#I actually wanted to see more of Mikey playing a role in a 3

[freezercat]

mwhahaha ok so @allie14f sparked some motivation in me to add into the meme post I did… this one is much funnier /j

Also this is what I was ORIGINALLY gonna post and then I kinda just went all over the place.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

A New World: part 2

Bayverse!Leonardo x reader

Part 1 / Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

A/N: I have decided to give you guys part two already, hehehehehe. Now it’s time for your side of that fateful encounter hehehe. Nothing super detailed or super important, by ay, part 2 it is.

Leo is 25, reader is 22 - 23.

Warnings: None so far💙

When (Y/N) woke up that day, nothing could have told her about the things to come. Not a cloud in the sky or smell in the air. No beeping alarms or sirens up above. Nothing. Nothing but good weather, blue skies and singing birds, along with the usual sounds of the bussy city. It just seemed like a normal day off, and (Y/N) had every intention of enjoying that day.

(Y/N) woke up with a big stretch, before making her way to the closet to get dressed, all while ignoring the early morning texts from her needy and possibly drunk ex boyfriend. With that she went to the kitchen, so she could make herself breakfast, planning out her day in her head. As stated before, the weather was great. A warm day in the middle of summer. It was as if the day was made for her to have a day off. So why not use this amazing weather as a reason for going downtown and do some shopping. Listen to some music, look at some clothes, geek out at her favorite nerd shop, and just see what caught her eyes. Sounded like a plan. A perfect plan actually. Maybe even grab some food on the way home. Only time would tell.

With that plan in mind she cleaned up after herself, before venturing out of her apartment and down to the metro, taking the first train towards centrum. With her headphones covering her ears, (Y/N) kept bobbing her head to the music, keeping an eye on the station names above her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy jumping in his seat, playing with his new Mutant Mayhem figures, telling his mother what they were doing and mimicking sound effects, all while she nodded along, not really sure what any of the words he said meant.

(Y/N) smiled at the sight, remembering the days she got TMNT action figures for Christmas. She had had all four turtles, all from different episodes of the 2003 series. Mikey dressed in dinosaur skulls, from the episode where they were stranded in the dino area. Raph in a big red foot clan robot. It could even shoot small plastic projectiles. That had been an annoyance for her parents, as they never knew when they would be shot by an angry toy turtle. A cyborg Donnie with tubings and all sorts of robotic gear and a grappling hook. And Leo, in his natural katana holding stance. That one action figure didn’t come with much, but that didn’t matter to (Y/N). Leo had always been her favorite turtle, so having an action figure of him with just his two katanas and nothing more, didn’t diminish him in her mind. To (Y/N), the blue wearing ninja turtle stood for everything she wanted to be as a child. A leader, a role model, a savior, the good person that always did what was right. It wasn’t until (Y/N) got older, that she realized what else he stood for. He was anxious and worried for his family’s protection, just like she worried about her siblings, both now and growing up. The leading turtle struggled in every single version of himself. His mental state, his own insecurities about his strengths and weaknesses, and the thought of not being good enough. Those topics was only getting scarily more relatable to (Y/N) as she got older. Now (Y/N) was a newly single woman in her 20’s with an apartment of her own, and now they were more relatable to her than ever.

It didn’t take long before (Y/N) got to her station. She went up the stairs from the underground station, before making it to the big shopping streets. With music booming in her ears, she went into one store after another, seeing if there was any clothing. And behold… nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing really caught her interest, and the few things that did was not in her size.

(Y/N) huffed, slightly annoyed, before leaving and going to the next store. It was the same story all over again, again and again, until she came to her crown jewel. That comic book store that had everything a small geek like her could think of; Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, DC, Marvel and Avatar. They even had H.P. Lovecraft, and her childhood favorites such as Tintin and Asterix & Obelix. And of course Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On the shelfs between Avatar and Star Wars stood the TMNT comic books. (Y/N) found herself over there in no time, looking through one after the other. For a long time she had been thinking about buying the second big collection of the TMNT IDW comics. She often found herself flipping through it while standing in the store, but always putting it back on the shelf when she saw the price. As much as she loved TMNT, that price seemed to surprise her everytime, even though it was the same everytime she came to look at it. Well, she had already bought the first collection after several days of looking at it. It was good, she wasn’t going to lie about that. (Y/N) loved the idea of her favorite turtles having a human past life, and she was stocked for the rest of the IDW series. But the amount of money tho…

After standing there for some time, (Y/N) decided it wasn’t the day to spend money. Maybe she should just go home and watch some movies. Batman VS Ninja Turtles maybe? Rise of TMNT? Maybe even Turtles forever? No, she decided on the bayverse movies.

(Y/N) left the store as a new song started playing in her headphones, causing her to once again bobbing her head to the music. As she was walking back towards the metro, it was as if a strong wind came down the street towards her, making everyone stubble in its way. (Y/N) felt it as the strong vibration made a stubble backwards. She managed to catch herself, slightly confused at what just happened. And as she wondered, it happened again. A hard and fast vibration, causing her to fall this time around. And just as she landed on the ground it was gone as quickly as it came. People mumbled in confusion. A slight earthquake? Just a hard sudden wind? Who knew, but whatever it was, it seemed to be over. That was at least what (Y/N) thought, but in reality, it should have been the first of her warnings for things to come. Nonetheless, (Y/N) wanted to go home. The food at home suddenly seemed way more appealing.

On her way home, (Y/N) heard people talk about what just had happened. Should we be concerned? Probably not, there is most likely a reasonable explanation behind it. Nothing worth bothering over. And with that though in mind, (Y/N) went back to listening to the song that was playing in her ears.

(Y/N) once again left the underground metro station, walking towards her street. She opened the door to the stairwell, before making her way up the steps to her apartment. As she came to her front door, she turned off her headphones before unlucky the doors with her keys. As she got through the door, she was still humming the song that just had been playing. Closing the door and leaving her headphones and keys on the table at the entrance, she went to take her shoes off. At that very moment, (Y/N) was just thinking about what food to eat while watching the bayverse movies. She should probably check the fridge to see what she had to work with. And with that she walked down the hallway towards her kitchen, only to stop dead in her tracks. In her kitchen stood a well over 6 foot tall green muscular terrapin, wearing his signature blow mask, trousers and boots and his two katanas on the back of his shell. (Y/N) was in shock, staring at the terrorfied mutant. (Y/N) did not know how long she had been staring at him before he broke the silence.

“Don’t freak out!” He held his green three fingered hands up in front of him, as if he was trying to keep her at bay. (Y/N) didn’t really register any of his words. All she could do was stare at him, even as he continued talking about her knowledge. “I- I know it looks weird, b- but I can explain-”.

That was when it finally clicked in (Y/N)’s head, as if she suddenly realized what she was looking at. “You’re in my house”. Was she talking to him? Nope. She didn’t even know if he was real, yet that thought hadn't even crossed her mind yet.

“I know, and I’m sorry! I don’t know how I got here-”.

She didn’t register a word he said. As she finally said the words in her head, they came through her mouth; “Leonardo is in my house”. The turtle was taken aback, seeming as shocked as her, mouth open but no words coming out. She repeated the words, as if her brain was still trying to catch up. “The Leonardo is in my house”.

[turbulenthandholding]

The Bear Season 4: Theme Prediction

I have a little Season 4 prediction that I’ve been playing with in my head pretty much since Season 3 came out and I wanted to write it up before the year ends.  

Since Season 2, they have been more overt with picking a theme to pull references from in The Bear.  Season 2 was sports, in the lingering presence of Coach K and Jimmy telling Carmy that the real fuckup of the 2003 Cubs playoffs run wasn’t Steve Bartman but rather an unforced error by Alex Gonzalez.   Season 3 was full of gorgeous film references which also tie closely into sleight-of-hand or magic (the legerdemain) and 4th wall breaking references we get as well.  

In an effort to try to predict where we are going in Season 4, I have been thinking about the following:

As we round what seems to be the third act of the whole arc of the show, what themes would make sense?

And, related to that, it feels like we are going to be out of the freezer and actually vibrantly collaborating in Season 4…

The whole “The Bear is NOT a comedy” discourse in wider media (about which I disagree with everyone lol)

Are there specific Chicago things that could be referenced, like the city’s political notoriety?

My prediction is that Season 4 is going to pull from a theme of comedy – specifically improv comedy.

Modern improv came out of the University of Chicago in the 1950s, pulling from older forms of comedy and theater (like commedia dell’arte, featuring improvised dialogue).

This grew to the formation of the ImprovOlympic (now iO Theater) and The Second City theaters/training facilities as well as touring groups and other theaters and the vibrant improv scene that still exists in the city today.  

This theme feels possible to me because:

Improv is done by adding and building (the improv concept of “Yes, and…”), collaborating, being open (as Luca told Marcus in season 2)

Improv and comedy have deep roots in Chicago (and leaves room for an actual Bill Murray sighting (after Mikey’s Ceres story in season 1))

There’s a through line between earlier mentions of comedic media (i.e. Carmy and Richie quoting Blues Brothers, posters, fuckin Kevin McCalliper) and the Season 3 theme of filmmaking that would be an interesting through line of continuity here

Season 3 was Carmy (and, consequently, almost everyone else) being stuck and improv is distinctively about motion and movement and creation.

Season 4 could bring a return to form of the same style of comedic moments we saw earlier in the series (i.e. the surge rates, fucko scene and pretty much all of Dogs…)

Focus (Or, formerly, Point of Concentration)

Focus is a fresh start.  The past is made to loosen its grip. - Viola Spolin

As I was doing some background reading for this, a major theme arose to me in probably the watershed text related to improvisation - Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin.  Spolin was an acting teacher and coach.  Her work heavily influenced not only her son (Paul Sills, who was the original director of The Second City in Chicago) but also countless improvisers and actors through her improv games and methodologies.  

In the third edition of her book, she writes about how she renamed one of her preeminent concepts, Point of Concentration, into Focus:

“Focus”…suggests to me a moving energy, like a ball in a constant state of movement, the players all acutely conscious of everything going on around them while keeping their eye on the ball.  Similarly, whereas “relationship” is static and implies role playing, “relation” is a moving force – seeing, hearing, perceiving. (page liv)

Focus is a word that is very familiar to us in The Bear, particularly in relation to Sydney and Carmy and their relationship:

…I just need your focus like you need mine.  I…I don’t want to share it, I’m sorry…

…you deserve my full focus…

There is an interesting aspect to the way that Viola Spolin writes about what happens during improvisation; there’s almost a metaphysical or psychological or spiritual quality to how she discusses it, which feels similarly to me as the Season 3 references to Freudian psychology.  I feel like this concept could inform Season 4 in the same way.  

Anyway…I’m going to wrap this up by leaving this passage from Spolin’s book here, which speaks to me of our two chefs.  May we see their mutual focus only grow into Season 4.

This combination of individuals mutually focusing and mutually involved creates a true relation, a sharing of a fresh experience.  Here old frames of reference topple over as the new structure (growth) pushes its way upwards, allowing freedom of individual response and contribution.  Individual energy is released, trust is generated, inspiration and creativity appear as all the players play the game and solve the problem together.  “Sparks” fly between people when this happens. (3rd edition, page 24)

Things to read if you are interested:

Excellent short article on the history of Improv in Chicago

Viola Spolin's book Improvisation for the Theater - pdf of the 1st edition here in full for free

Also an extra article on Viola Spolin because turns out the roots of her improv work are really cool

[ashtheketchum]

ROTTMNT X Cosplayer Reader

A/N: Because I didn't want the title to be too long, I'll explain it here. How would the turtles react if their s/o cosplayed their childhood crushes? I choose one character for each turtle. (Pic from Pinterest!)

Warnings: GN.Reader, fluff

____________________________________

Leonardo:

For Leo, I can imagine Kim Possible as a childhood crush

If you cosplayed her, Leo would probably fall in love with you all over again

Whether you cosplay the male version or the female version, he loves it

He would definitely whistle and grin mischievously

"Can you move like Mrs. Possible?"

He tries to get you to wear her clothes more often, even if it's just the pants

He would brag to his brothers about what a great partner he has and how good you look

Always has one hand around your waist to feel your exposed skin

He would also play with the wig (or with your hair if you have long, ginger hair<3)

If you perform acrobatic moves or fight, Leo will cheer you on as if he were a fangirl

Raphael:

Raph would have had a crush on Astrid

He likes her stubbornness and how she also takes on the role of leader well

So if you cosplay her, he would be very happy (again, It doesn´t matter, if male or female<3)

"How did you come to the conclusion that I like Astrid?"

Leo told you-

If you then behave exactly like Astrid, he will kneel at your feet

But he sometimes tries to act as a leader himself

Raph would also work with you on your cosplay. He would get you an axe, help you sew and also help you choose your wig

He doesn't really brag about how great you are, but he subconsciously mentions it sometimes about how good you look in that cosplay

When you were doing throwing exercises with your axe, he was watching you the whole time (in case you got hurt)

Donatello:

Even though he wasn't so proud of it as a child, he had an incredibly bad crush on Shego back then (Besides Atomic Girl ofc-)

He liked her design and also her personality, even if she was a villain

He was actually working when you went to see him in the Shego cosplay, but when he saw you he dropped everything (again, doesn´t matter if male or female version)

His mouth was wide open, which only made you giggle

"Y/N, why are you dressed up as Shedo?"

He didn't understand for a moment that you wanted to do him a favor, but when he did, he turned bright red and looked at you several times

When he was a kid, he defintely argued with Leo about who was better. Shego or Kim

If you kiss him with those black lips, he will turn bright red and hope that an imprint remains

He could no longer concentrate on his technique, his entire focus is on you<3

If you still knew the fighting style, he would stare at you with wide eyes and probably stop breathing for a moment

Michelangelo:

Mikey had a crush on Rapunzel then and would still have a crush on Rapunzel

No matter whether you have long or short hair, he finds her incredibly great and pretty

So if you cosplayed her, he would scream super loud and wave his arms wildly

Even though your wig was shorter than in the film, he thought you were incredibly wonderful

"Babe, you look amazing, oh my god!"

He would definitely take selfies with you

He would watch the entire movie with you and act out scenes with you (he would be Flynn of course)

He would smile at you all the time and hug you all the time

When the frying pan scene occurred, Mikey looked at you anxiously and pleadingly while you pretended to consider reenacting that scene as well

You didn't reenact it, but you did the wedding scene<3

[chefkids]

The Worst is Yet to Come

I already posted about the note saying Ziggy, but tldr is that a series of misfortunes are still to come. I think Season 3 will begin jumping straight into the chaos that the end of Season 2 set up.

This whole past season was a build up to tension, a ticking time bomb as all those clocks reminded us. And in the end, yes, Carmy exploded, but everyone around him is also facing their own problems that keep getting pushed aside in order to pay attention to his. I think Season 3 will start right off with the fall out of it all.

We already know Marcus is going to have to deal with his mothers situation. Whether she's dead or is very ill, he is going to have to focus on that, and they only have 4 days until the official opening. Marcus plays a major role in so many dishes like the focaccia, cannoli, sundae, donut, and honey buns. Without him like half the menu is gone. Which might open up a window of opportunity to bring back our second favorite tatted up Chef from Copenhagen.

Unfortunately, I do think Natalie's shoulder pain is more than a passing comment. It can be sign of serious conditions such as preeclampsia, specifically HELLP Syndrome. Which is ironic, because she is always the one trying to help others, but the roles would finally be reversed and she'll be the one having to accept other people's help. HELLP is usually only treated at that point by giving birth or by going on bed rest and taking medications until it's ready to be induced, which she probably wasn't planning on doing for at least another month or two given that she's likely around 7ish months at the moment.

The Carmy and Donna reunion is not a matter of if but when. I think Natalie getting sick will be the catalyst for them coming together again. We know Carmy avoided his family after Mikey died and he still carries some guilt over that, and at this point Natalie is his only closest family member and he would not abandon her. We know Natalie still wants her mother in her life, and even though she still hasn't told her about the baby, she was planning to at Friends & Family. If she felt like there was something seriously going on, she or Pete would call her.

Richie. We saw him at his best but that doesn't mean he's fully changed overnight. After what Carmy said to him I could see him not returning for a while just to prove a point that he can be good on his own and he doesn't need Carmy's handouts. Which would put them in a tense spot at the restaurant.

Sydney, as much as she tries to communicate with Carmy, still keeps her actual feelings and frustrations with him bottled up. She jumps around hoops, just like him, to avoid saying directly what is bothering her. They still haven't discussed the mess at the end of Season 1 that was seemingly brushed under the rug when they decided to jump into the new build. I think she will find out either directly or indirectly that she is essential for Carmy keeping his cool, and that will put a lot of pressure on her. They spend so much time apologizing rather than actually trying to change things and all that has to burst out eventually.

With the chaos around him, the only thing Carmy knows how to control is the kitchen. I think we are going to see him go fully stone cold Michelin Chef because if Marcus, Richie, and Natalie are out, they're fucked.

[capt-galaxy]

Every time I watch the scene in 5.07 in which Brian goes yelling at Michael and Ben's, I pick up something new. It's so layered and rich in details that I'm sure in a couple of months I'll still find something else to marvel about!

Right now my attention is grabbed by how Brian points at himself when he says "before you and your husband tied the noose around your necks, he was perfectly happy!"; it's not Michael the first one to stir the conversation from Brian and Justin's relationship to their own relationship, which makes perfectly sense since Brian didn't come all the way from Babylon to talk about Justin.

Brian lives in world that relies on fragile lies that he's been telling himself for so long they've become core traits of his persona: 1) he's never been in love 2) he's not sexually attracted to his best friend 3) he doesn't do jealousy 4) if the occasion arises, he'll be more than happy to leave Pittsburgh. Brian is the best liar, he may stumble, make us glimpse under the surface but ultimately he could go on lying to himself his whole life. What makes these lies fragile is that to work they need Michael to play along.

Finally in 5.07, Michael stops playing along. He bursts the bubble they've been living in for twenty-something years (do you remember the last scene in 1.12, when they make up after Michael's birthday party and they're actually inside a "bubble", dancing at the centre of the universe?) and Brian's world unravels.

The timing is perfect, Michael doesn't need Brian like he used to. After years of unhappiness waiting for Brian to tell him "you're the only one I want", he's finally found someone willing to give him what he needs, he's stepped out of the derailing train and won't make up excuses for Brian anymore like Justin and everyone else have always accused him to. Now when Brian yells he yells back, when Brian throws hurtful, idiotic accusations at him, he answers with hurtful truths.

And boy if Michael's words hurt. Brian has managed to push away Justin, he can't even hide behind his role of the queen supreme of liberty avenue, all he's left with in Michael's new - full to the brim of people that aren't Brian - house are the consequences of a life of hiding behind comfortable masks and risks not taken, and for a moment he doesn't avert his eyes from them, he looks into Michael's eyes and his heart breaks.

Not that he doesn't stubbornly try to avoid the bubble from bursting. After Michael yells the iconic "Don't we all know!", Brian closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and tries to stir away the conversation from those unspeakable truths, cornerstones to his and Michael's relationship.

Throughout the show we see them dancing; dancing around their feelings for eachother, sure, but also literally dancing. The times they do dance (the one I've just talked about and the last scene in 2.12, for example) but also the times they don't (remember the last scene in 1.3 when Brian's dancing with Justin and the episode ends with Michael's close up with Brian's eyes on him, and only him, on the screen at his back?).

This epic fight is their last dance, at least for a bit. For the entire scene they're moving around, getting in eachother's space. They're dancing and as they always do on a dance floor, they don't hold back.

When we see them dancing again, they've already decided that it's worth to learn how to go on together in a world completely flipped (as already pointed out by @galaxylad) Brian's the wearing his heartbreak on his sleeve and Michael the unavailable one. Everything is different and still "some things aren't meant to change. Dance with me."

The show couldn't have ended in any other way but with Brian and Michael dancing together in Babylon. No room for Justin because Justin doesn't belong there; the whole world opens up for him when he plucks up the courage to leave Brian and Liberty Avenue behind and IT'S A GOOD THING. Why should he stick around to be an extra in the Brian and Mikey show? He deserves an epic love story, someone willing to fight for him and, sometimes, even with him, not someone whose first thought after a break up he could have easily avoided is making a scene to his best friend.

Justin was up the stairs, at hand reach, why wasn't Brian yelling at him? We all know why and Justin knows why, too. He listens in and rolls his eyes. Brian's secret identity is revealed and Justin's free.

God, what a scene.

[unlikelyjapan]

s2e4 rewatch notes

I'm a bit tired, please forgive the typos:

At the intro, we get a montage of the permits and files and drills, the sense of urgency - the furiousness of the work and notes begging Carmy for something (that was probably already set on his list in the last episode). I guess I stopped paying attention to the timelines - they're now 7 weeks out with no walls and we haven't really gotten into the meat of the series yet - meaning we don't really see Carmy flake the fuck out until 1 month from opening.

Sugar's "don't tell anyone - this is my problem" bit is so sad, watching her castigate herself for bringing another her/carmy/mikey/donna/their dad into the world. I also hate the way such a heavy moment was turned into such a "womp womp - wall fell" moment, as the situation (and Sugar) deserved a lot more gravitas.

But this is a show through the male lens. Richie feels vindicated that he "guessed it". Carmy doesn't know how to show his concern (and to be fair, she'd probably pummel him if he expressed anything in that moment), but the fact that he still lets his sister shoulder so much of the restaurants burdens alone through the rest of the series shows the level he disassociates from his family (even his only caring/loving family member) at every turn.

Marcus is such a good son - I hope in season 3 we get a (posthumous, I presume) look at who his mother was, what shaped his character, how his brother/father play a role (if any) in his current family dynamic etc.

The Chester + Marcus pairing is a magical talisman that protects the show from a deluge of male-on-male emotional evasion, jousting and toxic co-dependency. I don't care that Chester is about as believable as Claire as a character, mainline that shit into my veins.

I love that Carmy ensured that Marcus would have the identical experience he had when he staged in Copenhagen (as described in Fishes to Mikey) - this is in no way coincidental, he would have had to make plenty of arrangements/requests to Marie for things to play out that way. He wanted Marcus to see Copenhagen through the same magical lens he did, knowing Marcus needed the inspiration and a break from his own version of family strife.

The invisible cat (Coco), the looming presence of Marcus' mom on the viewers minds, and the bike scene are three great examples of things that feel foreboding (like the other shoe is going to drop on Marcus) but never actually amount to anything. Whether existential or hopeful, I like it.

"Do you know how to make Shisho Gelee?" - this is such a gentle test to see how insecure Marcus is in this environment. Passing him the recipe as he's googling was an awesome act of amnesty. It immediately brings out Marcus' curiosity in the next scenes - he's asking all the right questions and looks so joyful when Luca gives him concise answers.

The scenes played out to Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", starting with "You're tired - and you want to be free" playing as Marcus walks home. Temporarily free from the impending death of his mother at home after a long illness. Free from the constraints of the (up until now) low-level jobs Marcus' has held down in kitchens with minimal inspiration and nowhere to go. Free from loneliness? The next cut is Sydney interviewing staff, as if on cue.

The quenelle - the heavy-lovin' part of the song as Marcus' is immersed in his work with Luca, falling in love with the ritualization of his craft. Things in Marcus' life haven't exactly been going right, but this is a place of solace. He follows this up by calling his Mom - professing his love for his craft, as well as for her.

Sidebar: The minty snickers bar is almost a sexual release scene during the ballad. I get why so many folks were led down the road to hell that is Marcus x Luca fanfic, as weird as I think that is (no hate! do you!)

The song ends with the pastry dissection on the boat. This man found love/spiritual release in Copenhagen, just like Carmy. "Mission accomplished, I guess."

Fak saying "Dude! We're best friends, we don't tell secrets!" re: the alliance stuff. So....every dude at The Beef/Bear is his best friend, Sugar is Mommy, and Sydney (and Tina, for that matter) are ????

I feel like Fak may be the thing that continues to insulate The Beef/The Bear as a Berzatto clubhouse for wayward boys at this juncture, but I'm originally from Canada (and thus have been force-fed Matty Matheson a.k.a Fak-Light since the mid-aughts) so there's probably some bias creeping in here.

Luca started as a chef 14 years ago. If he entered the profession and competed against Carmy at the same level/experience as a high-school graduate, that makes him and Carmy in the rough age range of 29-32, adjusting for education sans A-levels in the UK. We can put away that screenrant article and die in peace now.

Mikey was "Really tight, but also really out of his fucking mind, and he wanted to open a bakery". Something something Berzatto parallels.

Luca says "I've got a younger sister, somewhere, yeah" after asking about Marcus' family. Luca's got a case of the family damage, the trouble in school, a past-tense case of the ferocious mopes - all the same watermarks as Carmy. Meanwhile, Marcus was just sharing his mothers prognosis, and speaks of his brother with no ill will (even though he doesn't appear to be in the caretaking position with his mom) - are they foreshadowing that Marcus' doesn't have the damage that makes a truly great/ritualized/masochistic chef in the long run?

Luca's may have learned more lessons in life than Carmy has (in part by being thwarted by Carmy) but the habits borne out of family evasion/searching for something else are so engrained with that backstory. Or maybe Marcus' represents the happier/new way of doing things, breaking the toxic cycle (more thoughts on this down the line).

Luca worked to keep up with Carmy after he came to a place of acceptance that he'd never be the best, and that ended up being enough for him. Maybe a blessing is that Marcus' gets to sidestep the whole toxic cycle and just absorb knowledge (from Luca, from Carmy, from Syd) - he's not in a running position, just like Tina.

But of course, we never worry about Tina - she's too self-possessed. Marcus is emotional and easily influenced, so I have a feeling his narrative could turn on a dime.

Luca says "At a certain stage, it becomes less about skill and more about being open....." In summary:

Marcus - Open, but I fear could easily become closed in the wrong environment/trauma.

Carmy - Closed, doesn't really understand how to open when not hiding behind the guise of the restaurant/Syd/emotional fabrications

Sydney - Wants open, but always closes instinctively for self-protection.

Natalie - Open, with the limited emotional tools she has at her disposal.

Richie - *learning* to open, but that's a long fucking road.

Tina - Open

"It helps to have good people around you, too" - see above. The Bear represents the inherent goodness of people, with familial history run roughshod over it.

Marcus asking "Was It worth it? The time you put in" quickly followed by Luca saying "I dunno....ask me tomorrow"

Isn't this the feeling of fecklessness that almost everyone has with their creative craft being converted to labor? There's been a lot of theories floating around that Carmy doesn't like cooking anymore/never liked cooking - could it just be the long-standing feeling of irrelevance when you've taken a deep-dive into your craft for so long that you can't see the forest (inspiration, caring for people) through the trees (red tape, skill level, trauma etc.)?

The man on the bike could also represent saving someone the way that Marcus can't save his mom - it alleviates some of the feelings of powerlessness, and the exchange of comfort in the hug a reciprocity he can no longer experience with her.

"Are you sure you want to get back on the bike?"

A bad thing happened, but the man feels compelled to keep moving - as Marcus said to Syd in S1 "just keep moving" - there are a bunch of metaphors for just proceeding with the restaurant here.

Syd is literally just being goofy and talking to Marcus like a friend when he first calls - I guess I imagined there being a little more heat/aloofness there on her behalf, but it's giving friend-zone. She wouldn't act so familiar if there was a crush, I don't feel its in her DNA....

Marcus sharing the nightmare about his mom's impending death with Sydney is huge (again, the other shoe dropping) - Sydney tries to give an empathetic response (she's not great at anything with a whiff of mortality to it, but she approaches the topic with optimism) and caps it off with a "ugghh - I miss you man" as a reassuring gesture - he's her friend and a great source of comfort.

He nods quietly, waits a beat, and says "I miss you too" - and you can tell the pregnant pause has let Syd know that there's gravity/consequences to her words. She diffuses with the freeze humor because what the hell else are you going to do once a guy tells you about his dying mom nightmare, you spurt out a casual "I miss you bro" and he responds back tenderly that he misses you too. Unenviable.

"Okay, goodnight dude" - Syd hangs up immediately. Oof. Everyone talks about Syd getting a love interest in season 3 to level the stakes with Carmy, but I want Marcus' to bag a hot expediter or something just so there's a bit of joy in his life without a crazy dramatic subplot ensuing.

The mild smile on Marcus' face is so peaceful when he masters the dessert. It's such a quiet satisfaction you can only get when you create things. What a nice way to end the episode.

Holy crap, this was far too long. If you stuck it out, thank you!

[haitanizzz]

hello since you guys are a new blog i wanted to request. Can i have separate headcanons of mikey, the kawata twins, baji and mitsuya with a male s/o who takes the dominant role in the relationship. Hes also a really badass fighter and has a really scary reputation thats makes people afraid of him but is really chill and more like a himbo.

omg tysm for requesting!! we did our best since this is our first request, we hope you like it♡

characters: mikey, souya, mitsuya, nahoya, baji x male reader (2nd pov)

cw: slight violence, pure fluff tbh, spelling errors

L: mikey, souya, mitsuya

F: nahoya, baji

mikey:

mikey would be the one who wants to be pampered by you all the time. always asking for piggy-back rides/asking you to carry him, basically clinging to you everytime he’s with you. you're basically the new draken once you start dating lmao he isn’t scared of pda at all so expect a lot of that too especially when you’re the one being intimate in public. he’s not the type to get embarrassed easily but when it’s with you..oh boy..just grab his wrist and pull him into a hug and he’s already red as hell (the others will tease him if they see you especially draken and baji). he likes how intimidating you're to other people but also gets jealous when you get way too much attention lol if anyone looks at mikey in a bad way you just glare at them and they're already walking away in fear. loves it when you take him out to eat to your fav place and actually falls asleep on you. everyone in the gang who doesn't know you is actually really scared of you but it changes once you brought food to a meeting. (everyone loved it)

he thinks you're really cool when you fight and actually looks up to you in a way. when he sees you fighting it gives him so much energy that he's next to you in a second throwing punches as well. he loves it when after a fight with another gang you're all over him checking him for any injuries and taking care of him if he got hurt. (he deserves all the love tbh:(<3) he will fake being hurt just to be carried.

souya:

i think he's a very shy person when he's with you especially at the beginning of your relationship. the same as mikey, he's the youngest sibling and he loves to be pampered but doesn't really show it. grab his hand in public and he's gonna be a shy blabbering mess, he doesn't know where to look or what to say he's so embarrassed😭 nahoya will make fun of him if he catches you two and souya's face gets even more red if that's possible and since he's too shy to hold hands he just follows you around like a puppy or just holds your pinkie. your reputation comes in handy since i feel like he's not really a social person and hates being at the center of attention, so people usually stay away from you.

he absolutely adores how strong you're and thinks you're amazing and would love to have you teach him some moves! secretly loves it but pretends to be annoyed when you just show up at his house and take him for a ride not taking no as an answer. hug him from behind when you're in private and he will melt.

mitsuya:

now for the love of god please take this boy to your house at the weekends for a day long cuddling session cuz he needs. a. break. don't get me wrong he loves his sisters more than anything but he really needs someone to look after him too. (and that's why you're here) loves to go shopping with you for fabrics and going out to eat to a nearby restaurant that you choose everytime. not gonna lie he was scared shitless when he first met you but that image of you quickly shattered when you used a corny pick-up line on him when he bumped into you and yeah you've been dating ever since lmao the first time he took you home his sisters were hiding at his legs and the next second you showed them the stuffed toys you bought them they were all over you. luna and mana loves you sm tbh you always bring them candy (without mitsuya knowing ofc) and they just love the headpats you give them. once he was in the kitchen preparing dinner for you guys (you were sleeping over) and found you and his sisters on top of you sleeping on the floor, he took a polaroid of you and has it hanged up in his room.

he loves how you're more than capable of protecting yourself and actually wants you to teach him so he can get stronger. even though he knows you're strong he still worries but when you just flash him your stupid smile it all goes away. (he also blushed but looked away.)

nahoya:

i just know he would show you off to everyone. he's so proud of you and he wants everyone to know how amazing you are:( also i feel like he would use you to treathen people?? "do you have any idea who my boyfriend is? don't make me tell him to-" you would have to cover his mouth in embrassement and apologize to the poor guy who accidentally bumped into smiley and made him fall. i like to imagine that he's clingy as hell, especially when you're around others. you can't get him off of you because he constantly wants to hold your hands, ask for headpats maybe even climb on your back and clinge to you like a koala. (please do give him headpats he will melt on the spot). he just wants to show off his love for you to the others:(

his poor brother was literally shitting his pants when you first joined the gang, meanwhile nahoya was basically all over you, asking things like "where did you learn to fight?","can you teach me some moves??", basically smiley being the social butterfly he is.

he's overall so so proud of you and looks up at you so much. he loves how you're independent and that you can protect yourself and others, it makes him feel at ease!

baji:

to be honest he didn't like you at the start when he met you. he imagined you as a person full of himself because he's stronger than others. he was really avoidant of you, maybe even suspicious that you want something from the gang. but when he saw you play with some kittens at his usual spot where he was feeding the stray cats?? oh boy that man literally fell in love with you, he just didn't want to admit it yet. from that day you two would usually go and hang out around that spot, just talking about meaninlgess things and playing with the kittens. and when you planned a cat cafe date with him as your first one, he never thought he can fall even harder for you.

i like to imagine that when baji does something stupid the gang is calling you immediately, half of them already has your number saved just in case 💀. he hates to admit it but he loves pda, he's just too shy to ask for it and likes to play the though guy. but when you take his hand in your's around the others?? he would be a stuttering and blushing mess.

he thinks you're the coolest person he ever met, even if he had his doubts in the beginning. you're like his role model, he always tells you how you take out the best of him. i feel like he has a hard time showing his emotions, but he loves you and is really proud of you!:)

[joukhr]

hi! maitake person here!

my prompt is: hand scene in pride and prejudice but make it maitake

this is my first time posting writing on tumblr (not just posting an ao3 link) so i hope u enjoy, it’s just a little snippet.

i actually haven’t seen pride and prejudice but a friend of mine sort of explained the scene so i hope this fits what you were thinking!!

<3

Takemichi didn’t remember exactly how he got back to the past this time. How he got back to the moment in July 2005 where Mikey was towering over him after he stepped in and fought Kiyomasa.

Takemichi did remember the ledge of a building, being shot… and there was one thing from that future permanently carved into his memory: The promise he made to Manjiro Sano.

The one he’d made with his dying breath and decided nobody’s happiness was worth more to him than Mikey’s- then Manjiro’s.

The darkness around his eyes at that time was a stark contrast to his lighter skin and blonde hair, “You always put all the burden on yourself!”

“Just say it once!” His throat hurt from yelling the words and yet- he would’ve screamed until his throat was too dry to make a sound.

Even without a promise he would have tried to save Mikey, but thankfully their promise became the trigger to go back in time again.

“Takemitchy?” Takemichi played his role like he had the first time around. His eyes met Mikey’s and there was something there, something different. Takemichi couldn’t exactly place it though.

Mikey grabbed him like last time this happened, pulling him closer than what most people would consider a normal, friendly distance apart. His hand cupped the back of Takemichi’s head as Mikey gave the most friendly and intimidating smile Takemichi had ever seen.

When Takemichi agreed to be his friend instantly this time, Mikey smirked. His dark eyes were boring holes into Takemichi and yet, if his destruction had to be due in part to anyone… He needed it to be Mikey; as selfish as that was to think. He knew that’s the last thing Mikey would ever want. Mikey would never want to hurt him.

Takemichi was hyper aware of how Mikey’s hand paused at Takemichi’s cheek before it went up and brushed a piece of his hair back. Takemichi noticed Mikey’s eyes trail down to his lips before going back up to his eyes, “There was a bug.”

“Huh?!” Takemichi jumped a bit as Mikey giggled. It was so natural, so familiar- it was almost like—

No. It couldn’t be.

“I’ll see you soon Takemitchy!” Takemichi didn’t know what to think when he saw Mikey’s hand flex, as he paused behind Draken before leaving the makeshift fight club.

[twenty-words-or-less]

Top 5 Best Films of 2019

Okay, so I don't normally do this, but I've seen so many films this year that I thought I would summarise them by making top 5 lists. This one deals with my top 5 best (or favourite) films of the year.

IMPORTANT: I shall keep these as spoiler-free and short as I can.

5. Midsommar

A film that feels like it was made by a 50+y/o European that was actually made by a 30+y/o American. I initially thought it was kind of 'eh'. However, it did lodge in my head, and the more I thought about it and the more analyses I read/ watched, the more I liked it. It grew on me much like grass grew on our poor beleaguered protagonist in the numerous hallucinations she has over the course of the film.

4. Booksmart

Like the female answer to Superbad only with zero period jokes (thank fuck). Legitimately funny, rewatchable, and the lead characters have great chemistry. Shame that only ten people saw it, but roughly seven of those people - including [REDACTED] and I - enjoyed it immensely. Special mention goes to Billie Lourd, who was a fucking delight to watch in every scene she was in.

3. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

A coherent, beautiful-looking action film that manages to be as good as its predecessors, which is highly unusual in a film series. I still care about the characters at this point, and I'd be happy to follow these characters through many more installments.

2. Doctor Sleep

The only TRULY good 2019 Stephen King adap, do not @ me. Despite one incredibly distressing scene, I would probably buy this on DVD or at least rewatch it. It's good to see Ewan McGregor get work again, especially as a ravaged, PTSD-ridden Dan Torrance, and it's fantastic to see Rebecca Ferguson get good work after the shitstorm that was "The Snowman" and the dull-as-fuck, grossly overrated "The Greatest Showman". Again, it's a shame that only five people saw it (basically). Genuinely good film.

Honourable mentions before we get to my #1, in no particular order:

Ready or Not: Samara Weaving gives it her all in this blackly comic slasher. I want to see her in more things. Also, on a more superficial note, her wedding dress in this was really pretty, even ripped to shreds and completely soaked in blood.

Crawl: A surprisingly good creature feature that was an absolute blast to watch. Also, the dog lives, which I am very happy about.

Knives Out: the best thing Rian Johnson has done since Looper. Strong cast and beautiful to look at (the film, I mean, not the cast), even if I did get a little lost near the end. Oh, and it automatically improves lad culture if you change the title to Get Your Knives Out For The Lads.

Child's Play: a remake that actually managed to update the setting and keep the things that made the original, well, the original? Holy shit. Also, the end credits song is incredibly catchy.

Avengers: Endgame: as anyone who knows me knows, I'm a slut for superhero films. Long as this was, it stuck the landing; it was a 3hr thank you for sticking with the franchise despite most of the films being 'eh'. Also, I LOVED Cap's ending, just saying.

And now, the most important one...

1. Brightburn

Or as I like to call it, We Need To Talk About Kal-El. Jackson A. Dunn was uncannily perfect for the titular role and the gore effects were fantastic (the car scene in particular). It works as a standalone film and the groundwork for any sequels, which I would happily go and watch, btw. I'd been looking forward to this for months, and I got exactly what I wanted from it. End of.

Whew, this turned out to be longer than I anticipated! Thanks for reading if you made it to the end. This has been my top 5 best; I shall post my top 5 worst later today (I'm seeing "Cats", and I anticipate it making the list). 🎵 Stay tuuuned... 🎵

~Mikey

[koiblossom5]

tr characters at a sleepover

takemichi: probably the most normal one, which is not a good sign. he’s the type to chomp down aggressively on popcorn during scary movies bc that’s how scared he is. he’s also the first one to pass out, making him the ideal target for pranks (courtesy of mikey, smiley, and kazutora)

mikey: oh god oh fuck. this very violent gremlin will hog all of the snacks, and by all, I mean ALL of them (he’s willing to lend takemichi the popcorn though). nobody can get any sleep bc this little shit snores louder than a vacuum cleaner, much to everyone’s annoyance. oh and the nasty ass creature that’s stealing all of the food in your fridge at night? that’s not your sleep paralysis demon. that’s just mikey with his stupid 3 am snacking.

draken: takes on the role as mikey’s impulse control, but only because no one else will do it. everyone cuddles up toward him during the scary movie because he’s strong and has a very reassuring presence. by the end of the movie, he can’t feel either of his arms or legs. he’ll be willing to buy extra snacks from the local dollar store just so he can get away from mikey.

baji: honestly? just as annoying as mikey. he’s ready to get wild, and constantly squabbles over the snacks with mikey (but he’s willing to share with chifuyu). he lets emma play with his hair while he gets his nails done by chifuyu. before sleeping, everyone has to roll baji up into a blanket burrito because this mf will NOT stop kicking in his sleep. have you ever been strangled in your sleep? oh don’t worry that’s probably just baji dreaming of choking kisaki to death

chifuyu: sneaks peke j in because he can’t sleep without his cat. thankfully, he’s one of the calmer people, probably second to takemichi. he also brings over his nail polish and offers to do everyone’s nails! oh uh, ignore the barfing noises in the background: that’s just chifuyu after he’s eaten one pop tart too many. given up on sleep yet?

mitsuya: he’s willing to be more chill. he loves his sisters, but it’s practically a gift from heaven having one night to himself. he brings all of the snacks, much to mikey’s delight. he’s also probably surprisingly calm during the scary movie, but only because he had a weird but short phase sometime during middle school where he would watch nothing but horror movies. it explains a lot about luna and mana’s upbringing, actually. he’ll try to get inui to model in some clothes for him, much to hakkai’s jealously.

hakkai: slightly bummed because mikey has a super tight grip on the snacks and won’t seem to share (it’s fine, draken is going to get some more). also, mitsuya is asking someone ELSE to model for him, which he seriously can’t stand. luckily, he has someone to rant to (ahem, angry) while he gets his nails done by chifuyu. he’s terrified out of his mind during the movie, screaming really loudly during the jump scares. it’s an odd sight: hakkai’s six foot ass cowering behind mitsuya, who’s calmly munching on some popcorn with takemichi without batting an eye.

pah chin: don’t tell koko, but he somehow managed to sneak his dog, pochi into the fucking house. chifuyu’s not the only one who can’t sleep without his pet. peh-yan is the only one who knows pochi is there. they hide pochi in a closet, occasionally feeding pochi some leftover snacks that mikey hasn’t claimed yet. it’s literally the worst kept secret because these two share a collective brain cell, but somehow no one has noticed yet because there’s too much chaos going on. unfortunately, the closet they hide pochi in just happens to be where koko’s shoes and fancy clothes are stored. don’t worry! koko doesn’t find out until the very next morning, or the morning after THAT, because he’s so exhausted he literally passes out for two days. that’s how much of a headache these dumbasses are

peh yan: nervously helps pah-chin smuggle pochi inside koko’s house. he nearly spills the secret like three times to five different people, but everyone thinks he’s joking. he works off the stress by playing (several) rounds of mario kart with smiley, who is unsurprisingly good at it. after the end of his rage-quit, the TV’s shattered and broken, the consoles are split into two, and koko’s headache turns into a migraine.

smiley (nahoya): whatever you do, do NOT turn your back on this fucking demon. he’s all ready to party and get wild, and by party, he means pranking the shit out of everyone at least once. he’s already got to takemichi literally after he just stepped into the house with the classic bucket prank. takemichi seems to be his favorite target by far, partially because he’s so easy to prank. he reluctantly stops filling the water balloons with boiling hot water only because mitsuya catches him in the act. did I mention that his son of a bitch craves violence?

angry (souya): kind of becomes everyone’s therapist for tonight. he sympathetically listens to his friends’ ranting, purely because he just wants all the tea (keeping a secret? forget it. he’s gonna spill to smiley like ten seconds later anyways). during the water balloon fight, he grabs a giant nerf gun instead, which automatically makes him the winner because everyone’s desperately trying to escape his carnage. after all, he was closest to winning smiley’s paintball party last year. 

koko: man I feel so sorry for this guy. everyone chooses his fancy-ass mansion for the location of their sleepover (without permission because permission is for weak ass nerds ofc ). his blood stress and headache is higher than usual, which is saying something. you know that feeling when you’ve had a busy day at school, and your backpack is so fucking heavy it’s practically killing your spine, neck and shoulders? that’s what he’s feeling right now, but worse. don’t worry, everyone trashed his house, but paying for the property damage will barely scratch his bank account.

inui: it’s a little awkward for him because he’s rarely slept over at someone else’s house (other than koko’s), and he isn’t quite close to the others yet. he pointedly avoids other people (mitsuya, who he literally whacked over the head with a baseball bat, hakkai, because he used to be taiju’s subordinate, mikey. because mikey made it very clear that he doesn’t like inui very much, and koko, because fuck you, read the manga). he sticks close to draken’s side and kind of just follows him everywhere until draken tells him to get to know the others better. that leads to him chatting quietly with takemichi, who seems to welcome him. chifuyu’s very eager to paint his nails (red, because it’s the colour of mitsuya’s blood after he got whammied in the head!). mitsuya is determined to make inui his new model project (again, much to hakkai’s envy and distress), and tries to talk to him, which makes inui avoid him because he’s worried that mitsuya’s going to confront him. luckily, it turns out that mitsuya just wants him to try on some clothes, much to inui’s relief. he ends up making some new friends!

kazutora: you thought mikey and baji was bad, huh? well kazutora is (arguably) worse. he’ll keep it civil for the first hour, only making like, 20 snide comments toward chifuyu while chifuyu is doing his nails (the only thing that’s keeping chifuyu from dumping acrylic nail polish all over on kazutora’s stupid egirl banana hair is that the nail polish was expensive as hell ). kazutora’s favorite prank victim also happens to be poor takemichi, which leads to a competition between smiley and kazutora to see who can prank takemichi the most. suffice to say, takemichi had a truly awesome horrible night.

kisaki: i’d like to make one thing clear. this bastard was NOT invited at all. he’d be a mood killer to have around anyways. even if he was, chifuyu would have killed him before he could even take a single step inside the house.

hanma: in a hypothetical turn of events, let’s just say that if hanma WAS at the sleepover (hypothetically, of course), he would be just as chaotic as smiley, except his idea of “fun” is setting something on fire with those stupid cigarettes of his (don’t smoke kids!! protect your lungs). stealing baji’s forte? not cool hanma. :/

[inky-duchess]

Things Writers can learn from Scream

The Scream Franchise though it does have its flaws is actually one of my favourite film sagas. Wes Craven's features have taught teenagers around the world how to avoid slaughter from a masked fiend but as writers what can we learn from the master of horror himself?

Being Meta

Meta is the termed coined for when a particular work takes an opportunity to comment on its genre. Scream is a whole film that spends its entire run poking fun at the horror genre itself. The characters lampshade clichés (Randy has this role over the main trilogy), insult their foils in similar works (Sidney roasting all other final girls as big breasted bimbos for example) and the whole work is unafraid to really poke fun at itself. The comments on the genre, characters and story itself are refreshing but meta references are like salt, too much spoils any dish. Though the concept of Scream is a meta commentary on the horror genre as a whole, the films know when to quit. There is no point beating the audience over the head with commentary. If your story is a journey, any meta reference is a treat of some McDonald's. If you as a writer, chooses to comment on the genre you're currently writing or want to make comment on real world issues, there is nobody stopping you but coose your battles.

Genre Rules

So Scream runs on a very simple formula. Each film follow a series of rules, lampshading that very horror film/ trilogy + reboot does indeed follow formulas. For example- Rules to succesfully survive a horror movie: Never have sex (virgins usually survive these situations). Never drink or do drugs. You will nearly always die if you say "I'll be right back", "Hello?" or "Who's there?". Sequels- The body count (or volume of action) is always bigger. The death scenes (plot points) are always much more elaborate. Never assume the Killer/villain is defeated. The final chapter of a trilogy- The Killer (antagonist) will be more difficult to defeat. Anyone can die (the stakes will go up). The past will bite you in the ass (the past will catch up with a character or prove to be the undoing of the antagonist). Remakes- Don't fuck with the original. As writers, we have to face the truth- all genres have rules and expectations. Don't clock yourself for being unoriginal if your WIP falls into a category. But that doesn't mean we are constrain. You have rules in the genre but that doesn't mean you can't bend them. Sidney has sex in the first film, Randy drinks at the party, Gale says "I'll be back", even Joel the camera guy lampshading that diverse characters don't often make it through to the climax. The audience expects them to die and they are spared, which is a refreshing turn of events.

Red Herring

Scream is also a whodunit at heart. Ghostface is a persona taken on by many antagonists over the four films. Most of the films keep up the suspense by teasing characters as the possible killer. Red herrings is a literary trick devised to mislead the audience and sometimes characters from deducing the truth too easily. In the first film, we are given more than our fair share of red herrings. The most masterful red herring is Billy Loomis. The film makes a hard go of planting the idea that he is the killer: a phone falls out of his pocket after Ghostface has chased Sidney around the house, a tendency appear when Ghostface has suddenly vanished from a crime scene, and acts so creepy, that the audience assumes he isn't actually the killer and the writers are trying to distract us. It all comes to a head when Ghostface stabs him during the final bloodbath right after Sidney plants one last seed of doubt in our heads. While Sidney runs around trying not to die, the audience and no doubt Sidney, feels bad for doubting Billy. But in a twist, he has faked his death and is one of two killers. Multiple characters over the franchise are used as red herrings: the overzealous blade happy Principal Himbry, Dewey who is nearly always absent when Ghostface calls, Derek who is a red Herring by default because we naturally suspect the boyfriend after Billy, Kincaid's knowledge of horror and his popping up odd times, Deputy Judy for her creepy behavior and knowledge of the prior crimes, Billy-Loomis-expy Trevor in Scream 4. Make the audience look left while you hit them from the right. 

Pov trick Shots

So I've spoken about how much I love multiple POVs and all the tricks you can play with them. And Scream 2 provides the best example. All throughout the film, reporters gather about our characters trying to get interviews. Gale and Cotton are both approached by Debbie Salt, a seemingly nondescript background character who is likely there to get killed for entertainment value. Then comes the climax and she strides into view carrying a gun. The audience and Fake don't understand at first but Sidney sure does and she would, as Debbie Salt is Mrs. Loomis. Sid could recognise Mrs Loomis despite her lost weight (Gale only clicks after the fact) but Sidney never meets Mrs Loomis until the end of the film.  Had she met her before or stumbled across her, the film would be over in seconds most likely.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when the events of a story are lampshades before they happen. Scream is one of the top works that does this well. On the topic of Mrs Loomis, she is foreshadowed so heavily that it almost is laughable when you rewatch it: Randy says that the killer could be somebody other than a white male citing Mrs Vorhees as his prime example (Mrs Loomis is the first Ghostface's mom), Randy is then rather savagely slain in a frenzied attack in broad daylight after badmouthing Billy and then she even foreshadows her own identity by claiming before other reporters that the new Ghostface could be from Woodsboro. In Scream 3, Randy's sister - who we didn't know existed- suddenly shows up with all the answers foreshadowing the reveal that Roman is Sidney's half brother and holds the answers to why all the killings happened. In Scream, Randy jokingly tells Stu that he'll see him in the kitchen with a knife after flaunting the 'I'll be right back' rule - and Stu ends up there, wielding a knife.

Characters

The thing with franchises like this, is that they often bring in new characters to surround the main character as they go through their travails. In the first Scream, Sidney has Tatum, Stu, Billy and Randy as friends. We see them interact with Sidney and other characters, they have personalities and their deaths actually impact us. Each of these characters shine on their own though Tatum is perhaps the flattest of the first group of friends but her rapport with Sidney and Dewey saves her and makes her death impactful. The background characters of Scream 2, we're introduced to Hallie, Derek and Mikey. Mikey did not have enough screen time for the audience to attach themselves to, he's merely as Randy puts it "the creepy film student". Hallie can only be seen around Sidney and does little except support Sidney. Derek does venture out of his supporting role, with having a goal (winning Sidney's trust), having a personality (his humour with his song) and being seen without Sidney (when the frat kidnap him). In Scream 4, almost every supporting character is ridiculously clichéd. You have the douchey guy (Trevor), the nerd (Robbie/Charlie), the edgy cool girl (Kirby), the pretty one (Olivia). The only one who makes any sort of impact is Kirby for showing us some personality and her death is actually hurtful. If you're going to introduce new characters to a story, they cannot be statuesque. They are people too. They need drive, personalities, lives outside the MC's life, goals of their own and should be seen acting as independent entities if they are to be taken seriously as characters.

[datsrightbby]

The Lost Boys - Paul

An in depth characterisation

Paul is such a wholesome character and I love that. I think he’s the friendliest of all the boys and it’s pretty obvious. We see him flirting with Maria in the beginning, I know flirting doesn’t really count but he’s the only one of the boys who actually speaks to her while the other 3 just stare, and he welcomes Michael into their group very wholeheartedly, going out of his way to say “you’re one of us bud”, and I say he go’s out of his way because none of the other boys do that, just Paul, and I think that says a lot about him. However, since flirting was mentioned....I don’t think he’s a flirt necessarily I just think he’s nice and it gets interpreted as flirting, that’s not to say he can’t flirt though cause’ he totally can. Like, Paul can flirt the dress off an old woman if he wanted too he’s very charming and confident. 

Confident, but not to the point of cockiness. He’s just naturally confident in his actions and as a person. 100% an extrovert. 

I think he’s the type to overthink when someone is mean to him. Purely because he’d never be mean to them. I just don’t think he’s a mean person (I get he’s a vampire and kills people, but I think that’s less Paul and more vampire instincts. That’s a whole other convo tho). Anyway, as I said he’s not a spiteful person, or at least wouldn’t go out of his way to be, and he’ll definitely take it to heart when someone is to him because they literally have NO reason too he’s very nice. He’s thoughtful and goes out of his way to help people. Helping Laddie down the stairs and onto the fountain edge (I think that’s what it is?), welcoming Michael into the group, and during the attack from the frog brothers we never really see him go to hurt them ?? Which is why I think he’s more of the peace maker in the group. That’s particularly shown when he holds Marko back in the beginning scene fight, he doesn’t get into it and instead prevents Marko from doing so. 

Personally, I headcanon Paul as having ADHD, but I’m not gonna completely base his characterisation on it because, though it plays into his personality and actions, I don’t think it defines him. One of the reasons I headcanon him as having it is his restlessness. Paul is constantly messing around and moving, there’s never really a time where he holds still unless he’s really concentrating. On the railing edge he’s tapping on his legs (in a drum beat btw and imma get into that later), when he’s on the bike while David talks to Star and Michael he’s tapping on the handlebars, and he’s always moving around the cave and only sits down to eat. Also, he talks and interrupts a lot, for example: in the cave when he interrupts David to say “so check it out, Mikey” and when they’re hanging off the bridge him and Marko spur each other on and taunt Michael.

(Although that is very boyish behavior and might not be his ADHD, but I figured it was worth mentioning)

Earlier I mentioned Paul tapping on his legs in a drum beat, this to me says that he’s a very musical person. This man doesn’t just like music, he loves it, and it plays a big role in his life. I like to think he plays drums and guitar, and he’s probably quite a good singer too. Following the idea that he might have ADHD, this is probably something he finds he can hyperfixate on because he’s so passionate about it.

Pauls attire literally makes no sense because none of his clothes ?? should even go together ?? but they work for some reason ?? Like bro you’re wearing a whole ass tuxedo coat over a sheer top how the hell are you pulling that off lol. The reason I mention it is because I think his clothes represent an aspect to his personality, which is being unorganized and kinda all over the place in his own head, but in the end it all comes together and makes him unique. 

[notsowrites]

holdin’ all of this love

Tyler said "tension" in regards to S3 Malex, and then my brain went to work with that, and so, here's Malex and a bit of awkward first-date tension.

(AO3 Link)

<3

----------

Michael watched as Alex picked at his burger, something clearly on his mind. They’d started this tentative dating of testing the waters, starting slow and seeing if they could do this whole thing right. The last thing Michael wanted was for it all to blow up in their faces, and he’d hoped that Alex felt the same way. 

It wasn’t like he thought Alex didn’t want them to work out, but there was a new kind of tension between them these days, an uneasiness about the future. For Michael, it felt like sometimes he was holding back his own thoughts, things he used to have no problem expressing to Alex when they needed to be said, and Alex - well, it felt like Alex was even more pensive than he used to be, or that Michael could ever remember him being.

Dates at the Crashdown felt like they should be easy, it was somewhere they were both familiar with, food they both already loved and enjoyed. There was nothing about the setting that should make either of them nervous.

And yet.

What if he said the wrong thing? What if one wrong question upended everything, and he ended up losing Alex for good? The possibility weighed heavily on his mind, holding Michael back from the words he knew he’d normally have no trouble saying out loud. 

“I’ll be right back,” he mumbled, sliding out of the booth and heading toward the back of the restaurant, pushing through the door into the kitchen on the right instead of the bathroom door to the left. He wasn’t alone for long, as Liz immediately appeared around the corner, making a beeline directly for him. At least right now, he was happy to see her.

“You okay, Mikey?”

He groaned at the nickname that had stuck around since their trip to Texas. Never in his life had he imagined being called anything other than Michael, hell, no one had ever bothered to try and call him by a nickname before, because that’d require they care about him, and there hadn’t been anyone to fill that role in his life growing up. But his friendship with Liz Ortecho had taken him by surprise, especially in the weeks and months after she’d learned the truth about Rosa’s death. 

“It’s just Alex, right?” Michael leaned back against the wall, needing the extra support, and tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling. “So why is this so hard?”

He doesn’t expect Liz to have any answers, he hadn’t even been expecting her to appear around the corner, thinking she’d see Alex sitting alone and stop by and talk to him instead, leaving Michael alone to gather his chaotic thoughts about how epically he was fucking up this new chance with the one person it mattered the most with.

“Tell me about him,” Liz replies, leaning against the wall next to him, bumping her shoulder against his own. 

“He’s your best friend.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, raising an eyebrow. “But I’ve only ever heard about you from him - or well, I didn’t even know it was actually you until recently.”

He stares at her, unsure of what he’s even supposed to say. Tell her how Alex was the first human to show him any kindness? That Alex didn’t care that he was homeless as a teenager and lived out of his truck? How Alex had handed him a guitar to play and had listened to him prattle on about how it calmed his already chaotic mind? 

She lets out a deep sigh, clearly annoyed at his reluctance to talk.

“Max makes me laugh,” she says, and Michael looks over at her, seeing the faraway look in her eyes, a kind of wistfulness he can understand. Plus, he’s been on the receiving end of listening to more than one of Max’s feelings about Liz Ortecho. “He makes me smile when no one else can. And he makes me feel safe.”

But he appreciates what she’s doing, and it helps calm him down, though he doesn’t quite know how to go back out to Alex yet, how to salvage this mess he’s made of today.

“Alex was the first person to make me believe I could have a home here.”

“But what about Max and Is-”

Michael smiles, shaking his head to interrupt her so she understands. “I always have them - I’ve always had them. But there’d never been any part of humanity that had shown me that kindness before.”

He watches her nod, understanding, and continues. “There’s always been something about Alex, when we’re together it’s like - nothing else matters, right? And it used to be easier, maybe because we were just trying to make the most of the time we had, and not worrying about the rest of it.”

Liz smiles, rolling her eyes. “So stop thinking so much.”

“Easier said than done, Ortecho.”

Before she can reply, the same door he’d walked through earlier flies open, Rosa breezing past muttering in Spanish under her breath. He catches something about dumbass idiots and frowns at Liz, who just shrugs her shoulders, reaching out for him, suddenly pushing him toward the door.

Alex is still sitting in the booth, his burger untouched, but his fries are mostly gone, and Michael takes that as somewhat of a good sign. They’d picked the booth along the front wall of windows, overlooking Main Street. Alex had sat facing the door, though as he approaches now, Michael momentarily debates sliding in next to Alex, what it’d be like to crowd up next to him in the small space, and press a kiss to his cheek to let him know everything was okay.

That they were okay.

"You told Liz about his," are the words he decides on, thinking they sounded better in his head, because as soon as they leave his mouth, Alex is staring back at him, wide eyed.

"Of course I told her." The words are forceful, like Michael is accusing him of something, but he's not.

"I didn't mean-"

"I don't want to-"

They're talking at the same time, trying to apologize and explain, and Michael clamps his mouth shut, waiting to Alex to continue.

"I'm tired of not talking about you."

Alex breaks his gaze, shifting to look outside the window, and Michael watches as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, taking a deep breath. If there is something new he's noticed about Alex since he's been back, since his injury, it's the way he seems to take big, deep calming breaths when he needs to focus. It had been something different about Alex, but not necessarily bad. Something new he'd had to learn about him, file it away on the long list of reasons he loves Alex Manes.

"Flint stopped by my house yesterday." It's not a sentence Michael thought he'd hear Alex say when they're on a date, but if it's family stuff on his mind that's distracting him, the least Michael can do is listen. "And he told me about what you did when I was missing."

Michael grimaces at the memory of using the high voltage cattle prod on Flint Manes.

"Did you really have our future planned out when we were seventeen?"

His heart stops in his chest, recalling how he'd told Flint about his feelings for Alex, about wanting to have a family, and starting a dad band. Things he'd dreamed about that had been cruelly ripped away in one terrifying moment.

He shrugs, trying to play it off as no big deal, because is this going to be the thing to scare Alex away? Knowing that Michael has had dreams of what their future could be? "I needed Flint to tell me where you were."

"I did too," Alex continues, and Michael's heart begins tap dancing against his rib cage. While he's always known Alex loved him, he'd never been sure if they ever had the same dream - there hadn't been time for that. It feels strange to talk about the happily ever afters they daydreamed about as seventeen year olds, but it also feels good to talk about them.

Michael feels lighter knowing Alex felt the same. "Yeah?"

Alex smiles, looking down and playing with the remaining fries, pushing them around the plate but not eating.

It feels like a good moment between them.

"I still do," Alex continues, and Michael senses a bit of unease in his voice, his sudden confidence waning. But regardless, his own heart feels ready to explode out of his chest knowing that even though they've never really had the opportunity to discuss it, never got to the point before where they could share that dream for the future, they're both here wanting the same thing. "You're the only one I've ever wanted it with."

Michael looks down at their partially eaten food, getting an idea as he glances over to wave at Liz, who's watching them from behind the counter, before turning back to look at Alex.

"You wanna go for a ride?"

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

Favorite Voice Actors

For those of you that know me, you know that my number one special interest is cartoons and the people that voice my favorite characters. Studying my heroes and watching them in interviews became a favorite pass time of mine. A lot of my friends thought that it was really weird and they stopped talking to me because of it. For a long time before I got diagnosed as having aspergers I talked forever about it. I think that both bored and confused people. For me, I love voice acting because anybody can be anything. You can watch a show and years later be like I know that voice it’s insert name here if you’re like me. True, certain actors have something that is brought to every character (I can think of one prime example later on down the list) but it is always about the heart that they put into their characters. 

10. Charlie Adler: I’ll admit that I am mostly a fan of him due to the amount of work that he has done and the quantity. This man was the voice of Cow, Chicken and Big Red guy in Cow and Chicken. True, this show was past my time (and if it wasn’t I feel like it would get the Fairly OddParents treatment where my parents would forbid me to watch it.) When I listened to his episode of Talkin’ Toons I found his story’s really interesting and compelling. I can only imagine how much work and effort went into all of his characters in that show. To develop one character is one thing but to be able to switch between them like a deck of cards is a completely different thing. I did however watch a lot of Brandy and Mr. Whiskers when I was younger!! Growing up with that show and hearing him play Mr. Whiskers brought me a lot of joy when I was sick at home and for that I will always be a huge fan of his voice and his work. 

9. Jim Cummings. If I were to say that one voice actor had a ton of versatility it would probably be him. I was a major Tigger fan when I was growing up. Not just that but I loved Raymond when Princess and The Frog came out. He is actually my mom’s favorite voice actor. But I also loved CatDog when I would see that on reruns, I grew to love Darkwing Duck and countless other shows that he leant his voice to. Studying voice acting and the people that do it has led to me finding some things out that I would rather not. Especially when I found that he wasn’t actually the nicest person in real life. But, to me that doesn’t matter when it comes to this list. He is here because so many of his characters made my childhood just a little bit happier. When I was thinking about favorite voice actors I considered two things, personality and character content. This one is here just for character content. 

8. Bob Bergen: I reblogged a post a long time ago with this man at the helm. What he can do every time I see him do it blows my mind. Bob has been the voice of Porky Pig since pretty much Tiny Toons back in the early 90′s. He has stated that there have been some others but when I think Porky this is the name that comes along with it. Watching him do his thing is something that continually blows my mind. Listening to his life story on Rob Paulsen’s podcast Talkin’ Toons is something that inspired me more than anything. It’s this story of persistence and resilience from a young age. He is one of the few voice actors that actually got to talk with Mel Blanc when he was fourteen. I love his genuine heart and the ability that he has to jump into his character full force. Porky was a big portion of my childhood and I grew up laughing at his “silly” stutter. It wasn’t until I got older and learned that the stutter is an actual art form that I learned something entirely different. 

7. Richard Horvitz: Most of you that know me might be surprised at this rather seemingly low placement for somebody that I greatly admire. I mean he was Invader Zim and Billy from Billy and Mandy for crying out loud!! I just bought a print for the man but really when I thought about it, he hasn’t really inspired me as much as my top six have. I love his sense of humor and his love of musical theater but he hasn’t taught me anything life altering. I think that he is hands down the funniest voice actor in Hollywood. I could listen to him make jokes forever and just talk in his voice but at the same time he is so other worldly and knows so much about the craft that it inspired me that way. He is as most of his fans joke “the dad voice actor” complete with dad jokes. I love Invader Zim so much, the show has helped me through a lot of loneliness and emotional moments in my life reminding me to keep laughing at life’s craziness. I also love Moxxie from Helluva Boss. All in all Richard is a fabulous man and actor. He has helped me figure out the kind of person that I wanted to be and I owe him a lot of laughter hours. 

6. Greg Cipes: Can I talk about probably my OG hero for voice acting? When I was six I spent a lot of time in front of the television watching the original Teen Titans. My favorite character was Beast Boy his character that he played. When I say that BB changed the way that I think about my life that is not an exaggeration. He was one of the first characters that made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt. Growing up I had to fight people for his validation. It seemed like nobody loved him as much as I did. Cut to me in middle school I’m a bit more grownup and I start channel flipping. I wind up on Nickelodeon and see the reboot of Ninja Turtles. I figure I’ll watch it and see what all the hype is about. I hear Mikey open his mouth and instantly I get this rush of my childhood coming back. It was one of the first times that I made the connection between voice actor and character. Greg taught me so much vicariously through his character. He taught me about fun and laughter, about the importance of feeling lonely doesn’t mean that you’re alone in the world and even if you’re the goofball that doesn’t mean that’s all you have to be. The fact that he is such a relaxed and genuine person only adds to the admiration of this vegan beach bum. 

5. Corey Burton: This is a very personal hero of mine. It’s one that I hold very close to me because of one thing. As far as I know, there have been very few voice actors on the autism spectrum. Corey is the only one that I have ever found. He’s the man that actually surpassed every expectation and said screw live performing it makes me anxious I’m going to get my experience through something that I know I’m good at radio. So he does radio and becomes really good at that. Then he goes to cartoons. He does Dale in Chip And Dale Rescue Rangers with a certain feminine icon of mine. He gets Ludwig Von Drake and has been that voice actor since the original DuckTales. Then he hits the peak, he was Mole in Atlantis Lost Empire a big budget Disney movie. I am so often inspired by my top six favorite voice actors. They are the ones that took me by the figurative hand and told me hey you can do get through whatever it is that you are struggling with. It just takes a little bit of laughter through the bad times, and an optimistic attitude that things will slowly but surely get better. Corey was the one that actually got himself to the top of the mountain and got to say that he did it. I admire that about him so much because for a while I thought to myself “Hey, he did it so can I”. 

4. J Michael Tatum: In terms of anime voice actors, even though I love a great many, only one has ever remained of legend status. It comes yet again with a rather personal story. I was 17, lost and a little bit confused. I knew that I was ace but I had no idea how to tell my parents. It was around this time when I was getting back into anime due to Yuri On Ice, Space Dandy and Princess Jellyfish. I decide what the hell I’m going to watch some panels of my favorite voice actors for anime haven’t done that since I was thirteen. I had always loved Tatum as Kyoya Ootori in Ouran High School Host Club and France in Hetalia but other than that I didn’t know very much about him. I looked up panels for him and came across one for Florida Anime Con filmed that year. In it, he talked about being gay a lot. It implanted a seed that would inspire me. If he could be out and proud then why was I stoping myself? It might sound silly or stupid to some but to me it changed everything. From that moment on I loved everything Tatum. It led me to discover my love for Rei in Free, Okabe in Stein’s Gate and many other countless roles of his. 

3. Tom Kenny: This man right here, he is the OG voice actor special interest of mine. He is the first name that I remember hearing because he did so much for Nickelodeon showing children how he did his most iconic voice. Who is that iconic voice you may ask yourself? Well it’s Spongebob flipping patties Squarepants. If that alone doesn’t put him at this spot then I don’t know what does. Like so many children in the early 200s I spent a good chunk of my childhood with me and my parents on the couch and this show on the television screen. You want to talk about legacy? This man voiced his way into the hearts of millions of children across the united states. I remember the first time I saw his actual face. I was flipping through channels and I saw this man on Nickelodeon. He had a goofy smile on his face and I figured what the hell I’ll give this a watch even though it’s not a cartoon. Then he started talking he introduced himself as Tom Kenny. Then he starts doing Spongebob. My five year old mind was blown. I never forgot his name ever since. Every time I would watch Teen Titans and Mambo would be on that episode I would be like “Oh that’s Spongebob’s voice actor”. It was that moment that changed everything for me. I have never looked back from my main special interest ever since. He has helped me through so much. Whether he be my favorite exorbitant yellow sponge, or Dog on CatDog, or Lazlo on Camp Lazlo part of me will always be with Tom Kenny. Keep making children happy Tom you’ve been doing a great job so far. 

2. Tress MacNeille: Hoo boy this is a big one for me. For those of you that haven’t ever been around here before and don’t know the name of my character on my icon her name is Dot Warner (the Warner sister) and this is her voice actress. I hope that she changes your life and inspires you as much as she has mine. When I was nine I had an incredible fourth grade teacher. She showed us Yakko’s Nations Of The World for geography class. She also encouraged us to watch the rest of the show because it was full of educational songs and humor. I went home that day with on thought in mind. I wanted to watch the rest of that series. I go home and I make one distinction, hey that Warner sister I can kind of talk like her a little bit if I try hard enough. It was a little bit harder back in those days and I talk a lot more like her now with the reboot out in the world. This is the first and only impression I can do. I can do Dot and that’s it. And to me that was what mattered I didn’t need to be able to do anybody else. There aren’t a whole lot of woman voice actress’s that can keep working. All we have is Tara Strong, Cree Summer and the one and only goddess Tress MacNeille. Tress has helped me out so much in my life. I have never been the most confident person alive but from a young age hearing her absolutely smack down the actors of her brother’s in the show (Rob Paulsen and Jess Harnell) something about that inspired me. It was around this point in my life that I learned I can speak my mind and just not give a hoot if anybody feels the same way that I do. I can make my opinions known to other people. I was sixteen when I made that discovery and Tress was there for me all the way cheering me on in her Dot voice.  I owe a lot to her and I wish that she was more active on social media so that I could have the opportunity to thank her for everything that she has done vicariously for me. 

1. Rob Paulsen: If you were surprised by this, we probably haven’t talked before. At least not extensively because my dog do I love this man!! He has inspired me more than any other and he is not just my favorite voice actor but I consider him my ultimate hero in life. Where do I even start with him? There have been so many moments where I’ve fallen in love with one of his characters. I suppose one should start at the beginning. As I mentioned with Tress, my introduction through Animaniacs was Yakko’s Nations Of The World. This moment it changed everything for me because this was the first time that I could actually remember seeing Rob do a role. Yakko was the first cartoon character to actually make an impact on me. It was the first time that I ever loved a character that deeply. It was also the first time I ever made my own character to pair up with a canon character not even knowing that I was doing it. Ever since then a part of me has known okay that’s what Rob talks like. Now thanks to Tom Kenny I can recognize him in other places. And recognize him I did. From there I found that he was Carl on Jimmy Neutron, Mark Chang my favorite character on Fairly OddParents and countless other roles that we could be here all day for. As I mentioned, I was in middle school when the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were originally airing. When I watched that first episode, Donatello sounded really familiar to me. So I waited to the end credits only to find out that holy hell that was Rob!! The same person that played my favorite fast talking older brother. I found out about his fight with cancer a few years after it happened. This is when he went from favorite voice actor to hero legend status. He fought his way out of hell so that he could continue to sing “United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Heidi, Jamaica, Peru” until the end of his days. Reading his book changed my life forever as it gave me insight to not just the man who made me laugh, cry and cry laughing listening to his podcast but that same man had a whole ass heart and soul that he put into every character that he did. I find it really hard to explain what he means to me. He’s my hero, the one that made me laugh when I was a sad and lonely elementary schooler and the one that continues to bring me back to my childhood every time I see him in a show. I don’t feel the compulsion to give strangers hugs very often but if I ever met Rob I don’t think that I would be able to stop myself from giving a hug and just telling him thank you. Thank you for making my childhood and the childhoods of countless others much better than they would have been without you. 

And that’s it folks!! Whew that’s a lot of me rambling but I feel a bit better now. Finals preparation week has officially started for me and I just wanted to give myself this big ol’ boost of serotonin before I went into it.     

[hamatoclan76]

My favourite TMNT 2012 episodes (part 1)

I have been thinking writing about my favourite episodes for quite while now.Keep in mind this is not supposed to be a list of ¨ top best episodes¨ from tmnt 2012. There are many episodes that i think that are amazing but they don´t enter in my favourite list episodes for different reasons.

Most of the episodes i included in this list are the ones i often find myself rewatching and are the first that pop up in my mind when thinking about the series. 

I'm going to write two parts about this because i don't want to make the post so long.

Let´s start!:

Slash and Destroy 

When tmnt 2012 fans and non- fans talk about the best episodes of the series, most of the time they mention Slash and Destroy and it´s easy to see why:

The episode itself plays like a psychological horror movie, with Slash as a physical manifestation of Raphael´s darkest desires. He represents everything that Raph could become if he let the most toxic parts of his personality take control him.

Slash himself it´s very good antagonist, he isn´t just some random mutant that appears to destroy Raph´s brothers. He´s Raphael´s best friend and he knows many things that the rest of the Hamato family doesn´t. His uses this at his advantage to make Raph join his side and leave his brothers.

Raph in this episode is fantastic as well. We get to see a lot of his character, from his bad temper and how he thinks the team is ¨holding him back¨ to how far he willing to go to protect his family, even if that means fighting his friend.

Despite it´s tone Slash and Destroy has some of the funniest moments in the season: The subplot about Leo trying to get the mutantgen canister from other humans it´s hilarious. It doesn´t feel forced and doesn´t interrupt the drama, it´s nicely connected to the rest of the story.

I could write a lot about what makes this episode work so well, but i would like to keep that for other post.

New Girl In Town

This episode serves as introduction for Karai´s character and it´s one of my favourite for many reasons:

1)  It´s excellent for Raphael´s and Leonardo´s character arcs. Leonardo tired of how his brother doesn´t respect him as leader, decides to leave the role to Raph since he thinks it would be better if he was the one in charge.

Later, Raph finds out that being the leader isn´t as easy as it seems, when he's forced to give an order that would put the life of his brothers at risk he completely freezes up. He learns he can´t handle the burden of making difficult decisions as he cares for his family so much he´s afraid of accidentatly hurting them.

As for Leonardo, he tries doing things his own way for once, he decides to take a break from the team and ¨have fun¨.  In this episode he acts more like a "rebel" than his typical "good boy", which is quite refreshing to see.

He also learns that he shouldn't expect getting praise for being the leader. Splinter explains to him that the important part of being the one giving the orders is choosing to carry the burden. That's why Leo is the leader because he knows he has to be responsible in making decisions.

2) Karai is very interesting character that completely changes the dynamic of the main protagonists. She usually likes playing Leo and tries pursuing to join the bad side in this episode.

Her exchanges between Leo are very entertaing as well. They acts as friendly rivals and we get to see that she's actually not that bad in the end since she helps the turtles fighting Snakeweed.

"New girl in the town" it's a wonderful introduction for her, as it shows her as someone who it's morally gray instead of just evil.

3) The fight at the end is awesome. I really like how Leo and Raph work together to defeat Snakeweed. Raph decides to trust Leo's orders and follow his commands.

I think it's good way of showing they both have learned their lessons and how their relationships is changing.

Metalhead rewired

One thing i really like of tmnt 2012 it when two character fight, there isn't always one side who it's "right" and other who is "wrong". Sometimes they both make good points and "Metalhead rewired" is a good example of that.

This one is great for Donnie since he really wants to help the team with his inventions but.. as Leo tells him, they can be a bit dangerous and Donnie can lose control of them.

Here we get to see how Donnie's passion for science and technology can put his brothers at risk and how Leonardo also can be stubborn at times and struggles with being open to new ideas.

It's one of those rare instances in the series in which we see Leo and Donnie fight. They usually get on well since Donnie has no problem with following orders. He sometimes sarcastic with Leo but he rarely tries to an argument the same way that Raph does.

The thing it's that Donnie's and Leo's arguments are usually more about strategy than personal problems. While Raph's and Leo's fight are related to their slibing rivaliry and how their personalities clash with each other.

This episode deals with loss as well: Metalhead sacrifices himself to help the turtles escaping from the Kraang prision. While it's true that he can be rebuild it, i think it's still a pretty sad moment that it shows that Metalhead was a robot with good intentions in the end.

Vengeance is Mine

This another very memorable episode that tons of fans remember. The plot and the dialogue it's very well written and much like "Slash and Destroy" has tons of metaphors that worth of analyzing.

This episode it's mainly about Karai and her relationship with Shredder. It how revenge often being doing more harm than good and end up hurting everyone involved.

It starts with great action scene about the turtles helping Karai escape from Shredder's prision. Overall it's very intense scene due to being surronded by very dangerous enemies and they in Shredder's lair.

The scene in which Karai reunites with Splinter is really heartwarning. She doesn't say any word, she just.. hugs him, happy that she finally able to be with her real father. It's a very memorable scene.

And i really love how she later hangs out with the turtles during their training. It's such a cute scene.

The problem is that Karai really wants to make Shredder pay for what he had done to her family. Splinter tells her it's not really worth of her time, that all that matters is that they are now finally able to be together.

Karai sneaks out anyways and she gets captured by Shredder.

This forces the turtles and Splinter to go rescue her. While they are fighting, Oroku Saki accidentantly cuts the chain that holds Karai, making her fall into the mutagen and transforming her into giant snake.

I think i really like how the episode ends in a tragedy, showing how blinded Saki has become for getting his revenge that he even hurt someone he considered her daughter in the process. The scene is acts as a parallel to death, who died exactly in the same way.

Buried Secrets

I really enjoyed April the first time watching the series. It's was very interesting to me to see this girl that used to have a normal life have it completely changed because of the Kraang and "Buried Secrets" was not the exeption.

I really like the amount of psychological horror this episode has: April just wants to be with her lost mother who really turns out a defective monsters that shares her mother's memories and devours each one of the turtles.

On one hand April is finally able to learn more about her backstory and why she has Kraang powers. It was something that wasn't completely necessary for the series to explore but i really like the writers took the time to explain how O' Neil family was being experimented on.

On the other hand it's a really sad since her "mother" wasn't real in first place. It's has to be desvasting to find out your mother/father is really just a monster who is hurting your friends.

And like i said, this is one of the scariest enemies in tmnt 2012. It's very creepy how she just goes hunting each turtles one by one and no one know what's happening.

Mikey was great here too. He was the one that first suspected that April's mother wasn't what she appeared to be. It shows that while he sometimes he's a bit naive, he knows when something is seems off and take things more seriously.

------

Okay, i leave the list here for know. I would probably be posting the other half during the weekend.

I hope you enjoyed my post! Feel free to talk about your favourite episodes in the comments (or by reblog). I would like to see which ones you like.