#I only watch the show once but I've seen this scene a thousand times

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

hi! i saw your post about how true the makers of atsv were to real-life brooklyn and i loved it so much that i just had to ask if you'd be willing to make a more in-depth analysis on that? i'm not from america but i adore the movie so it's very interesting to hear firsthand accounts about its authenticity from locals! ofc this is just a humble request and i completely understand if the answer is no <3

I'd LOVE to! The Spiderverse Series is honestly the most accurate movie of New York I've seen in my life - including live-action movies. I say that not just in essence but in everything. And Across the Universe takes it over the top. Like, INSANELY so.

Across The Spiderverse & It's Dedication to Cultural Accuracy [aka ATSV is so goddamn good I can tell you exactly what street Gwen and Miles went to Mumbattan from. It's that accurate.]

I'm a black, afro-latino, and a born and raised 'Brooklynite'. Despite there being thousands of movies of New York, I'd say less than 5 percent of them are in any way accurate or current. (Yellow taxi cabs are no longer a thing here really.)

But Across the Spiderverse defies that in every way - nailing it historically, culturally, and even by replicating exact locations.

Wanna see the Bodega Spot robbed? Cause it's a real, random bodega! And the building he goes into at the end - I can tell you exactly where it is, with 100% assurity. All by street signs.

In the first scene with Spot we see him standing outside on the curb, looking into the store. On the corner there is a street sign that reads Fulton St.

Fulton is an actual street in BedStuy (Bedford Stuyvesant, pronounced Bed-St-eye), literally a stone's throw from my house. And they take it further.

Although it can be hard to see, the other side to the left of it reads Nostrand Ave. Fulton and Nostrand is a very popular intersection in the neighborhood, mainly because there's a subway station for the A line located on one corner.

There's Nostrand and Fulton.

But if you turn to the other corner you see...A Bodega! Looks familar?

That's the bodega Spot robbed.

99% of the people who watch this movie will be from New York. Even less will be from BedStuy. Even less will catch the split second sign on the corner, only on screen for only a few frames.

It took me 3 watches to notice. But I noticed. And my jaw dropped. How much that means is unexplainable. I've been on that corner, and the TacoBell across the street. And so has Miles. That's insane.

It doesn't stop there.

Spot enters the store, as we pass we see a sticker for 'WIC/EBT' on the cashier's counter. I'm not sure how common this is - but WIC and EBT standards for Welfare Benefits and Food Stamps. As you cannot buy warm food with Food Stamps (sadly), lots of bodegas advertise taking EBT for the deli sandwiches.

Nice shout out to the struggling families in the communities, I love a Bodega that takes EBT.

We move towards the back of the store - In the Bodega while Spot messes with the ATM we get a wider shot, and another very insanely specific shout out.

Behind Spot is a sign showing a Beef Patty (which I'll mention in a moment) and a sun logo called 'Sunny Patty'.

This is a direct call out to a specific chain of Beef Patty shops in Brooklyn and Harlem called 'Golden Krust'.

I cannot stress how much of a niche reference this is! Golden Krusts only exist in low income neighborhoods - mainly in Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx. If you're anywhere near Times Square or any place else New York shows choose to portray - you're not finding a Golden Krust.

Golden Krusts are store that is ingrained in Caribbean culture, which Brooklyn is full of - hence the adapted Jamaican flag up front. I grew up eating Golden Krust and I'd eat it more if they didn't close so goddamn early.

But it's there.

Once again, only a few pixels, only a few frames, but someone probably took 6 hours drawing that. For the 0.009% of the people who'll get the reference. Low-income, black New Yorkers - like me.

ATSV is so accurate that you can even find the exact spot in which Miles and Gwen leave through the portal.

But before I tell you where it is - I wanna talk about why it's so important.

It's important because one of the most famous Spider-man scenes in history is just plain WRONG to New Yorkers.

This scene is ENTIRELY incorrect, and I knew it even as a child.

Firstly, based on the skyscrapers everywhere, this is solidly Manhattan. The train says Bay Ridge, which is in South Brooklyn, maybe 40 minutes away by train. So I'm going to assume this is the Q or B train, running through Manhattan. Which, okay they do, but -

There are NO elevated trains in Manhattan. The Q, like every other train, only goes above ground in Brooklyn and Queens. This is very clearly Chicago.

So he couldn't be doing this. It's a simple but HUGE fuck up. Any one born in New York will notice it because Manhattan just looks wrong with elevated trains.

And it would've been fine if they just set it in Brooklyn where Bay Ridge and the elevated trains actually are.

But instead they made generic Manhattan streets - so much so I can't even tell what neighborhood they're in. Do you see how this is such a problem?

Across The Spiderverse is animated. And they still put in the effort.

I can't tell you where Peter Parker is stopping that train - it ain't Manhattan - but I CAN tell you where Miles and Gwen leave for Mumbattan.

So let's go back to where we started. We're on Fulton and Nostrand both in BedStuy.

Throughout the fight, we see Spot and Miles go through a couple streets - most notably a very popular street in the neighborhood - Broadway.

This happens twice, once while fighting Spot, and once when Miles and Gwen grab the hot dogs. They show this twice, cause this will be important for what we're trying to do.

Now this may not make any sense to you, since it's just random streets, but I'm about to tie it together.

Gwen releases the bug near an elevated train. When we see Miles and Gwen swinging, they cling to a train. Now, it's hard to tell what train this is but so far we know.

We're in Brooklyn

We're near Broadway

We're near an elevated train line

There's a station on Broadway called Broadway Junction. It serves the G line and the J,M,Z line.

When we see the train pass by, we get a glimpse of the model. Each train line has a slightly different variation, with some being a lot old. The one that passes is one of the newer ones.

(Once again, very accurate, as those models do run on elevated lines)

And although we can't see the letter on the train, by that alone, I can guess we're by the elevated J,M,Z lines in BedStuy - near Broadway Junction. Easy. Now we just need to know what stop we're at.

Well, they tell us that too. Finally, When Spot heads into the building we get a glimpse of the exact street he's on - Bedford.Ave

So I just threw a LOT of information at you - but look at this map of the J,M,Z line and hopefully it comes together

At the bottom along the green line - we see Bedford/Nostrand Ave. Remember, the robbery starts us off on Nostrand. Let's move up the green line. We get to a part where the green line passes the brown and orange ones - the JMZ trains.

They connect at Broadway (Officially Broadway Junction Station). We see Broadway with the hot dog vendor there.

If we move to left of Broadway we see Marcy Av. - and if we look to the left OF THAT we see a faint white line heading north.

THAT line is Bedford Ave. Where Spot enters the building.

Because we know they're in Brooklyn, and we know they passed Broadway. Plus we know they're now on Bedford by an elevated train that runs newer models.

So from those signs alone we can definitely say that Spot is on Bedford Ave. and Broadway. Next to the JMZ elevated trains, two stops from Broadway Junction in Brooklyn.

100% that's the spot (lol). That's the only place Bedford crosses an elevated train. And as a New Yorker, I got that from this photo.

Trust me when I say - we can tell.

By those short shots of street signs, we know that Miles started in BedStuy, swung north towards Broadway, then took a turn towards Bedford Ave in Williamsburg. And that's where Gwen plants the bug - and the place she returns to before going to Mumbattan.

Is that crazy? That's CRAZY. Percision accuracy that I have never seen in a movie live-action or otherwise.

All throughout the first scenes of ATSV - they are on actual streets, that are reasonably within swinging distance of each other, along actual train lines - with their stations accurately located.

That's INSANE. There was no need for that amount of detail, but they did it anyway.

There's SO many times in Spider-men movies where they'll start swinging in Queens, and then the next scene is like Upper Manhattan. They don't label the neighborhoods, but from buildings alone, I can tell what neighborhood it is.

And I'm supposed to believe Peter just swung 2 and a half boroughs in twenty minutes. I don't notice. But I NOTICE.

Here, Miles and Gwen are truly swinging accurate distances in the right amount of time. That's mental. And refreshing!

In a live action movie - they have NO excuse. Just film in the city, it's not like we're Gotham. And we give film crews huge tax breaks. In an animated movie - completely understandable. But they still said 'No, that's subpar.' and went the extra mile.

They didn't even have to show ANY street signs, they could've left it at the easter egg at the corner store.

But they didn't. Because they're telling a story about a Black kid from Brooklyn, who leaves for someplace completely unfamiliar. BedStuy is Miles' home, and they wanted to make it feel that way. So when he's not there - in the cold polish of Neuva York - you can feel it.

You can feel Miles leaving his warm, rich community when he lacks that community in the Society. In the movie and IRL, BedStuy is so full of color, with so many people doing so many things and sharing so many cultures.

And in the society, everyone is the same. There's no culture. That's dedication.

Because of a train in Spider-man 2, I was immediately taken out of the story. And because of train in ATSV, I was immediately brought in.

For once, it feels like they're swinging around a neighborhood - cause they are.

A Large Detail in ATSV:

So I talked about Trinity Church - the real church that Peter Parker was buried at in ITSV - and how accurate the team got it to the actual building.

In fact, this is the spot where Miles is standing.

Like he's standing maybe 20 feet AT most from this spot, you can see in the windows and spires at the top.

But I also wanna explain why this - and why the fact that Peter was buried there is SO important.

Trinty Church is one of the most famous historical churches in the United States. It was started by the first English settlers in New York. It's extremely famous, and extremely sentimental.

For reference - Alexander Hamilton and his family are also buried at Trinity Church, along with dozens of other important US historical figures - across centuries.

You can't just be buried in Trinity. It's a city landmark. The cemetery is full, small, and you CANNOT pay your way in. The church is extremely choosy with who they will bury there - and honestly, I don't think anyone has been buried there for maybe a century or more.

So for the city to bury Peter Parker's body in the most prominent church in all of the city, if not the country - that speaks VOLUMES.

Like I said in the last post, my father use to work at Trinity Church - and they're the whole deal. Candles burning everywhere, super quiet and devote. The church has catacombs under it, everything.

They didn't just bury him anywhere. The people of New York went out of their way to give Peter Parker the most honorable burial physically possible within the city of New York.

The highest honor for any New Yorker. One reserved only for Spider-man.

Which I think was an amazing touch. Especially since Trinity is in downtown Manhattan - so anyone could come visit and pay respects.

Other Cultural Accuracies

Before we wrap up I wanna breeze through some other cultural accuracies that appear in ATSV.

Miles stops to eat a Jamaican Beef Patty while in the Bodgea. I spoke about these earlier with the Golden Krust sign. Jamaican beef patties are these flaky pastries colored with tumeric, full of spicy meat. And they are very popular with the large Carribean community in Brooklyn - which I'm apart of :)

In the case, we see the Beef Patties labeled with red dots. But Miles seems to go for the only one without it.

I'm guessing the red dots indicate which ones are the spicy Beef Patties and which ones are the mild, and Miles grabbed the last mild one they had.

They draw it really well, especially while Miles is eating it.

"Spider-man seems more Dominican." Genuine question - did anyone laugh at this joke in your theatre?

Because all three times I went, people laughed. The first time people LOVED that joke.

NYC, especially the Bronx has a HUGE Puerto Rican AND Dominican population - many times living side by side

And there's this kinda 'beef' in the same way Yankees fans have beef with the Mets fans (NYC baseball teams)

The best way I can describe the joke is that they're two very strong, very proud Spanish cultures that are often mistaken for each other - but Puerto Ricans and Dominicans can very obviously tell each other apart. Mainly because of the Spanish they speak.

So for him and his mom to have that back and forth, it's kinda an inside joke of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans getting confused for each other - but them being able to tell the difference.

His mom says Spider-man is Puerto Rican, but Miles corrects her - without backing it up with any reason.

It's like they can just TELL.

I don't know how else to explain the joke but its a very New Yorker thing to do - discuss that out like that.

Since a lot of us are the children of immigrants - it's knee-jerk to identify with your parent country and not this one.

If you ask someone in New York 'What are you'. Many young people (me included) would say "Oh I'm *parents nationality*." In my case, I say I'm Bajan and Peruvian. Even though I was born in New York.

Miles would say he's Puerto Rican though he's never been.

So them discussing where Spider-man is 'from' even though he's obviously a New Yorker is the joke.

Like - someone on the writing team HAD to be from New York to add that in cause it's so...oddly New Yorker???

While swinging Miles and Gwen pass the B46 bus. Once again, completely accurate. The scene starts on Nostrand and Fulton. The B46 does indeed stop on Fulton St.

When they're swinging, the movie accurately shows the new World Trade Center (aka The Freedom Tower) - which is the tallest building in the picture.

Also, the bridge to the LEFT is the Brooklyn Bridge, while the tall one on the right is Manhattan Bridge. Many people don't know there's actually two bridges. (There's more but those two are the main ones)

Good on them for showing both Bridges, both accurately placed as well

Fun fact: Trains run over the Manhattan Bridge - the Q, B and a couple others (beautiful - I love it when they do) but trains do not run over the Brooklyn Bridge.

And lastly, when Miles and Spot are on Broadway, the school behind them is actually architecturally accurate for a Brooklyn school. So much so that design is iconic.

______________________ So those are most if not all of the cultural accuracies in Across the Spiderverse!

I cannot stress enough how ridiculously bang on this movie is in terms of everything.

The team put in so much work, and it paid off. To me, at least.

I don't feel like Miles is some kid from a different alternative New York. I feel like he's a real kid in MY New York. From everything down to his Jordans (don't even get me started on how much Jordan's has a CHOKEHOLD on teenagers in New York. Like...it's a status thing. Even since I was a kid, everyone wanted Jordans. Jordans or Nike Air Force 1s. So having Miles wear Jordans is my favorite thing cause yea a kid from BedStuy would think those are flyest shit ever even though they're just regular degular Jordans lol. And you KNOW Miles 42 a sneakerhead. Look at those shoes. He aint creasing those)

This movie, is chef's kiss. It tops all other New York portrays - live-action or otherwise and I stand on that.

If you read this far, thank you SO much. I love sharing New York culture (and the cultures that make it what it is to begin with) and I'm SO happy I can share this stuff and hopefully help people appreciate the movie more too!

If you learned something or have any questions, I'm all ears!

And I usually leave a photo of Hobie here as a send-off but this post hit the photo limit LMAOOOOOO

Bye.

[franklin-nelson-archive]

What do you expect from Born Again? I for one am cautiously excited. It's a shame Foggy is going to die, but I don't think he would have much meaning anyway. Don't get me wrong, I like him. But I love Matt, Karen and Frank more. I think it's time for his story to end. I'm sure Foggy's sacrifice will give Karen the anger she needs to pick up her gun in revenge and Matt a reason to let the devil out so I think it will be worth it. Or maybe his death will be poetic and beautiful and temporary. Although I don't think he really fits the tone of the series. Karen has a more dramatic appeal and Frank too. Foggy is only cute and sweet. I hope you don't get upset with my question And my opinion on Foggy

I thought a lot before deciding whether to answer this question since I don't know if it's valid or just another one like the millions of hateful asks about Elden and Foggy that I've received over the years.

And even if the reason for this ask is to hurt me, I believe that all opinions need to be heard, even when I disagree.

I've said this more than once: I don't plan on watching Born Again. Period.

I don't want to re-watch, revisit a scene I've seen thousands of times on the internet. I don't want to see Foggy on the concrete, getting a shot that wasn't aimed at him.

Even if it is a temporary death. Even if he just gets hurt. No, I don't want to watch that.

I don't want to see Matt and Karen (without Foggy) reminiscing about old memories. I don't want to see Matt living life as if Foggy isn't an important person to him. I don't want to watch a show where Foggy, who used to be the heart of the show, appears in one or two episodes.

I know, I know I'll end up watching bits and pieces here and there because people won't get tired of posting edits, scene cuts, photos, gifs etc. And I don't like blocking people just because they have opinions that go against mine. I only block haters, etc.

Believe me, I'm glad Karen has a lot of heart in the show. After all, I fought for years for Elden and Deborah to return alongside Charlie for this show. I'm really happy for her and her fans. And I think it's beautiful that Jon cared so much about her to the point of saying that he would only return to the role if she was also on the show.

I just wish the Born Again writers knew that Foggy is also a crucial character. Not just because he's Matt's friend. Foggy has a rich history and is very capable of having a good plot even without a weapon, even without powers, without sexual appeal. I just wish (and hope) that Born Again doesn't erase all the importance of the original Foggy. In Elden's words: "Even though he's a little clumsy, Foggy is not an idiot." Foggy is smart, good, and intelligent.

I'm sure the directors did the best they could to fit Foggy into a plot that was almost complete. We need to remember that Foggy was going to die off-screen in the first script. And Karen wasn't even mentioned. So, I believe it was easier to fit Karen in there, giving her more scenes.

It's wonderful that Karen is a badass, has a gun, and is her own hero. I love Karen so much! But Foggy, Foggy was always the heart, and nothing survives without a heart.

Good-hearted people are strong in their own way. (this part makes me start crying, hell, I hate being so stupid)

And it's naive to think that a hero show will only be good if it has shooting, blood, sex, and things like that.

I don't know about you, but what made me love the show was the human and fragile part.

It was seeing that the girl wasn't so fragile and weak, that she is flawed and tries her best despite everything. She found a family (two idiots) and fought tooth and nail to protect Foggy and Matt from Fisk.

That Matt, the hero, is fragile, silly, pathetic. Sexy in his sweatpants and socks. That he feels pain, he cries, he feels angry and feels incapable most of the time.

That the silly friend (and useless in most opinion) is brave, strong, the one who goes for sex for consolation. Who has a family like everyone else.

These things, this human part were what made me love the show. Although I've been a Daredevil fan since childhood and admittedly an Elden fan since childhood as well.

These characters were like family to me.

The three of them!

Will I change my mind about Born Again? The second season, perhaps. But again, out of respect for Elden and Foggy, no, I don't intend to watch a scene that I've seen thousands of times and that has sometimes been mocked. And it still hurts me.

In Elden's words: The show is going to be amazing! I'm sure. But not for me.

[tatasoom]

PREVIEW IS SHOWING THEIR FAVORITE EPISODE

I've just watched an interview where Jimmy and Sea told that episode 9 is their favorite. Well, then it's a perfect moment to analyse some hints for the episode. Let's go!

1. The mind-blowing symbolism in clothing!

We've seen Day and Mhok sleeping together twice. First time it was after tennis club party and drunk_but_curious Day was wearing this white t-shirt you can see in a scene from the preview! The second time was when Day stayed overnight at Mhok's house and maybe you can't remember, but now, when they're having another night together Day's wearing pants Mhok used to wear back then at home!

So we basically have Day being quintessence of their previous bed sharing moments and I love it so damn much.

2. Sightseeing and the book

We'll have another beautiful way of Last twilight making us all checking ticket prices to Thailand. (In my case it takes my monthly salary just to go to Thailand and come back without all that accommodation, local transport, souvenirs, etc. And what about you?)

I also have some questions for these book scenes. As we already know Day and Mhok (oh, sorry, Danainat and Methas all of a sudden haha) gave this book as a present to P'On and P'Pla, but here Mhok is reading it again. Also he's reading last pages.

Could it be that Day's father have the full version of the book? It would be interesting.

I remember when I was younger I've found a book illustrated with portraits by my father. Of course it's not a coincidence and my mother just took this book with many others from their once shared home library. But what impressed me the most is that I also used to draw portraits in my uni years and it turned really good (not my words). And I have never ever learned how to do it, but even my friend who's really into art and can draw anything complimented one of my work.

I'm curious what Day can have from his father he can't even remember.

3. Fading reality

It seems after having some sweet moments Day is going back to black to vision issues. This leads to him asking Mhok to go to the mountains and see that last twilight in reality. The whole series is already bittersweet and so is episode 9.

I also like this excited Sea👇

4. P'Aof and mountains

Everytime we talk about P'Aof coming back with another iconic mountain scene I remember Mix (who played Tian in a masterpiece named A tale of thousand stars) wearing a winter coat and crying behind the scenes, because they had a very emotional scene at night and it was cold in that mountains. Glad Mhok and Day have a plan to see twilight and not meteor shower haha

Not them being goofy lovey-dovey ahh~ ❤️

5. The night of love

Okay, let's be honest we're all waiting for this Friday not only because of our love for Thai nature🤭

Day will be playing the guitar, Mhok will be sitting there wearing Day's t-shirt...

And then they'll have a night...

... that will switch their t-shirts by the morning.

Thank you for reading! I planned to say just a few words about upcoming episode due to the lack of material. How it turned out that this is an analysis I spent three hours making of... Anyway, I already love episode 9 sososo much for all it's aesthetic. Let's enjoy our Songkhla trip with Day and Mhok, let's find out what's wrong with Day's father and let's give a round of applause to everyone involved in making Last twilight!

Just one day until new episode. Are you ready?

A) no

B) I think yes, but no

C) have mercy, P'Aof

[rollercoasterwords]

one and seven for the ask game!! 🫶🏼🫶🏼

hi lia <3 <3

Have you pulled inspiration from media sources other than the property your fic is related to (a plot point from a TV show that has nothing to do with the characters/setting of the fic, a line from a book, etc.)? If so, for which story? Why did you find that media source compelling?

absolutely yes! i mean fic in particular is extremely derivative but honestly all writing is derivative...i am always pulling inspiration from other stories i've loved which have stuck w me <3 gonna focus on wfrau in particular just to avoid this answer getting too long + bc that's what i've been writing most recently but. i've pulled inspiration from the animorphs series bc there are lots of fun ethical dilemmas brought up throughout that stuck w me after reading it; a particular scene from the anime 'banana fish' influenced james's story, though i can't say much more abt that without risking spoilers for the anime...if you've seen it you'll probably know which scene it influence tho lol. the crypt ch was influenced by book 4 of the fablehaven series which i read growing up as a kid--i loved book 4 bc it involved the main characters going on a mission into this underground treasure vault and having to fight past different traps to deeper down...so fun <3 the idea to write a werewolf fighting ring au in the first place came from me remembering a book i'd read as a kid called 'the abused werewolf rescue group,' though i couldn't actually tell you anything abt the plot anymore...and i'm sure there are a thousand other bits & pieces of media that have been floating around in my brain as i've written but those r the main ones coming to mind rn!

7. Share a line or paragraph you’ve written that you don’t think will ever actually be posted in anything! (Or, if you don’t hoard cut sentences and passages like I do, share anything you want that has yet to see the light of day!)

ugh see i really should save my writing better...generally w the way i write i'm not usually cutting entire scenes but it has happened once or twice & i've just. deleted it...

i can share a snippet of a pandalily time war au that i wrote about 2 pages of like 2 years ago but don't think i'll ever return to/complete so it will likely never see the light of day...here u go:

The low chatter—that is something that does not change. Gather enough people into a room, call it a party, close your eyes and it could be 1992 in Los Angeles or 761 in Koumbi Saleh or 1674 in Beijing. Humans will buzz like insects no matter what time you put them in, forever and ever and ever. Sometimes Lily wishes that they still existed; she scrubs the thought from her hard drive before her programming reads it as a virus. Humans do exist, forever. One only has to choose the right time.

This time, she is drinking wine. She is wandering through bodies, smiling and feeling the way it shapes her face. She steps past the marble columns, onto the terrace, under the moonlight that kisses her eyelids so gently when she closes them. She can feel the light, you know. That’s something she can do.

“Red suits you.”

The person beside her is a woman, today, or something like it. She wears the same clothing, white sweep of cloth, though she’s never quite able to get the same softness. It drapes willowy, slow-moving, with fingers that gnarl like roots.

“I’m too tired to kill you tonight,” Lily says, biting through the Latin with her canines like rich meat. “Go somewhere else.”

The woman smiles, slow and creeping, a lichen on the bark of a tree.

“Another place?”

“Another time.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“I like the wine.”

She isn’t drinking any. She watches the cup in Lily’s hands. When Lily takes a sip, the woman’s tongue darts out to wet her lips, pink and human.

“They have wine later,” Lily tells her, “And before.”

“Not like here,” the woman says, “Not like tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Tonight.”

“And what makes it different tonight?”

The woman smiles. She is standing so very close. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

fic writer ask game

[respectthepetty]

Hey there. Hoping you're doing well. This is gonna sound random but I need a reason to watch He's coming to Me. I was looking at a list of all gmmtv shows and I've seen them all, except He's coming to me. And the weird thing is I don't have a reason. I adore Ohm, i don't particularly like Singto but that has never stopped me before. I have no problem with paranormal bl or sadness in bl. But for some reason every time I think I'm gonna watch it, I don't. I don't know if this has ever happen to anyone else but every once in a while this happens to me with a show or a film, like there's nothing wrong with it but I can't press play. And I have no idea why. I was hoping for some motivation I guess, just cause I'm a completionist and it's nagging me that I only have that one show left. Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. (thanks for the space)

@nothingsbetterthancoffee, as a fellow completionist, I understand. Nothing can be left unfinished. No stone can remained unturned. No show can be left unwatched! But also, this show is a HOT TOP for me, so let me easily help you by giving you not one but TEN reasons to watch He's Coming to Me:

It has color-coded boys in love. <- The reason I showed up

Med/Mes is a stable, loyal, and intelligent Blue Boy who is happy (yellow) even in death. Thun is a Red Rascal who is spontaneous, energetic, and passionate. The love was always there, but seeing the color exchange always brings a smile to my face.

It's only eight episodes, and they are FREE!

Think of this as an eight-hour workday. Eat some breakfast, clock in to YouTube, watch five episodes (because after episode 5 is the PERFECT place to pause a la Bad Buddy), eat lunch, come back, watch the final three episodes, then clock out.

I know nobody wants to think of watching shows as work, but sometimes it helps to see the finish line at the end of day. Structure aids in productivity. And free is my favorite kind of watching experience, so it makes it even better.

The rooftop scene needs to be shown respect.

Mentioning Bad Buddy reminded me that He's Coming to Me's episode 5 rooftop scene walked, so Bad Buddy's episode 5 rooftop scene could run. Put some respect on this show's name!

The team behind it are elite professionals.

Aof, the director and an out gay man, has given us EVERYTHING! Bad Buddy, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Moonlight Chicken, and so much more. Rath, the cinematographer, has served us beautiful visuals every single time in Never Let Me Go, Dark Blue Kiss, and countless others. The screenwriter, Title, gave us the MaxTul vehicle MANNER OF DEATH. Imagine the Powerpuff Girls, but with film making. THAT'S the level of power behind this show.

The cast is stacked.

You already mentioned Singto and Ohm whose backs must hurt from carry the plot of so many shows on their shoulders, but the rest of the cast is A+ as well.

Sing and Chimon play the best friends, and they are the very BEST best friends. Sing has given us Todd(Black), and Chimon is about to embrace his sugar baby-ness in the upcoming Dangerous Romance. If they can stand next to THE Gun and the Perth, while holding their own, they deserve some recognition.

The supporting cast could beat every other supporting cast in a fist fight without breaking a sweat. We have Gunsmiles (who is no longer on the GMMTV's roster, sad times) who played in one of the best plots in 3 Will Be Free. We have Ampere who plays the office ally in GAP and La Pluie. Then we have Jum who only knows how to play the kindest mother from GAP, The Eclipse, and the upcoming Last Twilight. The twins, AJ and JJ show up, as well as Love who riled up enough people with her performance in Bad Buddy to get her own GL show!

Finally, we have the main ladies! Gigie makes you feel bad that this is a BL, so she won't get the guy, but that's because she is such a good character! Then there is Sine. I won't write much about her because I'm in love with her. I can't be rational about her. She never misses, and as a vegetarian, I would eat meat if she told me to. I. Love. Her.

The plot carries.

We all know shows that drag out the main plot for far too long. This show isn't one. It understands the assignment, and has a genuine plot beyond two boys falling in love. It also has twists and turns throughout that make sense to the original plot. Nothing seems disconnected, and everything seems logical in a show about ghosts.

The love is real.

For only eight episodes, in which one is mainly about a CHILD seeing ghosts, the way the love unfolds between the two leads is realistic. It is odd to see them first encounter each other when Thun is a kid, and Med is already a dead adult, but the way they come together as adults is touching.

The conflicts are believable.

Because of the way Med and Thun meet, and the overall plot, the conflicts are believable. They aren't just having issues because they don't want to communicate, or because it's the second to last episode. NO! One is a ghost who had his entire life ended, and the other is a young adult trying to figure out his life. The hesitation, the separation, and the conflicts in between are plausible.

The coming out SCENES are top tier.

If there is only one reason to watch this show, this is it! I don't need BLs to have a coming-out scene. Ever. If all of these shows existed in a magical bubble where being gay is the norm, I'd love it, but something about how Thun comes out in several ways, first to himself, then to his friends, and finally to his mom are all handled in the most endearing ways. These scenes healed my soul long before Be Loved in House: I Do hit me with its coming-out scene.

It has a happy ending.

Not only does it have a happy ending, but it has several happy resolutions for all the plots. It makes sure to wrap up the narrative while giving a little extra that completes the stories without feeling rushed or random.

Now that I've given you all these reasons, I hope you find it in yourself to finish the series. I know the first episode is rough to make it through, but once you get to the second half of episode 2, it should be smooth sailing.

As for me, I need to go write up He's Coming to Me (in Colors) post.

(thanks for the ask)

[coffeelovesdramasalatte]

LITA Ep 2 rewatch thoughts

This is such a long post bc I included screenshots oops

I forgot to mention it last time but the opening is so catchy!! I also didn't know BossNoeul sang it until I'd already seen the whole show but that knowledge makes it even better :)

Since we're at the second episode, ofc they start us off with a lil recap. I'm happy to see P'Aon again, yay! Also I like the fun background music. Rain is giving inquisitive puppy vibes in this scene and I'm here for it <3 And then P'Aon mentions Phayu and he instantly turns into disgruntled kitten AHHH what a cutie

VERSUS

Also "how do I know your boss didn't do anything weird to my car" oh sweetheart, he already DID something weird to your car, it's all good now

Once again we get puppy!Rain vs. meow!Rain in the next scene (I'm serious, how tf does Noeul fit all this cuteness inside?)

VERSUS

P'Aon looking at Rain's number like it's the Holy Grail PLSSSS

Yassss Rain call your man out!! What have we got so far? Asshole, bastard, unprofessional, pervert - our boy sure has a range of vocab

Loving that weatherperson foreshadowing that Rain's future is about to have some storm-wrought turbulence - I think it's so funny when a character is like "I never wanna hear/see/think/experience X person again" and then one narrative later they take back those words real quick

I'm also a huge fan of the brothers' dynamic! P'Saifah is always down to call his brother a massive simp to his face, but can you blame him when Phayu literally has this besotted look on?

Ok but what happens next is really short but I think quite interesting. Saifah asks Phayu how long he's been single, and there's a long pause where the camera cuts to this look (see below) on Phayu's face. It kind of looks like he's been single for a while, and not exactly by choice - I get the impression he's been hurt in the past or he hasn't found what he's looking for. BUT then it's immediately followed up with Saifah checking in and Phayu saying "I'll tell you when something happens" with a rather gleeful look. He's already expecting Rain to meet his standards and not run away from him!!! I love how happy Saifah looks for his bro too

And then we get Rain channeling some meerkat energy (I know I've said this a thousand times but URGH WHAT A CUTIE). Also Sky's BS-meter firing so high and Rain's voice jumping like 5 octaves has me cackling every time

Actually, this whole section is quite funny - Rain skipping into the middle of the crowd and then immediately getting ready to run when he sees Phayu, and also there's something yellow+blue color-related going on here but idk what it is (it's cool tho!)

Here are the live reactions to Rain grabbing Phayu's arm to drag him away:

Phayu: mission accomplished 😎

Sky: prayin for ya bff 😇

Ple: I want that to be me 😒

Me + the rest of the students: hmmmm 🌈???????

Ok Rain really has a colorful vocabulary and Phayu is apparently is NOT here for it. Also are Phayu's lips magnets to you Rain? You did not have to stick your lips out like that when you're just tryna have a conversation about manners

I also find it very interesting that Rain is the one to pull Phayu along, first into the bathroom and then into the actual stall. On one hand I know he just doesn't want to be found out by other people but I do think it's rather telling that Phayu who is clearly much larger than Rain allows himself to be manhandled so easily.

First lip touch alert!!!

I'm talking about things I only know marginally about here but idk what else to call it so... I've never heard of a person dropping into subspace so friggin fast I mean all Phayu did was breathe on his neck for 0.2 seconds and Rain's goneeee. I was absolutely unprepared the first time I watched this, and even now on my nth rewatch I'm still feeling some type of way

I didn't notice this until someone pointed it out but Phayu does take a second to pull back and check in (peep the surprised eyebrow raise - clearly he didn't expect Rain to be so into it after like 2 seconds, but he's certainly not complaining)

I also didn't notice this before but Rain actually moans here. Very understandable. Also Phayu telling Rain he did a good job? Praise kink activated (Phayu really just awakened things in Rain one after another lmao)

Another entry into the Rain death-grips Phayu library

I'm actually a bit surprised Rain got yanked out of his headspace so fast - no wonder he collapses by the sink. It's good that Phayu verbally communicates with him right after instead of just leaving. Also interesting choice of words here... there def is something hard involved

I am a SUCKER for headpats. Give them all to meeeee

I can't tell if it's just a translation thing, but when Rain curses Phayu when Phayu is leaving, he doesn't immediately use any cuss words. Look at Rain being a good boy even when he's angry <3 Phayu looks SO satisfied lmao

WAIT SOMEHOW THIS FLEW RIGHT BY MY RADAR UNTIL NOW

Fruity siblings alert! Also Sky coming in clutch here. I don't really get why Ple is so insulted tho, she met Phayu for all of one min (tbf I'd probs react that way if I got to experience Phayu's presence irl though)

Cut to Red Blue boys racing heck yeahhhhhh let's go!!!

It's criminal we didn't get to see Rain fawn over Phayu in this racing outfit. He'd come undone like the rest of us

Also Prapai has a really nice smile! another cutie!!

Ok who is doing perimeter security for these races? Two boys with two shared braincells practically wandered right into the crowd with no trouble - I think if Rain hadn't looked so clueless he could've blended right in

I think the camerawork in these street racing scenes is interesting - I can't quite put my finger on it but it feels like there's something different about the technique or lens bc it looks different than other scenes

I feel like this is a good time to tell y'all I love the Fast and the Furious franchise so I'm right at home here

How strong is Phayu? Rain was actually going pretty fast but Phayu didn't even flinch when he barreled into Phayu's chest. Brick wall I tell you

They did the yellow blue thing again!

This must have been HILARIOUS to film like imagine going into work one day and your boss is like ok now spank your coworker and we're gonna record you

So the first couple of times I watched this I thought that Phayu was being unnecessarily harsh to Rain, but I think now I understand that it was to impart the gravity of the situation. Phayu really just wanted Rain to be safe and also his "grow up" comment comes into play later during the convo after Rain misses a deadline

Rain's death-grip on Phayu Counter: 3

I cannot believe this boy just BIT him so hard Phayu's lips bled. Phayu was so into it though lmao - did y'all hear his voice become so soft after the third kiss?

The line above is so funny to me like sir, the only kind of man you are is a capital F Fool-In-Love

Some more yellow-blue for us

Also he calls him P'Phayu here... what a good boy!

We love chef!Phayu in this house!

I love that Phayu has such confidence in Rain's abilities right from the start - this kind of encouragement is so healthy (in the screenshot below, Rain has just said that he wants to create designs like Phayu)

ALL MEN DO IS LIE (exhibit A see below)

PLSSS HE WAS ALMOST SELF-AWARE my dumb lil son

YASSSS YOU GOT YOUR PRIORITIES IN ORDER PHAYU

And that brings us to the end of episode 2! I'm having so much fun with this <3 Hope anyone reading this has a lovely day or night!!

[gustingirl]

10 films I love (not showing pictures lol)

tagged by my angie again @smythecriminal ilysm and you should know it.

ok this will definitely be long cuz i love talking about myself so after this break!

i. dead poets society (1989)

i think many of you have seen my obsession with this film oh my god it truly went through my heart and still does every time i rewatch it

ii. relatos salvajes / wild tales (2014)

i rewatch it every chance i have. there's something about watching humanity lose their mind over maybe mundane things, it's so weirdly entertaining. every story is written so beautifully, i can’t believe it didn't win an oscar

iii. velvet goldmine (1999)

i’m amazed not many people have seen this film, that's a whole crime. you got gay ewan mcgregor and gay christian bale, what else do you need? it's glam and it's fun to watch and i can go on but i already said what needed to be said

iv. esperando la carroza (1985)

one of the few films i can rewatch a thousand times and never get tired. i laugh every single time and i quote it at least once a day.

v. takers (2010)

it's a silly movie tbh but that makes it fun to rewatch. besides hayden christensen is hot as fuck and so is idris elba, the only problem is trigger warning chris brown but other than that it's such an enjoyable film

vi. hijo de la novia / son of a bride (2001)

i cried, i laughed, i sobbed, i enjoyed it so fucking much. i cannot rewatch it for the sake of my heart but please this movie is so perfectly done. it has a thousand life messages, they get to you the older you get.

vii. the budapest hotel (2014)

i’m sorry i really do enjoy wes anderson films. i’m obsessed with simmetry and he's the best at the cinematographic resource. besides, he does it so well, i’m surprised. it never feels forced and, adding to the palette he uses, it just has this feeling of comfortable and cozy, no matter the story.

viii. nueve reinas / nine queens (2000)

obsessed for real. well anything ricardo darin does but this one blew my mind. i just really enjoy watching films that completely distract me from the unimaginable ending. very well done, very easy to carry too.

iv. death becomes her (1992)

i've read that this film did not help meryl's career but i don’t understand how. i know she was doing many good dramatic movies with accents and strong scenes and this film was silly next to them, but it's so fun to watch. she's hilarious and so fucking beautiful oh my god and i had no idea bruce willis was this funny too!

v. el secreto de sus ojos / the secret in their eyes (2009)

had to leave this one for the end because i consider this film one of the few masterpieces i've seen on the big screen. i can’t even write down an opinion, it was outstanding. the ending still lives rent free in my head. deserved that oscar and many more.

little extra one just because: tacones lejanos / high heels (1991), i just love pedro almodovar's films so much

tagging @joon-rkive @mangoslixes @peachy-101 @zurdoabsurdo @50-cm @harryduboisbignaturalss @laucha-posting @70sturner @trashlord-007 @loser-user-noaccuser @guribel

[namtanlovesfilm]

i've seen love in the air (LITA) and i would like to argue in its favor... i think in 2022 we should all be past demonizing or belittling bl shows which plot focuses mostly on sexual relationships as if they're an unimportant part of lgbt people's lives (this has happened recently with ''only friends'', just after the trailer was released, its own director had to come out and /defend/ himself against what were blatantly puritan and subtly homophobic ''bl fans'' making this same argument). first of all, LITA is a romance bl so of course, the main plot is about the main characters falling in love with all it entails. and they do a excellent, excellent job at portraying 4 very different people in 4 different stages/backgrounds in life with 4 very different life experiences and how they come together and work through all things standing between them. LITA is more than a simple romance bl that says nothing once it's done. it has incredible SA survivor representation with all that it entails (dealing with PTSD, how it affects someone's perception of love and sex, how people help victims, how to slowly heal from it, etc) and it also has a great representation of ''you're more than just someone's boyfriend and being in love is not everything in life'' in the sense of academic success, hard work, determination, etc. yeah the NC scenes are good because the chemistry between the actors is great, but there's literally 5 NC scenes in 13 episodes total and they all make sense in the totality of the TV show.

i understand romance-based bls might not be everyone's cup of tea and people would rather watch things like triage, manner of death, not me or vice versa, which are more about the storyline than the love line, but ruling out LITA just because it's got NC scenes in it is doing a disservice to the effort and talent the actors have in portraying human, real and raw lgbt love experiences.

i hope you can give it a try, especially prapai and sky's story, since it tells a very beautiful tale of care, acceptance, overcoming trauma and building a healthy support system. <3

okay, that's another way to see it. the way you describe this series makes it sound way better than the basic university bl it seemed to be, which makes it seem actually interesting. I still probably won’t watch it bc I have many other shows in store & also sa survivor storylines that are too graphic bother me. (also mame’s OBSESSION with having sa survivors in every single on of her stories is weird, I’m sorry 💀 especially considering she’s romanticized sa multiple times as well 💀) that being said, I wanna make something clear (which I thought was clear if you scrolled to my blog but anyways): I am not against sex scenes. only friends is one of the 2023 shows I'm the most excited for, and I've praised p'jojo's (the same director) works featuring sex as an important part of life like the warp effect before. my issue with sex scenes in bl comes with bl not being a genre for lgbtq+ people to start with. it suffices to look at the original novels that inspire 99% of thai bl shows: they almost all feature & excuse sa in some form, and rely heavily on stereotypes of the small feminine main character with his pushy masculine love interest to only present ONE type of relationship, when lgbtq+ people are all unique & different. sure, bl has now a huge lgbtq+ following & many of the people creating bl shows are now lgbtq+ themselves, but that doesn't mean that most bl shows aren't still mostly meant for straight women. and if anyone opens their eyes for five seconds, they will realize that there is a reason why bl shows are a thousand times more sexual than straight thai dramas: bc most of those scenes are for fanservice rather than in service of the plot. and fyi I LOVE romances. it's the reason I love thai dramas so much, bc pretty much all of them are romances in some way. and I LOVE well done sex scenes like seanwhite's first time. so to pretend I'm demonizing all bl sex scenes instead of acknowledging the truth that most bl sex scenes are unnecessary & only there to arouse its audience is misplaced. if non bl thai dramas were as sexual as american shows for example, I wouldn't say a thing bc this oversexualization would be generalized (still not sure it would be okay though.) but here it's present ONLY in bl, which tells me everything there is to know.

xxx

[lenklanklonk]

I'm about to watch AoTC for the first time as an adult and I'm gonna put my thoughts here.

:read more:

1. Beginning scroll says thousands of star systems are leaving the Republic and I'm so shocked cuz like I never thought about how BIG The Republic is??? Ya know?

2. Poor Padmé she's genuinely sad that her handmaiden died and she even expresses her regret for even coming 😭

3. Like why is Naboo still part of the republic? At the end of TPM I totally expected Padmé to give a speech about how the Republic failed them and call for a vote on whether or not to leave. And she (so far) expressed disappointment/distrust in the Senate???

4. Jedi council are all in a meeting with Palpatine. Mace tells him "that we aren't soldiers and that we don't have enough people to protect the Republic." Which just disproves some anti-jedi arguments I've seen

5. Awww Yoda being so sweet and nice to Padmé

6. It's so bittersweet how much the Jedi still believe Dooku to be a good person

7. Jar jar in a dress

8. Obi Wan is like, telling her she's beautiful in front of my salad???

9. Obi-Wan and Anakin are just having a domestic in front of everyone is just so funny

10. Anakin hasn't seen Jar Jar in 10 years and yet the second Padmé leaves the room Anakin just starts ranting about his crush XD is the normal for him? like does Anakin pull random Padawans into conversation and just info dump his problems?

11. "I much rather dream about Padmé" right to Obi Wan's face!? This clown I can't stop laughing

12. Like I totally expect Anakin to have every one of her speeches saved, a scrapbook of her official photos, and maybe even a space Tumblr all about her XD (his username is QueenAmadalasHusband)

13. The only reason Obi-Wan doesn't approve of Padmé is cuz she's a politician XD if Anakin brought Padmé home for Thanksgiving for the first time. it would go like this

" Padmé what do you do for a living? :)"

"I'm a politician. :)"

"oh. :/"

14. Props to the people who worked on the chase scene. The CGI still holds up and the design of the buildings/speeders are nice

15. she's a changeling??? What does that mean in the sw universe cuz I don't think Anakin is saying she's a fairy

16. Looking at the club clothes I'm just thinking like damn what if Disney hired Haus of Gaga to design some star wars clothes

17. :( Yoda says that arrogance is popping up in more and more Jedi

18. Also Mace and Yoda having more faith in Anakin than Obi-Wan is ironic since Anakin would think the opposite

19. I just noticed that jar jar speaks some Spanish?? He said muy muy in the correct context

20. Anakin once again info dumping his problems onto people XD the victim this time? Padmé

21. The sadness Padmé expresses when she tells Anakin not to grow up too fast 🥺 Girl had to grow up so fast

22. Awww Obi-Wan gets hugs from Dex

23. Dex knows of the Kamino?? Huh

24. And now they're showing droidism... It's like finding out your favorite aunt doesn't like the immigrants "taking all the jobs" :/

25. Anakin and Padmé having a heart to heart at a crowded space Denny's

26. Wait Padmé straight up asks if loving is forbidden for Jedi and Anakin immediately corrects her saying "Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden...One might say the Jedi are encouraged to love."

Do the people who are anti-jedi even pay attention?? Like if you find the Jedi order boring just say that, you don't need to come up with a bs moral justification

27. Anakin "your are just like how I see you in my dreams."

Padmé proceeds to pretend she didn't hear that

28. Every time Anakin mentions having dreams about Padmé I just assume they're wet dreams

29. Yoda is teaching the younglings to listen to their feelings so the unfeeling Jedi trope is just fanon. Good to know

30. It's kinda sad how Padmé didn't actually enjoy being Queen

31. Padmé just straight up dis Anakin in front of the queen "he's not a Jedi just a Padawan learner" like I'm pretty sure every one who is in the Jedi order is called a Jedi the difference is only in rank

32. I do like Kamino design

33. Excuse me!? Anakin and Padmé are already kissing?? I feel like I missed a few scenes

34. Anakin straight up to Padmé's face suggests that if a wise person is in charge then maybe dictatorship isn't so bad. Palpatine's influence no doubt. He probably also got it into Anakin's head that he's the best one for the job

35. I can see why Jango/Obi-Wan is a thing. It's not for me but I see it

36. Anakin's "agony" speech is actually quite poetic. I personally don't find it romantic but it's certainly poetic and pretty sounding.

37. I know Anakin is talking specifically about his love for her but him saying that he can't be rational. is funny when applied to his whole character

38. Aww :( the foreshadowing of them keeping their relationship a secret would destroy them

39. Wow George Lucas is not subtle

40. Anakin's nightmare scene and all I can do is stare at his nipples 🙈

41. I'm glad they show Watto getting his cumupence

42. Props to the costume department Padmé is styling

43. I really do love Owen and Beru. I'm glad the actors got to come back for the Kenobi show

44. Wow Cliegg I know they kidnapped your wife but you really shouldn't generalize a whole people group like that. wow Ani really took what he said and Internalized it huh

45. 10,000 more systems!? Once again how BIG is the Republic!!????

46. Shim's actress is so good her trying to say 'I love you' made me tear up :(

47. I don't really like how short the scene where Anakin kills the tusken raiders. It's the first time (of the prequels) we see Anakin touch the dark side. It's a huge turning point for his character. I feel like it should be treated as a climax. Bit it feels anti climatic to cut away. I just feel like it should've highlighted more that these are real sentient people he's massacring.

48. What the fuck!? Anakin just blames Obi-Wan??? Palpatine don't gotta manipulate that. That boy will really blame everyone else before taking responsibility,

49. I can see why people type Ani as Nuro divergent

50. Anakin's response is interesting 🤔 to Padmé's statement that "it's human to be angry" is "I am a Jedi. I know I'm better than this." Idk on how to put it into words but this statement recontextulizes a lot for me... I think I'll make a whole post on its own about this

51. Cliegg at the funeral thanking Shim for everything 😭

52. Anakin,I hate sand, grabbing the dirt from Shim's grave :(

53. Wow Anakin thinks he already lost Obi-Wan like he lost his mom and Padmé is like nope we're going after him

54. Palpatine Really calling Padmé out for being radical enough to call a vote for emergency powers. I can't help but feel this is a reference to TPM

55. Dooku straight up lying to Obi Wan right from the start. It makes more sense now that Obi Wan didn't believe him when he said the sith was on the Senate

56. Dooku calling Obi-Wan,my young Jedi, really shows how the phrase got passed from master to master :)

57. Like really the only truth Dooku has said so far is about Darth Sidious I really don't blame Obi-Wan for thinking it's also a lie.

58. Jar Jar is the one who proposes giving Palpatine emergency powers 💀

59. C3PO and R2 really are the Scooby and Shaggy of the star wars universe

60. Padmé really was almost boiled alive

61. "I'm not afraid to die. I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life."

If I was drinking I would've done a spit take.

62. Awww Anakin looks genuinely surprised and happy that she loves him 🥹

63. Good to know that the base of their relationship is we may die so let's love each other while we can. At least on Padmé's side of things

64. Anakin said the "I've got a bad feeling about this" line. Now Obi-Wan knows Qui Gon's pain

65. Mace is so cool why do people hate him?

66. I've decided Obi-Wan and Mace are bros

67. Wow I did not know Mace was the one to kill Jango 😯

68. Jedi are dying :(

69. Wait the first plans for the death star started here???

70. In like a spy modern Au during the high speed chase scene Dooku would be on a motorcycle while the trio chase him in a car

71. Poor Obi-Wan. He missed Anakin's entire character arc and now has no idea how to properly communicate with him

72. I keep trying to figure out which clone is Cody but so far no luck

73. I do love Dooku's lightsaber design

74. Aww he pushed Anakin in exactly the right position to put his head on Obi-Wan's feet 🥺

75. Oh shit I forgot that this would be the first time audiences saw Yoda be BAMF. I hope people lost their shit

76. Padmé just runs up and gives Anakin a hug right in front of Obi-Wan and Yoda. These two are not subtle in the slightest

77. Mace doesn't dismiss Dooku's claim of Darth Sidious having control of the Senate. Once again another complaint I've seen turns out to not be true

78. Yoda is so wise for realizing that geonosis wasn't a victory but a loss cuz war has started

79. Having the imperial march play after the declaration of the clone wars starting makes me think that THIS is the true start of the Empire not when the Jedi order was destroyed

80. Padmé's wedding dress is so pretty. I want it

Final thoughts

I definitely had more fun watching this movie than TPM.

I found the beginning of the movie and the way the exposition was given hilarious. I laughed so hard.

Another take away from this movie is a lot of complaints about Mace, Yoda, and the order in general are not based on Canon just personal feelings

Even if Anakin never fell, Palpatine has everything planned so well the Empire would still rise. The Jedi were truly placed in a lose lose scenario. The countdown on the end of the Jedi order started with this movie

I don't understand why people found Anakin annoying but then again people really really don't like teenagers and Anakin was definitely acting his age of 19

It's obvious on Padmé's side of the relationship is: Fuck it, my whole life I've done my duty, never got to be a teenager, and I may die any day, I might as well do what I want and marry the man I love. I would rather love and lost than never loved at all.

But on Anakin's end he has a firm belief that he needs to get more and more powerful to keep the people he loves from dying. On his relationship with Padmé, I think Anakin's brain functions on an if so, then statements. If I love Padmé and she loves me, then we should get married. :) And that's all the thought he put into it.

Padmé has accepted her mortality. Anakin has not.

Poor Obi-Wan. He missed Anakin's entire character arc so 1) he can't properly help Anakin with his emotions 2) correct Anakin's wrong assumption that if he got more powerful he could solve his problems and 3) now can't communicate properly since Obi-Wan doesn't know their relationship dynamic has changed

Phew it's done!

Because I kept pausing to write my commentary this movie took 4 hours to watch XD

I can't believe I wrote 80 points. I may put some of them in separate posts

Thank you for reading till the end. The fact that someone cared enough about my thoughts to read the whole thing makes me very happy 😊

May the Force be with you!

[eigwayne]

I've been watching My Sassy Princess, because it's a work day and I need something I can play on the side while I accomplish things and Nirvana in Fire is NOT it. That's a "maybe do some sewing but main attention on the screen" show, whereas My Sassy Princess is... definitely not.

The pacing is breakneck so there's no real breathing room to relax, get to know the characters and really get into their world and minds. But you can easily look away for huge chunks of an episode and just pick up wherever it is because very little of what you miss is plot. Which is an odd feeling, because if so little of the show is relevant to the stolen silver plot then why does it feel like it's moving too fast? It's like those scenes in Turn A Gundam, where you feel like they skipped some stuff only to realize you wouldn't have cared about the bit they skipped anyways, so maybe moving along was good- except that Turn A Gundam is a better show in every regard.

I do not like the main character. I'm sure there's a way to have your female lead be spoiled and mercurial in temperament to hide how hurt she is inside but this was not it. The lead actors feel like they're phoning it in sometimes, which did not help, and I hate to say that about Zheng Yecheng because I loved him in Love of Thousand Years and Mirror Twin Cities. And did he always not move his upper lip? I don't remember but it's distracting. Also not a well executed character. I do however, have a new appreciation for Zhang Yue, who plays the second female lead Xu Shijin and was Wan Qiqi in Love Like the Galaxy. She's giving the best performance out of the younger cast, plus her plotline is the only one I care about anymore (exaggerating but only a little). Her interactions with Liu Ling are cute and supportive (and slashy- if you told me this was censored GL I would believe it). Merxat is handsome as always and doing okay I guess but I don't care about his character except as an extension of Xu Shijin's plot.

Sometimes the show looks lovely- I know Jinyiwei aren't supposed to wear those uniforms outside court or something but I appreciate the costume eye candy- but sometimes there's noticeably weird shots. It's disconcerting how many times they have the character speaking at the camera like it's the POV of the other person. I do not like it, and I imagine people who are eye-contact-sensitive will hate it.

Also, the fake horses? Really noticeable. There was an attempt to hide they were using fake horses for some scenes, but it was not a good attempt, and they gave up in ep 18. I would put that practical effect above Basement Dog but below the dragon riding effect in... shit was it Back From the Brink or Love Between Fairy and Devil? I think they both had dragon-riding scenes with practical effects combined with or stitched into CG bits, but one was better than the other. Sassy Horses are below both, I think.

I am having fun sometimes but this show is best seen early in one's C-drama watching career, before other shows have raised your standards. It's a potentially fun romance with some scheming and such, but once you see Love Like the Galaxy or Minglan, this is a weak show. The best word for it is "clumsy". It's clumsily executed.

Theme songs are great, though.

[unboundtravels]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 (𝙂𝙤𝙩𝙝) 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 ——— 𝘈 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺

Welcome to the first of my many out-of-sequence character studies that I do whenever I feel like it. The First on the list is The Goth Doctor. Coming just off the heels of The Time War, having just freshly ended a centuries-long conflict with a great loud bang— The Doctor is at his lowest here, and he's got a long climb back to being who he once was, a long time ago. A study in 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, and 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟, as well as realizing that the conscious self is 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝. Look inside yourself and realize that in order to 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, you must first ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.

If you were watching the series through a chronological means, and I was able to identify moments where some threads were shown on screen, and others were extended media and as such were not mainstream, then we would have never seen The War Doctor's regeneration (nor most of The Time War) for that matter. So, I would just rip off the show, essentially. The reason I'm saying this is because I don't think I prefer to depict first introductions with Goth as mysterious. If ever I am plotting any kind of ship with him, I make it a rule never to build a long-term ship off of one of his first moments. After The War Doctor regenerates. Those scenes are one-off interactions, an encounter with a relationship that will start and end, and will never be built upon. This is mostly because The Doctor who comes out of The TARDIS only moments after The Time War... is a totally different Doctor who comes out of The TARDIS weeks after The War. He goes through a LOT of acceptance very quickly that he is THE LAST of his kind. There are brief flickers of hope, here... but NEVER denial. There's only ever denial in the form of the idea that anyone aside from him survived the final day of the war.

So when we (being this imaginary audience that I've created in my head because I'm delusional) meet him for the first time, there's no doubt about it: This is The Doctor, and something very terrible has happened to him. The damage is obvious, and the healing is painful. We meet a Doctor who is rude, insensitive, distant, and sometimes... he's just plain mean. He actively goes out of his way to avoid forming connections. His observations are silent (save for moments of high stress), and his deductions are direct, pointed, and quick. His insensitivity helps to quickly silence those he finds disruptive, as he rushes them along to try and get through an adventure as quickly as possible. The idea that he even still adventures at all is a testament to how that lifestyle is an escape for him. Helping people is his escape because that's the kind of person he is. Someone who ignores his own feelings for the sake of helping others.

In this approach towards continuing on, The Doctor purposely sabotages his chances of forming connections and friendships because, rightfully so, a lot of his companions call him out on his horseshit. He knows he's in pain and rather than admit this truth to himself, or anyone for that matter— he instead chooses to ignore it. He dismisses any attempts for introspection, he blocks out criticism by overpowering others with his status and his role, and most importantly of all— he starts to become the guy who'd sacrifice one person for thousands. Even when he thinks he is betraying his own code of honor by fighting in the war, The Doctor always puts himself before others. Now, when he was going by the name— he was doing it so plainly, and he didn't even really acknowledge it. He just accepted it. He swore up and down that his actions were for the good of others, but he stared at his enemies' many defeats with a distant and cold expression that made him look more alien than he ever had been before. 

I don't make myself plot out Goth's connections nearly as much as I should. I think I'm always worried that showing his characterization will be a rough and angsty process, but I know it's an important journey for The Doctor that I need to write out and explore. I think in my heart of hearts, he has more than a few of companions. One gets carried over toward The Next Incarnation, but I know that he isn't alone for most of his "tenure" as The Doctor. He does, however, spend the most time and most of his many stories by himself. He does the most one-off adventures and has the most isolated events. This is because most of his relationships end poorly once The Doctor's self-destructive behavior gets too much for them to handle. I will say, however, that every single fight he ever had did something to improve The Doctor.

After his first companion's departure, The Doctor spends a fair amount of time by himself afterward. He begins to show signs of introspection by starting to improve his general bedside manner, which prior to the first departure, had been almost entirely absent from his characterization. It's small and subtle at first— he tries to reign in his insults and will often catch himself. He tries to be more supportive. He offers a hand on the shoulder when there needs to be one, offers pity to those who can't control themselves, and reins in his bouts of anger before they erupt. He's not perfect. His bad side still does come out. He still does lose his temper and lose his control. However, for every single person he hurts... Is another chip in his heart. Eventually, they break. And boy does he break.

"The entire Dalek race wiped out in one second." "YOU LIE!" "I watched it happen. I MADE it happen!" "YOU... DESTROYED US?"

There is no moment, I think, more important to me than his first Dalek story. The first one after the time war. Very clearly an adaptation of The 2005 episode of the same name. I tell any Star Trek mutual about it because I love adapting it for a thread. The Doctor and the Federation cross paths when they discover an icy planet that for just one moment, cries out for help, before going totally silent. The Doctor, of course, having gone through more than a few "seasons" and with a revolving cast of companions who have shaped his character and helped him become more cooperative, immediately reaches out to the nearest starship in passing and inquires if they've picked it up. If not, he shows them his sample of it, and requests they assist him in aiding someone. Of course, he's a hardass and is like "Look, I'm only cooperating with the authorities because this is a time zone in which you guys are the top dogs. I want your help so that I don't get into any trouble for poking my nose around trying to do the right thing. If you don't aid me, I'm totally capable of going on my own. I just don't want any trouble when I get there." I don't know enough about other Star Trek mutuals to know if this appeal works as a good testament to his character: His desire to seek out the local authority and work through the proper channels, but wanting to drop everything to aid in assisting this local cry for help. I've never done a thread where it hasn't worked, but I'd be down to see where that goes. An imprisoned Doctor is still a cooperative Doctor toward the faction he wants to be on the good side with.

Either way, he gets down to the planet, and they soon learn through a complex political fiasco that it's a Dalek who's fallen through from the last day of The Time War. It was calling out for help because it was being tortured, and it was attempting to broadcast out to the rest of The Dalek Empire: assuming that they would come to seek him out and as such he attempted to endure the pain. When The Doctor shows up, the Dalek is agitated. It insists that it will kill its greatest enemy, which is The Doctor. For The Dalek Empire... for The War effort... but The Doctor breaks the bad news, in a way that he finds satisfying. If this was a crossover episode, it would happen in Star Trek. A silent way to establish that these two are lifelong enemies is by showing the most raw and pure emotional reactions towards one another: Hatred. The Doctor is an enemy of The Daleks, and The Daleks are his greatest rivals, having been the secondary faction in some great, silent, centuries-long war that required him to wipe out both The Daleks and his own race, in order to end. Exposing The Doctor's trauma, and forcing him to face it head-on in an environment he is unfamiliar in exposes his desperation. Through desperation, The Doctor shows off the qualities that make him just as human as anyone else he's traveled with. He's capable of fury, he's capable of rage, and when he encounters The Dalek... he lets it all out.

Eventually, The Dalek does break loose... and it does start massacring its captors and their prisoners. The Doctor has to step up to the plate and combat it, but when he finally goes on one with The Dalek for a final showdown in the wasteland, The Doctor lets it all out. He matches hate with hate and gets nowhere. He even shows the Dalek a side he's quickly ashamed of when he openly wishes death upon it. Prompting it to tell him that after all this time... after everything... The Doctor has changed. He displays that even he too is capable of becoming just like The Daleks. "You would make a good Dalek." and he is stunned. Floored. He looks around at the chaos surrounding him and stands firm.

"You're right..." Spreading his arms out wide. "Finish it."

He would rather die than be anything like The Daleks. He surrenders. I won't spoil how the thread/story resolves, to no one's surprise: The Doctor survives. He returns to his current companion, and they resume their adventures after a victory lap where he gets to recover from it. He displays new emotions and new traits. He's more open, more concerned, and puts himself out there. Never... not one person... not on his watch. No more sacrifice plays. His Dalek episode is a season finale episode, but Goth gets one last season after to mark the end of his run. He is obviously more mature and heroic in his final season. He is compassionate, considerate, sensitive, and reassuring while still maintaining the sassy charm that gives his softer and brighter moments some contrast to the darker and more depressing moments.

And in his final story (which Hina has to suffer through all the time) The Doctor shows just how far he's come when he sacrifices himself for his companion. He faces off against an entity that possesses individuals and drains them of his life force. Once it enters his body, it immediately rips apart every single cell in his body and triggers his regenerative process... a trick. The regenerative process burns the entity alive inside of The Doctor, but it also seals the deal. The Doctor is dying. However, for once, he's actually belated for it. Life is going to go on. Not just his, but his companion's. He's resigned to his fate, which makes his regeneration bittersweet due to how uplifting The Doctor is during the whole ordeal. He's confident and excited for the next phase of his life... because he knows a new lease on life will cement the changes he's worked hard to make... and he ends up being right.

Because the next guy... is going to do him some real justice. 

[aprillikesthings]

I'm so envious of people who write fast and write easily. I can often picture scenes but then I go to describe them and there's just no way they'd work that way, or once it's in words it looks fucking dumb, or I can't find the words to describe the things I can feel and see in my head, and there are days it's like this monumental effort to get down ANYTHING.

But also: up until l literally 2016 I had convinced myself I couldn't write fiction at all! So part of me still believes it's all been a fluke and I will once again be unable to write fiction any day now. Which isn't true??? That's. Not how it works.

I only started writing because I'd fallen hard for Amethyst/Peridot in SU, and there was a tiny handful of fics in the tag. I wrote down a silly headcanon in narrative form and posted it before I could change my mind--and people liked it!

And then I had an idea for a story, and then another story, and then another one--and people liked them! I was writing for a tiny corner of the fandom, but anything new I posted got about 100-150 hits and a few dozen kudos in the first 24-48 hours, because that was the number of people obsessively checking the ship's tag and attempting to read everything.

(It's still funny to think about, but I wrote, like, a double-digit percentage of the explicit Amedot fics out there; which means that anyone who liked smutty stories of those two had likely at least attempted to read my stories!)

And then like a week after the first K/DA video came out, I managed to post the first explicit Akali/Evelynn K/DA fic, and shit blew up from there. I will never forget the :O of watching my hit count climb to 1000 in a single day. I kept refreshing the fic over and over and realizing: dozens of people are reading this. Right this second. While I sit here in my pj's. WHAT. THE FUCK.

For a few months? I think?, that first K/DA fic of mine was the third most kudos'ed fic for the entire League of Legends fandom tag!

(If you sort for the pairing/explicit/by kudos, I'm still on the first page; but definitely not top five, lol.)

I still think my K/DA fics are some of my best writing, but a huge reason for it was being in a very active server (...which I started) and constantly bumping ideas off of each other. Also if you're writing all the time you just get better at it!

I wrote a few things for Arcane, and what's wild is that one of them is my most popular fic by FAR, but so many people were reading Arcane (...okay, specifically CaitVi) fics that that one is nowhere near the top for that fandom, by any way of measuring things.

ANYWAY. I've said all this before.

But I'm hella out of practice writing fic. I mostly yell into the void here when I'm stuck on something, though I've been doing that less lately.

But I've never been a fast writer! There's been a handful of times I've managed more than a thousand words in a single day, and I know people who can do like 4k words per day on the regular, no problem.

And even the stuff I do write, these days I want to edit like fifty times before posting them. Mostly because my ability to spot issues in my writing is sharper than my ability to fix them, I guess? But also because I constantly change my mind on things.

I'm not going to lie: I knew I wouldn't get a lot of readers, I'm writing an au a lot of people don't care about four years after the end of the show. But it still sucks to see how slowly any of my numbers increase. I got hella spoiled back in the day; I took a screenshot of the kudos email after I posted the one explicit CaitVi fic I wrote because it was BANANAS. (And posted it to facebook to brag lol.)

But dammit, I want to tell this fucking story. I haven't even gotten to the good fun stuff yet; the stuff I'm really excited about that I've seen in my head a thousand times.

I keep refusing to let myself write it, out of fear I won't write the stuff in between, but I think I might sketch out some of my ideas anyway, just to help push me to write the stuff between now and then.

ugghghgh it's been nearly a week since I managed to write anything on my au fic but I got some words down finally

Dunno if they're any good but it's something

Writing them being apart, meeting new friends; all that shit--it's difficult!

But also once again I ended up googling shit like "what were school lunches like in the 1960's" (bad, but mostly bad in the same way home cooking was at the time--nothing fresh, lots of meatloaf and canned green beans and pints of milk)

[lovelycleon]

So I decided to make an analysis about the last scene of Infinite Darkness

But before I start with the fun part, I just want to tell you that my history with “angst ships���

I had a bad experience with another ship, soul mates full of angst tropes and true love, beautiful... and a really bad ending because the showrunner fought with the actors (I wasted years watching and I regret it).

Anyway, after suffering that kind of pain, no other ships and angst scenes can hit me hard enough. I'm numb or just got used to it. You choose.

So maybe the scene of Leon and Claire's argument wasn't that impactful for me because of that. But for all the fans who felt hurt, I understand and it's okay to feel that way, because the scene was meant to hurt. The scene exists because of that. And your feelings are valid.

So let's get to the fun part.

spoiler alert, it's not that fun, it actually hurts 😅

The scene starts with Leon going to meet Claire at the gates of the White House.

I don't think anyone denies the fact that, whatever Leon is doing, he just wants to protect Claire. And he doesn't want her involved because of it.

But this dialogue makes this even more evident if we analyze how it begins.

Nothing in a show or movie is by accident. Everything is handpicked for one reason or another. The meaning is not always that deep, but there is still a meaning behind it all.

So when – of all the ways a conversation can be started – they decide to make Claire joke that she sneaked out of the hospital, Leon takes it seriously and she has to clarify that it's a joke, there's a reason:

Show that Leon is taking what happened to her too serious, and Claire not that much.

When Claire makes a comment about when he's going to stop treating her like a kid and he says probably never. There's a reason:

Show that Leon wants to protect her (or being overprotective) and Claire doesn't like it.

Of course, some might argue that this specific line is capcom trying to show that their feelings aren't romantic and sink the ship completely. And, ok, people are free to think that.

But if they really wanted to sink cleon forever, they shouldn't have done the scene of Leon saving Claire the way they did. They did it because they knew it would tease a certain part of the fans... They knew exactly what they were doing...

And there's simply no reason to tease a ship you want to sink.

So no, I don't think that's it...

For me the scene means the classic and simple: "stop being worried about me🙄" "noooo🗣️"

Another way to intensify Leon being overprotective is Claire's broken arm. A reminder that she was injured following his plan. Just as she was hurt the last time they saw each other in Harvardville.

And yes, I know Degeneration made Claire hurt to take her out of the action. It is undeniable. But somehow I don't think the same situation and reason applies to Infinite darkness.

Because Claire was already out of combat, following Leon's plan and showing no intention of doing anything different. It's not like she's going to attack the monster that is several platforms higher than where she is. She couldn't fly around and there were no guns where she was anyway.

So why hurt her to get her out of combat if the story itself has already done that?

Again, you are free to think differently. Capcom made Claire dirty, she was underestimated and they wasted her potential. I won't argue with that, I'm also on the team Claire deserves better.

I just don't think it fits this specific situation.

The injured arm is there and a awkward conversation about Leon being overprotective starts because of it. I think it makes sense.

So moving on.

Claire mentions the chip and Leon looks disappointed for a moment and says he thought they were going to dinner.

This is to indicate that he didn't come to see her with the intention of breaking their friendship. Leon just wanted to spend a good time with her and nothing more. Some place a little more normal, maybe?👀

But Claire wants the chip and tells Leon her plan. The same plan that Shen May was killed trying to convince her partner to follow. Is there a parallel here?

The only difference is that Jason broke her neck while Leon decided to break Claire's heart.

Okay now I could show more parallels between them, but I won't because this is already too long and I know maybe I'm reading too much into this. Resident Evil isn't that deep most of the time 😂

Anyway, Claire asked for the chip and Leon said no.

And that's the point, right.

The climax of the conversation and the turning point in their relationship.

Note that Leon took a few seconds to say he couldn't. That was the moment when he made his decision...

He went to meet her for dinner, remember? He didn't expect to have this conversation or make a decision like that. But he had to.

Now, I'm not from the US and I don't trust politicians in general, fiction or not. But I admit this sounds realistic.

Just imagine if the president makes a speech about peace and prosperity and whatever and the next day the media reveals that members of the government are involved in BOW and planning an attack on another country.

At the very least, it won't look good.

In the worst case, it will be a catastrophe 😂

So... I don't agree with Leon, but I understand why he chose this.

It's an important decision, however. And how long it takes him to say something and how he's quiet after saying it shows he knows what's on the line. Not just the security of the country and “peace”, but also his relationship with Claire.

And despite everything... He didn't lie to her.

It would be much easier for Leon to simply say "the chip was destroyed in the fight" when she asked. Claire would never know about it and probably never doubt him. And they would still be fine with each other and having dinner.

But he didn't lie. Why?

Because their relationship is not based on lies. And it's not based on betrayals.

And while it may be hard to believe right now and it hurts to think about it, this relationship is still based on truth and trust in each other. And now their relationship is being tested.

It's easy to trust someone you're on good terms. How hard it must be to trust someone who has let you down.

There is a lot of room for development here.

Obviously Claire felt hurt in this moment. Maybe even betrayed. Heartbroken. I think we all feel that same way.

But Leon played fair there. He said he had the chip, showed it to her, and then said he wouldn't give it to her.

He was honest with her. And this act also shows respect.

They are two people with different points of view and that truth hurts.

There is silence as they look at each other. She never asked his reasons and he obviously never told them. The exchange of glances is enough for them to understand what was happening.

When Claire says “you do things your way and I do mine” it's almost like “do you know what that means? ”

Then Leon nods and another moment of silence. The time they need to accept that the relationship is broken.

Now that's angst

Interesting choice of camera angle. Showing her broken arm as a visual reminder of why he was pushing her away like that.

Claire leaves, but looks back and says again that his outfit doesn't suit him.

What's interesting here is that the director has done a few interviews over the past few weeks and he always said that the suit is a representation of Leon's position in government.

Claire commenting that it doesn't suit him is basically the writers/producers/directors admitting that this position doesn't look good.

And while all the characters praising Leon for his success, Claire is the one who sees this reality and who he truly is out of the suit (position)

And that's good angst.

Claire walks away and Leon with a sad look watching her leave and he has to say to himself "I will stop this".

Could it be just one of his one-lines? Yes.

Could it be a way for him to remind himself why he's doing this, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with Claire?

It's already done, now he has to make it worth it.

Whatever happens after that is a mystery.

I don't think Claire believes that Leon is going to cover up the government's involvement in things (their discussion would be much more intense if that were the case), she probably thinks he's going to resolve it internally without taking anything public, which is precisely what she wants to do.

I also don't think Leon believes Claire is going to give up on the investigation, he probably thinks it's going to take some time to her to get real evidence and he has time to carry out his plans.

But this is capcom... They are masters of forgetting plot points. So who knows.

Angst is only good if it has a good closure. I hope they keep that in mind.

In any other tv show that used this kind of angst trope and drama I would be completely fine...

I would expect a sequel to this plot. The characters find each other unexpectedly, having to work together and acting awkwardly because they don't know how to stick around each other after the argument. Then the story would develop and they would gradually mend their relationship.

That's the trope.

So that's all I can hope for.

[lilflowerpot]

You know, among the many narrative parallels and contrasts between Keith and Lotor, one I've never heard anyone talk about is the obvious mirror of Lotor's situation with Narti and Keith's situation with Shiro/Kuron. And I won't ask for information about how that might (or might not, as the case may be) play out in LB, but I was rather curious about you take on the subject?

GOD don't even do this to me, I have //so many// feelings about this. Brace yourself my darlings.

So it would be really easy to sit here and say that these paralleled situations—Narti being used by Haggar to spy on & betray Lotor’s squad, and Kuron being controlled by Haggar to spy on & betray team Voltron—are virtually identical, and that the key difference comes in the form of how Lotor/Keith responded to this apparent betrayal by their close friend and confident, therefore fundamentally painting Lotor as the moral shadow to Keith's light... which I think is almost certainly what the vld writers were going for.

But personally? I believe it to be a lot more nuanced than that.

Because, yes, Lotor took the "kill first ask questions later" approach, whereas Keith fought for Shiro/Kuro to the very last, but despite how closely paralleled these scenarios were, the circumstances leading up to these two moments of revelation are simply not equal.

But let’s start with Keith.

[[ Keith: ”I don’t know what’s wrong, but I know we can fix this. Let me help you." ]]

This moment (s06ep05) in particular, taking place immediately after Haggar has instructed Kuron to lure Keith & the Black Lion away from her fleet, is crucial in highlighting the difference in circumstance for Keith vs Lotor; where Keith doesn’t know what’s happening, only that “Shiro” has seemingly betrayed Voltron—but, importantly, in a non-aggressive manner, engaging in only the minimal amount of combat necessary to liberate his quarry—Lotor rapidly and accurately assesses the situation to surmise that Narti has been (and will continue to be) used against him & his friends, and so is an active threat.

But look at this, look at Keith, look at him when faced with Shiro (who he must know isn’t quite his Shiro, by this point, considering they’re surrounded by a hundred clones), because he’s so calm and gentle and pateint and loving..

[[ Keith: “Shiro, I know you’re in there. You made a promise once. You told me you’d never give up on me.” ]]

[[ Shiro: “And I should have abandoned you just like your parents did. They saw that you were broken. Worthless. I should have seen it too.” ]]

[[ Keith: “I’m not leaving here without you.” // Shiro: “Actually, neither of us are leaving.” ]]

So this brings us to the first vitally important component that distinguishes Keith’s situation from Lotor’s: where our favourite paladin has only his own life at stake (and if you’ve watched the show you should know that Keith would choose Shiro over himself a thousand times over), Lotor has other people to consider and protect—not only his life, not even just the lives of his friends, but an entire Empire’s worth of people... but we’ll get to that in a minute.

First, allow me to break Lotor’s scene down.

[[ Lotor: "Transpose the dynamics and run that protocol again." [...] "You think you can fool me, witch? Destroy the bug." ]]

Immediately upon leaving high command and being cast aside once more by Zarkon (s04ep03), Lotor orders Narti to “run the protocol to search for trackers,” and, when she doesn't find anything, to "transpose the dynamics, and run that protocol again." This clearly demonstrates for us how intimately familiar Lotor is with Haggar’s tactics: he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was not letting him walk out of High Command without something in place to spy on him and track his movements. Despite Zarkon having clearly bought his “subservient son” act, Lotor is fully aware that Haggar isn’t so easily fooled, and his conviction in this is such that even when the initial scans showed nothing was amiss he didn’t hesitate before demanding that Narti run another, because his dealings with the Empire have never been so simple.

[[ Matt: "I've never seen troop mobilization on this scale before. [...] Lotor: "What's happening?" / Zethrid: "A galra fleet are attacking us!" / "Return fire!" / Zethrid: "Wait, there's another fleet... and another one! We can't hold them all off!" ]]

Then we have the situation in which Lotor clocks Narti’s “betrayal”. As noted by Matt, troop mobilization of the scale ordered by Zarkon against Lotor is unheard of, and of course Lotor—as someone who not only grew up in the Empire, but briefly commanded it—will have known full-well that the sheer quantity of Imperial fleets suddenly appearing on his doorstep (so soon after he was allowed to leave Imperial command without his father batting an eye) means that something significant changed. Zarkon is a man of action, Lotor knows this, so if his father had suspected anything when he was in the same damn room, he would have dealt with him then and there, but he didn’t, which means this is a new development: one that must have occurred in the brief period since Lotor left High Command.

[[ Acxa: "How did they find us?" / Zethrid: "We must have been tracked." ]]

So then we come to the scene in which Narti actually dies, in the immediate prelude to which you can virtually see Lotor’s mind ticking. Remember, he knows his father and Haggar with horrifying intimacy, meaning he’s fully aware that only the witch could have changed the Emperor's mind so quickly, the question is: how? As Zethrid says (see. above), they must have been tracked, it’s the only explanation for such a swift exacting response, but Lotor found Haggar’s tracker, which means she must have another, undetectable method of spying on him, which means—

Look at his face. Lotor isn’t one to be outwardly emotive, so this might come across as callous or cold, but at the very least we can agree that this is not the face of a man lashing out in a rage. He certainly isn’t reacting as if he believes Narti betrayed him of her own free will—that heartbreaking moment of horrified realisation belongs to Acxa (see. below)—no, in this moment Lotor’s actions are being driven by the same thing his entire character is built around: the Greater Good. Because killing Narti isn’t about cruelty, or revenge, or some sort of innate “evil” at the core of Lotor’s very being,,, killing Narti is about protecting his friends and the universe as a whole.

Crucially, the thing Keith had that Lotor didn’t, is time. Not in the grand scheme of things, true, but where Keith (in s06ep05) is clearly established as the pursuer rather than the pursued, for Lotor it is quite the opposite.

Hear me out; Lotor is surrounded by numerous Imperial Fleets (not individual ships, entire fleets, with more appearing every second) with the four people he trusts most in the universe. They can’t fight their way out of this, the odds are impossible. He is also in possession of the only thing that can rival voltron in terms of raw power—Sincline, though unfinished, has already displayed the potential to be better than the Lions, because it has an extra 10,000 years of knowledge and technological advancement behind its creation—and Lotor absolutely cannot allow it to fall into his father’s hands. His only viable option is to run, and run now, because their battle-cruiser is being torn apart and they’re out of time and if they all die here then everything he’s ever done in the name of building a brighter future has been for nothing, but- but they’re being tracked. And he realises, it’s Narti, it must be, because she was the only one with him when he went to face his father, and she’s a telepath of all things, and if they take her with them then they’ll never outrun the Empire but if they leave her behind... will she be tortured for information? Forced to use her unique abilities against them??

There are no good options for Lotor in this moment, and worse than that there’s no time to find any, so he does the only thing he can do and mercy-kills his friend (because she was his friend, and I believe that with every fibre of my being), before she can become a prisoner of war, or get the rest of their little misfit family killed... and it’s not even just Acxa, Ezor, Zethrid, & Lotor himself at risk because, again, Sincline rivals Voltron. If Zarkon gets his hands on it, that’s it, game over, not just for Lotor but for the whole damn universe.

[[ Acxa: "For Narti." ]]

But then s04ep05 happens, and we see that despite Lotor making the hard—impossible—call of sacrificing one friend to save three others, and immediately heading to Daibazaal in a last-ditch effort to penetrate the rift and provide enough quintessence energy that the Empire might be sustained without need for bloodshed (either slave colonies, the Komar, or the use of alteans) so that he might spare literal millions of lives,,,, the very friends he saved betray him.

And I want you to look at the moment when he wakes after being betrayed by Acxa, really look at it, because Lotor is shot by one of his most trusted confidents only to wake bound and afraid, and even then in this moment of pure disorientated panic, he only shows his true feelings for a second before composing himself. That’s what I mean when I say he plays his cards close to his chest, and that’s why I think judging how much he cared for Narti based on his expression (or lack thereof) upon killing her is completely unfair: if this is all the emotion he shows when in a situation entirly outside of his control, then of course he’d be more composed when actively making a decision... even if that decision was a horrible one.

Tldr; Keith had the luxury of both time and the security of risking “only” (I say, as if the concept isn’t heartbreaking) his own life for Shiro’s, whereas Lotor has neither of these things. The circumstances in which they are each faced with the betrayal of a close (quite possibly their closest) friend are not equal, and as such cannot fairly be used to cast judgement upon their respective moral characters.

[dentedsky]

Review of The Untamed

This is one of the only tv shows i have ever marathoned and then immediately watched all over again. I started watching this show on Netflix knowing absolutely nothing about it; i didn't even know it was a gay love story... likewut. I had previously over saturated myself with American sitcoms and so looked for something completely different. Little did I realise I would smack myself in the face with my own love for the characters, themes, costumes, and downright beauty of the thing. I was immediately hooked in when in the first scene the lead character is murdered by his brother, cos I am a real sucker for stories that start out with, "Once upon a time, I DIED!!!" That to me is pure chef's kiss.

If you haven't watched it yet, let me forewarn you: the first two episodes are a clusterfuck of situations and lines and characters you don't give a shit about and have no context for. But push past these into episode 3 and beyond, and trust me, you will.

So here is my review of The Untamed. I'll try to be as spoiler-less as possible.

General premise

Five major clans control majority wealth, power and magic. Teenager Wei Wuxian is from one of these clans, and attends Ancient Chinese Hogwarts with BFFs/siblings Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng. But it's not all fun and hormones; soon after the semester ends they are thrown into war. Despite knowing magic and sword art, they are woefully under-prepared for the carnage and political shitshow that follows. Alliances fray, hearts are broken... and Wei Wuxian dies.

Sixteen years later he is resurrected by a necromancer who wants revenge on his shitty family. Wuxian's crush from magical high school, Lan Wangji, is now a 30-something hottie and a top-tier wizard, and is investigating a sword spirit that's gone apeshit. Since the revenge plot and the sword spirit issue are related, they team up buddy-cop style to solve the mystery.

The Pros

Costume and set design

It's beautiful. Someone in the costume department was having a ball with this one bc every outfit is gorgeous and unique. The long shots of the ancient Chinese sets are eye candy too. I found myself drinking in every little detail of their clothes and swords.

Themes and metaphors

I've seen a couple of Australian movies that talk about asylum-seekers, but I've never watched a show that has brought in the subject quite like this one. No doubt the episodes dedicated to our untamed hero Wei Wuxian saving war prisoners are a metaphor for China's incarceration of its minorities, but for me I was seething, constantly remembering that cunts like John Howard chose to use their power to treat people fleeing oppression like they were nothing but inconvenient garbage. Why governments choose to infeasibly sweep refugees under the rug rather than help them I still don't understand. In The Untamed, it's highlighted that the reasons are all about power - who has power must do all they can to keep it, even if it means torturing people they have never met, and slandering those who don't fall in line.

Cancel culture and mob mentality is a constant theme in the show, shown throughout several episodes from start to finish. Although set thousands of years before the invention of the internet, The Untamed highlights one important truth: internet trolls have always existed in some form or other and they will never change. They don't attack the reputation of others because they honestly believe that person deserves it - they do it because it fucking makes them feel good. If you can't take their shit any more and you kill yourself, it only solidifies in their mind that they were right all along. It's uncomfortable, and is almost impossible to endure. Like Lan Wangji, I wanted to take sweet Wei Wuxian into my arms and whisk him away.

The love story

Hooo boy, da love story. I ofc realise this is the main reason fans love this show. Between them, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji portray all the emotions that have ever existed, and then some. I found myself melting at Wuxian's every smile, looking closely at Wangji's infinitesimal widening of his eyes or curl of his lips. Wuxian is a guy who talks a lot with his mouth and his body but never says the right things, and Wangji is a bloke who says very little but his thoughts are written all over his supremely gorgeous face. And when they're together... woof. Gurrl. Idek. The chemistry is just... something. There is some over-acting on Wuxian's actor's part in some scenes Wangji's actor isn't in, but when these two are in a scene together, they're kind of amazing. The actors put full effort in, and it shows.

The Cons

CGI and make-up

Although the same genre, don't expect the production value of Game of Thrones, or The Witcher. This one runs more along the CGI lines of Merlin and Doctor Who. If you can use some imagination and stomach those two shows, then you can watch this. Similarly, the zombies are not scary, like, at all. But maybe that is less to do with make-up and more to do with wangxian being so overpowered that if this was a jrpg video game, wangxian would be lv 99 by age 17.

Plot holes and side characters

This show is well written and paced. However, there's one episode in the second half that you could quite frankly chuck in the bin and nothing of value would be lost. The side story involves a third-rate villain and three side characters who the villain emotionally and physically tortures for shits and giggles. If you liked these characters, that's great, but the whole thing to me stank of torture porn and added nothing to the main plot or central characters or relationships. The Untamed is not the only show to suffer this; Altered Carbon comes to mind. There was literally a whole ep in that show dedicated to torturing the lead and I'm still flummoxed as to why some stories choose to do this when literally there is no point?? I get that this villain is central to The Untamed plot and that he is a dark reflection of Wuxian's future if he didn't have Wangji as an anchor, but those things could've been shown in other ways without dragging three characters idgaf abt into some flashback that bored me to tears.

Summary and general thoughts

Omg, dis my fandom now. I'm already reading fics and God, look, writing fucking essays. I'm so naughty - I got my bff into it just so I could have someone to talk to. Luckily, her 1st language is Mandarin, and after watching the show, she read the web novel in 4 days, then translated the porn for me. Of what she tells me though - unpopular opinion - I think I prefer this drama. I prefer the idea that Wuxian fell for Wangji love at first sight, and also, I'm not a huge fan of sex while drunk - it's actually kinda triggering for me. That's just personal things tho. Wangxian have some beautiful moments that I like to rewatch and keep cupped in my hands.

6/5 stars.

[bonnieisaway]

THANK YOU ILY /P DONT WORRY ABOUT IT ANY RESPONSE SENDS ME OVER THE MOON

It's hard to say if the qi thing is intentional or not - at least with Seven's it's very often that teal color and yellow but it is also noticeably different from Blackbird's red or Manjusaka's pink or even Green Phoenix uses a much greener color than Thirteen and Seven do. If it's not intentional these two use it, then I think it might be more connected to their mastery of it. I mean they are both proficient and skilled with it, but it looks like a lot of the stronger characters - especially the Shadow Killers - along with their own styles and talents leaned into their own colors too. Either way it makes me incredibly mentally ill

God just. Along with how insanely good the fighting is in this series, Seven's specifically and his growth is so well done. Because I feel like it's really easy to go wrong with his kind of situation, like, a character with this insane, unstoppable power hidden within them that they're not all that familiar with. A lot of people choose to write it as like, this character just HAPPENS to pull off the most insane, advanced, highly skilled shit, and has no idea how but just magically intricately understands combat techniques they seemingly shouldn't remember/know. The only comparison that is coming to mind is a minecraft roleplay I watched when I was 10 and I already know that is not the eptiome of writing and i'm fighting to remember any other and I cant oh my fucking god hlep

but Seven's is so. Natural. Like, Seven is an absolute buffoon early on and couldn't kill a fly with a lock-on fly swatter. But his reflexes and speed are still there, and though he later comments he's not in the shape he used to be he's fairly agile and has really good endurance. He's essentially been reset back to when Green Phoenix first saw him at age 15 - no particular fighting style nor technique, but incredibly agile and hard to keep up with when he's trying, and the only thing that's hindering him on Chicken Island is his overflowing empathy. He pretty much relearns all of his skills all over again throughout the seasons so far, like he figured out he could use the Thousand Demon Daggers the proper way with all the shards and stuff (and also now that I'm thinking about it it's really funny the first time he saw it again he called it a piece of shit broke ass sword LMFAO) but during season 2 when Redtooth calls it a weak sword Green Phoenix comments that he's out of practice and not using the blade right (Which, real subjective comment but I'll get into that shit another day), he has to master his qi again with Hua's help, and like especially I'm thinking of the scene in season 3 (though, like any scene where he saves Thirteen also kinda applies) where the Dark Frost hadn't kicked in yet but the blind prophet was attacking him with the beads and how awkwardly he had been dodging and avoiding them or hitting them with his scissors. Like that's such a perfect way to really . demonstrate his abilities, I think is the best way to put it, because like, we know that he's not as strong as he used to be and that he's not at his best during this fight, but aside from the first bead from the shoulder the blind prophet dude doesn't get a hit on him like once.

Anyways I'm rambling the point here is shout out to Seven for having legitimately some of the best writing I've ever seen let alone in a male protagonist let alone handling some of the situations and topics that happen in this show

@lichrott I finally got around to making a side by side :3 at least of most moments i could find or remember

don't mind the music i didnt want it to be dead silent so i just grabbed the first thingi had. also one of the redtooth ones I wrote wrong i said season 3 ep 9 when i meant season 2 ep 9 we're not gonna talk about iitttt

This man really is only surviving through a fuck around and find out fight style huh. Also I think it's a bit telling most of the ones he DOES pick up from other people are almost always more offensive, aggressive fighting moves because Seven's naturally pretty defensive and doesn't have much issue dodging or avoiding things (or just fucking taking it like a champ) most often, but really often turns to others around him for how to attack people and that's how he's most often won fights or escaped the situation, and most of these aren't exact copies of them but he's able to adapt and adjust them for the situations he's in: holding down the Prince of Stan not to immobilize him but to stall him long enough for Thirteen to attack unlike Dachun trying to stop Seven entirely, using the drill move from Xiao Fei not entirely to attack Meowcai but also using it with his scissors to continue rushing forward and block his attacks, adapting Thirteen's fighting style to fight one on one with Meowcai when he had seen Thirteen defeat a solid majority of the other cats like this, etc etc

I think actually something that does interest me a little: different character's qi can have different colors and take a lot of different forms, but even though purple and red are more of Seven's signature colors (I'm being fairly generous with the red there given he's got a neutral color palette, but it compliments his purple well) the qi he uses with his scissors is the exact same color as Thirteen's and she's the person he tends to pick up certain moves or dual wielding in general from. I know it's pretty much always been that color but

especially here where he's physically holding them and that same color energy is still emitting from them. I might be reaching with the color thing a little but I think it is at least safe to say though Hua was the reason Seven was able to master his qi better he picked up quite a few things from Thirteen (and Green Phoenix in the past, I'd assume)