#I know this story has to extend to eight episodes

[respectthepetty]

I was PRAYING this was a dream, but NOPE!

Earn slept with Lada who was wasted and had the nerve to even pout as she stated Lada only had sex with her because Lada was drunk. Girl, seek help!

In five years, people are going to look back at 2022-2024 the same way we look at early BLs and be like "The beginning of GL was rough but look how far we have come" but in six years, people are going to write an entire series of think pieces about how this show was misunderstood and how it doesn't deserve the "problematic" label, and I'll still be here,

HATING EARN!

I haven't tagged this show nor mentioned its name for three weeks so people don't have to see the hate in the tag (which I think is counterproductive since now people can't properly filter the hate and will just blindly run into it in the wild, but that's a different conversation that y'all don't want to have about how y'all don't understand the tag system pero . . .)

Earn destroyed Lada years ago by telling her she liked men and not women and the ONLY reason she was ever with her was for the money and now she shows up AT LADA'S JOB constantly flirting with Engfa, and this episode we find out they are just doing that to make Lada jealous.

WHY?! Why is Lada being tortured by this awful chick?!

I'm going to watch this show until the bitter end. I must find out how the series screws over Lada even more because if her love interest is a manipulative unapologetic stalker, who needs enemies?!

[joshslater]

Emergency Model

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"Excuse me, what's your shoe size?"

Bewildered I looked around to find the man who asked the random question, like out of that old episode of Monty Python. Off to the side, almost behind me, was a thirty-ish man in polo shirt, jeans, and glasses with plastic rims that looked purposefully selected to make him look like a film director or architect. He looked unsure or stressed. "Eight, eight and a half. Who's asking?"

Immediately he brightened up. "Hello. I'm Ben Atkinson, " he said and extended his hand. "We're making a photo shoot of the supplemental collection of sporting clothes," he continued without waiting for me to shake it. "It's all for the online shop, so simple stuff. White background, a few poses." Tentatively I shook his hand. "Pretty fast rotation of models. Unfortunately one of them has called in sick. You have the right look, but more importantly the right build and size."

"Uhum," I answered, sensing where this was going. It was a Saturday morning, and I was on my way to meet up with some friends at Wayland's Deli.

"This is quite sudden, but we are on a tight deadline. If you're willing to model for us I'll give you twice the normal rate."

"Ok," I said, not waiting to hear what the normal rate was. I'm sure Stuart would not stop giving me grief about it for the rest of the year, but I would technically be a photo model which wouldn't be a negative in Sarah's eyes. Turned out that it would also be double my monthly earnings as well, so maybe I could shut Stuart up as well.

We entered the building, which apparently was an office space that had been taken over for the day for the shoot. There were racks of clothes everywhere, lots of people with iPads tracking what item was where, who should wear it, and in what conference room they should shoot it. It was bustling with activity. After some exchange of information with Ben, and signing papers, I was handed over to a conference room turned makeup and styling studio. Most of the furniture was stacked in one corner and the floor was covered by transparent plastic that had been rolled out. To one side was a table with lots of makeup tools and bottles and stuff I wouldn't know how to use, except maybe the hand mirror and the scissors, and even that I'm not confident with. A pair of strong LED lamps on stands lit a chair placed at the center of the plastic. 

"I'm Julia, pleased to meet you. So you are the last one," said the stylist, carefully surveying me and in particular my face and hair. "We're short on time, so we have to work quickly. Are you ok with a buzz cut and tight fade?" Not what I would have chosen, but it's starting to get warm outside and it's only hair. I'd be back to my current length after the summer. "Sure."

She seated me in the chair and began the work with a corded trimmer, and soon a flurry of detail work with smaller trimmers and some of her tools from the table. Probably took her about ten minutes for the haircut. Then some time with a straight razor blade and a tweezer to pluck and shave all over my face and then arms. I told her that this was all new to me, having literally just been picked from the street. She reassured me that there wasn't much to it. Just be no-nonsense about it. Take whatever the stylist decides, change clothes quickly, do the poses the photographer asks for, and repeat.

"All done," she said and handed me the hand mirror as if I had any say in this. I looked so different than just moments before. The hair was shorter than I've ever had it, with a razor sharp fringe line. The fade on the sides was basically just an inch tall from the head and down the temple, then skin tight down, and presumably the same around the back of the head as well. The total amount of hair I was left with could fit a shot glass. "If you go down the corridor to the break room there is a shower in the bathroom there. Ask Andy outside to let you in. Take a quick rinse to get rid of stray hairs, change into these, put your stuff in one of the plastic boxes there, and come back to me for a final touch-up." She handed me a pair of white briefs and white socks. I hesitated a bit, and she was quick to jump ahead of my thoughts. "Everyone around here are used to see gorgeous bodies without clothes. Act as if it is normal, because to us it is. You can't be self-conscious. Oh, and Andy is the only one with a key, so your valuables are safe." Another boy showed up at the door saying he needed a new application. I told Julia thanks and went to look for Andy.

Andy unlocked the door to the office lunch room for me and I did as Julia had told me. I stripped naked and put everyting, clothes, wallet, phone, keys, shoes, into one of the plastic boxes, wrote my name on it with a whiteboard marker and placed it next to all the other boxes. Eight boxes in total. I went into the bathroom, took a 90 seconds shower, and dried myself off with one of the towels from the pile. I put on the briefs and socks, had Julia apply her things to me, and within ten minutes I was dressed in Nike shoes, joggers, and a fleece hoodie, being ordered by a photographer who didn't have time to introduce himself to look left, turn around, put my hands in my pockets, pull up the hood, sit down on the floor, and on and on. Then out change, and back with the next item.

It was going non-stop since they were behind on my stuff, so I had barely time to talk to anyone. There wasn't any proper lunch break either, just a protein bar together with two of the other models, Mark and Andrew. At first they thought it was funny that I had just been snatched off the street for the shoot, but when I told them how much more money I got they were like "fuck you, go back to work". Well the break was over anyway, so I don't know how serious they were.

It continued with item after item, until I realized I was the only model left. The others had taken off without saying goodbye, not that we had any relation. People were moving things out of the office, and when I asked about the hurry they said there was a firm deadline when they had to be out so the cleaning crew could put everything back to a working office again. I could feel the pressure as it was my item changes that held up everyone. I swapped into a pair of MRKNTN underwear that probably was like half a size too small but decided to just power through with the shoot. As soon as the last photo had been taken, they started to dismantle the light rigs. As I walked back to the lunch room I could see that most of the clothes racks were gone. The makeup room was back to looking like a conference room. I couldn't find Andy anywhere though, and the lunch room with my stuff was still locked. I wanted my stuff for sure, but more importantly I wanted to get out of the underwear that kept squeezing and chafing. I couldn't go more than 30 seconds without having my hands down the joggers to adjust them.

Ben wasn't anywhere to be seen either. I asked one of the remaining people and he said they had all left, working on getting all the stuff back and preparing the "delivery pipeline" for the photos. Probably Andy had checked off everyone from his list, and it was printed before I was recruited. "Just keep the clothes you have on and you can come back here Monday and pick up your stuff," he said.

Fuck.

No point in hanging around any longer. Everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible, so I just left and headed towards the bus stop. It was getting late and with no phone on me I couldn't call home and say what was going on.

Fuck.

I didn't have anything to pay the bus fare with. I could perhaps go back to the office building and see if I could catch anyone exiting, use their phone, and call for someone to pick me up. But there was no telling if and when I would get hold of anyone. Just walking back there would make me miss the next bus, so that would set me back at least an hour. I could just as well ask someone else to use their phone. Or perhaps ask them to cover the bus fare.

That's when I saw them, a little bit further down the street, past the bus stop. Six boys huddled at the corner, talking and messing around as if no one else was around. One had a bike. All of them dressed in the kind of clothes I had spent all day modeling in, track suits, hoodies, trainers. All of them were smoking. I figured I'd have as good a chance with them as with anyone else now, looking the way I looked.

As I was getting closer one of them alerted the others and they had some kind of conversation about me. "Hello, excuse me. Could I borrow money for the bus fare from any of you?" There was a second of silence before a mixed snicker erupted, and one of them answered "No, bruv. I don't think so."

I don't know why, but for some reason I was mortified by how I had been dismissed. I could feel my face turning red, so I quickly turned away from them to make my way back to the bus stop, without any plan of what to do next.

"Oi, bruv!" I heard from behind me. Looking back at them I could see three boys had gotten up and were heading my way. "Callum's grafting down at the barber's for some extra quid and need someone to practice on. What if he can do some practice while we cover the fare and take you home safely? Fair, innit?"

"I barely have any hair," I said and let my hand touch my fresh skin fade, almost shocking myself with how radically different it felt.

"Won't be much of a nick then, bruv."

He was right. There wasn't much he could ruin. I had only a few millimeters of hair so in the worst case scenario I could shave completely and it would be back within the week.

"Good lad. A deal innit."

"Yes," I said, unsure if it was expected. The guy who had spoken and Callum flanked me while the third lad walked behind me, enveloping me with the scent of smoke and body spray. After a silent moment the guy spoke again, introducing himself as Iwan and the third guy as Rob, and asked where I lived. I gave him the bus stop, Hillside Garden North, about 18 minutes ride. Would have been busy during the week, but at weekends there wouldn't be many on the bus.

We didn't have to wait long for the bus to arrive, but instead of entering by the driver they all bunched up again with me in the middle and entered through the exit doors as a single unit. Then they quickly moved to the back of the bus and pushed me into a seat next to Callum, facing Iwan and Rob in the furthest back seat. I half expected the driver to say something over the speakers, but there was barely a delay, if any, before the bus was moving as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I looked at Iwan with perhaps a bit of surprise and he just shrugged as if to say "what did you expect? That the driver would confront us?"

Then he nodded at Callum next to me, backpack in his lap, who answered "Aye" and got up. He placed the bag on the seat and positioned himself right in front of me, one leg on either side of mine, his knees hitting the edge of the seat, and his left hand grabbing the rail behind me. It felt both imposing and intimate. He opened the backpack and rummaged around with his right hand until he found a small trimmer in a zip-lock bag.

He opened it with both hands and threw the plastic bag into the backpack. Then he looked out and waited for the bus to drive on straight and even road before he turned the trimmer on. Then slowly he moved it in an arched line from my temple and along the side of my head until he reached the neck. Then he studied for a few seconds before he made a few additional buzzes along the same line.

"Not bad, innit?" he said while shifting his body so Iwan and Rob could see. "Fucking mint, mate," Iwan answered.

Then he turned on the trimmer again and unexpectedly extended the line by buzzing my eyebrow for a few seconds. I hadn't even considered my eyebrows. Callum reached into his backpack again to put the trimmer in the zip-lock, but without moving his feet so his body pressed even closer to me. While I couldn't see much, I could certainly feel his body spray filling my nostrils while I felt my eyebrows with my fingers. I guess there would be a lot to explain to mother anyway, so this would just be yet another detail.

I could just see it for a fraction of a second. It looked like a small glue gun in off-white plastic. Then before I could realize what it was it was pressed against my ear, it made a snapping sound, and I felt a sharp pain. "What the!" I said, more in surprise than pain.

"18G piercing. Hurts more, heals slower, but much better," Callum offered, as if it was the type of piercing that was in question, not that he had done it at all. He reloaded the piercing gun and I struggled with what to do. Just take it like the first one? Why should I? But then one piercing was the real threshold. Once you pass that, two is if anything better than one. This would soon be over anyway.

He was just as quick with the second one as the first one. "These need to stay in 30 days, you hear me?" he said, still standing essentially on top of me. "Yes, I understand," I said with a sinking feeling of all the implications. He put the gun back into the bag and went searching for something again. Finally he pulled out some sort of pliers, then held my earlobe with one hand while doing something with the pliers with the other. "Making sure they don't fall off," he explained before sitting down again on his seat. I could see Iwan and Rob again, and booth looked pleased. Iwan looked absolutely chuffed. "Fucking proper, innit" he said and pat me hard on the shoulder. "Fucking proper."

After than Iwan opened up and started to ask me all kinds of questions, starting with my name, which I realized I hadn't given him when he presented everyone. I was soon giving the highlights of the day as a photo model until we arrived my stop. To my surprise everyone got off with me. "Said we would take you home safe." We continued to chat all the way home and it turned out me Iwan and Rob had the same taste in electronic music while Callum was more of a rock guy.

"Ok, this is my stop," I said once we reached my house. "Meet us Monday, same time and place," Iwan said. "What?" "You owe us £2 for the bus, bruv." "But..." "You going back on our deal?" "No, I'll come by." "And wear the same clothes. Underwear too." "No! I have classes." "You'll figure it out, bruv." Callum opened his backpack again and tossed something to Iwan. "And use this," he said and handed over a can of Lynx Jungle body spray. "What if I don't? What if I don't do any of that?" "Where you live isn't a secret, innit? See you Monday, bruv."

[natlacentral]

Avatar Netflix Season 2 Will 'Condense' Original Storyline (Exclusive)

Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender will follow in the footsteps of the first season's storytelling "condensing." 

Each season of the animated Avatar series had twenty episodes, most of which followed their own adventures. When it came to the live-action show, the first season only had eight hour-long installments.

This led to many elements of the original storyline getting condensed, such as the combination and relocation of a handful of plot threads to the team’s stay in Omashu—meeting the Mechanist, Jet, Bumi, and venturing into the Secret Tunnel.

As one might imagine, these types of changes did not always land well with audiences.

Season 2 Will Condense Original Avatar Storyline

Speaking with The Direct at Paleyfest 2024, Avatar: The Last Airbender Seasons 2 and 3 executive producer Jabbar Raisani confirmed that they will need to condense some of the original story as the Netflix show moves forward.

Raisani pointed out how their handling of Seasons 2 and 3  which will conclude the live-action series - will be "a lot like Season 1," which also means "some condensing" has "to take place:"

"I think it's a lot like season 1. There's a lot of content in the animated series. And we will be looking at all that content. But we don't have the number of episodes that we have in the animated series. So, certainly, there will be some condensing that has to take place."

While speaking to The Direct about the possibility of more original moments in Season 2 for his character, Uncle Iroh actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee shared that he "[does not] know how they’re going to remix the stories" going forward:

"I wish I could; I have no idea what they have planned for us... I know we're getting an opportunity to finish telling the story. Obviously, the animated series is going to be the template for us. But other than that, I don't know how they're going to remix the stories. Nobody tells me nothing. So I'm just gonna show up. And yeah, hopefully, we get a better, clearer sense of where we're going with that in the future. But right now, I have no idea what's going to happen."

While the original animated series has been finished for nearly two decades, the story of those characters will continue in a new animated film called Aang: The Last Airbender.

Currently, not many details are known about the project, but fans do know it will follow team Avatar as they are older following the events Avatar.

As for whether its story will have any influence on future episodes of Netflix’s The Last Airbender, Raisani admitted it will not, at least "not at this point:"

"No, not at this point. We are really looking at the animated series at what came before and less of sort of what they're currently doing on the new movies."

As for whether or not he would be interested in potentially adapting Legend of Korra for live-action, he firmly responded:

"Certainly, I'd be interested in anything that is in this universe."

[ Avatar 2025 Movie: Last Airbender Release, Cast & Everything We Know About Adult Aang Film ]

Remixing Season 2 Episodes Was Inevitable

When it comes to adapting the source material, condensing is unavoidable. Avatar: The Last Airbender fans shouldn't be surprised the same will be happening for Seasons 2 and 3.

Simply put, 20-minute bite-size adventures do not work well for the more extended episode structures of the Netflix show. If the original episode is a self-contained, isolated story, odds are it may not make the cut—or be weaved in with other plot threads.

Hopefully, at the very least, fan-favorite episodes such as the desert spirit library and how Appa got stolen can see the light of day in live action.

One thing that will make it notably more difficult to stick to the original episodes, though, is how behind on Aang’s bending lessons he is. Book 2 is all about him learning earthbending from Toph—however, in the live-action Last Airbender series, he hasn't even started lessons for waterbending.

The show is ahead of the game when it comes to Azula’s storyline, however, as she doesn’t originally appear until Season 2. That alone could save some episodes from the chopping block.

[ukyou-kuonji]

Recently I've been thinking a lot about "The Cowbell of Happiness" episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena, and specifically the background song Donna Donna. I actually grew up singing and hearing the English song a lot (which afaik predates the Japanese version but isn't itself the original language?), and thus had an assumed interpretation of the lyrics' application to the shows themes, which I've been changing my interpretation of. However it has been about eight years since I saw the show, so feel free to disagree with me or correct my interpretation! I put a cut in due to the length, sorry it got a bit away from me haha.

I always saw the farmer's mockery of the calf in the second verse "Stop complaining says the Farmer/Who told you a calf to be/Why don't you have wings to fly with/Like the swallow so proud and free," to be an ironic statement. The calf was born a calf, and cannot change it's species more than a person can control the circumstances of their birth. Therefore the third verse, which states "Calves are easily bound and slaughtered/Never knowing the reason why/But whomever treasures freedom/Like the swallow must learn to fly," drives home the impossible truth. You don't want to be exploited? Simply don't be born within an exploited group. The calf's fate is unavoidable, because of his inherent and unchangeable identity and the way society perceives and reacts to it. It is incapable of learning to fly by it's very nature.

This relates to the themes of the show by paralleling Nanami (or later, through extended metaphors and parallels, both Anthy and Utena, among others) to the calf. These characters cannot help being teenage girls navigating the patriarchy, and cannot escape their exploitation. The world within which they exist (Ohtori) does not permit them an alternative existence. This interpretation is very bleak, I know.

But I think this interpretation only engages with one half of the story it sets up, and completely ignores the swallow. This feels particularly erroneous due to the show's bird imagery (the name Ohtori, the prominence of the dead sparrows associated with Kozue and Shiori, the school archways shaped like birdcages to give a few examples, all of which associate students with egg, chick, or bird visual metaphors). Mostly, I thought of the infamous egg speech appropriated from Demian by Hermann Hesse. As Touga and others state in the Revolutionary Girl Utena reconstruction of the original text "If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are the chick; the egg is the world. If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born. Break the world's shell!"

Through this, the swallow seems directly implicated as a viable alternative for the calf, or for characters such as Nanami, Utena, and Anthy. The only way for them to avoid being exploited as women within Ohtori or "slaughtered as calves on the farm," to use the language of the song, is for them to self actualize or reject the reality presented to them and move beyond the limitations placed on them through the label of "woman" in a heteronormative and patriarchal system. They must defy the very conditions that determine their condition. Or rather, they must break the world's (Ohtori's) shell, be born as the chick, and take flight as birds. This is what Utena attempts to do in the finale, and what Anthy does do by stepping away from Ohtori and Akio's influence.

The song that seemed to condemn Nanami to life as livestock in episode 16 also promises hope and foreshadows Anthy's choice episode 39. She, like the swallow, has learned to fly, and the other characters have the potential to do so also, provided they value freedom and develop the wings to leave.

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 52 - Goodbye. (part 1, out of 2.)

Judging from the clothes, this story happens after Ecaflip City. Yes, I am analysing a story that never gets told. This is my last chance to get really tin-foil hat-ty with this blog.

Not Joris leaning on the table cutely... 😭

Also, considering it is no longer snowing, I am assuming this takes place during spring. Therefore, in this episode, Joris is now eight years old! :D

Kerubim is probably feeling like he's going through his 20th platonic divorce. Even though Simone is literally leaving a job and he's her boss.

Everyone in this household is somehow traumatized by divorces, despite no marriage even taking place.

(coughs up blood) It's lore unfriendly if you don't draw Simone and Julie with matching rings. Preferably on their ring-fingers.

While there is something to be said about the fact that Kerubim is gentle here, and doesn't even seem bothered, — I think it's him putting on a brave face.

He probably feels like he's losing Simone. And, just like he is going to lose Simone now, he is going to lose Joris. Because Joris is bound to grow up and leave him, or go through a moody teenage phase.

And after that, are they going to have a good relationship? Is Simone going to visit him? Is Joris going to visit him? Is Joris going to have someone he loves more than him too...? He can't expect either of them to be a part of his life forever, — it's selfish, he already had his chances at companionship with Lou, Bashi, Indie, and Atcham, and he missed them all.

He can't expect them to be a part of his life forever — both metaphorically and literally. He couldn't have known that the dragon thing would extend Joris's lifespan.

And who knows, if Joris will even like or tolerate him anymore, once he's old enough to actually think.

The impact of this exchange only gets more emotional, if you consider the fact that Joris is now eight years old.

Simone is going to miss them too. It's probably why she wants them to start a travelling store, — so that the two of them can meet new people, form new connections, once she's gone, — and so that, perhaps, they could visit her too.

Chances are, the happy atmosphere is a bit painful. He has a lot of reasons to be sad.

He can't just live in a bubble where everything stays happy forever.

Joris's book he worked on the entire show...

This says "JORIS SECRET"

They will miss each other a lot.

OH GOD NO.

Of course the guy who grew up with Kerubim would think this is remotely okay. dfjgksfdg. One last moment of bashing Kerubim's parental skills for the road...

I love this show.

I love it with my whole heart.

If they make a second Dofus movie, and don't include Simone in it again, I am not responsible for my actions.

Not Joris playing with a rock...

He's so used to having Simone, that it feels lonely, to just be with Kerubim again. He hasn't had someone leave in his life, yet, either... This is a first for him.

Also, for the last time in this show, I will translate: the book still says "ALBUM PHOTO".

Just like the other times we've seen it.

I know Kerubim says that one has to rub it (and calls him a fucking noob), but listen. Listen. I have some pretty big news for Bob:

There's this little thing called "survivorship bias", and basically——

[alaffy]

Bridgerton, Ep. 3x01 – Out of the Shadows (Spoilers)

I started watching this episode a couple of weeks ago and quickly realized I needed to rewatch the first two seasons as I clearly wasn’t remembering everything that happened.  Also, forgive me, this recap will be jumping all over the place as I will be kind of focusing on each character and not so much story order.

To get a few storylines quickly out of the way.  It seems as though Will’s life is about to get more interesting as his eldest son has now been named the Earl of Kent.  I can’t say much more about this as there were only two scenes that focused on this moment.

The Queen is clearly bored.  Some think it’s because she is unsure after that disaster with Anthony and Edwina, others think she doesn’t like this years choice of candidates for “The Diamond.”  Honestly, it seems like she was just waiting for Whistledown to come out and play.

Lady Featherington has the Ton convinced that Cousin Jack signed over the estate to whichever daughter first has a male heir and that Lady Featherington suddenly got all this money from a dead relative.  Well, she’s almost got everyone convinced.  It seems that The Crown, or the person acting for the Crown, is a little suspicious of that document giving the estate to the daughters.  If one of them doesn’t have a son soon, and the document is found to be a forge, then they could loose everything.  Also, her second daughter got married.  Thankfully we were not blessed to see that courtship.

Last year, Kate and Anthony had the enemies to lovers storyline.  This year, their storyline seems to be HORNY.  Well, sort of.  Basically, they have just come back from their honeymoon and find that the estate is being run well by Benedict and Violet.  So, they decided that, for once, they are going to live for themselves.  They are going to extend their honeymoon and try to start their own family.  And it makes sense.  Several of the conversations last season revolved around family telling them to live for themselves.  And if everything is being handled, this is the right time to do it.  It also means the writers have a way to write them out of a portion of the season; letting them focus on other characters.

Like Francesca.  Here’s the reality of the situation.  As much as people enjoy Bridgerton, it is doubtful that it will get eight seasons.  The three elder, unmarried Bridgertons will each get their own season.  But the youngest three?  Probably not.  At the very least, it doesn’t make sense to have one for Francesca.  For various reasons, the character has barely been in the series.  We know more about the two youngest Bridgertons than we do her.  So, it does kind of make sense that they are making her a secondary plot.  Now, that doesn’t mean that they are trying to quickly get through her story.  It also wouldn’t surprise me if her story starts this season, but ends sometime in the middle of next season.  But I don’t think they’re intending to make her the main character of a season. 

As for Francesca, she’s a very practical person who’s more interested in music than she is with the social scene.  I mean, she will play her part and she is looking for a husband; but it is clear that her passions lie elsewhere at this point.

Eliose, after last years scandal, has decided to not be herself.  She’s decided to throw herself into the whole “What ladies should be” idea, but it’s clear she’s not cut out for it.  She can dress the part, but truly taking an interest….The one thing she has, though, is a new friendship in Cressida.  And they’re good for one another.  One thing I noticed, when doing my rewatch of the first two seasons, is that the writers do write Penelope and Eloise as two friends drifting apart.  Of course, what ended their friendship was Eloise discovering Penelope was Whistledown; but it is very clear that their interests were shifting.  And also, while you have Penelope keeping one hell of a secret from Eloise, you also have the fact that there are several times that Eloise is clearly not hearing a word Penelope is saying.

But with Eloise and Cressida, they’re listening to one another.  Cressida is good for Eloise as she is helping Eloise find her way in society.  Eloise is good for Cressida as she’ll easily call out Cressida when she goes too far. 

Another possible friendship in the works is Penelope and Francesca.  At least, they seem to have similar temperaments.

That being said, while Eloise doesn’t really want to interact with Penelope right now, it’s clear that she still cares for her.  Which is probably why she hasn’t revealed her secret.

But let us get to the big love affair this season:  Colin and Penelope.  The show starts with the two big reveals.  First, we have the new Francesca, about to be presented to the Queen.  As the family rushes to get into their carriages, they see a group of women fawning over a man.  The women part ways and we see…Chris Pine?  Seriously, I expected the actor to get his own glow up, but maybe they went a bit too far.  Yes, Colin is back from traveling again and he’s, uh, the best way I can describe it is that he’s play-acting flirting.  The women are falling for it, but it is so disingenuous.  The only women he seems like he can truly talk to are the ones in his family and Penelope.

Penelope, meanwhile, is sick of everyone’s shit.  Well, not so much at Eloise, until Cressida purposely rips Penelope’s dress, then she seems pretty annoyed at Eloise as well.  Anyway, Penelope has decided that she can no longer live with her family and so she must find a husband this season.  Time for glow up number two.  The problem is, Penelope…not so good at conversing with strangers.  Well, except for a new character, Lord Debling. 

She also has no time for Colin as he cut her to the quick last season (unbeknownst to him).  Colin is very confused as he sees her as a dear friend.  Of course, all is revealed to him at the first ball, as Penelope tries to leave after having a humiliating night.  Afterwards, Penelope goes home and writes some biting things about the Queen and Colin (girl, you have got to learn to let your emotions settle before writing).

The next day, Colin comes to apologize to Penelope for being…an asshole, really.  He also has a grand idea, if Penelope has her heart set on getting married this season he will help her.  After all, he picked up on how to fake charm in his travels and he can teach her to do the same.  Penelope is happy…and then remembers that she just published as Whistledown.

Colin catches Eloise reading the latest issue of Whistledown.  Eloise does not want to show him the pamphlet as is speaks of him.  Specifically, how he’s come back with a whole different persona; but is he just a fake?  Colin actually doesn’t give a damn what Whistledown wrote about him; but he can’t forgive her for what she’s done to Eloise and Lady Crane.  Eloise asks if he might have an idea of who Whistledown is.  He does not.  However, he vows that, if he ever finds out, he will ruin their life instead.     

[denimbex1986]

'Killer con artist Tom Ripley knows how to reinvent himself.

First introduced in Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, the character has been adapted for the screen many times, most notably in the Oscar-nominated 1999 film starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. But 25 years later, Netflix’s Ripley starring Andrew Scott (Fleabag’s Hot Priest) once again reintroduces the complex criminal, this time in eight sweeping black-and-white episodes written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List).

"Yeah, that was foolish, right? It’s a good movie," the showrunner tells Entertainment Weekly of adapting the beloved story again. "But I'd read the book before that movie came out, and I think it's the kind of thing that can be made and remade. I could get into aspects of the story and characters in a different way in an eight-hour version."

Below, Zaillian and Scott dissect how they artfully reinvented the infamous conman.

The casting

Ripley begins with Tom living hand-to-mouth in New York City through small cons until he’s hired to convince wayward shipbuilding heir Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to leave his extended Italian holiday painting mediocre still lifes and return home to his frustrated family. The lucrative assignment catapults Tom into a life of luxury, and he soon decides to steal Dickie’s privileged life and trust fund for himself through nefarious means. Finding an actor who can make viewers understand Tom’s murderous, self-serving choices even if they don’t totally empathize with him was not easy, but Zaillian knew exactly who could do it.

"Andrew was my first choice," the showrunner reveals. "I wanted somebody who could be charming and, at the same time, sinister and rather dangerous, and he had the range for Tom and the stamina in order to get through what turned out to be 170 days of shooting, in which every day he was working. It’s quite the challenge."

After an initial call with the actor, Zaillian sent him all eight scripts, "which is very, very unusual," Scott recalls. He read all of them on a long-haul flight and remembers being "completely gripped" by the story, but he never once asked Zaillian why he was the first choice for the part. "I thought it wise not to," Scott admits. "It's quite good not to ask, particularly when you're playing somebody as dark as this, 'What did you see in me?'"

The look

The noir tale is equal parts gorgeous and haunting as Tom takes on his new life of wealth and deceit, and Zaillian mirrors that by removing all color from the series. "Of course, I didn't experience it in black and white — I experienced it in full color," Scott says. "There was a question of, 'Will this work?' It was filmed with an idea of, 'This could go either way.'"

Zaillian confirms that the look of the series evolved as they were shooting because he wasn’t using anything as a template. "It was important to me that Italy was not some postcard or some kind of beautiful tourist destination, especially in wintertime," he says of how he eventually landed on the black-and-white visuals. "The story was more sinister than that. The look of emptiness, and overcast skies, wet streets, darkness — those were the kind of images that we were after."

The location

Finding the right places to film on location in Italy took many months — Zaillian and production designer David Gropen made a point of trying to avoid obvious tourist spots. "We were more interested in off-the-beaten-track locations, something grittier than some sort of sun-baked, Amalfi Coast beauty," Zaillian explains.

And filming in Italy during the height of the pandemic in 2021 wasn’t easy, but it actually provided an unexpected benefit. "There weren't reams of tourists around," Scott says. "I remember very clearly walking to work through San Marco square, and it's just completely empty, which is absolutely wild for Venice in January."

But Scott faced his own Italian obstacle long before filming began. "He didn't speak Italian when we started, and he has to act in Italian," Zaillian says. "He doesn't even speak English with an American accent — he's Irish — so there's a lot of things that Andrew isn't that he had to bring to it."

As if that wasn’t difficult enough, Scott wanted to add another layer to his performance. "I was, maybe stupidly, thinking, but I also had to imagine it's actually an Irishman playing an American speaking Italian, and then it's an Irishman playing an American imitating another American-speaking Italian," he says. "Dickie Greenleaf's Italian would be slightly different to Tom Ripley's Italian. I had so many Italian friends on the crew, and I was always asking them [for help]. And I had a great Italian teacher."

The psychology

Tom’s scariest attribute is not his body count or his ability to lie — although those are quite terrifying. It’s actually how you’re somehow still rooting for him to succeed, even when he’s violently killing innocent people. "It's a magic trick that Patricia Highsmith somehow pulled off to have this amoral, narcissistic character that we want to see get away with murder," Zaillian says. "So I didn't purposely try to get sympathy or empathy for him. I trusted that, just by telling the story, that same thing would happen as it did in the book."

That’s why Scott never tried to "diagnose" Tom with anything so he could just view him as the "unreliable hero" of the story. "I don't see him as a sociopath or a villain or a monster or any of those things," the actor says. "I just really understood the sense of loneliness. The extremism, of course, I don't relate to, but this is a man who's on the outskirts of society, and he's extremely gifted, he's talented, and he moves in the world completely unseen and unloved and unappreciated. And then he's exposed to these people who are just gifted with so many things with half the amount of talent that he has."

The kills

When Tom finally acts on his evil plans to steal Dickie’s life, Ripley spends over 20 minutes showing, in painstaking detail, how exhausting it is to get away with murder. And then another half hour is later dedicated to Tom’s second kill after Dickie’s friend Freddie (Eliot Sumner) begins to suspect foul play. "It's easy to murder someone — I'm not talking from my own personal experience — but [it's] difficult to dispose of a body," Scott says. "And that requires the audience’s time. And I think that's why by the end you go, 'I don't want him to get caught after all he’s been through.'"

Spending almost an eighth of the entire series detailing Tom's two "grueling" murders was what excited Zaillian the most about doing a TV version of this story. "There were a couple of sequences that you could never get away with in a two-hour movie because they would be half the movie," he says. "Those were quite dramatic in the book, and I felt I could do them in a very meticulous way that hadn't been done before. He’s not a professional killer, and he's not particularly good at it. It was important to show that he doesn't plan anything out."

That’s why he "leaves a whole trail of mistakes" in both murders, Scott adds — including bloody paw prints made by his neighbor's cat on the apartment stairs. "Sometimes I imagine the cat to be Patricia Highsmith herself," he says. "But that's just my crazy imagination."

The ending

The novel ends with Tom successfully taking over Dickie's life and riches, having convinced Marge (played by Dakota Fanning in the series) and the Greenleaf family that Dickie took his own life and left his inheritance to him. But Tom's paranoia continues to eat away at him even as he takes off to begin a new life of luxury and lies. The last episode of the Netflix series, however, ends on a different cliffhanger as Inspector Pietro Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi) discovers a photo of the real Dickie in Marge's book, finally getting the pivotal piece to the puzzle he couldn't figure out.

"I felt in the book, it almost was setting up another story somehow, with him going to Greece or something," Zaillian says of why he changed the ending. "I felt that seeing him having achieved what he wanted was the way to end the series, and we could always get into what happens next if there ever is a next."'

[zeroducks-2]

has anyone asked abt batjokes for the ship game

you're the first anon! And DAMN YES

I ship it!

What made you ship it? Reading The Killing Joke at the ripe old age of eight. My mother thought comics were for kids and bought me a big ass "essential Batman stories" book, which started out with The Killing Joke and it rewired my brain I guess (my Batman experience up to that point had been random episodes of Batman Beyond).

What are your favorite things about the ship? I reckon I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent here. Sorry Anon I don't suppose this was the answer you were hoping for, but I am unable to contain myself :> So being that this is my first DC ship (and it might even be my first ship PERIOD), I'm more of a "I nostalgically ship it from afar" than an active, fanfiction-reader/writer kind of fan, but surely my enjoyment has always been rooted in the fact that it's a villain/hero situation where they're two sides of the same coin, at the point where they can't exist without one another. I ship Batman with 50% of his rogue gallery tbh, and unless it's just 'cause it looks hot, it tends to be about how Bruce tries to see the human side of these people (sometimes because he's known them since before they were rogues), how he extends a helping hand when he can, how he refuses to kill them because there has to be a way to rehabilitate them (and sometimes there is, and it's just the tragic nature of these stories which prevents the "rogues" from getting their own form of happy ending). This happens with the Joker too, and the most memorable occasion in which this happens is after Joker tortured and crippled Barbara (someone Bruce is supposed to love and care for), beside what he also does to Jim Gordon (also someone Bruce is supposed to be friends with). Joker himself tells Batman more or less "I hurt a defenseless girl, I terrorized an old man, what are you waiting for just beat the shit out of me" to which BRUCE SAYS NO. He says no because "you're just like me except you had one bad day too many, and I know you can get better, and I want to help you". We all know how The Killing Joke ends, with the proverbial joke and them laughing like maniacs about it (I have the panels always around so yall can experience them with me)

And the image of them laughing together is forever seared into my brain, especially because even if this guy did whatever the hell he did (and will keep doing it), Bruce replied with empathy and compassion. A monster, the irredeemable one who's never going to stop before anything because he's not even human, at this point he's the embodiment of everything wrong there can be in a person - he just got smothered with compassion and it almost worked. The "joke" (two madmen escape the loony bin, etc) is Joker's way to say "I'm sorry I really want to take your hand but I can't, I just can't do it", and Bruce understands this and for a brief moment of six panels it's just two friends laughing together. And that part of me which will always see itself in the ugly, irredeemable, rejected monster was and will always be so profoundly fulfilled by this.

Of course I am also not immune to the whole "you need me, you love me and you can't live without me" thing to which Batman reacts by kicking and screaming that it's not true, but which is indeed true and in every story in which Joker actually dies, Bruce cannot for the love of him cope one single day without him. This post puts it briefly but beautifully, go give it a look if you're rabid a fan of the dynamic such as I am.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? Liking this ship (and Joker in general) is unpopular in and of itself lol, but I guess I can say that my unpopular preference is that as much as I ship them, I don't see sex involved in any part of their relationship which is more based off of beating the shit out of each other (or laughing about a dumbass joke in a stormy night in an abandoned amusement park), and being unable to let the other go when the chance presents itself. I see sex as essentially unnecessary in their dynamic, but it's also true that I don't really peruse Batjokes content beside the occasional fanart, so the sex part might have just not clicked with me yet.

[nflstreetsanimereviews]

Spring 2023 Anime First Impressions

Below is a list of eight anime that I am watching this season, and my impressions of them so far. I'd also like to say I'm watching the second season of Mahoyome, but I don't think it's necessary to write about it, considering it's a sequel.

Oshi no Ko

To say that Oshi no Ko is the anime to watch this season would be an understatement. The first episode, which has an extended runtime of 82 minutes, is quite possibly one of the best first episodes of an anime that I’ve ever seen. Of course, with around four times the time to air–Oshi no Ko had to justify its feature-length first episode. If it was just average, then what was the point? Thankfully, Oshi no Ko more than justifies the dramatic entrance. The sky-high average rating (89%), while a good omen, seemed like a bit much considering the show just started, but after finally watching it, I can understand why someone would rate it that high. I’m saving my rating until the anime finishes however.

The long run time is only part of why Oshi no Ko was so well received. The stylistic choices (a part brought over by the manga) set it apart from the onset. It really captures the vibe of what an ‘idol’ idealistically is. Considering that Hoshino Ai is the ideal idol, it’s a perfect match. Art isn’t what the only thing that Oshi no Ko has going for it. The story contained within the first episode is a whirlwind. It’s astounding that Oshi no Ko can contain so many various themes and time skips and still maintain to be gripping. It’s not easy for a show to be compelling while essentially being Rugrats at the same time. Oshi no Ko also ‘keeps it real’ in relation to the entertainment industry, and isn’t afraid to show the dark side of fandom. Wrap it all up together, and you have one the best first episodes to an anime in recent memory. Oshi no Ko is from the same mangaka that wrote Kaguya-sama: Love is War–I never got into Kaguya-sama, but Oshi no Ko had me drawn in within the first twenty minutes.

The synopsis for Oshi no Ko does it no favors–I had no idea what the show was going to be about from reading it, which, if you think about it, was actually a good thing. Maybe I’m just a moron. If you really care, you can read it here. As for the time being, it seems that the story has calmed down in the sense that time skips aren’t going to happen as frequently. I don’t know really since I’m an anime-only. With that comes the inevitable coming back down to earth, which is not all that surprising considering that not every episode can have the budget and runtime the first episode did. This isn’t Band of Brothers unfortunately. That being said, the fact that I was spoiled on the ending of the first episode and it still managing to be something that upset me says a lot about the quality of Oshi no Ko. If I had to pick one anime this season to watch, it would be this. It’s the only anime this season that I like enough to pick up the manga.

Skip to Loafer (Skip and Loafer)

Mitsumi Iwakura is born to lead!...no wait, sorry, that sounds too presumptuous…Mitsumi Iwakura wants to lead the charge to make the world a better place…or at least her dinky rural hometown that doesn’t even have a train station. Mitsumi is already a straight-A student, but being from rural Japan, she needs to move to Tokyo if she wants any chance of achieving her goals. Before she attends Tokyo University and becomes a politician/bureaucrat, she moves to Tokyo to go to high school.

On her first day, she gets lost on her way to school in the Tokyo subway system. Being not accustomed to ‘city life’, her only saving grace is Sousuke Shima, fellow classmate, who is late as well. He offers to show her the way to their school, which is the beginning of their rather unlikely friendship.

Shima, who’s a former child actor and has the ‘aloof shoujo male lead’ thing down pat, finds comfort in being friends with someone like Mitsumi–someone who’s good-natured, albeit being very naive and a bit of a square as well. Their friendship, while seemingly unlikely, isn’t hamfisted in any sense. Skip and Loafer is a coming-of-age story that has left a smile on most viewers' faces, mine included. It’s an overused word, but Skip and Loafer has been genuinely wholesome so far, which is good since I don’t know if Mitsumi could handle being in a more melodramatic show. The anime sites seem to compare this to Kimi ni Todoke, which I understand at first glance–they’re both similar shows, but they aren’t clones. Mitsumi is a book-smart dunce–you know, like most teenagers that aspire to a future in politics. However, unlike most teenagers that aspire to a future in politics, Mitsumi is a good person, which is why someone like Shima and many others at Mitsumi’s new high school are friends with her. Skip and Loafer is a good watch.

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (Insomniacs After School)

Ganta Nakami suffers from insomnia, which causes him to act irritable and antisocial at school. One day, while scavenging cardboard boxes from the abandoned and ‘haunted’ Astronomy Club observatory, he finds Isaki Magari, sleeping inside a toppled locker inside the clubroom.

Magari, as it turns out, also has insomnia, and the observatory is her getaway. It’s the perfect place to hide away, since sounds from the outside world are blocked out, and because it has a reputation for being ‘haunted’, meaning that it most likely won’t get used as a hang-out spot by other students. Together, they decide to transform the vacant observatory into the perfect place to sleep…that is, until they get caught. In order to keep their ‘secret’ place, they restart the Astronomy Club.

For a slice-of-life, Insomniacs After School manages to be interesting while not having needless drama. The romance seems to be intended to be more of a slow burn–which is perfectly fine with me, considering there’s already romance anime I’m watching this season that has gotten to the point where the main couple is engaged. This anime, while sharing the same theme as Call of the Night, doesn’t share many other themes. The romance, while being a slow burn, does have an obvious path, unlike Call of the Night. I’m honestly really liking this show so far if not only because each episode I’ve seen so far has managed to be interesting in different ways. While Call of the Night was mainly about vampires, Insomniacs After School is going all in on Ganta and Magari taking astronomy seriously. Photography as well. Since I haven’t read any of the manga, I don’t know which of the themes will win out. One thing is that I’ll be watching, since I’ve really liked it so far.

Ao no Orchestra (The Blue Orchestra)

Ao no Orchestra’s entry in this list is a miracle of modern technology. Due to it not being licensed to release in America, the only way of watching it right now is through watching fansubs. And not those ‘fansub’ groups that rip subtitles from Crunchyroll/Funimation/etc. and call it a day–this is the first time I’ve downloaded an anime from a ‘group’ that was formed ad-hoc for an anime in a very long time. It’s a shame too, since I think Ao no Orchestra deserves better than that.

Ao no Orchestra stars violin prodigy Hajime Aono, who stopped playing due to personal reasons. One day at school, he hears the sound of the violin being played horribly. He discovers that Ritsuko Akine is the one polluting the air with her noise. She uses the school infirmary as a practice room–a room that Aono is familiar with himself, being a frequent visitor. Through their mutual love for the violin, Aono finds himself being drawn back to playing. Akine, who is only a beginner, wants Aono to teach her how to play. Aono, who isn’t too thrilled by her forceful attempts to get him to play, nonetheless starts teaching her how to play.

Despite the show being uniquely difficult to obtain, it maintains to be worth the hassle. The British slang does take you by surprise, yes, but maybe if you wait enough, a company will license it and you can watch it on Crunchyroll. Or maybe you can wait until someone else decides to translate it. Or you could just learn Japanese, so you wouldn’t have to deal with this anyways, but that would be too much work. Ao no Orchestra 

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo! (Konosuba: Megumin Edition)

If you hated every other Konosuba character except for Megumin, are interested in her backstory, or just find the series funny, then Konosuba: Megumin Edition (calling it this because there’s no separate abbreviation for this spin-off and calling it  ‘Konosuba Season 3’ would be lying…wait, how about Konomegu? No? Okay…) is right up your alley.

This spin-off takes place a year before Kazuma and Aqua are isekaied into the Konosuba world and follows Megumin in her studies to be able to cast Explosion magic, an extremely offensive magic that has little utility other than blowing areas up into smithereens. Anyone whose seen Konosuba knows what I’m talking about. With Megumin is fellow Crimson Magic Clan member Yunyun, who shares a main role with Megumin and is together with her in being the two top students in their class.

Even if this is the first Konosuba-related thing you’ve watched, I believe that you’ll have a good time. It’s way less of a bait-and-switch than the first episode of Konosuba was. Pure comedy with none of the lewdness. Megumin is probably the funniest character in my opinion as well, making this a must watch.

Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru

Imagine being dumped for a girl that your boyfriend met in a video game–Akane Kinoshita doesn’t have to! Being a novice gamer, her sour experience with the MMO Forest Of Savior (FOS) is almost enough to put her off of gaming forever…that is, until she meets Yamada; fellow guildmate who also happens to live in the same area as Akane. He’s also a pro gamer (in a non-descript FPS game), which makes him somewhat of a celebrity among gamers locally.

Yamada-kun is shaping up to be your prototypical shoujo anime–it’s something to watch if you’re into that sort of stuff. I’d like to see more about what Yamada does, being a ‘pro gamer’ and all, but I doubt we’ll ever get to see anything more than surface-level. It’s a shoujo anime, so the romance is what the people are here for. If it does that well, then there’s really nothing else it has to do. It is what it is.

Not much to say about the show since it’s pretty straightforward with what it is. I’m having a good time with it, and I’m not the target audience. 

Kawaisugi Crisis! (Too Cute Crisis!)

Too Cute Crisis! is a very straightforward anime–Liza Luna, who is a research scientist and a higher-up in the invading alien empire (I forgot the name of it) discovers Earth. She wants to destroy it, but not without doing reconnaissance first.

She arrives in Japan, where she is ‘attacked’ by the cuteness of Earth’s creatures. Liza is mesmerized by the cuteness of cats (and dogs too), so much so that it paralyzes and makes her docile to the cat she adopts. In all of her time conquering planets, she has never seen anything as cute as a cat before. The cuteness of an animal that can’t be controlled makes her believe that cats are the secret rulers of Earth…and she might just be right.

This is by far the most lighthearted show I’m watching this season–anything with cats or any other furry pets really is cheating! The fact that everyone seems to chill with an alien race potentially razing Earth a la General Sherman is a bit odd, but it’s not like Too Cute Crisis! is focusing on that. Liza being an alien has made for good gags so far. I’ve had some laughs from Too Cute Crisis! so far, but I have a feeling that this show is going to end up being forgettable. It’s the catch with these types of shows. It's a show reliant on the jokes hitting. And currently, they're hitting often enough to justify continuing watching.

Otonari ni Ginga (A Galaxy Next Door)

Mangaka Ichirou Kuga is barely making ends meet–ever since their father died, he’s had to support his two younger siblings on his own with the earnings from drawing manga. He’s also the landlord of a social apartment (an apartment house with a common area), where he, his siblings, and several other people live in. There are no bad landlords in anime, unless if needed to advance the plot.

When he’s just about to miss a deadline, Shiori Goshiki applies to be his new assistant (his last two left to pursue their own dreams). Goshiki, despite only knowing about manga for a year, is excellent at her job as a manga assistant–excellent to the point where it’s otherworldly. Funnily enough, turns out that Goshiki IS from another world…well, from a shooting star but you get my point. They’re both unwillingly betrothed to each other when Kuga accidentally touches her stinger.

The fact that she’s an alien seems not to phase Kuga that much. I guess it’s okay when the alien is great at her job and a sweetheart to boot. Of the two anime I’m watching this season featuring a conventionally attractive alien woman, A Galaxy Next Door is by far the more serious one. Like Too Cute Crisis!, A Galaxy Next Door might end up being forgettable. It’s the way it’s shaping up so far. It isn’t that bad–just a bit dull so far. A standard supernational romance anime. Take it or leave it.

[soul-wanderer]

Alright, it’s been a few days since the last episode aired, and I figured I wouldn’t become any more chill about this, so we might as well tackle this rant regarding people’s judgement of Theo’s character and the underlying racism issue in this debate.

Let’s start off with the fact that we’ve slowly been learning more and more about Theo’s past, which is relevant when it comes to unpacking his current behaviours. In 05x17 we learn that Theo’s best friend, who turned out to be gay, was rejected by his own parents due to their beliefs and that Theo let his friend crash at his place until said friend’s dad showed up at his house with a gun, ready to kill his friend. We then subsequently learn that this both highly affected both Theo and his friend, to the point where Theo is still getting emotional over it when telling this story years later.

We also know that Theo grew up in a tight-knit but poor community and that he lost his dad when he was eight years old and that he still misses him, which becomes apparent after the barbershop fire. We also get glimpses at the overall tone within the community, when his friends/family sort of tease him about the person he’s become, and it’s clear that Theo is struggling with that, because on one hand his career is important to him, but on the other hand it has removed him from his community, especially because he tried so hard to blend in at the SFD and part of him is probably still trying to prove that he is worthy of his career, despite where he came from.

In 05x04 Theo tells Vic about his previous relationships and pretty much admits that they were all toxic (”I didn't think it was real if it didn't make you want to kill yourself”) and that Vic was the first person he didn’t have to prove his love to.

Fast-forward a few years, we get to Theo’s time as a captain at another station and to his friendship with Travis and Michael. The three of them were best friends until the tragic accident that cost Michael’s life. There’s never been any doubt that his death has absolutely wrecked Theo, to the point where he asked for his own demotion, meaning the SFD did not find him guilty, simply because him misjudging the situation was a mistake - a grave one, but a mistake nonetheless, and mistakes do happen, because we’re all just humans after all. It is also important to note that Travis, at this point, has fully forgiven Theo, which he keeps making clear, by reassuring Theo in everything he does. He even goes as far as saying, “No, you’re not [screwing it up]. You’re figuring it out. There’s a big difference. You got this, man. You’re a great firefighter. I’m proud to call you my captain”, which is a big deal, because the last time Theo was captain, it got his own husband killed and Travis, of all people, was ready to forgive him for the mistake he made and trust him to be captain again.

So, let’s get to the good part now. The part where Theo is clearly stressed to the max and to the point where he has seemingly random outbursts because he feels like he’s losing control left and right - something he absolutely wants to avoid, because he wants to do better, because he doesn’t want to lose another person, because there is so much pressure on him, and large portion of it is coming from himself. And Vic keeps pushing and probing, which is absolutely understandable, but Theo clearly isn’t at a point where he is ready for confrontation, but needs reassurance and support instead. It doesn’t make him a terrible human being, it just makes him about as flawed as any other person on that goddamn show. I mean, remember how much Maya screwed up as a captain at first? And the team still managed to give her another chance, so why not extend the same second chance to Theo?

And this is where we get to the uncomfortable part, because part of the reason why Theo is very much judged differently than Maya (or any other captain on this show), very much feels and looks like underlying racism and very much matches what we know about his past. Theo himself has told us between the lines that he is working hard on his career and to be professional and be taken seriously on the job. Which, given his ethnicity and upbringing, is probably really fucking hard. If we take one look at the captains and other people in leadership positions, it’s not hard to figure out that the majority is middle-aged white men. And well, Theo is not that. But Theo worked hard to get there, to prove himself worthy and capable of this position. Even when he doubted himself after the mistake he made. And he still does - doubt himself. Which proves that he has the heart in the right place, because he cares. He cares about his team, and he cares about doing things right, and he knows when he is messing things up.

And most of all, he knows he is going to be treated differently, he is going to be judged harder, for messing up. He is going to get judged for his temperament, for his words, for his manners. He is going to get judged for everything he is and for everything he isn’t. And even Vic acknowledged his code-switching as a means of survival, but sometimes that still isn’t enough and Theo is painfully aware of that, too.

The bottom line: Does Theo need to learn how to handle the pressure differently? Sure! But what he needs, is the support and reassurance of his team - and Travis gave him exactly that, and Andy was trying to give him that, too, and I’d like to believe that this kind of support is what is going to help him find a balance and escape this crushing weight of responsibility he is facing, simply because of who he is as a person.

And I am sure Andy and Theo will get past their “argument” soon enough, because they both have a similar temperament and grew up in similar communities, so if anyone understands Theo, it’s going to be Andy, of all people at the station and because Theo clearly felt terrible once he learned that Andy was trying to do something nice for him.

[respectthepetty]

The Alan Scale cannot measure my anger toward Earn.

Thank goodness that everyone in the show is pissed off at her.

And thank goodness Lada has the bestest best friend.

He deserves to cry more than Earn!

This is such a tragedy. Lada and Eng should be together, but instead they are fighting . . .

over her

*takes off my glasses* I've seen enough

[lastweeksshirttonight]

What is this?? Lee actually following up on promises of posting longform writing??? I know, I'm scared too.

Last Lee Tonight (wherein Lee quotes noted political commentator Olivia Rodrigo) Season One, Episode Nine

(Original air date: 6/29/2014) Topics covered: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, LGBT rights and discrimination in Uganda

Trigger warning: discussions of homophobia

"That is why I, personally, refuse to pay for Mennonite cabinets. Because Jason Bourne could, conceivably, beat someone to death with one of those things."

Because the last time I posted one of these reviews was (checks notes) August 2023, a brief recap of where we are in terms of the season developing is in order. Episode Eight was the first time the entire main story was put on LWT's YouTube page, after a very... scattershot approach to uploading segments onto social media. The show is also coming into its own - although the recap of the week segments are bouncing between being extremely surface-level, sometimes only one joke long, and closer to the current iteration of a small yet rigorous dive into a relevant topic for a few minutes before the main topic, the main stories are beginning to take longer form, even though they are still tied to the idea of the show being immediately relevant.

This episode is one of the few I think is, with a few exceptions, almost completely available on the LWT YouTube page worldwide. Both major segments are uploaded, as well as an extended interview segment. Looking forward, they do experiment with the idea of breaking up most of the episodes and loading them onto YouTube for the rest of season one. At least they're actually, um, loading the main parts of the episodes on YouTube from here on out. As I've said many times before, no one had any idea what kind of show LWT was supposed to be or what it would become.

Another fun fact - apparently you can no longer screenshot these episodes I bought on YouTube on my desktop with PrtSc. What the fuck. Is up. With that?! (aaaah~) Fuck you business daddy you complete sack of daddy-shaped shit. (Clearly I have my ways of getting around this, even if the screenshots seem a bit blurry to me, but... fucking hell, I'm just trying to take a screenshot OF SOMETHING I PAID FOR.)

ANYWAYS. There's an episode of LWT we're ostensibly discussing!

Our first topic is the 2014 World Cup. England has been knocked out, so the tournament is dead to John. Oh John. So innocent. So full of life. You have no clue about the shitstorm you're gonna drop on FIFA's doorstep next season.

At the World Cup, an Uruguayan player, Luis Suarez, bit an Italian player, something I totally forgot about. He also bit TWO OTHER PEOPLE. John calls the Italian player "a delicious piece of prime Italian steak" - I forgot that chaotic bisexuality has been baked into this show from day one but I love it.

(Based on the only hate comment I've ever received, I know someone will probably deign to tell me that John is not bisexual, which... I know. But the writing of this show has chaotic bisexual energy - in some seasons, like the one where John begs Adam Driver to chokeslam him into a table regularly, energy honestly isn't a strong enough word to describe whatever's going on - and I like acknowledging that element of the show.)

John mentions the week has been awash with depressing terrorism news but leads into a segment about Boko Haram being driven out of their hiding places by snakes and bees, an incredible victory for the scariest parts of nature. John is furious that scorpions have instead decided to hide in bananas in supermarkets instead of fighting terrorism. John's grin after delivering that joke is effervescent. He loves this kind of stupid, "now THAT'S a sentence"-style joke.

He's so happy y'all

We take a hard left turn into discussing Syria, and that the US is looking to send money to "appropriately vetted" rebel soldiers. The obvious question is asked - how do you vet rebel soldiers? John suggests a trade-school-style commercial to recruit potential rebel soldiers. (The offer is open to bees and snakes!) One thing I like about the early episodes that does still come through from time to time on the show are these sorts of Daily Show-style fake commercials and PSAs. They can get repetitive after seeing the segments they're covering, but there's usually some fun twists and chances for some real absurdities and escalations you can't do in the show proper.

Our first real segment follows after this, on Burwell v Hobby Lobby. You may remember this as the court case that allowed for Hobby Lobby, a crappy JoAnn's knockoff run by evangelical Christians who also stole artifacts for a bible museum, to not pay for an employee's birth control through the Affordable Care Act because it went against their religion. As a corporation. Because corporations are people now. God this country sucks.

At the time of airing, this decision hadn't been made yet by the Supreme Court, so John is going over the details of the case, including the questions at the center of it - do corporations have freedom of religion, and are corporations people? John confidently says "no" before realizing he has to actually discuss this, and I really want to live in 2014 John World. This whole segment has a lovely capper extending two ideas to their logical, absurd extremes - government cannot be an a la carte system, something John demonstrates by showing a wild variety of things people don't want to spend their taxes on which starts fairly even-keel but spirals into Fox News talking heads saying that their tax dollars are being spent on Mexican prostitutes. And on the flip-side, if corporations are people, well, people die. Amongst other things.

Something that's been a bit lost about this case in the ten years since is that a Mennonite sect that owned a kitchen cabinet making company also sued the government over providing birth control. I totally forgot about that.

Our "And Now This" segment is on politicians misusing the word 'literally'. Chris Traeger literally adored this segment. (It's short and is exactly what you'd expect. Not much to say here.)

The next segment is on LGBTQIA+ rights in Uganda. Interestingly, John introduces this segment by saying "finally tonight..." despite being only 12 minutes into a 30 minute show. Definitely had me checking the clock in confusion.

I appreciate that John opens this segment not sugarcoating anything happening to LGBTQIA+ individuals in Uganda, even before he gets into the details of the anti-gay laws there. While there's been segments prior that have been obviously extremely serious, this is the first one that feels like John is coming from a place of seriousness first, jokes second. There are plenty of jokes, yes, lots of very funny ones. But when you compare how this segment opens, with no frills or equivocating, to even the Hobby Lobby segment earlier this episode, there's a pretty obvious difference.

People really didn't know how to react to the line "the moral arc of the universe is long, and it bends away from Uganda." There's like one scattered laugh at that. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be a joke.

A lot of the details of this segment are deeply upsetting, especially post-Trump in a world where it feels like freedoms are rolling back everywhere and extremist hatemongers like Scott Lively are being treated more and more seriously. The fact that he was laughed at here in the past is refreshing, but knowing that he'd likely be a top senate candidate now is so distressing. There's a lot of things that can be seen in this show in hindsight, most of them so far more benign than this. Unfortunately, the exportation of homophobia now looks less like the death throes of a dying political position, as John posits here from 2014, and more like a big factor in sowing the seeds for this last decade's right-wing global surge.

That being said, Pepe Julian Onziema is a true portrait of grace under fire. The interview with Onziema in the show is extremely illuminating, the kind of interview that makes me wish John did more interviews. Onziema is a delight - I love his seriousness in speaking to the realities of living as an LGBT+ person in Uganda, and his bravery in fighting this fight despite the looming threat of severe prison time. Relatedly, "Sorry doesn't cut it" is such a great comeback to John apologizing for being part of two groups of people that brought this wave of homophobia to Uganda.

There is an extended interview with Onziema on YouTube that dives further into some of the specifics of certain social elements, like context into how Ugandan discourse took on elements of American homophobic talking points (like "gay people are recruiting children") and a timeline of Scott Lively's touring of Uganda. John manages to completely break him by singing part of an early hateful song about "the rainbow belonging to God" as well, which made me so happy. Turn those hateful things into ludicrously stupid ones to destroy them.

I do highly recommend watching this interview - it's one of the best things that LWT has ever done, still. This has stayed with me for 10 years.

Other notes:

Hey. Hey Lee. You gonna talk about the fit?: Yes of course I am, the meds didn't change my brain THAT much. We have a light blue shirt with a dark blue tie with lighter piping, and a gray suitjacket. This is a subdued look but I like the neutral slate color combination going on here. 8/10

I haven't mentioned the unique title cards for each episode of LWT yet, mainly because this is the first one I found really funny - it's a picture of Renaldo with the caption "Kickus Ballium". (New name for football ahoy!)

Please enjoy this incredible "I'm so smooth" looking freeze frame that I took while pausing the episode to write. So smooth.

"I've got to be honest, being British is sometimes a little like being an alcoholic. When someone says you did something awful, you find yourself going, 'Honestly, I don't even remember doing that, but yeah, probably, probably. I'm a dick, I'm a dick.'" He slipped so easily into that Ian Duncan mode for this line, I so hope he comes back for the Community movie.

[sonkitty]

Earthly Objects - Part 2

Continued from Earthly Objects Part 1.

This post was last updated 05/06/2024.

Dialogue Points

Most interactions will not have both characters touching something. Instead, the characters follow dialogue patterns for the other points.

They tend to go something like the following:

Hello

Questions

Names

Statement of Place (might just be an extended form of "Hello")

Foreign Language

Combinations of hello, names, and questions are common. Two questions might even be enough for two points.

...

Hello

When Aziraphale enters the record shop for the first time in episode 1, he touches the window of the door twice, and says "Hello Maggie," before the sound effect of the door closing completes.

When Maggie enters the coffee shop, using the doorknob, Nina says "Hello" while holding plates with cups and before the sound effect of the door closing completes.

Equivalents such as "Hi there," are allowed.

"Excuse me," the show's opening words, is probably also allowed.

...

Question

"Yes? Was that you?"

"Seats? Mr. Fell, where are the seats I dropped off for the meeting?"

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"What are you doing?"

...

Names

Titles in place of names seem to be acceptable.

"I don't know why you invited me, Mr. Fell."

"Officer, I need to report a crime."

"Jim, I'll need eight battery-operated candles."

...

Statement of Place

“I’m here.”

“I’m back.”

“You’re back.”

“You’re in trouble.”

“Oh, we’re going to the pub! You never go to the pub!”

“We are at war! Finally.”

"I think you know why we're here."

Statements such as these seem to be regarded as a type of "Hello". "I'm here" is said by Gabriel once he's opened the doors to the bookshop and steps out. When Aziraphale says, "You came back," to Crowley in episode 6, the doors are still open and closed just after he says it. I can't tell if Saraqael is ensuring a touch with the ramp or a presumed miracle sound to remove the ramp. Regardless, Aziraphale himself is not touching anything, not saying a question, not saying a number, not saying a name, and not speaking in a foreign language.

When Shax says, "You're in trouble," the window is open.

The "We are at war!" line is after the doors are closed, but since Dagon is in the group with Beelzebub who enters with fire, that seems to be the acceptable form of an earthly object touch combined with this "Hello" from Hell.

This Statement of Place pattern is a slight clue to The Door Catch's hidden message of, "Here goes nothing."

...

Numbers

"There's only room for one of us in this lane, and it's not you."

"I don't go to the outside, and now I have two friends."

"If anyone asks, tell them we'll be back in five minutes."

...

Foreign Language

When watching the show in English, characters talking in a foreign language is, I think, touching an earthly object. It's significant enough that Mrs. Cheng never has to touch anything except a fan when she is at the ball and talking in English.

...

Groups

Blurs make groups harder to understand now that I know blurs exist and seem to have some kind of pass or share effect.

The story's going to go by some level of context with who is in the scene.

For instance, Saraqael saying, "Your beatitudes," and both replying "Yes" at the same time probably let Michael and Uriel count as "one" character at specific parts of the scene as required.

For something like the scene in the bookshop with the powers of Heaven and Hell, those groups are of 3 or more characters.

For that, it seemed only one character from a group is required to initiate the interaction on a group’s behalf. In episode 6, Crowley represents himself and the four angels who came with him. His shoes are not quite seen on the ramp due to the camera work, but he is clearly running up it with Saraqael's wheels visibly behind him on that ramp. Crowley does a hello and a question through an open threshold. The next touch will come soon but not yet.

Aziraphale says, “You’re back,” and then gets to represent the group of him, Gabriel, Maggie, and Nina.

Muriel, who was in the group with Crowley, closes the doors. Crowley touches Shax’s shoe while Shax is unconscious on the couch. As such, Crowley gets the earthly object touch on the couch through Shax or on the shoe thanks to Shax being on a couch. For all I know, he gets both.

Dagon, Furfur, and Beelzebub arrive. I think Beelzebub’s fire is supposed to be an earthly object touch for their group, and Dagon says, “We are at war!” If I’m right, this third group still needed an earthly object touch, possibly because the doors were closed by that point. Additionally, when Beelzebub awakens Shax with lightning, Shax ends up both touching the couch and having books fall on her, so she gets touches in as well.

...

Chains

Sometimes scenes will have multiple standard sets of points chained together or even having different characters earning their own different sets of chained points.

In episode 1, there is a tutorial for how complex window scenes are done. Crowley is experiencing things and earning his own solo sets in his anger with shooting out lightning from himself. Meanwhile, Maggie and Nina watch from the window. They are also earning their own sets of points.

To me, the most obvious chain is in episode 5 when Crowley interrogates Gabriel since both characters are ensured touches throughout so much of the scene.

Upon first realizing there might be a chain there, I thought that might make it one of the most real scenes to the story, even if Crowley might have an underlying intent to draw out his own demonic energy there. That also came from observing some basic rule-breaking that I'll note in another post.

Then again, maybe not. In that earlier mentioned complex window scene, there is a possibly fake blurry Crowley near a blurry car that looks more dark blue in exterior than black and is not used for driving away.

...

Close-Up Touches

There are two close-up touches I do not fully trust but think most are supposed to be valid otherwise.

The first one is a close-up touch of a hand picking up Crowley's sunglasses. In the preceding cut was a fake Crowley who I believe was Aziraphale in an appearance swap. The next cut will also have Crowley but with two fingers to indicate a basic rule-breaking session is still active before a human passes him. You can read more about what I have to say on the sequence it is part of here: Post #10 (storming out).

The second is Crowley holding the cardboard box in episode 6. Once he turns that box over, his thumb is avoiding touching it on purpose. He has the index and middle fingers together with their tips. Meanwhile, the ring finger can be found on camera but is deliberately separate from the other two and not clearly showing its tip.

In both cases, I think touches likely happened, but those are supposed to be a way of the story telling on its own deception. Gabriel probably arrived with a cardboard box at least twice. In the first draft of the story, the message written on the box may have been different.

Another noteworthy third close up touch is the Metatron touching the gold "H" button at the end. If my play has any merit, he's making a mistake. You can find out more about what that mistake is here: The Pocket Chain Rainbow Connection Part 4: The Door Trick and The Door Catch)

...

Crowley's Name

Crowley's name usage, or lack thereof, is just flat out odd in the whole story.

If there is a rule, it's something like neither Crowley nor Gabriel are ever allowed to say Crowley's name. No exceptions.

For Crowley, this theoretical rule applies to all time periods shown in the season 2 story.

Maggie and Nina are two other higher profile characters who never say Crowley's name.

For more on just how odd the usage is, please see my post here. Be sure to check my own reblogs to that post as well.

...

Players

I won't name everyone, but here are some characters that have some notable play styles.

Shax

In Hell, Shax never physically touches an earthly object in the present day until preparing the attack on the bookshop by using the microphone (I think). On Earth, again before the bookshop attack, Shax is always wearing gloves so never making skin contact with anything when she does touch things. She does touch objects with skin contact during the bookshop attack before the demons officially cross the threshold. She seems to avoid it after that. Then she touches the couch when Beelzebub zaps her with lightning in the bookshop. She allows a fist bump with Furfur. Otherwise, she maintains an often stiff posture in her shoulders that suggests a reluctance to touch things.

...

Maggie

Maggie's hands are weird.

See her pull her hands back as Aziraphale enters the record shop for the first time. She would have fully qualified as touching something right then with her cell phone, I think anyway...then she doesn't. Then she starts to talk and seems to correct herself by clasping her hands before talking again.

Then later in episode 1, she touches the doorknob. As the camera shows her entering the coffee shop, there's some kind of lighter white aura or something around her hand, and it's transparent enough to see just the doorknob. Things seem to change to an actual touch, then the transparency happens again without the aura. It might even happen a third time. I can't make sense of it. The story seems to count it as an earthly object touch nonetheless. Maggie's hand doesn't do that same thing in episode 6 when re-entering the bookshop.

When she answers Crowley at the threshold of her record shop, the left hand is shown to reach for the door and then fully hidden behind that door. The right is methodically decided to touch her hip at seemingly odd timing. I assume the story counts it as an appropriate touch. Nina will touch her clothes too, but it's going to look more natural.

As weird as Maggie is, I do believe her self-touch methods and other factors, such as Crowley looking through her window at the end of episode 6, mean she is human. She is a special type of human but human.

...

Mrs. Cheng

Mrs. Cheng looks ready to enter the bookshop without touching anything. It is heavily implied she's touching a pillar. Her transition into the ball is skipped. Overall, she is only ever shown holding a fan during her conversation with Mrs. Sandwich, when she is speaking in English, but otherwise never visibly physically touches anything.

...

Muriel

Muriel doesn't seem to quite grasp the rules of the game when they first appear on Earth. They receive some assistance from Aziraphale, then later Crowley during episode 3.

After some careful analysis of examining both Crowley and Muriel together, it is apparent that Muriel is far more than what they seem because they do know how to properly manage framing and using a pocket during a Threshold Trick.

I believe Crowley and Muriel are actually good friends who willingly altered their own memories while managing a way to maintain their trust in each other. My conclusion largely stems from Muriel's assistance for the Heaven elevator in The Bigger Thresholds Trick, their positioning during the last touch of The Pocket Trick, and the way these characters have scenes that bookend each other, especially once they return from Heaven in episode 6. If these two are somehow not friends, they are at least two people who have a deep trust in each other.

...

The Metatron

Even though this character does touch earthly objects, there is something way off in how he plays this game compared to everyone. It's like he's cheating without realizing it or the story isn't letting him play fully, just partly.

The camera will never let the Metatron show the full use of a doorknob. It cuts away before the door closes in episode 6, both times he enters. It also cuts in after he's already touching the doorknob on his first exit, then doesn't bother showing his second exit at all.

On top of all that, he is not shown to cross over the threshold from the street into the elevator. He's already in.

While trying to figure out the Rainbow Connection mechanics at work between The Door Trick and The Door Catch, I did pick up on the following hidden message: The Metatron makes mistakes.

So, his play might feel so off if he is making mistakes even before The Door Trick and The Door Catch.

His use of pockets is to keep his hands in most of the time and only take one out; thumbs are of no concern at all.

...

Gabriel

Gabriel gets away with breaking or bending the rules. He gets plenty of touches in, and yet, sometimes, he doesn't.

In episode 1, he just so happens to drop that box before the cut can confirm he was holding it before it dropped. He's holding that cup with angel wings that just so happen to obscure his fingers in ways I have to question once I know hands have their own complex mechanics. His arm just so happens to not be on the railing, yet so close to it when Crowley comes back.

There are two scenes, one with Aziraphale in episode 2 and one with Crowley in episode 3, where the characters engage in a brief interaction with no earthly object touches during the scene. For Aziraphale, it's after he's finished part of the Job minisode memory and admits that Gabriel used to be so awful. For Crowley, it's where Crowley stops just short of actually threatening Gabriel and ends the entire episode with, "It's always too late."

These two scenes don't stick out as particularly deceptive. If anything, they feel honest in their uncertainty. Perhaps they foreshadow the eventual rule-breaking session of The Final Fifteen.

...

Saraqael

I have a gut feeling that Saraqael is not an expert but at least a little more attuned to these rules than many other characters.

Their eyes suggest they know more than what they let on in episode 2. They say, "Shall we discuss this inside?" and might actually recognize Gabriel while just not saying they do.

Later in episode 6, when saying Saraqael is saying they could not find Gabriel in the building from past footage found in Heaven, they could easily have been lying.

They seem more likely to be an ally than enemy to Crowley but not by much. They seem more neutral when compared to the level of trust that Crowley and Muriel share with each other.

...

The Sideburns Scheme

Crowley's sideburn length changes in the present day are another game in Good Omens 2. In fact, the Sideburns Scheme is actually the easier one and a general Clue about the existence of Earthly Objects.

I found The Door Trick and The Bigger Thresholds Trick through the Sideburns Scheme before I found Earthly Objects.

I recommend checking out this post in particular that goes over tutorials for both games:

Post #10 (storming out)

Otherwise, I don't mention the sideburns much in this entire post series on Earthly Objects since I have a whole other extensive post and longer series about them. You can find more here: The Sideburns Scheme.

...

Rule Following

A fascinating example I've found of rule-following by Crowley and Aziraphale is when Muriel intrudes on them. I can’t fully explain the mechanics of the rules because like I said, I really do think Crowley is an expert at this game. Whatever is happening here is advanced stuff. I'm going to walk you through what he does to get this scene where it needs to go. He does it with style.

Before Muriel intrudes, Aziraphale had already made sure to have a cup of tea visibly touching his hands to start the scene in the room. Crowley poses to indicate he is touching a blurred stack of books in the room, even if Aziraphale's body obscures confirmation of that touch while Aziraphale closes the door. Crowley's left arm is shown as him placing a hand on his hip. During their conversation, Crowley's right arm keeps telling us he's still touching that stack and not moving away from it. Blurs, I believe at this point, allow a pass, and so this one seems to be allowing some kind of pass and then hold so long as Crowley keeps at it.

The story lets him without confirming that is the touch on camera. We are never going to see that confirmation. He displays his left arm and even says, "One fabulous kiss, and we're good," as if that's a clue he is allowed that one time to show that one arm until a certain thing is going to happen. That left arm returns to implying its previous touch as well.

Crowley has an earthly object prepared for the scene. He fully intends to give over those keys despite his grumbling. It might be very important that the car keys earn a specific point because they move the story along.

Ready for the pass, he has those keys in his left hand, skin contact and all, perhaps a little blurry on a camera from behind him, but still, he's got them.

Muriel opens the door, crosses past the threshold of this private conversation, and says, "All done?" No earthly objects. No hello. No knocking. We have an outright intrusion here! At least there was a question, but it might not have been enough due to what Crowley does.

Crowley pulls the keys back toward himself immediately. From the view behind Muriel, his pose is returned to match what it was when Aziraphale closed the door at the start of the scene even though Muriel's blocking the blurred stack of books.

Aziraphale's frustrated because of the rules. Crowley is going to do several things to handle this situation.

First, Crowley smiles and answers Muriel, then asks Muriel about being interested in humans being in love. That’s a question. Then he even stops Muriel from saying names. He's saying the names himself, so his implied hold with both arms might be allowing him to keep dragging out a lot of the dialogue until he gets what he wants. Assuredly, Aziraphale seeming to get quite turned on by this talk is about the love, but he's also watching the master of this game at work.

Eventually, Muriel brings out a notepad and pen. That's two earthly objects. Between both Muriel and Crowley, that interaction meets the requirements, regardless of the initiating question from the whole intrusion. Aziraphale has kept quiet the whole time though he at least smiles. Crowley's left arm readies itself for what comes next. His right arm is still implying the touch behind him.

Muriel's eyes move their attention from Crowley to the notepad. Spanning only a few frames after this shift, Crowley's blurred hand shows the keys for the touch and tosses the keys toward Aziraphale. Without checking frame by frame, it looks instant based on the notepad, not the eye movement from Muriel. He knew exactly what he was doing. There is a slight possibility that secretly trusted friend Muriel was actually giving him a cue, but I lean more toward that not happening myself. However, I do have an overall bias toward Crowley.

Aziraphale manages the catch, thankfully. You can tell he was nervous and is grateful. He winks. That gives one point to him for the keys in his hand and another point for the wink as a self-touch since he’s a supernatural being holding an earthly object. The pair need one last point.

Muriel's attention remains on their notepad for the entire toss.

Crowley's right arm maintains its implied touch throughout the entire scene, even after the toss is done. He does one last thing to close it all out. He gives a sour grimace to allow his cheeks an active touch on his new sunglasses. At least, I think that's how the sequence is intended to be.

So, my current guess is that the scene is three different interactions. The first is between Aziraphale and Crowley. They already had their points but the story doesn’t want just points (or, as noted, the implied touch may have allowed some kind of hold). Those keys needed a relevant pass between these two players. Muriel’s intrusion reset things, so that another interaction of three points between Crowley and Aziraphale was necessary.

Crowley takes over to be the one character to interact with Muriel, get them their own points without involving the keys in this intentionally isolated interaction. His precise timing is impressive. Then there’s the third sequence covered above (keys, wink, grimace). To help keep these interactions separate, Muriel should not see the pass.

Now that I suspect Crowley and Muriel are actually friends, the intrusion itself might have accomplished something I will never truly understand.

...

Rule Breaking - Basic

Likely Fake Crowley, who is probably Aziraphale, passing a cardboard box and no dialogue is breaking the rules. Soon after is a blurry figure who I’m guessing is still a fake. The figure picks up sunglasses and avoids an obvious plate of Eccles cakes. These cuts are likely part of an edit. There are two earthly objects emphatically not touched. Gabriel is nowhere to be found, but the more clear fake had long sideburns. In the next bookshop scene, the plate has disappeared, and the cardboard box has been moved. This post was already linked above, but here it is again, for more: Post #10 (storming out)

Crowley, Saraqael, and Muriel walking to the Heaven elevator is likely an edit because it also breaks the rules. There are no earthly object touches, no dialogue, and suddenly Michael and Uriel are in the elevator later. That one's probably obvious to others, but still. There were no touches is my point. There were floor reflections but no touches otherwise. Crowley didn't hop or run, and Saraqael never takes their finger off their joystick for their wheelchair. Muriel marched. There were even avoided touches in the cut right before it.

...

Earthly Objects Main

Earthly Objects Part 1

Earthly Objects Part 2

Earthly Objects Part 3

[tawneybel]

Wednesday Season 1 Review

Song of the day: “808s and Goth Bitches” by KIRAW. Wednesday isn’t a goth bitch. I am, though.

It took me a while to finish all eight episodes. And even longer to get around to posting a review. Let’s start off by saying Wednesday surpassed expectations! Not that I thought it would suck.

People are okay with the original Addams Family comics being adult-oriented. (Not as in X-rated. Being published in The New Yorker.) They’re okay with the kid-friendly adaptations. But a spinoff primarily for teenage girls? Stop the presses! 

I was first acquainted with the Addamses through The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries. Might post a Scooby-Review someday.

The PG-13 film duology was watched in preparation, so I was expecting some exemplar dark comedy. And Wednesday was full of it! Wednesday made me want to give The Addams Family 2019 another chance, too.

I took notes while watching, then went back and added some thoughts afterwards.

Wednesday’s Child Is Full of Woe

Another show where adults play teenagers. Tyler Galpin’s actor Hunter Doohan is like twenty-nine now. 

Already it has some great lines (e.g., “Like electroshock therapy without the satisfying burn”). It’s more inspired by the aforementioned live-action films than the comic or other adaptations. Or so I assume, based on my limited knowledge of them. 

I know fans say the Addamses aren’t technically supernatural, “goths are just like that,” but it actually explains a lot. Cousin Itt, Thing, possibly Calpurnia… their extended family in general. 

The duology with Christina Ricci didn’t have Wednesday’s narration. It’s nice to see her uniquely creepy and kooky perspective. Her exile to Nevermore Academy reminds me of how Gomez and Fester went to that camp for juvenile offenders. 

Wednesday is sassy to her parents, which some reviewers complained about, but it makes sense. She’s a teenager. Although there still is some Dawson casting. Ricci!Wednesday is a preteen.

Adaptations, spinoffs, etc. don’t have to be for every fan of a franchise’s previous works. Again, the comics were published in The New Yorker. Which, while “sophisticated,” isn’t family-oriented. 

Unlike other goths, I don’t want to be Wednesday, whose rudeness is amusing. (I really wouldn’t want to hang out with her or her relatives irl, either.) Despite that, they’re all still highly likable as characters. It’s still super easy to empathize with Wednesday at times. Totally understandable why she’d be pissed off with Enid admitting to kinda cyberstalking her. 

I respect Wednesday’s devotion to gothiness. She’s not a tryhard. She succeeds. Both her and Enid could easily have come off as annoying, but are highly likable. Enid would fit in with Teen Wolf’s main pack, probably. No transformation? No problem. She doesn’t just have retractable claws, she has manicured, multi-colored ones. 

It initially felt like an odd decision to make Nevermore’s cliques vampires, werewolves, telepaths, and sirens. Kind of like a live-action Monster High, only watchable. The only main question this episode left me was, “Why were the Pilgrim World employees rude to the sheriff’s son?”

Woe Is the Loneliest Number

The carousel’s brakes broke at Wednesday’s eighth birthday party? I want to see one of hers or Pugsley’s birthdays so bad. D: This episode features another gothic event, Nevermore Academy’s annual Poe Cup. Seemingly inspired by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s four houses, their inter-house Quidditch matches, and the Triwizard (plus Harry) Tournament. 

Thankfully I read His Hideous Heart: 13 of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined last year. It’s twenty-six Poean texts in all, including the source material. Didn’t have “The Black Cat” or “The Gold-Bug,” though.

“The Black Cat”: Like standard black cat costumes you’d see on Halloween, only a bit cooler. 

“The Cask of Amontillado”: Edgy harlequins, like from a joker card. 

“The Gold-Bug”: I only read this story once years ago and it was in a more child-friendly anthology, so probably condensed. The original had a really stereotypical black character, though. So I can understand why people would be upset Bianca was team captain. It might also be a reclamation thing on her part. I didn’t mention her earlier, because I thought she’d turn out to be a typical bully, but Bianca’s actually cool. Not sure why some of the fandom labeled her a villain. 

“The Pit and the Pendulum”: Are the Hufflepuffs, obvi. 

There’s something about boarding school stories, supernatural or no, that are so fun. Anyway, this episode introduces the tomb of Joseph Crackstone. What a name. This is so Potter-esque. There’s also a cool botany class. Compare to Herbology with Prof. Sprout. 

Uhh… what else? Headmistress, if you want the children to be “well-rounded,” you’re in the wrong Burton work. Wednesday! Don’t go near the apiary in dark clothes! She’s great. We have no way to know if she’s just messing with people or not sometimes. 

Takeaway from this episode: Nevermore is a good successor to Hogwarts.  

Friend or Woe

“Nightshades” is a cool name for a secret club, but there are other poisonous plants besides belladonna. As its members should know from aforementioned Botany. (While watching this, my dad sent me an article about herbal/mushroom teas, dangers of. First time I’ve heard of chaga, though.)

“Do you want a matching black eye?” -Wednesday to merguy. In hindsight, he might have been the first Addams Family character to be naked, besides Cousin Itt. Who hasn’t made an appearance so far. The act of giving double barrel black eyes is known as “raccooning,” btw. According to that one guy on Justified.

It’s nice to see that even though Jericho is “normie,” its thrift store Uriah’s Heap has taxidermy roadkill. Which could be considered more ethical than hunting for the sole purpose of stuffing. 

I hope Netflix knows Puritans and Pilgrims weren’t the same. 🤨 Taking Addams Family Values into account, it’s unsurprising Wednesday’s unhappy about Pilgrim cosplay. Even if it’s in black and white.

Another callback to the ‘90s movies is her beef with GSUSA. “I eat Girl Scouts for breakfast.” What’s it with her and Scouts? I always felt bad for them because they’re expected to work outside in cold weather. 

Wednesday realizing the girl in the Meeting House painting is Goody Addams is the most excited we’ve seen her so far, I believe. 

“Whitewashing of American history,” “mansplaining…” (“Sexsplaining” flows better, imo.) I like how her social justice leanings are divorced from her general assholery. Like, she could be performative about it, but no, she’s genuinely pissed at injustice.  And does something about it.

Woe What a Night

Wednesday was probably so, so happy to be in a morgue. More so than most macabre goths. Also, using a mortician’s recorder then actually getting to play deadly hide-and-seek in a mortuary cabinet! 

Interesting ep for ships. Personally, I’m not picky about who Wednesday ends up with, or even if she ends up with any of the introduced characters so far. I thought she was going to volunteer Enid as a date to Xavier. Whose Rave’N fit made him look kind of like a hatless Doug Dimmadome.

“Give me a call if I ever move up your to-do list.” -Tyler Galpin. Cold. (Note, after finishing this season, I still prefer her with Tyler. :P) It was nice of her to include Eugene in her hunt for the monster, even if it was mostly because she utilized the apiary to store crime scene photos. 

So Morticia’s maiden name is Frump? I kind of wondered if she and Gomez had a cousband thing going on. (Not my thing, just noting it.) *googles* Okay, I should’ve watched the TV series. The live-action one. I am woefully behind on Addams lore. 

You Reap What You Woe

Ah, Gomez, smiling during his own arrest. Perhaps reminded of his juvenile offender days. Maybe.

Oh good, Eugene’s not dead. Yet. Janet referred to her son’s bees as his “fuzzy wuzzy babies.” 🥺 I hope this show sparked an interest in beekeeping for at least some viewers. 

I don’t usually look great in yellow, but I want Bianca mom’s scaly coat. Glamorous family. Glamily. Again, she’s the protagonist’s rival, but not villainous. At all. She’s not worse than Wednesday, really. 

Like her daughter, it makes sense that Morticia would have more than one admirer. Even back then, some people just really wanted a goth GF. I wondered if she thought his name was “Garrote” Gates. “His mistook her kindness for interest.” A tale as old as time. No Garrett, you stupid prep, get off the goth campus. >:( 

Besides the identity of the monster, the biggest question so far is, “How many times has Gomez played Russian roulette with Wednesday if they’ve been playing since she was twelve??” Eating rattlesnake isn’t even that weird compared to what the Addamses usually do.

I’ve seen people complain that Wednesday had the family be Mexican when Luis Guzman and Jenna Ortega are Puerto Rican, but the keyword is “ancestor,” I guess. The whole werewolf conversion camp thing with Enid was even clunkier. 

This is going to make me sound stupider than usual, but at first I thought “FIRE WILL RAIN” was a command. Like, fire someone named “Will Rain.” “FIRE WILL RAIN” is still an improvement over “ENEMIES OF THE HEIR… BEWARE.” 

Quid Pro Woe

Enid’s outfits look so comfy. Between the fuzzy pink coat and her Rave’N outfit. Theme: Yeti? Without an actual yeti present? Disappointment.

Aw, she planned a surprise party and even Thing was wearing a tiny party hat.

@judge-m0rt1s and I really wanna see Enid go pastel goth and try to get Wednesday to embrace it. Their characterizations could’ve easily been annoying, but their dynamic’s cute. I felt a little bad for poor infatuated Tyler. With their matching snoods, I’m sure he suspected Enid and Wednesday were dating. 

I still can’t get over how much of a name “Crackstone” is. 

If You Don’t Woe by Now

Fester finally shows up! Aw, Wednesday’s smiling at her uncle. (If I ever rewatch this season, I’m going to keep a smile tally.) I’m used to Christopher Lloyd’s gruff voice.

“Group electroshock therapy.” Between her mention of ECT in the first ep, the taser, and Ricci!Wednesday’s use of an electric chair on Pugsley… Maybe Wednesday should become an electrician. Eh? Eh? 

Penny’s Pooch Patrol is everything. 

For someone who’s into Gothic lit, I haven’t seen much Jekyll & Hyde media. Hopefully this show also gets people into aspects of goth culture besides fashion. Besides Harry Potter and Teen Wolf, this show also reminds me a bit of NBC’s Grimm. 

Aw, Tyler’s determined to get Wednesday to go out with him.  I love how persistent he is, despite her warnings. At first I was really impressed by the crypt picnic date, projector and all, but I can’t get into Legally Blonde. But, oh, so Tyler’s actually a deranged monster? Nice. 

(It’s still funny how the actor’s almost thirty.) 

A Murder of Woes

Not only is Tyler a Hyde, he’s aware he’s a Hyde. And HE GOT CORRUPT. :D

I wish Bianca had used her siren powers to get Tyler to tell the truth while Wednesday had him chained up. Wednesday’s methods are crude. But she definitely has a strong sense of justice. She had a point, Weems!

I get not wanting the school to go, uh, but uh… Weems isn’t the greatest headmistress. (Cool character, though.) “I didn’t ask what she identified as.” You don’t identify as a Hyde! Francois just was one. 

Marilyn (Laurel) had a weird MD/LB thing going on with Tyler. (I say “weird,” because she’s evil.) Morticia and Gomez are supposed to be the kinkiest.

When Wednesday’s the one bound to a chair.... “Kind of a déjà vu thing we got going on, huh?” “Except I won’t cry and whine like a child.” YOU TELL HIM, WEDNESDAY. She’s masochistic, and probably right. 

Goody Addams… Goody’s supposed to be her given name, but Goody is an abbreviation of Goodwoman. Basically a Puritan honorific equivalent of Mrs.

Outcasts “stole” Crackstone’s land? Wednesday already got postcolonial. Don’t make her do it again. >:( 

Hell yeah, Bianca, stab that undead mofo! Also, Eugene returns. With his bees! It was kind of funny seeing Laurel shoot at a swarm with a handgun. 

In conclusion, Tim Burton redeemed himself with Wednesday, after a string of movies I didn’t particularly care for. I love how the show took common tropes but made them entertaining as heck. Like the whole bloodline/sacrifice/night of the (whatever) thing. Goody’s ghost healing her was a bit of a deus ex machina, though. 

[go-to-the-mirror]

howdy, howdy, howdy @a-mag-a-day and co. it's 148 time! That's lovely! :3

also uhm. 7de Laan (South African soap opera) spoilers ahead? apparently?

look idk what to do for a funny intro today

JONATHAN SIMS Rusty Quill presents: The Magnus Archives. Episode one hundred and forty-eight. Extended Surveillance.

For some reason, my brain immediatly went "the French magnus archives" and it would be like uh... cent et quarante-huit (?). I don't know why I wanted to translate it? Also, the most French I've done was like... grade 9 Canadian French which I've promptly forgotten. I don't know why I thought this.

Le Magnus (in a french accent) Archives? Look, I speak Afrikaans, but as someone who's learned it from 7de Laan and yk, just being in a family with one Afrkaaner who sometimes uses Afrikaans slang and words and cannot spell apple, so a lot of the Afrikaans I speak is just english words in an Afrikaans accent. I mean like that's basically what Afrikaans is so-

Y'all should watch 7de Laan, it's really fun. Idk what button they've discovered now, but I remember back when Mariaan killed... Ben I want to say, and they discovered the voice over button. And then there was the Orange is the New Black rip off season, and then I remember when they discovered the really bad greenscreen button and things started happening outside and it looked awful.

No one watches soap operas for the height of cinematography.

ELIAS Good evening, Detec— [Basira punches Elias.] BASIRA Useless, scheming piece of shit. ELIAS Detective, this is quite unnecess— [Basira continues to hurt Elias.] BASIRA I’m sorry, was that unnecessary? [Basira hits Elias once more.] BASIRA (Cont.) Because this is the most helpful you’ve been so far, unless you’ve got another crisis for me?

tbh absolutely deserved. god i love the scenes where elias has an awful time <3 it needs to happen more often.

BASIRA You always call me Detective. Is that supposed to mean something? ELIAS Honestly? I just like the way it sounds.

WHY IS HE LIKABLE? WHY IS THIS FUNNY TO ME? I JUST DONT LIKE BASIRA OR ELIAS AND THEY'RE JUST GIVING EACH OTHER MUTUAL TERRIBLE TIMES

ELIAS Will you? You’re not police anymore. You’ve done them some favours, but they’ve done you some as well, and I think you’ll find that the information that I’ve been giving to them has been far more consistently useful. You want to issue them an ultimatum? Go right ahead. I’m just not sure it’ll go quite how you hope. … And, um, no more violence, Detective, or I may have to call in the guards.

God, I hate how he turns it around, just manages to scrape himself an edge, prick. Like even in episode 200 (my beloved) he tries to get Jon to back down. It doesn't work, of course, but like, there was an attempt, there's always an attempt, I hate how he takes things in stride and always manages to come out on top, I hate that so much. Really hateable villain, he deserves to be drowned in a bucket /ref.

ARCHIVIST Can’t believe you’ve been seeing him all this time. BASIRA Oh yeah, that’s the terrible secret sabotaging the trust between us.

Ok, like, to be fair, talking with Elias did help end the world so...

BASIRA Yeah. John, we’ve been over this. The key is to not force people to feed you their trauma. You know, just don’t do it. ARCHIVIST It’s not that simple. BASIRA No, it is. Or I put you down.

Oh!

Look I was trying to find my original reaction to this, but I didn't talk about it to my partner (ily) or on my story (I believe the next one we're really digging into there is 154, because I was in fucking shambles), but I mean, I don't know exactly what I was feeling but it was probably like... shit.

Shit.

Like, I get Basira's perspective, right, but also you can't just. That's hardly proportionate and yet... isn't it? Gertrude would have done it, Adelard Dekkar would have done it, and when they do that sort of thing to monsters we hardly bat an eye, but... well, it's different, right, we know Jon.

It's like that post, about how the "monsters" were treated differently across the seasons, in season 1, Jane Prentiss is the entity formerly known as Jane Prentiss, in season 2... can't really remember, I mean they were seen as more... sentient, but still evil to their very nature. In season 3 we get a separation, Jon isn't like the other monsters, Mike Crew and Jude Perry were bad people, even though they were people. And then in season 4... well, come Scrutiny, we've realized that oh fuck, there is no separation, and we can view all the monsters as irredeemable and bad but... Jon's not irredeemable, he tries. So, what about all those other monsters. And in 152 we get it, how different is Jon from Jane Prentiss? Not really different at all. The season 5 comes along and none of the characters we're following are on the watched/human/victim side of the line, and the line wasn't really real back then.

Podded cast <3

ARCHIVIST (Mutters) I mean, that’s hardly… BASIRA Daisy’s been managing. ARCHIVIST Daisy is… Yeah, she’s managing.

Wow, why's Daisy managing better than Jon, it's not like she has the support of Basira, Jon, and presumably Daisy to help her, no it's just that she's fundamentally better /s.

Like, you can't expect someone to change for the better if you're only getting angry at them, if you treat someone like a monster, like they're going to fuck up all the time, then they're going to fuck up all the time.

ARCHIVIST Haven’t really been trying. Doing that sort of thing consciously … makes me hungry. BASIRA Oh, well then, find a statement to your tastes and read it. ARCHIVIST Yes, yes, I know. Thank you.

I had a little conversation with Japleeejay a while back so I'm just gonna put that here, inc his reactions in brackets because they're funny.

Also, I'm thinking about jon tma (🤯) And yk about my interpretation of his character which is the only correct one /hj (💙) And about how it's like his self esteem is shit, but that's when he's alone right? He's going to stand up for himself when other people are talking shit about him, but he's also going to internalize it and ruminate on it when he's alone? (‼️) Like uhh. He's obviously really guilty about what he's doing to his victims, but when they confront him about it, and in MAG 141 and MAG 148, he's defensive about it It's like it's not a binary thing right And if I may just like bring myself into it for a second because half of my jon thoughts are actual analysis and the other half is projection But like uhh the whole thing i had going on with the adhd, like I was fiercely proud of being adhd, and like i'd get angry at people for being ableist and stuff, but i also sort of... believed them? it's like, you can have contradictory feelings and emotions (‼️) And it's like it's different if you're saying it to yourself and someone [is] saying it to you? Like at least my immediate reaction to someone getting angry at me whether justified or not is to get angry back, and then yk i calm down and either don't think they're right or do, right? And it's like, Jon gets angry when people get angry at him, he gets defensive, and then he dwells on it a lot, right? Basicallly Um - Fanfic authors are doing it wrong i'm the only one doing it right - he's not. he's not like. yeah sometimes sure he's like that. he'll take it lying down sometimes - ^ especially when helen's saying something to him because she knows how to get under their skin - but like it's not a constant thing - hhhh idk how to describe it (💙)

(27 January, 2023)

ARCHIVIST I've been meaning to ask. The tape, the one of the, uh… my victim. You said Martin gave it to you? BASIRA Yeah. ARCHIVIST How was he? H-how did he look? Was he, uh…? BASIRA I don’t know. I didn’t see him. He just left it on my desk with a note. ARCHIVIST Oh, right. BASIRA Yeah. ARCHIVIST Can I ask what it said? BASIRA Um, yeah. It said, “Talk to him.” (The Archivist laughs bitterly.)

GOD THE PINING JUST GOUGE YOUR EYES OUT AND MAKE OUT FOR CHRISTS SAKE HHHH

I can't take this, I can't take 12 more episodes of this I can't.

Statement of Sunil Maraj, regarding their work as a security guard and the disappearance of their co-worker Samson Stiller.

OH YAY! They use he/they, that's lovely! I think I may have pointed this out a while back.

Someone had even put their name in the front, like they were afraid people were going to steal their manky instruction book.

Oh No

tbh i dont think i really paid attention much on my first listen but just like-

Oh No. it's a leitner.

Cos I saw some of the pages over his shoulder, and on one of them, there was … There was a picture of me, like a black and white photo of my face.

OH SPOOKY!

It was one of the old CRT sets, big and bulky, and the picture on it was never that clear, but for a moment, it looked like it was me on there, staring right back at myself as the screens slowly went black, getting closer and closer. The face on the monitor looked absolutely terrified, and I was starting to feel it myself. So, I just tried to smile, told him not to worry about it, and I headed out as quick as I could. My legs were shaking so hard I almost fell on the way out.

Don't know what to say just... spooky.

One time, when no-one in the store was looking, I threw a can of deodorant at one of them, hit it square on. Samson wore sunglasses for the next two days, and when I caught a glimpse of him without them, there was a crack, right down the centre of his eye.

Ohhh that's such a cool image also so spooky!!

I wanted to know why Samson hadn’t signed out of the building before he disappeared, why no matter who tried to reset the system, it always logged back in as him. Or why, whenever I was watching the monitors alone, I’d see him on that old CRT screen, staring right back at me, quietly calling for me to join him.

OH WOW THAT'S-

wow

Does reading a statement of the Ceaseless Watcher count as a sort of auto-cannibalism, I wonder?

He's started calling in the Ceaseless Watcher, not The Eye anymore.

Hmm. Feels more... reverential? In a way? I dunno. Need to compile a list of what people call the fears. I know Jon used to call it The Eye or The Beholding, I thought he switched to calling it the Ceaseless Watcher in season 4, but apparently not.

I honestly don’t care if Mr Maraj was chased down and consumed by his voyeuristic former friend, or if he has forgotten the whole affair, living in blissful ignorance. I just find my mind already wandering to the next statement, and the hopes that it won’t be quite as stale.

Is that a turning point? It feels like a turning point, but then again it just feels like he's already crossed that line, and there was no turning point, just an unstoppable march forwards.

Hm.

[unabletocomply]

Dear @chronicintrovert,

Hi.

One year ago today, I sat down on a Friday evening to watch this new show on Netflix. I didn't know much about it other than that it was gay (inclusive) and British, either of which is enough to get me to watch something.

I knew it was eight episodes, so I didn't intend to finish the whole thing in one sitting. But I simply couldn't look away. I was stunned by every aspect: The concept, the writing, the acting, the animations, even the blue-yellow color scheme that I catch some new detail of on each rewatch. Before I knew it, it was midnight and I was watching animated waves splash around Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, confirmed boyfriends.

The next morning, I sat at a traffic light on my way to the grocery store when I realized I was smiling for no discernible reason (it was 8 o’clock… I had no reason to be happy running errands at that hour). It was leftover joy from the previous night. Never before has media so affected me — infected me — as Heartstopper did.

Today, I can happily report Heartstopper had a tangible, deeply positive impact on my life. I devoured your entire back catalog of work, each one as impressive and engrossing and relatable as the last. I continued on, plowing through stacks of queer books (thanks, local library!) with a hunger I haven't felt since I was a teenager. 

You've also brought me my own creative fulfilment. Heartstopper inspired me to write more than I ever had before, and to get to know other wonderful, dedicated, talented Heartstopper writers from around the world. Sorry, it's fanfic, I know there are legal and personal reasons you can never read it. 

Still, please know there's an incredible community of writers and artists churning out world-class fiction that extends the canonical stories of Nick and Charlie or other characters, or imagines them in new settings: Single dad Nick struggling not to fall in love with his housemate; a dating app AU that is a comprehensive study of trauma and healing; 10th century Vikings exploring historical themes of queerness; two patients meeting in a hospital and healing each other emotionally; professional rugby AUs that tap into queer sports issues; fics where Nick and/or Charlie are trans or demi; even one where they're soulmates who turn into cats when the other has naughty thoughts about them. And those are just the tip of the iceberg. 

On a more personal note, Nick and Charlie have enriched my life. My life is way better because I found Heartstopper. I try to keep compassion and empathy at the forefront, just like Charlie. When I'm angry, I think to myself, "What Would Nick Nelson Do?", and that usually involves calming myself and seeking solutions. (I have yet to punch a homophobe, but I'm not opposed.) 

I was also inspired by Nick to come out to my family and friends as aspec. I had long thought it didn't matter much, since I will never bring home a partner, so what was there to tell? But after watching Heartstopper, I desired to live more openly, and now I am.

I know all of this has come at a cost. You've spoken about the intense pressure to deliver season 2 and the ongoing comics. The cast has also faced inappropriate and invasive attention from what I firmly believe is a small minority of Heartstopper fans who clearly missed its message (not that those people should be considered fans at all). I'm not sure what to do about the world other than cherish your art and proclaim its ideals.

Thank you for your vision, your talent, and your years of hard work. Thank you to the cast and crew who brought Heartstopper off the page and onto my screen. I cannot wait (but I will!) to see what you create next.

Love,

A Heartstopper fan xx

PS To balance all that text, here’s a shot from (just before) my favorite kiss scene in my favorite episode, Girls: