#🔪 hbo max

[some-anonymity-preferred]

A True Journal of the Life and Happenings of the OFMD Fandom

January the 16th. An excellent day! Raided a Deadline article and an Instagram reel after overpowering Max’s hearty customer service crew. Claimed a lifetime supply of Astroglide in conquest.

They’ll never forget the Eccentric Pirate Stede Bonnet and his savage, insane, vengeful Gay Twitter.

[some-anonymity-preferred]

I also read it as a bit of a middle finger to HBO. People have speculated that various crew members were missing from various scenes because of the problems that the cost and logistics of filming in Aotearoa presented. And several of the post-credits scenes showed the missing characters’ alibis, as it were. Even if thumbing their nose at HBO wasn’t the intent, it made those ones even funnier to me to think of them that way.

I really loved the inclusion of post-credit scenes and how almost all of them was a sweet moment with the crew.

It was like they were saying we know we don’t have the same amount of time for these guys anymore but we still love them and want to spend a few more moments with them when we can.

[blakbonnet]

how could they cut the boyfriend scene HOW

[serious-goose]

going from 10 to 8 episodes really does hurt the narrative flow of a show like this

[ishouldbedoingalright]

first gentleman jack and now our flag means death

[lonepower]

Oh, I am so curious about Forspoken because I've only heard negative things about it. Would you mind talking about more of your thoughts about it? What's it like, and would you reccomend it?

Nonny, I am not surprised, and it is a continual source of raging frustration for me because this hate is absolutely unwarranted in every possible way!! I can't even track the tag here because, despite the small but absolutely wonderful fandom, it is so full of people hating on it that it clogs out nearly everything else.

First off: YES, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND IT. PLAY THIS GAME. THAT IS A THREAT. 🔪🔪🔪🔪 

The tl;dr of my feelings about Forspoken are in line with that one excellent Jupiter Ascending review that I can't find for the life of me now, where the author is like, "is this what guys feel like all the time?" because the movie is just plucked straight from her 14-year-old self's wish fulfillment fantasies. Like, is it a deep, brooding, erudite Auteur Piece? Well, no, but... so what? It's self-indulgent to the max and so earnestly not-shy about it that it's just an absolute joy to play. It's fun. Like... it's just fun. Have we all just forgotten the sensation of joy??? 

(This got quite long, so full review under the cut:)

The game is a pretty straightforward changeling fantasy/isekai—heroine with a mysterious troubled past gets sucked into a magical world and just happens to be the exact thing needed to save it from impending doom—and it isn't shy about its own tropeyness. Like, it's not trying to be clever or subversive with its premise, and if you're used to the HBO theory that '"'"good"""(/heavy sarcasm) storytelling is completely unpredictable twists at every turn, then yeah, you're gonna find it predictable. (I called 2 of the 3 major reveals within seconds of their first being foreshadowed, but I love being right more than anything, so that was more of a bonus for me!) 

With that being said: It is absolutely excellent at doing what it sets out to do. It's not Complicated or Psychological or Edgy because that's not what it wants to be: It wants to be a fun, glittery, self-indulgent, richly detailed, joyfully tropey fantasy game, and by god it does that fantastically. It's got really deep, extensive lore and some subtler worldbuilding than I expected, it's a lot better written than people give it credit for, it's fun, it's rewarding to play. Frey is such a good protagonist, she's the epitome of "pathetic wet cat poor little meow meow blorbo from my shows" etc etc etc, and I feel like the only reason people aren't realizing this is because she's a Black woman with poor social graces who spends the majority of the game in extreme crisis mode. Water is wet 🙄

Is the dialogue cringy at times? Yeah, honestly there were a couple moments that made me go 😬, but from what I hear about other square enix games that's really nothing new. I will also die on the hill that yes, the banter is a little Whedony, BUT: 1) Whedon banter (esp. pre-2012 firefly/buffy/resurrection banter) is NOTHING like what "marvel dialogue" has become, and the Whedony bits of Forspoken are much more like Firefly than like the written-by-committee shit that marvel spits out now; 2) Joss Whedon is actually really fucking good at writing witty, funny banter, and it's just that he's so unpleasant in his ideals that we're all sick of hearing about him. I have LOTS of problems with the guy but his dialogue is Not one of them. And the banter in this game is one of the main draws for me. I fucking love banter because I am a brilliant bitch with excellent taste who will never change 💁‍♀️

Additionally—and crucially, because it indicates that 99% of the game's detractors haven't even gotten out of the first hub area—only two characters in the game talk like that, and they are explicitly seen as off-putting and not that funny (Frey) and extremely, maddeningly annoying (Cuff) by everyone else around. Frey is a homeless kid with no friends and Cuff has been trapped in a bracelet in an antique store for decades, so it's literally in-universe canon that they have no social skills. Everyone else in the game talks normally. They're both just huge dorks.

The gameplay itself is also really, really good too—this actually seems to be the One Thing that Gamers™ have decided is acceptable to not outright froth with rage over, so I'm putting it closer to the end, but yeah, it's awesome! It's one of three (3) games that I completed on Normal rather than story/casual/Idiot Weenie Baby difficulty (the others being Ghost of Tsushima and Horizon Zero Dawn), but it also has a lot of really excellent accessibility modifiers so you can customize your playstyle extensively. It's heavily focused on mobility and versatility, so you get better rewards and XP and stuff for combos, switching power sets, being fast & evasive, etc. The open world is also very well-designed: it's one of the only games where I actually really enjoy dicking around in the postgame doing sidequests and killing monsters (rather than just immediately starting the main story over), because parkouring around with your flashy cape and your awesome flaming spear is just that much fun. VISORIA MY BELOVED.

Also, you can pet every cat. They'll even follow you around and pick up items for you! GOTY for that alone tbh.

I have very few complaints about the game—the music not being quite up to par is one, and some of the lore/backstory could've been presented a little bit more clearly in my opinion, especially in the DLC, but that's not a problem that everyone had. I know there are also some valid criticisms from Black players on the way Frey is presented, but I'm not 100% sure what the specifics are, and obviously googling "what's wrong with Forspoken" or w/e is absolutely not going to be helpful. (I can guess, as an Extremely White person; for one, her having a criminal backstory is maybe not the best look, although I will say that in the very first minute of the game I saw "left on a doorstep" and "compulsive theft" and my immediate thought was "oh, she is some kind of changeling for sure." I wasn't...entirely wrong? (Spoilers!) So that seems more like two separate factors combining in an unfortunate way than any actual stereotypes the writers were playing into. (Again, I am Very White, so I defer any interpretation to those who actually know what they're saying and would like to weigh in!!! 😅))

In summary, I think a combination of misogynoir and Gamer Brain Rot have just created the perfect unfair storm against this game, because I genuinely do not understand how else it could be so poorly received. It's genuinely one of my favorite games. Please play Forspoken.

[cavehags]

furious that hulu is hbo maxing y the last man out of existence 🔪🔪🔪 i am constantly bending over backward trying to get people to go back and watch this very good and thrilling show and i didn't need disney making it harder 😡

[some-anonymity-preferred]

@dracothelizard that really needs to be a poll

An essay rebutting the “bad writing” claims of s2 ofmd. Spoilers herein.

I’ll preface this with saying you’re obviously allowed to like and dislike whatever you want. I am in no way opposing that. And your reasons are your reasons. Have at. (Also - this is a collection of observations from the past few days, I’m not calling anyone out)

I AM going to rebut the idea that season two was poorly written and lost the spirit of what the show is about.

My favourite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back. It’s been my favourite movie since I was four. I’m pretty sure it’s a fave of David Jenkins, too. He and Taika have made absolutely no attempt to hide their love of all things 80’s - Prince, the Princess Bride, Kate Bush, Star Wars, etc.

I have ancient video tapes (that I can’t play because who has a vcr) where Lucas is interviewed by Leonard Maltin? Malkin? I dunno. Who cares. Maltin asks him about the Star Wars (original trilogy) story arc. Lucas says “in act I, you introduce all the characters. In act II, you put them in a situation they can’t get out of, and in act III, they get out of it.”

That’s how it works. This is how stories and literary structures work.

Of course you’re not satisfied with season two. You’re not supposed to be.

The arguments I have read on why s2 loses the spirit of s1 is because no one heals. No one learns anything. No one moves forward properly. The person who makes the biggest move towards healing dies. The two main characters end the show doing the exact fucking thing they had promised themselves and each other they wouldn’t do. Our romantic lead still doesn’t understand his value or make any headway on addressing his tragic flaw. It makes no goddamn sense.

My gremlins in weird: it’s not supposed to. In Act 2, EVERYONE LOSES. This is how it goes.

I’ve read a lot of people saying “but this felt like a series finale, not a season finale.” We all know that outside politics play a part here, the strikes make everything precarious. I remember the last writers strike. It destroyed tv for fifteen years. Anyone remember Pushing Daisies? Some of y’all have never had your fave show cancelled with zero resolution for the characters and it shows.

Daddy J did us a kindness. He softened the blow of a tough season. After the brutal cliffhanger of s1, he gave us a little softness and hope. All those things you’re mad aren’t resolved? It’s because THE STORY ISN’T OVER.

No one on earth thinks “stuff all your trauma into a box and ignore it” is good advice. A way to actually live. This show did not have enough screen time to throw out dialogue for no reason. There was foreshadowing in s1 for s2, and there is foreshadowing for s3 in s2. This is a well-crafted story by very smart people who care very much for these characters. There is zero chance Frenchie explained the box in his head for no reason. The reason people have not resolved their trauma and growth is because they haven’t done it *yet*.

And friends - it’s not thinly veiled. They straight up fucking tell us what they’re doing.

Luke Skywalker spends the first two movies fucking up and desperately trying to prove himself and just generally being an idiot. Sound familiar? He ignores the lessons he is supposed to be learning to go off and do what he feels like doing, and loses fucking badly. At the end of Empire, Han is gone, Luke and Leia wave goodbye to the Falcon that has Lando and Chewy - the rest of their crew - aboard. Everyone has lost everything they care about. Vader is undefeated. Yoda is pissed. Nothing is resolved.

You see where I’m going?

If you think I’m stretching this too far, welp, when Ed tells Stede he loves him - the climax of the finale - Stede quotes Han fucking Solo. Like - *it’s right there*. The story structure. The reason everything is unresolved.

So yeah. They wave goodbye to their ship because they have wounds to heal (like Luke’s hand). The people aboard the ship have things to find. Ed and Stede have *not* learned their lesson about whims and how not to be like Anne and Mary. It’s not stupid that they’re doing the same thing, and it’s not pointless that we were shown Anne and Mary. It’s all relevant.

The resolution comes in Act 3. None of these people are done. The story is far, far from over. And just in case the studios want to be dicks about it, David Jenkins was lovely enough to not repeat my enduring heartbreak over Pushing Daisies.

Thank you, @davidjenks 🖤

[some-anonymity-preferred]

Stupid puppet pulled it off 😭

[nothums-from-tj]

Tag Masterlist (to keep myself organized)

If you’re seeing this when I post it feel free to ignore this is for my pinned post lol

Anything in parentheses is not part of the tag, that’s just to provide context. I will try to regularly update as I remember/make/add more of them (and some I’m putting in bc I plan on adding them soon lol)

CATEGORIES IN ORDER: fandoms, ships, characters/dynamics, other, block

Fandoms

tmnt 1987

tmnt 2003

tmnt 2007

tmnt 2012

rottmnt

tmnt (general; contains all iterations and AUs/designs along with multiple ships or no ships, bounds under this are pretty loose)

animaniacs (‘90s and comics for the most part)

animaniacs 2020 (reboot)

patb (Pinky and The Brain)

sbsp (SpongeBob SquarePants)

pokémon (games and anime)

pokémon bdsp (Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl)

pokémon sword

pokémon sv (Pokémon Scarlet/Violet)

sailor moon

ohshc (Ouran Highschool Host Club)

looney tunes

space jam (original and sequel I think)

space jam 2 (sequel)

tlts (The Looney Tunes Show (2010))

looney tunes cartoons (HBO Max original)

amphibia

toh (The Owl House)

sdway (Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969))

tsds (The Scooby-Doo Show (1976))

the new scooby doo movies

apnsd (A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (1988))

scooby doo zombie island

wnsd (What’s New, Scooby-Doo? (2002))

sdmi (Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated (2010))

bcsd (Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! (2015))

mystery inc (Mystery Incorporated (2021, YouTube live action))

scooby doo (same loose rules under the TMNT tag)

tawog (The Amazing World of Gumball)

barbie 2023 (live action Barbie movie)

opal (Jack Stauber short film)

stranger things (sometimes shortened to ST)

gaobam (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy)

eene (Ed, Edd, n Eddy)

milo murphy’s law (might be shortened to mml)

moral orel

death note

ppg (Powerpuff Girls)

regular show

Ships (I try not to include most ship content under fandom tags)

rasey (Raph x Casey from TMNT, mostly 2012 and ROTTMNT)

rasey shit (just feels right sometimes)

apritello (Donnie x April from TMNT, I think only 2012 and some ROTTMNT)

leosagi (Leo x Usagi from TMNT, varying different iterations)

brinky (Pinky x Brain from PATB, all media)

da brinky???? (feels right sometimes)

squidbob (Squidward x SpongeBob from SBSP)

squillward (Squilliam x Squidward from SBSP, I think I only have this pairing as exes)

makoami (Ami x Makoto (Mercury x Jupiter) from Sailor Moon, any and all iterations I could find lol)

tamakyo (Tamaki x Kyoya from OHSHC, particular from the anime and live action)

baffy (Bugs x Daffy from Looney Tunes, many different variations)

marcanne (Anne x Marcy from Amphibia)

raeda (Raine x Eda from TOH)

lumity (Luz x Amity from TOH)

huntlow (Hunter x Willow from TOH)

blinkley (Daphne Blake x Velma Dinkley from Scooby-Doo, many different iterations)

velmarcie (Velma x Marcie from SDMI)

fraggy (Fred x Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, many different iterations)

shed (same ship as prior, I try to use both)

fraphne (Fred x Daphne from Scooby-Doo, there isn’t and won’t be much of this admittedly)

poly doo (Velma, Daphne, Fred, and Shaggy all dating or included in the polycule, will have varying different looks/ideas)

robball (Rob x Gumball from TAWOG)

byler (Mike x Will from ST)

ronance (Robin x Nancy from ST)

steddie (Steve x Eddie from ST)

elmax (Max x Eleven/Jane from ST)

lumax (Max x Lucas from ST)

jopper (Joyce x Hopper from ST)

jargyle (Argyle x Jonathan from ST)

jancy (Jonathan x Nancy from ST)

billy x mandy (from GAOBAM)

kevedd (Kevin x Edd “Double D” from EEnE)

t4t kevedd (same ship as prior, except they’re both trans)

dakavendish (Vinnie Dakota x Balthazar Cavendish from Milo Murphy’s Law)

puppingframe (Clay Puppington x Danielle Stopframe from Moral Orel)

lawlight (L x Light from Death Note—yes I understand how morally grey the relationship is, I try to be very critical of them)

💥🌼 (Boomer x Buttercup from PPG)

🔪🌱 (Butch x Blossom from PPG)

🧱🫧 (Brick x Bubbles from PPG)

(Separately, you can still find “Boomercup”, “Blossutch”, and “Brickubbles” tags on my blog just know it’ll mostly be stuff I make rather than reblogged stuff to cross tag)

mordeson (Benson x Mordecai from Regular Show—please don’t come at me I have multiple ideas that balance them out)

Characters/Dynamics (have posts about them individually)

tmnt raphael

2012 raph

2012 raphael (I interchange them, I’ll switch it up soon)

rottmnt raphael

trans fem raphael

tmnt leo

2012 leo

rottmnt leo

trans fem leo

tmnt donatello

2012 donnie

rottmnt donatello

trans fem donnie

tmnt mikey

april o’neil

casey jones

rottmnt casey jr

yakko warner

wakko warner

dot warner

warner sibs

brain patb

pinky patb

squidward

spongebob

ami mizuno

tamaki suoh

kyoya ootori

bugs bunny

daffy duck

anne boonchuy

marcy wu

sasha waybright

sprig plantar

hop pop plantar

grime

eda the owl lady

raine whispers

king clawthorne

lilith clawthorne

luz noceda

noceda siblings

blight twins

amity blight

velma dinkley

daphne blake

fred jones

marcie fleach

gumball watterson

darwin watterson

watterson sibs

opal

will byers

el hopper

steve harrington

robin buckley

scoops troop (Robin and Steve, sometimes with Dustin and Erica)

double d eene

trans girl double d

kevin eene

trans kevin

clay puppington

orel puppington

blossom utonium

bubbles utonium

buttercup utonium

brick jojo

boomer jojo

butch jojo

benson dunwoody

Other

tj talks (my own text posts or responding to them in a reblog)

tj shares (my own fandom related posts)

tj writes (writing projects and plans)

tj draws (my own art)

texts (all non-fandom related reblogs that I didn’t add to, save for the tags)

reblog (specifically for posts I’ve already reblogged or made that I or others have edited or bumped)

prompts (writing and drawing prompts I want to use at some point in time

fanfic wingmen (a TMNT multi-chapter work I wrote, you can find updates and all those parts there)

sd celeb au (a Scooby-Doo AU I have in the making right now, all prompts and ideas and the eventual fic will be under this tag feel free to ask me abt it)

tbmg (multi-chapter Boomercup fic, any prompts/ideas/chapter updates for it are under this tag)

fppg au (fostered Powerpuff Girls/foster care AU—no powers, not bio siblings)

palestine (resources, information, donations, and other things related to helping out Palestine during the attacks!)

polls (any polls I make and most I find bc I love that feature sm)

asks (answering any asks I receive WHICH are always open feel free to talk to me <3)

ask meme (please ask me questions from these posts)

writing help (pleaaase please give me feedback whatever’s tagged as such as long as you’re polite abt it)

writing (more just discussing plans than actually putting them out, or other people’s fandom-less written works)

art (other people’s general art work)

playlists (typically for characters or moods, I doubt I’ll share many of them)

discord server (advertising any servers I make though unfortunately I’m not the best at interacting in them)

crush (my yearning for a boy, if/when I get over it I’ll go back in and delete the posts)

info (learning from people with experiences or for me to fact check later)

art fight (Art Fight attacks and team intro cards)

what a fucking ride (absolutely insane posts, usually with many twists and turns)

trans resources (lists of articles and videos for myself and my trans siblings early/pre-transition!)

tag meme (games I’ve been tagged in to join that you’re also free to participate in!!)

nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month—participating for the first time in 2023; these are tips I may need and potentially any writing projects during that time :])

trans (transgender tingz)

itt (reblogs specifically from user inthetags where questions they post are answered, well, in the tags; it’s basically a little trivia of me if anyone’s interested at all)

Block (trigger/content warnings and spoilers)

drug cw

tw eating issues

sdmi spoilers (please block this tag if you’re interested in seeing the series, yes there is a plot and it gets so dark and so heavy dude don’t spoil it for yourself)

toh spoilers

amphibia spoilers

sa mention

suggestive cw

nsfw warning

blood

f slur tw

tw sex mention

tw abuse mention

tw sui ideation

slight gore warning

mml spoilers

regular show spoilers

[comicconradio]

A prequel TV series to Stephen King's IT has been in the works at HBO Max for months, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming today that the project, known as Welcome to Derry, has officially been ordered to series at the streamer. Director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti, who developed IT and IT CHAPTER TWO, are involved in the project, while IT CHAPTER TWO producer Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane will serve as co-showrunners. Andy Muschietti is confirmed to be directing episodes of the series, including the debut installment. Stay tuned for details on Welcome to Derry. Given the title of the series, the show is expected to unfold in the small Maine town in which the original King story takes place, and the project is expected to "expand the vision" of the source material. While Pennywise the Dancing Clown was the main threat of the original story, it's unknown if the figure will factor into this series or if it will merely explore a number of other unsettling experiences suffered in the town. "As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces," the Muschiettis revealed in a statement. "IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can't wait to share the depths of Steve's novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity, and horror." "I'm excited that the story of Derry, Maine's most haunted city, is continuing, and I'm glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara," King shared. "Red balloons all around!"⚡️🍿🍿🎈🔪 #comiccon #spoilermagazine #news #losangeles #podcast #magazine #art #instagram #galaxy #film #tv #hollywood #feature #movies #fandom #graphicdesign #nyc #spoiler #comicconradio #comicbooks #it #horror #horrormovies (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpKW0Zhrnt8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[serious-goose]

that bts video had an odd anti-union slant to it. hbo max i am in your walls 🔪

[tundrakatiebean]

HBO max app download my shit or die by my blade 🔪

[robin-jasontodd]

Petition to have jens*n ackl*s stay as far away from the HBO max movie as possible 🔪🔪🔪🔪

[ethanthespookymonth]

Last song: Killer Queen

Favorite color: Red ❤️and Black🖤

Last movie/TV show: Beware of the Slenderman (It's on HBO Max or Max)

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Sweet tooth 🍧🧁🍭🍰🎂🍨

Relationship status: @sal-the-simp ❤️🖤

Last thing I googled: Jeff the killer

Current obsession/Hyperfixation: Creepypasta and Welcome Home 🏠🔪

@sal-the-simp

@transsin

@jadescortaurius-alt

@sammy-star

Nine people I'd like to get to know better

Tagged by @meghawhopp <33

Last song: Down by the River by Borislav Slavov from the Baldur’s Gate 3 Soundtrack (or more specifically the cover of Down by the River by Nerissa Ravencroft)

Favorite color: Blue and purple!

Last movie/TV show: Seinfeld, I’m currently on season four!

Sweet/spicy/savory?: I have a huge sweet tooth, so sweet things

Relationship status: Single

Last thing I googled: I searched up the show “Arthur” because I was trying to find that one meme where Buster was like “You really think someone would do that, just go on the internet and spread lies?”

Current obsession: Fragaria memories and tears of themis mostly^^

Tag Nine People: @kyaruun @xinieeee @deadmansbistro @florapot @hunita812 @scuffle-with-spirals @rexonalapis @maxellera @manicpixiedoomedgirl

[meantaylorsversion]

heyo!! may i have gold rush (it really doesn’t matter but i think my vibes? lol), no body, no crime & happiness por favor?💜

hi abbie!

gold rush✨: (mutuals only) for a moodboard based off your vibes or URL

idk where I was going with this moodboard lol

no body, no crime🔪: for a song, movie, or show rec. hmm for a movie Pitch Perfect(its one of my favs lol), a song Garden Song by Phoebe Bridgers,and for a show Stargirl on HBO Max

happiness🎶: i’ll tell you my fav fic,edit, gifset, .etc of yours!

my fav gifset of yours is your wanda maximoff set !