#Emily in Paris recap

[whosebob]

“Arrival fallacy is this illusion that once we make it, once we attain our goal or reach our destination, we will reach lasting happiness,” said Tal Ben-Shahar, the Harvard-trained positive psychology expert who is credited with coining the term.

[jasmingrace]

My list of great French movies🥖

-Le fabuleux destin d’amelie poulain

-la folie does grandeurs

-les choristes

-la grande vadrouille

-a bout de souffle

-Les 400 coups

-Pierrot Le fou

[fangirlstuff1901]

Emily in Paris Season 4 Thoughts

Another wild season of Emily in Paris is over and I wanted to share my thoughts. Even though I do enough of that on Serializd – which btw I use a lot so follow me there because I obsessively log every episode of TV I watch there lol. So yeah anyway I guess my main thing this season was that I was refusing to ship Gabriel and Emily because, let’s be real, if they were going to be together I feel…

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Representation

Oh, so NOW child abuse is bad. Could have fooled me last episode!

Let's get into the twenty-fifth episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Representation

We start off with an English news report recapping the ending of “Revolution”, stating that Ms. Bustier is going to run for mayor, conveniently ignoring her attempted coup in “Collusion”. We also see that Gabriel and Tomoe are still uncomfortably focused on making Adrien and Kagami appear to be a couple in public, much to their dismay. While Kagami is visited by Argos (who once again sneaks up on her, like he usually does), Adrien realizes he can transform into his space form and see Marinette whenever he wants and transforms into Cat Noir, planning to reveal his identity to Marinette. Hey, did he even tell Ladybug about his sudden departure? Because it didn't go well the last time he left Paris without telling her (New York Special).

We then cut to Marinette right after the events of “Revolution”, going to the end of the year dance... even though when we saw Adrien and Kagami in London, the sun was still setting, and France's time zone is only about an hour later, meaning Adrien and Kagami must have flown there at ludicrous speed.

Meanwile, Argos and Kagami somehow got from London to Paris offscreen, and watch Marinette from afar, with Kagami revealing she knows she's Ladybug. They decide to tell Marinette that Felix knows who Monarch is in order to ensure his downfall. Nah, I'm just kidding. Here's the real reason they're coming to Marinette for help.

Kagami: My mother and Gabriel Agreste will never allow us to love each other freely. Only Ladybug can help us.

Yep, rather than prioritize the fact that Gabriel is endangering the citizens of Paris on a daily basis, Kagami is seriously more concerned about her relationship with her boyfriend being tampered with. This is like saying Lex Luthor is evil because he cheats on his taxes. Argos transforms back into Felix, and... oh, for the love of God... he disguises himself as Adrien in order to get closer to Marinette. You can't keep portraying Felix as this master of disguise if he only has ONE disguise!

Marinette sees “Adrien” and assumes he came back from London from her, assuming her boyfriend is much more active that the writers actually believe he is, so she tries to follow him while avoiding the guests at the party. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Tomoe learn their children are gone, so he goes to talk with Nathalie and—why the hell is she like that?

Seriously, this has never been established as something that happens when someone uses the broken Peacock Miraculous. Why didn't this happen to Emilie? She looks pretty healthy in her little coffin, and I doubt Gabriel is an embalmer.

Anyway, after Nathalie once again reminds us that she hates Gabriel, but not enough to call the cops on him, Gabriel transforms into Monarch and immediately detransforms back in order to akumatize himself into Nightormentor.

Nightormentor is a pretty average recolor of the Collector's design, which kind of makes sense, considering that Gabriel himself intended the Akuma for himself. The star pattern is okay, but there's not much I can really say. As for his powers, he's just another Sandboy, being able to force people to hallucinate their worse nightmares, only instead of a pillow, his weapon is a staff created from a pen containing the Akuma, with the Horse Miraculous' Voyage to boot. Why he didn't just give himself the same powers he gave Truth when he's trying to find Adrien is anyone's guess.

Cat Noir arrives at the Eiffel Tower to talk with Marinette, just as Nightormentor appears. The two fight, and after a few civilians get caught in the crossfire, Nightormentor escapes through Voyage. As Cat Noir heads to the Dupain-Cheng bakery at the advising of Max, Alya and Nino decide that the totally not useless Resistance should get involved.

While Marinette gives chase, Felix leads her into the school's art classroom, where he transforms into Argos and creates a Sentimonster using Kagami's ring. Felix and Kagami use the Sentimonster's power to do... uh... whatever the hell this is.

Yeah, this is basically a flashback, but the animators probably blew their budget needed for the new models on Ms. Bustier's baby bump, so we're getting this instead, thanks to the Sentimonster Argos created. There are several scenes of Cat Noir and Nightormentor interspersed, but like what I did with Marinette's flashback in “Derision”, I'll give you the summary before I talk about my problems with this.

When Adrien's mother and aunt, Emilie and Amelie, were born, Emilie (who was born seven seconds early) was trusted with the family heirlooms, the two rings we first saw all the way back in “Felix”. Even though this meant she would inherit the family name, Emilie didn't really like doing... whatever the Graham de Vanily family wanted her to do, but Amelie did. Eventually, while studying abroad, Emilie met Gabriel, and the two fell in love. Before marrying Gabriel, Emilie gave up her role as the sole inheritor of the Graham de Vanily family's vague legacy, while Amelie married a man named Colt to please her parents. Both couples wanted children, but it's heavily implied that Emilie and Amelie were infertile, so their wishes weren't able to come true. Emilie finally managed to get a bun in the oven thanks to the Peacock Miraculous, but this made Colt jealous that he couldn't have a child. Out of the goodness of her heart, Emilie asked Gabriel to give the Peacock Miraculous to Colt, in exchange for letting the Gorilla guard Adrien in the future. Using his own jealousy as a source of power, Colt got Amelie pregnant, though at the cost of his health. Colt figured this was the price he had to pay for using “sorcery”, and used this as an excuse to treat Felix like a monster and ordered him around using the ring containing his Amok. Felix himself was unaware that he wasn't human until Colt accidentally broke the ring (which wasn't one of the two wedding rings used to control Adrien and was an entirely different ring containing Felix's Amok), which he stole as soon as Colt died. This is meant to explain why Felix decided to steal back the Peacock Miraculous, in order to save his life. Felix later met Kagami, and the two explain that they need “Someone like Ladybug” to help them.

Now if your only information about this episode is through my summary, it seems simple enough. For everyone else who actually saw this sequence in the episode itself, I'm guessing your thoughts were about the same as mine.

Let's go over every problem I have with this scene, starting with...

#1: The Way Kagami and Felix Explain This

Let me just ask something: Why can't Felix just talk to Marinette about what he knows since he now knows she's Ladybug instead of telling her everything through this weird play? You can still tell Marinette all of this without your two-man show. In fact, why did Felix have to wait until he knew Marinette was Ladybug instead of just talking to her the next time he saw her? Yeah, you could argue it's easier this way, but like I've been saying since Season 4, Felix has had no excuse to wait this long to tell Ladybug about the fact that he knows who her greatest enemy is.

And why the hell is it presented this way? Why does Felix have to recontextualize the story of his family's history in the form of a play? Why turn it into a stereotypical fairy tale that leaves out the names of all the important people, like Emilie, Amelie, Colt (whose name I only learned through the transcript of this episode), and Gabriel? If it was like a hidden message Felix and Kagami wanted to convey to Marinette, that would make sense, but why do they have to be so cryptic when they're only putting this show on for one person? You could easily avoid a good chunk of the questions this raises if this was a show Felix and Kagami put on for the public that Marinette was able to learn the information from. Yeah, it still wouldn't explain why Felix can't just tell Marinette about who Gabriel really is, but at least it's something.

The way it all happens kind of reminds me of this scene from this old Halloween special I saw a lot as a kid, Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular. In that scene, some of the kids act out a scene of this little girl's parents entrusting her with a flashlight to explain why she carries it around, in order to scare off any monsters she runs into, using the graveyard they were in as a makeshift set. This scene works a lot more because it's done in more of a tongue-in-cheek way, with some of the kids breaking character to boost their own egos (for example, the kid playing the mom comments about how responsible she is), and how one kid in particular gradually gets fed up with the whole thing. The scene does its job at delivering exposition in a way that isn't meant to be taken too seriously, and it's clear this is being done by some kids goofing around in-universe.

With this episode, it's clear that the writers want the audience to take this whole backstory seriously in spite of how absurd it all is. Seriously look at this.

We are seriously expected to take this backstory seriously when it looks like some theater major's midterm project. The animators want it to look artsy and unique for the sake of making it look artsy and unique. Why does it look like a play these two put together themselves if they're supposedly using a Sentimonster's power to do it? If the unnamed Sentimonster's powers is how Marinette is seeing all this, why can't it actually be seen as a flashback? Was it always intended to be a handmade play that was changed to the product of a Sentimonster at the last minute?

I get that the animators probably wanted kids to pick up on the visuals of the play, but even then, it makes it hard to really stomach the serious themes this backstory brings up, like infertility and child abuse, with the way they're presented. Not only do Felix and Kagami all play the characters using these white jumpsuits and masks, they also do all the voices, meaning that the only “dialogue” we hear from Colt is delivered by Kagami putting on a deeper voice. Let me repeat that: the only times we hear Colt, the abusive parent and all around garbage human being, talk, it's done by a teenage girl trying to make her voice sound deeper.

But hey, maybe the goofy voice will be overshadowed by the nuanced depiction of child abuse, right? Right?

#2: The Portrayal of Colt and the Double Standards Regarding His Treatment of Felix

I have never seen a single show struggle this much to convey a lesson as simple as “Child abuse is bad”.

When it comes to the parents in this show, terrible parents like Gabriel, Audrey, and Tomoe are almost never held accountable for the way they treated their children. If the writers aren't claiming they really love their children deep down, they're either downplaying how cruel they are at best or playing their behavior for laughs at worst. But here we are, the penultimate episode of the fifth season, and we finally have a parent who is unambiguously treated as a terrible human being with no redeeming qualities... and I still have problems with this.

This flashback really goes out of its way to let the audience that Colt was a real piece of scum in life. He only wanted a child out of jealousy, used his Amok to force Felix to do whatever he wanted, was heavily implied to have physically beat him at times, and blamed him for his poor health on his deathbed when he was the one who wanted to use the Peacock in the first place. Now that I think about it, why did Colt even use the Peacock to create Felix instead of Emelie? Was the episode so determined to paint Colt as a bastard that he wanted to be the one to create Felix himself?

The point I'm trying to make is that the show doesn't really explain why Colt was like this. Why was he such an angry man who treated his only child like crap? I don't know, because all the show's telling me is that he was just a dick. He honestly feels more like a caricature than anything else. He's only as terrible of a person he is in order to make the audience sympathize with Felix. I'm not saying that what Felix went through was okay, but it has the same energy as scenes of Gabriel talking to Emilie's body. It's mostly there to make the audience sympathize with an antagonistic character in spite of all the things they've done.

What's really weird is that even though the whole point of this play is so Felix can tell Marinette Gabriel is Monarch, so what does Colt have to do with this? I'm not saying he's not worth mentioning, but it makes no sense for Felix to tell Marinette about his abusive father before he tells her about Gabriel. It feels more like Felix wants to find a way to excuse his actions before telling Marinette about Gabriel being Monarch. And remember when “Derision” made a big deal about Chloe's terrible parents not excusing her actions? Funny how that conveniently doesn't apply to Felix in this episode.

In fact, let's talk about the elephant in the room: The fact that this episode aired right after “Revolution”, an episode that literally said a character living under an abusive and controlling parent was a fitting punishment for her. HOW THE HELL IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THAT? If anything, this episode really shows the double standards this show has about child abuse, how the only way your situation can be taken seriously is if you're a “good victim”. Chloe's a “bad victim”, so she doesn't get any sympathy when her mother outright says she's going to take control of her life, yet when Colt actually takes control of Felix's life, we're supposed to sympathize with him now. Why am I supposed to feel bad for Felix now when you just told me I shouldn't feel bad for someone in a similar situation last episode?

In fact, one theory I have about this backstory is that it was intended to kill two birds with one stone, no pun intended. I believe that this episode wasn't just written to give us more insight into who Felix is as a character, but also to show the audience what “real” child abuse is like. As far as the show is concerned with Gabriel, Audrey, and Tomoe? They're not actually abusive parents, Colt is, so you should condemn his actions, and not those three. It's blatant double standards, which is nothing new for this show.

#3: The Way Amelie Just... Lets This All Happen

In my “Derision” review, I discussed how strange it was that so many people in Marinette's life did nothing to help her against Chloe, and the same thing applies here with Amelie.

This episode never really explains where Amelie was when Colt was abusing Felix, much less if she was even aware of it. At least with Marinette's parents, they didn't know because most of Marinette's suffering was at school. Amelie lives with Felix and Colt, so what's her excuse? She seriously didn't overhear Colt yelling at Felix or notice the orders Colt gave Felix? Was she just that ignorant to her child's suffering? Remember, this is supposed to be Felix's good parent.

In fact, does Amelie even know Felix is a Sentimonster? Yeah, “Emotion” established that Amelie knows Felix is Argos, but this episode doesn't really make it clear if she knows Felix is a Sentimonster or not. If it was clear Amelie knew nothing about what Felix really was, it would arguably make things easier to stomach, as she wouldn't know the power Colt had over him.

Instead, even though she's Felix's mother, the show doesn't really explain what she actually did when Colt was making Felix's life a living hell, especially since the flashback says that Amelie was forced to marry Colt, so you can't even say she was blinded by love here. Hell, I'm not even sure if Amelie knew the cause of Colt's untimely passing.

#4:This Doesn’t Really Do Much to Explain Felix’s Actions

Now before you say I'm being insensitive, let me make one thing clear: My issue isn't with the fact that this was done to get the audience to sympathize with Felix. The problem I have is that the backstory doesn't do enough to explain why Felix did the things he did.

Okay, Felix wants the Peacock Miraculous. Understandable, he doesn't want to die, so he has to do morally questionable things to preserve his life like betraying the only person capable of stopping the man who can kill him. What's less understandable is his plan to get the Peacock Miraculous from Gabriel. You'll notice that the backstory didn't mention Felix's first appearance, where he only stole the rings belonging to Amelie's family, and he didn't even think to look for the Peacock. Instead, it cuts from Felix realizing he's a Sentimonster to him striking a deal with Gabriel, not even mentioning that he gave Gabriel back one of the rings as part of the deal, which still makes no sense.

If Felix's goal from the start was to get the Peacock Miraculous, why did he bother stealing all of Marinette's Miraculous as a bargaining chip for the deal instead of the family ring? In fact, why did Felix even steal the ring and wait an entire season to trade it back to Gabriel for the Peacock a season later? And for someone who claims to care about Adrien, he really didn't see anything wrong with giving Gabriel one of the two rings capable of overriding his free will.

As a matter of fact, why the hell is Felix even so hostile towards Adrien? Why did he go out of his way to smear his reputation in his debut episode if all he wanted to do was make a bargain with Hawkmoth? In “Risk”, he mocked Adrien for how he talked, while Adrien himself was aware of how he made him look bad in front of his friends, and that's not even getting into how he made himself look like Adrien as part of his plan to betray Ladybug, which would have screwed him even more if Adrien wasn't already Cat Noir. For someone who claims he wants to protect him from Gabriel, Felix really doesn't care about his cousin all that much.

In fact, why does Felix even hate Gabriel at all? The show hinted that the two had a history, yet during the backstory, which I need to remind you, was told from Felix's perspective on the events, has a surprisingly generous portrayal of Gabriel. Did Felix know Gabriel was Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Monarch during his first appearance? Does Felix blame Gabriel for how Colt treated him growing up? Does Felix hate Gabriel for how he treats Adrien? Did Gabriel intend to get Colt sick in the first place? Seriously, what is Felix's deal with Gabriel?!

How does a flashback organized by Felix himself do nothing to really explain why he did the things he did?

#5: The Fact That There Are STILL Several Unanswered Questions Here

For something meant to fill the audience in on several important topics, there are still so many questions about the history of the Agreste and Graham de Vanily families.

Other than the vague backstory about them being rich, we still know nothing about Emilie and Amelie other than them being rich and possibly infertile. We don't know if Amelie ever loved Colt, if she knew he was abusing Felix, or if she even knew if he used the Peacock to play god.

On a related note, why did Emilie and Gabriel decide to use the Peacock Miraculous to create a son instead of adopting? Scratch that, why did she specifically create a Sentimonster to give birth to like a normal baby? Was there some kind of Macbeth-esque guideline that Emilie had to give birth to a child in order for said child to get the inheritance? Did she use the ring to control Adrien like Gabriel does now? Seriously, this is the character the show's conflict is all based around, and we still know nothing about her other than the fact that she was nice.

This flashback just makes no sense, and is such a stupid and confusing way to deliver exposition.

Anyway, during all this, Cat Noir and Nightormentor are fighting, and for the third time this season, Cat Noir attempts to Cataclysm him someone, even when he had Nightormentor pinned down. Nightormentor breaks free and hits Cat Noir with his magic dust, causing him to hallucinate... Cat Blanc?

Yeah, the script calls this form “Anticat”, but given how it looks like a reused Cat Blanc model coupled with the petrified people of Paris, this is clearly meant to bring Cat Blanc to mind. The problem is that NEITHER CAT NOIR OR NIGHTORMENTOR KNOW ABOUT THAT. Why would you remind audiences about an Akuma that technically never existed?

Better yet, is this what Cat Noir trying to his Cataclysm on people this past season (Destruction, Jubilation, Derision) has been building up to? The fear that he'll lose control? You could have fooled me, as he never really showed that much remorse for almost hurting people other than Monarch. Yeah, you could argue that because Nightormentor based his hallucinations off his victims' worst fears, but again, this fear had little to no buildup this season because Cat Noir never felt any guilt for Cataclysming Monarch after “Destruction”, and whenever tried to use his Cataclysm on other people, Cat Noir never really realized the weight of his actions. If you want to make a character arc about Cat Noir worrying about hurting people with his powers, go more into the guilt he feels for hurting Monarch and using that guilt to affect his actions. Don't just use some “Cat Blanc” nostalgia bait to convince the audience that there's been a character arc.

Nightormentor takes advantage of Cat Noir's emotional state to get his Miraculous, only for the Resistance to save Cat Noir by... throwing stuff at him. And this is how they defeat him. While Nino, Alya, Ivan, and Zoe distract Nightormentor, Kim and Max help Cat Noir focus, Cat Noir Cataclysms Nightormentor's baton.

Zoe traps the Akuma in a jar, Cat Noir doesn't take it, he heads off to detransform and confess to Marinette, only for the hallucination to still affect him since Ladybug didn't use Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage, and even though he knows it's just a hallucination, he still uses it as a reason to not reveal his identity to Marinette, even after Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma herself.

The episode ends with Gabriel and Tomoe locking Adrien and Kagami in these white rooms while under heavy surveillance to ensure they won't escape, vowing to start “Operation: Perfect Alliance”. Because these two like using the word “perfect” more than they like subjecting their children to what one of my anons referred to as “white torture”.

Because that's a good way to keep your children under control: psychological torment.

Other than the stuff with Felix and Kagami, this episode was pretty dull.

There's just not much I can really say here. The plot was barebones, all Marinette did was listen to Felix and Kagami's story so the writers didn't have to involve any of them in the main conflict, and even Cat Noir confronting his akumatized father doesn't have a lot of weight to it because towards the end, it focuses more on Adrien's nightmare instead of his relationship with his father.

This episode is nothing more than a prologue for the final battle. It's only here to establish Adrien and Kagami's presence in London, Marinette learning Gabriel is Monarch, and even more setup for Gabriel and Tomoe's final plan. And trust me, the buildup will be far from worth it.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... FELIX

It's amazing. The only time this season Felix goes out of his way to actually help Ladybug, and he still screws it up. He abducted Kagami from her hotel in London without thinking of Tomoe hunting him down again when that was the entire plot of “Pretension”, only decided to tell Marinette he knows who Monarch is because he's getting in the way of his relationship with his girlfriend, did so in an unnecessarily convoluted way, and even though he made a big deal about not wanting to use Sentimonsters in his last appearance, he still used one to tell Marinette his life story instead of just saying “My uncle is Monarch”.

And if you think Felix will get a chance to truly redeem himself in the finale, think again, bucko. Other than a brief cameo, this is the last thing he'll do this season. Aren't you glad the writers made this character prominent for seven episodes over three seasons and did nothing else with him?

[ofmdrecaps]

09/04/2024 - 09/05/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Nathan Foad; Samba Schutte; Leslie Jones; Kristian Nairn; Madeleine Sami; Vico Ortiz; Eliza Cossio; OFMD Rewind with AOC and Astroglide; Articles; Fan Spotlight; Cast Cards; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

Hey crew, multiple 2 day recaps coming tonight. Sorry for the delay.

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys is going to be starting up a substack (similar to Patreon). He's really excited about it as you can tell-- Gizmo Darby is not so excited however.

Source: Rhys' Tiktok/Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika out in Paris with Rita <3

Source: Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan off to see Matthew Maher at Rose City Comic Con and giving us all the feels on the way!

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram Stories

== Samba Schutte ==

Heyyy! Samba's going to be at the Dream Theatre in Los Angelos on Oct 5th, 2024! You can get comedy night tickets on their website!

Source: Theatre of Hearts Instagram

Really cute story Samba shared about a fan on twitter btw!

Source: Samba Schutte's Twitter

== Leslie Jones ==

Leslie's coming to Colorado Sept 13! For all our OFMD Colorado crew, you can catch her at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley! For tickets, visit her site!

Source: Leslie Jones' Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

Kristian on his way to Rose City ComicCon!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

Hey UK Crew! Kristian's got a signing set up for Oct 3 at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore! You can RSVP here if you're interested!

Source: Forbidden Planet Instagram

More Kristian News-- his book is being featured on Amazon and there's a great article highlighting it in The Washington Post! "Beyond The Throne as one of [Amazon's] Best Books of September"

Source: Kristian's Instagram

= Wee John Wednesday Notes =

Some fun OFMD News: He's gonna try to do a WJW Live at Rose City Comic Con in Portland this upcoming weekend (and drag some other cast members into it if he can).

Kristian shared some awesome gifts people gave him! (He said you do not have to bring gifts to meet him but he will always love them, but don't feel bad if you don't please!) Some I recognized from various artists we know (but there were a lot more):

@smudgeandfrank

@/samanthareiofficial

@/unclear_atypicality

@/bairnecessitiesco Kristian has a website with his books on it-- but he's got some limited edition Guitar Picks he's got on sale, there's only 100 available. He is also getting a WJW put up soon! Not available quite yet though.

Website

T-Shirt

LE Guitar Picks

Other fun things:

Kristian loves Rabbits!

He's getting some rune tattoos in Portland when he visits Rose City Comic Con!

Wanna watch it? It's available on Instagram!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Madeleine Sami ==

Deadloch S2 is being filmed in Darwin!

Source: 'I Love Darwin' Facebook Page

== Vico Ortiz ==

Source: Vico's Instagram

== Eliza Cossio ==

One of our dear writers, Eliza Cossio is being featured on a podcast! You can listen in here!

Source: Eliza Cossio's Instagram Stories

== OFMD Rewind with AOC ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew are working together with @astroglideofficial and doing a Full Rewatch of OFMD together! It starts Sept 12 @ 2:30PM PDF / 5:30PM EDT / 10:30PM BST!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Articles ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for sharing these great articles!

Most Controversial TV Show Cancellations

Yahoo Article

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Thank you to the ever-dedicated @melvisik for keeping up with these Cast Cards! Catching up tonight with several, please check them out below!

David Van Dyke - Visual Effects Supervisor (VFX Supervisor).

Stephen W. Shriver - Lovely stunt double to Fred Armisen!

Emily Buntyn - Casting Associate!

Kendell Wells - CJ's stunt double that whipped Taika in the balls!

Morgan Smith - Executive in Charge of Casting!

Stephen Bralver - Nathan's stunt double, possibly the one who 'lost his shoes' in Nathan's story at the San Jose Con!

Chris Denison - Stunt Water Safety, probably the person who makes sure our lovely cast stays safe in the whilst submerged.

Steve Aizzo - Rhys' Stunt Double!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. Love Notes are brief tonight. I just wanted to remind you that kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself and anyone else. It's not free, but it costs a lot less than most things. No matter how hard things have been, no matter how much kindness you've received, kindness continues to be one of the greatest world-changers and you're still trying to be kind, and I am so proud of you for that. You are so very lovely, don't forget that <3

Source: StayCloseToYourself Instagram

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Just some dancing... these two are too cute! Gifs courtesy of the darling @fandomsmeantheworldtome and @ marv3lic1ous!

[dawnisdreamlanding]

CHAPTER 2

Ghost x Reader x Konig

Neighbor! and Roommate!au hehe

About me | Masterlist |

Author's note: Happy Hanukkah! I'd like to say THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT FOR THE FIRST PART AAAA!! I've been wanting to write fanfics for agess but I was always too nervous to hahahdsf so all the support means so much to me, especially for it being my first fic. But less talk, more story, I hope you enjoy part 2! <3

‘Why am I meeting so many tall, buff guys today? Well, not that I’m complaining,’ you chuckle inwardly. Konig’s so tall that when he greets you, he bends down slightly. Talk about being short. You mentally shake that thought away before smiling and telling him to follow you to your apartment.

Everything goes smoothly, and he ends up moving into your apartment the following week. It takes him a couple of days and a little head-banging on the door frame due to his height for him to get used to your shared apartment.

It’s been a month since then. You learn he’s from Austria, and he starts to call you ‘Maus’ which was self-explanatory. But you never really learned anything else other than that. So, to recap, both your neighbor and roommate are both silent and secretive. And they’re hot. You quickly shake that thought away. You shouldn’t be thinking about them like that!

Speaking of Simon, you haven’t seen him for a couple of days. You wonder what he’s doing. After a few extra moments of silence, you realized you’ve spaced out from doing your work. Your gaze lands on the long list of emails you’ll be needing to respond to by tonight, followed by the time on your computer on the bottom right of the screen. ‘7.43 pm’. Ugh, this looks like you’ll be staying back late in the office tonight.

It’s already been a few hours since the last of your coworkers said goodbye to you, and the office lights has been turned off except for your section of the office. The darkness surrounding the office was a little unsettling if you were being honest, but you pressed on with answering those emails. Your phone buzzing makes you jump in your seat and the bright screen in contrast to the surroundings makes you squint a little.

Oh, Konig’s calling. You pick up the call and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t relieved to hear someone’s voice after hours of overtime. The line’s a little staticky, but his voice comes through the phone. “Hello, Maus? Where are you?” Konig sounds worried. “Hey Konig!” You try to sound a little upbeat, but your exhaustion comes through nonetheless. “I’m working overtime tonight; I’ll be coming home late.”

Home. You don’t know when you started referring to your apartment as ‘home’, since you’ve always thought your apartment felt so soulless since you moved in. If you think hard about it, the emptiness of your apartment only ever seemed to disappear when Konig’s large frame started to fill in the empty space in your apartment. Despite not knowing much about Konig’s life, the two of you spend quality time together, bonding over shows on Netflix ranging from ‘The Good Place’ to ‘Emily In Paris’. Though you’d have to admit, the more mind-numbing the show is, the more entertaining it is when you hear all Konig’s quips and comments while the two of you watch it. God, you wish you were hanging out at home with Konig now.

“Maus?” Konig calls me once again, snapping me out of my train of thought. “H-huh? Sorry could you repeat that?” I reply. “It’s looks like its about to rain hard tonight, do you need me to bring you home?” his voice gets a little more staticky by the second, and you’re only able to get out a “it’s fine” before the power in the office shuts down.

“Oh hell no,” you say out loud to yourself. You watched enough horror game playthroughs to know that you’re not staying a second longer in office if you want to see another day. Your line gets cut off and you groan. If this isn’t the start of a horror movie.

You managed to exit the office without tripping in the darkness with being little on edge. Little droplets of rain start to fall to the ground, slowly painting the pavement a darker shade of grey with each drop. Your line comes back and you were seconds away from calling Konig to ask him to drive you back home but then a hulking figure leaving the nearby grocery store enters your field of vision.

You are quick to look at this guy because who the hell is he and why is he dressed in all black at night, looking like a robber? Oh my god is he a robber? Oh, it’s your neighbor, Simon. You should really stop bumping into him in such shady situations.

---

Simon ends up driving you back to your apartment complex. This time around, you try to talk to him the car ride there. In between the awkward silences, the two of you managed to bond over some shared bands playing on the radio and you learn that he’s from the military.

“’s not fair that they’re makin you work overtime like this.” Simon grumbles out. “Yeah well, what can I do? Besides, they pay me quite well.” You reply. It was true; the company you worked is quite taxing at times, but the benefits and pay holds you back from quitting.

“Well,” he inhales as he puts his car into park. “If you ever need a lift home, just let me know.” His offer puts a smile on your lips. For someone who you’ve gotten to really know in the span of a 20 minute car ride, he has a heart of gold. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

He has the manners to walk you back all the way to your apartment — you ignore the fact he lives literally right next to you — and makes sure you enter your apartment safely before unlocking his own door.

 You sigh and drop your bag onto the floor. Your eyelids feel really dry and the constant urge to get some shut eye makes the tasks of getting ready for bed seem to stretch on for far too long. Part of you debates on sacrificing dinner so you can sleep a little earlier but that’s when you hear Konig call out for you in the kitchen.

“Eat.” He speaks. “I cooked dinner for the both of us, but I didn’t know you were staying in the office.” A slight pang of guilt shoots through you at the thought of Konig waiting alone at the dinner table for you to come home. “Thanks, Konig.” I smile at him. “I’m glad to be home.”

Konig tries to ignore the warmth that creeps up on him during moments like these. His eyes naturally drink in the sight of you sitting across the table, happily munching on the food he’s cooked you. Fuck, maybe being a househusband wouldn’t be so bad, especially if its for you. He quickly shakes off that thought. He kills. He likes to kill. What was he even thinking?

“Emily in Paris?” he suggests when you finish your dinner. You sigh and shake your head. “Sorry, too tired, Ko.” The nickname slips out of your mouth so easily that you don’t notice it, but he does. His body freezes up and his brain short circuits. He’s so focused on the nickname you used for him that he doesn’t even feel sadness when you rejected his suggestion. He hums in acknowledgement.

“Maybe this weekend?” You say and he nods, watching you turn to head into your room. He decides not to tell you he’s leaving for work that weekend. Leaving to kill people. “Next weekend.” He confirms. You smile tiredly at him and the warm yellow light illuminates your features. “Goodnight, Konig.” God, he wishes you could call him Ko again. “Goodnight, Maus.”

Taglist! @gojo-mochi

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 16, "There's The Rub", aka A Sheer Masterpiece of GilmoreDom, AKA Jess, Rory, And Paris Eat Together And All Is Right With The World-Part 3

Who's ready for more TTR? (PS: There is a link to all previous recaps including parts 1 and 2 of TTR in my pinned post, while I work on puting together a better master index. You can also search my Tumblr by specific episode name or season).

Anyone ever look at unofficial GG merchandise on places like Redbubble and Etsy? There are a bunch of phrases that always end up on crap. Oy with the poodles already. I smell snow. Etc etc. "Vicious trollop" is a very common one as well. But nobody was putting "Why Did You Drop Out of Yale" on anything, so I had to create my own custom merch.

The banter between Emily and Lorelai is so sharp and witty and wonderful in this episode, it reminds me why am I still watching this show in the first place and subjecting myself to the additional torture of analyzing every episode minute by minute (for the second time in 3 years), even though it so often greatly disappoints me or angers me. There are just some episodes where AmyShermanPalladino's light shines through and touches everything in her kingdom. None of these moments involve Dean Forrester.

Never have I ever been so excited to see these two little words. "Doorbell Rings." JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS

When I tell you I literally squealed when she opened the door. If Gilly Girls was taking place in the 2020's, Jess would be a DoorDasher. I would have him deliver to the Forresters and spit in Dean's food. This is all too pure. My heart's a flutter. I can't snark on it. SaltyGilmores™ has been disabled. Look, I can't just regurgiate every single line and frame from this scene so I'll just post a select few things. Enjoy and #AdmireTheDeliveryBaby

Can we talk about the way she's looking at him? 😍 R: How come Cesar didn't deliver this? J: I volunteered. R: Why? J: I wanted to get out of the construction zone. Mmm, sure. I love when he does this shit:

He doesn't exactly sound surprised that one of the Gilmores didn't tip him. I will never cease, desist or yield in making "Rory and Lorelai don't pay for their food" jokes.

Should I instead make jokes about how this is the second time in a row that the Gilmores actually did try to pay him and he refused?

The last time we saw this shirt, he had a name patch over his titty. I really like this shirt and how we can see his scandalous bare forearms for once. Dear Baby Jesus, Milo is adorable. And the light on him is just perfect in this shot.

R: You're staying? J: Didn't you just invite me? R: No... J: You told me I could have all the food I wanted. That sounded Invitation-Like. R: You want to stay here and eat? J: Beats being at Luke's.

You will not be going anywhere, young lady. You sit right down at that table and have a literary debate with Jess and Rory, eat some fries, and don't get up until Dean Forrester barges in and ruins everything.

Jess Mariano's social anxiety is so palpable you could eat it. It is radiating from his pores with the intensity of a hundred suns. This anxious little nugget, who did not make even a second of eye contact upon meeting a new person, has the entire town of Schitt's Hollow quaking in fear of what atrocities he may be capable of. Oooh what have we here? A MINOR INCONSEQUENTIAL PLOT HOLE!

To be continued.

[i-turned-the-emperor-to-dust]

EMILIE VS AMELIE DEBATE

I know this is a hot topic at the moment, leaning heavily in Amelie’s favor, but I'm still convinced it's Emilie, and that a lot of people are going to have a rude awakening once Season 6 hits.

So, just to clarify.

I know the leaks aren't "canon" and that they should be disregarded, but in all fairness, how? It's impossible to pretend we didn't see something when we obviously did, and these leaks were EVERYWHERE. Most of us didn't seek them out; we stumbled across them when we didn't want to.

But even if you disregard the leaks, there are enough context clues to support the Emilie argument anyway. So we'll get back to that.

First of all, WHY would Gabriel be okay leaving Adrien an orphan? In Emilie's video, she spoke as if Gabriel would be there to raise him in her place . . . but after getting cataclysmed, he knew that was no longer an option.

So if he really had a "change of heart" wouldn't it make more sense not to make a wish at all? Why is it okay to sacrifice himself to save Natalie but not Emilie? Yes, Natalie cares for Adrien, but she's not his mother. I refuse to believe that after everything he sacrificed, Gabriel would just shrug and decide, "Oh well. Adrien will be fine without us. I'll respect Emilie's decision and save Natalie instead."

…Natalie. Who ignored the video too and helped him terrorize Paris for nearly nine months? Who used the peacock miraculous willingly even after knowing what it would do? Who eventually defied him at every turn and even put him in a headlock?

He’s okay saving her because she didn’t request it in a video? 🤨🧐

And if he can only "theoretically" save one, why would he EVER choose his secretary over the love of his life? Over Adrien's own mother?!

I mean, I know Natalie was a good secretary, but damn! 😅

So just to recap: This is a video he had already seen, a video that failed to prevent him from becoming Hawkmoth in the first place. Yet now, right on the cusp of having his wish granted, he suddenly chooses to respect her last wishes??

A wish that would leave their “miracle” without a parent??

Doesn’t it make more sense if his epiphany was actually this: Emilie doesn’t want him to sacrifice someone in order to bring her back to life—

“No one should have their life stolen from them because of a mistake that we made.”

—so he finally hears her, and resolves that no one else will take her place?

After all, Gabriel’s life is already forfeit, so he doesn’t need to trade someone’s life for hers. So by choosing to sacrifice himself instead of an innocent, he’s respecting Emilie’s wishes, ensuring Adrien won’t be alone, and fulfilling his goal to bring his beloved wife back to life.

It’s not like he wanted to live without her anyway. 🤷‍♀️

And that decision IS huge because it means Gabriel is finally giving up on his ultimate goal: To reunite all three of them as a family. That’s the big "wake-up" call he gets, not that he shouldn't make a wish at all or that Natalie deserves it more.

Like he told Ladybug . . . originally, he was willing to sacrifice anyone:

“In order to bring Emilie back, someone else will have to disappear! In order to heal the wound that Cat Noir inflicted on me, someone else will have to be wounded!”

“Someone else. But who?”

“Anyone. No one matters except us.”

That's why he asked Marinette to keep his secret. He really was making a sacrifice by giving his son the parent he deserves, rather than damning an innocent so they could both be in his life.

He could have been selfish. He could have made the decision to save himself anyway.

But he saw his wife’s video.

But what about balance?! How could he bring two people back?!

This show retcons like no other. Trust me, they'll find some BS reason to explain how it was possible. They'll either use Gabriel's lines about the "heart and soul" to explain it away; or they'll claim he wished the peacock miraculous was never broken, so neither woman was technically ever ill.

The possibilities are endless. They'll think of something, or pretend they never said it. 🤭

Either way, again - why would he choose Natalie over Emilie??

Then there's the other context clues.

If Gabriel used his wish to cure Natalie, then why is "Amelie" the main focus in this shot? Shouldn't she be in the background so there's no confusion?

I've read: "But Amelie should be at that party!"

Why? Not every significant adult was there. Tom and Sabine weren’t? And there’s one very obvious reason why Amelie isn’t: If she's there and that's Emilie, then the jig is up. If both twins attended, then the mystery would be solved, there'd be no debate, and we'd all know that Adrien's mother is back. It's the same reason crucial shots were cut from the storyboards.

They're trying to create buzz, mystery, and anticipation for season 6. It's simple marketing. They really don't need another reason, guys. 

But let's listen to Astruc and look at the final scene closer.

Why is Emilie's memorial statue removed? Symbolism? No, it's because she's alive. Why did the mansion suddenly get a flowery, idyllic update? Is Amelie helping Adrien process his grief by installing a swimming pool? No, it's probably because Emilie is back. Why is Adrien smiling and happy, and free to make out with his girlfriend so soon after losing his father? Because he hated Gabriel? No, it’s because his sadness is mitigated by his mother's miraculous return.

Adrien loved his father. Even after everything he put him through, he never stopped caring. So even if he did die for a good cause, it’s normal that he’d be sad and depressed. The fact that he isn’t absolutely traumatized is yet another reason why that has to be Emilie.

For me, nothing makes sense otherwise.

These kids are celebrating something, and it can't just be Monarch's defeat, not when the cost was Adrien's father and they're having this party at his house. There are a million other places they could've gathered to commemorate the end of Monarch terrorizing Paris.

But it makes perfect sense if it was Emilie's idea. If Emilie is trying to cheer her son up following the “martyrdom” of his father. It's not like Natalie or Amelie would've suggested it, and I doubt it was Adrien or Marinette's idea or any of their friends. They know Adrien's grieving, so I doubt "let's throw a party" would've entered any of their minds.

But Emilie . . . planting flowers, bringing life back into the house. It fits.

And if a Tibetan temple can suddenly reappear after being destroyed 172 years ago and nobody bats an eye, then why can't a fashion mogul's wife? For her, it's only been a year 🙄. And as an explorer/adventurer, there are soooo many ways they could explain her return. The only thing limiting them is imagination.

And let's be real, most of us had a gut reaction at her appearance and it was "OMG, is that Emilie?!" It wasn't until Thomas Astruc baited us and this theory started making its rounds that we suddenly started second-guessing ourselves.

Apparently what we "need" is to be gaslit constantly?

Because story and character-wise, if that's not Emilie, then what did Hawkmoth/Shadow Moth/Monarch even die for? He literally wasted nine months terrorizing Paris for what? A commemorative statue? 😅 I mean, I knew he was incompetent, but that takes serious skill.

And finally, back to the leaks.

Now that the finale has aired, and spoilers are less of an issue, here's a friendly reminder that yes, leaked scenes do exist that seem to hint heavily at an answer. If you're trying to pretend they don't or are claiming the moral high ground, then by all means, don’t look. However, I still think it’s only fair to include ALL the evidence, not only what’s convenient or Astruc-approved. And since these leaks are already out there (by no fault of our own), it’s too late to shove them back into their box and pretend they don’t exist.

So if you’re curious and want to know all the facts as they currently stand, then click below.

(⚠️ There ARE leaks below ⚠️)

Here's that lingering shot everyone was demanding from the finale: It exists in limbo as a deleted scene on the cutting room floor.

And I know some people are claiming the writers simply "changed their minds" but they can't just suddenly decide that's not Emilie. A change THAT significant can't be made on a whim. It would've shaped the ENTIRE story moving forward. This had to be something they had planned from very early on in the season, if not sooner. Not a choice that was made during last minute editing.

Plus, there's the following scene to consider: In the script, Adrien says his mother gave him the rings, but in the storyboard, you can clearly tell that the line was dubbed over and suddenly changed to Ladybug. 

So why remove these scenes at all?

Again, to keep the outcome of the wish a mystery. It's to drum up interest for Season 6, that's all. Anything they lost by omitting them can be rectified in the next season: This show LOVES to backtrack.

Lastly, there's this. The 3D model is even marked Emilie:

I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting, but I think that covers most of it.

So in conclusion: Even though the internet has done a fine job trying to convince us it’s Amelie in that final scene, I still think there's much better reason to believe it really is Emilie.

You're not required to agree, but I had to throw this out there because I'm seeing a lot of people getting vocal and loud about one side of the argument, and seeing relatively little on the other side. So if you've read this far, consider this a friendly way of preparing you in case season 6 does end up going in this direction.

It's better than convincing yourselves otherwise and being blindsided later on.

[iwanthermidnightz]

Super excited for your old Hollywood post! I would also like to plug a history podcast recommendation-The History Chicks. They’ve covered several old Hollywood people including Clara Bow and one of my favorites miss Serpentine dance herself Loie Fuller,Elizabeth Taylor,Emily Dickinson and also Francis Perkins the first female cabinet member and the women responsible for The New Deal (who notably had a long-term relationship with a women while married to and after her husband died).

They are actually how I got back into Kaylor after taking a break when the masters got stolen/coming out canceled,because of the Loie Fuller episode they highlight how she was mostly lost to history until Taylor payed homage to her in the Reputation tour, highlighting that she owned her own work but also coincidentally resided predominantly in Paris with her longtime girlfriend.

Oh thanks! Another podcast I listen to about Old Hollywood is ‘You Must Remember This’. There’s a lotttt of episodes, some go into the lgbtq side of it.

I was just thinking yesterday about how Taylor went into detail about being inspired by Loie Fuller. It was honestly one of the last times she has unambiguously shared something like that.

She’s hinted at things, been vague, or let her work speak for herself. So to have a song named after someone she’s obviously intrigued by (Clara Bow) in this era is interesting.

As a recap: And so I enter into evidence, my muses

(link)

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Hey! So, I was wondering if you could do me a favor.

Can you tell me what’s been happening in ML since Miracle Queen?

I jumped ship back then because of Fandom Drama and Toxicity, and I can’t get ahold of the show itself because my internet is shit right now. I want to rejoin the fandom and catch up, but it isn’t easy to figure out what’s going on. Especially since my only available avenue for Fandom News is the… Uh… (be nice be nice be nice) Mess that is Tumblr.

Can you help me out?

Well we are well into Season 5 now. But I will try and summarize everything that happened that was important.

TIME FOR A GALE RECAP!

Season 4

-Luka and Marinette broke up in the first episode, Kagami and Adrien in the second.

-Jagged stone is Juleka and Luka's dad.

-Alya finds out that Marinette is ladybug because Marinette tells her

-Hawkmoth calls himself shadow moth

-The Peacock miraculous is fixed

-Ladybug gets a new form when she uses lucky charm.

-Ladybug can create akuma repealing charms

-Gabriel bottomed for a clown

-Turns out Fu wasnt the worst guardian because Su Han exists

-Chloe has a half-sister named Zoe who is basically her but not evil.

-Zoe becomes the new bee

-Chloé is back to season 1 self but now even more cartoonishly evil

-Felix returns and figures out Gabriel is shadowmoth immediately.

-All of the class gets their miraculous hero time at one point. (Four of them get it in one episode near the end of the season.)

-Alya gets the fox permanently, then has to pretend she isnt rena rouge anymore because plot.

-Alya gets to use the ladybug miraculous for a day

-Ladybug and chat noir are said to be couple of the year but ladybug hated the idea so much she yeets chat noir into a garbage can

-Kagami reads manga and is best girl this season

-Nino reveals to Adrien he is carapace and Alya is Rena Rouge because he thought Chat noir was a slut

-Sabine got akumatized due to racism

-Tikki is actually a hunger gremlin but gets over it

-Luka finds out Marinette is ladybug and Adrien is Chat noir but lies about knowing

-The 100th episode was a what if episode where Gabriel wins but not really. It was terrible and not worth viewing

-Adrien quits being chat noir due to all of the crap and feeling not valued only to come back as Chat Walker and Ladybug falls for him. He ends up returning as chat noir even though nothing really changed.

-Then there is an episode where Gabriel makes all of Paris act risky thanks to an akuma.

-Adrien tells Marinette he doesnt want to be a model

-Marinette trying to confess to him but plot interferes

-Felix appears and swaps places with Adrien and finds emilie in the basement

-Felix gets the dog miraculous and manages to snatch all of the miraculous except Ladybug and Chat noir's

-He trades them for the peacock which Gabriel agrees too

-Ladybug breaks down and almost gives up but chat noir is there to bring her back up

______________________________________________________________

Season 5

-Bunnyx returns and they help her stop Monarch (cause thats his new name) from time travel.

-Nathalie realizes she has terrible taste in men and yells at Gabriel for his obsession with teenagers

-Adrien gets to stop being a model, but gets turned into a Siri

-Lila is doing evil s*** this season

-Ladynoir had a family in a dream

-Gabriel pretends to be a parent

-Nino makes a secret group to fight Monarch... ends up recruiting Lila and Gabriel

-Kagami and Luka are sick of bulls*** and try and pair up Marinette and Adrien

-Adrien realizes he's been in love with Marinette since the statue scene

-Marinette realizes she is in love with Chat noir

-There is a kwami swap episode that was ACTUALLY good

-Nathalie was actually Lara Craft in a past life

-The Kwamitoga is actually useful

-Joan of arc had an enemies to lovers slow burn with her Chat noir

-Marinette and Chat noir end up going on a date and Andre is NOT having it

-Marichat Kiss TWICE

-And the next episodes in order is a two parter where Zoe apparently gets the cat miraculous and Alya gets the ladybug miraculous again

[yolowritter]

Miraculous Adventurer Au 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Hi again, it's me! So, quick story time! I was looking through my notes the other day and found a few more things for this Au. I completely forgot I never followed up on it, so here we goooooooooo!

Nah I'm kidding, context/recap first. This Au takes place in Fantasy Anime France, which is Medieval France...but better! Basically just a Medieval Au with adventurers guilds and monsters! Typical RPG shenanigans! Gabriel and Emilie are king and queen (she's alive by the way and Gabriel is more like Hesperia than Hawkmoth. Good guy.), with Adrien as their son. Amelie and Felix also exist in Lunden (London) which is obviously in England. Important note is that this setting isn't tied down to a specific century, I just wanted the vibes. We have vampires, syrens and mages anyway, realism was never a priority. Now...it just so happens that Prince Adrien and Princess Kagami (of an as-of-yet-undecided) eastern kingdom are married. Just follow me on this.

In terms of a recap: Marinette wants to go to the Capital (Paris) to attend a prestigious fashion academy, or at least to try and get in/get a fashion-related job. On her way she decides she needs more money for her trip, and picks up adventuring. Now...it just so happens that she meets a handsome "pro" at the job, named Chat Noir. So naturally, she doesn't give this guy her name yet, because he's a stranger. Marinette's first job is pretty simple. Pick up a sword, whack a couple wolves over the head because they haven't been letting an herblist go into the nearby forest, get paid. Unfortunately, the resident rogue in black leather decides to follow the pretty girl around. Low and behold, they end up fighting the few wolves side by side and turns out they make a pretty good team! Marinette doesn't exactly know how to swordfight anyway, she was basically bashing the wolves with the flat side of her sword.

And so begins the amazing partnership that will surely drive this poor girl insane! And because it just so happens that a ladybug lands on Marinette's face as they leave the battlefield, Chat of course has a new name for her. Ladybug the Scarlet Adventurer is born! And...it just so happens that the herbalist I mentioned last paragraph is named Alya. She is, in fact, a witch. Well...kind of. She specializes in illusion magic, which is completely useless for helping around her village in day to day work. So she got a part time job as a herblist to get some experience. And after being saved by Ladybug (as well as some heroic bragging from Chat Noir), they have their first fan! Back to the adventurer's guild they go, where Chat insists she keep all the money from the job, and urges Marinette to work with him again. He walks away, not giving her a chance to refuse, leaving her a little flabbergasted. I'm sure that won't be important later...

Now...do you all remember how I said that Prince Adrien and Kagami are married? And clearly, Adrien is also Chat Noir? So how can he be in two places at once? Why, Felix of course! Amelie and her son were visiting for the wedding preparations, which lasted a good few weeks, and he got to know Kagami pretty well. Naturally, they fell in love, especially since while she likes Adrien, Kagami isn't in love with him. So...with a bit of help from Amelie, they pulled the swicharoo! Adrien wanted freedom and to explore the country anyway, so why not let Felix (who clearly likes administrative stuff) take over and also marry the girl he loves? Therefore, Adrien Agreste has to hide his identity as the Prince of Paris, and I'm sure that won't be important later...

About Alya, she goes back to her village after getting saved by Ladynoir...and naturally, she decides to also take up adventuring because they've inspired her! What good is she doing wasting away in a small town anyway, when she could be traveling the world and exploring new places? Of course, she drags her boyfriend Nino into this mess almost immediately, since he happens to be a Bard. A DnD-style bard, where music is also (kinda) magic. He would have been perfectly happy to be a local celebrity in a small town if it meant staying with the girl he loves, but hey! If Alya wants adventure, consider him on board! Is it any wonder then that these two duos end up meeting eventually? Ladynoir has gone on a few more jobs, and they're slowly getting the hang of working together and beating up wolves, small smiles and the occasional bandit. So when they suddenly bump into DjWifi a few weeks later, and with a real chance to talk once Nino encourages Alya to push down her hero worship, Marinette and Alya hit it off and become good friends! Adrien is also really happy to have a friendly guy who treats him like a normal person, instead of "your highness" this and "my prince" that. Naturally, they all team up in a party of four! And so, the adventures continue!

I have waaaaay more to say about this Au, for example Max being a genius artificer, Kim being a sailor boy who falls in love with the pretty mermaid Ondine, Luka the travelling bard (and Marinette's ex), Juleka who is nursing a wounded (mermaid) Rose back to health on the Liberty (and also got bit by a vampire recently), and Chloe asking for the famous Ladybug and her team to go on a job for her. So yeah, the Adventurer AU is still alive and kicking! I'll be back with more details, but in the meantime feel free to AMA if you want! Anon asks are on! I'll see you all soon, but until then, Stay Miraculous!

[saintlaurentproblems]

So i tried watching emily in paris and i couldn't make it past the recap because it re pissed me off.

Ughhhh this is why I’m avoiding it at the moment. It’s so cringe.

[ladysophiebeckett]

i probably should do an emily in paris rewatch before august but i say that about any show i watch that manages to not get cancelled and i never do it. it's often just me, my memory and if the show decides to give me a 2 min recap or not.

[adamgant]

5.24 Friday Faves

5.24 Friday Faves https://ift.tt/SXOYb0T Hi friends! Happy Friday! How was the week? I hope you had an amazing one! We’ve had a busy one over here, but school’s out for the summer and we’re all PUMPED. We all slept in today and it.was.magical. What’s going on this weekend? For my parent friends: are your kids out of school or not yet? This weekend we have a friend staying with us, have dinner plans the next three nights, and I head off to the Biohacking Conference next week. I’ll definitey be sharing a recap of everything I learn. I’m also excited to spend some more time studying for High Performance Health. It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below. 5.24 Friday Faves Life: A new fridge! This was completely unintentional because our fridge broke last week. Of course, it happened the morning after I’d done a grocery haul for the entire week, and I had to toss out 90% of it. When they went to install the new fridge, water had been leaking behind it. It was a blessing that it happened when it did, because it the leak would have persisted, it would have been an entirely different situation. This is the one we ended up choosing, and are adding a Clearly Filtered filter to the line. This pour over coffee maker. I just can’t with the Nespresso decaf anymore. I’ve never been a fan of the taste, and I also don’t like pushing hot water through aluminum to drink. Instead, I’ve switched over to a glass and stainless steel pour over coffee maker. It tastes a million times better (I’ve just been using Whole Foods Organic decaf) and is much less expensive. Fashion + beauty: This Amazon dress! (with these sandals) It’s just a classic cut, good quality, and the perfect throw on dress. They don’t have many sizes left because it’s on sale for $9 (what?!) but I accidentally got an XS instead of a S and it works. (With these sandals) If you’re looking for a mom swimsuit, this is my #1 fave right now. I also have a list of mom suits here! Best lipgloss for summer. Read, watch, listen: BRIDGERTON.  Worth another shout out because thoughts are consuming my life right now lol. I have half of one episode left and am trying to savor it. I’ll watch the episodes in my sauna blanket or on my walking pad, and it’s been such a lovely treat. Bridgerton and Emily in Paris are pretty mcuh the only shows I watch reguarly right now. Took the kids to see If yesterady and wowwww my friend and I were NOT ready for that emotional roller coaster. It was a bit darker than anyone was expecting, and no spoilers, but the ending was beautiful. I’m not sure I’d see it again. I’d love to hear thoughts if anyone else has seen it! Fitness, health, and good eats: The BEST local chocolate. New oil for oil pulling. (You can read about oil pulling here!) I typically use coconut oil, but of course, I had to try this one. It’s very lightly flavored with citrus and my mouth felt SO clean afterwards. It’s a smaller bottle, but a little goes a long way. A tablespoon was way too much, so I’ll be using a teaspoon from now on. Try it here! (Ps Oliveda had a huge restock if you’re looking for items that are OOS.) Happy weekend, friends! Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and I’ll see ya soon. xoxo Gina The post 5.24 Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista. via The Fitnessista https://ift.tt/oXSMLHb May 24, 2024 at 02:49PM

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 16, "There's The Rub", aka a Masterpiece of Gilmore-dom, AKA Lorelai Gilmore Is Safely Contained In Another Location, AKA Jess Rory And Paris Eat Together And All Is Right With The World-Part 1

Let's just jump right into this absolute masterpiece. This 45 minutes of bliss. This triumph of GilmoreDom that even Dean Forrester can't ruin. (PS-Don't forget to check all of the previous episodes I've recapped! You can find them in my pinned post).

Yeah okay. The point of this construction was supposed to be for Jess to have a seperate space for himself, right? But this never happens. So why are we doing this again? This poor kid had to sleep on the floor next to Luke and Lorelai when she stayed over. Lorelai told Rory "your boyfriend snores." Tragically Lorelai was closer to sleeping with Jess than Rory ever was.

I hope one of them was Forrester. Perhaps God was trying to smite him and he failed, but hey, try try again right?

1:11 into the episode and I'm already grinning like an idiot. Emily calls Lorelai. "Would you like a gift certificate for a weekend at the spa?" TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT Emily uses advanced manipulation techniques on Lorelai to trick her into accepting a mother daughter weekend at the spa and I couldn't be more proud of Emily.

Me too, Emily. Me too.

I'm not saying Lorelai deserves an injurous chunk of concrete falling on her head (I reserve most of my grave injury/ death wishes for Dean), but a small DOINK or KABONK would have been satisfying to watch.

A shirt that just repeats "yoga kills" over and over is one of Lorelai's more interesting fashion choices. Per the post-opening credits, this s also a Madelyn & Louise episode? How can it get any better? Lorelai is carefully organizing her spa itninerary while Rory declares her plans to stay in for the night, order take out, watch movies and go to bed early. Lorelai is insistent that Rory throws a rager in her absence. With who, exactly? I mean this in the kindest, gentlest way possible: Rory has no friends ( besides Lane, who I suppose has demonstrated her ability to slip out of her room un-noticed and attend wild parties on multiple occasions, should I give her partial credit here?) When you think about it, these are the only true, solid, non-frenemy, non-annoying hangers on (like Logan's "friends"), non-sexually tense friend pairs on Gilmore Girls: Lane and Rory Lorelai and Sookie Miss Patty & Babette. Welp that's it. GIlmore Girls teaches us an important lesson: If you have a penis, you're not allowed to have any friends (who you aren't trying to fuck).

17 years old, but already speaking like a true geriatric Millennial from the later 2000's. I heartily salute your low key lifestyle, Rory Gilmore. You do you, and don't listen to your mother.

"Haven't you ever seen the movie Risky Business? I don't mean you have to start a prostitution ring, but maybe an illegal casino or something." Well, if Rory wanted to start a prostitution ring, I know a teenage gigolo who can call some people and make it happen. L: Why is (Emily) honking? She hates honking.

Rory's Inner Monologue: "I know,I was there."

The chariot that will whisk Lorelai away to a secondary location so Rory can have a night of freedom from her insane mother. Maybe not freedom from three other people imposing their time on her against her wishes, but hey, no Lorelai!

One of my favorite parts of Gilly Girls is the 36 year old Chilton extras who have wives and 3 kids to get home to after chemistry class. Paris Geller's world crumbles when she discovers she recieved an A-Minus on her chemistry test. Since Madelyn and Louise won't give up their Friday Night Fuck Dates to help her study, Paris turns to her wife for help. After much badgering, Rory gives in and agrees to spend the entirety of the following week helping Paris study but declines for that evening, because Rory really needs to be alone, and just BE.

"A whole week of studying with Rory Gilmore. Ugh. I GUESS that's okay. I GUESS that doesn't make my nether regions flutter in anticipation or anything."

On top of the caffiene withdrawls, Emily re-arranged Lorelai's careful planning which was supposed to ensure she was seperated from Emily for the majority of the trip, so now all of their spa treatments are going to be in tandem! Lorelai's disappointments and caffiene withdrawls are like chicken soup for my soul. Ahhh! Okay, fine, Lorelai is pretty tolerable, even enjoyable to watch in this episode, but she's built up so much of whatever the opposite of goodwill is (badwill?) that it's hard for me to let go for one episode and not just snark on her constantly. A girl's gotta snark.

Emily and Taylor Doose were the OG Karens. Did anyone just feel a sudden chill?

AHH! You idiots, you have GOT to stop scaring me like that. Having to see Rory and Dean make out and then having to hear Rory pretend that it actually turned her on is another form of unthinkkable torture outlawed by the Geneva Convention. Rory's sexual experiences really went Dean Forrester, Logan, ????? (mystery 10 years), then Logan again. I hope there was something in between Logan and Logan, for I fear this poor thing has never had an orgasm in her life. Maybe Jess snuck in there somewhere after their initial breakup. Paris maybe? Ditch em all and buy a nice vibrator is what I say. Anything that would unbleach my eyes.

*to the tune of Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton* Unbleaach my eyeeesss....don't ever do it AGAAIIIN... Un-do this shit that caused me to claw at my brain and want to rip out my eyes...

If I had a nickel for every time AmyShermanPalladino flip-flopped between making Dean a Nerd or a Jock, I would have many nickels. Frankly, my dear Amy, we know he doesn't know how to read, play sports, or kiss a girl, so just knock it off already. The makeout session lasts an ungodly long amount of time (about another 10 seconds) because he insists on stopping to talk to her 3 words at a time between each torturous application of his lips to hers. I swear I'm going to make a Gilmore Girls Bingo Card and here's a space I'd add to the card: "Dean makes a suggestion for something HE wants to do, not taking Rory's time, feelings, or interest in said thing into consideration, Rory is not able to express just how deeply she does not want to be involved in the Thing, and then Dean goes "WHAT" when she hesitates and then manipulates her into doing the Thing against her wishes, or he offers her a terrible compromise that benefits her in no way whatsoever" This is the second episode in a row where this exact thing happened and probably like, the fourth time total. Dean trying to seduce/ interest Rory in a couple of minutes of awkward groping: "So tonight (SLORP) I was thinking (SLORP) since your mother's gonna be gone (SLORP) I could come over."

We have Oh. What? I repeat, Oh. What? has achieved liftoff. Your shitty manipulation tactics and slorping on Rory's face cannot bring me down, Forrester. Not in There's The Rub. Not gonna happen. Bring on Jess and Paris.

I await Dean Forrester's reasonable and measured response.

"You're right Dean Forrester, silly me, I dont know why I would ever consider spending a single minute of my time with anyone but you. Thus far you have given me no reason to avoid you like Covid-19, even though I don't know what that is."

The Butthead was too stunned to speak. Poor Rory has to EXPLAIN to Dean why she would ever entertain the idea of spending one night by herself. They should show Gilmore Girls in high school sex ed classes as an example of unhealthy dating relationships. I swear. I'm going to publish this Part 1 a little prematurely as I'm leaving for the afternoon and I may as well throw it up, much like the lunch Rory will throw up after making out with Dean. Part 2 soon.