#I can't believe I've watched 1000 episodes of something

[inkovert]

After 2 years, 2 months and 5 days. I've finally reached the 1000th episode of One Piece.

[mrs-monaghan]

Claiming you are a OT7 army but pushing and promoting the hate towards taehyung makes you a hypocrite.

Jkkrs are slowly becoming the vermin by pushing false narratives to match their perception of taehyung. It has come to a point whereby we are also starting to base reality of Jikook around villainizing Taehyung. It disappointing honestly to undermine a 10+ year relationship that vmin publicly claimed as soulmates just becuz of social media posts. Dubbing words such as envious to a person Jimin deems important to him is utterly disrespectful.

At the end of the day... WE DO NOT KNOW THEM... so we should believe in their words rather than conspiracies that lead to outrageous conclusions. We jkkrs always preach about how we should only believe in what Jimin and Jungkook say but here we are disrespecting Jimin's words. Words that was just spoken in last week's Sapporo episode.

The truth of the matter is that Jimin and Taehyung are still very close. It justifiable hating Taehyung's subfandoms but hating him is not becuz it based off baseless theories.

More and more each day we jkkrs are starting to resemble the vermin. So fuckin disappointed.

I know you need a Jikooker to yell at, but I take issues when people accuse me of things I haven't personally done. Just because other Jikookers are acting a certain way, if I haven't done what they're doing, I resent being accused of it.

I. Shaz. Love. V. I wouldn't say that if I didnt. Trust me. Or don't. Either way, read this

I had this talk with some friends on discord but here is the thing. I may still care about V but I can understand why some people have washed their hands off of him. I've said this 1000 times but as long as Jikook keep loving V, so will I. But that doesn't have anything to do with holding V accountable for his actions. Jimin and JK may be okay with him, but us as fans are still allowed to question his behaviour.

Jikookers will complain that during FACE everyone and their dog made posts supporting the album except V. Then people like u will say, you don't know them personally, V probably praised him privately. And I would counter with the fact that V posted about Dday and TXT's album. Does that mean he didn't praise them privately???

Same thing happened with MUSE even though the guy finds a way to still be online all the time even while enlisted.

When Jikook were enlisting he posted that shirtless facetime screenshot of JK. Was Jimin not enlisting too?? Why didn't he post about him?

JK himself has come online to correct things that V said. Pointing out that, that's not how it happened. So if JK himself feels the need to correct misinformation, why are we being side eyed?

V promotes everyone except for Jimin, the vermin notice this just like we do and do you know what happens? They go to town on Jimin talking about how V only promotes good music. That Jimin makes garbage music and that's why V can't support it.

I assume you're here due to that post I just made about them not knowing eo as well as they used to. Bro, I ain't making this up. We have seen this with our own eyes. Them trying to guess things about eo and ending up being wrong. That wouldn't have happened way back when. I could talk about the many, many times he has gone quiet only to finally post when the fandom is focused on Jimin.

You say that we don't listen to members, except that's all I do. I watch Vmin chronologically and they're not the same. U would see it too if u did the same. Jimin seems tighter with Jungkook Jhope and V seems tighter with the Wooga Squad. And like I mentioned before, we've seen on original content JK come online to ammend something V said so... how is that me not listening to members? RM saying that V is not very good at self awareness, how is that not me listening to members?

Anon, Vmin aren't the same. U wanna live in denial thats fine. But don't be mad when those of us confident enough to talk about it, do.

.

.

.

Tkkrs hate Jimin because of his bond with JK. But Jimin has never done anything to V. Additionally he does things that makes those morons come for Jimin everyday. That's why jkkrs get upset with him. We don't have an issue with him just because he hangs out with JK or is the closest to JK (he not) And that is why angry anon, we will never be like the vermin.

[bettsfic]

i can't stay quiet about this anymore. for weeks now i've thought, noo i won't write about knights of the zodiac on my blog. nobody cares. BUT it is the weirdest fucking movie i've ever seen and i need to tell you about it.

knights of the zodiac is an american made live action adaptation of the anime/manga saint seiya. before this film, i'd never even heard of it, but that doesn't matter, because i watched an interview with mackenyu (who plays seiya) who said that the director told him not to bother watching the anime or reading the manga, because he wanted this movie to be its own thing. you know, which is always a great way to bring in your core audience.

with that said, i'm viewing this film entirely on its own merit, with no context of the source material. so saint seiya fans may not want to read this.

the movie came out this past may. i was excited about it for no other reason than mackenyu starring in an american action movie. i'm honestly a little surprised people weren't more jazzed about that. there aren't a lot of japanese actors starring in big budget american action movies.

other cast members include sean bean (who, spoiler alert, dies), famke janssen, and mark dacascos. in case you don't recognize those names, they are, respectively, boromir/ned stark, jean grey from x-men, and the iron chef. if nothing else, i think it's worth watching for the utterly bizarre casting.

the premise, sort of: mackenyu, who appears to be contractually obligated to play angsty younger brother characters (i think this is the 7th thing i've seen him in where he is an angsty younger brother), has an older sister who is missing. he's a poor orphan boy who gets by on winning cage fights. or something. so boromir finds him and tells him he's destined to be athena's bodyguard, and he gets on board with this alarmingly fast, but not after antagonizing athena (who is not yet athena) and throwing out some snarky one-liners. he trains in the middle of nowhere with a masked lady who repeatedly kicks his ass, and he never changes clothes the entire time. there's other stuff too but it's secondary to the absolute batshittery of this movie.

i saw it on premiere night, which was also the premiere night of the new guardians of the galaxy movie. again, A+ move by the promotional team. so there i was on a saturday at 7pm. prime movie going time. and my best friend and i were the only ones in the theater.

although i had no real expectations for this movie beyond Mackenyu Hits Things And Is Sad, i believed one of two things would happen: it would be as terrible as it sounded, or it would actually be phenomenal. but no, it was neither bad, nor good, but a secret third thing: it scratched a deep and rabid part of my id.

and by that i mean, it appeared to be a very high budget love letter to glaringly submissive men.

here's my letterboxd review that i wrote in the brief hypomanic episode succeeding my initial viewing:

okay so first and most importantly, this scene made me actually scream:

it's a joke line, sure, but 1) he definitely means it, and 2) he immediately calls her "princess," which if you've ever read my fic, you'll know that that's a one-hit KO for me.

(putting this under a cut because it's already long)

you see how athena is framed above seiya? that is one of approximately 1000 shots where this occurs. to every male character. at one point, mackenyu perches gingerly on the back of athena's motorcycle. in fact the only male character who attempts to be dominant aggressive and toxically masculine becomes the punching bag of the film.

in the beginning, seiya is in a cage match where people are getting angry at him for "dancing," which means he doesn't fight so much as avoids getting hit and looks pretty doing it. a solid third of the movie involves a very large lady beating the crap out of him. the premise of the film is getting him to devote his entire life to a goddess and obey protect her at all costs.

i'm probably the only one who watched this movie and was like, hmm is this kink coded? am i insane for seeing this? usually when i think of kink coding i think of quentin tarantino's foot fetish, these long gaudy shots of women's feet hanging out of car windows. it's in the imagery and shot composition and power dynamics.

here, the imagery is a lot of kneeling men, the shot compositions repeatedly place the men lower than the women, and the power dynamics are simply that the women have all the power, and the men have a little, as a treat. jean grey is a straight-up femdom, leather and all.

by the end of the climax, seiya is naked, having been stripped of his (magical and very powerful) armor as pre-athena becomes athena and uh, blasts his clothes off in the process. there's probably something to be said there about, you know, literally stripping him of his power.

i think what i find particularly remarkable about this is that the repeated feminization of the male lead is treated as a good thing. a self-actualizing thing. it's the process through which he accepts himself and his destiny. that's the reason i say it's a love letter--i've known a lot of submissive men and many of them really struggle to accept that part of themselves. i had a friend once who was so ashamed of himself--not just that he was submissive, but that submission was an integral part of his identity--that he had a breakdown in my car over it. so i think it's nice seeing a vaguely positive portrayal of finding oneself through (textually) devotion and (subtextually) submission.

god help me, seiya spends the entire film being irritating and bratty. this movie is my personal kryptonite.

don't get me wrong, it's a terrible movie. the writing is awful, the direction is awful, and if it gets a second film, i'll be shocked. it received a 1.9 (out of 5) on letterboxd and a 4.4 (out of 10) on imdb.

but i've also always been a lover of the star wars prequels (and oh boy there's a lot to be said there about submissive men) and so my patience for bad writing is infinite in the face of interesting things happening on a character level. in a world of disneyfied stock plots and bloated marvel franchises, i appreciate when a movie tries to do something different, even if it doesn't do it very well.

anyway, i can't in good conscience recommend it, but i for one plan to watch it at least a hundred more times.

[darksideofparis]

I can now provide a possible solution to your "threat at Sarah Jane's funeral" thing, a submission post later about our view of The Doctors arriving at her funeral (cos he doesn't come in the official Farewell Sarah Jane!!?)

So when Sarah Jane died, Luke, Rani and Clyde were all around the world. Luke was with UNIT, Clyde at an artists convention and Rani investigating (i believe). And everyone attended, Tegan and Nyssa, Mickey and Martha (and their son August!), Ian and Barbara, Ace, Ben and Polly, Jo Grant, Kate Stewart, Dodo, Dr Grace Holliway, Liz Shaw, Victoria, Captain Jack who turns on the outskirts and salutes. It's beautiful

But there's a threat. The Trickster and his servants called The Jackals of The Backwards Clock, infiltrate the wake and plan to swap Earth with "a foul copy from the septic dimension" The guests unite and lock The Trickster in a chest at the bottom of The Atlantic Ocean for 1000 years. Could work and having The Doctor actually show up would probably mean a lot to Luke. Plus Alex meets K9

Anyway, I also have more questions!

1). How does Alex react to suddenly having a wife?

2). What happens in Prisoner of The Judoon? Does Alex stay with 13 and RuthDoc or end up with Jack (who is her son in law at that point?)

3). Additionally, what is Alex's reaction to finding out there's so many lives her wife can't remember?

4). How do Alex and Karvanista react/interact? Is Karvanista happy for his old old friend?

5). Will Alex regenerate in Pros and Cons?

6). When does Daffy happen?

7). How do Alex and 10 interact in the 50th anniversary?

8). Adding on to 7, how does Alex fit into the 50th anniversary cos I can see 2 ways. 1 where she takes Clara's place and stops 11. The other where she puts her hand on The Moment too and says something like "this time you ALL don't do it alone"

9). Does Alex take a Time Lord name? Like The Doctor, The Rani, The Master, The Monk, The Corsair etc etc?

10). How does Alex react to 15 just breaking into song on The Goblin Ship?

11). Was Alex always a Time Lady? Just trapped in a fob watch? Did her parents ever really exist?

12). How does Yaz's crush work with 13 and Alex being married for a LONG time by the time she joins the team?

13). Will Alex be trapped in The Confession Dial too? Will she stop 12 or join him and go too far and lose her memories too?

14). Will Alex find out The Doctor's name?

15). Would Alex ever kill?

Very interesting! The events of 'Farewell, Sarah Jane' could definitely work in regard to what I'm thinking of doing, just with a few changes and details put in. We'll have to see if that's what I end up doing!

Now, on to the questions!

Alex is, admittedly, slightly startled by 12's regeneration into 13, but she very quickly accepts her husband now being her wife, no worries there.

So far, I've got Alex staying with 13 and Ruth!Doctor in 'Prisoner of the Judoon'. I also have Jenny appearing with her husband, Jack, in that episode, but I'm not sure Jenny and Jack will interact with Alex and 13 outside of what happens in the episode.

Alex is stunned but, once she really thinks about it, not too surprised. Bit of a spoiler here, but I'm going to be leaning in the Season 6B fan theory, which does suggest that the Second Doctor worked for the CIA (Celestial Intervention Agency) and the Time Lords before his forced regeneration, and subsequently had much of his memories wiped. The idea I'll be going for is that the Ruth!Doctor is from that time, a regeneration between 2 and 3, so in that context, it isn't too surprising to Alex that her wife would have a life that she couldn't remember. The Timeless Child stuff, however, really takes Alex aback.

I'm not sure how Alex and Karvanista will act towards each other. I can see Karvanista reacting to her with the same hostility he shows towards the Doctor, but we'll have to see if that's the direction I end up going in.

Alex will regenerate in The Pros and Cons of Silence. Possibly more than once. And the regeneration might not be a normal regeneration either. . .

Daffy is conceived during the Doctor and Alex's time on Earth guarding Missy's vault and her first proper appearance is in 'The Pilot', where she's a student at St. Luke's.

Once 10 realizes Alex is his future wife, he's pretty flirtatious towards her, and the feeling is very much mutual . . . much to 11's annoyance, lol.

Now that you mention it, I feel like Alex might very well place her hand on the Moment and quotes her and the Doctor's wedding vows, specifically the part about "for better or worse". I still want Clara to be the one who actually stops them, a little bit of a contrast to Alex, who has long since accepted the ultimate demise of the Time Lords.

Alex doesn't take a Time Lord name. She doesn't see any reason to, nor does it ever occur to her that she could.

I think Alex will be kind of like "What the hell?" at first, but quickly go along with it, lol. And she will sing a little bit!

Alex is descended from a Time Lord. A couple centuries ago, a Time Lord, ahem, became involved with a female member of Alex's family, who gave birth to a part Time Lord, part human child. The Time Lord gene has been passed down Alex's matriarchal line, with the gene getting progressively weaker with each passing generation. As the Doctor states, had Alex had any children before Demons Run, the gene likely would have died out with them. But Kovarian managed, with a lot of manipulation, to kick-start that gene into transforming Alex's body from primarily human to primarily Time Lord (hence the term the Doctor uses, genetically manipulated Time Lord). So, no, Alex hasn't always been a Time Lady, nor was her essence ever trapped in a fob watch, and her parents were 100% real and did exist.

In my version, Yaz will not have a crush on the Doctor, so it's a non-issue between her, 13, and Alex.

Alex will join 12 in the confession dial, yes. I think she will join 12 in trying to save Clara but come to the realization that it's hopeless sooner than him. Either way, I don't intend to have Alex lose her memories (with her mind, it's doubtful the process would even work).

Yes, Alex will find out the Doctor's name. Specifically, when they get married.

Yes, Alex will kill. When she does make her first kill (which will take place in Pros and Cons) it will be a deliberate parallel between her and the Doctor.

[tsuki-sennin]

I missed a whopping five episodes of King-Ohger. ...I've had a rough couple months. I hate job hunting more than I can put into words.

Enough about that though, I'll make things fun for myself today~!

Here's how this is gonna go down. I'll watch episodes 14-16, comment on them as I do so, and you're (maybe if you want to) gonna read. An hour and a half of content today.

Strap in folks, this is gonna be a long one. Spoilers, I guess...

-Jeremy's taking over the world at rapid speed.

-Oh hey, Gerojim.

-Here comes Himeno. ...sorry, I uh... don't really think I can take the other spelling seriously.

-"Tell me the truth, and nothing but the truth."

-"Ehhhhh...I don't really know what Cicada does in their spare time, I'm not their Dad- Oh, too soon~? :3"

-Ohgai Busou.

-Yeah that's an easy way to get stabbed Jeremy.

-Oh hot damn, she cut right through the spider silk.

-That's not a small feat.

-Thank you, Gerojim!

-"I am way beyond the need for calm right now."

-Oh shit, Dezzy training arc.

-You're a water strider, you live like a year maximum.

-"She got your swords back. You're welcome, by the way."

-"Rita! Do you support the death penalty?"

-Gira's picked up on her intent. ...and has been made to follow along~!

-Off he goes.

-"I'll hand down Jeremy's death sentence myself."

-And you just left him laying there, Morphonia?

-"It was really loud. I need a nap."

-"I need pictures Morphonia. Pictures of Spider-Man."

-Snowman Pain.

-"Perjury? No no no, it's simply embellishing~!"

-TARANCHINO

-Well here comes the boss.

-"Oh nooooooo..."

-His sideshow days have come to haunt him.

-"I really needed a nap, Your Magistry."

-"Seeing as you were sleeping inside a cage for a roadside attraction, I do believe that you are innocent beyond reasonable doubt on the charge of invoking the Fury of the Gods. However, you are guilty of being a fucking moron, therefore Himeno Ran's suspicion of you and your behavior was entirely justified."

-I suppose a few years of regency wasn't an option?

-Jeremy has failed to read the room.

-"I know something she might wanna know. Do you know that kid's show character Moffun?"

-"Speak now, Jeremy of the clan Spiders."

-It seems Gira is 1000 years too early to fight Amenjim.

-Mantis Style~!

-Hot girl shit.

-Strong and beautiful indeed.

-They interrupted our Sunday broadcast! Those motherfuckers!

-"Listen up, scrubs! Queen Headchomper needs you to find this guy right here. Catch him and bring him to her."

-"There will be a big reward in it for you if you dooooo~!"

-GIRA WHOA KHJM>HG

-"You're an ugly-ass bitch!"

-Masashi Ikeda's expressions are very good.

-"Moffun and Me... Do you know from where it came from?"

-So someone saw this poor kid all alone at the top... and gave her a chance to learn in a way she'd know.

-...man, that's.. .that''s so sweet.

-"They put me in a cage, Your Highness!"

-God Tarantula!

-Hi Kabutaaaan!

-Hop to the top, Grasshopper style!

-Friends :)

-"Have you ever heard of the practice of beetle fighting?"

-Alright! Takin' charge!

-And an insert song~!

-This is the good shit.

-"I mean... I can't really ask for anything else." :)

-Oh HAI Racules.

-Kaguragi's mysterious sister.

-"Do you wish to visit her?"

-Episode 15~

-I love how Jeremy refers to himself in the third person during the

-BEEEEEEES!

-"Hell? SUZUME!? Goddammit, I need to take this... Yo~!"

-"Kaguragi! It's Racules. You know that spider guy? Jeremy? Yeah, I wanna talk to him now. Go invite him over for me."

-Oh man, that looks good.

-Kaguragi the revolutionary.

Jeremy: Do you know why bees are black and yellow in coloration? It's because they evolved to warn predators that they've- Yanma: Cliff Notes, nerd.

-"Sister~! He's got a sister!"

-Jeremy dips.

-"NYAHAHAHA!", huh Gira?

-Oh

-Rita's total lack of reaction is as much of a condemnation as Yanma's face palm.

-Kidnapping a princess in real life.

-"Do I really have to kill the hoo-Mans? Sorryyyyyyy!"

-There goes flyboy.

-"You're supposed to be up to your eyeballs in maggots right now, Dead Guy."

-N'Kosopa tech~!

-"...thermal insulation?"

-hjlklhg

-Poor Kogane... she has no stage presence.

-"Gira's not evil!"

-Hard to catch a cab so early in the day, huh?

-Meeting of the minds, right here.

-Hot damn, Jeremy.

-"Please, Racules... let her be free once more!"

-"Mmmmmm... sorry, you're gonna have to ask her."

-GIRA YOU

-How'd you even get up there like that?

-Very cute that being nice works out better for Gira.

-And now we've done it! Good morning, Suzume.

-For five seconds, Kaguragi was the most terrified man on Tikyu.

-Oh

-"Wacuwes-samaaaaaa :3"

-Seems like Yanma's suspicion has been totally renewed.

-"Hmmmmmm... Nah~!"

-Even Jeremy had no way to predict this.

-"And I'll be Sir Racules's little pogchamp~!"

-Vassal state.

-I am deeply invested right now.

-Oh you guys got here fast

-The ball is in your court, Kaguragi.

-"Toufu fights for peace. With nothing less than our whole being, I offer it to you!"

-Gira is dead.

-There is no way he should've survived that.

-Fly Boy Strikes~

-Kuwagata Ohger! Now with less yellow!

-"Oh, don't worry, you're fine! ...you just gotta learn how to lie first!"

-Jeremy intervenes once more.

-"The Spider is now a Man!"

-Knight! Knight! Tarantula Knight!

-"Oh~!"

-Pede Chainsaw...

-Okay, very cool robo design.

-Kaguragi doesn't even comment.

-"I'm weak to Family Matters... that Reginald VelJohnson could talk me into anything."

-Kaguragi can't cry. After all, Suzume isn't.

-"Worry not, my dear Prince..."

-OH

-Well goddamn, guess she's got quite the backbone.

-"It's all done, Lord Racules."

-Taking the initiative, huh?

-There's a lot to the silver-colored beetle.

-TINY RITA

-"I'M AN ABOMINATION! And I'm coming to your house after Schooooool~!"

-I wonder how expensive PreShabana gets?

-Rita struggles with their desire.

-"I will store it here then. I am awesome."

-Morphonia with the accidental ethical save.

-15 years...

-"Not tomorrow. I can't."

-Their first ever trial was a murder.

-Pulling a Phoenix Wright at the age of ten.

-I won't lie tho, she does give me big Franziska energy.

-That must be Siron.

-"A shitty husband broke both his Hippocratic Oath and his bond of marriage. That is and always will be the truth of the LS-47 incident."

-A 15 year old murder case with new evidence- Oh fuck, this is Ace Attorney!

-Back to work

-"This is to scawy for me."

-WHOA 5!?

-Jesus Christ, talk about inflating your kid's job resume for the market.

-...wish I could do that.

-Snow Elves!

-Ah yep, that's a Kaijim.

-"Well, that didn't work out. Oh well~"

-Poor Jeremy, he bought it too much.

-"What better for the world than peace?" Racules sneered.

-Moffun-less once more.

-"This was previously claimed as evidence. Please accept it back, Himeno."

-Poor butterfly.

-"Oh."

-"The Fury of the Gods... the LS-47 case. They may very well be inextricably linked."

-And away Rita walks.

-Pestes rex eris!

-Here comes Jeremy.

-God Scorpion's venom.

-No peace for us, I'm afraid.

-Karras is alive.

-She put a 10 year old in charge of an entire justice system. How... immeasurably competent is Rita?

-That is some insane planning.

-"Are you sure you want to put a fucking baby in charge?"

-"Take pride in your weakness."

-Regency doesn't exist in Tikyuu, I guess.

-Find your wife, king.

-Oh, battle time!

-OH

-Heterochromia, huh?

-Holy damn.

-"Ah don't worry :3"

-Guilty as charged.

-"No, no, you didn't fail~! You just... learned something important for us~"

-Oh hey, Jeremy.

-Got webs. Must be a retiarius.

-Cicada Blade!

-Premium Moffuns!

-Hewwo, Himeno

-"You gave me the benefit of the doubt."

-Moffun get

-"Thank you."

-Adorable :)

-Oh, we're done here then.

-Oh FUCK

-Hello, Racules.

-He's about to take a high dive off the deep end, isn't he?

-Well, that's gonna have to wait a little. I'll reconvene with you later-ish.

[emperorhyperi0n]

The use of Da-Paan in this episode is genuinely so interesting to me. Once again, we're presented with a foil to Keiwa's development, but this time it's what Keiwa could end up being instead of what he once was. He is the audience's ideal """hero""", what Kekera wants Keiwa to become, and wan example of the monsters that humanity has been shown to create over the course of the show.

And at the end of the episode, he merely watches as Ace changes the world again, a symbol of the DGP's power bending to the hope-powered will of Ace. You can probably point out more symbolism in the notes, but in terms of characters Da-Paan was probably one of the top two in this episode.

Anyways, some misc. notes:

- I've had my suspicions for a while, but Cross Geats seems to be the "mirror image" to Ace. Him and Mela watching the action provided a neat view of their initial characters, and I'm excited to see what they do in the movie.

- Keiwa just seems broken by the end of the episode. He may have "won" the fight, but it's clear that he's on the cusp of returning to whatever semblance of himself is still left. Although whatever happens, he will 1000% need therapy because he is not doing well.

- I guess the Fantasy Buckle has powers of intangibility and construct creation? I headcanon it as having imagination-based powers, but unless we get something official that's my guess.

- Ace is rocking that white wig. And also he's recreating the barbwire shot from the opening and I'm Going Fucking Insane. If we get Evil!Tsumuri to recreate the gun moment I'm going to explode.

- I can't believe they killed my boy again.

[juniperhillpatient]

The Drill Re-watch

The Dangerous Ladies are back! And they have a big scary drill. I love how Mai is just happy to get something to do & I had honestly forgotten how consistently ecstatic Ty Lee is at any opportunity for violence. She's so adorable & scary at the same time. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Ty Lee? +1000 iconic behavior points to her for taking out all those earth-benders & scaring Katara. I had also forgotten just how scared of Ty Lee Katara is & how much she dislikes her. Katara yelling & calling Ty Lee a circus freak was a badass moment. +1000 iconic behavior points. Mai disobeying Azula just because she doesn't want to get muddy & popping up in the end like "we lost" in a deadpan voice was hilarious & very based of her, +500 iconic behavior points. Sokka's plan to take out the drill from the inside was pretty smart. +500 iconic behavior points.

My favorite part of the conflict with the drill was actually Ty Lee. I also really loved the flirty moment between her & Sokka, & Katara having to drag Sokka away. Honestly, I've never given much thought to Ty Lee/Sokka as a potential ship until this re-watch but their flirty banter during fights is so funny & cute. And I just can't get enough of Ty Lee happily kicking ass.

Surprisingly, I don't have that much to say about Azula in this episode which is rare for me but this was pretty much standard hero vs. villain "let's keep the Fire Nation out of Ba Sing Se" stuff. I mean, the Azula vs. Aang fight was badass, but I don't have any meaningful analysis of it. I think the most meaningful takeaway I have about Azula in this episode is regarding her relationship with Mai & Ty Lee. It's been commented on a hundred times that Mai disobeys Azula's order in this episode, but still, I'll comment on it again. I think it says a lot about the dynamic between Azula & Mai. Mai is a subordinate, & there is a power imbalance but Mai knows what she can & can't get away with & isn't afraid to do what she wants under certain circumstances. I think that the dynamic between these three girls is layered & this episode gives evidence to the idea that Azula does treat Mai & Ty Lee like friends to the extent that Azula can treat anyone like friends. Mai never felt coerced & if she was reluctant to follow specific orders, she simply didn't.

Jet & Zuko were my favorite part of this episode, actually. I can't believe it took me as long as it did spending time in this fandom to warm up to Jet/Zuko as a romantic pairing. Shocking & disappointing for me, really, I feel like I usually have good taste right away. SMH past me. Oh well, I see the truth now. They're literally Thee Template. Like, they met each other, said "be gay do crime" & had a touching heart to heart about both being traumatized & Zuko realized that he didn't always have to be alone & by the next episode Jet is following Zuko around like a lost puppy begging him to join his little found family. THEN freaking Iroh warms up his tea with fire-bending. Iroh, I was just warming up to you & starting to stand up for you, dude. What are you DOING? Zuko is right. For a supposedly wise old man, that's just.....really fucking stupid. I don't even know what to say. I guess Iroh got a little too comfortable? Like....what? Anyway....

Despite the rather contrived way in which it happened (yeah, sorry, I'm gonna say the writing is a LITTLE contrived like, I just don't get it is Iroh supposed to be smart or not?) I DO love a dramatic breakup between two characters who technically never even dated. Jet now knows that Zuko & Iroh are fire-benders. And MAN. A hundred smarter people than me have written fascinating essays & analyses & metas about the tragedy that Jet is right that they're fire-benders & more right than he knows because they're literally Fire Nation royalty & both personally responsible for a lot of harm inflicted by the Fire Nation but he's wrong because they are actually refugees now & not causing any new harm & also because he needs to let go of this obsessive hate because it will (& does) lead to his downfall like....We'll get to my thoughts on Jet's tragedy & his death when we get there but this set up for drama (by itself!!! pretending I'm watching for the first time!!!) IS excellent writing (if the specifics weren’t so contrived.) If only they ---- never mind, I'm done for now. I'm ending this ramble. Goodnight. Oh yes, Zuko & Jet get +1000 iconic behavior points for their quick little fling that will change them both forever & for having a dramatic breakup without Zuzu (king of drama on any other occasion!) even knowing about it.

Anyway, this was a great episode. I'm surprised I had so little to say about Azula & that she earned no iconic behavior points, but it's okay because she will blow everyone else out of the running in Crossroads of Destiny, I already know 100% for sure. Yeah, my favorite parts of this episode were the Dangerous Ladies & Jet & Zuko but I should also mention that I liked Sokka joking about the different group names even though "gaang" hasn't come up yet. And the hints about metal-bending & its potential were fun subtle foreshadowing.

[pandasmagorica]

The right rec for the right person

So I've been sharing my interest in yaoi with my best friend and discovering that her interests and mine don't necessarily coincide. That has me thinking about how I would go about recommending yaoi to a particular person. And like many fans before me, I realized I have to customize my recs to that person's interests.

So here are my recs, starting with my top ten (long post):

For someone who's politically engaged: Not Me

(YouTube) This series has a major focus on class differences and how people of different economic levels deal with everyday life. A major character who has had a comfortable life and for whom is foreseen a comfortable future throws himself into a maelstrom of guerilla political activity among people who see themselves selves as have-nots.

It further has the benefit of having been directed by a trans woman who totally rocks it - it's the best y-series I've seen to date and I want to see more of her work.

I've seen disagreement as to whether this should even be considered a y-series. I think the argument is irrelevant. Yaoi has become a spectrum and the lines can be blurry. That's just a sign of the emerging maturity of the genre.

Note: Most of the writeups after the jump are much shorter, and there about a dozen of them.

For someone who is into theater, including classic plays and their modern adaptations: Bad Buddy

(YouTube) Khun Aof's take on the Romeo and Juliet story is an insanely good ride. Much digital ink has been spilled here on Tumblr about how the series parallels the original tale and subverts it to create what is ultimately a romantic comedy.

Also has the best intrusive product placements I have ever seen in my life.

Once they've watched it, send them to @shortpplfedup's tag #InFairVerona for an account of Bad Buddy's Romeo & Juliet parallels but scroll to the end to read them chronologically.

For someone who's spiritual: He's Coming to Me

(YouTube) One of the things many of us humans find comfort in is the idea that there is something beyond this life. We can't prove it but we believe it's there. He's Coming to Me dives deep into Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife (I'm not Buddhist so I can't say how accurately it does so) in the story of a young man who can see ghosts and develops a friendship and more with a particular one who is been subject to an untimely death. Quite heartwarming and fun.

For someone who likes their entertainment light: Cherry Magic

(CrunchyRoll) This is one of the sweetest yaoi I have ever seen. It's light. It's fun. It has magical realism. It doesn't demand too much of the viewer. It's just all around fun. While there is mild homosexual panic, it doesn't get hateful or last long.

For someone who enjoys over the top acting and epic stories with huge stakes: To Sir, With Love

(YouTube) To my understanding, this is a mainstream Thai soap opera with a queer-themed plot. A mother in 1940s Thailand will do anything up to and including murder to hide the fact that her son is gay. Magic, betrayal, and dead bodies abound and the acting is large. For the portayal of a milieu that is so homophobic, the series is ultimately refreshingly queer affirming.

I recommend watching this with the videos where the episodes are split up into four parts each. I kept running into trouble with the subtitles breaking partway through full episode versions when I tried to watch them that way.

For someone who's looking for a quiet story: Tale of 1000 stars

(YouTube) The start of this one isn't very promising: spoiled brat engaged in dangerous activities. But ultimately, this becomes a quiet and beautiful story set in the middle of nowhere in Thailand about a slow burn romance.

For someone in middle age who regrets some of their past decisions but doesn't wallow in it: 55:15 Never Too Late:

(YouTube) OK, OK, so this isn't a yaoi series. But who wouldn't want to undo some of the decisions of their past? (If that's you, congratulations, I'm happy for you.) Not sure whether to call this science-fiction or magical realism, but this story of five 55 year olds suddenly thrown into their 15 year old bodies and how they negotiated that is so much fun and as an oldster, I could totally identify with it. And no, I don't want to be 15 again. There is a yaoi subplot.

For someone who is wrestling with whether to be out as gay or not: Gaya Sa Pelicula

(YouTube) This is the best y-series that I've seen come out of the Philippines. A young odd-couple pairing find themselves living together and falling in love. One is very comfortable in his gayness while the other struggles with it, and it puts a wedge in their relationship. Very affirming about being able to choose for yourself. Has a matured gay as a positive side character.

For someone who has lost someone and is willing to feel, even wants to feel, their loss: Eternal Yesterday

(Gagaoolala) This series is melancholy, profoundly sad. It is also beautiful. When the person you love is killed and you get to have them for a little more time, how do you use that time? How do you deal with the uncertainty?

OK this one's a bit awkward because it's on Gagaoolala and you have to commit to a subscription (at least one month) to watch it. But it's a fine work and deserves my recommendation. Consider it like renting a movie.

For someone who feels like they've known somebody from a prior life: Until We Meet Again

(YouTube) This rec definitely has to come with a content warning: a double suicide in the first few minutes. But the story about how two men who have spent their whole lives feeling like they are looking for somebody only to discover that they were lovers in a former life is like the peeling of an onion is it reveals aspects of what they once had, as well as discovering the people they are now.

Some consent issues which apparently have no impact, although mercifully brief.

And reaching outside of my top ten:

For someone who has lost a pet and is okay talking about it: Choco Milk Shake

(YouTube) It's a fun fantasy. A young man's dead cat and dog show up to visit as living humans, and fun ensues. You need to be OK with pet-spirit/human romance. (I've seen reviews that some people find this aspect creepy.)

For someone who wants something really cerebral: 180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us

(Gagaoolala) This one is almost like a stage play, a six hour stage play. A young adult meets a man who is important to the young man's dead father and falls for him. If you're OK with the age gap, this is an intelligent, melancholic work that is worth the attention you will need to give it.

Again, consider it like a movie rental.

[whatib]

What is this

Precisely Watson! Perfectly stated. Short and factual. I've been pretty sure that this is all a product of the connected social media world we have created. It gives a voice to everyone and this Cancer of hate is extremely infectious. I don't know what the answer is other than secession, but I don't foresee these two sides ever coming together ever again. I've never voted and I've watched this country unfold for 58 years now. I watched every political battle since Carter in 1976. This country has gone through some amazing events, civil wars, world wars, terrorism, modernization, past every planet, walked on the Moon, and elected a Black American to be the President of the United States of America 🇺🇸 shyte even i cried that day. Still love the fact that I lived thru that day, I felt that the country finally made it to the apex of what America stood for. And holy shyte, I could've never predicted where we are in society in a million years. This is the trippiest of times. People are trying to change their sex and their body parts. People are cutting off their children's genitals. If you told me that was coming in 1980, I would've bet my house against it and I would've lost. This is the strangest of times, a bit nervy, and scary. It sometimes feels like I'm in a Twilight Zone episode and that's when i really shyte my pants. I do my best to turn off the news. I turned it off when President Trump wielded the executive order pen and was exploding everything Obama did. I went to the inauguration and saw people crying in the streets, and burning flags. Didn't really like that, I've never seen a reason to do that. That's the ultimate "you don't give a shyte" attitude so now you're just going to make things worse for society by destroying other people's property or stealing, and basically doing nothing positive. I don't relate to that but I can honestly say that I was like that at 17yrs old maybe till 25. Then I realized I need to do something with my life or I'm going to be bitching forever. I got to work as busboy, then bartender, roofer, steel worker, draftsman, airline employee, software engineer. Wound up traveling the world when I was in my 30's and 20 yrs later started a foundation for special needs young adults with my wife. It's been one crazy journey living in the greatest country in the world. But today, these are grievous times we live in, and without war or strife even. It's purely groups of hate that have infected society. In my journey, I've worked with every type of person imaginable. Worked with at least 500 to 1000 gay people in the airline industry, never had a problem. I worked on the ramp and I was the minority. There was the Puerto Rican group, the Cuban group, New Jersey black Americans, Africans from Ghana...I felt I got along with everyone. Everyone had their own clique. And they enjoyed socializing in their groups. Ticket counter had the gay groups. I don't remember any hate. Today, if you don't preach hate then you're not IN, you're uncool, you're unacceptable. Democrats preach hate to their children, Republicans preach hate to their children. I'll never vote, I can't pick a side that I believe in. I'm just on a small wooden raft floating on the waves of the American Flag and the waves are going up and down like mad right now. I think that's exactly what it is. It's a madness that's infected society. And Obama released the hounds with BLM in the first few months of his 2nd term. Obama never gave them a voice. He stirred the BLM pot over and over. When he did nothing about Eric Garner who was sat on by six police officers and died, I didn't understand why Obama didn't step up, still don't. That was his time to address the new Rodney King. Eric didn't even steal anything. He was selling cigaretttes...individually. As in one at a time. And he lost his life. Then the ultimate travesty of all time, was when Tamir Rice was shot by a police officer as he played with a toy gun all alone in a park gazebo. Cop just drove up and shot him. Obama did nothing. Absolutely nothing...

[urdearestmom]

alright y'all I've recovered enough from vol 2 that I can now articulate my thoughts somewhat. here we go! I really want season 5 immediately but unfortunately cannot have that :( I will say that I think Stranger Things' episode Nines are just,,,, amazing. nothing so far has come close to my love for s2e9 except for s4e9. I think they're tied

ngl I was mildly concerned they were going to attempt some kind of redemption with Brenner so I was pleasantly excited when he continued to be as evil as he ever was :) El finally standing up to him and realizing she's not the monster, he is, was AMAZING and I loved how she just said bye and walked away. left him to die on his own as he deserved! Owens is still a shady guy but he's always on the gang's side (I'm just curious what happened to him? like did Sullivan have him killed? arrested? will we see him next season? I'm nearly certain we'll see Sullivan again because I don't think that subplot will be so easily resolved)

as for the rest of it, Eddie's death panned out pretty much exactly how I thought it would so I never let myself get too attached to him. what got me was Dustin's reaction! Gaten did so amazingly in that scene wow. Jason also died which was great for me because he was just insane at that point and while I kinda felt for him he was also annoying. sorry not sorry

Jopper finally getting together was lovely. I've never been overly invested in them bc they are so canon in my mind that I never doubted it would happen but it was great nonetheless. Hopper reuniting with El had me smiling so hard at the end bc for a sec I genuinely thought it was Sullivan coming to kidnap El and that was how the season would end and then it was just good ol' Hop :) El having a family like she deserves is my favourite thing!! Hopper and Mike also hugging caught me off guard bc I didn't think they'd do it but they did and I hope that leads to them having a better relationship!

now El getting picked up in the desert and blowing up that helicopter? TOP. TIER. I had my arms up cheering "HERE COME THE PIZZA BOYS!!!!!!!" and when you could see Mike getting out of the van being the first one to run to her, all in slow motion, my god. I was speechless. their whole reunion was gorgeous. El's disbelief, the forehead touch: chefs kiss. El hugging Will like that? best. I live for El having a family. El's brothers ftw

Mike's long-awaited monologue: WHAT. I was shaking and on the edge of my seat the whole scene. It will absolutely live in my head rent free for the rest of all time. I can barely even process it. He really said he's loved her since the moment he saw her I can't believe it. It's what I've been waiting for since I was 16 years old and it still feels surreal that he really told her all of that in words. Mike Wheeler, King of Not Talking About Any Of His Feelings Ever, really said all of that. Wow. Finn knocked that completely out of the park

Lastly, Max's death? HOLY SHIT. That one tore me up I was sobbing and yelling at my tv. I really love Max and didn't want her to die even though I had a feeling something else was still going to happen to her. THE FACT THAT THEY USED THE SONG FROM FINDING WILL'S BODY IN S1- JAIL FOR 1000 YEARS. Her dying in Lucas' arms and his reaction really got me. Both Caleb and Sadie did phenomenal work this season and made me love Lumax a lot more than I did before. Lumax OUTSOLD!!!! Max's little drawing and the fact that they won't get to go on their date and the way Lucas was sitting in the hospital with his beat up face reading her a book... I'm in shambles

El being there watching it happen while no one knew she was there was also heartbreaking

Mildly concerning that El couldn't find Max's mind in the void though, even if she is in a coma. El can find and even vaguely communicate with Terry who is in a vegetative state, so I'm not sure what I think will happen with Max next season. Guess we'll have to wait and see!

That ending too. Vecna's not dead obviously and Hawkins is... yikes. The cliffhanger makes it seem like season 5 will pick up where 4 leaves off and I am very excited to have a resolution!

This isn't even all I could say but I don't want this post to get super long so I'm just touching on the stuff that stuck with me

[septembersghost]

Can I share something with you? Got my Mom into Better Call Saul and we watched (a rewatch for me) 6x09 Fun and Games episode. And the episode was already devastating, but then I was listening to music and the song "1000 oceans" by Tori Amos came up, and I was immediately like: THEM. It's THEM. (I'm aware what the rules are / But you know that I will run / You know that I will follow you). It's a deep heart-wrenching ache when you love someone SO MUCH and you are separated from them, and you can't, can't have them because of the "rules" (because together, they're "poison", as Kim said it, and innocent people are getting hurt), but you love them so deep it's torturous to be away from them, and no matter how much time has passed, you'll run and follow them anyway (after six years, she followed him to Colorado and he came clean and sacrificed eighty-six years of his life just to see her again, she followed him and he followed her, and now they're together, heartbreak and sorrow etched into them, sharing one cigarette, being the only source of color in each other's life, and the world is bleak, but the flame, their love is glowing).

( These tears I've cried/ I've cried a thousand oceans.../ And I would cry one thousand more / If that's what it takes / To sail you home). She's his home and he is hers.

Anyway now I'm just ugly-crying non-stop and this song is... a weird source of comfort? But also tears. Just wanted to share it.

I'm also slowly going through your list of Mcwexler songs and LOVING them. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

Btw my Mom asks "Is Kim gonna be okay? Is she gonna be alright in her new life?" and I'm just: PAIN

you are always welcome to share things!!!

i love that you got your mom into the show too, it's such a cool experience to share, even though everything about those last episodes is tough to watch.

i've cried a thousand oceans feels like all of us because of the two of them! you're so right, it really does capture the longing and ache of being separated from someone you love deeply, and the need to bring them back, even if doing so is going to require pain and sacrifice (i'd cry a thousand more to sail you home). the idea that you can't believe you'd ever hurt someone you love that much, but you know you have, and yet the hope you can return to one another and be mended. they ARE each other's home. it's never a set place for them, it's just. them.

Btw my Mom asks "Is Kim gonna be okay? Is she gonna be alright in her new life?" and I'm just: PAIN noooooo. :( honestly, as difficult as it was for me, i think i managed to steel myself because waterworks was even MORE devastating for my mom, and i didn't want to be so upset that it hurt her even further? it was hard seeing it hit her like that, usually i'm the one falling apart over fiction but that affected her on a visceral level. i get this sinking stone feeling in my chest when i think about kim's arc and the way she erased herself. i have to invent brighter ending headcanons for myself to cope 😅🥺

I'm also slowly going through your list of Mcwexler songs and LOVING them. Thank you so much for sharing i'm SO glad, this brings me joy and i love having the chance to share them with you!!! 💗💗💗

[the-witty-pen-name]

Hi friend! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and that the New Year treats you well!!! For end of the year asks: 5, 9, and 15! 💛

Hello my friend! Thank you so so much- wishing the same for you!!

This ended up being soo much longer than I thought it would be haha

5. What creative work are you most proud of? (your own or someone else's)

So for my own work, I'd have to say The Nanny this year. I feel like the prompt was very out of my comfort zone and I was so worried I wasn't going to give it justice, and I just really love writing it- when I'm not dealing with writer's block lol

9. Recommend something you really enjoyed in 2021

One of my all time favorite stories I've ever read ever on here is possibly getting published! I am so excited that one day I'm going to actually have a physical copy of this story. All this year, I waited for the updates as she was writing it and I fell in love with the story. It's Forget Me Not by @krissology and I can't wait to read it again. I am going to be so insufferable when it comes out. I need to apologize in advance to everyone I know.

I also need to shout out @jedifarmerr and her story Olgo Shipmax. I'm so obsessed with this story, and it's one of the most unique Din Djarin fics I've read and I love it so much.

Elegy to the Void by @jangofctts is my favorite one part story about Ezra from Prospect. I have reread this story so many times. It's just everything I look for in a story. Chef's kiss!

Calling Home by @littlepadika I didn't think I could be more in love with Frankie Morales, and then I read this and was proven wrong. 1000/10 love love love

So i know everyone and their mom has read Rough Day (and i avoid talking about it on my blog) , and while it's an awesome story, I also want to say the stories The Bet and the Locked Door series by @no-droids I love a lot more. I think their other stuff gets lost in the shadow of Rough Day and these two by them are by far my favs.

@ezrasbirdie Make My Wish Come True is my current fav I'm waiting on updates for. It's the perfect Christmas fic and I'm loving it.

Now for my Lee Bodecker baddies ;)

@overr-written Give In is a masterpiece and everyone in the Lee Bodecker/Sebastian Stan characters fandom should read it, I'm sure y'all already are, but if not- you need to!!!

@slothspaghettiwrites anything in their masterlist- and they are a true saint for creating the Hoedecker Club Handbook- an absolute pillar of of the fandom and they deserve all the love

@sweetkingdomstarlight-blog Emma absolutely is an enabler to my Lee Bodecker obsession, and the dark fics on her masterlist are exquisite. My personal favs are Secret Admirer, Games People Play, and Acquiesce.

And then of course, I will always, always talk about your two stories, Of Mended Hearts and Buttons, and I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You. You're writing amazes me and I adore it soo much. I'm trying so hard to be patient but I absolutely cannot wait to read Twisted in Every Way. I know it's going to be phenomenal.

15. What are you looking forward to coming out in 2022

The Book Of Boba Fett - I know the first episode is this week but for the whole show I just ahhhh I'm so excited

Literally all the marvel projects

SPIDERMAN ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE

Into the Spiderverse is my absolute favorite Spiderman movie and I really can't wait to see Miles again, he's in my opinion the best Spiderman

Also MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS ahhhhh I can't believe I have to wait so long to see this

I'm also looking forward to Wakanda Forever, but I couldn't even watch What-If without crying at Chadwick Boseman's final performance so we'll see how I do. Def won't be the first time I cry during a Marvel movie

also idk when it will be released but Madeline Miller's new book she's working on whenever it is going to be published might not even be 2022 I cannot wait

Gallant by VE Schwab - The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was one of my favorites I read this year so I am definitely going to check this out when it's released.

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 2 for the first time. Random thoughts.

Huh. Only 7 episodes. Not complaining necessarily. For series with an ongoing plot I've definitely become more in favor with their seasons only having as many episodes as they need rather than them having to stretch themselves out to full up a certain number of episodes, which can lead to padding and just bad character moments.

Episode 1: Jeez. Catra visiting Shadow Weaver's cell just to rub her success in her face and verbally abuse her back for once. It's like a twisted version of Zuko and Ozai from ATLA. Catra's upbringing under her was abusive but this is far from a healthy way for her to deal with it. She's basically deliberately swimming in her resentment.

Episode 2: It's not that I'm rooting for her but by-golly was it fun to watch Catra act like just the absolute worst she could while she was Glimmer and Bow's captive.

I touched on this in season 1 but part of the drama of the heroes feeling guilt over leaving Entrapta behind is kind of lost on me a bit simply because it was her own fault it happened. She deliberately went back into the purge room because of her machine obsession, which then closed on her and erupted in flames. It was more than reasonable to assume she was dead and no one but her was to blame, so I'm not really able to be invested in their guilt over it.

That said, weirdly enough I do like that her "abandonment" doesn't seem to be even a blip on the radar for Entrapta herself. She hasn't joined the horde because she resents the heroes or felt left behind, she simply is so obsessed with machines and experimentation that she'll be on the side of whoever lets her do the most of that. Like, it's selfish and irresponsible but it's very in-character and I'd far rather have a traitor motivation be based in that over something stupid like a misunderstanding.

Episode 3: I love the mental image of Shadow Weaver thinking up princess-themed ghost stories to tell Adora as a child.

So, if the previous She-Ra Mara separated Eternia from the other realms/planets/whatever she did and that's what cut off the She-Ra line for 1000 years, I'm guessing Hordak may be from the time before that happened, thus his drive to create portals and calling Eternia a backwards world. Either he's naturally long-lived or his technology is extending his life.

Episode 4: You know, you could maybe argue it was vague enough that it could be taken other ways but I'm definitely getting some vibes here that Scorpia is crushing on Catra. She literally refers to the two of them as soulmates at one point. I know she says she's trying to be friends but this feels a level beyond that.

Fun little reference to the original She-Ra cartoon thrown in there (and maybe Cowboy Bebop...? James Bond...? What was Glimmer's art style supposed to be?). I like how it is more like just playful ribbing than anything outright dumping on the original. Again, I've never seen original She-Ra but whenever remakes/adaptations go out of their way to trash to the original I always kind of wonder why they bothered doing an adaptation if the original is just that bad? Also, I was having trouble sleeping so it was about 2am when I watched this episode and the very Eartha Kitt Catwoman Catra made it very difficult for me not to lose my **** and stay quiet. With how much of a contrast that version is from the one in this series, that was hilarious. Bonus note, it's a nice touch that Frosta's version of Catra is a pretty crasher in that sweet suit, since that's the only impression of Catra she's ever had.

Adora being a chosen one is definitely elevated up simply by how much the pressure of what she's supposed to be is getting to her. I'm likely going to keep making Avatar The Last Airbender comparisons throughout the series but that's partly because I went into this series figuring it'd be at least structured similar to ATLA (season 1 being more episodic and a little more kid-friendly as it builds up the world before getting more serious later). Adora and Aang are interesting to compare here. Aang's worries early on were less apparent because he was more in-denial/choosing not to think about his problems that much, which fit with his character as a free-spirited Air Nomad. While Adora is much more military-minded. She can't keep herself from thinking about her problems and trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario. And jeez, that idea of who/how Catra is in her mind. Not only beating her but making her watch as she takes everything she cares about away. Not Shadow Weaver, not Lord Hordak, but Catra. That whole Lion King Mufasa/Scar moment between them in episode 11 and their fight in the S1 finale really did a number on her mental image of her old friend. Not reasonably so.

Minor note: I'm sure I'm the only one who got this impression but by the look of it, the way the robot's eye moved, and the music, after getting the soda spilled on it that little spybot gained sentience for half a second and then immediately died. It was so darkly comedic I had to laugh.

Episode 5: So that red disc is basically She-Ra's Red Kryptonite, having an effect on the mind rather than the body. The drunk Adora joke doesn't really do it for me but it did get some nice interactions going between Scorpia and Sea Hawk, two characters I certainly wasn't expecting to bond. I did really like Catra's panic when berserker She-Ra nearly beheads her. The implication is that is Adora really wanted to kill her Catra would already probably be dead. It's a thing I like about powerhouse characters like Superman or Aang, who could just demolish everything around them and don't simply because they're a good person...which in turn makes them the scariest person on the planet when they're well and truly ticked off. I'm not going to lie, I do kind of want to see a She-Ra version of Aang when Appa was stolen or when Superman fought The Elite.

Also, Catra's line of "I have control over Adora. I'm not giving that up for anything.". There's a lot to read into there.

Episode 6: I guess my prediction was sort of right. Shadow Weaver became basically a magic parasite and while it did increase the power she's capable of the implication seems to be that she needs a constant fix of magic to keep herself going, thus her attachment to the Black Garnet.

Have we seen Micah before? Given how long ago the flashback seems set, the fact that Shadow Weaver didn't kill him and thus he probably becomes someone important later in life, I'm guessing he's Glimmer's dad and the queen's late husband, since I think he's the only important male character whose face we haven't seen yet. Also, he's voice by Ezra from Star Wars Rebels and that cracks me up for some reason. It's the exact same voice and a relatively similar character.

I compared Catra and Shadow Weaver with a kind of twisted version of Zuko and Ozai and that definitely still fits here. Both Catra and Zuko confront their parent and call them out for the inexcusable abuse they put them through but while that moment was the start of Zuko's upwards journey this and SW's betrayal seems like it's going to cause Catra to spiral even further. Makes sense why Adora leaving affected her so much. She's probably the only one Catra's ever had that she could consistently trust and rely on, even if she did somewhat resent her.

Not surprised Hordak is getting along with Entrapta. She's not socially aware enough to be scared or intimidated by him, so she'll speak frankly, and since all she wants to talk about is the machines, experiments, and how they could get them to work Hordak probably doesn't take much issue with that. She's producing results, which is what he cares about, thus also why Shadow Weaver and Catra started losing favor with him. I wonder if Catra is going through imposter syndrome? Shadow Weaver had that line that Entrapta earned her place next to Hordak and, if you think about it, Catra hasn't really "earned" anything. We saw that she didn't really take her training or studies that seriously, showing up late to combat practice and even getting partial credit for what Adora beat. She wasn't promoted to Force Captain because of her own abilities but because Adora had defected when she was supposed to get that title. She's come close to a few victories but never really had any except for Glimmer and Bow's kidnapping...whom she then basically let escape when she returned Adora's sword to her. She doesn't have the slightest clue how the horde's bureaucracy works when trying to get things done, like simply getting troops armor. Given how much better than her Adora always was and how little she herself has to her name, I wonder is subconsciously Catra believes she doesn't deserve her current position and thus why she's fretting so much over trying to prove herself.

Episode 7: Am I mistaken or did Bow's parents say that he's the youngest of TWELVE siblings? I was going to ask whether Bow was adopted or if his dad's used a surrogate or if maybe there's even just simply magic in She-Ra's world that allows two people of the same sex to have a child together but now I'm just focused on the 12 kids thing. I get nervous just imagining myself having more than one. You should see me when I'm with two cats. I have to pet both of them because I'd feel like I'd be making one feel left out and like the other is the favorite. I'm a mess with kids.

The dad with dreadlocks (Lance?), his design looked familiar to me and I finally realized it reminded me a of a fanart design for a human Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Very different voices between those two characters though.

I wonder if there's any significance to the robot protecting the crystal having the same design as those in the artic in episode 5? Obviously both have the connection to the First Ones but the robot in the forest who was also protecting First Ones' tech had a more insect-like design over these more worm/Graboid ones.

I'm kind of curious what Hordak would have done if Catra had told the truth. Given his interactions with her and Shadow Weaver he doesn't seem like the time to tolerate failure but I suppose the implication here is that he at least would respect those who own up to their failures. Or I suppose more simply he was just testing to see if she would lie to him and since she did there's little merit in keeping her in a position of authority anymore where she could lie about important things again.

Season 2 verdict: Still enjoying it. Another person on this reddit recommended I view seasons 2 and 3 as one since they are basically just one season split in two. I was going to do that but this ended up longer than I thought I would, so I'll just do 2 and 3 separate to keep them semi-organized and easier to read.

I think overall Catra is my favorite character since she has the most interesting backstory, interactions, and just general path through the story out of everyone. She's like Pearl from Steven Universe or, well, Zuko. There's just so much baggage there that she's trying and kind of failing to deal with. I'm always invested in whatever's happening when she's onscreen. Hordak so far is a good big boss villain for Adora to face but Catra is a good archenemy for her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o027y3/going_in_blind_watching_season_2_for_the_first/

[ladyfeldspar]

By the power vested in me by my RNG, I give you...

6x09: Free Hat (aka the reason I broke the second disc of Season 6)

This is hella long, sorry not sorry.

Some days I think season 6 is my favorite season.

Tweek standing behind the other three at the SP sign will never cease to make me happy. <3

I hate ET because I think he's a creepyass little alien and I don't appreciate seeing him first thing in this episode. 😂

Okay but I love when Kyle's saying, "...to make ET more PC," he's doing little air quotes with his one hand, like:

Stan: "That's gay." Back when saying things like that was only mildly offensive and wouldn't cause riots.

I've never seen Saving Private Ryan, and I know that it's said that it can be really triggering for people who have actually been to war and everything and I don't want to diminish that in any way, but whatever I paused on here looks like some kind of nether realm squid ghost monster and it's amazing.

I love the progression of their expressions here: angry, unimpressed, concerned, and "why is this happening?!"

And they're all so excited for Star Wars, that's the cutest fricking thing! I would love to see Tweek and Craig watching Star Wars together, just try and tell me that wouldn't be adorable!

ALL OF THEM ARE SO MAD! I fucking love when Tweek gets the little angry eyebrows.

I will never ever not want to hug him whenever I see Tweek shiver like crazy while the other kids just stand perfectly still.

The message in this episode is actually so good though. "Movies are art and art shouldn't be messed with!"

"Yeah we could form a club that takes food stamps from poor people and then we could sell them back to the government for a profit!" Tweek’s face here is priceless.

Poor Tweek. There's kind of a pattern in these episodes where multiple times he tries to stand up for himself or walk away from the main kids, but Cartman bullies him into staying and it just breaks my heart. As opposed to Craig in the Pandemics who's just like, "Fuck this." And as much as I adore all of the S6 Tweek episodes, I'm really glad he didn't stay hanging out with them for any longer and that he went back to the group of guys that are actually his friends. <3

"I'm not, I'm not a team player!" 😭 That being said, I could listen to Tweek talk all day.

"You have to offer fabulous prizes if you want people to show up to your stupid crap!" is just the S6 version of, "More people will come if they think we'll have punch and pie!" 😂

Stan: "Tweek, you go make fifty hats." Look, okay, I don't hate Stan, all right, but what the hell dude, go make your own hats! Why would you give the anxious kid a big responsibility like that!? At least have Kyle help him or something. Like you say you need to get the gymnasium ready which means what, make a banner and set up some chairs? And you're telling me you couldn't have split up the making of the hats? Jesus Christ.

(Yeah, okay, I know, chill out, they're 8.)

I posted this on my Tumblr before, so I'm not going to do it again, but that TINY LITTLE SHRIEK THAT TWEEK DOES after his dad says his name. I just. Literally. Die. Of cuteness. Every single time. It's my favorite Tweek shriek of the entire show, hands down.

On another note, his bedroom is so empty in this episode compared to in Tweek x Craig! I wonder what changed between here and then.

Tweek being able to calm himself down with some meditation is honestly so cute. And look at his happy place! I would love to have this on a shirt or a bag or just like as a piece of art hanging on my wall or something.

Cartman's giant face showing up there. 😂 I remember the first time I saw this episode that actually startled me so much.

"I was up, all night, making hats! I only slept for an hour- and then I DREAMT about making hats! But I only made fifteen!" - This has been one of my favorite lines since forever. I make it my status on things a lot and then everyone asks me why I was making hats all night. 😂

I love Stan's expression here.

"I don't have nearly 1000 hats!" "They're gonna kick your ass, Tweek!" 😡😡😡

Look at this shot! It really looks like Stan is the only one remotely concerned about Tweek's well-being here.

We get so much of Tweek yanking on his hair in this episode. </3

How am I less than five minutes into this and I have talked this much?

The townspeople are literally so stupid. Good job, Skeeter.

Stan makes good speeches when he wants to. Although, you know, you shouldn't make promises without fully knowing what you're doing.

Only Tweek would think going on a TV show is terrible news. (Just kidding. I agree with you, Tweek.)

I've never understood the "1-2-3, dibs!! "Knee!" thing. Like I know what dibs is, but where I come from knees were never involved.

Typical Cartman. I feel so bad for Tweek, but I love when he looks down to see "Advocate of Toddler Murder" underneath him. Cartoon logic is the best logic.

There's also a lot of good Tweek shrieks here too.

"It's easy!?" "Yes... It is easy."

"We believe that films have to be taken away from people like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas because they're insane." The way Kyle matter-of-factly delivers this line kills me every time.

They honestly made SS and GL look so creepy. 😂

I like that Cartman's voice kind of cracks when he's like, "That's Steven Spielberg and George Lucas!"

Someone just let Tweek go home, please!

"Uh, we thought we were speaking for the children." "Yeah, we're children."

"I'm not a Jew!" 😂 Thank you, George Lucas.

Okay, full disclosure, when I first saw this I hadn't seen Raiders of the Lost Ark and I didn't get the big deal. 😂 But I do now!!!

"He...killed 23 babies in self-defense?" "Hat was attacked maliciously and unprovoked by a gang of babies in West Town Park. When that many babies get together they can be like pirahna!" 😂 I say this all the time.

Skeeter. 😂 Honestly, you are no help at ALL.

Second time this episode Tweek tries to say no and walk away.

"People aren't that into you, Tweek. They find you kind of annoying." This is so meta because I remember people complaining all the time that Tweek was a one-note character and that he had nothing really to add to the show and I just want to say SUCK IT TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE LOOK HOW LOVED TWEEK IS NOW. Everyone who was on board the Tweek train from the very beginning say, "Cupcakes!" 😂<3

These kids, man. I love that it’s so easy for them to just get into all these places.

"Get it, Tweek!" "Huh-uh!" I love the way Tweek says no. But, I mean, AGAIN, he tries to say no and Cartman bullies him. I don't think he ever really wanted to be in their group in the first place. I think they picked him arbitrarily in Professor Chaos because they saw him as weaker than them, and then Cartman just didn't let him quit.

The little debate about melting his icy heart with a cool island song is also something I quote often. AND THEIR LITTLE OUTFITS! I love that Tweek's is green and pink! I don't know what the hell is going on with the sleeves on everyone else's though.

"Those rams can do to us what they will, Mr. Lucas." 😂

Oh, George Lucas. You were so close to being a hero.

Stan: "Fuck you Steven Spielberg!" I've watched this censored so many times that hearing it uncensored is so fricking satisfying.

RUN TWEEK RUN!!!

The walkie talkies are such a nice touch. 😂

"The one with the cocaine problem escaped, Mein Director."

Mannn, I miss when they used to throw live action "commercials" into the episodes like this. This also is from the time where I was like hella attracted to Trey Parker so seeing his face is always welcome. 😂

"We always meant to have Imperial Walkers and giant Dewback lizards in the background, but simply couldn’t afford it."

Oh my God, I'm always so proud of Tweek for talking to this huge crowd of people and trying to get them to help him! His little talking through his teeth, like, "We are not talking about Hat right now, okay?!" He's trying so hard!

"Oh God, I'm gonna have to do this myself! Oh, God!" just breaks my heart! YOU CAN DO IT, TWEEK! 13 seasons from now you'll have someone who helps you believe in yourself, just hang on!

Tweek with the bazooka, oh my gosh, always makes me so happy. I can't tell you how much I wanted him to just blow them all the fuck up the first time I saw this.

"All I want are my friends. Except for Cartman, you can keep him." YEAH, TWEEK!

I hate that Steven Asshole Spielberg manages to talk enough crap to make Tweek hesitate. He was so close! I wonder how he would have felt if he actually did it though, Maybe it's better he didn't? It might have made his anxiety worse if he actually blew people up now that I think about it.

"In the tropical isles with the coconut trees, the air is fresh and the people are free, but here in the mountains there's no freedom like that, there's a man in prison and his name is Hat!" This gets stuck in my head so often.

It makes it so much better having actually seen Raiders, especially for this part. I honestly thought the melting faces was just a South Park thing but nope.

I also really love what they look like turned away with their eyes closed too. <3

Like what even is going on in this scene. 😂

Oh my God, okay, and I know that Hat is a terrible person and I want to clarify just in case, I do not think killing babies is funny, but just the way that baby crawls up the person's arm to avoid getting passed to Hat is always so so funny to me and I can never explain why.

Tweek being the only one to be appropriately horrified by the fact that Hat is being given a baby.

"Sometimes the things we do don't matter right now. Sometimes they matter later. We have to care more about later sometimes, you know? I think that's what separates us from the Steven Spielbergs and George Lucases of the world." This is still so relevant.

The ending of this episode is also so much better after actually seeing Raiders. 😂

And we close off with a 9/11 joke. Perfection, Matt and Trey, thank you & goodnight.

[iforcedabot-blog]

I Forced a Bot To Watch Every TNG and DS9 Episode and Write One of Its Own

You may have seen “I forced a bot to watch” posts where someone claims to have “forced a bot” to read or watch hours of video and written it’s own script. Those weren’t real but in recent history it has become possible to do it for real in a pretty convincing way with OpenAI’s GPT-2 system. This is an unbroken, unedited sample of GPT-2 ‘fine-tuned’ on all the TNG and DS9 scripts. Note that television scripts have have distinct formatting and style and all of that is copied perfectly by the bot. It even *almost* gets understands page numbers (in the first example – 28, 28, 28A).

28   EXT. PLAZA/SURFACE - DAY (OPTICAL)    Data and Worf as before.                    DATA                (puzzled)            You left him there? He left him            there?                    WORF            Yes. He had been there for            hours... then decided that I            was going to kill him.    Data frowns, he can't figure out how to phrase what    he did...                    DATA            I do not understand.                    WORF            You knew?                    DATA            I was afraid.    They exchange a look... Data thinking quickly, is    back to the source...                    DATA                (continuing)            I could have programmed some            medical bank monitors to monitor you            for a pulse response when you            could enter Klingon memory.                    WORF            We would have --        STAR TREK: "The House... " - REV. 08/10/94 - ACT FOUR       45. 28   CONTINUED:                    DATA            But I was afraid that it would            disrupt my memory.                    PICARD            I'll tell you what I have to do.    They look at him and then Picard EXITS. Data sits in    command.                                           CUT TO: 28A  INT. WORF'S QUARTERS    The room is DARK and distant. Worf is struggling to    regain his senses as Picard ENTERS.                    WORF            Captain... everything I saw is            gone... everything.    Worf regards him for a moment... then he starts to fight    it off... he stops in surprise... he doesn't know how    all this is going to impact his relationship with    him... he's uncertain what to do... he glances at the    wall panel and frowns, surprised at the way he sees    Worf... he glances around the room and tries to    find a way to fight it off-kilter... it's pretty    night... Worf hits the wall panel and it OFF.                    WORF            I was... heading somewhere.                    PICARD            Worf... what's the matter?    Worf decides to break for a moment... he EXITS.

That was one the first scenes I generated that impressed me, though it cheats a bit with by being mysterious enough that it’s hard to rate how coherent it is. But you could almost see as one of the more moody and experimental character-focused episodes in Season 7 TNG. Earlier networks could copy the formatting of a TV script but they totally fell apart when you tried to actually understand the content. Even which characters were present in a scene did not stay consistent from line to line. GPT-2 handles this amazingly keeping track of not just characters but subject of conversation in a scene.

Here are some more samples chosen mostly for the humor:

                  DAX            I think we're lucky this was            just a bad batch of            equipment.                    KIRA            I'm glad you think that.                    DAX            I'm glad we're lucky.                    KIRA            Okay.  I'm going to let you use            the Bajoran storage bin to backup            your data on this trip.    And with that, Kira heads off down the Corridor.  We    HOLD on a thoughtful Dax. 19   INT. OPS    Kira and Dax EXIT the turbolift, followed by Sisko, who    goes to the Transporter Room in frustration.             DEEP SPACE: "The Wire" - 03/01/94 - ACT ONE            12. 19   CONTINUED:                    KIRA            It's not working.                    DAX            I'm having trouble retuning the            transceiver.  The adaptors            won't work.                    KIRA            Maybe they should replace us by            rentals.                    DAX            With what?                    KIRA            With your arms.                    DAX            With your hands.                    KIRA            Your arms.                    DAX            You're lifting your arms.                    KIRA            My arms.                    DAX                (the hurtiest)            Your arms.  They're my hands.    Kira takes a beat, looks down at her arms for a moment.                    KIRA            They're your hands.                (a beat)            You know what I see when I get            this...                    DAX                (laughing and crying)            Kira, you never told anyone about            your arms.             DEEP SPACE: "The Wire" - 03/01/94 - ACT ONE            13. 19   CONTINUED: (2)                    KIRA            When you get to the wormhole, you            should see them grow into shape-            shifters.  And you'd be right...            because their arms are like that...            closer than you can get.  They            grip off your arm.  Bad dreams.                    DAX            I thought you weren't going to talk            about me.                    KIRA            I told myself I was not.  But when            the time comes... I want to figure            out what we're doing and what we            are.  I always figure it out.    Dax looks at her own hands.  Kira's too fast for her    good measure.                    KIRA            I'm holding all the cards.  I'm            playing them all.  I'm a prisoner            in here.  I can't be happier.                    DAX            You seem like you've got a lot.                    KIRA            You have me all.    Kira takes one last look at her hands.  Kira can't help    her enthusiasm.  Her hand.  Kira takes another step toward the    desk.                    KIRA            You're not going to hurt me.                    DAX            You're not.  And that's a            good thing.

This is from a later batch where I stripped out some of the very repetitive content in the scripts before training — mostly headers and footers that repeat the exact same information every page. Another sample that was weirdly hands and arms themed:

42   INT. ENGINEERING    Geordi and Data at their respective consoles.                    GEORDI            We're ready when you are, Data.                    DATA            I will prepare enough data for your            desire, Commander.                    GEORDI            Good. Data, what was the vessel            in which the shuttle was            launched?                    DATA            The vessel was slightly more            complex than the starship I            estimate, sir. It chose a            specific set of coordinates to            target the specific            nodes on the Enterprise-D.                    GEORDI            And it didn't work. That's            your fault, Data.                    DATA            I fault is very fault, sir.            I should have realized that.                    GEORDI            If you had, the Enterprise-C            could have taken out a few more            nodes...                    DATA            I do not believe we could have             survived the attempt on the            shuttle, sir.       STAR TREK: "The Loss" - REV. 10/10/90 - ACT FOUR       51. 42   CONTINUED:                    GEORDI            I know Data, it would have been            difficult for you to break into            hands and legs and grab a few            nodes... I've never run into a            shuttle in my life that didn't            get that lucky.    Geordi looks down at his hands and arms, frowning.                    GEORDI            What are you so angry about?                    DATA            My heart... and possibly my entire            psychology.                    GEORDI            That's not good.                    DATA            I am angry that Starfleet has            let you down, Commander.                    GEORDI            I know... but I was relieved            that no one tried to destroy            my shuttle.

INT. DATA'S QUARTERS    Data, still in his Starfleet uniform, is sitting at a desk    working at the computer. The door CHIMES.                    DATA            Enter.    The door OPENS and Geordi ENTERS.                    GEORDI            Data, what are you doing here?                    DATA                (stands)            This is my quarters.    He looks at the desk for a beat, then EXITS.                    DATA                (continuing)            You are here to examine my            computer.                    GEORDI            Computer, is there anything I can            do about your...            computer?                    DATA            Computer, are you aware of what I            have just said?                    GEORDI                (nods)            In case you're wondering... I've            told you something before...                    DATA            I have never spoken to my computer            before.                    GEORDI            That can't possibly be the case...    Data shakes his head.                    DATA            I have been trying, but I            have been unable.                    GEORDI            Why?                    DATA            I have been trying for over            three, four nights.                    GEORDI            It must be a pretty long night.                    DATA            As long as it is not.                    GEORDI            And what does it feel like?                    DATA            I have been experiencing a            sustained, transient, and            unsteady increase in the            emotional neurotransmitter-like            activity in my cerebral cortex.            The same as if I were completely            offered a cup of tea, or a            coffee, or an air horn.                    GEORDI            That sounds like someone who            has been through a lot.    Data nods.

I experimented with mixing other TV show scripts, the complete set of Frasier in this case. GPT-2 learns very quickly never to mix characters and language from the shows — too well, I wish it would mix them! But I swear the samples trained with some Frasier feel more like a sitcom:

ANGLE ON MAIN VIEWER (OPTICAL)

ANGLE ON MAIN VIEWER (OPTICAL)    Riker's face...                    RIKER            Captain, I am detecting a Class-M            planet with high radiation            unaffected by the sun.                    PICARD            Which planet did you detect?                    RIKER            Class-M.                (beat)            I'm sure it looked like a Class-            M planet...                (beat)            What is it?                    PICARD            A small planet with low surface            radiation.                    RIKER                (laughs)            Not class-M.

Here’s another one that feels more like a sitcom, in particular, the repeated dialog lines are something I see a lot in the post-Frasier samples.

======== SAMPLE 15 ========                    KIRA                (to Dax, explaining)            Dax, we were just talking about you.              I realize you're upset about            me, but I've always looked            good in a tuxedo.                    DAX            I don't look good in a tuxedo.              I've always looked good in a            clutch, Benjamin.  And I'm glad to            say, I haven't seen you since I left            the homeworld.                    KIRA                (smiles)            I know you're upset, but I've            always looked good in a chiffo            uniform.                    DAX            And I'm glad to see you've never worn            it anymore.                    KIRA            I've never looked good in a chiffo            uniform.                    DAX            Well, I've seen you look good in            it all... when you're wearing            anyone else's tux.                    KIRA                (smiles)            I never look good in a chiffo            uniform.                    DAX                (smiles)            I'm glad you said you were going to            be happy at the Bajoran wedding.                    KIRA                (smiles)            I'm glad you said that.    Dax smiles and they walk off.                    DAX                (re: the wedding)            I suppose I'll have to mention it            to someone.                    KIRA            I'm not planning to.                    DAX            Who's next?                    KIRA            My husband.                (a beat)            I guess he'll be staying with us            this year.                    DAX            He'll probably be staying with us            this year.                    KIRA            I know.  I just got here last            night.                    DAX            I mean it's just a question of...            who?                    KIRA                (beat)            I'm still not sure.  I've got a            surprise planned for the next few            weeks.  Besides, it sounds like            somebody's going to need a place to            keep me warm.                    DAX            I'm sure they will.                    KIRA            I'm sure they will.                    DAX            Now what about you... are you sure            you don't want to stay with me for            a while?                    KIRA                (re: the wedding)            I have a job to do... I'm a            pretty gal...                    DAX                (reacts)            I hear you're married...                    KIRA            That's right.                    DAX            And what about Jake?                    KIRA            He's leaving Starfleet.                    DAX            A few weeks ago he was sent back            to the Institute.                    KIRA                (reacts)            He's gone?                    DAX            He's been living on the station            all his life...                    KIRA                (beat)   ======== SAMPLE 16 ========

This sample is as long as you can get right now the limit on the output is about 1000 words in the tiny version of GPT-2 that OpenAI let’s us play with. It would still be possible to create an entire script by taking the output from one sample and using it a ‘prompt’ to generate the next sample, over and over until you have a complete script. Since the scripts do clear structure like page and act numbers it should eventually get to ACT 5 or stick an ending on there. Maybe a project for the future.

[mlmshadowhuntersource-blog]

i've never written sexual alec/lydia, period and anyone who is perpetuating that has not read the fic in question. i am a queer woman but not mlm, so i can't speak faithfully to whether any of my fics have come across as fetishistic, but if they have i would welcome the feedback on how to grow and improve

Hi! I (mod Ira) have taken the liberty of providing some pointers to your writing. First, and most importantly, I’d like to discuss non-platonic Alec/Lydia in fic. Something much of fandom seems unable to understand is that Lydia and Alec’s relationship is inherently toxic. In the beginning of season one, we see Alec as a terrified closeted gay man, willing to commit suicide before being outed to anyone. Lydia knows he has feelings for Magnus before they get married, and goes through with it anyway. She was in a position of power over him, because she never expected him to back out of the marriage, and so takes advantage of him. After the wedding kiss, Alec says that Lydia letting him go saved his life.

Many non-mlm have trouble understanding that writing non-platonic Alec/Lydia is inherently homophobic. Lydia was more than Alec’s temporary beard. Lydia was a manipulative person who took advantage of Alec’s trauma to gain an Institute. Creating au’s in which they are planning to marry is trivializing the trauma and internalized homophobia from Alec’s experiences of living in such a deeply homophobic society. Mlm can write this in order to relate it to their own experiences, and some even find it helpful to work through their own related trauma. People who are not mlm shouldn’t use it as a plot device to further Alec and Magnus’s relationship.

I’d also like to discuss a common trope in malec fics. The infantilization of Alec Lightwood in order to make him more desirable for sex is fetishistic. This is seen in your fics No Sweeter Innocence and blow me (one last kiss). Sexual inexperience is different from being bashful, blushing and embarrassed, especially when the Alec we see on screen is nothing like that. Alec in canon would resent being coddled and being seen as an innocent baby who doesn’t understand what he wants enough to articulate asking to be taken to bed, why do you write him that way? 

Another issue we see is Magnus as the Ever Giving Partner while Alec sits around sucking him dry of affection. The balance between their affection is concerning. Why is Magnus the one constantly smothering Alec in love and pet-names while Alec is allowed to eat it up and never give back? Furthermore, there is again not much evidence in canon to support this. Alec is the one seen giving Magnus gifts, initiating intimacy, confessing his feelings first, and seeking Magnus out for company. Rarely is it the other way around. Why do you see Magnus as the one who lives and breathes affection and waxes poetic about Alec, and why do you see Alec as the one who has most of the orgasms and let’s Magnus coddle him? 

On a more personal note, we never said your fics were garbage. Many of your fics are very sweet, I enjoyed your Found Family ‘Verse quite a lot! And yes, we’re giving you feedback to improve your writing, like you asked, even though mlm don’t exist to keep non-mlm from being fetishistic. The amount of entitlement to ask for an explanation and then vague us on your blog before actually receiving a response is astounding. I hope this was helpful!!!

Hey, it’s Tyler here. If you’re still reading I have commentary, too. First off, I am going to say that I am at fault - I should have read your works before taking the word of someone else (who was a mlm so I did trust his word, and still do). It is totally on me for not fact checking and I will remember to fact check before I state things as fact. However, he was not wrong to say your works were fetishistic nor was he wrong in suggesting we not rec your fics. (There was fetishization in your fics and while there was not sexual Alec/Lydia, there was romantic Alec/Lydia).

Onto your fic: First Comes Love. As Ira mentioned earlier, Alec is infantilized a lot. But most notably is how you write him as if he’s unable to make decisions or do anything for himself when that isn’t the Alec we see on screen. You make Lydia the decision maker (which she is, canonically, but so is Alec) and you make Magnus… well, I wouldn’t call it predatory but it’s really uncomfortable how he flirts with Alec, notices Alec’s uncomfortable, stops briefly, and then starts flirting again. Yes, Magnus is flirty but I don’t believe he would flirt with anyone when he knows they’re uncomfortable. (I mean, canonically Magnus told Alec he would back off if he [Alec] could say he was in love/loved Lydia and canonically Magnus did tell Maryse he would leave if Alec told him to).

I know Ira didn’t read “First Comes Love” but the whole dynamic between Alec and Magnus was… well, I wouldn’t say it is predatory because I’m not a 100% sure it is but it is uncomfortable. I think what makes it uncomfortable is how Alec has been infantilized to a point where it is completely out of character for him.

However, I’m not here to tell you how to better that fic because I actually discourage it. I read your disclaimer but ignoring canon, the relationship you have written is extremely unhealthy. It is very one-sided, Lydia seems to be the voice in the relationship and the one who ‘runs’ the relationship to the point Alec doesn’t really have an opinion on anything.

Anyway, I want to talk about your disclaimer.

Updated A/N: Just to clarify, I tagged this fic as ‘alec/lydia’ and added an extra warning tag because I know some people don’t want to read alec/women regardless of context and I want to respect that.

Ask yourself why do people not want to read Alec/women regardless of context? It’s not just a matter of it being uncomfortable. Yes, it is uncomfortable but it is also extremely disrespectful. It is disrespectful because it is taking an experience that a lot of gay men relate to and may have been through and turned it into a plot device. Our lives, our experiences, are not meant to be used as plot devices in fanfiction and they are not meant to be used by non-mlm.

And furthermore, if you wanted to respect us not wanting to read Alec/women (or, for some, not even wanting to see Alec/women) you would not write it. Period. Full stop.

As a gay man, when I watched that episode I can’t even describe the amount of pain and discomfort I experienced because I thought Alec was going to marry Lydia. Just imagine the pain and discomfort I experienced as an outsider, as someone just watching a tv show, now amplify that by a 1000 and you probably have the exact feeling that Alec felt, that every mlm who was forced into a straight marriage/relationship.

However, two things about this story, 1) Alec is gay, 2) the only pairing presented romantically is Alec/Magnus. Not offended if it’s still not your cup of tea, but just want to make that clear if people are trying to judge from tags alone.

It isn’t, though. Alec/Lydia is presented as a romantic pairing. In the fic, they are engaged- that is an inherently romantic relationship. You cannot write a relationship where two characters are engaged or even married and then turn around and say, “oh but it’s not romantic” because those are romantic relationships.

That’s all I have to say on that and if you’re still around I also read “Blow Me (One Last Kiss).” But I have to agree with Ira on literally everything that he said. Also one thing they didn’t address is… please if you’re going to write smut, please say ‘dick’ or ‘penis’ - not length.

Also not to critique a smut scene because that was the last thing I thought I’d be doing at 6 o’clock on a Monday morning but I feel like it would be physically impossible for Alec to do what you’re saying he is doing. Unless Alec just doesn’t have a gag reflex.

On a personal note. I would like to say something about the vaguing which I didn’t really appreciate when I saw your blog. You messaged us, probably seeking an apology, and feedback. Which we were both very happy to give but after we saw your blog we were kind of… thrown. I can’t speak for Ira but for me, personally, I found it childish. Why message us then vague us or vague us then message us? I get vaguing, I vague people all the time, but I don’t turn around and message them - or vice versa.

I’m gonna be frank, had you not messaged us we never would have seen your vague and you know what that’s perfectly fine. You can talk shit about us and spread lies and over-exaggerate what I said (not Ira, because they weren’t a mod at the time) and I frankly don’t give a fuck. I would rather someone not message me giving off the air of politeness and civility and then turn around and talk shit. That’s fake as hell.

But onto your vague posts which I have some problems with because some of the things really rubbed me the wrong way. Specifically the amount of entitlement.

“apparently a sh mlm blog rec’d one of my fics but then removed it and like made a recant post basically saying someone had told them i write fetishistic fic and ‘sexual alec/lydia’ so they would never post any of my fic again.”

Specifically the “so they would never post any of my fic again” part rubbed me the wrong way. You are not entitled to our spaces and we do not owe it to you to promote your fic, especially if we don’t feel the material you are writing is something that should be promoted. We are not here to promote the fics of people who fetishize mlm or portray Alec/Lydia. Actually, our blog’s purpose is to raise up the voices of mlm and we aren’t obligated to promote anyone who isn’t mlm. But the fact that you felt entitled to our spaces is just beyond infuriating.

i dunno how many followers they have but they posted my ao3 tag and everything

As of this posting we have 108. And I didn’t “post [your] ao3 tag and everything.” I stated your ao3 username, yes, but I hardly call that “everything.” I posted what I did because I choose to try and take responsibility for my actions - as I am doing right now.

(and like, tbf i would try to be open to whatever criticism this person has on the first point because i’m not mlm obvs so i’m sure i’m not perfect by any stretch, but the second point could only be made by someone who’s literally never read my fic so..)

On this part… if someone asks us for feedback, I will give it to them. However, it is not our job to go out of our way to educate every single fetishistic or homophobic fic writer. Your job, as a writer and as someone portraying mlm when you are not a mlm, is to go out and do the research and educate yourself and make sure you’re not portraying us in a negative/fetishistic light. Not to sit back and publish your work until someone comes along and tells you, “hey this is fetishistic” or “this is homophobic.” Your job, as a writer, is to make sure that doesn’t happen.

And our job, as mlm, is to make sure we aren’t promoting fics that are homophobic and/or fetishistic. (And yes, you can be homophobic despite being a queer woman and stating that you’re a queer woman is not a get out of jail free card).

if you don’t want to read my fics that’s awesome but since you haven’t actually read them can you maybe not tell everyone else they’re garbage? thanks

Neither of us has said your fics are garbage so again with the twisting of our words and over-exaggeration. All I said was that someone brought it to my attention that you write fetishistic portrayals of mlm (which you do) and sexual Alec/Lydia (which you don’t, but you do write romantic Alec/Lydia) and that I would not rec your fics on a blog by mlm for mlm. And that is fully within my rights. We do not have to cater to you or any non-mlm.

I said anyone could follow as long as they are respectful of the fact that this is a safe space for mlm because I feel non-mlm should be able to hear our thoughts on how mlm are portrayed and see proper portrayals of mlm.

But I will not tolerate people feeling entitled to our spaces because the only people entitled to this space is mlm.