#And don't tell me I'm reading into it too much episode 2 primes us to think about colonialism

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

And another thing! Literally any queer story that takes place during the colonial age would have a huge gaping hole in it if it didn't have anticolonialism as a theme. Especially one that centers indigenous people. Like the reason that every culture had their own concepts of gender until something happened and then suddenly the gender binary was ubiquitous is because western European colonial powers made their view of gender the only acceptable one as part of christianizing and colonizing the world. You're not gonna have a show set in 1717 in the Caribbean where the love interest is a gay Maori man and the main deuteragonist is a non-binary mestizo catholic and just skip over colonialism. Like these are exactly the people who western gender roles are being forced on at fucking gun point during this era. Jim and Ed are both mixed race characters who's gender and sexual identities are in active defiance of the colonial powers that be. And this is the fucking Stede Ed and Jim show.

And there's something to be said for the fact that Stede's toxic masculinity plot line is internalized and Ed's struggle with toxic masculinity is largely external in the form a white guy who rubs elbows with the British Navy when Ed doesn't behave to his standard of masculinity. That choice didn't come out of nowhere and it shows a deep understanding of where homophobia comes from. That's not to say that precolonial communities of color were paradise for people that we today would consider queer but the rich tapestry of sexual and gender expressions that existed in those communities were erased in the name of colonialism. That's going to affect literally any queer person at the time when OFMD is set. These two things are inextricably linked.

Like when David Jenkins says a lot of what we're taught about being men is wrong, motherfucker who taught us what a man was. Who taught Ed what a man was? Who taught Stede what a man was for that matter? It's the white dad with the English accent who is violent (derogatory) and overbearing.

Like you get what I'm saying right? Like it's a silly little rom com but also it must necessarily be that deep because of who these characters are and when and where they exist.

[cass-rambles]

honestly I'm probably overthinking this, but I think it's an interesting detail that in the Unmortricken episode during the whole "trap Saw box" shit we've got this shot of Evil Morty sort of disappointed/dismayed RIGHT as we've got our Morty Prime telling Rick to "take the shot".

Like he's got the sort of annoyed, sort of cast down look for a few seconds (because right after we have the "We both hate Rick Prime more than each other either way" thing) and I'm reading way too much into this, but it makes me think that he does give a shit about Morty, despite his Very Constant Denial.

I mean taking all aspects of the episode under consideration, we've got several scenes where it is heavily underlined that Evil Morty does not care about Rick C-137 nor Morty, even being blunt about it and telling everyone to fuck off or it won't end well.

It's not that I don't believe he wants to be left alone, he very pointedly does, Buttttt I think E!Morty does hold some form of "softness" or positive emotions towards Morty.

Looking at their characteristics in the episode, I know most of the other fans have noticed that our "main" Morty's character seemed to have regressed for the ep to more of s1/s2 behavior, making him look more "whiney" and weak in comparison to Evil Morty. I think it's to point out that if we Had our Morty's normal behavior from even previous episodes of season 7, we'd be able to see how SIMILAR both of them are now.

(I mean c'mon, I get you rushed his character a little, but to fuck it right back to season 1/2 during a significant mid season finale? You've gotta have a bigger reason for it.)

In either case, it's likely that we have an episode of Morty sub-consciously trying his hardest not to act like Evil Morty (That's why we got the development regression for an episode) as Evil Morty seemingly just acts like himself, merely underlining that he does not care.

"This didn't make us friends" okay??? Then why even wait for Prime Morty at all to join Rick in his beat down w Rick Prime? Don't get me wrong, Evil Morty won't suddenly develop attachment to him out of thin air, but imo he sees all the potential Prime Morty has yet is currently wasting it.

It's sort of a little nod to how insane it is of a parallel that Ricks can't fucking stand one another or themselves, immediately trying to one up the other or kill, as to how Mortys can co-exist peacefully and work together without any unhealthy character implements. (Fun fact: If you're into mortycest in one of the comics two Mortys sleep w each other. So we've got established selfcest in canon too if you're imagining and rolling Evil Morty's and Morty's relationship into a more romantic ball court.)

Another little detail I noticed, we have a moment where Rick shoots at Evil Morty again for funsies and I gotta say, the expressions are feeding into my overanalyzing brain . LIKE??? AM I SEEING THIS WRONG?

These two have GOT to have something cooking between them PLEASE.

[snorkling-in-sodasea]

Moments of Stupidity 16

Well, since Full Moon came out, it was probably only a matter of time before this, huh? I guess I wanna say first is, I'm feeling rather different than when I first started.

At the beginning, I just wanted to vent. Let anger out. I mean, as much as I have people on the lookout for my posts - which I'm flattered by - I'm still just one of many posting stuff on this site. I'm definitely not the first one to share their dislike over what goes on in Helluva Boss and I doubt I'll be the last.

Over time, I watch the shows more and more and now pretty pictures and some good songs are the standard I have now because, irrational and angry or sane and calm, I still can't get behind the writing at times. Still, I continued this series of posts about stupidity in the shows because I was being fueled by people liking these posts.

Now I'm wondering if I'll just be disappointing one of my parents if I make these posts. Because I talked with them about something and they were right. No matter how much people don't like Vivienne, she managed to be successful and do something right, if she's managed to get A24 interested in airing her show and get that show on Amazon Prime. No matter who doesn't like that, that's still what happened.

Like Stephan King and J.K. Rowling, for example. Those two got their haters but they still got their fans because they're still doing something right, especially writing wise. You might not think that's a good comparison considering the examples I'm using but it's true in the sense that they and Vivienne still are successful due to their works because they all got their fans who helped them get that successful.

So yeah, I know that I can seem disappointing to my parent that I've been angrily posting about a successful show despite how it's not going to change that success and there's a very real chance that I will, should I tell them about it. Especially since I'm still doing at least this post. I guess I can still do this for fun or because I know people will still look forward to these moments of stupidity. I'll have to think on it

In any case, I started this post to still talk about how actions in the screenplay are dumb so I might as well deliver on what I promised. Thanks to anyone and everyone who bothered reading all of this, as well as those who don't get upset over the above.

Full Moon -

So there's D.H.O.R.K.S. first. They not only didn't get any better at interrogation since they got no real way of knowing that Keenie and Cletus were really telling the truth - and they weren't, especially about the exorcists - but there's also the suits. The suits obviously fit the cherubs but Agent One and Agent Two reasonably would never expect to meet them to give the suits to so that the battle suits could be used. I can't even think of kids being sent because they decided not to after last time. So who the fuck would Agent One and Agent Two put in those battle suits?

I guess there's the cherubs, too, for having been stealthy enough with the 'worried mother' bit but then be obvious as fuck when following Blitzo. I mean, the disguise as the mother was kind of strange but like Moxxie said, they weren't exactly covert. How could the cherubs think they would never be spotted when their upper halves were sticking out of the damn bushes?

Other than that, then the biggest moment of stupidity goes to none other than Stolas. Starting up the conversation the way he did is one thing (yes, really, it could be chalked up to Stolas being severely sheltered and alone growing up) but it's another thing entirely to make it sound like Blitzo is the one who makes it all about sex and getting upset about it. Seriously. Stolas is the one who made the deal that centers around sex. He's the one who always spewed sexual shit out of his mouth in most of season 1 and a couple episodes in season 2. He's the one Blitzo was talking about when he said 'don't make it anything more than you (Stolas) wanting me (Blitzo) to fuck you'. Even at the very first meeting that Stolas and Blitzo ever had, Stolas was the one who thought of taking Blitzo to his room and say that he's there to ravish him. How was it Blitzo's fault that that was on Stolas's mind? Yeah, Blitzo may have been the one to initiate sex but it sure seems like to me that he only did that because Stolas gave him the idea of sex being a possibility. Even if Stolas just said the 'ravish me' line as a joke, it still gave Blitzo the idea to have sex. (By the way, that's a very weird joke to make with a friend, especially one you had literally only one playdate with over twenty years ago). Naturally, by this episode, Stolas has practically conditioned Blitzo to make everything about sex when Stolas is in the picture yet this damn owl is upset that his confession wasn't being taken seriously

[phantom-fleetways]

I loved your neo chaos sonic au

If it's okay to ask could you tell us more about it👀👀

Oh! Of course!

Frankly I haven't done much world building for it, since I have other AUs who are utter attention whores and life just LOVES to make me unable to draw for some stupid reason or another. But I do have some simple concepts I would love to share! If you feel like you can bare my aimless rambling, feel free to read the rest under the cut.

First off, setting. Generally speaking, Neo Chaos Sonic's timeline takes place after the events of Season 2's finale and the early portion of season 3's episode one.

But instead of Building Alpha Grim Sonic after a lot of dilly dallying on Nine's part, he decides to fight fire with fire. (And maybe he's a little scared of being alone, although he would never admit it.)

So he rebuilds Chaos Sonic instead. And to insure that he'll be able to beat Sonic, Nine decided to give him untethered access to the Paradox Prism.

This of course leads to Chaos Sonic deeming his normal build being to... Easy to deal with. And he is allowed a modicum of freewill by Nine. So who is he if he does not ascend to godhood to ensure the plan's execution? It's gonna be a temporary upgrade. And Nine did give him full access to the Paradox Prism.

Leading to this beautiful outcome!

It's a MAJOR upgrade. And it comes with a hip skirt! And who is she to go against a hip skirt?

After choosing a new form of befitting of his newly born Goddess status, NCS decides to make the Grim their perfect little paradise. Their powers are simple, as she is all powerful but not all knowing or anything.

NCS can change their appearance however she sees fit. Although due to his vanity, he mostly stays hedgehog robot shaped. And generally before war is brought to her doorstep, she just stands about as tall as NMS would. So they definitely Tower over Sonic and Nine easily. They also can pool liquid metal off of them and when the liquid metal touches the ground, they become Grim Sonic Troopers. All of which seem to reflect different small aspects of her personality. Also she has glitter beams and shit. He's a magical girl, they gotta have their glitter attacks.

After a while of their new arrangement, NCS stops referring to Nine as either "Best bud" or "Sir". And starts calling him Martyr or Prophet. Treating Nine as a prized possession and less like a friend or even someone they wish to protect and keep happy.

Nine isn't initially concerned about this though. Since he's certain that they are still loyal to him. Which is true, he is. But ultimately that loyalty does not outweigh her natural selfishness.

I believe that inevitably, there will come to pass a point where Neo Chaos Sonic decides to "sacrifice" Nine to herself. If only to make Sonic run a fool's errand. If you know ANYTHING about the ending of KH3 and the whole "Save the 7" segment with Riku? Like that. (For those who don't know, imagine Nine floating above an altar of some sort with his body partially transparent blue.)

I don't really know if Sonic and Co from prime would succeed, since I really just designed Neo Chaos Sonic for the sake of designing him. But I would say that in order to take down Neo, Sonic would need to brace the abyss™️ to find Shadow's missing Chaos Emerald. Since I'm a wedger a bet that Shadow would be logically able to use Chaos Control in the prism that Neo Chaos is using to power themselves. Buuut in order to do that, Shadow would have to get close enough.

There is the possiblity that allowing Sonic to shatter himself would fix everything too. But ultimately I have no clue cuz I just haven't thought far yet.

Overall, the AU is very shallow at the moment. And seeing as I have other far more complex AUs I'm working on, it might be this way for a while. So, I'm sorry about that! But I did enjoy rambling a bit, albeit a bit aimlessly.

I just really love this design and I really love how pretty they came out! Neo Chaos Sonic is a treat of a concept to me, since I adore Neo Metal Sonic. Favorite flavor of Mets to be honest. And I figured a Neo form for Chaos Sonic would do them good!

[synergysilhouette]

Remaking Miraculous Ladybug (Season 2)

Welcome back! I'm continuing with my remake of Miraculous Ladybug. I was a bit more liberal with my changes for this season, so I hope you enjoy it. Just like last time: I have omitted some episodes that I considered filler, and forgive me if I forgot any important details.

The Collector--When Marinette visits Master Fu, it's retconned that there are only 8 miraculous (the main 7 and the snake miraculous), and that Fu lost the fox miraculous--along with the butterfly and peacock miraculous--when leaving the temple. He apologizes that this costed Marinette her relationship, not to mention put the world in danger. When Gabriel finds out Adrien took his book, he's more sympathetic, but tells him he was using it as inspiration for a world culture fashion line, and grounds Adrien (though doesn't prevent him from going to school). Marinette also tells Master Fu that she thinks she knows the owner of the book, but doesn't say who, and Master Fu trusts her to handle it, afraid to leave the shop for long and risk losing more miraculous. While Gabriel has a breakdown, Nathalie deters Adrien's suspicions by lying to him and telling him that the book was actually a gift from Emilie and Gabriel didn't want Adrien to feel guilty (but he does). Ladybug tells Chat Noir about Master Fu, but not about the miraculous book linking Gabriel to being Hawk Moth. When Marinette returns the book to Gabriel, he offers to read it together with Adrien, but Adrien, wanting to avoid seeming too interested and giving away his secret identity, says he doesn't want to ruin it, making Gabriel feel as though he was too hard on Adrien and tells him that no book is more important than him. In the end, both Ladybug and Chat Noir meet with Master Fu, who tells them about the ultimate power attained from combining the cat and Ladybug Miraculous, taking from his speech in "Robotsus."

2. Prime Queen--(I'm actually renaming this "Prime Time" to avoid confusion with the Queen's Battle.) Several months have passed between this episode and "The Collector." Tikki actually advises Marinette on how to carefully maneuver using the press as a platform to promote heroism rather than trying to avoid it. Rather than simply calling to be annoying, Chloe asks questions about who Ladybug and Chat Noir are, making the ratings skyrocket, but they threaten to leave the show if Chloe isn't disconnected. When the question of being a couple comes up, Ladybug blurts out that she somewhat recently got out of a messy relationship (which Marinette never really had a conversation with Nathaniel about), surprising everyone--including Chat Noir. As Nadja puts more pressure on them, Ladybug leaves, and Chat Noir goes with her out of solidarity. Chat Noir attempts to cheer her up by telling her that he (actually Adrien) has had a tricky time with relationships, as girls like his image but don't know him, making him pause as he comments how someone he knew (Sabrina) liked him genuinely and knew him better than most. Alya's interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir is much more comfortable--though they know she's only trying to find out their actual identities.

3. Glaciator--MUCH more angst given that Marinette and Nathaniel have broken up, and Gabriel and Adrien actually have dinner together, though Gabriel's obsession makes him bad company, as he only makes small talk. He allows for Adrien to have friends over, which usually involves Nino, Chloe, or (surprisingly) Luka, given the latter's star status and musical skills, allowing for him and Adrien to bond over music. Along with this, Chat Noir is being more considerate, given learning about Ladybug's messy breakup in "Prime Time." She knows he likes her, and tells her that even without the breakup, she's still sorting out her feelings for someone else (Adrien). This makes Adrien decide that perhaps he should let his crush for Ladybug go.

4. Despair Bear--Occurs on Chloe's birthday, and introduces Zoe and Audrey--who at this point are just visiting. At this point, she's still lying, and the others steer clear of her. Chloe's relationship with Sabrina is iffy given her crush on Adrien, and because of Lila's illusions, she believes Adrien actually unfriended her, and jumps to the conclusion that they're actually dating, despite both of them trying to convince her of their friendship and that they're not together. Chloe attempts to make Sabrina and Adrien jealous by taking interest in Luka, who she finds cute, but he rebuffs her for her negative attitude. Embarassed that her schoolmates aren't showing their adoration of her in front of her family, she decides trying to be nice in order to get their praise, which works. Adrien and Marinette bond slowly, and Marinette notices that Chloe being busy being nice (as well as her attraction to Luka and Kim's attraction to her) could potentially lead to lesser akumatizations. Armand doesn't embarass Chloe, instead being akumatized by Audrey's criticisms that he's coddling her.

5. Troublemaker--Mostly the same, except Marinette isn't a stalker (with all of Adrien's pictures), but she does have ONE picture of Adrien with a heart one it. More of Juleka and Luka's childhood explained, perhaps stating that their parents broke up due to his career, and that he's learning to be a better father.

6. Riposte--Kagami is introduced and is less arrogant and forceful, with a formal introduction between her and Adrien thanks to their parents being friends and wanting them to be great friends as well (possibly more). However, after a disagreement about a prior fencing tournament, Kagami is annoyed by her mother and fights Adrien with less friendliness than she showed him initially. However, it never turns unprofessional, so they never leave the fencing area. They both go to Adrien's house, though Kagami has anxiety about facing her mother. Seeing how neglectful and ocassionally strict Gabriel is towards Adrien, Kagami is bewildered and enraged by how upbeat Adrien is--which she deems to be a coping mechanism for his own disappointment, believing that he's secretly as frustrated as her. Subtly, he compliments Adrien in a way that looks down on Kagami, allowing her to be akumatized. As Riposte, she is angry and vengeful towards Adrien, but honorable towards him, not focused on collateral damage and deeming him a reward for when she gets the ladybug and cat miraculous. Adrien and Kagami bond, eventually going on a date at their parents' behest. Tomoe decides that even if Kagami makes mistakes, her relationship with Adrien (who is seen as perfect) will provide her with enough of a shadow to hide her flaws.

7. Befana--Pretty much the same, but Nathaniel and Marinette have a cathartic talk about their relationship ending, and though he believes her claims that she wasn't cheating on him, she knows he has feelings for Adrien, and warns her that he's in high demand.

8. Gorizilla--Very similar, but takes cues from "Frightingale" with Gabriel's concerns that Adrien is Chat Noir, and that Adrien shares more of his past, though with Kagami, Luka, and Nino, as they've become something of a quartet; Chloe was invited too, but her difficulty hiding her jealousy makes her leave, though she laments that she knows what's it like to have your mother leave you.

9. Sapotis--Alya's investigation of Ladybug is a bit more aggressive, still having mixed feelings about her presence. Gabriel calls upon Lila, who uses the Fox Miraculous to make Alya think the the Sapotis is messing with her rather than her sisters, infuriating her and allowing Hawk Moth to turn her into an upgraded Lady WiFi to find out who they are, while battling Ladybug and Chat Noir. Deciding that the Sapotis clones AND Lady WiFi are too much to handle and having used her lucky charm, Ladybug and Chat Noir are led to Alya's younger siblings, uncertain of how they'll help. They are unable to defeat Volpina and Lady WiFi, but when Lady WiFi believes Volpina's illusions are real and could harm her siblings, she breaks free of Hawk Moth's akumatization, surprising Lila long enough for Chat Noir to break her flute, which will only rematerialize when she detransforms and transforms again later. She retreats, and Hawk Moth is unsurprised that Alya's grief broke his power over her, as his own grief is what drives him. From here on, Alya is more accepting of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

10. Zombizou--It's revealed Ms. Bustier has a wife and is pregnant. Chloe isn't as mean as usual, giving that she's trying to keep everyone liking her, but she's become passive-aggressive, insulting the class' gift rather than sabotaging it. Ms. Bustier also gives Marinette more complex advice; rather than simply forgiving Chloe or ignoring her actions, hold her accountable for her actions, but do it with humility, rather than being spiteful or making fun of her. It's also revealed that Chloe has issues with Ms. Bustier because she is difficult to understand, with Chloe associating Audrey with the ideal (rather, only) mother figure in her mind. While Chloe refuses to acknowledge her hurtful remarks to the class, Adrien, Sabrina, and Luka's disappointment leads her to want to apologize genuinely, as she's begun to open her heart to others and feels guilty for letting them down. Everything else is the same.

11. Captain Hardrock--While setting up for to Kitten Section perform at the festival, Marinette comments to Nathaniel that she knows what he means now about Adrien being in high demand, as he and Kagami have grown closer lately. Nathaniel mentions that it's not just Kagami he was talking about, and that Marinette would be surprised to learn that Adrien has another school admirer. When Adrien is performing for Gabriel, he mentions that he's improved, and wonders if there was something to him having prestigious friends (Kagami and Luka). He asks Adrien about his romantic interests, and gives him a talk about romance, though it's bittersweet as he thinks about Emilie, leading Nathalie to chime in. When he and Kagami arrive to help with the festival, Kagami becomes a wallflower, having been rattled by a conversation with her mother earlier and feeling social anxiety. While Marinette attempts to comfort her, Adrien thanks Luka for helping him with his music, and Luka offers to teach him how to play the guitar and train his vocals, but Adrien instead wants to learn how to songwrite, so he and Luka write a love song for KS to perform at the festival. Chloe and Sabrina also attend the festival--though Chloe doesn't stay long since close quarters at concerts doesn't sit well with her if the people who sit with her aren't wearing expensive clothes. It's also revealed that she pays for Sabrina's wardrobe. BTW, I'm imagining the Kitty Section song is a soft rock sound, inspired by Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne, Panic at the Disco! and Rina Sawayama. It's called "Heartbreaker." (Maybe I should just write the lyrics for fun!)

12. Frozer--Mostly the same, except the love square isn't a factor; instead, Marinette, Luka, and Adrien work together to help Kagami come out of her shell. Nino was invited, but he declined because he was concerned that his energy would be too much for Kagami right now. Kagami and Adrien grow closer, though Kagami is still perplexed by Adrien's upbeat attitude despite his circumstances with Gabriel, and we see a moment where Nathalie praises Gabriel for not constricting Adrien despite their shared grief.

13. Style Queen (Queen's Battle-Part 1)--Mostly the same, but Zoe returns with Audrey, and Gabriel criticizes Audrey secretly because of how she mistreats her family. Along with this, Marinette is the one who turns to gold rather than Adrien, and he decides to give Chloe the bee Miraculous instead of Alya, given the progress she's made and still concerned it'd only fuel Alya's miraculous curiosity. Chat Noir also forgets to take the bee miraculous back.

14. Queen Wasp (Queen's Battle-Part 2)--Chloe shares her secret with Sabrina, who profusely takes note of everything Pollen says. She also convinces Chloe not to share her identity, noting that it could make her look bad, given that Queen Bee isn't a perfect hero, having blundered a little in the previous episode. She also narrowly avoids Chloe exposing herself to impress Audrey and Zoe. Zoe, however, finds out Chloe's secret and becomes Vespiria, revealing herself to be an insecure girl trying to please her mother. Chloe, however, knew someone was spying on her and lied about how her powers work, resulting in Vespiria accidentally using her venom on an innocent civilian and exposing her. Audrey claims she's unexceptional, and Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat this new Queen Wasp. Gabriel is also seen talking to his sister-in-law about how he's afraid to let go of Emilie.

15. Reverser--Almost the same, but more emphasis on Nathaniel and Marinette being friends after the breakup, and it's revealed that he and Marc have been hanging out for a while and Marc wants to be official, but fears rejection after learning about Adrien's complicated love life and worries Marinette may try to go back to Nathaniel.

16. Anansi--Very similar, but Master Fu reveals that Nino will now be the permanent holder of the turtle miraculous, with Fu now simply being the miraculous box holder and a wellspring of information, telling Wayzz to give all this information to Nino, as well as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

17. Catalyst (Heroes' Day-Part 1)--Some things are the same, but Marinette brings a tart to share instead of macarons (I feel like she's done that before), Kagami takes Mandarin and fencing lessons with Adrien, Lila's lies are harder to discern due to her miraculous, and Chloe reveals that her father is overseeing the renovation of run-down parts of Paris (can the mayor do that?), and Gabriel gives Nathalie the butterfly miraculous, becoming Hespideres (taken from my AU; check out that post) and turning Gabriel into Tunnel Vision, a villain able to leave anyone he touches to only feel their current emotion. This way, once Hesperides akumatizes others, Tunnel Vision's ability seals the akuma and makes it impossible to extract it from an item. Lila also assists in causing damage as Volpina.

18. Mayura (Heroes' Day-Part 2)--Almost the same, with distinct differences: Queen Bee and Carapace battle Volpina and retrieve her miraculous before joining Ladybug and Chat Noir against Tunnel Vision. Desperate to win, Nathalie combines the butterfly and peacock miraculous to become Aglais Io (the peacock butterfly), but the combination of using the two when the peacock Miraculous is broken is too much for her, only giving Tunnel Vision enough time to escape before being deakumatized and avoiding questioning. Chloe sees him, however, but pays no mind to it since they won. Here, Adrien and Kagami kiss, much to Marinette's sadness.

There we are! Please let me know what you thought and if you have any questions! Lemme know what your favorite episode(s) was!

[salvatoreschool]

Kaylee Bryant On "Legacies," The Importance Of Queer Rep On TV, Hosie, And More

"I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves."

This week, Kaylee Bryant squeezed us into her schedule to talk about their role as Josie Saltzman on Legacies. As a huge Josie fan, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a morning than talking to Kaylee about The Vampire Diaries, Hosie, our favorite books, and more! Here's everything we talked about:

1. What was your audition for Legacies like?

My audition process was very interesting because they kept a lot of it a secret. I had no script and a fake character name. And then I had my second audition, a chemistry read, which Jenny Boyd [Lizzie] wasn't even at. I walked in and immediately just flat-out asked, "This is for the twins, right?" So it was long, but short and intense at the same time.

BuzzFeed: Wait, did you know which twin you were going to be playing?

I initially auditioned for Josie, and then during chemistry reads, they started asking me to read for Lizzie. And then we had our final callback where I finally met Jenny and we both read for both roles. They never told us [who was playing who] until Jenny had her appointment to go dye her hair blonde.

2. What's a typical day on set like?

Gosh, it changes every time. If it's a busy day on set, we're talking like 8 a.m. call time where we spend about two hours on hair and makeup and go straight into rehearsals. If it's a big sort of episode that involves stunt work and wire work, you're talking about doing maybe two scenes in a day. But if it's an average day, we can do anywhere from three to five scenes and we can start at 8 a.m. and wrap at 8 p.m. It really depends. I'm surprised if I'm not surprised.

3. You’ve said you’re a huge fan of The Vampire Diaries. Josie played Elena in the musical episode — what was that like?

It was surreal for sure. They had talked a little bit about doing a musical episode since Season 1. And I always thought that they were joking when they talked about doing Salvatore: The Musical!, so when they said Josie would obviously play Elena, I was like, "Hahaha." And then I got the script and realized I actually was playing Elena. The musical aspect of it was the easy part. The difficult part was, I think, getting into the iconic Elena attire and trying to feel normal. Because we have a lot of crew members that worked on The Vampire Diaries, and they kept coming up to me being like, "This is weird. I feel weird."

4. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve filmed with Courtney Bandeko (Finch) this season?

I really did love the scene that we had in the town square [when] we got on a moped. There were so many fans in the town square that were huddled in the rain — it was pouring rain, freezing cold — trying to snap photos of us. And it was kind of one of those surreal moments where it felt full circle, that I was on a Vampire Diaries spinoff in town square. It was a lot going on, but it was a lot of fun. It's always fun working with Courtney.

5. You and Danielle Rose Russell (Hope) also have amazing chemistry — what’s your favorite scene you’ve filmed together?

Oh gosh, we have a lot that are pretty amazing. Honestly, I'd say [Season 3] Episode 14 — we finally got to do a lot more scenes together. And it's always fun, especially when it's Josie, Lizzie, and Hope, because we have so much history character-wise. Any time you really get to dive into that, we love it.

6. I know Josie and Finch are working through some things right now, but I gotta ask — how do you feel about Hosie?

I love it. Danielle and I loved the idea of Hosie starting from Season 1, and we kept asking and asking and asking for it. So it's kind of funny and full circle that now the fans have kind of taken our side with things, and now they won't stop asking for it. All we want is this beautiful, dynamic relationship. And I think that the fans want that as well.

BuzzFeed: Yeah, I mean, people have even been asking me about Hosie, and I don't work on the show!

Oh, I'm sure! [Laughs] Obviously I love it, though.

7. Is there a particular Josie moment you’re really proud of?

Josie has a scene coming up in Episode 18 — or 19? — I don't know, but it's good. It's sort of the pinnacle of everything that Josie has felt over the past three years kind of culminating into one moment. So, I'm excited for people to see it.

8. You recently came out as queer. How has playing Josie, who’s pansexual, impacted you personally?

I felt a lot of pressure when I initially booked Josie because I was still figuring out who I was and what my label was. And playing a character who was so comfortable in who she was, it was inspiring [to me] in a way that I think a lot of other people watching the show have been inspired. I have so many people constantly telling me that watching Josie on the show has made them feel more comfortable in themselves. It's kind of amazing that we all have the same experience in that having queer representation makes you more comfortable.

9. You’ve been vocal about your Asian identity, and your character has spoken Japanese on the show. Did you have a hand in incorporating that into Josie’s character?

No, not at all! So, I spoke Japanese a few times on the [Instagram] Live and one of our writers, Penny Cox, saw me speaking Japanese and immediately went to Brett [Matthews] and was like, "We need to make this happen somehow." And then all of a sudden, I had a script in my hands. So it was a surprise, but a fun one.

BuzzFeed: Are you fluent in Japanese?

Gosh, no! I'm barely fluent in English. [Laughs] I would say I speak at the level of maybe a second-grader on a good day, though.

10. If you could pitch any storyline for Josie, what would it be?

I always joke that I want an episode that takes place overnight. That way, we all have to be wearing pajamas the entire episode. I just want to wear some comfy clothes for a whole two weeks, that's my main goal. So we can have a pajama episode, that's my pitch.

11. What's it like getting into character for Dark Josie scenes?

It's different in the sense that I know Josie so well. And knowing Josie in turn makes me understand Dark Josie. I have a whole different playlist of music that I listen to for Dark Josie — and I have the wig, which helps a lot with getting into character.

BuzzFeed: Well, now I have to ask what music is on that playlist!

I think "Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish is a great one for Dark Josie. Also, "Villain" by K/DA is a prime example of a perfect song for Dark Josie, so I listen to that one as well.

12. What's your go-to Starbucks order?

Plain black iced Americano. Aria [Shahghasemi, who plays Landon] says I drink coffee like a sociopath. [Laughs]

13. What TV show are you currently binging?

I just finished watching Alice in Borderland, which is a Japanese show on Netflix. And I know Feel Good Season 2 just came out, so I think that's my next binge.

14. Damon or Stefan?

Stefan! They're both beautiful and I love them very much, but I'm Team Stefan when it comes to Elena.

15. If you could work with anyone from The Vampire Diaries, who would it be?

Ian Somerhalder has a lot of dogs. So, maybe I want to work with him for the sole reason of just talking about dogs. [Writer's note: Kaylee revealed she has two rescue dogs, one whom was sleeping right next to them during the interview! Kaylee described the dogs as "both complete and total nuts," but said she misses them about five minutes after getting into the car to go to work.]

16. Do you think you’re most similar to Josie, Lizzie, or Hope in real life?

I would say I'm an eclectic mix of the three. I can be very headstrong like Hope, very outspoken like Lizzie, and I try to be as loving as Josie, but sometimes that doesn't always work. But I'd like to think all three.

17. Is there a role people would be surprised to learn you auditioned for, but didn't get?

I've been auditioning since I was eight, so there's quite a few Disney Channel shows and movies. And I'm sure people would be surprised because I think I auditioned for like, all of them. It's very funny, one of the first jobs I ever booked in television was Kickin' It with Leo Howard [Ethan]. Talk about full circle — going from being 12 years old and having no idea what I'm doing to being a series regular on [Legacies] and welcoming Leo to the set.

18. Who's your favorite Disney princess?

Oh, I love Mulan so much. She was, like, my first crush ever. I also love Moana, but it's Mulan 1,000%.

19. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I mean, I do eat rice every day. So maybe just white rice — you can make rice into candy and...yeah, let's go with rice.

20. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one book, what would it be?

Oh no! I recently read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, and I really enjoyed that book. Oh god, Is that the one that I want to bring, though? I mean, I really enjoyed it and it has many different aspects to it. I don't know. Or should I go with Harry Potter? I go through different genres too, like right now I'm in a big sci-fi phase, but other times I'll go the opposite direction and only read biographies. Yeah, that's super hard. I don't think I would know!

21. On that note, what's your Hogwarts house?

Initially, when I was younger, it used to just be straight-up Slytherin. And now, I recently took the Sorting Hat Quiz and I got Ravenclaw. So I'm going to go with Slytherclaw.

BuzzFeed: What's Josie's house?

Josie would be Slytherin. She tries very hard and, you know, not everyone in Slytherin is evil. She just, you know, has her way of going about things.

22. Has anything super funny or embarrassing happened to you on set?

I trip a lot on set. I get scared very easily — if I come around the corner and somebody is walking the other direction, I get scared. Everybody knows to walk slowly around me because I get scared so easily.

23. What's your wildest fan story?

I've had people cry before. And I'm an empath, so if somebody starts crying, I immediately am like, "Please don't cry, because I'm gonna cry." And then it turns into this whole thing. Once we were shooting in the town square and this young girl with her mom started crying, and I just hugged her and I didn't know what to say. So there's a lot of that. There's also the occasional, "Where's your twin?" and...I don't have one, sorry! But yeah, I would say the people who cry always throw me for a loop.

24. How do you unwind after a long day?

I have an hourlong drive home from work, so I usually listen to a lot of music. And by the time I get home, taking off all of my makeup is very therapeutic. Because over time, we're working 13-hour days, 16-hour days, and it's just powder constantly building up on my face. So, washing my face is always very therapeutic. And then just laying back and reading a book and petting my dog is the best.

25. Is there a celebrity you get told you look like a lot?

Most recently, Sara Waisglass [from Ginny & Georgia and Degrassi]. We follow each other on social media now and I completely messed up because I don't know how Twitter works at all. I forgot that there's a DMing interaction, so we followed each other and I was like, "Oh, that's nice." And then just recently, I saw that she had messaged me being like, "We're twins! We should be friends!" And I immediately messaged back, "I'm so sorry, let's be friends!"

26. Who's your biggest celebrity crush?

Oh, I have so many. But consistently since I saw Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany. Hands down.

27. Finally, have you ever caught someone watching a TV show or movie that you're in on a flight or anywhere else?

We were all, as a cast, flying to — was it New York Comic Con, or San Diego Comic Con? — one of the Comic Cons. And we were all sitting there and we saw that Legacies was actually on the airplane as an option. And we were all just uncomfortably staring at each other. Yeah, that was surreal.

Be sure to catch Kaylee in Legacies, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW!

[gallyg]

Metroid Prime 4 Wishlist

I recently got almost all of my wishes for Metroid Dread granted, so I figured I'd throw out my wishes for Metroid Prime 4 in hopes of repeating the magic.

Audio Lore

The #1 reason Metroid Prime works for me is the lore scans. It's an elegant way of fitting a LOT of story into an otherwise seamless experience, and for Metroid specifically it helps flesh out a fictional universe that is usually left feeling undercooked.

That said, BioShock did the same thing, and it's hard to understate how much being able to passively listen to lore during exploration helped smooth out the experience even more than Metroid Prime. I'm fine with there also being text lore, but for the most part needing to pause every time you wanted to read some lore felt like a compromise in Metroid Prime.

Why choose between a breezy gameplay experience and a deep lore dive when you can have both at the same time?

Metroid 6: Metroid Prime 4

I don't need another Metroid interquel in my life. Maybe I'll be shocked at the depth of the story they tell, but I'm just not excited about the idea of having another episodic one-off quest in between Zero Mission and Samus Returns. The Phazon saga was great, but it's been over for 14 years.

I'm open to the idea of a game set between Fusion and Dread. Maybe we could flesh out Samus and AI-Adam's relationship a bit more (since they only get on good terms at the end of Fusion and don't interact much in Dread). Definitely don't want anything between Other M and Fusion, though. Samus's depression arc is not where I want to have a swashbuckling Prime-style spinoff. And then of course Samus Returns, Super Metroid, and Other M all take place over like a week so there's not much room to fit in Prime 4 there.

What I really want, though, is to just keep pushing forward. Let's ride this momentum from Dread. I want to see the consequences of Samus's Spoiler-magnet awakening in the final moments of Dread. I think it would make for a great excuse to re-explore the Hyper Mode mechanic from Corruption and a great excuse to finally pull the trigger on the "shady galactic federation" plotline they've been edging us with for three decades.

Official Randomizer

You could just make a mode where the upgrades are shuffled around, but I think they may as well make a mode that shuffles around the major upgrades too. Even though I'd like more story elements than Metroid games typically have, I think Metroid's world design should be fundamentally flexible enough to support a mode where most of the event flags are ripped out and you get by purely on the game systems. I think this because fan randomizers already do this, but it'd be nice to not have to wait years and years to do it on an imperfect emulator or an account-jeopardizing console hack.

U-Mos and the Luminoth

This might seem like a weirdly specific wish, but I get a distinct vibe that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is in danger of being relegated to the status of filler episode, and I don't want that. The mainline Metroid games are very meticulous in making sure every entry is impactful enough to remain relevant forever. The Prime games don't feel as focused.

Sure, Corruption had scant references to Aether, but aside from some Easter eggs in the lore scans, it feels like Echoes may as well not have happened in that game. If Corruption was the first time we were meeting Dark Samus, it wouldn't play out any differently.

And that's fine, but it seems to me that the Luminoth starting to rebuild themselves could be a minor plot point at least. Maybe have U-Mos acting as an ambassador to the Galactic Federation for Aether. Maybe have some sort of email inbox for Samus with messages from various surviving friends of hers throughout the series, and U-Mos checks in on her like a concerned uncle. The exact implementation doesn't matter too much.

The Luminoth are too cool to fade into obscurity. They transcend the "Chozo-lite" they could have been and really cemented their own identity in just one game. But like, they're also Chozo-lite, and I think there's an interesting story there. In a way, Samus and the Luminoth are the same. They're both children of the Chozo, and I'd like to see Samus and U-Mos bond over this fact. Maybe we could even slip another genetic splice for Samus in there.

At Least One (1) Enemy I Need to Bounce Shots Off A Locked Door To Defeat And Some Puzzles With Similar Mechanics

I had hours of dumb fun shooting locked doors with the wrong weapon on purpose in every Metroid Prime game, and I especially loved trying to hit stuff with the rebound shot. I think it sucks that this was never required for even an optional puzzle.

Imagine there's an enemy who can turn faster than you can strafe who is only vulnerable on its back. It's in a room with a plasma beam door, and to defeat it you have to equip some beam besides plasma, shoot the door, have the shot bounce off the door, and puncture the weak point on the enemy's back on the rebound. Presumably they're going to use a more modern Splatoon-style control scheme for Prime 4, so aiming at the door instead of locking onto the enemy you're fighting won't be as awkward as it would have been in 2002.

Sylux? Do Something or Just Die

You can have your own opinion, but personally I've been tired of Sylux speculation for about a decade. They had no character in Hunters aside from "they hate the Federation, who they stole equipment from." Like damn dude, join the club. They did literally nothing in Corruption except exist.

I'll admit that Federation Force did actually create a bit of intrigue for Sylux, but I am not constitutionally capable of tolerating another secret ending teaser that Sylux might be cool someday. Either make them the main villain as some sort of dark mirror to Samus and the baby Metroid OR just put a corpse on the ground somewhere that you can scan and it says, "DNA analysis identifies the remains as Sylux of Cylosis. Also the Metroid died of SIDS." with no further elaboration.

First Person Speed Booster

Not much to say here, I just want Prime 4 to be faster than 1, 2, or 3, and also include the speed booster. JP LeBreton once called fast shooters a dead end of game design, but that was back in 2013, and we've come a long way since BioShock. Alternatively...

Third Person Everything

As much as I like living inside of Samus's helmet, we leave it so often for mini-cutscenes and the morph ball in Prime that I think the game may as well be third person. Maybe keep the scan visor in first person to add to the vulnerability you expose yourself to by scanning.

More Samus Monologues

Something that always fell flat for me in Metroid Prime was Samus's silence, and it's interestingly been a theme in the western-developed Metroid games. Samus isn't exactly chatty, but she certainly has thoughts that we've historically been quite privy to. Now that we're a bit into the paragraph, I'd like to say that if you reply to this post with some mind-numbing dismissal of my point with either an accusation that I don't actually play Metroid or that I don't understand Samus's character: I promise I've played Metroid more than you. I've gotten every ending in every mainline Metroid game AND I'm a Super Metroid speedrunner. Just because someone has different opinions about a piece of media from you, that doesn't mean they're some nefarious adversary bent on injecting bad discourse for the purposes of ruining your favorite video game. Sometimes different people just like different stuff about a thing. That doesn't make them a fake fan. And if you say something to the effect of "we have a game where Samus talks a lot and it's called Other M and it sucks," that's a fallacious argument, and you haven't actually read this post. You just skimmed the bolded sections and got mad. See the previous refutation. I can enjoy everything people typically enjoy about Metroid--the atmosphere, the action, the exploration, the music, and the platforming--while also liking the story more than some people maybe do.

I think Metroid Fusion provides a good example of what I'm thinking of. You get a lot of insight into who Samus is as a person by what she comments on and what she doesn't in that game. Prime games tend to be a bit more open-ended than Fusion, so there would need to be more organic ways of weaving this in than Fusion's scripted sequences. I think having a section of the lore collection called something like "Aran's Notes" or something could be an elegant way of getting Samus's thoughts on events and uncovered lore without having it tied too strictly to specific event flags.

Flash Shift

Prime already kind of has this with the lock-on side hop, but that's always felt pretty limp. Flash Shift felt amazing, and we've had similar mechanics in recent games like Doom Eternal and Control, so it's not unprecedented.

Dread's Aesthetics

Dread has a perfect art style.

Prime 1's Kinesthetics

Something I loved about Metroid Prime is the rough texture of the world. Every area in Prime is packed with incidental detail that you can actually interact with. If there's a bump on the ground, you will experience an elevation change when you step over it. If there's a loose brick sticking out of a wall, you can stand on it. This made the world feel just as dilapidated as it looked, and it gave the game a certain kinetic texture that even extended to the canned animations. The elevators slam down onto the ground. The game over screen is a shrieking electrocardiogram.

I love that stuff. Give me more of it. Corruption didn't have it so much.

Various Legacy Features That Aren't Guaranteed to Return But I Would Like If They Did

Super Missiles as a charge beam combo. It creates a more interesting set of split-second cost/benefit analyses than either Super Metroid or Metroid Dread did with their Super Missile systems.

Hotswappable Beams. And I mean every beam, not just ice like Samus Returns.

Hint System & Easier Mode options unlocked from start. Helps people who have difficulty with navigation and/or combat with whichever of those two it is they find too frustrating.

[found--family]

not to rain on anyone's parade but I don't get why everybody is so happy to see Jensen working on The Boys, and therefor Kripke in regards to "getting away from Spn after it stabbed him in the back".. i thought Jensen called Kripke and that he talked him into "accepting the finale"? don't get me wrong I am super excited for Jensen to get more recognition and stuff but I can't help but think that^ maybe i'm missing/confusing something here?

i mean.. okay, I'm NO expert on the writers of SPN - i refer to my mutuals for the highs and lows and meta of it all, and i also haven't watched The Boys yet..

but Kripke created Supernatural. he's responsible for bringing Dean and Sam and the whole story to life, and for giving us the seasons 1-5 arc. when people fawn over *early spn* that's the era they're talking about: the writing, the character journeys, the cinematography, the visual meta, the vibe.

the thing about the different writers of SPN is - when you read the meta and look through the relative episodes - you can see who prefers focusing on what themes and characters, who is better at narrative cohesion and continuity, etc. BUT there's also TPTB (The Powers That Be) to consider, ie. The CW network folks who have the ability to make creative decisions/tweak what they don't think is on-brand for them, ie. the (conservative) audience they're trying to appease.

-- you should check out meta from @drsilverfish @mittensmorgul​ @postmodernmulticoloredcloak​ and so many others in the fandom (search "spn+meta" in tumblr and see what's what) for insight into the network/spn writer’s room because they know their stuff.

my point is: getting away from The CW and their narrative meddling is a HUGE step up for Jensen. as has been said, The CW (not Dabb, although there is debate on that too) sacrificed the ending of Supernatural on the alter of Walker, so it's understandable and also a positive thing that he's breaking free of a network that screwed over his 15 year-long commitment to them and the stellar journey of one Dean Winchester.

but YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT about Kripke trying to convince Jensen the SPN ending was good for Dean: we've seen the clips from cons + interviews of Jensen telling that story and IT HURTS. Kripke hadn't been directly involved in the show for years at that point, so was he just out-of-touch with the narrative and the fandom? or did he just want to try and get behind the ending of his baby, hype the show that did so much for his career, even if he didn't like it? or did he feel obliged to agree with whatever was pitched to him? 

(IMDB has him listed as 'executive consultant' through season 15 including the finale. I'm not sure how accurate that is or what it means exactly, but it's by no means Creative Control.)

it's obvious Jensen hated the SPN finale, but i don't think he'd squander his freedom in leaving The CW to go work with someone he doesn't trust to do justice to his new role and the narrative as a whole.

i hope some of this fandom's meta writers will enlighten us on these fronts though: Kripke's showrunning of The Boys, Amazon Prime as the distributer and what that means behind the scenes, as well as content freedoms and restrictions and what we can expect from Jensen's Soldier Boy performance! 

(btw: if anyone knows any meta writers in The Boys fandom please let us know) 

whatever the case may be with Kripke saying what he did to Jensen about the finale, we'll just have to wait and see what else comes to light about it, and what he does with Soldier Boy, and how Jensen responds to this new experience on social media, etc.

reports say we might not see season 3 of The Boys until 2022 (COVID being a factor) so we all have plenty of time to catch up on the first two seasons (and the comics too!) and delve into the meta surrounding it all.

i for one am extremely excited to see Jensen 1) in a dark superhero role 2) in whatever form-fitting costume they give him (i hear the fuckmepumps are involved!) 3) cussing his beautiful little heart out.

-- once i binge both seasons I'll probably post a bunch of wishlist items for season 3 and thoughts about the show, but for now I'm just excited and super happy for him being involved in such an awesome project. 

feel free to add your thoughts. 

[mushrooms-and-antlers]

Op's tags that are actually really good:

#Our Flag walks the line like a fucking tight rope acrobat and I'm not gonna let fake fans sleep on that

#like they depict things aesthetically without actually depicting them sometimes

#ill talk about the aesthetics of episode 9 all fucking day

#in universe what happens is Ed signs a paper with an x either because hes illiterate or because he doesnt want to sign it

#and is resting on the assumption that hes illiterate to get away with not signing it either as longform fuckery or to soften the blow #and he signs it to save his white boyfriend from getting fucking shot

#and then he goes to a privateering academy where he does enjoy folding socks and he's liberated from his black beard and hes cool with that

#everything is more or less his choice which makes

it palatable and doesnt completely take the tone

somewhere dark and harrowing

#BUT ALSO what were seeing is the British Military forcing an indigenous man to sign a document and he does so with an x

#and then taking him to a secondary fucking school ass school away from his community where hes forced to change his appearance

#but also they let him keep his hair so that they dont step on that particular trauma

#im vibrating what the fuck is this show

#how do they do it?

#Like seriously this has been a comedy show????? #And don't tell me I'm reading into it too much episode 2 primes us to think about colonialism

And another thing! Literally any queer story that takes place during the colonial age would have a huge gaping hole in it if it didn't have anticolonialism as a theme. Especially one that centers indigenous people. Like the reason that every culture had their own concepts of gender until something happened and then suddenly the gender binary was ubiquitous is because western European colonial powers made their view of gender the only acceptable one as part of christianizing and colonizing the world. You're not gonna have a show set in 1717 in the Caribbean where the love interest is a gay Maori man and the main deuteragonist is a non-binary mestizo catholic and just skip over colonialism. Like these are exactly the people who western gender roles are being forced on at fucking gun point during this era. Jim and Ed are both mixed race characters who's gender and sexual identities are in active defiance of the colonial powers that be. And this is the fucking Stede Ed and Jim show.

And there's something to be said for the fact that Stede's toxic masculinity plot line is internalized and Ed's struggle with toxic masculinity is largely external in the form a white guy who rubs elbows with the British Navy when Ed doesn't behave to his standard of masculinity. That choice didn't come out of nowhere and it shows a deep understanding of where homophobia comes from. That's not to say that precolonial communities of color were paradise for people that we today would consider queer but the rich tapestry of sexual and gender expressions that existed in those communities were erased in the name of colonialism. That's going to affect literally any queer person at the time when OFMD is set. These two things are inextricably linked.

Like when David Jenkins says a lot of what we're taught about being men is wrong, motherfucker who taught us what a man was. Who taught Ed what a man was? Who taught Stede what a man was for that matter? It's the white dad with the English accent who is violent (derogatory) and overbearing.

Like you get what I'm saying right? Like it's a silly little rom com but also it must necessarily be that deep because of who these characters are and when and where they exist.