#DID YOU FUCKING BOTHER TO WATCH EP 5 OR DO YOU JUST PAY ATTENTION WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING??

[fun-k-boards]

Whenever people fail to understand that what we as an audience know is sometimes entirely different from what the characters know I get genuinely heated I need to put the phone down and just breathe in a serene forest or something because otherwise my blood pressure would get to a dangerous level

[cblgblog]

I'm curious about your take on Wakanda being wronged hard in FaTWS, and by Bucky specifically? I haven't seen many people talk about it, but I'm just angry and confused as to why Bucky was to careless and rude towards Ayo and the Dora Milaje, acting as if their anger about Zemo was an overreaction. Hell, Walker got more respect from him in the end than the Dora did

I'm looking at the writers' perspective here, it was their decision and I'm wondering why. What was the thought behind it? Why did they make Bucky so insensitive? At first I thought it had to be some arc, but nothing came from it. I'm wondering what made them look at this series and think "Yes, let's make Bucky screw over the people that helped him".

It wasn't just him wronging Wakanda, it was his behavior towards Sam too, how he was so ignorant during the cop scene, dismissive of Sam's feelings, and obsessed with the shield to a point of lashing out at Sam for things that weren't his fault. Why was this a choice that was made? Bucky didn't have much personality in the other movies, they could've done anything but they chose this, and I think more people should talk about how wrong that is. Not for Bucky, but for the black people in the series who were wronged.

Okay so here’s the deal. One, I’m white, so know that going in, take my take on this for whatever it’s worth accordingly. Two, I haven’t watched the eps since they aired, with the exception of a couple scenes, so my memory—not so much of events but of specific nuances of how Bucky reacted to them—isn’t fresh.

I say that last part specifically because of Bucky and his interactions with Sam, because ultimately they bother me much less than the Wakanda stuff, and here’s why. Bucky is, to varying degrees depending on situation and episode, a dick to Sam about the shield for most of the series. Undoubtedly. But I get that, to a point. He at least explains his feelings in 1x05, why he reacted like that, and admits he fucked up. He had all his feelings for Steve wrapped up, incorrectly, in that shield, so when Sam just tossed it aside (from Bucky’s perspective), it caused him to freak out/lash out. Which was never fair to Sam, but at least culminated in Bucky recognizing that. Sam keeps saying to him that the two of them have not lived the same experience, the shield and its legacy do not mean the same thing to them, and Bucky finally realizes that. He acknowledges that neither he nor Steve grasped the full reality of the situation, and he apologizes. Does that erase what came before? No, but it’s not supposed to. It’s him acknowledging his own ignorance and trying to do better.

So, at least there’s an arc there, which is the other reason his stuff with Sam bugged me less. There was an evolution in his thinking, there was a change from wah wah, you gave up the shield, to oh wait, I kinda get it now. He realizes that his reactions were wrong, even if his feelings were understandable. Which, on a human level, I think they were. It’s a very human thing for Bucky to equate that shield directly to Steve, and take Sam’s rejection of it as a rejection of Steve. It’s understandable how he got there, given the bizarre nature of Steve’s time travel shenanigans, the nearly endless nightmare that Bucky’s life has been since he fell from the train. Losing yet another 5 years when he’s already lost 70+, all the unprocessed guilt and grief that isn’t helped by him having actually the worst therapist ever, oh my God this woman sucks at her job, she’s funny, but she’s awful. His feelings, I believe, were valid, given everything that went down. His reaction to them—the lashing out, whining, refusing to see Sam’s side of it—his reaction was not valid. But at least he gets to a point where he realizes that. At least there’s an arc.

Could they have found a different way to create conflict in the series? Sure, and I’m not gonna argue with anyone who wishes they had. For me personally, I was okay with it. Bucky’s ignorance and misplaced anger made sense to me. Bit of an aside, one of the few scenes I rewatched for this (because Youtube and knowing exactly where it was) was the cop scene, because you referenced. I’m assuming you mean the bit where Sam gets stopped, gets the ‘calm down sir’ treatment. I didn’t think Bucky was a dick in that scene? He seemed aware of what was happening, given his angry, “No he’s not bothering me, do you know who this is?” It’s actually one of a relatively few instances in the first 5 eps where Bucky does seem genuinely aware that he and Sam don’t live in the same world, even when they’re walking the same street, right next to each other. So, as far as illustrating that, and Bucky coming out of his own feelings long enough to pay attention to Sam’s, I thought it was one of the better scenes.

So, Sam and Bucky, I’m less bothered by. Bucky and Wakanda? That’s a hot garbage fire.

Zemo’s whole inclusion here, and nearly everything related to it, was incredibly botched. He’s randomly rich as fuck now, and a Baron, to match his comics counterpart. Which is not only an incredibly lazy retcon, it kills much of what made his character interesting in CW. In that movie, it was one guy, working alone, limited resources, dedicating himself to his cause. If nothing else, you had to admire his tenacity. Now suddenly he’s got a butler and a plane and piles of cash? Where was that in CW? More importantly…why? What purpose did it serve, besides making him more superficially similar to his comic self?

Why did we detour to him at all? None of his plans ultimately affect the larger narrative all that much. He starts out in prison and…ends up back in prison. Why? Why would the Dora just leave him there? Ayo says that they will bring Zemo back to face Wakandan justice…and then they just don’t. They leave him in the hands of the same people who lost him to two random dudes who were able to bust him out of prison on their own, one of those dudes being an entirely human guy, no enhanced powers, no Serum. In CW, okay, T’Challa did a deal with Everett Ross I guess, fine. But once the Americans proved they couldn’t hold him, it made no sense that the Dora would just go, okay, here you go again. They aren’t Batman. They have no reason to keep throwing the baddies in Arkham Asylum to wait ‘til next week when someone breaks out again.

The Zemo stuff had no arc to it. The only worthwhile thing was Bucky proving to Zemo that he can’t be controlled anymore, but that scene could have come about in a million better ways than it did. Ultimately, the weird little team-up with Zemo feels very cliché and contrived. It feels like a trip down a side road that dead ends to nowhere. It feels like filler, which is a particularly terrible crime when there’s only 6 episodes in the damn season.

Bucky’s dickishness towards Ayo and the other Dora really is baffling, especially when the writers went out of their way to give us that flashback, a direct, show don’t tell indication of all the Wakandans did for him. And it’s not his feelings for Steve that have him acting out this way, or at least it shouldn’t be. Steve has nothing to do with this aspect of things. Steve obviously had trust in and respect for T’Challa, and there’s no reason to think that wouldn’t extend to the Dora as well. Strong, badass women who put it all on the line for their country? Yeah, Steve should/would get that. He would have broken Zemo out of prison, if he thought it was the right call to make, but he also would’ve been like yeah, I did that, I understand that I fucked you over, I’m fully prepared to accept the consequences of that once my mission is complete, I’m sorry it went down like this. See the, “I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action,” he gives Phillips in First Avenger, after he goes to rescue the 107th. If it’s an authority he respects and acknowledges as having good intentions (Phillips as opposed to the Accords), Steve will ultimately give that respect back, even if he goes off to do his own thing first. He respected T’Challa and Wakanda. Bucky should have respected them even more, given his more direct connection, given the flashback scene in FatWS, given his acknowledgement that Wakanda and it’s people gave him a rare respite, a calm in the shit storm that’s been his life since 1945.

So yeah, it doesn’t make sense that he was so flippant and dismissive towards Ayo and the rest. It makes even less sense that they put up with it. It’s bad writing, that’s all I’ve got. The show is incredibly irritating, in that a lot of the plot-driven stuff is pretty fucking awful, but most of the character study stuff for Sam and Bucky is so good.

[delcat177]

Text in captions, if that won’t read on text to voice please let me know <3

This is a half-year old, but I only paid Blobs Magician to help me out once and I’m fresh out of delicately painted acorns and he gave me commission rights so I’ll be tipping him a ziploc bag of goldfish later

I feel awkward writing about all of this--there was a bit of jealousy when I got my hyst (not projecting, I was told flat by a trans friend), and I worry that I may be making other people feel alone, anxious, or less-than in their gender by talking about it.  If you feel that at all, please, stop right now.  Don’t look in the mirror, because mirrors are scary. Like, really scary, they have ghosts or stuff probably, but also in the genders sense, so instead, look in your head.   Look at your self.  It’s in there, because it is you.  What is happening to me now is a shell upgrade, a hermit crab moving domiciles.  I was a boy once, then a young man, then a oldman, and now I’m a oldman with a society man shell.  Never mistake the shell for the crab, go “hey crab, I like your shell, I hope you find the perfect shell, because you are the perfect inhabitant” and celebrate that crab.  Because we are all crabs, and we are all beautiful, and we all deserve the shells that reflect us as individuals, and anyone who says otherwise can fuck off into a spiny urchin bush and not have a shell.  Or.  Something.  Did I say I felt awkward?  I AM awkward.  But anyway, drive-in movie totals and such after cut, potential TMI, and protect yourself love yourself, you lovely crabs <333

 (with cut ‘cause longtext is looong)

(ORIGINAL POST)

Alt-text: I'm always the last one to know

so uh

I'm a blithe idiot and somehow never processed or dared to dream that this was possible

which makes the timeline look SPECTACULARLY dumb but I was going through SO MANY LIFESTYLE CHANGES

HYST DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

2017: Me: Man, living in the townhouse has really amped up my leg game, all that up and down stairs.

Me: I'm down ten pounds since the hyst! Megan: That's probably your natural weight. Me: That or getting there.  Not surprising, I'm not feeding the beast constantly.

Me: *punches Megan playfully in the arm* Megan: OW goddammit Del that hurt like SHIT! Me: oh my God I'm sorry I didn't mean to! Megan: It's okay, just be careful! Me: That's so weird I'm sorry D8

Me: man is it just me or am I good in bed lately? oh right I'm the only one here...I guess it's because I'm more confident?

Me: ghghjh my hair's thinning out at the temples, well been expecting that one for awhile, at least it waited for 30

2018:

Me: Holy shit, the stairs plus the shopping is paying off!  My thighs are HUGE!  I wonder if cracking a watermelon with these bad boys is hyperbole.  I bet I could though.  I BET.

Me: Down to 162 and holding, fuck you past doctors!  I just needed ENERGY goddammit!

Me: Wow, I've lost a lot of weight from my face especially.  That makes me super happy.  Anyway better pluck these stray hairs.  ...have I been yanking these more lately?  Getting old is weird.

Me: (struggling with shorts) Megan: Do you need a belt? Me: I'M WEARING A BELT (lifts shirt to reveal belt double wrapped around hips) Megan: Well then Me: I just need to buy new shorts, my ass is just GONE Megan: In the meantime maybe pay attention to what underwear you have on Me: yeah thank God for boxers

Me: My acne scars are heck of acting up.  I wish I hadn't picked at my face so much as a kid, I guess the pores are just kinda fucked, I've read about that happening.

2019:

Megan: New shorts look good Me: I am so bad at shopping Megan: At least you have them now Me: I'm an assless chap is all Megan: Go to bed Del Me: It's four in the afternoon

Me: My throat feels so *thick* lately.  I haven't been hitting the vape that often, why does it feel weird?  And why am I noticing my own voice more?  I NEVER notice my own voice, I make a point of it.  Am I subconsciously pitching it lower like I used to do talking on Skype because I'm more socially active?  What is my brain I'm so AWKWARD Me: UGH I'm falling back into derma habits, I haven't picked in my face in years, I think I need to change cleansers.  But...my face looks...good?  I guess I had this hiding under that baby fat all these years.  ...I guess? Me: Am I getting a hump from my bad computer posture?  Shit. Me: Oh no, it's not a hump, my shoulders are starting to put on muscle!  That's a relief.  That must be from the...laundry?  Carrying...laundry?

AUGUST 5, 2019: Me: (lying in bed) 2 + 2

Me: wait why am I putting on shoulder muscle now?  I've been doing laundry for years, and it's never done that.  And my legs didn't get this buff with a routine job where I was walking three hours a d--

Me:

AUGUST 14, 2019:

New Endocrinologist: We'll test your levels to make sure it isn't a pituitary gland issue or (some syndrome I've already forgotten the name of), and it could be because there's some small element of testosterone in the estrogen replacement, but the brain does produce androgens.  We can definitely look into switching you to T if you want, but if it's facial hair you're worried about...well, once the follicle is there, it's there.  These are irreversible changes.

Me: No on that then but irreversible,, like,, what I have now,, is forever,,,,,,,?

New Endocrinologist: Forever, and I would expect to continue to see muscle gains if you work out.

Me:

welcome to my second puberty please be aware it apparently involves as many mood swings as the first one but i'm tryin'

Since then, it’s been continuing confirm, confirm, confirm. 

My acne turned out to be little follicles growing in odd places--not fullblown hair, just enough to irritate the skin while it was developing. Tiny tufts of 1-3 entirely white, downy hairs have popped up in a few places on my breasts.  The real fuzz proliferation has been in the southern quarters--with all delicacy, there is no itch like the itch of hair beginning to grow anywhere sweat can proliferate, and I now understand why cis men scratch privates in public.  Having NOT gone through a unified social experience with a peer group accepting of such measures, I am sure there is footage on grocery store cams of someone with an agonized expression walking like he has a weasel down his pants and worrying that 30 is early for hemorrhoids.  Both have settled in for the most part, leaving me with a very fluffy, barely-there peach fuzz mustache that’s only noticeable in the right light, some spare hairs across my chin and neck that I keep in order, and a profound relief that I prefer boy shorts and swim trunks.

I went through a few weeks of being especially rank despite all the showering and was worried that was my new normal, but apparently T sweats be like that, and I’m back to smelling like...whatever I smell like, probably lavender with our fabric softener.  I experienced what I believed was a relapse a month later that turned out to be a false positive--specifically, our thermostat was slowly dying and frog-boiling us until it got hot enough that my sister also went “dear God it is a sauna in here”, leading to replacement of the faulty element and another notch in the “my life is dumb” bedpost.

My face bonebs, which I frankly expected the least out of (when I wasn’t expecting at all), have slowly but surely been rearranging, a visual effect doubled by the much faster redistribution of fat.  I honestly have no idea how this one works.  I know more about dead bonebs than live ones.  I would doubt it if I didn’t have pictures to back it up.  I would say it’s easier to look in the mirror now, but I already stated my opinion on mirrors, do it too much and a skeleton will pop out.  It WILL.  My brain tells me this and it is never wrong about fears and or phobias.  Don’t do it kids.

If there’s been a single most beautiful moment so far, it’s been getting back into Steven Universe after a long hiatus, opening my mouth to sing the opening like I did years ago, and realizing all at once that I was singing falsetto.  I ran it back, dropped a register, and the first names I sang became those who would believe in me most.  There were tears, and later, showing it off, there were fierce hugs.  (Yes, the first ep I watched once I realized was Stevonnie, and YES GARNET GOING “GO HAVE FUN” wah)

I can’t begin to express the validation--I am no gender essentialist’s data point, this is MY experience and no one else’s, but I keep going “my aunt had a hyst and didn’t transition and I had one and I am because my brain makes androgens my brain makes androgens MY BRAIN MAKES ANDROGENS IT HAS BEEN MAKING ANDROGENS ALL THIS TIME IT HAS BEEN TRYING” and living in that, living in “not even SCIENCE is against me”, which is a tremendous thing as a scientist.  (As a scientist, I would be a blithering dullard to claim this is the only thing that affects or proves my gender, and I do not.  Again, TERFs fuck off.  This is simply a very validating thing to me, personally, in my experience.  I’m not thrilled that I have to underline that this hard dammit internet.)

What lies ahead is...I don’t know!  I thought I was done changing, but the post I saw that nudged me to finally do this on here went “you may stop being able to cry for awhile” and this is Important because I have been trying to figure out if I have Sjogren’s but apparently I have androgens which is slightly easier to pronounce.  I’m not sure how I feel about that, because transitioning is a lot of “I’m not sure how I feel about this” and then things being okay.  I would definitely say that the more I learn, the easier it is to feel steady and normal, which is important because the mood swings have been REAL.  This is more than I asked for or bargained for, but I still only have one regret, and that’s that my hyst scars are just slightly asymmetrical and it Bothers Me, but even that is growing on me.

I don’t know how to end this post.  I love you all to death, and I hope if you’re seeking transition, you find it and twenty dollars, and if you’re not seeking transition, you still find twenty dollars.  Thank you so much for you and all you do and are.  Remember--you are great!

Unless you’re truscum.  Then this post isn’t for you (dammit Internet) and you can fall off a boardwalk onto a dead fish.  Have fun with that!

hekk

[thegeminisage]

alright im about to watch 5.03 of merlin for the 2nd time ever

because if i dont do it now i may NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE

but first i wanna get out of the way that i thought merlin convincing arthur to keep the ban on magic in 5.05 because he was trying to thwart ~*~destiny~*~ or whatever is the laziest writing ever, it’s unsatisfying for the audience, it renders the rest of the last season utterly pointless, it’s unfair to merlin and arthur, and the tonal shift of the show from farting trolls in season 2 to full greek tragedy in season 5 was completely unwarranted and i feel TRICKED as a human person because i expected the end to be bittersweet and make me sad, not table-flipping angry, and i do not at all have high hopes for the finale

but i can ignore something having a “bad last five minutes” i did it for life is strange and final fantasy 13-2 i will do it for merlin but honestly 

speaking on 5.03, after it was over the first time i was like “i can never write my fanfic now because nothing i ever do will be as good as that” but i’m really relieved in that way that that was apparently the last good episode of merlin because now i can continue my work in peace and maybe hopefully even actually finish it

okay commence the liveblog:

love that arthur and merlin are down to just jump off their horses whenever random women start screaming in the distance. season 5 could have been so good, they’re so much more grown up and in sync with one another, i absolutely LOVE their #vibe

it was interesting to me also that arthur DEMANDED a fair trial for this woman despite her being accused of sorcery. god, he was SO CLOSE?? that hatred of magic just can’t really take root in him especially with uther gone...arthur may be an asshole in the early seasons, and he may be quick to anger and quick to lash out in that anger, but it’s just not in him to be cruel, especially needlessly

EVEN THIS LADY IS LIKE “u showed kindness and compassion” arthur is a Good Boy deep down he is he IS he didn’t care a bit about that horn she gave him but still politely said it was beautiful

although lmao the way his face changed when she said it was magic...that’s the STUFF

lowkey losing it at athony head in the credits. i was looking to see if he’d be in the s5 ones since he’s dead and didn’t see him in 5.01 or 5.02 so when i DID see him in 5.03 i was like haha no way did they pay to put him in here i guess i just missed him the first couple of times BUT I WAS WRONG

like, in buffy, they spend an entire episode trying to decide whether or not to necromance their mom or whatever and she doesnt actually APPEAR IN THE EP they never SEE her i thought this would be an episode ABOUT uther i didn’t think uther would be IN it

love that from the get-go arthur’s face screams “i am thinking about making a terrible mistake” and merlin’s face is like “he is thinking about making a terrible mistake”

i’m quite proud of merlin in s5 actually. bad writing aside he uses multiple braincells many times per episode. it’s a vast improvement. same energy as clary from shadowhunters right down to getting shafted in his final season

ive said it before and ill say it again gwen looks SOOO GOOOOD as queen

if this is the anniversary of uther’s death then (if you go by 1 season = 1 year) arthur just turned 30...it’s been nine years and change since merlin met him, and by the end of season 5 it will have been an entire decade

in an otherwise increddibly heavy episode arthur panicking and throwing all the apples out of the bowl so he could cover the horn with it is absolutely priceless. season 5 if nothing else has really hammered home for me what a TERRIBLE liar arthur is - merlin got good at it fast out of necessity but arthur can’t hold a poker face to save his LIFE. “leave it.” “why??” “because i’m telling you to and i’m the king of camelot” buddy......

we were ROBBED. if there had ever been a day where arthur came to accept merlin’s magic but still had to help merlin hide it there could have been an entire episode of arthur nearly blowing merlin’s cover because he’s a nervous nelly and at the end he goes “i cant believe you have had to do this 24/7 for YEARS without a single friend to help you” and merlin goes “well now i have you” anyway.

i love also that repeatedly when arthur goes to do something scary by himself he also brings merlin. they LITERALLY are two halves of a whole

“you’re threatening me with a spoon??” i can’t tell you about the unfortunate fanfics i have seen involving The Spoon. i shall also not mention the ones involving The Glove. we will not speak of it

I CANNOT BELIEVE STONEHENGE IS IIN MERLIN. i got so agitated i did not pay one bit of attention to the conversation following its reveal and me and cathy and had to rewind so i could listen properly

my hate-on for stonehenge goes thusly: stonehenge apocalypse, starring misha collins, is @callowyn‘s favorite movie. i have seen it 45 times. i hate it nearly as much as she loves it. it’s an age-old battle

merlin is so intense when he looks for signs in arthur that he DOESN’T totally hate magic...arthur using magic to see his dad again is one of those signs. he’s willing to turn to it in desperation - maybe he’d be willing in less desperate times too

“my father was taken from me before his time” i mean...he was practically in a coma. so like. he wasn’t

love that when arthur mentions merlins dad ONCE he immediately looks like he’s about to cry. mood. i also want to cry every time i think about merlins dad

up until the moment i laid eyes on uther i was SURE they werent actually gonna do it. i came into this thinking it was a FLASHBACK EP

for the record (and believe me i NEVER thought i’d say this) even though i waited and waited for his demise and cheered when he was gona for good...i really missed uther in season 4. at least with uther you know what you’re getting. agravaine (his replacement as “evil guy who keeps us from being able to solve our problems too easily”) was a slimy cowardly CREEP. and in season 5 i WISH things were as simple as “work around uther’s pigheaded unreasonableness”

for a hot second i really thought uther and arthur would have a nice conversation where they reconciled or said something heartwarming. i was worried about an uther redemption arc - this guy is responsible for the genocide of magic users, he doesn’t deserve redemption - but this show said NOT TODAY and they said it QUICK

WE

ARE

SO

BLESSED

i have A LOT of issues with season 5 but JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS WAS DADDY ISSUES 2.0 BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD

repressed trauma returns: harder better faster stronger!! that’s the STUFF

was i not just speaking the other day on my fanfic ask meme about how i love emotionally intense stuff? this is IT babey

uther’s such a bad father! he’s with his only child again for the last time in ever and all he does is tear him a new one! this is why arthur’s such a fucked-up human being (morgana too) 

i’m THRILLED we got to revisit this. his eyes get bigger and bigger and he starts fucking stammering and by the time uther’s done calling him weak and a failure he looks ready to CRY. i was HOLLERING. i still couldnt believe uther was even HERE and not only is he HERE he’s a WRECKING BALL

“this CAN’T be the last time i’ll ever see you” oh buddy you’re gonna wish it was

and he looks back, as he leaves. of COURSE he does. just like lot’s wife. so it goes.

you know how at the end of every supernatural episode sam and dean debrief and talk about their feelings in the car? for merlin and arthur it’s almost always done around a campfire at night - sometimes in arthur’s chambers or other places, but usually out here in the wilderness where it’s just the two of them. i’m...really going to miss it, when it’s gone.

“my father doesn’t approve of the way i’ve chosen to rule his kingdom” “you mean YOUR kingdom”

you know i don’t think i really got...like, fundamentally, on a deep level...that merlin fucking HATES uther

i’ve seen him save uther’s miserable life so many fucking times that i thought for merlin it was kind of the way it was with gwen - he feels nothing for him, but he looks after him for arthur’s sake (or as i came to understand later because he’s professor x about the whole thing)

but the way his expression got SO UGLY when arthur revealed that uther just shit-talked him the entire time...holy fuck

between that & some other stuff that happens later it really paints a clearer picture of like...uther’s dead so merlin doesn't have to hold back anymore and he FUCKING HATES HIM?? like obviously he SHOULD bu i just never SAW it before this. merlin LOATHES him. it’s INCREDIBLE to witness when he bore it so silently for so long. maybe even merlin didn’t realize just how much he hated him until now

and not to get too real here but if youve ever been friends with someone who had an abusive/toxic parent or was in an abusive/toxic relationship and you watch them feeling like shit after and they start making excuses for that asshole like “oh yeah he’s right about x” and you just want to find this horrible person and THROTTLE THEM that emotion is like ALL OVER merlin’s face rn. i didn’t actually seriously "”ship”” merlin and arthur until late season 4/early season 5 (i didnt like dislike it i just wasnt actively bothered by a lack of it) and what changed was this vibe. merlin wants to kill uther all over again just because he made arthur feel this way. he’s so fuckijng PROTECTIVE

and he still almost manages to drag a smile out of him via roasting, god bless these 2

ok so i didnt believe this show would actually DO THAT re: putting uther himself in this ep but i was doubly shocked by the fact that he HITCHED A RIDE AND GOT OUT

me shrieking during this entire poltergeist sequence: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD IT’S REALLY HIM?? HOLY FUCK HE IS LITERALLY HAUNTING ARTHUR I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE DOING THIS I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE GIVING US THIS etc etc etc

actually most of that was probably muffled nonsense because i was yelling with both hands over my mouth

percival’s the realest motherfucker on this whole show. dude survives a murder attempt in which he got an AXE lobbed at him by the fucking GHOST of a power-mad genocidal king and he’s like: yeah idk i guess it fell

there was thunder in the bg for this WHOLE ep and i’m Big into it

absolutely CACKLING at the bit where merlin has to ask arthur if he looked back at uther’s spirit. it’s one of those nice big heavy questions - so heavy, in fact, that arthur can’t answer, can’t even LOOK at merlin, either because he’s ashamed or because he’s bugging out or both. you thought this shit was over? it’s never over! daddy issues are a lifelong ride, pal! arthur’s just get to haunt him literally this time. god it’s so fucking good

can i just say? merlin reads that damning silence reeeal well. and it’s a big, heavy thing to know about arthur - but then again he knows all the big heavy things about arthur

the score for this episode is really good too...very suspenseful and good, adds a lot to the atmosphere, keeps it from getting too slow

there’s a hint of merlin’s absolute HATRED of uther in this conversation again - the way his face tightens when he says “uther would do anything to protect his legacy and that makes him dangerous, who knows what he’s capable of now”

and arthur dismisses him because he can’t hear this but merlin almost refuses to leave - and when he DOES leave, he doesn’t take his eyes off arthur for one fucking second. he stares him down all the way out of the room. i don’t think it’s because he’s angry with arthur, per se - he’s angry with uther, and he knows uther in a way arthur never can or will, as someone ruthless who will kill without warning or remorse. he’s afraid of uther and he’s trying to get arthur to be afraid of uther too before it’s too late and LSDKFJGHSLDFJH

if you’re thinking “thats a lot to interpret from one look” yes it is but i’m right. IT’S A BIG, HEAVY LOOK. NICE AND LOADED. love unpacking all of that

i cant believe this dude tried to KILL GWEN like he really is coming after everything that makes arthur happy. im so glad it was merlin that saved her. i really do think merlin is her best friend

multiple times in this serious arthur fidgets when he’s nervous or thinking, usually with his hands near his mouth. i am endeared to him. my poor boy

“i always knew my father could be cruel but why would he do this to gwen when he knows i love her” BECAUSE HE’S CRUEL

merlin knows. merlin knows his cruelty much better than arthur. boy does he know. i’m dying. it’s fine

love that at this part of the ep we slide seamlessly into the “merlin and arthur are both scared shitless” section which was truly one of my favorite things about the s4 opener. they’re both so fucking jumpy and giving each other shit about being frightened and continuing to be frightened anyway. the DELICIOUS IRONY of arthur finally being scared of uther in the way merlin has been scared of uther for Y E A R S oh my god it’s so GOOD

do also love the entire silent conversation they have when deciding what to do about the door. this is what i mean by their upgraded vibe.l in the early seasons merlin wouldn’t have understood and his lack of understanding would have been played for laughs. now they’re totally in sync

here’s the thing, gaius could have made this magic “able to see uther’s ghost” potion for just arthur and he didn’t. he made it for both of them. everything arthur does merlin does. they’re partners in all things. they’re COMPANIONS. and this is why i finally now Ship It. tragic.

you know this is a kind of weird comparison but late seasons arthur reminds me JUST a bit of gwaine. he complains so much less that he sort of has that same “roll with whatever” vibe to him. pretend to faint so you can steal some guy’s dagger? why not. take this foul potion that may kill us? sure, let’s do it. come what may he’s not really fussed. much more unflappable

until he starts getting spooked again LMFAO 

we do love a good pair of spooked dumbasses. this is charming and entertaining.

leon HAD to know they were lying about poetry. he probably thought they were having.......a tryst,

love also that even in this very dire moment merlin does NOT miss the chance to have some fun at arthur’s expense. that’s true friendship

i got jumpscared three separate times during this ep and one of them was when uther was glaring down merlin and arthur in the hallway after leon left

arthur didn’t jump but he did go hunting after him and to his credit he does not look scared. he looks like a man who is trying to deal with his business and get his shit together

merlin made that FACE again when arthur expressed sadness at hunting his own father because all he ever wanted to DO was make him proud

honestly it’s like since he can’t shit-talk uther he just sings arthur’s praises instead like this here is a guy who is just barely holding his tongue about how fuckin pissed he is. i cant believe it

splitting up was the WORST idea. have they not seen scooby doo??

love that when merlin gets cornered by uther’s ghost and gets scared he yells for arthur and when arthur gets scared because his torch blows out he yells for merlin. you fools, why did you SPLIT UP

uther locks arthur in the room with him, which is already some top tier content, but doubly good? it’s the same room in which arthur nearly ran him through in 2.08. don’t think i didn’t notice. i did notice. i was shrieking into my hands.

seriously this is a pretty calm liveblog but the first time i watched this ep my face was like this the whole time: O O

just kept going “HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK OH MY GOD” over and over. it was greeat

“arthur your fatal flaw is that you put too much trust in other people” do you think arthur, who now has a complex about people betraying him, ever forgot that for one second in his entire life afterward? me neither

speaking of 2.08 arthur dropped some FACTS “your hatred comes from fear” i'm sure they didn’t do it on purpose but #throwbacks

i’m fully experiencing human emotion. “i’m not you, i can’t rule like you did” he’s trying SO HARD to fight his way out of that bullshit

also lmao arthur like “then you’ll have to kill me” and uther like “yeah okay” arthur didn’t KNOW how this man was this could have been SUCH a good awakening

AND NOW IT’S TIME

FOR MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS EPISODE

when i say merlin hates uther. WHEN I SAY MERLIN H A T E S UTHER

HIS LINE HERE. ok. “get away from him, uther. you’ve caused enough harm” he’s furious! he’s GROWLING! 

“you are just a serving boy” “i am much more than that” listen. human words cannot express the emotion that ran through me. when they said “we’re gonna bring back anthony head as uther” i doubted. when they said “he’s gonna be the bad guy and reopen all of arthur’s old wounds” i doubted. when they said “he’s still here LITERALLY haunting arthur who now has to HUNT HIM” I DOUBTED. i didn’t believe they’d do any of it until it was happening on my screen. but ONE LOOK at merlins face made a MOTHERFUCKING BELIEVER out of me. i knew exactly what he was about to do. pretty sure i gasped “NO” in astonishment

AND HE DID THAT

HE👏

DID👏

THAT👏

NOT ONLY. DID I SHRIEK ALOUD. FULL SCREAM. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME. BUT JUST NOW. WHEN I WATCHED HIM DO IT AGAIN. MORE SCREAMING.

how LONG do you think merlin had ACHED to do that

to show himself to uther for what he was, what he REALLY WAS, someone to be reckoned with instead of someone to be overlookedd, without fear of consequences

i can’t even like

like just imagine the triple rush of 1. satisfaction 2. rage 3. lingering habitual terror

i think at this moment merlin was closer to and more like morgana than he had ever been and maybe ever will be again. because the two of them have so much in common but one thing i didn’t really clock until now is how much they both hate uther

it’s so good. uther is SHOCKED and DISMAYED and this is like merlin’s old fear come back from death too (getting found out by uther) while at the same time being a dream come true (getting to tell uther what he really thinks, who he really is - “i was BORN with it!”) he’s so ANGRY! he is LIVID!)

he’s also really SATISFIED like “even while you were king there was magic at the heart of camelot” GOD how long has he been WAITING for this and not even realized it

and like then uther starts spewing his hateful bullshit and stalking forward with the intent to kill and my guy merlin who should be terrified STANDS HIS MOTHERFUCKING GROUND and says right over him “you’re wrong, you’re wrong” for thirty beautiful seconds merlin really got to be free. i know i will keep comparing things to 2.08 until i die but it’s just like when arthur was almost ready to kill uther in cold blood because for one perfect, brilliant moment he really and truly saw clearly the world as it was. i really love these moments...the strength of their respective convictions is so gratifying

merlin yeeting uther through a door is also gratifying although i have no idea what he hoped to accomplish by following without waking arthur first

i. LOVE. that the camera lingered a little on the spears or whatever after merlin walked by them. nice little foreshadowing moment

THOSE SPEARS GOT AWFULLY CLOSE BUT IM PRETTY SURE UTHER MISSED ON PURPOSE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO TAKE HIS TIME. HIS MISTAKE

okay merlin spent the better part of a lifetime dreading uther’s death sentence and here’s uther stalking down a hallway sword pointed at his chest and certain death is IMMINENT and what does merlin’s face look like?

arthur comes in with the rescue and INSTANTLY his expression changes to?

IT’S BETTER IN MOTION BUT HE LOOKS READY TO CRY

my immediate thought: oh jesus what if uther outs him

i knew he wouldnt bc of spoilers but i would bet a benjamin that that was merlin’s first thought too

tbh. i wish he had.

i kind of wonder if merlin doesn’t wish the same thing. like yes being outed like that is terribly violating and he’s terrified of telling arthur obviously or he would have already but at the same time there would be so much relief once it was finally out. no more secret-keeping. no more burden

i mean, if you go back and watch it, dude’s straight up shaking. he’s trembling all over. he’s losing it. that last teary glance they exchanged.......

uther was two SYLLABLES away from blowing the whole thing

and in a better happier canon where arthur knows and was waiting for merlin to tell him this is like double angst because uther wouldve ben blowing something for them both

i like arthurs followup of realizing that he’ll never be able to please uther (step 1 of breaking away from the cycle of abuse) but for the LIFE OF ME

i will NEVER be able to understand why they segued into this GLOVE THING

i’m not talking about the glove thing

i will say however that by the end of this episode i was so hysterical i had to get up and get water and pace around my kitchen for ten minutes fanning my own face

and that’s it. that’s the second-best episode of merlin and the last good episode there ever was

[nightttdreamers]

You’re in the Band! (Klance) Chapter 2

Hi! Here’s the second chapter of a fic I’m currently writing which is basically a Voltron band AU, focused on Klance but w/ other stuff too ofc.

AO3 link

Hope y’all like it! Feel free to show some love if you do. Thank you!

It had been a month and Lance still didn’t know anything about Keith.

The band met up at least twice a week, usually three times, for a few hours. So, it was safe to say that all of the members were pretty close. When it came to Hunk and Pidge that was true, Hunk was basically family and Pidge knew everything there is know about Lance. But Keith might as well have been on a different planet. In fact, Keith went out of his way just to make sure that his private life was confidential. Every one of Lance’s attempts to learn more about him (“When did you get that guitar?” “Have you always lived in New York?” “What shampoo do you use?”) were shot down with some vague response and a shrug.

Keith had become such a mystery to him that Lance started a new note on his phone, titled “THINGS I KNOW ABT KEITH”

1: hes a guitar god and were not worthy of him

2: he travels a lot (stickers on his guitar case from weird places)

3: likes pidge more than me

Number three really got Lance heated. Although inside she was a softie, Pidge was snarky, sarcastic, and cynical, not exactly the “friendly” type.

Eyeing the other two from his spot at the minifridge stack, Lance was practically fuming while he eavesdropped on some argument Keith and Pidge were having.

“...but it’s just people shooting at each other for ten movies!”

“What? You can’t just simplify it like that!”

“Star Trek takes place in the future, they have women in power ! It’s showing what humanity can do!”

“Star Wars is an entire other universe with complex history that makes logical sense -”

“Jar Jar fucking Binks!”

“Guys! Guys,” Hunk said, stepping between the two and placing a hand on either’s shoulder. “I understand that being huge nerds is really important to you, but please, stop arguing. Star Trek is science fiction and Star Wars is fantasy, you can’t compare the two.”

4: keith prefers star wars over star trek

Keith stepped away from Pidge, who just stuck her tongue out at him. They did this almost every rehearsal, come in either gabbing over something weird or fighting over something weirder. Ever since Keith volunteered to escort Pidge to her apartment after a late-night practice, the two were always bonding , and the sight made Lance want to gag.

Not that he was jealous, or anything. That’s stupid. He didn’t even know Keith! Why would he be upset that the guitarist liked Pidge more than him?

“Um,” Lance cleared his throat, putting his drink back into the minifridge and stepping over. “Not that this -” he gestured to the three. “-isn’t important, but can we rehearse? That thing that people usually do when they’re in a rehearsal?”

After some affirmations, everyone had moved into their spots. Keith either stood between Lance and Hunk or against the back wall during rehearsals, never showing interest in claiming a space for himself. It kind of made Lance uneasy, like Keith would just leave at any moment, because if he was gone there wouldn’t be anything to even show that he was in Voltron. Which is why Lance tried to have him learn the whole album and be ready to record in a month. Thanks to his un-fucking-believable talent, Keith was ready, as was the rest of the band.

“I think we should just play through the whole album, make sure it’s perfect, no stopping,” Pidge suggested, simultaneously typing out something on her laptop.

Hunk nodded, responding, “If we’re all good, we should record later this week. Album out as soon as possible.”

“Can we even call it an album?” Asked Keith, not looking up from his guitar tuning. This caught Lance’s attention, Keith voicing his opinion? He usually put in his two cents about chord suggestions or timing, but never actual band stuff (another thing that made Lance uneasy; He was unsure if the guitarist really cared about the band). Keith clearly picked up on Lance’s surprise, looking at the other and straightening up. “I mean, it’s really an EP. There’s only seven songs.”

“Officially, it’s an EP, yeah, but it would be an album if we could pay for that much recording time,” Pidge replied.

Lance rolled his eyes, grabbing the mic. “Guys, EP, album, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just play!”

It took a few tries, but they managed to play all the way through, perfectly. The album (well, EP) was just comprised of the band member’s favorite songs out of the dozens they’d written, so it had actually been finished for months. All they’d needed was a guitarist (check) and an actual recording (soon-to-be check).

And they sounded great . As great as they could, at least, in the recording they would layer on more sounds and then sound awesome .

“Guys, this is gonna sound awesome !” Lance said once they had dispersed. There were a few positive affirmations from the group, who seemed to all be in a hurry. “Should we go out? Celebrate? Get drunk and watch bad movies? Get high and watch bad movies?”

Pidge tucked her laptop into her backpack, then made a beeline for the door. “Love to, but I am late for my shift, later!”

Lance’s grin faltered, since when did Pidge get a job? He turned his attention over to Hunk, texting on his phone.

“Hunk? Buddy?”

The bassist looked up, quickly shoving his phone away. “See, uh, I kinda have plans. Plans with this girl-“

“YOU’RE GOING ON A DATE?” Lance shouted, dropping his backpack and rushing to Hunk. “Is it with Shay? It’s totally with Shay, just tell me it’s with Shay!”

Hunk tugged at his collar, glancing away. “... Maybe.”

Lance grinned, wrapping his arms around his friend. “This is your night, dude! Woo her! Remember my advice!”

“Your advice sucks.”

“So then remember not to follow it.”

Hunk slid out of Lance’s arms, heading towards the door. “Thanks, man. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck!” Lance shouted after him as Hunk left.

Why didn’t he tell me he had a date? Especially with Shay? He’s been trying to ask her out for like, a year.

“You okay?”

Oh, right. Keith was still there, his brows furrowed. That was his default face, just looking confused and disinterested and pissed off. But, he sounded pretty concerned.

“What? Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Um, you look really sad.”

Lance straightened up, grabbing his backpack again. “I’m not sad, I’m just… confused. If you had been trying to go out with a girl for, like, forever, and you finally got a date with her, wouldn’t you tell your best friend?”

Keith shrugged. “That would never happen, so, I don’t know.”

“Why not? You got the whole ‘bad boy’ thing down, chicks love that.”

Keith just shoots Lance a look (not just any look, an are-you-fucking-kidding-me-you-idiot look), and shrugs again, kneeling down to open up his guitar case.

Lance pursed his lips, folding his arms.

5: he really hates me

Maybe Keith wasn’t the best person to ask for advice, or talk to, or just interact with in general. But he got along so well with Pidge when they talked about nerdy stuff, so what was the issue with talking to Lance?

“So, you like Star Wars?” You sounds like someone’s awkward dad, that’s why he always gives you that look, why do you even try?

“I guess,” Keith says, picking up his case.

They fall into another silence and Lance contemplates being swallowed up into the abyss right there.

Okay, McClain. You’re a people person, conversation is your thing. Use your charms! There’s gotta be something he wants to talk about.

“How’s being in the band?” Lance asks the other, just as he’s about to step through the door.

Miraculously, a hint of a smile tugs at his lips as Keith turns his head away. “It’s cool.”

“And what about the EP? Any thoughts?” The cuban boy asks, stepping closer.

“Not really.” Fuck , Lance thought they were actually getting somewhere with that.

With a dejected nod, the singer slides by Keith and steps through the door. “Okay, then, see ya.”

Why do you even fucking bother? Who cares if you don’t know everything about Keith? Maybe he’s secretly a shitty person who kicks puppies and-

“I like robbers.”

Lance turns around, on the sidewalk outside of the Garrison. He quirks a brow at Keith, standing in the doorway behind him. “What?”

“The song, robbers, on the EP. I like it.”

Lance exhales, smiling. “Oh, the song. I thought you meant like, burglaries and stuff. I don’t know why you’d mean that, that’s stupid, unless you’re really into being a thief and stuff. I don’t judge, well, I kinda do, how can you not-” Lance catches sight of Keith’s face, which did look less pissed off for a moment, but is now reverting. “I’m sorry, uh, I talk a lot.”

Keith nods, unamused. “I can tell.”

Oh no, they will not fall victim to another awkward silence. “Why do you like robbers?” Lance blurts out, nearly shouting it.

Keith steps out of the doorway, beginning to walk. He tilts his head in the direction he’s going and after a moment of being unable to read a social cue, Lance follows alongside him. “It’s a good song, it’s… different.”

“What do you mean, different? Like, good or bad different?”

“Neither, it’s just not the kind of song I thought that I’d like.”

Now it was Lance’s turn to knit his brows. “What kind of music do you usually like?”

Keith paused, glancing over to the other. He looked hesitant, then shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to walk. “Rock.”

“Wow, you’re picky, that’s not a broad genre at all, very specific.”

“Okay, classic rock.” Lance rolled his eyes, sighing and making sure Keith could hear it. “You can’t just ask someone to narrow down their music taste like that!”

And then, Lance’s heart did a little thing in his chest because, fuck , Keith was actually pretty cute. Especially when he was mad, his voice cracks and his shoulders stiffen up. Lance can’t help but crack a smile at the sight.

“Dude, chill, I’m just asking questions.”

Keith looks away, turning his attention back to the sidewalk before them.“Right, sorry.” The two were quiet for a second, but it wasn’t as awkward as before.

“So, classic rock?”

“Yeah, classic rock.”

They spoke for some time about their tastes in music, and music in general. It seemed to be the only subject Keith was good at speaking about. Every time they drifted towards another topic, they’d end up right back where they started. But, Lance didn’t mind. In fact, he actually liked talking to Keith.

“And you write all the lyrics?” Keith had asked, later into their walk.

Lance nodded, beaming with pride. “Yep! Well, Pidge and Hunk sometimes give me ideas, but, the actual lyrics are all mine.” He pulled out his phone, opening it to his notes and handing it to Keith. “They’re all under ‘song lyrics.’”

Also, the best part about talking to Keith? He made the singer feel like an actual member of Voltron. In the past, if he ever brought up that he was the songwriter, reactions were typically “eh” or “what instrument do you play?” To which he’d have to go through the awkward “oh, none, I just sing.” But, Keith was actually really interested in his lyrics, and Lance felt great.

“Yeah, I just write down lyrics all the time, whenever, wherever. Once I have enough little sections, I put them in my notebook. Editing on a phone is just easier, though,” Lance explained.

There was a silence from the other boy, then, “I don’t hate you.”

Lance looked over to Keith, then glanced down at his phone in his hands. “THINGS I KNOW ABT KEITH” was in bold atop the screen. Suddenly, Lance regretted everything ever and wanted to crawl into the manhole that was just a few feet away. They’d call him the manhole-man, and he’d never have to face Keith again.

“Do you think I hate you?”

Lance shook his head vigorously. “No, no, I just- uh, okay, so, I thought you hated me, but that was like, an hour ago! Then, we had this whole bonding sesh,” his hands gestured to the two of them. “And now, I don’t think you hate me anymore! Right? Unless, do you?”

Keith’s expression was blank save the curl of his upper lip, giving a pretty good clue as to how he felt. “No, I don’t hate you. Why would you even think that?”

Lance flung his arms out, shrugging (once again, too exaggerated). “Uh, I dunno, maybe it’s because every time I’ve tried to talk to you for the past month you’ve responded in five words or less. Or because the three times, I counted, I’ve asked you to hang out you’ve declined before I could even finish asking? Not to mention that you only talk to Pidge and now, apparently, Hunk? And it’s not really an uncommon thing for people to hate me, like it’s a daily thing! Should I go on?”

Now, he could read Keith’s expression. He looked… embarrassed? No, that was guilt in his eyes, for sure. And then, that guilt was all over Lance’s face as he straightened up and frantically waved his hands.

“But it’s fine! I get it, you’re just not a big talker! It’s okay!” Nice going, asshole, first you think he hates you, then when he says he doesn’t, you give him a reason to.

“I just… I don’t really talk to people often,” Keith said, the way he bit his lower lip slightly before speaking catching most of Lance’s attention. “I don’t mean to come off like an asshole, okay? I don’t hate you, so this whole list is wrong.”

“The whole thing?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, handing the phone back over to Lance. “I’m not a god, chill. I just really like guitar. I don’t travel a lot,” he gestured to his case, which was on his back ( how did that not hurt? ). “These stickers aren’t mine, I’ve never even been out of the country. I don’t like Pidge more than you, nor do I like Star Wars over Star Trek, they’re incomparable.”

And just like that, Keith Kogane made Lance feel like an idiot. An idiot who keeps tabs and notes on people instead of just talking to them, which defeats his purpose of trying to know someone better by blocking that person out instead.

For lack of anything else to say, Lance simply stopped, gesturing to the building behind him. “Um, I live here.” And, once again, trying to make conversation; “Do you live close?”

Keith shook his head. “No, I actually live across town, west side.”

“Seriously? That’s like, really far, man. Why would you walk me all the way here?”

Keith’s response, unsurprisingly, was a shrug. “Like I said, I don’t hate you.”

With that, Keith turned around and walked back in the same direction they came from, and Lance watched his figure, although mostly obscured by the guitar on his back, fade away.

Wow.

Later that night, Lance was in his bed, scribbling in his notebook.

They call me the manhole man.

I just don’t feel whole, man.

Because I feel like an idiot, which I am.

And you’re just there looking like, damn.

Not all of his lyrics were great.

“Where’s the Redbull?”

“That shit’ll stunt your growth, Pidge.”

“Hm, interesting. Never heard that before, what’s also interesting is I don’t give a shit.”

Lance rolled his eyes at Pidge, resting his headphones around his neck. She didn’t seem to care, returning to whatever tech stuff that was happening on her computer and launchpads.

Keith, who after the Almost-Disastrous-Walk-Home incident a few nights ago began to actually speak with Lance, chimed in, which was something the band hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. “Lance,” he said, gesturing to what was occurring outside the recording booth.

Hunk was leaning over the soundboard, his attention (that would usually be on the board) turned to the girl working it. His eyes were all big and soft, like how he looked when he saw a cute animal video or well-made desserts, totally fixated on her. Shay, the aforementioned girl, was beep boop ing over on the board (a technical term, according to Lance), explaining to Hunk as she went along.

“Hey! Hunky Hunk!" Lance shouted, to no reply. The door was open, so there was no reason for him to be ignored right now. "Tonka Truck! Fudge Chunk! HUNK!” Lance continued to yell, waving his arms. This, after too long, earned the attention of Hunk, who quickly hurried into the recording booth.

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized hastily, picking up his bass.

Shay leaned into the mic outside of the booth, gesturing for everyone to put their headphones on. “Okay, guys, we don’t have that much time to record, so try and make it count, okay?”

The group gave a few positive cheers and nods, Keith even gave a thumbs up! (Which was probably not as monumental as Lance thought it was.)

“Alright! Ready?” Shay asked, waiting for another affirming response. “Awesome! Voltron, track one, take one. And… go!”

It took all day to record the album (or EP? They never clarified). The group arrived at Balmera Recording Studios at seven in the morning, and left at almost midnight. It was a long, draining day, filled with plenty of caffeine breaks and yawning. One thing that made recording easier was the knowledge that their time was discounted. It helped that their bassist was dating the girl working at the record studio, and this earned them a pretty good deal. However, the catch was that it was only for a 12+ hour session.

It worked, and they got the discount. But, they paid the price of complete exhaustion by the time they were done.

“One last thing before you guys go,” Shay said, just as the group was halfway out the door. The four members simultaneously turned their heads, each of their expressions dull and lazy. “I just need the song titles."

Lance nodded sleepily, pushing past everyone and moving at a snail’s pace to Shay.

“Just type it in, right on the computer.”

self titled: an EP by Voltron

1.  I’m not Famous [E]

2.  Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me)

3. The Beach

4.  New Perspective

5.  Robbers

6.  All Over

7.  i heard you were looking like the moon

[r-o-se]

ALMOST 101 thought-comments on ep 3 of Produce 101 S2

1.      They are showing the kids journals and practice things. I feel so so sorry for people who have trained for like…. 5 yrs and still cant debut its fucking DEPRESSING

2.      Everyone are talking about how they wanna get to A and nowwwwww they’re revealing the new grades I’m gonna be SAD

3.      Bunch of good kids downgraded to F including Ren and Guanlin and Jinyoung poor boy cant look up from the ground I am REAL SAD BOI

4.      ENTIRE YUEHUA FAM IS D RANK NOW I AM SO FUCKING SAD AAAAAAHHH ALL OF MY KIDS

5.      MINHYUN WENT DOWN TO D I AM SO SO SO SO SAD A G H ITS NOT HIS FAULT HE DOESN’T DO WELL UNDER PRESSURE

6.      K-TIGER BYUN HYUNMIN GOT FROM F TO C AND ENTERED WITH A FLIP WOOOOO

7.      TAKADA KENTA GOT TO B MY DUDE they even said his Korean pronounciation is better than some of the other trainees I’m so PROUD

8.      JR GOT TO B MY BOY MY BOY MY BOY MY BOY IM SO PROUD MY BEAUTIFUL WARTORTLE SON IM SO SO PROUD AHH

9.      And now he says he was too sad about Ren and other NU’EST members who stayed at their grade or went down by one (Minhyun and Ren dropped a rank, Baekho stayed at D) to feel actually happy this is the fucking sad self sacrificing leader I know that boy would cut his leg off for NU’EST to get reciognized again

10.   HYUNGSEOB GOT FROM D TO A WHO HAS NO TALENNT IN SINGING? WHO?? NOT THIS BOY FUCK Y E A H THIS IS THE BEST THING

11.   Kim Taedong from the Vibe Label got from F to A holy fuckk

12.   WOOJIN AND DANIEL GOT BOTH UP TO A

13.   Seriously this is the best bromance of the entire season Daniel dotes on that kid so hard its so fucking cute

14.   They are announcing A grade reevaluations out loud??? Sounds scary ngl

15.   Entire original A grade stays at A grade this really is some hardcore aces all gathered together

16.   They are going to choose the first center now and no one really knew about it, the A ranks are gonna do a one minute performance/choreography within a hour and then everyone will choose a center from that

17.   Everyone are like what on earth do I do right now within a hour

18.   First is Daniel my pink boy who has THREE CATS!! Important information yes anyways hes rapping from a paper and i

19.   Noone pays attention to BNM Park Woojin poor kiddo ppl are like ‘the not Daehwi from BNM’ ‘The other Woojin’ but now he came out and HE DANCED SOS WELL AND RAPS SO WELL WTF DUDE HIS DANCE IS REALLY GREAT WHY WASN’T HE PICKED

20.   Another BNM rarpper kid, Im Youngmin, who rose from B to A but his nerves got the better of him

21.   Soooooooooo many rappers in A rank holy damn

22.   HYUNGSEOB SMALL NERVOUS KID

23.   He apparently had major problems with the time limit and messed up real bad and said he was sad as well I am sad too poor kiddo

24.   Now it’s the kid who came from F to A. He started clapping and everyone did it with him but he FORGOT HIS DANCE MOVES POOR KID AND PPL STILL CHEER FOR HIM IM GLAD

25.   Now it’s time for the little Woojin

26.   HOTSHOT SUNGWOON!!!!!!! His vocals are soooo good goddamn

27.   Other vocally talented kid, Kim Sungri ended with a damn flip

28.   Dance kids Noh Taehyun (IMPORTANT) and Ong Sungwoo

29.   And now the two mains, Samuel and Daehwi lol

30.   Daehwi went off from others and is kinda hiding because he doesn’t want others to know what he’s doing lol

31.   Samuel does some fast rapping and then a really neat and sharp choreo

32.   Daehwi aka the one who wins this im rlly anticipating this ngl

33.   Hes doing the og Pick Me song for I.O.I with really cheesy aegyo lol and I mean its cool but…….. BNM WOOJIN SHOULD’VE WON I don’t even stan that kid but he was sooooooo good

34.   The two candidates for center are Daehwi and the little Woojin

35.   They are now practicing for the big stage

36.   Why blur out the center lol we all already know it’s Daehwi

37.   Ren is so in distress it’s SAD lil boy went out to cry I love him so much gdi he’s more than a pretty face APPREACIATE HIM

38.   And roll the same stage ive seen a bajillion times lol they didn’t even bother switching out the individual shots of kids

39.   JUSTIN AND KENTA LOOK SO GOOD IM SHOOK

40.   I don’t know if it’s the flaw of my laptop but the thing I’m watching this from has such bad and laggy audio rip

41.   I’m really glad they showed that Kim Youngjin kid who was completely edited out from the first two episodes and overall just a bunch of shots of F graders it makes me happy

42.   Now it’s time for the group battle thing and unlike last season with a 1000 vote benefit its fucking 3000

43.   Everyone under the 61 rank will be dead

44.   The evaluation songs are 2PM-10 out of 10//Beast-Shock//BTS-Boy in Luv//Seventeen-Mansae//EXO-Call Me Baby//INFINITE-Be Mine//SHINee-Replay//Super Junior-Sorry Sorry

45.   Totally unrelated to the stuff going on there rn but I’m super excited to see the Infinite performance I fucking LOVE Be Mine and it’s choreo

46.   The teams get chosen by randomly drawn trainees, first is Daehwi because, yano, center

47.   He takes Hotshot Sungwoon, Brave Samuel, Maroo ent Jihoon, Cre.Ker Haknyeon, C9 Jinyoung, Yuehua Euinwoong AKA the kids that are popular/choosing for popularity not ability lol no hate to any kids I love them but I mean… you know lol

48.   Next is Minhyun, He chooses individ. Kim Jaehwan, MMO Kang Daniel, YGk+ Kwon Hyunbin, Fantagio Seongnwoo and NU’EST JR

49.   They don’t know the other teams in that detail rip

50.   The last kids, 5 F ranks and one D rank make up the last team sighs poor leftovers

51.   Now they’re gonna race for the songs, one B rank redhead is going to run barefoot, I don’t know his name but I’M ROOTING FOR HIM NOW U GOT MY VOTE

52.   Unlike last season, only half of the trainees can get a song they want, the first one to get back with their song gets it, later the ones who made it back first get to choose their opponent from the slower ones

53.   Omg the barefoot B rank is SO FAST I’m just gonna link it here because I cant get a good screenshot just click on this entire comment it’ll open in a new window

54.   Minhyun tried to get Boy in Luv but Daehwi was few seconds faster it is SAD TIME

55.   The fastest in the race gets to choose an opponent first, the slowest last.

56.   Fastest team chooses the leftovers team as their opponent

57.   Minhyuns team gets chosen last bc theyre so hardcore

58.   Omgggg Justin, Zhu Zheng and Ren are all in the Replay group this is HEAVEN

59.   Their rival team with A.Tom, MMO Taewoong and Jaehan are all more intimidating looking guys who really don’t fit the Replay softie concept and they are in despair sighs goddamnit Zhu WHY DID U CHOOSE THEM U ASS

60.   ANYWAYS now to other teams, one team got Infinites Be Mine and wow one of the dudes, Im Youngmin from grade A knows the full choreo and says it’s easier than the Nayana choreo

61.   The first team just discovered that Sunggyu sings 90% of the song and see who gets to sing it

62.   Part goes to FNC Yoo Hwiseung who has such an amazing high note everyone stare at him

63.   WOODAMMMM AND HIS GR8 VOICE he’s gonna get the main vocal part to Mansae everyone are sooooo hype

64.   This is the leftover team who goes against the Woodam Mansae team and they don’t have any good vocals sighs this is so sad poor little kids this is so depressing I just want everyone to do well

65.   Beast Shock team 2 only trainees I know is Donogsu from S.How and that’s it rip

66.   Team 1 has one of the D grade YGk+ kids and Minhyuk who ranked last during ep 1 andddd I don’t know others annnnnnnnnd that group isn’t getting shit done they just play around and don’t get anything decided sighs

67.   The avengers team has Baekho’s team as their opponent

68.   Team 2 has Kim Sangbin from grade A as their salty leader aahahah

69.   Fun fact when I first heard shock I thought they said ‘chug’ and I never really bothered to check it until my Beast biased friend called me out lool he doesn’t think they fit the manly man image for Boy in Luv

70.   BAEKHO STEPPED UP AND SAID THAT THEY HAVE GOOD DANCERS LIKE SAMUEL AND JIHOON PLEDIS FAM ISN’T DEAD

71.   ‘Since they are all popular they are gonna fight over the center position’ aahahah FUCK he’s right they are doing excactly that

72.   JIHOON ACTED WITH BIG BANG???????? WHAT??? W HA T ???

73.   Jihoon became the center that’s what happens when u act with bigbang

74.   JINWOOS TEAM HAS CALL ME BABY he’s the second to last chosen team sighs but he’s with the shy kid Dongbin, Han Minho and pink haired Seokyu with that scandal of him getting beaten up ugh poor baby

75.   Anyways that group has a dance off for the center position and even though most preferred Minho they didn’t say it out loud so Dongbin got it but… he isn’t too good with singing rip

76.   The other Call Me Baby team has Moonbok and everyone are kinda thinking that this team will win just because of him lmao

77.   But Moonbok has major problems learning the choreo so hes both their strong and weak point

78.   SORRY SORRY TEAM 1 HAS HA MINHO and also Kim Namhyung and Cube Yoo Seungho making them decently a strong team unlucky enough to go against Minhyun’s

79.   MINHYUNS TEAM AKA DREAM TEAM THANK U MINHYUN FOR CREATING THE TRUE AVENGERS

80.   Sungwoo said that JR gave leader vibes from the moment he saw him and everyone agree

81.    JR is beating himself up again about becoming the leader I’m so sad if this group is not gonna do well he will take it so bad I’m scared to even think about it

82.   Hyunbin suggests Sungwoo and Daniel for center, Daniel says it’s the best for Sungwoo and everyone agree and Sungwoo fake ugly cries and it’s beautiful I’m so glad my team is friendly

83.   10 out of 10 team has Jisung and Kim Taemin, Jisung gets called ‘artificial flavour’ lmao and Jae Chan becomes the Center

84.   The other 10 out of 10 team has Park Woojin from BNM as the leader and Hotshot Taehyun who actually can do the choreo hook. They also have Yuehua Hyungseob, GON ent Eunki and Yongbin whose ent I forgot but hes the one with the pretty nose lol

85.   Taehyun knows the choreo in another way from as it’s written down and it feels a bit heated

86.   The first team has problems doing the tricky chore but the second one gets it pretty well + they have the K-Tiger Byun Hyunmin so its easier for them

87.   First team has serious problems WHY DID THEY CHOOSE SUCH AN ACROBATIC RIVAL

88.   Now they’re preparing for their stage makeup and clothing and whatnot aaaaaahhh I’m so EXCITED everyone are looking so GOOD

89.   2PM 10 out of 10 teams are gonna go on now I’m SO EXCITED FUCK DUDE

90.   Jisung gets called the ‘master of facial expressions’ that’s a pretty lame name for the meme god

91.   Cut to the practice, team 1 is pretty fucking sad and their center Jae Chan makes mistakes with both singing and dancing

92.   Jisung gets praised for his dance and whatnot, Jae Chan asks for more timie to practice, the rest of the team shut him down and make Jisung the center

93.   This choreo is pretty gay ngl and the song is GREAT

94.   They threw confetti on themselves lmaoo

95.   ONE OF THEM DID A BALLET TWIRL SO CUTE

96.   Team 2 is veeeeery ambitious but Hyungseob is having problems with lyrics

97.   Park Woojin and Taehyun are having problems bc Woojin is the leader but Taehyun leads more and Woojin is sad aw

98.   People are crazy about team 2 lol poor team 1 2 has three A ranks and the k-tiger

99.   Ngl I liked team 1 more but I mean….. 2 flashed abs and flips so they are def gonna win sighs

100.   Can’t believe Park Jihoon is gonna sue Ahn Hyungseob for winking

101.   Lmaoooo Kim Taemin rated the other team 8.5/10 for their performance, Hyungseob said the first team was 8.4/10

102.   It just hit me I wont see like half of my kids again ever after this wow now I’m fucking sad fuck you mnet

103.   SOMEONE CALLED JISUNGS NAME AND THAT BABY STARTED CRYING AAWWHH ‘I was reciognized by someone’ FUCKING CUTE

104.   Oh my god they are revealing the results now I am SADDDD

105.   HYUNMIN SCORED OUT JISUNG I AM SAD

106.   HYUNGSEOB GOT 163 VOTES??? WHAT THE FUCK???????

107.   TEAM 2 WON???? BUT THEY ONLY HAD TWO PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT THE VOTES IN IM SO ANGRY TEAM 1 FUCKING DESERVED THIS AAAAAAGHHHHHH

108.   3000 votes is so much that’s so fucking much

109.   Anyways this was sad 

110. FALSE ALARM FALSE ALARM THIS ISNT OVER I JUST DISCOVERED THE CALL ME BABY CLIP THAT WASN’T UPLOADED BEFORE AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH SAVE ME

111.   Anyways 111 what a gr8 number lets watch Jinwoo be amazing as he always is

112.   Team 1 center is ‘age doesnt matter’ Hyunwoo and he just got scolded by Kahi

113.   Team 1 has Moonbok and Hyunwoo, team 2 has Jinwoo so who’s the real winner here

114.   Kahi lets two other members, Donghan and Woncheol to try out for the center position, Donghan does really well, Woncheol not as well. Hyunwoo apparently looks too strong and ‘not sexy’ in the center position loool

115.   Donghan becomes the new center and Hyunwoo cries poor kiddo ugh 

116.   Moonbok has an energizing effect on everyone ngl its cute lmao he also hides behind Hyunwoo while riding piggyback and pops out during one moment aahahahahah

117.   Aaaaaaaand its STARTING shit son the harmonies are nice, their main vocal is REALLY good and Donghae does amazingly as the center

118.   I mean Moonbok energizing others and being enthusiastic is cute but they are overhyping him a loooooooot

119.   Ok but... let me see Jinwoo... pls... THERE HE IS IN AN OVERSIZED PLLAID KINDA THING

120.   Apparently this team was pretty problematic while practicing and as far as I know they also 1) where the second to last to be chosen and 2) lost this competition ugh

121.    Their center, Dongbin doesn’t know his parts and is.... not good sighs I’m sad he also started crying

122.   Jinwoo has to do all the hard singing parts because he’s the only compentent vocal in the group and just..... ugh poor kid he is going to kill his voice I’m so so so so so sad

123.   LEZZ GO JINWOO IS SO GOOD PLEASE PPL PAY ATTENTION TO HIM 

124.   Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhahahah all the teachers are on the edges of their seats because of how those makeshift vocalists are doing

125.   If Jinwoo doesn’t make it though this evulation I’m going to be really, really, really, really, REALLY sad  

126.   Team 1 has only 2 positions that overdid team 2 positions but they still won bc Jelly Heeseok and Moonbok brought so many votes in. Jinwoo did alright though, not too good but alright

127.   Team 2 lost. Obviously. Ugh. I’m just... sad dude

now it’s really done and it was even sadder than I anticipated

ring me up when u wanna cry about p101 im always up for that 

[carterhaughs]

some more charlotte + haxby stuff (which I already talked about extensively here) lol I’ll spare the tag another long post under a cut:

Given all the scenes they shared in ep 2 where Haxby sees how Charlotte and her family live and that scene with Mary, I don’t think Haxby’s feelings for her are purely hatred - they included that scene of him praying over Mary’s dying body - he initially said “all harlots are damned” but then ended up praying for her soul and I think there’s a reason they bothered to show us that as well as giving him so much screentime with Charlotte and seeing how things might be for her under other circumstances. There’s simply too much development and too many shared experiences there for him to be a flat antagonist - it would render all those scenes (and the wonderful acting in them) pointless - and would do the same for scenes where he’s been vulnerable in front of her, like the scene with the chamber pot I discussed here and a certain scene in ep 5 too based on what I know from spoilers anyway. 

Speaking of ep 2, that episode is what made me think he’d develop a weird crush on her (was not expecting hate sex but I’ll take it) and maybe keep her secrets for howard because he understands her better now - where she comes from and why she is this way. like I said, there’s a reason they had him witness all that I think and there’s a reason he was at Mary’s deathbed with Charlotte. it’s her profligate spending that really drives the wedge between them and I can’t really fault him for that because she really doesn’t HAVE to spend that much. and I think part of the reason she does is that she’s just very irritated by the whole system and is extremely self-destructive. we see that in the scene in the gambling den with howard and lucy where she keeps increasing his stake just out of irritation really. but that’s also what makes me think eventually she’ll work with Lady Caroline and/or Haxby. it’s telling that neither character is mentioned in any of the spoilery episode summaries beyond ep 5 I think. their involvement will probably be somewhat unexpected. 

Something else I noticed rewatching ep 2 was how Haxby observes Daniel flirting with Charlotte while she’s on the verge of tears next to the dead body of her old friend Mary lol she turns around and sees him watching (then turns back and takes a big swig of ale!) but his expression is neutral though obviously he’s paying attention and he doesn’t say anything about it to Howard later which is interesting to me (even though he did the first time he saw them together)

I couldn’t write a post about these two without further analysis of That Scene, so here it is - first, my friend @honeychurches‘ perspective, then mine in the next bullet point: “So he’s always sneering and disapproving but that was the first direct challenge to her power in the household. And obviously she’s desperate to feel she has control at that point, everything’s slipping. His reaction is quite powerful. Like he’s frozen at first, but his arms are quite visibly shaking. I don’t know that that means he’s ~violently repressed~ his attraction to her, but at least speaks to the depth of the connection. I wondered if her initial ~enjoyment was performative, she does play a role in sex. Is she smiling bc that’s what she does? I think she smiles bc it’s a high at first, her effect on H and sense of control. She is enjoying it, and whatever their connection is it’s a hell of a lot more real than with her culls. The kiss is super interesting to me, bc they didn’t have to? She’s just grabbed his dick, this is definitely heading in one direction. But not only does he kiss her, passionately, but there’s that intense look right before he does it. It’s all more intimate than you’d expect. The placement of their hands is also super significant I think, like a waltz. Her left hand perches on his shoulder while their others lock together. It’s weird she doesn’t do anything else with it, she just keeps replacing it on his shoulder as though she’s lost for what to do - probably symbolic of her loss of control. She’s initiated this but can’t gain the upper hand - in a dance the man leads, the woman follows. I think it’s a reversal of the beginning of the scene where she physically shoves him against the wall, against gender type. She laces their fingers together, which is quite intimate. When they finish, H’s hands still seem to be shaking (like seriously, GOOD JOB Ed Hogg) as they recover. Basically this scene is fucking intense and I totally bow down to the actors. HOTTTT.”

A lot of great observations above, esp re: it being like a waltz! Here’s my own response to my friend’s thoughts re: That Scene. something @calamity-bean pointed out too was the way he dropped the candle - symbolic bc of the candle scene earlier with lucy and charlotte? but starting at the beginning of your analysis - this was exactly that - the very first time he actually told her she couldn’t order him around, which is kind of true - he’s not a footman or a butler, he’s an estate planner whose place is generally with Lady Caroline but Howard’s ordered him to be here. this is not in his job description - looking after her and letting her boss him around. and as we’ve discussed before, charlotte engages in this act bc it’s the one thing she feels she has control over - that it’s the one beast in her life that is “an easy beast to tame” as she tells Lucy. it was impulsive but it seems like she figured she’d get a rise out of him, they’d have some sloppy sex and he’d be embarrassed at how much he is within her power to command. instead he responds enthusiastically and as you noted, passionately - I was surprised they kissed, for example, I thought they’d get right down to business. and he is shaking, probably for a number of reasons - repressed passion, frustration with her, as well as perhaps even fear and adrenaline at the realization they’re doing something very dangerous for both of them. but when they do have sex, as you said, he takes control - partly because a part of him likely really wanted this and partly because he wants to show her he’s a man I think (which as we discussed was what that smug look he gives her at the end seemed to be about) and yes you’re right it’s strange she just keeps her hand on his shoulder - she seems to be dissociating a bit from the situation but at the same time, she laces her fingers through his which is interesting and definitely very intimate. but YES by FAR the hottest scene on the show - I can’t imagine anything could surpass it really; it was beautifully acted, analytically chock-full of character and relationship detail, and also just really sexy? good lord. that scene revealed so much about both characters but also added a bit of mystery on charlotte’s end in the sense that she seemed weirded out by the whole thing and she didn’t get what she wanted out of it - a sense of control - we see that in her face at the end. but at the same time…the hands seem important here. perhaps she felt a sort of connection she didn’t expect to have? it was an act about trying to regain autonomy but it seemed to turn into something else at the end there - a connection she wasn’t really expecting between two people who have been feeling very deprived of their autonomy and rights by the same person. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Haxby was attracted to her before this but maybe she also felt something for him there…we’ll see. possibly not ever fullblown romantic but it is intriguing to say the least

the only thing that makes it seem possible to me that they’ll cotinue to develop this relationship in whatever form it takes in the future is the fact that the show has spent so much time developing it, really, and the different ways it could play into the show this season and in future seasons. so I’ll retain a sliver of optimism, however unlikely, that they’ll at least get to interact more and that Ed Hogg, who I always love watching on screen bc he’s amazing, will get to stick around.

[minimoll7]

Answer all questions from the cartoon ask thing, bro >:DD

1-3 have already been answered!

4) A cartoon you wish would be forgottenYou know, aside from popular mean-spirited stuff, I don’t think I have one. I’m so generally chill with plenty of cartoons that I’m not bothered enough to want them to basically vanish

5 has already been answered!

6) The worst moment you’ve ever seen happen in a cartoonHmm the one I can think of from the top of my head was that episode of Jimmy Neutron were Carl is pregnant and gives birth. Like the only good scene from that was Jimmy saying he’ll whisper it in Sheen’s ear so he could scream it out, which he did. But aside from that? That entire episode was strange and uncomfortable (tho puking in cartoons, like 6teen and Total Drama, are terrible for me to lol)

7) The worst thing you’ve ever seen happen to a cartoon that ruined itLike ruined for me personally? Nothing lol I love just about every cartoon I’ve watched and those I don’t like, I didn’t really like from the start

8) A cancelled/forgotten cartoon you would bring back to televisionGah so many! But.. I’d have to say SWAT Kats then. There was so much potential dude! Tho that’s for older cartoons, for newer ones I’d say Generator Rex. It was more recent but feels forgotten Dx

9) An animated character you remember but nobody else seems toSMAKKO nah he was never actually animated lol hmm I actually don’t know? Because these would tie in with shows that barely get noticed so I can literally sit here and list characters just from one show. I really can’t answer this one Dx

10) An animated character you hate the most, and why?I tend to strongly dislike most petty popular girls, just not my thing, but the one character I hate to no end is Jessie from Pokemon. Like yes she’s funny and works really well with James and Meowth, but there’s so many things about her that I just can’t stand!

11) A non-animated property you would like to see as a cartoonA StarFox or FNaF cartoon, that would be really cool! Like for SF, it could be story based and for FNaF it could just a comedic spooky show. Like bruh, it would be so cool!

12 has already been answered!

13) A currently airing cartoon that you know is going to be forgotten about in the futurePenn Zero: Part-Time Hero for sure, but I already brought this one up in a different ask soooo idk if this counts since its a Netflix show since it doesn’t air like others but Skylanders Academy. Its really good, the humor and animation are great! And I heard Cynder’s coming along in the next season which is exciting!! But it already gets so little attention to begin with, aside from loyal fans, this show is going to be forgotten real quick

14) The best episode of a cartoon you really likeThe Good Old Days! from Fairly OddParents. While Looney Tunes sort of began the interest in the old school black and white style, this ep is what really got that interest rolling. Its just so cool to look back on what cartoons originated as and seeing newer ones pay homage to it and this episode blew my mind! Its such a cool ep!!

15) The worst episode of a cartoon you really likeThat one ep of Jimmy Neutron I answered in that last ask could fit here but I’m not gonna repeat myself. Sooo for this case, I’ll put One Size Fits Ed from Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy. Making Jimmy that big and fat was just gross to me, I really didn’t need to see that

16-17 have already been answered!

18) The worst idea you can think of for an animated seriesSpongeBob gets an adult spin-off show like Ren & Stimpy did

19) At what point did you realize a cartoon, any cartoon was starting to get bad?*looks at SpongeBob and FOP* uhhh when the writing began to suck and Nickelodeon keeps milking the series (I mean thank goodness FOP is getting an end. Those first 5 seasons were good enough, we didn’t need more thanks)

20) An experience with a cartoon you thought you were going to like but turned you away from itI can usually tell right away if I’d like a cartoon or not so honestly, I don’t think I have one?? Every cartoon I’ve actually tried I end up liking. There were a few cases where I got interested in a cartoon but ended up turning away because I found out it was: for little kids, mean-spirited, gross, or way to gory. But I found those out before actually watching the show. Tho I remember seeing the Warden from Superjail and I really like his design and was considering on trying the show out but then I found out just how fucked up it is so I guess that could count?

21) Something you would like to see more than anything in a cartoonSmakko returning to his long lost siblings in the upcoming rumored Animaniacs reboot lmao like seriously, I’m not joking, I want this

22) What do you feel makes a cartoon forgettable?Poor writing and character designs. This can make anything easily forgettable honestly