#I would have been most sad to miss a chance at seeing Melanie tbh

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

So I’m (very casually, because I do actually need to do some shopping) at the mall while they’re filming Yellowjackets. Tragically they aren’t actually filming IN the mall it looks like, they’re filming in the parking lot and I have no intention of being creepy or disruptive and going over there.

Still very cool to see though! They have a bunch of trailers set up, and large canvass tents. I’ll be doing my shopping for a bit so maybe if they end up shooting any scenes inside I’ll be around.

Wishing the cast and crew luck from across the parking lot! Hope everyone is staying cool in this heat! 💛

[flying-elliska]

so, I finished the magnus archives ...(spoilers)

unfortunately i'd been spoiled for most of what happened in it but it was still cool to listen to especially since the audio work on it was incredible (those haunted tape noises are the coolest thing i've ever heard on a podcast, it was so slick)

it worked for me on the level of the emotional reaction. it was very sad and poignant. i often find horror stories difficult because either the characters are assholes and then i don't care and the whole thing becomes pointless for me or i get too attached to the characters and then I'm devastated when bad things happen to them and this was definitely the former. I really wish these characters existed in a spooky paranormal fantasy/workplace comedy-drama where they could get the comfort and overwinnings they deserved, but alas. i get they were bound by the genre though and that bad things needed to happen. i think they did a good job of balancing the horror and tragedy and not making it too grim at the same time.

it didn't blow me away either tbh, like for instance the s4 ending did. but i think after all the insane levels of world-building up they did, it was bound to be a bit underwhelming, with some arcs and characters left underused (Agnes!!!!). it misses a bit of a wow factor i had at other times in the series. the thing with horror is that there is only so far you can push character growth before it becomes too optimistic, and so when you go really deep into a character arc that's not strictly a corruption, it can often feel frustrating and unfinished in terms of emotional payoff.

I have mixed feelings about s5 as a whole. It's really cool that they experimented with something new, the concept of the fearscape is fascinating, and some of the statements are among my favorites in the whole show (the Sick Village, Recollections, the Gardener, Wonderland, the Processing Line, Moving on...) and really bring the cosmic horror/metaphor for the horrors of capitalism/ableism/abuse/etc in a way that feels strangely cathartic and understanding and glorious - but a lot of the others, especially in act 2/3, felt very forgettable and repetitive, and less like stories that could stand on their own, which i loved about the more traditional statements. Once it becomes clear that Jon (and Martin as a consequence) can't really be hurt, and the more it all becomes very detached from the real world, the sense of doom and foreboding that they did so well throughout the whole show kind of vanishes. The tension weirdly feels lower because the worst has already happened. I really believe in 'more is less' when it comes to scary things, and in a hell world where everything is horrible everywhere, it has less impact after a while. I did love the relationship between Jon and Martin providing those moments of humanity and warmth in the midst of it all, though, that was sweet.

the end itself...well, I found the dilemma interesting on a character level. of course Jon would sacrifice himself ; he feels so guilty he would doom the entire world to die rather than have to shoulder even more guilt for the fears potentially conquering other dimensions. he's spent so long feeling powerless and out of his depth that he would grasp this chance to finally make a choice and have agency and protect at least some people and keep the fears from extending their reach. but i love that he wasn't able to see it through either. it's so human. him and Martin breaking their promises to each other isn't miscommunication, it's deeply rooted in their respective personalities. of course Martin would do anything not to lose Jon since that love is basically the thing that saved him from the Lonely.

i don't think any of the options they had were the 'right choice' - both were shitty and atrocious, but the one that ended up happening is the one i would have picked, because it leaves some space for hope. If Jon had chosen to end their world to trap the fears, killing billions of people in the process, that would have been certain doom. With the fears sucked into other dimensions - first of all they had no certainty that the fears didn't already exist somewhere else, and any of the other worlds still have a fighting chance. I mean, it still sucks tremendously, it's very scary and ethically questionable and a massive risk, but at least it's open and it leaves it up to the people in the other worlds to make their own choices. And their world has a chance to recover. I find the idea that people remember what happened and the concept of a post-post apocalyptic world fascinating. I also really like that Melanie, Georgie and Basira (and the Admiral) made it out alive, and that we don't really know what happened to Jon and Martin. For a horror podcast that's super dark, violent and depressing, it's kind of awesome how they managed to sidestep 'bury your gays' very elegantly.

I've read this head canon somewhere of Jon and Martin being scattered across dimensions as these not-quite-human anymore entities that work to warn people and counteract the fears, powered by love and the desire to make things better, and I think that's my favorite post-canon option, because while it's still kind of a horrible fate it's also the one that gives them the most agency and it's also kind of romantic (way too much for a horror podcast, I'm aware, but i like that open endings like these allow you to make your own decisions about what happened).

also, the Web won, which is terrifying. the idea that it's using people as neurons ! horrible. amazing.

on a philosophical level I'm not sure i find the whole thing all that interesting, as a thought experiment, because i don't believe the universe is this consistently evil in the real world, so i don't find it super relevant. I'm also not the kind of hardcore fan who remembers a lot of details about previous seasons, so maybe I'm missing something.

But yeah overall I think in terms of storytelling this remains a pretty decent ending with enough layers to make it satisfying. it wasn't transcendent but it didn't ruin the whole thing, at least (*cough cough the Black Tapes*) and I can see myself listening to it again in a few years. and i'm definitely going to need a few fix-it fics now.

[pointless--nonsense]

Every emoji

Okay everybody this is super long I’m sorry!!

🐰 what is one secret that you’ve never told anyone? ~ if I said then it would no longer be a secret hahaha

💗 if you could hug anyone, who would it be? ~ all of my friends (internet and irl) because I just love them so much

🐹 what are some of your favourite Pokémon and why? ~ Eevee because I love that name and I love the eeveelutions

🌠 if you were in charge of the world, what would the world look like? ~ oh boy um first of all Tr*mp would be in jail and Bernie would be president, gender neutral bathrooms would be everywhere, and college/university would be way less expensive and adorable for all

👀 what was the most recent vivid dream that you had? ~ all I can remember is that someone tricked me into going on a roadtrip to the beach and when we got there I realized I had nothing besides my phone with me 😂 plus Lilly Singh was there and she convinced me to stay lol

☀️ what do you like the most about your best friend? ~ I love everything about her she is amazing and wonderful and I miss her so much!!

😘 talk about your crush or partner. ~ I have so many crushes at the moment 😂 lol let’s just say they are all cute and way out of my league lol

💁 if someone was rude to you, would you be rude back? ~ Depending on the situation tbh. Like I’ll only bring out the attitude if they deserve it, but if it is not worth my time I would just walk away

🌟 what do you like about yourself? (must choose at least 3 things!) ~ My ability to be smart yet soooooo dumb all the time, I guess I can keep a conversation going but I’m so boring, and how I have no money yet I still online shop like I am rich 😂

🐾 what are you scared of most? how will you overcome it? ~ I am scared of so many things so it is hard to choose just one. But I try to overcome my fears by being forced into situations and if I don’t completely shut down it was a success lol

🎁 what never fails to make you happy? ~ Watching my favorite Disney movies, and baking treats for my friends

��� what annoys you about some people? ~ When people are ignorant. And when they think their opinion is right and they won’t listen to anybody else with a different opinion because they are too scared to hear what anybody else has to say because maybe they are wrong

😤 do you get angry easily? ~ No not really, I’m a pretty chill person for the most part I guess

🐇 what do you always daydream about? ~ This will sound cheesy but usually just going on cute dates with people because I’ve never been on a date and I want to experience that one day lol

🌻 if you could change 3 things about the world what would you change? ~ How food is made and produced (animal rights), I would impeach the president and elect Bernie Sanders, and I would repeal any and all laws against transgender people using whatever bathrooms they want (and I would make everywhere change to gender neutral bathrooms)

✈️ what is your dream city and why? ~ Oh boy that’s hard… umm I used to say Seattle but lately it is Toronto because Canada seems pretty cool, but I also really want to travel back to Alaska because that was super fun (I know that’s not a city lol)

☕️ talk about your ideal day. ~ Hmm it would be at Disneyland with Tricia because those are always so much fun

🌸 are you an introvert, ambivert or extrovert? ~ Totally introvert 100%

💧 when was the last time you cried? ~ I bottle up my emotions so I don’t cry until I explode which hasn’t been for a while (I know that’s bad and I’m working on it kind of haha)

🎵 name 5 songs you love at the moment. ~ Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, Sippy Cup by Melanie Martinez, Lullaby by Front Porch Step, All Time Low by Jon Bellion, and How Far I’ll Go from Moana

⚡️ if you had any superpower, what would it be and why? ~ probably flight so that I wouldn’t have to pay for gas or expensive plane flights anymore haha

💛 if you could talk to your younger self, what would you say? ~ You will learn how true friends act, and these people are not your real friends. And keep in touch with your middle school friends because those are real people who actually like you. And don’t go to college where it snows because you will hate it 😂

💚 who are you jealous of and why? ~ Skinny people because they can actually find clothes that fit and aren’t embarrassed when they shop with friends (I’m not really jealous just petty haha)

💎 which one would you rather have more of: intelligence, beauty, kindness, wealth or bravery? why? ~ Intelligence so that the schools would pay for my education

🙊 what are you ashamed of? ~ That the ignorant people surrounding me run their mouths without knowing any real facts or information and talk based solely on judgement and opinions

🌺 which languages do you know? which do you want to learn? ~ I know English and a tiny tiny bit of Spanish. I am learning ASL and I want to become better with my Spanish. I also want to learn Mandarin

🍀 if you could be any fictional character’s best friend/lover, which fictional character would you be? ~ I want to be Katara’s best friend

☁️ talk about your dream universe. ~ Refer to 🌻 and 🌠 plus all animals in shelters and pounds would have owners and global warming goes down and better education systems are in place

💜 which acts of kindness are you going to do today? ~ I’m going to tell my friends I love them and I will clean up the house for my mom so she doesn’t have to stress about it

🐬 if you could transform into any animal/magical creature, what would you be and why? ~ Either a dolphin or a hawk so I can explore the sea or fly and see the world from the air

🍄 talk about someone/something you really dislike. ~ I hate racism, homophobia, misogynists, feminists who aren’t intersectional, islamophobia, transphobia, TERFs, and other people/things of these natures

😣 talk about some things that have been making you depressed/angry/anxious lately. ~ Hahahahaha everything

🍪 what did you want to be as a kid, and what do you want to be now? ~ I wanted to be a chef and now I want to be a nurse

🍰 what are some of your favourite sugary foods? ~ Icecream and Starbucks fraps get me every time 😂😂

🍑 what are you obsessed with? ~ Hmm right now it is politics and online shopping but it changes all the time haha

💘 what happens to you when you’re stressed? ~ On the outside I am pretty good at hiding the stress but on the inside I am screaming. I can handle stress well in my opinion and usually I try to find out what is stressing me and either fix it or end it all together

😪 what are you sick of? ~ Cis white men

🙀 are you an adrenaline seeker? ~ No not at all

💥 what are some unpopular opinions that you have? ~ I hate any and all fast food (including in n out 😂), I also hate pasta and rice (I love bread though lol)

☔️ would you consider yourself a good person? ~ It depends on the day. Some days I think I’m good, but most days I feel like I’m a terrible person haha

😊 what do you like to do as hobbies? ~ I used to play softball and golf, but now my hobbies mostly include baking, watching Netflix and YouTube, and online shopping

🎤 what’s the last song you hummed or sang by yourself? ~ Does it count if I was singing Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride in the shower?

🐝 what’s your worst trait? how are you planning to improve it? ~ Oh boy it’s hard to pick just one.. but I think the worst has to be that I can be selfish at times. Especially when protecting myself from getting hurt by other people, I tend to be selfish and just push people away before they hurt me so that I can protect myself, but that in turn hurts the other person

🎨 what do you always doodle when you’re bored? ~ I cannot doodle at all I have no artistic talent in any sort! I color when I’m bored though haha

🐻 what’s stopping you from chasing your dreams? ~ The economy. If I could open my bakery/café without the hugeeee chance it will fail I wouldn’t be going to school to become a nurse

🌷 what’s your mbti personality and why do you think it suits you? ~ INTJ and I think it suits me because I am introverted, intuitive in situations, I think more than I feel, and I judge rather than perceive

👑 who are your favourite celebrities and why? ~ Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Lilly Singh, and Dwayne Johnson are my top 4 because I feel like they use their platforms to stand up for what is right and they also empower people to do the right thing and be better people

🍋 do you consider yourself an emotional person? ~ On the outside people would say no because I act like a stone cold bitch, but when you get to know me you realize that yes I am emotional and I feel things very deeply lol

📚 share 3 books that you love and your favourite quote from them. ~ I don’t know quotes off the top of my head but my favorite books are Looking for Alaska, The Fault in our Stars, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

😔 what do you always do when you feel sad? does it help? ~ I sit in my room and try to distract myself and usually that doesn’t work

😌 what thoughts keep you going when you’re sad? ~ Knowing that I won’t feel like this all the time and maybe tomorrow I won’t feel as bad

🌍 which country do you live in? ~ USA

🐧 describe yourself in 3 words. ~ Lazy, boring, and a hopeless romantic

🐵 which quotes changed you? ~ Nothing stands out to me

💭 do you keep a diary? ~ I keep a journal

💫 who inspires you? ~ Refer to 👑

👻 do you believe in ghosts and why? ~ Yes yes yes because I just believe lol

🎀 what’s your fashion sense like? ~ Lazy, could be considered “athleisure”, comfortable

🎬 what are some of your favourite films? ~ Lilo and Stitch, Moana, Up, Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Grease, Hairspray, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

🍦 what is one treasured childhood memory? ~ Going to Lake Casitas and/or Pismo Beach every year

🐱 what’s your dream pet like? ~ I want a couple Pit Bull Terriers

🐼 if you could meet anyone, who would it be? ~ That’s so hard!!! Maybe Lilly Singh, Remi Cruz, Zendaya, or the Rock

Thanks for the super long ask lil bee 💗🐝