mispronounced the 2 Chinese characters' names.

Note: My family is Asian. Both of my parents are born and raised in Vietnam.

I think the principal character was just clueless.

We accidentally watched Episode 2 and 3 out of order.

we get a flashback of Guanyin and Wei-Chen in Magic China. The trees are red, people are flying, you would think that you're watching the wrong show... If you had no idea what the show was about.

Flying people feels familiar nostalgic

Soccer team party and ... I'm pretty sure that's hazing

as long as nobody gets hurt

There's a lot yellow lighting. idk y

Sun Wukong hiding the staff in his ear is purely Chinese drama/TV only. according to my sister. Who read the novel? can they confirm?

Majority of episode 4 is a flashback in a style of an old Chinese Drama

it looks like something my parents would watch when I was small child age

You have no idea how many adaptations of Journey to the West there is. The original Classic novel is really old.

ALL BUDGET WENT TO COSTUME AND SET DESIGN!

Even the editing and CGI is low-budget. The way how the staff floats in the air, as if it's on a string. I love it. Very 1 on 1 with what I grew up with.

Episode 5: oh gods. NOT THE AUNTIES COMPARING CHILDREN!

Kế Huy Quan has a very Viet spelling of a name, but he's of a ethnic minority. My dad reads his name and knows Quan is Chinese.

(I'm still waiting for Wikipedia to fix the IPA pronunciation guide of his name. It's "Kay", like okay and hay. Not "kee", like Key or tree. )

His character, Jamie Yao, is very meta. I can tell the writers wrote him as someone who took on cardboard POC characters of the past. The writers and actors are using Jamie as that outlet to tell us what they always want to tell everybody from the beginning.

on to the next episodes...

transformations are never on screen. just off screen. play with cuts, lighting/ flashes, and other things. budget of this show went towards more important things.

Why is the dog in Ep 6 a yorkie? idk... I think they should've gone for another breed.

Episode 7: so... Did the Principal assumed Jin's mom as a tiger mom?

And shouldn't Jin's mom be using her maiden name? Or did Jin's parents got too assimilated in the American/ Western culture?

their names are Christine and Simon.

actually, they let Jin try out sports, go out with friends, and have a birthday party. With curfew.

They let him have a life!!

I wish my paretns are like that. >:(

I declined a birthday party invitation in 3rd grade because I was too afraid to ask my parents. I was so sure they would say no. They always say no to cousins sleepovers. (it's a sleepover of just the cousins.)

Episode 8: so the season finale ...

Jin's parents were fighting, now making up. There was no kissing. Thank you. Asian parents don't kiss. or people of that generation don't kiss. No kissing in East Asia.

flying people is normal. welcome to wuxia and xianxia. Let's GO!!!

Jin is so awkward. His kiss with Amelia is awkward. I appreciate. It's not a full on make out, like Hollywood rom-com. It's an awkward kiss done by awkward kids. Very real and in-character.

was that monologue about himself, Jin?

Very realistic ending. Very HISHE- moment. Jin asking for repeat and slower, because his Chinese isn't very good. Mood. Big Mood.

Where's Sun Wukong's monkey accent? Every CH drama has him in monkey accent. Including VN dubbing? (I'm talking about present day. I'm not talking about the Ep 4 flashback. idr if he spoke with monkey accent in the flashback.) Did he got too tired + stressed from parenthood that he turned super serious?

Sandy is now a woman

My dad explained this show to his sister as Sun Wukong but for kids of the 21st century. (She was staying over for a few nights and only watched like... 1 or 2 episodes.)

he is not wrong

occasionally, he explains the characters' Vietnamese names to me and my sister. The translation is still the same. Sounds are similar, because Vietnamese borrows a lot from Chinese.

Mom be walking in on the Mandarin-speaking scenes and asking what we're watching. Because we rarely watch films and shows in Chinese. It's either in English or Japanese (anime).

Imagine trying to explain Sun Wukong to your parents, who know the stories very well. But the catch is the language translation.

It's not Sun Wukong to my parents, It's now Tôn Ngộ Không (Tone Ng-oh Kh-ong).

Dad not understanding why Michelle Yeoh/ Dương Tử Quỳnh is returning to Hollywood because of her age.

I can not tell if he's being negative or positive or just plain confused. Or maybe he's confused on why his kids are watching her and not someone younger?

all story arcs get tied together in the very end. that's the point of drama writing. but there are few loose ends that bother me. like the pendant being lost forever.

This is a story about an immigrant family, written by immigrant families for immigrant families.

This is a story about being Asian, American, Asian-American, Asian in America, immigrants, and a child of immigrants.

Written by those people for those people

UPDATE:

It has come to my attention that there were on-screen transformations with special effects and CGI for the first few episodes

I guess the budget sorta ran out for the final episode??

I am disappointed in the cancellation of the show. Disney didn't advertise it well enough.

[wilderavyn]

Watch Only Friends Ep 7 with me

P1

0:58 Oh damn. Here we go already. Please be ok Ray!

2:57 Thank goodness my boy is ok! 😭

3:39 Pretty sure Ray wanted to take himself out. 😐

3:50 Learn to love yourself? Sand says that after how shitty Ray was to him. 😭

4:33 Wow, now he's apologizing for setting things into motion? He's taking responsibility. This man is a saint compared to the rest of them.

5:22 Damn his dad is a POS. Your son almost died. Who cares about the car.

6:24 Uh oh. Parental requests are usually awful.

7:55 Damn Mew already knows Boston is not sorry.

8:15 Oh my. Here comes the real Mew!

9:08 Uh oh Nick.

9:23 Did it really take you this long to figure out Nick?

10:21 Because you're an an awful asshole, and he's evil.

11:03 You deserve all this and more Boston .

11:34 No, you started this Boston. Not Nick.

12:33 Boston is such a POS!

13:33 Really, you have the nerve to show your face Top? 😒

14:38 At least he's apologizing but I still hope it's too late.

16:29 He doesn't even trust you Mew because he knows he can't be trusted.

17:18 I thought you were already supposed to be a better person for him Top. 😒

17:57 Damn burning a drawing is fierce.

P2

0:80 lol Love how honest Ray is with Sand. The nurse doesn't spoil me like you do. 😂

2:08 That was adorable and sweet.

3:46 He is addicted to you Sand.

5:47 The way he eyes Sand when he takes off his shirt. 😏

6:20 That was sweet.

6:45 I would expect my friends to be super pissed too Ray.

9:06 How does he have the guts to show his face here? 😯

9:41 Why does Boston think just letting them yell at him is going to be enough to fix this? You messed up big time dude. 😒

10:44 There is nothing redeemable about Boston!

11:22 Oh damn. Go off Mew!

12:16 Ok but Boston does look amazing walking away in that wet t-shirt. 😏

P3

Nevermind the fact that you shouldn't have had the clip in the first place, but everyone is so quick to blame everyone else for everything (including Nick).

1:05 Your happiness? Dude he doesn't love you though Nick!

2:04 These are some sad and low standards for yourself Nick. 😕

4:33 Mew's up to something big I think.

5:23 Damn Nick. You turned on Boston fast!

9:45 Damn Mew is devious.

P4

1:27 God damn Mew is vicious!

3:39 What friendship Boston?

4:24 Kinda surprised by Mew. What are you going to do then?

5:48 This project should be fun to finish. 😒

6:13 Books are a nice move Top but definitely not enough dude.

6:57 Still have the guts to call yourself his boyfriend? 😮

10:19 Boundaries Ray.

10:37 This is the worst time to get together you idiots.

11:43 Oh damn. Poor Sand.

This is such a train wreck yet I can't look away.

[vinylattes]

8 shows to get to know me better

thanks for the tag @little-orcs-hurrarrumm !! <33

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (2021-)

my current fave!! i’ve been seeing it a lot both here and in twitter literally the first months it started airing, but i’ve been busy and all that. binged the whole thing recently, and it deserves a long run! story’s well-written, scenes are very wholesome and fun to watch, and what an amazing ensemble of cast and characters!!

DIRTY LINEN (2023-)

pinoy pride!! tfw when you watch a trailer and you just Know the entire thing’s gonna be good? (and they knew what they were doing with those posters)

i’ve never seen a teleserye i truly love since the killer bride and la vida lena, like, this is the first time i’ve been invested in a filo show so far (there’s just something abt revenge girlboss dramas)

neways, international fans can still watch it thanks to the subtitles in iwanttfc and youtube. but i hope filipinos love and promote it even more.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2019-)

i thought i would be Normal abt it, now i’m a changed person. a mutual rb’ed a gifset of memo being insane with the “and if one day he doesn’t, well...”, and i was Intrigued so i binged all three seasons in one day.

i have to confess that i finally tuned in because of taika, but i’ve found reasons to stay: nadja, guillermo, matt, harvey, the characters, the silly plot, have i mentioned nadja and guillermo?

YONDERLAND (2013-2016)

ult fave! this show just GETS me!! i wasn’t there when it aired, so i’m not really sure if it’s a hit in the uk or us but i don’t think i would’ve discovered this show if i didn’t watch ghosts. deserved a lot of awards and recognition. just a silly goofy show that i didn’t and wouldn’t want to know what’s happening most of the time, and i love and enjoyed every single bit. society needs more shows like this one but this masterpiece will never be replaced imo

BBC GHOSTS (2019-)

i’m still in denial that this show is ending, but i think it’s their time. i would still definitely watch fillers after fillers as they drag the whole thing, but just like yonderland— that’s not very idiots of them to do so.

nevertheless, it’s a very comforting show! love how they truly understand the characters they write and portray. a found family of a bunch of dead losers, what more could you want!!

THE FLASH (2014-2023)

arguably the first fandom i’ve been kinda active in after my long hiatus from fandoms i think ? (i was more of an observer than a contributor back then)

the first seasons were so good. i miss westallen so much. eobard was so cunty. harrisco were my first attempts in giffing and editing in general. i still love them, but idk if i’m gonna be able to actually finish the show (i stopped after s7)

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (2022-)

actually a great show, but no longer one of my faves bc the fandom ruined some things for me sorry. it was fun waiting for ep 7 and 8 to air, but i do wish i was there since the beginning when it was still fun and quiet. neways, i miss the brainrot that possessed me to learn giffing.

GOOD OMENS (2019-)

i was there when this baby was born but didn’t get the chance to be involved until they’re like a toddler. the brainrot was insane when i used up my savings for the funkos, the original books and the script book like !! i miss them so much and i can’t express how excited i am to see them again this summer !!!

tagging @larryrickard @autisticharrywells @spineless-lobster @baynton @bluntbeard @moondogss @fiovske @horuuuuu and anyone who wants to give it a go! <33

[kaownah]

finally finished kinnporshe, and tbh im sad bc i wanted so badly to absolutely love it but i have so many mixed feelings

just some thoughts:

bad stuff first

1. i really did like the show up until around ep 6-7, then things just slowly (then very quickly) started falling apart tbh

2. lots of pacing issues, some plot holes, predictability

3. was i supposed to care about kim/chay at all? like? chay’s obsession with kim was so goofy and their chemistry was nonexistent like what a horrendously pointless plotline tbh they should’ve just cut the couple all together it literally added nothing (give jeff something with substance please i beg)

4. speaking of chay... barcode’s acting.... um. chile anyways so

5. i loved kinnporsche’s dynamic but then after they got together they totally fell flat and were like every other mediocre 2d couple i’ve seen in less hyped bl’s like... where did that fun dynamic go

6. why was everyone so stupid for most of the second half? where was the common sense? tankhun of all people was really the one with the most common sense tbh he said “why are you all suddenly becoming stupid” and he meant that

7. there so much hype for vegaspete, i was SO excited for them going into this and? all we were given was torture, a sort of stockholm syndrome, then pete left. i have some qualms about bible’s acting too (it took him a while to find his footing but he wasn’t bad later on, i’d say the tail end of pete’s captivity onward he got substantially better). with the relationship, not enough happened to justify pete’s feelings for vegas. i can kind of see why vegas feels how he does for pete, although it feels very shallow and like he is far too dependent on pete, considering literally the only reason he didn’t shoot himself was bc pete came back. as for pete... i just don’t buy the whole starting to love vegas while being held captive/tortured, just bc he felt bad for him regarding his dad? idk

8. by the end watching it felt like a chore... idk i just wish the energy and spirit and quality of the first maybe 5-ish episodes stuck around bc everything after that was just. boring. flat. predictable. kinda cringe-y at a lot of points

9. character development was really there at first and then it’s like it was too much work for them bc they just seemed to drop it at a certain point and personalities just started completely being drained out of everyone

10. this is a small random thing but it kept bothering me... people would have their guns out and trained on someone, and then gave that person enough time to slowly, VERY visibly get their guns out so there could be a showdown? like what’s the point of having your gun trained on someone if you’re gonna allow them to point one back??? shit made no sense lmao

11. unrealistic fights... tbh this isn’t just kinnporsche, it’s a big theme in action genre in general, but like.. wym everyone has guns and aren’t shy in shooting until the mains get close, then suddenly they’re given enough time to take out massive groups one by one bc the enemies just... let them. plenty of instances of characters taking down a baddie and then just standing there before the next guy comes up, which would’ve been ample time to get shot, but the baddies are just like nah let’s fist fight :) i understand plot armor but at least make it make sense

honorable mention: i know subtitles aren’t production’s fault so i’m not going to fault them for this but. holy shit. who was subtitling this, they were absolutely godawful ie. changing curses into ‘fudge’, ‘frick’, etc (are we six? why can we see murder and violence but curse words are where lines are drawn), and grammar being butchered

okay i know i listed all these negative points, i will say that the show wasn’t a COMPLETE flop. some positives...

1. apo was great. i loved the little mannerisms he gave porsche, the physicality of him, just overall i really enjoyed his acting

2. build was also consistently good. for most of the series, he wasn’t given as much to do, but he really was a standout particularly at the end of the series (that tub scene was a shining light in a show that otherwise had dulled by this point) and pete’s journey was actually interesting but imo we just weren’t given enough time with it

3. i know vegaspete was a negative but i will say that there could be some positives there. they could have a very interesting dynamic if were given enough time with them and really got to the root of their motives with each other. i MIGHT be interested in having a story about them, but i’d be really wary about the story going in the same direction as kinnporsche (initially interesting before turning into something kinda boring)

4. the theme song. THE THEME SONG. A BOP. it’s such an earworm omg it’ll be stuck in my head for months

finally.. the final ep. this one really can’t go into the negatives or positives. on one hand, this episode finally marked a massive uptick in quality after so many boring eps. not only was it unpredictable as hell, but we finally got our characters finding their personalities again, common sense made a return, and we ACTUALLY got some mafia activity. i signed up for a show with gang/mob plotline, and it felt like we had lost virtually all of that for the second half of the series. why couldn’t we have had quality like this in pervious eps? i’m not saying there had to be a shootout in every episode, but something with psychological meat. with that being said, i think they kind of overdid the plot twists in the finale. it was one after another after another of shit going down and pasts being revealed and characters kind of going batshit, that it really started to get ridiculous by the time porsche’s mom and korn were revealed to still be alive. korn’s reasoning for everything that happened was so silly that it really made me pause the ep entirely just to be like... are you fr? really? goofy stuff. also, throwing in the casual mention of sexual violence against one of the show’s only women as a reason for angst for the male characters was so beyond lame and unnecessary. idk how i felt about the whole porsche being head of the minor family, it was fine ig. overall, the final ep really gave me whiplash

idk i’m just so sad bc at this point 99% of the super super hyped thai shows i go into at this point i wind up being disappointed in?? and i want so badly to bc the ones that hit REALLY hit. but they’re just so rare. idk like japan has completely taken over in terms of quality imo, i really don’t trust thai bls anymore atp which is sad bc even the ones that are finally taking a step away from the insanely overused tropes wind up boring or poorly written in the end 

anyway just my opinion let me wallow!!

[irishanimefan]

One Piece Anime Watchalong: East Blue Saga 3/6

Syrup Village (Eps 9-18):

Started: 6/7/23 Finished: 8/7/23

Alright, we are moving onto the Syrup Village arc. Not gonna lie, even though I did enjoy the previous two arcs and had a lot of great moments in them, I felt a bit of fatigue going into this arc. Didn't expect to get this feeling so soon after starting One Piece. But I think the reason why I'm feeling this way is because the commitment of watching all of OP has now dawned on me, and with these upcoming arcs increasing in length, I fear that the act of watching OP may become a chore. However, as soon as I started this arc, I can safely say that I actively look forward to watching OP again!

The first reason for this change of heart is that we're introduced to Usopp. I really like Usopp as a character! The "honourable liar" persona is ingrained into every facet of his story. It heavily evokes the Aesop Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and his character design is based off Pinocchio. However, he uses his lies to spread joy around his village, even when the village-folk are fed up with it and chase him with brooms. He also uses his lies to cheer up Kaya, the girl residing in the village's mansion whose parents died three years ago and now is bedridden due to grief. It's very touching, so when the conflict comes into play and centres around him being alienated everybody in the village, his kiddie pirate crew, and even Kaya herself, as they distrust Usopp even when he's telling the truth this time, is kind of tragic and heart-wrenching. This is further amplified with him stating that he still holds a lot of love and respect for his village, despite being cast out.

This brings me onto this arc's villain, Kaya's main butler Klahadore, who is later revealed to be the former captain of the Black Cat Pirate crew, Captain Kuro. Despite being dubbed "The Man of a Thousand Plans", his plan to get Kaya's inheritance was kind of dumb and riddled with errors. Of course he had his little villain monologue before trying to kill the other butler Merry, and didn't even make sure to check that he was actually dead! Maybe he was so confident that his plan would work that he didn't realise that it wasn't completely airtight. Apart from that blunder, he was really intimidating, even when he was trying to play it discreetly with the Klahadore act. The battle at the beach, when it was just the Straw Hats and Jango, was a little slow in the beginning, but as soon as Kuro came into the picture, evidently looking pissed when things weren't going to plan, that's when it really started to liven up. It all culminated in the fight between Kuro and Luffy, and during the fight it is revealed that Kuro set this all up so he could leave the pirate lifestyle for good and have "peace of mind". The ideological clash between Kuro and Luffy during this fight is one of the best moments of this saga for me so far, almost feeling like Luffy had met his match for the first time getting an absolute battering from Kuro. His Out of the Back attack was also a pretty chilling sequence.

Other thoughts I had about this arc: Jango, the hypnotist and vice-captain of the Black Cats Pirates, was kind of ridiculous, but in a good way. Having his design and mannerisms based off of Michael Jackson -- he literally moonwalks in his first scene and even does all his famous poses at one point! Speaking of comedy, it's really starting to shine through at this stage. One moment that had me rolling was when Jango was first hypnotising his henchmen to become stronger through his ring trick, having them blindly attack the Straw Hats. But Luffy also looks at the ring, meaning he was also affected by the trick, and he then starts blindly raging towards Jango and his crew, and tears the masthead off the ship (that also emits a nervous anime sweat mark). Jango then hypnotises Luffy to sleep, leaving him to drop the masthead on top of the Black Cats! It was so unhinged and I absolutely loved it! The comedy also showed in the Straw Hats chemistry with each other, as Luffy, Zoro, and Nami have had several episodes with each other to play off each other's personalities, in which Usopp also gets his fare share of interaction too. I really like the direction in this arc, from the flashback scenes of Usopp entertaining Kaya conveyed with these still frames of gorgeous watercolours, to the way the camera moves during certain points throughout the battle. It was all very cool in its execution! Finally, the arc ended with Treasure Island, Gaimon, his bootleg Pokemon. It was an alright episode that provided a bit of respite after what was an intense arc.

Overall, I really enjoyed this arc, so much so that I actually binged most of it in one day, partly because of I felt I needed to pick up the pace, but also because I was getting invested into it. Man, I'm really starting to love this goofy little series. I hope this will continue as we sail towards the next arc, Baratie!

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Ranking the DCLA WLW ships

Many people prefer canon, and I get that. But there's one thing that non-canon ships give me and that is the comfort that they are exactly what they are. Especially the WLW ships. I never assume they will be canon, but I can love them all I want either way <3

I will not take every single dcla wlw ship, cause with all the girl characters there's so many combinations you can do. I will only take the ones I've seen, or recognized myself.

1. Franletta

Obviously. How can I not? I've not been crowned the biggest Franletta shipper in the fandom for nothing! They give me the softness no one else does. The way they always depend on each other, the way they care for each other SO MUCH <33 GAH they're adorable

2. Jam

I'm taking my two biggest from each show here. When I started watching SL, everyone expected me to just like the three biggest ships. NO ONE told me about Jim and Yam. HOW COULD YOU NOT tell me about Jim and Yam?! Smh you're sleeping on them (/hj, /lh)

But yeah, I think a part of what drove me with loving them so much was that no one else talked about them. Yes, people agreed they were girlfriends, but no one was as vocal. I am currently also the only one who even has written fics with them tagged romantically - something I did after I discovered after finishing season 1, I was really surprised how no one had written about them? So I took it in my own hands and wrote some.

Jam are my little chaos children, they're jin and yang and they're everything to me.

3. Luty

The year was 2021 and I had been starting to rewatch Violetta after getting D+. With my newly love for Franletta, I also thought about the others. I thought to myself "Hey! Maybe Naty stays with Ludmila, not because she's afraid to say no, but because she actually likes her? Maybe she even has a crush on her?"

Cut to when I rewatched S3, which had not been out until april of 2021 in the Nordic countries. I just. Fell for them. OH how I fell for them.

They make me insane honestly.

4. Natila

In season 3, something I really noticed was that the REAL love triangle was between Naty, Camila and Ludmila. And Naty and Camila DATED. They DATED in s3. OH MY GOD HOW THEY DATED. THEY FUCKING KISSED OFF SCREEN!!!!!!!!!! LIKE I AM STILL MIND BLOWN OVER THAT. WHEN I SAW IT I JUST WENT INSANE.

5. Ambilia

THE GOTH GIRLFRIENDS honestly they're everything. They're insane. It's them against the world. They'll go from the ashes and into the fire. They're a power couple.

6. Lumbar

"But but but but-" I hear you go. Yes, yes, yes, I know. These two gave a fucking crisis in s3. But I fell for them SO HARD in season 1 it was a wound that never got away. Season 1 FED me with them, S2 also fed me a lot, and then in season 3 I just went around with a "🥲". At least, they ended up being very close in one way <3

7. Cadmila

Love the enemies to lovers. I don't feel as strongly about them as the other two in the "unholy trinity", I sometimes feel like Cadmila is the female version of Dieleon (but not with everything). But it's also how Ludmila just plays with Cami's hair, always sits close to her and how Camila is like "get tf away from me" but highkey interested in what Ludmila is doing.

8. Mora/Ana

They moved in together?? This was a whole storyline and tbh I am fully convinced the writers actually wanted them to be a couple, it's not just my imagination.

9. Jadangie

Alright, you made me fall for them! Thanks, tumblr! <3 They're very cute.

10. Jackie/Angie

They would never date in canon but GOD are they exes. They're bickering exes, look at them. First episode of s2, you can't deny they've met before and something went down and now they pretend they don't know each other. The ANGST.

11. Celeste/Trish

When watching Bia, I was like "I really feel a straight vibe from every character" and all of you, and I mean ALL OF YOU, went "But what about Celeste?". I was confused because I was at the ep where Celeste told her therapist that she had a crush on a boy so I was like ???????????????????

But then the SECOND I saw s2, I had a 180 spin and went "OH OK SHE'S A LESBIAN" and her obsession with Trish was really like. !!!!!!! WOW. And when she met Trish irl and just scratched her neck I just. Yeah. Yeah I got it.

12. Lunina

Ok, I really do like them as just friends, but if they were more I also wouldn't complain. I just like to joke a little about them, but I am not as serious about it as I am with ships above on the list.

13. Jazmin/Delfi

Every now and then I think to myself "they should kiss" lmao.

14. Francesca/Ana

Most random thing. I got this because I felt like Ana legit tried to seduce Fran for a while. Like that Ser Mejor duet????? What

15. Violetta/Lara

I don't think they have a lot of chemistry, but I get it. Also Violetta totally got a bi awakening from seeing Lara sing like I-

16. Ludletta

I really get it. I really get after I myself fell for Lumbar. Like, you have 2 seasons of freedom. It's hard to just... stop?? After that? Also Si es por amor is the gayest music video in Violetta, it's just how it is. But I've personally never shipped them. I love their canon relationship.

I do get where you're coming from, though.

17. Jim/Luna

This is the one wlw ship where I don't really get it. But I've seen it around. And during my SL rewatch I've tried to see it, but I don't see much. I think it's whenever they're alone together they sort of have a matching vibe and that's what appeals to people? I don't know.

I know for a fact I've probably forgot someone, but that's how it always is. I actually almost forgot some here and had to re-rank my list. There's still plenty of wlw ships <3

[lenievi]

snw2 #10

My personal episode ranking based on my enjoyment: 3 - 9 - 6 - 4 - 10 - 2 - 8 - 1 - 7 - 5 (might change after I do a rewatch)

I loved the whole season so much <3

Sam Kirk is really lucky that he can't die lol

AFTER 20 EPISODES THEY FINALLY GAVE ME A MEANINGFUL SPOCK AND UNA INTERACTION. WOW. will wonders never cease? Send me gifs! :D

Why was I right thinking that there would be another legacy character surprise in the finale? [I'm kinda not a fan of how much he's trying to copy the original tho...]

also La’an just remembering the roster of Cayuga… reading Jim Kirk’s personnel file (but apparently not Sam’s?)

glad to know that my prediction that Spock and Chapel won't end on a bad note this season came true (I mean, yes, at the beginning of the season I thought they would end it (because I didn't expect them to end Spock and T'Pring), but as the season progressed, and especially after the musical, I was like nah, they're still not finished with Spock/Chapel, and it's nice that their relationship ended on a hope - considering the looong hiatus. I mean maybe they both apologize, Chapel leaves, and that's it, but until then...)

(before the musical, before the whole business with Kirk/La'an, I was like, yeah, the season might end up with Spock/Chapel separated, but when they broke La'an's heart, I was like there's no way they're gonna end all three romantic relationships as separated by the end of the season)

Marie isn't dead either, so there is also hope for them to figure out how to save her. idk like they can freeze her, can't they? (that's typically what happens when a character is put into a stasis at the end of the season - well, they might subvert the expectations, but I think letting her live is already subverting the expectations) [if she can't be saved, I don't think Pike would start another romantic relationship... not with anyone in Starfleet, at least]

The finale doing what I more or less expected with the relationships, makes me feel good about what I still expect for Kirk/La'an (don't wanna people start saying La'an's gonna die in the first ep of s3 now tho - like what writing would that be if she lost a love, got her heart broken, and then was immediately killed by the Gorn who took her entire family and were half of the cause why she can't be vulnerable and is distant from everyone?)

guess only babies are really really aggressive and adult Gorns are more like the one in the Arena

kinda fun that I expected the Enterprise crew to be split up, but a bit differently - i.e. Pike's group stuck on the planet

now La'an is back among the Gorn (that was also a cliffhanger I expected) :( With Sam and others. Maybe in the first episode of s3, Kirk will come and save the day LMAO (I don't want that but it's just fun to think about - fun things to think about VS what I want to see in the show are two separate things) (yes, don't @ me that Kirk didn't know what a Gorn was)

"Sam, trying to play a hero?" "Shut up, Jim."

(and then the Farragut will take in Scotty. Even though some novels did always have Uhura and Scott serve under Pike - maybe SNW will give us background for Scott/Uhura 👀 (even though I personally like Chekov/Uhura)) But no, I don't expect Scotty to stay.

s3 bring on McCoy!