#I'm really excited for when episode 1 comes out. Along with the rest of the show

[l0ganberry]

here's some minimum wage Jax doodles!!

I did a colored version and oh my stars...... I need this as a sticker now! I love it!!

[herefortarlos]

Just some takeaways from these interviews that feature Ronen, Gina and Brianna!

Enzo will be back in episode 5x08! "We'll probably have to see Enzo in some orange colors, a jumpsuit perhaps because he's in big trouble right now."

Ronen gushing over how cute Jonah was when he says, "Hi, big brother."

Could this be leading to TK and Carlos taking in Jonah? And Ronen's deflecting response of, "I have no idea, that would just, I don't know, I just, I just work here." And looking away from the camera.

Ronen talking about the karaoke scene and having "no idea it was going to be Freddie Mercury, you know one of the most incredible singers of all time. Really talk about under pressure because of course they gave me the Freddie parts. So I was a little nervous because it's one thing to sing karaoke in front of people but this is gonna be watched by millions of people, so I hope I did a good job, and to sing with Henry and then Rob was so iconic... because it's TK and his two dads and how important they both are to him and just crucial to who TK has become as a man...." "They picked Under Pressure for us for a reason, I think the lyrics are very telling."

Talking about the Tarlos photos! "That's gonna be a recurring gif for the rest of time for sure! They knew what they were doing with that one."

Gina does not think Tommy would have stepped away if she had not been hurt like that for her to realize she had to take care of herself.

Brianna and Gina talk about filming the hospital scene! Tommy having to come to terms with leaving a job that means the world to her. "It had so little to do with trusting who I'm going to pass the torch along to and so much more to do with the trust and belief in the woman that's in front of me. And so it was bittersweet...but I know you've (Nancy) got this!"

Ronen saying, "Tommy is Nancy and TK's mama bird. Especially after 5x05." "That scene at the end of 5x07 is so beautifully heart breaking between Gina and Brianna, I just rewatched it again and just started crying on my own, and oh my god, when she asks her to become the temporary Captain..." "But that leads to some really fun stuff for Brianna and I. It's like the kids get to go out on their own now, so you'll see a lot of paramedic calls with just us, which is really fun. But Brianna really holds it down as Captain and we'll see what that leads to Tommy if she can come back or not. There's a lot of intense stuff for Tommy."

Brianna saying, "It's gonna be just TN." "Ronen and I had a lot of fun with the TN dynamic. The kids are taking the car!"

Ronen saying, "TK and Nancy are so close, especially this season, and Brianna and I got really close this season, and I just love her so much and I think you start to see that when we go out on the calls ourselves, and they're gonna be silly little kids, but still professional and so good at what they do and I think that dynamic is going to be really fun to see." "I'm so excited for people to see Brianna really shine and get her moment especially as Paramedic Captain, that's such a huge honor."

Gina talking about the story line Rashad wrote for Tommy this season, "Sometimes it's triumphant and sometimes you don't want to be there... If you're invested in Tommy, it's gonna hurt."

Ronen talking about Carlos' father's murder. "Carlos starts making more progress in the case...and then there's gonna be a few other questions that are going to be brought up that are really going to challenge TK and Carlos."

"Some of the questions are, "Are we ready to take the next step in our relationship?"

"TK fears for his husband's life because Carlos is getting involved with some really bad people, and I think TK vividly remembers seeing his husband almost die when he was kidnapped and I think that's probably an image that plays in his head and I think that's something he never wants to see again. His actions are coming from caring and fear..."

Ronen says TK has at least one scene with Campbell.

Ronen was asked about Judd drinking at his party and if TK will notice with his addiction, and Ronen said, "That leads to an incredible scene between Judd and TK. I think it opens the door for Jim to really shine and another side of Judd we may not have known. It's also just beautiful because Jim in real life is sober and it's a beautiful way for Jim to put his own experiences into that character."

[upsidedownlurker]

After watching Ep. 1 again...

Spoilers for episodes 1-6 of Agatha All Along!!! :)

"I was on a road this morning... and it led to something pretty awful."

I don't think that body is Wanda's. I think it's Billy's. I KNOW, I KNOWWW. Hear me outtt. JUST LISTEN-

First thing's first: We know that a huge amount of what Agatha perceived as real in that episode simply... wasn't. Objects and people acted and looked very different than they really were. There was usually a bit of truth to it (the neighbours really were playing along with Agatha's true crime persona, and Rio + Teen really were at her house) but the rest was obscured from Agatha's perception.

Let's apply this to the body.

Perhaps Agatha really did come across something awful on the road, something that turned her happy-go-lucky neighbour persona into a jaded crime scene detective. Her key questions: "Who are you?" and "What happened to you?"

Agatha doesn't know. She tries to fill in the gaps herself, but she's still under the spell and doesn't know all the details.

Which leads to what happened in the morgue. At first, she doesn't even see the body. But she TELLS HERSELF it's there, and what do you know? When she opens her eyes, the body is suddenly on the table. She says it had scarlet hair, and suddenly there's scarlet hair peeking out from the sheet. Agatha concludes to herself that the body was Wanda's.

Remembering Wanda is what ultimately allowed Agatha to break out of the spell. That's good. She solved the mystery of, "Who is that woman, 5"7 with green eyes and scarlet hair, whose name I can't remember?" and projected that mystery onto the body.

But she didn't solve the mystery of the dead person in the blue hoodie. Rio says to Agatha, "You're asking the wrong questions." Maybe Agatha also found the wrong answers.

Here's the really interesting part.

As we saw in Episode 1 and the trailer for Episode 6, there was a car crash in Eastview. After that, the dead body was found, apparently "crushed by something big and heavy", like a car. Right next to the body, Agatha finds a brooch– her brooch.

You know who was "born and raised" in Eastview? Teen.

You know who could've taken Agatha's brooch? Not Wanda, but Teen, who has done an egregious amount of research on Agatha and literally broke into her house.

You know who could've been crushed by a big, heavy car? Teen, WHO LITERALLY GETS HIT BY A FUCKING CAR AGAIN IN EPISODE 1. Dammit, Mrs. Hart! The boy's been through enough!

Okay.

But if the dead body is Teen's, then how is he LITERALLY ALIVE NOW?

When notified that the body is in fact dead, Agatha winks and says you can never be too sure. If that's not a big red flashing sign for the audience, I don't know what is.

Now, back to the morgue. Agatha finds her own name "A. Harkness" written on the library card. After she remembers Wanda, "W. Maximoff" also appears. This solves her first mystery: Who is that woman I don't quite remember?

But it also solves her second mystery. Who is the dead body?

W. MAXIMOFF.

William "Billy" Maximoff.

Here's a fun little hint I found. In episode 2, when Agatha rips down Billy's "Welcome Coven!" sign, she leaves the "W" just hanging there, right behind his head. This struck me as odd when I watched it the first time. She was pretty forceful, so the only way the "W" would've stayed hanging is if production designed it that way. And to place it right behind his head? That's a literal sign.

Back to the library card. Why even obscure Wanda's first name? If the body is really her, you might as well show her ENTIRE name and finally reveal her face to the audience. It would make things a little more clear... and it'd be good for dramatic effect. No need to be cryptic about it, just give us the answer!

Unless the answer isn't what we thought.

Regardless of whether the body in episode 1 was really there, or even dead at all... I believe it represents Billy, and we're gonna find out why in episode 6.

I'm excited to find out :D

...

Bonus: Lucky Thirteen

"Where were you between the hours of 1 and 3 am?" "Asleep!"

"A lot happened to me when I was 13, too..."

...

(Edited 16 Oct 2024)

[fallingdown98]

Shout out to Fantasy High Junior Year to get me to post original thoughts on here for the first time on years - Thought after Episode 15, The Last Stand, spoilers ahead

Based on what happened with Buddy, Brennan's callout of "what was loaded into that crossbow?", and Brennan saying in AP that killing Buddy was always on the table this is what I think Kipperlilly Clerickiller's plan was (Also ty Fandom I will be using this forever now)

1. Snuck in with Buddy when the Last Stand was being set up. (Saw some people questioning how she managed to get in, I truly think it's as simple as this)

2. Steal both Buddy and Kristen's diamonds to ensure no reviving can occur

3. I think the plan was to shoot the proctor with rage crystals, causing him to hulk out and depending on timing, no one to stop more monsters from arriving.

4. Based on where she was standing, I think the goal was to blame the crossbow bolt on Buddy and then leave still undetected with Oisin's prepped plane shift

4a. I still think Buddy dying was always part of the plan but I think the goal was to get the Bad Kids to have to ruin their own situation (Having to kill the hulked out proctor, seeing Buddy as an enemy and targeting him, being stuck because if Kristen had used her 7th level slot then they would at minimum be stuck for 8 hours assuming they all managed to survive if the monsters were still coming)

5. Theory here and we'll see if it proves correct but my immediate thought when Buddy died was that KLCK is planeshifting to the Celestial plane and hoping to use Buddy to sneak into Sol's office like when Aguefort snuck in through Kristin's backpack

6. Once in Sol's office, she would be where YES! Was originally created and the reason Bakur supposedly failed his ritual is that he needed to be in a place where a god had been created in order to rez a God.

7. Chaos ensues when corrupted Ankarna is brought back

8. Profit??? I guess??? Tbh the exact reasoning of the Ratgrinders is still the most elusive thing to me. I think my current most likely thought is that Jace is serving as manipulator and that KLCK is the most "lost in the sauce" as it were what with her pre-established anger issues.

Since we only saw a hand I'm reserving judgement on Oisin as he may have only been aware of his part of the plan and not the rest of what Miss ClericKiller has been up to. Not attached so I'm also down for him to be full evil but I'm just not sure yet.

Another thought I had is that the Ratgrinders may yet mirror the Bad Kids not just in class, but also in personal problems.

Ruben and Fig both having identity crises but Ruben has isolated himself so much he's turned to being a lackey

MaryAnn just doing what she's doing because she's good at it, not because it's something she's passionate about

If Oisin's dragon relative is evil and he's going along with the plot because of that, that would mirror Adaine breaking away from her own evil parents

Don't know enough about Ivy to have thoughts on her really, buddy and Lucy could probably be their own post tbh, and as I can't get a lock on Kipperlilly.

Jawbone seemed convinced she was just misunderstood and jawbone usually has a pretty good read on people. But then she's smiling while murdering Buddy and teleporting away. Why does she hate Riz specifically? Is it something he did or is it more generic jealousy (or a crush but I don't care for that theory personally and doesn't feel super supported currently)?

What's the deal with the rage soil and how did they place a rune of Ankarna's name on Yolanda/Lucy if it was unknown at that point?

Anyway, feel free to reblog or tag with thoughts, I'm so excited to unravel more of this mystery.

[sevensoulmates]

”deeper depths of his queer love” the realization that’s he’s been in love with his best friend for YEARS is going to hit him so hard I can only imagine how buck would react. Is he gonna laugh is he gonna cry is he gonna be scared is he gonna be happy is it all of the above?

Yeah, Oliver sees the vision. He seems to realize that Buck's relationship with Tommy is leading to something bigger, that there's more under the surface that needs to be discovered than just what he's found in these last two episodes, and I'm so excited to see it all come to fruition.

I personally think when Buck does finally realize he's gonna shut that shit DOWN. I don't think he's going to say shit for fear of losing Eddie and Chris. What I think could happen is Buck realizes in the season finale, it shakes him to his core, he keeps it to himself, the hiatus happens, we come back in season 8 and find out that Buck still hasn't said a word to Eddie but now people are starting to notice that Buck's acting a bit different around Eddie. Not enough for Eddie to notice (man is nothing if not oblivious to men who are in love with him), but enough that it draws the attention of the rest of the firefam. But there are subtle signs, such as a lot of staring, both jumping to spend extra time with Eddie but also holding himself back for fear of being too obvious.

Meanwhile, Eddie may or may not still be with Marisol. If he's still with Marisol, I want to see this being the continuation of his queer realization. I'd be okay with more issues popping up with Marisol and this time Eddie's got no excuses. Or regardless of if she's there or not, Eddie's back in therapy and trying to work through things. OR it could be fun to have Eddie AND Marisol in couples counseling, having the two of them trying to work their shit out, and have the culmination of that be Eddie realizing he's queer.

I just think if they don't have Eddie's queer realization arc in season 7, then a significant portion of it should be dealt with in season 8a. My timeline that I would love would be a mutual bucktommy break up in 7x10 + agreement to remain friends. Buck is pining for Eddie the whole of 8a, and Eddie figures out he's queer by the mid-season finale. A marisol breakup could be on or off screen at that point. As long as he FIGURES. IT. OUT. Then 8b could focus on Eddie coming to terms with his own queerness, now with Buck's conflict being "do I tell Eddie or do I not tell him?" Maybe even have BUCK shifting into TOMMY'S position, of sort of being a "guide" for Eddie, but worrying that he could be taking advantage of him. Meanwhile, Eddie's learning the freedom that comes along with finally being true to himself in 8b, and maybe he's seeing that everything he's ever wanted aligns exactly with what Buck gives him and their family. We could maybe even have Eddie bringing Shannon back, and worrying that realizing he's queer won't change a thing and maybe the issue really is him. Being scared that if he accepts the love Buck clearly wants to give him that he might ruin the best love he's ever had.

NOW. Depending on if the show wants to extend buddie out or they want to get them together, I could see the season 8 ending episodes going one of two ways: 1.) Buck confesses, Eddie accepts, they start their relationship, including first kiss and first date in s8 ending episodes. S9 sees them in a relationship for real OR 2.) Buck confesses to Eddie, Eddie rejects him not because he doesn't reciprocate but because he's afraid of destroying their relationship like he destroyed all the rest of his other relationships. Season 9 then starts with angst where they BOTH want each other badly but they can't take that final step. Season 9a ends with Eddie realizing that he can't waste time anymore, and their relationship starts for real in s9b.

Anyway, this got away from me. I think both of them are going to be more scared of their feelings than accepting right away. BUT I do have faith they'll find their way to each other eventually.

[xploded-tb]

[23/11/23] #BaiYu - BE PRESENT 专注在当下 | Translated Interview with SoFigaro Magazine

The following thread is a full translation of the 2023 November issue of SoFigaro. (First posted to Twitter here.)

Bai Yu is fond of taking photos of things that grow upwards.

During his photoshoot breaks, he would snap some photos of trees standing tall and swaying gently in the autumn wind, and some reeds in the distance.

The top of the pine trees in the cold November rain, the city walls that extend upwards, and the ancient corner towers that pierce into the sky…

These are things he likes to take photos of.

Perhaps all these have one thing in common.

Over time, they may seem to be standing tall and still, but in reality, they have been quietly absorbing and silently expressing themselves.

Parallel World

Following the conclusion of the Parallel World episodes, Bai Yu bid Chang Dong goodbye with a group of photos.

During the interview, he explained, "These are the yardangs we encountered along the way. This is an abandoned village, and this is where Chang Dong encountered an incident…" Although filming is complete, precious memories of this story are all carved into Bai Yu's mind.

Since ancient times, the Yumen Pass has always been an important landmark to the poets. It is an important frontier pass established along the Hexi Corridor during the Han dynasty. And today, it has become a heritage site.

To protect the area, most of the filming took place in the vast and endless Dunhuang desert. 'In boundless desert lonely smokes rise straight; over endless river the sun sinks round' (1)… The scenery described in the poem was right before his eyes. It was gorgeous, but they also had to tackle challenges brought on by the harsh environment.

Bai Yu recalled...

"We shot during June, so the winds were strong and it was the sunniest period. It was hard to illuminate the area at night in the desert, so a lot of scenes were shot day for night. Shooting under the scorching sun and in fierce winds did have some impact on performance."

One night, the giant tent the staff had set up securely was blown away by the wind. "The tent was huge, with really thick poles and sturdy ropes holding it down. Who knew that the next day it'd be missing, completely blown away by the wind!"

When time allowed, Bai Yu would drive his car to and from work, driving back to where he'd rest after the crew wrapped filming. "Nobody was around where we filmed, so knocking off and driving a jeep in this vast land felt great."

Whenever Bai Yu wraps up filming for a drama, he gives himself an extended break. Recently, he returned home to Xi'an and recharged with a bowl of hot oil noodles (2). Going back home is something Bai Yu often looks forward to the most after completing a project. After all, fully immersing oneself in a role is a significant test on an actor's physical and mental well-being. "Only when I'm back home can I unload and relax."

This year, Bai Yu also visited Wubu County, where he was born.

"I was born in a yaodong (3) that my parents built themselves, and it still stands today." Beside their yaodong are aging neighbors who could still recognize Bai Yu as that mischievous boy in their memories.

Some feel that the characters that Bai Yu has portrayed in the recent years carry this underlying theme of 'endurance.' We wondered if he felt 'bottled up' portraying such characters for some time.

Smiling, he replied, "A little, but you have to do something about it. So you need to rest properly to adjust." But every time he comes across a good script, he'd still be moved by the very authentic and rich characters.

.

.

.

After all, life isn't a feel-good drama. Struggles and compromises with things that turn out contrary to our wants are part and parcel of life.

Bai Yu had this to say…

"I used to be captivated by exciting stories, but now it's more the details that draw me in. These details should be used to portray a character instead of their embellished aspects. It's these details that let me get deeper into the character."

To Bai Yu now, there are no differences between 'important' and 'regular' scenes. People may enjoy discussing an actor's skill and portrayal of intense emotions in an important scene, but Bai Yu feels that shouldn't be all that makes a character.

"There are too many details happening all the time. It's like when I filmed 'The Long Night'; Jiang Yang is a character defined by many details."

The Long Night

Without a doubt, bringing up Bai Yu makes people immediately recall 'The Long Night.' Hearing this, he only laughed and said, "Then I have to reflect on myself. I don't have another work that makes people think of me this way. I have to keep working hard."

A lot of people say this is the work that successfully transformed him. To this, he responded, "These labels are given by others. I was never concerned with 'transformation' since that's what others define you. At the end of the day, it's about the performance and character, about what I like and what I feel fits me."

Before our interview, we came across something Bai Yu once said. He said that Jiang Yang was the first character that he just wanted to portray no matter what. Often, he would reflect on Jiang Yang afterward, and still felt dazed. It wasn't until the day 'The Long Night' premiered, a rainy day where he walked for a long time, that the weight in his mind finally lifted.

In a flash, the year is ending. We asked Bai Yu how he would sum this year up. He thought for a little while and said, "Never thought about it. I used to think time passes really quickly, so I took a long break this year. When I did, I thought time passed really slowly."

For a period of time, his tight schedule made him stop in his tracks to take the time to rest. To many actors, resting could mean missing opportunities.

"Of course, you could miss out on a good opportunity, a good script. But you need to first understand yourself. Can you do a good job if what you truly need is a good rest? If you encounter a good script that captivates you, that's great. But can you mentally tackle the task? Life is about making choices and sacrifices."

As the saying goes, one must take a step back in order to leap better. To Bai Yu, he has never stopped in his path as an actor, but only rested to make sure he has the energy to meet his next challenge.

Occasionally, the passing of time brings about certain thoughts. "A few days ago, I told my dad that I feel like I'm almost forty. He almost burst out laughing, saying, 'You're just in your early thirties!'" Bai Yu expressed that he felt this way because there are many things he still wants to do. Time has its own rhythm, whether fast or slow, but it shouldn't be a worry.

Summing things up, he said, "You set your rhythm. Don't be too bothered about how fast or slow time is going, just stay focused on the present. Live honestly and respect your own thoughts, no matter what it is you want to do. Just go ahead and pursue it!"

/END

TL notes: (1) From Wang Wei's "On Mission to the Frontier" (王维 《使至塞上》) (2) Hot oil noodles = you po mian (3) Yaodong = earth shelter

Mag link here Mag in text format here compiled by Sweetheart_白宇甜心

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[burn-this-bloggo]

2+ Star Axl/Sue Episodes of "The Middle" Season 7 (After Ep. 13)

This is based on @heckcest's episode commentaries. I loved their guide to Axl/Sue episodes, but unfortunately they stopped mid-season 7, so I decided to do my own continuation so that newer fans of the ship (like a handful of you, if even) will know which episodes are worth watching. But to be honest, I'm mainly doing this for myself so I can gush. If you've seen @heckcest's commentaries, you'll notice that I have simplified my descriptions, focusing only on Axl/Sue commentary, and my way of rating may be slightly different. Let me know how you'd rate these episodes and I may even make some adjustments.

My General Rating System:

1 star - They're both in the episode, but don't interact much, or at least not notably. I won't be writing about these, so you can skip these episodes if you're just looking for Axl/Sue moments.

2 stars - They're both in the episode and may not interact much, but maybe there's just one little line or moment I feel like deserves to be pointed out. These episodes can be skipped, or you can just watch the scene I point out if you really feel like it.

3 stars - The episode has a plot revolving around the two of them. OR they may not have a plot revolving around them, but there's a very notable moment they have. You should probably watch these episodes.

4 stars - An Axl and Sue centric episode. OR there's just a lot of good Axl/Sue moments -- showing affection, getting along, a heartfelt interaction, and all that bubbly stuff. Definitely watch these ones!

5 stars - The best of the best in MY opinion! You just gotta watch them! And then rewatch them!

((Spoilers ahead!))

Episode Ratings and Commentary:

Ep. 15 | "Hecks at a Movie" | 2 stars | As the title implies, the Hecks go to a movie. Sue and Axl sit next to each other! That's it.

Ep. 17 | "The Wisdom Teeth" | 5 STARS | !!!!! LITERALLY EVERYTHING. Basically, Sue and Axl get their wisdom teeth removed at the same time and Frankie is excited to care for them both TOGETHER as they recover. While still loopy from the drugs on the ride home from the dentist, Axl admits that he thinks Sue is really nice and that he loves her. Brick records this. They both rest on the couch. I like to imagine some cuddling was involved. The next day while sober, they see the recording. Sue figures out Axl's insecurity about showing vulnerability and he is in TURMOIL. I've never seen him like this in any other episode! And she's all like, "Say it, Axl. Say you love me." On another note, it's always funny when the older siblings kind of look down on Brick (idk a better way to phrase that. Poor Brick. He is objectively the best character). The ending with the fork is very sweet. This whole episode feels like a fanfiction! Axl makes so many cute expressions in this one, so expect lots of screenshots!

Ep. 19 | "Crushed" | 3 stars | Sue gets a crush on her professor, and like I totally get it, but it is kinda hard to watch lol. Axl doesn't have much of a plot, but he does just randomly show up to Sue's dorm and lay in her bed. He teases about dating her roommate, which she adamantly refuses to let happen. Then later in the episode, he hides in her bed and it's great! There's not a lot of moments between the two, but the little tiny bit there is is wonderful, so that's why I was originally unsure if it's a 2 or 3 star on the Heckcestometer. (I'm still figuring out this whole rating system). But in the end I decided that this one definitely deserves a watch if you're looking for some cute Axl & Sue scenes <3

Ep. 22 | "Not Mother's Day" | 4 stars | Again, Sue and Axl don't interact a lot in this episode BUT when they do towards the end, it's great!! Axl is so sweet towards Sue! When Sue is crying on the couch after losing her bedroom to Brick, Mike getting Woofy repaired (it's just not the same), and feeling anxious about being on her own for the summer, Axl comes over to console her. Like, actually console her. No sarcasm, or mean gestures, or anything. He tells her she's ready to be on her own and then helps to bring Woofy back to its former glory. And in the end, he even offers to let her share his bedroom?! Which she gratefully agrees to. Um, hello?! I wish we actually got to see them share the room, but maybe leaving it for the imagination is more fun ;)

Ep. 23 | "Find My Hecks" | 5 STARS | Just. Wow. I can't believe there's already another 5 star episode?! Maybe I'm overexaggerating because I just watched the episode? No, it's for sure a 5 star. Okay, there's so much to say here. Right off the bat we see Sue and Axl just chilling out on the couch and genuinely getting along and being lazy together. Apparently they're still sharing a room together too! Idk why I thought that was just like a one time thing last episode. We see them then chilling in their room together. There's no fighting nor animosity towards each other at all. In fact, practically none throughout the episode. Axl even invites Sue to a party, and they stay out past curfew and get pancakes together! Too bad we don't get to see that though. Their parents get upset at them for staying out so late and set their curfew to 10. Well, of course Axl convinces Sue to ignore the curfew and they go out partying again. It's like they're dating!! There's so much here left to the imagination, heheh. Mike and Frankie don't bug the kids about the curfew thing because they're secretly tracking them on their phones, but one night the phone glitches out and makes it appear like they're stuck in a ditch somewhere. The parents go out frantically to find their kids, only for Axl and Sue to come home to a parentless home. Turns out Axl has also been secretly tracking the parents on his phone and sees they're in a ditch somewhere. Axl and Sue both rush out to save they're parents. Finally they all reunite, but it becomes a bit of a parents vs Axl & Sue argument about all the secret tracking. It's really cute seeing Axl and Sue teaming up so much in this episode!! It feels like their dynamic has certainly changed since "The Wisdom Teeth" episode. Like they've been getting along a lot more. Gosh, there's so much more I could say about this episode, but it's already getting too long. Just WATCH IT! Probably one of my favorite episodes ever.

Ep. 24 | "The Show Must Go On" | 2 Stars | They hardly interact. But wait, hear me out -- "Sue being in a dorky costume. Can't miss that." ~ Axl. asdhfgskjlgs. They also sit next to each other a few times and they're dressed up so cutely.

[hackedxy0x]

My top 10 favorite shows (take two)

A couple of years ago, I posted a 'top 10 favorite shows' list right here on Tumblr. Recently scrolled through it again and was very much surprised by how DIFFERENT it was from my current one. A lot of new entries, a lot of new faves (and I have a LOT of faves). So I thought it might be fun to share my latest top 10 for anyone listening in the void. And hey, maybe you walk away with a few recommendations if our tastes are similar. You should note that these are ranked by how much I love them and nit by how good they objectively are.

Gonna drop my old list at the end if anyone's curious too. If not, let's get going.

10. Arcane

Arcane is, simply put, an amazing show. The animation is absolutely stunning, probably one of the best animated pieces of media I've seen in my life and I'm looking forward to seeing more from this studio. It's incredible how the writers managed to take a few game characters and turn them into layered and interesting individuals whose story captures you without fail. My favorite part of it has to be Silco's relationship with Jinx. Really pulled at my heartstrings. The show used to be in my top 5 (maybe a slight bias considering I made the list right after I was done with the show), but with so many new entries on the list, some shows had to go down. Still very much excited for the new season coming out in a few months.

9. Killing Eve

Ah, how the mighty have fallen. This show used to be in second place, but I'm pretty sure that was before the last season came out and ruined everything. Well, the last season wasn't as much to blame (even though it wasn't half as good as the rest of the show) as much as the horror that was the last episode. If I could delete that mess from my head, I would. Anyway, with that little rant being done, the rest of Killing Eve was absolutely incredible and it would've stayed in top 5 for sure. It has amazing humor, emotion, messiness, amazing characters, sapphic tension... For those of you who don't know, Killing Eve features a sort of cat and mouse game between an MI6 agent with a fascination for female killers and, you've guessed it, a badass female assassin. I couldn't not put it in top 10 even after witnessing the last episode.

8. Fleabag

Fleabag's "This is a love story" from s2e1 and her self-depricating monologue from s1e1 still ring around my head. Fleabag may be a mini-series, but it sure packs a punch. A dark comedy filled with British Humour . Fleabag (and yes, that's the protagonist) is both awful and relatable. And if you love morally grey characters, you're in for a treat. Because Fleabag is very much grey. Empty, apathetic, lonely, filled with love, a mess. You constantly wonder what she'll do next, is she going to reach a new low or heal. Another bonus, the hot priest. This one didn't drop much from the previous list, a consistent good. (Fun fact: Fleabag was written by the same person who wrote season 1 of Killing Eve).

7. Gravity Falls

And now we have one of the best cartoons in cartoon history (around the same spot on the list too). Gravity Falls is a classic. One of the cartoons that shaped the modern cartoon blueprint (along with other amazing cartoons, such as Adventure Time, Regular Show, AWOG...). Only two season and it still left such an impact. A cast of lovable characters, an engaging plot that doesn't miss, the funny jokes that are just the kind of kid friendly (baaaarely) that even the adults could enjoy. Just had to put it in my top 10.

6. The Mentalist

A blast from the plast. And a new entry even though it shouldn't have been since I've seen this show a long time ago, but it slipped my mind when making the original list. Rewatched it in the meantime, so here we are. This was the show you watched when tv shows were something that was still mostly for, well, the tv. I used to love getting my daily fix of it when I was younger. Crime shows were very popular (and still are), but Mentalist really did it like no other. The Mentalist was about a fake ex psychic Patrick Jane who joins the cops as a consultant so he can get revenge on Red John, a serial killer who murdered his family. Sounds glum, but a lot of the show consists of silly, murderer-of-the-week formatted episodes. But the star of the show definitely was Jane's slow burning quest to catch Red John. All the clues, the intrigue, the suffering. Not to mention that Jane was an absolute legend. (Shoutout to Cho).

5. What We Do In The Shadows

Another new entry! (Actually, all of the shows in top 5 are new entries except for num 1). What We Do In The Shadows is absolutely hilarious. A mockumentary about a bunch of vampire roomates who get up to all kinds of trouble. A simple, but effective concept based on an existing movie. This show got recommended to me along with OFMD, and it really captured my heart. The humour is silly, a lot of gags about sex and weird shit, but the acting is what really sells it. Ever member of the cast has prefect comedic timing, accent, expressions and a way of delivering a phrase that will have you in stiches. A great pick-me-up show.

4. Bungou Stray Dogs

The first and only anime on the list. I was actually debating if I should place it on spot number 3 instead, but let's leave it here for now. I f-ing adore bsd. I was reluctant about starting it because I thought it was too long, but, finally, it was seeing Nikolai's badass as fuck villain design that made me watch the show. And now I'm drowning in manga hell. How can an update be so short, yet so insane? The show progressively becomes more insane and senseless, with a cast of characters so likable that you're happy that their plot armor is close to unbreakable. The author sure loves to watch them suffer though. Did I mention that the characters are named after real life authors? And that everyone has a sexy rival and trauma? Yeah, good stuff.

3. Merlin

In a land of myth... An entry that should've been old considering when the show came out, but I've only seen it after creating my original list. Did it air on the telly when I was a kid? Maybe, can't really remember. A plot summary. Merlin is a young lad who was born with magic. He goes to Camelot for some reasonn, a place known for having a king who kills people for doing magic. He becomes a servant for a royal prat, prince Arthur. A once and future king who is supposedly Merlin's destiny. Watch as magical hijinks turn into ANGST, OH PLEASE NO. Another show I avoided due to its length, but those out of context videos on YouTube really wore me down with their charm. Not to mention that one "Are they gay?" video featuring Merthur, so I had to judge it for myself. Verdict: up to the viewer to decide the nature of that particular relationship (ship the shit out of the though).

2. Interview With The Vampire

I will NEVER stop screaming about how good this show is! It's so underrated that it pisses me off. Why isn't it mainstream, why isn't it drowning in awards? I'm trying to think of a bad moment from the show and I just can't. The writing, the casting, the acting, the directing, the scenary... High quality stuff. And this is just the kinda show where it's just so obviously a passion project where everyone involved is highly invested in the plot and knows their stuff. This show makes you feel 50 different emotions at once and, somehow, the cast manages to handle that perfectly. Just give them the awards already! One of my favorite things about the show is the use of the unreliable narrator. You never know how much of what's being said in the interview is credible. Anyway, I'm riding the high of the new season, but this is one of the rare shows that almost reached my number 1.

1. Hannibal

How do I describe Hannibal other than a masterpiece. A consistent number 1 on my list. This show combines everything I ever might want in a show. It's funny, it's dark, romanting, eldritch horror-like, smart, poetic etc etc. The finale of season 2 is one of the best episodes I've seen in my life, if not the best. Every plot point wrapped up, every character dealt with. It's kinda funny how the more you watch the show, the funnier ir becomes. Give me a billion cannibal puns, give me Will shaking like a wet dog. It really made me appreciate consumption as a love language.

-----

Anyway, that's all folks. Link to my previous list:

https://www.tumblr.com/hackedxy0x/669381723127185408/my-top-10-favorite-shows?source=share

[its-short-for-jackalope]

click for quality, she's just a wee bit fuzzy :')

Now that we know exactly when episode 3 is coming, I think it's time to reveal this goofy little thing I've been working on for... a while. 😅 (with tons of feedback and suggestions from the wonderful, incomparable @man-down-in-hatchet-town, of course!)

I think I've seen people make bingo boards like this for other fandoms, and I've been so psyched for TGOA and having an absolute blast tossing theories back and forth in me & Brooke's dms—and sharing some with the rest of you in unreasonably long posts—that I thought it would be a lot of fun to make a little Bingo card with my own predictions for episode 3! some of these I'm really rooting for, but I'm just so excited for a new episode in general.

obviously space is limited, so i had a tough time choosing what to put on here. (special shout-out to "oops... somebody falls off the boat!" which I swapped out after we got the cover art. thanks, Jackie 😂💙) I also feel like some of my selections here might be a little too obvious/guaranteed, but look, guys... I wanted to make sure I had a decent chance of getting at least some of these right, okay???

what, do you think you could do better? 🤨

/jk but, really, I've got a blank card AND a .png of my little anchor stamp below the cut if you want to make your own and play along!!!

and hey, since I've got this handy dandy readmore, I'll also give a quick rundown of how I plan to do this light-hearted lil game.

Unless we do get another transmission or smth that completely confirms/disproves any of my current predictions, my card is locked in. I'm probably not gonna change anything between now and the 24th, and I DEFINITELY won't be changing anything once episode three starts broadcasting.

I'll repost my card before part 1 airs and (hopefully) start a reblog chain with stamped updates after each part goes up. The post will be tagged for spoilers right off the bat!!!

If anybody else wants to fill out a card and play along (please? 🥺💕 it would make my day), y'all can use whatever rules you want, I'm not ur dad lol. get silly with it, make a card full of guesses about what your fave gets up to and no one else, make the craziest guesses, whatever you want! also feel free to tag me! even if it's to show off that you're much better at guessing than I am, lmao. 😁🖤

and hey, maybe I'll do this again with future episodes? even if it's just me and Brooke playing along, lol. making this was fun!

now, without further ado, the blank card and the stamp, which mostly exists because I'm extra and I personally wanted to be able to do more than 'x' out stuff, lol:

[singlethread]

Sooo I'm finally watching 9-1-1 after becoming a Buck and Eddie shipper just through seeing all your stuff about them on tumblr lol My sister thought it looked good when scrolling through Hulu the other week, and I'm just like yeah sounds good- pretending I know nothing about this show, stopping myself from saying that's the gay firefighter show

Anyways, I was totally expecting the Buck and Eddie to be slow burn. And then when I watched their first scenes together, I was like oh okay, it's going to be a full enemies to lovers slow burn. But by the end of Eddie's first episode they are already buddies and Buck already seemed all excited to be buddies with him. And by episode 4 he's already gone with Eddie to go pick up his son twice!!! And there's no like logical reason he had to either time! (unless I missed something) It wasn't like Buck and Eddie got separated from the rest of the team and Buck had go pick up his son. The whole team is together in one scene and then the next scene, Buck's just tagging along to go pick Christopher up from school like no big deal, perfectly normal. Like he didn't even wait in the car for Eddie or anything! He's fully just coming with him into the school and then into the hospital with his coworker that hardly really knows yet. And Buck's sister has already teasingly called him out for having a crush on Eddie! It's only been 4 episodes with Eddie! This is crazy! 4 episodes out of 18 and then there's a whole nother 4 seasons after this where they don't actually get together. I feel like Buck is already ready to ask Eddie to move in with him at this point, he's so smitten. I'm used to it being like yeah I could see why this is a popular ship, but also it doesn't seem like that's the show writer's intentions, even though it is cute and fun. But this is not that! There's no logical explanation for it! And Buck was already taking interest in why Eddie's not interested in dating. Like I thought it would take at least a season to really see it, but 4 episodes in and it's already obvious. I'm kinda blown away

Welcome to the wee woo brainrot bestie. I’m so sorry

[captainaikus]

BELLE LOVE YOURE BACK!!!!!!!!! I've missed you so much 😭😭😭!!!! I'm so sorry to hear that you're sick though 😖😖. That seriously sucks, but I hope you feel better soon!!! Also I have a confession to make. I know I said I was working on blue lock drabbles. But like. The TR season 2 opening just dropped. I am not the same woman I was 1 hour ago. Episode 13 of bllk will probably kick-start my inspiration for the writing again (hopefully) but I'm hitting a block atm and all I can think abt is TR right now 💀💀. I have actually been so productive this winter break that it's insane. Cleaning, cooking, organizing, writing, etc. It's hard to believe I was the same person as last year tbh. I'm a hoarder and a sentimental sap so I never throw anything away 💀🥲. BUT I got rid of so much unnecessary stuff yesterday and I'm actually kind of proud of myself. I've been meaning to go to the gym again, but finding the motivation is hard, especially in the early morning when I'm drowsy and tired. I know it's not an excuse and I plan on going to bed early tomorrow so I can wake up without feeling tired 😤😤. Wish me luck 🥹🤞🏼!!! Also also. I have currently been listening to the new opening on loop since I heard it came out don't judge me and I'm pretty sure I have the entire visuals and lyrics matched up inside my head atp where I can hear it and know which character is on screen 💀💀💀. It's the same with the season 1 episodes again no judging. Yes I'm normal abt this 😌😌. Anyways ✨. Idk if you've seen my posts, but I have been freaking out abt the new opening since this morning adjkhgggkjggfdhjhg. I am so excited about next week. You are gonna be sick of me once the first episode drops I'm calling it now 😭😭💀. Anyways onto the actual important stuff. How was your vacation and holiday?? Good I hope?? How's the move to a03 coming along?? Again, I hope you feel better soon (Oliver sends his love from Italy ❤️❤️❤️)!!! Make sure not to overwork yourself and take care of yourself and rest okay love?? I really have missed you tho 🥹❤️. *sending all the virtual hugs and blankets and warm soup to you*

- ✨ anon

YES! I have returned !! I missed you too T.T , ahh its good to be back. ps. not only have i managed to fall sick... I uh... I twisted my ankle last night when I was celebrating new years. There was so much that happened last night, the dancing, hanging out with my roommates and last but not least. there were a lot of pretty boys at the club; but honestly, they were strutting around the place like some proud peacock and were intimidated by my height (yeah i was the tallest one last night with my three inched heels) and my calves are killing me rn; but totally worth it ✨ I SAW THE NEW TR OPENING! Pretty sure the fans are gonna crash the website; i wouldn't be surprised honestly- I am so looking forward to the new eps !! I read the latest chapter of bllk and... *sobbing cause no Oliver* Anyway, getting back to Tr; I am excited for the new season !! And i wanna see more of bonten and the shiba brothers arc, now i'm thinking if they're gonna introduce Nahoya and the whole baby of the family thing (cause the way i cooed when I was reading the manga) Girl. I saw you posted about Chainsawman !! And during vacay, we were passing by a bookstore... I uh... I ended up buying vol 4 with Aki as the cover. (i love it sm and i'm gonna treasure it even if I haven't reached that part yet) - the look i got cause the amount of profanities in there on opening one of the pages 😭 Vacay was fun, spent some time in the countryside and got a hold of new experiences that inspired me to re-write ruined rome (a project that i had started for Rin earlier on my blog) there was a cute guy on the bus who was watching rising shield hero i think? and i was busy watching one punch man cause i didn't get time to finish it, *sad cause i shoulda asked for his @ but i was really shy to talk to him and kinda disoriented cause of no sleep*

As for the move to ao3; I released the new chapter of Ocean hues and I'm working on a spotify playlist that you guys can play it when you read the series; hopefully you guys will enjoy it <3 speaking a bit and giving spoilers for the series; i included some of my dreams with Oliver (yes i am a simp and idc) And i have my oneshots saved in my draft, that will be getting posted as well... ao3 is getting fun for me cause i figured a way on using dividers and pictures. Not to mention even if ao3 does seem complicated its actually pretty easy to get by and i'm getting obsessed with alice in borderland- THE NEW SEASON IS FINALLY OUT! so i'm gonna be completing that and stone ocean's new eps (yes me likes JJBA. *likes jonathan, joseph and Jotaro*) And no bb ♡ i like seeing your rants on my dash and also. I. squealed at your Oliver drabble. Like i was walking around, stood for coffee before my flight at some 1 o clock in the morning and i saw this. And my gah- the way i was staring into my phone, I had a jolly good christmas and an early new year 😭 *busy working on a list of yandere wips and thinking the title to give my work*

*sending back hugs and wuv along with Bachira*

[ploppythespaceship]

Thoughts on Star Trek: Prodigy (Season 1B)

I already typed up my thoughts on 1A ages ago, not knowing when 1B would come out, so I'm gonna try not to spend too much time on repeat statements. You can read that here if you care.

Honestly, this was one of the strongest first seasons in Star Trek history. This show knew what it wanted to be from the very start and just got better as it went along. My few complaints are largely nitpicky. Seriously, if you have passed on this because it's a kids show or you don't like the new Treks or whatever -- just give it a try.

What I Liked

The characters and their dynamic continue to be the strongest part of the series. Each of them is unique, memorable, and likeable in their own way, and the back half of the season fleshes all of them out even more. We even get a little flashback establishing each of their backstories. I originally thought Dal was the least interesting character, but his arc of leadership and self-discovery was wonderful in the back half of the season. Now I'd probably cite Jankom as the least interesting, but honestly none of them are bad, and they work very well as a group.

Once again, the animation just looks gorgeous. Character designs are wonderful and varied, and some of the locations are just stunning.

This show is made by people who love Star Trek, and it shows. The references and worldbuilding are crafted with such care, with so many little moments making me smile -- like the handful of calls to Jellico, or the little nods to "Threshold" and "Counterpoint," or the appearance of the Defiant in the big finale. But what I appreciate most about these references is that the show doesn't entirely depend on them. It's not just a shameless nostalgia grab like some other recent Trek outings have been -- if you removed the references and fanservice, there would still be a solid show underneath.

This show also has an excellent balance between episodic and serialized storytelling. There's definitely a big story that gets developed over time and builds up to a big finale, but that doesn't completely derail everything else. The characters still have a series of one-off adventures, which places them in new environments and allows them to have varied arcs. Most had good flow between each other as well, with only a few feeling like pointless filler -- and even those weren't bad, just not as strong as the rest.

I also like how this show isn't necessarily committed to maintaining the status quo. The season finale wrapped up so many arcs and set up season 2 to be quite different, and that's really exciting to me! I don't want them to rehash the same ideas over and over, and it looks like they don't plan to.

I really appreciate Prodigy's approach to darker and more nuanced topics. It doesn't shy away from things like the cast being escaped slaves, or the tragedy of what happened to Solum. Nor does it dumb these things down for its young audience. It just makes these topics approachable.

The reveal of Dal being an augment isn't what I expected, but I like it a lot. It introduces some tension due to the possibility of him not being permitted in Starfleet, and it sends him on a really interesting character arc -- going from "I'm just some experiment from a petri dish" to "I'm the captain and if I can't be in Starfleet, I'm going to do what I can to make sure you all do."

What I Didn't Like

Carrying over my biggest complaint from the first half of the season -- the lip sync in this show is weirdly bad. Mouth movements are often wildly mismatched from the voices, and it's genuinely distracting. And generally, there are some animation choices that make me wonder if there were budgetary or timing issues preventing more fluid movements. Characters can feel a little stiff, or like they're not emoting to the same extent as their voice actors. Hopefully the success of season 1 means season 2 will get a bit more attention in that regard.

Additionally, while the character designs of the alien characters are gorgeous, some of the human characters look a bit strange. I think I notice it most on the returning legacy characters, whose appearances I am most familiar with. It's hard to balance keeping the look of a well-known live-action character while also matching the art style, and I couple times I just think they missed the mark. Holo Janeway looks perfectly fine to me, but Admiral Janeway looks like she was stung by several bees.

While I appreciate most of the little cameos from pre-existing Trek characters, I don't think Okona added much to the story. I would have removed that role entirely, because he was definitely just there to be filler.

I don't care for Murf's redesign. I can't really articulate what looks off to me, but I just prefer the weird little blob to the weird little man.

I don't care for Zero's new suit, either. I understand giving them an upgrade, since their old one was literally scrap metal. But their old one also had charm and character to it. The new one looks like a walking Apple store and feels unpleasantly cold. Even making it gray instead of shining white would have helped, I think.

[magnhild]

im sorry WHAT happened w/ genl/ock??? i havent watched the show in forever and barely heard about it until your posts- what the actual fuck?? (u dont have to provide any more context im just Baffled)

first of all disclaimer that i refused to watch the rest of s2 after hearing about episode 4 so this is just what i've heard.

okay so rooster teeth ended up having to pass the show off to hbo max so it got a whole new writing team for season 2 and the first three episode were actually pretty alright! we got some neat backstory for yaz, found out what happened to chase's mother and sister, more insight on the union and how they're literally a suicide cult, albeit with some weird pacing and some scenes that were perhaps. unnecessary. and starting in episode 3 we get some gender-questioning kazu, which was really exciting and interesting because wow, trans character arc in an animated show!

and then episode 4 rolls around. kazu comes out as trans way too quickly, and then is instantly killed off for no reason. it was almost as if the writers rushed the coming out on purpose just so that it would hurt more for the audience when they killed him (she? they? i have no idea if there was a pronoun change). as far as i've heard, it served no purpose except to make all the other characters, but especially val (bc they were a canon couple by then), sad. literally bury your gays but make it trans. apparently it was also a very quick and sudden death, so no buildup or even time spent lingering on it, like it hardly had any effect at all.

episode 5 then went and made it worse. because apparently cammie brought into the union's 'if you die in this special ceremony you can ascend to a better place' bullshit and went and fucking joined them. one of the smartest characters in the show, everybody. but then i think she gets depressed about her family and stuff and so she kills herself? and i have no idea of it was through the weird ceremony thing or just a straight-up self-inflicted suicide. if anyone knows they can let me know or something idk.

and then i don't know the specific details for the rest of it but it all turns out that the union, even though they're a creepy religious suicide cult who've massacred and traumatized tons of people including yaz, are apparently the good guys all along! because that's a good message to send! and their goal is to have all of humanity kill themselves in order to achieve permanent genlock and live within the nanobots (the microscopic little dust cloud robots). and so cammie comes back somehow?? and kills val and yaz so they can turn into nanobots too and everyone lives happily ever after in these microscopic robots that can't feel or do anything, expect kazu, who has to be permanently dead because fuck trans people i guess.

and yeah that's all i know but if anyone has any extra details or corrections feel free to add i guess? but basically the new writers decided that season 1 was too tame and filled s2 to the brim with awful horrible edgy(TM) shit so that it can be as 'mature' as possible. sacrificing everything that make s1 so good in the process. and i'm super fucking pissed about the missed potential, especially regarding kazu.

[eagles-translated]

My thoughts on Eagles season 3!

Since we're getting closer to the season 4 premiere earlier than anticipated, I finally finished this post that's been sitting and collecting dust in my drafts. I hope you enjoy! 👇

Here's a (late) post where I've reflected on my thoughts on Eagles season 3. I've already talked a little about my thoughts on this season in a post I made called Analyzing the writing of Eagles, so check that out if you want!

Episode 1 — Funeral

The third season began with the funeral of Klara's dad Ola, who passed away in the season 2 finale.

This episode was an emotional one and I love the opening where we see a young Klara playing in her house. The casting was spot on and I knew that this girl was supposed to be Klara the second we saw her.

That shot where we see young Klara and Ola happy in the foreground and the older Klara looking at them in the background is heartbreaking. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about it but that was such a good way of connecting the past with the present.

Another detail that I liked in this episode is when Petra comes to pick Amie up to drive her to Ola's funeral. The music in the background building up to Amie saying she doesn't want to go and then cutting to the church was amusing and I enjoyed that.

I found Klara's mic drop moment at the end really over the top, but we also had scenes like Klara and Elias breaking up which had superb acting. All in all, this was a solid season premiere and set up the start of the season pretty well.

Rating: 8/10

Episode 2 — Diamonds

The one year time jump caught a lot of us off guard with this episode. It was fun seeing Amie as a successful singer and Elias being in the U.S. but this episode didn't really stand out that much for me.

I know some people were disappointed by the Ludde and Felicia reunion seeing as their only lines to each other were "hi". At this point I don't really care about them that much so I didn't give the reunion scene much thought, but I see their point.

I also felt like Elias moving back to Eagles after being drafted was kind of a let-down. It would've been cool to see Elias do something more in the U.S. than just immediately decide to go back to Eagles the moment we're introduced to him after being drafted. However, this is a low-budget show so I can't really complain too much.

Rating 6/10

Episode 3 — Field trip

This was a really fun episode! It was also a smart choice to have a class trip to Stockholm be the way to bring together Amie with the rest of the characters.

Elias being annoyed over having to come along to Stockholm and making up some wild story about night terrors so he'd get the window bed in the hotel room was pretty funny.

The complaints I had with this episode was that I didn't really pick up on the fact that Robin was romantically involved with Amie. The whole Amie/Felicia reconciliation also felt anti-climactic because they didn't really address anything.

In fact, they didn't get a proper reconciliation until 3x09 which is pretty insane considering it took that long for the Halloween incident storyline (that most people hated) to finally be resolved. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see Amie and Felicia back together (and getting some Amie/Elias interaction!).

Rating: 7/10

Episode 4 — Date night

The highlight of Date night for me was definitely Elias and Amie. Their "non-date" at the cinema was just so sickly sweet in all the right ways. The contrast between Elias and Amie's blossoming relationship against Ludde and Felicia's constant problems was pretty interesting.

The ending of this episode where Amie gets a call from Michael who introduces himself as her father was a good cliffhanger (albeit with some questions, like how did Michael know Amie was back in Oskarshamn and where did he get her number?).

Rating: 7/10

Episode 5 — Wounds

I'm a sucker for the hockey game episodes, and the return of Jack made it all the more exciting. I loved the music choices for this episode and Andreas's scene where he gives Ludde some actual advice on his situation with Felicia was much-needed.

Rating: 9/10

Episode 6 — Crossroads

I absolutely loved the bench scene between Elias and Amie in this episode and the location was gorgeous.

Adrian and Alva's acting in the break-up scene between Ludde and Felicia was really well done, and I didn't see their break-up coming at all (mostly because they had already broken up before, so I wasn't expecting them to go there).

This episode also had a solid cliffhanger with Jack finally deciding to leak the Kroon family's secret. A good episode all around.

Rating: 7/10

Episode 7 — The bomb

This episode felt like a calm before the storm. The beginning was a little slow when we were all waiting for "the bomb" to drop, but when it finally did and we got that montage of the Kroon family finding out and fighting with each other... Chef's kiss.

It was frustrating to see so much blame being placed on Felicia, but I understand that's where the episode needed to go in order to make the ending work. Felicia running through the forest was heartbreaking to watch, but a really well done scene that wasn't as graphic as other suicide attempt scenes out there.

Rating: 7/10

Episode 8 — Lost

This was a tough episode to watch. From seeing Amie finding out the truth about her father abandoning her, to seeing Ludde have his reputation ruined and lose his shot at getting into the English school.

And above all that, Felicia being absent from the episode and her family getting increasingly worried about her whereabouts.

What bothered most people with this episode was that it had a glaring plot hole. If Elias had just texted Amie, he would know where Felicia was and there would be no need for the family to assume the worst at the end of the episode. This plot hole ruined the episode for me a little bit and made it less believable.

Rating: 5/10

Episode 9 — Rewind

This is probably my least favorite episode from this season. It's not terrible, but I think the long repetition of scenes from the last episode felt kind of lazy. I've also seen a few fans—mostly on Russian discussion forums—saying this episode was a waste of time.

Repeating scenes from Lost caused the two episodes to blend together in this strange way that made me feel like I was watching the same episode as the previous one.

I also wasn't a huge fan of the coloring in this episode. It was probably supposed to signify that we were seeing the same scenes but "through a different light", but the colors just ended up looking washed out and boring.

I know this episode was different than the usual style of Eagles but I just prefer the lighthearted moments over these hard-hitting scenes.

I do have to say that Alva Bratt as Felicia has major acting chops and without them, this episode definitely wouldn't have worked.

Rating: 4/10

Episode 10 — New Year's Eve

I felt like this season finale was more mellow and lowkey than previous finales. The New Year's Eve party wasn't the grand celebration it could've been and probably the last place you'd want to be during the countdown, but I still loved this episode.

I really enjoyed seeing Felicia finally being checked into a home and get proper help, which is something I've been wanting since season 1. Another scene that was just super sweet was Elias talking to Mats about how he was in love.

And, I mean...

The ending with Andreas threatening Jack with a gun wasn't what I was expecting, but an interesting cliffhanger to end on. I liked the inclusion of an after-credits shot with the bloody hand and it made me really curious about what actually happened.

Rating: 9/10

My thoughts overall

Even if I had a lot of (minor) complaints, this season has been my favorite so far. We finally got to see the development of Elias and Amie's relationship, Felicia's issues were finally addressed, and we got the reconciliation of both Felicia/Amie and Amie/Klara.

I wish some of these things would've come much sooner but I'm happy that this season finally sorted out the messy storylines from past seasons that I wasn't really a fan of (namely the Halloween incident and Amie getting a crush on Ludde).

I'm really anticipating the release for season 4, which I definitely think will be even better than previous seasons!

[torikawa]

Tōru Oikawa FanFiction Part #1

'Mixed Realities' a love story between [F/N] [L/N] and Tōru Oikawa.

This Fanfiction includes the following~

Happy Ending

Sexual Themes

Explicit Words

Kinks

Friends to Lovers

Strangers to Lovers

Sad scenarios in the Middle

Fluff

Comedy

[F/N] = First Name

[L/N] = Last Name

[N/O/S] = Name Of School

[F/N] [L/N], a girl who attends to [N/O/S] was known to be a Huge Otaku and the newest Manager of the Boys Volleyball Team. She's a huge fan of the Anime Haikyuu! Looking up to the Characters especially Oikawa. She thought of him as such an amazing character who deserved the world! She basically Simped for him whenever she could.

"Did you see the new Episode?! Oikawa showed up for less than a second but I think I fell for him all over again" [F/N] said with a grin spreading across her face, her eyes glued onto the Screen Shot she took of him.

"Here she goes again." Julien muttered under his breath, glaring daggers into [F/N]'s smaller figure.

"Oh come on! Hearing her rant about her 2D Boyfriend is honestly funny-" Ace laughed in.

"No wonder she's still single, too busy SIMPING for guys who don't exi-" Interrupted by a sharp smack on the shoulder, Leon choked on his food.

"Oh come on! You can't deny that he's the hottest Character in Haikyuu!!" [F/N] chimed in between the boys Laughter.

"You say that about every guy in Haikyuu." Julien dead panned.

"You're just salty that I don't talk about Sakusa as much!"

"Tch." He looked away, his nose scrunching up along with his mask.

"Pfft, don't be mad Juju!" [F/N] squeezed Julien's cheek through his mask, pink scattering across his cheeks as he swats her hand away.

He muttered a small 'whatever' before he got up and walked away.

"Mmm, I think our own little Sakusa likes you [F/N]" Ace said with a snicker.

"He has a point. Julien's a huge Germaphobe yet he treat you as if you're the only pure/clean thing that exists" Leo added, his words mumbled from him chewing on his food.

[F/N] stared at her 2 Friends, dumbfounded. She slowly looked away before moving a strand of her hair behind her ear. She couldn't bring herself to see Julien looking at her as someone more than just a friend.

He was tall, handsome, smart, and above all the boy who the girls swoon over in the School. But there aren't any proof of him liking her, atleast not yet?

"I still can't believe that, but anyways! It's almost practice, we should probably get going or we'll be late" She got up slowly, slinging her bag over her shoulder right shoulder.

Ace and Leo sighed in anticipation, upset about how stupid their little manager was when it came to romance.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Gym, Julien and the rest of the Team were already practicing their serves.

"You guys are a bit late" The coach said with a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry we wer-"

"[F/N] ate so much, we had to wait for our little manager to be finished because we didn't want her left alone" Ace said with a snort. Causing Leo to burst out of laughter as he jogged towards the rest of the team.

[F/N] gave Ace a smack on the arm, her face beat red. It caused most of the boys who were practicing their serves to snicker.

Meanwhile, Julien kept his stone cold face. Simply not bothered by the fact the others were basically dying of laughter by now. Though as his eyes landed on his dear Friend, a teasing smile spread across his face.

[F/N] looked away embarrassed, trying her best to avoid Julien's teasing gaze.

After 2 hours of practicing, it finally came to an end. With [F/N] handing out each of the Players water bottles.

For Julien, she had to rub the shit out of his bottle. It was something she had to do before handing it to him. Of course at first, she was kind of offended. But now that she was one of the few people who were actually able to touch him, it made her feel special.

"Here" [F/N] said with a smile on her face, slowly handing Julien his Bottle. He stared down at her, nodding before giving a small 'thanks'

She ended up walking home alone today, Julien had to get home fast to take care of his Nephew, Ace had to go out with his Girlfriend, and Leon as usual walked on a different path since he lived in the opposite direction.

It didn't take long for her to reach her front door. She reached into her pockets and pulled out her keys, professionally sticked it into the keyhole with a turn, causing the door to open.

"I'm home!" [F/N] screamed out, but then a sudden shock hit her. Her parents were off on a vacation, so she'd have to live alone for a few weeks. "Oops- Forgot"

Slowly, she took her shoes off. Placing them ever so gently against the shoe rack before ascending the stairs of her house. But then, that's when she realized. Something felt so off about her surroundings, but why?

[F/N] continued her way towards her bedroom slowly, her legs shaking with each step she took.

Her hand pressed against the door as she pushed it open, revealing her bedroom. She stepped inside cautiously, her eyes scanning her room.

A minute passed with her standing still. And yet nothing happened. 'Huh, I guess it was just my imagination-' Though before she could step forward to enter her room fully, a large hand grasped her mouth, forcefully pinning her against the wall.

"Who the fuck are you and where the Hell am I?" The dark figure yelled out, his hand still dangerously close to choking her. She couldn't tell who this was, and she couldn't have known why the Hell this person was here in the first place!

[F/N] felt a surge of fear flow through her body as she whimpered against the touch.

"Are you gonna talk or stay quiet?"

"P-Please..- I have no idea why you're here just please let me go!"

The boy eventually let go of her neck, stepping back while letting out a sigh.

[F/N] didn't hesitate to flick the lights on, snapping her head back to the boy. Only to have her eyes widen and her mouth open. 'N-No way..-' she thought in her head.

The Boy infront of her stood at over (6'0"), chocolate brown hair, and eyes. The features of his body were all so familiar with her.

"Oi..Oikawa..-?" [F/N] muttered, loud enough for the boy to hear.

"How do you know my name" Oikawa deadpanned, his cold eyes staring down at her smaller figure.

"I...no w-way- this can't be happening I.. this is a d-dream I..-" She stepped forward, causing him to step back in confusion and fear.

He wasn't used to his surroundings, nor was he used to having to look at a mirror with his different yet similar face.

"Stay back, I don't know who you are." Tōru kept his distance from her, he didn't show any fear whatsoever. But deep down he was panicking. Where was he? How did he get here? And why was he here?

[F/N] sighed, calming down a bit to hold herself back from bursting out into tears. She looked into Oikawa's half lidded eyes and began to explain how he was a Fictional character she looked up to, a character who wasn't supposed to exist but yet still ended up being in her room PHYSICALLY. Was this a way of God giving her a Gift? A gift of someone she treasured and looked up to the most? Perhaps.

Tōru's eyes softened, he scanned her room only to look at the merch [F/N] baught of himself. It's crazy to believe, but it's the only logical explanation; How he ended up transferring into a different reality, a different dimension. It all made sense in his head but it was hard to believe. How could this girl look so calm? Was she expecting this? Though, she was caught off guard when she realized who he was. So Oikawa shook off the thought, and eventually let out a smile.

"Is it alright if I stay here until I figure out a way to head back..?" He questioned, his head tilting to the side as his usual yet none genuine smile spread across his cheeks. He wanted to deal with this situation without having to face it alone.

"O-Ofcourse..!" [F/N] quickly looked around, before settling her bag on her [F/C] bean bag.

"Do you live alone?"

"Oh, actually I live with my Parents but they're off on a vacation for 3 weeks"

"I see~" Oikawa hummed, before plopping himself on her bed. He may look and act calm and collected. But inside he was worrying about how his friends and family would act with his sudden disappearance from his own reality.

"Are you okay? Do you feel hungry? I could cook for you if you want" [F/N] said as she sat beside him.

Tōru was caught off guard from her sudden approach, but he paid no mind. He didn't get any harmful nor dangerous vibes from the stranger.

"Actually, I'm not hungry at all. But I do have a question or two that I would like for you to answer"

"Ask awayyyy!" [F/N] said with a huge goofy grin her face, causing the setter to let out a chuckle. She couldn't keep in her excitement with having her idol infront of her.

"Pfft, now, what's your name Stranger?"

"Stra- ah right- I'm [F/N] [L/N]"

"Ah~ what a cute name [F/N]-chan! Is it alright if I call you that or are you uncomfortable with it?" Tōru asked with a tilt of his head.

"A-Actually I don't mind you calling me by my first name.. But, that means I get to call you Tōru-kun then!"

"Tōru, just call me Tōru." He replied softly.

[F/N] could practically feel her heart flutter. Was she really falling for Oikawa for real? Was he really THE Oikawa Tōru..

Little did she know, this was the start of an unbreakable bond. A bond that will soon blossom into romance.

[Original Idea, do not steal]

[icharchivist]

I have finished winter troupe debut episode! It was very dramatic lmao. Was enjoyable though. Winter troupe all had very interesting characters and It's nice to see a troupe that is all adults.

Since I complained about spring troupe issues being solved by not talking about it. I have to talk about how winter troupes issues were solved by literal outside forces trapping them or letting them read peoples minds.

I'm guessing they did this because unlike the teens who are more willing to be open about themselves and pester others,,,, adults are a lot less likely. (Before winter the adults were, sakyo, and itaru? cause the uni students aren't really adults yet. sakyo opens up to Izumi because he knows and trusts her. Itaru. Hasn't really opened up yet but he's getting there.) Whereas winter troupe is a group of strangers and the two who know each other literally are in the middle of massive misunderstanding/fight?/idk mutual disappointment.

(Also misumi just getting trapped in random time loops???? Holy shit is he ok???? Like he was able to figure it was tsumugi and tasuku this time but what if he doesn't know the people? I have so many questions)

Ok rant over. I have accepted that magic exists in a3 and all it wants is for people to get along and understand each other. But yeah once I crawl through the events and next act I have to rewatch spring hahaha. I definitely wasn't fair to them.

Homare oh my god. Just. Holds gently. I want to protect him. No one deserves to be called a broken cyborg :(

Gahhh all of winter troupe I just want to protect.

Also I saw fuyupoly is a thing? Because I'm excited to see the troupe develop more.

(you said you had a Google drive of the inbetween acts events :eyes: should I message you or something?)

tHEY’RE SO DRAMATIC I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.....

And yeah tbh when you talked about Spring having communication problems my first thought was “oh BOY you haven’t seen Winter yet” DLKFJDLFKJDFLKJDFLK

I. think about Winter much more than i should but yeah, pretty much it’s the fact they’re adults and strangers and just. are extremely conflict avoidant, all of them, for various reasons. Tsumugi because of his crushed confidence, Tasuku because he struggles to convey his feelings and he lost Tsumugi in the past, Hisoka because he litterally has no past and it freaks him out (Homare was spot on when he said Hisoka knew he couldn’t defend himself), Homare because he’s scared he’ll mess up again, and Azuma because he spent his life keeping people at armlength.  They’re all adult and agreeable people, and they are also all pretty understanding in some way, so they let some conflict pass by hoping it will be over soon. Some of them like Tsumugi, Azuma and Homare are also pretty analytic of people on a psychological way so they can try to navigate with what they know. 

But in the end without communication it’s not going very far, but they don’t really know how to do it when all of them are adults who have got used to it. 

so yeah, like you said it’s really that they’re adults and that unlike the youngest ones i think it’s just. they’re all used to compromise and compromise a part of themselves as well. 

but yeah the magic being the thing solving it cracks me up all the time i’m just. Like. okay. Okay cool okay. Normal. Like. Thematically wise i think it’s because Winter is a season that’s so cold and sad but there’s a bit of magic in it (like the magic of christmas) and i think that’s what it is meant to echo but that’s. so out of the blue DLKFJDKLFJDLKFJLDF that said once that just accepted i really love the way the three magical events reflects the characters (Tasuku and Tsumugi needed to reconnect and find back the comfort they had with one another and plushies are considered comfort items that helps transition into a safer place, it’s also linked to childhood and those two are childhood friends. Homare and the loupe are pretty straight forward, he needed to see closer, deeper. Azuma and Hisoka both were locked into a room, isolated, just like their past (or in Hisoka’s case what his flashbacks implies) make them feel isolated, having experienced loss).). I am FASCINATED with Winter. i just. akjhfkdhfkdjfmldjfmd?? sljhfjldk.

but aah i’m glad you enjoyed the ride so much i’m so happy!!

and god yeah please someone check on Misumi i worry for him wtf

and Homare’s arc yeah!! yeah!!! his arc is one of my fav arc i just. really love how it all plays out. It’s really rare to see a story goes “here’s a character with low empathy: and he’s the most loving and kind character you can imagine”. The way he struggles from it, how sad it makes him, this way to see himself, everything makes me want to cry for hours. I want to hold him so bad.

Fuyupoly is definitly a thing yeah. Fuyupoly my beloved. I adore Fuyupoly so much 😭 but Winter is honestly a slow burn, especially in comparaison to the rest of the teams. 

I actually didn’t think much of them at first read (Azuma and Hisoka were already my favs though, i’m so soft for them)(also i say that but i know i found back screenshot of me crying about fuyu on first read so i did feel a lot but it didn’t hit me until late, how much i actually cared), and now i legit can’t stop thinking about all of them. I don’t know how much it says about their slowburn or what it says about me but; Winter.

ANYWAY congratz on finishing the main story of act 1 :3c and yeah, i’d prefer if i could share it in private (bc it’s, a lot of content and if i provide it in public this is clearly piracy and DLKFJDF i know a3 tends to take down some of this content and i’m trying to be stealthy).

Though if you don’t want to come off anon, you can tell me in another anon’s ask, i’ll link you my drive, then you’ll need to send me an ask to tell me you got it so i can delete the post, if you prefer?

anyway the drive is up and ready anytime. i just didn’t update some of the latest act 2′s events but act 1 is filled and that’s the priority. so you know also this drive includes 1) Story events, 2) the songs linked to each plays (which tells the story of the plays, def recommand it), 3) All the backstages from limited time cards i could get. Backstages linked to specific events are inside their specific event files, else the cards which didn’t come in an event are in the “Scouting file”.  What’s important to read plotwise is the Event stories. The backstages are very good and i def recommand it but it may be overwhelming so you can skip them and come back later for them DLKJFLDKFJFD it’s really just the main plot of each event that you should watch.

(also i should mention only the first two events are fully voiced, the rest are just with some voicelines here and there, but i still recommand watching it bc of the mood with the music and the sprites and all)

so yeah ready to send it anytime you want  !! :3c