#(I haven't watched the back half of the episode yet but I got spoiled about the Scanlantaur and I HAVE QUESTIONS)

[captainsparklefingers]

Pike and Scanlan's kids (friendly reminder, they do canonically have two kids) must be SO embarrassed by their parents. The constant divorce and remarriage, the various kinds of sex that come with that, the uh. The centaur thing.

And considering their son is fuckin' named WILHAND'ILDAN, I imagine it must take either a lot or very little to embarrass these kids. There's no middle ground.

[bigolbard]

Okay. I literally just finished S3 of LoVM and I have thoughts. Also, I just need to write those thoughts out to try and process what I'm feeling. Because I'm feeling a lot.

If it isn't obvious, everything that follows this is going to spoil the fuck out of all of LoVM and also CR C1, so, y'know, stop reading if you haven't watched yet and care about spoilers. You're beautiful, and I love you.

Okay. So. First, things that I want to praise unabashedly:

Laura Bailey is a fucking angel sent from the heavens to show humanity what god-tier voice acting is. I cannot get over her, and at this point I don't think I ever will. Love's First Crit was fucking phenomenal and heartbreaking and you bet your ass I was crying in the club.

Thordak-Raishan was cool as fuck and I loved the way they did it. I actually wish we got a bit longer of a fight there, it almost felt too quick. Would have loved to see Raishan fully let loose, but the narrative supported a sort of Keyleth v Raishan finale, so not a huge thing for me. I thought it was dope.

I saw you reading Der Kattenprintz to your daughter, Syldor. Don't think I didn't see that.

Kaylie's Song was as beautiful as I knew it would be. Sam and Mr. Fantastic and Neal Acree having been making fucking gold from Day 1 on this soundtrack, and I suspect they'll continue to do so in Season 4.

And now...the rest. The thoughts. The things. There are two big ones, and I'll start with the smaller of the two:

I did not like everyone splitting up for the first half of this episode drop. Was it technically both thematic and narratively sound? Yeah, absolutely it was. And I 100% get that this is something you can take advantage of in a TV show that doesn't really work at a D&D table. But for the Matron's sake, the show is called The Legend of Vox Machina. It is still about Vox Machina as a group, not as individuals. And the party is the heart of the story in the animation as much as it was in the live play. And splitting them up for such big moments feels like shit.

The other teams members not being there to see Earth Elemental Keyleth? That sucks. I know she got to show it off later when she killed Raishan, but it still sucks that that huge development moment for her happened completely devoid of the rest of VM.

Vax and Vex killing Ripley on their own? Sucked. Absolutely sucked. They went through all the extra work of building Ripley into a much bigger villain in the show -- both by having her survive Glintshore but also by us seeing her working with Umbrasyl in Season 2 and then again with Thordak in Season 3. They turned her into a proper major villain, and then never had the party as a whole fight her.

Her and Percy go mano y mano at Glintshore with no party intervention, and then the twins kill her with not only no party intervention, but not even telling the party they were going after her.

Like I get that Percy matters a whole hell of a lot to Vex, and by extension to Vax, but the rest of the party also loves him? And misses him? And wants him back? And they just...never get to fight Ripley?

Yeah, it's a TV show, you can have characters doing different things, but now you've lost a party experience. Vox Machina did not kill Anna Ripley. Vex and Vax did. And I'm sure some people are totally cool with that, but to me it really kills the heart of the story which is the party as a whole and the experiences they have together.

And speaking of splitting up.... what the fuck was that decision to replace Bard's Lament with the entire party just being like "well I guess we'll go do our own stuff now!"

Yes, the threat of the Whispered One will force them back together. Yes, because of the streamlined nature of the show we don't have as many side plots holding the group together now that the Conclave has been defeated. Yes, TV is different than D&D.

But holy fuck did I hate that decision, from both an adaptation standpoint and a narrative standpoint.

The first bit there is self-explanatory -- they fully removed one of the most iconic parts of C1. Despite -- in my and a lot of other people's opinions -- spending the better part of Season 2 and 3 setting up Scanlan's departure only to pivot at the last moment. I get making changes to fit the medium and the time constraints. But it was so obvious they were setting Scanlan's leave up from Season 2, and all the writing was on the wall, and then it was just nothing. And I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed we won't hear "what's my mother's name."

But even if I look past that disappointment, the narrative of it feels underwhelming on its own. Scanlan leaving is a huge moment for him, realizing he needs to look after his own needs, and having Keyleth basically echo the same sentiment really diminishes that moment. It feels like a goodbye episode -- and I get that S4 just got picked up like three days ago so they probably made that change so the show could end there if S4 wasn't ever made. That's probably the realistic answer.

But wow did I not like it. Wow wow wow. Like.... wow wow wow. I just...it felt so underwhelming. I kept waiting for the big moment, for the big season ending punch -- like the Chroma Conclave flying in at the end of S1 or the Raishan reveal at the end of S2 -- and there was just nothing. Yeah, we got the Vecna stinger, but that didn't involve the party. That didn't command immediate "oh no what's this."

It felt like it was setting up four new spinoff shows, not another season of the Legend of Vox Machina.

And let me be clear, this is all one dude's very fresh rant. This means nothing. If you loved these episodes, do not let me dillute your enjoyment. And I know CR and Titmouse don't owe me a damn thing -- they're not making this for me. I get that. But I just cannot believe that's the route they took.

In my opinion, the first two season very much felt like an adaptation. But this season felt more "inspired by," rather than an adaptation. And how much of that hits for you is totally personal preference. If I'd never seen any of C1 I'd love every moment of this. As its own things, it's still an incredible show and incredible art.

But it just felt like the heart was missing -- for me, at least -- in the back half of this season. Maybe I'm a hater. Maybe I'm resistant to chance. But it just didn't quite land and I needed to write all this out just to process my own feelings. Which is all they are. Feelings.

I still love CR. I still love LoVM. And of course I love y'all. Bidet.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Love About Fionna and Cake (Vaugish spoilers ahead)

For those who follow me, this isn't going to be an EXTENSIVE review, but it's not going to be a "Quick Thoughts" either. It's more like an in-between option because, gosh dang it, I NEED to talk about Fionna and Cake.

When it was announced there was going to be a Fionna and Cake spin-off series, my stomach immediately filled with dread, and for two reasons. First of all, I just wanted Adventure Time to be done. Not because I hated the series. Far from it, in fact. It's because with the show's finale being this big conclusion that left me feeling empty inside and with "Together Again" feeling like a better, satisfying end to the franchise AND Finn and Jake, the last thing I wanted was MORE Adventure Time. I know the show's tagline is "The fun will never end," but the fun HAS to end at some point.

Also...I wasn't really into Fionna and Cake, both as a kid and as an adult. As a kid, I found it weird that Adventure Time just had this random episode where all the characters had swapped genders for some reason and my dumb young boy brain went "Ew, girly nonsense!" I matured past that now and actually learned to appreciate how it's actually a playful jab at the fanfic community and their occasional cringiness. That being said, I still wasn't into...how weird things got with Fionna and Cake, and I was NOT ready for a whole series based on them. I mean, why would I want a series of a genderswapped Finn and Jake when I could have...Finn and Jake?

But then the show came out...and I was NOT expecting the ten-episode long emotional roller coaster that had no right being as good as it was. NOR was I expecting it to be for adults this time.

I heard about...two weeks? Yeah, two weeks before hand, I heard that Fionna and Cake would have a TV-14 rating, and that's primarily the reason why I got more interested in the show. And a part of me kind of wish I didn't know that beforehand because I kind of wanted the surprise of characters going "God dammit" and Finn stabbing a monster in it's snout, leaving a gaping bloody hole in it. Like...could you IMAGINE?

But before you say anything, Fionna and Cake, thankfully, isn't rated TV-14 JUST BECAUSE it has swears, violence, and its main character topless for...more than half the series, to be honest. In actuality, the show's rated TV-14 more or less for the themes and messages that appeal more towards adults than it would have for kids. This show is more or less for the fans who grew up with Adventure Time, whether they're the kids now in their early twenties like Fionna, or the adults that watched the show for some reason and feel the same existential dread as Simon. The show is about the two of them and their growth to learn the lesson every body and their grandma needs to learn: Just cope.

Some of us yearn for a magical world with adventures that saves us from our boring, mundane lives. Others, even as adults, feel like they don't belong in certain spaces and wish to have back their loved ones who made them feel like they DO belong. So Fionna and Cake is there to just give the harsh truth, but instead of making the show feel like a downer, it gives a beautiful yet tragic experience that says you shouldn't yearn for what you WANT and appreciate what you NEED. Fionna wanted a magical world, but she didn't NEED it. Simon wanted Betty back or to return to his madness, but he didn't NEED to. The journey these characters go on leads to Fionna needing to learn that her life is fine just the way it is and that Simon needing to learn that his life HAS purpose even if it's without his true love. As for how they go through it and what conclusions they come to...I'm not going to spoil it because it's all brilliantly done and best left for you to see for yourself. Trust me when I say there is so much about their journeys that's best left to see for yourself if you haven't. But the bottomline is that it teaches audiences that your life is just fine the way it is. You just need to see the beauty through the dread and/or tragedy.

And despite this overlaying maturity, the show is still very much Adventure Time. It's filled with characters saying goofy things and acting silly, it's just now the show can go FARTHER with its mature messages, no longer having the kiddie gloves on for the sake of the children. They can go ALL IN on the existential dread much more than they did in the past, is unafraid to explicitly kill characters, and can make the gay characters kiss and date...Okay, they probably COULD have made that last part for kids with Steven Universe and The Owl House popularizing LGBTQA+ representation in children's media, but they definitely couldn't with those first two options! And I'm so glad that despite being mature, Fionna and Cake stuck with Adventure Time's brand of charm, heart, and fun times. It's just that those fun times can be interrupted by your favorite characters dying...But don't worry. They're not the REAL characters you grow up with.

Fionna and Cake is a multiverse story, meaning the show jumps between world after world. Not only does it provide peeks into new, interesting worlds based on these "what ifs" I didn't know I wanted to see, but it also allows the writers to basically kill off every character you loved as a kid. Sometimes it's explicit by showing viewers unmoving, withered, and sometimes even BURNT corpses, and other times it's implicit with nothing viewer interpretation guiding what MIGHT be true. Adventure Time HAS gotten dark like that in the past, but this is a time when the writers really go all out without holding back an inch, and I respect that.

And as for this being a multiverse story, I know we're all starting to get sick of those, but Fionna and Cake does it in a way that takes advantage of its premise. Each universe provides a dark and twisted version of Ooo, to the benefit of teaching Simon and Fionna to find what they NEED, not give them what they WANT. Again, I won't give away HOW, but it all works really well and it's why multiverse stories like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and The Flash tend to fail. I talked about this last night with a buddy of mine, but a multiverse story works better when it's used to help the characters grow and provide interesting views of things that COULD HAVE happened if things went differently. Not to spit out cameos for specific fans or make jokes about how pizza is in balls or how Aquaman's dad didn't marry the queen of Atlantis. Fionna and Cake has cameos, but they're again to show how different each universe is, teach Fionna and Simon, and even reveal the tragedy that they present at times. It just happens to be done in a way that's a fun cameo for fans.

Speaking of which, it's hard to recommend Fionna and Cake because this is a spin-off that's clearly for the fans of Adventure Time. The ones who watched the show from the beginning and get all the little in-jokes, references, and call-backs that were frequent of the series. If you HAVEN'T seen the show...I'm willing to say you'd enjoy it ENOUGH, but you'd still be left confused. You COULD watch the show beforehand, and I definitely recommend you do that, but that means watching ten seasons and four specials of television just to watch ONE spin-off. Not everyone is going to have the patience to do that, and I can understand why. Just know that if you're fan, you'll definitely enjoy this.

If there's anything to complain about, the only real nitpick I have is Cake. Despite being the OTHER titular character, she...doesn't really do much or have a journey to go on. Her character is just being there for Fionna and wanting to be the magical cat she wanted to be. Only instead of coping with what she has, Cake...doesn't do that. She gets what she wants and she's fine with it, which is kind of disappointing. And as a character, she's kind of selfish, not really caring what happens to Simon just as long as SHE gets exactly what she wants. Now, she still has some great one-liners and still has an engaging purpose as a counter-argument to what Fionna needs to learn, but that doesn't change how she's pretty much the weakest part of the show, at least to me.

Fionna and Cake is definitely a show that has more strengths and weaknesses, completely shattering expectations and making a show I didn't know I needed. Would I want another season? Eh, not really. I'm fine with how things end here. But I'm glad I watched it and I'll likely rewatch it over and over again.

If you're not a fan of Adventure Time, this probably won't be your cup of tea. But if you are, then this is a solid A series for you. Check it out and see that just because the fun will never end, that doesn't make it a bad thing.

[which-hospital]

Haunted (24/02/24)

I feel ill and tired but I watched the episode when I woke up, so.

I know I normally post this after the episode airs but I'm not worried about spoiling anything because all my discussion of the actual episode is below a cut. Just don't read below the cut if you haven't watched yet. Also, I'm only talking about what I can be bothered to write up (so I’m extremely focused on a few characters) because I'm really very tired and my brain is melty.

Is that really it for Paige? It felt like a pretty un-final final episode. Whether that's actually goodbye or not, PAIGE DESERVED BETTER, she's been treated like a side character in another person's life (yes, I know that person is my fave but I get to give him preferential treatment, the writers probably shouldn't) since the start of AHOV but she at least should've been the absolute focus of this episode, not the love triangle. Maybe Barriers set my standards for final episodes too high with how well they handled Sah’s exit.

The patient plot they had going on with Paige and Jodie didn’t feel like it made sense for the two of them as much as it might’ve made sense for Sah and Teddy during the original iteration of the love triangle. Like, since when are Paige and Jodie comparable to ’rush into a burning building’ friends?

I’m sure there could’ve been a way to make Teddy and Jodie interesting, I still wouldn’t have like shipped them or anything but I might’ve accepted them in the same way I accepted Teddy/Paige happening immediately after I thought we were finally getting our Sah/Teddy storyline in With a Bullet, but they have not done it and I want them to break up immediately.

The crowd's reaction to the explosion sounds like an obvious and very silly added-in sound effect and that isn't a complaint because I found it funny. Also the explosion-y scenes we saw today only represent half the explosion-y scenes in the trailer.

Jan and Teddy can have one scene together and I will love every second of it. Di Botcher and Milo Clarke play them so well, they've got the dynamic on point and I just love them so much. I completely believe, as Jan is dragging Teddy away from running into a burning building, that she has been been putting up with him for 24 years. As silly as that can be, I also think it really adds to their storylines (when they get them...), being able to believe that Jan has known Teddy his whole life fuels the I-need-to-lie-down feeing I get any time I think about Teddy and Jan when Teddy was younger.

I’m interested in Tariq. It must be hard to introduce a new main character who already has a relationship with another main character because you have to really hit the ground running, it's probably why the Holbyverse is so full of estranged families. But they did it well with Jan and Teddy and I hope they do it with Rash and Tariq too.

I think I like Siobhan but in the sense that when I was giving my non-Casualty friends the weekly Casualty update, the overwhelming response to "there's a new clinical nurse manager and she's older" was "GIRLFRIEND FOR JAN??????" which I doubt will happen but it's a brilliant suggestion.

She’s what the ED needs, though. Everything is exploding all the time and she has shown up to try and stop that a bit and I love her for it.

With the Harry and Mel stuff: Stevie will be obviously fucking right and they’ll (Charlie and FAITH) all be like “omg Stevie is overreacting fr” IS SHE???? hhhhhhhh… SIOBHAN KNOWS SHE’S RIGHT THOUGH (I’m happier with how this stuff has been this week, actually, just because the show isn’t also treating her like she’s unreasonable anymore)

I’m sure other stuff, important plot stuff, happened but I've not got much brain power left for words so I'm leaving it here.

OH, WAIT, YEAH. “Must have a hell of a bromance going on to go back in there." Theodore, my love, you got shot for your best friend, though that wasn't really a 'bromance' situation, was it? Aughshsh... I miss them and the get-a-room-losers way they used to stare at each other so much.

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

The Chess Game

Throwing my immediate post-watch thoughts onto paper. I'm sure the fandom has thoroughly chewed all of this over long ago, but I enjoy the thinking-and-writing process. It's been a while since I watched something that made those bits purr. (I haven't gone looking for meta on the show yet because I wanted to sort out my own thoughts when I had just watched it - like I said, I'm sure lots of people have covered this territory!)

Having been pretty well spoiled for the show ahead of time, I spent the first half of the season trying to guess what Korn could actually be after by bringing in Porsche. His stated reasoning early on makes no sense, especially when you know about Namphueng, and nothing happens in the plot to support it. The only character who ever tries to buy Porsche off is Vegas, and that's only because he's obsessed with one-upping Kinn. Were the writers just making it up as they went? Would not be the first time I've seen that, I used to watch Once Upon a Time ffs.

However. Assume a method to the storytelling. What motivates Korn? Bearing in mind that the purpose of a system is seen by what it does, not what it claims to do, at mid-season the nature of the two houses, the buildings and the systems, started to make me think.

Korn is a controller type. His goal is stasis, to maintain the closed nightmare that is his family -- which includes the minor branch -- under his control in perpetuity. Gun isn't his opponent; he's a part of the system working the way Korn wants it. So why invite the chaos incarnate that is Porsche into a place where "we don't like chaos here"? Why bring fire -- the element that changes things! -- into your water-drenched world?

Because competition makes you stronger.

Korn lives for the exercise of soft control, for knowing that he's pushed someone to do as he likes without any visible effort, just a metaphor and an emotional knife, but how do you know you've actually got that unless you test it? The game doesn't start when all the pieces are on the board; the game starts when your opponent sits down.

That's Porsche. To make things more interesting, Porsche only has one piece when play begins - Chay, his king, who must be protected at all costs. After that, all he has are the pieces he can take from Korn, which he starts doing in episode 2 if you want to count Kinn's attraction to him, or episode 3 at the latest.

The characters and their roles as I see them:

Porsche makes friends among the bodyguards. Definitely pawns.

He gets Khun away from his TV pacifier, out to where real human things happen. I have assigned him a bishop role. For one, he moves slantwise to everyone else. For two, in the Austen-esque social milieu from which we get a lot of our romance tropes, in a family with three sons one inherited, one joined the military, and one joined the church.

Kinn falls in love with him. I went back and forth on his spot because I really liked the idea of him and Vegas as matched rooks, but I'm going with queen. In theory he should be the most powerful of Korn's pieces, if Korn wasn't a dumbass and Porsche wasn't so damn attractive. (Kinn loves people so damn hard, can you even imagine if Korn had let his son love him instead of whatever the hell this is?)

Chay takes Kim, a knight both on account of his relative freedom of movement and his position defending Chay, whose thematic role is to incarnate innocence. In both of the big fights, he fucks off and lets the rest of his family fend for themselves, and I love that for him.

Big literally dies for Porsche, earning himself the other knight role, that is some straight-up medieval romance.

Tawan by elimination is the queen's bishop. I'm not entirely happy with that position, although like Khun he is ummm diagonal to conventional sanity? His failure is due to Porsche's influence at a bit of a remove, since (if I followed this correctly) it was jealousy over Porsche having Kinn that led Tawan to messing up Vegas' plan? Whew.

In a move Korn definitely does not predict, Pete (now one of Porsche's pieces) gets promoted and takes Vegas out of play. Previously the most predictable character on the board lol. I'm leaving Vegas as a rook. An angry, angry rook.

That leaves Gun to take the other rook position, the piece Korn holds in reserve until the last possible moment because it enables him to try for a last-ditch castle maneuver when it looks like he's about to lose. Whether or not he succeeds is arguable.

Nampheung is Korn's king, the protected piece who makes no moves through the entire game.

And Porsche doesn't even know he's playing. I think the only character who has any clue what kind of game Korn is actually at might be Kim, and he doesn't know the whole thing.

Now, about the endgame.

Writing TV season finales is hard. You seldom know whether or not you'll have room for more story, so you have to tie up enough open threads to be satisfying while leaving yourself room to maneuver if you get another season. You can read this finale in at least three different ways, and I admire the freedom the writers left themselves while still providing something that stands as an ending.

When he fakes his own death, Korn is already almost out of pieces. He's got a pawn or two (Chan deserved a better boss), his king and his second rook. Everybody else is either dead or on Team Porsche. Korn's doing something he proves to be good at throughout the season, stalling for time. He repeatedly gives out a taste of truth seasoned with lies and sits back to see if it works. In this case, he uses the time (I'm fairly certain) to set up the attack on Chay, which if it had succeeded would have won him the game. It fails, so all Korn has left as a strategy is to keep on playing for time.

In the final confrontation, all Porsche has to do to win is take his mom and leave, but he doesn't know that. Whatever Gun was about to say would have changed the nature of the stand-off -- would have been something that could finally be objectively confirmed? -- so Korn makes the sacrifice play and kills him, continues to make him the scapegoat.

In terms of the pieces, Korn is now in the position Porsche was at the start of the game. Gotta love it. But where does that leave us, the viewers?

You can read the finale as Porsche having been checkmated. He and more importantly Chay have been subsumed into Korn's system and will henceforward be susceptible to his power. Note that I don't think that projection is particularly in character. Since Kinn and Porsche are together, the two-house system is effectively dead. Porsche twice affirms that his loyalties are not with any branch of the family but with Kinn personally. Show Kinn an option that doesn't mean his family gets killed, and he is out of there. The whole setup that Korn constructed is a shambles. But that's a lot of inference, so if you like the tragic aspect, I think the reading can be found.

You can read it as Porsche being in check. He and Chay are in a staggering amount of danger now if you think about it, but he hasn't necessarily lost the game. He has not lost Chay, who if anything seems to have solidified his other defender (and the one character who, like I said, might actually have been able to give Porsche some advice in S2 -- I'm so sad.) He still has a lot of his captured pieces. What's more, he knows where Nampheung is, and it will be difficult for Korn to disappear her again. Given that she never speaks, her expression does a lot of work in their last scene together; you can read it as there being more happening underneath than she lets on. This one is my preferred reading; they didn't give Porsche the phoenix motif just because it looks cool.

You can also read the ending as a stalemate or indeterminate in that neither player can do much right now, and it's one of those stupidly long endgames that drag on turn after turn. Porsche still has Chay etc., but right now there is no way for them to get Nampheung free. Korn is out of other pieces, but he still has her. Korn might be thinking at this point that as long as he has her, he can resume his manipulations, get back a few of his lost pieces (or recruit new ones). He keeps the game going by giving Porsche the minor ring, knows from Porsche's own example that it is possible to play right up to the point of a win from this position. He might be absolutely loving this?

So there are my thoughts on the chess metaphor.

[heartofstanding]

Rewatching old favourite crime dramas...

I just finished rewatching Vera up to Series 9, am in the middle of a rewatch of Death in Paradise and have started rewatching Wallander as well and am having some thoughts so I'd thought I'd write a post instead of just stewing in these thoughts.

Vera

I love her, your honour.

I love Vera, I love the location and how it's so beautifully shot, I love the slightly gothic edge to the mysteries. Most memorable episodes for me are "The Crow Trap" and "The Deer Hunters". It holds up really well too - sometimes I'll rewatch a crime drama that I once loved and find myself getting increasingly intolerant of the way it deploys certain tropes, like the tortured brooding lead detective with anger issues and/or a tragic backstory or "internal investigations are bad actually" or "it's fine for the lead detective to lose his temper and almost murder someone" which spoiled Waking the Dead and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries for me (the latter in the final seasons, mostly). Vera lacks most of that kind of drama. Vera is, in a way, a tortured, brooding detective but it never takes over the story.

One thing I did pick up on is that while I don't really have any preference for Aiden or Joe as Vera's offsider, I do miss the way that Joe's character opened up different storylines. We don't get nearly as much about Aiden's family and home life as we do about Joe's, and we got more about Vera's past and private life with Joe, like the subplots about her half-sister and her angina. I do feel cheated that Joe's exit happened off-screen, between series, but apparently he's coming back in Series 13?

(n.b. I finished at Series 9 because I don't have Series 10 on DVD, I started Series 11 but it was a bit too fresh in my mind and Series 12 isn't out on DVD yet.)

-

Death In Paradise

This isn't the first rewatch of the show I've done (the early seasons I've rewatched multiple times, they're very familiar and I can remember whodunnit) but I haven't watched any of the newer seasons since Series 8, except for a couple of episodes (I watched the one with Sam West and the one where Camille came back). I'm halfway through Series 9 at the moment so officially this is no longer a rewatch but a first-time watch.

It's interesting to see how my opinions have changed. I still think the show was strongest in relation to its core concept in Series 1 and 2. You can really tell the way they were planning the show to unfold had they managed to hold onto Ben Miller as Richard and Sara Martins as Camille, and I do really like that version of the show. But they didn't and the show had to change and that's fine. I used to be very fond of Humphrey but I found him painful in the rewatch - he hits my second-hand embarrassment squick much too hard and his unrequited love for Camille was... ah, not good? I was glad to see him go, tbh. Perhaps because of that, I appreciated Jack a whole lot more - I previously felt he didn't really have much of a character beyond "rambling Irishman" but that is really unfair. I just watched his last episode and I'm very sad to see him - I also felt his ending felt a bit... contrary to the character and the way he threw himself into island life, becoming part of the community in a way neither Richard and Humphrey never did. Neville seems a bit of a return to Richard, in that he doesn't want to be on the island, except by making him have so many medical issues, it really feels like that yeah, he really shouldn't be there.

-

Have been pondering how awesome it'd be if the next Death in Paradise detective is in the model of Vera.

-

Wallander

I needed something to watch in the space where I normally watched Vera and I remembered how I was going to try and watch some things in Swedish in effort to help myself learn Swedish better (I'm doing the Duolingo course, it's not going well), and well, this isn't in Swedish but it's set in Sweden so it might just do for now. I went... slightly insane* over it in my first and only watch but I thought I was safe now.

Yeah, well that happened again.

The thing I really like about it is Tom Hiddleston's face the way in which it spends a fair amount time of the affects of coming face-to-face with violent, brutal crime. How intensely Wallander feels everything, how involved he gets, and how all of that just means he's held at a remove from his family, friends and co-workers. He has this remarkable empathy that keeps him cut off from them.

It's also beautifully shot and I'm obsessed with the title credits.

Parts of it hold up fairly well - I feel "Faceless Killers" is still very pertinent to today, though I suspect there would a bit less... "both sidesing" within the main cast. Parts of it do not hold up well, like "One Step Behind" which, uh, is kinda extremely transphobic in a way that does not refute the transphobia.

The language and accent choices throw me occasionally in this rewatch. I think what they ended up going for is the translation trope/convention where the characters are not actually speaking English but are actually speaking Swedish, we just hear them in English, and a similar logic applies with the British vs. Swedish accents. When we see text, it's in Swedish, not English, which tends to confirm my hypothesis. Given the unlikelihood of the BBC doing the series in Swedish and the perils of getting the cast to put on an accent (no one wants to accidentally invoke the Swedish Chef in a brooding crime drama), I think this "they're speaking Swedish, we just hear it as English" thing works pretty well. But there still moments where it pulls me out of the story because the dialogue sounds so terribly British.

Random note: the cast of the first episode is like, full of pretty damn famous people? Obviously, there's Kenneth Branagh and a pre-Loki Tom Hiddleston as series regulars. Plus there's Nicholas Hoult and Rebecca Ferguson in guest roles. There's also a lot of people who are the sort of people you know for turning up in British TV shows, like Sarah Smart and Sophie Stanton (who, most memorably for me, was Falstaff and Caliban in the Donmar Warehouse's Henry IV and The Tempest).

Also, this reflection from when I first watched the show is still true. I thought I was over my Hiddleston phase but he's so fucking pretty in this show. It's distracting. It's literally sir, sir, sir, I am trying to watch Kenneth Branagh have a mental breakdown while solving crime in Sweden here. Take your cheekbones and go somewhere else.

Which he does at the end of Series 2 and then I miss him. Obviously, it doesn't impact the series that much - I enjoyed Series 3 and 4, his character isn't important to the story and isn't that interesting. But I liked the dynamics of the team and I dislike losing that (we also lose Lisa at the same time, and Ann-Britt only sticks around for a bit longer before she's gone too). I'm sad we lose that. I'm also a depraved whump lover and frankly think it was a wasted opportunity. Send Magnus off horribly (as Ann-Britt and Svedberg were sent off) and let Wallander writhe and wallow around in the guilt and grief. Also, I am completely shallow and didn't really want Hiddleston to take his cheekbones and go.

* I, uh, may have written an 87k word thing that's 3/4 whumpy fanfic and 1/4 origfic because it was November and I was doing NaNoWriMo and I was too hyped up to research and too scared to commit fully to the fanfic. I've reread and I feel like it holds up ok. I think the Kurt voice is good, as is the "gets too invested without being able to show it" thing. I am experiencing the urge to turn it into proper fanfic. I need to see how S2 ends and S3 begins but it could even work well as a "and that's where Magnus went" fic. But I don't think there's a fandom for the show outside of the migratory Hiddleston smut fandom.

-

That last point is one of those things with British crime dramas. It's quite common for some of the regular cast to leave between series and you might get a throwaway line about why they're no longer there but there's no proper send-off, no real resolution for the character, and sometimes there's no explanation. It happened in Vera, Death in Paradise, Wallander, Waking the Dead, and probably more than I just can't think of. I understand why it happens but it does make for frustrating storytelling.

The most egregious is Joe leaving Vera - he was the most important character after her! We were invested in his relationship with his family! The relationship between him and Vera was so paramount to the series! And he just disappears between series and his departure explained in a line about a "big promotion". Sure, this ties up one of the parts of his storyline quickly but there's no scene to say goodbye to him, no sense of closure. He's just gone.

-

Both Vera and Wallander are based on novels by Ann Cleeves and Henning Mankell. I've read a few novels of both series (and Cleeves's Shetland series) and I have to say... I feel the TV series really elevate them. With Wallander, maybe it's a case of a bad translation or something else but it seemed to lack something - perhaps the prose felt too simplistic or too blunt? With Cleeves, I think it's a case of has all the right elements, just doesn't have the ability to take it to the next level... I find I enjoy her novels more when I haven't seen their TV adaptation or are significantly different, but they're still not novels that I have to read. I wish the Shetland series had stuck with adapting Cleeves' novels because I'm obsessed with their first/second series (it was released as one series in Australia) which were based on the Cleeves novels, and I feel like the Shetland novels that weren't adapted would make excellent TV.

There are also four Death In Paradise spin-off novels that feature Richard - I've only read two of them and only really remember the first, which was OK - not great, not as fun as the show but still fun. It's nice to get more Richard but it comes with a trade off: Camille, Dwayne and Fidel play much, much, much smaller roles than they do in the TV series.

[saltysuicune]

I don't like Evolution so far...

You know, I've been watching evolution and I gotta say... I don't like i so far, at least not the start I'm at ep 16. People keep hyping it up as the greatest season ever but I feel like it's just blind fanatism for Free and Silas. I made a whole ass thread on Twitter about why I don't like it, but I still want to share my thoughts here, so buckle up people.

Also like, please remember I've only gotten to when they go to México, so I can't take into account any kind of character moments or character development that happens after that 'cause I obviously haven't seen any of that yet unless I got spoiled.

It's actually a single very simple issue, but it bothers me a lot 'cause this wasn't a problem in season 1, or at least it wasn't so big; I feel they misuse so much of their time, like, let me explain. They had like 15 episodes of a whole arc, to introduce around 12 new characters and I don't even know who half of them are supposed to be (counting only the guys back at BC Sol).

Season one had also 15 eps of the first arc, but around numeber 5 you already know the basics about every big player in that arc and even most side characters. Those being the main 6, plus Hoji, Orochi, Xander, and both Valt and Daigo's families.

Wakiya and Daigo had more impact in this arc than most of the new characters on Valt’s side, I care more for the French team than the new supposed deuteragonists. Why do you make so many new characters if you won’t do shit with almost any of them? How do you make me care more about the secondary characters more than the main gang?.

Most of these eps were incredibly boring to me because they just got rid of the thing I loved so much about season one, every character had something that made them different from the rest or a reason to care about them, but during this arc most characters are "literally who"s.

Like, I might for example not care about Zac or Ukio that much, but I have friends who do. But Honey? Django? I don’t know a single person who even remembers them. And there was no improvement to anything else from Season 1, so there’s nothing to make up for this issue.

They should have actually taken the time to introduce everyone and show you just who they are. Who’s Django for example? Because right now he’s literally just a walking stereotype, not even a character, give me a reason to care about the fact he’s leaving. Stan got incredibly upset when that happened, clearly it was supposed to be an important thing, specially looking at how much it changed Stan's own character into an abrasive and resentful shit stain of a guy for a while.

Like I said, I think they should use the first few episodes to properly introduce Valt’s new friends. Show Django and Stan’s supposed friendship and how they were supposed to be among the strongest bladers besides Free, show me Valt befriending the new people, show them Honey interacting with her sister, HOW does she not have any chemistry with HER SISTER. Just make them feel like actual characters instead of replacing already loved and established characters with boring different nationality versions of themselves.

THEN you bring the plot. They don’t even need that many eps, they’ve clearly proved they can give them that treatment with just one, look at Cuza or Gashem, for example. They established them perfectly, why can't they do that with the characters you're supposed to see every episode? The story would be so much better if they made you actually care about these people, but they just didn't.

So many moments in the later half of these few first eps would be vastly improved, the few times someone decided to leave, that one time everyone got mad at Valt and Rantaro after meeting with Daigo, Silas rejoining, the little conversations Kris and Trad often have.

I just wanna care about whatever is happening, like I did in season 1. Kris and Ange's conversation in that one ep, Kit following Valt to the royal's place, everything Free did, those are great examples, I needed more of that, just give me character moments, tell me who these people are, please, I wanna care.

[kiara66]

I watched half of Delicious in Dungeon

And here's my honest review and when I say review I mean rambling about stuff

Will have spoilers ofc

So I just stop watching it like even 10 minutes ago probably from writing this. Along with that I have a terrible memory and I've been doing this since 1/2 something AM to 6 AM so tiredness might be getting me a bit, but doesn't matter

The show was pretty good in my opinion. I love the characters, the silly dynamics, the animation but here's something I don't really take the time to appreciate often world building! And I don't just mean lower because I always appreciate lore I mean like little stuff like explaining the dungeon ecosystem, and giving little facts about certain creatures or explain how they work by using other animals as references. Even something simple like saying people used to mine in the dungeons for gold goes with the lore, and world building! Feels very thought out, and its own world which is great!

Yet let's back to the characters real quick. Laios he sure an interesting one. I know a lot of people really like this guy but I didn't get it at first. I didn't dislike him. I was very neutral on him. Tho when he said stuff like it's lucky his sister got eaten because they can have sherbet. That was something... but during the last few episodes I watched his character was becoming more interesting and likable to me so I started to like him a bit more. Honestly I feel like his character is going to become more interesting from now on which is a very good sign and maybe I'll finally fully get the hype.

Shenshi it's also an interesting one, but I definitely did like him more than Laios. I thought he was very interesting especially with his genuine interest in the dungeon, and all the monsters inhabiting it. Also something I haven't really mentioned the show is unlike a lot of other anime it doesn't really have many fanservice moments so far and the only panty shots we ever get is from this guy. He's all doing us a service. I want to say more but words are not with me right now and I'm not sure how to describe him so we move on.

Chilpchuck which is a very stupid name but probably a species thing. He's a fun guy and has his cool moments. Honestly out of all the main characters I saw him the least. The most exposure I got was an edit to Short King, and honestly he lives up to it. That sword to the dragon's eye was very epic but I'm still wondering how Laios knew about it since he was running away when it happened but hey continuity am I right? He just got a spunk to him and I really like the character when I actually got more of it. I'm still not sure what species he is though he's very small but he's definitely not a dwarf. I'm certain it's been at least mentioned once but I don't remember.

Macille I can see her being very annoying to some people but for me I loved her. I get it she will complained, she was very squeamish, blah blah, but I did find her fun especially with other characters also the reveal of ancient blood magic was great but we'll get into. The moments of showing her struggle of worring about being a burden being showed a few times was very nice I liked it. Besides that her friendship in the past with Falin was very nice and they're absolutely cuties! Also her just dedication to try to get Falin back even when she was not in the great state said a lot about her character and it was great.

Falin I basically fell in love with her (/p) when I saw her in those flashbacks. She's just such a cutie yet a bit reckless it seemed. I will be honest I was technically spoiled that she was alive, but when I saw that skeleton I thought I gaslighted myself. It hurt more since I had so much hope that she would be there and she wasn't! Yet it's all good because forbidden blood magic, tho at first I didn't realize she was red because of all the blood so I thought she wasn't formed which honestly I kind of wish she just stayed like that but eh. The best way I can describe her is "this character is so cute. Oh she a little fuck up actually" Also along with that I knew Macille was gay, but I wasn't expecting Falin for some reason. Oh yes let me just have a bath with my girl best friend as I tried to hold her hand to give her magic, and we so happen to be forced to sleep in the same bed. If they're not dating by the end of the season I'm rioting.

Honestly I wasn't sure what was next at first since they were at the red dragon, and that seemed like it would be the end of at least the first season, but no we got like 11 so episodes to go. If I had to guess it's definitely something to do with those gnome guys or whatever and our little traumatized party probably trying to get some money since Chilpchuck mentioned something about that. Of course with exploring more characters like that guy that apparently wanted to marry Falin. He's going to have the rudest awakening of his life.

Anyway good show good intro, good outro. Hopefully I will watch the rest before I can't anymore since I have a very bad time at not doing things even if I want to. Like I watched the first episode almost a month ago so I remember nothing of the first episode really.

[t4yce]

Welcome back! How was Spain? I feel like it’s been a little while since I came to your inbox to yell about all things Drag Race so here I am😁

Unfortunately that Yuri theory didn’t come true (as much as I wanted it to) but I was so glad to see that she did a photoshoot in what would have been her finest look for the episode because it was so gorgeous (as usual)😍And every episode I love Spankie more and more and she’s just so silly and friendly and kind and I loved watching her be both ridiculous in the challenge and comforting to the other queens🥰

Then I’m so happy with the winner of Canada’s Drag Race (I’m not going to say the name since it just happened and I don’t want to spoil anything🙈) since she too is so silly and funny and kind and nurturing and she’s very much been one of my favorites from the beginning of the season. Also her runway look was amazing and she was so elegant and powerful during the lip sync and I feel like that song happened to be such a good fit for her

And though I’m glad you had some time away (that you hopefully enjoyed) of course I (and I’m sure the rest of the fandom) am very happy that you’re back💜

thank you!! sorry about the late reply but thank you it's been nice to be back 💖 spain was.. half great half bad; we were moving around a lot so was quite stressful in that aspect and then my sister lost her purse with all her cards and money so that wasn't the best experience 🤣 but! there were a really fun couple of days mixed in too so not all bad!! i hope septembers been treating you well though 💕

yeah.. it was sad the yuri theory didnt come true :( and i'm also kinda sad they didnt have the eliminated queens at the final like they do in other seasons, alas! her kelp look did look amazing i'm glad we got to see it in photos at least! just in case you haven't watched the final yet i won't say anything about the winner but i will say this ended up being a pretty great season! really redeemed itself from s1; it really is night and day

and yes!!!! gisele looked sooo gorgeous in her finale look i loved that dress on her! this was not the top 4 i expected at the beginning of the season but i'm very happy gisele won she really deserved it 💞 also loved seeing icesis again!! and aw thank you that's very sweet 🥺

[foxybananaaaz]

I WANNA POINT OUT BEFORE POSTING I HAVENT HAD READ THE COMICS……. SORRY BUT I HAVE NOT HAD THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY READ THEM.

I've just watched the new Hawkeye episode, and my friends haven't yet. I need to talk about it with someone but have no one to talk to.

This post contains SPOILERS for Episode Four of Hawkeye. This is your Only Warning.

ALSO DO NOT CLICK THE NOTES UNLESS YOU WANT SPOILERS.... I had to reblog to continue. So spoilers will be in the notes.

So below the Keep Reading button, is where you wanna be if you wanna see me nerd out.

You're here? In the spoiler area? Cool! Means you watched the episode, or don't care about getting spoiled.

Either way, I'm not taking blame for spoiling you.

JOKES JOKES!

I wouldn't give you the finger!

But now this is your final warning.

Okay okay. Anyway, I usually mainly only talk about ACOTAR and Elucien, and rarely stray away from it, but I need to talk about Hawkeye.

Okay, so like Kate Bishop, Hawkeye has always been my favourite of the six Avengers. Obviously not for the same reasons, because, well, I didn't have a giant metal looking alien coming towards me, and watch as Hawkeye himself stopped it and saved my life directly. Kate Bishop did.

No, I have always favoured Hawkeye because he's always been the underdog. He may not be superpowered, but he has a damn good and accurate shot.

He brought Natasha into Shield. He calmed Wanda down when she was panicking, and told her that he would understand if she was to scared to fight, but also told her he knew she was strong enough to fight if she chose to. He was the one who stayed back and found the young boy still on floating Sakovia, and was ready to risk his life before Pietro did, to get him to safety. Clint Barton felt so guilty that he tried his hardest to sacrifice himself on Vormir.

So many cant stand him. I love him. He's my favourite.

Me at Clint:

NOT Clint cause he does't know how to accept appreciation from fans:

More than likely Clint's reaction:

Now, that I'm done with the gushing of Hawkeye, it's onto the episode four from today.

HERE IS YOUR REALTIME FINAL LAST NO JOKING AROUND SPOILER WARNING

So, we start sketchy. Jack's got sword at Clint's neck. There's no way he doesn't know it's Clint. Clint is easily recognizable as an Avenger. Without hesitation. How Kate's own mum walked in, and within half a second, she asked why there was an Avenger in her house.

And this isn't just any Avenger. You would think the guy who is going to marry into a formed family, would learn that this is a guy that is soon-to-be step-daughter has idolized since 2012, when this guy directly saved her life.

As soon as Clint leaves, Kate's mum talks about it. So why would Jack hold the sword at Clint's neck. And why wouldn't Kate's mum find it at all suspicious, when she came in the room AFTER Kate came in?

Acting real suspicious Jack. Real suspicious there.

But he isn't the only one acting suspicious. Kate's mum does, when she leads Clint to the elevator out, she acts cincerned and motherly, and Clint gets it. But then she fucks up like "so you'll drop this case?" Instead of the normal thing a concerned parent might say like "so you'll keep Kate away?" This, Miss Kate's mum(I'm a fan of Marvel I swear. I just forgot her name, and I don't really wanna go find it?), was a fuck up. Cause Clint is a parent, and he knows the proper way to go about it.

He answers like "I can't do that. But I will make sure Kate isn't hurt or harmed, and stays completely safe." And then leaves. And then Kate's mum knows Clint's onto something and she's fucked up, and calls someone and then calls someone like "help, we're screwed I think."

Anyway, Kate doesn't wanna do Christmas with her mum and Jack and goes to do Christmas with Clint(honestly, Same), and goes to the hideout with Clint. They have fun, and cute Christmas planning time, and honestly, I love it. I love their dynamic.

And Jeremy Renner, you can step down as Hawkeye, but you better make some appearances in the MCU still, because the dynamic between Clint and Kate? The chemistry?

I believe the familial, bind between Clint and Kate more than Kate and her mum. More than Clint and his children. They're building this up so much, they need to have more between these two beyond this show. Please.

They have such a nice bonding moment. After seeing Clint try and keep his distance, it's nice to see him embrace the bonding moments in this episode. Really heartwarming.

He better fucking NOT is all I gotta say.

Now, Clint is telling Kate about when he met Natasha, and it's sad. It's sad and it's just, my heart okay. My heart hurts. And Kate learns the truth that Clint lost his family during the blip, and how he's actually Ronin, and just, all the pain. So much pain.

Before Kate goes to he'd, Clint tells her that he's thankful for what she did that night and it means a lot to him. And then he goes to sleep, and just pain. We see Ronin flashbacks. We see Natasha on Vormir. We see Clint and his daughter from before the blip. (The blip is a stupid name. Who decided on the Blip?)

I can't add more gifs so I need to continue in a reblog

Blahhh

Stupid

[none-of-your-biscuits]

Biscuits watching high guardian spice aka little witch wannabes ep 1: journey to *squints* idk looks like some kind of throat disease

-they definitely got the tom and jerry "this object will be used somehow" thing goin on

-why does the absolute first look we get of the characters look like it was done in crayon why are they such bright ass primary color lookin fucks

-what the fuck why is the music so loud when they're so quiet

-WHY DID ONE TALK OVER THE OTHER I fuckin hate when shows do that like she was literally talking for half a second calm the fuck down Pepto

-I'm hoping and praying this is just a bad diologue bc it's like the first episode bc that was pathetic

-speaking of voices they're not like, as bad as I was expecting

-Pepto's voice is raspier than I would have expected from a pink character and I like that actually, Blue's clues is like eh yeah that's about the voice I expected from someone who dresses like a witch as normal clothes

-what the fuck is this intro like it's not bad but it is dumb

-why would you have such a long intro showing off so many characters we haven't even seen yet like at least wait till episode two or smth Jesus you just spoiled a bunch of your own show

-YOU TOOK A BUS AND ARE GETTING ON A TRAIN WHEN U HAD A FLYING BROOM THE WHOLE TIME? disgusting

-ah stereotypical lesbians my beloved

-also STOP FUCKIN INTERRUPTING EACH OTHER I'm trying to learn lore

-also if they keep talking about new magic(?) And old magic (?) Like it's drugs or smth I'm gonna enjoy this a lot more

-flash backs in the first episode is a bold move ig

-I will forgive the teleporting sword and crayon drawing flowers bc it's a dream

-who wakes up with a surprised noise and then immediately starts shouting Jesus

-I hate the diologue, I hate it

-what in the fuck bread

-STOP INTERRUPTING, PEPTO YOU FUCK

-I'm sensing tension here besties

-"Don't get killed!"

-danger, danger is a flock of birds?

-oh it's another main character

-oh she's completely correct to be pissed if someone almost stabbed me with a sword id be much more mad so honestly she's being nice about it

-what was the fuckin point that was like 3 minutes of time I'll never get back

-those stupid fuckin squirrels better be important later or smth

-you have magic u dumb bitches ur cousin pulled two whole rooms out of thin air I think she could fix a piece of fuckin metal

-I'm not even bringing up the amount of animation errors bc it would take too long

-the "nobody sees the person behind them until they talk" joke would probably have been funnier if we didn't see blondie open the door and walk out

-she's a fuckin stereotype rpg dwarf oh my fuckin GOD please you've got happy go lucky protag with a sword and smart but quiet witch already let me fuckin guess the elf(probably an elf) girl will have a fuckin bow or throw knives and have some fuckin problem with a monarchy

-the fuckin TALKING OVER ONE ANOTHER in this scene it's not even just annoying my poor ears can't handle that many noises at once

-12 BROTHERS

-bitch I only have 5 siblings and they drive me crazy how has the cain instinct not got you yet

-rest in pieces blondie

-gay energy (?)

-LITTLE FRUITCAKES

-that probably wasn't on purpose but god it's funny

-I hate the writing and diologue but like it's not horrible, just bad

-I dont like the energy we've created here

-THIS OUTRO IS GOD AWFUL

-okay it's over first episode overview thing

-it's like, not good but it has potential, it definitely feels like a little witch academia wannabe

-but like why would you start with a filler episode? Why is it taking so long to get all the main characters around? You ended the first episode and you only have 3/4

-you are promised 12 twenty minute episodes to tell, a seasons worth of material and you spend the whole first episode having the characters walk around and do basically nothing?

-did you skip like 3rd grade and the "use the beginning of your story to hook your audience" bit?

-the voice actors aren't bad, but I have seen better diologue in a wattpad fanfic

-I feel like I'm gonna spend the whole time comparing this to little witch but honestly that's bc LWA is actually good

-try and maybe not spend half ur first episode travelling? Maybe gather the gang and use the episode to have like ur first adventure? To get the characters to like each other or at least be willing to work together?

-the meeting family right away and then the flashback almost immediately were so heavy handed the pacing is fucked

-again with the travel bit but like, you could literally have that be a flash back episode halfway through the season or like a b plot story where they literally tell the story about blues clues and pepto seeing the pokemon's ritual and them meeting blondie and tall bitch while side characters side character all over

-the stereotype lesbians are to be expected ig, I didn't expect anything good so I wasn't disappointed

-everything looks like it's in different planes of reality and then the characters are super bright and way too saturated so it just hurts to watch

Let's hope it gets better in episode two

[carrottuan93]

Haven’t met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (3/4) | part1 - part2 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 2194

You nearly puked your guts out to the sight of Jackson sticking to Eunhee and hugging her like forever has been robbed from them. You failed to confide to your best friend about what happened to you in the last 24 hours. So as not to spoil their couple time together, you chose to not disturb them and just mingle with all the kids in the sweet treats section. You love kids so much you play Santa and distributed macarons to each one of them. As expected, most of your close friends and guests brought their own boyfriends, if not, their own husbands and it was a nice show to witness, with sarcasm aside. Thanks to Jackson’s little cousins, they keep you entertained with their bubbly personality.

 “One with the kids, sure you’re missing the party in the adult section, no?” The sight of a guy clad in a formal white dress shirt, tucked in a black denim pants partnered with a classic chuck taylor, and a gray winter coat, welcomed your eyes. Guys who dress fashionably is such a head turner for you.

“Actually, they keep me company so I’m having fun to be honest.” You replied, feeling all the weird sensation cascading across your spine. You feel a bit nauseous whenever guys approach you. You don’t know if you even want to be with a guy right now, after your embarrassing experience last night.

 “My cousins here are a bunch of nuisance, you’ll get tired of them soon.” He picked one matcha macaron from the aisle and took a bite of it. You observed his expression. A smile crept up to his face and you caught sight of Eunhee in a distant, gossiping to Jackson that you’re having a moment with his cousin. You certainly know that they’re mentally pairing you up already and you are growing nervous about the plans that they are possibly plotting behind your back.

 “You like it? I bought them all the way from a café near my workplace that sells classic macarons just like the original ones from Paris.” He nodded in approval as you watch him took another piece, this time it’s strawberry. That’s your favorite flavor among the rest and you can really tell that the sweet tooth runs on Jackson’s bloodline by how his cousins, from the little chubby ones and the grown up beside you, munch on your favorite treat.

 “I never really eat macarons, but you introduced me into it. You deserve a recognition, uhm?” He lifted his hand for a handshake. He doesn’t know your name yet so you took his hand and introduced yourself right away.

 “It’s Y/n, Eunhee’s best friend. Thank you for the recognition by the way. Well, you come here with a date?” You’re mentally tiptoeing above the thin ice. It’s better to assume that this cute guy over here is already taken, I mean with his looks, he's totally a charmer, you thought to yourself.

 “I didn’t bring anyone with me, so I assume you also come along on your own, no?” Green light. Okay, you need to calm down. This isn’t like any of your past blind dates but first meetups are usually nerve wracking and scary so you played the innocent heroine that you are and chose to just go with the flow seeing how Eunhee and Jackson are staring at you maliciously from Mark’s back, you know they were able to receive the death notes you are sending them via telepathy.

 “That explains it.” It’s not that you had a thing with cute guys, but maybe you just discovered it right now. You can tell he’s a decent one, a cool and random Asian-American import from the west and maybe if you’re an ice cream, you already turned into liquid by the way he stares at you.

 “I don’t know anything about you yet, but would you trust a complete stranger to celebrate your Christmas eve with? If you’re up for it, we’ll leave this party right away because I can tell that you’re going to get sick from all these couples outnumbering us.” Have you been a good girl this year? You didn’t include this guy on your Christmas list but Santa rewarded you without even asking for it.

 “I’m putting my trust on you knowing that Jackson is a good guy so does his cousin. I'll sue him and he’ll answer for the damages and fines in case you failed to bring me back in good shape.” You both let out a hefty chuckle earning glares from your best friend and her boyfriend. You’ve decided to pursue your spontaneous trip with Mark and the next thing you know you’re already closing the front door upon your exit even before the two of them could react to your great and grand escape.

  ----

  He took you on a ride away from the busy and bustling streets of Seoul. You're thrilled to find out that he actually brought you to Namsan Tower, the highest peak in the city. You're awed expression cannot suffice the picturesque panoramic scenery of Seoul unfolding in front of your very eyes when you entered the observatory on the top most floor. You were unable to talk all of a sudden and your heart is brimming with unexplained strings of emotion as you kept on taking pictures and videos of the breathtaking place that sent your eyes into a food coma.

 "I only went to N tower once, or maybe twice but that was during the day and I have no idea that this is how it looks at night. It's a miss, nobody will be able to witness this scene on a Christmas eve the way we're seeing it right now." You forgot about your shameful episodes of last night's happenings and your worries disappeared in just an instant.

 "I kind of paid for tonight's reservation when I arrived here in Korea a week ago, with the hopes of spending Christmas only to myself. Consider yourself lucky, you've managed to join me on this one-time event. Heck, the price I paid for is totally worth it. Come here and try this." He urged you to look on the telescope, and to your surprise, you're taking in every aspect of the city in a bird's eye perspective. Everything you look at is really stunning. Like you never really imagined that perfection exists for real until tonight and you're experiencing it with a random guy whom you've only met an hour ago. Your eyes met his and you wished you aren't redder than a rotten tomato for looking like a lost deer caught on a headlight.

 "The view here is really pretty.” He gave you a smile, too charming for your own consumption.

“It really is.” He’s even prettier than the view. You can only sense your guy-o-meter raising for Mark. Good lord, is this a sign? Your mind is now ready to tick the ideal guy boxes on your list.

 “We shouldn't keep this New York style pizza from waiting while it is hot.” He chuckled, like the cute kid that he is. There is something with his unique laugh that you really don’t mind hearing at all. Is he older than me? Please, I don’t want to date someone younger than me.

 “Okay, sure kid.” You followed him as he sat on the ground in a dimly lit room radiating a romantic atmosphere under the starry and chilly skies of Seoul. This is not a date, but a friendly escape out of boredom planned by two single hearts on a Christmas eve. As if you’re two partners in crime, sitting on one of the highest skyscrapers in town, while sharing a box of pizza. It’s just that you aren’t Bonnie and neither he is your Clyde but you're loving the idea of him as someone whom you can rely on.

 “I’m older than you, silly.” The sight of a wine bottle behind him caught your attention and wondered where it came from. He noticed you eyeing the prize so he did the honor and poured you a glass of wine while you’re devouring your slice of pizza. You never imagined that eating pizza is too romantic and one for the books.

 “Any proof that you’re actually above 25? Cause you really look young. With that face, you can qualify for a student discount on public transports and still save money for your commute.” You want to make sure that he’s at least 5 years older than you. You prefer dating someone older than you because they always say that a guy's maturity is a year delayed for his age.

 “Trust me, I just know. I’m old enough to buy a house and enter into casinos, I guess.” He gave you a wink and you felt a gush of strong wind blew your senses away. He’s totally a Romeo and you took a swig of wine while observing him secretly.

 “So you’re a gambler? I might have been spending my time with some kind of a mafia leader and still have no clue about it.” He’s laughing at it again. I might have a talent with making cute guys laugh and that’s an asset I only discovered right now.

 “What, no! But my dad is a big spender in casinos. My duty is to look out for him and take him home before he could even bet our fortune with his leisure. I could always hear him say ‘It has gotta be all or nothing’. He’s born for taking risks and maybe I got that gene from him that’s why.” He stretched his legs and sat like he’s on a photoshoot. He’s not a model but he can beat the professional ones even without the need for screening.

 “What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life so far?” You folded your legs as you watch him wonder with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He poured a glass for himself and you noticed that he used the same glass that you drink on.

 “I believe we’re taking risks everyday in our lives. The only difference is the distance of our leap towards taking or not taking chances at all. Like when you’re playing a game, everything starts with equal opportunities. It’s a race to the witch mountain. The first one to gamble takes it all. You gotta be the predator of every tournament and you gotta be the last one standing in a survival of the fittest. If you’re brave enough to take the earliest start, you can use that advantage to ace your end game. It’s all about timing and investing. Win or lose streak. There is no such thing as a grey area when it comes to taking risks. You don’t get to tie with anybody. Either you’ll win or lose. You just have to trust your instincts and roll your dice like everyday is your last day on earth. If I go for something, I go all in. No half-baked decisions. Because my father taught me that risks equates to rewards and I’m all up for the extremes of both worlds. That’s the one thing I’m best at. I know how to play the game nice and fair because I know how to measure the corners of a square and even the distance around the circle which is not visible to the naked eye. After all, he considers me as his lucky charm. That explains my presence to his endless casino nights. And he hardly ever loses if I’m with him. Sure, Pops are probably waiting for me at our doorstep in LA right now. Too bad, his son is on the other side of the world, taking his own risk of a lifetime.” You left with no words to say. He’s too deep, a food for the soul. Guys like him are the ones that can be displayed in museums. He’s a delicate art and nobody should be allowed to touch him but the curator. And you’d want to take that role.

 “What if you lose? If you go all in and you lose everything all at once? Have you experienced it already?” you asked, admiring the tiny mole sitting under his left eye. You decided to take your second glass of wine.

 “The best thing about losing is that you’ve tried. I don’t take failures as an excuse for not trying again and taking another risk the next day. If I lose, so what? That only means you’re brave because you grow stronger with every fall that you take. Like a bamboo tree, it only bends but it doesn’t break. Life is all about swimming against the current of uncertainties and finding yourself floating on top of your insecurities.” As if he’s summarizing all the lessons in life, you’d always want to go for the front seat. He’s a walking self-help book, and maybe Mark Manson’s book of ‘the subtle art of not giving a fuck’ would have to sit longer in my shelf for the meantime. I got a risk-taker author Mark, right here and I got nothing to worry about.

[sulietsexual]

Could you elaborate why you were dissapointed in season 3 of Stranger Things? I haven't seen it yet but feel free to spoil stuff, already saw tons of gifsets on here.

royalweirdonj said:Thoughts on Stranger Things 3?

Okay, so I have some mixed feelings about this season, so I’ll talk about both the good and the bad and why I was ultimately disappointed with this season (at least in part). So we’ll start with …

What I Liked 

First and foremost, I absolutely loved what they did with El’s character development and characterisation this season. El is a character who hasn’t really had the chance to grow or develop because she’s always so isolated and/or going through so much trauma. In Season 1 she was basically just a traumatised child and in Season 2 Hopper kept her very isolated and her weird sojourn to find her mother and her sister didn’t feel authentic to me. But this season finally gave her the opportunity to start to develop her own sense of self and I loved that, especially the medium through which she did so, ie her friendship with Max.

We’ve all wanted this friendship since Season 2 but I don’t think that any of us realised how glorious it would be. El is a reserved and unsure character (when she’s not being pushed to save everyone) and so she really needed someone like Max in her corner, someone who was loud and assertive, who would stand up for her when she couldn’t stand up for herself and who could show her how to be more dominant and make her own boundaries and rules. I loved the shopping montage, particularly the part where Max helped her pick out clothes that felt like her (”Not like Hopper or Mike, but like you.”), as well as their sleepovers, the way they investigated everything together and the bond which formed from them being the only girls in a group of boys who didn’t always understand each other. It was a really sweet and organic friendship and I’m so glad that the Duffers decided to develop it.

And speaking of friendships, I also adored the dynamic between Steve and Robyn, the way the show turned what we all thought would be a romantic relationship on its head and instead turned it into a sweet and snarky friendship between two people who genuinely liked one another. Robyn herself was a great character and her presence on the show greatly improved the overall tone. I loved how smart and quirky and snarky she was and Mia Hawke really made the character feel authentic. And I really loved the subversion of her and Steve’s relationship and her coming out scene. Steve Harrington proved what an absolute cinnamon roll he is with his reaction to her coming out; I loved that his only response was to tell her that she needed better taste in women and I loved that in the Three Months Later sequence they were still besties looking for jobs in the same place so they could stick together. 

Steve Harrington remained the awesome character he’s always been. Loved that his and Dustin’s friendship is still so intact and that they still care about one another so much. Also loved him sneaking the other kids into the movies on a regular basis. And I liked how the series demonstrated that while he isn’t book smart, he’s smart in other ways, such as figuring out where the music on the recording came from or using the vial of green substance to jam the elevator door open. It shows that he knows how to think on his feet and that he pays attention to his surroundings and is street-smart. I love what they’re doing with his character, allowing him to continue to grow into a more kind, smart and compassionate character with every season.

Also, I loved seeing Science Teacher Scott Clarke again! I missed him in Season 2, so seeing his epic reappearance was amazing! Wish he’d been in more than just one episode.

Characters aside (although, I should mention that I love Joyce Beyers more with every season, her “Mom Voicing” the Government was brilliant and I liked that they touched on her grief over Bob’s death) but that aside, the season felt really well-paced. Only having eight episodes meant that the story progressed quickly and there wasn’t a lot of filler, which was good. There was also so much excitement and action going on that it was very easy to binge-watch the whole season. That being said, I feel like the season changed direction mid-way through, which brings me to …

What I Didn’t Like

Following on from the previous paragraph, I feel like Season 3 started as a character-based season and then quickly switched to a plot-driven season (and on an added note, I was kind of annoyed that the plot this season was literally the same as last season ie the Mind Flayer has taken over someone close to one of the party members and they have to close the gate to stop them - again. Also, the subplot with the Russians was kind of lame). 

There was so much characterisation laid down in the first half of the season which was then kind of forgotten about in the second half once the action got underway and then was never resolved. Will spends most of the first three or four episode lamenting his lost childhood and desperately trying to re-connect with his friends. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he craves the days before everything, the days where he felt safe, where his friends were there for him and not concerned with their romantic entanglements. It was actually a really interesting look into Will’s character and how he’s desperately clinging to the old days but once the Mind Flayer comes into play, this is pretty much dropped. Aside from a half-hearted attempt from Lucas to bridge the gap, Will’s disconnect from his friends and the fact that they’re growing up faster than he is and therefore growing apart from him is never addressed again, leaving this particular thread unfinished. 

Hopper’s characterisation and his storyline regarding being a parent to a thirteen-year-old was also left unresolved. Overall, I didn’t love Hopper’s characterisation this season. He seemed overly aggressive and I really didn’t like that he got so drunk when Joyce didn’t turn up for their date. He’s obviously having communication issues with El, and the opportunity to resolve these issues died along with him. His jealousy over any man who even talked to Joyce was irritating and I didn’t like that he essentially threatened a fourteen-year-old kid and seemed pleased with himself when said kid then hurt his daughter (because it meant that he got his way and that’s all that mattered). I understand why he was so alarmed with El and Mike spending so much time together but the fact that this never got resolved in an adult manner irritated me. And his death, well, we’ll talk about that soon because that pissed me off beyond belief.

Billy’s character needed more depth. I did feel a bit sorry for him this season and he definitely felt like a better character than the previous season, but any development he had (including his relationship with Max) happened offscreen, so it was hard to believe that Max would grieve for him so much after everything we saw him do to her in Season 2. Obviously things have gotten better between the two of them and Billy himself is nowhere near as gross as he was (although he’s still a dick) but we never got to see this growth/development, so it was hard to really empathise with his character or feel grief over his passing, even for Max. 

Nancy’s character felt (once again) kind of useless this season and her storyline was (once again) so separate from the main storyline that I really feel that it could have been removed entirely and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. Also, I get that we were supposed to feel that she was being treated in a sexist manner by the men at the newspaper but, I mean, she was only an intern. She wasn’t there as a reporter, she was working as a intern and it’s an intern’s job to run menial tasks such as getting coffee, picking up lunch and doing boring tasks like photocopying and filing and the bad treatment she received seemed to be based more off her intern status than her gender. Also, what did she think, that she would become some groundbreaking reporter based off a summer job with zero experience or writing credentials? Lastly, Jonathan barely felt like a character this season, his sole reason to exist seemed to be to prop up Nancy’s storyline and I hated that after Jonathan delivered that epic (and entirely true) speech about how Nancy didn’t understand the lower class and how he needed the job and wasn’t born with the same silver spoon in his mouth that she was, he then turned around and apologised and said that he was wrong (which he totally wasn’t). Yet another example of Nancy treating a boyfriend like crap and getting away with it, but hey, “feminism”!

I also didn’t really like the dynamic they wrote between Joyce and Hop. It was good at first, with him going to her for advice on how to deal with El and Mike. But once she “stood him up” and they developed that weird snarky “banter”, I found myself growing tired of the dynamic. Also, bringing back the creepy conspiracy theorist from Season 2 to tell them they needed to bang (like he did with Nancy and Jonathan) was, again, so annoying. I hate when characters are told that they have feelings for one another, rather than developing naturally. So yeah, never been much of a Jopper shipper and this season made me even less so. Bring back Bob!

Oh, and lastly, Erica Sinclair is the most annoying little snot of a character. I didn’t find her entertaining at all. She was rude, obnoxious and mean, horrible to pretty much every character, took advantage of Scoops tasting policy while acting like an entitled brat and I just honestly could not stand her. I wish they’d left her out of the Steve/Robyn/Dustin dynamic, she was just such an unnecessary addition.

What I Hated

So, characterisation issues and weird bait-and-switches between it and plot aside, there were a couple of aspects to the new season which I truly hated.

First of all, this season was unnecessarily violent. Like, I get that there’s been violence in this show before, but it’s always been stylized violence, usually aimed at bad guys and quite subdued. But this season? Wow. Starting with that horrible imagine spot where Billy envisions bashing Karen Wheeler’s head in, it just never let up. Having grown men savagely beat up teenagers was way more than I needed to see and the violence often seemed really gratuitous and unnecessarily drawn-out. Steve’s torture at the hands of the Russians was really hard to take, especially because it went on for so long. I hated having to watch them punch Robyn in the face. Jonathan’s brutal beat-down from the Flayed Editor of the paper was horrible to watch and, once again, went on for way too long. Also, watching Flayed!Billy literally choke, punch and smack thirteen-year-old El around was horrifying. Also, his taking of Heather (and later on his attempt to take El) was incredibly rape-y, what with him leaning over them while they were incapacitated and telling them “Don’t move/struggle”, “It will be over soon”. Totally uncalled for and incredibly hard to watch. Maybe I’m oversensitive but I honestly don’t think that the show needed to display that level of violence.

The character assassination of Karen Wheeler continued, with her and her creepy middle-aged mom friends sitting poolside to perv on a eighteen-year-old kid. Imagine if the genders were reversed and it was four middle-aged men perving on a young girl? Also, why would she even consider sleeping with a teenage boy? Sigh. Remember when Karen Wheeler was a concerned and caring parent, who was strong enough to yell at government officials when they wouldn’t tell her what was going on and dropped by a grieving friend’s house with food and comfort? At least she and Nancy had that sweet scene in which she was encouraging to her daughter, but the rest of the time she was just useless and didn’t even know where her kids were.

Speaking of which, why did this show separate Joyce and Hop from their kids for so long? And why on earth would Joyce and Hop be willing to be separated from their kids for so long, after everything they went through the previous year? It felt so OOC for them to not even be suspicious that they hadn’t spoken to either of their children for at least three days, just taking the word of other parents that their kids were alright. 

And lastly, the thing which pissed me off the most and actually made both me and my husband instantly switch off from the show and feel like we had just wasted eight hours watching this season, the death of Jim Hopper.

I know, I know, the Stinger maybe hinted that he was still alive. I know we didn’t see a body. I know that there were hints of time travel in future seasons and that Jim Hopper possibly isn’t dead. But you know who doesn’t know this? The characters. And I hate that. I hate that El has now lost her father, less than two years after finally finding one. I hate that she’s now alone, separated from Mike and while, yes, Joyce will take care of her the best she can, it’s never going to be the same. I hate that Joyce now has to suffer through the heartbreak of losing yet another man she had feelings for, less than a year after she lost the first. I hate that she made the decision to move away (even though I understand it) which separated her kids from their relationships and removed El from the one person who still loves her with all his heart. I hate that the season ended on such a downer, with such loss and tragedy and sadness. It really brought down the whole season for me and left me with a horrible, sad and empty feeling and not at all looking forward to more seasons because of all the crap the characters have gone through.

Whew. That got really long. Hope this was coherent! 

[taiturner]

5, 26, 37 for gif questions 💛

What is your favorite movie/TV show to gif?

TUA inspires me the most, probably, because I'm most invested in so many of those characters and despite only being three seasons, there's just a lot of content there to work with.  I can go through those episodes a thousand times and still find something I haven't giffed yet or want to or some totally new take on a thought I had previously. 

I also really love to gif TWD: World Beyond, it's my all time favorite show, and the tags are soooo bare. Those gifs barely get any traction because most people don't care about the show but it's special to ME and I will gif it forever. There are just so many good moments, so many beautiful dynamics (especially in the realm of adoptive + found families), so many good lessons that encompass the show, and I just don't think I'll ever run out of ideas for it. It's also one of the rare shows that I love every single character in, so it's not like I have to avoid certain scenes/dynamics/etc. It's just my comfort show in every sense, so I love giffing it.

In general, I really like post-apocalyptic aesthetics + horror, and I tend to want to gif that kind of stuff more than anything. I watch a lot of lighter shows but I don't ever have the same inspo for that kind of thing.

How many unposted sets are in your drafts right now?

I currently have a few of my sets for TUA appreciation week done (Favorite superpower, 1/2 favorite quotes, & a free choice... I won't spoil any of those but I'm very content with those right now 😌), and I've got quite a few half finished sets that I'm either not ready to go back to or am not sure about going back to... a Viktor/Sissy set that the quote I was using for just doesn't work anymore but it's pretty so I am determined to find a way to make it work, a FTWD ship set that I kind of lost my direction on, a typography set for usergif's back to cool event, and a Klaus/Luther set that kind of evolved into 3 other different sets I've already posted so I'm not sure I'll go back to it. BUT - my queue usually has 10+ things in it and I change how many things post a day depending on how I feel. Right now, there are currently 11 random gifs there.

What sets if any do you have planned to make in the future?

The rest of my TUA appreciation week gifsets are my priority right now. I've got a few of them done, but I have plans for multiple each day so it's really just .... whether or not I have the time/inspiration for all of them.

 But I haven't been giffing for very long, so I recently did a rewatch of a few of my favorite shows and saved the clips of everything I want to gif, so I kind of have a never ending supply of things I want to get to. 

As for bigger projects, I'm working on a few "this character in every episode" sets for some of my favorite characters in TWD, a few dif TWD parallels I want to get to, and I've got a long list of quotes/lyrics/etc for my favorite characters that I eventually want to get to (that's why there's been so many random Luther quote sets these past few months... my list for him is so long with 3 years of things I've saved, I will never tire of giffing him).